Imagine that you knew the angel of death was coming to you in a few hours. What would your first thought be?

For most of us, it would be: What have I prepared for the next life?!

Doctors today speak of how people are living longer than ever before. In some countries, people live well beyond 90 years of age. Some of us may delay doing good deeds because we think we have a long life ahead of us. But, when Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) speaks of the Day of Judgment, He (swt) tells us that people will feel that they’ve only stayed in the dunya (this life) for a day or part of a day or even an hour. While 90 years is a long time to live, it does not compare to eternity. People will only realize that the next life is truly everlasting when they are standing in front of Allah (swt) and are seeing it with their own eyes. This is why the strongest motivation for a believer to do good deeds and stay away from sins, after seeking the pleasure of Allah (swt), is to remember death and the hereafter.

As humans, we are prone to forget and we are quickly distracted by the glitter of this world. To keep this reminder constantly in our minds, Allah (swt) mentions the hereafter on every page in the Qur’an.

Yet even though we are constantly reminded of Hell-Fire and Paradise in the Qur’an, we do not truly comprehend their nature because we do not understand their descriptions and meanings in the Qur’an and Sunnah (tradition of the Prophet ﷺ, peace be upon him). If we truly understood the nature of the Fire, we would fear it as it should be feared. And if we understood the real nature of Paradise, we would yearn for it as it deserves to be yearned for.

Allah (swt) discusses both Hell and Paradise equally in the Qur’an, displaying the balance of our religion. The two wings of a believer are fear and hope, and just as a bird cannot fly without balanced wings, the believer cannot either. Insha’Allah (God willing) we will be following this example for our series; posting one topic about Hell-Fire and the next about Paradise to balance our hope and fear in Allah (swt). Each week, we will learn about a new aspect of Hell or Paradise including:

• The Names and Descriptions of Paradise and Hell
• The Entrance into Paradise and Hell
• The Food and Clothing of Paradise and Hell
• The Entertainment of Paradise and Hell
• The Conversations of the Inhabitants of Paradise and Hell
• The Supplications of those in Paradise and Hell

The first part we will cover are the Names and Descriptions of Paradise and Hell. By learning their names and descriptions, we will be able to comprehend the true nature of jannah (Paradise) and nar (Hell-Fire). Names and descriptions allow us to understand different aspects of each, as each name and description gives us a new perspective on these final abodes.

Understanding the Fire

When we think of Hell-Fire, we compare it to the fire that we have in this world. We think of our stove or fireplace; yet the Fire of Hell is more intense and severe. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Your [ordinary] fire is one of 70 parts of the (Hell) Fire.” Someone said, “O Allah’s Apostle, this [ordinary] fire would have been sufficient (as a punishment)!” Allah’s Apostle ﷺ said, “The (Hell) Fire has 69 parts more than the ordinary [worldly] fire, each part is as hot as this [worldly] fire.” (Bukhari)

In another well-known narration, the Prophet ﷺ said, Hell-Fire will be brought forth on the Day of Judgment with 70,000 zimaam each pulled by 70,000 Angels,” (Muslim). The word zimaam is usually translated as “chains” but a more fitting translation is “leashes”. What do leashes restrain? They restrain animals. Hell-Fire is a living, breathing monster. To put this into perspective, let us remember the magnificent creation of the Angels. The Prophet ﷺ described the Angels who hold Allah’s Throne saying, “The distance between his ear-lobes and his shoulders is equivalent to a seven-hundred-year journey,” (Abu Dawud). The Angels are not a small creation, and they will be pulling and restraining this monster.

Allah (swt) describes the animalistic nature of the Fire in the Qur’an:

إِذَا رَأَتْهُمْ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ سَمِعُوا لَهَا تَغَيُّظًا وَزَفِير

“When the Hellfire sees them from a distant place, they will hear its fury and roaring,” (Qur’an 25:12).

Before the inhabitants of the Fire even see it, they will hear its anger and rage from far away. How far? Imam Al-Suddi says the distance of 100-years’ travel.

Allah (swt) uses a human emotion to describe the Fire, gaydh, which means a furious anger and rage. Why is the Fire angry? The scholars say that it is angry at peoples’ disbelief and disobedience to Allah (swt)!

Allah (swt) tells us how the Fire will roar:

إِذَآ أُلْقُواْ فِيهَا سَمِعُواْ لَهَا شَهِيقًا وَهِىَ تَفُورُ تَكَادُ تَمَيَّزُ مِنَ الغَيْظِ

“When they are thrown into it, they hear from it a (dreadful) inhaling while it boils up. It almost bursts with rage […]” (Qur’an 67:7-8).

Jahannam, Jaheem, and Hutumah

Among the names of Hell-Fire is jahannam. Jahannam  (جهنم) appears in the Qur’an 77 times, and is one of the more well-known names of Hell-Fire. Allah (swt) says:

وَلِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ

“And for those who disbelieved in their Lord is the punishment of jahannam […]” (Qur’an 67:6).

Jahannam has several meanings:

• The literal meaning is to meet with a frowning face and to have a stern look. When you look at a person who has jahm, you become fearful.
• Darkness. Jahm is used for the darkest part of the night. One of the biggest fears people have is being in complete darkness. Jahannam is a dark place where you don’t want to be alone.
• A waterless cloud. A cloud without water brings disappointment and does not provide any comfort.

Put these meanings together and jahannam is a place that looks scary, is completely dark, and provides no comfort.

Another name of Hell-Fire is jaheem. Allah (swt) says:

وَبُرِّزَتِ الْجَحِيمُ لِلْغَاوِينَ

“And Hellfire will be brought forth for the deviators,” (Qur’an 26:91).

Al-Jaheem (الجحيم) appears 23 times in the Qur’an. These are among the meanings of this name:

• The literal meaning is to light and stir up a fire–you add fuel and ensure it keeps burning.
• The word jahama means to stare with sharp eyes, and refers to the way a lion stares at its prey.
• The word ajham, from the same root, means someone who has red eyes.
• Jaheem is also used for a pit with blazing fire–and not just any fire, but an extremely hot, intense, and fiercely-burning fire.

Next time Shaytan (the devil) whispers to you and you are inclined to commit a sin, remember this description of Hell-Fire, like a lion staring at its prey, waiting to pounce on it:

إِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ كَانَتْ مِرْصَادًا

“Indeed, Hell has been lying in wait,” (Qur’an 78:21).

Another name of Hell-Fire is al-hutamah. Allah (swt) says about the one who slanders and backbites:

لَيُنبَذَنَّ فِي الْحُطَمَةِ

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْحُطَمَةُ

نَارُ اللَّهِ الْمُوقَدَةُ

“No! He will surely be thrown into al hutamah. And what can make you know what is al hutamah? It is the fire of Allah, [eternally] fueled,” (Qur’an 104:4-6).

Hutamah is one of the descriptive names of the Hell-Fire and it is from the word hatama which means to crush something to pieces. Hutamah is also used to describe a person who eats a lot and is never satisfied. When we eat, we must chew our food first, and then we are able to digest it. Similarly, the Hell-Fire will crush everything as it consumes.  It will crush and mash everything thrown into it. Allah (swt) tells us in Surah Qaaf (Chapter of the letter ‘Qaaf’) that Hell-Fire will say: hal min mazeed? “Is there any more (to consume)?” (Qur’an 50:30)

Allah (swt) describes al-hutamah further by saying it is: naar allahil mooqadah: it is the fire of Allah, kindled.

This Fire is attributed to Allah (swt) and when the idaafah (possession) of something is to Allah (swt), it gives great importance to that thing. Hell is such a great fire that only Allah (swt) can light a fire of this nature.

It is al-mooqadah: the one that is kindled. It is already burning right now; it has been lit and set ablaze. It is not going to be started on the Day of Judgment.

Futhermore Allah (swt) says:

الَّتِي تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الْأَفْئِدَةِ

“Which mounts directed at the hearts,” (Qur’an 104:7).

