Faisal Hassan

An important principle of hadith interpretation that prevents cognitive dissonance: When there is a prohibition in a hadith that is coupled with a great threat, that great threat indicates that the prohibition is linked to something that corresponds to great harm and consequence in proportion to that threat, as the gravity with which the act is coupled indicates that what is prohibited is a high priority within the hierarchy of law which is why it is given considerable focus to begin with. To share an example, the hadiths on hanging lower garments below the ankles contain a great threat, but that threat would not be appropriately understood if it were simply linked to the mere act of hanging lower garments free of any ill intention, as that is more appropriately tied to a matter of simple dress etiquette (adab) and involves no negative consequence whatsoever. On the other hand, understanding that threat as being associated specifically with arrogance - in which case the act is not prohibited in its absence (as also indicated in hadiths and argued by most scholars classically) - corresponds with the threat in the hadith, as arrogance is a grave act for which one would expect significant attention and the associated threat. This principle is probably one of the highlights in the work authored by the Hadith scholar of Makkah, Sh. Hatim al-Awni: النظرُ المقاصديّ وضوابطُه وأثرُه في إثباتِ الرواية الحديثيّة وتأويلِها. It is also noted by Sh. Ali al-Tantawi (d. 1999) when discussing the hadith on plucking eyebrows, which has much discussion and serves as a nice case study of how Fiqh operates.

Some may wonder what I think about the well-known disagreement and relationship between Sh. Abu Ghuddah (d. 1997) & Sh. Albani (d. 1999), given that I mention them both. Truthfully, I don't believe their dispute really concerns me, and I don't feel the need to pick teams between contemporaries (or even classical scholars) when they don't get along, even if I believe one side is right. I prefer to focus on people's intellectual projects and what they have to offer, while recognising relationships can be complicated. In terms of Sh. Albani, it's no secret to anyone following me that I don't share his approach to Fiqh and I wouldn't recommend his legal material. But I wouldn't let that prevent me from assessing his hadith contribution on its own merit, as Allah says: "Be just; it is closer to piety (taqwa)" (Ma'idah: 8). As for Sh. Abu Ghuddah and Sh. Albani, I pray they're both smiling in the hereafter, and that I see them holding hands as they enter Allah's blissful garden. رحمهما الله

The incident of the Satanic Verses (known as Qissah al-Gharaniq in Arabic) was popularised in recent years, though the name appears to be first introduced by an orientalist in the early 20th century. The Satanic Verses refers to an alleged story of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in which he recites Surah Najm and then praises the intercession of the idols, saying "those are the high-flying cranes, and their intercession is sought after". Numerous scholars have problematised this incident from different angles, through both its mode of transmission and content. (i) Among more recent scholars, the famous Imam Ibn Ashur (d. 1973) strongly rejects the report through both chain and content in at least two books, including his notable and phenomenal Tafsir work. (ii) Among hadith scholars, Sh. Abu Ghuddah (d. 1997) also appears to be believe the incident is false based on his presentation of the issue in al-Laknawi's Dhafar al-Amani. (iii) Sh. al-Albani (d. 1999) dedicated a book on the topic in 1952 (aged ~38), in which he shares his assessment of the chains of transmission and argues that the incident has not been passed through a single authentic route. He also lists classical scholars who rejected the incident. (iv) Sh. Abdullah al-Judai, the contemporary scholar of hadith, is likewise very critical of the incident, arguing that it should be rejected from the onset and also praises al-Albani's work. (v) Sh. Yusuf al-Qaradawi (d. 2022) discusses the issue briefly in his Kayfa Nata'amalu ma'a al-Sunnah and rejects the incident based on a blatant inconsistency: the Quranic chapter Surah Najm itself calls out the idols, so the idols could not have possibly been praised at the same time as its recital. It is for this reason that some of those who accepted this report did so by interpreting it away, effectively arguing that if the statement concerning the idols is indeed true, then it is not possible that the Prophet (peace be upon him) be the one who uttered that but rather a pagan from Makkah for his own motives or propaganda.

Here's a mind-blowing tidbit: The word checkmate is actually argued to come from the Arabic: الشاه مات, which literally means "the king died" describing the chess endgame. An alternative theory, which is perhaps more accurate, is that it comes from the Persian form (shah-mat) rather than the Arabic, considering the chess-related Arabic words appear to have Persian roots. It seems that in Persian the word مات conveys a meaning of becoming perplexed, which could support this theory since the king does not technically die on the chessboard at the endgame, but is rather trapped into a position from which he cannot escape.

