Archives for Biography and History

Dulangan, Not Bulangan!

Dulangan, Not Bulangan!
by | April 20, 2022 | 1 Comment

February 27, 2022, Sunday, around 9 am. As we were passing by the crossroad leading to the Awang Airport, I asked my Roommate about the exact venue of the preparatory meeting we wanted to attend then for their clan’s grand reunion last March 26. She checked her mobile phone and replied in Filipino, “They said, at the covered court in front of the barangay hall of Dulangan (in Datu Odin Sinsuat Municipality).” And she immediately added, “Ano ba ‘yan! Kahit
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More Enduring than the Crack

More Enduring than the Crack
by | February 15, 2022 | No Comments

More enduring than the uncoverable crack on the Ka‘bah’s Yemeni Corner (rukn al-yamani) for all generations to witness… Is your voice of human justice and moral governance expressed by your eloquent tongue, inscribed by your prolific pen, executed by your nimble hands, and defended by the blades of your Dhu’l-fiqar. The decades-long cursing of your name in minarets and pulpits miserably failed to obliterate the everlasting fragrance of your lofty status and qualities. Neither the skepticism of the skeptics nor
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Talakuku – Bayumbayan’s Old Name

Talakuku – Bayumbayan’s Old Name
by | October 15, 2021 | No Comments

The trees nearby the Masgit-a-Pusaka (Relic Masjid) in Barangay Bagumbayan, Kabuntalan, are culturally and historically significant to the local people. They are directly connected to “Talakuku,” which is the ancient name of Bagumbayan, nay the whole of Tumbao (Kabuntalan). “Talakuku” is a Maguindanaon word whose root-word is “kuku,” which means “to crow”. “Tala” is a prefix which signifies habitual practice or action. So, “talakuku” means “a being or entity that constantly crows.” According to local narratives, a long time ago,
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Murtada Mutahhari in the Eyes of His Teacher

Murtada Mutahhari in the Eyes of His Teacher
by | August 15, 2021 | No Comments

A close scrutiny of the Sahifeh-ye Imam’schronological and descriptive accounts of Mutahhari shows that the martyred Ayatullah Professor Murtada Mutahhari undoubtedly occupies a distinct station in the sight of the Great Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the Idol-Breaker of the 20th Century. In the words of Ayatullah Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Beheshti, “I think the reason for the Imam to hold such Professor Mutahhari in such high esteem and respect was not only because the Professor had been a student of
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Mutahhari’s Replies to 5 Critiques on ‘The Issue of Hijab’

Mutahhari’s Replies to 5 Critiques on ‘The Issue of Hijab’
by | February 19, 2021 | No Comments

Text, page 382 Does Islam advocate women behind the veil, just as the word ḥijāb means “covering”? Or, does Islam advocate woman to cover her body in front of a stranger man without forcing her not to attend a gathering? And concerning the second case, what is the extent of the covering? Should the face and two hands up to the wrist be covered as well? Or, is it that the head and the two arms must be covered while
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He Whose Crime was Justice

He Whose Crime was Justice
by | May 12, 2020 | No Comments

BISMILLĀHIR RAHMĀNIR RAHĪMAL-HAMDULILLĀH, AL-HAMDULILLĀHIL-LADHĪ QĀL:LAQAD ARSALNĀ RUSULANĀ BIL-BAYYINĀTI WA ANZALNĀ MA‘AHUMUL-KITĀBA WAL-MIZĀNA LIYAQUMAN-NĀSU BIL-QIST [Translation:In the Name of God, the All-beneficent, the All-mercifulAll Praise is due to God; all Praise is due to God who said: “Certainly We sent Our apostles with manifest proofs, and We sent down with them the Book and the Balance, so that mankind may maintain justice.” (Sūrat al-Ḥadīd 57:25)] Esteemed anthropologists, respected scholars, fellow students, dear friends, and my distinguished co-panelists – Salāmun ‘alaykum and
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