1744
Aqīdah, Mālikī Fiqh, Politics, Philosophy & Other Matters of Interest.
Uḍḥiyyah/Qurbānī UPDATE
1446h/2025m
I am overjoyed to report that after some effort, we were able to secure the slaughter and distribution of a limited number of sacrifices in Tarīm, Ḥaḍramawt, for the noble students of knowledge and those who serve them.
This is an addition to the two Noble Sanctuaries and those who serve the guests of the Most Merciful, but are often passed over as an afterthought despite their dire poverty.
If you have not made arrangement for your sacrifice yet, do so.
There's an option for those who wish to discharge their sacrifice of Ḥajj (Dam), whether it be obligatory, optional, or compensatory. Obviously, that has to happen Makkah Mukarramah, and thus has a separate option in the menu.
Get the reward for committing to this today.
https://LaunchGood.com/hmqurbani
Uḍḥiyyah/Qurbānī
1446h/2025m
Alḥamdulillāh, after our success last year facilitating hundreds of ritual sacrifices, I've decided to team up again with Imām Ghazālī Institute this year in order to provide service in facilitating the sacrifice of both ᶜĪd and Ḥajj, to be distributed to the refugees in the Two Sacred Precincts of Makkah Mukarramah & Madīnah Munawwarah.
The Ḥanafī school sees the ritual sacrifice of Dhul-Ḥijjah as an obligation on the resident individual who can afford it. The Malikīs consider it a Sunnah, even if a person only has the amount of money necessary to affect the sacrifice, or has to borrow the money for the sacrifice and can reasonably expect to pay it back within the year.
This is because of the massive reward reported by the messenger of Allāh ﷺ for the one who affects valid sacrifice: every hair on its body, the horns, the hooves, the bones, and every other part will each count as a separate good deed on the Day of Judgment, and the animals will be resurrected as one's riding beast for that day.
I personally advise anyone who was able to sacrifice and slaughter with their own hand to do so. But for those who are unable to effect a valid slaughter, or might struggle to distribute the meat amongst the poor, the option of sending the meat to the working poor, most of whom are either widows and orphans, or engaged in the service of the pilgrims while not making ends meet, is a great one.
Our team on the ground ensures that only livestock that can be validly slaughtered are procured and used, and that the meat is distributed the forthwith after the slaughter.
If you opt to go with our service, PLEASE READ THE OPTIONS CAREFULLY, in order to ensure that what is slaughtered on your behalf is what you intended.
Feel free to share the link with friends and family. We have to arrange for the slaughter from beforehand, so please put in your orders early.
Other organizations will take orders in advance by estimate, therefore keep soliciting orders until even after the ᶜĪd day passes.
We take orders by the animal and slaughter them by specific intention, therefore cannot take many last-minute orders.
Also, we have a certain capacity, and once it's met, we cannot take any more orders, so help us help you by not delaying.
https://LaunchGood.com/hmqurbani
Riyād al-Salihīn: Allāh is Pure & Doesn't Accept Other Than the Pure
A great precept of the spiritual path is divulged in a momentous Hadith of Muslim:
Allāh is pure and He accepts not, except what is pure.
This has a general meaning and a very specific meaning; eating Halal.
Mention is also made of three seemingly very different types of people whom Allāh despises. What is the common thread between them all?
This is all after mention of a few incidents that occurred with me while returning from my trip, as well as some thoughts regarding my visit to Southeast Asia.
https://youtube.com/live/r7iWgX4Iniw?feature=share
I'm now on my way home.
After sprinting through Istanbul airport, in a scene akin to the original Jurassic Park, where a glass of water far away it starts to ripple because of the tyrannosaurus rex's sprint through the jungle, this time I actually made it right before the gate closed.
While waiting for the plane to take off, I would like to share this one last beautiful memory with accompanying photographs.
In a place called Kuala Perlis, known throughout the country to be the only state in which the Mufti is an outspoken non-conformist, we visited Masjid al-Ḥusayn, ostensibly named after the renowned and distinguished ancestor of the Sultan, and grandson of the messenger of Allāh ﷺ. I was told by many of them the Sultan hails from the famous Haḍramī clan of Jamal al-Layl.
The Masjid is built off of a pier, and is completely on the water. From every one of the windows, including some three sides of the Miḥrāb, you can see the water that the gentle ripple of waves.
