What is a Madhhab?Why is it necessary to follow one?

©Nuh Ha Mim Keller 2000
*Reproduced from www.masud.co.uk

The word madhhab is derived from an Arabic word meaning "to go" or "to take as a way", and refers to a mujtahid's choice in regard to a number of interpretive possibilities in deriving the rule of Allah from the primary texts of the Qur'an and hadith on a particular question. In a larger sense, a madhhab represents the entire school of thought of a particular mujtahid Imam, such as Abu Hanifa, Malik, Shafi'i, or Ahmad--together with many first-rank scholars that came after each of these in their respective schools, who checked their evidences and refined and upgraded their work. The mujtahid Imams were thus explainers, who operationalized the Qur'an and sunna in the specific shari'a rulings in our lives that are collectively known as fiqh or "jurisprudence". In relation to our din or "religion", this fiqh is only part of it, for the religious knowledge each of us possesses is of three types. The first type is the general knowledge of tenets of Islamic belief in the oneness of Allah, in His angels, Books, messengers, the prophethood of Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), and so on. All of us may derive this knowledge directly from the Qur'an and hadith, as is also the case with a second type of knowledge, that of general Islamic ethical principles to do good, avoid evil, cooperate with others in good works, and so forth. Every Muslim can take these general principles, which form the largest and most important part of his religion, from the Qur'an and hadith.

The third type of knowledge is that of the specific understanding of particular divine commands and prohibitions that make up the shari'a. Here, because of both the nature and the sheer number of the Qur'an and hadith texts involved, people differ in the scholarly capacity to understand and deduce rulings from them. But all of us have been commanded to live them in our lives, in obedience to Allah, and so Muslims are of two types, those who can do this by themselves, and they are the mujtahid Imams; and those who must do so by means of another, that is, by following a mujtahid Imam, in accordance with Allah's word in Surat al-Nahl,

" Ask those who recall, if you know not " (Qur'an 16:43),

and in Surat al-Nisa,

" If they had referred it to the Messenger and to those of authority among them, then those of them whose task it is to find it out would have known the matter " (Qur'an 4:83),

in which the phrase those of them whose task it is to find it out, expresses the words "alladhina yastanbitunahu minhum", referring to those possessing the capacity to draw inferences directly from the evidence, which is called in Arabic istinbat.

These and other verses and hadiths oblige the believer who is not at the level of istinbat or directly deriving rulings from the Qur'an and hadith to ask and follow someone in such rulings who is at this level. It is not difficult to see why Allah has obliged us to ask experts, for if each of us were personally responsible for evaluating all the primary texts relating to each question, a lifetime of study would hardly be enough for it, and one would either have to give up earning a living or give up ones din, which is why Allah says in surat al-Tawba, in the context of jihad:

" Not all of the believers should go to fight. Of every section of them, why does not one part alone go forth, that the rest may gain knowledge of the religion and admonish their people when they return, that perhaps they may take warning " (Qur'an 9:122).

The slogans we hear today about "following the Qur'an and sunna instead of following the madhhabs" are wide of the mark, for everyone agrees that we must follow the Qur'an and the sunna of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). The point is that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is no longer alive to personally teach us, and everything we have from him, whether the hadith or the Qur'an, has been conveyed to us through Islamic scholars.

So it is not a question of whether or not to take our din from scholars, but rather, from which scholars. And this is the reason we have madhhabs in Islam: because the excellence and superiority of the scholarship of the mujtahid Imams--together with the traditional scholars who followed in each of their schools and evaluated and upgraded their work after them--have met the test of scholarly investigation and won the confidence of thinking and practicing Muslims for all the centuries of Islamic greatness. The reason why madhhabs exist, the benefit of them, past, present, and future, is that they furnish thousands of sound, knowledge-based answers to Muslims questions on how to obey Allah. Muslims have realized that to follow a madhhab means to follow a super scholar who not only had a comprehensive knowledge of the Qur'an and hadith texts relating to each issue he gave judgements on, but also lived in an age a millennium closer to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and his Companions, when taqwa or "godfearingness" was the norm--both of which conditions are in striking contrast to the scholarship available today.

