Faisal Hassan

A related hadith note: The popular report: "Fast the day of Ashura' and act differently to the Jews: fast a day before it or a day after it" is not authentic or reliably attributed to the Prophet (peace be upon him). Having said that, since the purpose of fasting an additional day classically was to maintain a distinct identity and avoid Jewish resemblance, this purpose could historically be fulfilled by fasting the 10th & 11th for those who had not fasted the 9th & 10th. Accordingly, the meaning carries basis even though it cannot be soundly attributed to the Prophet (peace be upon him).

A summary of Ashura' (10th Muharram of the Hijri calendar): 1) It is recommended to fast Ashura'. The Prophet (peace be upon him) not only consistently fasted this day but also encouraged the believers to fast. As explained by some Companions, this fast was initially obligatory but then turned recommended after the fast of Ramadan was legislated. 2) Why is the fast recommended? When the Prophet (peace be upon him) emigrated to Madinah, he found the Jews also fasting Ashura'. When asked why they fasted, they replied: "This is a great day. It is the day God saved Moses and his followers, and drowned Pharaoh and his followers. Moses fasted it as an expression of gratitude so we also fast it." The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "We have a greater right and are closer to Moses than you," so he fasted [the day] and instructed the believers to fast it. (Bukhari and Muslim) Accordingly, the fast is connected to Prophet Moses being saved from the tyranny of Pharaoh and the Pagan Egyptians (popularly known as the Exodus), and therefore an expression of gratitude to God and a way of commemorating this event. The Prophet (peace be upon him) also fasted Ashura' in Makkah before emigrating, and he was possibly already made aware of this reason beforehand. As God tells Prophet Muhammad after listing numerous prophets including Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them all): "These are the people guided by God, so in their guidance follow suit." (Q. 6:90) 3) How many days should I fast? The 10th of Muharram is the day of commemoration, so the virtue is associated with this day. Fasting the 10th alone remains recommended and virtuous. Recall the story and challenges of Prophet Moses while fasting, and know that God appreciates your actions. The Prophet (peace be upon him) would fast the 10th alone during both Makkah and Madinah. In the final year before his demise, he expressed his wish to fast the 9th of Muharram alongside the 10th. (Muslim) The purpose behind this was to maintain a distinct identity for the believers and avoid resemblance of the Jews who only fasted the 10th. This was arguably said by way of recommendation as not all forms of resemblance are prohibited. This is also indicated by the fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) fasted the 10th alone for several years in Madinah while the Jews were still fasting the 10th (and his desire to fast the 9th was only expressed in the final year before his demise). In any case, the resemblance with the Jews in fasting Ashura' arguably does not exist today. There also exists an encouragement to fast the month of Muharram in general. The Prophet (peace be upon him) described Muharram as the best month to fast after the month of Ramadan. (Muslim) Whatever you do, may God accept your actions and may He bless you all! ❤️🙏

An awesome hadith on the relationship between God and His loyal servant: Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) conveyed the following from his Lord Most High: 'A servant commits an offense and says: "O God, forgive me my wrongdoing," and God (Glorious and Exalted) says: "My servant has performed an offense and realised that he has a Lord who forgives wrongdoing and holds to account through wrongdoing." Then he again commits an offense and says, "My Lord, forgive me my wrongdoing," and God (Glorious and Exalted) says, "My servant has committed an offense and realised he has a Lord who forgives wrongdoing and holds to account through wrongdoing." Then he again commits an offense and says, "My Lord, forgive me my wrongdoing," and God (Glorious and Exalted) says, "My servant has committed an offense and he realised he has a Lord who forgives wrongdoing and holds to account through wrongdoing. Do as you please, for I have forgiven you."' (Muslim)

As mentioned in this fatwa, contemporary scholars who hold the view that it is permitted to wipe over regular socks for wudu' (i.e. any complete foot and ankle covering) include: Sh. Mustafa al-Zarqa Sh. Abu Ghuddah Sh. Yusuf al-Qaradawi - (whose view can also be found in his book, 'Fiqh al-Taharah') Sh. Majd Makki Sh. Abdullah al-Judai is also a scholar I've heard argue the same in a public lecture. Many years ago, a respected Hanafi had made a case for this view internally within the madhhab after I asked him about it privately. Since he has not yet shared his research or his view publicly (as far as I am aware), I shall keep him unnamed. Ibn Taymiyyah's view of permissibility is something I discussed in detail when teaching Qiyas in my Usul al-Fiqh series. I believe he reasons the issue well. In any case, this is a secondary point of law, and I simply share this for transparency. May Allah bless you.

