Written by Abul Layth

Imam An-Nawawī states in his primer on Shafi’i fiqh Al-Minhāj,

“And the Qunut is a Sunnah when rising from the bowing position (ruku’) in the second raka’ah of the morning prayer (As-Subh). And what is said is [the supplication],اللهم اهديني فيمن هديت

“Allahumma Ahdini fiman hadayt…”

Until the end of the supplication. The Imam recites [the du'aa] in plural form, and what is correct (sahīh) is that it is Sunnah to send blessings upon Rasūlullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) at the end of the supplication, and that the hands be raised, and that one does not wipe their face, and that the Imām says it aloud while the the one following says Amīn…”

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Compiled by Abul Layth

For some time now it has been my intent to do a research paper on the beard. Then I came across the fatwa of Shaykh Muhammad Al-Akiti that surpassed anything that my lowly uneducated soul could produce. With the encouragement of Brother Hussain, I have decided to do my own minimal research and to summarize the research of Shaykh Muhammad while adding a few more quotes prior to it. Ibn Hajr Al-Haytami mentions the following in his Tuhfat Al-Muhtāj:

قال الشيخان يكره حلق اللحية واعترضه ابن الرفعة في حاشية الكافية بأن الشافعي رضي الله تعالى عنه نص في الأم على التحريم قال الزركشي وكذا الحليمي في شعب الإيمان وأستاذه القفال الشاشي في محاسن الشريعة وقال الأذرعي الصواب تحريم حلقها جملة لغير علة بها كما يفعله القلندرية

 ”The two Shaykhs (i.e. Nawawī and Rāfi’ī) considered it makruh to shave the beard. Ibn Ar-Rifa’ah opposed [their opinion] in Hāshiyat Al-Kāfiyah due to the fact that there is a decisive proof (nass) from Imam Ash-Shāfi’ī in his Al-Umm for it being harām to shave the beard. Az-Zarkashī stated that the same was stated by Al-Halīmī in his Shu’ab Al-Imān, as well as his teacher Al-Qaffāl Ash-Shāshī in Mahāsin Ash-Shari’ah and Al-Adhru’ī stated, ‘And what is correct is that it is harām to shave it as the Qalandaris do.’”

Without going into incredible detail the following scholars according to the above quote, as well as the articles that will follow conclude the following:

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 He is the scholar of Quranic exegesis (tafsir), the master of Hadith, the Usuli, the Grammarian and poet, the Imam of the Shāfi’is and the Mujahid Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Isma’il Ash-Shāshī, well known as “Al-Qaffāl Al-Kabīr”. He is known as “Al-Qaffal Al-Kabīr - or the older Qaffāl” because of Al-Qaffāl As-Saghīr (the younger) who is Abu Bakr Abdullah ibn Ahmad Al-Marwazi, also a Shāfi’i jurist and born some 400 years after our Qaffāl.

Al-Qaffāl Ash-Shāshī was born in the year 291 A.H corresponding with 904 CE in the city of Ash-Shāsh. Ash-Shāsh is what is currently known as Tashkent Uzbekistan.  

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I have been thinking for the last few months that I should start a Shafi’i fiqh series on Salah. Why? Well, after all this is “Seeking Ilm” and I have noticed that as of late we have many Shafi’i subscribers/readers. In fact our site is linked on about 5 different pro-shafi’i websites. Also, I feel like I need to solidify myself better in the madh-hab and what better than way than to study. These points encourage me to do more for the western-shafi’is. I have written several research articles on Salah in Shafi’i fiqh. All of them thus far include the following:

• Saying the Basmalah aloud in the Salah
• The Obligation of Reciting Fatihah behind the Imam in Salah
• Placing the Knees on the ground before the Hands in Salah
• Rafa’ Yadayn (raising the hands in the Salah) - a 40+ page article that I never published
• Many other articles on Taharah etc.

