Ilm Fruits

The Status of the Sunnah

Having been in Medina for so many years, Allah willed that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) and the Companions would return back to Makkah. Thousands marched forth to perform hajj with the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) that year and in that congregation he made a very important address. This was to be known as the Farewell Hajj, this was his farewell to his companions, a farewell message to the believing ummah, and in this farewell he said: "I am leaving behind two memorable things, the Book of Allah and my sunnah, whoever abides by these will never go astray."

Inshallah ta'ala listen to this little podcast, it focuses on the latter of these memorable things that the Prophet of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) has left us; it will focus on the importance and the status of the Sunnah in our lives as Muslims.

• The Greatness of Ayat al-Kursi
• Ahlul Sunnah Wal Jam’aah
• Lessons Before Death
• Money, Power, Respect
• Tafseer by the Sunnah: Uloom ul-Quran

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Conditions for Saheeh Hadeeth

Bismillah.

The study of hadeeth is one of the most noble sciences in Islam. The precision of this science, and the scholars who perfected it, is amazing and is not found in any other science--secular or Islamic. The sciences of hadeeth may be the most disputed science in Islam, simply because people do not understand the succinct process and scrutinization for only one narration to be accepted as authentic (saheeh). The Sunnah is the second source of legislation after the Qur'an, and Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) promised to protect the Sunnah:

Translation: We have, without a doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption). [Suratul-Hijr, verse 9]

So those who deny the Sunnah (for reasons such as weakness and lack of authenticity) and claim to "follow the Qur'an" are further away from the Qur'an; and they do not truly follow it, because if they did follow the Qur'an, they would automatically turn to the Sunnah.

The term saheeh literally means "sound and healthy." Its Islamic/legal definition means: a narration that is totally authentic, with no doubt in its authenticity, and is a certified statement of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم). For a hadeeth to be taken as saheeh, five conditions must be met:

1. Connected Isnaad: (isnaad is the plural of sanad, which is the chain of narrators). In Arabic: اتصال السند, ittisaal us-sanad. There cannot be a break in the chain. The narrators must have heard the hadeeth from each other, and if there is a break in the chain, the hadeeth is not authentic. (An example of a break in the chain would be a tabi'i narrating directly from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم). The successor/tabi'i couldn't have met the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) and had to have taken the narration from a companion, yet they did not mention the companion--so this would be a weak narration.)
2. The narrators must be trustworthy and righteous.In Arabic: العدالة, al-'adaalah. The sub-conditions for 'adaalah is that the narrator fears Allah, they are not known to commit major sins or consistent minor sins, and that they avoid all that people may consider shameful (faqawaar al-maroo'a). A modern day example of this would be that the Imam of the masjid would not come lead the prayer in shorts. Although shorts are technically fine to wear, some members of the prayer may consider it shameful and inappropriate for the Imam to lead the prayer in such clothing. So the narrators leave acts that can be seen as shameful by the people, even if they are not haraam or makrooh.
3. Precision and accuracy of the narrators. In Arabic: ضبط الرواة dhabt ar-rawaah. There are two sub-conditions under dhabt:
   1. Precision and accuracy of the memory. In Arabic: ضبط الصدر, dhabt as-sadr.
   2. Precision of writing. In Arabic: ضبط الكتاب, dhabt al-kitaab. In terms of writing, some scholars of hadeeth had weak memories, so they would never narrate from their memories, but rather from their scribes or notes.
4. No irregularities or inconsistencies. In Arabic: عدم الشذوذ, adamu as-shuthooth. Shuthooth is plural of shaath, and it literally means something irregular or not normal. An example of a shaath narration would be a hadeeth with a reliable narrator, but he contradicts a stronger narrator. So for a hadeeth to be authentic, it must be consistent.
5. No hidden defects. In Arabic: عدم العلة, adamu al-'illah. An 'illah, or a hidden defect is hard to detect and only the top scholars of hadeeth (like Imam Bukhari and Imam Ahmad) were able to detect them. Only through knowledge and experience will someone be able to detect an 'illah in a hadeeth. Ibn al-Salah says, "A ma'lul (defective) hadith is one which appears to be sound, but thorough research reveals a disparaging factor." An example of an 'illah would be a narrator saying he narrated from his shaykh (his teacher) but he never heard from him, and rather took it from another student.

These are the five conditions for a hadeeth to be considered authentic, as stated by the scholars of this science. The only difference between a saheeh hadeeth and a hasan (good, one level lower than saheeh) is that the narrators have good memories and not excellent memories, they are still reliable, but their level of memory and precision is less than saheeh.

