A Biography of Shaykh Badee Uddin Shah ar-Rashidee as-Sindi (rahimahullaah Ta’ala)

Transcribed from a lecture given by his student Shaykh Abdullah Naasir Rehmani

Today, the topic of discussion that I have been given is the Seerah [biography] of our Shaykh, Allaamah Badee-ud-Deen Shah ar-Rashidee. It is a coincidence that in the past two days I was in the hometown, or rather in the library of my Shaykh. The Shaykh belonged to an area named Saeedabad, which is approximately at a distance of 70km from Hyderabad. Our annual conference was held there these past two days. This was the 20th year, the series of conferences having been initiated by Shah Sahib himself. 
Whenever I visit the hometown of my Shaykh, I feel as if by the departure of one man the whole town has become desolate. It reminds me of the following verses:

Whenever I visit the city of my friend
I don’t find my friend, though the city is unchanged

Anyhow, this is a system ordained by Allaah, and it is by this system that the world moves on. Our Shaykh, Badee-ud-Deen(rahimahullaah) was born on the 15th of July 1925. His birthplace is a town named Pir Chando which is at a distance of approximately 70 km from Hyderabad. When Shah Sahib's (sahib is a term of respect used in the Indo/Pak subcontinent)(rahimahullaah) sixth grandfather in the line of lineage, Syed Raashid Shah, passed away, he left a chanda (flag) and a pagree(turban) to each of his two sons. Shah Sahib's fifth grandfather in the line of lineage, Syed Yaseen Shah, inherited the chanda and the pagree was inherited by his brother. This is how the Rashidee family split into two different families, Pir Chanda and Pir Pagara. Pir Pagara, which has a great deal of importance in Pakistani politics, is from the extended family of Shah Sahib.

