LUMINARIES

Dates for Some Luminaries of Blessed Memory who were either born or passed away during the month of Thu al-Qidah or, Qadah. THU al-QIDAH or, QADAH 1 Imam Abu Jafar Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Salaamah b. Salamah b. Abd al-Malik b. Salamah b. Sulaym b. Sulayman b. Janab al-Azdi al-Hajri al-Tahawi al-Misri (321/October 29, 933). His mother is the sister of Imam Ismail b. Yahya al-Muzani (264/878). Imams Subki (771/1370) and Isnawi (772/1371) mentioned in their Tabaqat that she was an eminent jurist in Egypt who attended the majlis of Imam Shafii (204/820). Imam Abu al-Qasim al-Rafii (624/1227) cited a narrative on her authority in the Book of Zakat of his al-Aziz, his seminal commentary on al-Wajiz of Imam Ghazali (505/1111)(which is more renowned as, al-Sharh al-Kabir). Imam Tahawi authored SharhMushkil al-Athar, and Ikhtilaf al-Ulama`that was abridged by Abu Bakr Ahmad b. Ali al-Jassas al-Razi (305370/917-980), the author of -Ahkam al-Quran. He also authored the renowned short treatise on Aqidahthat would be annotated by numerous later imams, most notably Muhammd b. Abu alIzz (792/1390). Abu Jafar al-Tahawi was born 10 Rabi I (239/August 24, 853). An annotated isnad to the Aqidah of Imam Tahawi is available free to students upon request (currently in Arabic only). 3 Imam Abu Abd-Allah Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Uthman b. Qaymaz b. Abd-Allah al-Fariqi alDahabi, al-Dimashqi (748/February 12, 1348), the grand hafizof hadith. On his authority we narrate his Tarikh al-Islam, Siyar Alam al-Nubala`, Tadkirat al-Huffaz Mizan al-I tidal, his Mu jam alMuhaddithin, his abridgment of al-Rawdh al-Unuf of Abu al-Zayd al-Suhayli (581/1185), and other works. Imam Abu Abd-Allah al-Dahabi was born 3 Rabi II (673/October 12, 1274). 5 Birth of Imam Abu Muhammad Ibn Hisham, Abd-Allah b. Yusuf b. Ahmad b. Abd-Allah b. Hisham al-Ansari al-Misri (708/April 25, 1309), the eminent grammarian who authored Qatr alNada, Shudur al-Dahab, Awdhah al-Masalik, his commentary on the Alfiyyah of Imam Ibn Malik (600672/1204-1274), and Mughni al-Labib. He passed away (761/1360). 6 Abu al-Waqt al-Sijzi, Abd al-Awwal b. Abu Abd-Allah Isa b. Shuayb b. Ibrahim b. Ishaq alHarawi al-Malini (553/December 7, 1158). He narrated theSahih on the authority of Abu al-Hasan alDawudi (364-469/974-1076), on the authority of Abu Abd-Allah Ibn Hammuyah al-Sarakhsi (293381/905-991), on the authority of Abu Abd-Allah Muhammad b. Yusuf b. Matar b. Salih b. Bishr alFirabri (231-320/845-932), on the authority of its compiler, our eminent grandfather in fiqh and hadith, the pride of Islam, Imam Abu Abd-Allah Muhammad b. Ismail b. Ibrahim b. alMughirah b. Bardizbah al-Bukhari al-Jufi (194-256/810-870). Abu al-Waqt was born 7 Thu al-Qidah (458/October 6, 1066), and heard the Sahih in the year 465/1072, when he was seven years old. 10 Birth of Imam al-Muzaffar Ibn al-Saaati, Ahmad b. Ali b. Taghlib al-Baghdadi (651/January 9, 1254). On his authority we narrate his Nihayat al-Wusul also known as, al-Badi fi Usul al-Fiqh, which uniquely combined Kanz al-Wusul ila Ilm al-Usul of Ali b. Muhammad b. Abd al-Karim b. Musa alBazdawi (400-482/1010-1089) and al-Ihkam fi Usul al-Ahkam of Ali b. al-Hasan b. Muhammad b.

Salim al-Amidi (631/1234). His own daughter Fatimah, a jurist in her own right, annotated her fathers juridical treatise, Majma al-Bahrayn wa Multaqa al-Nahrayn. Ibn al-Saaati passed away in Baghdad, on 4 Jumada I, 694/March 29, 1295, and was buried near al-Junayd b. Muhammad alBaghdadi al-Thawri (297/909). Tz.: Ibn al-Saaati, Ali b. Muhammad b. Ali b. Rustum al-Khurasani al-Dimashqi (553-604/11591208) is a famous poet. His anthology (Diwan) is translated to English. Tz.: Ibn al-Saaati, Ridhwan b. Muhammad b. Ali b. Rustum al-Khurasani al-Dimashqi al-Tabib (618/1221) is a famous doctor, horologist and musicianwho, like Abu Bakr al-Razi (Rhazes), was an accomplished lute player. He is the younger brother of the poet, Ali. He abridged and annotated the renownedQanun (Liber canonis) of Abu Ali Ibn Sina, al-Husayn b. Ali b. Abd-Allah (428/1037), and completed his kitab al-Qawlanj, his treatise on colic. 10 Um Abd-Allah Habibah bint Ibrahim al-Izz b. Abd-Allah b. Abu Umar Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Qudamah al-Maqdisi (745/March 24, 1345). On her authority, we narrate Juz` al-Hasan b. Arafah (257/871). She was born in 654/1256. 10 Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Sulayman b. al-Fasi b. al-Tahir al-Susi al-Rudani (1094/October 31, 1683), the compiler of Silat al-Khalaf bi Mawsul al-Salaf, one of the most comprehensive latter athbat among our masters ofhadith. He also authored Jam al-Fawa`id and abridged Talkhis alMiftah of Muhammad b. Abd al-Rahman al-Qazwini (666-739/1268-1338), and al-Tahrir fi Usul alFiqh of Imam Abu Abd-Allah Ibn al-Humam (790-861/1388-1457). al-Hafiz al-Rudani was born in 1037/1627. 12 Birth of Imam Abu Jafar Ahmad b. Ibrahim b. al-Zubayr al-Thaqafi al-Gharnati (627/September 29, 1230). He is our grandfather in the Qira`at and one of the eminent teachers of Imam Abu Hayyan al-Andalusi (745/1344), the author of the renowned exegesis, al-Bahr al-Muhit. On his authority, we narrate his Milak al-Ta`wil, the Tabsirah fi al-Qira`at al-Sab of Makki b. Abu Talib (437/1045), alIqna fi al-Qira`at al-Sab of Abu Jafar Ibn al-Badish (491-540/1098-1145), and the reading of Imam Nafi (169/785) through its Morrocan chain (isnad). He passed away on 12 Rabi I (708/September 7, 1308). 12 Birth of Imam Abu al-Abbas Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Abu Bakr b. Abd al-Malik b. Ahmad alQastallani al-Qutaybi (851/January 28, 1448). On his authority we narrate his Irshad al-Sariy, his commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari,al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyyah bi al-Minah al-Muhammadiyyah, which is annotated by Abu Abd-Allah al-Zurqani, and abridged by Yusuf b. Ismail b.Hasan b. Nasir alNabahani (1350/1931), his Masalik al-Hunafa ila Mashari al-Salat ala al-Nabiy al-Mustafa. He also authored Minhaj al-Ibtihaj: SharhMuslim b. al-Hajjaj, a commentary on Sahih Muslim, and al-Jana alDani fi HallHirz al-Amani, a commentary on the Shatibiyyah, as well as a biography of its author titled, al-Fath al-Mawahibi. He passed away 8 Muharram (923/February 10, 1517). He was married to Aishah al-Bauniyyah (922/1516). Tz.: Abd al-Baqiy b. Yusuf b. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Ulwan al-Zurqani (1020-1099/1611-1688), is the commentator on Mukhtasar Khalil, itself annotated by Abu Abd-Allah Bannani, Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. Masud b. Ali b. Abd al-Wahid al-Fasi (1113-1194/1701-1780), titled al-Fath al-Rabbani.

Tz.: Abu Abd-Allah Ibn Fujlah, Muhammad b. Abd al-Baqiy (1055-1122/1645-1710), son of the above, is the annotator of al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyyah, and the commentator on the Muwatta`. 15 Abu al-Husayn Ibn Samun, Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Ismail b. Anbas b. Ismail (387/November 24, 997). He heard from imams Abu Jafar Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari (310/922), Abu Bakr b. Abu Dawud al-Sijistani (275/888) and heard the Mukhtasar of Abu al-Qasim Umar b. al-Husayn b. AbdAllah al-Khiraqi (334/946) from its author. On his authority, we narrate his uniqueAmali, through our grandfather in Qira`at and hadith, Abu al-Yumn Zayd b. al-Hasan al-Kindi (520-613/1126-1216). 16 Um Abd al-Wahhab, Aishah bint Abu al-Mahasin Yusuf b. Ahmad b. Nasir b. Khalifah b. Faraj b. Abd-Allah b. Yahya b. Abd al-Rahman al-Bauniyyah al-Dimashqiyyah al-Shafiiyyah (922/December 21, 1516), the prolific author of al-Mawrid al-Ahna fi al-Mawlid al-Asna and al-Fath al-Mubin fi Madh al-Amin, and numerous other poems in praise of the Noble Prophet Muhammad, may Gods peace and blessings be upon him and his family. 21 Imam Abu al-Hasan Ibn al-Nafis, Ali b. Abu al-Hazm al-Qarashi (687/December 24, 1288), the eminent physician. Ibn al-Nafis authored, SharhFusul Abuqrat, a lucid commentary on the Aphorisms of Hippocrates (470-410 B.C.), Sharh Tashrih al-Qanun, a commentary on the anatomy section of theLiber Canonis of Ibn Sina (Avecina), and other commentaries and refutations on numerous works of Galen (131-201 C.E.), and other works. He was born ca. 607/1210. 22 Imam Abu al-Abbas Ibn Taymiyah, Ahmad b. Abd al-Halim b. Abd al-Salam b. Abd-Allah alHarrani al-Dimashqi al-Hanbali (728/October 5, 1328). 23 Imam Abu Bakr Muhammad b. al-Tayyib b. Muhammad b. Jafar b. al-Qasim al-Baqillani al-Maliki (403/June 12, 1013). On his authority we narrate his renowned I jaz al-Quran, al-Intisar li al-Quran, and his theological treatises al-Insaf and al-Taqrib wa al-Irshad. He was born in 338/949. Tz.: Abu Bakr Ibn al-Baqillani, Abd-Allah b. Mansur b. Imran b. Rabiah al-Wasiti (Rabi II 29, 593/March 28, 1197), the imam of Qira`at who read on the authority of the Grand Imams Abu al-Izz al-Qalanisi, Muhammad b. al-Husayn b. Bundar al-Wasiti (435-521/1044-1127), the author of alIrshad fi al-Qira` at al- Ashr, and Abu Muhammad Sibt al-Khayyat. Imam Abu al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi read on the authority of Abu Bakr Ibn al-Baqillani when *Abu al-Faraj] was near eighty years of age. Tz.: Ibn al-Baqillani al-Hasan b. Maali b. Masud b. al-Husayn (568-637/1173-1240) is a Hanafi jurist. 23 Imam Abu Ali al-Hasan b. Masud b. Muhammad b. Ali b. Yusuf b. Ahmad b. Ibrahim b. Muhammad al-Yusi (1102/August 18, 1691), a mujtahid of the twelfth hijri century. He authored alQanun fi Jam al- Ulum, al-Budur al-Lawami, a commentary on Jam al-Jawami of Imam Subki (771/1370),Mashrab al-Am wa al-Khass, a prolific treatise on the Shahadahalong with his Muhadharat, his Rihlah, and other works. We narrate on his authority through Imam Abu alTayyib al-Shargi al-Fasi (1170/1757), the annotator ofal-Qamus al-Muhit, on the authority of his aunt, Zahra bint Muhammad b. Musa al-Fasi, the wife of Imam Abu Ali al-Yusi from him. He was born 1040/1361.

29 Imam Abu Abd-Allah Ibn Mandah, Muhammad b. Ishaq b. Muhammad b. Yahya b. Ibrahim Mandah b. al-Walid b. Sindah b. Battah b. Fayruzan b. Jahar al-Abdi al-Isfahani (395/September 13, 1005). With his passing, the compilation of hadith is considered complete. We narrate his kitab al-Iman on the authority of Um Yusuf Fatimah bint Muhammad b. Abd al-Hadi (719-803/13191401), on whose authority we also narrate his Amali and his Ardaf al-Nabiy. On his authority we also narrate Musnad Abi Hanifah of Abu Muhammad Abd-Allah b. Muhammad b. Yaqub al-Harithi (258340/872-951)through the authority of Zaynab Bint al-Kamal, and the Tafsir of Abu Muhammad Ibn Abi Hatem al-Razi (327/939), and his Ilal, the latter work through the authority of Maryam bint Ahmad al-Adraiyyah (719-805/1319-1403). Abu Abd-Allah Ibn Mandah, was born 310/922, the year Imam Tabari passed away. 29 Abu al-Abbas Ibn Abi Hajalah, Ahmad b. Yahya b. Abu Bakr b. Abd al-Wahid al-Tilimsani alMisri (776/May 10, 1375), the author of Diwan al-Sababah, that inspired Abu Abd-Allah Ibn alKhatib al-Gharnati (713-776/1313-1374) to write his Rawdhat al-Tarif. Ibn Abi Hajalah was born 725/1325. Imam Abu al-Hasan Ali b. Umar b. Ahmad b. Mahdi b. Masud b. al-Numan b. Dinar b. Abd-Allah al-Daraqutni al-Baghdadi was born in Thu al-Qidah (306/April 919). He is among our eminent forefathers in hadith and Qira` at. Through his authority, we narrate kitab al-Thiqat and other works of Imam IbnHibban (354/965)the compiler of the renowned Sahih: al-Taqasim wa al-Anwawho is one of Imam Daraqutnis teachers. We also narrate his ownSunanthrough the authority of Fatimah bint Abd-Allah b. Muhammad al-Hawraniyyah (737-818/1337-1415)his kitab al-Afradin its five-volume abridgment by Abu al-Fadhl Muhamad b. Tahir b. Ali al-Maqdisi (408-507/10171113)his al-Mu`talif wa al-Mukhtalif, al-Ilzimat wa al-Tatabbuand his kitab al-Ilal. Imam Daraqutni also passed in Thu al-Qidah (385/December 995). Abu al-Husayn Ibn Mu ti, Yahya b. Abd al-Mu ti b. Abd al-Nur al-Zwawi al-Hanafi passed away in Thu al-Qidah (628/September 1231) the Imam of Arabic who authored the Alfiyyah that Imam Abu Abd-Allah Ibn Malik (598-672/1202-1273) referred to in the beginning of his own Alfiyyah, as having had the virtue of precedence ( fadhl al-sabq). With due reverence and neither denial nor rebuttal, it should be noted that Imam Ahmad b. al-Mansur b. al-Agharr al-Yashkuri al-Dinawari (370/980) authored a poem in Arabic grammar (three centuries prior to Ibn Mu ti) that contained 2,911 verses. Its introduction alluded to numerous similar works of varying length that also preceeded it. Imam Abu al-Thana` Mahmud b. Abd al-Rahman b. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Abu Bakr b. Ali alIsfahani (749/February 1349), the eminent commentator onMinhaj al-Wusul of Baydhawi (719/1319) and his Tawali al-Anwar; and on al-Badi fi Usul al-Fiqh of Imam al-Muzaffar Ibn alSaati, Ahmad b. Ali b. Taghlib al-Baghdadi (694/1295); and on the renowned Mukhtasar of Ibn alHajib (646/1248). Abu al-Thana` was born Shaban (674/1275). Zaynab b. Sulayman b. Ibrahim b. Rahmah al-Isirdi also passed in Thu al-Qidah (705/June 1306), past her eightieth year. She narrates the Sahih from our grandfather in hadith, Abu Abd-Allah Ibn al-Zabidi, al-Husayn b. al-Mubarak b. Muhammad b. Imran b. al-Musallam b. Yahya (545-631/11501234). Zaynab bint Yahya b. Sultan al-Ulama`, Abd al-Aziz b. Abd al-Salam al-Sulami also passed in Thu al-Qidah (735/July 1335). Along with her grandfathers works, on her authority we also narrate al-

Mujam al-Saghir ofTabarani, the Juz` of al-Hasan b. Arafah and numerous smaller hadithcollections. She was born (648/1250). Queen Dilshad bint Dimashq Khwaja b. Joban ruled over the affairs of Iraq in her era. Her husband was viceroy. She also passed away in Thu al-Qidah (752/January 1352). Dilshad is Persian for joyful heart. May Allah bless and have mercy upon them all.
Tafseer Ibn Abbas Mufassir e Azam Tarjuman ul Qur'an Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Abbas And Lebab Naqul Fi Asbab al Nuzul (Urdu) Of Imam Alamah Jalaluddin Suyuti Tarjuma Qur'an Hakim Hazrat Maulana Fateh Mohamed Jallendhri Tarjuma Tafseer wa muqaddimah, Muhammad Ahmadd Atif Makki Darul Kutub, Pakistan Hardback, 3 Volumes

This book is narrations that are related from the great companion who was known for his extensive knowledge and understanding of the Quran, Abdullahi Ibn Abbas. It also includes Lebab Naqul Fi Asbab al Nuzul (Urdu)

Abdullah was the son of Abbas, an uncle of the noble Prophet. He was born just three years before the Hijrah. When the Prophet died, Abdullah was thus only thirteen years old When he was born, his mother took him to the blessed Prophet who put some of his saliva on the babe's tongue even before he began to suckle. This was the beginning of the close and intimate tie between Abbas and the Prophet that was to be part of a life-long love and devotion. When Abdullah reached the age of discretion, he attached himself to the service of the Prophet. He would run to fetch water for him when he wanted to make wudu. During Salat, he would stand behind the Prophet in prayer and when the Prophet went on journeys or expeditions, he would follow next in line to him. Abdullah thus became like the shadow of the Prophet, constantly in his company. The Khalifah Umar ibn al-Khattab often sought his advice on important matters of state and described him as 'the young man of maturity'

The Garden of the Gnostics : English Translation of Bustan al Arifeen (Imam Nawawi)
ISBN: none Author: Imam Abu Zakariyya Muhyi'd-Din ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi; Aisha Bewley (translator) Publisher: Al-Farooq International (2001) Pages: 107 Binding: Paperback Description from the publisher:

The purpose of this book is to make clear how to travel the path of the rightly-guided. It will show how to take on the excellent qualities of the Salaf, Allah-willing. The author mentions some of the pearls and realities of gnosis. It is composed in such a way so as not to bore the reader and so as to render its subject matter easy to remember. This book also contains some of the uplifting saying of the Salaf, the meaning of certain inspiring stories and some beautiful poems. In most cases it is demonstrated whether the hadiths are sound or excellent, and their chains of transmission are clearly set down. Whatever is obscure or hidden in them is made clear. Necessary definitions are provided in order to avoid distortion and to shun alteration or twisting the meaning. Certain things may be mentioned and then the chain of transmission stated so that it might take firm hold in the reader. The isnad of transmission may be condensed and shortened to avoid lengthiness. This book is meant for people who worship and for people who are not in need of the science of isnads and may even rather dislike them. Most of what is quoted - by the praise and bounty of Allah has an isnad which is already famous in wellknown books. Should there be a difficult phrase or name in a hadith or story, it will be defined and concisely explained. This book contains various science of the Shari'ah, some of the subtleties of hadith, the science of fiqh and the manners (adab) of the deen. It also contains some of the science of hadith and some fine points of hidden fiqh. It contains important points concerning belief and some gems of principle. It includes subtle marvels which stimulate remembrance of Allah, which should be mentioned in gatherings. It deals with gnosis of the hearts, their sicknesses and their treatment and cure. Should something arise which would require an explanation beyond the scope of this book, what is meant by it will be explained succinctly, or you will be referred to its full explanation found in one of the books of those scholars who possess insight and true understanding.

Translated by Aisha Bewley Paperback 107 Pages Imam Nawawi says in the preface: "The Purpose of this book is to make clear to you how to travel this path. It will show you how to take on the excellent qualities I have described. Allah willing, I will mention some of the pearls and realities of Gnostics. It will be composed in such a way so as not bore the reader and so as to render its subject matter easy to remember. Allah willing I will quote some of the uplifting sayings of the salaf." About Imam al-Nawawi (d. 676/1277)
Imam Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi was Born in the village of Nawa in Southern Syria, Imam Nawawi spent most of his life in Damascus where he lived in a simple manner, devoted to Allah, engaging single-mindedly in worship, study, writing and teaching various Islamic sciences. . Although best known for his works in hadith, Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (d. 676/1277) was also the Imam of the later Shafi'i school of Jurisprudence, and widely acknowledged as the intellectual heir to Imam Shafi'i. He was a renowned scholar and jurist who dedicated his life to the pursuit of Islamic learning. Imam Nawawi died at the young age of 44 years, leaving behind him numerous works of great

Farid Ad-Din 'Attar's Memorial of God's Friends: Translated with an Introduction by Paul Losensky: Lives and Sayings of Sufis: Translated with an ... of Western Spirituality (TM) Series) [Paperback]
Paul E. Losensky (Author) Kitab at-Tauhid Dalam ranah Ilmu Kalam, al-Maturidi adalah nama yang sudah tidak asing lagi. Ia adalah pendiri aliran Maturidiyyah yang diketegorikan sebagai representasi teologi ahli sunnah, di samping Asyariyyah yang digawangi Abu al-Hasan al-Asyari. Al-Maturidi dikenal sebagai seorang teolog, dan faqih dari Madzhab

Hanafi, bahkan seorang ahli tafsir. Nama lengkap al-Maturidi adalah Abu Manshur Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Mahmud al-Maturidi. Ia dilahirkan di Maturid, sebuah desa (qaryah) yang masuk ke dalam wilayah Samarqand. Ia acap kali dijuluki Imam al-Mutakallimin (Imam Para Teolog) dan masih banyak lagi yang kesemuanya menunjukkan kelas intelektual dan jihadnya dalam membela sunnah, akidah, dan menghidupkan syariat Islam. Tak ada penjelasan pasti dari para sejarawan tentang tahun kelahiran al-Maturidi. Tetapi menurut Dr. Ayyub Ali, al-Maturidi lahir sekitar tahun 238 H / 852 M. Alasan yang dikemukakannya adalah bahwa salah satu murid al-Maturidi, yaitu Muhammad bin Muqatil ar-Razi wafat pada tahun pada tahun 248 H / 862 M. [Ayyub Ali, A History of Muslim Philosophy, vol. I, h. 260]. Jika pandangan Dr. Ayyub Ali itu benar, maka al-Maturidi kurang lebih hidup selama seratus tahun. Sebab, para sejarawan sepakah bahwa al-Maturidi wafat pada tahun 333 H / 944 M dan dimakamkan di Samarqand. Salah satu guru al-Maturidi adalah Abu Nash al-'Ayyadhi yang merupakan teman seperguruannya di majlis yang diselenggarakan oleh Abu Bakr Ahmad al-Jauzani. Nama al-Maturidi memang tidak sementereng al-Asyari, tetapi kendatipun demikian ia banyak mewariskan karya-karya bermutu. Di antara peninggalannya adalah Kitab at-Tauhid. Al-Maturidi mengawali kitabnya dengan pembahasan tentang pembatalan taklid dan keniscayaan mengetahui agama dengan dalil. Dalam bagian ini al-Maturidi tidak menerima apapun alasan taqlid. Sebab taqlid bisa menimbulkan adanya pandangan yang berbeda dengan orang yang ditaqlid-i. Pada bagian selanjutnya al-Maturidi menjelaskan bahwa dasar yang dijiadikan untuk mengetahui agama adalah as-sam (wahyu) dan al-aql. [H. 3-4]. Pandangan teologi yang kembangkan al-Maturidi pada dasarnya adalah sama dengan al-Asyari. Metodologi yang digunakan keduanya adalah moderatisme. Dengan kata lain, pendekatan mereka adalah pendekatan yang berdiri di antara kelompok tekstualis -seperti kalangan Hasywiyyah, Musyabbihah, dan Mujassimah- dan kelompok rasionalis seperti Mutazilah. Misalnya, ketika al-Asyari membicang tentang atribut-atribut (shifat) Allah. Kalangan Mutazilah menegasikan atribut-atribut tersebut. Mereka mengatakan: Tidak ada (atribut, penerjemah) ilmu, kuasa, mendengar, melihat, hidup, kekal, dan kehendak bagi Allah. Sedang kalangan Hasywiyyah dan Mujassimah mengatakan: Allah memiliki ilmu sebagaimana ilmu-ilmu lainya, pendengaran sebagaimana pendengaran-pendengaran lainya, dan penglihatan sebagaimana penglihatan-penglihatan lainnya. Kedua pandangan di atas saling bertabrakan satu sama lainnya. Lantas al-Asyari mengajukan sebuah pandangan yang berdiri di tengah-tengah. Ia mengatakan: Sesunguhnya Allah memilik ilmu tetapi tidak sama dengan ilmunya makhluk, kekuasaan tetapi tidak sama dengan kekuasaanya makhluk, pendengaran tetapi tidak sama dengan pendengaran makhluk, dan penglihatan tetapi tidak sama dengan penglihatan makhluk.[Ibn Asakir, Tabyin Kidzb al-Muftari, H. 149]. Sikap al-Asyari mengenai atribut-atribut di atas juga diikuti oleh al-Maturidi. Hal ini terlihat dalam Kitab at-Tauhid-nya: Kemudian ditetapkan atribut (shifat) bagi Allah, yaitu Yang Mampu, Mengetahui, Hidup, Mulia, dan Yang Dermawan. Penamaan dengan atribut atribut tersebut adalah hak baik menurut sam (wahyu) dan akal sekaligus.hanya saja ada suatu kelompok yang melekatkan nama-nama tersebut kepada selain Allah karena menyangka bahwa penetapan nama-nama tersebut mengandung tasyabuh (keserupaan) antara Allah dengan setiap yang diberi namaakan tetapi kami telah menjelaskan ketiadaan tasyabuh dengan Allah karena kesuaian nama. Sebab, Allah dinamai dengan nama yang Ia buat sendiri dan diatributi dengan atribut yang Ia berikan sendiri. [H. 44]. Dari semua yang dibicarakan al-Maturudi dalam Kitab at-Tauhid-nya hemat saya ada satu hal yang menarik. Yaitu pembahasan mengenai nadhariyah al-marifah (teori ilmu pengetahuan). Dalam hal ini, al-Maturidi mendiskusikan tentang nilai pengetahuan dan parameter kebenaran dalam pengetahuan yang sampai kepada kita melaui indera,khabar, dan akal. Menurutnya, indera, khabar, dan akal merupakan jalan atau sumber bagi kita untuk mengetahui hakikat segala sesuatu. [H. 7]. Untuk memperoleh pengetahuan kita tidak mungkin bisa lepas dari salah satu ketiga sumber di atas. Misalnya, dengan indera kita bisa merasakan rasa enak, sakit dan lain-lain. Dengan khabar kita bisa mengetahui nama-nama kita, nasab, dan kejadian-kejadian masa lalu. Sedang dengan akal kita bisa

memahami apa yang diperintahkan Allah. Sepanjang yang saya ketahui, kitab-kitab yang membincang mengenai Ilmu Kalam yang ditulis oleh para ulama sebelum al-Maturidi tidak menyinggung persoalan nadhariyyah al-marifah. Jadi, hemat saya hal ini menjadi satu kelebihan tersendiri bagi al-Maturidi. Kitab ini merupakan salah satu rujukan primer bagi pendangan teologi Sunni. Karenanya harus dibaca dan dikaji secara mendalam. Dengan membaca kitab ini, kita akan merasakan bagaimana akrobatik teologis al-Maturidi dalam mempertahankan keyakinan teologi kalangan Sunni. Salam

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HADITH One of the largest and most diverse literatures in the world, the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad has for fourteen centuries supplemented the Qur'an as a source of guidance for followers of Islam.Ranging over topics as varied as doctrine, prayer, taxation, government, fasting, pilgrimage, and spirituality, this unique reservoir of religious guidance is an indispensable foundation for the study and understanding of any aspect of the Muslim religion. A full-time team of qualified Hadith specialists has been working on the creation of a properly-edited and reliable text. Further, the process has benefited from the guidance of living Hadith authorities. The result has been the first critically-edited versions of the Hadith literature ever produced. This long overdue scholarly production has met with with acclaim and admiration from Hadith specialists around the world and opens new possibilities for research into early Islamic history, into Arabic literature, and into the complex disciplines of Islamic doctrine, law, and spirituality. For more detailed information please download the "Sunna Project" brochure. [PDF 1.3MB] Description of the Sunna Project 1a.Sahih al-Bukhari vol. I. 2000. 552 p. Sahih al-Bukhari vol. II. 2000. 528 p. Sahih al-Bukhari vol. III. 2000. 568 p. 1b.Al-Sultaniyya vol. I. 2000. 592 p. Al-Sultaniyya vol. II. 2000. 608 p. Al-Sultaniyya vol. III. 2000. 544 p. 2.Sahih Muslim vol. I. 2000. 656 p. Sahih Muslim vol. II. 2000.680 p. 3.Sunan Abi Daud vol. I. 2000. 448 p. Sunan Abi Daud vol. II. 2000. 500 p. 4.Sunan al-Tirmidhi vol. I. 2000. 520 p. Sunan al-Tirmidhi vol. II. 2000. 564 p. 5.Sunan al Nasai vol. I. 2000. 448 p.

