Everytime I want to learn about Islam I'm always taken to a Muslim TH-camr who is bias and sugar coats everything. This channel is defiantly the best because it's seems like I'm taking a real history class in Islam not an indoctrination. Plus this channel is the most unbiased yet that pertains to Islam learning. Love this channel and love learning about Islam.
Those who are brainwashed by cults, call their cult leaders objective, sane and right. In reality their is no such thing as objectivity and unbiased arguments. You listen to what you want to hear and mute out what you dont. EVERYONE is biased and has an MO. The most important thing is how clear people are about their motives. This channel uses objectivity to mask the fact that it mearly regurgitates 400 years of Western propaganda. No more, no less. Welcome to your echo chamber mate
@@abdullahahmed7781 A rhetorical question. Is your comment unbiased? Or is it another example of how brainwashed people think of their own version of history as the right one and everything else "western propaganda"?
@@abdulbari4566 unbiased? No! If you had taken the liberty to use your remaining brain cells you wouldn't have made this retarded counter point. Obviously I (like all people) have an objective/agenda in every debate. I mean that's what debates are .... What my boils my blood however is when people claim to be morally superior because they think they are on the side of the angels. The main argument they put forward is that their positions and viewpoints are based of objectivity, fairness reality and facts. While the reality is that they also cherrypick the parts of the history that fit their narrative. You're obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed are ya 😉
@@abdullahahmed7781, You do realize that no one's talking about being morally superior here, right? When you say this channel's spitting out western propaganda, I'm assuming that either you know enough to filter out the "propaganda" bits from this (and thus, having the right to call that), or you're making the claim that no one can be objectively accurate, EVER. If it's the latter one, it raises another interesting question. What DO you call someone when someone does present you the non-cherrypicked version?
yep, its either extremist anti-Islam sentiment or extremist "Islamic" sentiment usually. This channel is balanced. Another good one is/was Admiral Price. Both are by liberal Muslims.
Personally i agree with you, it should remain a museum, it contains far too important symbols of all ages to be converted in anything except a museum, even back to a church, its and important piece of history between east and west and it should symbolise unity instead of division.
but at the end of the day it's Turkey's decision, and I think that they should have the final say in it. Idk if the Turkish Government voted on this matter, but if they did and it was agreed by the people to convert it into a mosque, then there should be no problem in doing so. Both sides do make valid points, but i think I prefer the latter argument more.
@@AliumMoAnn Exactly, I wish it were still a secular museum but it's Turkey autonomous right. What is really hilarious, though, is Greece, which does not a a single official mosque in there entire country, not even Athens (because they turned or destroyed every last one) now complaining about Turkey turning the Hagia Sophia. Istanbul still has several Christian churches with thriving sermons on Sundays. Greece is really really silly.
@@juniorjames7076 are you sure about Athens not having mosques? I just looked it up and found 6. Probably low compared to other such historical cities but they are there. That said, I know actual Nazis are gaining strength in that country while Erdogan seems to be emulating Pakistan's most hated dictator and the father of the Taliban, Zia ul Haq. (I am Pakistani-American and HATE that guy and what he did to my country)
@@AliumMoAnn At the end of the day, it’s always going to be a biased argument. People like democracy and neutrality when it suits them and hate it when it doesn’t. Humans are hypocrites. I’m not a Muslim, and I’m not a Christian. If Greece or any other western nation wants it to remain a church or a museum, then they can try and take it from Turkey. Might doesn’t make right, but it decides reality.
@@AliumMoAnn if we see it through islamic lense then also its not appropriate decision because beloved Prophet (pbuh) himself is against the conversion of others religious places in to a mosque.
We will be able to enter and we will be able too stand there and say our lords prayer they cant take that away from us. At the end of the day its a mosque in the physical God doesnt talk too us in the physical he speaks too us in spiritual communication so thats whats important. Its was blessed as a Church from the ground up when the foundations were put in all the converting will never change that. Spiritual blessings that were done first cannot be removed or painted over , Turkey would need too knock it down and rebuild and that wont happen . Chin up all will be good God is with us 😇👼🙏
@@bobdobric6787 if you are right. Can we Muslims also Go and pray in all our mosks in spain greece and russia that are taken and made churches libarys pups and gails
@@abdulbari4566 No it's not anti-muslim. I too believe that it shouldn't be converted to mosque. But this property was brought by his own personal wealth by Ottomon ruler acroding to some documents. So if it was brought by Sultan then it should be a mosque
For me, you are a modern version of an islamic scolar of the golden age of islam. You seem to be a devoted muslim, but also able to see aspects from different perspectives and have the will to accumulate and share knowledge.
Well he is. Then again people who used to see aspects from different perspectives were labeled Murtad (Ibn Sina, Al Farabi etc)..lol. You could see such morons in the comments too.
@@jamieammar6131 It is truly unfortunate that so many can’t possibly imagine opposite sides to their own arguments these days, and the fact that Islam is best when the scholars are able to advance and look at everything from different angles! Islam was very powerful when the scholars ruled and accepted other cultures, also being very intellectual and able to advance even faster than their European and Chinese neighbors!
“ Islamic scholar of golden age “ Do you realize who you comparing him? Al Khawrazmi - Father of Algebra Abu Ali ibn Sina - father of early modern medicine. These are products if Islamic golden age. Here is a guy making youtube video interpreting events under his accepted views of the world. Found a guy to compare 😅
@@ahmetkayrayavuz9527 Ben elhamdülillah müslümanım ama benim de umurumda değildi. Sanki İslamın 5 şartından biri "Aya Sofyayı Cami yapın"mış gibi davranılıyor. Yoo ekonomik sıkıntı çok daha önemli.
So there's a pretty prevalent myth in these comment that I think should be adressed. There's alot of people stating in here that the Hagia Sophia was "purchased" by Mehmed, and that Erdogan displayed the proof of purchase during his announcement. This statement as far as we know is not true, or atleast has no evidence to support it: -Firstly, taking places of worship and converting them to mosques was the norm for the Ottomans. They did this all over the Balkans (Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki/Trabzon and even the Parthenon in Athens being prominent examples). Mehmed breaking the norm by purchasing the Hagia Sophia when he didn't have to, would be very unusual. -The document presented by Erdogan only shows the establishment of a Waqf at Hagia Sophia, not a purchase. There is no historical, contemporary source confirming a purchase. -The owner of the Hagia Sophia at the time was the Patriarch. The Patriarch in 1453's very existence is debatable as he's only mentioned in one obscure source about a council meeting. So of course it goes without saying that we don't know if he ever even met Mehmed, considering we barely even know if he existed. -The next Patriarch was elected in 1454, by which point Hagia Sophia was already a mosque. -All primary sources of the conversion don't mention anything about a purchase, they just have Mehmed convert it on his own (which again, is not unusual). -The Hagia Sophia had already been plundered by Mehmed's troops for 3 days (as per custom at the time) and the people in the church were enslaved/killed. When Mehmed entered the building after the 3 days, there wouldn't be anyone left to negotiate with anyway.
Next time I go to buy bread I am going to siege the bakery, loot for days, kill the baker and his team and then negotiate a fair price with my 80,000 armed men . I bet i buy pretty cheap to be honest
@trueway82 what is right and wrong has changed? Does it flip every few years or just when it's convenient? I don't think so my friend My point here though is that it should be beyond obvious to even a school child that this church was not "bought" Even if I criticise the ottomans i know they are not the only ones who have had bad empires or who have been aggressive with their neighbours Anyway thanks for the response you take care
@@garabic8688 Well, to be fair, it's not a conspiracy theory. It's just plain old bad history. But what else would you expect from history given by a socially conservative political party? They're even trying to claim Ataturk's signature on the document making the Hagia Sophia into a museum is forged now...of course none of what they say is true.
As a muslim I believe it should be a church as that's what was 1st build. Give it back to the christian's as I think they hold Hagia sophia as a very sacred place. Its not like any other church.
@@arielquelme Our prophet Muhammed (pbuh) taught us to tolerate and respect all places of worship. He did not teach us to kill the people and destroy their places of worship. I'm against isis as they consider themselves to be righteous and all others to be wrong. Therefore they killed innocent muslims, christians and others too. If I had the strength I would have helped the oppressed kurdish christians against isis. Oppression is oppression, doesn't matter who's oppressing who.
@@disciple60 It brings me great shame for what the Ottomon's did to your Holy Hagia Sophia. I wished it never had happened and I have alot of love and respect for the Orthodox Christians. My brothers in humanity. There is many of us muslims who are you allies.
@Ummer Farooq Learn the history of Hagia Sophia and look at how the Prophet (pbuh) respected the christians of his time. If it was not for the Just Christian ruler of Abisiniya there was no refuge for the muslims during persecution. I have no time for ignorant people.
@@disciple60 I didn't realize that. My original opinion was to keep it as a museum but in that case it should be given back to the Orthodox Church. Of course it would be political suicide for anyone who actually tries and anyone on the other side who tries to take it by force would bring right-wing nationalism on both Christian and Muslim sides so practically a secular Museum or a combined Museum + Mosque + Church + Interfaith Discussion Center would be best. Edit; forgot to mention I am a Muslim.
I am a Muslim of Algerian Amazigh and Polish origin. I don't mind it becoming a Mosque again, it was a house of worship to God and it can be for God wills what he wants. I have been there when it was a museum and it is a marvel. Tourists would still come there but they would not have to pay for it which gives them free entrance when it's not during prayer time like the other Mosques in Istanbul.
The most sacred mosque is your heart. It turns but it is irreplaceable. Guard it decorate it enlighten it And fill it. It will be besieged But you must break the siege upon the bulwark No other mosque matters while this one remains under peril.
Really like the idea of making access more universal. Turkey is so rich in Human history though struggles and divisiveness tend to limit access to this or that location.
You can now visit Hagia Sophia for free outside the collective prayer hours. Back then it was pretty expensive. Plus now people cannot enter this sacred place half naked which is great. Hagia Sophia for Turks a symbol of the ownership of Istanbul, it's a symbol of our authority over the land. Plus I don't get why Greeks are getting all angry, instead of it being a museum to adore the building and history only, isn't it better to have people worship God in it as that's closer to its original purpose
@@huskee7684 May Allah (swt) guide me as I say (imho) we are sorely in need of more places of spiritual and moral guidance. Certainly a museum environment would protect and exhibit All religious expressions and images but it would also keep decisions about the location in more secular hands. Only Allah knows if this is part of His designs.
I agree with you, Hagia Sophia has Christian history before it was a Mosque and thus should be represented not as just another Mosque out of many in Constantinople (Istanbul) but instead should remain a museum that shows the amazing history the building has within it’s walls and the cultures that thrived within it, don’t worry, there is no shortage of Mosques in Istanbul that you can pray in other than Hagia Sophia, this is why I agree that it should not be a Mosque anymore but should remain a museum to honor both it’s Christian and Muslim heritage, not favoring one over another!
As a muslim, it should be turned into a mosque, a church and a museum the same time. The place is large enough to be divided into divisions of place of prayers and sermons. Furthermore, muslims only pray 5 times a day. They won't stay in the mosque for 24 hours. I actually also had the same opinion but it's too bad too many radical muslims are blinded by the whole mosque conversion thing and never consider the fact that the conversion was to garner votes.
My opinion on all this stuff as a Christian is that Spain should apologize for the Reconquista and some Muslim authority should apologize for the original conquista same for the crusades and all that stuff ✝️☦️☪️
@@basedhistory8948 The difference is that in Spain before the Islamic invasion, Spain was already Christian. And the Christians had taken back what was already theirs. And the mosque of cordoba (current church) had been built over the site of an old Visigothic Christian church, and that was used by both Christians and muslim. But the Emir Abd al-Raḥmān had the brilliant idea of destroying the Christian church To build a mosque over it. Hagia Sophia will never really be a mosque, it will forever remain an Orthodox Christian church. Hagia sophia has been a Christian church for almost 1000 years. And hell, Hagia sophia is even older than Islam. It all started with the Muslims who invaded Spain, which was Christian. So you can figure out who has to start apologizing.
excellent video, history and lastly opinion, on the matter, I had a feeling I will find nothing to disagree with and as a fellow muslim I also think it should be kept as a museum. history should not be desecrated
@Sniper Places of worship of non-Muslims must be protected if they pay jizya. Were they even given a chance to pay? No, the court unilaterally declared it the property of Mehmet Fateh because he 'bought' the cathedral after his conquest of the city. The Hagia Sophia is priceless for Christians. Would we Muslims sell the Kaaba? Absolutely not. In fact any person suggesting that would stoned in the streets and rightly so. I am not a Western secular puppet but if you do things non-Muslims do to Muslims back to them then what is the difference between then and us. Their hearts will harden against Islam and we lose any chance of Dawah. Just for some stupid cathedral.
