USC To Re-Post Hadiths

The original post on MUSLAMICS breaking news of the removal of five hadith from a USC president (though the Jewish Journal originally carried the news on it) and there seems to be a realization that there was a large liability for law suit against USC and administrators not only changed their "tune" but also their approach to the issue:

...I have asked Professor Donald Miller, director of the USC School of Religion and director of USC's Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC), and Professor Ronald Garet, the Carolyn Craig Franklin Professor of Law and Religion, to consult with our faculty and with other members of our academic community, and to offer practical recommendations on how to address tensions that may arise between individual or group beliefs and the pluralistic and scholarly prerogatives of a research university.

The Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement (CMJE), housed within the CRCC, is working jointly with CRCC faculty to establish a resource for scholars that can allow them to provide academic context to the development of canonical Jewish and Muslim texts. This project will interpret various texts and traditions, place them in historical perspective, and debate the ancient and contemporary moral responses. The CMJE's stated mission is to promote academic partnerships as well as dialogue, understanding, and alliances between these Abrahamic faiths. It hosts a unique academic think tank, as well as archives of materials on Jewish-Muslim relations.

Read here. Also this is basically some of the legal arguments that were forwarded to the students at USC via CAIR to help contextualize this whole fiasco, however the article in the Pheonix is much better at articulating...by the way, under many Islamic Studies programs, including Harvard's, there is a direct link as a resource to the USC Hadith database. Ridiculous how USC adminstrators could be so short sighted.

Hypocrisy at USC

Guest Request From A Former USC MSU President

Everyone:

Please take a minute to read this article below, and my further explanation below the link: Front Page Magazine

Traditionally, there have been two Muslim student organizations at USC, a Muslim Student Association (MSA) and a Muslim Student Union (MSU). The article makes no distinction.

USC MSA does not exist as a recognized student organization (recognition from the Office of Student Affairs at USC). USC MSA has not existed as a recognized student organization for at least 1 academic year. USC MSA has not even existed in an unofficial capacity (leadership, members, events, meetings, etc.) for at least 1 academic year.

The USC MSA website was just being hosted by USC Information Services Division, with no webmaster updating or maintaining the website. At no time was the USC MSA website affiliated with the USC MSU.

However, the Provost of USC unilaterally removed the hadith in question (discussed in the linked article above) and moved the USC MSA website to the USC MSU website url without discussing the matter or decision with the USC Office of Religious Life, the USC MSU, or the Director of Muslim Affairs at USC.

After that, the Office of Religious life agreed to host the USC MSA website as a "university resource" as to not assign the USC MSA website to USC MSU.

This whole situation seems hypocritical in light of the fact that Ann Coulter can come to a USC co-sponsored event at the Annenberg School for Communication and said something to the effect of "we should go to the Middle East and allow them to convert to Christianity, if they don't, we should wipe them out." But at the same time, a hadith taken out of context can be unilaterally removed from a website without even discussing the matter with the Office of Religious life or Muslim faculty, staff and students at USC, and that the website can be moved and re-assigned to an unaffiliated Muslim group who is left holding the bag and answering questions.

The manner in which the outside concern was addressed in secrecy with no transparency or discussion with the people that it impacted directly: the Office of Religious Life, the USC MSU, and Muslim students, faculty, and staff at USC is problematic to say the least. Freedom of speech and freedom to practice one's religion seem to be subjective at USC.

Please contact the Provost's office directly: USC

Related Articles:
Daily Trojan
U.S. News & World Report

Know your Hadith - Part VI (final)

After starting with some basics definition, discussing why sunnah is a source of legislation, summarizing the teaching methodology of our beloved Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), looking into the spread of hadith during his time, and then during the time of the companions and their followers, we finally come to answering a critical question - how and when was hadith written down (preserved in writing)?

As with the previous parts, this post will not provide an exhaustive study, but rather highlights based on the Dr. Muhammad Ajaj Al Khatib's book - Usool al-Hadith.

If you don't have time to continue reading the post here's the short answer: Hadith was written down individually as early as the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and continued to be transmitted in writing (as well as verbally). However, the first formal order by a khalifah (caliph) to collect Hadith in writing was at the turn of the second century (after hijrah) during the time of Umar ibn Abdul- Aziz.

