The city’s religious importance greatly increased with the birth of Muhammad about 570. The Prophet was forced to flee from Mecca in 622, but he returned eight years later and took control of the city. As the ancient caravan route fell into decline, Mecca lost its commercial significance and...
Being in God’s presence is the chief delight of paradise, according to Muslim philosophers and mystics, and the greater one’s degree of blessedness, the closer one will be to God. Accounts of the ProphetMuhammad’s ascent through the seven heavens to the very throne of God are taken as...
Qur’an, the sacred scripture of Islam. According to Islamic belief, it is a literal transcript of God’s speech, revealed to Muhammad through Gabriel to be recited to his community. It consists of 114 chapters of varying length, called surahs, and inclu
It is unlikely that the 7th-century Islamic conquest of North Africa radically altered the traditional sports of the region. As long as wars were fought with bow and arrow, archery contests continued to serve as demonstrations of ready prowess. The prophet Muhammad specifically authorized horse race...
Religious dress may also serve a memorial function. In the case of themullahs(religious leaders) of theShīʿiteMuslims (members of the party ofʿAlī, fourth caliph and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, black gowns are worn thatalludeto the sufferings ofḤusayn(ʿAlī’s son by...
Fasting, abstinence from food or drink or both for health, ritualistic, religious, or ethical purposes. The abstention may be complete or partial, lengthy, of short duration, or intermittent. Learn about medical and religious fasting, and fasting as a fo
Supporting this view is the fact that, unlike the Bible, the Qurʾān does not decree earthly punishment for homosexuality. Rather, the historical Islamic basis for punishing homosexuality isHadith(sayings attributed to the ProphetMuhammad), the authenticity of which has been sometimes called into ...
which asserts a belief in the forthcoming return of the 12thimam(successor ofMuhammad), who will renew religion and guide the faithful. Mīrzā ʿAlī Moḥammad first proclaimed his beliefs in 1844 and assumed the title of the Bāb. Soon the Bāb’s teachings spread throughout Iran, provo...
Church of the Assumption, 12th-century Crusader church in Jerusalem that encloses a tomb that is venerated by Christians as the Tomb of the Virgin Mary. The ancient tomb is within the remains of a subterranean 5th-century cruciform church.