ummtaalib

An original Deoband.org article By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani Translated by Zameelur Rahman People would seek fatwa from ‘ulama’ since the earliest of times in matters which they were in need of, because the majority of people are not able to derive the rulings of the Shari‘ah from their original sources. Thus, it would be necessary for them to refer to those who have knowledge of these rulings. This is what Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) ordered in His noble saying: “So ask the people of remembrance if you do not know.” (16:43) And as long as a mufti is trusted in his knowledge and his piety, they would not demand evidence for what he said – and this is the technical meaning of taqlid, since they defined it as: “Acting on the opinion of another without knowing his evidence or demanding proof.” However, in the best of generations, they would not restrict themselves to taking fatwa from a single scholar, such that they would not permit seeking fatwa from another scholar, although when individuals had a particular affinity with a scholar of a certain land, their reliance on him would be greater than others, so by virtue of that affinity, they would refer to that scholar in all matters or most of them. Of this is what al-Bukhari transmitted from ‘Ikrimah that the people of Madinah would ask Ibn ‘Abbas: “Is it permissible for a woman [that is a pilgrim], when she is menstruating, to set off for her hometown after the Tawaf al-Ziyarah and omit the Tawaf al-Wida‘?” Ibn ‘Abbas answered them by [saying] that it is permissible for her to set off and omit the Tawaf al-Wida‘. They said to him: “We will not adopt your opinion, and leave the opinion of Zayd.” In the transmission of al-Isma‘ili: “We do not care, whether you have issued us a fatwa or you have not issued us a fatwa. Zayd ibn Thabit says: ‘She does not set off.’” In the transmission of al-Tayalisi: “We will not follow you, Ibn ‘Abbas, when you oppose Zayd.” This is because they had greater confidence in Zayd ibn Thabit. Later, Zayd ibn Thabit retracted from his opinion when he came to know of the hadith of Safiyyah, as transmitted by Muslim from Tawus: “I was with Ibn ‘Abbas when Zayd ibn Thabit said to him: ‘You issue fatwa that a menstruating woman departs before having her final meeting with the House?’ Ibn ‘Abbas said: ‘At the least, ask so-and-so Ansari woman: Did the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) command her?’” He said: “Subsequently, Zayd ibn Thabit returned to Ibn ‘Abbas, laughing, and saying: ‘I do not believe but that you told the truth!’” When Zayd ibn Thabit (Allah be pleased with him) retracted, the people of Madinah were content that it is permissible for her to set off [before performing the Tawaf al-Wida‘]. And of this is what Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) transmitted from Abu Muslim al-Khawlani (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him), he said: “I came to the mosque of the Damascenes, when there was a circle therein comprising of senior companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), and there was a youth amongst them with kohl on his eyes and bright teeth. Whenever they differed in anything, they referred it to the young man, a youthful young man.” He said: “I asked a sitting-companion of mine: ‘Who is this?’ He said: ‘This is Mu‘adh ibn Jabal.’” And in another narration: “Whenever they differed over anything, they referred it to him and they departed on his opinion.” Examples of this are many. The upshot is that most people would refer to those they trusted, and they would prefer his fatwas over the fatwas of others. There were some who did not suffice with seeking fatwa from a single scholar, because the madhhabs were not codified in that time, so they did not believe it was forbidden to seek fatwa from anyone that was accessible to them, even if it was someone besides whom they normally referred to. There was no fear at that time that people would select from the different madhhabs that which accorded with their passions because it was difficult for the questioner to know the opinion of the one he is seeking fatwa from before he asked him, which was because the madhhabs were not yet codified. But after the codification of the four madhhabs of jurisprudence with a specific structure, and books were compiled on them, and they condensed into schools which were dedicated to studying them, and the opinions of these madhhabs became well-known and familiar to the people, if it was permitted for everyone to select from these opinions whatever he wished whenever he wished, that would lead to following desires and not following the bright Shari‘ah. There is no doubt that each of these jurists only selected an opinion on the basis of the strength of its evidence according to him not on the basis of what his heart desired, so it would be possible for another mujtahid to select or reject what he said due to a stronger evidence that appeared to him from the sources of Islamic legislation. However, the layperson who is not able to compare between these opinions on the basis of the evidences of the Shari‘ah, if he was given the option to adopt what he wished and reject whatever he wished, it would be feared for him that he will adopt from these opinions that which accords with his desires, and not because of the proof of the Shari‘ah that was the basis of that opinion. Furthermore, each one of these madhhabs has a specific structure under the remit of which it operates, whereby many of its rulings are linked to each other. Thus, if one ruling from it is adopted and another ruling that is linked to it is omitted, the structure would collapse, and a situation of talfiq (mixing opinions from different madhhabs on a single issue) – not taken as valid by anyone – may arise. It is difficult for a layperson to appreciate these subtleties, so if the door of selecting was to be opened for the layperson, that would lead to chaos in the laws of the bright Shari‘ah. It was for this [reason] that a need arose to adopt a specific madhhab, not because the follower of a particular madhhab believes his Imam is an intrinsic authority – protection is from Allah, the Glorious! – but, because he trusts his knowledge in the Shari‘ah and its proofs more than others, or because knowledge of his madhhab is easier for him with respect to the founders of the other madhhabs. By such adoption of madhhabs, the circumstances of the people – in terms of faithfulness to the Shari‘ah and not following haphazard whims therein – were regulated, because selecting from the opinions of the jurists based on whim and not on the basis of evidence is from that which the scholars, both ancient and recent, have condemned. Imam Ma‘mar ibn Rashid (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) said: “If a man was to adopt the opinion of the people of Madinah on listening to songs and approaching women from their behinds, and the opinion of the people of Makkah on temporary marriage and barter, and the opinion of the people of Kufah on intoxicating substances, he would be from the worst of the slaves of Allah.” (Talkhis al-Habir, 3:187) Hafiz Ibn Taymiyyah (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) said: “An example of this is that a man believes in the validity of the pre-emption[1] of a neighbour when he demands it, and its invalidity when he is the buyer, because this is not permissible by consensus; and likewise, one who assumes the validity of the guardianship of a sinner in the process of his marriage and assumes the invalidity of his guardianship in the process of his divorce – this is not permissible by consensus of the Muslims. If a particular questioner said: ‘I was not aware of that, and from today I am adhering to this,’ that would not be [accepted] from him because it would open the door to playing with the religion and open the means to legalisation and illegalisation being according to whims.” (Majmu‘ al-Fatawa li Bni Taymiyyah, 32:101) Imam al-Nawawi (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) said: “Its reason is that if it were permissible to adhere to any madhhab one wished, it would lead to collecting the concessions of the madhhabs, in accordance with one’s desires, and opting between legalisation and illegalisation, obligation and permission, and this will lead to relinquishing the noose of moral responsibility (taklif); as distinguished from the early period, because [at that time] there were no refined madhhabs that encompassed the rulings of [all] outcomes. Based on this, it is necessary for him to make effort in opting for one madhhab he will adhere to specifically.” (al-Majmu‘ Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, 1:55) Ibn Khaldun (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) said: “Taqlid in all towns came to rest on these four, and muqallids of other than them have disappeared. The people blocked the door of disagreement and its paths when the diversification of the technical terms of the sciences became extensive; and when it became difficult to reach the level of ijtihad; and when it was feared that [somebody] unqualified for it whose opinion and religion are not trusted would be ascribed to it; so they [i.e. scholars] made [their] incapacity and deficiency clear, and they directed people to taqlid of these [four], to all who are specialised therein from the muqallids, and they forbade modification of their taqlid because it would imply frivolity. All that remained after authentication of the basic texts and connecting their chains by narration is transmission of their madhhabs, and each muqallid acting on the madhhab of the one he does taqlid of from them. There is no meaning to jurisprudence today besides this. And the claim of ijtihad in this age is rejected and turned on its heel, and his taqlid is abandoned. The people of Islam have evolved into taqlid of these four Imams.” (Muqaddimah Ibn Khaldun, p. 430) Shaykh Wali Allah al-Dihlawi (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) said: “Know that the people in the first and second centuries were not united on taqlid of one specified madhhab, and after the second century, there appeared amongst them adherence to the madhhabs of specific mujtahids, and those who did not rely on the madhhab of a specific mujtahid became few – and this was the obligation of that time. If you say: How is it that one thing is not obligatory at one time, but obligatory at another time, although the Shari‘ah is one? I say: The original obligation is that there are those in the ummah who are aware of the corollary rulings from their detailed evidences. The people of truth are united on this. And the prelude to an obligation is obligatory. When there are many avenues to that obligation, it is necessary to acquire any avenue from those avenues without particularisation, but when one avenue becomes specified, that one avenue itself becomes obligatory…Based on this, it should be that the result is the obligation of taqlid of a specific imam.” (al-Insaf fi Bayan Asbab al-Ikhtilaf, p. 68, 70) He said at another place: “Indeed these four codified and refined madhhabs have united the ummah, or those who are noteworthy from them, on the permissibility of taqlid of them, to this day of ours. In this are interests that are not hidden, especially in these days in which aspirations are very shunted and souls are given to desire and every holder of an opinion is impressed by his own opinion.” Although the mujtahid jurists were widespread in every region of the Muslim regions, it was the will of Allah (Exalted is He) that no madhhab would be codified with a total composition in the way the madhhabs of the four jurists were codified, and their affiliation to them was mass-transmitted, and their pupils who studied them and examined them and drew corollaries from them overflowed. Such a thing did not happen to the other madhhabs. Shaykh Wali Allah al-Dihlawi (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) said: “In sum, adopting the madhhab of the mujtahids is a secret that Allah (Exalted is He) inspired to the ‘ulama’, and He united them upon it, whether consciously [on their part] or unconsciously.” (al-Insaf, p. 73) This is why the ‘ulama’ said that it is obligatory for the non-mujtahid to do taqlid of one of these four madhhabs, and not do taqlid of a madhhab besides them. Imam al-Nawawi (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) said: “He does not have the option of adopting the madhhab of any of the imams of the Sahabah (Allah be pleased with them) and other than them from the early ones, although they were more learned and of a higher rank than those after them, because they did not devote themselves to codifying knowledge, and delineating its principles and its branches, as none of them have a refined, codified and approved madhhab. Only those who came after them took up this [task] from the Imams affiliated with the madhhabs of the Sahabah and the Tabi‘in, who began to lay out the laws of outcomes before their occurrence, and who set out to elucidate their principles and their branches, like Malik, Abu Hanifah, and others.” (al-Majmu‘ Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, 1:55) Al-Munawi transmitted from Hafiz al-Dhahabi (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on them) that he said: “It is necessary for us to believe that the four Imams, the two Sufyans, al-Awza‘i, Dawud al-Zahiri, Ishaq ibn Rahwayh, and all the Imams, were upon guidance, and no attention is paid to those who speak against them with what they are free from. The truth in accordance with the majority is that the one who is right in the corollaries is one, and Allah (Exalted is He) has a sign in what He has decreed, and that the mujtahid is given the responsibility of finding it, and that the one who misses it is not sinful, but is rewarded. Thus, the one who is right has two rewards, and the one who errs has one reward. Yes, if the mujtahid is deficient [in his knowledge], he is sinful, by agreement, and [it is necessary] for the non-mujtahid to do taqlid of a specific madhhab…but it is not permissible to do taqlid of the Sahabah and likewise the Tabi‘in, as stated by Imam al-Haramayn, of all whose madhhab has not been codified, so taqlid of other than the four [imams] in judicial decree and fatwa is prohibited, because the four madhhabs have spread and have been codified, such that the conditions of their absolutes and the specifications of their generalities are clear; as distinguished from [madhhabs] besides them due to the extinction of their followers. Imam al-Razi (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) transmitted consensus of the verifiers on the prohibition of laypeople doing taqlid of individuals from the Sahabah and their elders.” (Fayd al-Qadir by al-Munawi, 1:210) Shaykh Wali Allah al-Dihlawi (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) said in another place: “Know that there is great welfare in adopting these four madhhabs, and in turning away from all of them is great corruption, and we will explain that with reasons…” (‘Iqd al-Jid, p. 53) He said in another place: “So when an ignorant person is in the lands of India or the lands of Transoxiana, and there is no Shafi‘i, Maliki or Hanbali scholar there, and no book from the books of those madhhabs, it is necessary for him to do taqlid of the madhhab of Abu Hanifah, and it is forbidden for him to leave his madhhab, because by doing so he will release [himself from] the noose of the Shari‘ah and will remain aimless and without purpose; as distinguished from the situation where one is in the two Harams, because there it is easy for him to know all the madhhabs. It is not sufficient for him to adopt [the opinions of the madhhab] by speculation and without assurance, nor to take from the tongues of the commoners, nor to take from an unknown book, all of which are mentioned in al-Nahr al-Fa’iq Sharh Kanz al-Daqa’iq.” (al-Insaf fi Bayan Asbab al-Ikhtilaf, pp. 77-8) It is apparent from all of this that the objective is adherence to what has come of the laws of the Shari‘ah in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and that it is not usually easy for a non-mujtahid to derive these laws by himself, either because he is unable to understand them, or because the texts hold more than one meaning, or due to the apparent contradiction of evidences, so he relies on the opinion of a mujtahid whose opinion he has trust in over other than him, or the opinion of a mujtahid whose madhhab is well-known in his land. This is adoption of a madhhab (tamadhhub) or individual taqlid (al-taqlid al-shakhsi). However, adopting a specific madhhab is not negated by a learned scholar – who has insight into the evidences of the laws in an issue from the issues – adopting the opinion of another madhhab, not on the basis of whim, but on the basis of a stronger evidence that appears to him. Based on this, many of the jurists of the Hanafis issue fatwa in many issues according to an opinion that opposes the opinion of Imam Abu Hanifah (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him), as they did in the issue of cropsharing (muzara‘ah), and taking payment for teaching the Noble Qur’an, and in the issue of a person duped [in a monetary transaction] having the option [to cancel the deal] and other well-known issues. This is due to what our ‘ulama’ have stated explicitly that taqlid of a specific Imam is not a ruling of the Shari‘ah per se, but it is only