An Explanation of Shaykhul-Islam Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhaab’s Four Principles of Shirk

 

Al-Qawaid Al-Arba Classes Started on 7th of March at Jama Masjid Abu Bakr Siddique (Rahmani Masjid) Joga Bai

 

 

By Dr. Arqam Rais Sanabili Madani Hafizullah

 

Overview

Aqeedah is the foundation of the religion of Islam. Masjid-e-Rahmani presents Aqeedah Series starting with Al Qawaid al Arbah: The Four Principles of Tawheed.

 Tawheed is the right of Allah upon us and it is a cause of for a person to enter Paradise. Let’s learn the basics of Tawheed and purify our belief.

 

About the Book

Al-Qawaid Al-Arba is a short booklet written by Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhaab, the text consists Quranic ayaat that highlights the essence of Islamic Creed.

From the many manuscripts of Shaikhul Islaam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhaab we present to you “Al-Qawaid Al-Arba” (The Four Principles in understanding shirk) explained in Urdu by our noble Shaikh Arqam Rais Sanabili Madani Hafizullah. This book is considered from the elementary foundations that are studied along with “Usool uth-thalaatha (The 3 Fundamental principles) and “Al-Usool us-Sittah” (The Six foundations) to prepare oneself to have a better understanding when studying “Kitaab ut-Tawheed” which should be a goal for all Muslims to strive for in their beginning of seeking knowledge for one to stay away from shirk and establish tawheed within themselves and those around them.

Four Principels

Rule No.1: Acknowledging that Allah is the one and only Lord (i.e. Ruboobiyyah) is not sufficient to affirm that an individual be judged as a Muslim

Rule No.2: They say: “We don’t worship them except to bring us closer to Allaah”

Rule no.3: The Prophet didn’t differentiate between idol worshipers and those who worship Angels, Prophets,Righteous or other created beings

Rule no.4: The polytheists in our era are more severe in their Shirk than the first polytheists

 

 

1. Session 1

 

Session 1 (Questions & Answers)

2. Session 2

3. Session 3

 

Session 3 (Questions & Answers)

4. Session 4 (last one)

 

Session 4 (Questions & Answers)

 

One may refer the below PDF during the class.

 

 

 

Location of classes (Al-Qawaid Al-Arba) are being held at:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He is our Shaykh, the Shaykh of Islam, unrivalled in our time in terms of knowledge, courage, intelligence, spiritual enlightenment, generosity, sincerity towards the ummah, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, and learning hadeeth – he put a great deal of effort into seeking it and writing it down, and he examined the different categories of narrators and acquired knowledge that no one else acquired.

His good qualities are many, and he is too great for a man like me to talk about his life. If I were to swear an oath between the Corner and the Maqaam I would swear that I have never seen anyone like him, and that he has never seen anyone like himself.

~Imam al-Dhahabi

A man of virtue, an embodiment of knowledge, deep comprehension of theology, and a revivalist are some of the qualities that characterize Imam Ibn Taymiyyah. Besides theology, Imam Ibn Taymiyyah was trained in some of the contemporary skills and arts such as Maths, Algebra and Calligraphy.

He was born in 661 AH (1263) in Harran, present-day Turkey. His family later moved to Damascus, present-day Syria due to Mongol invasion. Consequently, he grew up in Damascus, acquired education over here. He taught and lived in the same city till his death in prison in 728 AH (1328).

Name and Sobriquet

Traditionally, scholars possess different names and are often identified with completely different nicknames or sobriquets. A scholar of as great stature as was Imam Ibn Taymiyyaha was no exception. This is why his actual name was Ahmad, Taqi-ud-Din as a sobriquet and Abul-Abbas as a nickname. His full name, however, was ‘Taqi-Ud-Din Abu’l-Abbas Ahmad ibn al-Halim ibn Abd-as-Salaam Ibn Taymiyyah.

He hailed from a family of learned men. Since he grew up in a pious and religious family, he was quite righteous and led an austere life. He abstained from gossip and useless activities.

 

Early Education

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah acquired all his early education from the Sukkariya Madrasa, Damascus. He became a Hafiz in his early teens. He learned Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), Tafseer or commentary of Holy Quraan, a subject he was widely interested in and Usool-ul-Fiqh from his father, renowned local scholars and noted learned men of his region.

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, as has been noted earlier, even studied Maths, Algebra, calligraphy, philosophy and history. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala blessed him with such a sharp mind and intellect that he could manage to finish his education at the age of 20 years.

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah studied under more than 200 scholars (al-Bazzar, 2009). He memorized the Hadith with strict adherence to narration and athar. He had all the greatest books of knowledge at that time recited to him numerous times

 

Ibn Taymiyyah’s Austerity and Lessons for Us

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah was a devout follower of the religion, an adherent to the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam and a committed preacher of Islam. He led an austere life fighting evil and falsehood as well as working tirelessly to bring reforms in the Muslim society.

He was a noble soul who dedicated his entire life to seek the happiness of his Creator. He left no stone unturned in order to establish an Islamic society and values which prevailed during the time of the Prophet.

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah wrote numerous manuscripts allowing him to leave a long-lasting legacy. He had to suffer in jail due to his sheer devotion to eliminate innovations and falsehood from the Muslim society.

He did not own any material wealth. His only wealth and legacy for further generations was knowledge.

By Allaah, there was never seen under the canopy of heaven anyone like your Shaykh Ibn Taymiyah in knowledge, righteous deeds, attitude, manner, adherence to the Sunnah, generosity, forbearance and carrying out duties to Allaah when His sacred limits were transgressed; he was the most sincere of people, the most sound in knowledge, the most effective, the most serious in supporting the truth, the most generous, the most perfect in following the Sunnah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). We have never seen anyone in our own time who demonstrates the example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his Sunnahs in word and deed like this man; a sound heart will bear witness that this is following the Sunnah in the true sense of the word.