Part of the confusion regarding the writing of hadith is due to the presence of conflicting ahadeeth on this matter. There are authentic narrations which prohibit the writing of hadith and others which encourage it.

For example, there is an authentic hadith narrated by Abu Saeed al-Khudariy in Sahih Muslim in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) clearly prohibits the writing of hadith and orders the companions who have written any words from him other than Qura’n to erase them.

On the other hand there is hadith narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As in Sunnan Ad-Dirami in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) clearly orders him to write hadith. There is also another hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah in which one of the ansar complains to the Prophet (peace be upon him) about his lack of memorization, at which point the Prophet (peace be upon him) advises him to "aid his memorization with his right hand."

To reconcile the above ahadith (and others like them), scholars have provided the following explanations:

1. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prohibited the writing of Hadith during the early days of Islam to avoid confusion between Hadith and Qura’n.

2. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) allowed the learned companions such as Abdullah ibn Omar to write hadith since they were not at risk of making a mistake in writing it or confusing it with Qura’n.

3. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) allowed companions with weak memory to write hadith.

During the time of the companions (may Allah be pleased with them), there were times when they would prohibited the writing of hadith due to their fear of Muslims confusing it with Qura’n or getting preoccupied with it (and neglecting Qura’n), and there were other times where it was made permissible due to the absence of the above prohibitive circumstances. At the end of the day, all companions had the same intention: preserving hadith. The situation was similar during the time of the followers (tabi`een) - may Allah be pleased with them.

Around 100 years A.H., the fifth righteous Caliph Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz formally ordered the collection of hadith. Omar feared the loss and distortion of hadith due to the death of many of the companions, and to the new phenomenon of fabricated ahadith which began in that time due to political and sectarian disputes.

Shortly after that, many scholars began classifying ahadith based on their chain of narration or topic. As such, the turn of the second hijri century was not the beginning of the collection and preservation of hadith, but the beginning of its classification.

As for the earliest examples of written ahadith, the most famous is Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As's as-Sahifah as-Sadiqah (the Truthful Scroll) which included a thousand hadith (according to ibn al-Athir) which he wrote directly from the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him). This document was cherished by Abdullah ibn Amr and passed on to his family after his death.

May Allah (swt) reward all the great scholars who have dedicated their lives to the collection and teaching of the hadith of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and give us the honor of being of those who studied, understood, and applied it.

P.S. I have tried my best to ensure this series of posts is as accurate as possible. Any mistakes are from myself. Please let me know if you find any - jazakum Allah khairan.

Know your Hadith - Part V

Part IV here

Hadith during the time of the Companions and their followers (may Allah be please with them)

This section of the book has amazing stories which were my motivation behind starting this whole series of posts. It took a while to get here, but alhamdulilAllah, I hope the posts so far have been somewhat beneficial.

After the death of the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him), the Companions realized the great responsibility on their shoulders of preserving the primary sources of Shariah: the Quran and Sunnah.

With regards to the Sunnah, a great deal of time and effort were devoted to collecting, learning, and teaching hadith.

Abdullah Ibn Abbas narrates that after the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him)[he was 12-13 years old then], he said to one of the ansar: let us go and ask the companions of the Prophet of Allah [about hadith], for they are many today. The man replied in wonder: [I am] surprised at you O ibn Abbas...do you think people are in need of you, and amongst them are the many companions of Prophet? Nevertheless, Ibn Abbas pursued the knowledge of Hadith from the companions of the Prophet of Allah. He would hear of a man [who knows Hadith] and would go to his door while he is having his afternoon nap, and would stay at the doorstep with the winds throwing sand at him until the man comes out at says: O cousin of the Prophet of Allah, what has brought you here? Why did you not call for me and I would have come to you? Ibn Abbas would reply: it is more befitting that I come to you and ask you about Hadith.

[Al Jami` li Akhlaq ar-Rawi wa Adab as-Sami`, page 24]

This story made me stop and think. We often hear the name of ibn Abbas when it comes to narrating hadith, but I never thought of what he had to go through to learn that hadith. And although there were many older companions living in Medinah at the time, rather than allow himself to take a back seat and rely on their knowledge, that motivated him to learn hadith from them.

