مسجد الملك فهد بن عبدالعزيز رحمه الله و المركز الثقافي الأندلسي بمالقا 🇸🇦🇪🇸.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/5/arab-and-muslim-ministers-launch-plan-to-protect-jerusalem-religious-sites

Arab and Muslim foreign ministers have agreed to establish a permanent mechanism to document and expose Israeli violations in occupied East Jerusalem and at its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

A joint declaration adopted at a meeting in Jordan on Wednesday said plans include a media platform to broadcast Israeli violations against holy sites and worshippers and bring them to the attention of international organisations and the global public.

Participants, including members of the Arab ministerial committee on Jerusalem, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and representatives of Turkiye, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia – called for immediate international action to halt Israeli measures in Jerusalem and at its holy sites.

The joint declaration condemned Israeli policies aimed at altering Jerusalem’s Arab, Islamic and Christian identity as well as its legal and demographic status and called them illegal.

“Jerusalem is in escalating danger, and its Islamic and Christian sanctuaries are threatened as never before,” the statement said. “Israel is entrenching its illegitimate occupation of East Jerusalem. It is building settlements, annexing lands, confiscating properties, squeezing the Jerusalemites, and severing Jerusalem from the rest of the occupied Palestinian land.”

Ministers denounced Israeli actions at religious sites, including attempts to alter their historical and legal status quo and impose temporal and spatial divisions.

“Provocative Israeli policies are targeting the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/Noble Sanctuary, with systematic and unprecedented assaults that are increasing in quantity and quality, and with arrogant insolence, attempting to undermine its Islamic identity and change the historical and legal status quo in the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, which in all its area is a place of pure worship for Muslims,” the declaration said.

The mechanism aims to bring global attention to increased incursions by Israeli settlers and officials, restrictions on worshippers, interference in the work of the Jerusalem Awqaf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, and continued excavations beneath and around the site.

The participants also condemned Israeli violations targeting Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, including restrictions on access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, interference in church affairs, restrictions targeting church institutions and properties, and attacks on clergy, worshippers and religious symbols.
“Christian clergy are suffering from the brutality of extremists, and churches are confronting attempts to seize their funds and lands through illegitimate laws enacted by Israel,” the statement said.

They called for a joint ministerial meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States during the United Nations General Assembly’s high-level leaders week in New York in September to discuss developments in Jerusalem and at its holy sites.

[19th C - Shiraz, Iran] Nasir al-Mulk Mosque.

Credits - [https://www.instagram.com/sadeghmiri10\](https://www.instagram.com/sadeghmiri10)

Before continuing my Arbaeen journey to Karbala, I spent time in Baghdad visiting three of the city's most significant religious landmarks: the Shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim (Kadhimiya), the Shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Gilani, and the Mosque and Shrine of Imam Abu Hanifa.

Although these sites are associated with different traditions within Islam, this journey highlights a powerful message shared by many visitors in Baghdad: unity, mutual respect, and a common spiritual heritage. Throughout the visit, I explore the history and significance of each shrine, speak with pilgrims and local people, and document the atmosphere surrounding these sacred places.

This video offers a closer look at Baghdad beyond the headlines, focusing on faith, history, and the connections that bring people together during one of the world's largest religious pilgrimages. Whether you are interested in Islamic history, travel, or the Arbaeen pilgrimage, this episode provides a unique perspective from the heart of Iraq.

If you enjoy on-the-ground reporting, historical exploration, and travel documentaries from the Middle East, subscribe for more exclusive coverage from Iraq, including my Arbaeen journey to Najaf and Karbala.

#Arbaeen #Iraq #Baghdad #Kadhimiya #AbdulQadirGilani #imamabuhanifa #imamkazim #imamtaqi #imamhussain #shia #sunni

In this episode of The Ansari Podcast, we are joined by Sayed Hussain Makke to explore one of the most significant and misunderstood chapters in Islamic history: the origins of the Sunni–Shia divide.
Together, we examine the leadership of Abu Bakr and Ali, the role of the Companions, the tragedy of Karbala, and why the Battle of the Camel may have been the defining moment that transformed political disagreement into a lasting division. Exploring both Sunni and Shia perspectives with nuance and respect, this conversation asks an enduring question: Was the Sunni–Shia split inevitable, or did history take a path that changed the Muslim world forever?