~Imaad al-Deen al-Waasiti

Books and Works

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah’s knowledge and memory were astounding. He was blessed with elephantine memory. This is the reason that he could narrate and quote innumerable verses, Hadees and historical events verbally and with greater convenience.

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah wrote his first book at age 29, after completing Hajj, called ‘Manasik al-Hajj’ (Rites of the Pilgrimage). It contained criticism about all the innovations he noticed during his pilgrimage.

 

Written Work of Ibn Taymiyyah

Imam Ibn Taymiya left a considerable body of work that will help the posterity to learn true Islam. He is one of the few scholars whose work has extensively been republished in several countries such as Syria, Egypt and Arabia. His work extended and justified his religious and political involvements and was characterized by its rich content, sobriety, and skilful polemical style. Extant books and essays written by ibn Taymiya include:

 

• A Great Compilation of Fatwa—(Majmu al-Fatwa al-Kubra)
• Minhaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah—(The Pathway of as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah)—Volumes 1-4
• Majmoo’ al-Fatawa—(Compilation of Fatawa) Volumes 1-36
• al-Aqeedah Al-Hamawiyyah—(The Creed to the People of Hamawiyyah)
• al-Aqeedah Al-Waasittiyah—(The Creed to the People of Waasittiyah)
• al-Asma wa’s-Sifaat—(Allah’s Names and Attributes) Volumes 1-2
• ‘al-Iman—(Faith)
• al-Uboodiyyah—(Subjection to Allah)
• Iqtida’ as-Sirat al-Mustaqim’—(Following The Straight Path)
• at-Tawassul wal-Waseela
• Sharh Futuh al-Ghayb—(Commentary on Revelations of the Unseen by Abdul Qadir Jilani)

 

Teachers and Mentors of Ibn Taymiyyah

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah studied under a great number of scholars and mentors. Here is a list of some prominent figures:

 

• Aboo al-Abbaas Ahmad Ibn Abdud-Daa’im al Maqdasee
• Aboo Nasr ‘ Abdul-Azeez Ibn Abdul-Mun’im
• Aboo Muhammad Ismaa’eel Ibn Ibraheemay-Tanookhee
• al-Manjaa Ibn Uthmaan at-Tanookhee ad-Dimashqee
• Aboo al-Abbaas al-Mu’ammil Ibn Muhammad al-Baalisee
• Aboo Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Abee Bakr Ibn Sulaymaan al-Aamiree
• Aboo al-faraj Abdur Rahman Ibn Sulaymaan al-Baghdaadi
• Sharaf ad-Deen al-Maqdasee, Ahmad Ibn Ahmad ash-Shaafi’ee
• Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Qawee al-Maqdasee
• Taqi ad-Deen al-Waasitee, Ibraheem Ibn Alee as-Saalihee al-Hanbali
• His paternal aunt, Sitt ad-Daar bint Abdus-Salaam Ibn Taymiyyah

 

Students of Ibn Taymiyyah

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah trained and shared his knowledge and expertise with many of his pupils and students. Some of the prominent figures are as follow:

 

• Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah,
• Muhammad Ibn Abu Bakr
• adh-Dhahabi, Muhammad Ibn Ahmad
• al-Mizzi, Yusuf Ibn Abdur-Rahman
• Ibn Kathir, Isma’eel Ibn Umar
• Ibn Abdul-Hadi, Muhammad Ibn Ahmad
• Al-Bazzar, Umar Ibn Ali
• Ibn Qadi al-Jabal, Ahmad Ibn Husain
• Ibn Fadlillah al-Amri, Ahmad Ibn Yahya
• Muhammad Ibn al-Manj, Ibn Uthman at-Tanukhi
• Yusuf Ibn Abdu-l-Mahmud Ibn Abdus-Salam al-Batti
• Ibn al-Wardi, Zayn ad-Din Umar
• Umar al-harrani, Zayn-ad-Din Abu Hafs
• Ibn Muflih, Shams ad-Din Abu Abdullah

 

Conclusion

Shaikh-ul-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah left a long-lasting legacy. He wrote extensively on Islam and left a trail of influential work and students. He interpreted the Quraan and the Sunnah the way the Prophet Muhammad sallalahu aliahi wasalam did. He brought Ummah back to the path of genuine Islam and revived it thoroughly.

 

 

 

As promised, Allah has sent down on this earth, from time to time, outstanding scholars to protect His religion from distortion. Such scholars were pious, profoundly knowledgeable, and an embodiment of courage. One of such names is definitely Imam Ahmad ibn Mohammad ibn Hanbal – and is considered by many as the man who disregarded everything to follow the traditions of this religion.

Birth & Origin

Born in Rabi’ Awwal AH 164 (November 780 CE), Imam Ahmad belongs a noble house of Bani Shayban in Baghdad. His father passed away before his birth. His mother took care of him and brought him up in the most proper manner.

She was keen that he learns the different disciplines of knowledge prevalent at that time. So, he memorized the Noble Qur’an and applied himself enthusiastically to the knowledge of Hadith. He would get up at dawn to be the first student to attend the knowledge circle of his sheikh.

During his teens, he joined the circle of Abu Yusuf, a disciple of Imam Abu Hanifah and the first person to hold the post of Chief Judge. His circle was unspeakably splendid. It attracted seekers of knowledge, scholars, as well as judges of different classes and ranks. Imam Ahmad attended this circle for four years. He recorded in writing all what he learned there, which formed a great amount of papers.

He also used to attend the circle of Imam Hasheem ibn Basheer As-Solamy, the grand scholar of Hadith in Baghdad. Moreover, whenever he heard that a knowledgeable scholar came to Baghdad, he would seek to acquire knowledge from him. In this regard, he learned from the great scholars Na’eem ibn Hammad, Abdul-Rahman ibn Mahdi, and ‘Umayr ibn Abdullah ibn Khaled.

