The Final Brick:The Religion of Islam

WORLD OF THE QUR'AN:A JOURNEY TO MOROCCO

2012-01-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

WORLD OF THE QUR'AN:
A JOURNEY TO MOROCCO
by Sh. G. F. Haddad

shorter version, 25 Muharram 1421 - 29 April 2000

Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim
Al-Hamdu Lillah was-Salat was-Salam `ala Rasulillah Wa Alihi wa Sahbihi wa Man Walah.

As-Salamu `Alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh:

This is an account of my stay of thirty days over `Eid al-Adha 1421 in Zawiyat Sidi Ibrahim Basir, Bani `Iyat, Morocco with my wife and children, written at the request of a dear friend and in hope of informing our brethren about some aspects of the beauty of this Religion and of the blessed Community of Islam.

The plane trip from Damascus to Dar al-Bayda' (Casablanca) via Malta took us about ten hours including the waiting before and after flights, capped by three more hours by car on flatland highways to reach the Zawiya which lies south of Dar al-Bayda', towards the center of Morocco near the town of Bani Mellal in the district (Iqlim) of Azilal.

The last leg of the journey was on a dirt road parallel to the Middle Atlas Mountain. From a distance we finally saw the Zawiya, looking like a fort built at the foot of the mountain. We arrived there shortly after Maghrib.

As we came out of the car the first thing I heard was the collective recitation of the Qur'an by the student-huffaz in Maghribi style - solemn, energetic, no tajwid, intensely moving, carried over from the masjid by loudspeakers. A small group of people surrounded us and as I turned my head I saw the Shaykh of the Zawiya coming down the narrow, paved alley leading to the mosque between chalk-white walls, Sidi Mustafa Basir, ~60, smiling, with his metal cane to support his ailing right leg, surrounded by the Fuqara' (murids) of the Shadhili-Darqawi Tariqa which he directs in the Southern region of Morocco, all singing the welcoming hymn that I was to hear again many times:

Salamun `alaykum ya man ja'ana billah!
Taqbalu man ja'akum, zarakum lillah!
Ya Marhaban bikum ya man ja'ana lillah!
Mawlana yukafikum wal-maqsudu huwa ALLAH!
Salutations to you who came to us by Allah!
Accept those who came to you visiting you for Allah!
Welcome to you who came to us for Allah!
Our protecting Lord recompense you! Our goal is Allah!

I kissed the Shaykh's hand, conveying Mawlana al-Shaykh Nazim's Salaam with emotion at the same time as the Shaykh himself kissed my hand and embraced me! MARHABAN! LA BA'S? MARHABAN! (Welcome! Are you well? Welcome!) Two large bowls materialized in front of me - dates and milk. As I took three dates and drank some milk, the night sky filled with tartil of Qur'an and Salam of the hosts, the thought came to me: "You have entered the world of the early Muslims."

After praying I joined the Shaykh in the main hall of the Zawiya, where the Fuqara' who had filled the large room from wall to wall offered me their warm smiles and welcoming hugs. As I sat at the right hand of the Shaykh green tea with mint began to flow and did not stop for thirty days. The Shaykh said: This is a triple `Eid for us, then recited poetry:

The coming of the beloved, the day of Jum`a, and the `Eid
These are for us, by the grace of Allah, three `Eids.
Seventy or a hundred voices began to recite the poetry of the Andalusian Awliya' - Ibn al-Farid, Abu Madyan al-Ghawth, Sidi Muhyi al-Din ibn `Arabi - in praise of the Master of Creation - Sayyidina Muhammad - in unison with a refrain that became the emblem of our stay in the land of Maghreb:

Allah, Allah! bi-Fadlika kun li!
Allah, Allah! Treat me with Your great Favor!
I took in the blessings of these first moments with grateful admiration and wonder at the beauty of this Religion and its treasures, the bonding of hearts with love and brotherhood, the simple, vast hospitality of sincerity, the pure spiritual spring of Tariqa.

We prayed `Isha on the straw mats of the large white-walled mosque, then returned to the hall where, after the banquet served in our honor, we began a Dhikr of praise and thanks to Allah for the Blessing of Islam and the Honor of Iman. We stood up or rather the Dhikr stood us, with the strong chant of ALLAH! / HAYY! ALLAH! / HAYY!, shoulder to shoulder, hands clasped, while the reciter hymned text after text teaching the ineffability of Tawhid.

The following days were not much different yet every day brought new manifestations of hospitality and generosity. No day passed except Sidi Mustafa slaughtered a sheep or goat for us and for other visitors who came to the Zawiya. Together with the traditional steamed couscous we drank yoghurt from the Zawiya's two cows, so pure that tiny clots of butter floated in it. Our daily whole-wheat and oat breads were also baked at the Zawiya. Water came to the Zawiya from a spring that flowed from the heart of the neighboring mountain. Al-Shukru Lillah!

I took part in most of the routine of the students of Qur'an and the Fuqara' of the Zawiya, notably the recitation of the twice-daily Hizb of Qur'an, once after Salat al-Fajr, once after Salat al-Maghrib - making a total of one Juz' a day - followed respectively by one portion of al-Busiri's Hamziyya and one portion of his Burda - all by memory except for this slave! In addition, another Khatma or complete recitation of the Qur'an was performed individually - one Juz' each - every Jum`a of the month, bringing to five the minimum number of khatmas recited at the Zawiya every month.

The Hamziyya (poem with the hamza in its rhyme scheme) is a longer and more difficult poem than the Burda and like it of awesome beauty. It begins with the following lines addressing the Prophet Muhammad - Allah bless and greet him and his Family:

kayfa tarqâ ruqyaka al-anbiyâ'u
yâ samâ'a mâ t.âwalathâ samâ'u
Meaning:

How can the Prophets rise up to your level
O heaven whom no heaven can reach!

The Hamziyya is a repository of learning comprising necessary teachings of the basic Islamic creed, the Sira, the Prophetic Attributes... Full knowledge of the rights of al-Mustafa is known only to Allah (swt) but its pursuit is among the treasures of this Religion and grants one the highest levels of belief and success here and hereafter.

Among its valuable commentaries is Shaykh Sulayman al-Jamal's al-Futuhat al-Ahmadiyya bil-Minah al-Muhammadiyya published with al-Sawi's commentary in the margins at al-Matba`a al-Maymuniyya in Cairo (1306/1889). Another commentary is that of Imam al-Haytami, recently reprinted in three volumes by Dar al-Sanabil.

The morning Hizb was followed - for the Fuqara' and non-students such as myself - by a collective loud dhikr lasting until sunrise, formed of the following repetitions: HasbunAllahu wa Ni`ma al-Wakil - La Ilaha illAllah - Allah - Allahumma Salli `ala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa `ala Alihi wa Sallim. Meanwhile, the students went off to their memorization sessions.

The evening Hizb was followed by the Wird al-Latif or "devotion named al-Latif," a truly moving collective loud supplication that is read after the gathering first silently recites "Ya Latif" a certain number of times. The text of Wird al-Latif is by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, like Imam al-Suyuti one of the later Shafi`i fuqaha' who belonged to the Shadhili Tariqa. The wird begins with the words:

Ala Ya Latifun Ya Latifun laka al-Lutfu
Fa Anta al-Latifu, minka yashmaluna al-Lutfu
Meaning:

Truly O Most Kind, O Most Kind, to You belongs all kindness! For You are the Most Kind, from You kindness encloses us!

It contains the remarkable phrase:

Wa ha nahnu dakhalna bi-wasfi al-Lutf

Lo! We have now entered the quality of Divine Kindness.

Those sittings during the morning and evening wirds were my most vivid sights of the divine command of unlimited spiritual benefits given to the Prophet - sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam - and the elite of the Friends of Allah: { Restrain yourself along with those who cry unto their Lord morning and evening, seeking His countenance; and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp of the life of the world } ... (18:28).

There were many families present at the Zawiya at the time of our visit and ample accommodation for all, as well as safe playing space for small and older children. There used to be a woman teacher of Qur'an in the past, but no longer, due to a lack of demand. The Shaykh indicated that this teaching could be provided again at any time if there was demand for it.

The diligence of the students of Qur'an and their zuhd or simple living struck me. We would go to bed around eleven at night hearing their voices rehearsing in the mosque, and wake up before Fajr still hearing their exercises. Most or all of them came from rural backgrounds and I even met an old ummi (illiterate) herdsman who learnt the entire Qur'an at a late age and became a hafiz by the grace of Allah.

Adhan in the Maliki madhhab has only a double initial Takbir instead of four Allahu Akbar as in the other three Sunni schools. Style-wise, the adhan in Maghreb is toneless by law. It seems our melodious "Eastern" (Mashriqi) style of adhan is considered an effeminate innovation here! The mu'adhdhin of the Zawiya precedes and follows the adhan of Fajr with tahlil (La ilaha illallah) and Salat on the Prophet - sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam. I never heard him say any other words to anyone during my entire stay.

The Shaykh, the mu'adhdhin, the serving hands of the Zawiya and most of the Fuqara' I met all wear their thick dhikr-beads (tasbih) around the neck. This is a particular Shadhili adab of humbleness in the pursuit of permanent remembrance of the Creator by His bondmen and a most excellent innovation (bid`a hasana) described at length in the book of Sidi Fath Allah al-Bunani titled Tuhfat Ahl al-Futuhat wa al-Adhwaq fi Ittikhadh al-Sibha wa Ja`liha fi al-A`naq ("The Gem of the People of Spiritual Openings and Tastes in Using the Dhikr-Beads and Placing Them around the Necks").

The Shaykh allowed me to spend a lot of time with him, which gave me the opportunity of observing his selfless method as murshid of the neighboring tribespeople and his tireless energy. Visitors came in large numbers and we also went out on several three to five-hour car trips to nearby homes or branch zawiyas to see pilgrims back from Hajj, or on condoleances, or for `Eid.

Every Saturday morning, the Shaykh went to Souk al-Sabt, the second largest open-air market and country fair in Morocco. The first time I went I expected to see the Shaykh buy and sell like everybody else. I was partly wrong. A small square tent was set up at the edge of the fair, front side wide open, sheepskins were spread, and the Shaykh sat down on the ground (I never saw him sit on a chair more than two minutes). Tea and fried dough-cakes were brought and the Shaykh began to give away sadaqat and alms to the poor, taking in the sadaqat of those who wanted to give. Visitors and good humor poured in - neighboring merchants, mosque imams, journeying musicians, majadhib ("fools of God"), friends of the Zawiya... At one time the tent was full of Qur'an memorizers, all former students of the Shaykh coming to give him Salaam. So the Shaykh was buying and selling, but not like everybody else! Someone asked: Is there any other tent like this one in the market? The Shaykh's sons replied no, not in all the market. The questioner said: "By Allah, this tent is all the market!"

