Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom - جامع العلوم والحكم

Hadeeth Six (الحديث السادِس): Halal, Haram and Ambivalent Matters

2009-03-09T16:18:00.003Z

Hadeeth Six

الحديث السادِس

عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُما قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ يَقُولُ:

إِنَّ الْحَلاَلَ بَيِّنٌ، وَإِنَّ الْحَرَامَ بَيِّنٌ، وَبَيْنَهُمَا أُمُوْرٌ مُشْتَبِهَاتٌ، لا يَعْلَمُهُنَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الشُّبُهَاتِ؛ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ وَعِرْضِهِ، وَمَنْ وَقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ؛ وَقَعَ فِي الْحَرَامِ؛ كَالرَّاعِي يَرْعَى حَوْلَ الْحِمَى يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَرْتَعَ فِيهِ، أَلا! وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَلِكٍ حِمًى، أَلاَ! وَإِنَّ حِمَى اللهِ مَحَارِمُهُ، أَلا! وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً، إِذَا صَلَحَتْ؛ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ؛ فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، أَلا! وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ

رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيُّ وَمُسْلِمٌ

Abu 'Abdullah an-Nu'man ibn Bashir (radhi Allahu 'anh) said,

"I heard the Messenger of Allah (sallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) saying, 'The halal is clear and the haram is clear and in between them are ambivalent matters which many people do not know. Whoever guards himself against ambivalent matters has gone to the utmost limit in seeking to be clear in his din and his honour. Whoever falls into ambivalent matters will fall into the haram, like the shepard who shepards [his flock] around forbidden pasturage, he is certain to pasture [his flock] in it. Surely, every king has his forbidden pasturage. Surely, Allah's forbidden pasturage is the things He has forbidden. Surely, in the body there is a lump of flesh which when it is sound the whole body is sound and when it is corrupt the whole body is corrupt. Truly, it is the heart.' "

Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated it.

Hadeeth Five: الحديث الخامسُ (Innovation)

2009-03-07T21:19:00.007Z

Hadeeth Five explanation continued - part 2

Other 'Ulema has simply defined bid'ah as:
Introducing something in religion with the intention of reward; despite there being a need of it, it was not said by the Messenger of Allah (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) nor was it confirmed by his in his time.

For those who would like to read further, they could read Al-'Itisaam of Imam Shatbee where this is discussed at much length.

Whenever we look at words, we can look at it from two angles, a) linguistically and b) technically.

A) Linguistically bid'ah means something new.
B) Technically it is that which comprises: 1. something not from the time of the Messenger of Allah (sallahu alayhi wa sallam), nor the khulafaa, nor the salaf, 2. something new introduced with the intention of reward and 3. it is something not based on any of the principles of the prophetic message.

Looking at the linguistic meaning, today, everything is a bid'ah. Like when we refer to terms such as mubah, makrooh, wajib etc. It is true, as in it's outward for it does not look like it fits in under the general prophetic tradition. An example could be writing a book, and to dedicate the reward to the deceased. In the Messenger's time, not much written work was carried out, but today these written works come under tableegh and preaching. Hence they do conform the Prophetic message.

Another example could be as some communities do a khatam of the Qur'aan. This is such that you do not consider it to be a sunnah, nor would you look down upon it. From both points of view, it can be understood that those that do participate must not look down upon others that do not do it, and those that do it must not consider it a part of the Prophetic message.

There are certain things a part of deen, although the form that they are carried out in may not be a part of deen, the issue is a still part of deen. With such issues one must not deem the form of it a part of deen, nor look down upon those who carry out the acts in such a manner.

Another important point to note is that bid'ah also comprises giving certain acts more or less importance than it deserves. An example of this is collective du'aa after salah. In the Qur'an we are commanded to remember Allah, do dhikr. Now, if one looks down upon those who do not make a collective du'aa, this is giving more importance to the issue than it deserves.

Many sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them all) introduced new acts they initiated new forms and states of various issues, they understood from the general permission of the Qur'an and sunnah that it is halaal, lawful for them to do so.

A final point to note from this hadeeth is to give more importance to an act than it deserves or to give it less importance than it deserves is also bid'ah. In the actual text of Imam Ibn Rajab's book many examples are mentioned of this, for example we have 3 rak'aah of maghrib salah. To now change that to four or decrease it to two will come under bid'ah.

In a nutshell, in we do acts, in accordance to the general rulings and guidance as laid down by the Qur'an and Sunnah, then insha'Allah those acts will be accepted and will be rewarded. If a certain form of an act is not as in the Qur'an and Sunnah, then as long as it is not thought to be a part of deen, and it does contradict the general Prophetic teachings and message, then with these acts also, we can be hopeful of reward.

Blog....to recontinue

2009-03-01T22:33:00.002Z

Assalamu Alaykum,

Just a quick post to inform all, new posts shall be added real soon.

Request for du'aas from all readers.

Wassalam

Hadeeth Five: الحديث الخامسُ (Innovation)

2008-07-01T20:47:00.005+01:00

Hadeeth Five -explanation part 1

الحديث الخامسُ

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ :مَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَذَا مَا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ.

رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيُّ وَمُسْلِمٌ

.وَفِي رِوايَةٍ لِمُسْلِمٍ: مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلاً لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُنَا فَهُوَ رَدٌّ.

The mother of the mu'mineen, Umm 'Abdullah 'Aishah said: "The Messenger of Allah said, 'Whoever introduces into this affair of ours that which is not of it, then it is rejected'."

[Bukhari and Muslim related it]

And in a narration of Muslim's there is, "Whoever does an act on which our affair is not [based] then it is rejected."

This is a fundamental hadeeth of Islam. It compliments the first hadeeth covered on this blog. Every action must be done with sincerity (ikhlaas) as well as truthfulness (sidq). Each individual must be sincere in what he does as well as ensuring the act is in conformity with the rulings of shariah.

We must all ensure that whatever we say or carry out is the truth (haqq) and nothing but the truth. There is no use in being sincere but on the other hand carry out acts against what Allah wants and requires from us.

What is the definition of bid'ah (innovation):

1- An act that is not in accordance to what others did

2- An act that goes against the general rulings of Qur'an and Sunnah

3- In the time of the Messenger of Allah there was no need to carry out such an act

Hadeeth Four (الحَديثُ الرَّابِعُ) : The Decree

2008-06-30T19:58:00.000+01:00

Hadeeth Four explanation continued - part 2

This hadeeth explains to us the initial stages if creation. How the soul is placed into the foetus, it outlines the beginning stages of life as well as the final stages. After conception the first forty days of a human is initially a drop of sperm - (according to the Hanafi'a this is impure and according to the shafiees it is pure).

It is said that parts of the Qur'an explain each other, so before being a drop of sperm from other ayahs in the Qur'an we know that the sperm came from the earth.

Stages of a human before being given life are:

1. a drop of sperm (nutfah) ----->>> 2. a clot of blood ('alaqah) --------->>> 3.lump of flesh (mudhgah)

Through these three stages Allah ta'ala made creation. In the Qur'an the duration of each stage has not been mentionned, however we have evidences from the Ahadeeth that mention that each stage is around forty days each, and thereafter Allah sends an angel to blow life (rooh) into the fetus to become a human being. For this reason 'Ulema do not allow abortion after the passing of 120 days, it is totally haram and forbidden in Islam and it is considered to be murder in Islam.

There are certain cases in Islam when abortion is allowed in Islam. A detailed explanation has been pasted below from the Darul Iftaa website(http://www.daruliftaa.com/question.asp?txt_QuestionID=q-19031520):