Name and lineage

Imam’s full name is Aḥmad Ibn Moḥammad Ibn Ḥanbal Abu Abdullah Al-Shaybani. He was originally from Baghdad. Imam’s grandfather, Hanbal, was the governor of Sarkhas during the Umayyad period. His father Muhammad was a soldier Abbasid Army in Khurasan. His tribe was Banu Shayban which was known for courage and chivalry. Imam Ahmad was descended from a pure Arabic lineage that coincided with the lineage of the Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.) from Nizar Bin Maad Bin Adnan from the clan of Banu Bakr bin Wail. Imam’s mother was Safiiya Bint Maimoona, who was also from the tribe of Shayban from the clan of Banu Amir.

Imam Ahmad was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq. He was born in the Islamic month of Rabi-ul-Awwal, 164 AH (780 AD). His father Mohammad died young at the age of thirty and Imam Ahmad was, therefore, raised as an orphan, which is the reason why he learned to be self-reliant from childhood.

A Knowledge-Seeker

Seekers of knowledge at the time were known for their journeys in the pursuit of religious knowledge, especially Hadith. Regardless of the high cost and distance of this kind of journeys, seekers of knowledge would travel throughout the Muslim World where the eminent jurists and scholars of Hadith live to acquire knowledge.
Imam Ahmad commenced his blessed journey in the pursuit of Hadith in AH 186 (802 CE) at the age of 22. He went to Basra, Koufa, Ar-Riqqa, Yemen, and Al-Hijaz (i.e., Makkah and Madinah) where he met a number of prominent and great scholars and jurists of the Ummah, such as Yahya ibn Sa’id Al-Qattan, Abu Dawud At-Tayalisi, Waki’ ibn Al-Jarraah, Abu Mu’awiyah Ad-Darir, Sufyan ibn Uyainah, and Ash-Shafe’i.

He dedicated himself to studying at the hands of Ash-Shafe’i for a period of time, during which he learned fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and its principles. He was such a devout seeker of knowledge that Imam Ash-Shafe’i said about him that there was no one in Baghdad that was more knowledgeable in religion and skillful in memorizing hadiths than Imam Ahmad.

His great passion for seeking Hadith made him bear every difficulty willingly. Despite his great knowledge and high status among eminent scholars, he proceeded to seek knowledge from others. Though his sheikhs and colleagues attested to the ample knowledge he possessed, he did not feel embarrassed at all to sit among students to receive knowledge from others.

Seeing Imam Ahmad holding the inkwell by means of which he would write what he learned, a contemporary of him commented, “O father of Abdullah, [You sit among students] despite the high level of knowledge you have reached. You are the imam of Muslims [in knowledge]!” The reply of Imam Ahmad came thus: “With the inkwell till I go to the grave.”

Early Studies/Education

Imam Ahmed studied extensively in Baghdad. When he finished his primary/elementary Islamic education (the Maktab), Imam began to attend study circles at higher level of Islamic education at the age of fourteen. Then he began to focus on studying Hadith in 179 AH (795 AD).

Further Studies/Education and His Teachers

He started learning jurisprudence (Fiqh) under the celebrated Islamic scholar, Abu Yusuf, who was a renowned student and companion of Imam Abu Hanifa . Then Imam Ahmad remained student of Hushaim Bin Basheer until his death in 183 AH (799 AD). During his studies, he heard about the death of Imam Malik. He then went to Kufah where he became famous as an authority on reports narrated from Hushaim Bin Basheer. He memorized all the books of Imam Wakee Ibn Al-Jarah and was also taught by him. Imam Ahmad leaned Islamic law from Imam Al-Shafi’ee .

Imam Ahmad began traveling through Iraq, Syria, and Arabia to collect hadiths. During his travel, he wrote down bout three hundred thousand Hadiths.

He learned and wrote Hadith from more than 280 scholars including:

1. Yaqub Ibn Ibrahim Al-Ansari (better known as Abu Yusuf)
2. Imam Al-Shafi’ee
3. Hushaim Bin Basheer
4. Ibrahim Ibn Saad
5. Yahya Bin Saeed Al-Qattan
6. Abu Moḥammad Sufyan Ibn Uyaynah
7. Imam Yazeed Bin Haroon
8. Imam Wakee Ibn Al-Jarah

and from other scholars at their time.

Students

It did not take long for Imam Ahmad to become widely known. More and more people started to become his students. People loved his teaching because he possessed wide knowledge about Islam and he was recognized as a highly pious man who spared no effort in the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge.

As reported by Imam Adh-Dhahabi (Full Name: Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Uthmaan ibn Qaymaaz Adh-Dhahabi) in his book ‘Siyar Alaam An-Nubala’ that sixty-six people have learnt different Islamic Laws, Fiqh, Hadith, Fatwas and other Islamic knowledge from Imam Ahmad and many other besides them. Imam Adh-Dhahabi also stated that there were more than fifty of Imam’s senior students who had wrote down numerous ‘Fatwas’ on various issues from Imam Ahmad. His most notably students include:

1. Abu Al-Hasan Ali Ibn Muhammad Al-Mawardi
2. Abu Bakr Al-Athram
3. Salih Bin Ahmad (Imam’s son)
4. Abdullah Bin Ahmad (Imam’s son)
5. Abu Dawood Sulayman (famously known as Abu Dawood)
6. Hambal bin Ishaaq

and many other well-known scholars of that time.

Achievements

As a teacher Imam Hanbal’s success was unmatchable. Scholars, students of knowledge, and ordinary Muslims from different backgrounds used to join his lectures in multitudes. It is reported that in some lectures of Imam Hanbal the number of participants were around 5000. An unimaginable number of giants of Islam have learnt this religion from him including Imam Mohammad ibn Ismail Al Bukhari [died on 256 Hijri], Imam Muslim ibn Hajjaj [died on 261 Hijri], Iman Abu Dawood As Sijistani [died on 275 Hijri], Imam Mohammad ibn Isa At Tirmidi [died on 279 Hijri], and Imam Abu Abdir Rahman An Nasai [died on 303 Hijri].