@@bilalbaig8586 The ruling differs depending on how the territory was taken. If for example the city was surrendered without a fight and a treaty was signed then yes the property of the non Muslims are protected under Islamic law. However, if the Muslims outright conquer a city everything in that city including places of worship belongs to the conquering ruler and can turn it to a mosque if he saw it fit....btw that was basically the general rule during those times for every conquerer Muslim or not.
Hm. The historic areas of Istanbul, including the Hagia Sophia, are inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Places on the list receive both tangible and intangible benefits from inclusion, and states have to apply for consideration for inclusion. Turkey chose to pursue this status, to explicitly and deliberately invite international opinion on the site. None of this precludes a site being used for religious purposes, but it does identify the importance of the full cultural character and history of the location in question as being of international interest and import, again with a variety of benefits. I think that this significantly weakens any argument that international upset is an attack on the sovereignty of Turkey, particularly given that Turkey is a founding UN member state and an otherwise enthusiastic participant in UNESCO's mission.
It wouldn't conflict with the heritage site status, so it seems like a reasonable solution, but it's one that leaves a lot of people unhappy (and notably leaves Turkey complaining about sovereignty, rightly or wrongly).
Things that should be noted: 1.) The Church of the Holy Apostles was not vacated without hostilities. 2.) Virtually all of the ancient Churches in Constantinople and beyond were eventually converted into mosques. This video makes it sound like only the Hagia Sophia was converted. Additionally, other secular Byzantine buildings have been (improperly) restored recently and converted to house museums devoted to Turkish history. This is obviously provocative. Erdogan has also taken issue with archeological research, as it obviously focuses mostly on the Roman and Greek past. Turkish culture simply wasn't part of this region until the late Middle Ages. 3.) Sinan was himself from a Christian background. He was taken from his family as part the devshirme tribute program. He was technically the Sultan's slave, was forced to convert to Islam, and was likely castrated. Janissaries were also forbidden to marry. 4.) Many Christians were FORCED to work on Mosque construction. Miguel Cervantes - author of Don Quixote - was captured by Muslim pirates and forced into slavery. He ended up doing manual labor to build the Kılıç Ali Pasha Complex. 5.) Unfortunately, Islam doesn't seem to put as much emphasis on preserving its own history. Numerous early mosques in Mecca and Medina have been demolished by Islamic hardliners who feel that historical reverence is too close to idolatry. 6.) The Hagia Sophia has religious significance for Muslims solely as a symbol of Muslim dominance and supremacy. They are proud that they took it from Christians. 7.) Turkey HAS taken issue with how other countries treat Ottoman monuments. Turkey was very vocal about the destruction of an Ottoman fortress in Mecca for a new skyscraper. They were also vocal about the destruction of the Ottoman portions of the Grand Mosque during the recent expansion.
@@peacetotheworld8502 what other people do is not our standard of behaviour. What the Prophet a.s did, that is our standard of behaviour. If he stole churches and made them into mosques than yeah, it should be a mosque. Did he?
@@kwisatzhaderach472 i know that. I just want to hear what they say. I am on the same side with you, i just asked a person. Is it posible that we to can do the same from the kristen side
@@peacetotheworld8502 yes you can. As a greek, i can safely say that most, if not all of the historic mosques, are some sort of meseums. Unlike Turkey that converted all the historical churches into mosques. (not to mention the abandoned and destroyed armenian churches in the east). Im not trying to be mean here, but the situation is as is..
I like the Armenian Patriarchs idea for the Hagia Sophia. Have it officially designated a museum, but have it be open for Islamic prayers on fridays and Christian prayers on sundays. That way everyone is happy and nobody has a right to complain.
most likely the bureucratic governance would be hell, museums and religious centers (and minority religious centers) all have their own form of upkeep,governance and taxation. Such a method would mean aya sofya is owned by thenl ministry of culture 5 days a week, the diyanet for one day and the ministry of interior i think for the last day. not to mention during the 5 days as a museum aya sofya is looked after by a private company. BTW i actually support this idea aswell just pointing some stuff
@@turkbud802 Well you could theoretically have it owned by the Ministry of Culture all the time, and just have the museum open its grounds for prayers on fridays and sundays. It would still be a museum, it would just allow for worship on certain days. Much like how some museums allow for conventions, gatherings or lectures on certain dates. If it were to come under the ownership of the Patriarchate or an Imam for 2 days a week and then switch back, it wouldd of course be unsustainable.
A museum is not a place for prayers! Within this mentality it may be suggested to use stadiums for prayers, use parks as schools, use hospitals as music venues etc. Suggesting this, shows that they neither know what a "museum" is, nor a "temple", neither a "mosque". If their point is original *a space_building doesn't matter, can be variably used* then they should open their churches for muslim prayers as well as litourgies. Or even better they should stop saying they represent religion believers and act as venue managers.
That’s not even confirmed historically. That idea comes from Catholic scholars from Asturias hundreds of years later. The Masjid of Córdoba was built over the course of a few centuries. It expanded much over that time. It was not a church before that. It was built by Muslims.
For the sake of symbolism of peace between faiths, it should have remained a museum. Instead Erdogan chose to play petty politics and gain cheap popularity among his base at the expense of Muslim/Christian goodwill
It's Even worst the muslin all over the world will pay the price for that. Here in Brazil, people don't know the difference between Sufi and Sunni and they didn't take lightly the news my Sufi friends are unease about it.
@@dilkhozaimarwat3479 From what I can find, one not particularly prominent mosque was turned into a bar in a non-christian country In britain it is normal for historic churches to be turned into mosques so yeah I really don't see the issue with small holy sites being changed edit: the mosque-cathedral of cordoba had originally been a church, so by your own logic that'd be ok to convert all holy sites since you're making it an example.
Great video! As a Westerner who lived in Turkey for a few years and visited Hagia Sophia, I am very conflicted on this matter. I believe Erdogan is doing this as a political ploy to strengthen his base. I want to see Hagia Sophia remain a museum, just as Ataturk wanted. But, if this is what the Turkish government voted for, there's nothing we can do. It makes me so sad.
Al Muqaddimah, this is a question that has bothered me for a while but one that I have not had the opportunity to pose to an Ottoman history expert: Is the name _Ayasofya_ (Hagia Sophia) not an inappropriate name for a mosque, necessitating another official name, even if it is in disuse? I have to wonder if the building ever had an officially Islamic name after 1453. Of course, the grandeur and history of the Hagia Sophia might have encouraged even locals to drop the official Islamic name in place of its more well-known Christian name. Or as an allusion to the Ayasofya's physical, commercial, and social footprint in the city. To me, keeping the name Ayasofya for a mosque is akin to naming a mosque after St. George or St. Paul. Popular reference to a mosque by that name in a neighbourhood or municipality, such as Bury St. Edmunds or Christchurch, with such a Christian-derived name is acceptable but the mosque itself must surely have its own name. Especially within an Islamic state, like the Ottoman Empire. The Arabic name Safi(ye) has a completely different etymology, by the way. And although the words 'Holy Wisdom' do not obviously violate Islamic any principles, I think it is fair to question whether adopting this name of a concept of Christianity for a mosque raised the ire of at least some Islamic clergy and jurists in the Ottoman era. But with how much influence European and Western scholarship inevitably has on Turkish-Islamic historiography, are these possibly obscure and minority legal opinions lost to time?
@@jtadros16 Exactly, it would not be inappropriate to say that "Hagia Sophia" is a specifically Christian term, with its own exegesis and interpretation, just as "Tawhid" is not used for other monotheistic religions. With this in mind, the term Al-Hakim, one of the 99 names of Allah, could be a good choice for a direct translation, linguistically and theologically, for Hagia Sophia.
@@YusufNasihi I don't see nothing wrong with the name Ayasofya. We have mosques named after Jesus and his mother Mary. It's not like Ayasofya means Trinity.
Im suprised,although i share your views on this matter,very few people share others opinions conflicting their views,you have a great noble character,you are very wise my friend,subscribed.
I... Very much agree with you on all points! Also I didn't knew the mosque of Cordoba was still in use as a church when I visited it in 2016... It should just be made a museum, that building is just sooooo much more than just a church.
@@manirea I am not spanish so... Even if I said that it would not matter. Hikma History is right in saying that the Turks are the ones that need to decide if they what this for the Hagia Sophia or not...
@@silveryuno if the Spanish want it to be remain a Cathedral, let them since they have the power and authority, same with the Turks and Hagia Sophia. If the Muslims of North Africa manage to come back and rule over Iberia then that'll be interesting on how the Mezquita should be since the land was bought off to the Muslims under Abd ar Rahman 1st, but I don't know for the Castilians, maybe they can argue it as a spoils of war.
@@zakback9937 it was a church originally. Under the order of protection of Churches by Muhammed a church could not be changed. So that mosque replaced a church!
I couldn't agree more on your last comment on the future of the Haglia Sophia. Any archealogical, or historical structure of any significance shouldn't be treated as a national, contemporary treasure, but a treasure for whole humanity to be preserved through time. I would even go so far that some structures shouldn't be visited by tourists, if that could put the structure in danger due to wear and tear.
I don't care if people pray in it or not. As long as it remains preserved and open to the public, people should use it how they want. There are museums in the US that also function as churches on Sunday, and it works perfectly fine. I hope the Turkish government is capable of the same thing...but I have my doubts. Erdogan's word is not worth very much.
Visitors go in and there is no entrance fee. It operates as a mosque but there are tons of visitors. I think it's good but it would be better if there were Christian services there too.
As an Orthodox Greek, I know it is hard to see our church turned back into mosque. It does seem politically motivated. As a lover of history. I hate to see antiquities not shown respect they deserve. When the Palmyran ruins we’re destroyed by Isis that was a great loss to all humanity. I kind of wish we kicked everyone out of that region of the world for like 50 years. Learn everything about our past then let them move back in.
@@ym6667your views are sad. You only care about religion and there’s more to existence than that. You’re closed mindedness is a curse. You should celebrate your heritage and what ancestor accomplished. You’re dogmatic believes have left you half blind and I feel bad for you. You’re descendants are doomed to live like paupers cause the rest of us are going from pyramids to the stars. You’ll be stuck in the sand
Hagia Sophia was built on the site of a destroyed pagan temple. I hereby petition that it should be rededicated to Zeus or to whoever it was originally meant for.
@@keshavshah488 Are you sure that there was no stone henge like structure in that place where prehistoric hunter gatherers used to worship a god named gujumapa?
Learning about historical facts is different from learning from a religious leader. What do you expect the religious leaders to say, I always say no person will go against their own hussle. You always defends what feeds you. Historical facts don’t waver, people may bend them, but it’s their for anyone to read. As a Nigerian Yoruba, always just wondered how our indigenous ancestral religion has been replaced by the two main religions. This channel is fantastic, at the end of the day it brings perspective to the ignorant and helps understand that peace and love is the most important things in life.
I am a practising Muslim and I think this is a crime for it to be a mosque. This is a Christian building and it should be returned to them, that would be the truly Islamic thing to do but since we're far away from that kind of Islam, a museum would be acceptable but a mosque, it's insulting. They should at least allow the Christians to have their services there too. That would be a great political move and also reasonable.
Ok, would you agree to return back the grand masjid of Córdoba? And why do you see this act as insolence?! It returned a place to worship god. Christians should be proud and respectful of Muslims for returning the place of prayer to God.