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

Abortion and the termination of pregnancy is the expulsion of a foetus from the womb of a woman. This may be carried out either by consuming of certain drugs or by emptying the womb through the process of suction.
Life is sacred:
Islam regards human life to be sacred. Allah Most High says:
“And verily we have honoured the children of Adam.” (Surah al-Isra, V.70)
It does not matter where the life exists. Whether the life is extra-uterine or intra-uterine, its location has no significance on its sanctity. This sanctity applies not only to human life, but to the human body as well. Hence, according to Shariah, the physical body of a human after death is just as sacred as it was before death. The degree of sanctity of life is greater than that of the body. This is one of the reasons
why it is unlawful (haram) to consume the meat of a human, dead or alive.
The Shariah ruling on abortion:
Abortion can be divided into two stages:
a) Abortion after the soul (ruh) enters the foetus,
b) Abortion prior to the entry of the soul into the foetus
Before mentioning the ruling on abortion with regards to these two stages, it must be remembered here, that according to Shariah, the soul (ruh) enters the foetus at 120 days (4 months) from conception.
The Jurists (fuqaha) have based this duration upon a Qur’anic verse and a statement of the beloved of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace). In the verse, Allah Almighty states the stages of development of the embryo in the womb of the mother. Allah Almighty says:
“And verily we did create man from a quintessence (of clay). Then we placed him (as a drop of sperm) in a place of rest, firmly fixed. Then we made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood. Then of that clot we made a (foetus) lump. Then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh. Then we developed out of it another creature (by breathing life into it). So blessed be Allah, the most marvellous creator.” (Surah al-Mu’minun, 12/13/14)
In the Hadith recorded by the two most authentic authorities, Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim in their respective Sahih collections, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) discussed in detail the periods elapsing between these stages, mentioned by the Qur’an.
Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said:
“The seed of one of you remains in the womb of the mother for forty days in the form of a Nutfa (sperm). Then it remains like a clot for another forty days, and then for a same number of days like a lump of flesh (when the formation of the limbs and the growth of the bones begin).” (Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)
The great Hanafi Faqih, Imam Ibn Abidin States in his Radd al-Muhtar:
“The soul enters the foetus at one hundred & twenty days (4 months), as established by the Hadith.” (Radd al Muhtar, 1/202)
The ruling on abortion in stage (a) i.e. after the entry of the soul into the foetus which is (as explained) 120 days, is that, it is totally unlawful and tantamount to murder, as it results in the taking out of an innocent life. All the scholars have unanimously condemned such a ghastly act.
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah states in his Fatawa collection:
“Aborting a foetus has been declared unlawful (haram) with the consensus of all the Muslim scholars. It is similar to burying an infant alive as referred to by Allah Almighty in the verse of the Qur’an: “And when the female infant, buried alive, will be asked as to what crime she was killed for”. (Surah al-Takwir, 8)” (Fatawa Ibn Taymiyya, 4/217)
Allama Ibn Abidin (Allah have Mercy on him) also states the prohibition of this gruesome act in his treatise ‘Radd al-Muhtar’:
“If a woman intends to abort her pregnancy, then the Fuqaha have said: If the period of the soul being blown into the foetus has elapsed, it will be impermissible.” (Radd al-Muhtar, 5/276)
However, some Fuqaha and contemporary scholars have given a dispensation to abort the pregnancy after 120 days, in the situation where the life of the mother is in certain and absolute danger. This is based on the Juristic principle stated in the books of Usul al-Fiqh and Qawa’id (juristic principles):
“If one is overtaken by two evils, one should choose the lesser of the two.” (al-Ashbah wa al-Naza’ir, P.98) They state that the mother’s life should be saved and the foetus aborted, as the mother is established in life, with duties and responsibilities, whereas the unborn child is still in the mother’s womb. But it should be remembered, that the mother’s life must be in certain danger, and that this should be advised by a qualified and experienced Muslim doctor.
With regards to stage (b) i.e. prior to the entry of the soul into the foetus (120 days), the ruling on aborting the pregnancy is that, even in this case it will be unlawful (haram) to abort it.
The reason why abortion prior to the soul entering the body will not be permitted is that, although there may not be life in the foetus, but the foetus is considered to be part and parcel of the mother’s body as long as it remains in the womb. Thus, just as one’s very own life and also all the limbs and organs of the human body are trust given by the Almighty Creator, so too is the foetus also a trust given to the mother by Allah, and she will not have a right to abort it.
The only difference here is that the sin of aborting the foetus will be of a lesser degree than aborting it after 120 days. It would not be regarded as murder, rather violating the rights of a human organ entrusted to the mother by Allah Almighty.
It stated in Radd al-Muhtar:
“It is not permissible to abort the pregnancy before and after the entry of the soul into the foetus.” (Radd al-Muhtar, 5/279)
However, in certain extreme circumstances, it would be permitted to abort the pregnancy before the entry of the soul (120 days), such as: when the woman conceives after being raped, the mother’s life or health is in danger, or repeated pregnancies severely damages her health, etc…
Imam al-Haskafi writes in Durr al-Mukhtar:

“Aborting the pregnancy will be permissible due to a valid reason, provided the soul has not yet entered the foetus.”
It should be remarked here that pregnancy due to unlawful and illegal sex is no reason and excuse for abortion. The embryonic life farm in the mother’s womb is honoured and sacred even though it is a result of adultery. (Hidaya, 2/292)
In conclusion, abortion after 120 days is totally unlawful and tantamount to murder. Some Fuqaha, however, have given a dispensation only in the situation where the mother’s life is in certain danger. As far as abortion before the 120 days have elapsed is concerned, it will still be unlawful, though the sin will be of a lesser degree, and it will become permissible if there is a genuine and valid reason.
And Allah Knows Best

Muhammad ibn Adam Darul Iftaa Leicester , UK

An angel is commanded to write four things about each being given life in this world:

Provision - rizq of a person

Life span -ajl, how long a person shall live

Actions -'amal, the actions a person shall carry out

Whether a person is shaqee (unfortunate) or sa'eed (fortunate)

After going through the different stages of creation the hadeeth go on to talk about actions of a human. That verily he could be doing good all his life but one bad act may make his become from the dwellers of the hell-fire. Or a person could be really bad and just do one act that will allow him to enter paradise when destiny will over come these two types of people.

Our final actions before our death normally show what our final state will be when Allah sends the angel of death to remove our souls from us. It is said that your end is inheritance of how you spent your life. We should be very fearful of our final states as this will determine whether we will eneter Jannah or the hell-fire. The Pious Predecessors use to be extremely fearful of their final states, hence we should always pray:

'Allahummah innee as-saluka husnul khaatimah'

Some people have the misconception that due to the mention of Allah fixing our fate we do not have to act in the world in accordnace to shari'ah as whatever is written in our destiny is what will ultimately take place. We need to understand that as well as there being qadr, at the same time we have been given the abilty (istitaa'a) to do good deeds in the world. We can look at this from two perspectives and angles:

That Allah ta'ala has destined our fate for us, this is something we should not deal with and beleive it in and leave it be.
That as humans we should beleive in qadr but at the same time we should live "as though" there is no fate and work hard and strive to get jannah in this world.

A great example to understand the above is a planned robbery. A group of people paln to rob, the information of the whole plan leaks to the police. So on one side the group plan to rob and on the other the police through much investigation and research plan to catch them in the act. The police go to the place they plan to rob before this group even arrive, they take up their positions in order to catch them red-handed in the act.

The robbers go to rob, but before they can even rob they are arrested. The robbers can say that how can you arrest us when you knew we were going to carry out this crime? This is an excellent example to make us realise that Allah knows our actions and still we will either be a inhabitant of the hell-fire to paradise.

I pray that Allah makes us all from the inhabitants of Paradise, true beleivers of fate from Allah ta'ala and ones who act in accordance to the will of Allah with a death in the state of imaan. Ameen.

Hadeeth Four (الحَديثُ الرَّابِعُ) : The Decree

2008-06-27T13:32:00.005+01:00

Hadeeth Four:

الحَديثُ الرَّابِعُ

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ؛ وَهُوَ الصَّادِقُ الْمَصْدُوقُ: إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ يُجْمَعُ خَلْقُهُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا نُطْفَةً، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ عَلَقَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ مُضْغَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يُرْسِلُ اللهُ إلَيْهِ الْمَلَكَ، فَيَنْفُخُ فِيْهِ الرُّوْحَ، وَيُؤْمَرُ بِأَرْبَعِ كَلِمَاتٍ؛ بِكَتْبِ رِزْقِهِ، وَعَمَلِهِ، وَأَجَلِهِ، وَشَقِيٌّ، أَوْ سَعِيدٌ، فَوَالَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ غَيْرُهُ! إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ؛ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا إِلاّ ذِرَاعٌ، فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ، فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ، فَيَدْخُلُهَا، وَإِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ؛ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا إِلاّ ذِرَاعٌ، فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ، فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ، فَيَدْخُلُهَ.

رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيُّ وَمُسْلِمٌ

From Abu 'Abd ar-Rahman 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud there is that he said, " The Messenger of Allah told us - and he is the truthful one who is confirmed, - 'The creation of any one of you is gathered in the belly of his mother for forty days as a drop, the later a blood clot for the like of that, then later a morsel of flesh for the like of that. Then the angel is sent to him and breathes the ruh (spirit) into him, and he is commanded with four words: with writing his provision, his life-span, his action, and whether he is fortunate or unfortunate. By Allah the One other that Whom there is no god, one of you will do the actions of the people of the Garden until there is only a cubit between him and it, then the decree will overtake him, he will do the actions of the people of the Fire and thus enter it. One of you will do the actions of the people of the Fire until there only remains a cubit between him and it, then the decree will overtake him, he will do the actions of the people of the Garden and so enter it."

[Bukhari and Musalim Narrated it]

Explanation to follow in next post after the weekend.

Hadeeth Three (الحديث الثالث ): Islam is Built on Five

2008-06-26T12:31:00.007+01:00

Hadeeth Three Explained *updated and complete*:

الحديث الثالث

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عنْهُما قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُول اللهِ يَقُوْلُ: بُنِيَ الإِسْلاَمُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ؛ شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاّ اللهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، وَ إِقَامِ الصَّلاَةِ، وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَحَجِّ الْبَيْتِ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ

. رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيُّ وَمُسْلِمٌ

From Abu 'Abdur Rahamn 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar ibn AL-Khattab رَضِيَ اللهُ عنْهُ that he said: " I heard the Messenger of Allah صلي الله عليه وسلم say, 'Islam is built on five: witnessing that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishment of prayer, payment of zakah, Hajj of the House, and the fast of Ramadhan'."

[Bukhari and Muslim narrated it]

Islam is buit on five pillars, five funadmentals and beliefs. Our Islam is built on these things, they are our basis without which our Islam would not be firm. One central pillar stands out more than others, this is our main piller which is our shahadah (testification of faith). If we lack in any of the five pillars our basis and foundation of our Islam will be weak.

