Author: mahmed.fms

VIRTUES Of ʿULAMĀ’ (SCHOLARS)   All praises are for Allāh ﷻ, the Lord of the worlds. May peace and blessings be upon our beloved messenger, Muhammad ﷺ, his family and fellow believers.    As the ʿulamā’ are passing away, true knowledge is becoming scarce, and many Muslims don’t seek Islāmic knowledge nor do they allow their children to pursue this holy path, I wanted to share some virtues of the ʿulamā’, so that their importance is perceived, and their virtues are appreciated. I am also writing this to encourage parents to allow their children to embark on this blessed path, and to motivate the students in hifẓ class and public schools to pursue this path. Perhaps, some may become motivated to be an ʿālim (scholar), some may encourage their children to embark on the blessed path of knowledge or at the very least, they will develop some love for the ʿulamā’ and support them by all the means accessible to them.      The Prophet ﷺ has said: “Be a scholar, a student, a listener, or a lover of knowledge, but don’t be the fifth or you will be destroyed,” ʿAṭā’, one of the narrators, was asked about the fifth category. So, he said: “Fifth is that you loathe knowledge and the people of knowledge.’’1 May Allāh ﷻ make us from the first four categories and protect us from the fifth. Āmīn    Virtues Of Seeking Knowledge     Allah ﷻ says in the Qur’ān: “Allāh has elevated the ranks of the believers and those that have been given knowledge.” (Mujādalah:11)   The Prophet ﷺ has said: “Whoever Allāh ﷻ intends good for, He grants him the understanding of dīn (religion).” (Bukhārī)   The Prophet ﷺ has said: “Whoever treads a path in quest of knowledge, Allāh ﷻ makes the path to paradise easy for him.” (Muslim)   The Prophet ﷺ has said: “Allāh, His angels, the dwellers of the heavens and the earth, and even the ant in its hole and the fish (in water) supplicate for those who teach people knowledge.” (Tirmidhī)   The Prophet ﷺ has said: “Indeed, the angels lower their wings for the seeker of knowledge, being pleased with what he does. The inhabitants of the heavens and the earth and even the fish in the depths of the ocean seek forgiveness for him. The superiority of the ʿālim over the ʿābid (devout worshipper) is like that of the full moon to the rest of the stars (in brightness). (Abū Dāwūd and Tirmidhī)    The above are a few selections from the many Qur’ānic verses and prophetic traditions about the virtues of seeking the knowledge of sharīah. This should be enough to inspire us to tread the path of knowledge. In our times, the demand for ʿulamā’ is high but the supply is low. Yes, it is not incumbent (farḍ) on every Muslim to be an ʿālim but addressing this demand should be a matter of concern for every Muslim.      ʿUlamā’ Are the Heirs of The Prophets      The Prophet ﷺ has said: “Indeed, the ʿulamā are the heirs of the prophets. And verily, the prophets have not bequeathed dinar nor dirham but only knowledge; and he who acquires it, has in fact acquired an abundant portion.” (Abū Dāwūd and Tirmidhī)     The above ḥadīth expresses the great status of ʿulamā’ and their virtues. Those brothers/sisters who seek the path of knowledge are the heirs of Prophets. It is a great honor that Allāh ﷻ has selected them to serve, preserve, learn, teach, and preach His magnificent religion just as He had selected the Prophets.    Continuous Rewards for an ʿĀlim and His Parents    Imagine the rewards of an ʿālim, from the beginning of his journey till he leaves this world. Even in his grave, he will continue to receive rewards because of the knowledge he has left behind. The Prophet ﷺ has said: “When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: ṣadaqah jāriyah (ceaseless charity), knowledge which is beneficial, or a virtuous child who prays for him.” (Muslim)    SubḥānAllāh, this ḥadith promises continuous rewards for an ʿālim, his parents and the donors. As for the ālim, it is clear. As for the donors, it is because they have spent their money in the path of Allāh ﷻ.   As for the parents, firstly because they were one of the means of their child becoming an ʿālim. Secondly, because their child and descendants will make duʿā’ for them.       Beautiful Example of the ʿUlamā’   The example of the ʿulamā’ on the earth is like that of the stars in the skies. The stars are described with three qualities in the Qur’ān:   The stars are the beauty of the skies.   The stars are used to pelt the shayāṭīn (devils).    The stars are used by the travelers to navigate the correct path.    Just like how the stars are the beauty of the skies, the ʿulamā’ are the beauty of the earth. Just as the stars are used to pelt the devils, the ʿulamā’ are used by Allāh to defend His religion against the devils on earth. Just as the stars are used to find the correct path, similarly ʿulamā’ are the source of light and guidance for the mankind.       Who Is an ʿĀlim/ʿĀlimah2?    I wanted to end by defining a true ʿĀlim. A true scholar is not the one who has a lot of knowledge. Rather, he is the one who possess the fear (khashya) and love of Allāh ﷻ and His messenger ﷺ. He is not only the inheritor of the prophets in knowledge, but also in their character and righteousness.    ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (r) said: “Knowledge is not narrating many ‘aḥadīth3, rather knowledge is (possessing) the fear (khasya) of Allāh ﷻ.”4   Imām Mālik said: “Knowledge (ʿilm) and wisdom (ḥikmah) are a light (nūr), Allāh ﷻ guides through it whom he wants, and it is not (knowing) many legal rulings.”5   I have prepared this short article before the launch of our ʿĀlim Course in September 2021. May Allāh ﷻ grant… Continue reading VIRTUES Of ʿULAMĀ’ (SCHOLARS)

