1744
Aqīdah, Mālikī Fiqh, Politics, Philosophy & Other Matters of Interest.
Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn: The Extremes of Paradise
Within the idea of paradise having ranks, is a very strong incentive for the good to be better, and for the sinners to pump the brakes on their sin.
Really, it isn't an idea that Christians and Jews seem to have with any prominence, or even at all.
When you look at the descriptions of paradise for the lowest and the highest ranks, one of the mind-blowing things is one of the person thinks about the lowest set of blessings in paradise, it's difficult for them to imagine anything better than that, but then when you read what's higher than that, a person only then understands the true generosity and might of the Lord.
Far from being a pointless salivation over something out of reach, the descriptors of the lowest ranks of paradise are something that engenders within the hearts a love of the Lord and His generosity, and the description of the higher ranks and genders a longing for His pleasure, amongst many other benefits.
We discussed this, aspects of physical attraction between genders, Kashmir and its beauty, and many other matters of interest this week.
https://youtube.com/live/uQCyvLl65n8?feature=share
What Do I Need to Know About ʿĀshūrā?: A Concise Look
The 10th of Muḥarram, also known as ʿĀshūrā, is a sacred observance not just in Islām, but amongst all ancient semitic speaking people.
It's holiness was acknowledged by the Christians & Children of Israel, and confirmed by the messenger of Allāh ﷺ.
It is also the date of the tragic and traumatic spilling of the blood of the grandson of the messenger of Allāh ﷺ, Ḥusayn, may Allāh Ta'ālā be pleased with him.
The remembrance of all of the above is a part of our civilization, and we should be careful to keep it while not allowing others to wrongly exploited in order to cause mischief.
https://youtu.be/xoove4ZKDiM
Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn: Paradise
It's become a fashion amongst faker soofeez to claim that they don't worship Allāh because they want to go to heaven or are afraid to go to hell, but because they love Him.
It's true that statements that seem similar to this have been made by some of the great saints of the past, but they meant it in different way than today's fakers.
If someone you love dearly gives you a gift, that gift takes on a special value, not because of what it is but because of who gave it to you.
Likewise, if you fall in love with somebody, if they're upset with you they're anger is not like the anger of anyone else.
It is for this reason that the description of paradise and longing for it is an integral part of one's faith.
It's not just emotional common sense for those who still retain their humanity intact, but it is a sublime Sunnah which was articulated in its superlatively beautiful form by the messenger of Allāh ﷺ.
https://youtube.com/live/6w_I9bZi9A8?feature=share
American Muslims: Keep Your Dignity
In as much as this week's seismic shift in New York politics by the primary election win of Zohran Kwame Mamdani, regardless of his politics is a cause of hope for america, precisely because it was turned into a referendum on Zionism in the most important metropolis of the country, I celebrate with many others, and feel like there's cause to celebrate.
That being said, even though we are ready to help any and all people who wish to implement what is good and virtuous in society including him, there are many things about his campaign, and agenda that are highly problematic, including a return to Obama era gender confusion identity.
Posting pictures of his young wife in order to counter pictures of the Statue of Liberty in a Burq'ah, as if to celebrate her being uncovered, is not a flex. Our values, and civilization, are not of this world. They will not gain value or lose value because of one election or the situation of the people in one country at one time.
We need to remember that and hold our dignity when we talk to people, as well as in our interactions with one another.
If someone did something in a moment of confusion or heedlessness, they can always turn back to Allāh and do better, and He replaces in the place of sin, a good deed for such a person.
We live in difficult and confusing times, and ask that the Lord deal with us through His gentleness and mercy.
Clubs are a cool traditional training implement, indispensable for wrestlers, martial artist, and anyone else who has to work with and manipulate imbalanced loads that are characteristic of doing work in the real world.
Like a lot of things in modernity, we've become so divorced from anything that makes human sense, that what was old has become new again...
Being in shape, as well as being able to defend yourself, are both important parts of islam. However you need to do it, get to work.
Dars + Dhikr
Tonight at 6PM
342 E Irving Park Rd
Wood Dale, IL, 60191
Shaykh Shamsuddin Abdushakur (1942–2025)
In the Name of Allāh, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
Shaykh Shamsuddin Abdushakur a pioneer, a teacher, a servant of Allāh, and a guiding light for so many.
Born in 1942, during an era when being Black and dignified in America was a revolutionary act in itself, Shaykh Shamsuddin was shaped by hardship, but never defined by it. He was a seeker of truth early on, and long before Islām had taken root widely in this country, he embraced the message of Lā ilāha illā Allāh with full conviction.
He stood with Malcolm X, not as a follower in the crowd, but as a fellow trailblazer bold, rooted, and sincere.
