'READ' - ccm-inc.orgccm-inc.org/iqra/uploads/file/issues/2011/11_05 May Iqra.pdf · 'READ' 16 Jumaada’l Ukhra ... Vol. 23 No. 5 IslamIc concept of prophethood maulana sayyid abul

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In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

A Voice of the MusliM uMMAh

'READ'

16 Jumaada’l Ukhra 1432 May 20, 2011

Vol. 23 No. 5

IslamIc concept of prophethoodmaulana sayyid abul hasan ali nadvi

Asmâ-ul-Husnâ : Allâh’s beautiful names and attributes al-Jaleel the mIGhtY

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In This Issue... Will Americans Learn to Embrace

Islam? .................................................2 Furu’ -ul-Iman (Branches of Faith) ......5 Approaching Doubtful Matters... ........6 The Holy House ................................ 10

Finality oF ProPhethood

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But the inspirations, intuitions and spiritual visions perceptible to the evolved and elevated souls,

betaking to vigils and meditations, have nothing to do with the revelations clothed in the dress of divine messages from the Most High to His apostles; since, such in-spirations may sometimes be bestowed to those who are neither godly in spirit nor on the right path.[It cannot be denied that even non-Muslims have such beatific visions wherein they have some sort of inspiration. Many instances of this nature have come to light and this is confirmed by a Tradition of the Prophet g, which says: “There were people in Bani Israel before you who made prophesies, but they were not messengers of God” (Abu Hurairah h). The well-known saint and gnostic, Sheikh Muhiuddin Ibn ‘Arabi Andalusi

(d 1240), has expressed the view that the inspirations of mystics and mendicants are limited to perception of truth or enlighten-ment of their heart but these do not extend to the injunctions of the law. But, if they do claim to prescribe or abrogate any in-junction of the Shari’ah, they must not be relied upon (Futuhat-i-Makkiyah, vol. III, Sec. 310. p 50 and Vol. II, Sec. 283, p. 823). Sheikh-ul-Islam Hafiz Ibn Taimiyah writes in Kitab-un-Nabuwat that although Wahy or revelation is the word used for prophets as well as for beatified souls who are not prophets, “the persons transported to the spiritual realm to whom is divulged something of the Unseen are neither im-peccable nor prophets, nor all of their intu-itions and inspirations can be relied upon, for sometimes devil reveals to them some-thing of that which is not of divine source. Such inspirations have a devilish origin and their mistake can be discerned only after the teachings of the prophets are available. (p 67). Several other mystics, particularly Mujaddid Alf Thani Sheikh Ahmad Si-

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Editorial

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Will americans learn to em-brace Islam?

During the last thirty years, the period of my own first-hand observations, America has changed considerably and has become extremely tolerant. Thirty years ago, the state had not open-ly started to support gambling; the lottery did not exist. Narcotics among the gen-eral public were just beginning to surface. There was no need for police officers or se-curity guards in schools. Many highly rep-utable institutions only admitted members of one sex; but two men holding hands in public would have, at the least, drawn dis-approving glares. The movement of hem-lines upward by just a few inches used to make headlines. Birth control techniques were discussed only in very private cir-cumstances. Abortion and open fornication were still taboo. The percentage of teenage pregnancies was negligible and a single parent was a real oddity. Divorce was al-most unknown and not easy to obtain. Sui-cide was shameful; assisted suicide was unheard of and unimaginable. Cremation was an exotic ritual; people generally pre-ferred and could afford to be buried rather than burned. Many, if not all, schools re-quired or allowed prayers. Over the years, laws have been adjusted to conform to new trends. Enough people have changed their ways of thinking so that when secular laws are promulgated to toler-ate new behavior, there is very little opposi-tion, except in the case of a few issues such as abortion. Hardly anyone cares to point out what the Creator of us all said about these matters in the Torah or the Gospels. Those who should know better willingly or unwillingly follow the secular laws, even when those laws blatantly contradict divine guidance. We do not begrudge American

society this laxity. To every people is their own way of life (religion). However, many of these secular laws are simply not acceptable for Muslims. The laws contained in our holy book, the Qur’an, can-not be changed or reinterpreted to suit the fancy of twentieth century free thinkers. In every aspect of our lives, Muslims have to be allowed to follow divine guidance. If we do not wish to expose ourselves and our children to usury (interest), gambling, in-toxication, drugs, loose sexual mores, and issues such as abortion, all of which abound in public institutions and in all forms of the mass media, we need to have a choice. We deserve to have a choice. No law should force us to comply to ideas which are touted by those who are loyal to the concept of sep-aration of church and daily life. The position of Muslims in America has also been changing through the years. Thirty years ago there were very few Muslims in this state, no Muslim places of worship and hardly any awareness of the creed which we are duty-bound to follow. The attitude of America towards this change has been most-ly a benign neglect. Most hope that with time these Muslims will disappear in the melting pot. Intolerant individuals have passed laws against head coverings at schools, places of work and in courts, have denied time off for daily prayers and religious festivals, and have insisted that Muslims join in the worship of the flag. A few belligerent ones have hissed and hooted, terrorized Muslim families, and even invaded mosques with shoes on and musical instruments blasting. Unfortunately the law frequently sides with the aggressors. The changes have not slowed; if anything at all they are quickening. Whereas three decades ago, most Muslims were immi-grants, with funny accents and looks, trying their best to conform to American norms, the new Muslim is American-born, eager to look different and to worship in a quite un-familiar way. This new Muslim is not only

