Medieval Chinese Historian Describes Islam (and their Buddha "Ma Hia Wu") // "Zhu Fan Zhi" (1225)

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Taken from "Chau Ju-Kua On The Chinese and Arab Trade in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Century" (1911)
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Poemandpainting

[@VoicesofthePast]

The first 1000 people to use the link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/voicesofthepast02211

[@ishxyzaak]

can you please do a video on early european explorers into africa before colonization and during colonization as well? Thank you

[@yaleyoon6856]

Interesting video! Never thought much about China on Islam and the Arab caliphs so was good watching this

[@MonDieuMaCauseMonEpee]

@@ishxyzaak Said Exactly what I was going to ask Please do more videos sourced from Africa or about Africa.

[@joshportie]

Muslims wore long hair back then. Where did you get this? Its fake.

[@yaleyoon6856]

Also, I smell a medieval Song China on medieval Korea episode very soon! Usually you would post several videos in a row for some weeks that have related topics, and you had Song China on Islam this week, so maybe Song China on Korea next week or the week after? Lol just my educational guess

[@user-kt3uv7nf7i]

“It must be cold, they have so many rugs,” LOL

[@vedantacharya1517]

Ya Tareshy intensifies.......

[@miliba]

"These rugs, supposedly they are used for flying...."

[@ryurazu]

They were much prized.

[@ryurazu]

.... is this suppose to be a troll

[@_Ari__.]

@@miliba you should cut down watching disney movies LOL

[@jayasuryangoral-maanyan3901]

"nobody has dared to invade this country" - 1225 they had to jinx it didn't they

[@wicksinn]

Then, 33 years later...

[@joshuasims5421]

Except for, wait for it, the Mongols!

[@forrestpowell12]

@@joshuasims5421 We're the exception!

[@sardiniapiedmont]

Mamluk Sultanate of Misr prevailed

[@hashimirasama]

*Hulagu Khan has entered the chat*

[@mansoortanweer]

Calling ostriches camel cranes sounds like someone made a modern meme about animals. Like a raccoon is a trash panda and a snake is a nope rope.

[@johncao6516]

In modern Chinese the ostrich is still named "camel bird". Guess the name stuck.

[@mansoortanweer]

@@johncao6516 Really? Wow. Learned something new today. :-)

[@maseoembry4165]

Reminds me of avatar animals

[@mosatsoni4324]

funny you say that. Also in Georgian language they're called bird-camels 😁

[@greyscaleb1537]

NOPE ROPE HAHAHA

[@eyasulegesse6208]

i love how the Chinese describe different cultures such an honest perspective

[@momjyy2504]

You are not right the Chinese are not neutral at all however you can find an individual that is neutral to a certain extent The hans aren't gods of the middle-age

[@momjyy2504]

@Ibn Ikbal ابن اقبال, collector of poetry the hans are the Chinse الهانز هما الصينيين

[@cerealkellah3947]

@@momjyy2504 Nobody is claiming so. While Europe was in dark ages, all other civilizations flourished to various extents. Peaceful exchanges of culture like this are something that we can bond over and not something to be competitive of.

[@ErraticFaith]

Of course, we are the greatest culture and civilization on earth. You won't find any truth in pathetic America and it's false religions. Fortunately both will soon be gone.

[@heterodontosaurustucki]

@@momjyy2504lil bro thinks it’s a game 💀

[@noescape2108]

I see a lot of people in the comments are confused, Heaven is the Chinese term for God, tian, while Buddha is used for enlighten beings or religious founders, like Muhammad.

[@wizardmongol4868]

yeah Siddharta buddha was just one of many buddhas

[@artofthepossible7329]

Welcome to the internet. We aren't as educated as we think we are.

[@feintfaint7213]

@@artofthepossible7329 I think what I like to see more is people who know they are ignorant instead of people who are ignorant. I'm glad I can see more of that in this video comments. Personally I'm a mix of the above :p

[@ADeeSHUPA]

@@wizardmongol4868 ゐざ드 몽골

[@armyofone5904]

Thanks for the explanation

[@fuferito]

If I'm not mistaken, both the Islamic world and China would be invaded by Mongolian armies, a few years after this account.

[@moritamikamikara3879]

Yup, they jinxed it real bad.

[@Yellow.1844]

lmao

[@-haclong2366]

Once foreigner, þen countrymen. If you had þe fortune of surviving þe greatest genocide of the period.

[@vladmatei1958]

@@-haclong2366 the biggest number of deaths in the history of the *world until now, not only of that period. It is estimated 11% of total world population at that time died during mongol invasions. More deaths than in world war 2.

[@sanatanidaliturfkafireazam5726]

@@vladmatei1958 No It was doing Islamic Invasion of India

[@vcrsalesman2606]

My history teacher, who himself was of Chinese decent, told me that “Heaven” in ancient China was more a universal force than a place. So when the writer says they “pray to Heaven” they probably mean God)

[@1Invinc]

And just like that, you understand more about the Chinese culture than most of your peers and countrymen. Your history teacher did well.

[@mueezadam8438]

@@1Invinc I think the ignorant are the loudest, culture appreciation is the norm.

[@weirdshit]

There is no single-god concept in chinese folk religion. Pray to heaven probably meant "any god(s) who is/are listening to my pleas".

[@kaikart123]

I learned this from a goddamn Journey to The East serial. "Heaven" is a collective term for the Kingdom of Gods and not a place. English just doesn't have the equivalent word for it.