Although we went at a relatively high tide, much of the water is very shallow mudflats. For as hot as the North is, the water was surprisingly cool. However, it was chocked full of shelf fragments and other debris associated with living things. The beach was so full of different types of cool and unique shells as to be any kid's dream come true (I feel sorry for myself having to "act Shaykh" at times like this).
The carpets on the inside are blue, undoubtedly a metaphor for the ocean.
The entire facility is immaculately clean, and I'm told, it was renovated recently. In the courtyard are many different types of plants, flowers and gardens, and even a Waqf coffee shop.
Many non-muslims were there to visit as well.
Plastered, conspicuously in front of where the Imām prayed was the words of the Qunūt Nāzilah; a ritual supplication addendum to the obligatory congregational prayer, which is only made in times of distress and calamity. It was for the oppressed, righteous and steadfast people of Ghazzah. They make it five times a day and pray for the destruction of their enemies by name.
Allāh Ta'ālā accept their prayers.
A second and third blessings on the heeld of yesterday's Khatm of the Shama'il Mubārakah, firmly planted on the back of mountains of blessings, immense, immeasurable, and countable; that in one day I was able to meet the living Titan of the Ash'arī school and defender of the sunnah, Shaykh Saeed Fodeh.
To be honest with you I was very afraid of meeting him, because people of that level of intelligence and learning, are oftentimes very easily irritated by what is to a normal person intelligence, but to people like that, come off as stupidity and ignorance. When I was asked to give a presentation at their institute Aslein Malaya, the only reason I agreed was that I knew he wasn't going to be there.
So it took a lot of courage for me to even be able to meet him. Much to my surprise, he is a very hospitable, personable and sweet human being. When he speaks about his knowledge, he speaks with clarity and authority in such a way, that even a person who disagrees with him has to at least respect him, if they are reasonable.
But on top of that he is a very kind person, he is very proud of his students whom he loves greatly, and he conveys himself with a type of affable masculine energy.
When we he asked me about what I do, I mentioned him some of my projects, and mentioned to him that we were going to be reading the abridgement (Mukhtaṣar) of Bukhārī by ibn Abī Jamrah. He praised the work greatly, and praised people who serve different branches of knowledge and different aspects of Islām, and reiterated that all of them are necessary, and it doesn't be fit the student of knowledge to venerate one and belittle the others. He then mentioned that I have taught all of these subjects, including syntax, morphology, Fiqh, Tafsīr and Ḥadīth, and he praised the author's own commentary on his compilation, while holding the book with great love and reverence, as I had brought it with me because I had to go straight to the reading after our meeting.
After I said goodbye to him, we were stuck in traffic such that we almost didn't make it to the reading on time.
In the beginning I was afraid we would not be able to complete the book, but Allāh Ta'ālā put great barakah in our time, and we were able to finish it.
It was such a great experience, that I think I have found the next book we are going to read after we finish Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, Inshā'Allāh, when Allāh Ta'ālā grants us Tawfīq by His leave.
Please notice into the pictures the same book that is being held by Shaykh SF, is being held by me after we finished reading it.
I would again like to thank محمد فائز حارث البكاني for being my companion in this act of goodness, and Muhammad Adnaan Sattaur of Imam Ghazali Publishing who not only hosted the reading arranged the logistics of my trip, but also plan to release a scholarly translation and commentary of the book soon.
Allāh Ta'ālā accept from everyone who serves the sacred knowledge of the messenger of Allāh ﷺ from the one who sweeps the floor and cleans the bathrooms of the place where children learn even one letter of the Qur'ān, all the way to the great and noble righteous scholars, with the people can come to when they are perplexed in order to find guidance after being led astray, and justice after transgression, and salvation after wandering blindly on the path of ignorance.
Alḥamdulillāh, we made Khatm of the Shama'il Muḥammadiyyah of Imām Tirmidhī at Imam Ghazali Publishing 's office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia today.
The last Khatm I was blessed to be a part of was in San Antonio Texas at Northside Islamic Center - San Antonio, TX in the presence of Shaykh Abdul Hakim & Shaykh Umer Ansari.
The time before that was at the blessed resting place of Imām Tirmidhī himself in Būgh, Sherabād the district of Tirmidh.
