Tarikh Tuesday
Muslims lived in small isolated communities and enclaves all around China. They kept themselves to themselves .
All that was about to change when the Mongols came in the 13th century.
The Mongols destroyed many cities in their wake and there was a mass movement of populations.
More and more Muslims arrived in China and this gave them a boost and much needed support.
The Mongols however pushed for assimilation.
In recent times the ruling communist party has sought to do the same in a repressive manner.
The ideology is to replace religion with materialism.
This was tried previously and only intensified people’s yearning for religion and culture.
Yet for now, it is desperately implementing its ideology full throttle, and the effects in Xinjiang are devastating.
DID YOU KNOW
In the 1300s, the Hongwu Emperor wrote the “Hundred Word Eulogy” it was a 100 word speech praising the noble Prophet.
It was sent to mosques all over China.
This ancient poems stands as an important but little recognized reminder of how wide-spread the beauty of Islam historically was.
The Hongwu Emperor also reportedly built mosques in Xijing and Nanjing, as well as in Yunnan, Fujian, and Guangdong in the southern regions of China.
His Hundred- word Eulogy, in praise of Islam and the Prophet Mohammed, remains one of the most unique examples of the importance and spread of Islam during the medieval ages.
In English, the poem roughly translates as:-
“Since the creation of the universe
God had already appointed his great faith-preaching man,
From the West he was born,
And received the holy scripture
And book made of 30 parts (Juz)
To guide all creations,
Master of all rulers,
Leader of the holy ones,
With support from the Heavens,
To protect his nation,
With five daily prayers,
Silently hoping for peace,
His heart directed towards Allah,
Giving power to the poor,
Saving them from calamity,
Seeing through the Unseen,
Pulling the souls and the spirits away from all wrongdoings,
Mercy to the world,
Transversing to the ancient,
Majestic path vanquished away all evil,
His religion Pure and True,
Muhammad,
The Noble High One.”
Further information and sources
Lost Islamic History by Firas Alkhateeb
