Interesting quote from Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi on the issue of isbal:

It is related in a hadith (in Bukhari and Muslim), the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said Allah Most High will not look at the person who lowers his trousers with pride. The limit of lowering one’s trousers has been described in another hadith, in which the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said the portion of the trousers below the ankles is in hellfire. This hadith has been related by Bukhari. In a third hadith, the impermissibility of this act has been mentioned for other types of garments as well [such as extending the sleeves of a shirt or prolonging the tail of one’s turban beyond the waist].

Hakim al-Umma goes on to say:

The second hadith related at the beginning of this section establishes the ankles as the limit. The condition of pride has not been mentioned in this hadith. The absoluteness (mutlaqan) of the [Prophet’s] statement proves that with or without the presence of pride (takabbur), isbal (lowering one’s trousers) is prohibited. With pride, the combination of an additional sin [with the sin of isbal] will cause the disobedience to become severe and this is a separate issue. Without pride one sin will remain and it will certainly remain. The probability of exemption (rukhsa) and permissibility does not exist [in this matter]. If someone says we will also consider this mutlaq (unrestricted directive) to be confined in it’s applicability, the response to that is according to the usuls (principles) of Hanafi fiqh this command (‘amr) has been established with proof (dalil), which is that the mutlaq (unrestricted directive) always remains unrestricted [in its applicability]. In short, there is no room for permissibility [in this matter]. (Islah al-Rusum)

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

By Mawlana As’ad Mahmud Makki
Translated by Ismaeel Nakhuda

Jami Shari’at wa Tariqat Hadhrat Mawlana ‘Abd al-Hafeez al-Makki is one of the foremost khalifahs (deputies) and leading students of the great Mujaddid of Islam, Qutub al-Aqtab Hadhrat Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhalawi al-Muhajir al-Madani. Hadhrat was born in pre-partition India in 1946CE, in the city of Amritsar, Punjab. His family, originally from Kashmir, had settled in the region approximately fifty years earlier.

Hadhrat’s lineage reaches a certain Raja ‘Abd al-Salam Malik, who had accepted Islam at the hands of Amir Kabir Sayyid ‘Ali al-Hamdani — a famous fourteenth century Sufi scholar, who had arrived in Kashmir to propagate Islam. Raja ‘Abd al-Salam was the ruler of the sub-district of Kuligam, an area surrounding the town of Islamabad in Kashmir.

At partition, Hadhrat’s family joined the mass exodus of Muslims migrating to Pakistan and came to live in Faisalabad (Lailpur). It was there that Hadhrat began his education and learned to recite the Qur’an under the tutelage of his paternal grandmother, who would teach local children. Troubled by the turmoil of partition and the consequent pitiful situation of those affected, Hadhrat’s father left Pakistan in 1373AH/1953CE and migrated (hijrah) to the holy city of Makkah al-Mukarramah, where he became a permanent resident obtaining Saudi nationality in 1380AH/1960CE.

In Makkah al-Mukarramah, under the tutelage of Qari ‘Abd al-Rauf, who was a teacher at Makkah’s famous Islamic seat of learning Al-Madrasah al-Sawlatiyyah, Hadhrat studied the Qur’an once more, this time with tajwid. In 1374AH/1954CE, Hadhrat enrolled at Makkah’s Al-Madrasah al-S’adiyyah, where he gained both a religious and secular education. He also subsequently studied at other educational institutes in the holy city.

Having completed his secondary education in 1384AH/1964CE, Hadhrat was instructed by his father Haji Malik ‘Abd al-Haq — a famous Makkan factory owner and one of the responsible individuals of Tablighi Jama’at in the Hijaz, who was also subsequently appointed a khalifah of Hadhrat Shaykh al-Hadith — to spend a year in Jama’at in the special company of the then Amir of Tabligh Hadhrat Ji Mawlana Yusuf al-Kandhalawi, author of Hayat al-Sahabah, a biographical record of the lives of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). During this one year in Tabligh, Hadhrat was also blessed with the close company of Hadhrat Ji Mawlana In’am al-Hasan, who remained Amir of Tabligh for thirty-years after the demise of Hadhrat Ji Mawlana Yusuf al-Kandhalawi.

In 1385AH/1965CE, with the permission of his respected father and at the direction of Hadhrat Ji Mawlana In’am al-Hasan, Hadhrat became a murid of Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhalawi. On returning to Makkah al-Mukarramah, Hadhrat remained involved in the work of Tabligh within Saudi Arabia and studied various books of the Dars-e-Nizami — a study curriculum used in madrasahs across the world.

