Maktabah Al-Imām Al-Ghazālī

  1. Surah al-Kawthar is the shortest Surah in the Noble Qur'an. The number of words that it has is 10.  2. The first aayat has words that contain 10 alphabets of Arabic. 3. The second aayat has words that contain 10 alphabets of Arabic. 4. The third aayat has words that contain 10 alphabets of Arabic. 5. The letter repeated the most in the Surah is alif, it has been repeated 10 times. 6. The letters that appear only once in the Surah are 10. 7. Every aayat ends with raa, and the raa is the tenth letter of the Arabic alphabet. 8. The Surahs of the Noble Qur'an that ends with raa are 10, and the last of them is Surah al-Kawthar. 9. The 10th of Dhul Hijjah is Yaum un-Nahr, and on Yaum un-Nahr, Muslims are commanded to pray and sacrifice (Nahr). Blessed and pure is Allah Ta'ala. If all of this is in the shortest Surah of the Noble Qur'an, then what do you think of the longest Surah! Allah Ta'ala has truly said, 'if you are in doubt about what we have revealed upon ...

  Currently, there are scores of people who are affected by modern trends and pass remarks such as, "We have to compromise in Islam," "We have to make it suit modern times and conditions," "We have to remove antiquity from Islam," etc. With regards to such people, Hadrat ji rahimahullah said, "Today it is claimed that Islam cannot be practiced in present-day times. Good enough! How can the method of giving be practiced amongst those who possess the mentality of taking? Nothing at all will remain of Islam if you make it suit your desires and conditions. In such a case, it will become your brand of Islam." This means that the only purpose of religion is to restrict the actions and ways of people according to religious demands. If instead, principles and laws of the religion are changed to suit current actions and ways, then there will remain no need for religion. Consequently, some people have said, "There is no need for religion because it is...

  تمشي الباطل يوما مع الحق فقال الباطل : أنا أعلا منك رأسا قال الحق : أنا أثبت منك قدما قال الباطل : أنا أقوى منك قال الحق : أنا أبقى منك قال الباطل : أنا معي الأقوياء والمترفين قال الحق : وكذالك جعلنا في كل قرية أكابر مجرميها ليمكروا فيها وما يمكرون إلا بأنفسهم وما يشعرون قال الباطل: أستطيع أن أقتلك الآن قال الحق : ولكن أولادي سيقتلونك ولو بعد حين هكذا علمتني الحياة ص 14 

  What is Tashabbuh? What is Mushabahat? Is there a difference between them? What does the Shari'ah say about them? TASHABBUH: Tashabbuh means that a person willfully imitates. He intends to become like something else. He wants to be seen and identified as something else. This is not permissible at all.  MUSHABAHAT: A person does not willfully intend to look or become like something or someone else, but by his actions, he resembles others automatically. This is not forbidden in itself, but Sayyiduna Muhammad Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam emphasized that we stay away from it also. There must be a clear distinction that remains between the Muslims and the non-Muslims. It must not be that people see us and they don't even know whether the person is a Muslim or not. From head to toe, a person is dressed and groomed such that the onlooker does not know whether to greet him with salaam or not.  Sayyiduna Muhammad Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam emphasized th...

  LIVING AS A SECULARIST The summary of living as a secularist is that as far as communal life and work is concerned, like economics, politics etc., the secular system is free from religion. Man can choose whatever way he likes, based on his intellect, experience, and experimentation; there must be no restriction on him from religion at all.  As far as personal life goes in a secular system, then every person has the choice to choose whatever way and religion he wants. No one has the right to tell him or her that his or her religion is false. Every person is free to practice whatever religion he or she wants, not because that particular religion is true, but because it is a means of him or her acquiring peace and contentment.  SECULAR DEMOCRACY In other words, if a person gets free time from his worldly engagements, and he wants to see a monkey show to get peace of mind, then looking at a monkey show is something good and nice. Just as a monkey show has nothing to do with...

  The difference between the Islamic and Secular systems is that in the secular system, after using the first two means of acquiring knowledge (the five senses and the intellect), it stops. Secularists say that man does not have a third means of acquiring knowledge. 'Our eyes, ears, nose, and intellect is sufficient. There is no means of knowledge beyond this.' Islam says that beyond these first two means is another one. That is divine revelation, i.e., wahi ilahi. [Islahi Khutbat vol.1 p.26] The foundational difference between the Islamic and Secular systems is that Islam says that one must use the intellect, but only to the degree that it functions. There is a limit until which the intellect reaches, and beyond that, it stops functioning. In fact, it will begin to give the wrong answers. Take the example of a computer, if you use it for the work it has been made to do, it will respond immediately. However, if you want to find out about something that has not been fed into the...

In essence, the matter is that the thought has settled in our hearts and minds that whatever the western nations do, that is worthy of following and imitating, and the Sunnah of Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam is something minute, insignificant, and not worthy of following. In fact, we feel that it is a barrier in the path of progress.  However, what is cause for concern is that if you eat with the right hand, then how does that impede progress, or, how is that a barrier in the path of progress?  The issue is that slavery has been set upon our minds. We have abandoned bondage to Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and have adopted enslavement of the western nations. The result of this is that we are living in enslavement and dying in enslavement. Now, we want to come out of this enslavement and we cannot. We see no path or way of coming out of it.  The truth is that we will not be able to come out of this slavery and we will not be able to gain honour and res...