Thus I was able to discover, without travelling far outside the immediate vicinity of the Zawiya - though quite vast in terms of distances - this rural Moroccan population and its frank simplicity, nobility and hospitality. I must have met hundreds of people and heard "marhaban fi baytak wa baladak" (welcome to your home and your country) countless times.

The traditional travel dress of Maghribi land and livestock farmers that came to visit the Shaykh at the Zawiya or on the weekly market day somehow reminded me of the head-dresses and flowing robes of late Medieval and Renaissance European burghers as depicted in the art of that period.

I went on a five-day trip further South together with the Shaykh's son to Tanalt above Agadir, to visit a blessed Canadian friend - Shaykh Ramzi - who was studying Maliki fiqh there, at the school of the Friend of Allah Sidi al-Habib, whose Maqam or tomb we visited as soon as we arrived, after two painstaking days. 1,200 meters high, valleys, majestic Anti-Atlas mountains touching the clouds and surrounding us as far as the eye could see. I took panoramic pictures of these sights which reminded me of my native Lebanon.

Tanalt, Agadir, Inzeguen, Tadila are Amazigh towns - Amazigh, the original name for those the Arabs called Berbers. The Amazigh people possess oral and written languages and literatures that are entirely independent of Arabic although they are originally Arabs - a little known fact - hailing from a Southern Yemeni tribe that still exists in our time. The Amazigh boast countless Awliya' and prestigious Maliki jurists in all the Souss (Southern Maghreb) as well as the Saharian regions bordering Mauritania. The teaching in many of their schools is conducted in Amazigh.

The family of my host - Basir - also comes from the Sahara but is of Hijazi Arabic origin and descends from the Prophet - Allah bless and greet him and his Family - through his grandson al-Hasan ibn `Ali ibn Abi Talib, as do all the Idrisites of Morocco. The Shaykh traced for me the origin of the name "Basir" - which means well-sighted - to a saintly ancestor who was blind and endowed with the gift of spiritual unveiling (kashf). This Basir could reveal visitors' names, origins, ailments and states on the spot and without having met them previously. I was told that, beginning with him, every second child born to the same mother in his line was born blind but many of them received the same gift of true clairvoyance.

The father of my host, Sidi Ibrahim, died when Sidi Mustafa was five. The latter took the Tariqa from his older brother Sidi al-Habib (different from the Sidi al-Habib of Tanalt), who died in 1985. The Shaykh's son `Abd al-Mughith Basir collected the history of the Basir Shuyukh in a volume under print titled al-Nazr al-Yasir fi Manaqib Al al-Basir which I had the priviledge of seeing.

The Shaykh told me that his father Sidi Ibrahim used to travel the mountains and desert plains of Southern Morocco with a caravan of about a hundred. When they camped they set up five large tents: one for the Shaykh's female relatives, one for the Qur'an memorizers, one for the visitors, one for the Shaykh, and one for the kitchen ustensils. The Shaykh travelled thus teaching Tawhid and Salat in the wild for years, later building the Zawiya. During that time he lost a son and a daughter as well as many followers, to the hostility of warlords, country magicians and others of those opposed to Submission to God such as the French occupants.

During my stay I attended Jumu`a in Dar al-Bayda' one time. I arrived late together with the Imam - the brother of Sidi Mustafa - and entered the Masjid about ten minutes before the Imam came out. Going in seemed like entering the ocean of Qur'an, as the Masjid was filled with hundreds of voices reciting in unison in the familiar, literally monotone Maghribi style. The only other time I felt with such force the crushing majesty and beauty of the Divine Speech was when I heard the Qur'an recited for the very first time, - on tape -, before my conversion to Islam ten years ago.

As I sat down in that mosque I noticed that most people around me were reciting from memory. Without doubt the Maghrib is the Arabic country with the highest per capita rate of huffaz of Qur'an. Further - regarding their completion and mastery - I had long heard of the testimonies of the Shuyukh al-Qurra' even here in Damascus - Shaykh `Abd al-Razzaq al-Halabi in the Umawi Mosque and Shaykh Muhammad Sukkar in Sidi Muhyi al-Din Mosque - that the Moroccans were superior to all other memorizers. Note that the only Qur'anic reading taught in the Maghreb is that of Imam Warsh, from Nafi`. Al-Hamdu liLlah that He made this country devote itself to preserving this precious reading and thus fulfill, on behalf of the entire Umma, the obligation not to lose one of the several Canonical Readings revealed to the Prophet - Allah bless and greet him.

While in Maghreb I discovered the argan-tree, a thorny tree that can grow small like an olive-tree or large like the oak. It produces in abundance a small fruit that looks like red olives which are collected by releasing goats on the trees. The goats eat the pulp and leave the pits which are then collected and crushed, yielding a delicious light-brown oil full of benefits and more expensive than olive oil. Both oils are obligatory staples of every Moroccan dining-table, especially at breakfast.

Sidi Mustafa Basir is a strict Maliki, down-to-earth Faqih and Hafiz whose every other word is from the Qur'an or the hadith. Most of all he is an accomplished man of practice in the tradition of the Awliya who are beacons of light for their communities and countries, distributing blessings at all times with deeds and states rather than speech. For that reason someone said that there are no mystics in Islam - only realists! Even their discourse is mostly action, as witnessed by some of the sayings I remember hearing from the Shaykh - may Allah keep him in his good care as well as our Shaykh, Mawlana al-Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani and all the Friends of Allah:

* "When Allah desires to bring someone from one place of His earth to another, He does not let him move there until all the conditions of living and his sustenance are prepared and ready, then He takes him from here to there."

* "Nothing is easier for Allah than to bring out His slave from one state to another: from point A to point B even if it is at the end of the earth, or from health to sickness - just like that - or from life to death - just like that."

* "When the people who follow the path of light meet they recognize one another and experience familiarity, while those who follow darkness are in constant opposition and alienation from everything. Light never presents opposition with itself, only increase in intensity of love, beauty, and truth as in the verse { Light upon Light } (24:35). While darkness is an unchanging block over which more darkness stacks up, as in the verse { Layer upon layer of darkness } (24:40).

* "Light spreads everywhere but darkness is static. Light, if allowed, pierces into darkness as far as the eye can see whereas darkness, as thick as it can be, can never pierce into light. If darkness had the power to spread, it would be a big problem!"

* "A young woman saint - waliyya - reached a level in the Diwan of Rasulullah - Sallallahu `alayhi wa Sallam - only through patience with a physical ailment hidden even to her mother and from which she suffered without a single complaint."

* "Each can only speak of what he knows. As for what is not known to him he should not fall into denial but defer to those who know."

I was fortunate to read with the Shaykh Imam al-Qushayri's introduction on doctrine (`aqida) in the beginning of his Risala. I have published his remarks and explanations in my post on al-Qushayri's `Aqida.

Among the du`as I heard the Shaykh say the most when I was with him: "Rabbi yughallib al-baraka `ala al-haraka." "May my Lord make blessing greater than activity."

I am thankful for having met Sidi Mustafa Basir the great-grandson of the Prophet - Allah bless and greet him - who called the People of the Qur'an "the People of Allah" (Ahlullah), and it is therefore right and correct that their teacher be called the Master of the People of Allah (Shaykh Ahlillah) - may Allah bless him, thank him and support him!

To You belongs all praise O my Lord for Your healing, kindness, and generous gifts embodied in the hospitality of Your Friends and the Bearers of Your Book in the lands of the West concerning which Your Prophet said - Sallallahu `alayhi wa Sallam: "The people of the West (ahl al-gharb) shall not cease to be victorious, standing for truth, until the Hour rises." Narrated from Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas by Muslim in his Sahih. May Allah not make this our last encounter with the World of the Qur'an!

Wa Sallallahu `ala Sayyidina Muhammad wa `ala Alihi wa Sahbihi wa Sallam.
Wal Hamdu lillahi Rabb il-`alamin.

Hajj Gibril
GF Haddad ©

The Critical Importance of Al-Ghazali in our times

2012-01-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

Hamza Yusuf - "The Critical Importance of Al-Ghazali in Our Times" (Fons Vitae Press) from Fons Vitae Press on Vimeo.

The Prophet's Character Described: Dr Umar Abd-Allah's Commentary - 2/2

2011-12-14T15:01:00.000-08:00

Rare Footage Of Sidi Syed Muhammad al-Abbaasi al-Qadri The Keeper Of The...

2011-12-14T15:00:00.000-08:00

Murabit Muhammad Zain, the man in Madina and the dream. Narrated by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

2011-12-14T14:24:00.000-08:00

This is takin from "The Poor Man's Book of Assistance" CD set.
On CD #6 while discussing the importance of good manners especially with people of God, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf goes on to narrate this story...

"This happened to someone I know, there is someone in Mauritania who is very well known for doing unusual things that indicate that he's إلهام
you know, that he's an inspired individual(رحمه الله). We were gonna go see him and I was going to bring someone to see him, and we couldn't
go, and the whole way we were driving to this place in the middle of the desert, and the whole way I was really troubled about not seeing this man, because I was with someone that I wanted him to see and he was going to help him as well, anyway we came over this hill and there he was sitting out on the rock, and this is in the middle of nowhere!.
Literally sitting out on this rock and he had one of the people that worked for him, had just killed a sheep and he was cutting it down and he was about to roast this sheep, I mean this is like something...Mauritanians just don't do this, and he had a bowl of yogurt drink and then he had this guy with him with a gun to do ترحيب,welcoming he said "ترحيب من دون نفاق" This is welcoming without hypocracy. So then this Shaykh, he's a sharif from the Prophets family(SAW)... and this is normal for him, like if you tell this to people who know him they just say "yeah...that's what he does" And we were in a hurry, thats why we didn't go visit him in the first place, but I was actually nervous about not going to visit him. So he said "You have two choices, because your travelers I'm not going to keep you here, so you can either stay and have lunch with us or take one of those sheep, and then I was telling another person this story and I said "..and he had a sheep tied to a tree and he said "No! two sheep" and then I looked at him and said did I tell you this story already and he said "No" and there was two sheep there, Mauritanians are like this, thats why they are very strange people to spend alot of time with. He said "Two sheep!" then he kind of realized then just said "No,I didnt hear that story before" and he didn't. But there were two sheep. He said "you take one of the sheep and you eat it along the road, so we ended up taking the sheep. So anyway this person was in Madinah and they hit something in a car and he said "Ya Rasulillah!" and there was somebody in the car who said that was shirk, and this man he didnt say anything about it. But that night another person, and this is a person I know. Another person, the Prophet(saw) came to him and said "Go tell my son Muhammad Zain , go tell him I'm upset with that other man, he shouldn't have said anything to him, but not to worry about it. So he just went and told him "I don't know what this is about" cause this man lives in Madinah, he came to Muhammad Zain and said "I don't know what this is about, but I saw the Prophet(saw) last night and he told me to tell you this about so and so" and it was a person who had said that to him, it was the other person, so you know, there are people who, that is their experience of the world, whether you believe it or not is irrelevant."

