Archive for August, 2007

 The best compilation to date of quotations from the GIANTS of our Deen and others on Tasawwuf/sufism

Compiled by brother Superfaa of Sweden and checked by Ibn Anwar

“He has succeeded who purifies himself” (Qur’an 87:14).

Let us first of all define what a sufi is:

Sufyan al-Thawri explained: One who follows the path of tasawwuf, “He who gazes at the Real in proportion to the state in which He maintains him” (Bundar). They wore wool (sûf): “I found the redress of my heart between Makka and Madina with a group of strangers ­ people of wool and cloaks” (ashâb sûf wa `abâ’). [cited from Khalaf ibn Tamim by al-Dhahabi, Siyar A`lam al-Nubala' (Dar al-Fikr ed. 7:203)].

`Abd al-Qadir al-Baghdadi mentioned the two terms zahid and sufi interchangeably so the term “sufi” is a second-century name applied to a type of Muslim earlier known as “zahid.” (`Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi, al-Farq Bayn al-Firaq ( Beirut : Dar al-Kutub al-`Ilmiyya, n.d.) 242-243).

Abu `Ali al-Rudhabari said: “al-sufi man labisa al-sufa `ala al-safa- The Sufi is the one who wears wool on top of purity.” (Suyuti, Ta’yid al-Haqiqat al-`Aliyya (Cairo: al-matba`a al-islamiyya, 1352/1934) p. 15).

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A brief response to Albani’s erronuous fatwa on the use of prayer beads and his fanatical fans who continue to voice his fatwa and harrass Muslims with it.

by Ibn Anwar

Some individuals LOVE saying that using the prayer beads is BID’AH ! Those who use them are rudely dismissed as amubtad’i. I have also received reports from trusted friends that they have even been demanded to leave ’salafi’ ran mosques they visited when the Imam saw them with the prayer beads. What decadence has this Ummah been reduced to by these deviant pseudo-salafis?

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One of the narrations Ahlus Sunnah, of old and or recent, use as support for tawassul with the person of the Nabi is the narration of ‘Uthman ibn Hunayf. Al-Albaani in his treatise on tawassul, promoted by the najdi-wahhabis, and used as a litmus test to see “who” is either a) a Mushrik or b) one committing Bida’ah kufriyyah, has supposedly “refuted” this narration. Many of the scholars of late have responded to the poor arguments and accusations of the pseudo-salafi firqah regarding this narration. Sidi Faqir has combined several statements of the scholars, including some research from Shaykh Nuh (qaddasa Allahu sirrh). To view his collection of arguments etc: click here. To view a refutation of Al-Albaani by Shaykh Ghumaari, translated by Ma’rifah, click here.

The following scan is taken from Imam An-Nawawi’s famous treatise “Al-Adhkaar“, that is soon to be translated by Shaykh Nuh (as I have read in several places), insha’allah. In this scan you will see Imam An-Nawawi quoting the hadith of Uthman ibn Hunayf as proof for “Salaatul-Haajah - or the Prayer of Need”. You will also notice that he believes this hadith is Sahih, as he quotes At-Tirmdhi’s grading, “The narration is Hasan Saheeh”, without disagreeing. It is his policy that when a hadith has weakness, and he quotes it in the adhkaar, that he mentions its weakness. In fact he does this in the hadith prior to this one in his adhkaar. The footnotes of this scan are by Shaykh Subay’ Hamza Haakimi that was published in 1991 by Mu’asassa ‘Ulum Al-Quran in Beirout, Lebanon.

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Compiled by some of the SeekingIlm Team

The following are some scans from Ibn Qudaamah’s Risalah against Ibn ‘Aqil’s ta’wil of Allah’s attributes. Section 62 is incredibly important, as he (rahimahullah) clearly states that the Nabi (’alayhis salaam) did not clarify the meaning of the attributes of Allah ta’alaa.

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Compiled by Abul Layth

Our beloved brother Andalus posted a beautiful article from Shaykh Nuh on companionship. I would like to post some thoughts on Shaykh Nuh’s incredibly beneficial article, that you should all go read at the brother’s blog.

Shaykh Nuh instructs us thus,

“(1) One should not take for one’s companions those who are irreligious and do not pray. If one has such friends, then if there is not some other aim countenanced by Sacred Law in keeping their company such as maintaining family ties, one should taper off one’s dealings with them in a gentle yet effective way, such as by acting bored until they go and find other friends. “It might be that you are doing badly,” says Ibn ‘Ata’ Illah, “but keeping the company of someone even worse than you displays to you your merit.””

