ummtaalib

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay, for his hungry stomach, decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. On the way through school, he found he had only one thin dime left and he was very hungry. However, he lost his nerve when a young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. The woman thought he looked hungry, so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?" "You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us, never to accept pay for a kindness." He said..."Then I thank you from my heart." Year's later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life, from that day he gave special attention to the case. After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. The woman feared opening it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words..."Paid in full with one glass of milk." Signed, Dr. Howard Kelly. Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: Thank You, God, that Your love has spread abroad through human hearts and hands." ISLÃMIC TARBIYAH ACADEMY 45 Boothroyd Lane, West Town, Dewsbury. WF132RB.

Patience on Death of Child T he Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: “When a person's child dies, Allah the Most High asks His angels, ‘Have you taken out the life of the child of My slave?’ They reply in the affirmative. He then asks, ‘Have you taken the fruit of his heart?’ They reply in the affirmative. Thereupon he asks, ‘What has My slave said?’ They say: ‘He has praised You and said: Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un (We belong to Allah and to Him we shall be returned).’ Allah says: ‘Build a house for My slave in Jannah and name it Bait-ul-Hamd (the House of Praise).’” [Tirmidhi] One of the greatest worldly calamities for a person is to lose his or her child. None but those who have gone through it know what it is like. This hadith highlights the great merit of exhibiting patience at this time of calamity. Rather than wailing and complaining, one should submit to the Will of Allah Ta’ãla and try to remember His promised reward. Children who die before reaching the age of puberty cause their parents to be brought to Jannah through them. An attitude of patience brings great reward from Allah Ta’ãla. How does one reconcile with such events? Another hadith tells us the story of a pious man who loved his wife very much. When she died suddenly he was devastated. He shut himself off from society, refusing to talk to or see anyone. Finally, a woman sat outside his house and refused to budge until he talked to her regarding a problem that she had. She told him that a friend of hers had given her jewellery for safekeeping which she would often wear. She had had it in her possession for a long time but now her friend had come to ask for it back. The problem was that since she had had the jewellery for so long she had gotten used to having it and didn’t want to give it back. The man immediately replied from inside the house that she must return her friend’s amanah (possessions given in trust). He also realized that the problem she had come to discuss with him was just to make him realize how in fact he must reconcile with Allah Ta’ãla taking back what belonged to Him. Death is only a temporary separation for family members going to Jannah. People going to Jannah will be reunited therein where they will never suffer separation again. ISLÃMIC TARBIYAH ACADEMY 45 Boothroyd Lane, West Town, Dewsbury. WF132RB.

wa'alaykumus salaam I've never heard that sis...I think if you need to make sure best to ask a scholar...try one of the Q/A sites in the Hanafai Fiqh section

Who I Am ! What do you see when you look at me Do you see someone limited, or someone free <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> All some people can do is just look and stare Simply because they can't see my hair <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> Others think I am controlled and uneducated They think that I am limited and un-liberated <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> They are so thankful that they are not me Because they would like to remain 'free' <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> Well free isn't exactly the word I would've used Describing women who are cheated on and abused <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> They think that I do not have opinions or voice They think that being hooded isn't my choice <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> They think that the hood makes me look caged That my husband or dad are totally outraged <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> All they can do is look at me in fear And in my eye there is a tear <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> Not because I have been stared at or made fun of But because people are ignoring the one up above <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> On the day of judgment they will be the fools Because they were too ashamed to play by their own rules <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> Maybe the guys won't think I am a cutie But at least I am filled with more inner beauty <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> See I have declined from being a guy's toy Because I won't let myself be controlled by a boy <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> Real men are able to appreciate my mind And aren't busy looking at my behind <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> Hooded girls are the ones really helping the muslim cause The role that we play definitely deserves applause <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> I will be recognized because I am smart and bright And because some people are inspired by my sight <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> The smart ones are attracted by my tranquility In the back of their mind they wish they were me <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> We have the strength to do what we think is right Even if it means putting up a life long fight <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> You see we are not controlled by a mini skirt and tight shirt We are given only respect, and never treated like dirt <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> So you see, we are the ones that are free and liberated We are not the ones that are sexually terrorized and violated <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> We are the ones that are free and pure We're free of STD's that have no cure <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> So when people ask you how you feel about the hood Just sum it up by saying 'baby its all good' ;) <=><=><=><=><=><=><=><=> EISLAM

Rejecting a fardh of Deen Q: My question is that I know in lslam if someone rejects any fardh of Deen then he is no longer a Mu'min, he will become a kaafir. So I ask you how many faraaidh are there in Islam? Can we have a count of them? Can we have a list of them as well, so that we can save ourselves. A: In essence one should believe in everything that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) had explained to be Fardh as Fardh and everything He had explained to be Sunnah as Sunnah. Similarly one should believe in everything that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) explained to be impermissible as impermissible. Apart from the four fundamental Faraaidh that we are acquainted with viz. Namaaz, Fasting, Zakaat and Hajj, there are different actions which become Fardh on a person at different times during his life. Some action could become Fardh on a person once or twice in a lifetime e.g. His family member passes away and he is obligated with the responsibility to wind and distribute the estate. This may become Fardh upon him only once or twice in his lifetime. It is not Fardh all the time on him. Hence to encompass all the Faraaidh on a person during his entire life will be difficult. Whenever you are faced with any situation or any mas'alah you should refer to the Ulama' and find out what is compulsory upon you at that time. And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best Answered by: Mufti Zakaria Makada Checked & Approved: Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)

Ibn Al Qayyim (rahimullah) describes Talbina as being made from Sawwiq (wholemeal barley flour) cooked in milk or water, or both, and has the consistency of a thin porridge. Since Talbina is cooked with ground barley, it is highly beneficial and nutritious because it can be digested faster and the nutrients are absorbed into the body more effectively. It is delicious served hot in the mornings for breakfast with a drizzle of honey, particularly on cold days. Imam Ibn Al Qayyim (rahimullah) also said that "it [Talbina] has relaxation for the heart of the sick person", and it is assumed that this is because it is nutritious and filling and it warms and soothes the stomach. Sorrow and sadness tends to dry up one’s body, particularly the stomach, and of course, lack of wanted to eat food has much to contribute to that. Barley broths and soups help to moisten this dryness and flush away unnecessary accumulations or toxins related to illness. It soothes the body, comes to its defence, reduces tension, balances the different types of liquids and gasses in the body, lifts the spirit and helps the patient regain his/her poise. Talbina Recipe.Talbina is made by adding 1-2 tablespoons of barley flour (must be 100% wholegrain barley flour) to one and a half cups of water or milk, or a mixture of both. Add a few grains of salt, then cook and stir on a low heat for 10-15 minutes until the mixture thickens. It can be sweetened with honey and served with a dollop of quince jam if you like. Tibb an Nabawi

Scientific Research Decreasing the cholesterol level and treating heart diseases: New scientific research has proved how important is the wheat in dropping the level of cholesterol in the blood, by provoking many biological processes which are: The binding of the wheat fibres to the extra cholesterol in the digested food, which decreases its level in the blood. These fibres in the wheat will proceed to many reactions in the bowel, which produce many acids, absorbed by the bowel, and playing a role in decreasing the level of cholesterol in the blood. Some of the chemical compositions of the wheat such as: B Glucan, which reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood and increases the immunity effectiveness in the body. Nowadays, the value of any alimentary product is controlled by the presence of B Glucan on it.. The wheat contains products similar to vitamin E called: Tocotrienol, which deactivates the enzymes helping in the production of cholesterol. That is why the vitamin E has a very important role in heart diseases. In this way, the Talbina plays an important role in preventing the heart and circulatory system diseases, as it prevents the formation of clots in the arteries, especially the coronary arteries, and therefore avoiding, many heart diseases such as: Angina: chest pain due to low oxygen delivery to the heart muscles “ischemia”, and additionally preventing the heart infarction, which is the death of the heart muscles because of the low blood supply. However, for those who already have heart disease, the Talbina with all the helpful components it contains, can help boost there situation and avoid them reaching a critical stage. And that shows the knowledge of the prophet peace be upon him, when he said that the Talbina helps the heart of the ill people. A cure for sadness: In the past, psychologists used to count on the psychological analysis and its theories in diagnosing the psychological diseases. However, nowadays after the enormous advances in science, neurologists explain sadness by a chemical failure, as it is proven that some chemical components play an important role in the mood of a human being, such as potassium and magnesium and the antioxidants and others. All these components are present in a wheat grain, and the prophet peace upon him has illustrated this when he said that it takes away the sadness. To explain how these components affect the psychological state, we shall mention the most important of these components in the wheat, which are anti sadness: Metals: both the potassium and the magnesium have an important effect on the nervous connections, which helps smoothing the humour. In the case where the amount of potassium decreases in the body, we will feel unhappy, and this stimulates the stress and nervousness. And as the wheat contains these two important components, it is obvious that the talbina can boost sadness. And we see that these studies use the sentence decreasing the sad feeling, which goes with what the prophet said: go away with your sadness. Which is a proof of how exact were the prophet sayings. Vitamin B: one of the causes of sadness may be a delay in the physiological process of the transmission of the action potential through the nerves. And this may be due to the lack of vitamin B, that’s why its is usually advised for a person with sorrow, to increase the amount of vitamin B taken from some principle aliments mainly the wheat. Antioxidants: giving large doses of the talbina, that is rich of antioxidants including Vitamin E and A, helps in curing the cases of sadness in elderly people in a small period of time estimated between one and two months. Amino acids: the wheat contains the amino acid: tryptophan, which plays an important role in the formation of the neurotransmitter: Serotonin and this affects very importantly the human temper. The treatment of Cancer and the delay of aging: The wheat grain contains antioxidants, such as vitamin E and A, and studies have shown that antioxidants can repair and prevent any disturbance in the cells, which may provoke a tumour, as it is very important in protecting the body from the free radicals, which destroy the cell tissues and the DNA, and these free radicals may be considered as the main cause of some cancers and provoke aging. 9 from 10 doctors agree that the antioxidants can stop many diseases and protect the cell tissues from damage, and delay the aging process in addition of the delay of the disease called the zehimer. Allah has also granted the wheat grain, with the natural safe Melatonin, which is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland, situated in the brain behind the eyes, and with aging the secretion of this hormone decreases. The Melatonin is so important, because it is able to prevent heart diseases, and decreasing the level of cholesterol in the blood, additionally it helps dropping the blood pressure and it also may affect many diseases, that affect elderly people. The Melatonin as well improves the body immunity, and delays the aging and organise the sleep and the waking up. Treating diabetes and hypertension: The dissolved fibres on the wheat grains, contain pektines that dissolve in water in order to delay the digestion and the absorbance of aliments form the food, and therefore control the amount of these aliments in the blood, especially the glucose and prevent its sudden increase in the blood, due to the digested food rich on it. From this useful effect of wheat on the level of glucose on the blood, it is clear that in general all the products that contain dissolved or non dissolved fibres, that are poor in fat and calories, have almost the same effect so they should be consumed more than other products. And because those who have diabetes, are more in risk to have heart disease, the Talbina is a very good protection, to prevent the worsening of the diabetes and its side effects including heart diseases. So the Talbina is Avery good relief for those who have a high level of glucose in there blood. Some studies have also shown that eating products rich in potassium prevent high blood pressures, which is one of the components of wheat, which creates a balance between water and the salts in the cell. Also the wheat increases the discharging of urine, and it is known that the drugs with such effect are those used to treat hypertension. Smoothing and calming the bowel: The wheat grain also contains fibres, that do not dissolve in water in the digestive system, however it absorbs huge quantities of it, and stocks it, which increases the weigh of the rests but keeps them soft. Which facilitated there movement through the bowel. In this way the undissolved fibres in the grains activates the movement inside the intestines and helps the rejection of the rests. The dissolved fibres work for the same goal, as inside the bowel the bacteria acts on it which increases the amount of the rests, and activates the bowel and as well facilitates the rejection of the rests. Some studies have shown the importance of the wheat, in decreasing the risks for bowel cancer; as the less rests remaining in the bowel and the intestines, the less probable it is to have a tumour. And this may be due to the bowel bacteria, which acts on the dissolved fibred and the wheat which is rich in the antioxidants. Finally, we say that if today many people change from the modern treatment to the traditional, some of them as well turn to the prophetic medicine, and they don’t see it just as a way to seek cure but a way to gain Allah’s love and an opportunity for there sins to be forgiven.” Ayah Written by : Dr Sahbae BoundokReferences : Organic chemical and technological studies on the wheat grains. 1997 PHD thesis, M. Shar Mostapha Kamel, Agriculture department, the University of Cairo. The book: zad alad fi hadii khairi alibad written by Ibn Alkaim ALjawzia The book Shamail Alrassoul written by Ibn Kathir. The book : tratement by the Talbina written by Abd Alkarim Altajouri The book: the relative medicine ,treating without drugs, written by: Dr Mohamed Almokhaznji The book: the food and its role in intelligence written by : Dr Nabil Salim Ali The book: the relative medicine written by: Harris Mayloin

Talbina is a meal made from barley flour, formed by adding milk and honey to the dried barley powder. It is called talbina, which comes from the Arabic word laban meaning yogurt (milk/fermented churned milk), because of its resemblance to yogurt, as it is soft and white. [Wikipedia] `Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) used to recommend talbina for the sick and for the one grieving over a dead person. She ® used to say, “I heard the Messenger (s) saying, ‘The talbina gives rest to the heart of the patient and makes it active and relieves some of his sorrow and grief.’ ” [Sahih Bukhari (5325)]. `Aisha ® said that whenever one of her relatives died, the women assembled and then dispersed (returned to their houses) except her relatives and close friends. She (may Allah be pleased with her) would order that a pot of talbina be cooked. Then tharid (a dish prepared from meat and bread) would be prepared and the talbina would be poured over it. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) would say (to the women),”Eat from it, for I heard the Messenger (s) saying ‘The talbina soothes the heart of the patient and relieves him from some of his sadness.’ ” [Sahih Bukhari (5058)]. Hisham’s father (may Allah be pleased with them) said, “`Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) used to recommend Talbina and used to say,’ It is disliked (by the patient) although it is beneficial.” [Sahih Bukhari (5326)]. The Messenger (s) said, “I encourage you to use that which is disliked but beneficial (talbina) for by the One whose hand Muhammad’s soul is in, it cleans the stomach of one of you just as dirt is cleaned from the face with water.” [Mustadrak of Hakim (7455), sahih as Dhahabi mentioned in Talkhis taken from Maktaba Shamilah, See also Mustadrak (8245) whose chain is upon the condition of Bukhari as Dhahabi mentioned]. Dr Karim

The Biological Clock in Plants Many plants have a biological clock containing details of their own structure and other life forms that assist them with pollination and that bears a literal resemblance to a computer. The existence of this biological clocks points to a single reality, the fact of Creation. The ability to measure time is an ability that one does not usually expect to see in other living things other than man. It may be thought that this is limited to man, but both plants and animals possess a time-measuring mechanism, or "biological clock." In the 1920s, when two scientists in Germany, Erwin Buenning and Kurt Stem, were studying the movement of bean plant leaves, they saw that the plants were moving their leaves towards the sun throughout the day, and that at night they were gathering their leaves vertically upwards and assuming a sleeping position. Some 200 years before these two scientists published their findings, the French astronomer Jacques d'Ortuous de Marian had also observed that plants possessed such a regular sleep rhythm. Experiments in a dark environment where temperature and moisture were controlled showed that this situation did not change, and that plants possessed systems inside themselves which measure time. Under natural conditions, plants select certain times for certain activities. They do this in line with certain changes in the sunlight. Because their internal clocks are tuned to sunlight, they complete their rhythmic activities in 24 hours. In other cases, there are some rhythms which are much longer than 24 hours. No matter how long the rhythmic motions last, there is one point that does not change. These motions happen to ensure the life of the plant and the survival of the generations, and always take place at the most appropriate time. And in order for them to be successful, several complicated processes have to be completed in a flawless manner. For example, in most plants flowers open at a particular time of year, i.e. at the best possible time. Plants' clocks, which regulate this time, also calculate the duration of sunlight falling on the leaves. Every plant's biological clock calculates this period in accordance with the plant's particular features. No matter what the calculation, the flowers open at the most appropriate time. As a result of research into the regulation of time in the soya bean, it was seen that, at whatever time these plants are sown, they open their flowers at the same time of year. Plants use this perfect sense of timing in many of their functions, not just opening flowers. For example, it causes the time the poppy flower disperses its pollen to coincide with the days and hours when pollinators are most prevalent. And these days and hours vary from plant to plant. But at the end of the day, with this time regulation, every plant disperses its pollen in a manner guaranteed to give the best results. Poppy flowers disperse their pollen in July and August between 05:30 and 10:00 in the morning. That is the time is that bees and other insects emerge to look for food. At this point the flower has to include in its calculation not just its own characteristics, but also those of other living things, down to the finest detail. The plant must have accurate knowledge of the time when the creatures which will fertilize it emerge, the length of the journey they will undertake, and the times they feed. In such a situation the following question comes to mind: Where in the plant is this clock, which possesses all this "information," which does all the necessary calculations, analyses the features of other creatures, and works in a way reminiscent of a computer centre? Scientists believe that biological clocks in living things other than plants generally come into existence as an effect of the pituitary gland. But where the perfect time measuring system is in plants is still a mystery to them. This clearly indicates a superior intelligence and power which establishes and controls the timing of all plants' different activities. The biological clock in plants is just one of the countless miracles of Creation. The theory of evolution on the other hand, which irrationally maintains that life emerged by chance, conflicts with scientific truths and tries to find support for its claims by building various fantasies. This is a reality that evolutionists admit from time to time.The famous, Nobel prize-winning evolutionist Dr. Robert Milikan admits the evolutionists’s predicament; "The pathetic thing is that we have scientists who are trying to prove evolution, which no scientist can ever prove. (SBS Vital topics, David B. Loughran, April 1996, Stewarton, Scotland) God shows us proofs of His creation with His superior power and infinite knowledge everywhere, and expects us to reflect and draw conclusions from them. As stated in the Qur’an, only people capable of using their intellects can think and learn and thus know and appreciate our Lord in the best possible way. “It is He Who sends down water from the sky. From it you drink and from it come the shrubs among which you graze your herds. And by it He makes crops grow for you and olives and dates and grapes and fruit of every kind. There is certainly a Sign in that for people who reflect.” (Sura An-Nahl, 10-11) islaaminfo.co.za

10 Tips to be a successful Husband 1. Dress up well for one's wife: Dress up for your wife, look clean and smell good. When was the last time us men looked good to please our wives. Just like the husband wants his wife to look nice for him, she also wants her husband to dress up for her too. Remember that Rasullullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) would always start with Miswak when returning home and always loved the sweetest smells. 2. Use likeable names for your wife: Use the cutest names for your wife. Rasulullah (Sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) had nicknames for his wives, ones that they loved. Call your wife by the most beloved names to her, and avoid using names that hurt their feelings. 3. Recognize the good & focus on that: Don't treat her like a fly. We never think about a fly in our daily lives until it 'bugs' us. Similarly, a wife will do well all day which brings no attention from the husband until she does something to 'bug' him. Don't treat her like this; recognize all the good that she does and focus on that. 4. Be silent on the wrongs: If you see wrong from your wife, try being silent and do not comment! This is one of the ways Rasullullah(sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) used when he would see something inappropriate from his wives (Radi Allahu 'anhunna). It's a technique that few Muslim men have mastered. 5. Smile at your wife: Smile at your wife whenever you see her and embrace her often. Smiling is Sadaqah and your wife is not exempt from the Muslim Ummah. Imagine life with her constantly seeing you smiling. Remember also those Ahadith when Rasullullah(sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) would kiss his wife before leaving for Salaah, even if he was fasting. 6. Thank her: Thank her for all that she does for you. Then thank her again! Take for example a dinner at your house. She makes the food, cleans the home, and a dozen other tasks to prepare. And sometimes the only acknowledgement she receives is that there needed to be more salt in the soup. Don't let that be; thank her! 7. Make her happy: Ask her to write down the last ten things you did for her that made her happy. Then go and do them again. It may be hard to recognize what gives your wife pleasure. You don't have to play a guessing game, ask her and work on repeating those times in your Life. 8. Comfort her: Don't belittle her desires. Comfort her. Sometimes the men may look down upon the requests of their wives. Rasullullah(sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) set the example for us in an incident when Safiyyah (Radi Allahu 'anha) was crying because, as she said, he had put her on a slow camel. He wiped her tears, comforted her, and brought her the camel. 9. Be humorous: Be humorous and play games with your wife. Look at how Rasulullah (Sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) would race his wife Aisha (Radi Allahu 'anha) in the desert. When was the last time we did something like that? 10. Try to be the Best: Always remember the words of Allah's Messenger (Sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam): "The best of you are those who treat their families the best. And I am the best amongst you to my family." Try to be the best! In conclusion: Never forget to make Dua to Allah (Azza wa jall) to make your marriage successful. And Allah ta'ala knows best !! islaaminfo.co.za

Girl and boy sitting in seclusion before nikaah Q: When visiting a family to meet a potential girl for marriage, is it permissible for the girl and boy to sit in a separate room and speak about their plans, requirements etc, since it is embarrassing to speak in front of all the family members? There is a big window to the room so people in the adjacent room can see everything that is going on, but they can't hear. A: A na mahram boy and girl should not sit in seclusion at any time. The Hadith of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) explains that when a na mahram male and female sit in seclusion, the third one present is shaitaan. And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best. عن ابن عمر قال : خطبنا عمر بالجابية فقال يا أيها الناس إني قمت فيكم كمقام رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فينا فقال أوصيكم بأصحابي ثم الذين يلونهم ثم الذين يلونهم ثم يفشوا الكذب حتى يحلف الرجل ولا يستحلف ويشهد الشاهد ولا يستشهد ألا لا يخلون رجل بامرأة إلا كان ثالثهما الشيطان عليكم بالجماعة وإياكم والفرقة فإن الشيطان مع الواحد وهو من الاثنين أبعد من أراد بحبوحة الجنة فيلزم الجماعة من سرته حسنته وساءته سيئته فذلك المؤمن. (ترمذي 2/39) Answered by: Mufti Zakaria Makada Checked & Approved: Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)