@@NawafAlsulaiman I see it as an act of insolence because people who originally owned it see it as a provocation. Of course I would agree to return the masjid of Cordoba, and I see other Muslims are quick to point out that they also converted our place of worship into a church so it must be OK for us to do the same. My argument to that is that our Prophet a.s. thought us that the wrong action of others are not our standard of behaviour, our standard of behaviour is righteousness. I mean you have it in Islamic history when the caliph Umar prayed in Jerusalem. Ibn Khaldoon (may Allah have mercy on him) said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab entered Bayt al-Maqdis, and came to the Church of the Resurrection and sat in its courtyard. When the time for prayer came, he said to the patriarch: I want to pray. He said to him: Pray where you are. But he refused, and he prayed on the doorstep of the church, on his own. Then when he had finished praying, he said to the patriarch: If I had prayed inside the church, the Muslims after me would have taken it (as a mosque) and they would have said: ‘Umar prayed here. And he wrote for them that they were not to gather to pray on the steps and that adhaan was to be given from that location. End quote from Tareekh Ibn Khaldoon (2/225) He is our role model and people of those times. They had depth and consideration for others. Umar should be our standard not Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. I liked him before but this move was not cool at all.
@@NawafAlsulaiman You compare a converted/deconstructed catholic church into a mosque for a few centuries to a millenia+ orthodox temple in the heart of Culture/Politics of that world. I think it's proper to do whatever they want;since it now belongs to them. I can't even justify what was holding them back from doing that years ago. Cultural policies reflect their government base. At least there are some citizens left out of prison to be able to "pray" ^^ without any bigoted mindset... LOL
Honestly the only difference for a non Muslim visitor is that now you don't have to pay 200 liras to visit and the bathroom is open for free. And you have to go around prayer times but big whoop, it's free now. I think it's great. If they added Christian services on Sunday I think it would make everyone happy and be more loyal to the history of the building.
@@AlMuqaddimahYT I'm not sure exactly. I was a bit confused about that. There were a few Christian mosaics that were very prominent and displayed as you exit but I didn't see any in the main room. Although this was outside of prayer times.
We aren't saying Tukey can't do it. We are questioning Turkey's judgment on the issue. It's like Al Muqaddimah said: Hagia Sophia is not a pillar of islam. It wasn't built by the prophet and there are plenty of mosques just as great as it is (in fact, there is one RIGHT IN FRONT OF IT, the Blue Mosque, which was specifically made to be a counterpoint to Hagia Sophia). In the end, the only argument of why the building shouldn't be a museum comes from "tradition". But thing is, if we go for "tradition", the building should be a cathedral, not a mosque.
People need to chill. Just because its a mosque doesnt mean people cant visit and now there is no fee. There are many historic mosques that people visit. I also dont understand the contention that this is political. So what? Was Ataturk turning the Mosque into a Museum not political?
Just wanted to say that your Channel is awesome. I discovered it now and watched a few recently. Your Graphics and Explaining are really good. And after watching your Hagia Sophia video i was surprised to hear your opinion about the conversion of it. It is pleasant to hear a fellow fan of History from another Muslim country to have a more secular opinion on this topic. Normally people who do have such an opinion don't care at all about history of the MENA (not even Ottoman history). Now I will watch more of your videos 😉
I have another grudge beside yours, the Blue Mosque, which is in the walking distance from Hagia Sophia, isn't even full when the time of prayer comes, why should there be another big mosque in the area? Also, turning it into a mosque in the first place by Mehmed was a mistake, we are not supposed to turn other religious temples to mosques unless it's no longer being used by its faith practitioners which it was at the time of Mehmed.
Sultan Mehmed bought it with his wealth from the orthodox clerics and then made it a waqf for all muslims to use. In the end he cursed whoever changed its status. This recent decision just brought his will back in place after a +80 years injustice
@@uvejspreza9879 I won't even try to dispute whether it's even true or not, but let's say it's true, can you even think the situation why they sold it to him? The Konstantiniyye was in ruins, the Orthodox Church was in disarray, they really don't have much choice in the state of their church, why do you think the purchase is valid in this situation? I'd reckon they wouldn't even try to sell it if their situation was not collapsed like that... Compare this to the condition of Palestinian lands, do you know that the Israeli buy the lands one by one? So are these purchased lands validly owned by Israeli now? Can you really blame the Palestinians who sold their land, especially for cheap, considering their situation? If we retake Palestine, should we dispute these considering they did buy the lands? You can see that it's not that simple.... About Palestinians' lands, you can check Vox's story here: th-cam.com/video/_Tlnk0RL5VM/w-d-xo.html
@@uvejspreza9879 Mehmed did make it into a Waqf, but he did not buy it. There is not evidence for this claim at all, and we have no record of any kind of "purchase from Mehmed". He just seized the Church and made it into a mosque on his own, as was customary for the Ottomans when they conquered major cities, this is not out of the ordinary.
@@uvejspreza9879 He never bought it. That is untrue. He walked into Haghia Sophia and declared it a mosque immediately. According to the Quran and Muhammed's order of protection of churches a church cannot be converted.
Well, "Hagia Sophia" was bought by Mehmed II. So it was his private property and he gave it to the muslims to prayer in his "Will". You can't change someone's "Will" as you can't change "Hagia Sophia" as a museum.
The solution is simple, Hagia Sophia should be used both as a Mosque and a Cathedral Just Like The Temple of Solomon allows worship of multiple religious identity.
and also an interfaith cultural center where annual events should be held where people of both faiths + others talk and party(in a halal/kosher manner) together
The idea of important Turkish Muslim officials bowing down in submission and praying in front of icons of Christ and His saints, even if the icons are covered, brings me joy.
@Mark Book It should mean something to you, especially considering how easy it is to commit shirk in Islam. It certainly meant something to your prophet. As for not making images of God, you clearly don't understand the Bible or Christianity well enough for your argument to have any weight. In that passage, God is responding to a common ancient near-eastern belief that you can make statues of the gods that the gods will come down and dwell in and that the gods require to be enbodied. This practice makes no sense in the Christian worldview, as no image we could make could adequately represent God in all His greatness. However, with the advent of Christ, this is no longer the case, because God has made Himself known to us in visible and representable form, and thus it is appropriate, no, even essential, to depict Him, so as to show our affirmation of His Incarnation and other theological truths. Even in the Old Testament, Moses' Tabernacle and Solomon's temple where full of images of angels and such, so the Islamic view of all images being bad is completely inconsistent with Moses and Solomon. You blindly throwing out half-quotes you think you once heard are contained in the Bible just further demonstrates how ignorant and unnuanced Islamic apologetics are, as if we needed any more proof of that. Truly, it is Islamic apologetics that are moronic. السلام عليكم. المجد للأب والابن والروح القدس ، وعلى الأرض يكون هناك سلام وحسن نية للبشرية.
@Mark Book And no, Jesus didn't pray like Muslims do at all in the Bible. When He prayed He called God "Father", which you can't do in Islam. He mostly prayed standing up, too. You could likely find something in each one of Jesus' prayers to refute Islam.
@Mark Book he is not mentioned in the Christian Bible at all. Unless if there was a warning about someone( which is negative). Christ is mentioned negatively in The Talmud in a horrible way.
@Mark Book Muhammed's order of protection of churches and Christians is the very opposite of what you are talking about . He was very friendly with Christians. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashtiname_of_Muhammad
I was at Hagia Sophia just last year. I hid my rosary in my pocket (Coptic Orthodox Christian) to be respectful and this Muslim made me put it back on and said "all people are welcome here" I'll never forget this
they are not pagans they are hindus hindus are there own religion have some respect for his religion hinduism just because you are not hindu doesnt mean its ok to talk rudely to him for his religion by calling him a pagan and hindus are pagans their religion dosent matter that makes you racist cause you think its ok to belittle hindus because you thibk you are better for being muslim or whatever
@Anonymous yeah thats their religion so what if they worship idols is hinduism islam you are being disrespectful by calling him a pagan hinduism is its own religion I'm muslims myself and if you were really muslim you would never say hinduism is pagan and that their religion is pagan and idol worship because you do realise allah has said to respect other peoples religions and not to be rude and disrespect lik you are doing by calling his religion hinduism pagan because of your rudeness he is going to view muslim as rude and backward like you. respect other peoples religions
where is proof they were sacred to hindus or that muslims destroyed hindu site im sure the hindus at the time would not their sacred sites to be destroyed those politian are using the idea of mosques built on hindu sights as a justification to abuse muslims and destroy mosques does your religion hinduism preach the oppression of muslims
You deserve so many more views than you currently have. Your videos are top notch. Do you have an issue with SEO I wonder? I know whenever I want to watch your videos it always takes me a few minutes to find because of the difficulty for me in remembering how to properly spell your TH-cam name. Anyways I'm a big fan and hope to see your channel grow!
Turkey was always "kinda" secular and non Muslim. They never tried to do mass conversions of their christians until the very late ottoman times, by then they weren't allowed to by other Europeans.
@@Cecilia-ky3uw ah yes yes ofcourse muslim bad not muslim gud. When compared to Europeans. The ottomans were extremely tolerant. You have to think of cultural relativism. Don't diminish their history with modernism. And no. They didn't pursure mass conversions. Other wise they would still hold the Balkans. Look at how many Armenians are left, it takes a few years to change demographics.
Instead of countries complaining about their sovereignty maybe they should make decisions that's good for all humanity and life on Earth.....we weren't always the dominant organism nor will we always be. My concern in this case is that they maintain and preserve the structure especially since they no longer are charging entrance fees.
"Those who cannot deliver in the present, turn to glorifying the past." This statement is true for so many muslim leaders around the world today. Simply glorifying the past whitewashing it to match our modern world view to stand on the shoulders of great men (with often greater flaws) in the past as if somehow their achievements exist solely to be taken ownership of by political leaders today to further their own interests, rather than a collective history for all of humanity.
It should remain a museum in which a portion of building is a mosque while other should remain a church.The building should be divided between Muslim and Christians. To be honest I think Sultan Mehmed ii shouldn't have converted it into a mosque since it wasn't an ordinary church but a special church.At the same time it's debated how exactly did he convert it into a mosque by purchasing it peacefully or by kicking them out.It hurts the Christians so I think conversation to mosque should be avoided. Same should happen with mosque in corboda.To be honest this can give justification for Zionist to convert al aqsa to synagogue.
I havent watch Hikma History yet but I agree with both side of the arguement. Hikma History make a good point that Turkey have the right to make it a mosque or a museum. I also agree that the cultural significant of Hagia Sophia is massive and should be preserve as a museum. In my opnion what should really been done is by putting a vote to the Turkish people whether they want it to be a mosque or a museum.
Tariq is absolutely correct that the decision to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque is ultimately a sovereign one. However, I can definitely resonate with the arguements you've presented in this video, especially with regard to the why of the situation. The building has a rich heritage that belongs to everyone, and as the sovereign of this building, it is Turkey's responsibility to preserve this. Furthermore, you are an intellectual. And we all know how much governments hate intellectuals, right? The move is mere political opportunism and you can see right through it. "Those who cannot deliver in the present glorify the past." -Syawish Rehman
You are reading into the motives of Erdogan without realizing that no one in Turkey opposes this and that your focus on his failure in politics demonstrates that you don’t know about his political wins in infrastructure, development and social policies that led him to ultimately lead the country. Repurposing religious buildings and symbols is a true tradition of humanity. Turkey has an entire institution to maintaining religious symbols and mosques...I don’t know why you would throw shade at them for not knowing how they would fund maintenance of Hagia Sofia. There is historical significance to Muslims in the building of Hagia Sofia and some could even argue that religious significance is there as well. The Roman Pantheon is a church with statues of Roman gods. If the Hagia Sofia was reverted to a church and then it was proposed to be converted to a mosque again, I can understand your opposition, but ultimately respect of religious tradition is maintained through the allowance of visitors to freely enter, to view the religious imagery, and to ultimately protect the structure itself. Please don’t let your need to feel critical and balanced/moderate override objectivity in your content.
First, it has religious value. Dude, it is a symbol of last caliphat, last muslim unity and the times of powerfull muslim communities. Sultan Fatih, who conquered Hagia, was blessed by Allah. Second, Masjid al-Haram was pagan's template, so should it be museum now ?
