`

What is nasiha – How to be sincere and give advice

What is nasiha - How to be sincere and give advice
by
December 20, 2022
in Khutbah
No Comments
2391

Tamim ad-Dari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said three times

“The religion is nasiha (sincerity).”

The people said, ‘To whom should it be directed?’

He replied, “To Allah, His Book, His Messenger (peace be upon him), to the leaders of the Muslims and to the common folk of the Muslims.” [Imam Muslim]

This hadith is short and comprehensive and was included by Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) in the 40 comprehensive hadith. Ibn Rajab bin Hanbali, in his commentary on the 40 Nawawiyah, elaborated on the hadith further.

 Narrator

Tamim bin Aws ad-Dari was a Christian who accepted Islam[i] in the 9AH after the Battle of Tabouk when the delegation came to visit the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the year of delegations because there was such a big influx of delegations expressing interest in Islam as mentioned in Surat an-Nasr:

‘So when the victory of Allah comes and the opening (i.e. the opening of Makkah) and you see a multitude of people coming and accepting the deen of Allah Almighty.’ [110:1-2]

Tamim bin Aws was called ad-Dari because his seventh grandfather was Ad Daar. He had many virtues and one of these is often mentioned as a riddle in the sciences of hadith: all people narrated hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him) but from whom did the Prophet (peace be upon him) narrate a hadith? The answer is Tamim ad-Dari.

Hadith al-Jassaasah

Tamim bin Aws, in a very long narration in Sahih Muslim, known as hadith al-Jassaaasah, recounts his encounter with Dajjal[ii] when he was on a boat journey with thirty men and they got shipwrecked and ended up on an island and where they saw a beast. The Prophet (peace be upon him) gathered the Muslims in the mosque and said this story complied with the details of what he knew about ad–dajjal; and so he narrated what he had heard from Tamim bin Aws.

Tamim ad-Dari memorised the Quran and was a very dedicated worshipper, to the extent that some narrations say he used to recite the whole Quran in his qiyamul layl in two rakats and in some narrations in one rakah. Other narrations say that he used to finish the Quran on a daily basis. There are different narrations but nevertheless it shows the commitment of the sahabah to Islam.

He left Madinah after the death of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and he resided in Sham, most probably Palestine and passed away in 40AH. He narrated this hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) which appears in Sahih Muslim and other  books including Abu Dawood.

Flavour of the Arabic language

Firstly we note from the Arabic, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘al deen nasiha’ (the religion is nasiha). ‘Al’ is the definite article (i.e. the) which means that the hadith is referring to a specific religion, not any religion. Just as saying ‘the class is here’ means the whole class is present, not just a few students.

The whole deen (religion)

At the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) there were many religions, but we understand from the hadith that the religion being referred to in this hadith is Islam, as Allah chose Islam as the religion for humanity. In the Quran, Allah said, ‘the only true religion before Allah is Islam [3:19]’. And in Surat Maidah Allah said, ‘This day I have perfected for you your deen [5:3]’ which was revealed during the Prophet’s Farewell pilgrimage at Arafah.

While ‘al deen’ is ‘the religion’, nasiha has different meanings. One of these meanings is advice, however how does one give advice to ‘To Allah, His Book, His Messenger (peace be upon him)’? We can understand that you give advice to the leaders of the believers and the general public, but how does this apply to Allah, His Books, and His Messengers?

What is meant by nasiha?

Nasiha has two main meanings, though there are others. One of these is to sift and separate, for instance filtering honey from wax is known as nasiha. In other words making something pure, which is why nasiha also means sincerity, because sincerity is having a pure intention. Nasiha is like taking the wax out of the honey –  to give the best and to leave the rest. This is the meaning used most commonly by many scholars of hadith.

The other meaning of nasiha is related to sewing. Minsaha is a needle, and someone who is using a needle is naseeha – they stitch two pieces together into one. Thus the other meaning of nasiha is bringing two things together.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) repeated that the religion (the whole of it) is about sincerity three times. He therefore emphasized the point – الدين النصيحة ad deenu nasheeha

How do we put this into action? The Companions did not just listen to or memorise the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him) for the sake of it, but they actioned them. or luxury of memory. They understood that his, the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) words were valuable but they understood they had to be put into practice. This is why they asked him, ‘to who and how to put it into application?’ and he (peace be upon him) gave his instructions on how to action it.