All of them are from the progeny of Rashid Shah. It can be said that the Pir Pagara family developed a leaning towards politics. Their history of Peeri Mureedi continues on to this day. Conversely, the family of Shah Sahib was more inclined towards religion and knowledge, and this legacy continues by the grace and blessings of Allaah. 
Shah Sahib's father, Ehsanullah Shah, was also a scholar and Muhaddith [scholar of hadeeth]. He laid the foundation of a madrassah [institute of Islamic learning] in his hometown. It is here that Shah Sahib got his early religious education and was able to benefit from different teachers in various subjects. It is during his education here that he developed an interest in Uloom-ul-Hadeeth [knowledge of the sciences of Hadeeth]. He also travelled outside his hometown to nurture this interest and to learn hadeeth sciences from various scholars. Among them are: 
Shaykh-ul-Islaam Maulana Thana ullah Amritsaree (rahimahullaah)
Muhaddith Abu Muhammad ‘Abdul-Haq Bahawalpuree al-Muhajir ul Makki (rahimahullaah) 
Shaykh-ul-Hadeeth Allaamah Hafidh ‘Abdullaah Muhaddith Roparee (rahimahullaah)
Allaamah Abu Ishaaq Naik Muhammad (rahimahullaah)
Allaamah Abu Sa’eed Sharf-ud-Deen Dehlwee (rahimahullaah)  
It is from Allaamah Abu Sa’eed Sharf-ud-Deen Dehlwee (rahimahullaah) that Shah Sahib received an ijazah [permission to narrate from a teacher] and sanad [chain of narration] in hadeeth. All of the above Mashaayikh were under the direct tutelage ofShaykh-ul-Qul Miyan Nazeer Hussain Muhaddith Dehlwee (rahimahullaah). This is one way in which our Shaykh, Badee-ud-Deen (rahimahullaah)  was a student of Shaykh-ul-Qul Miyan Sahib. The sanad of Shaykh-ul-Qul Miyan Sahib is famous as has been noted in various books. I have read and seen this sanad and after reading and doing some research I found out that this sanad can be traced to Imaam al-Bukhaaree in seventeen ways. And if we take one particular sanad of Imaam al-Bukhaaree which is from the tareekh of Imaam Makki, then the sanad of Shaykh Badee-ud-Deen (rahimahullaah) can be traced back to the prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in 20 ways. 
After receiving ijazah from the scholars, Shah Sahib returned to his hometown and started da’wah and teaching in Sindh. This was a time when da’wah of Qur’aan and Sunnah was full of hardships, especially in Sindh. In those days almost everyone was associated with one peer or the other and it was their ‘Aqeedah [authentic belief system of al-Islam] that if they give presents to their peer in the form of animals etc. then this is enough for their salvation. They believed that by doing so, the peer would take care of their affairs of this world and the hereafter. This was a dangerous ignorance and Shah Sahib voiced out against this uncompromisingly. Initially, he busied himself with teaching and taught a lot of the scholars of Sindh especially in hadeeth alongside his work in the field of da’wah. 
Shah Sahib had an astounding memory. He memorised the Qur’aan while an adult in 1948 in just 3 months. The fact that he memorised such a lengthy book in just 3 months can only be considered a miracle of a wali [Awliyaa of Allaah (Ally of Allaah one who aids and promotes the correct understanding of the religion of al-Islam].  Shah Sahib once told us that he was going for some event on a camel from Saeedabad, and it was while sitting on this camel that he memorised Soorah Noor. 
Shah Sahib was in a way the first alim or mubbaligh [narrator of a message] to have done da’wah work in his area. As mentioned earlier, the Sindh province was and still is home to some of the worst forms of Jahiliyyah. In light of this, it was very difficult to do da’wah work there. However, Allaah gave him tawfeeq [ability] and even though he had to face many dangers, he went on with da’wah work. 
There were assassination attempts, and many a times his opponents would complain to the governments and hence creating problems for him. He was banned from speaking in public and put under house arrest on several occasions. All of this was the propaganda of his opponents that made da’wah work difficult in its incipient stages. There were few people with proper ‘Aqeedah. Our Shaykh once told us that he was waiting at a train station so that he may go back to his town, when he saw a man praying at the station with his hands on his chest and also performing rafaulyadein [raising both hands level with the shoulders or level to the ears at the time of going into and coming out of Rukoo and at the time of getting up from the tashahud]. Shah Sahib was really pleased to see an Ahlul Hadeeth [The People of Hadeeth] and decided to meet him. At that very point, the train arrived. The train for his town came once a day. So he could either take the train and go back, or meet the man at the station in which case he would have to stay there for another day. But the Ahlul Hadeeth were so few that he decided to leave the train and meet his Ahlul Hadeeth companion. However, if you visit Sindh now you will see that the Ahlul Hadeeth are great in number, and that the da’wah of Tawheed is everywhere. Shah Sahib told us that when he began Salafi da’wah in Sindh, there was not a single Ahlul Hadeeth Masjid in the province apart from a couple in Karachi and Hyderabad. However, when our Shaykh passed away, there were about 700 mosques in the province. Now the total has increased to about 850 Alhamdulillaah. These are the blessings of Allaah, and the fruits of the work Allaah enabled him to do. 
As mentioned earlier, on several occasions there were assassination attempts on our Shaykh’s life. Even though he had to face severe opposition at times, he demonstrated patience and steadfastness throughout. I'll now talk of one incident out of the many that occurred during his da’wah work. The Shaykh was invited to give a lecture at a village that only had a few Salafi’s in it. The Shaykh went to the village walking a long distance since there were not that many means to commute otherwise at the time. When the Shaykh arrived at the village, the Imaam of the local Masjid opposed his visit. The Imaam gathered the feudal leaders and popular personalities of the village on his side and arrived at the Masjid with sticks and shovels and told the Salafi’s that they will not let them proceed with their programme. Nonetheless, the Salafi’s had a firm resolve to go ahead with the schedule even if that entailed much sacrifice. However, Shah Sahib (rahimahullaah) forbid them from doing so since that would be detrimental to their da’wah. One of the attendees suggested that they to hold the lecture in his house. So the Shaykh proceeded to his house and sat on the rooftop with his two or three companions sitting in front of him. The Shaykh started his lecture and since Allaah had bestowed him with a loud voice, his lecture could be heard in the surrounding houses. The propaganda was that the Shaykh speaks out against the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). However, what they heard was completely different from the rumours that were spread about him. He was presenting the Qur’aan and ahaadeeth of the Nabi(sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). So one person came from the surrounding area to listen to him, then another, and another, and people kept coming from wherever his voice could reach. Shah Sahib kept lecturing for hours and hours and as a result of that, almost the whole village became Ahlul Hadeeth. This event is a testimony of the patience of the Shaykh. In the initial stages of da’wah, one has to go through a lot of hardships and difficult situations. Allaah ta'aala gave the Shaykh taufeeq to remain steadfast. 
Other than this, there were numerous instances in the life of the Shaykh where graves were flattened. He was often challenged and accepted to debate with people of various groups. A lot of people would become Ahlul Hadeeth at these debates and at times even scholars. A testimony to this is a debate that took place in Larkana during which Maulana Hayatullah Laashaaree (hafizahullah) turned Ahlul Hadeeth. He is still amongst us today and is 130 years old having turned Ahlul Hadeeth at the age of approximately 100 years. Before this he used to teach fiqh [Islamic Jurisprudence] for about 70 years in various Hanafi madaris but now is Ahlul Hadeeth with a very strong and deep grounding in ‘Aqeedah and is busy with da’wah work alhamdulillaah. 
Our Shaykh also lived in Saudi Arabia for about 5 years giving duroos at the Haram in Makkah Mukkarramah. His duroos were on Tafsir ibn Kathir and Saheeh al-Bukhaaree. Other than those, he also gave a dars in al-Muhallah by Ibn Hazm. For some time after that he gave dars at Daar al-Hadeeth, Makkah, after which he lectured for 2 years at Mahd-ul-Haram al-Makki for which Shaykh ‘Abdullaah bin Humaid specially requested him. It was his duroos there that earned him worldwide acclaim. Some of his lectures there were in Arabic and some in Urdu. These were extremely popular among the taalib-ul-‘ilm [student of Islamic knowledge] and they would travel for far and wide to attend these. They had an ilmi environment that cannot be described in words. There are two duroos that he delivered at the Islaamic University of Madeenah that became very popular among the masses. One of them was against tasawwuf [soofism] and the other on the virtues of the people of Hadeeth. Both of these were presided by Shaykh bin Baaz (rahimahullaah), as a matter of fact, it was he who invited Shah Sahib to give the duroos. Shaykh Naasir-ud-Deen al-Albaanee (rahimahullaah) was also present and praised the duroos given by Shah Sahib. The Ulamaa there were surprised at his religious acumen and especially by his command over hadeeth sciences. They were also impressed by the number ahaadeeth he had memorised with isnaad and references. 
The Shaykh also holds a special position in ‘ilm-ul-rijaal [knowledge of the narrators]. The greatest attestation to this are the words of Shaykh Thana ullah Amritsaree (rahimahullaah) at a conference before the independence of Pakistan. This conference was attended by many of the famous Mashaayikh of the Indian subcontinent and was presided by our Shaykh Badee-ud-Deen (rahimahullaah). At the beginning a speech given by Maulana Thana ullah Amritsaree (rahimahullaah), He said:“I feel privileged to be speaking at an event presided by the Imaam of ‘ilm-ul-rijaal.” Being given such a tazkiyah [in this case a personal character reference] from your teacher (who is one of the foremost scholars of the subcontinent) is indeed an attestation to the abilities of the Shaykh. He was indeed the flag holder of Tawheed and Sunnah in the province and we think that Allaah brought him to this world for this purpose. 
Throughout his time in Sindh there were very few days that he would actually spend at home. He used to give duroos [regular classes] almost every day in some village or city. At times he would be away from home for more than a week, giving a lecture in one village and then straight away proceeding to another to do likewise. He used to give each of these duroos with zeal and zest and made sure he paid due attention to the aspects which required him to do so. His da’wah sessions especially gained widespread acclaim in the desert area of Thar. Most of his travelling there involved extreme exhaustion and even those who go there today and with ample resources will not deny this. However, the Shaykh sometimes used to spend about a month in a go in these regions calling people towards Tawheed and Sunnah. Resultantly, there are literally hundreds of villages in the Thar area which are completely Ahlul Hadeeth. 
I have been fortunate enough to study under the Shaykh since 1982 till his passing away in 1996. When I returned from Imam Muhammad bin Saud University in 1982, I contacted the Shaykh straight away and have often had the chance to stay in his company till his death. What did I see during this time? I saw that Shah Sahib was a Muhaddith, memorizer of hadeeth with asaneed and at the very least he used to know in which book and chapter you could find a particular hadeeth. It was the habit of Shah Sahib not to let go of a new book till having read it from cover to cover. And since he had a tenacious memory, he memorised everything he read. He always corroborated his stance by using evidences from the Qur’aan and Sunnah. I remember vividly that at a dars in Hyderabad, a Hanafi stood up and asked him to prove the manner of his prayer using evidences only from Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim. So at that time Shah Sahib explained each and every step of Salaah, from takbeer-e-tahreema [opening takbeer] to Salaam, using evidences only from the aforementioned books and that also by memory. 
While travelling, Shah Sahib either answered questions that were posed to him or when he saw that his companions are silent, he busied himself with the recitation of the Qur’aan. At times I saw that when he left his house for a journey which was to last 3, 4 or 5 days, he used to begin reciting the Qur’aan, and when he would be returning we used to hear him reciting some of the last Soorah’s, i.e. he used to finish reciting the Qur’aan on a journey which lasted just 3 or 4 days. He used to establish Qiyaam-ul-Layl [Night prayer performed in Ramadaan] throughout his life; no matter how late he came back from an event, he used to make sure that he got up for tahajjud. At times if he feared that he would not be able to wake up, he would pray Qiyaam-ul-Layl and then go to bed. When on a journey, he used to pray Qiyaam-ul-Layl on whatever he was riding on, as is proven from the Sunnah. 
The Shaykh travelled to various countries such as the US and some European states. I feel honoured to have accompanied the Shaykh on some of his overseas trips especially the one to Kuwait. During the time that he time spent there, the Shaykh would be fully occupied with knowledge-based activities. After Fajr, he would give a dars on Bukhaaree after which he used to rest for a while. Dars-e-Mustallah from 11 in the morning till Dhuhr, and then duroos after Dhuhr, ‘Asr and Maghrib. And the people who used to drive him from one place to another in between these duroos used to read books from Shah Sahib during these journeys. Many of the major scholars of the region took ijaazah in hadeeth from him. When the news that Shah Sahib was in Kuwait reached Saudi Arabia, a lot of the scholars and students from there travelled to Kuwait so as to meet him and benefit from him. All throughout this month, Shah Sahib only used to rest a couple hours a day, the rest of this time was either spent giving duroos or answering questions. We used to be amazed at how Allaah enabled him to do so much work for Islaam. This is the blessing of Allaah that he bestows upon whomsoever He wills. 
All of this is because Shah Sahib blessed by Allaah with an ocean of knowledge. Whenever we used to read from the Shaykh or listen to his lectures, we used to see the characteristics of the ‘Aaimah [scholars] in him. Amongst others, we saw in him the reasoning skills of Hafiz Ibn Hazm (rahimahullaah), the descriptive skills of Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) and the power of proof of Imaam ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah). When we used to study hadeeth or talk about asaaneed we used to see in him the likeness of major scholars in the field of Jarh wa Ta’deel [Praise and Disparagement of narrators in chains of narration]. Allaah blessed him with all these qualities and hence people all throughout the world would benefit from his ‘ilm. Because of the efforts of the Shaykh, the zeal and fervour with which people learn ‘Aqeedah, hadeeth and Sunnah, we do not see it anywhere else in Pakistan. 
Shah Sahib's library is indeed an exemplary one. There are between fifteen and twenty thousand books in this private library that include manuscripts and books some that run into several volumes. In his heart he had a special place for books; if he came across a new book he would try to buy it despite limited financial means. Some books people would give him gratuitously; he used to be very pleased when he received these gifts. If you open up a book from his library you will often see that it is filled with notes in the margin area and at other places. At times these notes would criticise or corroborate what was written and at other times it would just be an elaboration of the points mentioned. There are about 150 of our Shaykh’s own books and publications. Most of these are in Arabic while the rest are in Urdu and Sindee. Shah Sahib (rahimahullaah) had an equal command over all three of these languages. Furthermore, Allaah had also blessed him with some proficiency in understanding and speaking Persian. Some of his books are in such esoteric Arabic such that even Arabs are unable to understand them unless they have a dictionary with them. For example, his book al-Ujool which mentions 80 meanings of kalimah al-Ujoos; understanding this book is not an easy endeavour. A lot of Arab Ulamaa have been astounded by the book, and found it hard to believe that an ajmee [non-Arab] Alim could write such a book. There is another book which he wrote on ‘Aqeedah, only using words which do not have any dots in them. It is about 80 pages long and there are words in it that are even difficult to find in Arabic dictionaries. 
Other than this there are a lot of other books that he authored, the most important one being in the area of Tafsir. He started writing this Tafsir in Sindhi because there was no Salafi Tafsir written in it. He went ahead despite a lot of people requesting him to write it in Arabic since it will have a worldwide market. The Shaykh said I am not looking for fame; rather I want to write a Tafsir from which people of this area can benefit. The Shaykh was only able to write this Tafsir till Soorah Yoosuf after which he passed away. Nine volumes of this Tafsir have already been published, the first one being the preamble; the Tafsir of Soorah Fathiha is over 600 pages. It is expected that the rest of the Tafsir will be completed and published in 15 volumes inshaa’Allaah. This Tafsir has been written according to the Salafi Manhaj. It is free from dh'aeef [weaknesses], ghareeb [being rare wordings] or Israelite traditions. What is special about this Tafsir is that it has been attempted to explain each ayah with ahaadeeth and that each explanation highlights the Salafi creed. 
Once Shah Sahib received a letter with 5 questions from Multan inquiring about tawassul [the legislated forms of seeking nearness to Allaah] and the Sufi concept of wahdatul wajood [The concept of Allaah and His creation being one as promoted by Mohiyuddin ibn al-Arabi {the sufi)]. Shah Sahib began writing the answer to these five questions and this answer took the shape of a 600 page book which got published by the name of Tawheed-e-Khaalis.

