Mbaruk bin Rashid
Mbaruk bin Rashid bin Salim al-Mazrui was the son of Rashid bin Salim, the last Mazrui governor of Mombasa. Mbaruk’s father was overthrown by Sayyid Said, the Busaidi ruler of Zanzibar, in 1837.
Under the leadership of his father’s cousin, Mbaruk and part of his family fled south to Gazi. Another branch of the family fled north. When he succeeded to leadership of the Gazi Mazrui in the mid-1860s, Mbaruk received a subsidy from the Zanzibari regime. However, Mbaruk never reconciled himself to Busaidi rule. He resisted the Zanzibari sultans at every opportunity.
During Sultan Barghash’s reign (1870-1888), Mbaruk clashed repeatedly with Busaidi forces. He distrusted Barghash’s offers of accommodation and spent most of these years as an outlaw, counting upon several thousand African slaves and freemen for military support.
In 1888, the chartered Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEAC) established an administration over the Kenya coast. Under its aegis, Mbaruk returned peacefully to settle at Gazi. Over the next seven years, Mbaruk co-operated with the IBEAC and occasionally lent it material support against his neighbors. This arrangement ended in 1895 when the company prepared to turn over its administration to the British crown.
Around this same time, the northern Mazrui community entered into a succession dispute. The IBEAC intervened, causing the northern Mazrui to revolt. Some of the Mazrui sought refuge with Mbaruk. Through his refusal to betray his kinsmen, Mbaruk was reluctantly drawn into the rebellion.
Mbaruk conducted a successful guerrilla campaign until early 1896, when he fled across the border into German administered territory (present day Tanzania). In the German territory, Mbaruk surrendered to Governor von Wissmann and was granted asylum.
Mbaruk’s retirement to Dar es Salaam on a German pension brought Mazrui political influence in colonial East Africa to an end.
In 1907, the British government officially pardoned Mbaruk. However, Mbaruk declined the invitation to return to Kenya. He died in Dar es Salaam in 1910.
Mbaruk bin Rashid bin Salim al-Mazrui< see Mbaruk bin Rashid
Medhi. Pen-name used by a number of Ottoman poets, among them Mahmud Efendi of Gallipoli, known as Qara Mahmud (d. 1597), and Nuh-zade Seyyid Mustafa Celebi of Bursa (d. 1680).
Meesum al-Tammar
Meesum al-Tammar was a companion and disciple of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib. On 22 Dhu al-Hijjah, 60 AH (November 20, 680 CC), Meesum al-Tammar, was martyred.
Meesum ibn Yahya al-Tammar was born at Nihrawan, an area near Kufa (today in Iraq). He was the son of Yahya. A lady of the Banu Asad bought Meesum (as a slave). Accordingly, Meesum worked for this lady until the caliphate of 'Ali.
After the time of Prophet Muhammad and the martyrdom 'Uthman, in the year 656 CC, 'Ali succeeded 'Uthman as the fourth Sunni Rashidun Caliph. As the new caliph, 'Ali moved the Islamic capital from Medina to Kufa for two reasons: (1) to keep Mu'awiyah in check and (2) because Kufa had an illustrious history as the home of prophets. Moving to Kufa, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib would walk around the city. It is documented that if he encountered a slave he would try to free him or her. One day, 'Ali saw a lady from the Banu Asad tribe, who had a male slave of Nabataean origin. 'Ali approached the woman and began to converse with her, in order to purchase the slave, Salim. The started to negotiate a price, and the lady's initial asking price was 50 dinar. As 'Ali ibn Abi Talib gave her the 50 dinar she changed the price to 100 dinar. She kept raising the price, since she realized that 'Ali was willing to pay her a much higher price. Seeing the price soar, a companion of 'Ali then asked, "Oh Amir al-Momineen ('Ali ibn Abi Talib), who is this man? What is he? He's originally a Nabataean. He is a slave. What the point of paying this much?" Finally, she settled at 500 dinar. 'Ali handed her the 500 dinar. She then called Salim and told him that 'Ali had purchased him. After buying Salim, 'Ali set him free from the shackles of slavery for the way of Allah. It demonstrated the Islamic view of slavery. Islam establishes that slavery is immoral and that all humans are equal in the perspective of Allah. The only thing that differentiates a human is their Taqwa -- their consciousness of God. Islam called for a gradual emancipation of slaves, meaning that slaveowners should not just set slaves free, they should also help the freed slaves build a foundation financially so that the freed slaves could support themselves. Accordingly, Imam 'Ali took Meesum under his wings after he freed him.
After 'Ali set him free, 'Ali greeted Salim by the name Meesum. Meesum was the name that Meesum's mother gave to him after his birth. No one in Kufa knew that Meesum was Salim's real name. Upon hearing a stranger calling him Meesum, Meesum was shocked, baffled, and astonished that a person other than his parents knew about his real name. He questioned 'Ali as to how did he know that Meesum was his real name. 'Ali replied, "Come with me and do not worry. Allah's Apostle (the Prophet Muhammad) has told me that the Persians call you Meesum. Still shocked, Meesum willingly went with 'Ali who would later become his best friend and teacher.
As a student of 'Ali, Meesum was taught various categories of knowledge. One of these categories was ilm-e-Manaya wal Balaya (the knowledge of death and future calamities). With ilm-e-Manaya wal Balaya, Meesum prophesied specific events that would occur in the future. It seemed that Meesum possessed supernatural knowledge unmatched by ordinary people.
Meesum became one of the top scholars of his time, in part due to his desire to increase his understanding about various subjects and the teachings of 'Ali. People would come to Meesum for explanations of Quranic verses, since he possessed ilm-e-Taweel (interpretation and exegesis of the Qur'an).
