[Ibn Baaz] Don’t lose your Islaam after embracing it!

Don’t lose your Islaam after embracing it! 

[Shaykh 'Abdullaah Ibn 'Abdul 'Azeez Ibn Baaz (Rahimahullaah)]

Bismillaah wa Inna AlHamduillaahi Wahadu wa SallAllaahu wa Sallaam'alaa Khaatim al Anbiyya' wa 'alaa Aalihee wa Asahaabihee wa'alaa Manitaba'a Hudaah 'Amma Ba'd:

 

Know - o Muslim brother - that Allaah has obligated upon all of the servants to enter into Islaam and to hold fast to it and to warn against whatever opposes it. So Allaah sent His Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) to call to that, and He, the Mighty and Majestic, informed that whoever followed him was indeed guided, and whoever resisted him was indeed misguided. So He warned in many statements concerning the causes for apostasy and the types of disbelief. So the scholars (rahimahumullaah) have mentioned in judgement upon the apostate that the Muslim apostates from his Religion due to many types of invalidators that make his blood and his wealth permissible and by that he leaves Islaam. The most dangerous of these emanate from ten invalidators. [2]

 

We shall mention them for you in what follows upon a short path to warn you about them and so that you may warn others in hopes of security and well being, along with a small explanation after mentioning them.

 

First: From the ten invalidators is shirk (associating partners) in the worship of Allaah. 

Allaah the Exalted says:

 

"Verily Allaah does not forgive that you associate partners with Him, but He forgives whatever is below that for whoever He wishes." [Sooratun Nisaa` (3):116]

 

Allaah the Exalted says:

 

"Whoever associates partners with Allaah, then Allaah, then Allaah has forbidden Paradise for him and his dwelling be in the Fire and there will be no helpers for the oppressors." [Sooratul Maa`idah (5):72]

 

So from that is supplication to the dead and seeking their aid and taking oaths by them and slaughtering for their sake.

 

Second: Whoever places intermediaries between himself and Allaah, supplicating to them and asking them for intercession and placing his trust upon them, then he has indeed disbelieved by agreement.

 

 

Third: Whoever does not disbelieve in the idolaters, or doubts in their disbelief, or believes in the correctness of their religion, then he has disbelieved.

 

Fourth: Whoever believes that the guidance of other than the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) is more complete than his Guidance, or that the judgement of other than him is better than his Judgement, such as those who give precedence to the judgement of the tawaagheet [3] over his Judgement, then he is a disbeliever.

 

 

Fifthly: Whoever hates something from what the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) came with, or the one who acts like that, then he has indeed disbelieved, due to the statement of Allaah ta'alaa:

 

"That is because they disbelieved in what Allaah revealed, so He rendered their deeds worthless." [Sooratul Muhammad (47):9]

 

Sixth:  Whoever ridicules something from the Religion of the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), or its reward, or its punishment, he has disbelieved. 

The proof for this is the statement of Allaah:

 

"Say: Was it Allaah and His messenger and His Signs that you were mocking? Make no excuse, indeed you have disbelieved after your faith." [Sooratut Tawbah (9):65-66]

 

Seventh:  Magic, and from it is sarf (detachment) [4] and 'itf (affection) [5]. So whoever does this, or is happy with it - he has disbelieved. 

The proof is the statement of Allaah ta'alaa:

 

"And they do not teach anyone until they have said: 'We are a trial so do not disbelieve.'" [Sooratul Baqarah 2:102]

 

Eighth: Supporting the disbelievers and cooperating with them against the Muslims. 

The proof for this is the statement of Allaah the Exalted:

 

"So whoever forms an alliance with them, then verily he is from them. Verily Allaah does not guide an oppressive people." [6] [Sooratul Maa`idah (5):51]

 

Ninth: Whoever believes that some of the people are free to leave from the Law (sharee'ah) of Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), then he is a disbeliever, due to the statement of Allaah the Exalted:

 

"Whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter, he will be from the losers." [Soorah Aali Imraan (3):75]

 

Tenth: Turning away from the Religion of Allaah without being knowledgeable about it, nor acting upon it. 

The proof for this is the statement of Allaah:

 

"And who is more unjust [7] than one who is reminded [8] of the statement of his Lord, then he turns away [9] from them. Verily We will take retribution [10] from the criminals." [Sooratus Sajdah (32):22]

 

So all of these invalidators do not differentiate between the scoffer or the liberal person or the fearful, except that it is deception. All of them are from the greatest danger and most numerous in occurrence. So it is befitting for the Muslim that he is aware of them and fears them for himself.

 

Whoever believes in the constitutions and laws that the people take as being better than the Law of Islaam, or that the Laws of Islaam cannot be applied in the twentieth century, or that they are a cause for division amongst the Muslims, or that it restricts a persons devotion to his Lord without entering into the matters of the Next Life. Also entering into the fourth category is whoever thinks that the Ruling of Allaah in cutting the hand of the thief or stoning the adulterer is not valid in this age. Also entering into that is whoever believes that it is permissible to rule by other than the Law of Allaah in conduct and punishments or other than them.

 

We seek refuge in Allaah from that which necessitates His Anger and His Grievous Punishment. May the Prayers and Peace of Allaah be upon the best of His creation, Muhammad and upon his family and his companions.

Translated by Maaz Qureshi [1]
Footnotes:
[1] This is a slightly abridged translation of 'al-'Aqeedatus Saheehah war-Risaalatul Ma'iyyah' (a collection of four booklets by the al-'Allaamah Ibn Baaz) (p.37-41).
[2] The shaykh, the Imaam, Muhammad Ibn 'Abdul Wahhaab and other than him from the people of knowledge have mentioned all of these. Translator's Note: See: Durarus Sunniyyah (8/89-90), and Mu`allifaatush Shaykh Muhammad Ibn 'Abdul Wahhaab (5/212/214).
[3] Translator's Note: Imaam Ibnul Qayyim gave a general definition for taaghoot (pl. tawaagheet) when he said [Fathul Majeed (p. 16)]: "A taaghoot is everything that a slave transgresses the limits by, such as a deity, or someone who is followed, or calls to his following. So a taaghoot is every people who subject judgement to other than Allaah and His Messenger, or worship from other than Allaah, or obey without Guidance from Allaah, or those who obey him in what is not known as obedience to Allaah."
[4] Sarf: A magical action by which it is intended to distance a man from that which he wants, such as detaching a man from the love of his wife to hatred for her.
[5] 'Itf: A magical action by which it is intended to encourage a man towards what he does not want through Satanic paths.
[6] This means, none is more oppressive than them.
[7] That is, the disbelievers.
[8] Reminder: an admonition and insight into what is obligatory upon him.
[9] Turning away: rejecting alliance.
[10] Retribution: taking back what was done before.

