Jihaadi Nasheed

The onlookers are seeing that the Muslim society in the West experiencing tribulations and pressures from every direction, especially when an individual begins to hold on to his Deen. We know that many allegations will be thrown at the practicing Muslim, as it has been foretold by our Prophet (pbuh). Some allegations thrown at Muslims, makes one laugh while others makes one cry. I recollect one controversial issue that occurred during my university days – which caused me to write this post – where an individual’s life was made very difficult because he reverted to Islam, and because of the sudden changes people saw in his appearance and character.

Many individuals that lives in the West, and then enters in the circle of being a ‘practicing Muslim’ may have noticed certain trends as to how a person is in their early days of ‘practicing Islam’, what interests them, what they go through in the initial stages etc. This individual may go through certain oft-repeated steps and phases initially, before this Muslim matures in his Deen over the years. One of the things I happen to notice, from many individuals, friends and family – the listening of nasheed, especially those individuals who were heavily entrenched in listening to music during their jahiliyyah; whose lives were revolved around music. So the nasheed was an alternative form of entertainment for them, from the lyrics of R‘n’B, Hip-Hop and the likes of them.

The word nasheed in Arabic means raising the voice when reciting verses and making the voice sound beautiful and gentle. The word nasheed is the singular and the plural of it is anaasheed. The true Islamic anaasheed does not contain lamella phone instruments, string instruments, or wind and brass instruments. The only instrument commonly allowed is the duff, which is a small hand drum, similar in size to a tambourine, but lacking bells. Anaasheed are popular throughout the Islamic world. The material and lyrics of anaasheed usually make reference to Islamic beliefs, history, and religion, as well as current events – in general.

It is nothing strange for an individual that had started practicing Islam to listen to anaasheed even if it happens to be ‘jihaadi’ anaasheed. What is strange in the face of a Muslim, perhaps even non-Muslims, when these anaasheed are labeled as “incitement for extremism” and the person who listens to it is labeled as “extremist”– whether these accusations are from government officials or ignorant Muslims, which has been witnessed and experienced.

Firstly, what needs to understood is that Arabic anaasheed is not effortlessly understood by even the lay-Arabs because of the rich and deep usage of Arabic Language in them. Some of the anaasheed are in the form of poetry, which makes it even harder to be understood. Hence, if it is difficult for a lay-Arab to understand such anaasheed, then it is even harder for a person with little Arabic background. I recall some years ago, asking some individuals (non-Arabs) who studied abroad for a year or so to translate a few phrases of a nasheed but it was very difficult upon them. If this is the reality of anaasheed, then how much understanding will a newly practicing person have of such anaasheed who does not have background in the Arabic language – which are most individuals in the West? The answer is, very little or even nothing. Anaasheed has become like a culture amongst newly practicing Muslims, call it the “nasheed culture” if you like. So if these ‘jihaadi anaasheed’ was sending out so called ‘messages’- it simply will not be understood!

Secondly, even if it was understood, by listening to it – is it logical to accuse that person of being extreme? The answer is obviously no. Lets strike an example from the music industry to illustrate this point which these people fail to perceive: ‘Gangster Rap’ music often includes many foul lyrics about raping, killing, shootings, revenge attacks on other gangs, fornication etc. Now if an individual listens to such jargon, can this person be accused of rape, murder and etc without any evidence simply because this individual listens to it? Obviously not – the same is applied for the individual who listens to anaasheed.

Finally, the listeners find anaasheed as a source of relaxation and entertament to pass time, and an alternative to all the haraam music that promotes evil and the following of lusts and desires. So such allegations are obviously false.

As Muslims, listening to anaasheed which are halaal, should not be a justification or a mean for us to be far from listening to the Qur’an – and this is very rampant these days. Being a Muslim, our focus and priority should be the listening to the Qur’an and benefitting from the many benefits within it. Anaasheed which are free from music, are permissible. Many of the anaasheed we find these days are musical, occupying many people and distancing us from the Qur’an. The Muslim should protect himself in falling into such pit-holes. There are some points Shaikh Munajjid mentioned regarding listening to anaasheed, which are as follows:

Not using forbidden musical instruments in nasheed.

Not doing it too much or making it the focus of the Muslim’s mind, occupying all his time, or neglecting obligatory duties because of it.

Nasheed should not be recited by women, or include haraam or obscene speech.

They should not resemble the tunes of the people of immorality and promiscuity.

They should be free of vocal effects that produce sounds like those of musical instruments.

They should not have moving tunes which make the listener feel “high” as happens to those who listen to songs. This is the case with many of the nasheed which appear nowadays, so that the listeners no longer pay any attention to the good meaning of the words, because they are so entranced by the tunes.