Imam Hanbal was a master in the field of Fiqhul Hadith. He memorized more than hundred thousand Hadiths according to many reports. He has written many books – the most famous one is Al Musnad. This book is one of the largest available collections of Hadiths comprising 52 volumes. After examining more than 750,000 Hadiths, Imam Hanbal selected only around 30,000 Hadiths narrated by 904 companions and they were organized on the basis of individual companions.

Imam Hanbal also achieved mastery in the other branches of knowledge including Tafseer, Fiqh (i.e. Islamic jurisprudence) and history. Imam Shafi commented about his student Hanbal, reportedly stating: “I left Baghdad and I did not leave behind me someone more pious, cautious (regarding doubtful matters), understanding (in fiqh) and knowledgeable than Ahmad”.

Married Life

Imam Hanbal was married when he was around 40 years old. His first wife was Ayisha binte Fazl who gave birth to Imam Hanbal’s eldest son Salih. According to some historians after the death of Ayisha, Imam Hanbal married Raihana. Another version suggests that Imam Hanbal married her during the lifetime of his first wife and she was the mother of their famous son Abdullah who also became a scholar and narrated many Hadiths from his father.

Trials and imprisonment

The biography of Imam Hanbal is incomplete without the description of his valiant role against the trial (fitnah) of Mutazilaism (philosophical rationalism). This fitnah was certainly one of the most critical trials for the Ummah. The ideology of this deviant sect had an innovative approach to interpret the verses of Al Quran, especially with regard to the verses relating to description of Allah. They propagate the philosophy to interpret these verses metaphorically. They also believed that Al Quran is a creation and not the words of Allah.

The initial Abbasid Caliphs were against this innovation and took strict action against the propagators of Mutazilaism. However, the Mutazilas first came in to dominant position during the reign of Caliph Al Mamun who ascended the throne in 198 Hijri. Al Mamun was a scholarly person and during his tenure the education sector of Baghdad flourished but unfortunately the Caliph was under the influence of this Mutazila ideology.

He then appointed a Mutazila Scholar Ibnu Abu Dua as the Chief Judge who was very aggressive in establishing their ideology in the Muslim Ummah. Initially, Al Mamun was just adhering to this methodology but subsequently, around 216 Hijri, he was influenced by the Mutazila clerics to impose this ideology on every Imam and scholar in the Muslim world.

Any scholar who refused to concur with these ideologies were arrested and tortured. Many of the scholars flew from Baghdad and some were forced to accept this new law under pressure. Imam Hanbal was the one who stood up against this ideology, and did not bow down despite immense torture.

The Governor of Baghdad at that time was deputed with the task to obtain an acknowledgement from Imam Hanbal regarding Al Quran being a creation of Allah. Accordingly, he summoned Imam Hanbal and threatened him with dire consequences if he denied this supposed truth. However, Imam Hanbal flatly refused to acknowledge such deviant ideology.

The Caliph then ordered him to bring Imam Hanbal to his palace at Tarasus in chains. On the way to Tarasus the news of the death of Al Mamun reached and Imam Hanbal was sent back to jail in Baghdad. After his death, his brother Al Mutasim became the Caliph. He was not a scholar but he followed his brother’s instruction to patronize Mutazila creed and, in doing so, he was more oppressive. During his reign, Imam Hanbal was tortured so badly that he was on the verge of dying.

For almost two and a half years Imam Hanbal was in prison and tortured. During this tenure, Imam Hanbal was often brought to the Caliph’s palace in chains and he was asked to agree with the Mutazila creed but he remained steadfast. Such valiant and noble firmness for the sake of Islam uplifted his stature and the fame of Imam Hanbal spread around the entire Muslim Ummah like wildfire.

Gradually the followers and well-wishers of Imam Hanbal started to demonstrate resentment and frustration with the approach of the Caliph and ultimately Imam Hanbal was released from prison. Al Mutasim was Caliph for eight more years and after his death his son Wasik became Caliph. Al Wasik was in power for almost six years and followed the footsteps of his father and uncle. All these years Imam Hanbal was under surveillance and he was restrained from preaching and teaching in public. It is reported that it was during these days that Imam Hanbal compiled his most famous book Al Musnad.

After the death of Al Wasik, his brother Al Mutawakkil became the caliph in 242 Hijri. He was a true follower of As Auunah wal Jama and he brought an end to this Mutazila dominion. He allowed Imam Hanbal to resume his preaching in public and honoured him the way Imam Hanbal deserved.

Death of Imam Ahmad

Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal died on Friday, 12 Rabi-ul-Awwa, 241 AH (857 AD approx.) at the age of seventy-seven in Baghdad, Iraq, after brief illness of 9 days. He is also buried in Baghdad (as reported by Abu Al-Hasan Al-Marwadhi).

As per sources, his Janazah Salah (Funeral Prayer) was attended by approx. one million people, among those, 60,000 were women. Historians also state that 20,000 Christians and Jews converted to Islam on that day of Imam’s funeral.

At-Tirmidhi’s full Name and Lineage

His full name is Muhammad ibn Eisa ibn Sawrah ibn Musa ibn Ad-Dahhak At-Tirmidhi Al-Bughi As-Sulami, from the well-known Arab tribe of Sulaim ibn Mansur. He is the compiler of the well-known book of Hadith Jami At-Tirmidhi which is distinguished by At-Tirmidhi’s unique approach of the classification and verification of Hadiths. Imam At-Tirmidhi is one of the outstanding scholars of Hadith who spent their lives in narrating and verifying the Hadiths of the Prophet (S.A.W.).

Amr ibn Alak said:

When Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari died, he did not leave behind anyone in Khurasan like Abu Eisa (At-Tirmidhi), in terms of knowledge and God-fearing.

