Darul Fath Public

One of Darul Fath’s core foundational goals is to bring the “Rihla” nearer to us. Many students of Darul Fath are physicians, PhDs, lawyers, etc., excelling in their respective fields. More than half of them are also parents. For many students, despite being incredibly brilliant and dedicated, traveling to the Muslim world for a long time may not be possible for them. If they were to immerse themselves in the Islamic tradition, they would be a tremendous resource to the Muslim community due to their level of accomplishment in their respective fields. So Darul Fath aims to bridge that gap.. by bringing scholars who have taken knowledge from incredibly diverse backgrounds- Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Mauritania, Damascus, Pakistan, Yemen, and other places- and creating an environment where students can seek knowledge from these great traditions without needing to leave the country.

Travel Beyond Your Borders As I was reading the brilliant book Al-Qawl al-Fasl by the last Shaykh al-Islam Mustafa Sabri, he lamented in the footnote that sadly some scholars don’t travel beyond their borders to know scholarship that exists in other countries. While he was specifically referring to the situation in Egypt at his time, this complaint is quite intensified by the borders that have divided the post-colonial Muslim world. The rihla has always been part and parcel of the traditional seeking of knowledge such that our predecessors wouldn’t consider a student seriously unless he has travelled. Different schools of learning spread across the Muslim world employ different methods and varying curriculum with a special focus got each. While complementing each other, each has brilliance in one or more area. A seeker or a scholar can only excel when they appreciate these differences. They become aware of the depth and richness of the tradition let alone the confidence they have when they see the lived tradition in its various contexts. Students of knowledge as well scholars need to travel beyond their own borders to appreciate - in addition to the above - that knowledge is so vast that it cannot be contained in one location or in one school or by one person. While certain centers of learning like Al-Azhar continue to be a beacon of guidance and scholarship, there are hidden gems in every corner as they say in Arabic. وكم في الزوايا خبايا وكم في الناس من بقايا

The esteemed hadith scholar, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah (may Allah have mercy on him) states: "It is unfortunate that many who are affiliated with the scholarly community today, once they have obtained a certificate, achieved a position, or gained prestige, show little enthusiasm for continuing their pursuit of knowledge and expanding it. You see them grow in their status but their knowledge diminishes and shrinks until it almost vanishes. They seek to meet people and do not mind spending an hour, two, or three in empty conversations and trivial talks. Their concern becomes rising in ranks, salaries, and leadership, not in the development, verification, exploration, and deepening of knowledge. Indeed, to Allah we belong."

Some have an idea that they should only study with scholars of one particular scholarly tradition such as only Azharis or only traditional Mauritanians etc. However, when you read the biographies of ulama you find that it was always a point of praise when the scholar sought knowledge from ulama of different backgrounds. One thing one of my teachers constantly drilled in our heads was that curriculums are not Qur'an and Sunnah what matters is getting to mastery in the sciences. What one should look for are teachers who generally have the same approach to knowledge even if they come from different backgrounds and stick to a curriculum until they acquire the foundations of each science. After that branching out to study from scholars of different backgrounds should be like a requirement given that technology has made it so easy to communicate. One should also keep in mind that all who studied on the general methodology of Ahlus Sunnah have a lot more in common than not. That is why when you sit with sunnis in any part of the world there are clear attributes that are a common denominator between them. One of my friends who studied in Pakistan visited Cairo and attended the mawlid at Al Azhar. He was struck by how familiar he found everything and remarked "subhanAllah, sunnis are sunnis wherever you go in the world."

Assalamualaykum everyone, Insha Allah, I will be teaching a class on Mondays going over Usul ul-Fiqh, which is the study of the principles that Fiqh is built off of. It is referred to as one of the two foundations of Islam, the other being Usul ul-Din (Aqida). We will be going over two beginner texts: Qurrat ul-'Ayn by Imam Al-Hattab which is a commentary on Imam Al-Juwayni's famous primer on Usul called Al-Waraqat. I will also be going over a book by Imam Abdul Qadir Al-Faasi, called Khulasat ul-Faasi (The Compendium of Al-Faasi) on Usul ul Fiqh. I translated both of these books and this is a good way for me to review and edit the book drafts before they are published insha Allah. The class requires basic prior knowledge of Fiqh and Aqida. Basic proficiency in Arabic will also be important. We'll be doing it online insha Allah on Mondays 7:30-9:30. It will be beneficial for all madhabs. We will start July 1st insha Allah. https://t.me/+XErIJo3y2NthZDUx

