A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Allah ( s.w.t. ) Says:   سُوۡرَةُ الحِجر إِنَّا نَحۡنُ نَزَّلۡنَا ٱلذِّكۡرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ ۥ لَحَـٰفِظُونَ (٩)   We have, without doubt, Sent Down the Message; and We will, Assuredly, Guard it (from corruption). (Surah al-Hijr:9)   سُوۡرَةُ النّجْم وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ ٱلۡهَوَىٰٓ (٣) إِنۡ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحۡىٌ۬ يُوحَىٰ (٤)   Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire.  It is no less than Inspiration Sent Down to him: (Surah an-Najm:2-4)   The great scholars believed that Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ) was the one referred to in the verses above, and following ahadits .   Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sakhr ad-Dawsi az-Zahrani al-Azdi  ( r.a. ) narrated that the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) said, “Very soon will people beat the flanks of camels in search of knowledge, and they shall find no one more knowledgeable than the knowledgeable scholar of Madina.”  This is found in Suna...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ What is the theological basis for the negative view of music by some Muslim? ”   There is no theological basis for the negative view of music in Islam.   When we say that something has a theological basis, it implies that it has something to do with the Divine, the Divine Nature or Its relationship with Creation.   The negative view of music in some quarters has a jurisprudential basis, taken from ‘urf , culture, and not Revelation.   There is no prohibition of music in the Qur’an, and there is a multitude of ahadits , prophetic narrations, where music was approved and encouraged.   Within fiqh , jurisprudence, there are two types of disapproval of music.   One type is the disapproval of music or certain musical instruments based on their perceived association with the haram.   An example would be Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Malik ibn Anas’ ( r.a. ) personal pro...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ What is the view of the 4 major a’immah of fiqh on Sufism? ”   Sufism, otherwise known as taswawwuf , or ‘irfan , is the field of spirituality, one of the religious sciences.   It is neither a distinct sect, nor can it be divorced from Islam.   A Sufi is a master of this field of the religious science.   A practitioner of Sufism is not actually a Sufi, any more than any person who studies fiqh , jurisprudence, is automatically a faqih , jurist.   Almost every major scholar of Sunni Islam either subscribes to some of the doctrines of taswawwuf , or had teachers who did.   In effect, they were almost all Sufis.   The founder of the Maliki madzhab , Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ) said, “Whoever practices taswawwuf without learning shari’ah corrupts his faith, while whoever learns shari’ah without practicing taswawwuf corrupts himself. ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ In Iqazh al-Himam fi Sharh al-Hikam , Shaykh Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ajibah ( r.a. ) quoted Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq’s ( q.s. ) commentary on the sayings of Imam  Abu ‘Abdullah  Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ), “He who practices taswawwuf , without acquiring knowledge of fiqh , is a zindiq .  He who acquires knowledge of fiqh , but does not practice taswawwuf , is a fasiq .  He who combines the two, has achiever the Truth.”   Imam az-Zarruq’s ( q.s. ) commentary on this saying is that the atheism of the first is due to the fact that he professes the doctrine of jabr , which entails the negation of wisdom and the rules of law.  The immoral depravity of the second is due to the fact that his conduct is devoid of the genuine dedication that prevents disobedience to Allah ( s.w.t. ), and of the sincere devotion that is stipulated for all actions.  The correctness of the third is due to his fulfillment in reality of hi...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ) said, “Do not behave like lords when looking at the sins of people, but like servants.  Thus, have sympathy for those who are being Tested, and praise Allah ( s.w.t. ) that you are Saved from those trials.  And never say, ‘This belongs to the people of the Fire, and this belongs to the people of Paradise.’  Do not look down arrogantly on the people of sin, but pray to Allah ( s.w.t. ) for their Guidance.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ According to Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ), in his al-Muwaththa’ , Jesus ( a.s. ), the son of Mary ( a.s. ), said, “Do not speak much without remembering God, for by doing so, you harden your hearts.  Surely a hard heart is distant from God though you are unaware.  Do not, like lords, look at the faults of others.  Rather, like servants, look at your own faults.  In truth, humanity is comprised of only two types: the afflicted and the sound.  So, show mercy to the afflicted, and praise God for well-being.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ) said, “Whoever practices taswawwuf without learning shari’ah corrupts his faith, while whoever learns shari’ah without practicing taswawwuf corrupts himself.  Only he who combines the two proves true.”   This was a famous saying related by the muhaddits , Imam Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ), in Qawa’id at-Taswawwuf ; the hafizh , Mulla Nur ad-Din Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Sulthan Muhammad al-Hirawi al-Qari ( r.a. ), in Sharh ‘Ayn al-‘Ilm wa Zayn al-Hilm ; the muhaddits , Imam ‘Ali ibn Ahmad al-‘Adawi ( r.a. ), in Hashiyat al-‘Adawi ‘ala Sharh Abu al-Hasan li Risalat ibn Abu Zayd al-Muswammat Kifayat ath-Thalib ar-Rabbani li Risalat ibn Abu Zayd al-Qayrawani fi Madzhab Ma’alik ; and Shaykh Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ajibah ( q.s. ), in Iqaz al-Himam fi Sharh al-Hikam .