[Tafsir Ibn Katheer] Al-Fatihah and the Prayer

Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet said,

«مَنْ صَلَى صَلَاةً لَمْ يَقْرَأْ فِيهَا أُمَّ الْقُرْآنِ فَهِيَ خِدَاجٌ ثَلَاثًا غَيْرُ تَمَامٍ»

(Whoever performs any prayer in which he did not read Umm Al-Qur'an, then his prayer is incomplete.) He said it thrice.

Abu Hurayrah was asked, "﴿When﴾ we stand behind the Imam'' He said, "Read it to yourself, for I heard the Messenger of Allah say,

« قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: قَسَمْتُ الصّلَاةَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي نِصْفَيْنِ وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ فَإِذَا قَالَ:

﴿الْحَمْدُ للَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ ﴾، قَالَ اللهُ: حَمِدَنِي عَبْدِي وَإِذَا قَالَ:

﴿الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴾، قَالَ اللهُ: أَثْنى عَلَيَّ عَبْدِي، فَإذَا قَالَ:

﴿مَـلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ ﴾، قَالَ اللهُ: مَجَّدَنِي عَبْدِي وَقَالَ مَرَّةً: فَوَّضَ إِلَيَّ عَبْدِي فَإِذَا قَالَ:

﴿إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ﴾، قَالَ: هذَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ، فَإِذَا قَالَ:

﴿اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ - صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّآلِّينَ ﴾، قَالَ اللهُ: هذَا لِعَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ»

(Allah, the Exalted, said, `I have divided the prayer (Al-Fatihah) into two halves between Myself and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for.' If he says,

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ   

(1. In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.)

﴾الْحَمْدُ للَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ﴿

(2. All praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of existence.)

Allah says, `My servant has praised Me.' When the servant says,

(الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ )

(3. The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.)

Allah says, `My servant has glorified Me.' When he says,

(مَـلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ )

(4. The Owner of the Day of Recompense.) Allah says, `My servant has glorified Me,' or `My servant has related all matters to Me.' When he says,

(إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ )

(5. You (alone) we worship, and You (alone) we ask for help.) Allah says, `This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall acquire what he sought.' When he says,

اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ - صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّآلِّينَ 

(6. Guide us to the straight path.) (7. The way of those on whom You have granted Your grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray), Allah says, `This is for My servant, and My servant shall acquire what he asked for.').''

These are the words of An-Nasa'i, while both Muslim and An-Nasa'i collected the following wording, "A half of it is for Me and a half for My servant, and My servant shall acquire what he asked for.''

Ref: www.qtafsir.com

Jinn entering human bodies

Jinn entering human bodies

In the last few days a controversy has arisen concerning the matter of jinn entering human bodies. Some say that this is rationally impossible, because of the difference in the essences from which they were created, as man was created from clay and the jinn from fire. It has also been said that the shayaateen (devils) have no power other than waswaas (insinuating whispers) and that Allaah has not given them any power over man. And it is said that the recorded tapes that are in circulation (recordings of jinn supposedly speaking through people) are no proof of anything. What is your response to all this?

Praise be to Allah.

The fact that jinn can enter human bodies is proven in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and by the consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, and by real-life events. No one disputes this apart from the Mu’tazilah who give priority to their own rational analysis over the evidence of the Qur’aan and Sunnah. We will mention a little about this below:

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Those who eat Ribaa will not stand (on the Day of Resurrection) except like the standing of a person beaten by Shaytaan (Satan) leading him to insanity. That is because they say: ‘Trading is only like Ribaa’…” [al-Baqarah 2:275]

Al-Qurtubi said in his Tafseer (part 3, p. 355): “This aayah is proof that those people are wrong who deny that epilepsy is caused by the jinn and claim that its causes are only physical, and that the Shaytaan does not enter people or cause madness.”

Ibn Katheer said in his Tafseer (part 1, p. 32), after mentioning the aayah quoted above: “They will not rise from their graves on the Day of Resurrection except like the way in which the epileptic rises during his seizure, when he is beaten by the Shaytaan. This is because they will rise in a very bad state. Ibn ‘Abbaas said: the one who consumes ribaa will rise on the Day of Resurrection crazy and choking.”

According to a saheeh hadeeth narrated by al-Nasaa’i from Abu’l-Yusr, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray: “Allaahumma innee a’oodhu bika min al-taraddi wa’l-haram wa’l-gharaq wa’l-harq, wa a’oodhu bika an yatakhabatani al-shaytaan ‘ind al-mawt ( O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from being thrown from a high place, old age, drowning and burning; and I seek refuge with You from being beaten by the Shaytaan at the time of death).” Commenting on this hadeeth in Al-Fayd (part 2, p.148), al-Manaawi said: “[The phrase] ‘and I seek refuge with You from being beaten by the Shaytaan at the time of death’ means, lest he should wrestle with me and play with me, and damage my religious commitment or mental state (at the time of death) by means of his insinuating whispers which cause people to slip or lose their minds. The Shaytaan could take control of a person when he is about to depart this world, and misguide him or stop him from repenting…”

Ibn Taymiyah (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 42/276) said: “The fact that jinn can enter human bodies is proven by the consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Those who eat Ribaa will not stand (on the Day of Resurrection) except like the standing of a person beaten by Shaytaan (Satan) leading him to insanity. That is because they say: ‘Trading is only like Ribaa’…’ [al-Baqarah 2:275]. And in as-Saheeh it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The Shaytaan flows through the son of Adam as the blood flows through his veins.’”

‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said; “I said to my father, ‘There are some people who say that the jinn do not enter the body of the epileptic.’ He said: ‘O my son, they are lying; the jinn could speak through this person.’” Commenting on this, Ibn Qudaamah said: “What he said is well known, because a person may suffer an epileptic seizure and speak in a language that no one understands, and his body may be beaten with blows that would fell a camel, but the epileptic does not feel them at all, and he is also unaware of the words he is saying. The epileptic and others may be dragged about, or the carpet on which he is sitting may be pulled, and utensils may be moved about from place to place, and other things may happen. Anyone who witnesses such a thing will know for sure that the one who is speaking through the person and moving these things is not human.” And he said, may Allaah have mercy on him: “There is no one among the imaams of the Muslims who denies that jinn may enter the body of the epileptic and others. Anyone who denies that and claims that Islam denies it is lying about Islam. There is nothing in the proofs of sharee’ah to show that it does not happen.”

So the fact that jinn may enter human bodies is proven in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and by the consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, some of whose comments we have quoted above.