Sidi Ghawth Abu Madyan (radhiya Allahu ‘anhu) said, ‘Umar ibn al Khattab used to say, “Sit with the tawwabeen (those who oft-repent to Allah), for they avert misfortune!”

He also said, “The most harmful (adarr -ashyaa’) of things is suhbah (companionship) with a heedless ‘Aalim, an ignorant Sufi, and an insincere lecturer (waa’ith).”

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 Compiled by Abul Layth

Shaykh Nuh (qaddas Allahu Sirrh) quotes the following passage in his translation of the Reliance. The following is my own modified translation and you can compare and see the arabic in his Reliance under w12.2. I always read the arabic first, then the english, and what comes to mind of the arabic, I go with. Shaykh Nuh is far more eloquent than this weak faqir, so read his translation. This is for myself and those interested, such as my comrades at seekingilm, may Allah bless them with only good.

 ”Zayn-ud-deen Al-Maleebaari said, “(Al-Haafith) Al-’Iraqi and Ibn As-Salaah wrote that there is Ijmaa’ (scholarly consensus) that it is not jaa’iz (permissible) to contradict the Raajih (the established correct opinion) in the Madh-hab. (Imam) As-Subki has stated this in different places in his fatawaa, holding that it is disagreeing with what Allah has revealed’. This due to the fact that Allah has obligated upon the Mujtahideen that they take hold of the Raajih, and has obligated other than them (i.e. the non-mujtahidin) to make taqleed (follow) in deeds that are obligatory upon them to perform.” 

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Thoughts Compiled by Abul Layth

To clarify the term “Faqir فقير “, Allah uses it to describe all of mankind. He says,

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَاء إِلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ

“O ye men! It is ye that (Fuqaraa’) have need of Allah: but Allah is the One Free of all wants, worthy of all praise.”

Allah ta’alaa, as Imam As-Suyuti says in his tafsir (Qur’anic exegesis), is telling mankind that they are in need of Allah in every situation, in every state, and in every place. “Need” denotes dependence. Whereas Allah has no dependence or “need”, thus He is Al-Ghaniy - The Self-Subsisting, one free of all needs.

So the faqir is the one dependent, in utter and complete need of Allah ta’alaa. The faqir in the nomenclature of tasawwuf, however, has the same root meaning but expands on what the faqir should be. The following is the definition of the great Sufi Wali, Al-Ghawth Abu Madyan:

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Al-Ghawth Abu Madyan (radhiya allahu ‘Anhu wa Rahmatullah ‘Alayh - born 509 A.H) said,

“The Shuroot (conditions, preconditions, rules etc) of Tasawwuf are eight:

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 By Abul Layth

 Years ago I did research on the opinion of the Shafi’i Madh-hab’s (guild) view of touching a woman nullifying wudhu’. Unfortunately, I have lost the article that was actually a letter to brother Salf (Abu Adam), May Allah bless him. Umm Layth, a Shafi’i in fiqh, told me that she did not understand the position of the school very well. So I decided I was going to write for her a research paper regarding her school’s position. I had only remembered a few of their proofs and so when I revisited this topic, I was overwhelmed with the proofs presented. I am sure many of you will be as well. I hope that Umm Layth and those studying this madh-hab benefit from this research as much as I have.

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 Compiled by Abul Layth

The following is some research I did over a year ago for those striving to follow the Hanbali Madh-hab. I am not sure how much benefit it will be for people, but I decided that I would go ahead and post it for those that it may benefit insha’allah.

Al Hajjaawi states in Zaad Al Mustaqni’,

[The fifth nullifier of wudhu'] “He touches a woman bi-shahwah (with desire).”

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One of the attributes of the believers is that they prefer others to their own selves. This quality is called الايثار  Al-Īthār. In English, the best word, in my opinion is the word “Altruism”. Allah says in the Qur’an,

وَالَّذِينَ تَبَوَّؤُوا الدَّارَ وَالْإِيمَانَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً مِّمَّا أُوتُوا وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

“But those who before them, had homes (in Medina) and had adopted the Faith,- show their affection to such as came to them for refuge, and entertain no desire in their hearts for things given to the (latter), but give them preference over themselves, even though poverty was their (own lot). And those saved from the covetousness of their own souls,- they are the ones that achieve prosperity.” [Abdullah Yusuf Ali Translation 59:9]

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