KR

2. What are the implications of this position? It becomes a Madhhab agnostic issue for the most part, in spite of any ancient differences between the jurist scholars on the topic.

7. Are there any other implications of this standpoint? Yes. When it is the night after the 29th day of any month, if it is impossible to view the crescent, it would NOT be Sunnah to call people to seek out the crescent (unlike what Qamar Uddin of ICOUK and some members of the Wifaq UK do).

At 1:44:05, he acknowledges that moon cannot be seen but still orders people out to look for the moon!

Literally or Literately? Understanding the Six Fasts of Shawwal Scholars have long debated the authenticity of the ḥadīth regarding the six fasts of Shawwāl. This article is not about that. Those interested in that topic can read Dr Yusuf Shabbir’s treatise on it, titled An Expositive Treatise on the Six Fasts of Shawwāl. Rather, the point of discussion in the current article is about how to interpret it — that there is a logic that underpins it. Read here: https://siblingsofilm.com/understanding-the-six-fasts-of-shawwal/

مع الأسف الشديد، هذه الصورة تمثّل علاقة عامة الناس بالقرآن. نسأل الله أن يجعلنا ممن يحلّ حلاله، ويحرّم حرامه، ويعمل بمحكمه، ويؤمن بمتشابهه، ويتلوه حق تلاوته.

Learn to situate fatwas from colonial contexts in their appropriate time and place. If a scholar today argued that raising up a rainbow flag is prohibited, he wouldn't need to expressly state his reasoning for you to understand his rationale, and that the flag is a symbol of an ideology that advocates that which corrupts society and is displeasing to God. Now, if someone 200 years from now were to copy-and-paste this conclusion and disregard its context (and the fact that symbols and their representations change with time), you'd obviously say that he's misunderstood the ruling he's claiming to adopt. Copy-and-pasting here means absolutely nothing; he's simply failed to understand the context and rationale and is tunnel visioned on the conclusion. And this is exactly what it looks like when people take strict verdicts on appearance and imitation (tashabbuh) regarding western culture from colonial contexts. Why someone would copy-and-paste them and present them as timeless laws is really beyond me.

By Siraj Oldham. I found this to be a solid read.

Oversubscribed hence closed.

FYI my Telegram handle is @IsmailIbrahimMS. Six places taken.

Salam. I’m looking for ten native speakers of Arabic or Alimiyyah graduates who have not yet embarked upon a Tahfiz ‘l-Quran programme - but who are yearning to do so - to contact me privately if they want to be guineapigged at a thematic approach to memorisation, from now until next Ramadan. This is a 12-month programme. The programme requires a high degree of discipline, dedication, and self-initiation, with the Hifz student expected to appoint his/her own revision partner. Progress will be monitored on a monthly basis to remain on the programme. References are required for Arabic language proficiency in reading, speaking, and understanding. This is a trial hence no fees. Update: Admissions closed due to oversubscription.

Every year we receive questions about whether sisters can merge their missed fasts with the six fasts of Shawwal. These (nafl) fasts aren’t arbitrary — there’s a logic that underpins them. Below is a thread that discusses the issue in detail. https://x.com/shahinrahmanuk/status/1525170615954440192

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wafVSVf7Nd4 (Thanks to S. Shahin for all the technical infrastructure behind this piece)

Ismail Ibrahim | The Shaykhology Podcast EP:11 #shaykhabdulmajid #shaykhology #islam #deen - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjFEkUMtPeg

You make an interesting point. Saudi Arabia is very proactive in claiming world records for infrastructure, culture, and even religious achievements—making sure Guinness is there to certify everything, even its many religious achievements and even those that it is notoriously infamous for. Yet, when it comes to crescent moon sighting, which plays a crucial role in their religious calendar, the process remains opaque and unverifiable. If they were as confident about their lunar sightings as they are about their tallest flagpoles and biggest light shows, they’d invite Guinness to document the earliest crescent sighting with scientific precision. But instead, they rely on closed-door committees, unverified testimonies, and last-minute announcements, making it look less like a transparent process and more like an exclusive club with secret rules. If they truly hold the record for the earliest sighting, why not make it official? Why not provide live footage, telescope data, and independent verification like they do for everything else? The fact that they don’t raises serious doubts about these early sighting claims. It’s clearly not humility why they repeatedly fail to register their early crescent sighting records with Guinness.

