Bulgh al Marm: Points of Benefit

Alkauthar Student Guild

Points of Benefit from Bulgh al Marm Lessons

Introduction The aim of the Student Guild is to give the top students of Alkauthar the opportunity to study the works of classical scholars in order to build them into students of knowledge. The first subject will be fiqh al hadith; which involves understanding ahadith and the fiqh issues which arise out of them. The Text Bulgh al Marm min Adilla til Ahkm or Attainment of the Objective according to the Evidences of the Ordinances By Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Hajar al Asqalni b. 773AH d. 852AH (1371-1448CE) Biography of the Author: The author memorised the Qurn by the age of 9, travelled widely and authored many books in the science of hadith and other sciences. When in Makkah he drank zamzam water and made dua that Allh gave him a memory similar to that of Imm ad Dhahabi (but later thought that he should have asked for the even greater memory of Imm Draqutni). He lead the tarwh in the Masjid al Harm. This is a book of 1358 important ahadith used in fiqh (but not necessarily aqdah or srah): It is held in high esteem by all four madhib; It mentions the sources of each hadith and its grade; It utilises over twenty sources of ahadith; Sh. Siddique Hasan Khan stated if the book was written in gold and bought and sold in souls one is still not giving this book its due worth.

Terminology used in Bulgh al Marm: Ath Thaltha: Ab Dawd, at Tirmidh, an Nasi. Al Arbaa: Ab Dawd, at Tirmidh, an Nasi, Ibn Mjah. Al Khamsa: Ahmad, Ab Dawd, at Tirmidh, an Nasi, Ibn Mjah. As Saba: Bukhri, Muslim, Ahmad, Ab Dawd, at Tirmidh, an Nasi, Ibn Mjah.

Commentaries on Bulgh al Marm: Subul as Salm is a commentary by as Sanani. Fath al Allam by Abul Khair al Hindi is a commentary. Fath Dh al-Jall wal Ikrm by Sh. Uthaymn

Books used in the explanation of Bulgh al Marm: Taudhihul Ahkm by Sh. Abdullh Bassm Minhatul alm by Sh Abdullh al Fawzan Sharh Bb at Tahara of Bulgh al Marm by Sh. Salman al Awdah

See http://forums.alkauthar.org/showthread.php?p=24841 to access resources on these books.

Bulgh al Marm: Points of Benefit

Alkauthar Student Guild

Further reading: Fiqh us Sunnah by Sh. Sayyid Sabiq A Summary of Islamic Jurisprudence by Sh Salih al Fawzn The Distinguished Jurists Primer by Ibn Rushd

Guidelines for the Student Guild Kamal al Makki recommends smiling during lessons; One should forgive any deficiencies in the video recordings; One should be attentive and punctual, and taking notes; One should try to memorise all the ahadith if possible.

Term 1: Book of Purification Lesson 1 The most important pillar after imn is salh which itself is dependent on tahara. The Prophet stated the key to salh is tahara Ahmad, Abu Dawd 61 The Prophet and the companions would eat locusts on their military expeditions, not because of it was considered a delicacy but due to need. This shows the commitment and sacrifice they made for this religion.

Lesson 2 Imm Nawwawi is of the opinion that it is mustahab to have a kunya. From the hadith of Ab Umair (the brother of Anas ibn Malik ), where the Prophet referred to him by his kunya and asked him when he was a small child what had happened to his bird, we gauge that it is permissible for every Muslim of any age to have a kunya whether they have a child or not. It was from the Prophets sunnah to name his means of transport and utensils such as his sword. For example, the Prophets camel was known as Qaswa. It is better on Hajj to use a means of transport rather than walk, as the Prophet made his Hajj whilst on his mount. There is no authentic evidence to support any assertion that the state of menstruation or hayd is a punishment from Allh due to Eves consumption of the forbidden fruit in Eden. It is only the product of the decree of Allh.

Lesson 3 Bulgh al Marm was a gift from Ibn Hajar to his son so that his son would esteem the ahadith. The poet describes the student of knowledge as one who picks up individual gems of knowledge and who attains wisdom through them; in this way oceans are made up of individual drops of water.

Lesson 4 The Prophet will be able to recognise his ummah at the fountain or hawd by al Ghurr ul Mahajjalun or streaks of whiteness on their limbs left from when a person would take his ablution.

