The Muwatta of Imam Muhammad al-Shaybani - Al-Rashad Islamic Bookstore
“The unqualified truth is that all of the Muwatta is sahih without any exception!” —Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani
This quote from one of the greatest authorities on hadith of all time is sufficient recommendation. The version of the Muwatta narrated by Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani, one of the two leading pupils of Imam Abu Hanifah, directly from his three years of study with Imam Malik will be of particular interest not only to students of Hanafi fiqh, but also to students of hadith in general.
Living Tradition: Taking Our Knowledge From Those Who Know
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) showed us to supplicate,
“O Allah, we ask you for beneficial knowledge, and seek refuge in You from knowledge that doesn’t benefit.”
Beneficial knowledge is knowledge that draws one closer to Allah.
One of the righteous poets of the spiritual path sang,
“O students at the madrasa,
Everything you learn is mere misgivings.
If your concern is in other than the Beloved,
You shall have no share of the Next Life.”
Living Tradition: “…And Give in Regular Charity.”
“And Allah is with those who do good.”
Subhan Allah.
A Brutal Murder, Nonetheless - The American Muslim
Starts:
‘Tell me, what cause can remain noble when you start hacking off limbs in its name?’ (From Peter Shaffer’s ‘Royal Hunt of the Sun’)
Interestingly, my friend Alex Hearn & I acted in this play in high school in Madrid (at King’s College). [Alex was mentioned a few entries ago…]
Monkey See, Monkey Do - Not An Islamic Ideal - The American Muslim
Sidi Abdur Rahman Squires… “Our beloved Prophet was sent as a mercy to the worlds (Qur’an 21:107), so we have to save Islam from the reckless few that have made a large part of humanity feel that it’s a scourge rather than a blessing. Pray hard…”
Monday 27 December 2004
Several dear friends have recently had children
Marry and Multiply!
Several dear friends have recently had children, most notably Sidi Sohail Nakhooda (also known as the Pir of Print) of Islamica Magazine, Sidi Sulaiman Hart of Sinan Design, and Sidi Omar Tufail of DeenPort.
May Allah make their children and ours righteous believers who love Allah and whom Allah loves, and make them a joy for their parents in this life and the next.
Shaykh Hussary was regarded as one of the top masters of Qur’anic recital in the 20th Century.
This can be downloaded, too, from:
Shaykh Hussary reciting Surat al-Mu’minun and Surat Maryam
Mufti Taqi Usmani {db}- Special Urdu Nazam
Shaykh Yusuf Mullan, of the Toronto-based Shariah Program, dug up this gem: Mufti Taqi Usmani reciting a passionate poem he authored.
IDBAmerica: Man and nature on the Galapagos
“Cooperation is beginning to replace competition in an innovative effort to protect the shrine of modern evolutionary theory.”
A high school friend of mine, Dr. Alex Hearn, is featured in this story…
BBC NEWS | 2004 | Asia quake disaster
May Allah grant ease to those affected, their families, and loved ones.
When one experiences or hears about the ‘tremendous signs’ of Allah, the sunna is to turn to Him in prayer and repentance, for these are reminders. [Shurunbulali, Imdad al-Fattah]
If nothing else, it is good to perform ablutions and then two cycles of supererogatory prayers, turning to Allah in repentance, need, and earnest supplication.
The Face of Light - An Essay on Shaykh Muhammad al-Ya’qoubi in New York - DeenPort
“Listening to Sheikh Muhammad speak about our Master Muhammad, peace be upon him, invariably and inevitably brings forth an overflowing love for him, the Seal of prophethood, peace be upon him. This is the secret of sitting beneath the awe of an authentic scholar, the transmission affects the heart and reverberates in the soul….”
UK: Shaykh Talal Al-Azem on Spiritual Chivalry within Islam - Tuesday 28th December 2004
Shaykh Talal Al-Azem is a seeker of sacred knowledge who embodies this Islamic virtue of futuwwa (spiritual chivalry), as those who know him can attest to…
Sidi Mas’ud Khan (www.masud.co.uk) should be petitioned to put this talk on his site…
Hamburg Kiosk Defends Islam - Islam Online- News Section
In usul al-fiqh, the scholars affirm that, “Words establish Law more emphatically than actions.” (So the verbal commands of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, are generally of stronger legal import in deducing legal rulings than his actions.)
However, the scholars also affirm that, “Actions are more impressive than words.”
To convince others that Islam is xyz, Muslims have to be involved in their local communities, contributing to their societies, and must have something positive and meaningful to offer.
Qasida: Law Ma Dhukir Ta Ha - Hijazi
If Ta Ha [the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)] isn’t mentioned, my heart is not content…
SunniPath Academy: Proper manners of the Shariah
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Allah has decreed excellence in all matters” Excellence in actions entails following the beautiful example of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).