These five fundamentals are:

Shahadah - declaration of faith, that Allah is our Lord and Muhammad is his Messenger صلي الله عليه وسلم and servant.
Iqamatus Salah - establish prayer, many a times we see the word iqaam and aqeemu with salah rather than sallu. The difference between sallu and aqeemu is that sallu is merely used for praying sayah and iqaamah is used for establishing prayer. The difference can also be used by taking an example of one who pays salah as if they are mere actions very fats and a person who prays salah with full devotion and conviction on a stage and level of ihsaan (explained in hadeeth two). The first is just praying salah and the other is actually establishing prayer. To reach the level of ihsaan without doubt is difficult, but something we should and need to work on attaining. In earlier times people were not judged about their faith according to the length of their beards nor their amaamah of thowb, instead true identity of faith was determined by prayer. The severity of missing salah is so bad that some 'Ulema have called one who intentionally misses prayer a kaafir, others even say it is necessary for such a person to renew their nikah. This in itself should help us not miss any of our salahs.
Iytaa'iz-zakah - to give zakah, the word iytaa' has been used as we have to ensure that when we give this obligatory charity we give it in accordance to the rules and regulations et out by shariah.
Hajjil Bayt - to perform hajj of the house in accordance to all the rules and regulations set down by shariah. When when goes to perform the pilgrimage it should be such that they educate themselves before going to ensure everything is done correctly.
Sawmi Ramadhan - To keep the fasts of Ramadhan. The fasts of Ramadhan are not just abstaining from food and drink, however it is attaining a level of God-consciousness, taqwa. We need to be aware that in whatever we do Allah Most High is watching us and knower of all deeds.

Each of these pillars hold an important position in Islam, hence we should strive to uphold each and every one of them.

I pray Allah ta'ala give us all the ability to carry out the duties commanded to us by the Qur'an and ahadeeth to the best of our ability. Ameen

Hadeeth Two (الحديث الثاني) : Hadeeth e Jibraeel (Islam, Imaan and Ihsan)

2008-06-25T12:01:00.003+01:00

Hadeeth Two (الحديث الثاني) : Explanation continued - part 4 - final part

Islaam, Imaan and Ihsaan

Islam relates to doing things with the external body parts - "a'amaal jawaarih". It concerns the actions of the physical body. Our mouth is the organ which bear witnesses and testifies our belief in order for us to be called Muslims. It is externally and verbally proclaiming the shahadah (an laa ilaaha illallah).

External actions can be divided into two categories:

Badnee- physical, like salah and siyaam. These are physical acts that require actions from our body parts.
Malee - monetary like zakah. This has an acspect of physical and montery acts. Likewise hajj also.

All these things are included under the category of Islaam, malee and badnee acts. In a hadeeth it has also come that the Messenger of Allah صلي الله عليه وسلم said:

المسلم من سلم المسلمون من لسانه و يده

A complete Muslim is he whose mouth and tongue other Muslims are saved from.

This category of Islam even includes saying salaam to one another regardless of if you know a person or not.

Imaan relates to the internal actions, "a'amaal baatiyaan", even 'aqeedah. Islam is the most inclusive religion. As our 'aqeedah informs us to bring faith on not just Musa عليه السلام, or Easa عليه السلام, or Muhammad. However, it tells us to bring imaan on all the Prophets.

Under the category of Imaan falls qadr. We must believe in fate good or bad. This is a fundamental part of our 'aqeedah which comprises of two levels. The first that Allah has all knowledge of what an individual will do in his life from the good and the bad, whether he will be an inhabitant of the heaven of the hellfire. The second being that with the above being true we must strive to work hard in this world as we as not aware of what lies within our fate.

The question may arise that is there any difference between Islaam and Iman. There have been lengthy discussions on this amongst the 'ulema. There is this analysis that when Islaam and Iman are referred to an once and togethor, they are regarding different things. Imaan will mean tasawwuf and Islaam would refer to fiqh. However, if Islaam is mentioned alone or Iman is mentioned alone it will include both things.

The last thing here is Ihsaan. Ihsaan is from the word husn meaning excellency. Our whole deen is based on Ihsaan. It is a very important element and quality for one to be a muhsin. he Christians and Jews would say only they will enter Paradise, but where was their proof? Even some Muslims now think they will definately enter paradise. However, Allah warns us not to be like the Jews and Christians. As Muslims we must realise that to enter Jannah you have to work hard to get into it. A muhsin is one who has Islam and submits his whole self to Allah and is the doer of good internally and externally.

One must be good and undertake excellency with whatever take ho or she does. Even to the extent of when one slaughters an animal there should be excellency. One should not kill one animal in front of another and many other things. With talaq (divorce) also, come "tasreeh bil ihsaan", that if you want to maintain your relationship with your spouse maintain it properly. However, after much effort and compromise if you are not able to uphold the relationship then you may divorce as a final resort. But when divorce is given it should be done with ihsaan, in a good manner, not in a way that two individuals are now enemies. Being a muhsin and doer of good applies even more when relating to the rights of the servants of Allah. Bearing this in mind we should aim to become muhsin in all parts of life, not just on the masjid or in front of certain people.

Ihsaan is also to worship Allah is such a way as though you see him or vice versa that he sees you. Putting this and the above together is true excellency. Those who are excellent and ahsan, are the doers of good they will have husnaa good and the pleasure of seeing Allah Most High in the akhirah. Thinking that we will have the (ma'iyyat) nearness of Allah in the hereafter should be enough to make us want to become a muhsin and doer of good throughout our life.

In the second part of the explanation of this hadeeth it was stated that the sahabah found it very strange that this man who posed the question did not have any apparent signs of being a traveller nor was he a local. The reason why this incident occurred was to catch the attention of all those present on the gathering at that time. If something is normal people tend not to pay so much attention to it, whereas when somethings seems odd and strange people are more likely to pay attention. This man was Jibra'eel عليه السلام who had come to pose these questions so the sahabas could listen and learn the matters relating to deen which they themselves may have wanted to ask but for some reason or another had not.

Alhamdulillah the second hadeeth has now been completed. Next post shall be hadeeth three.

Hadeeth Two (الحديث الثاني) : Hadeeth e Jibraeel (Islam, Imaan and Ihsan)

2008-06-24T11:55:00.007+01:00

Hadeeth Two (الحديث الثاني) : Explanation continued - part 3

Tasawwuf

Many people today have understood this category under the wrong light. We have two extremes, those who are totally for it and end up doing many bizarre things in the name of Islam and tasawwuf and the other extreme where people think it has no place in Islam.

Some people even think that tasawwuf if not governed by the rules on shariah, so much so that they think you do not even have to be a Muslim to be called "sufi". Shaykh Muhiyyud-deen Al-Arabi was a great sufi. A non-Muslim once attended a dhikr majlis by his grave. When asked who he was he replied that he was not a Muslim but he was a sufi! He claimed to have a Shaykha in London whom the would encircle part of sufi dancing. Suhanallah. Due to the fact that we have this extreme people go to the complete opposite extreme. It is human nature to leave a group that they really hate. Some people are ignorant and do not know of the different between that as mentioned above and real sufism. No individual can disagree with tadhkiyatul qalb (purification of the heart) and ihsaan. It is obligatory and a fardh e 'ayn upon every Muslim, male or female, to implement the laws of the inner self.

Now the question arises, is it necessary for one to have a Sheikh to rectify their inner-self. Should one be part of a spiritual order (tareeq)? Is all this nothing but an innovation? This is something we must all understand. Just as one needs a teacher to study the intricate details of 'aqeedah and fiqh, the branches discussed in the last post, in the same way we need a teacher to help us understand the rulings of the inner-self.

An example may be taken that we are commanded to have "tawaadhu' " which is humbleness - a command related to the heart and inner-self. Islam has ordered us to be humble, but at the same time it is unlawful for us to degrade ourselves to the extent we end up into the category of self degradation (dhillatun-nafs). On one side Islam says pride and arrogance is not allowed and at the same time it sames self degradation is unlawful. The question arises that where will the line be drawn between the two? One may partially understand the fine line between the two, but to fully understand one needs a teacher.

One may ask themself that is it necessary to give bay'ah (a pledge) and be part of a tareeq? A wa'ad - pledge is just a promise, a bilateral pledge. Just like when a child is sent to a madrassah, it is promised that the child will be punctual, abide by the rules and conditions, not to miss class and to be in uniform. On the other end the teacher promises to look after the child, provide him good quality education. This is a mutual promise. Likewise, the bay'ah is a mutual promise, where the Shaykh promises to take out time to help a mureed and the mureed promises to take on board the advice given. This is a proven sunnah, we do not need to exaggerate and call it a fardh. As long as one refers to scholars this can even be done alone. There is no requirement to be part of a spiritual order to purify your inner-self. The scholars that help purify the inner-self are like spiritual doctors. Some prefer to be part of a tareeq as that helps them better. Nevertheless, we should understand that tasawwuf is part and parcel of Islam whether we call it tasawwuf or tadhkiyatul qalb or any other name.

There are many instances where bay'ah has been spoken of in quran and ahadeeth. For example:

In Surah Mumtahina - Ayah 12:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِذَا جَاءكَ الْمُؤْمِنَاتُ يُبَايِعْنَكَ عَلَى أَن لَّا يُشْرِكْنَ بِاللَّهِ شَيْئاً وَلَا يَسْرِقْنَ وَلَا يَزْنِينَ وَلَا يَقْتُلْنَ أَوْلَادَهُنَّ وَلَا يَأْتِينَ بِبُهْتَانٍ يَفْتَرِينَهُ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِنَّ وَأَرْجُلِهِنَّ وَلَا يَعْصِينَكَ فِي مَعْرُوفٍ فَبَايِعْهُنَّ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُنَّ اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

"O you who believe, when the believing women come to you, seeking bai’ah (a pledge of allegiance) with you that they will not ascribe any partner to Allah, and will not commit theft, and will not commit fornication,and will not kill their children, and will not come up with a false claim (about the parentage of a child) that they falsely attribute (to the sperm of their husbands being dropped) between their hands and their feet (i.e. their private parts), and will not disobey you in what is recognized (in Sharī‘ah), then take them in your bai’ah, and pray Allah for their forgiveness. Surely Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful"

Next post on: Islam, Imaan and Ihsaan.