[@NarasimhaDiyasena]

That’s ultimately what ‘God’ is. It’s nothing more than a title used to describe the complex understanding of the universe or to be more precise the conscious energy of the universe from which all creation is created from. Hence the phrase “God is with us” because we are of it. In pop culture this is known as the Living Force in Star Wars and our connection to it is described as Neural Physics in Halo. Those who channel it to manipulate the material 3 dimensional realm that our biological avatars anchor our souls/essence too are known in popculture as the Jedi who are inspired by the Abhijnas found in Buddhism. Now this interpretation of God itself is not fixated on this and takes on many meanings, this is emphasized in the differentiation God portrayed in the Old Testament not being the same as God portrayed in the New Testament where it takes on the divinity. Originally the term ‘God’ itself is derived from the final abrahimic English translation of Enlil, the Annunaki depicted in Sumeria who is also known as Horus the Elder in Egypt, Zeus in Greece, Jupiter in Rome, Thor in Norse as well as Shiva In Hindu. Enlils brother, Enki, is known as Osiris in Egypt, Hades in Greece, Pluto in Rome, Loki in Norse, Vishnu in Hindu and Lucifer in Abraham. The Abrahimic translation of God itself is based on the forensics of both Elohim and Allah from which are derived from Enlil, hence why I am able to make this connection. Enlil in Sumeria is known as Ellil in Mesopotamia overall. This is translated to El in phonecian from which the Hebrew translate it to Elohim and phrase it as Hayyim Elohim meaning “The Living God”. El is also translated to Ila (pronounced Ela) in Akkadian from which its then translated to as Al Lah in old Arabic meaning ‘The God’ before being conjoined in modern Arabic as Allah meaning God and is phrased as Allah Akbar meaning God is great. This connection is furthered by the islamic branding of the star and crescent which is derived from the Sumerian iconography of the Sin and Ishtar. It’s also worth noting that the Kaaba itself which existed long before Islam is known as the Tomb of Osiris (Enki/Lucifer).

[@johncao6516]

"Ma Hia Wu" is likely near modern Chinese pronunciation. From what I've heard Cantonese resembles Middle Chinese pronunciation a lot more and is probably closer to the dialect spoken at the time this was written. Assuming the characters are "马(ma)夏(xia)午(wu)", the Cantonese pronunciation would be "Ma Ha Mou" which sounds closer to Muhammad.

[@TahaWasiq]

You are right. Professor Robert Hoyland, a leading historian preferred 'Mahamou' pronunciation. Thanks.

[@emiliasmith5561]

That sounds quite close to cantonese

[@emiliasmith5561]

@@syedzubair1351 Do they? I never got that impression.

[@emiliasmith5561]

@@syedzubair1351 Maybe it's a regional thing. I am from SEA and lots of Chinese people here speak Cantonese, no problem. Chinatown shopowners in the UK all spoke Cantonese when I was there. As for China it's more like imposing their will and culture onto another country, because China also has lots of Cantonese speaking regions, just not as their national language. These are all personal opinions and observations though.

[@johncao6516]

@@syedzubair1351 It's not that Mandarin speakers dislike Cantonese, it's probably some level of (mutual) regional stereotyping and being defensive of one's own culture. I grew up in Guangzhou and I can tell you that Cantonese people also don't like "Northerners" and have a special term for them. Mandarin speakers call Cantonese "bird's tongue" because it sounds weird to them. No, we don't actually hate each other, it's kinda like how American's dislike New Yorkers or Texans.

[@MsPaintMr]

"Berbera Coast" likely refers to Somalia, as Berbera is an Ancient city there that was a major port in the medieval period, and of course it describes animals common in East Africa.

[@Altrantis]

Oh, I thought it was the Berber coast, meaning Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

[@Argacyan]

Yea Berbera is on the northern Coast of Somalia and more de-facto Somaliland nowadays

[@asparadog]

@@Altrantis It comes from the Greek Barbara meaning 'strange or foreign' Berbers call themselves Amazigh. Berber Coast means the north African bit of the Mediterranean. Berbera is thought to be the ancient port of Malao. Muslims/Moors began be known as Berbers and the port was very important to them.

[@achikahmedamine7101]

@@Altrantis no he described East africa

[@yes619]

Barbaria was Somalia

[@hugojaime9565]

"The poor live on fish, vegetables and fruits only" The poor were living the life man 😄

[@SetuwoKecik]

Better than most college students nowadays, eh

[@ikemen2329]

before the goverment come and steal all your land and tax almost everything yeah they were great times

[@hugojaime9565]

@@ikemen2329 So true, the problem with the world is Big Bad Government.

[@an.hs.n]

They live healthy for sure

[@melvinvines2238]

Yeah, no pesticides, no genetics, no pcp....

[@chenyangli1154]

Just for clarification: in Medieval China the term “buddha” was sometimes used to refer to any “enlightened spiritual figure”, not just those of Buddhism. Thus Prophet Mohammed was referred to as a “buddha” in this account. This account also used the term “Heaven” for Allah. “Heaven” (Tian) is the Ancient Chinese term for the Supreme God dating back to 1000 BCE. Though in later Confucian philosophy Heaven is considered to be the Impersonal Moral Force and Principle that underpins the universe rather than a personal God. There is a popular ancient theological belief among the Chinese-speaking Hui Muslims that the Chinese “Heaven” is the same True God as the Muslim Allah. This idea was later borrowed by the Catholic Jesuits and to this day Chinese Catholics refers to God as the “Lord of Heaven”.

[@dandankokorohikareteku2620]

Muhammad wasn’t enlightened he was a warlord

[@tasnubarahman6068]

He was also a enlightened he was not a land lord before conquered makka He is prophet not warlord

[@dumupad3-da241]

But how are you sure that the medieval Chinese *knew* that those enlightened spiritual figures weren't Buddhist? Do you have any evidence of their talking about Daoist Buddhas, for example?