This course explains how to live and implement the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) into your life–in both worship and one’s conduct & dealings with others–using a short text by one of the notable scholars of the 20th Century. The first part covers excellence in worship.
Aramco World : Berlin to Makkah: Muhammad Asad’s Journey into Islam
Muhammad Asad (Allah have mercy on him) was a great man. Few works as powerful as his The Road to Mecca were written in the 20th Century by a Western Muslim. His Islam At A Crossroads is also a masterpiece. However, the journey of life has many turns, and he took a few turns away from the mainroad of Sunni scholarship:
SunniPath Q&A - Do Muhammad Asad’s books reflect Sunni scholarship and do traditional Sunni scholars recommend them? (Response by Sidi Yahya Birt)
As Bilbo Baggins said,
“The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began,
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
Let others follow it who can!
Let them a journey new begin,
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.”
Writing in the Shariah sciences, particularly Law (fiqh), is like legal writing. It shares similar goals…
Don’t miss the article on humility in writing. This is important when talking to others about matters of religion, and also when advising others…
“Whoever doesn’t thank people isn’t thankful to God”
I got an interesting email
You’ve sent a whole lot of traffic to Minor Wisdom (the “Garner’s Modern American Usage” thing). Thanks.
Peace to you and your loved ones.
[name]
6227 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70118
http://raymondpward.typepad.com/
There is much good in this world. It is a question of looking.
Are the Subcontinental Hanafi scholars “rigid and out of date” and only Arab Hanafi scholarship suited to Western societies?
[No…]
Download link:
Hanafism: Is Indo-Pak Scholarship Different from Arab Scholarship?
SunniPath Q&A — Depression: “Truly, it is by the Remembrance of Allah that hearts find rest.”
Sayyidi Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi said,
“Be with Allah
You will find Allah with you.”
كُنْ مَعَ الله *** تَرَ اللهَ مَعَك
Be with Allah by loving Him, turning to Him in all your affairs, by obeying His commands out of love, thanks and servanthood, You will find Allah with you, for He is “closer to you than your jugular vein,” and He does not let the efforts of those who seek Him go to waste.
Minor Wisdom: Garner’s Modern American Usage - Buy this book
If you don’t already own a dictionary of modern English usage, then buy Garner’s Modern American Usage, by Bryan A. Garner. Simple.
A fascinating, detailed outline. Money makes the dunya go round.
(A sounder way of putting it would be: Money appears to make the dunya go round.)
Sunni Sister: Exclusive - Jesus Birthday: The Real Story
Straight from the Real.
Umm Zaid’s blog is always insightful. One of those “I wish it had an RSS feed” places on the Net.
Oh, well, back to, those songs… [really, don’t miss them.]
“Muhammad is the symbol of Allah’s Dignity
His visible diversity has an invisible unity.”
Confused? Listen!
Many more where that comes from:
English Naats
Qasida Burda - Pages of Manuscript in Arabic with marginalia
O Most Noble of Creation, who else do I have but you…
“We’ll Accept You If You Accept Adultery” - The Turkish Letter
“To get into the European Union, Turkey had to face questions about adultery. Are the Turks right to think it’s wrong?”
Naats: Gharibon Ki Jo Sarvat Hai - Aamir Liaquat Hussain with his duff
In passionate praise of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Also:
Hum Faqiron Ko Madine Ki Gali
Lam Yati Nazeeruka Fi Nazarin
Toddling Consumers - Debit Cards “R” Us - Harvard Magazine
“Corporate America’s pursuit of children has never been so aggressive. With an annual budget of $15 billion, about 2.5 times more than what they spent in 1992, marketers now bombard kids with ads everywhere…”
Daniel Pipes — Militant about “Islamism”
“It’s a mistake to blame Islam, a religion 14 centuries old, for the evil that should be ascribed to militant Islam, a totalitarian ideology less than a century old. Militant Islam is the problem, but moderate Islam is the solution.” ~Daniel Pipes
Is Pipes’ “moderate Islam” even moderately Islam?
RadioIslam.com — “The Islamic Intellectual Tradition - Interview with Sister Noura Shamma.”
Very thoughtful.
Subhan Allah!
Qasida - Idha Dhakartum Habibi (If You Mention My Beloved) - Ahbab al-Mustafa (Tarim)
The life of hearts is the remembrance of Allah. This is the wine of the elite, not grapes or raisins… And by the rope of the Chosen Prophet (al-Mustafa), peace and blessings be upon him, hold fast…
One of the suggested linguistic derivations of God (ilah) is from walah (bewilderment), because awareness of God makes one truly bewildered (walah). How can the finite remain when the Infinite is manifest?