Thank you for sharing your opinion here. I was wondering how you feel about the Hagia Sophia being turned into an interfaith place of worship for all religions and spiritual traditions? Or if you want to narrow it down, an interfaith place of worship for Muslims and orthodox Christians. It would lighten my heart :-). And I would love to do both my Christian and Islamic prayers in there at the same time :-). Did you know that in Cyprus there is also a cathedral turned into a mosque? Selimiye Mosque. Quite a particular one, as the church is in gothic style. So it is a gothic mosque :-).
I think the Hagia Sophia should either be a museum or a "shared custody" religious site (e.g. a Mosque on Fridays and Muslim Holy Days, a Church on Sundays and Orthodox Holy Days). By turning it into a mosque, Erdogan undermines the secularism of Turkey by telling Christains in Turkey and in surrounding countries "You're not welcome here!", not to mention opening old wounds in the region. As for the argument from "national sovereignty", there is nothing in that idea about a country's internal decisions being protected from criticism. Just like how an individual's freedom of speech is not infringed upon by another individual's disagreement or criticism, a nation's sovereignty is not infringed upon by international outcry.
I don't think I would feel comfortable performing my salat for there are lots of arts depicting human character. I, however, wouldn't mind giving the place a visit. If salat time comes I would go to nearby masjid and perform my salat.😊 I also strongly think that this whole part-politically-and-part-emotionally-motivated fiasco was totally unnecessary and will further escalate animosity which will greatly harm worldwide dawah work.
Wouldnt it be nice to return the monument to Orthodox Christians? In the name of lslam? Just asking Ch 22:40 of Al Quran.
3 ปีที่แล้ว +7
This is mere speculation but i think the first conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque might be related to Mehmet the Conquerors desire to be the new Kayser-i Rum (Caesar of Rome). After all Hagia Sophia is the temple for the Roman Caesar. For him, the new Caesar, it would be a mosque. I think he was feeling like he was continuing the Roman tradition somehow.
Dude you always have the closest takes to mine, including here Your analysis is very logical (not a Christian btw, but one has to admit this move offers nothing but lip service to his supporters, it achieves nothing)
Personnally i think it should be given back to christians, muslims have the blue mosque 500 yards away . Besides , the world needs more acts of kindness than confrontation nowadays.
I m also with your opinion Hagia Sofiya not only give us the idea of cultural resemblance but also give the social idea of connection of West and east. It should be profoundly be a museum to keep the pace of more ideas and curiosity for cultural resemblance.
I don't understand how this incident is compared to Mosque Cathedral of Cordoba. It was a Church before being transformed into a mosque and then again reclaimed by the Christians by turning it back to Church again. On the other hand, Hagia Sophia was originally a Church which was turned into a mosque and then a museum.
I could somewhat understand restarting Islamic services in the building IF it were not wholly illegal to utter a Christian prayer in the same space. The argument that this is an internal matter for Turkey also makes little sense to me; if Greece decided to convert the Ataturk museum in Thessaloniki into a monastery tomorrow tomorrow, there would be vociferous protests and massive unrest throughout Turkey and possibly the rest of the Muslim world. To be clear, I hope that won't happen and quite frankly I don't think it will, but I think the parallel is worthwhile to consider.
The thing is is that the building is the personal property of Sultan Muhammad al Fateh. He put in his will that it should be a mosque forever. So its not really up for debate.
Muhammed fateh is dead. No one cares about him. I hope it will given back to the christians with a huge apology from the Turkish government for taking it unjustly and converting it to a mosque.
As a Christian who works but believe the same as you, I have to say that you have presented this every week and I would agree that this move it political. Thank you for your honesty
As a Muslim I'm ashamed of this stupid kind of politics in 21st century. And justifying by "well, they did it too." So, if they are the doing bad things which you're against, Why are you doing the exact same thing? Does that make you any better. I'd rather revert it to a church and show Spain what Muslims can be. Instead the opposite happened.
@@ahmadalmansur8836 the church was never "purchased", that's a myth. Even the video mentions it was immediately turned into a mosque after Constantinople/now Istanbul was captured. So no, it should have remained a museum
@@ahmadalmansur8836 that literally doesn't matter what happened in Spain. (1) just because others do wrong doesn't excuse you to do wrong. And even IF it mattered what happened in Spain (it doesn't): (A) Spain was Catholics, this church was orthodox, it wasn't the same branch of the church that did so (B) Spain was actually Catholic before the Ummayed invasion who turned the area Muslim, who then fell to Catholic monarchs who turned it back to a Catholic area. if anything, the conversion of Spain was back to what is was before (C) this building is the *single most important building* to the orthodox faith. This is like taking el Azhar, el Aqsa, or the grand Mecca mosque and turning it into a church of a temple. Literally none of the mosques in Spain were nearly this important (E) but again, literally none of that matters. If the only way to defend converting the Hagia Sofia back into a mosque is "hurrr durr the Spanish did it", you have a weak argument
@thunder yousef so you'll allow Muslims to turn churches into mosques, but not the other way around? You are literally justifying this out of revenge, which the Quran prohibits. "X people did a bad thing, therefore I will do a bad thing!!" Extremely childish thinking It's wrong when Christians do it, it's wrong when Muslims do it
As a staunch Muslim, I can only present this as the most unbiased take I can possibly get. If Christians earn the right to turn it into a church by conquest, do it. If Secularists can enforce their will and turn it into a museum, do it. If the Turkish government has the means to turn the Hagia Sofia to a mosque and symbol of Islamic supremacy, excellent. Whoever wants to claim this symbol ought to earn it with either blood or political power. Whoever claims a right to it by some irrelevant legacy has an illegitimate claim that they cannot back up.
8:25 Well, tbh Turkey has been forcing their opinion well beyond it's borders recently... I get that we can't question the sovereignty of other nations, but I believe we should think as humanity and not as sects...
My idea: Build a Church and a Mosque (both similar in size and architectuure) exactly near Hagia Sophia, and turn Hagia Sophia into a Library of theological texts as well a museum.
The mosque of Cordoba was a Christian basilica before converted to a mosque. So the reconquista simply returned the church back(not a big fan of the reconquista by the way).
@Mohamed Mo They where a lot of churches that were converted to mosques and the reconquista returned them to be churches again. We know of this because the reconquista bragged about it and praised themselves for doing that. But that age has ended. Unless we want to go back to religious wars, which I doubt majority of mankind today wants it
Something to note: Mehmed the Conqueror once said may God’s curse be upon whomever dares to change Hagia Sophia’s status from a mosque (something like that I don’t have the exact quote).
Maybe we can solve the problem by making it a synagogue.
(ducks and runs)
(Grabs a shoe and throw it at light speed)
Loved you usefulcharts..... until......
Yeah, it'll start WWIII. Don't give 2020 any ideas!
erick meyer yeah
(opens fire) Just kidding
or am I.....
(blows up suicide vest)
Everytime I want to learn about Islam I'm always taken to a Muslim TH-camr who is bias and sugar coats everything. This channel is defiantly the best because it's seems like I'm taking a real history class in Islam not an indoctrination. Plus this channel is the most unbiased yet that pertains to Islam learning. Love this channel and love learning about Islam.
Those who are brainwashed by cults, call their cult leaders objective, sane and right. In reality their is no such thing as objectivity and unbiased arguments. You listen to what you want to hear and mute out what you dont. EVERYONE is biased and has an MO. The most important thing is how clear people are about their motives. This channel uses objectivity to mask the fact that it mearly regurgitates 400 years of Western propaganda. No more, no less. Welcome to your echo chamber mate
@@abdullahahmed7781 A rhetorical question. Is your comment unbiased? Or is it another example of how brainwashed people think of their own version of history as the right one and everything else "western propaganda"?
@@abdulbari4566 unbiased? No! If you had taken the liberty to use your remaining brain cells you wouldn't have made this retarded counter point. Obviously I (like all people) have an objective/agenda in every debate. I mean that's what debates are ....
What my boils my blood however is when people claim to be morally superior because they think they are on the side of the angels. The main argument they put forward is that their positions and viewpoints are based of objectivity, fairness reality and facts. While the reality is that they also cherrypick the parts of the history that fit their narrative. You're obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed are ya 😉
@@abdullahahmed7781, You do realize that no one's talking about being morally superior here, right? When you say this channel's spitting out western propaganda, I'm assuming that either you know enough to filter out the "propaganda" bits from this (and thus, having the right to call that), or you're making the claim that no one can be objectively accurate, EVER. If it's the latter one, it raises another interesting question. What DO you call someone when someone does present you the non-cherrypicked version?
yep, its either extremist anti-Islam sentiment or extremist "Islamic" sentiment usually. This channel is balanced. Another good one is/was Admiral Price. Both are by liberal Muslims.
Personally, I dont care what they do with it, as long as they protect it for mankind. I would love to visit when things settle down a bit
Thank you😆
Wish this so called channel had this kind of opinion
Well difference is, now you can go visit it for free 😀
Better for you now lts free
Well now you get plaster on everything pre ottoman
If it were in Dubai, they would have made it a mall to make everybody happy😄
True lol
lmfao
No they would have made it a Israel culture centre nowadays
@@jojyjohn7496 true true
That would be even worse.
Personally i agree with you, it should remain a museum, it contains far too important symbols of all ages to be converted in anything except a museum, even back to a church, its and important piece of history between east and west and it should symbolise unity instead of division.
but at the end of the day it's Turkey's decision, and I think that they should have the final say in it. Idk if the Turkish Government voted on this matter, but if they did and it was agreed by the people to convert it into a mosque, then there should be no problem in doing so. Both sides do make valid points, but i think I prefer the latter argument more.
@@AliumMoAnn Exactly, I wish it were still a secular museum but it's Turkey autonomous right. What is really hilarious, though, is Greece, which does not a a single official mosque in there entire country, not even Athens (because they turned or destroyed every last one) now complaining about Turkey turning the Hagia Sophia. Istanbul still has several Christian churches with thriving sermons on Sundays. Greece is really really silly.
@@juniorjames7076 are you sure about Athens not having mosques? I just looked it up and found 6. Probably low compared to other such historical cities but they are there. That said, I know actual Nazis are gaining strength in that country while Erdogan seems to be emulating Pakistan's most hated dictator and the father of the Taliban, Zia ul Haq. (I am Pakistani-American and HATE that guy and what he did to my country)
@@AliumMoAnn
At the end of the day, it’s always going to be a biased argument. People like democracy and neutrality when it suits them and hate it when it doesn’t. Humans are hypocrites. I’m not a Muslim, and I’m not a Christian. If Greece or any other western nation wants it to remain a church or a museum, then they can try and take it from Turkey. Might doesn’t make right, but it decides reality.
@@AliumMoAnn if we see it through islamic lense then also its not appropriate decision because beloved Prophet (pbuh) himself is against the conversion of others religious places in to a mosque.
I just hope one day, I can still visit that building and marvel on it's wonders, then come back home
You can enter if you perform wudu. th-cam.com/video/F1AyRBejDVk/w-d-xo.html
We will be able to enter and we will be able too stand there and say our lords prayer they cant take that away from us.
At the end of the day its a mosque in the physical God doesnt talk too us in the physical he speaks too us in spiritual communication so thats whats important.
Its was blessed as a Church from the ground up when the foundations were put in all the converting will never change that.
Spiritual blessings that were done first cannot be removed or painted over , Turkey would need too knock it down and rebuild and that wont happen .
Chin up all will be good God is with us 😇👼🙏
@@bobdobric6787 if you are right. Can we Muslims also Go and pray in all our mosks in spain greece and russia that are taken and made churches libarys pups and gails
@@bobdobric6787 It is under waqf (order) of Sultan Mehmed ll, so he does what he wishes.
Not a Muslim but these videos are good. You seem unbiased which is good.
without ur mention i d ve realised that u re not muslim from ur comment
Yeah if its anti Muslim its unbiased. Thats the nirm now
unbiased doesn't always mean to be truthful, but sometimes sh!tty
@@asjadazeez Yeah preserving a historic monument for its historical value is anti-muslim according to you.