When Tasawwuf is mentioned, it is usually associated with spirituality and rectification of the self (تهذيب النفس). While these two are probably the most important facets of Tasawwuf, the fact is that Tasawwuf is an extremely vast and multifaceted science just like Fiqh and Aqida and it should be studied in the same way: from books with the guidance of teachers. There is a misconception (even among self-proclaimed Sufi shaykhs) that Tasawwuf is learned solely through direct tutelage of a Shaykh and reading books on Tasawwuf is a waste of time. This cannot be further from the truth. If reading about Tasawwuf was a waste of time, then writing about it must be an even greater waste of time. In essence, those self-proclaimed Sufi shaykhs are accusing the great Awliya who penned books on Tasawwuf such as Ibn Ataillah Al-Iskendari, Sidi Ahmed Zurruq, Imam Al-Sha’rani and others of wasting their time in writing their books. A student of knowledge should find teachers in Tasawwuf that can teach them the books of the great masters of Tasawwuf. Below, is a small example of just a few sub-genres of topics in Tasawwuf. While a Murid (seeker) may be content with knowledge of just rectification of the self, a student of knowledge should strive to understand Tasawwuf from all facets. - Rectification of the Self: Books such as Adab Suluk il-Murid by Imam Al-Haddad, Taj al-‘Arus by Ibn Ataillah and many others. - Recognizing Spiritual Diseases: Books like Matharat al-Qulub - Fiqh Rulings Related to the Heart: Books like Maharim ul-Lisan or the Kitab ul-Jami’ found at the end of Fiqh books - Rulings Related to Sufi Orders and Their Pitfalls: Books like Usul il-Tariq by Sidi Zarruq or Al-Mabahith Al-Asliyya - Foundational Source Books: Like Al-Risala Al-Qushayriyya or Kashf al-Mahjub - Reconciliation of Problematic (Mushkil) Statements: Sections from Idaat al-Dujunna by Imam Al-Maqari or the works of Imam Al-Sha’rani and Suyuti on Ibn Arabi - Summaries (Mukhtasarat): Al-Hikam by Ibn Ataillah, Qawaid Al-Tasawwuf by Zarruq, the Tasawwuf section of Ibn Ashir - Devotional Poetry: too many to count… If a student wants to master knowledge of Tasawwuf, then they must also approach these books as well, no different than any other science. There are beginner books, intermediate books, and advanced books. The above topics mentioned are merely a fraction of the various facets of Tasawwuf. We ask Allah to give us baraka in our time and let us follow in the footsteps of the Awliya and Ulema.

Shaykh Sa'eed Foudah recently mentioned in a Q&A that the genius behind the Sanusiyyaat is that they are in order of difficulty. As a child you'd start off with al-'Aqida al-Hafida, then you can progress onto al-Muqaddimaat and al-Sughra, then onto al-Wusta, then onto al-Kubra. Once you have traversed the Sanussiyaat, he says, you won't find any difficulty in reading most Kalam books. Many Kalam books have been penned, but they weren't written to be taught or instructed, but that is where Imam al-Sanusi's works come in: they are as such. Shaykh Sa'eed mentioned a number of books by Imam al-Juwayni and Imam al-Ghazali and said how all of those were written for an advanced audience. The take-away from all of this: the Sanusiyyaat are an excellent series to start with and progress through. Once you've completed them, everything else will become accessible in sha Allah.

Are you interested in joining a full-time scholarship program? Darul Fath is conducting a survey to measure interest in a full-time scholarship program, in-person, in NJ. If you are interested, please fill out this Google Forms survey: https://forms.gle/aX3tuZXRNZGRaL9L9

[THE SCHOLARS OF HANAFISM: 11] NAJM AL-DIN AL-NASAFI Najm al-Din, the polymath of Nasaf, studied with over 500 shaykhs and authored exemplary works across disciplines. He would teach and give fatawa to both humans and jinns, and was thus known as mufti al-thaqalayn. He died in Samarkand, and was buried in the Graveyard of the Fuqaha beside al-Maturidi. #Hanafi #Hanafism #HanafiSchool #HanafiMadhhab #HanafiSanad #Fuqaha #Fiqh #ImamAbuHanifa

Darul Fath is pleased to announce enrollment for its new cohort of part- time students! For a limited time, we are accepting new students for the upcoming semester, with free enrollment Arabic program for FREE ($350 value) for accepted students. All information is available here, and on the website. Register at darulfath.org/apply

قال الإمام السنوسي: «من فقد شيوخ التربية فليكثر من الصلاة على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فإنه يصل بها إلى مقصوده» قال الشيخ في حاشيته: «وقد ذكر فوائد الصلاة على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم العديد من المشايخ المحققين في الشريعة، ومن ذلك ما قاله الإمام العلامة زروق في كتاب "قواعد التصوف" في قاعدة 114 ص86: والذكر منشور الولاية، فمن أعطى الذكر فقد أعطي المنشور، قال شيخنا أبو العباس الحضرمي رضي الله عنه: وعليك بدوام الذكر وكثرة الصلاة على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وهي سلَّم، ومعراج، وسلوك إلى الله تعالى إذا لم يلق الطالب شيخا مرشدا» الخصم عبر الرابط: http://wa.me/962790924582

From Al-Sharnubi's commentary on the Hikam: عجيب لمن يبغي عليك شهادة وأنت الذي أشهدته كل مشهد "What a strange thing, the one who desires testimony of You... While You are the One who showed him everything there is to testify!" In other words, what a strange thing it is to crave a sign of Allah's existence when were it not for him, nothing would exist at all.

