Ishaq ibn Ibrahim and Muhammad ibn Rafi‘ narrated to us – and the wording is Ibn Rafi‘’s –Ishaq said: ‘Abd al-Razzaq reported to us, and Ibn Rafi‘ said: narrated to us: Ma‘mar reported to us: from Ibn Tawus from his father from Ibn ‘Abbas, he said: “Divorce, a divorce with three , in the time of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and Abu Bakr and two years of the caliphate of ‘Umar was one. Then ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said: ‘Verily, the people have hastened in a matter in which they used to...
more »

Know that Allah (Exalted is He) created man for His worship. Thus, Allah (Exalted is He) states in the Noble Qur’an: “I have not created jinn and humankind but to worship Me.” (Qur’an 51:56) Meaning, I created jinn and man only for one purpose, which is My worship. The original purpose of man’s life and the original purpose of his coming into this world and residing in the world is that he worships Allah (Magnificent is His Glory). Are not Angels Sufficient for Worship? If this question arises in one’s mind, that Allah (Exalted is He) had already created Angels previously for...
more »

Making an analogy of the master of graves, meaning the grave of the master of the inhabitants of graves – Allah bless him and grant him peace as long as the eastern and western winds alternate –, with other graves, is an invalid analogy. It is clearly stated in hadiths that his burial is commanded in the place of death, and place of death was a house that comprised of walls and a roof. It is inferred from this that there is permission for the construction of walls and a roof over his grave. The prohibition which has...
more »

The shaykh, the imam, the hadith-scholar, the transmitter, Abu Sulayman Ishaq ibn Muhammad Afdal ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isma‘il ibn Mansur ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Qiwam al-Din al-‘Umari al-Dihlawi, the migrant to the blessed Makkah, buried therein. He was the grandson of Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Wali Allah al-‘Umari al-Dihlawi. He was born on the 8th of Dhu l-Hijjah in the year 1196 H – and it was said 1197 H – in Delhi, and he grew up in the cradle of his aforementioned maternal grandfather. He read Sarf and Nahw up to al-Kafiyah by Ibn...
more »

The shaykh, the imam, the great scholar, Muhammad Qasim ibn Asad ‘Ali ibn Ghulam Shah ibn Muhammad Bakhsh al-Siddiqi al-Nanotwi, one of the learned scholars. He was born in Nanotah in the year 1248 H (1832 CE). He came to Saharanpur at a young age. He read the short texts under Shaykh Muhammad Nawaz al-Saharanpuri. Then he travelled to Delhi, and he came under the tutelage of Shaykh Mamluk al-‘Ali al-Nanotwi. He read under him all the books of study. Then he took hadith from Shaykh ‘Abd al-Ghani ibn Abi Sa‘id al-Dihlawi, and he stayed in his company for a...
more »

The sayyid, the valiant Imam, the proof of Allah amongst creation, the elucidator of the straight path of religion and Islam, the suppressor of disbelievers and heretics, a model of the righteous caliphs and the guided Imams, our master, the Imam, the warrior (mujahid), the martyr, the fortunate, Ahmad ibn ‘Irfan ibn Nur al-Sharif al-Hasani al-Barelwi. He was from the offspring of the great emir, the full moon of religion, Shaykh al-Islam Qutb al-Din Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Madani. He was born on Safar of 1201 H (1786 CE) in the city of Rae Bareli at the Zawiyah of his ancestor...
more »

The definition of the shirk on which damnation and eternality in Hellfire is consequential upon is what is found in Hashiyat al-Khayali, quoting from Sharh al-Maqasid: “If the disbeliever (kafir) feigns faith he is a hypocrite (munafiq), and if his disbelief occurred after faith he is an apostate (murtadd), and if he believes in a partner in divinity (sharik fi l-uluhiyyah), he is a polytheist (mushrik).” (p. 124) Thus, it should now be understood that there is a distinction between the Arabian polytheists who would worship idols and between the grave-worshipping Muslims who prostrate themselves before graves and mock tombs...
more »

It behooves us, before commencing on the commentary of the hadiths on the emancipation of slaves, to produce here a short essay in which we discuss the reality of slavery and its place in Islam, because a lot of commotion has been caused amongst the Muslims by the westerners and their devotees for allowing slavery, and the people of this age claim it is a blemish on the forehead of religion and a reason to doubt Islam. And there is no power, nor might, except with Allah, the Mighty, the Great. The cause of the error in this respect is...
more »

It behooves us, before delving into discussions , to produce a short study in which we explain some of the economic principles based on which the Shari‘ah operates, and which have become the foundations of Islamic economics, because ignorance of them often leads to terrible ideological errors, especially in this time of ours which has made livelihood and economics its greatest concern and the limit of its knowledge and the peak of its ambition, such that the topics of economics have become a stimulus for inquiries and a battleground between the modern theories...
more »