@@abdulbari4566 No it's not anti-muslim. I too believe that it shouldn't be converted to mosque. But this property was brought by his own personal wealth by Ottomon ruler acroding to some documents. So if it was brought by Sultan then it should be a mosque
For me, you are a modern version of an islamic scolar of the golden age of islam. You seem to be a devoted muslim, but also able to see aspects from different perspectives and have the will to accumulate and share knowledge.
Well he is. Then again people who used to see aspects from different perspectives were labeled Murtad (Ibn Sina, Al Farabi etc)..lol. You could see such morons in the comments too.
He is not a scholar. Yes everything cannot be looked by single perspective only. You need to know the other side
@@jamieammar6131 It is truly unfortunate that so many can’t possibly imagine opposite sides to their own arguments these days, and the fact that Islam is best when the scholars are able to advance and look at everything from different angles! Islam was very powerful when the scholars ruled and accepted other cultures, also being very intellectual and able to advance even faster than their European and Chinese neighbors!
“ Islamic scholar of golden age “
Do you realize who you comparing him?
Al Khawrazmi - Father of Algebra
Abu Ali ibn Sina - father of early modern medicine.
These are products if Islamic golden age.
Here is a guy making youtube video interpreting events under his accepted views of the world.
Found a guy to compare 😅
One of the main reasons for this change is for the people of Turkey to move their attention from the Great economic problems the country faces now.
Its can be true for know but we want this since 1940s
@@ahmetkayrayavuz9527 i don't. speak for yourself. besides, nobody asked the people.
@@aytacdenizacar7703 zaten müslümanı kast ettim kardeşim üzerine alınma
@@ahmetkayrayavuz9527 Ben elhamdülillah müslümanım ama benim de umurumda değildi. Sanki İslamın 5 şartından biri "Aya Sofyayı Cami yapın"mış gibi davranılıyor. Yoo ekonomik sıkıntı çok daha önemli.
@The Imperishable Star He doesn't need to. He is the founder of the country, remember?
So there's a pretty prevalent myth in these comment that I think should be adressed.
There's alot of people stating in here that the Hagia Sophia was "purchased" by Mehmed, and that Erdogan displayed the proof of purchase during his announcement.
This statement as far as we know is not true, or atleast has no evidence to support it:
-Firstly, taking places of worship and converting them to mosques was the norm for the Ottomans. They did this all over the Balkans (Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki/Trabzon and even the Parthenon in Athens being prominent examples). Mehmed breaking the norm by purchasing the Hagia Sophia when he didn't have to, would be very unusual.
-The document presented by Erdogan only shows the establishment of a Waqf at Hagia Sophia, not a purchase. There is no historical, contemporary source confirming a purchase.
-The owner of the Hagia Sophia at the time was the Patriarch. The Patriarch in 1453's very existence is debatable as he's only mentioned in one obscure source about a council meeting. So of course it goes without saying that we don't know if he ever even met Mehmed, considering we barely even know if he existed.
-The next Patriarch was elected in 1454, by which point Hagia Sophia was already a mosque.
-All primary sources of the conversion don't mention anything about a purchase, they just have Mehmed convert it on his own (which again, is not unusual).
-The Hagia Sophia had already been plundered by Mehmed's troops for 3 days (as per custom at the time) and the people in the church were enslaved/killed. When Mehmed entered the building after the 3 days, there wouldn't be anyone left to negotiate with anyway.
Next time I go to buy bread I am going to siege the bakery, loot for days, kill the baker and his team and then negotiate a fair price with my 80,000 armed men
.
I bet i buy pretty cheap to be honest
Who cares? Its a Mosque, live with it. Erdogan did a great thing! 💪💪
@trueway82 what is right and wrong has changed? Does it flip every few years or just when it's convenient? I don't think so my friend
My point here though is that it should be beyond obvious to even a school child that this church was not "bought"
Even if I criticise the ottomans i know they are not the only ones who have had bad empires or who have been aggressive with their neighbours
Anyway thanks for the response you take care
@md ziden dude he is just pointing out a conspiracy theory that is false.
@@garabic8688
Well, to be fair, it's not a conspiracy theory. It's just plain old bad history. But what else would you expect from history given by a socially conservative political party?
They're even trying to claim Ataturk's signature on the document making the Hagia Sophia into a museum is forged now...of course none of what they say is true.
As a muslim I believe it should be a church as that's what was 1st build. Give it back to the christian's as I think they hold Hagia sophia as a very sacred place. Its not like any other church.
if u are a Muslim, then u should be happy there's more place to do Sujood in this earth
@@arielquelme Our prophet Muhammed (pbuh) taught us to tolerate and respect all places of worship. He did not teach us to kill the people and destroy their places of worship. I'm against isis as they consider themselves to be righteous and all others to be wrong. Therefore they killed innocent muslims, christians and others too.
If I had the strength I would have helped the oppressed kurdish christians against isis. Oppression is oppression, doesn't matter who's oppressing who.
@@disciple60 It brings me great shame for what the Ottomon's did to your Holy Hagia Sophia. I wished it never had happened and I have alot of love and respect for the Orthodox Christians. My brothers in humanity. There is many of us muslims who are you allies.
@Ummer Farooq Learn the history of Hagia Sophia and look at how the Prophet (pbuh) respected the christians of his time. If it was not for the Just Christian ruler of Abisiniya there was no refuge for the muslims during persecution. I have no time for ignorant people.
@@disciple60 I didn't realize that. My original opinion was to keep it as a museum but in that case it should be given back to the Orthodox Church. Of course it would be political suicide for anyone who actually tries and anyone on the other side who tries to take it by force would bring right-wing nationalism on both Christian and Muslim sides so practically a secular Museum or a combined Museum + Mosque + Church + Interfaith Discussion Center would be best. Edit; forgot to mention I am a Muslim.
I first thought that this was an Islamic channel but now I see all the analysis are secular
Why? Explain please.
me either. ive been deceived by the channel's name
He has literally said that he will be telling the stories from a secular point of view.
for sure
@Chu Mu you can be both progressivist and religious person though
Im an Iraqi Arab.
I don't like it becoming a mosque
Neither I like it ruturning to a church
I just love this building and I want to become a museum.
love to see my people in the comments
As a Greek Christian I totally agree
Do you know what they should do copy the hagia sophia twice one of these copies could be a moswue and the other a church
I also want to become a museum. I think I would mak a great museum.
I am a Muslim of Algerian Amazigh and Polish origin.
I don't mind it becoming a Mosque again, it was a house of worship to God and it can be for God wills what he wants.
I have been there when it was a museum and it is a marvel. Tourists would still come there but they would not have to pay for it which gives them free entrance when it's not during prayer time like the other Mosques in Istanbul.
The most sacred mosque is your heart. It turns but it is irreplaceable. Guard it
decorate it
enlighten it
And fill it.
It will be besieged
But you must
break the siege upon the bulwark
No other mosque matters while this one remains under peril.
Mashallah akhi
@Man Antom We can!! nonsense of all sorts should be stopped. Lead the way Inn Sha Allah.
alias inshallah
@Man Antom Once it did-Might well
Really like the idea of making access more universal. Turkey is so rich in Human history though struggles and divisiveness tend to limit access to this or that location.
@BLUE DOG Found the Greek
You can now visit Hagia Sophia for free outside the collective prayer hours. Back then it was pretty expensive. Plus now people cannot enter this sacred place half naked which is great. Hagia Sophia for Turks a symbol of the ownership of Istanbul, it's a symbol of our authority over the land. Plus I don't get why Greeks are getting all angry, instead of it being a museum to adore the building and history only, isn't it better to have people worship God in it as that's closer to its original purpose
@@huskee7684 May Allah (swt) guide me as I say (imho) we are sorely in need of more places of spiritual and moral guidance. Certainly a museum environment would protect and exhibit All religious expressions and images but it would also keep decisions about the location in more secular hands. Only Allah knows if this is part of His designs.
@@brucesims3228 everything that's left from the Christian Hagia Sophia is still there though
@@brucesims3228 you can still go and see the Jesus and Mary mosaics and the angels etc.
You and Hikma, exchanging opinions, ideas, and rationales: you both are true history lovers.
I agree with you, Hagia Sophia has Christian history before it was a Mosque and thus should be represented not as just another Mosque out of many in Constantinople (Istanbul) but instead should remain a museum that shows the amazing history the building has within it’s walls and the cultures that thrived within it, don’t worry, there is no shortage of Mosques in Istanbul that you can pray in other than Hagia Sophia, this is why I agree that it should not be a Mosque anymore but should remain a museum to honor both it’s Christian and Muslim heritage, not favoring one over another!
This guy explains Islam from a notably less biased perspective. I know he's a Muslim but he puts aside that to discuss history. I like that.
Very true mate he’s using it as a political distraction
As a muslim, it should be turned into a mosque, a church and a museum the same time. The place is large enough to be divided into divisions of place of prayers and sermons. Furthermore, muslims only pray 5 times a day. They won't stay in the mosque for 24 hours.
I actually also had the same opinion but it's too bad too many radical muslims are blinded by the whole mosque conversion thing and never consider the fact that the conversion was to garner votes.
My opinion on all this stuff as a Christian is that Spain should apologize for the Reconquista and some Muslim authority should apologize for the original conquista same for the crusades and all that stuff ✝️☦️☪️
@@basedhistory8948 surely all of them (christians and muslims)are religiously blind
So apology is never an option
@@basedhistory8948 The difference is that in Spain before the Islamic invasion, Spain was already Christian. And the Christians had taken back what was already theirs. And the mosque of cordoba (current church) had been built over the site of an old Visigothic Christian church, and that was used by both Christians and muslim. But the Emir Abd al-Raḥmān had the brilliant idea of destroying the Christian church To build a mosque over it. Hagia Sophia will never really be a mosque, it will forever remain an Orthodox Christian church. Hagia sophia has been a Christian church for almost 1000 years. And hell, Hagia sophia is even older than Islam. It all started with the Muslims who invaded Spain, which was Christian. So you can figure out who has to start apologizing.
You can literally see Seraphim on the walls. Muslim don’t know anything about those angels
Fun Fact: Iqbal, the national poet of Pakistan, visited and prayed in the mosque of Cordoba.
Saree jahan se achha hindusta hamara hamara 🎶
excellent video, history and lastly opinion, on the matter, I had a feeling I will find nothing to disagree with and as a fellow muslim I also think it should be kept as a museum. history should not be desecrated
I think a lot of Muslims will agree with you because this is a blatantly haraam act.
@Sniper Places of worship of non-Muslims must be protected if they pay jizya. Were they even given a chance to pay? No, the court unilaterally declared it the property of Mehmet Fateh because he 'bought' the cathedral after his conquest of the city. The Hagia Sophia is priceless for Christians. Would we Muslims sell the Kaaba? Absolutely not. In fact any person suggesting that would stoned in the streets and rightly so.
I am not a Western secular puppet but if you do things non-Muslims do to Muslims back to them then what is the difference between then and us. Their hearts will harden against Islam and we lose any chance of Dawah. Just for some stupid cathedral.
@@bilalbaig8586 The ruling differs depending on how the territory was taken. If for example the city was surrendered without a fight and a treaty was signed then yes the property of the non Muslims are protected under Islamic law. However, if the Muslims outright conquer a city everything in that city including places of worship belongs to the conquering ruler and can turn it to a mosque if he saw it fit....btw that was basically the general rule during those times for every conquerer Muslim or not.
@@bilalbaig8586 they are protected whos destroying them
In the hadith and Quran, when a person conquers a land and establishes a waqf, nobody can reverse it. It is his order by divine right.
Hm. The historic areas of Istanbul, including the Hagia Sophia, are inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Places on the list receive both tangible and intangible benefits from inclusion, and states have to apply for consideration for inclusion. Turkey chose to pursue this status, to explicitly and deliberately invite international opinion on the site. None of this precludes a site being used for religious purposes, but it does identify the importance of the full cultural character and history of the location in question as being of international interest and import, again with a variety of benefits. I think that this significantly weakens any argument that international upset is an attack on the sovereignty of Turkey, particularly given that Turkey is a founding UN member state and an otherwise enthusiastic participant in UNESCO's mission.
Is the Hagia Sophia being used by both an option?
It wouldn't conflict with the heritage site status, so it seems like a reasonable solution, but it's one that leaves a lot of people unhappy (and notably leaves Turkey complaining about sovereignty, rightly or wrongly).