As regards the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allaah’s Leave” [al-Baqarah 2:102], this is undoubtedly a clear indication that the jinn cannot harm anyone through witchcraft or epilepsy or through any other kind of disturbance or misguidance, except with the permission of Allaah. As al-Hasan al-Basri said: “Whomever Allaah wills, He gives them power over him, and whomever He does not will, He does not give them power over him, and they cannot do anything to anyone except with the permission of Allaah.” The Shaytaan (who is the disbelieving jinn) may gain power over the believers by making them sin and by making them neglect the remembrance and Tawheed of Allaah and sincerity in worshipping Him. But he has no power over the righteous slaves of Allaah, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, My slaves (i.e. the true believers of Islamic Monotheism) — you have no authority over them. And All-Sufficient is your Lord as a Guardian” [al-Israa’ 17:65]

During the Jaahiliyyah the Arabs were well aware of this and mentioned it in their poetry. For example, the poet al-A’shaa likened his she-camel’s energy to that of one who was touched by the jinn, and said that it was the jinn who was giving her her energy.

As regards the causes of epilepsy, Ibn Taymiyah explained (in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 19/39) the causes. He said: “When the jinn touch a person with epilepsy, it may be because of desire or love, just as happens between one human and another… or it may – as is usually the case – be because of hatred and punishment, such as when a person has harmed them or they think that he has harmed them deliberately, either by urinating on them or pouring hot water on them or killing them, even if the person did that unknowingly. There are ignorant and wrongdoing ones among the jinn who may punish a person more than he deserves, or they may be playing with him and mistreating him, like foolish people among mankind.”

And I say: the way to save oneself from this is to remember Allaah and speak His Name at the beginning of all things, as it was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to mention Allaah in many cases, such as when eating, drinking, mounting his riding-beast, taking off his clothes for any reason, having intercourse and so on…

As regards treatment (of one whose body has been entered by the jinn), Ibn Taymiyah said (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 19/42): “When the jinn attack a person, they should be told of the rulings of Allaah and His Messenger, proof should be established against them, and they should be commanded to do what is good and told not to do what is evil, just as should be done in the case of people, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning)’ [al-Israa’ 17:15].” Then he said: “If the jinn does not leave after being addressed in this manner, then it is permissible to rebuke him, tell him off, threaten him and curse him, as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did with the Shaytaan when he came with a falling star to throw it in his face, and the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I seek refuge with Allaah from you and I curse you with the curse of Allaah” – three times. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari).We may also seek help against the jinn by remembering Allaah (dhikr) and reciting Qur’aan, especially Aayat al-Kursi. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever recites it will remain under the protection of Allaah and no shaytaan (devil) will be able to approach him until the morning.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari). And al-Mi’wadhatayn (the last two soorahs of the Qur’aan) may also be recited.

As for psychiatrists who do not treat the epileptic in the manner described, they cannot do him any good at all.

This issue may be discussed in much more detail, but what we have said here is sufficient for those who want to know a little about this matter, Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds.

Masaa’il wa rasaa’il, Muhammad Mahmoud al-Najdi, p. 23

Ref: http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/1819

Maatreediyyah of the Past & Deobandis of Now

Deobandis

Are Deobandis part of Ahlus Sunnah? Are they within the folds of Islam?

Praise be to Allaah.

The Deobandis are one of the groups of Muslims. This group is connected to and named after the University of Deoband – Dar al-Uloom – in India. It is an intellectual school of thought that is deeply rooted, and everyone who graduated from that university was influenced by its academic characteristics, so that they became known as Deobandis.

The University of Deoband was founded by a group of Indian ‘ulamaa’ (scholars) after the British had put a stop to the Islamic revolution in India in 1857 CE. Its establishment was a strong reaction against western advancement and its materialistic civilization in the Indian Subcontinent, aimed at saving the Muslims from the dangers of these circumstances, especially when Delhi, the capital, had been destroyed following the revolution and the British had taken full control of it. The scholars feared that their religion might be assimilated, so Shaykh Imdaadullaah al-Muhaajir al-Makki and his student Shaykh Muhammad Qaasim al-Nanatuwi, and their companions, drew up a plan to protect Islam and its teachings. They thought that the solution was to establish religious schools and Islamic centers, thus al-Madrasah al-Islamiyyah al-Arabiyyah was established in Deoband as a center for Islam and Sharee’ah in India at the time of British rule.

The most prominent figures of this intellectual school:

1- Muhammad Qaasim

2- Rasheed Ahmad al-Kankoohi

3- Husayn Ahmad al-Madani

4- Muhammad Anwaar Shah al-Kashmiri

5- Abu’l-Hasan al-Nadvi

6- Al-Muhaddith Habeeb al-Rahmaan al-A’zami

Thoughts and beliefs

With regard to basic tenets of belief (‘aqeedah), they follow the madhhab of Abu Mansoor al-Maatreedi.

They follow the madhhab of Imaam Abu Haneefah with regard to fiqh and minor issues.

They follow the Sufi tareeqahs of the Naqshbandiyyah, Chishtiyyah, Qaadiriyyah and Saharwardiyyah with regard to spiritual development.

The thoughts and principles of the Deobandi school may be summed up as follows:

- Preserving the teachings of Islam and its strength and rituals.

- Spreading Islam and resisting destructive schools of thought and missionary activity.

- Spreading Islamic culture and resisting the invading British culture.

- Paying attention to spreading the Arabic language because it is the means of benefiting from the sources of Islamic sharee’ah.

- Combining reason and emotion, and knowledge and spirituality.

See al-Mawsoo’ah al-Muyassarah fil Adyaan wal Madhaahib (1/308).

Because the Deobandis follow the Maatreedi madhhab with regard to belief (‘aqeedah), we have to define what al-Maatreediyyah is:

This is a philosophical (kalaami) group which is named after Abu Mansoor al-Maatreedi. It is based on using rational and philosophical proof and evidence in disputes with opponents from among the Mu’tazilah, Jahamiyyah and others to establish the truths of religion and Islamic ‘aqeedah (belief). With regard to sources, the Maatreediyyah divide the bases of religion into two categories depending on the source:

1 – Divine or rational: these are matters which are established independently by reason and the reports follow that. This includes issues of Tawheed and the Divine attributes.

2 – Legislative matters or transmitted reports, These are matters which reason states may or may not exist, but there is no way to prove rationally that they exist, such as Prophethood, the torment of the grave and issues of the Hereafter. It should be noted that some of them regarded Prophethood as coming under the heading of rational issues.

It is obvious that this is contradictory to the methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, because the Qur’aan, Sunnah and consensus of the Sahaabah are the sources of guidance in their view. This is in addition to their bid’ah (innovation) of dividing the sources of religion into rational matters vs. transmitted reports, which was based on the false notion of the philosophers who assumed that the religious texts contradict reason, so they tried to mediate between reason and the transmitted reports. This led them to force reason into fields where it has no place, so they came up with false rulings which contradicted sharee’ah, and that led them to say that they did not know what the texts mean and that only Allaah knows their meaning, or to misinterpret them altogether. In the view of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, on the other hand, there is no contradiction between sound reason and the sound transmitted reports.

