Archive for April, 2009

It is with great sadness that we note confusion in the minds of many students and even some scholars concerning the obligation of the niqab (veil) in the Hanafi madhhab, which expressly classifies covering the face as binding on women and forbids the exposure of the face in the presence of ghayr mahrams (strangers). While there have been dozens of works penned on this issue, we wish to focus on the Hanafi stance due to the abuse it is being subjected to. We ask...
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The Shaykh, the Imam, the 'Allama, the Hadith Scholar Rashid Ahmad ibn Hidaya Ahmad ibn Pir Baksh ibn Ghulam Hasan ibn Ghulam 'Ali ibn 'Ali Akbar ibn Qadi Muhammad Aslam al-Ansari al-Hanafi al-Rampuri then al-Gangohi. He was one of the research, learned and accurate 'ulama. In his age, there was none like him in honesty, virtue, trust in Allah, fiqh, nobility, courage at times of danger, firmness in religion and emphasis in adhering to the (Hanafi) school.
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By Mawlana Ashraf 'Ali Thanawi Constancy in dhikr and its benefits: Be constant in dhikr even if the heart and mind is not present and there is no enjoyment. In due course the dhikr will develop into such a habit, there will be no repose without it. For example, initially when a person smokes a huqqa (smoking pipe), he experiences giddiness, nausea and vomiting. By regularly smoking, this condition changes and now he cannot do without it, so much so that even if he doesn't...
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A translation of a portion of a letter from Shaykh al-'Ulama' Haji Imdad Allah Muhajir Makki to Shah Rafi' al-Din Deobandi 'Uthmani in which he emphasises his love for Shaykh al-Sunnah Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (may Allah shower them with His mercy) and highlights his dim view of those who bear enmity towards him. The letter is also a manifestation of Haji Imdad Allah's high level of humility - a quality distinctly found in him and those affiliated to his tariqah.
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In regards to folding one's clothes while praying and the issue of isbal (wearing one's garment below the ankles), Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi (may Allah have mercy on him) writes in Lami' al-Darari (vol. 1, pg. 327-28): "Qadi 'Iyad considers the tying back of the hair and folding of the clothes undesirable for the person performing salah, this is regardless of whether he does it outside or inside salah, and he mentions that the scholars are unanimous that this does not invalidate...
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