Syed Muhammad Iqbal al-Abbaasi al-Qaadiri

Syed Muhammad Iqbal al-Abbaasi al-Qaadiri
He was the keeper of the Noble Rawda, the piece of Paradise on Earth, for more than 60 years. He was one of the very few to clean inside the Noble Chamber of The Messenger of God(pbuh). He passed away March 27th 2009

How to wrap a turban( from sunnipath.com)

There are several styles of tying the turban of which I am familiar with four.

Firstly, we should note, as you mentioned there are many hadiths dealing with the virtue of wearing a turban (although, I believe non have reached the level of Sahih, however, it is established that the turban was the sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah upon him and his family). The term you must come familiar with is the adthabah, or tail, referring to the ends of the turban. This will come up in most styles of tying the turban.

Style 1, 2: Tail hanging over the back or right shoulder, or 2 tails, one over the right shoulder and the other over the back.

The most common you probably have seen worn is the style favored by Tablighi Jamat and those of India/Pakistan. This is with either one or both adhabah, hanging over the right shoulder or between the shoulder blades down the back.

You tie this by holding one adhabah of the turban clenched between your teeth (I have always favored turbans about 5 ft. in length, although you could choose one longer or shorter depending upon your preference). The adhabah should hang over the right shoulder and will be about 1.5 ft in length. You then take the other end and bring it behind your head over your right shoulder (you should have on a good sturdy kufi that won't slip). You then cross it over the front of your head near the middle of the kufi and begin winding it around the head in a criss cross manner. You can keep either the turban flat, or round it, depending on what style you favor. When you get to the end, you simply tuck the remaining adhabah into the folds of the turban. Note: in the beginning it will take a lot of practice to determine the length of the first adhabah that is appropriate for the size of turban you are wearing and the size of your head. It takes a lot of patient practice and consistancy to get it right.

After this, you let the adhabah you were holding in your teeth out, and simply pull it to the back if you want it to hang there, or you can leave it where it was if you want it to hang over the right shoulder.

Style 2: if you want 2 adhabahs, simply shorten the first adhabah when beginning to tie your turban, and when you get to the final wrap, the second adhabah should end near the back of the head. Simply tuck a small part of the adhabah, and the rest of it will drape over the back so that you have 2 tails, insha'Allah.

Style 3: No adhabah

This is the style favored by Northern and Central Moroccans. This is accomplished by holding the first adhabah over the forehead with the right hand, and begin wrapping the adhabah around the head and bring it over the adhabah. Then continue to wrap it until you get to the end and then simply tuck it.

Style 4: The Muhaniq

This is the style favored by North Africans bordering the Sahara, and those of all of West Africa. It is the style I personally favor and is the style favored by Imam Malik and today's Malikis as well as the Hanabali madhab.

This style is a bit more complex but can be achieved with a lot of practice. Firstly, again the adhabah is clenched in the teeth over the right shoulder. For this style, you will probably need a bit more turban material, i.e. 7 or 8 ft.

After holding the adhabah, you bring the turban over your the top of your kufi and bring it under the chin (the haniq, thus the name of the turban style and those who wear it)and over the head again with the adhabah still clenched in the teeth and it is over the part under the chin. At this point there is a meeting of the turban over the top of your head.

You then carefully begin to wrap the turban. When you get to the end, you tuck the remaining adhabah into the fold of the turban.

You next, release the adhabah in your teeth and tuck it under the part of the turban under the chin and pull. You then push the front of the turban up slightly to reveal your forehead (important in the Maliki madhab to have a valid salat). Next, pull down slightly on the part of the turban draped under the chin. Finally, pull at the back part of the draped part and pull to the back of the head to close off that which is exposed in the back.

You will notice that the front is draping slightly over the mouth which is natural.

Finally, when choosing material I recommend cotton gauze since it is the softest cotton and I found the easiest to work with. It is light, so you may want to experient with other types of cotton. But remember, it takes a lot of practice and consistant wearing to get it right. May Allah reward you for striving to
follow the sunnah.