See al-Mawsoo’ah al-Muyassarah fi’l-Adyaan wa’l-Madhaahib al-Mu’aasirah, 1/99

Attitude of Ahl al-Sunnah towards the Maatreediyyah

It was narrated from the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that this ummah would split into seventy-three sects, all of which would be in the Fire apart from one. The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained that the saved group is the Jamaa’ah, which is the group that follows the same path as the Messenger SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his Companions.

Undoubtedly Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, who adhere to the Qur’aan and Sunnah in terms of both knowledge and actions, are the saved group, and this description applies to them, i.e., they adhere to that which the Messenger SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his Companions adhered to in terms of knowledge and actions.

It is not sufficient for an individual or group merely to claim to belong to the Sunnah whilst going against the methodology of the salaf, namely the Sahaabah and Taabi’een. Rather it is essential to adhere to their methodology in knowledge, action, approach and spiritual development.

The Maatreediyyah are one of the groups whose opinions include true and false views, and some things that go against the Sunnah. It is known that these groups vary with regard to the truth, how near or far they are; the closer they are to the Sunnah, the closer they are to the truth and the right way. Among them are some who went against the Sunnah with regard to basic principles, and some who went against the Sunnah with regard to more subtle issues. There are some who refuted other groups who are farther away from the Sunnah, so they are to be praised with regard to their refutation of falsehood and what they have said of truth, but they have overstepped the mark in so far as they have rejected part of the truth and gone along with some falsehood. So they have refuted a serious bid’ah by means of a lesser bid’ah, and refuted falsehood with a lesser form of falsehood. This is the case with most of the philosophers (ahl al-kalaam) who claim to belong to Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah…”

(From the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, al-Fataawa, 1/348).

There remains one important question to be answered, which is: what is our duty towards the Maatreediyyah and groups who hold similar beliefs such as the Deobandis and others?

The answer varies according to differences in the persons involved.

If someone is stubborn and propagates his bid’ah, then we must warn others about him and explain where he has gone wrong and deviated. But if he does not propagate his bid’ah and it is clear from his words and actions that he is seeking the truth and striving for that purpose, then we should advise him and explain to him what is wrong with this belief, and guide him in a manner that is better; perhaps Allaah will bring him back to the truth. This advice is included in the words of the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Religion is sincerity (or sincere advice).” We [the Sahabah] asked, “To whom?” He said, “To Allaah and His Book, and His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk.”

(Narrated by Muslim, 55).

Islam Q&A

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Ref: http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/22473

The authors of the Six Books

The authors of the Six Books

Who are the authors of the Six Books, and are there any da’eef (weak) ahaadeeth in their books?

The Praise be to Allah.

The authors of the Six Books are:

1- Imam al-Bukhaari

2- Imam Muslim

3- Imam Abu Dawood

4- Imam al-Tirmidhi

5- Imam al-Nasaa’i

6- Imaam Ibn Maajah

There follow brief details about each of them.

1 – Imam al-Bukhaari

His full name was Abu ‘Abd-Allaah Muhammad ibn Ismaa’eel ibn Ibraaheem ibn al-Mugheerah ibn Bardizbah al-Ja’fi al-Bukhaari. His grandfather al-Mugheerah was a freed slave of al-Yamaan al-Ja’fi, the governor of Bukhaarah, so he took his name after he became Muslim. Imam al-Bukhaari was born in Bukhaara in 194 AH. He grew up an orphan and started to memorize ahaadeeth before he was ten years old. When he was a young man he set out to travel to Makkah and perform the obligation of Hajj. He stayed in Makkah for a while, studying under the imams of fiqh, usool and hadeeth. Then he began to travel around, going from one Islamic region to another, for sixteen years in all. He visited many centers of knowledge where he collected ahaadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) until he had compiled more than 600,000 ahaadeeth. He referred to one thousand scholars of hadeeth and discussed these reports with them. These scholars were people who were known for their sincerity, piety and sound belief. From this huge number of ahaadeeth he compiled his book al-Saheeh, following the most precise scientific guidelines in his research as to their authenticity and in distinguishing the saheeh (sound) from the weak, and in finding out about the narrators, until he recorded in his book the most sound of the sound, although it does not contain all the saheeh ahaadeeth. The book’s full title is al-Jaami’ al-Saheeh al-Musnad min Hadeeth Rasool-Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wa Sunanihi wa Ayaamihi.

The governor of Bukhaara wanted al-Bukhaari to come to his house to teach his children and read ahaadeeth to them. But al-Bukhaari refused and wrote to him: “Knowledge is to be sought in its own house,” meaning that knowledge is to be sought not summoned. Whoever wanted to learn from the scholars should go to them in the mosque or in their houses. So the governor bore a grudge against him and ordered that he be expelled from Bukhaara. So he went to the village of Khartank which is near Samarqand, where he had relatives, and he settled there until he died in 256 AH at the age of 62. May Allaah have mercy upon him.

2 – Imam Muslim

His full name was Muslim ibn al-Hajjaaj ibn Muslim al-Qushayri al-Nisapoori Abu’l-Husayn. He is one of the leading scholars of hadeeth and one of the most knowledgeable. He was born in Nisapoor on the day that Imam al-Shaafa’i died in 204 AH. He studied in Nisapoor, and when he grew up he traveled to Iraq and the Hijaaz to learn hadeeth. He heard ahaadeeth from many shaykhs, and many scholars of hadeeth narrated from him. The most famous of his books is his Saheeh which is known as Saheeh Muslim. This is one of the six reliable books of hadeeth. He spent nearly fifteen years compiling this book, which is second only to Saheeh al-Bukhaari in status and in the strength of its ahaadeeth. Many scholars have written commentaries on his Saheeh.

His books also include Kitaab al-Tabaqaat, Kitaab al-Jaami’ and Kitaab al-Asma’, and others which exist in printed and manuscript form. He died in the city of Nasarabad, near Nisapoor, in 261 AH, at the age of 57. May Allaah have mercy on him.

3 – Imam Abu Dawood

His full name was Sulaymaan ibn al-Ash’ath ibn Shaddaad ibn ‘Amr ibn Ishaaq ibn Basheer al-Azdi al-Sajistani, from Sajistan. Abu Dawood was the leading hadeeth scholar of his age. He is the author of al-Sunan, which is one of the six reliable books of hadeeth. He was born in 202 AH. He traveled to Baghdad where he met Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and stayed with him; he also looked like him. He also traveled to the Hijaz, Iraq, Khurasaan, Syria, Egypt and the borders of the Islamic world. Al-Nasaa’i, al-Tirmidhi and others narrated hadeeth from him. He attained the highest degree of piety and righteousness. His book al-Sunan includes more than 5300 ahaadeeth.

