The fake Scholar/Student of knowledge

Posted Oct 22, 2010 by Aboo Thaabit with 6 Comments

And from his character in seeking knowledge is that he seeks it whilst being in the state of neglect and forgetfulness. He only seeks the knowledge which his desire calls him towards.

And if it’s said, ‘How is that possible?’

The reply is, his aim in seeking knowledge is not due to him thinking it is fardh upon him or in order for him to worship Allaah by fulfilling His obligations and staying away from the things He has declared unlawful, No! Rather his aim is to become known to the people as a taalib-ul-’ilm (student of knowledge) and so that the students flock around him.

He studies only for Riyaa (showing off) and debates with others in order to be known for his knowledge and eloquence in discussion. If the person he is debating with has the truth with him, it causes him grief. Even if he knows he is wrong he carries on debatting and never declares he is mistaken due to fear of people criticising his mistakes.

He is lenient with giving fatwaa to those he loves and is severe and stern against those who can not benefit him at all. Whoever he teaches knowledge to he expects benefits back from. And if his students can not benefit him in this world but only benefit him in the aakhirah, teaching them becomes a burden upon him (and he sees it as a waste of time).

He anticipates the reward for knowledge he never practised, and is not afraid of the consequences for knowledge he never acted upon. He speaks words of wisdom so it might seem he is from its people, whilst not fearing the evidence being established against him, because he doesn’t practise what he preaches. The more he learns and seeks knowledge the more he shows off and boasts.

If the scholars of his time are many in number and they are mentioned as people of knowledge he wishes to be mentioned with them. If they, the scholars, are asked about a question and he is not asked he wishes he be asked as well, when it was upon him to praise Allaah who just saved him from being asked when others had fulfilled the need.

If it reaches him that any of the scholars made a mistake whilst he got the right verdict, he becomes happy for the mistakes of others, when in reality he should be sad for the mistakes of his brothers. If any of the scholars pass away it makes him happy since now people will be in need of him and his knowledge more.

And if he is asked about a matter that he has no knowledge of, it becomes difficult for him to say ‘I do not know’. If he hears about someone else that is benefiting the people more than he is, he hates him and does not tell the people about him. His pride stops him from admitting his own mistakes, even when corrected by others he will keep on defending his mistake, despite knowing it is a blatant mistake, just so that he might not be looked down upon by the people.

His fitnah (trial) is love for this dunya and being praised by mankind along with status and nobility. He beautifies himself with knowledge as people in this dunya beautify themselves with jewlerry but he forgets to beautify his knowledge with actions.

[Taken from 'Akhlaaq al-'Ulamaa by al-Aajoriyy]

The Platinum card of akhirah

Posted Oct 14, 2010 by Aboo Thaabit with 3 Comments

عَنْ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَيُخَلِّصُ رَجُلًا مِنْ أُمَّتِي عَلَى رُءُوسِ الْخَلَائِقِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَيَنْشُرُ عَلَيْهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ سِجِلًّا كُلُّ سِجِلٍّ مِثْلُ مَدِّالْبَصَرِ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ: أَتُنْكِرُ مِنْ هَذَا شَيْئًا؟ أَظَلَمَكَ كَتَبَتِي الْحَافِظُونَ؟ فَيَقُولُ: لَا يَا رَبِّ فَيَقُولُ: أَفَلَكَ عُذْرٌ؟ فَيَقُولُ: لا يَا رَبِّ فَيَقُولُ: بَلَى إِنَّ لَكَ عِنْدَنَا حَسَنَةً فَإِنَّهُ لا ظُلْمَ عَلَيْكَ الْيَوْمَ، فَتَخْرُجُ بِطَاقَةٌ فِيهَا: أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لا إِلَهَ إِلا اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ فَيَقُولُ: احْضُرْ وَزْنَكَ فَيَقُولُ: يَا رَبِّ مَا هَذِهِ الْبِطَاقَةُ مَعَ هَذِهِ السِّجِلاتِ فَقَالَ: إِنَّكَ لاتُظْلَمُ” قَالَ:فَتُوضَعُ السِّجِلاتُ فِي كِفَّةٍ وَالْبِطَاقَةُ فِي كِفَّةٍ فَطَاشَتِ السِّجِلاتُ وَثَقُلَتِ الْبِطَاقَةُ فَلا يَثْقُلُ مَعَ اسْمِ اللَّهِ شَيْءٌ.