a fatwa that was issued in order to regulate the affairs of religion, and to avoid what was feared in not doing so, of the corruptions of playing [with the religion] and following desires. I heard my father ‘Allamah Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) relate numerous times the statement of Shaykh al-Hind Imam Shaykh Mahmud al-Hasan (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him): “Indeed taqlid of a specific madhhab is not a ruling of the Shari‘ah per se, but it is a fatwa that was issued in order the regulate the religion by means of it.” Imam Shaykh Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) said in one of his sermons: “Thus, we do not believe that individual taqlid is mandatory or obligatory in itself, but we say that the affairs of religion are regulated by individual taqlid, and there is chaos in abandoning taqlid.” (Khutbat Hakim al-Ummat, 6:172) From the corollaries of this viewpoint is that whenever there is safety from following desires, there is no harm in adopting that which is stronger in evidence for a scholar that is qualified to examine the evidences. Imam Faqih Shaykh Rashid Ahmad al-Gongohi (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) said: “Indeed the jurists banned the laypeople from non-individual taqlid (which is taqlid of a madhhab in one issue and another in another issue) for the reason of these [corrupt consequences]. However a scholar who is safe from these corrupt consequences, it is permissible for him to exercise non-individual taqlid even today, with the condition that he does not cause confusion and chaos thereby amongst the commoners.” (Tadhkirat al-Rashid, 1:132) He said in another place: “The upshot is that when it is established that this ruling from our Imam goes against the Book and Sunnah, it is necessary for every believer to leave it, and no one will deny this after it becomes clear, but how is it possible for laypeople to verify this matter?” The teacher of our teachers, Imam Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him), explained this matter with extreme moderation and balance, so there is no harm in citing his statement with his wording followed by its Arabic translation: Just as rejecting taqlid is deserving of censure, extremism and rigidity therein is also deserving of condemnation. It has preceded that a mujtahid is not imitated with the belief that he is the lawgiver and bringer of laws, but he is only imitated with the belief that he is a clarifier of the laws and an elucidator of the legislations and one who reveals the intent of Allah (Exalted is He) and the Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace). This is why taqlid is only acted upon when a matter negating that belief or eliminating it does not arise. Thus, if it is clear to a scholar with depth of insight, perception of mind, fairness of temperament, by his investigation, or to a layperson through the medium of that scholar by the testimony of his heart – with the condition that he is fearful [of Allah] (muttaqi) – that the stronger [position] in this issue is another opinion, it will be examined if there is any possibility for the permissibility of acting on the weaker position based on the evidence of the Shari‘ah or not? If there is scope there, and it is feared that in publicising the disagreement there will be tribulation and confusion amongst the commoners, it is better in such a situation to act on the weaker position, to save the common Muslims from division. This is proven by what ‘A’ishah (Allah – Exalted is He – be pleased with her) narrated, she said: “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: ‘Do you not see that your people, when they [re-]built the Ka‘bah, they were deficient in [building it on] the foundations of Ibrahim?’ So I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Will you not return it to the foundations of Ibrahim?’ So he said: ‘If it were not for the recentness of your people in disbelief, I would have done [so].’” The Six transmitted it besides Abu Dawud. So despite building the Ka‘bah on the foundations of Ibrahim (upon him peace) being superior, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) opted for the weaker option, for fear of tribulation and confusion, because this weaker option was permissible in the Shari‘ah, even if weak…Likewise it is narrated from Ibn Mas‘ud (Allah – Exalted is He – be pleased with him) that he prayed four (meaning, in travel), so it was said to him: “You criticise ‘Uthman [for praying four in travel], and then you prayed four?!” He said: “Dissention is evil.” Abu Dawud transmitted it. So despite it being stronger according to Ibn Mas‘ud (Allah – Exalted is He – be pleased with him) to shorten [the prayer] in travel, he prayed it in full to avoid dissention and evil. Apparently, he believed in the validity of that also, so by this what we mentioned – that if the weaker option is permissible, opting for it is better to avoid tribulation and confusion – is strengthened. However, if the weaker option does not allow for permissibility, rather it necessitates the omission of an obligation or the performance of a prohibition, and it has no evidence besides analogy, and there is an explicit authentic hadith for the stronger side, it is necessary to act on the hadith without hesitation, and taqlid is not permissible in this situation at all, because the foundation of religion is the Noble Qur’an and the Sunnah, and the objective of taqlid is nothing besides acting on them with ease and safety. So when the harmony between them [i.e. taqlid and acting on the Qur’an and Sunnah] is negated, it is necessary to act on the Qur’an and Sunnah, and rigidity on taqlid in such a situation is the taqlid on which censure has occurred in the Qur’an and Sunnah and the statement of the ‘ulama’. Thus it is narrated from ‘Adiyy ibn Hatim (Allah – Exalted is He – be pleased with him), he said: “I came to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), and I heard him recite: ‘They have taken their rabbis and their monks as gods beside Allah’ (9:31) He said: ‘They would not worship them, but when they made anything halal, they considered it halal, and when they made anything haram, they made it haram.’” Al-Tirmidhi transmitted it. And the practice of the Salaf and the verifiers has always been that whenever it appears to them that their opinion or the opinion of another goes against the command of Allah (Exalted is He) or His Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) they renounce it immediately, as is narrated from Numaylah al-Ansari (Allah be pleased with him), he said: Ibn ‘Umar (Allah – Exalted is He – be pleased with them) was asked about eating hedgehog, so he recited: “Say: I do not find, in what has been revealed to me, anything prohibited for anyone who eats” [to the end of] the verse (6:145). So a shaykh next to him said: I heard Abu Hurayrah say: Hedgehog was mentioned before the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace), and he said: “An impurity from the impurities,” so Ibn ‘Umar said: “If the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said this, it is as he said, as we did not know.” Abu Dawud transmitted it. The ‘ulama’ of the Hanafis also remained on the practice of this principle, so they left the opinions of their Imam in a number of issues, and by this it becomes clear to every fair person that what some people accuse them of, of fanaticism and rigid taqlid, is a clear error which resulted from looking at the transmissions without understanding…However, it is not permissible, despite abandoning taqlid in this issue, to attack the honour of the mujtahid by lengthening the tongue against his respected self or holding a bad opinion in the heart that he abandoned an authentic hadith, because it is possible that that hadith did not reach him, or it reached him with a weak chain, or that hadith was interpreted by him with an indication of the Shari‘ah. So he is excused. And vilifying the perfection of their knowledge due to being unacquainted with that hadith falls under the totality of lengthening the tongue against them because it is established that some hadiths did not reach some of the senior Sahabah regarding whose perfect knowledge there is no doubt, and that was not considered a deficiency in their perfection. Thus it is narrated from ‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) in the story of the seeking of permission by Abu Musa (Allah – Exalted is He – be pleased with him) the statement of ‘Umar (Allah – Exalted is He – be pleased with him): “This command of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was hidden to me. Trading and markets distracted me.” Al-Bukhari transmitted it. Likewise when a muqallid of that mujtahid, his breast has not expanded in that issue, and he thinks – due to good opinion of the mujtahid – that his opinion does not go against the hadith, so he continues to do taqlid of him in that issue due to this opinion, and he does not reject the authentic hadith, but he does not understand the agreement of his Imam with that authentic hadith in detail, it is not permissible to blame that muqallid, because he is also adhering to evidence of the Shari‘ah, and he does not aim but adherence to the Shari‘ah; and likewise it is not permissible for that muqallid to condemn that scholar who left taqlid in that issue due to the aforementioned reason, because this variation of theirs is akin to the variation which occurred amongst the Salaf and on which the ‘ulama’ said: “Indeed our madhhab is correct – probabilistically – with the possibility of being incorrect, and the madhhab of others is incorrect – probabilistically – with the possibility of being correct.” So when the other side has the possibility of being correct also, how can it be permissible, because of that, to declare any [of them] misguided, or to declare him a sinner, or to accuse him of bid‘ah, or Wahhabiyyah, and cause envy, rancour, obstinacy, dissension, backbiting, insult, abuse, vilification and curse which are absolutely forbidden?! Yes, the man who opposes the majority of the Muslims in their beliefs or in matters that are agreed-upon, or he extends his tongue with respect to the righteous Salaf, he is out of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa l-Jama‘ah, because the Ahl al-Sunnah wa l-Jama‘ah are those who tread the path of the Sahabah, and these matters go against their beliefs, so this man is outside of the Ahl al-Sunnah and included within the people of innovations and passions. And similar is the man who is extreme in his taqlid whereby he rejects the Qur’an and hadith because of it. So it is necessary to avoid and stay clear of these two men while shunning the well-known debates. This is the balanced truth. Anything besides it is error and excess. O Allah! Show us the truth as truth and grant us adherence to it, and show us falsehood as falsehood, and grant us avoidance of it. (al-Iqtisad fi l-Taqlid wa l-Ijtihad, pp. 84-9) It is clear from this that adopting a specific madhhab and doing taqlid of a mujtahid is not [done] but to arrive at what is established from the rulings of the Shari‘ah from the Book and Sunnah for those who are not able to reconcile between contradictory evidences. This is why the ‘ulama’ have clearly stated that there is no need for taqlid in creed and rulings that are stated explicitly, like the obligation of Salah, fasting, Zakah and Hajj, and the prohibition of wine, swine, usury, lying, deception and treachery, from the rulings in which there is no room for ijtihad, and the texts on them do not hold more than one interpretation. (See al-Dhakhirah by al-Qarafi, 1:148) Likewise, adopting a madhhab does not mean the ‘ulama’ of that madhhab do not go against the opinion of their Imam in any of the issues. From this is what is narrated from Imam al-Tahawi – and he was a Hanafi in madhhab – that he said: “Abu ‘Ubayd ibn Harbawayh would revise rulings with me. So I answered him one day regarding an issue, and he said to me: ‘This is not the opinion of Abu Hanifah.’ Thereupon, I said to him: ‘O Qadi! Do I take everything Abu Hanifah said?’ He said: ‘I did not think you but a muqallid.’ I said to him: ‘Does any do taqlid besides a fanatic?’ He said to me: ‘Or an idiot.’ Then this statement flew across Egypt until it became a proverb.” That which al-Tahawi (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) intended was that adopting a specific madhhab does not negate that a scholar like al-Tahawi adopts an opinion besides the opinion of his Imam in an issue, otherwise he will be a fanatic. From this, it becomes clear that taqlid has [four] levels: 1. The first level is the taqlid of the layperson who does not have knowledge of the Qur’an and Sunnah, nor mastery of the sciences derived from them. Those who graduate from the seminars (madaris) and religious universities and have not acquired an ability by which they are able to compare between juristic opinions in light of the Book and Sunnah are included amongst them. The ruling of these [people] is that they adhere to the madhhab of a specific Imam, and they do not adopt [anything] besides the opinions of their Imam, because the opinion of their Imam is a proof with respect to them, and they do not have the right to assess whether the opinions of their Imam are against the Book and Sunnah by their mere opinion, because that which is necessary for such an assessment is not available to them. 2. The second level is the taqlid of the learned scholar, who, although he has not reached the level of complete ijtihad, but because of the expanse of his knowledge of the sciences of the Qur’an and Sunnah, and his mastery in the madhhab of his Imam, and his extensive experience of jurisprudence and fatwa with skilled teachers, he acquired a strong ability to inspect the evidences of the jurisprudential rulings. Although such a scholar does taqlid of his Imam in most of the chapters of jurisprudence, nonetheless, when he finds an opinion of his Imam against a clear text and he does not find, despite his lengthy investigation, anything that contradicts that text, it is permissible for him to leave the opinion of his Imam because of that clear text, as we have mentioned previously from the statement of Imam Shaykh Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanawi (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him). Likewise, when such a scholar feels that in the madhhab of his Imam in an issue from the issues there is a severe crisis, and that there is a widespread need to avert this crisis by opting for another juristic madhhab from the four followed madhhabs, it is permissible for him to issue fatwa or act on the opinion of another mujtahid besides his Imam, just as the Hanafis did in the issue of the wife of a lost man and other [issues], as will come – if Allah (Exalted is He) wills – in its place. However, the most precautious [route] in this age in the issues in which there is a widespread affliction is that a man does not act independently in such issues with his individual opinion; rather, he consults other ‘ulama’, and he does not issue a general fatwa except after acquiring the agreement of a body of firmly-grounded scholars. 3. The third level is the taqlid of a mujtahid in the madhhab, and he is the one who, although he is a muqallid of his Imam in the principles, nonetheless, he has acquired a degree of ijtihad in the peripherals or in the jurisprudential cases (nawazil). The scholars of extraction (takhrij) and assessment (tarjih) and the mujtahids in jurisprudential issues (masa’il) are included in this as will come – if Allah (Exalted is He) wills. 4. The fourth level is the taqlid of an absolute mujtahid, because although he is independent in deriving the laws of the Shari‘ah from the Book and Sunnah, but he has no alternative but to [exercise] a degree of taqlid, which is tfhat he examines the statements of the Salaf from the Sahabah and Tabi‘in, and holds to them in the explanation of the rulings of the Qur’an and Sunnah. And at times there is no clear text from the Book and Sunnah, but there is a statement from one of the Sahabah or Tabi‘in, so he gives it preference over his personal opinion. This is just as Abu Hanifah (Allah be pleased with him) often adopted the opinion of Ibrahim al-Nakha‘i, and al-Shafi‘i the opinion of Ibn Jurayj, and Malik the opinion of one of the seven jurists of the Illuminated City. ‘Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim (Allah – Exalted is He – have mercy on him) said about the absolute mujtahid: “His ijtihad does not negate his taqlid of other than him at times, for you will not find any of the Imams, but he is a muqallid of one who is more learned that him in some rulings. And indeed al-Shafi‘i (Allah have mercy on him and be pleased with him) said in a place of Hajj: ‘I said this doing taqlid of ‘Ata’.’” (I‘lam al-Muwaqqi‘in 4:179) Usul al-Ifta’ wa Adabuh, Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, pp 61 – 84 1.“Pre-emption” (shuf‘ah) refers to the right of a partner with a share in a property or a neighbour to cancel a purchase made on the property to a third party so he can have the first choice to buy it. There is disagreement whether a neighbour enjoys this right, although it is agreed that a partner with a share in the property does. [↩] http://www.deoband.org/2012/07/general/taqlid-and-ijtihad/the-issue-of-taqlid-and-adopting-a-madhhab/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-issue-of-taqlid-and-adopting-a-madhhab