A couple of years later in 1387AH/1967CE, Hadhrat travelled to the famous north Indian seat of learning Mazahir al-Ulum, Saharanpur, and under the tutelage of famous erudite ‘ulama there studied the Mawquf ‘Alayh — those parts of the Dars-e-Nizami that students need to cover in order to gain admission into the final year of hadith known as the Dawrah Hadith, which consists of an intense study of the major works of hadith.

After studying there some time, Hadhrat returned to Makkah al-Mukarramah where he continued his studies in Islam. The following year in 1388AH/1968CE, Hadhrat returned to Saharanpur once more and completed the Dawrah Hadith. This was also the final year that Hadhrat Shaykh al- Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya lectured on Imam Bukhari’s Sahih. Hadhrat was also blessed with the opportunity of coming first in the highly competitive final year exams at Mazahir al-‘Ulum.

At the tender age of twenty on 27 Ramadan 1386AH/1966CE, Hadhrat was granted khilafat by Hadhrat Shaykh during ‘eitikaf at Mazahir al-‘Ulum’s Dar-e-Jadid Mosque. On the occasion, Hadhrat Shaykh took off his turban and placed it on Hadhrat’s head granting him permission in the four Chishti, Naqshbandi, Suharwardi and Qadri tariqahs.

Right until the death of Hadhrat Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhalawi in 1402AH/1982CE, Hadhrat remained devoted to his shaykh’s service (khidmah) and would not allow any sort of family, business and educational preoccupations prevent him from remaining in his company (suhbat). This was especially the case during the blessed months of Ramadan.

While Hadhrat Shaykh was alive, all of Hadhrat’s activities — from lecturing hadith at Al-Madrasah al-Sawlatiyyah to travelling on Tabligh to the US, Japan, India, Pakistan, Africa and various Middle Eastern countries — were done with the blessings and instruction of Hadhrat Shaykh.

Under the guidance and wish of his shaykh and with the aim of widely circulating his academic works, Hadhrat established Al-Maktabah al-Imdadiyyah in Makkah al-Mukarramah and Al-Rashid Printing Press in Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah.

On numerous occasions Hadhrat spent a considerable amount of time in Egypt, supervising the publication of Hadhrat Shaykh’s Awjaz al-Masalik, a brilliant multi-voluminous commentary on Imam Malik’s Muwatta, considered one of the best; and Hadhrat Mawlana Khalil Ahmad al-Saharanpuri’s Badhl al-Majhud, also a multi-voluminous commentary on Sunan Abu Dawud considered an authority on the subject.

Hadhrat’s meticulous efforts in the publication of these works won Hadhrat Shaykh’s admiration, love and heartfelt supplications. This is something that Hadhrat Shaykh has mentioned time and again on numerous occasions in his autobiography, Aap Biti, and something that has also been mentioned by Mufakkir-e-Islam Shaykh Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali al-Nadwi in his biography of Hadhrat Shaykh.

Since Hadhrat Shaykh’s demise, Hadhrat has continued to keep alive his shaykh’s academic and spiritual legacy by publishing various Arabic and Urdu books, including a twenty-four volume commentary of Imam al-Bukhari’s Sahih (currently under publication) entitled Al-Kanz al-Mutawari, which contains the commentary of Imam Rabbani Mawlana Rashid Ahmad al-Gangohi and other Akabir Deobandi ‘Ulama.

Living in the Hijaz, Hadhrat has constantly been involved in enlightening the Arab world about the academic efforts of the Akabir of Deoband and their mode of tasawwuf, which has the distinguishing feature of being in complete agreement to the Qur’an and hadith. Beyond the Hijaz, Hadhrat travels the world regularly — especially to the Indian Sub-Continent, Africa, Europe, North America and the Far East — calling people to tasawwuf.

Hadhrat has also passionately been involved in raising the banner of Islam (e’lah kalimat Allah) by tirelessly establishing organisations and providing them with spiritual and moral support. Apart from preparing individuals to serve at madrasahs, mosques and khanqahs, Hadhrat has also prepared countless individuals to serve Islam in various other fields including in dawah and Tabligh.