Sunan al-Nasai vol. II. 2000. 536 p. 6.Sunan Ibn Maja. 2000. 688 p. 7.Muwatta Malik. 2000. 432 p. 8.Al-Maknaz vol. I. 2000. 576 p. Al-Maknaz vol. II. 2000. 680 p.

Screenshot of the Hadith CD-ROM

9.The Hadith Database. CD-ROM plus Introduction. 2000. 144 p Note: CD-ROM database system requirements: Windows 2000, or Arabic enabled Windows 95,98, or ME edition 32MB of Free memory space 170MB of Free hard disk space 800x 600 screen resolution minimum

CERTIFICATIONS All of the Hadith texts are submitted for approval to the Islamic Research Institute of Al-Azhar University, Cairo, and are only released in printed and magnetic form once approval has been given.

ARABIC TYPEFACE The world's finest Arabic typeface has been developed and used throughout the Encyclopaedia of Hadith. This typeface is based on the font used for the 1932 King Fu'ad edition of the Qur'an, generally acclaimed as the high-point of Arabic typography. With the assistance of some of the worlds leading experts in Arabic calligraphy, at least a thousand additional characters have been added to enhance the texts readability and beauty, enabling the creation of the most beautiful Arabic pages ever seen since the demise of the manuscript tradition.

The Encyclopaedia of Hadith was produced in Germany according to the highest technical specifications. The nineteen-volume set, handsomely bound using a gold and blind embossed motif inspired by the celebrated Sultan Oljeitu Quran, preserved in the Egyptian National Library, and using both red and black ink on each page, sets wholly new standards for the production of Hadith texts.

Sahih al-Bukhari, in three volumes reading sample (PDF 552 kB)

Maknaz al-Mustarshidin, in two volumes reading sample (PDF 824 kB)

Timothy Winter
Tim (Timothy John) Winter (born 1960), aka Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad, is a British Muslim thinker, professor, and translator. Winter has written about the interaction between Islam and secular issues spanning a wide range of disciplines. He has held a number of lectureships and administrative posts in British academia having to do with theology, the intellectual history of Islamic civilization, and international academic cooperation. He is the older brother of football writer Henry Winter. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/henrywinter/] Biography Background Winter was educated at Westminster School and graduated from Cambridge University in 1983 with a double-first in Arabic. He went on to study traditional Islamic sciences at the Al-Azhar University in Egypt and thereafter lived for several years in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where he administered a commercial translation enterprise and maintained close contact with the Sufi shaykh, Habib Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad. In 1989, he returned to England and spent two years at the University of London studying the Turkish and Persian languages. Career as an instructor and academic administrator As of 2007, Winter was a doctoral student at Oxford University. He simultaneously held several professional appointments and administrative offices at universities and in Islamic organizations, including: Shaykh Zayed Lecturer of Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University;

Director of Studies in Theology atWolfson College, Cambridge [ [http://www.divinity.cam.ac.uk/faculty/winter.html University of Cambrige, Faculty of Divinity] ] ; secretary of the Muslim Academic Trust (London); Director of the Anglo-Muslim Fellowship for Eastern Europe; President of the UK Friends of Bosnia-Herzegovina; and Director of the Sunna Project (see external link), which has published some of the foremost scholarly Arabic editions of the major Sunni Hadith collections. In 2008 he served on the Steering Committee of the Cambridge Interfaith Program [http://www.cip.divinity.cam.ac.uk] He has been a participant in the Scriptural Reasoning project. [Ford 2006:16] Publications of Tim Winter [http://www.cip.divinity.cam.ac.uk/uploads/tim-winter-cv.pdf Tim Winter curriculum vitae.] External links * [http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/ahm/default.htm Text of Abdal Hakim Murad's articles (including "Contentions"). ] * [http://www.britishmuslimsong.co.uk British Muslim Song; a project initiated by Abdal Hakim Murad to recover, revive, and write Muslim songs by indigenous Britons.] * [http://www.meccacentric.com/hakim_murad.html Lectures by Abdal Hakim Murad on DVD and CD.] * [http://www.cmeis.cam.ac.uk/sunnaproject.htm Sunna Project.] * [http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/religion/tftd/queryengine?attrib_1=author&oper_1=eq&val_1_1=Abdal+Hakim+Murad&submit=Search+author BBC Radio 4 Thought For The Day, delivered by Winter.] Notes References *Ford, David F. 2006. [http://www.scripturalreasoning.org/pdfs/an-interfaith-wisdom.pdf An interfaith wisdom: Scriptural Reasoning between Jews, Christians and Muslims.] [http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0266-7177 "Modern Theology"] , 2006 Jun, 22(3):345-366. ]

Look at other dictionaries: Timothy Winter Timothy Witer alias Abdal Hakim Murad ( 1960) ist ei britischer Schriftsteller i der Faculty of Diviity at the Uiversity of Cambridge ud eier der fhrede britische islamische Religiosgelehrte.Timothy Witer alias Abdal Hakim Murad (Deutsch Wikipedia) Westminster School Ifobox UK school ame Westmister School"The Royal College of St. Peter i Westmister" size 120px latitude 51.2954 logitude -0.740 dms motto "Dat Deus Icremetum" motto_pl established 1179 (Refouded i 1560) approx closed c_approx type (Wikipedia)

List of former pupils of Westminster School The followig people were educated at Westmister School, ad are sometimes listed with OW (Old Westmister) after their ame (collectively, OWW) There are over a thousad Old Westmisters listed i the Oxford Dictioary of Natioal Biography (Wikipedia) Maliki The Maliki madhhab (Arabic )is oe of the four schools of Fiqh or religious law withi Sui Islam. It is the third-largest of the four schools, followed by approximately 15% of Muslims, mostly i North Africa ad West Africa. Madhabs are (Wikipedia) Marmaduke Pickthall Ifobox Celebrity ame Marmaduke Pickthall captio birth_date May 19, 1875 birth_place Harrow, Lodo death_date 1936 death_place Brookwood, Surrey occupatio Muslim scholar(Mohammed) Marmaduke Pickthall (1875May 19, 1936) was a Wester (Wikipedia) Abdul Hakim Murad (militant) "This article is about the Pakistai militat Abdul-Hakim Murad, ot to be cofused with the former Timothy Witer, a Lecturer i Islamic studies at the Uiversity of Cambridge."Abdul Hakim Ali Hashim Murad ( _ar. ( ) Wikipedia) Abdul Hakim Murad Several men have had the name Abdul Hakim Murad. They include: Abdul Hakim Murad (militant) - convicted in connection with the Bojinka plot Timothy Winter - British Muslim scholar (Wikipedia) Henry Winter Hery Witer (bor February 18 1963 i Lodo) is football correspodet of "The Daily Telegraph", "Telegraph.co.uk" ad also writes a colum for "Four Four Two" magazie. He atteded Westmister School ad Ediburgh Uiversity. Witer ofte (Wikipedia) Shah Shahidullah Faridi Hazrat Shah Shahidullah Faridi (1915-1978) embraced Islam after readig "Kahful Mahjub" (The Uveilig of the Veiled), the classical treatise o Sufism writte by the famous sait Hazrat Ali bi Uthma al Hujweri. He left his home i search of (Wikipedia) List of Islamic studies scholars Scholars i Islamic studies are both Muslim ad o-Muslim scholars who work i oe or more fields of Islamic studies. "Islamic studies" a umbrella term for all Islam-related studies, related to both Islamizatio of kowledge ad a extrisic (Wikipedia)

Ibn al-Jawzi: A Lifetime of Da'wah

Abuz-Zubair
Article ID: 1277 | 8119 Reads

Ibn al-Jawzi, () , Abd al-Rahman b. Ali b. Muhammad Abu al-Faraj, a jurist, traditionist, historian, preacher, one of the most famous Hanbalis of Baghdad, where he was born, most probably, in the year 511/1127[1], and whose ancestry goes back to Abu Bakr (ra). He was orphaned at the age of three and thereafter raised in care of his mother and paternal aunt, who later brought him to the mosque of Abu al-Fadhl Ibn Nasir, to be taught traditions (hadith). At this stage, Ibn al-Jawzi was probably no more than six years old.

Early Learning and Teachers

Being his first teacher as well as his maternal uncle, Ibn Nasir introduced him to many other teachers. Ibn al-Jawzi shows his gratitude to Ibn Nasir by writing the following in his notice: He heard numerous traditions, and had copious knowledge in that regard. He studied lexicography under Abu Zakariya. He is the one whom Allah Taala appointed for the purposes of guiding me to knowledge. He would exert great effort on my behalf during my childhood and take me to teachers. He made me study the Musnad of Imam Ahmad by reading it to Ibn al-Husayn, as well as collections of shorter chains (awali). I, at that time, hadnt a clue what learning is, due to my young age. He would make record of all traditions I heard. I studied with him for thirty years and did not benefit from anyone as I benefited from him.[2] Thus, Ibn al-Jawzi began his learning career from a very young age, and had over 90 teachers, three of whom were women.[3] His teachers who taught him traditions include Abu al-Saadat al-Mutawakkili, who gave him the authorisation (ijaza) to transmit works from al-Khatib al-Baghdadi; Ibn al-Husayn who taught him Musnad of Imam Ahmad; and of course, Ibn Nasir who started his career as a Shafii -Ashari, but later converted to Hanbalism in doctrine and jurisprudence, due to a dream he saw to that effect.[4] Amongst his Quran teachers was Abu al-Karam al-Hashimi - another convert from Shafiism to Hanbalism, of whom Ibn al-Jawzi states: He is the first to teach me the Quran when I was a child[5] - and most notably Abu Muhammad al-Muqri from whom he learnt various modes of recitations.[6] His education in jurisprudence began with one of the leading Hanbali authorities of the time, Ibn al-Zaghuni, which continued for several years. After the latters death in 527/1133, Ibn al-Jawzi became the student of Abu Bakr al-Dinawari until his death in 532/1137-8, after which he continued his law studies with other prominent Hanbali figures, such as Abu Yala al-Saghir, then finally, Abu Hakim al-Nahrawani. Later Ibn al-Jawzi became an assistant teacher for al-Nahrawani in his institute, and upon his death in 556/1161, Ibn al-Jawzi succeeded him as the professor. His preaching career (waz) also began at a very young age, when his teacher Ibn Nasir introduced him to Abu al-Qasim al-Alawi al-Harawi, who taught him the art of preaching. It was not long before he encouraged Ibn al-Jawzi to ascend the pulpit and deliver his first sermon attended by a crowd of 50,000, at the tender age of ten.[7] However, al-Alawi soon left Baghdad, after which Ibn al-Jawzis training on wadh was continued by Ibn alZaghuni until his death in 527/1133. In addition to his professors, he held in great admiration three scholars, even though he never personally met them: Abu al-Wafa Ali b. Aqil al-Hanbali; the Ashari-Shafii historian, a biographer and the author of Hilyat al-Awliya, Abu Nuaym al-Isfahani; and alKhatib al-Baghdadi, a famous traditionist and a historian, a Hanbali who converted to Shafiism.[8]

His Preaching Career

Although, Ibn al-Jawzi was a prolific author, who wrote extensively on many topics and sciences, his fame is due to his glorious preaching career, which in turn made him an influential religious political figure in Baghdad. As preceded, he gave his first sermon at the age of ten, but his career only advanced at the age of fifteen, upon the death of his teacher Ibn al-Zaghuni in 527/1133 when he requested that he should replace his teachers position. However, due to his young age, his proposal was turned down, yet his persistence led him to the vizier, who officially appointed him to deliver sermons in al-Mansur mosque.[9] By year 544/1149, Ibn al-Jawzi was appointed by Ibn Hubayrah, the pious Hanbali vizier, to hold his sermons every Friday in his palace, which was open to the public. His ever increasing popularity moved the Caliph al-Mustanjid to appoint him to deliver sermons in the Palace mosque, which were regularly attended by 10,000 to 15,000. Ibn al-Jawzi used this opportunity to show great valour in defence of sunnah and briskly attacked the ever growing madhab fanaticism in his time, as well as scholastic theological schools such as Mutazilism and Asharism.[10] However, after Ibn Hubayra became a victim of his rival conspirators and was subsequently martyred in 560/1164, life became difficult for Ibn al-Jawzi. The following year one of the colleges under the supervision of Ibn al-Jawzi was seized. Hence, his activism and influence vanished from the scene for five years, but reappeared after the death of Caliph alMustanjid in 566/1170. During the reign of al-Mustadhi, Ibn al-Jawzi developed strong ties with the Caliph, due to which he became of the most influential persons of Baghdad. This special relationship is illustrated by Ibn al-Jawzis work al-Misbah al-Mudhi fi Dawlat al-Mustadhi, which he wrote in praise of the Caliph. In 567/1171 when Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi re-established the Abbasid Khutba in Cairo after defeating the Fatimids, Ibn al -Jawzi demonstrated his rejoice by writing Kitab al-Nasr Ala Misr, after which he was authorised by the Caliph in 568/1172 to deliver sermons at the Badr gate in presence of the Caliph. In the same year he delivered many popular sermons that attracted extraordinarily large crowds of 100,000 attendees. In 569/1173, Ibn al-Jawzi was invited by the people of al-Harbiyya and Bab al-Basra, the two quarters of West Baghdad, to deliver a sermon in an open area between the two quarters. The sermon, however, was attended by people from all parts of the city. Ibn alJawzi led the multitude of congregation to the place of meeting and delivered the sermon. Since the meeting was held after sunset, the people of al-Harbiyya and Bab al-Basra men, women and children came out with candles to receive him. The number of attendees were estimated at 300,000, while the candles were estimated at a thousand, lighting up the plain and dramatising the occasion. In 570 he built his own college at Darb Dinar and on the first day delivered a series of fourteen lectures on different sciences. In the same year, he concluded his exegeses of the Quran and prostrated on the pulpit, claiming to be the first one to have completed a series of Quran exegeses in sermons since it was revealed. In the same year he was given the custody of another college, on which the name of Imam Ahmad was inscribed, along with a declaration that it had been relegated to the supervision of the champion of the sunnah, Ibn al-Jawzi. Such a growing influence of Ibn al-Jawzi, and by extension the Hanbali

Madhab, alarmed the members of other schools. In 571/1178-9 the Caliph granted Ibn al-Jawzi inquisitorial powers to combat the increasing Rafidhite influence in Baghdad. Ibn al-Jawzi ascended the pulpit and proclaimed to the crowds: Amir al-Muminin has heard about the growth of Rafdh, and has conferred upon me inquisitional powers to combat heresies. If you hear anyone from the public reviling the Companions, then inform me, for I will raze his house and land him in prison.[11] It is said that it was during this period Ibn al-Jawzi penned his famous Talbis Iblis (The Devils Deception), in critique of numerous heresies, social ills, and i n particular, the distorted version of Tasawwuf that had become widespread. Ibn al-Jawzis career and popularity reached its zenith in the year 574/2278 AH, which in turn empowered the Hanbalis in Baghdad. At this same time, the Caliph ordered that an inscription be engraved on the tomb of Imam Ahmad stating: This is the grave of the crown of sunnah, the most noble of the Ummah, one with high ambitions, the embodiment of the Book and the sunnah of Allahs Messenger, al-Imam Abu Abd Allah Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani may Allah be merciful with him, ending with the date of his demise and Ayat al-Kursi. However, the followers of other madhabsbecame concerned at the growing Hanbali influence on the Caliph and complained, since it was never customary for the ruler to bestow the title of Imam to anyone other than a caliph.[12] Ibn al-Jawzi writes, describing the pinnacle of his success in the same yea r: Today I am the director of five colleges, and the author of 150 works in all subjects. More than 100,000 repented at my hands, and I cut off the hair of more than 10,000 lax young men.[13] No preacher saw a crowd as great as mine, which was attended by the Caliph, the vizier, sahib al-makhzan (Dhahir al-Din) and the senior scholars.[14] After the death of al-Mustadhi, al-Nasir ascended to power in 575/1179. Whilst it has been noted that al-Nasir inclined towards Shiism, the early part of his reign did not appear to reflect any change in Ibn al-Jawzis relation with the caliphate. This, nevertheless, was soon to change and land Ibn al-Jawzi in utter disgrace in year 590/1194.

His Trial
Year 590/1194 marks Ibn al-Jawzis fall from grace. In this painful episode of his life, he was subjected to severe tribulation, exile and imprisonment. The cause of his trial was the bitter feud between him and the descendants of the famous Sufi Hanbali Shaykh Abd al Qadir al-Jaylani. During the vizierate of Abu al-Mudhaffar b. Yunus, a supporter of Ibn al-Jawzi and like him, also a student of al-Nahrawani a tribunal was setup for Rukn al-Din, the grandson of Abd al-Qadir al-Jaylani. The tribunal, which took place in the presence of Ibn al-Jawzi and other leading scholars, concluded in burning of his books, which contained zandaqah, heresies, astrology and in particular rasail ikhwan al-safa. Consequently, Al-Jaylanis institute, much to the disgrace of Rukn al-Din, was snatched away from him and placed in the care of Ibn al-Jawzi. However, after the dismissal of the vizier Ibn Yunus in 590/1194, Ibn al-Qassab, described by Ibn Rajab as a vile Rafidite (rafidhi khabith), was instated as the vizier. Ibn al-Qassab,

then went in pursuit of his rival, Ibn Yunus and his supporters. Rukn al-Din seized this opportunity to entrap Ibn al-Jawzi, and incited Ibn al-Qassab against him by suggesting that the former was a Nasibi (detractor of the Prophets family) and a descendant of Abu Bakr, enough reason for him to be disgraced and persecuted. Ibn al-Qassab, after seeking the permission of the Caliph al-Nasir, unleashed Rukn al-Din upon Ibn al-Jawzi. Rukn al-Din then proceeded to the house of Ibn al-Jawzi, where he publicly humiliated him and dragged him out of his house, which was then sealed off and his family dispersed. Ibn al-Jawzi was taken to Wasit in the middle of the night by Rukn himself and house arrested. Rukn, still seeking to further humiliate Ibn al-Jawzi, requested permission from the superintendent of Wasit to imprison Ibn al-Jawzi in an underground basement. The superintendent, who was also a Shiite, rebuked Rukn saying: O ye Heretic! Should I throw him therein merely upon your request?! Bring me the written decree of the Caliph, for by Allah, if he was of my sect, I would have sacrificed my soul and wealth in his service! Hence, Rukn simply returned to Baghdad. Ibn al-Jawzis imprisonment in Wasit did not prevent him from utilising his time to write and teach, whilst cooking and cleaning, at a very old age without any help. It is reported that Ibn al-Jawzi would complete the Quran daily, yet omitting Surah Yusuf, due to his deep sorrow over his son who shared the same name. It was after five years, in 595/1198-9 that his son, Muhiy al-Din Yusuf, became prominent through his preaching sessions, and successfully managed to intercede with the mother of the Caliph on behalf of his father, and thereby, facilitating Ibn al-Jawzis return to Baghdad. His arrival in Baghdad was emotionally celebrated by the inhabitants, who enthusiastically came out to receive him with a warm welcome. It was then announced that he would be holding a preaching session the following Saturday. The people thus began to reserve places for themselves immediately after having prayed the Friday prayer. Despite heavy rains that night, the masses could not be deterred from the much awaited sermon. The next morning, Ibn al-Jawzi began to deliver his sermon to an extraordinary large audience, such that many, due to the vast numbers present, were unable to hear his voice.

His death and funeral

He continued to give sermons and author numerous works, until the Ramadan of 597/1200. On the 7th of Ramadan, he sat at the mausoleum of the Caliphs mother to deliver his last sermon. After addressing the congregation, he fell ill for five days, and passed away on Friday between Maghrib and Isha at the age of eighty-six or eighty-seven. The next morning, his funeral was prepared and brought out of the house. The entire city of Baghdad came to a standstill as the masses gathered to attend the funeral. At first, his funeral was taken to the spot where he would deliver his sermons, and prayed over by his son, Abu al-Qasim. The crowds then carried the funeral to al-Mansur mosque, where he was prayed over again. By the time the crowds reached his grave, which was located near the grave of Imam Ahmad, it was time for the Friday prayer. It was one of the most extraordinary funerals in Baghdad, where the inhabitants of Baghdad showed their utmost remorse at the loss of an inspirational Islamic figure, a charismatic and earnest preacher, and a source of pride.

His Descendants
Ibn al-Jawzi left behind three sons and six daughters: 1) Abd al-Aziz, his eldest son, who settled and preached in Mosul. He died at a very young age. 2) Abu al-Qasim Ali, his second eldest son. He began his preaching career at a very young age but left shortly, and instead, degenerated into an idler and accompanied irreligious people. He was extremely rebellious towards his noble father, such that when the latter was sent in exile to Wasit, he sold most of his father s books away for a dirt cheap price. Due to his behaviour, Ibn al-Jawzi had shunned him for years until he died. He would often say about his son: I pray against him every last third of the night.[15] 3) Muhiy al-Din Yusuf, his youngest son, who followed his fathers footsteps in learning and preaching. He also took responsibility for the Ministry of Commanding Virtues and Forbidding Evil in Baghdad, taught his Hanbali colleagues at al-Mustansiriyya institute, and later formed al-Jawziyya institute in Damascus. He was killed, along with the Caliph at the hands of the Tatars upon Hulagu Khans invasion of Baghdad. 4) Sitt al-Ulama senior, the eldest daughter and the wife of the jurist, Abu al-Abbas Ahmad al-Hammami; 5) Rabia, the mother of Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi; 6) Sharaf al-Nisa, the wife of Abd al-Wahhab al-Iyabi al-Hanbali; 7) Zaynab; 8) Jawhara and 9) Sitt alUlama junior, the youngest daughter.[16]

Students
Ibn al-Jawzi produced many students, the most notable of them were: Yusuf b. al-Jawzi, Abu al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzis son who established al -Jawziyya institute in Damascus. He, along with his three sons, was killed by the Tatars upon the invasion of Baghdad by Hulagu Khan. His works include: Maadin al-Ibriz fi Tafsir al-Kitab al-Aziz in exegesis, al-Madhab al-Ahmad fi Madhab Ahmad, and al-Idah fi al-Jadal. Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi, his grandson from his daughter Rabia, a historian and a preacher like his grandfather. He was born and raised in Baghdad under the supervision of his grandfather, who then travelled to Damascus and settled therein. His works include: Mirat al-Zaman fi Tarikh al-Ayan, al-Jalis al-Salih, al-Intisar walTarjih, and many others. He was a convert from Hanbalism to Hanafism and apparently, Rafidhi-Shiism. Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi, one of the most prominent Hadith masters with outstanding knowledge on the narrators of traditions. He is the author of many famous works, such as al-Kamal fi Asma al-Rijal and Umdat al-Ahkam. Ibn Qudama al-Maqdisi, one of the major Hanbali authorities and the author of the profound and voluminous book on Law, al-Mughni, which became popular amongst researchers from all juristic backgrounds.

His Works

Ibn al-Jawzi is perhaps the most voluminous author in Islamic history. Al-Dhahabi states: I have not known anyone amongst the ulama to have written as much as he (Ibn alJawzi) did. According to Ibn al-Jawzi, he wrote his first book only at the tender age of thirteen.[17] It has always been difficult to determine the exact number of works authored by Ibn al-Jawzi. Al-Zirikli estimates it to be around 300[18], while Dr. al-Alwaji counted up to 574 works in his Muallafat Ibn al-Jawzi. However, this figure is far from accurate, and perhaps exaggerated, for al-Alwaji often repeats a title with a different wording, and gives it a separate count. Ibn al-Jawzi himself determined 150 works, at the time he was writing his rich historical piece al-Muntadham; and 250 by the time of his death.[19] Ibn Rajab lists over 180 compositions, whereas Ibn Taymiyyah, being an avid reader of Ibn al-Jawzis works, claimed to have counted over 1000 works, and later found even more, a claim that Dr. Abd al-Rahman al-Uthaymin, deems gross exaggeration. Although, Ibn al-Jawzis works range from law (fiqh), traditions (hadith), history and biography, his best contribution, as asserted by Ibn Taymiyyah were his Manaqib biographical series on some of the prominent Islamic figures. The following is a list of his works as documented by Ibn Rajab:

Quranic

Sciences

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Zad

Al-Mughni al-Masir Taysir Tadhkirat

fi fi al-Bayan al-Arib Gharib Ilm

al-Tafsir, al-Tafsir, fi fi Tafsir Tafsir

81 4

parts volumes al-Quran al-Gharib al-Gharib

Nuzhat

al-Uyun

al-Nawadhir

fi

al-Wujuh

wa

al-Nadhair

7) Al-Wujuh wa al-Nawadhir fi al-Wujuh wa al-Nadhair, a summary of Nuzhat al-Uyun alNawadhir 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) Umdat Al-Ishara Tadhkirat Funun Ward al-Rasikh ila al-Qiraat fi Uyun fi al-Mansukh wa al-Mukhtara, Uyun Ulum Funun al-Nasikh, 5 4 parts al-Mushtabih al-Quran al-Afnan parts

al-Mutanabbih al-Afnan al-Aghsan fi Marifat fi

13)

Al-Musaffa

bi

Akuffi

Ahl

al-Rusukh

min

Ilm

al-Nasikh

wal-Mansukh

Theology

14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) 21) 22) Daf Al-Radd Minhaj Minhaj Bayan al-Wusul Ghaflat

Muntaqad ila al-Qail Ghawamidh Maslak Ahl Al-Sirr Shubhat Ala al-Tashbih, al-Mutaassib 4 Ilm bi al-Usul, Qidam Afal 5

al-Mutaqid parts al -Ibad al-Ilahiyat al-Aql al-Isaba al-Masun parts al-Anid

Traditions

and

Asceticism

23) 24) 25) 26) 27) 28) 29) 30) 31) 32)

Jami

al-Asanid Al-Hadaiq, Naqiy al-Naql,

bi 34

Alkhas

al-Asanid parts

parts Al-Mujtab

Al-Nuzha, Uyun Multaqat Irshad al-Muridin al-Hikayat, fi Rawdhat Ghurar al-Athar, Hikayat

parts al-Hikayat 13 al-Salaf parts al-Salihin al-Naqil 30 parts

33) 34) 35) 36)

Al-Tahqiq

fi

Ahadith Al-Madih,

al-Taliq,

volumes 7

(ISBN:

9775704480) parts 2 2 volumes volumes

Al-Mawdhuat Al-Ilal

min

al-Ahadith fi al-Ahadith

al-Marfuat, al-Wahiya,

al-Mutanahiya

37) Ikhbar Ahl al-Rusukh fi al-Fiqh wal-Tahdith bi Miqdar al-Mansukh min al-Hadith (ISBN: 9771420054) 38) 39) 40) 41) 42) 43) 44) 45) 46) 47) 48) 49) 50) 51) 52) 53) 54) 55) 56) 57) Manaqib Manaqib Manaqib Fadhail Fadhail Fadhail Fadhail al-Fudhayl Bishr Ibrahim Manaqib b. b. Umar Said Umar b. b. al-Hasan Ayadh, al-Hafi, Adham, Sufyan 7 6 4 b. Abd Al-Muhtasab Tuhfat Tanwir al-Tullab, Mudlahim fi 3 Mukhtasar Al-Sahm Akhyir Al-Fawaid Manaqib Mawt Mawt an al-Musib, al-Dhakhair, al-Shuyukh, Ashab 2 3 60 parts parts parts al-Hadith al-Khidhr al-Khidhr Al-Mashyikha Al-Musalsalat al-Nasab parts al-Sharaf Al-Alqab al-Khattab al -Aziz al-Musayyab al-Basri parts parts parts al-Thawri

58) 59) 60) 61) 62) 63) 64) Muthir Safwat

Manaqib Manaqib Manaqib al-Azm al-Safwa, 5 al-Sakin parts, ila Maruf

Ahmad al -Karkhi, Rabia Ashraf of al-Amakin Hilyat

b. 2

Hanbal parts al-Adawiyya

(ISBN: by

9775227593) Abu Nuaym parts al-Akhyar

abridgment

al-Awliya 4 Akhbar

Minhaj Al-Mukhtar

al-Qasidin, min

65) Al-Qati li Muhal al-Lijaj bi Muhal al-Hallaj, a rebuttal against the supporters of alHallaj, the pantheist who was executed by the agreement of the jurists from four schools. 66) 67) 68) 69) 70) Ilm Ujalat Al-Nisa al-Hadith al-Muntadhar wa al-Manqul ma fi Anna li Sharh yataalluq Aba Bakr Hal bi Amma al-Khidhr adabihin al-Rasul Al-Jawhar Al-Mughlaq

History

71) 72) 73) 74) 75)

Talqih

Fuhum fi

Ahl

al-Athar Tarikh al-Uqud

fi al-Muluk fi fi

Uyun

al-Tawarikh 10

wal-Siyar volumes al-Uhud al-Sawalif Baghdad

Al-Muntadham Shudhur Taraif

wal-Umam, Tarikh Tarikh

al-Dharaif Manaqib

Fiqh

76)

al-Insaf

fi

Masail

al-Khilaf

77) 78) 79) 80) 81) 82) 83) 84) 85)