Know that the majority of hadith-scholars that a man becomes a Tabi‘i by merely meeting a Sahabi and seeing him, and it is not a condition that he accompanies him for a period of time and narrates from him. said in Tadrib al-Rawi on the definition of a Tabi‘i: It was said: he is one who met him although he did not accompany him, as was said on a Sahabi, and al-Hakim with this. Ibn al-Salah said: “It is closest .” The author ...
more »

Hafiz al-Sam‘ani said in al-Ansab in the biography of Imam Abu Hanifah: He occupied himself in seeking knowledge, and he excelled therein until he accomplished what others had not accomplished. One day he entered upon al-Mansur, while ‘Isa ibn Musa was with him, and he said to al-Mansur: “This is the scholar of the world today.” (p. 247) ‘Allamah Hafiz al-Mizzi said in Tahdhib al-Kamal: Makki ibn Ibrahim mentioned Abu Hanifah and said: “He was the most learned of the people of his time.” This is in the marginalia of Tahdhib al-Tahdhib (10:451). I say: This Makki ibn Ibrahim is from the senior teachers...
more »

The default rule for a mufti who is a muqallid is that he does not issue fatwa but on the madhhab of his Imam, according to the principles we discussed from ‘Uqud Rasm al-Mufti. However, that which we outlined in the discussion on taqlid and adopting a madhhab – that taqlid of a specific Imam is a fatwa based on blocking the means and the interests of the Shari‘ah, in order that people do not fall into following desires, since collecting the concessions of the madhhabs due to desire and whim is...
more »

Al-Shafi‘i said: “Allah (Glorified is He) singled out the Messenger of Allah by obligating on him things which He alleviated from other than him, in order to increase his (Allah bless him and grant him peace) sanctity, and He permitted for him things which He made unlawful for other than him, in order to increase his honour and his exaltation.” From this category is having more than four . This was permitted so that he ascends in the hearts of the Arabs in esteem and glory, because they would boast over sexual prowess. Furthermore, in...
more »

The majority of Hafiz Ibn Rajab’s books are full of mention of the Sufi shaykhs, and their words and condition. We shall suffice here with several quotations from his excellent book Al-Dhayl ‘ala Tabaqat al-Hanabilah. All of those who he mentions and who we shall mention are Hanbali predecessors, or from those to whom the shaykhs of the Salafi movement attribute themselves. By this, the purpose will be achieved in the best way, insha-Allah, and it is He Most High upon Whom trust is placed.
more »

If Zayd is trying to say that the majority of students and scholars end up becoming immoral, greedy, penniless and destitute specifically due to studying sacred knowledge then this claim is outright false. In actual fact, the distinguishing feature of sacred knowledge is that it engenders piety, abstinence and independence in the hearts of its seekers. As for those who after acquiring sacred knowledge continue to be immoral then they would have become worse if they were to study secular knowledge. The actual cause of immorality in these cases is more so due to the negligent upbringing and lack of...
more »

The people of knowledge have differed about what to do when the ʿid and the Friday fall on the same day: would the ʿid prayer suffice one who prayed it in place of the Friday prayer? A group of the people of knowledge said: “The ʿid prayer suffices one who prayed it in place of the Friday prayer, and such a person is not obligated to pray after the ʿid prayer, anything except ʿAsr.” This is the opinion of ʿAta’, and it has been attributed to Ibn Zubayr and ʿAli (may Allah be well pleased with them). Another group said,...
more »

Is it permissible, on the basis of the Speech of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace), to perform Salat and Salam audibly after Salat al-Jumu‘ah in front of the dais and mihrab of the mosque, giving importance and with persistence ? Honour us with the correct response, while being rewarded by Allah, and appreciated by the people. Answer: It should firstly be known that the Sahabah (Allah’s pleasure be upon them), and those after them from the Tabi‘in and their successors, were the foremost in goodness, eager for all...
more »

People would seek fatwa from ‘ulama’ since the earliest of times in matters which they were in need of, because the majority of people are not able to derive the rulings of the Shari‘ah from their original sources. Thus, it would be necessary for them to refer to those who have knowledge of these rulings. This is what Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) ordered in His noble saying: “So ask the people of remembrance if you do not know.” (16:43) And as long as a mufti is trusted in his knowledge and his piety, they would not demand...
more »

Hafiz Ibn Kathir mentions in Al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah (part 11, p. 180) regarding those eminent individuals who died in 322 ah: Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Qasim Abu ‘Ali al-Rudhbari -- it is said his name was Ahmad ibn Muhammad and also said al-Husayn ibn al-Humam; the first is correct. He was originally from Baghdad and lived in Egypt. He was from the offspring of leaders, viziers and learned men. He remained in the company of Junayd, heard hadith and memorised much from him; he learned fiqh from Ibrahim al-Harbi and Nahw from Tha‘lab. He...
more »

The difference between tasarruf and karamah is that tasarruf comes about by the usage of natural means, like the imaginative or contemplative faculties, and it is from the commonly acquired skills. Acceptance from Allah Almighty and even being Muslim have no bearing on it, since many disbelievers like the...
more »

