Ebrahim Community College presents;

ONE DAY INTENSIVE COURSE ON ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ZAKAH

Delivered by His Excellency Justice (Retd) Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani

(Darul-Uloom, Karachi)*

Date: Saturday 19th June 2004

Time: 9.30am - 6.30pm

Venue: Very close to Ebrahim Community College - London E1

Have you paid your Zakah? Do you 'really' know how to work it out?

Do you find it confusing?

Zakah is an essential pillar of Muslim life that relates to almost all of us living in Britain. Despite this, many of us do not know the details of Zakah that are relevant to our personal and commercial finances whilst others think we know enough but are yet paying Zakah incorrectly.

There are also many issues of Zakah that are complex and unclear to most people.

This day long course has been organised to give us the opportunity to understand Zakah from one of the greatest living scholars in the world today and a renowned authority and specialist on matters relating to Zakah, Banking and finance. The day will end with a lengthy Q&A session with His Excellency Mufti Taqi Usmani; A rare opportunity that should not be missed.

The course aims to cover the following;

Definition of Zakah

Importance of Zakah

Types of Zakah

Who is eligible for paying Zakah

Who is eligible for receiving Zakah

Calculating Zakah and paying Zakah correctly

Debt, credit and loans and their implication on Zakah

Zakah funds

Highlights of the Course:

Focus on contemporary issues

Focus on popular areas of complexity

The whole course is in English

Whole course delivered by Mufti Taqi Usmani himself

Extended questions & answers session

* Mufti Taqi Usmani is one of the leading Islamic scholars living today. Author of more than 50 books, he is an expert in the fields of Islamic law, Economics and Hadith. For the past 35 years, he has been teaching at the Darul-Uloom in Karachi as Professor of Fiqh and Hadith. He is currently the vice-president and Sheikhul Hadith at the Darul Uloom. The Darul Uloom was established by his father Mufti Muhammad Shafi, the late Grand Mufti of Pakistan. He also holds a degree in law was a Judge at the Sharia Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. A post he has now retired from. He is a consultant to several international Islamic financial institutions and has played a key part in the move toward interest free banking and the establishment of Islamic financial institutions.

He is Chairman of various Shariah Committees including, Bahrain Monetary Agency, HSBC Amanah Finance, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Dow Jones Islamic Index, First Islamic Investment Bank. Chairman, Shariah Council, Accounting & Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions Bahrain).Chairman, Center for Islamic Economics, Pakistan. He is the deputy chairman of the Jeddah based Islamic Fiqh Council of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and Member of Islamic Fiqh Academy of Rabita-al-'Alam-Al-Islami, Makkah and European Council of Fatwa and Research, Dublin, Ireland. Author of several books and papers on Islamic finance and other sciences in Arabic, English and Urdu, such as Takmila Fathul Mulhim (An encyclopaedic work of Arabic commentary of Sahih Muslim in six volumes), Ahkamu Al-Auraq An-Naqdiyah (Rulings regarding paper money), Bahouth Fee Qadaya Fiqheyah Ma'asirah (Fiqh discussions on some important contemporary issues) and including the widely read Introduction to Islamic Finance. He is Editor of several Islamic magazines, including Albalagh International (Darul Uloom, Karachi).

COURSE FEES:

£30 - General

£25 - Sisters & Students

£10 - Young People 12-16 year olds

*Full Lunch and Refreshments provided.

*Fully segregated facilities for sisters.

VERY LIMITED SPACES SO BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT!

* PRIORITY will be given to email and fax enquiries.

For more information and booking details please contact:

Ebrahim Community College, 80 Greenfield Road, London E1 1EJ

Tel: 020 7377 6677

Fax: 020 7377 8567

Email: course@ebrahimcollege.org.uk

Ebrahim Community College presents;

ONE DAY INTENSIVE COURSE ON ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ZAKAH

Delivered by His Excellency Justice (Retd) Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani

(Darul-Uloom, Karachi)*

Date: Saturday 19th June 2004

Time: 9.30am - 6.30pm

Venue: Very close to Ebrahim Community College - London E1

Have you paid your Zakah? Do you 'really' know how to work it out?

Do you find it confusing?

Zakah is an essential pillar of Muslim life that relates to almost all of us living in Britain. Despite this, many of us do not know the details of Zakah that are relevant to our personal and commercial finances whilst others think we know enough but are yet paying Zakah incorrectly.

There are also many issues of Zakah that are complex and unclear to most people.

This day long course has been organised to give us the opportunity to understand Zakah from one of the greatest living scholars in the world today and a renowned authority and specialist on matters relating to Zakah, Banking and finance. The day will end with a lengthy Q&A session with His Excellency Mufti Taqi Usmani; A rare opportunity that should not be missed.

The course aims to cover the following;

Definition of Zakah

Importance of Zakah

Types of Zakah

Who is eligible for paying Zakah

Who is eligible for receiving Zakah

Calculating Zakah and paying Zakah correctly

Debt, credit and loans and their implication on Zakah

Zakah funds

Highlights of the Course:

Focus on contemporary issues

Focus on popular areas of complexity

The whole course is in English

Whole course delivered by Mufti Taqi Usmani himself

Extended questions & answers session

* Mufti Taqi Usmani is one of the leading Islamic scholars living today. Author of more than 50 books, he is an expert in the fields of Islamic law, Economics and Hadith. For the past 35 years, he has been teaching at the Darul-Uloom in Karachi as Professor of Fiqh and Hadith. He is currently the vice-president and Sheikhul Hadith at the Darul Uloom. The Darul Uloom was established by his father Mufti Muhammad Shafi, the late Grand Mufti of Pakistan. He also holds a degree in law was a Judge at the Sharia Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. A post he has now retired from. He is a consultant to several international Islamic financial institutions and has played a key part in the move toward interest free banking and the establishment of Islamic financial institutions.