[@dwarasamudra8889]

​@@dumupad3-da241 Ancient Chinese travellers always got confused with religions. For example, a Chinese traveller to India in the 7th century frequently described the Emperor Harshavardhana as a Buddhist, eventhough we know from the Emperor's own records that he was a Hindu Shaivite (Devotee of Shiva). Chinese travellers also found it difficult to tell the difference between a Hindu, Jain or Buddhist temple or monastery in India.

[@danialhalal]

@@dandankokorohikareteku2620 a warlord that fought against people who tried to genocide him and his followers?

[@marzbanofmerv2324]

Japanese: Sees big mountain, "Is that Fuji?" Chinese: Sees religious figure, "Is that Buddha?"

[@Bialy_1]

It was clearly used as synonim of word prophet... and its kinda logical when you know only one similar guy so why invent special class name for this type of people?

[@rafewheadon1963]

Buddha Born: Lumbini, Nepal Died: Kushinagar, India

[@musAKulture]

not necessarily. it's just a bad translation into english.

[@deadby15]

"Buddha" simply means someone who reached the truth.

[@GoodmansGhost]

Yeah there isn't just one Buddha. It is a religious title. Kinda like Muhammad would be The prophet in Islam, but he's not the only prophet.

[@yonmalikulkudus8526]

we indonesians also call ostriches camel cranes just like medieval chinese. "Burung Unta" in indonesian; "Burung" is crane/bird; "unta" is "camel" so yeah, we call it camel cranes also.

[@yonmalikulkudus8526]

searched for camel cranes in google to see if this words actually exists. no regret.

[@michaelschrute2346]

Yep

[@drpk6514]

In Iran they are called Camel Foul

[@yonmalikulkudus8526]

@@drpk6514 so people in the world thinks that everything in desert is camel related

[@drpk6514]

@@yonmalikulkudus8526 That bird does look like camel

[@HistoryOfRevolutions]

"Men honor what lies within the sphere of their knowledge, but do not realize how dependent they are on what lies beyond it" - Zhaungzi

[@noisemarine561]

That's a pretty good quote man

[@eurasiaacaci.-110]

Roman Silk Demand

[@EBUNNY2012]

"A man depends mostly on things he neither knows or sees all his life but a wise man understands this humility of never knowing enough." - brian padrick drake

[@QuantumPK]

The Wiser i get, the More i realize how Stupid i am

[@katben1625]

Love this

[@na-eimhuman7054]

The amount of respect shown to one another is on the highest level

[@Ssarevok]

The description of Giraffes sounds like someone described them to him and he decided "that must be an exageration" and toned down their size so his audience wouldn't call it nonsense, because no animal could ever be that big.

[@savioblanc]

That neck is ridiculous anyways

[@gostavoadolfos2023]

At that era as a traveler you gave to exaggerate a luttlecto sell your book.

[@bestuan]

honestly i thought he was talking about hyenas because of the size

[@Ssarevok]

​@SirSnufflelots Well, I guess a horse with a horn isn't that crazy. There's plenty other animals with and without horns, like sheep. But a horse-thing with a 5 meter long neck? Come on, that's ridiculous!

[@savioblanc]

@SirSnufflelots also proof that nature is crazier than what our own imaginations can conceive

[@jauzihalwa]

"Every 7 days, they cut their hair and clip their fingernails" - this is in reference to Jummah (Friday), if anyone was curious.

[@habibainunsyifaf6463]

I don't always cut my hair weekly but yeah.. Its true

[@mrpeanut6267]

@@khobzabatata7100 lol

[@jasonwalker3209]

Nobody cares.

[@theyellowbrad8168]

@@jasonwalker3209 I care

[@abdullahalbraiky5956]

@@jasonwalker3209 "those who refuse extra knowledge are the ones who choose to be ignorant" -me

[@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200]

Lol the way he talks about Al Hajj in Mecca "Every year on the anniversary of the death of their Buddha they gather here and display to eachother ornaments and precious stones" 😂😂

[@BluJean6692]

the really funny part is that it's probably not even intended to be reductive...

[@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200]

@@BluJean6692 I know I didnt listen any of this as insulting at all it's just funny how he interpreted it 😂

[@xochiltepetzalailhuicamina2322]

Muslims do throw stones during Hajj lol ijs

[@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200]

@@xochiltepetzalailhuicamina2322 Nope hes talking about trading since its permissible if moderate and prudent.. I know what you're talking about but he said gold and precious stones and stuff

[@deejin25]

Those Empires and nations were hella rich in those days. Most of Asia and Africa was. For example before the British Colonial period India was one of the richest countries in the world. The word Mogul is synonimous with wealthy. By the Time the British were ousted it was one of the poorest nations in the world. Hajj back then probably had a lot of trading and different wealthy people showing off their wealth.

[@18salcal]

“And its inhabitants are preeminent among all foreigners for their distinguished bearings”...sigh. As an Arab Muslim well versed in Islamic history, I know how far we have fallen.

[@ShayPatrickCormacTHEHUNTER]

Indeed. Modern fashion is so copy paste and bland, there is no variation anymore.

[@lawrenceweston922]

Sadly … the decline is continuing, just as I think this is rock bottom …. The Gulf Arabs continue to disappoint.

[@thomasflanagan8754]

what did they wear in the past?

[@ahmedshaharyarejaz9886]

We all have fallen brother, we all have, not just the Arab Muslims.

[@Masternaldo]

Arab youth casually wearing jeans in temperature of 50°c 🤓

[@robertkiehn7459]

Sees any animal from sub-sahara: Yup, that's a camel.

[@gerardrbain1972]

I guess lions would be called brown tigers with long flowing hair.