If We had caused this Qur’an to descend upon a mountain, you verily hadst seen it humbled, rent asunder by the fear of Allah. Such similitudes coin We for mankind that haply they may reflect.
He is Allah, than Whom there is no other God, the Knower of the Invisible nd the Visible. He is the Beneficent, Merciful.
He is Allah, than Whom there is no other God, the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, Peace, the Keeper of Faith, the Guardian, the Majestic, the Compeller, the Superb. Glorified be Allah from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him).
He is Allah, the Creator, the Shaper out of naught, the Fashioner. His are the most beautiful names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifieth Him, and He is the Mighty, the Wise. [Qur’an, 59.21-24]
We are Speaking the English (Language) - Subcontinent Raises Its Voice - David Crystal
“With an English-speaking population now likely to have surpassed that of Britain and the US, India, with its dynamic variety of English, is set to become a linguistic superpower…”
By Abdullah Gul (Turkish Foreign Minister).
Should we be happy about the recent hacking of the MWU progresssive site? Doesn’t it look it a publicity stunt?
If we act on the principle laid down by Imam Shafi`i that, “We only judge on the outward, and it is up to Allah to judge the inward,” we can’t affirm that the site was defaced by the brothers and sisters at MWU (may Allah grant us and them all good). An affirmation requires proof.
However, if it is that strange-named group on the defaced page, would it be far-fetched to affirm that this was foolish, immature, and far greater in likely harms than in any of their perceived benefits, and thus impermissible? The established fiqh maxim is that, “Avoiding harm is given precedence over achieving benefits,” especially when the harm is likely and the benefits unclear or uncertain.
Also, the way of dealing with differences among believers is through positive discussion based on love, mercy, and sincere counsel (nasiha). The definition of sincere counsel (nasiha) is, “Wishing well for another (iradat al-khayr li’l ghayr).”
[Shaykh] Yusuf al-Qaradawi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Someone wrote, “Some mainstream Sunni scholars such as Sidi Faraz Rabbani respect Qaradawi and his opinions but find them to be sometimes unreliable,” in the Wikipedia entry on Shaykh Qaradawi. So I went in and added the rest of the paragraph:
“This is because Shaykh Qaradawi inclined towards laxity and methodological ambiguity in religious matters. Their criticism is that there is a difference between making things easy and laxity: a sound understanding of the former is that it is to facilitate the path to Paradise for people, and laxity can often weaken religious resolve and actually hinder this.”
However, there is no doubt that Shaykh Qaradawi is one of the great figures of contemporary Islam, and his long service to the deen is undeniable. The scholars may disagree, but they are fair, for Allah tells us in the Qur’an, “Be fair, for it is closer to piety.”
As Shaykh Isam Eydoo said yesterday in a quick visit to Amman, over breakfast, we have to go beyond name-calling, and have to start dealing with issues and discussing our differences on the basis of knowledge and mutual respect.
Qasida Burda - A Full Rendition to Download- www.DeenPort.com
The Burda of Imam al-Busiri (Maghribi rendition). Available from DeenPort MP3. The direct link: Download the Qasida Burda - full Maghribi rendition.
A full rendition of the Burda by a Maghribi group. Ustadh Amin Tirmidhi gave this to Shaykh Diya’ on tape, and said that he considers this one of the very best renditions he has heard.
U.S. News: Distance education: Working on what works best(10/20/03)
Objection! “Education” is different from schooling or learning…
Sleeping Well - Help is at Hand
The “science” of sleep.
The sunna:
Going to Bed: Some of the Proper Manners of Sleep
Microsoft reinvents its own wheel
Still, Copernic’s Desktop Search is better than any of these “others.”
See:
CNET Review: Copernic Desktop Search
To download:
Copernic Desktop Search - Download and Press Quotes
SunniPath-QA: The Prophets are Protected from Sin
A ’sin’ can refer to a contravention of the Divine Command, and to anything one considers to be a non-fulfillment of what is truly due to the Divine…
Top 10 software products - CNET.com
Strength can be defined as taking the most effective means available, in the most effective manner.
SunniPath-QA: The Validity of the Marriage of a Woman Who Converts
The reason why major Sunni scholars are cautious about Shaykh Qaradawi, while respecting him, is that he is inclined towards laxity and methodological ambiguity in religious matters. Their criticism is that there is a difference between making things easy and laxity: a sound understanding of the former is that it is to facilitate the path to Paradise for people, and laxity ultimately weakens religious resolve and actually hinders this.
Book Release: Absolute Essentials of Islam
Faith, Prayer, & The Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School.
Guide to Critical Reading of an Essay’s Argument
Father: “My son, think! Thinking never killed anyone.”
Son: “Dad! I don’t want to be the first one.”
Useful, but…