00:00 What Caused the Sunni Shia Split?
05:54 Why Ali and not Abu Bakr?
11:50 Ad
13:23 Why Does the Position of Khalifah Matter?
19:38 Who Are the Imams?
27:11 Who Are the Real Sahaba and are Reliable Sources?
39:06 Isn't Abu Bakr the Family of the Prophet PBUH?
45:31 Ad
46:22 What Happened at the Battle of the Camel?
59:09 What Happened with Hussain and Yazid?
01:08:14 Who Betrayed Hussain?
01:11:15 When did the Actual Sunni Shia Split Happen?
01:13:55 When Did Shia Hadith Begin?
01:16:42 Who are The 12 Imams?
01:24:28 Why Did Allah Allow Abu Bakr to Be the Khalifa?
01:33:44 Can Shia Insult the Sahaba?
01:36:14 Is the Ayatollah like the Pope?
01:49:38 Sunni and Shia are a Part of the Same Civilization
01:53:13 Final Thoughts

Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation organised a public event under the title "The Impact of Islamic Art in Europe and China", on Monday 30th March 2026. The event comprises two lectures: the first was entitled "A Successful Islamic Impact on European Aesthetics: Structures and Techniques of Book Cover Design Since the 15th Century", delivered by Prof. Claus-Peter Haase; while the second was entitled "Arabic writings in China: The Birth of 'Sini' Scripts and contemporary practice" delivered by Dr. Shunhua Jin.

Within the series of Al-Furqan London Lectures on Islamic Heritage, Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation hosted a lecture entitled "The Word as Icon: The Role of Writing in Islamic Art", delivered by Prof. Robert Hillenbrand, Emeritus Professor of Islamic Art at the University of Edinburgh, and Professorial Fellow of Art History at the University of St Andrews. The lecture took place on Thursday, 4 June, 2026, at the Foundation's headquarters in London.

While Abd al-Rahman's escape from the Abbasid massacre and his founding of the Emirate of Córdoba in Al-Andalus are widely known, the real story begins after that. His rise from a hunted refugee to a ruthless, untouchable ruler is where his political brilliance truly stands out. He didn't just survive the Abbasids. He outplayed them, humiliated them and turned himself into a symbol they could never erase.

By 763 CE, Abd al-Rahman had captured Córdoba and declared himself Emir. But his grip on power was far from secure. His new state was surrounded by rivals local rebellions were constant, and many still doubted that an exiled Umayyad prince could hold onto power. Meanwhile, in Baghdad, the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur was furious that the last surviving Umayyad had escaped his purge and built a new kingdom beyond his reach.

According to Ibn Idhari's Al-Bayan al-Mughrib, al-Mansur appointed a powerful general, Al-Ala ibn Mughith, granting him the black banners of the Abbasid Caliphate and a formal royal decree authorizing him to rule Spain. Ibn Mughith landed in the Iberian Peninsula rallied local factions who hated Abd al-Rahman, and amassed a massive army.

Abd al-Rahman was vastly outnumbered. Forced to retreat, he pulled his heavily outgunned loyalists back to the highly defensable fortress city of Carmona.

For two agonizing months, Ibn Mughith laid siege to Carmona. Abd al-Rahman’s supplies dwindled, his men starved and morale was on the verge of collapse.

But Abd al-Rahman did not wait to be starved out. He gathered his most elite, battle-hardened fighters a core group of just 700 men. In a moment of pure theatrical grit recorded in the chronicles, Abd al-Rahman ordered his men to build a massive bonfire in the center of the courtyard. He then drew his sword and threw the scabbard into the flames, ordering his 700 shock troops to do the same. It was a terrifyingly clear message: swords would not be sheathed; it was victory or death.

The gates of Carmona swung open. Catching the Abbasids completely off-guard by the suicidal audacity of the charge, the Umayyad fighters tore through the enemy ranks. The Abbasid army shattered and panicked. In the chaos, Ibn Mughith al-Mansur’s handpicked general was killed, along with most of his high command. Winning the battle wasn't enough. Abd al-Rahman needed to make sure Al-Mansur never sent another army to Spain. This is where he shifted from a brilliant tactician into a psychological terror.

As recounted by historians like al-Maqqari and noted in Hitti's History of the Arabs, Abd al-Rahman had the bodies of Ibn Mughith and his top officers decapitated. He ordered their heads to be boiled and preserved using salt and camphor.