Jazakum Allahu Khayr
Wassalam




MMVIII © SunniPath.

Al-Habib Kazim Jafar Muhammad al-Saqqaf

Al-Habib Kazim Jafar Muhammad al-Saqqaf was born in Tarim, Hadramaut in the year 1960. He was taught the Quran and other Islamic disciplines by his eminent teachers at the famous school of Quranic Literacy and Memorisation Abu Murayyim and the prestigious school of classical learning the Ribat of Tarim. After graduating from the two aforementioned institutions, he continued his studies at the hands of some of the most qualified scholars and teachers of Tarim.

He thereafter travelled in search of knowledge to the northern Yemeni city of Bayda, registering at the famous Ribat of Bayda where he was blessed to study with some of the greatest scholars of recent times such as al-Habib Muhammad b. Abd-Allah al-Haddar, al-Habib Ibrahim b. Aqil b. Yahya and al-Habib Zain b. Sumait.

He then returned to Tarim were he continued his studies as well as embarking upon the continual task of dawah. He was appointed the principal and head teacher of the Ribat of Shihr, occupying that post for the next six years, thereafter transferring to the Ribat of Mukalla once again as principal and head teacher for a further two years.

He has taught internationally in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

He currently teaches at the prestigious Islamic institute Dar al-Mustafa in Tarim as well as sitting on the Council for Legal Verdicts at the same establishment. He is also extremely active in all parts of Hadramaut, regularly lecturing and participating in conferences.

Shaykh Bah

Muhammad Fall Ibn Abdullah Ibn Muhammad Fall Ibn Babah al-'Alawi,
known as Sheikh Bah
He was born in 1936, in Nabbaghiya.
1/ His quranic studies and sciences relating to it:
He completed the memorisation of the Quran at the age of eight, under a number of teachers, men and women.
The Mauritanian scholar studied tajweed and the sciences relating directly to the Quran initially with Sheikh Muhammad Lamin Ibn Baddi al-'Alawi (who passed away in 1962) - may God be pleased with him. The Shaykh recited the Quran a second time in the city of Medina Munawwira at the hand of a Shami scholar, Tayssir Tawfik, as well as other scholars that he met there.



2/ His studies with his Shaykh Muhammad Mukhtar:
Back in his home village, Nabbaghiya, our beloved teacher studied Grammar, Linguistics, Jurisprudence, Hadiths, Seerah at the feet of his Shaykh, Muhammad Abdullah Ibn Muhammad Mukhtar al-'Alawi, deceased in 1974, keeping his company for almost 20 years. During this period he narrated from his Shaykh numerous poems, some litterature and history.
3/ Other studies:
As to Usul (foundations of Islamic jurisprudence), Theology (Kalam), Logic (Mantiq), Bayan (Rhetorics) and other sciences, he did not study them with a specific teacher, but rather through extensive readings of books and commentaries, supported by a gifted mind, and of course with the authorization of one of his Shaykhs.
He then started to teach until he totally mastered them, God bless him!
4/His travels to the Haramayn for hajj and 'umra:
His first travel to hajj was in 1957; he then performed hajj another two times, in 1962 and 1971, and has performed 'umra a many times.
During those travels, he met and sat with numerous scholars of many different trends, including the renown hadith scholar Muhammad Hafiz Ibn Abdul-Latif Tijani Misri (who past away in 1977), which he had met for the first time in Medina Munawwara in 1957. Their relationship would then grow and strenghten; he loved him very much, and read to him parts of Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah. Shaykh Muhmmad Hafiz thus gave him an Ijaza (licence) for those books of hadith. The two scholars met many times; their last meeting was in 1966, when the Egyptian scholar visited Nabbaghiya.
Shaykh Bah also met with the big hadith scholar Mekki Kettani in Medina Munawwara in 1962. He also received an Ijaza from him for all major hadith books. Shaykh Bah received licenses from other scholars from Hijaz countries, Sham, Morocco and other places, such as Abu Hassan Nadawi al-Hindi. He even met with Abdul Aziz Ibn Baz!
5/ His other travels:
Our Shinguetti scholar did numerous trips to Morocco, sometime for long periods, regularly buying books from specialised bookshops. He also spent time in the public library in Rabat, becoming familiar to its staff, introducing books unknown to them, as Shaykh Bah had visited the libraries of Medina, including that of the Prophet's mosque. He also visited the most renown libraries of Damascus and Beirut. He also took advantage of the libraries of some of his Shaykhs in Senegal. His extensive reading in those various libraries demonstrate his degree of scholarship and is quite unusual for a Mauritanian scholar...


