Dr. Muhammad Musa Shareef was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and graduated from the Faculty of Sharee’ah – Imaam Muhammad ibn Sa’ud Islamic University – in 1408 / 1988. He obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. in the Qur’an and the Sunnah from Faculty of Usul ad-Deen (Theology) – Umm al-Quraa University. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Islamic Studies – King ‘Abdul-’Aziz University.

Mishari al-Kharraz
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 50 | Size: 1 MB

As the author notes about our Creator, ‘The sweetness of this life lies in remembering Him, the sweetness of the next life lies in seeing Him! The next time you proceed for prayer, go because you love Him, go because you miss Him and long to be with Him. Feel your heart flutter. Only then, will you be on your way to attaining that inner peace and comfort Salah was prescribed for.’

May Allah [swt] grant us the most blessed conditions in our Salah and achieve the status of being amongst the most beloved to The Beloved Himself. O Allah, bless us with Your Love, the love of whom You Love and the love of deeds which bring us closer to Your Love. Please save us from the Fire, Forgive us for every sin and bless us and our families to be with You in the highest places of Jannah [ameen].

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Internet Porn Addiction & its Cures – Alyas Karmani

Viewers Discretion is Advised! – Due to the Nature of this Topic this lecture is Not Suitable for Young Viewers.
The staggering size of the pornography industry, its influence upon the media and the acceleration of technology, paired with the accessibility, anonymity, and affordability of porn all contribute to its increasing impact.

A wave of porn plague sweeps throughout the world affecting people from all walks of life creating havoc to almost everyone who sees it, with over 75 million porn addicts worldwide and growing fast, it has also reached the Muslim world. Porn Addiction has destroyed family’s and society’s. Not only is porn addiction a health issue, New research shows that porn has a devastating effect on the brain.

Shocking statistics show how a whole new society of problems has caused this growing world epidemic that has been blamed for high rates of divorce, child molestation, increase of rape cases and abuse against women and children.

So what can we do to prevent this?
Or if you are effected by it how can you stop?

Brother Alyas talks about internet porn addiction its adverse effects and how to deal with it from an Islamic prospective. Creating Awareness of this problem.
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SHOCKING STATISTICS -

$13.33 Billion was spent in the porn industry in 2006, U.S. porn revenue exceeds the combined revenues of ABC, CBS and NBC.

Every second . . . $3,075.64 is spent on pornography

Every Second . . . 28,258 people are viewing pornography.

Every 39 Minutes . . . A new pornographic video is created in the United States.

There are 116.000 searches for child pornography everyday

40 million Americans are regular visitors to porn sites
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PORN ON THE WEB -

42.7% of internet users view pornography

1.5 Billion Pornographic downloads per month (peer-to-peer)

Over 420 million Pornographic pages

Over 13,000 porn movies produced every year (35% of total downloads)

4.2 Million Pornographic websites (12% of total websites)

68 Million Daily pornographic search engine requests (25% of total requests).

72 Million Worldwide internet users visit adult sites per month

34% of average users received unwanted pornographic exposure

The average child sees their first porn by the age of just 11. Between 60 and 90 per cent of under-16s have viewed hardcore online pornography, and the single largest group of internet porn consumers is reported to be children aged 12 to 17.

PLEASE NOTE – Data above based on a 2006 study
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER -

Alyas Karmani has 20 years of work experience in the Public Sector across a range of policy areas specialising in Equality and Diversity. He is an accomplished academic with six years of experience as a researcher and lecturer at Bradford and Leeds Universities- department of Social Policy.
Alyas Karmani was former head of Race Equality for the Welsh Assembly Government 2004. He is currently a consultant for West Yorkshire and London Probation service in relation to resettlement and reintegration of Muslim Offenders. Alyas has a Psychology background with close to 20 years of counselling and therapy work focussing on Muslim centred mental health and emotional well being. Alyas is also an Imam and Khateeb (preacher/presenting Friday sermons) at a number of Mosques in the North of England and across the UK. Alyas is also a specialist in youth empowerment and emotional well- being having been a senior policy advisor for the Welsh
Assembly government relating to youth empowerment and development 2008-2009. In 2008-2009 Alyas completed a project called ‘Reducing the risks of radicalisation for prisoners’ funded by the EU and undertaken jointly with London Probation service- the research was based on direct work with terrorist offenders and currently informs the risk assessment framework of the probation service.

Current Projects by Alyas Karmani To ensure the Muslims community have guidance from an Islamic perspective and to reinforce core Islamic values, morals and virtues whilst at the same time addressing practical issues, contemporary issue and providing an open and informed approach to sex and related issues.
http://muslimsexadvice.com/
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ABOUT ISLAM BRADFORD -

By the grace and mercy of Allah, Islam Bradford has grown to a full featured Islamic Centre over the past few years. As the Centre grows, so grows the cost for maintenance
and new activities. We plan to expand our centre to include even more information and
services for the benefit of the people of Bradford. To do this, we humbly request your
financial help.
To Donate please go to -

http://www.islambradford.com/
info@islambradford.com

For more information on regular lectures taking place in the in the north of England. UK. please go to -
http://www.dawahnorth.org/

Umar S. al-Ashqar
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 361 | Size: 11 MB

The Minor Resurrection (What Happens After Death) : In the Light of the Qur’an & Sunnah

About the Book: What happens after death? When will the end of the world be? Are we really living in the “last days”? These are questions which concern everyone, no matter what his or her background. Many have tried to answer these questions, producing theories that range from the fanciful to the nihilistic. But man-made notions cannot answer questions about matters which man has no way of finding out by himself.

In these as in so many other issues, Islam brings us answers. Surely the One Who gives life and takes it away, is the One Who is the best to inform us of what happens after death. The One Who has created this universe and mankind is the best to tell us about when this world will come to an end and mankind will be called for Judgment. He has informed us about these matters, in His Book and through His Prophet (pbuh).

In this book, Dr. ‘Umar S. al- Ashqar examines all these issues from the point of view of the Qur’an and Sunnah. He looks at issues of death and what happens to a person’s soul after death, including the questioning of the angels and the torment of the grave. He also examines the signs of the Hour, which indicate that the Day of Judgment is approaching – many of which are already happening. As always, he quotes extensively from the texts, placing these issues squarely within an Islamic framework and dispelling the myth and misunderstandings that have arisen and become prevalent.

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Saifiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 504 | Size: 7 MB

A complete authoritative book on the life of Prophet Muhammad (S) by Sheikh Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarkpuri. It was honored by the World Muslim League as first prize winner book. Whoever wants to know the whole life style of the Prophet in detail must read this book.

Muhammad (S) is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him, are severe against the disbelievers, and merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and falling down prostrate (in prayer), seeking bounty from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. The mark of them (i.e. of their Faith) is on their faces (fore heads) from the traces of prostration (during prayers). This is their description in the Taurah (Torah). But their description in the Injeel (Gospel) is like a (sown) seed which sends forth its shoot, then makes it strong, and becomes thick and it stands straight on its stem, delighting the sowers, that He may enrage the disbelievers with them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous good deeds, forgiveness and a mighty reward (Paradise). (Al-Fath: 29)

The Prophet Muhammad (S) said: “The example of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain falling on the earth. Some of which was fertile soil that absorbed rain-water and brought forth vegetation and grass in abundance. (And) another portion of it was hard and held the rain-water and Allah benefited the people with it and they utilized it for drinking (making their animals drink from it) and to irrigate the land for cultivation. (And) a portion of it was barren which could neither hold the water nor bring forth vegetation (then that land gave no benefits). The first is the example of the person who comprehends Allah’s Religion (Islam) and gets benefit (from the knowledge) which Allah (Azawajal) has revealed through me (the Prophet) and learns and then teaches it to others. The (last example is that of a) person who does not care for it and does not take Allah’s Guidance revealed through me (he is like that barren land).” (Al-Mukarramah)

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Umar S. al-Ashqar
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 481 | Size: 15 MB

Although the vast majority of mankind believe in a Creator or Supreme Being, their concepts vary. Islam, in the Qur’an and Sunnah, affirms the existence and Oneness of the Creator and describes Him as having the most perfect attributes, thus enabling man to have the proper concept of Him and to establish a strong bond with Him based on the understanding of His sublime attributes. But the influence of philosophy and other ideas that are alien to Islam led to the emergence of distorted concepts about Allah.

In this book, Dr. Umar S. al-Ashqar discusses the wrong ideas that have crept into Muslims’ minds concerning Allah and His attributes, and highlights the fact that the only correct way to understand the verses of the Qur’an and the ahadeeth, which speak of Allah and His attributes, is the way in which they were understood by the first generations of this ummah (the salaf).

Dr. al-Ashqar also examines modern concepts, such as the theory of evolution, and proves that they are wrong and false. Following the Qur’anic injunction to ponder the signs of Allah in the universe, he also pays attention to the study of natural phenomena which clearly point to the existence and Oneness of the Almighty Creator. Thus, Dr. al-Ashqar affirms the principle which lies at the heart of Islamic faith and practice, namely Tawheed, the Absolute Oneness of the Divine.

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Abu Bakr Jabir Al-Jaza’iry
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 165 | Size: 37.5 MB

This is a portion of Abu Bakr A1-Jazairi’s well-known and well-accepted work Minhaj-ul-Muslim – “The Way of the Muslim.” The Author has pointed out that Islam is a religion of etiquette and touches upon almost every deed of Islam in relation to the most related customs of a particular time and place. The Author has urged that in Islamic culture a Muslim should have to pay all his duties in this sense. The Author has described all the Islamic attitudes required by a Muslim especially intention, behavior towards Allah, towards one’s parents and his children, relatives and neighbors.

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Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal
Language: Arabic – English | Format: PDF | Volumes: 3 | Size: 34 MB

One of the greatest compilations of the sunnah and books of hadith is the Musnad by Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, which is organized into compilations of the hadiths narrated by each Companion (Sahabi), starting with the ‘asharah mubashsharah (“the ten who were promised Paradise”). This highlights their status and the efforts they made to preserve the ahadeeth of the Messenger of Allah (S).

The scholars and muhadditheen praised the Musnad of Imam Ahmad. Al-Hafiz Abu Moosa al-Madeeni wrote a book in which he highlighted the great features of the Musnad. In his book he said: “This book is an important source and trustworthy reference for the scholars of hadeeth, as he (Imam Ahmad) selected from the large number of hadith he came across and the plentiful reports he heard, and he put a great deal of effort into making it a prominent, leading and reliable source. When disputing an issue, it is a refuge and a source of help.”

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Direct Downloads:

Download Musnad Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal – Volume 1
Download Musnad Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal – Volume 2
Download Musnad Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal – Volume 3

Imam Ibn Kathir
Language: English | Format: PDF | Volumes: 4 | Size: 82.6 MB

Al-Sira al Nabawiyya by Imam IBN KATHIR is a full examination, in chronological order of the background, life and the mission of the Prophet Muhammad (saw). Drawn from the earliest and most reliable Arabic sources, it offers, in this close English translation, the Fullest available account of the historical circumstances and personalities most important in the foundation of Islam.

IBN KATHIR’s work offers a fine example of the Islamic scholarship; the quotations and anecdotes that constitute its core are evaluated in terms of trustworthiness of the sources. Variant wordings that are related through differing lines of transmission are noted, and Ibn Kathir gives both his own assessments and those of the earliest Islamic authorities concerning the likely authenticity of these records. The comments and conversations, derived from ancient texts, that are quoted in this work constitute the basis of our knowledge of Islam during the life time Muhammad (saw)

Volume I – Prior to Prophethood to First Revelation

Relates the history of the Arab tribes who were the Prophet’s forebear, the lives of his parents and the accounts unusual events surrounding his birth. It then goes on to relate anecdotes regarding his childhood, the signs of the Prophet hood and the first revelations. Reviewed by Dr. F Fareed PB 424 Pages -

Volume II – Early years to 2 AH

Looks at the early years of the prophethood and includes such episodes at the Night Journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and the ascent to Haven, the Prophets marriages to Aisha(RA) and Sawda (RA) and the emigration to Madina. It gives details of events in the two years following the emigration, including the building of the Holy Mosques and various military expeditions and reveals how Islam as a faith developed. Reviewed by Dr. M Fareed. Paper Back 412 Pages -

Volume III – 3AH – 8 AH

gives details of the numerous battles and campaigns waged between 3 (AH) and 8 AH to defend and spread the religion of Islam. Reviewed by Dr. M Fareed. Paper Back 600 Pages -

Volume IV – 9AH AND 10 AH

continues with the events of 9 AH and 10AH and presents the different accounts of the hajjat al –wada ( the farewell pilgrimage) and the events surrounding the death of the Prophet Muhamad.(saw) Reviewed by Dr. M Fareed. Paper Back 600 Pages -

This valuable work on the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and Blessings of Allah upon him) by Imam Ibn Kathir hardly stands in need of any introduction.

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Direct Downloads:

Download The Life of the Prophet Volume I
Download The Life of the Prophet Volume II
Download The Life of the Prophet Volume III
Download The Life of the Prophet Volume IV

Dr. Mustafa as-Siba’ee
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 573 | Size: 16 MB

The Sunnah and its Role in Islamic Legislation is a groundbreaking effort by Dr. Mustafa as-Siba’ee, for it has a completeness to it in two regards: first, the author manages to cover all topics related to the Sunnah—its status, its legislative force, the stages that led to its recording, just to mention a few—in a comprehensive and organized manner. Second, he presents the views of those that have attacked the Sunnah throughout history, detailing their arguments and then refuting them. Among those groups from the past were the Shi’a and the Mu’tazilah; today, they are mainly the Orientalists and those that are influenced by them.

Shaykh as-Siba’ee takes us through the historical development of the Sunnah, from the early stages of revelation to the recording of the Sunnah during the era of the great Imams of Hadith. Throughout that account, he highlights the contributions of the scholars in preserving the Sunnah and cleansing it from fabrications and lies. Shaykh as-Siba’ee gives a clear account of the revolutionary methods and scholarly principles that were established in order to authenticate historical reports and narrations. The author shows us that the fruits of that endeavor were the preservation of the authentic Sunnah and the birth of the Hadith sciences.

This book has been a perennial source of knowledge for Arabic-speaking students of Islam, for its clarity, readability, and insightful research. New English-speaking students too have available to them this authoritative treatise on the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad ) may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

About Author

Dr. Mustafa As-Siba’i was born in 1915 in the city of Hams, Damascus. He memorized the Qur’an at a very young age. He studied the Islamic Sciences with his father Shaykh Hasani Sibai and in circles with great scholars and jurists of Hams. His teachers included Shaykh Tahir Al-Atasi (Mufti of Hams at the time), Shaykh Zahid Al-Atasi, Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yasin, Shaykh Anis Kalalib and others.

From the young age of eighteen he used to deliver the Friday khutbahs in the absence of his father. In 1933, he went to Egypt and enrolled at the Univesity of Al-Azhar to study fiqh.

Upon completing his studies of fiqh, he enrolled at the Usul al-Deen Faculty of Al-Azhar and excelled in his studies. In 1949, he completed his PhD on the theme of ‘The Position of Sunnah in Legislation’.
He is currently Dean of Faculty of Islamic Jurisprudence, and professor of Individual Rights in the Faculty of Sharia, Damascus University.

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Sheikh Ahmad Jibril

A group of sisters in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia have organized a sit-in demanding the release of their imprisoned relatives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYrEbibExUQ

Hasan al Basri (Rahimahullah)
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 68 | Size: 2 MB

Short Biography of Hasan al Basri (Rahimahullah)

He was one of the most renowned tabi`een (the generation after the death of the Prophet PBUH ) and prominent figures of his time. He was a jurist and a scholar. He was a pious and devout person. He was famous for his eloquence, inspiring speeches, wisdom, asceticism, and deep knowledge. He is the revered tabi`ee and the scholar of the people of Basrah, Abu Sa`eed Al-Hasan Ibn Abi Al-Hasan Ibn Yasaar Al-Basri R.A

Birth and early years

Al-Hasan Al-Basri was born in Al-Madeenah in 21 A.H., 642 A.C. during the caliphate of the leader of the Believers, `Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab R.A. Both his parents were slaves. His father became a prisoner of war when the Muslims conquered Misaan, an area between Basrah and Waasit in Iraq. His father embraced Islam and lived inAl-Madeenah where he married a bondwoman called Khayyirah who was the maid-slave of Umm Salamh R.A the wife of the Prophet PBUH . The Mother of the Believers, Umm Salamah R.A freed Khayyirah after she gave birth to her son Al-Hasan. Al-Hasan spent his early years with his family in Waadi Al-Qura nearAl- Madeenah. Before he was fourteen years old, he managed to memorize the Glorious Quran. He also learnt reading, writing, and some mathematics. He heard many sayings of the Companions of the Prophet PBUH and he used to listen to the leader of the Believers, `Uthmaan Ibn `Affaan R.Awhenever he delivered the Friday sermon. Al-Hasan was fourteen years old at that time.

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From The Best Adhan In The World – Muslim Call To Prayer

Azan – The Call For Prayers
In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Adhan is the first call to prayer. The Adhan is uttered in a loud, albeit sweet melodious, voice to announce to the faithful that it is time for the Obligatory Prayer and to invite them to offer the prayers. Those who perform Adhan are known as ‘Muedhin.’ The honour of being the first Muedhin goes to Bilal, a black slave who converted to Islam. He had a very sweet, resonant and musical voice. He was appointed as Muedhin by the Prophet of Islam. The appointment of a black slave as the first person to call Muslims for prayers, shows that in Islam all human beings are treated as equals. Rich or poor, black or white, short or tall – all are equal in the eyes of Allah. It is the piety of each individual that makes the difference.

Adhan is recited in a loud voice by the Muezzin facing the direction of the Ka’ba in the following words, which are said in the order mentioned:

“Allahu Akbar” – recited FOUR times.

Meaning, “Allah is Most Great.”(four times)

“Ash-hadu an la ilaha ill-Allah” – recited TWO times.

