Waiting for Sunshine by my windows: 2015

The Four Imams Series : IMAM AHMAD IBN HANBAL

Tuesday, August 18, 2015 |

بِسْمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

For the last of the four great imams, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, his contribution went beyond just fiqh. Although he was one of the greatest jurists and scholars of hadith of his time, perhaps his greatest legacy was his courage to stand for the orthodox beliefs of Islam as they were imparted to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the face of persecution and imprisonment at the hands of the political authority. For this reason, Imam Ahmad’s legacy is far more than just the establishment of the Hanbali madhab, but also includes the preservation of core Islamic beliefs against political oppression.

IMAM AHMAD IBN HANBAL – THE CHAMPION OF ISLAMIC BELIEF

Early Life

Ahmad ibn Hanbal al-Shaybani was born in 778 in Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate. The relatively new city was fast becoming a center of scholarship of all forms. So as a child, Ahmad had numerous opportunities to learn and expand his intellectual horizons. Thus, by the time he was 10 years old, he had memorized the entire Quran and began studying the traditions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the hadith.

Imam Ahmad traveled throughout the Arabian Peninsula in search of knowledge

Like Imam Shafi’i, Imam Ahmad lost his father at a very young age. So in addition to spending his time studying fiqh and hadith under some of Baghdad’s greatest scholars, he also worked in a post office to help support his family. He was thus able to afford studying under one of Imam Abu Hanifa’s foremost students, Abu Yusuf. From Abu Yusuf, the young Ahmad learned the basics of fiqh such as ijtihad (intellectual decision making), andqiyas (analogical deduction).

After becoming proficient in the Hanafi Madhab, Ahmad ibn Hanbal began to study Hadith under some of the greatest Hadith scholars of Baghdad, including Haitham ibn Bishr. He was so eager to expand his knowledge of the sayings and doings of the Prophet ﷺ that he would regularly be waiting after fajr outside of the homes of his teachers, ready to start that day’s lesson. After studying in Baghdad, he went on to study in Makkah, Madinah, Yemen, and Syria. During this time, he even met Imam al-Shafi’i in Makkah. Al-Shafi’i helped the young Ahmad move beyond just memorization of hadith and fiqh, and be able to instead also understand the principles behind them. This collaboration between two of the four great imams clearly shows that the schools of Islamic law are not opposed to each other, but rather work hand in hand. In fact, when Imam al-Shafi’i left Baghdad, he was recorded as having said, “I am leaving Baghdad when there is none more pious, nor a greater jurist than Ahmad ibn Hanbal.”

Ahmad ibn Hanbal the Scholar

After studying with Imam al-Shafi’i, Imam Ahmad was able to begin to formulate his own legal opinions in fiqh. When Imam Ahmad was 40 years of age in the year 820, his mentor Imam al-Shafi’i passed away. At this point, Imam Ahmad began to teach hadith and fiqh to the people of Baghdad. Students would flock to his lectures, and he especially took care of the poorer ones, keeping in mind his own humble origins.

Despite being in the capital of the Muslim world, Baghdad, Imam Ahmad refused to be attracted to a life of luxury and wealth. He continued to live on very humble means, and rejected the numerous gifts that people would offer him, instead choosing to live on whatever small amounts of money he had. He especially insisted on not accepting gifts from political figures, ensuring his independence from the political authority which could affect his teachings.

The Mihna

Imam Ahmad was in Baghdad during the time of the Abbasid Caliph al-Ma’mun, who reigned from 813-833. Although al-Ma’mun was vital to the establishment of Baghdad as an intellectual center, he was heavily influenced by a group known as the Mu’tazila. Mu’tazili philosophy championed the role of rationalism in all aspects of life, including theology. Thus, instead of relying on the Quran and Sunnah to understand God, they relied on philosophical techniques first developed by the Ancient Greeks. Chief among their beliefs was that the Quran was a created book, as opposed to the un-created literal word of Allah.

Al-Ma’mun believed in the Mu’tazili line of thought, and sought to impose this new and dangerous belief system on everyone in his empire – including the scholars. While many scholars pretended to subscribe to Mu’tazili ideas in order to avoid persecution, Imam Ahmad refused to compromise his beliefs.

Legal writings based on the Hanbali Madhab written by Abu Dawud in the late 800s.

Al-Ma’mun instituted an inquisition known as the Mihna. Any scholars who refused to accept Mu’tazili ideas was severely persecuted and punished. Imam Ahmad, as the most famous scholar of Baghdad, was brought before al-Ma’mun and ordered to abandon his traditional Islamic beliefs about theology. When he refused, he was tortured and imprisoned. His treatment at the hands of the political authority was extremely severe. People who witnessed the torture commented that even an elephant could not have handled the treatment that Imam Ahmad was subject to.

Despite all of this, Imam Ahmad held to traditional Islamic beliefs, and thus served as an inspiration for Muslims throughout the empire. His trials set the precedent that Muslims do not give up their beliefs regardless what the political authority imposes on them. In the end, Imam Ahmad outlived al-Ma’mun and his successors until the Caliph al-Mutawakkil ascended in 847 and ended the Mihna. Imam Ahmad was again free to teach the people of Baghdad and write. During this time, he wrote his famous Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, a collection of hadith that served as the basis of his school of legal thought, the Hanbali Madhab.