أخرجه ابن ماجه (2/1437 رقم 4300) ، والحاكم

(1/710 ، رقم 1937) وقال : صحيح الإسناد. وأخرجه أيضًا : الترمذى (5/24 ، رقم

2639) وصححه الألباني في التعليق الرغيب ( 2 / 240 – 241 ). قال الإمام الألباني

(في “السلسلة الصحيحة” (1/ (212

The Messenger of Allaah صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said:

“A person from my Ummah will be summoned in the presence of all creatures on the Day of Judgement. Ninety-nine scrolls (of his deeds) would be unfolded, each extending as far as the range of the vision can stretch, then he would be asked: ‘Do you deny any of these deeds? Did My preserving scribes wrong you?’ He will reply ‘No my Lord’, It will be said to him: ‘Do you have any excuse or any good deed?’ He will say: ‘No my Lord’  It will be said to him: ‘Yes you have some good deeds. No iniquity will befall you.’

A card will then be shown to him, on it will be written: ‘There is none worthy of worship besides Allaah and Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.’ And the scales are brought. He will say: ‘O Allaah! This (one) card alongside these scrolls.’ It will be said to him: ‘No injustice shall befall you.’ The (ninety-nine) scrolls will then be placed in one pan of the scale and the card on the other. The card will then outweigh the records. there is nothing that outweighs the name of Allaah” [At-Tirmidhi and Al-Haakim amongst others]

Hadeeth Benefit

Posted Oct 11, 2010 by Aboo Thaabit with No Comments

I always used to wonder about this hadeeth, alhamdulilah I researched this and found it interesting.

عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنه قال سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول (بني الإسلام على خمس شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمدا رسول الله وإقام الصلاة وإيتاء الزكاة وحج البيت وصوم رمضان) متفق عليه

On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, who said : I heared the messenger of Allaah say : 

“Islam has been built on five [pillars]: testifying that there is none worthy of worship but Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, performing the prayers, paying the Zakat, making the pilgrimage to the House, and fasting in Ramadhaan.”

Agreed upon.

Haafidh Ibn Hajar writes concerning this hadeeth:

In this hadeeth the mentioning of Hajj proceeds fasting, but in saheeh Muslim through the chain of Sa’ad bin ‘Ubeydah from Ibn ‘Umar fasting proceeds Hajj, he said, a man said Hajj and then fasting of Ramadhaan whereupon Ibn ‘Umar said ‘No, fasting of Ramadhaan then Hajj, this is how I heard it from the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم.’

This shows us that the narration in Bukhaaree is through meaning and not a verbatim form of narration since we know that fasting of Ramadhaan proceeds the Hajj.

[Fat-hul baaree, p. 102 by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaanee]

Virtues of Sufyaan ath-Thawree

Posted Oct 06, 2010 by Aboo Thaabit with 1 Comment

Yahya bin Ayyub al-’Aabid: I heard them in the city of Marw saying “ath-Thawree has arrived! ath-Thawree has arrived! ath-Thawree has arrived!” So I went out to look and there I saw a young boy who had just started growing a beard.

‘AbdurRazzaq: Sufyaan said, “My heart never deceived (i.e. I never forgot) me in anything I put in it.”

ath-Thahabee: The best chain of narrators in Iraaq is, Sufyaan – Mansoor – Ibraaheem – ‘Alqamah.

Shu’bah, Ibn ‘Uyaynah, Aboo ‘Aasim and Yahya bin Ma’een amongst others all said: Sufyaan ath-Thawree is the Aamir-ul-Mu’mineen fil hadeeth.

‘Abdullaah bin Mubaarak: “I wrote (hadeeth) from 1100 Shaykhs, and I did not write from anyone better than Sufyaan. I never met anyone better than Sufyaan.”

Yunuus bin ‘Ubeeyd: “I never saw anyone better than Sufyaan.” So it was said to him, but you met Sa’eed bin Jubayr, Ibraaheem an-Nakha’ee and ‘Ata bin Abee Rabaha aswell as Mujaahid? Whereupon he replied, “It is as I said, I never saw anyone better than Sufyaan”

Shu’bah: “Sufyaan increased mankind both in Wara’ (piety) and ‘Ilm (knowledge)”

Aboo Mu’aawiyah: “I have never seen anyone who knew more about al-’Amash’s hadeeth than ath-Thawree”

Yahya bin Sa’eed: “Sufyaan knows the hadeeths of al-’Amash better than al-’Amash himself!”

al-Fudhayl bin ‘Iyyaadh: “Sufyaan was by Allaah more knowledgeable than Aboo Haneefah”

Bishr al-Haafi: “Sufyaan was in our time in the same status that Aboo Bakr and ‘Umar were in their time.”