Once 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, told Meesum that he would be hanged on account of the love for the imam of his time -- on account of Meesum's love for 'Ali. 'Ali also told Meesum that he (Meesum) would be hanged in a farm next to the house of Amr ibn Huraith. Meesum was also informed that his tongue would be cut out because he would not stop praising 'Ali. After being so informed, Meesum would go to the tree pointed out by Ali ibn Abi Talib, clean the place and water the tree and offer prayers saying, "O tree! You are for me and I am for you."
Months and years passed by. 'Ali was martyred (in 40 AH) and then Hasan ibn 'Ali (the Second Shi'a Imam) was martyred (in 50 AH) and Meesum kept waiting for the time when he would join them.
In 60 AH, when Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad was appointed Governor of Kufa, things started to get complicated. Meesum then went to perform the hajj and thereafter returned to Kufa. One day, Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad, summoned him and asked him to come to his Court. When Meesum arrived, Ubayd-Allah said, "O Meesum! Inform me where your Allah is?" Meesum immediately replied, "He is in quest of an opportunity to punish the transgressors." Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad then asked him about his connections with 'Ali ibn Abi Talib. Meesum replied that 'Ali was his master and that he loved him. Ubayd-Allah then asked him, "Did your master tell you anything about your end?" Meesum replied, "Yes, he informed me that I would be hanged and that my tongue would be cut." Ubayd-Allah roared with laughter and said, "I will see that your master did not tell you the truth. I will see that his prophecy is belied." Meesum said, "My master's words are true because he got that information from Allah. The Prophet Muhammad was informed by Jibril, and Jibril came with the message of Allah."
Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad ordered Meesum to be jailed and sent Meesum to al-Tamura, a fearful prison. Mukhtar al-Thaqafi was in the same prison with Meesum. Meesum and Mukhtar would hold conversations in prison but later, on the orders of Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad, Meesum was sentenced to be hanged for creating mischief. Meesum was brought to the same tree to be hanged as pointed out by 'Ali ibn Abi Talib. Meesum began singing the praises of his master 'Ali, and about a thousand people gathered to see Meesum being hanged.
Even after being hanged, the tongue of Meesum went on singing the praises of 'Ali. Ubayd-Allah was informed about this and ordered that the tongue of Meesum be cut. And thus, the prophecy of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib came true.
Megawati Sukarnoputri (Diah Permata Megawati Setiawati Sukarnoputri) (b. January 23, 1947). First female vice president and president of Indonesia. She was born in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, to Sukarno (Indonesia’s first president) and his first wife, Fatmawti. A life of privilege in the presidential palace ended when Sukarno was ousted by Suharto in 1966. Megawati later became a mother and homemaker, remaining out of the public spotlight until she entered politics in 1987, when she won a seat in parliament. In 1993, she was named leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).
Although untested as a leader, Megawati enjoyed immense popularity in the year 2000. She gained the respect of many Indonesians for her defiance of former president Suharto, when he attempted in June 1996 to have her party leadership removed from her. The incident provoked violent riots. Megawati responded by launching lawsuits against Suharto in every Indonesian court that would take her case -- 230 in all.
In 2000, Megawati became the first female vice president of Indonesia and received new duties in a power sharing arrangement announced by then President Abdurrahman Wahid in August of that year. The arrangement, termed a “dual presidency” by some observers, was expected to continue through the end of Wahid’s term in 2004. The president reserved for himself foreign affairs and humanitarian duties but delegated the day to day running of the government to Megawati.
She ran for re-election in the 2004 presidential election, but was defeated by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the second round. She famously refused to congratulate the new president in public.
Megawati's first husband, First Lieutenant Surendro Supjarso, was killed in a plane crash in Irian Jaya in 1970. In 1972, she married Hassan Gamal Ahmad Hassan, an Egyptian diplomat. The marriage was annulled shortly after. She married Taufiq Kiemas in 1973. They had three children, Mohammad Rizki Pramata, Mohammad Prananda and Puan Maharani.
Sukarnoputri, Megawati see Megawati Sukarnoputri
Mehemmed. One of the Turkish forms of the name Muhammad which, having been borne by the Prophet of Islam, is by far the commonest used name in the Islamic world. In this publication, the name Muhammad is used to refer to the relevant Ottoman rulers.
Meher Baba (Merwan Sheriar Irani) (February 25, 1894 - January 31, 1969). Born in Poona as Merwan Irani, to parents from Iran and of the Zoroastrian religion. Assuming the name Meher Baba (“Father of Love”), Meher Baba had disciples from among India’s religious communities, but he received his first initiation from a Muslim woman saint called Hazrat Babajan.
Today the followers of Meher Baba refer to him as a Sufi master although he is also called an avatar -- a diety who had assumed the identity of a human being.
Meher Baba traveled frequently to America and Europe, where his disciples included film stars and titled nobility. Meher Baba exercised a deep fascination for those with whom he came in contact, although the content of his behavior seemed irrational and erratic on the surface.
Meher Baba took a vow of silence in 1925 and never spoke again until his death in 1969. He communicated with his followers by hand signs and by pointing to letters on a letter board.
As an example of the divine love that was taught by Meher Baba, Meher Baba and his disciples cared for insane holy men called mast. As he traveled about India, Meher Baba would seek out such individuals, feed and bathe them, and spend time in their company. But like much else about Meher Baba the purpose behind this activity remained obscure.
Merwan Sheriar Irani see Meher Baba
Irani, Merwan Sheriar see Meher Baba
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