Assalaamu 'alaykum Please note Use of the translation of the Qur'an by Yusuf Ali is not allowed. The Majlis Ulema of South Africa has published a book called "Errors of Yusuf Ali" and they have listed 16 major mistakes of his in translation and commentary. When posting any Qur'anic verses or Commentary please mention the Author, book, website etc. as the source otherwise it will be removed. Jazaakumullaah.

Respected Members, Please accept our apologies but if you had pictures in your avatars, you will find that they have been removed. Please respect Forum Rules and pick avatars without pictures of humans, animals etc. Jazaakumullah

A misconception about the Tafsir of Qur'an By Mufti Taqi Usmani The tafsir (exegesis or interpretation) of the noble Qur'an is an extremely delicate and difficult undertaking for which getting to know the Arabic language alone is not enough. In fact, it is necessary to have expertise in all related branches of knowledge. Therefore, scholars say that a mufassir or commentator of the Qur'an 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 Qur'an unless there be that adequacy in these fields of knowledge. It is regretable that a dangerous epidemic has overtaken Muslims lately whereby many people have started taking the sole reading ability of Arabic sufficient for the tafsir (interpretation) of the Qur'an. As a result, anyone who gets to read ordinary Arabic starts passing out opinions in the domain of Qur'anic exegesis. Rather, it has been noticed on occasions 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 Qur'an following their whims, 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 Qur'an, not even feeling shy of criticising commentators of great stature. It should be understood very clearly that this is a highly dangerous pattern of behaviour 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 go on to study books of medical science, he 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 person in this world would accept him as an engineer. The reason is that this technical expertise cannot be acquired simply by learning the English language. It would, rather, need 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 Qur'an 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 given arts and sciences will not be considered trustworthy. If that is so, how can the Qur'an and the Sunnah become so unclaimed a field of inquiry that there be no need to acquire expertise of any art or science in order to explain them, and anyone who so wishes starts passing out opinions in this matter? Regarding "Allah has made the Quran easy": Some people say that the Qur'an has itself stated that: 'And surely We have made the Qur'an easy for the sake of good councel’ (Surah-Qamar) And since the noble Qur'an is a simple book, its explanation hardly needs much of a support from any art or science. But this argument is terribly fallacious, which is, in itself, based on lack of intellect and plenty of superficiality. The fact is that the verses of the Qur'an are of two kinds. Firstly, there are the verses that offer general good counsel, relate lesson-oriented events and introduce subjects dealing with taking of warning and acting on sound advice. Examples of this are the mortality of the world, the accounts of Paradise and Hell, the discourses likely to create the fear of God and the 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, it was said that 'We have made them easy'. Hence, the word "Liddhikri" (for the sake of good counsel) in the verse itself is pointing out towards this meaning. Contrary to this, the other kind consists of verses which include injunctions, laws, articles of faith and intellectual subjects. Understanding verses of this kind as they should be rightfully understood and deducing and formulating injunctions and rulingsfrom them cannot be done by just any person unless one has the insight and permeating reach into the Islamic areas of knowledge. The approach of Sahaba regarding the Quran: This is why the noble Companions [Radhi Allahu anhum], whose mother-tongue was Arabic, and they did not have to go anywhere to get trained into understanding Arabic, used to spend long periods of time in learning the Qur'an from the Holy Prophet [SAWS] . 'Allamah al-Suyuti has reported from Imam Abu 'Abd al-Rahman Sulami that the Companions,.who formally learned the Qur'an from the Holy Prophet SAWS such as Sayyidna 'Uthman ibn 'Affan and 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud and others, have told us that, after having learnt ten verses of the Qur'an from the Holy Prophet SAWS , 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 these verses. They used to say: “We have learnt the Qur'an, knowledge and action all in one”. (al-Itqan 2/176) Consequently, as reported in Mu'atta' of Imam Malik, Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar [RA].; spent full eight years memorizing Surah al-Baqarah alone and, as in the Musnad of Ahmad, Sayyidna Anas [RA].; says that 'one of us who would learn Surah al-Baqarah and Surah al-'Imran had his status enormously raised among us.' (Ibid) Worth noticing is the fact that 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 having very long qasidah poems perfectly committed to their memories with the least of effort, why would they need, just to memorize the Qur'an and understand its meanings, as long a time as eight years, and that too, for mastering one Surah? The only reason for this was that proficiency in the Arabic language was not enough to have a learning of the noble Qur'an and areas of knowledge bearing on it. In order to do that, it was also necessary to seek the benefit of the teaching and the company of the Holy Prophet [sAWS] . Now this is so obvious that the noble Companions inspite of having an expertise in the Arabic language and notwithstanding their being direct witnesses to the revelation, still needed the process of going through formal education at the feet of the blessed master in order to become the 'alims of the Qur'an, how then, after all these hundreds of years following the revelation of the Qur'an, just by cultivating an elementary familiarity with Arabic, or by simply looking at translations, can anyone claim to having become a commentator of the Qur'an? What a monsterous audacity and what a tragic joke with knowledge and religion! The warning of the Prophet [sallallahu alaihiwasallam]: People who opt for such audacity should remember well that the Holy Prophet [sAWS]has warned: “Whoever says anything about the Qur'an without knowledge, then he should make his abode in Hell.” (Abu Daw'ud, as in al-Itqan, 2/179) And he has also said: “Whoever talks about the Qur'an on the basis of his opinion, and even if says something true in it, still he made a mistake.” (Abu Daw'ud, Nasa'i)