Just wanted to write these brief words, as some accusation such as the one mentioned are so bizarre, yet – many Muslims have accepted this idea and may even feel as if they are doing something extreme if they happen to be listening to such material.

Abu Siyaam [written from Taiz]

Mukhtasar al-Khiraqi: The First Matn’ of the Hanbali Madhab

This post will be a concise book review regarding the first matn’ [text] in the Madhab of Imam Ahmad. I had a drive to write about this particular book because my search to find a copy of this matn’ has finally come to an end after five years!!! That’s right, I have finally managed to purchase a copy of this rare book! Al-Hamdulilah! It is very interesting to note, the publishers of this book is called: “Daar An-Nawaadir”. The word “nawaadir” is from the verb nadhar’ yanduru’ which means, “to be rare” and “to be uncommon”, – and the word “nawaadir” is the plural of “naadira” which means, “rarity” or “rare thing” – so publishers were certainly accurate about their claim, as this book took me almost five years to locate and purchase!

The Author:

He was Abul Qasim Umar ibn Ali al-Husayn bin Abdullah bin Ahmad al-Khiraqi [d.299 AH] He was a prominent Hanbali jurist from Bagdad. He was first guided to Hanbali School by his father and Al-Khiraqi knew the two son of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Abdullah and Saalih. Al-Khiraqi’s father was very closely associated with companions of Ahmad, and he mostly associated himself with the very close companion of Ahmad: Abu Bakr al-Marwadhi [d.275 AH]. Al-Khiraqi studied under Abu Bakr al-Marwadhi, Harb al-Kirmani and two sons of Ahmad: Abdullah and Saalih. He was also a pupil of Abu Bark al-Khallah (d.311 AH).

The Book:

The Mukhtasar is a comprehensive treatise covering the whole range of legal issues. The treatise at hand is known as Mukhtasar al-Khiraqi as well as Al-Mukhtasar fee al-Fiqh. As mentioned before, it is first book that was written for the Madhab of Ahmad. It is book in fiqh [Islamic jurisprudence]. Al-Khiraqi is the one who summarised the responsa of Imam Ahmad into a book form.

As per normal, as it is a fiqh book it has been written in masaa’il format, with hardly any quotation from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. This shows us that this method of teaching fiqh through masaa’il has existed for a very long time, and it is not something new. It also shows us that a student in his initial stage in seeking knowledge should not study fiqh via hadith primarily. Secondly, a beginner should cease from requesting for evidences at every single issue and should have a certain degree of trust upon his teacher/sheikh. The student should gradually build himself in this way and understand the masaa’il through evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah. Studying fiqh through hadith come at later stage.

The book itself has been divided into sub-books [kitaab] and then the sub-books have been divided into sub-chapters [baab], containing the different issues. I can’t confirm if the author actually divided the book in this way, but what is apparent from the pictures of the manuscripts – it seems so. The book contains two thousand and three hundred masaa’il according to Abu Ishaaq.

All the books in fiqh, such as al-mutoon, as-shrooh, al-hawaashe, al-mukhtasaaraat from the Madhab until now is one way or another way related to this book! Subhan-Allah!

Ibn al-Bannaah said in the introduction of his explanation of Mukhtasar al-Khiraqi:

“Some of our sheikhs used to say: ‘There are three mukhtasaaraat in three subjects that I have not come across the likes of: al-Faseh’ by Thalab, al-Lumah’ by Ibn Jinney and al-Mukhtasar by al-Khiraqi, no one who engages himself with these [books] and understands them as they should be understood, will succeed and surpass.”’

Al-Haafid Al-Deyaah’ said:

“I saw Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal in a dream. He dictated to me an issue in fiqh. So I said: ‘This is in Al-Khiraqi.’ And then he (Imam Ahmad) said: ‘Your companion, al-Muwaffaq did not fall short in his explanation of Al-Khiraqi.”’

From these narrations we understand the position and the status of this book in the Madhab of Ahmad.

The Commentaries:

This matn’ has had many commentaries attached to it, in fact it is the most commented upon matn’ in the Madhab of Ahmad. According to Yusuf ibn Abdil-Hadi [d.909 AH], there were three hundred commentaries of Al-Khiraqi available during his time. Sheikh Bakr Abu Zayd [d.1429 AH] listed twenty eight commentaries of Al-Khiraqi in his Madkhal. As we can see that this book has been heavily commented upon, Insha-Allah as a sign of its acceptance.