The companions, may Allah be pleased with them, did their best to pass on the love of Hadith to the next generation and stress the importance of learning and sharing Hadith, from an early age, and their followers did the same with the next generation.

There are many stories of the unmatched dedication and passion of the teachers of Hadith which allowed this science to spread and flourish, of which one is below:

al-Waleed bin Utbah would teach Hadith at Masjid Al-Jabiyah (in Damascus), and there was a man who would join the class after a quarter or a third of it were over so he would repeat what he said for him. When this happened several times al-Waled asked the man about the reason for his delay and the man answered: I am a man with the responsibility of spending on my family, and I have a small shop in Beit Lihya [a town near Damascus]. If I do not buy its needs early, close the store and coming running, I risk losing my source of income. al-Waleed replied: I do not [want to] see you here again. al-Waleed would teach his class at the masjid, and then take his book and go to Beit Lahiya to re-teach the lesson to the man at his shop.

[Al Jami` li Akhlaq ar-Rawi wa Adab as-Sami`, page 36]

Not anyone would be allowed to become a student of Hadith; it was an honor and privilige reserved to those students who had proven themselves by studying and memorizing all or most of the Quran. There were also manners and etiquettes to be kept when studying Hadith , attending a class, or even asking a question. For example, most scholars would not discuss Hadith without being in a state of purity (wudu`).

The journey in pursuit of Hadith

During the time of the companions and the two generations after them, students and scholars of hadith would travel thousands of miles to hear one hadith from a companion who heard it directly from the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him).

Al Ata` ibn Rabih narrates:

Abu Ayoub al-Ansari set out to ask Uqbah bin Amir about a hadith he had heard from the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him), and Uqbah was the only remaining companion who had heard it with him. When Abu Ayyoub reached the house of Maslamah ibn Mukhlad al-Ansari, who was the ruler of Egypt at the time,...Maslamah came out and hugged him, then said: what has brought you here O Abu Ayoub? He replied: a hadith I heard from the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him), and none of the people who heard it from the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) remain except myself and Uqbah, so send someone to show me his house. So he sent someone to show him Uqbah's house, and told Uqbah. Uqbah came running out, hugged Abu Ayoub and asked: what brought you here O Abu Ayoub? He replied: He replied: a hadith I heard from the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him), and none of the people who heard it from the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) remain except myself and yourself, about covering a believer. Uqbah said: yes, I heard the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) say: "من ستر مؤمنا في الدنيا على خزيه ستره الله يوم القيامة"
(rough translation: Whoever covers a believer in this world from his embarrassment, Allah will cover him on the Day of Judgement)
Abu Ayoub al-Ansari responded: you said the truth, and then he went back to his ride, rode it, and set back to Madinah, [so fast that] an envoy which Maslamah ibn Mukhlad had sent did not catch up with him until al-A'reesh [on the borders of Egypt].

[Ma'rifat Uloom al-Hadith, pg 8]

The journeys in pursuit of Hadith played a central role in the spread and preservation of Hadith, especially until the time when the main collections of hadith were complied, as will be the topic of the next post inshaAllah.

Know your Hadith - Part IV

Part III here

How did Hadith spread during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him)?
As mentioned earlier, the early Muslims studied Hadith along with Quran in their study circles at Dar al-Arqam. Soon after that, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was ordered to spread Islam publicly. Eventually, Islam spread throughout the Arabian peninsula and the number of Muslims grew to thousands. How did the spread of Hadith happen during this time of vast expansion?

Several factors worked together to ensure the spread of Hadith during the first twenty-three years of Islam:

1. The tireless efforts of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him):
Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) did not spare any effort in calling to Islam and endured many hardships and challenges to ensure the spread of his message including meeting the different tribes and envoys during the pilgrimage and trade seasons.

2. The nature of Islam:
The novelty of this deen compared to the way of life in Arabia 1,400 years aroused the curiosity of some people and led them to meet the Prophet (peace be upon him) to inquire about this new religion. Many people would then accept Islam and travel back to their tribes to teach them what they learnt from their encounter with the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him).

