Read al-Shāfiʿī, Study Literature!
Category: Spirituality Immerse yourself in reading al-Shāfiʿī, for I have never seen anyone like him in increasing one’s intellect! Immerse yourself in the study of literature (adab),and you will see how it enhances your understanding of al-Shāfiʿī! Engage deeply in appreciating literature and in lengthy contemplation of it, in a manner that goes beyond a…
Are Ramadan Lanterns Prohibited?
Category: Fiqh Among the odd fatwas: the prohibition of Ramadan lanterns! These days, fatwas are circulating among people that prohibit the use of these lanterns as an expression of joy for the arrival of the blessed month of Ramadan. These fatwas are not based on any knowledge; rather, they rely on an ignorant understanding of…
How to Avoid Narrow-Mindedness and Superficiality
Category: Spirituality A student of sacred knowledge from outside Saudi Arabia contacted me inquiring about the secret behind what he perceives as my “emancipation” from the path of extremism, narrow-mindedness, and superficiality, despite circumstances that, in his opinion, should have defined me. I answered as follows: By the grace and assistance of Allah: Originally published…
Do All Values Deserve Respect?
Category: Society & Politics We don’t beg the West to respect our values, nor will we ever respect values based in moral degeneracy nor the disturbing sexual corruption they practice. For that reason, it is no victory to tell them “Just as we respect your values, you must respect ours.” In reality, we only respect…
The True Gauge of Piety
Category: Spirituality This post was adapted from a translation by Sh. Mohammed Ali Desai. Corroborating chains of transmission collectively establish that ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (رضي الله عنه) said: Let not the humming of a man [as he recites during his night prayer] impress you. Rather, a real man is one who discharges his trusts and…
Rejection Born of Ignorance
Category: Spirituality Your inability — owing to your incompetence — to come to terms with a ḥadīth being authentic, or the opinion of a scholar based on his [juristic] reasoning, or the fairness of a particular Islāmic ruling should not cause you to disassociate from it by claiming that the ḥadīth is weak, or by…
The Devil Among the Angels
Category: Belief / Spirituality Think about it: how did Satan live among the angels before he disobeyed Allāh? He was an obedient worshiper, outwardly similar to the angels. He resembled them in terms of the long prostrations and other acts of external worship he performed, so he was included in Allāh’s command for the angels…
Advice Imparted by Shaykh Ḥātim at Jamiatul Ilm Wal Huda, Blackburn – 12/04/2017
This post was adapted from notes that someone in attendance generously shared with us. • Speech • The Shaykh began by emphasizing that every exegesis (tafsīr) of the Qur’ān has the possibility of being wrong with the exception of a single exegesis: the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. The Sunnah is the best and the…
Did the Salaf Completely Reject Kalām?
Category: Belief Certain statements made by the imāms of the Salaf dispel the notion that they disapproved of kalām in an absolute manner. These statements include expressions of praise for people who used kalām to defend correct doctrines and refute followers of desires (ahl al-ahwā’). After all, `ilm al-kalām is: This is how Ibn Khaldūn…
Essentials of Faith vis-à-vis the Qur’ān
Category: Qur’an & Hadith / Belief 1. Believing that it was revealed by Allāh — Exalted is He — to the Final Messenger ﷺ. This point actually encompasses the remaining pillars of belief in the Qur’ān: 2. Believing all that it says to be true. After all, how could it not be true when it is…
The Ruling of Peaceful Demonstrations
Category: Fiqh / Society & Politics All praise is due to Allāh for His immense grace. Blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allāh, his wives, and his offspring. The following is in response to a questioner who asked about the ruling of peaceful demonstrations: ones in which no weapons are drawn, no blood…
Al-Ḥākim’s Authentication and Al-Dhahabī’s Agreement
This translation was first posted by the author of the blog Islamic Sciences. It is reproduced below with minor adaptations. Question: I know that al-Ḥākim’s Mustadrak contains a lot of weak ḥadīths, though he claims that all the ḥadīths in it are authentic according to the conditions of either al-Bukhārī or Muslim. We often read…