Meaning, “I bear witness that there is none worthy of being worshipped except Allah.”(twice)

“Ash-hadu anna Muhammad-ar-Rasoolullah” – recited TWO times.

Meaning, “I bear witness that Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah.”(recited twice)

“Hayya ‘alas-Salah” – recited TWO times.

Meaning, “Come to prayer.”(turning the face alone to the right and saying it twice)

“Hayya ‘alal-falah” – recited TWO times.

Meaning, “Come to Success.”(turning the face alone to the left and saying it twice)

“Allahu Akbar” – recited TWO times.

Meaning, “Allah is Most Great” (face back to front and saying it two times).

Morning (Fajr) Prayers

The following phrase is added after “Hayya ‘alal-falah” in the Azan of the early morning prayers:

“As-salatu khairum minannaum” – recited Two times.

Meaning, “Prayer is better than sleep” (recited two times).

”La ilaha illallah” There is no deity except for Allah.

ALLAH IS THE GREATEST

http://www.theholyquran.org

Quran(2.87) We gave Moses the Book and followed him up with a succession of messengers; We gave Jesus the son of Mary Clear (Signs) and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. Is it that whenever there comes to you a messenger with what ye yourselves desire not, ye are puffed up with pride?- Some ye called impostors, and others ye slay!

Quran (16.90) Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and given to kith and kin, and He forbids all indecent deeds, and evil and rebellion: He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition.

Quran (2.62) Those who believe (in the Quran), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

Quran (2.263) Kind words and the covering of faults are better than charity followed by injury. Allah is free of all wants, and He is Most-Forbearing.

Quran (29.46) And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except in the best way, unless it be with those of them who do wrong: but say, “We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you. Our God and your God is One; and it is to Him we submit.

Quran (28.77) “But seek, with the (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on thee, the Home of the Hereafter, nor forget thy portion in this world: but do thou good, as Allah has been good to thee, and seek not (occasions for) mischief in the land: for Allah loves not those who do mischief.”

Quran (60.8) Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just.

Quran (5.8) O ye who believe! stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.

(2.136) Say ye: “We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we submit to Allah (in Islam).

Quran (3.70) Ye People of the Book! Why reject ye the Signs of Allah, of which ye are (yourselves) witnesses?

Quran (3.71) Ye People of the Book! Why do ye clothe truth with falsehood, and conceal the truth, while ye have knowledge.

For more beautiful videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/loool1600

Documentary

This video is for educational purposes only and simply provides a view of the Syrian people who are literally being butchering by Bathist Assad regime who is ironically backed by the so called regime that claims to support the “oppressed” worldwide. It has some graphic material (it is blured) but nevertheless we put a clear warning in the video title (+18). 

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Ibn al-Jawzi
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 111 | Size: 2 MB

Know that all the facets of mankind’s disposition are for their benefit – either directly such as the desire for food, or indirectly by preventing harm, such as the capacity for anger. However, when these natural impulses are not moderated it culminates in harm. If the desire for food is excessive it leads to gluttony. Similarly when anger is uncontrolled it leads to transgression. The aim should be to achieve equilibrium of the soul, to allow the faithful to approach God without distraction. The author addresses many spiritual diseases – such as envy, greed, uncontrolled lust, sexual desire, arrogance, gluttony, anger, stinginess, extravagance, vanity and attachment to this world. He also discusses the qualities that the seeker of God must acquire – such as love, self discipline, humility, self-criticism, improvement of character, patience and truthfulness. In a simple yet effective way he shows the wayfarers how to cure their spiritual diseases and acquire the necessary qualities for their journey to Allah. This masterpiece has been divided into thirty chapters to facilitate the reader’s comprehension. Important points are highlighted using anecdotes from the early righteous predecessors. The author, Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 AH) was an erudiate scholar of the Hanbali madhab.

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Imam Muslim
Language: ِArabic-English | Format: PDF | Volumes: 7 | Size: 57 MB

Sahih Muslim is the most authentic book of Hadith after Sahih Al-Bukhari and contains 7,563 Ahadith. The Muslim Scholars have agreed that all of the Ahadith in Sahih Muslim are authentic. Thus, Darussalam realized the great benefit of publishing the full version of Sahih Muslim in the English language in the best presentation. Much care has been taken in rendering these Ahadith into a clear and simple style of modern English.

This fine-quality edition of Sahih Muslim has been verified by Dar-us-Salam Publications extensively. Its translation has been checked several times as not only to avoid mistranslating but also to avoid misinterpreting the ahadith as done by many translators of the current times in order to rush the product to market or to their lack of understanding of the Arabic language. Unlike other publishers which leave you wondering about the meaning of the ahadith, the unclear wording has been explained in the brackets. There are also footnotes on bottom of some of the pages, when the term cannot be explained in the brackets. This edition of Dar-us-Salam is nice in that it starts off by drawing a life sketch of Imam Muslim. Then, it goes on to the introduction of Sahih Muslim by Imam Muslim himself where he explains the difference between different narrators and level of trustworthiness.

This edition is also different from other publishers in that the text is side by side with Arabic so you have access to both English and Arabic at the same time. Furthermore, the book regarding reporting from the trustworthy narrators have been placed first while other books follow it. Moreover, the Arabic text contains full chain of narrators while the English only mentions the companion. Lastly, in keeping with the tradition of high quality printing, this edition of Sahih Muslim by Dar-us-Salam Publications is second to none other & made to last a long time, Insha Allah.

About Sahih Muslim:

The authentic hadith collections of Bukhari and Muslim are excellent in respect to both chain of transmissions and the texts as well as their general utility in that they gave guidance in almost all walks of life. The collections won the praise and acclaim of of Hadith scholars so much that they themselves produced works containing the same Ahadith as found in the collection of both Bukhari and Muslim but with their own independent chains consisting of a lesser # of sub-narrators and called their works Mustakhraj.

Imam Muslim is one of the foremost preservers of ahadith of the Prophet. His book comes second only to Sahih al Bukhari in terms of authenticity according to majority of scholars. It is considered to be better than Sahih Bukhari in terms of organization and repetition according to some scholars of Islam. It is the second in the collection of 6 books called “Sihah Sittah” or “6 most authentic books”. Imam Muslim took painstaking efforts in preserving the words/actions/sayings & approvals of the Prophet. He has mostly used 4-5 narrators in the chain of transmission although there are a couple of hadith containing 3 narrators. Imam Muslim was a very good student of Imam Bukhari and some of his Shuyukhs, although he did not narrate from Imam Bukhari too much, thus reducing the # of narrators.

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Direct Downloads:

Download Sahih Muslim Volume 1 – Ahadith 0001-1160
Download Sahih Muslim Volume 2 – Ahadith 1161-2262
Download Sahih Muslim Volume 3 – Ahadith 2263-3397
Download Sahih Muslim Volume 4 – Ahadith 3398-4518
Download Sahih Muslim Volume 5 – Ahadith 4519-5645
Download Sahih Muslim Volume 6 – Ahadith 5646-6722
Download Sahih Muslim Volume 7 – Ahadith 6723-7563

Dr. Shaykh Muhammad Al Areef
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 424 | Size: 120 MB

The End Of The World: Major And Minor Signs Of The Hour With Colour Illustrations and  Maps.

In recent times things have become very confusing and we have begun to see in book stores and on websites speculations about future events, based on ayah and hadeeths which refer to these future events concerning the signs of the Hour.

Sometimes you hear about the appearance of the Mahdi, sometimes you hear that the final battle between the Good and the Evil is close at hand, other time you hear some thing happening in the East or in the West.

So, learn about the Final hour and it signs by reading this book which is backed by proofs from Quran and Hadith.

Al-Shaikh Muhammad Al-Areefi has completed his P.H.D from The faculty of Usool Al-Deen, Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh
Dr. Al-’Arifi is a well known scholar & lecturer from Saudia Arabia. He is from the famous Arab tribe known as Banu Khalid (Banu Makhzum) – it goes without mentioning that Banu Khalid are the descendents of the famous soldeir, Mujahid & Companion of the Prophet, Khalid bin Al-Walid – may Allah be pleased with him.
Dr. Al-’Arifi was born in the year 1970.
He graduated from Saudi universities where he acquired his PhD. The title of his PhD research thesis was ‘Ara’ Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya fi al-Sufiyya – Jam’ wa Dirasah’ (The View of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya on Sufism – a Compilation & Study).

Currently, Dr. ‘Arifi is a founding & dignitary member of various Da’wah organisations, as well as being a member of their advisory comittees. He is also a member of the advisory board for many international organistions. Aside from being a visiting professor in various Saudi & foreign universities, he is also a professor in King Saud University of Riyadh. He has been delievering Friday sermons for over twenty years in different mosques in Saudi Arabia.

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Anonymous
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 83 | Size: 1 MB

The Syrian Revolution:

The revolution of Syria is one of the most shocking turn of events in the early 21st century.

The people of Syria were bold enough to start demonstrations in the year 2011 against their Alawite Shi’a sect dictatorship – the Assad regime which stems all the way back to the early 1960s (starting with Hafiz Assad and now Bashar al Assad). The people of Syria had been dominated by tyrants and secret police (Shabiha – meaning ‘ghosts’), wherein over half the population were spies for the dictatorship (most out of fear for their own safety). If any person was even slightly suspected of being revolutionary, ‘extra’ religious or anti-Assad, their entire family would be raped, imprisoned, tortured, cut up (literally) and killed. This dictatorship and fear lasts and is still running for around 50years (1963- 2012+). Tens of thousands of Syrians were and are now being raped and killed by these (Alawite shi’a) dictators who considered the majority of the Syrian (Sunni) population their enemies.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

“When the people of Sham (Syria, Jordan, Palestine) become corrupt then there will be no good in you. And there will not cease to be a group from my Ummah [nation] being helped; those that oppose them will not harm them, until the hour is established.” (Tirmidhi 2/30 – Authentic)

Similarly, when the people of Syria become good, the rest of the Muslim world will become good, successful and prosperous.

Since the Zionist and western powers had verbally supported Egypt’s transition from a Hosni Mubarak dictatorship (ruling for 20+ years) to a democracy in late 2010-11 because of the Egyptian revolution, it would be hypocritical of them to support the dictator Bashar al Assad. As a result, they stayed neutral to the oppressed revolutionaries of Syria, probably hoping that that the Bashar al Assad regime (which was guarding the Zionist Israel state from Islamists) would quash the revolution.

The Armed Syrian Revolution:

The peaceful Syrian demonstrators started to get shot at by the Shabiha (secret police of Syria) and they would ask the world community for help. But no world power helped them. Gradually some low ranked Syrian soldiers (majority being Sunnis) deserted from the army, giving rise to militias who would defend the Sunni majority population. Now the revolution was armed and becoming increasingly a religious war, the militias began to increase in number. (picture below: rebels praying in congregation).

The beginning of AQ in the Syrian revolution (2011- 12):

A suspected Syrian AQ affiliate called Jubhat al Nusra (which survived in Syria as a proxy like AQI in Iraq during the era of Saddam) turned its back to the Syrian regime.

Jubhat al Nusra began to support the Syrian revolutionaries since they were Sunnis like them (note:

Salafis are Sunnis in that they follow the same Prophetic teachings unlike the Shi’a.)

The revolutionaries found light weaponry from deserted Syrian soldiers, as well as bribing Syrian soldiers with money to sell them weapons. Jubhat al Nusra was able to smuggle better weapons and expert bomb makers in from neighboring Iraq (since the Islamic State of Iraq was associated with them in ideology). This allowed the newly formed militias (the Free Syrian Army [FSA]) to grow and gain major successes . As I write this now (November 2012), there is a balance in territory between the revolutionaries and the Syrian dictatorship.

When it became inevitable (mid 2012) to Western powers that the Assad regime would not survive in the long run, they decided to support the Syrian revolution in words only – to gain influence over them, and to ensure that the end results of the revolution was a democratic state which is in accordance with Western interests (the Arab people consider this hypocritical since no western power criticized the 50 year old Assad regime as a dictatorship or undemocratic or against human rights against the Sunni population, and now they are criticizing the Islamist revolutionaries for wanting to rule according to the what they spilt their blood for).

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Izzath Uroosa
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 488 | Size: 12 MB

The message of the Qur’an is addressed to all creation, conveyed in the Arabic language. Allah Almighty says: ‘We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an so that you may understand.’ (12:2) Acquiring command over the Arabic language can be relatively easy for those who are native speakers, but can prove difficult for the non-speakers. The study of Arabic, therefore, cannot be taken lightly.

The books that can impart knowledge of the Qur’anic Arabic are rare. The present book is specifically designed for learning the language of the Qur’an. All examples used in the explanation of Arabic grammar have been taken straight from the Holy Qur’an. This approach aids the beginning -student to enter the world of the Qur’an, allowing simultaneous understanding of Arabic grammar and the Qur’an, which is a very special feature of this book.

Other components that make this book attractive and useful are the simplicity of the language used, and its clarity and effectiveness of expression in achieving its objective. This book can be used by students of different ages whose intention is to learn Arabic with an eye toward proper understanding of the Qur’an.

The author has profound knowledge of both the Arabic and English languages. She also possesses a deep insight into Qur’anic expressions. She studied Arabic in Saudi Arabia and in India. This comprehensive book is the result of her diligence and commitment to learning and teaching the Qur’anic Arabic.

May Allah reward her for this valuable service to the understanding of the Qur’an and make it popular among the students and the academic world at large.

Prof. Mohsin Usmani Nadwi, Professor of Arabic and Dean at English and Foreign languages University (formerly CIEFL) Hyderabad, India.

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Ibrahim H. Malabari
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 77 | Size: 1 MB

A brief book regarding Ten Questions and Answers about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), Some non-Muslim westerners have been wondering what it is that Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) presented to humanity, particularly after the defamation of his honorable character by western media, and we deem it our duty to answer the questions regarding what our Prophet gave to humanity and the world.

Why did Muhammad marry several women? Did he do so for sexual gratification?

Whenever Prophet Muhammad’s name emerges, the image in many people’s minds is a man with many wives. For Muslims, his multiple marriages had meaning and immense implications for Islam, and by extension, the history of the world. Needless to say, the issue remains controversial, and as such, any study of the matter requires an objective approach. Therefore we will endeavour to tackle this topic by being as objective as possible.

The Prophet Muhammad was driven by the goal to ensure that his mission as the Messenger of God was fulfilled and to establish a society based on God’s commands, and not his own. In order to achieve this goal, he did everything that was humanly possible: he forged relations with the various tribes of Arabia, concluded peace treaties with his sworn enemies and kept relations with the heads of various tribes, nations and religions. Taken together his marriages was one way bywhich he fostered relationships with various influential tribes.

If one were to view the marriages of the Prophet from this context, the motivating factors behind his marriages become clear. It would be very simplistic and incorrect to view his marriages as being merely for lustful ends.

Let us now briefly examine the context of each one of his marriages to see whether this was the case. From the outset, it is of ultimate importance to note that, except for one of his wives, all of his eleven wives were widowed or divorced. Most were in fact widowed.

His first marriage was to a widow named Khadijah, who had been married twice and whom he married when she was forty years old and he was twenty five. She was the first woman to embrace Islam. She provided great consolation to him throughout his life and he continued to remember her in his later years as his most beloved wife. He stayed with her faithfully for 25 years until her death, at which time he was 50 years old, and she was 65 years old.

If he was driven by lustful desires as accused by his opponents, he could have married several, beautiful young women in a society where having numerous wives was a norm – there would be no reason to faithfully remain with an older woman until the age of 50. This single fact would be sufficient to totally refute the charges against him in this regard. However, an examination of all of his marriages, as we shall see, should put this question to rest.

After Khadija’s death, he married another widow, Sawda, who was 65 years old. She and her previous husband, Sakran, were among those who had immigrated to Ethiopia, fleeing from the oppression and persecution of the Meccans. It was during their return to Mecca that her husband had died. Seeing her difficult condition, the Prophet married her.

Then he married Aisha, daughter of his lifelong friend and companion Abu Bakr. Aisha had first been betrothed to Jabir bin Mut’im at the age of 5. Child marriages were evidently the norm at that time. She was the only virgin among the Prophet’s wives and the only one who was born into a Muslim family.

One of the Prophet’s goals in this marriage was to strengthen the bond of his brotherhood with Abu Bakr, who was his main defender against the Meccans. Second, Aisha was of a lineage known for honor and intelligence. The Prophet knew that she would tremendously benefit his nation (ummah) by transmitting crucial knowledge from his life, especially family and personal matters that others were not privy to. Indeed, the Prophet advised his community to learn half of the knowledge of the religion from Aisha. The foresight of the Prophet proved itself, for she would live for 45 years after his death, and thus became one of the main sources of Prophetic wisdom and knowledge.

He also married another widow, Hafsa, who was the daughter of Umar Bin Khattab, his next closest companion. Her husband, Khunays, had been martyred in the Battle of Badr. He felt a duty towards Umar, whose acceptance of Islam provided a major boost for the Muslims in Mecca against their foes.

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Imam al-Bukhari
Language: ِArabic-English | Format: PDF | Pages: 1097 | Size: 45 MB

Sahih Al-Bukhari covers almost all aspects of life in providing proper guidance from the messenger of Allah. Translated into English in a very easy & simple language, so that all readers can understand it without difficulty. This summarized edition of Sahih Al-Bukhari has Arabic text with corresponding English translation side by side.

All Muslim Scholars agree that Sahih Al-Bukhari is the most authentic book after the Qur’an. The Summarized Bukhari is condensed into about 1000 pages by selecting a few Ahadith from the original 9-Volume which has about 4000 pages. This book contains about 2220 Ahadith. Most of the duplicate hadith from different chains (with slight variations) have been removed and only one has been kept.

In Imam Bukhari’s ‘Al-Jami-al-Sahih’ (Sahih Al Bukhari) the Imam had recorded all the Sayings of the Prophet which he found to be genuine after thorough examination and scrutiny. He spent sixteen years in research and examined more than sixty thousand Sayings from which he selected some 7,275 Sayings whose genuineness and accuracy he established beyond the slightest doubt. Deducting duplicates, the Imam’s collection contain about four thousand distinct Sayings.