Young man: If she can lie to her own dad, sneak out and meet you according to plan, then why cant she lie to you, sneak out and meet another man? Young lady: He kept you hidden from his own mom and dad right? So how hard is it to keep another girlfriend hidden from your sight? Nikah or Nothing!!

A REAL hero doesn't make drama. A REAL hero makes nikah.

Islamic New Year Resolution - Nikah or Nothing! My heart is too precious, too valuable, only the King of All Kings can be in my heart. Its nikah or nothing. This is my new year resolution, it will always be my resolution, my motto, my song, will always be nikah or nothing.

No eye contact, no gazing. No conversations, no smiles. No exchanging numbers, no texting. No chatting, no messaging. No random meet ups, no lunch dates. No movies, no group dinners. No lies to parents about whereabouts, no accidental run ins. No dating, no physical contact, no touching. My heart isn’t cheap. Its either a Nikah or its Nothing! From FususAlHikam's blog (sunniforum)

Black Seed has over 1400 years history of use. Many ancient books and text suggest the following traditional uses for Black Seed. But please note, that these should not be understood as cures or treatments for any disease or illness. For Cough and Asthma Apply Black seed oil to the chest and back. Mix a teaspoon of Black seed oil in Boiling water and inhale the vapor twice a day. Take half a teaspoon of Black seed Oil daily in the morning. Cystic fibrosis Massage the chest with black seed oil, and drink a mixture of one teaspoon black seed oil with a teaspoon pure honey, morning afternoon and evening. Diabetes Mix a cup of whole black seeds, a cup of Water Cress Seeds (Mustard seed can be used as an alternative), half a cup of pomegranate peel and half a cup of fumitory. Grind the mixture to powder. Take half a teaspoon of the mixture together with a teaspoon of black seed oil daily before breakfast for one month. Diarrhea Mix a teaspoon of black seed oil with a cup of yogurt. Drink the mixture twice a day until symptoms disappear. Dry Cough A teaspoon of black seed oil should be mixed in coffee and taken twice a day. Rub the chest and back with black seed oil. Eye disease & impaired vision Rub the eyelids and the sides of the eye orbits half an hour before going to bed with black seed oil. A tablespoon of the oil should also be drunk with a cup of carrot juice. Results should be apparent in one month, insha Allaah. Facial paralysis & tetanus Inhaling the vapor of black seed oil and hot water can help against facial paralysis and tetanus, and eliminates their causes, insha Allaah. Flu & nasal congestion Placing three to four drops of black seed oil in each nostril relieves nasal congestion and head cold distress. Gall stones & kidney stones Prepare a formulation of 250g of ground black seed & 250g pure honey, stir thoroughly before use. Take two tablespoons of this formulation and mix thoroughly with half a cup of hot water. Finally add one teaspoon of black seed oil. This mixture is to be taken every morning before consuming any food. Remember: A teaspoon of black seed oil mixed in a glass of orange juice with breakfast makes you active all through the day. A teaspoon of black seed oil mixed in a hot drink after supper gives you a quiet sleep all through the night. Diseases and their cure inshallah Asthma, Bronchial & Respiratory problems Mix a tablespoon of black seed oil in coffee. Take twice daily. Rub chest with black seed oil every night and inhale the vapor of black seed oil in hot water. Backache & other kinds of rheumatism Mildly heat a small amount of black seed oil and then stroke the rheumatic area intensely. A teaspoon of oil should also be drunk three times daily. Beard growth Massage the beard area with black seed oil ensuring that the oil penetrates to the roots, this stimulates the growth of the beard and prevents premature hair graying. Breast feeding (increase the flow of breast milk) Prepare a mixture of 250g black seeds & 250g pure honey, stir thoroughly before each dosage. Take two tablespoons of this formulation mixed with one teaspoon of black seed oil daily. Common cold symptoms and nasal congestion Firstly fry whole black seeds, then finely grind them into powder. Soak this in black seed oil and any vegetable oil. Place three to four drops in each nostril (N.B. this will cause excessive sneezing). For Hypertension Take half teaspoon of Black seed oil with any hot drink at any time. Take 2 lobes of garlic on empty stomach. Apply Black seed oil to your whole body and expose it to the sun every three days, continue the treatment for a month. For Heart complaints & Constriction of Veins Take half teaspoon of black seed oil mixed with any hot drink daily in the mornings, this will liquefy the fats and widen the veins and arteries. Inflammation of the Nose and throat Put a few drops of oil in to a cup of boiling water and inhale the vapor. Take half a teaspoon of black seed oil with lemon juice daily. For Headache and Ear ache Apply black seed oil to the forehead, sides of face adjacent to the ears and behind the ears. Take half teaspoon of Black seed Oil and continue for about 3 days. For Loss of Hair & premature Graying. Scrub the scalp thoroughly with lemon, leave it for 15 minutes, wash away with water and shampoo and dry well, thereafter apply Black seed oil to the whole scalp, continue for a few weeks. For Eye infection, Pain and Weak sight. Apply Black seed oil around the eyes and on the eye lid before going to sleep. Take half a teaspoon Black seed oil mixed with carrot juice. For weak sight continue treatment. For Backache and Rheumatic pain Warm Black seed oil slightly and apply to the area thoroughly as you are massaging the bone, not the skin and drink half teaspoon Black seed oil for 15 days. For Vomiting Take half teaspoon of fresh ginger juice mixed with equal amount of Black seed oil, twice a day. For toothache Mix a half teaspoon of Black seed oil with warm water and gargle the mouth and apply oil on the affected tooth, it will alleviate pain quickly.

Mahfouz and El-Dakhakhny, prominent Egyptian researchers isolated the active principle nigellone from Black Seed's essential oil in 1959. There are over 100 different chemical components in the seed. Nigella and melatin are two ingredients in Black Seed that contribute greatly to its highly diversified powers. These substances work together to provide the digestive benefits that have been revered in Black Seed. They also promote cleansing and assist with overall eliminating action. Two of the most volatile oils found in Black seed are nigellone and thymoquinone which were fist discovered in the herb in 1985. Nigellone offers both anti-spasmodic and bronchodilating properties which contribute to Black Seed's potency against respiratory ailments. It also acts as an antihistamine which helps to reduce the negative symptoms of allergy sufferers. Thymoquinone contains excellent anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. It is also a strong anti-oxidant and helps cleanse the body of toxins. Both nigellone and thymoquinone work in conjunction with one another to enhance Black Seed's action against respiratory ailments. It also provides a healthy alternative to the more commonly prescribed cortisone based therapies used by allergy sufferers. Black seed provides a rich supply of polyunsaturated fatty acids. These ingredients play a key role in daily health and wellness. They help to regulate the metabolism, carry toxins to the skin's surface for elimination, balance insulin levels, regulate cholesterol, improve body circulation, and promote healthy liver function. A deficiency in polyunsaturated fatty acids can lead to a wide number of health problems including nervous system disorders, uninhibited growths, and skin diseases. Black seed contains over 100 valuable nutrients. It is comprised of approximately 21% protein, 38% carbohydrates, and 35% plant fats and oils. The active ingredients of black seed are nigellone, thymoquinone, and fixed oils. Black seed also contains significant proportions of protein, carbohydrates and essential fatty acids. Other ingredients include linoleic acid, oleic acid, calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin B2, niacin, and vitamin C. A 1994 study conducted in London by King's College revealed that Black Seed has properties that inhibit certain enzymes, which also inhibit the production of certain prostaglandins. This is more proof that the rich and complex combination of elements found in Black Seed work together for a total effect. Black Seed has over 1400 years history of use. Many ancient books and text suggest the following traditional uses for Black Seed. But please note, that these should not be understood as cures or treatments for any disease or illness.

