Fourteen years after Razia ascended the throne of Delhi (1236), another remarkable lady, Shajarat al Durr, became the queen of Egypt (1250). Like Razia, Shajarat al Durr was a Mamluke and a Turk. Specifically, Shajarat belonged to the family of Bahri Mamlukes, the Turkish tribe who had settled in the islands that dot the Nile. Those were turbulent times for the world of Islam. There existed at...

Not since the Battle of Badr had the Islamic world stood face to face with extinction as it did at the Battle of Ayn Jalut. Just as the Prophet had triumphed at Badr 600 years earlier, the Mamlukes triumphed over the combined armies of the Mongols, the Crusaders and the Armenians at the Battle of Ayn Jalut. The Muslim world survived by a margin that was as small as any allowed by history to any...

Eid al-Fitr, known as the “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” is a momentous occasion in the Islamic calendar, celebrated by Muslims worldwide. Occurring at the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, Eid al-Fitr marks a time of joyous festivities, communal prayer, and gratitude to Allah. This article explores the historical roots and the evolution of Eid al-Fitr within...