The first commentary of the book was by the author himself, Al-Khiraqi. So, he was the first person to author a book in fiqh for the Madhab and the first person to comment upon it also! This unfortunately has not reached us. I have only come across only three commentaries, which are available in print:

The First: Al-Mughni by Ibn Qudamah [d.620 AD]. Without any doubt, the greatest of the commentaries is Al-Mughni; it has been praised by Hanbali and non-Hanbali scholars alike. The Shafi`i mujtahid Imam Al-Izz bin `Abdus-Salam held back from giving verdicts until obtaining a copy of Al-Mughni. Al-Mughni builds on the previous works of Ibn Qadamah [i.e. Al-Umdah’, Al-Muqni and al-Kaafi’] by adding opinions from the other Madhabs from the Companions and early Imams whether it is still followed or extinct. Also, he brings in the opinions within the Mathab with a particular emphasis on what is transmitted from the Imam (Ahmad). The evidence for all of these various positions are included, and then a defence of the predominant position in Ibn Qudamah’s opinion. The book is also full of minute branch issues.

The Second: Al-Wadih by Abdur-Rahman ibn Umar ibn Abul-Qasim al-Basri [d.684 AH]. This is available in three volumes, and it has been completed.

The Third: Sharh’ al-Zarkashi ala al-Khiraqi by Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Zarkashi al-Misri [d.772 AH]. This is available in five volumes. The author actually authored two commentaries upon the book; the first being a detailed commentary and the second being an abridged version. He was not able to complete the abridged version, but this was completed by a later scholar from the Hanbali School.

Al-Hamdulilah! With this we have completed the brief book review of Mukhtasar al-Khiraqi. Until the next post: As-Salamu’aliykum wa-Rahmatullah wa-barkaatuh.

Abu Siyaam

What comes after Seeking Knowledge?

Implementation and action:

The Prophet (pbuh) said: "The two feet of the son of Adam will not move from near his Lord on the day of Judgement until he is asked about five (matters) about his life - how he spent it; about his youth - how he took care of it; about his wealth - how he earned it; and where he spent it and about that which he acted upon from the knowledge he acquired."

(at Tirmidhi)

The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Verily Allah says: O son of Adam, free yourself for my worship, I will (in turn) fill your chest with satisfaction and remove your poverty, and if you don't I will fill your hands with distraction and will not remove your poverty." In another narration, "I will fill your chest with distraction."

(Ahmad, at Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban and others)

And we should hasten in the implementation:

The Prophet (pbuh) said: "There is hesitation in everything except in the actions of the Hereafter."

(Abu Dawud)

And do the actions with perfection and this is achieved by leaving that which don't concern him:

The Prophet (pbuh) "From a man's perfecting his religion is his leaving alone that which does not concern him".

(Ahmad in his Musnad, at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and others)

In Fayd ul Qadeer, the author [al Manaawee] writes in explaining this hadith: “It is understood from this that from a man's deficiency in his religion is his indulging in that which does not concern him. This includes everything of secondary importance, whichever form it may take. What should concern him is all that relates to the essentials of his livelihood, that which fulfills his need for sustenance, clothing, keeping himself chaste thereby, and the like thereof from the necessities of life, excluding those things relating to his own personal pleasures. He should be concerned with all that relates to his salvation in the Hereafter, that being Islaam, imaan, and ihsaan. In this way he stays safe from ruin, all forms of evil and from argumentation. This is part of perfecting his religion, firm establishment of his piety and keeping away from following his desires. Whereas striving to accomplish other than this is loss of irreplaceable valuable time, in doing what he was not created for. So whoever worships his Lord, with realization of his closeness to his Lord, and of his Lord's closeness to him, has perfected his religion, as has proceeded".

With this brief post, I would like to say, Jazakumullah Khair, may Allah reward you all for visiting this blog. As from now on I will be not able to put up posts as regularly as I would like to do so due to some commitments. Until next time, I will end with the greetings of Jannah, may Allah (SWT) make us from amongst them! Ameen!

Assalamu’ alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

Your brother Abu Siyaam.

Characteristic of a Seeker!

Narrated by Ibn Abee Haatim ar-Raazee:

I entered upon the students of hadith and I passed by the circle of Qaasim al-Joo’ee. I found a group sitting around him and he was speaking. Their appearence amazed me and I herad him saying:

“Seize the benefit of five things from the people of your time: When you are present you are not known; When you are absent you are not missed; When you are seen your advice is not saught; When you say something your saying is not accepted and When you have some knowledge you are not given anything for it. I also advised you with five things: When you are treated unjustly then do not behave unjustly; When you are praised then do not become happy; When you are criticized do not be upset; When your are not believed do not become angry; And if people act deceitfully towards you do not act deceitfully towards them.”

Ibn Abee Haatim said: “So I took that as my benefit from Damascus.”

How to act during a lesson?