With it (water) He produces for you corn, olives, date palms, and grapes and every kind of fruit: Verily in this is a sign for those who give thought (Quran, S: 16 A: 11). Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Apostle saying "There is healing in Black Cumin for all diseases except death." Muslims have been using and promoting the use of the "Black Seed" or "Al-habbat ul Sawda" for hundreds of years, and hundreds of articles have been written about it. Black seed has also been in use worldwide for over 3000 years. However, many Muslims do not realize that black seed is not only a prophetic herb, but it also holds a unique place in the medicine of the Prophet. Black seed is mentioned along with many other natural cures in the Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Mohammad [sAW]) and in the Qur'an. However, many herbs and natural cures in the Hadith and Qur'an are simply "mentioned" briefly, leaving the bulk of the descriptive narrative up to later Islamic scholars such as Ibn Sina or Ibn Rushd. It is unique in that it was not used profusely before the Prophet Mohammad made it's use popular, and it is one of the few herbs that is described in great detail in the Hadith with recipes and instructions on usage actually being found in the Hadith themselves. Last, but not least, black seed has been studied by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Although there were more than 400 herbs in use before the Prophet Mohammad and recorded in the herbals of Galen and Hippocrates, black seed was not one of the most popular remedies of the time. Because of the way Islam has spread, the usage and popularity of black seed is widely known as a "remedy of the Prophet". In fact, a large part of this herbal preparation's popularity is based on the teachings of the Prophet. The Prophet not only mentioned the usefulness of black seed in his teachings, but also gave specific instructions on how to prepare the seed for medical use. In conclusion, black seed is mentioned so prominently in these writings, all eminent and famous hakims of the past and present have written on the medicinal benefits and healing properties of "kulunji." In fact, since it was made popular in the Seventh Century, there has not been a period in Muslim history when the use of it was ever stopped. At all times the seed was utilized with the belief and faith that benefits will be derived from practicing the Holy Prophet's Sunnah. http://somalidoc.com/smf/index.php?topic=691.0

A Cure For Every Disease, Pain and Ailment (By Allah's Permission) What is cupping (hijama)? Cupping (hijama) is the best remedy recommended and used by the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam). The Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Indeed the best of remedies you have is cupping (hijama)…" [saheeh al-Bukhaaree (5371)]. He (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) also said that on the night of Israa (his ascension to the heavens) he (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) did not pass by an angel except that it said to him, "Oh Muhammad, order your Ummah (nation) with cupping (hijama)." [saheeh Sunan Tirmidhee (3479)]. This shows the importance and greatness of this Sunnah. 'Hijama' in arabic is derived from 'hajm' which means 'sucking'. Cupping (hijama) is the process of applying cups to various points on the body by removing the air inside the cups to form a vacuum. Cupping (hijama) is of three types: Dry cupping (hijama) - This is the process of using a vacuum on different areas of the body in order to gather the blood in that area without incisions (small, light scratches using a razor). Dry massage cupping (hijama) – This is similar to dry cupping (hijama) but olive oil is applied to the skin (before applying the cups) in order to allow easy movement of the cups. 70% of diseases, pains and ailments are due to the blood being unable to reach certain parts of the body. Dry cupping (hijama) and dry massaging cupping (hijama) allow the blood to reach these places. Dry and massage cupping (hijama) may be self-administered in the comfort and privacy of your own home. Each cupping (hijama) box is accompanied by an instruction booklet. We have also provided further instructions on our 'How To Cup' page. Dry and massage cupping (hijama) may be administered any time of the day, any day of the week or month. There are no restrictions. Wet cupping (hijama) - This is the process of using a vacuum at different points on the body but with incisions in order to remove 'harmful' blood which lies just beneath the surface of the skin. (It is recommended that wet cupping (hijama) is only administered by a cupping therapist). We will run cupping (hijama) courses for wet cupping (hijama) inshAllah. Please join our FREE newsletter and we will keep you updated inshAllah. Wet cupping (hijama) may only be administered at certain times of the day and days of the week. Please see our 'Authentic Narrations' page for further details. Is cupping (hijama) a cure for every disease? Cupping (hijama) is a cure for every disease if performed in its correct time. The Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Indeed in cupping (hijama) there is a cure." [saheeh Muslim (5706)]. The Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Whoever performs cupping (hijama) on the 17th, 19th or 21st day (of the Islamic month) then it is a cure for every disease." [saheeh Sunan Abi Dawud (3861)]. There are specific points on the body where the cups are applied for each ailment. Is cupping (hijama) from the Sunnah? Above are just some of the authentic narrations which show that cupping (hijama) is from the Sunnah of the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam). Please see our 'Authentic Narrations' page for more authentic narrations about cupping (hijama). The Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Whoever revives a Sunnah from my Sunnah and the people practise it, s/he will have the same reward of those who practise it without their reward diminishing…" [sunan ibn Maajah (209)]. Authentic Narrations About Cupping (Al-Hijama) Cupping (Hijama) Is The Best Of Remedies Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Indeed the best of remedies you have is cupping (hijama)…" [saheeh al-Bukhaaree (5371)]. Abu Hurairah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "If there was something excellent to be used as a remedy then it is cupping (hijama)." [saheeh Sunan abi Dawud (3857), Saheeh Sunan ibn Maajah (3476)]. The Angels Recommending Cupping (Hijama) Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "I did not pass by an angel from the angels on the night journey except that they all said to me: Upon you is cupping (hijama), O Muhammad." [saheeh Sunan ibn Maajah (3477)]. In the narration reported by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allaah be pleased with him) the angels said, "Oh Muhammad, order your Ummah (nation) with cupping (hijama)." [saheeh Sunan Tirmidhee (3479)]. Cupping (Hijama) Is A Prevention Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Whoever wants to perform cupping (hijama) then let him search for 17th, 19th and 21st and let none of you allow his blood to rage (boil) such that it kills him." [saheeh Sunan ibn Maajah (3486)]. Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "When the weather becomes extremely hot, seek aid in cupping (hijama). Do not allow your blood to rage (boil) such that it kills you." [Reported by Hakim in his 'Mustadrak' and he authenticated it and Imam ad-Dhahabi agreed (4/212)]. In Cupping (Hijama) There Is A Cure And A blessing Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Healing is in three things: in the incision of the cupper, in drinking honey, and in cauterizing with fire, but I forbid my Ummah (nation) from cauterization (branding with fire)." [saheeh al-Bukhaaree (5681), Saheeh Sunan ibn Maajah (3491)]. Jaabir ibn Abdullah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Indeed in cupping (hijama) there is a cure." [saheeh Muslim (5706)]. Ibn Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Cupping (hijama) on an empty stomach* is best. In it is a cure and a blessing..." [saheeh Sunan ibn Maajah (3487)]. * 'alaa ar-reeq in arabic means to fast until after being treated with cupping. Once the treatment of cupping has been completed, one may eat and drink. Cupping (Hijama) In Its Time Is A Cure For Every Disease Abu Hurairah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Whoever performs cupping (hijama) on the 17th, 19th or 21st day (of the Islamic, lunar month) then it is a cure for every disease." [saheeh Sunan abi Dawud (3861)]. The Best Days For Cupping (Hijama) The best days for cupping (hijama) are the 17th, 19th and 21st of the Islamic month which coincide with Monday, Tuesday or Thursday. Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Whoever wants to perform cupping (hijama) then let him search for 17th, 19th and 21st…" [saheeh Sunan ibn Maajah (3486)]. Ibn Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Cupping (hijama) on an empty stomach* is best. In it is a cure and a blessing. It improves the intellect and the memory. So cup yourselves with the blessing of Allaah on Thursday. Keep away from cupping (hijama) on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to be safe. Perform cupping (hijama) on Monday and Tuesday for it is the day that Allaah saved Ayoub from a trial. He was inflicted with the trial on Wednesday. You will not find leprosy except (by being cupped) on Wednesday or Wednesday night." [saheeh Sunan ibn Maajah (3487)]. Ibn Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Cupping (hijama) on an empty stomach* is best. It increases the intellect and improves the memory. It improves the memory of the one memorising. So whoever is going to be cupped then (let it be) on a Thursday in the name of Allaah. Keep away from being cupped on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Be cupped on a Monday or Tuesday. Do not be cupped on a Wednesday because it is the day that Ayoub was befallen with a trial. You will not find leprosy except (by being cupped) on Wednesday or Wednesday night." [saheeh Sunan ibn Maajah (3488)]. * 'alaa ar-reeq in arabic means to fast until after being treated with cupping. Once the treatment of cupping has been completed, one may eat and drink. As for the Islamic day and night, the night enters before the day. So at sunset on Tuesday, Wednesday night comes in. Cupping (hijama) is best performed during the daytime between the adhaan of fajr and the adhaan of maghrib because yawm in arabic means daytime. The Sunnah days for cupping (hijama) every month are when the 17th or 19th or 21st of the lunar month coincide with a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday. These are the best and most beneficial days for cupping (hijama). If one is not able to be cupped on 17th, 19th or 21st (coinciding with Monday, Tuesday or Thursday) then any Monday, Tuesday or Thursday of the month. Cupping (Hijama) May Be Used For: Headaches Salma (may Allaah be pleased with him), the servant of the Messenger of Allaah (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Whenever someone would complain of a headache to the Messenger of Allaah (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam), he (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) would advise them to perform cupping (hijama)." [saheeh Sunan abi Dawud (3858)]. Magic Ibn al-Qaiyum (may Allaah have mercy on him) mentions that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) was cupped on his head when he was afflicted with magic and that it is from the best of cures for this if performed correctly. [Zaad al Ma'aad (4/125-126)]. Poison Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that a Jewish woman gave poisoned meat to the Messenger of Allaah (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) so he (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) sent her a message saying, "What caused you to do that?" She replied, "If you really are a Prophet then Allaah will inform you of it and if you are not then I would save the people from you!" When the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) felt pain from it, he (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) performed cupping (hijama). Once he travelled while in Ihram and felt that pain and hence performed cupping (hijama). [Ahmed (1/305) the hadeeth is hasan (good chain with all the paths)]. Strengthening One's Intelligence And Memory Ibn Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, "Cupping (hijama) on an empty stomach* is best. In it is a cure and a blessing. It improves the intellect and the memory. So cup yourselves with the blessing of Allaah on Thursday. Keep away from cupping (hijama) on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to be safe. Perform cupping (hijama) on Monday and Tuesday for it is the day that Allaah saved Ayoub from a trial. He was inflicted with the trial on Wednesday. You will not find leprosy except (by being cupped) on Wednesday or Wednesday night." [saheeh Sunan ibn Maajah (3487)]. * 'alaa ar-reeq in arabic means to fast until after being treated with cupping. Once the treatment of cupping has been completed, one may eat and drink. Dislocation/Bruising Jaabir ibn Abdullah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) fell from his horse onto the trunk of a palm tree and dislocated his foot. Waki' (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, "Meaning the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) was cupped on (his foot) for bruising." [saheeh Sunan ibn Maajah (2807)]. Cupping (Hijama) While fasting Or In The State Of Ihram Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) was cupped on his head for a unilateral headache while he was in Ihraam. [saheeh al-Bukhaaree (5701)]. Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) was cupped while he was fasting. [saheeh al-Bukhaaree (5694)]. Areas of Cupping (Hijama) Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) was treated with cupping (hijama) three times on the two veins at the side of the neck and the base of the neck. [saheeh Sunan abi Dawud (3860), ibn Maajah (3483)]. Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) was cupped on his head. [saheeh al-Bukhaaree (5699)]. Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) used to cup his head and would call it (the place at the top of the head) "Umm Mugheeth." [saheehah (753), Saheeh al-Jaami' (4804)]. Jaabir ibn Abdullah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) was treated with cupping (hijama) on his hip for a pain in that area. [saheeh Sunan abi Dawud (3863)]. Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) was treated with cupping (hijama) when he was in Ihram, on the top of his foot, for a pain in that area. [saheeh Sunan abi Dawud (1836)]. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, "Cupping (hijama) under the chin is beneficial for pain in the teeth, face and throat, if it is performed in its proper time. It purifies the head and the jaws. Cupping (hijama) on the top of the foot is a substitution for the puncturing of the Saphena, which is a large vein in the heel. It is beneficial for treating ulcers that occur on the thighs and calves, the interruption of menses and skin irritation on the testicles. Cupping (hijama) at the bottom of the chest is beneficial for the treatment of sores, scabies and mange on the thighs. It helps against gout, hemorrhoids, elephantiasis and itchiness on the back." [Zaad al-Ma'aad, 4/58]. Cupping (Hijama) For Women Jaabir ibn Abdullah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) asked permission from the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) to be treated with cupping (hijama). So the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) ordered Abu Teeba (may Allaah be pleased with him) to cup her. Jaabir ibn Abdullah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, " I think he (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said that Abu Teeba (may Allaah be pleased with him) is her brother through breastfeeding or a young boy who didn't reach puberty". [saheeh Muslim (5708), abu Dawud (4102), Saheeh ibn Maajah (3480)]. Source