The text used for this Summary is based on Imam Zayn al-Din Ahmad ibn Ahmad al-Sharji al-Zubaydi (d. 893) the author of the abridged Sahih al-Bukhari [al-Tajrid al-Sarih].

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Imam al-Bukhari
Language: ِArabic-English | Format: PDF | Volumes: 9 | Size: 80 MB

Generally regarded as the single most authentic collection of Ahadith, Sahih Al-Bukhari covers almost all aspects of life in providing proper guidance from the messenger of Allah. This 9-Volume Bukhari is the work of over 16 years by Imam Bukhari who before writing any Hadith in this book performed two Rakat prayer of guidance from Allah and when he was sure of the Hadith’s authenticity, he wrote it in the book. Tremendous amounts of errors exist in the translations by other translators. To eliminate the problem Dar-us-Salam spent over 3 years in the publication of this book and presented a book which is translated into English in a very easy & simple language, so that all readers can understand it without difficulty.

This is the unabridged version consisting of 7563 ahadith (about 4000 pages) which are presented neatly in smaller books format and printed on fine paper. Each book (subtopics in each volume categorized by very broad topics such as the Book of As-Salat) contains many chapters which represent one logical unit of Ahadith. Each book contains anywhere from one to 150 chapters with each chapter containing several Ahadith. This book will be a great addition to your library while giving you a true perspective on the traditions of the Prophet (PBUH).

In Imam Bukhari’s ‘Al-Jami-al-Sahih’ (Sahih Al Bukhari) the Imam had recorded all the Sayings of the Prophet which he found to be genuine after thorough examination and scrutiny. He spent sixteen years in research and examined more than sixty thousand Sayings from which he selected only sayings whose genuineness and accuracy he established beyond the slightest doubt. Deducting duplicates, the Imam’s collection contain about four thousand distinct Sayings.

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Jalalu’d-Din ‘Abd’ur-Rahman as -Suyuti
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 244 | Size: 20 MB

Umar ibn al-Khattab

from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti

Umar ibn al-Khattab ibn Nufayl ibn ‘Abdu’l-‘Uzza ibn Riyah ibn Qart ibn Razah ibn ‘Adi ibn Ka‘b ibn Lu’ayy, Amir al-Mu’minin, Abu Hafs, al-Qurashi, al-‘Adawi, al-Faruq.

He accepted Islam in the sixth year of prophecy when he was twenty-seven years old, says adh-Dhahabi.

An-Nawawi says: ‘Umar was born thirteen years after the Elephant, he was one of the nobility of Quraysh, and he had the role of ambassador in the Jahiliyyah; Quraysh, whenever war broke out among them or between them and others, would send him as an ambassador, i.e. a messenger, and when someone called them to judgement – often over a matter of standing or lineage – then they sent him as a response to that.

He accepted Islam very early on, after forty other men and eleven women. Some say that it was after thirty-nine men and twenty-three women, and some say, after forty-five men and eleven women. But it was only after he accepted Islam that Islam was shown openly in Makkah and the Muslims rejoiced in him.

He said: He was one of the outstripping first ones, one of the ten for whom it was witnessed that they were for the Garden, one of the khulafa’ who took the right way, one of the in-laws of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, one of the great men of knowledge of the Companions and one of their abstinent people.

There are related from him five hundred and thirty-nine hadith from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan narrated from him, ‘Ali (ibn Abi Talib), Talhah (ibn ‘Ubaydullah), Sa‘d (ibn Abi Waqqas), ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, Ibn Mas‘ud, Abu Dharr, ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah and his son ‘Abdullah, Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn az-Zubayr, Anas, Abu Hurayrah, ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari, al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib, Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, and a great number of the Companions and others, may Allah be pleased with them.

I say: I attach here some sections in which there are some collections of interest connected to his biography.

The reports on his acceptance of Islam

At-Tirmidhi narrated that Ibn ‘Umar narrated that: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘O Allah, strengthen Islam with whoever is more beloved to You of these two men: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab or Abu Jahl ibn Hisham.’ At-Tabarani narrated this from hadith of Ibn Mas‘ud and Anas, may Allah be pleased with them.

Al-Hakim narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas related that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘O Allah, strengthen Islam by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab especially.’ At-Tabarani narrated this in the Awsat from a hadith of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and in the Kabir from hadith of Thawban.

Ahmad narrated that ‘Umar said: I went out to confront the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and found that he had preceded me to the mosque (of Makkah). I stood behind him and he began by reciting Suratu’l-Haqqah. I was astonished by the composition of the Qur’an, so I said, ‘By Allah, this is a poet as Quraysh say.’ Then he recited, ‘It is truly the saying of a noble messenger, and it is not the saying of a poet, how little you believe…’ (Qur’an 69: 40) to the end of the ayah, and Islam came about in my heart.

Ibn Abi Jabir narrated that Jabir said: The beginning of ‘Umar’s Islam was that ‘Umar said, ‘My sister’s time to give birth came to her at night so I went out of the house, and entered the precincts of the Ka‘bah. Then the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came and entered the Hijr (the low-walled, semi-circular area to one end of the Ka‘bah) and on him there were two rough cloths. He prayed to Allah as much as Allah willed, then he turned away and I heard something the like of which I had not heard. He went out and I followed him and he said, “Who is this?” I said, “‘Umar.” He said, “‘Umar, will you not leave me alone, either by night or by day?” I became afraid that he might supplicate against me, so I said, “I witness that there is no god but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah.” He said, “‘Umar, keep it secret.” I said, “No, by the One Who sent you with the truth, I will openly declare it just as I openly declared idolatry.”’

Ibn Sa‘d, Abu Ya‘la, al-Hakim, and al-Bayhaqi in ad-Dala’il, narrated that Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ‘Umar went out wearing his sword, and a man from Bani Zuhrah met him and said, ‘Where do you intend going, ‘Umar?’ He said, ‘I want to kill Muhammad.’ He said, ‘How will you be safe from Bani Hashim and Bani Zuhrah if you have killed Muhammad?’ He said, ‘I can only believe that you have converted.’ He said, ‘Shall I show you something astonishing; your brother-in-law and your sister have converted and abandoned your deen.’ ‘Umar walked on and came to the two of them while Khabbab was with them. When he heard the sound of ‘Umar he hid in the house, and then he (‘Umar) entered and said, ‘What is this murmur of lowered voices?’ They had been reciting Taha. They said, ‘Nothing but some conversation which we were holding.’ He said, ‘Perhaps you two have converted?’ His brother-in-law said to him, ‘‘Umar, what if the truth were outside of your deen?’ So ‘Umar leapt upon him and struck him severely. His sister came to push him away from her husband and he struck her a blow with his hand so that her face bled. Then she said, and she was angry, ‘And if the truth were outside of your deen? I witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger.’ ‘Umar said, ‘Give me the writing which you have and I will read it,’ – and ‘Umar used to read. His sister said to him, ‘You are dirty, and no-one reads it but the purified (so stand and bathe yourself or perform wudu’).’ He stood and performed wudu’, then he took the writing and read Taha until it came to, ‘Truly I, I am Allah there is no god except Me, so worship Me and establish the prayer for My remembrance.’ (Qur’an 20: 14). ‘Umar said, ‘Show me the way to Muhammad.’ When Khabbab heard the words of ‘Umar he came out and said, ‘Rejoice, ‘Umar! Because I hope that you are the (answer to the) supplication which the Messenger of Allah made for you on the night of Thursday, “O Allah, strengthen Islam with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab or with ‘Amr ibn Hisham.”’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was in the lower part of the house which was at the foot of Safa and ‘Umar went off until he came to the house, at the door of which were Hamzah, Talhah and others. Hamzah said, ‘This is ‘Umar; If Allah wants good for him he will become a Muslim; and if He wishes other than that, then killing him will be a little thing for us.’ He said: And the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was inside receiving revelation. He came out when ‘Umar arrived, took hold of the folds of his clothes and the straps of his sword, and said, ‘You won’t give up, ‘Umar, until Allah visits you with disgrace and punishment like he did al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah.’ ‘Umar said, ‘I witness that there is no god but Allah and that you are the slave of Allah and His Messenger.’

Al-Bazzar, at-Tabarani, Abu Nu‘aym in al-Hilyah, and al-Bayhaqi in ad-Dala’il narrated that Aslam said: ‘Umar said to us, ‘I was the most severe of people against the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Then one hot day at midday I was in one of the pathways of Makkah, and a man met me and said, “I am amazed at you, Ibn al-Khattab. You claim that you are like this and like this, and this matter has entered your own house.” I said, “What is that?” He said, “Your sister has become a Muslim.” So I went back in a fury and struck the door. Someone said, “Who is it?” I said, “‘Umar.” They hurried and hid from me. They had been reciting a page which they had and they abandoned it and forgot it. My sister got up to open the door, and I said to her, “Enemy of her own self, have you converted?” I struck her upon the head with something that I had in my hand so that the blood flowed and she cried. She said, “Ibn al-Khattab, whatever you are going to do, then do it, for I have converted.” I entered and sat down on the couch. Then I glanced at the page and said, “What is this? Give it to me.” She said, “You are not one of its people, you don’t clean yourself after intercourse, and this is a writing which none touches except for those who have purified themselves.” But I wouldn’t give up until she gave it to me. I opened it and there in it was, “In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate.” When I passed by one of the names of Allah, exalted is He, I became afraid of it and I put down the page. Then I came back to myself and picked up the page and there in it was, “There glorifies Allah that which is in the heavens and the earth,” and I became afraid. I read up until, “believe in Allah and His messenger!” (Qur’an 57: 1-7) and so I said, “I witness that there is no god but Allah,” and so they all came out to me hastily, saying, “Allahu Akbar!” and said, “Rejoice! Because the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, supplicated on Monday and said, ‘O Allah strengthen Your deen with whoever is the more beloved of the two men to You, either Abu Jahl ibn Hisham or ‘Umar.’” They directed me to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in a house at the foot of as-Safa, and I went to it and knocked on the door. They said, “Who is it?” I said, “Ibn al-Khattab.” They knew my severity against the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, so nobody moved to open the door until he said, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, “Open it for him.” They opened it for me, two men grabbed hold of me by the upper arms and brought me to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said, “Leave him alone.” Then he grabbed me by my shirt and dragged me forcibly towards him and said, “Accept Islam, Ibn al-Khattab. O Allah guide him,” and I bore witness and the Muslims said, “Allahu Akbar!” so loudly that it was heard in the valleys of Makkah.

‘They had been concealing themselves. I did not wish to see a man striking and being struck but that I experienced it myself and none of that touched me. I went to my uncle Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, who was one of the nobility, and knocked on his door. He said, “Who is it?” I said, “Ibn al-Khattab, and I have converted.” He said, “Don’t do it,” and slammed the door on me. I said, “This isn’t anything,” and went to one of the great ones of Quraysh, called out to him and he came out to me. I said to him the same as I had said to my uncle, he said to me the same as my uncle had said to me, went in and slammed the door on me. I said, “This isn’t anything, the Muslims are being struck and I am not being struck.” A man said to me, “Would you like your acceptance of Islam to be known?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “When people are seated in the Hijr go to so-and-so, a man who cannot possibly conceal a secret, and say to him, just between yourself and him, ‘I have converted,’ for it is very rare that he has ever concealed a secret.” I went and people had already gathered in the Hijr. I said, just between me and him, “I have converted.” He said, “Did you really do that?” I said, “Yes.” He cried at the top of his voice, “Ibn al-Khattab has converted.” They ran up to me; I was hitting them, they were hitting me and people gathered around me. Then my uncle said, “What is this group?” Someone said, “‘Umar has converted.” He stood upon the Hijr and indicated with the palm of his hand, “I have helped the son of my sister.” They dispersed from around me. I did not want to have seen any of the Muslims being struck and striking without seeing it myself, so I said, “This which has happened to me is nothing.” I went to my uncle and said, “Your help is returned to you,” and I continued to hit and be hit until Allah strengthened Islam.’

Abu Nu‘aym narrated in ad-Dala’il and Ibn ‘Asakir that Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, said: I asked ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, ‘For what reason were you called Al-Faruq?’ He said, ‘Hamzah accepted Islam three days before me. I went to the mosque, and Abu Jahl hurried up to abuse the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and Hamzah was told about it. He took his bow and came to the mosque up to the circle of Quraysh in which Abu Jahl was. He leant upon his bow facing Abu Jahl and looked at him, and Abu Jahl recognised the mischief in his face, and said, “What is wrong with you, Abu ‘Umarah?” He raised his bow and with it struck one of the veins in his neck, cutting it so that blood flowed. Quraysh rectified that from fear of mischief and trouble.’ He said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was concealed in the house of al-Arqam al-Makhzumi so Hamzah went off and accepted Islam. I went out three days after him and there was so-and-so son of so-and-so al-Makhzumi, and I said to him, “Do you yearn to get out of the deen of your ancestors and follow the deen of Muhammad?” He said, “If I did, then one who has much greater right upon you has also done it.” I said, “Who is he?” He said, “Your sister and your brother in-law.” I went off, found the door locked and heard the murmur of lowered voices. Then the door was opened for me. I entered and said, “What is this I hear with you?” They said, “You didn’t hear anything,” and the conversation continued between us until I took hold of my brother in-law’s head and hit him, making him bleed. My sister stood up to me and took hold of my head and said, “That has happened despite you.” I was ashamed when I saw the blood, so I sat down and said, “Show me this writing.” My sister said, “No-one touches it except for the purified. If you are truthful then get up and bathe yourself.” I got up and bathed myself, then I returned and sat down. They brought me a page in which was, “In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate.” I said, “Wholesome and pure names!” “Taha. We have not revealed the Qur’an to you for you to grieve, …” up to His words, “… His are the most beautiful names.” (Qur’an 20: 1-8). It became a great matter in my heart and I said, “From this Quraysh have fled!” I accepted Islam and said, “Where is the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?” She said, “He is in the house of al-Arqam.” I went to the house and knocked on the door. The people gathered and Hamzah said to them, “What is wrong with you.” They said, “‘Umar.” He said, “And if it is ‘Umar? Open the door for him. If he has accepted, then we will accept that from him, and if he turns his back, we will kill him.” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, heard that and came out. I pronounced the shahadah and the people of the house said, “Allahu Akbar!” in such a way that the people of Makkah heard it. I said, “Messenger of Allah, are we not upon the truth?” He said, “Of course.” I said, “Why do we conceal it?” We went out in two ranks, in one of which I was and in the other Hamzah, until we entered the mosque, and Quraysh looked at me and at Hamzah. There came upon them gloom and depression the like of which had never before come upon them. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, named me on that day “al-Faruq” because Islam had been shown openly and a separation made between the truth and falsehood.’

Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Dhakwan said: I said to ‘A’ishah, ‘Who named ‘Umar “al-Faruq”?’ She said, ‘The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.’

Ibn Majah and al-Hakim narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: When ‘Umar accepted Islam, then Jibril descended and said, ‘Muhammad, the inhabitants of heaven rejoice in ‘Umar’s acceptance of Islam.”

Al-Bazzar and al-Hakim, who declared it sahih, narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: When ‘Umar accepted Islam, the idolaters said, ‘The people have been split in half from us today,’ and Allah revealed, ‘O Prophet, Allah is enough for you; and whoever follows you of the believers.’ (Qur’an 8: 64).

Al-Bukhari narrated that Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: We continued to become mighty after the acceptance of Islam by ‘Umar.

Ibn Sa‘d and at-Tabarani narrated that Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Islam of ‘Umar was an opening, his emigration was a help and his imamate was a mercy. I saw us unable to pray towards the House until ‘Umar accepted Islam. When ‘Umar accepted Islam, he fought them until they left us alone and we prayed.

Ibn Sa‘d and al-Hakim narrated that Hudhayfah said: When ‘Umar accepted Islam, Islam was like the man advancing towards you, only increasing in nearness. When ‘Umar was killed, Islam was like the man backing away from you, only increasing in distance.

At-Tabarani narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: The first man to be open about Islam was ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab.

Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Suhayb said: When ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, accepted Islam, he was open about it, invited people to it openly; we sat around the House in circles, we made circuits around the House, we took our rights from whoever was tough with us, and we retaliated against him for some of what he brought us.

Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Aslam the freed slave of ‘Umar said: ‘Umar accepted Islam in Dhu’l-Hijjah of the sixth year of prophethood while he was twenty-six years old.

His emigration

Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that ‘Ali said: I don’t know of anyone who didn’t emigrate in secret except for ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab; because when he wanted to emigrate he strapped on his sword, put his bow over his shoulder, carried his arrows in his hand, and came to the Ka‘bah where the nobles of Quraysh were in the courtyard. He performed seven circuits, and then prayed two raka‘at at the Station (of Ibrahim). Then he approached their circle one step at a time and said, “What ugly faces! Whoever wishes to bereave his mother, orphan his children and widow his wife then let him meet me behind this valley.” Not one of them followed him.

He narrated that al-Bara’, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The first of the Muhajirun who came to us was Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr, then Ibn Umm Maktum, then ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab mounted among twenty others. We said, ‘What has the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, done?’ He said, ‘He is right behind me.’ Then later, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came and Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, along with him.

An-Nawawi said: ‘Umar attended, along with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, all of the battles, and he was one of those who stood firm beside him on the Day of Uhud.

The hadith on his merit, other than those

already quoted in the chapter on as-Siddiq

The two Shaykhs narrated that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘While I was asleep I saw myself in the Garden, and there was a woman performing wudu’ beside a palace. I said, “Whose is this palace?” They said, “It belongs to ‘Umar.” Then I remembered your jealousy and turned away.’ ‘Umar wept and said, ‘Could I be jealous of you, Messenger of Allah?’

The two Shaykhs narrated that Ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘While I was asleep I drank – meaning milk – until I saw satiation flowing in my nails, and then I passed it to ‘Umar.’ They said, ‘How did you interpret it, Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘Knowledge.’

The two Shaykhs narrated that Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, ‘While I was sleeping I saw people being shown to me and they had shirts on. Some of them reached to the breast, and some of them reached lower than that. ‘Umar was shown to me and he had on a shirt which he was dragging along.’ They said, ‘How did you interpret it, Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘The deen.’

The two Shaykhs narrated that Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Ibn al-Khattab, by Him in Whose hand is my self, the shaytan never met you travelling on a road but that he would travel on a road other than your road.’

Al-Bukhari narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘There were in the nations before you people who were inspired, and if there is one in my ummah it is ‘Umar.’

At-Tirmidhi narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Allah has put the truth upon ‘Umar’s tongue and (in) his heart.’ Ibn ‘Umar said: No affair ever happened among people and they spoke about it and ‘Umar spoke about it but that the Qur’an was revealed confirming what ‘Umar said.

At-Tirmidhi narrated, as did al-Hakim who declared it sahih, that ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, said, ‘If there were to be a prophet after me it would be ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab.’ At-Tabarani narrated it from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri and ‘Ismah ibn Malik and Ibn ‘Asakir narrated it from Ibn ‘Umar.

At-Tirmidhi narrated that ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘I am looking at the shaytans of the jinn and men who have fled from ‘Umar.’

Ibn Majah and al-Hakim narrated that Ubayy ibn Ka‘b said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘The first one whom the Truth will shake hands with is ‘Umar, the first He will greet (with the greeting of peace), and the first He will take by the hand and enter into the Garden.’

Ibn Majah and al-Hakim narrated that Abu Dharr said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Truly Allah has placed the truth upon the tongue of ‘Umar, it speaks by him (or he speaks by it).’

Ahmad and al-Bazzar narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Truly Allah has placed the truth on the tongue of ‘Umar and (in) his heart.’ At-Tabarani narrated this hadith from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, Bilal, Mu‘awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan and ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with them, and Ibn ‘Asakir narrated it from a hadith of Ibn ‘Umar,

Ibn Mani‘ narrated in his Musnad that ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: We, the Companions of Muhammad, used not to doubt that the sakinah (tranquillity or Divine presence) spoke by the tongue of ‘Umar.

Al-Bazzar narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘‘Umar is the lamp of the people of the Garden.’ This hadith was narrated by Abu Hurayrah and as-Sa‘b ibn Juththamah.

Al-Bazzar narrated from Qudamah ibn Madh‘un that his paternal uncle ‘Uthman ibn Madh‘un said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘This one is the lock upon the fitnah (sedition and trials),’ and he indicated ‘Umar with his hand. ‘There will remain a door strongly locked between you and the fitnah as long as this one lives among you.’

At-Tabarani narrated in al-Awsat that Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both him and his father, said: Jibril came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, ‘Greet ‘Umar with the greeting of peace and inform him that his anger is might and his good pleasure is judgement.’

Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘The shaytan is afraid of ‘Umar.’

Ahmad narrated by way of Buraydah that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘The shaytan is afraid of you, ‘Umar.’

Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘There is no angel in the heaven that does not respect ‘Umar, and no shaytan on the earth but that is afraid of ‘Umar.’

At-Tabarani narrated in al-Awsat that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Allah glories in the people of ‘Arafah generally and He glories in ‘Umar particularly.’ He narrated the same in al-Kabir in a hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both.

At-Tabarani and ad-Daylami narrated that al-Fadl ibn ‘Abbas said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘The truth, after me, is with ‘Umar wherever he is.’

The two Shaykhs narrated that Ibn ‘Umar and Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with both of them, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘While I was asleep I saw myself at a well upon which was a bucket, so I drew from it as long as Allah willed. Then later Abu Bakr took it and drew a full bucket or two, and in his drawing there was some weakness, and Allah will forgive him. Then ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab came and drew water and it became transformed in his hand into a large bucket, and I have not seen a chief of the people do wonderful deeds such as he did, until the people had satisfied their thirst and settled down (there by the water).’

An-Nawawi said in his Tahdhib: The men of knowledge say, ‘This points to the khilafahs of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, and to the great number of conquests and the victory of Islam in the time of ‘Umar.’

At-Tabarani narrated that Sadisah said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘The shaytan has not met ‘Umar since he accepted Islam but that he fell upon his face.’ Ad-Daraqutni narrated this hadith in al-Afrad by way of Sadisah from Hafsah.

At-Tabarani narrated that Ubayy ibn Ka‘b said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Jibril said to me, “Let Islam weep over the death of ‘Umar.”’

At-Tabarani narrated in al-Awsat that Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Whoever is angry with ‘Umar is angry with me. Whoever loves ‘Umar loves me. Allah glories in the people on the evening of ‘Arafah generally, and He glories in ‘Umar particularly. Allah has not sent a prophet except that he put among his ummah an inspired man and if there is one such in my ummah then it is ‘Umar.’ They said, ‘Prophet of Allah, how inspired?’ He said, ‘The angels speak by his tongue.’ Its isnad is hasan (good).

Sayings of the Companions and first generations on him

Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, said: There is not on the face of the earth a man more beloved to me than ‘Umar. Ibn ‘Asakir narrated it.

Someone said to Abu Bakr during his (last) illness, ‘What will you say to your Lord, when you have appointed ‘Umar?’ He said, ‘I will say to Him, “I have appointed over them the best of them.”’ Ibn Sa‘d narrated it.

‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: When the right-acting are mentioned then begin with ‘Umar. We did not think it unlikely that as-Sakinah (the Divine Presence) spoke with the tongue of ‘Umar. At-Tabarani narrated it in al-Awsat.

Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I have never seen anyone after the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, from the time he died, more perceptive and more liberally generous than ‘Umar. Ibn Sa‘d narrated it.

Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Even if the knowledge of ‘Umar were to be put in one scale of a balance and the knowledge of every living being on the earth were put in the other scale, the knowledge of ‘Umar would outweigh their knowledge. They used to hold the view that he had gone (i.e. died) with nine-tenths of knowledge. At-Tabarani narrated it in al-Kabir, and al-Hakim narrated it.

Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: It is as if the knowledge of mankind was concealed in the understanding of ‘Umar.

Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: By Allah, I do not know a man whom the blame of the one who blames, for the sake of Allah, does not overcome, except for ‘Umar.

‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said – and she mentioned ‘Umar – ‘He was, by Allah! skilful in managing affairs, absolutely unique.’

Mu‘awiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: As for Abu Bakr, he did not want the world and it did not want him. As for ‘Umar, the world wanted him but he did not want it. As for us, we have rolled over in it (like an animal in the dust). Az-Zubayr ibn Bakkar narrated it in al-Muwaffaqiyat.

Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ‘Ali entered upon ‘Umar – and he was shrouded – and said, ‘The mercy of Allah upon you! There is no-one I would prefer to meet Allah with that which is in his page (the record of his actions), after the companionship of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, than this shrouded one.’ Al-Hakim narrated it.

Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: When the right-acting ones are remembered, then begin with ‘Umar. Truly ‘Umar was the most knowledgeable of us of the Book of Allah, and the most understanding (literally: having the most fiqh) of us of the deen of Allah, exalted is He. At-Tabarani and al-Hakim narrated it.

Ibn ‘Abbas was asked about Abu Bakr and he said, ‘He was the good, all of it.’ He was asked about ‘Umar and said, ‘He was like the apprehensive bird which thinks that on every path there is a snare to catch it.’ He was asked about ‘Ali and he said, ‘He was full of resolve, sound judgement, knowledge and valour.’ He narrated it in at-Tuyuriyyat.

At-Tabarani narrated from ‘Umayr ibn Rabi‘ah that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said to Ka‘b al-Ahbar, ‘How do you find my description?’ He said, ‘I find your description to be a horn of iron.’ He asked, ‘What is a horn of iron?’ He said, ‘A strong commander who, for the sake of Allah, the censure of the one who blames does not overcome.’ He said, ‘Then what?’ He said, ‘There will be after you a khalifah whom a wrongdoing group will kill.’ He said, ‘Then what?’ He said, ‘Then there will be the trial (affliction).’

Ahmad, al-Bazzar and at-Tabarani narrated that Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab excelled people in four: the affair of the prisoners on the Day of Badr, he ordered that they should be killed and Allah revealed, ‘If it were not for a decree of Allah which had preceded …’ (Qur’an 8: 68) to the end of the ayah; and in the matter of the hijab, he ordered the women of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to veil themselves, so Zaynab said to him, ‘And really you are responsible over us Ibn al-Khattab, and the revelation descends upon us in our houses?’ So Allah revealed, ‘Then if you ask them for some item …’ (Qur’an 33: 53) to the end of the ayah; and by the supplication of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ‘O Allah, help Islam with ‘Umar’; and in his view of Abu Bakr, for he was the first one to pledge allegiance to him.

Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Mujahid said: We used to say that the shaytans were chained and shackled during the amirate of ‘Umar, then when he was struck they spread abroad.

He narrated that Salim ibn ‘Abdullah said: News of ‘Umar was slow in reaching Abu Musa so he went to a woman who had a shaytan in her, and asked her about him. She said, ‘Wait until my shaytan comes to me.’ Then he came and she asked him about him. He said, ‘I left him dressed with a piece of cloth as a waistwrapper, smearing the camels of the sadaqah (the zakat) with tar (against the mange or scab). And that is a man whom a shaytan does not see but that he falls flat on his nostrils; the angel is between his two eyes and the Ruh al-Quds (Jibril) speaks with his tongue.’

Section

Sufyan ath-Thawri said: Whoever claimed that ‘Ali had more right to authority than Abu Bakr and ‘Umar has made a mistake and has accused Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and all the Muhajirun and the Ansar of making a mistake.

Sharik said: No-one in whom there is any good advances ‘Ali before Abu Bakr and ‘Umar.

Abu Usamah said: Do you grasp who Abu Bakr and ‘Umar were? They were the father and mother of Islam.

Ja‘far as-Sadiq said: I am quit of whoever mentions Abu Bakr and ‘Umar with anything but good.

The agreements of (the views of) cUmar

(with subsequent confirmatory revelations of Qur’an)

Some of them make them amount to more than twenty.

Ibn Mardawayh narrated that Mujahid said: ‘Umar used to hold a view and Qur’an would be revealed with (confirmation of) it.

Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that ‘Ali said: In the Qur’an there are some of the views of ‘Umar.

He narrated from Ibn ‘Umar as a marfu‘ [hadith]: When people said one thing and ‘Umar said another, the Qur’an would be revealed with the like of what ‘Umar said.

The two Shaykhs narrated that ‘Umar said: I agreed with my Lord in three things; I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, if only we were to take the Station of Ibrahim as a place of prayer,’ and there was revealed, ‘… and take the Station of Ibrahim as a place of prayer.’ (Qur’an 2: 125). I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, both good and bad people come to visit your wives; if only you would order them to wear hijabs,’ and the ayah of the hijab was revealed. The wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, united in jealousy, and so I said, ‘Perhaps his Lord, if he divorces you, will give him in exchange wives better than you, …’ and it was revealed just like that (with exactly the same words, see Qur’an 66: 5).

Muslim narrated that ‘Umar said, ‘I agreed with my Lord in three things: in the hijab, in the prisoners at Badr, and in the Station of Ibrahim.’ In this hadith is a fourth instance.

In at-Tahdhib of an-Nawawi, ‘The Qur’an was revealed in agreement with him on the prisoners at Badr, on the hijab, on the Station of Ibrahim and on the prohibition of wine.’ He added a fifth instance and its hadith is in the Sunan and the Mustadrak of al-Hakim that he said, ‘O Allah, make clear to us about wine with an explanation which relieves us from all doubt.’ Then Allah revealed its prohibition.

Ibn Abi Hatim narrated in his tafsir that Anas said: ‘Umar said, ‘I was in agreement with my Lord in four things: this ayah was revealed, “And certainly We have created man from an extraction of clay,” (Qur’an 23: 12) and when it was revealed I said, “So blessed be Allah the best of creators,” and then it was revealed, “So blessed be Allah the best of creators.”’ (Qur’an 95: 8). Here he mentioned a sixth instance. The hadith has another chain of transmission from Ibn ‘Abbas which I have narrated in at-Tafsir al-Musnad.

Then I saw in the book Fada’il al-Imamayn of Abu ‘Abdullah ash-Shaybani that he said, ‘‘Umar agreed with his Lord in twenty-one situations,’ and he mentioned these six (aforementioned). He augmented as a seventh the story of ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy. I say: Its hadith is in the sahih traditions from him (‘Umar). He said, ‘When ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy died, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, was invited to perform the funeral prayer over him so he stood up for that. I rose up until I stood up close to his chest and said, “Messenger of Allah, is it over the enemy of Allah, Ibn Ubayy, who said one day such-and-such?” Then, by Allah, it wasn’t very long until it was revealed, “And do not pray over one of them ever …” (Qur’an 9: 84) to the conclusion of the ayah.’

8. ‘They ask you about wine …’ (Qur’an 2: 219) to the end of the ayah.

9. ‘O you who believe, do not approach the prayer …’ (Qur’an 4: 43) to the end of the ayah. I say that the two of them, along with the ayah from Al-Ma’idah, are one instance, and the three are in the preceding hadith.

10. When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, increased in seeking forgiveness for a people, ‘Umar said, ‘It is equal to them.’ Then Allah revealed, ‘It is equal to them whether you seek forgiveness for them …’ (Qur’an 63: 2) to the end of the ayah. I say that this hadith has been narrated by at-Tabarani from Ibn ‘Abbas.

11. When he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sought the advice of the Companions about the expedition to Badr, ‘Umar was in favour of the expedition and so it was revealed, ‘Just as your Lord brought you out of your house by the truth …’ (Qur’an 8: 5) to the end of the ayah.

12. When he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sought the advice of the Companions with respect to the story of the slander (of ‘A’ishah) ‘Umar said, ‘Who married you to her, Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘Allah.’ He said, ‘Do you think that your Lord would conceal a defect of hers from you? Glory be to You, this is huge slander!’ (Qur’an 24: 16). Then the revelation came down just like that.

13. His story in the fast when he made love to his wife after waking from sleep (before the pre-dawn meal) – and that was forbidden in the beginning of Islam – and so it was revealed, ‘It is permitted to you on the night of the fast …’ (Qur’an 2: 187) to the end of the ayah. I say that Ahmad narrated it in his Musnad.

14. His words, Exalted is He, ‘Whoever is an enemy to Jibril …’ (Qur’an 2: 97) to the end of the ayah. I say that Ibn Jarir and others narrated it from many different narrators the best of which is from ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Layla that: A Jew met ‘Umar and said, ‘Jibril, whom your companion mentions, is an enemy to us.’ So ‘Umar said, ‘Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and His messengers and Jibril and Mika’il, then truly Allah is an enemy to the disbelievers.’ So it was revealed on the tongue of ‘Umar.

15. His words, Exalted is He, ‘Then no! By your Lord, they do not believe …’ (Qur’an 4: 65) to the end of the ayah. I say that its story has been narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Mardawayh from Abu’l-Aswad. He said: Two men brought a dispute to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, and he gave judgement between them. The one who had judgement given against him said, ‘Let us go to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab,’ and so the two of them went to him. The man said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave judgement in my favour against this man and he said, “Let us go to ‘Umar.”’ ‘Umar said, ‘Is it like that?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ So ‘Umar said, ‘Stay where you are until I come out to you.’ Then he came out to them wrapping his sword in his garment and struck the one who had said, ‘Let us go to ‘Umar,’ and killed him. The other returned and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, ‘Umar killed – by Allah! – my companion.’ So he said, ‘I wouldn’t have thought that ‘Umar would have ventured to kill a believer.’ Then Allah revealed, ‘Then no! By your Lord they do not believe …’ to the end of the ayah. He declared, there was to be no retaliation or compensation for the blood of the man and declared ‘Umar free from any wrong in his killing. There is another connected text that supports this story which I have related in at-Tafsir al-Musnad.

16. Seeking permission to enter. That was because his servant entered his room when he was sleeping and he said, ‘O Allah, forbid entrance.’ Then the ayah of seeking permission to enter was revealed.

17. His saying about the Jews, ‘They are a confounded people.’

18. His words, exalted is He, ‘Many of the first ones and many of the latter ones.’ (Qur’an 56: 39-40). I say that Ibn ‘Asakir narrated it in his Tarikh from Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah and that it is in the Asbab an-Nuzul.

19. The lifting (abrogation) of the recitation of, ‘The older man and the older woman when they commit adultery …’ to the end of the ayah.1

20. His words on the Day of Uhud when Abu Sufyan said, ‘Is so-and-so among the people?” (‘Umar said) “We will not answer him,’ and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, agreed with him. I say that Ahmad narrated its story in his Musnad.

He said: And one joins to this what ‘Uthman ibn Sa‘id ad-Darimi narrated in his book ar-Radd ‘ala’l-Jahmiyah by way of Ibn Shihab from Salim ibn ‘Abdullah that Ka‘b al-Ahbar said, ‘Woe to the king of the earth from the King of heaven.’ Then ‘Umar said, ‘Except for whoever takes himself to account.’ Ka‘b said, ‘By the One in Whose hand is my soul it is in the Tawrah. You have carried it on (the words of the verse) consecutively.’ Then ‘Umar fell prostrate.

Then I have seen in al-Kamil of Ibn ‘Adi by the route of ‘Abdullah ibn Nafi‘ – and he is weak – from his father from ‘Umar that Bilal used to say, when he called the adhan, ‘I witness that there is no god but Allah. Come to prayer.’ Then ‘Umar said to him, ‘Say after it, “I witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”’ The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Say as ‘Umar said.’

His miracles

Al-Bayhaqi and Abu Nu‘aym narrated, both of them in [books that they each called] Dala’il an-Nubuwwah, and al-Lalka’i in Sharh as-Sunnah, ad-Dayr‘aquli in his Fawa’id, Ibn al-A‘rabi in his Karamat al-Awliya and al-Khateeb in Ruwat Malik ‘an Nafi‘ ‘an Ibn ‘Umar that Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘Umar sent an army and he put at the head of them a man called Sariyah. While ‘Umar was delivering the khutbah he began to cry out, ‘Sariyah, the mountain!’ three times. Then later the messenger of the army came and he told ‘Umar, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, we were being defeated and in that situation we heard a voice crying out, “Sariyah, the mountain!” three times. We put the mountain to our rear, and then Allah defeated them.’ Someone said to ‘Umar, ‘You cried out with those words.’ That mountain, where Sariyah was, is close to Nahawand in the land of the non-Arabs (Persian Iraq). Ibn Hajar said in al-Isabah: Its isnad is good.