He is Chairman of various Shariah Committees including, Bahrain Monetary Agency, HSBC Amanah Finance, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Dow Jones Islamic Index, First Islamic Investment Bank. Chairman, Shariah Council, Accounting & Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions Bahrain).Chairman, Center for Islamic Economics, Pakistan. He is the deputy chairman of the Jeddah based Islamic Fiqh Council of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and Member of Islamic Fiqh Academy of Rabita-al-'Alam-Al-Islami, Makkah and European Council of Fatwa and Research, Dublin, Ireland. Author of several books and papers on Islamic finance and other sciences in Arabic, English and Urdu, such as Takmila Fathul Mulhim (An encyclopaedic work of Arabic commentary of Sahih Muslim in six volumes), Ahkamu Al-Auraq An-Naqdiyah (Rulings regarding paper money), Bahouth Fee Qadaya Fiqheyah Ma'asirah (Fiqh discussions on some important contemporary issues) and including the widely read Introduction to Islamic Finance. He is Editor of several Islamic magazines, including Albalagh International (Darul Uloom, Karachi).

COURSE FEES:

£30 - General

£25 - Sisters & Students

£10 - Young People 12-16 year olds

*Full Lunch and Refreshments provided.

*Fully segregated facilities for sisters.

VERY LIMITED SPACES SO BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT!

* PRIORITY will be given to email and fax enquiries.

For more information and booking details please contact:

Ebrahim Community College, 80 Greenfield Road, London E1 1EJ

Tel: 020 7377 6677

Fax: 020 7377 8567

Email: course@ebrahimcollege.org.uk

Website: www.ebrahimcollege.org.uk

I just found this piece earlier today, and I think it would benefit you guys to read the it with an open mind. It is written by the physicist Paul Davies (whose book "About Time" I strongly advise you to read).

Into the 21st Century

Author(s): Paul Davies

Metaviews 039. 2000.04.14. Approximately 2366 words.

From: Paul Davies Subject: Science and Religion in the 21st Century

As we enter a new century likely to dominated by sweeping scientific and technological developments, the need for spiritual guidance will be stronger than ever. Science alone cannot adequately cater for our spiritual needs, but any religion that refuses to embrace scientific discovery is unlikely to survive to the 22nd century.

Religion faces extraordinary challenges in the 21st century. Dazzling advances in science and technology have transformed our world view and produced dramatic changes in lifestyle and material wellbeing. But this enormous progress has left religion behind. Few theologians have kept up with the revolutionary developments at the forefront of astronomy, physics, molecular biology or genetics. Churches and other religious institutions seem ill-equipped to deal with the brave new world of big bang cosmology, quantum reality, genetic engineering and nanotechnology. As a result, many people see religion on the defensive against the onslaught of scientific progress. They think of science as undermining or displacing religion.

Historically, it is true that major scientific discoveries, such as Darwin's theory of evolution, have proved profoundly unsettling in some religious quarters. And three hundred years of materialistic and reductionistic scientific thought has fostered the impression that scientists are cold, hard, soulless individuals who try to reduce the splendour of nature to sterile mathematical formulas.

However, this view of two implacably opposed belief systems constantly at loggerheads is seriously misleading. For those religious thinkers prepared to engage the scientific agenda in a constructive spirit, the coming decades will be a time of excitement and renewal. Science need not be the enemy of religion. Indeed, far from threatening mankind's spiritual wellbeing, science is increasingly seen as positively inspirational. As scientists unlock more and more secrets of nature, so they reveal a universe of stunning beauty and ingenuity, a grand cosmic scheme truly worthy of our awe and celebration.

The predicted concordance between science and religion will not come without significant religious progress, however. To appreciate the fascinating synergies that are emerging in the science/religion field demands a level of theological sophistication far above that which characterises the simplistic wrangling of much public science-religion debate. For their part, if scientists were better educated in matters of religion and spirituality, they would be less inclined to dismiss them as anachronisms.

To illustrate what I mean, I shall take two examples from the scientific frontier that are often presented as threatening to religion, and argue that the reverse is actually the case. The first is the big bang theory of the birth of the universe, the second is the origin of life. My central point will be this. Neither of these events needs a miracle to explain it. Both happened, I believe, through natural physical processes, billions of years ago. But far from supporting a purposeless cosmos and a bleak atheism, as many have concluded, these scientific advances do just the opposite.

Let me start with the origin of the universe. Remember the furore when Stephen Hawking said, more or less, that God wasn't necessary to explain the big bang? I always took this remark of Stephen's to be a light-hearted jibe rather than a serious statement of theology. Hawking was in fact stating little more than St. Augustine, who had already concluded in the fifth century that, "the world was made with time and not in time." Augustine was anxious to demolish the naïve image of God as a sort of miracle-working superbeing emersed in the stream of time, waiting an eternity before whimsically making the universe at some arbitrary moment, and then sitting back to watch the action. If time itself forms part of creation, reasoned Augustine, then this embarrassing pre-creation eternity would not exist. He therefore placed God outside of time altogether, and interpreted "creation from nothing" to include the creation of time. Today, when most Christian theologians talk about "creation," they don't mean the universe popping into being from nothing, but the holding-in-being of space, time, matter and the laws of nature at all times. In this more sophisticated interpretation of creation, God is regarded not so much a cosmic magician, or pyrotechnic engineer, but as the rational ground in which all physical existence is timelessly rooted.

Remarkably, Albert Einstein came to more or less the same conclusion, 1,500 years later. His theory of relativity makes it clear that time is inseparable from space and matter, and that all are part of the physical universe, subject to laws of nature. Personally, I find the idea of a god trapped in time and subordinated to its laws theologically very unsatisfactory. In Einstein's theory, the entire universe can originate from literally nothing in a big bang. There is no time before the big bang: time itself comes into being with space and matter. Moreover, there are known physical principles that permit the spontaneous appearance of time and space from nothing, without the need for a supernatural act to make the big bang go bang. So Hawking was merely sniping at a concept of God that was in any case abandoned long ago by scholarly theologians.

Unfortunately many people regard this scientific account of the cosmic birth as trickery. They suspect scientists are merely covering their ignorance with technical obfuscation, lest they leave a loophole for God. This mistaken conclusion has been made by many commentators, including the leading British journalist Bernard Levin. In a hard-hitting column in the London Times that began with the memorable words, "Well, poor old God..." Levin slammed the great American physicist John Archibald Wheeler for pointing out, quite correctly, that the question "What happened before the big bang?" is simply meaningless in the context of the general theory of relativity. It is a meaningless question when time itself began with the big bang. As Stephen Hawking puts it, it's rather like asking what lies north of the North Pole? The answer is "nothing," not because there is some mysterious Land of Nothing there, but because there is no such place as "north of the North Pole." In the same way, there is no such time as "before the big bang." The big bang theory describes how the universe originates from nothing - nothing at all, not even space and time - entirely in accordance with the laws of physics. Augustine would have understood perfectly.