The (undesirable) Effects of Television

2011-11-30T14:42:00.000-08:00

Shaykh Hamza mentioning a miracle of Dr. Umar Abd-Allah that he himself witnessed

2011-11-30T14:41:00.000-08:00

Biography of Sidi Fudul al-Huwari By Hamza Yusuf.

2011-11-30T14:08:00.001-08:00

http://sandala.org/blog/2011/11/25/biography-of-sidi-fudul-al-huwari/

One of the great traditions of Islam is what is referred to as “tabaqat” literature. It is essentially biographical material that highlights the lives and qualities of the great sages, scholars, ascetics, and saints of Islam. The earliest biographical literature, such as Ibn S’ad’s Tabaqat, pertains to the lives of the Prophet’s Companions. The benefit of reading such literature is feeling one’s own meager existence when compared with the luminaries of the past; it also rouses ourselves from our heedlessness in order to set out as those before us, who left, for those to follow, their footprints on that ancient and well-trodden path of purification and ensuing illumination. In light of this, I hope to share with my readers certain highlights and qualities I have witnessed and come to know of in the people whom God has blessed me with knowing and benefitting from. The primary purpose here is to let those who have not been afforded such opportunities, but still love to hear the stories of the righteous, experience vicariously their presence. The scholars say, “When the righteous are remembered, grace descends.” That such luminaries still exist is testimony to the continued spiritual power and effectiveness of our Prophet’s teaching, peace and blessings of God be upon him. God has blessed this community with such men and women until the end of time, and even in this dark time of spiritual sloth and vanity they nurture those who come to know and love them. When the pleasures and the pastimes of the ego have blinded so many of us from the path of purity and piety that leads to salvation and sanctification, they reveal themselves as cogent reminders to those who will listen that the world is temporal, fleeting as dissipating before our very eyes and we too shall follow.

The first is that of the great Moroccan sage, scholar, and saint, Sidi Fudul al-Huwari. Though we make no claims about people’s ranks with God – as God alone knows the hearts – rather, we assume their high spiritual station from our good opinion of them based upon their outward noble character and exemplary piety.

Born around the turn of the twentieth century, Sidi Fudul al-Huwari grew up in Fes
and served as an imam in the large mosque next to Bab Boujloud,
and also taught Ibn Ashir and other basic texts in the Bou Inania Mosque.

In 1978, when he was still quite vibrant and able to teach, I visited him for the first time. Unbeknownst to me at the time, it was the beginning of a powerful and wonderful relationship that would last for over twenty years and leave an indelible mark on me that I feel to this day. On that first visit, he explained how, from being a barely literate craftsman, he became an imam and a scholar: One day while still in his teens and busy at his job in a shop, a shaykh, whom he had seen on many occasions walking to the Qarawiyyin, stopped and stood outside his workplace, watching him. Eventually Sidi Fudul realized he was being watched; the shaykh then asked the shop’s keeper if the young man could come with him. The man obliged, and the shaykh took Sidi Fudul to the Qarawiyyin and instructed him to sit in the outer circle and simply listen. The shaykh explained that not much would make sense to him but to be patient. He did this for some time, and, soon enough, the lessons did begin to make sense. After many years of study, Sidi Fudul became a scholar in his own right. The shaykh’s name was Sidi Muhammad bin al-Habib,
and Sidi Fudul later became his leading student and a commentator of his diwan of mystical poetry. Sidi Fudul was himself a poet of some note.

On one visit, he gave me the original handwritten manuscripts of his commentaries on his shaykh’s diwan, which I still treasure. He also gave me a teaching license (ijazah) in person, orally, and then later had his student, Maulay Hasan Lamdaghari, send me a written one. Sidi Fudul was given the mantle of his own shaykh and was recognized as a spiritual adept but declined to accept it. He once told me, “I know my limits, and I could never fill the shoes of Shaykh Ibn al-Habib.”

Shaykh Bennani, a great scholar and qadi from Fes, told me, “Sidi Fudul is not one of the great scholars. His outward knowledge, while competent, is not vast like the great scholars, but he knows what most of the great scholars do not. He knows his Lord.” By contemporary standards, however, he is a notable scholar of the later part of the twentieth century. He loved to comment on the Qur’an, and had a special affinity for the Verse of Light, which he commented on countless times, always with new insights. His lectures on Ibn Ashir were some of the most well-attended and popular lectures in Fes among common people.

Sidi Fudul was a beautiful man, who symbolized a Morocco that is fast disappearing. He was a true gentleman, erudite, learned, forbearing, and above all, he was in a constant state of submission to his Lord. He once lamented to me that modern-day Morocco had drifted far from the Islam of their past, and he warned me of the new trends of Islamic revival, which he saw as having more to do with politics than with the spiritual center of Islam. In his earlier life, Sidi Fudul had been active in the politics of Fes, driven not by the utopian fantasies of some modern Islamists but rather by a sense of civic duty. He once said to me, “Calling other Muslims innovators is an innovation.”

Once, late in his life, I visited him when he was in a coma, lying on his bed. He had lost both his hearing and sight at this stage. His daughter, Fatima, at that time in her seventies, was looking after him. We greeted him, and Maulay Hasan said to me, “He cannot hear anymore.”

At that point, Sidi Fudul spoke up: “Give me a moment. I am coming to visit.”

A few minutes later, he asked to be helped to sit upright, and we complied. He then asked for his eyeglasses. Fatima brought them and put them on for him. He suddenly opened his eyes wide, scanned the room, and proclaimed, “Yasin!” He then began to recite Sura Yasin, the thirty-sixth chapter of the Qur’an. We all joined him in the recitation. When we finished, he began to tell us of wonders he had been experiencing in his state. He also conveyed to us that he had exhausted all of the demons and that they had given up on sowing doubt in his heart about his Lord. This memory of my last meeting with Sidi Fudul forever abides in my heart.

Sidi Fudul spent his life acquiring and then teaching the sciences of Islam. He was a well-respected scholar in Fes and present at the gatherings of notables. He had a gentle character, and should your eye fall upon his face, you were reminded of your Lord. His tongue was always moist with the remembrance of God, and he always had time for anyone who needed advice or to know a legal ruling. He had a small spice shop in the market near his house, and he could be found there reciting Qur’an or reading a book of knowledge while waiting for his provision. Shaykh Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki, the great Meccan scholar, whenever he visited Morocco, would always visit Sidi Fudul in his house in Fes. Just as birds of a feather flock together, saints find sanctuary in one another’s company.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright: From the forthcoming book, Meetings with Mountains, by Peter Sanders. www.petersanders.com

Spirit of RIS 2011

2011-11-24T18:52:00.000-08:00

Sh. Hamza Yusuf at Guiding Light Islamic Center

2011-11-24T18:45:00.000-08:00

Sh. Hamza Yusuf at RIS Knowlege Retreat in Toronto

2011-11-24T18:39:00.000-08:00

Shaykh Uthman don Fodio by Sultan Muhammad Bello

2011-11-24T16:58:00.000-08:00

He was the Shaykh of Islam, the most learned among the scholars, the regal erudite, perpetual deliverer, the scholar of humanity, the one who realized the highest stations, Abu Muhammad Sa`d Uthman ibn Muhammad ibn Uthman ibn Salih ibn Harun ibn Muhammad Ghurtu ibn Muhammad Jubbu ibn Muhammad Sanbu ibn Maasiran ibn Ayyub ibn Buba Baba ibn Abu Bakr ibn Musa Jokoli ibn Imam Danbu. He was famous as Dan Fuduye’. He was my father. The protected friends of Allah (al-awliya) foretold of his coming before his appearance… From that is what was related from sound narrators on the authority of Umm Hani al-Fulani, the righteous saintly women when she said: “There will appear in this region of the land of the Blacks, a waliy from among the protected friends of Allah. He will renew the deen, revive the Sunna and establish the religion. The fortunate people will follow him and his remembrance will be spread throughout the horizons. The common people and the elite will obey his commands. Those connected to him will be known as the Jama`aat. Among their signs is that they will not heard cattle, as is the custom of the Fulani. Whoever encounters that time should follow him.” In short, many of the protected friends of Allah recognized him and informed us of his affair even before his appearance and at the time of his appearance as well.
Realize that this shaykh was reared from the time he was young to invite people to Allah. The Shehu said: “As for as the matter of protected friendship with Allah is concerned, for the most that I know about myself is that Allah ta`ala had established me in a spiritual presence which manifested from a divine state, from the time I was a young boy up until the time I reached the age of thirty-one years. I was seized by an instantaneous spiritual magnetic gravitational orbit that emerged from the lights of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, due to the baraka of sending blessings upon him. I was extracted up until I was in the very presence of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which caused me to continuously weep. In that presence I had an intense desire to recite the poem by Abu Sufyan ibn al-Haarith, may Allah be pleased with him, where he eulogized the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace after his death. Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace ordered me to recite it in his presence, so I began to recite it… When I had recited the poem and reached the point in the poem where I said: ‘And he guided us and now we do not fear misguidance among us, while the Messenger is our guide on the Path’; the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace then said: “Stop there.” So I stopped. He then gave me the good news by his words to me: “I am your guide on the Path of the religion, for you will not go astray.” This good news was better to me than the entire world and what it contained.”

Sultan Muhammad Bello

Mawlid at the home of Sidi Faysal with Habaib and Tijanis of Makkah

2011-11-24T16:51:00.000-08:00

Living the Quran #7

2011-10-11T14:40:00.002-07:00

Living the Quran #6

2011-10-11T14:40:00.001-07:00

Living the Quran#5

2011-10-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

Living the Quran#4

2011-10-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

Living the Quran #3

2011-10-11T14:38:00.002-07:00

Living the Quran with Imam Zaid #2

2011-10-11T14:38:00.001-07:00

Living the Quran with Imam Zaid Shakir #1

2011-10-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

Remembering Habib Sa'd bin Alawi al-Aydarus

2011-10-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

Habib Muhammad ibn 'Alawi al-'Aydarus (1932-2011) by Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahya

2011-10-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

Habib Muhammad ibn 'Alawi al-'Aydarus (1932-2011)

Thousands of the people of Tarim and Hadramawt came out at `Asr on Juma` for the janaza of Habib “Sa`d” Muhammad bin `Alawi al-`Aydarus, who passed away the previous day, Thursday 8th Dhu’l-Qa`dah/6thOctober 2011 at the age of 82.