IKMALUSH SHIYAM CHAPTER ON SOLITUDE AND ASCETICISM Nothing is more beneficial for the heart than solitude accompanied by contemplation on the Attributes and Bounties of Allah. Association with people in general and unnecessary association in particular, keeps the focus of the heart on the people. The heart's gaze is diverted from Khaaliq Ta'ala Shaanhu. Ghaflat (negligence) increases further. In most cases the cause of ghaflat is mingling with people. When the Saalik takes to solitude, the people are out of his sight. The searcher of Allah then necessarily turns his gaze towards Allah Ta'ala. Hence, for the heart to gain Divine Proximity (Qurb) nothing is more efficacious than solitude. However, it is necessary in this solitude to meditate on the Attributes and Bounties of Allah Ta'ala. Bury yourself in the field of anonymity. The seed which is not buried underground will not develop and flourish. The dearest wish of man's nafs is to be held in honour and esteem by others. Man thus pursues name and fame. This characteristic is a highway robber in the Path leading to Allah. It is absolutely negatory of sincerity and truth. The aim is worshipping and serving Allah. Greatness is the right of only Allah Ta'ala. Therefore, the duty of the bandah is to humble himself and hold himself in contempt in the Divine Court. Therefore, the Shaikh (rahmatullah alayh) says that you should bury yourself in anonymity which is like the ground, i.e. make yourself lost, unknown and humble. The seed which is not planted under the soil will not grow and flourish. Similarly, if man does not bury him in the field of anonymity, but remains in the pursuit of name and fame, he will not attain spiritual excellence and perfection. He will remain defective. Allah has concealed the anwaar of the hearts of his Auliya in the dense veils of their external states so that they remain safe from the disgrace of publicity. He thus saves them from fame. The hearts of those who are blessed with Divine Proximity and Divine Presence are radiant with innumerable rays of thikr and ibaadat. Their hearts are illumined with these celestial rays. However, Allah Ta'ala has concealed illumination of their hearts with dense veils of materialism, e.g. eating, drinking, walking, sitting, etc. Externally, He has made them to resemble the masses by their indulgence in worldly activities. Thus, the difference between these Auliya and the masses is indiscernible. These external worldly states act like thick veils which conceal the anwaar (celestial illumination) of Allah's Auliya from the eyes of men. But those whose baatini (spiritual) gaze is sharp, recognise these anwaar even behind the veils while the general public cannever discern these rays of celestial illumination because their physical vision cannot penetrate these veils. They therefore echo the statement which the kuffaar made to the Nabi: “You are but a man like us.” Allah has hidden these anwaar exuding from the Auliya so that their honour is maintained. He has protected them from the disgrace of publicity, for if these anwaar had to become known to the general public, it would have been on the tongues of all and sundry. Such publicity is dishonourable and in conflict with the dignity and honour of Allah Ta'ala. Mentioning in public even the name of a modest, chaste and beautiful lady protected behind her Purdah, is dishonourable on account of her high degree of modesty and honour. This then is the similitude for the anwaar of the Auliya concealed behind dense worldly veils. If this system of concealment did not exist, these anwaar of the Auliya would have become fully manifest. Their radiation of illumination would have predominated to such a degree that the external material veils would disappear from even the physical vision of worldly people. Glory unto That Being Who has hidden Divine Mysteries and subtleties behind the veils of human attributes which are manifested. And (Glory unto Him) Who has manifested for His servants the splendour of His Rububiyat (Godhood, Divinity) by revealing the effects (aathaar) of their Uboodiyat (state of worship and slavery). The meaning of this statement is similar to the aforementioned observation. Others are unaware of the mysteries and subtleties which Allah Ta'ala reveals to His close servants. This spiritual treasure is concealed from the gaze of the public. The veils of physical attributes have been cast over these anwaar. Concealing these anwaar is an extremely marvellous act. These anwaar are infinite in number and are of such supreme quality that if even a single spark had to appear on earth, the light of the sun and moon would become dull and the light of this single spark would permeate from east to west. Inspite of their infinity and quality, Allah Ta'ala has concealed this vast, boundless ocean of illumination in a cup. In other words, He has concealed these boundless anwaar in man who is constituted of a handful of sand. There, thus, appears in the physical gaze of man only this handful of sand or its physical effects, viz. its material and mundane attributes and activities such as man's movement and rest, his eating, sleeping and working. In view of this marvellous act of Allah, the author expresses his wonder and amazement by proclaiming, Subhaanallah! (Glory to Allah!) His power is indeed wonderful and marvellous. When He desires to display the greatness and splendour of His Divinity (Rububiyat) to His servants, then He does so by revealing the effects of the Uboodiyat (slavery) of His servants. The effects of Uboodiyat are those states of the servants, which draw their attention to Allah Ta'ala. Such states are sickness, poverty, hardships, etc. When the bandah is afflicted with these conditions, he is compelled to turn towards his Creator. He supplicates for the removal of the hardships and he humbles himself. In such circumstances he develops firmness in faith and understands well that he, most certainly, has a Creator Who is All-Powerful. In the absence of these effects, the greatness of Allah would not have become manifest for His servants, because they would be perpetually dwelling in their personal whims and fancies. The servants of Allah would then have been deprived of this inner knowledge (ma'rifat). Also, That Pure Being has fixed the same Path which leads to Him as the Path which leads to His Auliya. He leads to His Auliya only those whom He leads to Himself. Allah Ta'ala conceals His Pure Being (Thaat) from our gaze, behind the veils of His creation. The earth, heavens, the moon, the sun, the stars, the animal kingdom, the plant kingdom, man, etc. are His makhluqaat (created things). Inspite of the Thaat of Khaaliq (The Creator) being conspicuously manifest, He is hidden from our sight. In fact, He remains so concealed that some brainless people even deny His existence. Those on whom the grace of Allah settled, acknowledge His Unity and accepted belief in the Messengership (Risaalat) of His Messengers. Those who are favoured with Allah's Special Grace, He bestows to them a share of His Ma'rifat. Thus, the medium for the acquisition of Allah's Ma'rifat and the Path leading to the Divine Court are His Special Grace. There is no other way or method for this attainment. The author then expresses his amazement saying that He (Allah) is Pure and, in fact, Purity belongs only to Him. The cause of the author's amazement is the fact that the method which Allah has fixed for His recognition (Ma'rifat), has also been fixed for the recognition of His Auliya. Just as Allah Ta'ala has concealed Himself in the veils of His physical creation, so too has He hidden His Auliya behind the veils of their mundane conditions such as their movement, rest, eating, sleeping, etc. And, just as Allah has fixed His Fadhl-e-Khaas (Special Grace) as the way for attaining Him, has He fixed His Fadhl-e-Khaas as the way of recognising His Auliya. Only those who are favoured with Divine Grace will recognise the Auliya. Every person is not blessed with Ma'rifat nor is every person guided to the Auliya. Some Auliya even aver that it is more difficult to recognise the Auliya than Allah Ta'ala. In view of Allah's Beauty (Jamaal) and Splendour (Jalaal) being conspicuously manifest in creation, it is relatively easier to recognise Him than to recognise a Wali. A wali resembles all others in mundane acts and attributes, hence it is difficult to recognise him. The author then says that Allah leads to His Auliya those whom He leads to Himself. In other words, when Allah Ta'ala desires a man to reach Him, He blesses him with the love, recognition and special companionship of the Auliya. The wisdom underlying this system is that the Auliya are Allah's beloved. Those who love one's beloved are also beloved. Thus, when a person loves the Auliya it indicates that Allah loves him and that He will bestow His Ma'rifat to him. majlis.net

Translated by Zameelur Rahman Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah and Abu Kurayb narrated to us. They said: Abu Usamah narrated to us: from Hisham: from his father: from ‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with her): she said: “Sawdah (Allah he pleased with her) went out [in the fields] in order to relieve her need after the hijab had been prescribed upon her. She had been a bulky lady, physically taller than other women, and she could not conceal herself from one who had known her. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) saw her and said, ‘O Sawdah, by Allah, you cannot conceal [yourself] from us. Therefore, be careful when you go out.’” ‘A’isha said: “She turned back. Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was at that time in my house having his evening meal and there was a bone in his hand. Sawdah entered and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I went out and ‘Umar said to me so and so.’” ‘A’isha said: “Revelation came to him, then it was lifted from him and the bone was [still] in his hand and he had not put it [down]. He then said, ‘Permission has been granted to you that you may go out for your needs.’” (Sahih Muslim) The subject of the hijab of women has, today, become a significant issue, on which discussion and debate has been ongoing, so we wish to produce an outline of the [correct] view on this [issue]. And Allah Most High gives success and is the Helper. The Issue of the Hijab of Women and its Boundaries Writings on the topic of the veiling and unveiling of women have proliferated in our time. The best that I have seen on this subject is a treatise by my late father Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Shafi’ (Allah have mercy on him) which he called Tafsil al-Khitab fi Tafsir Ayat al-Hijab, which is a section from his Ahkam al-Qur’an (3:393-483), in which he examined the verses and hadiths cited on the subject and exhausted the positions of the fuqaha (jurists) and the statements of the exegetes regarding the limits of hijab and its description. The sum of what he concluded after an extensive study is that the hijab that is legislated and commanded in the Book and the Sunnah has three levels, each above the other in hiddenness and concealment. All of them are mentioned in the Book and the Sunnah and none of them have been abrogated, but they have been prescribed for different circumstances. They are: [1] Hijab of the persons (ashkhas) of women in houses and walls, private quarters and howdahs, whereby foreign men do not see any part of their persons, garments or external or internal adornment, or any part of their body, including the face, the hands and the remainder of the body. [2] Hijab with burqa’ and jilbab, whereby nothing from the face and hands, the rest of the body and the clothing of adornment are shown, so nothing is seen besides their concealed persons from above the head to the foot. [3] Hijab with jilbabs and items of clothing that resemble them, while exposing the face, the hands and the feet. The default rule in the hijab of women is hijab of the first level which is that she is concealed in the house and does not emerge, except for a need, the explanation of which is to come. This is proven by the statement of Allah Most High, “and stay in your houses” (Qur’an 33:33). It is apparent that this command is not specific to the purified wives because none of the preceding and succeeding rules in this verse are specific to the Mothers of the Believers (Allah be pleased with them) by consensus. Likewise [this is proven by] His statement Most High, “And when ye ask of them anything, ask it of them from behind a veil” (Qur’an 33:53). This verse was revealed during the walimah (wedding feast) of Zaynab (Allah be pleased with her), whereupon a veil was drawn between her and the men. Furthermore, this is proven by the following hadiths: [1] It was narrated from ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) that Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “The woman is ‘awrah. When she emerges [from her house] Satan looks at her.” Al-Tirmidhi transmitted it and said, “The hadith is hasan sahih (sound and authentic), gharib (uncommon)”. Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Hibban transmitted it in their Sahihs with this wording and added, “and the closest that she is to the Face of Her Lord is when she is in the depth of her home.” See al-Targhib by al-Mundhiri (1:136). [2] It was narrated from Jabir (Allah be pleased with him), he said: “Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “The woman advances in the shape of Satan and retires in the shape of Satan.” Muslim transmitted it (1:129). [3] The hadith of the chapter transmitted by the compiler (Imam Muslim) as Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said therein, “permission has been granted to you that you may go out for your needs,” since this indicates that the permission to go out is restricted to [times] of need and in [times] other than need a woman stays in her house. [4] It was narrated from ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) that Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “The prayer of a woman in her house is more virtuous than her prayer in her room and her prayer in her chamber is more virtuous than her prayer in her house.” Abu Dawud transmitted it and al-Hakim transmitted it in al-Mustadrak from Umm Salamah (Allah be pleased with her) as [mentioned] in Kanz al-’Ummal (8:259). Ibn Khuzaymah transmitted it in his Sahih, as [mentioned] in al-Targhib by al-Mundhiri (1:135). [5] It was narrated from Umm Humayd, the wife of Abu Humayd al-Sa’idi, that she came to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I love to pray with you.” He replied, “I know that you love to pray with me. However, your prayer in your storage room is better than your prayer in your bedroom; your prayer in your bedroom is better than your prayer in your courtyard; your prayer in your courtyard is better than your prayer in the mosque of your people; and your prayer in the mosque of your people is better than your prayer in my mosque.” [The sub-narrator] said, “She requested that a prayer area be built for her in the deepest and darkest part of her house, and she prayed therein until she met Allah Most High.” Ahmad transmitted it in his Musnad (6:371) and Ibn Hajar in al-Isabah attributed it to Ibn Abi Khaythamah through this route, and this is an authentic chain. Al-Shawkani transmitted in Nayl al-Awtar (3:161) from Ibn Hajar that he said, “Its chain is sound (hasan).” Al-Mundhiri mentioned it in al-Targhib (1:135) and said, “Ahmad narrated it, as did Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Hibban in their Sahihs”. [6] It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with them both) in marfu’ form, “Women do not have a share in leaving [the home] except in [times of] need.” Al-Tabrani transmitted it as [mentioned] in Kanz al-’Ummal (8:263). These hadiths prove with clarity that the default rule for the woman is that she is hidden in her house, her person is concealed from foreign men and she does not leave her house except for a need. However, a woman may need to emerge for her natural needs. It will then be permissible for her to emerge in these kinds of situations while concealed in a burqa’ and jilbab whereby no part of her body is shown. This is the second level of hijab, and indeed this level has been commanded in the Noble Qur’an where Allah Most High said, “O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their jilbabs over their [persons]” (33:59) and it is apparent that by casting the jilbab over the woman is meant concealing her entire body even her face. Jilbab according to what was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with them both) is that which covers from top to bottom. Ibn Hazm said in al-Muhalla (3:217), “Jilbab in the language of the Arabs, in which Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) spoke, is that which covers the entire body, not a part of it.” Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir and others transmitted from Muhammad ibn Sirin, he said: “I asked ‘Abidah al-Salmani about this verse ‘they should cast their jilbabs over their [persons]‘ so he lifted the blanket [draped] around him, concealed his face with it and covered his entire head until it reached the eyebrows and covered his face, then he took out his left eye from the left side of his face”. This was [mentioned] in Ruh al-Ma’ani (22:89). Ibn Jarir transmitted in his Tafsir (22:46) from Ibn ‘Abbas in the explanation of this verse, “Allah commanded the believing women [that] when they emerge from their houses for a need, they [must] cover their faces from above their heads with jilbabs and reveal [only] one eye.” It was also narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas and Qatadah, “[the woman] twists the jilbab above the forehead and tightens it, then she folds it unto the nose even if her eyes are exposed; nonetheless, she conceals the chest and most of the face.” Al-Alusi [mentioned] it in Ruh al-Ma’ani (22:89). In sum, this verse proves that the woman is commanded to cover her face when she emerges at her [time of] need. Furthermore, this is proven by His statement Most High, “Such elderly women as are past the prospect of marriage, there is no [blame] on them if they lay down their garments” (24:60), since Allah Most High made it permissible for old women in this verse to lay down their garments and it is clear that the intended meaning of laying down the garments here is not laying down all clothes. The intended meaning of it is only to lay down the jilbab or shroud from the external garments, the laying down of which will not lead to exposing the ‘awrah. For this [reason] ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) explained garment in this verse as jilbab and shroud, and a similar [interpretation] was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn ‘Umar, Mujahid, Sa’id ibn Jubayr, Abu l-Sha’tha’, Ibrahim al-Nakha’i, al-Hasan, Qatadah, al-Zuhri, al-Awza’i and others as mentioned in Tafsir ibn Kathir. Hence, this verse proves that laying down the jilbab which necessitates exposing the face is specific to old women who have no prospect of marriage, and that it is not permissible for young women to lay down their jilbabs and expose their faces before foreign men. It is clear that when the female Companions left for their needs they would go out concealed in jilbabs and hidden in shrouds and would not uncover their faces before foreign men. From the [narrations] that prove this are the following hadiths: [1] Abu Dawud transmitted in Kitab al-Jihad, Bab Fadl Qital al-Rum from Qays ibn Shammas (Allah be pleased with him), he said: “A woman called Umm Khallad came to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) while she was veiled (wearing a niqab) enquiring about her son who was killed. One of the Companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to her, ‘You have come to ask about your son while you are veiled?’ She said, ‘If I am afflicted with the loss of my son I will never suffer the loss of my modesty.’ Then Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘He has the reward of two martyrs.’ She asked, ‘And why is that O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘Because he was killed by the people of the book.’” [2] It was narrated from Umm ‘Atiyyah that Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) would bring out the unmarried women, old women, the women in the private quarters and the menstruating women in the two ‘Ids. As for menstruating women they would keep back from the place of prayer and would witness the supplication of the Muslims. One of them said, “O Messenger of Allah! If one does not have a jilbab?” He said, “Let her sister cover her with her jilbab.” This hadith was transmitted by a number of collectors of authentic [narrations], and this is the wording of al-Tirmidhi (no. 539), Bab Khuruj al-Nisa’ fi l-’Idayn, and al-Tirmidhi said, “this hadith is hasan sahih.” [3] Al-Bukhari transmitted [something] similar to it (no. 980 in Kitab al-’Idayn) from Hafsah bint Sirin and its wording is: “so she said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, is there harm for any of us when she does not have jilbab that she not come out?’ He said, ‘Her companion should cover her with her jilbab.’” [4] ’Abd al-Razzaq and a group transmitted from Umm Salamah, she said, “When this verse ‘they should cast their jilbabs over their [persons]‘ was revealed, the women of Ansar came out as if there were crows on their heads, from the tranquillity, and [draped] over them were black clothes that they would wear.” [5] Ibn Mardawayh transmitted from ‘A’ishah, she said, “Allah Most High bless the women of the Ansar. When ‘O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women …’ was revealed they tore their thick outer garments and made veils from them, and they prayed behind Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) as if there were crows on their heads.” See Ruh al-Ma’ani (22:89) for the two narrations. [6] It was narrated from ‘A’ishah, she said, “Riders would pass us when we accompanied the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) while we were in ihram. When they came by us, one of us would let down her jilbab from her head over her face, and when they had passed on, we would uncover our faces”. Abu Dawud transmitted it in Kitab al-Hajj (no. 1833). These hadiths clarify that the female Companions (Allah’s pleasure be on them) would, after the revelation of the [verses of] hijab, adhere strictly to covering their bodies with jilbabs and draw them over their faces when going out. The last hadith proves that this importance of hiddenness does not cease to continue even in the state of ihram in which it is prohibited for a woman that a piece of clothing touches her face. The third level of hijab which is that women go out concealing the bodies from head to foot while uncovering the face and hands, at the time of need, is with the condition of safety (amn) from temptation (fitnah). This is proven by His statement Most High in Surah al-Nur, “And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their ornaments except what appears thereof.” The exegetes have differed over the explanation of “what appears thereof”. It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn ‘Umar and ‘A’ishah (Allah be pleased with them) that they explained it as the face and hands, and this is the view of ‘Ata’, ‘Ikrimah, Sa’id ibn Jubayr, Abu l-Sha’tha, al-Dahhak, Ibrahim al-Nakha’i and others. And it was narrated from ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) that he interpreted “what appears thereof” as the shroud and jilbab. Hence, the verse according to the first explanation proves that the woman can uncover her face and hands at the time of need and this is further supported by the following hadiths: [1] It was narrated from ‘A’ishah (Allah be pleased with her) that Asma’ bint Abi Bakr (Allah be pleased with them both) entered upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) while wearing thin clothing, so he turned away from her and said, “O Asma! Indeed when a woman reaches [the age of] menstruation, it is not proper that anything should be shown except this and this”, and he pointed to his face and hands. Abu Dawud transmitted it, but Abu Dawud and Abu Hatim al-Razi said: “it is mursal, Khalid ibn Darik did not hear from ‘A’ishah”. [2] It was narrated from ‘Ali (Allah be pleased with him) in the event of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) returning from al-Muzdalifah that he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) made al-Fadl ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) his riding companion. He came to the pillars to throw pebbles at them and then came to the place of sacrifice (manhar). It is mentioned therein: a young slave girl from Khath’am sought a verdict from him and said, “Indeed my father is an old man and the obligation to Allah to perform Hajj has reached him. Is it permissible for me to perform Hajj on his behalf?” He said, “Perform Hajj on your father’s behalf.” ‘Ali said: “he turned the neck of al-Fadl, and al-’Abbas asked, ‘Why did you turn the neck of your cousin?’ He said, ‘I saw a young man and woman [in such a situation] that they are not safe from Satan.’” Al-Tirmidhi transmitted it in Bab ma Ja’a anna ‘Arafata kullaha Mawqif (no. 885). Abu Ya’la transmitted from al-Fadl ibn ‘Abbas, he said: “I was riding behind Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and a Bedouin with whom was a beautiful daughter began presenting her to Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) in the hope that he would marry her”. He said, “I began to glance at her, and the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) took hold of my head and turned it.” Al-Haythami mentioned it in Kitab al-Nikah in Majma’ al-Zawa’id (4:277) and he said, “its narrators are the narrators of authentic [narrations].” Either this was another incident, or one of the narrators erred in the explanation that the girl belonged to a Bedouin. And the hadith of al-Tirmidhi is clear in that her father was not with her. And Allah knows best. [Further] detail of this event was transmitted by al-Bukhari in Kitab al-Isti’dhan (no. 6228) from ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) and its wording is: Al-Fadl ibn ‘Abbas rode behind the Prophet as his companion rider on the back of his she-camel on the Day of Sacrifice (yawm al-nahr) and al-Fadl was a handsome man. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) stopped to give the people verdicts. In the meantime, a beautiful woman from the tribe of Khath’am came, asking the verdict of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace). Al-Fadl started looking at her as her beauty attracted him. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) looked behind while al-Fadl was looking at her; so the Prophet held out his hand backwards and caught the chin of al-Fadl and turned his face to the other side in order that he should not gaze at her, [to the end of] the hadith. This slave girl’s face was uncovered as is clear from the context of the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas since he said therein that she was beautiful and al-Fadl was attracted to her beauty. The hadith explains that the Prophet turned the face of al-Fadl away from glancing at her and he did not command the slave girl to cover her face because she was in the state of ihram, and he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) probably feared she would collapse or something else if she was required to conceal her face in such severe crowding, so he did not command her to [do] this. This is a proof that it is permissible for a woman to uncover her face according to a need when the rest of her body is concealed. [3] It was narrated from Sahl ibn Sa’d that a woman came to Allah’s Messenger and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I have come to give you myself in marriage.” Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) looked at her. He looked at her carefully and fixed his glance on her and then lowered his head, to the end of the hadith. Al-Bukhari transmitted it in Bab al-Nazr ila l-Mar’ati qabla l-Tazwij (no. 5125). It is clear in this event that the woman’s face was uncovered at this time, and al-Sarakhsi adduced this as proof in al-Mabsut (10:152) that the face of a woman is not ‘awrah. As for the positions of the fuqaha on the permissibility of looking at the face of a woman and her hands, the fuqaha have agreed on the impermissibility when it is with the intention of gratification (taladhdhudh), or if there was a fear of temptation inviting the man to be alone with her. There is no dispute in the prohibition of looking at the face of a woman and her hands in this case. As for when the man is safe from temptation and does not desire gratification by looking there is disagreement over its permissibility. The position of the Hanafis and the Malikis is the permissibility of looking at the face and hands in this case and this is the position of many of the Shafi’is and few Hanbalis. However the preferred [view] according to the Shafi’is and the Hanbalis is absolute impermissibility even if safe from desire and temptation. The Position of the Hanafis on the Ruling of Looking at a Woman Shams al-A’immah al-Sarakhsi said in al-Mabsut (10:152), “It is permissible to look at the area of apparent adornment of women and not the hidden [adornment] due to His statement Most High, ‘they should not display their ornaments except what appear thereof’ (24:31). ‘Ali and Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) said, ‘what appears thereof’ is kohl and the ring. ‘A’ishah (Allah be pleased with her) said one of her two eyes and ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) said her shoes (khuff) and shroud (mula’ah), and he adduced as evidence for this his (Allah bless him and grant him peace) statement ‘women are the snares of Satan by which he hunts men’ … and since the prohibition of looking is for fear of temptation and the greater part of her attractiveness is in her face, the fear of temptation in looking at her face is greater than it is when looking at other parts. ‘A’ishah reasoned similarly but she said, ‘if she finds no escape from walking on the road, then it is necessary that she opens her eye to see the road, so it is permissible for her to uncover one of her eyes due to this necessity, and what is established by necessity should not go beyond the scope of the necessity.’ “However, we [Hanafis] adopt the view of ‘Ali and Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) since reports have been transmitted giving a dispensation to look at her face and hands. From these reports is what was narrated that a woman offered herself [for marriage] to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace), and he looked at her face and did not desire her. “And when ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) said in his sermon, ‘Know that you may not go in excess in the dowries of women’ and a woman with flushed cheeks said, ‘Are you expressing [a view] using your [personal] opinion or did you hear this from Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace), for indeed we find in the Book of Allah Most High the opposite of what you say…?’ Hence, the narrator mentioned that she had flushed cheeks, and this contains a clarification that her face was unveiled. “And Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) saw the hand of a woman that was not dyed with henna and he asked, ‘is this the hand of a man?’ “And when Fatima (Allah be pleased with her) gave one of her two children to Bilal or Anas (Allah be pleased with them), Anas said, ‘I saw her hand and it appeared as if a half-moon.’ “It is thus proven that there is no harm in looking at the face and hands. Furthermore, the face is the site of kohl and the hand is the site of the ring…Moreover, there is no doubt that it is permissible to look at her garment, and fear of temptation is not considered in this, and looking at her face and hands is the same. Al-Hasan ibn Ziyad narrated from Abu Hanifah that it is permitted to look at her foot also, as was mentioned by al-Tahawi, because just as she is tried with showing her face in working with men and showing her hand in receiving and giving, she is tried with showing her feet when walking barefooted or wearing sandals, and she may not find shoes on every occasion [when she goes out]. It is mentioned in Jami’ al-Baramika, it was narrated from Abu Yusuf that it is permissible to look at her forearm also because in baking and washing clothes she is tried with showing her forearms also. It was said, ‘similarly, it is permitted to look at her front teeth also, because that appears from her when talking to men.’ “All of this is when looking is not with desire (shahwah). If one knows that if he looks, he will become desirous, then it is not permissible for him to look at any part of her because of his statement (Allah bless him and grant him peace), ‘whoever looks at the beauties of a foreign woman with desire, [melted] lead will be poured into his eyes on the Day of Resurrection’ and ‘Ali (Allah be pleased with him) said, ‘do not follow up a glance with another glance for indeed the first is [permissible] for you and the second is against you’, meaning by the second that one does it intentionally with desire … And similar is the case if his preponderant opinion is that if he looks he will become desirous, because preponderant opinion in that thing the reality of which cannot be known [with certainty] is just like certainty.” The Maliki Position As for the Malikis, their position is what was mentioned by al-Kharshi in his marginalia on Mukhtasar Khalil (1:347): “The ‘awrah of a free-woman before a foreign man is her entire body, even her loose hair and forelock, with the exception of the face and hands, the outside of them and their inside. Furthermore, looking at them (the face and hands) without gratification and without fear of temptation and without a reason, is permissible, even if it is a young woman. Malik said, ‘a woman may eat with a non-near-relative (ghayr dhi mahram) and with her male servant, and she may occasionally eat with her husband and others of those with whom he dines’. Ibn al-Qattan said, ‘this contains proof of the permissibility of the woman showing her face and hands to a foreign man, since it is not conceivable to eat except in this manner [i.e. by showing the face and hands].’” An equivalent [passage] is [found] in Sharh al-Muwaq of al-Hattab (1:499) in more detail. ‘Alish said in Minah al-Jalil (1:133), “Thus, it is permissible for her to uncover them [i.e. the face and hands] before a foreign man, and he may look at them if he does not fear temptation. If temptation is feared then Ibn Marzuq said, ‘the well-known position of the madhhab is the obligation to conceal them.’” An equivalent [passage] is [found] in Mawahib al-Jalil by al-Hattab (1:399, 500). The Shafi’i Position The position of the Shafi’is is what was mentioned by al-Nawawi in Kitab al-Nikah from al-Minhaj in his statement, “It is prohibited for a mature male to look at the ‘awrah of a mature foreign free woman, and similarly [it is prohibited to look at] her face and hands when one fears temptation, and also when safe from temptation according to the correct opinion.” Al-Khatib al-Shirbini said below his statement, “according to the correct opinion”, “and Imam [al-Juwayni] reasoned that the Muslims are in agreement on banning women from emerging while their faces are unveiled, and [he reasoned] that looking is the act in which one would most expect temptation and the stirring of desire … And the second view is that it is not prohibited, and Imam [al-Juwayni] attributed this to the majority (jumhur) [of the Shafi'is] and the two shaykhs (al-Nawawi and al-Rafi’i) attributed it to most (aktharin). “[Al-Isnawi] said in al-Muhimmat that: It is the correct view because most have adopted it. Al-Balqini said, ‘giving weight (tarjih) [to one opinion] depends on the strength of reason, and the verdict (fatwa) is given according to what is in al-Minhaj‘… That which the Imam transmitted regarding agreement on banning women, i.e. the rulers banning them, [from emerging while their faces are unveiled], conflicts with what al-Qadi ‘Iyad related from the ‘ulama that it is not obligatory on the woman to conceal her face along her path and that it is only a good practice (sunnah), and it is [obligatory] on men to lower their gaze from them because of the verse [i.e. 24:30]. The author (al-Nawawi) related this in Sharh Muslim and approved of it. One of the latter-day scholars said there is no conflict in that, rather their being banned from that is not because concealing [the face] is obligatory on them in its essence, rather because there is general benefit in it, and in leaving [the ban] is an infringement of honour (muru’ah). [Here] ends [the statement of al-Isnawi]. The outward purport of the statement of the two shaykhs is that concealing [the face] is obligatory in itself, so [the need for] this reconciliation does not arise, and the statement of al-Qadi is weak.” See Mughni al-Muhtaj (3:128, 129). An equivalent [passage] is [found] in Nihayat al-Muhtaj (6:184, 5). The Hanbali Position The position of the Hanbalis is what was mentioned by Ibn Qudamah in al-Mughni (6:558,9) in Kitab al-Nikah in his statement, “As for men looking at a foreign woman without a reason, it is prohibited entirely according to the apparent statement of Ahmad … and al-Qadi [Abu Ya'la] said, ‘it is prohibited for one to look at anything besides the face and hands because this is ‘awrah, and it is permitted for him to look at her with reprehensibility (karahah) when safe from temptation and the look is without desire. This is the position of al-Shafi’i … [in support] of our view is Allah’s statement Most High, “And when ye ask of them anything, ask it of them from behind a veil” (33:53) … As for the hadith of Asma, if it is authentic, it is possible that it was before the revelation of [the verses of] hijab, so we understand it as such.’” By considering these four positions it is clear that they all agree on the prohibition of looking at the face of a woman with the intention of gratification or when there is fear of temptation. The preponderant view in the madhhab of the Shafi’is and the Hanbalis is its prohibition when safe from temptation also. The Hanafis and Malikis only allow it with the condition of safety from temptation and the intention of gratification. Meeting this condition is very difficult, particularly in our age in which corruption has become prevalent, to the degree that it has become a condition that almost cannot be met in most situations, and for this [reason] the latter-day scholars from the Hanafis prohibited it absolutely. Its reprehensibility was transmitted in Al-Durr al-Mukhtar: “If one fears desire or has doubts, looking at her face is prohibited. Thus, the permissibility of looking is conditional on the absence of desire and otherwise it is prohibited. This was in their time. As for our time, Quhustani and others prohibited looking at [the face of] young girls except when looking is due to a need, like when a judge and a witness judge and witness over her…” Al-Haskafi said in Shurut al-Salah, “and it is prohibited for a young woman to uncover the face among men, not because it is ‘awrah, but for fear of temptation.” And he said in Bab al-Ta’zir, “the master may reprimand his slave, and the husband his wife if she doesn’t beautify [herself]” to his statement “or she uncovers her face before a non-close-relative.” Imam Abu Bakr al-Jassas said in Ahkam al-Qur’an (4:458) under His statement Most High, “they should cast their jilbabs over their [persons]“, “in this verse is an indication that the young woman is commanded to conceal her face from foreign men and to display the concealment and modesty when going out so that suspicious people do not desire them.” My father, ‘Allamah Mufti Muhammad Shafi’ (Allah have mercy on him), said in his Ahkam al-Qur’an (3:469), “and by this explanation we offered, the texts and narrations that are apparently contradictory are in agreement. As you know from what we cited to you of the verses and narrations that some of them allow uncovering the face and hands, either with certainty and conviction like the hadith of al-Fadl ibn ‘Abbas according to al-Bukhari and the hadith of Asma bint Abi Bakr in [Abu Dawud's] al-Sunan and the hadith of the one who offered herself [for marriage] according to al-Bukhari and [other narrations] like them; and some [of the verses and narrations] allow it as a possible interpretation due to the disagreement that occurred between the Companions (Allah be pleased with them) in the explanation of His statement Most High ‘except what appear thereof’, the details of which have passed. “And some [of the verses and narrations] prohibit uncovering the face and hands, and foreign men looking at them, like His statement Most High ‘and stay in your houses’ (33:33) … and His statement Most High ‘ask it of them from behind a veil’ (33:53) and His statement ‘they should cast their jilbabs over their [persons]‘ (33:59) according to the explanation of the majority of the Companions and His statement Most High ‘except what appear thereof’ (24:31) according to the explanation of ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud … “Thus, these texts of the Book and narrations of the Sunnah apparently conflict and contradict and in what we have mentioned to you, with the help of Allah Most High, this problem is resolved, for when you realise what we said, you will understand that all of these texts are in agreement in meaning, well-coordinated in the rulings, and all of them are in effect (muhkam) and are not abrogated, but a [particular] ruling is preconditioned by conditions, so wherever the conditions are met, it is made permissible, and wherever they are not, then it is not [permissible] … “All of this is when the reality of the difference between the explanations of Ibn ‘Abbas and ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud is conceded. Our teacher, the noblest of teachers, Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi (Allah illuminate his resting place), said in a volume devoted to this subject called Ilqa’ al-Sakinah fi Tahqiq Ibda’ al-Zinah that there is no difference between their explanations upon an in-depth and close examination, since the phrase ‘what appears’, although it was explained [by Ibn 'Abbas] as the face and hands, but what is cited as the exception [in the verse] is on the [morphological] pattern of zuhur (passive appearance) not izhar (active showing). This clearly indicates that the objective [of the verse] is making an exception of what cannot be concealed. Rather, [it is an exception] when adornment appears upon exertion and work, without an intention to show it, because harm may be inflicted upon them by concealing [the face and hands] upon exertion and work. In this case, the exception would also be in accordance with the explanation of Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) which is the face and hands may appear due to a need, and this does not contradict the statement of ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him). I say: and this meaning is supported by what Ibn Kathir said in his explanation of His statement Most High, ‘they should not display their ornaments except what appear thereof’, ‘i.e. they should not reveal any part of their adornment to foreign men except what they are unable to conceal.’” The upshot is that a woman is commanded in the Noble Qur’an to stay in her house and not emerge except when there is a need. Moreover, if she were to emerge due to a need, then she is commanded to conceal the face by donning the jilbab or burqa’ and in [a manner] that she does not unveil her face. Yes, there are two situations that are exceptions to this: first, the situation of needing to show the face because concealing it will inflict harm upon her as in a [large] crowd or for another need like providing testimony. Second, her face becomes exposed unintentionally during exertion and work. Men are commanded in these two situations to lower their gaze. And Allah Most High knows best. Takmilah Fath al-Mulhim, vol. 4, pp. 225-234 deoband.org

