From chest to chest. How the revelation was passed on and protected
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From chest to chest. How the revelation was passed on and protected

When he was nearly forty, Muhammad (peace be upon him) began to see dreams of light and inspiration in preparation for the mission he would be receiving to deliver Allah’s message to the world. These continued for six months and then he began to love and seek seclusion more and more. The significance of the…

Mulla Ali’s Introduction to his book and the contentious issue of mursal hadith
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Mulla Ali’s Introduction to his book and the contentious issue of mursal hadith

Mulla Ali now moves on to the topic of debate among the schools, which is hadith al mursal. He refers to ‘our’ scholars (ulemauna) meaning the scholars of the Hanafi school and makes the statement that Hanafi scholars adhere to the Sunnah more than the other schools. This statement reflects what was happening at that time. 400 years on, it is still the case that the Hanafi school is accused by other schools for not using proper hadith and that their rulings are based on weak rulings or qiyas (analogy). In other words that they use their own intellect rather than relying on hadith. Mulla Ali is addressing this accusation, as scholars from the Hanafi school are still doing today. Mulla Ali argues that the Hanafi school follows the Sunnah more than other schools because it follows the salaf, (the first and second generation of believers) because they accept the hadith al mursal. Until the 2nd century, mursal hadith were quoted and accepted in fiqh rulings by all schools. After that the Hanafi, Maliki accepted them but the Shafi refused. The Hanbalis accepted it in one narration and rejected it in another. Before the 2nd century people were not that concerned by the chain of narrators they were happy to write down and pass on narrations as long they emanated from the Prophet (peace be upon him). The narrators were well known to them but it was not until hadith began to be fabricated around the beginning of the 2nd century, that the practice of asking for the chain of transmitters became an important aspect of conveying the hadith.

A fresh look at fiqh – why I have chosen Mulla Ali al Qari’s book, Fath Bab al Inaya
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A fresh look at fiqh – why I have chosen Mulla Ali al Qari’s book, Fath Bab al Inaya

Fiqh is a heavy topic for many people but it can also be fascinating. I have chosen to take you through this journey to give you a fresh look at this topic by going through some carefully selected excerpts from Mulla Ali al Qari’s renowned work, “Fath Bab al Inaya Sharh Kitab al-Nuqaya,” a 10th…

The compilers of collections of 40 hadith
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The compilers of collections of 40 hadith

Imam Nawawi in his introduction to his famous Forty Hadith mentions the great scholars who inspired him, and were the brainchild behind compiling the 40 narrations (which were in fact 42). He said: “And many scholars compiled in this topic countless books” Amongst the first who compiled them are: Abdullah bin Mubarak (118-181 AH) is…

Can playing with children be an act of worship?
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Can playing with children be an act of worship?

Let them play and join in Whenever we play with children, we have an opportunity to enter into their world and see the world through their eyes, (where everything is new, exciting and fascinating). Although this looks like play to us adults, it is actually work for them. It has been said by many psychologists…

Whomsoever Allah wishes good for…

Whomsoever Allah wishes good for…

Mu’awiyah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم مَنْ يُرِدْ اللَّهُ بِهِ خَيْرًا يُفَقِّهْهُ فِي الدِّينِ “To whomever Allah wills goodness, He grants him understanding of the religion. (Bukhari and Muslim) This hadith begins with ‘whomsoever’. Whomsoever: No restriction on colour, race, age, gender, wealth, health and status. It is an open invitation for every individual to participate….

HOW TO DECONSTRUCT A HADITH WHEN IT SEEMS TO CONTRADICT THE PRINCIPLES OF ISLAM
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Deconstructing the hadith on greeting non-Muslims with the salam. Insight into the sciences of hadith.

There is common misconception that one may not greet non-Muslims with the salam. Or that you should only reply to them with ‘walaikum‘ not ‘walaikum asalam‘. This opinion is based on the hadith narrated by Suhayl bin Abi Salih, from his father, Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be please with them) narrated that the…

Should you follow a tariqa?
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Should you follow a tariqa?

Many people find the idea of their spiritual journey being fast-tracked by joining a tariqa (Sufi path) appealing. They think that their connection with Allah will be strengthened, and accelerated and that showing obedience to their shaykh, who is already well-advanced on that journey, will be the shortcut to Jannah. The most renowned Sufi shaykh…

A letter to my friend. Part 2: Taking stock of time and activities

A letter to my friend. Part 2: Taking stock of time and activities

Take stock of your time and activities Imam Al-Muhasibi wrote a letter to his friend [as usual, it’s framed as on the account of a wise man who wrote to his friend] offering some advice. We have mentioned before that Imam Al-Muhasibi’s close companion is Al-Junayd Al-Baghdadi. He wrote: “I advise you to… What are…

A letter to my friend. Part 1: The 7 traits of the successful believer

A letter to my friend. Part 1: The 7 traits of the successful believer

Imam Al-Muhasibi wrote a letter to his friend [as usual, it’s framed as on the account of a wise man who wrote to his friend] offering some advice. We have mentioned before that Imam Al-Muhasibbi’s close companion is Al-Junayd Al-Baghdadi. He wrote: “I advise you to… 1.    Eethar: Give preference to Allah first Fix what…