We remember our sheikh, our master, our beloved, our grandfather, the crown of our scholars:
“From the believers are men who are true to what they have covenanted with Allah; some of them have fulfilled their vow through death and some of them are still waiting, and they have not altered in the least.” [Al-Aḥzāb 33:23]
Yesterday evening (Thursday), during his jihād of conveying knowledge to his students at a time in which most scholars are refraining from this mission, in Masjid Al-Īmān in Damascus, our sheikh, our master, our beloved, our grandfather and the crown of the scholars, the great and virtuous scholar, Ustādh Dr Muḥammad Saʿīd Ramaḍān Al-Būṭī, was martyred, may Allah have mercy on him, when a wretch from amongst the wretched blew himself up amongst students of knowledge who were gathered attentively around the sheikh, listening to his tafsīr of Allah the Exalted’s statement:
“Indeed those who disbelieve will not be benefitted in the slightest by their wealth and their children against Allah. They are the rightful inhabitants of the Fire and they shall remain therein forever.” [Āl-ʿImrān 3:116]
Martyred along with him were approximately fifty students of knowledge, including his grandson Ahmad, in a gathering that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, described by saying: “No people gather in one of the houses of Allah reciting the Book of Allah and studying it amongst themselves except that tranquillity transcends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them and Allah mentions them to those with Him.” Narrated by Muslim.
His pure body will be taken from Al-Jamiʿ Al-Ummawī after Ẓuhr prayers tomorrow (Saturday, 23/03/2013) and he will be buried in Bāb Al-Ṣaghīr graveyard.
We hope that they are all granted martyrdom, a good end and the companionship of the righteous, and we especially mention:
My brother Muḥammad Saʿīd Marwān Sakāf and my brother Usāma ʿAbdur Raḥmān Al-Murābiṭ from our website staff at Naseem Al-Sham.
Salamun 'alaykum
ReplyDeleteI am sorry for your loss, our loss, the ummah's loss, but I do write to you especially for I know how much the Shaykh means to you. May Allah keep you strong in these testing times. M. A. Rasheed from Nottingham
Does the fact that he passed away during the explanation of that specific verse, mean anything ?
ReplyDeleteAnswer provided by Al-Hajj Abu Ja'far Al-Hanbali:
ReplyDeleteas-Salaamu `Alaikum wa Rahmatullah,
Noble brother,
The ayah appears about 10 times in the Qur'an and the scholars of commentary like Imam Al-Qurtubi and others refer to the fact that whatever is used to aid in opposition to Allah will come to nothing and will utterly be rendered as tatters. The ayah before also lends further to that understanding.
It is a powerful statement given that the triangle of forces in the area, the Syrian government, the breakaway army and the US/UK all want strategic influence in that area to further their rule and also their strength. Certainly a powerful statement to make as one's last presentation to the world.
was-Salaam,
al-hajj