SubhanAllah, if someone takes the time to learn even the basics of this science, they will realize that those who claim the sunnah as unreliable have no idea what they're talking about, and have never even studied this science! Allah has promised to preserve the sunnah, and with conditions such as these, the scholars of hadeeth have lived out this promise.

A great introductory resource if you would like to learn this science is a book by Shaykh Suhaib Hasan, known as "An Introduction to the Sciences of Hadeeth," published by Dar-us-Salam--and take the AlMaghrib course known as Chain of Command: The Sciences of Hadeeth. Also, shaykh Yasir Qadhi has a set of introductory audio lectures on this science, which can be found here.

And Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) knows best.

References

Abdul-Bary Yahya. Lecture. AlMaghrib Institute. Chain of Command: Hadeeth Sciences. University of Maryland, Rockville. July 2007.

• What is a Hadith?
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The Day of Arafah

Arafah: the main day of Hajj. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said in one hadith: "Hajj IS Arafah." [Sunan Abu Dawud, book 10, #1944] How true that is--if you go to Arafah, but miss everything else, your Hajj is sound; and if you do everything else, but miss Arafah, your Hajj is not valid.

How much more important can you get than that?

Arafah, the day when millions of poeple gather in one place at one time to praise and supplicate to Allah.

So how can you make the best use of the Day of Arafah, while you're in Arafah? The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said: "The best du'a you can make is the du'a on the day of Arafah." [Malik's Mutawatta, Book 10, #20.76.255]

So this is it--your chance to change the world insha'Allah, because the du'a you make on Arafah will be accepted, bi idhnillah. And you have a whole day to do it.

And remember--when you make du'a for someone who's not around, the angels make the same du'a for you! The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said: "He who makes du'a for his brother behind his back (in his absence), the Angel commissioned (for carrying supplication to his Lord) says: Ameen, and it for you also (something similar)." [Saheeh Muslim, Book 35, #6589]

The best preparation you can make for the Day of Arafah is to write a du'a list. Write it out ahead of time, and make it long--at least twenty pages. What are some of the benefits of doing it ahead of time?

• You can think of anything you want in this life and the next, and add that; you won't forget anything.
• You can plan ahead, see where you want to be in 5, 10, 50 years, in the akhira, and incorporate that in your du'a list.
• You have time to make du'a for all your brothers and sisters in Islam and your close relatives.
• You can ask your friends and relatives what they want you to make du'a for, on their behalf. They will be extremely happy if you tell them you'll make du'a for them on arafah!

And trust me, twenty pages is not enough--if you squeeze every ounce, every second, of your time on Arafah making du'a--as you should--you can easily cover your du'a list a few times. So make it long, as long as possible.

Insha'Allah here are some ideas to help get you started on your du'a list--just some things to think about. Insha'Allah think up your own additional categories and personalize your list more.

• Your eman
• Your rank in Jannah (and Al-Firdaus)
• Your knowledege of Islam
• Your memorization of the Qur'an
• Your health
• Your wealth
• Your job
• Your kids--their eman and akhira, health, etc.
• The ummah at large
• Those oppressed in Palestine, Chechnya, Somalia, and worldwide
• People you want to become Muslim--including presidents and world leaders
• Countries you want to become Muslim--including your current residence
• Guidance for every human being on the planet
• Your Islamic work and projects
• People who you know who aren't very practicing, to become more practicing
• People you know who are practicing, to become better and more practicing.
• Any weakness you have--any sin you commit--to be overcome

This is just a list to get you started. Insha'Alalh work on it, and you'll find ideas flowing.

Before that day, brush up on and make sure you know the etiquettes of du'a--praise Allah, glorify Him, thank Him, and send salaam and salaawaat on His Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم). Call Him by His great names--including Allah, Al-Hayyu, and Al-Qayyum--then ask what you want.

And does this apply to people who are not on Hajj? Allahu 'alim.

We ask Allah to accept our Hajj and the Hajj of all the Hujjaaj, and to make Hajj easy for everyone who goes or intends to go (ameen).

For more information on your Hajj Du'a list, check out the video below, courtesy of HajjCoach.com.

Prepare a MASSIVE Dua List. Perf. Muhammad Alshareef. 2007. HajjCoach.Com. 21 Nov. 2007 <http://youtube.com/watch?v=znaAS26jkpk>.

