IslamMasjid al-Haram: The Sacred Heart of the Muslim World
At the heart of Makkah, Masjid al-Haram surrounds the Kaaba and serves as the central destination for Hajj, Umrah and Muslim prayer around the world.
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Islam
Farming, food, the environment and daily life seen through Islam, and reports on mosques and Islamic heritage.
Islam
IslamHow Greek Thassos marble came to cool the courtyard of the Prophet's Mosque
Architect Dr Muhammad Kamal Ismail, who designed the great expansions of the two holy mosques, went to Greece looking for heat-reflecting Thassos marble for Medina; he found it in a warehouse in Saudi Arabia, whose owner refused payment.
CropsImams and muezzins to be trained in farming to spread safe-food practices
Agriculture and Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid told a conference in Cumilla that village mosque imams and muezzins will be trained in modern, pesticide-free farming so that the safe-food message reaches people faster.
IslamPray for yourself first: Sheikh Ahmadullah on asking others to make dua
As-Sunnah Foundation chairman Sheikh Ahmadullah says praying directly to Allah is the basic form of dua; asking a pious person to pray for you is permitted, but paying for formal prayer gatherings is not a Sunnah practice.
IslamSeven ways ordinary daily work can become an act of worship
Islamic scholar Raihan Al Imran draws on the Quran and hadith to show how right intention, lawful earning, harming no one, consultation, istikhara and trust in Allah can turn everyday tasks into worship.
IslamLearning the Quran after fifty: 42 elderly workers complete classes in Kamarkhanda
Day labourers, small traders and vegetable sellers among 42 elderly learners in Kamarkhanda, Sirajganj, finished a free Madani-method Quran course at the central mosque and received copies of the Quran; one won an Umrah trip.
IslamThree Eids and two Hajj seasons in one year: a rare calendar overlap
By the reckoning of Saudi astronomer Dr Abdullah Al-Misnad, 2039 will hold two Eid al-Adha festivals, one Eid al-Fitr and two Hajj seasons, and in 2030 Ramadan will begin twice in the same year.
IslamAl Qarawiyyin in Fez: the world's oldest working university, founded by a Muslim woman
Founded in Fez, Morocco, in 859 by Fatima al-Fihri as a mosque and madrasa, Al Qarawiyyin is recognised by UNESCO and Guinness World Records as the oldest university still operating.
IslamFriday's hour of answered prayer, and four supplications taught in the Quran
A hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari says Friday holds a brief hour when a Muslim's prayer is granted; here are four supplications from the Quran that can be recited that day, with their meanings and sources.
Opinion
Zakat's two neglected categories fit today's displaced, argues M Kabir Hassan
Zakat in Bangladesh could reach Tk 20,000-25,000 crore a year, yet the government fund takes in about Tk 10 crore; Professor M Kabir Hassan argues for using the ibn al-sabil and fi sabilillah categories for the displaced, with institutional reform.
Islam
Is sympathy for wronged women partiality? What Islamic ethics says
Deep compassion for oppressed women is not the tribal partisanship Islam forbids, Prothom Alo's religion desk explains from hadith and classical scholars; what is forbidden is backing one's own group in wrongdoing.
Islam
Non-violence in Islam: restraint in anger, forgiveness and justice
A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand others are safe: Maisara Jannat writes on non-violence, controlling anger and forgiveness in the Quran and hadith.
IslamCalicut's Mishkal Mosque: 650 years of timber architecture
Built in the 14th century by the Yemeni shipowner Nakhuda Mishkal at Kuttichira in Kerala, the mosque once rose seven storeys; four survive today, standing on 24 pillars.
IslamHonouring and caring for the elderly is a duty of faith, say the Quran and Hadith
Verse 23 of Surah Al-Isra forbids saying even 'uff' to parents in old age; Our Islam calls checking on the elderly, sitting with them and seeking their advice a duty of faith.