Topic: Obligatory Knowledge

[samsparky]

FOREWORD

   Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, to Him belong the endowments and proper commendations. May Allah increase the honour of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, raise his rank, and protect his nation from what he fears for it. Thereafter;

   Allah, the Exalted, praised the status of knowledge in Surat al-Mujadalah, Ayah 11:

يَرْفَعِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ دَرَجَاتٍ

It means: [Allah raises the ranks of those amongst you who believed and acquired the knowledge.]

   Moreover, Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, to praise the status of knowledge, its teachers and its students. Ibn Majah related that the Prophet said: <<O Abu Dharr, if you go and learn one verse of the Qur’an it will be more rewardable for you than praying one hundred rak^ahs of the optional prayers; and if you go and learn a chapter of knowledge, it is more rewardable for you than praying one thousand rak^ahs of the optional prayers. >> Al-Bukhariyy related that the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said: <<When the [Muslim] son of Adam dies, his deeds stop except for three: a charity resulting in a continuing benefit, knowledge benefiting others, and a pious offspring making supplication to Allah for him. >>

   In an effort to comply with these precious principles of Islam, the Islamic Studies and Research Division of the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects endeavoured to prepare this work, which consists of two volumes. May Allah make it of a widespread benefit.

   We humbly ask Allah, ta^ala, to grant us the sincere intentions, endow His mercy on us, assemble us under the banner of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, and make us among the winners on the Day of Judgement.

[samsparky]

PREFACE

The Summary of ^Abdullah al-Harariyy
Esuring the Personal Obligatory Knowledge of the Religion

   As the title of the book indicates, The Summary of ^Abdullah al-Harariyy Ensuring the Personal Obligatory Knowledge of the Religion was authored to provide the student with the Obligatory Knowledge of the Religion-that portion of the Knowledge of the Religion which every accountable person is obligated to learn. The one who is ignorant of the Obligatory Knowledge of the Religion cannot be certain that one is performing any of the acts of worship–like prayers, purification, Hajj, or Zakah–in a valid manner. Moreover, one cannot be sure one is clear of committing any of the sins, e.g., the sins of the heart, hands, tongue, ear, eye, body, private parts, abdomen, foot, etc.

   If one wants to truly follow the Prophetصلى الله عليه وسلم , one has to first learn the Obligatory Knowledge of the Religion then implement it. In what pertains to the Obligatory Knowledge of the Religion, the Summary of ^Abdullah al-Harariyy is the most inclusive summary we have seen. The author is Shaykh ^Abdullah, the son of Muhammad, ash-Shaybiyy . He was born in the city of Harar, the capital of knowledge in Ethiopia (Abyssinia or al-Habashah). He sought the Religious knowledge from many shaykhs, among whom are: Shaykh Muhammad Ibn ^Abdis-Salam, who was a very pious Shafi^iyy scholar, Shaykh Muhammad Siraj al-Jabartiyy, who was the mufti of Habashah, and Shaykh Ahmad Ibn ^Abdil Muttalib, who was the Shaykh of the Reciters of the Qur’an in Makkah.

   These days, it is rare to find someone who has mastered as many different types of knowledge as Shaykh ^Abdullah has mastered. Shaykh ^Abdullah mastered the Science of Tawhid, the Science of Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), the Science of Hadith, the Science of the Arabic Language and Grammar, the Science of the different Recitations of the Qur’an, the Science of the Interpretation of the Qur’an, the Sciences of Calculation and Astronomy, the Science of the Fundamentals of Fiqh, and others. He has not only acquired many types of knowledge, but he also implements them, and he teaches them as well. He advises the people according to the laws of the Religion, ordering what is lawful and forbidding what is unlawful, while being sincerely kind and merciful to them. He is very humble in the matters of this life and detached from the worldly matters. He exerts a great deal of time, effort, and money in propagating the Religion of Allah. 

