The ‘it’ Syndrome – Shaykh Ahmed ‘Ali

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• THE SHARIAH AND COPYRIGHTS

Always Love

by Abu Abdullah Ibne Ismail

“We should continue to show love and affection to our wives throughout their lives. The respected Shaykh, Hakeem Akhtar (hafizahullah), states that a person shows much love to his wife when she is young because of the strong bond of physical attraction that exists between the two.

When a person’s wife reaches old age and her physical allure is decreased he should then aim to show her love for the sake of Allah.”

(Courtesy of In Shaykh’s Company)

Man’s Best Friend: Books

Ibn al-Jawzi (rahmatullahi ‘alayhi) once said:

“If I were to describe my state, then I am never content with reading books, and when I see a book that I had not seen before, it is as if I have found a treasure. … And if I said that I read 20,000 books, then in truth it would be more, and I was then still a student.

I benefited from reading those books by observing the lives of the early people and the extent of their memorization, their determination, their worship, the diversity of their disciplines, of which one would not know had one not read those books. Thus I disliked the current state of people and looked down on the weak determination of students nowadays. And to Allah is all praise.”

(from “The Value of Time” by Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah)

 

(Courtesy of At-Talib)

Virtues of Jerusalem – An Islamic Perspective

Virtues of Jerusalem is a much awaited book detailing the sacredness of Jerusalem in Islamic History, theology and future prophesies. Classical sources have been used to present a wide range of information which explains why past and present Muslims revere this blessed city.

The City of al-Quds (Jerusalem) houses one of the holiest sites, the Al-Haram al-Sharif (al-Aqsa Sanctuary.) The precincts of al-Aqsa have been used throughout the centuries as a place of worship, residence and meditation by many Prophets and their followers.

Many Quranic verses and the narrations of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) mention this sacred blessed. Al-Aqsa is also the site from which the Prophet Muhammad undertook his journey to the Heavens (al-Mi’raj.) Al-Aqsa is the first qiblah (direction of prayer), the second house of worship built on earth and the only Masjid besides the Ka’bah mentioned by name in the Holy Qur’an

This book is essential reading for all Muslims and for all those who seek a better understanding of the struggle over Jerusalem today.

Includes a guide and plan the al-Haram al-Sharif (al-Aqsa sanctuary) with pictures.

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Jesse Macbeth – Testimony from a former U.S. Army Ranger in Iraq

The Indispensibility of The Principles of Hadith

To sum up, one of the major reasons for the difference of opinion found among mujtahids is that different Imams have different criteria for establishing the reliability of a hadith. This is why the scholars of hadith and principles of hadith [usul al-din] consider it imperative to teach the principles of hadith before teaching the actual books of hadith. This enables the student to understand the reasons why some hadiths have been disregarded. At the same time, he will understand why scholars, in spite of an explicit proposition appearing in a hadith, act contrary to it.

This is why it has always been my fervent desire to request that the people who teach translations of the hadiths would at least teach a brief summary of the principles of hadith. This would ensure that ordinary people, who zealously read hadiths in translations because they are the speech of Allah’s Messenger (may Allah send peace and blessings upon him), are not lead astray. It would also ensure that they do not become disinclined to the juridical rulings [masa'il fiqhiyya], and that they do not develop any evil thoughts about the hadiths. All of these factors can lead to a fatal deficiency in their faith [din]. And Allah guides whom He wills to the straight path.

The author of Tadhkira writes, “There is a very intricate and difficult issue in the field of hadith that, since the fabricators and the preachers have fabricated many hadiths, and many other pious people have misunderstood the meaning of the hadiths, the mujtahids felt a need to establish a set of principles to assess the validity of a hadith. This set of principles will differ from principles set up by the Imams of Hadith.”

There are also other factors which render a hadith unreliable. Until a person has knowledge about them, it is not permissible for him to practice upon hadiths directly.

(The Differences of the Imams, Shaykh al-Hadith Zakariyya Khandhlawi)

See also:

• The Differences of the Imams

Connected during the Crunch

by Abu Abdullah Ibne Ismail

“A person’s connection with Allah becomes apparent when the crunch comes. If a person is able to adopt patience and remain content when he is overcome with difficulty then this is a sign that this person is connected to Allah ta’ala.”

(Courtesy of In Shaykh’s Company)

Ask for Help

by Muhammad Abdullah

“List your sins before Allah, accept your guilt before Him and say that from tomorrow I will not do the same. Supplicate to Allah by saying:

‘O Allah, this is your Fadhl that I was able to repent and it is only through your Fadhl that I will be able to stay steadfast on this so help me and keep me steadfast’

Then exert effort, for Allah helps the one who exerts effort. If not today, then tomorrow, sooner or later you will progress.”

(Courtesy of In Shaykh’s Company)