I want to insert two important caveats at this point. The big bang theory is, of course, a mathematical model. There is a vast amount of observational support for the basic idea of an abrupt, explosive origin for the cosmos about 15 billion years ago, and I don't think the basic scenario is in doubt. But the actual originating event itself is far beyond any foreseeable observation. In the laboratory it is possible to recreate the conditions that prevailed about a trillionth of a second after the big bang, but the sort of physics we need to explain the origin of space and time occurred well before that, at energies trillions of times greater. So the explanation for the natural origin of the universe using quantum cosmology is a highly speculative piece of mathematical theory. It may turn out to be totally wide of the mark. But that doesn't matter! The key point is that we can envisage how the universe might have come into being from nothing, without violating any physical laws. A special supernatural act isn't needed to start the universe off.

The second caveat is that the big bang model I have been discussing may be altogether too simple. It could be that there were many bangs, and that what we call "the universe" is actually just one bubble of spacetime amid a vast assemblage of universes - a multiverse if you like. But I don't want to tax your patience too much, so I shall sidestep these elaborations and move on to the second of my chosen topics - the origin of life.

Darwin famously explained how life on Earth has gradually evolved from primitive microbes to the rich diversity of the biosphere that we see today. However, he left open the question of how the first living thing came into existence. And it remains deeply problematic. How did lifeless chemicals transform themselves spontaneously into the first living thing? Nobody knows. There are plenty of theories, but they all have serious shortcomings. It's a genuine mystery.

Now there are those who seize on this bafflement to declare that God created the first living organism by a miracle. But this is to fall for the old god-of-the-gaps trap - invoking God to explain a puzzling phenomenon. The idea that God is like an absentee landlord who shows up from time to time to give the world a prod, moving atoms about in competition with the forces of nature, I find both scientifically and theologically repugnant. It is also a tactically foolhardy proposition, because science has a habit of solving mysteries sooner rather than later.

As it happens there is a lot of research going on in the field of biogenesis. Some scientists are trying to make life from scratch in the lab, by mixing chemicals in various ways. Others are following a top-down route, taking existing microbes and rebuilding them gene by gene in the hope of creating new, more primitive, forms of life in the test tube. The hope is that these studies will solve the mystery of how Mother Nature accomplished the genesis trick on the primitive Earth - or perhaps on a nearby body in the solar system - billions of years ago, without the aid of fancy equipment and trained organic chemists. Major advances are expected in the coming decades.

So does it boil down to either life being a miracle, or God being redundant? Certainly not! As a scientist, I would prefer to believe that life did indeed form by natural physical processes. However, that is hardly the end of the story. Physical processes come in two varieties - lawful and random. Traditionally, scientists assumed that the origin of life was a chemical fluke of stupendous improbability, a quirk of fate unique in the entire cosmos. If so, then we are alone in an otherwise sterile universe, and the existence of life on Earth, in all its exuberant glory, is just a meaningless accident. On the other hand a growing number of scientists suspect that life is written into the fundamental laws of the universe, so that it is almost bound to arise wherever earthlike conditions prevail. If they are right - if life is part of the basic fabric of reality - then we human beings are living representations of a breathtakingly ingenious cosmic scheme, a set of laws that is able to coax life from nonlife and mind from unthinking matter. How much more impressive is such a magnificent set of physical principles - which bear all the hallmarks of design - than the sporadic intervention of a Deity who simply conjures these marvels into existence.

Here then is a wonderful example of how science is increasingly informing theological debate. The question of whether life formed by law or chance can, and I believe will, be settled by observation and experiment. If life is finally made in a test tube, or discovered on Mars and shown to be completely independent of earthlife, then the meaningless fluke theory will be disproved. Life and mind will be revealed as part of the grand cosmic scheme, embedded in the nature of things at the deepest level of reality. Our own existence will be seen as linked to this deep level in an intimate and purposeful way. Instead of us playing a trivial role as incidental cosmic extras, with life on Earth an insignificant accident in a pointless universe, our place in the cosmos will be far more inspiring. True, it wouldn't return us to the centre of the universe or to the pinnacle of creation - our place is far more humble - but nor will it relegate us to the status of mere moving mounds of atoms. In my view, the discovery that life and mind have emerged as part of the natural outworking of the laws of the universe will be strong evidence for a deeper purpose in physical existence. Since it is easy to imagine other universes and other sets of physical laws that would prohibit life, the fact that our universe is so ingeniously bio-friendly would surely be a fact of the utmost significance. I hope you see the drift of my thinking. Invoking a miracle to explain life is exactly what is not needed to see evidence of divine purpose in the universe.

So I conclude my remarks on a positive note. As we enter a new century likely to dominated by sweeping scientific and technological developments, the need for spiritual guidance will be stronger than ever. Science alone cannot adequately cater for our spiritual needs, but any religion that refuses to embrace scientific discovery is unlikely to survive to the 22nd century.

بعد أن أعطوها حريتها : 60% من مواليد السويد الجدد أبناء زنا!!

المرأة :إحصائيات عالمية :السبت 2 ربيع الآخر 1425هـ - 22 مايو 2004 م

بعد فتح المجال أمام المرأة السويدية في كل المجالات: من قيادة الشاحنات على الطرق السريعة إلى الانضمام لوحدات القوات الخاصة في الجيوش فرارا من تهمة التمييز ضد المرأة ؛فقد أفادت آخر إحصائية نشرتها مجلة الأسرة ـ عدد 131 ـ صفر 1425هـ أن 60% من المواليد الجدد في السويد أبناء زنا لا يرتبط آباؤهم وأمهاتهم

بعلاقة زواج

After liberation of rules regarding wommen in Sweden, an increase of 60% of total national births came to be illegal births(In Other words their parents have no marital relationships and are subject to be cared for the rest of their lives with no father or mother or at least both in Communes!!!!), this is is freedom for wommen as they believe it is, an Illegal community!!!!

