By: Moe Elhossieny | Date: May 28, 2025 | Itsnicethat.com In 1922, King Fuad I established the Khalil Agha School for Arabic Calligraphy in Cairo as part of a broader effort to modernise Egypt. Aside from the school’s role in preserving the practice, institutionalising it was a move to assert Egypt’s cultural sovereignty in the wake of independence. Since then,…
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Editor’s introduction: Most Islamic scholars today consider tobacco haram. The two leading reasons are: 1) The Harm Principle (Qur’an 2:195 – “Do not throw yourselves into destruction”) Smoking is proven to cause cancer, heart disease, and premature death. Based on this, many scholars now consider it haram due to its clear and significant harm to the body, which violates the Islamic principle of preserving life.…
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By Dr Nathaniel Miller | May 24, 2025 https://classyarabic.substack.com/p/why-medieval-muslims-travelled-so The notion that one should travel in pursuit of knowledge is deeply embedded in Arabic and Islamic culture. The Arabic word for “student”, ṭālib, means seeker, an abbreviation of ṭālib al-ʿilm, or “knowledge-seeker.” That this seeking implies travel is evident in the Prophetic statement (hadith) uṭlubū al-ʿilm wa-law bi-ṣ-ṣīn—”seek knowledge (al-ʿilm),…
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Al-Andalus Tribune Substack I saw her not with these eyes of clay, But with inner gaze born of love’s own ray. Al-Andalus—shimmering face of the Real, Unfolding where only the heart can kneel. She spoke in symbols, in shadow and flame, Each form a mirror, each name His Name. There, time imploded and veils grew thin— I walked through her…
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