Junnat Umad

al-Nadhir al-Dalail Al-Mudhab Masbuk fi

wa

Jannat Mushtahar fi

al-Nadhar al -Masail al-Madhab al-Dhahab Al-Nubdha

Al-Ibadat Asbab Kashf Radd al-Dhulma al-Lawm al-Hidaya an al-Dhiya fi li fi Sawm Arbab Radd Dawa Yawm

al-Khams al-Bidaya Ilkiya al-Ghaym

al-Dhaym

Art

of

Preaching

(wadh)

86) 87) 88) 89) 90) 91) 92) 93) 94) 95) 96) 97) 98) 99) Mawafiq

al-Yawaqit al-Muntakhab Muntakhab Muntakhal Nasim

fi fi

al-Khutab al-Nuwab al-Muntakhab al-Muntakhab al-Riyadh Al-Lulu

Kanz

al-Mudhakkir Al-Azaj Al-Lataif

Kunuz

al-Rumuz Al-Muqtabis

Zayn al-Marafiq Shahid (ISBN: wa

al-Qisas 2745134647) Mashhud

100) 101) 102) 103) 104) 105) 106) 107) 108) 109) 110) 111) 112) 113) Iqadh

Wasitat

al-Uqud Al-Lahab,

min

Shahid 2

wa

Mashhud parts Al-Mudhish

Saba Muhadathat Laqt Al-Muqad al-Wasnan Nakt Nuzhat min al-Raqadat al-Majalis bi Ahwal al-Haywan wal-Nabat, 2 2

Najd al-Aql al-Juman al-Muqim 2 parts parts parts al-Muntaha 20 (ISBN: parts 9775141494) al-Wuadh

al-Badriyya, al-Adib,

Muntaha Tabsirat Al-Yaquta, 2 al-Mubtadi, parts Tuhfat

Various

sciences

114) 115) 116) Ihkam

Dham Sayd al-Ishar bi

al-Hawa, al-Khatir, Ahkam

2 65 al-Ashar, 20

volumes parts parts

117) Al-Qussas al-Mudhakkirin (Also available in English: A critical edition, annotated translation 118) 119) 120) and introduction by Merlin Taqwim L. Swartz ASIN: B0007KE23O) al-Lisan Al-Adhkiya Al-Hamqa

121) Talbis Iblis, 2 volumes (A small part of the book has been translated and abridged

into 122) 123) 124) 125) 126) 127) 128) Tanwir

English Laqt

by al-Manafi fi Al-Shayb Amar

Dr. al-Tibb,

Bilal 2

Philips) volumes al-Khidhab al-Ayan

Al-Thabat al-Ghabash ala Ashraf Hifdh

ind fi Fadhl al-Ilm

al-Mamat, al-Sud wa

2 wal-Habash, 2

parts parts

Al-Hath

Dhikr 2

Kibar

al -Huffadh parts

al-Mawali,

129) Ilam al-Ahya bi Aghlat al-Ihya, a criticism of Ihya Ulum al-Din by al-Ghazzali 130) 131) 132) 133) 134) 135) 136) 137) 138) 139) 140) 141) Bayan al-Khata Min Al-Tibb wal-Sawab fi Ahadith Ibn Shihab, Ma Manaqib Qultuhu Al-Misbah Atf Tahrim al-Mudhi ala Al-Nasr Al-Majd Al-Fajr al-Sitr min li al-Muhill Dawlat al-Imam ala al-Makruh al-Mustadhi al-Ulama Misr al-Adhudi al-Nuri al-Rafi al-Ashar Al-Maqamat Rasaili al-Ruhani 16 parts

al-Ulama

al-Umara

wal-Umara Ala

142) Al-Baz al-Ashhab al-Munqadh ala man Khalafa al-Madhab, a treatise in Fiqh, and not another 143) 144) 145) title of Daf bi fi al-Tariq Shubah al -Tashbih according to 2 Ibn Rajab. volumes wal-Shuhur Ahmad

Al-Wafa Al-Nur Taqrib

Fadhail Fadhail al-Abad fi

al-Mustafa, al-Ayyam Fadhail

Maqbarat

146) 147) 148) 149) 150) 151) 152) 153) 154) 155) 156) 157) 158) 159) 160) 161) 162) 163) 164) 165) 166) 167) 168) 169) 170) 171) Aqd Dhamm Al-Zand Al-Fakhir Al-Manfaah Durrat Minhaj

Manaqib

al-Imam

al-Shafii Al-Uzlah Al-Riyadha

al-Isaba Funun Al-Dhurafa Manaqib Manaqib Fadhail al-Iklil fi

fi

Mahabat

al-Sahaba al-Albab wal-Mutamajinin

Abi

Bakr Ali al-Arab

al-Tarikh,

volumes Al-Amthal

fi

al-Madhahib min

al-Arbaah, 10 2 fi

volumes volumes volumes al-Wadh

Al-Mukhtar Ruus

al-Ashar, al-Qawarir,

Al-Murtajal Dhakhirat al-Waidh, Al-Zajr Al-Ins Al-Mutrib al-Wariy fi fi al-Wadh Ayyam Al-Majd Lughat al-Khanasir Abd al-Qadir, a fi al-Fiqh, Dhamm censure of

several

volumes al-Makhuf wal-Mahabba al-Mulhib

al-Nasiriy, al-Imam

parts al-Nasir al-Salahi

2 al-Khalifat Abd al-Qadir

parts al-Nasir al-Jaylani al-Hadith

Gharib

172) 173) 174) 175) 176) 177) 178) 179) 180) 181) 182) 183) 184)

Mulah Al-Fusul Salwat

al-Ahadith, al-Wadhiya al-Ahzan, Al-Mashuq ala

2 Huruf 10

parts al-Mujam volumes fil-Wadh

Al-Majalis Al-Wadh Qiyam

al-Yusufiyya

fil-Wadh al-Maqbari 3 parts Al-Muhadatha Al-Munaja

al-Layl,

Zahir Al-Nuhat Al-Murtaqa Hawashi

al-Jawahir

fil-Wadh, al-Khawatim, li ala man Sihah 2

parts parts Ittaqa al-Jawhari

185) Mukhtasar Funun Ibn Aqil, 10 odd volumes

Criticisms by Ibn al-Jawzi

Ashari theologians

Despite Ibn al-Jawzis doctrinal views on Allahs Names and Attributes often appearing contradictory, as we will see, he was, nevertheless, an ardent follower of the traditional Hanbali hostility towards the Asharis. His extremely hostile attitude towards the Asharis was well noted by Ibn Kathir as he states: Ibn al-Jawzi mentions in this year[20], in al-Muntadham, the death of al-Ashari, where he spoke ill of him, disparagingly in accordance with the habitual criticisms by the Hanbalis directed towards the Asharis, past and present[21] Ibn Kathir is referring to the following note of Ibn al-Jawzi on al-Ashari: He was born in 260 AH. He delved into the Kalam, and was upon the madhabof the Mutazila for a long time. He then decided to oppose them and proclaimed a doctrine which muddled up peoples beliefs and caused endless strife. The people never differed that this audible Quran is Allahs Speech, and that Gabriel descended with it upon the Prophet Allahs peace and blessings be upon him. The reliable imams declared that the Quran is eternal, while the Mutazila claimed that it is created. Al -Ashari then agreed with the Mutazila that the Quran is created and said: This is not Allahs Speech. Rather, Allahs Speech is an Attribute subsisting in Allahs Essence. It did not descend on the Prophet, nor is it audible.

Ever since he proclaimed this belief, he lived in fear for his life for opposing the orthodox community (ahl al-sunnah), until he sought refuge in the house of Abu al-Hasan al-Tamimi fearing his assassination. Then some of the rulers began to fanatically followed his madhab, and his following increased, until the Shafiis abandoned the beliefs of al Shafii and instead followed al-Asharis doctrine[22] The vehement defence of sunna and palpable attacks on unorthodox views, and in particular the Asharite views on the Quran, were a distinct feature of Ibn al -Jawzis sermons. His attacks against the Asharis include his famous remark, once made on the pulpit: The heretics claim; i) there is none in the Heavens, ii) neither is there Quran in the Mushaf, and iii) nor is there a Prophet in the grave; your three shameful facets [23] Ibn al-Jawzi writes, while complaining about certain Asharites indoctrinating the masses with the Asharite dogma: A group of Persian (aajim) heretics arrived in Baghdad and mounted the pulpits to sermon the masses. They would claim, in most of their gatherings: There is no Speech of Allah on this earth, and is the mushaf anything but paper, galls and vitriol?[24] Allah is not in the Heavens, and the slave-girl to whom the Prophet said: Where is Allah? was dumb and therefore pointed towards the sky, meaning: He is not from the idols worshipped on this earth.[25] They then said: Where are the letterists, who claim that the Quran is composed of letters and sound? Rather, the Quran is only an expression of Jibril! They continued in this vein, until the sacredness of the Quran diminished from the hearts of many.[26] He then mentions at length, the arguments for the orthodox approach towards the Quran, and commends Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal for his rigid stance on the issue, which united the Muslims on one belief: the Quran, which is contained in the Mushaf, is the uncreated Speech of Allah. He then denigrates al-Ashari, saying: Then, people did not differ in this issue, until there appeared Ali b. Ismail al -Ashari, who at first, held the beliefs of the Mutazilites. It then occurred to him, as he claimed, that Allahs Speech subsists in the Divine Essence (sifah qaimah bil-that). His claim, therefore, necessitated that the Quran we have is created.[27]
Sufis

Ibn al-Jawzi was, in his early youth, influenced by abstentious Sufism, which left him with illness for several years, until he decided to abandon it.[28]His experience with Sufism, which by then had vastly drifted away from the sacred law, transformed him into one of the fiercest critics of the Sufis. His austere anti-Sufi stance was clearly demonstrated in his sermons and many of his works. Although, he was never a detractor of the ascetics amongst the early Muslims, his criticisms were mainly directed towards the deviant and abnormal tendencies that took root amongst the ascetics, and by his time, became known as Tasawwuf. Ibn al-Jawzi says in Talbis Iblis, whilst commenting on the origins of Tasawwuf: The Sufis are generally from the ascetics (zuhhad). Although, we have already mentioned the devils deception of ascetics, except that the Sufis varied from the ascetics by having specific qualities and states, and became known with certain characteristics, and hence, we had to single them out with criticism. Tasawwuf is a path (tariqa), the beginning of which was complete asceticism; however, later its followers permitted the enjoyment of songs

and dancing. At the time of the Prophet, the attribution was only to Iman and Islam, and hence it was said: so-and-so is a Muslim, or a Mumin. Then the terms zahid (ascetic) and abid (worshipper) were introduced. Then, there came a people who adhered to asceticism and worship, gave up the worldly life, devoted themselves to worship, and embraced a unique path and character.[29] Some have argued that despite Ibn al-Jawzis cynicism towards the Sufis, he did not discredit Sufism as a genre. To the contrary, they claim, he was in favour of Sufism, and this is reflected by a number of his works, such as his abridgement of Hilyat al-Awliya by Abu Nuaym, Ihya Ulum al-Din by al-Ghazzali and various laudatory biographies of early ascetics, such as Hasan al-Basri and Maruf al-Karkhi. The above conclusion is not quite accurate, for while Ibn al-Jawzi undoubtedly paid great importance to asceticism, morals and manners, yet he did, nevertheless, regard the entire genre of Tasawwuf to be other than zuhd, and moreover, foreign to Islam and an absurdity. This is clearly reflected in his criticism of Abu Nuayms Hilyat al-Awliya, where the latter considers the early generation of Muslims, including the Prophets companions and the four Imams, to be from the Sufis. Thus, Ibn al-Jawzi states, while listing his objections against Hilyat al-Awliya: The seventh objection comes against the ascription of Tasawwuf to the senior masters, such as Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, al-Hasan, Shurayh, Sufyan, Shuba, Malik, Shafii, Ahmad, whereas they had no knowledge ofTasawwuf. If one were to say: [Abu Nuaym] meant by that, abstentious worldly life (zuhd), since they were all zuhhad. We say in reply: Tasawwuf is a school well-known amongst its followers, which is not simply restricted to Zuhd. Rather, the school has particular qualities and disposition, known to its masters. If Tasawwuf was not something further added to Zuhd, there would not have been narrations from some of the aforementioned in condemnation of Tasawwuf. In fact, Abu Nuaym himself narrated in the biography of al-Shafii may Allah be merciful with him that he said: Tasawwuf is built upon lethargy. If a person were to practise Tasawwuf in the morning, he would not reach the noon, except that he has become obtuse. I discussed Tasawwuf extensively in my book called: Talbis Iblis. (Devils Deception)[30] Indeed, Ibn al-Jawzi dedicated two-thirds of his book Talbis Iblis to his scathing criticism of Tasawwuf. His abridgment of Hilyat al-Awliya, and summarisation of Ihya Ulum alDin by al-Ghazzali, is not a proof for his Sufi tendencies. On the contrary, it is an illustration of his deep antagonism towards Tasawwuf. The sole purpose of abridging such works was to purge, what he considered the unorthodox content from such works, to make them conducive to the intellectual wellbeing of the masses. Ibn al-Jawzis criticism of Tasawwuf did not spare the famous and respected ascetics, such as al-Junayd, Bishr alHafi, and even his co-Madhabist, Abd al-Qadir al-Jaylani, in censure of whom he wrote Dhamm Abd al-Qadir al-Jaylani(Censure of Abd al-Qadir al-Jaylani). Ibn al-Jawzis criticisms of the Sufis were directed at several fronts. He criticised them for the prevalence of pantheism amongst their ranks, and to that end he wrote Al-Qati li Muhal al-Lijaj bi Muhal al-Hallaj censuring al-Hallaj, the famous pantheist who claimed to be God, and was subsequently executed by the agreement of the jurists.[31] He attacked the Sufis for demeaning all aspects of worldly life, such that they would wilfully

and unwisely give away their belongings to remain poor. Ibn al-Jawzi states: What the ignorant amongst the ascetics call reliance (tawakkul), that is to spend all that one owns, is not legislated in religion. For the Prophet said to Kab b. Malik: Keep some of your wealth.[32] The Sufis were characterised by their deriding attitude towards the sacred knowledge, in favour of asceticism. Ibn al-Jawzi criticised them saying: From the amazing ways in which the devil plays his tricks, is by beautifying abandonment of knowledge. Yet, they [the Sufis] did not simply stop at that, but also engaged in insulting those busy with knowledge. This, only if they understood, is tantamount to insulting the Shariah; for the Messenger of Allah said: Convey from me[33] Ibn al-Jawzis remarks, ridiculing the early ascetics, only underline his rigid anti -Sufi attitude. He says about the early ascetics: I saw most of them in confusion. Those of them with good intentions are also not following the mainstream path in most of their affairs. A number of early ascetics wrote various books for their followers that are crammed full of abominations, and inauthentic reports, in which the authors instruct with that which is at odds with the Shariah; such as the works of al -Harith al-Muhasibi or Abu Abd Allah alTirmidhi, Qut al-Qulub by Abu Talib al-Makki, or al-Ihya of Abu Hamid [al-Ghazzali] al-Tusi. If a beginner were to open his eyes and desire to tread the path through these books, they would have led him to blunders, for they based their works on awkward narrations. I saw most of the people deviating from the Shariah, to whom the words of the ascetics became the Shariah itself. Hence, it was claimed: Abu Talib al -Makki said: From the Salaf were those who would weigh their daily intake against fresh branch-ends from palm-trees and notice it decreasing everyday! This practise was not known by the Messenger of Allah nor his Companions, rather they would eat but not to their fill. The life of the Messenger of Allah and his Companions was not like that of the ascetics of today. For the Messenger of Allah would laugh, joke, choose the best of things, race with Aisha may Allah be pleased with her. He would eat meat, love sweet dishes and water will be sweetened for him to drink. This is also how his companions were, until the ascetics discovered paths (taraiq), as if it were the beginning of another Shariah.[34] It is also vital to bear in mind that the remarks above were directed to a very small minority of the Sufis. As for the vast majority, for them Ibn al-Jawzi had the following to say: As for those who had incorrect intentions, from the hypocrites and the pretentious ones, for the sake of worldly gains, and for their hands to be kissed out of respect, then there is no discussion with them, and they are the majority of the Sufis![35]
Philosophers

Ibn al-Jawzi dedicated a section of Talbis Iblis to the philosophers who had taken a route, other than that of the prophets in their search for the truth. He describes their intellectual ailment saying: They believed in what their speculations dictated to them without referring to the prophets. From them are those who believed in the doctrine of alDahriyya that the world has no creator Most of them affirmed an eternal cause (illa qadima) for the world, and then stated that the world is eternal, which has always been in existence along with Allah They also concealed their doctrine by saying: Allah is the creator of this world, meaning: figuratively and not literally Their doctrine also includes that the world is ever lasting; just as its existence has no beginning, it has no end.

They also believed that Allahs knowledge and ability is in fact His essence, in order to avoid affirming multiple eternal entities The philosophers also denied the resurrection, the return of souls to the bodies, and the bodily existence of Paradise and Hell, claiming that the two were merely paradigms for people to understand the concept of spiritual reward and punishment. He then turns to the devils deceptions of the Muslim philosophers, who admired Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and others for their excellence in metaphysics, yet didnt realise their mediocrity in theology. They were consequently, intellectually suspended in a world between Greek philosophy and Islamic theology. Ibn al-Jawzi remarks: We noticed the philosophers from the adherents to our religion, that their philosophical path earned them confusion, hence, they adhered to neither philosophy, nor Islam. In fact, amongst them is one who fasts the Ramadan and prays, and then begins to object at the Creator and prophethood, and denies the resurrection. Ibn al-Jawzi then wonderfully summarises the underlying cause of deviancy amongst the so-called Muslim philosophers and the Muslim monks, saying: Because the philosophers were close in time to the advent of our Shariah, as were the monks; some of our coreligionists stretched out their hands for the former, while the others for the latter. Hence, you see many of the dull-witted, when they look into doctrine, they become philosophers; and when they look into asceticism, they became monks. We ask Allah to make us steadfast upon our religion[36]
Other Philosophies and Schisms

Ibn al-Jawzis masterpiece Talbis Iblis, in part, is regarded to be a critical heresiographical work which accounts the doctrine and criticisms of various religions and sects. Amongst the list of religions and philosophies criticised by Ibn al-Jawzi were Sophisticism (sawfastaiyya), al-Dahriyya, Tabaiyyun, Dualism (thanawiyya), Paganism, Zoroastrianism, the pre-Islamic ignorance (jahiliyya), the denial of prophethood, the Jews, the Christians, the Sabians, Astrologers, deniers of resurrection, and the believers in metempsychosis (tanasukh). The schisms and sects criticised by Ibn al-Jawzi include the Khawarij, the Rafidites (shias) and the Esoterics (batiniyya).
Social and Ethical Ills

Ibn al-Jawzis age saw many social and ethical ills creeping amongst the ranks of notables such as the jurists, traditionists, linguists and preachers. Naturally, a considerable portion of Talbis Iblis reflects his efforts in challenging the growing corruption and an endeavour to bring about change. He mentions the recitors of the Quran who, on one hand, devoted their lives learning the most eccentric modes of recitation, whilst neglecting the basics of Islamic knowledge. This, according to Ibn al-Jawzi, often caused the recitors to introduce practises and traditions previously unheard of in Islamic history.[37] The traditionists also became a target of his criticisms for their excessive focus on transmission of the texts without understanding the essence and the meaning of those traditions. Their lack of understanding often forced them to pass erroneous and baseless verdicts. Another illness to be found amongst the traditionists at the time of Ibn al-Jawzi was their desire for fame by travelling far and wide in search of the shortest chains, or peculiar traditions. Some of the traditionists were accused by Ibn al-Jawzi of disparaging

their colleagues whom they were jealous of, under the guise of al-Jarh wa al-Tadil.[38] Although, the jurists had always taken pride in objective and unbiased attitude towards juristic research, by the age of Ibn al-Jawzi, blind partisanship towards the established madhabs began to take root, which eroded the spirit of objectivity to an extent, and gave birth to madhabist bias in juristic discourse. Ibn al-Jawzi challenged the growing trend by saying: Lethargy prevailed over the latter jurists that they could not study the science of traditions; so much so, that I noticed some of the senior jurists remark in their works about traditions found in authentic collections: It is not possible for the Prophet to have said such-and-such! I then noted that he would support his argument in an issue saying: Some of them narrated that the Prophet said such-and-such. He would then respond to the authentic tradition, which his opponent used in support of his argument, saying: This tradition is not known! All of this is a crime against Islam. Ibn al-Jawzi equally criticised the jurists for associating with the authorities without censuring them for their oppression and unjust dealings, which, as he argues, resulted in three vices: One: The ruler assumes, if I was not correct, the jurist would have censured me. How can I not be right, when the jurist is happy to consume from my wealth? Two: The layperson assumes, There is neither anything wrong wi th this ruler, nor his wealth, or his actions, for such-and-such jurist barely leaves his company. Three: The jurist, who thereby, corrupts his religion. The devil also deceived a group from the scholars, who remained aloof from the rulers and turned to worship and religion instead. The devil then beautified for them to backbite those of the scholars who enter upon the rulers, and therefore accumulated for them two wrongs: back biting others, and praise of one self.[39] Ibn al-Jawzi also focuses his criticisms on the preachers who failed to act upon that which they preached and sought fame; the poets and linguists who often lacked religiosity; the rulers who habitually bypassed the Sharai injunctions in pursuit of their political goals; and the masses for their heedlessness and ignorance of their religious, social and moral responsibilities. Ibn al-Jawzis criticisms, as presented in Talbis Iblis, proved to be a timeless collection of guidance and wisdom for the individual and the society, perhaps arguably, but sadly, more applicable in our time than his.

Criticisms of Ibn al-Jawzi

Ibn al-Jawzi, being a remarkable critic, was censured himself on a number of issues, some of which follow:
Profuse errors in his works

Although Ibn al-Jawzi is remembered as a voluminous writer, the obvious disadvantage was the subsequent colossal number of errors in his works. For often, he would finish a book, and instead of revisiting it for corrections, he would begin another one; similarly, at times, he would write two books in different subjects simultaneously. He would frequently quote passages from various sources in different sciences, without thoroughly studying and

researching. Thus, it is reported that he would say: I am a compiler and not an author.
His errors in Hadith

Although, Ibn al-Jawzi displayed great dislike for many authors to narrate week, and sometimes fabricated traditions in their works, while al-Ghazzali being the foremost of his victims; he, ironically, was guilty of the same. According to al-Dhahabi, while he was known with the exalted title of al -Hafidh, it was not due to his mastery in the science of traditions, but as a result of his vast knowledge and memorisation of copious narrations. Al-Dhahabi also mentions Ibn al-Akhdar being asked about Ibn al-Jawzi: Would not you respond to some of the errors of Ibn al-Jawzi? He said in reply: One can only critically study someone whose errors are relatively few. As for him, then he has countless errors. Al-Dhahabi then quotes al-Sayfs unwarranted comment: I have never seen anyone who is relied upon in his religion, knowledge and intellect, admiring Ibn Al Jawzi. Al -Dhahabi then beautifully concludes: If Allah is pleased with him, then they are irrelevant.[40] Al-Mawdhuat is amongst the famous works of Ibn al-Jawzi on fabricated traditions, which received wide acceptance as well as criticisms, the primary reason for which was his inclusion of numerous traditions that were, perhaps weak (dhaif), but not at all fabricated (mawdhu). Many of such traditions are found in the books of Sunan, and in fact, one in Sahih Muslim. A number of latter traditionists pursued his errors, such as al-Hafidh alIraqi, Ibn Hajar and al-Suyuti in his work al-Laali al-Masnuah.
Self-eulogy

Ibn Rajab quotes Ibn al-Qadisi from his Tarikh that from the objections many had against Ibn al-Jawzi was that his speech consisted of eulogy, pride, presumptuousness, and frequent claims; no doubt he was guilty of some of that, may Allah overlook his faults.[41] Ibn al-Jawzis description of his sermons, fame and glory in his alMuntadham are an obvious reflection of such objections, which often puzzles the average reader with respect to his piety and humility on one hand, and his eulogy and assertions on the other. However, it seems Ibn al-Jawzi was well aware of such criticisms, and perhaps he even responded to them, albeit indirectly, saying: After I had devoted myself to a study of these latter (i.e. the traditions) and to the sciences which fall under rubric of hadith, scarcely a tradition was mentioned to me but that it was possible for me to say: It is a sound tradition (sahih), or a good tradition (hasan), or an absurd tradition (muhal). There are to be found in my books of wadh, achievements which even those experts [in this art] find impossible to match. I mention these achievements only out of gratitude, not out of pride, because those who see them will be astonished. But as for myself, I see only the excellence of the One who has made possible these achievements, and the inadequacy of my thanksgiving. Most assuredly, it was He who empowered me to speak extemporaneously for entire meetings without having to recourse to what I had memorised. Sometimes as many as fifteen verses [from the Quran] were recited in my presence at these meetings, following which I would immediately deliver a khutba relevant to each of the verses. And now I implore God to give me sincerity of purpose and assist me in profiting from my learning so that He may be the Master of that [learning] and the

Sovereign Lord over it[42]

Theological errors

Ibn al-Jawzi created a storm in the traditionalist-textualist Hanbali school by writing his infamous book Daf Shubah al-Tashbih bi Akuff al-Tanzih(Rebuttal of the Insinuations of Anthropomorphism at the Hands of Divine Transcendence), which drew fierce attacks from all corners of the Hanbali world. The book came is a reaction to Ibn Hamid, Abu Yala and his Shaykh Ibn al-Zaghuni, who too were accused of fanaticism in their approach to affirming Allahs Attributes, for often they would use baseless and unfounded narrations to affirm them. Ibn Taymiyya writes about the three aforementioned: from the third category are those who heard the traditions and the narrations, glorified the beliefs of the early Muslims, yet also shared some of the principles of the JahmiteMutakallimun. They did not have as much expertise in the Quran, Hadith and traditions, as did the Imams of sunnah andhadith; neither from the angle of distinguishing between the Sahih and the Dhaif, nor from the angle of grasping the meanings of those texts. They also deemed some of the rational arguments of the Jahmite-negators to be correct, and therefore, saw a visible contradiction between the two (text and rationale). This was the case with Abu Bakr Ibn Furak, al-Qadhi Abu Yala, Ibn Aqil, et al. Due to this, they would sometimes prefer the method of allegorical exegesis (tawil), as did Ibn Furak and his likes while commenting on problematic traditions; or sometimes, they would leave the meanings to Allah (tafwidh) saying: the apparent meaning must be retained (tujra ala dhawahiriha), as did al-Qadhi Abu Yala and his likes; and sometimes, their opinions would differ, hence, they would prefer the former method at times, and the latter at other times, as was the case with Ibn Aqil and his likes. Moreover, they would often mention amongst the problematic traditions, narrations that were false and fabricated, not knowing that they were forged; or not knowing the same tradition with a different wording which may solve the dilemma.[43] Ibn al-Jawzi was more impressed with Ibn Aqil than the others mentioned by Ibn Taymiyya, due to which he would often favour tafwidh, while sometimes opting for tawil. Such a contradictory stance is demonstrated by his interpretation (tawil) of the Face of Allah, as referring to Allahs essence in Daf Shubah al-Tashbih[44]; and then the rebutting the Mutazilites for the very interpretation he is guilty of in Majalis Ibn al-Jawzi.[45] In a similar vein, he censures those who opt for Tawil and brands them negators of Attributes, and further denounces the Mutazalite interpretation of Hands as bounties, Ascension (istawa) as seizure (istawla), or Descent (nuzul) as mercy; yet he is found guilty of the same errors in Daf Shubah al-Tashbih.[46] Towards the end of his work, Ibn al-Jawzi remarks: When a group of ignorant ones learnt of my book, they were disappointed, for they had become accustomed to the beliefs of their anthropomorphist leaders. Thus they said: This is not the madhab. I say (Ibn al-Jawzi): This is not your madhab, nor the madhab of your teachers whom you blind follow. I have, however, exonerated the madhab of Imam Ahmad, and cleared him from the false narrations and nonsense utterances, without blind following anyone in my beliefs.[47] No doubt, none can challenge Ibn al-Jawzis assertion with respect to himself; but as for

exonerating Imam Ahmad of beliefs he considered anthropomorphic, then the scarcity of quotes from Imam Ahmad in his work, despite their copious presence in other popular and widely accepted Hanbali sources, remains a far cry from his claim. Al-Dhahabi also noticed Ibn al-Jawzis departure from the doctrine of Imam Ahmad and remarked: his excellence continued to increase and gain popularity until he died. May Allah have mercy on him and forgive him! Only if he had not indulged in allegorical exegeses ( tawil) and opposed his Imam![48] Inevitably, he received criticisms by various Hanbali authorities, from his age up until the present time. Amongst his contemporary critics was the Hanbali Shaykh of Iraq, Abu al Fadhl Ishaq b. Muhammad al-Althi, who addressed Ibn al-Jawzi in harsh words in a letter, most of which was quoted by Ibn Rajab in Dhayl[49]. From the highlights of the letter, is al-Althis remarks addressing Ibn al-Jawzi: Amazing is of one who adheres to the madhab of the Salaf, and does not deem permissible to indulge in Kalam, who then moves to interpret that which he did not tolerate at first. He then says: If we say such and such, it would lead to such and such. If you interpret the divine Attributes based upon linguistic interpretations, deeming it permissible for you, and refuse to accept the advice, (then know that) this is not the madhab of the great Imam, Ahmad b. Hanbal May Allah sanctify his soul. Therefore, it is not fitting for you to attribute yourself to him with such beliefs. So chose for yourself a different madhab, if it is possible for you. For our (Hanbali) colleagues have not ceased to proclaim the blatant truth at all times, even if they were struck with the swords, not fearing anyones criticism. Thus, Ibn al-Jawzis account in nearly all Hanbali biographical works remained tainted with this criticism. Ibn Rajab quotes Ibn al-Qadisis remarks on Ibn al-Jawzis controversy: [The error] for which he was criticised by a group of our scholars and Imams from the Maqdisis and the Althis [Hanbalis], was his tendency towards allegorical exegesis ( tawil) in some of his speech. Their criticisms were severe in that regard. No doubt, his beliefs in this issue were quite contradictory. Even though he was well-versed in traditions and narrations regarding the subject matter, he was not well-aware of the responses to the doubts of the Mutakallimun, nor the extent of their fallacy. He would also hold Abu al-Wafa Ibn Aqil in great respect, and follow most of his beliefs, in spite of refuting him in some issues. Despite Ibn Aqils excellence in Kalam, he was not au fait on traditions and narrations, due to which he was inconsistent in this subject, with variegated opinions. Ibn al-Jawzis opinions were as vegetated as his. Ibn Rajab then quotes Ibn Qudama saying: Ibn al-Jawzi was the leading authority on the art of preaching in his age. He also authored excellent works in various sciences, and his efforts were generally accepted. He would teach law (fiqh) and author works to that end, just as he had memorised traditions and also authored in that respect. However, we are not pleased with his writings with respect to sunnah (doctrine), nor his approach.[50] The latest rebuttal of Daf Shubhat al-Tashbih is a two volume book by a contemporary Hanbali theologian and a traditionist, Sulayman b. Nasir al-Alwan called: Ithaf ahl al-Fadhl

wal-Insaf bi Naqdh Kitab Ibn al-Jawzi Daf Shubah al-Tashbih wa Taliqat al-Saqqaf (An Offering to the Noble and Just, by Rebuttal of the book by Ibn al-Jawzi Daf Shubah alTashbih, and commentary of al-Saqqaf thereupon) Due to Ibn al-Jawzis theological slips, some modern-day, and rather zealous Asharites have described him as an Ashari who took a staunch Ash`ari stance in doctrine; which is a rather astonishing claim, since none from the Muslim biographers or historians ever described him as such. On the contrary, despite sharing some aspects of doctrine with the Asharites, he was nevertheless, a staunch Ashari detractor, as demonstrated above and in a number of his works.