This fire will not be limited to the external body, rather it is going to consume the body and reach the core. It will penetrate through the body. This hutamah will be such a great consumer that it will consume all the way to the hearts.

This is Hell-Fire: a fierce Fire that is the crusher of bones, bursting with rage and fury and brought forth before us with leashes pulled by 70,000 angels.

O Allah, we beg You to protect us from this abode!

www.suhaihwebb.com

by Imam Ghazali | Translated and Abridged by Webb Translators

Principle 1: Have a sincere, unwavering intention.  Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “each person will be rewarded for what he intended” (Muslim). This calls for determination in the heart to continuously act or to abstain from something only for God’s sake. A sign of having sincere intentions is that one does not change his resolve for fleeting reasons; what is done for God, the Truth, should not be forsaken to please His creation.

Principle 2: Work purely for God, (the One) without partners or associates. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “worship God as though you see Him, but if you do not see Him (know that) He sees you” (Muslim). A sign of working purely for God is to not accept anything except the truth, and to see everything else besides the truth as vain and fleeting. As the prophet ﷺ said, “Let the slave of the dinar perish” (Bukhari). One should also beware of falling into doubtful matters. As Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: “Leave what is doubtful for what is not doubtful” (Tirmidhi and Nasa’i).

Principle 3: Align one’s desires with the guidelines and rulings of the Shari`ah (Islamic law). Be patient in times of hardship and difficulty, when struggling with personal desires, and in avoiding sinful acts and pleasures. Whoever practices this regularly reaches a state whereby he is in his sleep as if he were awake [worshipping], in his mixing with people as if he were in seclusion, in his fulfillment as if he were hungry, in his pride as if he were humiliated, and in talking to others as if he were silent.

Principle 4: Base one’s actions on following [the prophet’s way and scholarly opinions], and not on innovation. This prevents the following of one’s own desires and becoming proud of one’s own opinion. Surely, a person who takes himself as his own ruler will not succeed.

Principe 5: Have high ambitions, and do not procrastinate. It is said: “do not leave today’s work until tomorrow,” because actions are built on each another; and whoever is content with a lower [status] will be deprived of a higher one.

Principle 6: Be aware of one’s incapability and insignificance. This is not referring to laziness in worship or lack of productivity in work. It is about realizing that one is not capable of doing any action without support from God, the Most Capable, and Most Generous. This awareness is also manifested in viewing other people with respect and reverence, for people are means and helpers of one another on the path to God, the Exalted and Most Bountiful.

Principle 7: Have fear and hope, and do not be sure that your good deeds are accepted until you have witnessed this [on the day of Judgment]. One should have hope not because of the good deeds themselves, but because God Himself is the Most Benevolent and Generous.

Principle 8: Be consistent in one’s wird (regular litany of worship), for the one without a wird does not have additional source of support from God.  With a wird, the soul opens up in public and private; it becomes more mindful of the rights of others; it increases in loving and hating for others what it loves or hates for itself.  Also, having that wird makes one work more for God in order to please Him, just as a person would love that God does for him what he finds pleasing.

Principle 9: Be constantly observant of your actions and do not stray away from the remembrance of God even the blink of an eye. For the one who is always observant of his heart for the sake of God, and does not let other than God enter his heart besides, is one who has truly found God, experienced His Benevolence, and has reached ‘ilm al-yaqeen (certain knowledge). This is manifested in seeing God as the Enabler or Mover of everything that remains still or in motion around us. One’s mindfulness then increases from there until he recognizes that God is the Sustainer of everything, so His interaction with the creation is characterized by the best of manners. (Exemplifying this), the Prophet ﷺ said: “My Lord taught me good manners, and He gave me the best of manners.”

Principle 10: Know what one should be occupied with, both internally and externally for whoever thinks that he is not in need of obeying [God and His messenger] is a broke man who is in opposition to God’s words: “…Say ‘If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you’ ”(Qur’an 3:31).  This is the foundation upon which have been built castles like no other.

www.suhaibwebb.com

 By Maulana Dr M Mansur Ali | September 10, 2011 2:00am

The Qur’an, that inimitable symphony, the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy, invigorated the barren hearts of camel shepherds and transformed them in to guiding stars for humanity. That eternal and unimpeachable writ, which laid the foundation of a civilization that carried the knowledge of late antiquity in its bosoms and brought Europe out of its darkest hours. It had occupied the minds of philosophers, theologians, jurists and politicians of yesteryears. It had informed poetry, grammar, arts, aesthetics and belles-lettre. Umar II’s politics, Al-Rumi’s gazals, Al-Razi’s logic, Al-Ghazali’s ethics, al-Hariri’s prose, al-Attar’s poetry and Ibn Al-Arabi’s metaphysics all find their origins in this heavenly mandate. It had inspired the Sufi’s chanting of the souls, the music of the dervish’s reed, the literalism of the Salafi and the speculation of the rationalist. And yet its ultimate reality lies with Allah blessed be He in Whose hands is Dominion; and He over all things hath Power.

Muslims believe that the Qur’an is a literary miracle. An entire body of literature called ‘ijaz al-Qur’an had been developed to understand this miraculous aspect of the Qur’an. It uses eloquent Arabic language of the highest standard as well as a plethora of literary devices, the hallmark of any magnum opus. At times it employs short and fast paced verses resembling the beatings of the heart, whilst other times slow, meticulous and clear instructive verses are used to lay down points of law. Clear, unambiguous words, similes, alliterations, onomatopoeias, hyperboles, rhetorical questions, imageries, allegories, metaphors, aphorisms, euphemisms and ironies are its common features.

Whilst some verses of the Qur’an are clear in their meanings, others are somewhat ambiguous and veiled. Allah in his infinite wisdom had decided to keep some of the knowledge of his words concealed from public consumption, and it is only those who have been touched by divine aurora have been made privy to some of its mysteries. Some of these unclear verses constitute a set of cryptic letters found in the beginning of some chapters of the Qur’an, the meaning of which only Allah knows. These are known as al-huruf al-muqatta’at the disjointed letters, or al-huruf al-fawatih the opening letters such as Alif Lam Mim, Ya Sin, Ta Sin, Kaf Ha Ya ‘Ayn Sad. This did not stop scholars from exercising their God given intellect in trying to decipher these letters. For example where the majority of the scholars remained reticent to interpret the three letters Alif Lam Mim found in the opening section of sura al-Baqara the second chapter of the Qur’an, other scholars ventured to understand them. Some have interpreted them to mean Allah, Jibril and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), others opined that the Arabs were already familiar with these types of letters in their poetry, hence they were not a cause of confusion and contention for the immediate Arab audience of the Qur’an. A third group of scholars maintained that by employing simple letters of the Arabic alphabet, the contrast was being made between the literary works of the Arabs and the divine writ. That these were the very same letters employed to write both sets of writings, but how different are the outputs when the one is authored by the transcendent God and the other by mortal beings.

One scholar who attempted to appropriate some meaning to these letters was Qadi Abdullah b. Umar al-Shirazi al-Baydawi (d. 684/1286) a seventh/thirteenth century Shafi exegete of the Qur’an. Al-Baydawi’s interpretation is interesting as he makes an attempt to understand them using the rules of Arabic elocution (tajweed). The alif (in this instance a hamza) is a glottal letter (al-harf al-halqi) that emanates from the lowest point of the larynx closest to the lungs (aqsa al-halq). The letter lam is an alveolar letter (al-harf al-dhalqiyya) which articulates when the tip of the tongue makes contact with the roots of the upper incisors and the letter mim is an endo-labial letter (al-harf al-shafatayn) where the sound is forced through the lips by closing and opening of the inner lips.

Qadi al-Baydawi says that the vocal apparatus and the places of articulation (makharij al-huruf) are the same organs used by the respiratory system. The letters of alif lam mim cover the entire gamut of the respiratory system from the lower trachea to the outer lips. Since they constitute the words of Allah, al-Baydawi says that what can be learnt from them is that each and every breath that we take and every word that we utter should be in accordance with Allah’s will and pleasure.

