Hamzah Raza

“When Sufism Turns Into a Trend We have always warned against the Wahhabis and their deviations. But we must also warn an even more intense warning against those who pretend to be from the Mutasawifin(those who strive to embark on the Sufi path). From the principles of true Sufism that its imams have spoken about is seclusion(khalwa) whether that be the seclusion of the soul and body, or for a select amount of days, or seclusion in society(khalwa fil jalwa) in which the traveler on the spiritual path(the salik) is with the creation but his heart is continuously with the Creator. As for someone who claims Sufism and Karamat and traveling the spiritual path, but he is always on his phone taking pictures of his every movement, sighs and expressions and utterances to people to show people his high station and sainthood and divine attraction, this is of the greatest deviations. And I’m utterly shocked by those who go to Masjid Al-Haram or the Rawda of the Prophet ﷺ carrying a camera with filters, filming and editing, and even live streaming the acts of tawaf or their visit to the Prophet ﷺ moment by moment. And the mud thickens until riding this trend becomes a profession and business for them. We stayed silent for a long time, but for Sufism to turn into a trend for buying, selling, and advertising oneself is a mockery that we can no longer stay silent on. Out of our genuine love for this person, we take them by their hand and say “Enough foolishness and mockery. Take your phone out of your hand. Don’t let people take pictures of you[as you perform such religious rites] and return to the oath of true Sufism. Don’t be hypocritical and fraudulent. Undo the arrogance of your ego and be transparent with people. Allah speaks the truth and guides to the right path.” Shaikh Ahmed Sharif Al-Azhari Al-Hanafi

A nice case of tasdiq(the ruling of something) depending upon one's tasawur(conceptualization) that the logicians talk about There is the famous riddle that “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” This boils down to the tasawur(conceptualization) of what constitutes "sound" If you mean emission of sound waves, then the tasdiq is yes. If you mean the first person experience of hearing something, then the tasdiq no.

In this Hadith, Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq narrates from his father, Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir, who narrates from Aisha Imam Muhammad was married to Umm Farwah(the mother of Imam Jafar), who was the daughter of Qasim b. Muhammad b. Abi Bakr, the grandson of Abu Bakr and nephew of Aisha رضي الله عنهم أجمعين

Imam Ibn Hazm said: "The life story of our master Muhammad ﷺ , for whoever reflects upon it, necessarily compels belief in him and bears witness that he is truly the Messenger of Allah — even had he no miracle other than his life story, that alone would have sufficed."

An amazing interview with Shaikh Hassan Shaafi, Shaikh of the Asharis in Egypt He is 98 years old and still active in his teaching, writing, and dawah. May Allah SWT give him good health and spread his benefit https://youtu.be/MnE-MB6dZ7M?si=85669XOZOiV-FZ3f

This is because those who received it with acceptance and acted upon it could not reasonably be imagined to have agreed upon accepting it unless there were some factor that united them in doing so. And there is nothing that could account for this except the establishment of the truthfulness of those among its transmitters who were qualified [to transmit it]. However, we only came to know this through inference and reasoning. Therefore, we called the knowledge established through it acquired knowledge, even though it is absolutely certain, placing it on the same level as knowledge of the existence of the Creator. Do you not see that abrogation (naskh) is established through reports of this kind? For through them an addition to the Book of Allah Most High can be established, and an addition to a textual ruling (naṣṣ) constitutes abrogation. Yet the abrogation of something that produces certain knowledge cannot be established except through something that likewise produces certain knowledge.” Source: Page 291 and 292 of Usul Al Sarakhsi, from Dar Al Kitab Al Arabi

