The Foreword: Islam, Iman and Ihsan, Part 3 (Episode 8) ,

Further commentary on the second hadith of Imam an-Nawawi's collection

This episode covers the definition of iman and includes discussion of several theological points along with their evidences.

The ayah about iman and islam, or faith and submission, is Surat al-Hujuraat 49:15.

Related posts:

The merit of La ilaha illa Allah

What does 'faith' mean in the Revealed Law 

Beneficial Notes on Jawharat at-Tawheed 

The Distinction of Fiqh

Fiqh in relation to the other sciences of the Revealed Law

 

Whomever Allah wants good for...

Does fiqh have a distinction over the other sciences?

 

Answer (Imam Wahbah az-Zuḥaylī):

Regarding the merit of fiqh, there is the well-known ḥadīth that has been related by Aḥmad and the two Sheikhs[1] on the authority of Muʿāwiyah: {Whomever Allah wants good for, he gives him fiqh[2] in the religion.} The scholars of fiqh[3] are distinguished by being those who derive[4] fiqhī rulings from the texts of the Qurʾān and the Sunnah,[5] and thus they are superior to the other scholars who do not derive. He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, also said, {Often the one who is conveyed to is more aware than the one who originally heard. Often the one who carries fiqh is not a faqīh, and often he carries fiqh to someone who is greater in fiqh than him.} Thus, those who derive the branches[6] are the best of the First Three Generations and they are their scholars and their people of honour.

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[1] (tn): i.e. Imams al-Bukhārī and Muslim

[2] Please see the first part of this post.

[3] Ar. fuqahāʾ, the singular of which is faqīh

[4] Please see Sūrat an-Nisāʾ 4:83

[5] Please see this post for further details, or this podcast.

[6] Ar. furūʿ, i.e. the rulings

Sharīʿah and Ḥaqīqah

Simple clarification of that which is seemingly made complex

الجاثية 45:18

What is the difference between ash-sharīʿah[1] and al-ḥaqīqah?[2]

Answer (Imam Wahbah az-Zuḥaylī):

Ḥaqīqah is witnessing the secrets of Lordship, and it is derived from the Sharīʿah. Thus, the Sharīʿah is the foundation and the Ḥaqīqah is the branch that is extracted from the Sharīʿah. The Ḥaqīqah is knowledge of the attributes of the heart, and the people of Ḥaqīqah have a strong concern and interest in them. The people of Sharīʿah are more concerned with the decisive rulings of the Revealed Law. They differ in terms of interest and concern for knowledge of the attributes of the heart, and in reality that is not a difference of opinion between the two groups.

[Translated from Fatāwā Muʿāṣirah (Damascus: Dār al-Fikr, 1427/2006), p.270-271]

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[1] (tn): i.e. the Revealed Law

[2] (tn): i.e. the reality, or the truth

The Foreword: Islam, Iman and Ihsan, Part 2 (Episode 7)

Further commentary on the second hadith of Imam an-Nawawi's collection

This episode covers the language of the hadith as well as some of the fiqh.

The ayah about wearing one's best clothes for the masjid is Surat al-'A'raaf 7:31:

Related posts:
Adorning Oneself for Prayer
What does 'faith' mean in the Revealed Law?
Introducing Shafi'i Fiqh (part 2)
The merit of La ilaha illa Allah
Cultural Marxism 

Why are leftists so violent and intolerant?

Trying to make sense of recent and current events

This video is a discussion between Stefan Molyneux and Dr John Paul Wright, Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati and the author of Criminals in the Making: Criminality Across the Life Course. It was published two weeks ago and is extremely relevant to current events.

Leftists have been involved in a great deal of lawless violence recently, claiming to protest against fascism, racism, Islamophobia, sexism, anti-environmentalism etc. while starting fires, destroying property, beating people up, bearing sharpened sticks and bats, and even shooting someone because of nothing more than a political disagreement. There was also a plan to shut down an inaugural ball using butyric acid.

In my upcoming book The Big Step, I argue in quite some detail, or indeed warn Muslims in the Anglosphere against getting cozy with the left. These people are generally not mentally healthy or stable and their sweet words about Muslims, or immigrants or minorities, are not to be taken seriously. These people want control and power and minorities are simply pawns in their game. Study the works of Thomas Sowell or Walter E. Williams to learn what the left has done to the black community, and especially the black family, in the United States over the past fifty years.

Acting and thinking like a victim is completely disempowering. If you believe that your lot in life is someone else's responsibility or fault and never your own, it is highly unlikely that you will value and respect the society and the people around you. Rather, you will view the people around with envy and resentment, especially those who are better off than you, and this stems from the belief that life is a zero-sum game, i.e. no one gets richer unless someone else gets poorer.

Assuming personal responsibility is thoroughly empowering. Yes, as believers we rely on Allah and believe in His decree and predestination, but we strive and work hard to make something for ourselves and of ourselves. To put it simply, we do our best and Allah does the rest. We don't wallow in depression and self-pity. Instead of being victims and whiners, we are supposed to be winners, grateful to Allah and confident in His mercy and His success. Life is a positive-sum game. Allah says that if we are grateful, He will increase us.

The message of the left is the opposite. They want Muslims, like every other minority in the Anglosphere, to feel sorry for themselves and to feel that the system is against them, whatever it may be: the establishment, the patriarchy, white supremacy etc. This is an absolutely defeatist mentality and it will fill your life with dread and pessimism. This is not a healthy way to think or live and it is certainly not how a believer should think or live.

Yes, there are billions of people out there who don't like, and indeed passionately despise, Islam and Muslims. Some of them actively engage in activity to undermine Islam and Muslims. So what? Is this anything new? Does this contradict anything that the Lord has told us in His Speech?

“The Jews and the Christians will never be pleased with you until you follow their religion.” [al-Baqarah 2:120]

“You will be tested in your wealth and in yourselves and you will hear much harm from those given the Book before you and from those who are idolaters. But if you are steadfast and are godfearing, that is the most resolute course to take.” [Āl ʿImrān 3:186]

“That is because they hate what Allah has sent down…” [Muḥammad 47:7]

Islamophobia is complete and utter nonsense, a notion invented by the left, just like the slogan "Islam is a religion of peace". Islam is not a race or culture either, and should never be regarded as such. Regardless of our behaviour or actions, even if we were all super-righteous and super-generous, unbelievers are supposed to dislike us and what we believe. Did this stop the Muslims of the past from founding massive empires, building the best institutions of learning, the best hospitals and the most impressive libraries? Did this prevent Muslims from producing great scholars and scientists in just about every field? 

The message of the left is a lie and fraud. Success and achievement do not depend on whether people like you or say nice things about you. Rather, they depend on you: your mindset, your diligence and your reliance on Allah alone, for with Him is every success.  

Further reading:
Political ideology predicts involvement in crime