My Main Worry Or Concern Was That I Couldn’t Taste The Sweetness Of Gaining Knowledge

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Imaam Aboo Faraj Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Abee Hasan Ibn Jawzee al-Hanbalee said:

The sweetness that the students of knowledge feels is from the sweetness that no one can ever enjoy, even more so than the sweetest of honeys. This is because the students gains what he seeks for. Since I was a child I would take with me a loaf of bread and then go out and seek Hadeeth. I would sit during the day and I would not be able to eat this bread except if I had water.  Every time I ate a morsel I would drink some water with it and my main worry or concern was that I couldn’t taste the deliciousness of gaining knowledge.

Sayd al-Khaatir Pg. 151

They Believe That They Are Due More Than They Are Given

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Imaam Shams ad-Deen Aboo Abdullah Muhammad bin Aboo Bakr Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah [May Allaah have Mercy on him] said:

Most of the creation, no actually, all of the creation - except for those whom Allaah has Willed - do not give Allaah His rights and they have bad judgments about Him. So you will find that most of the children of Aadam believe that they don’t have what they are entitled to and that they’re are deficient in what they should receive. They believe that they are due more than they are given. So the situation of his tongue is that he says, ‘My Lord has oppressed me and He has prevented from me what I was due’ and he is a self-witness to this. He shows discontent with his tongue and he doesn’t feel he is being bold in behaving in this manner. Whoever takes it upon himself to check and scrutinize his inner-self, he will find a hidden fire like that which you find in a cannon. This flame informs you that it is ready to fire when it begins to flare. However if you examined this cannon you would find that this flaring up is actually blameworthy because this ignition is running in the wrong direction. So you tell you yourself this, you should be like this or like that, you should be independent and prosperous. It is upon you to examine yourself, are you like this? Do you have these traits?

So you should be to yourself like a beloved and sincere adviser, especially on this topic. Repent and seek forgiveness to Allaah, the Most High, at all times throughout the day from having bad thoughts about your Lord and about having bad thoughts about yourself, as these thoughts are the cause for every type of evil to exist within you.

[Zaad al-Ma’aad 3/235]

We Act Upon what is Apparent and We Don’t Look at What is Hidden from Us, This Was the Way of the Best of Generations

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Shaykh Wasee-Ullaah bin Muhammad al-'Abbaas [May Allaah Preserve him]

What Ibn Salaah means is that if there is a narrator that comes and he is apparently trustworthy and accurate in what he says, i.e. He has 'Adl and Dubt, then we take the narration from him as this is sufficient for us. This was the view of the majority of the scholars, from the past and those that came after them, meaning they would accept the narration of one who appears to have 'Adl and Dubt.

Is there a different of opinion in this? We shall discuss this in greater detail later, but as an example, if we take Yahya bin Ma'een who died 230AH and Imaam Ahmad who died 241H, they used to make a ruling on people that came a hundred years before them. How is this? In two ways, either they depended on what they heard from their scholars or they acted on what was apparent looking at whom and where they narrated from and to. So this is acting upon what is apparent trustworthiness.

I asked Shaykh Naasir ad-Deen al-Albaanee on this issue as I wanted to understand it properly and he replied by saying that we act upon what is apparent. So if he appears to be righteous and trustworthy in the apparent then we accept this but if he is apparently a sinner then we reject him, we act upon what is apparent from the narrator. We can’t act upon what is hidden, it is a must that we go by what we can see and not think bad about people. If a person does bad deeds but he appears to be good, then Allaah has concealed him so we can’t see his sins, but if he sins openly then his affair is known. Like the scholars say, ‘if a person intends to lie in the morning we will know about it by the evening.’

The point is, the statement of Ibn Salaah means that we act upon what is apparent and we don’t look at what is hidden from us, this was the way of the best of generations however some of the scholars that came after differed from this.

There is no doubt, if one is completely unknown then we reject his narration but what we are talking about is when a narrator appears to have Adalaah and Dubt then we accept it, if he doesn’t have these then he is Majhool or unknown.