Ḥadīth recitals are something that gather people in a way that transcends legal schools, spiritual dispositions, and anything that can be considered sectarian. That is because the messenger of Allāh ﷺ is the link that every human has to have in order to find God, and so in his words, actions, states, commandments, prohibitions, and remembrance, all the people who love God find joy.
The Shama'il genre allows a person to taste the prophetic character in a way that might be lost through other collections. In the age of dehumanization and cattle like treatment and slaughterhouse efficiency, never been in more need of remembering the prophetic Shama'il than today.
I would like to thank all those who attended, all those who sponsored and supported the gathering, and especially Shaykh Masood Yusuf, Shaykh محمد فائز حارث البكاني, Shaykh Khairuzzaman Ahmad for attending contributing to the recitation.
I would also like to thank my friend Muhammad Adnaan Sattaur for his diligent love and service of the sunnah of the messenger of Allāh ﷺ and the seal of the prophets ﷺ, Sayyidnā Muḥammad ﷺ.
I'm told that people attended, not only from in town, but from other states in the country, from Singapore, from Australia, and even one newlywed couple came from Canada, in order to participate and partake.
Far from charging an entry fee, it was announced that a special gift would be given to any children under the age of 15 who sat to listen to the entire recital.
It was awesome to see how many kids sat through the entire recital, excited to be connected to the messenger of Allāh ﷺ.
Even the adults were excited, which is doubly inspiring given that not everybody is a speaker of classical Arabic.
As long as this love holds us together, there's still so much hope.
We prayed together and we made du'ā in the Khatm for Allāh Ta'ālā to lift the calamity from the heads of this Ummah, especially those in Ghazzah, we shall not forget at any time, be it happy or sad. Allāh Ta'ālā send help by the right of his Mergent messenger ﷺ by whose Mubārak station, we will be saved on a day entire nations burn on the garbage heap of the hellfire.
O Allāh hasten Your help. Āmīn.
Malacca was at one time one of the world's most powerful and wealthy trading polities.
Sitting at the crossroads of the trade routes to Arabia, Africa, India, and China, its wealth with coveted by the Portuguese who had recently made their way down the West Coast of Africa, by the East Coast of Africa, around Arabia, through South India, and towards Southeast Asia.
Armed with an Armada, massive guns, and an ecclesiastical mandate to destroy Islam and Muslims wherever they went, and no matter who it involved a line with, even if animal worshiping animists and idolaters, they destroyed entire Muslim civilizations along their way.
A Portuguese fleet with only about a thousand soldiers, managed to exploit the divisions within different ethnic groups and political rivals within Malacca in order to take the city, destroy the machinery of state, expel the ruling family from its lands, and remove nearly every trace of Islam from it.
To this day, despite the resettlement of the area by Muslims, there is hardly an old mosque, but many old churches. This is through the policy of genocide that followed the Spanish and Portuguese fleets wherever they went, taking the church sanctioned and promoted Inquisition with them.
Even though time has passed in the five intervening centuries, a person cannot help weep bitter tears when remembering the fates of those who came before us and faith. Many armchair historians will point out the mistakes of the past, and to be sure there were many. However, as a civilization we should also learn to forgive ourselves for not being prepared for the invasion of a people so unscrupulous, so unethical, and so unbelievably and monstrously violent.
That being said, only fools will be subjected to such an evil and horror and not prepare for it in the future.
Today, the call of the Adhān rings again across the skies of Malacca. The majority of the population are adherents to Islam, and despite the fact that churches are older and occupy the central parts of the city, Islam is again vibrant in the city. As a recognition of the complete gutting of Islam in the state, it is one of the few states in Malaysia that doesn't have a sultan.
Interestingly, there is a Dār al-'Ulūm in Malacca. Although boys learn to read and memorize the Qur'ān there, the higher books of knowledge are currently read only by sisters.
I had the honor of addressing them, and delivering a short course introducing them to the science of Kalām. They had read the Ṭaḥāwiyyah before, which gave a helpful platform upon which to explain certain concepts. In general, it was a positive experience, and a great compliment to the introduction to Taṣawwuf I had the honor of delivering last week in Negiri Sembilan.
The Madrasah is a beautiful building in typical old Malay style, made of wood. It is right on the beach, and has a wonderful view.