He didn’t stop there. Shaykh Shamsuddin immersed himself in the knowledge of this deen, sitting with giants like Hazrat Shaykh Mawlānā Zakariyyā رحمه الله and other great scholars of the traditional path. He took what he learned from these giants and carried it into the streets and hearts of America, spreading Islām through love, not argument; through character, not force.
In the 1970s and 80s, he served with grace and diplomacy at the Irāqi Embassy, navigating spaces where very few Muslims, let alone African-American Muslims, had a presence. But no matter the setting, he remained grounded. He was one of the early pillars of dawah in America, quietly shaping the narrative of Islam not with fiery words, but with a glowing smile and a spirit full of mercy.
Later in life, he dedicated himself to a cause that many had forgotten, the preservation of traditional Ḥalāl slaughter, not merely as a consumer, but in the context of holistic submission to Allāh with Iḥsān as individuals and community.
He had moved to Dallas and was the point person for a number of scholars and righteous people who were concerned with the forgotten commandment to eat Ḥalāl.
When the opportunity to increase the availability of hand slaughtered chicken to a scale that could serve the community, Allāh Ta'ālā caused his path to intersect with HFSAA.
To say he was one of the first slaughtermen at the Tahir Chicken plant in Louisiana, serving for over a decade would be an understatement; he was the architect of a vision.
Through that plant, he not only trained countless brothers in the correct Islāmic method of slaughter, instilling in them taqwa, reverence, and precision, but he brought the crew together into a community, bringing to life an abandoned masjid, establishing the prayer, daily circles of learning and helping other slaughtermen through their very real challenges in life and helping them grow.
He would go on to being the tip of the spear in trying to put together a number of other Ḥalāl slaughter programs, bringing spirituality to an all too often dehumanizing industry.
For Shaykh Shamsuddin, every animal was a gift from Allāh, and every act of slaughter a responsibility before Him.
His wisdom was both timeless and tailored. I still remember his words that struck me deep:
“Don’t give people 100% of your love or trust. If they break your heart, you’ll erase them not because they were wrong, but because you gave them more than they could carry. Some are good for 40%, others for 60%. Look into people and love them for what they can hold. The only One worthy of your 100 is Allāh.”
This was who he was: a man of balance, a man of principle, a man of love grounded in wisdom.
Now, Shaykh Shamsuddin has returned to the One he gave everything to. His absence is felt deeply, but his legacy, his dawah, his teachings, his smile, his example—lives on in all of us.
May Allāh forgive him, shower him with mercy, illuminate his grave, and raise him among the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous.
اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْهُ وَثَبِّتْهُ عِنْدَ السُّؤَالِ
O Allāh, forgive him, have mercy on him, and grant him firmness in the grave.
Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūn.
We belong to Allāh, and to Him we shall return.
Written by Mawlānā Faṣīḥ Khwaja
Sobriety Above Emotion: Mawlawī's Advice Regarding Iran & Israel
Any Muslim who is paying attention to what's going on in Gaza is at this point, fatigued emotionally to the point of disfigurement.
The abject evil with which Palestinians have been treated has crushed The souls of anyone with humanity inside.
It is an old Roman adage that an enemy's enemy is a friend; although there are many times in which it may feel true, it's far from universally correct, and even further from prophetic guidance.
In times of emotional uproar, nobody in the mob like somebody that point out things that are emotionally inconvenient to think about; that being said to not think before speaking or acting is even more foolish in times like these.
https://youtube.com/live/vd6Nd_8mJKk?feature=share
As announced before there will be no Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn class today.
I arrived at midnight from Minneapolis yesterday and left after Fajr for Detroit and am on the road to attend a very special program to which you are all invited.
The noble scholars of Detroit have gathered together to hold up the banner of the Seal of the Prophets ﷺ and speak against those who would sell it for a cheap price in this world.
This is a call to which if I was called again and again I would answer again and again if I had the strength.
If someone were to attend such gatherings even for a minute, to even have your name on the bottom of the scrolls on which the angels recorded attendance will be a matter pride, for the loss of which those who missed it will kick themselves on the Day of Judgment.
If you're in driving distance, please attend this afternoon.
My address will be near end of the program.
You can register at the following link. Registration is free.
https://forms.gle/mKa6ZSECChWAKG6R8
Mawlawī's Fatwā on Owning Shares in Palantir
I was asked the ruling of owning shares in Palantir, and I gave it.
I was surprised by the amount of pushback that those who shared that ruling with others active in the trading of securities reported, so I decided to elaborate further.
https://www.youtube.com/live/I5T4YZ24Uww?feature=shared
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
It is Ḥarām to own stock in Palantir.