When Shah Sahib (rahimahullaah) was told about its publication, he expressed a desire for it to be translated into Arabic. I have translated about 300 pages; may Allah give me the taufeeq [ability] to complete its translation. This book will be inshaa’Allaah a gem in ‘Aqeedah and these two issues in particular. 
Shah Sahib did not pay much attention to matters of this world, he owned land which ran over hundreds of acres but did not oversee the work on these fields since that would mean distancing himself from ‘ilm [seeking beneficial knowledge]. So he would sublet that land and receive a percentage of the earnings from the land, but never allowed himself to be detracted from his mission. Those who have met him are well aware of his high standing in ‘ilm. Shaykh al-Albaanee once told the people of America to invite the Shaykh and benefit from his ‘ilm. Other Shuyookh who have also praised him include Shaykh bin Baaz and Shaykh Rabee’. 
Allaah enabled him to work in the fields of da’wah, research, teaching and other fields with which one can serve Islaam. I would say his life was a reflection of the hadeeth: “In every age, there will be people who will uphold this Deen.” Hence there will be people who will continue to learn, teach and spread the correct understanding of this Deen and oppose those who go against it. Allaah blessed Shah Sahib with these characteristics; all throughout his life he presented the concept of Tawheed in its pure form. I pray that Allaah make the Shaykh a manifestation of the du’aa made by the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam)at Mina: “Ya Allaah brighten the face of the believer who listens to my hadeeth, memorises it and spreads it.” I advise myself and all of you to form a relationship with hadeeth; it is the basis of fahm-e-Deen [correct understanding of the religion]], fahm-e-’Aqeedah [correct understanding of the belief system contained within al-Islam] and fahm-e-Manhaj [correct understanding of the Methodology of understanding al-Islam]. May Allaah give us all tawfeeq. 
The Shaykh passed away in Karachi on 8th January 1996 and was laid to rest in his ancestral hometown of Pir Chanda. A multitude of people arrived from various parts of the country for his funeral in Saeedabad, as a matter of fact, after we finished the funeral prayer, another one had to be arranged because another crowd had arrived. 
May Allaah enable to us to follow this path as well, and make us one of those who uphold the Qur’aan and Sunnah and act upon 