Imam Ahmad passed away in Baghdad in 855. His legacy was not restricted to the school of fiqh that he founded, nor the huge amount of hadith he compiled. Unlike the other three imams, he had a vital role in preserving the sanctity of Islamic beliefs in the face of intense political persecution. Although the Hanbali Madhab has historically been the smallest of the four, numerous great Muslim scholars throughout history were greatly influenced by Imam Ahmad and his thoughts, including Abdul Qadir al-Gilani, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn Kathir, and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.

Bibliography:

Haddad, Gibril. The Four Imams and their Schools. Muslim Academic Trust, Print.

Khan, Muhammad. The Muslim 100. Leicestershire, United Kingdom: Kube Publishing Ltd, 2008. Print.

Source: lostislamichistory

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The Four Imams Series : IMAM AL-BUKHARI

Thursday, August 06, 2015 |

بِسْمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

IMAM AL-BUKHARI AND THE SCIENCE OF HADITH

In Islamic sciences, all knowledge of the religion comes back to two sources: the Quran and the sayings and doings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ – the hadith. The Quran is considered the un-changed word of Allah as revealed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and is thus the foundation of all Islamic knowledge. Second after the Quran is the example set forth by the Prophet ﷺ.

But considering that he lived 1400 years ago, how can we be sure that the sayings and doings we attribute to him are real and unchanged? To someone unfamiliar with the science of hadith, the collections of hadith may seem unreliable and susceptible to corruption. However, due to the work of Imam Muhammad al-Bukhari in the 9th century, the science of hadith has been protected from such problems using a systematic and thorough method of verification for each and every saying attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. Thus, in the 21st century we can still benefit directly from the authentic sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Al-Bukhari’s Early Life

Imam al-Bukhari was born and raised in the city of Bukhara, in Central Asia

Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari was born in 809 or 810 in the city of Bukhara, in what is now Uzbekistan. He came from a Persian family that converted to Islam 3 generations before his time. Unfortunately for the young al-Bukhari, his father died while he was still an infant, leaving his upbringing to his mother. Despite the difficult circumstances, al-Bukhari dedicated himself to studying Islamic sciences from a young age.

Studying with the scholars in and around his hometown, al-Bukhari immersed himself in hadith studies as well as fiqh, Islamic jurisprudence. From a young age he showed a unique ability to understand complex issues of law, but more importantly, he was capable of remembering long and complex chains of narrations of hadiths. For a hadith to be considered authentic, a reliable chain of narrators is needed to connect that saying to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. In this, al-Bukhari excelled.

By his late teens, al-Bukhari had completed his studies in Bukhara and set out to Makkah to do Hajj (pilgrimage) with his mother and brother. Since the rise of Islam in the 600s, Makkah has been a unique mixing place for world travelers. Since all Muslims are obligated to complete the Hajj at least once, Makkah is constantly visited by people from all corners of the world. For a hadith scholar like al-Bukhari, this type of environment was invaluable.

He stayed in Makkah and Madinah for several years, where he continued to collect hadiths from some of the leading hadith scholars of the world, memorizing the text of the hadiths (the matn), the chain of narrators (the isnad), and advancing his understanding of the reliability of those narrators (the knowledge of men – ‘ilm al-rijaal). He traveled through Egypt, Syria, and Iraq to continue his studies throughout his adult life, finally settling in Basra, where he would compile his monumental hadith collection.

Sahih al-Bukhari

Although Imam al-Bukhari authored several works on the science of hadith, his most lasting contribution to Islamic sciences was his compilation of over 7000 hadiths, which he called al-Jaami’ al-Sahih al-Musnad al-Mukhtasar min Umur Rasool Allah wa sunanihi wa Ayyamihi, meaning “The Abridged Collection of Authentic Hadith with Connected Chains regarding Matters Pertaining to the Prophet, His practices and His Times”. This collection took him 16 years to complete and since its compilation has been considered the most authentic book of hadith in history, thus the book’s common name: Sahih al-Bukhari meaning “The Authentic Hadiths of al-Bukhari”.

What makes Sahih al-Bukhari so unique was Imam al-Bukhari’s meticulous attention to detail when it came to the compilation of hadiths. He had far stricter rules than other hadith scholars for accepting a hadith as authentic. The chain of narrators for a particular hadith had to be verified as authentic and reliable before Imam al-Bukhari would include that hadith in his compilation. For example, the first hadith in the book begins:

“We have heard from al-Humaydi Abdallah ibn al-Zubayr who said that he heard from Sufyan, who said he heard from Yahya ibn Sa’eed al-Ansari who said he was informed by Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Taymi that he heard ‘Alqama ibn Waqqas al-Laythi say that he heard ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab say on the sermon pulpit that he heard the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ say: ‘Actions are only by intentions…'”

This chain of six narrators was meticulously inspected by Imam al-Bukhari. In order for him to consider the hadith authentic, he had to study the lives of all the people in the chain in depth. He studied where and when the narrators lived, in order to make sure that if someone narrates from someone else, they must both have been in the same place at the same time and have actually met and discussed hadith. Other hadith scholars did not all require evidence that two consecutive narrators met personally, but Imam al-Bukhari’s strict requirements is what makes his compilation unique.

