KR

This is an excellent book by the senior hadith scholar Sh. Hatim al-Awni. The book is about the purpose, goals and objectives of Fiqh (Maqasid), and their relationship with verifying hadiths, interpreting them, and actively deriving law. After all, law serves purpose and is not random. The book also contains insightful case studies (like the famous hadith on plucking eyebrows, and initiating the greeting of salam with a non-Muslim), as well as a discussion on 'major' & 'minor' sins and what actually separates the two. Since I'm already teaching Maqasid (Goals & Objectives of Law) as part of my Usul al-Fiqh program, I plan to deliver a public presentation of this book. Therefore, I hope to host a live Zoom session where I summarise the book contents and offer my own thoughts. The goal is to make the content accessible in English. God willing, I'll host this next Wednesday, 21st May at 8 PM (UK). I'll share the Zoom link on this channel an hour before we start. It'll be a pleasure to have you all! 🙏

Muhammad Yasir Al-Hanafi on X: "The Failed Intimidation of Majlis’s “Religious”Thugs https://x.com/YasirAlHanafi/status/1921302470787019011

I would highly recommend this to those who are interested. I was part of a ten-strong EC outreach team and delegation headed up by S. Mushfique to set up EC’s partnership with 29 Mayis University in Istanbul. Pictures are from October 2023, including one from the meeting with Dr Halalshah of Jordan who is the Arabic lead at 29.

As expected, ASDesai has exacted his revenge on Yasir al-Hanafi. How? By the only way he knows: Takfir! KUFR BELEIFS OF YASAR AL-HANAFI DUE TO HIS BELIEFS OF KUFR (YASAR AL-HANAFI), THE JUMUAH KHUTBAH AND SALAAT WERE NOT VALID (FRIDAY, 9 MAY 2025-MUSJID MANSOOR-PORT ELIZABETH, S.A). ALL THOSE WHO HAD FOLLOWED THIS IBLEES SHOULD MAKE QADHA OF ZUHR SALAAT. Full: https://themajlis.co.za/questions-and-answers/yasar-al-hanafi-is-a-shaitaan-in-human-form/

Palestine and Kashmir have near identical stories. Often described as a heaven on earth, it’s a country of marvellous beauty with glorious mountains and beautiful waterfalls. Sadly, it is also largely ignored by easterners and westerners alike. It’s a topic worth reading up on, and the above book by Shaykh Salim al-Qahtani is an excellent place to start.

من الكتب التي تستحق القراءة: «رحلتي إلى كشمير» للشيخ الفاضل سالم القحطاني. يقع الكتيّب في ١٢٢ صفحة، وهو مع سهولة لغته وحسنِ أسلوبه مليءٌ بالصور. وبما أن لقضيةِ فلسطين وقضيةِ كشمير قصةً واحدة، أنصح كل من يريد أن يتعرّف على تاريخها ومناهج مدارسها وجمال مناظرها وشلّالاتها بقراءته.

I listened to M. Sajjad Nomani here carefully. In a sea of Muslim scholars falling prey to BJP jingoism, he has emerged as a voice of reason: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDGAXrBxtB8

This fasiq org might as well stand with the BJP when they assist Israel against Palestine.

When reading the links below, couple it with the following Dua: الحمد لله الذي عافانا مما ابتلاكم به وفضلانا على كثير ممن خلق تفضيلا I genuinely fear this is the straw that breaks the camel's back of cross-border Muslim unity in the Sub-Continent. It's very hard to see a return from this lunacy, where you have prominent Muslim politicians and scholars in India celebrating the death and destruction of Pakistani children. https://ddnews.gov.in/en/operation-sindoor-jai-hind-asaduddin-owaisi-welcomes-strikes-on-terror-hideouts-in-pakistan/ https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/india-is-our-homeland-entire-nation-stands-with-armed-forces-jamiat-chief-maulana-mahmood-madani-2025-05-07-989129 https://www.greaterkashmir.com/national/grand-mufti-urges-unity-in-backing-indias-fight-against-terrorism/ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/operation-sindoor-international-sufi-caravan-chief-applauds-indias-retaliatory-strikes-in-pakistan-pok/articleshow/120961656.cms https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/we-stand-shoulder-to-shoulder-jamiat-ulama-i-hind-backs-armed-forces-urges-unity-amid-border-tensions20250507190306/