1. Nasiha (sincerity) towards Allah Almighty

The first way to action sincerity is to believe in Allah Almighty, His attributes, and His actions, and to know Allah Almighty’s majesty, mercy and justice. To believe in Allah Almighty is part of faith and also to comply by His commands, appreciate and glorify Him and His words, His Books, and His commands and to refrain from what has been prohibited and engage in what is permitted (halal).

The Companions understood what nasiha lillah (sincerity to Allah) as it was in their language, so they knew it meant not to associate anyone with Him, to worship Him alone and seek support from Him alone etc. This is the first priority.

2. Nasiha to Allah’s Book

The second priority is having sincerity to ‘His book’. Allah’s book is the Quran;  therefore, we have to believe in the Quran, to defend the Quran, to apply the Quran in one’s life, to memorise the Quran and to glorify it, promote the word of Allah Almighty that He promised to protect and He commanded us to follow – ‘Indeed this Quran guides to what is best [17:9]’. So it means, ‘This Book without doubt is guidance for people of taqwa, people of obedience [2:2]’.  

To find guidance in this book, you have to believe in this book first, and follow the guidance in the book. Strengthen your commitment to the book of Allah Almighty. The stronger the commitment to the book of Allah Almighty, the better your life will be, the better your akhirah will be, the higher your rank will be. They are all connected, so have commitment and sincerity towards Allah and His book.

3. Nasiha to His Messenger (peace be upon him)

The third priority in the hadith is having sincerity towards the Messenger (peace be upon him). There are many facets to this:

i. Believe in him

We have to believe in him, and in his finality. In addition, we have to be conscious of the fact that he is the most beloved and closest person to Allah Almighty, therefore he holds a very special status.

ii. Love him

Knowing this status, we should love the Prophet (peace be upon him). Indeed, he told us that belief is incomplete unless we love him.

Anas ibn Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

“None of you have faith until I am more beloved to him than his children, his father, and all of the people.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

This means we have to develop our love him so that it is more than we love our parents and children and everything we hold dear in the world including our possessions, our property, and our wealth etc.

How do we develop this love in our life and how do we spread this love in our life, among our children and in our communities?

We can’t love somebody who we don’t know. The more we learn, the more we love.

iii. Learn about him

It is by learning about him – his seerah (biography) and his character, that we can begin to emulate him.

iv. Follow his Sunnah

When we learn about him, we take him as our primary role model – and look to him for guidance on how to conduct our lives, how to behave. We have to follow his Sunnah and avoid any innovations that are not from his Sunnah.

v. Emulate his character

Learning about him, we can see how kind, generous and merciful he was, so this inspires us to increase these qualities in our life. He was also easy-going and optimistic – there is no end to the wonderful qualities he had which we can work on and improve in ourselves.

vi. Do not innovate

When you learn about his history, his life, the sacrifices he made for the Ummah, you would not want to displease him by doing the actions he forbade and discouraged, or any actions that are innovations because they will be presented to the Prophet (peace be upon him) as in an authentic hadith:

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“On the Day of Resurrection a group of companions will come to me, but will be driven away from the Lake-Fount, and I will say, ‘O Lord (those are) my companions!’ It will be said, ‘You have no knowledge as to what they innovated after you left; they turned apostate as renegades.” [Muslim]

Thus while the Prophet (peace be upon him) will be offering cups of water to his followers from his cistern (howd) some angels will come and take some people away and prevent them from drinking it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) will say, ‘these are from my Ummah, why are you taking them?’ And the angels will say that they added deviant practices to the Sunnah. This will be an embarrassment for him and he warned his Companions

And he said, ‘Do not embarrass me on the Day of Judgement’. [Musnad Ahmad]

vii. Send salawat

In addition we should send salam to the

Allah Almighty mentions in Surah Al Ahzab:

