شيخ الإسلام والمسلمين الإمام أحمد رضا القادرى – قوارع القهار على المجسمة الفجار
by Seeker
Subhan’ Allah! Below is a link to the work, Qawāriýu’l Qahhār ála’l Mujassamati’l Fujjār, of Sheikh al-Islam Imam Ahmed Rida (may Allah sanctify his secret).
Islam
Month: April, 2012
April 29, 2012
The blessed muqam of Sheikh Sardar Ahmed Ridawi (may Allah bless him)
by Seeker
The blessed muqam of the Muhaddith of his time, and Gnostic, Sheikh Sardar Ahmed Ridawi (may Allah bless him).
April 29, 2012
Biography of Imam Ibn ‘Abidin Shami
by Seeker
A short biography in the English language, of the great Hanafi Jurist and Imam, Ibn ‘Abidin Shami (may Allah sanctify his secret). Translated by Sheikh Abu Hasan (SunniPort), (may Allah preserve him).
April 26, 2012
Sayyid Tajuddin al-Kittani – The passing of a great saint in Damascus
by Seeker
The passing of a great saint in Damascus
Written by His Eminence
Sayyid Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi
We sadly received today the news of the death of Sayyid Tajuddin Al-Kittani, a scholar who practised his knowledge, a righteous wali and respected Sayyid, after he spent 85 years in teaching and guiding people and reviving the Sunnas of the Elect, upon him all prayers and salutation be sent.
This is a great calamity and a serious loss, at which hearts may split and mountains could collapse, as the deceased was a pillar of sainthood and guidance in the Syrian territories.
He was a godly man, filled with trust, overwhelming with sincerity, while humility and asceticism added to his perfection.
He is the son of the famous scholar, Sayyid, Muhammad Makki Al-Kittani, who was the Malikite Mufti and the chairman of the league of the Ulema in Damascus. He accompanied his father and swam in the oceans of his knowledge and guidance. He studied the Islamic and Arabic sciences under various scholars of Syria; and after he graduated from Al-Azhar university he started teaching the Damascus secondary schools where generations of young students benefitted from him, while teaching the sacred knowledge outside schools till he retired. He then devoted the rest of his life to offering spiritual guidance to his students.
He received an ijaza from his father, who requested iajzas for him from many scholars such as the Grand Muhaddith sh. Badruddin Al-Hasani. He also received an ijaza from Sayyid Abdul Kabir ibn Al-Maahi Al-Siquilli and studied with him, alongside his father, the forty hadiths of Imam Ajlooni. He, after the death of his father, started leading the Tuesday dhikr gathering in the home of his father, which was moved later to Al-Dlamiyyah mosque in Salihiyya quarter.
He, may Allah have mercy on him, was a wali with a fast state, with strong spiritual impact and high aspirations in the spiritual world. His dua was answered, and he always tended to seclusion, keeping away from formalities, befriending his students, speaking always the truth, though he did not speak much.
He maintained a state of dhikr and practised the Prophetic sunnas and guarded the adabs of the shari’a revering anything related to the Prophetic Side, as his ancestors always did.
He, may Allah have mercy on him, was in great love with our family, the Al-Yaqoubis, holding my father in respect. He attended some of my father’s lectures on Risala of Imam Qushayri and the commentary of Hikam by Ibn ‘Ajeebah and referred to my father on tough shari’a questions and ambiguous sufi issues. He loved me and made several statements in praise of me, which I proclaim in thankfulness to Allah. I knew him since I was a little boy, while I am now at the age of fifty, and he always was a man of uprightness and firm state. He also knew how I had special attention from his father and that I got the iajza of his father several times and that I heard the musalsal hadiths from him.
He is the second son of Sayyid Makki. The first son of Sayyid Makki, who is seven years older than him, is Sayyid Muhammad Al-Faatih, living now in Syria. He is the imam of the gnostics and the remaining of the elders of the salaf and a distinguished wali in the Islamic World today. We pray Allah extend his life and allow Muslims to benefit from his presence.
Upon receiving this sad news with full acceptance of the decree of Allah and an absolute submission to His Divine Will, we beseech Allah to send His Infinite Mercy upon the deceased. We offer our heartfelt and sincere condolences to his two sons Dr. Abdul Rahman and Dr. Abdul Kabir, to his older brother, Sayyid Al-Faatih and to the rest of his brothers, and specially to his uncle, Dr. Idris Al-Kittani of Rabat, and to the entire Kittani family in Syria and Morocco as well as all his students. We pray that Allah put all good and barakah in his offspring and his brothers. We belong to Allah and to Him is our return.
