ummtaalib

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

Mujaddid Alf-e-Thani: True Sincerity (Ikhlaas) Only Attainable Through TasawwufThe level of Ikhlaas in deeds determines its acceptability and barakah (blessings). A great deed can become futile, and an insignificant deed can become a means of salvation, due to the level of ikhlaas in the heart. The Sahabahs (radhiyallahu anhum) attained a rank and a level of ikhlaas, which will remain unsurpassable, purely by virtue of spending a few moments in the Suhba (company) of the Best of Mankind (Allah bless him and grant him peace). This is why, according to the Hadith, the charity of a handful donated by a Sahabah, will always supersede the charity of a mountain’s worth of gold donated by anyone else. The fact that the deeds of the Sahabahs produced immeasurable barakah is undeniable when considering only the fact that an unlettered, inexperienced and ill-equipped desert tribe, triggered a tidal wave of Tawheed that engulfed half the known world, including the so-called ‘civilized’ superpowers of Rome and Persia, within thirty years – a feat unmatched in the recorded history of mankind. Shaykh Rashid Ahmad Gangohi states the reason for the superiority of the first few generations: “The spiritual strength of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was such that the most unruly disbeliever would reach the state of ihsan by just saying La Ilaha Illa Allah Muhammad Rasul Allah (There is no deity except Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah)…they were not in need of the different types of struggles (mujahadah) and spiritual exercises (riyadah). This strength existed in the Companions on account of the Prophet’s fayd (spiritual blessings), but this was less than what the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had. It was also in the Followers (Tabi’in), but this was less than what was in the Companions. It was also present in the Followers of the Followers (Atba’ al-Tabi’in) albeit it had become very weak.” The fact that the quantity of deeds performed by the Tabi’in and the Atba’ al-Tabi’in far exceeded that of the Sahabahs, compensated partially for the lack of Suhba of the Messenger . Anecdotes of the people of these generations praying continuously throughout every night and fasting every single day, for many decades, are not unusual. In a similar sense, the science of tasawwuf, and the exercises involved in it, compensate to a certain extent for the Suhba required for spiritual progress which only the early generations were blessed with, and enables one to attain a level of sincerity more acceptable to Allah. Mawlana Gangohi continues to state: “…To compensate for the shortcomings, the mashayikh developed forms of mujahadah and riyadah which remained for some time as a means (wasa’il) that were not the purpose themselves…” Just as the perfection of sciences such as Tajweed or Arabic grammar, is virtually unattainable nowadays without the exercises of Tajweed, Nahw or Sarf, supervised by a master, the perfection of sincerity (ikhlas) is virtually unattainable without pursuing the path of tasawwuf. The indispensability of tasawwuf is borne out by the fact that the vast majority of those who have brought about significant Tajdeed (revival) and preservation of the religion in whole regions, attained their perfections through this science. They include the likes of Abdul Qadir Jilani, Shihabuddin Suharwardi, Moinud Deen Chishti, Ali Muttaqi, Tahir al-Patni, Mujaddid Alf-e-Thani and Shah Waliullah. A recent example worth mentioning is the impact of the Deobandi Akabir on Islamic scholarship, in every field including Tafseer, Hadith, Fiqh, Tableegh, Jihad, and in the reformation and education of hundreds of millions of people throughout the world. Mujaddid Alf-e-Thani re-iterates in many of his letters, the fact that the Sufi path is taken only to enhance the quality of ikhlaas: “Tariqah and Haqiqah, qualities with which the Sufis are distinguished, are both the third part of Shari’ah, i.e. they serve to complete the quality of sincerity. Hence, the purpose of acquiring them both is perfecting Shari’ah, not something other than Shari’ah.” Just as the various sciences developed after the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) to aid in the preservation of the Deen, such as Ilmul Rijaal, Fiqh, Tajweed, Nahw and Sarf, are not bid’ah, the science of tasawwuf is not a bid’ah, and its true purpose and importance has been re-iterated throughout the ages by the Muhaqqiq Sufis, many of whom were Mujaddids whose signs were clearly evident in the barakah placed in their legacy by Allah. Shaykh Zakariyyah Khandhlawi states: “The writings of the Akabir are explicit that the original purpose [of Tasawwuf] is acquiring the state of ihsan, and that the struggles and spiritual exercises that have been prescribed by the Sufis have been devised for the ailments of the hearts in the same way doctors prescribe new types of medicine for new forms of physical illnesses. In the same way there is no doubt regarding physical medicines that they may be bid’ah, to consider spiritual medicines bid’ah is ignorance. They are not the original purpose. They are special methods of remedy for particular illnesses.” Difference in Levels of IkhlaasAs with the perfection of any other aspect of life, there will naturally exist a difference in the level of Ikhlaas possessed by the one who has perfected his heart through a rigorously developed system under the mentorship of a perfected master, and the one who attempts to perfect it by himself. This difference is explicated well here by Mujaddid Alf-e-Thani: Volume 1, Letter 59 “On the whole, beliefs and practices are known from the Shar’, and sincerity (ikhlaas) which is the essence of belief and practice, is to be attained only through the suluk of the Sufis. Unless you perform the meditation leading to Allah and enter into the meditation in Allah, you are away from the reality of sincerity and unaware of the excellences of the sincere. Certainly, an ordinary Muslim acquires by his effort and struggle a kind of sincerity in some actions. But the sincerity we are talking of is sincerity in everything you say or do, and in all your movements and rests, without making any effort and struggle. This sincerity depends upon the negation of all kinds of gods, within and without, and follows upon fana’ and baqa’. By this only you attain real Wilayat (sainthood). The sincerity which is the result of effort and struggle is not a permanent thing. In order to be permanent, it has to be spontaneous and effortless. This occurs at the stage of absolute certainty. Hence whatever the Auliyah (saints) do, they do for the sake of Allah, not for themselves, because their selves have been sacrificed to Allah. They do not have to purify their motives in order to attain that sincerity; their motives have already been purified through fana’ and baqa’ in Allah. He who is still in love with his self, does whatever he does for his own sake whether he is aware of it or not. But when the love for the self disappears and is replaced by the love of Allah, whatever he does, he does for the sake of Allah, whether he deliberately attends to his intention (niyyat) or not. You need to specify your intention when you have alternatives; but when you have no alternative you do not need to specify. “This is the favour with which Allah blesses whom He likes, and Allah is most gracious.” The man whose sincerity is permanent is the mukhlas (that is, the one who has been chosen by Allah and reserved for Himself), and the one whose sincerity is not permanent and who has to strive for it, he is mukhlis (that is, the sincere). What a difference between the two! The benefit you get in matters of belief and practice by following the Sufi tariqah is that you see in vision the same truths of theology which you know by arguments, you find that the performance of the duties of the Shari’ah is extremely easy, and you feel that the sloth which Satan causes in you has completely disappeared. This is a great thing. Let us see who attains it!” Source