Guidelines for Evaluating Historical Reports
Category: History & Biography/ Qur’an & Hadith This translation by Muntasir Zaman was originally published on Hadith Notes. It is reproduced below with minor adaptations. [Translator’s preface: The following paper outlines an approach to evaluating the authenticity of historical reports. The author begins by emphasizing the merits of the ḥadīth methodology, but makes sure to…
Advice to Preachers Who Have Been Made Famous by the Masses
Be honest with yourselves and recognize that your popularity might just be Allāh the Exalted allowing you to dig yourselves a deeper hole! Do not think that it is a sign your deeds are accepted, as some common people may say. Do not forget that the popularity of most artists — be they musicians, actors,…
Challenge Yourself
Category: Spirituality I. The Mirror of the Self Challenges are the mirror of the self. They show you your nature by showing you the limits of your abilities. Just as a person cannot see himself without a mirror, he cannot develop a sense of himself without being challenged. Someone with no sense of himself will…
On Open and Closed Societies
Category: Belief / Society & Politics Exposing some forms of misguidance requires nothing more than publicizing them, because their falsehood is that clear. Disciplined openness (which respects the boundaries of the Sharī`ah) prevents these beliefs from spreading under the cover of darkness. This is why bāṭinī groups, which conceal their false doctrines, are only able…
On Realism
Category: Society & Politics I. What is Realism? Realism does not mean giving in to the pressures of reality. Giving in would entail surrendering and losing the spirit of struggle. Realism simply means responding to the obligations that the existing reality imposes on us. ِA distinction must be drawn between giving in to reality and…
When Does the Heart Become Humble Toward Allāh?
Category: Spirituality Humbleness of the heart toward Allāh is being conscious of your love for Him and your sense of shame (ḥayā’) toward Him. Remembering your love for Him reminds you of how close He is to you, how much He has blessed you, and how much He protects you. A sense of shame toward…
Knowledge is Noble
Category: Belief Part of what makes knowledge so noble is that you need it for everything—even for dealing with falsehood. If you wish to support the truth and refute falsehood, then in addition to having detailed knowledge of the truth, you will require detailed knowledge of the falsehood that you wish to refute. The statement…
When Changing Circumstances Require a Change in Approach
Category: Society & Politics When the Truce of Ḥudaybiyyah took place, `Umar bin al-Khaṭṭāb strongly opposed it. He went so far as to consider it a form of accepting humiliation. He felt this way because it represented a significant shift in approach, from one of struggle and warfare to one of truce and peace. This…
A Firm Foundation of Faith: The Key to Sincerity
Category: Belief / Spirituality The one thing that makes it easy to attain sincerity toward Allāh (ikhlāṣ) is having a firm foundation of faith: one that is grounded in proof of the truth of Muḥammad’s ﷺ Prophethood. Beyond that, all a believer needs to do is abandon heedlessness. He can accomplish this by remembering that…
On Wisdom
Category: Spirituality I. Wisdom and Human Nature If all people did not possess wisdom by their human nature, they would not agree to embrace wise sayings without demanding evidence for them. The only difference between the average person and the sage is that the sage is able to express his wisdom through aphorisms. This makes…
A Wave of Change
Category: Society & Politics When a wave of change begins, corrupt people ride it in order to spread corruption, and upright people ride it in order to spread good. Refraining from engagement with it is the biggest gift that the upright can give to the corrupt, because this allows the corrupt to monopolize the wave.…
A Tale of Two Sins
Category: Belief / Spirituality For a believer, a sin is a brief slip on the path to Allāh Most High. The believers’ sins are momentary lapses that occur when they are overcome by desire or by Satan. For a heedless person, sinning is a way of life. He plans to sin. He spends a great…
The Philosophy of Beauty
