Browse Items (30 total)

"Whosoever obeys me obeys God, and whosoever disobeys me disobeys God. And whosoever obeys the ruler also obeys me, and whosoever disobeys the ruler also disobeys me."

This quote was attributed to the Prophet of Muhammad by Abu Hurayra, and recorded in Shihab al-Din al-Nuwayri's "The Ultimate Ambition in the Arts of…

Treatment of Animals in "The Island of Animals"

This quote comes from "The Island of Animals," one of the tales in the 10th century collection "The Epistles of the Brethren of Purity." In the story,…

“’As for destroying my brothers, this I do not wish, for I will not behave like them’… ‘For God's sake, don't. The proverb advises 'Be kind to those who hurt you.' No matter what, they are my brothers after all.’”

This is a quote from "The Second Old Man's Tale" in "The 1001 Nights." The frame story of 1001 nights followed Shahrazad, described as “intelligent,…

Zamzam

As described in the Sira, Abdu'l-Munalib was visited in his sleep by a supernatural being. It told him to dig what it referred to as a "zamzam," a…

Universalism

The idea that a religion's principles should apply to everyone in the world, regardless of background or location. In practice, this concept either…

Poems on the Beauty of All Skin Colors

These four poems each describe their respective poet's love for different skin colors. In the first poem, light skin is appreciated for its clarity…

The Burial Procedures of the Rus in Comparison to Abbasid Practices

This quote comes from an interaction between Ibn Fadlan and one of the Rus after the cremation of a Rus chief and his slave girl. Ibn Fadlan describes…

Ibn Fadlan

Ibn Fadlan was a traveler patronized by the Abbasid caliphate whose remarkable journey from Baghdad to the Volga region (now southern Russia) is…

The Prophet Muhammad

Muhammad is an extremely important and venerated figure in Islam, comparable to Moses and Jesus in Judaism and Christianity respectively. Although not…

Mounted Hunter with Cheetah

This figurine depicts the traditional leisure practice of cheetahs, caracals, and other wild cats being captured and tamed to assist wealthy elites on…