SIWAK An Oral Health Device (Preliminary Chemical and Clinical Evaluation) By Dr. M. Ragaii El-Mostehy, Dr. A.A.Al-Jassem, Dr. I.A.Al-Yassin, Dr.A.R; El-Gindy and Dr. E. Shoukry Kuwait A variety of oral hygiene measures have been performed since the dawn of time. This has been verified by various excavations done all over the world, in which toothpicks, chew sticks, tree twigs, linen strips, birds' feathers, animal bones and porcupine quills were recovered 1. Those that originated from plants are tasty twigs and although primitive they represented a transitional step towards the modern toothbrush. It has been stated that about seventeen plants could be enumerated as natural sources for several of these oral hygiene devices 2. The most widely used tree twigs since early times is the ..Siwak" or ..Miswak" 3 .The stick is obtained from a plant called Salvadore Persica that grows around Mecca and the Middle East area in general. It is widely used among Muslims after Prophet Mohammed ( pbuh ) realised its value as a device which should be used by Muslims to clean their teeth. In this respect our Prophet ( pbuh ) is considered the first dental educator in proper oral hygiene. Although there is no reference to the use of Siwak in Al-Quran, yet several quotations could be read in the compendium of the sayings of Mohammed ( pbuh ) as to the benefits of Siwak in mouth cleanliness. One saying reads as follows: "IF IT WERE NOT TOO MUCH A BURDEN ON THE BELIEVERS, I WOULD PRESCRIBE THAT THEY USE THE SIWAK BEFORE EACH PRAYER". Several anecdotes6, incidents, and rules of ethics in using Siwak were mentioned in various references talking on the subject of cleanliness of the mouth. Salvadora Persica is in fact a small tree or shrub with a crooked trunk, seldom more than one foot in diameter, bark scabrous and cracked, whitish with pendulous extremities. The root bark is light brown and the inner surfaces are white, odour like cress and taste is warm and pungent. Chemically the air dried stem bark os S. Persica is extracted with 80% alcohol and then extracted with ether and run through exhaustive chemical procedures. This showed that it is composed of: 1 .Trim ethyl amine 2. An alkaloid which may be salvadorine 3. Chlorides 4. High amounts of fluoride and silica 5. Sulphur 6. Vitamin C 7. Small amounts of Tannins, saponins, flavonoids & sterols PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT INVESTIGATION: Because of the great quality of oral cleanliness noticed in individuals who use Siwak as the sole device to brush their teeth and because of the low incidence of dental decay of those individuals this work was undertaken. It is intended to study the following: 1 .The mechanical ability of Siwak as a cleaning device to the mouth and its ability to rid the mouth of bacterial plaque (aggregates harmful to the gum) 2. If Siwak is powdered and used with a toothbrush, could it act as an efficient mouth cleaner? 3. As compared to other strongly abrasive toothpowder's, could Siwak rank as highly efficient as to the used material? Discussion Oral hygiene and patient motivation towards a clean mouth owe their birth to the teachings of Mohammed (pbuh). Due to the repeated use of Siwak during the day, the users showed an unusually high level of oral cleanliness. It is a well known fact that plaque formed immediately after meticulous tooth brushing. By the end of 24 hours the plaque is well on its way towards maturation and hence starts its deleterious effects on the gingiva 8. Proper oral hygiene should be maintained through intensive instructions by the periodontist as well as by a great expenditure of time and dexterity on part of the patient. This item is self corrected in Muslims because Siwak users take Siwak as a device that should be used as part of their religious ritual regimen. The results obtained in this investigation have proved that Siwak and other tree twigs 9 could act as an effective tool in removing soft oral deposits. It could be even used as an effective device in preventive dental programme's in mass populations. The indices used in this investigations were simple and adequate as they discriminated between experimental stages as well as between experimental groups. Using starch is not quite accurate but it was meant to evaluate the degree by which Siwak and powdered Siwak could rid teeth of deposits as compared to the best abrasive viz. commercial powder. It is noticed that the difference between first and fifth week of the mean score of plaque percentage for powdered Siwak is the highest (-11.2%) of all readings. This indicates that powdered Siwak is used with t mechanically proper device i.e. tooth brush will give a great deal of oral cleanliness. It has been reported that Salvadora Persica contains substances that possess antibacterial properties Some other components are astringents, detergents and abrasives 8. Those properties encourage some toothpaste laboratories to incorporate powdered stems and/or root material of Salvadora persica in their products (Beckenham U.K. Sarakan Ltd.). Although the commercial powder gave a high degree of efficiency in plaque removal yet its use over the experimental period gave a high score of gingivitis percentage within the group using the powder. It is time that plaque eradication is essential but this should not be on the expense of deleterious side effect on other tissues. It could be concluded that Siwak and powdered Siwak are excellent tools for oral cleanliness. Because of its availability in this part of the world, being inexpensive and readily adopted by Muslims as part of their religious regimen, it is highly recommended in implementing a preventive dental health program Islamic countries. Also recommendations should be directed to manufacturers of toothpastes to include the powdered form of Siwak in a highly debriding sophisticated toothpaste. http://www.missionislam.com/health/siwak.htm

Their allies deceived them) like Shaitân (Satan), when he says to man: “Disbelieve in Allâh.” But when (man) disbelieves in Allâh, Shaitân (Satan) says: “I am free of you, I fear Allâh, the Lord of the ‘Alamîn (mankind, jinns and all that exists)!” So the end of both will be that they will be in the Fire, abiding therein. Such is the recompense of the Zâlimûn (i.e. polytheists, wrong-doers, disbelievers in Allâh and in His Oneness, etc.). (Al-Hashr 59:16-17) This true story can be related to the above Quranic verse, There were three brothers from Bani Israel who were called upon to go on Jihad. These three brothers had a sister who did not have any one else to be taken care other that by them. They did not know under whose care could they leave the young woman. Then they thought that the most reasonable place to leave her was with the Abid (worshipper) because he was the most trusted man in town. Barsisa, the Abid was a man who used to be in a monastery devoted to worship of ALLAH. So they went to him and said, ” We are being enlisted to go on Jihad and we want to leave our sister with you. We trust no one in town but you.” Barsisa replied “Audhu billah, get away from me.” This was an Abid who was not married and he did not want to deal with these problems. The brothers said, “We have no where else to leave our sister but with you. We don’t trust anyone else.” So Shaytan came to Barsisa and said, “If u don’t accept, she might be left with somebody who might not be trustworthy.You have to step-up and take this responsibility.” So Barsisa told the brothers, “Leave her in the empty house.” (which was seperate from the monastery where he was staying). The brothers then left her there and went on Jihad. After that, Barsisa the Abid used to leave food at his doorstep and the young woman had to come out of her house and walk all the way to take the food from his doorstep. Barsisa never used to leave from his monastery. Barsisa had never met her and they were not seeing each other. Days passed by like this. One day, Shaytan came to Barsisa and said, “Somebody might see her when she is walking out. So rather than have her leave from her house. You need to carry it and leave at her doorstep.” So he started leaving the food at her doorstep. This happened for many days. Again one day, Shaytan came to Barsisa and said, “You can’t just leave the food at her doorstep. Somebody might see her when she opens the door and she is very beautiful. You would have to take the food and leave it inside her room.” So Barsisa would go and knock on the door. She would open and he would walk inside and leave the food there. That continued for a while. Then again one day Shaytan said, “You can’t leave this poor woman alone without giving her any company. Nobody is speaking to her. So she may be feeling very lonely and that might lead to haram. So why don’t you go and talk to her from behind the door.” Barsisa liked the idea and so for a while he would sit outside and just talk to her for HOURS. Slowly and slowly the relationship was building up and Shaytan was finding it easier to drag him to the next step. Shaytan then came and said, “You can’t just sit there talking to her, people might see you. You need to go inside, just sit in another room without looking at her and talk to her.” So for sometime that is what he did. Slowly she started getting closer to him and everytime they got more and more close to the extent that eventually he comitted zina (fornication) with her. So the Abid, the worshipper who devoted his life to service in the monastery comitted zina. Because of that, she became pregnant and delivered a boy. Then Shaytan came to Barsisa and said,”Now when the brothers come back and find out that their sister has a child you are going to be in big trouble. The only way for you to put an end to this issue is to kill the baby.” Barsisa followed the advice of Shaytan and killed the child. But it didn’t end there. Shaytan came to him and said, “Do you think that this woman will keep the secret after you kill her own child? The only way out is to kill her.” So Barsisa killed her and burried both mother and child in a certain location inside the house. Later the brothers came back and inquired about their sister. Barsisa gave some reason and said, “She had passed away and this is where she is burried.” Saying that he pointed to a false grave. Then Shaytan went to the brothers and made them see a dream. In that dream they were told that Barsisa killed their sister and the proof was that she was burried in a different location (i.e. under the rock inside the house). When the brothers woke up they started talking to each other and found out that they all had seen the same dream. They thought that there must be some truth in it. So they went and uncovered the grave which Barsisa had pointed to and found it empty. Then they went inside the house and found the rock as mentioned in the dream. On digging underneath the rock they found their sister’s dead body along with that of the child. So they went to Barsisa and forced him to disclose the secret of what happened. He went ahead and told them the whole story. The three brothers took Barsisa to the king’s court and he was given punishment of execution. While Barsisa was being dragged to his execution spot, Shaytan came to him and said, “Listen Barsisa I am Shaytan and it was me who was in communication with you since this whole thing started and not your inner thoughts. Now I can get u out of this trouble if you want. I am the one who put you in this trouble in the first place and I can get u out of it.” Barsisa asked, “What should I do?” Shaytan said, “Do sujood to me and I will save you.” Barsisa did sujood to Shaytan (i.e. committed shirk) and as soon as he did so, Shaytan ran away and Barsisa was executed. Taken from Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki’s lecture set “Hereafter” Original Context of this story can be found here Final word... Such is the deception of Shaytaan. Praise be to Allah, who Gives the Muslimeen safe haven from fitaan, with the different alternatives we have been given. And when Allah ta’ala has granted us the ability to leave off this fitnah, let us not willingly plunge ourselves into potentially harmful situations. For, ultimately we put our own emaan to the test. And shall we have yaqeen [certainty] with our level of emaan, knowing that it fluctuates, increasing at times and decreasing at others? No, for Allah Knows Best that which shall come to pass. The example is brought before us, of a pious man, who fell into sin and was deceived by Shaytaan. And indeed the ma’asiyah [sin] shall touch those who are pious if they lower their shield of taqwa. So inshaaAllah, when the fitaan is present, let us remember Allah ta’ala, fear Him with the fear that He is deserving of us and distance ourselves from it. O mankind! Be afraid of your Lord (by keeping your duty to Him and avoiding all evil), and fear a Day when no father can avail aught for his son, nor a son avail aught for his father. Verily, the Promise of Allâh is true, let not then this (worldly) present life deceive you, nor let the chief deceiver (Satan) deceive you about Allâh. (Luqman 31:33) http://www.islamicinformation.net/2008/06/barsisa-worshipper-deception-from.html