Takfeer in the Modern Times & its Sources

Takfeer in the Modern Times & its Sources

From the Chapter

The Beginning of the Formation of Making Takfeer without Evidence & its

Causes in the Ummah

Part B

By Shaykh

Ibraheem bin 'Amir ar-Ruhaylee

Taken from his book

'at-Takfeer and its Principles'

Translated by

Abbas Abu Yahya

Indeed making Takfeer is widespread in modern times, it surpasses that of former times.

From the more prominent causes and reasons today, which were the cause of the spread of Takfeer between the Muslim communities, are some of the modern-day Dawa' groups which were not raised upon the Sunnah.

This disease is so widespread that it has encompassed many of the people, who were not known for practicing Bida'. Rather these groups went astray due to innovations and misguidance, either due to the evil intent of the leaders of these groups or their ignorance of the Deen.

From the results of these Jamaa’at are many of those books that are entitled: Books of ideology.

These books corrupted the 'Aqaid (beliefs) of many of the Muslims and deviated them from the straight path of the Deen. They view the current Muslim societies as though they were pre-Islaamic disbelieving societies who have thrown Islaam behind their backs and have embraced clear Kufr. No single individual from the Ummah has been saved from it, neither any ruler, nor those ruled, men, women, old people and the youth.

These books are the ones, which have had the severest effect on the current generation who were cultivated upon them. They have planted the seeds of general Takfeer of the current Islaamic societies into the minds of the Muslims, to the extent that this corrupt 'Aqeedah has become deeply rooted with these people. Do not ask about what lies behind these 'Atiqaad (beliefs) of Fitn(tribulations) and evil.

I am not about to list, nor expound upon examples of what is mentioned in these books of texts and statements of Takfeer from the modern-day Islaamic societies. Rather I will point to some examples and evidences of what is mentioned in the books of Sayyid Qutb -may Allaah have mercy on him- since he is the glorified Imam according to many of the Ikhwaan and those who have become affected with their methodology. Also, due to his books being widely disseminated and more effective than other than them-to the extent that he has definitely caused, with these books, some of those who ascribe themselves to the Sunnah to deviate. Most assuredly, the books of the Ikhwaan are full of statements of Takfeer of the Muslim rulers and the Islaamic societies of today.

From what has been mentioned of Sayyid Qutb’s Takfeer of all the modern-day Islaamic societies, is his saying in 'Mu'alim fee Tareeq' (Milestones):

          'The issue in reality is about kufr (disbelief) and Emaan (faith), the issue of Shirk and Tawheed, the issue of Jahileeyah (the ignorance of the pre-Islaamic times) and Islaam, this is something that is necessary to be clarified…….. without doubt the people are not Muslims - as they claim - they live a life of Jahileeyah (the ignorance of the pre-Islaamic times).  