These are human attempts to understand that which transcends our feeble minds as absolute truth only remains with The Absolute Truth (al-Haqq). After exercising their intellectual faculty, one is required to humble his knowledge in front of the Omniscience and all Muslims are required to concede in humility the emphatic statement Wallahu A’lam, and Allah knows best.

Originally posted in August 2010

Imagine for a moment that it’s raining. It is pouring, in fact. And imagine that you are inside your house, watching as it falls. But imagine that there is something very different about this rain. It is unlike any other you’ve ever seen. On this day, it is not raining water. It is raining something much more precious to you. Imagine that on this day it is raining hundred dollar bills.

What would you do? What would happen in your neighborhood on that day?  What would happen in the world? Would we not run outside, falling all over ourselves, competing to gain as much of the raining money as we can? Would we not stand outside all night to gather as much as possible?

We would do this for money because money is precious.  But imagine for a moment that it was raining something priceless. Not thousand dollar bills, not trillions, but the mercy of Allah subhana wa ta`ala (exalted is He), a currency that no human currency could even measure.

The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad ﷺ, (peace be upon him) said, “Ramadan has come to you. (It is) a month of blessing, in which Allah covers you with blessing, for He sends down Mercy, decreases sins and answers prayers. In it, Allah looks at your competition (in good deeds), and boasts about you to His angels. So show Allah goodness from yourselves, for the unfortunate one is he who is deprived in (this month) of the mercy of Allah, the Mighty, the Exalted.” [Narrated by Tabarani]

In this month, we are shielded from hell-fire, protected from the shayateen (satins), and cleansed from our sins. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith, hoping to attain Allah’s rewards, then all of his past sins will be forgiven.” (Bukhari).  In another hadith he ﷺ said: “When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.” [Bukhari]

Within this month, there is a night that is greater than a thousand months (97:1-5). “There is protection from hellfire, at least 70 times the reward for our deeds, and the chance to have all our sins erased.” (hadith)  So, what greater loss can there be than to find ourselves standing in the middle of this massive downfall of blessings without collecting all we can of Allah’s mercy?

And while this mercy showers on us throughout the blessed month, the last ten days are like no other. Aisha radi Allahu `anha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that with the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet ﷺ used to tighten his waist belt (meaning he would work hard) and used to pray all the night, and used to keep his family awake for the prayers [Bukhari].

But how can we fully take advantage of this blessed month, especially in the last ten days?  Here are a few ways:

Reserve a Private Meeting with Allah

Set a time before or after suhoor to be alone with Allah (swt).  Use this time to connect to Him by praying, making du`a’, or reading Qur’an. There is no other time like it. The Prophet ﷺ said: “When the last one-third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious One, descends towards the lower heaven and proclaims: ‘Is there anyone supplicating to Me, so that I grant his supplication? Is there anyone begging of Me for anything so that I grant him his wish? Is there anyone who seeks My forgiveness, so that I forgive him?’” [Bukhari and Muslim].

Set a Time for Reflection

In the midst of our busy schedule, we seldom find time to stop and relax, let alone reflect on the  realities of life. Make time to do this. Take time to step outside of your daily routine and introspect about where you are and where you’re going.  Reflect on the creation around you and on the  reality of this life, death, and our final meeting with our Creator. Choose a time, such as the last third of the night, when there are no distractions.

Take a Trip to Allah

We all need to get away sometimes. Use Ramadan as a chance to go away with Allah (swt) as your companion. Aisha (ra) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to practice I`tikaf (seclusion) in the last ten nights of Ramadan and used to say, “Look for the Night of Qadr in the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan” [Bukhari].

Don’t Miss the Night of Power

There is a night in the last ten nights of Ramadan that is greater than a lifetime (1000 months, 83.3 years).  The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever prays during the night of Qadr (power) with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

Aisha (ra) said: “I asked the Prophet ﷺ, ‘O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what should I say during it?’ He said: ‘Say: O Allah, You are Oft-Pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.’” [Ahmad, Ibn Majah, Tirmidhi]

www.suhaibwebb.com

The world we live in today has brought many tests to the Muslims. Undoubtedly, it has also brought many blessings to us. One new reality—the fact that the knowledge of our religion has become readily available through mass media—can be either a test or a blessing depending upon the scholar you speak to. As a result, we find two extremes. Some who declare that everyone must follow one juristic school or preferred scholar to be the authority without exception. Others declare that they may follow whatever opinion they like and therefore spend much of their time searching for opinions which suit their desires. In this article we beseech the support and ultimate success only granted by Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala(exalted is He) to bring the proper attitude to the availability of knowledge and scholarship in the modern world. This must be done by balancing the two extremes. In order to be witnesses upon mankind, Allah has made us a balanced nation. (Qur’an, 2:143)

Some scholars and schools of thought teach that all laymen must follow a particular juristic school of thought without exception. They remind us of the verses in which Allah enjoined us all to ask someone of knowledge if we were confused or unaware. They also cite how the Prophet ﷺ would designate some of his more knowledgeable companions to be specific references for others. Their points are all true reports, but still do not justify the claim that we should attach ourselves to one juristic school and never seek knowledge outside of it. This is like making that school of thought a legislator with the same authority as the Prophet ﷺ — which is wrong.

The truth is that the science of Islamic law can be quite complicated and not everyone can deduce a sound understanding from just reading the Qur’an and hadith (report of the sayings and actions of the Prophet ﷺ). This requires you to seek a qualified jurist to clarify to you the ruling regarding matters you don’t know about or are unclear to you. That being said, there is nothing in Islam which says that we must follow only one juristic school of thought or only one scholar. Two of the previous scholars of al-Azhar, Shatloot and al-Sayis, wrote in their curriculum about comparative jurisprudence, “This opinion was developed by some juristic schools in the recent centuries when the spirit of difference had become dominant and juristic partiality reigned. So they made up rules that prevent laymen from taking an opinion outside of the school they grew up with. This caused the reality of juristic schools of thought to go from opinions which can be discussed and either accepted or denied by anyone to become obligatory religious truths that one who started with them must always adhere to and can never look into others. By these rules, those scholars prevented the masses from looking into the Qur’an and Sunnah for guidance! (Which all believers were commanded to do in the Qur’an.)” (Muqaranah al-Madhahib fil-Fiqh, 30)

Jad al-Haqq, one of the great scholars of al-Azhar in its prime, says in his book about the flexibility of Islamic Law: “The truth which is the opinion of the majority of scholars is that it is not an obligation to follow a certain juristic school with exception to others. Any follower (muqallid) may follow whichever school or juristic scholar he likes. This is because since the time of the companions people would follow different jurists from time to time and compare what one said with another on a given issue. This opinion was taken by al-Aamidee, Ibn al-Hajib, al-Kamel ibn al-Hamam, and al-Rafi’ee and many others from our great predecessors. This is because obliging someone to follow one juristic school over the other is like claiming for them a distinguished right to legislation whereas Islam is clear that the only obligation in obedience is to the Qur’an and authentic Sunnah. Ibn Ameer al-Hajj said in his commentary on al-Tahreer by al-Kamel al-Hamam, ‘In the foundations (usool) of Ibn Muflih and others from the Malikiyyah, Hanabilah and Shafi’iyyah, it is not an obligation upon anyone to follow a specific jurist or juristic school.’(Muroonah al-Fiqh al-Islami, 134-135) That opinion is confirmed by the many scholars based in different juristic schools who researched for the Encyclopedia of Fiqh of Kuwait (see vol. 13, p.163).

This brings us to the crux of this article. The Holy Qur’an is crystal clear in encouraging all of us to learn about our religion and to spend as much time as we can doing so. So if we find answers and clarification by reading through the Qur’an and Sunnah then that is a good thing. The problem is that there will be many texts that we don’t understand. There will also be many issues of which we aren’t aware. Finally, there will be many other issues which we simply can’t find an answer to at all. So this is why we must seek a sound understanding of Islamic law from a person who is qualified to give a legal ruling. We must go to someone who is a jurist (faqeeh/mujtahid) or has been trained in the Islamic sciences enough to give us the ruling from a qualified jurist.

