Inflation is not specific to the modern economy. It is argued that low and stable rates of inflation are beneficial in promoting economic growth. It is also attributed to the growing disparity between the economic classes. The 14th–15th Century CE Egyptian historian, Al-Maqrīzī, discussed the causes that worsened the famine and economic crisis of 805–808/1403–1406 of Mamlūk Egypt. He described the population of Egypt during the crisis and emphasised that which had been hit worst. Significantly, he suggested a more stable monetary system to avoid similar situations in the future.
One of the great assets and distinguishing features of the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM) is the presence of an invaluable special collection of materials encompassing different aspects of the civilisation of Islam in her library, amounting to more than eight thousand (8000) books published between the 17th to early 20th century in more than twenty (20) languages. It makes IKIM Library one of the few libraries in Malaysia and perhaps Southeast Asia with such a collection.The presence of several sets of the world’s leading journal publications in Oriental and Islamic studies is another unique feature of IKIM Library. The consist of eighty five (85) different research societies and institutions of international repute for the last 163 years. The main research themes of such journal collections are general studies on Islamic Civilisation; regional studies of the Arab lands, Iran, Central Asia, South Asia, as well as Southeast Asia; and Semitic Studies. The main goal of this article is to acquaint readers and specialists with this collection of scientific journals and present it as comprehensive historiographical source on the history of Muslim civilisation.
There is a conception of the Earth, the cosmos, and reality lost sometime in the 17th century (replaced by quantity, rationality, and attacks against the spiritual, the feminine, and the mythical). The present article seeks to view and consider the details of the old conception and their intriguing connections to bits and pieces of new sciences, new physics, and mathematics that deal with a world which does not look like the modern one (and which actually looks quite old).