If there is someone amongst them who would like to deceive himself or deceive others, by believing that it is possible for Islaam to exist along with this Jahileeyah, then he can believe this. However, him being fooled or deceiving others, does not change anything of the reality of the current issue, this is not Islaam, nor are these people Muslims.'[1]

He also says in (Fee Zilaal al-Qur'aan) (In the Shade of the Qur'aan):

'Indeed times have returned back just like in the form the day this Deen came with 'La illah ill Allaah'.

The people have apostatised and gone to the worship of the slaves and to the tyranny of religions and turned away from 'La illah ill Allaah.''

Then he continues:

'Mankind generally, consists of those who constantly repeat on the minarets in the east of the earth and its west, that statement 'La illah ill Allaah' without any meaning or reality.'

He continues:

'And these people are weightier in sin and more severely punishable on the Day of Judgement, because they apostatised to the worship of the slaves after the guidance had become clear to them and after having been within the fold of the Deen of Allaah.'[2]

He also said:

'Indeed there is not a Muslim country on the face of the earth today, nor is there a Muslim community where the foundation of its dealing with each other is the Sharia' of Allaah and the fiqh of Islaam.'[3]

There are many similar examples of such statements, which occur in the books of Sayyid Qutb, which are of these types of clear texts.

These statements do not hold any other possible interpretation except that of making Takfeer of the scholars and rulers of the Muslims and the rest of the individuals of the Islaamic Ummah. To the extent that those who call to the prayer at their places of prayer, according to Sayyid, are Kuffar and apostates, their sin is weightier and their punishment is more severe than other then them.

Some of the modern-day Takfeerieen have acquired their methodology from these books and their likes. Their ideology is based upon that of making Takfeer of the Islaamic communities and what results from this are assassinations, bombings and spilling the blood of the innocent in many of the countries of the Muslims and in other lands as well.

All Praise belongs to Allaah, may His peace

and blessings be upon our final

Prophet Muhammad, his

family, his companions

and all those who

follow his

guidance.

---

[1] Mu'alim fee Taareq p. 158

[2] Fee Zilaal al-Qur'aan 2/1057

[3] Fee Zilaal al-Qur'aan 4/2122

The errors and slips of the scholars

The errors and slips of the scholars

Translated by Abdulilah Lahmami

4/3/1433 - 25/2/2012

Sheikh Al-Islam Ibnu Taymiyyah rahimahullaah said:

And whoever is known for being truthful in the Ummah such that he is praised amongst different people in the Ummah (young and old, far and near) then they are the scholars of guidance. They are those lanterns giving light amidst darkness and their mistakes are few compared to their correct positions. Most of their errors are from the affairs where ijtihaad (striving to make a ruling in matters of fiqh and branches of the religion) is permitted. They are excused (for not intending to err where the error is rejected but honour of the scholar is upheld). They are the ones who follow knowledge and justice, far away from ignorance, oppression, conjecture and what the souls desire. [Majmu' al-Fataawa: 11/423].

Haafidh adh-Dhahabi rahimahullaah said: "indeed the elder from the scholars of knowledge, if in most cases he is correct and his striving in reaching the truth is known, his knowledge becomes vast, his intelligence becomes apparent, his righteousness and fear of Allaah and following (the sunnah) is known then his slip/error is forgiven. We do not consider him misguided and (end up) leaving him and forgetting his good. Yes: we do not follow him in his innovation and mistake, rather we hope for repentance from that." [Seer 5/271]

Ibnul Qaiyyum rahimahullaah said: Whoever has knowledge of the legislation and the reality is known without doubt that the honourable person who has clear signs of righteousness and is known for his status in Islam and amongst the people. If he has an error and slip (in matters of permitted ijtihaad), he is excused, rather rewarded and it is not allowed for him to be followed for that error. It is not allowed to remove his position and status as imam and level from the hearts of the Muslims. [I'laam Al-Muwaqi'een (3/295)]

Sheikh 'Ali Nasr Al-Faqeehi said:

As for the mistaken one in some of the matters (of the religion),  the one who is known for his menhaj (correct methodology), his praiseworthy manner and Islamic legislated knowledge, then his mistake does not remove his status nor reduce his rank. If he is alive, then it is a must to clarify to him the mistake in a wise manner that which is known between the scholars based upon cooperating in accordance with righteousness and piety because religion is advice.

You put the advice to the student of knowledge based upon his status with good manners and respect showing the truth with its proof not in an aggressive manner and not arrogantly towering over the person haughtily.  Rather with wisdom and beautiful preaching.  This is what is sought from the advice. The unity is kept and love and brotherhood for the sake of Allaah remains for indeed the believers are brothers.

If the mistaken one has returned to his Lord (passed away) then he is to be supplicated for as perfection is for the Prophets alone. The mistakes of other than the prophets are clarified to the people so that the people don't follow their mistakes in those matters. [Al-Bid'ah Dhawabidtuha wa Atharuha as-Sayi'fil Ummah p.24]  

The Student of Knowledge Today in Comparison to Those of Yesterday - Shaykh Muhammad ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

My Allaah reward and protect our Shaykh Muhammad ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee for delivering this lecture and just for the record, I would like to say jazak Allaahu khairan to the translater (whose name I have still been unable to find out) for bringing this highly beneficial lecture to the non-Arabic speaking people.  To date I have had over 700+ downloads of this lecture, walhamdulillah.   The previous link to the www.box.com account does not function correctly. 

I have moved it to a 4shared account.  Please forward the link to those who wish to download this lecture, barak Allaahu feekum so that others can also benefit just like you!!