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is published monthly by con-necticut council of masajid, Islamic center of hamden, Islamic center of connecticut, Islamic center of new haven, faran club, United muslim masjid, Islamic society of Western connecticut, and Islamic center of new london.

http://ccm-inc.org/iqramaIlInG address:

connecticut council of masajidp.o. Box 4456, hamden, ct 06514

Tel: (203) 562-2757

edItorIal commItteeSister Aisha Sayed Alam (Cheshire)

Dr. Abdul Hamid (Hamden)Sister Bonnie Lynn Hamid (Hamden)

Dr. Shujaat Ali Khan (New York)

Layout/Website ............ Brother Nadeem Abdul Hamid

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Afro-American, he is also of Anglo-Saxon, Spanish and Native American extraction. Many people are eager to ask questions and learn why we do what we do. They are being introduced to a new way of think-ing. The question that begs an answer is, “Where is this change leading?” Are Amer-icans, especially lawmakers, going to resist this change? Or are Americans eventually going to tolerate this movement graciously and accept it wholeheartedly as a vitalizing force in their own lives? Are they going to keep on believing the main stream media depiction of Islam as a religion to resist? Will the day come when their own sons and daughters will tire of the meaningless plea-sures of ‘doing their own thing’ and turn to the guidance and peace of mind open to them through Islam? Only Allah knows!

rhindi, have dealt with the issue in greater detail. The letters of the Mujaddid explain the question with great clarity and vision.] Termination of prophethood after Mu-hammad g is an edict from God and it has been announced in no uncertain words such as to leave any doubt about its pur-pose and intention. Nobody can dispute this divine command unless he has an axe to grind or else has a concealed reason for his conduct.

Characteristics Befitting only the Last prophet g The unique manner in which the Qur’an expresses the termination of prophethood and the various reasons it gives for it are abundantly satisfying. A legitimate argu-ment put forth in support of the termina-tion of prophethood, as it ought to be, is the description of sterling qualities and charac-teristics of the last Prophet g, which con-vinces every man possessing good sense that a prophet so noble, so estimable must needs be the beacon of light and guidance and an exemplary teacher for all mankind to the end of time. Says the Qur’an : “Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the messenger of Al-lah and the Seal of the Prophets; and Al-lah is ever Aware of all things.”[Q. 33:40. Mark the words ‘Allah is ever Aware of all things’ which assume a special signifi-cance coming, as they do, after declaring Muhammad g as the Seal of the Proph-ets. One might think how a prophet can be a guide to the human beings to the end of time and how can his teachings suffice for the ever changing needs and demands of man in future. The answer to the questions of this nature is concise and to the point: Allah is ever Aware of all things.] Now, take another example. To declare Muhammad g as the last Prophet, the Qur’an employs, naturally, the language and idiom of the people among whom it

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continued from page �was sent, for, it was first addressed to them and they were expected to understand its expression and to explicate it to others. Ar-abic, as a language of verbal intercourse, was a copious and expressive tongue, yet, it had no better word than Khatam to de-note the sense of termination. This was the word used by the then Arabs in their conversation, writings and poetry signify-ing finality, and from it were derived all the verbal senses like Khātam, Khatām and Khatam used in the Qur’an to denote that Muhammad g was the last of the prophets after whom nobody was to be raised to that exalted office.1

The Qur’an also adverts to those marks and features of the last Prophet g which sound the keynote of his being the exem-plar and model par excellence for all times to come. “Verily in the messenger of Allah ye have a good example for him who looketh unto Allah and the Last Day, and remembe-reth Allah much.”[Q. 33:21] “Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind) : If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiv-ing, Merciful.”[Q. 3:31] “O Prophet! Lo! We have sent thee as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner. “And as a summoner unto Allah by His permission, and as a lamp that giveth light.”[Q. 33:45-46] God is immeasurably and eternally ex-alted and His knowledge comprehends all things, hidden and manifest, whether in heaven or earth. None can conceive Him investing eternity to anything transient, for even a well-advised writer would not sing the praises of a king whose authority he knows to be short-lived, nor a flatterer would blandish panegyrics for a sickly 1 For a detailed discussion on the topic see Ibn Man-zoor’s Lisan-ul ‘Arab, Jauhri’s Sihah-ul-’Arabia, Ibn Sidah’s Al-Muhkam, Mujid Uddin Firozabadi’s Al-Qamus ul-Muhit and the commentary on the last one entitled Taj-ul-’Urus by Saiyid Murtaza Zabidi.

child who is likely to fade away like a shadow.2 It is for such undeserved praises that a poet has said: Throned on the highest bliss, But it vanished like a dream!