HIS JUSTICE AND IMPARTIALITY Allah Ta’ala says in the Qur’aan; “We have sent down to you The Book [The Qur’aan] in truth that you may judge between men as guided by Allah.” In another Ayah, Allah Ta’ala says, “Then by the oath of your lord, they are not believers until they make you judge in all disputes between them, thereafter they find no resistance in their souls against your decision and they accept them with the fullest conviction.” Justice and impartiality were qualities attached to Nabi sallallaahu 'alayhi wasallam and recognised by his most vicious enemies. Rabee’ ibn Khuthaim relates, “Even prior to Nubuwat people would approach Nabi sallallaahu 'alayhi wasallam with their disputes for him to adjudicate.” Five years prior to Nubuwat, the Quraish decided to reconstruct the Ka’ba. When they were faced with the decision of who would have the honour to replace the Hajre Aswad they disputed till they reached the point of bloodshed. Eventually after several days Abu Umayyah ibn Mugheerah suggested that the first person to enter the Masjidul Haraam the following day should be selected as a judge. All parties agreed. The following morning all of them eagerly assembled at the Haram to find that Muhammad Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam was the first to arrive. They exclaimed with delight and pleasure, “This is Muhammad the Trustworthy, we are pleased with his verdict.” Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam found a peaceful solution. He asked for a sheet on which he placed the Black Stone and asked the chief of each tribe to hold the sheet and raise it to the correct height. Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam himself placed the stone in its place. Hind Ibn Abu Haalah relates, “The whole creation was equal to him as far as rights were concerned.” ‘Aa’isha radiyallaahu ‘anhaa relates, “The Quraish were grieved by a woman named Fatimah who was implicated for theft. They decided on a person who would intercede on her behalf to Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam. They decided that none besides Usamah ibn Zaid who was the beloved of Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam had the courage to intercede. Hence Usamah spoke to Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam. He responded, “Do you intercede regarding the HUDOOD [shar’ee punishment].” Thereafter Nabi sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam stood up and delivered a sermon in which he said, “Certainly those before you were destroyed because when the noble among them would steal they would redeem them and when the weak would steal they would implement the Shar’ee punishment. By Allah, if Fatimah bint Muhammad [my daughter] would steal I would cut off her hand.” CONCLUSION The beautiful Akhlaaq of our beloved Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam is the most perfect example for all of mankind as nowhere can such an example be found. He was ornamented with peerless attributes of perfection. No wonder to be like that for he was brought up, educated and taught (the Qur’an) by Allah. Those who knew him were fascinated and enchanted by him. They were ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of saving a nail of his from hurt or injury.

HIS TRUST AND RELIANCE IN ALLAH Hadhrat Anas radiyallaahu ‘anhu relates, “Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam did not store anything for the next day.” NOTE: Nabi sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam fed people with whatever he possessed until all his possessions were exhausted. He did not keep back anything in anticipation that he would need it the next day. ‘Umar radiyallaahu ‘anhu relates, “Once a destitute person approached Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam to fulfil his need. Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam replied, “I do not possess anything at present. Go and purchase something on my behalf and when I receive goods I will repay the debt.” ‘Umar radiyallaahu ‘anhu remarked, “You have already given away whatever you possessed. Allah Ta’ala has not imposed upon you that which is beyond your means.” Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam became annoyed with ‘Umar’s statement. Thereupon a person from the Ansaar said, “O Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam, spend whatever you wish, and do not fear any abatement from the Lord of the Throne.” Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam smiled and happiness could be seen on his face because of the Ansari’s statement. Thereafter he said, “I have been commanded to do this.” Bilal [radiyallaahu ‘anhu]was once asked, “How did Rasulullaah spend in charity?” He replied, “Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam did not hold back anything, till the end I was responsible for the distribution of his alms. It was his noble habit that when a person accepted Islam and he was unclothed, Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam would command me to clothe him. I would obtain a loan to purchase clothing and food for that person. Once a polytheist came to me and said, “I have a lot of wealth, loan whatever you need from me.” I began taking loans from him. Once after performing Wudhu and preparing to call out the Adhaan, I saw that polytheist approaching with a few merchants. Upon seeing me he said, “O Habshi.” I replied, “Here I am, at your service.” He became abusive and cynically asked, “How many days are left for the end of the month?” I replied, “The month has nearly come to an end.” He responded, “Four days remain. If you do not repay your loans by then, I will enslave you in lieu of the debt. You will graze sheep as you had done before.” Bilal continued, “What would become of a person as a result of such threats. I was overtaken by his statement.” That evening, after Isha, I came to Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam and narrated the entire incident to him. Thereafter I said, “There is no way of paying this debt in such a short time, neither of us have any possessions. I will go into hiding. Once the debt is repaid I will come out, otherwise that polytheist will disgrace me.” Before Fajr a person came running to me and informed me that Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam has called for me. On entering, Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said, “Allah Ta’ala has made a means for the repayment of your debt. These four camels, laden with gifts, have been sent by the ruler of Fadak. I repaid the debt in full that morning and informed Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam that Allah Ta’ala has freed him from debts. Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam inquired, “Is there anything left over from the gifts.” I replied, “Yes, a little.” Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam responded, “Distribute it so that I may be at ease.” That evening there remained a little yet to be distributed. After Isha, Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam once again inquired about the distribution to which I replied, “Still a little remains as the needy has not yet arrived.” Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam spent the night in the Masjid without going home. The following day, after Isha, Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam once again inquired, whereupon I replied, “Allah Ta’ala has freed you of its responsibility all the goods has been distributed. Thereupon Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam thanked Allah Ta’ala and went home

HIS BRAVERY & COURAGE Anas said: "One night the people of Madinah felt alarmed. People went out hurriedly towards the source of sound, but the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam had already gone ahead of them. He was on the horseback of Abu Talhah which had no saddle over it, and a sword was slung round his neck, and said to them: ‘There was nothing to be afraid for.’” (Bukhari) ‘ Ali’s radiyallaahu ‘anhu courage and bravery is well known. He relates, “When the battle would become furious and the eyes of the warriors become red [out of anger] we would take shelter behind Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam. None would be closer to the enemy than him.” In the Battle of Hunayn part of the enemy, known for their archery, took up their positions in the hills surrounding the valley through which the Muslims passed. As they advanced, the Muslims were met with showers of arrows from all sides while the main portion of the enemy attacked them from the front. The new converts to Islam could not resist the fierce attack of the enemy. They retreated, causing untold confusion on the battle field. Regarding this incident a person asked Bara ibn Aazib, “Did you people retreat leaving Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam?” He replied, “Yes, but Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam did not retreat. I saw him on his white mule. Abu Sufyaan was holding its reins and Nabi sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam was saying, “I am a Nabi not an imposter [in another narration], I am the son of Abdul Muttalib.” Hadhrat Abbas [radhiyallahu anhu] describes the above in the following words, “The Muslims retreated, but Nabi sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam raced his mule forward towards the Kuffar while I held its reins and Abu Sufyaan its stirrups.

HIS GENORISTY & CHARITY Jaabir radhiyallaahu ‘anhu relates, “Nabi sallallaahu ‘alayh wasallam did not refuse anything for which he was asked.” NOTE: Commenting on the above Hadith, Hafidh Ibn Hajar rahmatullaahi ‘alayhi states, “Whenever a person would ask Nabi sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam for something which he possessed, he would immediately hand it over, if he was not in possession of anything he would not explicitly refuse, he would either remain silent or offer an excuse in polite words or make Du’a for the one who asks.” Anas radiyallaahu ‘anhu relates, “A person once asked Rasulullah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam for the number of goats that will fill a valley between two mountains. Nabi sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam gave him that many goats. The person returned to his people and said, “O my people, accept Islam, by Allah, Muhammad gives so much that he does not fear poverty.” Hasan radiyallaahu ‘anhu relates, “A beggar came to Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam. Nabi sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said, “Sit down, Allah will grant something.” A little while later a second and thereafter a third beggar came. Nabi sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam]seated the three of them. At that instance a person came and presented Nabi sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam with four Awqiya of silver. He distributed three among the three beggars and announced regarding the fourth, but nobody came forward to receive it. At night Nabie sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam kept it at his head side. ‘Aa’isha radiyallaahu ‘anhaa noticed that Nabie sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam could not sleep. He would get up, perform Salaah and lie down. She inquired, “Is something disturbing you O Rasool of Allah ?" He replied, “No.” She then inquired, “Then is there any command of Allah that has been revealed which causes you concern.” He replied “No.” She once again asked, “Then why do you not rest?” Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam removed the piece of silver and said, “This is the cause of my restlessness. I fear that this remains while death comes to me.