[@robertkiehn7459]

@@gerardrbain1972 Simple, it's a long-haired camel-cat

[@sizzis2045]

To their defense, even the Greeks and Romans used to call giraffes "camelopardalis" -- literally, "spotted camels". Ostriches were called by Greeks "strouthokamilos" also, which is "camel sparrows". Not so different than describing them as camel-like cranes anyway. For that matter, that's how ostriches are still called to this day in Chinese-influenced languages: 駝鳥, using a character for camel and one for bird.

[@robertkiehn7459]

@@sizzis2045 It's a camelcopia! Camels for all! Camel Continent here we come!

[@YODAJJ]

Arabs aren’t located in “Sub-Sahara”..they live north or on the same line as the Sahara but not South of it...Sub-Saharan Africa is tropical and green (no camels)

[@troooooper100]

This was so soothing for some reason, like learning about simpler times almost getting glimpse of peace of life then

[@dr.zoidberg8666]

A few years after this account, the Mongols would unleash hell the likes of which would not be seen again in that hemisphere until the World Wars.

[@troooooper100]

@@dr.zoidberg8666 That's true, human population actually started to go DOWN in Mongols era crazy if you think about it.

[@gamingrex2930]

Chinggis Khan: “Mind if i stepped in?”

[@AlphaBravoCharlie777]

These were not simpler times. It was as comolicated as it's always been. No security until you are part of a tribe and powerful took from poor.easily. pretty messed up times

[@abdulgafarabas2686]

Even before the 7th Century Chinese silk already popular in pagan Arabia. During the time of Prophet Muhammad (saw) he advice his followers, to seek knowledge even to the point of travelling to China.

[@lingy74]

And that’s how you get the oldest Mosque in China built in 700 AD in Shanxi.

[@Anverse-14]

That is proven to be a proverb invented by the Arabs

[@charlesmadre5568]

It's interesting how Baghdad was recorded as 白達. In 1225 it was likely that the city was recorded based on late Middle Chinese pronunciation, which is best preserved in southern Chinese variants today. In modern Cantonese, 白達 would be pronounced as Baahk Daaht (Yale romanization) which sounds much closer to "Baghdad".

[@martjnmao6808]

Cantonese preserved codas (word-end consonants) well, but not a lot of other features.

[@j0nnyb33]

Zhao Rukuo getting a tour of the Berbera Coast Guide: "And if you look over there, you'll see one of our most impressive animals, the giraffe" Zhao: "FUCKIN HELL! LOOK AT THAT WEIRD CAMEL!" Guide: "er yeah, heh heh pretty cool right?" Zhao: "It's front legs are way bigger than its back legs!" Guide: "... I have literally never noticed that before... most people comment on its long ne-" Zhao: "ITS HEAD IS HIGH UP!" Guide: "...yes, because of its long n-" Zhao: "It's yellow" Guide: "..."

[@garaadsame7503]

Might be zhan he

[@alial-fatlawi5565]

Hahahahahahahahaha

[@yasien3]

🤣lol

[@gd5066]

😂😂😂

[@MuhammadJunaidAshraf]

this was hilarious. lol

[@98cents]

"No one dared invade this country"... 33 years later, he may have been surprised. In fact, depending on when he wrote this, he may have been surprised on his return to China.

[@nullvoid6095]

He was already on copium, because over 100 yrs ago the Song got bagged by the Ančun Gurun & Liao.

[@TheGhostbuster1989]

As a muslim, i found this video fascinating and intriguing how foreign kingdoms and empires viewed the religion.

[@aurangazebhaque5408]

Atleast this Interpretation is still way way better than say FOX or BBC

[@feintfaint7213]

@@aurangazebhaque5408 I don't think op meant it in a degrading way. For me, this video really opens my eye so to speak. It's just too good.

[@aurangazebhaque5408]

@@feintfaint7213 Did you actually bothered to read my Comment Properly???

[@Retaliatixn]

From the profile pic, I can tell you that Jethro has a plan, Jethro always has a plan.

[@superscatboy]

Wait until you hear how modern people view it...

[@balawi3039]

The Ming Dynasty is perhaps one of the best examples of Islam flourishing within China. I was very surprised to learn about things like "The Hundred-word Eulogy" something I never would've expected to be real.

[@FallicIdol]

And today they lock up Muslims in labor camps. It is a shame what is going on

[@berdigylychrejepbayev7503]

i thought that poem was lie and propaganda but it turned out to be true. how interesting

[@richardfrankenberg4268]

This was awesome. I often wish History was taught in such a way. Currently its taught fragmentally, and jumps around in time. Id like to learn whats happening in all the corners at the same time and from the perspective of those people. What did they call things? What did they call themselves? What did they call other peoples? Things cultures possessed, had their own terms as things were discovered and invented. Until peoples crossed each others paths. Currently, a term for a modern item becomes Universal. In time, I can see how this could eventually create one language for the globe. And dialects will be defined by the traces of the original languages of the regions. I love pondering this stuff...

[@zhouwu]

Eventually, you'll find your way right back to the tower of Babel. There is no escape. Believe me, I tried.

[@richardfrankenberg4268]

@@zhouwu apparently not enough. Keep looking.

[@damienwayne2347]

"Berbera coast" is referring to northern Somalia if I'm not mistaken??

[@Dhoom1981]

No, he was referring to the Berbers in North Africa

[@damienwayne2347]

@@Dhoom1981 Berbers and Berbera are two very different things my friend

[@hodannn]

@@Dhoom1981 how are there ostriches and zebras and giraffes in Morroco or even North Africa? I’m convinced this is Somalia as all of these animals are native to Somalia and we still have a city with that name in the north. The similar name is a coincidence as this happens in languages all the time

[@Yanzdorloph]

@@Dhoom1981 there are no zebras or giraffes in north africa.