Aboo Bakr bin ‘Ayyaash: “When I see a person in the company of Sufyaan ath-Thawree I automatically think highly of him”

Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal: “Do you know who the (real) Imaam is? It is Sufyaan ath-Thawree, no one has a higher place than him in my heart”

Yusuf bin Asbaat: Sufyaan was asked a question once whilst trading, he replied, “Leave me because my heart is preoccupied with Dirhams”

Yusuf bin Asbaat: “Whenever Sufyaan ath-Thawree used to remember the hereafter he would urinate blood.”

Yahyha al-Qattaan: I heard Sufyaan ath-Thawree saying, “Verily the worst occupation is to seek the dunya through the actions of the hereafter”

Yahya bin Yamaan: Sufyaan ath-Thawree said, ”Money is the disease of this world and the doctor is the Scholar. If the Doctor himself accumulates the disease when will the people be cured then?”

[Taken from the book "Siyaar 'Alaam an-Nubalaa"]

If you knew mankind, you’d never complain to them.

Posted Oct 06, 2010 by Aboo Thaabit with 4 Comments

The ignorant one complains about Allaah to the people! And this is the worst type of ignorance, because if he truly knew his Lord he would have never complained, and if he knew (the nature) of people he wouldn’t complain to them.

Some of the salaf once saw a man complaining to another about his difficulties and poverty whereupon they said, “O so and so! Verily you did not gain from this complain of yours anything but the fact that you complained about one that shows mercy to you (i.e. Allaah) to one that doesn’t show you any mercy at all (i.e. man)”

So the wise person complains TO Allaah (not ABOUT Allaah), and the best of them complains about their own shortcomings to Allaah not complaining about other peoples shortcomings.

So the three different levels are:

1. The worst – He who complains about Allaah to mankind.

2. The middle – He who complains about the people to Allaah.

3. The best – He who complains about his own shortcomings to Allaah.

[Taken from the book Fawaa-id al-Fawaa-id by Ibn al-Qayyim]

When do you move your finger in Salah?

Posted Oct 04, 2010 by Aboo Thaabit with 8 Comments

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen writes in his book ash-Sharh al-Mumti’:

The scholars have said that you point with your index finger when there is a reason to do so. But this begs the question, what classifies as a reason?

We say, its reason is when Allaah is mentioned, but the scholars differ on when this actually is. Some say this means whenever the name of Allaah is mentioned in the Tashahud (i.e. you raise your finger everytime the name of Allaah is mentioned).

Whilst others say, it is only when the kalimah laa ilaaha illallaah is said that one raises his finger.

This is the difference between the scholars, however the Sunnah teaches us that one should raise his finger only during the time of du’aa, since the wording of the hadeeth is:

He moves it (the finger) and supplicates with it.

 [Imaam Ahmad, Nasaa'ee, al-Bayhaqee and Ibn Khuzaymah]

However both moving the finger as well as not moving the finger have been reported in different hadeeths. The answer to this is easy, (and it is) that the hadeeths mentioning not moving the finger, this means moving it all the time non stop. And as for the hadeeths that mention moving the finger then this refers to moving it during the time of du’aa only.

So whenever you make du’aa move your finger, and this is closer to the Sunnah.

[ash-Sharh al-Mumti' 'ala Zaad al-Mustaqni']

Reading Surah Faatiha twice?

Posted Oct 03, 2010 by Aboo Thaabit with 2 Comments

Question: What is the ruling for the person who repeats the recitation of Surah Faatiha? Meaning when he finishes it once, he recites it once again?

Answer: It is not allowed to knowingly repeat Surah Faatiha, since this has not be reported from the Prophet.  And he said;

Whoever introduces anything new into our affair (i.e. Islaam) that which is not from it, then it will be rejected. [Bukhaaree]

However the Salaah is still correct, and such a person should be given sincere advice (to stop it) so that he does not repeat this practise.

[Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa-imah 276/8]