It is also a powerful reminder that Islam is an Empire of Faith. Unscrupulous heathens can steal our things, cut our bodies and bleed us to death, usurp us from our lands, and inflict many different types of physical and material punishment on us. However, the God's vicegerency in the earth was given to our father Ādam as a crown of the knowledge with which God Himself had honored him. As long as this knowledge is carried in our minds and the state is carried in our hearts, the blazing sun of our kingship is undimmed by the lack of scrupulosity of covetous and avarice disbelievers.
Isn't it time that you claimed your birthright and patrimony and this knowledge, instead of wasting your time consumed by lust for material things, until you realize you wasted all your time seeking those things that perish, to the point that you lost your opportunity to gain those immortal treasures that will also give you to drink from the cup of everlasting life?
Today we visited the National Masjid of Malaysia, informally known as the Pink Mosque in The Malaysian capital of Putrajaya.
There was a pretty cool system for foreign and non-Muslim guests to visit, get guided tours in their own languages, cover up in order to show respect to the sacred space, and the otherwise just enjoy the beautiful architecture, decor, and AC which was very much on point.
One of the most powerful things that I noticed was the verses of Sūrat al-Ḥujurāt high over the prayer niche in the Qiblah wall:
"O you who believe, raise not you voices over the voice of the prophet..."
Many of the government bureaucrats and functionaries are actually educated in sacred knowledge, and the Arabic language. One would hope that this verse would touch their hearts and cause them to rule with justice, rather than arrogantly overriding the prophet ﷺ and his guidance.
Sights and sounds from the Sultan's Masjid in Kuala Lumpur.
Masjid al-Wilāyah.
The Imām made Qunūt Nāzilah, a special du'ā appended to last Rak'ah of the Maghrib prayer, in favor of those struggling in God's way in Ghazzah and against those who spill the blood of innocents.
*A Portrait of the Prophet ﷺ*
Weekend Intensive on the Shamāʾil of Imām al-Tirmidhī
Full Recital & Thematic Commentary with Ijāzah
Join IGP for a two-day weekend intensive exploring the Shamāʾil Muḥammadiyyah — the most beloved and enduring Hadith compilation on the beauty and perfection of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
This special gathering features a complete recitation of the Shamāʾil, thematic commentary by chapter, and an ijāzah granted to all attendees.
Dates: April 26 & 27 (Friday & Saturday)
Time: 11-4pm
Venue: IGP MY Office, Oval Damansara TTDI
Admission: Free (RSVP required)
Register here: imamghazali.my/hm
To hear and read the Shamāʾil is to be gently carried across time—stepping into the blessed streets of Madinah, where the fragrance of the Prophet’s ﷺ presence still lingers in the air. It is as though the veils of centuries are lifted, and the heart finds itself in the radiant company of the Beloved ﷺ, witnessing his beauty, his gentleness, his laughter, and his tears. Through every description, we are drawn closer—not just to the man, but to the mercy that walked this earth.
Nay Restaurant is one of the HFSAA - Halal Food Standards Alliance of America restaurants in Chicago that I love most.
They were early adopters of our certification, and from day one, pushed the direction of competition for Ḥalāl restaurants in the area higher.
To my knowledge it's the only Iraqi kabab place I've been to in North America. And it's phenomenal. If you want to have a high protein meal (although they do have rice and a remarkably high quality fresh fire oven made naan), Nay has very little competition.
I'm sorry to disappoint my friends from Sham, but Iraqi kabab blows any kabab I've tasted for many other Arab restaurant out of the water. After Nay, I'm convinced that Humom Al-Mulla Mahdi tells the truth when he says that Iraqi cuisine is the most desi cuisine of the Arabs. Nay even has a sauce made out of raw mango called... Amba.
The food is so good, that on weekends, you have to call before going because often there's a line out the door, and sometimes the kitchen has so many orders that they stop taking orders after 4:30 p.m.
One might ask, why am I making this food review? Two reasons. Number one is that nothing good happens unless it starts with Ḥalāl; this is intrinsically connected with the second reason, namely taking our business to those who love us, rather than those who love babykillers or are ambivalent to them.
Nay has, from day one been voluntarily compliant and verified with HFSAA's strandards and is a must visit for anyone wanting to have the full experience of Chicago's Ḥalāl scene.