[@vj9086]

Do u eat cake 😂😂🤣

[@weijiafang1298]

For a sidenote, in _Ming Chronicles_ (明史) there was a section that described imported Islamic astronomy, which also dealt with several Arabic names. In the section, Muhammad is described as 西域默狄納國王馬哈麻 (ma-ha-ma, king of me-di-na in the west). The “阿喇必年” (a-la-bi era) was mistakenly thought as 隋開皇己未 (599 AD), which was probably derived from subtracting the year number in Hijri Era, while mistaking lunar years for solar years.

[@reteguy7338]

Interesting.

[@weijiafang1298]

@Snakejüce Yes. It is the last volume of the 24 “official history accounts” (正史). Although Qing came after Ming, people have not yet agreed on how to write a chronicle for it.

[@kuwaitisnotadeployment1373]

I love when I see you in my notifications. You really are one of my favorite channels I've watched every video

[@ahmadtarek7763]

This is extremely interesting to learn about, especially as a Muslim, hearing what the old Chinese people thought of us, what they got right like our daily prayers, fasting and hajj, and also what they got wrong, I find it funny they called the prophet as some version of their Buddha. Nicely done video as always.

[@rollingthunder8630]

I'm a Muslim and I'm honored they called the Prophet (PBUH) the Buddah, because to them the term Buddha literally means "Enlightened One" and isn't a proper name (the Buddah most people think of is Siddartha Gautama).

[@angeliquewu8318]

@@rollingthunder8630 Yeah, "pho" (buddha) is a title more than a name. A "pho" is an enlightened person.

[@generalconsensus2518]

I wonder if they knew the prophet was a pedophile? LMFAO

[@bingbong1180]

@@generalconsensus2518 If it’s any consolation the hadith that says that was written hundreds of years after the Quran it’s sort of like basing apostolic Christianity of the early catholic church

[@generalconsensus2518]

@@bingbong1180 Still. That was common practice amongst desert peoples.

[@sarahk2722]

I’ve never heard of Mohammad being called the Buddha. These are great!

[@nepaliyuva408]

Buddha means enlightened one..

[@stateofflorida5082]

Ya, in buddhist theology, everyone becomes a Buddha eventually.

[@Alexander1005]

I love this channel. I appreciate your work.

[@LostInForums]

It's always interesting to see vastly different cultures interpret each other through their own lens by drawing direct parallels to their own. The idea of equating Muhammad to Buddha seems almost ridiculous at first but when you think about it it's the best way to impart to a 1200AD Chinese audience who Muhammad was and what he meant to his followers.

[@Avicerox]

Also, something interesting is that the early Muslims who found out about Buddhism also tried similar things, Buddha was considered a prophet by some exegetes and theologians and many still argue in favor of this to this date. There are two figures that come to mind, Khidr and Dhul Kifl, Dhul Kifl is a prophet mentioned in Islam and is sometimes considered to be a title for Buddha, while Khidr is another mysterious figure whom some Muslims have equated with Buddha.

[@Soeales]

You should know Islam was already present in China and various emperors had advisors in high positions from Muslim backgrounds as early as the 7th century.

[@pathfinderwellcare]

Amazing video! Loved it. Thank you 🙏🏽

[@ezix3753]

3:35 Al Tay’yi is famous Arabian tribe that lives in northern Arabia and western Iraq and were the spearhead of the Muslim expansion in the East and were probably the first group of Arabs that the Chinese met and some say the country of tajik(tay’yk)-Stan were named after them so I understand why they called Arabs Ta-shi

[@BoqPrecision]

its actually named after Ta'izz the medieval cities of Yemen along with others like Sana'a and Mocha

[@ezix3753]

Boqoreh I don’t think so , Arabs always name themselves after their tribe not their city or region and tay’yis were already living in Iraq so it’s more logical that they were on the front line of the expansion in the East

[@marzbanofmerv2324]

Well I don't know about that, Tazi in Persian mean Rabid dog, as it was the racial slur Persians addressed Arabs with. Tajiks means people who have Tajs(Persian for crowns) which was the name the Turkic hordes migrating to central Asia gave to the original City dwelling Persians.

[@achikahmedamine7101]

No tashi is derived from the arabic world "tajer" that mean merchant

[@ezix3753]

Achik Ahmed Amine You are right that could be it

[@aniksamiurrahman6365]

Very intriguing. Thanks for bringing this to life for us.

[@tim.a.k.mertens]

Zebra: doing zebra things Some Chinese dude : ah yes what a nice.... camel

[@TheSquidPro]

It's weird that he didn't identify it as a horse.

[@perrytran9504]

@@TheSquidPro Probably a long game of telephone and him never seeing one himself. What's interesting is he compared it to both a mule and camel so maybe the comparison to the camel meant something different.

[@kevcarlisle1906]

@@perrytran9504 it meant the striped color of a giraffe he also referred to as a longer version of the camel. So stripped like a giraffe but the size of a mule with black and white stripes

[@miliba]

Listen closely. He refered to it as a mule.

[@reteguy7338]

@@miliba But then he also said "a variety of camel" after he said the mule.

[@usamanaveed1258]

You guys are the best keep it coming...wishing you all the success and greatness brothers

[@Torus2112]

I'm trying to think of how he could have possibly heard that Arabia was cold, aside from some kind of bad mistranslation. Maybe the description is actually of Persia since they have so many mountains there.

[@TheZachary86]

It can get cold in winter there, even colder in mountainous regions.