  Who are the real "extremists"? 1. The modernists and liberals are extremely quick to mockingly label all those different from them. This is real "extremism." 2. The modernists and liberals resort to distorting the meanings of the aayaat of the Noble Qur'an and the Sunnah to justify and 'prove' their modernism. This is real "extremism." 3. The modernists and liberals cast the entire corpus of traditional Muslim and Islamic scholarship aside, and prefer modern European western culture and teachings over that of the traditional 'Ulama' of the Ummah. This is real "extremism."  4. The modernists and liberals loathe and hate their own original beliefs and ways, and prefer to hug all the deviants like Shias and interfaith advocates. This is real "extremism." 5. The modernists and liberals label themselves as true Muslims, but practically live the exact opposite. This is real "extremism." 6. The modernists and li...

  Shaykh Nasir-ud-Deen Albani saheb [May Allah guide us all] is not an authority in authenticating [tashih] and weakening Ahadith [tad'if]. Subsequently, he has stated that some Ahadith of Bukhari and Muslim are da'if [weak]. It is astonishing to note that he rigidly graded a certain hadith, and said that it is da'if [weak], not worthy of consideration, defective etc. and five years later the same hadith was discussed. He was told to speak on it and he said, "This is an authentic [sahih] and accurate hadith," i.e., the hadith that he stringently denounced, he goes ahead and forgets about what he already said. These contradictions are not one or two, there are tens of them, whilst it is said that he is the Mujaddid [reviver] of this century in authenticating and weakening hadith! Anyway, he is a scholar, and one should not use a heavy word for a scholar. However, as a result of his disrespect towards the pious predecessors in his tone and mode of speech and his par...

  Once the high-ranking Sahabah radiyallahu 'anhum and the senior Tabi'een rahimahumullah had passed on, the deviated and astray groups and sects had begun to emerge. At the forefront of these groups and sects were people of desires and innovations like the Khawarij, the Rawafid, the Qadariyyah and the Jahamiyyah. A pressing need arose to gather and codify the true beliefs of the Muslims in-line with the track of the Sahabah radiyallahu 'anhum.  Imam Al-A'dham Abu Hanifah rahimahullah turned his focus and attention in this direction and he wrote and dictated a number of works on this topic.  Some of them were: 1. Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar 2. Al-Fiqh Al-Absat 3. Kitab Al-Wasiyyah 4. Kitab Al-Alim wal Muta'allim Imam Al-A'dham Abu Hanifah rahimahullah had clarified the principles of the religion and he elucidated the beliefs ('Aqa'id) of Islam in these works. Moreover, he responded to the doubts and misgivings of the Khawarij, the Shia, the Qadariyyah, and the Dahr...

  Some people hold the view of 'unity of the religions'. They are completely wrong.  They say that all religions are upon the truth, just the paths are different. However, they say that the destination is the same. [Moreover], all of them are trying to reach Allah Ta'ala, but the path that one of them takes is straight, the path of another one is crooked. All of them reach Allah Ta'ala, some will reach sooner, and others will reach later.  These thoughts are totally incorrect. It will be possible when the direction of all of them is the same. If the direction of each one is different, then how will all of them reach the same destination?  A person is travelling on camelback. A passerby asks him, "Where are you going?" He replies, "I am going to Makkah Mukarramah," whereas he is heading towards China. He is told, "You will never reach Makkah Mukarramah. The road that you are on is the road to China. The further you travel, the more distant you wi...

  Incident One: The Afghan women protected their honour in extraordinary ways. A Soviet soldier once entered the private quarters of an Afghan family. As he stretched his hand to dishonor her, she took hold of an axe and killed him. [Tarikh-e-Afghanistan vol.2 p.75] Incident Two: During the British invasion, when the enemy entered the villages, the Afghan women would climb onto the roofs of their houses and throw boiling water onto the heads of the advancing soldiers. [Tarikh-e-Afghanistan vol.1 p.295] Incidents like these fly in the face of feminists and crypto-feminists that turn a woman into a strange species that become vile and rabid against loyal husbands, and against the proper concept of Nikaah.  Many similar incidents have been reported in places like Syria, Palestine, and elsewhere. In all of them, the common factor is that the women were extremely pleased to protect their loyal husbands, children, families, and work hard with them side by side, to please Allah Ta'al...

  Over the last few years and months, South Africa, in particular, has seen a flood of celebrity speakers, motivational talkers, life coaches, and public figures that enjoy wide social media outreach, that claim to promote 'Islam' and engage in 'Da'wah'. These celebrities come and go, but leave more questions unanswered after they fly back home with a bucketful of 'gains' made from their foreign tours.  Muslims around the world, and particularly in South Africa, cannot afford to remain in a slumber anymore. We are all well aware of the fraud, corruption, and scams that pervade our society with no end seemingly in sight. How can we be so naive to be spoofed again and again and again?  The harsh reality is that the same schemes and shams that swindle our hard earned money have now been applied to our religion, culture, way of life, and on Deen, on the whole.  Hereunder, a framework to approach this issue is presented. If implemented carefully, placing one'...