Conclusion
Ibn al-Jawzi lived for over eighty-six years, which he dedicated to learning, teaching, preaching and correcting the ills in the society. He delivered his first sermon at the age of ten, and continued with his profession until he died, thus having preached for 71 years of his life, taking into account his detention in Wasit. After the birth of the publishing industry, many of his works gained extraordinary popularity amongst the masses, and were thus reprinted by various publishers, and even rendered into English and French by academics. Ibn al-Jawzi has also become a subject of numerous research papers and studies, which include: Ibn al-Jawzi by Abd al-Aziz al-Ghazzawali; Ibn al-Jawzi wa maqamatuhu alMatbuah by Ali Jamil Muhanna; Abu al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi wa Arauhu al-Kalamiyya walAkhlaqiyya by Dr. Amina Muhammad Nasir; al-Usul al-Nafsiyya li al-Tarbiya ind al-Imam Abi al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi by Hasan Abd al-Aal; Muallafat Ibn al-Jawzi by Dr. Abd al-Hamid al-Alwaji; and in the orientlist worl d he has been a subject of various studies by H. Laoust and Merlin Swartz.
Endnotes

[1] There is much dispute over the year of his birth. Ibn Rajab mentions five different dates: 508, 509, 510, 511 and 512; year 511 being the most probable due to several indications mentioned by Ibn Rajab in his Dhayl 2/462, ed. Dr. alUthaimin, Maktabat al-Ubaikan 2005 [2] Ibn al-Jawzi, Manaqib al-Imam Ahmad p. 706, Dar Hajar, 1988 [3] Ibn al-Jawzi, Mashyikha, al-Sharika al-Tunusia, Tunisia, 1988. [4] Al-Dhahabi, Siyar Alam al-Nubula 15/74, Dar al-Fikr, 1997; Bakr Abu Zayd, al-Nadhair 113, Dar al-Aasima, 1423AH [5] Ibn al-Jawzi, Al-Muntadham 10/205, Dar al-Fikr, 1995 [6] Ibid. 10/362 [7] Ibn Rajab, al-Dhayl Ala Tabaqat al-Hanabila 2/464, ed. Dr. al-Uthaimin, Maktabat al-Ubaikan 2005 [8] H. Laoust, Ibn al-Jawzi, Encyclopaedia of Islam, Brill [9] Ibn Rajab, al-Dhayl Ala Tabaqat al-Hanabila 2/465, ed. Dr. al-Uthaymin, Maktabat al-Ubaikan 2005

[10] Ibid. 2/466 [11] Ibid. 2/476 [12] Ibid. 2/478 [13] A symbolic act indicating remorse for sins committed, says Merlin Swartz in his edition of Kitab al-Qussas p 231, and further claims it to be an ancient Semitic practice. [14] Ibn al-Jawzi, al-Muntadham 10/574, Dar al-Fikr, 1995 [15] Salah al-Safadi, Al-Wafi bil-Wafayat 21/147 Dar Ihya al-Turath 2000, and Al-Dhahabi, Siyar al-Alam al-Nubala 15/494 and 16/285 [16] Ibn Rajab, Dhayl Ala Tabaqat al-Hanabila 2/458-61, ed. Dr. al-Uthaimin, Maktabat al-Ubaikan 2005 [17] Ibid. 2/490 [18] Al-Zirikli, al-Alam 3/316, Dar al-Ilm lil-Malayin [19] Al-Dhahabi, Siyar al-Alam al-Nubula 15/486, Dar al-Fikr 1997 [20] Year 331/942-3 [21] Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidaya wal-Nihaya 11/206, Maktabat al-Maarif Beirut [22] Ibn al-Jawzi, al-Muntadham 8/219, Dar al-Fikr, 1995 [23] Ibn al-Jawzi made this statement in rebuttal of the Asharites who claimed i) Allah is not above the heavens, for He is directionless and limitless, and ii) Allahs Speech is without letters or sound, and therefore, the mushaf which consists of letters is created and not Allahs Speech. The third claim, that the Prophet is no longer a prophet after his demise, is based on the Asharite-atomist principle that accidents could not endure for two instances of time ( al-aradh la yabqa zamanayn), and therefore, prophethood being an accident, must end with the demise of the Prophet. The attribution of the last claim to the Asharites is very much disputed, and vehemently rejected by the Asharites, and to this end, alBayhaqi wrote Hayat al-Anbiya fi Quburihim (Life of the Prophets in their grave), proving that the Prophets remained prophets after their death. It is also noted by some historians that the Asharite theologian, Ibn Furak, was actually killed by the Seljuki ruler, Ibn Subuktakin for the belief of the former that the Prophet is no longer a prophet; a claim strongly rejected by Ibn al-Subki. (cf. Ibn Hazm, al-Fasl 1/161, and Ibn al-Subki, Tabaqat 4/130-133). Your three shameful facets refers to the Quranic verse: three times of privacy for you 24:58. The incident is reported by Ibn Rajab in al-Dhayl. [24] Galls (), a well known fruit of which ink is made. Vitriol (), a well known kind of salt, which is a medicinal substance, and one of the ingredients of ink. See Lisan al-Arab ( ) and Lanes Lexicon. [25] This is the opinion of the Ashari traditionist Ibn Furak, as he says in Mushkil al-Hadith wa Bayanuhu p. 159: (The slave-girl) only pointed towards the sky, because she was dumb [26] Ibn al-Jawzi, Sayd al-Khatir p. 131. [27] Ibid p. 132 [28] Ibid p. 29 [29] Ibn al-Jawzi, Talbis Iblis p. 201, Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi 1993 [30] Ibn al-Jawzi, Sifat al-Safwa 1/9, Dar Salah al-Din li al-Turath [31] Ibn al-Jawzi, Talbis Iblis p. 210, Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi 1993

[32] Ibn al-Jawzi, Sayd al-Khatir p. 51 Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi 2004 [33] Ibid. p. 176-7 [34] Ibid. p 309-10 [35] Ibid. p. 311 [36] Ibn al-Jawzi, Talbis Iblis, p 59-65, Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi 1993 [37] Ibid. p. 137-40 [38] Ibid. p. 140-44 [39] Ibid. p. 145-50 [40] Al-Dhahabi, Siyar al-Alam al-Nubula 15/493, ed. Muhibb al-Din al-Amri, Dar al-Fikr 1997 [41] Ibn Rajab, al-Dhayl Ala Tabaqat al-Hanabila 2/487, ed. Dr. al-Uthaimin, Maktabat al-Ubaikan 2005 [42] Ibn al-Jawzi, Kitab al-Qussas al-Mudhakkirin 234, ed. Merlin L. Swartz, Dar El-Machreq, Beirut 1971 [43] Ibn Taymiyya, Dar Taarudh al-Aql wal-Naql 7/34 [44] Ibn al-Jawzi, Daf Shubhat al-Tashbih p. 12, ed. Al-Kawthari, al-Maktaba al-Azhariyya 1998. [45] Quoted by al-Alwan in Ithaf Ahl al-Fadl wal-Insaf 1/128. [46] Ibn al-Jawzi, Sayd al-Khatir p. 81, Majalis Ibn al-Jawzi p. 7 [47] Ibn al-Jawzi, Daf Shubhat al-Tashbih p. 80 [48] Al-Dhahabi, Siyar al-Alam al-Nubula 15/484, Dar al-Fikr 1997. [49] Ibn Rajab, al-Dhayl Ala Tabaqat al-Hanabila 3/446-453, ed. Dr. al-Uthaimin, Maktabat al-Ubaikan 2005 [50] Ibid. 2/487-8

Biography of Shaikh Al-Uthaimeen

His Lineage: He is Abu 'Abdillaah Muhammad Ibn Saalih Ibn Muhammad Ibn 'Uthaymeen Al- Wuhaibee AtTameemee His Place Of Birth: He was born in the town of 'Unayzah on the 27th day of the blessed month of Ramadaan in 1347H. His Early Life: He recited the noble Qur'aan to his maternal grandfather, 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan Ibn Sulaimaan Aali Daamigh (Rahimahu Llah) and memorized it. Then he directed his attention towards seeking knowledge and so he learned writing, arithmetic and some other subjects. Shaikh 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan As-Sa'adee (Rahimahu Llah) used to place two of the students of knowledge that studied with him, in charge of teaching the young students. The first of them was Shaikh 'Alee As-

Saalihee and the second was Shaikh Muhammad Ibn 'Abd-il-'Azeez Al-Mutawwa' (Rahimahu Llah), under whom he (Ibn Al-'Uthaimeen) studied the abridged version of Al-'Aqeedat-ul- Waasitiyyah (of Ibn Taimiyyah) written by Shaikh 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan As-Sa'adee, Minhaaj-us-Saalikeen fee Al-Fiqh also of Shaikh 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan, as well as Al- Ajroomiyyah and Al-Alfiyyah. He also studied the laws of inheritance and Fiqh under Shaikh 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan Ibn 'Alee Ibn 'Awdaan. Under Shaikh 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan Ibn Naasir As-Sa'adee (Rahimahu Llah) - who is considered to be his first teacher since he remained with him for a period of time - he studied the sciences of Tawheed, Tafseer, Hadeeth, Fiqh, Usool-ul-Fiqh, Faraa'id, Mustalah-ul-Hadeeth, An-Nahu and As- Sarf. He also studied under the noble shaikh, 'Abd-ul-'Azeez Bin Baaz (Rahimahu Llah), such that he came to be known as his second teacher. With him he began the study of Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree, some of the treatises of Shaikh-ul-Islaam Ibn Taimiyyah (Rahimahu Llah) and some books of Fiqh. His Precedence In Knowledge And His Work In The Field Of Da'wah : In the year 1371H, he began to teach in the congregational mosque. When the educational institutes opened in Riyaadh, he signed up with them in 1372H and after two years, he graduated and was appointed as a teacher at the educational institute (ma'ahad al-'Ilmee) in 'Unayzah. In the meantime, he continued his studies affiliated with the College of Sharee'ah as well as his studies under Shaikh 'Abd-urRahmaan As-Sa'adee (Rahimahu Llah). When Shaikh 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan As-Sa'adee passed away, he was given the position of Imaam at the main congregational mosque of 'Unayzah, along with the ability to teach in the central library of 'Unayzah, in addition to teaching at the educational institute. He later moved onto teaching in the faculties of Sharee'ah and Usool-ud-Deen in the Qaseem branch of the Imaam Muhammad Ibn Su'ood Islaamic University. In addition to this, he became a member of the Council of Senior Scholars of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Shaikh Ibn Al-'Uthaymeen has a large and active role in the field of da'wah (calling) to Allaah and teaching the Muslims. Thus the people recognize him from the various beneficial classes and impressive sermons he gives on the day of Jumu'ah in the central masjid of 'Unayzah in Qaseem. They know him from the lessons he teaches in Al-Masjid-ul-Haraam during the nights of 'Itikaaf in the month of Ramadaan, every year. He is also known by the firmly composed fataawaa (rulings) he issues to the masses of Muslims from the east and the west during the joyous occasion of Hajj or in the journals and magazines, on the radio broadcast "Light upon the Path" (Noor 'alaa Ad-Darb) and through the letters he exchanges with many students of knowledge and readers. Furthermore, he is known for the rulings he gives with complete and wholesome responses to the questions that are presented to him everyday. His Books On The Subject Of 'Aqeedah: Shaikh Muhammad Saalih Al-'Uthaymeen has a vast number of valuable books, from which the people gain benefit, on the subjects of 'Aqeedah, Fiqh and its principles, admonition, advice and Da'wah, and a large portion of which are taught by the ministry of education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We will mention here, the books that are related to 'Aqeedah:

1. Fath Rabb-il-Barriyyah Bi-Talkhees-il-Hamawiyyah: This is his first book that was ever printed. He completed it on the 8th of Dhul-Qi'adah 1380H. It is printed within a collection of essays on 'Aqeedah by Maktabat-ul-Ma'aarif of Riyaad. 2. Nubadh fee Al-'Aqeedat-il-Islaamiyyah (A Brief article on the Islaamic Creed): In this book, the Shaikh explains the six pillars of Eemaan. It was assigned to the third year of secondary school in the educational institutes for the subject of Tawheed. It was printed in the collection mentioned previously of Maktabat-ul- Ma'aarif of Riyaad. 3. Al-Qawaa'id-ul-Muthlaa fee Sifaatillaahi wa Asmaa'ih-il-Husnaa (Ideal Principles concerning Allaah's Attributes and His Beautiful Names): It is one of the most magnificent works that Shaikh Al-'Uthaymeen has written. We have provided a checking for it, as well as a commentary on the chains of narration, and it has been printed, all praise due to Allaah. 4. Sharh Lum'at-ul-'Itiqaad Al-Haadee Ilaa Sabeel-ir-Rashaad Li-Ibn Qudaamah (An Explanation of "Sufficiency in Creed" - A Guide to the Straight Path - of Ibn Qudaamah): It is this present book, and it was assigned to the first year of the secondary school level of the educational institutes for the subject of Tawheed. 5. 'Aqeedah Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah (The Creed of Ahl-us-Sunnah wal- Jamaa'ah): He mentions in it a summarized yet comprehensive account of the Creed of Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah. The Islamic University of Madeenah printed it. 6. Sharh Al-'Aqeedat-ul-Waasitiyyah Li-Ibn Taimiyyah (An Explanation of the Book "Al-'Aqeedat-ulWaasitiyyah" of Ibn Taimiyyah): It was assigned to the second year of the secondary school level of the educational institutes for the subject of Tawheed. It is printed and in wide circulation. 7. Tafseer Ayat-ul-Kursee (An Explanation of Ayat-ul-Kursee): This tafseer consists of a magnificent topic on the Names and Attributes of Allaah discussed by the Shaikh. It is printed and in wide circulation. In addition to this, there are all the fataawaa of the Shaikh regarding 'Aqeedah which have been printed many times over and included in his books on Fataawaa in magazines and in journals. Source: From his checking of the Shaykh's book "Sharh Lum'at-il-'Itiqaad" (pg. 13-15) [Daar AlIstiqaamah Printing]

Translator's Note: Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Saalih Al-'Uthaymeen passed away on Wednesday, the 15th of Shawaal 1421H (January 10, 2001), when he was 74 years of age. May Allaah have mercy on him.

The

Miracles

of

the

Prophet

Muhammad

sallallhu alayhi wa sallam By Imm an-Nawaw rahimahullh From Life of the Messenger The Messenger of Allh possesses many manifest miracles and signs demonstrating [his veracity], reaching thousands and they are well known.

From amongst them was the Qurn, the manifest and clear miracle and brilliant proof, falsehood cannot approach it from before it or behind it. It is a revelation from One Who is All-Wise and Praiseworthy. It incapacitated the most eloquent of people in the most eloquent of times to produce a single chapter than would be comparable to it, even if the whole of creation were to gather for that purpose. Allh, the Exalted says, Say: if the whole of mankind and the jinn gathered in order to produce the like of this Qurn, they could not produce the like of it, even if they assisted each other. [Al-Isr' (17):88] It challenged them to this despite their large numbers, their eloquence and their severe enmity, and it challenges them to this day. As for the other miracles, it is not possible to enumerate them all due to their huge number and renewing and increasing nature. I will mention some examples: The splitting of the moon, water flowing from between his fingers, increasing the quantity of food and water, the glorification of the food, the palm tree yearning for him, stones greeting him, the talking of the poisoned leg [of roasted sheep], trees walking towards him, two trees that were far apart coming together and then parting again, the barren [and therefore dry] sheep giving milk, his returning the eye of Qatdah bin an-Numn to its place with his hand after it had slipped out, his splitting lightly into the eye of Al when it had become inflamed and its being cured almost immediately, his wiping the leg of Abdullh bi n Atq whereupon he was immediately cured. His informing of the places of death of the polytheists on the Day of Badr saying, this is the place of such and-such a person. His informing of his killing Ubayy ibn Khalaf, that a group of his nation would traverse an ocean and Umm Harm would be amongst them and this occurred. That all was drawn together for him of the ends of the earth and displayed to him would be opened for his nation, that the treasures of Chosroes would be spend by his nation in the Way of Allh, the Mighty and Magnificent. That he feared for his nation that they would be tempted by the wealth and allurement of this world and that the treasures of the Persians and Romans would be ours and that Surqah bin Mlik would wear the trousers of Chosroes. He informed us that Hasan bin Al would reconcile between two large warring parties of Muslims, that Sad bin Ab Waqqs would live such that nations would benefit by him and others would be harmed. That an-Najsh had died on this particular day while he was in Ethiopia and that al-Aswad al-Ans had been killed on this particular day while he was in Yemen. That the Muslims would fight the Turks who were described as having small eyes, wide faces and small, chiselled noses and that Yemen, Syria and Irq would be conquered by the Muslims. He informed us that the Muslims would comprise three armies, an army in Syria, an army in Yemen and an army in Irq. That they would conquer Egypt, a land whose [unit of land measurement] was the Qrt, they they should deal with their people well for they have protection [being Copts] and ties of kinship [through Hajar]. That Awais al-Qarn would come to you from the auxiliaries of Yemen, he would be affected with leprosy and it would be healed except for the space of a dirham, and he indeed arrived during the rule of Umar. He informed us that a group of his nation would always be upon the truth and that mankind would become many in number and that the Ansr would diminish in number and that the Ansr would not be given their due [with regards distribution of wealth and leadership]. That mankind would keep on asking questions until they would say, Allh created the creation [Referring to the hadth, "the people will continue asking until they say, 'this is Allh who created everything ... but who created Allh?' " Reported by al-Bukhr [no.7296] and Muslim [no.136]] He informed us that Ruwayf bin Thbit would live a long life, that Ammr bin Ysir would be killed by the transgressing group, that this nation shall divide into sects and that they would fight each other.

He informed us that a fire would emanate from the land of Hijz and the likes of this. All of this occurred exactly as he, sallallhu alayhi wa sallam, said it would. He said to Thbit bin Qays, You will live being praised and you will die as a martyr. and he lived being praised and was martyred at al-Yammah. He said about Uthmn, He would afflicted by a severe trial. [The meaning of severe trial is his being imprisoned in his house and his being killed by transgressors.] He said about a person amongst the Muslims who had just fought a severe fight that, He would be from amongst the denizens of the Fire. and later he committed suicide. Wbisah bin Mabad came to him in order to ask him about righteousness and sin upon which he asked, Have you come to ask about righteousness and sin? He said to Al, az-Zubair and al-Miqdd, Go to the garden of Khkh for indeed there is Dhanah* who has a book with her. They found her there but she initially denied having the book and then took it our from within her braids. He said to Ab Hurayrah, when Satan had stolen some dates, indeed he shall return and he did. He said to his wives, The most prolific of you in giving charity will be the quickest of you to join me, and it was so. [Zaynab bint Jahsh radiallhu 'anh was the most prolific of them in giving charity and was the first to die. Refer to Muslim [no.2452].] He said to Abdullh bin Sallm, You will remain upon Islm until you die. He supplicated for Anas that his wealth and sons increase and that he should live a long life and it was so. He lived for more than one hundred years and not one of the Ansr was richer than he and one hundred and twenty of his children had been buried before the arrival of al-Hajjj [to Basrah]. This is detailed further in Sahh al-Bukhr [no.1982] and others. He sallallhu alayhi wa sallam supplicated that Islm be strengthened through Umar bin al-Khattab or Ab Jahl, and Allh strengthened it through Umar radiallhu anhu. He supplicated against Surqah bin Mlik and the feet of his horse sank into the earth and he was thrown off, he called out asking for safe conduct and was granted it, then he asked the Prophet to make a supplication for him. He supplicated that Allh remove feeling the bitter cold and heat from Al and so never did he feel cold or hot. He supplicated for Hudhayfah, the night that he sent him to spy on the Confederates, that he not feel the cold and he did not until he had returned. He supplicated for ibn Abbs that Allh grant him understanding of the religion and it was so. He supplicated against Utaybah bin Ab Lahab that Allh cause a dog from amongst His dogs to overcome him and he was killed by a lion at az-Zarq. He sallallhu alayhi wa sallam supplicated for the descent of rain when they asked him to at the time of drought, there was not a single cloud in the sky, then when he had supplicated, the clouds gathered like mountains and it rained until the next Friday. It rained so much they they had to come back and ask him to supplicated and stop the rain, so he supplicated and the rain stopped and they out into the glaring sun. He supplicated for Ab Talhah and his wife, Umm Sulaym, that he bless them in the night they had spent together and she became pregnant and gave birth to Adullh. He had nine children and all of them were scholars. He sallallhu alayhi wa sallam supplicated for the mother of Ab Hurayrah radiallhu anhu that she be guided and Ab Hurayrah left to find her performing the ritual bath because she had accepted Islm. He supplicated for Umm Qays bint Muhsin, the sister of Ukkasha, that she live a long life and we do not know of another woman who lived as long as she did. This was reported by an-Nas in the chapter concerning washing the deceased. On the Day of Hunain he threw a handful of dirt at the disbelievers and said, May the faces be disfigured, and Allh, the Exalted, vanquished them, filling their eyes with dirt. He once went out to one

hundred of the Quraysh who were waiting to do something horrible to him and he put dirt on their head and went on his way without their seeing him. * [This is the woman with whom Hasb al-Balta'ah radiallhu 'anhu sent a letter to the people of Mecca in order to inform them of the plans of the Messenger of Allh sallallhu 'alayhi wa sallam to fight them. It was concerning this that the first verses of Srah Mumtahinah were revealed. The garden of Khkh is a place falling between Mecca and Madnah. Refer to Bukhr [no.3983] and Muslim [no.2494] and Tafsr ibn Kathr [4/344].]

Points of Benefit taken from the Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.S) prior to Prophethood
Dr. Mustafa as Sibaaie The proven reports about Muhammads life before Prophethood tell us the following facts: 1. He was born into the noblest family among the Arabs, which was one of the noblest branches of Quraysh, namely Banu Haashim. Quraysh was the noblest of Arab tribes, the purest in descent and the highest in status. It was narrated from Al-Abbaas that the Messenger of Allah (ra) said:

Allah created mankind, and made me from the best of them, from the best of their two groups. Then He chose tribes and made me from the best tribe. Then He chose families and made me from the best family. So I am the best of them from the best family.[1]
Because of the high esteem in which noble descent was held among Quraysh, we find that among the things which Quraysh accused the Prophet (ra) of, his descent is not mentioned, because his origins were well known among them. They accused him of many things that they made up, but this issue was not mentioned at all. 2. He grew up an orphan, for his father Abdullah died when his mother was only two months pregnant with him. When he reached the age of six, his mother Aaminah died too, so at a very early age he (HI) felt the bitterness of being deprived of his parents love and compassion. After that, he was looked after by his grandfather Abdul-Muttalib, but he died when the Prophet (SAWS) was eight years old. Then he was looked after by his paternal uncle Abu Taalib, until he grew up and became strong and mature. The Quran refers to his being an orphan when it says:

Did He not find you *O' Muhammad+ an orphan and gave you a refuge? (Quran 93: 6)
3. The Messenger of Allah (SAWS) spent the first four ye ars of his life in the desert, among Bani Sad, so he grew up strong and healthy, eloquent and brave, able to ride horses well at an early age. His talents flourished in the peace and fresh air of the desert. 4. His intelligence was apparent at an early age and could be seen in his features, which aroused the love of all those who saw him. When he was a young boy, the Messenger came and sat on his grandfathers bed. When he (Abdul-Muttalib) sat on it, no one among his children (i.e., the paternal uncles of the Prophet) would sit on it with him. So his paternal uncles tried to make him move, but Abdul -Muttalib said, Leave my son alone, for by Allah he has a future. 5. When he was a young man, the Prophet (SAWS) tended the sheep of the people of Makkah in return for a few pennies. It was narrated that he (SAWS) said:

There is no Prophet who was not a shepherd. They said, Even you, O Messenger of Allah? He said, Even me. According to another report he said, Allah never sent any Prophet but he was a shepherd. His Companions said to him, Even you, O Messenger of Allah? He said, Even me. I tended the sheep of the people of Makkah in return for a few pennies.
Then when he reached the age of twenty-five, he worked for Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, doing business with her money in return for a salary that she paid him. 6. When he was a young man, he did not join his Makkan peers in their idle leisure pursuits. Allah protected him from that. The books of Seerah state that when he was a young man, he heard singing in one of the houses of Makkah where a wedding party was taking place. He wanted to go to the party, but Allah caused him to fall asleep, and he was only woken up by the heat of the sun. He did not join his people in worshipping idols, he never ate the meat of any animals that were sacrificed to them, he never drank wine, he never gambled, and he never uttered foul speech or bad language. 7. He was known for his wisdom and sound reasoning. The incident when he put the Black Stone back in its place in the Kabah is indicative of that. The Kabah had been damaged by a flood which caused cracks in its walls, so the people of Makkah decided to knock it down and rebuild it. So they did that, but when they reached the place where the Black Stone was to go, a fierce dispute erupted as to who would have the honour of putting the Black Stone in place. Each tribe wanted to have this honour. The dispute reached the point where they were threatening to fight one another, then they agreed that the first person to come in through the gate of Bani Shaybah should judge amongst them. That person was the Messenger of Allah (SAWS), and when they saw him, they said, This is Al -Ameen (the trustworthy), we will accept his judgement. When they told him about that, he solved the problem in a manner that was approved of by all parties. He spread out his cloak, then he picked up the Stone and put it on his cloak. Then he told them that each tribe should take hold of one edge of the cloak and lift it up. When the Stone reached its place, he took it and put it there with his own hand, and they all approved of that. By means of his wisdom, Allah protected the blood of the Arabs from being shed in a feud that only Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty, knows its extent. 8. The Prophet (SAWS) was known among his people for being trustworthy and honest since his youth. He was well known among them for treating people kindly, keeping promises, living an upright life and having a good reputation. This is what made Khadeejah (RA) employ him to engage in trade using her money in the caravan that went to the city of Busra in Syria every year, and made her pay him double what she paid anyone from among her own people. When he came back to Makkah and her slave Maysarah told her how trustworthy and sincere he was, and she saw the great profits that had been made on that trip, she paid him double the sum that she had promised. She also wanted to marry him, and he agreed to marry her even though he was fifteen years younger than her. The best testimony to his good attitude before Prophethood is the fact that Khadeejah said to him when the revelation first came to him in the cave of Hiraa and he began trembling,