[@johncao6516]

When we talk about the "Black-Clothed Da Shi" (Abbasid) or "White-Clothed Da Shi" (Umayyad) we usually think of Persia instead of Arabia. Possibly because Persia had interacted with China for millennia at that point and Arabia was relatively unknown.

[@deejin25]

The Northern mountainouis regions of Persia, do get cold and snowy, and back then that empire extended into Central Asia which has hella cold and hot in season.

[@garadgantal1438]

Don't forget the weather difference then and now

[@leggyblonde11]

@@garadgantal1438 Yep, I was thinking the same.

[@toobalkain]

Ma Hia Wu (peace and blessings upon whom) was a great Buddha.

[@shahansindhi8141]

"Ma Hia Wu" is the destroyer of civilizations!

[@toobalkain]

@@shahansindhi8141 Ma Hia Wu rassoul allah.

[@luisvlogs5560]

These videos are so interesting thank you

[@cakapcakep241]

I like how both empire looking down at each other. The arabs consider their caliph is the greatest and the chinese calling the arabs gift a tribute 😄.

[@fluffynator6222]

Kinda like the Romans and the Chinese. Lol.

[@malahamavet]

reminds me of the Roman video describing China where the only remarkable thing they said is that they make good silk for dresses😂

[@steirqwe7956]

And both parties know that the truth lies somewhere in between. They just love to boast about their nation greatness)

[@ememe1412]

Because the precedent was set for tribute. In 715, the Ummayad had stretched to Central Asia and deposed Ikshid in the Fergana Valley. Ikshid, being a tribute giver of the Chinese Empire, ran to China for help. China sent an army that drove out the Arabs and restored Ikshid to his throne. The Chinese also defeated the Arabs along with their allies at Aksu in 717. By 725-26, an Arab envoy arrived and gave 'presents' and prostrated to the Chinese Emperor (713, Arabs refused to prostrate for religious reasons, but was spared execution). By 758 (even though the Arabs defeated the Tang in Talas) the Abassid was sending envoys and tribute to the Emperor. It's how it worked. Call it protection for Arab trade routes and tolerance of Arab outposts in Central Asia. Cheaper than garrisons that would provoke a Chinese attack in any case. At that time until the decline of the Tang, China projected power to the borders of Persia. The rise of the Tibetan armies and hoardes eventually created a military alliance between China and Arabs. It also was the start of China's decline of influence in Central Asia.

[@theonef570]

Arabs did not have that type of arrogance.

[@tim.a.k.mertens]

I like to think that someone tried to explain to this guy what the Kaaba and the Hajj is all about, but it was a bit too much to wrap his head around without context so he just went with "house of their Buddha"

[@EukalyptusBonBon]

Missunderstanding and misscommunication is very common to see in that era, especiall from entirely different culture like that

[@jayasuryangoral-maanyan3901]

when you consider that this was written for people who didn't have a concept of a prophet, principles of semi-mandatory pilgrimage or a kaaba, saying that people go to the house of their buddha gets the idea of it across to those people. Like we say cheiftain but there can be very different conceptualisations of rulership that isn't embodied by the word

[@lucythemotherofathests1465]

@Вхламинго are you saying that muslims go to the house of the prophet mohammed in their pilgrimage!? And r I saying that prophet mohammed is considered a buddha by muslims

[@feintfaint7213]

@@lucythemotherofathests1465 its also a tomb of the prophet. people usually visit them in their pilgrimage. I don't remember if its mandatory though. Too poor to go there lol

[@lucythemotherofathests1465]

@@feintfaint7213 not mandatory

[@GiordanoBruno42]

I love these early descriptions of foreign religion, the way people analogised new concepts with ideas they understood ("Prophet" becomes "Buddha", "God" becomes "heaven") Also they like rugs because its cold! hilarious :')

[@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200]

Cold in Saudi Arabia lmaoooo

[@jacemachine]

@@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200 You've never spent the night out in the desert... have you.

[@darktyrannosaurus22]

The word for God in Chinese means "Heaven", it comes from their term to the Sky Father or Father of Heaven, chief deity of Traditional Chinese Religion

[@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200]

@@jacemachine Yes I have I'm Algerian lol he said there was never ending snow...

[@user-rh2pv2kc5g]

@@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200 12century the average temperature is 2 or 3 degrees colder than today...so in the winter it is 5 times than the average...aka 10 or 15degrees colder the the periods of now.... just like the classical time 2bc to 2ad the average temperature is 2 degrees higher than now and the winter is 10 degree higher....20bc time the average temperature is 4 to 6 degrees higher than today ...thus you can ride on the back of elephants between china and Mongolia....in year 1100 because of the cold weather...the last wild elephant died in the winter in northern china

[@user-oy3ov3qw2j]

I liked your addition of spanish/arab guitar background music. It went well together with the reigon that was being covered.

[@thecheatingfoodie5028]

This video was amazing!

[@RoverT65536]

refulgence : a radiant or resplendent quality or state : BRILLIANCE merriam-webster

[@brokenbridge6316]

It's always nice to find out how one people viewed another at one time. And this video was certainly a nice one.

[@frans3950]

Excellent video, as usual.

[@olorin4317]

Love this channel.

[@novaterra973]

Mount Etna seems to be always included in the description of Sicily.