Understanding the Ḥadīth “The Majority of the Dwellers of the Fire are Women” For centuries, the Prophet Muḥammad’s ﷺ Ḥadīth have been a source of light and guidance for every believer. They show one the conduct of those who are near to Allāh, proper human relations, good character, rectification, and everything that a Muslim or a Muslimah must know. For true believers, the Ḥadīth are sacrosanct. There are thousands of them transmitted from our beloved Prophet ﷺ. But keep in mind, there is a pitfall that one must avoid. When a layman studies Hadīth without the guidance of a learned scholar, he may become confused. Just like the great muḥaddith, Sufyān b. ʿUyaynah, said: “Ḥadīth can be misleading for those without deep understanding (fuqahāʾ).” [1] One ḥadīth that is ambiguous to some is: “The majority of the dwellers of the fire are women.” Upon hearing this, some women become pessimistic and despondent after not finding any suitable explanation for what it means. And some men have used it to control women for their advantage. Here, in this paper, I will clarify some misconceptions surrounding it. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “I was shown hell. I saw that most of its inhabitants were ungrateful women… The Prophet was asked: ‘Were they ungrateful to Allāh?’ He replied: ‘They were ungrateful to their husbands and for the favors and the good done to them. If you show benevolence to one of them and then she sees something in you not to her liking, she will say: ‘I have never seen any good in you.’”[2] I intend to discuss how the scholars explained this ḥadīth. One should keep in mind that the explanations they give are based on their own reasoning (ar. ijtihād); thus, their differences of opinion should not confound one. ʿAllāmah Muḥammad Anwar Shāh al-Kashmīrī’s view is that the women referred to are the women of the Jāhilīyah. These women would habitually curse, swear, and backbite. Acts such as these would lead most of them to the fire. Also, the Prophet ﷺ saw hell during his time, when most of the Muslim women were still alive. This indicates that the women of the Jāhilīyah were intended in the ḥadīth.[3] For this reason, understanding it to infer Muslim women does not make sense, especially considering that their hearts changed when Islām came to them. They adopted righteous qualities and did not exhibit the sinful qualities that would lead them to hell.[4] An objection remains. There are Muslim women who have these blameful qualities, would that not infer that most of them could be in the hellfire? Mawlanā Rashīd Aḥmad Ganghohi said: “Women, when compare to men, are more. For that reason, one will find that they are the majority in the fire as well as in paradise.”[5] This is proven through a ḥadīth in which the Prophet ﷺ said: “From among the portents of the hour are the following:  …. Men will decrease in number and women will increase in number, so much so that fifty women will be looked after by one man.”[6] Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī said: “Initially, the majority of the women will be in the fire, then they will be taken out and shall enter paradise. Thus, the majority will be in paradise. Or, most of them will deserve the fire, but Allāh will forgive them and thus they will be the majority in paradise.”[7] A question remains, why are women still the majority in the fire? There is a ḥadīth that Imām Bukhārī related in which the Prophet ﷺ said: “Every one of them (i.e., the people of paradise) will have two wives.” Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar mentioned that the wives refer to the women of this world.[8] He mentioned that Abū Hurayrah cited this ḥadīth to establish that, in comparison to men, most women will be in paradise.[9] But there seems to be a contradiction between these two reports. Ibn Ḥajar reconciles this by saying: “The majority of them being in the fire does not necessitate that the majority cannot also be in paradise.”[10] This is like if someone says, “There are a lot of Muslims in South Africa.” This statement does not mean there are not a lot of Muslims in India. ʿAllāmah Anwar Shāh al-Kashmīrī differed with Ibn Ḥajar on this issue. He said that Ḥāfiẓ (i.e., Ibn Ḥajar) offered a weak response regarding the ḥadīth.  Kashmīrī said: “The wives referred to are the ḥūr al-ʿiīn, like what is related in Bukhārī on Abū Hūrayrah’s authority: ‘For every man, there will be two wives from the ḥūr al-ʿiīn.’” [11] Thus, he reconciles between those two ḥadīth. Imām al-Qasṭallānī proves that the woman in hell shall be those with these specific qualities. In a ḥadīth related on Jābir’s authority the Prophet ﷺ said: وأكثر من رأيت فيها النساء اللاتي، إن ائتمنّ أفشين، وإن سألت بخلن، وإن سألن ألحفن، وإن أعطين لم يشكرن. فدلّ على أن المرئي في النار منهن من اتصف بصفات ذميم “The majority of the women whom I saw in the fire were those who spread secrets when they are entrusted with them. When someone asks them for something, they are stingy. When they ask others, they do so in a demanding way. And when they are given something, they are not appreciative.”[12] These specific women will be the majority; however, women altogether should not be generalized. If they stay away from these sins, they will be from amongst the dwellers of paradise. Another ḥadīth located in Bukhārī proves this point. The Prophet ﷺ said: “I was shown paradise, I saw that most of its inhabitants were the poor… and I was shown hell, I saw most of its inhabitants were women.”[13] If this was a comparison between men and women, the Prophet ﷺ would instead say the majority of the inhabitants of paradise were men, however, he said the poor which also includes women. This shows that the majority are women who have specific qualities that will lead them to the fire. This view should clarify the issue, because just like Allāh and His Messenger ﷺ warn men from abstaining from immoral acts, women must abstain from immoral acts too. Not doing so means that women with those qualities will be… Continue reading Understanding the Ḥadīth “The Majority of the Dwellers of the Fire are Women”