   It is our intention to explain the terms of his book without going into much detail, because the one who seeks to acquire the knowledge of the Religion should not rush to just gather a lot of information. Rather, one needs to go as slowly as is necessary for oneself to be careful and cautious in absorbing and comprehending the material. Az-Zuhriyy, one of the scholars among the followers of the Companions (Tabi^un) said:

(مَنْ طَلَبَ الحَدِيثَ جُمْلَةً فَاتَهُ جُمْلَةً)

It means: “The one who seeks the entire knowledge of the Hadith all at once misses that knowledge in its entirety.” By his statement, he meant that one should acquire this knowledge in steps—in a way to be sure that one comprehends it. It is the habit of the scholars to first explain a subject or a book by defining its terms, without giving much detail or mentioning many of the exceptions, and sometimes without mentioning all the restrictions involved regarding some matters. This is to enable the student to absorb the core of the material and to understand it. The next time they explain, they may give a more in-depth explanation if they see the student has thoroughly comprehended the material, and so on. In this context, Imam al-Bukhariyy said that some scholars explained the term, “rabbaniyyin ” to mean those who raise (teach) the people at first with the simple matters of the Religion, then later in more depth.

  The surname ash-Shaybiyy refers to that Shaykh ^Abdullah is from the tribe of Shaybah, a branch of Quraysh.

  In general rabbaniyy means العالم العامل i.e., a scholar who implements his knowledge.

Seeking the Knowledge of the Religion entails a great reward. At-Tirmidhiyy related that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

((مَنْ خَرَجَ فِى طَلَبِ العِلْمِ فَهُوَ فِى سَبِيلِ اللهِ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ))

It means: <<The reward of the one who goes out seeking the Knowledge is similar to the reward of the one who fights for the sake of Allah, and this is until one returns to one’s home. >> Hence, the reward of the one who goes out seeking the Knowledge of the Religion is similar to the reward of the mujahid  for the sake of Allah. Among the different levels in Paradise, there are one hundred (100) levels specified for those who fight for the sake of Allaah. Between one of these ranks and the next is a distance like the distance between the Earth and the sky. This is why Imam ash-Shafi^iyy said:

(طَلَبُ العِلْمِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَلاةِ النَّافِلَةِ)

It means: “Seeking the Knowledge of the Religion is more rewardable than performing the optional prayer.”

This is also why our Shaykh ^Abdullah al-Harariyy said:

(تَعْلِيمُ النَّاسِ العِلْمَ أَفْضَلُ من تَوزِيعِ المَالِ عليهم)

It means: “Spreading the Knowledge among the people is better or more important than distributing money among them.” With the Knowledge of the Religion, one fights the devils among the humans and the jinn, and one can fight his own evil inclinations. We ask Allah to facilitate for us this precious benefit.

Amin.


ءامين

  The mujahid is the one who fights for the sake of Allah.

[Hadi]

MachaAllah brother,

May God bless you....

[samsparky]

aameen & you

make du3aa' for me

[samsparky]

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim

Explanation: Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim means ‘I start with the Name of Allah.’ Allah is the name of the Self Whom we worship, the One attributed with Godhood, which is the power to create things (to bring things from the state of non-existence into the state of existence). Ar-Rahman means the One Who is merciful to the believers and the non-believers in this life, and merciful to only the believers in the Hereafter. Ar-Rahim means the One Who is merciful to only the believers in the Hereafter.

Introduction

Praise be to Allah (al-hamdu lillah), the Lord of the humans and jinn,

Explanation: The author started by praising Allah, thereby implementing the hadith of the Prophet sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam related by Abu Dawud:

((كُلُّ أَمْرٍ ذِى بَالٍ لا يُبْدَأُ بِحَمْدِ الله فَهُوَ أَقْطَعُ))

It means: <<Every religiously important matter which is not started with praising Allah falls short.>> The meaning of الحمد لله entails praising Allah for the uncountable endowments He endowed upon us.

the One Who is attributed with Life (al-Hayy),

Explanation: Allah is attributed with an eternal and everlasting Life which does not resemble our life. Allah’s Life is not the combination of soul, bones, and flesh.

the One Who does not need anything (al-Qayyum),

Explanation: Al-Qayyum is a name of Allah and means the One Who does not need anything, yet everything else needs Him. The scholars also said that al-Qayyum means the One Whose Existence does not end.

and the One Who manages all the creations.

Explanation: The (all-inclusive) management of all the creations is an attribute of Allah only. Allah is the One Who makes everything the way it is. Some creations may have a certain management over things, however, it is a management which is commensurate with them. In Surat an-Nazi^at, Ayah 5 Allah said:

{فَالْمُدَبِّرَاتِ أَمْراً}

In this ayah, Allah attributed a proportional management to the angels. The management of Allah includes everything, whereas the management of the angels is restricted to what Allah has willed for them to manage, and it is not similar to the management of Allah.