Hadeeth Two (الحديث الثاني) : Hadeeth e Jibraeel (Islam, Imaan and Ihsan)

2008-06-23T13:00:00.000+01:00

Hadeeth Two (explanation continued) - part 2 *UPDATED*

When Imam Nawawi رضي الله عنه selected his 42 ahadeeth he had a criteria in mind. These narrations formed the foundations of Islam.

This hadeeth deals with belief, prayer, giving alms, fasting, the pilgrimage all being the basic issues of Islam. This hadeeth is termed, according to muhadditheen, Hadeeth e Jibraeel, reason being, the man who came to our Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم asking the questions was the angel Jibraeel. This hadeeth is also called 'Hadeethul Ihsaan'.

Shaykh Usamah Rufa'ee, a shafie'e scholar, use to have his jumu'ah khutbah for fourty-five minutes every Friday discussing this hadeeth. It was seventy jumu'ah's before the hadeeth was completed. This is how much meaning ths hadeeth encompasses. This Shaykh would cover the most amazing points discussing this hadeeth. Many 'Ulema have written books dedicated to this one hadeeth.

'Umar رضي الله عنه narrates this hadeeth and it is an extremely rigorously authenticated hadeeth.

In this hadeeth that Hadhrat Umar رضي الله عنه is narrating, he is trying to indicate that when a person would come to the gathering, or masjid where our Prophet was present there were only ever two possibilities:

1 - The person was an outsider, who had travelled to meet the Prophet, and signs of travel would be visible and apparent upon such a person. The reason this would be known in the time of the Prophet , was because the community was very close knit. They knew the residents of their locality very well.

2- The person was well known from among the community, he was a local.

Hence, if a person were to attend a gathering of the Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم there were two possibilities, a)the person had travelled from a distant place and signs of travel would be visible or b) the person was a local.

When this man mentioned in the hadeeth entered the Sahaba's found it very strange and were unaware of where he had come from. Nobody recognised the man and no signs of travel were visible or apparent.

Another thing that this man did was when he was seated he rested his hands on his own knees or the Prophet (p.b.u.h)'s knees (different narrations quote different situations). From this many 'Ulema derive the posture that a student should sit in whilst studying. A student (tilmeedh) should sit as he sits whilst performing tashahhud in salah. This is a highly recommended act. to sit in this manner is a form of submission in front of your teacher. Knowledge is truly in books, but the keys to those books lye at the hands of our teachers, the 'Ulema. Hence, it is important to sit and act with utmost respect in front of ones teacher. One could posses all the treasures possible, but what use and benefit would that be if one is not able to access it?

DEEN

When one studies all the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah, they find that the rulings are divided into three categories. However, in earlier generations (quroonul oola), no such distinction was made. Instead one comprehensive term "DEEN" was used. This term encompasses very form of Islamic guidance or "Fiqh". Nower days ther term fiqh is used in a complete different form to what it was used as in the time of Rasoolullah.

Many a times when one sees the term fiqh in the Qur'and and sunnah, they are mistaken with the term fiqh that we use now. In a hadeeth it has come:

من يرد الله به خير يفقه في الدين

Whomsoever Allah desires good for He bestows upon him understanding in the deen.

Here the term Fiqh means all of Islam.

'AQEEDAH, FIQH, TASAWWUF

As time passed and more people embrassed Islam after the demise of the Messenger of Allah صلي الله عليه و سلم, new issues arose and Islam spread to distant lands. As more and more new issues were introduced and brought to the forefront, scholars said and felt the need to divide rulings within the Qur'an and Sunnah. This was all for the sake of convenience. As Islam spread different types of people starting bringing new ideas and topics. Groups such as the Mu'tazilah and Jabariyyah were formed. So 'Ulema felt the need to structure and codify the science of 'Aqeedah. They used the Qur'an and Sunnah and searched for all things dealing with the belief and they dedicated their lives towards that field. They defended the 'Aqeedah of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah, they began with the beliefs dealing with Allah and the Messengers and covered all other issues and structured it and books were written in this science. Within these books many issues were dealt with regarding 'aqeedah like the do's and don'ts, unlawfulness of shirk (polotheism) the sifaat (attributes) of Allah etc.

The first category that some 'Ulema chose do dedicate their lives to was 'Aqeedah. This science has many names and la mashaahata fil istilaah. It is also known as:

'Ilmut tawheed
'Ilmul Kalaam
'Fiqhul akbar

Other 'Ulema looks at a field called Awaamir and Nawaahi in another category. The Awamir and Nawaahi (do's and don'ts) that dealt with the extrenal and physical body. The Awaamir were things like: Salah, Zakah and Hajj and the nawaahi like: Adultery, backbiting, stealing etc. Again like in the field of 'aqeedah the 'Ulema extracted all the rulings from the Qu'ran and Sunnah pertaining to this field, they codified it and dedicated their lives towards it. Some 'Ulema write books in this field, and this is how the four schools of thought (madhaahibs) came into existance.

All the ruling regarding the external body is called Fiqh as we know of the term today. However, as explained earlier in earlier times fiqh was a mere synonym of the word deen. However, now it has it's own exclusive meaning when used by 'Ulema.

The Awaamir and Nawaahi (do's and don'ts) that deal with the internal body, the inner self, the prohibitions of the heart like from amongst the awaamir of the heart would be to have sincerty (ikhlas - discussed in hadeeth one) and amongst the nawaahi would be hatred. Now this field also was given a branch of it's own. The name of this science is irrelavant it could be called:

Ihasaan
Tadhkiyatul qalb
'Ilmul Akhlaq
Tasawwuf

The aim of this field is just to purify and rectify the inner self, hence whether it is called Ihasaan as this hadeeth calls it, or whether it is called tasawwuf makes no difference whatsoever. Some say tasawwuf originates from the word

"suwf" meaning the people would do mujahahdah (spiritually struggle) they would wear wollen clothes and meditate.
"saff" - meaning the first row in Salah
"siffah" - meaning the good quality these people have.

The Qur'an and Sunnah deals with all three of these fields collectively. A great example is Suratul 'Asr:

سُوۡرَةُ العَصر

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

وَٱلۡعَصۡرِ (١ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ لَفِى خُسۡرٍ (٢ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ (٣

1.(I swear) by the Time,

2.man is in a state of loss indeed,

3.except those who believed and did righteous deeds, and exhorted each other to follow truth, and exhorted each other to observe patience.

In this Surah Allah says "except those who believe" this is regarding the first branch - 'aqeedah. Then Allah says "did righteous deeds" this the second branch - fiqh. And Finally Allah speaks of Sabr - this is the third branch - tasawwuf.

The Qur'an and Sunnah have not divided these branches not titled them, nevertheless they ae still covered and we do not refute them. When the three fields are discussed, we should never refute them just because of their titles. Just because some people may have given a bad name to these fields does not mean we associate that with Islam.

This hadeeth is another prime example of all three branches being covered collectively.

More to follow soon insha'Allah.

Blog Halt - Until 18th June

2008-05-16T14:09:00.001+01:00

Assalamu Alaykum,

Respected Readers.....

The blog shall not be updated till the 18th of June. Insha'Allah posts shall resume from that date and we hope to complete all notes before part 2 of the Compendium of Knowledge course.

Du'aas requested

Wassalam

Hadeeth Two (الحديث الثاني) : Hadeeth e Jibraeel (Islam, Imaan and Ihsan)

2008-04-12T18:12:00.026+01:00

Hadeeth Two:

الحديث الثاني

عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ (رضي الله عنه) قَالَ: بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللهِ (صلي الله عليه وسلم) ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ؛ إِذْ طَلَعَ عَلَيْنَا رَجُلٌ شَدِيدُ بَيَاضِ الثِّيَابِ، شَدِيدُ سَوَادِ الشَّعْرِ، لاَ يُرَى عَلَيْهِ أَثـَرُ السَّفَرِ، وَلاَ يَعْرِفُهُ مِنَّا أَحَدٌ؛ حَتَّى جَلَسَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ، فَأَسْنَدَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ إِلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ، وَوَضَعَ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَى فَخِذَيْهِ، وَقَالَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ! أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الإِسْلاَم , فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ (صلي الله عليه وسلم) : الإِسْلاَمُ أَنْ تَشْهَدَ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاّ اللهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَّسُولُ اللهِ، وَتُقِيمَ الصَّلاةَ، وَتُؤْتِيَ الزَّكَاةَ، وَتَصُومَ رَمَضَانَ، وَتَحُجَّ الْبَيْتَ إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلاً. قَالَ: صَدَقْتَ، قَالَ: فَعَجِبْنَا لَهُ يَسْأَلُهُ، وَيُصَدِّقُهُ. قَالَ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الإِيمَانِ، قَالَ (صلي الله عليه وسلم): أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللهِ، وَمَلائِكَتِهِ، وَكُتُبِهِ، وَرُسُلِهِ، وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ، وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ. قَالَ: صَدَقْتَ , قَالَ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الإِحْسَانِ، قَالَ (صلي الله عليه وسلم): أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ. قَالَ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ السَّاعَةِ، قَالَ (صلي الله عليه وسلم): مَا الْمَسْئُولُ عَنْهَا بِأَعْلَمَ مِنَ السَّائِلِ. قَالَ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ أَمَارَتِهَا, ، قَالَ (صلي الله عليه وسلم): أَنْ تَلِدَ الأَمَةُ رَبَّتَهَا، وَأَنْ تَرَى الْحُفَاةَ الْعُرَاةَ الْعَالَةَ رِعَاءَ الشَّاءِ يَتَطَاوَلُونَ فِي الْبُنْيَانِ. ثُمَّ انْطَلَقَ، فَلَبِثْتُ مَلِيًّا، ثُمَّ قَالَ (صلي الله عليه وسلم) لِي: يَا عُمَرُ! ! أَتَدْرِي مَنِ السَّائِلُ؟ قُلْتُ : اللهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ، قَالَ (صلي الله عليه وسلم): فَإِنَّهُ جِبْرِيلُ ، أَتَاكُمْ يُعَلِّمُكُمْ دِينَكُمْ

رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ

'Umar (رضي الله عنه) also said, "While we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah one day, a man came up to us whose clothes were extremely white, whose hair was extremely black, upon whom no traces of travelling could be seen, and whom none of us knew, until he sat down close to the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) and the rested his knees upon his knees and placed his two hands upon his thighs and said, 'Muhammad, tell me about Islam?'. The Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, 'Islam is that you witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and establish prayer and give the zakah and fast Ramadhan, and perform the Hajj of the House if you are able to take a way to it'. He said, ' You have told the truth,' and we were all amazed at him asking him and [then] telling him that he told the truth.

He said, 'Tell me about Imaan?' He (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, 'That you believe in Allah, His Angels, His books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, and that you believe in the Decree, the good of it and the bad of it.' He said, 'You have told the truth'.

He said, 'Tell me about ihsaan?'. He (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, 'That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you don't see Him, truly he sees you'.

He said, 'Tell me about the Hour?'. He (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, 'The one who asked about it knows no more than the one asking'.

He said, 'Then tell me about its tokens?' He (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, 'That the female slave should give birth to her mistress, and you see poor, naked, barefooted Shepard's of sheep and goats competing in making tall buildings'.

He went away, and I remained some time. The he [the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم)] asked, 'Umar (رضي الله عنه), do you know who the questioner was?' I said, 'Allah and His Messenger know best'.

He (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, 'He was Jibraeel who came to teach you your deen'.

[Muslim Narrated it]

Hadeeth One (الحديث الأول): Intention and Sincerity نية و اخلاص - Part 2

2008-03-24T10:18:00.005Z

Hadeeth One (explanation continued) - part 3

From the translation of this hadeeth we know that every individual will receive that which he has intended ( وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى). It is a repetition of the first part of the hadeeth to place emphasis on the beginning of the hadeeth, 'Actions are only by intentions'. If a person intended good, then he will definitely get good. However, Imam ibn Rajab says that it is not repetition, rather the first sentence indicates that the goodness of an act, and the evil/corruption of an act is based on one's intention. The second part 'وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى' indicates that the reward of the doer of the action is according to his good intention or his punishment is according to his bad intention.

These clauses of the hadeeth are all from the جوامع الكلم 'comprehensive statements'. This is whereby the Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم was given the unique quality of gathering oceans of knowledge in brief, short statements and texts.

The next part of the hadeeth looks at Hijrah. 'Whoever's emigration is for Allah and His Messenger, then his emigration is for Allah and His Messenger. Whoever's emigration is for some worldly gain which he can acquire or a woman he will marry, then his emigration is for that which he emigrates'.

These are two examples of هجره. هجره means emigration and according to many scholars هجره (linguistically) means to leave behind and abstain. The meaning taken here is emigration.

One who emigrates for Allah and his Messenger صلي الله عليه و سلم, for their sake, out of their love, in order to preserve; safeguard and protect deen for themselves and their offspring, then it is enough as a form of 'فخر' (honour) that you have gained that which you have intended. Meaning this is enough for you as a form of reward.

Then in comparison to he above, we have the one who emigrates without a sincere intention, for worldly gain and benefit. Examples are below:

A person goes to perform hajj for business transactions or to purchase abaya's. This is an example of doing an act for worldly gain as mentioned in the hadeeth.
Then we have a person who performs hajj of 'umrah to get married. Again this is an example of a wring intention. Some scholars say the سبب النزول/سبب الورود - the background of this hadeeth was regarding a man who proposed to a woman named Umme Qays (ام قيس). She said to this man, if you do not migrate then i will not marry you. So this man emigrated to marry this woman. Other 'Ulema say this was not the reason, nevertheless many refer to this man as 'مهاجر ام قيس' (Muhaajir Umma Qays). Ibn Rajab Al Hanbali says regrading this, that the man's hijrah was for what he intended. The act is such that it is not even worth mentioning again, in comparison to the emigration for Allah and his Messanger. The emigration for Allah and his Messenger was something worthy, hence it was repeated.

There are many practical benefits that can be derived from this hadeeth. The first is sincerity, we must ensure we have sincerity in everything that we do in all acts of worship.

Another thing we learn here is the juristic (فقهي) definition of intention: النية عمل القلب - Intention is an act of the heart. This is to the point that fuqaha say that if in you mind you have an incorrect intention, but in the heart you have a correct intention, then your act is still valid. However, if our heart were to have the wrong intention and our mind the correct one then that action would be deemed invalid. It is absolutely necessary that we learn the rulings pertaining to niyyah according to our madhab.

Lastly, the opposite to sincerity is ostentation (doing things for show), we must ensure we stop doing acts for ostentation and replace it with acts done with sincerity.

Hadeeth One (الحديث الأول): Intention and Sincerity نية و اخلاص - Part 2

2008-03-21T16:58:00.008Z

Hadeeth One (explanation continued) - part 2:

Below are what some famous 'Ulama have to say about this hadeeth.

Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal رحمة الله عليه has said Islam is based one three ahadeeth. One of them being this hadeeth.
It is said that this hadeeth opens seventy doors of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence).
Imam Shafiee رحمة الله عليه has said:

هذا الحديث ثلث العلم

This hadeeth is a third of all knowledge.

Imam Abu Daud رحمة الله عليه has said that I collected 500,000 narrations for my book and compiled only 4800 ahadeeth. However, four are enough from them, if you act upon them it is enough to live your life and be successful. From amongst the four is this hadeeth.

In this hadeeth "انما" means only - Actions are only by the intentions. In other words, actions are only rewarded by correct intentions. Scholars disagree as to whether it is regarding the actions being accepted or rewarded.

Some 'Ulama say the act will not be accepted and he will have to repeat the act of worship ('ibaadah). However other 'Ulama are of the opinion, say for example, if one performs salah for ostentation (رياء - to impress others), then the prayer will not have to be repeated but the salah will be free from any reward.

Niyyah نية - plural being نيات means intention. The type of intention that is discussed amongst the Fuqaha (jurists) of fiqh, is that intention which distinguishes one form of 'ibadah (worship) from another. The type of niyyah discussed by Sufi's is sincerity (اخلاص). When niyyah is not being discussed under the light of fiqh, then by default one is talking about sincerity (اخلاص) and doing actions for the sake of Allah سبحانه وتعالي.

In the ahadeeth and the Qur'an when intentions are mentionned, it is pertaining to whether a person was sincere ir not. Whether the action is deemed for the sake of Allah سبحانه وتعالي or not.

"يحشر الناس علي نياتهم"

People will be raised on the day of judgement according to their intentions. Even in a hadeeth in Saheeh Muslim it has come about the different people on the day of judgment and how their intentions played a major role in decidng their final abode:

The following hadith, was narrated by Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه:

I heard Allah سبحانه وتعالي's Messenger صلي الله عليه و سلم saying:

The first of people's whose case will be decided on the Day of Judgement will be a man who died as a martyr. He will be brought forth, Allah سبحانه وتعالي will make him know about his blessings (which he had bestowed on him in the world) The man will acknowledge them. Then Allah سبحانه وتعالي will ask him: What did you do with them? He will say; I fought in Your way until I died as a martyr. Allah سبحانه وتعالي will remark; You are lying, You fought so that you might be called a brave warrior. Then orders will be passed against him. So he will be dragged along on his face and cast into Hell.

Second will be a man who studied (religions) knowledge. Then he taught it to others and recited the Quran. He will be brought (for judgement). Allah سبحانه وتعالي will remind him of His favors (showered on him in the world). He will admit them (having enjoyed them in his life). Then Allah سبحانه وتعالي will ask him; What did you do with them? He will reply: I acquired knowledge and imparted it and also recited the Quran for Your sake. Allah سبحانه وتعالي will observe; You have told a lie, for you got knowledge to renowned as a scholar; and you recited the Quran to be marked as Qari (one who recited Quran according to the rules). Then orders will be passed against him. So he will be dragged along on his face and thrown into Hell.

Third will be a man to who Allah سبحانه وتعالي had made abundantly rich and granted him every kind of wealth. He will be brought for Judgement. Allah will let him know about his gifts conferred upon him in the world. He will recognize them. Then Allah سبحانه وتعالي will inquire: What did you do with them? He will say; I left no way in which You like money to be spent without spending in it for Your sake, Allah سبحانه وتعالي will say; You are lying according to your intention). Now you deserve nothing in the Hereafter except Hell. So orders will be passed against him and he will be dragged along on his face until he will be hurled into Hell.