6/ His teaching debuts in Dakar then Mauritania:
The Shaykh started teaching in Dakar, Senegal, in 1956, when people from around Senegal, in the capital for trade, were visiting him all day long to read, sometime way into the night.
The desert scholar then started teaching in Nabbaghiya, Mauritania, in early 1962, were he is presently the Shaykh of the traditionnal Islamic school for Islamic Sciences of Nabbaghiya.
7/ Some books he authored:
Shaykh Bah has written numerous books, including a tafsir (commentary) of the Quran in eight volumes, a commentary on the character of the Prophet, Peace be upon him, that is published, "Rishq al-Siham", an apology of sufism and the tijjani tariqa, currently out of print, "Rissalat al-Islamiyah fii Dhami al-Tabarruj wa Mudharihi", an epistle he wrote when the American first landing on the moon, explaining that whether one believes it was true or not was not relating to creed, as some jurists had stated at the time. This epistle was published in the Moroccan magazine "Dawatul Haqq". He also wrote "Tasjil al-Tikrar", a commentary of the Ihmirar of Ibn Buna al-Jikani, and a commentary of the Diwan of Ghilan. He has some abridged commentaries and annotations on Maraqi Sa'ud of Ibn al-Haaj Ibrahim al'Alawi on Usul and on the mandhumah of Akhdhari on Bayan, and also on Khalil and other texts that are read in the mahdhara. Shaykh Bah also wrote many fatwas on a variety of topics.

Shaykh Muhammad Rami Nsour

Rami Nsour
Ustadh Rami Nsour was born in Amman, Jordan and moved to the United States at the age of 9. He was first introduced to the study of sacred knowledge while attending classes taught by shuyukh in the San Francisco Bay Area; notably, Shaykh Khatri bin Bayba, Shaykh Abdullah bin Ahmedna and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf. Studying at the hands of these inspirational shuyukh kindled his desire to further his studies of the Deen. With their encouragement, Ustadh Rami embarked on a journey to the West African country of Mauritania in 1998 where he became a full-time student of the sacred sciences for several years.

In Mauritania, he studied under the tutelage of some of the greatest scholars of our times such as his foremost teacher, Shaykh Murabit al Hajj bin Fahfu. He was also blessed to study with Murabit Muhammad al-Amin bin al-Shaykh, Murabit Ahmed Fal bin Ahmedna, Shaykh Abdullah bin Ahmedna, Shaykh Tahir ibn Murabit al Hajj and Shaykh Sa'd Bu among others. During the many years he spent in Mauritania, he studied at the School, or Mahdara, of Murabit Al Hajj. All of his lessons were one-on-one. This Mahdara is famous for producing some of the most learned scholars in history. Due to the rigors of its studies, this Mahdara attracts many serious students. Its academic make-up allows for the complete study of the Shari'ah by way of individual lessons with each scholar, followed by review of the lessons with seasoned students and finally, by witnessing the Deen come to life as the laws are implemented on a daily basis by all.