Indeed, Allah and His angels give blessings to the Prophet (peace be upon him). O you who have believe, confer blessings on him and greet him with prayer of peace or greet him with salam in abundance (peace be upon him). [33:56]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

The Angel Jibril came to me and said: ‘O Muhammad, your Lord says: ‘Will it not please you (to know) that no one will send salah upon you that Allah will send salah upon him tenfold, and no one will send salams upon you but I will send salams upon him tenfold?‘ (Nasa’i)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) then told him, ‘Jibril came to me (may Allah be pleased with him) and he said:

I’ll give you the good news Allah the Almighty says He said to you, ‘Whoever sends his salah upon him I will send salah upon him and whoever sends salams upon you I will send salams upon him.’ (Musnad Ahmad)

Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) said:

Those who are nearest to me on the Day of Resurrection are those who invoke many blessings on me. (Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban)

To say we love the Prophet (peace be upon him) but then do all sorts of things which do not comply with his Sunnah or his guidance are a contradiction. The proof of any claim to love the Prophet (peace be upon him) is through action which is from his Sunnah and can be improved by knowledge, commitment and continuous supplications as well as dua to Allah Almighty.

The Companions of the Messenger of Allah said:

‘O Messenger of Allah! How should we supplicate for you?’

He replied, ‘Say: “Allahumma salli `ala Muhammadin wa `ala azwajihi wa dhurriyyatihi, kama sallaita `ala Ibrahima; wa barik `ala Muhammadin wa `ala azwajihi wa dhurriyyatihi, kama barakta `ala Ibrahima, innaka Hamidum-Majid”‘

O Allah, exalt the mention of Muhammad and his wives and offspring as You exalted the mention of the family of Ibrahim, and bless Muhammad and the wives and the offspring of Muhammad as you blessed the family of Ibrahim. You are the Praised, the Glorious’. (Bukhari and Muslim)

4. Nasiha to leaders of the Muslims

The fourth priority is showing sincerity to the leaders of the Muslims. Allah Almighty mentioned in the Quran:

‘Obey Allah and obey the Messenger of Allah and those who are in charge amongst you. [4:59]’

Leaders are not necessarily the head of the country, the prime minister, president or the king but anyone who is in a position of authority. It could be an imam in the mosque, a manager, a head teacher, a councilor, MP, or minister etc. – anyone who is in the position of authority or leadership; even the father or the mother in the house.

Being sincere with them means giving them the right advice.

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيّ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ رَأَى مِنْكُمْ مُنْكَرًا فَلْيُغَيِّرْهُ بِيَدِهِ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِلِسَانِهِ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِقَلْبِهِ وَذَلِكَ أَضْعَفُ الْإِيمَانِ

“Whoever among you sees evil, let him change it with his hand. If he is unable to do so, then with his tongue. If he is unable to do so, then with his heart, and that is the weakest level of faith.” [Muslim]

Regarding nasiha to the leaders of the Muslims, iman has different levels: first change evil with your hands, if you can’t, then with your tongue, if you can’t, then in your heart which is the last resort, the last line of defense, is the heart.

The etiquettes of giving advice are that it shouldn’t be in public because it’s not nasiha. As we say in an Arabic proverb – giving advice to somebody in public is not nasiha it’s like exposing him, like a scandal in public. Therefore you need to be careful how you do it.

Intention

Before you try to give anyone advice you need to have the right intention. Again let’s go back to the meaning of nasiha – sincerity.  Sincerity is located in the heart i.e. your intention.

If your intention is to reprimand someone or to rub their face in their mistakes and shortcomings that is not the right intention. The right intention is to make them better; not to make them back down, but see that what happened is wrong. This is the default position.

Always try to find an excuse for what they did, without being naïve – try to see the other side. What we see is just one side, but there is another side of the story. That is why you need to ask other side to tell you their side of the story.

Your judgement is incomplete without the other side. In the story of Al-Kidr and Musa (peace be upon him), Musa (peace be upon him) judged based on what he saw alone. However there was much more to what happened than met his eyes. Al-Kidr could see beyond what Musa could see, and when he was allowed to lift the veil and show more of the picture, Musa realized that he his judgement was skewed by the limitations of what he could see.

