Aqidah

A call to Deobandi-Barelwi unity — Fatwas from two leading Deobandi institutes

By the 'Ulama of Deoband and Saharanpur
July 18, 2010
A call to Deobandi-Barelwi unity — Fatwas from two leading Deobandi institutes

What say the scholars of the faith and muftis of the firm Shari’ah about the following matter. For almost the past two years this difference is increasing day by day and the people associated with the elders of Deoband are being divided into two factions. Therefore, guide us by writing a detailed answer that is supported with proofs and with references to books to the following issues: Is the Deobandi and Barelwi difference of a peripheral nature (furu’i) or of a fundamental (usuli) nature and...
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The Unity of God

By Shah Waliullah al-Muhaddith al-Dahlawi
May 6, 2010
The Unity of God

The most basic principle of piety and the mainstay of its various aspects is the doctrine of the Unity of God. This is because humility before Lord of the worlds, which is the greatest of the virtues in acquiring ultimate felicity, depends on this. This is the basis of intellectual regulation of which is the more useful of the two regulations. Through this man is able to help himself address completely to learning from the Unseen, and prepare his soul to become...
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The Issue of the Ambiguous Attributes of Allah

By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani
April 23, 2010
The Issue of the Ambiguous Attributes of Allah

His statement "two fingers of the fingers of the Most Merciful": al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "This is from the hadiths of attributes and there are two views in regards to them which have just preceded: "One of them is to believe in them without venturing into ta'wil (interpretation), or trying to understand its meaning. Rather, one believes it is the truth and that its outward purport is not intended. Allah Most High said 'Naught is as His likeness' (42:11). "And the second...
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Clearest Rational Argument for the Existence of a Creator

By Mufti Yusuf Mullan
March 11, 2010

The following six step argument has been formulated with the modern skeptic and atheist in mind. Drawing from the works of Imam al-Ghazali (may Allah have mercy on him) and others, each premise is accompanied with an explanation of the exact 'manner of deduction' (kayfiyyat al-wazn), so the reader may appreciate exactly what is being done. Using only intuitively deductive modes of argument which have their origin in the Qur'an and which no sane human being can reject, the argument seeks to establish an...
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Regarding the Fundamentals of Islamic Belief

By Mawlana Sayyid Muhammad Yusuf Binnori
October 30, 2009
Regarding the Fundamentals of Islamic Belief

When stating the necessary fundamentals of Islamic belief, scholars of the ummah usually mention a few examples in their books. A misunderstanding that occurs in the minds of some readers is that they think the necessary fundamentals are limited to just these examples and there is nothing more. This is even though the intent of those scholars is to merely present a few examples, not to shorten, restrict or limit . To remove this misunderstanding, we have compiled some...
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Authority to Permit and Prohibit

By 'Allamah Sarfaraz Khan Safdar
August 20, 2009
Authority to Permit and Prohibit

In regard to making things halal (permitted) and haram (prohibited), it is the well-established belief of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama'ah that Allah alone has authority over it. To make something halal or haram is exclusively the work of Allah Most High and He is unique in this. This is purely His right; no one else is involved in this process in any manner. Neither does anyone have this power in essence nor has Allah relegated this power to anyone.
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Istighathah

By Ismaeel Nakhuda
February 19, 2009
Istighathah

The issue of the permissibility of istighathah/isti 'anah is one that is widely discussed and a bone of contention for many. The elders of Deoband — like their predecessors from the Wali Allah and Mujaddidi tradition — write that there are three meanings of isti'anah.
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Proofs That Deeds Are Presented To The Prophet

By Shaykh ‘Abd al-Hafiz al-Makki
February 10, 2009
Proofs That Deeds Are Presented To The Prophet

The article below was published in Roshni, a religious supplement published each Friday with the Saudi-based Urdu News newspaper, in clarification of a column published a few weeks earlier, discussing a story about a man who was told on his death bed that he had been forgiven due to his devotion to sending Blessings and Peace (Salat wa Salam) to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) each morning.
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He (Allah) then firmly established Himself over the Throne

By Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf 'Ali Thanawi
January 22, 2009

"He (Allah Most High) then firmly established (istawa) Himself over the Throne" (Qur'an 7:54) means He firmly established Himself over the Kingly Throne and began decreeing orders (ahkams) in the heavens and the earth. In the tafsir (exegesis) of "He then firmly established Himself over the Throne", it is safer to adopt silence in agreement with the methodology of the salaf (pious predecessors) and that is also my view although the muta'akhirin (scholars of the later generations) have opened the doors for...
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