I wanted to write this article to remind myself and by brothers and sisters about manners that one should observe during an Islamic lesson. This is something that is very easy to forget at times as most of us have been raised up in the west and many of us have not travelled abroad and sat amongst the scholars and students of knowledge to observe and imitate their manners in classes. This is especially important for those brothers and sisters who are looking to seek in-depth knowledge of the Deen to become callers of Islam, serious students of knowledge, scholars or to become leaders. Having good manners opens many doors of goodness for a person; in fact it is reported in an authentic hadith that good manners will be something that will be very heavy on the Scales. Good manner is to deal with people as you like to be dealt with. Our discussion here will only deal with in-class manners.

Firstly; coming to the class early and not strolling in late.

This shows ones zeal, determination and enthusiasm for seeking knowledge. The Salaf always practiced this in their quest for knowledge.

‘Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal narrated that he heard his father say: “Sometimes, I would want to go out early to hear hadith. So, my mother would grab my clothes, saying: “At least wait for the prayer to be called and the people to wake up.” I would go out early to the classes of Abu Bakr bin ‘Ayyash and others.”

However, if one cannot come on time or cannot attend the lesson then one should inform the teacher and apologise beforehand.

Secondly; greet everyone with the salam and one should greet the Sheikh or the teacher with extra attention and honor. One should come to class with best clothes and the best perfumes on. Also one should attend the classes fully equipped with a note pad and a luscious pen to write down the knowledge. The person should come to class in a state of wudu’ and be well groomed – all this will physiologically prepare for the intake of the knowledge. One must feel like a seeker of knowledge to become a student of knowledge.

Thirdly; sitting down properly.

How is this achieved? One should try to sit on the edge of the circles, avoid sitting too close or at the middle of the circle.

Imam az-Zarnooji said: “It further behooves the student not to sit too close to the teacher during a lecture except under necessity. In fact, it is important that the pupils sit in a semi-circle at a certain distance from the teacher; this is more appropriate [in showing] due respect.”

Al-Khatib (may Allah have Mercy on him) that Sufyan bin ‘Uyaynah said: “Ka’b was with ‘Umar bin al-Khattab, and he sat far from the circle. ‘Umar reprimanded him for this, and Ka’b said: “O Commander of the Believers! From the wisdoms of Luqman and his advices to his son are: “O son! If you sit next to the ruler, allow enough space for one man between you and him, as someone might come along who is more important to him than you, and would then have to get up and move, and this would be a form of degradation for you.”””

Muhammad Raslaan further clarifies this issue by saying, “He should not lean against a wall or pillow in the presence of his shaykh, or place his hands on them. He should not give his shaykh his side or back, and should not lean on his hand to the back or side... He should sit with humility and character in the manner of a student, not a teacher. He shouldn’t raise his voice often without a reason. Rather, he should sit in front of his teacher fully attentive and listening, and shouldn’t precede him in explaining or answering a question. And he shouldn’t make anyone get up from his spot, and if anyone takes his spot, he shouldn’t take it back unless there is some benefit in doing so. He shouldn’t sit in the middle of the circle unless there is a need for this, and he shouldn’t sit between two companions except with their permission...”

In addition to all these points, one should not sit whilst stretching his legs towards his teacher or his fellow students; this is not from good manners. Secondly, one should not sit or occupy the teacher’s seat which then forces the teacher to move elsewhere! If one is new to a circle, and the person does not know where the teacher normally sits – the person should ask his fellow students who have been attending before him to clarify this.

Fourthly; during the lesson itself.

Imam az-Zarnooji said: “And do not begin speaking in his presence without his permission, and do not speak to any great extent before him without his permission.”

Bakr Abu Zayd added: “Do not precede him in speech or in your steps, or talk excessively in his presence, and do not continually interrupt him while he is speaking or during his lecture. Do not continually pester him for an answer to your question and avoid extensive questioning especially in the presence of an audience, for indeed this attracts self-delusion [on your behalf] and [causes the sheikh] to become bored.”

The students should have the best manners in dealing with his fellow students and this itself is a manifestation of respect for the teacher and the class itself. The person should avoid getting angry, showing annoyance towards a fellow student, making jokes in the class and laughing loud and excessively. In the west, we are so costumed to these things in our everyday lives and thus we forget when we fall in to these things. All these things mar the relationship between that student and the teacher, and one is deprived of much good in his seeking knowledge.

Al-Khatib (may Allah have Mercy on him) reported that Ahmad bin Sinan al-Qattan said:“Nobody in the class of Abd ar-Rahman bin Mahdi would even speak, sharpen a pen, or smile. If he saw that someone spoke or sharpened a pen, he would get up, put on his shoes, and go home.”

‘Abd ar-Rahman bin ‘Umar said that a man laughed in the class of ‘Abd ar-Rahman bin Mahdi, and he asked: “Who laughed?” Everyone pointed to the man, and he scolded him: “You seek knowledge and laugh? I will not teach any of you for a month!”