3. The efforts of the Companions (peace be upon them):
The companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them) strove to learn as much as they could from the Prophet (peace be upon him) and pass on that knowledge. Despite being busy with their daily bread-winning activities (trade, shepherding...) the companions made sure to attend the study circles with the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him), or at least take turns in attending.

For example, Omar narrates that he and one of his neighbour from the Ansar (helpers) from the tribe of Ummayah ibn Zaid used to take turns at attending the study circle of the Prophet (peace be upon him). When it was his turn, Omar would return and convey to his neighbour the ahadith and verses he had heard, and his neighbour would do the same (reported in Fath al-Bari).

4. The Mothers of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with them):
Being in close contact with the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him), the Mothers of the Believers played an important role in the spreading of his sunnah, especially amongst women, some of whom would be too shy to approach the Messenger (peace be upon him) directly.

Aisha the daughter of Abu Baker (may Allah be pleased with both of them) was famous for her vast knowledge of hadith and fiqh rulings because she would constantly ask the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) about anything she did not know or understand. After the Prophet's death, she was a great reference and source for the students of knowledge.

5. The envoys and messengers of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him):
Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) sent messengers to all surrounding tribes and empires, both near and far, and would teach his messengers before they left the art of dawah (calling people to Islam) and instruct them to convey Islam in the best way, using their wisdom, without being too harsh on the people.

6. The Conquest of Makkah (al-Fath):
This is one of the greatest conquests in history which resulted in thousands of people coming to Islam. There was a very large number of Muslims in Makkah during the Conquest from different tribes and origins, which facilitated their encounter with the Prophet and the transfer of knowledge amongst them, including the knowledge of Hadith.

7. The Farewell Pilgrimage:
The Farewell Sermon which the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) gave on the mountain of Arafat during this pilgrimage, and which included many of the main principles and rulings of Islam, was heard by around 90,000 Muslims from all over Arabia who were performing the pilgrimage alongside the Prophet of Allah(peace be upon him).


What happened to hadith during the time of the companions and their followers (may Allah be pleased with them)?...To be continued in Part V insha'Allah.

Know your Hadith - Part III

Part II here

Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) methodology of teaching his companions

This post is also my way of commemorating the birth of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) - the greatest role model, teacher, and leader to walk this earth.

To understand the importance of Hadith and its effect on the Prophet's companions one must have an idea of the Prophet's teaching methodology.

Of course, the the methodology of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in spreading knowledge was in line with that of the glorious Quran. Below are the highlights of this methodology as mentioned by Dr. Ajaj Al Khatib (here for reference):

1. Gradual teaching:
The Quran was gradual in correcting the people's faith, manners, acts of worship, legal system, societal interactions... For all of the above, Prophet Muhammad explained and implemented the teachings of the Quran as they were revealed.

2. Places of knowledge:
As is well-known, the first Islamic 'school' was the house al-Arqam in which Muslims gathered during the Meccan era, away from the disbelievers of Quraysh to learn Quran and Hadith.

Moreover, the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) would constantly study the Quran and its explanation and interpretation (ie: the Hadith of the Prophet- peace be upon him) amongst each other wherever they got the chance. Thus, Hadith was memorized and studies along side the Quran from the earliest days of Islam.

At a later stage, the masjid became the house of spreading knowledge and Islamic rulings (fatwa), in addition to a place for performing acts of worship.

Nevertheless, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not confine the spreading knowledge to a particular place. He would be asked questions on the street or in a gathering and would not hesitate to answer. We know from the stories of the companions that the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) would often sit with them, teaching and purifying them.

5. Practical application:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) would teach his companions a few verses of the Quran at a time, explaining to them the meanings and the fiqh rulings in the verses. The companions would learn the verses, understand their meaning, implement them in their daily lives, and only then would they move on to learn more verses.

Many of the greatest companions learnt the Quran this way, 10 verses at a time, including Abdullah ibn Masoud and Uthman bin Affan.

6. Speaking to people at their level:
The Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) was always conscious of the background, education, and culture of his audience - always addressing them at their level, with words they would comprehend and to which they could relate.