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Hadith 40 has been taken to mean that wud is something unique to this ummah, but the hadith concerning the abid named Jurayj from Bani Isral establishes that wud existed at that time as well. What is specific to this ummah is al Ghurr ul Mahajjalun or the brightness itself. The hadith of Jurayj involves a harlot tempting Jurayj, whom she had heard was a great bid. Upon the rejection of her advances, she then became pregnant by a shepherd and attributed the resulting child to Jurayj. A mob demolished Jurayjs hermitage but after taking a wud Jurayj prompted the child to speak in the cradle to establish its real paternity (Bukhri 1206). Hadith 40 is also a warning to those who do not pray; the Prophet on the day of judgement may not be able to recognise them as Muslims. Ab Dawd stated that the Muslim should not become accustomed to the luxuries in life and if necessary should be capable of walking bare foot.

Lesson 5 Purchasing books may provide one with a benefit which will allow the purchaser to take his book in his right hand on the Day of Judgement. Ibn Hazm al Andalusi, according to Adh Dhabi to in his book Seer alm an Nubula, was motivated to seek knowledge by his ignorance over the permissibility of praying tahiyyatul masjid in the prohibited times, and the criticism he received due to this. The scholars of Aqdah such as Imam at Tahawi in his Aqdah at Tahawiyah mention that ahl sunnah wa jamah permit the wiping over the khuffain or leather socks. They mentioned this issue of fiqh as it differentiates ahl sunnah wa jamah from the Shia (who wipe over their bare-feet) and the Khawrij (who do not wipe at all). This matter has narrated by over 70 companions, including the 10 promised paradise.

Lesson 6 The Prophet Adam was the first person to seek knowledge; after creation Allh said to Adam to go to those angels in that corner and give salm to them and listen and learn and see how they reply to you (Bukhari). Imm Ahmad would seek knowledge everyday from town to town; he replied to those who asked until when he would continue seeking knowledge by saying ma mahbara illa maqbara meaning with my inkpot to my grave (Manqib al Imm Ahmad by Ibn Jawzi)

Lesson 7 Many of the ahadith on answering the call of nature are narrated by Anas Ibn Malik as he was the servant of the Prophet . Imm Ibn Kathr in his biography of Imm al Bukhari in Bidaya wa Nihaya states that at times Imm al Bukhari would awaken up to 20 times to write down different points of benefit in order to prevent their being forgetting by morning. Imm Muslim passed away whilst eating dates which had caused a stomach ailment. From an authentic ahadith, we know that whoever makes wud at home and then prays two rakah in Masjid Qub gets the reward of a complete umrah.

Lesson 8 Sad Al Qahtani, a student of Sh. Bin Baz, mentions that not only would Sh. Bin Baz give lessons to humans but to the jinn also. A person was seen to be possessed; the

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jinn asked to be spoken with adab as he claimed to be a student of Sh. Bin Baz in Riyadh, and that other jinn from India would also attend. The Shaykh was often heard to say in class It is wjib upon mankind and the jinn to fear Allh Sh. Bin Baz had Sahih Muslim read to him 690 times and a student narrates that he attended Hajj 61 times. Sh. Uthaymn stated that from the day he had read the hadith about ghusl being mustahab on jumuah, not a single jumuah had passed without his performing a ghusl. The Muslim should not be overly concerned about the ruling but rather should be concerned about following the sunnah. Thumma bin Uthl was the chief of Al Ymama and was captured outside Madnah on his way to umrah; he was tied to a pillar in the masjid and asked how he should be disposed of. He replied that if he was killed, the blood would be avenged, if he was asked for money he would provide it, and if he was set free their goodness would not be forgotten. There was a great wisdom in his witnessing the comings and goings in the masjid; the Prophet asked him the same questions on a second and a third day with the same response but on the last day set him free. Thumma bin Uthl then left the masjid, bathed, and returned to accept Islm. Upon converting, he stated that before that day, the face of the Prophet , his town and his dn was the most detestable to him, but on that day they were the most beloved to him. He then left to perform umrah in Makkah; when he was seized by the Quraish he instigated an economic blockade of Makkah by his people, who prevented various agricultural caravans from reaching Makkah until the Quraish sought the intercession of the Prophet in this matter. A weak hadith whose meaning is correct refers to a hadith where the information it contains is in accordance with authentic sources but we cannot be sure that this particular hadith contains the words of the Prophet e.g. seek knowledge even if it be in China.