The ummah have agreed that when an abomination is attached to a permissible or desirable action and it becomes a means to disobedience or innovation, even though that is not the intention and objective of the doer, it is obligatory to remove this disobedience whatever it may be. Thereafter,...
more »

Know, firstly, that those who have become obsessed in this matter with figurative interpretation or denial, it is only the affirmation of knowledge of ghayb for the Chief of the Prophets and Messengers, the collector of the sciences of the earlier and later peoples, our master and our Prophet...
more »

Our master, the scholar of great learning, Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ (Allah Almighty have mercy on him), is counted amongst the leading ‘ulama of India and Pakistan who carried the banner of the pure religion in these lands and spent their lives and their strength in elevating its word,...
more »

The Noble Qur’an is a scripture from Allah (Exalted is He) which is distinguished from other heavenly books in that it is the Seal of the Scriptures, just as the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the Seal of the Prophets, and in that...
more »

Those who are travellers in the path of Allah and in particular those friends of Sayyid Ahmad, whether they are present or not, should know that those who through bay‘ah (pledge) become murids at the hands of blessed souls, their aim is to acquire the pleasure of Allah. This...
more »

‘Allamah Muhammad Sarfaraz Khan Safdar (d. 1430 AH) writes that the word mu‘jizah is linguistically derived from ‘ajz (inability), which is an antonym of qudrah (power). He adds that the ‘ta’ at the end is either for intensiveness (exaggeration) or that the word mu‘jizah is an adjective of...
more »

I say: The hadiths of the chapter explicitly prove the impermissibility of prostrating to other than Allah, and they prove that it has been specified for the Everlasting God and it is not suitable for a mortal, whether a prophet or a saint, whether living or dead. The distinction...
more »

This humble servant offers the greeting of Islam before this esteemed audience. Allah – Exalted is He – preserve you. We have sensed from you signs of nobility and interest in our condition. We feel an Islamic uprising turning towards us and you, and indeed we are needier of...
more »

The Islamic Ummah is united that Imam A‘zam Abu Hanifah Nu‘man ibn Thabit (may Allah mercy him) is one of the four followed imams -- Malik, al-Shafi‘i, Ahmad and Abu Hanifah (may Allah mercy them all and be pleased with them). Among those issues upon which all of the people...
more »

Do you say that the knowledge of the Prophet (upon him be peace) is limited only to the laws of the Shari‘ah or was he given knowledge pertaining to the Essence, Attributes and Acts of the Maker (Exalted is His Name), the hidden secrets (al-asrar al-khafiyyah), the divine judgement...
more »

Imam Hafiz Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali mentions in Dhayl Tabaqat al-Hanabilah (part 2, p.301) in the biographies of some jurists: ‘Abdullah ibn Abu Bakr ibn Abu al-Badr Muhammad al-Harbi al-Baghdadi, the faqih, the faqir, the ascetic (zahid), the exemplar and the remainder of the shaykhs of Iraq. He was also...
more »

Ibn al-Qayyim writes in Madarij al-Salikin (vol.2, p.464): Section — from among the stations of, “It is you who we worship and it is you from who we seek aid,” (4:1) there is the station of knowledge (‘ilm). If this station does not accompany the salik from the first...
more »

Imam Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim is known for his depth in the matters and intricacies of Tasawwuf, his great book Madarij al-Salikin bears testimony to this. I shall, insha Allah, soon quote some important sections of his precious words in relation to some beneficial and well-researched discussions pertaining to a...
more »

Far be it that any of the Muslims say, let alone we, ourselves, say, that commemorating his noble birth (upon him blessing and peace), rather even commemorating the dust on his shoes and the urine of his (Allah bless him and grant him peace) camel, are deemed blameworthy in...
more »

Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh held a “Shaykh Muhammad bin ‘Abd al-Wahhab Week” in which all of the shaykh’s writings were distributed in twelve volumes. Through the grace of Allah, I studied each volume page by page and never came across any place in which Shaykh...
more »

‘Allamah Muhammad ibn Abi Jamrah (may Allah shower His mercy upon him) is from amongst the renowned scholars and sufis of seventh century (Hijri) Spain who adhered to the Sunnah. He authored a commentary of Sahih al-Bukhari, entitled, Bahjat al-Nufus, which was written in a completely unique and rare...
more »

Our belief and the belief of our elders is that our chief, our master, our beloved and our intercessor, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace), is the best of all creatures and the best of them in the presence of Allah (Exalted is...
more »

Companions of the A'raf are of various types. Some of them are as follows: People whom the message of Islam did not reach in the first place, such as residents of mountain tops who have not associated anyone with their Lord nor...
more »

My first acquaintance with Hadrat Mawlana Muhammad Sarfaraz Khan Safdar sahib (may Allah sanctify his soul) was when Hadrat had come to the UK to attend a conference as the chief guest and also visited Leicester during that trip. It was the sheer grace of Allah that Hadrat's host...
more »