While the call for a return to the Qur'an and sunna is an attractive slogan, in reality it is a great leap backward, a call to abandon centuries of detailed, case-by-case Islamic scholarship in finding and spelling out the commands of the Qur'an and sunna, a highly sophisticated, interdisciplinary effort by mujtahids, hadith specialists, Qur'anic exegetes, lexicographers, and other masters of the Islamic legal sciences. To abandon the fruits of this research, the Islamic shari'a, for the following of contemporary sheikhs who, despite the claims, are not at the level of their predecessors, is a replacement of something tried and proven for something at best tentative.

The rhetoric of following the shari'a without following a particular madhhab is like a person going down to a car dealer to buy a car, but insisting it not be any known make--neither a Volkswagen nor Rolls-Royce nor Chevrolet--but rather "a car, pure and simple". Such a person does not really know what he wants; the cars on the lot do not come like that, but only in kinds. The salesman may be forgiven a slight smile, and can only point out that sophisticated products come from sophisticated means of production, from factories with a division of labor among those who test, produce, and assemble the many parts of the finished product. It is the nature of such collective human efforts to produce something far better than any of us alone could produce from scratch, even if given a forge and tools, and fifty years, or even a thousand. And so it is with the shari'a, which is more complex than any car because it deals with the universe of human actions and a wide interpretative range of sacred texts. This is why discarding the monumental scholarship of the madhhabs in operationalizing the Qur'an and sunna in order to adopt the understanding of a contemporary sheikh is not just a mistaken opinion. It is scrapping a Mercedes for a go-cart.

LIGHT UPON LIGHT: Surah al-Noor, Verses 35-40

The video isn't much (I'm not sure what language the translation is in), but this is possibly the best recitation of Surah Al-Noor I've ever heard. It's recaited by the amazing Shaykh Mishary Rashid Al-Afasy... just close your eyes and let the beauty and warmth of Allah's words wash over you... cleansing your heart.

The translation of what he is reading is below.

NOTE: Verses in the Quran do not necessarily tell a story, but many times [as in this case] Allah conveys a message through parables which have many layers. You can look at it/or read it at face value, but understand that the true meaning [in this case] lies in realizing the value of light (ie knowledge), and accepting that knowledge is not something we humans can attain through our own, but is, like everything else, given by and through Allah's will. This is by no means a full explanation of the verses below; rather its a very basic explanation. Please pick up a Qur'an with extensive commentary to explain the verses in their entirety. [Literally, the explanation runs about a four pages long!]

Finally, the translation:

"Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The Parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp: the Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it: Light upon Light! Allah doth guide whom He will to His Light: Allah doth set forth Parables for men: and Allah doth know all things.

(Lit is such a Light) in houses, which Allah hath permitted to be raised to honour; for the celebration, in them, of His name: In them is He glorified in the mornings and in the evenings, (again and again),-

By men whom neither traffic nor merchandise can divert from the Remembrance of Allah, nor from regular Prayer, nor from the practice of regular Charity: Their (only) fear is for the Day when hearts and eyes will be transformed (in a world wholly new),-

That Allah may reward them according to the best of their deeds, and add even more for them out of His Grace: for Allah doth provide for those whom He will, without measure.

But the Unbelievers,- their deeds are like a mirage in sandy deserts, which the man parched with thirst mistakes for water; until when he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing: But he finds Allah (ever) with him, and Allah will pay him his account: and Allah is swift in taking account.

Or (the Unbelievers' state) is like the depths of darkness in a vast deep ocean, overwhelmed with billow topped by billow, topped by (dark) clouds: depths of darkness, one above another: if a man stretches out his hands, he can hardly see it! for any to whom Allah giveth not light, there is no light!"