Lesson 9 Imm Bukhri was born blind but his mothers excessive dua helped restore his sight. She saw the Prophet Ibrahm in a dream who told her the reason for the restoration of her sons sight. It is Imm an Nasi (not Nisi) but he did he have four wives and a number of servant girls so the common name is still apt.

Lesson 10 Sh. Albani exposed a fraudulent clairvoyant by asking him to contact Imm Bukhari to confirm a particular isnd. Sh Albani would drive his car fast; one of his students mentioned Sh. Bin Bazs opinion that to do so was harm as it put peoples lives in danger. Sh. Albani replied Thats the fatwa of a man who has never driven a car of his life; the student relayed this to Sh. Bin Baz who stated that was the statement of someone who never paid blood money in his life. The majority of scholars found the topic of menstruation difficult due to a lack of personal experience. Imm Ahmad studied this chapter for 9 years until he understood it.

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The religion of women is deficient according to the statement of the Prophet in a khutba, as reported by Abu Sad al Khudri (Bukhri 304, Muslim). This is explained as a reference to their inability to pray and fast whilst menstruating; it is not a criticism as these acts are refrained from in obedience to Allh rather than in disobedience. Whilst sitting with Sh. Salah al Budair (Imm of Masjid Nabawiyyah in al Madnah) he advised that students of knowledge must seek their proofs from the Qurn and the Sunnah. This is based on the following statements of the Imms: When a hadith is found to be sahih, then that is my madhb (Imm Ab Hanifa) It is not becoming from anybody who has Islm that he accepts all my statements before putting it before the (evidences of) the Qurn and Sunnah Everyones statements are accepted and rejected except the inhabitant of that grave (pointing to the grave of the Prophet ) (Imm Malik).

, then speak on the basis of the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allh , and leave
what I have said (Imm Shafi).

If you find in my writings something different to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allh

Do not copy everything from me; the basic rule is that you search and investigate with regards to your religion and you do not follow every single man, until you see whose statements are the correct statements (in being closer to the Qurn and Sunnah) (Imm Ahmad). Term 2: Book of Prayer Lesson 1 Imm Muslim mentioned the saying knowledge does not come to a body that is rested [1390] 175 (612) after the ahadith on the times of salh. Imm Nawwawi stated that Imm Muslim went to great efforts to find the ahadith in this chapter. Verily, we shall send down to you a weighty word Muzzammil 73:5 There are numerous ahadith in which the Prophet states different things are the best. These are responses which relate to the specific person asking the question or relate to the specific topic in the question, therefore resolving any perceived inconsistency.

Lesson 2 The Prophet discouraged seeking position, unless there is no one forthcoming and you are best qualified to fulfil that position. The hadith of Abu Bakr kissing his thumbs and wiping them over his eyes upon hearing the name of the Prophet in the adhn is fabricated and is found in the book of fabrications by Imm as Shaukani.

Lessons 3, 4, 5 and 6 Due to the large number of ahadith which are to be discussed, extraneous fawid will not be discussed for these lessons.

Lesson 7 There has been a great deal of taasubiyyah over issues in salh e.g. on the position of the hands whilst standing in prayer. A scholar defending the opinion that one puts ones hands below the navel described an incident where two brothers come into a masjid and prayed with their hands on their chest, even though the predominant opinion in that particular masjid was that 5

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one prays with ones hands below ones navel. The scholar mentions that two onlookers noticed this and one commented to the other that one of them is probably married and his wife taught him to pray. The purpose of making such a statement was to mock (ihtizah) or demean the other opinion. As a general rule, males and females are equal in the Shariah until proven otherwise. Imm ad Dhahabi in his Seer Alam an Nubula discusses the individual Tuwais al Madani as being the origin of the phrase Asham min tuwais meaning so long as one does not have the misfortune of Tuwais. Tuwais was born on the day that the Prophet passed away, began eating solid food when Ab Bakr passed away, entered puberty when Umar was martyred, was married on the day Uthmn was martyred, and his first child was born on day Ali was martyred. The poet states that when one is debating with a jhil person it is better to offer him silence. If you speak to him you have given him an opening, and if you leave him silently, then he would burn inside and destroy himself. and when they hear al-laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk), they withdraw from it and say: "To us our deeds, and to you your deeds. Peace be to you. We seek not (the way of) the ignorant." Qasas 28:55

When a fool speaks up, answer him not. To be silent is better than to reply. For if you engage with him, you gratify him. And if left, he will of distress die. There is a principle that one does not cause harm to others and no harm will be caused to you.