Imam al-Bukhari also studied the lives of narrators, to make sure they were trustworthy and would not fabricate, or change the wording of a hadith. If he discovered that someone in a chain openly sinned or was not considered trustworthy, that hadith was immediately discarded and not included in his book unless a stronger chain for it existed.

Using his strict guidelines for hadith acceptance, Imam al-Bukhari was the first to make a systematic approach to classifying hadith. Each hadith he analyzed was labelled as either sahih (authentic), hasan (good), mutawatir (recurrent in many chains), ahad (solitary), da’eef (weak), or mawdu’ (fabricated). This system for hadith then became the standard by which all hadiths were classified by other hadith scholars.

Imam al-Bukhari’s Fiqh

Imam al-Bukhari’s collection of hadiths is a monumental achievement and an irreplaceable cornerstone of the science of hadith scholarship. Through his work, hadith studies became a science with governing laws that protected the field from innovations and corruptions. However, his Sahih is not just a simple collection of hadiths. Al-Bukhari organized his collection in a way that it can also be used to help deduce rulings within Islamic law – fiqh.

The Sahih is divided into 97 books, each with numerous chapters within it. Each chapter is then titled with a ruling on a particular issue within fiqh. Then within the chapter will be all the hadiths that he considered authentic that support that ruling. For example, the chapter about extra prayer during the month of Ramadan (Taraweeh) is titled “The Superiority of Extra Prayers at Night in Ramadan” and it contains six sayings of the Prophet ﷺ that indicate how important the Taraweeh prayer is.

Thus, not only is Sahih al-Bukhari the most authentic book of hadith ever compiled, but Imam al-Bukhari also had the foresight to organize it into a book of law that helps everyday Muslims live their lives as close to the life of the Prophet ﷺ as possible. His monumental work would go to inspire generations of hadith scholars, including al-Bukhari’s student Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, who would go on to collect Sahih Muslim, which is considered second only to Sahih al-Bukhari in authenticity.

One of the common accusations made by non-Muslims against Islamic sciences and the study of hadith is that there is no way of verifying the hadith and that they should not be used as a source of belief or law. This argument is based on a very rudimentary and flawed understanding of how the hadith were collected and the incredible amount of effort scholars such as al-Bukhari put into verifying their authenticity. With the monumental work of al-Bukhari and other scholars of hadith, we have been able to know what words and actions can truly be attributed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ even 1400 years after his life.

Bibliography:

Khan, Muhammad. The Muslim 100. Leicestershire, United Kingdom: Kube Publishing Ltd, 2008. Print.

Siddiqi, Muhammad. Hadith Literature. Cambridge: The Islamic Texts Society, 1993. Print.

Source: lostislamichistory

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The Four Imams Series : IMAM MALIK

Monday, August 03, 2015 |

بِسْمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

IMAM MALIK – THE SCHOLAR OF MADINAH

The collection and codification of Islamic law has historically been one of the most important, and challenging, tasks that the Muslim community has undertaken in 1400 years of history. To be considered a faqih (an expert in Islamic law – fiqh), one must have mastery of the Quran, the sayings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, other sources of law, as well as other subjects such as grammar and history.

One of the giants of Islamic law was the 8th century scholar of Madinah, Malik ibn Anas. At a time when the Muslim community desperately needed the sciences of fiqh and hadith (sayings and doings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ) to be organized, Imam Malik rose to the occasion. His legacy is manifest in his continued influence throughout the Muslim world, both through his own works and the works of those he helped guide on a path of scholarship and devotion to Islam.

Early Life and Education

Imam Malik was born in 711 in the city of Madinah, 79 years after the death of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in that same city. His family was originally from Yemen, but his grandfather had moved to Madinah during the reign of Umar ibn al-Khattab. Both his father and grandfather had studied religious sciences under the Companions of the Prophet who still lived in Madinah, and thus young Malik was raised in an environment that was based on Islamic scholarship, learning from his father and uncle.

Imam Malik’s uncle, Nafi’, was an eminent scholar in his own right, and narrated hadith from Aisha, Abu Hurairah, and Abdullah ibn Umar, all companions who are noted for their vast knowledge of hadith. Although the political center of the Muslim world shifted away from Madinah during the caliphate of Ali in the 650s, it remained the intellectual capital of Islam. In this capital of Islamic knowledge, Imam Malik mastered the sciences of hadith, tafsir (interpretation of the Quran), and fiqh.

The Scholar of Madinah

After an immense amount of study that extended into his 20s and 30s, Imam Malik became known as the most learned man in Madinah at his time. He became a teacher, attracting a huge number of students to lectures, which he held in the mosque of the Prophet ﷺ. He used to sit on the pulpit of the mosque with the Quran in one hand and a collection of hadith in the other and offer legal rulings and opinions based on those two sources.

Students flocked to his lectures from all corners of the Muslim world. Among his more notable students were Abu Yusuf, Muhammad al-Shaybani (they were Abu Hanifah’s two most important students as well), and Imam al-Shafi’i.