Given their material support for genocide & probable participation in it, as well as their building of the nightmarish instruments of future Ẓulm that are nothing short of Dajjālic, buying and owning their stock as an investment is direct participation in their crimes.
Such people should fear the Lord & be reminded. If they do not take the reminder, they should be boycotted and shunned themselves, and treated as the collaborators they are, whether they are individuals, institutions or governments.
The questioner is a wealth manager and although the answer should be obvious, it didn't occur to me that any person claiming to be a Muslim would be this morally filthy. That being said, I'm not surprised, and it goes to show that we blame our problems on others, but we have the capacity to be our own worst enemies.
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Yunus (the Sicilian)
The second of the four pillars of Khalil.
He was known as al-Siqilli (the Sicilian) by Ibn Arafah, as he was one of the most prominent fuqahaʾ to hail from the island.
Ibn Yunus is, in some sense, the antithesis of al-Lakhmi. Unlike al-Lakhmi, who came up with many new opinions, Ibn Yunus focused his efforts on choosing the stronger opinion (tarjih) from those existing within the madhhab.
His most famous work is known as the Jamiʿ (i.e., “The Compilation”), a distillation of the al-Mudawwanah with additions from other early Maliki sources.
Because of the precision of his tarjihat (weighings of legal opinions), the Jamiʿ was known as the “mushaf of the madhhab.”
His advice to the student of knowledge was threefold:
1. Treat your studies with great importance
2. Spend time on research
3. Be consistent
He quoted the example of Ibn al-Musayyab, one of the greatest of the tabiʿin in knowledge, who said:
“I traveled days and nights just to find one hadith.”
Ibn Yunus: And it’s only because of that (time spent consistently and diligently researching), he surpassed all his peers.
He passed away in 451 AH (1059 CE).
The immolation of sacrifices on this day are one of the emblems of the Millah, and our sacred law commands us to perform them publicly.
This is why I'm sharing this here.
A handwritten ʿĪd card lovingly written for you by your friendly local fundamentalist Mawlawī...
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Day of ʿArafāt Address
There is no day in which more people have their sentences in the fire commuted.
This is a day in which people's yearning and longing for everything having to do with the Dīn of Allāh Ta'ālā increases.
It is a day in which people become heedless of heedlessness.
It is truly a great day.
https://www.youtube.com/live/Ja2UbWid_F4?feature=shared
Dars + Dhikr
Tonight at 6PM
342 E Irving Park Rd
Wood Dale, IL, 60191
When the Sky Weeps: the Passing of Mawlānā Sayyid Maḥmūd Mīan
Mawlānā Sayyid Maḥmūd Mīan was the grandson of the well-known author and companion of Hazrat Madanī, Mawlānā Sayyid Muḥammad Mīan.
He was the Shaykh al-Ḥadīth of my madrasah and I read Bukhārī from him. At the end of his life, he was also a prominent figure in the Jam'iyyat ʿUlamā in Punjāb and gave me a place to read despite the legal proscription of foreign students in the Madāris by the military dictatorship of Parviz Musharraf.
Mawlānā Sayyid Maḥmūd's father, Mawlānā Sayyid Ḥāmid Mīan was the youngest Khalīfah of Hazrat Madanī.
Despite being ancestral residents of the village of Deoband, Hazrat Madanī sent him to Pakistan to establish an outpost of learning and political representation. He named it Jāmi'ah Madaniyyah after his Shaykh.
Anyone who visits Dār al-Qāsim can see his name under that of his Shaykh on one of the posters posted in the general hall of audience dedicated to the Akābir and their life's works and services.
Allāh Ta'ālā keep us all connected with our elders, and let us continue in their work rather than being scattered over small things.
Allāh Ta'ālā give him a place in Firdaws.
https://youtube.com/live/2r6aSPNnP20?feature=share
Dars + Dhikr
Tonight at 6PM
342 E Irving Park Rd
Wood Dale, IL, 60191
With the beginning of Muḥarram people will start to make mention of the martyrdom of the grandson of the prophet ﷺ, Sayyidnā Ḥusayn.
Someone will do so and naivety and others will do so in ignorance, while yet others will do so with the expressing intention of deceiving people.
I recorded this talk a few years ago in order to give people proper context and information regarding the events that led up to it and are connected to it, as well as a digest of how the best of this Ummah dealt with it.
Don't let the emotional manipulation of unscrupulous deviants cause your sincerity to be co-opted into causing harm.
https://on.soundcloud.com/DDlyCyrjk3gnfdT5p0
Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn: Seek Forgiveness
Although there is significant overlap between one of the first chapters of the book, namely Repentance (Tawbah) and one of the last, namely Seeking Forgiveness (Istighfār), a subtlety that's missed on many people is that the context of the former is that it is the zero step of beginning the spiritual path, and a step that is renewed before every good deed just like a person makes ablution (Wuḍū) before every prayer (Ṣalāt), where is the latter is how a person ends and follows up every good deed.