Divine Arrangements for Preservation of muhammad’s g traditions For the predestinate will of God was that the blessed Prophet g should be the shining example for all human beings, in all ages, it became obligatory that divine dispensation should take care of the safe-keeping of untainted account of the life, character, habits and demeanor of that exemplar. The Muslims, in consequence, devoted themselves to finding out all the details about the Prophet’s g appearance, dealings, likes and dislikes, in short, every incident even remotely connected with him, and recording the same for posterity. The task so engaged their minds that hu-man history knows of no parallel interest shown to anything else. It seems as if some mysterious power had gripped their minds and hearts, and it constantly pressed them to take no rest without bringing their as-signment to completion. The great interest as well as meticulous care exhibited for recording the minutest

2 This was one of the reasons why Ibn Taimiyah de-nied that Abraham q was asked to offer up Isaac q

as a sacrifice. He says that the command to offer Isaac for sacrifice would have ill-matched the prediction that Isaac q would have a son. Ibn Qayyim, who re-cords the arguments of his teacher, says: “How could Isaac n be deemed as earmarked for sacrifice when his mother had already been told that she would have a son, and the grandson Jacob q, even before Isaac q was born. He bases his argument on the following verse of the Qur’an: “They said : Fear not! Lo! We are sent unto the folk of Lot. And his wife standing by laughed when We gave her good tidings (of the birth) of Isaac, and, after Isaac, of Jacob q.” (Q. XI : 70-71) It was thus inconceivable, says Ibn Taimiyah, “that God should give Abraham q the glad tidings of a son, and a grandson through him, and then ask him to offer up that son for sacrifice.” (Zad-ul-Ma’ad, Vol. I, p. 16).

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Furû’-ul-Îmânthe Branches of faithMl. Ashraf Ali Thanvi V

[Translation and hadith citations, Nadeem Abdul Hamid]

2.2. to recite the holy Qur’ân

The Messenger of Allâh said, “Recite the Qur’ân, for surely it will

come as an intercessor for its readers on the Day of Judgment.”1

Bayhaqi records a hadîth narrating that the Prophet said, “The most excellent worship of my na-tion (ummah) is the recitation (tilâwah) of Qur’ân.”2

And Imâm Ahmad records a hadîth that, “The people of Qur’ân (ahl-ul-Qur’ân) are the people of Allâh (ahl-ul-Allâh) and His special servants.”3

Many other hadîth on the virtues of re-citing the Qur’ân can be easily found.

necessary etiquette for the recitation of the holy Qur’ân There are many etiquettes associated with the recitation of the Qur’ân, some external and some internal. In summary, when reading the Qur’ân, one should:• Be in a state of wudû’;• Wear clean clothes;• Sit in a clean place – it should not have a bad smell;• Face the Qiblah, as that is best;• Read each letter clearly;• Do not read when your heart is not in it;• When reading, your heart should be at-tentive. The easy way to achieve this is that before beginning recitation, one should think that it is as if, “Allâh has requested me to recite some Qur’ân for Him and I am now acting upon this request by reciting to Him.” In fact, with this meditation, all the other etiquettes of recitation will be auto-1 Mishkât/Al-Hadîs III/p.673 from Muslim.2 Kanz 1/2264 from Shu’ab-ul-Îmân on the authority of Nu’mân bin Bashîr.3 Kanz 1/2278.

matically fulfilled.

Behavior with the Qur’ân It is a great pity that nowadays most of the common Muslims, and even the highly religious ones, have become totally un-mindful towards the Qur’ân. Some people think that to learn and teach the Qur’ân is – and we seek refuge from Allâh! – use-less. Those that have learned to read it after great difficulty and under compulsion give no thought towards memorizing it. Those that read it regularly do not pay any atten-tion towards correcting their recitation. Then, those that do correct and perfect their recitation do not turn further towards understanding its meaning. Even if some manage to read a translation or commen-tary, they do not do so with deep thought and reflection on its message. And those that finally make it to that stage, then there is no thought of putting what they read into practice. It is a common complaint that most of the scholars even are unaware of the seven established modes of recitation – as if only one mode of recitation has been narrated to us from the Prophet . Altogether, the Qur’ân has become a discarded thing. It should truly be feared that the Prophet does not say on the Day of Judgment, O my Lord! Lo, mine own folk have taken this Qur’ân to be of no account. [25:30]

2.3. To Learn Knowledge The Messenger of Allâh said, “He to whom Allâh intends goodness, He gives him the understanding of dîn.”4

And, he said, “The seeking of knowl-edge is obligatory upon every Muslim.”5

4 Mishkât 200 from Bukhâri and Muslim.5 Mishkât 218 from Ibn Mâjah and Bayhaqi. This is a hadîth the text of which is famous although the chain of transmission of which is weak.

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Approaching Doubtful Matters and Exercising Precaution:

an explanation of a Hadīth on Halāl and Harām

Question: [Regarding the hadīth,] “The halāl is clear and the harām is

clear. Between the two there are doubtful matters concerning which people do not know whether they are halāl or harām. One who avoids them in order to safeguard his religion and his honor is safe, while if someone engages in a part of them he may be doing something harām, like one who grazes his animals near the himā (the grounds reserved for animals belonging to a king which are out of bounds for others’ animals); it is thus quite likely that some of his animals will stray into it. Truly, every king has a himā, and the himā of Allāh is what He has prohibited. So Beware, in the body there is a flesh; if it is good, the whole body is good, and if it is corrupt the whole body is corrupt, and behold, it is the heart.” [Bukhari & Muslim] What circumstances does this hadīth re-fer to? Does this refer to situations in which there is a difference of opinion, and some say that something is halāl and others say it is harām? Does it mean that wherever these disagreements exist about a particular mat-ter, that it is better to avoid that thing? Is it because people will be taken to account if they follow the opinion that something is halāl and it turns out to be incorrect? Also, what approach should individuals take on matters on which there are difference of opinion, even within the madhhab? Do they have to pick one scholar and follow them on everything; do they follow what appears to be a general consensus?