May Allah سبحانه وتعالي save us all. Ameen

Imam 'Abdullah ibn Mubarak رحمة الله عليه has said:

رب عمل صغير يكبر النية , رب عمل كبير يصغر النية

Sometimes you have such a small action but the intention makes it huge in the sight of Allah سبحانه وتعالي and sometimes you have such a big action, but your intention makes it small in the sight of Allah سبحانه وتعالي.

What is the opposite to sincerity (اخلاص)?

The opposite to sincerity is ostentation (رياء - showing off, doing actions to impress others). This is amongst the spiritual diseases of the heart which are often difficult to combat. Sometimes, they are needed in life. For instance anger, it is from amongst the spiritual diseases, but at times it can be used.

Some 'Ulama say, when a child is at a young age doing an act praise them excessively so that they become good at it. Keep praising them, initially it will be showing off, but after as the child grows up, it will become a habit and thereafter an 'ibadah (act of worship).

Therefore, as humans when carrying out an action and analysing our niyyah, we must understand what sincerity is and we must also understand what ostentation is. It must be that we do our acts out of sincerity for the pleasure of Allah Al-Mighty and out of ostentation for the world and its inhabitants.

We must keep this hadeeth in mind

"من صلى يرائي فقد أشرك "

That the Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم has said: "Whoever prays to show off, then he has committed shirk". This type of association of shirk is minor shirk شرك أصغر, nevertheless, it should be enough to make us wary of our intentions.

Hadeeth One (الحديث الأول): Intention and Sincerity نية و اخلاص

2008-03-14T14:35:00.009Z

Hadeeth One:

الحديث الأول

عَنْ أَمِيْرِ المؤْمِنِيْن أَبِي حَفْصٍ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلي الله عليه و سلم يَقُولُ : إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى، فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ؛ فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ لدُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا، أَوِ امْرَأَةٍ يَنْكِحُهَا؛ فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِ

رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيُّ وَمسلم

The Amir al-Mu'minin Abu Hafs, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه said, " I heard the Messenger of Allah صلي الله عليه و سلم saying, 'Actions are only by intentions, and each man has only that which he intends. Whoever's emigration is for Allah and His Messenger, then his emigration is for Allah and His Messenger. Whoever's emigration is for some worldly gain which he can acquire or a woman he will marry, then his emigration is for that which he emigrates'."

Bukhari and Muslim narrated it.

This hadeeth is an extremely rigorously authenticated, all 'Ulema agree upon this (اجماع). Imam Bukhari as well as many other scholars of ahadeeth begin their book with this particular narration. The reason for this is that whenever we begin anything in life, the first thing we need to consider is our intention. By beginning a book with this hadeeth Imam Bukhari as well as others are reminding themselves; the teachers; the students and the readers to correct their intentions.

Imam Dhahabi says:

تصحيح النية لطالب العلم متعين

To correct the intention is necessary for every student of knowledge. Whilst we study we should not merely gather information, like done academically. What use is information of the Qur'an and Sunnah if it doesn't guide you. Any information attained should be converted into knowledge by fully understanding it's meaning and implementing the rulings within ones life.

When attaining knowledge we all need to correct our intention and study for the right reason. Anything we do it must be for the sake and pleasure of Allah alone, not like those mentioned in the following hadeeth:

"Whoever seeks knowledge in order to compete with the scholars or to prove himself superior to the foolish or to make the people look up to him, Allah will cause him to enter Hell".

Narrated by al-Nasaa'i, 2654

It is said by some that every action carried out without the intention of Allah's pleasure, those actions are باطل, devoid of any reward. For this reason when scholars begin a book they should commence with this hadeeth.

About the Compendium, Imam Nawawi and Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali (part 2)

2008-03-08T10:06:00.000Z

جامع العلوم والحكم

About The Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom (part 2)

Imam ibn Rajab Al Hanbali رحمه الله and his book

Imam ibn Rajab Al Hanbali رحمه الله , like Imam Nawawi رحمه الله too was a great and unique scholar of this ummah. His full name is, Zayn-ud-Deen ‘Abdur-Rahmaan bin Ahmad bin ‘Abdir-Rahmaan (Rajab - nickname as his grandfather was born in the month of Rajab) bin al-Hasan bin Muhammad bin Abil-Barakaat Mas’ood As-Salaamee Al-Baghdaadee (due to his place of birth), Al-Hanbalee (due to his madhab), Ad-Dimashqee (due to his place of residence and death). He رحمه الله was born in 736 a.h a.h and passed away in 795 a.h. There is a difference of opinion as to where he was born, some say Damascus and others say Baghdad.

He رحمه الله studied under the likes of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah رحمه الله, Zayn-ud-Deen al-‘Iraaqee رحمه الله, Ibn an-Naqeeb رحمه الله, Sadr-ud-Deen Abul-Fath al-Maydoomee رحمه الله, Naasir-ud-Deen bin al-Mulook رحمه الله as well as many more. Ibn Rajab رحمه الله's gatherings and durus were filled with many people and he had great effect on the hearts of the listeners.

Shaykh Nasurd Deen رحمه الله has related that a few days before Imam ibn Rajab رحمه الله passed away he went to the graveyard, he pointed out to the digger where he would like his grave. Imam ibn Rajab رحمه الله thereafter entered the grave rested in it and was content with it. A few days later he passed away and was buried in the exact same place he pointed out. Heرحمه الله passed away on the 4th of Ramadhan 795 a.h.

He رحمه الله was a master of many fields including; the science of the transmission of ahadeeth (اسانيد) and the names of narrators (اسماء الرجال). Imam Ibn Rajab رحمه الله has written books on ahadeeth, tafseer and fiqh. A few are listed:

Tafseer Suratul Ikhlaas
Al-Qawaa’id-ul-Fiqhiyyah
Sharah of Saheeh Bukhari up until kitaabul janaa'iz, it consisted of ten volumes. Imam ibn Rajab was the first to name his commentary Fathul Bari.
Lataa’if-ul-Ma’aarif feemaa Li-Mawaasim-il-‘Aam min al-Wadhaa’if (this is regarding the twelve months of the year).

Out of all the books he wrote, the one that was studied at the course was The Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom. This book of Imam ibn Rajab Al Hanbali, is the most detailed and extensive commentary on the Al-Arba'oon (الاربعون) with many features that distinguish it from others:

He رحمه الله emphasises on explaining difficult points of view
He رحمه الله explains all the chains of the ahadeeth rigorously. He رحمه الله also mentions the status and level of each hadeeth in great detail.
Whenever Ibn Rajab رحمه الله explains the ahadeeth, he does so in light of a) The Qur'an b) Other ahadeeths.
He رحمه الله quotes a lot from the Pious Predecessors.

The ahadeeth compiled within this book are from amongst the Jawaami'ul kalim (short collections of words with a very broad, comprehensive and vast meaning). Imam ibn Rajab رحمه الله added another eight to Imam Nawawi رحمه الله's forty-two ahadeeth to total fifty ahadeeth. He then named his book:

جامع العلوم والحكم في شرح خمسين من جوامع الكلم

One should make the effort to try and memorise these ahadeeth. Insha'Allah it shall prove to be very beneficial indeed.

May Allah give us all the inclination to study these ahadeeth well and have the ability to understand them the way Allah and Rasoolullah صلي الله عليه وسلم had wanted them to be understood.

About the Compendium, Imam Nawawi and Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali (part 1)

2008-03-05T20:30:00.000Z

جامع العلوم والحكم

About The Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom (part 1)

The Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom is a commentary (شرح) of the famous ahadeeth collection of Imam Nawawi رحمه الله called Al-Arba'oon (الاربعون).

Imam Nawawi رحمه الله

Imam Nawawi's full name is Imam Muhyi al-Din Abu Zakariya Yahya bin Sharaf al-Nawawi رحمه الله. He was born in a village called 'Nawaa' which is approximately 45 kilometres from Damascus.

Imam Nawawi رحمه الله was born in 631 a.h and passed away at the age of 45 in 676 a.h. However, the amount of work Imam Nawawi رحمه الله carried out was such that it could take one two/three hundred years to complete. Despite such a short span of life Imam Nawawi رحمه الله was a great scholar, being one of the very rare and unique scholars of this ummah.

Imam Nawawi رحمه الله memorised the Holy Qur'an at a very young age, giving preference to this rather than fun and games. Later at the age of eighteen/nineteen Imam Nawawi رحمه الله moved to Damascus with his father to enrol at Madrassah Rawahiyyah which was affiliated with Jaami' Umawi. Here he studied to a high degree under the greatest of 'Ulema. At one point in his life he use to attend tweleve durus a day until he excelled and manifested all. Thereafter, Imam Nawawi رحمه الله taught at Madrassah Al Ashrafiyyah which was close to Jami Al-Umawi.

Later on, nearer to the end of his life, Imam Nawawi رحمه الله moved back to Nawaa where he passed away due to falling ill. His grave is still known to all today. Imam Nawawi رحمه الله is buried in Nawaa and people visit his grave till today. He is right in the centre of the graveyard he was buried in where a tree grew right on top of is grave. May Allah shower his endless mercy on Imam Nawawi رحمه الله's grave.

Imam Nawawi رحمه الله was an authority of ahadeeth as well as a reference of Shafiee fiqh. This showed he was a master in more than one field.