  The ‘Ulamā’ of Afghanistan played a major role in the Jihād against the Soviets in the 1980's.  The ‘Ulamā’ led the Jihād from the very beginning. Various Mujāhidīn commanders were ‘Ulamā’ and Asātidha who had been teaching in the Madāris or who were engaged in Tazkiyah in their Khānqahs.   A few are mentioned below:    1.      Mawlānā Muḥammad Yūnus Khāliṣ (born in 1920) was a great ‘ālim who had spent most of his life in teaching and writing on Islām. He was regarded as one of the great teachers of Afghanistan.  2.      Mawlānā Jalā-ud-Dīn Ḥaqqānī (born in 1940) was another great ‘ālim who had graduated in the famous Dār-ul-‘Ulūm Ḥaqqāniyya, Pakistan where he also taught for one year. Mawlānā had established a large Madrasah in Mīrān Shah called Manba’ ul-‘Ulūm where students from various areas came to acquire Islamic knowledge.  3.      Mawlānā Muḥammad Nabī Muḥammady (born in 1921) was ...

  In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful حامدا ومصليا In the queried scenario, it is permitted to peacefully protest and march whilst remaining within the limits and confines of the Shari'ah, in order to create awareness and ready the masses to help the Palestinian people. However, it is not permissible to have a mixed protest, where non-Mahram males and females participate. For this reason, it is necessary to stay away and not participate in mixed marches etc. And Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala knows best The signed and stamped fatwa can be viewed in the picture above.  May Allah Ta'ala grant one and all the ability to practice accordingly. Ameen 

  Why has Jolani and the Mujahideen who liberated Syria not marched against Israel? This is a question many Muslims are asking. There are important lessons to learn from the timelines of the liberation of Al-Aqsa by Salah-ud-Deen Ayyubi rahimahullah.  559 - 565 AH - Egypt 569 AH - Yemen 571 AH - Damascus 579 AH - Aleppo 581 AH - Mosul 583 AH - Tiberius 583 AH - Ascalon, Jaffa, Acre, Beirut, Siddon 583 AH - Jerusalem In other words, Salah-ud-Deen Ayyubi rahimahullah began his military campaign in Egypt in 559 AH and liberated Al-Aqsa in 583 AH. It took 25 years. In the last 5 years, there have been two major positive developments in the Muslim world: 1. Afghanistan was liberated from the kufr plots of the Americans 2. Syria was liberated from the oppressive Shia Only time will tell how the current Syrian leadership will influence Al-Aqsa and Palestine. May Allah guide them and protect them from the plots of the enemies of Islam. The oppression and brutality of Israel will end. ...

  At first, the objections brought against religion by Westerners and Orientalists were open and clear. However, in recent times, a new method has been brought out in which religion is praised in a general sense, but the form and image of religion that is in their minds is a warped and distorted form of religion. Using the name and path of supporting and aiding religion, Westerners want to promote a deviated and distorted version of religion. In essence, the main target of Westerners is Islam and the Muslims. Other religious groups are used as shields for deviance, and ideals for Muslims to imitate, as they have already deviated a long time ago.  The detail of the deviances that this distorted and warped image of religion - as promoted by Westerners, Modernists, and Liberals, is presented hereunder: Dilution of 'Aqa'id 1. At the simplest level, a religion is made up of beliefs, worship and character or morals. People are told to take one or two out of the three, and to abandon...

  Acting upon one's views without any need or necessity is nothing but self-infatuation.  It is the Sunnah of Allah Ta'ala that sincerity, integrity, and devotion to Allah Ta'ala is permanent. In the court of Allah Ta'ala, it is only the currency of sincerity that operates.  Sincerity is conditional to acquire the help and support of Allah Ta'ala. When views and opinions that contradicted the consensus of the pious predecessors were adopted, then it has been witnessed, and the future also established that it was nothing but selfishness, egotistical, and self-infatuation.  When there is consensus of the pious predecessors on an issue, and consensus is established as a proof, then what need is there to use one's own opinion and view? The rare and isolated view and opinion that is based on desires and ego will gain traction and acceptance for a short while, but in the end, it will become part of the junkyard of history.  These isolated views and opinions are mostly...

  Nubuwwat has ended and the religion has been perfected. Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam prophesized that after him, differences in his Ummah will arise; different sects will come about. All of these groups and sects will be in the fire, and only one group will be saved. He also explained what the standard and gauge of truth and salvation will be, ma ana 'alayhi wa ashabi, i.e., the group that treads my path and the path of my companions will be the saved group.  Hence, it follows that the purport and understanding of the Noble Qur'an and the Blessed Sunnah, and the knowledge drawn from these two sources, it will only be that which the Sahabah radiyallahu 'anhum understood.  Every innovator and deviate claims that he has drawn his corrupt beliefs - according to his or her understanding - from the Noble Qur'an and the Blessed Sunnah. Hence, the only purport and understanding acceptable and worthy will be that of the Sahabah radiyallahu 'anhum; there is n...