There was no compensation given for this review.
Dars + Dhikr
Tonight at 6PM
342 E Irving Park Rd
Wood Dale, IL, 60191
This is the actual image of many of the Aḥādīth regarding the end times.
It is, in particular, a vivid description of the way the Dajjālic Antichrist will operate.
He will come to a people, and call them to his worship, and if they accept it, he will turn their desert into a Dubai.
If they do not accept it, he will turn their blessed lands into such a place where neither crops nor livestock will be able to survive, buildings will be destroyed, and many will perish.
The Ḥadīth indicates that those will survive such dire circumstances, will subsist with Dhikr in the place of food.
Mentioning this last point does nothing to obviate the obligation on all other Muslims to come to their assistance, both political and material. But if it is a decree that shall come to pass over some, and elevate some to martyrs and condemn others to the lowest level of the hellfire for the hypocrisy, it is what it is.
The point is that this crisis is a fire that has now started and it will spread through the entire world. Nothing will stop it. There's no appeasing it or negotiating with it. Either you submit to it and sell your everlasting life for 15 to 20 years of watching (ga)AI onlyfans and eating fake ultraprocessed food, or you try to put it out with your vigor and struggle, and those 15 or 20 years are spent in the remembrance of God, followed either by victory or eternal life, or both.
For some people that struggle will involve speaking out. For some people it will involve giving up their jobs or money. For some people it will involve giving up residency in a comfortable country. For some people the struggle will be far more active than that. But everyone will have to struggle or succumb. There's no middle path.
What to Do When Tested
https://youtu.be/vrTI2jnwlX4
This is a short snippet from yesterday's Mālikī Fiqh class, but one that deals with the topic that's relevant for people of all schools.
People think of Fiqh as lists of rulings. It definitely includes that, but it is meant to convey a deeper understanding based on principles that are immutable regardless of changing circumstances. It is meant to provide guidance to the traveler on the path to Allāh no matter what their circumstances are.
Listen to a short clip in which some of the seemingly more mundane and simple rules of Fiqh are to be understood in the face of great challenges and seemingly hopeless circumstances.
There's no such thing as hopelessness for a believer. A person gets to that point, then they are like a person who has understood little, and is ignorant of much...
https://youtu.be/vrTI2jnwlX4
So much has changed in the last year.
I used to prefer patronizing Muslim establishments before, but now it has taking a high priority for so long that it's become established habit.
One of the places that I enjoy and appreciate is Jerusalem Cafe-Lombard .
They were an early adopter of the HFSAA certification, and always actively tried to go above and beyond in order to proactively make sure that everything they were serving is clean and pure.
Many a time their catered trays have come through in the jam, and the sign of their excellence is that at any given time, there are an equal number of Muslim and non-Muslim patrons enjoying their food.
It has become a Ḥalāl landmark on Roosevelt, and even if I'm not going to stop in for some kabob, I'm always filled with happiness and pride when I drive by it, as it is a collaborative achievement between the scholars and businessmen that helped open the door for others.
Roosevelt is now a Ḥalāl hub that has, in my opinion, surpassed Devon in the quality, type, and relevance of its options.
Jerusalem Cafe, far from being the only establishment, definitely takes a place in my heart as one of the anchors of this effort.
May Allāh Ta'ālā accept it from us all.
*I am not ever paid by anyone for this endorsement, neither Jerusalem Cafe, nor paid anything at all by HFSAA. This includes never taking even a discount, much less free food, which, as a policy I never take from any of our certified establishments. I am also not the inspector that inspects any of our locations, rather our team works under the general supervision of the scholars and oversight of the scholars. All good organizations have a separation between vision and oversight on one hand, and the day-to-day execution of policy on the other. Micromanagement is what destroys organizations.
India has fired three missile barrages at Pakistan.
Two at locations within the Pakistan-controlled side of Kashmir, and one at Bahawalpur, an urban center in southern Punjab nowhere near Kashmir.
The strike at Bahawalpur was targeted at a Masjid, according to the reports that have come in.
It seems that Pakistan's communication jamming technology, which is proprietary and a force a number of Indian jets to land prematurely while attempting a mission earlier in the week forced to attack to have to take place from within Indian territory.