April 22, 2012
Sayyidunā al Shaykh ‘Abd al Rahmān al Shaghūrī rahīmahullāh
by Seeker
Born in Homs in 1910, Sayyidunā al Shaykh ‘Abd al Rahmān al Shaghūrī rahīmahullāh came to Damascus at three years of age. They worked first as a stable-boy, then as an errand boy, then as a weaver, then as a foreman, then as a supervisor of textile mills. They later found a position as a teacher of tenets of faith at a religious academy, where they taught until they were over eighty years of age and could no longer walk to work. While still in their twenties, Shaykh Abd al Rahmān took the Shādhilī path from Shaykh Muhammad al Hāshimī rahīmahullāh, the Murshid of Sayyidunā al Shaykh Ismaīl al Yaqūbi rahīmahullāh.
Shaykh ‘Abd al Rahmān’s long association with the Shuyūkh of learning bequeathed them a lifelong respect for Islamic knowledge. Shaykh ‘Abd al Rahmān emphasised the importance of having a trade to earn one s living by the work of one’s hands, which was also the way of our master, Sayyidunā Imam Abu’l Hassan al Shādhilī radhī Allāhu ‘anh. This was emphasised when Shaykh ‘Abd al Rahmān used to say, ‘I hope to pass on from this world without having taken a single penny from anyone: I don’t even take from my children.’
The Shaykh would say do not leave the dhikr of Allāh Ta’āla because of your lack of presence with Allāh Ta’āla therein, for your heedlessness of invocation is worse than your heedlessness in invocation. It may well be that He raises you from invocation with heedlessness to invocation with attentiveness, and from invocation with attentiveness to invocation with presence of heart, and from invocation with presence of heart to invocation in which there is absence from anything besides the Invoked, and that is not difficult for Allāh Ta’āla.
The Shaykh was at their greatest as a spiritual guide, perhaps, in the khalwā or spiritual retreat, into which they initiated a number of those who took the path. They would impart the Supreme Name to the disciple, and then by degrees bring him to a point of the dhikr at which they would pour their own yaqīn or certitude into the heart of the disciple, bringing him to a realisation of the transcendent Oneness of the Divine. They also authorised a number of Shaykhs to give instruction in the path. It is related that when asked about the reality of the ‘ījāza, they once said, ‘It is a means for its possessor to defeat his devil’. And when asked why sometimes even an authorised Shaykh may go bad, they said, ‘It happens to someone who did not keep the company of his Shaykh long enough to absorb his state’. In short, they considered the ‘ījāza a necessary condition to be a Shaykh, but not a sufficient one.
Shaykh ‘Abd al Rahmān used to caution in his lifetime that the path is rare, and Allāh Ta’āla knows best the Shaykh’s true inheritors, in path, in God-fearingness, and in absorption in the Divine. On Friday 11 June 2004 the Damascus brethren of Shaykh ‘Abd al Rahmān put their hands in the hand of Shaykh Mustafā al Turkmanī at the Nūrīyyā Masjid as their head when the Shaykh had passed away from this world. The Shaykh’s main legacy was in reviving the spirit of the Tarīqah with the Qur’ān al Karīm and Sunnah, and pure experiential knowledge of the Divine. A spokesman for the Syrian Ministry of Religious Endowments said at the Shaykh’s funeral that he was the renewer of the Sūfi Tarīqah’s in Shām and an inspiration to those of the larger Islamic World. The thousands who followed and benefited from the Shaykh certainly concurred with this, for the Shaykh had filled their lives with Dīn and hearts with yaqīn.
May Allāh Ta’āla bless the Ummah with the knowledge they taught, and be well pleased with His servant Shaykh ‘Abd al Rahmān al Shaghūrī.
And praise be to Allāh, Lord of the Worlds.