The scholars have differed on the matter of taking rulings from different scholars. Some scholars allow Muslims to choose any scholarly opinion according to what is easier for them. They cite the major objective of Islamic Law in facilitation and Allah’s compassion for the believers. The well-known authentic hadith says, “When the Prophet ﷺ was faced with two options, he always chose the easier of the two as long as there is no sin in it.” (Bukhari) These scholars remind us that in the time of the companions and thereafter people would seek rulings from different scholars and there was never any blame on them for doing that. Shaikh al-Tayyib Salamah says, “There is no doubt about the fact those who have permitted the follower (muqallid) to choose opinions because he or she finds them easier upon them are not permitting it if it corrupts their religion. They are saying that as long as a qualified jurist has made a ruling then whosoever chooses to follow them is not blameworthy because facilitation is a well-known founding principle in Islamic Law.” (Al-Akhth bil-Rukhas wa Hukmuhuh, 533)

Some scholars who prohibited taking rulings from different schools of thought weren’t doing so because they believe that it isn’t permissible according to their understanding of the Qur’an and Sunnah.  They did so in order to block the means to sinful behavior. They hold that allowing Muslims to pick whichever opinion they want will lead them to picking opinions based upon their desires which they say is sinful. Thus Islamic Law would be serving their desires when the people were meant to serve Islamic law.

The majority of scholars have said that this application of blocking the means is invalid since it would be putting that juristic school on the level of Prophetic legislation when in reality it is just a human’s educated attempt to represent Islamic Law. The correct way to deal with it is teaching the people how to choose an opinion regardless of which juristic school or scholar it comes from. In this approach, the majority has said that it is permissible to follow any qualified jurist or juristic school, but according to a condition. The world-renowned scholar Yusuf Al-Qaradawi said, “Some scholars allowed following any opinion from a qualified jurist even if it is just to suit one’s desires and because they find it easiest without even looking into the proofs and thinking about which one makes sense and is rooted in the texts. I say that this is impermissible because the early generations of Muslims were narrated to have said, ’Whoever seeks the easy opinions amongst jurists has rebelled (fasaq).’ That is because that is simply following one’s desires and playing with our religion which is a mockery… In this case it is as if the believer wants the truth to follow him around whereas it is the believer that should be searching for the truth even if it goes against his desire.” (Fatawa al-Mu’asarah, vol .2, 128-129). Their strongest proof in prohibiting seeking opinions simply because they agree with their desires is in verse 59 of Surah an-Nisaa: “And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger.” (Qur’an, 4:59)

This verse supports the need to compare rulings according to that which seems closer to the Qur’an, Sunnah, and sound logic rather than the opinion that seems easier to you. The esteemed Wahbah Zuhaily said, “My opinion is that it is permissible to look for the facilitations in the juristic schools in the case of dire necessity or pressing need. This is as long as the intention behind it isn’t playing around with the religion to suit one’s desires.” (Al-Rukhas al-Fiqheyyah fi Dow’i al-Kitab wal-Sunnah, 80)

Now some might have the wrong idea of what the scholars mean in serving one’s desires. The following example was given by Shaikh Mustafa al-Taarizee: “Someone wants an illicit relationship. To escape fornication [adultery], he sleeps with her by secret marriage whereby there is no Guardian as in the school of Abu Hanifa and no witnesses as is narrated in the school of Malik…playing around with Islam in this manner makes a mockery of it and no spiritual person of reason would allow it.” (Al-Rukhas al-Fiqheyyah fi Dow’i al-Kitab wal-Sunnah, 81).

Now we must summarize the opinions of the scholars on this matter and set out the guidelines for taking easier opinions so that we don’t fall into sinful behavior.

1. From the established principles of Islamic Law is “إذا ضاق الأمر اتسع” which means roughly, if a situation becomes hard to withstand, then the law accommodates. So you may follow an established opinion which makes your general life easier. An example of this is for people who live in the west and find it difficult to take off their socks to make Wudhu. They may take the Hanbali opinion for the case being permissible and not related to the type of foot covering because there is a حاجة or pressing need.
2. When making such a move, one has to follow an established opinion within the major schools of thought which has been validated by the great scholars throughout history. It is preferred to be an opinion of one of the 4 juristic traditions, but if not it must be at least well documented and recognized by the authoritative juristic works or represented in the modern councils of jurisprudence and committees dealing with new issues.

God willing the next research will cover strange isolated opinions and the rules for dealing with them.

And Allah (swt) knows best.

By Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi¹ | Translated, with slight modifications, by Muslema Purmul

Between Absolutism and Negligence

Linguistic definition: Arabic linguists say that taqlīd is derived from the root word qalāda, which is a necklace that is fastened around the neck. From it comes the taqlīd of a road; it is as though the follower fastens the ruling around the neck of the mujtahid, like a necklace.

Technical definition: Taqlīd is what Imam Ash-Shaukani describes in Sayl Al-Jarrār as acting upon another’s words without evidence.

It is important to note that this excludes acting upon the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, acting upon ijmā’ (consensus), a layperson’s acting upon the fatwa of a mufti, and a judge’s consideration of the testimony of trustworthy witnesses – as their authority has already been established. The sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and ijmā’, for those who recognize it, are both clear sources of authority. A layperson’s acting upon the statement of a mufti has been approved by ijmā’. As for the statements of trustworthy witnesses weighing on a judge’s ruling, its credibility is derived from both the Qur’an and Sunnah – from the command to take testimony – as well as from ijmā’.

Also excluded are the narrations of hadith narrators, as their processes of authentication and legitimacy are already in place. Furthermore, these are not merely the statements of the narrator, but the one narrated about, which is the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

A better definition is found in Ibn Al-Humam‘s Tahrīr (died 861 Hijri): “Taqlīd is acting upon the words of someone not recognized as a source of authority, without evidence.” Al-Qaffāl (died 365 Hijri) suggested, “It is accepting the statement (legal opinion) of someone while not knowing where he got it from.” Sheikh Abu Hāmid Al-Asfarayīni (died 406 Hijri) and Ustadh Abu Mansūr Abdu`l-Qāhir Al-Baghdādi (died 429 Hijri) both stated, “It is the acceptance of a legal opinion from one whose authority is not established, without evidence.”

The Ruling on Taqlīd in Following a Madhhab (Islamic juristic school)

There are three opinions on the issue of taqlīd:

1. Requiring taqlīd in following a madhhab
2. Prohibiting taqlīd and requiring ijtihād
3. Permitting taqlīd for one who has not reached the level of ijtihād

Opinion #1: The Requirement of Taqlīd in Following a Madhhab

The first opinion makes taqlīd a requirement on everyone, whether they are lay-people or accomplished scholars. It prohibits modern scholars from practicing any form or level of ijtihād. Rather, ijtihād is considered banned in theory and obsolete in practice, its doors having been closed in the third or fourth centuries, or even earlier than that.

This opinion essentially makes the taqlīd of one of the four madhāhib a religious requirement on every Muslim. Those who hold this view do not even permit modern scholars to prefer an opinion outside of their followed madhhab. Departing from one of the four popularly known madhāhib to follow other madhāhib or opinions (even if they are from the Sahaba or Tabi’īn) is absolutely unacceptable.

If those who hold this view reject choosing or preferring existing sayings and opinions over others, then they are even stronger in their rejection of independent ijtihād – even if it is only partial ijtihād on some issues. They reject it, regardless of the changing circumstances that life creates, and the ideas and ideologies that people are exposed to. All of this is built upon their conviction that the door of ijtihād is to be blocked.