We cannot just open the Qur’an and start interpreting it as if we are starting on ground zero. By Khalid Baig The Qur’an is the living miracle of Prophet Muhammad . From beginning till end it contains nothing but the Word of Allah as revealed to Prophet Muhammad , through angel Jibreel (Gabriel) alayhis-salam. It tells us where we are coming from and where we are going. It tells us what will happen after death. It shows the Straight Path that will lead to the place of eternal bliss called Paradise. And it warns us about following the crooked paths that lead to the place of eternal doom called Hell. It gives moral code for individuals as well as states. It gives the Law or Shariah for them as well. It addresses both the heart and the intellect. It educates; it inspires; it heals. It shows the Path and it gives us the energy and motivation to follow it. No one can go wrong who makes it his guide. No one can succeed who ignores its guidance. The companions were the first group of people who followed it as it must be followed. They were transformed from being the lowest of the low to being the highest of the high. They established personal standards of piety and virtue that no other group of people since then can match. They established a society based on justice, fairness and goodness that no other society can match. The Qur’an is guidance for all humanity but not everyone who reads it will get guidance from it. Qur’an reserves its guidance for those who sincerely seek it and approach it in the proper way and the right attitude. “Then came their successors who deserted this Qur’an,” says Shaikh Yusuf Qardawi in his book “Kaifa nata’amal ma’al Qur’an-ul-Azeem” (How Should We Interact With the Great Qur’an). “They preserved its words but lost its injunctions. They understood it poorly. They did not put first what this Book puts first. They did not put last what this Book puts last. They did not give eminence to what this Book gives eminence to. They did not belittle what this Book belittles… There is no way for deliverance of this Ummah from its loss, backwardness and ruin except by turning back to this Qur’an. We must make this Qur’an as the guide and the leader (to find our way out of our current misery).” This turning back to the Qur’an requires many steps. We must learn to read it in it’s original Arabic and we must teach our children to do the same. This learning to read is part of the knowledge referred to in the oft-quoted Hadith that specifies that seeking knowledge is a duty of every Muslim male and female. We should memorize it as much as possible. We must recite it regularly. Not a day should go by in our life in which we forget to read the Qur’an. We must understand its message and ponder over its teachings. We must mold our life based on its commands. We must invite the entire humanity to the path of the Qur’an. The Qur’an is guidance for all humanity but not everyone who reads it will get guidance from it. Qur’an reserves its guidance for those who sincerely seek it and approach it in the proper way and the right attitude. Many who have ignored these basic requirements have gone astray in their study of the Qur’an. Interpreting the Qur’an requires expertise in several areas. First, one must have a firm command over classical Arabic language including its vocabulary, grammar, metaphors, and idioms. Second, one must know the history of the Qur’an including where and when a verse was revealed; what other verses deal with the same subject; which of those, if any, supercede others. We must remember that the Qur’an is the first resource for its own interpretation. Third, one must have good command over the Hadith literature, as it was the Prophet’s job to explain the Qur’an to us and no other interpretation of a Qur’anic verse is acceptable in the presence of an authentic Hadith that explains it. Fourth, one must have knowledge of the comments of the Companions and their successors. After Qur’an and Hadith, they are the third most important resource in interpreting the Qur’an. Fifth, one must have knowledge of the rich tafseer literature produced by the most reputed scholars of this Ummah. Sixth, one must have sound knowledge of Shariah since no interpretation of the Qur’an is acceptable that violates accepted Shariah principles. Seventh, one must be leading a life of taqwa and piety, as the Qur’an does not open doors to its understanding on those who are not serious in following it. We cannot just open the Qur’an and start interpreting it as if we are starting on ground zero. Anyone taking this road must be reminded of this grave warning: Sayyidna Abdullah bin Abbas, Radi-Allahu anhu, reported that Prophet Muhammad said, “Whoever says something in interpreting the Qur’an based on his own opinion should find his place in the Fire.” [Tirmidhi Hadith No. 4023] Unfortunately, today a lot of well meaning people are doing just this. They start, say, a Qur’anic study group, and start giving lectures on Qur’an. If the person is a good speaker, he might also get warm reception from an audience that confuses eloquence with scholarship. Soon, they start giving expert opinions about Shariah and Qur’an without having even the minimum qualification for it. Many a time, the audience participates equally excitedly, discussing the Words of Allah and delicate issues of Shariah with the same assumed expertise that is normally reserved for discussion of latest current affairs. This casual attitude must be contrasted with that of the Companions. They not only new the language of the Qur’an better then anyone else, they were witnesses to its very revelation. Yet, they did not dare interpret it without first learning it, verse by verse, from Prophet Muhammad himself. And even then they exercised extreme caution in making comments about the Qur’an. Sayyidna Abu Bakr, Radi-Allahu anhu, said: ”Which land will give me protection and which sky will give me cover if I say something in interpreting the Qur’an without knowledge.” Similarly, Yazid bin Yazid reports: ”We used to ask Sayyidna Saeed bin Al-Musayeb, Radi-Allahu anhu, regarding Halal and Haram. And he was the most knowledgeable person regarding it. But whenever we asked him to give tafsir for a verse he would keep quite as if he had not heard us.” They knew that Qur’an declares that is has been made easy for remembrance, but they did not misinterpret it as a license to give personal opinions in areas of belief or law. Their caution stemmed from their realization that to say that a verse means such and such, is to attribute a statement to Allah! It is our duty to study the Qur’an. But the only proper way of doing it is by seeking a reliable Tafsir and/or a qualified teacher. albalagh

by Shaykh Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullāh Every child born comes with a definite ending; death is an inevitable phenomenon for every birth, rather for every creation. Allāh ta‘ālā mentions in the Qur’ān, “Everything is going to perish except His Face (His Being).” (28:88) This phenomenon makes the world a temporary abode, a transitory station, one from where each one of us will depart some day or the other. ‘Every soul has to taste death…’ (3:185) Whilst living through this transitory period, we need to come to realities with the characteristics of this place and our objectives. Three Abodes Allāh ta‘ālā has created three abodes: the world, Jannah and Jahannam. Jannah is a place where there is no sign of adversity, difficulty grief or sorrow; there is only happiness and joy. In contrast, Jahannam is the place where one will not experience an iota of peace, joy, happiness or comfort; the dweller will at every breath experience only grief, sorrow and pain. The world is a place where one faces both conditions of adversity and privilege. He experiences good and bad times, hardships and ease, happiness and grief. The world in fact, is the place for test, and the former two are the places of result. Our Objective Our ultimate objective in this world is acquiring the Happiness and Pleasure of Allāh which manifests with our submission and obedience to His every command, and abstinence from every prohibition. Allāh ta‘ālā says: I did not create the Jinn and the human beings except for the purpose that they should worship Me. (51:56) O people! Worship your Lord who created you and those before you, so that you may become God-fearing. (2:21) This obedience and submission is tested by the ever changing conditions we face whilst living in the world; happiness suddenly becomes sadness; joy turns into sorrow; peace becomes chaos and turmoil; laughter changes into crying. Allāh ta‘ālā says: So that He might test you as to who among you is better in deed. (11:7) …The One who created death and life, so that He may test you as to which of you is better in his deeds. And He is the All-Mighty, the Most-Forgiving (67:2) In every condition, our obedience and submission is tested with sabr and shukr (patience and gratitude). Naturally, happiness and sadness are the only two conditions one experiences in life and hence sabr and shukr are two tests. Consequently, it is inevitable that we will face, at some point, a test of sabr. The Test of Patience The coming of adverse conditions is definite; no one can claim that he has never faced a situation of adversity and he has only lived a life of ease and comfort. Allāh ta‘ālā states, “Surely We will test you with a bit of fear and hunger, and loss in wealth and lives and fruits, and give good tidings to the patient.” (2:155) There will be tests of different kinds. Some may experience fear; fear of one’s life, fear upon one’s family, fear from enemies, fear of war etc. For others it maybe an experience of poverty in various shapes and forms; financial market crashes, unemployment, loss of wealth, bankruptcy etc. Some may face scenarios of family loss; death of close ones, children dying in tender age, still-born births or events where families are lost. For some, the test of patience is light; for some it is intense; everything evolves around the Wisdom of Allāh. Therefore, the one afflicted with a situation of adversity is being tested with sabr, and so should take on board the following points: 1. Sabr - A speciality of a Mu’min A test is given upon a claim. When a person claims to have completed a course, he is tested. When a person claims to have completed the medicine course, he will be tested for competency. Likewise, we have claimed to be believers of Allāh, lovers of Allāh, worshippers of Allāh. Hence, our claim cannot go without a test. It should not be a matter of surprise that non-believers are not tested; they have no claim to be tested upon. Allāh ta‘ālā says: Do people think that they will be left (at ease) only on their saying, ‘We believe’, and will not be put to any test? (29:2) Do you think that you will enter Paradise while you have not yet been visited by (difficult) circumstances like those that were faced by the people who passed away before you? They were afflicted by hardship and suffering, and were so shaken down that the prophet, and those who believed with him, started saying, ‘When (will come) the help of Allāh?’ (Then, they were comforted by the Prophet who said to them) ‘Behold, the help of Allāh is near.’ (2:214) The believers are the claimers; hence they will be tested with sabr. Non-believers are given respite, and when their time will lapse they only have doom to face. Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam describes the believers with a plant that sways with the wind and the non-believers with a Cedar tree. The tree does not sway with the winds and withholds, however when an extremely strong wind blows, it is uprooted, never to get up again. (At-Tirmidhī) The plant sways left to right; it may even flatten out to the ground, but will not uproot in the most adverse conditions. When conditions mellow out, it will once again become upright. Similar is the believer and a non-believer. The winds of difficulties will make the believer sway left and right, and afflictions and difficulties will frequent, but he/she will always come up again and succeed, whereas the non-believer will remain upright and enjoy life, but when Allāh’s Wrath descends, he/she will be uprooted and will never be able to stand up again. Hence, an adverse condition followed by steadfastness with patience is a positive sign of true Faith. 2. Become a Sābir (a patient person) The description of the patient has been described by Allāh ta‘ālā as, “Who, when a suffering visits them, say, ‘We certainly belong to Allāh, and to Him we are bound to return.’” (2:156) The essence of this is that they have no complaints in their hearts and minds; rather they turn solely to Allāh and regard every situation to be from Allāh. Every person, at some point, comes to terms with their situation, be it after a few days, a week, or a month. Why not attain the title of Sābir by exercising patience from the very onset? Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam states, “The (real) patience is at the first instant of grief.” (Al-Bukhārī) 3. Glad tidings for a Sābir In adverse conditions, a believer will definitely succeed because of his Faith in Allāh, and therefore Allāh grants him the glad tidings: Surely We will test you with a bit of fear and hunger, and loss in wealth and lives and fruits, and give good tidings to the patient: those are the ones upon whom there are blessings from their Lord, and mercy as well; and those are the ones who are on the right path for the Hereafter. (2:155-6) In this verse, Allāh states that a Ṣābir gains three rewards: special mercies from Allāh, general mercies of Allāh and hidāyah. What great rewards for the patient! ‘Umar radhiyallāhu ‘anhu used to say, “How great are the ‘idlān, and how great is the ‘ilāwah!” (Al-Bukhārī) In those times, a traveller would carry his provisions in sacks tied to the sides of his conveyance and a bundle in his lap. ‘Idlān are the sacks which are tied on either side of the conveyance, and ‘ilāwah is the bundle one places in his lap. A traveller having all three sacks full would be regarded as one with a lot of provisions, and hence ‘Umar radhiyallāhu ‘anhu is describing the three rewards as ‘idlān and ‘ilāwah, denoting a patient person to have acquired a vast provision. Allāh states, “Certainly those who observe patience will be given their reward in full without measure.” (39:10) 4. Think positive Every grief and adversity has some form of positive aspect to it. It is only a person’s misfortune that he/she fails to perceive it. When afflicted with some form of predicament, one should think of the positive aspects instead of crying, wailing and moaning. Hereunder are some aspects one can think along: a. Think of the Wisdom of Allāh. Allāh mentions in the Qur’ān, “It could be that you dislike something, when it is good for you; and it could be that you like something when it is bad for you. Allāh knows, and you do not know.” (2:216) Only Allāh is the Knower of everything and He understands the wisdom behind our predicament. At times we regard an adversity to be a setback, a problem, and a loss. However, as time passes we begin to realise the great gain, opportunity, advantages and benefits we have actually attained as a result of the very adversity. To the extent that we find ourselves commenting, ‘The greatest event that happened for me was this... (the very adverse condition).’ b. Think of the spiritual benefits One aspect of spiritual benefits is the rewards one will attain. The other is the spirituality one attains from being patient. A person gains proximity to Allāh by way of Mujāhadah (spiritual struggle). This mujāhadah is of two types: voluntary and involuntary. The proximity to Allāh one attains from involuntary mujāhadah, cannot be attained through voluntary mujāhadah. Furthermore, from the involuntary mujāhdah, the proximity a person attains from the affliction of grief, cannot be attained from any other involuntary struggle or difficulty one is faced with. c. Think of the positive changes that have occurred in your Dīnī life, such as tawbah, the realisation of the temporary world, the heart becoming inclined towards Allāh, and the waking up from negligence with regards to Dīnī matters. d. In many situations, people feel sorry and sympathise with us, and begin to make du‘ā for us. This would not have been attained had a calamity not occurred. At times of adversity, the test of sabr is not confined to the one afflicted, rather it becomes a means of test for those around them. In such situations, everyone has a role to play. Therefore, when seeing a person in a difficult condition, we should keep in mind certain points, which I will discuss in the next issue inshā’allāh. © Riyāḍul Jannah (Volume 22 Issue 10)

