A Muslim Convert Once Before

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   Someone asked Shaykh Manswur al-Baz al-Batha’ihi ( q.s. ) about mahabbah , love.  He said, “The lover is inebriated in his hangover, and he is bewildered in his drinking.  If he emerges from intoxication, it is only to enter a state of bewilderment, and if he emerges from a state of bewilderment, it is only to enter a state of intoxication.”   Then he uttered these poetic verses:   “Love is an intoxication, and its hangover is a ruination, A fertile ground for disaster and terminal disease. Love, like death, annihilates every enamoured soul, And ruination destroys anyone who tastes it. In love died those who were sincere in their affection; Had they not loved, they would neither have died nor perished.”   Then he went over to a flourishing green tree and breathed a sigh beside it, and the tree immediately withered and shed all its leaves.  Shaykh Manswur ( q.s. ) uttered these poetic verses: ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is extracted from the Garden of Tafsir by Shaykh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah Niyas al-Kawlakhi ( q.s. ).  This section is about Surah al-Fatihah.   Surah al-Fatihah comprises the totality of the Qur’an.  The Qur’an has nine subject matters.  On the subject of al-Hamd , Praise, in the Qur’an, there are many, many verses that praise Allah ( s.w.t. ) and laud Him.  There are the subjects of the Promise and the Threat.  Also found in the Qur’an are shari’ah , the sacred law; and the Haqiqah , Reality.  There is du’a , supplication; and also, qiswswah , storytelling; the stories of those before us.  Also found in it are mawa’izh , sermons; tadzkir , reminders; khabar , reports; and tawhid , monotheism.   سُوۡرَةُ الفَاتِحَة بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ (١)  ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (٢) ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ (٣) مَـٰلِكِ يَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ (٤) إِيّ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ It is recorded in Qala’id al-Jawahir of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Yahya at-Tadifi ( r.a. ) and translated by Ustadz Mukhtar Holland the following.   It was related by Shaykh Baqa’ ibn Batu an-Nahr al-Maliki ( q.s. ), “Shaykh ‘Abdullah arrived, accompanied by a young man.  He entered the presence of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir and said to him. ‘O my master, offer a prayer of supplication for this young man, for he is my son!’   He was not his son, however, and he had something improper on his conscience, so Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir grew angry and cried, ‘It has gone far enough, the way you all treat me!’   Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir got up and withdrew to his private apartment, and fires immediately broke out in all the districts of Baghdad.  As soon as the flames were extinguished in one place, fire would flare up in another spot. I could see calamity descending on Baghdad, like a cloudburst, and all because of the anger of Shaykh ‘Abd al-...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ It is written in Qala’id al-Jawahir that Shaykh Abu Bakr ibn Huwarah al-Bata’ihi ( q.s. ) had a dream-conversation with the Prophet ( s.a.w. ).  He had a dream in which he saw Allah’s Messenger ( s.a.w. ) and Sayyidina Abu Bakr ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utsman asw-Swiddiq ( r.a. ).   “O Messenger,” he said, “invest me with a khirqah .”  The khirqah is the tattered cloak worm by Sufi shuyukh .   “O ibn Huwarah,” the Messenger ( s.a.w. ) replied, “I am your Prophet, and this is your shaykh .”  He pointed towards Sayyidina Abu Bakr ( r.a. ).  He turned to Sayyidina Abu Bakr ( r.a. ) and said to him, “Invest ibn Huwarah with your two emblems.”   Sayyidina Abu Bakr ( r.a. ) responded by investing him with a gown and the taqiyyah , a cotton skullcap.  Then he passed his hand over his head, stroked his forelock, and said, “May Allah Bless you.”   Prophet ( s.a.w. ) said, “O Abu Bakr,” referring to Shaykh Abu Bak...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Once, the archangel Gabriel ( a.s. ) was soaring in the heavens and he heard a voice saying, “ Ya Rabb ,” meaning, “My Cherisher,” or “My Sustainer,” over and over.   Then he heard a Reply from the Divine Saying, “ Labbayk! ” meaning, “Here I am, My slave!”   This voice kept repeating, “ Ya Rabb ” and the Answer was heard every time, and Gabriel ( a.s. ) wondered whose voice this was, seeking for his Lord in the dark of the night.  He gazed into the heavens, and he saw where it was coming from.  There was a glow, and this voice was coming from there, so Gabriel ( a.s. ) went closer.  He wanted to see who this person was.  He found this voice coming from inside a temple.  There was an old man sitting alone, before a huge fire, and saying, “ Ya Rabb ” while Allah ( s.w.t. ) was still Answering his calls.   Gabriel ( a.s. ) thought this was wrong.  This man was not asking from Allah ( s.w.t. ); he was...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   It is written in Gardens of Tafsir by Shaykh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah Niyas al-Kawlakhi ( q.s. ), a commentary of the following verse:   سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة وَإِذۡ قُلۡنَا لِلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةِ ٱسۡجُدُواْ لِأَدَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓاْ إِلَّآ إِبۡلِيسَ أَبَىٰ وَٱسۡتَكۡبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ (٣٤)   And behold We Said to the angels, “Bow down to Adam”; and they bowed down: not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty: he was of those who reject faith. (Surah al-Baqarah:34)   Originally, the sujud was only done once; that is what qiyas leads to as a conclusion and that is what is appropriate; because Allah ( s.w.t. ) Who is being prostrated to is Unique.   Prostration was therefore prescribed as once only.   However, when the angels prostrated for half-a-day, which is equivalent to five-hundred years and then raised their heads to see that Iblis had refused to prostrate, they went back in prostration.   They mad...