A Muslim Convert Once More

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is by Shaykh Nur ad-Din Abu ‘Ubadah ‘Ali ibn Juma’ah.   It is recommended in shari’ah to say, “ Swadaqallah al-A’azhim ,” or “Allah the Greatest has Told the Truth,” after finishing a Qur’anic recitation.   This is based on the words of Allah ( s.w.t. ):   سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان قُلۡ صَدَقَ ٱللَّهُ‌ۗ ... (٩٥)   Say: “Allah Speaks the Truth ...” (Surah Ali ‘Imran:95)   In this verse, Allah ( s.w.t. ) Legislates an Unrestricted Command.   It is established in the science of uswul al-fiqh , legal theory, that an Unrestricted Command encompasses all times, places, people and conditions.   There is nothing wrong if this verse was revealed in response to the Jews, regarding what they falsely attributed to the Torah.   This is because it is likewise established that the important thing is the general purport of the words and not their contextual specificity.   Muslims, past and present, h...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is taken from “The Legality of the Four Schools of Fiqh ” by Shaykh Nur ad-Din Abu ‘Ubadah ‘Ali ibn Juma’ah.   If following a certain legal school of jurisprudence is not mandatory, then what is the Divine Wisdom behind having four different legal schools of jurisprudence with so many various juristic opinions?  Why do the scholars not agree on one juristic opinion, and base their opinions only on definite authentic legal evidence?   The issues of the shari’ah are divided into two categories.  The first category has to do with issues that reached the Muslims’ consensus such as the number of the obligatory prayers, specifying the month of fasting, destination of prayer, location of pilgrimage, prohibition of intoxicants, adultery and usury and other matters which formulate the Islamic identity.  These matters are not subjected to dispute as the legal evidence of these matters were definite.   The se...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is taken from “On Lay Muslims Following a Madzhab” by Shaykh Nur ad-Din  Abu ‘Ubadah   ‘Ali ibn Juma’ah.   Are lay Muslims obliged to follow only one of the four schools of jurisprudence of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah ?  Are there any other options that one can follow?  Regarding this issue, there is a difference between learning and applying.  When it comes to applying, abiding by a certain legal school of jurisprudence for lay people is not obligatory in every matter as they are eligible to adopt the legal opinion of other juristic scholars and mujtahidun .  Therefore, lay people have no certain legal school of jurisprudence because they follow the juristic opinion of the scholar they ask.   This is the established opinion for the Hanafis.  The renowned Hanafi scholar Imam Muhammad Amin ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abidin ( r.a. ) stated in his commentary in reference to Ima...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is taken from “Sexual Roleplay by Married Couples” by Shaykh Nur ad-Din Abu ‘Ubadah ‘Ali ibn Juma’ah.   Some married couples like to do some sexual fantasies so they role play the master and the slave, and this sex act could contain some sadism so one party can get hurt.   So, is this sexual fantasy prohibited?   Sadism indicates the tendency to derive pleasure and sexual gratification from inflicting pain, suffering or humiliation on others.   This terminology was first used by the French writer, Marquis de Sade who was known for his erotic and controversial literature which included a lot of violent sexual content.   It is well known that hurting the other party whether psychologically or physically in the sexual relationship or in any other relationship is legally prohibited.   Allah ( s.w.t. ) Says:   سُوۡرَةُ الاٴعرَاف قُلۡ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّىَ ٱلۡفَوَٲحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنۡہَا وَمَا ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ This is the sixth chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew.   This chapter contains the middle portion of the Sermon on the Mount and includes the Lord’s Prayer.   The first part deals with the outward and inward expression of piety and refers to almsgiving, supplication and fasting.   These are the three most important outward expressions of the Jewish faith.   Jesus ( a.s. ) endorses the Law of Moses ( a.s. ) but expands on the understanding of the acts of worship.   He stresses that sincere worship is not ostentatious.   He strongly condemns those who make public displays of their piety as hypocritical, since the sincerity of the ‘ibadah is lost.   This is very much in accord with the Islamic understanding as taught by Prophet Muhammad ( s.a.w. ).   The middle portion of the chapter, from the nineteenth verse, deals with the understanding of the jurisprudence of possessions and the issues of priorities...