Of course, not all stories are like Musa and Al-Kidr but there are two sides to any story, so don’t be hasty in your decisions.

Who can make the change?

Scholars have discussed whether anyone can offer advice or whether advice should be delivered through certain channels. There are some etiquettes which apply. If you are involved directly in a matter or you are in a position of authority, then you can advise others. However if it is not your area of authority, then it is up to those who are in charge to change it, so you should go through the right channels.

The concept of ‘changing evil with one’s hands’ is not something you can jump into to do when there are people who are directly involved in an issue. If you are not involved, then you have to follow the correct processes to create the change.

Default position – i) find an excuse

The default position when we see something wrong is to find an excuse why it was done, unless it was obviously haram. For instance, if it is clearly obvious that someone is  drinking alcohol, then you don’t find an excuse for their behaviour, however generally speaking you should find an excuse why somebody did something wrong. 

We don’t assume that they did it deliberately; we say they might have been misinformed, or that we may be mistaken in our assumption.  

Default position – ii) speak kindly

It is important that the one giving advice is someone people will listen to. Moreover it is not easy to access leaders, especially politicians etc. Once you have access it is you have to choose your words very carefully and discuss the issue nicely and kindly, no matter how wrong the issue seems to you. As we have been taught by the instructions Allah Almighty gave Musa and Harun (peace be upon them) when they had to approach the ruthless despot, Firaun, Allah said:

فَقُولَا لَهُۥ قَوْلًۭا لَّيِّنًۭا

Speak to him gently with soft words. [20:44]

Firaun boasted that he was the highest Lord. Ruthless and unscrupulous, he stopped at nothing to achieve his aims, no matter how brutal or vicious. Yet, Allah Almighty told Musa and Harun they had to address him with qawlan layanan, soft, kind words because if you want your words to reach someone’s heart, you cannot do it with harsh words. The moment you are harsh, they put up barriers and block their senses, their mind and their heart. In order to make the advice effective, the recipient has to be receptive, and they are more receptive when you speak kindly. Confrontation will backfire, hence the Quran has given us guidance on keeping our approach gentle in order for it to bring about the most successful outcome.

Generally speaking nasiha has to be kind in order for it to pass the ears and reach the heart.

Yet sometimes some scholars have used harsh words and throughout our history many of them were killed, many were thrown into prison, and they even accept this consequence, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said the best form of jihad is to stand up and tell the truth to a tyrant leader.

Tariq ibn Shihab reported:

عَنْ طَارِقِ بْنِ شِهَابٍ أَنَّ رَجُلًا سَأَلَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَيُّ الْجِهَادِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ كَلِمَةُ حَقٍّ عِنْدَ سُلْطَانٍ جَائِرٍ

A man asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) “What is the best jihad?” The Prophet said, “A word of truth in front of a tyrannical ruler.” [Musnad Ahmad]

However, the manner in which this is done can change the outcome. It’s better to follow the Quranic approach which is the wisest approach. Soft does not mean it cannot be firm. If it does not work, then you can reassess it and try the harsher approach.  

When someone errs, remind them about Allah and the akhirah. You could say that they may not have realised what they did was haram, perhaps others told them it was not, but that they can try to fix it, or help them see the consequences of this on the people etc. depending on the case.

Nasiha is a tricky business

It’s not at all easy to be in the position of the one who has to give nasiha. Throughout history scholars have offered nasiha to leaders of the Ummah, but the leaders have been cunning and they have controlled the scholars and used them rather than taking their advice on board and changing the course of their behaviour or their leadership. In our day and age these are known as scholars for dollars, or the scholars of the Sultan or the Palace etc. It’s a very tricky and dangerous position to be in.

I know some people who tried and failed and decided they could not do this again; they retreated and took a different direction rather than being close to the leaders. Imam Ghazali mentioned from his own experience in ‘The Forty Principles of the Religion’ (Arba’in Fi Usul Ad Din) that you should avoid being close to the Sultan because he can give you gifts and then your heart will incline towards him and then you cannot admonish them when they are doing something wrong.