[Adapted from Sharh Tadreeb ar-Rawee fee Sharh Taqreeb an-Nawaawee; Tape 58, 12-15mins]

Tafseer: If We Leave the Dhikr of Allaah Then It Is As If We Resemble Them in Their Lack of Interest in the Qur'aan

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Allaah, the Most High, says;

وَمَنْ يَعْشُ عَنْ ذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَنِ نُقَيِّضْ لَهُ شَيْطَانًا فَهُوَ لَهُ قَرِينٌ

"And whosoever turns away (blinds himself) from the remembrance of the Most Beneficent (Allah) (i.e. this Qur'an and worship of Allah), We appoint for him Shaitan." [Zukhruf 43:36]

Imaam Abu Ja'far at-Tabaree [May Allaah have Mercy on him] said in his Tafseer about this Ayaah;

The Most High says about those who leave the Dhikr or remembrance of Allaah, then he will not be affected by it. He will not fear the Punishment of Allaah because 'We appoint for him Shaitan.'

A devil or a Shaytaan has lured him and thus he had become a close friend and ally to him. By him becoming a close friend, it means that the person who forgets the Dhikr or remembrance of Allaah will walk on the same path of the Shaytaan. He will walk as if he has partial or complete blindness in his eyes, thus blindness and darkness becomes the way he walks on this path.

So if sight is taken away from you, you will not see. Without sight, if one is told to walk, then he will walk in a manner that is deficient.

[Adapted from Tafseer at-Tabaree 21/603-604]

Al-Allaamah Taahir bin 'Ashoor [May Allaah have Mercy on him] said:

This Surah begins with the praiseworthy description given to the Qur'aan as being a Dhikr or remembrance and a clarification for mankind. It also described the Mushrikeen as being arrogantly refusing to accept it.

Therefore Know! Allaah will not leave cease in given examples from them, example of their outright refusal because Allaah Calls to the truth and He Supports it.

This Qur'aan exemplifies and expands on the description given to them as being false in their 'Aqeedah or beliefs, perhaps it can be a cause of waking for them from their slumber. Perhaps this Qur'aan will bring proofs for them explaining the truth to them, calling them to the path of the Messenger [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him].

The Qur'aan exposes them for their blind following and resembling of their ancestors, they had no proof or guidance and thus they are all astray.

So the Qur'aan warns against us being like them and having the same level of complacency and neglect as them, so this Qur'aan has come as added clarification for us.

This Aayah; ' And whosoever turns away (blinds himself) from the remembrance of the Most Beneficent (Allah) (i.e. this Qur'an and worship of Allah), We appoint for him Shaitan ' is connected to an Ayaah that proceeded this one, that states;

"And when the truth (this Qur'an) came to them, they (the disbelievers in this Qur'an) said: 'This is magic, and we disbelieve therein.' [Zukhruf 43:30]

So this Ayaah means, if we leave the Dhikr or remembrance of Allaah then it is as if we resemble them in their lack of interest in the Qur'aan.

So the one who lives without looking into the Qur'aan or contemplating upon its meanings is like the one who pays no attention to it, he doesn’t listen to its words or doesn’t seek to benefit from its meanings and lessons. This person is likened to those non-Muslims who heard the Qur'aan but didn’t benefit from it; they heard or even looked at it without it having any reflection.

[Adapted from At-Tahreer wa at-Tanweer (26/207-212)]

Questions 32

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Questions asked to Shaykh Salih ibn Muhammad al-Luhaydan [May Allaah Preserve him]
Former Chief Judge and Member of Permanent Committee of Senior Scholars
Asked in his Masjid after Salaat al-‘Ishaa
14/7/1433- 4/6/2012

Question: There is a person in our city in England who has studied with scholars such as Shaykh al-Albaanee, but some scholars, like the scholars in Madeenah, have refuted him and called him an Ikhwaanee because he has cooperated with Ahyaa at-Turaath in Kuwait. The question is; can we still study Fiqh and Hadeeth under him?

Answer: I don’t know this man so I can’t tell you whether it is permissible or not to study under him because people call him an Ikhwanee and refuted him however if their only refutation on him is that he has worked with Ahya at-Turaath, then this is not sufficient grounds to make Jarh on this man. Working with Ahya at-Turaath is not a shortcoming.

Questioner: But he gave Da’wah with them, Oh Shaykh?

Shaykh Saaleh: I mean, as long as he was working with them and giving Da’wah, then there is no fault in this.

Question: My mother is a Kaafirah and she is requesting that I give her a photo of my children; if I refuse it may cause hatred for Islam on her part. Can I obey her in this?

Answer: Yes, there is no problem in this, don’t worry.

Questions asked to Shaykh Sa'd bin Naasir ash-Shithree [May Allaah Preserve him]
Former Member of Permanent Committee of Senior Scholars
Asked in his Masjid after Salaat adh-Dhuhr
14/7/1433-4/6/2012

Question: Is it permissible for us to benefit from the umbilical cord as some doctors have stated that it can be used as a cure for certain blood related diseases?