Category: Belief / Spirituality Some people only see beauty in beauty itself. Others see beauty not only in beauty itself, but also in hating ugliness. A third group sees that without ugliness, it would not be possible to recognize beauty: they love ugliness because it allows them to discern beauty in the first place. Which…
The Greatest Worship: Having a Humble Heart
Category: Spirituality No worship directed to Allāh weighs more heavily on Satan than humility. If you are obedient, then nothing but humility protects you from being deluded by your own deeds—the worst affliction that can befall an obedient person. If you are disobedient, then nothing but humility protects you from despairing of Allāh’s Mercy—the worst…
Every Limb Has Its Share of Punishment
Category: Spirituality / Qur’an & Hadith يَوْمَ يُحْمَىٰ عَلَيْهَا فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ فَتُكْوَىٰ بِهَا جِبَاهُهُمْ وَجُنُوبُهُمْ وَظُهُورُهُمْ ۖ هَٰذَا مَا كَنَزْتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ فَذُوقُوا مَا كُنتُمْ تَكْنِزُونَ On the Day when that [hoarded wealth] will be heated in Hell’s fire and used to brand their foreheads, their sides, and their backs, [those sinners will be told:]…
Aid Your Brother, Whether He Be the Oppressed or the Oppressor
Category: Qur’an & Hadith / Society & Politics Consider how the Prophet ﷺ explained the Jāhilī expression, “Aid your brother, whether he be the oppressed or the oppressor.” His explanation shows that corrections should not be held back by mere words or superficial appearances. Instead, they should emphasize true meanings and realities. It also shows…
Discovering Our Own Ignorance
Category: Spirituality New scientific discoveries, which are being made at a harrowing speed, are in fact discoveries of our own ignorance. These discoveries ought to have led us to humility rather than to delusion. After all, “discovery” requires that a person discover something of which he was previously ignorant. Likewise, “invention” is based on discerning…
The Nature of Du`ā’
Category: Spirituality Du`ā’ is an act of worship. Worship is only accepted when it is done to seek Allāh’s pleasure—that is, when the reward of the Hereafter takes precedence in the worshiper’s intention over the reward of the world. For a du`ā’ to be worthy of acceptance, it must therefore be done with love for…
When is a Du`ā’ Answered?
Category: Spirituality The moment that a Muslim has certainty in his heart that Allāh has answered his du`ā’—because he is thinking the best of Allāh—is the moment that his du`a’ is answered. Indeed, this is why Allāh has informed us of certain times and certain places in which du`ās are more likely to be accepted.…
The Reformer (Muṣliḥ) and Patience
Categories: Spirituality / Society & Politics When the Companions of the Cave (Asḥāb al-Kahf) fled from their people, they said, “Our Master! Grant us mercy from Yourself, and make easy for us the right course in our situation” (Qur’ān, Al-Kahf 10). The right course for them was to sleep for three hundred years! This is…
The Relationship Between Bid`ah and Maṣlaḥah Mursalah
Category: Belief / Fiqh Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymīyyah devised two conditions for determining whether a newly-introduced matter is a prohibited innovation (bid`ah) or a permissible means to a valid objective (maṣlaḥah mursalah).¹ His purpose in devising these conditions was to distinguish bid`ah from maṣlaḥah mursalah — not to define bid`ah itself. This has created confusion…
The Sharī`ah’s Prohibitions and Personal Responsibility
Category: Fiqh The majority of rulings in the Sharī`ah are not binding (wājib or ḥarām.) They mostly fall into the categories of permissibility (ibāḥah; adj. mubāḥ) and non-binding encouragement or discouragement (mustaḥabb or makrūh.) Consequently: There are far fewer obligatory acts of worship than there are recommended ones. Obligatory acts of worship require only 5%…
The Ruling of Celebrating the Birth (Mawlid) of the Prophet ﷺ
Category: Belief / Fiqh I. The Ruling of Mawlid First, let it be said that any discussion of Mawlid must remain academic and objective. It should not deny the scholarly difference of opinion concerning this practice, nor should it deny that some highly esteemed `ulamā’ deemed it recommended (with certain conditions). Though he concluded that…
Is This the Path of the Reformer?