Challenges in delivering nasiha

Despite the difficulties in standing up to those in power, the Prophet (peace be upon him) told us to try. During his caliphate, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)  proposed to cap the amount of mahr (dowry) that men gave women, because mahr was becoming exorbitant, as people were competing and it was becoming prohibitively expensive to get married.  However, when he addressed the believers with his idea, Khawla bint Tha’labah stood up and challenged him, saying ‘You can’t do this, Umar!’ When he asked why not, she said that in the Quran Allah said, ‘If you were to give them a pile of money.

وَإِنْ أَرَدتُّمُ اسْتِبْدَالَ زَوْجٍ مَّكَانَ زَوْجٍ وَآتَيْتُمْ إِحْدَاهُنَّ قِنطَارًا فَلَا تَأْخُذُوا مِنْهُ شَيْئًا ۚ أَتَأْخُذُونَهُ بُهْتَانًا وَإِثْمًا مُّبِينًا

If you wish to replace one wife with another, and you have given one of them a fortune, take nothing back from it. Would you take it back fraudulently and sinfully? [4:20]

If Allah says, ‘a pile’ who are you to change what Allah says?’ He said, ‘You are right, Umar is wrong’. So she gave nasiha in public but she delivered it with style  and authority. In fact, Surah Mujadilah was revealed because of her case.

Giving advice is a tricky business but somebody has to do this is a wise, kind way, and with caution and protection in place otherwise it’s dangerous.

It is better to give nasiha in private particularly to leaders of the believers, the imams in the mosques, the scholars as well as friends, colleagues, relatives because it reduces their sense of embarrassment and shame. In public, they are more likely they are more likely to be defensive and insist you are wrong, and twist what you are saying to prove you wrong.

Say what is right, in the right way, in the wise way and leave the rest to Allah Almighty and before doing this, ask Allah for the right intention and for support.

5. Nasiha to the common people

The last part of the hadith mentions giving nasiha to the average person. They also deserve your attention, your advice, your correction and your kindness etc. If someone next to you does something wrong, you can correct them politely. You can say, ‘This is the Sunnah. Perhaps you did not realise or you forgot to do this etc.’ This is nasiha out of sincerity. Nasiha must never be done out of arrogance or to show off or with a condescending air that you know better. This is sinful, although you are correcting him you have to do it with the right etiquettes.

If someone asks you for advice in their business, such as whether to do business with someone you have worked with, do not tell him he is trustworthy or reliable if he is not because you do not want to backbite. Tell him the truth. This is nasiha.

If somebody asks you for nasiha, it’s a trust. You cannot betray the trust; you have to tell them the truth. Another occasion is marriage. If someone asks you for a reference, be honest without saying more than necessary. If you don’t know, tell them you don’t know, rathe than invent something because you feel obliged to say something.

Therefore, always give the right advice, teach people what they do not know, protect them from harm by making them aware, this is nasiha and this is what the Prophet (peace be upon him) is directing us to do in this hadith.

Shaykh Haytham Tamim – Sunday Hadith Class 4th Dec 2022

Transcribed by Rose Roslan

[i] Ibn Sa‘d  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him cited the following account of Tamim ibn Aws Ad-Dari’s conversion to Islam, quoting Tamim: “I was in the Levant (Shaam) when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was sent (with the message of Islam). One day, I went out on an errand and on my way back the night fell. I said to myself, ‘I will spend the night under the protection of the master (Jinn) of this valley (from the Jinns).’ As I laid down, I heard a voice calling upon me but could not see the speaker, “Seek refuge with Allah! Verily, the Jinn does not protect any person from Allah!” I said, ‘By Allah; what are you saying?’ The voice answered, ‘The Messenger of the unlettered nation has been sent. We have performed the prayer behind him in Al-Hajoon (in Makkah). We have embraced Islam and followed him. The evil schemes of the Jinn are over and they have been stoned with shooting stars. Go to Muhammad and embrace Islam!’ In the morning, I went to Monastery of Ayub and asked a monk there about what I was told. He said, ‘They are truthful! You shall find him near the sacred lands (Makkah), from which he shall migrate to a sacred land as well (Madinah). He is the best of all the Prophets; do not let anyone beat you to him!’ Tamim added, ‘So I bore the hardship of going to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and embraced Islam.” [At-Tabaqat Al-Kubra]