Ibn Mardawayh narrated by way of Maymun ibn Mihran that Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘Umar was delivering the khutbah on the day of Jumu‘ah and then he turned aside during his khutbah and said, ‘Sariyah, the mountain! He who asks the wolf to be a shepherd will be wronged.’ People looked about, one to another. Then ‘Ali said to them, ‘Let him explain what he meant.’ When he had finished they asked him and he said, ‘It occurred to me in my mind that the idolaters were defeating our brothers who were passing by a mountain, and that if they were to turn towards it, they would fight on one front only, but if they passed by it they would be destroyed. So there came out of me that which you claim you heard.’ He said: The messenger came a month later and mentioned that they had heard the voice of ‘Umar on that day, and he said, ‘We turned towards the mountain, and Allah gave us victory.’

Abu Nu‘aym said in ad-Dala’il that ‘Amr ibn al-Harith said: While ‘Umar (ibn al-Khattab) was upon the minbar delivering the khutbah on the day of Jumu‘ah suddenly he left off the khutbah and said, ‘Sariyah, the mountain!’ two or three times. Some of those present said, ‘He has gone mad, he is insane.’ ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Awf went in to see him – and he had confidence in him – and he said, ‘You give them room to talk against you. While you were giving the khutbah, suddenly you cried out, “Sariyah, the mountain!” What sort of thing is this?’ He said, ‘By Allah, I could not control it. I saw them fighting near a mountain and they were being attacked from in front of them and from behind them. I could not stop myself from saying, “Sariyah, the mountain!” so that they would reach the mountain.’ Then they waited some time until Sariyah’s messenger came with his letter, ‘The people met us (in battle) on the day of Jumu‘ah, and we fought them until, when it was time for Jumu‘ah, we heard someone cry out, “Sariyah, the mountain!” twice, so we reached the mountain. We continued victorious over our enemy until Allah defeated them and killed them.’ Then those people who had accused him said, ‘Leave this man alone, because he is in collusion with him.’

Abu’l-Qasim ibn Bishran narrated in his Fawa’id by way of Musa ibn ‘Uqbah from Nafi‘ that Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said to a man, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jamrah (a live coal).’ He asked, ‘Whose son?’ He said, ‘The son of Shihab (flame).’ He asked, ‘From what tribe?’ He said, ‘From al-Hurqah (a state of burning).’ He asked, ‘Where is your dwelling?’ He said, ‘At al-Harrah (“the volcanic tract” from al-harr – the heat).’ He asked, ‘In which of them?’ He said, ‘Dhat Ladha (the blazing one).’ ‘Umar said, ‘Go to your family for they have been burnt.’ The man returned to his family and found that they had been burnt. Malik narrated the like of it in the Muwatta from Yahya ibn Sa‘id, Ibn Durayd in al-Akhbar al-Manthurah, Ibn al-Kalbi in al-Jami‘ and others narrated it.

Abu’sh-Shaykh narrated in Kitab al-‘Adhamah: Abu’t-Tib narrated to us: ‘Ali ibn Dawud narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Fattah ibn Salih narrated to us: ‘Abdullah ibn Salih narrated to us: Ibn Lahi‘ah narrated to us from Qais ibn al-Hajjaj, from someone he related from, said: When Egypt was conquered, its people came to ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, when the first day of one of their months arrived, and they said to him, ‘Amir, this Nile of ours has a custom (sunnah) without which it does not flow.’ He asked, ‘And what is that?’ They said, ‘When eleven nights have elapsed of this month we seek a young virgin from her parents, we obtain the consent of the parents, then we dress her in the best possible clothing and ornaments, and then we throw her in this Nile.’ So ‘Amr said to them, ‘This will never be in Islam. Islam demolishes what precedes it.’ They left, and neither did the Nile flow a little nor a lot, so much so that they intended to emigrate. When ‘Amr saw that, he wrote to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab about it. He wrote back to him, ‘You were right in what you said. Truly, Islam demolishes what precedes it.’ He sent a slip of paper inside his letter and wrote to ‘Amr, ‘I have sent you a slip of paper inside my letter, so throw it in the Nile.’ When ‘Umar’s letter reached ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, he took the slip and opened it, and there was in it, ‘From the slave of Allah ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab Amir al-Mu’minin to the Nile of Egypt. Now, if you used to flow before, then don’t flow! If it was Allah who made you flow, then I ask the Overwhelming One to make you flow.’ He threw the slip into the Nile a day before (the Festival of) the Cross. They woke up in the morning, and Allah, Exalted is He, had made it flow (and it rose) sixteen cubits in one night. Allah cut off this sunnah (custom) of the people of Egypt right up to this day.

Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Tariq ibn Shihab said: A man was in conversation with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and told him a lie, and he would say, ‘Withhold this.’ Then later he told him something else and he said, ‘Withhold this.’ He said to him, ‘Everything I told you was true except for what you told me to withhold.’

He narrated that al-Hasan said: If there was anyone who recognised a lie when he was told it, it was ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab.

Al-Bayhaqi narrated in ad-Dala’il that Abu Hudbah al-Himsi said: ‘Umar was told that the people of Iraq had pelted their amir with pebbles and he went out angry. He performed the prayer but was forgetful in his prayer. When he had completed the prayer, he said, ‘O Allah, they have made me confused, so make them confused, and hasten with the youth of (the tribe of) Thaqif who will pass judgement among them with the judgement of Jahiliyyah, who will not accept from their good-doers and he will not pass over their wrongdoers with pardon.’ I say that this indicates al-Hajjaj. Ibn Lahi‘ah said, ‘Al-Hajjaj was not yet born at that time.’

Some particulars of his biography

Ibn Sa‘d narrated that al-Ahnaf ibn Qays said: We were sitting at ‘Umar’s door and a slave girl passed by, and they said, ‘The concubine of the Amir al-Mu’minin.’ He said, ‘She is not the concubine of the Amir al-Mu’minin, and she is not permitted to him. She is of the property of Allah.’ So we said, ‘Then what is permitted to him of the property of Allah, exalted is He?’ He said, ‘There is only permitted to ‘Umar of the property of Allah two garments, a garment for the winter and a garment for the summer, that with which I can perform the Hajj and the ‘Umrah (i.e. an ihram), my sustenance and the sustenance of my family, as a man of Quraysh who is not the wealthiest of them nor the poorest, then I am, after that, a man among the Muslims.’

Khuzaymah ibn Thabit said, ‘Whenever ‘Umar appointed a governor, he wrote to him and made a condition on him that he should not ride a birdhaun (a large heavy non-Arabian horse from Asia Minor or Greece), nor eat delicacies, nor dress in finery, nor lock his door against the needy. If he did that, it would be permitted to punish him.’

‘Ikrimah ibn Khalid and others said: Hafsah, ‘Abdullah and others spoke to ‘Umar and said, ‘If only you were to eat wholesome food it would strengthen you upon the truth.’ He asked, ‘Are you all of this view?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘I have learnt what your sincere advice is. However, I have left my two companions on a highway, and if I abandon their highway I will not reach them in the house.’ He (‘Ikrimah) said: An affliction befell the people one year, and that year he did not eat clarified butter nor fat.

Ibn Mulaykah said: ‘Utbah ibn Farqad spoke to ‘Umar about his food and he said, ‘Mercy on you! Should I eat up my wholesome sweet things in my worldly life and seek to enjoy myself with them?’

Al-Hasan said: ‘Umar entered in upon his son ‘Asim when he was eating meat and he said, ‘What is this?’ He said, ‘We had a craving for it.’ He said, ‘Every time you crave something, do you eat it? It is sufficient wasteful extravagance for a man that he eats everything for which he has an appetite.’

Aslam said: ‘Umar said, ‘There occurred to my heart a desire for fresh fish.’ He (Aslam) said: Yarfa’ mounted his camel and rode four miles there, four miles back, buying a basketful and bringing it back. Then he went to his camel, washed it, and went to ‘Umar. He said, ‘Let us go and I will look at the camel.’ He said, ‘Did you forget to wash this sweat beneath its ears? Have you tormented an animal for the appetite of ‘Umar? No! by Allah! ‘Umar will not taste of your basket.’

Qatadah said: ‘Umar used to dress, while he was khalifah, with a garment of wool patched in parts with leather, and he would go around in the markets with a whip over his shoulder with which he would correct people. He would pass bits of rags and pieces of date-stones, which he would stumble on unexpectedly, and he would throw them into people’s houses for them to use.

Anas said: I saw between ‘Umar’s shoulder-blades, four patches in his shirt. Abu ‘Uthman an-Nahdi said: I saw ‘Umar wearing a waistwrapper patched with leather. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amir ibn Rabi‘ah said: I performed the Hajj with ‘Umar and he did not pitch a tent of goat’s hair nor of wool. He used to throw the upper part of his ihram and his leather mat over a bush and seek shelter underneath it. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Isa said: There were two dark furrows in ‘Umar’s face from his weeping. Al-Hasan said: ‘Umar used to pass by an ayah in his wird (daily portion set aside to recite) and he would fall down (in a faint) until he revived after some days. Anas said: I entered a walled garden and heard ‘Umar saying, while there was a wall between us, ‘‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, Amir al-Mu’minin. Well done! Well done! By Allah, you will fear Allah, Ibn al-Khattab or Allah will punish you.’ ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amir ibn Rabi‘ah said: I saw ‘Umar take up a straw from the ground and say, ‘I wish I was this straw. I wish I was nothing. I wish that my mother had not given birth to me.’ ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar ibn Hafs said: ‘Umar carried a skin full of water upon his neck. Someone spoke to him about that and he said, ‘My self was filling me with conceit and I wished to humble it.’ Muhammad ibn Sirin said: An in-law of ‘Umar’s came to see him and asked him to give him something from the bait al-mal and ‘Umar refused him and said, ‘Do you want me to meet Allah as a treacherous King?’ Then he gave him from his own property ten thousand dirhams. An-Nakha‘i said: ‘Umar used to trade while he was khalifah. Anas said: ‘Umar’s stomach rumbled from eating olive oil the year of the drought – he had forbidden himself clarified butter – and he tapped on his stomach with his finger and said, ‘There is nothing else for us, until the people have the means of living.’ Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said, ‘The person I like most is the one who points out to me my defects.’ Aslam said: I saw ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab taking hold of the ear of the horse, taking hold of his own ear with the other hand, and leaping up on the back of the horse. Ibn ‘Umar said: I never saw ‘Umar become angry, and then Allah was mentioned in his presence or he was made to fear, or a person would recite an ayah from the Qur’an in his presence, but that he stopped short of what he meant to do. Bilal said to Aslam, ‘How do you find ‘Umar?’ He said, ‘The best of people, except that when he becomes angry it is a mighty matter.’ Bilal said, ‘If I was with him when he became angry, I would recite Qur’an to him until his anger went.’ Al-Ahwas ibn Hakim said, narrating from his father: ‘Umar was brought meat dressed with clarified butter and he refused to eat the two of them. He said, ‘Both of them are seasonings.’ All of the foregoing traditions are from Ibn Sa‘d.

Ibn Sa‘d narrated that al-Hasan said: ‘Umar said, ‘It is an easy thing by which I put right a people, that I exchange them an amir in place of an amir.”

His description

Ibn Sa‘d and al-Hakim narrated that Zirr said: I went out with the people of Madinah on the day of ‘Eid and I saw ‘Umar walking barefoot, an old man, balding, of a tawny colour, left-handed, tall, towering over people as if he were on a riding beast. Al-Waqidi said: It is not known among us that ‘Umar was tawny, unless he saw him in the year of the drought, because his colour changed when he ate olive oil.

Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Ibn ‘Umar described ‘Umar and said: A man of fair complexion, with a ruddy tint prevailing, tall, balding and grey-haired.

He narrated that ‘Ubaydah ibn ‘Umayr said: ‘Umar used to overtop people in height.

He narrated that Salamah ibn al-Akwa‘ said: ‘Umar was left and right-handed, meaning that he used both hands together.

Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Abu Raja’ al-‘Utaridi said: ‘Umar was a tall stout man, extremely bald, fair but extremely ruddy, in the two sides of his beard a lightness, his moustache was large and at its extremities there was a redness at the roots of which there was black.

In the Tarikh of Ibn ‘Asakir by various routes there is that the mother of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab was Hantamah the daughter of Hisham ibn al-Mughirah and she was the sister of Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, so that Abu Jahl was his maternal uncle.

His khilafah

He took on the khilafah through the covenant of Abu Bakr in Jumada al-Akhirah in the year 13 AH.

Az-Zuhri said, ‘‘Umar was appointed khalifah on the day that Abu Bakr died which was Tuesday eight days before the end of Jumada al-Akhirah.’ Al-Hakim narrated it. He undertook the command most fully, and there were very many openings in his days.

In the year 14 AH, Damascus was opened [to Islam] partly both by treaty and force, and Homs (ancient Emessa) and Baalbek by treaty, and Basra and Ubullah by force.

‘In that year ‘Umar united people in one jama‘ah in salat at-tarawih (the optional prayers said at night in Ramadan),’ said al-‘Askari in Al-Awa’il (Firsts).

In the year 15 AH, all of Jordan was opened [to Islam] by force except for Tiberias which was by treaty. In this year there were the battles of Yarmuk and Qadisiyyah.

Ibn Jarir said: In it Sa‘d founded Kufa, and ‘Umar instituted regular wages (for the fighting men), registers, and gave allowances according to priority.

In the year 16 AH, Ahwaz and Mada’in were opened, and in the latter Sa‘d established the Jumu‘ah in the great hall of Khosrau, and this was the first Jumu‘ah to be held in Iraq. That was in the month of Safar. In it, was the battle of Jalula in which Yezdajird the son of Khosrau was defeated and he retreated back to Rayy. In it, Takrit was opened, ‘Umar travelled and took al-Bait al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) and gave his famous khutbah in al-Jabiyyah. Kinnasrin, Aleppo, and Antioch were opened by force, Manbij by treaty, and Saruj by force. In that year, Qirqisiya’ was opened by treaty. In Rabi‘ al-Awwal, dating was begun from the Hijrah on the advice of ‘Ali.

In the year 17 AH, ‘Umar increased the size of the Prophet’s Mosque. In it there was drought and famine in the Hijaz and it was called the Year of Destruction, and ‘Umar prayed for rain for people by means of al-‘Abbas.

Ibn Sa‘d narrated from Niyar al-Aslami that ‘Umar, when he came out to pray for rain, came out with the cloak of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, upon him.

He narrated that Ibn ‘Awn said: ‘Umar took hold of the hand of al-‘Abbas and raised it up, saying, ‘O Allah, we approach You by means of the uncle of Your Prophet (asking) that You drive away from us the drought, and that You give us to drink from the rain,’ and they didn’t leave before they were given to drink. The sky poured down upon them for days. In that year Ahwaz was taken by treaty.

In the year 18 AH, Jundaysabur was opened [to Islam] by treaty, and Hulwan by force. In it, was the plague of Emaus; Urfa (Edessa) and Sumaysat were opened by force; Harran, Nasibin and a part of Mesopotamia by force, and it has been said, by treaty; and Mosul and its environs by force.

In the year 19 AH, Cæsarea was opened by force.

In the year 20 AH, Egypt was opened by force. It is also said that all of Egypt was opened by treaty except for Alexandria which was opened by force. ‘Ali ibn Rabah said, ‘The whole of the Maghrib (northwestern Africa) was opened by force.’ In that year Tustar was opened, Caesar (Heraclius), the great man of the Byzantines, died. In it also, ‘Umar expelled the Jews from Khaybar and Najran, and he apportioned Khaybar and Wadi’l-Qurra’ (between those who had been present there at the original battles of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

In the year 21 AH, Alexandria was opened by force, and Nahawand, after which the Persians could not muster an army, and Barqah and other places.

In the year 22 AH, Azerbaijan was opened by force, and it has been said, by treaty, and Dinawr by force, Masabdhan and Hamadan by force, and Tripoli of North Africa, Rai, ‘Askar and Qumas.

In the year 23 AH, there were the openings [to Islam] of Kirman, Sijistan, Makran in the mountainous lands, and also Isfahan and its environs.

In the end of this year there was the death of Sayyiduna ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, after his return from the Hajj; he was killed as a martyr.

Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab said: When ‘Umar returned from Mina (to Makkah), he made his camel kneel down in the watercourse, then he threw himself down, raised his hands to the sky and said, ‘O Allah! I am advanced in years, my strength has weakened, and my subjects have increased, so take me to You without (my) being wasteful or falling short.’ Dhu’l-Hijjah had not gone before he was killed. Al-Hakim narrated it.

Abu Salih as-Saman said: Ka‘b al-Ahbar said to ‘Umar, ‘I find you in the Tawrah killed as a martyr.’ He said, ‘How can I be a martyr when I am in the peninsula of the Arabs?’

Aslam said: ‘Umar said, ‘O Allah provide me with martyrdom in Your way, and make my death to be in the city of Your Messenger.’ Al-Bukhari narrated it.

Ma‘dan ibn Abi Talhah: ‘Umar gave a khutbah and said, ‘I saw (in a dream) as if a cock pecked at me once or twice, and I can only believe that it means that my term has come. There are people who tell me to appoint a successor, and Allah will not cause His deen to go to waste nor His khilafah. If the matter is hastened for me, then the khilafah is a matter of consultation between these six whom the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was pleased with when he died.’ Al-Hakim narrated it.