(I like the make it a museum solution, personally, but it's really complicated, for sure.)
Things that should be noted:
1.) The Church of the Holy Apostles was not vacated without hostilities.
2.) Virtually all of the ancient Churches in Constantinople and beyond were eventually converted into mosques. This video makes it sound like only the Hagia Sophia was converted. Additionally, other secular Byzantine buildings have been (improperly) restored recently and converted to house museums devoted to Turkish history. This is obviously provocative. Erdogan has also taken issue with archeological research, as it obviously focuses mostly on the Roman and Greek past. Turkish culture simply wasn't part of this region until the late Middle Ages.
3.) Sinan was himself from a Christian background. He was taken from his family as part the devshirme tribute program. He was technically the Sultan's slave, was forced to convert to Islam, and was likely castrated. Janissaries were also forbidden to marry.
4.) Many Christians were FORCED to work on Mosque construction. Miguel Cervantes - author of Don Quixote - was captured by Muslim pirates and forced into slavery. He ended up doing manual labor to build the Kılıç Ali Pasha Complex.
5.) Unfortunately, Islam doesn't seem to put as much emphasis on preserving its own history. Numerous early mosques in Mecca and Medina have been demolished by Islamic hardliners who feel that historical reverence is too close to idolatry.
6.) The Hagia Sophia has religious significance for Muslims solely as a symbol of Muslim dominance and supremacy. They are proud that they took it from Christians.
7.) Turkey HAS taken issue with how other countries treat Ottoman monuments. Turkey was very vocal about the destruction of an Ottoman fortress in Mecca for a new skyscraper. They were also vocal about the destruction of the Ottoman portions of the Grand Mosque during the recent expansion.
Hagia Sophia is now free to enter before you had to buy expensive tickets to go inside.
if you are right. Can we Muslims also Go and pray in all our mosks in spain greece and russia that are taken and made churches libarys pups and Gails
@@peacetotheworld8502 what other people do is not our standard of behaviour. What the Prophet a.s did, that is our standard of behaviour. If he stole churches and made them into mosques than yeah, it should be a mosque. Did he?
@@kwisatzhaderach472 i know that. I just want to hear what they say. I am on the same side with you, i just asked a person. Is it posible that we to can do the same from the kristen side
@@peacetotheworld8502 yes you can. As a greek, i can safely say that most, if not all of the historic mosques, are some sort of meseums. Unlike Turkey that converted all the historical churches into mosques. (not to mention the abandoned and destroyed armenian churches in the east). Im not trying to be mean here, but the situation is as is..
@Mr Fr evidence of that?
I like the Armenian Patriarchs idea for the Hagia Sophia. Have it officially designated a museum, but have it be open for Islamic prayers on fridays and Christian prayers on sundays.
That way everyone is happy and nobody has a right to complain.
most likely the bureucratic governance would be hell, museums and religious centers (and minority religious centers) all have their own form of upkeep,governance and taxation. Such a method would mean aya sofya is owned by thenl ministry of culture 5 days a week, the diyanet for one day and the ministry of interior i think for the last day. not to mention during the 5 days as a museum aya sofya is looked after by a private company.
BTW i actually support this idea aswell just pointing some stuff
@@turkbud802
Well you could theoretically have it owned by the Ministry of Culture all the time, and just have the museum open its grounds for prayers on fridays and sundays.
It would still be a museum, it would just allow for worship on certain days. Much like how some museums allow for conventions, gatherings or lectures on certain dates.
If it were to come under the ownership of the Patriarchate or an Imam for 2 days a week and then switch back, it wouldd of course be unsustainable.
A museum is not a place for prayers! Within this mentality it may be suggested to use stadiums for prayers, use parks as schools, use hospitals as music venues etc. Suggesting this, shows that they neither know what a "museum" is, nor a "temple", neither a "mosque". If their point is original *a space_building doesn't matter, can be variably used* then they should open their churches for muslim prayers as well as litourgies. Or even better they should stop saying they represent religion believers and act as venue managers.
The issue with the Cordoba building, is that it was a church initially, so turning it back into a church isn't the same.
That’s not even confirmed historically. That idea comes from Catholic scholars from Asturias hundreds of years later. The Masjid of Córdoba was built over the course of a few centuries. It expanded much over that time. It was not a church before that. It was built by Muslims.
@@mirzasvijet8432 it is confirmed historical, it was a Visigothic Church
@@jdlc903 It is not confirmed. There’s just Christian legends from centuries later about it.
@@mirzasvijet8432 Whatever the case, if Spaniards are aholes that doesn't mean Turks can't be better...
Without lies islam dies @@mirzasvijet8432
For the sake of symbolism of peace between faiths, it should have remained a museum. Instead Erdogan chose to play petty politics and gain cheap popularity among his base at the expense of Muslim/Christian goodwill
It's Even worst the muslin all over the world will pay the price for that. Here in Brazil, people don't know the difference between Sufi and Sunni and they didn't take lightly the news my Sufi friends are unease about it.
@@fredklier wait a sec, sufiism isn't an independent branch, you could be a sufi and sunni at the same time
@@fredklier im from brazil as well and i have not heard from a single person about this...
hope u people think the same about the Mosque of Cordoba and mosques converted to churches and bars by christians
@@dilkhozaimarwat3479 From what I can find, one not particularly prominent mosque was turned into a bar in a non-christian country
In britain it is normal for historic churches to be turned into mosques so yeah I really don't see the issue with small holy sites being changed
edit: the mosque-cathedral of cordoba had originally been a church, so by your own logic that'd be ok to convert all holy sites since you're making it an example.
Great video! As a Westerner who lived in Turkey for a few years and visited Hagia Sophia, I am very conflicted on this matter. I believe Erdogan is doing this as a political ploy to strengthen his base. I want to see Hagia Sophia remain a museum, just as Ataturk wanted. But, if this is what the Turkish government voted for, there's nothing we can do. It makes me so sad.
Keep crying.
I appreciate both of your views on Hagia Sophia. Off to watch Hikma History's video now and get more of his view.
Al Muqaddimah, this is a question that has bothered me for a while but one that I have not had the opportunity to pose to an Ottoman history expert: Is the name _Ayasofya_ (Hagia Sophia) not an inappropriate name for a mosque, necessitating another official name, even if it is in disuse?
I have to wonder if the building ever had an officially Islamic name after 1453. Of course, the grandeur and history of the Hagia Sophia might have encouraged even locals to drop the official Islamic name in place of its more well-known Christian name. Or as an allusion to the Ayasofya's physical, commercial, and social footprint in the city.
To me, keeping the name Ayasofya for a mosque is akin to naming a mosque after St. George or St. Paul. Popular reference to a mosque by that name in a neighbourhood or municipality, such as Bury St. Edmunds or Christchurch, with such a Christian-derived name is acceptable but the mosque itself must surely have its own name. Especially within an Islamic state, like the Ottoman Empire.
The Arabic name Safi(ye) has a completely different etymology, by the way. And although the words 'Holy Wisdom' do not obviously violate Islamic any principles, I think it is fair to question whether adopting this name of a concept of Christianity for a mosque raised the ire of at least some Islamic clergy and jurists in the Ottoman era. But with how much influence European and Western scholarship inevitably has on Turkish-Islamic historiography, are these possibly obscure and minority legal opinions lost to time?
The church is named after the wisdom of God. What's the problem with that for muslims? It's not the wisdom of Christ.
PuntinoNero it is. Hagia Sophia means “holy wisdom.” This means the wisdom of Jesus as god.
@@jtadros16 Exactly, it would not be inappropriate to say that "Hagia Sophia" is a specifically Christian term, with its own exegesis and interpretation, just as "Tawhid" is not used for other monotheistic religions. With this in mind, the term Al-Hakim, one of the 99 names of Allah, could be a good choice for a direct translation, linguistically and theologically, for Hagia Sophia.
Jesus was a prophet according to the Quran. In general I think more christians fear Islam than muslims fear Christianity.
@@YusufNasihi
I don't see nothing wrong with the name Ayasofya. We have mosques named after Jesus and his mother Mary. It's not like Ayasofya means Trinity.
Im suprised,although i share your views on this matter,very few people share others opinions conflicting their views,you have a great noble character,you are very wise my friend,subscribed.
I... Very much agree with you on all points!
Also I didn't knew the mosque of Cordoba was still in use as a church when I visited it in 2016... It should just be made a museum, that building is just sooooo much more than just a church.
Tell that to the Bishop of Córdoba...
@@manirea I am not spanish so... Even if I said that it would not matter.
Hikma History is right in saying that the Turks are the ones that need to decide if they what this for the Hagia Sophia or not...
@@silveryuno if the Spanish want it to be remain a Cathedral, let them since they have the power and authority, same with the Turks and Hagia Sophia. If the Muslims of North Africa manage to come back and rule over Iberia then that'll be interesting on how the Mezquita should be since the land was bought off to the Muslims under Abd ar Rahman 1st, but I don't know for the Castilians, maybe they can argue it as a spoils of war.
@@zakback9937 That's how it is now, yes....
@@zakback9937 it was a church originally. Under the order of protection of Churches by Muhammed a church could not be changed. So that mosque replaced a church!
I couldn't agree more on your last comment on the future of the Haglia Sophia. Any archealogical, or historical structure of any significance shouldn't be treated as a national, contemporary treasure, but a treasure for whole humanity to be preserved through time. I would even go so far that some structures shouldn't be visited by tourists, if that could put the structure in danger due to wear and tear.
I don't care if people pray in it or not. As long as it remains preserved and open to the public, people should use it how they want. There are museums in the US that also function as churches on Sunday, and it works perfectly fine. I hope the Turkish government is capable of the same thing...but I have my doubts. Erdogan's word is not worth very much.
Visitors go in and there is no entrance fee. It operates as a mosque but there are tons of visitors.
I think it's good but it would be better if there were Christian services there too.
As an Orthodox Greek, I know it is hard to see our church turned back into mosque. It does seem politically motivated. As a lover of history. I hate to see antiquities not shown respect they deserve. When the Palmyran ruins we’re destroyed by Isis that was a great loss to all humanity. I kind of wish we kicked everyone out of that region of the world for like 50 years. Learn everything about our past then let them move back in.
Unfortunately there are a lot of former churches, monasteries and cathedrals besides the Hagia Sophia in Turkey that are abandoned, turned to mosques.
The destruction of a Polytheist Icon is always a gain for mankind. Don't be swayed by "oh it's art we should preserve it" bs
@@belasstrongestwarrior so you would take down the pyramids too. This was a dumb comment. Human history is more important than your dumb religion
@@Jonnybravo589 Yes I would
@@ym6667your views are sad. You only care about religion and there’s more to existence than that. You’re closed mindedness is a curse. You should celebrate your heritage and what ancestor accomplished. You’re dogmatic believes have left you half blind and I feel bad for you. You’re descendants are doomed to live like paupers cause the rest of us are going from pyramids to the stars. You’ll be stuck in the sand
Hagia Sophia was built on the site of a destroyed pagan temple. I hereby petition that it should be rededicated to Zeus or to whoever it was originally meant for.
if we go by your logic then we will have to do lot of digging in thousands of places like this and it will be never ending process
@@Dani-lk3ed
It's an obvious joke dude.
I fully support it 😂
@@Dani-lk3ed thats the joke
@@keshavshah488 Are you sure that there was no stone henge like structure in that place where prehistoric hunter gatherers used to worship a god named gujumapa?
Learning about historical facts is different from learning from a religious leader.
What do you expect the religious leaders to say, I always say no person will go against their own hussle. You always defends what feeds you.
Historical facts don’t waver, people may bend them, but it’s their for anyone to read.
As a Nigerian Yoruba, always just wondered how our indigenous ancestral religion has been replaced by the two main religions.
This channel is fantastic, at the end of the day it brings perspective to the ignorant and helps understand that peace and love is the most important things in life.
I am a practising Muslim and I think this is a crime for it to be a mosque. This is a Christian building and it should be returned to them, that would be the truly Islamic thing to do but since we're far away from that kind of Islam, a museum would be acceptable but a mosque, it's insulting. They should at least allow the Christians to have their services there too. That would be a great political move and also reasonable.