Answer: Using this umbilical cord is of two types:

a) Either the blood cells within the umbilical cord is being used as a cure, this is permissible if there is no other option.

b) The blood cells within the umbilical cord are being used to rectify imperfections in the body but not as a cure, then this is not permissible because of the Hadeeth, “Allaah has not made a cure for my Ummah in things that are Haraam for them.”

Question: Is there is any specific Dua’a for breastfeeding?

Answer: I don’t know any specific Dua’a for breastfeeding, however if they begin and end with general Dua’a, without making believing that is it specifically connected to breastfeeding, then this is permissible. For example, if you begin with Bismillah and the likes then this is OK but as for making anything specific, then there is no basis in the Shar’eeah for this.

Question: Is the Dua’a before we eat, ‘Bismillah wa ‘Ala Barkatillah’ correct?

Answer: The wording that has ‘Wa ‘Ala Barkatillah’ is not authentically affirmed, so we should stick to what has been narrated.

Questioner: So would saying ‘Bismillah’ be sufficient?

Shaykh Sa’d: ‘Bismillah’ or ‘Bismillah, Allaahuma lana‘Ala fee ma Razaqtana wa’jalana minal Muslimeen’

Question: Is there any specific evidence to prevent the women from making Athaan?

Answer: There is consensus from the scholars that women are not allowed to give Athaan, as it has been narrated by Najjaad [May Allaah be Pleased with him] with an Isnaad that is Jayyid, that the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] said, “Women do not have Athaan or an Iqaamah.” There is also evidence based on the fact that the Ummah are all agreed, from the various parts of the world, that women do not give Athaan or Iqaamah even though it is possible for them to do so. Rather there is a Hadeeth of Umm Waraqah [May Allaah be Pleased with her] that she states that the women used to pray in their homes and they would appoint a male family member to call the Athaan and Iqaamah for them. So what used to happen is that they would do this and then the men would go the Masjid an-Nabawee to pray there, this shows that it is not legislated for women to give Athaan or Iqaamah. Furthermore, from the evidences connected to Athaan we can derive that the point of giving Athaan is that it spreads the call, and we know that women are not allowed to raise their voice, as Allaah, the Most High, says;

“…then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease (of hypocrisy, or evil desire for adultery, etc.) should be moved with desire, but speak in an honourable manner”

[Ahzaab 33:32]

Question: Allaah has sent down a cure for every disease, is this literal medicine or it is specific to the Quraan, or is it referring to both?

Answer: The wording used in the Hadeeth is general, so it can relate to Quraan or medicine. The hadeeth, ‘Allaah has not sent down a disease except that He has sent down with a cure’ refers to the Universal Pre-Decree or Qadriyyah al-Kawniyyah of Allaah, because the wording used is medicine, and medicine is not part of the Shar’eeah.

Question: What is the difference between the Usooli terminology; Takhfeef at-Taghyeer [When a command in Shar’eeah has been made easy for you by lightening the command of worship due to hardship] and Takhfeef al-Badal [When a command in Shar’eeah has been made easy for you by replacing it with another act of worship due to hardship]?

Answer: An example of Takhfeef at-Taghyeer is when Salaat is made simpler in times of fear, so the numbers of units are lessened and the pillars and conditions are more relaxed. As for Takhfeef al-Badal, then this is when we change the act of worship altogether, such as one who is not able to fast due to sickness then he can feed a poor person instead, so this changing or Badal is not from the original command to fast.

Question: Do we act upon every time a scholar puts Jarh on another, meaning by this question, what are the conditions for us to follow in Jarh and Ta’deel?

Answer: The original principle is that we are not allowed to talk about others, as Allaah, the Most High, says;

“…neither backbite one another...”

[Hujaraat 49:12]

There is no exception in this except for times when we desperately need to know the state of a person and we need a reference. So if one looks at the evidences in Shar’eeah then he will find these exceptions, such as a reference that is needed for one who proposes marriage, or a person who is appointed as a witness, or a person who is appointed as an arbitrator etc. Imaam an-Nawawee has mentioned in Riyaadh as-Saaliheen at least ten different situations where we can talk about someone, but the original principle is that we are not allowed to talk about others unless there is a Shar’ee benefit behind it.

If it is possible for a person who has Jarh on him to be warned via the means of a general Jarh or Jarh Ijmaalee, then it is not permissible for us to give a detailed Jarh on him or Jarh Tafseelee.