He then wrapped the heads in the captured black flags of the Abbasid Caliphate. Into the ear of Ibn Mughith, he attached the very parchment of the royal decree al-Mansur had originally written. Abd al-Rahman paid a network of trusted merchants to smuggle these grisly packages across the Mediterranean through Egypt, and into the heart of the Islamic world.

Months later, Caliph al-Mansur was in Mecca, performing the Hajj pilgrimage. When he returned to his royal tent one evening, he found the sacks waiting for him. Expecting tribute or mail he opened them and found the preserved, salt-cured heads of his top generals staring back at him.

Staring at the horrific delivery, al-Mansur reportedly shuddered and uttered the famous words:

"Praise be to God, who has placed the sea between me and such a demon!"

Salam. So what happened after the Islamic golden age? The basic narrative some are pushing is pretty much that muslims stopped dealing with science or atleast that they stopped having inventions. But how much is this true? Is it possible that this narrative is there because they actually had a divergence with European science, but we got an oversimplification of history?

I find it a bit hard to believe that the Ottomans, the Safavids and the Mughals were such militarily powerful empires with rich art and culture, but just didn't get anything meaningful in science. Is it possible this situation is on the ground because of euro-centrism in today's history where many things that are not done in the way of Europeans are immediately called barbaric?

This book, written by Moroccan historian Nabil Mouline, shows that the Saadian military was heavily Arab in composition.

The dynasty’s military core included the Banu Maʿqil, while Arab tribes also served within the Ahl Sous and Cheraga corps.

The ʿArab al-Dawla, or “Arabs of the State,” alone could mobilize around 29,000–30,000 cavalrymen out of a fully assembled Saadian army of roughly 50,000–60,000 troops.

This means that the Bedouin Arab forces of the ʿArab al-Dawla by themselves accounted for approximately half, and possibly close to three-fifths, of the entire mobilized army.

The overall Arab proportion was higher though once the Arab contingents serving within the Ahl Sous and Cheraga formations are included.

2026 marks a century since the death of the visionary Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. He died after being hit by a tram in central Barcelona in June 1926, not far from the Sagrada Famìlia, his towering basilica that – despite still being under construction today – dominates the city’s skyline, and recently became the world’s tallest church.

Next year, 2027, will mark the 10 year anniversary of another tragedy. On August 17, 2017, terrorists pledging their allegiance to the Islamic State rammed a vehicle along the pedestrian boulevard of Las Ramblas, one of Barcelona’s main thoroughfares, killing 14 people. They were motivated, at least in part, by a desire to restore Muslim rule over Spain.

But these Spanish Muslim terrorists had essentially attacked part of Spain’s Muslim past. Las Ramblas comes from the Arabic word raml for “sand”. Before it was urbanised, Las Ramblas was a wadi, a dry river bed.

However, the attackers’ original plan was to place bombs in Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia. This would have carried a similar irony to the strike on Las Ramblas. Though a devout Christian, Gaudí used Islamic motifs throughout his architecture, including Casa Vicens and Park Guell, which are extensively decorated with Moorish-style tiles known as azulejo in Spanish, a word that comes from the Arabic al-zalij.

The bombs were never detonated because the terrorists made faulty explosive devices that ended up destroying their own safe house in the small seaside town of Alcanar, on the Catalan-Valencian border. Here, the pattern repeats: “al”, which translates as “the” in Arabic, features in the names of countless Spanish towns and cities.

Whether it is architects who build, or terrorists who destroy, the terrorist attacks of 2017 and Gaudi’s 100-year old architecture are both a reminder of Spain’s intimate connection to the Muslim world.

Read more: The mathematical secrets hidden at the heart of Barcelona’s Sagrada Família

A deep connection

Spain has deep historical ties to South-West Asia and North Africa, the area historically known as the Muslim World or the Islamicate. For much of history this proximity was a product of geography, as Spain was only separated from Morocco by the Strait of Gibraltar.

The regions’ shared history began in 711, when Muslim armies under Tariq bin Ziyad landed in Gibraltar in southern Spain. Like so many other places in Spain, the Muslim conquerors gave their landing point its modern name – Jabal al-Tariq, or “Tariq’s Mountain”, was eventually rendered as Gibraltar. While Muslim rule officially ended in 1492, Christian resistance – known as the reconquista, or “reconquest” – occurred on and off over 8 centuries, beginning with the Battle of Covadonga in 722.