Indian fighter jets were not able to cross into Pakistani territory.
The specific forms may have differed, but the Ummah, from the East to the West, suffered and continues to suffer at the hands of its enemies for a wisdom known to the Lord.
Allāh Ta'ālā raise the ranks of those who made good on their promise to Him and give us the strength to live up to their noble example.
Dars + Dhikr
Tonight at 6PM
342 E Irving Park Rd
Wood Dale, IL, 60191
On my last whole day in Malaysia I got a chance to visit some places in the north of the country.
There was a very stark contrast between the North and the southern parts of the country that I've seen so far, like Kuala Lumpur, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan.
The first thing you notice is how much brighter the sunlight is, blue-er the sky is, and how much more intense all the colors are around you.
There are a lot more living things a lot closer to you as well. You will notice many different insects, lizards, monkeys, birds of many different colors, and in general, a plethora of living things that are not all that far away.
When walking around, I was told to not go too far into bushes, and to pay attention to what was around me as there are a snakes, in particular cobras around. I'll be honest, much like 100% of the population, I also don't like snakes. But I did think that the living things being so close by are really cool.
Much like the visuals being in full color, the flavors of food seem to be even more bright in the north. Even at a roadside stall, simple things like having a coconut or some soup, as wild as it is to say, seems more intense in its flavor than what you find in KL. And what you find in KL is pretty good.
Even more beautiful than all of that, is that the people seem to be very dedicated to their Dīn. There are many moments in the day in KL where a person forgets there are in a Muslim country. The permeation of Masājid is not very strong in parts of the city.
In the North, I saw places where there is a Masjid across the street from the Masjid many times. I even saw one right next to another one.
And seemingly every single one of them and every single prayer makes Qunūt for the people of Ghazzah, against their enemies by name.
There will be no Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn class tonight. Inshā'Allāh we'll continue when I get home next week.
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Chinese Masjid, Klang, Shah Alam, Malaysia: Architecture, Culture and Faith
There's a significant Chinese minority population in Malaysia, although in the old days, many of them specifically in Malacca were Muslims from the fleet of Admiral Zheng He, most Chinese are relatively newer arrivals, although many of them are second, third, fourth and fifth generation immigrants.
Most of them in Malaysia are not Muslim, but those who do accept Islam form a very vibrant and powerful community. We had a chance to meet the elders from that community in this Masjid. They're very proud of it, and many of them play the key role in it being planned, funded, and built.
Being part of a minority as a Muslim son of immigrants in America, I can relate to the enthusiasm, the hope for the future, the drive, and the sense of purpose.
May Allāh Ta'ālā accept their prayers that their people should enter into faith, and accept ours as well, by Allāh's Faḍl and the Ṣalāt and Salām on His messenger ﷺ, āmīn.
Malacca, a state between Johor and Kuala Lumpur, at one time was the seat of one of the most wealthy and powerful trade empires in the southeast Asian archipelago.
What many people may not know was that it was a stop on the route of the great Chinese admiral Zheng He. Zheng He was a loyal naval commander of the Ming Dynasty, and a very devout Muslim.
He was famed to have taken the Ming fleet to Ḥajj, brought home a giraffe, and even sailed to America.
Through him, a great number of Chinese courtiers including from the royal family, settled in Malacca.
That original Chinese community had a great number of Muslims and in such a way actually has one of the older Muslim communities in Southeast Asia. This is interesting because of the modern Malaysian state Chinese are often considered to be converts when they are found as Muslims. But here we have a community that is older than many in Malaysia, and they are Chinese.
A former deputy prime Minister of Malaysia secured the funding for a majority of the Masjid which is built in a traditional Chinese style taking various elements from different Muslim places of worship within China. It is a very beautiful and excellent model of spiritual and multicultural nature of Islam in Malaysia and the world.
The first program on my first full day in Malaysia was at a venue, a Dars Niẓāmī Madrasah, about two hours from Kuala Lumpur, in the State of Negeri Sembilan, in the capital city of Seremban.
I'm told that the state is known for its piety and spirituality. After the program, when we headed to Friday prayers, one of the madrasah teachers, an Azādville graduate named Mawlānā Dānyāl pointed out that due to the construction of a high overpass some years ago, the state had a tall minaret constructed next to it so that they can emphasize that nothing is higher than the House of Allāh.