واقع المرأة الغربية بالأرقام!!

المرأة :إحصائيات عالمية :السبت 25 ربيع الأول 1425هـ - 15مايو2004 م

مفكرة الإسلام: نشرت بعض وسائل الإعلام عددًا من الإحصائيات المتعلقة بواقع المرأة الغربية وفيما يلي ننشر ما ورد من حقائق وأرقام نشرته مجلة المستقبل في عددها 154 ـ صفر 1425هـ إبريل 2004م جاء فيها:

ـ يغتصب يوميًا في أمريكا 1900 فتاة، 20% منهن يغتصبن من قبل آبائهن.Daily 1900 womman is raped in USA.

ـ يقتل سنويًا في أمريكا مليون طفل بين إجهاض متعمد أو قتل فور الولادة.Abbortion kills one million child yearly in USA.

ـ بلغت نسبة الطلاق في أمريكا 60% من عدد عقود الزواج.Divorce Rate is 60% of total marriages in America.

ـ 170 شابة في بريطانيا تحمل سفاحا كل أسبوع.

ـ سجلت الشرطة في إسبانيا أكثر من 500 ألف بلاغ اعتداء جسدي على المرأة في عام واحد وأكثر من حالة قتل واحدة كل يوم.

كما كشف عدد من مراكز دراسات وبحوث أمريكية تفاصيل الإحصائية المثيرة التالية:

ـ 80% من المتزوجات منذ 15 سنة أصبحن مطلقات في سنة 1982.

ـ ألف جريمة اغتصاب منها 80% وقعت في محيط الأسرة والأصدقاء.

80% of rape cases come from members of the family and friends of the family in USA.

ـ 27% من الرجال يعيشون على نفقة النساء في سنة 1986.

27% of the total men live on the expense of their wommen in USA.

ـ أجريت عمليات تعقيم جنسي في الفترة من 1979م إلى 1985م على النساء المنحدرات من أصول الهنود الحمر، وذلك من دون علمهن.

وتؤكد آخر الإحصائيات عن أحوال المرأة في العالم الغربي أنها تعيش أتعس فترات حياتها المعنوية على رغم البهرجة المحيطة بحياة المرأة الغربية التي يعتقد بعض الناس أنها نالت حريتها، والمقصود من ذلك هو النجاح الذي حققه الرجل في دفعها إلى مهاوي ممارسة الجنس معه من دون عقد زواج يتوج مشاعرها ببناء أسرة فاضلة.

Islam gives the womman the right place she deserves, it gives her the position of caring and raising a community, which is the hardest to do and the most nobel. needless to say statistics in Islamic countries are furtherly much below the statistics of any non-moslem state.

And shokran for All the True Moslem wommen in the world! They are so giving and patient.

<i>The Conditional Promise </i>

Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer (d.774H)

Tafseer Qur’aanul-‘Adheem (3/311-313) :learn:

<b><i>“Allaah has promised to those amongst you who believe and do righteous actions that He will certainly grant them khilaafah (succession) on the earth, as He granted it to those before them; and that He will grant them authority to practice their religion, the one that. He has chosen for them; and He will change their state from one of fear in which they lived to one of peace and security. They will worship Me alone, not associating any partner with Me. But whosoever disbelieves after this, then they are the rebellious ones.“ [soorah Noor 24:55]</i></b>

Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer (d.774H) - rahimahullaah - said: “This is a promise from Allaah - the Most High - to His Messenger, may the prayers of Allaah and the peace be upon him, that He will make his Ummah the khulafaa’ (successors) upon the earth. Meaning that they will be the leaders and rulers over mankind, by which nations will be corrected and to whom mankind will submit. And that He will replace their state of fear in which they lived, to one of security and dominion. Allaah - the Blessed, the Most High - has fulfilled His promise, and to Him belongs all praise and thanks. For the Prophet sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam did not die until Allaah made him conquer Makkah, Khaybar, al-Bahrain, the remaining lands of the Arabian peninsula and the whole of Yemen. He took jizyah corn the magians of Hajar and from the people of the surrounding areas of Syria. The Prophet sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam received gifts from Heraclius - the king of Rome; the ruler of Egypt and Alexandria - the Mawqawqis; the kings of Omaan; and Negus, the king of Ethiopia, who became king after Ashamah died - may Allaah have mercy upon him and grant him nobility.

After the Messenger of Allaah sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam died, Allaah having chosen for him the reward which is with Him, Aboo Bakr as-Siddeeq was then established as his Khaleefah (successor), taking charge unwaveringly. Aboo Bakr took the Arabian peninsula and put it in order. He sent forth the armies of Islaam to the lands of Persia, under the command of Khaalid ibn al-Waleed, radi-Allaahu ’anhu. They conquered parts of these lands, slaying a number of its inhabitants. A second army was sent to the lands of Syria, under the leadership of Aboo ’Ubaydah - radi-Allaahu ‘anhu - and those who followed him. A third army was sent to Egypt under the leadership of ’Amr ibn al-’Aas radi-Allaahu ’anhu. It was during his time that the armies sent to Syria conquered the cities of Busra, Damascus and its environs from the land of Hawraan and its surroundings. Allaah - the Mighty and Majestic - took Aboo Bakr’s soul - choosing for him the reward which is with Him. Allaah blessed the people of Islaam by inspiring as-Siddeeq to choose ’Umar al-Faarooq as a successor.

’Umar then stood up, taking charge completely. The heavens will not witness - after the Prophets - anyone like ’Umar, whether in the strength of his reign or the fulfilment of justice. It was during his time that the conquest of Syria was completed; as was that of Egypt to its farthest reaches, as well as the province of Persia. He destroyed Kisraa (Chosroes) and humiliated him to the utmost, forcing him to retreat back to the furthest reaches of his kingdom.

Similarly, ’Umar destroyed Qaysar (Caesar), wresting from his hands the lands of Syria and bottling him up in Constantinople. He spent the wealth (conquered from them) in the path of Allaah - as the Messenger of Allaah had informed and promised - may the most complete salaam and most purest salaah be upon the Messenger from his Lord.