Before the janaza, Habib Umar bin Hafiz and Habib Salim bin `Abdullah al-Shatiri addressed the crowd, recounting the exploits of this great Imam and calling the people to return to Allah and hold fast to the inheritance of the their predecessors.

He was then buried in the Zanbal graveyard next to the Qubbah of his ancestor, Imam `Abdullah bin Abu Bakr al-`Aydarus.

In his mawlid speech the night before Sayyidi al-Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah preserve him) commemorated the life of Habib Sa`d. What follows is a summary of Habib `Umar’s words with some extra detail for clarification.

He mentioned that he was someone who had an immense connection to his predecessors (Salaf), to the Qur’an, to the mosques and to the remembrance of Allah. He had great love for Allah and His Messenger and the pious people. He had great humility and a constant desire to help and benefit others, and he possessed a big portion of the Prophetic legacy.

He returned to Tarim after four years in a socialist prison in Aden. Just as Sayyiduna Yusuf was given authority over the land of Egypt after his time in prison, Habib Sa`d was entrusted with religious authority in Tarim. He became imam of the great Masjid of Shaykh `Abd al-Rahman al-Saqqaf and remained Imam for 35 years, presiding over the Hadara which is held there twice a week. He re-opened the Qubbah of Abu Murrayam, a school for the memorisation of the Qur’an which had been established six hundred years previously but closed by the socialists. Thousands of students subsequently memorised the Qur’an at his hands.

Like his predecessors amongst the scholars of the Ba `Alawi way, he had veneration for Imam al-Ghazali’s Ihya’ `Ulum al-Din. He presided over the reading of the Ihya` every Monday in the Qubbah of Imam `Abdullah bin Abu Bakr al-`Aydarus. Just days before his death he was given copies of a new print of the Ihya` and he spent his last hours with this great work in his hand.

A big portion of his life was spent with the mushaf or masbaha (prayer beads) in his hand or bowing or in prostration. For years he would go in the second half of the night to pray in Masjid Ba `Alawi and then go to Masjid al-Saqqaf to read the Qur’an with the group before Fajr. Only illness towards the end of his life prevented him from continuing in his daily and nightly programme.

Out of his mercy and softness of his heart he began to compile small books on many subjects that he hoped would be of benefit to people. He compiled one book after another, and they spread far and wide.

His Book of Intentions was translated into English and when we were in Europe and America we were given copies to give out to people. Light would enter people’s hearts when they read such a book, because he compiled it with a pious intention.

When we look at the life of Habib Sa`d we must reflect on how we use our time and prepare for the meeting with Allah. Many people die worshipping power or fame or die in evil places or amongst heedless people. Allah give us the best of endings and make us firm on la ilaha ill’Allah.

May Allah reward him on behalf of this city, the people of Islam and the people of this time. May Allah grant him the best entry to the Barzakh and the ability to intercede for many.

Footprints of a Prophet

2011-10-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

Footprints of our Master Ibrahim(a.s)(Abraham)being transfered from its old wooden case to a crystal glass chamber near the Holy Kaaba.

2011-09-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

God-Consciousness After Ramadan from Sandala.org on Vimeo.

Fasting, Materialism and Time Management: Ramadan Advice by Imam Suhaib ...

2011-09-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

إدوم ولد نافع(Idum ould Nafi)

2011-08-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

Idum ould Nafi He was born in 1930 and was a descendent of Abu Bakr As Sadeeq(raa). As a student he studied a traditional Islamic education curriculum, memorizing the entire Qur'an and multiple books on Maliki fiqh,arabic grammar and rhetoric. When he completed his studies he made Hajj on foot,passing through Mali,Niger,Nigeria,Chad,Sudan and Egypt. He spent the end of the 1950's and early 1960's in Mecca and Madina sitting with the scholars and returned to Mauritania in the early 70's where he became a Judge. He passed away during Ramadhan in 2005.

A special conversation with Habib Umar bin Hafiz

2011-08-27T15:12:00.001-07:00

A Special Conversation with Habib Umar bin Hafiz from Radical Middle Way on Vimeo.

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf with two of his teachers

2011-06-25T13:14:00.001-07:00

The tree that shaded the Prophet Muhammad(Peace be upon him)

2011-06-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

A pistachio tree that is believed to have provided shade for the Prophet Mohammad when he travelled to Damascus with his uncle, Abu Talib (Photo by Taylor Luck

Yemen - Part 2

2011-06-22T14:16:00.001-07:00

Yemen - Part 1

2011-06-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

Heart Journey - Part 1b

2011-06-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

Heart Journey - Part 1

2011-06-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

Professor Akbar Ahmed visits Shaykh Hamza Yusuf at his house to discuss Islam in America

2011-06-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

زيارة لمحضره قرآنيه(Visit to The Qur'an School-Mauritania)

2011-06-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

Qurrat al-Absar: Part 2

2011-06-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

Qurrat al-Absar: Part 2

Murabit al Hajj being assisted to the masjid.

2011-06-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf at The Thursday Evening Community Partnership Program

2011-06-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

El Hajj Malik El Shabazz: I Have No Fear Whatsoever of Anybody or Anything

2011-06-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

Living Islam: Serving Humanity by Lauren Booth

2011-06-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

Living Islam: Serving Humanity by Imam Zaid Shakir

2011-06-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

Allah Allah Ya Hu Qaseedah with Habib Umar

2011-05-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

Islam - A Pictorial History

2011-05-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Qasidah Muhammadiyyah By Shaykh Ninowy at Suhba May 2007

2011-05-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

Habib Ali Jaafar Al-Aydarus

2011-05-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Habib Ali Jaafar Al-Aydarus is known as shaman Ali by the people because of his unsual talents. He is 95 years old (2008) and coming from the family of Prophet(saw) through Imam Hussein*(as) as told by his grandson Ibrahim. He is living in Batu Pahat – Johor, Malaysia.

Anyone who has met with him will never forget the memory of meeting him until their last breathe. His holiness in following Prophet's sunnah is clearly portrayed through his actions. Among the character traits of Prophet(saw) that he internalized within his heart and portrayed through his action are, he will not turn his back to his guest when he wants to move to another room. He will slowly walk facing his guest until he exits from the living room. He love's to be entertained by qasidah or burdah.When he is not in good mood or sad. He will ask his grandchild to recite qasidah or burdah for him.

Anyone who get invited to be a guest for a night in his house will be regarded as lucky by many people who know him. People visit him have no doubt's about his karamah and goodness that are sparkling around him and his guest when they visit him.

His life was tested with many tests from Allah swt.

Among of his saintly signs are his prayers are quicly answered, he know's about people without them having to tell him, he know's who will come to visit him without anyone telling him and many more that remains as a secret between him and his Lord.

There was time when people came to him,telling him about their needs and then he asked his son to take his money from under his praying mat. His son knew that there was no money under it and said that there’s no money under the praying mat. But he insisted, his son went to check and found out that the money is was there. He is not living in a big and luxurious house but rather a kind of wooden village house. Anyone who sees his house will know that its a poor person’s house and he spends all of his time in the house.

Ironically, even though he only spending his life in the house many people get meet him from around the world. The famous sunni scholars such as Habib Ali al Jifri,Habib Umar al-Hafidh and scholars from Saudi Arabia are among them. Subhanallah. The beauty of a shiny diamond can never be veiled by anything. God will spread his lovers’ name and proud of having them as His servant. Subhanallah.

Anyone who see's him will know the sign's of the lovers of God are with him. His shiny body and his unsual acts are becoming the proof of God’s existence.

If anyone knows Ayatollah Behjat(ra),and visited Habib Ali Jaafar Al-Aydarus, they will never reject that both of them have the same looks. Ayatollah Behjat(ra) was known as a saint among the shias and had his own karamah.

May peace be upon the truthful followers of the Messenger of God(sawaws),His family and His righteous sahabah.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Zeynab Abdullah.

NOTES

* Edited due to error by Author.

© Ba’Alawi.com

American Muslim scholar declares: Terrorists are mass murderers, not martyrs

2011-05-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

American Muslim scholar declares: Terrorists are mass murderers, not martyrs

BY RICHARD SCHEININ San Jose Mercury News, Published Sunday, Sept. 16, 2001

Tuesday's terrorist attacks have saddened and maddened millions -- and raised questions for many about Islam. Speculation abounds that the hijackers were inspired by terrorists like Osama bin Laden, who teach that violent acts can pave the way to paradise.

But what does Islam really say about such matters? About jihad and martyrdom?

We asked Hamza Yusuf, an Islamic scholar in the East Bay, who said the attackers were ``enemies of Islam.'' Not martyrs, but ``mass murderers, pure and simple.''

Yusuf, whose articles about Islam are published internationally, talked about the attacks, the hysteria that he fears could grip the United States, and the role that Muslims and others must play in opposing violence. ``We've got to get to some deeper core values that are commonly shared,'' he said.

Q Why would anyone do what the hijackers did?

A Religious zealots of any creed are defeated people who lash out in desperation, and they often do horrific things. And if these people indeed are Arabs, Muslims, they're obviously very sick people and I can't even look at it in religious terms. It's politics, tragic politics. There's no Islamic justification for any of it. It's like some misguided Irish using Catholicism as an excuse for blowing up English people.
They're not martyrs, it's as simple as that.

Q Because?

A You can't kill innocent people. There's no Islamic declaration of war against the United States. I think every Muslim country except Afghanistan has an embassy in this country. And in Islam, a country where you have embassies is not considered a belligerent country.

In Islam, the only wars that are permitted are between armies and they should engage on battlefields and engage nobly. The Prophet Muhammad said, ``Do not kill women or children or non-combatants and do not kill old people or religious people,'' and he mentioned priests, nuns and rabbis. And he said, ``Do not cut down fruit-bearing trees and do not poison the wells of your enemies.''

The Hadith, the sayings of the Prophet, say that no one can punish with fire except the lord of fire. It's prohibited to burn anyone in Islam as a punishment. No one can grant these attackers any legitimacy. It was evil.

Q What role should American Muslims have in opposing this brand of violent Islam?

A I think that the Muslims -- and I really feel this strongly -- have to reject the discourse of anger. Because there is a lot of anger in the Muslim communities around the world about the oppressive conditions that many Muslims find themselves in. But we have to reject the discourse of anger and we have to move to a higher moral ground, recognizing that the desire to blame others leads to anger and eventually to wrath, neither of which are rungs on a spiritual ladder to God. It's times like these that we really need to become introspective.