HIS RENUNCIATION OF THE WORLD Rasulullaah’s sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam renunciation and rejection of the world was not in any way imposed upon him in that he had no option. In reality it was by choice. The following Ahadith indicate that Allah Ta’ala had offered Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam all the wealth one may desire yet the master of both the worlds sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam preferred to remain without it to the extent that Anas radhiyallaahu ‘anhu states, “Nabi sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam departed from this world while his armour remained pawned by a Jew and he did not possess sufficient wealth to release it.” Abu Umamah radhiyallaahu ‘anhu relates that Rasulullaah sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam said, “I swear by that Divine Personality in whose control is my life, if I desired, the mountains of Madinah would have turned into gold and followed me. But I do not like being so wealthy.” Ibn Abbas radhiyallaahu ‘anhu relates, “The Quraish said to Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam, “Beseech your Lord to turn Mount Safa into gold for us. Should it become gold we will follow you. Nabi sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam submitted to Allah. Jibraeel appeared saying, “Allah conveys Salaam to you and said, “If you so desire, Mount Safa will turn into gold then I will punish those who commit Kufr [thereafter] with a penalty as I have not inflicted on any one among all the people; and if you desire I will open for them the doors of repentance and Mercy.” Rasullullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam replied, “Nay, I desire the doors of repentance and mercy.” ‘Aa’isha radhiyallaahu ‘anhaa relates, “Never did Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam eat to his fill and never did he complain of his starvation. He loved destitution more than affluence. On certain occasions hunger would ward away his sleep yet this would not prevent him from fasting the following day. If Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam desired he could have asked Allah Ta’ala for all the treasures and fruit of this world and all the comforts of life this world has to offer. I would cry when I would see him in this condition and I would rub my hand on his stomach because of the pangs of his hunger. I would say “May I be sacrificed for you, if only you would accept that much that would give you strength.” He would reply, "O ‘Aa’isha, what relationship do I have with the world? My brothers of the resolute Messengers persevered in more severe conditions than this; they departed from this world in that condition and appeared in the presence of Allah Ta’ala. Allah Ta’ala honoured them and increased their reward manifold. I find myself bashful to desire affluence and become inferior to them tomorrow [in the Hereafter]. There is nothing more beloved to me than meeting my brothers and bosom friends

HIS HUMOUR Our beloved Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam enjoyed humour. On some occasions he himself would make humorous remarks however, even in humour, he always spoke the truth. He smiled often but it was not his habit to laugh out loud. His Companions followed his example and refrained from bursting into laughter in an amusing situation. His remarks cheered the audience but never made the meeting a place of fun and frolic. His assembly always remained a place of learning, understanding and spiritual fulfilment. A wonderful example of this is the amusing episode of Zaahir, a bedoin tribsman. He was a close companion of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam. Once, while he was selling his wares in the market of Madinah, Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam passed by. He saw Zaahir so absorbed in his work that he was unaware of his surroundings. Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam sneaked up from behind and hoisted him aloft. “Who is it?” cried Zaahir, twisting and turning in the strong grasp, in vain to see who it was that held him. Then he heard Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam shout, “Here is a young boy for sale! A young boy for sale! Who wants him?” At this, Zaahir laughed and replied, “O Rasulullaah, whoever buys a slave like me will end up a loser!”

HIS FORBEARANCE & TOLERANCE During the Battle of Uhud, the disbelievers made a ferocious attack on the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam and his tooth was broken and his cheek and forehead were injured. This distressed his Companions. They said, “Why do you not curse them, O Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam? He replied, “I have not been sent as a curser but as a guide and a mercy.” He then submitted, “O Allah, forgive my people for they do not know.” He did not invoke curses upon them but rather he sought Allah’s forgiveness on their behalf. His compassion is further exposed by the fact that he referred to them as “My people” and he offered an excuse in the Grand Court of Allah that they were ignorant. Anas radhiyallaahu ‘anhu relates, “Once we were with Rasulullah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam. He wore a sheet with a course edge. A bedouin pulled the sheet so viciously that it wrinkled the surface of his shoulder and said, “O Muhammad, load for me goods on these two camels from the goods of Allah and not from your or your father’s possession.” The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam remained silent. After a while he said, “You will be requited, O bedouin, for what you have done to me.” The bedouin replied, “No, you do not retaliate evil with evil.” At this our Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam smiled and directed that one camel be loaded with barley and the other with dates.” ‘Aa’isha radhiyallahu ‘anhaa relates, “I have not witnessed Rasulullah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam retaliating any injustice caused to him so long as it did not concern the sacred laws of Allah Ta’ala. He did not strike anything with his blessed hand except while waging Jihad in the path of Allah nor did he lift his hand on any slave or woman.” ‘Aa’isha[radhiyallaahu ‘anhaa said, “Rasulullah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam did not take revenge against anyone in matters regarding himself. However when the sacred laws of Allah were being violated, he would retaliate only for the pleasure of Allah and in consideration of His laws.” Rasulullaah sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam said: “I have been subjected to harm (and suffering) in the cause of Allah, as no one else had been.” The brutal tortures and relentless persecutions reached such levels that the pathway of Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam was secretly laden with thorns, refuse and the intestines of animals was flung at him. He and his group of devout companions were denied a home, denied food, water and medicine for three years. The cry of infants and children echoed through the valleys of Arabia

HIS FEAR, OBEDIENCE & WORSHIP OF Allah In reality, every movement and stillness of Rasulullah salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam is an act of worship. Both his speech and silence are remembrance of Allah Ta’ala. Hadhrat Abu Dharr radhiyallaahu ‘anhu relates that Rasulullah[salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said, “By Allah, if you know what I know you will laugh less and cry more and you would not derive pleasure from your wives. You will emerge onto the streets supplicating to Allah, “Verily I desire to be a tree that has been cut down." NOTE: Allah Ta’ala says in the Qur’aan, “Let then laugh a little, and much will they weep.” [9:82] Commenting on this ayah, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ood radhiyallahu ‘anhu has stated, “This world is but a few days, let them laugh as much as they desire. When the world comes to an end and they appear in the presence of Allah Ta’ala they shall begin to cry endlessly.” ‘Abdullah ibn Shikheer radhiyallahu ‘anhu relates, “I went to Rasulullah salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam while he was performing Salaah. The sound like that of a boiling pot emitted from his chest because of his weeping.” Ataa ibn Abi Rabah radhiyallahu ‘anhu relates, “I once asked 'Aisha radhiyallahu ‘anhaa to inform me about the most admirable action of Rasulullaah salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam. She replied, “Which action of Rasulullaah salallahu ‘alayhi wasallam was not admirable? One evening Rasulullah salallahu ‘alayhi wasallam returned home and shared my sheet. A little while later he said, “Give me permission so that I may worship my Creator.” Rasulullah salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam stood up, performed Wudhu and engaged himself in Salaah. He began weeping (in Qiyaam] until the tears flowed onto his Mubarak chest. He performed Ruku and then Sajda while the tears continued to flow. He stood up for the second Rakaah still weeping. He persisted in this condition all night till Bilal called him for the Fajr Salaah.” Rasulullaah salallahu ‘alayhi wasallam wept because of MUHABBAH [profound love] for Allah Ta’ala. On certain occasions Rasulullah salallahu ‘alayhi wasallam wept out of benevolence for the deceased or out of anxiety for his Ummah. Ibn Abi Halah relates, “Rasulullah salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam was perpetually grieved and in persistent contemplation. Leisure was not his lot.” NOTE: Rasulullah’s salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam grief, anxiety and apprehension pertained to Deen, the Hereafter, and the condition of the Ummah and not to this material world

HIS HUMBLENESS Visiting the poor and the sick, helping the needy and the destitute, attending the funeral prayers etc were some of his habits. He did not feel he was above accepting the invitation of a slave or riding a donkey. He sat among his friends as if he was an ordinary person and one of them. ‘Aisha said that he used to repair his shoes, sew or mend his clothes and do what ordinary men did in their homes. Anas ibn Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) relates, “Rasulullah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam would visit the sick, attend the Janaza Salaat (funeral prayers), ride on a donkey, and accept the invitation of a slave. During the campaign of the Banu Quraiza he rode a donkey with a rein and saddle of palm fibres” (Shamaaile Tirmidhi) Despite his being the most honoured and virtuous creation of Allah ta’ala he did not find it to be below his dignity to visit the sick and despite this fact he did not show any disparagement in riding a donkey even though it was regarded as an inferior mode of conveyance to a horse. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) relates, “ Rasulullah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam accepted invitations in which bread made of barley and stale fat was served.” Note that fat smells when it becomes stale and the nature of the food to be served can be ascertained by the host’s status yet knowing the menu did not deter him from accepting the invitation

Allah subhaanahu wata’ala has blessed man with the external form which is the physical body as well as the internal or inner spiritual form. When beauty is inculcated in the internal dimension of man he/she will attain honour. This internal character forms one of the most important aspects of one’s Deen. Our beloved Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said, “A Muslim, by virtue of his excellent character, is elevated to the ranks of one who throughout his life, spend the entire night in worship and fasts during the day.” (Abu Daawood) For us there can be no better example than the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam since he was sent as a guide and an example to the entire world. Allah subhaanau wata’ala says, “Indeed, in Rasulullah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam is a beautiful example for you” (Ahzaab: 21 ) The following articles have been compiled from: The Noble Akhlaaq of Rasulullaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasalla – by Mawlana A.S. Chohan

How fortunate were the Sahaabah who saw our Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam and spent time in his company observing his every action! Since Islam forbids picture making there are no pictures of Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu’alayhi wasallam, however, we have been blessed with a complete record of not only his teachings and practices but also of his appearance. ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) gave a descriptive account of the physical appearance of our beloved Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam as did many other Sahaabah. The following is a compilation from “The Life of Perfection” by Abidullah Ghazi – IQRA’ International Educational Foundation. Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam was neither very tall nor very short, but was of average height. He was not of a heavy build. His face was somewhat round. He had a red and white complexion. His pupils were dark black and his eyelashes long. His eyebrows were thin and unconnected; between them was a vein which appeared when he was displeased with something. He had a sharp, high luminous nose. His beard was thick and luxuriant, cheeks smooth, mouth wide, teeth small and separated from one another. His neck was distinguished looking. His hair was neither very curly nor was it very straight, though it had some waviness in it. He would part the hair if it parted easily otherwise he allowed it to stay as it was. When his hair was long it reached the upper lobes of his ears. The bones of his joints were strong and heavy. The space between his two shoulders was soft and fleshy. His body was moderate, proportionate and well built. He had wide shoulders and his bones were well set. The upper part of his body radiated when it was without clothes. A thin line of hair ran between his chest and navel. When he walked he lifted his legs with power, as if descending from a higher to lower level. His feet touched the earth softly. He walked fast and took long steps. His perspiration emitted a fragrance sweeter than musk. Between his shoulders was the Seal of Prophethood. ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “He always had a smiling countenance. When he listened to someone, he gave his full attention. He had the most generous heart, most truthful tongue and most sweet temperament, and this kind-hearted person belonged to the noblest family. Whoever saw him unexpectedly was awed and whoever became acquainted with him fell in love with him. Whoever wishes to describe him can only say: ‘I have not seen anyone like him.’” Jabir bin Sumurah said that he saw him on a full-moon night and he compared him with moon and found that he was brighter and more luminous than the moon. Al-Bara’ said, “He had the most handsome face and the best character “ ‘Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) would frequently say “The women cut their hands off when they were enchanted and captivated by the beauty of Yusuf alayhissalaam. Had they seen my beloved, they would have cut out their hearts.” muftisays NTI