The Student of Knowledge Today in Comparison to Those of Yesterday - Shaykh Muhammad ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee.mp3

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

It would be greatly appreciated if anyone can let me know who translated the lecture that is entitled: Seeking Knowledge In Our Time & Seeking  Knowledge In The Time That Was Before Us. Please and thank-you.

If you happen to know who the translator is, please be certain that it is indeed so-and-so who translated it. Please  'reply all,' especially if your a male & also, in case anyone else needs and/or wants to know. 

May Allaah reward [with abundant good] ash-Shaykh al-Alaamah Muhammed Ibn Haadee al-Madhkhalee, the translator, as well as the brother, Aboo Bilal Nahim; who emailed this lecture to West London Dawah's mailing list. I hope the below introduction will encourage you all to have a listen, if you haven't; in shaa Allaah. Also, I should add, the lecture was not given 2 weeks ago, as is mentioned below. I do not know & Allaah knows best when Shaykh Muhammed Ibn Haadee [hafidahullaahu ta'aala] gave this lecture.

Translator's Introduction:

"In shaa Allaahu ta'aala were giving a very praiseworthy lecture by Shaykh Muhammed Ibn Haadee al-Madhkhaalee [hafidahullaahu ta'aala] ad-Doctor from Jazaan. He did a beautiful lecture [about 2 weeks ago] entitled: Seeking Knowledge In Our Time & Seeking Knowledge In The Time That Was Before Us. After listening to this lecture; me, myself as the translator, I wanted to say that this has really changed my life, just since I heard this lecture. It had a tremendous effect in my life. So much so, that I just had to share it with the people, so that hopefully it will have an effect on our life or on your life, as it had an effect on my life. Or perhaps even have a greater effect on the lives of those who are listening, than it even had upon me and is continuously having upon me to this very moment right now; walhamdulillaah. The Shaykh - as a synopsis or the introduction - to what he talked about in his lecture, so you know what to look for, which is the reason why we entitled it online, the title we gave. Which is, the Shaykh he really talks about why the people who seek knowledge today don't find the success with their knowledge and great benefit with their knowledge in their lives, and upon themselves, and everyone around them. As we seen, when knowledge was sought by those Imams, those `kibaar al-Ulamaa who just recently died & those that still remain, and the strong students of knowledge; how we see knowledge effect them. So in this lecture the Shaykh, he's going to explain why we don't find success. And he breaks it down to 4 main reasons. In which he's going to give them first and then he's going to explain each 4 of those reasons. And his lecture in Arabic was a total 1 hour & 10 minutes. With the questions and answers, it added another 33 minutes, but were not going to include, with this, the questions and answers. Were just going to include the lecture. And in shaa Allaahu ta'aala were going to translate this and hopefully with the success of Allaah subhannah wa ta'aala. And that Allaah, with the success lies & to Him I seek assistance and to Him I return to in repentance. So in shaa Allaahu ta'aala, this is basically what the Shaykh talked about..."

Click here to hear the rest of the lecture, in both English & Arabic.

والسلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

سُبْحَانَكَ وَبِحَمْدِكَ ، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ ، أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ

  Umm Moosaa Bilan Hashi

Islam is a religion of moderation

Praise God the Islamic nation moderation, he said: «as well as made you a middle nation», it is a compromise between the precious and Asharq and excessive and disproportionate, Valensary Hawa prophets and claimed that Jesus was the Son of God and that God is the third three, Almighty God, far above, and Jews were killed prophets, and mediate Muslims; Messenger peace be upon him 'Abd Allah and His Messenger, Noukrh and appreciate and love him and follow him, but we do not Najafo in his right nor Nalha nor extremes in his description, and nations took place in the sanctuary to be picked up by the Sacred and the eating of things forbidden, usury and over-the right of the body at the expense of the soul, and he met people who were tortured themselves and forced them Balrhbanah distorted and starvation and to ensure the silence monasteries, caves and sitting on the livelihoods and earning halal, and denied themselves the good things, and mediate the people of Islam Render therefore to the body right and the spirit right, pursuant to said peace be upon him:  «I do and I sleep and I fast and break my fast and eat meat and marry women, it turns away from the years it is not me ».  At the door of thought, mediated the people of Islam among philosophers and materialists, Valvlassfah went their imagination and the cover of their thought to Gbeat is no way for their information, but inspiration, preferred Oqaysthm and Tacht arrows their thoughts, and he met materialists they reasoned in the lusts of the body and the sanctuary temporary and withheld their minds for beneficial knowledge and correct knowledge, and mediate the people of Islam, then do their ideas in the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the texts of the Qur'aan and Sunnah, increasing their faith in their Lord and their followers for their messenger, peace be upon him, and so the march of human history, there is a range Tglu in question but were offset by a dryland in this issue, and find the people of Islam and compromise in this issue, then the Sunnis compromise between sects Kostih the people of Islam among nations, they are central in the door of the names and attributes, among those who disrupted the names and attributes and denied their meanings and between the likeness of God Almighty His creation, people of the year proved to God Beautiful Names and Attributes of heavens and the earth for himself, non-conditioning is not a  metaphor does not represent or disable  «is not nothing like Him, He is the All-Seer» and they are central in the door of promise and intimidation, between Kfar Muslims Bkabaúr and those who said that he does not hurt with faith in the guilt, so stand firm lack of faith in the large and immoral Pkberth and not out of the Islam guilt, which is under the will of God willing, have mercy and if He wills, and they are central in the door of fate and destiny, between those who denied much already and those who said that the slave Majabur and does not have the will or choice, Vetost the Sunnis and they said everything to spend and the amount and Abdul's will under the will of God and has a selection after choosing God, and they are central in the household of the Prophet peace be upon him, among Ajafahm and Himanm their right and hated and fought and of GLA in their love and claimed in some infallibility, Vetost the Sunnis, Frvo their right and Ahbohem the status of the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him, and turn your and Zbwa them, but they did not Aglua including but Onzlohm status legitimacy decent to them, and they are the center of the companions of the Prophet peace be upon him, among Nesbhm hostility and insulting and insulted, and of GLA them and upload them to the status of a prophet or some of the claimed infallibility of the people of them, Vetost the Sunnis by the right Companions and approval of them and not to engage in disputes between them, and pray for them and pointing out Bzlm and see Mqamathm venerable in Islam, and mediated in the door of science, between those who introduce science and neglected knowledge and may Bhzawza worldly and those who make science a god to worship instead of Allah and started means the purposes and become aware aware of the apparent life of the world, Vetost scholars and faith in it, so they asked the useful knowledge of the science world and the hereafter and made him a means to the pleasure of Allah and win Bjnth and Ammar world and the reform of self and society, and this is the divine in Islam, and mediated in the treatment of the Governor, among  those left by the sword and the centrifuge and the killer blew the scourge of strife and bloodshed, and those who may reprehensible and not say anything about oppression, people of the year Anasahon Muslim ruler advice legitimacy does not come out unless the commit expiation do not accept the darkness and they endorsed the evil, but they follow the way the legitimate traveled by the imams of Islam with the rulers of their time, and many of them Muslims, darkness, This approach of Abu Hanifa, Malik and Revolutionary Ouzai and Laith, Shafi'i and Ahmad, is obligatory for a Muslim to study this approach the middle, reportedly wrote in this section are written modernists as subjects of the six books, and better than the consideration of these issues in his books is the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him.