[@symmetrymilton4542]

It's hard to miss

[@MaycroftCholmsky]

Well, imagine being a medieval treveller mostly interested in exotic goods, diplomacy and traiding opportunities, and suddenly you see a mountain breathing smoke and fire in the middle of the island, where you were planning to trade. Of cause this will spark a great degree of interest. Btw, the guys who were hurling rocks inside the crator are quite the mad-lads. If the mountain gets too angry, there's noone left to tell the tale xD

[@IudiciumInfernalum]

@@MaycroftCholmsky Lol. I once had a campfire on a bit of land near a river. There were a lot of pebbles there. At some point a pebble went POP and some debris came straight to my face, luckily i was able to close my eyes in time, and it was a good thing too because a piece landed on my eyelid and burned the top layer of skin off. Jeez, almost took my friggin' eye out. Anyway, i'm fine, all i'm saying is making rocks go boom with a lot of heat seems like a really bad idea.

[@superscatboy]

Not mentioning it would be like describing the ocean and not mentioning the water.

[@giovannisantostasi9615]

@@MaycroftCholmsky It is in the north east of the Island but ok...

[@boon1204]

this is so good!!!

[@samphysics8769]

Thanks, I enjoyed that.

[@marcusanark2541]

This channel is a gem!

[@unifieddynasty]

Fascinating stuff. You should also do a video on that poem about Islam written by that Ming emperor. I've never actually read the whole poem. 😄

[@ytv31]

Islam has a constant presence in China since 616 CE.

[@lel5464]

Great content keep it up.

[@saamamerat1061]

I enjoyed that. Thanks.

[@Scotty2Shotty]

Fascinating. Well done

[@halterrill9475]

The Chinese had a lot of respect for other cultures

[@musAKulture]

depends on which ones. for example, japan was literally called "short people country"

[@1Invinc]

@@musAKulture I mean... they weren't wrong... and still aren't wrong today...

[@feintfaint7213]

@@1Invinc You don't go to a blind people and say "you are blind" right? I think respect should be given

[@Retaliatixn]

@@feintfaint7213 Why your comment makes me remember Woozie from GTA San Andreas game lmfao ? He was a Chinese triad member, and is blind, but still a Chad though. I just found all of this funny.

[@kandade4563]

@Commieblin that's exageration

[@kaarlimakela3413]

I love this channel!

[@SyedWinder91]

This video contains such gems of knowledge, and the comments section is awash with people from all over sharing their gems too. This is amazing ❤ I appreciate you all who are sharing, thank you everyone 😊

[@joblessdude381]

This... I'm always imagining how people in the past, travel on far land which everything is different and new from what they know, people, culture, building, animals, food, tree, etc. What wondrous experience they had in that said land. that is what a true adventure!

[@pinchebruha405]

You can still travel to many places like this not everyone has caught up to now!

[@joblessdude381]

@@pinchebruha405 you are right bro, its just in today era we are not completely clueless about the place we are going to travel.

[@hawkkim1974]

Arabs at that time were famous for good trading. There is written history on those muslims reaching far eastern Asia for trading.

[@wynterginger]

That was legit delightful!

[@papazataklaattiranimam]

Interesting topic 👍

[@deviahriman6503]

It would seem that the Chinese did not use lighthouses, since our traveler saw them as alarm systems against enemies and not guidance systems for ships getting close to the shore.

[@user-cd2lb8rw9s]

This is mainly because China's ancient dynasties had long-term maritime prohibitions. So it seems that there was no lighthouse technology in ancient China. It was more common to dig canals and sail on land...

[@deviahriman6503]

@@user-cd2lb8rw9s I wasn't aware of that. Thank you for that information

[@zhouwu]

Their closest comparison was probably the watchtowers on the Great Wall or something. They must have thought it was a coastal warning system against intruders. I don't think any Chinese could have imagined non Chinese going out of their way to brave danger into a foreign land, hoping to come back with a profit. It wouldn't have made practical or commercial sense to Chinese. Why go overseas when all the good stuff comes to China anyway? Sometimes, I'm glad we got knocked down a peg or two in the past century or 3, to give us an excuse to actually want to go overseas. Otherwise, we'd have been far too comfortable in our own little bubble within China.

[@muzammilibrahim5011]

@@user-cd2lb8rw9s I thought maritime prohibitions started from the time of Ming dynasty.

[@Umayyadazi]

RIP Baghdad 762-1258 heart of the Arab and Islamic world

[@danielrobertson3537]

You have such a pleasent voice.

[@ricklaming3007]

Great video.

[@luckyabdurrahman1085]

ahh, history of trade and interaction between faraway nations and their people have always been fascinating to me, truly, it is a great thing that we are now able to access records of distant past by merely clicking on websites.

[@CannibaLouiST]

白達 Baktat Baghdad

[@Zakaryyah]

This is incredible and precious.

[@TheSquidPro]

Some Merchant: "I need to get in on this 6 foot melon hustle."

[@iYazeed1]

" the people eat Cake, Meat, and Butter " Same

[@theguide1192]

Every culture has cake butter and meat

[@mageds2684]

@@theguide1192 no, mostly the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

[@theguide1192]

Lmao@Prn 97

[@endomine6317]

Cake back then probably meant bread.

[@BZY-bu9wr]

@@endomine6317 Definitely, even today "gao" which is translated to "cake" is something that encompasses very bread-like foods.

[@abzanali7779]

I love to learn about history from around the world. Very important for us all .

[@theoennis2334]

best youtube channel

[@FlamingBasketballClub]

Interesting narration

[@Joe-po9xn]

This makes Islam sound so much more....exotic. Now I'm curious what ancient Chinese had to say about Christianity and Judaism.

[@xGAMER_chimpX]

That you tried to enslave them with opium? 😂

[@TSemasFl]

Ahhhsoo you no like Budda, you no like chiny foo.

[@taknaknak4957]

3G -> Gospel, Glory, Gold moment 🤣

[@rollingthunder8630]

They probably respect Judaism and Orthodox Christianity.