Also, Waki’ and his students were as if they were in prayer during their classes, and if something happened in the class that annoyed him, he would put on his shoes and go home and Ibn Numayr would get angry and leave, and his face would change colour if he saw someone sharpening a pencil.

Imam az-Zarnooji further said: “In seeking knowledge, it is essential to listen to [words of] knowledge and wisdom with reverence and veneration, even if one hears the same question and same words a thousand times. It is said that when one’s respect [for knowledge] after [hearing it] a thousand times is not equal to his respect the first time [he heard it], he is not worthy of knowledge.”

Muhammad Raslaan wrote: “He should not precede the shaykh in explaining an issue, answering a question, or showing his knowledge of a matter before his shaykh. He should not cut him off in speech and then talk, and he shouldn’t speak with someone else while the shaykh is speaking to him or the class.”

So what we learn from all these statements is that one should take the seeking knowledge seriously; it is a serious matter – it is worship, some scholars said, “Knowledge is a secretive prayer and the worship of the heart.” One should constantly strive to shun the bad manners that have accumulated over the years. In doing so, it will help the person excel in knowledge, Insha-Allah.

Fifthly; asking questions in the class.

We have already touch upon this issue, asking questions and having dialogues is a great way to learn but there are times and place for it. During the class itself, one should avoid asking questions. The questions should be asked in its correct place, in doing so one should be soft and gentle in asking the correct questions. If one has a question, it should be just noted on the side to be asked after the class if the teacher permits it. One should also avoid asking questions when the teacher is tired or when is in a hurry. The teacher may not refuse to answer a question or a request even though the teacher may be tired or busy, but this will certainly cause annoyance to the teacher – which one should definitely avoid! One should generally avoid asking for things or requests during the class from the teachers as this may put the teacher in inconvenience.

If the teacher asks, ‘Did you understand this issue?’ – The person should not say, ‘Yes!’ unless he has actually understood the issue at hand. The person should not be shy from saying, ‘I don’t know.’ or ‘I don’t understand.’ if he did not understand it. This is the time when a person should speak because the teacher has asked him a question. The fellow students should be patients if they have understood the issue.

Mujahid (may Allah have Mercy on him) said: “Nobody who is either too shy or too arrogant will learn this knowledge.”

‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “How excellent are the women of the Ansar! They did not let their shyness prevent them from learning the Religion.”

Al-Khalil bin Ahmad (may Allah have Mercy on him) said: “The station of ignorance is between shyness and arrogance.”

Finally; departing from the class.

One should leave the class after the teacher has permitted this. If he needs to leave before the class ends, he should inform the teacher beforehand. If he needs to leave during lesson, he should apologise and seek the teacher permission before departing, i.e. ‘I seek your permission to leave Sheikh.’ Before leaving, one should greet the teacher and make a du’a for him, i.e. ‘Jazakumullah Khair...’ and make his way after greeting the fellow students.

We will end with a comprehensive statement from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) which summarises what has come before.

‘Ali (may Allah be Pleased with him) said: “From the rights of the scholar are that you greet the gathering and then greet the shaykh specifically; you should sit in front of him; you should not point here and there, wink, etc. in front of him; do not come out and tell him that fulan differs with him in a given matter; do not backbite anybody in his presence; and do not ask him intricate and complicated questions. If he makes a mistake, make an excuse for him, and it is upon you to honor him for the Sake of Allah, the Exalted. If he needs something, you should be the first to tend to his need; do not attract attention in his circle; do not grab his clothing; do not insist on something if he is too tired; do not think that you can have enough of his friendship, as he is like the palm tree from which you wait for something to fall on you.”

And Allah (SWT) knows best. Abu Siyaam.

The Enjoyment of studying Fiqh!

I still remember when a brother once upon a time told me to start attending a fiqh class that was about to start in our local area. I had no idea what the word ‘fiqh’ even meant then, and I still remember asking that brother, “What is fiqh akhee?” Certainly, never did I imagine back then that I would really love and appreciate this Islamic science, which I never knew or even heard about previously! All praise is for Allah (SWT), Who guides and teaches us.