Hadhrat’s murids and those that have obtained permission to narrate hadith (ijazah) from him — from the Middle East and beyond — number in thousands. Hadhrat’s khalifahs reside in Pakistan, South Africa, UK, India, Hijaz, Bangladesh, Nepal and the West Indies. Hadhrat regularly visits Pakistan, Africa and other parts of the world to show people the path of tasawwuf with thousands of people flocking to benefit from his landmark visits, spiritual gatherings and lectures.

Published by Maktabah al-Nur, Markaz al-Shaykh International, assadmakki@gmail.com. Taken from Shaykh Abdul Hafeez Makki’s biography on Sunniforum

The Love of the Scholars of Deoband for the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace)

By Shaykh Mawlana Zulfiqar Ahmad Naqshbandi

In addition to the analysis and response posted by the now defunct Basair blog to Shaykh Nuh Keller’s ‘Iman, Kufr and Takfir’ article, I have obtained another analysis of the article which focuses on Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi’s statements that led Molwi Ahmad Raza Khan Barelwi to wrongly accuse him of kufr. It also touches on the interpretation of this event and the subsequent usage of this example by Shaykh Nuh Keller in his ‘Iman, Kufr and Takfir’ article.

Explanation Regarding Mawlana Ashraf `Alī Thānawī’s Hifdh al Imān

The article continued by analyzing the work of Mawlana Ashraf `Alī Thānawī and the analogy he made therein. Here, there are a few points that I would like to bring to your [Shaykh Nuh Keller] attention also, God willing,:

(1) The statement that the work of Mawlana Ashraf `Alī Thānawī was “a written objection” against Mawlana Aḥmad Ridhā Khān and his usage of the title `ālim al ghayb for the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is not correct. Rather, the work was a compilation of answers regarding various topics ranging from the rulings/opinions on sajda al ta`zīmī and ta`budī, to circumbulating graves, to `ilm al ghayb. Arranged in a question and answer format, it was fundamentally a reply to some inquiries received by Mawlana Ashraf `Ali Thānawī and his replies to them.

Thus, the work of Mawlana Ashraf `Alī Thānawi was never intended to address Mawlana Aḥmad Ridhā and his view on the issue directly.

(2) Mawlana Ashraf `Alī Thānawī clarified and changed his analogous statement regarding the prophetic knowledge in no less than two of his works, them being (a) Hifdh al Imān ma`a Bast al Binān (1329 h.), and (b) Taghyīrul Anwān fi b`adī `ibārat Hifdh al Imān (1342 h.). One can also add to this Mawlana Khalīl Aḥmad’s al Muhannad, which addressed the question specifically and was signed and endorsed by Mawlana Ashraf `Alī Thānawī.

In both these works Mawlana Ashraf `Ali Thānawī categorically denied intending any disrespect towards the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), changed his initial statement, and forbade the republishing of the original in all future copies. After this subsequent change, his statement read as follows:

“If it [s: the term `ālim al ghayb] refers to some of the knowledge of the unseen then how is this specific to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace)? Some knowledge of the unseen is also possessed by non-prophetic figures, so one should refer to them as `ālim al ghayb also.”

He went on to further clarify the issue over a span of a dozen pages wherein he presented his defense and also his reasoning and intent behind the original phrase.

(3) After reading Mawlana Ashraf `Alī Thānawī’s clarification two things become apparent regarding his usage of the specific analogy in question, which seemingly compared the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace)’s knowledge to that of the lowest of creatures.

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Brief but brilliant piece on the Pearls blog in regards to Shah Isma’il Shahid. The purpose of the translated article can be summed up as follows in the words of the translator:

Biased individuals, while writing on this subject, have given the impression that many leading scions of the Walī Allāh camp were hostile to Shāh Ismāʿīl Shahīd (may Allāh shower him with His mercy). A thorough reading of the translation below shows otherwise.

Shah Isma’il Shahid - Glistening Stars From India’s Old Educational Institute In Delhi « Pearls of the Elders

By Mawlana Bilal Ali, taken from at-Talib. 

Unfortunately, we in the West sometimes remain aloof of the magnificent personalities who surround us and who hold together the fragile threads that bind our communities. The fact that this great scholar lived amongst us for so long in the U.S. and that people remained oblivious of his presence and stature, his merit and academic prowess, baffles the mind.