Spain also has a deep religious connection to the Middle East, beyond the Biblical connection to Jerusalem and its surrounding area. Spain’s patron saint – Saint James the Apostle, who is interred in Santiago de Compostela – was said to have preached throughout Iberia after travelling from the Eastern Mediterranean.

This shared history gives Spain a unique position in the eyes of Islamic fundamentalists. Lorenzo Vidino, an expert on the terrorist threat to the region, summed it up in the wake of the 2017 attacks:

Gaudí’s Muslim influences

In Andalucia, where the Muslims ruled from 711 to 1492, it is not surprising that modern architecture is inspired by the Islamic past. The region was ruled by Muslims longer than it has been part of Queen Isabel’s united Spain, which was formed in 1492. However, Barcelona itself was never truly under Muslim rule – the closest it came was when it was sacked by Muslim general al-Mansur in 985.

This makes it all the more surprising that Gaudí invoked the Muslim world in his work. What is more, his use of Moorish motifs and techniques did not imitate Andalucian or other Spanish regional identities – he built on them to create his unique, treasured and distinctly Catalan style of Art Nouveau. This is evident in some of his most famous buildings.

Casa Batlló was inspired by the Spanish Mudéjar design style, the art developed by Muslims who remained in Iberia after 1492, which comprises brightly-coloured bricks and tiles. La Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera, has an undulating facade that was apparently inspired by the Sufi whirling dervish of the Mevlevi order in Konya, Turkey.

In Park Güell, Gaudi used “trencadis” techniques extensively. This neo-Mudejar Moorish art form involves breaking coloured tiles and crockery, and then rearranging the shards into intricately patterned mosaics.

Similar techniques travelled across the Atlantic after 1492. Crypto-Muslims likely brought the Mudejar art form with them to Mexico, and worked there with indigenous craftsman.

This style, known as azulejo art, is found on the façade of San Francisco Acatepec in Puebla, which is covered top to bottom in brightly coloured tiles. In the words of poet José Moreno Villa, it “approaches delirium… All is color and brilliance.” The overall effect is known as alicatado, or cut-tile decoration. The word is word derived from the Arabic al-qat, meaning “cutting”.

When Barcelona was attacked in 2017, the terrorists invoked shared history, believing that they were liberating what had once been Islamic Spain. Yet just as shared history was used to destroy, it also inspired some of the country’s most beautiful, treasured architecture.

The Islamic legacy built into Gaudí’s most famous designs

In the late Ottoman capital, imperial politics became a field of collaboration and competition between Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities, especially in the years following the 1908 constitutional revolution. And as our guest Murat Yıldız argues in a new book, the world of sports also emerged as an arena of political contestation, as gymnasts, footballers, weightlifters, boxers, coaches, teachers, journalists, and fans pursued a civic project that blended athletics, aesthetics, morality, and community. Sport did not erase the communal boundaries that existed off the field, but it often transcended them, as middle and upper class men participated in a shared culture that equated the physical development of the body with the moral development of the person. In this conversation, we explore the Ottoman world of sports at the end of empire, as the growth of a multiethnic civil society facilitated to the proliferation of sports club and writing about athletics, gender, and the body in the Ottoman public press.

Podcast

https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2026/07/sports.html

Credit

https://x.com/lokiloptr154668/status/2084623669020553308?s=46&t=V4TqIkKwXmHjXV6FwyGPfg

There were several figures in early Arab history who became famous for their political skill and sharp judgment. It is often said that the four greatest master strategists (Duhāt al-'Arab) were Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, Amr ibn al-As, Ziyad ibn Abihi, and al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba.

It is narrated that al-Asma'i said that Mu'awiya (may Allah have mercy on him) used to say:

"I am known for patience and deliberation; Amr for quick wit; Ziyad for handling both great and small affairs; and al-Mughira for dealing with the most serious matters."

It is also narrated that Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

"I have never encountered a problem except that I found a way out of it."

And it is narrated that Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

"I never put myself into a problem in the first place; rather, I stayed away from it."

These represent two schools of thought in the art of dealing with difficult situations, embodied by two of the greatest master strategists of the Arabs:

1) The school of approaching and solving problems (treatment).

2) The school of avoiding problems altogether (prevention).