October 2011 - Medina Foundation

The Housing Area Surrounding the Prophet’s Mosque

October 27, 2011/in Housing /by Spahic Omer

{jcomments on}Assoc. Prof. Dr. Spahic Omer

Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design

International Islamic University Malaysia

E-mail: spahico@yahoo.com

During the Prophet’s time, the housing area surrounding his mosque, in the end, emerged nearly in the shape of a circle, though it was anything but evenly formed. Some houses were so close to the mosque proper that the Prophet (pbuh) one day ordered that the direction of the houses facing the mosque be turned away from the mosque lest a menstruating woman or a sexually defiled person should come in or pass through.[1] The doors of some houses even opened into the mosque. The Prophet (pbuh) ordered all the doors to be walled except Ali’s, since the latter had no other exit from his house. The companions replaced the doors with small apertures through which they could still enter the mosque from their houses. Later on, the Prophet (pbuh) ordered these apertures closed except that of Abu Bakr’s.[2] That many houses were near the mosque, yet were adjoining it, could be easily fathomed from the events which accompanied the caliph Umar b. al-Khattab’s decision to enlarge the mosque. The mosque was extended about twenty meters inlength and about ten meters in width. But of the problems that the caliph had to solve first, before the actual job could start, was purchasing the adjoining houses in a manner that would satisfy their owners. One of such houses belonged to al-Abbas b. Abd al-Mutallib, the Prophet’s uncle.

The number of houses encircling the mosque at the peak of the Prophet’s urbanization scheme might have varied between 250 and 350. Our approximate estimation is based on the following reasons:

“La Hijrah ba’d al-Fath” (No Migration after the Conquest): Implications for the City of Madinah

October 27, 2011/in Islamic Issues /by Spahic Omer

{jcomments on}Assoc. Prof. Dr. Spahic Omer

Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design

International Islamic University Malaysia

E-mail: spahico@yahoo.com

In the wake of the conquest of Makkah, in the eighth year after the Hijrah, most of the Arabian Peninsular communities wittingly entered the fold of Islam. Those who declined to do so – covertly or otherwise – peacefully accepted the rule of Islam and the Muslims. It was around this time that the Prophet (pbuh) proclaimed that there is no Hijrah (migration) to Madinah after the take-over of Makkah; there remained only jihad and niyyah (intending good in all actions) afterwards.[1] The Prophet (pbuh) used to encourage people from then on to stay where they were, and to contribute whatever they could in implementing and disseminating the Word of God elsewhere, since “To Allah belongeth all that is in the heavens and on earth…” (al-Baqarah 284), and “To Allah belong the East and the West: whithersoever ye turn, there is Allah’s Face. For Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing.” (al-Baqarah 115)

Housing Lessons from the Life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): The Subject of Privacy

October 17, 2011/in Housing /by Spahic Omer

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Spahic Omer

Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design

International Islamic University Malaysia

E-mail: spahico@yahoo.com

In Islam, the issue of privacy is of paramount importance. Privacy is one of the factors that influence most the ways Muslims perceive, plan, build and use their houses. As a person’s shelter and private sanctuary, as his place of delight as well as a microcosm of human culture and civilization, the house phenomenon is a person’s fortress where he easily can retire from the hassle of the outside world and then unobstructed enjoy a world of his home that he freely crafted for himself. One’s home, which one’s house must stand for, Islam teaches, is thus one of the greatest blessings of Allah upon man. It is also one of the most essential means by which man can make his stay on earth a pleasant, comfortable, consequential and purposeful one, and on which man’s implementation of his earthly khilafah (vicegerency) mission largely depends. Painstakingly guarding one’s privacy both at one’s personal and family levels, with neighbors, friends, visitors and between the family members right inside the house, as well as in the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual spheres of one’s total being, is vital in ensuring that the house as a comprehensive family education and development center functions properly and helps, rather than impedes, people in their discharging of their life assignments. A companion of the Prophet (pbuh), Abdullah b. Umar, reported that the Prophet (pbuh) prayed every morning and every night to Allah asking Him to cover his ‘awrah, that is to says, to help him conceal, apart from the private parts of his body, all his flaws and everything else in his life that he could possibly be ashamed of.[1]

37th Annual Conference of Australasian Universities Building Educators Association (AUBEA)

October 9, 2011/in News /by Medina

4^th – 6^th July 2012, UNSW, Australia

Call for Abstracts

Conference overview

The Australasian Universities Building Educators Association (AUBEA) was established in 1975 to bring together all those involved in building research and education. The principal aim of AUBEA is to promote and improve teaching and research in building through communication and collaboration. Our highly acclaimed annual conferences bring together researchers and educators from Australasia and other regions and provide them with a strong platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration. The annual conferences of AUBEA are hosted by universities in Australasia.

