Archive for September, 2007

Posted by Ibn Saad

(Special Thanks toTilmeedh of Sunniforum)

First Āyah:

“We feed you, for the Face of Allāh only. We wish for no reward nor thanks from you.” (76:9)

From Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr:

إِنمََّا نُطْعِمكُمْ لِوَجْهِ الله” أَيْ رَجَاء ثَوَاب الله وَرِضَاهُ

“We feed you seeking Allāh’s Face only” means seeking the reward of Allāh and His pleasure.

From Tafsīr Al-Tabarī:

طَلَب رِضَا الله، وَالْقُرْبَة إِلَيْهِ

Seeking the pleasure of Allāh, and nearness to Him.

From Tafsīr Al-Qurtubī:

فَزَعًا مِنْ عَذَابه وَطَمَعًا فِي ثَوَابه

Warding off the punishment of Allāh, and desiring reward from Him.

Continued

Posted by Ibn Ahmad

The core of masculinity does not derive from being male,

nor from the friendliness of those who console

Your old grandmother says,

“Maybe you shouldn’t go to school.  You look a little pale.”

Run when you hear that

A father’s stern slaps are better

Your bodily soul wants comforting

The severe father wants spiritual clarity

He scolds, but eventually leads you into the open

Pray for a tough instructor to hear and act and stay within you

-Rumi

SeekingIlm Admin Team

Quick Announcement: As of today (Sep. 27th 2007) we have added a new category to the site called Tawassul. As most of you know, tawassul is an issue of Fiqh, not ‘aqidah as some claim. However, we have decided to not make it a sub-category for fiqh, dedicating a category for itself. Within the upcoming months, if Allah permits, we will be adding newer research regarding tawassul, insha’allah. Keep us in your prayers.

 May Allah bless our beloved Sayyid Muhammad, his family, his companions, his followers, and those that follow him until their end. Amin!

By Ibn Saad

(Special Thanks to Tilmeedh of Sunniforum)

Unlike the Mu’tazilah, the Ahlus-Sunnah accepts the lone-narrated reports that are authentic. ‘Alī Al-Qāri records the ijmā’ of the Sahābah and Tābi’īs on this point (Sharh, 209).
However, there is a difference of opinion as to whether these reports convey ‘ilm al-yaqeenī (certain knowledge) or al-dhann al-ghālib (strong assumption of the truth).

Continued

Research Compiled by Abul Layth

Nearly one year ago I accidently stumbled upon a narration found in Imam Ahmad’s Musnad that reads:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا عبد الملك بن عمرو ثنا كثير بن زيد عن داود بن أبي صالح قال : أَقْبَلَ ‏ ‏مَرْوَانُ ‏ ‏يَوْمًا فَوَجَدَ رَجُلًا وَاضِعًا وَجْهَهُ عَلَى الْقَبْرِ فَقَالَ أَتَدْرِي مَا تَصْنَعُ فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَيْهِ فَإِذَا هُوَ ‏ ‏أَبُو أَيُّوبَ ‏ ‏فَقَالَ نَعَمْ جِئْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏ ‏صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ‏ ‏وَلَمْ آتِ الْحَجَرَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏ ‏صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ‏ ‏يَقُولُ ‏ ‏لَا تَبْكُوا عَلَى الدِّينِ إِذَا وَلِيَهُ أَهْلُهُ وَلَكِنْ ابْكُوا عَلَيْهِ إِذَا وَلِيَهُ غَيْرُ أَهْلِهِ

Abdul-Maalik ibn ‘Amru>>Kathir ibn Zayd>>from Daawud ibn Abi Saalih who said:

“Marwan [ibn al-Hakam] one day saw a man placing his face on top of the grave of the Prophet . He said: “Do you know what you are doing?” When he came near him, he realized it was Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. The latter said: “Yes; I came to the Prophet , not to a stone. I heard the Prophet say: “Do not weep on religion if its people assume its leadership (walyahu), but weep on it if other than its people assume it.”

Upon first stumbling upon this narration I was reading Shaykh Shu’ayb Al-Arna’ut’s edition of the Musnad of Imam Ahmad. After this narration he stated, “Its chain is weak due to the Jahaalah (unknownness) of Dawud ibn Abi Salih.”

When I posted this text, seeking further clarification, on the old Seekingilm forums the brother known as ‘Faqir’ posted a refutation by Shaykh Abul Hasan on two individuals who had weakened this narration. Their argument was based upon the following points:

1) Kathir ibn Zayd is weak.

2) Dawud ibn Abi Saalih is unknown.

The brother Abul Hasan sufficiently squelched these individuals, may Allah guide them and us. It is here that I will abridge his research without delving into the polemical distractions that occurred in the article. I shall be producing my own research as well. I ask Allah ta’alaa to bless Shaykh Abul Hasan for his endeavor as well as those who seek the truth sincerely.