“As the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam was born in the month of Rabī‘ul Awwal it is only natural to have an inclination to read, study and speak about the sīrah of the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam during this month. However, a sign of true love is that one constantly thinks of the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam with similar devotion and love throughout the rest of the year also.” Courtesy of In Shaykh's Company: a blog maintained by the students of Shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullah www.shaykh.org

By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani Translated by Dr. Swaleh Siddiqui Abrogation is translated from the Arabic word naskh which literally means “to erase; to compensate.” Its technical definition is “to repeal a legal order through legal argument”. In other words, sometimes Allah enforces a legal edict that is relevant only to a particular situation. Later, in His infinite wisdom, He annuls the order and enforces a new one in its place. This action is known as “abrogation” (naskh), and the replaced order is then termed “abrogated” (mansukh) while the new replacing order is called the “abrogator” (nasikh). Prudent and Conventional Proofs of Abrogation The Jews believed that abrogation was no possible in Allah’s edicts since the concept of abrogation would imply that Allah alters His views (Allah forbid). They stated that the concept would necessitate that at one point Allah had deemed a commandment proper but later on – Allah forbid – He realized His mistake and subsequently withdrew it. This is commonly termed buda’. But the objection raised by the Jews is quite superficial and were one to ponder over it a little he would quickly realize the mistake. Abrogation, in reality, does not imply a change in views but rather the issuance of orders according to the needs of a particular time. It is not that the abrogator declares the abrogated as wrong, but rather he fixes the time limit for the enforcement of the first order to explain that it was just and proper for the time it remained under the circumstances. Whoever ponders with a reasonable frame of mind will find no difficulty in arriving at the conclusion that this change is exactly in keeping with the infinite wisdom of Allah and cannot be questioned in any way. Truly, he is not a doctor in the true sense who uses the same prescription under all the circumstances and for every disease. An adept physician makes necessary changes in his prescriptions according to the changing condition of the patient. This rule applies not only to religious injunctions but to the entire corporeal system of the universe as well. Through His expedience, for example, Allah constantly changes weather conditions. We experience all of winter, summer, spring, autumn, rain and drought, and all of these changes are in exact conformity with the expedient measure of Allah. He is a witless person, indeed, who terms it buda’ and contends that it amounts to mutation in divine judgment. He would by that logic be arguing that Allah once preferred winter, then, discovering His mistake, replaced it with summer. That exactly is the case with the abrogation of religious injunctions. Considering it a fault by terming it buda’ would be an extreme degree of short-sightedness and ignorance of facts. Abrogation is not trait-specific only to the followers of the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) but has remained a regular feature of the religious edicts of other prophets as well. We find several examples in the present day Bible. For example, it is mentioned in the Bible that in the religious system of Yaqub (Jacob) a man could have had two real sisters as his wives at the same time. In fact, it reports that he himself had two wives at the one time, Liyyah and Rahil, who were real sisters. This was forbidden, however, in the religious law of Musa (Moses). Also, every moving animal was permissible as food in the law of Nuh (Noah) yet many of them were prohibited in that of Musa. Divorce was also freely permissible in the law of Musa but in that of ‘Isa (Jesus) divorce was allowed only if a woman had committed adultery. In short, there are several such examples in the New and Old Testaments of the Bible wherein an existing order had been abrogated through a new command. Differences in the Technical Meaning of Abrogation by Earlier and Later Scholars The term “abrogation” (naskh) was understood differently by earlier and later scholars of the Quran. In the nomenclature of earlier scholars, the word “abrogation” held a very wide scope of application and included many scenarios that were not regarded as abrogation by later scholars. For example, if the general scope of the meaning of a verse was limited by another verse, these earlier scholars regarded the first verse as being abrogated. Hence, if common words were used in one verse and then specified in a particular manner in another verse, the earlier scholars used to term the former “abrogated” and the latter the “abrogator”. This did not mean that the first commandment had been totally abolished but that the generalization created by the first verse had been removed by the second verse. For example, the Quran says: And do not marry polytheist women until they believe. [2:221] Here the word “mushrikat” (polytheist women) is general and apparently implies that marriage is disallowed with all kinds of polytheist women, be they idolaters or People of the Book. In another verse, however, it is stated: (Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste women from the believers and chaste women from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) before your time… [Al-Ma’idah 5:5] This indicates that in the first verse “polytheist women” meant those polytheists that were not from the People of the Book. Thus the second verse limited the universal character of the first verse and told us that women from the People of the Book were lawful to believers in marriage. The earlier scholars, however, regarded this also as an example of abrogation. In other words, the first verse was abrogating and the second was the abrogator. Contrary to this, the scope of abrogation amongst the later scholars was not so wide. They considered only such ayahs as abrogated in which the previous order was completely abolished. They did not consider limitation of a universal command as abrogation. Thus, in the above example, there was no abrogation according to later scholars, because the real order of prohibition of marrying a polytheist woman existed as such. The second verse had clarified only as to include the women of the People of the Book and that the first verse was limited and specific to women other than those of the People of the Book. Because of this difference in the scope of application, the number of abrogated verses according to earlier scholars was large. According to later scholars, however, the number of abrogated verses was very limited. Abrogation in the Quran It is a universally undisputed fact that abrogation of religious injunctions is not a new concept particular to this Ummah; rather it was applied even in the times of the previous nations. Several such orders have been abrogated for the people of Muhammad (upon him blessings and peace) as well. For example, a previous injunction was the obligation to face the Bayt al-Maqdis during salat, but later on this was abrogated and Muslims were ordained to face the Ka‘bah. On this issue there is no dispute amongst Muslims. There is a difference of opinion, however, about whether there had been any abrogation in the Quran. In other words, it is disputed if there is yet any verse in the Quran that is recited although its command is abrogated. The majority of traditionists believe that the Quran does contain such verses whose injunctions are abrogated. But of the Mu‘tazilah, Abu Muslim al-Isfahani maintains that no verse of the Quran has been abrogated; rather, all the verses of the Quran maintain their obligation. Some other scholars have expressed the same opinion, while a number of modernists in our time also adhere to the same view. Hence, the verses in which abrogation is obvious, they explain them away in a manner that abrogation may not have to be accepted. The fact of the matter, however, is that this viewpoint is weak and to adopt it one would have to draw far-fetched meanings in order to explain some verses, meanings that do not conform to the principles of exegesis (tafsir). In fact, those who do not believe in abrogation in the Quran suppose that abrogation is a defect of which the Quran should be free. But, as already stated, it is an extremely short-sighted view to consider abrogation as wrong. It is surprising that, unlike the Jews and Christians, Abu Muslim al-Isfahani and his followers do not deny that there had been abrogation in many of the Commandments of Allah, but only say that there is no abrogation in the Quran. If abrogation was a vice, why did it occur in non-Quranic injunctions that also originating from Allah? If something was not a vice for non-Quranic injunctions, how can it then be so for the Quranic injunctions? It is sometimes argued that it appears against Divine Expediency that a verse of the Quran should remain only as a sacred relic for recital and not be practiced upon. We fail to understand on what grounds this has been considered against Divine Expediency, while there could be several expedient reasons in retaining the verses whose commands are abrogated. For example, we come to know through them of the prudence behind the gradual imposition of religious doctrines, and also of the prudential manner adopted to bind human beings to follow His doctrine. Further, it also serves as a history of these doctrines and their backgrounds. Allah has Himself revealed in the Quran in several places the doctrines and commandments of the previous nations that were abrogated for the people of Muhammad (upon him blessings and peace). For example: And those who became Jews, We forbade them every animal with claws, and of oxen and sheep, and forbade them the fat thereof, except such as their backs carry or the entrails or what is mixed with the bones. [surat al-An‘am 6:146] Obviously, Allah has described an abrogated order as an admonishment for the Muslims. Thus, if some abrogated Quranic verses are retained for this purpose, what is there in it against Divine Expediency? Moreover, can anyone claim that he knows the wisdom behind all actions of Allah or that he understands the expediency behind every Quranic verse and its revelation? If such a claim is not true, and it certainly is not true, how can one deny an order of Allah simply because one does not know the expediency behind it while its enforcement has been justified based upon religious principles? Thus, the fact is that those who do not believe in abrogation in the Quran have based their opinion on a misconceived idea. They have attached far-fetched meanings to some Quranic verses because they think that abrogation is a fault and they want to see that the Quran is free of it. Once it becomes clear to them that it is in fact not a fault but conforms to the will of Allah, they will adopt the same meanings to such verses as are obvious and commonly adopted. The Quran says: Whichever revelation We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, we bring one better than it or similar to it. Know you not that Allah has power over everything? [surat al- Baqarah 2:106] Whoever studies this verse with an unbiased mind shall deduce that abrogation had continued according to clear injunctions of the Quran itself. But Abu Muslim al-Isfahani and his associates, who willingly or unwillingly considered abrogation a fault, interpret this verse in a far-fetched manner. They say that this verse deals only with a hypothetical situation. They argue that it implies, “if we were to abrogate a verse, we would reveal a like or a better verse” and it does not follow that any verse would actually be abrogated. In proof of this they present another verse: If the Compassionate had a son, I would be the first of worshippers. [surat al-Zukhruf, 43:81] Those who reject the possibility of abrogation say that just as this verse speaks of a hypothetical situation which does not mean that Allah really has a son, so too the former verse of Surat al-Baqarah raises a hypothetical situation not necessitating abrogation of a verse. But this interpretation is not correct because if there were to be no abrogation Allah would have not mentioned it even as a hypothetical possibility. The Quran does not place a command over anything that may never happen. As for this verse about a son, there is a world of a difference between it and the verse of abrogation. Hence any reader of this verse would know that this is merely a hypothetical proposition, which means that if at all Allah would bear a son I would have worshipped him before anybody else but since this is an impossible thing to happen, the question of worshipping anybody other than Allah does not arise. Contrary to this, the occurrence of abrogation is not logically impossible even according to Abu Muslim al-Isfahani himself, hence calling it a hypothetical situation is a meaningless proposition. This becomes all the more apparent from looking at the background of revelation of the verse of abrogation. Some unbelievers had commented that the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) first orders his followers to follow one thing and later on instructs them against it and introduces a new order in place of it. This verse was revealed in answer to their comments. It is clear now that the revelation of this verse seeks to describe the purpose of abrogation rather than negate its occurrence. Number of Abrogated Verses in the Qur’an As already mentioned, the understanding of the scope of abrogation was very wide in its interpretation by earlier scholars and hence they have mentioned a large number of abrogated verses. ‘Allamah Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, however, has written that there are only nineteen abrogated verses in the whole of the Quran according to the definition of the later day scholars. Then, amongst the latest of the scholars, Shah Wali Allah made a detailed analysis of all those nineteen verses and accepted only five of them to be abrogated ones. As for the rest of them, he preferred the commentaries and explanations according to which the verses would not be considered abrogated. The arguments given by Shah Wali Allah about many of these verses are the most appropriate and acceptable, yet some of them may be disputed. However, the five verses that he considers to be abrogated are as follows: It is prescribed for you, when death approaches anyone of you and if he leaves behind some wealth, to make a bequest to parents and near kindred in an equitable way, it is an obligation on the Allah fearing. [Al-Baqarah, 2:11] This verse was reveled when the laws of inheritance had not yet been revealed and according to it every person was bound to make a bequest (wasiyyah) before he died about the distribution of his assets among his parents and other relatives. Thereafter, the verse of inheritance was revealed: Allah enjoins you concerning your children…. [surat al-Baqarah, 2:11] The command to make a bequest was thus abrogated by this verse. Allah then Himself fixed a schedule of distribution for the inherited assets, and it was no longer obligatory on anyone to make a will before his death. In Surat al- Anfal, it is stated: If there be of you twenty persevering they shall overcome two hundred; and if there be of you a hundred, they will overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they are a people who do not understand. [surat al-Anfal, 8:65] This verse, despite being apparently simply informative, is essentially a command prohibiting Muslims to retreat while in combat with an enemy ten times their number. This was later on abrogated by the following verse: (O believers) Now Allah has lightened it for you, for He knew that there is weakness in you. So if there be of you a hundred persevering they will overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a thousand, they will overcome two thousand by Allah’s leave. And Allah is with the persevering. [surat al-Anfal, 8:66] This verse lightened the burden imposed by the first command and the limit of tenfold was reduced to twofold. Thus a retreat up to double the enemy strength was not permissible now. The third verse considered abrogated by Shah Wali Allah is the following verse of Surat al-Ahzab: (Besides these), it is not lawful for you to take (more) wives after this nor that you should exchange them for other wives even though their beauty may please you….. [surat al-Ahzab, 33:52] According to this verse, it was not lawful for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to marry any more women. Later, this was abrogated by a verse that fell before it in the present sequence of Quranic surahs and verses: O Prophet! We have made lawful for you your wives whom you have given their dower…… [surat al-Ahzab, 33:50] Shah Wali Allah and others say that the earlier restriction was abrogated through this verse, but in fact abrogation in this verse is not definite. Its explanation as given by Hafiz Ibn Jarir is to a great extent straightforward and simple. He has said that two verses were revealed in their present order; in verse fifteen, “O Prophet, we….”. Allah named some particular categories of women as being lawful for the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) and then in verse 51, (besides these), it was not lawful… It was specified that women belonging to categories other than those were not lawful for him. The fourth verse that is abrogated according to Shah Wali Allah is: O you (Muhammad) enfolded in your robes, keep vigil by night, except a little, half of it, or diminish a little. [surat al-Muzzammil, 73:1-3] This verse had ordained worship for at least half the night, but later on this was abrogated by a flexibility provided in the verses that follow it: And He knows that (all of) you cannot keep it up, so He has relented towards you; so recite so as much of the Qur’an as may be easy for you. [surat al-Muzzammil 73:20] Shah Wali Allah has stated that although tahajjud (late night salat) was not obligatory even before, but there was a greater emphasis on it and its duration was also longer, yet later both the emphasis on it and the time restriction were relaxed. These are five verses in which abrogation has occurred. But it must be understood that these five examples are only those wherein the abrogator and abrogated verses can both be found in the Quran. There are many such examples where the abrogator of verses are not found in the Quran, such as those related to the issue of the change of qiblah, etc… The above discussion was aimed at clarifying that abrogation in Quranic verses is not a defect for which efforts should be made to show the Quran absolved of it. Rather, it is exactly in keeping with the divine scheme of things. Hence the meanings of any verse should not be rejected simply because it affirms abrogation in the Quran. Nothing stands in the way of adopting the meanings or explanations of a verse if they conform to the principles of sound “exegesis”, even if it would mean classifying the verse as abrogated. This essay was translated by both Dr. Swaleh Siddiqui & Dr. Muhammad Shamim as parts of Mufti Taqi Usmani’s An Approach to the Quranic Sciences and Mufti Shafi‘ Usmani’s Ma‘ariful Qur’an. The two translations were edited and reproduced as a separate article by Bilal Ali. ilmgate.org