While studying at the Mahdra, Ustadh Rami completed studies in the subjects of Qur'an, Aqeedah, Fiqh, Seerah, Nahu and Ihsan. He dedicated much of his time to studying Maliki Fiqh up to the highest level. He has completed the final text of Maliki fiqh, Mukhtasar Khalil, with memorization has been granted permission by his shuyukh to teach Maliki fiqh. In addition to his extensive study of fiqh, he was afforded the unique opportunity to attend one-on-one sessions with his teachers where he would engage them in countless hours of discuss on the application of fiqh in general and in the West, in specific. It was during these unique sessions that Ustadh Rami developed a love for applying the knowledge gained from his studies to real-life situations. The acquisition of this exceptional skill coupled with his desire to take knowledge to others, would later aid Ustadh Rami in helping countless people and prove to be of immense benefit to all those who would come in contact with him.

Upon returning to California, he continued his study of advanced texts with Shaykh Saleck bin Sidine, a visiting scholar from Mauritania at the Zaytuna Institute. In the years that followed, he lived with Shaykh Saleck and was again afforded the opportunity to learn practical applications of fiqh and fatwa during this extraordinary "in-residence" experience. Ustadh Rami had been teaching and translating for the Zaytuna Institute on visits home to California and continued teaching classes while living and studying with Shaykh Saleck. The classes he taught at the Zaytuna Institute spanned from 2000-2004 and included Maliki fiqh and topics on adab/ihsan based on the works of Shaykh Muhammad Mawlud.

Ustadh Rami has also been gifted with the ability to translate traditional Islamic texts from classical Arabic into the English language in a clear and precise manner. His partial translations of Tadrib as-Salik, al-Izziyyah and Aqrab al-Masalik have been of great service to Malikis living in the West. In addition, his contribution to the science of Islamic etiquette/Adab by translating several works of the great Mauritanian scholar, Shaykh Muhammad Mawlud, have also been of immense benefit to all who have studied these texts. They include Birr al-Walidayan (The Rights of Parents), Ishraq al-Qarar (The Spiritual Aspects of Prayer), and the Adab of Sadaqa. He has also translated a versified version of Adab of the Student entitled Inayant al-Mutafahim (The Assistance of the Student), by Shaykh Muhammad al Hasan.

In addition, Ustadh Rami has dedicated much of his time to community work. He has taught at several local masajid, conducted seminars on Fard Ayn topics and has been involved in marriage counseling. He has spent a great deal of his time teaching and aiding Muslims in prison that are seeking traditional knowledge. His students in the prisons have in turn taught countless people and invited many people to Islam. He has been invited to speak at several national and international Islamic programs and has taught extensively throughout the US and Canada. He was also instrumental in founding Dar as-Salaam, a project dedicated to building and supporting a school which teaches the traditional sciences to adults and children in Mauritania. Ustadh Rami's experience with children includes teaching them the subjects of Arabic, Aqeeda, Fiqh and Adab/Suluk.

He is founder and director of the Tayba Foundation, an educational organization dedicated to preserving the sacred sciences by developing educational programs based on the traditional Islamic texts. At the forefront of the Tayba Foundation's efforts is the compilation of comprehensive educational curriculum whose aim is to teach Muslim children their Fard Ayn knowledge and thereby instill in them a strong sense of Islamic identity. Ustadh Rami currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, is married and has one child.

Murabit Ahmed Fal

Murabit Ahmed Fal is one of the leading scholars today and one who inwardly and outwardly has embodied the sunna of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam). In his youth, he spent many years studying with some of the greatest scholars of his time including Murabit al Hajj.Shaykh Ahmad Fal was married to the daughter of Shaykh Murabit al Hajj until she passed away. He went on to establish his own mahdara (Traditional Islamic University shown in the final photo)teaching all of the sciences of Islam. It is located About 20 km(12 miles)to the northwest of Mahdara of Murabit al Hajj.
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Ustadh Yahya Rhodus: Disciplining the Soul, Session 2