The caliph Abu Ahmad Talhah (al-Muwaffaq al-‘Abbaasi) asked three things of him: the first was that he should move to Basrah and settle there, so that seekers of knowledge could come to him, thus bringing more people to settle there. The second was that he should teach al-Sunan to his children. The third was that he should give exclusive classes to his children, for the children of the caliph should not sit with the common people. Abu Dawood said to him: As for the first, yes; as for the second, yes; as for the third, no way, because all people are equal when it comes to knowledge. So the sons of al-Muwaffaq al-‘Abbaasi used to attend his lessons, and they would sit with a screen between them and the people. He remained in Basrah until he died in 275 AH. May Allaah have mercy on him.

4 – Imam al-Tirmidhi

His full name was Muhammad ibn ‘Eesa ibn Soorah ibn Moosa ibn al-Dahhaak al-Salami al-Tirmidhi, Abu Eesa. He came from Tirmidh, once of the cities of Transoxiana, after which he was named. He was one of the leading scholars of hadeeth and memorization of hadeeth. He was born in 209 AH and studied under al-Bukhaari; they had some of the same teachers. He began to seek ahaadeeth by travelling to Khurasaan, Iraq and the Hijaz. He became famous for his memorization of hadeeth, trustworthiness and knowledge. His shaykhs included Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Abu Dawood al-Sajistani. He compiled al-Jaami’ which is counted as one of the six reliable books of hadeeth. In this book he examined the ahaadeeth in detail, which is of benefit to students of fiqh, because he mentions the ahaadeeth and most of his ahaadeeth deal with rulings of fiqh. He mentions the isnaads and lists the Sahaabah who narrated the hadeeth, so what he believes is saheeh he says is saheeh, and what he believes is da’eef he says is da’eef. He explains who among the fuqaha’ accepted the hadeeth and who did not. His Jaami’ is the most comprehensive of the books of al-Sunan, and is the most useful to the muhaddith (hadeeth scholar) and faqeeh. His other works include Kitaab al-Shamaa’il al-Nabawiyyah and al-‘Ilal fi’l-Hadeeth. He was blind for the latter part of his life, after he had travelled around and compiled saheeh reports from prominent and well-versed scholars. He died in 279 AH at the age of 70. May Allaah have mercy on him.

5 – Imam al-Nasaa’i

His full name was Ahmad ibn Shu’ayb ibn ‘Ali ibn Sinaan ibn Bahr ibn Dinar al-Nasaa’i, Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan. He came from the city of Nasa in Khurasaan, after which he was named (Nasawi or Nasaa’i). He was born in 215 AH, and he was one of the leading scholars and muhaddiths of his time. His comments on al-jarh wa’l-ta’deel (the study of the soundness or otherwise of narrators of hadeeth) are highly esteemed by the scholars. Al-Haakim said: I heard Abu’l-Hasan al-Daaraqutni say more than once, “Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan is the foremost among all scholars of hadeeth, and he is the best evaluator of narrators of his time.”

He was extremely pious and righteous, and he used to regularly observe the best kind of fasting (the fasting of Dawood), he used to fast on alternate days. He lived in Egypt, where his books became famous and people learned from him. Then he moved to Damascus, where he died on Monday 13 Safar 300 AH, at the age of 85. May Allaah have mercy on him.

6 – Imam Ibn Maajah

His full name was Muhammad ibn Yazeed al-Rab’i al-Qazwayni, Abu ‘Abd-Allaah. His father Yazeed was known as Maajah, so he was known as Ibn Maajah. The name al-Rab’i refers to Rabee’ah, after whom he was named because his father was a freed slave of Rabee’ah . He was a famous hafiz and the author of the book of hadeeth called al-Sunan. He was born in Qazwayn, after which he was named, in 209 AH. He travelled to Iraq, Basrah, Kufa, Baghdad, Makkah, Syria, Egypt and al-Rai to write down hadeeth. He wrote three books during his travels: a book on Tafseer; a book on history, in which he compiled the reports of men who had written down reports of the Sunnah from the time of the Sahaabah until his own time; and his book al-Sunan. Ibn Maajah died on Monday 22 Ramadaan 273 AH, at the age of 64. May Allaah have mercy on him.

Ruling on the ahaadeeth in these books:

With regard to Saheeh al-Bukhaari and Saheeh Muslim, the ummah accepts the ahaadeeth that are contained in these books, and they are agreed that everything in them is saheeh apart from a very few phrases which al-Bukhaari and Muslim narrated in order to explain why they are not sound, either explicitly or implicitly, as the scholars who wrote commentaries on these two books, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him), have explained. With regard to the other books of Sunan, they are not free of some da’eef (weak) ahaadeeth here and there. Some of them are noted as such by the authors themselves, and others have been pointed out by other scholars. They did not point out all the weak ahaadeeth, because they narrated the ahaadeeth with their isnaads, so it is easy for the scholars to tell the saheeh ahaadeeth from the da’eef by checking the chain of narrators and knowing who is reliable and who is weak.

Among the famous scholars in this field were Ahmad, al-Daraqutni, Yahya ibn Ma’een, Ibn Hajar, al-Dhahabi, al-Waaqi and al-Sakhaawi. Among the contemporary scholars in this field are al-Albaani, Ahmad Shaakir and others. May Allaah have mercy on them all.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Ref: http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/21523

Introduction to the Muwatta’ of Imam Maalik

Introduction to the Muwatta’ of Imam Maalik

How many ahaadeeth are there in the Muwatta’ of Imam Maalik?.

Praise be to Allaah.

This is a brief introduction of the book entitled Muwatta’ al-Imam Maalik; we ask Allaah to benefit us thereby.

Firstly:

Al-Muwatta’ is one of the great books of Islam which includes a number of marfoo’ ahaadeeth and mawqoof reports from the Sahaabah, Taabi’een and those who came after them. It also includes many rulings and fatwas of the author.

The Muwatta’ is so called because its author made it easy (watta’a) for the people in the sense that he made it easily accessible to them.

It was narrated that Maalik said: I showed this book of mine to seventy of the fuqaha’ of Madeenah, and all of them agreed with me (waata’ani) on it, so I called it al-Muwatta’.

Secondly:

The reason why it was compiled: Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated in al-Istidhkaar (1/168) that Abu Ja’far al-Mansoor said to Imam Maalik: “O Maalik, make a book for the people that I can make them follow, for there is no one today who is more knowledgeable than you.” Imam Maalik responded to his request, but he refused to force all the people to adhere to it.