Reply: According to many scholars, the hadīth quoted formulates a funda-

mental principle of Islamic law: the legal principle of exercising precaution (ihtiyāt) in cases of doubt. Through the hadīth, it is evident that taking risks in matters related to the religion can lead to severe conse-

quences. As the old adage states, “It’s bet-ter to be safe than sorry.” In regards to the circumstances the hadīth refers to, it can be noted that Imam Bukhari quotes the hadīth in his “Book of Beliefs”, while Imam Muslim quotes it in the “Book of Sharecropping and Plantation” and Imam Abu Dawud quotes it in the “Book of Sales.” You’ll notice that these three scholars apply the hadīth to three varying topics, indicating that it is not limited to any specific circumstance but rather ap-plied to every one possible. In regards to the specifics of the mushtabi-hat (doubtful matters), they refer to matters which lack clear proofs of permissibility or impermissibility. If a mujtahid through his ijtihād (sound legal reasoning, which is the process of extracting laws from the four basic sources of Islamic law, namely: the Qur’ān, Sunnah, legal consensus, and anal-ogy based on explicit rulings of the Qur’ān and Sunnah) finds it to be permissible, it is still safer to avoid that action due to the possibility of error by the mujtahid. For ex-ample, in regards to nikāh performed with-out a wali some scholars claim the nikāh is sound while other scholars claim that such a nikāh never took place. In order to avoid the doubt altogether, it is recommended to perform the nikāh with a wali even by those who do not mandate one. Imam Nawawi in his commentary of Sahih Muslim alludes to a point often neglected by people in these types of cases: tolerability of rulings does not mandate implementation of all of them. As stated earlier, the hadīth highlights the issue and importance of ihtiyāt (ex-ercising precaution in matters of doubt). Ihtiyāt demands that one adopt the opinion that distances them farthest from sin and adopt the most cautionary approach. Often, this opinion is best recognized by people of knowledge, and certainly Allāh com-mands, “Ask the people of knowledge if you do not know.” (Surat al-Nahl, 43). It

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should be noted that ihtiyāt does not entail that one simply act upon a fatwā (legal rul-ing). Rather, it calls for one to adopt the way of taqwā and avoid a situation of doubt whenever possible. An inquisitive mind may ask, “What does adopting taqwā over fatwā mean?” It is best elucidated through an example. According to the Hanafi mad-hhab touching a woman does not invali-date the wudu’, but in the case of a Hanafi imam of prayer whose followers are Shafi‘i and consider wudu’ in such cases broken,

it is mus-t a h a b b (desired) for them to take into ac-count the

invalidators of wudu’ according to other legal schools and to be extra careful about the particulars of salat, thus adopting taqwā over fatwā. Through this approach, the dif-ference of opinion is avoided all in all. That being said, it is not required for imams to repeat the wudu’ as long as they are follow-ing the opinion of their madhhab. Another point to keep in mind is that there is no legal school of thought that is solely based on one scholar. Rather, schools are based and revised by numerous jurists who have reached the level of ijtihād. Since no one scholar can be free from making errors, the safest method is to follow the consen-sual opinion and not just strictly follow one particular person. Each madhhab has con-sensual rulings for common issues of re-ligion, such as ‘ibadat, marriage, divorce, transactions, etc. If one comes across dis-

Tolerability of rulings does not mandate im-plementation of all of them.

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DAY FAJR SHURUQ ZUHR ASR———— MAGRIB ISHA DWN SUNRISE Shafi’i Hanafi SNSET NGHT

Your (real) friend can be

only Allâh; and His messenger and those who believe-- who

establish prayer and pay the

poor due and bow down (in worship). And whoso turns

(for friendship) to Allâh and

His messenger and those who believe: lo! the party of Allâh,

they are the victorious.(5:55-56)

LUNAR DATES

I f you need prayer t im-ings for your town, p lease send us a self-addressed, stamped #10 envelope. Salah sched-ules are per-petual; i.e. they are good for every year.

Prayer times are for the New Haven area and are based on

�8° for Fajr and Isha. Check local newspapers for your local time

difference.

may20 3:31 5:29 12:48 4:46 5:56 8:08 10:0621 3:30 5:28 12:48 4:47 5:56 8:09 10:0822 3:28 5:27 12:48 4:47 5:57 8:10 10:0923 3:27 5:26 12:48 4:47 5:58 8:11 10:1124 3:26 5:25 12:48 4:48 5:58 8:12 10:1225 3:25 5:25 12:49 4:48 5:59 8:13 10:1426 3:23 5:24 12:49 4:48 5:59 8:14 10:1527 3:22 5:23 12:49 4:48 6:00 8:14 10:1628 3:21 5:23 12:49 4:49 6:00 8:15 10:1829 3:20 5:22 12:49 4:49 6:01 8:16 10:1930 3:19 5:22 12:49 4:49 6:01 8:17 10:2031 3:18 5:21 12:49 4:50 6:02 8:18 10:22