   This book is a summary, inclusive of most of the Obligatory Knowledge which every accountable person is obligated to know. This comprises the Obligatory Knowledge pertaining to Belief, issues from Purification (Taharah) up to Pilgrimage (Hajj), and some rules of dealings according to the school (madhhab) of Imam ash-Shafi^iyy. The sins of the heart and of other organs, such as the tongue, are also included.

Explanation: Every accountable person is obligated to know the aforementioned (obligatory) matters. Covered in this summary is the Obligatory Knowledge pertaining to Belief, Purification and Prayer, Zakah, Fasting, and Pilgrimage. The sins of the heart and of other parts of the body and the issue of repentance and its conditions are mentioned as well. The one who is not obligated to pay Zakah is not obligated to learn the details of paying Zakah. The same ruling applies to learning the details of Pilgrimage for the one who is neither able nor planning to perform it, and to learning the details of dealings which one is neither engaged in nor is obligated to perform.

The one who absorbs and understands the cases relating to the above issues eventually becomes among the People of Discrimination. That is he will be able to discriminate between what is good and what is bad, and between what is valid and invalid. What a great blessing this is!

The original book was written by the Hadramiyy  faqih (scholar): ^Abdullah Ibn Husayn Ibn Tahir.

Explanation: This book, The Summary of ^Abdullah al-Harariyy, is a summary of another book, titled Sullamut-Tawfiq, written by the Hadramiyy scholar, ^Abdullah Ibn Husayn Ibn Tahir al-^Alawiyy. ^Abdullah Ibn Husayn Ibn Tahir was born in 1191 AH. He acquired his knowledge from many well-known scholars. He spent some time in Makkah and in al-Madinah. He died in the year 1272 AH in Yemen.

   Shaykh ^Abdullah al-Harariyy eliminated certain parts of Sullamut-Tawfiq and added others. He changed still other parts—and the end result was this book, The Summary of ^Abdullah al-Harariyy.

   Many precious issues were added to the book. On the other hand, the section on Sufism  was omitted. Some sentences were changed in such a way that the subject would not be changed. In a few cases the author mentioned what some Shafi^iyy scholars, like al-Bulqiniyy, preponderated in an effort to clarify what was weak in the original book.

Explanation: This is the methodology of summarizing known to the scholars. The scholar who is summarizing another’s work might change some areas, add some topics, or omit other ones. In keeping with this methodology, Shaykh ^Abdullah al-Harariyy eliminated the chapters in the original book about Sufism. This by no means reflects disparaging true Sufism. Rather, it is because the basic subject of the Summary is to deal with the Personal Obligatory Knowledge of the Religion. The author also replaced some of the sayings that have less weight by sayings to which the scholars, like al-Bulqiniyy, have given more weight.

Al-Bulqiniyy mentioned here is Sirajud-Din ^Umar al-Bulqiniyy and is not either of his two sons. Al-Bulqiniyy attained a very high rank in many sciences such as the Fiqh, the Hadith, the interpretation of the Qur’an (Tafsir), and many other sciences as well. It was mentioned that he attained the rank of mujtahid. He lived in Egypt and died there in the year 805 AH. 

   Hence, one must pay due attention to this Obligatory Knowledge in order to have one’s deeds accepted. The author named it:

 

The Summary of ^Abdullah al-Harariyy,

Ensuring the Personal Obligatory Knowledge of the Religion

Explanation:[/b] There is a certain portion of the Knowledge of the Religion that every accountable person must learn. The Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said:

((طَلَبُ العِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلّ مُسلمٍ))

In this hadith related by al-Bayhaqiyy, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم told us: <<Seeking the Obligatory Knowledge of the Religion is an obligation upon every Muslim.>> Seeking this knowledge is an obligation on every accountable Muslim, whether male or female. This hadith was classified as hasan by Hafidh al-Mizziyy.