Sign of a Religion’s Veracity The truth and spirituality of any religion is based on the devotion and sincerity of its founder as well as the correctness, truthfulness and sincerity of its principles. If the one presenting the religion is truthful and accepted as truthful, and possesses a sublime character that is unmatched the world over, and the principles of the religion are such that they are totally flawless in the eyes of every individual of sound intellect, then that religion is accepted and worthy of being adopted. If the founder of the religion is such as that of the Rafidis and the principles are those found in Shiaism, then they are not acceptable to anyone of sound temperament. Who is the founder of Shiaism and what are Shia principles? I hereby present a brief but useful and accepted outline of Shiaism supported by a number of references. Please read attentively. The Founder of Shiaism was a Jew His name was ‘Abdullah ibn Wahb ibn Saba;[1] Al-Miqrizi has mentioned this in [Mawaiz wa al-‘Itibar bi dhikr] al-Khitat wa al-Athar. It is also mentioned in the well-known Shia book Rijal al-Kashi (an authority in the classification of narrators): “Some people of knowledge have stated that ‘Abdullah ibn Saba was a Jew who embraced Islam and claimed love for ‘Ali (peace be upon him). While still a Jew he would exaggerate his opinion regarding Yusha‘ ibn Nun, the appointed successor of Musa. During his Islam after the demise of the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), he held the same opinion regarding ‘Ali (peace be upon him). He was the first to innovate the opinion of the imamah (infallible leadership) of ‘Ali, as well as severing all links with those who [in his opinion] opposed ‘Ali. He would expose the opponents of ‘Ali and call them unbelievers. Hence, it was due to this that the adversaries of Shias believe Shiaism to have stemmed from Jews.” [sic] Although the author of Rijal al-Kashi attributes the opinion that Shiaism stemmed from the Jews to his adversaries, the aforementioned passage accepts that [1] ‘Abdullah ibn Saba is the founder of Shiaism, [2] the imamah of Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is considered necessary, [3] the severing of all ties with adversaries and considering them unbelievers and apostates (which are core beliefs of Shiaism), [4] and the attribution of all of the above to ‘Abdullah ibn Saba. The author has been just to mention that ‘Abdullah ibn Saba is a fundamental pillar from the founders of Shiaism but has stumbled by attributing [the Jewish connection] to their adversaries. [The author then writes an Urdu poem, the meaning of which is as follows] The lover’s foot has become entangled in beloved’s long locks, Behold, the hunter has been caught in his own trap. The objective of this booklet is to prove that ‘Abdullah ibn Saba (a covert Jew) was among the founders of Shiaism who overtly embraced Islam and to some extent succeeded in his vow to destroy Islam. Based on Ibn Saba’s fundamental teachings, approximately 80 sects emerged in this single religion. Among these sects were the Ghulat, Kaysaniyyah, Zaydiyyah, Tafdiliyyah, Imamiyyah, Mu‘tazilah, Jahamiyyah and Karramiyyah etc., all of which were offshoots of this single religion. Enmity towards the Noble Companions We shall present a few preliminary words to simplify this issue. 1. When the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was migrating to al-a-Madinah al-Munawwarah, the Quraysh of Makkah announced a reward for a hundred camels for anyone who kills or captures the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). As a result, Sayyiduna Suraqah ibn Malik (d. 24 AH) (may Allah be pleased with him)—who had not yet embraced Islam—pursued these two esteemed personalities. On seeing them he was set on his evil intention and intended to kill them. His horse, however, sank into the ground numerous times and he was unsuccessful. This entire incident is mentioned in detail in Sahih al-Bukhari (vol. 1, pg. 554). Our purpose in mentioning this short historical piece—which the Hafiz of the Maghreb Yusuf ibn ‘Abdullah, commonly known as Ibn ‘Abdul Barr al-Maliki (d. 463 AH) has mentioned in Al-Istiy‘ab (Egyptian print, vol. 2, p. 581) and Hafiz ‘Izz al-Din ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Athir (d. 630 AH) in Usd al-Ghabah fi Ma‘rifah al-Sahabah (vol. 3, p. 69)—is that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to Suraqah ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): “What a blessed time it will be when you will be wearing Khosrau’s bracelets…” This was a prophecy of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) granting him permission—with the order of Allah—to wear gold bracelets. The Qur’an states: “He [the Prophet] does not speak out of his own desire. It is but revelation revealed (to him)” (Surah Najm: 3-4). Thus, there remains no opportunity for objection if the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) grants someone an exemption from a command of Allah, nor does this necessitate that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is endowed with total discretion (mukhtar al-kull). It is a strange sight that this very individual whose kinsmen compelled him to leave his cherished homeland without sufficient bread to eat to his fill—and forget having a mansion he did not even have comfortable dwellings let alone warm soft bedding—promises Suraqah ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) the bracelets of Khosrau with Allah’s permission. [The author then writes an Urdu poem, the meaning of which is as follows] A bed of earth and cap of rags, This is the crown of Khosrau and the throne of Sulayman. This prophecy was fulfilled in the golden caliphate of Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Suraqah ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) was adorned with Khosrau’s bracelets in the Prophet’s masjid. Those present witnessed the spectacle of the world’s volatility. “What a blessed time it will be when you will be wearing Khosrau’s bracelets!” The wisdom behind this that comes to mind is that the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) statement implied: O Suraqah. Today you desire to kill or capture the true Messenger of Allah for worldly gains, but what blessed a time it will be when you will be a Muslim and Allah and His Messenger’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) pleasure will be better for you than the world and all that it contains. You will wear the bracelets of Khosrau and this bounty will only be acquired through obedience to Allah and His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). You will acquire faith in its complete form without compromising the world. In this incident of migration, for Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to embark on a journey with the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him Peace) while endangering his own life was no ordinary task. Hence, exhibiting hostility towards such a saintly figure and refusing to accept his caliphate is synonymous with exhibiting enmity to Islam and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)—may Allah protect us. What sort of service to Islam is it to harbour hatred and enmity towards the esteemed personality of Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and refuse to acknowledge his rightful caliphate in which the Prophet’s prophecy manifested itself when Khosrau’s treasures reached the Prophet’s masjid? 2. Shias believe most of the Noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with him) to be unbelievers and apostates in that besides a selected three or four the rest left Islam, we seek refuge with Allah (see the Shia book: Ihtijaj by Tabarsi, p. 48). “None from the Ummah offered allegiance (bay‘ah) [to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)] save ‘Ali and our four [individuals].” Meaning, according to Shias everyone willingly pledged allegiance besides five personalities. It is mentioned in [the Shia book] Hayat al-Qulub (vol. 2, p. 643): “It is narrated from Imam Baqir with a sound chain of narration that all the Companions had become apostates after the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) passed away, besides three: Salman, Abu Dharr and Miqdad.” It is also mentioned in the Shia books: Kitab al-Ikhtisas, Rawdah al-Kafi (p. 115), Rijal al-Kashi (p. 8) and Ihtijaj Tabarsi (Iranian print, p. 48): “It is narrated from Abu Ja‘far who said that all of the people (meaning the Companions) became apostates after the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) besides three: Miqdad, Abu Dharr and Salman.” It is stated in [the Shia book] Kitab al-Ikhtisas: “I heard Abu ‘Abdullah (peace be upon him) say that when the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) passed away all of his Companions became apostates except three: Salman, Abu Dharr and ‘Ammar.” Ponder over how there were one hundred and twenty four thousand Companions after the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)—as mentioned in the Shia book Majma‘ Bihar al-Anwar (p. 564)—and despite the twenty three years of the Prophet’s teachings, the outcome of the best of Ummahs was that they all became apostates after the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Even the Companions of Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him)—who were sorcerers and then embraced Islam—responded to Pharaoh’s threats of severe punishment of execution and the like by saying: “So decide whatever you have to decide (we will not forsake the truth)” (Surah Taha: 72). This even though they had only been blessed with a very short time in the company of Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him). In light of Shari‘ah principles, it is an accepted fact that the Ummah of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the best of Ummahs. [is it the case that] the Ummah of Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him), which is lower in rank than the Ummah of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), never became apostates after facing and hearing of trials and tribulations, while the best Ummah became apostates in spite of spending twenty three years in the company of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and even though they were not faced with any difficulty? Is this not a direct attack on the lofty status of Prophethood? The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) taught them for so long—day and night, during expeditions and at home, in the masjid and on the battlefield. However, [is it so that] when he left the world they all became apostates? It is on account of this that the Christian historian Godfrey Higgins wrote the truth regarding the Companions in his book An Apology for the Life and Character of the Celebrated Prophet of Arabia, called Mohamed, or the Illustrious: “The Christians would do well to recollect, that the doctrines of Mohamed created a degree of enthusiasm in his followers which is to be sought in vain in the immediate followers of Jesus, and that his religion spread with rapidity unexampled in that of the Christians. In less than half a century it became triumphant in many great and flourishing empires. When Jesus was led to the cross, his followers fled, their enthusiasm forsook them, and they left him to perish and if they were forbidden to defend him, they might have remained to comfort him, patiently setting at defiance his and their persecutors. The followers of Mohamed, on the contrary, rallied round their persecuted prophet, and, risking their lives in his defence, made him triumph over all his enemies.”[2] 3. Shias slander the Companions as a whole and Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) in particular. Notice that in their gatherings they criticise Sayyiduna ‘Umar the most in comparison to other Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). Rather they fabricate many unbefitting incidents that they then attribute to him. Some are reproduced below: Sayyiduna ‘Umar kicked Sayyida Fatima causing her to miscarry and he tied a rope around the neck of Sayyiduna ‘Ali, dragging him away by force to pledge allegiance to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them). This is mentioned in a famous book of the Shias called Jala al-‘Uyun (vol. 1, p. 152). How regretful is this? What happened to the bravery of Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) on account of which he ripped off the door of the fort of Khaybar? Where was the one who they remember with the words mushkil kusha (remover of all difficulties)? Try to correlate this fictional tale with the bravery of Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). It should also be noted that the narration that mentions that Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) ripped off the door of Khaybar that seventy men failed to do so is fabricated. See Mizan al-I‘tidal (vol. 1, p. 142 and vol. 2, p. 218) and Al-Taqrib (p. 49). Sayyiduna ‘ Umar burnt the house of Sayyida Fatima (may Allah be pleased with them). See Kitab al-Murtada (p. 45), Hadd al-Tahqiq (p. 332) and Al-Milal wa al-Nihal (vol. 1, p. 25) etc. One narration [of the Shias] mentions that Sayyiduna ‘Umar whipped Sayyida Fatima (may Allah be pleased with them) which caused her immense distress. Among other false incidents and baseless stories, the Shias believe that Sayyiduna ‘Umar was the one who instigated the issue of Fadak and the caliphate of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them). It is on account of this that some extreme individuals create effigies of Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) from flour which they then fill with honey and then strike with their swords while saying they have killed Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). They then drink the honey and say we have drank his blood. This I have heard from some well-read scholars. Shias express the harshest hatred for Sayyiduna ‘Umar, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna ‘Uthman and the Chaste Wives of the Prophet (may Allah bless them). It is stated in their renowned book Tuhfah al-‘Ulum (vol. 1, p. 20) that one should not get up off the prayer mat without cursing and expressing hatred for three of the Prophet’s companions (Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna ‘Umar and Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them)) and two wives. The two chaste wives are Sayyida ‘Ayshah and Sayyida Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with them). We should here contemplate why they have enmity for the Companions in general and Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) in particular. What is the cause, reason and basis of this hatred? By the end of Sayyiduna ‘Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with him) caliphate in 23 AH, Muslims had conquered thirty six thousand cities and forts, averaging nine cities or forts a day. Four thousand temples of idol worship were converted into masjids. The total area of land conquered by Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was 2.2 million square miles (see the footnotes of Tadhkirah al-‘Allamah al-Mashriqi, vol. 1, p. 69).[3] Among these conquered lands, Iraq and Iran are worthy of mention—the Levant (al-Sham) and Egypt etc. were also among the conquered lands. Iran, which belonged to the Zoroastrians, was conquered during the caliphate Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and Khosrau’s treasures were distributed in the Prophet’s masjid. Sayyiduna Suraqah ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) was made to wear the bracelets of Khosrau and thus the prophecy of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was realised. When these people, the Persian Zoroastrians, were captured by the Muslims and saw their kingdom fall to bits then that same fire that they worshipped exploded in their hearts. Some of the cunning ones among them hypocritically embraced Islam and expressed love for the Ahl al-Bayt (family members of the Prophet). It was under this disguise that they kept the Zoroastrian spirit alive. It is on account of this that they hold profound enmity for Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) and it is also on account of this that the majority of Shias today are found in Iraq and Iran. This is because Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) made their Iran into an Islamic state and took them as captives. Their empire, which had been established for centuries, was conquered in a flash, transforming their honour into humiliation. Shehar Bano, Khosrau’s daughter, was brought as a captive and their treasures, throne and crown, was distributed among the Companions (may Allah be pleased with him) in front of them. They witnessed all of this and sought to take revenge in the form of sweet poison by deceitfully expressing love for the Ahl al-Bayt while persistently striking Islam with damaging blows. Neither did they love Islam or Ahl al-Bayt. Their love was reserved solely for disbelief, Zoroastrianism and eliminating Islam. Love for Ahl al-Bayt was nothing but a show. It is mentioned in [the Shia book] Ihtijaj Tabrisi (p. 59) that Sayyida Fatima addressed Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with them) with the following words: “O son of Abu Talib! You have sat in hiding like a foetus (in the womb of its mother) and you have sat at home like one who has been slandered.” Is it the case—we seek refuge with Allah Most High—that Sayyiduna Fatima received guidance from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that speaking in such a tone with her husband, the rightful imam,[4] is permissible? If this is love for Ahl al-Bayt then we are certainly free from it. [The author then writes a Farsi poem, the meaning of which is as follows] “If this is [what you call a wali], then curse upon [such a wali].” If a house is of weak foundation, then the building can never be strong. The religious rulings, creed, Qur’an and hadiths that have reached the Ummah have only come by way of the Prophet’s Companions and Chaste Wives (may Allah be pleased with them). If the ones who compiled the Qur’an and transmitted the hadiths are considered disbelievers and apostates, then such a religion—with its corrupt foundation—is not a religion but a child’s play. The religion whose founders include ‘Abdullah ibn Saba and Iranian Zoroastrians, and whose beliefs include mut‘ah (temporary marriage), the concept of bada[5] and the takfir of the Companions, is akin to what is mentioned in this [Perisan] poem: If they appoint the cat as sultan, the dog as vizier, and the mouse as treasurer, Then this system of governing will run nations into ruin. These people are the founders of all the wrongs which developed in religion. We present a few passages of history to corroborate this. “Innovations (bid‘ah) and deviances in the religion were only spread by the children of captives (i.e. Persian captives etc.) as has been narrated in hadith.” (Al-Farq fi al-Firaq by Imam ‘Abdul Qahir al-Baghdadi al-Shafi‘i, p. 101). “When Shakir, the head of the heretics, was brought before Caliph Rashid to have his head severed, Rashid asked why is it that the first things you teach your people are Shia beliefs and disbelief in pre-destiny (qadr)? He replied: As to our teaching Shiaism, we intend to slander the narrators (meaning the Companions) by way of this. So when the [authority of the] narrators has been rendered null then that which they transmit (i.e. the religion of Islam) will be nullified…” (Tarikh al-Khatib, vol. 4, p. 308). Notice the clarity by which Shakir the heretic admits that they intend to destroy Islam by accusing the Companions of disbelief and apostasy. This same point can be corroborated through the following references: Al-Isabah fi Tadhkirah al-Sahabah by Hafidh ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, p. 10. Al-Yawaqit wa al-Jawahir by ‘Abdul Wahhab Al-Sha‘rani (d. 973 AH), p. 226. Kitab Al-Mu‘tamad by Fadlullah Turpushti who was a contemporary of Shaykh Sa‘di (d. 690 AH), section 3, chapter 4. Note: The aforementioned point is the actual reason why the Shias slander the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). Nevertheless, some uneducated people of the latter times began seeing Shias as sincere lovers of Ahl al-Bayt and genuinely considered Shiaism a part of Islam. They [islam and Shiaism] are totally separate, take note. Another obvious proof that the fitnah of enmity towards the Companions (may Allah be pleased with him) was harboured by non-Arab Persians is that the man who killed Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was a Zoroastrian slave of Sayyiduna Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah (may Allah be pleased with him) called Fayruz, whose teknonym (kunyah) was Abu Lu’Lu’ (this is mentioned in books of history and in Al-Ikmal fi Asma al-Rijal, p. 602). The martyrdom of Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was a result of the plot of Hurmuzan, the king of Tustur who was taken captive to the holy city of Madinah. He hypocritically proclaimed faith but harboured disbelief in his heart (see Fayd al-Bari, vol. 3, p. 473). The one who martyred Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was an Egyptian by the name of Aswad al-Tajibi (this is more correct as mentioned in Al-Ikmal fi Asma al-Rijal, p. 602). One of the reasons they hate Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is that he appointed Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) as Caliph after him, on account of whom Islam spread widely and greatly prospered. A Question for the Shias Shehar Bano, the daughter of Khosrau, was brought to Madinah in captivity as a slave-girl during the caliphate of Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). She was married to Sayyiduna Husayn ibn ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and bore great Imams, in particular Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin. It is mentioned in [the Shia book] Usul al-Kafi (Kitab al-Hujjah, p. 296, in the section regarding the birth of ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn):[6] “It is narrated from Abu Ja‘far (peace be upon him) who said: ‘When the daughter of Yazdegerd appeared before ‘Umar … the Commander of the Faithful[7] (peace be upon him) suggested: ‘You need not issue a ruling. Instead, just allow her to choose a Muslim man of her choice and consider her his share of booty.’ Hence, she was given a choice so she went and placed her hand on the head of Husayn (peace be upon him). The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) asked her: ‘What is your name?’ She replied: ‘Jahan Shah.’ The Commander of the Faithful then said: ‘But your name is Shehar Bano.’ He then addressed Husayn: ‘Oh Abu ‘Abdullah. This woman will give birth for you the best person on earth.’ She later gave birth to ‘Ali ibn Husayn…”[8] Had the caliphate of Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) been a result of usurpation and if he were an apostate then this would necessitate the booty he distributed as being unlawful and Shehar Bano would have also been unlawful. Hence, how could the imam born from this haram woman be an [infallible] imam? Is this love for Ahl al-Bayt? Please clarify, may you be rewarded. The Testimony of a Non-Muslim At this point I would like to present a quote from Mohandas Gandhi (b. 1869 CE). Please read carefully. When the Indian National Congress emerged as a power in eight provinces in 1937 CE, Gandhi needed to present his ministers with the best role model of government and for this he cited the example of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna ‘Umar al-Faruq (may Allah be pleased with them). He writes: “History tells us of Pratap and Shivaji living in the utmost simplicity. But opinions may be divided as to what they did when they had power. There is no division of opinion about the prophet, Abu Bakr and Omar. They had the riches of the world at their feet. It will be difficult to find a historical parallel to match their rigorous life. Omar would not brook the idea of his lieutenants living in distant provinces and using anything but coarse cloth and coarse flour.” (July 17, 1937 in Harijan newspaper) This testimony is not insignificant because, according to Muslims, only six or seven thousand years have passed of the world. However, according to the Hindu faith four epochs are common belief (Tarikh-i-Farishta, vol. 1, p. 3): 1. Satya Yuga – This epoch is 1,728,000 years. The average age in this epoch is 100,000 years. 2. Treta Yuga – This epoch is 1,296,000 years. The average in this epoch is 10,000 years. 3. Dwapar Yuga– This epoch is 864,000 years. The average age in this epoch is 1000 years. Hindus believe Sayyiduna Nuh (peace be upon him) lived in this epoch. 4. Kali Yuga – This epoch is 432,000 years. The average age in this epoch is 100 years. The first three epochs have certainly passed. They total 3,888,000 years. Some of the fourth epoch has also passed but we will take only the first three. Within this 3,888,000 years, Gandhi knew of the history of the Romans, the Amalekites, the Greeks, the Japanese, the Chinese, the British and his own Hindu history. Neither was he impressed by Ramchander Ji, Krishan Ji, Biyas Ji, or any of the other Rajas and Maharajas. Instead, he claims that the rule of the likes of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) cannot be found in the pages of history. Beautiful is that woman, who is declared such by her [rival] co-wife, True virtue is that which the enemy testifies to. (Arabic sayings.) Martyrdom of Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) We shall mention his death briefly as mentioned by al-Mubarrad (d. 285 AH) in his book Al-Kamil (Egyptian print, vol. 3, p. 113) and by Shaykh Muhammad al-Hadari (d. 1255 AH) in Al-Muhadarat (vol. 2, p. 122 and also on p. 193) that the Kharijites ‘Abdur Rahman ibn Muljim, Hajjaj ibn ‘Abdullah al-Suraymi and Zadawaih, the freed slave (mawla) of the Banu ‘Amr ibn Tamim, decided in a meeting that each one of them would assassinate one of three esteemed personalities. ‘Abdur Rahman ibn Muljim would assassinate Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) who was in Kufa, Hajjaj ibn ‘Abdullah for Sayyiduna Mu‘awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) who was in Damascus, and Zadawaih would kill Sayyiduna ‘Amr ibn Al-‘As (may Allah be pleased with him) who was in Egypt. They fixed a specific night for these assassinations. Hajjaj ibn ‘Abdullah was unsuccessful in his attempt to assassinate Sayyiduna Mu‘awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Zadawaih attacked a man called Kharijah thinking he was Sayyiduna ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him). On learning who he had killed he said: “I intended to kill ‘Amr but Allah intended for Kharijah.” This statement later developed into a proverb. When someone sets out for something and it turns out different to what was intended they say this (see Tarikh Ibn Khallikan by Qadi Shams al-Din Ahmad ibn Khallikan d. 681 AH). ‘Abdur Rahman ibn Muljim wounded Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) after dawn on Friday 18th Ramadhan, 40 AH. He passed away on Sunday 21st Ramadhan. We are for Allah and unto Him do we return. Shaykh al-Hadari mentions: “He was buried in Kufa which was the capital of his caliphate.” His caliphate lasted four years and a few days short of nine months. His total age was 63 or 65 or 70 or 75 (see Al-Ikmal, p. 603). The first is the most correct. Martyrdom of Sayyiduna Husayn ibn ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred on 10th Muharram, 61 AH. He had a mere eighty companions with him at the time—seventy two of whom were martyred with him. Eighty eight men of the opposition were killed in Ibn Sa‘d’s army. As to who killed Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) is not part of the subject matter here. My heart tells me to continue writing because of this [Persian] poem: The (true) wayfarers never become weary on the path, (because) Love is their path and it is also their destination. However, I shall suffice on a few points. It is as the [urdu] poet says: Bring the register of deaths so that I may also see, Whose seal it is at the top. Who killed Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him)? Was it Sayyiduna Mu‘awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him)? Certainly not! It is mentioned in the [shia book] Jala al-‘Uyun (p. 422) that Sayyiduna Mu‘awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) specially advised Yazid regarding Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) that he is certain that the people of Iraq (Kufa) will invite Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) and subsequently betray and abandon him. [He said]: O Yazid, if you defeat them then take their sacred status and relation to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) into consideration. Do not punish them. Do not sever the connections I built with them in my time and let them not suffer. It is stated in the Shia book Nasikh al-Tawarikh (vol. 6, p. 111) that Sayyiduna Mu‘awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “My son, beware! Let it not be the case that when you are presented to Allah on the Day of Judgement you are taken to account for the blood of Husayn ibn ‘Ali…” It is stated in the same book (vol. 2, p. 780) that Sayyiduna Mu‘awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “How can I stigmatise Husayn when I find no fault in him…” All three references are from prominent Shia books which prove Sayyiduna Mu‘awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) was neither the killer nor did he consent to the killing and that he was not present to witness the martyrdom. Was Yazid behind the martyrdom of Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), or did he instigate it? Take into account the following references [from Shia works]: It is mentioned in Nasikh al-Tawarikh (p. 269) that when Zuhayr ibn Qays informed Yazid of Sayyiduna Husayn’s (may Allah be pleased with him) martyrdom “Yazid instantaneously lowered his head. The shock silenced him. Thereafter, he raised his head and remarked: ‘I would have been pleased with your obedience to me without the killing of Husayn. I would certainly have pardoned him had I been with you and I would never have let him be killed.’” When Shimr Dhi al-Jushan brought the blessed head of Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yazid and said fill my baggage with gold and silver, for I have killed the best of mankind, then it is mentioned in [the Shia book] Khulasah al-Masa’ib (p. 304) that “Yazid became enraged and looked at Shimr with rage and said, ‘May Allah fill your baggage with fire. Woe unto you, why did you kill him after knowing he is the best of mankind? Get out! I have no reward for you.’” It is mentioned in Jala al-‘Uyun (p. 527) that Yazid said: “Ibn Ziyad the accursed acted with haste in killing Husayn. I was never happy for his killing.” It is mentioned in Taraz Madhhab Muzaffari (p. 456) that Yazid said: “May Allah destroy Ibn Ziyad, for he killed Husayn and disgraced me in both worlds.” It is mentioned in Jala al-‘Uyun (p. 527) that Yazid said to his wife Hindah: “O Hindah, lament over the grandson of the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the leader of the Quraysh.” According to Khulasah al-Masa’ib (p. 353), Yazid would become restless in public as well as in private and would weep over Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him).Note: Lamenting over Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) is the practice of Yazid. Shias have adopted this practice of Yazid. According to the above [shia] book (p. 392), Yazid courteously loaded the rides of the Ahl al-Bayt and bid them farewell with respect. So Who Betrayed and killed Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him)? In Rabi al-Awwal 41 AH, Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) concluded a treaty with Sayyiduna Mu‘awiyah (may Allah be pleased with them) as had been prophesised by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). There is a narration in Sahih al-Bukhari (vol. 1, p. 373) that the Prophet gestured towards Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: “This son of mine will be a leader and perhaps Allah will make peace between two great parties of the Muslims through him.” At this point, the Shias responded to the treaty—as mentioned in [the Shia book] Jala al-‘Uyun (p. 336)—by claiming Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) had humiliated them by making them slaves of the Banu Umayyah [family of Sayyiduna Mu’awiyah, may Allah be pleased with him]. The Shias would disrespectfully address Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) by calling him mudhil al-mu’minin (the humiliator of the believers) and ‘ar al-mu’minin (disgrace of the believers). A Shia by the name of Sufyan ibn Abu Layla would offer salam to Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: “Peace be upon you O disgrace of the believers, peace be upon you O humiliator of the believers.” The Shias of Kufa wrote to Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) asking him to certainly visit Kufa and enlighten it. They assured him they would pledge allegiance to him. Those who wrote to him were Shias by the names of Sulayman ibn Sard, Musayyib ibn Nakhbah, Rifa’ah ibn Shaddad and Habib ibn Mudhahir (see the Shia books Jala al-‘Uyun, p. 43; Nasikh al-Tawarikh, vol. 6, p. 131; and Mahij al-Ahzan, p. 47-48). After the Shias wrote 12,000 letters, Sayyiduna Husayn sent his cousin Sayyiduna Muslim ibn ‘Aqil (may Allah be pleased with them) to assess the situation for him (see Jala al-‘Uyun, p. 432). On reaching Kufa, eighty thousands residents of Kufa pledged their allegiance to Sayyiduna Muslim ibn ‘Aqil (may Allah be pleased with him) (see Nasikh al-Tawarikh, p. 133). The Shias wrote to Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) stating one thousand swords are prepared to assist him (Mahij al-Ahzan, p. 55). Deceived by their approach, Sayyiduna Muslim ibn ‘Aqil (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote to Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) twenty seven days prior to being martyred inviting him to Kufa, claiming that the people there seemed ever so sympathetic. In brief, they were the ones who martyred Sayyiduna Muslim ibn ‘Aqil (may Allah be pleased with him) (Nasikh al-Tawarikh). Now the question remains as to who were the Kufan residents who wrote the letters. Were they Sunni or Shia? The Shia writer Qadi Nurullah Shostari writes in Majalis al-Mu’minin (p. 25) that no evidence is required to prove the people of Kufa were Shias. Rather, evidence is required to prove they were Sunnis. He also writes that although Imam Abu Hanifah was a Sunni, but an insignificant minority is considered virtually non-existent. When the first plan to invite Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) was hatched at the house of Sulayman ibn Sard, he said: “You people are a part of his Shi‘ah [Shi’ah meaning group] and his father’s Shi‘ah (see Nasikh al-Tawarikh and Jala al-‘Uyun). When Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) reached his army camp he remarked: “What loyalty did you display to my father for me to expect loyalty from you now.” When he got to his camp none of them were by him (see Shia book: Jala al-‘Uyun, p. 312). Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) repeatedly said: “The Shias have betrayed us” (see Shia book: Khulasah al-Masa’ib, p. 49 and also Nasikh al-Tawarikh, p. 163, and Jala al-‘Uyun). Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) addressed them saying: “Woe to you O people of Kufa. Have you forgotten your letters and your pledges? It is [you] the people of Kufa who called me and these are your letters, but now you are the same people who are anxious to kill me” (see Shia books: Dhabh-i-‘Azim, p. 335; Nasikh al-Tawarikh, p. 159; and Khulasah al-Masa’ib, p. 115). Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin (may Allah be pleased with him) states: “When these people are the only ones who lament over us, who else [besides them] could have oppressed and killed our seniors?” (Nasikh al-Tawarikh, vol. 6, p. 243) Sayyida Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “O people of Kufa. O traitors. You are the ones who killed us and you are the ones who lament over us too” (Jala al-‘Uyun). ‘Allamah Khalil al-Qazwini writes in Safi which is the commentary of Kafi that “after the imam was martyred the ones who wrote the letters [to him] confessed to having committed a heinous crime and admitted that they ought to repent (Majalis al-Mu’minin). However, what good is there in repenting after killing and instigating murder? The letters Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) received would state: “From so and so, son of so and so and all the Shias…” (see the Shia book: Nasikh al-Tawarikh etc.) He repented from oppressing after murdering me, What good is such intense remorse? (Urdu couplet.) It is mentioned in Khulasah al-Masa’ib (p. 201), Nasikh al-Tawarikh (vol. 6, p. 174) and Talkhis Murqqa‘ Karbala (p. 10) that “there was not a single Syrian or Hijazi among them [killers]; rather they were all residents of Kufa.” Till the present day, after murdering and instigating the murder of Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), they have kept secret the identities of the killers and remain in mourning. Can unlawful blood ever be hidden by concealing it? Why are they sat around my corpse trying to hide the blood. [urdu couplet] Supplicate to Allah Most High that He grants us the ability to understand the truth and remain firm on it. All praise is for Allah, at the beginning and at the end, and exoterically and esoterically. May Allah Most High send peace and blessings on the Prophet, his family, companions and wives. The lowly servant of Allah, [shaykh] Muhammad Sarfaraz Khan Safdar [may Allah have mercy upon him]. _____________________________ According to the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia ‘Abdullah ibn Saba was “a Jew of Yemen, Arabia, of the seventh century, who settled in Medina and embraced Islam. Having adversely criticized Calif Othman’s administration, he was banished from the town. Thence he went to Egypt, where he founded an antiothmanian sect, to promote the interests of Ali. On account of his learning he obtained great influence there, and formulated the doctrine that, just as every prophet had an assistant who afterward succeeded him, Mohammed’s vizier was Ali, who had therefore been kept out of the califate by deceit. Othman had no legal claim whatever to the califate; and the general dissatisfaction with his government greatly contributed to the spread of Abdallah’s teachings. Tradition relates that when Ali had assumed power, Abdallah ascribed divine honors to him by addressing him with the words, ‘Thou art Thou!’ Thereupon Ali banished him to Madain. After Ali’s assassination Abdallah is said to have taught that Ali was not dead but alive, and had never been killed; that a part of the Deity was hidden in him; and that after a certain time he would return to fill the earth with justice. Till then the divine character of Ali was to remain hidden in the imams, who temporarily filled his place. It is easy to see that the whole idea rests on that of the Messiah in combination with the legend of Elijah the prophet. The attribution of divine honors to Ali was probably but a later development, and was fostered by the circumstance that in the Koran Allah is often styled ‘Al-Ali’ (The Most High)” [sic] [translator]. [↩] HIGGINS, G., 1829. An Apology for the Life and Character of the Celebrated Prophet of Arabia, called Mohamed, or the Illustrious. 1st ed. London: Rowland Hunter. [↩] ‘Allamah Shibli Nu’mani writes: “The total area of the countries conquered by the Great Caliph was 2,251,030 square miles, extending from Makkah 1,036 miles to the north, 1,087 miles to the east and 483 miles to the south. In the west the country extended only up to Jeddah and may, therefore, be ignored. These vast territories comprised the countries of Syria, Egypt, Khozistan, both the Iraqs (Arab and Persian), Armenia, Adharbaijan, Fars, Kiram, Khurasan and Makran including parts of Baluchistan as well. Asia Minor, called Rum by the Arabs, was invaded in 20 A.H., but it cannot be reckoned as a conquest. All of these conquests were made in the reign of Omar in a little over ten years.” NU’MANI, S., 1992. Al-Farooq Omar the Great. (Z. A. Khan, Trans.). New Delhi: International Islamic Publishers. (Original translated work published in 1900). [↩] This is sarcasm being employed here by the author. [translator]. [↩] Shia dogma requires belief in a strange concept known as bada. Shias believe that at times Allah performs an action due to ignorance and then regrets this. This is what is meant by bada. An entire chapter is devoted to this belief in the widely accepted Shia book Usul al-Kafi [translator]. [↩] This is according to Shia sources and all of the references are Shia. The same story is also mentioned in the commentary of Al-Usul, entitled Al-Safi, in the chapter entitled Kitab al-Hujjah (vol. 3, part 2, p. 204-205) [translator]. [↩] The reference here is to Sayyidina ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) [translator]. [↩] He was known as Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin and the Shias believe him to be the fourth of their twelve infallible imams. It should also be noted that Usul al-Kafi is for the Shias equivalent to the Sahih al-Bukhari of the Muslims [translator]. [↩] deoband.org