No, by Allah, Allah will never forsake you, for you uphold the ties of kinship, you help the weak and poor, you honour your guests and you help others at times of crisis.
9. He traveled twice outside Makkah. The first time was with his paternal uncle Abu Taalib when he was twelve years old, and the second time was when he was twenty-five, when he went to engage in trade on Khadeejahs behalf, with her money. Both trips were to the city of Busra. On both occasions he heard the

talk of the merchants and saw the towns of the lands through which he traveled, and the customs of their people. 10. A few years before his Prophethood, Allah made him like to go out to the cave of Hiraa which is a mountain on the north-west side of Makkah, close to the city where he would stay alone for a month during the month of Ramadaan and think about the signs of Allahs creation and the greatness of His power. He continued to do this until the Revelation came to him with the Quran.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
A researcher may learn the following lessons from studying the events described above:1. That the more highly-regarded a daa iyah or social reformer is among his people, the more likely the people will listen to him. People usually look down on callers and reformers if they are of humble origins or modest background. But if there comes to them one whose noble birth or whose familys social status they cannot deny, they will not be able to say anything about him but lies and fabrications which they will take as an excuse not to listen to him or heed his call. Hence, the first thing that Heraclius asked Abu Sufyaan, after the Prophet (SAWS) had sent a letter to Heraclius calling him and his people to Islam, was: What is his lineage amongst you? Abu Sufyaan answered, although at that time he was still a mushrik, He is one of the noblest of us in lineage. When Heraclius had finished questioning Abu Sufyaan and had listened to his answers, he explained to him why he had asked him these questions about Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (SAWS). Heraclius said:

I asked you what his lineage was amongst you, and you said that he was one of the noblest of you in lineage. That is because God never chooses a Prophet except from among the noblest of his people and the best in lineage.
It is true that Islam does not give any weight to nobility of descent when it comes to deeds, but this does not mean that there is no connection between noble descent and noble deeds. The higher a persons status, the more chance there is of success, as the Prophet (SAWS) said according to a saheeh hadith:

The best among you during the Jaahiliyah are the best among you in Islam, if they understand properly.
2. If the daa iyah goes through the pain of being an orphan or suffering hardship when he is young, that will make him more sensitive to noble humane feelings., and he will be filled with compassion and mercy towards the orphans, the poor and persecuted; he will strive harder to be just to these groups and show mercy and compassion towards them. Every daa iyah needs a large amount of noble humane emotions that will make him feel the pain of the weak and wretched. There is nothing better than suffering in his own life to give him the feelings of the orphans, poor and needy. 3. The closer the daa iyah s lifestyle is to the fitrah (nature), and the further away he is from a complex lifestyle, the more pure, and strong will be his mind, body and soul, and the more sound is his speech and thinking. Hence, it was not by chance that Allah chose the Arabs to bring the message of Islam, because, in comparison to the neighbouring civilized nations, they were purer in spirit, sounder in thinking, more proper in morals, and more able to endure the hardships of war for the sake of Allah and spreading His message throughout the world. 4. No one is qualified to lead the da wah except one who is intelligent and alert. So those of low or average intelligence are the least deserving of leading the intellectual reform or spiritual movement. Rather, it is one of the laws of life that no one who is dull-witted or confused in his thinking or hold weird views will be able to lead in any field of life with any degree of success. If by chance or circumstance such

a person attains a position of leadership, he will quickly falter and his people will shun him, after his actions demonstrate his stupidity, oddness or confused thinking. 5. The daa iyah must be able to depend on himself to earn a living, or have a decent source of income, without begging or humiliating himself in any way. Sincere and noble daa iyahs do not accept to live on peoples chari ty and gifts. What respect can they have from their people if they humiliate themselves by begging and asking from people, even if they do not do that openly? If we find a person who claims to be a daaiyah accumulating wealth from people through all kinds of deceit, then we may be certain that he has no self-respect, so how must his people and his neighbours view a person who accepts humiliation for himself? How can he call people to noble characteristics and conduct, and confront false and corrupt rulers, and fight evil and immorality, and spread the noble spirit of righteousness among the ummah? 6. If the daa iyah is righteous during his youth and has lived a good life, this is more likely to bring him success in his efforts to call people to Allah, reform their morals and fight evil. For there will be no one who can criticize his personal conduct before he began his da wah work. We often see that when people undertake da wah (call, preaching) and reform efforts, especially in the field of moral reform, one of the most off-putting factors is when people remember their immoral past and previous bad behaviour. This illspent past may make people doubt the sincerity of such daa iyahs, who may be accused of hiding behind the reform effort for ulterior motives, or of not starting to call for reform until they had had their fill of the pleasures of life, and because of their circumstances or their age they no longer had any hope of continuing to have the worldly gains, wealth, fame or status that they previously enjoyed But in the case of the daa iyah who was righteous during his youth, he can continue to hold his head high with a clear conscience. The enemies of reform will not find any way to criticize him for his recent or more distant past; they will not find in his past any grounds for exposing him or calling people to look down on him. Yes, Allah accepts the repentance of the one who repents to Him sincerely, and He erases his past evil deeds with his present good deeds, but this does not benefit the daa iyah who wants to succeed in his da wah, who could have hoped for greater success if he had a better past and a better reputation. 7. If the daa iyah has the experience of travel, living with the masses and becoming familiar with the peoples customs, circumstances and problems, this will have a great impact on the success of his da wah. Those who interact with people through books and articles without mixing with people of different backgrounds are doomed to failure in their calls for reform. The people will not listen to them or respond to their call, because they will see that they know nothing about their circumstances and their problems. Whoever wants to bring about reform among religious people has to mix with them in their mosques, gatherings and meetings. Whoever wants to bring about reform among the workers and peasants has to mix with them in their villages and factories, eat with them in their houses, and speak to them in their meetings. Whoever wants to reform the peoples interactions with one another has to mix with them in their marketplaces, shops, factories, clubs and gatherings. Whoever wants to reform politics must mix with politicians and get to know their organizations, listen to their speeches, read their manifestoes and agendas, then get used to the environment in which they operate, their cultural background and the aims which they are striving to reach, so that he will know how to address them without putting them off, and how to aim his reform efforts, so that they will not resist him because of personal dislike or emotional reasons. So the daaiyah must have some experience of life and some knowledge of peoples affairs, so that he will be able to fulfil the command of Allah:

Invite *mankind, O' Muhammad+ to the way of your Lord [i.e. Islam] with wisdom [i.e. with the Divine Revelation and the

Qur'an+ and fair preaching (Quran 16: 125)

How wonderful is the advice to,

address people according to their intellectual level; do you want Allah and His Messenger to be rejected? [2]
8. The daa iyah who wants to call people to Allah should spend time alone every now and then, when his soul may make contact with Allah and he can keep away from all the things that may upset him such as bad attitudes, the stress of life and disturbances around him. During such times of solitude, he should take stock of himself and see if he has fallen short in doing good, or deviated in any way, or failed to follow the wisest course, or made a mistake in his method or way, or indulged in arguments with some people to such an extent that he forgot to remember Allah and feel close to Him, remember the Hereafter with its Paradise and its Hell, together with death and its suffering and agonies. Hence tahajjud and qiyaam al-layl (prayers at night) were made obligatory for the Prophet (0), and they are mustahabbat (recommended) for others. Those who should be most eager to perform these nafl prayers are the daa iyahs who seek to call people to Allah and His shariah and Paradise. Solitude, tahajjud and standing to worship Allah in the depths of the night bring joy which no one knows except those whom Allah honours with these acts of worship. Ibraheem ibn Adham (may Allah have mercy on him) used to say after doing these prayers, We are experiencing joy which if the kings were aware of it, they would fight us for it. It is sufficient for us to note the words that Allah addressed to the Messenger of Allah (saws):

O you wrapped in garments *i.e. Prophet Muhammad+! Stand [to pray] all night, except a little Half of it or a little less than that, Or a little more. And recite the Qur an *aloud+ in a slow [pleasant tone and] style. Verily, We shall send down to you a weighty Word [i.e. obligations, laws]. Verily, the rising by night [for Tahajjud prayer] is very hard and most potent and good for governing oneself, and most suitable for *understanding+ the Word *of Allah+. (Quran 73: 1-6)

1 Narrated by At-Tirmidhi with a saheeh isnad.2 This is mentioned in Bukhari, 1/199, in Kitaab al-Ilm, Baab man khassa bit- ilm qawman doona qawmin karaahiyatan an laa yafhamu (The Book of Knowledge, Chapter: One who addresses knowledge only to some people and not others lest they misunderstand). AH (ra) said: Speak to the people according to their level of kn owledge, do you want Allah and His Messenger to be rejected? Extracted from The Life of Prophet Muhammad: Highlights and Lessons Published by International Islamic Publishing House

Visions of the Jinn

Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips Ibn Taymeeyahs Essay on the Jinn (Demons) Author Based on Eedah ad-Dalaalah fee Umoom ar-Risaalah, from volume 19 of Majmoo Al-Fataawaa (A Collection of Religious Rulings); volume 35 of Majmoo Al -Fataawaa and Ibn Taymeeyahs classic, AlFurqaan Bayna Awliyaa ar-Rahmaan wa Awliyaa ash-Shaytaan. Note: All remarks that are bracketed in the text are made by Bilal Phillips THE AUTHOR Ahmad ibn Abdul-Haleem ibn Taymeeyah was bron in the town of Harran [near Edessa, in what was once Northern Iraq, but is now called Orfa and is a part of Turkey.], in the year 1263 CE. His father was a leading scholar of the Hanbalite school of Islamic law and so was his grandfather, who authored Muntaqaa al-Akhbaar, the text of ash-Shawkaanees Hadeeth classic Nayl al-Awtaar. Ibn Taymeeyah mastered the various disciplines of Islamic study at an early age and read extensively the books of the various sects and religions in existence at that time. Much of his time and effort was spend defending the orthodox Islamic position against a tidal wave of deviation which had swept over the Muslim nation. Consequently, he faced many difficulties from both the prominent sectarian scholars of his time and from the authorities who supported them. His clashes with them led to his imprisonment on numerous occasions. Ibn Taymeeyah also fought, not only against internal enemies of Islaam, but also against its external enemies by both his Fatwaas (Islamic legal rulings) and his physical participation in battles. His ruling allowing the taking up arms against groups which recognized the Shahaadataan (declaration of faith) but refused to uphold some aspects of the fundamental principles of Islaam, greatly affected the resistance movement against the Tartars who had declared their acceptance of Islaam but did not rule according to divine law. During these struggles he wrote countless books and treatises demonstrating his extensive reading and knowledge, not only of the positions of the early scholars, but also those of the legal and theological schools which had subsequently evolved. Ibn Taymeeyah also had a major effect on the open-minded schoars of his day, most of whom were from the Shaafiite school of law. Among the most famous of his students were IBN KATHEER, ADH-DHAHABEE and IBN AL-QAYYIM. The author died in 1328 while in prison in Damascus for his Fatwaa against undertaking journeys to visit the graves of saints [Ibn Taymeeyah's ruling was based on the authentic statement reported by Abu Hurayrah wherein the Prophet Muhammad (saws) said, "Do not undertake a journey except to three masjids; this masjid of mine, Masjid al-Haraam (Makkah) and Masjid al-Aqsaa (Bayt al-Maqdis)." Collected by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim]. His Fatwaa had been distorted by his enemies to say that he forbade visitingthe Prophet Muhammads (saws) grave. CHAPTER THREE: DEMONIC VISIONS Those involved in incantations and oaths often swear by some devils to help them against others. Sometimes the evil JINN fulfil their request but frequently they do not, especially when the JINN against whom help is sought is honored among them. Neither the one chanting incantations nor his incantations have any power to force the devils to help them. The reciter of incantations earnestly entreats a being whom he considered great which may or may not be the case to harm others who may conceivably be greater. In the case where someone entreats the JINN to harm someone whom the JINN hold in high esteem, they will ignore him. In fact, it may prevent them from even responding at all. Their situations is quite similar to that of humans except that human beings are generally more intelligent, truthful, just and trustworthy while the JINN tend to be ignorant, untruthful, oppressive and treacherous. The point is that though the oaths and incantations of devil-worshippers may contain statements of idolatry and disbelief, they are frequently ineffective against the JINN. When requested to kill or

apprehend another JINN who has possessed a human, the JINN will often mock those who make the request by falsely giving them the impression that they killed or detained the offending JINN. This is especially so in cases where humans believe in the illusions created by the JINN. The JINN usually communicate by either visions or voices ["The gleaning of hidden information by way of visions and voices has been well documented among clairvoyants and mediums. 'A medium' may be defined as a person through whose agency or through whose orgainsm there are received communications ostensibly from deceased human beings or other discarnate or remote entities. In what is called 'clairvoyant mediumship' -now popularly known as channelling- the meduim 'sees' or 'hears' the deceased friends and relatives of persons persent and relays messages from them. Generally speaking, the experiences concerned seem not to have the distinctness of ordinary perception but are rather a seeing or hearing 'in the mind's eye' or ear. Sometimes, however, the figures seen or voices heard may attain as hallucinatory vividness; the medium's experience then resembles that of one who witnesses an apparition." (Benjamin B. Wolman. ed., Handbook of Parapsychology, New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1977, pp, 579-580)] with those seeking information among the idol-worshippers, Christians, Jews, and heretical Muslims driven astray by the devils. JINNS may take the form of a live picture portraying whatever the sorcerers and fortunetellers wish to know about. When these deviants see the image of what they sought, they then inform other humans about it. Some of them may know that the image is actually an illusion, while others may be deluded into believing that they are actually wintessing the real scene. JINNS may also make humans hear the voice of those whom they call upon who are far away. Such cases are frequent among idolaters, Christians, Jews and ignorant Muslims who seek refuge in those whom they consider holy. When some devotees call on their spiritual masters for help saying, Oh my Lord so and so! the JINN will address them in the voice of their masters. When the masters answer their request, the JINN, in turn, answer the devotees in the masters voice. This has happened to many people some of whom are known to me. The devils will often respond while talking the form of the one besought, whether dead or alive, even if he is unaware of those who call on him. Those committing Shirk in this fashion believe that the person beseeched has actually replied when in fact it is the JINN replying. This frequently happens to Christians who call on those whom they edify, whether dead or alive, like George or other holy figures [ROME, Feb 24 1989 (AFP) - A retired Italian roadman Renato Baron claims that he has been seeing and talking to the Virgin Mary for nearly three years now. Visions by Baron and about THIRTY others have attracted tens of thousands of people from Italy, France, Belgium, and West Germany to a hill near Venice, causing huge traffic jams. Ambridge, Pennsylvania - A small Roman Catholic Church in a western Pennsylvania mill town is preparing for a deluge of pilgrims after a reported Good Friday miracle in which the eyes of a statue of Christ suddenly closed. The Rev. Vincent Cvitkovic, a Franciscan friar, and many of his parishoners reported that the eyes of a life-size statue which depicts the crucified Christ, which have been open for 60 years, closed during a prayer meeting. (The Times, Monday, April 10th 1989, no. 63, 364, p.8) In 1981 a group of five children were playing on a hill just outside of a village in the Yugoslavian Republic of Bosnia - Herzegovina called Medugorje when a vision of a beautiful woman claiming to be the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared before them. Since 1981 some seven to eight million pilgrims from different countries, cultures and Christian traditions have climbed up the holy hill of Medugorje. At 7:30 every evening pilgrims and tourists anxiously crowd around the dark rectory of a nearby church staring at the stream of light which will signify that once more the children, who still gather there daily, are having their private audience with the Blessed Mother. (IRF, Newsletter of the International Religious Foundation, Inc., Vol II, No. 6, Nov-Dec 1987, pp 1-2). Divine grace (salvation) is felt to be especially potent in places visited by Jesus Christ or Saints or by Mary; where they have appeared in visions. Major pilgrimage centers include Lourdes where visions of the Virgin Mary were first seen in 1858 and where healing has been occuring since that time. (John R. Hinnells, ed., Dictionary of Religions, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books Ltd., 1984, p. 284)]. It also

occurs to heretical Muslims who call on the dead or those not present, and the devils take the form of the one called upon even without him realizing it. I know of many cases where this has occurred and the people called upon have told me that they did not know that they were called upon, though those beseeching them for help saw their images and were convinced that it was the actual person. More than one person has mentioned that they called on me in times of distress, each telling a different story about how I have responded. When I told them that I never answered any of them nor did I know that they were calling on me, some said that it must have been an angel. I told them that angels do not benefit those committing SHIRK and that it was actually a devil trying to further misguide them. Sometimes the Jinn will tak e the form of those admired and stand at Arafat, and those who believe well of him will think that he actually stood in Arafat. Many others have also been actually carried by the devils to Arafat and other sacred places. In such cases they pass the Meeq aat (boundaries that may not be crossed while on Hajj, around Makkah) without formally entering the state of Ihraam, or performing many of the obligatory rites of Hajj like making the Talbeeyah (chant of response to Gods call) or circulating the Kabah, and walking between the mounts of Safaa and Marwah. Among them are some who do not even pass through Makkah, others who stand at Arafat without performing the pre -requisite rite of casting stones at the Jamaraat etc. It is by these and other similar feats that Satan leads seemingly pious people in misguidance. Sincere devotees among heretics are in this way enticed to do acts wich are prohibited (Haraam) or despised (Makrooh) in the religion. Satan is able to make such misdeeds appealing to them by convincing them that they are among the Karaamaat (supernatural or quasi-miraculous feats) of the righteous. However they are, without a doubt, Satanic deceptions because Allaah cannot be worshipped by any religious injunction which is neither compulsory (Waajib) nor recommended (Mustahabb). Whoever performs an act of worship which is neither Waajib nor Mustahabb believing that it is so, has been deceived by Satan. Even if it is decreed that such a person will be forgiven due to his good intention and striving, the act itself is still unacceptable to Allaah [An example may be seen in the mistaken belief held by some that a man's head must be covered while he is in formal prayer - Salaah - as is the case among Jews or that a woman's hair to be covered while reading the Qur'aan. However, the Prophet saws did not order that it be done nor recommended it but merely followed the customs of his people during that time.]. Such acts are not among the things with which Allaah honors His pious servants who are close to Him, as there is no honor in performing prohibited (Haraam) or despised (Makrooh) acts [Such is the case of the celebration of the Prophet's saws birthday - 'Eed Meelaad an-Nabee - which probably began among ignorant Muslims trying to outdo or at least compete with the Christians's celebrations of Christmas. Meelaad celebrations are a form of innovation - Bid'ah - in religion which has been forbidden by the Prophet saws who said: "Whoever innnovates in this affair ouf ours - i.e. Islaam - something which does not belong to it will be rejected. - Reported by 'Aa'eshah and collected by Al-Bukaaree and Muslim]. Divine honor lies in protecting one whom Allaah loves from such acts and preventing him from doing them. For, committing misdeeds debases one who does them and does not in any way favor him, even if he is not punished for doing them. Doing despised or Haraam acts MUST decrease the spiritual level of both the one who does them as well as his followers who praise such acts and glorify him. For, heaping praise on prohibited and despised acts, and honoring the one who does them is definitely a form of deviation from the path of Allaah. The more and more a man innovates in the religion as a result of independent judgement (Ijtihaad), the further he becomes from Allaah , because innovation (Bidah) removes him from Allaahs path; the divine path of those who Allah has blessed from among the prophets, the sincerely truthful, martyrs and righteous [An -Nisaa 4:69] unto the path of those with whom Allaah is angry and those who have gone astray [Al-Faatihah 1:7]. Ibn Taymeeyah mentioned the following [This begins a segment from vol.35 of Ibn Taymeeyah's compendium, Majmoo' al-Fataawaa.] historical incident concerning al-Hallaaj [Al-Husain ibn Mansoor al-Hallaj (858-922 CE) studied under the eminent Sufi teachers of his time (Tustaree, 'Amr Makee and Junaid) then broke with them and went out into this world to preach asceticism and mysticism in Khurasan, Ahwaz, Fars, India and Turkistan. On his

return to Baghdad from Makkah in 908, many were attracted by his teachings, and disciples rapidly gathered around him. He taught that the five pillars of Islaam may be replaced by other works. He also taught about the existence of an uncreated Divine spirit (Rooh Naatiqah) which becomes united with the created spirit of the ascetic through desire of and submission to suffering. In his teachings the Saint (Walee) became the living and personal witness of God (H.A.R. Gibb and J.H. Kramers, Encyclopedia of Islam, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1st ed., 1953, pp 127-80). Consequently he stated in his book: "If you do not recognize God, at least recognise His sign, I am the creative truth -Ana al-Haqq-, because through the truth, I am eternal truth. My friends and teachers are Iblees (Satan) and Pharaoh. Iblees was threatened with Hellfire, yet, he did not recant. Pharaoh was drowned in the sea, yet he did not recant, for he would not acknowledge anything between him and God (i.e. Hallaaj felt that Iblees' refusal to prostrate to Aadam and Pharaoh's statement "I am your Lord, most High" were correct!). And, I, though, I am killed and crucified and though my hands and feet are cut off; I do not recant." - Kitaab alTawaaseen, Massignon Press, Paris, 1913, vi, 32. The leading scholars from all orthodox schools of Islamic law as well as the leading Shi'ite scholars and some of his former Sufi teachers declared him a heretic and he was subsequently executed due to his refusal to retract his claim to be the personification of God on earth.] and a group of his followers, Some of them requested some sweets from al -Hallaaj, so he got up and went to a spot a short distance away, then returned with a plateful of sweets. It was later discovered that it had been stolen from a candy shop in Yemen and carried by a devil to that area. Ibn Taymeeyah went on to say, Incidents similar to this have happened to others who, like al -Hallaaj, also achieved the pinnacle of satanic states, and we know of quite a few such people in our time as well as other times. For instance, there is a person presently residing in Damascus whom the devil used to carry from the Saaliheeyah mountain to villages around Damascus. He would appear out of the air and enter the windows of houses in which people were gathered to witness his miraculous entrance. Ibn Taymeeyah also quoted another mystic master who admitted that he used to fornicate with women and sodomise young boys. The former mystic master said, A black dog ["Abu Dharr reported: The Messanger of Allaah said: 'When any one of you stands for prayer it should be towards something that shields him equivalent (in height) to the back of a saddle, otherwise his prayer will be broken by passing of a donkey, a woman or a black dog.' I asked 'O Abu Dharr, what is the difference between a black dog, a red dog and tan-colored dog?' He replied, 'O son of my brother, I also asked Allaah's Messanger as you are asking me, and he said: 'The black dog is a devil.'" (Saheeh Muslim and all other in the six Saheeh books with the exception of Saheeh al-Bukhaaree)] with two white spots between his eyes would come to me and say, Verily such and such a person has made an oath by you and he will come to you tomorrow to inform you about it. I have already fulfilled his need for your sake. [When questioned during his trial, the infamous New York City mass murderer of the seventies, "Son of Sam", claimed that a dog used to come in backyard of his house and tell him to kill his victims. It was assumed by the court and his psychiatrists that he was mentally deranged and the dog a figment of his imagination.] The person would then come to him the next day and the Sufi master would reveal the details of his oath to him and how it was fulfilled. The Sufi master went on to say, I used to walk about the city and a black pole with a light on top of it would lead the way. Ibn Taymeeyah said, When the Sufi master repented and began to pray, fast, and avoid the forbidden, the black dog went away. He also narrated the following about another mystic master who had the aid of devils whom he would despatch to possess people: When the family of the possessed would come to him seeking a cure, he would send a message to his demon companion and they would leave the possessed persons, as a result, the Shaykh would be given many dirhams for his services. Sometimes the Jinn would bring him dirhams and food which they stole from people, so much so that the Shaykh would request dates from his devils and they would take them from beehives in which some poeple had hidden their dates. When the beehive owners would look for their dates they would find them gone. About yet another mystic, Ibn Taymeeyah relates, There was a Shaykh knowledgeable in the religious sciences and Quranic recitation to whom the devils came and e ventually managed to

seduce. They told him that Salaah was no longer required of him and that they would bring him whatever he wished. As soon as he complied with their wishes, they began to bring him a variety of sweets and fruit. This continued until he was advised to repent by some scholars that he visited who were firmly following the Sunnah. He subsequently repented and repaid the owners of the sweets for what he ate while under the influence of the JINN. He then went on to say, Many of those who cal l on Shaykhs in time of need saying, O master so and so, or Shaykh so and so, fulfill my need have seen an image of the Shaykh saying, I will fulfill your need and put your heart at ease, then it fulfills their needs or repels their enemies. In such cases it is a devil taking the Shaykhs form when they committed Shirk by associating partners with Allaah and calling on others beside Him. Ibn Taymeeyah then went on to enumerate similar instances involving himself saying, I know of many such incidences even among a group of my companions who called on me in times when they were struck by calamities. One was afraid of the Romans and another of the Tatars. Both of them mentioned that they called out to me, they saw me in the air and I repelled their enemies for them. I informed them that I did not hear their cries no did I repel their enemies. It was a devil taking my appearance to seduce them when they associated partners with Allaah the Almighty. Similar incidents have also happened to the students of my contemporaries among the scholars, whereby some of their students have sought refuge in them and have seen them fulfill their needs. The scholars have also denied doing so and indicated that it was in fact the work of devils. [Majmoo' Al-Fataawaa, Vol. 35, pp. 112-116] In another book, Ibn Taymeeyah said, I know people whom the plants greet and inform them of their beneficial ingredients, however it is, in fact, Satan who has entered the plants and spoken to them. I also know of others to whom stones and trees speak saying, Congratulations, Oh friend of Allaah and when the people recite Aayatul-Kursee it stops. I am acquainted with yet others who have gone bird-hunting and the sparrows addressed them saying, Take me so that the poor may eat me. Such ar e cases of the evil JINN possessing the birds in the same way that others who, while in their house with the doors and vice versa [Many of those in our times who have claimed what is known as 'out-of-body experiences' or 'astral-travel' have recorded in vivid detail incidences simialr to those mentioned by Ibn Taymeeyah. Others have met beings which claimed to be guides, guardian spirits or their higher selves. However, the common thought which links most of these experiences is the ultimate expression of idolatry: that man is God, as was expressed by Al-Hallaaj and countless others before and after him.] He may even be taken through the closed city gates and back again swiftly by the JINN. Lights may shine on him or someone looking like his friend may call on him but, if he recites Aayatul-Kursee continually, it will all dissappear. He also said, Some mystics have also said that the JINN showed them something shiny like water and glass in which images or pictures of whatever they sought information would appear and they in turn wold inform people. Ibn Taymeeyah me tioned other instances and then concluded by saying, This is a so vast a topic that if I were to mention all that I knew, it would fill a very large volume. [Ibn Taymeeyah, Al Furqaan Bayna Awliyaa ar-Rahmaan wa Awliyaa ash-Shaytaan, pp. 87-92]

The Treatment To Be Given To Souls And The Reform of Vicious Characters

Imam Ibn Hazm In Pursuit of Virtue (Al Akhlaq Was Siyar Fi Mudawat Al Nufus) M. Abu Laylah 1990 Ta Ha Publishers In the name of Allah the most merciful and clement: [O Allah I implore your assistance, O Allah bless Muhammad and his family and grant them peace.]

Abd Muhammad Ali Ibn Ahmad Ibn Said Ibn Hazm [the Andalusian jurist]. Allah may be blessed with him has said: 1. Praise be to Allah for His great gifts. May Allah bless [our master] Muhammad, His servant, the seal of His Prophets and Messengers; may He grant them eternal blessings. I rely on Him for any ability and strength I may have, and I seek His aid and protection against all the various terrors and ills of this world. And may He deliver me from all horror and suffering in the next world. 2. Now, I have gathered together in this book numerous ideas which Allah, the provider of intellect, has enabled me to profit from as day succeeded day, [and year succeeded year] and circumstances altered, permitting me to understand the vicissitudes of fate and to control its fluctuations, to the extent that I have devoted the larger part of my life to it. I have chosen to master these problems by study and contemplation, rather than throw myself into the various sensual pleasures which attract most souls on this earth, and rather than amass unnecessary wealth. I have gathered together all my observations into this book in the hope that the Almighty may allow it to benefit whichever of His servants He wishes who has access to [is capable of understanding] my book, in the matters over which I have slaved, devoting all my efforts to them and reflecting at length upon them. I hope that it will be well received, and I present it with good intentions and blessings [with a good heart]. This book will benefit a person more than financial treasures and the possession of property, if he meditates upon it, and if Allah enables him to make good use of it. As for myself, my hope in this enterprise is to win the greatest reward from Allah, since my intention is to help His servants, to remedy whatever is corrupt in their character, and to heal the sickness of their souls. I beseech the assistance of Allah [Almighty, we wish only for God, the best of defenders]. Section dealing with the Treatment to be given to Souls, and the Reform of Vicious Characters. 3. The pleasure which a prudent man has from his own good sense, a scholar from his knowledge, a wise man from his wisdom, the pleasure of anyone who works hard in ways pleasing to Almighty God, is greater than the pleasure which a gourmet has from his food, a drinking man from his tipple, a lover from the act of love, a conqueror from his conquest, a reveller from his amusements [the player from his game] or a commander from giving orders. The proof of this is that the wise man, the prudent man, the scholar, the practising Muslim and all those that we have mentioned are capable of enjoying these pleasures as much as the man who indulges in them. They have the same feelings, desires as those who hasten to satisfy them. But they have deliberately refrained and turned away from them, preferring to seek after moral excellence. None can judge these two [kinds of pleasure] except someone who has known both, not someone who has known one and not the other. 4. [As things happen one after the other] If you look deeply into worldly matters you will become melancholy and will end by reflecting upon the ephemeral nature of everything here below, and the fact that truth lies only in striving for the hereafter, since every ambition to which you might cling will end in tears; either the goal is snatched from you, or you have to give the attempt up before you reach it. One of these two endings is inevitable except in the search for God the Almighty and Powerful. Then the result is always joy, both immediate and eternal. The immediate joy is because you stop worrying about the things which usually worry people; this leads to an increase in the respect paid to you by friends and enemies alike. The eternal joy is the joy of Paradise. 5. I have tried to find one goal which everyone would agree to be excellent and worthy of being striven after. I have found one only: to be free from anxiety. When I reflected upon it, I realized that not only do all agree in valuing it and desiring it, but I also perceived that, despite their many different passions and aspirations and preoccupations and desires, they never make the slightest gesture unless it is to dispel anxiety, they never utter a single word unless it is designed to drive anxiety far away. One man loses his way, another comes close to going wrong, finally another is successful but he is a rare man, and. success is rare, [O, all-knowing God].