My Encounter with The Majlis (Mufti A.S. Desai) After performing Isha Salah at Masjid Al-Fuqara in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, I inquired about Mufti Desai, as I didn’t know what he looked like. A brother pointed to an elderly man with a hunchback who was praying in a corner of the Masjid. I prayed my Sunnah and Witr next to him, then greeted him. I introduced myself and requested if I could ask him a few questions and raise some concerns, to which he kindly agreed. I asked why he had such a harsh approach in his writings, where he has accused several reputable scholars of this Ummah, such as Mufti Taqi Usmani, of “Kufr,” “Satanic,” and “bootlickers of atheists,” “losing their Iman”, among other slurs and ad hominem attacks. I expressed my concern that his approach contravenes the Prophetic ﷺ principles and the teachings of Dawa as elaborated in the Quran. His initial response was, “I have a book on this topic where I have explained my approach.” We then walked to the section of the mosque where his writings were kept. After a short while, he couldn’t locate the book and remarked, “Do not look at my approach, but look at the disease.” My follow-up question was, “Surely, your approach has to align with the Quran and Sunnah,” to which he replied, “Everything I write is in the Quran.” Naturally, I asked for an example. He quoted an anecdote concerning a scholar and then cited a part of a verse from the Quran: “and be harsh upon them.” I pointed out that this verse refers to disbelievers [The full verse is: “O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them. And their refuge is Hell, and wretched is the destination.”] He then mentioned the incident of Sayyiduna Musa (a.s) grabbing the beard of his brother, Sayyiduna Haroon (a.s). I responded that this incident, along with the anecdote he quoted, are specific occurrences. I questioned how particular incidents can be used when we have universal principles of Dawa. I added, “With all due respect, it seems your default position is to curse and be ad hominem.” He insisted that he only accuses people like Mufti Taqi Usmani and others of kufr based on evidence. I replied, asking for this evidence, emphasising that for someone to be accused of kufr, definitive proof or complete rejection is necessary. It seems he accuses people based on matters where there is valid scope for difference. He asserted, “No! There is no difference! The only people that disagree with me are Tablighis and the false scholars of this Ummah.” In addition, he emphasised that the Umma needs a person like him. Of course, this isn’t evidence at all. While maintaining respect and dignity, I repeatedly asked Mufti Desai for evidence to support his volatile approach and the repugnant language he uses in nearly all his writings, especially when responding to others. My final question was, “Don’t you think you are distancing people from Islam rather than bringing them closer?” After this, he walked away, saying Salam without shaking my hand. To be honest, I was disappointed and surprised that a person who is supposed to be a Mufti could not substantiate his approach, which includes regularly accusing others of disbelief and heresy. I sensed from him, with all due respect, that he believed he was some kind of saviour of this Umma who doesn’t care about anything except the ‘truth’, and that most people, including scholars, are upon clear falsehood. May Allah have mercy upon our situation. Amin.

A proper study of ilal is Hadith is a very good antidote to pir parastish, taqdis ‘l-askhas, and personality worship.

Last week, I attended a public talk of the famous Sh. Saeed al-Kamali. Something I noticed and admired was that the Shaykh attracted scholars and students from different backgrounds, something that's only possible if you speak and teach in a way that doesn't just appeal to one tradition. If anything, this says a lot about a person's approach to learning and way of thinking. And it reminds me of the phenomenal quote of Sh. Abu Ghuddah (d. 1997), words that should be stamped in every student's head:

"I have approximately one hundred teachers from whom I have studied and taken knowledge, each having their own orientation and methodology. I have not stuck to the opinion of any one of them [merely] because he is my shaykh and teacher. Rather, I stick to what I deem correct and believe to be the truth or most probable. I may err in that regard or may deduce what is correct, as is the case with every seeker of knowledge."

(Kalimat fi Kashf Abatil wa Iftira'at)

«ينبغي التنبيه إلى أنه إذا كان مقصود أصحاب الاجتهاد المقيَّد من التخريج الانتصار لأقوال أئمتهم والتكلُّف في إثبات صحّتها، وهم يُدركون ضعفَها وخطأها تعصُّبًا للمذهب فحسب؛ فإنه يحرم عليهم ذلك، والله أعلم». ‏ذكره شيخنا د. عثمان شوشان في كتابه «تخريج الفروع على الأصول» ص (٧٤-٧٥).

If you are coughing with i'rab, that is a sign that you are about to die. You should always cough with bina'. As for a crow cawing with i'rab, then that's not a crow. That's a unmanned drone in the guise of a crow programmed to kill you. RUN.

Children, remember for your end-year exams the noise coming out of donkey's rear end is mabni, not mu'rab.

I pity anyone (myself included) who had to read and memorise this. I double pity the student who had a wet dream over this severely weak hadith.

Ah yes, just what a beginner needs to know.

Imam Ashraf Ali Thanwi (d. 1362 AH / 1943 CE) severely criticised a teacher who, in the first lesson on لام التعريف, started speaking about its types (العهد الخارجي, العهد الذهني, الجنس, الاستغراق). His question was simply this: How would this benefit a student at that stage? A lot of people conflate language niceties with core essentials. Just because some author added it to an Urdu book written in India 100 years ago (like in the scan above) and it is blindly taught by many madaris and teachers to first and second year student does not make it an important aspect of the Arabic language. I would go as far as to say that this is a form of cheating and oppression on students of that st