ON PEDAGOGICAL LICENSE A reader of traditional commentaries of books from the Islamic written tradition will often find scholars saying, (وفي كلام المصنف تسامح). Translated literally, it means “in the author’s speech, there is forbearance.” In other words, the commentators are saying that the author is taking pedagogical license in order to get a point across. What is Tasamuh? Literally, Tasamuh translates to forbearance or indulgence. But in the nomenclature of Islamic texts, Tasamuh is a word often used by commentators to describe when an author says something in a slightly inaccurate way due to a pedagogical exigency: if he were to say the same thing but in a perfectly accurate way, he would have to be much more verbose and pedantic. Rather than doing that, he says the same meaning in a simplified way since both the reader and the author understand the point that is being made. This is a fundamental principle in how commentators understand the books of the Islamic tradition through a charitable lens, allowing them to engage with the text in a more substantive way and directly engage with the scholar’s ideas. Charitable Interpretation vs. Critical Reading: Understanding this is one of the key differences between how the Muslims interact with the turath (written Islamic tradition) compared to how Orientalists and innovators interact with the tradition. When faced with two possible readings of the text, where one text implies a mistake or deficiency on the part of the author, while the other reading implies a correct understanding, commentators will assume that the author meant the correct reading. This should not be mistaken to mean that Muslims lack objectivity and do not critical analyze texts. More advanced texts, such as the glosses of Sharh Al-Aqaid Al-Nasafiyya constantly explore all possibilities, including the far-fetched ones. In contrast, when Orientalists and enemies of the tradition read, they typically default to the least charitable reading of the text as if to expose the author’s stupidity or incoherence. This prevents them from ever engaging with the actual meanings that the author was trying to convey. Why Read Charitably? The proof for why texts of the great Imams are read charitably are too many to list, so a few wil suffice: - Scriptural: when Muslims deal with each other, they should have husn al-dhann and assume the best of each other. -Rational: Is it more likely that the author, usually a master of all of the sciences of Islam, made an elementary mistake, or is it more likely that he assumed that the reader was a mature adult who would understand what he meant. -Habitual: One of the mujarrabat (norms of the world) is that when one deals with others charitably, others deal with them charitably as well. A commentary brimming with criticism against a book is less likely to be read by students than a commentary that reveals the gems, jewels, and the ocassional pebble. And Allah knows best.

الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيدنا ونبينا محمد إمام المرسلين الصادق الوعد الأمين الهادي إلى صراط المستقيم By the will and mercy of Allah, we completed another text in Kalam today with our Year 1 students. It is a book titled Irshad Al Murid by Imam Ibn Ghalbun, taught by Shaykh Murabit Benavidez. We ask Allah to reward, benefit, and forgive the author of the foundation of the book, Imam Al-Sanusi, the author Ibn Ghalbun, and the Shaykh who taught it to us.

DARUL FATH SUMMER INTENSIVE 2024 UNVEIL Assalamualaykum! We are proud to unveil our Summer Intensive for 2024.. a full Arabic intensive! This is our flagship intensive for 2024 and will be for 8 weeks from June-August insha Allah. There are tracks for students of all skill levels, including absolute beginners. By the end of this program, students will see DRASTIC improvements in the Arabic fluency, especially their understanding of Qur’an. Sign up for this limited opportunity before seats are sold out! All books and materials are included in the cost of the program. https://www.darulfath.org/summerprogram

'Allāmah Mankūbars (652 AH) writes: “Furthermore, in their (Abū Hanīfah, Abū Yūsuf & Muhammad bin al-Hasan) affirmation of the beatific vision without encompassment and modality, there is an allusion that vision does not entail the resemblance of the observed, nor his encompassment or modality. Rather, the observed is seen as it is just like he is [known as it is] with knowledge. Indeed, knowledge does not entail anything [from that]. Rather, it is known as it is. Henceforth, if the observed is of modality, then it is seen with modality. And if it is not of modality, then it is seen without it. Therefore, Allāh is seen without encompassment and modality, just like He is known without encompassment and modality. [An-Nūr al-Lāmi']

From the red flags of a shaykh are that they make you believe they are the only source to truly understand the uloom.

The event with Shaykh Tahseen Khan was an immense success! It was packed with extremely meticulous, well-presented, and thorough argumentation backed by logical principles and scriptural sources. The food (catered from Mazadar Afghan Catering) was sponsored by two brothers who asked to remain anonymous. They only asked for our duaas, so we ask you to make duaa for them and their families, to raise their rank and protect them and make them and their family from among the Awliya and Salihin.