• Fasting in Muharram
• Sofa Fard, Bucket-Seat Fard
• Hajj Black Dots
• Do you remember?

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No Plans for Friday?

Bismillah.

Check out this hadith:

‏إِنَّ مِنْ أَفْضَلِ أَيَّامِكُمْ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَأَكْثِرُوا عَلَيَّ مِنْ الصَّلاَةِ فِيهِ
فَإِنَّ صَلاَتَكُمْ مَعْرُوضَةٌ عَلَيَّ قَالَ فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ
وَكَيْفَ تُعْرَضُ صَلاَتُنَا عَلَيْكَ وَقَدْ أَرَمْتَ ‏- ‏قَالَ يَقُولُونَ بَلِيتَ
‏قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى حَرَّمَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ أَجْسَادَ الأَنْبِيَاءِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ

The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: "Surely, among the best of your days is Friday; so increase in (invoking Allah's) salaat upon me during it, for your (invocations for Allah's) Salaat (upon me) will be displayed to me." So they (the companions, (رضي الله عنهم‏)) asked: "O Messenger of Allah! How will our (invocation for Allah's) Salaat (upon you) be displayed to you when you have disintegrated (i.e. your body turned to dust in the grave)?" He replied, "Verily, Allaah (سبحانه وتعالى) has made forbidden for the earth (the consumption of) the bodies of the Prophets - may Allah's Salaat be upon them." [Sunan Abi Dawood #1531, graded Saheeh by Shaykh Albani]

What is 'salaat' upon the Messenger? It means to pray for him and ask Allah to bless him. Learn about it in much, much more detail here.

‏ رسول الله ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏قال ‏ ‏من صلى علي واحدة صلى الله عليه عشرا ‏

The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) also said, whoever supplicates Allah to send salaat on me once, Allah will send salaat upon him ten times. (Saheeh Muslim, #808)

How do you send salaat/salawaat?

‏قال سمعت ‏ ‏ابن أبي ليلى ‏ ‏قال ‏
‏لقيني ‏ ‏كعب بن عجرة ‏ ‏فقال ألا أهدي لك هدية خرج علينا رسول الله ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏فقلنا قد عرفنا كيف نسلم عليك فكيف نصلي عليك قال ‏ ‏قُولُوا الَّهُمَّ صَلِ عَلى ‏ ‏مُحَمَّدٍ ‏ ‏وَعَلى آلِ ‏ ‏مُحَمَّدٍ ‏ ‏كَمَا صَليتَ عَلى آلِ ‏ ‏إبرَاهِيمَ ‏ ‏إنك حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ الَّهُمَّ بَارك عَلى ‏ ‏مُحَمَّدٍ ‏ ‏وَعَلى آلِ ‏ ‏مُحَمَّدٍ ‏ ‏كَمَا بَارَكتَ عَلى آلِ ‏ ‏إبرَاهِيمَ ‏ ‏إنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ

Ibn Abi Laila reported: Ka'b bin 'Ujra met me and said: Should I not offer you a present (and added): The Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) came to us and we said: We have learnt how to invoke peace upon you; (kindly tell us) how we should bless you. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Say: "O Allah, bless Muhammad and his family as You did bless the family of Ibrahim. Verily You are hamid and majeed (praiseworthy and glorious)" (i.e. the du'a above) [Saheeh Muslim, #804]

Fill your time this Friday (and every Friday) with salawaat insha'Allah.

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The Best Teacher

Bismillah.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in the Qur'an,

Translation: It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom although they were before in clear error. [Suratul Jumu'ah, verse 2]

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) sent Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) to do four things:

1. Recite the verses
2. Teach the Qur'an
3. Teach the Wisdom (sunnah)
4. Purify his followers.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) nurtured the sahaba and taught them in such a way that the whole of Arabia drastically changed in a matter of 23 years. He had six amazing qualities of teaching that inshaAllah we can implement and follow as teachers, parents, siblings, and any other roles we have in our communities.

Mu'awiyah ibn Al-Hakam said, "I have never seen a teacher before him (Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) or after him better in teaching than he."