Undeniably, studying and understanding the knowledge of the Deen is a lofty station. Knowing one’s Deen is definitely a sign of goodness, something which is loved by Allah (SWT). It is reported in an authentic hadith that the Prophet (pbuh) said, “If Allah wants good for a person He gives him fiqh [understanding] of the Religion.” [al-Bukhari]. The opposite is also true; there is a weak hadith which states that, “Whoever does not learn the fiqh of his Deen, Allah does not care about him...” – this hadith is weak but the meaning is correct. This means that the reverse understanding [maf’hoom] of the authentic hadith of al-Bukhari is this weak hadith, i.e. “Whoever does not learn the fiqh of his Deen, Allah does not care about him...” Generally learning and studying fiqh is a towering post, it is nobility, it leads to taqwa of Allah (SWT) – in this light, one of the pillars of the Hanafi School, Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybaane said:

“Learn! For learning is an adornment for one who possesses it, a virtue and a prelude to every praiseworthy action. Profit each day by increasing [your] learning and swimming in the seas of beneficial knowledge. Give yourself up to the study of jurisprudence [fiqh], for the knowledge of jurisprudence [fiqh] is the best guide to piety and the fear of God, and it is the straight path to the ultimate goal. It is the milestone leading to the ways of proper guidance; it is the fortress that saves [one] from all hardship. Indeed one godly person versed in jurisprudence [fiqh] is more powerful against Satan than a thousand [ordinary] worshippers.”

What a profound and an insightful statement this is! The asl of this statement is actually from a hadith attributed to the Prophet (pbuh). So many benefits can be derived from this, and it shows us the importance and virtues of fiqh. It is rather sad to hear sometimes from people, when they make statements about fiqh that are not praiseworthy in itself, such as: “Fiqh does not increase my emaan!” or they may say, “Fiqh is a bit dry to study!” Perhaps, these statements are made because of certain preventing factors, which prevent the person form attaining the benefits of studying fiqh.

So what is fiqh? Az-Zarnooji said, “Jurisprudence [fiqh] is the science of the fine points of knowledge.” Furthermore Imam Abu Hanifa said, “Jurisprudence is a person’s knowledge of his rights and duties.” Attaining the fiqh of the Deen is not just praiseworthy action but it required from everyone to some degree.

For one to attain the fruits of his action, one must know how to perform that action well. Similarly, it is not reasonable for one to worship Allah (SWT), by which, one prevents himself from entering Hell-Fire and attains admittance into Paradise – except through having knowledge. So to perform an act of worship perfectly, one must learn and understand that which leads to the perfection of that particular act of worship. Also we should mention here, that the only thing Allah (SWT) commanded the Prophet (pbuh) to invoke Him for more is knowledge; Allah (SWT) said, “...And say, ‘My Lord, increase me in knowledge...” [Taa-Haa: Verse 114]. Ibn Hajar commented on this verse, and said: “...And say, ‘My Lord, increase me in knowledge...” is a clear indication of the merit and the excellence of knowledge, for Allah never commanded His Prophet (pbuh) to invoke Him for more of anything other than knowledge.”

Comprehension of the Deen is important as it leads to useful knowledge upon which righteous actions depend. It is one of qualities of the seekers of knowledge to gain understanding of Islam by deriving the issues of fiqh by applying the [comprehensive] principles. This takes much exercise and by immersing oneself in the sea of knowledge under the supervision of the scholars; behind knowledge of the deen is gaining understanding. Gaining of understanding; regarding this, Bakr Abu Zayd said, “It is this characteristic in particular that gives you precise distinction and the correct gauge as to the extent of your acquisition [of knowledge], and the ability to derive [rulings]...”

We will end with a few of the many personal benefits that were attained from studying fiqh with a teacher who loves to teach fiqh also:

Having confidence, that the action performed was done in the best way and Insha-Allah it will be accepted.

It drives a person to keep away from performing an act heedlessly.

It gives tranquillity in the heart; free from satanic whispers and doubts.

Having hope that we are amongst the people that Allah (SWT) loves and not be among those people Allah (SWT) does not care about.

The understanding gives one the confidence to teach and help others.

The fiqh shows the great wisdoms behind the Shar’iah.

The One Who legislated the Shar’iah is Al-Aleem Al-Haakim [All-Knowing and All-Wise] about His creatures.

Fiqh actually increases one’s emaan! This especially occurs when a teacher can inter-link the fiqhi rulings with Allah (SWT), the ‘Aims of the Shar’iah’ and etc.

If the teacher has a passion for a subject, it derives the students to love that subject also.

It prevents one from thinking in ‘black and white’, anti-Dhahiri!!!

It gives one more of a dynamic mind frame.

Fiqh leads to learning of more detailed fiqh; it is never-ending.

Finally, to some extent, it starts to makes one wiser in the way one views things and one starts to attain some wisdom.

Subhan-Allah! Even the ways the classic fiqh books are arranged are full of wisdom. Initially, we start to study the ‘The Book of Purification’ as this is a pre-requisite for what comes next, ‘The Book of Prayers’, which is followed by the other acts of ibaadah. Mu’amalat [transactions] is studied after ibaadah – as it is ‘need’ for one to know about these matters, it is required in our daily lives. The fiqh books are arranged in such a manner that it is like a ‘process of life’ from the beginning to the end of the book. Straight after ibaadah, one studies ‘The Book of Trade’– which is a ‘need’ for our living, following this, comes ‘The Book of Marriage’, once we know about buying and selling we are able to move on to marriage because without the knowledge buying and selling we cannot deal with marriage. The fiqh books are arranged in this manner with wisdom. One scholar may vary from another scholar.