April 16, 2012
Al Azhar Islamic Studies Scholars Expose Dr. Tahir Qadri as Imposter, Fake Sheikh and Demand: Prove Your Claims
by Seeker
ARTICLE | APRIL 4, 2012 | SOURCE:
On the contrary, these days there are those more interested in financial and political gain, so they attend Islamic universities, read a few books, give themselves an honorary title and associate with notable and respected figures in the Muslim world in hopes of gaining popularity and credibility in the eyes of the layperson. Their agendas are maintaining their fame and fortune. To realize this agenda, many tactics are put into motion overtly and covertly, such as funding and support from governments or groups whose mission and aim has nothing to do with Islam, or self-decoration—as mentioned earlier—with various titles and stations that are held dear to the hearts and minds of the Muslims at large.
Of the titles bestowed upon an educated man in the Muslim world, “Sheikh al Islam” is the most respected. This title is neither given frequently nor without merit. In his book, Al-Jawāhir ad-Durar fī Tarjima Sheikh al-Islām Ibn Hajar, Sheikh Shams al-din al-Sakhawi commences with a section defining the terms Sheikh al-Islam, Al-Hafiz, and Al-Muhaddith for the intelligent reader, stating that “Sheikh al Islam, as inferred from its use as a term among the authorities, is a title attributed to that follower of the book of Allah Most High and the example of His Messenger, who possesses the knowledge of the principles of the Science (of Religion), has plunged deep into the different views of the scholars, has become able to extract the legal evidences from the texts, and has understood the rational and the transmitted proofs at a satisfactory level.”
Sheikh Al-Sakhawi also reports (in his Al-Jawahir ad-Durar) that Imam Al-Dhahabi reported in al-Kashif on the authority of Ibn al-Mubarak: “The only one to carry the title Sheikh al-Islam is Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, radyallahu anhu, who preserved the zakat and fought against the apostates. Know him very well!” Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, who is one of the four great mujtahid imams and a collector of hadith and Imam Burhan al-Din Ali ibn Abu Bakr al-Farghani, who wrote Al-Hidayah, both earned the title Sheikh al Islam. They were the epitome of such an esteemed title.
Al-Sakhawi added that, “At times, this title is given to those who have attained the level of friendship with Allah (Al-Wilāya), and from whom people derive blessings both when they are alive and when they are dead. Similarly, whoever has tread the true path of the People of Islam and has come out unscathed from the folly and ignorance of youth; and whoever has become a living apparatus for others in solving difficulties or winning a struggle, and a refuge in every difficulty: these are the meanings of the word as used by the general public.”
In the past, very few honorable men were given the distinguished title of Sheikh al Islam. With such stringent criterion, how is it possible that any man who sells his iman for worldly gain be allowed to travel the world claiming to be Sheikh al Islam?
We, the Ulema (Islamic scholars) at Al Azhar University, have conducted research on this matter due to the rise of false Imams and Sheikhs. They manipulate and prey on the weak and uneducated Muslims and therefore, we must warn you to keep away from them.
One such individual is Muhammad Tahir, a self-proclaimed Sheikh-ul-Islam and a self-proclaimed member of the Qādiri sufi order, operating under the name “Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri,” and now under the self-nominated title of “Sheikh-ul-Islam Tahir-ul-Qadri”. He is notorious for giving himself titles, and is well known in his country of Pakistan as a fraud. The Pakistani High Court of Lahore has declared him “a liar,” “dishonest,” “hungry and greedy,” and “a person responsible for making dramas”. A High Court verdict still stands against him for which he failed to plea in any court.
Added to his list of offenses, is the dishonor he has brought to the Qadiri Sufi order. He claims to be a member of this distinguished tariqa that enjoins right, forbids wrong and abstains from base and worldly desires. Yet, he violates Islamic Law by misguiding people, and selling his iman for fame and fortune. During Milad-un-Nabi (Peace and blessings of Allah upon him) celebrations in Pakistan, his picture was hanging in every corner of the capital, Islamabad. It has been noticed that he is currently planning a day-long Milad-un-Nabi event on June 3rd, at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York. If indeed, he is truly Sheikh al Islam and a Qadiri Sufi, then he should know using portraits of animate objects and living people as decoration is haram in Al-Islam. Any and every Sheikh (as well as student) of the Qadiri order knows very well that fame and prominence are a poison, the latter being a sign of an impure heart, as mentioned by the Chief of all Sheikhs, Sheikh Abdul-Qadir Al-Gilani (abundant blessings of Allah Ta’ala upon him).