At-Tirmidhi’s Birth and Early Life

Abu Eisa was born in the beginning of 209 AH (824 CE) in Tirmidh (now Surxondaryo Region in Uzbekistan). His grandfather was from Marw. Scholars differed whether he was born blind or not but the correct view is that he was not born so but he lost his eyesight in his old age because of his abundant study of Hadith.

Ibn Kathir said:

“It appears from the state of At-Tirmidhi that blindness happened to him after he travelled, heard (Hadiths), wrote, argued and compiled (Hadith books). Abu Eisa was exceptionally distinguished by his matchless capacity of memorizing Hadiths.”

Ibn Al-Imad Al-Hanbali said:

“He (At-Tirmidhi) ex-celled all his peers, and was a prodigy in memorization and proficiency.”

Imam At-Tirmidhi devoted his whole life for learning and studying Hadith. He travelled a lot and learned under the greatest scholars of Hadith, such as Imam Al-Bukhari who left a great effect upon our scholar Abu Eisa At-Tirmidhi.

At-Tirmidhi’s Pursuit of Knowledge

Imam At-Tirmidhi was bent on learning Hadith. He travelled to numerous places and narrated Hadiths from many persons. He travelled to Al-Hijaz, Basra, Kufah, Baghdad, Ar-Rayy and Khurasan.

Al-Hafiz Al-Mizzi said:

“He toured the cities and heard from a great number of people from Khurasan, Iraq, Al-Hijaz and other places.”

It is narrated that he took Hadith from more than 200 narrators of Hadith.

The numerous journeys of Imam At-Tirmidhi helped him get high Isnad (chain of narrators). He took Hadiths from some of the teachers of both Imam Al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim, the teachers of Imam Al-Bukhari that Muslim did not narrate from, and the teachers of Imam Muslim that Imam Al-Bukhari did not narrate from. Not only that, he narrated Hadith from 42 narrators that the five Imams of Hadith (Imam Al-Bukhari, Imam Muslim, ImamAbu Dawud, Imam An-Nasai and Imam Ibn Majah) did not narrate from. Also, he narrated Hadiths along with five scholars of Hadith (Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, An-Nasai and Ibn Majah) from the same 9 narrators of Hadith.

Hadith was not the sole knowledge that Imam At-Tirmidh acquired, he was an encyclopedic scholar. He was versed in other branches of knowledge, such as Fiqh, Islamic History, Arabic language and other sciences. He was renowned for his excellent understanding and deduction of the Fiqh rulings from Hadiths.

The great scholar Abu Al-Hasan An-Nadawi said:

“He (At-Tirmidhi) was the first to broach what is called nowadays “Comparative Fiqh” and he had a great merit that the Muslim community has to admit. His efforts saved a lot of the Islamic heritage of the schools of Fiqh from loss.”

At-Tirmidhi’s Teachers (Sheikhs)

Among his well-known teachers were:

1 –   Ibrahim ibn Ismail ibn Yahia

2 –   Abu Ishaq At-Tabari

3 –   Ibrahim ibn Hatim Al-Harawi

4 –   Ibrahim ibn Harun Al-Balkhi

5 –   Ibrahim ibn Yaqub Al-Jawjajani

6 –   Muhammad ibn Bashshar ibn Bindar

7 –   Muhammad ibn Al-Muthanna

8 –   Qutaybah ibn Said Al-Baghlani

9 –   Ali ibn Hajar Al-Mirwazi

10 – Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari

11 – Muslim ibn Al-Hajjaj An-Naysaburi

12 – Ahmad ibn Mani Al-Baghawi

13 – Mahmud ibn Ghaylan Al-Mirwazi

14 – Abdullah ibn Abdur-Rahman Ad-Darimi

15 – Ishaq ibn Rahawih

And many others.

At-Tirmidhi’s Students

A great deal of Hadith narrators learned at the hands of Imam At-Tirmidhi and took Hadith from him, including:

1 –   Abu Al-Abbas Muhammad ibn Ahmad Al-Mahbubi Al-Mirwazi

2 –   Abu Said Ash-Shashi

3 –   Abu Dharr Muhammad ibn Ibrahim At-Tirmidhi

4 –   Abu Muhammad Al- Hasan Al-Qattan

5 –   Abu Hamid Ahmad ibn Abdullah Al-Mirwazi

6 –   Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Aamer As-Samarqandi

7 –  Ahmad ibn Yusuf An-Nasafi

8 –  Al-Hasan ibn Yusuf Al-Farabri

9 –  Ar-Rabi ibn Hayyan Al-Bahili

And many others.

At-Tirmidhi’s Writings

1 –  Al-Jami Al-Mukhtasar min As-Sunan an Rasulillah, known as Jami At-Tirmidhi

2 –  Al-Ilal As-Sughra- Az-Zuhd

3 –  Al-Ilal Al-Kubra

4 –  Ash-Shamail An-Nabawiyyah wa Al-Fa-dail Al-Mustafawiyyah

5 –  Al-Asmaa wa Al-Kuna- Kitab At-Tarikh

At-Tirmidhi’s Death

After a life replete with knowledge-seeking, travelling for narrating Hadiths and teaching and explaining Hadith, Imam At-Tirmidhi passed away on Monday 13th of Rajab, 279 AH (892 CE) in Bugh (a village lies in his hometown Tirmidh) at the age of 68.

Scholars’ Praise of At-Tirmidhi

Abu Sad Al-Idrisi said:

“Muhammad ibn Eisa At-Tirmidhi, the blind memorizer of Hadith, is one of the leading scholars of the knowledge of Hadith. He compiled the book Al-Jami, At-Tawarikh and Al-Ilal in a proficient and scientific way. He was an example of the memorization of Hadith.”

As-Samaani said:

“There is no dispute that he (At-Tirmidhi) was the Imam of his age. He also said, He was one of the leading Imams of Hadith.”

Ibn Al-Athir Al-Jazari said:

“He was one of the prominent memorizing scholars of Hadith. Also, he was well-informed of Fiqh.”