"Then when there came the first of the two promises (of Divine Punishment), We sent against you servants unto Us who were most powerful in warfare. Then they penetrated the homes. Indeed it was a decree executed." (Surah Bani Israaeel, aayat 5) "When the final promise(of Divine Punishment) came, (it came) so that they could (the kuffaar) disfigure your faces and enter the Musjid (i.e.Musjidul Aqsa)as they had entered the first time, and so that they could utterly destroy whatever they overran."(Surah Bani Israaeel, aayat 8) In these Qur'aanic verses, Allah Ta'ala refers to His punishment which He had inflicted o­n the Muslims of former times. The specific community referred to in these verses is Bani Israaeel. Two occasions of punishment are mentioned here. o­n both occasions Allah Ta'ala used the kuffaar to overwhelm, punish and humiliate the Muslims. The punishments had taken the form of kuffaar atrocities-pillage, plunder, killing and humiliating the Muslims, as well as the desecration of Musjidul Aqsa The aayat specifically mentions the destruction which the kuffaar wrought to Musjidul Aqsa. Allah Ta'ala allowed the kuffaar to invade Musjiful Aqsa —to defile and violate its sanctity. The then Muslims were just as helpless as present-day Muslims. They had to suffer the punishment and humiliation without being able to offer any response and unable to defend either themselves or their holy places. ALLAH'S SERVANTS It is significant that in the aayat, the Qur'aan refers to the kuffaar who had defiled and destroyed Musjidul Aqsa and who had ravaged the Muslims of the time, as `servants unto Us'. This style of expression conveys that the kuffaar were appointed by Allah Ta'ala to inflict the punishment, atrocities and humiliation o­n o­n the Muslims who are supposed to be the true and obedient slaves and servants of Allah Ta'ala. This style of expression implies that the domination of the kuffaar over Muslims is in actual fact a manifestation of Allah's punishment. Throughout the history of the world, this has always been the case. When the Muslim Ummah had transgressed all bounds of disobedience and had firmly resolved to adopt transgression, sin and kuffaar life style as their way of life, then Allah Ta'ala unleashed His punishment which sometimes came in the form of natural disasters and sometimes in the form of kuffaar brutality and domination. THE CAUSE In this age too, Muslims have degenerated to the lowest level of fisq and fujoor (transgression and immorality). The Sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) has been jettisoned right out of our lives and the life style and concepts of the kuffaar have become the complete culture and code of life of Muslims. It is for this reason that Allah Ta'ala has manifested His punishment o­n us in the form of kuffaar atrocities and domination over the Ummah. He has made us the slaves of the very kuffaar whom we have appointed as our intelectual masters whose lifestyle Muslims are emulating in entirety. Therefore He has o­nce again sent His kuffaar `ibaad' (servants) to punish and disgrace us as he had done with Bani Israaeel when they had reached the point of no return in their transgression. Thus, the cause of our degradation, humiliation and of the calamities which are befalling the Ummah, is not America or the shaitaan. Rather, these events via the agency of the kuffaar are Allah's punishment. It is He Who has chosen America to punish and humiliate the Muslims. It is He Who has chosen the Yahood to inflict such terrible acts of brutality o­n Muslims. TRUTH Muslims have failed to understand this Qur'aanic truth. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) has informed the Ummah in no mistaken terms that when Muslims abandon the Deen, they will be overwhelmed by the kuffaar. Hence, he o­nce told the Sahaabah that the Ummah will be at its weakest when Muslims are as numerous as the bubbles o­n the ocean. Numerically Muslims will be in a strong position, but they will be bereft of spiritual fibre and mettle. When the Sahaabah asked whether the Qur'aan will not be with the Muslims to guide them. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) replied in the affirmative and commented that they would be reciting the Qur'aan in the same way as the Yahood and Nasaara recite their scriptures. That is, recite without giving practical expression to the teachings of the Qur'aan. LOVE OF THE WORLD On another occasion Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said that a time will dawn when Muslims will be like the muck brought down by floodwaters. They will be buffetted and humiliated by the kuffaar who will devour them just as people sitting around a table consume food. Nabi-e-Kareem (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) attributed this state of degradation of the Muslims to two spiritual maladies: (1) Love for the world and (2) Fear for Maut. Fear for death is the consequence of worldly love which leads to the abandonment of Allah's Deen and to the adoption of the lifestyle, concepts and cultures of the kuffaar. In its wake comes the Divine Punishment in the form of kuffaar persecution, atrocity and domination. THE PUNISHMENT What has happened in Afghanistan and what is happening in Palestine, India and elsewhere in the world to Muslims, is Allah's punishment. It is, therefore, unintelligent as well as diversionary to make America or the shaitaan or any other kaafir force the scapegoat for our humiliation and defeat. Shaitaan has succeeded in his plot to deceive Muslims and to divert their minds from the actual cause of the Ummah's fall and disgrace. The satanic plot is to keep Muslims in their state of degeneration so that they perpetually remain the slaves of the kuffaar and follow the evil ways of kufr of the kuffaar masters. Muslims therefore look at mirages and imagine a variety of causes for their humiliation. But they remain blind to the clear cause mentioned in the Qur'aan and Ahadith. The cause is nothing but abandonment of Allah's Shariah.CRITICISMRegardless of the amount of criticism Muslims heap o­n America; regardless of the thousands of pages which are written o­n the international conspiracies of the U.S.A. and Zionism—nothing will solve the problems of the Ummah besides obedience to Allah Ta'ala and adoption of the Sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). THE SAME ALLAH The very same Allah -Azza Wa Jal - Who had aided the Sahaabah in all their battles against the kuffaar, exists today. The very same Allah Ta'ala Who had bestowed resounding victory and success to the Sahaabah, making them the rulers and the masters of the world, exists today. But He withheld His aid from the Muslims of Afghanistan. He is withholding His aid from Muslims in the various arenas of the world. The stark ignorance of so-called Muslim leaders and learned men who are totally blind to the reality of our situation and condition, and who miserably fail to detect the causes of our disgrace, is indeed shocking and lamentable. They have all united in a chorus of meaningless condemnation of shaitaan as if shaitaan is to be blamed for our woes and misery. They all blame America and shaitaan, but fail to see that we ourselves are to be blamed. The cause of our degenerate condition is our own corruption which has led to the domination of the kuffaar over us. DEFEAT To attribute the defeat in Afghanistan to America's airforce and superior military potency is to imply that Allah Ta'ala Who had aided the Sahaabah in all their battles, lacks the power to do the same for Muslims in this age— Nauthubillaah! This implication of kufr is tantamount to saying that Allah Ta'ala could aid o­nly in wars waged in primitive ways, not in modern and nucleur wars. People of Imaan cannot think along such lines of kufr. Where there is Allah's aid,the sophisticated military equipment and technology of the kuffaar will become ineffective. The o­nly reason for the kuffaar to be able to display military prowess is the Decree of Allah Ta'ala. The o­nly way to gain Allah's aid is to heed what the Qur'aan says: "If you aid (the Deen of) Allah, He will aid you and He will plant your feet firmly (against your enemies)." "The Majlis" Vol.15 No.1