Lesson 8 Ibn Masd was taught at tahiyyt by the Prophet whilst the Prophet held his hand in his two hands. This is not an evidence for shaking hands by placing both ones hands over another, as Ibn Masd was not greeting the Prophet . The validity of an action does not imply that one should perform that action. As a student of knowledge one should seek to do what is best in any masalah and follow the sunnah of the Prophet . Knowledge of the validity of an action should only be used to understand what one should do where one makes a mistake in that matter.

Lesson 9 The forgetting in salh by the Prophet is part of the completion of his message, as it allows him to teach us how to remedy mistakes in our prayer. am I anything but a man, sent as a Messenger? Isr 17:93 Lesson 10 Ones salh is ones capital, ones ras al ml. If one voluntarily forgoes or looks down upon the simple acts of worship, or does not make the effort to find time to perform them, ones commitment to the religion is deficient, particularly as these simple acts of worship carry great reward. It is expected of the Muslim to perform the sunnah rawtib, to spread the salm, and to read one page of the Qurn daily from the mushaf. It may be that such lack of commitment is a punishment from Allh , as Allh has not granted such a person the tawfique to perform such acts of worship.

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Term 3: Book of Prayer (Continued) Lesson 1 There is no benefit to this knowledge unless it is appreciated, acted upon and taught to others. Knowledge has to be answered by action. If there is no action, knowledge then leaves. If ones knowledge is above average, ones worship should be above average. Tulb al Ilm should have respect and mercy upon all scholars of the religion and their opinions, and not be taasub or partisan with the opinions which we follow. The students should check whether they are hufadh of salatul witr after learning the importance of this prayer in the previous semester, and likewise with the sunnah rawtib. Aishah used to enquire why one would increase the hujjaj or proofs of Allh upon oneself, by not performing these salawt. Where a hadith is stated to be agreed upon it is narrated by the same narrator within both Bukhari and Muslim. If narrated by different narrators, one states that the hadith is narrated in Bukhari and Muslim instead.

Lesson 2 May Allh grant us all the tawfique to pray saltul Jamah in the masjid five-times per day. There is no point in reading ahadith on this without implementing them.

Lesson 3 Practical benefits of saltul jamah i. ii. encourages brotherhood between the attendees allows the community to realise if one is absent e.g. through illness

iii. teaches the muslim discipline regarding being able to reach the masjid iv. teaches the muslim obedience to the Imm of the community Lesson 4 Abul Hasan an Nadwi stated that for the ahnf to follow the matter of combining the salh (rather than making jam as sri) they would not require a fatwa from a Hanafi mufti, but merely need to follow the clear ahadith of the Prophet and the aimma such as Ahmad, Shafi and Malik. This was due to a young person accompanying him stating that one could combine due to the fatwa of a particular Hanafi scholar, whom he then reproached. One should not be taasub on the following the opinion of any particular madhab.

Lesson 5 Sh. Abdul Karim al Kudair stated that the sealing of the heart is something that will become common. Ibnul Qayyim stated that the ulema, the hukm, and the tulb al ilm in particular must protect their hearts from becoming covered.

Lesson 6 There is great benefit in coming to jumuah early, and one should take advantage of the specific time on jumuah for making dua which is accepted.

Lesson 7 The Prophet ingrained the belief in tawhd in the people at the time of the eclipse rather than accepting their attributing its occurrence to the death of his son Ibrahm. This is a proof of his legitimacy as a Messenger from Allh .

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The emphasis and rulings on saltul khauf indicate the importance of praying in congregation, as a method for praying in congregation has even been provided for those on the battlefield, even though if one thought anyone would have an exemption from congregational prayer one would think it would be soldiers on the battlefield. However, the flexibility of saltul khauf is also an indication that with difficulty comes ease. A reminder benefits the believers - teach this knowledge to others and let your families and others have the love of fiqh and the srah in their hearts and appreciate the beauty of the shariah.