Az-Zuhri said: ‘Umar would not permit a captive who had reached the age of puberty to enter Madinah until al-Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah wrote to him – and he was the governor of Kufa – mentioning to him a slave who had a number of crafts and asking permission that he enter Madinah, saying, ‘He has many trades which are useful to people. He is a blacksmith, engraver and carpenter.’ He gave permission to him to send him to Madinah. Al-Mughirah put a demand for revenue on him (the slave) of one hundred dirhams per month, so the slave came to ‘Umar to complain of the severity of that imposition. He [‘Umar] said, ‘Your demand for revenue is not that much,’ and he [the slave] turned away in anger and threateningly. ‘Umar waited some days and then called him and said, ‘Have I not been informed that you say, “If I wished, I could make a mill which will grind by means of the wind.”’ Then he turned his face to ‘Umar with a frown and said, ‘I will make for you a mill which people will talk about.’ When he turned away, ‘Umar said to his companions, ‘The slave threatened me just now.’ After a while Abu Lu’lu’ah wrapped his garments around a dagger with two heads (to the blade) whose handle was in the middle of it, hid in one of the corners of the mosque in the darkness of the last part of the night, and there he waited until ‘Umar came out waking people up for the prayer. When he drew near to him, he stabbed him three times. Ibn Sa‘d narrated it.

‘Amr ibn Maymun al-Ansari said: Abu Lu’lu’ah, the slave of al-Mughirah, stabbed ‘Umar with a dagger which had two heads, and he stabbed, along with him, twelve other men of whom six died, then a man from Iraq threw a robe over him. When he became tangled up in it, he killed himself.

Abu Rafi‘ said: Abu Lu’lu’ah, the slave of al-Mughirah, used to make mills. Al-Mughirah used to demand as revenue from him four dirhams a day. He met ‘Umar and said, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, al-Mughirah is being very heavy on me, so speak to him.’ He said, ‘Behave well towards your master,’ – and ‘Umar’s intention was to speak to al-Mughirah about it – so he (the slave) became angry and said, ‘His justice encompasses all of the people except for me,’ and he secretly decided to kill him. He took a dagger, sharpened it and poisoned it. ‘Umar used to say, ‘Straighten your ranks,’ before he pronounced the takbir. He came and stood opposite him in the rank, stabbed him in his shoulder and side, and ‘Umar fell. Then he stabbed thirteen other men with him, of whom six died. ‘Umar was carried to his family. The sun was about to rise so ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Awf led the people in prayer with the two shortest surahs. ‘Umar was brought some nabidh (a drink made from dates left to soak in water) and he drank it and it came out of his wound, but it wasn’t yet distinct (from the blood). So they gave him some milk to drink, and it came out of his wound and they said, ‘There’s no great harm with you.’ He said, ‘If there is any harm in killing, then I have been killed.’ People began to praise him, saying, ‘You were such and such and you were such and such.’ He said, ‘By Allah, I wish that I had gone out of it, independent of others, with nothing against me and nothing for me, and that the companionship of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, was secure for me.’ Ibn ‘Abbas praised him, so he said, ‘Even if I had that gold which would fill the earth, I would ransom myself by it from the terror of the rising. I have made it (the khilafah) a matter of consultation between ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, Talhah, az-Zubayr, ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Awf and Sa‘d.’ He ordered Suhayb to lead people in prayer, and gave the six a period of three (days in which to decide). Al-Hakim narrated it.

Ibn ‘Abbas said: Abu Lu’lu’ah was a Magian.

‘Amr ibn Maymun said: ‘Umar said, ‘Praise be to Allah Who did not make my decree of death to be at the hands of a man who claimed Islam.’ Then he said to his son, ‘‘Abdullah, look and see what debts I have.’ They calculated it and found it to be eighty-six thousand or thereabouts. He said, ‘If the wealth of the family of ‘Umar is enough, then pay it. If it is not, then ask among Bani ‘Adi, and if their wealth is not enough, then ask among Quraysh. Go to the Mother of the Believers, ‘A’ishah, and say, “‘Umar asks permission to be buried with his two companions.”’ He went to her and she said, ‘I wanted it’ – meaning the burial plot – ‘for myself, but I will definitely prefer him over myself, today.’ ‘Abdullah came and said, ‘She has given permission,’ so he praised Allah. Someone said to him, ‘Make bequest, Amir al-Mu’minin, and appoint a successor.’ He said, ‘I see no-one with more right to this command than these six with whom the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was pleased when he died,’ and he named the six, and said, ‘‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar will be present with them but he has no part in the command. If the office should fall to Sa‘d, then he it is, and if not, then let whoever of you is appointed seek help from him, for I did not remove him (from his office as amir of Kufa) because of any incapacity or treachery.’ Then he said, ‘I counsel the khalifah after me to have fearful obedience of Allah; I counsel him to pay particular care to the Muhajirun and the Ansar, and I counsel him to treat the people of the provinces well,’ and other similar counsels. When he died, we went walking with him, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar called out the greeting and said, ‘‘Umar seeks permission to enter.’ ‘A’ishah said, ‘Bring him in.’ He was brought in and placed there with his two companions.

When they finished burying him and had returned, that group gathered and ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Awf said, ‘Delegate your authority to three among you.’ Az-Zubayr said, ‘I delegate my authority to ‘Ali.’ Sa‘d said, ‘I delegate my authority to ‘Abd ar-Rahman.’ Talhah said, ‘I delegate my authority to ‘Uthman.’ He continued: so there remained these three. ‘Abd ar-Rahman said, ‘I don’t want it. Which of you two will be quit of this matter and we will entrust it to him (the remaining one)? And Allah is his witness and Islam, let him consider in himself who is the best of them and let him be eager for the benefit of the ummah.’ The two Shaykhs, ‘Ali and ‘Uthman were silent. ‘Abd ar-Rahman said, ‘Delegate me and, Allah is my witness, I will not fail you in choosing the best of you.’ They said, ‘Yes.’ Then he went apart with ‘Ali and said, ‘You have that precedence in Islam and kinship with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which you know. Allah is your witness; if I give you authority, will you be just, and if I give authority (to ‘Uthman) over you, will you hear and obey?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ Then he went apart with the other and said to him the same thing. When he had their agreement, he pledged allegiance to ‘Uthman and ‘Ali pledged allegiance to him.

There is in the Musnad of Ahmad that ‘Umar said: If my term overtakes me, and Abu ‘Ubaydah al-Jarrah is still alive, then I would appoint him as khalifah. If my Lord asked me, I would say, ‘I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, “Every Prophet has a trustworthy (companion), and my trustworthy (companion) is Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah.”’ If my term overtakes me, and Abu ‘Ubaydah al-Jarrah has died, I would appoint Mu‘adh ibn Jabal as khalifah. If my Lord asked me, ‘Why did you appoint him as khalifah?’ I would say, ‘I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, “He will be raised up on the Day of Resurrection a distance in front of the men of knowledge.”’ They had both died during his khilafah.

Also in the Musnad there is from Abu Rafi‘ that someone spoke to ‘Umar at his death about the appointment of a khalifah, so he said, ‘I have seen among my companions an unfortunate eagerness. If one of two men had reached me, and then I had entrusted this command to him, I would have been sure of him: Salim the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah and Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah.’

‘Umar was struck on the Wednesday, four days before the end of Dhu’l-Hijjah, and he was buried on Sunday, the day of the new moon of al-Muharram, the Sacred (month). He was sixty-three years old. It has also been said that he was sixty-six, sixty-one, sixty (which al-Waqidi considered the weightiest). It has been said that he was fifty-nine, fifty-five and fifty-four. Suhayb performed the (funeral) prayer over him in the mosque.

In the Tahdhib of al-Mazini, there is that the engraving on the seal-ring of ‘Umar was, ‘Death is enough of an admonisher, ‘Umar.’

At-Tabarani narrated that Tariq ibn Shihab said: Umm Ayman said, on the day ‘Umar was killed, ‘Today Islam has been rent.’

‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Yasar narrated. He said, ‘I witnessed the death of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and the sun was eclipsed on that day.’ The men who transmitted (this hadith) were trustworthy.

The things in which he was first

Al-‘Askari said: He was the first to be called ‘Amir al-Mu’minin’, the first to date events from the Hijrah, the first to take a bait al-mal (see the chapter on Abu Bakr), the first to establish as a sunnah the standing (for prayer) in the month of Ramadan, the first who patrolled at night, the first who punished satire, the first who punished wine-drinking with eighty (lashes), the first who declared al-mut‘ah (temporary marriage) haram (rather the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade it on the Day of Khaybar – see the Muwatta’ of Imam Malik), the first to forbid the sale of female slaves who had borne children to their masters, the first to assemble for prayers over the dead with four takbirs, the first to have a register, the first to make conquests, the first to survey the Sawad (the cultivated land of Iraq), the first to convey food from Egypt upon the Aylah Sea (Gulf of ‘Aqabah) to Madinah, the first who dedicated sadaqah (purely for the sake of Allah) in Islam, and the first who adjusted the division of inheritances (in cases where the calculated portions add up to more than the total inheritance), the first to take the zakat of horses, the first to say, ‘May Allah lengthen your life,’ (he said it to ‘Ali) and the first to say, ‘May Allah help you,’ (he said it to ‘Ali). This is the end of what al-‘Askari mentioned.

An-Nawawi said in his Tahdhib that he was the first to adopt the whip. Ibn Sa‘d mentions it in the Tabaqat, and he said: It used to be said, after him, ‘The whip of ‘Umar is more terrible than your sword.’ He (an-Nawawi) continued: He was the first to appoint qadis in the provinces, the first who established the provinces of (the cities of) Kufa, Basra, and of Mesopotamia, Syria, Cairo (Egypt), and Mosul.

Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Isma‘il ibn Ziyad said: ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib passed by the mosques in Ramadan and in them there were lamps, so he said, ‘May Allah illuminate ‘Umar in his grave, as he has illuminated our mosques for us.’

Section: Ibn Sa‘d said: ‘Umar appointed a meal (flour) house and put flour in it, parched barley meal, dates, raisins and necessities, in order to help the traveller whose journey was interrupted (through need or other causes), and he established between Makkah and Madinah on the road that which would be useful to travellers whose journeys were interrupted. He demolished the Mosque of the Prophet, added to it, expanded it and floored it with pebbles. He was the one who evicted the Jews from the Hijaz (and sent them) to Syria, and evicted the people of Najran (and sent them) to Kufa. He was the one who moved the Station of Ibrahim back (from the Ka‘bah) to where it is today, and it used to be adjoining the House.

Some accounts of him and of his judgements

Al-‘Askari narrated in al-Awa’il, at-Tabarani in al-Kabir, and al-Hakim by way of Ibn Shihab that ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz asked Abu Bakr ibn Sulayman ibn Abi Hathamah what was the reason that it used to be written, ‘From the Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,’ in the time of Abu Bakr, then later ‘Umar used to write at first, ‘From the Khalifah of Abu Bakr’? Then who was the first to write, ‘From the Amir al-Mu’minin (the Commander of the Believers)’? He said, ‘Ash-Shifa, who was one of the women of the Muhajirun, told me that Abu Bakr used to write, “From the Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah,” and ‘Umar used to write, “From the Khalifah of the Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah,” until one day ‘Umar wrote to the governor of Iraq, to send him two strong men whom he could ask about Iraq and its inhabitants. He sent to him Labid ibn Rabi‘ah and ‘Adi ibn Hatim, and they came to Madinah and entered the mosque where they found ‘Amr ibn al-‘As. They said, ‘Get permission for us (to visit) the Amir al-Mu’minin.’ ‘Amr said, ‘You two, by Allah, have hit upon his name!’ Then ‘Amr went in to him and said, ‘Peace be upon you, Amir al-Mu’minin.’ He said, ‘What occurred to you about this name? You must explain what you have said.’ He told him and said, ‘You are the amir (commander) and we are the mu’minun (the believers).’ Thus letters have continued to be written with that from that day.

An-Nawawi said in his Tahdhib: ‘Adi ibn Hatim and Labid ibn Rabi‘ah named him thus when they came as a deputation from Iraq. It has been said that al-Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah named him with this name. It has also been said that ‘Umar said to people, ‘You are the believers and I am your amir,’ and so he was called Amir al-Mu’minin, and before that he was known as the Khalifah of the Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah, but they changed from that expression because of its length.

Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Mu‘awiyah ibn Qurrah said: It used to be written ‘From Abu Bakr the Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah,’ and then when it was ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab they wanted to say, ‘The Khalifah of the Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah.’ ‘Umar said, ‘This is lengthy.’ They said, ‘No. But we have appointed you as amir over us, so you are our amir.’ He said, ‘Yes, and you are the believers, and I am your amir.’ Then it became written Amir al-Mu’minin.

Al-Bukhari narrated in his Tarikh that Ibn al-Musayyab said: The first to write the date was ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab two and a half years into his khilafah, and it was written down as the sixteenth year of the Hijrah, through the advice of ‘Ali.

As-Salafi narrated in at-Tuyuriyyat with a sahih isnad from Ibn ‘Umar from ‘Umar that he wished to record the sunan (customary practices of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and of his companions), so he sought Allah’s choice in the matter (through the supplication known as the istikharah) for a month. Then he arose one morning with a clear resolve and said, ‘I remembered a people who were before you who wrote a book, and then they turned to it and abandoned the Book of Allah.’

Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Shaddad said: The first words that ‘Umar would say when he ascended the minbar were, ‘O Allah, I am severe, so make me gentle, I am weak, so strengthen me, and I am miserly, so make me generous.”

Ibn Sa‘d and Sa‘id ibn Mansur and others narrated by different routes thatt ‘Umar said, ‘I have placed myself in respect to Allah’s property in the same relation as the guardian of the orphan to his (the orphan’s) wealth. If I am in good circumstances, I will refrain from it, and if I am in need I will eat of it in moderation, and if (again later) I am in good circumstances, I will repay.”

Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said that when ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab was in need, he used to go to the man in charge of the bait al-mal and seek a loan from him. Often he might be in difficulty and the man in charge of the public treasury would come to him, seek repayment of the debt and would oblige him to pay it, and ‘Umar would be evasive to him. Then, often ‘Umar would receive his stipend and so pay his debt.

Ibn Sa‘d narrated that al-Bara’ ibn Ma‘rur said that ‘Umar went out one day until he came to the minbar and he had been suffering from a complaint. The good qualities of honey were mentioned to him, and there was a receptacle (made of kidskin) of it in the bait al-mal. He said, ‘If you give me permission I will take it, but if not then it is haram for me.’ They gave him permission.

He narrated that Salim ibn ‘Abdullah said that ‘Umar used to insert his hand into the saddle sore of his camel and say, ‘I fear that I will be asked about what is (wrong) with you.’

He narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: When ‘Umar meant to forbid people from some wrong action, he would come to his family and say, ‘If I come to know of anyone who becomes involved in something I have forbidden, I will double the punishment for him.’

We have narrated in more than one way that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab went out one night to patrol Madinah – and he used to do that a lot – when he came upon one of the women of the Arabs whose door was bolted against her (locking her in) and she was saying:

‘This night, whose stars creep slowly, is wearisome and makes me sleepless,

Because I have no bedfellow with whom to sport,

For, by Allah, if Allah’s punishments were not feared,

His rights would have been removed from this couch.

However, I fear a Watchful One Who is in charge of our selves

And Whose recorder is not negligent for an instant.

Fear of my Lord and modesty prevent me, and I honour my husband (too much),

That his noble station should be conferred (on another).’

So he (‘Umar) wrote to his governors about military expeditions that no-one should be absent for more than four months.

Ibn Sa‘d narrated from Zadan that Salman said that ‘Umar said to him, ‘Am I a king or a khalifah?’ Salman said to him, ‘If you collect a dirham from the land of the Muslims, or less or more, then you put it to an improper use, you are a king, not a khalifah.’ ‘Umar took warning from it.

He narrated that Sufyan ibn Abi’l-‘Arja’ said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said, ‘By Allah, I do not know whether I am a khalifah or a king, for if I am a king then this is a tremendous matter.’ Someone said, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, there is a distinction between the two of them.’ He said, ‘What is it?’ He said, ‘A khalifah does not take except what is due and he does not use it except in the right way, and you, praise be to Allah, are like that. The king treats people unjustly, and takes from this one and gives to that one.’ ‘Umar was silent.

He narrated that Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ‘Umar mounted a horse and his robe disclosed his thigh. The people of Najran saw on his thigh a black mole and said, ‘This is the one whom we find in our Book will exile us from our land.’

He narrated from Sa‘d al-Hari that Ka‘b al-Ahbar said to ‘Umar, ‘We find you in the Book of Allah at one of the gates of Jahannam preventing people from falling into it. When you die, they will carry on plunging into it until the Day of Resurrection.’

He narrated that Abu Mash‘ar said: Our shaykhs told us that ‘Umar said, ‘This matter will not be correct but with the severity that has no haughtiness in it, and with the gentleness that has no weakness in it.’

Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated in his Musannaf that Hakim ibn ‘Umayr said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said, ‘Let not the amir of an army or a raiding party whip anyone for a hadd punishment until he arrives at Darb (Derbe near the Cilician Gates, a mountain pass through which the Muslims passed returning from raids into Byzantine territory) so that the rage of the shaytan does not carry him to the point that he joins with the kuffar.’

Ibn Abi Hatim narrated in his tafsir that ash-Sha‘bi said: The Byzantine Emperor wrote to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, ‘My messengers have come to me from you claiming that among you there is a tree which is not like anything else among trees: it produces something like the ears of the ass, it opens out (to reveal) something like a pearl, it becomes green so that it is like the green emerald, it reddens until it is like the red ruby, then later it ripens and matures so that it becomes like the sweetest honey-cake ever eaten, then later it dries until it becomes a defence (against want) for the house-dweller and a provision for the traveller. If my messengers have told me the truth, I can only imagine that this is one of the trees of the Garden.’ ‘Umar wrote to him, ‘From the slave of Allah, ‘Umar, the Amir al-Mu’minin, to Caesar, the king of the Byzantines. Truly your messengers have told you the truth. This tree, which is with us, is the tree which Allah made to grow over Maryam when she gave birth to ‘Isa her son. So fear Allah and do not take ‘Isa as a god apart from Allah, for truly, “The likeness of ‘Isa with Allah is as the likeness of Adam, He created him from dust, …”’ (Qur’an 3: 59) to the end of the ayah.