Imam Sarakhsi mentions in his Usul that Imam Jassas includes Mashur as a category of Mutawatir. Yet the other scholars of the madhabb reject this. And when متواتر بلا شبهة is used in Usul books for the definition of Quran, it is responding to Jassas’s understanding of Mashur as a category of Mutawatir, and thus to exclude Mutawatir transmissions ثمَّ اخْتلف مَشَايِخنَا فِيمَا هُوَ متواتر الْفَرْع آحَاد الأَصْل من الْأَخْبَار وَهُوَ الَّذِي تسميه الْفُقَهَاء فِي حيّز التَّوَاتُر وَالْمَشْهُور من الْأَخْبَار فَكَانَ أَبُو بكر الرَّازِيّ (رحمه الله) يَقُول هَذَا أحد قسمي الْمُتَوَاتر على معنى أَنه يثبت بِهِ علم الْيَقِين وَلكنه علم اكْتِسَاب كَمَا قَالَ أَصْحَاب الشَّافِعِي فِي الْقسم الآخر وَكَانَ عِيسَى بن أبان (رحمه الله) يَقُول لَا يكون الْمُتَوَاتر إِلَّا مَا يُوجب الْعلم ضَرُورِيًّا فَأَما النَّوْع الثَّانِي فَهُوَ مَشْهُور وَلَيْسَ بمتواتر وَهُوَ الصَّحِيح عندنَا وَبَيَان هَذَا النَّوْع فِي كل حَدِيث نَقله عَن رَسُول الله ﷺ عدد يتَوَهَّم اجْتِمَاعهم على الْكَذِب وَلَكِن تَلَقَّتْهُ الْعلمَاء بِالْقبُولِ وَالْعَمَل بِهِ فباعتبار الأَصْل هُوَ من الْآحَاد وَبِاعْتِبَار الْفَرْع هُوَ متواتر وَذَلِكَ نَحْو خبر الْمسْح على الْخُفَّيْنِ وَخبر تَحْرِيم الْمُتْعَة بعد الْإِبَاحَة وَخبر تَحْرِيم نِكَاح الْمَرْأَة على عَمَّتهَا وعَلى خَالَتهَا وَخبر حُرْمَة التَّفَاضُل فِي الْأَشْيَاء السِّتَّة وَمَا أشبه ذَلِك أما أَبُو بكر الرَّازِيّ كَانَ يَقُول لما تَوَاتر نقل هَذَا الْخَبَر إِلَيْنَا من قوم لَا يتَوَهَّم اجْتِمَاعهم على الْكَذِب فقد أوجب لنا ذَلِك علم الْيَقِين وَانْقطع بِهِ توهم الِاتِّفَاق فِي الصَّدْر الأول لِأَن الَّذين تلقوهُ بِالْقبُولِ وَالْعَمَل بِهِ لَا يتَوَهَّم اتِّفَاقهم على الْقبُول إِلَّا بِجَامِع جمعهم على ذَلِك وَلَيْسَ ذَلِك إِلَّا تعين جَانب الصدْق فِي الَّذين كَانُوا أَهلا من رُوَاته وَلَكِن إِنَّمَا عرفنَا هَذَا بالاستدلال فَلهَذَا سمينا الْعلم الثَّابِت بِهِ مكتسبا وَإِن كَانَ مَقْطُوعًا بِهِ بِمَنْزِلَة الْعلم بِمَعْرِفَة الصَّانِع أَلا ترى أَن النّسخ يثبت بِمثل هَذِه الْأَخْبَار فَإِنَّهُ يثبت بهَا الزِّيَادَة على كتاب الله تَعَالَى وَالزِّيَادَة على النَّص نسخ وَلَا يثبت نسخ مَا يُوجب علم الْيَقِين إِلَّا بِمثل مَا يُوجب علم الْيَقِين Then our scholars differed regarding what is “mutawātir in its branches but āḥād in its origin” among reports. This is what the jurists call reports that fall within the category of mutawātir and mashhūr. Abū Bakr al-Rāzī رحمه الله used to say: “This is one of the two categories of mutawātir,” meaning that it establishes certain knowledge (ʿilm al-yaqīn), although it is acquired knowledge (ʿilm kasbī), just as the followers of al-Shāfiʿī said concerning the other category. ʿĪsā ibn Abān رحمه الله, however, used to say: “Mutawātir can only be that which necessarily produces knowledge.” As for this second type, it is mashhūr, but not mutawātir, and this is the correct position according to us. The explanation of this type is that it concerns every hadith transmitted from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ by a number of people such that it is inconceivable that they could have agreed upon a lie, but which the scholars subsequently received with acceptance and acted upon. Thus, considering its origin, it is an āḥād report, while considering its branch/transmission, it is mutawātir. Examples of this include the report concerning wiping over the leather socks (khuffs), the report concerning the prohibition of mutʿah after it had previously been permitted, the report concerning the prohibition of marrying a woman while simultaneously being married to her paternal aunt or maternal aunt, and the report concerning the prohibition of unequal exchange in the six ribā commodities, and similar reports. As for Abū Bakr al-Rāzī, he would say: “When the transmission of this report became mutawātir to us through people concerning whom it is inconceivable that they could have agreed upon a lie, this gave us certain knowledge. It also eliminated the possibility that there had been an agreement [upon the report] among the earliest generation.