Thirdly:

Imam Maalik read the Muwatta’ to people for forty years, adding to it, taking away from it and improving it. So his students heard it from him or read it to him during that time. So the reports in al-Muwatta’ are many and varied because of what the Imam did of editing his book. Some of his students narrated from him before it was edited, some during the process, and some at the end of his life. Some of them transmitted it in full whilst others narrated part of it. So a number of transmissions of the Muwatta’ became well known, the most important of which are:

The transmission of Yahya ibn Yahya al-Masmoodi al-Laythi (234 AH). This is the most famous transmission from Imam Maalik, and most of the scholars based their commentaries on it.

The transmission of Abu Mus’ab al-Zuhri, which is distinguished by the additions contained therein. It is the last version transmitted from Maalik and it is still in circulation among the scholars.

The transmission of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Maslamah al-Qa’nabi (221 AH). This is the largest version of the Muwatta’, and ‘Abd-Allaah is one of the soundest of people with regard to the Muwatta’, according to Ibn Ma’een, al-Nasaa’i and Ibn al-Madeeni.

The transmission of Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybaani.

The transmission of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Salamah al-Fahri al-Masri.

And there are many others. Shaykh Muhammad Fu’aad ‘Abd al-Baaqi (may Allaah have mercy on him) spoke about the narrators of the Muwatta’ and discussed fourteen versions of it, in his introduction to the edition of the Muwatta’ that he edited (pp. 6-16).

These versions differ in the order of the books and chapters, and in the number of marfoo’, mursal, and mawqoof ahaadeeth. The wording of the ahaadeeth also differs greatly.

Fourthly:

The number of ahaadeeth in the Muwatta’ differs from one version to another, and according to the system of numbering [?]. That is because some scholars counted every report from the Sahaabah or Taabi’een as a separate hadeeth, whilst others did not count them in their numbering. Hence it is sufficient for us to mention the numbers that are mentioned in some of the edited versions of the Muwatta’, which are:

The version transmitted by Yahya al-Laythi (which is the most famous version, and this is what is usually meant by al-Muwatta’): It was numbered by Shaykh Khaleel Sheeha, and the number of ahaadeeth that he counted was 1942, including both marfoo’ and mawqoof reports.

The version transmitted by Abu Mus’ab al-Zuhri was numbered in the edition published by the Mu’sasat al-Risaalah. The number of hadeeth in this edition is 3069, which includes everything, even the words of Imam Maalik, hence the number is greater.

Fifthly:

The conditions he followed in his book are among the most reliable and strongest of conditions. He followed a method of erring on the side of caution and choosing only sound reports.

Al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: There is nothing on earth after the Book of Allaah that is more correct that the Muwatta’ of Maalik ibn Anas.

It was narrated that al-Rabee’ said: I heard al-Shaafa’i say: If Maalik was uncertain about a hadeeth he would reject it altogether.

Sufyaan ibn ‘Uyaynah said: May Allaah have mercy on Maalik, how strict he was in his evaluation of men (narrators of hadeeth).

Al-Istidhkaar (1/166); al-Tamheed (1/68)

Hence you will find that many of the isnaads of Maalik are of the highest standard of saheeh. Because of this, the two Shaykhs al-Bukhaari and Muslim narrated most of his ahaadeeth in their books.

Note: Imam al-Shaafa’i made the comment quoted above before al-Bukhaari and Muslim wrote their books, as was noted by al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) in his summary of ‘Uloom al-Hadeeth (pp. 24-25).

Sixthly:

In compiling his book, Maalik followed the method of compilation that was current during his time, so he mixed the hadeeths with the words of the Sahaabah and Taabi’een and fiqhi opinions. The reports of the Sahaabah number 613 and the reports of the Taabi’een number 285. In one chapter the marfoo’ ahaadeeth appear first, and are followed by the reports of the Sahaabah and Taabi’een, and sometimes he mentions the actions of the people of Madeenah, so his book is a book of fiqh and hadeeth at the same time, it is not just a book of reports only. Hence you will find that some chapters have no reports, rather they contain the views of the fuqaha’ and the actions and ijtihaad of the people of Madeenah. An example of that is the chapter on produce on which no zakaah is due, and the chapter on the fast of one who kills another by mistake, and so on.

We also find that it is limited to sections on fiqh, etiquette and the actions of day and night. There is nothing in his book about Tawheed, zuhd (asceticism), the Resurrection, stories and tafseer.

See: al-Fikr al-Manhaji ‘inda al-Muhadditheen by Dr Humaam Sa’eed, p. 111-118; Manaahij al-Muhadditheen by Dr Yaasir al-Shimaali , p. 285ff; Muqaddimah Tahqeeq al-Muwatta’, ed. Fu’aad ‘Abd al-Baaqi.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A

Ref: http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/81160

Qur'an, Chapter 75: Surah Al-Qiyaamah (The Resurrection)

Listen to the Recitation (with Translations) of Surah "Al-Qiyaamah (The Resurrection)" by Shaykh Yassir ad-Dosari:

Recitation of Surah "Al-Qiyaamah (The Resurrection)" by Shaykh Yassir ad-Dosari

Below is the English Translation of Surah Al-Qiyaamah (Ch. 75) by Sahih International:

Surah 75. Surah Al-Qiyaamah (The Resurrection)

{1} I swear by the Day of Resurrection

{2} And I swear by the reproaching soul [to the certainty of resurrection].

{3} Does man think that We will not assemble his bones?

{4} Yes. [We are] Able [even] to proportion his fingertips.

{5} But man desires to continue in sin.

{6} He asks, "When is the Day of Resurrection?"

{7} So when vision is dazzled

{8} And the moon darkens

{9} And the sun and the moon are joined,

{10} Man will say on that Day, "Where is the [place of] escape?"

{11} No! There is no refuge.

{12} To your Lord, that Day, is the [place of] permanence.

{13} Man will be informed that Day of what he sent ahead and kept back.

{14} Rather, man, against himself, will be a witness,

{15} Even if he presents his excuses.

{16} Move not your tongue with it, [O Muúammad], to hasten with recitation of the Qur'an.

{17} Indeed, upon Us is its collection [in your heart] and [to make possible] its recitation.

{18} So when We have recited it [through Gabriel], then follow its recitation.

{19} Then upon Us is its clarification [to you].

{20} No! But you love the immediate

{21} And leave the Hereafter.

{22} [Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant,

{23} Looking at their Lord.

{24} And [some] faces, that Day, will be contorted,

{25} Expecting that there will be done to them [something] backbreaking.

{26} No! When the soul has reached the collar bones

{27} And it is said, "Who will cure [him]?"

{28} And the dying one is certain that it is the [time of] separation

{29} And the leg is wound about the leg,

{30} To your Lord, that Day, will be the procession.

{31} And the disbeliever had not believed, nor had he prayed.