Renewable energy Conference in Al-Ain United Arab Emirates University

October 8, 2011/in News /by Medina

The 2nd International Conference on Renewable Energy, Applications and Generation (IREGA’12) will be held in Al-Ain at United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) on 4-7 March 2012. The conference is a biennial event and focuses on renewable energy. Up to 25% of the papers will be considered for publication at the Elsevier Renewable energy Conference.

Prospective authors are invited to submit a full paper by the 31^st of October 2011.

QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN URBAN STRUCTURE AND AMBIENT MICROCLIMATE IN NEW DEVELOPED HOUSING AREA IN JOHOR, MALAYSIA

October 7, 2011/in Urban Planning /by Spahic Omer

Kei Saito, Ismail Said, and Mohd Hisyam Rasidi

Department of Landscape Architecture, University Technology Malaysia

Michihiko Shinozaki

Department of Design and Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology

Abstract

The main objectives of this research are 1) to develop a spatial and environmental database by collecting and generating several related digital data and set up an environment for data management and analysis in combination with GIS and numerical simulation software. 2) To investigate objective knowledge of relationship between urban structure and ambient microclimate in new housing area in tropic country. As a result, it became clear that usability of developed spatial database and analysis environmental for a process which contains data modeling, management and visualization through the qualitative and quantitative consideration of numerical simulation effectively, and several new fundamental findings of relationship between deference of building type, open-space, and block density and ambient physical environment objectively.

FACTORS ATTRIBUTED TO PLACELESSNESS OF A PUBLIC PLACE IN HISTORIC TOWN OF PENANG, MALAYSIA

October 6, 2011/in Urban Planning /by Spahic Omer

Ismail Said^¹ and Nor Zalina Harun²

¹Associate Professor and ²Doctoral candidate

Department of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment,

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

b-ismail@utm.my

ABSTRACT

The goal of this research is to identify factors that influence placelessness of a public place and to better understand its effect to residents. In order to determine residents opinions related to these issues, a semi structured interview was conducted amongst a random sample of young adult to elderly residents in a historic town inscribed by UNESCO Heritage List – Georgetown, Penang. A content analysis was done to extract and determine the factors involved and how these had affected the residents. Discontinuity of experiences, insecurity and change of environment and physical character are three underlying dimensions identified to be of significance factors attributed to placelessness. This information is hoped can aid in determining public willingness and government support to incorporate preservation of public place as important scheme in planning report and plan. Simultaneously, this research may support communities in ensuring the continuity of place identity and quality of life.

Keywords: Placelessness, historic town, public place, discontinuity and changes.

The Earth as a Mosque

October 5, 2011/in Urban Planning /by Spahic Omer

{jcomments on}Assoc. Prof. Dr. Spahic Omer

Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design

International Islamic University Malaysia

E-mail: spahico@yahoo.com

The Prophet (pbuh) has said that the whole earth was created as clean and pure (tahur), and as a place of worship, or a mosque (masjid),to him and his followers.[1] Consequently, he used to offer his prayers wherever they were due, and he would pray even in sheepfolds.[2] The Prophet (pbuh) was once asked about praying in places where the camels lie down. He replied: “Do not offer prayers in places where the camels lie down. These are the places of Satan.” He was asked about praying in the sheepfolds. He replied: “You may offer prayers in such places; these are the places of blessing.”[3] That the earth has been made clean and a mosque to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his followers, such is one of several favors which from among all the prophets have been bestowed only upon the seal of prophets, Muhammad (pbuh).

Housing Lessons from the Life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): The Importance of Neighbors

October 5, 2011/in Housing /by Spahic Omer

{jcomments on}Assoc. Prof. Dr. Spahic Omer

Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design

International Islamic University Malaysia

E-mail: spahico@yahoo.com

If people are social beings who must interact and depend on each other for survival, the houses which serve as the framework for most of people’s life activities are likewise destined to interact and connect with each other, sometimes more and in a more densely populated residential networks and sometimes less and in a less densely populated residential networks. Thus, neighborhoods, villages, towns and cities are essential for the survival of the human race, as well as for the creation and sustaining of human culture and civilization. The ways in which the existence of people has been organized, mirror themselves in the ways in which human settlements, and with them human systems of living, have been organized and managed. The mutual dependency and reliance among humans for mere survival reflects itself in the mutual dependency and reliance among the key components of human settlements and their built environments. Reciprocal reliance, understanding and cooperation bring a community strength, progress and prosperity. The opposite brings weakness, depression and downfall to it.