Around a decade ago, I heard that the famous Sh. Abu Ghuddah (d. 1997) held a permissive view on wiping over cotton socks for wudu'. While I'm not invested in what is ultimately a secondary point of law, I've only just found a reference for that after all these years. I'll share it soon InSha'Allah.

A friend often tells me, the goal when following sports is to be invested enough to troll friends, but not enough to be irked by the outcome. 😄 And that is the art of power dynamics: the ability to troll without being trolled. In any case, the Brits are backing England today, and we're all hoping Caroline will not turn sour (iykyk 😅)!

Having a good opinion of God and recognising that He is a Merciful King is a form of respect towards Him. It is to truly believe in His words and what He tells us about Himself. To think of God as a tyrant, as though He's looking for you to slip up in order to take you to task, is almost disrespectful. Who'd actually want to be thought about in that way? As God Most High tells us, in a verse considered by some to be the most hopeful Quranic verse: "What would God [actually] gain by punishing you, if you express gratitude and believe? God is Thankful, All-Knowing." (Nisa': 147)

What is the Hadith project, and what actually makes a Hadith reliable? https://youtu.be/wDyUzs21vrE?is=fApiQQgcivSA59RY This is a presentation that was part of my Usul al-Fiqh series. I try to make a case for the hadith project that is often subject to caricature, using first principles and rational arguments. I also have a segment on understanding content (matn) criticism. I'm sure many will find this informative! 🙏❤️

I've seen few scholars who are as comfortable with students disagreeing with them than Sh. Abdullah al-Judai. As he recently said which really captures his teaching, "Disagree with me, but do so with an argument." People often forget that true scholars would rather have their ideas actively engaged with even if it leads to disagreement than simply having a line of mindless followers. It is the former that continues their project and identifies potential gaps in reasoning, and it is also the former that recognises human fallibility and thereby sincerity towards God.

New Series: *How Should We Engage with Prophetic Hadiths: A Practical and Contemporary Guide* This is a course on understanding and contextualising hadiths in the modern period. Believers today often find themselves inquiring about hadith engagement. With hadiths constantly cited out of context and in ways that apparently serve little function, the obvious question is: how can these reports be contextualised properly and how can I understand them holistically? In this series, you will cover an English summary of a textbook by the famous Sh. Yusuf al-Qaradawi titled: 'How Should We Interact with the Prophetic Sunnah?' (كيفَ نتعاملُ مع السُنّةِ النبويّة). The book is filled with numerous hadith examples throughout each chapter, and offers practical tools to better understand and apply hadiths. The book serves as a nice teaching text on the nature of prophetic hadiths, and this course will summarise and package its content for a contemporary English-speaking audience, making the material as practical as possible. Topics include: 1) What is the exact function of Hadith? 2) Avoiding a lack of priorities in Hadith engagement 3) Cautioning against literalism in interpretation 4) Recognising figurative usage in Hadith 5) What does juristic engagement with Hadith actually look like? 6) How should a preacher utilise Hadith? 7) What are the pitfalls of inauthentic hadiths? 8) Understanding Hadith in light of the Quran 9) The need to contextualise Hadith 10) Understanding Hadith in light of a rational purpose-built Law Examples and case studies include: - Hadiths on hanging lower garments - Hadiths on contraception ('azl) - Hadiths on the Satanic verses - Women's travel with a mahram - The fate of those unaware of the prophetic message - Gold or silver nisab of Zakah - Purpose of the miswak, and is a twig actually intended? - Purpose of food and table etiquettes beyond formality - Purpose of 'prophetic medicine' - The author's view on men and women shaking hands in formal settings - Popular inauthentic hadiths in chapters of Sirah, women, and virtues - Hadiths on scientific phenomena Course dates: 3rd July - 31st July. The course will run over five weeks, with lessons taking place every Friday. Each lesson will be live and recorded for later viewing. The goal is to make the content practical and relevant to an English-speaking audience, and by the end you will understand the actual role of prophetic hadiths and will have covered popular examples with contemporary relevance. Registration link: https://faisal.thinkific.com/courses/Sunnah If you have any questions, feel free to contact me here: @FaisalHUK