In conclusion, there is a lot of goodness in learning fiqh; one should immerse himself in the study of fiqh. It allows a person to build in ones deen and allows one organise his deen and dunya like the beads of a necklace. And Allah (SWT) knows best.

Abu Siyaam

From The Jahiliyyah of the West to Islam??

All praise belongs to Allah (SWT) who has guided us to Islam. For many of us who had being brought up in the West, the concept of Islam and being a practicing Muslim was indeed a strange and abnormal thing. Many of the people who had come out from the thickness of Western jahiliyyah into Islam have their respective stories to tell about how they came in to Islam, how it felt at the beginning as a practicing Muslim, about their struggles, their high’s and their lows and etc. I am sure that those brothers and sisters who left the ugliness of the jahiliyyah felt a sense of relief, comfort and enjoyment after discovering the beauty and the splendour of Islam – even though that person may have been born into a Muslim family! I am sure many of the brothers and sisters who left jahiliyyah – remember purchasing their first Islamic book, or that first thobe or their head-gears, and the bliss they use to feel soon as they did anything Islamic! They would have a tremendous amount of zeal to implement the Deen or try to get close to the Deen, whether it’s by trying to grow a ‘trendy’ beard, leaving the rap and R‘n’B tracks for the jihaadi nasheed, or just moving from cigarettes to she’shaa’s!!

For many people, it was that Islamic awakening, the yearning to do more as a newly practicing Muslim after experiencing a bad past, tasting that sweetness of Islam and Emaan – which made them very zealous and keen about the Deen. But unfortunately, few years down the line, this zeal is no longer present. The motivation, the aspiration, the eagerness and the zeal is void; to the extent it becomes very difficult for a person to perform the waajib prayers or to attend the masjid and the person remains in that state for many years after becoming a ‘practicing’ Muslim. And we seek refuge in Allah (SWT), some people start to reminisce and bring to mind their jahiliyyah and some people stop practicing totally!

So the question at hand is: How does one move up in their Deen and remain steadfast?

This is such a great issue for all of us. Scholars of the past have written volumes and volumes just on this topic, an article like this will do justice to such a great matter. The aim of this article is just to highlight some problems that we should pay attention to, not for a detailed discussion of the question at hand.

Most of the people after becoming a ‘practicing’ Muslim, naturally concentrate on doing those outer actions more. Islam, the Prophet (pbuh) explained it as the outer actions of the limbs such as words and deeds, so this includes the shahaada, the prayers, the zakat, the fasting and etc. As for Emaan, the Prophet (pbuh) explained in Hadith Gibreel as inward beliefs; comprised under emaan are the inner actions of the heart. Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali says in Jaami al-‘Uloom, “Comprised under emaan there is trembling of the hearts at the remembrance of Allah and their humility at hearing His mention and His Book, and increasing in emaan from that, making reliance on Allah (SWT) a reality, fear of Allah (SWT) secretly and openly, contentment with Allah as Lord, Islam as Deen and with Muhammad (pbuh) as Messenger, preferring destruction with the greatest types of pain over kufr, being conscious of Allah’s nearness to slave...” – then he goes on to list many other actions of the heart. Emaan is higher in grade than Islam.

Allah (SWT) said, “The desert Arabs say, ‘We have Emaan.’ Say: ‘You do not have Emaan.’ Say rather, ‘We have become Muslims’, for Emaan has not yet entered into your hearts.” Surah al-Hujuraat (49), Verse 14

Ibn Kathir regarding this verse said, “This honourable Ayah provides proof that Emaan is a higher grade than Islam, according to the scholars of the Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah. This is also demonstrated in the Hadith of Jibril, peace be upon him, when he questioned the Prophet about Islam, then Emaan then Ihsan. Thus, moving the general matter to one more specific, then even more specific; [so] emaan is a more exclusive grade than Islam.”

So knowing this, a person should aim be to move up as Islam is at the basic level. A person cannot just jump from one level to another without first establishing himself firmly on that level, perfecting that level, being steadfast at that level, being musataqim. People at times feel at times a ‘rush’ of emaan, i.e. when coming into Deen – this feeling in itself is not enough for a person to move up and be upright in Islam.

So firstly, it is about being istaqim – being upright.