I've actually compiled a few statements from Ibrahim al-Nakha'i in passing, sharing wisdom from his early generation. i) Ibrahim al-Nakha'i said: 'They (those in the early generation) would love to embody equal treatment between their kids, even in their kisses.' (al-Husayn al-Marwazi's al-Birr wa al-Silah, and Ibn Abi al-Dunya's al-'Iyal) ii) Ibrahim al-Nakha'i said: "They would dislike all amulets - both from the Quran and otherwise." (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah) iii) Ibrahim al-Nakha'i said, 'They would say: when a man calls another "donkey", "dog", or "pig", God will ask him on Judgement Day: "Do you think I actually created him as a dog, donkey, or pig?"' (Ibn Abi Shaybah and others)

The famous early jurist Ibrahim al-Nakha'i (d. 96) said: 'They (i.e. those in his early generation) would say: a man telling his wife, "I love you" is a tip of magic.' (Ibn Muhriz's Ma'rifah al-Rijal from Ibn Ma'in) A window into Ibrahim al-Nakha'i's soft nature, that he would transmit this! 😁

قال الإمام القرافيُّ: ليس ‌كلّ ‌الأحكام يجوزُ العملُ بها، ولا كلُّ الفتاوى الصادرة عن المجتهدين يجوز التقليدُ فيها، بل في كلّ مذهبٍ مسائلُ إذا حُقّقَ النظرُ فيها امتنعَ تقليدُ ذلك الإمام فيها. (الإحكام في تمييز الفتاوى عن الأحكام، 136) Quotes like this from Imam Qarafi (d. 684) within the tradition are very interesting as they force you to think about how to conceptualise the authority of the tradition (turath). These quotes almost force a gridlock in the mind of a student as they are tied between two options: either (1) you accept the tradition (turath) contains some errors and agree with Imam Qarafi, or (2) you deny the tradition contains errors and disagree with Imam Qarafi, and thereby ironically identify an error within the tradition as nobody can deny that Imam Qarafi also represents the tradition. These quotes force the reader to accept that an appeal to the tradition is not inherently authoritative. This is why arguing from the 'turath' is not a concept in Usul al-Fiqh (except when considered in very specific capacities like scholarly consensus). Otherwise, appeals to the 'turath' can almost be vague and selective, and at that point just becomes a catfish appeal to those familiar with how it operates.

I was asked the other day how I've memorised all the death dates of major scholarly figures in the past, as I often cite them in conversations. I'll start with the good news. I've never actually sat down to memorise death dates as a dedicated task, and neither should you. That would sound boring and not something I'd recommend. The best way to memorise the dates is to do so passively or by indirectly giving dates more importance in your studies. I'd recommend three ways you can do that: (1) Whenever you write a scholar's name in your notes, always accompany the name with their death date. E.g. "Abu Hanifah (d. 150)" Each time you write their name and date will serve as a reminder of the year they passed away. (2) When learning about a scholar, situate information about them according to an approximate timeline. E.g. if you identify a teacher-student relationship, like Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728) and Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751), then not only have you situated both figures in the same century which makes it easier to remember, but you can also assume the student died after the teacher. (3) Organise your digital library according to death dates. Whenever you name a document or folder, start with the death date. E.g. "(d. 660 AH) al-Izz ibn Abd al-Salam - al-Qawa'id al-Kubra" By doing this, you not only organise the list of documents chronologically, but everytime you look for the document or browse through your folder, you remind yourself of the year the scholar passed away. It also serves as a quick personal database for death dates which can be quite handy. So there you go, my friends! Sometimes it's not about having a good memory more than it is about study techniques. If you do this over a long enough time period, you'll have the database of death dates stamped in your head.