{32} But [instead], he denied and turned away.

{33} And then he went to his people, swaggering [in pride].

{34} Woe to you, and woe!

{35} Then woe to you, and woe!

{36} Does man think that he will be left neglected?

{37} Had he not been a sperm from semen emitted?

{38} Then he was a clinging clot, and [ Allah ] created [his form] and proportioned [him]

{39} And made of him two mates, the male and the female.

{40} Is not that [Creator] Able to give life to the dead?

If fasting does not take us to Taqwa, it will mean nothing more than hunger and thirst.

If fasting does not take us to Taqwa, it will mean nothing more than hunger and thirst.

Fast of a Muslim should be fundamentally for the sake of Allaah, as in a Hadith narrated by Aboo Hurayrah, Prophet Muhammad said that Allaah states:

“Fasting is for Me and I will personally give reward for it. [The fasting person] put aside his sexual desire, his food and drink for My sake.” ¹

So, if we have any other reason behind our fasts, then surely we will not attain that level of Taqwa (God Consciousness) required to be rewarded, as found in the following narration:

“Every deed of Adam’s descendents is for themselves, except fasting; it is for Me and I will reward it.” ²

If the intention behind one’s fast is to lose weight, or to resolve indigestion, or fulfilling custom or rituals, etc., then this will not be of any benefit for one’s Taqwa. By this, he gains nothing of the spiritual, emotional and psychological benefit, as his prayers and fasts are not accepted by Allaah. Aboo Hurayrah quoted the Messenger of Allaah as saying:

“Perhaps a fasting person will gain nothing from his fast but hunger and perhaps the one who stands up at night for prayer will gain nothing but tiredness.” ³

The intention behind one’s fast is the first step towards increasing the level of one’s Taqwa, with the right intention at the prescribed time; i.e. the intention being for the sake of Allaah and that which is intended before Dawn; the narration for the same can be cited as follows:

Hafsah related from the Prophet that he said:

“Whoever does not resolve to fast before the dawn will not have a fast.” ⁴

Also, fasting is not limited to fasting of the stomach, but it must include the other organs as well, most importantly the Tongue must fast from Lying. Aboo Hurayrah quoted the Messenger ofAllaah as saying:

“Allaah has no need for one to leave his food and drink if he does not abandon lies and acting on them.” ⁵

Lastly, if one fast out of sincerity and fulfils the 2 conditions; one being for the sake of Allaah and other that it is done as per the methodology (Sunnah) of the Prophet; only then can the fast and the good deeds of the person be in a state to be acceptable by Allaah. Aboo Hurayrah related that the Prophet said:

“Whoever fasts the month of Ramadaan out of sincere faith and seeking his reward from God will have his previous sins forgiven.” ⁶

In another narration, Aboo Hurayrah related that the Prophet said:

“Whoever stands up [in prayer] on the Night of Power out of sincere faith and seeking his reward from God will have his previous sins forgiven.” ⁷

Thus, fasting the month of Ramadaan and praying during the Night of Power (Qadr), both erase previous sins if they are done out of true faith.

¹ Sahih Al Bukhari, vol. 3, p. 71, no. 128.

² Sahih Muslim, vol. 4, p. 285, no. 161, Kitaab: Siyaam Baab: Fadl Siyaam

³ Saheeh Sunan Ibn Maajah, vol. 1, p. 282, no. 1371.

⁴ Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 2, p. 675, no. 2448. Authenticated in Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawood, vol.2, p. 465, no. 2143.

⁵ Sahih Al Bukhari, vol. 3, pp. 70-1, no. 127.

⁶ Sahih Al Bukhari, vol. 3, pp. 69-70, no. 125 and Sahih Muslim, vol. 3 , p. 295 , no. 173 , Kitaab: Salaatul musaafireen; Baab: targheeb fee qiyaam ramadaan

⁷ Sahih Al Bukhari, vol. 3, pp. 69-70, no. 125.

A Brief Overview: The madhhab of Imam Abu Haneefah

Brief overview of the madhhab of Imam Abu Haneefah

Q] We hope that you could give us a brief overview of Imam Abu Haneefah and his madhhab, because I hear some people criticizing this madhhab because he relies too much on qiyaas (analogy) and ra’y (opinion).

A] Praise be to Allaah.

Imam Abu Haneefah is the great faqeeh and scholar of Iraq, Abu Haneefah al-Nu’maan ibn Thaabit al-Taymi al-Kufi. He was born in the year 80 AH, during the lifetime of some of the younger Sahaabah and saw Anas ibn Maalik when he came to them in Kufa. He narrated from ‘Ata’ ibn Abi Rabaah, who was his greatest Shaykh, and from al-Shu’bi and many others.

He was concerned with seeking reports and he traveled for that purpose. With regard to fiqh and examining and analyzing reports, he was the ultimate and people depended on him in that, as Imam al-Dhahabi said: “It would take two volumes to tell the story of his life, may Allaah be pleased with him and have mercy on him.”

He was an imam who was eloquent and well spoken. His student Abu Yoosuf described him as follows: “He was the most well-spoken of the people and the most clear in expressing himself. He was pious and very protective with regard to transgression of the sacred limits of Allaah. He was offered worldly gains and a great deal of wealth, but he turned his back on it. He was whipped to force him to accept the position of judge or controller of the bayt al-maal (treasury of the Islamic state) but he refused.

Many people narrated reports from him, and he died as a martyr of dropsy in 150 AH at the age of seventy. (Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 6/390-403; Usool al-Deen ‘inda al-Imam Abu Haneefah, p. 63)

The Hanafi madhhab is one of the four well-known madhhabs, and it was the first of the fiqhi madhhabs. It was said that “The people are dependent on Abu Haneefah with regard to fiqh.” The origin of the Hanafi madhhab and all the other madhhabs is that these four imams – I mean Abu Haneefah, Maalik, al-Shaafa’i and Ahmad – made the effort to understand the evidence of the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and they issued fatwas to people based on the evidence that had reached them. Then the followers of these imams took their fatwas and conveyed them and issued other fatwas based on them, and derived principles from them, and they set out guidelines for understanding the texts and reaching conclusions. Thus the fiqhi madhhab was formed, and the Hanafi, Shaafa’i, Maaliki and Hanbali madhhabs, and other madhhabs such as those of al-Awzaa’i and Sufyaan, but these latter madhhabs were not destined to continue.

As you can see, what these schools of fiqh are based on is following the Qur’aan and Sunnah.

With regard to the ra’y and qiyaas adopted by Imam Abu Haneefah, what this means is not opinion based on whims and desires, rather it is an opinion based on the evidence, or analogies, or following the general principles of sharee’ah. The salaf used to describe ijtihaad in difficult issues as ra’y (lit. opinion). Many of them used to say when commenting on a verse of the Book of Allaah, “This is my opinion (my ijtihaad) concerning it,” but that does not refer to opinion based on whims and desires, as stated above.

