Making Takfir: Basis and Scope
QUESTION Assalamualaykum on what basis do we make takfir of someone? Do we base that on a persons outer actions or are we none to judge someones inner self? ANSWER In the Name of Allah, the Most...
View ArticleA Reply to the Essay, “Perspective on Trimming/Shaving beard”
Bismillāhir Rahmānir Rahīm In the following, we will address a 9-page essay authored by Sheikh Hategekimana Hassan of Botswana called, “Perspective on Trimming/Shaving beard.”[1] Sheikh Hategekimana...
View ArticleQuestion on Qasr and Watn Asli
QUESTION I was born in a place which is 100 kms away from Hyderabad, then my family migrated to Hyderabad after my birth. The time I stayed at my birth location is not known to me.My family purchased a...
View ArticleHappy British Muslims Video
QUESTION There’s been a recent video released and participated in by many notable British ‘practising’ Muslims termed ‘Happy British Muslims’. Perhaps the most concerning feature (for some of us at...
View ArticleThe Meaning of Iman
Muftī Rashīd Ahmad Ludhyānwī Question: In a public gathering, Gandhi stated these words while delivering a speech: “I do not understand why I should not recite the kalimah? Why should I not praise...
View ArticleThe Divine Attributes: Ahlus Sunnah vs. Mujassimah
The following introductory essay delineates the basic creedal differences between Ahlus Sunnah wa l-Jamā’ah and the contemporary Salafiyyah on the subject of the divine attributes. It further seeks to...
View ArticleAn Explanation of Tasawwuf and its Practices
The following article is a translation of a section from the Urdu work, Tasawwuf Kiyā He, by Mawlānā Manzūr Nu’mānī. It comprises of a group of essays written by the author on his observations on...
View ArticleIs it Necessary to Sell Items Above One’s Needs to Perform Ḥajj?
Question: A person does not have enough money to perform Ḥajj, but possesses gold and silver jewellery which if sold will be enough to cover the expenses of Ḥajj. Is it necessary to sell the jewellery...
View ArticleAre Grandnieces one’s Maḥrams?
Question: Are the granddaughters (son’s daughter/daughter’s daughter) of a man’s brothers or sisters included amongst his maḥrams? Answer: Yes, they are his maḥrams. [1] [1] فتحرم بنات الإخوة والأخوات...
View ArticleA Sunnah of Immense Reward: 4 Rak‘āt after the Farḍ of ‘Ishā’
Imām al-Ṭabarānī (260 – 360 H) narrates in his al-Mu‘jam al-Awsaṭ: حدثنا محمد بن الفضل السقطي، قال: نا مهدي بن حفص، قال: نا إسحاق الأزرق عن أبي حنيفة عن محارب بن دثار عن ابن عمر قال: قال رسول الله صلى…...
View ArticleSins do not Become Good Deeds Based on Intention
Imām al-Ghazālī states: ‘Sins do not change from their nature because of (good) intention. An ignoramus should not (mis)understand this from the general statement of the Prophet (upon him peace):...
View ArticleThe Danger of Insincerity amongst the ‘Ulamā’
While discussing insincerity in Dīnī activities, Imām al-Ghazālī says: ‘The people most subject to this tribulation are the ‘Ulamā’ since the motive for most in sharing knowledge is the delight of...
View ArticleRuling of Hair Transplantation
Question: Is hair transplantation permissible? Answer: Hair transplantation is a form of treatment for baldness. It involves taking hair follicles from parts of the body/head and attaching it to the...
View ArticleSins and the Danger of Sū’ al-Khātimah (Death upon Disbelief)
Explaining the importance of obedience, avoidance of sins and repentance for the preservation of īmān, Imām al-Ghazālī writes: Īmān is not one door but is over seventy doors, the highest of them the...
View ArticleSpiritual Connection between the Awliyā’ of Deoband and ‘Allāmah Ibn ‘Ᾱbidīn...
The great recent Ḥanafī jurist of Shām, ‘Allāmah Ibn ‘Ᾱbidīn (1783 – 1836), was connected to the Naqshbandī spiritual line via his teacher, Mawlānā Khālid al-Naqshbandī, a Kurdish-Damascene spiritual...
View ArticleMawlānā Manẓūr Nu‘mānī on How his Father’s Opinion about Dārul ‘Ulūm Deoband...
Mawlānā Manẓūr Nu‘mānī (1905 – 1997) describes his father, Ṣūfī Aḥmad Ḥusayn (d. 1949), as someone whose “concern for Ᾱkhirah was greater than his concern for Dunyā, and while fully occupied in his...
View ArticleGuidelines on Tashabbuh (Unlawful Imitation)
Imitation of non-Muslims or sinful people is not permissible, and is known as tashabbuh (unlawful imitation). The following fall under tashabbuh: Imitation in a distinguishing characteristic of...
View ArticleThe Distinction of Dārul ‘Ulūm Deoband
Muftī Muḥammd Shafī‘ (1897 – 1976) narrates the following statement from his father, Mawlānā Muḥammad Yāsīn Deobandī (1865 – 1936) [1], about his experience at Dārul ‘Ulūm Deoband in the late 19th...
View ArticleWomen Attending the Masjid – A Clarification
According to the clear statements of the Ḥanafī Fuqahā’ and their understanding of the Dalā’il of Sharī‘ah, women should neither attend congregational ṣalāhs at the masjid nor attend the Eid Ṣalāh....
View ArticleMuftī Muḥammad Shafī‘: Limits of Interacting with Non-Muslims
The following is the translation of an essay by Muftī Muḥammad Shafī‘ (1897 – 1976 CE)* written in the year 1932 CE. It deals with the subject of personal interactions/dealings with non-Muslims,...
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