Our Salaf – Yahyah Ibn Abee Katheer before the Approach of Ramadhaan
Yahyah Ibn Abee Katheer (rahimahullaah) used to make du’aa saying:”O Allaah! Preserve me till Ramadhaan; make Ramadhaan blameless for me (and) accept it (from me)’’.
[Hilyatul Awliyaa 3/69]
Humility of our beloved Salaf – Fudayl Ibn Iyaad (rahimahullaah)
Imaam Fudayl Ibn Iyaad (rahimahullaah) was asked about humility; so he said, ‘’(It is ) to humble oneself to the truth, submitting to it and accepting it from the one who said it. He(i.e. the person) accepts it even if heard from a child or the most ignorant amongst the people.”
[Madaarij As-Saalikeen 2/342]
[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]
Shaikh Muhammad Baazmool (may Allaah preserve him) stated:
Among the evidences (showing) that preservation of security is a responsibility of everyone is (the fact that it is an act) of enjoining good and forbidding evil, and it is well known that enjoining good and forbidding evil is from the characteristics of this Ummah. [Allaah (The Most High) said]:
كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ ۗ وَلَوْ آمَنَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُم ۚ مِّنْهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ
You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma’ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar(polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden), and you believe in Allah. And had the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) believed, it would have been better for them; among them are some who have faith, but most of them are Al-Fasiqun (disobedient to Allah – and rebellious against Allah’s Command). [3:110
[Allaah (The Most High)] said:
وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islam), enjoining Al-Ma’ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do) and forbidding Al-Munkar (polytheism and disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden). And it is they who are the successful. [3:104] [Ref 1]
Question to Imaam Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz (Rahimahullaah):
Is enjoining Ma’ruf and forbidding Munkar, namely correcting the wrong by the hand, a right for all Muslims or is it just confined to those in authority and their deputies?
A: Correcting the wrong is a right for all Muslims according to their ability, because the Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “Anyone of you who sees Munkar (that which is unacceptable or disapproved of by Islamic law and Muslims of sound intellect), let them change it with their hand (by taking action); if they cannot, then with their tongue (by speaking out); and if they cannot, then with their heart (by hating it and feeling that it is wrong); and that is the weakest of Iman (faith).”(Muslim, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi & others)
However, changing by the hand must be based on ability that will not result in greater corruption or evil. Man has the right to rectify matters with his hand (by taking action) in his home, with his children, wife, and servants; and a manager has the authority to make changes with the hand within the organization they are responsible for, in accordance with the instructions that were given to them. Otherwise, people should not change with their hand anything they are not authorized to change. If they do make changes in matters that they have no authority over, this will result in more evil and great corruption between them and the people and between the people and the state.
In this case they should make the change with their tongue (by speaking out). They may say: “O so-and-so! Fear Allah! That is not permissible,” “This is Haram (prohibited),” or: “That is Wajib (obligatory) on you,” and clarify it with Shar’iy (Islamic legal) evidence. This is what can be done by the tongue. As for changing matters with the hand, this should be done where one has authority, such as one’s home, with those under one’s responsibility, or those authorized by the ruler, such as organizations given permission and authority to enjoin Ma’ruf (that which is judged as good, beneficial, or fitting by Islamic law and Muslims of sound intellect). They should make changes in accordance to the degree of authority that has been given to them, in the way prescribed by the Shari’ah (Islamic law), without exceeding their jurisdiction. The same applies to the governor of a city; he should make changes with his hand, in accordance with the instructions he has. [Ref 2]
Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) said:
It is obligated on the one who enjoins good and forbids evil that enjoining good and forbidding evil is (carried out) for the sake of Allaah, and that his intention is to rectify the affairs of the one he commands towards good and forbids from evil and to establish the proofs. His intention should not be for seeking leadership for himself, or for his group or to diminish the worth of others.” [Ref 3]
To be continued InShaaAllaah
Ref 1: [Source: Silsilah Ar-Rasaa’il Al-Manhajiyyah Fin-Nushi War Irshaad Wat-Taw’iyah’ page 22]
Ref 2: http://www.salafitalk.net/st/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=16&Topic=9751
Ref 3: Quoted in ‘Kun Salafiyyan Alal Jaad-dati page: 62-63]
Indeed, our obligation with regards (to safeguarding a state of security in the land) is not only to do with aspects of security and the people (given authority by the state to carry out different tasks in order to preserve security in the land); rather it is an affair that concerns every Muslim in this world and the (Muslim) Ummah. And from them (i.e. those obligations) is that (preserving) security will preserve the five necessities (of life) and they are: Religion, life, honour (or lineage), wealth and sanity (or the intellect). Imaam Ash-Shaatibee (rahimahullaah) said:
‘’The Ummah (i.e. the scholars) hold a consensus, rather all the religions (i.e. all the other prophets and their nations hold a consensus) that the Sharee’ah is established to protect the five necessities and they are: Religion, life, lineage, wealth and sanity (i.e. or the intellect)’’. [Al-Muwaafaqaat 1/38]
And from them is that beneficial affairs of well-being are obtained for the people and the country, for there cannot be a (fruitful) life without security. It is (well) known that the legislated laws (i.e. laws revealed by Allaah) were sent down to bring about beneficial affairs and repel corrupt affairs. Ash-Shaatibee (rahimahullaah) said:
‘’Indeed, the legislated laws were established for the wellbeing of the people in this life and the next’’. [Al-Muwaafaqaat 2/6]
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[Silsilah Ar-Rasaa’il Al-Manhajiyyah Fin Nushi Wal Irshaad Wat-taw’iyah page 21′ by Shaikh Muhammad Baazmool. Abridged and slightly paraphrased]
Imaam Muhammad Ibn Saaleh Al-Uthaymeen (rahimahullaah) said:
[الطبوليات ] are those Masaa’il (affairs related to the religion) by way of which fame is sought. They are called ‘Tubooliyyaat’ because it is similar to a Tabl (drum) which has a sound and an echo. So when an odd affair comes to the people and a (person) becomes famous by way of it, then it becomes as if it is the sound of a drum.
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[Sharh Hilya Taalib al-Ilm, page: 19]
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]