- Surah al-Noor, Verses 35-40

The Meaning of Sabr and Shukr

I was going to write a piece on the different meanings of "sabr" and "shukr," as it is the name of this blog. For those who don't know, shukr translate to gratitude. However, there is no word in English that comprehensively covers all the complexities of the word "sabr." Wiki gives a concise defenition: 1.)To actively or passively bear physical challenges and 2.) to remain spiritually steadfast.

However, since sabr and shukr are very important aspects of spirituality, the book Hayatul Muslimeen by Shaykh Ashraf Ali Thanwi devotes an entire chapter to its discussion. I was going to post the chapter, but since I don't own rights to the book, I'd rather not take the chance (!) :)

Here's the link, so check it out if you'd like! >> http://www.al-islam.edu.pk/islamic%20books/ch-23.htm

Till next week, insha'Allah!

- Sumeyya

Sura Qiyamah (Judgment Day) Mishary Rashed Alafasy

What could I possibly say that the Surah doesn't cover? Indeed, this world is like a glass castle; at first beautiful, but as you get closer, it's fragility and transparency is realized -- in the end, it is apt to quickly dissapear. True success lies only in the sincere rememberance of Allah(swt).

Oh Allah, guide me unto a path that is straight and one that leads only towards You, Most High. My Lord, guide me to be in the shade of those whom are beloved by You in this world and the next.

And finally, oh Allah, have mercy upon my parents as they did have mercy on me when I was young....

-- Sumaiya

Imam Abu Hanifa was good!!

(I got this from http://www.haqislam.org/)

Imam Abu Hanifah and the Atheist

Long ago in the city of Baghdad, there was a Muslim empire. On one side of the River Tigris were the royal palaces and on the other side was the city. The Muslims were gathered in the Royal Palace when an athiest approached them. He said to them, 'I don't believe in God, there cannot be a God, you cannot hear Him or see Him, you're wasting your time! Bring me your best debator and I will debate this issue with him.'

The best debator at the time was Imam Abu Hanifah Rahimullah. A messenger from amongst the Muslims was sent over the River Tigris to the city, where Abu Hanifah Rahimullah was, in order to tell him about the athiest who was awaiting him. On crossing the River Tigris, the messenger conveyed the message to Abu Hanifah Rahimullah saying, 'Oh Abu Hanifah, an athiest is waiting for you, to debate you, please come!' Abu Hanifah Rahimullah told the messeneger that he would be on his way.

The messenger went over the River Tigris once again and to the Royal Palaces, where everyone including the athiest awaited the arrival of Abu Hanifah Rahimullah. It was sunset at the time and one hour had passed, but Abu Hanifah Rahimullah still hadn't arrived. Another hour had passed, but still there was no sign of him. The Muslims started to become tense and worried about his late arrival. They did not want the athiest to think that they were too scared to debate him, yet they did not want to take up the challenge themselves as Abu Hanifah Rahimullah was the best of Debators from amongst the Muslims. Another hour passed, and suddenly the athiest started laughing and said, ' Your best debator is too scared! He knows he's wrong, he is too frightened to come and debate with me. I gurantee he will not turn up today.'

The Muslims increased in apprehension and eventually it had passed midnight, and the athiest had a smile on his face. The clock ticked on, and finally Abu Hanifah Rahimullah had arrived. The Muslims inquired about his lateness and remarked, 'Oh Abu Hanifah, a messenger sent for you hours ago, and you arrive now, explain your lateness to us.'

Abu Hanifah Rahimullah apologised for his lateness and began to explain, while the atheist listened to his story.

"Once the messenger delivered the message to me, I began to make my way to the River Tigris, and on reaching the river bank I realised there was no boat, in order to cross the river. It was getting dark, and I looked around, there was no boat anywhere nor was there a navigator or a sailor in order for me to cross the river to get to the Royal Palaces. I continued to look around for a boat, as I did not want the athiest to think I was running away and did not want to debate with him.

I was standing on the river bank looking for a navigator or a boat when something caught my attention in the middle of the river. I looked forward, and to my amazement I saw planks of wood rising to the surface from the sea bed. I was shocked, amazed, I couldn't believe what I saw seeing. Ready made planks of wood were rising up to the surface and joining together. They were all the same width and length, I was astounded at what I saw.