The attributes of a good teacher:

1. Desire and keen for goodness for students: In surah At-Tawbah, Allah says, in the translation of ayah 128, "There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful." Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) also advised Abu Dhar (رضي الله عنه‏), "I see that you are weak, and I love for you like I love for myself, so if someone gives you a position of leadership, don't take it".
2. Kindness. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, "Allah is Kind (Rafeeq) and He loves kindness, and confers upon kindness which He does not confer upon severity, and does not confer upon any thing besides it (kindness)." [Muslim] We see his kindness throughout his life (صلى الله عليه و سلم), when he would pass by children in the street he would play with them--unlike nowadays, where people think it is righteousness to never smile. Anas ibn Malik (رضي الله عنه‏) narrated that whenever the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) would pass by children he would smile fondly and greet them. [Bukhari and Muslim].
   Anas also narrated, "I served him for ten years, and he never said "uff" (an expression of disgust) to me. He never said, 'why did you do that?' for something I had done, nor did he ever say 'why did you not do such and such' for something I had not done." [Bukhari and Muslim].
3. Hikmah (wisdom). Hikmah is defined as saying the right thing at the right time to the right people in the right manner. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, "Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or is oppressed." A man inquired: "O Messenger of Allah! I help him when he is oppressed, but how can I help him when he is an oppressor?'' He (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, "You can keep him from committing oppression. That will be your help to him." [Bukhari]. Another example is the story of the bedoin who urinated in the masjid. SubhanAllah, while all of the sahaba ran to admonition him and beat him, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) simply said, "Leave him alone and pour a bucket of water over it. You have been sent to make things easy and not to make them difficult.'' [Bukhari]
4. Humilty and humbleness. Abu Rifa'a (رضي الله عنه‏) narrated that, "I came towards the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) while he was giving the khutba. I said 'O Messenger of Allah, an estranged man has come asking about his religion, he does not know what his religion is.' The Messenger of Allah came towards me and left his khutba until he reached me, and was brought a chair, I thought the legs were made of iron. The Prophet sat on it and started teaching me from what Allah had taught him. Then he returned to his khutba and completed it." [Bukhari]
5. Saying "I don't know" if you don't know the answer. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) would only answer a question if Qur'an had been revealed answering it, or he would wait for revelation. Once, Jaabir ibn Abdillah (رضي الله عنه‏) came and asked the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سل) about inheritance, and Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) stayed quiet until Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) revealed the ayah in Surah an-Nisaa.
6. Speaking slowly. 'Aishah (رضي الله عنها‏) reported that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) did not summarize his speech, and he spoke in such a way that if one were to count his words, they could be counted. [Bukhari] Anas ibn Malik also reported that Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) would repeat his words three times.

These are only a few of the qualities of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) as a teacher, indeed in him we have an excellent pattern--as Allah Himself says:

Translation: There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often. [Surah Ahzab, verse 21].

References

AbdulBary Yahya. Lecture. AlMaghrib Institute. Chain of Command: Hadeeth Sciences. University of Maryland, Rockville. July 2007.

• Good Teachers Need Good Students (and Vice-Versa)
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Hajj Black Dots

Take a look at the following picture. What do you see?

Most people will say they see the black dot. Not the whole field of white dots.

That's people for you! Despite all the white dots around us--our health, wealth, youth, our household, our family, our fine clothing--we only see the black dots. That guy at work who's always talking on the phone. That punk at school who keeps stealing your cookies. That drip-dripping tap that never stops.

Perhaps this is why Allah says:

Translation: And few of My slaves are thankful. [Surah Saba, verse 13]

Subhanallah, how true this is! And never truer then on Hajj. Hajj is a time of hardship, no doubt about that. But one of the main ways to increase the quality of your Hajj is to focus on the white dots, not the black dots. Because Allah will test you--guaranteed--in ways you cannot imagine.

Say you're in Mina, and you suddenly realize you have to use the washroom. So you rush out--only to find over a hundred people lined up across ten stalls! Subhanallah! That's a big black dot--but what are the white dots?

• You're alive--that's a big blessing in itself.
• You're surrounded by your brothers and sisters in Islam--and Hujjaaj, to boot!
• It's not a serious medical emergency--like someone dying--just a need to use the washroom.

And this happened to one of the Hujjaj in the group I went in. Subhanallah, they were literally almost jumping up and down, and some kind older person took pity on them and allowed them to jump the line--just in the nick of time!

The best way to prepare for Hajj is to start looking for all the white dots, now! Whether you're at home, at school, at the mall, at work, at the dentist, think about all the blessings and white dots. And Allah says:

Translation: And He gives you of all that you ask for. But if you count the favours of Allah, never will ye be able to number them. Verily, man is given up to injustice and ingratitude. [Surah Ibrahim, verse 34]

Here are some examples to think about. Post the white dots you find in the comments insha'Allah.