Ibn Sa‘d narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that ‘Umar ordered his governors, so they recorded their properties, and among them was Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas. Then ‘Umar shared with them in their properties and took a half and gave them a half.

He narrated that ash-Sha‘bi said that when ‘Umar used to appoint a governor he would record his property.

He narrated that Abu Imamah ibn Sahl ibn Hunayf said: ‘Umar remained some time not eating anything at all from the property of the bait al-mal, until poverty and constriction came upon him in that. He sent for the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to seek their advice. He said, ‘I have occupied myself with this command, so what is fitting for me from it?’ ‘Ali said, ‘The midday and evening meals.’ ‘Umar took that.

He narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that ‘Umar performed the Hajj in the year twenty-three (AH) and spent sixteen dinars upon his Hajj. He said, ‘‘Abdullah we have been extravagant with this property.’

‘Abd ar-Razzaq narrated in the Musannaf that Qatadah and ash-Sha‘bi said: A woman came to ‘Umar and said, ‘My husband stands at night (in prayer) and fasts during the day.’ ‘Umar said, ‘You have praised your husband excellently well.’ Ka‘b ibn Sawwar said, ‘She was complaining.’ ‘Umar said, ‘How?’ He said, ‘She claims that she has no share in her husband (in his time).’ He said, ‘If you understood that much, then you decide between them.’ He said, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, Allah has permitted him four (wives). So she has one day of every four days, and one night of every four nights.’

He narrated that Ibn Jarir said: One I trust informed me that ‘Umar, while he was patrolling, heard a woman saying:

‘This night stretches out and is grievous,

and that I have no intimate to sport with makes me sleepless,

For, if it were not for fear of Allah Whom nothing is like,

his rights would have been removed from this couch.’

‘Umar said, ‘What is wrong with you?’ She said, ‘You sent my husband on an expedition some months ago, and I long for him.’ He said, ‘Do you mean to do wrong?’ She said, ‘(I seek) the refuge of Allah!’ He said, ‘So restrain yourself; it is only (a matter of) the post to him.’ He sent a message to him. Then he went to Hafsah and said, ‘I want to ask you about a matter which concerns me, so dispel it for me. How long does a woman long for her husband?’ She lowered her head and was shy. He said, ‘Truly Allah is not shy of the truth.’ She gestured with her hand, indicating three months, and if that is not possible, then four months. ‘Umar wrote that armies must not be kept on service for more than four months.

He narrated from Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah that he came to ‘Umar to complain to him of the treatment he received from his womenfolk. ‘Umar said to him, ‘We also find that, so much so that when I intend (going out for) some necessity, she says to me, “You are only going to the girls of Bani so-and-so to look at them.”’ ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud said to him, ‘Has it not reached you that Ibrahim, peace be upon him, complained to Allah about Sarah’s character and it was said to him, “She has been created from a rib so have the enjoyment of her company as long as you don’t see in her any unsoundness in her deen.”’

He narrated that ‘Ikrimah ibn Khalid said: One of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab’s sons went in to see him. He had combed and oiled his hair and dressed up in the very best clothing. ‘Umar struck him with a whip until he made him weep. Hafsah asked him, ‘Why did you strike him?’ He said, ‘I saw that his self had made him conceited, and I wanted to make it (his self) small for him.’

He narrated from Ma‘mar from Layth ibn Abi Salim that ‘Umar said, ‘Do not name yourselves with the name al-Hakam (the ruler and judge) nor Abu’l-Hakam (possessor of judgement) for truly Allah, He is al-Hakam (the ruler) and don’t call a road a sikkah.’2

Al-Bayhaqi narrated in Shu‘ab al-Iman that ad-Dahhak said: Abu Bakr said, ‘By Allah, I wish that I were a tree by the side of the road by which a camel passed, and it took me into its mouth, chewed me, swallowed me, passed me out as dung, and that I were not a man.’ ‘Umar said, ‘Would that I were my family’s ram, which they were fattening as much as seemed right to them, until when I became as fat as could be, some people whom they love visit them, and they sacrifice me for them, make some of me into roasted meat, some of me into sun-dried meat, then eat me, and that I were not a human being.’

Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Abu’l-Bakhtari said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab used to give the khutbah on the minbar. Al-Hussein ibn ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, stood up before him and said, ‘Come down from my father’s minbar.’ ‘Umar said, ‘It is the minbar of your father and not the minbar of my father. Who told you to do this?’ ‘Ali stood and said, ‘By Allah, no-one told him to do this. I will certainly cause you (al-Hussein) some pain, traitor.’ He (‘Umar) said, ‘Don’t hurt the son of my brother, for he has told the truth, it is the minbar of his father.’

Al-Khateeb narrated in Adab ar-Rawi from Malik by his route from Ibn Shihab that Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman and Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan were arguing over a certain question until an onlooker said, ‘They will never reach an agreement.’ Yet they only separated on the best and most beautiful terms.

Ibn Sa‘d narrated that al-Hasan said: The first khutbah which ‘Umar delivered, he praised Allah and then said, ‘Right. I have been tested by you and you have been tested by me, and I have succeeded to the khilafah, amongst you, after my two companions. Whoever is here present, we will manage their affairs in person, and whoever is not here with us, we will appoint over him strong and trustworthy people. Whoever acts excellently well, we will increase him in excellent treatment, and whoever acts wrongly we will punish, and may Allah forgive us and you.’

He narrated from Jubayr ibn al-Huwayrith that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, sought the advice of the Muslims on the recording of a register. ‘Ali said to him, ‘Divide up every year what is collected for you of property, and don’t keep any of it.’ ‘Uthman said, ‘I see much wealth, which is sufficient for the people and if it is not counted so that whoever takes is distinguished from whoever does not take, I am afraid that the matter will become confused.’ Al-Walid ibn Hisham ibn al-Mughirah said, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, I went to Syria and I saw that its kings had recorded registers and organised the troops, so record registers and organise the troops.’ He took his advice, and he called ‘Aqil ibn Abi Talib, Makhramah ibn Nawfal and Jubayr ibn Mut‘im, who were genealogists of Quraysh, and said, ‘Record people according to their ranks.’ They recorded them beginning with Banu Hashim, then they followed with Abu Bakr and his people, then ‘Umar and his people, according to the order of their khilafahs. When ‘Umar saw it, he said, ‘Begin with the close relatives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the closest, then the next closest until you place ‘Umar where Allah placed him.’

He narrated that Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab said: ‘Umar recorded the register in al-Muharram of the year 20 AH.

He narrated that al-Hasan said: ‘Umar wrote to Hudhayfah, ‘Give the people their stipends and their provisions.’ He wrote back to him, ‘We have done that and a great deal remains.’ ‘Umar wrote to him, ‘It is their spoils which Allah has given them. It is not ‘Umar’s nor ‘Umar’s family’s. Divide it up among them.’

Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Jubayr ibn Mut‘im said: While ‘Umar was standing on the mountain of ‘Arafah he heard a man calling out, saying, ‘Khalifah of Allah!’ Another man heard him, and they were taking provisions for the way, so he said, ‘What is wrong with you, may Allah split your uvulas?’ I went towards the man and shouted at him. Jubayr continued: Then the next morning, I was standing with ‘Umar at al-‘Aqabah (the major pillar of stones in Mina) and he was stoning it, when there came a stray pebble and split (the skin on) ‘Umar’s head. I turned that way and heard a man from the mountain saying, ‘I make it known, by the Lord of the Ka‘bah, that ‘Umar will not stand in this place after this year,’ and it was the one who had called out among us the day before, and that disturbed me greatly.

He narrated that ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: At the time of the last Hajj which ‘Umar performed with the Mothers of the Believers (the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace), when we returned from ‘Arafah, I passed by al-Muhassab and I heard a man upon his camel saying, ‘Where was ‘Umar, the Amir al-Mu’minin?’ I heard another man saying, ‘Here was the Amir al-Mu’minin.’ He made the camel kneel down upon its breast, then he raised his voice in a wail saying:

‘Upon you peace from an imam and may the hand of Allah bless that much-rent skin,

Whoever hurries on or mounts the two wings of the ostrich, in order to overtake what you sent ahead the day before, will be outstripped.

You decided matters, then after them you left behind trials and misfortunes in their sleeves, not yet unloosed.’

That rider did not move and it was not known who he was, and we used to say that he was one of the Jinn, for ‘Umar came back from that Hajj, was stabbed by the dagger and died.

He narrated that ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abza said that ‘Umar said, ‘This authority is among the people of Badr as long as one of them remains, then it is among the people of Uhud as long as one of them remains, and among such and such, and such and such, and there is no part in it for a freed captive, nor the son of a freed captive, nor those who became Muslims at the Opening (of Makkah to Islam).’

He narrated from an-Nakha‘i that a man said to ‘Umar, ‘Will you not appoint ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar as khalifah?’ He said, ‘May Allah fight you! By Allah, I never wanted this of Allah. Shall I appoint as khalifah a man who did not know how to divorce his wife properly?’

He narrated from Shaddad ibn Aws that Ka‘b said: There was among the Tribe of Isra’il a king whom, when we remember him we are reminded of ‘Umar, and when we remember ‘Umar we are reminded of him. He had by his side a prophet who received revelation. Allah revealed to the prophet, peace be upon him, to say to him, ‘Make your covenant and write your testament to me, for you are dead after three days.’ The prophet informed him of that. When it was the third day, he fell down (dead) between the wall and the couch. He came to his Lord and said, ‘O Allah, if You knew that I was just in my rule; that when matters differed, I followed Your guidance; and I was such and such, and such and such, then increase my life-span until my infant son grows up and my nation increases.’ Allah revealed to the prophet that, ‘He has said such and such – and it is true – and I have added fifteen years to his life-span. That is enough for his infant son to grow up and his nation to increase.’ When ‘Umar was stabbed, Ka‘b said, ‘If ‘Umar were to ask his Lord, Allah would definitely let him stay.’ ‘Umar was told about that. He said, ‘O Allah take me back to You without (my) being powerless and incapable or blameworthy.’

He narrated from Sulayman ibn Yasar that the Jinn wailed in mourning for ‘Umar.

Al-Hakim narrated that Malik ibn Dinar said: A voice was heard on the mountain of Tabalah when ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was killed:

‘Let whoever would weep, weep for Islam,

For they are on the point of being thrown to the ground and (their) appointed time has not been exceeded,

And the world has declined and the best of it has gone, turning its back,

Whoever is sure of the promise has become weary of it.’

Ibn Abi’d-Dunya narrated that Yahya ibn Abi Rashid al-Basri said: ‘Umar said to his son, ‘Be economical with my shroud, for if there is good for me with Allah, He will exchange it for me for that which is better than it. If I have been otherwise, He will strip me and be very fast in stripping me. Be economical in the grave you dig for me, for if there is good for me with Allah, He will expand it for me as far as my sight can reach. If I have been otherwise, He will tighten it upon me until my ribs interlace. Let not a woman go out with me (to the grave), and do not attribute to me a purity that I do not have, for Allah has more knowledge of me. When you go out (with me to the grave) then hasten your pace, for if there is good for me with Allah, you will send me on to what is better for me. If I am otherwise, you will throw an evil you have been carrying down from your necks.’

Section

Ibn ‘Asakir narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that al-‘Abbas said: I asked Allah, one year after ‘Umar had died, to show me him in a dream. I saw him after a year and he was wiping the sweat from his brow, so I said, ‘May my father and my mother be your ransom, Amir al-Mu’minin! How is it with you?’ He said, ‘This is the time I have just finished. The house of ‘Umar had almost been violently demolished if it had not been that I met a pitying, compassionate one (Ra’uf Rahim. Note that these are two names that Allah gave to His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the penultimate ayah of Surat at-Tawbah. Ar-Ra’uf ar-Rahim are names of Allah).’

He also narrated from Zayd ibn Aslam that ‘Amr ibn al-‘As saw ‘Umar in his sleep and asked, ‘How have you done?’ He asked, ‘When did I leave you?’ He answered, ‘Twelve years ago.’ He said, ‘I have only finished my accounting now.’

Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Salim ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said: I heard a man of the Ansar saying, ‘I asked Allah to show me ‘Umar in my sleep, then I saw him after ten years, and he was wiping sweat from his brow. I said, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, what have you done?’ He said, ‘Right now I have finished, and if it were not for the mercy of my Lord I would have been destroyed.’

Al-Hakim narrated that ash-Sha‘bi said: ‘Atikah bint Zayd ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufayl eulogised ‘Umar, saying:

‘Eye! let your tears and weeping be abundant,

and do not weary over the noble imam.

The fate of the inspired horseman distressed me

on the day of combat and harsh reproach;

The protection of the deen, the helper against fate,

succour of the troubled and the distressed.

Say to the people of hardship and misfortune,

“Die! since fate has given us to drink the cup of division and disunion.”’

Those of the Companions who died during his days

During the khilafah of ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, those of the notable companions who died were: ‘Utbah ibn Ghazwan, al-‘Ala’ ibn al-Hadrami, Qais ibn as-Sakan, Abu Quhafah the father of as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubadah, Suhayl ibn ‘Amr, Ibn Umm Maktum the mu’adhdhin, ‘Ayyash ibn Abi Rabi‘ah, ‘Abd ar-Rahman the brother of az-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwam, Qais ibn Abi Sa‘sa‘ah one of those who memorised all of the Qur’an, Nawfal ibn al-Harith ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, his brother Abu Sufyan, Mariyah the mother of the Sayyid Ibrahim (the son of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who died in infancy), Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, Mu‘adh ibn Jabal, Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan, Shurahbil ibn Hasanah, al-Fadl ibn al-‘Abbas, Abu Jandal ibn Suhayl, Abu Malik al-Ash‘ari, Safwan ibn al-Mu‘attal, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, Bilal the mu’adhdhin, Usayd ibn al-Hudhayr, al-Bara’ ibn Malik the brother of Anas, Zaynab bint Jahsh, ‘Iyad ibn Ghanam, Abu’l-Haytham ibn at-Tayyihan, Khalid ibn al-Walid, al-Jarud the chief of Bani ‘Abd al-Qais, an-Nu‘man ibn Muqarran, Qatadah ibn an-Nu‘man, al-Aqra‘ ibn Habis, Sawdah bint Zam‘ah, ‘Uwaym ibn Sa‘idah, Ghilan ath-Thaqafi, Abu Mihjan ath-Thaqafi, and other Companions, may Allah be pleased with all of them.

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1 An ayah whose judgement remains valid although it is not in the mushaf and is not recited.

2 Sikkah is literally both a ‘row’ and a ‘plough’ and it is possible there is a reference to the tradition that ‘The sikkah (plough) has not entered the abode of a people but that it humiliated them.’

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Abdul-Rahman Bin Abdul-karim Al-Sheha
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Consequently, they seek the truth of the religion and strike out on their own to find answers to questions that are either ignored in the popular media, or are given the familiar “spin” that underwrites misinformation. What results is an informational void that cries out for a meaningful, serious response.

Abdul-Rahman al-Sheha, in his groundbreaking compendium The Key to Understanding Islam has not only addressed this need, but has introduced a uniquely constructed format that is as “user friendly” as it is comprehensive and scholarly.

The Islamic revival that accompanied Muslim’s throwing off the yoke of colonialism in the mid-20th century did not suffer from a dearth of scholars or scholarship aimed at consolidating new found freedoms within the divine Mercy of the Book of Allah and the traditions of His Noble Prophet. Indeed, the genius of these early Muslim sages helped to re-construct the framework that houses today’s resurgent Islamic movements. But many if not all of these definitive Islamic treatises are written in a language and style that appeal to those who, for the most part, are either already Muslim, or are comfortable conversing in dense, scholarly terms. Al-Sheha’s Key, in one simply written volume, offers a wealth of information that is, at once, revelatory for the non-Muslim who seeks a clear and concise understanding of what IS, and what IS NOT Islam, while providing a supremely well-organized inventory of traditionally sourced overviews on faith, worship, and social issues for the practicing Muslim. Clearly, this approach to dispensing critical informationon the life-affirming message of Islam presents a fresh and wholly inviting opportunity for presenting Islam while maintaining, immutably, the pristine principles of the Faith.

The Key to Understanding Islam combines the insightful, knowledgeable eye of the scholar with the empathy of a socially conscious researcher.

The result is an informative, compelling narrative that treats, for example, the essentials of Muslim worship, and the Islamic interpretation of astrophysics, al-Haitham, and Edwin Hubble, with equal clarity and aplomb, and importantly, connects them all together with appropriate references from the Qur’an, Prophetic traditions, or both. The breadth and depth of the subject covered is truly remarkable, and stands as a testimony to the enormous talent and sagacity of the author.

In its content, its style, its singularly important contribution to the global dialogue on religion in contemporary life, al-Sheha’s The Key to Understanding Islam takes its place among the most important works of its kind; it redefines the contours of this discussion while establishing improved methods for illuminating the Islamic underpinnings of European science and culture. It is a truly seminal work that will hopefully influence the next generation of Muslim scholars who choose to sow the fallow fields of presenting Islam as their life’s work. We pray for the universal acceptance of this bounteous offering; and we pray Allah, the Almighty, the One, the Sublime, to imbue Muslims and avail non-Muslims of the guidance and the knowledge of the best in this world, and the Best in the Life to Come.