By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani Since the Quran was not revealed all at once but rather in piecemeal according to the needs and circumstances of the time it was not possible to preserve it as a written book during the lifetime of the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace). Allah, however, had granted the Quran a distinction amongst all other divine scriptures. Its preservation would be accomplished more through memory than the pen. According to a narration in Sahih Muslim, Allah assured the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) that He would “reveal to you a Book which water cannot wash.” Meaning thereby that other books in the world would perish through worldly calamities, as happened in the case of the Torah and other divine scriptures, but the Quran would be so preserved in the hearts (memory) of men that there would be no danger of it getting perished. Hence, greater emphasis was placed on memory for Quranic preservation in the early period of Islam. In the beginning, when the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) received revelation he would immediately repeat its words so that they would be retained in his heart. Thereupon, Allah Almighty directed him through verses in Surat al-Qiyamah that he need not hurriedly repeat the words as revelation came to him. The verse reads: [O Prophet], move not your tongue therewith to make haste with it. Surely, upon Us rests the collecting thereof, and the reciting thereof. (Surat al-Qiyamah, 75:16-17) Allah Almighty would Himself endow him with a memory that would make him incapable of forgetting the words of revelation even after hearing it once. So it was that the moment the Quranic verses would come to him they would be instantaneously committed to his memory. Thus the blessed chest of the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) was the most protected repository of the Noble Quran wherein there was not the slightest chance of error or alteration. As a matter of additional precaution, the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) would review the Quran with the angel Jibra’il once every year during the month of Ramadan and twice during the final year of his life on this earth. This final, cumulative review of the Quran with Jibra’il (upon him be peace) is called the ‘ardah akhirah. (Sahih al-Bukhari with Fath al-Bari 9:36) Further, the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) did not restrict his instruction of the Companions to just the meanings of the Quran but also had them memorize its words. The Companions were themselves so enamored with a desire to learn and memorize the Quran that every one of them sought to surpass the other in their learning. In fact, one female Companion claimed no mahr (dowry) from her husband except that he teach her the Quran. Hundreds of Companions, freeing themselves from all other concerns, had devoted their lives to the study of the Quran. Not only did they memorize it but they also repeated it in their nightly prayers. According to Sayyiduna ‘Ubadah ibn Samit (may Allah be pleased with him), when someone migrated from Makkah al-Mukarramah and arrived in Madinah, the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) would entrust him to one of the Ansar so that he could teach Quran to the newcomer. The Masjid of the Prophet would reverberate so much with the voices of students and teachers of the Quran that the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) would have to ask them to lower their voices so that mistakes could be avoided. (Manahil al-‘Irfan 1:234) Arabs were distinguished all over the world for their amazing power of retention and after groping for centuries in the darkness of ignorance they had received the guidance of divine revelation, a revelation so dear to them that they considered it the most cherished possession of their lives. Anybody with an understanding of their character and bent of mind can imagine what pains they must have taken to commit it to memory. Hence, within a fairly short time, a large group of the Companions had flawlessly committed the Quran to memory. Included in this group were Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, Talhah, Sa‘d, Ibn Ma ‘ud, Hudhayfah ibn Yaman, Salim Mawla Abi Hudhayfah, Abu Hurayrah, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, Mu‘awiyah, ‘Abdullah ibn Zubayr, ‘Abdullah ibn al-Sa’ib, ‘A’ishah, Hafsah, and Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with them all). (al-Nashr fi ’l-Qira’at al-‘Ashr 1:6, al-Itqan 1:73-74, Tarikh al-Qur’an 60) In short, the preservation of the Quran in the early days of Islam was based on memory. This was the safest and most reliable method in view of the circumstances of that time, since the number of literate persons in those days was extremely small and the printing press (or other means of mass publication) did not yet exist. Had the preservation of the Quran been reliant on writing it would have been neither possible to disseminate the Quran on an extensive scale nor to protect it reliably. Instead, Allah Almighty blessed the denizens of Arabia with such a prodigious memory that even many common Arabs were said to have been able to commit thousands of poetic lines to memory and recite them at will. Ordinary, run-of-the-mill men would remember by heart the extensive genealogies of their families, tribes, and even horses by heart. Their incredible power of recollection was put to full use by Allah for the conservation and protection of the Noble Quran, and it was through such extraordinary intellectual faculties that the Quran was able to reach the farthest corners of Arabia. The Written Compilation of Revelation Although the preservation of the Quran depended mainly on the memory of the Companions the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) had made special arrangements to have the Quran committed to writing as well. Sayyiduna Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: I used to write down the words of revelation for the Prophet. When revelation came to him, he would feel intense heat and drops of perspiration would start rolling down his body like pearls. When this state would cease, I would present him with a shoulder-bone or a piece of cloth and begin to write what he would dictate to me. I would not finish writing before feeling that my leg was about to break from (the weight) of copying down the Quran, to the extent that I would tell myself that I would never be able to walk on my leg again. When I was finished, he would say: ‘Read’. I would read it back to him. If there was a shortcoming, he would rectify it. Then he would present it to the people. (Majma‘ al-Zawa’id from Tabarani 1:156) Besides Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him), there were also numerous other Companions who carried out the duty of committing wahi to writing. Some of them who deserve special mention are Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, ‘Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwam, Mu‘awiyah, Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah, Khalid ibn al-Walid, Thabit ibn al-Qays, and Aban ibn Sa‘id. (Fath al-Bari 9:18, Zad al-Ma‘ad 1:30) Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that it was the blessed practice of the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) that soon after the revelation of a certain portion of the Quran he would pointedly instruct the scribe to write it in a specific surah after a specific verse. (Ibid.) Since paper was a scarce commodity in Arabia, the Quranic verses were primarily written down on stone slabs, parchments of leather, date branches, pieces of bamboo, tree leaves, and animal bones. However, at times, pieces of paper were also used. (Fath al-Bari 9:11, ‘Umdat al-Qari 20:17) During the time of the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace), a copy of the Quran had been arranged to be written under his supervision, although not in the form of a book but in separate parchments. It was also the practice of some Companions to make copies of Quranic verses and keep them for personal recollection. This practice was common from the very early prophetic period. For example, even before Sayyiduna ‘Umar, an early Muslim, had embraced Islam, his sister and brother-in-law had in their possession verses of the Quran which they had written and kept in manuscript form. (Daraqutni, Majma‘ al-Zawa’id, Zad al-Ma‘ad 1:186-187) Preservation in the Era of Abu Bakr The copies of Quran prepared during the time of the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) were written on different kinds of materials. Some verses were written on leather, some on leaves of trees, some on bones etc… Copies of the whole Quran were very few in number. Some Companions possessed only one surah while some had five or ten surahs and some had only a few verses. Some had verses with explanatory notes also written with them. It was for this reason that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) thought it necessary during his period of caliphate that all the scattered portions of the Holy Quran should be collected and preserved. The motives and methods behind the great task have been described by Zayd ibn Thabit as such: One day, soon after the battle of Yamamah, Abu Bakr sent for me. When I came to meet him, ‘Umar was present there. Abu Bakr said to me, “Umar has just informed me that a large number of huffaz (those who had learnt the Quran by heart) have been martyred in the Battle of Yamamah. If the huffaz continue to meet martyrdom in this manner I am afraid a large portion of the Quran may become extinct. Hence, I propose that you undertake the task of the collection of the Quran from different places. I told ‘Umar, ‘How can I do what the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) himself did not do?’ ‘Umar replied, ‘By Allah! It is for nothing but good,’ and he continued to repeat this statement until the light of its truth dawned upon me as well, and now my opinion is the same as ‘Umar’s.” After that Abu Bakr said to me, “You are young and sensible. We have no lack of trust in you. You had also been a regular scribe of revelation during the time of the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace). So search then for all the verses of the Quran and collect them together.” By Allah! Carrying a mountain on their orders would have been a lighter burden for me than collecting the Quran. I asked him, “How is it that you have undertaken a task that was not done by the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) himself?” Abu Bakr said, “By Allah! It is but good,” and he kept on repeating these words until Allah gave me insight to adopt the same opinion held by Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. Consequently, I started searching for the verses of the Quran and it was from the branches of date-palms, slabs of stones, and the memory of the people that I finally collected the Quran.”(Sahih al-Bukhari with Fath al-Bari 9:8-11) At this point, while we are dealing with the process of the collection of the Quran, we should have a clear perception of the method used by Sayyiduna Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him). As mentioned earlier, he was himself a hafiz of the Quran. Therefore, he could have written down the whole Quran from memory. Additionally, there were hundreds of huffaz present at that time. The Quran could have still been inscribed by entrusting the duty to a select group from them. Also, the copies of the Quran committed to writing during the times of the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) could have been used by Sayyiduna Zayd to make his copy of the Quran. But he, guided by his caution and concern, did not limit himself to any one of these many methods. On the contrary, by using all these methods simultaneously, he did not allow any verse to be included in his master copy of the Quran unless he received written and verbal testimonies proving its uninterrupted succession. The verses that the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) had arranged to be written under his supervision were preserved by the Companions. Sayyiduna Zayd collected them together so that the new copy could be made from them. Consequently, a public proclamation was made to the effect that anyone possessing any number of written verses of the Quran should bring them over to him. When a written verse was brought to him, he would verify its authenticity by first testing its reliability against his own memory. Then, Sayyiduna ‘Umar who was also a hafiz of the Quran and is proven through reliable narrations to have been assigned by Abu Bakr to work with Zayd on the project, would test it against his own memory (Fath al-Bari 9:11). No written verse was accepted until such time that two trustworthy witnesses had testified to the fact that the particular verse was written in the presence of the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace). (al-Itqan 1:10) Lastly, the verses in writing were collated with collections that different Companions had prepared for themselves. (al-Burhan fi ‘Ulum al-Qur’an of Zarkashi 1:238) If this functional methodology behind the collection of the Quran during the period of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is kept in mind, it becomes perfectly simple to understand what Zayd ibn Thabit meant when he said, “I found the last verses of Surat al-Bara’ah starting from ‘certainly there has come to you a messenger from among yourselves…’ with only Abu Khudhaymah. They were not found with anyone else except him.” This should not be misunderstood to imply that no person other than Abu Khuzaymah remembered these verses or that no one else had them in writing, or even that no one other than him knew of them being part of the Quran. Rather, it implies simply that with the exception of Abu Khuzayamah, these particular verses were not found with those who had come with different written verses as they were dictated by the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace). Otherwise, as far as the fact of these verses being part of the Quran is concerned, it was known to every one through uninterrupted succession. There were hundreds of Companions who knew the whole Quran by heart and, hence, they also knew these verses. Furthermore, they were also present in written form in the complete collections of Quranic verses preserved by various Companions. Because he had taken the foregoing precautions he waited for confirmation through the third method. As for the other verses, they were verified through all the methods set by Sayyiduna Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) and were found written with many Companions, many of whom brought each verse to him. But, among those written separately under the supervision of the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace), these verses were found only with Sayyiduna Abu Khuzaymah (may Allah be pleased with him) and no one else. (al-Burhan fi ‘Ulum al-Qur’an l:234-235) In every way possible, therefore, it was with utmost care that Zayd ibn Thabit collected the Quranic verses and transcribed them in proper order on sheets of paper. (al-Itqan 1:60)However, every surah was written in separate folios. Hence, it consisted of a number of folios and in the terminology of Quranic Studies this copy was called the Umm (literally, “the mother”, meaning “the original copy”). In this master copy, the Quranic verses were arranged in accordance with the order fixed by the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace). The surahs were not arranged, however, and so every surah was written and kept separately. (al-Itqan 1:60) Additionally, all of the seven valid recitations were incorporated in this copy. (Manahil al-‘Irfan l:246-247, Tarikh al-Qur’an by Kurdi 28) The copy was also written in the Hiri script. (Tarikh al-Qur’an of ‘Abd al-Samad Sarim 43) Only those verses were included whose recitation was not abrogated. The purpose of this transcription was to prepare an organized document with the collective endorsement of the entire Ummah so that reference could be made to it when required. These folios, committed to writing on the orders of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), remained with him during his lifetime. Then they remained with ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). After the martyrdom of ‘Umar they were transferred to the custody of Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyidah Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her). After the death of Hafsah, Marwan ibn al-Hakam had them burnt since the copies of Quran ordered by Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) were ready at that time and a consensus of the Ummah had already been reached to the effect that following these ‘Uthmani copies of the Quran, in script and arrangement of surahs, was now obligatory. Marwan ibn al-Hakam thought it inadvisable to let any copy which was contrary to this script and arrangement to remain in existence. (Fath al-Bari 9:16) Preservation in the Era of ‘Uthman When Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) became the Khalifah, Islam had already spread to the far-flung lands of Byzantine and Iran. People embracing Islam in the new areas would learn the Quran from Muslim soldiers or from traders from whom they had found the blessing of Islam. Also, the Quran was revealed with “Seven Recitations” and different Companions had learnt it from the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) according to different modes of recitation. Hence, every Companion taught the Quran to his disciples in accordance with the particular reading he had learnt from the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace). In this manner, variations in recitation reached distant countries. As long as the people were aware that the Quran was revealed with “Seven Recitations” these variations caused no harm. But when these variations reached far-out countries and the fact that the Quran was revealed with “Seven Recitations” could not gain due publicity, disputes among people started to occur. Some people insisted that their own reading was correct and that of others incorrect. These disputes gave rise to the danger on one hand that people might fall into the grave error of declaring recitations of the Quran that had been transmitted through uninterrupted succession as incorrect. On the other hand, there was no standard copy of the Quran anywhere in the world that could be the rallying authority for the entire Muslim nation except the one in Madinah that had been transcribed by Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him). Since other copies were written individually and there was no provision to incorporate all the seven versions of recitation in them, the only reliable method to resolve these disputes was to disseminate transcripts incorporating all the valid recitations throughout the Islamic world. Through them, Muslims could then gauge the authenticity and validity of each recitation. Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) accomplished this remarkable feat during the period of his caliphate. The details of this achievement have been transmitted to us through the account of Hudhayfah ibn Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) who was engaged in a military campaign on the Armenian-Azerbaijan front. He noticed that differences were arising among people about the correct recitation of the Quran. So, upon his return to Madinah he went straight to ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: “O Leader of the Believers! Before this nation falls prey to dissension about the Book of Allah, like the Jews and Christians, you must do something.” ‘Uthman asked, “What is the matter?” He replied, “I was on a military mission on the Armenian front where I saw that the recitation of the people of Syria, who follow that of Ubayy ibn Ka‘ab, was not known to the people of Iraq. Similarly, the people of Iraq, who follow the recitation of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, had not heard of the recitation made by the people of Syria. As a result, they call each other unbelievers.” Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) had himself sensed this danger much earlier. He was informed that even in Madinah such incidents had occurred wherein someone taught the Quran according to one recitation while another teacher taught it according to a second. When the students of different teachers met together, differences would arise amongst them and sometimes it embroiled the teachers as well to the extent that they too declared each other’s readings to be incorrect. When Huzayfah ibn Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) drew his attention to this danger, ‘Uthman convened a meeting of esteemed Companions and consulted with them. He said, “I have been informed that there are people who say to each other: ‘My recitation is better than yours,’ and this may be carried to the limits of blasphemy (disbelieft). What is your opinion on this matter?” The Companions first asked ‘Uthman as to his thoughts. He said, “My opinion is that we should unite every one on one transcription so that no difference or division may occur.” The Companions approved and supported his view. Consequently, Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered the people together and addressed them by saying, You all live so close to me in Madinah and yet repudiate each other and differ with one another in respect of the recitations of the Quran. It is obvious, therefore, that those who are far away from me must be falsifying and disapproving each other much more vehemently. Therefore, let everyone join together to prepare a copy of the Quran to follow which should be obligatory for all. For this purpose, ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) sent a message to Sayyidah Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) requesting her for the manuscripts of the Quranic text prepared during the time of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and which she had in her custody. He promised that they would be returned to her after they had been copied down. She agreed and sent them to him. He then formed a group of four Companions comprising of Zayd ibn Thabit, ‘Abdullah ibn Zubayr, Sa‘id ibn al-‘Aas, and ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Harith ibn Hisham. The group was entrusted with the task of making several transcripts from the original copy compiled by Sayyiduna Abu Bakr with the surahs also arranged in sequence. Of the four, Zayd was from the Ansar while the other three were from Quraysh. Therefore, Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said to them: If you and Zayd differ anywhere in the Quran (that is, differ as to how a certain letter should be written) write it in the language of the Quraysh because the Quran has been revealed in their language. This task was essentially entrusted to the abovementioned four distinguished persons, but subsequently other Companions also were called upon to assist them so that, according to Ibn Abi Dawud, their number rose to twelve. These included Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, Kathir ibn Aflah, Malik ibn Abi ‘Amir, Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik and ‘Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them all). This group of Companions performed the following functions in connection with the transcription of Holy Quran: First, in the transcript prepared during the period of Abu Bakr the surahs were not arranged in sequence. Rather, each surah was compiled separately. This group of Companions proceeded to arrange them in their proper sequence as part of a single transcript. Second, the verses of the Quran were written to accommodate all the successive un-interrupted recitations in the script. Therefore, no dots or diacritical marks were placed on them so that they could be read in accordance with all the valid recitations. For instance, they wrote ننسرها so that it could be read as both ننشرها (nanshuruha) and ننشزها (nunshizuha) because both the recitations are correct. (Manahil al-‘Irfan 1:253-254) Third, until that time only one copy of the Holy Quran existed that was complete, authentic, standard, and collectively attested-to by the entire Ummah. They prepared several transcripts of this newly-written copy of the Quran. It is generally believed that Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) had five transcripts prepared, but Abu Hatim al-Sijistani has stated that a total of seven transcripts were prepared. Of those, one was sent to Makkah and one each to Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Basra and Kufah, while one was preserved in Madinah. (Sahih al-Bukhari from Fath al-Bari 9:17) Fourth, in order for them to accomplish the task cited above, these eminent Companions kept the transcripts that were written during the time of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) before them. But, as an added precaution, they adopted the same method of preservation that was employed during the time of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Consequently, individual transcripts preserved by different Companions were once again brought together and through a collation with these individual manuscripts that the new transcripts were prepared. This time a verse of Surat al-Ahzab, “Among the believers are men…” (33:23) was found separately written only with Khuzaymah ibn Thabit al-Ansari. As we have explained earlier, this does not imply that no one else had the verse memorized. Sayyiduna Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) states: While compiling the manuscript I did not find the verse of Surat al-Ahzab which I had heard from the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace). When we searched for it we found it with Khuzaymah ibn Thabit al-Ansari. As is apparent from the above narration, the verse was well recognized by the Companions, especially Sayyiduna Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him). Additionally, the narration does not imply that the verse was not written anywhere else since it was present in the manuscripts compiled in the era of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and was also included in the individual manuscripts preserved by various Companions. But as was done in the era of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), this time also all the scattered documents that had been written by the Companions individually were collected together. Therefore, Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) and his associates did not transcribe any verse until they found it in those manuscripts as well. As such, other verses were found written separately with several Companions, but this verse from Surat al-Ahzab could not be obtained as a separate manuscript from anyone except Khuzaymah ibn Thabit. After having several of these standard transcripts of the Holy Quran prepared, Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) had all the other manuscripts that were individually prepared by Companions burnt so that all transcripts of the Quran could become uniform in terms of script, incorporation of accepted recitations, and the sequence of surahs and leave no room for differences. The entire Ummah acknowledged this achievement of ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) with great admiration and all the Companions extended their full support for the venture. Only Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud was somewhat displeased, the reasons for which have been mentioned in the discussion on the “Seven Recitations”. Sayyiduna ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) once remarked: Say nothing about ‘Uthman except good. By Allah! Whatever he did in connection with the transcription of the Quran was done in the presence of all of us and with our advice and counsel. (Fath al-Bari 9:15) Steps Taken to Facilitate Recitation After the aforementioned achievement of Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), the Ummah reached a consensus that it is not permissible to write the text of the Holy Quran in any manner other than the one adopted by him. Consequently, from then on all transcripts of the Quran were written in accordance with this ‘Uthmani script, and the Companions and their Successors prepared and circulated copies of the Quran on a vast scale using it. But the script of these Quranic transcriptions was still free of dots and diacritical marks that made it difficult for non-Arabs to recite them freely. As Islam spread far and wide in non-Arab countries, it was felt that dots and diacritical marks should be included so that people could recite the text easily. Several steps were taken to achieve this purpose, a short history of which is given below. Inclusion of Dots It was not customary amongst early Arabs to place dots on letters. Scribes simply wrote words without any markings. Readers were so accustomed to this style that they experienced no difficulty in reading the dot-less writings and could easily distinguish between doubtful letters by reference to the context. In fact, it was often considered to be an insult to include dots in writing. The renowned historian Mada’ini has quoted someone as saying, “To include numerous dots in writing should amount to suspicion about (the comprehension of) the addressee.” ( Subh al-A‘sha by Qalqashandi 3:154) Hence the transcripts of Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) were devoid of any dots, and apart from prevalent custom, this exclusion’s primary purpose was also to incorporate all the mass-transmitted recitals in the script. Later, however, dots were placed on letters for the convenience of non-Arabs and less educated Muslims. Reports differ as to who was the first to place dots on the Quranic manuscript. Some reports claim that the feat was first accomplished by Abu ’l-Aswad al-Du’ali (al-Burhan 1:250, al-Itqan 2:171). Some say that he did it on the instructions of Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Still others say that the Governor of Kufah, Ziyad bin Abi Sufyan requested him to do so (Subh al-A‘sha 3:155). There are also reports that state that ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan asked him to do it (al-Itqan 2:171). There is yet another report that Hajjaj bin Yusuforder it done with the help of Hasan al-Basri, Yahya bin Ya‘mur, and Nasr ibn ‘Asim al-Laythi (Tafsir al-Qurtubi 1:63) Some scholars believe that no concept of dots existed before the compilation of the Quranic script. But ‘Allamah Qalqashandi (arguably the most renowned researcher in the art of script and writings) refuted this claim and proved that dots had been invented long beforehand. According to one report, the inventors of the Arabic writing script were Muramar ibn Murrah, Aslam ibn Sidrah, and ‘Amir ibn Jadarah of the tribe of Bulan. Muramar invented the shapes of the letters, Aslam laid down the methods for breaking and combining the words and letters, and ‘Amir founded the dots. (Subh al-A‘sha 3:12) Yet another report claims that credit for the first utilization of dots goes to Abu Sufyan ibn Umayyah, the grandfather of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, who had learnt them from the people of Ambar (Ibid). Thus, dots were invented much earlier than the compilation of the Quranic transcripts but they were kept free of them for various reasons. Whoever placed dots on the Quranic letters was not the inventor of dots. He was simply the first person to use them in the Quranic script. Diacritical Marks In the beginning, like dots, the Quran was also free of diacritical marks (fathah, kasrah, and dammah). Historical reports differ as to who was the first to use them. Some claim they were first utilized by Abu ’l-Aswad al-Du’ali. Others give credit to Hajjaj ibn Yusuf who they say had appointed the task to Yahya bin Ya‘mur and Nasr bin ‘Asim al-Laythi (Tafsir al-Qurtubi 1:63). Keeping in view all the reports in this connection, it appears that diacritical marks were first invented by Abu ’l-Aswad al-Du’ali but these diacritical marks were different from how they exist today. Instead of the short vowel “a” (fathah), he would place a dot over the letter. For the short vowel “i” (kasrah) he would place a dot under the letter, and for the short vowel “u” (dammah) he would place a dot in front of the letter. To represent nunnation (tanwin) he would use two dots (Subh al-A‘sha 3:160). Later on, Khalil ibn Ahmad founded signs for the glottal stop (hamzah) and doubling (tashdid) (al-Itqan 2:171, Subh al-A‘sha 3:161). Afterwards, Hajjaj bin Yusuf requested Yahya bin Ya‘mur, Nasr bin ‘Asim al-Laythi, and Hasan al-Basri to place both the dots and diacritical marks on the Quranic letters. On this occasion the present forms of diacritical marks were chosen rather than the use of dots so that they would not be confused with the intrinsic dots of the letters. And Allah knows best. Ahzab and Manazil It was customary amongst the Companions and Successors to complete the recital of the entire Quran in one week. For this purpose they had fixed portions for their daily recitation. Each such portion is known as hizb or manzil (stages). In this way, the Quran was divided into seven stages, or manzils, of recitation. Sayyiduna Aws ibn Hudhayfah states that he once asked the Companions as to how the manzils of recital had been divided. They replied that the first hizb consisted of three surahs, the second of five, the third of seven, the fourth of nine, the fifth of eleven, the sixth of thirteen, and the final hizb from Surah Qaf to the end of the Quran. (al-Burhan 1:250) Ajza’ or Parts Today, the Quran is divided into thirty parts, or ajza’ (plural of juz’). This division in parts has no relationship with the meaning of the Quran. Rather, the division into thirty equal parts was meant to serve as a teaching aid for children. We may notice, therefore, that there are places where a juz’ ends with an unfinished statement. It is difficult to say with certainty as to who first introduced this division. Some people believe that during the second transcription of the Quran, ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) had it written into thirty folios and, therefore, the division dates back to his time. I have not been able to find any proof for this theory in the works of earlier scholars, however. Still, ‘Allamah Badr al-Din al-Zarkashi notes that the thirty parts of the Quran have been in popular use for a long time and that they have customarily appeared in Quranic manuscripts used in schools. It would appear that the division was introduced after the era of the Companions in order to facilitate teaching. (al-Burhan 1:250, Manahil al-‘Irfan 1:402) Akhmas and A‘shar (Sets of Fives and Tens) Another sign used in Quranic transcriptions during the early centuries was the placing of the sign خ or خمس after every five verses and the sign ع or عشر after every ten versesin the margins of the manuscript. The former category of signs were called akhmas and the latter a‘shar. Holding divergent views, some of the early scholars considered these signs permissible while others held them to be reprehensible. It is difficult to say with any degree of certainty as to who introduced these signs. According to one view, Hajjaj ibn Yusuf was its inventor. Another report claims that the ‘Abbasi Khalifah Ma‘mun first ordered that they be marked (al-Burhan 1:251). Neither of these views seem to be sound, however, since the idea of a‘shar appears to have been present in the days of the Companions as well. Ibn Abi Shaybah narrates in his Musannaf that Masruq said that ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud considered the placing of a‘shar signs in the Quranic script to be detestable. (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 2:497) Ruku‘ or Section Another sign that came into use later on and is still prevalent today is the sign of the ruku‘. It is identified by the sign ع which is placed in the margin at the conclusion of a verse. Despite all my efforts, I have not been able to locate anything authentic to help identify the originator of the ruku‘ nor what period it was invented in. Some people believe that the ruku‘s were fixed during the era of Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), yet no authentic proof to this claim can be found in the traditions. It can be said for certain, however, that the purpose of the ruku‘ is to determine the average number of verses which should be recited in one unit (rak‘ah) of salat. This is why it is termed a ruku‘ (lit. to bow), since it indicates the time that one should bow from the standing position during salat. In al-Fatawa al-Hindiyyah (1:94) it is mentioned: The scholars have divided the Quran into 540 ruku‘ (sections) and placed its signs on manuscripts so that the Quran can be completed on the 27th night of Ramadan in the tarawih prayer. Rumuz al-Awqaf or Stop Signs Another useful step taken to facilitate recitation and phonetically correct pronunciation (tilawah and tajwid) was to provide verses with signs to indicate pauses. These signs are known as the rumuz (signs) or ‘alamat (symbols) of awqaf (stops). Their purpose is to help a person who does not know Arabic to stop at the correct spot during recitation and thus avoid incorrectly changing the meaning of the verse. Most of these signs were first invented by ‘Allamah Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Tayfur al-Sajawandi (al-Nashr fi ’l-Qira’at al-‘Ashr 1:225). The details of these signs are as follows: ط : An abbreviation of the word waqf mutlaq (universal stop). It implies that the statement stands completed at this point. Therefore, it is better to stop here. ج : An abbreviation of the word waqf ja’iz (permissible stop) and it implies that it is permissible to stop here. ز : An abbreviation of waqf mujawwaz (permitted stop), which implies that stopping here is permissible but that it is better not to. ص : An abbreviation of waqf murakhkhas (dispensation stop), which implies that the statement has not yet been completed but that, because the sentence has become long, this is the place to breathe and stop rather than elsewhere. (al-Minh al-Fikriyyah 63) م: An abbreviation of waqf lazim (mandatory stop), which means that if a stop is not made an outrageous distortion in the meaning of the verse is possible. Some phoneticians of the Quran have also called this type of stop a waqf wajib (obligatory stop). Note that wajib here is not a legal term and therefore does not entail sin if it is abandoned. The purpose of the term is to stress that stopping here is the most preferable of all stops. (al-Nashr 1:231) لا: An abbreviation of la taqif (lit. do not stop). It indicates that one should not stop at this sign but does not imply that stopping is completely impermissible, since there are certain places bearing this sign where stopping entails no harm and resuming from the following word is also permissible. Therefore, the correct meaning of this sign is: “If a stop is made here, it is better to go back and read over again. Initiation from the next word is not preferred. (al-Nashr 1:233) As far as the origin of these signs is concerned, it stands proven beyond doubt that they were invented by ‘Allamah Sajawandi. In addition to these, however, there are also other signs that appear in Quranic manuscripts. For instance: مع: An abbreviation of the word mu‘anaqah. This symbol is inserted at a place where a single verse has two possible explanations. According to one explanation, the stop will be made at one given place while according to another explanation the stop will be made at another place. Therefore, a stop can be made at either one of the two places, but once a stop has been made at one place it is not correct to stop at the other. However, if a stop is not made at both places it will be correct. This is also known as muqabalah. It was first pointed out by Imam Abu ’l-Fadl al-Razi. (al-Nashr, 1:237, al-Itqan 1:88) سكتة : This is a symbol for saktah (pause), which means that one should stop here by breaking the sound but not the breath. This is generally inserted at a place where assimilated reading is likely to cause an erroneous projection of meaning. وقفة : At this sign, called a waqfah, one must stop a little longer than at a saktah (pause) but ones breath should not break here as well. ق : An abbreviation of qīla ‘alayhi ’l-waqf. It means that some phoneticians of the Quran identify a stop here while others do not. قف : This symbol is the word qif which means “stop” (the imperative word-form) and is inserted where the reader may possibly think that a stop was not correct. صلى : This is an abbreviation of al-waslu awla, which means that “it is better to recite here in assimilated continuity”. صل : This is an abbreviation of qad yusalu which means that “some stop here” while others like to recite on in assimilated continuity. وقف النبي : This is marked at places where a hadith proves that the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) stopped here while reciting. Printing the Holy Quran Before the advent of the printing press, all copies of the Quran were transcribed by hand. For this purpose, in every age there has been a large group of calligraphers whose sole purpose in life was to transcribe the Quran. The amount of hard work exerted by Muslims in writing the words of the Quran in ever better styles and the way they demonstrated their intense emotional involvement with the Great Book has a long and interesting history of its own which requires a separate work. Upon the invention of the printing press, the Quran was first printed at Hamburg in 1113 AH, a copy of which is still present in Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyyah. Later, several orientalists arranged for the publication of copies of the Quran but they were not received with much approval from the Muslim world. Mawlay ‘Uthman was the first Muslim to have a manuscript of the Quran printed in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1787 AD. Similarly, another manuscript was printed in Qazan. In 1828 AD, the Quran was printed by lithography on stone slabs in the Iranian city of Tehran. Afterwards, printed copies of the Quran became common throughout the world. (Tarikh al-Quran by Kurdi 186, ‘Ulum al-Quran by Dr. Subhi Salih with Urdu translation by Ghulam Ahmad Hariri 142) This essay was translated by both Dr. Swaleh Siddiqui & Dr. Muhammad Shamim as parts of Mufti Taqi Usmani’s An Approach to the Quranic Sciences and Mufti Shafi‘ Usmani’s Ma‘ariful Qur’an. The two translations were significantly edited and then reproduced as a separate article by Bilal Ali. ilmgate.org

