A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is taken from Making-Up Missed Prayers - A Point of Scholarly Consensus on whether making up missed prayers necessary, by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.   The position of all four Sunni schools is that it is fardh , obligatory, to make up all missed prayers, regardless of why they were missed.   Prayer is the first thing we will be questioned about on the Day of Judgement, as the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) informed us in sound narrations.   Imam Abu Zakariya Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi ( r.a. ) stated, in Majmu’ Sharh al-Muhadzdzab , “There is consensus of the scholars whose opinion counts that whoever leaves a prayer intentionally must make it up.   ibn Hazm differed with them on this, saying that such an individual cannot ever make them up and it is not at all valid to make them up.   Rather, he said, one must do much good works and voluntary prayer in order that one s scales be heavy on the Day of Judgement and one mus...

Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-‘Abidin was born on Thursday, the 5 th of Sha’ban, 38 AH, in Madinah al-Munawwarah.  He died a martyr — poisoned by Walid ibn ‘Abd al-Malik — on the 18 th of Muharram, 95 AH, at the age of 57 or 58.  Between those two dates sits one of the most remarkable lives in Islamic history: a life shaped by grief, sustained by prayer, and characterised by a moral excellence that silenced critics, converted enemies, and left the scholarly tradition without adequate superlatives. Sayyidina ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas — the greatest Qur’anic scholar among the Companions, the cousin of the Prophet, a man not given to casual flattery — would look at Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin and call him the Beloved of the Beloved.  Imam Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihab az-Zuhri — the great Tabi’i scholar of Madinah — said he had not seen any Qurayshi more excellent than him.  Imam Abu Hazim Salamah ibn Dinar al-A’araj al-Madani said he had not seen any jurist more ex...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is from the teachings of Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani ( q.s. ).   Some are called believers because they believed in the unseen.   When the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) came, he said that he believed in Allah ( s.w.t. ), and so did Jesus ( a.s. ) and Moses ( a.s. ) when they came before him.   Belief, therefore, is in the unseen.   When it is seen, at that time, it is not belief but evidence.   At that time we accept something because we saw is not belief, there is no evidence of faith.   سُوۡرَةُ یُونس ... حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَدۡرَڪَهُ ٱلۡغَرَقُ قَالَ ءَامَنتُ أَنَّهُ ۥ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِىٓ ءَامَنَتۡ بِهِۦ بَنُوٓاْ إِسۡرَٲٓءِيلَ وَأَنَا۟ مِنَ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ (٩٠) ءَآلۡـَٔـٰنَ وَقَدۡ عَصَيۡتَ قَبۡلُ وَكُنتَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدِينَ (٩١)   At length, when overwhelmed with the flood, he said, “I believe that there is no god except Him Whom the Children of Israel believe in: ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali ( r.a. ) wrote, in his Ihya’ ‘Ulum ad-Din , after mentioning the hadits , “Do not travel except to three mosques,” “The gist of the matter is that some ‘ulama use it as evidence for prohibiting travel to places of religious visitation and pilgrimage.   It is clear that this is not the case.   On the contrary, visitation to graves is commanded by the hadits , ‘I have forbidden you in the past to visit graves, but now I tell you to visit them.’   The hadits only mentions the prohibition of frequent visitation to other than the three mosques because of the likeness of one mosque to another.   Furthermore, there is no city in which there is no mosque.   Hence, there is no need to travel to another mosque.   As for places of religious visitation, the blessing of visiting them varies to the measure of their rank with Allah ( s.w.t. ).” The following is an excerpt from t...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is adapted from a swuhbah by Shaykh Tu‘sun Bayrak al-Jirrahi, Shaykh of the Jirrahi Khalwati thariqa’ .   Allah ( s.w.t. ) Says:   سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡڪُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِڪُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ (١٨٣)   O you who believe!   Fasting is Prescribed to you as it was Prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint. ― (Surah al-Baqarah:183)   The last phrase of the Lord’s Order to fast reveals the inner meaning of fasting.   A hadits related by Sayyidina Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud ( r.a. ) clearly illustrates this meaning: “Whoever can, should marry, because marriage prevents one from forbidden acts and protects one ’ s honour.   The one who cannot marry should learn to fast, for fasting is the best means to control one’s lust and desires of the flesh, and the temptations of ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ In the decisive battles against the Romans during the time of the Caliph, Sayyidina Abu Hafsw ‘Umar ibn al-Khaththab al-Faruq ( r.a. ), the Muslim warriors, although always out-numbered by the enemy, proved mysteriously indomitable and strong-willed opponents.   The Roman commanders were baffled as to how the once barbaric and irregular desert army could display such vigour and chivalry against a battle-hardened regular Roman army.   The sent some informers to see how the Muslim soldiers spent their time in the leisure periods, especially at night.   This is what they were informed.   One informer said, “They are knights by day and monks by night.   They pay for what they eat in territories under their occupation.   They are the first to salute when they arrive at a place and are valiant fighters who just wipe out the enemy.”   Another testified, “During the night it seems that they do not belong to this worl...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Laylat al-Qadr or the Night of Power is a special time in the month of Ramadhan.   In truth, it is not just a “night”.   It is a state, a hal .   Its secrets are many.   And not all are meant to be opened.   For the one who is Blessed, every night of Ramadhan could be Laylat al-Qadr ; Allah ( s.w.t. ) is not limited.   No matter the case, there will still be that one night, when the Divine Presence seems overwhelming.   According to my shaykh , there is at least one for the mu’minun and one for the awliya’ .   The Night of Power is the most virtuous night of the year.   سُوۡرَةُ القَدر بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ إِنَّآ أَنزَلۡنَـٰهُ فِى لَيۡلَةِ ٱلۡقَدۡرِ (١) وَمَآ أَدۡرَٮٰكَ مَا لَيۡلَةُ ٱلۡقَدۡرِ (٢) لَيۡلَةُ ٱلۡقَدۡرِ خَيۡرٌ۬ مِّنۡ أَلۡفِ شَہۡرٍ۬ (٣) تَنَزَّلُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ فِيہَا بِإِذۡنِ رَبِّہِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمۡرٍ۬ (٤) سَلَـٰمٌ هِىَ حَتَّىٰ مَ...