June1 3:17 5:21 12:49 4:50 6:02 8:18 10:232 3:16 5:20 12:50 4:50 6:02 8:19 10:243 3:15 5:20 12:50 4:50 6:03 8:20 10:254 3:14 5:20 12:50 4:51 6:03 8:21 10:265 3:13 5:19 12:50 4:51 6:04 8:21 10:276 3:13 5:19 12:50 4:51 6:04 8:22 10:287 3:12 5:19 12:50 4:52 6:05 8:23 10:298 3:11 5:18 12:51 4:52 6:05 8:23 10:309 3:11 5:18 12:51 4:52 6:05 8:24 10:3110 3:10 5:18 12:51 4:52 6:06 8:24 10:3211 3:10 5:18 12:51 4:53 6:06 8:25 10:3312 3:10 5:18 12:51 4:53 6:06 8:25 10:3413 3:09 5:18 12:52 4:53 6:07 8:26 10:3414 3:09 5:18 12:52 4:53 6:07 8:26 10:3515 3:09 5:18 12:52 4:54 6:07 8:27 10:3616 3:09 5:18 12:52 4:54 6:08 8:27 10:3617 3:09 5:18 12:53 4:54 6:08 8:27 10:3718 3:09 5:18 12:53 4:54 6:08 8:28 10:3719 3:09 5:18 12:53 4:55 6:09 8:28 10:3720 3:09 5:18 12:53 4:55 6:09 8:28 10:3821 3:09 5:18 12:53 4:55 6:09 8:28 10:3822 3:09 5:19 12:54 4:55 6:09 8:29 10:3823 3:09 5:19 12:54 4:55 6:09 8:29 10:3824 3:10 5:19 12:54 4:56 6:10 8:29 10:3825 3:10 5:20 12:54 4:56 6:10 8:29 10:3826 3:11 5:20 12:54 4:56 6:10 8:29 10:3827 3:11 5:20 12:55 4:56 6:10 8:29 10:3828 3:12 5:21 12:55 4:56 6:10 8:29 10:3829 3:12 5:21 12:55 4:56 6:10 8:29 10:3730 3:13 5:22 12:55 4:57 6:10 8:29 10:37

July1 3:14 5:22 12:55 4:57 6:10 8:29 10:372 3:15 5:23 12:56 4:57 6:10 8:29 10:363 3:16 5:23 12:56 4:57 6:10 8:28 10:364 3:16 5:24 12:56 4:57 6:10 8:28 10:355 3:17 5:24 12:56 4:57 6:10 8:28 10:346 3:18 5:25 12:56 4:57 6:10 8:28 10:34

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maY-JUne praYer tImes, neW haVen

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JUmaadaal-UKhra

raJaB

sha’Baan

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O ye who believe! When the call is heard for the prayer of the day of congregation, haste unto remembrance of Allah

and leave off trading. That is better for you if ye did but know.Surah al-Jumu’ah (62):9

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THE CHILDREN’S CORNER

continued on page ��

the holy house

Ibrāhīm’s n calling his people to Is-lam had done nothing but infuriate

them. His people were furious at him, the king was furious at him, and even his own father was furious at him. So, Ibrāhīm n decided to travel to another country in which he could worship his lord and call the people towards Allāh. Bidding farewell to his father, he departed from his country. Years later, with his wife Hājar o, he set out in the direction of Makkah. Makkah, at that time, was very dif-ferent from today. It was an area with absolutely no vegetation and no trees. There were no wells or rivers to take water from. Because of this, no people or even animals lived around Makkah. But when Ibrāhīm n reached Makkah, he settled his wife Hājar o and his young son Ismā’īl n there and then began to leave! As Ibrāhīm n was preparing to leave them, his wife Hājar said to him: “Where are you going, my husband? Are you leaving me here? “Are you leaving me in a place where there is no water and no food?” Then she asked, “Has your Lord commanded you to do this?” Ibrāhīm n replied, “Yes.” At this, Hājar was satisfied and she said, “If that is the case, then He will not forsake us.” Sitting there in the desert, young Ismā’īl n soon became thirsty. His mother wanted to give him water to drink, but where would she find water? There was neither any well nor any rivers anywhere around Makkah. So Hājar went out looking for water, and

she was running from the hill of Safaa to the hill of Marwaa looking this way and that, and then running back from the hill of Marwaa to the hill of Safaa. Then, Allāh helped Hājar and He helped Ismā’īl n by creating water for the two of them. The water came gush-ing out of the earth and Ismā’īl and Hājar q drank their fill, but the water still continued. That water became the spring of Zamzam, and Allāh put bless-ing in it. And that is the same well that the people drink from today during Hajj and that they carry back with them to their own countries all over the world. Perhaps you have also drank the water of Zamzam? After some time, Ibrāhīm n returned to his family in Makkah and reunited with his son Ismā’īl n and his wife Hājar. Ibrāhīm n was delighted by his son Ismā’īl n, a young boy still, run-ning, playing, and going out with his fa-ther. Ibrāhīm n loved him very much. One night, Ibrāhīm n saw in a dream that he was slaughtering Ismā’īl n. Ibrāhīm n was a true prophet of Allāh, so his dreams were true dreams. And Ibrāhīm n was the special friend of Allāh, so he wanted to do what Allāh had ordered him to do in his dream. So Ibrāhīm n said to Ismā’īl n, “Verily, I saw in my dream that I was slaughter-ing you! So tell me what do you think about this?” Ismā’īl n replied, “O my beloved father! Do what you have been commanded. If Allāh wills, you will definitely find me to be from the patient ones!” So Ibrāhīm n took Ismā’īl n with

