KR

9. Mufti Taqi Usmani did not revise the book Fatawa Usmani. It was compiled by one of his students. In the foreword (written 20 years ago), Mufti Taqi himself admits he did not check the book cover to cover, but gave the project his blessing. Whether he was still of the same view vis-a-vis Witr when he wrote the foreword is anybody’s guess. What is incontrovertible is that this is no longer his view. It is not a condition for a scholar to say "I retract" - although that would have been ideal, but retractions can be deduced, as in this case. Those who cannot comprehend this to be a retraction are by default saying Mufti Taqi Usmani contradicted himself. In conclusion, the answer provided by the mufti duo is baseless in more ways than one. The answer is wrong, the citation from Mufti Taqi was wrong, and Mufti Taqi’s answer from 1960 was wrong. Any so-called mufti who continues to misrepresent Mufti Taqi or rely on his old views is not up to the job of fatwa and should cease passing fatwa immediately. Any so-called mufti who continues to blatantly misrepresent Mufti Taqi by issuing a baseless view in his name, or even rely on his old views from over five decades back - which Mufti Taqi has quite openly gone against - is not up to the job and should cease passing fatwa immediately. This is especially when the view being espoused is not only patently incorrect and outdated but has the potential to ferment further discord in the Ummah. What this says about the state of Hanafi Ifta institutions of this orientation, I'll leave the to the reader to decide. وبالله التوفيق

Just came across this whopper of a fatwa yesterday: https://jamiat.org.za/performing-witr-salaah-after-10-rakaats-of-taraweeh-in-the-haram Even though the whole thing is questionable, this is the key passage of concern:

Important clarification regarding Witr Salaah in the Haram for Hanafis If the Imaam makes Salaam after two Rakaats of Witr, the Hanafi followers should not make Salaam. They should pause and wait for the Imaam to stand up. When the Imaam stands up for the third Rakaat, they should stand and continue following the Imaam. However, they should not raise their hands and say Allahu Akbar as is done when commencing Salaah as they are continuing their existing Witr Salaah and are not starting a new Salaah. (Fataawa Uthmani Vol. 1 Pg. 473) (N.B. this is most precautionary method of performing this Salaah)

Here are the problems with this passage: 1. I checked the Urdu reference provided in Fatawa Usmani. There was no mention of the Hanafi continuing prayer while the Imam exits prayer and restarts to perform the solitary rak'ah. This was a gross misapprehension by the Mufti providing this answer. 2. Furthermore, imagine a Shafi’i imam or an imam in the Haramayn took a sip of water or went to the bathroom between the 2+1 – what would the Hanafi do? Remain seated in the Tashahhud position without an imam? How would he keep an eye out what the imam is doing between the 2+1? Has anybody in the history of the Hanafi school ever discussed how to go about this absurd proposition? 3. Ironically, this form of Salah would be allowed only in the Shafi’i School, as it would entail an intention of separation from the Imam (نية المفارقة) then perform Salah alone (الصلاة منفردا) then joining an Imam (نية المتابعة بعد التحريمة منفردا). Even this is a huge stretch for the Shafi’i School as nobody from those parts said to break away from an Imam and rejoin the same Imam a few seconds later. 4. As per Fatawa Usmani, The answer provided by Mufti Taqi Usmani (signed off by his father) was given in June 1960, when he was 27 years old. He is now 81 years old. His views on this issue and many other issues in Fatawa Usmani have evolved since. See Islamic Portal for repeated verification according to Mufti Taqi Usmani that Witr in the Haramayn is allowed. It is impermissible to cite a fatwa from a scholar that he has publicly retracted or contradicted later on in life without mentioning that it was his previously held view. In fact, the Darul Ifta Dept in Korangi has been on the receiving end of a refutation by some Deobandi hotshots in Birmingham UK on the Witr issue, after having being asked about it by another chap in Northampton with a series of deceptively leading questions but still issued (what in their view was) the wrong answer! That episode will go down in history as the worst case of fatwa shopping and the weaponisation of fiqh. 5. The 1960 fatwa is blatantly wrong. For all intents and purposes, the fatwa requires the Shafi’i imam to become a Hanafi in order for the Hanafi muqtadi’s prayer to be valid. Such a nonsensical fatwa has no justification. 6. The Urdu fatwa relies upon a passage from Ramz ‘l-Haqa'iq by Ayni, in which it purported to say that a Hanafi reading Witr behind a non-Hanafi and vice versa is only allowed when the Imam takes precautions in areas of juristic dispute. Ayni actually expressed surprise at the insistence that a Shafi’i imam must take the feelings of his Hanafi followers into consideration (and vice versa). 7. Furthermore, this is an intractable issue as there is a theological dimension cited behind why a Hanafi cannot pray behind a Shafi’i. 8. In reality, Ayni was most probably of the view of permissibility, based on passages in his commentary on Sahih ‘l-Bukhari. See: https://islamicportal.co.uk/witr-salah-in-makkah-and-madinah/

