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 taken from Ruling Regarding Whey & Animal Rennet in Cheese .   Rennet is an enzyme used in the food industry for the preparation of cheese by curdling milk.  It coagulates the milk, causing it to separate into solids, curds, and liquid, whey.  Rennet is extracted from the stomach of an animal whose meat is lawful after slaughtering in accordance with shari’ah .  Whey is a by-product which appears during the process of cheese making.  Regarding the whey and rennet of animals which were slaughtered according to the shari’ah , then it is unanimously considered permissible for consumption.  As for the whey and rennet of animals which were not slaughtered according to the shari’ah , scholars hold two opinions.   Imam Abu Hanifah Nu’man ibn Tsabit ( r.a. ) and, according to a saying, Imam Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal ( r.a. ) and others say it is pure and may be consumed.   Imam Abu ‘Abd...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is an article by Ustadz Fakhr ad-Din Uwaysi al-Madani in response to an issue of swalah as brought up by a Tijani.   The majority of the Tijaniyyah and their shuyukh follow the Maliki madzha b.   However, Shaykh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah Niyas al-Kawlakhi ( q.s. ) advised all Tijaniyyah to pray with folded arms.   What is issue with not folding the arms in swalah like the rest of the Malikis?   Why should the Tijaniyyah follow Shaykh Ibrahim's ( q.s. ) ijtihad rather than the dominant Maliki position?   What do we say to those who would say the Tijanis are doing the same thing as Salafis who also go against the madzahib , preferring to follow the ijtihad of their scholars such as Muhammad Naswir ad-Din al-Albani, or ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Baz?   In answer, we must differentiate between abandoning the madzahib all together, following some new pseudo- ijtihad that goes against all...

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 Shaykh Nur ad-Din Abu ‘Ubadah ‘Ali ibn Juma’ah,’s answer to the question of kissing the hands of scholars .  He was asked, since a lot of students and adepts kiss the hands of their teachers and guides, is this permissible?   The ways that people honour those that have rights over them differ with the different cultural norms of a given people.   We see, for example, that in the Arabian Peninsula, they kiss their fathers on the nose as a way of honouring them, and they kiss the heads of their scholars.   The original ruling of all of these things is that they are permissible so long as particular forms that Muslims may engage in have not been prohibited.   As for the question of kissing the hands of scholars, it is permissible to do so with a scrupulous scholar, a just ruler, one’s parents, one’s teacher, and anyone who is worthy of being honoured and respected.   According to Sayyidina ‘Ab...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is taken from “An Example of Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi’i’s ( r.a. ) Jurisprudence”, by Dr. Jibril Fu’ad Haddad. Shaykh Abu Manswur ‘Abd al-Qahir ibn Thahir al-Baghdadi ( r.a. ), in Manaqib ash-Shafi’i , and Naqd Abu ‘Abdullah al-Jurjani fi Tarjih Madzhab Abu Hanifah , related the following example of the Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi’i’s ( r.a. ) perspicuity at an early age.   Imam ash-Shafi’i ( r.a. ) was sitting at Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Malik ibn Anas’ ( r.a. ) feet, one day, when a man came in and said, “I sell turtledoves, and one of my customers returned one of them to me today, saying that it does not coo, so I swore to him on pain of divorce that my turtledove coos all the time!”   Imam Malik ( r.a. ) said, “You have divorced your wife, and are not to approach her.”   Imam ash-Shafi’i ( r.a. ) was fourteen at the time.  He asked the man, “Which is more, your turtledove’s ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Malik ibn Anas ( r.a. ), the Shaykh of Islam, the Proof of the Community, and Imam of the Abode of Emigration.   He was one of the most highly respected scholars of fiqh .   Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi’i ( r.a. ), who was one of Imam Malik’s ( r.a. ) students for nine years, and a scholarly giant in his own right, stated, “When scholars are mentioned, Imam Malik is the star.”   The Maliki madzhab named after him.   It is one of the four major schools of jurisprudence.   His full name was Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Malik ibn Anas ibn Malik ibn Abu ‘Amir ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Harits ibn Ghayman ibn Khuthayl ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Harits al-Aswbahi.   His lineage was from al-Aswbahi, a royal tribe, a branch of Himyar, in Yemen.   Imam Abu al-Fadhl ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuthi ( q.s. ) said that Imam Malik’s ( r.a. ) lineage goes to Ya’rab ibn Yashjab ibn Qahth...