[@theylaughatmynickname4860]

They respect Judaism but declared Christianity a cult and banned Christianity. Why not? The Christians were trying to drug them with opium.

[@robertschlesinger1342]

Very interesting and worthwhile video.

[@manooxi327]

So very interesting Tnx

[@user-hh2is9kg9j]

Fascinating! Thank you for bringing these gems of history to us.

[@sultanalsultan9906]

Hey what's up man do you speak Arabic i have questions for you?

[@user-hh2is9kg9j]

@@sultanalsultan9906 shoot

[@sultanalsultan9906]

@@user-hh2is9kg9j كنت أتساءل اذا انت مسلم أو غير مسلم ، اذا غير مسلم شي طبيعي وعادي ، بس اذا مسلم غريبة انك تضع اسم شخص الاسود العنسي وهو شخص مدعي النبوة وقتل كثير من المسلمين؟

[@user-hh2is9kg9j]

@@sultanalsultan9906 ايوه اكيد عارف. الاسود العنسي مابينه وبين محمد فرق الا ان محمد انتصر. وبالمناسبة محمد انتصر على العنسي بتعاون مع الفرس

[@sultanalsultan9906]

@@user-hh2is9kg9j أها انت من الملحدين المجانين لو كنت من مثل الملحدين الاذكياء كان استمتعت بكلمك بس انت من غريبي الأطوار (المخبولين) علي اي حال اسف للازعاج مع السلامه

[@Ritter2749]

This is miraculous, what a civilization, I'm proud of Baghdad and Egypt.

[@SiriProject]

Last time I was this early the sun was an deadly lazer

[@ZhangK71]

Not a Jewish space laser? Do your research and open your eyes, sheeple!

[@Brahmdagh]

Wait, when was that?

[@E4439Qv5]

Right after "you can go on land now."

[@00114d]

Thankyou 🙏

[@cristianvillanueva8782]

This is why I subbed.

[@robertl4522]

Everyone's gangsta until they try to draw Ma Hia Wu

[@mohammadsaminirtisum6152]

As a muslim that is funny lol

[@nafismubashir2479]

time stamp?

[@mohammadsaminirtisum6152]

@J where is that from? i would like to take a look at it. Would appreciate it thnk you

[@alvintheng8501]

@@mohammadsaminirtisum6152 back in those days, people of nobility usual had their artists paint a portrait of themselves, you can see this is most prevalent in the ottoman time. In the east, in Chinese civilization, most of the style of ancient traditional clothing depicted today, example like the hanfu, the clothing of ruling nobility/imperial are all mostly derived from portrait painting or caves painting that survive. About muhammad painting, there is a RUMOR of his portrait painting survive in china, due to emissaries/diplomat interaction in all those centuries. But it remain a rumor, partly because: 1. Classical Chinese text did wrote that the emissary from the west, did present portrait painting of it's ruler to the emperor. However these can be the potrait of regional ruling nobility, not the actual muhammad himself (the princes/Governor) 2. In Chinese culture, they do practice RE-painting. Means, the paint drawing will be repaint after some 30 or 40years (due to aging of the original drawing). Along the way, the drawing is loss through time, or in palace fires, or burn by usurper or foreign invaders.

[@mohammadsaminirtisum6152]

@@alvintheng8501 honestly I would love see what the prophet looked like

[@MrEHD-fj1bz]

this man is a legend ,imagine traveling from China to Andalouse and live to tell the tale

[@Yanzdorloph]

Like a reverse Ibn Batuta

[@bonawang4995]

He didn't travel to these places. He was a local government official at a major trading port in East China, and collected such information from merchants.

[@kingfisher9725]

Another one 😊👍👍👍!

[@petermcfarlane5643]

Fascinating

[@Killzoneguy117]

Islam wouldn't be that alien to China. Islam had existed in China since the 670s AD. The Tarim Basin was basically a mix of Chinese and Islamic influence, and interior China was filled with indigenous Muslim communities such as the Hui. The Chinese would absolutely have been aware of Islam and likely had a stronger understanding of it than the Europeans. Muslims were integral towards driving out the Mongols from China. The entire Red Turban Rebellion was largely spearheaded by Chinese Muslims. The Boxers during the Boxer Rebellion were Muslims. During World War II, some of the top Kuomintang generals resisting the Japanese were Muslims like Ma Bufang.

[@ytv31]

@Tim Matt no he isn't, merely stating facts.

[@DarkCrusade]

Muslims also helped establish the Ming dynasty

[@walterl322]

I really love this channel, we usually are told these things from a modern and often eurocentric perspective, but these accounts really tell a lot about a culture that’s being described and also the people who have written these accounts

[@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200]

It tells you nothing about Islamic culture bro just saying.. This is more a reflection of Chinese culture painting itself over the mans experiences as of course all pur experience is

[@walterl322]

@@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200 well, true, it tells more about how the Chinese interpreted Islamic culture

[@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200]

@@walterl322 Its very cool though I love these videos 😂

[@walterl322]

@@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200 same

[@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl]

@@walterl322 they did not interpret any thing every thing he said was wrong

[@syedmaricar9946]

Interesting intriguing about other people and their lands.

[@prakashrao8420]

Fantastic

[@endomine6317]

If I could have been someone else, I'd definitely choose Ibn battota. Truly lived a fascinating life.

[@pokya-anakrantau8845]

Impressive accuracy! Reported with honesty and sincerity. "Ma Hia Wu" pronounced in the Min Chinese 'dialect' to which the speech of Quanzhou (Zaitun) belonged would have sounded like "Mahiamud" or "Behiamud" = "Muhammad".

[@nicholasmesa3588]

Wow. So much that could be branched off and followed up on. I do hope there is more to this part. Thank you!