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Muhammad Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah ( r.a. ) said, in reference to Imam  Abu ‘Abdullah  Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ), upon his passing, “May Allah ( s.w.t. ) have Mercy upon Imam Malik.  He only narrated authentic ahadits ; he would never report anything if it did not come from a reliable one.  Thus, in my opinion, Madina, in his absence, has only had a decrease in knowledge after his passing.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ) said, “Whoever practices taswawwuf without learning shari’ah corrupts his faith; while whoever learns shari’ah without practicing taswawwuf corrupts himself.  Only he who combines the two proves true.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi’i ( r.a. ) said, referring to his teacher, Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ), “When the scholars are mentioned, then know that Imam Malik is the star.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam  Abu ‘Abdullah  Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ) said, “All that has corrupted people is finding interpretations for that which they do not know.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam  Abu ‘Abdullah  Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ) said, “The believer is like a pearl; wherever he is, his beautiful qualities are with him.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Abu Sahl al-Haytsam ibn Jamil al-Baghdadi ( r.a. ) wrote, referring to Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ), in al-Jami’ al-Bayan al-‘Ilm wa al-Fadlihi , “I heard Imam Malik being asked about forty-eight questions, and he replied to thirty-two of them by saying, ‘I do not know.’”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ It is recorded, in Tadzkirat al-Awliya’ of Shaykh Farid ad-Din ‘Aththar Abu Hamid ibn Abu Bakr Ibrahim ( q.s. ), that Imam Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ) said, “I spent a long time serving Imam Ja’far asw-Swadiq, and I always found him in one of three acts of ‘ibadah : either he was engaged in swalah , engrossed in reciting the Qur’an, or he would be fasting.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ) said, “Disputation in the religion fosters self-display, does away with the light of the heart and hardens it, and bequeaths aimless wandering.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Although they were both students of Imam Ja’far ibn Muhammad asw-Swadiq ( q.s. ), Imam Abu Hanifah Nu’man ibn Tsabit ( r.a. ), and Imam  Abu ‘Abdullah  Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ), differed on the role of speculative fiqh .  Imam Abu Hanifah ( r.a. ) encouraged it, while Imam Malik ( r.a. ) strongly discouraged it.  When Imam Malik ( r.a. ) challenged Imam Abu Hanifah ( r.a. ) on this, Imam Abu Hanifah ( r.a. ) cited the example of a man who went to war, and his wife received news that he was killed.  She then married again, but her husband returned.  Who was the husband then?

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali ( r.a. ) wrote, in his Ihya’ ‘Ulum ad-Diyn , that Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi’i ( r.a. ) said, “I saw some Khurasani horses at the door of Imam Malik, and I had never seen any other horses better than them.  I said to Imam Malik, ‘How beautiful they look.’   He said, ‘They are a present from me to you, O Abu Hamid.’   I said, ‘Keep one of them for yourself for riding.’   He said, ‘I shall be ashamed before Allah to tread with the hoof of any animal on the soil where lies the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) Sent by Allah ( s.w.t. ).’”   Imam al-Ghazali ( r.a. ) added, “Witness, then, his benevolence and his veneration for the soil of Madina.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ) said, “It reached me that Jesus ( a.s. ) came to a village whose fortresses had fallen in ruins, whose streams were dried up, and whose trees were blighted.  Then he called, ‘O ruin, where are your people?’  But no one answered him.  Again, he called, ‘O ruin, where are your people?’  But no one answered him.   Then a voice cried, ‘Jesus, son of Mary, they perished and the earth swallowed them up, and their works returned as chains on their necks until the Day of Resurrection.’  So, Jesus ( a.s. ) wept.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ According to Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ), in his al-Muwaththa’ , Jesus ( a.s. ), the son of Mary ( a.s. ), said, “Do not speak much without remembering God, for by doing so, you harden your hearts.  Surely a hard heart is distant from God though you are unaware.  Do not, like lords, look at the faults of others.  Rather, like servants, look at your own faults.  In truth, humanity is comprised of only two types: the afflicted and the sound.  So, show mercy to the afflicted, and praise God for well-being.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak ( r.a. ) reported that one time, Imam  Abu ‘Abdullah  Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ) was continuously stung by a scorpion, under his garment, over ten times while narrating ahadits .  During the narration of the ahadits , he did not stop in order to remove it; rather he continued to narrate until the end.  “I noticed the discoloration of his face when the Imam was being stung.  Afterwards, when all the people had left, I came to the Imam and asked him what had happened.   He replied, ‘A scorpion was stinging me under my garment.  I could not have kept my patience because of myself restraint; rather it was out of the respect of the ahadits of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) that I did not remove it.’”