I continued to look into the middle of the river, and then I saw nails coming up from the sea floor. They positioned themselves onto the boat and held the planks together, without them being banged. I stood in amazement and thought to myself, 'Oh Allah, how can this happen, planks of wood rising to the surface by itself, and then nails positioning themselves onto the boat without being banged?' I could not undertsand what was happening before my eyes."

The athiest meanwhile was listening with a smile on his face. Abu Hanifah Rahimullah continued, "I was still standing on the river bank watching these planks of wood join together with nails. I could see water seeping through the gaps in the wood, and suddenly I saw a sealant appear from the river and it began sealing the gaps without someone having poured it, again I thought, 'Ya Allah, how is this possible, how can sealant appear and seal the gaps without someone having poured it, and nails appear without someone having banged them.' I looked closer and I could see a boat forming before my eyes, I stood in amazement and was filled with shock. All of a sudden a sail appeared and I thought to myself, 'How is this happening, a boat has appeared before my eyes by itself, planks of wood, nails, sealant and now a sail, but how can I use this boat in order to cross the river to the Royal Palaces?' I stood staring in wonderment and suddenly the boat began to move. It came towards me against the current. It stood floating beside me while I was on the river bank, as if telling me to embark onto it. I went on the boat and yet again it began to move. There was no navigator or sailor on the boat, and the boat began to travel towards the direction of the royal palaces, without anyone having programmed it as to where to go. I could not understand what was happening, and how this boat had formed and was taking me to my destination against the flow of water. The boat eventually reached the other side of the River Tigris and I disembarked. I turned around and the boat had disappeared, and that is why I am late.'

At this moment, the athiest brust out laughing and remarked, "Oh Abu Hanifah, I heard that you were the best debator from amongst the Muslims, I heard that you were the wisest, the most knowledgable from amongst your people. From seeing you today, I can say that you show none of these qualities. You speak of a boat appearing from nowhere, without someone having built it. Nails positioning themselves without someone having banged them, sealant being poured without someone having poured it, and the boat taking you to your destination without a navigator against the tide, your taking childish, your talking rediculous, I swear I do not believe a word of it!"

Abu Hanifah Rahimullah turned to the athiest and replied, "You don't believe a word of it? You dont believe that nails can appear by themselves? You dont believe sealant can be poured by itself? You dont believe that a boat can move without a navigator, hence you don't believe that a boat can appear without a boat maker?"

The athiest remarked defiantly, "Yes I dont believe a word of it!"

Abu Hanifah Rahimullah replied, "If you cannot believe that a boat came into being without a boat maker, than this is only a boat, how can you believe that the whole world, the universe, the stars, the oceans, and the planets came into being without a creator?"

...............................................................................................................................................................

Transcribed from a lecture delivered by Shaykh Ahmad Ali.

Ya Ummati!!!

Abu Huraira said: The Prophet of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: There is for every apostle a prayer which is granted, but every prophet showed haste in his prayer. I have, however, reserved my prayer for the intercession of my Ummah on the Day of Resurrection, and it would be granted, if Allah so willed, in case of everyone amongst my Ummah provided he dies without associating anything with Allah.

-- Shahih Muslim (Kitab al-Iman,0389)

Nasheed titled, "The Prophet" by Dawud Wharnsby Ali

Baby I'm A Soldier

I don't believe that people are inherently evil.
I don't believe that people have hearts that are stone cold.
People, whether soldiers or not, are not machines, no matter how much we may try to train them to be.
Sometimes, all we need to awaken ourselves is a little insight. And empathy.

This is a song by Kareem Salama, an Egyptian-American artist. Check it out.
Much love,
- Sumeyya

Baby I'm a Soldier (K. Salama)

He was a soldier who’d only been married two or three years ago
And he put his hands on her knees that night and he said I gotta go
She said why would you leave this home and me; I thought I was your baby girl
And he wiped away the tears from her eyes and said they’re sending me to save the world.
And you know I love you and I pray to God that he’ll join us once again
But now its time for this simple man to be one of the few good men...

