The Great Mamluk Sultan Al-Zahir Baybars

Baybars gained his first major military victory as commander of the Ayyoubid army at the city of Al-Mansoorah in February 1250 CE against the Crusaders’ army led by Louis IX of France, who was captured and later released for a large ransom. Filled with a sense of pride at their military strength and growing importance in Egypt, a group of Mamluk officers in the same year murdered the new Sultan, Turan Shah.

Significance of the Islamic Hijri Calendar

As an Islamic scholar wrote on the advent of the 15th century of the Hijrah calendar 22 years ago, “It (the advent of the 15th century) is indeed a unique occasion to ponder that the Islamic Era did not start with the victories of Islamic wars, nor with the birth or death of the Prophet nor even with the Revelation of the Qur’an itself. It starts with Hijrah, or the sacrifice for the cause of Truth and for the preservation of the Revelation.

Concept of Friendship in Islam

Friends are by no means only a means for ‘time-pass’ or entertainment. Indeed friendship is more profound than that. Friendship and companionship are inseparable aspects of an individual’s life. Experience has shown, too, that many friendships have changed the destiny of individuals and their course of life. Friends influence each other’s ways, faith, and religion.

How Do We Know the Qur’an is Unchanged?

The revelation of the Qur’an was not an isolated event in time. It was a constant stream of verses descending to Muhammad PBUH throughout the 23 years of his prophethood in Makkah and Madinah. The Prophet PBUH appointed numerous Companions of his to serve as scribes, writing down the latest verses as soon as they were revealed. Mu’awiya ibn Abu Sufyan and Zaid bin Thabit were among the scribes who had this duty.

The Qur’an Is a Guide

This aside, the Qur’an has many miraculous attributes, certifying that it is the revelation of God. A number of scientific discoveries, that could only be attained in the 20th and 21st centuries, were declared in the Qur’an 1400 years ago. This information, that was impossible to verify scientifically at the time of the Qur’an’s revelation, has proved once again that it is the word of God.