wa'alaykumus salaam from the story you've related, yes that can happen. May Allah ta'ala protect us from every form of shirk. The purpose of these stories being related is to create a yearning to reach high stages of closeness to Allah subhaanahu wata'ala....every time I read Madinatul Awliya it makes me sigh with wonder at the the woman who desires nothing of that city which people like us would be enthralled with. Even her own brother did not realise her high status

Translated by Zameelur Rahman A Question on Seeking Help from other than Allah It is understood from this verse[1] that no one besides Allah may be asked for help, although it is mentioned in various places of the Qur’an and hadith that one should assist another, and if one is ill he should seek treatment. If this is not ultimately seeking help and seeking aid from the doctor and the medicine, then what is it? Thus, can it be explained what kind of seeking help is not permissible for other than Allah, and what kind is kufr and shirk? Answer It should be known that asking help from other than Allah is not haram absolutely. In some scenarios seeking help from other than Allah is kufr and shirk, and in some scenarios it is permissible. The regulating principle in this is that if while believing that someone besides Allah acts independently and has intrinsic power, or while believing that after divine bestowal and lordly authorisation, he gained such power and volition, he is asked for help, then without doubt, this is shirk and kufr. Or it is not believed that in bringing about the effect in this matter and in the agency of it, he is intrinsically or extrinsically independent[2] ; rather, he is not treated in the way something with intrinsic independence is [treated], but the assumption of his independence occurs to others; such seeking of help from other [than Allah] is impermissible and haram; and in some scenarios there is fear of kufr and shirk, which will become clear from the following explanation. Since in the first scenario someone besides Allah is believed to be an independent agent and intrinsically powerful, no one has any disagreement over it being shirk. The second scenario is that the [entity] other [than Allah] is not believed to be intrinsically powerful, but he is believed to be powerful by divine bestowal, that is, Allah (Exalted is He) bestowed on him power and volition in those matters outside of human capacity, and he may dispose in them however he wishes, and he may grant whoever he wishes and withhold from whoever he wishes. [This is] just as a king grants his ministers and governors some jurisdictions, and after being granted those jurisdictions, they are believed to be independent, and thereafter, the knowledge and will of the king has no involvement; in this way – protection is from Allah – Allah (Exalted is He) gave such jurisdictions to the prophets and saints, and after divine bestowal they became independent and free. The Arab idolaters would hold precisely this belief with respect to the angels and idols. [They would say:] “We do not worship them except to draw us nearer to Allah.” (Qur’an, 38:3) The idolaters did not consider them intrinsically independent. Rather, they considered them independent agents after divine bestowal, and they would say that everything they have was given to them by Allah. The Qur’an refuted this belief in various places. For example, He (Exalted is He) said: “Beside Allah, they worship those who can neither harm nor benefit them.” (Qur’an, 10:18) And He (Exalted is He) said: “Those whom you worship beside Allah do not have power to give you provision. So seek provision with Allah and worship Him.” (29:17)…The disbelievers did not believe them to have power over anything without divine bestowal. He (Exalted is He) said: “Say, ‘I possess no power to cause you any harm or bring you to a right way.’” (Qur’an, 72:21) And He (Exalted is He) said: “Say, ‘I have no power to bring a benefit or a harm to myself, except that which Allah wills.’” (Qur’an, 7:188) In these verses, intrinsic ownership and volition over benefit and harm are not negated [but extrinsic ownership is negated], because nobody claimed intrinsic ownership and volition over benefit and harm, nor can any sane person concede this for anyone besides Allah (Exalted is He), that he has intrinsic ownership of benefit and harm. Even the idolaters accept this. The original owner and creator is Allah. The third scenario is when this [entity] other [than Allah] is not believed to have intrinsic or extrinsic independence, but he is treated in the way the intrinsically independent one is treated. For example, either he or his grave is prostrated to, or a vow is taken by his name. This is also haram and shirk, but this is not creedalshirk but practical shirk. The one who commits this will be considered a perpetrator of haram. He will not come out of the fold of Allah. The fourth scenario is when in asking for help from other [than Allah], it is suggestive of the independence of this [entity] other [than Allah], like asking help from spirits. Even though this person does not believe them to be independent, nonetheless, since the idolaters ask help from the spirits believing them to be independent, this is why asking help from spirits is absolutely haram. There is no doubt over it being haram. The doubt is whether this person will come out of the fold of Islam or not? Since this action is a complete manifestation ofshirk, this is why there is strong fear of him coming out of the sphere of Islam. The summary of the discussion is that the first two scenarios are definitely kufr and shirk, and the one who commits them has come out of the fold of Islam, and the last two scenarios are definitely haram. The uncertainty is over whether this person will be considered a disbeliever and outside of the fold of Islam or not? However, if help is sought from such a being which asking help from is from the symbols of the disbelievers and idolaters, in that situation, if a mufti or jurist were to give fatwa of kufr and shirk based on the outward, just as he would for the one who ties a zunnar, and he passes a ruling of him being a disbeliever, there is no difficulty in this, since that matter is from the symbols of kufr and shirk, which is why his intention will not be taken into consideration. However, [seeking help in] ordinary matters which are included under human capacity, and are connected and joined to the world of means, and there is not even a doubt from any person of it being an independent agent, like taking help from bread to remove hunger, or taking help from water to remove thirst; such seeking of help from other than Allah is permissible, with the condition that reliance is purely on Allah and the [entity] other [than Allah] is believed to only be a means, path and a manifestation of divine aid. [This is] just as a pipe is merely a path for the water to arrive, similarly the means are a path for divine effusion, and He is the real giver. The idolater believes that it is this pipe that is giving me the water, which is why he asks for water from the pipe, and adorns the pipe. For example, the person that believes medicine to be a means and the doctor to be merely one who treats [the patient], there is nothing wrong. But if he believes the medicine to be independent in bringing about the effect, and believes the doctor to be the one who grants good health, this will becomeshirk. It should be known that the Shar‘i means also have the ruling of ordinary means. The only difference is that the nature of ordinary means as means is inferred from the normal course [of nature], and the nature of Shar‘i means as means is inferred from the Shari‘ah. Thus, in just the same way it is permissible to ask help in ordinary matters, it is permissible to seek help in Shar‘i matters. For example, it is also permissible to take help from supplication, ruqyah, patience, prayer and so on, because these matters are known from the Shari‘ah to be means [of aid]. In non-ordinary matters, even if the [entity] other [than Allah] is considered to be a manifestation of divine aid, and the real reliance is also on Allah, but since in non-ordinary matters their nature as a means is not established by the normal course [of nature], nor by Allah, and assuming it was established [on some occasions], it is not definitive or perpetual; this is why seeking help from other than Allah in non-ordinary matters will not amount to kufr and shirk, but heresy and misguidance will certainly occur. The respected Shah ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (may Allah sanctify his secret) said: At this point, it ought to be known that it is haram to seek help from other than Allah in the situation that dependence and reliance is on that [entity] other [than Allah], and that [entity] other [than Allah] is not considered [merely] a manifestation of divine aid. If [however] attention and consideration is only towards the Lord, and considering this [entity] other [than Allah] merely as a manifestation of divine aid, and by consideration of the world of means, this [entity] other [than Allah] is outwardly asked for help, it is not against gnosis and is permissible in the Shari‘ah. The revered prophets and saints also sought this type of help from other than Allah, and since attention is only towards Allah (Exalted is He), this is why it does not amount to seeking help from the [entity] other [than Allah], but is in reality seeking help from Allah (Exalted is He). (Fath al-‘Aziz, p. 8) He said in another place: Seeking and asking for help (isti‘anah) is either from those that the monotheists and polytheists both will not entertain the doubt that he is independent (mustaqill), like taking help from grains and crops to remove hunger, or taking help from water and drinks to remove thirst, or taking help from the shade of a tree to acquire comfort and rest, or taking help from medicines and herbs in order to remove an illness, or taking help from the emir and king for matters of livelihood, which in reality is an exchange for service, and is not a necessary cause of humiliation, or taking advice from doctors based on their experience and greater knowledge; in these scenarios, the assumption of independence will not occur. Thus, this type of asking for help is permissible without any dislike, because this is not in reality asking for help, but is only outwardly asking for help, and is in reality asking help from Allah (Exalted is He). Or asking help is from such things that the doubt of having independence in their agency settles in the minds of the polytheists, like seeking help from souls, or celestial and elemental spirits, or asking help from the roaming spirits (that is, those spirits that roam back and forth) like Bahwani, Shaykh Sadad and Razin Khan. This type of seeking help is the essence of shirk and is completely opposed to and detached from the pure Islamic religion. (Fath al-‘Aziz, p. 37) Ma‘arif al-Qur’an, 1: 21-5 _____________________________ Meaning, the verse, “You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.” (Qur’an 1:4) [↩] “Independence” in this context means an uncontested power and authority in which the one who possesses it is not dependent on Allah in each and every instance of exercising that authority (Bawadir al-Nawadir, p. 708), as the author illustrates in the example he presents of the belief of idolaters. “Intrinsic” means such authority was not granted by Allah and “extrinsic” means it was granted by Allah. [↩] deoband.org