The‘Shiddah’ (harshness) and the ‘Ghuloo’(extremism)

Shiddah and Ghuloo

The‘Shiddah’ (harshness) and the ‘Ghuloo’(extremism) of some of those who ascribe themselves to the Salafee Manhaj

Shaykh Rabee’ibn Haadee al Madkhalee

(The Shaykh mentioned the Hadeeth of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم)) :

“Indeed Allaah is Gentle and loves gentleness in all affairs.”

(Then continued by saying): “As for the Mutashaddidoon, (those who are harsh and severe), then it is possible that they are deprived of these qualities ,or some of them, and because of this we find problems arising and resulting from Shiddah (harshness and severity) such as the problems of: 
-Ghuloo (extremism),
-Al Khurooj (revolting against the Muslim rulers).
-At Takfeer (declaring Muslims to be disbelievers).
-At Tabdee’ (declaring Muslims to be innovators in the religion) without any evidences.ِAlso, manifesting opposition to the ‘Ulemaa, no! Rather, making attacks and vile remarks against them thereby striving to ‘bring them down’, as has happened before and is happening right now in the lands of the Muslims, and this is an affair as clear as daylight!

4) Fourthly, yes Ahlul Bid’ah describe Ahlus Sunnah with Shiddah in order to scare and chase away the people from the truth. Nevertheless, even with this being the case,there have been from amongst the ‘Ulemaa, those who have been described with Shiddah, and the ones who described them as such were from Ahlus Sunnah and not from Ahlul Bid’ah. However, they were small in number in comparision to the thousands of scholars from the Imaams of Hadeeth and Fiqh, those who have been described with equity, moderation, being well-balanced, and having gentleness, thereby following the way of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) as he was full of mercy and gentleness, the one (صلى الله عليه و سلم) who said:

“Indeed Allaah is Gentle and loves gentleness, and gives through gentleness that which He does not give through harshness nor anything else.”

And also the saying of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) in the hadeeth of Aa‘ishah (رضي الله عنها) :

“Indeed, gentleness is not used in anything except that it beautifies it, and is never removed from anything except that it spoils it.”

Except that the Shiddah of the likes of those scholars was not the type of Shiddah that the ‘foolish ignorant ones’ imagine it to be, as those scholars were considered to be ‘Ulemaa who possessed intelligence, those who were adorned with a high and an impeccable standard of character and moral conduct who used the Shiddah in it’s correct and appropriate place! Also, that the Shiddah that they used was not used as a foundation nor a fundamental basis upon which their lives and Da’wah were built upon, nor was their Shiddah directed towards nor used upon Ahlus Sunnah, unlike what some of the ‘suspicious immature ones’ are doing today!…”

(Then Shaykh Rabee’ proceeded by mentioning some of the recent ‘Ulemaa who possessed those fine qualities that have previously been mentioned, such as Shaykh Ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abdullaah Al Qar‘aawee, and Shaykh Haafidh Al Hakamee, -may Allaah have mercy upon them all. Then the Shaykh concluded this article by saying):

“…Indeed the Shiddah that has arisen nowadays is not at all from As Salafiyyah in any shape, form nor fashion whatsoever! And the proof for this is that it has now become an arrow aimed towards the throats of those who call to the Sunnah with truth. And those who have this Shiddah exhert their efforts in bringing ‘the downfall’ of those callers and in preventing them from the ‘Field of Da’wah’ by claiming that they are ‘Mumayyi‘oon,’ (those who take a lenient stance in implementing some of the fundamental Usool of the Salaf), and it is a ‘False, Oppressive and a Satanic proof!’ Whereby they have become the greatest helpers and assistants to the ‘Enemies of the Sunnah’, it’s people, and As Salafiyyah and it’s people!
So becareful and beware of the ‘tricks, plots and schemes’ that the ‘Enemies of the Sunnah’ use, especially in these times!”

Translated by: Abul Qayyim Ismaa‘eel ibn Yusuf.

Naseehah (Sincerity of Purpose) to Allaah and to the Muslims

Naseehah (Sincerity of Purpose)
to Allaah and to the Muslims
Shaykh Rabee' ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee
Source: www.sahab.net, Translation for www.bakkah.net [1]

In the Name of Allaah, ar-Rahmaan, ar-Raheem...

All praise is due to Allaah, and may Allaah raise the rank of the Messenger of Allaah, his family, his Companions, and those who follow his guidance, and grant them peace.