Imam Malik held his classes in the Masjid al-Nabawi in Madinah

The most unique aspect of Imam Malik’s methodology in fiqh was his reliance on the practices of the people of Madinah as a source of law. In the study of fiqh, there are numerous sources that are used to derive laws. The first and second most important sources are always the Quran and Sunnah. After those two, however, the great scholars of fiqh differed on the next most important source of law. Imam Malik believed that the practices of the people of Madinah should be seen as an important source.

His reasoning for this was that Madinah at that time was not far removed from the Madinah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. It had been spared the political and social upheaval that much of the rest of the Muslim world dealt with. And the people living in the city had been taught Islam by their ancestors who had been Companions of the Prophet ﷺ or students of the Companions. He thus reasoned that if all of the people of Madinah practiced a particular action and it did not contradict the Quran and Sunnah, then it can be taken as a source of law. He is unique among the four great imams of fiqh in this opinion.

In order to ease the study of fiqh and hadith, Imam Malik compiled a book known as the al-Muwatta. This was the first book that attempted to compile only sound and reliable sayings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ into one book. Imam Malik said that he showed his book to seventy scholars in Madinah, who all approved it, thus he gave it the name al-Muwatta, meaning “The Approved”.

Al-Muwatta was a landmark book. It helped establish the science of hadith, particularly the judging of chains of narrations for hadith. Imam Malik was so thorough in his selection of hadith that it has been placed on the same level (and sometimes above) the hadith compilations of Imams Bukhari and Muslim. Imam Shafi’i even stated that there is no book on earth, after the Quran, that is more authentic than the Muwatta.

Imam Malik’s work was so influential as a book of fiqh that the caliph of the time, Harun al-Rashid, demanded that it be mass-printed and made the official book of fiqh for the Abbasid Empire. Imam Malik, however, refused. He knew that no one interpretation of Islamic law was perfect and all-encompassing. As such, he refused to allow his fiqh to become official, even under threat of persecution and imprisonment.

Imam Malik’s Character

Besides being one of the greatest scholars of fiqh in history, Imam Malik was an incredibly humble and meticulous Muslim. Out of respect for the Prophet ﷺ and his words, he would refuse to narrate a hadith while walking. Instead, when asked about a hadith, he would stop, sit down, and give the hadith the attention it deserved, out of respect for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. He would also refuse to ride any animal in the city of Madinah, seeing it as unfathomable that he would ride on the same dust that Muhammad ﷺ’s feet walked on. This type of extra respect and meticulousness out of respect for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ certainly is not mandatory according to Islamic law, but simply a sign of the emphasis Imam Malik placed on the importance of Muhammad ﷺ.

Imam Malik’s seminal work, al-Muwatta

Among Imam Malik’s sayings are:

“The Sunnah is the ark of Nuh. Whoever boards it is saved, and whoever remains away perishes.”

“Knowledge does not consist in narrating much. Knowledge is but a light which Allah places in the heart.”

“None renounces the world and guards himself without then ending up speaking wisdom.”

When Imam Malik embarked on the study of Islamic sciences with a teacher, his mother advised him to “learn from your teacher his manners before you learn from him his knowledge.”

Imam Malik’s ideology on fiqh developed into the Maliki madhab (school). As Imam Malik wished, it was not imposed on Muslims as the sole school of Islamic law. Instead, it complemented the other three schools that took precedence in the Sunni Muslim world – the Hanafi, Shafi’i, and Hanbali schools. The Maliki school became very popular in North and West Africa, as well as Muslim Spain. Today it remains the main madhab of North and West Africa.

Imam Malik died at the age of 85 in the year 795. He was buried in the Baqee’ Cemetary in Madinah.

Bibliography:

Haddad, Gibril. The Four Imams and their Schools. Muslim Academic Trust, Print.

Khan, Muhammad. The Muslim 100. Leicestershire, United Kingdom: Kube Publishing Ltd, 2008. Print.

Source: lostislamichistory

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The Four Imams Series : IMAM AL-SHAFI’I

Thursday, July 30, 2015 |

بِسْمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

So, it's been so long. I decided to post the knowledge on our Four Imams that are followed by Muslims all over the world. It is the same one that are posted in my own website.

Let's start with the imam that I'm more familiar with:

IMAM AL-SHAFI’I – THE FATHER OF USUL AL-FIQH

In the study of fiqh, Islamic jurisprudence, different schools have developed over time. These schools were founded by the greatest legal minds in Islamic history, and expanded upon by their successors in their schools. Each one of these imams added a unique and new dimension to the understanding of Islamic law.

For the third of the four great imams, Imam Muhammad al-Shafi’i, his great contribution was the codifying and organization of a concept known as usul al-fiqh – the principles behind the study of fiqh. During his illustrious career, he learned under some of the greatest scholars of his time, and expanded on their ideas, while still holding close to the Quran and Sunnah as the main sources of Islamic laws. Today, his madhab (school of thought), is the second most popular on earth, after the madhab of Imam Abu Hanifa.

Early Life

Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi’i was born in 767 (the year of Imam Abu Hanifa’s death) in Gaza, Palestine. His father died when he was very young, and thus his mother decided to move to Makkah, where many members of her family (who were originally from Yemen) were settled. Despite being in a very bad economic situation, his mother insisted that he embark on a path towards scholarship, especially considering the fact that he was from the family of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Thus, as a young man, he was trained in Arabic grammar, literature, and history. Because of his family’s financial situation, his mother could not afford proper writing materials for the young al-Shafi’i. He was thus forced to take notes in his classes on old animal bones. Despite this, he managed to memorize the Quran at the age of seven. Afterwards, he began to immerse himself in the study of fiqh, and memorized the most popular book of fiqh at the time, Imam Malik’s Muwatta, which he memorized by age ten.