Abu Al-Fida said:

“He was a leading memorizer of Hadith, and he was blind. He was one of the well-known proficient scholars of Hadith.”

Ibn Kathir said:

“He (At-Tirmidhi) was one of the Imams of this matter (Hadith) at his time.”

Al-Hafiz Abu Al-Hajjaj Al-Mizzi said:

“He (At-Tirmidhi) was one of the prominent memorizing Imams (of Hadith) by whom Allah has benefited Muslims.”

May Allah confer mercy upon him and reward him all the good for his efforts in pre- serving the Sunnah of the Prophet and narrating it to people!

Name, Genealogy and Lineage

Imam Abu Dawud Sulaiman ibn Ash’ath ibn Ishaq ibn Bashir ibn Shaddad ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Imran al-Azdi Sajastani.

Year and Place of Birth

Imam Abu Dawud was born in Sistan, a famous city in Khurasan in the year 202 AH (817 AD). He belonged to the Arab tribe, Azd. Even though he was born in Sistan he spent the greater part of his life at Basrah which was the seat of Islamic learning in his time. Imam Abu Dawud also travelled for collecting hadith. Many times he visited Baghdad. He also went to Hijaz, Egypt, al-Jazirah, Nishapur, Syria and Isfahan.i.

Special Attributes

He was blessed with an exceptional mind. Imam Abu Dawud had to read a book only once to commit its entire contents to memory. He was well versed in the criticism of hadith and an expert in distinguishing the sound hadith from the weak and defective ones.

Only four persons are reported to have earned their names for the criticism of hadith. They are: Imam Bukhari, Imam Muslim, Imam Abu Dawud and Imam Nasa’i. Imam Abu Dawud lived during the time when the Muslim world was full of eminent scholars. He had so much command over hadith, he was considered by many as Imam al-muhaddithin of his time.

Besides his expertise in hadith he was also a great jurist. He had keen insight in fiqh and ijtihad. He was a religious man. He led a pious and ascetic life. He devoted most of his time for worship, devotion and remembrance of Allah. He always kept away from men of rank, the company of sultans and courtiers.

It is stated that Imam Abu Dawud used to wear one of his sleeves wide and the other correctly sized. When he was asked for the reason of this oddity he replied, “To store notes on hadith. I consider widening the other sleeve unnecessarily as an extravagance”.

His Work

Imam Abu Dawood heard hadith from 300 persons who were his teachers. Some were: Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishaq ibn Rahawaiy, Abu Thaur, Yahya ibn Ma’in. For one to grasp his elevated status, he narrated hadith to the teachers of Imam Ahmad. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal also narrated one hadith from him. Among the students of Imam Abu Dawud are great personalities like:
Ibn Arabi, Abu ‘Isa al-Tirmidhi and Abu ‘Abdur-Rahman An Nasa’i.

They were transmitters of his famous work Sunan Abu Dawud. Imam Muslim was also one of his pupils. Imam Abu Dawud’s works are:

Kitab Al Radd Ala’ Ahl al Qadar

Kitab Al Masa’il

Musnad Malik

Kitab Al Marasil

Sunan Abu Dawud

“Sunan” Abu Dawud

Imam Abu Dawud completed his famous book “Sunan“, and presented it to Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, who admired it.

His book is not limited to the three types of Hadith; the Sahih (referenced), but also included the Hassan (accepted), Da’eef (weak), as well as the probable and the controversial.

He ended up compiling 4800 Hadiths from the 500 thousand Hadiths he initially collected.

In his book, he took care of all the Hadiths that the scholars had quoted and discussed among them which later turned into the Hadith of directives. It is mentioned that he only cared about the Hadiths of directives and did not include the Hadiths of self-discipline and virtues.

The book of Sunan of Abu Dawud is arranged in the form of volumes. It includes 1871 volumes divided into 35 books. It counted the Hadiths of the prophet, the companions and the affiliated scholars.

About his book, he said: “In my book, I sought to explain the flaws in the Hadith Da’eef (the weak Hadith), but if I didn’t explain anything, the Hadith is valid.”

Sunan Abu Dawud is an important collection of hadith: Most of the scholars have assigned it to third position among the six authentic books of hadith. It is only after the compilation of Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.

A few statements from scholars of hadith concerning Sunan Abu Dawud:

Al-Khattabi said:

Sunan Abu Dawud is an excellent book. No such parallel work has been produced so far in religious sciences. It has gained popularity amongst the people. It has a decisive position among various classes of scholars and jurists. All have benefited equally from it. The people of Iraq, Eygpt, Maghrib and most of the countries depended upon it.

Ibn al-Jawzi said:

Abu Dawud was an eminent doctor of hadith and an outstanding scholar. No one has compiled a book like his Sunan.

Ibn Kathir remarked:

Sunan Abu Dawud is considered to be a famous and popular work among scholars.

Imam Abu Dawud himself has stated:

From this book of mine four (4) hadith are sufficient for an intelligent and insightful person. They are:

• Deeds are to be judged only by intentions
• Part of a man’s good observance of Islam is that he leaves alone that which does not concern him
• None of you can be a believer unless you love for your brother that which you love for yourself
• The permitted (halal) is clear, and the forbidden (haram) is clear, between these two are doubtful matters. Whosoever abstains from these doubtful matters has saved his religion.

The traditions compiled in Sunan Abu Dawud were generally followed by companions, successors and their followers. It is a basic source of knowledge about the legal points of views held by Imam Malik, Sufyan Al-Thawri and Al-Awza’i. It serves as an arbiter for disagreement among jurists.

His Death

Imam Abu Dawud died on Friday 16th Shawwal 275 AH (888 AD) at the age of 72.

 

Introduction

The Salafi Imam became well-known with the title ‘Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah’ because his father was the principal of the ‘Al-Jawziyyah‘ school in Damascus. As for his name, it is Shams ad-Din, Abu ‘Abdullah, Muhammad the son of Abu Bakr the son of Ayub az-Zura’i (an ascription to Azra’ which is in the south of Syria), then Dimashqi, Hanbali.