Ali ibn Abi Talhah narrated from ibn Abbass concerning His words, “Those who say, ‘Our Lord is Allah!’ and they go straight [istaqaamoo’]...” Surah al-Ahqaaf, Verse 13, that he said, “They unswervingly continue with the discharge of His obligations...’ [Reported in at-Tabari 24/115]

Sufyaan ibn Abdullah said, I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, say to me something in Islam about which I will not ask anyone other than you?’ He (pbuh) said, “Say, ‘I have emaan in Allah.’ Then go straight [isataqim].” [Reported by Muslim, 38] Different explanations has been for the term ‘istiqaamah’ from the Salaf – but Ibn Rajab summarizes it in these words, “Istiqaamah [upright] is travelling the straight path [as-siraat al-mustaqeem] and it is the correct Deen [ad-deen al-qayyimah] without turning away from it to the right and left. It comprises doing all acts of obedience, those which are outwards and those which are inwards and similarly giving up all acts which are forbidden...”

Istiqaama upon Islam, Insha-Allah will help a person to move up in the Deen. So it is the continuation of worshiping Allah (SWT), and increasing upon that and not falling short in that. This is what is lacked among the newly ‘practicing’ Muslims; they may be doing certain actions for a period of time such a praying in jama’ah, seeking knowledge, doing extra voluntary deeds etc and then they stop or start to decrease in it until they do the bare minimum – even which becomes difficult for them. Such a person at this stage does not find sweetness in Islam and just wants to do the minimum and eventually the person starts to move away from the righteous people and try to find comfort elsewhere, i.e. in the thoughts, the events and the people from their jahiliyyah days and in Allah (SWT) we seek refuge!

Secondly, the thing that aids this istiqaamah is seeking knowledge and being continuous.

By seeking knowledge, the person is taken out from the darkness into the light, by it the person’s mind opens, by it the person’s hearts is illuminated, by it many other doors of goodness opens, by it the person becomes reformed. The best of those in Jahaliyyah are the best in Islam – that is, if they seek the knowledge. This is a very important driving factor for a person to do righteous deeds, keeping away from the forbidden – being mustaqim.

Al-Hasan said, “There is two types of knowledge: knowledge on the tongue, and that is proof of Allah (SWT) against the son of Adam, and the knowledge in the heart, and that is the useful knowledge.” The scholars fear Allah (SWT) the most because of the [useful] knowledge [in the hearts], thus they worship Allah (SWT) more – it inspires to act more. The useful category of knowledge which drives a person to act is the knowledge of Allah (SWT), and of His Names, Attributes and actions which necessarily require that one fear Him, have awe of Him, magnify Him, submit to Him, love Him...and so on, as mentioned by Ibn Rajab al-Hanabali.

As long as knowledge remains on the earth people will be guided. The remaining of knowledge is the existence of those who bear it. In our time, the ‘thirst’ for knowledge has increased with the increased numbers of those who bear it; this is a great opportunity for us especially living in the West to seek and move forward. Due to people leaving this path of knowledge, many people do not progress in their Deen as a whole – and they remain stagnant or they ‘burn-out’ after a period of time.

Thirdly, paying attention to ‘actions of the heart’ and working on them as well.

This was alluded to earlier on; the actions of the heart include: fear, hope and longing, trust and reliance, awe, and love of Allah and etc. All of this is inter-linked with the outer actions of the limbs and istiqaamah.

It is important to have a sound heart also. Ibn Rajab said, “If a heart is sound and there is nothing but love in it but love of Allah and love of what Allah loves, and fear of Allah and fear of falling into what He dislikes, then all of the actions of the limbs will be right, and there will arise from that his avoidance of all forbidden things...If the heart is corrupt and it is overcome by fallowing whims and his seeking what he loves even if Allah dislikes it, then all of the limbs’ movement will be corrupt, and will give rise to every act of disobedience...”

This is established in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The Prophet (pbuh) used to say his supplication: “O Allah! I ask you for a sound heart [qalbann-saleem].” [Reported in Ahmad 4/125]. The sound heart is one which is safe from all defects and disproved things.

Al-Hasan said, “Tend you heart, for what Allah needs from the slave is soundness of their hearts.”

Abu Ya’qub an-Nahrajuri said, “Everyone who claims to love Allah (SWT) and does not comply with Allah’s Commandments, then his claim is false.”

If the ‘actions of the heart’ is not paid attention to, this will mean that the ‘bodily actions’ will not flow consistently and thus there will be no istiqaamah.

Insha-Allah, if a person can do all that was mentioned, a new leaf will turn – meaning, they will not wish not to incline towards the jahiliyyah days due to the sweetness of Allah (SWT) as their Lord, Islam as their Deen and Muhammad (pbuh) as their Messenger.

And Allah (SWT) knows best.

Abu Siyaam.