Since this book contains what is obligatory to learn of the religious knowledge, the student needs to pay due attention to it. The correct knowledge guides the person to the valid deed and the valid performance. Imam Muslim related from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that he said:

((إِنَّ الملائكَةَ لَتَضَعُ أجنحتَها لطالبِ العلمِ رِضًى بما يصنعُ))

It means: <<The angels lower their wings out of humbleness to the student seeking the Knowledge of the Religion, because of their delight with his deed.>>


Hadramiyy refers to that this scholar is from the land of Hadramawt in Yemen.
 
Sufism is a term describing the state of the pious Muslims who perform obedience to Allah in compliance with the Qur’an, Hadith, Ijma^, and sayings of the Companions while their hearts are detached from worldly interests.

[samsparky]

THE ESSENTIALS OF BELIEF
AND
RULES OF APOSTASY

Chapter 1
The Meaning of the Testification of Faith
(The Two Shahadahs)

   It is obligatory upon all the accountable persons to embrace the Religion of Islam, to remain steadfast to it, and to comply with what is obligatory upon them of its rules. This means that every accountable person must be Muslim, stay Muslim, and follow the rules of Islam.

Explanation: It is obligatory upon the one who is accountable but not Muslim to embrace Islam immediately. One is accountable if one is sane, pubescent, and has received the basic message of Islam. Sane (^aqil) means not crazy. The male becomes pubescent when one of two matters occurs: he discharges his maniyy  or he becomes 15 lunar years old. The woman becomes pubescent by one of three matters: she discharges her maniyy, she becomes 15 lunar years old, or she menstruates.

One is considered as having received the message of Islam if one received the basic message. For example, if one heard (and understood) the Testification of Faith (No one is God except Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah), one has received the basic message. To become accountable, it is not a condition that the person receives the details of the creed. Hence, if the non-Muslim was pubescent, sane, and received the basic message, it is obligatory for him to embrace Islam immediately. If he does not, and he dies in that state of blasphemy, then he deserves the everlasting torture in Hellfire.

The one who does not receive the basic message of Islam will not be tortured in Hellfire. This is so because Allah said in Suratul-Isra’, Ayah 15:

{وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولاً}

It means that Allah will not punish (in the Hereafter) those who do not receive the basic message (the creed of Islam) of any prophet. Such people are not accountable.

Maniyy is a term used equally for men and women. It refers to the sexual spermatic fluid of the man, and the corresponding sexual fluid of the woman.

[samsparky]

Likewise, the person who dies before pubescence will be safe in the Hereafter, even if he worshipped a stone. Likewise, the person whose insanity continues until after pubescence and dies will be safe in the Hereafter.

To become Muslim is an easy matter: One believes in one’s heart in the meanings of the Testification of Faith and utters it with one’s tongue—either in Arabic or any other language (even if one knows Arabic). In English, one says:

“I testify that no one is God except Allah,
and (I testify) that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”

or uses other words which give the aforementioned meaning. One does not become Muslim if one does not utter the Testification of Faith—even if one holds the proper belief in one’s heart.

   Among what one must know, believe in, and utter immediately if one was a blasphemer is the Testification of Faith, which is: “I testify that no one is God except Allah and (I testify) that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” In the prayer, the Muslim must say the Testification of Faith in Arabic by saying:

أشْهَدُ أَنْ لا إلهَ إلا اللهُ وأَشْهَدُ أنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسولُ اللهَِ

Ash-hadu alla ilaha illallah,
wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadar-Rasulullah.

Explanation:[/b] Without delay, the blasphemer must utter the Testification of Faith to become Muslim. The Muslim must utter the Testification of Faith in the last tashahhud of every prayer for the validity of that prayer. The statement sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam is not part of the Testification of Faith. Hence, one is not required to utter it. This statement is rewardable to say after mentioning the name of Prophet Muhammad. It means: may Allah raise the rank of Prophet Muhammad and protect his (Muslim) Nation from what he fears for them.   