In Ramadan, the only takfir to worry about is takfir al-sayyiʾat.

US: https://forward.com/culture/film-tv/700861/no-other-land-watch-oscar-stream-united-states/ UK: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/no-other-land

رمضان شهر القرآن ، لكنه ليس شهر قراءته بلا فهم ، ليس شهر تلاوته بلا تدبر . ‏رمضان شهر القرآن ، لكنه ليس شهر التنافس في ختمه بلا تنافس في التحلي بأخلاقه . ‏رمضان شهر القرآن لأنه فيه نزل وفيه غيّر الحياة ، لا ليُتلى فقط فلا يكون له أثر في الحياة إلا أصداء التلاوة . ‏✍🏻 الشيخ الشريف حاتم العوني

Six points on the Night Prayer (Qiyam/Tarawih) in Ramadan 1) Qiyam is encouraged by the Prophet (peace be upon him) and is described as an opportunity for forgiveness.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Whoever stands in Ramadan with faith and hope of reward, his past sins will be forgiven.' (Bukhari and Muslim)

2) Qiyam is a recommended non-obligatory prayer. On one of the nights of Ramadan, the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated that he did not want for the prayer to become obligatory. From the perspective of priorities, if someone struggles with obligatory prayers throughout the year, these obligatory prayers should be their ultimate goal and priority in Ramadan so that they can maintain them thereafter. (Doing so is a successful Ramadan plan.) 3) Qiyam has no minimum number of units (rak'ah). Therefore, if one can only perform two units, that also constitutes the night prayer (and Allah is most certainly Appreciative (Shakur) of all actions). 4) The focus of Qiyam is quality rather than quantity. Remember that Qiyam is itself recommended, so it makes little sense to strip the prayer of its substance and quality. It is better to perform just four units of prayer truly serving Allah Most High than it is to perform twenty units in haste to simply tick off a number. 5) Qiyam can also be performed at home. A few points here: - Classical scholars actually disagree on whether it is better to perform Qiyam in the mosque or alone at home (when the quality of the prayer is equal in both cases). - While it is probably better for most people to perform Qiyam in the mosque (when it ensures better prayer quality), if this is not possible it can also be performed at home. - If one is performing Qiyam alone at home, it is still more virtuous to go to the mosque for the Isha prayer itself. In other words, it is not all or nothing. If one can only make the congregational Isha, then go for it. 6) It is permitted to hold the Quran while standing in Qiyam and to recite from it directly (according to many classical jurists). This practice assists those at home who may not have memorised a large portion of the Quran, and helps increase their subservience to Allah Most High. It is also wise to read a translation of the Quranic passages you cover to understand what Allah is saying, whether that be after the prayer or throughout the day. ___ The reason I mention all this is to clarify these issues given the social pressure on what is ultimately a non-obligatory prayer. Nobody is permitted to obligate something Allah has not mandated, and nobody can claim to have greater concern (ghayrah) for Allah's guidance than Allah Himself. I pray Allah accepts our commitment to Him during Ramadan. And of course, Allah knows best. ❤️🙏

Israelis blocking Muslims from attending prayer. This place could have been full.

