Blog Archives
The marvel of Islamic geometric design
Source: theguardian.com
By: Alex Bellos
To paraphrase Monty Python, what has Islam ever done for us? You know, apart from the algebra, the trigonometry, the optics, the astronomy and the many other scientific advances and inventions of the Islamic Golden Age.
Well, if you like art and interiors, there’s always the stunning patterns that grace mosques, madrasas and palaces around the world.
Islamic craftsmen and artists – who were prohibited from making representations of people in holy sites – developed an instantly recognizable aesthetic based on repeated geometrical shapes.
The mathematical elegance of these designs is that no matter how elaborate they are, they are always based on grids constructed using only a ruler and a pair of compasses.
Islamic design is based on Greek geometry, which teaches us that starting with very basic assumptions, we can build up a remarkable number of proofs about shapes. Islamic patterns provide a visual confirmation of the complexity that can be achieved with such simple tools.
Dust off your old geometry set, and let’s see how.
Hatred and Violence only destroys the Hater
By: Abdullah Hakim Quick
The vicious hatred of the right wing “American Sniper” movie, the German (Neo-Nazi) Anti-Islam movement, the confused but still hateful Charlie Hebdo cartoons, the Fox News lies and distortions of Islam and Muslims cannot put out the light of Islam or stop the advancement of Muslims. The Mongols of Genghis Khan brutally slaughtered millions of Muslims in the12th and 13th centuries but we still dominate their culture.
Look at the Manjali Mosque in Atyrau province, West Kazakhstan. Quiet but powerful beauty; Mathematics and high art that compliment the heavens.
That connection with Almighty Allah can never be broken (Insha Allah)!!!
NORWAY – A Time-Lapse Adventure 4K (Video)
This is a time-lapse video resulting from a 15,000 km (almost 10,000 miles) long road trip and tens of thousands of images taken along the way over the last 5 months. The journey has covered all of Norway’s 19 counties, from the far south to the Russian border in the Northeast. The Aim of this 5 minute short film is to show the variety of Norway, everything from the deep fjords in the Southwest, to the moon landscape in the North, the Aurora Borealis (Nothern Lights) and the settlements and cities around the country, both in summer and wintertime. The video shows some of the most scenic places in Norway, such as Lofoten, Senja, Helgelandskysten, Geirangerfjorden, Nærøyfjorden and Preikestolen.
Pufferfish ‘crop circles’ (Video)
Nature’s greatest artist? One talented little pufferfish hopes to impress a female with his masterpiece.
AMAZING DRONE FOOTAGE OF THE PROPHET’S MOSQUE (VIDEO)
Check out this amazing footage of the Prophet’s Mosque (peace and blessings be upon him) captured by a drone.
PASS THE KNOWLEDGE (LIGHT & LIFE) 