Lesson 8 The Prophet would take a different route to and from the place where the Eid prayer was prayed, and this would have the following benefits: i. ii. The Prophet would meet the various Muslims within the community and attend to their needs as Amr ul Mumin n. There would be greater visibility of the splendour of Islm and its main festivals among the disbelievers.

iii. More of the earth would testify to the fact that the believer has attended the Eid prayer. iv. It was an opportunity to spread the salm among the Muslims. Lesson 9 The linguistic meaning of istisqa is to demand or ask for water. In the shariah it refers to a particular prayer used to supplicate to Allh for the provision of rain.

Lesson 10 If one does not have a garment of taqwa, in reality such a person is naked.

Term 4: Book of Funerals and Book of Zakh Lesson 1 We hope that by now we have encouraged the men among the students to wear a head-covering. It is said that if one curses Allh or the anbiya one is merely exercising ones free speech, but if one curses the ruler, one is likely to be placed in jail.

Lesson 2 Some of the ashrf of Makkah left on a journey and placed a slave in charge of the remaining people. Upon being questioned on this by Umar , they replied that he was knowledgeable about the Qurn and the rules of inheritance, among other subjects. Umar repeated the statement of the Prophet that Allh will raise a people by this book and Allh will lower others by this book. Qilla tarafay al qasti madhmumu - both sides of the middle path are extremes. The funeral industry is subject to much extravagance and misguided festivity - what th th is the difference between the 39 and 40 day, or the one-year anniversary and the th 364 day anniversary? Apart from the difficulty of a persons death, the family are now unduly subjected to further difficulties, being the preparation and participation in a number of festivities, none of which will benefit the deceased.

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It was narrated from Ab Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allh said: When a man dies, all his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous son who will pray for him Muslim [4223] 14 (1631) A persons deeds family and wealth accompany them to the grave but their wealth and family depart leaving only their deeds. The wealth people have is given to them by Allh and he can only make very limited dispositions of it upon death. Up to a third can be bequeathed to others but the remainder must be distributed in accordance with the shariah and even then the bequest cannot be made to a person who is a legal heir.

Lesson 3 There is a letter written by Prince Khalid bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz to his son, who has been in a coma for three Ramadans as of late 2009. All efforts have been expended in helping this patient, and if anyone was to read this letter they would surely end up in tears. Prince Khalid bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz is one of the practicing and steadfast members of the royal family and often one hears him phoning the Q&A sessions on television giving his opinion and refuting the liberalists in the Saudi media. He is also the brother of Prince Waleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz, who is a very wealthy investor and has been termed by Time magazine as the Arab Warren Buffet. Prince Mamduh bin Abdul Aziz is the brother of the current Kind Abdullah and the late King Fahd. Sh. Bill saw him in the Haram with a beard twice as long as his own, giving a dars to a handful of students in the 25-30 year old range. Upon being questioned by Sh. Bill, one student was reticent to disclose the identity of the teacher, but eventually did, commenting m zla fil ummati khair or that there continues to be goodness in this ummah. His son, Nayif bin Mamduh bin Abdul Aziz, is a daee who has done his masters and doctorate at the Islamic university of Madnah. The ruler of Abyssinia was always known by the title An Najshi or the Negus. The Najshis actual name was As-Hama bin al Abjar and he had accepted Islm at the hand of Jafar bin Abi Talib during the time of the Prophet . He died in Rajab 9AH. The woman who dies in child birth dies as a shahd in terms of the ajar they receive in the khirah, but their funeral and burial rites take place in accordance with the ahkm of those who die normally. The Musnad of Imm Ahmad is arranged according to narrator, and one will see from the narrations of Aishah that she had a very strong personality.

Lesson 4 Whoever begins a good deed and then dies, Allh still grants him the reward of that deed. The physical body is sanctified in life and in death. The placing of flowers on graves was not the standard practice of the Prophet and should therefore be avoided.