Some later scholars spoke about the requirement of following one of the four madhāhib. Sheikh As-Sāwy Al-Maliki (died 1241 Hijri) who authored the famous “hashiyah” on Imam al-Dardir’s  Ash-Sharh As-Saghīr about jurisprudence, and another “hashiyah” on Tafsīr Al-Jalalayn, said:

“Taqlīd is not allowed except in (following) one of the four madhāhib, even if it agrees with a statement of the Sahaba (companions), an authentic hadith, and/or an ayah of the Qur’an, as one who is outside of the four madhāhib is misguided and misguiding others. Perhaps it would lead one to disbelief, as taking from what is apparent in the Qur’an and Sunnah is from the foundations of disbelief.”

Look at the stringency of this sheikh, who lived at the same time as Ash-Shaukani, and contemplate the disparity between their views. He banned taqlīd except within one the four madhāhib, even if an opinion agreed with a statement of the Sahaba; even worse, if it agreed with the text of an authentic Prophetic hadith; and worse still, even if it agreed with an ayah of the Holy Qur’an!

Another exaggeration is to consider one who is outside the four madhāhib (even if only in a specific case) as “misguided and misguiding others,” and that this may potentially lead to disbelief! All of this is rash and does not follow what the investigative scholars have agreed upon.

The opinion that taqlīd was required was adopted by religious schools and universities in later centuries. The salaf (first generation) from the scholars of these universities passed it down to the khalaf, who began to instill in their students, “One who makes taqlīd of an ʿālim meets Allah sālim (securely)!”

I remember learning this in Azhar’s religious high school in a class on the science of Tawhīd. In my required reading from the Jawharah of Al-Qarni and its explanation by Al-Bājuri, the author states:

“…And Malik and the rest of the Imams / Like Abu`l-Qasim, guiders of the Ummah, (said) Taqlīd is required of the learned man – one of them, / As the people relate in terms (they) understand.”

Abu`l-Qasim here refers to the great sufi, Al-Junaid ibn Muhammad (died 297 Hijri), may Allah have mercy on him. It implies that it is incumbent upon every Muslim to follow an imam from the imams of the four Islamic juristic schools.

Imam Malik is specifically mentioned because the author is Maliki. He suggests that an imam of jurisprudence is to be followed in the same manner that sufi imams are followed on issues of tarbiyah (self-development). Such was the legacy of Junaid with the scholars – the integrity of his tarīqah (method), the soundness of his direction, and his remoteness from extremism and innovation.

Some scholars also mandated the following of a well-known imam in ‘aqīdah (creed), such as Abu`l-Hasan Al-Ashʿari (died 334 Hijri) or Abu`l-Mansur Al-Maturīdi.

The most prevalent tradition amongst our knowledgeable brethren in the Maghrib (Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania) and the graduates of Zaytuna, Qayrawiyyin, and other institutes is to follow the Ashʿari madhhab in creed, the Maliki madhhab in jurisprudence, and the madhab or Sufi Path of Junaid in conduct. May Allah be pleased with them all.

To summarize, the integrals and potential pitfalls of this opinion include:

1. Requiring taqlīd on all people, even the people of knowledge.
2. Requiring taqlīd of only the Imams of the four madhāhib, and prohibiting the adoption of any legal ruling outside of these madhāhib.
3. Requiring taqlīd of only ONE of these four imams. Thus, not allowing mobility from one of these four madhāhib to another one of these four, even if only in a few matters where the weakness of the madhhab’s position is apparent.
4. Calling for blocking the door of ijtihād, and standing up against any call for ijtihād, even if only partial.
5. Viewing one’s own madhhab as better than the others, and succumbing to an ethnocentric mind frame.

Many scholars have responded to this outlook on taqlīd, including ibn Abdu`l-Barr, Ibn Hazm, Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn Al-Qayyim, As-San’āni, Ash-Shaukani, Al-Dahlawi, and others.

Opinion#2: The Prohibition of Taqlīd and the Requirement of Ijtihād

The second opinion is the exact opposite of the first: prohibiting taqlīd and requiring ijtihād for all people. Those who hold this position obligate every Muslim to take their legal rulings directly from the Qur’an and Sunnah. They fiercely reject the following of the four madhāhib, and even attack those that propagate that view vehemently. Perhaps some of them are excessive in their attack of taqlīd since they bash the madhāhib themselves, and some even extend their slander to the founders of the madhāhib as well.

Historically, the most powerful proponent of this view, from what we know, was the famous Thāhiri jurist, Abu Muhammad ibn Hazm. He authored many books, including Al-Ihkam fi Usūl Al-Ahkām on the foundational principles of jurisprudence, Al-Muhalla on comparative jurisprudence, and Al-Fasl fi`l-Milal wa`n-Nihal on the history of religions and sects, and others.

A great scholar from later times, Imam Ash-Shaukani, helped promote this understanding in many of his books, including Irshad Al-Fuhūl, As-Sayl Al-Jarār, and in his risalah, Al-Qawl Al-Mufīd fi`l-Ijtihād wat-Taqlīd. He emphatically rejected taqlīd, although less fiercely than Ibn Hazm.

In our times, a group from the people of hadith champion this perspective, with Sheikh Muhammad Nāsiruddin Al-Albāni and his followers at the forefront.

The adversaries of those who follow this viewpoint have named them “Al-Lā Madhhabbiyīn” or those with no madhhab, because they reject adopting any madhhab – neither for the scholar nor for the layman Muslim. These adversaries have responded with a plethora of articles and books. Examples include the great Turkish scholar Sheikh Muhammad Zāhid Al-Kawthari’s article, “Al-Lā Madhhabiyyah Qentara illa al-Lā Dīniyyah,” and those by the great Hamawi scholar, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hāmid, as well as Dr. Muhammad Sa’īd Ramadan Al-Buti’s book, Al-Lā Madhhabiyyah Akhtar Bid’ah Tahaddat Ash-Shari`ah Al-Islamiyyah.

Once again, we can summarize the integrals and pitfalls of this other extreme to include:

1. The prohibition of taqlīd on everyone, even the laypeople who do not have access to the tools of ijtihād.
2. The plethora of claims by young people (who have become superficial and rough) that they have reached the level of mujtahidīn.
3. The audacity of young people to dismiss great scholars and mujtahidīn from previous eras.
4. The disdain for the Ummah’s juristic schools, despite the immense amount of beneficial knowledge they contain.
5. The transgression of some followers in bashing the madhāhib and their Imams.
6. The growth of the tendency towards literalism amongst them, to the point that some have named them “The Neo-Thāhiriyyah.”
7. The occupation of the Ummah in arguments over minor disagreements in jurisprudence, which has led to much infighting.
8. The denunciation of those opposed to their calls, suggesting that they alone are properly following the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Imam Ash-Shaukani and Taqlīd

Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Shaukani (died 1250 Hijri) was a towering leader of revival and ijtihād in the thirteenth century Hijri, as is apparent from his books on ijtihād. For instance, in his As-Sayl Al-Jarrār, which explains the text of Al-Azhār (a foundational text on the Zaydi or Hāduwi jurisprudence), he treads a path of independent ijtihād; he uses the Qur’an and Sunnah, and expresses his own legal opinions, which lie outside the four or eight madhāhib of his time. Another example is his famous Nayl Al-Awtār, where he explains the book Muntaqa`l-Akhbār min Ahadīth Sayyid Al-Akhbār by Ibn Taymiyyah. This book has become a significant resource on modern jurisprudence for both Sunni and non-Sunni schools. Another example is his book, Al-Darārī al-Muḍiyyah, (an explanation of Al-Durar al-Bahiyyah) in which he summarized the independence of his jurisprudence.

In fact, Imam al-Shaukani intensely opposed taqlīd and called for ijtihād in more than one of his books:

1. His famous book on the foundational principles of jurisprudence, Irshad al-Fuhūl.
2. His risalah, Al-Qawl al-Mufīd fī Adillati`l-ijtihad wa`l-Taqlīd.
3. His book Adab al-Tālib wa Muntaha`l-Arab.
4. His extensive work, al-Sayl al-Jarrār.