Dispelling anxiety is a goal upon which all nations agree from the time when the Almighty created the world until the day when this world will pass away and be followed by the Day of Judgment and their actions are directed to this goal alone. In the case of every other objective there will always be some people who do not desire it. For example, some people are not religious and do not take eternity into account. There are some who by nature and inclination prefer obscurity to fame [the obscurity of satisfied passion]. There are some people of evil nature who are not striving for good, for peace [loyalty] or for justice. There are some who have no interest in amassing a fortune, preferring abstinence to ownership; this was the case with many of the Prophets. Gods peace be upon them and those who followed their example, ascetics and philosophers. There are some who by nature dislike sensual pleasures and scorn those who seek after them, such as those men we have just mentioned, and who prefer to lose a fortune rather than gain one. Some prefer ignorance to knowledge, in fact most of the people that you see in the street are like this. These are the objectives of people who have no other aim in life. Nobody in the whole world, from the time of its creation until its end, would deliberately choose anxiety, and would not desire to drive it far away. 6. When I had arrived at this great piece of wisdom, when I had discovered this amazing secret, when Allah the Almighty had opened the eyes of my mind [spirit] to see this great treasure, I began to search for the way which would truly enable me to dispel anxiety, that precious goal desired by every kind of person, whether ignorant or scholarly, good or evil. I found it in one place alone, in the action of turning towards God the Almighty and powerful, in pious works performed with an eye to eternity. 7. Thus the only reason that someone chases after riches is to dispel the anguish of poverty. The only reason that someone seeks fame is to dispel the anxiety of seeing someone else outdo him. The only reason that someone chases after pleasures is to dispel the anxiety of missing them. The only reason that someone chases after knowledge is to dispel the anxiety of being ignorant about something. People enjoy listening to other peoples conversation and gossip on ly because it dispels the anxiety of being alone and isolated. People eat, drink, make love, wear clothes, play games, build a shelter, mount a horse, go for a walk, only in order to avoid the reverse of all these actions and every other kind of anxiety. 8. In all the actions listed here, anyone who pauses to reflect will see that anxieties will inevitably occur, such as problems which arise in the course of the action, the impossibility of performing the impossible, the fleeting nature of any achievements, and the inability to enjoy something because of some difficulty. There are also bad consequences which arise from every success: fear of ones rival, attacks by the jealous, theft by the covetous, loss to an enemy, not to mention criticism, sin and such things. On the other hand, I have found that actions performed with an eye on eternity are free from every kind of fault, free from every stain, and a true means of dispelling anxiety. I have found that the man who is striving for eternity may be sorely tested by bad fortune on his way but does not worry; on the contrary, he is glad, because the trial to which he is subjected gives rise to hope, which aids him in his endeavour and sets him the more firmly on the path towards his true desire. I have found that, when he finds his way blocked by an obstacle, he does not worry, because it is not his fault, and he did not choose the actions that he will have to answer for. I have seen such a man be glad, when others have wished evil upon him, and be glad when he has undergone some trial, and be glad when he has suffered on his chosen path, and be glad, always [living] in a permanent state of joy while others are permanently the opposite. You should therefore understand that there is only one objective to strive for, it is to dispel anxiety; and only one path leads to this, and that is the service of the most high God. Everything else is misguided and absurd. 9. Do not use your energy except for a cause more noble than yourself. Such a cause cannot be found except in Almighty God Himself: to preach the truth, to defend womanhood, to repel humiliation which your creator has not imposed upon you, to help the oppressed. Anyone who uses his energy for the sake of the vanities of the world is like someone who exchanges gemstones for gravel.

10. There is no nobility in anyone who lacks faith. 11. The wise man knows that the only fitting price for his soul is a place in Paradise. 12. Satan sets his traps, under the cover of finding fault with hypocrisy. It can happen that someone refrains from doing a good deed for fear of being thought a hypocrite. [If Satan whispers such an idea in your ear, take no notice; that will frustrate him.]

Ibn Hazm - Critical Essay by Muhammad Abu Laylah SOURCE: Laylah, Muhammad Abu. Ibn Hazm's Milieu. In In Pursuit of Virtue: The Moral Theology and Psychology of Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi, with a translation of his book Al Akhlaq wa'l-Siyar, pp. 13-54. London: TaHa Publishers, 1990. In the following excerpt, Laylah evaluates the totality of Ibn Hazms work as a scholar, critic, psychologist, moralist, and historian.
Ibn Hazm
1. 2010-02-27 05:35:31 : Islam 101 Should you take pride in your virtues? - The book In Pursuit of Virtue includes an English translation of Ibn Hazm s work Al-Akhlaq wa l-Siyar, as well as a lengthy introductory commentary on his moral theology and psychology by Muhammad Abu Laylah...The excerpt below discusses Ibn Hazm s advice on the correct attitude one should have regarding his or her virtues... 2. 2010-02-25 19:53:11 : Why take pride in qualities in which animals are superior? - Ibn Hazm alAndalusi lived in Al-Andalus about 1000 years ago. He has been described as a jurisprudent, politician, philosopher, poet and scholar of comparative religion, to mention just a few of his activities The book In Pursuit of Virtue...

IBN HAZM
by GF Haddad `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Sa`id ibn Hazm, Abu Muhammad al-Farisi al-Andalusi al-Qurtubi al-Yazidi (d. 465), praised by al-Dhahabi as "the peerless imam, the Ocean of sciences and disciplines, the jurist, hadith master, scholar of kalam, man of letters, Zahiri minister, and prolific author." He was born into a princely family of Cordova where his education first centered on Arabic poetry, philosophy, and kalam. Al-Dhahabi said: "I saw a volume of his in which he puts logic at the head of all the sciences, and I was pained for him, for he is a foremost leader in the Islamic sciences, profoundly erudite in hadith

documentation and without peer - despite his dry strain and fanatic literalism - in the branches but not the principles" [i.e. in fiqh, not `aqida].

An example of Ibn Hazm's extreme positions is his declaration that any type of analogy ( qiyas), or imitation (taqlid), or legislative opinion (ra'y) was outside the pale of Islam, a position in which he contravened the totality of the scholars of Ahl al-Sunna. An example of his positions is his explanation of the Prophet's -- Allah bless and greet him -- hadith: "Let no-one urinate in still, non-running water then use it to bathe."1 Ibn Hazm stated the following absurd inferences:

- The interdiction to bathe applied only to the one who urinated; thus, anyone other than him may use that water to bathe;

- It applied only if one urinated into the water. He and anyone else might therefore use the water to bathe if the urine reached the water indirectly, for example after falling on high or nearby ground first, or being poured in it from a container;

- It applied only if one urinated in it, not defecated in it.2

Al-Nawawi said of the above opinions: "All this which Ibn Hazm held is in contravention of the consensus of the scholars, and is the ugliest example of hardened literalism reported from him."3

In addition, Ibn Hazm in his books violated Islamic etiquette in his revilement of past scholars with whom he disagreed, to the extent that Abu al-`Abbas ibn al-`Arif compared his tongue to al-Hajjaj's sword. As a result some scholars had him exiled and his books burnt and condemned, while others considered them mines of "pearls mixed with trinkets" in al-Dhahabi's words. He is known for his rabid enmity to Ash`aris whom he all but declares disbelievers in al-Fisal fi al-Milal wa al-Nihal with statements such as: "This is the position of Jahm ibn Safwan, Abu al-Hasan al-Ash`ari, and their followers." Ibn al-

Subki comments: "Ibn Hazm has no idea of al-Ash`ari's school and does not distinguish between it and the Jahmiyya," noting that the Maliki scholar Abu al-Walid al-Baji and others had Ibn Hazm expelled, and the Fisal declared forbidden reading, because of its attacks on the Imams of the Muslims.4 Ibn Taymiyya imitated Ibn Hazm in this.5

Nevertheless, Ibn Hazm is considered a reference on the determination of scholarly consensus (ijma`) - which he restricted to the Companions' time - and scholarly difference (khilaf). He is also highly respected in hadith and its sciences although, like al-Bayhaqi, he had no knowledge of al-Tirmidhi's and Ibn Majah's Sunan. His commentary on his own al-Mujalla ("The Brilliant Treatise"), al-Muhalla ("The Adorned Treatise"), is considered a masterpiece of fiqh literature. Ibn `Abd al-Salam said: "I did not see, in all the books of knowledge in Islam, anything like Ibn Hazm's al-Muhalla nor like Shaykh Muwaffaq alDin's [Ibn Qudama] al-Mughni." Al-Dhahabi comments: "Shaykh `Izz al-Din is right, and the third is alBayhaqi's al-Sunan al-Kubra, and the fourth Ibn `Abd al-Barr's al-Tamhid. Whoever obtains these volumes, if he is one of the intelligent muftis and perseveres in reading them - he is truly a `alim."

Al-Dhahabi lists the following catalogue of Ibn Hazm's works:

1. Al-Isal ila Fahm Kitab al-Khisal in 15,000 folios.

2. Al-Khisal al-Hafiz li Jumal Shara'i` al-Islam in two volumes.

3. Al-Mujalla in two volumes.

4. Al-Muhalla in eight volumes.

5. Hujja al-Wada` in one volume.

6. Qisma al-Khumus fi al-Radd `ala Isma`il al-Qadi in one volume.

7. Al-Athar al-Lati Zahiruha al-Ta`arud wa Nafyi al-Tanaqud `Anha in 10,000 folios, unfinished.

8. Al-Jami` Fi Sahih al-Hadith, without chains of transmission.

9. Al-Talkhis wa al-Takhlis fi al-Masa'il al-Nazariyya

10. Ma Infarada Bihi Malik aw Abu Hanifa aw al-Shafi`I

11. Ikhtilaf al-Fuqaha' al-Khamsa Malik wa Abi Hanifa wa al-Shafi`i wa Ahmad wa Dawud [al-Zahiri]

12. Al-Tasaffuh fi al-Fiqh in one volume.

13. Al-Tabyin fi Hal `Alima al-Mustafa A`yan al-Munafiqin in 3 tomes.

14. Al-Imla' fi Sharh al-Muwatta' in 1,000 folios.

15. Al-Imla' fi Qawa`id al-Fiqh in 1,000 folios.

16. Durr al-Qawa`id fi Fiqh al-Zahiriyya in 1,000 folios.

17. Al-Ijma` in one small volume.

18. Al-Fara'id in one volume.

19. Al-Risala al-Balqa' fi al-Radd `ala `Abd al-Haqq ibn Muhammad al-Saqali in one small volume.

20. Al-Ihkam li Usul al-Ahkam in two volumes.

21. Al-Fisal fi al-Milal wa al-Nihal in two large volumes.

22. Al-Radd `Ala man I`tarada `ala al-Fisal in one volume.

23. Al-Yaqin fi Naqd al-Mu`tadhirin `an Iblis wa Sa'ir al-Mushrikin in one large volume.

24. Al-Radd `ala Ibn Zakariyya al-Razi in 100 folios.

25. Al-Tarshid fi al-Radd `Ala Kitab al-Farid li Ibn al-Rawandi fi I`tiradihi `ala al-Nubuwwat in one volume.

26. Al-Radd `ala Man Kaffara al-Muta'awwilin min al-Muslimin in one volume.

27. Mukhtasar fi `Ilal al-Hadith in one volume.

28. Al-Taqrib li Hadd al-Mantiq bi al-Alfaz al-`Ammiyya in one volume.

29. Al-Istijlab in one volume.

30. Nasab al-Barbar in one volume.

31. Naqt al-`Arus in one small volume.

Ibn Hazm also wrote more than ten books on medicine. Among his translated works:

al-Akhlaq wa al-Siyar fi Mudawat al-Nufus (Morals and Right Conduct in the Healing of Souls"), 6 Tawq al-Hamama fi al-Ulfa wa al-Ullaf ("The Ring of the Dove: Love and Lovers"), 7 Maratib al-`Ulum ("The Categories of the Sciences"), 8al-Mujalla, 9 and - partially - partial translations of his al-Fisal fi al-Milal wa al-Ahwa' wa al-Nihal ("The Separators Concerning Religions, Heresies, and Sects").

Al-Dhahabi said:

I have affection for Abu Muhammad [Ibn Hazm] because of his love for sound hadiths and his knowledge of them, even if I disagree with him in many things which he says concerning the scholars and the defects of hadith and hadith narrators. Nor do I agree with him on [his] disgraceful questions in the principles and branches of the Religion. I am absolutely certain that he was wrong on several matters, but I do not declare him a disbeliever, nor do I declare him misguided. I hope that he and all Muslims will be forgiven. I also defer to his great intelligence and vast knowledge.... [But] if I were to cite every matter in which he erred, it would take too long. End of al-Dhahabi's words.

It has been observed that Ibn Hazm's acrimonious way of making a case against opponents had endeared him to some contemporary Muslim students.11 In contrast, the scholars of the past used to forbid the reading of al-Fisal which they considered among the most evil of books because of its attacks on the Imams of Islam.12 Another reason for this affinity of some contemporary readers is the misperception of Ibn Hazm as the champion of the Qur'an and Sunna "as opposed to man-made schools of Law." This misperception leads to taunts such as "Are you following the Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- or your Imam?" which, as Shaykh Nur al-Din `Itr pointed out, constitutes disbelief (kufr) and shows that the difference between Dawud al-Zahiri's school and what he calls the "Neo-Literalists" (alzahiriyya al-jadida) of today is that the excesses of the former were at least mitigated by true asceticism and fear of Allah.

Main source: al-Dhahabi, Siyar A`lam al-Nubala' 13:540-554 #4172.

NOTES

1Narrated from Abu Hurayra by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

2Ibn Hazm, al-Muhalla (1:181) as quoted in Nur al-Din `Itr, I`lam al-Anam (p. 51).

3Al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim (3:188) as quoted in Nur al-Din `Itr, I`lam al-Anam (p. 51).

4Ibn al-Subki, TSK (4:132, 1:90-91).

5Ibn Taymiyya imitated Ibn Hazm in deliberately assimilating the Ash'aris with the Mu'tazila and Jahmiyya. The "Salafi" movement has revived this abuse in our time.

6Translated by Muhammad Abu Layla as In Pursuit Of Virtue: The Moral Theology And Psychology Of Ibn Hazm (London: TaHa Publishers Ltd., 1990).

7Translated by A.J. Arberry as The Ring of the Dove: A Treatise on the Art And Practice of Arab Love (New York: AMS Press, 1981).

8Translated by A. G. Chejne in Ibn Hazm (Chicago: Kazi Publications, 1982).

9Published under the misleading title of al-Muhalla in Islamic Fiqh, transl. Fouad Muhammad Ayad (Sherman, Texas: Islamic Mosque at Texoma, 1985).

10See Israel Friedlaender, "The Heterodoxies of the Shiites According to Ibn Hazm" in Journal of the American Oriental Society (1907) XXVIII:1-80, (1908) XXIX: 1-183; Ghulam Haider Aasi, "Muslim understanding of other religions: an analytical study of Ibn Hazm's Kitab al-Fasl [sic]," Ph.D. diss., Temple University, USA, 1986; Muhammad Abu Layla, "The Muslim view of Christianity with special reference to the work of Ibn Hazm," Ph.D. diss., Exeter University, UK, 1983; Nurshif Rif`at, "Ibn Hazm on Jews and Judaism," Ph.D. diss., Exeter University, UK, 1988. All of the above contain translated excerpts of the Fisal.

11Cf. Reliance of the Traveller (p. 1055).

12Ibn al-Subki, Tabaqat al-Shafi`iyya al-Kubra (1:90).

IBN HAZM (An 384-456/994-1064 CE), more fully Abu Muhammad 'Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Sa`id ibn Hazm; Muslim theologian and man of letters. Born in Cordova to a rich and influential family, Ibn Hazm received a distinguished education in religious sciences, literature, and poetry. Nonetheless, he grew up in a period of disruptive ethnic and clan rivalries that saw the decline of the Umayyad caliphate at Cordova and the formation of tiny kingdoms fighting among themselves. His own childhood was marred by the disgrace of his father after the fall of Caliph Hisham II and by the destruction of the family home at Balat Mughith in the course of bloody battles between Arabs and Berbers.

As a result of his political activities on behalf of the legitimist (Umayyad) party, Ibn Hazm met with impris onment, banishment, and flight but was appointed to high positions as well, serving as vizier at least twice, under 'Abd al-Rahman III al-Murtada and 'Abd al-Rah man V al-Mustazhir, and possibly a third time under the last caliph, Hisham al-Mu'tadd. Profoundly disappointed by his political experience and offended by the conduct of his contemporaries, Ibn Hazm subsequently left public life and devoted his last thirty years to liter ary activities.
His writings are quite personal, shaped by the inten sity of his own reactions and rigorous in their condem nation of what is, in fact, only human nature. Tawq al -hamamah (The Dove's Neck-Ring), a youthful work that was clearly revised later, is interesting in several re spects. As a collection of prose passages and poetic illustrations on the subject of love and lovers, it offers a fairly standard treatment of a popular theme in Arabic literature. What sets it apart, however, is Ibn Hazm's penetrating observation of human psychology, a trait found in his later study of characters and conduct, Kitab al-akhlaq wa-al-siyar, as well. Underlying the delicate charm of the prose and poetry in The Dove's Neck-Ring is an uneasy sensibility. Questioning, for example, the sincerity of exchanges between women and their lovers, Ibn Hazm finds a gap between what is said and what is thought and concludes that language often serves to mask thought. This otherwise commonplace discovery of dishonesty provides him in turn with a basis for profound reflection on language and its wider uses, and it is here that he introduces the notion of Zahir, the "apparent" or literal meaning of words.

This line of thought is further developed when Ibn Hazm examines the word of God. In opposition to the Malikiyah, he argues that people are bound to obey only the law of God, in its zahir or literal sense, without restrictions, additions, or modifications. Although he was originally a Shafi'i jurist, Ibn Hazm joined the Zahiri school and brought to it a systematic structure of logic. For the interpretation of sacred texts, he put together a Zahiri grammar in which he specifically eliminates the ambiguities that grammarians were using to explain certain syntactical forms. He takes the position that language itself provides all that is necessary for the un derstanding of its content and that, therefore, God, who revealed the Qur'an in clear (mubin) Arabic, has used the language to say precisely what he means. Each verse should be understood grammatically and lexically in its immediate and general sense: when God wants a verse to have a specific meaning, he provides an indication (dalil), in the same verse or elsewhere, which allows the meaning to be restricted. The significance of a Qur'anic text can also be deter mined by a hadith recognized as authentic after careful critical examination; a verb in the imperative, for ex ample, can be taken as a command, but also as a suggestion: the meaning can be determined only from the literal sense of the context. From this position, it follows that Ibn Hazm strongly criticizes the use of rea soning by analogy (qiyas) and the principles of personal evaluation: the pursuit of what is considered good (istihsan), the pursuit of values for the common good (istislah), and most of all, the recourse to personal opinion (ra'y) by which the jurists sought to extend divine law to cases not mentioned in the texts (nusus). In the same spirit, he limits the basis of consensus (ijma') to the companions of the Prophet; the agreement of the community of scholars on a legal question does not autho rize the derivation of a law. In Al-ihkam fi usul al-ahkam (Judgment on the Principles of Ahkam), Ibn Hazm develops his method for classifying human acts within the five established juridical categories (ahkam) of obligatory, recommended, disapproved, forbidden, and lawful: for an action to fall into one of the first four categories, there must be a text (Qur'an or authentic hadith) that establishes its partic ular status; otherwise, the act is lawful. This method is further applied in his voluminous treatise on Zahiri law, Kitab al-muhalla (The Book of Ornaments). Ibn Hazm is also famous for his great work, the Fisal (Detailed Critical Examination), in which he offers a critical survey of different systems of philosophical thought in relation to religious beliefs among the skep

tics, Peripatetics, brahmans, Zoroastrians and other dualists, Jews, and Christians. Using the examination of these religions to establish the preeminence of Islam, he also attacks all the Muslim theologians, the Mu'tazilah and the Ash'ariyah in particular, along with the philosophers and mystics. His main objection is that each of them raises questions about the revealed text only to resolve them by purely human means. Ibn Hazm does not deny recourse to reason, since the Qur'an itself invites reflection, but this reflection must be limited to two givens, revelation and sense data, since the so called principles of reason are in fact derived entirely from immediate sense experience. Thus reason is not a faculty for independent research, much less for discovery. By submitting humans exclusively to the word of God, Ibn Hazm's literalism frees them from any choice of their own. His drive for synthesis leads him to demonstrate the harmony of all the Qur'anic and prophetic texts through the application of Zahiri principles. As a result, his work constitutes one of the most original and important monuments of Muslim thought. BIBLIOGRAPHY A general work for the study of Ibn Hazm is W. Montgomery Watt and Pierre Cachia's A History of Islamic Spain(Edinburgh, 1965), which provides a useful summary of cultural and political history as well as a detailed bibliography. D. B. Macdonald's Development of Muslim Theology, Jurisprudence and Constitutional Theory (1903; reprint, New York, 1965) and Ig nacz Goldziher's classic work The Zahiris: Their Doctrine and Their History, translated and edited by Wolfgang Behn (Lei den, 1971), shed light on the legal and theological currents of which Ibn Hazm was a part. A work that specifically concerns Ibn Hazm is my Gram maire et theologie chez Ibn Hazm de Cordoue: Essai sur la struc ture et les conditions de la pens a musulmane (Paris, 1956). Mi guel As?n Palacios's Abenh?zam de C?rdoba y su historia cr?tica de las ideas religiosas, 5 vols. (Madrid, 1927-1932), is an ana lytical edition and partial translation of Ibn Hazm's most famous work, Kitab al-fall fi al-milal wa-al-ahwa' wa-al-nihal. His Tawq al-hamamah ft al-ulfah waal-ullaf has been translated by A. R. Nykl as A Book Containing the Risala Known as the Dove's Neck-ring, about Love and Lovers (Paris, 1931) and by A. J. Arberry as The Ring of the Dove (London, 1953).

BY: ROGER ARNALDEZ Translated from French by Miriam Rosen

Questions:
1. 2. 3.

Why was Ibn Hazm imprisoned? What sets apart Tawq al -hamamah (The Dove's Neck-Ring)? Why should each verse of the Quran be understood grammatically and lexically?

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Ibn Hazm
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Andalusian Philosophers Medieval Philosophy Name: Ab Muhammad Al ibn Ahmad ibn Sad ibn Hazm Birth: November 7, 994

(Crdoba, Al Andalus (Spain) Death: August 15, 1064 456 A.H.

[2] [1]

(Manta Lisham, near

Sevilla, Spain)

Ibn Hazm (November 7, 994 August 15, 1064

[1]

456 AH ) in full Ab
[3]

[2]

School/tradition: Islamic philosophy Main interests Metaphysics (incl. Theology),Ethics

Muhammad Al ibn Ahmad ibn Sad ibn Hazm (Arabic : ) , sometimes with al-Andalus al-Zhir
[4]

was an Andalusian-

Arab philosopher, writer, historian, jurist and theologian born in Crdoba, present day Spain. He was a leading proponent of the Zahiri school of

Islamic thought (madhab), which argued that people are bound to obey only the law of God, in its zahir or literal sense, without restrictions, additions, or modifications. He denied the legitimacy of legal rulings based upon qiyas (analogy), principles of personal evaluation, or the

consensus of a community of scholars. He created a Zahiri grammar for use in interpreting sacred texts, which specifically eliminated the ambiguities used by grammarians to explain certain syntactical forms. Ibn Hazm considered deductive reasoning appropriate only for reflecting on knowledge gained from revelation and sense data, but not for seeking out new truths in law and religion. He criticized Islamic theologians, philosophers and mystics for raising questions about revealed truths, and resolving them by purely human means. Ibn Hazm reportedly produced four hundred works of which only 40 have survived, covering a range of topics such as jurisprudence, logic, history, ethics, medicine, comparative religion, and theology, as well as the The Ring of the Dove, on the art of love.
[4]

Contents
[hide]

1 Life 2 Career 3 Thought and Works 4 The Doves Neck-Ring 5 Works 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links

8.1 General Philosophy Sources

9 Credits

Life
Ibn Hazm was born into a noble family; his grandfather Sa'id and his father Ahmad both held high positions in the court of the Umayyad Caliph Hisham II - and professed a Persian genealogy.
[5] [6]

However,

scholars believe that Iberian converts adopted such genealogies to better identify with the Arabs and favor evidence that points to an Christian Iberian family background hailing from Manta Lisham (near Sevilla).
[6]

Career
Ibn Hazm received an excellent education in religious sciences, literature, and poetry. After the death of the grand vizier al-Muzaffar in 1008, the Caliphate of Cordoba became embroiled in a civil that lasted until 1031, resulting in its collapse and the emergence of many smaller states called the Taifas.
[6]

Ibn Hazm's

father was disgraced after the fall of Caliph Hisham II, and his family home at Balat Mughith was destroyed in the course of bloody battles between Arabs and Berbers. After his father died in 1012, Ibn Hazm continued to support the Umayyads, for which he was frequently imprisoned. He served as vizier at least twice, under 'Abd al-Rahman III al-Murtada and 'Abd al-Rahman V al-Mustazhir, and possibly a third time under the last caliph, Hisham al-Mu'tadd. By 1031, discouraged by his political experiences and disgusted by the conduct of his contemporaries, Ibn Hazm had retreated to his family estate at Manta Lisham where he spent his last thirty years in writing and literary activities.
[6] [6]

He died August 15, 1064.

According to a saying of the period, "the tongue of Ibn Hazm was a twin brother to the sword of al-Hajjaj, a famous seventh-century general and governor of Iraq" phrase Ibn Hazm said became proverbial.
[6] [6]

and he became so frequently quoted that the

Thought and Works

Ibn Hazm was a leading proponent of the Zahiri (literal) school of Islamic thought (madhab). He is reported to have produced four hundred works, of which only forty have survived, covering a range of topics such as jurisprudence, logic, history, ethics, comparative religion, and theology, as well as the The Ring of the Dove, on the art of love.
[4]

Originally a Shafi'i jurist, Ibn Hazm joined the Zahiri (literal) school and brought to it a systematic structure of logic. He opposed the allegorical interpretation of religious texts, and promoted a grammatical and syntactical interpretation of theQur'an. He created a Zahiri grammar for use in interpreting sacred texts, in which he specifically eliminated the ambiguities used by grammarians to explain certain syntactical forms. He maintained that language by itself provided everything necessary for the understanding of its content, and that God, who revealed the Qur'an in clear (mubin) Arabic, had used the language to say precisely what He meant. Each verse was to be understood in its immediate and general sense; when God wanted a verse to have a specific meaning, an indication (dalil) was given, either in the same verse or in a reference from another verse, signifying that the meaning was to be restricted. In a case where two meanings were possible, such as an imperative verb which could be interpreted either as a command or as a suggestion, the correct meaning of a Qur'anic text could be determined by referring to a hadith (oral tradition) which had been verified as authentic. In opposition to the Malikiyah, Ibn Hazm argued that people are bound to obey only the law of God, in its zahir or literal sense, without restrictions, additions, or modifications. The zahiri denied the legitimacy of legal rulings based upon qiyas (analogy) and focused upon the literal meanings of legal injunctions in the Qur'an and hadith. They also rejected the use of the principles of personal evaluation; the pursuit of what is considered good (istihsan), the pursuit of values for the common good (istislah),and especially the recourse to personal opinion (ra'y) by which the jurists sought to extend divine law to cases not mentioned in the texts (nusus). He never accepted that the consensus of a community of scholars on a legal question as legitimate authorization for the derivation of a law, and limited the validity of consensus (ijma') to the companions of the Prophet. In Al-ihkam fi usul al-ahkam (Judgment on the Principles of Ahkam), and in his voluminous treatise on Zahiri law, Kitab al-muhalla (The Book of Ornaments), Ibn Hazm developed a methodology for classifying human acts within the five established juridical categories (ahkam) of obligatory, recommended, disapproved, forbidden, and lawful. If an action did not fall into one of the first four categories, and there was no text (Qur'an or authentic hadith) to establish its particular status, the act was lawful. Many of Ibn

Hazms rulings differed from those of his Zahiri predecessors, and consequently Ibn Hazm's followers are sometimes considered as a distinct school of Islamic thought (madhhab). Ibn Hazm also wrote a critical survey of systems of philosophical thought, the Fisal (Detailed Critical Examination). He used an examination the philosophical and religious ideas of the skeptics, Peripatetics, brahmans, Zoroastrians and other dualists,Jews, and Christians to establish the preeminence of Islam. He also attacked Muslim theologians, particularly the Mu'tazilahand the Ash'ariyah, and the philosophers and mystics, on the grounds that they all raised questions about the revealed text and resolved them by purely human means. Ibn Hazm granted cognitive legitimacy only to revelation and sensation and considered deductive reasoning insufficient in legal and religious matters. He believed that human reason, since it was derived entirely from immediate sense experience, should be applied only to understanding sense experience and revelation, and not in an attempt to discover further truth.

