Friday 24 February 2012

absolute fact 1

It was bad etiquette (arrogance) that led Satan to be accursed forever, not a deficiency in worship.

Thursday 9 February 2012

a rose by any name

On the authority of Jubayr ibn Mut’im who said, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Verily, I have names: I am Muḥammad, I am Aḥmad, I am al-Māḥī through whom disbelief will be effaced. I am al-Ḥāshir in whose footsteps humanity will be gathered, and I am al-`Āqib, after whom there is no prophet.”
[Bukhari and Muslim]

On the authority of Abu Tufayl, who said that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Verily, I have ten names with my Lord." Abu Tufayl said, "I only memorised eight of them: Muḥammad, Aḥmad, Abu'l-Qāsim, al-Fātiḥ, al-Khātim, al-`Āqib, al-Hāshir, and al-Māhī." Abu Yahya said, that Sayf claimed, that Abu Ja`far said to him, "The other two names are Ṭā-Hā and Yā-Sīn.” 
[Ibn Abi Shaybah, and Ibn `Adi] 

Muḥammad: the best of his names, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. It is the one who is oft-praised, due to an abundance of praiseworthy qualities. The reality of Muhammad cannot be touched by fire. This is his żahir (apparent) name; of this world. 

Aḥmad: this is his peculiar, baṭin name, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. No one had previously been named Aḥmad, nor did anybody in his time take this name (although some companions did take the name Muḥammad). When Jesus (peace be upon him) prophesized the coming of the last messenger, he said: "his name will be Aḥmad" - as though he will be the only Aḥmad ever. This is his heavenly name. 

Abu'l-Qāsim: this is his kunyah (byname), may Allah bless him and grant him peace. It is narrated that he himself said, "nobody should assume my kunyah." Qasim was his eldest male child. 

al-Fātih: the conqueror, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He will conquer every land through his ummah, and his followers will bring entire cities crashing down with the dhikr (remembrance) of Allah. When the companions visited the Caesar, pillars in his palace shook every time they said “La ilaha il Allah” – and at the end of time, the Muslims will likewise conquer entire cities (such as Constantinople) with dhikr. 

al-Khātim: the seal, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He seals prophecy, messengership, and revelation from God. 

al-`Āqib: the culminator, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, after whom there is no prophet. 

al-Ḥāshir: the gatherer, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. It is in his footsteps that humanity will be gathered. He is the centre of the plains of judgement; all will gather around him. 

al-Māḥi: the effacer, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, through whom disbelief will be effaced.  

Ṭā-Hā and Yā-Sīn: may Allah bless him and grant him peace. These chapters of the Qur`an were recited 10,000 years before creation was created.

May Allah (blessed is He) bless and grant peace to His most beloved creation, equal to the number of names of everything that ever has or ever will be in existence.  

And may Allah bless our teachers and theirs, who are without doubt,
the inheritors of prophecy. 

Sunday 5 February 2012

Orphaned

Bismillah, w'alhamdulillah, wa-salat wa-salam ala Rasulillah,

Allahumma salli wa sallim ala jaami al-mahamid, man bihi tafarraj al-kurub, wa tukshaf ush-shada'id, sayyedina Muhammad, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi. Ya Hayy, ya Qayyum, ya Wahid.

O God, bestow mercy and peace upon the gatherer of praises, the one through whom difficulties are relieved and adversities removed, our master Muhammad - and upon his family and companions. O Living, O Sustainer, O One. 

Yesterday morning at Fajr (coinciding with the 12th of Rabi al-awwal), in the blessed city of Damascus, sayyedi Shaykh Abdul Razzaq al-Halabi, the grand mufti of the Hanafi school, left this lowly world.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.
No doubt we belong to the Creator, and He can call whomever He wishes back, whenever He wills. 

I can't count how many times in the last year I have made intention to visit Shaykh Abdul Razzaq; time and time again. But time waits for no one, and some of us just didn't get there in time. 

A friend of mine said "the hanafi madhab has been orphaned once more today" - true, but I feel each of us were orphaned individually also. Since the news, I feel less sure, less safe, less secure. Like a mighty pillar that gave us much strength has vanished, and now we're on shaky ground, and the roof may fall at any time.

May Allah preserve the knowledge of His religion; for "indeed the religion with Allah is Islam" - it belongs to Him, and His concern for it is greater than our concern. May He take us to the feet of its inheritors, and may we sit there safely until the end of time.

One of Shaykh Abdul Razzaq's main students, Shaykh Muhammad Jumua, who himself is an elderly and saintly scholar, is currently facing a lot of difficulties in Syria; this is a request that you keep him in your prayers also. He is the teacher of our teacher.

May Allah sanctify their secret states, and protect them all.

Friday 3 February 2012

prophetic perspective

“Ya Allah, to You I complain of my weakness, my lack of resources and my lowliness before men. Oh, most Merciful of those who show mercy! You are the Lord of the weak and You are my Lord. To whom will You relinquish my fate? To one who will misuse me? Or to an enemy to whom You have given power over me? If You are not angry with me I don’t care what happens to me. Your favour is all that counts for me. I take refuge in the Light of Your Countenance, by which all darkness is illuminated, and the things of this world and next are rightly ordered. I wish to please You until You are pleased. There is no power and no might, save in You.” 

- the messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, after Ta`if.