Al-Shaukani also offers alternate interpretations for what proponents of taqlīd use as the basis of their arguments (i.e. ayāt from the Qur’an, such as: “So ask the people of knowledge if you do not know” (Qur’an, 16:43), and statements of the Messenger ﷺ such as, “Do they not ask if they do not know? The cure for confusion is to inquire”). Al-Shaukani clarifies that these do not entail taqlīd of a specific person in every issue, but rather asking whoever is accessible from the people of knowledge, as was the practice at the time of the Prophet ﷺ and his companions.

Al-Shaukani benefits from the writings of Ibn al-Qayyim – which rejected taqlīd - and also those of Imam Ibn Abdu`l-Barr, Ibn Hazm, and others before him. He also rejects the notion that the door of ijtihād was closed, considering it to be a blameworthy innovation. He explains that the blessing of Allah is vast, and cannot be limited to a specific era, or monopolized by a specific group of people. Rather, it is open to all those whom Allah has gifted with the capability.

Al-Shaukani called for ijtihād and practiced absolute and independent ijtihād. He did not adhere to any of the known madhāhib, neither in foundational principles of jurisprudence nor in the actual jurisprudence – even though he had originally started out as a Zaydi. He even developed his own foundational principles, which he explains in his Irshād al-Fuhūl ila Tahqīq al-Haqq min ‘Ilm al-Usūl.

He did, however, oppose the use of independent legal reasoning and opinion (ra’y) in jurisprudence, and also rejected the legal school of ra’y in its entirety. Instead, he insisted on a complete dependence on revelation, stating that the religion is not formulated by the opinions of imams, but rather by the narrations of the Seal of the religion, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He believed that a layperson who is not qualified to perform ijtihād ought to ask scholars to qualify their positions from the Qur’an and Sunnah, and not base it on their opinions.

I agree with Shaukani in some aspects and disagree with him on others. I am with him in:

• His call to the scholars for independent ijtihād.
• His rejection of those who impose taqlīd on everyone in the Ummah.
• His opposition of those who require that one be limited to a single madhhab on every issue.
• His rejection of those who strictly follow a specific madhhab, even on issues where the weakness of their madhhab’s sources is made clear to them.
• His rejection of the idea that the doors of ijtihād were closed after the second or third century after Hijri.
• His encouragement of the Ummah to follow the Qur’an and Sunnah, over the opinion of men.

However, I take issue with his prohibition of taqlīd on the masses and his prohibition of following a madhhab. I do not see anything that prevents people from following an Imam and adhering to his madhhab, like the madhhab of Abu Hanifa, Malik, al-Shafi`i, Ahmad, Zayd, al-Hadi, Ja`far, Jabir and others. This is allowed but not required, according to the Shari`ah. The preferred position is that a lay-person does not keep a madhhab. Rather, his madhhab is the madhhab of the one he asks from among the scholars. As such, he is allowed to go from his madhhab to another, and he may ask whomever he wants from the scholars on whatever issues concern him. He may even leave his madhhab, in some cases, and follow another if he believes that the other madhhab has stronger proofs.

I also differ with Imam al-Shaukani in his opposition to the use of independent legal reasoning and opinion (ra’y) in jurisprudence as being something that is against the Shari`ah. The truth is that there is no jurisprudence without ra’y. Blameworthy ra’y is that which goes against clear texts. However, ra’y on topics where there is no textual basis, and ra’y used to better understand the texts according to their foundational principles and in light of the greater objectives of Shari`ah, is indispensable. There must be ra’y in areas that can be overlooked due to specific legal flexibilities, or in areas that lack definitive texts that clearly require adherence. This occurs through:

• Qiyās (a process of analogical reasoning) using scriptural texts, or
• Istihsān (a process of legal preference) to side-step clear but weak qiyās for stronger but more hidden qiyās, or
• Istislāh (seeking the greater benefit) to act on public interest, with its legal conditions, or
• ‘Urf (custom) in its allotted space, or
• Sadd al-Tharā’iʿ (blocking the means to evil) or
• Istishāb (presumption of continuity), etc.

All of these involve the use of ra’y. Can the jurist really be above using it? For that matter, is the jurisprudence of the likes of `Umar, Uthman, Ali, Ibn Mas`ud, Zaid, Ibn Abbas, and others, free from it?

Is it even possible to understand the texts correctly without ra’y? Did not the companions of the Prophet ﷺ use their ra’y when they prayed `Asr on their way to Bani Quraytha? They were more right than those who delayed their prayer until they arrived at their destination, but after the time of prayer had passed, as suggested by Ibn Taymiyyah.

Are the greater objectives of the Shari`ah not an example of the use of ra’y in understanding Qur’anic and Prophetic texts?

Is not ‘Umar’s moratorium on the punishment for stealing during the famine an example of ra’y? Is not his decision to transfer the liability of blood money from the tribe to the state an example of ra’y? Is not his decision against the distribution of specific conquered lands of Iraq to the Muslim army an example of ra’y? Is not his prohibition on marrying ‘women of the book’ for fear of its impact on Muslim women, an example of ra’y? Is not his decision to combine full brothers with half-brothers (from the mother’s side) in inheritance law – even after having ruled otherwise – an example of ra’y?²

Is not `Uthman’s position that divorce is not binding if uttered while the husband is experiencing a near-death illness an example of ra’y?³ Is it not related that Abu Bakr and other companions said, “I give legal edicts with my ra’y, for if it is correct it is from of Allah, and if it is wrong, then Allah, the Glorified is free of any blame”?

Did the Noble Messenger ﷺ not accept Mu`adh’s response when he sent him to Yemen? When he ﷺ asked, “By what will you judge?”, Mu`adh responded that he would judge by the Book of Allah, then by the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah. If the answer was not to be found in the Book or the Sunnah, he said, “I will make ijtihād by my ra’y.”

Did the companions not differ on some rulings because of the differences in their ra’y and understanding?

Opinion #3: The Allowance of Taqlīd for One Who Has Not Reached the Level of Ijtihād

The third opinion does not impose taqlīd on its adherents, as with the first opinion, nor does it prohibit it, as with the second opinion. Instead, it allows taqlīd for some and prohibits it on others. Imam Hasan al-Banna discusses this in one of his “20 Principles of Understanding”:

“Every Muslim who has not reached the level of understanding the arguments of legal deduction and jurisprudence is encouraged to follow the works of the great Imams of Islamic jurisprudence. While following an Imam, one should try to understand the argument of the Imam. Once the credibility of the Imam is established, one should accept any of this Imam’s guidance, equipped with proper arguments. With that, a Muslim is advised to exert the necessary efforts to acquire such a level of understanding for arguments of legal deduction and jurisprudence.”

Thus, he did not make taqlīd or following a madhhab mandatory, and he did not make it prohibited. Rather, he allowed it, but not for everyone. It is legally sanctioned for “every Muslim who has not reached the level of understanding the arguments of legal deduction” – that is – for the lay person and the like who are not qualified to derive rulings from the Qur’an and Sunnah, or to know ijmā’, qiyās, and the other methodologies which build upon these foundational ones, such as istislāh, ‘urf, istishāb, and the Shari`ah of those before us.

Following vs. Blindly Imitating

In his wisdom, Ustadh al-Banna prefers the word ittibā` (to follow) over taqlīd (to blindly imitate) in his principle, stating Muslims are ‘to follow (yattabi`u) one of the great imams of Islamic jurisprudence.’ The Qur’an too, uses the word ittibā` in contexts that make it praiseworthy and legally acceptable.

This is seen in the statement of Ibrahim: “Oh my father, indeed there has come to me of the knowledge what has not come to you, so follow me; I will guide you to an even path” (Qur’an, 19:43). This ayah invites one to follow the ones who are knowledgeable in areas that one does not know.

We also see in the story of Musa (as) and the famous righteous servant of Allah, Khidr: “Then they found one of Our servants whom We blessed with mercy, and taught from Our knowledge. Moses said to him, “Can I follow you that you may teach me some of the knowledge and guidance bestowed upon you?” (Qur’an, 18:65-66).