Lesson 5 What type of dwelling will you have after your death, save for the one which you build prior to passing away. There is a story of a farm worker whos master offered to grant him as much land as he could traverse running in a single go; the worker kept running and running,

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reasoning that if he went just a little bit further he would get that land. Eventually he fell down dead, and on his grave it was engraved that this (i.e. the grave) is all the land that a person truly requires from this world. Lesson 6 One may think that one is saving ones money by not paying zakh, but you will find that deprived of blessing it will be lost or consumed very rapidly. Generosity leads to bravery. A miser is always in a state of fear particularly with regards to his wealth. The Prophet gave the following advice to Mudh ibn Jabal : When the Messenger of Allh sent Muadh to Yemen, he said (to him) You are going to a nation (from) the people of the Scripture. First of all invite them to worship Allh (alone) and when they acknowledge Allh, inform them that Allh has enjoined on them, five prayers in every day and night; and if they start offering these prayer, inform them that Allh has obligated on them the Zakt. And it is to be taken from the rich amongst them and given to the poor amongst them; and if they obey you in that, take Zakt from them and avoid (don't take) the best property of the people as Zakt
Ibn Abbs; Bukhari 1458 [2/24/537], Ab Dawd 1584.

This hadith demonstrates the method by which one gives dawah; calling to tawhd first, then prayer, and then zakh and the other details of the religion. The demonstration that zakh is taken by force in the hadith of Mudh ibn Jabal being sent to Yemen is a refutation of the fabricated story attributed to the companion Thalabah ibn Htib , who was from the Ansr and fought at Badr 1 and was martyred at Uhud 2 . This story supposedly relates that Thalabah asked the Prophet to make dua that he become wealthy, but when this occurred he moved out further and further from Madnah, stopped attending the various congregational prayers and eventually stopped paying zakh to the Prophet , Ab Bakr , and Umar . It is claimed that upon repenting he attempted to repay his zakh to Umar who refused to take it, on the basis that this companion was a hypocrite. This fabrication is erroneously claimed to be the subub an nuzl for verse 9:74: And of them are some who made a Covenant with Allh (saying): If He bestowed on us of his Bounty, we will verily, give Sadaqh (Zakt and voluntary charity) and will be certainly among those who are righteous. Then when He gave them of his bounty, they became niggardly [refused to pay Sadaqh or Zakt], and turned away, averse. So He punished them by putting hypocrisy into their hearts till the Day whereon they shall meet him, because they broke that (covenant) which they had promised Him and because they used to tell lies Tawbah 9:75-77 This fabrication has been refuted in a number of ways: i. Thalabah ibn Htib was a companion who fought at Badr (and died at Uhud); in relation to the veterans of Badr, Allh stated: Do as you wish for I have forgiven you Bukhri [3007] and Muslim [6401] 161 (2494). Thalabah ibn Htib was a companion and as such we require proof like the sun to regard any such companion as being a hypocrite, rather than fabricated stories.

ii.

iii. Zakh was known to have been taken by force if not paid willingly (in fact Ab Bakr went to war against such people in the war of apostasy after the death of the Prophet ). The proponents of this story do not explain why it was not taken by the Prophet , Ab Bakr or Umar given that it is the right of the poor in that persons wealth.
1 2

2AH / 624CE 3AH / 625CE

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iv. It is well known that Allh forgives all sins including shirk if one repents; it is unexplained why his repentance was not forgiven. v. This story is part of an effort primarily by the shia to defame the companions generally (given that they take the view most of the companions were hypocrites).

Lessons 7, 8, 9, and 10 Due to the large number of ahadith and points of fiqh which are to be discussed, extraneous fawid will not be discussed for these lessons.

Term 5: Book of Fasting and Book of Hajj Lesson 1 No Muslim, however weak, should allow themselves to fall into a category where some of the great minds of Islm would consider them to have left the fold of Islm. The kunya or agnomen of the Prophet was Abul Qsim after his young son who had passed away. There is a weak narration that Jibral on one occasion called him Ab Ibrahm. When the Prophets son passed away, a now anonymous individual sought to disrespect the Prophet by saying he was now abtar or cut off, referring to his male lineage. However, one can see that the legacy of the Prophet is great and that five times a day from minarets across the world people testify to his prophethood. Muhammad () is not the father of any of you men, but he is the Messenger of Allh and the Last of the Prophets Ahzb 33:40 In fact there may a wisdom in the Prophet not having any surviving male offspring, for fear that people may go beyond the bounds in relation to such individuals. Ibn Mutaz said in his poem: Shun sin, small And large, for that is Taqw. Be like the one walking on A path with thorns, avoiding what he sees. Dont belittle small sins Indeed the Mountains are made from small stones. Sh. Muhammad ibn Ibrahm (1890-1968 CE/ 1311-1389 AH) was a former mufti of Saudi Arabia and a former supervisor of the Islamic University of Madnah. It is hoped that when the Muslims have again a central authority, they can begin fasting with all their fellow Muslims and celebrate Eid with all their fellow Muslims. One can see that Muslims who take the suhr may eat a short and simple meal (e.g. water, dates, bread) but remain productive through out the day, whereas at other times they may take a longer breakfast and some time for lunch and yet not be as productive. In terms of reward, feeding the people at iftar is highly stressed among the people, but this should also apply to those who feed the people at suhr.