The fact that there are any Muslims -- no matter how statistically insignificant their numbers -- who consider these acts to be religious acts is in and of itself shocking. And therefore we as Muslims have to ask the question, ``How is it that our religious leadership has failed to reach these people with the true message of Islam?'' Because the acts of these criminals have indicted an entire religion in the hearts and minds of millions.

These people are so bankrupt that all they have to offer is destruction.

Q Why do some people regard the hijackers as martyrs?

A That's an abomination. These are mass murderers, pure and simple. It's like Christians in this country who blow up abortion clinics or kill abortion doctors. I don't think anyone in the Christian community, except a very extreme fringe, would condone that as an acceptable Christian response. In the same way, there's no Muslim who understands his religion at all who would condone this.

One of the worst crimes in Islam is brigandry -- highway robbery, or today we'd say armed robbery -- because it disrupts the sense of well-being and security among civilians.

Q Suicide bombers have cited a Koranic verse that says, ``Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord.''

A That is meant for people who are legitimately defending the lands of Islam or fighting under legitimate state authority against a tyrannical leader. There is no vigilantism in Islam. Muslims believe in the authority of government.

Imam Malik, an early Islamic legal authority, said that 60 years of oppression under an unjust ruler is better than one hour of anarchy.

Q Then why is there such strong support in parts of the world for the attacks?

A Because we're dealing in an age of ignorance and an age of anomie, the loss of social order. And people are very confused and they're impoverished. What Americans are feeling now, this has been business as usual for Lebanese people, Palestinian people, Bosnian people.

Q What about Israeli people?

A Certainly the fear element is there for Israeli people -- that's true, and the terror that they've felt. And there are still a lot of Jewish people alive who remember the fear and terror of what happened in Europe, so that's not far from people's memories.

It seems at some point, the cycles of violence have to stop. It's a type of insanity, especially when we're dealing with nuclear power. People are saying that this was an attack on civilization -- and that is exactly the point. And I think the question we all have to ask is whether indiscriminate retaliation is going to help preserve civilization.

The perpetrators of this and, really, all acts of terror are people who hate too much. There's a verse in the Koran that says do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Being just is closer to piety.

The evil of wrath is that justice and mercy are lost.

Q How do you explain Palestinians and others celebrating the attacks in the streets?

A When you see ignorant people in the streets, rejoicing -- the Prophet condemned it. It's rejoicing at the calamities of your enemies, and Islam prohibits that.

They do have a lot of anger toward America, because America produces much of Israel's military hardware and so many American tax dollars go to support Israel. You have a lot of animosity in the Arab world. But the vast majority of Arabs are horrified by what's happened.

Q The concept of jihad has been widely used to justify violence.

A Jihad means struggle. The Prophet said the greatest jihad is the struggle of a man against his own evil influences. It also refers to what Christians call a ``just war,'' which is fought against tyranny or oppression -- but under a legitimate state authority.

Q What is the Arabic word for martyr?

A Shaheed. It means witness. The martyr is the one who witnesses the truth and gives his life for it. There are people in this country like Martin Luther King who would be considered a martyr for his cause.

Also, if your home, your family, your property or your land or religion is threatened, then you may defend it with your life. That person is a martyr. But so is anybody who dies of terminal illness; it's a martyr's death. Because it's such a purification that whatever wrongs they once did, they're now in a state of purity.

And the greatest martyr in the eyes of God is the one who stands in the presence of a tyrant and speaks the truth and is killed for it. He is martyred for his tongue.

Q What does Islam say about suicide?

A Suicide is haram in Islam. It's prohibited, like a mortal sin. And murder is haram. And to kill civilians is murder.

Q What is a martyr's reward?

A The Prophet said that a martyr who dies doesn't have a reckoning on the Day of Judgment. It's an act through which he is forgiven. But the Prophet also said that there are people who kill in the name of Islam and go to hell. And when he was asked why, he said, ``Because they weren't fighting truly for the sake of God.''

If there are any martyrs in this affair it would certainly be those brave firefighters and police that went in there to save human lives and in that process lost their own.

Richard Scheinin can be contacted at (408) 920-5069 or by e-mail at rscheinin@sjmercury.com.

Islam in Malaysia

2011-05-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

Reflections on Blessed Life & Gatherings of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad...

2011-05-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

Qurrat al-Absar (The Discerning Eye's Delight)-Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

2011-05-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

Qurrat al-Absar (The Discerning Eye's Delight) — Lesson 1 from Sandala.org on Vimeo.

Inside Umayaad Masjid Damascus

2011-05-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

Habib Umar's Advice to the Students of Islamic Knowledge - SeekersGuidance

2011-05-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

Rediscovering the Way of Futuwwa, Islamic Chivalry

2011-05-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

Ustadh Usama Canon

2011-05-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

RIS US 2011 Trailer - Hamza Yusuf - Zaid Shakir - Suhaib Webb

2011-05-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

Imam Zaid Shakir sings Ya Imam Rusli at the Rihla 2006 in Jeddah

2011-04-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

Having a good opinion-Ustadh Usama Canon

2011-04-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

Shaykh Muhammad Al Yaqoubi talks about his father and his upbringing.

2011-04-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

Tradtional education according to the Islamic tradtion in Mauritania pt.2

2011-04-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

Tradtional education according to the Islamic tradtion in Mauritania pt.1

2011-04-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

Due to the harsh conditions in Mauritania, colonialist did not have the chance to delve deeply into the country, which has for the most part left its traditional Islamic school system in place, placing a emphasis on memorization of texts and one on one instruction with the teachers. The indigenous schools in Mauritania employ a pedagogical system using time-honored texts and the mahdara teaching methods in a classical curriculum. Students at these schools range from young children to old men and women although normally, schooling begins at about age six. Students begin by learning to read and write the Arabic Uthmaani script and memorize Qu’ran in the Warsh and Qaloon recitations. Students then proceed to study various sciences within Islamic Law, including grammar, sacred law, exegesis (tafsir), Prophetic traditions (hadith), Purification of the Heart, and the Prophetic biography (seera). Over many centuries, this system of education has produced some of the worlds greatest scholars and saints
Due to the harsh conditions in Mauritania, colonialist did not have the chance to delve deeply into the country, which has for the most part left its traditional Islamic school system in place, placing a emphasis on memorization of texts and one on one instruction with the teachers. The indigenous schools in Mauritania employ a pedagogical system using time-honored texts and the mahdara teaching methods in a classical curriculum. Students at these schools range from young children to old men and women although normally, schooling begins at about age six. Students begin by learning to read and write the Arabic Uthmaani script and memorize Qu’ran in the Warsh and Qaloon recitations. Students then proceed to study various sciences within Islamic Law, including grammar, sacred law, exegesis (tafsir), Prophetic traditions (hadith), Purification of the Heart, and the Prophetic biography (seera). Over many centuries, this system of education has produced some of the worlds greatest scholars and saints

Habib Umar running a Marriage Contract

2011-04-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

The Late Shaykh Muhammad Salem ould Addud

2011-04-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

The Late Shaykh Muhammad Salem ould Addud

He was born in 1930 and passed away April 29 2009
The Shaykh was a master in Arabic grammar and Maliki fiqh amongst other subjects. It is said that he memorised - even before he reached adulthood more than 20,000 poetry verses from more than 30 mutun,
The Shaykh also authored a 10,000 line poem which is a summary of Muktassar Khalil in Maliki Fiqh. It is said he was a library walking.

Yusuf Islam speaks about his conversion to Islam on "Rihla with Shaykh Hamza"

2011-04-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

Call to prayer in Mauritania

2011-04-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

Habib Umar bin Hafiz - "A Gathering of Grace" - Luton 2011

2011-04-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

Shaykh Muhammad Al Yaqoubi On Celebrating Mawlid Faqir AlamM Copyright ©

2011-04-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

A Glimpse of Shaykh Salek bin Siddina pt.4

2011-04-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

A Glimpse of Shaykh Salek bin Siddina pt.3

2011-04-16T12:27:00.001-07:00

A Glimpse of Shaykh Salek bin Siddina pt.2

2011-04-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

A Glimpse of Murabit al Hajj

2011-04-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

Habib Umar's visit to America pt.8

2011-04-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

Habib Umar Ajeeb San Francisco Dua

2011-04-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

Habib Umar's visit to America pt.7

2011-04-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

Usama Canon talks about Kindness pt2

2011-04-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

Usama Canon talks about Kindness pt.1

2011-04-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

Habib Umar bin Hafidh April 9, 2011

2011-04-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

Habib Umar and Shaykh Salek - Counsel and Dua from Both

2011-04-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

Shaykh Salek bin Siddina meets Habib Umar bin Hafiz

2011-04-08T12:27:00.001-07:00

Habib Umar arrives @ the Law School (Michigan)

2011-04-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

A Glimpse of Habib Umar's trip to America pt.6

2011-04-06T11:32:00.001-07:00

(Visiting the grave of El Hajj Malik El Shabazz(Malcolm X)

Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahya

2011-04-05T13:54:00.000-07:00

Born and raised in Berkeley, California,
Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahya, by the Grace of Allah, embraced Islam in 1989 in his home city. In 1996, having been inspired to study religious knowledge by the books of Imam Ghazali (Allah be pleased with him) and the call for the revival of Islamic knowledge, he traveled with his family to Damascus, Syria
where he embarked on a course of active pursuit of knowledge. During his two-year stay in Damascus he focused his attention on the acquisition of an elementary knowledge of the Arabic language and Quranic recitation, studying the latter under the tutelage of the highly respected Shaykh of Qur'an Abu Anas (Allah preserve him) at the Rawda Mosque in Damascus. Thereafter he moved on with his family to Tarim, Hadramaut
where he currently resides.

As a student at Dar al-Mustafa
he has primarily turned his efforts towards keeping the company of his Shaykhs’ from the noble prophetic descendents of Ba Alawi
and their lovers as well as attaining a knowledge of the Islamic Sciences. Specializing in jurisprudence according to the school of Muhammad Bin Idris al-Shafi'i (Allah be pleased with him), Shaykh AbdulKarim has studied the curriculum of jurisprudence at Dar al-Mustafa all the way to the Minhaj of Imam Nawawi (Allah be pleased him).

Since 1998, Shaykh AbdulKarim has been studying at the hands of Habib Umar
and his older brother Habib Mashhour,
the two sons of the late Habib Muhammad Bin Salim Bin Hafiz, as well as the other teachers of Dar al-Mustafa in Tarim, Hadramaut. Shaykh AbdulKarim has been given permission to answer questions according to the Shafi'i School as well as to teach jurisprudence, Arabic Grammar, and other disciplines by his Shaykh Habib Umar, Allah preserve him. He has also worked extensively as a translator For Habib Umar Bin Hafiz and Habib Ali al-Jifri (Allah preserve both of them).

Habib Umar bin Hafiz - Establishing That Special Connection to Allah & H...

