Distinguished women, Algiers, 1899.

Sacred Footsteps

1 min read

Algeria in Colour: Photos from 1899

The images in this collection give us a brief insight into Algerian history, specifically, life in the late 19th century. They all date back to the year 1899, during which Algeria was still under French rule. The 40 colour photo lithographs were produced from black-and-white negatives, a method known as ‘photochrom‘. All images are in the Public Domain.

See also: 19th century photos from Damascus

We’re expanding our team! If you would like to j

We’re expanding our team! If you would like to join the Sacred Footsteps team as an editor or social media manager, click on the link in our bio and complete an application form 📝

Alternatively, to contribute as a writer, email us at info@sacredfootsteps.com. All published works are paid.

SF is sustained through donations made by our supporters. Funds are used to cover operating expenses and to pay writers for published content. All positions on the core SF team are voluntary.

*All roles are remote. Deadline 5th February.*

On the hills in and around Cape Town, you will fin

On the hills in and around Cape Town, you will find 300 year old Muslim graves belonging to notable individuals who arrived on the southern tip of the African continent in chains, as slaves or political prisoners of colonisers. They brought nothing with them, except faith in their hearts and the remembrance of God on their tongues.

This is the story of the beautiful melodic tones of Cape Town dhikr and why it has such a unique sound. Spanning centuries and continents, it is a story of imprisonment and enslavement, colonialism and resistance; of sufi tariqahs, scholars and princes. It is a story of hardship, courage and perseverance, but above all, of faith in God.

Written and hosted by @zara_choudhary | 🎧 LISTEN via iTunes, Spotify or any podcast platform or via the link in our bio ✨

Do you know about the University of al-Qarawiyyin

Do you know about the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fes, Morocco? Founded by Fatima al-Fihri (857), the university was one of the leading spiritual and educational centres of the Islamic world. It is also famous for being the oldest university in all the world. Alongside Al-Azhar in Cairo, it was once the centre of the Sunni scholarly world. However, like Al-Azhar, the university (or madrassa) underwent several radical curriculum changes under European occupation. The goal? to dismember the traditional method of teaching and replace it with a European model.
Despite the changes, some elements of old teaching method remain. For example, students sit in a semi-circle around their teacher, who prompts the students to read sections from a book, and then tests their knowledge with questions on the text, and then explains any difficult sections. al-Qarawiyyin remains the first point of call for converts from Spain (many of the Muslims and Jews expulsed from Andalusia also ended up in Morocco in the 15th century). 📷 @zirrar

Jummah Mubarak from Damascus!

Jummah Mubarak from Damascus!

Ziyara (pious visitation) to the graves of the pio

Ziyara (pious visitation) to the graves of the pious remains a crucial part of Islamic piety in Pakistan, as it is throughout the Muslim world.

Here, women and men can be seen visiting the grave of the great Sunni Hanafi Chishti scholar and Sufi wali Shaykh Meher 'Ali Shah Golravi (d. 1356/1937) in Golra, Pakistan.

He once said of his wife: “It is largely due to my wife’s patience, contentment, and Godfearing piety that I have achieved anything of knowledge and asceticism.”

Shaykh Meher ‘Ali Shah’s life was full of miracles and wonders. Due to his great love of the famous Andalusian Sufi Ibn ‘Arabi, the poet Iqbal once contacted him for help regarding understanding some of Ibn ‘Arabi’s thought.

Shaykh Meher 'Ali Shah's spiritual poetry continues to be widely read and appreciated in Pakistan and many of his works have been published.

📷 @thewonderofmercy

The writings of African Muslims enslaved in Americ

The writings of African Muslims enslaved in America contradict what generations of American students have been taught – that ‘slaves’ couldn’t read or write because that’s not what Africans did. We were taught that Africans had an ‘oral culture’, but when we actually take a look into historical archives we find memoirs by Africans who were enslaved in America written in their own languages and in Arabic.

Timbuktu, the famed city in Mali, West Africa, in fact had the most prominent libraries in the 13th and 14th centuries to which people travelled from all over the world to gain knowledge. At it’s height, Timbuktu’s Sankore University had upwards of 25,000 students enrolled in the 15th century studying subjects as varied as astronomy, math, Islam, literature, and biology. There are over 400 million Timbuktu African manuscripts, the oldest of them date from the 11th century.

📖 READ the full article: How African Muslim Manuscripts Contradict What We Were Taught About ‘Slaves’ by @nsengaknight via the link in our bio ✨

Image 1: The Holy Quran
Image 2: Dictation in the Branches In Maliki Jurisprudential School
Image 3: The Prophetic Characteristics
Credit: Google Arts & Culture

“…Bilal is often tokenized when we discuss rac

“…Bilal is often tokenized when we discuss race and Blackness in Islam and the Muslim community. Any claims of racism or discrimination amongst Muslims, especially within the Muslim community, are usually waved away with an unhelpful appeal to Bilal’s position in Early Islam.” Mustafa Briggs, Beyond Bilal

@britishmisk reviews @mustafabriggs ’ book ‘Beyond Bilal’ which explores and uncovers the deep rooted relationship between Islam and Black History, from Black Prophets and prominent figures in the Qur’an, to the unknown Black Sahaba and scholars of the early generations, the history of Islam in Africa, and the legacy of contemporary African Islamic scholarship and its role in the International Relations of the Muslim World.

“What Mustafa attempts to do is broaden our horizons by considering the place of African Islam within the global tapestry of Islamic cultures and traditions – by going ‘beyond Bilal’ – who for far too many Muslims represents the beginning and end of the ‘Black contribution’ to Islam.”

📖 READ the full review via the link in our bio ✨