Musa (as) asks to be permitted to follow Khidhr (“ittibā`ih”) so he may learn from the knowledge that Allah, the Exalted, had given him. This shows that following the knowledgeable, in certain cases, is not blameworthy.

Imam Abu ‘Umar ibn Abdu`l-Barr said: “The purpose of knowledge is clarity – to grasp the known as it truly is. For when something is made clear to someone, he has come to know it. The scholars say that the one who makes taqlīd has no knowledge, and they do not differ in that.”

Abu Abdullah bin Khuwayz Mindad al-Basri al-Maliki said, “The meaning of taqlīd is to turn to a statement that is not substantiated with proofs.  Ittibā` implies that the statement is grounded in legal justification.  Ittibā` is sanctioned in the religion, while taqlīd is not.”

—

TRANSLATOR’S NOTE: While this is just an English rendering of some issues regarding the subject of taqlid and tamadhub, it is in no way an exhaustive or complete discussion of the subject. For more information on this topic, please refer to Sh. Qaradawi’s work, Kayfa Nata`mal Ma`a’l-Turath (How We Deal with the Tradition) in which these pages represent only a small section.

To define poetry is not as simple and straight forward a task as one would initially assume. Indeed, particularly in the west, its definition has been the subject of augmentation over many years. It has evolved from uses of speech in rhetoric, song, drama and comedy (as in Aristotle’s Poetics), to focusing on the formation of verses, repetition and rhyme (so as to separate from other literary works, e.g. essays and novels), and to being loosely defined as creative writing in the current ambience (retrieved 18/02/2011, ‘Poetry’, Wikipedia). What is apparent is that poetry is readily distinguished from more prosaic and essentially informative language. It is literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities, to evoke emotional and sensual responses, to supplant its meaning.  It is an eloquent form of artistic expression, a testification of feelings, inherent emotions, and deep seated affections, articulated (although not exclusively) through prose, rhyme, measure and semantical choices – all of which come together to inculcate and evoke an emotional response from the consumer. Poetry was a particularly developed, honed and cherished entity in pre-Islamic Arabia to such a degree that they recognised the world as ‘ajam, or ‘inarticulate’ in comparison to the level of eloquence the felt they had achieved. Indeed, even a prophetic tradition lauds eloquence “inna min alBayaani laSihran”[1] (pg.14, Mufti ‘Aashiq Ilaahi (eds)). Throughout the history of Islam, poetry has played a significant role, noteworthy mentions going to Mowlana Jalal alDin Rumi’s the Mathnawi and Imam Busayri’s Qaseedah Burdah, just to mention a few. The Quraan and ahaadeeth make several mentions in favour of and in vilification of this form of language and those who indulge in it. This essay will look at elucidating the perception of poetry in Islam, with particular attention to the primary texts of Islam, the Noble Quraan and ahaadeeth.

The term ‘poet’ (shaa’ir) is used in numerous places in the Noble Quraan, each time in a derogatory manner. In surah Yaaseen, the Almighty says: “We have not taught him poetry, nor is it befitting for him”[2] (69:36, Quraan). Here, in the clearest of terms, we have the Almighty defending the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) against the slandering of the disbelievers that he was nothing more than a mere poet, referring to him as a mad poet, and in some cases a magician or a bewitched madman (pg.407, vol.7, 1994). Mufti Muhammad Shafi’ proposes that this was a means of explaining away why the words of the Quraan and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had such an effect (ibid). He further clarifies that the word shi’r in the Quraan could delineate to mere utterances of the self and baseless sayings (ibid, pg.553, vol.6; 408, vol.7), rather, a liar (ibid, pg.553, vol.7) as opposed to divine revelation. Developing on this, he argues that another meaning of shaa’ir is ‘liar’, and this is the meaning that some commentators put forward (ibid, pgs.553-554, vol.6). Mufti Muhammad Shafi’ cites his (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) inability to create, or even remember poetry with the narration of A’isha (ra) where she said he knew one couplet, but even this was broken from the poet mould, to which he exclaimed “neither am i a poet, nor is poetry befitting for me (pg.408, vol.7). Allah the Almighty denigrates poets in surah shu’araa:

And the poets those who go astray follow them. Don’t you see that they wander bewildered in every valley? And they say that which they do not do. (Quraan, 224-226:26)

There are also traditions where poetry has been maligned, and portrayed in a negative light. Ibn Umar (ra) narrates that the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “It is better for a man to fill the inside of his body with pus than to fill it with poetry.” (pg.964, no.2048, chapter 33, book 71, 1994), and again in Bukhari, Abu Huraira (ra) recalls that Allah’s Apostle (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “It is better for anyone of you that the inside of his body be filled with pus which may consume his body, than it be filled with poetry.” Such strong sentiments would cause one to assume that poetry is an article worthy of abhoration and something to be secluded from. Mufti Muhammad Shaf’i states that, in order to gain a better understanding of the Quraan, it is permissible to read poems from the time of ignorance (pg.351, vol 5, 1994). It should be noted that for permission to be given denotes a level of suspect of the material being talked about. This could simply be due to the content of pre-islamic poetry itself, which for one reason or another could be observed as a threat to ones faith in one way or another. Indeed, poets who lampooned the Prophet of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) were plentiful, and their blasphemous couplets would be a cause of great anguish and sorrow for him (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). Such poets were Abu ‘Afk, Asma bint Marwan, and Ka’b ibn alAshraf, all of whom were slain for their dissemination of such abusive verses and prose.

However, just as poetry is vilified in the divine texts, so too is there praise for it. Mufti Muhammad Shaf’i cites a hadeeth where companions, upon reciting the verses of surah shu’araa where poets are maligned[3], grew in their misery and notified the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) of their disdain of their own selves for being well versed in poetry. Upon this, the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) comforted them, bringing their attention to the following verse which separates the Muslims from blame. This is augmented by prophetic traditions that uphold, praise, and show poetry in a favourable light. In the chapter ‘What kinds of poetry, Rajaz[4] and Hida[5] are allowed and what kinds are disliked’, imam Bukhari presents the narration of Ubay bin Ka’b where Allah’s Messenger, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, states “anna min alShi’ri hikmah” (pg.964, no.2047, chapter 33, book 71, 1994), that “Assuredly in some poetry is wisdom”. When seen in the light of the Almighty’s saying that “He gives wisdom to whomsoever He wants, and whosoever has been given wisdom, then he has indeed been given an abundance of good” (269:2) and (on the prophet Yousuf ‘alayhi slaams being given hikmah) “and thus do we reward the doers of good” (22:12, Quraan), one can deduce how high a regard wisdom is, and accordingly, how much poetry has been praised in the aforementioned tradition. Even from the time of the Prophet of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) there are many examples of companions composing and even reciting poetry in praise of the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). A popularly cited example is the one uttered on the arrival of the Holy Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) at the time of hijrah to Madeenah[6]. Possibly better known is the one by Hassaan bin Thabit (ra), a companion who used poetry to defend and praise the Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam):

‘and more beautiful than you my eyes have not seen, and no woman has given birth anyone more handsome than you, you have been created free from any blemishes and inmperfections, as if you were created as you wished’[7] (own translation)

A’isha (ra), the wife of Allah’s Apostle (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) expressed:

We have a Sun and the the sky has a Sun, and my Sun is better than the Sun of the sky, the Sun of the people rises after fajr, and my Sun rises after ‘ishaa[8] (own translation)

The renowned muhaddith Mullah Ali Qari (r.a) offers clarification on the role of poetry in Islam. He argues that poetry containing truth, wise words, advices, useful parables and the like that are of benefit to mankind, such as those couplets containing praises of Allah and His Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), that exhort towards the hereafter and other aspects of religion are indeed praiseworthy. But any poetry devoid of these things is malignant, malevolent and disliked (pg.122, cited in: Mufti Bilaal Cassim 2002).