Then there was the rule of ’Uthmaan, under whom the possessions of Islaam extended to the furthest eastern and western reaches of the earth. The lands of the west were conquered to the farthest reaches of what lies there - Andalus, Cyprus, the lands of Qairawaan and the lands of Ceuta - which is next to the all-encompassing ocean; and to the farthest lands of China. Kisraa was killed and his kingdom totally vanquished. The cities of al-’Iraaq, Khurasaan and Ahwaaz were conquered and the Muslims slew a large number of Turks. Allaah having humiliated the Turks and their great king the Kha-Khan. The wealth of the east and the west was collected and brought to the Ameerul-Mu’mineen (leader of the Believers) ’Uthmaan ibn ’Affaan, radi-Allaahu ’anhu. All this came about as a result of the blessings of his recitation, study and gathering the Ummah upon the preservation of the Qur‘aan.

It is confirmed in the Saheeh [1] that the Messenger of Allaah sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam said: “Indeed Allaah gathered up the earth for me, so that I saw its east and west. Indeed, the dominion of my Ummah will reach what gathered up for me, from it.”

We fluctuate in what Allaah has promised us with and in what His Messenger has promised. Allaah and His Messenger have spoken the truth. We ask Allaah to grant us eemaan (faith) in Him and His Messenger, and that we establish gratitude for what Allaah has given us, in the manner that He is pleased with.

Imaam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaaj said in his Saheeh, that Ibn Abee ’Umar related to us, that Sufyaan related to us from ’Abdul-Maiik ibn ’Umayr, from Jaabir ibn Samarah who said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah, sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam say: “The affair of the people will continue to remain upright while twelve men are in charge of them.”

The Prophet sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam then said something which I could not make out. So I asked my father: What did the Messenger of Allaah, sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam, say? He replied: “They are all from Quraish.”

This narration is also reported by al-Bukhaaree. [2]

In this narration there exists a clear evidence that all twelve of these men must be leaders from Quraish. They are not the twelve imaams claimed by the Shee’ah, because many of them had no leadership over the Muslims. As for these twelve, they will be from Quraish and they will be just rulers. The glad tidings of their appearance has also occurred in the previous scriptures. Furthermore it is not necessary that they succeed one another. Rather, their appearance in the Ummah could be successive or separate. Four of them were in order, namely, Aboo Bakr, ’Umar, ’Uthmaan and ’Alee, radi-Allaahu ’anhum. After these four there was a gap. Others amongst the twelve appeared as and when Allaah willed. It is possible that some of them will appear during a time only which Allaah - the Most High - knows. Among them will be the Mahdee whose name will be that of the Messenger, sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam, and his kunyaa that of his kunyaa. He will fill the earth with justice as it is filled with tyranny and injustice.

Imaam Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, at-Tirmidhee and an-Nasaa’ee have all reported from the hadeeth of Sa’eed ibn Juhmaan, from Safeenah - the mawlaa of the Messenger of Allaah sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam, that the Messenger of Allaah sallaallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam said: “The Succesorship (al-Khilaafah) after me will last for thirty years. Then kingship will appear.” [3]

Ar-Rabee’ ibn Anas has said that Abool-’Aaliyah has remarked concerning this verse: “The Prophet, sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam, and his Companions were in Makkah for ten years afraid, secretly calling to Allaah and His worship alone, He has no partner. They remained in such a state until they were ordered to migrate to Madeenah. They were ordered by Allaah to fight. While they were (in Madeenah) they were in constant fear (of attack). They would go to sleep armed and awake armed. They remained patient upon that state as long as Allaah willed. Until one day, one among the Companions said: “O Messenger of Allah! Will we remain in a state of fear until the end of time? Will there not come a day when we will be in a state of security, so we may lay down our weapons?”

The Messenger of Allaah, sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam, then said: “Be patient for a while. For there will come a time when any man from you would sit in a large crowd unarmed.”

Allaah sent down this verse and made His Prophet victorious over the Arabian Peninsula. The Prophet’s Companions were now safe and could lay down their weapons. Allaah - the Most High - then took the soul of His Prophet, sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam, and the Muslims remained in such a state during the leadership of Aboo Bakr, ’Umar and ’Uthmaan. Until the Muslims fell into what they fell into from discord. So fear entered their hearts and they took armies and guards for protection. For they had changed, so Allaah changed their state.”

One of the Salaf has remarked that the khilaafah of both Aboo Bakr and ’Umar is true. He then recited this verse. Al-Bara’ ibn ’Azeeb has said: “This verse was revealed while we were in a state of extreme fear.”

This noble verse is similar in meaning to His statement - the Most High: “And remember when you were few and were reckoned weak in the land and were afraid that men might kidnap you, but He (i.e. Allaah) provided a safe place for you, and strengthened you with His help and provided you good things so that you might be grateful.” [soorah Anfaal 8:26]

His statement - the Most High: “as he granted that to those before them.” This verse is similar to what Allaah has said about Moosa, ’alayhis salaam, that he said to his people: “It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you succeed (the present rulers) on earth, so that He may see how you act.” [soorah A’raaf 7:129]

And Allaah - the Most High - has said: “And We wished to confer a favour upon those who were oppressed in the land; and to make them leaders and to make them heirs; and to establish them on earth...” [soorah Qasas 28:5-6]

And Allaah’s statement: “And that He will change their state after the fear in which they lived to one of security and peace.” This is similar to what the Messenger of Allaah, sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam, said to ’Adee ibn Haatim when ’Adee came as a delegation to the Messenger. The Messenger said: “Do you know Hira?”

’Adee replied: “I have not seen it but I have heard of it.”

The Messenger then said: “By Him in Whose Hand is my soul! Allaah will complete this matter (i.e. Islaam) until a woman will be able to travel from Hira until she goes around the House (i.e. the Ka’bah) not needing the protection of anyone. And you will certainly conquer the treasures of Kisra ibn Hurmuz.”

I (i.e. ’Adee) replied: “Kisra ibn Hurmuz!”

The Prophet replied: “Yes! Kisra ibn Hurmuz. Money will be spent until no-one will accept it.”