Assalaamu 'alaykum Brother welcome. The links you posted have been removed. Advertising is not allowed. Please respect forum rules

Dealing With a Miscarriage and Burying the Foetus Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam Question: Assalamu alaikum, I have just found out that my baby has no heart beat and I was 9 weeks along. I will have another check up next week to see if the baby’s heart beat is 100% gone, then I will go through a procedure to take the baby out. When this happens what do I do with the fetus? Do I bury it? If so, where? Also, I wonder will we as parents be rewarded? I know I wasn’t suppose to be so upset. I only cried when I first learned that I lost the baby at the doctors office. Am I sinful for crying? Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, I pray that you are well, insha’Allah. If the foetus does not have any discernible physical features, it is not named, nor does it require a funeral prayer and formal burial. [`Ala' al-Din `Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-`Ala'iyya] Though, it would be recommended to bury the miscarried foetus if you are reasonably able to as this would be from upholding the honour granted to the human being by Allah, “We have honoured the children of Adam.” [17.70] This can be done in any place as per any local laws and regulations. Remain steadfastly patient, turn to Allah, and have a good opinion of Him. It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The miscarried child will pester its glorious and mighty Lord for His entering its two parents into the Fire until it is told, ‘O miscarried child that pesters its Lord! Enter your father and mother into Paradise.’ Then it will drag them with its umbilical cord until it makes them enter Paradise.” [ibn Majah] See: The Loss of a Child: Seeking & Turning to Allah in Difficult Times And Allah alone gives success. wassalam, Tabraze Azam Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani Source

What is the Legal Status of the Blood from a Woman Who Had a Miscarriage? Answered by Ustadh Faraz A. Khan Question: Assalam alaikum, What are the details for a women when she has a miscarriage and reading salah at different stages of the pregnancy? I have heard if it is an early pregnancy (she has a miscarriage at 6 weeks) then this is not counted as Nifas rather Istihada. Is this correct? Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah, I pray this finds you in the best of health and faith. The basic rule is that if the miscarried fetus had any sort of physical development- such as hand, foot, finger, nail, or hair – then it is a baby and the blood is considered postnatal bleeding (nifas). If no physical development appears on the fetus, it is not deemed a baby. In that case, the blood that exits afterwards is deemed menstrual blood (hayd) if it lasts three full days (72 hours) and was preceded by a complete tuhr (i.e., no blood for at least fifteen days) since her last menstrual period. Otherwise, it is most likely non-menstrual discharge (istihada), but one would have to consult a scholar with specific details as it could still be menstrual blood depending on the exact scenario. [Hadiyya 'Ala'iyya; Haskafi/Ibn Abidin, al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Radd al-Muhtar] At six weeks, it is highly unlikely that the fetus was developed, making the blood either hayd or istihada depending on when she saw it. In any case, please consult a scholar with the specifics of the scenario. And Allah knows best. wassalam Faraz A. Khan Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani Source

Scientific studies conducted on Miswak. The Wrigley Company made a study on Miswak which was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The study found that mints laced with Miswak extract were 20 times more effective in killing bacteria than ordinary mints. A small testimony to this fact is that after half an hour, the mints laced with Miswak extract killed about 60% of the bacteria where as the ordinary mints managed only 3.6% In the August issue of Journal of Periodontology (2008) appeared a study conducted by Swedish researchers on Miswak. The study apparently found that suspended Miswak pieces in a petridish (medium for culturing bacteria) were able to kill bacteria that cause periodontal disease with out being in physical contact with the bacteria. The researchers suggested that Miswak might be giving antibiotics as gases trying to explain this phenomenon. A study which compares toothbrushing and using Miswak (Miswak ing!) can be seen on Pubmed (U.S National Library for Medicine Service). The study concluded that Miswak was more effective than toothbrushing in reducing plaque and gingivitis provided it was used correctly. Similar studies found on the same website and elsewhere vouch for the effectiveness of Miswak over toothbrush. A study conducted by a group of dentists at King Saud University concluded that using Miswak was at least as good as tooth brushing, if not better. There have been plenty of published studies on Miswak and infact entire books published which study its oral and systemic benefits. Now, with all those studies chucked at you, you couldn’t help but wonder why it is so effective. This can be attributed to its strong antibacterial properties. Another important aspect to consider is that its bristles are parallel to the handle rather than perpendicular which means effective cleaning between the teeth. Now, that’s one natural toothbrush cum toothpaste cum floss.

