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Showing posts from April, 2011

Yahya ibn Ma’in - an example of using youth productively

Al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi said in Siyar al-Alam al-Nubala about the scholar of Hadith, Yahya ibn Ma’in: “He is the great Imam and scholar, the master of the Huffaz [memorisers of hadith], the king of the Huffaz, the shaykh of the scholars of hadith, Abu Zakariyya, Yahya ibn Ma’in ibn Awn ibn Ziyad ibn Bistam. He was not from the Arabs but became allied with some of the Bani Murr, and came to be known as al-Murri, and al-Baghdadi by birth, one of the most of the prominent scholars of hadith. He was born in Baghdad in 158 AH and grew up there. He started writing hadith at the age of ten . His father Ma’in was one of the noble scribes under Abdullah ibn Malik in charge of the water tax, and left 1,000,000 Dirhams , all of which he spent on acquiring knowledge of hadith until he did not even have sandals to wear! He heard hadith from Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, Hushaim ibn Bashir, Ism’il ibn Ayyash, Sufyan ibn Uyaynah, Abdur-Razzaq al Sana’ani from Yemen, Waki ibn al-Jarh, Yahya ibn Sa’id al-Qa

Imam Abu Yusuf discussing fiqh on his deathbed

The Prophet (saw) said: "إن العلماء ورثة الأنبياء، إن الأنبياء لم يورثوا ديناراً ولا درهماً، إنما ورثوا العلم، فمن أخذ به فقد أخذ بحظ وافر" “The Ulema are the inheritors of the prophets, the prophets did not bequeath dinars or dirhams, but they bequeathed knowledge, so he who takes it will take an abundant chance” Let us look at the example of the great scholar, Imam Abu Yusuf.  Imam Abu Yusuf (Ya’qub ibn Ibrahim al-Ansari al-Kufi, later al-Baghdadi), born 113 AH, died 182 AH the companion of Abu Hanifah, who spread his knowledge and madhab, the judge of three ‘Abbasid rulers: al-Mahdi, al-Hadi and al-Rashid, the first to be called al-Qadi al-Qudat (the Supreme judge) we see him on his death bed, during the last moments of his life discussing a matter of fiqh with some of his visitors in order to benefit and teach.  His student al-Qadi Ibrahim ibn al-Jarrah al-Kufi, later al-Misri said: “Abu Yusuf became ill, so I went to visit him, and found him unconscious. Wh

Q&A: Where does the power lie and how can we obtain it?

The following is the translation of an Arabic Q&A published in 1970. The question which is being constantly asked is were does the power lie and how can we obtain it? As for the first question, it cannot be answered categorically. The answer lies from state to state. In a state like the US, power lies in the hand of the people and the capitalists who control them. In Iraq, it lies in the hands of the army, not the prime minister alone. In Saudia, it is in the hands of the family of Saud and King Faisal. In Turkey, it is within the ruling party, the president and the prime minister. In Kuwait, it lies in the hands of the chieftains and the ruler. So each case is different, however, the power resides on some sort of real support for its existence. If that support erodes, those who have the power will lose it. Originally, power in any nation should rely on the people or the influential section of them. Consequently, taking power should be through winning the public or the strong

Q&A: Rules of Hijra from the land of the disbelievers

We received the following question from one of our readers: Question: Please can you inform me of the rules of making hijra from the lands of the disbelievers such as the European countries where living according to the rules of Islam is becoming increasingly difficult. Is making Hijra to a Muslim country obligatory upon us? Answer:  The following Q&A explains this matter in some detail please read through it:  Q&A:  Hijra  from land of the disbelivers 

Stealing revolutions with phantom solutions

Revolution is in the air across the world. Despite extensive media coverage, a confusing picture is presented as to what ‘transition’ might meet the demands of these revolutions. The domino effect promises more revolutions in the Middle East in particular, with similar causes and effects. It is thus pertinent to assess the real causes of these revolutions and whether they achieve their ‘real’ demands.The Egyptian revolution, which claims to have passed a critical milestone of ousting the ruler, serves as a good case in point. Opinions on the revolution were primarily driven by broadcasts that showed little more than events in Tahrir Square. The popular uprising was so truly grassroots’ driven that it lacked clear identity and leadership, which allowed astroturfers to attach more articulate words tothe emotional protestor. Invariably the revolution is portrayed as demanding freedom, democracy and economic opportunities. This was designed to give the implicit notion that given it taken

The Impact of the Media upon Women

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Media is streamed through a specific and unique lens depending on the views it holds regarding society and life.  Media in all of its forms; print or broadcast all strive to promote a certain perspective to the masses.  This is most evident in media geared towards females of all ages.  We all feel the tangible effects of the media on both genders.  However, we are yet to feel the direct effects of Islamic media.  There are several stark differences between Islamic media and western media. The detrimental effects of the media have a ripple effect on society. Western media has distorted the image and role of the female to extreme unrealistic standards and impressions.  Affecting both man and woman in this warped concoction of acting and looking like a so-called woman.  She is to be a sexual object that takes great advantage of her femininity and sensuality to further her social and financial status.  This is all done without anyone, whether it be the i

The Opinion deduced by the Mujtahid is a Hukm Shar'i

The following is the translation of a chapter from the Arabic book 'Al-Fikr al-Islami' (The Islamic Thought) by Sheikh Mohammad Mohammad Ismael Abduh, an Assistant Professor at the Egyptian University (now known as Cairo University) in the past. The job of alienating the Muslims from the restriction with the hukm shar’i takes different styles. One of the most evil styles is what some people claim that the opinions of the Mujtahid Imams, like ash-Shafi’i, Ja’far as-Sadiq or Abu Hanifah are not hukm shar’i but rather opinions (ra’i) to them, and it is not necessary to abide by them. They claim that the hukm shar’i is only the Qur’an and the hadeeth. Based on that, the ahkam shar’iyyah are confined to what came explicitly in the text, and can be understood from it by nothing more than reading. Accordingly, many new problems, and various incident cases, which did not come in shar’i text, are left without hukm shar’i. So, everybody deals with them according to his own opinion,