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continued from page �0him, and he took a knife, and the two of them went towards a valley called Mi-naa. When he reached Minaa, Ibrāhīm n prepared to slaughter Ismā’īl n. He lay Ismā’īl n on the ground and placed his knife against the neck of Ismā’īl n to slaughter him. However, Allāh only wished to see if His friend would do whatever he was commanded. Did Ibrāhīm n love Allāh more, or did he love his son more? And Ibrāhīm n had already passed this test, so Allāh sent the angel Jibreel n with a ram from paradise, and he said, “Slaugh-ter this and do not slaughter Ismā’īl n!” After that, Allāh loved this action of Ibrāhīm n so much, he ordered all the Muslims to slaughter during ‘Eid-ul-Adhaa in the same way. After this, Ibrāhīm n again went away for some time, and then he returned to Makkah, wishing to build a house for Allāh. There were many houses in the world, but there was no house of Allāh, in which the people would worship Allāh. Ismā’īl n also wanted to build a house of Allāh with his father. So they began building the Ka’bah. Ibrāhīm n and Ismā’īl n gathered rocks from the mountains and they be-gan building. Ibrāhīm n was building the Ka’bah with his own two hands and Ismā’īl n was with him, building the Ka’bah with his hands. Ibrāhīm n was performing the remembrance of Allāh and praying as he worked. And Ismā’īl n was performing the remembrance of Allāh and praying as he worked. The two of them prayed, “Our Lord, accept this from us, verily you are the seer and the knower!” And Allāh accepted the work of

Ibrāhīm and Ismā’īl q and he blessed the Ka’bah. That is the same Ka’bah towards which we face in every prayer. And the Muslims travel to the Ka’bah in the days of Hajj- they go around it while performing tawaaf, and they pray around it. That is how Allāh blessed the Ka’bah and accepted the work of Ibrāhīm and Ismā’īl q. Ibrāhīm n also had another wife whose name was Saarah o. And from Saarah, Ibrāhīm n had another son whose name was Ishāq n. Ibrāhīm n and Ishāq n lived together in a place called Shām (the area around the coun-try of Syria today). There in Shām, Ishāq n built a house for Allāh, just as his father and his brother had built a house for Allāh in Makkah. That Masjid that Ishāq n built in Shām is called Baitul Maqdis (the holy house). It is also known as Masjidul Aqsaa, and Allāh blessed it and the land around it. Allāh blessed the children of Ishāq n as he blessed the children of Ismā’īl n, so among his children there were many great prophets and great kings. One of the children of Ishāq n was named Ya’qūb n, and he was also a prophet. Ya’qūb n had eleven sons, among them one who is very famous- Yūsuf the son of Ya’qūb q. The story of Yūsuf n is a very amazing one, and

, we will tell that story next. Allāh’s blessings and peace be upon Ibrāhīm, the friend of Allāh. Allāh’s blessings and peace be upon his sons Ismā’īl and Ishāq and the prophets from their descendents. And Allāh’s blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad n.

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continued from page �details about the Prophet g can be seen from the books of Traditions and biogra-phies which give such details as the Proph-et’s g appearance and habits, speech and gait, way of eating and dressing and simi-lar numerous details. All these accounts related by the members of the Prophet’s g household or those followers who had spent most of their time with him illustrate the care and caution exercised in preserv-ing authentic information about him. There can be no denying the fact that no similar lifelike portrait of any other person has been preserved in any language or litera-ture. Even a cursory look at the Shama’il of Imam Muhammad ibn `Isa Tirmizi (824-892) is sufficient to convince one that col-lection of such details as features and char-acter, personal traits and habits, likes and dislikes was something peculiar in the case of the Prophet of Islam g. It would, in-deed, be futile to look for similar informa-tion in the biographies of other renowned personages or even prophets. Of course, all this effort did not come to be made by some fickle chance, nor was it due to any unusual craze of a few persons.3

Similarly, if one were to go through Al-Adab-al-Mufrad written by the great schol-ar, Imam Bukhari (810-869), in which he has collected the sayings, acts and teach-ings of the Prophet g on the subject of moral norms, social laws, obligations and duties, values and ideals upheld by Islam, one would be convinced that far from be-3 Muslims have preserved not merely the biographical accounts of the Prophet g, but also social, cultural, administrative and economic conditions of his time which give us a lucid account of social surroundings in which Islam was first preached. One would be forced to concede that such details are nowhere to be found in the historical records of previous nations. Anyone desiring to see these for himself is referred to At-Takhrij of Abut Hasan ‘Ali AI-Khazai AlTilmis-ani (1310-1378) which was brought to completion by another scholar, ‘Allama ‘Abdul Ha’i AI-Katani in his Al-Tartib-ud-Dariyah. These constitute an encyclope-dia of the Prophet’s g time.