🚨 Maliki Fiqh & Advice for Qiyam Ramadan/Taraweeh Prayer 1. According to the Maliki School, praying Qiyam Ramadan at home is actually a Sunnah (as long as the person has strong intention to perform it) Moral of the story: praying Qiyam Ramadan at home has it merits! 2. According to Imam Malik, completion of the Quran is not a sunnah of Qiyam Ramadan, and he states that even reading Surah Al-Ikhlas in every Rakah renders the reward. (Mudawwanah) The point of Qiyam is not about numbers, its about how strong your niyyah and sincerity is while performing it as the Hadith states: “ Whoever stands in Ramadan with faith and hope for reward, then his sins of the past are forgiven” Moral of the story: if you're not a hafiz, read whatever you know, even if its the same in every rakah! Its not a problem. 3. According to the Malik School there is no “fixed number” of rakahs in regards to what is “mustahabb” or required. Abi Zayd states in his Risalah that a person prays whatever is bearable for him and he will be rewarded for that. (Al-Risalah). So don’t get caught up in the number of Rakah debates. Focus on the substance of your prayer. Moral of the story: pray the amount of rakahs that is bearable for you, its all reward! 4. The Maliki school accepts that 36 Rakahs, and 20 Rakahs were both established and valid practices of the Salaf in order to make Qiyam (in congregation/jama’ah specifically) for those praying behind the Imam. They also acknowledge that the personal practice of the Prophet(saw) in Qiyam Ramadan was 8 rakahs and performed at home. [I’m highlighting ‘personal practice’ because the Prophet(saw) didn’t enforce or instruct any of the Companions to any fixed set of numbers] This is why the Maliki considered it mustahabb to pray Qiyam Ramadan at home (for those who have strong intentions), while the Imam of the congregation in the mosque prays 20 or 36 in order to make it easier for the congregation. For this reason the Practice of Imam Malik himself, was to pray 8 rakahs at home in accordance to the personal practice of the Prophet(saw), while the Imam lead people in congregation of either 20 or 36 rakahs for ease. Moral of the story: Forget the numbers polemics, 8, 20, and 36 have their perfect and right place of application. 5. Don’t waste time fussing over numbers because the objective of Qiyam Ramadan is about the the quality of the prayer by having strong focused sincerity (ikhlas) , faith (iman), and high hopes and anticipation for reward (ihtisāban). Put you energy and focus there! — Shaykh JJ

The perfect companion for reading, memorising, and revising the Quran for those on the move. Measures 5” x 3”, with a thickness of less than 1cm

Sudair is the most important place in the world https://youtu.be/2BFX4gj3OBA

فقه السعوديين: تجب رؤية وجوه المترائين السديريين لإثبات الشهر لا الهلال نفسه https://youtu.be/dFk0k_2Rjf0

Nobody is actually born a scholar. All humans start from ground zero, and we all work our way up in knowledge acquisition, over varying periods of time, capability and effort. As Allah tells us: "Allah brought you out from the wombs of your mothers without you knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing, sight and hearts (minds) so that you may give thanks." (16:78) Knowledge is incremental, and there's a lot you can actually acquire in a day, let alone a week, let alone an entire month. So before Ramadan, now is probably the time to pick up a Quran translation. Be curious, ask questions and search for answers. As the Chinese proverb goes: "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

Gentle reminder that from the arkan of Tarawih is to place Containment Officers at the doors of your mosque so that Salafis don't bounce after 8.

Looking forward to teach this 40-Ḥadīth course in Ramaḍān as a guest instructor at Al-Balagh Academy. For students who are interested in Arabic-breakdowns, ḥadīth commentary & acquiring ijāzah in the text—I’ll see you in class, in shāʾ Allāh. Registration: https://zurl.co/Xb67o

If there is a Jannah with even a single person from the millions of Deobandis worldwide in it, then I don’t believe in the existence of that Jannah. If I am wrong and I see one there, I shall be reading يا ليتني كنت ترابا for eternity. - Barelwi