The Doves Neck-Ring

Tawq al-hamamah (The Dove's Neck-Ring), a collection of prose passages and poetic illustrations about love and lovers, was first written during Ibn Hazms youth and revised later. In classical Arabic literature, the dove was a symbol of love, or romance. The ring was a reference to a necklace, or adornment, around the neck. The book was intended as a means of adding adornment to love. The work was inspired by 'ishq (defined by Hakim Bey as "crazed hopeless passion"), but cautioned the reader against breaking religious injunctions and praised chastity. Though it gave a standard treatment to a popular theme in Arabic literature, The Dove's Neck-Ring was distinguished by penetrating insight into human psychology. Examining the exchanges between women and their lovers, Ibn Hazm found insincerity, a gap between what was said and what was thought. His conclusion that language often serves to mask thought led to a profound reflection on the use of language and on Zahir, the "apparent" or literal meaning of words.

Works
Al-Akhlq wal-Siyar (Morals and Behaviour) Al-fasl fil al-Milal wal-Nihal (on Sects) Al Kitab al-Muhall bi'l Athr (The Book Ornamented with traditions) The only book of his Legal rulings existent to date. Ihkam Al Ahkam fi Usul al Ahkam His work on jurisprudential principles or Usul Al Fiqh. Tawq al -hamamah (The Dove's Necklace) or (Ring of the Dove) Mukhtasar al-Muhalla li Ibn Hazm, an abridgment of Ibn Hazm's fiqh manual
[7]

Al-Dhahabi lists the following catalog of Ibn Hazm's works: 1. Al-Isal ila Fahm Kitab al-Khisal in 15,000 folios.

2. Al-Khisal al-Hafiz li Jumal Shara'i` al-Islam in two volumes. 3. Al-Mujalla in two volumes. 4. Al-Muhalla in eight volumes. 5. Hujja al-Wada` in one volume. 6. Qisma al-Khumus fi al-Radd `ala Isma`il al-Qadi in one volume. 7. Al-Athar al-Lati Zahiruha al-Ta`arud wa Nafyi al-Tanaqud `Anha in 10,000 folios, unfinished. 8. Al-Jami` Fi Sahih al-Hadith, without chains of transmission. 9. Al-Talkhis wa al-Takhlis fi al-Masa'il al-Nazariyya 10. Ma Infarada Bihi Malik aw Abu Hanifa aw al-Shafi`I 11. Ikhtilaf al-Fuqaha' al-Khamsa Malik wa Abi Hanifa wa al-Shafi`i wa Ahmad wa Dawud [al-Zahiri] 12. Al-Tasaffuh fi al-Fiqh in one volume. 13. Al-Tabyin fi Hal `Alima al-Mustafa A`yan al-Munafiqin in 3 tomes. 14. Al-Imla' fi Sharh al-Muwatta' in 1,000 folios. 15. Al-Imla' fi Qawa`id al-Fiqh in 1,000 folios. 16. Durr al-Qawa`id fi Fiqh al-Zahiriyya in 1,000 folios. 17. Al-Ijma` in one small volume. 18. Al-Fara'id in one volume. 19. Al-Risala al-Balqa' fi al-Radd `ala `Abd al-Haqq ibn Muhammad al-Saqali in one small volume. 20. Al-Ihkam li Usul al-Ahkam in two volumes. 21. Al-Fisal fi al-Milal wa al-Nihal in two large volumes. 22. Al-Radd `Ala man I`tarada `ala al-Fisal in one volume. 23. Al-Yaqin fi Naqd al-Mu`tadhirin `an Iblis wa Sa'ir al-Mushrikin in one large volume. 24. Al-Radd `ala Ibn Zakariyya al-Razi in 100 folios. 25. Al-Tarshid fi al-Radd `Ala Kitab al-Farid li Ibn al-Rawandi fi I`tiradihi `ala al-Nubuwwat in one volume. 26. Al-Radd `ala Man Kaffara al-Muta'awwilin min al-Muslimin in one volume. 27. Mukhtasar fi `Ilal al-Hadith in one volume. 28. Al-Taqrib li Hadd al-Mantiq bi al-Alfaz al-`Ammiyya in one volume. 29. Al-Istijlab in one volume. 30. Nasab al-Barbar in one volume. 31. Naqt al-`Arus in one small volume. Ibn Hazm also wrote more than ten books on medicine. His translated works include including al-Akhlaq wa al-Siyar fi Mudawat al-Nufus (Morals and Right Conduct in the Healing of Souls), Tawq al-Hamama fi

al-Ulfa wa al-Ullaf ("The Ring of the Dove: Love and Lovers"), Maratib al-`Ulum ("The Categories of the Sciences"), al-Mujalla, and partial translations of his al-Fisal fi al-Milal wa al-Ahwa' wa al-Nihal ("The Separators Concerning Religions, Heresies, and Sects").
[8]

Notes
1.
1.0 1.1

Ibn Hazm. The Ring of the Dove: A Treatise on the Art and Practice of Arab Love,

Retrieved March 18, 2007.. Trans. A. J. Arberry. (Luzac Oriental, 1997 ISBN 1898942021) 2.
2.0 2.1

THE CLASSIFICATION OF HADITH: According to the links in the isnad [1]University of

Southern California: Compendium of Muslim Texts. Retrieved March 18, 2007 3. A. R. Nykl. "Ibn Hazm's Treatise on Ethics, Retrieved March 18, 2007." The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures 40 (1) (Oct., 1923): 30-36. 4.
4.0 4.1 4.2

"Ibn Hazm." Encyclopdia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopdia Britannica Online.

Retrieved 23 Oct. 2006 5. The court was under the effective rule of the Grand Viziers al-Mansur and his successor and son al-Muzaffar 6.
6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6

"Ibn Hazm." Encyclopdia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopdia Britannica

Online. Retrieved 23 Oct. 2006 7. G.F. Haddad[2] www.sunnah.org. Retrieved March 18, 2007. 8. [3]www.sunnah.org. Retrieved March 18, 2007.

References
Chejne, Anwar G., and 'Al ibn Ahmad Ibn Hazm. 1982. Ibn Hazm. Chicago, Ill: Kazi Publications. ISBN 0935782044 Goldziher, Ignaz and Wolfgang Behn, trans. and ed. The Zahiris, Their Doctrine and Their History: a contribution to the history of Islamic theology. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1971. Ibn Hazm; translation and preface by A. J. Arberry. The Ring Of The Dove. London: Luzac, 1953. ISBN 1898942021[4]Retrieved March 20, 2008. Nykl, A. R. "Ibn Hazm's Treatise on Ethics, Retrieved March 18, 2007." The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures 40 (1) (Oct., 1923): 30-36. Pulcini, Theodore, and Gary Laderman. 1998. Exegesis as polemical discourse: Ibn Hazm on Jewish and Christian Scriptures. Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press. ISBN 0788503960

External links
Imam Ibn Hazm. On Nubuwwah (prophethood) of women Dr. Farooq's Study Resource Page. Retrieved March 23, 2007. Arnaldez, Roger. Ibn Hazm, Islamic Philosophy Online. Retrieved March 23, 2007.

General Philosophy Sources

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Retrieved March 22, 2007. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Retrieved March 22, 2007. Philosophy Sources on Internet EpistemeLinks Retrieved March 22, 2007. Guide to Philosophy on the Internet Retrieved March 22, 2007. Paideia Project Online Retrieved March 22, 2007. Project Gutenberg Retrieved March 22, 2007.

Credits
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Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed. Ibn Hazm (7 November 99415 August 1064 456 AH ) in full Ab Muammad Al ibn Amad ibn Sad [3] ibn azm (Arabic : ) sometimes with al-Andalus a-hir as well was an Andalusian-Arab philosopher, litterateur, historian, jurist and theologian born inCrdoba, present[4] day Spain. He was a leading proponent of the Zahiri school of Islamic thoughtand produced a reported 400 works of which only 40 still survive, covering a range of topics such asIslamic jurisprudence, logic, history, ethics, comparative religion, and theology, as well as the The Ring of the [4] Dove, on the art of love.
[1] [2]

Contents
[hide]

1 Lineage 2 Career 3 Quotes 4 Works

o o

4.1 Detailed Critical Examination 4.2 Scope of Logic

5 Notes 6 References 7 See also 8 External links

Lineage
Ibn Hazm was born into a notable family his grandfather Sa'id and his father Ahmad both held high [5] [6] positions in the court of the Umayyad Caliph Hisham II and professed a Persian genealogy. However scholars believe that Iberian converts adopted such genealogies to better identify with theArabs and favor [6] evidence that points to an Christian Iberian family background hailing from Manta Lisham (near Sevilla).

Career
From the death of the grand vizier al-Muzaffar in 1008 the Caliphate of Cordoba became embroiled in a civil war that lasted until 1031 resulting in its collapse and the emergence of many smaller states called [6] the Taifa's. Ibn Hazm's father died in 1012 and Ibn Hazm continued to support the Umayyads, for which [6] he was frequently imprisoned. By 1031 Ibn Hazm retreated to his family estate and Manta Lisham and [6] had begun to express his activist convictions in the literary form. He served as a minister in the government multiple times, under different caliphs. He used to serve under the Umayyad Caliphs of Crdoba, and was known to have worked under Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir, Hajib (Grand Vizier) to the last of the Ummayad caliphs, Hisham III. According to a saying of the period, "the tongue of Ibn Hazm was a twin brother to the sword of al-Hajjaj" [6] (a famous 7th century general and governor of Iraq) and he became so frequently quoted that the [6] phrase Ibn Hazm said became proverbial. He opposed the allegorical interpretation of religious texts, preferring instead a grammatical andsyntactical interpretation of the Qur'an. He granted cognitive legitimacy only to revelation and sensation and considered deductive reasoning insufficient in legal and religious matters. He did much to revitalize the Zahiri madhhab, which denied the legitimacy of legal rulings based upon qiyas(analogy) and focused upon the literal meanings of legal injunctions in the Qur'an and hadith. Many of his rulings differed from those of his Zahiri predecessors, and consequently Ibn Hazm's followers are sometimes described as comprising a distinct madhhab.Template:Facts

Quotes
In an effort to explain sensual matters between man and woman, Ibn Hazm eloquently noted: I will describe something to you which you may readily enough observe with your own eyes. I have never seen the woman who, happening to be in some place where she senses that a man is looking at her or listening to her voice, does not make some wholly superfluous gesture, remote from her usual habit, or offer some entirely gratuitous remark with which she would otherwise have dispensed, in either case quite at variance with how she was talking or behaving immediately before. I have noticed and indeed the matter is only too apparent and obvious, and there is no concealing it that she will take great pains how she articulates her words, and will pay elaborate attention to the manner in which she varies her postures. [7] It is the same with men, as soon as they sense a presence of ladies.

Works
(major works in bold) Al-Akhlq wal-Siyar (Morals and Behaviour) [3] Al-fasl fil al-Milal wal-Nihal (on Sects) Al Kitab al-Muhall bi'l Athr (The Book Ornamented with traditions) The only book of his legal rulings existent to date. Ihkam Al Ahkam fi Usul al Ahkam His work on jurisprudence, or Usul Al Fiqh. Tawq al -hamamah (The Dove's Necklace) or (Ring of the Dove)[4] Mukhtasar al-Muhalla li Ibn Hazm, an abridgment of Ibn Hazm's fiqh manual.
[8]

In classical Arabic literary tradition, the dove represented love, or romance, while the ring refers to a necklace. In essence, it is the "necklace of love". The book is meant to adorn one's love. It is inspired by 'ishq (defined by Hakim Bey as "crazed, hopeless passion"), and treats equally of desire both for males and females, but cautions the reader against breaking religious injunctions and praises remaining chaste. Al-Dhahabi lists the following catalogue of Ibn Hazm's works: 1. Al-Isal ila Fahm Kitab al-Khisal in 15,000 folios. 2. Al-Khisal al-Hafiz li Jumal Shara'i` al-Islam in two volumes. 3. Al-Mujalla in two volumes. 4. Al-Muhalla in eight volumes. 5. Hujja al-Wada` in one volume. 6. Qisma al-Khumus fi al-Radd `ala Isma`il al-Qadi in one volume. 7. Al-Athar al-Lati Zahiruha al-Ta`arud wa Nafyi al-Tanaqud `Anha in 10,000 folios, unfinished. 8. Al-Jami` Fi Sahih al-Hadith, without chains of transmission. 9. Al-Talkhis wa al-Takhlis fi al-Masa'il al-Nazariyya 10. Ma Infarada Bihi Malik aw Abu Hanifa aw al-Shafi`I 11. Ikhtilaf al-Fuqaha' al-Khamsa Malik wa Abi Hanifa wa al-Shafi`i wa Ahmad wa Dawud [al-Zahiri] 12. Al-Tasaffuh fi al-Fiqh in one volume. 13. Al-Tabyin fi Hal `Alima al-Mustafa A`yan al-Munafiqin in 3 tomes. 14. Al-Imla' fi Sharh al-Muwatta' in 1,000 folios. 15. Al-Imla' fi Qawa`id al-Fiqh in 1,000 folios.

16. Durr al-Qawa`id fi Fiqh al-Zahiriyya in 1,000 folios. 17. Al-Ijma` in one small volume. 18. Al-Fara'id in one volume. 19. Al-Risala al-Balqa' fi al-Radd `ala `Abd al-Haqq ibn Muhammad al-Saqali in one small volume. 20. Al-Ihkam li Usul al-Ahkam in two volumes. 21. Al-Fisal fi al-Milal wa al-Nihal in two large volumes. 22. Al-Radd `Ala man I`tarada `ala al-Fisal in one volume. 23. Al-Yaqin fi Naqd al-Mu`tadhirin `an Iblis wa Sa'ir al-Mushrikin in one large volume. 24. Al-Radd `ala Ibn Zakariyya al-Razi in 100 folios. 25. Al-Tarshid fi al-Radd `Ala Kitab al-Farid li Ibn al-Rawandi fi I`tiradihi `ala al-Nubuwwat in one volume. 26. Al-Radd `ala Man Kaffara al-Muta'awwilin min al-Muslimin in one volume. 27. Mukhtasar fi `Ilal al-Hadith in one volume. 28. Al-Taqrib li Hadd al-Mantiq bi al-Alfaz al-`Ammiyya in one volume. 29. Al-Istijlab in one volume. 30. Nasab al-Barbar in one volume. 31. Naqt al-`Arus in one small volume. Ibn Hazm also wrote more than ten books on medicine. Among his translated works: al-Akhlaq wa al-Siyar fi Mudawat al-Nufus (Morals and Right Conduct in the Healing of Souls"), six Tawq al-Hamama fi al-Ulfa wa al-Ullaf ("The Ring of the Dove: Love and Lovers"), 7 Maratib al-`Ulum ("The Categories of the Sciences"), eight al-Mujalla, nine and partially partial translations of his al-Fisal fi al[9] Milal wa al-Ahwa' wa al-Nihal ("The Separators Concerning Religions, Heresies, and Sects").

Detailed Critical Examination

In his Fisal (Detailed Critical Examination), a treatise on Islamic science, philosophy and theology, Ibn Hazm stressed the importance of sense perception as he realized that human reason can be flawed. While he recognized the importance of reason, since the Qur'an itself invites reflection, he argued that this reflection refers mainly to revelation and sense data, since the principles of reason are themselves derived entirely from sense experience. He concludes that reason is not a faculty for independent research or discovery, but that that sense perception should be used in its place, an idea [10] that forms the basis of empiricism.

Scope of Logic
Ibn Hazm wrote the Scope of Logic on logic in Islamic philosophy, in which he stressed on the importance [11] of sense perception as a source of knowledge. He wrote that the "first sources of all human knowledge are the soundly used senses and the intuitions of reason, combined with a correct understanding of a language." Ibn Hazm also criticized some of the more traditionalist theologians who were opposed to the use of logic and argued that the first generations of Muslims did not rely on logic. His response was that the early Muslims had witnessed the revelation directly, whereas the Muslims of his time have been exposed to contrasting beliefs, hence the use of logic is necessary in order to preserve the true teachings [12] of Islam.

Notes
1. Ibn Hazm. The Ring of the Dove: A Treatise on the Art and Practice of Arab Love . Trans. A. J. Arberry. Luzac Oriental, 1997 ISBN 1-898942-02-1 2.
a b a b

http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/scienceofhadith/asb2.html

3. ^ A. R. Nykl. "Ibn azm's Treatise on Ethics". The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, Vol. 40, No. 1. (Oct., 1923), pp. 3036. 4.
a b

"Ibn Hazm." Encyclopdia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. 23 Oct. 2006

5. ^ The court was under the effective rule of the Grand Vizier al-Mansur and his successor and son al-Muzaffar 6. "Ibn Hazm." Encyclopdia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. 23 Oct. 2006 7. ^ Tawq al-Hammah (Ring of the Dove), translated by A.J. Arberry 8. ^ http://www.sunnah.org/history/Scholars/al_dhahabi.htm 9. ^ http://www.sunnah.org/history/Innovators/ibn_hazm.htm 10. ^ Ibn Hazm, Islamic Philosophy Online. 11. ^ Muhammad Iqbal, The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, "The Spirit of Muslim Culture" (cf. [1] and [2]) 12. ^ Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Oliver Leaman (1996), History of Islamic Philosophy, pp. 107109, Routledge, ISBN 0415056675.
a b c d e f g

References
The Ring of the Dove by Ibn Hazm, translation and preface by A. J. Arberry ISBN 1-898942-02-1[5] "al-Fasl fi al-milal wa-al-ahwa' wa-al-nihal", by Ibn Hazm. Bairut: Dar al-Jil, 1985 "Abenhzam de Crdoba y su Historia crtica de las ideas religiosas" vols. 15, by Miguel Asn Palacios. Madrid, 19281932 "Muslim writers on Judaism and the Hebrew Bible : from Ibn Rabban to Ibn Hazm", by Camilla Adang. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1996. ISBN 90-04-10034-2 "Ibn Hazm et la polmique islamo-chrtienne dans lhistoire de lIslam", by Abdelilah Ljamai. Leiden: Brill, 2003. ISBN 90-04-12844-1 "Kitab al-'axlaq wa-s-siyar ou Risala fi mudawat an-nufus wa-tahdib al-'axlaq wa-z-zuhd fi r-rada'il / Ibn Hazm al-'Andalusi ; introd., d. critique, remarques par Eva Riad." Uppsala : Univ. ; Stockholm : Almqvist & Wiksell international (distr.), 1980. ISBN 91-554-1048-0 Ibn Hazm Muslim theologian and man of letters Ibn Hazm Encyclopaedia Britannica article on Ibn Hazm The Zahiris, Their Doctrine and Their History: a contribution to the history of Islamic theology by Ignaz Goldziher, trans. and ed. Wolfgang Behn. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1971.

See also
Hazm (name) Miguel Asn Palacios

Fatwas: Historical Shi'a-Sunni relations

External links
The original Arabic manuscript of Tawq Alhamama Ibn Hazm and female prophethood Biographyar:

de:Ibn Hazm es:Ibn Hazm fa: fr:Ibn Hazm nl:Ibn Hazm pl:Ibn Hazm Categories: 994 births | 1064 deaths | Arab people | Arab philosophers | Arab writers | Muslim philosophers | Muslim theologians | Moorish writers | Andalusian people
n full Ab Muammad Al ibn Amad ibn Sad Ibn azm
born November 7, 994, Crdoba, Caliphate of Crdobadied

August 15, 1064, Manta Lsham, near

Sevilla
Muslim litterateur, historian, jurist, and theologian of Islamic Spain, famed for his literary productivity, breadth of learning, and mastery of theArabic language. One of the leading exponents of the hir (Literalist) school of jurisprudence, he produced some 400 works, covering jurisprudence, logic, history, ethics, comparative religion, and theology, and The Ring of the Dove, on the art of love.

Life
Ibn azm was born into a notable family that claimed descent from a Persian client of Yazd, the son of Muwiyah, the first of the Umayyad dynasty rulers in Syria. Muslim families of Iberian (Spanish) background commonly adopted genealogies that identified them with the Arabs; scholars therefore tend to favour evidence suggesting that Ibn azm was a member of a family of Iberian Christian background from Manta Lsham (west of Sevilla). azm, his greatgrandfather, probably converted to the Islamic faith, and his grandfather Sad moved to Crdoba, the capital of the caliphate. Amad, his father, a devout and learned man, held a high position under al-Manr and his successor, alMuaffar, a father and son who ruled efficiently in the name of the caliph Hishm II. Living i n the circles of the ruling hierarchy provided Ibn azm, an eager and observant student, with excellent educational opportunities. Experiences in the surroundings of the harem made an indelible impression upon him. Circumstances for Ibn azm changed drastically upon the death of al-Muaffar in AD 1008, when the stability that the Umayyads had provided for more than two and one-half centuries collapsed. A bloody civil war ensued and continued until 1031, when the caliphate was abolished and a large number of petty states replaced any semblance of a centralized political structure. The family was uprooted, and A mad died in 1012; Ibn azm continued to boldly and persistently support Umayyad claimants to the office of caliph, for which he was frequently imprisoned. By 1031 Ibn azm began to express his convictions and activistic inclinations through literary activity, becoming a very controversial figure. With the exception of a short stay on the island of Majorca, he apparently spent most of his time on the family estate in Manta Lsham. According to one of his sons, he produced some 80,000 pages of writing, comprising about 400 works. Less than 40 of these works are still extant.

Literary activities
The varied character of Ibn azms literary activity covers an impressive range of jurisprudence, logic, history, ethics, comparative religion, and theology. His appreciation of the resources of the Arabic language and his skillful use of poetry and prose are evident in all his works. One delightful example is The Ring of the Dove (awq al-ammah),

on the art of love. Probably best known for his work in jurisprudence and theology, for which the basic qualification was a thorough knowledge of the Qurn and adth (tradition), he became one of the leading exponents of the hir school of jurisprudence. The hir principle of legal theory relies exclusively on the literal (Arabic: hir) meaning of the Qurn and adth. Though his legal theories never won him many followers, he creatively extended the hir principle to the field of theology. He made a comparative study on the religious pluralism of his day, which is among the earliest of such studies and is highly regarded for its careful historical detail. An activist by nature with a deep sense of the reality of God, Ibn azm lived very much in the political and intellectual world of his times; in spite of his activism, however, he was very much a nonconformist and a loner. He conversed and debated with the leading contemporaries of his area, to whom he exhibited an insatiable thirst for knowledge as well as uncompromising convictions. Most observant, careful in analysis, meticulous in detail, and devoted to the clarity of his positions, he demanded the same of others. According to a saying of the period, the tongue of Ibn azm was a twin brother to the sword of al-ajjaj, a famous 7th-century general and governor of Iraq. He attacked, in his writings, deceit, distortion, and inconsistency; but at the same time Ibn azm exhibited a sensitive spirit and expressed profound insights about the dimensions of human relationships. He was shunned and defamed for his political and theological views. When some of his writings were burned in public, he said that no such act could deprive him of their content. Although attacks against him continued after his death, various influential defenders appeared. Though he apparently was easy to despise, Ibn azm could hardly be ignored. He was frequently and effectively quoted, so much so that the phrase Ibn azm said became proverbial. J.W. Fiegenbaum
ARTICLE

Additional Reading Ibn azm, awq al-amma, trans. by A.J. Arberry, The Ring of the Dove (1953), contains many references to Ibn azms experiences. E. Garca Gmezs translation in Spanish, El collar de la paloma (1952), contains a good introduction to Ibn azms life and also an extensive biobibliography. The article by R. Arnaldez in the Encyclopaedia of Islam, new ed. (1968), is one of the few up-to-date comprehensive surveys of Ibn azms life, works, and thought. Ignaz Goldziher, Die Zhiriten, ihr Lehrsystem und ihre Geschichte (1884; The Zhirs: Their Doctrine and Their History, trans. and ed. by Wolfgang Behn, 1971), is a basic work on the hir school of law and Ibn azms application of the system to theology. See the biography of Ibn azm in Ibn Khallikan, Wafayt al-Ayn wa-Anb alZamm, Eng. trans. by Baron MacGuckin de Slane, 4 vol. (1842 71, reprinted 1961), a translation of a famous biographical dictionary of the 13th century.
LINKS

Related Articles Aspects of the topic Ibn azm are discussed in the following places at Britannica.

Assorted References

association with hiryah school (in hiryah (Islamic law)) contribution to Islamic literature (in Arabic literature: Varieties of adab: compilations, anthologies, and manuals; in Islamic arts: The new style; in Islamic world: Andalusia, the Maghrib, and subSaharan Africa ) culture of Muslim Spain (in Spain: Literature)

Places
The following are some places associated with "Ibn azm"

Crdoba (Spain)

Other
The following is a selection of items (artistic styles or groups, constructions, events, fictional characters, organizations, publications) associated with "Ibn azm"

Islm (religion) Ring of the Dove (work by Ibn azm) hiryah (Islamic law) jurisprudence (law) literature nonfiction (literature) religion theology

Citations
MLA Style: "Ibn azm." Encyclopdia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. 17 Jul. 2010

<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/280763/Ibn-Hazm>. APA Style: Ibn azm. (2010). In Encyclopdia Britannica. Retrieved July 17, 2010, from Encyclopdia Britannica

Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/280763/Ibn-Hazm

Refuting The Argument That The Qur'an Orders The Prophet and Doubting Believers To Refer To The Christians and Jews For Consultation
by Bassam Zawadi

First of all, we strongly recommend the readers to read the evidence that Islam endorses the textual corruption of the Christian and Jewish scriptures.

Christian missionaries point to the two following verses from the Qur'an in order to try and show that the Qur'an commands the Prophet peace be upon him and the doubting believers to refer to the Christians and Jews for consultation...

Surah 10:94 And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. Surah 16:43 And We sent not (as Our messengers) before thee other than men whom We inspired - Ask the followers of the Remembrance if ye know not!

However, if that was indeed what these verses were saying then they would be conflicting with the following verses in the Qur'an that indicate that the Prophet peace be upon him and the believers have believed (not doubted) in what has been revealed to them...

Surah 2:285 The apostle believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers; they all believe in Allah and His angels and His books and His apostles; We make no difference between any of His apostles; and they say: We hear and obey, our Lord! Thy forgiveness (do we crave), and to Thee is the eventual course.

Here we clearly see that the messenger and the believers have believed (not doubted) in what has been revealed to them from Allah. The Qur'an makes it clear that believers cannot have any doubts after they have believed...

Surah 49:15

The believers are only those who truly believe in ALLAH and HIS Messenger, and then doubt not, but strive with their possessions and their persons in the cause of ALLAH. It is they who are truthful.

If one criteria to be a believer is to not have doubts, then how can Allah ask doubting believers to go to the Christians and Jews for consultation?

Furthermore, the Qur'an tells Muhammad peace be upon him to testify that he believes (not doubt) in Allah...

Surah 7:158 Say: O people! surely I am the Apostle of Allah to you all, of Him Whose is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth there is no god but He; He brings to life and causes to die therefore believe in Allah and His apostle, the Ummi Prophet who believes in Allah and His words, and follow him so that you may walk in the right way. Surah 42:15 To this then go on inviting, and go on steadfastly on the right way as you are commanded, and do not follow their low desires, and say: I believe in what Allah has revealed of the Book, and I am commanded to do justice between you: Allah is our Lord and your Lord; we shall have our deeds and you shall have your deeds; no plea need there be (now) between us and you: Allah will gather us together, and to Him is the return.

In an authentic hadith, it is reported that the Prophet peace be upon him stressed on the fact that he had no doubts about his Prophethood...