ing the result of any casual effort, it was all due to the Will of God that these books should have come to be written for illumi-nating the straight path for subsequent gen-erations. These writings bear witness to the truth of what had been thus ordained: “Verily in the messenger of Allah ye have a good example for him who looketh unto Allah and the Last Day, and remembe-reth Allah much.”[Q. 33:21] And, it was all done to leave no pretext for the lazy and insincere to avoid follow-ing the example of the one raised by God as a model for the whole mankind. They cannot now say that like the prophets of old whose names and garbled reports are all that remain now with their followers, au-thentic record of the life and conduct of the eternal exemplar to be followed by them are not available to lighten their path. Traditions of the holy Prophet g are very like a journal or a graphic memoir of his life extending to twenty-three years after he was raised to prophethood. This record tells us the daily routine of the Prophet g, his habits, dealings, inclinations and the smallest details of his behavior, in short, the Traditions throw such a flood-light on the life and character of the Prophet g as it would be difficult to conceive of for any other person, past or present. These are a means to know everything about the Prophet g as intimately as if one were present in his discourses: one can listen to him talking to his companions and behold him performing his daily routine. This was the method adopted for preserving his true-to-life portrait in words, and it was also free from all the dangers of pictorial representa-tion or sculptural carving which had very often led the votaries of pious souls in the olden times to raise those admired by them to the pedestal of godhood. It would be sufficient to read the account of the last Hajj performed by the Prophet g to know how graphic and precise was

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to Be continued English translation by Mohiuddin Ahmad, published by the Academy of Islamic Re-

search and Publications, Nadwatul-Ulema, Lucknow, India, 1979. Reprinted with

permission.

the description of every event connected with him. One would be amazed to find that even trifling matters of little or no historical importance, which are normally skipped in narration of travel accounts of kings, heads of states or other important personages, have been placed upon record by his companions.4

These extensive reports about the Proph-et g, thus collected, were used by deeply-learned men, from time to time, to compile books containing guide-lines for different sections of the Muslim community. Any Muslim who wants to follow in the foot-steps of the Prophet g in his day-to-day manner and morals, will find, even today, sufficient guidance in these treatises. The number of such books, written in every language spoken by the Muslims, is not only quite large but also pretty extensive in scope and content. To give but one ex-ample, the Zad-ul-Ma`ad fi-Huda Khair-ul`Ibad, written by Ibn Qayyim (1291-1350), a disciple of Sheikhul-Islam bin Taimiyah, shows the assiduousness and profound knowledge of the Traditionists.5

4 Sihah-us-Sittah set down even such small aflairs as the Prophet’s g putting on of ihram, use of scent and sacrifice of animals and the places where he per-formed any particular act. All the stop-overs of the journey have been marked down; even the appearance of a snake in the night at Mina, and its slipping away unhurt has not escaped the attention of the narrators. The Traditionists have made a note of all those per-sons who have had the honour of riding the Prophet’s g dromedary with him on any occasion.5 The book, which has always been highly valued by the scholars, has been printed time and again. The copy before us, printed by Matba Maimana, Egypt, in 1324/1906, in two volumes containing 926 pages is, so to say, an encyclopedia of Traditions, ethics and jurisprudence.

continued from page ��2.4. To Teach Knowledge The Messenger of Allâh said, “Whoever is asked about some knowledge which he possesses and he conceals it, he would be made to wear a bridle of fire on the Day of Resurrection.”6

And he also said, “Verily Allâh and His angels and the dwellers of the heavens and of the earth, and even an ant in its hole and fish (in the depth of the sea) invoke blessings upon the one who teaches people goodness.”7

excellence of Dînî Knowledge and Types of Obligatory Knowledge The virtues of learning and teaching that have been mentioned above only apply to the Islâmic sciences (‘ulûm dîniyyah)8 or to those sciences that are subservient to them. As for those disciplines which do not fall under the category of dînî knowledge, or they fall under that category but have nev-er been useful in the advancement of dînî knowledge, even if one spends an entire lifetime upon such nonsense it will have none of the virtues previously mentioned. Rather, with regard to such knowledge it has been said, “Verily in some knowledge there is (nothing but) ignorance.”9

Shaykh Sa’di has said, Knowledge which does not lead to the Truth (Allâh), is ignorance.

6 Mishkât 223 from Tirmidhi, Ahmad, and Abû Dâwûd.7 Mishkât 213 from Tirmidhi.8 The ‘ulûm dîniyyah (“Islâmic sciences”) are broader than just “religious knowledge” such as how to perform ritual purification, prayer, etc. As Islâm is a complete way of life, it gives guidance for all spheres of life – political, eco-nomic, social, ethical, moral, etc. Hence, the “Islâmic sciences” encompass all that knowl-edge of these various spheres in the context of true Islâmic guidance. – (Trans.)9 Mishkât/Al-Hadîs II/p.193 from Abû Dâwûd.

