فهد بن عبد القيوم بن العلاء

I’ll be leading this ḥalqah today for converts who are interested. If you are a convert, or know of a convert, who is interested in joining, please share the following link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/GatdCD2wBul4zgALgACi3f

IT & the Continuity of Miracles After Death Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728) mentions that it is completely normal for some people to say salām to the Prophet ﷺ at his grave and receive an audible response from the grave itself, or even at the graves of the [non-Prophets] beloved individuals (awliyāʾ) of God. Such events were not objectionable at all in his view, as he states that “all of this is true (ḥaqq).”¹ Those who do not understand his writings may not realize that he believed in these supernatural events, and did not see them as problematic at all, even though he opposed some innovations, such as traveling to graves for specific rituals. This suggests that IT believed in the continued occurrence of miracles (karāmāt) by the awliyāʾ even after their deaths, as miraculous responses from the grave indicate that these miracles continue beyond their passing. ¹ Iqtiḍāʾ al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm, p. 179 (1907)

For students who have studied with me at Al-Balagh, I will be conducting a session on Social Media, Validation & Diseases of the Heart. I will be discussing the legal parameters of discussing Islamic topics online, the concept of spirituality often associated with online engagements, how it effects one time and mental health, seeking validation through online endeavors, etc. Time: Saturday, 16th May, 10am (EDT) | 3pm (GMT+1)

An Interesting Ḥanbalī/Ḥanafī Transmission When discussing his chain for ʿUmdat al-Aḥkām, the Ḥanbalī expert al-Saffārīnī mentions that he studied the text with his Ḥanafī teacher in Damascus, namely ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Mujallid al-Sulaymī (d. 1140/1728). While al-Mujallid himself was a student of both the Muftī of Ḥanbalīs in Damascus, ʿAbd al-Bāqī (d. 1071/1661), and the Muftī of Ḥanafīs in Damascus, al-Ḥaṣkafī (d. 1088/1677). It is interesting to observe the development of warm relationships, mutual admiration, and gatherings to study religious scripture between Ḥanbalīs and other groups in Damascus from the end of the 8th Islamic century onwards.

The Knowledge of the Prophet’s Wives ﷺ in ʿAlī’s View When ʿUmar was looking into a dispute over ritual bathing (ghusl), he was instructed by ʿAlī to consult the wives of the Prophet ﷺ on the issue. He said ʿUmar, “O Commander of the Believers! The most knowledgeable (aʿlam) of all people on this issue are the wives of the Messenger of God…”¹ A few observations come to mind on this part of the long narration: [1] The men of that era, who lived alongside the Prophet ﷺ, did not hesitate to acknowledge that women of the same period could be more knowledgeable than they were on a particular issue, even after having gained knowledge directly from the Prophet ﷺ himself on that issue. [2] The use of “more/most knowledgeable” here has more to do with understanding than with the mere transmission of words. It further shows that, from their perspective, merely “knowing” something did not necessitate ʿilm, but rather a full understanding of the issue did. [3] ʿAlī referred to ʿUmar as “amīr” of the believers and claimed that the Prophet's wives might be more knowledgeable than he was on certain religious matters. This part validates the Sunnī narrative from three perspectives: (a) ʿAlī was not the divinely appointed and infallible leader of his time, (b) he recognized the absolute leadership of ʿUmar over all Muslims, and (c) he considered the wives of the Prophet ﷺ to be a source of knowledge. ¹ Musnad Ahmad, vol. 35, p. 22 (Risalah)

‎The companion of the Prophet ﷺ, ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAmr, not only spent his entire life in worship and learning, but also enjoyed his life of wealth, owning property and many slaves. One of his gardens was valued at a million dirhams, which is about 7-8 million in USD.

Overly strict and unpleasant husbands do not follow the early Muslims (salaf), whose wives found them both strong yet comforting. ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb would say, “A man should be [playful] like a young boy with his wife, but when it is required of him, he is proven to be a man.”¹ ¹ al-Mujālasah wa-Jawāhir al-ʿIlm, vol. 3, p. 431 (Ibn Hazm: 1998)

The Qurʾānic instruction, ‘Do not wish for that by which God has made some of you superior to others’ (Q4:32), is soundly interpreted by al-ʿAjlūnī and other classical scholars as a prohibition of envy (ḥasad). This supports the understanding that the perfection of faith (īmān) allows one to compete with others and desire to excel them in good qualities, which is sometimes misunderstood in light of Q4:32.