To conclude, the divine scriptures exhibit that poetry can be a vehicle for good, in which case it will be regarded as highly praiseworthy and advantageous, as it viewed in its usage in Islam when used to praise Allah or His Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), when extolling to do good, deterring from evil or general reminders. But it can also, understandably, be subject to disparagement and detested when it is used to peddle thoughts and ideas that are against the shari’ah such as immorality, lewdness and sin. Mulla ‘Ali Qari mentions that poetry is a form of speech and must be judged by the same standard. That is, beneficial poetry is like beneficial speech and useless and evil poetry like useless and evil speech (ibid). When dealing with poetry, one must bear this last point by Mulla ‘Ali Qari in mind, and ask how beneficial it is to ones religion.

[1] “Surely in some speech is (the effect of) magic”.

[2] Own translation

[3] 227:26 ‘Except for those who believe and do good, and defend themselves after they are oppressed’

[4] A poetic measurement

[5] Chanting of Camel riders

[6] tala’a alBadru ‘alaynaa, min thanyyaati alWadaa’, wajaba alShukr ‘alaynaa, maa ca’aa liLlaahi daa’ (cited in pg.194, Shabbeer Ahmad and Muhammad ‘Abdul’Haleem Hasani eds. (2006) Suay Haram, Zamzam publishers

[7] Translated from the original Arabic: ‘wa ahsannu minka lam taraqattu’aynee, wa ajmalu minka lam talidi alNisaa, khuliqta mubarraan min kulli ‘aybin kaanna khuliqta kamaa tashaa’ (cited in pg.179, Shabbeer Ahmad and Muhammad ‘Abdul’Haleem Hasani eds. (2006) Suay Haram, Zamzam publishers)

[8] Translated from the original Arabic: – lanaa shamsun wa li alAafaaqi shamsun, wa shamsee khair min shamsi alSamaai, fa shamsu alNaas tatlu’u b’ada fajrin, wa shamsee tatlu’u b’ada al’Ishaai (cited in pg.184, Shabber Ahmad and Muhammad ‘Abdul’Haleem Hasani eds. (2006) Suay Haram, Zamzam publishers)

There was a bus blocking the right turn lane and its emergency lights were flashing. “I need a quick detour!,” thought the woman driving. She turned into a parking lot to cross through to the adjacent street. As she made the turn, she felt her car heave forward heavily and realized she had not seen the curb. Embarrassed, she continued to the street and felt her car was driving differently. She swung into a side road to check on it.

A flat tire! Subhan’Allah (glory be to God). She immediately thought of the dua`a’ (supplication) that the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) had taught to the ummah (Muslim community) for times of difficulty: “If a servant of Allah is afflicted with a misfortune and says: ‘Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un, Allahumma ajirni fi musibati wa akhlif li khairan minha‘ (Verily we belong to Allah and truly to Him shall we return. O Allah! Protect me in this calamity that has befallen me and replace it with something better), Allah will accept his prayer, grant him reward for his affliction, and replace it with something better.”<sup>1</sup> And so she made this dua`a’, knowing full well she had been the one to cause the misfortune to happen in the first place, but hoping that Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) would bless her in some way because of it.

She then sat there, after having called for help, dazed and wondering why this had happened. Why was that bus stopped where it had been stopped? Why was it meant for her to be on this specific road at this specific time, when she usually would never have been in that place, at that time? Why didn’t she wait and go around the bus, instead of turning through a parking lot? She began to contemplate the verse, “And whatever strikes you of disaster—it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons much” (Qur’an, 42:30). And finally, perhaps—perhaps—this happened because something better should happen. There had to have been a reason for this situation. But what was the reason? Where was the wisdom?

After some time, her husband came, changed the flat with a spare, and directed her to go to a specific tire company to take advantage of a warranty. This tire company was much further out, in a city which she had never traversed due to its distance and decentralized location. Upon reaching the company and waiting for her tire to be fixed, she realized she needed to pray dhuhr (the afternoon prayer) and wondered if there was a masjid nearby. Mapping it, she found one only a few miles away, so as soon as her car was ready, she was headed for the mosque.

There was only one other car parked in the parking lot. Having never been to this masjid before, she searched for an entrance and walked in. There, she found an older man sitting at a table. She greeted him and as he looked up, she asked if he could point out the direction of the prayer area.

He looked at her, almost in a daze. “Aren’t you… Aren’t you that woman who spoke at the conference recently?” She confirmed as he continued, “What brings you here?” He realized she had come to pray and pointed out the direction of the prayer hall. After she had finished her salah (prayer), she headed back towards the entrance to leave. He beckoned her, “Would you mind waiting just a moment?”

He then explained that while she was speaking at the conference, he was listening to her and thinking about the future generation. He was thinking about young adults and the way they need someone to connect with them. He began to think our cultural and age gap as parents sometimes makes it difficult to convey the message of Islam in a way which is culturally relevant to their lives. If only I could somehow come in contact with this woman. Perhaps she could speak to the up-and-coming generation. But Allah—how? How will I come to connect with her? “And now,” he finished, “Here you are. Subhan’Allah.”

At that moment, the woman realized that perhaps the flat tire she had experienced—perhaps the bus with its emergency lights, the miscalculated curb, the need to go to a specific tire company so far away from her own locality—had all taken place so that she could be there, in that place, in that moment of time, where she would be connected to a person who was seeking to call youth back to Allah, subhanahu wa ta`ala.

The woman stared at the man, incredulous at the situation. Subhan’Allah, she thought. Maybe this simple man, a man without a hugely outward “Islamic” appearance, a man who sat humbly in the masjid, was someone near to Allah (swt), dear to Allah (swt)—so much so that Allah (swt) would create a situation where the person this man was seeking to speak with came to his door.

It reminded the woman of the story of Imam Ahmad and the Baker. Imam Ahmad radi Allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him) once was traveling and needed to stay somewhere overnight. When he went to the masjid, the guard (not recognizing Imam Ahmad) denied him entrance. Imam Ahmad (ra) tried numerous times, but the guard did not accept his requests. Frustrated, Imam Ahmad (ra) resolved to spend the night in the masjid yard. The guard became furious and dragged him away, despite the old age and frailty of Imam Ahmad (ra).

A baker, whose shop was nearby, watched this scene and took pity on Imam Ahmad (ra), also not knowing who he was. The Baker thought of the man who needed a place to stay as a simple traveler without lodging. He invited the Imam to stay with him for the night. While there, Imam Ahmad noticed that the baker continually made istighfar (asking for Allah’s forgiveness) while working, and in the morning, the Imam eagerly asked his host about the latter’s continual seeking of forgiveness. The Baker said it had become second nature to him, and Imam Ahmad (ra) then asked whether the man had experienced any reward from this practice.

The Baker answered, “By Allah! No dua`a’ I made except that it was answered but one.” “And what is that dua`a’?” asked Imam Ahmed. “To be able to see the famed Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal!”

Imam Ahmad (ra) interjected, “I am Ahmad ibn Hanbal!” He then went on to add, “By Allah! I was dragged to your place so that you can have your dua`a’ (prayer) come true.”²

Perhaps this man, just like the Baker, was not some conference speaker, not some widely famed Imam, not some enormous Islamic activist, but someone who was sincere in their relationship with Allah (swt), and so Allah (swt) blessed them with acceptance and the answering of their passing wishes and dua`a’.

Days later, she continued to contemplate her encounter. Subhan’Allah, she kept thinking, everything for a reason. Sometimes, “bad” things happen to “good” people. But sometimes, those “bad” things are truly only outward moments of difficulty in comparison to the good Allah (swt) has in store and is preparing for that person to experience, when the time and moment are right.

As Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahu Allah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “When Allah tests you, it is never to destroy you. Whenever He removes something from your possession, it is only to empty your hands for an even better gift.”

What is stopping us from working to become of those who are beloved to Allah (swt)?

1. Muslim
2. Summarized from Al Jumuah magazine, vol 19, issue 7