Top 10 Reasons to Turn Off Your TV Article From www.jamiat.org.za From Mark Stibich, Ph.D., Your Guide to Longevity. Turning off your television will gain you, on average, about 4 hours per day. Imagine if you took that time to exercise, give your brain a workout and develop strong relationships. Not only would you be adding years to your life, you would become more interesting, energetic, and fun. So take the plunge and try not watching TV for a week. At first it will be strange and awkward, but stick with it and soon you will love all the extra time. 1. Television Eats Your Time The average U.S. adult watches more than 4 hours of television a day. That's 25 percent of waking time spent every day. Imagine if you suddenly had 25 percent more time -- that's three extra months per year! You could get in all your exercise, cook your meals from scratch and still have time left over to write a novel. Over a lifetime, an 80-year-old person would have watched 116,800 hours of television, compared to only 98,000 hours of work. As a nation, adults watch 880 million hours of television every day or 321 billion hours per year. Whew! Imagine what could get done if we all just stopped watching TV. 2. Television makes you stressed With the average of four hours a day gone, it's no wonder everyone is feeling stressed out and overwhelmed. We put aside paying bills, finishing projects, making phone calls and cleaning our homes to watch TV. We feel overwhelmed because of all the things we should be doing (exercising, spending time with family, eating right) go undone. And when we feel overwhelmed, tired, and exhausted we don't have energy to anything but -- you guessed it -- watch TV. It is a dreadful cycle. So take a break from TV for a week and see what happens to your life. 3. Television Makes You Overweight Eating while distracted limits your ability to assess how much you have consumed. According to Eliot Blass at the University of Massachusetts, people eat between 31 and 74 percent more calories while watching TV. This could add, on average, about 300 calories extra per TV meal. Now consider that at least 40 percent of families watch TV while eating dinner. It becomes clear that TV is a big part of the obesity epidemic in the U.S. and that TV, in fact, makes you gain weight. 4. Television Makes You Uninteresting Many people have whole conversations that are recaps of TV programs, sporting events and sitcoms. When asked about their real lives, there is little or nothing to report and no stories to tell (except the TV shows they have watched). Life is too interesting and wonderful to spend your time either watching TV or recapping television to your friends. Find something interesting to do: volunteer, read, paint -- anything but watch more TV. 5. Television Ruins Your Relationships A television is turned on an average of 7 hours and 40 minutes per day in many U.S. households. With the TV on that much, there is little time for you and your significant other or children to spend time together, share experiences, and develop deeper relationships. Sitting together and watching TV does not grow a relationship. Turn that TV off and find something to do together --cooking, exercising, taking a walk, anything. 6. Television is Not Relaxation TV is the opposite of exercise. If you are watching TV you are usually sitting, reclining or lying down. You are burning as few calories as possible. All that extra food you eat while watching TV does not get burned off. Your brain goes into a lull. But you are not relaxing -- your mind is still receiving stimuli from the TV, you are processing information and reacting emotionally. Have you ever found yourself thinking about TV characters? Do you ever dream about TV shows? These are signs that the brain is working hard to process all the TV you have been watching. 7. Television Loses Opportunities If you are sitting and watching TV, nothing new or exciting is going to happen to you. New opportunities and ideas come from being out in the world, talking to people, and reading interesting things. Watching TV isolates you. Nothing is going to change in your world if you are watching TV. Turn off the TV, go out into the world, talk to people, and see what happens. 8. Television is Addictive Television can become addictive. Signs of TV addiction include: using the TV to calm down not being able to control your viewing feeling angry or disappointed in how much TV you watched feeling on edge if kept from watching feeling a loss of control while watching If the idea of giving up TV for a week is horrifying, you may be addicted to television. Luckily, TV addiction is a habit and not a physical addiction like smoking. You should be able to control it once you are aware of the problem and make a decision to change. 9. Television Makes You Buy Things By age 65, the average American has seen 2 million commercials. Your knowledge of products and brands comes from these TV commercials. Your perception of what you need also comes from these commercials. If you didn't know that your iPod could talk to your running shoes, you wouldn't feel like your current shoes are too low-tech. If you didn't know about vacuums that never lose suction, your current vacuum would seem fine. Our perception of need is determined by what we see. Need less by watching less TV. 10. Television Costs Money A basic cable package costs $43 per month and many packages cost much more than that. That comes to at least $500 a year spent on TV. For that much money you could: buy a membership to every museum or zoo in your town, get a gym membership, buy a nice bicycle, invest it every year for 10 years at 10 percent interest* and have more than $10,000. Sources: TvTurnOff.org; US Census Bureau Jamiat Comment: There isn't much left to say except that for a Muslim home the most dangerous part about the TV is that it corrodes Islamic values. All the sex, violence, bad language and rotten attitudes of characters on TV have turned generations of innocent young children into monsters which even their parents cannot recognize. And then we ask ourselves: where did we go wrong as parents? Added to that, the TV is without doubt the most powerful propaganda machine ever created by man. Want to make the masses believe in something? Show it on TV. In this way our children accept the worked ideologies of the atheists and liberals without even being concsciously aware of it!. There is only one solution – Break the TV and then throw it into the garbage bin. This may seem harsh, but there is no time left for subtleties. Get rid of that Shaytaan box immediately, and feel the goodness return to your home. * remember that this article is not written by a Muslim, hence the mention of consuming interest. This is obviously incorrect for a Muslim, as interest is Haraam. But the principle behind what the author is saying applies to Muslims as well: save your money and invest in some Halaal way.

The Virtue of Commencing Salaam It has been narrated by Abu Umamah that the Holy Prophet said, "Whoever commences Salaam is very close to Allah and His Messenger Muhammad ()" Ibn Sunni has narrated this. In Imaam Ahmad’s narration there is, "The closest to Allah, the most glorious and eminent one, from amongst all the people is the one who commences salaam." Similarly Tabrani narrates from Abu Darda, who says that we asked the Holy Prophet , "O Prophet of Allah, we meet each other, so who from amongst us should give salaam first?" The Holy Prophet replied, "The one who is the most obedient to Allah from amongst you." What is Salaam? Imam Baihaqi narrates in discontinuation from Ibne Abbas, that As-Salaam is amongst Allah’s names and also this is the greeting of the dwellers of Paradise. Imaam Bukhari in his Al-Adabul-Mufrad narrates from Hazrat Anas that the Holy Prophet said, "As-salaam is indeed a name from the names of Allah, which Allah has placed upon the Earth, therefore spread salaam amongst yourselves in abundance." The Manner of giving Salaam Abu Yala narrates from Hazrat Abu Hurairah that the Holy Prophet said, "When anyone of you decides to offer salaam he should say ‘Assalaamu Alaikum’, because Allah, the most Glorious and Eminent one is As-salaam, for this reason do not commence with anything before saying Allah’s name." The Correct Words Of Salaam Abu Tameema narrates from a Sahabi who reported, "I said ‘Alaikas Salaam (Upon you be peace) O’ Messenger of Allah." The Holy Prophet said, "Alaikas Salaam are the words of the deceased person’s salaam. When one of you meets his fellow brother, he should say Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah." Giving Salaam To The People Of A Gathering It has been narrated by Hazrat Abu Huraira that the Holy Prophet said, "If any one of you enters any gathering, he should give salaam. He should then remain seated to that extent he has in his mind, and when he decides to return, he should again give salaam. The reason being that the first salaam is not more rightful than the second, that is, he gives the first salaam and not the second." This narration has been narrated by Imaam Abu Dawood, Imaam Tirmizi and Ibne Sunni. Giving And Replying To Salaam From One Person Is Sufficient It has been narrated by Hazrat Ali that the Holy Prophet said, "The salaam of a person, from a passing group of people, will be sufficient on behalf of all the group, likewise if one person from those who are seated replies to the salaam, it will be sufficient on behalf of all the rest." Reply To A Third Person’s Salaam A person from (the tribe of) Banu Tameem narrates from his father who narrates from his paternal grandfather that he arrived in the presence of the Holy Prophet and said, "My father sends salaam upon you." The Holy Prophet replied, "Wa Alaika Wa’alaa Abeekas Salaam (Peace be upon you and your father)." Imaam Abu Dawood, Nasai and Ibn Sunni have narrated this. Similarly it has been narrated by Hazrat Aisha radiyallahu anha that the Holy Prophet said, "Jibraeel sends salaam upon you." Hazrat Aisha replied, "Wa Alaihis Salaam Wa Rahmatullahi Wabarakatuh (Peace be upon him and Allah’s mercy and blessings). You (O’ Prophet) can see things which we cannot." Similarly Imaam Bukhari and Imaam Muslim have related Abu Huraira’s narration, he says, Jibraeel the trustworthy arrived in the presence of the Noble Prophet and said, "This is Khadija, who is coming, she has with her a utensil in which there is curry (or he said food, or drink). When she arrives give, her salaam from her sustainer and myself, and give her glad tidings of a house in Paradise which will be hollow in which there will be no loud noise (din) nor weariness." Ibne Sunni has narrated this narration in more detail. It is narrated by Amr bin Wahb that Hazrat Khadija set out in search of the Holy Prophet in the upper part of Makkah Mukarrama. Hazrat Khadija had the Holy Prophet’sfood with her. Jibraeel the trustworthy met Hazrat Khadija in the form of a man and questioned her regarding the Holy Prophet . Hazrat Khadija began to tremble and thought that, probably he is from those who are out to harm the Holy Prophet . Hazrat Khadija mentioned this incident to the Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet replied that he was Jibraeel the trustworthy. He has informed me that he has met you and he has also told me that you have food with you and that is Hees (a sweet dish). Hazrat Jibraeel the trustworthy has said, "Give salaam to Khadija from Allah the most glorious and eminent one, and give her glad tidings of a house in Paradise which will be hollow in which they will no loud noise (din) nor weariness." Hazrat Khadija said, "Allah the exalted is Himself As-Salaam (The Giver of peace) and peace comes from Him, Salaam be upon Jibraeel, he is the messenger of Allah. Salaam be upon you and salaam be upon all those who are listening but Shaytaan. O’ Prophet of Allah, what is the hollow house in Paradise wherein they will be no loud noise (din) nor weariness?" The Holy Prophet replied, "It will be a secure house made out of pearl." interislam