Studies Under Imam Malik

At the age of thirteen, he was urged by the governor of Makkah to travel to Madinah and study under Imam Malik himself. Imam Malik was very impressed with the intelligence and analytical mind of the young al-Shafi’i, and provided him with financial assistance to ensure that he remains in the study of fiqh.

In Madinah, al-Shafi’i was completely immersed in the academic environment of the time. In addition to Imam Malik, he studied under Imam Muhammad al-Shaybani, one of Imam Abu Hanifa’s foremost students. This familiarized al-Shafi’i with differing viewpoints on the study of fiqh, and he greatly benefited from the exposure to various approaches to fiqh. When Imam Malik died in 795, Imam Shafi’i was known to be one of the world’s most knowledgeable scholars, even though he was in his 20s.

His Travels

Not long after Malik’s death, Imam Shafi’i was invited to Yemen to work as a judge for the Abbasid governor. His stay there would not last long however. The problem was that as an academic, Imam Shafi’i was not ready for the politically-charged environment he found himself in. Because he insisted on being uncompromisingly fair and honest, numerous factions within the government made it their aim to remove him from his post.

A map of the distribution of madhab’s worldwide today. The Shafi’i madhab is in blue.

In 803, he was arrested and carried in chains to Baghdad, the seat of the Abbasid Caliphate, on trumped-up charges of supporting Shia rebels in Yemen. When he met with the caliph of the time, Harun al-Rashid, Imam Shafi’i gave an impassioned and eloquent defense, which greatly impressed the caliph. Imam Shafi’i was not just released, but Harun al-Rashid even insisted that Imam Shafi’i stay in Baghdad and help spread Islamic knowledge in the region. Al-Shafi’i agreed and smartly decided to stay away from politics for the remainder of his life.

While in Iraq, he took the opportunity to learn more about the Hanafi madhab. He was reunited with his old teacher, Muhammad al-Shaybani, under whom he mastered the intricate details of the madhab. Although he never met Imam Abu Hanifa, he had great respect for the originator of the study of fiqh, and his school of thought.

Throughout his 30s and 40s, Imam al-Shafi’i traveled throughout Syria and the Arabian Peninsula, giving lectures and compiling a large group of students that studied under him. Among them was Imam Ahmad, the originator of the fourth school of fiqh, the Hanbali madhab. Eventually, he finally went back to Baghdad, but found out that the new caliph, al-Ma’mun, held some very unorthodox beliefs about Islam, and was known to persecute those who disagreed with him. As a result, in 814, Imam Shafi’i made his final move, this time to Egypt, where he was able to polish off his legal opinions and finally organize the study of usul al-fiqh.

Al-Risala

During the 700s and the early part of the 800s, there were two competing philosophies about how Islamic law should be derived. One philosophy was promoted by ahl al-hadith, meaning “the people of Hadith”. They insisted on absolute reliance on the literal interpretation of Hadith and the impermissibility of using reason as a means to derive Islamic law. The other group was known as ahl al-ra’i, meaning “the people of reason”. They also believed in using Hadith of course, but they also accepted reason as a major source of law. The Hanafi and Maliki schools of fiqh were mostly considered to have been ahl al-ra’i at this time.

Al-Risala of Imam Shafi’i

Having studied both schools of fiqh, as well as having a vast knowledge of authentic hadith, Imam al-Shafi’i sought to reconcile the two philosophies and introduce a clear methodology for fiqh – known as usul al-fiqh. His efforts towards this end resulted in his seminal work, Al-Risala.

Al-Risala was not meant to be a book that discussed particular legal issues and al-Shafi’i’s opinion on them. Nor was it meant to be a book of rules and Islamic law. Instead, it was meant to provide a reasonable and rational way to derive Islamic law. In it, Imam al-Shafi’i outlines four main sources from which Islamic law can be derived:

1. The Quran

2. The Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad

3. Consensus among the Muslim community

4. Analogical deduction, known as Qiyas

For each one of these sources (as well a several more sources that he deems not as important), he goes in depth in his Risala, explaining how they are to be interpreted and reconciled with each other. The framework he provides for Islamic law became the main philosophy of fiqh that was accepted by all subsequent scholars of Islamic law. Even the Hanafi and Maliki schools were adapted to work within the framework that al-Shafi’i provided.

The contributions of Imam al-Shafi’i in the field of usul al-fiqh were monumental. His ideas prevented the fraying of the study of fiqh into hundreds of different, competing schools by providing a general philosophy that should be adhered to. But it also provided enough flexibility for there to still be different interpretations, and thus madhabs. Although he probably did not intend it, his followers codified his legal opinions (which were laid out in another book, Kitab al-Umm) after his death in 820, into the Shafi’i madhab. Today, the Shafi’i madhab is the second largest madhab after the Hanafi madhab, and is very popular in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, East Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Language of Imam Shafi’i

Besides being a giant of a scholar in the field of fiqh, Imam Shafi’i was noted for his eloquence and his knowledge of the Arabic language. During his travels, Bedouins, who were known to be the best-versed in the Arabic language, would attend his lectures not to gain knowledge of fiqh, but just to marvel as his use of language and his mastery of poetry. One of his companions, Ibn Hisham, noted that “I never heard him [Imam Shafi’i] use anything other than a word which, carefully considered, one would not find a better word in the entire Arabic language.”