Continued

by Abul Layth

Who is Al-’Utbi? 

He is Muhammad ibn Ubaydullah ibn ‘Amru ibn Mu’awiyah ibn ‘Amru ibn Utbah ibn Abi Sufyan Sakhr ibn Harb. He was from the most eloquent of men, a companion of narrations, and a narrator of literature. He reported from his father and from Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah. Taqiyud-Din As-Subki reports the narration that we are soon to go over in his Shifaa’ As-Siqaam regarding the visiting of the grave of the Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). He reports this narration with his chain. ((See Futuhaat Ar-Rabbaaniyah 5/39 )) 

The narration of Al-’Utbi is probably not known to many English speaking Muslims. Let me state my purpose in producing this article. I am going to share a photocopy as well as further research regarding the narration of Al-’Utbi so that the Muslim masses will be informed of the fact that many great ‘Ulamaa’ of the past maintained that Tawassul by the Nabi Muhammad is permitted in Islam. We hope that this information will lend more credence to the fact that the greatest Jurists to have walked the earth believed in tawassul with the beloved Prophet Muhammad.

Continued

Posted by Ibn Saad

(Special Thanks to Tilmeedh of Sunniforum)

Some excerpts from his book, “The soundness of the principles of the madhhab of the people of Madina “:

“Praised be Allah, the madhhab of the people of City of the Prophet - the place of the Sunnah, the place of migration (hijrah) and the place of helping (nasrah), and where the Prophet established the sunnahs of Islam and its laws and where the muhajirs came and hailed Allah and His Prophet and from it were the Ansar who populated the city earlier and their hearts with eman - verily their (the people of Madina’s) madhhab in the era of the Sahabah and the Tabi’een and their Tabi’een is the soundest of madhhabs of all the Islamic cities east and west, in the fundamentals and branches of religion. And verily these three eras are the eras of the three esteemed generations, regarding whom the Prophet (s) said in the sahih hadith ‘The best of generations are my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them.’”
Continued

 by Ibn Ahmad

The amount of literature detailing the permissibility of tawassul is exhaustive.  My purpose is not to expound on such in this brief research paper.  For all those interested in the permissibility of this matter, there is literature abound that defends the soundness of the narrations through which this act of worship has come to us.  My purpose is simply to analyze tawassul from a basic word-for-word, and slightly grammatical perspective.  That alone is enough to establish it as an act of pure monotheism, much less in conjunction with the works of the muhaddithīn.

The du‘ā of tawassul is as follows:

اللهما إني أَسْأَلُكَ و أَتَوَجَّهُ إليكَ بِنَبِيِّنا محمد نَبِيُّ الرَحْمَة، يا مُحَمَّد: إني أَتَوَجَّهُ بِكَ إلى رَبِّي فَيَقْضِي حاجَتي. 

The rest of the du‘ā expresses the need for which the du‘ā was made. 

This can be found in Reliance of the Traveller(1).  It’s basic meaning is such: Oh Allāh, Verily I ask you and turn towards you through our Messenger Muhammad, the Messenger of Mercy.  Oh Muhammad, Verily I turn – through you – towards my Lord so that He may fulfill my need.  Let’s look at this du‘ā phrase-by-phrase.

Continued

By Ibn Saad 

Edited by Ibn Anwar

I, Ibn Sa’ad, was on a Mainstream Jewish site, called “Judaism 101 and I was suprised to see what they had under the secion “What does the Talmud say about Jesus?”:

” Rambam and many other prominent Jewish scholars believed that the stories of Jesus are based on Yeshu ben Pandeira, also known as Yeshu ha-Notzri (”Jesus the Branch,” a reference to Isaiah 11:1, a passage about the messiah).”

Continued

 Compiled  by Abul Layth

The Prophet Muhammad said:

 حِجَابُهُ النُّورُ‏ ‏لَوْ كَشَفَهُ لَأَحْرَقَتْ سُبُحَاتُ وَجْهِهِ مَا انْتَهَى إِلَيْهِ بَصَرُهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ

“His veil is light, and if He removed it, the glorifications (subuhaat) of His face would burn everything His eyesight fell upon.”

Continued

Is Jesus a Christian?

by Ibn Anwar

Recently , on paltalk a Christian entered my room “The Traditional Order of Islam” and asked the room about Jesus. He enquired, ” Muslims believe Jesus is a Muslim. Is this supported anywhere in the Bible?” Before I gave any answer I countered,”What do you think Jesus was?” Unhesitantly, he replied,”His name is Jesus CHRIST, he was Christian, duh”. This article is a humble attempt in response to such queries posed by Christians to Muslims.

Continued