Imam Abu Haneefah followed ra’y and qiyaas a great deal in matters other than hudood punishments, expiations and other shar’i issues, and the reason for that is that he had fewer ahaadeeth at his disposal than other imams, because he came before the other imams and was very strict about accepting ahaadeeth, as false reports were so widespread in Iraq at that time and there was a great deal of tribulation.

It should be noted that not all the opinions and views of the Hanafi madhhab that is named after Imam Abu Haneefah are the words of Abu Haneefah himself, or can be correctly attributed to him. Many of those views go against what Imam Abu Haneefah himself said, but they were regarded as part of his madhhab because they were worked out according to the guidelines of the madhhab which is derived from the other texts of the imam. Similarly the Hanafi madhhab may adopt the view of a student of the imam such as Abu Yoosuf and Muhammad, and it also includes the ijtihaad of students of the imam, which subsequently became part of the madhhab. This does not apply only to the madhhab of Abu Haneefah, rather the same may be said of all the well-known madhhabs.

If it is said: If the four madhhabs are based on the Qur’aan and Sunnah, why do we find differences of opinion between them on matters of fiqh?

The answer is: Each imam issued fatwas on the basis of the evidence that reached him. A hadeeth may have reached Imam Maalik on the basis of which he issued fatwas, that did not reach Abu Haneefah, so he issued fatwas stating something different, and vice versa. Similarly a hadeeth may have reached Abu Haneefah with a saheeh isnaad so he issued fatwas on that basis, and the same hadeeth may have reached Imam al-Shaafa’i with a different isnaad that was da’eef (weak), so he did not issue fatwas based on it, or he may have issued a fatwa saying something that went against the hadeeth based on the conclusion he reached. This is why differences arose among the scholars, but ultimately the point of reference is the Qur’aan and Sunnah.

In fact, Imam Abu Haneefah and other imams followed the texts of the Qur’aan and Sunnah, even if some of their fatwas were not based on that, the reason being that all four imams stated that if a hadeeth was saheeh, then that was their madhhab, that is what they followed, on what they based their fatwas and from what they derived their evidence.

Imam Abu Haneefah said: “If the hadeeth is saheeh then that is my madhhab.” And he said: “It is not permissible for anyone to follow what we say if they do not know where we got it from.” According to another report he said: “It is haraam for the one who does not know my evidence to issue a fatwa based on my words.” And according to another report he added: “We are human, we may say something today and retract it tomorrow.” And he said: “If I say something that goes against the Book of Allaah or the report of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then ignore what I say.”

Imam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “I am only human, sometimes I make mistakes and sometimes I get things right. Look at my opinion and whatever is in accordance with the Qur’aan and Sunnah, take it, and whatever is not in accordance with the Qur’aan and Sunnah, ignore it.” And he said: “There is no one after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) whose words cannot be taken or left, apart from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).”

Imam al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “There is no one who will not be unaware of some of the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Whatever I say or whatever guidelines I establish, if there is a report from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which is different to what I said, then what matters is what the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, and that is my opinion.”

Imam Ahmad said: “Do not follow me blindly and do not follow Maalik or al-Shaafa’i or al-Awzaa’i or al-Thawri blindly. Learn from where they learned.” And he said: “The opinion of al-Awzaa’i and the opinion of Maalik and the opinion of Abu Haneefah are all mere conjecture and it is all the same to me. Rather evidence is to be found in the reports – i.e., in the shar’i evidence.”

This is a brief look at Imam Abu Haneefah (may Allaah have mercy on him) and his madhhab. In conclusion, the Muslim cannot but acknowledge the status and position of these imams, but that should not lead us to give precedence to their views over the Book of Allaah and the saheeh reports from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because in principle we should follow the Qur’aan and Sunnah and not the opinions of men; any man’s opinion may be taken or left, except the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as Imam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) said.

For more information please see questions no. 5523, 13189, 23280, 21420.

See also al-Madkhal ila Diraasat al-madaaris wa’l-Madhaahib al-Fiqhiyyah by ‘Umar al-Ashqar.

Islam Q&A
Ref: http://islamqa.com/en/ref/46992

Qur'an, Chapter 78: Surah An-Naba' (The Great News)

Listen to the Recitation (with Translations) of Surah "An-Naba' (The Great News)" by Shaykh Mishary bin Rashed al-Afasy:

Recitation of the Surah "An-Naba' (The Great News)" by Shaykh Mishary bin Rashed al-Afasy

Below is the English Translation of Surah An-Naba' (Ch. 78) by Sahih International:

Surah 78. Surah An-Naba' (The Great News)

1} About what are they asking one another?
2} About the great news -
3} That over which they are in disagreement.
4} No! They are going to know.
5} Then, no! They are going to know.
6} Have We not made the earth a resting place?
7} And the mountains as stakes?
8} And We created you in pairs
9} And made your sleep [a means for] rest
10} And made the night as clothing
11} And made the day for livelihood
12} And constructed above you seven strong [heavens]
13} And made [therein] a burning lamp
14} And sent down, from the rain clouds, pouring water
15} That We may bring forth thereby grain and vegetation
16} And gardens of entwined growth.
17} Indeed, the Day of Judgement is an appointed time -
18} The Day the Horn is blown and you will come forth in multitudes
19} And the heaven is opened and will become gateways
20} And the mountains are removed and will be [but] a mirage.
21} Indeed, Hell has been lying in wait
22} For the transgressors, a place of return,
23} In which they will remain for ages [unending].
24} They will not taste therein [any] coolness or drink
25} Except scalding water and [foul] purulence -
26} An appropriate recompense.
27} Indeed, they were not expecting an account
28} And denied Our verses with [emphatic] denial.
29} But all things We have enumerated in writing.
30} "So taste [the penalty], and never will We increase you except in torment."
31} Indeed, for the righteous is attainment -
32} Gardens and grapevines
33} And full-breasted [companions] of equal age
34} And a full cup.
35} No ill speech will they hear therein or any falsehood -
36} [As] reward from your Lord, [a generous] gift [made due by] account,
37} [From] the Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, the Most Merciful. They possess not from Him [authority for] speech.
38} The Day that the Spirit and the angels will stand in rows, they will not speak except for one whom the Most Merciful permits, and he will say what is correct.
39} That is the True Day; so he who wills may take to his Lord a [way of] return.
40} Indeed, We have warned you of a near punishment on the Day when a man will observe what his hands have put forth and the disbeliever will say, "Oh, I wish that I were dust!"

More the explanation (Tafseer) on the Surah an-Naba', download the book "The Day of Resurrection (Tafseer Soorah an-Nabaa)" at QSEP Website