Bibliography:

Haddad, Gibril. The Four Imams and their Schools. Muslim Academic Trust, Print.

Khadduri, Majid. Al-Shafi’i’s Risala. 2nd ed. Islamic Texts Society, Web. <http://ia600809.us.archive.org/2/items/Al-shafiisRisala/Shaafi-Risaala-fi-Usul-al-Fiqh.pdf>.

Khan, Muhammad. The Muslim 100. Leicestershire, United Kingdom: Kube Publishing Ltd, 2008. Print.

Source: lostislamichistory

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Perspectives

Monday, June 29, 2015 |

بِسْمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

I've been looking through it from my human point of view...
with bitter heart and some revengeful feelings...
I admit, I wasn't always good and forgivefull..
I never forget when people hurt me or stab my back..
Usually I just removed them from my life and ignore their existence..

but somehow, the last story, which almost a year now (time sure flies fast..phew)
left me with hurt and bitterness and hatred..
i tried...believe me i tried really hard to forgive and forget
but I guess my heart was too bitter to let go..

which lead me to realized,
it was my heart, after all...
and my thoughts on how to see the whole situation from a different point of view
i have the power over it..
the idea, the acceptance of what I am willing to lose

so finally, Alhamdulillah
finally after a long journey to the other side of the world
(a dream that slowly coming through...Alhamdulillah)
I have a lot of time to gather my thoughts
to appreciate what Allah have showered upon me
what Allah have written to be the most beautiful path for me

now, instead of looking at why do they do this to me
or what did I have done wrong
I like to believed that it was an answered prayers that I keep making

"Oh Allah, if they were the one for me that can make me love You more each day of my life and helping me near to You,then help us to make this halal smoothly..if they were not the one for me, please keep them away from me and show me the right path"

It scares me sometimes, to say this prayers out loud
during the rain, during tahajjud, during my sujood
it scares me when my heart is set on them at those time
but I still believe that He knows best

and then, He showed me that my prayers was answered
and me, being to engrossed in my worldly feelings
having a hard time to accept it
hard time to move on and accept that was a love sent from above for me

Masya-Allah...
i still remember those moments
the heartbreak that i've felt was so strong
that i dont think anyone else could help me except Him
i would have less sleep and be on a date every single night
asking for forgiveness, asking for me to be forgiveful
asking for strength, asking for the light
asking for the signs

which He keep showing me but I was too blind to see
or more accurate, I was too stubborn to see
but did He stop reminding me? No
Subhanallah...

I was ashamed of myself, my sins, and my own arrogance
defending something that are clearly not mine to hold
defending something that are not even halal for me
my heart was too full of darkness

But Alhamdulillah,
last ramadhan have been a great blessing for me
as I never in my life, pray and asking for my own salvation
for my soul salvation, for my own life to be okay
asking for my sins to be forgiven
and I've learned that I should never be involved in a relationship that are not halal and to the kind of person who only think of the world not the akhirah
as I tend to overcome by my own emotion and lost my sanity of logical reason

and still He showered me with so many blessings,
works and project to be done
making me travel all around the place
making me be a part of these excellent ladies
who is striving to be a better muslimah and at the same time making it a dakwah
allowing me to once again,
experienced the Holy place..
going for umrah,
and together with my heaven on earth..my mom
visiting all those places that I've to when i was a kid but too young to appreciate it..
teaching these young kids that give me a new perspective of what kids are today
(which obviously not like what we were back in the days...blame technologies, the unguided use of it of course...and unguarded entertainment)
and then, giving me the most peaceful feeling that I don't even know what i want to asked for anymore or more
its a contented feelings that i have hard time to explain
its like everything is enough for me

then, just before this ramadhan begins
He have gifted me with the best gift for my birthday
to be able to visit and experience Andalucia
a place where I felt like coming home
a place where I always dreamt of going since I've read it years ago
when I was still a kid
a place of medieval city full of christians but build with the souls of Muslims engraved in each of the designs that they still keep intact
Masya-Allah...i am blessed
I really am...and I am grateful

"O Allah, please make my heart firm on You, on Your religion, and please increase my Imaan day to day...and let my heart rest just to be ready for You and the hereafter"

Amin...

Love,
-naraj2015-

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Do you?

Wednesday, April 15, 2015 |

بِسْمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Do you ever encounter a moment where you feel like all is lost?

Like everything is hopeless and there is no where else you can run or turn to?

Be it a relationship, a financial problem, a friendship, a family matters or any troubles that makes you feel like there are no way out of it?

Do you?

And in that particular moment, do you realized that you will directly think of God?

in my case, Allah SWT...

you would beg to Him...asked Him to make it easier for you, asked Him to help you, asked Him to give a miracle to you...

Masya-Allah..how we beg and beg and beg to get out of the mess we are in...

