Recently I read many Islamic history books. They really made me emotional, sometimes pro other times cons; sometimes amazed, manytimes mad. Once I realy liked Ibn Hanbal for being so independent and obstinate against bad rulers who punished him for being independent, the other time I was so disliked Hanbali jurists because they killed Al-Hallaj for his poetic and crazy statement. I was so sick to learn how demonic, barbarous, unhuman, muslim rulers toward other Muslims. How Turkish soldiers ravaged egyptians Muslims, destroyed books stored in the Al-Azhar university, letted their horses stepped on those books and urinated them. How Mamluk rulers ravaged egyp, killed Ayyubis leaders and hanged their bodies publicly as announcement that Mamluk dynasty now ruled egypt and the history of ayyubi dinasty had finished. How Muslims devided into many groups just few years after the prophet died; how Sunnites hostile towards Shiites, how bloody was the stories behind changing dynasties and rulers.
Politics is politics, no matter what religion, race, ethnics, gender, and nationality. Many times history is only used for legitimacy, for politics, for gaining power. This kind of history is not unique to Islamic history but is found in all histories of religions, nations, states, rulers, races, countries, and communities. Muslims are also humans.
Learning political history should be done with open mind, just, peace, with heart. Therefore I like to learn about history of generosity. Its finding out the good side of human history.
