Qur’an

 Written by Abul Layth & Edited by Abu Usamah

The following is a response I wrote regarding several issues raised within a post by Umm Yasmin on her blog. I have posted it here for several reasons: a) I am not certain that all of the response would go through on her blog b) there are many points of creed and law that I have made within it that may benefit others that may be interested in these issues c) It is going to take up to much space on her comments, May Allah bless her with good Amin!

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I recall hearing a christian once tell me that my religion, “Izlam”, was not a religion of forgiveness & mercy. In fact, in his view, it is impossible for God to forgive sins without “sacrifice”, as he saw it. No matter what verses I quoted him, ahadith (narratives of the Prophet Muhammad), or scholarly quotes, he was adamant that the Qur’an does not preach forgiveness of man’s sins. One can guide the donkey to the water, but can not make him drink. I believe that a single verse from the Qur’an can respond to the christian view, or anyone else’s view, that Islam is a religion that teaches God will forgive as long as one is sincerely repentant.

Allah says,

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

“Say, [God says], My servants who have harmed yourselves by your own excess, do not despair of God’s mercy. God forgives all sins: He is truly the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

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Compiled by Abul Layth

Ijmaa’, or scholarly consensus, is a principle of Islamic law. A fundamental proof used in Islamic legal discourse. It is considered a secondary principle because it is based on the primary proofs, the Qur’an and Sunnah. The following is some simple research I have done in support of the usage of Ijma’ as a proof in Islamic legal debate.

Proof from the Qur’an:

وَمَن يُشَاقِقِ الرَّسُولَ مِن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ الْهُدَى وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِ مَا تَوَلَّى وَنُصْلِهِ جَهَنَّمَ وَسَاءتْ مَصِيراً

“And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers - We will give him what he has taken and drive him into Hell, and evil it is as a destination.”

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I recently wrote an article asking the question if Muslims would eat the food of the Jews and the Christians. I have no problem, personally, with eating the meat of the Jews, as their strict guidelines are within the realm of the shari’ah -at least it seems to me. However, the christians are a different story. Several factors pertain to their slaughtering that once did not: a) they shock animals to death and do not slaughter properly - at the kneck b) if they do slaughter at the kneck they do not mention Allah’s name - whether that be God, Dios, Dio (Italian), Deus (portugeus), Jumala, tentei (Japanese), Gud (Swedish), dieux (french), Mungu (swahili), etc. However, the question arises: ‘What if the christian slaughters in Jesus’s name? Is the food then Halaal?’
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Reflect! How many a moment have we chosen the mundane over the divine? Ask yourself; of the two which is worthy of our attention? Allah ta’alaa states,

وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَن ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكاً وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْمَى

قَالَ رَبِّ لِمَ حَشَرْتَنِي أَعْمَى وَقَدْ كُنتُ بَصِيراً

قَالَ كَذَلِكَ أَتَتْكَ آيَاتُنَا فَنَسِيتَهَا وَكَذَلِكَ الْيَوْمَ تُنسَى

 

And whoever turns away from My remembrance (thikr)- indeed, he will have a depressed (Dankaa) life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind. He will say, “My Lord, why have you raised me blind while I was [once] seeing? [ Allah ] will say, “Thus did Our signs come to you, and you forgot them; and thus will you this Day be forgotten.” [Sahih International's translation of Taha 124]

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A site I found many years ago in my early years after accepting Islaam that helped me on my travels in refuting the ignorant American theologians that I encountered was Islamic-Awareness.org. I stumbled, while searching through some of the more recently updated articles, upon a refutation of the orientalists, that in my view is one of the best researched articles they have on their site. It is regarding Hamanin the Qur’an. Who was he in relationship to Fir’awn? I will sum up their rather lengthy article, that I hope you all take your time in reading, here insha’allah.

Allah mentions him in 6 places in the Qur’an:

ونمكن لهم في الأرض ونري فرعون وهامان وجنودهما منهم ما كانوا يحذرون 

To establish a firm place for them in the land, and to show Pharaoh, Haman, and their hosts, at their hands, the very things against which they were taking precautions. [28:6]

فالتقطه آل فرعون ليكون لهم عدوا وحزنا إن فرعون وهامان وجنودهما كانوا خاطئين

Then the people of Pharaoh picked him up (from the river): (It was intended) that (Moses) should be to them an adversary and a cause of sorrow: for Pharaoh and Haman and (all) their hosts were men of sin. [28:8]

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Written By Abul Layth 

Years ago in Qur’aan class at the Madrasah we reviewed the different forms of tafseer (exegesis of the Qur’an). The method of tafseer that stood out most in my mind, even till this day, is that of tafseer bir-Ra’i, or the explanation of the Qur’an based upon the opinion of the exegete. Our professor stated that it was a permissible and established method of tafseer amongst the Mufassireen(exegetes). Obviously, there are conditions to this method of tafseer, mainly mastery of the language. As I was reading Reliance of the Traveller, translated by Sayyidnaa Shaykh N.H. Keller (May Allah always enlighten his heart) and published by Amana, I came across an interesting entry. The title stated, “Explaining the Koran By Personal Opinion (Tafsirul-Qur’an bir-ra’i)”¹ .  

The article begins with the hadith of the Nabi Muhammad,

 ‏قال رسول الله ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏من قال في كتاب الله عز وجل برأيه فقد أخطأ ‏

“Whoever speaks of the Book of Allah from his own opinion is in error.” [And in the arabic, left untranslated, it states 'reported by Abu Dawud and At-Tirmithi]

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Footnotes (Click ↩ at the end of the note to Go Back to Original Place in the article) :

1. Page 751, r14.0 [↩]

Its evidence

Ibn `Umar (Radhiya Allāhu ‘Anhu) narrated: “That the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) used to read Qur’ān, and when he would read a Surah which contained a prostration, he would prostrate and we would prostrate with him so that some of us could not find a place for their forehead.”1

Its legal Status

• It is Sunnah for one who is reciting Qur’ān whether or not in prayer, for one who is listening to Qur’ān recital, even if the one reciting does not perform it, and for one who hears Qur’ān recital, though it is more confirmed for the first two than the last.

• It is obligatory for one who is praying behind an imām if the imām performs it, and it is obligatory not to perform it if the imām does not, otherwise one’s prayer becomes invalid, because the Qur’ān recital prostration is Sunnah whereas following the imām is obligatory as will be explained in the chapter of congregational prayer. If one reads a verse that contains a Qur’ān recital prostration for the purpose of prostrating during prayer, one’s prayer is invalid.

One does not prostrate for reciting a prostration verse if the one reading is sleeping, drunk, or absentminded because in these cases one has no intention of recital. The same is true if one is in a state of major hadath because his recital is unlawful, or if one hears Qur’ān recital from a radio or tape recorder, because that is the recording of the recital not the recital itself.

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