1. Your group leader tells you the bus to Arafah is coming at 3am, so you should get up at 2am to get ready. You wake up at 2am. 8am comes, and the bus is still not here.
2. You complete your tawaaf and sa'iee for Hajj, and return to your tent, only to find out they've already served dinner--because the group's going later!
3. You're sitting on a bus to Mina. You've been sitting for 4 hours. The driver turns off the air-conditioning because the engine is overeating. The guy sitting next to you has someone standing next to him, so he jams himself into you to get more space.

These are just a few examples, taken from some real incidents that happened to people while they were on Hajj. What are the white dots in these situations?

• When is a Ya a Ya?
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Success is For the Believers

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in the first few verses of Surah Mu'minoon:

Translation: Successful are the Believers! Those who establish their salaah with khushoo. [Surah Mu'minoon, verses 1-2]

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) carries on to mention many other characteristics of the believer in this surah--however, the thing to focus on, the thing to ponder about, is that the FIRST characteristic that Allah chooses to describe a believer by--a person who establishes the salaah.

Establish the salaah? What does this mean? It means to make it the foundation of your life, to make your life revolve around the salaah, to pray on time and with full sincerity and submissiveness to Allah.

In our day-to-day dealings, we come across three categories of people who pray:

1. People who just refuse to pray or just pray when they are told to.
2. Individuals who pray, but it's as if they are in a hundred-meter dash to the finish line; and I think you what I'm talking about.
3. Those who take their time and establish that relationship with Allah within their salaah.

And it is these people, the people who build that relationship with Allah within their salaah, that Allah refers to as Believers; "Those who establish their salaah with full submissiveness."

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in another verse of the Qur'an:

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ

Translation: I have not created man nor Jinn except that they worship me. [Surah Adh-Dhariyat, verse 56]

Our purpose of creation is very simple: to worship Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). To submit ourselves to the law of Allah and to follow the ways of our beloved Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم). In this, and only this, will hearts find full tranquility.

Insha'Allah take the time now to establish the salaah--because you never know when your time will come.

Related Posts:
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Chain of Command

The sciences of hadith, and its importance. What is "sunnah," its importance, its authority in Islam, who were the scholars of hadith, their books, and what is the terminology of hadith.

Chain of Command is an AlMaghrib course taught by Abdul-Bary Yahya. This course is divided into two parts: first, the Muhadithoon, the Scholars of Hadith; and second, what is known as "Mustalah al-Hadith," the terminology and categorization of hadith. Hadith sciences can undoubtedly be the most important science in Islam for one reason: all other sciences are based on it. Do you think our worship would be the same if we did not have the classifications of ahadith, from da'eef (weak) to saheeh (authentic)? How about fiqh? Aqeedah? Without the hadith of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) and his sunnah we would be completely lost.

Rasululllah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said: "There will not cease to be a group from my ummah dominant upon the truth. The ones who abandon them will not be able to harm them, until the decree of Allah comes." [Saheeh Muslim] What do the scholars say about this group and hadith? Most importantly, there will always be a group among this ummah guided. Also, Imam Ahmad said, "if they are not the people of Hadith, then I don't know who they are." Abdullah ibn Mubarak said, "It is the scholars of Hadith." This does not mean that other scholars are misguided, but if an individual does not believe in or rejects the ahadith, they will eventually go astray.

Some benefits of studying hadith:

• You are able to follow in the footsteps, words and actions of the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم)
• You will have the ability to extract rulings from the sunnah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم)
• You will learn lots of Arabic by memorizing ahadith of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم)
• Realize the miracle of "Jawaami' al-Kalam," small and concise words, that Allah gave to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم)
• You will send lots of salawaat on the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم). [The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said: The people who will be nearest to me on the Day of Resurrection will be those who supplicate Allah more often for me.'']

Allah (عز و جل) blessed our Ummah with a special gift. It is known as the "isnad," the chain in which a hadith is narrated. The isnad is so important, as it relates to us how this hadith reached us. Abdullah ibn Mubarak said, "The isnad to me is part of the deen (religion), and if it wasn't for the isnad, anyone would say anything he wanted."

This course is the best way to become closer to and love the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم), and also cling to his sunnah. Imam Malik said, "The Sunnah is like the Arc of Nuh, whoever boards it will be saved, and whoever stays behind will be drowned."

• AlMaghrib
• Chain of Command
• Conditions for Saheeh Hadeeth
• The Best Teacher

• Hadith

Abdul-Bary Yahya. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Chain of Command.