Like two ends of a bookshelf they keep a person's good deeds intact and stable.
Listen to the prophetic guidance about seeking forgiveness.
https://youtube.com/live/6BeHy6yHfVE?feature=share
Bhāi Shams al-Dīn was a pioneer of Islām in America and an unsung hero.
The fragrance wilāyah could be smelled in his presence.
Such a gentle, soft-spoken person, even watching him slaughter an animal you could feel the serenity he brought with him.
رحمه الله وتقبّل منه
-Ḥamzah
For a balanced and scholarly analysis of Shiite creed from a Sunnī perspective, checkout Shaykh Ṭāhā Karān's easy to digest an accessible series, based on Shiite primary sources at the following link: https://mahajjah.com/understanding-the-reality-of-shiasm-by-ml-taha-karaan/
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More Than Just Being Last: The Philosophy of Khatm al-Nubuwwah
Muḥammad bin ʿabd-Allāh who came to Arabia approximately 1400 years ago is the messenger of Allāh ﷺ and the Seal of the Prophets.
This means that no prophet will come after him, and every claim to prophethood subsequent to him is not only a shameless lie against the Lord: it the ugliest form of disbelief & blasphemy.
That being said, the seal of prophethood given to our master Muḥammad ﷺ is an institution which is the spirit that animates the body of not just Islām, but the creation.
One's Islām is not complete until one comprehends it and when one engages with it, their Dīn comes to life...
https://youtu.be/cTkS7xqWSlk
Israel has already projected several volleys at Iran.
This is a complicated situation and I have complicated feelings about it given that both have unleashed great amounts of suffering on the Muslims in this last few decades.
Praying in this blessed night of Jumu'ah that Allāh Ta'ālā bring good for the Muslims from this, protect them from its harm.
Just an important note on a company that has been labeled by many as the world's most evil company:
(1) Palantir got their start by taking advantage of unfettered defense funding during the early days of the War on Terror.
(2) Palantir represent the next stage in defense contracts. In 1993, following the secretive "Last Supper" meeting of executives and the DoD secretary, the field of over a dozen defense contractors was whiddled down to only a small handful which now possessed a relative monopoly over the industry. Companies like Palantir (e.g. Anduril, etc.) have harnessed the startup "growth at any cost" mindset which means they're more likely to experiment and eschew any sense of "norms"—it's sick to even think of that in the context of defense spending—in order to pursue greater and greater portions of defense contracts. In a rush to become the #1 defense contractor, they will have to make themselves lucrative and the fact that their investors are looking at growth irrespective of the ethics behind its driving forces means that they have become impervious to popular sentiment which usually places checks on publically-traded companies.
(3) For those of us Lord of the Rings fans, these guys decided to name their company after a symbol of omniscience which comes to be used mainly for evil. In other words, they aim to see everything regardless of whether that results in unconscionable and hazardous consequences for society and the global population.
(4) Palantir is now advertising on college campuses with ads containing the headline, "A moment of reckoning has arrived for the West (‘Skip the indoctrination’: Palantir invades elite colleges with militant recruiting campaign).
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
There will be no Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn class today or next Sunday.
Inshā'Allāh we will resume on Sunday, June 22.
Eid Mubārak.
ʿĪd al-Aḍḥā Sermon 1446
It is not enough to merely resist the temptation of the accursed devil in one's heart.
Rather pick up a rock and stone him as a sign of your love for the One from Whom he is trying to misguide you.
https://youtube.com/live/AofYSbToL4A?feature=share
Trigger warning: I'm about to make a trigger warning: in case you're triggered by trigger warnings.
We slaughtered our sacrifice immediately after Eid prayers today, in fulfillment of two sunnahs: one being the Imām being the first to slaughter, and the other is to slaughter with one's hand.
If you haven't secured your sacrifice for Eid, do it now at launchgood.com/hmqurbani .
We are still taking orders all the way up until the evening (in North America) two days after after Eid.
If you haven't done it yet please do not delay.
Many communities in North America will abandon the Friday prayer completely when it coincides with the ʿĪd.
This is an incorrect practice, and according to three out of for schools, for most people, the Friday prayer is still obligatory.
In the fourth school, and the Imām must gather the Friday prayer, even though the people have a choice as to whether or not they pray.
A few years ago, I translated to a tract dealing with this matter that should elucidate the issue, and be useful for those either looking for clarity, or seeking to share it with others.