7. Facilitating:
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stayed away from excessive strictness in worship and rulings and would choose the paths which would bring ease to the people, in any matter. The Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged his companions to truly understand the matters of their deen (way of life, i.e.: Islam). He would instruct them to ask questions on matters they were ignorant of, and forbid them from giving a fatwa without sufficient knowledge.

8. Teaching women:
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) paid attention to the teaching of women, just like he did to the teaching of men. He would dedicate a special time to sit with the Muslim women answering their questions and teaching them their deen.

Through the above methodology, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was able to ingrain the beliefs and teachings of Islam in the hearts and minds of his companions.

Oh Allah, may Your Mercy, Peace and Blessings be upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad, and May You grant us his companionship in Jannah, ameen.

Know your Hadith - Part II

Part I here

What is the Proof for Sunnah as a source of Legislation?

When Muslims say that they only believe in Quran, not in Sunnah, or that they only take evidence from the Quran not from the Sunnah - it's a sign that they have probably never read the whole Quran or understood the basic principles of Islam.

Why? Check out the verses below:

يا أيها الذين آمنوا أطيعوا الله وأطيعوا الرسول وأولي الأمر منكم فإن تنازعتم في شيء فردوهإلى الله والرسول إن كنتم تؤمنون بالله واليوم الآخر ذلك خير وأحسن تأويلا
O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result. [4:59]

يا أيها الذين آمنوا أطيعوا الله و رسوله و لا تولوا عنه و أنتم تسمعون
O you who have believed, obey Allah and His Messenger and do not turn from him while you hear [his order]. [8:20]

قل أطيعوا الله وأطيعوا الرسول فإن تولوا فإنما عليه ما حمل وعليكم ما حملتم وإن تطيعوه تهتدوا وما على الرسول إلا البلاغ المبين
Say, "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger; but if you turn away - then upon him is only that [duty] with which he has been charged, and upon you is that with which you have been charged. And if you obey him, you will be [rightly] guided. And there is not upon the Messenger except the [responsibility for] clear notification." [24:54]

يا أيها الذين آمنوا أطيعوا الله وأطيعوا الرسول ولا تبطلوا أعمالكم
O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and do not invalidate your deeds. [47:33]

قل أطيعوا الله والرسول فإن تولوا فإن الله لا يحب الكافرين
Say, "Obey Allah and the Messenger." But if they turn away - then indeed, Allah does not like the disbelievers. [3:32]

وأقيموا الصلاة وآتوا الزكاة وأطيعوا الرسول لعلكم ترحمون
And establish prayer and give zakah and obey the Messenger - that you may receive mercy. [24:56]

من يطع الرسول فقد أطاع الله ومن تولى فما أرسلناك عليهم حفيظا
He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah ; but those who turn away - We have not sent you over them as a guardian. [4:80]

وما آتاكم الرسول فخذوه وما نهاكم عنه فانتهوا واتقوا الله إن الله شديد العقاب...
... And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty. [59:80]


فلا وربك لا يؤمنون حتى يحكموك فيما شجر بينهم ثم لا يجدوا في أنفسهم حرجا مما قضيت ويسلموا تسليما
But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muúammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission. [4:56]

Of course, there are many other verses in the Quran which refer to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his attributes, but the verses above are the ones I thought most directly address the issue of following the Sunnah.

Some people who do not 'believe' in the Sunnah, use the excuse that it is not as authentic and certain as the Quran. This is another point which will be discussed at length in following posts; however, the point I wish to make here is that given a Hadith is established as authentic, it must be considered in legislation.

In addition to the evidence from the Quran, there is evidence from the Hadith that supports following the Sunnah. Two I found particularly relevant are below:

تركت فيكم أمرين لن تضلوا ما تمسكم بهما: كتاب الله و سنتي
I left among you two things, you will not go astray as long as you hold on to them: the Book of Allah and my Sunnah. [al-Muwatta by Imam Malik, page 899]

لا ألفين أحدكم متكئا على أريكته يأتيه الأمر من أمري ، مما أمرت به و نهيت عنه - فيقول: لا أدري ما وجدنافي كتاب الله اتبعناه
I do not [want to] find any of you reclining on his couch and upon hearing
one of my commands, which includes a matter I enjoined or forbade, says: "I
do not know; whatever we found in the Book of Allah, (only that) we follow". [al-Resalah by Imam al-Shafi, page 89]

Now we come to another question: how is what is legislated in the sunnah different to that which is in the Quran?