An update: I started a bit of chess around a week ago. I thought I was alright until I watched grandmasters with pattern recognition developed over decades. Give me a break! 😅 I'm reminded that in the scholarly tradition, the brilliant jurist Ibn al-Daqiq (d. 702) is recorded to have played chess with his brother-in-law (also a scholar) in his youth, as mentioned by al-Udfuwi in his biography: al-Tali' al-Sa'id. The legendary Hanbali jurist al-Tufi (d. 716) also compares the game of chess to the inner workings of Divine decree in his commentary of the Nawawiyyah, indicating his familiarity with the game dynamics. These are my grandmasters, my friends! I'd love to meet them, pick their brains, discuss their ideas, and possibly spare some time for chess over a cuppa... (though I know we'd never get around to it!). 😁

Depending on the football result today, us Brits may not respond to texts for the next three business days.

The alleged hadith: "Do not teach [girls] to write" is a baseless report and not soundly attributed to the Prophet (peace be upon him). This is noted by classical and contemporary hadith scholars, and should not be quoted except to demonstrate that it is baseless. Imam Bukhari also has a chapter heading in his al-Adab al-Mufrad titled: 'The Chapter of Writing to Women and Their [Written] Response'.

While 'altering God's creation' appears to be a popular argument for prohibiting all body change, classical scholars noted that 'alteration of creation' cannot be understood without conditions as there are examples of alteration that are recognised to be permitted by all. Examples include: circumcision; cutting hair; dyeing hair; trimming nails; applying henna; and ear piercing - each of which technically constitutes body 'alteration', though are still either permitted or even recommended. It is for this reason that Ibn 'Atiyyah (d. 542), the famous Andalusian scholar of Tafsir, says regarding the verse on Shaytan encouraging 'altering God's creation' (Nisa': 119): what this verse pertains to is any type of harmful body alteration, otherwise if an alteration carries benefit, it is permitted. Other scholars like Tabari (d. 310) argued that 'altering God's creation' actually means 'altering God's commandments (din)' based on an indication from another Quranic verse (Rum: 30). In other words, if a body change is first proven to be prohibited (like castration and mutilation), then it would fall under the verse by virtue of its prohibition, as it would constitute changing one of God's instructions. While this topic is relevant to issues of personal law (the specifics of which I do not intend to dive into), it is also pertinent to contemporary medical law and actually carries broader ramifications than commonly assumed.

God doesn't task you to get the right answer. He tasks you to make a sincere effort to get the right answer. Only the latter is in your control.

I forgot to add the related link to Sh. Hatim al-Awni's comments on children's mosque attendance. Here's the original video which I summarised above (Arabic): https://youtu.be/s2LYil0Q_DQ?si=T0yD2_C3QhQobmjX

Sh. Hatim al-Awni says he will now share some rulings and guidance pertaining to children attending the mosque: Sh. Awni says that it is important to understand that there are two types of children: 1) A child who has reached an age of understanding - i.e. they understand the meaning of the prayer. 2) A child who has not reached this age of understanding, and is possibly younger than 5, 4 or 3 years. Sh. Awni says that with respect to children who have not reached an age of understanding, it is preferable for them to not attend the mosque as there is no benefit in their attendance, except in rare circumstances or cases of need, because they may disturb the congregation by shouting, crying and playing, and they will not learn anything from the prayer as they have not reached the age of understanding. As for children with understanding, parents should bring them to mosques with the condition that just as they teach them to come to the mosque, they should likewise teach them the etiquette of the mosque and to maintain calmness. It is also necessary for the rest of the congregation to be patient with anything the child may do, as it is in their nature to play. However, parents should ensure that this does not reach a level that harms the congregation and affects their concentration with excessive shouting by playing, or even dirtying the mosque. These things should be noted by the children's guardians. With respect to children who are old enough to understand, Sh. Awni says their guardians should not place them in the same row unless the child is actually praying, and understands the conditions and form of the prayer and is in a state of wudu'. Otherwise, he should not be in the same row but his parent should rather place them in front or behind the congregation. Sh. Awni explains that if the child is standing beside him while he is not praying, then he fears this may fall under the general report that instructs connecting the rows: "Whoever breaks the row, God will break him; and whoever joins the row, God will join him." In other words, just as an adult should not sit in the row without engaging in prayer, the child should similarly not do the same. Sh. Awni says that if the child is not actually praying or ready for prayer, then the guardian should move him behind the row or in front so that he is not breaking the row, or he should sit at the very end of the row on either right or left. Sh. Awni says that a summary of what he has said is that we should differentiate between a child old enough to understand and a child who is not. The [latter] should only be brought to the mosque when there is a need, and if he is brought and makes noise then the congregation should bear the disturbance as much as they are able, taking into consideration people's circumstances and that perhaps the father or mother are alone in the house and there is nobody to take care of the child. As for the child with understanding, he should be encouraged to come to the mosque, but should not stand in the same row unless he is actually praying and in a state fit for prayer.