Adee ibn Haatim said: “Now here is the woman leaving from Hira until she goes around the House. And I was among those who conquered the treasures of Kisra. And by Him in Whose Hand is my soul! The third matter will come to pass because the Messenger of Allaah, sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam, has said so.”

Ahmad reports upon ’Ubayy ibn Ka’b who said that the Messenger of Allaah, sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam, has said: “Give good news to this Ummah of ease of life, exalted stature, establishment of their religion, victory and leadership on earth. Whoever does acts of the Hereafter for this world, he will have no portion of the Hereafter.” [4]

And Allaah’s statement: “They worship Me alone and do not associate anything with Me.” Ahmad reports upon Mu’aadh who said; I was sitting behind the Prophet, sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam, on a donkey. There was nothing between the Prophet, sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam, and I except the end of his saddle. The Prophet said to me: “O Mu’aadh ibn Jabal!”

I said: “Here I am O Messenger of Allaah in your service.”

The Prophet continued to ride on for some time and then he said to me: “O Mu’aadh ibn Jabal!”

I said: “Here I am O Messenger fo Allaah in your service.”

The Prophet said: “Do you know what is the right of Allaah upon His slave?”

I said: “Allaah and His Messenger know best.”

He said: “The right of Allaah upon the slaves is that they worship Him and do not associate anything with Him.”

The Prophet continued to ride on for some time and then he said to me: “O Mu’aadh ibn Jabal!”

I said: “Here I am O Messenger of Allaah, at your service.”

The Prophet said: “Do you know what is the right of the slaves upon Allaah if they (worship Him alone)?”

I said: “Allaah and His Messenger know best.”

He said: “The right of the slaves upon Allaah is that He does not punish whosoever does not associate anything with Him.” This narration is also reported in the two Saheehs. [Related by al-Bukhaaree (6/58) and Muslim (1/232)]

And Allaah’s statement: “But whoever disbelieved after this, they are the rebellious ones.” Meaning: Whoever steps outside of my obedience after that promise, he has stepped outside of the Command of His Lord, and sufficient is that as a great sin. Since the Prophet’s Companions, radi-Allaahu ’anhum were the most upright and obedient of people after the Prophet, sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam, in fulfilling the Commands of Allaah - the Mighty and Majestic - their victory was accordingly. The Companions of the Prophet made the Word of Allaah supreme, so Allaah Himself aided hem in such a manner that He subdued for them the rest of mankind, as well as their lands.

When the people after the Prophet’s Companions fell short in adhering to some of Allaah’s Commands, their victory accordingly fell short. It is, however, affirmed in both Saheehs (i.e. al-Bukhaaree and Muslim) in many ways from the Messenger of Allaah sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam that he said: “There will not cease to be a group from my Ummah victorious, upon the Truth, not being harmed by those who abandoned them or go against them, until Allaah’s affair comes, and they are like that.” [Related by Muslim (6/52-53) and at-Tirmidhee (2/36) from

Thawbaan radi-Allaahu ’anhu]

And in a narration: “Until the last of them fights Maseehud-Dajaal.” [5]

And in a narration: “They will be victorious until the Day of Judgement, then ’Eesaa ibn Maryam will descend.” [Related by Imaam Muslim (l/95) and Ahmad (3/384) from Jaabir radi-Allaahu ’anhu]

All these narrations are authentic and there is no contradiction between any of them.

<b>Footnotes:</b>

[1] Related by Muslim (8/171) and also Aboo Daawood (no.4252), from Thawbaan radi-Allaahu ’anhu.

[2] Related by al-Bukhaaree (6/416), Muslim (6/3-4) and also Ahmad (5/101), the wording is from Ahmad.

[3] Saheeh: Related by Aboo Daawood (no.4646), at-Tirmidhee (2/35) and others. It was authenticated by at-Tabaree in his I’tiqaad (p.8) and al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar in Fathul-Baaree (13/182).

[4] Saheeh: Related by Ahmad (4/134) and al-Haakim (4/311) and it was authenticated by al-Albaanee in Ahkaamul-Janaa’iz (p.52).

[5] Saheeh: Related by Ahmad (4/429), Aboo Daawood (1/388-389) and al-Haakim (4/450), from Imraan ibn Husayyin radi-Allaahu ’anhu. It was authenticated by al-Albaanee in as-Saheehah (no.1959).

<b>Imaam Abu ‘Ubayd Al-Qaasim Ibn Sallaam </b>

By: Shaikh Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaanee

His Checking of Imaam Al-Qaasim Ibn Sallaam's book Kitaab-ul-Eemaan (pg. 5-6) :learn:

He is Abu ‘Ubayd al-Qaasim bin Sallaam Al-Baghdaadee, the Imaam, the Mujtahid, the Ocean of knowledge, the Linguist and the Legal Jurist.

He was born in Herat in about the year 158H and his father was a Roman slave to some of the people in Herat.

He heard (learned) from a group of the trustworthy Imaams, like Sufyaan Ibn ‘Uyainah, Isma’eel Ibn Ulayyah, Yazeed Ibn Haaroon, Yahya Ibn Sa’eed Al-Qattaan, ‘Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Mahdee, Hammaad Ibn Salama and others.

Imaam Ad-Daarimee, Abu Bakr Ibn Abee Ad-Dunyaa, ‘Alee Ibn ‘Abdil-‘Azeez Al-Baghawee, Muhammad Ibn Yahyaa Al-Marwazee and others narrated from him.

Imaam Ishaaq bin Raahawaih said of him: “Allaah loves the truth. Abu ‘Ubayd is more knowledgeable and has deeper understanding than me.”

He also said: “We are dependant upon Abu ‘Ubayd and Abu ‘Ubayd is not dependant upon us.”

Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said: “Abu ‘Ubayd is a teacher (ustaadh) and every day he increases in good.”

And Yahyaa Ibn Ma’een was asked about him, to which he replied that rather, people should ask Abu ‘Ubayd about him!

Abu Dawood said: “He is trustworthy, reliable.”