Saheeh Bukhari
Volume 6, Book 60, Number 367:

Narrated Habib bin Abi Thabit:

I went to Abu Wail to ask him (about those who had rebelled against 'Ali). On that Abu Wail said, "We were at Siffin (a city on the bank of the Euphrates, the place where me battle took place between 'Ali and Muawiya) A man said, "Will you be on the side of those who are called to consult Allah's Book (to settle the dispute)?" 'Ali said, 'Yes (I agree that we should settle the matter in the light of the Qur'an)." ' Some people objected to 'Ali's agreement and wanted to fight. On that Sahl bin Hunaif said, 'Blame yourselves! I remember how, on the day of AlHudaibiya (i.e. the peace treaty between the Prophet and the Quraish pagans), if we had been allowed to choose fighting, we would have fought (the pagans). At that time 'Umar came (to the Prophet) and said, "Aren't we on the right (path) and they (pagans) in the wrong? Won't our killed persons go to Paradise, and theirs in the Fire?" The Prophet replied, "Yes." Umar further said, "Then why should we let our religion be degraded and return before Allah has settled the matter between us?" The Prophet said, "O the son of Al-Khattab! No doubt, I am Allah's Apostle and Allah will never neglect me." So Umar left the place angrily and he was so impatient that he went to Abu Bakr and said, "O Abu Bakr! Aren't we on the right (path) and they (pagans) on the wrong?" Abu Bakr said, "O the son of Al-Khattab! He is Allah's Apostle, and Allah will never neglect him." Then Sura Al-Fath (The Victory) was revealed."

Saheeh Muslim
Book 001, Number 0041: He (the narrator) said: At that time he (the Holy Prophet) said: I bear testimony to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and I am His messenger. The bondsman who would meet Allah without entertaining any doubt about these (two fundamentals) would enter heaven.

Since the Qur'an and hadith make it clear that the Prophet peace be upon him and believers didn't, shouldn't and wouldn't have any doubts about their faith, then what do the Qur'anic verses posed by the Christian missionaries mean?

Dr. Muhammad M. Abu Laylah deals with this issue excellently in his book The Qur'an and the Gospels: A Comparative Study, which could be read here...

Ibn Hazm's contemporary, the Jewish scholar Ibn al-Nighrila understood the verse to signify that Muhammad (peace be upon him) doubted God, or the truthfulness of the

Revelation given to him. The Muslim point of view can be demonstrated by reference to Ibn Hazm, Ibn Taymiyyah and some other Muslim scholars. Ibn Hazm provides an interpretation of the verse in question and then answers his critic polemically. It is the author of Al-Faisal which is of prime interest here: it involves Ibn Hazm in an interpretation which at first sight seems to move outside the literalist theory to which he was committed, but in fact it does not go beyond his own definition of the Zahiriyya position. The rejection of exegesis, Ta'wil, is not an outright rejection and permits its use when necessary in considering certain Qur'anic passages and when it can be supported by scriptural evidence.

Ibn Hazm insists that the interpretation exemplified by Ricoldo above originates with the People of the books, i.e. Christians and Jews, and with some others. Those who claim to be Muslim could never share such a view. It is impossible that a Muslim should think that Muhammad (peace be upon him) doubted the Revelation from God. Ibn Hazm refers to an essay, which he himself wrote on this subject. (Ibn Hazm, Al Faisal, vol. 4, p. 50) This unfortunately does not appear among his writings, and was clearly not included as a section of Al-Faisal. Ibn Hazm, however, summarizes the argument of the essay in his comment on this verse. The confusion can be solved as follows: the word "In" translated into English as "If", is synonymous with the conjunction " Ma", which signifies refusal and denial. The verse thus reads nit " if you are in doubt", but "you are not in doubt". (Ibid., and [R. 2], p. 60) The author of Al-Faisal continues by saying that God commanded Muhammad (peace be upon him) to confer with the people of the books to confirm their knowledge of Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a prophet sent from God, as corroborated in the Torah and the Gospel. (Ibn Hazm, Al Faisal, vol. 4, p. 50) Ibn Hazm, as shown above, uses linguistic analysis in order to resolve the problem of a difficult verse, and in doing so follows a method of resolving its particular difficulties, which was not unique to him. At-Tabari and others had, in fact, reviewed a range of solutions to this verse of which Ibn Hazm's constituted only one of many possibilities. Any judgment of his argument needs to be placed against the alternative solutions described by at-Tabari.
Ibn Jarir at-Tabari (d.311 A.H.-923 A.D.) comments on the verse: "God says to His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that if you are in doubt about the truthfulness of what We told you in Revelations - that the children of Israel had not

differed concerning your prophethood before you were sent by God as an Apostle to His people, for they found you prophesied in their scripture, and they knew you from the description of you given in the Torah and Injil - you must confer with those who read the sacred book before you, that is, the people of the Torah and the people of the Gospel, such as Abdullah Ibn Salam and those who, like him, were honest and had faith in you: do not ask those who are dishonest or are unbelievers." (At-Tabari, Jami', vol. II, p. 115)

At-Tabari reported Ibn Abbas as saying that the book referred to in the verse was the Torah and the Gospel; the people with whom Muhammad (peace be upon him) was commanded to confer were those who lived in Muhammad's time and believed in him. The Prophet was to turn to them if questions as to the foretelling of his own prophethood in those books arose. The only object of possible doubt was then Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself, and the people with whom he was to confer were restricted to those who believed in his mission. Furthermore, Muhammad (peace be upon him) had been prophesied in the scriptures - Jewish and Christian - but these prophecies had been denied by the majority of Jews and Christians except for those who had come to accept that such prophecies were truthful and had become Muslim.

At-Tabari continues by saying: If anybody asks, "Was the Prophet of God in doubt concerning the reality of God's telling?" the answer must emphatically be 'no' (Ibid. [See also R. 2], p. 60) At-Tabari's discussion is lengthy, and some of the points he makes arise in Ibn Taymiyyah's contribution to the same issue - it is, however, essential to take note of one particular statement made by him: The expression 'if you doubt', does not make it necessary that Muhammad (peace be upon him) doubted. (From the linguistic

point of view) Arabs use such expressions, e.g., the master might say to his servant: 'If you are my servant you must do such and such' when the master has no real doubt at all that the servant addressed is his servant. Similarly an Arab might say to his son:'If you are my son you will be kind to me' (Ibid.)

At-Tabari does not merely refer to colloquial use of the expression in everyday life but draws an example from the Qur'an: God asked Jesus whether Jesus had told the people: "Take me and my mother as Gods, apart from God" (Qur'an 5:116) knowing full well that he had never done so. Thus the expression, as at-Tabari makes clear, is nothing more than a rhetorical device. He concludes his argument by stating that it was only natural that God should have talked to Muhammad (peace be upon him) in phraseology appropriate to the Arabs in whose language the Qur'an itself was revealed. (At-Tabari, Jami', vol. 11, p. 115)

An-Nisaburi al-Tha'alibi's (d. 427 A. H.) Tafsir stresses the semantic significance of the conditional: the expression "If you are in doubt" does not in any way prove either the existence or non-existence of the conditional matter; the same exegete, moreover, saw in this verse a clear proof of the fact that the People of the books had firm knowledge of the truthfulness of the Qur'an to the extent that they were in a position to argue even with Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself on the subject of his prophethood and he concludes: "The verse thus describes the Rabbis' deep knowledge of the authenticity of what God revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him); the verse does not describe the Prophet as having doubted."(An-Nisaburi al-Tha'alibi, Ghara'yib Al-Qur'an, Wa Ragha'ib Al-Furqan, in the margin of al-Tabari, Jami', vol. 11, pp. 116 f.)
The same Qur'anic interpreter supported his argument by reference to the tradition that Muhammad (peace be upon him) commented on the manner in which he received this passage: "I neither doubt nor question, but testify that this is the truth". An-Nisaburi's argument agrees in general with that of Ibn Hazm. He points out that "In" is a particle of negation "Nafiya", which could mean: "you are not in doubt",

adding:" It is said moreover that the verse addressed any hearer who might have been in some doubt, and the people who might have doubted were Muslims converted from a Jewish or Christian stock." (Ibid. The above statement (concerning the word IN) goes back to al-Hasan and al-Hussayn Ibn al-Fadl, as Abu Hayyan states in Al-Bahr Al-Muhit, (Cairo, Matba'at al-Sa'ada, 1328 A.H.), vol. 5, p. 191; see also (R. 2), p. 60. The footnote.)

Al-Qurtubi's comment on the verse is to argue that it speaks to the Prophet not as an object of doubt, but as a medium through which people are commanded to ask for confirmation if they have doubts. Furthermore, he mentions that Tha'alibi and alMubarrad had been credited with having said that the verse referred specifically to pagan Arabs, its meanings thus being that if such pagans were in doubt about the Qur'an they should ask Muslims who had been converted from Judaism, whom they regarded as being more knowledgeable than themselves, to corroborate the veracity of the Qur'an. (Abu 'Abdullah al-Qurtubi, op. cit., vol. 8, pp. 382 f.) Such an interpretation is feasible; it does however contradict Muhammad's (peace be upon him) response to the verses reported in the tradition referred to by an- Nisaburi. Ibn Hazm's interpretation too, does not take account of this tradition and for this reason is unacceptable to the present author as being an insufficient exegesis.

A preferable interpretation is that which stresses the conditional nature of the statement as being no evidence that either Muhammad (peace be upon him) or his followers doubted God's Revelation; and which understands the people referred to in the above verse as converted Muslims.

Ibn Taymiyyah seeks an answer to the problem of the verse by considering Muhammad's (peace be upon him) statement of acceptance, which is related in the tradition, and by concluding that the verse insists that Jews and Christians were in possession of confirmation of Muhammad's message. Ibn Taymiyyah shows himself concerned to analyze precisely what issues were to be referred to the People of the books. Firstly Muhammad (peace be upon him) was to ask the Jews about the way in which their scriptures confirm the warning against polytheism given by Moses and the prophets to the people (Qur'an 43:45; 21:25; 16:43). Secondly, Muhammad (peace be upon him) was to ask the Jews to confirm that God appointed men, not angels, as prophets of His message (Qur'an 17:95; 23:25; 10:1-2; 6:8-9; 21:7-8). Thirdly, the People of the books were to be asked about the work of the prophets among men, and the consequences of rejecting or accepting the prophets. Fourthly, they were to be asked about the common religion, i.e., Islam, the total devotion to the will of God as the fundamental source of all religions. This constituted monotheism, and injunctions that the people should be trustworthy, just and devoted to parents and relatives. Fifthly, the People of the books should be asked whether Muhammad's message was in accordance with the previousProphets, and about the nature of Muhammad's prophecy (Qur'an 7:156-157; 61:6). (Ibn Taymiyyah, Aj-Jawab As-Sahih, vol. 1, pp. 334-341 and ff.) It is clear from the above that Ibn Taymiyyah seeks for common ground between the three religions, however he qualifies this by insisting that the passage in the Qur'an in no way sanctions Christian practices and doctrines which have been invented and added to Jesus' original teachings, such as the doctrine of the Trinity. (Dr. Muhammad M. Abu Laylah The Qur'an and the Gospels: A Comparative Study, pp 104-109,Source)

Conclusion
The Qur'an and authentic traditions make it clear that the Prophet peace be upon him and believers have no doubts regarding their faith and that the verses of the Qur'an need to be understood in its proper context. Once this is done, this argument posed very often by Christian missionaries will vanish away.

Sam Shamoun replied to this article and I replied back here.

Feel free to contact me at b_zawadi@hotmail.com

Return to Does Islam Endorse The Bible?

Studia Islamica is an Islamic studies journal focusing on the history, religion, law, literature and language of the Muslim world, primarilysouth-western Asia and Mediterranean lands. According to its publisher it has published the works of well-known Orientalists such as Robert Brunschvig, Joseph Schacht, G. E. von Grunebaum, A. L. Udovitch, and A.-M. Turki, as well as Bernard Lewis, Patricia Crone, and William Montgomery Watt.

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Publisher Description A house specialized in the serious works on Asia, the Central Asia, the Middle East and Byzance, the Far East, Indian worlds, philosophy, spirituality... Born in 1835, it is the oldest publisher orientalist in France. Jean Maisonneuve, the current director is the fourth of a dynasty of editors: Adrien, his/her father; Jean-Victor his grandfather and Jean-Claude Maisonneuve, his great-grandfather (born in 1813) founder of the house and editor of the first congress of the Orientalists. In 1961, Maisonneuve joined another house centenaire: Larose. Contact Information Maisonneuve & Larose 15, street Victor-Cousin 75005 Paris Phone: 01 44 41 49 37 Fax: 01 43 25 77 41 Email: servedit1@wanadoo.fr ISSN: 05855292 OCLC: 62483184 LCCN:

2005-237370 JSTOR Coverage: 1953-2006 (Nos. 1-102/103) Moving Wall: 3 years JSTOR Collection(s): Arts & Sciences III Collection, For-Profit Academic Arts & Sciences III Collection JSTOR Discipline(s): Religion Journal Description: Studia Islamica is one of the oldest academic journals published in the field of Islamic studies. Published in Paris since 1953, its editors have included some of the leading Orientalists and area specialists, including Robert Brunschvig, Joseph Schacht, G. E. von Grunebaum, A. L. Udovitch, and A.-M. Turki. Focusing on the Islamic lands around the Mediterranean Sea and in south-west Asia, it publishes articles (in English and French) in the fields of history, religion, law, literature and language, for both the pre-modern and modern periods.

Written by : Faizullah Dar, a PhD scholar (Arabic), and Muhammad Hanif (M.A ELT) The fame of the Truth was exalted by his words. He was a guardian of the honour of the Koran, The house of Falsehood fell in ruins at his gaze. The dust of the Punjab was brought to life by his breath, Our dawn was made splendid by his sun. He was a lover, and withal a courier of Love: The secrets of Love shone forth from his brow. (Translated by Reynold A. Nicholson) In his book The Secrets of the Self, Allama Iqbal pays homage to the great saint and spiritualist for all times. It is Abul Hasan Ali bin Usman al-Hujwiri, generally known in the sub-continent as Dhata Sahib, whom he addresses in his poetry. Originally from Ghazni, now in Afghanistan, Data Sahib spent a considerable part of his later life in Lahore. He significantly contributed to the spread of Islam in the sub-continent, and hundreds of thousands of people embraced Islam through his teachings. Even today he speaks to us through his celebrated work Kashf-ul-Mahjub. Stories have always attracted the attention of human beings. Moral lessons do not always appeal to the worldly minded people. So Allah Almighty knowing the nature of mankind narrated some stories in the Holy Qur'an, in order that humans might give heed to His word, mend their ways and tread the path to salvation. Besides, some comparisons and contrasts also help one to comprehend the spirit of the divine message. Here are some examples: * Allh has explained an example (that) there is a slave, possessed by (some master), having no control over anything (himself); and (the other) is the one We have given the best provision, so he gives out to others out of it secretly and openly: can the two be held equal? All praise belongs to Allh alone. But most of them do not know (even the basic reality). (al-Qur'an, 16:75) * And Allh has illustrated an example of two (such) men of whom one is dumb, has no power over anything and is a burden on his master; wherever he (the master) sends him, he brings no good. Can he (the dumb) be the equal to the (other) one who (holds such an office that he) enjoins the people to do justice, and he himself also follows the straight path? (al-Qur'an, 16:76)

* And these are the examples We explain for the people (to understand), and none understands them except those who have knowledge. (al-Qur'an, 29:43) * Had We sent down this Qurn on some mountain then, (O listener,) you would certainly have seen it bowed, split and crushed to pieces for fear of Allh. And We give these examples for the people so that they may ponder. (al-Qur'an, 59:21) * He (s [Jesus]) was only an (exalted) servant whom We blessed with favour. And We made him an example (of Our Might) for the Children of Israel. (al-Qur'an, 43:59) Following the divine practice, Hazrat Ali Hujwiri also narrated many fables in his celebrated book, Kashf-ul-Mahjub. To make the book reader friendly, he has narrated some interesting stories of the eminent earnest seekers after the truth. Some are given below.

Habib Ajmi
At first Habib Ajmi was a usurer. He led a life of ease and self-indulgence but Allah granted him a sincere repentance. He learned the theory and practice of religion from Hasan. As his native tongue was Persian, he could not speak Arabic correctly. One evening Hasan of Basra passed by the chamber of his worship. Habib had uttered the call to prayer and was standing, engaged in devotion. Hasan came in, but did not pray under his leadership, because Habib was unable to speak Arabic or recite the Qur'an fluently. The same night, Hasan had a dream. He saw Allah and asked Him: "O Lord, wherein does Your good pleasure lie?" "O Hasan, you found My good pleasure, but did not know its value," the answer came. "How is that?" submitted Hasan. "If last night you had said your prayers behind Habib, and if the rightness of his intention had restrained you from taking offence at his pronunciation, I should have been well pleased with you."

Malik ibn Dinar

He was a companion of Hasan of Basra. His father was a slave. Though he was a slave's son, Almighty Allah freed him from bondage to both worlds. The circumstances of his conversion were as follows. One evening he had been enjoying himself with a party of friends. When they were all asleep, a voice came from a lute which they had been playing: "O Malik! Why do you not repent?" Malik abandoned his evil ways, went to Hasan of Basra, made sincere repentance and showed himself steadfast in repentance. He attained a very degree of perfection. Once he was in a ship and was suspected of stealing a jewel. As soon as he lifted his eyes heavenwards, all the fish in the sea put up their heads. Everyone held a jewel in its mouth. Malik, reaching down his hand, took one of the jewels, and handed it to the man

whose jewel was missing. Then he set foot on the surface of the waters and walked until he reached the shore.

Habib ibn Aslam Raee

He was a companion of Salman Farisi, a Companion of the Holy Prophet. He had flocks of sheep, and his home was on the bank of the Euphrates. A certain Shaykh relates as follows. Once I passed by him and found at prayer, while a wolf looked after his sheep. I resolved to pay him a visit, since he appeared to me to have the marks of greatness. When he had concluded the prayer, we exchanged greetings. He enquired: "What has brought you here?" I said: "Just to sight your blessed countenance." He blessed me. I said: "O Shaykh! I see the wolf in agreement with the sheep." He replied: "That is because the shepherd is in accord with God." With those words he held a wooden bowl under a rock, and two fountains gushed from the rock, one of milk and one of honey. "O Shaykh!" I cried, as he bade me drink, "how have thou attained this degree?" He answered: "By obedience to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah. O my son! The rock gave water to the people of Moses, although they disobeyed him, and although Moses is not equal in rank to Muhammad. Why should the rock not give milk and honey to me, because I am obedient to Muhammad, who is superior to Moses?" I submitted: "Give me a word of counsel." He said: "Do not make your heart a coffer of covetousness and your belly a vessel of prohibited things."

Abdullah ibn Mubarak

He studied under many teachers and became erudite in many branches of learning. The Imam of his time, he composed many celebrated works and worked famous miracles. The beginning of his conversion happened as follows. He was madly in love with a girl, and one night in winter he stood beneath the wall of her house. She came on to the roof, and they both stayed gazing at each other until daybreak. When Abdullah heard the call to morning prayers, he supposed it was time for night prayers. Only when the sun began to shine did he realize that he had spent the whole night in rapturous contemplation of his beloved.

He took warning by this and rebuked himself: "Shame on you, O son of Mubarak! Do you stand on foot all night for your private passion, and yet become quite frantic when the prayer leader recites a long chapter of the Qur'an?"

Fuzail ibn Iyaz

He is one of the most eminent and celebrated Muslim saints. In the beginning of his career, he was a highwayman, but he was always inclined to piety, and invariably showed a generous and magnanimous disposition. One day a merchant set out from Merv. His friends advised him to take an escort but he said to them: "I have heard that Fuzail is a Godfearing man." So, instead of doing as they wished, he hired a Qur'an-reader and mounted him on a camel in order that he might recite the Holy Qur'an aloud day and night during the journey. When they reached the place where Fuzail was on the alert for it, the reader happened to be reciting: "Is it not time that the hearts of those who believe should humbly submit to the remembrance of Allah?" (When the verse reached Fuzail's ears) his heart was softened. He repented of the business in which he was engaged. And, having a written list of those whom he had robbed, he satisfied all their claims upon him. And then he made true and sincere repentance

Zun-Nun Misri
Zun-Nun Misri was born in Egypt in 180/796. He studied under various teachers and travelled extensively in Arabia and Syria. He is one of the best of spiritual masters, and one of the most eminent of their hidden spiritualists. The people of Egypt were lost in doubt as to his true state, and did not believe in him until he was dead. On the night of his demise, seventy persons dreamed that they saw the Messenger, who said: "I have come to meet Zun-Nun Misri, the friend of God." And after his death the following words were found inscribed on his forehead: This is the beloved of God, who died in love of God, slain by God. One day he was sailing with his disciples in a boat on the River Nile, as is the custom of the people of Egypt when they desire recreation. Another boat was coming up, filled with merry-makers, whose unsuitable behaviour so disgusted the disciples that they begged Zun-Nun Misri to implore God to sink the boat. Zun-Nun Misri raised his hands and cried: "O Lord, as You have given these people a pleasant life in this world, give them a pleasant life in the Afterlife too!" The disciples were astonished by his prayer. When the boat came nearer and those in it saw Zun-Nun Misri, they began to weep and ask pardon, and broke their lutes and turned to Allah in repentence. Zun-Nun Misri said to his disciples: "A pleasant life in the Hereafter is repentance in this world. You and they are all satisfied without harm to anyone." He acted thus from his extreme affection towards the Muslims, following the example of the Messenger, who, notwithstanding the ill-treatment which he received from the infidels, never ceased to say: "O Allah! Direct my people, for they know not."

Shaqiq ibn Ibrahim

He was versed in all the sciences legal, practical, and theoretical and composed many works on various branches of Sufism - the mystical dimension of Islam based on the esoteric. He consorted with Ibrahim ibn Adham and many other Shaykhs. It is said that the circumstances of his conversion were as follows. One year there was a famine at Balkh, and the people were on the point of eating one another's flesh. While all the Muslims were bitterly distressed, Shaqiq saw a youth laughing and making merry in the bazaar. The people said: "Why do you laugh? Are not you ashamed to rejoice when everyone else is mourning?" The youth said: "I have no sorrow. I am the servant of a man who owns a village as his private property, and he has set me free of all care for my livelihood." On hearing this, Shaqiq exclaimed: "O Lord God, this youth rejoices so much in having a master who owns a single village, but You are the King of kings, and You have promised to give us our daily bread; and nevertheless we have filled our hearts with all this sorrow because we are totally engrossed with worldly things." He turned to Allah in sincere repentance and began to walk in the way of the Truth, and never troubled himself again about his daily bread. Afterwards he, out of deep humility, used to say: "I am the student of a youth. All that I have learned I learned from him."

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ISNAAD IN RELATION TO THE AHAADEETH All praise is due to Allah and may Allah's peace and blessings be upon His messenger (saws). Verily the best speech is the book of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad sallallahu alaihiwasallam and the worst of affairs are the newly invented matters and every innovation is misguidance and all misguidance is in the fire. (Sahih Muslim Eng. Trans. Vol. 2 Page 40 no. 1885). To proceed: The religion of Islam is that which has been ordained by Allah, fully explained by the prophet sallallahu alaihiwasallam as understood and practised by the salaf-ussaliheen (the pious predecessors which includes the Sahabah, Tabi'een and their followers). The Sunnah has been preserved in its pristine purity in the books of Sunnah only because of the chain of narrators (isnaad) reaching up to the Prophet sallallahu alaihiwasallam, has been meticulously preserved by the Muhadditheen (Scholars of Hadeeth). In the words of Abdullah Ibn al-Mubarak (died 181 A.H.) one of the very illustrious teachers of Imam alBukhari, who said: "The isnaad is part of the religion and had it not been for the isnaad, whoever wished would have said whatever he liked" Reported by Imam Muslim in the introduction to his Sahih. (Sharh Sahih Muslim Arabic Vol. 1 Page 87 published by Darul Kuthubul-Islamiyyah, Lebanon). Only the narrations which reach the level of Saheeh (authentic) or Hasan (good) as defined by the Scholars (Muhadditheen) are suitable to be held as evidence in matter of belief [such

as creed (Aqeedah) and the unseen (ghaib)], in the rulings and laws of the religion or in matters of worship. Only these can be attributed definitely and directly to the Prophet sallallahu alaihiwasallam. Narrations which fail to reach these two standards will be collectively termed weak (Da'eef) and should not be attributed directly to the Prophet sallallahu alaihiwasallam in a definite form as clearly explained by Imam Nawawi in Sharh Sahih Muslim (Arabic Vol. 1, Page 81 - Darul Kuthubul Islamiyyah). Weak narrations provided their weakness is not severe, (i.e. There are no liars and / or fabricators and none suspected of lying or fabricating in the chain) can only be used to exhort or warn of a deed (amal) already sanctioned by the other authentic ahaadeeth (singular - hadeeth). If the weakness is severe (as in the case of false, fabricated, etc. ahaadeeth) it cannot be used for the above purpose as well. If such hadeeth are over to be quoted it should be only for the purpose of warning the Muslim community of false and fabricated ahaadeeth. Even then the defect should be clearly stated so that the ahaadeeth will not be attributed to the Prophet sallallahu alaihiwasallam. The Muhadditheen have collected such narrations for the purpose of warning the community, in separate books Few examples of such books are : 1. Ak-Maudhooaathul Kubra by Mulla Ali Qari. 2. Al-Maudhooaathul Sughra by Mulla Ali Qari. 3. Al-La'aali-ul-Masnuah fil Ahaadeethil Maudhoo'ah by Imaam Suyooti. 4. Thanzeehus Shareeathil Marfoo'ah anil Ahaadithish- Shaneeathul Maudoo'ah by Ibnul Iraq al-Kan'ani. Attributing a saying not told by the Prophet sallallahu alaihiwasallam to the Prophet is a very grave sin and will lead the person to Hell. It is reported from a large number of Sahabah from the Prophet sallallahu alaihiwasallam that he said: "Whoever lies on me intentionally then let him reserve his seat in hell." (Sahih Bukhari. Eng. Trans. Book of Knowledge, Chapter - The sin of a person who tells a lie against the Prophet sallallahu alaihiwasallam Vol. 1 Hadeeth no 106 and also by Imam Muslim in his preface to Sahih Muslim). Also it will include a person among the liars as can be seen in the following two ahaadeeth also found in the preface to Sahih Muslim. 1. "Whoever narrated a hadeeth from me which is seen as a lie then he is one of the liars" [From Sharh Sahih Muslim (Arabic) by Imam Nawawi Vol. 1 Page 62 Darul Kuthubul Islamiyyah] 2. "It is sufficient for a person to be a liar that he narrates all that he hears " (page 73 of the book referred to above). And commenting on the above Imam Nawawi goes on to say "....... and there is no difference in the prohibition of lying on the Prophet either in what concerns the laws of the religion or in other than the laws like exhorting, warning, advising and the like of it, all of

this is Haram (Forbidden). It is from the greatest of the grave sins and vilest of the abominable matters in the unanimous opinion of the Muslims ..etc"

Pages from the Kitab al-luma' of Abu Nasr al-Sarraj, being the lacuna in the edition of R.A. Nicholson ed. from the Bankipore ms., with memoir, pref. and notes by A.J. Arberry.
Sufism, Sufis, and Sufi Orders: Sufism's Many Paths
Professor Alan Godlas, University of Georgia

Early Shaykhs of Sufism : Abu Nasr al-Sarraj (the saddle maker) (d. 378 / 988)

His name was Abu Nasr 'Abdallah ibn 'Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Sarraj. He was the author of the Kitab al-Luma (The Book of Flashes). Dhahabi stated "He heard [narrations] from Ja'far al-Khuldi (d. 348/959-60), Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Dawud al-Dinawari al-Duqqi ["Raqqi" in the published edition of the Tarikh al-islam seems to be an error] (d. 360/971), and Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Sa'ih [or al-Salimi as Nicholson suggests]. Among those who transmitted narrations on his authority were Abu Sa'id Muhammad ibn 'Ali al-Naqqash, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Sarraj, and others." Nicholson asserted that one of Sarraj's students, Abu 'l-Fadl ibn al-Hasan al-Sarakhsi, was the shaykh of the well-known Sufi shaykh, Abu Sa'id Abu l-Khayr. Dhahabi noted, in a problematic passage that may have originally come from Sulami's lost Ta'rikh al-Sufiyah,that Sulami stated, "Abu Nasr [al-Sarraj] was from a family of

ascetics [awlad al-zuhhad]. He was the manzur (Lane's Lexicon: a person or chief person whose bounty is hoped for) in his region in futuwwa(lit. magnanimity; also the name of early Sufi-like organizations) and was the expositor of the folk (lisan alqawm),while seeking the support of the knowledge of Islamic law (ma'a al-istizhar bial-'ilm al-shari'a). And he is the last remnant (baqiyat)of their shaykhs today." (Nicholson read this last sentence as "He is the legal scholar (faqih)of their shaykhs today" (Dhahabi, Tarikh al-Islam,351-380 AH, p. 625-26; Nicholson, Kitab alLuma'p. III, V) 'Attar states that he died and was buried in Tus (which is about 15 miles from Mashhad), although another source states that he died in Nishapur. 'Attar noted that Sarraj said, "Love is a fire that has been lit within the breasts and hearts of the lovers. It burns and turns to ashes everything but God" (Attar, Tadhkirat al-awliya',p. 639-40). elcome to Northeastern University Press, a member press of the University Press of New England (UPNE). Northeastern University Press brings Northeastern Universitys distinctive strengths in the humanities and the social sciences to the world of scholarly and general book publishing through its explorations of African-American and womens literature, criminology, music, sports, and Boston culture and history. The university has earned a reputation as an environment where subject studies have a direct link to the real world and the vibrant urban environment of Boston that Northeastern calls home. Through its rich and diverse publishing program, theory and practice merge, reflecting the core values and identity of the university as a whole.

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