Jarh is information that one person is giving and transmitting; therefore this information can only be accepted from those who are known to be Thiqah or trustworthy and those who have ‘Adaalah or uprightness and are known to have knowledge.

Therefore, we do not take Jarh from just anybody, so if there is a person doing Jarh and you don’t know him and he is not known to have Islamic knowledge then we don’t take his Jarh as he is not qualified transmit knowledge.

Question: Is it permissible for me to attain a British passport in order to get a job in Saudi, because with my current nationality I won’t be able to get a job there. Can I apply to become British or does this come under the banner of allying with the Kuffaar?

Answer: I am not able to give you an answer to this question, I need to think about this in further detail so I don’t have an answer for you right now

.

No One Should Have Any Doubt Upon The Importance of Memorizing The Quraan, Especially The Student of Knowledge

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Shaykh Abdul Kareem bin Abdullah al-Khudayr [May Allaah Preserve him] said:

You should give Quraan its importance, before you learn any other field. This is because you may find a person; he has stopped memorizing the Quraan because it is hard for him. So shall we tell him, don’t memorise the Quraan, memorise the smaller books and treatise instead? Especially based on the fact that many scholars said that it is a condition that a Mujtahid must be someone who has memorised the whole Quraan. Some said it is sufficient that he has memorized the Ayaat that pertain to rulings; nevertheless we can’t underestimate the value of memorizing the Quraan. Those who memorise are the people of the Quraan.

Ibn al-Qayyim [May Allaah have Mercy on him] said, after explaining the importance of memorising the Quraan before seeking knowledge, the meaning of the people of Quraan is that they are the people of Allaah and those close to Him. They are the one who gave the Quraan special importance. They recited it, they read it, they pondered upon it, they derived lessons from it, they understood it, they had knowledge of it, they acted upon it, these are the people of the Quraan. He carried on in saying, some memorise and they sleep with it and others make it their life (meaning they haven’t memorised but they understand and act upon it), this has its benefits and so does that.  Nevertheless, no one should have any doubt upon the importance of memorizing the Quraan, especially the student of knowledge.

Sharh Al-Fiyyah al-‘Iraaqee Fee Uloom al-Hadeeth by Shaykh Abdul-Kareem bin Abdullah al-Khudayr [May Allaah Preserve him], Tape 21; 34-40 minutes

Tafseer: "Verily, This Qur'an Guides to That Which is Most Upright…"

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Allaah, the Most High, says:

إِنَّ هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ يَهْدِي لِلَّتِي هِيَ أَقْوَمُ

"Verily, this Qur'an guides to that which is most upright…" [Al-Israa' 17: 9]

Imaam Abu Ja'far, Ibn Jareer at-Tabaree [May Allaah have Mercy on him] said in his Tafseer:
"Meaning this Quraan that has been revealed upon our Prophet Muhammad [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] is guidance and is a means of one being upright and steadfast upon it.
'To that this is most upright' meaning to the path that is upright and it being distinct from the various other paths. Therefore, the religion of Allaah which He Sent His Prophets with, are all Islaam. So Allaah, The Exalted, is saying that this Quraan guides the slave of Allaah to be guided by it, guided to the intended path and all the other paths are paths to misguidance which the followers of lies and misguidance follow.
As is it was narrated that Ibn Zayd said about this Aayah, 'the path is the correct path, the path that leads one to the truth. It deviates one from straying from the path, meaning it protects one from all forms of falsehood. Allaah describes this path in His Book that path that is the path of truth it doesn’t have crookedness, therefore it is firm and straight.'"
[Tafseer at-Tabaree 17/392-392]

Imaam Aboo Abdullah Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Qurtubee [May Allaah have Mercy on him] said about this Aayah;

"After mentioning the things that crippled the Children of Israel and this was a proof from the evidences that the Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] was true. He then explains to us that this book that He has Revealed, is a cause of guidance. The implications of this is that it's the most upright from paths that one can take, it is the most just and correct. This is a quality that negates any form of erasure, meaning it is the path that has the texts which guide us to what is upright.
Az-Zujaaj said, 'From the all the different situations you are in, the Quraan guides you to the most correct resolution in each and every situation you may be in, namely to have Tawheed and to have full Eemaan in the His Prophet.'"

[Jaami' Ahkaam al-Quraan wa Lama Tuddaman min as-Sunnah wa Ahkaam al-Furqaan (10/203)]