2011-04-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

Habib Umar bin Hafiz - Establishing That Special Connection to Allah & H...

2011-04-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

Habib Umar bin Hafiz - Establishing That Special Connection to Allah & H...

2011-04-03T17:37:00.000-07:00

Shaykh Abdul-Wahid ibn 'Ashir

2011-03-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

Abdul-Wahid ibn 'Ashir
By Ustadh Abdullah ibn Hamid Ali

Abu Muhammad Sidi ‘Abdul-Wahid ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Ashir was one of the great Maliki scholars of Morocco.
His lineage can be traced back to the ancient Medinite tribe known as the ‘Ansar’ who lent their support to the Prophet Muhammad and welcomed him to take up residence in their city after the people of Mecca had persecuted him and driven him out. His most immediate descendants can be traced back to Islamic Spain (Andalusia). But they would later take up residence in the ancient Moroccan city of Fez
where Sidi Ibn ‘Ashir grew up and spent most of his life.

He was known as one who excelled at the various Islamic disciplines. He was also an extremely righteous and ascetic person. He, like many scholars before him, provided for his self through his independent labor and exertion. He was well-known for always seeking out the most wholesome and purest of food (halal). And people knew him to be humble, modest, and of the most outstanding character.

He would even sometimes attend the circles of scholars who were lesser than he in knowledge in order to take benefit. And he was constantly involved in teaching. When he spoke to and about people, he was very fair in whatever he had to say to others.

Some of his greatest contributions are in the area of the variant Koranic readings (qira’at). He has super-commentaries on the works of major scholars of that discipline, like Imam Ja’buri. He also surpassed those of his time in the area of scriptwriting (rasm). And he has an amazing commentary on a work entitled ‘Maurid Al-Zham’an’ (Drinking-Pool of the Thirsty) that deals with the manner of writing the script of six of the seven major authors of the variant Koranic readings besides Imam Nafi’i [1] that consists of approximately 50 lines of poetry.

He has also contributed much to the sciences of Grammar (nahw), word declension (sarf), exegesis (tafsir), law (fiqh), behavioral refinement (tasawwuf), logic (mantiq), eloquence (bayan), the poetic meters (‘arud), medicine (tibb), natural time determination (tawqit), arithmetic (hisab), inheritance law (faraa’id), and others.

He performed the Hajj pilgrimage in the year 1008
when he was 18. And he participated in a number of military campaigns. It was a common practice for him to take retreat in the mosque (‘itikaf) and stand up for the night prayer (tahajjud) very often.

He memorized the Koran under Ustadh Abu Al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn ‘Uthman Al-Lamti and others. And he learned the seven famous variant Koranic readings with Ustadh Abu Al-‘Abbas Al-Kafif, then from ‘Ali Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad Al-Sharif Al-Maryi Al-Talmasani and others.

His student, Shaykh Mayyara says of him in ‘Mu’in Al-Qari’ (The Aid of the Reciter) and in his Kabir on Al-Murshid Al-Mu’in:

“And there is no doubt that he eclipsed his own teachers (ashyakhahu) in versatility (tafannun) in the areas of presenting the various scholarly arguments and determining those that were correct (tawjīhāt and ta’dīlāt).”

He also learned fiqh (law) and other things from Abu Al-‘Abbas ibn Al-Qadi, his cousin Abu Al-Qasim, Ibn Abu Al-Na’im Al-Ghassani, Abu Al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn ‘Imran, Abu ‘Abd Allah Al-Hawari, Shaykh Al-Qassar and others. And in the east he learned from Salim Al-Sanhuri, ‘Abd Allah Al-Ghazzi, and others.

In a work entitled ‘Al-Matmah’ (The Goal), the author mentions:

“When he made Hajj and met with Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Al-Danushari and was asked by the Shaykh about his teachers (ashyaakihi) among which he mentioned ‘Al-Qassar’, Al-Danushari composed the following poem:

A number of Imams have weaved together the cloth of the sciences

And adorned with it virtue to those who were nude

Its selvages excite wonder and its embroidery is soft

But it is still in need of Al-Qassar”

And he (Ibn ‘Ashir) learned the spiritual path of Tasawwuf from his shaykh, Sidi Muhammad Al-Tajibi, better known as Ibn ‘Aziz, who is buried in Al-Darb Al-Tawil. He also reported marvels from him that he used to relate to others. And it was by his hand that the expansiveness of knowledge and good works were made easy for him (futiha ‘alaihi).

He – may Allah show him mercy – also composed a number of works characterized by the greatest of style and accuracy. One of them is the famous didactic poem that deals with the Five Pillars of Islam and the Fundamentals of Sufism entitled ‘Al-Murshid al-Mu’in ‘ala Al-Daruri min ‘Ulum Al-Din.’ He started to compose it after he adorned himself in the pilgrim garb for Hajj. Then he composed the acts of Hajj in their sequence as mentioned in his work starting with the words:

“And if you desire to execute your Hajj then listen to its explanation…”

So once he completed his Hajj, he finished (writing) what relates to the Five Pillars.

Another one of his works is his ‘Marginal Notes’ (Turar) that he recorded on Imam Al-Tatai’s small commentary on the Mukhtasar of Shaykh Khalil entitled ‘Jawahir al-Durar ‘ala Mukhtasar Khalil’ (The Jewels of the Pearls of the Mukhtasar of Khalil). Shaykh Mayyara says in his commentary on his didactic poem composed on ‘Takmil Al-Manhaj’ (Perfecting the Path):

“And they are excellent marginal notes. Some of them pertain to the comments of the aforementioned commentator and others pertain to the comments of Khalil. He solved in them a number of problematic issues and removed by them a number of obscure matters. So may Allah reward him from the Muslims good and magnify his reward for that…” And he said: “The Most Erudite Pious Saint Abu ‘Abd Allah Sidi Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr – may Allah have mercy on him, give benefit by him and eternalize the good and blessing among his progeny – gave an order to circulate those marginal notes. So I brought out more than 20 handwritten pamphlets (kurras) from the large closet (qalab). The people benefited from them. And they were published in the different towns.”

And in ‘Mu’in Al-Qari’ he mentioned that he brought out approximately 40 handwritten pamphlets.

And anytime a relative of his died, he didn’t prepare a banquet for those who would gather to recite Koran for the dead (hazzabun) as was the custom of people in his town. As a result, he was accused of being miserly. So when his brother died and he attended his funeral, he stood up once the people began to leave and said:

“O ye people! The only thing that kept me from preparing a banquet for the hazzabun is that they corrupt the recitation (of the Koran).”

But him saying that didn’t make the hazzabun stop this practice nor did the people stop preparing banquets for them.

He even used to say:

“The recitation of the hazzabun is an excuse for one not to attend funerals.”

That was conveyed about him in Badhl Al-Manāsaha (Offering Sincere Advice).

As for his death, he – may Allah show him mercy – was afflicted with an illness that the common folk called ‘Al-Nuqta’ (The Dot) on the early morn of Thursday, the third day of the Sacred month, Dhu al-Hijja, in the year 1040 AH. He died close to sunset on that day at the age of 50 – as is found in the handwriting of Sidi Al-Mahdi Al-Fasi. And he was buried the following day at the top of Matrah al-Janna near the prayer room (musalla). And a bow was built over it.

The author of Al-Nabiyya writes:

“And his bow located in the western portion of the Rawda of Sidi Yusuf Al-Fasi is well-known.”

His grave faces the direction of the Rawda of Sidi Yusuf. May Allah eternalize the benefit taken from him during life and after death.

His student Mayyara mentioned for him a short biography in the beginning of his commentary on ‘Al-Murshid Al-Mu’in’ and at the beginning of his super-commentary on Al-Bukhari as did the authors of ‘Al-Safwa’, ‘Al-Nashr’, and ‘Iltiqat Al-Durar’ as well as others.

Note:

[1] His name was Nafi’ ibn ‘Abd Al-Rahman ibn Abu Na’im, the client of Ja’una ibn Shu’ub Al-Laythi, who was the patron ally of the Prophet’s paternal uncle, Hamza ibn ‘Abd Al-Muttalib. He was originally from the town of Asfahan. And he died in Medina in the year 169 AH. He is considered the Imam of one of the 7 most famous Qur’anic modes of recitation, which would be recognized as the ‘Qur’anic Style/ or Reading of Medina.’ [Al-Jazari, Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Yusuf: Tahbir al-Taysir fi Qira’at al-Aimma al-‘Ashara. Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya, Beirut, Lebanon 1404AH/1983CE, pp. 13-14]

A Glimpse of Habib Umar's trip to America pt.5

2011-03-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

Habib Umar's trip to Canada and America pt.4

2011-03-26T12:06:00.001-07:00

Glimpse of Habib Umar's first trip to Canada and America pt.3

2011-03-22T12:15:00.001-07:00

Glimpse of Habib Umar's first trip to Canada and America pt.2

2011-03-22T12:13:00.001-07:00

Glimpse of Habib Umar's first trip to Canada and America.

2011-03-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

Usama Canon@Maryam Masjid - Mar. 19, 2011

2011-03-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ould al Hajj

2011-03-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Shaykh Alama Mufti Abdur Rahman bin Muhammad bin Salek bin Fahfu. Is one of the greatest Ulema living today,
His Noble father is more known in the west as the Noble Shaykh Murabit Al Hajj. Shaykh Abdur Rahman is from the tribe of Massumi who trace their lineage back to the Himyar tribe of Yemen. The Shaykh himself comes from a long line of scholars and is known throughout Mauritania and the world for his knowledge and piety.

Shaykh Abdur Rahman is the senior son of Shaykh Murabit al Hajj, the Shaykh from a young age memorized the Quran and studied the sciences of reading the Quran. He then started studying Maliki Fiqh,

He memorized and mastered all the major texts in the Maliki Fiqh such as Akhdari, Ibn Ashir, the Risala of Ibn Abi Zaid, Ashalul Masalik, Nathmu Muqadimaati ibn Rushd, and the Mukhtasar of Sidi Khalil and many more.

He then started studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology, very soon the Shaykh memorized and mastered nearly all the major classical texts such as Ajromiyah, Lamia tul Afaal, Qatru Nada, Mulhat al 'Iraab and the Alfiyyah of Ibn Malik. In aqidah, he mastered the Ash'ari creed using the texts of Imam Ash Sharnubi, Imam al Bulaym, Jawahar at Tawhid, and Idaah as well as other texts.

The Shaykh is a master in Maliki Fiqh. Shaykh Abdur Rahman has mastered over 18 sciences, including Usul al Fiqh, Hadith, Inheritance, Muamalat, Quran recitation (he knows all 7 seven Qirats), Iraab al Quran, Tafseer al Quran, Mujizat al Quran, and many more.

