Frequently Asked Questions

Why study Islamic History?

History is what defines human beings as a species, we only improve the present and work towards the future by learning from the past.

There are various incidents, lessons and morals that can be studied and appreciated in a greater context due to the creation of the Internet.

Allah (S.W.T) has stated constantly in the Holy Qur’an

قُلْ سِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَٱنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّشْرِكِينَ

“Say (O Prophet) Travel the world and look at the end of those before you, many of them were polytheists” (The Holy Qur’an 30:42)

The who point of the command to travel the world is to see, ponder and reflect over the demise of the nations before you and this requires knowledge of history.

Islamic History in a sense begins with the Prophet Adam (A.S) as he was the first to submit his will to Allah (S.W.T) but is more commonly used to refer to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) and onwards (in the Muslim world).

Studying Islamic History will give you a better appreciation for the Messenger of Islam (S.A.W), his companions and those who followed and increase your faith in the religion, along with providing answers to those who cast aspersions regarding the Prophet (S.A.W) or the faith.

What are the sources of Islamic History?

The primary source of information is the Holy Qur’an, which speaks of various nations and prophets and their stories.

The stories of Yusuf (Joseph), Lut (Lot), Musa (Moses) and more can be found solely from the Holy Qur’an.

A secondary school of information would be the hadith collections, in which scholars like Muhammad Ibn Isma’il Al-Bukhari (d. 256 A.H) authenticated and documented the statements and explanations of the Prophet (S.A.W).

This source is difficult to access for those not educated in the religious sciences and we recommend that one does not delve into the books until they are competently trained, as the books contain information that may be perceived as confusing, contradictory or incorrect without proper instruction from a teacher or specialist.

A third source of information would be the books written by historians, like the works of:

• Seerah of Ibn Ishaq

• Seerah of Ibn Hisham

• Tarikh of At-Tabari

However these sources might be a challenge to read for those not learned in Arabic, so we will translate and provide students with a clear picture of history according to these sources in English.

Is history concrete in its historicity?

One thing which all students must accept is that history does not bring certainty, whatever the Holy Qur’an states is certainly true but any stories documented through hadith or scholars cannot be concluded to be 100% true.

This is because we do not have first hand accounts (i.e we did not witness the events take place), but Muslim scholars have devised the Isnad system to verify and authenticate the reports of history and state what incidents mostly likely happened and what incidents did not happen.

Are there any famous Muslim historians?

There were many famous Muslim historians throughout history, for example:

1. Ibn Hisham

2. Ibn Ishaq

3. Imam At-Tabari

4. Al-Waqidi

Recent / Modern historians include:

1. Shaykh Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri (author of ‘The Sealed Nectar’/ Ar-Raheem Al-Makhtum) (India)

2. Shaykh Abul Hasa Ali Nadwi (India)

3. Shaykh Muhammad Abdul Awwal Helal (Bangladesh)

4. Shaykh Yasir Qadhi (United States of America)