(Chorus)

Cause baby I’m a soldier and I hear those trumpets calling again
And our kings and queens are saying this is a fight we must win
For truth and justice and for the way we live our life
And baby I’m a soldier in front of God I swore I would fight

Across the ocean and miles away there stood another man
Eighteen years, hugging his mama saying I’ll defend this land
Mama held her baby and cried and clutched him telling him not to leave
She said what will I do without my baby boy; son I’m begging you please
He said I love you mama but duty calls; I’ll write you everyday
She said I lost your daddy like this and I don’t wanna lose you this way.

(Chorus)

But Mama I’m a soldier and I hear those trumpets calling again
And our kings and queens are saying this is a fight we must win
For truth and justice and for the way we live our life
And Mama I’m a soldier in front of God I swore I would fight

Well the battle raged and shots rang out the two men fell to the ground
And they looked into the eyes of each other and were shocked at what they found....

One man saw the mother of the other in that young man's eyes
And the other man saw the crying and screams of the other man's beloved wife
And the two men stared across that smoky field and whispered to each other
Maybe you weren’t the demon they said, maybe you were really my brother

But I’m glad we’re passing cause I don’t think that I could forgive myself
For fighting you but maybe God will and we can live together in bliss

(Chorus)

Cause Ladies we were soldiers and we heard those trumpets calling again
And tell the kings and queens that sometimes there are fights no one wins
But we know for sure that there’s evil out there we must fight
But please be sure that this is one of those times

And please be sure to remember my mama and wife
And please be sure to think of my brother on the other side.

The Subject Came Up...

I was talking to some friends the other day about where one should get sacred knowledge, and the subject inevitabely came up: Are Paki/Indo scholars worth it?

Honestly, at first I was shocked because I never thought that the ethnicity of a scholar was important (or whether Arabic was his/her language) because wouldn't you rather focus on the piety, character, taqwa, and above all, knowledge of the scholar instead? Admittedly, mastery of the Arabic language is a component of how much knowledge a scholar has, but if your studying the Qu'ran/Sunnah, every reputable scholar whom you study under will know the Arabic language very well, even if he/she does not necessarily speak it. But then I realized that my friend was referring to cultural factors; ie in Paki/India, culture and religion are too mixed up to get a sound education in the Islamic Sciences.

Well, true, in the general population, culture and religion are mixed up. But not necessarily in the Dar ul Ulooms or with the Shuyuks themselves, especially, those whose life's work has been concerned with the preservation of traditional Islam. And, I think, one would find that culture and religion are mixed up EVERYWHERE, not simply in the Indo/Pak world, but in pretty much any Muslim country. In non-Muslim countries (US, England, etc), culture sometimes plays less of a role simply because thier culture is so much at odds with the moral guidelines of Islam, so we tend to focus more on religion, less on culture....

Anywho, I was thinking about this discussion, and later, found a question at daruliftaa.com (Leicester, UK) that was almost identical. The article below also touches on some other issues in obtaining knowledge...Check it out:

http://daruliftaa.com/question.asp?txt_QuestionID=q-18034012

P.S.
For those of you who have studied abroad or here, with Arab or Indo/Pak scholars, what do you think about this (culture/relgion? And does it affect the knowledge you recieve at certain places, and also, does mastery of the Arabic language [particularly speaking it] make a scholar more/less reputable?) I'm just interested :)
PLEASE READ THE ARTICLE TOO!!!


- Sumeyya
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"Never do I argue with a man with a desire to hear him say what is wrong, or to expose him and win victory over him. Whenever I face an opponent in debate I silently pray - O Lord, help him so that truth may flow from his heart and on his tongue, and so that if truth is on my side, he may follow me; and if truth be on his side, I may follow him. " — Imam As-Shafi’i

'Ishara' By Nazeel Azami

Talib al Habib - Light of Dawn

Always relaxing to listen to when stressed... :)