Ok, would you agree to return back the grand masjid of Córdoba?
And why do you see this act as insolence?!
It returned a place to worship god.
Christians should be proud and respectful of Muslims for returning the place of prayer to God.
@@NawafAlsulaiman I see it as an act of insolence because people who originally owned it see it as a provocation. Of course I would agree to return the masjid of Cordoba, and I see other Muslims are quick to point out that they also converted our place of worship into a church so it must be OK for us to do the same. My argument to that is that our Prophet a.s. thought us that the wrong action of others are not our standard of behaviour, our standard of behaviour is righteousness. I mean you have it in Islamic history when the caliph Umar prayed in Jerusalem.
Ibn Khaldoon (may Allah have mercy on him) said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab entered Bayt al-Maqdis, and came to the Church of the Resurrection and sat in its courtyard. When the time for prayer came, he said to the patriarch: I want to pray. He said to him: Pray where you are. But he refused, and he prayed on the doorstep of the church, on his own. Then when he had finished praying, he said to the patriarch: If I had prayed inside the church, the Muslims after me would have taken it (as a mosque) and they would have said: ‘Umar prayed here. And he wrote for them that they were not to gather to pray on the steps and that adhaan was to be given from that location.
End quote from Tareekh Ibn Khaldoon (2/225)
He is our role model and people of those times. They had depth and consideration for others. Umar should be our standard not Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. I liked him before but this move was not cool at all.
@@NawafAlsulaiman You compare a converted/deconstructed catholic church into a mosque for a few centuries to a millenia+ orthodox temple in the heart of Culture/Politics of that world.
I think it's proper to do whatever they want;since it now belongs to them. I can't even justify what was holding them back from doing that years ago. Cultural policies reflect their government base. At least there are some citizens left out of prison to be able to "pray" ^^ without any bigoted mindset... LOL
Kwisatz Haderach Well said
@@Baba-so6fh Thank you Baba
Honestly the only difference for a non Muslim visitor is that now you don't have to pay 200 liras to visit and the bathroom is open for free. And you have to go around prayer times but big whoop, it's free now. I think it's great. If they added Christian services on Sunday I think it would make everyone happy and be more loyal to the history of the building.
How're they covering the mosaics from the Byzantines at prayer time?
@@AlMuqaddimahYT I'm not sure exactly. I was a bit confused about that. There were a few Christian mosaics that were very prominent and displayed as you exit but I didn't see any in the main room. Although this was outside of prayer times.
We aren't saying Tukey can't do it. We are questioning Turkey's judgment on the issue. It's like Al Muqaddimah said: Hagia Sophia is not a pillar of islam. It wasn't built by the prophet and there are plenty of mosques just as great as it is (in fact, there is one RIGHT IN FRONT OF IT, the Blue Mosque, which was specifically made to be a counterpoint to Hagia Sophia).
In the end, the only argument of why the building shouldn't be a museum comes from "tradition". But thing is, if we go for "tradition", the building should be a cathedral, not a mosque.
do people know that the "mosque" of cordoba was built on top of a visigothic church?! comparisons between that and hagia sophia are just stupid
True ....muslims conviniently forget that.
th-cam.com/video/BYyGFJcTzsE/w-d-xo.html
Epic Crossover can't wait to see the comments
People need to chill. Just because its a mosque doesnt mean people cant visit and now there is no fee. There are many historic mosques that people visit. I also dont understand the contention that this is political. So what? Was Ataturk turning the Mosque into a Museum not political?
Just wanted to say that your Channel is awesome. I discovered it now and watched a few recently. Your Graphics and Explaining are really good. And after watching your Hagia Sophia video i was surprised to hear your opinion about the conversion of it. It is pleasant to hear a fellow fan of History from another Muslim country to have a more secular opinion on this topic. Normally people who do have such an opinion don't care at all about history of the MENA (not even Ottoman history).
Now I will watch more of your videos 😉
your channel is amazing
I have another grudge beside yours, the Blue Mosque, which is in the walking distance from Hagia Sophia, isn't even full when the time of prayer comes, why should there be another big mosque in the area? Also, turning it into a mosque in the first place by Mehmed was a mistake, we are not supposed to turn other religious temples to mosques unless it's no longer being used by its faith practitioners which it was at the time of Mehmed.
Sultan Mehmed bought it with his wealth from the orthodox clerics and then made it a waqf for all muslims to use. In the end he cursed whoever changed its status. This recent decision just brought his will back in place after a +80 years injustice
@@uvejspreza9879 I won't even try to dispute whether it's even true or not, but let's say it's true, can you even think the situation why they sold it to him?
The Konstantiniyye was in ruins, the Orthodox Church was in disarray, they really don't have much choice in the state of their church, why do you think the purchase is valid in this situation? I'd reckon they wouldn't even try to sell it if their situation was not collapsed like that...
Compare this to the condition of Palestinian lands, do you know that the Israeli buy the lands one by one? So are these purchased lands validly owned by Israeli now? Can you really blame the Palestinians who sold their land, especially for cheap, considering their situation? If we retake Palestine, should we dispute these considering they did buy the lands? You can see that it's not that simple....
About Palestinians' lands, you can check Vox's story here:
th-cam.com/video/_Tlnk0RL5VM/w-d-xo.html
@@uvejspreza9879
Mehmed did make it into a Waqf, but he did not buy it. There is not evidence for this claim at all, and we have no record of any kind of "purchase from Mehmed". He just seized the Church and made it into a mosque on his own, as was customary for the Ottomans when they conquered major cities, this is not out of the ordinary.
@@ramahozo I appreciate how you can stay so composed and take the time to phrase your arguments like this to blini laci. Kudos!
@@uvejspreza9879 He never bought it. That is untrue. He walked into Haghia Sophia and declared it a mosque immediately. According to the Quran and Muhammed's order of protection of churches a church cannot be converted.
Well, "Hagia Sophia" was bought by Mehmed II. So it was his private property and he gave it to the muslims to prayer in his "Will". You can't change someone's "Will" as you can't change "Hagia Sophia" as a museum.
The Hagia Sophia has religious significance for Muslims solely as a symbol of Muslim dominance and supremacy, that is all.
It was also the Center of Eastern Christianity, and of a tremendous religious importance to Christendom
Higia Sophia is older than islam itself ,Habibi
The solution is simple, Hagia Sophia should be used both as a Mosque and a Cathedral Just Like The Temple of Solomon allows worship of multiple religious identity.
and also an interfaith cultural center where annual events should be held where people of both faiths + others talk and party(in a halal/kosher manner) together
Kudos for your opinion on this. I fully share it.
That building has changed functions so many times it makes my head spin.
The idea of important Turkish Muslim officials bowing down in submission and praying in front of icons of Christ and His saints, even if the icons are covered, brings me joy.
@Mark Book It should mean something to you, especially considering how easy it is to commit shirk in Islam. It certainly meant something to your prophet. As for not making images of God, you clearly don't understand the Bible or Christianity well enough for your argument to have any weight. In that passage, God is responding to a common ancient near-eastern belief that you can make statues of the gods that the gods will come down and dwell in and that the gods require to be enbodied. This practice makes no sense in the Christian worldview, as no image we could make could adequately represent God in all His greatness. However, with the advent of Christ, this is no longer the case, because God has made Himself known to us in visible and representable form, and thus it is appropriate, no, even essential, to depict Him, so as to show our affirmation of His Incarnation and other theological truths. Even in the Old Testament, Moses' Tabernacle and Solomon's temple where full of images of angels and such, so the Islamic view of all images being bad is completely inconsistent with Moses and Solomon. You blindly throwing out half-quotes you think you once heard are contained in the Bible just further demonstrates how ignorant and unnuanced Islamic apologetics are, as if we needed any more proof of that. Truly, it is Islamic apologetics that are moronic.
السلام عليكم. المجد للأب والابن والروح القدس ، وعلى الأرض يكون هناك سلام وحسن نية للبشرية.
@Mark Book And no, Jesus didn't pray like Muslims do at all in the Bible. When He prayed He called God "Father", which you can't do in Islam. He mostly prayed standing up, too. You could likely find something in each one of Jesus' prayers to refute Islam.
@Mark Book he is not mentioned in the Christian Bible at all. Unless if there was a warning about someone( which is negative). Christ is mentioned negatively in The Talmud in a horrible way.
@Mark Book Muhammed's order of protection of churches and Christians is the very opposite of what you are talking about . He was very friendly with Christians.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashtiname_of_Muhammad
@@ALLHEART_ RIP Jesus , even Ezekiel got resurrected
I was at Hagia Sophia just last year. I hid my rosary in my pocket (Coptic Orthodox Christian) to be respectful and this Muslim made me put it back on and said "all people are welcome here" I'll never forget this
There are hundreds of mosque built on Hindu temples in India by babur the Mughal Emperor and Aurangzeb the mughul so how about this
polytheism is dead bro, get with the times
But they’re pagans.
they are not pagans they are hindus hindus are there own religion
have some respect for his religion hinduism
just because you are not hindu doesnt mean its ok to talk rudely to him for his religion by calling him a pagan and hindus are pagans their religion dosent matter
that makes you racist cause you think its ok to belittle hindus because you thibk you are better for being muslim or whatever
@Anonymous yeah thats their religion so what if they worship idols
is hinduism islam you are being disrespectful by calling him a pagan
hinduism is its own religion
I'm muslims myself
and if you were really muslim you would never say hinduism is pagan and that their religion is pagan and idol worship because you do realise allah has said to respect other peoples religions and not to be rude and disrespect lik you are doing by calling his religion hinduism pagan because of your rudeness he is going to view muslim as rude and backward like you.
respect other peoples religions
where is proof they were sacred to hindus or that muslims destroyed hindu site
im sure the hindus at the time would not their sacred sites to be destroyed
those politian are using the idea of mosques built on hindu sights as a justification to abuse muslims and destroy mosques
does your religion hinduism preach the oppression of muslims
Cool video. Food for thought.
I climbed it in Asssasin’s Creed.
You deserve so many more views than you currently have. Your videos are top notch. Do you have an issue with SEO I wonder? I know whenever I want to watch your videos it always takes me a few minutes to find because of the difficulty for me in remembering how to properly spell your TH-cam name. Anyways I'm a big fan and hope to see your channel grow!
Mehmet ii descendants literally did an interview where they said the turkey is better secular the non secular
Yeah of course they did since stating the other option is a huge crime in the Turkish constitution.
Turkey was always "kinda" secular and non Muslim. They never tried to do mass conversions of their christians until the very late ottoman times, by then they weren't allowed to by other Europeans.
@@aksmex2576 aksmex, no they actively encouraged conversion with discriminatory policies
@@aksmex2576 albeit relatively tolerant for their time, the zoroastrians were always a better alternative
@@Cecilia-ky3uw ah yes yes ofcourse muslim bad not muslim gud.
When compared to Europeans. The ottomans were extremely tolerant. You have to think of cultural relativism.
Don't diminish their history with modernism.
And no. They didn't pursure mass conversions. Other wise they would still hold the Balkans. Look at how many Armenians are left, it takes a few years to change demographics.
Instead of countries complaining about their sovereignty maybe they should make decisions that's good for all humanity and life on Earth.....we weren't always the dominant organism nor will we always be. My concern in this case is that they maintain and preserve the structure especially since they no longer are charging entrance fees.
Good'ol taxes will finance it now...
@@TheIronHordesman2 get the Turkish people to people to pay for it instead of tourists....real smart.
Hagia Sophia a victim of 21st century Politics.
thunder yousef and for the former mosques in spain
VatnsFjall no bit maybe it shows u to admit ur mistakes
VatnsFjall no didnt blame ur faith i blamed ur people the kings of spain and the crusaders.
VatnsFjall it shouldnt both made mistakes but MAYBE if one admit his mistakes the other will admit too.
@@ahmadalmansur8836 sorry dude, but he has a much better point than you. In the end you are simply justifying what you're trying to condemn
"Those who cannot deliver in the present, turn to glorifying the past." This statement is true for so many muslim leaders around the world today. Simply glorifying the past whitewashing it to match our modern world view to stand on the shoulders of great men (with often greater flaws) in the past as if somehow their achievements exist solely to be taken ownership of by political leaders today to further their own interests, rather than a collective history for all of humanity.
