Saudi Arabia has recently devised a plan to launch robots that will be stationed at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The role of the robots will be to recite the Holy Quran and deliver sermons to the millions of Muslims that visit the holy site. The launch is a component of a wider “strategic plan”…
Tag Mecca
Hajj Now Has Women Guarding Mecca and Medina
In the past few years Saudi has gone through some significant changes under Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s plan to modernize the country. Some notable changes include: lifting the ban on women driving, women being able to travel without permission from guardians, and women having more control over family matters. Most of these reforms have…
23 Items You Need to Take With You for Hajj
As we speak, pilgrims around the globe are probably neck-deep in preparation for Hajj 2019. For those who may not be aware, this daunting, yet eagerly anticipated fifth pillar of Islam is a time when Muslims from around the globe — who are able to, both physically and financially — descend upon the holiest cities…
I Went to the Kaa’ba and It Was Everything I Expected
On 23rd May 2017, my dream came true, Alhamdulillah. On the way to Makkah, while everyone in the car was tired and taking a nap, I was a little tense. I was wondering whether I’d be able to catch Isha’s congregational prayer. As the cars were moving at a snail’s pace, I kept looking for…
The Final Sermon
The year 10 A.H. was one of the most significant years of the Islamic calendar. Leaders and tribes that one could have never imagined would show the least bit of acceptance towards Prophet Muhammad (SAW) began to embrace Islam as their faith, and multitudes of people were turning to the religion of Allah (SWT) ….
The Conquest of Mecca
After Muslims were hassled by the Quraysh on their way to Mecca to perform the umrah, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) decided that it was time to take diplomatic action. The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was composed, providing for a ten-year-truce and allowing ample time for outside tribes to make their alliances. Peace came to the hijaz. Little…
The Constitution of Medina
So Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his followers were now in Medina, in an attempt to escape the growing hostility, religious intolerance, and persecution of Mecca. They had migrated to Medina in the year 622 in search of freedom and peace. This year is also known as the year of migration, or hijrah. This is later…
The Meccans’ Treatment of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
When Prophet Muhammad (SAW) started acknowledging and preaching Islam, the natives of Mecca got aggravated. At that time, Meccans were ignorant and backwards, worshiping idols and reluctant to hear the message of Islam. The natives of Mecca held prejudiced beliefs against the Prophet (SAW) and insisted on ridding Mecca of him. They would alienate and…
The Message of Islam
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّـهُ أَحَدٌ ﴿١﴾ اللَّـهُ الصَّمَدُ ﴿٢﴾ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ﴿٣﴾ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ ﴿٤ Say: He is Allah, the One and Only! Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not nor is He begotten. And there is none like unto Him. — Surat Ikhlaas. “Islam” means the submission of one’s will…
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Before Prophethood
It’s important to know the history of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) even prior to his prophethood because those were the years that shaped the Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) reputation and image to the people of Mecca. His early years of virtue would soon precede a lifetime of nobleness and greatness. After his grandfather passed away when the…
The Prophet’s Early Years
Abdul Mutalib betrothed his youngest son, Abdullah, who was to be the Prophet’s (SAW) father, to Aminah in the year 570AD. Not long after the marriage took place, Abdullah left Aminah, who was then already pregnant with the Prophet (SAW) and travelled to Syria on a mercantile expedition.
Malcolm X and the Real Islam
Change. Change. Change. A major problem among people isn’t that we don’t want to change, but that we don’t think we can. We think it’s too late to fix our mistakes or to re-evaluate the way we’re living our lives. But once one reads the biography of the honored and revered Malcolm X, we can…
The Foundation of Islamic Law and the Conquest of Mecca
Shari’ah, or Islamic law, literally means “a way to the watering place” or “a path to seek felicity and salvation”, and is the laws and regulations meant to govern the lives of every day Muslims as a way to lead a moral and ethical life.1 Since Islam is considered less a religion and more a…
Spreading the Message in Mecca
Muhammad (SAW) began to meditate in the cave of Mount Hira to escape the corruption of Mecca and dwell on the deepest questions of life to which he could not seem to find answers. It is well known that he spent the entire month of Ramadan at this familiar retreat. It was then, in the…