The meaning of Ash-hadu alla ilaha illallah is: “I know, believe, and declare that nothing deserves to be worshipped except Allah”,

Explanation: This means that I firmly believe in my heart and declare with my tongue that nothing deserves to be worshipped except Allah. Some people worship things other than Allah. For example, some people worship Buddha. Some people worship Prophet Jesus. Some people worship idols. Some people even worship the devil. All these things are worshipped unrightfully. Allah is the only One Who deserves to be worshipped. As defined by Imam Taqiyyud-Din as-Subkiyy (d. 756 AH), who was a well-known scholar of Fiqh, the fundamentals of the Religion, the interpretation of the Qur’an, the Arabic language, and other sciences, “worship” is غَايةُ الخُضُوعِ والخُشُوعِ, which means the ultimate submission and humbleness (to someone else). Ar-Raghib al-Asbahaniyy, the famous linguist, established the same definition for “worship” in his book, Mufradatul-Qur’an. So, worship is not simply ‘to call upon one’, ‘to fear one’, or ‘to be hopeful of one’. Rather, calling upon, fearing of, or being hopeful of something entails worship only when linked to and associated with the ultimate submitting and humbling of oneself to that thing.

Who is One (al-Wahid),

Explanation: Allah is One (Wahid) means Allah does not have a partner with Him in Godhood. ‘One’ here does not refer to a number. Numbers can increase or decrease, be added to or subtracted from, and can be divided. For example, to say ‘one person’ does not mean that this person has no partners in humanity. Rather, it is mentioned in the context of a number, i.e., he is one among others. Moreover, others are similar to him in certain aspects. However, when we refer to Allah as ‘One’ it means ‘the One Who does not have a partner.’
Imam Abu Hanifah (d. 150 AH), may Allah raise his rank, said in al-Fiqh al-Akbar:

(واللهُ واحدٌ لا من طريقِ العددِ ولكنْ مِن طريقِ أَنَّه لا شريكَ لهُ)

It means: “Allah is One, not in the context of numbers, but in the context that He does not have any partner.”

[Advisor]

aameen & you

make du3aa' for me

May Allah Bless you Sister.

[samsparky]

aameen and you

[samsparky]

Indivisible (al-Ahad),

Explanation: Some scholars said al-Ahad has the same meaning as al-Wahid, i.e., there is no partner to Allah in His Godhood. Others said al-Ahad means ‘the One Who is indivisible,’ because He is not a body.

without a beginning (al-Awwal), Eternal (al-Qadim),

Explanation: Al-Awwal and al-Qadim have the same meaning which is ‘the One Whose Existence is without a beginning.’ His Existence is without a beginning means His Existence was not preceded by a state of non-existence. Allah alone is the One Who is attributed with this attribute. The existence of all things other than Allah has a beginning. This matter is among the fundamentals of the Muslim’s belief. Anyone who believes otherwise is not a Muslim.

Alive (al-Hayy), the One Who does not need anything (al-Qayyum),

Explanation: Allah is Alive and His Life is without end. Allah is attributed with an eternal and everlasting Life which does not resemble our life. As mentioned in the introduction, Allah does not need anything, but all the creation is in need of Allah.

Everlasting (ad-Da’im),

Explanation: The Everlasting means ‘the One Whose Existence does not end.’ Allah is Everlasting because that which ends must have had a beginning, and therefore it must be a creation, and not the Creator.

the Creator (al-Khaliq),

Explanation: The Creator means ‘The One Who brings everything from the state of non-existence into the state of existence.’ Nothing among the creations comes into existence except by the creating of Allah. The slave and his actions exist by the creating of Allah. All of us, including our doings, thoughts, and inclinations are created by Allah. The slave does not create anything. The slave does not bring anything from the state of non-existence into the state of existence. Rather, the slave only acquires his deeds. He directs his intention towards a particular deed, but Allah is the One Who creates that deed.

Likewise, causes do not create any of their results. The fire (cause) does not create burning (result). The knife (cause) does not create cutting (result). The bread (cause) does not create the feeling of satisfaction from hunger (result). Water (cause) does not create the quenching of thirst (result). The sun (cause) does not create warmth (result). Rather, these are causes followed by results and their Creator is Allah. At the point when the fire comes in contact with a certain combustible material, Allah creates the burning in that material. Had Allah not willed for that particular body to burn as a result of touching the fire, He would not have created the burning, and by consequence, it would not have burnt. This was the case with Prophet Ibrahim عليه السَّلام. He was put into a large, raging fire—yet he was not burned—because Allah did not create the attribute of burning (cause) in that fire nor did He create the burning in Ibrahim (result).

This case is also among the fundamentals of the creed. The one who believes that there is something or someone who shares with Allah the attribute of creating (of bringing things from non-existence into existence) is not a Muslim, even if he claims so.