continued from page �

continued on page ��

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continued from page �agreement within these issues, they should resort to the consensual, agreed-upon rul-ing within the school. For contemporary is-sues that have not been discussed by earlier scholars, it is necessary for individuals to inspect the scholars of their time and local-ity, and attach themselves to the one they trust with their religion. To do otherwise would become a mockery of religious rul-ings, because naturally one would tend to lean towards the opinion which they think is most suitable. Even if one made an ear-nest effort to be fair, it should be known that it is a minority who have gained ac-cess to the knowledge of Shari’ah to such a level that they are able to deduce new laws for current and contemporary situations in accordance to the principles laid down by the mujtahids. Allāh has not prescribed any ruling ex-cept that it has some sort of bayān (expla-nation). Khattabi explains in his Ma‘alim al-Sunun that bayān is of two types. Bayān jali (explicit explanation) which is under-stood by the masses for the most part and bayān khafi (implicit explanation) which many are not acquainted with except those who immerse themselves in the knowledge of religion in order to attain the deeper meanings of the sacred texts. The mushtabi-hat deals with issues that can be explained through bayan khafi. If one sticks to and practices the consensual opinions, then they absolve themselves from their shar‘i responsibility and they will not be forced to live under constant scrutiny, thinking, “Maybe the ruling is wrong?” But, if one chooses to rely on their own intellect and deductive process while they are not quali-fied scholars of the Qur’ān and hadīth, and are not able to uncover bayān khafi, then they will be held responsible for their deci-sions. More often than not, the issue of taqwā versus fatwā remains unclear to the aver-age man. After all, what is clear and what

is not clear demands a level of knowledge and depth of exposure to the Islamic pri-mary sources that not every man possess-es. It becomes therefore necessary upon the laymen to attach himself to a scholar who possess such knowledge and whom he trusts with his religion. Such an approach is not only an explicit Qur’ānic injunction, but also a rational and logistical necessity. The one, then, who is not equipped with the ability to understand the deductive process of Islamic law and relies solely on their personal opinion, preferring one verse or narration while dismissing other verses and narrations, risks falling prey to enter-ing the himā. And Allāh knows best.

answered by Kamil UddinCourtesy IlmGate.org

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Furthermore, dînî knowledge is of two types: fard ‘ayn (obligatory upon every individual) and fard kifâyah (communal obligation). The knowledge that is fard ‘ayn is that which is necessary for the performance of the obligatory duties of a Muslim. For example, prayer (salâh – namâz) is obliga-tory upon everyone; therefore to know its related rulings is obligatory. Zakâh is obligatory upon those who have wealth; therefore it is obligatory for them to know its rulings. By analogy then, whatever con-dition one is in, it is obligatory to know the rulings related to it. As for the knowledge that is fard kifâyah, it is that every community should have a few individuals who are able to fulfill the religious needs of the people, answer the doubts and accusations of the opponents of Islâm, etc.

Answer to Accusations Against the ‘Ulamâ for not Earning Livelihood Through Worldly Profession Note, that it has been proven through experience that nothing can be achieved to perfection without a person devoting him-self completely to it. And complete devo-tion to something cannot be achieved with-out cutting off all other engagements and turning one’s full attention to it. Thus it is absurd to think that depth and breadth of dînî knowledge can be attained while one is engaged in other pursuits. The blame of the foolish people of today against the ‘ulamâ of Islâm for not engaging in any other work or profession only demonstrates the level of their lack of understanding.

Methods of Acquiring Dînî Knowledge for the common muslims For that knowledge which is fard ‘ayn it is not necessary that one should acquire the Arabic language. It is sufficient to learn the beliefs and rulings of Islâm in the Farsi or

continued from page �� Urdu (or any other language). People must teach their children enough knowledge so that it does not become that after two or four generations, they become so unacquainted with the religion that they are ashamed of any Islâmic heritage. For Allâh’s sake, this disgrace should be prevented well before it arrives. If someone is not able to read Farsi or Urdu, then they should attend the company of ‘ulamâ for the correction of their beliefs and religious issues. The children should also be encouraged that for 15 minutes ev-ery day, or every third or fourth day, they acquire the benefit of the company of a scholar well grounded in belief and piety. Such company has strange benefits and blessings: If you want the company of Allâh; Sit in the company of ‘awliyâ. For one moment in the company of ‘awliyâ; Is better than a hundred years of sincere worship.

2.5. supplication (du’â) Hadrat Anas narrates that the Messenger of Allâh said, “Supplication (du’â) is the brain (essence) of worship.”10

10 Mishkât/Al-Hadîs III/p.714 from Tirmidhi.

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Abû Hurayrah narrates that the Messenger of Allâh said, “There is nothing more worthy in the sight of Allâh than du’â.”11

Ibn ‘Umar reports that the Messenger of Allâh said, “Truly du’â does benefit to what is sent down and what is not sent down. (i.e. Whatever calamity has befallen, du’â will bring an end to it; and it causes evasion of that which has not yet befallen.) Therefore, servants of Allâh, you must engage in du’â.”12

Hadrat Jâbir narrates that the Messenger of Allâh said, “There is none who supplicates for anything except that Allâh gives him what he asked for, or He withholds from him a harm equal to it – as long as he does not invoke for the commis-sion of a sin or to severe the ties of blood-relationship.”13

Hadrat Abû Hurayrah report-ed that the Messenger of Allâh said, “Invoke Allâh, being certain of response; and know that Allâh does not respond to the invocation of a careless, absent mind.”14

11 Mishkât/Al-Hadîs III/p.715 from Tirmidhi and Ibn Mâjah.12 Mishkât/Al-Hadîs III/p.715 from Tirmidhi.13 Ibid.14 Ibid III/p.716.