Sometimes, Allah didn't really answer your plea in the way that you want..depends on your condition..

Some other times, Allah help you out, ease all the matters thats troubling you, give you money out of no where (though it might be from somewhere or something you forgot),ease your burden by making everything okay again...

Subhanallah..that moment...that moment you are out of the mess, Alhamdulillah...

but do you ever remembered to keep saying Alhamdulillah after that?

do you remember to plea from Him again after everything is fine again?

Do you?

I know I don't....i used to neglect stuff like that...

I used to feel like, Masya-Allah, Allah have blessed me with easiness in my life and my daily life...but i forgot..

I forgot that He, He wants you to beg and plea to Him...

to asked Him for anything, for forgiveness, for easiness...

beg Him, look for Him, search for Him...

instead, I used to just pray without even asking of begging for anything...

Pray just to fulfill the must...

Pray just to make sure i didnt be like the kufar...

I didnt pray like i did when I was so down with heavy heart..

I didnt beg in my heart...I didn't feel what I'm reciting in the prayers..

I didn't try to understand what my mouth were saying...I just recite it as fast as I can...

Astaghfirullah...

How weak are our imaan...how high are our ego...

for not able to humble ourselves in our prayer...not able to beg and plea with all our heart in every words we recite in our prayers...

They said, changes is easy..all you need is a leap of faith..

but to Istiqamah in everything we trying to change, Subhanallah..its hard...It's very hard...

xoxo,

~naraj2015~

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Ingin

Monday, April 06, 2015 |

بِسْمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

aku ingin untuk jatuh cinta kepadanya
aku ingin untuk merinduinya sepenuh hatiku
aku ingin mendidik diriku untuk lebih mengenalinya
aku ingin merasa manisnya rindu yang disulami iman
aku ingin merasa indahnya hidup berpandukan sunnahnya
aku ingin merasa bahagianya disana jika berada didalam syafaatnya

akanku didik hati ini untuk sentiasa mengingatinya.. untuk sentiasa merinduinya..untuk sentiasa berusaha untuk mengenalinya dengan lebih baik dan jatuh cinta dengan akhlaknya yang mulia...
aku ingin menangis rindu ketika mendengar nama Baginda
aku ingin bertemu dengannya di akhirat sana..
layak kah aku?
mampukah aku?
dikala hatiku belum cukup terusik dikala mendengar namanya
dikala hatiku belum cukup sayu bila mendengar kisahnya

layak kah aku?
sungguh?
mampukah aku mendidik diri ini?
sebelum sampai masa untuk bertemu denganNya?

-naraj2015-

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Dream that I used to dreamt

Monday, March 02, 2015 |

بِسْمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

One day...
I used to dreamt that I finally found him
and we would be together in the name of Allah
I told myself that
I would make things easier for him
I would take care of him
I would treat him like a baby he's pretending to be
In hope that he would take care of me and I will make sure I'm doing my best to care for him too

I would love him immensely
I would respect him as much as I can
I certainly would be loyal to him
I would be there when he needs me to
If his business fails or money's tight at home, I will support him
I would be there for him even more
I would not nag for his failure like everyone else around him would
I hope I would be the one person that looks up to him and believe him
I hope I woule be the one person he feels safe discussing his failures with
Safe from mockery, safe from sarcastic remarks

I would love him as much as I can and letting him know constantly
I would tell him, show him and do things out of my way for him
I would surprise him with gifts, just to make him feel special
In hope that he is doing the same thing, reciprocating the same behaviour to me

I would treat him well,
I would try to lessen his worries as much as I can
I would try to make him happy
I would show him my most vulnerable self, hoping he would be there to take care of me
I would trust him to be there for me
I would trust him and know he is doing his best for me
I would trust what he says
I would respect him and be loyal to him
and whenever he needs me, I would be there for him

I'm not asking much either
Just respect, love and loyalty

-naraj2015-

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Wednesday, February 25, 2015 |

بِسْمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Kadang-kadang, otakku berfikir

Ligat memikirkan...

Apakah sumbangan ku terhadap agama?

Apakah sumbangan pekerjaanku terhadap islam?

Apa yang akan aku dapat di akhirat nanti dari pekerjaanku ini?

Sungguh, sehingga sekarang, aku tidak mampu memikirkan satu apa pun yang dpt memberi manfaat kepada diriku di akhirat nanti di dalam pekerjaanku ini...

Sedih...sadis...

Kadang-kadang, aku merasakan bahawa aku telah tersalah bidang untuk berbakti kepada agama dan memberi manfaat kepadaku di akhirat sana.

Aku mencari dan terus mencari...

Menjadi seorang doktor, Subhanallah besar manfaatnya di akhirat nanti jika amanah itu djaga sebaiknya.

Menjadi seorang cikgu, Allahu Akbar betapa beruntungnya mereka jika ilmu yang indah itu semakin berkembang dan menjadi pahala kepada si pengajarnya.

Tetapi, menjadi seorang programmer...apa yang mampu aku lakukan?

Aku tahu, tidak banyak yang dpt aku lakukan untuk agama..lebih2 lagi bila agreement pekerjaan kami tidak membenarkan pekerjaan luar yg melibatkan IT.

Dikala aku masih mencari, Allah menunjukkan aku..

