As one of Islam's five pillars, the Haj is enjoined on all Muslims who are physically able to carry it out, but this year the pilgrimage follows uprisings across the Arab world and growing tensions between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite power Iran.
Women behind the wheel, movie theatres and now snowmen! Everyday things in the outside world are prohibited in Saudi Arabia's incredibly conservative society. Rediff.com compiles a list
An organisation of Sunni Muslim clerics in Bareilly have termed as 'haraam' the uploading of photos on the internet for matrimonial purpose and on social networking sites.
'As is mandatory in Bollywood these days, Blank too insists on painting a ferocious Muslim imagery of bushy beards, severe kohl-eyes and chequered scarfs spewing distorted religious ideology to impressionable young minds,' notes Sukanya Verma.
The Al Qaeda, the Islamic State or Daesh, as it is also called, will continue to exploit the fault lines and the many contradictions in the approaches of different countries, says Hardeep Puri.
Amid India's concerns that Afghanistan's territory might be used for anti-India activities under the Taliban regime, the terror group has said that it has the right to raise its voice for Muslims anywhere, including in Kashmir. However, it added that the group does not have a policy of raising arms against any country.
The nine meetings offer an interesting window into Shafi Armar's efforts to try and group together what after all were excitable keyboard warriors into an actual terror group, capable of handling weapons, organising recruits, cooking homegrown explosives, selecting safe training areas, safe houses and finally, committing strikes against Indian targets.
If the Taliban have proved one thing over these two decades, it is that they are way smarter than their big brother, observes Shekhar Gupta.
The Tablighi Jamaat avoided confrontation, stayed clear of conversion of non-Muslims, abjured politics and focused only on religious attainment. >A fascinating excerpt from Ziya Us Salam's Inside The Tablighi Jamaat.
On Tuesday, yoga guru Ramdev Baba became the first non-Muslim cleric addressed the annual convention of Islamic seminaries under the guidance of Islamic organisation Jamait-e-Ulema Hind at the historic seminary in Deoband, about 500 km from Lucknow, which is known for its sweeping influence over majority of Sunni Muslims in the country.
The Pakistan army is staring at the greatest, scariest, existential threat to its power in their country. This threat has come from a populist riding democratic power, observes Shekhar Gupta.
The war of words began after Osama bin Laden's 18-year-old daughter Eman recently sought refuge in the Saudi embassy in Teheran.
Forty-six nurses, who were held captive by Sunni militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants in Iraq, on Saturday returned home by a special Air India flight to a happy reunion with their families here, bringing to an end their about month-long ordeal.
Two Indians who returned from Najaf in Iraq recount their horrible ordeal that began almost a month ago when the Sunni militants took over Iraq and declared a new Islamic state.
From the kind of food to the art which will be displayed at the museum, historian Pushpesh Pant shares his vision.
Around 5,000 Shia Muslims and 162 Hindus have agreed and are ready to go to Iraq.
Where does the religious preacher and theologian want to take Pakistan?
'The idea is to have a place where people can come together and bridge the gap. It will be a contemporary design for the future, and not have the shadows of the past' Ritwik Sharma reports.
'History will repeat itself after a decade or so and historians will point to the folly of May 2017 as the event that sowed the seeds of another 9/11,' warns Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
India are expected to seal the series on Sunday but one can expect Bangladesh to spring another surprise like they did in Delhi
Secret documents obtained from freedom of information requests have revealed that the United States army predicted the rise of the Islamic State militant group even before it started making headlines around the globe.
Three suicide bombers struck in Saudi Arabia on Monday, including a shocking attack at Islam's second holiest site, the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, where four security guards were killed.
Several Muslim bodies have given a call for observing Eid-ul-Azha, on December 9 this year, in a subdued manner following the recent terror strikes in Mumbai which claimed over 200 lives.The call has been given by the ulemas of the All India Sunni Board, Ulema Council and Islamic Centre of India.Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangimahali of the Islamic Centre of India told PTI that during the 'Khutba' before the Bakrid namaz, the scholars should educate the masses about terrorism.
Pakistani religious parties have offered blood money to the family of slain Punjab governor Salman Taseer to pardon his killer.
highlights of the Supreme Court judgment in which it unanimously granted the entire 2.77 acre of the disputed Ram Janambhoomi-Babri masjid land in Ayodhya to deity Ram Lalla.
Sources in the prominent Muslim body Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind said it was not in favour of filing a review petition and wants the matter to end.
The bench is likely to constitute a three-judge bench for hearing as many as 14 appeals filed against the Allahabad high court judgement.
Tehran's streets were filled with thousands of Iranians celebrating their men's national soccer team's qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, defying threats by Islamic State to launch more extremist attacks in the country.
More than 50 clerics associated with the Sunni Ittehad Council and a former Pakistani minister have joined hands against the Taliban and issued a fatwa that declared the attempted assassination of teenage rights activist Malala Yousufzai as "un-Islamic".
The Geneva agreement is a signal, which at least Saudi Arabia and Israel are so reading, that normalisation of relations between US and Iran is not merely about the nuclear fuel cycle, says K C Singh.
'After the NRC in Assam, things have changed for Muslims in India.'
A group of clerics today asked the government not to hold peace with the banned Pakistani Taliban after it condoned the recent bomb attack on a church in Peshawar that killed over 80 people.
Prasad said the Bharatiya Janata Party never linked the Ram Mandir issue with polls.
'India has to ensure its borders are properly sealed and there is no infiltration from PoK.
'What we are today witnessing is the final act of the Pakistani army trying to retain its turf,' argues Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Here is a timeline of the second-lengthiest case in the apex court history:
All-rounder Soumya Sarkar has been rewarded for his strong domestic performance with a spot in Bangladesh's 15-man World Cup squad.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Thursday said there was no scope of change in the triple talaq system and rejected the suggestion by some community outfits for building a consensus on making a three-month period mandatory before finalisation of divorce.
Gurkeerat Singh's all-round brilliance enabled India 'A' thrash Bangladesh 'A' by 96 runs in the first One-dayer of the three-match series, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday. The talented Punjab youngster first contributed a quickfire 58-ball 65 to ensure a commanding total of 322 for 7 for the hosts and then bowled his off-breaks effectively to return figures of 5 for 29 in 7.3 overs as the visitors were dismissed for 226 in 42.3 overs.
Filmistaan has a strong plot and well-developed characters, says Paloma Sharma.