• Types of Qira’aat
• Conditions for Saheeh Hadeeth
• Earn MAXIMUM Profit This Ramadan
• AlMaghrib
• Have you Established the Salaah?

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Rays of Faith

Rays of Faith is an AlMaghrib Institute course taught by Waleed Basyouni. Rays of Faith focuses on the pillars of Emaan: belief in the Angels, the Books, the Prophets, the Day of Judgment, and the Divine Decree (Qadr wa Qadaa'). This course will also go over the creation and realm of Jinns. These matters to us, are matters of the unseen but why is it so important? Because the most important characteristic of a believer is that they believe in the unseen (think of Suratul Baqarah, verse 3), so to believe in the unseen is the base of our eman.

Among the many benefits of this class, the most important is to soften our hearts with eman and to its pillars. Sufyan ath-Thawri would teach about the hereafter as if Hell-fire and Jannah were right before you. Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: it was like he went to the Hereafter and back when he would teach about it. Among other benefits: it provides clear information about the unseen world, it teaches us how to deal with matters of the unseen, to be satisfied with the Decree of Allah, and it give ways to prepare for the REAL life--the next one.

When learning 'Aqeedah, there are many issues of weak narrations and baseless statements, however this class only teaches what is found in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, as the early scholars reviewed Aqeedah only as what Allah and His Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said.

This course is very detailed, and as shaykh Waleed said: the more details we know, the more we strengthen our faith. So don't be surprised at the size of the binder!

Ibn Taymiyyah said: the foundation of anything is correct belief (aqeedah).

• Al-Qantarah
• AlMaghrib
• Qareen
• Rays of Faith

• Aqeedah

Waleed Basyouni. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Rays of Faith.

• Qareen
• AlMaghrib
• Al-Qantarah
• The Fruits of Eman (2)
• The Kuffaar Ask Who Created Allaah

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Following vs. Obeying

Bismillah.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in Surah Al-e-Imran ayaat 31-32:

Translation: Say: If you should love Allah, then follow me (so) Allah will love you and forgive your sins. And Allah is Al-Ghafuwr (the All-Forgiving), Ar-Raheem (the All-Mericful). Say, Obey Allah and His Messenger. But if you turn away then indeed, Allah does not love the disbelievers. [Surah Al-e-Imran, verses 31-32]

فَاتَّبِعُونِي,Ittabi'ooni, "follow me", is from the root letters taa ba ayn. It means to follow one very closely, such that you follow their very footsteps. It also means to follow without being commanded. What does following the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) then entail? It means to follow his sunnah, his teachings and to follow the way he lived his life.

Following the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) is the condition to gain Allah's Love. If one does not love and follow the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), yet claims to love Allah, his love for Allah will not be accepted from him. Thus, we learn that the only way to gain Allah's Love is to follow the footsteps of His messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم).

Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in the following ayah, أَطِيعُواْ "Attee'oo" "Obey", and that is from the letters taw (ط) wow ayn. From this root, comes the meaning of obeying willingly, out of happiness and full acceptance of the command. What is the difference between obeying and following in these verses? Let's analyze the difference:

• Attee'oo (obeying) refers to the commands of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), and as the ayah mentions, if one does not obey his commands, he will be among the Kaafireen (disbelievers).
• Ittabi'ooni (following) refers to emulating the deeds of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم). Following surpasses obeying, because one is doing the obligatory actions as well as the recommended ones. Furthermore, following the sunnah is done sincerely out of love for the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) and this gains the Love of Allah.

To reiterate, obeying is mandatory while following is adhering to the sunnah, and completing those acts that the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) did.

Here are two examples:

1. Rasulullah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) commanded the men of this Ummah, "do not wear silk, for those who wear it in this life will not wear it in the hereafter." [Bukhari and Muslim] This falls under obeying, as from this hadith, we find that silk is prohibited for men, although it was not mentioned in the Qur'an.
2. 'Aisha (رضي الله عنها‏) reported that when the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) had performed the two rakah before Fajr prayer, he would lie on his right side. [Bukhari]. This is "Ittibaa as-Sunnah" (following the Sunnah), one does not have to lie on their right side---they can pray the fardh salaah right away; however, out of sheer love and sincerely wanting to follow the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), some lie on their right side. By doing these types of acts, we may gain the love of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).

May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) make us among those whom He loves, and among those who follow the footsteps of His messenger. Ameen.

• Thank You Allah

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