I started on a couple more within the past but left them as I was sidetracked with debates. This series of research articles will not be small. Generally when I research fiqh issues, I delve into them rather deeply. An example is the article on the obligation of reciting Al-Fatihah that includes 21 pages of proofs. Originally I had more than that but I felt like I was including to much. Basically, if I start this project, I will be re-editing the material I have already researched, adding more proofs and statements from the Imams of the school. 

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Alhamdulillah,

I have always wondered why the Subcontinenters of Asia, mainly the Deobandis, refrained from translating Sunan At-Tirmidhi. They translated Sunan Abu Dawud (Prof. Ahmad Hasan), Sunan An-Nasa’i As-Sughra (the smaller version translated by Muhammad Iqbal Siddiqi), Sahih Muslim and Mishkat Al-Masabih (at least a few volumes of it) by Abdul Hameed Siddiqi, Sunan Ibn Majah (Translated by M. Tufail Ansari) , Muwatta of Imam Malik (Translated by Muhammad Rahimuddin) and other smaller texts such as Riyad us Salihin and the 40 of Imam An-Nawawi. Yet, for some odd reason, no one ever took it upon themselves, at least to my knowledge, to translate one of the most valuable canonical works of hadith, Sunan At-Tirmidhi. For years I wondered as to why this fantastic tome, full of fiqh and hadith gradings would be ignored by the translators. I always made the excuse that it was simply because it was such a daunting task, though I never really beleived such an excuse.

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The Hanafis of the west have done it again. Another thorn in the side of the Hanbali-leaning, though not clinging, pseudo-salafis in fiqh. I predicted Jun 1st of 2007 that the Hanafis would be forced to print manuals in law and creed in order to save their youth from the “dark side” and its sith-like attacks upon their noble madh-hab. Al-Fiqh Al-Islami is a wonderful masterpiece on fiqh, providing the student with a plethora of proofs. Many of the proofs presented in the manual have went untranslated prior to this release. Basically the manual begins with the foundational principles of the Madh-hab (legal guild): Qur’an, Sunnah, Ijma’, Qiyas.

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Monthly Reflection for May 2008: Thoughts by Abul Layth

As I was looking through Al-Hafith Ibn Hajr Al-’Asqalani’s Talkhis Al-Habir I came acrossed a hadith that struck my soul. The author writes as the section heading,

“. It is recommended (mustahabb) for the one placing the deceased into the grave to say,

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى مِلَّةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ

“Bismillahi, wa ‘Alaa Millati Rasulullah”

“With Allah’s name, and upon the Religion of the Messenger of Allah.”

As that is reported by Ibn ‘Umar from the Messenger of Allah. When one places the deceased in the grave, place them in the lahdupon their right side, facing the qiblah, as that was done with the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).”

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Research Compiled by Abul Layth

It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad said,

أَبْغَضُ الْحَلَال إِلَى اللَّهِ الطَّلَاق

“The most hated Halal by Allah is divorce.”

Several questions may enter the mind of the one who reads these words. One who has at least some knowledge of Islam may ask what is the authenticity of the report? If it is authentic, what does it mean? In this article we will explore the different chains and statements of the scholars concerning this narration, insha’Allah.

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As-Salamu ‘Alaykum brethren,

Alhamdulillah, after a few hours of hard mental labor and finger clicking we have revamped the downloadables section. Currently we have around 15 books we feel are important to the beginning seeker or intermediate learner. Once we decide whose lectures we will be putting up for download, we will send out another post informing the SI readers. If there is content you would like available in the downloadables section feel free to contact us at seekingilm@hotmail.com or just post a comment in this thread. File size does not matter!

Be sure and check back frequently as we will be uploading more material within the next few weeks insha’allah.

Written By ‘Ammar Diwan as a Monthly Reflection for March 2008

As human beings, we all experience periods of depression in our lives. Whether it be poor grades in school or disagreements with one’s friends, several challenges come our way that cause us to feel helpless and depressed. Several moments in my life have made me reflect on what the best method to cure depression is. I know a few of my fellow students at school who are using anti-depressants attempting to “cure the disease”. I even met someone who felt that alcohol was the best way to get rid of depression.

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