In the article, A Charismatic Leader Transcending Borders of Nations and Religions: Dr. Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri by Mr. M. R. Malik and Mr. Raj Srinivasan, “Dr. Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri was given the title of Sheikh-ul-Islam by several major Islamic institutions and Islamic authorities of this time, because of his great contributions to Islam and the Muslim world.” With all the praise that has been written about him on his websites and in his literature, why have very important facts remained a mystery? Who made him Sheikh al Islam? What qualifications does he possess that warranted these unnamed institutions and authorities to confer upon him the title? Such praiseworthy credentials are worthy of being highlighted and elaborated for the general public to know, just as the case of a board certified surgeon who details his work- and academic-related background & credentials in order to substantiate his validity.
In his web-based biographical resources, we have seen that he has successfully penned nearly 1,000 literary works; however, his name has been assigned to books written by scholars that have spent their entire lifetimes to complete, with a so-called Sharh (explanation, commentary) given by him. Some of the scholars of Hadith, for example, include that of Sheikh-ul-Islam Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, who compiled the Fath Al-Bari fi Sharh Sahih Al-Bukhari, an extensive commentary of the Sahih Al-Bukhari Sharif that took 25 years to complete; that of Imam Abu Zakariya An-Nawawi, who compiled Al-Minhaj bi-Sharh Sahih Muslim, a likewise commentary of the Sahih Muslim; or that of Imam Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal, also referred to as Sheikh-ul-Islam Ahmed ibn Hanbal, who compiled and greatly expounded upon his Musnad Ahmed ibn Hanbal. Each one of these blessed men spent a great portion of their life compiling, researching, contemplating, and perfecting these sanctified works, so know that we find it immensely offensive that one would simply assign his name to their hard work and effort, attributing a baseless “commentary” to it. What works has he written exclusively, without plagiarism?
If speaking out against terrorism, suicide bombers and calling for world peace makes one worthy of being called Sheikh al Islam, then millions of Muslims all over the world should hold such a rank. Furthermore, summer camps for Muslim youth and interfaith dialogues have been occurring for decades in other Muslim organizations. Millions of books have been penned by countless scholars, yet, these noble people do not hold the title of Sheikh al Islam, although they are indeed more deserving.
One must ponder a few things. With the heavy presence of anti-Islamic propaganda in the media, why has he remained unscathed and unmentioned? While the vast majority of imams, Sheikhs and charitable organizations are being targeted and labeled “terrorists” by the media, Tahir ul-Qadri is heralded as the advocate for world peace. Media agencies such as BBC News, CNN and CBC News have praised him for his fatwa against terrorism, while ignoring or discrediting the same—if not more detailed ones—from other, more qualified Sheikhs. It is a known fact that these news agencies are run by the Zionists, leading us to our next question: From whom does Tahir ul-Qadri get his funding?
As with all politicians, corrupt leaders and other such exploiters of the human race, one finds multiple flows of financing as a result of self-started organizations, political ties, and memberships. Tahir ul-Qadri is the founder of “Minhaj-ul-Quran,” a global movement—extending both hemispheres—with a large membership base and following. Centers can be found as far east as the Indo-Pakistan region and as far West as America and UK.
Muhammad Tahir is credited with being the founder and chairman of the Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT), founded in 1989. In 1991, PAT and the Tehreek-e-Nifas Fiqh-e-Jafria, a Shiite political group, now known as “Tehrik-e-Jafria” signed a “Communique of Unity” in order to promote social and religious harmony. While this appears to be in the right direction for parties to work together, the political agenda became more and more apparent over time. In the course of his political career, his established ties with Shi’a political groups in Pakistan became more for the sake of political fame and advancement.
To appear politically liberal, he made deals with the Shi’a masses and started giving lectures in their mosques, Islamic centers, and schools; giving speeches on the Ahlul-Bayt (radiyallahu anhum), declaring that Shi’a and Sunni are the same, with flowery speeches, etc. Yet in this period, he never gave a single speech in Shi’a gatherings—predominately Rawafid—refuting or addressing their objections and blasphemies against the Sahaba Ikram and the Ummahat-ul-Mu’mineen (radiyallahu anhum). During that era, he earned good financial support from the Shi’a community in Pakistan and enjoyed heavy funding from Iran, who directly supports the Shi’a political groups in Pakistan.
We wish to know what agreement, whether open or private, Tahir ul-Qadri, a Pakistani born in Jhang, has made with Iran, who is an enemy of Pakistan that has focused a lot of energy and funds in the spread of Shi’a doctrine to the Southeast Asian region? With the current sectarian violence that is exchanging in Pakistan, this will increase only to ultimately result in a disastrous civil war. As political fiascos are unfolding in relation to the country of Iran, we find it alarming that he is reaping benefit from world events.