He was born on the 7th of Safar in the year 691H (1292CE), and was raised in a house of knowledge and excellence. This offered him the chance to take knowledge from the senior scholars of his time, a time when the various sciences of knowledge flourished. He studied under Ash-Shibab an-Nabilisi, Abu Bakr ibn ‘Abd ad-Da’im, Al-Qadhi Taqi ad-Din Sulayman, ‘Isa al-Mut’im, Fatimah bint Jawhar, Abu Nasr al-Baha’ ibn Asakir, ‘Ala’ ad-Din al-Kindi, Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul-Fath al-Ba’labaki, Ayyub ibn Al-Kamal and Al-Qadhi Badr ad-Din ibn Jama’ah.

Journey

He took knowledge of the laws of inheritance from Isma’il ibn Muhammad and read the Arabic language to ‘Abdul-Fath al-Ba’labaki and Al-Majd at-Tunisi. He studied fiqh with a certain groups of scholars, amongst them being Isma’il ibn Muhammad al-Harrani, and he took ‘Usul al-Fiqh from As-Safi al-Hindi. As for his greatest teacher and his shaykh whom he accompanied for seventeen years of his life, and who left the greatest impact upon him – then that is the Imam, the Mujaddid (Reviver), Taqi ad-Din ibn Taymiyyah. Ibn Al-Qayyim took the same methodology as him and traversed his path in waging war against the people of Innovations and Desires and those who deviated from the religion.

As for his own students, then they are many. Amongst them were his son ‘Abdullah; Ibn Kathir – the author of Al-Bidayah wa’n-Nihayah; the Imam and Hafidh, ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Rajab al-Baghdadi al-Hanbali – the author of Tabaqat al-Hanabilah; and also Shams ad-Din Muhammad ‘Abdul-Qadir an-Nabilisi.

Holding fast to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger

Ibn Al-Qayyim lived in a time in which there was strife and internal confusion and chaos, as well as an external threat which was menacing the Islamic state. For this reason, he used to order with holding fast to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger, and the rejection of separation and disunity. Amongst his goals was the purging of the religion from the innovations and desires and returning it to its pure and original fountains. So he called for the destruction of the madhhab of blind-following (taqlid), a return to the madhhab of the Salaf and traversing upon their way and methodology. Because of this we see that he did not restrict himself to the Hanbali madhhab and often he would take the opinion and view of one of the various madhahib, or sometimes he may have had an opinion which conflicts with the opinion of the all the other madhahib. Thus, his madhhab was ijtihad and the rejection of taqlid [and this is the position with all the scholars of past and present but not that of the common person or muqallid]. As a result of this he incurred great harm and was imprisoned with his Shaykh, Ibn Taymiyyah, in the same prison, though in isolation from him. He was not released from the prison until after the death of the Shaykh. [The previous sentence may seem to indicate that they were imprisoned because of their not following a madhhab, yet their imprisonment had more to do with their ‘aqidah, which was deemed to be deviant by the many powerful and ignorant scholars of the time, may Allah have mercy upon them.]

He took to teaching and giving verdicts for a number of years and (all) the people without exception benefitted from him. The scholars also testified to his knowledge and piety. Ibn Hajar said about him, “He had a courageous heart, was vast in knowledge and was well acquainted with the differences (of opinion) and the madhahib of the Salaf.” Shaykh ul-Islam, Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ash-Shawkani said, “He restricted (himself) to the (most) authentic of evidences, and admired acting upon them. He did not depend upon opinion (ra’i), would overcome (others) with the truth and would not be harsh with anyone with respect to it.”

Ibn Kathir said, “He was attached to occupying himself with knowledge, day and night. He would pray and recite the Qur’an much and was of excellent character, and showed great affection and friendship. He would not be jealous or envious.” Ibn Kathir also said, “I do not know, in this time of ours, anyone in the world whose worship is greater than his. He used to have a particular manner with respect to the prayer. He would lengthen it a great deal, would extend its bowing and prostrating. Many of his associates would censure him at times but he would never return and leave alone this (action of his), may Allah have mercy upon him.”

Mulla ‘Ali al-Qari said, “And whoever investigates the book Sharh Manazil as-Sa’irin (i.e., Madarij as-Salikin), it will become plain and clear to him that both of them (meaning Ibn Al-Qayyim and Ibn Taymiyyah) were amongst the most senior from Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah and amongst the Awliya’ (of Allah) of this Ummah.” Al-Hafidh As-Suyuti said, “And he became one of the senior scholars in exegesis (tafsir), hadith, ‘usul, subsidiary matters (furu’) and Arabic language.”

He authored and compiled in the field of fiqh, ‘usul, biography (siyar), history and the sciences of hadith. Alongsde this he was a linguist, well-acquainted with grammar. He also wrote much poetry.

His work

He passed on to the mercy of His Lord at the latter time of Isha’, on the night of Thursday, 13th of Rajab in the year 751H (1350CE) and was buried at the foot of Mount Qasiyun by Damascus, leaving behind many written works, amongst the most famous of which are:

• Shifa’ al-Alil
• Miftah Dar as-Sa’adah
• Za’ad al-Ma’ad fi Haydi Khayri’l-‘Ibad
• Hadiy al-Arwah ila Biladi’l-Afrah
• Ighathatu’l-Lahfan fi Hukm Talaq al-Ghadban
• Al-Jawab al-Kafi li man Sa’ala ‘an Dawa’ ash-Shafi’i
• Madarij as-Salikin fi Manazil as-Sa’irin
• Tahdhib Sunan Abi Dawud
• As-Sawa’iq al-Mursalah ‘alal-Jahmiyyah wa’l-Mu’attilah
• Raf’ Yadayn fi’s-Salat
• Kitab al-Kaba’ir
• Hukm Tarik as-Salat
• Al-Kalam at-Tayyib wal-‘Amal as-Salih
• Sharh Asma’ al-Husna
• A’lam al-Muqaqqi’in ‘an Rabb al-‘Alamin

May Allah have mercy upon this great and noble Imam, benefit the world by him and elevate his position, rank after rank, in the Hereafter. Amin.