I will be teaching two modules within this Tafsīr of Sūrah al-Kahf course this year: [1] March 8 | Sun: The Story of Mūsā & al-Khiḍr (The Trial of Knowledge) [2] March 15 | Sun: Sincerity & Faith (The Sūrah’s Conclusion) Hoping to see the students who enjoy Tafsīr sessions with me, in shāʾ Allāh.

In his commentary of the ḥadīth of the Prophet’s ﷺ prayer for his grave to not be made an “idol that is worshipped” (wathan yuʿbad), Abū al-Walīd al-Bājī (d. 474/1082) explains that this is the Prophet’s expression of humility towards God and his affirmation of His oneness. In other words, it was obvious to the Prophet ﷺ that God will never turn his grave into an idol, but he disassociated himself from being worshipped first and foremostly, to humbly express his dislike for anything other than God to be worshipped.

al-salām ʿalaykum wa-raḥmat allāh, I hope everyone’s having a blessed day. I will be in the UK for ten days in February (5-15). I will be mostly meeting friends and students/scholars. For those who were interested in meeting me last year when I was there, you can reach out to me during this visit.

For the last 14 months, I have been spending all of my free time translating the Qur’an. I based the work primarily on Ibn Atiyyah, Abul Su’ud Efendi, al-Tabari, and Ibn Ashur, constantly going back to the other great books of tafsir. It has been one of the most delightful and humbling projects of my life. I pray it helps readers connect with the Qur’an in a clearer and more meaningful way. I present to you all: The Purple Quran Translation offered by Quranly. To preorder, feel free to join the waitlist: https://www.purplequran.com/pages/waitlist Preorders will start very soon, so make sure you’re ready when the time comes. Arabic-English will be available soon! I pray Allah accepts and makes this beneficial to all English-speaking Muslims.

If anyone finds me in my eighties on a mountain somewhere, and wants to know the details related to my transmission (riwāyah) of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, then you can find me on page 195 of Bahjat al-Anfus.

Walking through the streets of Istanbul, I randomly came across a street vendor selling this short Turkish commentarial text based on Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan’s (d. 189) ‘al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr.’ Amazing!

‎Interesting example of al-Shāṭibī (d. 790) noting that the Deferralists (Murjiʾah) relied on the “apparent” (ẓāhir) meaning of the Prophet’s ﷺ words about actions affecting one’s fate in the hereafter, while the Sunnīs chose the path of “interpretation” (taʾwīl).

In a handwritten letter shared by Dr. ʿAbd Allāh al-Jūdī, the late Kuwaiti researcher and preacher, Dr. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sumayṭ (d. 2013), says: “…and I was surprised to learn that those who have harmed Islam the most are, in fact, Muslim youngsters and men who present themselves as preachers (duʿāt).”

Some jurists, like al-Zaylaʿī (d. 743), say that while marriage to certain non-Muslim women is allowed for a Muslim, it is still discouraged due to [i] the dangers of living in non-Muslim lands (dār al-ḥarb) and [ii] the potential influence of non-Muslim values on his children.

When Baybars II (d. 676/1277) restored the al-Hakim Mosque in Cairo, he appointed scholars from all four schools to teach. However, he only selected leaders for congregational prayers from the Mālikī, Ḥanafī, and Ḥanbalī schools.¹ Cairo is the only city where scholars from each of the four schools have taught for over 8 centuries, and continue to do so today. ¹ Nihāyat al-Arab, vol. 15, p. 60 (DKI: 2005)

It was not uncommon to deny an unworthy student’s request for authorization (ijāzah) to transmit ḥadīth. Ḥadīth experts would even comment harshly while rejecting, “He loves to be called a priest, while he didn’t even serve the church!”¹ ¹ Qayd al-Awābid, p. 219 (DKI: 2004)

¹ al-Mawwāq’s quote from his Sunan al-Muhtadīn.