For a brief moment, towards the end of the 12th century, the Muslim world was politically united under one caliph ruling from Baghdad. This political unity, rare in Islamic history, projected itself on the military plane. In West Asia, the Crusaders were ejected from Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. Salahuddin recaptured Jerusalem in 1187. Four years later, in 1191, Muhammed Ghori of Ghazna...

Pivotal as Persia was in the political developments of Muslim Asia, its primary contribution was to preserve, reinvigorate and transmit the spiritual legacy of Islam through its language, art and architecture. While the Arabs provided the ideational foundation of the edifice of Islam, it was the Persians who adorned it with beauty and embellished it with spirituality. The primary medium for...

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which Muslims observe a month-long fast from dawn to sunset. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam that provides numerous spiritual, physical and social benefits.Spiritual BenefitsRamadan is a time for spiritual reflection, worship and drawing closer to Allah. By practicing self-control through abstaining from food,...