Maktabah Al-Imām Al-Ghazālī

  When Sir Sayyed set up the foundations of Aligarh College, he sent a reliable friend of his to Gangoh in order to meet Mawl ā n ā Gangoh ī  rahimahullah  and give him the following message, “I have set up a college for the success and progress of the Muslims. This is because other nations have progressed and have gone far ahead but the Muslims are retrogressing. If you people help me in this cause, then I will be able to very quickly acquire my objective, which is, in reality, the success of the Muslims. The person came to Gangoh. After making sal ā m, he conveyed the message of Sir Sayyed. Mawl ā n ā  heard the message of Sir Sayyed and said, “Brother, until today we feel that the step towards success of the Muslims is following the commands of All ā h and His Ras ū l sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam . However, it seems today that their success and progress lie in something else too. With regards to this matter, I can tell you that I have spent my entire life ...

  1.       One of the principles of belief in Islām, which is established through consensus, is that there is no true Dīn, i.e., religion and way of life, except Islām. It is the final religion and it abrogates every previous religion, faith, or creed. 2.       The fundamental principle regarding the Noble Qur’ān is that it is the final scripture. It cancels every previous scripture revealed before it (the Taurāt, the Zabūr, and the Injīl etc.). 3.       It is binding upon Muslims to believe that previous scriptures have been cancelled and abrogated, and these scriptures have went through change and alteration at the hands of man.   Rasūlullāh ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam once became very angry when he saw Sayyidunā ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb raḍiyallāhu ‘anhu reading a page from the Taurāt. 4.       It is a fundamental belief in Islām that Sayyidunā Muḥammad Rasūlullāh ṣallallā...

Ikhtilāf, or, Difference of Opinion, is of varying types and degrees. A broad overview of the subject shows that there are basically two types of Ikhtilāf. One is praiseworthy and the other is blameworthy. Ikhtilāf in subsidiary matters, where the principals and fundamentals adhered to by both parties involved are the same, is praiseworthy. This is because the aim and goal of both parties is to reach the truth. Ikhtilāf in principle matters and fundamentals is blameworthy, despised and looked down upon. An example of this is the Ikhtilāf (or Difference of Opinion) between a Muslim and a Christian; a Sunni and a Shia; or, as is the case in our current context, between a Traditional and a Modernist. The belief system, values and spirit of each party is different, and the aim or goal of each party differs too. Now, a vital question that arises is: how should we deal with, and treat a person who holds a position different to ours when it is of the second type, i.e., Ikhtilāf in Uṣūl? The c...