This was a man who had taught the highest level books of hadith at Darul Uloom Deoband for decades. He was named Shaykh al-Hadith by his own teacher and Ustadh of Bukhari at Darul Uloom Deoband, Mawlana Fakhrul Hasan al-Muradabadi (rh). His twelve-volume tafseer of the Qur’an, Anwar al-Qur’an, is unparalleled in the urdu language. His commentary on Tafseer al-Jalalayn, entitled al-Kamalayn, is a standard reference book for students of tafseer.

He was a close compatriot of Allamah Qari Muhammad Tayyib (rh) and a student of Shaykh al-Islam Husain Ahmad al-Madani (rh). He had a special connection and love for Allamah Shabbir Ahmad ‘Uthmani (rh), who he mentioned with so much respect and awe that you would think that all of his knowledge and piety had come through him.

And yet this man lived amongst us in his old age, retired from teaching due to illness and weak health, and no one really knew who he was. When I read his books in Pakistan and became lost in his marvelous tafseer of the Qur’an, I was shocked that this was the very same Abu Jee that I knew lived in Chicago amongst us. Strange, I thought. This man is a giant. How come I have come to know of him and his scholarship only now?!

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Found a beautiful rendition of a Qasidah al-Muhammadiya on Seekersdigest.org. Check it out.

The translation.

Event Details:

To Order the Book:

http://www.al-rashad.com/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=722

Conferring Sanads: Hakim al-Ummat Ashraf ‘Ali al-Thanwi

It is Khiyanah (Treachery) to confer Sanads to those who do not deserve them

Each and everyone is not capable of becoming a leader. You will also find a few who are not fit for it. Conferring sanad’s to such persons and saying that they are qualified and thereby making them leaders is actually khiyanat.

The Shar’ee status of conferring sanads and graduation turbans

It is the habit of certain Madaris, that once a student completes studying the prescribed books, they confer the sanad and graduation turban on him irrespective of whether he possesses the competency or not. However, it should be borne in mind that the conferring of this sanad and graduation turban is actually an attestation from the teachers to the masses that according to us this person is sufficiently qualified for you to refer to him for all your religious matter and masail and act upon whatever he says. In short, this person is capable of being followed with regards to your Deen. If this is the reality of this, then it will be Wajib for all the pre-requisites for a Shahadah (attestation/testimony) to be found in this. One of the main pre-requisites of a testimony is that the person who is testifying must have complete knowledge and full conviction from the matter regarding which he is testifying is one hundred percent correct. This is so that he does not get the sin of lying and deluding others so that others are not harmed by this testimony.

Similarly, the person who is being conferred with a sanad must be thoroughly investigated and checked whether he is capable of becoming a leader in religious affairs or not. If all the ‘Ulema present are satisfied and are pleased with his theoretical and practical condition, then this graduation is very good and also a good practice in that those who are aware will come to know the person who had qualified. However, this is on the condition that they (the madaris) do not indulge in too many formalities which will necessitate show and wastage (Israaf). However, if the person does not deserve to be graduated, then this conferring of graduation turbans should never ever take place, nor should the sanads be conferred to such a person. Apart from misleading the masses, what other benefit is there in this?

(Etiquette for Teachers and Students, compiled by Mufti Muhammad Zayd Mazahiri Nadwi from the writings of Maulana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanwi)

(courtesy of IbnAyyub via At-talib)

QUESTION

Who was Rashid Ahmed Gangohi?

ANSWER

Shaikh Rashid Ahmad Gangohi was born in the year 1244 a.h. His life was a remarkable example of devotion to the religion. He was an unparalleled authority in hadith of the time. Students flocked from all corners of the World to study at his feet in his home town of Gangoh, India. In Gangoh the Shaikh displayed the feat of teaching all six books in one year, unassisted, on an annual basis. Along with this, he was a Faqih whose Fatwas show immense erudition. Recently, the Idara-e-Islamiat in Lahore, Pakistan, printed a book called “Talifaat-e-Rashidiyyah,” which not only consists of most of his Fatwas but also contains his many learned treatises.

As well as being an authority in the Islamic sciences he was a unique example of piety and fear of Allah taala. He would speak sparingly only doing so if there was a need which is the hallmark of those who fear Allah taala. He tirelessly stopped evil through his speeches, writings and Dawah.

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Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi

Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi, referred to by many South Asian Muslims as Hakim al-Umma (“Spiritual Physician of the Muslim Umma”) and Mujaddid al-Milla (“Reformer of the Nation”), is a towering figure of Islamic revival and reawakening of South Asia in the twentieth century. Mawlana Thanawi was the “most eminent religious figure of his time, a prolific author, and believed to be the greatest Sufi of modern India.”

