Episode 25: Abdulmalik bin Marwan

Having securely established his position in Syria, Abdulmalik relied on his dependable governor al Hajjaj to keep the Iraqis in line. Ruling them with an iron fist unsurprisingly led to more rebellions than calm, and despite the many thwarted movements we discussed last time it s ...  Show more

Having exhausted the many rebellions against his unpopular governor, we can finally turn our attention to assessing Abdulmalik’s leadership and the results of his many deeply influential policy changes. He’s remembered overwhelmingly positively in our sources despite these many u ...  Show more

Abdullah ibn Hudhafah was chosen by the Prophet ﷺ to face the most brutal emperor of his time. He was known for being unfazed by tyrants.

The Ku Klux Klan was arguably America’s first organized terrorist movement. It was a paramilitary unit that arose in the South during the early years of Reconstruction. At its peak in the early 1870s, the Klan boasted many tens of thousands of members, no small number of them lan ...  Show more

Saffiyah Bint Abdul Mutallib (ra) raised a lion in her son Zubayr. She was the closest sibling to another lion: her brother Hamza Ibn Abdul Mutallib (ra). To understand what came out of her home, it is crucial to examine her incredible story of strength and resilience.

Born in Ethiopia, 1548, Malik Ambar was taken from his people at the age of 12 and sold into slavery. First he was sold to an owner in Baghdad, where he converted to Islam, but he ended up in India, on the Deccan plateau. From there, his star rose, eventually to become ruler of t ...  Show more