Overall, there are three different cases:

1. Some of the ahadith (plural of hadith) concur exactly with the Quran, supporting and confirming its verses. Example: the ahadith enjoining prayer and zakah

2. Some of the ahadith explain and elaborate on the verses of the Quran. Example: ahadith on time and way of prayer

3. Some of the ahadith provide legislation on issues not mentioned in the Quran. Example: forbidding a man from marrying a second wife who is the niece of his first wife (while he is still married to his first wife)

Obviously, none of the ahadith contradict the Quran.

On a final note, my teacher made an interesting remark when covering this chapter: the three types of ahadith mentioned above are referred to in the verses of the Quran. How? The verse which states "Obey Allah and the Messenger..."[3:32] refers to type 1 of ahadith (hadith exactly supporting verse). The verb "obey" is mentioned once because the Book of Allah and the ahadith are coming with the exact same message. The verses which state "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger..." (first 4 verses of this post) refer to the ahadith which elaborate and explain the verses of the Quran (notice obey is mentioned twice). The verses which mention obeying the Prophet without mentioning obeying Allah (like verse 24:56) refer to type 3 of ahadith.

Please let me know if you have any comments or find any mistakes in the above.

Stay tuned for Part III...

Know your Hadith - Part I

There is a growing trend of lack of trust in hadith (to put it mildly), from within the Muslim community. I have been hearing alarming statements like "don't give me proof from Hadith, give me proof from the Quran", or "I don't believe in Hadith; I follow only the Quran" much more frequently in the past few years, and unfortunately often times those statements are accepted and undisputed. Sadly, it all comes down to gross ignorance within the global Muslim community (including myself) on the fundamentals of what we claim to be our deen (way of life): Islam.

Then, there are articles like this one circulating in the global media which add to the confusion by propagating dangerous misconceptions about the second source of legislation in Islam. I will not go into the details of the article, but I will say that it simply ignores the work of thousands of great scholars who have completely dedicated their life to the collection, authentication, and study of Hadith.

I have recently began studying the topic of Hadith further through a weekly class on the Science of Hadith. In case you're wondering, it is not the weekly class at IIOC (although I wish I could attend that one too!) but a similar one. I went into the class having very minimal knowledge on Hadith and the process of its collection and have since learnt many fascinating details on the topic. I found some stories and aspects particularly striking and awe-inspiring, and I hope to share those glimpses through a series of posts on this blog.

This is the least I can do to stand up for the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) at a time when it is being viciously attacked; however, the information shared will only be the tip of the iceberg. I greatly encourage every Muslim reading this to study this topic whether by reading a good book on it or preferably attending a class (if available).

For reference, the book I will be quoting from (which is the one I am studying as part of this class) is Usool Al Hadith: its Sciences and Terminologies by Dr. Muhammad Ajaj Al Khatib (Arabic). I will do my best to translate and re-phrase small portions from the book, but I am by no means an expert on Hadith or translation so please do correct me if you find any mistakes. I ask Allah (swt) to help me benefit others with the little knowledge He has blessed me with and to help others benefit from this humble effort.

Since I've already used up half of the post for the introduction, I will start with a very brief set of questions and answers, to make sure we all start on the same page:

- What is the Science of Hadith? it is the science associated with the accurate propagation of the statements, actions, approvals, physical descriptions, and characteristics of Prophet Muhammad(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (Science of Hadith - Riwayah), and the science establishing the guidelines and criteria for classifying and authenticating the narrators of hadith and the text of the narrations(Science of Hadith - Dirayah).

Science of Hadith - Dirayah is also refered to as Uloom al-Hadith , Mustalah al-Hadith and Usool al-Hadith.

- What is Sunnah? To the scholars of Hadith, the Sunnah is all that has been known of the statements, actions, approvals, physical descriptions, characteristics, and life-story (seerah) of Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), whether before or after revelation.
In this sense, Sunnah is synonymous to Prophetic Hadith (Hadith Nabawi).

Stay tuned for Part II - Why is Sunnah a source of legislation?