He was very punctual, eating only after 'ishaa salah and drinking only once at the time of suhoor. He dedicated his time towards attaining knowledge, reading, writing and teaching. History has recorded that Imam Nawawi رحمه الله did not even marry. His sacrifices and devotion to the knowledge of Islam is what made him such a great scholar. Allah bestowed upon him the understanding of his Deen and through this he was able to write numerous books. As mentioned one book he wrote was the Arba'oon (الاربعون) which was written over a very short period of time. Other books he wrote include:

Commentary on Sahih Al-Bukhari,
Al-Minhaj fi Sharh Sahih Muslim
Riyad-us-Saliheen
Al-Majmoo'
Raudhatus Saliheen
Riaydhus Saliheen
Kitab al-Adhkar
Minhaajut Talibeen (a main reference for Shafi'i fiqh)

Imam Nawawi رحمه الله was a student of many of the greatest scholars of his time a few are:

Imam Kamaalud Deen Ishaaq Maghribi رحمه الله
Imam Abdur Rahman bin Nuh رحمه الله
Allamah Qadhi Nafisi رحمه الله
Shaykh Ahmad Misri رحمه الله
Imam ibn Malik رحمه الله
And many more...

Imam Nawawi رحمه الله was of such a high status that he was considered to be one of the Shaykhayn, the other being Imam Raafi' رحمه الله.

From the books he has written the Al-Arba'oon is studied extensively across the muslim world. Imam Nawawi collected forty-two ahadeeth altogethor although his intention was to collect only forty. However, the number forty-two is near forty so he still named his book Al-Arba'oon (الاربعون) keeping in mind the special reward for memorising and gathering forty ahadeeth.

Twenty-six of the forty ahadeeth were dictated to Imam Nawawi رحمه الله by his teacher Imam , the other sixteen ahadeeth were carefully selected and included by himself. It is said that the ahadeeth of this collection are considered to be some of the most comprehensive and important hadith for the individual Muslim. That is why many believe that if a person fully understands and implements these ahadeeth their oath to jannah will be made easy.

Due to the comprehensiveness of this collection ahadeeth many scholars feel that these ahadeeth must be studied and understood in light of the commentary and explanations of 'Ulema. Many have written commentaries on this book. A few are listed here:

Mullah Ali Qari رحمه الله
Imam At-Taftaazani رحمه الله
Imam Hajm Haythami رحمه الله
Imam Daqeequl 'Id رحمه الله

However, it can be said that the most renowned and best commentary is of Imam ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali رحمه الله. Insha'Allah, in the next post Imam ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali رحمه الله 's biography and book will be discussed as well as his commentary's unique features.

Overview of Weekend Course

2008-03-05T12:50:00.000Z

(here is a short summary of what the weekend was like in the company of two great scholars)

Day 1: Mufti Muhammed ibn Adam

On the first day fifteen ahadeeth of the Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom were covered by Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam.

The day begun with Mufti Muhammad providing the students background knowledge of the book and author. We were also informed of how and as to why the Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom was written. We were also told of why this book was so unique and well known in comparison to other books of the same kind.

Thereafter each hadeeth was taught with great extensive explanation. Various topics were covered which included:

Intentions and actions
Sincerity and ostentation
Beliefs (aqeedah)
History of how teachings of Islam were divided into three a) Aqeedah b)Fiqh c)Tasawwuf
Bay'ah (pledge)
Fate
Excellency (ihsaan)
5 pillars of Islam
Initial stages of creation from sperm till the final stages of life
Abortion
Innovations
Halaal, haraam and the ambiguous
Taqwa (God-consciousness)
Counselling
Etiquette's of questioning and debating
Usury
Halal income
Acceptance of supplications
Leaving things which do not concern you
Rights of the servants of Allah
Evil of the tongue
as well as much more....

The approach taken by Mufti Muhammad was truly unique; his of light hearted jokes and mannerisms filled hearts with laughter whilst still conveying invaluable knowledge and wisdom. For many who attended, listening to Mufti Muhammad made them realise that age is not a limiting factor to attaining so much knowledge. This made them think of ways and means to increase their own knowledge and understanding of the Deen.

The ahadeeth were taught in a manner that people could really relate to in their day to day lives, as well as implement. This turned out to be an invaluable approach as many who attended felt that when they attended other talks they left not fully understanding how to practically incorporate the lessons which they had been taught, into their lives. This method of teaching was so practical and understandable that it was felt that if one were approached about topics like tasawwuf (that are so widely refuted and misunderstood), they could try to even explain it to others in such a simple manner.

Alhamdulillah people of all levels and backgrounds attended and yet no-one felt as if they had left empty handed at the end of the day. Instead, it made everyone look more forward to the next day. Mufti Muhammad kept the students listening with humour and people who attended felt they understood much of what was being taught. This is excellent news as it meant Turath Publishing had reached their aim (Alhamdulillah), in educating the students with the 'ilm of the ahadeeth on a practical level.

Day 2: Shaykh Abdur Raheem

On the second day of the course Shaykh Abdur Raheem taught the next ten ahadeeth. In total twenty-five ahadeeth were covered out of the fifty over the weekend.

This day too, was just as good as the first even though the pace of the Shaykh was fast. In no way was this a criticism. Infact all students felt that this in itself was a sign showing Shaykh's vast understanding of the various topics covered in the ahadeeth.

Some of the topics covered in day two were:

Sending salutations on the prophet (s.a.w)
Musalsal bil awwaliyyat (will be explained in future post)
Anger and its types
Shirk
Character of the Prophet (s.a.w)
Heaven and hellfire
Excellency (ihsaan)
Death penalty
Laws of slaughtering
Taqwa
Satisfaction
Dhikr (Remembrance of Allah)
Good character
Boundaries and limits set by Allah
Modesty
Istiqaama (Being steadfast)
Halal and haraam
Salah
Cleanliness
Ablution
Sadaqah
Injustice
As well as much more...

The day was excellent in the sense that everyone felt that the Shaykh was somewhat of a father figure who they could look up to. Whose every utterance shook the heart and at times even brought tears to the eyes.

On this day there was a lot naseeha for our day to day lives, which was another thing which the students felt they did not get much of elsewhere. This course really provided that missing factor in life. It fitted in really well with many of the things Mufti Muhammad taught in the previous day.

As Shaykh spoke the students felt very happy and willing to carry on listening as they knew he appreciated their attendance as he stated on many occasions. His du'aas made all students feel very special. It almost felt like a father encouraging us to do the things to the best of our ability without leaving our Islam behind.

Sadly, the weekend came to an end all to quickly and we all had to leave and get back to our busy lives once again. This weekend really felt as if we were all taken back to the time of Rasoolullah (s.a.w) and reminded me of what many of the campanions' would say to the Prophet (s.a.w)things like: "When we are with you we remember heaven and hell and when we return to our homes and families it is as if we forget this." But this served to remind us that the biggest test is when we are in our normal environment. Is it your Islam which will determine what you do or the desire of your hearts?

We pray that all students practice upon the knowledge attained, and that we are all given the opportunity to propagate the knowledge gained. Ameen

All coming posts will be directly related to the course. We encourage anyone who will be following the blog to purchase the Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom, it will prove to be very beneficial insha'Allah. The book can be Googled and purchased from many online Islamic bookstores.

All Arabic and English versions of the ahadeeth are all courtesy of Turath Publishing. Please make du'aa that Allah accepts their efforts. Ameen.

About the Teachers (part 2)

2008-03-02T11:23:00.000Z

Biography: Shaykh Abdur Raheem (Senior lecturer of Ahadeeth, Darul Uloom Bury, UK)
(scholar who taught day two of the weekend course)

Quoted as being 'one of the gems of England...' by his student (Mufti Muhammad Ibn Adam (Darul Iftaa Leicester)). Shaykh Abdur Raheem is a master in Fiqh, Ahadeeth and many other Islamic sciences.

He studied the 'Alimiyyah course at the world famous Darul Uloom Al Arabiyyah Al Islamiyyah in Holocombe Bury under the tutorship of Shaykh Moulana Yusuf Motala. He currently teaches Sahih Muslim at the same institution where he "provides an excellent summary of all the hadiths" using the Sharh's (explanations) of Imaam Nawawi, Takmilat Fath al Mulhim of Shabbir Ahmad Usmani by Muhmmad Taqi Usmani and many others. He also often teaches other ahadeeth collections including the Sahih of Imaam Bukhari. He is also a master in the Arabic language teaching many books like Maqamat al Hariri.

Shaykh Abdur Raheem also has a special attachment with tafseer, having completed his studies in England he went to Saharanpur, India where he studied Hadith under the Muhaddith Shaykh Yunus at the Mazahirul Uloom Saharanpur.

Shaykh also specialises in Tafseer particularly in the major Tafseer work of Imaam Baydawi. He has published two books in the English language 'Ahsanul Qasas' - the story of the Prophet Yusuf (alayhis salam) and the Dawah of Sayidduna Nuh (alayhis salam). Both books can be purchased from http://www.azharacademy.com/. These books are a must read and we pray Allah grants Shaykh the ability to benefit the Ummah even more through his writing skills.

To fully understand the quality of Shaykh's teaching and explanations one should visit the following link to benefit from the commentary of various surahs:

http://www.tafseer-raheemi.com/Video/

A few of Shaykh Abdur Raheem's talks can also be purchased from the following website under the English lectures section:

http://daruliman.com/

Shaykh Abdur Raheem is a fatherly figure whom Muslims of all ages, races and backgrounds look up to as a role model. It is as if light emits from his face and one can truly see the glow of imaan upon him. It is as if he has embodied many characteristics of Rasoolullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Even by just looking at Shaykh's smile a persons heart can feel at rest, with peace and tranquility. May Allah always keep Shaykh happy and smiling and a make him a means of guidance for many.