My abslolutely favourite from "Orchards of Love" MADINATUL AULIYAA (THE CITY OF THE AULIYAA) A buzrug narrates: “Once I saw nine Auliyaa at the Raudhah Mutahharah (The Holy Sepulcher) of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). When they began leaving, I followed them. One of them turned to me and sharply enquired: ‘Where are you going?’ I responded: ‘I am accompanying you. I love you all and I have heard that a man will be with whom he loves.’ One of the group said: ‘He cannot go where we are going. Only those who are forty years of age are allowed to go there.’ Another member of the group said: ‘Let him come, perhaps Allah will grant him the fortune of going there.’ Thus I accompanied them. We traversed distance miraculously. Great distances were covered in the shortest time. Ultimately we reached a city which was built of gold and silver. The trees were extremely lush and the growth luxuriously dense. Beautiful rivers of crystal clear water were flowing. A wide variety of the most wonderful fruit grew in abundance. We entered the city and ate of the delicious fruit. I kept three apples from that city with me. None of the Auliyaa forbade me from taking the apples. As we prepared to leave, I asked them about this city. They said that it is the city of the Auliyaa of Allah (Madinatul Auliyaa). When the Auliyaa desired to visit this place, the city is miraculously brought to them. They added: ‘However, besides you to this day, no one under forty years had come to this city.’ When we reached Makkah, I gave one of the apples to a labourer. But he threw it away. My companions severely reprimanded me and told me to eat of the remaining apples whenever I felt hungry. Finally I arrived home with one apple. My sister out of happiness hugged me and said: ‘Brother, you brought a wonderful thing from your journey. Give it to me.’ I replied: ‘What wonderful thing of the world could I have found for you?’ She said: ‘ Where is that apple?’ I had hidden it, hence I asked: ‘Which apple?’ She said: ‘Why conceal it from me? You had to struggle to gain admission while I was taken there at the age of twenty years. By Allah! I was called there without my desire.’ I said: ‘Sister, what are you saying? One of the buzrugs said that besides me, no one under forty years had even entered that city. ’ She said: ‘Yes, this is the law for the Mureedeen and Ush-shaq. But the Muraad and the Mahboob are allowed to visit the city whenever they wish. But, nothing of the city pleases them. Whenever you desire, I can take you to that city.’ (Mureedeen, Ush-shaq, Muraad, Mahboob - these are classes of the Muhibbeen (lovers) of Allah Ta`ala). I said: ‘Show me the city now!’ My sister issued a command. ‘By Allah! To my astonishment, I beheld with my eyes that very same city. I saw the city inclining towards my sister. Stretching her hand towards the city, she said: ‘Now tell me where is that apple?’ The apple which I had hid above me fell on me. After this wonderful experience, I understood my insignificance. I never had the faintest idea of the lofty states of my sister.”

Miracles of the Saints By Shaykh Ahmed Ali MiraclesOfTheSaintsByShaykhAhmedAli.pdf

Sister MuslimWoman...theres many such stories concerning the special friends of Allah subhaanahu wata'ala.

A Neglected Sunna: Brushing One's Teeth and Using the Siwak (Tooth stick) In the name of Allah, the inspirer of truth. The sunna of siwak is to brush one’s teeth, as the fuqaha mention. The optimal way for this is to use a tooth stick (siwak), as this was the particular practice of the Beloved of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace). Brushing one’s teeth is a confirmed sunna within ritual ablutions (wudu). As such, it is blameworthy to leave it without excuse. If one does not have anything else, one can fulfill the sunna by using one’s fingers, as has been transmitted. It is a general recommended sunna of our deen, as Abu Hanifa said. Besides the ritual ablutions, where it is a confirmed sunna, it is particularly recommended before the prayer, before reciting the Qur’an, before dhikr, upon waking, before sleep, before entering the house, when one’s breath changes or teeth yellow, before meeting others, and before studying sacred knowledge, as the fuqaha mention. Ibn Abidin says in his Radd al-Muhtar, also known as Hashiyat Ibn Abidin: 'Virtue and time of Siwak: Siwak (tooth stick) is a confirmed sunna (sunna mu’akkada) during the rinsing of the mouth, as in Jawhara, and some say before rinsing the mouth. It is [a confirmed sunna] is for the ritual ablutions (wudu) in the Hanafi school, as confirmed in the hadith reported by Ahmad [in his Musnad] that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Prayer with brushing (siwak) is seventy times more virtuous than prayer without.” However, if one forgets it (during ablutions) then it is mustahab to use it for salah, as it is mustahab to use it for removing yellow teeth and odour and reciting the Qur’an etc. [f: Ibn Abidin later confirmed that it is generally recommended before prayer, even though the confirmed sunna and promised reward is attained by all prayers performed with ritual ablutions in which one brushed one’s teeth. This is a point most Hanafis are negligent of.] Amount of Brushing: The minimum optimal brushing the upper and lower teeth is three times with three handfuls of water, (wetting the tooth stick each time). It is mentioned in Mi`raj that there is no fixed limit to brushing; rather, one should brush until one feels that the odour and yellowness of the teeth have been removed. If it is achieved in less than three time, however, it is recommended to complete three times, like in as when cleaning one’s private parts (istinja’). Holding the Tooth stick: It is recommended to hold it in your right hand. Nature of the Tooth stick: And (it is recommended that) the tooth stick be soft; straight with few knots; and a hand-span in length [f: about 25 cm]. Method of using the Tooth stick: It is mentioned in Nahr and Bahr that the sunna method of holding the tooth stick is to put the little finger at the bottom end and the thumb under its head, with the remaining fingers on the top side, as transmitted from by Ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him). One should use the siwak sideways and not vertically. It is mentioned in Hilya that one should use the siwak horizontally for the teeth and vertically for the tongue. Benefits of using the tooth stick: The benefits of the tooth stick are numerous and many books have been written on its virtues. .... In the absence of a tooth stick or teeth, a coarse cloth or the finger can be sufficed with. Types of Twigs: It is mentioned in Nahr that one can use all types of twigs except from the pomegranate and bamboo. The most preferable is the salvadora (arak) and olive. It is mentioned by Tabrani that [the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, ] “How good it is the tooth stick from the blessed olive tree. It is my tooth stick and the tooth stick of the prophets before me.” (Allama Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, 1: 114-115) And Allah alone gives success. Faraz Rabbani & Shaykh Ilyas Patel. Source

Is this going to be a series of such stories? Great idea. Jazaakallaahu khayraa.

How Should the Hands Be Held During Supplication? Answered by Ustadh Salman Younas Question: I have seen people making dua with their hands in different positions than what I was taught and I was wondering if their is a right or wrong way to have your hands or a way that is more sound and correct. Does the position of the hands differ between schools? I was taught to put your hands together with the tips of your fingers at shoulder level while making dua because there is noor (light) that shines into your hands that you wipe on your face after completing the dua. But I have seen some people with their hands apart, about shoulder width and this doesn’t make sense to me. Answer: wa `alaykum assalam The basis when it comes to supplication (du`a) is that it is done out of a sense of humility, neediness, and debasement to Allah Most High. This is why the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) would raise his blessed hands in supplication, teaching his community how a servant asks the Lord of the Worlds for his needs. As for the specific modality of how the hands should be raised during supplication, this is a matter of leeway and not to be made a point of argumentation. Each individual has a natural inclination towards how he stretches his hands out in need to his Creator, Allah, and so slight variations from individual to individual are not surprising. The important thing is to supplicate sincerely with one’s heart and realize who one is asking. The Prophet’s (Allah bless him and grant him peace) Supplication Regarding the way the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) supplicated, there have been specifics established in certain sound narrations. Among them: a. He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) would raise both hands, as established in countless reports narrated by the six books. b. He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) would have his palms facing the sky. One exception to this would be the prayer of rain (salat al-istisqa’) wherein the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) would have the palms facing the ground. Imam Nawawi mentions that some scholars regard it as a recommended sunna to have one’s palms facing the sky in supplication when asking for the attainment of something, and to have the palms facing downward towards the ground when asking for the lifting of tribulations. c. He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) would have his hands stretched in a manner that would reveal the whiteness of his underarms. d. He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) would have his two hands at the level of his shoulders or chest. Sometimes, such as during the prayer of rain, it would be at the level of his blessed face. [ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari; Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim] Separating the Hands in Supplication As for separating the hands during supplication or joining them together, both ways are acceptable. Some scholars advise having a gap between the hands when supplicating, even if slight. [Haskafi, Durr al-Mukhtar; Ibn `Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar] To conclude, one can supplicate with the hands separated or joined together, with them at the level of the chest or the shoulders or even the face, with the arms outstretched or otherwise, and all of these modes are fine. As mentioned before, the important thing is having presence of heart, sincerity, and true neediness towards Allah in one’s supplication. And Allah knows best Wassalam Salman Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani Source