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Great translations of Hakimul Ummah Mawlana Thanawi’s beneficial advice and words of wisdom.

Check it out at http://www.shadeofrahmah.blogspot.com

A great new resource for getting your questions answered in  relation to Islamic Law in accordance with the Hanafi school.

Zam Zam Academy Fatawa 

URL: http://zamzamacademy.com/fatawa.php

Questions answered by Mufti Abdurrahman Ibn Yusuf and Mufti Abdullah Nana.

A few interesting answers:

Muslims & Sin: Heaven & Hell

Accountability For The Things Which We Do Not Know

Uncertainty With Marriage Proposal

Why Are There Differently-Worded Narrations To One Hadith?

If you have a question, you may use the Ask a question feature or simply do a search.

Mufti Abdurrahman Ibn Yusuf

Mufti Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera has been studying the traditional Islamic sciences and writing scholarly works for most of his life. He completed the bulk of his studies at Darul Uloom Bury, North England, where he memorized the Qur’an by age fifteen and thereafter went on to complete a rigorous, six-year Shari‘a program. He graduated from this program with authentic certifications (ijaza) in numerous Islamic disciplines, including Arabic, Islamic jurisprudence, and hadith (with particular emphasis on the six authentic books of hadith (Sihah Sitta) and the Muwattas of Imam Malik and Imam Muhammad). His teachers at Darul Uloom Bury included Shaykh Yusuf Motala and other students of Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi.

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Hadhrat Mufti Mahmood al-Hasan Gangohi (ra) once said,  

There is an astonishing connection in the years of the Deaths of Shah Abd Al-’Aziz [Dehlawi] Sahib (ra), Shaykh al-Hind (ra), Shah Isma’eel Shahid (ra), Hadhrat [Maulana Khalil Ahmad] Saharanpuri (ra), ‘Allamah [Ibn ‘Abideen] Shaami (ra) and ‘Allamah [Anwar Shah] Kashmiri (ra).

Shah ‘Abd al-Aziz (ra) passed away in 1239 AH. He had a strong desire for Jihad. He sent Hadhrat Maulana Sayyad Ahmad sahib (ra) and Maulana Isma’eel Shahid (ra) for jihad. Hadhrat Shaykh al-Hind’s (ra) death was one century later, in 1339 AH. He also had a strong desire for Jihad. He sent Maulana [Husain Ahmad] Madni (ra) to one place and sent others to other places [in the struggle against the British Colonialists].

Hadhrat Maulana Isma’eel Shahid passed away in 1246 AH. He took on the Rawafidh (Shi’ahs) and the innovators. They were all extremely frightened of him. Hadhrat Maulana Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri passed away exactly one hundred years later in 1346 AH. He also cut off the roots of innovation. He wrote Baraheen-e-Qaati’ah [in refutation of innovations] which caused an outcry.

‘Allamah Ibn ‘Abideen Shaami (ra), who was a Muhaqqiq, Mudaqqiq (inquirer, research scholar) and a person of exhaustive knowledge, passed away in 1252 AH. One century later, in 1352 AH,  was the death of ‘Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri (ra), who holds an exalted position among the ‘Ulama (scholars)..

Malfuzat Faqeeh al-Ummat, Dar al-Huda, Volume 3, Pages 280-281

Source: Interesting Coincidences! « Pearls of the Elders

Question: Some people have said that they feel helpless in maintaining connection with the shaykh (Rabita-e-Shaykh) to let him know how they are doing and getting feedback on their situations.

Answer by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad Naqshbandi (db): Whoever wishes to remain connected and in touch should first of all be regular in listening in on these lectures that you have started, and people should also try to stay in touch via phone. No one is excluded from supplications, and insha’Allah, Allah (swt) will make things easy. Allah (swt) never excludes anyone due to physical distance; physical distance has no meaning in the spiritual realm. Physical distance has no meaning for something like electricity, such that a light bulb in the east can be lit if a switch is flipped in the west. If physical distance has no meaning for electricity, what possible detriment could physical distance hold for the spiritual? No matter how far a person is, if he maintains his relationship of love and fulfills what he has been told to do, then he will indeed benefit even though he may be physically distant. Whereas physical distance does not make a difference, there should not be any spiritual distance.

Taken from Tasawwuf.org