Kamaruddin Bin Alawi Mohammad 2nd Year Masteral Student U.P.

-Institute of Islamic Studies

Reaction Paper in Islamic Thought:

Title of the Film: The Empire of Faith I. Short History of Islam (From the time of the Prophet [S.A.W.] to the time of Saladin): In 570 A.D., unexpected event strucked the whole Arabia when a surprise attack of Abraha, the Abyssinian Viceroy of Yemen took place and yet failed. Shortly after this event , Abdullah, the son of the Meccan Commonwealth Virtual Head, died in the course of a journey to Yathrib and a few days after, the afflicted wife in the name of Amina, gave birth to a son who was named Mohammad (S.A.W.). - the Holy Prophet of Islam. Again, the little child lost another dear member of his family, his mother, at the age of 6 . The doubly-orphaned child was thus left upon the care of his grandfather, Abdul Mutallib. But 3 or 4 years later, he lost his grandfather also. And while on a death-bed, the latter confined him under the care of his uncle, Abu Talib. At the age of 25, he married Khadija, a noble Quraish lady. One night while the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) was on a solitary seclusion in a cave somewhere in Mount Hira, a mysterious voice called out Read thereby commanded him to act upon it. And this was the beginning of his Prophethood the propagation of the Unity of God. From a small populated Islamic state in Medina, the Prophet (S.A.W.) spread the light of Islam to other neighboring places including Mecca until his death. But the Prophet's (S.A.W.) death never ended the illumination of this light. It went as far as Spain in the West and the Philippines in the East. And as far as propagation of Islam is concerned, Great libraries where built in the Islamic West (Andalusian Spain) and in the Islamic East (Iraq, Baghdad). Both became the Center of Muslim Civilization. But on the later part of the Muslim civilization, it had started to see signs of declination. And one of these signs where faulty leadership thereby exercising excesses and intolerance towards other religions. Thereby the weaker members of the Muslim society such as religious minorities were deprived of their inherent rights as part of the Dhimmi groups.. In such kind of situation, the Islamic world were surprised by the untimely attacks from West the Crusaders. This huge number of invaders sacked one of the highly respected places in Islam Jerusalem. But a Muslim like Salahuddin (Saladin in the West), who have exhausted everything in order to save Jerusalem, somehow cleansed the filthied image of the so-called Muslim leaders during that time. With this, a Divine aid from the Great Helper (S.W.T.) illuminated in his leadership thus

became successful in his great endeavor. With such a gallant and brilliant character, he was regarded in the History of Islam as the Great Sultan who delivered Jerusalem from the bloody hands of the Crusaders. II. The Factors that lead to the Development of the Islamic Civilization:

The intensive piety of the Prophet (S.A.W.). The ever-submissiveness of the Prophet's (S.A.W.) decisions and opinions in life towards God. The Divinely-inspired charisma of the Prophet's (S.A.W.) personality. The simplicity and rationality of Islamic tenets. The Islamic principle of Improvement and development in the light of Islam rather than destruction and annihilation of any existing civilization. Love, Justice, and Inner Peace being the essence of Islamic teachings.

God knows best! Ameen.