To proceed:

Verily it (this advice) is due to the gloomy calamities and catastrophes that have afflicted Islaam and its people and the disgrace and humility that has reached them at the hands of the enemies of Islaam, as they gather around them to feast, as if they were gathering around a dish to eat it.

I turn with my request to the Muslims' scholars and educational foundations in every region of this world, and to all of the rulers of the Muslims, that they fear Allaah regarding this Ummah, and that they recognize the dangers that are closing in on them, dangers that are the cause of the calamities and catastrophes befalling them. They must respond quickly, being conscious of the accountability (they have) in front of Allaah to lead the Ummah away from the tribulations and afflictions that have reached them. Furthermore, (I advise them) to hasten to take every possible step that will help them to lead the Ummah out (of such calamities). At the very head of these affairs is to return to their Religion of Truth, in all affairs of beliefs, acts of worship, manners, and politics.

They must establish the correct school curriculums derived from the Book of Allaah, the Sunnah of His Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), and what the righteous Salaf were upon so as to educate the (forthcoming) generations with it. This must be done in masjids and in schools, at all grade levels, and in all forms of media, keeping in mind the statement of the noble Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam):

"All of you are shepherds, and you are all accountable for your flocks." [2]

They must also keep in mind the statement of the noble Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam):

"If you perform business transactions of 'Eenah, content yourselves with agriculture, follow after the tails of cows, and abandon jihaad in the way of Allaah, then Allaah will send humiliation upon you, such that He will not remove until you return to your Religion." [3]

And no doubt, the Ummah has fallen into worse than these affairs, to the point that their affair has reached this bitter state.

Additionally, they must keep in mind the Statement of Allaah, the Most High:

"And it is not for any believing man, nor for any believing woman, when Allaah and His Messenger have made a judgement in an affair, that they have any choice on their part." [4]

So know that there is no way for you to ever deliver the Ummah (from harm) other than this way. And (know) that taking other approaches will not increase the Ummah in anything except destruction and humiliation. And (know) that nothing short of taking the Ummah away from their Religion will please the enemies of Islaam:

"And the Jews and Christians will never be pleased with you until you follow their religion." [5]

I ask Allaah, the Generous, the Lord of the mighty Throne, to grant the Ummah, its rulers, scholars, and people, success in hastening to take these beneficial steps. Our Lord will not accept other than this. And may He gather their hearts and statements together upon the Truth.

And at this occasion I turn my advice to those whom Allaah has allowed to follow the methodology of the righteous Salaf, that they fear Allaah and be mindful of Him in all situations, open and secret. And (I advise them) to be sincere to Him in all their statements and actions, and to apply themselves fully to seeking beneficial knowledge.

And I advise the proprietors of the Internet websites to make these sites successful means of disseminating the Salafee methodology in the proper, scholastic way, with regards to everything they present to the people through these means that have been afforded them.

And let a sufficient number of the scholars of this methodology take up this task, especially those who are specialists.

So whoever is a specialist in Tafseer of the Noble Qur'aan, then let him write things related to Tafseer and its sciences, and let him touch on various issues of belief, acts of worship, dealings, and manners by way of the Verses that he explains. Let him also touch on the principles of Tafseer and its various branches.

And let the specialist in Hadeeth derive his writings from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), and let him focus on topics of beliefs and the other things that we mentioned for his brother, the explainer of the Qur'aan. Likewise, he should also write about the principles of Hadeeth Sciences and about the biographies of the imaams of Hadeeth.

And let the specialist in Fiqh write within this field, and let him choose subjects to write about that aid the students of knowledge in understanding the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), pairing that with issues that he solves, along with their evidences.

And let the specialist in History write about the life of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), the lives of His Companions, and the lives of the great mountains of this Ummah who produced outstanding efforts that aided Islaam.

And let the specialist in the modes of recitation (Qiraa'aat of the Qur'aan) and Tajweed write within his field.

And let the specialist in (Arabic) Language write within his field, on the condition that he stays away from that which is not recognized by the Salafee methodology, like figurative speech (majaaz) and its different types.

And (I advise that) no one takes up the task of criticizing the people of innovation and refuting their falsehoods except the people of knowledge.

And I hope that those responsible for these sites, like Sahab and its sisters, will not accept any posts unless they are signed by their authors using their real names. And (I also hope) that they will not accept (the writings of) those who write under pen names.

Similarly, I hope that the Salafees in general will shun arguments and all other causes of differing. And if some of this (differing) does take place between some of the brothers, (I hope that) they will keep it to a minimum, and not quote and place their (opponent's) statements on Salafee websites, or on other than them, rather they refer the issue back to the people of knowledge so they can speak a word of Truth about it that will put an end, in shaa' Allaah, to the differing.

And I advise the brothers to be vigilant in spreading beneficial knowledge between themselves, and to spread the causes of affection and brotherhood between themselves.

May Allaah grant everyone success in attaining what pleases Him, and may He reconcile what is between the hearts. Verily my Lord is One who answers the supplications.

Written by:

Rabee' ibn Haadee ibn 'Umayr al-Madkhalee
25th of Thul-Qi'dah, 1424 years after the Prophet's Hijrah
Makkah al-Mukarramah

This article was taken from BAKKAHnet (www.bakkah.net)

FOOTNOTES

[1] Click here for the words of Shaykh Rabee' ibn Haadee in 'Arabic.

[2] Saheeh: Collected by al-Bukhaaree in his Saheeh (#5200), Muslim in his Saheeh (#4701), and others on the authority of Ibn 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him.

[3] Saheeh: Collected by Aboo Daawood in his Sunan (#3462) on the authority of Ibn 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him. Al-Albaanee graded it saheeh in Silsilah al-Ahaadeeth as-Saheehah (#11).

[4] Soorah al-Ahzaab (33):36

[5] Soorah al-Baqarah (2):120