[1] Humility of our beloved Salaf – Ibn Umar (radiyallaahu-anhumaa)
A man said to Ibn Umar (radiyallaahu-anhu): ‘’O (you) the best of the people!” So he said, ‘’I am neither the best of the people nor the son of the best of the people; rather I am a slave from the slaves of Allaah. I have hope in Allaah and I fear Him. By Allaah you (people) will not leave a man until you destroy him’’.
[Siyar 3/236]
Hilaal Ibn Habeeb (rahimahullaah ) said: I said to Sa’eed Bin Jubayr,
“What is the sign of the people’s destruction?” He said,
“When their scholars depart (from this world)”.
[Siyar A’laam An-Nubulaa’ 4/326]
Ataa Ibn Deenaar (rahimahullaah ) narrated from Saeed Bin Jubair (rahimahullaah ) who said:
“Indeed reverential fear is that you fear Allaah until it becomes a barrier between you and disobedience. This reverential fear is remembrance of Allaah and obedience to Allaah; so whoever obeys Allaah is one who (truly) remembers Him. And whoever does not obey Allaah is not one who (truly) remembers Him, even if he utters a lot of words of glorification and recites the Qur’aan a lot”.
[Hilyatul Awliyaa’ 4/276]
Ibn Mas’ood (radiyallaahu-anhu) said to his companions:
“You observe fasting, perform prayer and Jihaad more than the companions of Muhammad (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam ), whilst they were better than you. ” They said, “Why is that the case?” He said, “They practiced more abstinence from the worldly life and we’re desirous of the afterlife”.
[Source: Jaami’ul Uloom Wal Hikam’ page 318]
BRAND NEW 4 WEEK RAMADHAAN COURSE
Taught by Rayaan Barker (Graduate of Madinah University)
Starting Saturday 14th May 2016 and every Saturday thereafter for four weeks
7:00pm
LIVE IN THE MASJID
Get yourself prepared this Ramadhaan!
Topics to include:
Fasting
Prayer
Charity
Taraweeh
Forgiveness
And much more
There will be interactive slides, question and answer sessions, worksheets and light refreshments Inshaa’Allaah!
An excellent opportunity to learn the essentials of Ramadhaan prior to its arrival
Brothers, Sisters and Children all welcome
In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy
In his introduction to the explanation of Umdatul Ahkaam, Shaikh Abdullaah Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah preserve him) spoke about a very beneficial method of imparting knowledge found in ‘Muqaddimah Ibn Khaldoon’, which is as follows:
The First Stage:
Know that teaching the sciences to the students only becomes beneficial when carried out gradually and bit by bit. In the beginning the teacher imparts (knowledge) to him (beginning) with the fundamental principles in each chapter. He familiarizes him with (those fundamental principles) by explaining them in a general manner and examines the strength of the (student’s) intellectual ability and his readiness to comprehend what he is about to come across up to the end of his studies. The student is then (enabled) to settle in that knowledge (he pursues), even though it may be partial and weak. And the most this does is that it enables him to comprehend the science he is studying and to be acquainted with its issues.
The Second Stage:
The teacher then returns him to the subject a second time and (teaches) him at a level higher than the first level. He now gives him a full explanation and clarification and not the general (explanation and clarification employed in the beginning). He informs him of the differences of opinion and the direction (of their arguments) up to the end of the subject—so the student realises his potential (in what he is studying).
The Third Stage:
Thereafter the teacher returns him again after he has acquired a solid foundation, and (this time) he does not abandon making clear anything that is obscure, important or complicated. The teacher opens up all the locks in the subject for him to be well established upon it.
This is the direction of beneficial teaching–and as it can be seen, it is reached in repeating (the process) three times. And indeed, some (students) can reach (their potential) in lesser than these (three stages) in accordance with what they (possess) of natural ability and what is made easy for them.
[For further details, see Muqaddimah Ibn Khaldoon: page: 604]
To be continued…In-Shaa-Allaah
Shaikh Siddeeq Hasan Khan (rahimahullaah) stated:
The aim behind the religious sciences is not to earn (wealth); rather it is for (the purpose of) acquainting oneself with the realities of the (Islamic legislation) and to rectify one’s behaviour (towards his Lord and the people). The one who learns knowledge (of the religion) for the purpose of trade cannot be a scholar; rather he only resembles the scholars. The scholars unveiled what the drive behind this was and they spoke about it when the building of schools reached them at Baghdaad, so they held gatherings of knowledge and said: “The possessors of lofty ambitions and the pure souls used to pre-occupy themselves with it (i.e. knowledge) –those whose intention behind (seeking) knowledge was due to its nobility and the perfection (that is reached by way of it), so they came to the scholars to benefit from them and their knowledge. However, when (monetary gain) is placed on it, the vilest people and the lazy ones will approach it and thus leading to its disappearance. So at this point, the (Islamic) sciences of wisdom (found in the Qur’aan, the Sunnah and the understanding of the Salaf) will be abandoned even though they are self-evident in their nobility. [أبجد العلوم pages 77-78… Vol: 1]
Al-Allaamah Siddeeq Hasan Khan (rahimahullaah) said:
Indeed, the one who combines five characteristics will be acquainted with the truth and the greatest of them is (1) Sincerity, (2) (sound) understanding and (3) justice. (4)Fourthly-the scarcest to be found and (people) are mostly deprived of it–is eagerness in acquainting (oneself) with the truth and being keen in calling to it.