By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani The literal meaning of tafsir in the Arabic language is to open or to explain, interpret or comment. Technically, the science of tafsir is a branch of knowledge in which the meanings of the Quran are explained and its injunctions and wisdoms are described openly and clearly (al-Burhan). Addressing the Holy Prophet, the Glorious Quran says: We revealed the Quran to you so that you explain to the people what has been sent down to them. (16:44) The Holy Quran also says: Surely, Allah did a great favor to Muslims when He sent a Messenger to them from among them who would recite His verses before them and purify them and teach them the Book and the Wisdom. (3:164) Keeping this in view, it should be noted that the Holy Prophet not only taught the words of the Quran to the people but he also explained them in detail. This is why, on some occasions, the revered Companions had to devote years at a time to learning a single surah. Until such time that the Holy Prophet graced the mortal world with his presence, seeking the explanation of a Quranic verse did not pose much of a problem. When the Companions faced any difficulty in understanding a verse, they would simply turn to the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace). Later, however, it became necessary that the tafsir of the Quran be preserved as a permanent branch of knowledge so that, along with the words of the Noble Quran, its correct meaning remain protected and conserved for the Muslim Ummah as well, and so heretics and deviants could find no room for distortion of its meanings. So, with the grace and tawfiq of Allah Almighty, the Ummah accomplished this wonderful mission with such efficiency that today we can say without any doubt or fear of rebuttal that not only have the words of this Last Book of Allah been protected but also its correct explanation transmitted to us through the Holy Prophet and his Companions. In what ways did the Muslim Ummah protect and preserve the science? What extreme hardships did they face in its pursuit? How many stages did this struggle encompass? All this has a long and fascinating history which cannot be taken up in the present context. The intention here is to mention briefly the sources of Quranic exegesis and how these sources have been utilized in explaining the Noble Quran by the countless books on tafsir available in countless languages. The sources of Quranic exegesis are six: 1. Quran: The first source of the knowledge of tafsir is the Quran itself. Accordingly, it happens very often that a certain point which is brief and requires explanation is invariably clarified by some other verse of the Quran. For instance, in the following verse of Surat al-Fatihah, “Guide us on the straight path, the path of those on whom You have blessed…”, it is not clear here as to who are those whom Allah Almighty has blessed. But, in another verse, they have been identified very clearly where it is said: So, these are the people whom Allah Almighty has blessed, being the prophets, their true followers, the martyrs (in the way of Allah) and the righteous. (4:69) Therefore, when commentators explain a Quranic verse, they first check to see if a tafsir of the verse is already existent elsewhere in the Quran itself. If such an explanatory verse exists, they elect to adhere to it as their first choice. 2. Hadith: The words and the deeds of the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) are called hadith, and as it has been stated earlier, Allah Almighty sent him with the Quran solely for the purpose of explaining, openly and explicitly, the correct meanings of the Quran to people. Consequently, he discharged this duty with grace and excellence both by word and deed. In fact, his whole blessed life is, after all, a practical tafsir of Quran. It is for this reason that respected commentators, in order to understand the Quran, have laid the greatest emphasis on the hadith as the second source of tafsir and it is in the light of hadiths that they have determined the meanings of the Book of Allah. However, because all sorts of narrations – sound, weak, and fabricated – are included in hadith, research-oriented commentators do not accept a narration as trustworthy until it withstands the principles used in the scrutiny of hadith narrations. Hence, simply finding a hadith report somewhere and then employing it as a source of Quranic commentary is not correct because of the very likely possibility that the report is weak or even contradictory to stronger reports. Without a doubt, hadith verification and criticism is a delicate matter and venturing therein is the exclusive prerogative of those who have spent years in mastering this field of knowledge. 3. Narrations of Companions: The noble Sahabah, or Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all), had received their education directly from the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace). In addition, they were personally present on the scene when verses were revealed, and they had themselves witnessed the circumstances and backgrounds of the Quranic revelation. Therefore, naturally, the recorded statements of these blessed souls are far more authentic and trustworthy in explaining the Noble Quran. Hence, in the case of verses the explanation of which is not found in the Quran or Hadith, statements recorded from the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) are given the highest priority. Consequently, if there is a consensus of Companions on the explanation of a certain verse, the commentators follow just that and explaining it in any way otherwise is not considered permissible. If the statements of Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) differ in the interpretation (tafsir) of a certain verse, then the commentators who come later examine them in the light of various proofs and arguments and then determine which interpretation or explanation should be given preference. In handling such a situation, an important corpus of rules and regulations already codified under the sciences of Usul al-Hadith and Usul al-Tafsir have been developed, a detailed discussion of which is not appropriate here. 4. Narrations of the Successors: After the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) come the Successors (Tabi‘in). The latter learnt the tafsir of Quran directly from the former. Therefore, their statements too have great importance in the science of tafsir, although a difference of opinion among scholars exists on whether the statements of the Successors are considered decisive in tafsir. Their importance, nonetheless, cannot be denied. (al-Itqan, 2:179) 5. The Arabic Language: Since the Quran was revealed in the Arabic language, in order to accurately explain the Quran it is necessary to have a complete mastery over it. There are several verses of the Quran for which there happen to be neither any attending circumstance of revelation nor any related juristic or scholastic question. Therefore, in their explanation, neither the sayings of the Holy Prophet nor the statements of the Sahabah or Tabi‘in have been transmitted. Hence, the only means through which such verses can be explained is the Arabic language, and it is on the basis of language alone that they are elucidated. Additionally, should there be some difference in the tafsir of a certain verse, then also the science of linguistics is used to run a test of veracity between varying opinions. 6. Deliberation and Deduction: The last source of tafsir consists of deliberation and deduction. The subtleties and mysteries of the Quran are an ocean with no shore. Therefore, the more a person who has been blessed with insight into the Islamic sciences by Allah Almighty deliberates into it, the more he discovers ever-new mysteries and subtleties. As a result, commentators do present the outcomes of their respective deliberations as well, but the mysteries and subtleties so described are found acceptable only when they do not contradict the five sources mentioned above. So, should a person, while explaining the Quran, come up with a subtle point or independent judgment which is contrary to the Quran and Sunnah, Consensus (Ijma‘), language, or the statements of Companions and Successors, or stands in conflict with another principle of Shari‘ah, then it will have no credence. Some mystics in the past sought to describe such mysteries and subtleties in tafsir but investigative scholars of the Ummah did not consider them trustworthy because the personal opinion of any person that contravenes the basic principles of the Quran, Sunnah and Shariah have obviously no weight. (al-Itqan, 2:184) Rules Pertaining to Israelite Narrations: Judaica, or Isra’iliyyat, are narratives that have reached us through Jewish and Christian tradition. It should be noted that early commentators used to preserve all sorts of narrations which reached them from identifiable sources. Many of these narrations were Judaica, which therefore necessitates knowledge of what they truly are. Some Companions and their Successors first belonged to the religions of the People of the Book. Later, when they became Muslims and learnt the Quran, they came across several events relating to past communities in the Quran and which they had also read in the books of their previous religion. Therefore, while referring to the events mentioned in the Quran they would describe other details to Muslims which they had seen in the books of their old religion. These very details found their way into the books of tafsir under the name of isra’iliyyat. Hafiz ibn Kathir, who is one of the authentic research scholars, has written that there are three kinds of Isra’iliyyat: 1. Narrations the truth of which is proved from evidences in the Quran and Sunnah. For example, the drowning of Pharaoh and the ascent of Sayyiduna Musa (upon him be peace) onto Mount Tur (Sinai). 2. Narrations the falsity of which is proved from evidences in the Quran and Sunnah. For example, it appears in Judaic narrations that Sayyiduna Sulayman (upon him be peace) had become (God forbid) an apostate in his later years. Its refutation is clearly given in the Quran, where it is said, “It was not Sulayman who became an infidel, but the devils did become infidels.” (2:102) To cite yet another example, it finds mention in Judaic narrations that (God forbid) Sayyiduna Dawud (upon him be peace) committed adultery with the wife of his general (Uriah), or that having him killed through all sorts of contrivances, ended up marrying his wife. This too is a blatant lie, and taking such narrations to be false is imperative. 3. Narrations regarding which the Quran, the Sunnah, and the Shar‘iah are silent. In regards to such narrations, the prophetic teaching is to observe silence and neither confirm nor falsify. There is, however, a difference of opinion among scholars whether or not reporting such narrations is permissible. Hafiz Ibn Kathir has given a decisive ruling that reporting them is permissible but doing so is useless because they cannot be taken to be authentic.(Muqaddamah Tafsir Ibn Kathir) Misconceptions about Tafsir It is hoped that the details provided above have made it clear that the tafsir (exegesis or interpretation) of the Quran is an extremely delicate and difficult undertaking for which knowledge of the Arabic language alone is not sufficient. In fact, it is necessary to have expertise in all related branches of knowledge. Therefore, scholars say that a mufassir or commentator of the Quran must have vast and deep knowledge of the syntax, etymology, rhetoric, and literature of the Arabic language, as well as, that of prophetic traditions, principles governing jurisprudence and exegesis, doctrinal articles of belief, and scholastics. The reason is that one cannot arrive at correct conclusions while explaining the Quran without adequacy in these fields of knowledge. It is regrettable that a dangerous epidemic has overtaken Muslims lately whereby many people have started taking the ability to read Arabic alone to be sufficient for the interpretation of the Quran. As a result, anyone who attains the ability to read ordinary Arabic starts passing out opinions in the domain of Quranic exegesis. In fact, it has been noticed on occasion that people having just passable familiarity with the Arabic language and who have yet to master their Arabic to perfection take it upon themselves to engage in explaining the Quran, even going to the limit of finding faults with classical commentators. Bad come to worse, there are some subtle tyrants who would, by simply reading the translation, imagine that they have become scholars of the Quran, not even feeling shy of criticizing commentators of great stature. It should be understood very clearly that this is a highly dangerous pattern of behavior which, in matters of religion, leads to fatal straying. As regards secular arts and sciences, everyone can claim to understand that should a person simply learn the English language and then proceed to study books of the medical sciences would not be acknowledged as a physician by any reasonable person anywhere in the world, and certainly not trustworthy enough to take care of somebody’s life unless he has been educated and trained in a medical college. Therefore, having learnt English is not all one needs to become a doctor. Similarly, should anyone knowing English hope to become an engineer just by reading through engineering books, it is clear that no sane man would accept him as an engineer. The reason is that this technical expertise cannot be acquired simply by learning the English language. It, rather, requires a formal training in the discipline under the supervision and guidance of expert teachers. When these stringent requirements are inevitable in order to become a doctor or engineer, how can the learning of Arabic language alone become sufficient in matters relating to the Quran and hadith? In every department of life, everyone knows and acts upon the principle that every art or science has its own particular method of learning and its own peculiar conditions. Unless these are fulfilled, the learner’s opinion in any given art or science is not be considered trustworthy. If that is so, how can the Quran and the Sunnah become so unclaimed a field of inquiry that there be no need to acquire any art or science in order to explain them, and anyone who so wishes starts passing out opinions in this matter? Some people say that the Quran has itself stated that: “And surely We have made the Quran easy for the sake of good counsel.” And since the noble Quran is a simple book, its explanation hardly needs much of a support from any art or science. This argument, however, is terribly fallacious and based on lack of intellect and abundance of superficiality. The fact is that the verses of the Quran are of two kinds. First, there are verses that offer general good counsel, relate lesson-oriented events, and introduce subjects dealing with taking of warning and acting on sound advice. Examples include verses that discuss the mortality of the world, the accounts of Paradise and Hell, the discourses likely to instill a fear of God and a concern for the Hereafter, and other very simple realities of life. Verses of this kind are undoubtedly easy and anyone who knows the Arabic language can benefit from their good counsel by understanding them. It is in relation to teachings of this kind that, in the verse cited above, that it was said that “We have made them easy”. Hence, the expression “for the sake of good counsel” in the verse itself is pointing towards this meaning. Contrary to this, the other kind of verses consists of those which include injunctions, laws, articles of faith, and intellectual topics. Understanding verses of this kind as they should be rightfully understood and then deducing and formulating rulings from them cannot be achieved without insight and a permeating reach into various Islamic areas of knowledge. This is why the noble Companions, whose mother-tongue was Arabic and who did require any linguistic training, would spend long periods of time in learning the Quran from the Holy Prophet. ‘Allamah Suyuti has reported from Imam Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami that the Companions, who formally learned the Quran from the Holy Prophet, such as Sayyiduna ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) and ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him), have told us that after having learnt ten verses of the Quran from the Holy Prophet they would not proceed on to the next verses until such time that they had covered all that was intellectually and practically involved in the light of those verses. They used to say: “We learnt the Quran, knowledge, and action all together.” (al-Itqan 2:176) Consequently, as reported in the Muwatta of Imam Malik, Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) spent a full eight years memorizing Surat al-Baqarah. In the Musnad of Ahmad, Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), says that “the one amongst us who would learn Surat al-Baqarah and Surat Aal ‘Imran would have his status enormously elevated.” (Ibid) Worth pondering is why these noble Companions, whose mother-tongue was Arabic, who had the highest degree of expertise in poetry and letters, and who would have no difficulty in committing long qasidah poems perfectly to memory, would need up to eight years just to memorize one surah of the Quran and understand its meanings? The only plausible reason is that they understood that proficiency in the Arabic language was not enough to be considered learned in the Quran. In order to do so, it was also necessary to seek the benefit of the teaching and the company of the Holy Prophet, and it was the Holy Prophet himself who once said: Whoever says anything about the Quran without knowledge, he should make his abode in Hell. (Abu Dawud, from al-Itqan 2:179) The Holy Prophet also said: Whoever speaks about the Quran on the basis of his opinion, even if says something true he has still made a mistake. (Abu Dawud, Nasa’i) Famous Commentaries of the Quran Countless commentaries of the Glorious Quran have been written since the blessed period of the prophethood. In fact, no other book of the world has received as much attention of the scholars as the Quran. Introducing all these commentaries is not possible even in a detailed book, much less in a brief introduction such as this. However, we still wish to very briefly introduce the major commentaries that served as primary reference sources for Quranic exegesis today. Tafsir Ibn Jarir: The real name of this tafsir is Jami‘ al-Bayan and it was compiled by ‘Allamah Abu Ja‘far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (died 310 AH). ‘Allamah Tabari was a highly rated commentator, muhaddith (hadith expert), and historian. It is said that he continued to write for forty years continuously and would write forty pages every day (al-Bidayah wa ‘l-Nihayah 11:145). There are charges of being Shi‘ah leveled against him but researchers have refuted this charge, and the truth of the matter is that he is a highly regarded Sunni scholar. In thirty volumes, his tafsir enjoys the status of having served as a primary source for later commentaries. In his explanation of the verses, he quotes different scholars and then goes on to prove the position which, according to him, is weightier in light of proofs. It must, however, be admitted that narrations of all sorts, sound and weak, found a place in his commentary. Because of this, not every narration presented by him can be relied upon. In reality, he was aiming through his commentary to collect and compile all the narrations that were available to him so that the collected material could be put to use later on. Conceded is the fact that he has given the chain of reporters along with each narration so that whoever wishes to investigate the chain of narrators can do so and decide for himself if the narrations are true or false. Tafsir Ibn Kathir: Hafiz ‘Imad al-din Abu ‘l-Fida’ Isma‘il ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi al-Shafi‘i (died 774 AH), a distinguished research scholar of the eighth century, is the author of this commentary. It has been published in four volumes. In this commentary, emphasis has been laid on explanatory hadiths. A special feature is his criticism as a hadith expert on different narrations, and from this point of view his book holds a distinct place among all books of tafsir. Tafsir al-Qurtubi: Its full name is al-Jami‘ li Ahkam al-Qur’an. It was written by the famous learned writer and research scholar of Andalusia (Spain), Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ahmad Abi Bakr ibn Farah al-Qurtubi (died 671 AH). He was a follower of the Maliki school of fiqh and was renowned for his worship and piety. The basic objective of this book was to deduce juristic injunctions and rulings from the Quran. While doing so, however, he has also provided the explanation of verses, research into difficult words, discussion of diacritical marks and the elegance of style and composition (rhetoric), and related numerous hadiths in his tafsir (and quite ably so). This book is in twelve volumes and has been published numerous times. Al-Tafsir al-Kabir: This is the work of Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (died 606 AH). Its real name is Mafatih al-Ghayb but is popularly known as al-Tafsir al-Kabir. Imam Razi is considered an imam of Islamic theology. Therefore, great emphasis has been laid in his tafsir on rational and scholastic debates and on the refutation of false sects. The truth is that his tafsir is a unique key to the Quran. The refreshing manner in which the meanings of the Quran have been clarified and the mutual link of the Quranic verses established is all too praiseworthy. Most likely, Imam Razi himself wrote his tafsir as far as Surat al-Fath. Onwards from there, he could not complete it. The remaining part of the tafsir, from Surat al-Fath to the end, was completed by Qadi Shihab al-Din ibn Khalil al-Khawli al-Dimashqi (died 639 AH) or Shaykh Najm al-Din Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Qamuli (died 777 AH). (Kashf al-Zunun 2:477) Imam Razi has particularly emphasized scholastic debates and the refutation of false sects in accordance with the dictates of his time. While doing so, his discussions became quite lengthy at several places. Therefore, some people have made the following comment on his tafsir: “There is everything in this (book) except tafsir”. But this comment is a terrible injustice to al-Tafsir al-Kabir. That which is the truth has already been stated above, namely, that this tafsir enjoys a high status as far as the resolution of the meanings of the Quran is concerned. At the same time, there are places where he has explained verses of the Quran in contradiction to the consensus of the Ummah. Such places, however, are very few and far between in a lengthy, eight-volume masterpiece. al-Bahr al-Muhit: This was written by ‘Allamah Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati al-Andalusi (died 754 AH), a master of syntax and rhetoric in addition to many other Islamic fields of learning. As a result of his mastery of language, his tafsir is replete with discussions on syntax and rhetoric. He places special stress on investigating the words of every verse, the difference in structures, and rhetorical devices. Ahkam al-Qur’an li ’l-Jassas: This was written by Imam Abu Bakr al-Jassas al-Razi (died 370 AH), a scholar who occupies a distinguished place among Hanafi jurists. The deduction of juristic injunctions and rulings from the noble Quran is the subject of this book. Instead of explaining verses in serial continuity, he has taken up the juristic details as called for by verses which consist of juristic injunctions. Several other books have also been written on this subject, but this book enjoys a prominent place among them. al-Durr al-Manthur: This was authored by ‘Allamah Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (died 910 AH). Its full name is al-Durr al-Manthur fi ’l-Tafsir bi ’l-Ma’thur. Here ‘Allamah Suyuti has tried to collect all narrations about the tafsir of Quran that he was able to find. Several hadith scholars such as Hafiz Ibn Jarir, Imam Baghawi, Ibn Marduwayh, Ibn Hibban, and Ibn Majah had earlier attempted to do the same and collect as many narrations as possible themselves. ‘Allamah Suyuti assembled the narrations they had all collected in his book. But, rather than include the complete chain of narrators for each tradition, he found it sufficient to simply name the particular author who has presented that narration under his authority. If necessary, one can go refer to the original source to verify the status of the chains. Since his purpose was simply to collect a mass of narrations, all sorts of narrations, sound and weak, were included in his book. Hence, every narration allowed entry by him cannot be considered reliable without investigation into its authority. There are occasions when ‘Allamah Suyuti does indicate with each narration the degree of its authority. But, as he is known to be fairly lenient in respect to hadith criticism, it is difficult to fully rely on his judgments. al-Tafsir al-Mazhari: This was written by Qadi Thana’ullah Panipatti (died 1225 AH). He named his book al-Tafsir al-Mazhari after the name of his spiritual master, Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janan al-Dihlawi. This tafsir is very simple and clear and extremely useful for locating brief explanations of Quranic verses. Along with the elucidation of Quranic words, he also included related hadiths in ample detail, and in doing so, he made an effort to accept narrations after much more scrutiny than that of other commentaries. Ruh al-Ma‘ani: The full name of this tafsir is Ruh al-Ma‘ani fi Tafsir al-Qur’an al-‘Azim wa ’l-Sab‘ al-Mathani and it was written by ‘Allamah Mahmud al-Alusi (died 1270 AH), the famous scholar of the last Period of Baghdad. The commentary comprises of thirty volumes. He made his best possible effort to make the tafsir comprehensive. There are exhaustive discussions on language, syntax, recitations, rhetoric, jurisprudence, creed, scholastics, philosophy, astronomy, mysticism, and related hadith. He made an attempt to leave no intellectual aspect pertaining to a verse unexplained. In the case of hadith narratives as well, the author was more cautious when compared to other commentators. From this angle it is a very comprehensive commentary and no future venture in connection with the tafsir of the Quran can afford to ignore its assistance. This article was taken from Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani’s introduction to Ma‘ariful Qur’an. It was translated by Dr. Muhammad Shamim and edited by Bilal Ali.