The Shaykh has served as an Imam and Mufti in Abu Dhabi, and currently lives with his family and children in the old quarters of Granada, Spain.

This information, courtesy of the Abu Hanifah Institute,

Uthman ibn `Affan (raa)

2011-03-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

`Uthman ibn `Affan ibn Abi al-`As ibn Umayya ibn `Abd Shams, Abu `Amr, Abu `Abd Allah, Abu Layla al-Qurashi al-Umawi (d. 35), the Prophet’s Friend, Amîr al-Mu’minîn, the third of the four Rightly-Guided Successors of the Prophet and third of the Ten promised Paradise. He is named Dhu al-Nûrayn or "Possessing Two Lights," a reference to his marriage with two daughters of the Prophet, Ruqayya then Umm Kulthum. He is among those who emigrated twice: once to Abyssinia, and again to Madina. He gathered together the Qur’an which he had read in its entirety before the Prophet. During his tenure as Caliph, Armenia, Caucasia, Khurasan, Kirman, Sijistan, Cyprus, and much of North Africa were added to the dominions of Islam. He related 146 hadiths from the Prophet. Among the Companions who narrated from him in the Nine Books are Anas, Abu Hurayra, Jundub, `Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, `Abd Allah ibn `Abbas, `Abd Allah ibn `Umar. A host of prominent Followers narrated from him, among them al-Zuhri, Ibn al-Musayyib, al-Dahhak, and `Alqama.

`Uthman was extremely wealthy and generous. When he heard the Prophet say: "Whoever equips the army of al-`Usra, Paradise is for him," he brought the Prophet a thousand gold dinars which he poured into his lap. The Prophet picked them up with his hand and said repeatedly: "Nothing shall harm `Uthman after what he did today." It is also narrated that equipped the army of al-`Usra with seven hundred ounces of gold, or seven hundred and fifty camels and fifty horses.

The Prophet said: "The most compassionate of my Community towards my Community is Abu Bakr; the staunchest in Allah’s Religion is `Umar; and the most truthful in his modesty is `Uthman." The pebbles were heard by Abu Dharr glorifying Allah in the hands of the Prophet, Abu Bakr, `Umar, and `Uthman. The Prophet particularly praised `Uthman for his modesty and said: "Shall I not feel bashful before a man when even the angels feel bashful before him?"

He was humble and was seen at the time of his caliphate sleeping alone in the mosque, wrapped in a blanket with no one around him, and riding on a mule with his son Na’il behind him.

It is related through several sound chains that `Uthman recited the Qur’an in a single rak`a. Ibrahim ibn Rustum al-Marwazi said: "Four are the Imams that recited the entire Qur’an in a single rak`a: `Uthman ibn `Affan, Tamim al-Dari, Sa`id ibn Jubayr, and Abu Hanifa." Ibn al-Mubarak also narrated that `Uthman used to fast all year round. `Ali ibn Abi Talib said: "`Uthman was one of those who were ‘mindful of their duty and [did] good works, and again [were] mindful of [their] duty, and [believed], and once again [were] mindful of their duty, and did right. Allah loves those who do good.’ (5:93)" Ibn `Umar said that `Uthman was meant by the verse "Is he who pays adoration in the watches of the night, prostrate and standing, bewaring of the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord. . ." (39:9).

Anas narrated: When Hudhayfa campaigned with the people of Iraq and al-Sham in Armenia, the Muslims contended with regard to the Qur’an in a reprehensible manner. Hudhayfa came to `Uthman and told him: "O Commander of the Believers, rescue this Community before they differ in the Qur’an the way Christians and Jews differed in the Books." `Uthman was alarmed at this and sent word to Hafsa the Mother of the Believers: "Send me all the volumes in which the Qur’an has been written down." When she did, `Uthman ordered Zayd ibn Thabit, Sa`id ibn al-`As, `Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, and `Abd Al-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham to copy them into volumes. He said: "If you all differ with Zayd concerning the Arabic, then write it in the dialect of Quraysh, for truly the Qur’an was only revealed in their dialect." There is Consensus around the integral contents of `Uthman’s volume. This means that one who denies or questions it in whole or in part has left Islam.

`Uthman was neither tall nor short, extremely handsome, brunet, large-jointed, wide-shouldered, with a large beard which he dyed yellow and long hair which reached to his shoulders, and gold-braced teeth. `Abd Allah ibn Hazm said: "I saw `Uthman, and I never saw man nor woman handsomer of face than him."

The plot to kill `Uthman marked the onset of Dissension (fitna) in the Community. Together with deadly division, the great sign of this Dissension was the beginning of falsehood. The timing of the spread of falsehood was foretold by the Prophet in the hadith: "I entrust to you the well-being of my Companions, and that of those that come after them. Then falsehood will spread." To counter this, the sciences of hadith and hadith criticism were innovated within the half-century which followed `Uthman’s death in order to sift true Prophetic and Companion-reports from false ones. This was done by verifying the authenticity of transmission chains (isnâds) embodied in the honesty and competence of transmitters, and by examining the conditions and contents of transmission in their minutest historical, linguistic, and doctrinal details. Ibn Sirin (d. 110) said: "We used to accept as true what we heard, then lies spread and we began to say: Name your transmitters." Confirming this is al-Hasan al-Basri’s (d. 110) reaction to someone who requested his isnâd: "O man! I neither lie nor was ever called a liar!" Later scholars such as Ibn al-Mubarak (d. 181) declared: "Isnâd is an integral part of the Religion, otherwise anyone can say anything."

The principle of authentication was founded by the Prophet himself and used by the Companions. This is proved by the Prophet’s questioning of the man who said he had seen the new moon of Ramadan: "Do you bear witness that there is no God except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah?" When he replied in the affirmative, the Prophet accepted his news. Similarly, Ibn `Abbas said: "If a trustworthy source tells us of a fatwa by `Ali, we do not seek any further concerning it." This shows that they already distinguished between true and dubious sources. Furthermore, all the Companions are considered trustworthy sources according to Allah’s saying: "You are the best community that has been raised up for mankind" (3:110) and several other verses and hadiths to that effect. This evidence was listed by al-Khatib in al-Kifaya and Ibn Hajar in al-Isaba.

The Prophet spoke of `Uthman’s forthcoming martyrdom on numerous occasions:

"Give him [`Uthman] the tidings of Paradise after a trial that shall befall him."

"A dissension shall surge like so many bull’s horns. At that time, he [indicating a man wearing a veil] and whoever is with him are on the side of right." Ka`b ibn Murra al-Bahzi then ran to the man, lifted his veil, and turned him towards the Prophet saying: "Him, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet said yes. It was `Uthman ibn `Affan.

`Uthman said: "The Prophet took a covenant from me [not to fight at the time of my martyrdom] and I shall fulfill it."

"O `Uthman! It may be that Allah shall vest you with a shirt. If they demand that you remove it, do not remove it."

Ibn `Umar said: "As `Uthman was delivering a sermon, Jahjah al-Ghafari walked up to him, snatched his stick, and broke it on his knee. A shard of wood entered his thigh and it got gangrened and was amputated. Then he died within the year. Al-Qadi `Iyad relates in his book al-Shifa’, chapter entitled "Esteem for the things and places connected with the Prophet," that this staff had belonged to the Prophet.

`Abd Allah ibn Salam said to the Egyptians at the time they were besieging the Commander of the Believers `Uthman ibn `Affan: "Never did Allah’s sword not remain sheathed from harming you since the Prophet came to it until this very day." Yazid ibn Abi Habib said: "I have heard that most of those that rode to kill `Uthman were later seized by demonic possession." Al-Dhahabi mentioned that `Ali had pronounced a curse on `Uthman’s killers. One of the reasons for the climate of hatred stirred up against the Caliph was the grievance of some parties from Egypt and Iraq that `Uthman was favoring his relatives among the Banu Umayya with public offices and demanded that he remove them.

Ibn al-Musayyib related that a group of seven hundred Egyptians came to complain to `Uthman about their governor Ibn Abi Sarh’s tyranny, so `Uthman said: "Chose someone to govern you." They chose Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, so `Uthman wrote credentials for him and they returned. On their way back, at three days’ distace from Madina, a black slave caught up with them with the news that he carried orders from `Uthman to the governor of Egypt. They searched him and found a message from `Uthman to Ibn Abi Sarh ordering the death of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and some of his friends. They returned to Madina and besieged `Uthman. The latter acknowledged that the camel, the slave, and the seal on the letter belonged to him, but he swore that he had never written nor ordered the letter to be written. It was discovered that the letter had been hand-written by Marwan ibn al-Hakam. `Uthman was besieged for twenty-two days during which he refused both to give up Marwan and to resign. He was killed on the last day of Dhu al-Hijja, on the day of Jum`a, by several men who had crept into his house.

Ibn `Umar related from `Uthman that the previous night the latter had seen the Prophet in his dream telling him: "Be strong! Verily you shall break your fast with us tomorrow night." When his assailants came in they found him reading the Qur’an. `Uthman was first stabbed in the head with an arrow-head, then a man placed the point of his sword against his belly, whereupon his wife Na’ila tried to prevent him with her hand, losing several fingers. Then `Uthman and Na’ila’s servant were killed as the latter fought back. She ran out of the house screaming for help and the killers dispersed. It is narrated that `Uthman was killed as he was reading the verse "And Allah will suffice you for defense against them. He is the Hearer, the Knower." (2:137) Several reports state that at the time of `Uthman’s siege and death Zayd ibn Thabit had marshalled three hundred Ansâr in his defense together with Abu Hurayra, Ibn `Umar, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, `Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, but `Uthman forbade all of them to fight.

Among `Uthman’s sayings:

"If I were between Paradise and the Fire, unsure where I will be sent, I would choose to be turned into ash before finding out where I was bound."

"I swear by Allah that I never committed fornication in the Time of Ignorance nor in Islam. Islam only increased me in modesty."

His servant Hani’ narrated: "Whenever `Uthman stood before a grave he wept until his beard was wet. He was asked: ‘You have seen battle and death without a tear, and you cry for this?’ He said: ‘The grave is the first abode of the hereafter. Whoever is saved from it, what follows is easier; whoever is not saved from it, what follows is harder. The Prophet said: "I have not seen anything more frightful than the punishment in the grave."’" `Uthman also related from the Prophet that whenever the latter finished burying someone, he would stand by the grave and say: "All of you, ask Allah to forgive your brother and make him steadfast, for he is now being questioned."

The Prophet said: "More men will enter Paradise through the intercession of a certain man than there are people in the tribes of Rabi`a and Mudar." The elders considered that this was `Uthman ibn `Affan.