Source: https://sunnahonline.com/library/biographies/192-qayyim

Imam Muslim’s full name is Abu al-Husayn Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj ibn Muslim ibn Warat al-Qushayri al- Naysaburi (206-261 AH/821-875 AD). Imam “Muslim,” as his nasba shows, belonged to the Qushayr tribe of the Arabs, an offshoot of the great clan of Rabi’a.

He was born in Naysabur (Nishapur) in the Abbasid province of Khorasan, in present-day northeastern Iran in 202 or 206 H (819 or 821 CE). His parents were righteous people who left such an indelible impression on his mind that he spent his life as a God-fearing person and always adhered to the path of righteousness. Imam Muslim travelled widely to collect hadith in Arabia, Egypt, Syria and Iraq, where he attended the lectures of some of the prominent Muhadith of his time: Isḥaq b. Raḥawayh, Aḥmad b. Hanbal, ‘Ubaydullah al-Qawariri, Qutaiba bin Sa’id, ‘Abdullah ibn Maslama, Harmalah bin Yahya, and others. After completing his education, he settled down at Nishapur. There he came into contact with Imam al-Bukhari. Imam Muslim was impressed with Imam al-Bukhari’s knowledge that he kept himself attached to him up to the end of his life. Another muhaddith that influenced Imam Muslim was Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Dhuhali and he attended his lectures regularly, but when the difference of opinion between Muhammad b. Yahya and Imam Bukhari on the issue of the creation of the Holy Qur’an sharpened into hostility, Imam Muslim sided with Imam Bukhari and abandoned Muhammad b. Yahya altogether. He was therefore a true disciple of Imam al-Bukhari.

He wrote many books and treatises on Hadith, but the most important of his works is the collection (Jami’) of his Sahih. He originally named his book Musnad as-Sahih, and mentioned in his book that he wrote authored such a book in response to a question from one of his students.

Imam Muslim meticulously collected 300,000 hadith and after a thorough examination of them retained only 4000, the genuineness of which were fully established. He prefixed to his compilation a very illuminating introduction, in which he specified some of the principles in which he had followed in the choice of his material. Imam Muslim has to his credit many other valuable contributions to different branches of Hadith literature, and most of them retain their eminence even to the present day. Amongst these Kitab al-Musnad al-Kabir ‘Ala al-Rijal, Jami’ Kabir, Kitab, al-Asma’ wa’l-Kuna, Kitab al-Ilal, Kitab al- Wijdan are very important.

Methods of Classification and Annotation

Imam Muslim strictly observed many principles of the science of Hadith, which had been slightly ignored by his great teacher Imam Bukhari (May Allah have mercy on both of them).

Imam Muslim considered only such traditions to be genuine and authentic as had been transmitted to him by an unbroken chain of reliable authorities up to the Prophet Muhammad Salla’Allahu ‘alayhi wa-sallam and were in perfect harmony with what had been related by other narrators whose trustworthiness was unanimously accepted and who were free from all defects. He divided narrators and sub-narrators into 3 levels:

1. Those people who are completely authentic in their memory and character with no deficiency whatsoever. They were known to be honest and trustworthy.

2. People of slightly lesser memory and perfection than the previous category, yet still trustworthy and knowledgeable, not liars by any measure. Examples of people in this category include `Ata ibn Said and Layth ibn Abi Sulaim.

3. People whose honesty was a subject of dispute or even discussion. Imam Muslim did not concern himself with such people. Examples in this category include Abdullah ibn Maswar and Muhammad ibn Said al-Maslub.

Moreover, Imam Bukhari, while describing the chain of narrators, sometimes mentions their kunya and sometimes gives their names. This is particularly true in case of the narrators of Syria. This creates a sort of confusion, which Imam Muslim has avoided.

Imam Muslim takes particular care in according the exact words of the narrators and points out even the minutest difference in the wording of their reports. Imam Muslim has also constantly kept in view the difference between the two well-known modes of narration, haddathana (he narrated to us) and akhbarana (he informed us). He is of the opinion that the first mode is used only when the teacher is narrating the hadith and the student is listening to it, while the second mode of expression implies that the student is reading the hadith before the teacher. This reflects his utmost care in the transmission of a hadith. Imam Muslim has taken great pains in connecting the chain of narrators. He has recorded only that hadith which, at least, two reliable tabi’in (successors) had heard from two Companions and this principle is observed throughout the subsequent chain of narrators.

Sahih Muslim has been explained by Imam an-Nawawi and one of his teachers Abu `Amr ibn Salah.

About Sahih Muslim

Sahih Muslim is a collection of hadith compiled by Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj al-Naysaburi(rahimahullah). His collection is considered to be one of the most authentic collections of the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad Salla’Allahu ‘alayhi wa-sallam, and along with Sahih al-Bukhari forms the “Sahihain,” or the “Two Sahihs.” It contains roughly 7500 hadith (with repetitions) in 57 books.

Students of Imam Muslim

Imam Muslim had a very wide circle of students, who learnt Hadith from him. Some of them occupy a very prominent position in Islamic history, e.g. Abu Hatim Razi, Musa ibn Harun, Ahmad ibn Salama, Abu ‘Isa Tirmidhi, Abu Bakr ibn Khusaima, Abu ‘Awana and Al-Dhahabi.

Death of Imam Muslim

Imam Muslim lived for fifty-five years. He spent most of his time in learning Hadith, in its compilation, in its teaching and transmission. He always remained absorbed in this single pursuit and nothing could distract his attention from this pious task. He died in 261 H (875 CE), and was buried in the suburbs of Nishapur.