It should remain a museum in which a portion of building is a mosque while other should remain a church.The building should be divided between Muslim and Christians. To be honest I think Sultan Mehmed ii shouldn't have converted it into a mosque since it wasn't an ordinary church but a special church.At the same time it's debated how exactly did he convert it into a mosque by purchasing it peacefully or by kicking them out.It hurts the Christians so I think conversation to mosque should be avoided. Same should happen with mosque in corboda.To be honest this can give justification for Zionist to convert al aqsa to synagogue.
@Mr Fr not confirmed
I very much agree with your opinion.
I havent watch Hikma History yet but I agree with both side of the arguement. Hikma History make a good point that Turkey have the right to make it a mosque or a museum. I also agree that the cultural significant of Hagia Sophia is massive and should be preserve as a museum. In my opnion what should really been done is by putting a vote to the Turkish people whether they want it to be a mosque or a museum.
Tariq is absolutely correct that the decision to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque is ultimately a sovereign one. However, I can definitely resonate with the arguements you've presented in this video, especially with regard to the why of the situation. The building has a rich heritage that belongs to everyone, and as the sovereign of this building, it is Turkey's responsibility to preserve this. Furthermore, you are an intellectual. And we all know how much governments hate intellectuals, right? The move is mere political opportunism and you can see right through it.
"Those who cannot deliver in the present glorify the past."
-Syawish Rehman
You are reading into the motives of Erdogan without realizing that no one in Turkey opposes this and that your focus on his failure in politics demonstrates that you don’t know about his political wins in infrastructure, development and social policies that led him to ultimately lead the country. Repurposing religious buildings and symbols is a true tradition of humanity. Turkey has an entire institution to maintaining religious symbols and mosques...I don’t know why you would throw shade at them for not knowing how they would fund maintenance of Hagia Sofia. There is historical significance to Muslims in the building of Hagia Sofia and some could even argue that religious significance is there as well. The Roman Pantheon is a church with statues of Roman gods. If the Hagia Sofia was reverted to a church and then it was proposed to be converted to a mosque again, I can understand your opposition, but ultimately respect of religious tradition is maintained through the allowance of visitors to freely enter, to view the religious imagery, and to ultimately protect the structure itself. Please don’t let your need to feel critical and balanced/moderate override objectivity in your content.
I agree with your opinion 100 percent.
First, it has religious value.
Dude, it is a symbol of last caliphat, last muslim unity and the times of powerfull muslim communities. Sultan Fatih, who conquered Hagia, was blessed by Allah.
Second, Masjid al-Haram was pagan's template, so should it be museum now ?
Love your videos please provide subtitles
Thank you for sharing your opinion here. I was wondering how you feel about the Hagia Sophia being turned into an interfaith place of worship for all religions and spiritual traditions? Or if you want to narrow it down, an interfaith place of worship for Muslims and orthodox Christians. It would lighten my heart :-). And I would love to do both my Christian and Islamic prayers in there at the same time :-). Did you know that in Cyprus there is also a cathedral turned into a mosque? Selimiye Mosque. Quite a particular one, as the church is in gothic style. So it is a gothic mosque :-).
I think the Hagia Sophia should either be a museum or a "shared custody" religious site (e.g. a Mosque on Fridays and Muslim Holy Days, a Church on Sundays and Orthodox Holy Days). By turning it into a mosque, Erdogan undermines the secularism of Turkey by telling Christains in Turkey and in surrounding countries "You're not welcome here!", not to mention opening old wounds in the region.
As for the argument from "national sovereignty", there is nothing in that idea about a country's internal decisions being protected from criticism. Just like how an individual's freedom of speech is not infringed upon by another individual's disagreement or criticism, a nation's sovereignty is not infringed upon by international outcry.
I don't think I would feel comfortable performing my salat for there are lots of arts depicting human character. I, however, wouldn't mind giving the place a visit. If salat time comes I would go to nearby masjid and perform my salat.😊
I also strongly think that this whole part-politically-and-part-emotionally-motivated fiasco was totally unnecessary and will further escalate animosity which will greatly harm worldwide dawah work.
@JasonMason1991 this act of self righteousness is very shamful idiot..If anybody destroyed a mosque use it as a pig farm what would be your reaction..
@@2912jasonjames are you out of your mind. The Place to Pray to God converted into a Pigs Farm. You truly have your brain into your ankles.
Wouldnt it be nice to return the monument to Orthodox Christians? In the name of lslam? Just asking Ch 22:40 of Al Quran.
This is mere speculation but i think the first conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque might be related to Mehmet the Conquerors desire to be the new Kayser-i Rum (Caesar of Rome). After all Hagia Sophia is the temple for the Roman Caesar. For him, the new Caesar, it would be a mosque. I think he was feeling like he was continuing the Roman tradition somehow.
I feel like he just wanted to be remembered as a great Muslim leader not really a roman one
@@IDK-ue1gy then why did he called himself as Kayser-i Rum?
@@ToroNero never heard of that before
@@IDK-ue1gy Yes many of the Ottoman leaders knew Greek and were really influenced by Greek culture.
@@stevenv6463 yes I know that but never heard of what he said before
Wow, you are so right...
Thank you
Dude you always have the closest takes to mine, including here
Your analysis is very logical (not a Christian btw, but one has to admit this move offers nothing but lip service to his supporters, it achieves nothing)
back to your channel after longgg..
Thank you for the discussion, I will now pray in Aya Sofya Mosque and make a dua that it stays a Mosque forever.
th-cam.com/video/BYyGFJcTzsE/w-d-xo.html
Didnt the Sultan pay for the mosque? I saw it in another video. He payed for the church then converted it.
The comment section will be spicy
I..........think........... you ..........mean ............ spicy...
@@colinharbinson8284 thanks for the correction
Personnally i think it should be given back to christians, muslims have the blue mosque 500 yards away .
Besides , the world needs more acts of kindness than confrontation nowadays.
I m also with your opinion
Hagia Sofiya not only give us the idea of cultural resemblance but also give the social idea of connection of West and east. It should be profoundly be a museum to keep the pace of more ideas and curiosity for cultural resemblance.
I don't understand how this incident is compared to Mosque Cathedral of Cordoba. It was a Church before being transformed into a mosque and then again reclaimed by the Christians by turning it back to Church again. On the other hand, Hagia Sophia was originally a Church which was turned into a mosque and then a museum.
Reactionaries are still a problem today. Structures of this importance, no matter who claims them for their imaginary friends, should all be museums.
it should be turkeys decision and also why are you being disrespectful?did anyone make fun of you for being an athiests?
I could somewhat understand restarting Islamic services in the building IF it were not wholly illegal to utter a Christian prayer in the same space. The argument that this is an internal matter for Turkey also makes little sense to me; if Greece decided to convert the Ataturk museum in Thessaloniki into a monastery tomorrow tomorrow, there would be vociferous protests and massive unrest throughout Turkey and possibly the rest of the Muslim world. To be clear, I hope that won't happen and quite frankly I don't think it will, but I think the parallel is worthwhile to consider.
The thing is is that the building is the personal property of Sultan Muhammad al Fateh. He put in his will that it should be a mosque forever.
So its not really up for debate.
Can you prove that?
Yeah but it used to be a church at first before the Ottomans turned it into a mosque.
Muhammed fateh is dead. No one cares about him. I hope it will given back to the christians with a huge apology from the Turkish government for taking it unjustly and converting it to a mosque.
Yeh, but it belonged to the Orthodox church before the Ottoman Turks colonised Anatolia and the Balkans and stole it.
As a Christian who works but believe the same as you, I have to say that you have presented this every week and I would agree that this move it political. Thank you for your honesty
As a Muslim I'm ashamed of this stupid kind of politics in 21st century. And justifying by "well, they did it too." So, if they are the doing bad things which you're against, Why are you doing the exact same thing? Does that make you any better. I'd rather revert it to a church and show Spain what Muslims can be. Instead the opposite happened.
Well they did the same in spain and there are historians say that fatih sultan mehmed bought the aya sofia in rates from his own money
@@ahmadalmansur8836 the church was never "purchased", that's a myth. Even the video mentions it was immediately turned into a mosque after Constantinople/now Istanbul was captured.
So no, it should have remained a museum
ECA i said that some historians said that and dont ignore the first part of my comment
@@ahmadalmansur8836 that literally doesn't matter what happened in Spain.
(1) just because others do wrong doesn't excuse you to do wrong. And even IF it mattered what happened in Spain (it doesn't):
(A) Spain was Catholics, this church was orthodox, it wasn't the same branch of the church that did so
(B) Spain was actually Catholic before the Ummayed invasion who turned the area Muslim, who then fell to Catholic monarchs who turned it back to a Catholic area. if anything, the conversion of Spain was back to what is was before
(C) this building is the *single most important building* to the orthodox faith. This is like taking el Azhar, el Aqsa, or the grand Mecca mosque and turning it into a church of a temple. Literally none of the mosques in Spain were nearly this important
(E) but again, literally none of that matters. If the only way to defend converting the Hagia Sofia back into a mosque is "hurrr durr the Spanish did it", you have a weak argument
@thunder yousef so you'll allow Muslims to turn churches into mosques, but not the other way around?
You are literally justifying this out of revenge, which the Quran prohibits.
"X people did a bad thing, therefore I will do a bad thing!!" Extremely childish thinking
It's wrong when Christians do it, it's wrong when Muslims do it
Can you make a video about the ifranj invasions or crusades from the 1st to when there's no more crusaders presence in the Levant? Thanks!
"we shouldn't use these buildings as political tools"
- you just gave politicians such idea :c
I am a little bit late. They've probably had the idea since before history was being recorded.
@@AlMuqaddimahYT These buildings (imo just like most religions) were designed as political tools to control people.
Videos like this drive David Wood nuts 😂
I am in the favor to revert to Mosque
As a staunch Muslim, I can only present this as the most unbiased take I can possibly get. If Christians earn the right to turn it into a church by conquest, do it. If Secularists can enforce their will and turn it into a museum, do it. If the Turkish government has the means to turn the Hagia Sofia to a mosque and symbol of Islamic supremacy, excellent. Whoever wants to claim this symbol ought to earn it with either blood or political power. Whoever claims a right to it by some irrelevant legacy has an illegitimate claim that they cannot back up.
You don't mind the Israelis then turning al asqa into a synagogue then after all there the conquerer right ?
8:25 Well, tbh Turkey has been forcing their opinion well beyond it's borders recently... I get that we can't question the sovereignty of other nations, but I believe we should think as humanity and not as sects...
My idea: Build a Church and a Mosque (both similar in size and architectuure) exactly near Hagia Sophia, and turn Hagia Sophia into a Library of theological texts as well a museum.
great video. I completely agree. It's a shared heritage of humanity and shouldn't become a mosque
It's the choice of the country and it is a Islamic nation
We didn't destroy any Christian stuff doe
@@burakasik3937 i never claimed you did
The mosque of Cordoba was a Christian basilica before converted to a mosque. So the reconquista simply returned the church back(not a big fan of the reconquista by the way).
@Mohamed Mo They where a lot of churches that were converted to mosques and the reconquista returned them to be churches again. We know of this because the reconquista bragged about it and praised themselves for doing that. But that age has ended. Unless we want to go back to religious wars, which I doubt majority of mankind today wants it
@Mohamed Mo By that concept hagia Sophia should be a Christian church then
Love the glorious reconquista.
Something to note: Mehmed the Conqueror once said may God’s curse be upon whomever dares to change Hagia Sophia’s status from a mosque (something like that I don’t have the exact quote).
Meaning?
@@yomamasofatwhenshewalksshe2401 it means mehmed the conqueror put a curse on whoever changes it from a mosque
@@wonderwhy6496 So Hagia Sophia should remain Mosque or Museum?
@@yomamasofatwhenshewalksshe2401 it’s not my place to say, I just wanted to mention Mehmed’s curse
@@wonderwhy6496 understandable.
The guy from hikma history was my PhD tutor last year, we work on a project called " modernisation of a country " we looked at Afghanistan 🇦🇫