Al-Haafidh Adh-Dhahabee said: “Whosoever looks into the books of Abu ‘Ubayd will know his high rank in memorization and knowledge, he was a Haafidh of hadeeth and it’s defects, knowledgeable of Fiqh and the difference of opinions, a pillar in the Language, an Imaam in recitation and he wrote books concerning them. I have come across his books Kitaab al-Amwaal and Kitaab an-Naasikh wal Mansookh.”

Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdaadee said: “He was possessing nobility, religion, excellent manners, a good madh-hab and excellent books sought after in every land. And the narrators from him are famous and trustworthy - deserving of mention and excellence, and his book concerning al-Amwaal is one of the best books written on Fiqh."

I say: Despite these virtues and excellent qualities, the Six Imaams (of the famous six books on Hadeeth) did not report any of his hadeeth, and this is from the many evidences that they reported from only some of the trustworthy narrators of hadeeth. So there is nothing strange, after knowing this, that Imaam Bukhaaree did not narrate from some of the trustworthy narrators from the Ahlul-Bait may Allaah be pleased with them.

From the words of Abu ‘Ubayd, may Allaah have mercy on him, are: “The follower of the Sunnah is like one holding onto hot stones, and in this day he is more excellent in my eyes than the one who raises the sword in the Way of Allaah.”

I say: This was in his time, so what would be said about our times?

He, may Allaah have mercy on him, stayed in Baghdad for a time, then he became the Qaadee (Judge) in Turtoos, then after that he moved to Mecca and lived there until he died in the year 224.

Salam

I have noticed that not many people have taken interest in this forum. This maybe as you dont find the kind of articles/stories you are looking for.

Therefore please feel free to suggest any improvements which can be made to this forum itself.

Inshallah with your help we can all make this forum even better.

Ameen.

Question :

What do you suggest a muslimah do if she wants to get married to someone who has herpes? His religoin and character is just, but he made that mistake at his teens, almost 20 years ago, he repented and never made the same mistake again. Will Allah protect me if I marry him for good islamic reasons and stay obedient to Allah?.

Answer :

Praise be to Allaah.

It states in sharee’ah that the Muslim should not expose himself to harm.

That includes mixing with a person who has a contagious disease, especially if that disease is serious and chronic, such as herpes.

The rulings of sharee’ah are addressed to everyone, sick and healthy alike.

With regard to the one who is sick, Muslim (2221) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The owner of sick camels should not bring them to the healthy ones” – lest the disease be transmitted to the healthy ones.

With regard to the one who is healthy, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Flee from the leper as you would flee from a lion.” Narrated by Ahmad, 9429; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 7530.

Leprosy is a well-known contagious disease – we ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.

Muslim (2231) narrated from ‘Amr ibn al-Shareed that his father said: Among the delegation from Thaqeef there was a leper. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent word to him saying: “We have accepted your oath of allegiance; go back.”

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Miftaah Daar al-Sa’aadah (2/272):

He sent word to that leper accepting his oath of allegiance so as to establish the shar’i principle of avoiding the causes of harmful and hateful things, because a person should not expose himself to the causes of harm.

Ibn al-Qayyim said in Zaad al-Ma’aad (4/147):

Chapter on the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on avoiding contagious diseases and his advice to healthy people to avoid those who have such diseases. Then he quoted the ahaadeeth mentioned above.

Your wish to marry this man who has herpes may be influenced by emotion, and you think that you are being patient and forbearing, then if disaster strikes you will regret it when regret will be of no benefit. There is nothing to compare to good health.

Our advice to you is not to marry this person.

We ask Allaah to bless you with a righteous husband who will help you in your religious affairs.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)

Question :

I feel embarrassed to pose this question:

I consider myself to be a good Muslim. I am a young man aged 20, I pray the five daily prayers and fast in Ramadaan, and I help those who need my help. I also make da’wah to non-Muslims and tell them about Islam. But I feel like a hypocrite because of my sins. I fear Allaah a great deal and I respect the Qur’aan and hadeeth, but despite that I cannot stop myself from committing sin.

I am addicted to looking at pornographic pictures, even though I know this is haraam. I cannot stop myself. I have tried so much but every time I stop, I go back to it again, and every time I go back to it, it is harder to give it up than the time before. What should I do?

Is there any sound way I can deal with this matter according to the teachings of the Qur’aan and hadeeth? I am sure that I can give it up, but what should I do so that my faith and willpower will be strong enough to resist this temptation? I fear Allaah a great deal and I need help.

Answer :

Praise be to Allaah.

We appreciate your confidence in us, and we ask Allaah to make us and you steadfast, and to show us the truth as truth and help us to follow it, and to show us falsehood as false and help us to avoid it, and not let it confuse us and lead us astray.

My brother in Islam, we can sense from your words that you are very distressed, and that you feel that you are doing wrong. In sha Allaah this is a sign of sincerity, and the beginning of repentance, by Allaah’s Leave.

Each one among us needs to re-examine his situation and sincerely resolve to start to strive against his own self which enjoins him to do evil, and to arm himself with certain weapons in this struggle.

We will give you some advice through which we ask Allaah to benefit us and you:

Firstly:

Pray to Allaah and beseech Him, and know that Allaah does not let down the one who calls upon Him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And your Lord said: ‘Invoke Me [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation). Verily, those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islamic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!’”

[Ghaafir 40:60]

Persist in calling upon Allaah and making du’aa’ to Him, and seek the times when du’aa’ is most likely to be answered, in sujood, after praying, in the last hour of the day on Friday, and in the last third of the night when our Lord comes down to the lowest heaven and says. “Where is the one who calls upon Me, that I may answer him, where is the one who seeks My forgiveness, that I may forgive him? You should not feel that there is no response, for Allaah is always near and responds to the call of the one who is distressed if he calls upon Him, and He relieves him of his distress.

Secondly:

Each person must strive to do more acts of worship. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds”

[Hood 11:114]

And he should focus on prayer in particular. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, As‑Salaah (the prayer) prevents from Al‑Fahshaa’ (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse) and Al‑Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed)”

[al-‘Ankaboot 29:45]

Thirdly:

Each person must strive to increase his knowledge of Allaah, by studying His names and attributes, and by thinking of the creation of the heavens and the earth. Then he will feel shy before Allaah. As one of the salaf said: Do not look at the smallness of the sin, rather look at the greatness of the One Whom you have disobeyed.