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[Source: Qatf Ath-Thamar Fee Bayaani Aqeedati Ahlil Athar: page 175]
Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) stated:
Regarding distinction between truth and falsehood; guidance and misguidance; the path leading to guidance and the path leading to misguidance; the path of happiness (in this life and the next) and the path of wretchedness and destruction; then everything that Allaah revealed to His Messengers and in His Books is obligatory to be followed -[i.e. as it is well known from the statements of the scholars that all the Prophets and Messengers have the same creed (i.e. issues of Imaan, Tawheed etc) and everyone is obligated to follow them, but after the advent of Muhammad (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam) all the issues related to the ahkaam (i.e. rulings on different affairs of worship, dealings etc) from the other Prophets and Messengers have been abrogated, and only Muhammad’s Sharee’ah is to be followed. Likewise, all the previous books have been abrogated after the revelation of the Qur’aan). See Tafseer Surah Al-Maa’idah regarding this affair Aayaat 48-50]- and through it one acquires distinction between right and wrong, guidance, knowledge and Eemaan.
Allaah (The Most High) testified that it (i.e. His Revelation) is the truth and a testimony to the truth, and what is in opposition to it from the statements of the people are displayed before it for inspection- if (a statement) is in agreement with it, then it is truth, and if in opposition, it is falsehood.
(But), if it is unknown whether (a statement) is in opposition or in agreement due to its general nature, or the meaning intended by the utterer is known or unknown, but it is unknown whether the Messenger (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam) has brought something that testifies to (its correctness) or declares it to be false, then one abstains and does not speak except with knowledge, for knowledge is that which is established with evidence and what is beneficial of it is that which the Messenger came with. The Messenger (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam) is the most knowledgeable amongst the creation and he has the greatest desire in acquainting the creation with it. He is the most capable in giving a clarification and definition of it. He is above everyone in knowledge, ability and intent, and through these three affairs the goal is accomplished. (However), those besides the Messenger (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam) are either deficient or corrupted in their knowledge.
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[Source: Majmoo Ar-Rasaa-il Al-Kubraa (1/102)]
Imaam Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said:
Disobedience is the cause being in shaytaan’s captivity and a prisoner of lowly desires. Among its afflictions is that a disobedient person is always in the captivity of his devil, the prison of his lusts and leadership of his desires; so he is a captive and a shackled prisoner. There is neither a captive whose state of affairs is more evil than a captive whose captor is his worst enemy, nor is there a prison more restricted than the prison of desires and shackles that are more restrictive than the shackles of lust; so how can a heart that is a captive and a shackled prisoner follow the path to Allaah and the home of the afterlife? How can he proceed upon a singular track when the heart is shackled and stricken with harm from every angle as result of the (severity) of its shackles? The likeness of the heart is that of a bird; it distances from harm whenever it flies high and surrounded by harm whenever it lands. It is reported in a hadeeth: ‘’Shaytaan is a wolf to a human being.’’ And just as an unprotected sheep in the midst of wolves is quickly destroyed, likewise if there is no protection from Allaah for the slave, it is a must that his wolf will prey on him.
He (i.e. the slave) is protected by Allaah through Taqwaah (fear of Allaah). It (Taqwaah) is a shield and shelter from Allaah between the person and his wolf; just as it is shield against punishment in this life and the afterlife. Whenever the sheep is closer to its shepherd, it is safer from the wolf and whenever it is distanced from the shepherd, it comes closer to being destroyed. So the sheep is more protected when it is closer to the shepherd, for the wolf only takes away the (sheep, cattle etc.) that are distanced and far away from the shepherd.
The basis of this affair is that whenever the heart is distanced from Allaah, then harm upon it is quicker, and whenever it is comes closer to Allaah, it is distanced from harm. Being distanced from Allaah is of various levels and some are more severe than others. Being distanced from (Allaah) through disobedience is greater than being distanced from (Allaah) through thoughtlessness; being distanced from (Allaah) through bidah is greater than being distanced from (Allaah) through disobedience, and being distanced from (Allaah) through hypocrisy and shirk is greater than all of that. [Source: Ad-Daa’u Wad-Dawaa’u’ page 119-120]
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