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Lesson 2 How many old men are in reality young men, and how many young men are in reality old men. On the topic of kissing ones spouse during the fast, Ibn Hazm stated: Verily it is a good deed, a sunnah from the sunnan, and a qurba from the qurab, a means of nearness to Allh the Most High, in following the sunnah of the Messenger The Prophet married during the month of Ramadn; whom from amongst his wives did he marry in that month? Zainab bint Khuzaimah. Even in minute matters of the home, the wives of the Prophet , and in particular Aishah, passed on this knowledge to the ummah so that they may benefit from his example.

Lesson 3 The practice of celebrating the birthday of the Prophet was in fact invented and established by the extreme shi Ftimid sect when in power in Egypt. Imm Malik was known to have said: Everyone after the Prophet will have his statements accepted and rejected except the inhabitant of that grave (pointing to the grave of the Prophet ).

Lesson 4 A scholar had entered a masjid one day where the people were arguing about the number of rakah for tarwh. He reminded them that maintaining brotherhood was obligatory whereas tarwh was sunnah.

Lesson 5 Agreed upon means that a hadith is found in both Bukhri and Muslim from the same narrator. Where a hadith is referred to as being recorded in Bukhri and Muslim, it is likely to have been recorded in each by different narrators. The Prophet delayed an immediate obligation, being hajj in the year 9AH, to the year after solely to avoid seeing the nakedness of the jahiliyyah Arabs; then what of us who live in a society where people are bombarded with explicit imagery through out the media. Bara al asliyyah: all people are born free of any obligation until the evidence is established for an obligation. The term shaykh can apply to the following people: i. ii. a person who is very old a person with a lot of knowledge

iii. a person who is very wealthy. Lesson 6 Many of the scholars are of the opinion that the names of the angels Jibral, Mikal, Isral, and Israfl all mean abdullh or servant of Allh. The Prophet was asked what one was permitted to wear whilst in ihrm but instead of listing what was permitted he listed what was prohibited; this makes more sense as there are only ever limited prohibitions and the hall is always more than the harm.

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Lesson 7 One should ignore the footnotes in the Darussalam print as there are a number of mistakes in the commentary provided. Sh. Bin Bz stated that without doubt for the people of imn and taqwa, a little takes them a long way in al Madnah. Many scholars have written a treatise on the hadith of Jbir regarding the hajj of the Prophet in a separate volume due to its many benefits e.g. Sh. Albani has written a book entitled Siffah Hajj an Nabi which seeks to explain the hajj of the Prophet through this hadith, and so has Sh. Uthaymn on this topic. It is also found at the end of Sh. Bill Phillips work on Hajj according the Qurn and sunnah. When the Prophet intended to perform hajj in 10AH, the people came from far and wide to perform hajj with him and learn their rites from him; so much so that Asm bint Umais, the wife of Ab Bakr , joins the hajj expedition and gives birth to Muhammad ibn Ab Bakr on the journey to Makkah. It was the sunnah of the Prophet to name items he owned; his camel was known as al Qaswa. The hadith of Jbir describes the talbya of the Prophet as being the talbya of tawhd, as it and the hajj as a whole is an exercise in tawhd. Even the smallest minute details of the Prophets hajj have been recorded, such as from which direction he entered Makkah and from which direction he exited. Compared with the majority of the companions, including his father, Ibn Umar was very insistent on following the Prophet in all things down to even some of the smallest details e.g. stopping at the exact places on a journey where the Prophet stopped.