Category: Spirituality / Society & Politics Walk in the shade and repeat what everyone is saying. Don’t ever oppose the status quo. Do this and everyone will accept you, but you will never be a reformer (muṣliḥ). As for the prophets, peace be upon them—they walked upon the coals of reformers. They openly declared forgotten…
Baghdādī is Dead, but His Ideology Lives
Category: Belief / Society & Politics / History & Biography The pseudo-caliph of Da’esh (ISIS) has died, carrying with him the burden of the blood that he shed, the honor of the people whom he violated, and the great damage that he caused to the image of Islām. However, the incubator for his ideology remains.…
Boycotting, Backbiting, and Belligerence
Category: Belief / Spirituality I hold that the right of a Muslim over another Muslim is obligatory to fulfill in all scenarios, whether he is obedient or sinful. One should not backbite him, belittle him, feel disgust at seeing him, nor refrain from answering his invitation when he is not engaged in sin or proclaiming…
Piety is Only Part of the Story
Category: Belief / Society & Politics / History & Biography Let me tell you the story of a man, a worshiper from the generation of the Tābi`īn. He was an austere ascetic who abstained from the luxuries of this world. He openly commanded good and forbade evil. He spoke the truth plainly in front of…
A Glimpse of Adab al-Khilāf Among the Early Imāms
Category: Spirituality / Fiqh Imām Isḥāq bin Rahūyah¹ held that it is sunnah to raise one’s hands in prayer after rukū` — a matter of disagreement. His student asked him about refraining from this action deliberately: would a person who did so be described as “deficient in prayer”? Isḥāq objected to the question, asking, “Am…
The Tazkiyah of Qāḍī Ismā`īl
Category: Spirituality Qāḍī Ismā`īl bin Isḥāq al-Mālikī (d. 282 H) used to say: My eyes never fall on anyone without me believing that he is better than myself, except for a drunk person, because if I inform him about Allāh, he won’t be able to know Him [while he is drunk]. This is true purification…
Understanding Tawakkul
Category: Spirituality There is a difference between relying on Allāh and relying on your du`ā’ to Allāh. The first is true tawakkul. The second is merely self-admiration and vanity. It is being deluded by your own deed. There is also a difference between trusting that Allāh will answer your du`ā’ out of His grace and…
Applying the Sharī`ah’s Rulings: Gradually or All at Once?
Category: Fiqh / Society & Politics When we insist that not forbidding an evil can be obligatory if forbidding it will lead to a greater evil, we are not doing away with the obligation of prohibiting evil. We are, in fact, applying the legal principle: “The greater of two harms should be averted through the…
What is Faith (Īmān)?
Category: Belief / Spirituality The faith in question is the Islamic faith (īmān), not “faith” in a general sense. Having faith in Allāh as Lord, Muḥammad ﷺ as a Messenger, and Islām as a religion means testifying that Islām is true with conviction and complete contentment. It also means showing unwavering acceptance by acting in…
Why Do I Need Faith (Īmān)?
Category: Belief / Spirituality To answer this question, we must pause at a number of stations. • The First Station • Imagine the situation of a person who knows neither his mother nor his father. The most important question roaming his mind would be “Who are my parents?” Indeed, this question would haunt him throughout the entirety…
Truly Praising Allāh Will Keep You Steadfast in Times of Hardship
Category: Spirituality You cannot truly praise Allāh in the way that He deserves until your praise is driven by awareness of the vast blessings He has given you, recognizing the immensity of His generosity toward you in spite of your shortcomings in obeying Him. If you achieve this, then when you are struck by hardship,…
Our Attitudes Toward Sinners and the Righteous
Category: Spirituality It is authentically reported from a number of the righteous Salaf—including Imām Mālik in his book, Al-Muwaṭṭa’—that they attributed the following words to to `Isā, peace be on him: Do not look at people’s sins as though you are lords. Look at your own sins as though you are slaves. Some people are…
“You’ve changed!”
Category: Spirituality A student of knowledge must be sincere in seeking the truth. Some people may tell you, “You’ve changed!” Respond to them by saying, “Yes, I have changed. I hope to have changed a lot, because I put effort into increasing my knowledge. I will never stop asking my Lord to increase it further.”…
Was Strictness the Way of the Salaf?
Category: Spirituality `Umayr bin Isḥāq, one of the discerning transmitters of the Tābi`īn, said: The Companions of the Prophet ﷺ whom I met numbered more than those whom I could not meet, and I never found a people more lenient or less strict than they were in their daily lives. Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah This…
Love of the Prophet ﷺ and Love of Allāh Most High
Category: Belief / Qur’an & Hadith “Some people have nearly driven me away from hearing a certain verse in Allāh’s book,” a person told me. “I seek refuge in Allāh! Why is that?” I asked. “Any time we mention our love for the Prophet ﷺ, they say that love means following,” he replied. “They then…
Al-Sharif Hatim Al-'Awni 