Advice for Parents of Hifz Students: Prospective, Present, and Past By Nawal Academy Memorizing the entire Qur’an is a dream many Muslim parents today have for their children. And indeed, this is a goal nobler than many if not all others. However, after children have memorized a number of surahs and perhaps even a juz or two of the Qur’an, there is a question that plagues many parents: how do I know if my child is ready to commit to memorizing the entire Qur’an? Parents should be aware that doing hifz of the Qur’an is not a small task. It requires a tremendous amount of effort, focus, and dedication on behalf of the student, parent(s), and the teacher. Therefore, when deciding whether or not to enroll your children in a hifz program, you should make sure that you, the child, and the teacher are prepared for this huge and blessed commitment. If the child has a Qur’an teacher, ask the teacher if s/he feels your child is capable of doing hifz of the Qur’an. If the teacher thinks that the child indeed has the focus and persistence needed to memorize the Qur’an and that he does a very good job memorizing surahs, then you may consider enrolling the child in a hifz program. However, first you, the parent, must make sure that you are willing to expend the time and effort needed to support your child during this endeavor. If not, it may not be best to put this responsibility on the child’s shoulders. Last, but certainly not least, the child should be asked if he or she is willing to strive to become a hāfiz or hāfiza. If the child says no, then the parent should drop the idea, at least until the child is willing to make this commitment. Unfortunately, many parents do not follow this advice, which was given by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad Naqshbandi Mujaddidi (db), a very well-known and authentic scholar, hāfiz, and spiritual guide from Pakistan. Parents often force their children to do hifz, when it is not fard (obligatory) on everyone to memorize the entire Qur’an. Children should only be enrolled in a hifz program if they are happy and willing to commit to this blessed task. Okay, so you decided your child is ready to do start doing hifz. What next? After children are enrolled in a hifz class, the children’s parents and teachers should encourage them and teach him with love, care, softness, and gentleness. When children are taught by someone with these characteristics they soar and reach heights they may have never imagined. In contrast, under no circumstances should the parents or the teacher beat children for not memorizing or doing well on their lessons. When parents and teachers show children such harsh behavior, there is a danger of them losing their desire to recite the Qur’an and love for Islam. How many students are there who memorized the Qur’an under a harsh teacher and, after completing the memorization, stopped revising the Qur’an and therefore forgot what they had worked so hard to memorize? How many huffāz went on to become astray and began leading a life of sin? There are unfortunately many such cases, and often the reason is that those students had been taught the Qur’an with harshness and force. It is much better if a child happily memorizes half, or even a juz, of the Qur’an rather than being beaten and forced into memorizing the entire Qur’an. The following are some additional things the parents of hifz students can do to help their children succeed: Make du’ā for your child. Parents’ du’ā for their children is extremely valuable and it is the best gift you can give them. Allah (swt) is the only one who can truly help a person in any matter, which of course includes memorizing His Blessed words. Help and encourage your child to abstain from sins. Light and darkness cannot coexist in the same place. Similarly, by nature, the dazzling radiance of the Qur’an and the darkness of sins simply cannot gather in one place. Watching movies, missing prayers, listening to music, and engaging in other sins are displeasing to Allah (swt), and this has a detrimental impact on both students’ memorization and on their connection with Allah (swt). However, parents must keep in mind that they should remind children to abstain from sins with love and softness rather than through fear and force. Be a good role model. When your children see you reading the Qur’an, then they will very likely be encouraged to do the same, Insha’Allah. The same goes for praying salāh, engaging in Allah’s (swt) dhikr (remembrance), etc. Engaging in acts of ibādah causes a person’s soul to grow, very similar to the way food causes a person’s body to grow. A stronger soul will make it easier for your child to memorize the Qur’an, Insha’Allah. Make sure your child is eating the right foods. It is crucial to make sure that your child consumes only halāl foods. Consumption of harām foods is of course prohibited, and it may negatively impact a person’s progress in his or her memorization of the Qur’an. There are several breads, cereals, etc. that contain harām ingredients and we must be very wary of the foods that enter our bodies and the bodies of our children. Also, make sure your children eat nutritious meals, that they maintain a balanced diet, and that they eat a healthy breakfast before class every morning so that they are energized for class, Insha’Allah! Help your child create a schedule. It is necessary for hifz students to devote at least a few hours every day for their memorization and revision. It is beneficial to create a set time for this task, as it will help ensure that neither memorization nor revision ever gets “skipped.” The times after Fajr and after Maghrib are very blessed times for memorization and revision, but any time of the day that is convenient will work, Insha’Allah. Of course, even if the parents and teacher put their maximum effort into helping a student, if the student is not willing to strive to achieve his or her goals, then there will be very little progress. The following are a few, but not all, of the qualities that should be found in every student willing to memorize the Qur’an. Some of these qualities come with time, so if your children are lacking in any of them, then you and their Qur’an teacher(s) should try your best to patiently and gently instill these qualities in them. Moreover, if you yourself are a person who is striving to memorize the Qur’an, check to make sure you are making an effort to obtain the following qualities: Sincerity. Hifz students should recognize that the only reason they are memorizing the Qur’an is to please Allah (swt). Attaining the pleasure of Allah (swt) is the purpose of every mu’min’s (believer’s) life, and everything he or she does should be a step towards that ultimate goal, Insha’Allah. Devotion. Hifz students must be aware of the blessing and responsibility that Allah (swt) has gifted them with. They should recognize that memorizing the Qur’an takes a great amount of time and effort and they should be willing to expend that time and effort on their memorization and revision. Concentration. When hifz students are memorizing their lessons or revising their previous lessons, they should be fully concentrating on what they are reading. All distractions should be eliminated and their attention should be on the blessed words of their Creator. Self-Discipline. Although parents are most certainly encouraged to remind and help their children practice their lessons, hifz students should recognize that this is their responsibility, given to them by Allah (swt). They should not need someone to constantly remind them to practice their lessons. They should know that practicing Qur’an may sometimes mean that they will have to wait a couple hours before getting to play or engage in other activities, but that they must finish their memorization and revision before play in order to progress and reach their goals. Patience. Hifz students should realize that some lessons are not as easy as others and that they might not always see the results of their efforts as soon as they like. Hifz takes time and students should not become frustrated if they are not reaching their goals quickly. Hifz students should know that although memorizing may sometimes seem a little difficult, they should never give up and that their efforts are never done in vain—for any effort to please Allah (swt) is never done in vain. Hifz students should know that if they keep trying their best to perfect their memorization of Allah’s (swt) words, Allah (swt) will make it easier for them and allow them to reach their goals, Insha’Allah. Gratitude. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an: “If you express gratitude, I shall certainly give you more” (14:7). Although we can never thank Allah (swt) enough for the countless blessings He bestows upon us, when hifz students are grateful to Allah (swt) for allowing them to memorize His blessed words, He will Insha’Allah make it easier for them to memorize the Qur’an. When the great Imām Abu Hanifa (rah) would understand a new concept, he would say “alhamdulillah,” and thereafter Allah (swt) would increase his knowledge. Hifz students should make an effort to constantly thank Allah (swt) for all the blessings He has given them, particularly this blessing of memorizing the Qur’an. If possible, they should try to make it a habit to pray at least two nafl (optional) rak’āt salāt-ul-shukr (prayer of thanks) every day, Insha’Allah (however, parents should not force their children to pray these two rak’āt). Humility. It is natural for students, children and adults alike, to compare themselves to their peers, and sometimes students who memorize the Qur’an begin to think of themselves as better than others. However, it is very important for parents and educators to gently remind students that this opportunity of memorizing the Qur’an is a gift from Allah (swt) and that we have no reason to be arrogant because of it. Allah (swt) does not like arrogance and He can easily take that gift away, God forbid, and give it to someone else instead. Hifz students should be humble and should know that the fact that they are memorizing the Qur’an does not necessarily make them better than their peers. The heavier the fruit, the lower the branch bows. Similarly, the more knowledge Allah (swt) gives a person, the more humble the person should become, as we are absolutely nothing compared to Allah’s (swt) infinite greatness. Perhaps your child has already completed his or her memorization of the Qur’an, whether recently or years ago. Or perhaps you have completed your memorization of the Qur’an. In either case, huffāz must do their best to maintain a schedule of revision. It takes approximately 10,000 focused hours to excel in any field [of] the dunya, which means that it will take at least that much time to excel in a field [of] the deen. Hence, the time spent doing the actual memorization is just the formation of the base—the real excellence in hifz comes much later. Huffāz and their parents alike often forget the importance of regularly revising the Qur’an after the memorization has been completed and students get busy with school and other responsibilities. However, it is crucial for huffāz to remember the gift and responsibility Allah (swt) has given them and, thus, to continue to consistently revise the Qur’an for the rest of their lives—which they will naturally be driven to do if they had a soft, encouraging, gentle, loving, and caring learning experience, Insha’Allah. Additionally, huffāz are encouraged to acquire knowledge of the deen, to teach the Qur’an to others if they get the opportunity, and to practice upon the Qur’an that Allah (swt) chose their hearts to preserve. May Allah (swt) keep us on the straight path and may He make it easy for us and our children to excel in memorizing, retaining, and practicing upon the Qur’an with love and happiness. Ameen. Source: www.sacredlearning.org Courtesy of Nawal Academy Note: This article was edited for spelling, grammar, and style.

Dr Abdul Hay ® relates an incident of a certain young man, who he saw in the Masjid, crying bitterly while making Duã. Dr Abdul Hay ® became much affected by the sight of the young man and took him to be a Wali of Allah. At that very instant, an old man with poor eyesight and feeble, shaky legs, walked past him. Due to old age, his legs were weak and uncontrollable as a result of which he accidentally bumped into the young man. The young man, who resembled a great saint, suddenly jumped up and fumed; “O unworthy blind fool, can you not see where you walk? You are so old, yet you hurt me!” His hands are spread out in supplication before Allah, while his tongue is engaged in harshly swearing the poor old man. Dr Abdul Hay ® who had witnessed the entire scene, was shocked at the young man’s attitude. He said; “I thought him to be a great Wali, but he turned out to be Shaitãns grandfather.” Therefore, reformation of the self is of utmost importance. Many people believe that one can be reformed merely by reading and studying great books like Sahih Bukhãri etc. If this was the case, why did Allah Ta’ãla send messengers to people? It was solely for their guidance and reformation by means of cleansing and purifying their hearts. Firstly the Nabi fulfils this duty and thereafter his deputies follow suit. One cannot understand books without a teacher. This is a process of teaching and learning. For the book of Allah, people of Allah are created. In the commentary of Surah Fãtiha in Ma’ãriful Qur’ãn, Mufti Shafi ® has written; “To understand the Book of Allah, it is necessary to have men of Allah.” The fuel which provides the strength to act upon the book of Allah will be attained from the bosoms of these pious people. If a Nabi were alive, this knowledge would be attained from his bosom but since the door of Prophethood is closed it will be attained from the bosoms of his heirs. Shaykh Rashid Ahmad Ganghohi ® said; “Why do you think I became Bay’at to Hãji Imdãdullah ®? It was not to learn Masã’il from him. With reference to Masã’il he will ask the Ulamã. The reason for taking Bay’at was to gain the fuel of strength and Taufeeq to act upon everything that I have learnt.” Just imagine, even such great Ulama were not, independent of the people of Allah. Therefore friends, for one’s reformation, contact with a reformer is absolutely necessary. It is not enough merely to have friendship and companionship with them, to keep them informed about one’s spiritual condition is the actual purpose of the relationship. Whatever advice they give, one should act upon it. The rights of companionship are not only feeding the people of Allah with good food and imagine that one has fulfilled their rights. Actually it is informing them of one’s condition and thereafter be obedient to their advice with sincerity. TarbiyatusSãlikeen Editor Shaykh Mufti Zubair Dudha Published By Islãmic Tarbiyah Academy 45 Boothroyd Lane, Dewsbury. WF13 2RB.

The truth concerning differences in the salah of men and women By Mufti Talha Desai The following was written in response to an article found on the well known Islam QA website relating to the issue of difference in the salah of a man and a woman. Mufti Talha Desai, under the guidance of Mufti Ebrahim Desai, penned a response refuting this idea and affirming that there is in fact differences in the salah of a man and a woman in light of the ahadith of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the teachings of the Sahabah and the salaf. Mufti Talha Desai writes: Majority of the proofs presented in the article are taken from the book authored by Shaykh Nasir al-Din al-Albani (d. 1420 H) titled Sifat Salat al-Nabi. This book contains many mistakes and was refuted by many ‘ulama throughout the world like the late Shaykh Hamud al-Tuwayjiri (d. 1420 H). In fact, the late Shaykh ‘Abd al-Aziz bin Baz (d. 1420 H) and Shaykh Salih al-Munajjid have also given rulings contrary to that which is in the book of al-Albani regarding this issue. So, it seems as though al-Albani was the only scholar claiming that there is no difference between the salah of men and women. Hereunder, is our response to the article: The article states: “Rather the general meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Pray as you have seen me praying,” include women too” Response: 1. The interpretation of the above hadith provided by al-Albani was never given by any scholar of the past. Not a single traditional and expert commentator of Sahih al-Bukhari, including the likes of Ibn Hajar ‘Asqalani, ‘Allamah ‘Ayni, Ibn Battal etc. had given this interpretation. It is only al-Albani that has given this interpretation and logically it will be incorrect for us to follow this interpretation of al-Albani. 2. It should be known that the interpretation by al-Albani and his logical inference of this hadith cannot be accepted at all, because it goes against other ahadith in which Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) clearly draws a difference between the salah of men and women, aside from the many verdicts and practices of Sahaba and those after them that were mentioned above. The article states: “The general meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Women are the twin halves of men.” Response: 1. This hadith cannot be used to prove that women are like men in all aspects of din. The ahadith above are sufficient evidence to show that men and women are not equal in all aspects of din. The meaning of the above hadith is that women resemble men with regards to their body constitution. This is because Hawwa (Allah’s peace be on her) was created from Adam (Allah’s peace be on him) and thereof the progeny of men and women began. (Ma’arif al-Sunan, 1:374) 2. Even if we had to accept this “principle” that women are like men in all aspects, then this principle only applies to those cases where there are no proofs indicating to the contrary. In the issue of women’s salah , there are many ahadith in which Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) differentiated between the salah of both genders. Surprisingly, this principle is stated in the article but has not being implemented. 3. Not a single traditional muhaddith and expert commentator of hadith has interpreted the above hadith as it is interpreted in this article. Thus, it will be illogical for us to accept this interpretation. The article states: The other is the hadeeth of Abu Mutee’ al-Hakam ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Balkhi from ‘Umar ibn Dharr from Mujaahid from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When a woman sits during the prayer she should place one thigh against the other and when she prostrates she should press her stomach against her thighs, compressing herself in the most concealing manner, for Allaah looks at her and says: ‘O My angels, I call you to bear witness that I have forgiven her.’” Sunan al-Bayhaqi al-Kubra, 2/222. this hadeeth is da’eef, because it was narrated by Abu Mutee’ al-Balkhi. Response: According to the principles of hadith laid down by the fuqaha and muhaddithin, this hadith can be relied on, since it is supported by many other ahadith and verdicts of Sahabah, who were the students of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace). It is supported by many shawahid (corroborative reports – a term of usul al-hadith). (I’la al-Sunan, 3:33) The article states: A third hadeeth was narrated from Yazeed ibn Abi Habeeb, saying that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) passed by two women who were praying. He said: “When you prostrate, press some of your flesh to the ground, for women are not like men in that.” This was narrated by Abu Dawood in al-Maraaseel (p. 118) and by al-Bayhaqi (2/223). This hadeeth is mursal, which is a category of da’eef (weak). Response: 1. The issue of woman’s salah is purely a fiqhi issue and has to be dealt with in the light of what the fuqaha state. They were masters in understanding the meanings of the ahadith as stated by the great muhaddith and student of Imam Bukhari, Imam Tirmidhi (Allah have mercy on them). The fuqaha of all four madhahib accept mursal ahadith, but obviously with certain conditions (Athar al-Hadith al-Sharif). Therefore, it will totally incorrect to blatantly state that; “this hadith is mursal, which is a category of da’if (weak)” indirectly inferring that this hadith cannot be accepted. We do not wish to go into the discussion of mursal ahadith, since this is not the purpose of this article. However, all the narrators of the above hadith are reliable and there is no reason to reject it as stated in I’la al-Sunan, 3:26. The article states: In al-Musannaf (1/242), Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated some reports from some of the salaf which suggest that there is a difference in the way women and men sit (in prayer), but the only evidence that counts is the words of Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Then he narrated from some of the salaf that the way in which men and women pray is the same. Response: 1. It is incorrect to state; “but the only evidence that counts is the words of Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)”.This statement infers that the statements of tabi’in and ‘ulama cannot be accepted. This is totally incorrect and goes against the teachings of the Qur’an and the ahadith. Allah mentions in the Qur’an: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ “O those who believe obey Allah and obey His Messenger and those in authority amongst you” (4: 59) Early commentators of Qur’an such as Ibn Abbas, Mujahid and Hasan Basri have stated that; “those in authority amongst you” refer to the fuqaha and ‘ulama (Ma’arif al-Qur’an). We are commanded to follow the teachings of tabi’in and ‘ulama for there teachings are based on the Qur’an and ahadith. The author of this article states that; “only the words of Allah and Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) are the only evidence that count”, then why does he quote from the writings of al-Albani, etc? The article states: In al-Musannaf (1/242), Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated some reports from some of the salaf which suggest that there is a difference in the way women and men sit (in prayer), but the only evidence that counts is the words of Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Then he narrated from some of the salaf that the way in which men and women pray is the same. Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Umm al-Darda’ used to sit in prayer as a man sits and she was a scholarly woman. Al-Haafiz stated in Fath al-Baari that Abu’l-Darda’ had two wives, both of whom were called Umm al-Darda’. The older one was a Sahaabiyyah and the younger one was a Taabi’iyyah. He suggested that the one who was referred to here by al-Bukhaari was the younger one. Response: 1. In light of what the author of this article has written, it is incorrect for him to present the above narration as a proof. This is so, because he states that only the words of Allah and Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) count and here he presents the action of a tabi’iyyah as proof. 2. However, it is not sufficient enough to present the above narration regarding the action of Umm ‘l-Darda’ as proof, because there is a narration recorded by Imam Tahawi (Allah have mercy on him) which states contrary to it. The hadith is as follows: قال رأيت أم الدرداء تصلي متربعة Ibrahim bin Abi Ablah narrates: “I saw Umm ‘l-Darda’ performing salah in the tarabbu’ position” (Tuhfa al-Akhyar, 2:338) 3. The author of the article claims that Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah recorded from the salaf that the way in which men and women performed salah was the same. This is absolutely false and incorrect accusations labelled against this great imam. He has never mentioned this in his Musannaf. Not a single salaf has mentioned that a woman will perform salah as a man performs salah . The author of this article has probably relied on the book Sifat Salat al-Nabi authored by al-Albani. This is because the mistake made by al-Albani in his book is the same mistake made by the author of this article. Al-Albani claimed that Ibrahim al-Nakha’i said: “A woman will do as a man does in salah ”. He also adds that this narration has a sahih sanad (authentic chain of narrators). However, this was not what Ibrahim al-Nakha’i said and nor was this ever his view. The correction words of Ibrahim al-Nakha’i that appear in Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah are: عن إبراهيم ، قال : تقعد المرأة في الصلاة كما يقعد الرجل “A woman will sit as a man sits in salah ” (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, #2804) Hereunder, are the interpolated words of al-Albani: كل ما تقدم من صفة صلاته صلى الله عليه وسلم يستوي فيه الرجال والنساء ولم يرد في السنة ما يقتض استثناء النساء من بعض ذلك بل إن عموم قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ( صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي ) يشملهن وهو قول إبراهيم النخعي قال : ( تفعل المرأة في الصلاة كما يفعل الرجل ) أخرجه ابن أبي شيبة ( 1 / 75 / 2 ) بسند صحيح عنه In conclusion we would like to mention that all the ahadith mentioned in this article are sufficient to prove that there exists a difference between the salah of men and women and it would be incorrect to claim that the salah of both genders are common. We ask Allah to grant us sincerity and make this humble effort a means of exposing the truth. friendsofdeoband