Gem of Prophetic Wisdom

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said...

The Creator has advised me with nine duties:

The duty of Sincerity in private and public

Justice in anger or happiness

Moderation in times of scaricty or abundance

Forgiving those who wronged me

Generosity to those who deny me

Relationship with those who break off with me

To let me Silence be contemplative

my Speech be mindful

and my Looking insightful

Source: Booklet by Islamic Center of Irvine: Muhammad (Peace and Blessings upon Him)

A Lesson in Fiqh

A very interesting post on deriving fiqh rulings courtesy of Mustafa's Weblog. Excerpts below:

A common misconception among many people is that they believe the texts of the Qur’an and Hadith are intended for all of mankind and are so clear that anyone fairly literate should be able to read them and understand what they mean. The first part of this idea is correct, the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet are intended for everyone. However, the idea that anyone reading the texts irrespective of their background knowledge will be able to fully understand each and every intended meaning is very wrong.

Let’s take a practical example in order to demonstrate the truth of this claim. If someone were to open up Sunan Al-Tirmidhi, which is one of the very famous early collections of narrations [Ahadith], they might come across the following:

Hannad and Mahmud ibn Ghaylan informed us that Waki’ informed us on the authority of Sufyan on the authority of Abi Qays on the authority of Huzayl ibn Sharhabil on the authority of Al-Mughira ibn Shu’ba who said: “The Prophet r made ablution [wudu] and wiped over his socks and sandals.”Abu Isa (At-Tirmidhi) said: “This narration is authentic [hasan sahih].”

Whether this was read in Arabic or in English you might conclude from it that you can wipe over your feet when making wudu without having to take off your socks or sandals. You might naturally go even further and consider it ridiculous that anyone could have a doubt about this since it is so clear. The Prophet did it and the narration is authentic so we can do it too.

The post goes on to explain the different arguments on this issue and the methodology used to derive rulings in this particular case, and in general. The post then concludes with this:

One of the beautiful things about Islam is that there are no Divinely appointed clergy or priests. Anyone can study, increase in knowledge, and understand the Qur’an and Sunnah for themselves. If you only read this article with the hope of knowing whether or not you can wipe over the socks that you are wearing then go ask your local scholar rather than reading a collection of hadith. If that idea bothers you then set out on the path of knowledge, the Muslim ummah is in need of more knowledgeable people.

I think the author makes his point very well. Enjoy the post (but don't expect to get an answer on whether or not you can wipe on your socks!).

This is also another (shorter) post worth reading on Br. Mustafa's blog related to understanding hadith.

P.S. Jazakum Allah khairan Br. Mustafa and the brother who emailed me the link to the blog - may Allah (swt) increase us all in useful knowledge.

Self empowerment - Sunnah Style

Feeling lazy or depressed these days? I've got the perfect dua` for you:

Allah's Messenger, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, would often pray,"O Allah! I seek your protection from anxiety and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from stinginess and cowardice, and from the burden of debt and the domination of people."

I didn't even have to go look this up; it landed straight in my inbox! Sheikh Muhammad AlSharif (yeah, the AlMaghrib Institute guy) started this project where you can subscribe to a list online and get weekly email tips from the Quran and authentic Sunnah about leading a successful life.

Here's what he has to say about it:

All around us, self-help gurus (not Shaykhs, gurus) and personal development coaches offer us tips on how to be successful. Any Muslim that attends these workshops or listens to this advice can 'sense' that all of this and much more is already a slice of Islam. Yet, not too many Muslims know where to access this success advice and guidance from Islamic sources.

Rejoice Now! The solution is here: I'm SOOO excited to share with you my mass-scale da'wah solution! Every week for one year,I will send you a short but powerful verse or hadith related to success conditioning. I personally selected each one - this is not a copy/paste collection. Some of the hadith you may have read before, but will love being reminded. Others you will be learning for the first time, and will love the depth it brings to your life and loved ones.

"Not another email list!" you say? Trust me, this is different. Go ahead, just try it out! It's free and will only take a minute of your precious time.

Jazakum Allah khairan Sheikh Muhammad AlSharif!

(You can leave your shameless plugs about the next AlMaghrib class in the comments section below.)