May 2008


قُلۡ إِن كُنتُمۡ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحۡبِبۡكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغۡفِرۡ لَكُمۡ ذُنُوبَكُمۡ‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِي

Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

In the Mukhtasar (abridgement) of Al-Qurtubi’s Tafsir its mentioned about the above verse:

Suhal ibn Abdullah said: Sign of the Love of Allah is Love of Al Qur’an sign love of Al-Quran is Love of the Prophet Of Allah (sall Allahu alahi wa sallam) sign of Love of the Prophet of Allah (sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam) is Love of his Sunnah

as sallamu alaikum

I dear teacher Shaykh Faraz Rabbani has started a new venture. The current classes be offrered are can being found on the link below. Do sign up for them one will not be disappointed

http://seekersmedia.com/shop/index.php?main_page=products_new

Please keep him in your du’a . May Allah give him tawfeeq in all his endeavors, raise him in ranks and benefit myself and all the Muslims through him

Sunna, pl. sunan: “Road” or “practice (s).” Standard practice, primarily of the Prophet sallAllahu `alayhi wa-Alihi wa-Sallam, including his sayings, deeds, tacit approvals or disapprovals. Hadith Scholars add his personal traits – including physical features – to this definition.

The “sciences of the Sunna” (`ulum al-Sunna) refer to the biography of the Prophet (saws) (sira), the chronicle of his battles (maghazi), his everyday sayings and acts or “ways” (sunan) including his personal and moral qualities (shama’il), and the host of the ancillary hadith sciences such as the circumstances of occurrence (asbab al-wurud), knowledge of the abrogating and abrogated hadith, difficult words (gharib al-hadith), narrator criticism (al-jarh wal-ta`dil), narrator-biographies (al-rijal), etc. This meaning is used in contradistinction to the Qur’an in expressions such as “Qur’an and Sunna” and applies in the usage of hadith Scholars.http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=146&CATE=24

Probativeness of the Sunnah

http://www.sunnah.org/fiqh/usul/probativeness_sunna/Default.htm

Alhumdulillah by The Grace of Allah we’re fortunate enough to have the opportunity to finally sit and learn from Shaykh AbdulKareem and his wife here in the UK. Insha’Allah they hope to visit the UK from the 8th – 18th May 2008 and Shaykh AbdulKareem will be teaching at the locations listed below.

Just a bit about Shaykh AbdulKareem in case you hadn’t gathered from previous posts that this student has written. He was born and raised in California where he also embraced Islam. Thereafter he travelled with his family to Damascus where he spent two years acquiring knowledge of the Arabic Language and Quranic recitation. Since 1998, he has been in Yemen where he has been studying with Habib Umar and Habib Mashhour, as well as the other teachers of Dar al-Mustafa. He has also worked extensively as a translator for Habib Umar and Habib Ali. For a more indepth biography feel free to check on SunniPath.

We pray by Allah’s Tawfeeq that you all are able to attend any of the following lessons in order to gain benefit and spread the lighthttp

http://asmakarif.wordpress.com/

5) What is the Beginning of Guidance

If, then, you ask, what is the Beginning of Guidance in order that I may test my soul thereby? Know that the beginning of guidance is outward Taqwa or devoutness ( being always conscious of your Lord) and the end of guidance is inward Taqwa. There is no guidance except to Mutaqeen (those who are mindful of God).

6) (Al-Ghazali defining Taqwa

The Taqwa designates carrying out the commands of God Most high and turning aside from what He prohibts, and thus (Taqwa) has two parts (Acts of Obedience and Avoidance of Prohibitions). In what follows I expound to you briefly the outward aspect of the science of Taqwa in both its parts.

The Beginning of Guidance p 11

Translated and Edited by Mashhad Al-Allaf

73. Chapter: On Good Character

Allah Almighty says, “Indeed you are truly vast in character,” (68:4)

and the Almighty says “those who control their rage and pardon other people.” (3:134)

621. Anas said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had the best character of anyone .” [Agreed upon]

622. Anas said, “I did not touch any silk brocade nor silk softer than the palm of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. I did not smell any scent sweeter than the scent of the Messenger of Allah. I served the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, for ten years and he never said to me, ‘Uff’ nor did he say about anything I had done, ‘Why did you do that?’ nor about anything I had not done, ‘Why did you not do that?’” [Agreed upon]

623. As-Sa’b ibn Jaththama al-Laythi said, “I gave the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, a wild ass and he returned it to me. When he saw the expression on my face, he said, “We are only returning it to you because we are in ihram.” [Agreed upon]

624. An-Nawwas ibn Sam’an said, “I asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about piety and wrong action. He said, ‘Piety is good character and wrong action is what is hatched up in your self and you do not want other people to know about.” [Muslim]

625. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-’As said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was neither obscene nor indecent. He used to say, ‘The best of you are the best in character.” [Agreed upon]

626. Abu’d-Darda’ reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “There will be nothing heavier in the balance of the believer on the Day of Rising than good character. Allah dislikes foul language.” [at-Tirmidhi]

627. Abu Hurayra said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked about the things most likely to bring people into the Garden. He said, ‘Fearful awareness of Allah and good character.’ He was asked about the things most likely to bring people into the Fire. He said, ‘The mouth and the genitals.’” [at-Tirmidhi]

628. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The believers with the most perfect belief are the best of them in character. The best of you are the best of you towards your wives.” [at-Tirmidhi]

629. ‘A’isha said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, ‘By his good character a believer can reach the same rank as someone who fasts and prays at night.” [Abu Dawud]

630. Abu Umama al-Bahili reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “I guarantee a house on the outskirts of the Garden to anyone who abstains from disputation, even if he is in the right, and a house in the middle of the Garden for anyone who abandons lying, even when he jests, and a house at the summit of the Garden for anyone who has good character.” [Abu Dawud]

631. Jabir reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Those I love most and those sitting nearest to me on the Day of Rising will be those of you with the best character. Those most hateful to me and the furthest of you from me on the Day of Rising will be the pompous, the braggarts and the arrogant.’ They said, ‘Messenger of Allah, we know the pompous and the braggarts, but who are the arrogant?’ He said, ‘The proud.’” [at-Tirmidhi

http://www.sunnipath.com/library/Hadith/H0004P0073.aspx

A man once summed up the signs of good character by saying, Its to be abundantly  modest, to advoid  harming others, to be righteous, truthful in speech, and of little discourse; it is to do many things and slip up infrequently, to advoid excess, to be loyal, friendly, dignified, patient, grateful, satisfied, forebearing, charitable, chaste and pitying; and not to curse or to insult people, or to backbite or slander them, and to advoid hastiness, hatred, meannes, and jealousy; to be cheerful and kind, to love (good) and hate (evil) for the sake of God, to be well- pleased with Him and to be angry for His sake. Such is the man of good character’

The Emissary of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) was once asked about the distinguish marks of the believer and the hypocrite. He replied, ‘The believer’s concern is for prayer, fasting and worship, while the hypocrite, like an animal, is concerned with food and drink’

Al-Ghazali on Disciplining The Soul Translated by T.J. Winter (Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad)

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