CHAPTER 6: DECLINE OF THEOLOGY AND ASCENDENCY OF HELLENISTIC PHILOSOPHY As the years passed, the Ash’ari scholars grew complacent and only transmitted what they had learned as opposed to developing it. Consequently, theology declined, and the people turned to something new – Hellenistic philosophy, which was Islam’s next major intellectual confrontation. The summary of…
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CHAPTER 2: HASAN AL BASRI Following the death of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz , the government and the people returned to their moral decadence. This time, the decline was more rapid and another revival was needed which came through Hasan Al Basri . The summary of this chapter will be split into two sections. 1. …
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Following the demise of the Rashidun Caliphate, the early Islamic Character of the Caliphate and its Caliphs were slowly lost. A revival was needed and this came through the ascension of ‘Umar Ibn ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz to the office of the Caliph. The summary of this chapter will be split into three sections: 1. Muslim World…
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CHAPTER 5: ABU AL-HASAN AL-ASH’ARI Chapter 5 examines the life of another one of Islam’s saviours – Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari. Despite the ascension of a new Caliph who vehemently opposed the Mu‘tazila, the deviant creed had already taken hold amongst the masses. With the Muslim world unable to produce another scholar of the calibre of…
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CHAPTER 4: AHMAD BIN HANBAL Chapter 4 looks at the life and efforts of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal in preserving orthodox Islam. The summary of this chapter will be split into three sections. 1. Upbringing and early scholarly pursuits 2. Character and personality 3. Efforts against the Mu’tzailla and his persecution Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal…
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CHAPTER 3: THE HADĪTH MASTERS AND THE JURISTS Chapter three looks at the issues faced by the Muslim World in the 9th century CE and how these were resolved through the efforts of the Hadīth masters and the Jurists. The summary of this chapter will be split into three sections. 1. The Muslim world in…
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بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم “If the world was one country, Constantinople would be its capital”. Serving as the ‘crossroads of the world’, Constantinople was the jewel of the mighty Byzantine empire and had, since its birth, been the target of many empires and dynasties. For over 1000 years, 23 armies had besieged the great…
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بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم The decisive encounter between the Seljuks and Byzantines on the fields of Manzikert in 1071 set in motion events that opened one of the most brutal chapters in the annals of history – The crusades. How did a battle in Eastern Anatolia begin a domino effect of events that led to…
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CHAPTER 12: OLD AND NEW IDEAS Key points from this chapter: With Islam declining, many scholars from different backgrounds attempted to revive Islam WW1 resulted in a conquest over the Muslim world more severe and complete than the Mongol conquest Even after gaining independence, Muslim countries have been unable to rise again In the…
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CHAPTER 11: DECLINE Key points from this chapter: The Ottoman Empire fell into decline following the death of Sulayman I in 1566 Sultan Mahmud I recognised the need to reform the empire and began to model it after European states Sultan AbdulHamid II attempted to bring the empire back in line with traditional Islamic teachings…
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