A question I get asked often: Is it permitted for women to visit graveyards? The short answer is: Yes, it is permitted, and women at graveyards are expected to uphold the same conduct and behaviour as men. To give some background: Towards the beginning of revelation, there existed a general ban for believers to visit graves - and this was possibly due to inappropriate practices, customs, and associated beliefs. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then provided a general allowance of visitation: "I had forbidden you from visiting graves, but [now] visit them." (Muslim) This new allowance was general and made no distinction between men and women, though this was admittedly a point of disagreement classically. That this permission equally extends to women is likewise indicated in a popular report from Sahih al-Bukhari: a woman attends a grave and fails to regulate her emotions, so the Prophet (peace be upon him) reminds her to embody patience and self-control. The woman is not prohibited from visiting the grave altogether but is simply corrected for her conduct and behaviour. In addition, the purpose of visiting graves as explained by the Prophet (peace be upon him) is for it to serve as a reminder (Sahih Muslim), and this purpose is general and applies to women who can benefit from a reminder just as it applies men. As for the report cursing women who attend graveyards (with varying wording), not only is this report void of details and context, but can appropriately refer to the type of visitation that involves inappropriate forms of mourning, rather than grave visitation itself. After all, the purpose of visiting graves is not to create a perpetual cycle of mourning and grief, and one is expected to maintain self-control and regulate their emotions. Not only is this conditional prohibition indicated by the wording of the report which suggests that what is prohibited is an act of significant harm and consequence (and thus more appropriately tied to prohibited forms of mourning, rather than visitation stripped of any negative meaning), but the other report indicating permissibility and the general purpose of taking a reminder both indicate grave visitation is inherently permitted. Therefore, it is permitted for women to visit graveyards, and the appropriate conduct and behaviour expected of men are likewise expected of women. And Allah knows best.

The popular hadith: "Keep your children away from your mosques" is a baseless report. It's not authentic to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings upon). Not only is it baseless in its mode of transmission but also its meaning, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) indicated the contrary in numerous other authentic hadiths.

I was asked today: is it permitted to say "Jumu'ah Mubarakah"? I guess this question is still floating around the Internet lol, so I'll share a short response as a quick thought exercise. To phrase the question differently, what's actually being asked is: Is it permitted to wish people well on a Friday? When put like this, the question sounds pretty amusing. Now while I don't really use the phrase, yes, it's fine. 'Jumu'ah Mubarakah' is either just a supplication (du'a), or a greeting. Supplications are open-ended and require no specific text for you to use them (you don't need to find a hadith on asking God for a car to supplicate for a car, for example), and greetings are simply customary, and everything customary is permitted by default. And on that note, I wish you all a happy, blessed, and great weekend. I'm sure that's permitted. I'm sure.

Social custom and culture are neutral. They are human and not inherently 'Islamic' or 'non-Islamic', irrespective of location or region, East or West. Embrace the forms actively advocated by God or left for self-determination (indicating flexibility), and leave the forms rejected by God and which do not serve your interests nor the interests of society.

This is actually a very neat text on how to properly engage with the Sunnah and approach Hadiths. The book is filled with practical example after practical example, and serves as a pretty good teaching text. I'm thinking of having a mini course (~6 lessons) where I summarise its contents in English to make it accessible to a wider audience, while adding related discussions and sharing points of critique from myself.

Have an awesome Eid, folks. Spread the love, vibes, all the good stuff! ❤️🙏

For references on other contemporaries accepting the apparent meaning of the hadith of Abdullah ibn Abbas, see: Sh. Ali al-Tantawi - فتاوى الشيخ علي الطنطاوي pp. 211-212 Sh. Sa'id al-Kamali - الأحكام الشرعية في الأسفار الجوّية pp. 75-78 Sh. Mawlud al-Sariri - https://youtu.be/Aw4PyZWv6s8?si=-CHLDpg0HhLIoyXD (though I believe this presentation is debatable and can receive pushback)

Sh. Qaradawi's fatwa on combining Maghrib and Isha

European Fatwa Council on combining Maghrib and Isha