Sh. Hatim al-Awni - Children Entering Mosques - (Personal Notes) There exists a baseless (batil) and inauthentic hadith that is not soundly attributed to the Prophet (peace be upon him): جنِّبوا مساجدَكم صبيانَكم "Keep your children away from your places of worship." Sh. Awni says that not only is this report baseless in its mode of transmission but also its meaning, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) indicated the contrary in both his practice and teaching. It is authentically transmitted from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said: "I enter into prayer and intend to lengthen it, but then I hear a child crying behind me so I shorten the prayer due to recognising the mother's distress." This hadith indicates that the female Companions would bring their children to the mosque, and that sometimes the children would cry and the Prophet (peace be upon him) would be considerate of them. Therefore, it is not the practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to keep children away from the mosque, and it is not appropriate for anyone to prevent children from attending in absolute terms. In another authentic hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered the mosque with his young grandson Hasan or Husayn (the Companion narrator has doubt concerning his identity). The Prophet (peace be upon him) sat his grandson down on his side, and when he prostrated in the prayer, his grandson climbed onto his back. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) lengthened the prostration more than usual. The Companions later asked why he prolonged the prostration so he informed them that his grandson climbed onto his back and that he did not want to hurry him off his back, so he remained in his position until his grandson himself climbed off after which he rose from his prostration. Sh. Awni says to consider from this incident the following: the Prophet (peace be upon) is turning to his Lord in prayer with his great level of reverence and focus, yet he was careful to not make his young grandchild uncomfortable while his congregation behind him waited in prostration alongside him. This demonstrates the tolerance towards children within the mosque. It is also authentically transmitted that the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered the mosque carrying his granddaughter Umamah (from his daughter Zaynab) on his shoulder. When he entered the mosque, he began the prayer while holding her in that state. When he intended to bow, he placed her on the ground, then bowed and prostrated, and then when he stood from prostration he would pick her up again and carry her on his shoulder or side. Sh. Awni says that this shows it was not the practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him) nor the Companions who were in his presence to keep children away from the mosque. He says that how can we raise children to respect the mosque and respect the prayer if we keep them away from the mosque and from praying in it.

I'm excited for today's first lesson on the 'How to Engage with Hadiths' course. https://faisal.thinkific.com/courses/Sunnah I was asked whether someone who has little familiarity with hadith could follow the lessons. If there's one thing I pride myself on it's the attempt to package information through first principles. This is actually something I try to do in all my lessons, videos and book reviews. I always recall the teaching attributed to the famous Richard Feynman: if you can't explain something in simple terms, you probably don't understand it.

Sh. Yusuf al-Qaradawi says that while he admires Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728), he disagrees with him in the same way he disagreed with those before him and taught critical thinking. I often stress: whenever a scholar teaches critical thinking and that everyone has views that are accepted and rejected, then by agreeing with that same scholar in every conclusion and practically treating him like he's infallible, is to ironically disagree with him on his own key methodological teaching.

I've just uploaded the book presentation on proper engagement with prophetic hadiths. The video includes several examples. I hope you enjoy! 🙏❤️ https://youtu.be/_afp9prHoUg?si=lfo8Dhw7wq6NFBPd Timestamps: 00:00 - What is the book about? 10:10 - Prophetic guidance is practical 13:43 - An age-old complaint on Hadith & Fiqh engagement 15:53 - The classical tradition as a human tradition 22:30 - The author's view on the Satanic verses 26:34 - Hadiths on lower garments hanging below the ankles 29:05 - Hadiths on women visiting graveyards 29:48 - Prophetic guidance serves purpose 31:05 - Is the 'miswak' a twig or any toothbrush? 34:48 - An anachronistic interpretation on photography 35:45 - A complaint on limiting prophetic guidance to external identity markers 36:54 - Were early hadith scholars more critical of hadiths relative to later hadith scholars? 39:42 - A list of hadith case studies explored in the book

We'll start the book session in 10 mins InSha'Allah: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/5485476404?pwd=PkizdqUQqDFbyO6RFaxItK3kXyvTho.1