The Madrasah was special in a few ways: it was for sisters, taught primarily the Shāfi'ī legal school which is ascendant in Southeast Asia, and its primary medium of instruction was English, although the books are in Arabic.
They had requested that I give them a abbreviated reading of the Remedial Taṣawwuf Book (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtZFh8Ar9KVBYIaj9L7nsmtWhsUivylcr), along with some talk about its compilation, importance, application, and how to approach the subject as a student of knowledge, both as a practitioner as well as a teacher.
After the lecture and question and answer, I was told that a majority of the students are actually not locals, but a significant number of them were Chinese, other foreigners, and even a couple of Americans.
The presentation was, in accordance with the scrupulosity of the standards of the scholars of the Sunnah with which we read, delivered from behind the screen. That being said, I could tell that the students were engaged by the questions and answers that they asked.
Another very surprising thing I learned during the presentation, is that their teacher told me that they are actually mandated to memorize the entire Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn. Overjoyed an amazed, I remarked that maybe I should listen to their presentation rather than the other way around. Look how high the aspirations are of some, even when we live in a world where people need to be begged in order to look after those things that are their own personal responsibilities, the negligence of which will harm them greatly.
Allāh Ta'ālā accept from them, and from every student of knowledge, from those learning the letters individually, one by one all the way to those who are serving the high sciences. There are high and low branches of knowledge in terms of intellectual preparation, depth, and the intelligence required to comprehend them.
In the realm of Taṣawwuf, the highest knowledge is that which is taken and transmitted only for the pleasure of the Lord, even if it's only one letter of the alphabet.
We all be blessed with such a letter before we die and meet our Lord...
For those in Uskudar in Istanbul, I will have a talk Tuesday evening.
Please come through and feel free to share with others.
Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn: Courage Brings God's Help
There are a number of factors that aid in victory and a number of factors that result defeat.
These can be accessed from amongst us in the lower realm or from above in the higher round. The Sunnah involves planning for both, but anticipating victory from above.
The messenger of Allāh ﷺ was not meant to be in this world longer than he needed to be. He had to show his companions how it is that a person access that victory from the higher realm, lest they get confused and ruin it by having their attention caught by mundane matters.
The sheer power of his conviction, courage and the nearly unbelievable bond of love between him and his companions showed all who beheld him the otherworldly power that his message contained, and showed his companions how to keep adab with Allāh so that they could access it after him, and their successors until the end of time.
Isn't it time for you and I to learn it as well?
https://youtube.com/live/AvnZlNDUZeo?feature=share
I've been wanting to comment on this for a while. A number of different scholars have been said to have given a Fatwā about the obligation of the Muslim nations to wage Jihād against babykillers.
This is not really a matter of Fatwā nor of Ijtihād. It is a matter of basic Fiqh across the different Orthodox schools, that is usually learned in early intermediate compendia that introduce a person to extradevotional law.
Giving a Fatwā about it is like giving a Fatwā of the obligation to pray five times a day.
Anyone who doubts either obligation, is closer to disbelief than they are to Islām.
Matn Ibn ʿĀshir Mālikī Fiqh: Conditions to the Validity of the Prayer
In this week's lesson we discuss the four primary prerequisites of the validity of the prayer, namely facing the Qiblah and a number of issues relating to it, clothing one's nakedness, the freedom of one's body, clothing, and place a prayer from impurity, and being in the state of ritual purity.
Aside from a great deal of important knowledge that every Muslim must know in order to safeguard the validity of their prayers, we spend some time discussing the idea of what to do when circumstances are not ideal, and they break down.
Life is filled with tests, and one should, instead of feeling swept away when things don't work out exactly like you want them to work out, remember that Allāh Ta'ālā is the one Who imposes the rulings of the sacred law, and when He imposes a hardship and a burden, He always make sure that ease a companies it.
Therefore it's not completely divorced from the learning of the sacred law to know, recognize and understand what that ease is so that a person doesn't suffer a meltdown when things don't happen exactly like one expected or would hope for.
https://youtu.be/m_i8PCp5cQU
Still as good as ever.
Still 100% Ḥalāl.
Probably popping even more now that Ramaḍān is over, and Masjid Uthman is complete