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During the so-called ‘Dark Ages’, the Islamic world was undergoing was period of cultural enlightenment; at the same time, another empire, further east, was also flourishing. Historian Hassam Munir tells Zara about the cultural exchange between the Muslim and Chinese worlds. He talks about the history of Islam in China, explaining how and when it first reached the region and whether or not a Companion of the Prophet (pbuh) ever visited China. He also tells us about the Uyghur people and their history, as well as the influence of prominent Chinese Muslim scholars and the scholarship they produced.
WHAT WE TALK ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE
- When and how Islam first reached China
- How do we define what China is?
- The importance of the Silk Route and Indian Ocean trade routes
- The role of merchants and trade in spreading Islam
- Did the Companion of the Prophet (pbuh) Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqas visit China and establish it’s first mosque?
- Relationship between the early Muslim communities in China and non-Muslims.
- The Uyghur people: their ethnicity and cultural ties
- Cultural exchange between the Muslim and Chinese empires: paper, food, art and pottery
- Chinese ties with East Africa; the expeditions of Zheng He
- Chinese Muslim scholarship and its influence of the rest of the Muslim world
- Han Kitab- its efforts to bring together traditional Islamic and Confucius teachings.
- What Western Muslims can learn from Chinese Muslims and ‘Chinese Islam’
PEOPLE/THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- ‘How Islam Spread Throughout The World‘ by Hassam Munir, Yaqeen Institute
- ‘Did Islam Spread By The Sword?‘ by Hassam Munir, Yaqeen Institute
- Uyghur Atlas campaign- all proceeds go to Uyghur causes
- Halal Safaris – tour group based in Lamu, Kenya
- Hadith school Fatima bint Sa’d al-Khayr
- Sa’d al-Khayr (father of Fatima)
- The Han Kitab
- Ma Zhu -from Yunnan; scholar whose family also claimed to be a descendent of the Prophet (pbuh)
- Yusuf Ma Dexin – Translated the Qur’an and the Burda in Chinese. Also wrote about his Hajj journey
Follow Hassam Munir on Instagram for interesting history-related Stories.
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