The Importance of Being Balanced There are many people who are extremely intelligent and well-read, but not balanced in their approaches. Studying the Islamic tradition and the rational sciences in particular teaches one to be precise in the way that one speaks. A proper spiritual guide also helps one be balanced and prevents one from jumping to extremes. Often those who speak in extremes(such as this post above) are saying something that has truth but they are over-exaggerating it. For the reader, it is sometimes important for them to see the kernel of truth in the statement, and unpack the exaggerations. For example, the truth of the statement above is that “Persian is an important language to accessing numerous aspects of the Islamic tradition.” The exaggeration is what was written above.

The longest Hadith in Bukhari https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2731

An example of why I have concerns with “mental health awareness.” The idea is kind and makes sense: people have disorders, let’s find them and treat them. But in practice, you get things like this. Healthy young adults attended an ADHD awareness workshop. Before the workshop: 28% already believed they had ADHD. After: 58% despite no increase in symptoms. (The same paper tested a “nocebo education” that reduced this effect - an interesting concept) Sandra et al., 2025 doi: 10.1017/S0033291725101979

“Seek pleasure in three things: the [ritual] prayer, the remembrance of God’s name, and in the recitation of the Quran. If you find pleasure in these, fine. If not, then know that the door is shut.” -Imam Hasan Al-Basri

New link to book a one on one session with me: https://calendly.com/hamzahraza03

To Have Students is a Blessing Many know that the ability to seek knowledge is a blessing from Allah. The Prophet ﷺ tells us that “When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon them a deep understanding of Deen.”(Narrated in Bukhari and Muslim). This ability to gain a deep understanding of the religious sciences is a blessing that few people have. But amongst those given a blessing, even fewer get the blessing to be able to teach those texts. One of my first teachers in Egypt thanked me once after teaching me a text. He said he had studied this text many years prior, but he had never found anyone to teach it to until I arrive. Teaching has many blessings for the teacher. He is able to review the material and gain a stronger understanding of it. The questions of students also keep him on his toes. When the student practices what the teacher taught him or passes that knowledge on to others, it is also a Sadaqa jariya for the teacher. Students are an immense blessing. This knowledge is not something found between the covers of a book, but rather something found in the hearts of men and women. How blessed are the minority who have the opportunity to learn this knowledge. And even more blessed are the minority of the minority who have students who deem them to be vessels worthy of taking from. The one with the ability to seek ilm has been given a gift by his Lord. The one with ilm who has students has been given twice.