Fourthly:

You should know that the way to Paradise is difficult and needs effort and patience. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our paths (i.e. Allaah’s religion — Islamic Monotheism). And verily, Allaah is with the Muhsinoon (good-doers)”

[al-‘Ankaboot 29:69]

Fifthly:

Think about the benefits of lowering your gaze, and this will motivate you to correct your behaviour and will enable you to ignore the evil ideas that cross your mind and the whispers of the Shaytaan. There follow some of its benefits, which we list for you in the hope that Allaah may benefit us and you thereby:

1- Lowering the gaze is obedience to the command of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): “Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things)” [al-Noor 24:30], and obeying the command of Allaah brings ultimate happiness to a person in this world and in the Hereafter.

2- It purifies the heart and soul and actions.

3- It prevents the poisoned arrows from reaching you, for a look is one of the poisoned arrows of Iblees.

4- The one who lowers his gaze is compensated with sweetness of faith in his heart.

5- He gains sound insight through which he can distinguish truth from falsehood.

6- He will rid his heart of the pain of feeling that one is missing out, for whoever looks without restraining his glance will always feel that he is missing out.

7- His heart will be filled with happiness, joy and light that is greater than any pleasure that may be gained by looking.

8- His will free his heart of the control of desire, for the one who is controlled by his whims and desires is indeed a prisoner.

9- Lowering the gaze strengthens the mind and increases wisdom, whereas letting the gaze wander freely only makes one follish and heedless of consequences

Sixthly:

We advise you to read the book al-Daa’ wa’l-Dawaa’ by Ibn Al-Qayyim, which is a very useful book.

We ask Allaah to protect us and you from being led astray, and to enable us and you to do righteous deeds. May Allaah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)

Imaam Abu Bakr ‘Abdullaah Ibn Az-Zubayr Al-Humaydee

Mish’al Al-Hadaadee

Checking of Imaam Al-Humaydee’s treatise Usool as-Sunnah

<b>His Name and Lineage: </b>

He was ‘Abdullaah Ibn Az-Zubayr Ibn ‘Eesaa Ibn ‘Abdillaah Ibn Usaamah, Abu Bakr Al-Qurashee, Al-Asadee, Al-Humaydee, Al-Makkee. He was the Shaikh of Al-Haram (in Makkah) and the Author of “al-Musnad. ”

His Teachers:

He narrated from Fudayl Ibn ‘Iyyaad, Sufyaan Ibn ‘Uyainah – whom he quoted much from –Wakee’, Yahyaa Ibn ‘Ubayd, Waleed Ibn Muslim, Ash-Shaafi’ee and others. He heard many ahaadeeth from Sufyaan Ibn ‘Uyainah, such that Ash-Shaafi’ee said of him: “He memorized ten-thousand ahaadeth from Sufyaan Ibn ‘Uyainah.” Imaam Al-Humaydee said: “I sat with Sufyaan Ibn ‘Uyainah for nineteen years or so.” He is considered one of the greater companions of Ash-Shaafi’ee.

<b>His Students: </b>

His students were many. One of them, Imaam Al-Bukhaaree, narrated from him, as is seen in the very first hadeeth he reports in his Saheeh: “Verily, actions are by intentions….”. Adh-Dhuhlee, the two Raazee’s Abu Zur’ah and Abu Haatim also narrated from him, as did Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Idrees Al-Makkee

<b>The Scholars’ Praise for him: </b>

Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said: “In our opinion, Al-Humaydee is an Imaam.”

Abu Haatim Ar-Raazee said: “The most authentic of persons reporting from Ibn ‘Uyainah is Al-Humaydee, and he was at the head of the companions of Ibn ‘Uyainah. He was the reliable one, the Imaam.”

Al-Fasawee said of him: “Al-Humaydee narrated to us, and I did not come across someone more sincere to Islaam and its adherents than him.”

Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdur-Raheem Al-Harawee said: “I came to Makkah in the year 198H, and Sufyaan Ibn ‘Uyainah had died at the beginning of the year, seven months before we arrived. So I asked who was the best of Ibn ‘Uyainah’s companions. Al-Humaydee was mentioned to me, so I wrote the ahaadeeth of Ibn ‘Uyainah narrated from him.”

Ishaaq Ibn Raahawaih said: “The Imaams of our time are: Ash-Shaafi’ee, Al-Humaydee and Abu ‘Ubayd.”

‘Alee Ibn Khalf said: “I heard Al-Humaydee say: ‘As long as I am in the Hijaaz area, and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal is in ‘Iraq and Ishaaq in Khurasaan, no one will surpass us (here).’”

Al-Haakim said: “When Al-Bukhaaree would find a hadeeth of Al-Humaydee, he would not pass over his narration for someone else’s narration (of the hadeeth).”

Ibn Hibbaan said of him: “He was a person of the Sunnah, possessing nobility and Religion.”

And Ibn ‘Adiyy said: “He traveled to Egypt with Ash-Shaafi’ee and was one of the best of people.”

Imaam Al-Humaydee said: “By Allaah, that I fight against those who reject the hadeeth of Allaah’s Messenger (saws) is more beloved to me than fighting against the disbelievers.”

Furthermore, Abu Muhammad Harb Al-Karmaanee, Al-Laalikaa’ee, Ibn Taimiyyah and others would describe him as being an “Imaam of the Sunnah.”

<b>His Books: </b>

The sources for his biography do not state many of the names of his books, as they should, but I found the following mentioned in them:

<b>1. Al-Musnad (which contains his famous treatise on ‘Aqeedah)</b>

2. Ar-Radd ‘alaa Nu’maan

3. At-Tafseer

4. Ad-Dalaa’il

<b>His Death: </b>

Ibn Sa’ad said; “He died in Makkah in 219H, and he was reliable and narrated many hadeeth.” May Allaah have mercy on him.

Sources of His Biography:

His biography can be found in Siyar A’laam an-Nubalaa (10/616-621) and Tadhkirat-ul-Huffaadh (2/413-414), both from Imaam Adh-Dhahabee, as well as at-Tahdheeb of al-Mizzee (14/512).