An English medieval castle, if a large one, could have a household staff of at least 50 people, which included all manner of specialised and skilled workers such as cooks, grooms, carpenters, masons, falconers, and musicians, as well as a compliment of knights, bowmen, and crossbow operators. Most staff were paid by the day, and job security was often… Read More »
THE guardianship of the Kaaba is still inherited by the sons of Shaybah and their successors — a tradition that has been instituted by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) after the conquest of Makkah the eighth year after Hijrah. Following the Muslim victory, the Prophet entrusted the key of the city to Uthman Bin Abi Talha… Read More »
Good afternoon everybody. As you will gather from that [title] we’ve all seen the film, but do we really know the true story behind the Great Escape? Hopefully today you’ll be better informed when you leave here about what actually happened, rather than the Hollywood version of what happened. Exactly 65 years ago today, at about 10:15, on… Read More »
Pakistan is a developing country with a high rate of poverty. This poverty has forced many people to resort to begging to make a living. However, professional beggars have also started to resort to this profession leading to the creation of an economically wasteful class which is feeding off the work of others in society. Begging mafias have… Read More »
Musaylima (Arabic: مُسَيْلِمَةُ), otherwise known as Musaylima ibn Ḥabīb (Arabic: مسيلمه ابن حبيب) d.632, was a claimant of prophethood from the Banu Hanifa tribe,of which present day descendants include the House of Saud among other Najd tribesBased from Diriyah in present day Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he claimed to be a prophet and was an opponent of Islam in 7th-century Arabia. He was a leader during the Ridda wars. He is considered by Muslims to be a false prophet (Arabic: اَلْكَذَّابُ al-Kadhdhāb).He is… Read More »
Did you know pigeon droppings were once considered a valuable fertilizer? That trend obviously didn’t last into modern times (probably for good reason), but if you think pigeon-poop fertilizer sounds crazy, just wait until you read these next facts! 1. Pigeons may have been the first domesticated bird. People have been keeping pigeons as pets for a very long time.… Read More »
Warren Buffett Warren Buffett found himself Wednesday night in the position of any startled homeowner dealing with a late-night intruder. A man dressed all in black with camouflage paint on his face and a fake gun tried to break into the billionaire investor’s house but fled after a scuffle with a security guard, police said Thursday. Buffett and his wife, Astrid,… Read More »
Saladin (born 1137/38, Tikrīt, Mesopotamia [now in Iraq]—died March 4, 1193, Damascus [now in Syria]) was a Muslim sultan of Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and Palestine, founder of the Ayyūbid dynasty, and the most famous of Muslim heroes. In wars against the Christian Crusaders, he achieved great success with the capture of Jerusalem (October 2, 1187), ending its nearly nine decades of occupation by the Franks. Early life and military career Saladin was born into a… Read More »
Which Crusades did Saladin fight in? Saladin met Richard Lionheart in battle during the Third Crusade (1189-1192) in his early 50s. After a series of engagements and an agreement for peace with Saladin, Richard was able to reestablish the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem at this time. Saladin also observed the Second Crusade (1147-1150) as a child when he… Read More »
Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) never wished for anything, but one day, he desired to eat fish and expressed this to his servant, Yarka. Yarka was your most loyal servant. One day, you said, “Yarka, today I feel like eating fish. But the issue is that we’ll have to travel eight miles to get the… Read More »