Dakwah...

Ya..hanya itu yang aku mampu

Dengan persekitaranku yang dikelilingi bukan seagamaku...yang semuanya berbangsa cina..

Alhamdulillah, mungkin perjalanan hidupku tidak seindah yang lain, tapi Allah memberikan aku pekerjaan yang aku minati, dikelilingi rakan-rakan sekerja yang memahami dan saling bantu-membantu dan menasihati. Sungguh, aku bersyukur berada bersama mereka meskipun berlainan agama. Tidak ada fitnah, tidak ada umpat mengumpat..cuma kerja kerja dan juga makanan..hehehe..

Aku selesa bersama mereka..dan aku harap mereka juga selesa berada disekitarku...

Mereka mengambil berat tentang kehalalan makanan bila mahu makan bersama atau membuat jamuan kecil sesama kami..

Dan paling membuat aku rasa sungguh bersyukur, mereka sering menanyaku tentang islam..

Nah...disitu..Allah memberiku peluang untuk berdakwah..

Aku sedaya upaya menerangkan sebaik mungkin dan seindah mungkin tentang islam..

Ada yg bertanya mengenai puasa...ada yang bertanya mengenai solat jumaat dan mengapa perempuan tidak diwajibkan ( soalan ini agak sukar bagiku )..ada yang menanya mengapa ada perempuan islam yang tidak bertudung jika bertudung itu wajib ( nah, rasa tertampar pipiku dgn soalan ini )...ada yang bertanya mengapa ada perbezaan mazhab di dalam islam..dan bermacam2 lagi

Subhanallah...soalan-soalan tersebut, disamping aku cuba untuk mjawab sebaik mungkin untuk mengindahkan islam, juga mengingatkan bahawa betapa lemahnya diriku..betapa ceteknya ilmu ku.. Sungguh...soalan-soalan mereka menyedarkanku..

Bagaimana diri ini mahu menjadi muslimah sejati? bagaimana diri ini mahu memberi petunjuk yang baik? bagaimana diri ini mahu berdakwah membesarkan Islam? Jika ilmu didada juga masih lagi belum cukup? Jika ilmu tidak diraih setiap hari?

Ya, ilmu... Ilmu perlu sentiasa dicari, sentiasa diperbaharui...

Benar kita islam sedari kecil...benar kita belajar agama disekolah dari kecil..

Tapi sahabat, tanya diri anda, berapa banyak ilmu yang kamu belajar itu masih diingati sejelas-jelasnya?

Jangan..jangan dikata selagi tahu halal haram itu cukup..selagi tahu solat itu wajib, cukup..tahu rukun Islam dan rukun Iman...tetapi, keikhlasan tiada didalam diri...

Pandangan mata yg menjadi zina mata dan zina hati tidak dijaga...

Tiada rasa cinta pun terdetik bila mendengar ayat-ayat suci Al-Quran..tiada rasa rindu pun untuk sentiasa bertahajjud kepada yang Esa.. tiada rasa ringan pun lidah untuk berselawat ke atas junjunganNya tika mendengar nama Nabi Muhammad SAW itu disebut..

Tepuklah dada...tanyalah jiwa...bahagiakah kita nanti di akhirat sana?

Aku mahu ilmu...untuk berdakwah..untuk disampaikan.. supaya menjadi bekalanku diakhirat nanti..

Aku ingin menjadi seorang guru, supaya aku mendapat manfaat dari ilmu-ilmu yang aku berikan..Subhanallah, sekarang aku seorang tutor..

Aku cemburu dengan ibadah kerja seorang doktor, Alhamdulillah, sekarang aku mengajar matapelajaran sains yang mengagungkan ciptaan Allah SWT kepada anak2 muridku..

Lihat...betapa besarnya nikmat Allah berikan...

betapa indah perjalanan hidupku yang diaturNya...
Hebat bukan? Allahu Akbar!

Aku akui aku pernah buta...pernah lalai.. dek kerana cinta manusia...

Aku khilaf didalam nikmat yang dberikan.. Aku kufur kepadaNya...

Alhamdulillah, betapa cintanya Allah kepadaku..

Betapa besarnya dan hebatnya nikmat yang lebih indah Dia berikan kepadaku..

Alhamdulillah...

-naraj2015-

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Waiting for Sunshine by my windows

-The Story of a hopeless romantic-

~Let the Rain Falls~

SeedFeed

~The Sun Rays~

Coloured Rainbows

The Sun Fertilizers

Total Sun Peeking

The Four Imams Series : IMAM AHMAD IBN HANBAL

Early Life

Ahmad ibn Hanbal the Scholar

The Mihna

The Four Imams Series : IMAM AL-BUKHARI

Al-Bukhari’s Early Life

Sahih al-Bukhari

Imam al-Bukhari’s Fiqh

The Four Imams Series : IMAM MALIK

IMAM MALIK – THE SCHOLAR OF MADINAH

Early Life and Education

The Scholar of Madinah

Imam Malik’s Character

The Four Imams Series : IMAM AL-SHAFI’I

Early Life

Studies Under Imam Malik

His Travels

Al-Risala

Language of Imam Shafi’i

Perspectives

Do you?

Ingin

Dream that I used to dreamt

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