Shaykh Abdur Raheem is a very spiritual person with much experience of life. He is a very wise scholar; sincere and genuine in all that he does. One can forget the world and that it holds sitting in Shaykh's company.

Shaykh helps many to reform their inner selves, purify many internally and externally. Allah has given him a great understanding of deen. This can truly be felt when he is teaching, as the verses of the Qur'an and the ahadeeth flow from him with such ease.

Amongst the servants of Allah, Allah has definately chosen the best to proagate the message of Islam. This can be seen in Shaykh Abdur Raheem.

May Allah grant him a long and healthy life. May Allah let the masses benefit from him in all ways and forms. We pray that Allah keeps Shaykh happy and sincere in all that he does. Ameen

About the Teachers (part 1)

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Biography: Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam Al-Kawthari (Darul Iftaa Leicester, UK)

(scholar who taught day one of the weekend course)

Shaykh Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari is a traditionally-trained Islamic scholar who has studied the Arabic language and various other traditional Islamic sciences including Qur’anic exegesis (tafsir), Hadith and Fiqh in different parts of the world including the UK, Pakistan and Syria. His Shuyukh/teachers include his father, Shaykh Mawlana Adam, Shaykh Yusuf Motala, Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, Shaykh Abd al-Razzaq al-Halabi and others. He has received authorizations (ijazahs) in various Islamic disciplines including the six major collections of Hadith and the science of issuing religious verdicts (Fatwa). His authored works include: Islamic Guide to Sexual Relations, Birth Control & Abortion in Islam, The Issue of Shares andSimplified Rules of Zakat, and is widely known for providing answers to people’s everyday issues and comprehensive fiqh related articles; which can be found at his website www.daruliftaa.com.

The Shaykh has taught many courses and lectured extensively on a range of topics, and continues to travel regularly teaching and lecturing both in the UK and abroad. Presently, he resides in Leicester, UK, where he is a teacher of various traditional Islamic sciences, and Director and researcher at the Institute of Islamic Jurisprudence (Darul Iftaa, www.daruliftaa.com).

About Turath Publishers

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About Turath Publishing (taken from their website)
In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful.

All praise is due to Allah and May blessings and peace be on his beloved Rasul Muhammad (SAW). His Family, His companions and all those who follow him.

"Ask the people of the reminder if you do not know."(Al Qur'an 16:43)

Turath Publishing is dedicated to publishing authentic material on the Ahlus Sunnah Wa'al Jammah and in particular the Hanafi Fiqh. Our aim is to show that all the four school's of thought are derived from the Sunnah and they are part and parcel of the deen, and in turn the Muslims can concentrate on more important issues that concern the Ummah.

At Turath Publishing we are committed to delivering works of Islamic Jurisprudence and its traditional sources to English speakers. By this we intend insh'Allah to promote a deep understanding of the balance, depth and integrity of traditional Islamic Scholarship. Our vast intellectual heritage is a well from which we may draw life-giving inspiration and solutions to many of the contemporary problems we face as Muslims. To disparage and cast aspersions on the madhhabs is to disparage and cast aspersions on those great men who expended their lives in making the Prophetic path distinctly clear from error. In their times, living functioning Islamic polity, examples and norms existed in their totality. These men were immersed in these living realities. They understood the Din of Islam existentially and combined this with the sources to which they had, and we now have, access. Their judgements and comments are lights which aid us in illuminating the ocean that is the Sunnah in an age in which the immersion in a living Islamic situation (that they took for granted) does not even exist in thimblefuls.

May Allah cause us to draw from their experience by the bucketful, granting us the benefit of the ingredient that we so lack in this age and is the cause of so much misunderstandings, deviations and argument.

Ma'a salaam
The Turath Team

Turath work hard towards organising various courses teaching the books that they have pulished into the English language. Not only do they provide the English speaking audience material to read, they also provide the courses to allow them to study texts they would never have been able to study before.

May Allah accept their hard work and efforts. Ameen

Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali's Introduction (Part I)

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Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali's

Introduction

All Praise belongs to Allah who perfected the din for us and made the blessings on us complete and Who made our ummah - and to Allah belongs all praise - the best ummah. He sent among us a Messenger from ourselves reciting His āyāt to us, purifying us and teaching us the Book and the Wisdom. I praise Him for His many blessings. I witness that there is no god but Allah alone without partner, and this act of witnessing is the best protection for someone who seeks protection by it. I witness that Muhammad is His slave and His messenger whom He sent as a mercy to all creatures. He made it obligatory for him to explain what has been sent down to us, and so he elucidated all the important matters for us. He singled him out with concise comprehensive speech (jawāami' al-kalim) so that he often expressed separate pieces of wisdom and sciences in one phrase or in half a phrase. May Allah bless him and his companions with a blessing which will be a light for us all in every darkness, and may He grant him much peace.Allah, glorious and exalted is He, sent Muhammad (Allah bless him & give him peace) with concise comprehensive speech. He singled him out to receive astonishing wisdoms, as has been narrated in the two Sahih books (Sahih al Bukhari (7013) and Sahih Muslim (523)) from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) that he said, "I was sent with concise comprehensive speech." Az-Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him) said, "Concise Comprehensive speech, according to that which has reached us, is that Allah, exalted is He, united many issues for him, which used to be written in books before him [separately] in one or two issues and so on."

Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated the hadith of Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said, "The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) came out to us one day and it was as if he were someone saying farewell. He said, 'I am Muhammad, the unlettered Prophet,' saying it three times, 'and there is no prophet after me. I have been given the first parts of speech and its conclusions and its comprehensive concision" (Musnad Imam Ahmad (2:172)) and he then mentioned the rest of the hadith.

Welcome

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Assalamu Alaykum Wa rahamtullahi Wa barakatuh,

Bismillahir Rahamanir Raheem,

Introduction to the blog:

This blog has been created by students who attended the course of

"Explanation of Imam ibn Rajab Al Hanbali's Compendium of Knowledge"

The course was organised by Turath publishers (http://www.turathpublishing.com/) and Imperial Isoc who through much time and effort made this event possible. On the 23rd and 24th of Febraury 2008 was part 1 of the two part course.

The event was held at Imperial University in South Kensington. We were very blessed to sit in the presence of two of the most amazing teachers; Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam Al-Kawthari (http://www.daruliftaa.com/) who taught fifteen ahadeeth and Shaykh Abdur Raheem (of Darul Uloom Bury) who taught ten ahadeeth.

The aim of this blog is to share the notes on the various ahadeeth taught by the two very repsected teachers (May Allah be pleased with them). Insha'Allah it will be a means of sharing beneficial knowledge that we can all try to implement in our lives. The course was a combination of practical rulings and explanations as well as advise. By the will of Allah, by reading the notes you too will become astounded by the wisdom and knowledge of the beautiful words of Rasoolullah and the vast knowlege of the teachers.

Please do bookmark this blog and read the notes as they are posted.

I request that you take out time to make du'aa for Turath Publishers, Imperial Isoc, Shaykh Abdur Raheem and Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam. May Allah be pleased with them, grant them a long life to spread the deen, grant them sincerity in what they do as well as barakah in their time.

This was truly the most amazing weekend of a person's life. I am certain all of the students who attended the course would agree. By reading this blog, insha'Allah you too will feel inclined towards attending part two of the course.

Posts to follow:

-Biographies of the two teachers

-Small overview of the weekend

-About the book

-About the Author

-Detailed notes on each of the ahadeeth

If anyone attended the course and would like to contribute please leave a comment with your details.

Lastly, I leave you with a small clip from day two of the course. Shaykh Abdur Raheem is teaching one of the ahadeeth. Hopefully this will make you want to read more from this blog:

Du'aas requested.

Wassalam

(Message on behalf of all blog authors: please do make du'aa that Allah places sincerity within the hearts of the authors. As well as this please do notify us of any mistakes.)

Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom - جامع العلوم والحكم

Hadeeth Six (الحديث السادِس): Halal, Haram and Ambivalent Matters

Hadeeth Five: الحديث الخامسُ (Innovation)

Blog....to recontinue

Hadeeth Five: الحديث الخامسُ (Innovation)

Hadeeth Four (الحَديثُ الرَّابِعُ) : The Decree

Hadeeth Four (الحَديثُ الرَّابِعُ) : The Decree

Hadeeth Three (الحديث الثالث ): Islam is Built on Five

Hadeeth Two (الحديث الثاني) : Hadeeth e Jibraeel (Islam, Imaan and Ihsan)

Hadeeth Two (الحديث الثاني) : Hadeeth e Jibraeel (Islam, Imaan and Ihsan)

Hadeeth Two (الحديث الثاني) : Hadeeth e Jibraeel (Islam, Imaan and Ihsan)

***Blog Halt*** - Until 18th June

Hadeeth Two (الحديث الثاني) : Hadeeth e Jibraeel (Islam, Imaan and Ihsan)

Hadeeth One (الحديث الأول): Intention and Sincerity نية و اخلاص - Part 2

Hadeeth One (الحديث الأول): Intention and Sincerity نية و اخلاص - Part 2

Hadeeth One (الحديث الأول): Intention and Sincerity نية و اخلاص

About the Compendium, Imam Nawawi and Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali (part 2)

About the Compendium, Imam Nawawi and Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali (part 1)

Overview of Weekend Course

About the Teachers (part 2)

About the Teachers (part 1)

About Turath Publishers

Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali's Introduction (Part I)

Welcome

Blog Halt - Until 18th June