[ii] “By Allah, I did not call you together for an exhortation or for a warning. I have called you together because Tamim al-Daari was a Christian and he came and swore allegiance and became Muslim, and told me something which agrees with what I was telling you about the Dajjaal (false messiah). He told me that he sailed in a ship with thirty men of Lakhm and Judhaam and they were tossed by the waves of the sea for a month. Then they came to an island at sunset. They sat in a small rowing-boat and landed on that island. They were met by a beast with a great deal of hair and they could not distinguish his face from his back because he was so hairy. They said: ‘Woe to you, what are you?’ It said: ‘I am al-Jassaasah.’ They said: ‘What is al-Jassaasah?’ It said: ‘O people, go to this man in the monastery for he is keen to know about you.’ He (the narrator) said: When it named a man for us we were afraid of it lest it be a devil. Then we set off, rushing, until we came to that monastery, where we found the hugest man we had ever seen, bound strongly in chains with his hands tied to his neck and his legs bound from the knees to the ankles with iron shackles. We said: ‘Woe to you, who are you?’ He said: ‘You will soon find out about me; tell me who you are.’ They said: ‘We are people from Arabia who embarked on a ship, but the sea became wild and the waves tossed us about for one month, then they brought us to this island of yours. We took to the rowing-boats and landed on this island. We were met by a beast with a great deal of hair and we could not tell his front from his back because he was so hairy. We said: Woe to you, what are you? It said: I am al-Jassaasah. We said: What is al-Jassaasah? It said: Go to this man in the monastery for he is keen to know about you. So we came rushing to you and we fled from it because we could not be sure that it was not a devil.’ He (that chained person) said: ‘Tell me about the date-palm trees of Baysaan.’ We said: ‘What do you want to know about them?’ He said: ‘I am asking you whether these trees bear fruit.’ We said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Soon they will not bear fruit.’ He said: ‘Tell me about the lake of Tabariyyah’ We said: ‘What do you want to know about it?’ He said: ‘Is there water in it?’ They said: ‘There is a great deal of water in it.’ He said: ‘Soon it will dry up.’ Then he said: ‘Tell me about the spring of Zughar (which is in the south of Syria).’ They said: ‘What do you want to know about it?’ He said: ‘Is there water in the spring and do the people grow crops with the water of the spring?’ We said to him: ‘Yes, there is plenty of water in it and the people grow crops with its water.’ He said: ‘Tell me about the Prophet if the unlettered; what has he done?’ We said: ‘He has left Makkah and has settled in Yathrib (Madinah).’ He said: ‘Do the Arabs fight against him?’ We said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘How did he deal with them?’ We told him that he had prevailed over the Arabs in his vicinity and they had shown obedience to him. He said to us: ‘Has it really happened?’ We said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘If it is so that is better for them that they show obedience to him. Now I will tell you about myself. I am the Dajjaal and soon I will be given permission to emerge. So I will come out and travel in the land, and will not spare any town but I will stay for forty nights, except Makkah and Taybah (Madinah). They are both forbidden to me; every time I try to enter one of them, I will be met by an angel with a sword in his hand, who will bar my way, and on every route there will be angels guarding it.’ She said: Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) struck the mimbar with his staff and said: “This is Taybah, this is Taybah, this is Taybah,” meaning Madinah. “Did I not tell you this before?” The people said: Yes. [The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:] “I liked the story of Tamim because it agrees with what I used to tell you about him and about Makkah and Madinah. But he is in the Syrian Sea (Mediterranean) or the Yemeni Sea (Arabian Sea). No, rather he is in the east, he in the east, he is in the east,” and he pointed towards the east with his hand. [Muslim]

share

Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.

Recommended Posts