Here is an interesting article on traditional Islamic martial arts: http://www.mubai.cc/articles/art60.htm.
I might be picking up some of their videos, if once I browse their site I determine that they aren’t full-of-it! I’ll publish my findings here.
Found this interesting sword, and this one too. It’s not curved as you may have seen in some depictions of ‘Arab’ sword fighters (Alladin?), which I find interesting.
I’ve always been interested in sword fighting and I’m looking to see how compatible Japanese sword fighting is with what our ancestors practiced.
the truth on 
m.a.kidwai,CME/IND.RLY.(retd.) on 
Assalaamu Alaikum wr. wb.
Yeah, I was at Topkapi this summer, and I didn’t see one sword that was curved.
Nice blog:)
Wassalaam
Assalamu’alaikum brother,
Interesting. I would like to learn sword fighting, also. My friend is currently learning and uses a bokken (not sure on spelling of that) and I seem to be the object of target practice. It’s quite fun, though, although I can barely lift it, let alone swing it.
as-salamu’alaikum hafiz,
thats amazing, I wish to visit there as well. Inshahallah. I’ve setup a link to your blog, nice one as well!
fatima,
please please don’t hurt yourself
Assalamu’alaikum brother,
This really is a very pleasant site and well done on setting it up.
I am just writing to say that if you are interested in martial arts then you may want to investigate Escrima (not sure of the spelling). If my memory serves me correctly, this is a martial arts system developed by the Muslims from the Philippines. Where as Silat is predominately popular in Muslim Indonesia. Escrima is considered by many to be the best fighting system in the world although some of it s practices may seem a little odd – beginners start off fighting using two sticks (to gain understanding of attcking/parrying techniques) and only true masters of the discipline fight without weapons. Anyway I thought you might want to follow it up.
IncidentallyI doubt very much that the Japanese sword fighting technique was similar to that of the Muslims. The Muslims and most of medieval Europe would fight with a sword and shield. Where as the Japanese Katana was the sole weapon of both the Ninjas and Samurais.
The exceptional sharpness of the blade meant that it could cut through most armour however due to the layering of its construct it was also immensely strong – enabling it to be used to for defensive moves. So the sword negated the need for a shield. Hence why you never see a Japanese warrior with a shield – provided that he has either a Katana or Wakinashu.
Again due to the sharp blade, the attacks using a Katana are based on powerful slashing and cutting moves. Bushido is quite difficult to learn (in terms of finding a good teacher) and to understand basic principles you might want to try Fencing using either an Epee, Sabre or foil blade – this would be much easier to learn as so many places across the country do it.
Keep up the good work!
May peace be blessed upon you.
Thanks for your insight Paladin, I will look into the art of Escrima. Very interesting!
im learning to fight i get bullied in skool and i want 2 learn how to protect myself in my mind i mean use my mind to protect myself
Assalamu alaikum to all,
i have studied different fighting styles for a while now. a lot of people make claims that their style is the best, mma is the only way, grappling is the only way and on and on. for a muslim trying to learn martial art, i would say don’t confine yourself to one style or one way of fight. meaning, i only kickbox, or grapple, or strike, or trap, or wrestle. even the UFC has rules that must be followed. a simple way to get a guy of you in a grappling situation is to hit him in the groin, stick your fingers in his eyes, enough said. don’t get me wrong, i am not saying this can work in every situation and training is not needed(training is the way of PROPHET MUHAMMAD AND THE SAHABA’S), but don’t waste your time in learning to fight for a tournament or for the wrong reasons. these things are not going to help you in a real fight but get you hurt or killed. in a real fight there are no rules, there is no set stage. nobody is going to stand there and let you apply a technique your learned at a school. don’t be fooled by people telling you if you learn these movements and techniques you can have a blackbelt. it is even sad to see a kid can have a black belt in many style of martial arts these days. a blackbelt in the old days represent that you are capable of defending, attacking and knowing the consequence of it. today having a blackbelt is a joke. please before you start studying any martial arts, be awear of two aspects, self preservation and destroying the attacker(BUT ALSO REMEMBER A BELIEVER DOES NOT TRANSGRESS). now about muslim martial arts or whatever you want to call it. SILAT MUBAI is the real thing. having a background in martial arts and having been in a lot of streetfights i would recomend it to anyone, especially muslims. it deals with fighting in its true nature. not sugar coated and water down. i am not saying this because i learned silat mubai from a teacher or a school. i just purchased some dvd’s and i think if you don’t mind learning from a dvd’s it can really help with your artial arts training. also, when non muslims say kali and silat was not invented by muslims and muslims just adopted it. this is a very bold and domb statement. i am not saying kali and silat was invented only by muslims but many parts of the art was also added by the great muslim warrior who settled in this part of the world. who only taught the art to muslims. and just to say, muslim were the greatest sword fighter in the world, not what i said, the proof is in the history. read it. hey anybody wanna talk martial art or talk about training, i am alway looking to better myself. hit me up
my name is haniff
and my email is haniff_ali@yahoo.com
assalam alaikum,
this is an explanation of silat mubai from a site.
“Let us describe our hand to hand combat style.
Just for a moment consider a system that gives you the best stand up fighting applications using fists elbows and knees. Then follow up with the following techniques, smashing, thrusting, hammer-fists, palm strikes, slaps, pokes, tears, rips, and body rams. Deliver these with exact precision.
Add to that the best combative Malay, Turkish and Persian takedowns and throws, finish off with chokes, cranks, joint locks, breaks and foot stomps. Then include real world ground fighting techniques if you get taken down. Now you understand SILAT MUBAI.”
Thank you � excellent explanation, and this has been very helpful
Salam alakum does anyone know if they teach this in Maryland or Dc mousques?
Thanks for sharing this. Escrima is one type of fighting style that I think is fascinating and hasn’t gotten enough credit. There are lots of cool sites describing this art form.