Muslims are to take heed of this warning given concerning this individual, and should also demand substantiation for his claims to titles and positions amongst the Shuyukh of the Qadiri order—a very high-level spiritual order known not only for its staunch adherence to Islamic principles, but also as defenders and preservers of Al-Islam. From his organizations’ websites, we find his alignment made with that of the current Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Al-Sheikh Ahmed Muhammad Al-Tayyab, yet neither Jami’a Al-Azhar, nor the Shuyukh within here, have conferred upon him the prestigious title of Sheikh al-Islam. In addition, he has neither earned by way of scholastic accomplishment, nor been otherwise authorized to don the Azhari Emama (white turban upon the red tarbush) that signifies successful completion of the academic rigors of our illustrious university.
Since being exposed by the Pakistani High Courts for the fraud he is, Tahir ul-Qadri is attempting to transfer his operations across the Atlantic to North America where he hopes to prey upon unsuspecting Muslims who know very little or nothing at all about him. Since America is not an Islamic state, it has been riddled in the past with deviants who have launched efforts at the exploitation of Muslim masses, which could not have been successful in those countries where Muslims are the majority and some form of Islamic laws were in place. Furthermore, such deviant individuals have abused the freedoms granted by The United States of America to establish a platform for their perversions and other such self-centered agendas, knowing that no Islamic recourse for their corruption and criminal behavior can take place on American soil.
American-born Azhari scholars, Amir Mujahid and Hassan Ali Qadri, have stated, “We are determined to banish him from our beloved country and we also warn Muslims—and all other God-fearing Americans—not to be fooled by his rhetoric, highly-funded egotism, fraudulent credentials, and non-existent associations.” The descendants of Ghaus al-A’zam and shuyukh of the Qadiri order have disowned Tahir ul-Qadri and said, “American Muslims must stay away from him.”
We have found that he has aligned himself with that of the illustrious Shuyukh of the Qadiri Silsilah, implying being capable of accepting Bay’ah – an eternal allegiance; yet, the head of the Qadiri order and the Gilani family, Al-Sheikh Sayyid Mubarik Ali Al-Gilani, has rejected him as incapable of being a competent guide, and thus branded him as “a fake Sheikh,” whom Al-Sheikh Sultan Bahu (Allah bless him) deems, “a death to a Talib (student).” It is also demanded to know why Tahir-ul-Qadri is spending so much money and effort to project himself, especially via pictures of himself and other forms of image-building, all of which are heavily frowned upon by the Qadiri order, and all of the competent Shuyukh and students that connect themselves with Al-Sheikh Abdul-Qadir Al-Gilani (rahmatullahi alaih).
If his claim is valid, then we, the Ulema at Al Azhar, demand that his proof be produced to us and we will present it to our Sheikh at Jami’ah Al Azhar Sharif. Furthermore, we state directly to Mr. Tahir-ul-Qadri: “If your sincere intention is to educate the Muslims, extend charity to those in need, and uplift the condition of the humanity, you should more appropriately return to your homeland of Pakistan, for Islam has died there, and there are millions of people in need. We will neither allow you to come to North America and create a bad name for Al-Islam and Muslims, undermining their past efforts and sacrifices, nor bring your political strife that you have caused in Pakistan to our shores.”
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April 7, 2012
Make du’a facing the beloved Prophet ﷺ
by Seeker
Imam Mālik was asked by the Khalif Abu Ja’far al-Mansūr: “Shall I face the Qibla with my back towards the blessed resting place of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when making du’ā?” Imam Mālik replied, “How could you turn your face away from him ﷺ when he is your means (wasīla) and your father Adam’s means to Allah on the Day of Rising? No, rather you should face him ﷺ and ask for his intercession so that Allah will grant it to you, for Allah said, ‘If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come to you and asked Allah’s forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Oft-Returning, Most Merciful (Q4:64)’.”
Narrated by Qādī ‘Iyād in his Shifā’ (2:26-27) and Tartīb al-Madārik (1:113-14) with an authentic chain, Imam Subkī in his Shifā’ as-Siqām (Ch. 4, 7), Qastalānī in his Mawāhib Ladunniya, Ibn Bashkuwal (Qurbah pp. 84), and others.
Islam 