Main sources: Abu Nu`aym, Hilya al-Awliya’ 1:92-100 #3; al-Dhahabi, Siyar A`lam al-Nubala’ 1/2: 566-614 #4.

SeekersGuidance - Habib Umar’s Morning Lessons on Imam Ghazali’s Marvels of the Heart - Day 1 - Select Quotes - Blog

2011-03-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

SeekersGuidance - Habib Umar’s Morning Lessons on Imam Ghazali’s Marvels of the Heart - Day 1 - Select Quotes - Blog

Abu Bakr(raa)

2011-03-14T15:03:00.001-07:00

Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, `Atiq ibn Abi Quhafa, Shaykh al-Islam, `Abd Allah ibn `Uthman ibn `Amir al-Qurashi al-Taymi (d. 13), the Prophet’s intimate friend after Allah, exclusive companion at the Prophet’s Basin (hawd) and in the Cave, greatest supporter, closest confidant, first spiritual inheritor, first of the men who believed in him and the only one who did so unhesitatingly, first of his four Rightly-Guided successors, first of the ten promised Paradise, and first of the Prophet’s Community to enter Paradise.

Alone among the Companions, Abu Bakr repeatedly led the Community in prayer in the lifetime of the Prophet. The latter used to call him by his patronyms of Abu Bakr and Ibn Abi Quhafa, and he named him with the attributes "The Most Truthful" (al-Siddîq) and "Allah’s Freedman From the Fire" (`Atîq Allâh min al-nâr). When the Quraysh confronted the Prophet after the Night Journey, they turned to Abu Bakr and said: "Do you believe what he said, that he went last night to the Hallowed House and came back before morning?" He replied: "If he said it, then I believe him, yes, and I do believe him regarding what is farther than that. I believe the news of heaven he brings, whether in the space of a morning or in that of an evening journey." Because of this Abu Bakr was named al-Siddîq: the Very Truthful, the One Who Never Lies.

Among the Companions who narrated from him: Anas, `A’isha, Jabir, Abu Hurayra, the four `Abd Allahs (Ibn `Abbas, Ibn Mas`ud, Ibn `Umar, Ibn `Amr), `Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, `Umar, `Uthman, and `Ali. The latter is one of the narrators of the Prophet’s hadith cited by Abu Bakr: "We [Prophets] do not leave anything as inheritance. What we leave behind is charity (sadaqa)."

`Umar said: "Abu Bakr’s faith outweighs the faith of the entire Umma." This is confirmed by the following hadith: The Prophet asked: "Did any of you see anything in his dream?" A man said to the Prophet: "O Messenger of Allah, I saw in my dream as if a balance came down from the heaven in which you were weighed against Abu Bakr and outweighed him, then Abu Bakr was weighed against `Umar and outweighed him, then `Umar was weighed against `Uthman and outweighed him, then the balance was raised up." This displeased the Prophet who said: "Successorship of prophethood (khilâfa nubuwwa)! Then Allah shall give kingship to whomever He will." `Umar also said: "The best of this Community after its Prophet is Abu Bakr." `Ali named him and `Umar the Shaykh al-Islam of the Community and said: "The best of this Community after its Prophet are Abu Bakr and `Umar," "The most courageous of people is Abu Bakr," and "The greatest in reward among people for the volumes of the Qur’an is Abu Bakr, for he was the first of those who gathered the Qur’an between two covers." He was also the first to name it mushaf.

Abu Bakr’s high rank is indicated, among other signs, by the fact that to deny his Companionship to the Prophet entails disbelief (kufr), unlike the denial of the Companionship of `Umar, `Uthman, and `Ali to the Prophet. This is due to the mention of this companionship in the verse: "The second of two when the two were in the cave, and he said unto his companion: Grieve not" (9:40) which refers, by Consensus, to the Prophet and Abu Bakr. Allah further praised him above the rest by saying: "Those who spent and fought before the victory are not upon a level (with the rest of you)." (57:10)

The Prophet confirmed his high rank in many of his sayings, among them:

"Allah gave one of His servants a choice between this world and what He has with Him, and that servant chose what Allah has with Him." Abu Bakr wept profusely and we wondered why he wept, since the Prophet had told of a servant that was given a choice. The Prophet himself was that servant, as Abu Bakr later told us. The Prophet continued: "Among those most dedicated to me in his companionship and property is Abu Bakr. If I were to take an intimate friend other than my Lord, I would take Abu Bakr. But what binds us is the brotherhood of Islam and its love. Let no door [of the Prophet’s mosque] remain open except Abu Bakr’s."

"I am excused, before each of my friends, of any intimate friendship with anyone. But if I were to take an intimate friend, I would take Ibn Abi Quhafa as my intimate friend. Verily, your Companion is the intimate friend of Allah!"

"You [Abu Bakr] are my companion at the Basin and my companion in the Cave."

"Call Abu Bakr and his son so that I will put something down in writing, for I fear lest someone ambitious forward a claim, and Allah and the believers refuse anyone other than Abu Bakr."

`Amr ibn al-`As asked: "O Messenger of Allah, who is the most beloved of all men to you?" He replied: "Abu Bakr."

"It is impermissible for a people among whom is Abu Bakr, to be led by other than him."

"Take for your leaders those who come after me: Abu Bakr and `Umar."

"O`Ali! Abu Bakr and `Umar are the leaders of the mature inhabitants of Paradise and its youth among the first and the last, except for Prophets and Messengers."

"The sun never rose nor set over anyone better than Abu Bakr."

"The Prophet used to hold nightly conversations with Abu Bakr in the latter’s house, discussing the affairs of Muslims, and I [`Umar] was present with them."

`Umar was angered by Abu Bakr one day and left him in anger. Abu Bakr followed after him, asking his forgiveness, but `Umar refused and shut his door in his face. Abu Bakr then went to the Prophet and took hold of his garment until his knee showed. The Prophet said: "Your companion has been arguing!" Abu Bakr greeted him and said: "There was a dispute between me and `Umar, then I felt remorse and asked him to forgive me but he would not, so I came to you." The Prophet said, repeating three times: "Allah forgives you, O Abu Bakr! Allah forgives you, O Abu Bakr! Allah forgives you, O Abu Bakr!" Then `Umar felt remorse and went asking for Abu Bakr at his house without finding him. He came to the Prophet and greeted him, but the Prophet’s face changed with displeasure. Seeing this, Abu Bakr sat up on his knees in fear before the Prophet, saying twice: "O Messenger of Allah! I am the one who trangressed. O Messenger of Allah! I am the one who transgressed." The Prophet said to the people: "Allah sent me to you and you all said: ‘You are lying!’ But Abu Bakr said: ‘He said the truth.’ Abu Bakr gave me solace with his person and property. Will you leave my companion alone once and for all? Will you leave my companion alone once and for all?!" After this Abu Bakr was never harmed again.

"Jibril came to me, took me by the hand, and showed me the gate through which my Community shall enter Paradise." Abu Bakr said: "Would that I were with you to see it!" The Prophet said: "Did you not know? You will be the first of all my Community to enter it."

Al-Suyuti relates through Ibn Sa`d’s report from `A’isha her description of Abu Bakr: "He was a man with fair skin, thin, emaciated, with a sparse beard, a slightly hunched frame, sunken eyes and protruding forehead, and the bases of his fingers were hairless." He was the foremost genealogist of the Quraysh and the best of them at interpreting dreams after the Prophet according to Ibn Sirin. `A’isha related that both he and `Uthman had relinquished drinking wine even in the Time of Ignorance. His caliphate lasted two years and three months in which he opened up the lands of Syria and Iraq for the Muslims, suppressed apostasy among the Arab tribes, fought the pseudo-Prophets al-Aswad al-`Ansi, Tulayha al-Asadi who recanted and declared his prophethood in Najd, and Musaylima the Liar who was killed in the devastating battle of al-Yamama.

Imam al-Nawawi pointed out that Abu Bakr’s genealogical tree alone regroups four successive generations of Companions of the Prophet: his father Abu Quhafa, himself, his daughter Asma’, and her son `Abd Allah, in addition to Abu Bakr’s son `Abd al-Rahman and his grandson Abu `Atiq. Nawawi states that only one hundred and forty-two hadiths of the Prophet are narrated from Abu Bakr. He comments: "The reason for this scarcity, despite the seniority of his companionship to the Prophet, is that his death pre-dated the dissemination of hadiths and the endeavor of the Followers to hear, gather, and preserve them." Among Abu Bakr’s sayings: "Whoever fights his ego for Allah’s sake, Allah will protect Him against what He hates."

Main sources: Al-Nawawi, Tahdhib al-Asma’ wa al-Lughat 2:181-182; Abu Nu`aym, Hilya al-Awliya’ 1:62-72 #1; al-Dhahabi, Siyar A`lam al-Nubala’ 1-2:467-508 #2.

A Glimpse pf Umar Ibn al-Khattab(raa)

2011-03-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

Umar- Description & Appearance
Umar was blessed with a strong physique. He could undergo great rigours. He could travel on foot for miles. He was an athlete and a wrestler. He participated in the wrestling matches on the occasion of the annual fair at Ukaz, and he won in most of such matches. From the accounts that have come down to us it appears that Umar had attained perfection in the art of wrestling.

Some first hand descriptions of the physical appearance of Umar have come down to us. Ibn Saad and al-Hakim have recorded a description of Umar as Abu Miriam Zir, a native of Kufa described him. Zir said:

"I went forth with the people of Madina on a festival day, and I saw Umar walking barefoot. He was advanced in years, bald, of a tawny colour-a left handed man, tall, and towering above the people."

Ibn Umar described the physical appearance of Umar as follows:

"He was a man of fair complexion, a ruddy tint prevailing, tall, bald and grey."

Ubayd bin Umayr described Umar as follows:

" Umar used to overtop the people in height."

Salima bin al-Akwa'a said about him:

" Umar was ambidexter; he could use both his hands equally well."

Ibn Asakir records on tile authority of Abu Raja al-U'taridi that:

"Umar was a man tall, stout, very bald, very ruddy with scanty hair on the cheeks, his moustaches large, and the ends thereof reddish."

Umar was a skillful rider. He could successfully manage even the wildest of horses he would literally jump on the back of the horse, and sit with such ease and steadiness that he appeared to be a part and parcel of the horse he rode.

He was very intelligent and shrewd. He was a good public speaker. He was gifted with an uncommon degree ot tact and judgment, and on several occasions he successfully undertook ambassadorial missions on behalf of the Quraish.

By all accounts he was self-respecting, broad-minded and sincere. He was a man of strong convictions, a good friend, and a bad enemy. Like the rugged hills around him, he was harsh and stern, violent in temper, but very good of heart. He was always prepared to stand up against the oppressor and espouse the cause of the weak.

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