Saudi Arabia holds several Guinness World Records related to religious achievements: • Highest Prayer Room Within a Skybridge: The Sky Mussalah, located on the 36th floor of the Address Jabal Omar Hotel in Makkah, is recognized as the highest prayer room within a skybridge, measuring 165.013 meters (541 feet 4.06 inches) above ground. • Greatest Prize Money for a Call of Prayer (Adhan) Competition: The General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia organized an Adhan competition with a total prize pool of $533,333.33 USD, marking the largest prize money for such an event. • Largest Qur’an Reciting Competition: The “Otr Al Kalam” competition in Riyadh saw 33,506 participants, setting the record for the largest Qur’an recitation contest. • Most Elevated Mosque: The King Abdullah Mosque, situated on the 77th floor of the Kingdom Centre in Riyadh at 183 meters (600 feet) above ground level, holds the record for the world’s highest mosque. These records highlight Saudi Arabia’s dedication to promoting and celebrating its religious heritage through remarkable architectural and cultural initiatives.

Saudi Arabia has pursued several Guinness World Records that, while notable, have drawn criticism and been perceived by some as attempts to divert attention from human rights concerns. Critics argue that these records, often achieved through paid consultations with Guinness World Records, serve as public relations efforts to improve the country’s image. Examples of such records include: • Largest Dental Hospital: King Saud University Dental Hospital holds this title. • Largest Covered Water Reservoir for Storing Drinking Water: A significant infrastructure achievement recognized by Guinness. • Largest Multi-Effect Distillation Desalination Unit: Reflecting advancements in water desalination technology. • Largest Paint Store: A record highlighting the scale of retail operations. • Largest Intellectual Property Lesson: An educational initiative involving a large number of participants. While these accomplishments demonstrate Saudi Arabia’s commitment to large-scale projects and infrastructure development, they have been labeled by some as “stunningly boring achievements.” Critics suggest that focusing on such records may be an attempt to “whitewash” the country’s human rights record. It’s important to note that Guinness World Records maintains that record-breaking is an inclusive endeavor, open to participants worldwide, regardless of background.

Here are some Guinness World Records held by Saudi Arabia that they take great pride in: • Noor Riyadh Light Art Festival (2022) • Largest light art festival (201 installations) • Most drones performing an aerial dance display (1,990 drones) • Largest laser show (14,459,160 m²) • Longest laser light show (6.01 km) (Source) • Al-Ahsa Oasis (2020) • Largest self-contained oasis (85.4 km²) • Over 2.5 million palm trees • Sustained by more than 280 artesian springs (Source) • Jeddah’s Tallest Flagpole (2014) • World’s tallest unsupported flagpole (171 meters) • Flag size: 32.5m x 49.35m (Source) • Largest Burger Restaurant – “I’M Hungry” (2019, Jeddah) • Restaurant size: 2,860 m² (30,784 ft²) (Source) • Maraya Concert Hall (AlUla) • Largest mirrored building (9,740 m² of mirrored facade) (Source) • Largest Camel Sports Festival (King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, 2019) • Over 11,186 camels participated • Recognized as the biggest camel gathering in the world • Largest Hand-Woven Carpet (Grand Mosque, Mecca) • Covers over 5,630 m² • Fastest Growing Airline (Saudia, 2017) • Saudia was recognized as the fastest-growing airline in passenger numbers • Biggest Firework Display (2018, Riyadh Season) • Set a new record for synchronized fireworks across multiple locations Saudi Arabia continues to push boundaries in various fields, from culture and architecture to technology and entertainment.

Here you have another non-knowledgeable Muslim journalist flip flopping. This was all in the space of 24 hours! Activism and journalism are no substitutes to the proper study of Islam. Just because you defend Gaza in the media doesn’t make you qualified to chime in with your tuppence on moonsighting.

This Mr Adnan Rashid deleted his post. There are some errors based on lapse. These are forgivable. Then there are errors based on a combination of a lack of study and gross incompetence. Mr Adnan Rashid falls under the latter. Activism isn’t a substitute for Islamic knowledge.

Imam Ashraf Ali Thanwi on the importance of Suyuti's al-Itqan

Imam Ashraf Ali Thanwi on the ettiquette of defending the Hanafi School and leaving it at that, as opposed to striving to prove it is stronger than other schools, which he feels is unbecoming.

Imam (Imam) Ashraf Ali Thanwi on reading behind someone not of your madhhab. Note he correctly makes a distinction in the attitudes of the Muta'akhkhirun and the Mutaqaddimun, the latter of whom had a greater flexibility.