Our elders teach us the basic guide-lines in a very simple way to follow Quran and Sunnah. Their malfuzat (collection of sayings) are always useful to spend a safe and sound life. We know that Shaytan is a very cunning and shrewd enemy of mominin. He doesn't miss even a single chance to deceive and deviate us. Teachings of elders show us the way to protect ourselves from the tricks and stratagem of shaytan. I'm fond of reading the malfuzat of hazrat Hakimul ummat rh.a and try to follow them. He said, '' Shaytan had 3 ''AIN'' of Abid, Arif and Alim but he didn't have 4th AIN of Ashiq. You become ashiq of Allah swt (one who loves Allah swt).'' (InshaAllah) Love is very effective, powerful and dynamic which can change whole of personality, traits and even mundane of a common man. He seeks the happiness in, howsoever, fulfilling the demands and wishes of his beloved. But this love which one person feels for another person isnt everlasting. One day It fades away ,Also his partner can desert him in lurch without feeling his emotions; and he finds himself squirming in intensive-agony of breach of faith and confidence; but Allah swt never leaves His lovers. If we start loving Allah swt, we can become submissive and devoted to His commands then each and everything of the entire universe is ours because ''Man kana lillahi kanallahu lahu'' No doubt Allah swt is our creator but this is not the only correct logic to worship Him. We are to change our motive. We must think that Allah swt is our beloved so we worship Him. Our RasulAllah sallallahu alaihi wasallam has taught us this lesson '' Allahumma inni as'aluka hubbaka wa hubba man yuhibbuka'' Allah swt loves us too much. When he says - ''Qul Ya ibadi''- this address shows the intensity of love, it can be felt in this way- when a mother or a father calls her/his son - ''O My son'' this address is blended with feelings of unfathomable affection; and emotions emanates from the depth of heart which can be felt by a sensible son. In these ayat- who're addressed? Gentle, noble and pious mominin? No, rather- ''Allazina asrafu anfusahum'' those who transgressed and violated the Sharia and committed sins- not only small but big as well. ''La taqnatu min rahmatillah''- these sinners dont need to be disappointed from the mercy and compassion of Allah swt. He will forgive all sins of sinners. Why does Allah swt showers so much love, affection and intimacy to His servants. The reason is that all of us are the creation of Allah swt and Allah swt has decorated the paradise with His own hands for us; and Allah swt wants all his servants to live comfortably in paradise because Allah swt doesn't wish to see us in hell fire. Though Allah swt is our Lord yet He loves us so much. It seems to be an act of disloyalty and treachery if we dont Love our Lord. Source

Translated by Hamood Aleem There are three types of mawlid gatherings and the ruling for each is different. First Type The first type of gathering is that which does not contain any of the prevalent and customary restrictions (quyud). Neither [does it contain] mubah (permissible) restrictions nor makruh (prohibitively disliked) ones, i.e., it is free from all [sorts of] restrictions. For instance, a few people gathered by coincidence, no one had invited them with any extraordinary effort; rather they were gathered for some other permissible event. In this gathering, either by reading from a book or by delivering a lecture, the blessed event of the birth and the characteristics, habits, miracles and virtues of our Radiant Master (Allah bless him and give him peace), the Lord of the Universe, the Source of Pride for the Prophet Adam (may Allah’s peace be upon him), were narrated based on sound sources. During this narration, if the need was felt to enjoin good actions and discuss religious rulings and one proceeded in doing so without hesitation or this gathering was held to listen to a religious discourse and within it these blessed events and virtues were narrated, then this is the type [of mawlid] that is permissible without any objection. Moreover, it is sunnah and mustahabb (recommended). The Honorable Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) narrated his personal events and virtues in a similar way and later his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated them, the chain of which continues through the hadith scholars of present with the blessings of Allah Most High and it will continue until the end of time.[1] Second Type The second type of gathering is that which contains unlawful restrictions, which in their essence are detestable and sinful. For instance, the relating of fabricated narrations that did not occur; the recitation of odes by charming and sweet-voiced young boys; the spending of unlawful money [earned] from bribes or usury on this [gathering]; exceeding what is necessary by extravagantly lighting, carpeting and decorating the venue; making an extraordinary effort to gather people, the likes of which is not even made for congregational salah or a lecture; insulting and dishonoring Allah Most High or the Prophets (may Allah’s peace be upon them) explicitly or implicitly in prose and poetry; missing salah in congregation or missing it altogether due to attending this gathering or if due to it little time for performing salah remains or a strong possibility of this happening exists; the chief organizer of the event is holding it to boast and gain popularity; considering the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) omnipresent (hadir wa nadir) in the gathering, or the existence of any other unlawful action of these types (above). This is the type [of mawlid] which is mostly rampant among the masses and the ignorant ones, and is considered completely impermissible and sinful in Shari’ah. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Whoever tells lies about me, let him take his place in Hellfire.” It was narrated that Sayyiduna Hafsa ibn ‘Asim (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: ‘It is sufficient for a man to be considered a liar to speak of everything that he hears’” (Muslim). It is understood from these hadiths that great care should be practiced when relating narrations. To narrate hadiths without knowledge and research is a sin and it is especially a great misfortune when one wrongly attributes an action to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Music grows hypocrisy in the heart as water grows herbage” (Sunan al-Bayhaqi). It is understood from this hadith that singing is blameworthy, especially where the possibility of fitna (temptation) exists such as the singing of an attractive woman. Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give peace) said: “Allah the Exalted is Pure and He only accepts that which is pure. Allah has indeed commanded the believers with what He has commanded the Messengers, He said, ‘O (you) Messengers! Eat of all things pure, and do righteous deeds,’ (23:51) and, ‘O you who believe! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you’ (2:172). Then he mentioned a case of the man who sets out on a long journey, his hair becomes ruffled and his face is covered with dust and he raises his hand towards heaven and supplicates, ‘O Lord, O Lord’, while his food is unlawful and his drink is unlawful and his sustenance is unlawful, how would the supplication of such a person find acceptance?” (Muslim). From this hadith it is understood that no matter how sincere one is in worship, unlawful wealth renders it worthless. Moreover, the sin which remains upon this person for spending unlawful wealth is separate. Allah Most High says in the Qur’an: “Do not be extravagant” (7:31) and He says: “Surely, squanderers are brothers of Satan, and Satan is very ungrateful to his Lord” (17:27). Any expenditure without a lawful objective is included in this (extravagance and squandering), regardless if it is [spent on] lighting or other formalities. On the issue of dress and unlawful appearance, the hadiths which have been narrated are mentioned in the first chapter [of the book Islah al-Rusum]. There is no need to repeat them here. Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “By Him in Whose hands is my life (Allah the Almighty), necessarily you should enjoin good and forbid evil, or else Allah will certainly send chastisement upon you. And then you will pray but your supplications will not be accepted.” (Al-Tirmidhi) [imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) relates from] Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: “‘Uthman ibn Abi al-’As (may Allah be pleased with him) was invited to a circumcision, but he declined the invitation. Asked why, he answered: ‘In the days of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) we did not go to circumcisions and we were not invited’” (Musnad Imam Ahmad, 4/217). It is understood from this narration that to invite individuals for an event which is not established from the Sunnah was something a Companion of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) disliked and refused to attend. From this we can ascertain that invitation is proof of [making] extraordinary effort. If the Shari’ah does not place extraordinary importance on a matter, to make extraordinary effort for it is inventing in the religion. For this reason, when Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) saw people gathered for duha (forenoon) prayer in the mosque, he declared it an innovation (bid’ah). Based on this, the fuqaha (jurists) consider supererogatory (nafl) prayer in congregation makruh[2]. No explanation is needed on [the obviousness of] the kufr (disbelief) and blameworthiness of insulting Allah Most High, the Prophets or the Angels. Which Muslim denies this [act of kufr]? Despite this, many ignorant poets are involved in it. It is not permissible to compose such poetry nor is it permissible to read or listen to it. Similarly, it is obvious that missing congregational prayer or wasting time is impermissible because the means (dhari’ah) to a sin is also a sin. It is because of this the prohibition for having conversations after ‘isha prayer is related in a hadith. The reason — mentioned in the hadith commentaries for this prohibition — is due to the hindrance it may cause in [waking up for] tahajjud or morning (fajr) prayers. Similarly, everyone is aware of the prohibition of ostentation and vanity because that which leads to haram (a prohibited act) is also haram. It is mentioned in a hadith that [sayyiduna 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:] “He who wears the clothing of fame in this world will be dressed in humiliating clothes on the Day of Judgment” (Abu Dawud). In another hadith, Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Verily, even a little ostentation (riya’) is shirk” (Ibn Majah). Omnipresence (being hadir wa nadir) is dependent on knowledge (‘ilm) and power (qudrah), since the knowledge and power of Allah Most High is Most Perfect (kamil), He is omnipresent at all times and in all places. If this belief about the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) or the anbiya’ (prophets) and awliya’ (saints) is based on the understanding that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has this knowledge and power in essence like the belief of some ignorant individuals then this is shirk. This is even if it (omnipresence of the Prophet) is considered to be less than that of Allah Most High because it is explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an that the mushrikin (polytheists) of Arabia were engaged in shirk. It is also established by the Qur’an that they did not consider their demigods equal to Allah. If it is believed that Allah Most High informs and gives permission [to the Prophet] then this will not be shirk although [such a belief] without having a basis in the Shar’iah is certainly a sin. This is because everyone knows that lying is prohibited. A lie, just as it is uttered by the tongue, is also present in the heart since that is where it originates. It reaches the tongue [from the heart] such that suspicion (or mistrust) is merely an action of the heart. In relation to this, Allah Most High says in the Qur’an, “O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible), for suspicion in some cases is a sin.” (49:12) and it comes in a hadith that Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “I warn you of suspicion, for suspicion is the most false form of talk.” (Al-Bukhari) In short, due to these [above mentioned] unlawful actions this [mawlid] gathering also becomes unlawful. Participating in this gathering is not correct either. Nowadays most gatherings are of this sort. If all of the impermissible actions are not present in them, at least some of them are almost certainly present. A single unlawful action is enough for a gathering to be deemed unlawful, as it is obvious. Third type This is the gathering in which neither is there the sort of disengagement and informality that is found in the first type [of mawlid gathering] nor are there any unlawful restrictions like those found in the second type. Even though this gathering does contain restrictions, they are lawful (halal) and permissible (mubah) in their essence, such as [mentioning] authentic and reliable narrations [in the gathering]; the presence of a trustworthy and pious orator; the absence of opportunities to arouse illicit desires; the spending of lawful and pure (tayyib) wealth on the gathering; the decorations [at this place] do not reach the boundaries of wasteful spending (israf); the attendees of this gathering are dressed in accordance with the Shari’ah although if someone, by chance, does come dressed in violation of the Shari’ah then the speaker, if he has authority to do so, does not refrain from enjoining good and in a similar way, in accordance with the situation, he speaks about other important rulings; if there is recitation of poetry then it is not accompanied with music; the content [of the lecture] does not exceed the limits of the Shari’ah; no exaggeration is employed in informing and inviting people [to the gathering]; no hindrance is created in any compulsory form of worship due to attending this gathering; the intention of the person who organized the event is sincere, i.e., he does it merely to attain blessings and for the love of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace); and if the vocative case (sighah al-nida) is used, it is used with absolute assurance — backed by strong evidence — that the attendees are not deficient in their understanding that they will begin considering the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) to be Omnipresent (Hadir wa Nadir) and the Knower of Unseen (‘Alim al-Ghayb). If the gathering is free from all other types of evils as well but it includes things such as sweets, standing up (qiyam), carpeting, pulpit, incenses and similar things, which in their essence are not unlawful, then this is the type of gathering of extremely cautious individuals which maybe rarely occurs. Thus, this type of gathering is neither absolutely permissible like the first type, nor is it absolutely impermissible like the second type. On [the issue of] permissibility, there is some detail, which will be mentioned soon. Before these details are discussed, there are certain principles of Islamic law worth mentioning, which will be helpful in understanding the discussion [which follow the principles]. First Principle To consider an unnecessary action necessary and emphatic in one’s ‘aqidah (belief) or to consistently act upon it with such persistence that it equals or exceeds the amount of effort put into obligatory (fard) or compulsory (wajib) acts — such that it is considered blameworthy to leave this action and the one who leaves it worthy of rebuke — then these two actions are prohibited. This is because this involves breaking the rulings of Shari’ah. Restricting (taqyid), stipulating (ta’yin), specifying (takhsis), making mandatory (iltizam), delimiting (tahdid), etc. are [all] from the variations of this principle and issue. Allah Most High has said in the Qur’an that whoever exceeds the limits set by Allah Most High is from the oppressors. Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “You should not give away a part of your prayer to Satan by thinking that it is necessary to depart [after finishing the prayer] from one’s right side only; I have seen the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) often leave from the left side” ( al-Bukhari). Al-Tibi, the commentator of Mishkat al-Masabih, said that it is learned from this hadith that whoever insists on a mustahabb (recommended) matter and is determined in strictly adhering to it (‘azimah) without ever making exception (rukhsah), i.e., acting upon its opposite, then Satan takes his part in misguiding this person. So, what can be said regarding that person who insists upon a bid’ah or an evil action (i.e., an unlawful belief or action)? The author of Majma’ said that it is learned from this hadith that sometimes a mandub (recommended) action becomes makruh if it is thought that it will exceed in its rank. Based on this, Hanafi jurists have declared the specifying of surahs in prayer as makruh, regardless if the adherence is in belief or practice. This matter has been clearly mentioned in Fath al-Qadir. [sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that] the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Do not single out the night [preceding] Friday among the nights for prayer and do not single out Friday among days for fasting but only when anyone among you is accustomed to fast [on dates] which coincide with this day (Friday).” (Muslim) Second Principle A mubah action, in fact even a mustahabb one, becomes unlawful and prohibited due to the joining of an unlawful action with it. For example, going to a dinner party [which one is invited to] is mustahabb, rather it is a sunnah, but the presence of an unlawful action at this gathering will make it prohibited to go there. Similar to this has been mentioned in the hadiths and [books such as] Al-Hidayah, etc. Similarly, performing supererogatory (nafl) prayer is mustahabb, but during makruh times it is prohibited and sinful. It is understood from this that a lawful action becomes unlawful due to its association and affiliation with an unlawful action. Third Principle If an unnecessary action of the elect (khawas) causes a defect to be formed in the ‘aqidah of the masses (awam) then this action will become makruh and prohibited for them because saving fellow Muslims from harm is an obligation. It is [incumbent] upon the elect to abandon this action. An incident is related in the noble hadith about when the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) made the intention to include the Hatim (round wall near Ka’ba) inside the Ka’ba.[3] Because the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) felt that those who had recently entered Islam might develop unsoundness in their belief or anxiety in their hearts and to include the Hatim in the structure was not something necessary, he [decided to] put off this matter and explicitly mentioned this reason [i.e., his concern about their reaction]. This is even though to include the Hatim inside the structure [of the Ka'ba] was mustahsan (commendable) but to avoid the possibility of causing any harm to the masses, he left a mustahsan act. In Sunan Ibn Majah, a narration from Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah (may Allah have mercy on him) is mentioned that to provide food to the household of the deceased person on the first day was a sunnah but when people made it a custom, it was abandoned and prohibited. From this it can be observed that in order to preserve the faith of the masses, the elect also abandoned this act. The act of doing the sajdah (prostration) of thankfulness is mubah according to the hadiths but Hanafi jurists, as mentioned by ‘Allamah Ibn ‘Abidin al-Shami (may Allah have mercy on him), declared this act to be makruh in case the masses start considering it a desired sunnah. It is mentioned in ‘Alamgiri (Fatawa Hindiyyah) that people used to do this (sajdah) after prayers and it is makruh because ignorant people will begin considering it sunnah and wajib. Any mubah action which comes to this becomes makruh. Although if it is necessary in the Shari’ah, it will not be abandoned rather the corrupt traits which have crept in it will be rectified. For instance, the act of accompanying the funeral [procession] will not be abandoned due to the association of a makruh action with it such as the presence of a wailing woman; rather the wailing will be prohibited. This is because this (funeral) is something necessary and it will not be abandoned because of a temporary karahah (reprehensibility). This is in contrast to accepting the dinner invitation, which should be refused after [one becomes aware of] the makruh action’s association with it because the dinner party [in itself] is not something necessary [in the religion]. ‘Allamah Ibn ‘Abidin al-Shami has differentiated [between] these issues as well. Fourth Principle The ruling from the muftis could vary in regards to an action which contains temporary karahah due to differences in time and place or due to their experiences and observations. This means that it is possible for something to be deemed lawful at one time because at this time there was no reason for it to be considered makruh, while at another point in time, the [same] action was deemed unlawful because the reason for it to be now considered makruh had arisen. It is also possible that permission could be given in one country while in another country it is made prohibited due to the above-mentioned differences. It is also possible that one mufti at a certain time or [in a certain] situation deems something lawful without knowing that the masses have introduced deficient beliefs and practices in it, while another mufti deems this [same] action unlawful because, given his experience and observation, he has knowledge of what the masses are involved in. In fact, this difference of opinion is in the outward sense, not in the real sense (haqiqi) … many examples of this can be found in the [books of] hadith and fiqh (jurisprudence). The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) had given women permission to enter the mosque to perform salah. At that time, the possibility of fitnah (temptation) did not exist but when the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) saw the changed condition [of the people], they prohibited this. Similarly, many of the differences between Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him) and the Sahibayn[4] (may Allah have mercy on them both) are of this kind. Fifth Principle If an unlawful action yields benefits and to acquire them is not necessarily required from the perspective of the Shari’ah or there are other ways to obtain such benefits and [this action] is done with the intention of obtaining these benefits or after seeing these benefits the masses are not stopped [from performing this action], then this is not permissible. A mubah [action] performed with a good intention becomes worship (‘ibadah) but sin (ma’siyah) is not mubah, even if it contains thousands of benefits. It is not l awful to commit such an act, nor is it allowed to remain silent on it. This principle is very much self-evident. For instance, if someone usurps [the wealth of others] and oppresses [people] with the intention of collecting wealth so it can be distributed to the poor and needy. This type of force and oppression can never be considered lawful. This is even if it is hoped that hundreds of thousands of benefits will be obtained from doing this. After these preliminary comments and principles have been understood, the details of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of the third type [of mawlid gathering] should be heard. Concluding remarks Since these above-mentioned restrictions [of the third type of gathering] are in themselves mubah, there is no defect in their essence, nor will this gathering be considered unlawful and prohibited at any time due to these actions and occurrences. And these actions, in their usual state, will remain mubah if no type of defect arises [due to them]. This ruling is evident from the second principle. Now, it is worth looking at the fact, whether in our times, if any defect is occurring due to this permissibility. If any defect is seen arising then this gathering should be considered unlawful and prohibited. Knowledge of this issue can be obtained without hindrance merely through experience and observation. There is no need for any argumentation in this [matter]. According to this writer’s experience of many years, it is worth mentioning that without a doubt the vast majority, rather nearly all of the masses (awam), recognize these restrictions (quyud) as necessary, emphasized and essential for the gathering. They act upon [these restrictions] similar to how they practice the requirements of the faith. In fact, they act upon them with much more emphasis. Thus, the amount of effort put into the Friday or congregational prayer is very little when compared to the extraordinary effort that is put into acting upon these restrictions. The amount of unpalatability caused by abandoning these restrictions is never equal to that caused by abandoning obligatory and compulsory acts [of worship]. On the contrary, for one [involved in these activities] to abandon [these restrictions] is inconceivable and putting aside the example of the person who refuses [to participate], even if someone abandons these restrictions, he is taunted and cursed beyond bounds. His opponents resort to causing more trouble and verbal abuse than what unbelievers, innovators or evil-doers would cause. When the masses have brought the issue to this point, in belief and practice, such that they have elevated the rank [of these actions] beyond the rank of obligatory and compulsory acts, then, without a doubt, due to this persistence and necessitation, these actions become prohibited. This has been established by the first principle. Since these actions are prohibited, if they are found in a gathering then that gathering also becomes prohibited and unlawful. This has been explained in the second principle. This is despite the fact that there is a learned individual [in this gathering] who does not hold these corrupted beliefs and does not consider these actions emphatically necessary or the person who abandons them blameworthy. Although, in our times, such a quality is rarely found in people, if for instance such a person does attend, then he is saved from the sin of having corrupted his beliefs and practice. However, if his actions gave support to and strengthened the activities of corrupt-minded (in belief and practice) individuals, then, how can this person not be blamed for supporting and propagating their makruh act? This has been discussed in the third principle. To conclude, wherever the above-mentioned evil practices are not present, even though to expect this from the masses, given their condition, is an extremely remote possibility, but for instance if at any place or time this is the case, then permission will be given. At the same time, it will be necessary in this action to consider these restrictions unnecessary in practice just as they are understood to be unnecessary in belief by repeatedly making it apparent [in practice]. For instance, distributing sweets sometimes, secretly giving cash, produce, or clothes to the poor or sometimes, either due to lack of resources or to merely act upon the rukhsah given in the Shari’ah, nothing is given [to the attendees]. During the course of the lecture, when the blessed virtues and characteristics of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) are mentioned, if one is overcome with emotions and love [for the Prophet] then he could stand up. There is no reason to specify a particular moment for [doing] this. This would be done when one is in the state of being overcome [by emotions] whether this is at the beginning, middle, or end of the lecture and whether it is done once, twice, or four times during the lecture. When this feeling of being overcome [with emotions] is not present, one should remain sitting. And at times, even though this feeling is present, one could restrain himself to remain sitting. This (standing up) should not be stipulated only for this mawlid gathering and if one is overcome with [similar] emotions at other times after the mention of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), one could occasionally stand up. By analogy, if the rest of the mubah restrictions are similarly practiced, even though this type of gathering is not narrated from the pious predecessors (salaf), it would not be considered prohibited because it is not against the principles of the Shari’ah. This is the ruling for the third type of gathering with regards to the fatwa (legal verdict). However, in the best interest of keeping order in the religion, it is necessary to abstain in this regard. This is because this is not from the necessary elements of faith nor is any necessary aspect of the faith dependent upon it. This type of mubah gathering has, in the past, led to [the development of] corrupt traits similar to what can be seen [occurring nowadays] as ignorance is gaining prominence on a daily basis. This is why the dignity of taqwa (piety) is in abstaining. And Allah Most High knows best, His knowledge is Most Perfect and He is Most Wise. Islah al-Rusum, Section 3, Chapter 1, p. 107-118, Dar al-Isha’at, Karachi _____________________________ This section (First type) is the original (edited) translation by the respected Shaykh Dr. Hanif Kamal, a khalifah of Shaykh al-Islam Mufti Taqi Usmani, which was initially published on the now defunct Basair blog. [↩] The term makruh, throughout this article, is referring to makruh tahrimi (prohibitively disliked, highly reprehensible). In Hanafi fiqh, the ruling for makruh tahrimi and haram is the same, i.e., both are sinful. [↩] Sayyidatuna ‘A’isha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated: “I asked the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) whether the round wall (near Ka’ba) was part of the Ka’ba. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) replied in the affirmative. I further said, ‘What is wrong with them, why have they not included it in the building of the Ka’ba?’ He said, ‘Don’t you see that your people (Quraysh) ran short of money (so they could not include it inside the building of Ka’ba)?’ I asked, ‘What about its gate? Why is it so high?’ He replied, ‘Your people did this so as to admit into it whomever they liked and prevent whomever they liked. Were your people not close to the pre-lslamic period of ignorance (i.e. they have recently embraced Islam) and were I not afraid that they would dislike it, surely I would have included the (area of the) wall inside the building of the Ka’ba and I would have lowered its gate to the level of the ground.’” (Al-Bukhari) [↩] Imam Abu Yusuf (d.798 AH) and Imam Muhammad al-Shaybani (d.805 AH) [↩] Deoband.org