This introduction is sufficient to show that listening to instruments is not absolutely prohibited. Rather, the prohibition is connected to the accompanying circumstances, the context, and the intended purpose. Whenever these accompanying factors are righteous, the ruling follows accordingly.” -Mawlana Qasim Nanatawi, one of the elders of Deoband, as compiled in a work titled الخط المقسوم من قاسم العلوم Shared to be my dear brother, Mawlana Yusuf Rehan

“Some people, without examining the evidences and without investigating the issue carefully, have hastened to declare musical instruments categorically forbidden. They have claimed that the Qur’an explicitly states their prohibition. This is not the position of the majority (of scholars). Rather, most of them say that they are permissible, but become prohibited when they are associated with something else—such as when they are accompanied by unlawful matters. Thus, it is forbidden when it distracts from obedience to God, or when it incites temptation (fitnah). The truth is that this issue should not be made into a cause of division among people. Rather, you should know that differences of opinion in subsidiary matters are among the mercies granted to the believers in Islam. The scholars have differed regarding this issue, and you have before you the evidences. We hope that God will guide you to what is correct.

Going to start teaching a yearly class on marraige, divorce, and business transactions in Hanafi fiqh in case anyone is interested in joining. Link to register is below https://forms.gle/Nfv7XcXfphL7j4sr6

Ibn Abidin on musical instruments in his famous Hashiya that collects the relied upon position of the Hanafi madhabb “I say: This indicates that musical instruments are not intrinsically prohibited. Rather, they are prohibited because of the intention of wasting time(Lahow) associated with them, whether on the part of the one listening to it or the one playing it. This is also suggested by the genitive construction of calling them(instruments of Lahow). Do you not see that striking that very same instrument is halal in one instance and haram at another, depending on the difference in intention regarding listening to it? For matters are judged according to their intentions. In this is evidence for our Sufi masters who intend matters that they themselves know best. Therefore, the objector should not hasten to condemn them, lest he deprive himself of their blessings. Indeed, they are the noble leaders and the righteous people. May God the Most High support us through their spiritual assistance, and may He grant us a share of their righteous supplications and blessings.” أَقُولُ: وَهَذَا يُفِيدُ أَنَّ آلَةَ اللَّهْوِ لَيْسَتْ مُحَرَّمَةً لِعَيْنِهَا، بَلْ لِقَصْدِ اللَّهْوِ مِنْهَا إمَّا مِنْ سَامِعِهَا أَوْ مِنْ الْمُشْتَغِلِ بِهَا وَبِهِ تُشْعِرُ الْإِضَافَةُ أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّ ضَرْبَ تِلْكَ الْآلَةِ بِعَيْنِهَا حَلَّ تَارَةً وَحَرُمَ أُخْرَى بِاخْتِلَافِ النِّيَّةِ بِسَمَاعِهَا وَالْأُمُورُ بِمَقَاصِدِهَا وَفِيهِ دَلِيلٌ لِسَادَاتِنَا الصُّوفِيَّةِ الَّذِينَ يَقْصِدُونَ أُمُورًا هُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِهَا، فَلَا يُبَادِرُ الْمُعْتَرِضُ بِالْإِنْكَارِ كَيْ لَا يُحَرِّمَ بَرَكَتَهُمْ، فَإِنَّهُمْ السَّادَةُ الْأَخْيَارُ أَمَدَّنَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِإِمْدَادَاتِهِمْ، وَأَعَادَ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ صَالِحِ دَعَوَاتِهِمْ وَبَرَكَاتِهِمْ (حاشية ابن عابدين : ٣٥٠/٦)

“The spiritual traveler (salik) should be aware that in order to reach Allah, the path is only through his (Prophet Muhammad) ﷺ guidance. A wali can possess the power of perfection and guiding others only through and only from the light of the Holy Prophet’s power.” - Al-Suhrawardi in Awarif Al-Maarif The note here is to know that the shaykh is always understood in light of the Prophet ﷺ and any violation of the prophetic way is a violation regardless of the esteem that we hold for a shaykh.

From Mufti Taqi Usmani’s autobiography. When his father had a heart attack and he was in the hospital, and the famous Shia scholar, Rasheed Turabi, was in the hospital across the hall from him