Lesson 8 Ab Tufail was the last companion of the Prophet to pass away when he died in the year 110AH. This was the fulfilment of the prophecy of the Prophet who stated: Once the Prophet led us in the ish prayer during the last days of his life and after finishing it he said: Do you realise (the importance of) this night? Nobody present on the surface of the earth tonight will be living after the completion of one hundred years from this night Ibn Umar; Agreed upon: Bukhri 116 and Muslim [6479] 217 (2537). This hadith is also a refutation of those who claim that Kidr remains alive, as had he been alive he would have passed away in accordance with the hadith. Lesson 9 It can be seen from the actions of the Prophet in sa and in pelting the jamrt that it is better to make dua during and act of worship than after it.

Lesson 10 The shaytn is not sadder on any day other than the day of Araft as the doors of Allhs mercy are opened towards the ummah. If there is a person at Araft who thinks that Allh will not forgive him, such a person is the worst person on Araft one should have a positive view of Allhs mercy, even if one considers oneself the biggest sinner at Araft. The Prophet stated: The water of Zamzam is for whatever it is drunk for Ibn Mjah 3602

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Bulgh al Marm: Points of Benefit

Alkauthar Student Guild

Al Daynri reported that al Humaydi stated: We were with Sufyn ibn Uyayna, and he told us the hadth about the water of zamzam being drunk for what ever purpose it is drunk for. A man got up and left the gathering, then he came back and said, O Ab Muhammad, is the hadith which you have told us about the water of zamzam authentic? He replied Yes. The man said Just now I drank a bucket of zamzam so that you would tell me one hundred ahadith. Sufyn said, Sit down so he sat down and he told him one hundred ahadith. 3 Ibnul Mubarak was known to have said Oh Allh, Ibn Muammal told me from Abul Zubair from Jbir that the Messenger of Allh said: The water of zamzam is for whatever purpose it is drunk for, so O Allh, I am drinking it (to quench) my thirst on the Day of Resurrection. Ibn Abbs would say O Allh, I ask you for beneficial knowledge, plentiful provision and healing from every disease. 4 The heart of the Messenger was washed with zamzam in the famous incident early in his childhood. Al Hfiz al Irqi stated: The reason why the Prophets chest was washed with zamzam water was to make him stronger so that he could see the kingdom of heaven and earth, and Paradise and Hell, because one of the special qualities of zamzam is that it strengthens the heard and clams the soul. The report about the chest of the Prophet being washed with the water of zamzam is proven in the hadith of Ab Dharr , who reported that the Prophet said: My roof was opened when I was in Makkah, and Jibral came down and opened my chest, then he washed it with zamzam water. Then he brought a gold basin full of wisdom and faith, poured it into my chest, and closed it up again. Then he took me by the hand and ascended with me in to the first heaven (Bukhri 3/429) 5 The well of zamzam has now been flowing for 5,000 years. It is from the etiquettes of zamzam that if someone offers it to you it is similar to perfume; one should never refuse it. Other etiquettes include saying the basmallah, facing the qiblah, to take a breath thrice whilst drinking it, to praise Allh afterwards, to make lots of dua and to sprinkle some of it on ones head, face and chest. It is preferred to sit but one may stand due to the hadith of Ibn Abbs who reported that he gave the Prophet zamzam to drink whilst he was standing (Bukhri 3/492). 6 It is mustahab for the Muslims to drink zamzam, especially those on hajj or umrah. The companions and pious predecessors had performed many hajj in their lives; Ibn Umar performed more than 40, Imm Sufyan at Thawri performed more than 50 and Sh. Bin Bz performed more than 50 hajj. Arafa is named as it is because Ibrhim was taught the hajj mansik or rites there by the angels and Arafa means he knew in Arabic. Others consider it to be the place that Adam and Hawa first met whilst on earth and that dam arafa or recognised her there. Ibn Taymiyyah discusses whether one can obtain a financial benefit through performing a hajj badl or a hajj on behalf of someone else; he stated that if one takes money in order to perform the hajj that is permissible but if one performs the hajj in order to take the money that is not permitted i.e. the motivation is important and one should not make a profit though hajj.

3 4 5

From fatwa 1698 on www.islam-qa.com ibid ibid. 6 ibid.

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