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Contents:

1. What is Islam? …………………………………………………………………………….
• What do they say about Islam? …………………………………………….
• The Pillars of Islam ……………………………………………………………….
• Who is the Messenger of Islam? ……………………………………………..
• What do they say about Muhammad (PBUH)? ………………………………..
• Pillars of Faith ………………………………………………………………………
• What is the Qur’an? ……………………………………………………………..
• What do they say about the Qur’an? …………………………………….
2. The Fundamental Goals of Islam …………………………………………………….
3. Etiquettes, Manners, and Morals in Islam ………………………………………..
4. Rights in Islam …………………………………………………………………………….
5. What do you know about Islam? ………………………………………………..
6. Islam and Wealth ………………………………………………………………………….
7. Islam and Women …………………………………………………………………………
8. Islamic Perspective on Sex …………………………………………………………….
9. Islam and Non-Muslims …………………………………………………………………
10. Islam and Other Divine Religions ………………………………………………….
11. Muslims love Jesus and his Mother ……………………………………………….
12. Islam and Jihad ………………………………………………………………………….
12. Islam is the Faith of Peace……………………………………………………………
13. Islam and Society ……………………………………………………………………….
14. Islam and Cleanliness ………………………………………………………………….
15. Islam and Knowledge …………………………………………………………………..
16. The Effects of Islamic Civilization on Modern Science ……………………….
17. The Virtues of Islamic Civilization …………………………………………………
18. Scientific Points in a few Verses of the Qur’an ……………………………….
19. The Qur’an and the Beginning of the World ……………………………………
20. Qur’an on the Expansion of the Universe ……………………………………….
21. Qur’an on Celestial Bodies …………………………………………………………..
22. Qur’an on Air Pressure ………………………………………………………………..
23. Qur’an on Outer Space ………………………………………………………………..
24. Qur’an on the Atom …………………………………………………………………….
25. Qur’an on Embroyology………………………………………………………………..
26. What is mentioned in the Qur’an about the Oceans………………………….
• Qur’an on the Barrier Between Seas……………………………………….
• Qur’an on Darkness in the Seas …………………………………………….
• Qur’an on Internal Waves ……………………………………………………..
27. Qur’an on Formation of Clouds and Rain ………………………………………
28. Qur’an on Animals ………………………………………………………………………
29. Qur’an on Mountains …………………………………………………………………..
30. Water and Life ……………………………………………………………………………
31. Who are those who show Enmity towards Islam? ………………………….
32. Distinguishing Qualities and Privileges of Islam ……………………………..
33. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………
34. How Does One Become a Muslim? …………………………………………….
35. References ………………………………………………………………………………..

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Khalid b. Muhammad al-Maajid
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 70 | Size: 1 MB

The author says in his introduction, «The aim of this booklet is to educate new Muslims about laws that pertain to non-Muslims in matters of Aqeedah (creed) and Fiqh (Jurisprudential Law) and the stance one should acquire from them, and how he should interact with non-Muslims in his country, and other related issues. I have written this in response to the request of the brothers from Sulai Da’wah Office in Riyadh who felt it was important to clarify these rulings to new Muslims in a concise and inclusive way.»

Terminology used in this Book

1. Rubb: Some prefer to translate the term ‘Rubb’ into ‘Lord.’ Beside the fact that the latter is a Biblical term referring to the alleged lordship of the slave of Allah, Prophet Jesus, the word ‘lord’ which is limited to ‘master’, ‘chief’, ‘proprietor’, or ‘ruler’, can never convey the conclusive signification of the term ‘Rubb’. Among other signification, the term ‘Rubb’ means, the Creator, the Fashioner, the Provider, the One upon Whom all creatures depend for their means of subsistence, and the One Who gives life and causes death.

2. Deen: The word translated as religion is ‘Deen’, which in Arabic commonly refers to a way of life, which is both private and public. It is an inclusive term meaning: acts of worship, political practice, and a detailed code of conduct, including hygiene or etiquette matters.

3. [PBUH] Sal’lal’laaho a’laihi wa sal’lam. Some translate it as peace be upon him. This translation is incorrect; the correct translation is, may Allah exalt his mention, and render him and his household safe and secure from every derogatory thing.

4. [PBUH] Radi Allahu anhu. This means: ‘with whom Allah is pleased.’ It is said when the Companions name’s are mentioned.

I begin with the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Beneficent

All praise is due to Allah, Rubb of the worlds, and may Allah exalt the mention of his Prophet, Muhammad, and render him and his household and companions safe from every derogatory thing.

The aim of this booklet is to educate new Muslims about laws that pertain to non-Muslims in matters of Aqeedah (creed) and Fiqh (Jurisprudential Law) and the stance one should acquire from them, and how he should interact with non-Muslims in his country, and other related issues.

I have written this in response to the request of the brothers from Sulai Da’wah Office in Riyadh who felt it was important to clarify these rulings to new Muslims in a concise and inclusive way.

Who is a Non-Muslim?

He is the one who disbelieves in the Message of our Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] or does not believe in a pillar of the Deen or something known by necessity therein.

Types of non-Muslims

First Type: A person who is non-Muslim openly and privately. They are known as ‘Obvious Kaafir’. Obvious Kaafirs can be categorized into two categories:

First Category: Original Kaafirs. They are the ones who have not accepted Islam previously. This category includes People of the Book, Majians, and others. They have specific rules which vary according to their religions.

Second Category: Apostates. They are the ones who accepted Islam, and then apostatized; whether they accepted Islam after the age of puberty or were raised as Muslims or their fathers were Muslims and then later, they apostatized.

Second Type: Those who openly show that they are Muslims, when in fact they conceal Kufr (disbelief) in their hearts. They are called hypocrites (munafiq). Legally, they are called: ‘Kaafir’.

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Mohammad El-Shinawy

Ibn Taimiyah said: “The heart will not find complete happiness except by loving Allah and by striving towards what is dear to Him. It is not possible to achieve this love except by rejecting all things that compete with it. This is what the words, ‘There is no god but Allah’ mean; this is the spirit of the deen of Ibrahim and of that of every other prophet.” (Ibn Taimiya, Majmu’ al-Fatawa, vol 28, p.32, Riyadh).

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Amin Maalouf

European and Arab versions of the Crusades have little in common. For Arabs, the twelfth and thirteenth centuries were years of strenuous efforts to repel a brutal and destructive invasion by barbarian hordes. In “The Crusades Through Arab Eyes”, Amin Maalouf has sifted through the works of a score of contemporary Arab chroniclers of the Crusades, eyewitnesses and often participants in the events.

He retells their stories in their own vivacious style, giving us a vivid portrait of a society rent by internal conflicts, and shaken by a traumatic encounter with an alien culture. He retraces two critical centuries of Middle Eastern history, and offers fascinating insights into some of the forces that shape Arab and Islamic consciousness today.

Reviews:

‘A useful and important analysis adding much to existing western histories … worth recommending to George Bush.’ London Review of Books ‘Well-researched and highly readable.’ The Guardian ‘A wide readership should enjoy this vivid narrative of stirring events.’ The Bookseller ‘An inspiring story … Very readable … Well translated … Warmly recommended.’ The Times Literary Supplement ‘Very well done indeed … Should be put in the hands of anyone who asks what lies behind the Middle East’s present conflicts.’ Middle East International

About Author:

Amin Maalouf is a Lebanese writer and journalist. He is the author of bestselling books, including Leo Africanus, Samakand, On Identity and Ports of Call. He has lived in Paris since 1976.

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Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 62 | Size: 1 MB

In this book, the author explains the dangerous concept of shrik through four simple principles. The sin of shirk – or associating partners with Allah – is the most reprehensible act that a person can do. It is for this reason that this sin is the one sin that Allah has promised He will never forgive. Unfortunately, many Muslims who are unaware of the reality of shirk fall into it out of ignorance. This short treatise is an ideal work for the Muslim in order to understand the essence of shirk, and thus essential reading for the one who wishes to avoid falling into the greatest trap of Shaytan. The explanation of the work of Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab has been taken from the works of Ibn Jibrin, Salih Al al-Shaykh, and other major scholars.

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Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 158 | Size: 5 MB

In a time when Muslims in the West live in an environment of turmoil and difficulty facing new challenges daily, they encounter a cultural dilemma, a clash of the Islamic and Western civilisations. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to know the foundations of these cultures, the differences between them as well as understanding islam correctly taken from its pure sources. In this book, the author highlights these aspects of the two cultures whilst also giving a detailed explanation of the core beliefs of Islam.

Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips was born in Jamaica, but grew up in Canada, where he accepted Islam in 1972. He completed a diploma in Arabic, and a B.A. from the College of Islamic Disciplines (Usool Ad-Deen) at the Islamic Univeristy of Madeenah in 1979. At the University of Riyadh, College of Education, he completed a M.A. in Islamic Theology in 1985, and in the department of Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, he completed a Ph.D. in Islamic Theology in 1994. Since 1994 he has founded and directed the Islamic Information Center in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (which is now known as Discover Islam) and the Foreign Literature Department of Dar Al Fatah Islamic Press in Sharjah, UAE. Presently, he is a lecturer of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the American University in Dubai and Ajman University in Ajman, UAE.

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Rayan Fawzi Arab
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 136 | Size: 4 MB

The Tawheedology Book is a Tawheed made easy book which gives the Muslim bright knowledge in regards of his creed and his conviction, most of its information is brought to you from the book called “Attawheed Al-Muyassar” narrated by Sheikh Abdullah bin Ahmad Al-Huwail, and presented by Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jabrain & Sheikh Khalid Al-Muslih.

For everything being in the skies and on the surface of this Earth is a purpose from the one Creator, and for us living here there are reasons, one major and many minor, the major reason is followed by minor ones, the minor reasons like sleeping, eating, and working are actions that we must take to enhance our ability to fulfill the major one, the major reason is obligated on all mankind, and that is to worship the All-mighty Allaah as he confirmed in his Glorious book:

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا ليعبدون

And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship me (Alone).

Hence if Allaah created us for that cause, then he must have set forward some foundations of submission so that we can worship him in the manner that pleases him, to this matter I ask myself, is it possible that one may worship Allaah along with other gods?

Logically speaking, I positively see that it is possible indeed, but…is that what the All-mighty Allaah demands? Does he command man to worship an idol or another man or is that a whisper from the devil’s plan? Indeed this is something that we sure need to understand.

Come with me to the Prophet Muhammad’s invitation to Islaam, when he was sent to the pagans in Makkah to deliver the message, he asked them whether they believe in Allaah or not, they said we do believe in Allaah, he then asked them, if so, then why do you worship other gods besides him? They replied: we only worship these gods so that they can get us closer to Allaah.

These people made an approach, to worship false gods to get closer to Allaah who is closer to them than their veins in their throats. Yes Allaah is nearer to you than your Jugular vein is; do you know what your Jugular vein is? The Jugular vein is a vein in your neck that plays a major role in your logical sense.

The All-mighty says:

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الإِنْسَانَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ

And indeed we have created man, and we know what his own self whispers to him. And we are nearer to him than his jugular vein (by Our Knowledge). – Qāf, V.16

But keep in mind that Allaah is not physically that close to you because he is literally above his throne, but he is that close to you only by his knowledge. So the major reason is to worship Allaah by singling him out, and that is where the word Tawheed stands. Tawheed in Arabic language is the source of making something single.

Example:

- If you were to say that no one shall exit the mosque except for Ahmad, then you are singling out Ahmad in exiting the mosque.

Hence, after knowing this it becomes an obligation upon us to single out the Allpowerful Allaah in the following three categories:

Tawheed Arrabubiya.
Tawheed Al-Aluhiya.
Tawheed Al-Asmaa’ Wassefat.

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Contents:

Tawheed & It’s Types 3-8
Evidence of Tawheed 9-12
Shahadatan 16-22
Shirk 23-31
Proofs Of Shirk 32-37
The Fundamentals Of Islam & Nullifiers Of
Religion
38-45
Kufr “Infidelity” 46-51
Nifaq “Hypocrisy” 52-55
Al-Wala’ Wa Al-Bara’ 56-59
Ibadah “Worship” 60-62

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Love Allah Website – http://www.loveallah.net
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 2 | Size: 1 MB

This brochure has answers to five important questions, What is Islam? Who is God? Who is Saviour? What is salvation? And What is the Quran.

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Dimension: 1806×1271 | Format: JPEG | Size: 1 MB

The World of the Angels is an example of traditional learning and its translation fills a much needed gap in aqidah (beliefs) literature in the English speaking world Basing himself exclusively on the Quran and Hadith, this article deals with every aspect of the angelic world. It goes from discussing the creation and nature of the angels to enumerating their many different types and also explains their role in existence and the character of their interaction with the human race. An in depth understanding of the nature and activity of the angels is essential for the people of today.

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful

God says in His Noble Book:

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤۡذُونَ رَسُولَ ٱللَّهِ لَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ۬

But those who hurt Allâh’s Messenger (Muhammad PBUH) will have a painful torment. [The Noble Qur'an Al-Tawbah 09:61]

You should know this man

You may be an atheist or an agnostic; or you may belong to any of the religious denominations that exist in the world today. You may be a Communist or a believer in democracy and freedom.

No matter who you are, and no matter what your ideological and political beliefs, personal and social habits happen to be. You must still know this man.

Encyclopedia Britannica confirms: “…a mass of detail in the early sources shows that he was an honest and upright man who had gained the respect and loyalty of others who were likewise honest and upright men.”(Vol: 12)

Bernard Shaw said about him: “He must be called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it much-needed peace and happiness”. (The Genuine Islam, Singapore, Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936)

He was by far the most remarkable man that ever set foot on this earth. He preached a religion, founded a State, built a nation, laid down a moral code, initiated numerous social and political reforms, established a powerful and dynamic society to practice and represent his teachings and completely revolutionized the worlds of human thought and behavior for all times to come. His name is Muhammad.

Born in Arabia in the year 570 CE, he started his mission of preaching the religion of Truth, Islam (submission to One God) at the age of forty and departed from this world when he was sixty-three.

During this short period of 23 years of his prophethood, he changed the entire Arabian peninsula from paganism and idolatry to the worship of One God; from tribal quarrels and wars to national solidarity and cohesion; from drunkenness and wickedness to sobriety and piety; from lawlessness and anarchy to disciplined living; from utter bankruptcy to the highest standards of moral excellence. Human history has never known such a complete transformation of people or a place before or since – and imagine all these unbelievable wonders took place in just over two decades.

La Martine, the renowned historian, speaking on The Essentials or Human Greatness, said: “If greatness of purpose, smallness of means and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the (then) inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls … his forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death — all these attest not to an impostor, but to a firm conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was twofold, the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, and the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with the words.

Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images, the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire that is Muhammad. As regards all the standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?” (La Martine, Historic de la Turquie, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp. 276-277)

The world has had its share of great personalities. However, these were one-sided figures who distinguished themselves in one or two fields, such as religious thought or military leadership. The lives and teachings of these great personalities of the world are shrouded in the mist of time. There is so much speculation about the time and place of their birth, the mode and style of their life, the nature and detail of their teachings and the degree and measure of their success or failure that it is impossible for humanity to reconstruct accurately the lives and teachings of these men.

Not so this man. Muhammad, , accomplished so much in such diverse fields of human thought and behavior in the fullest blaze of human history. Every detail of his private life and public utterances has been accurately documented and faithfully preserved to our day. The authenticity of the records so preserved is vouched for not only by the faithful followers, but also by his prejudiced critics.

Muhammad, , was a religious teacher, a social reformer, a moral guide, an administrative colossus, a faithful friend, a wonderful companion, a devoted husband, a loving father – all in one. No other man in history ever excelled or equaled him in any of these different aspects of life – but it was only for the selfless personality of Muhammad, , to achieve such incredible perfection.

Mahatma Gandhi, speaking on the character of Muhammad, , says in Young India;

“I wanted to know the best of one who holds today undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind… I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle.

When I closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet’s biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life”.

Thomas Carlyle, in his Heroes and Hero-Worship, was simply amazed as to: “How one man single handedly, could weld warring tribes and wandering Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation.”

Diwan Chand Sharma wrote: “Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by those around him.” (D. C. Sharma, ‘The Prophets of the East’, Calcutta, 1935, pp. 12).

Speaking on the aspect of equality before God in Islam, the famous poetess of India, Sarojini Naidu says:

“It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for, in the mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded and worshippers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and king kneel side by side and proclaim: God Alone is Great.

I have been struck over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes man instinctively a brother.” (S. Naidu, Ideals of Islam, vide Speeches & Writings, Madras, 1918, P. 169).

The world has not hesitated to raise to divinity, individuals whose lives and missions have been lost in legend. Historically, none of these legends achieved even a fraction of what Muhammad, , accomplished. And all his striving was for the sole purpose of uniting humanity for the worship of One God on the codes of moral excellence. Muhammad, , or his followers never at any time claimed that he was a Son of God or God-incarnate – but he always was and is even today considered as only a Messenger chosen by God.

Michael H. Hart in his recently published book on ratings of men who contributed towards the benefit and upliftment of man writes: “My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world’s most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels”. (M.H. Hart, ‘The 100: A ranking of the most influential persons in History’, New York, 1978 pp.33).

Today after a lapse of fourteen centuries, the life and teachings of Muhammad, , have survived without the slightest loss, alteration or interpolation. They offer the same undying hope for treating humankind’s many ills, which they did when he was alive. This is not a claim of the followers of Muhammad, , but also the inescapable conclusion forced upon by a critical and unbiased history.

The least you could know as a thinking and concerned human being is to stop for a moment and ask yourself: Could these statements sounding so extraordinary and revolutionary be really true? And supposing they really are true and you did not know this man Muhammad, , or hear about him, isn’t it time you respond to this tremendous challenge and put in some effort to know him?

It will cost you nothing but it may prove to be the beginning of a completely new era in your life.

We invite you to make a discovery of this wonderful man, Muhammad, , the like of whom never walked on the face of this earth.

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Related Links:

Learn more about Prophet Muhammad - Category Archives: Muhammad (PBUH)

Learn more about Prophet Muhammad - Category Archives: Muhammad (PBUH)

Islamic Invitation website, www.islamic-invitation.com
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 15 | Size: 9 MB

This is a very interesting dialogue between an atheist professor and a Muslim student regarding some principles in Islamic belief. The student succeeded in refuting wrong believes spreading all over the world through proving the Islamic belief based on irrefutable evidences. He discussed in detailed the issue of Allah’s existence.

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Imam Ibn Taymiyah
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 136 | Size: 4 MB

Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips has rendered Ibn Taymiyah’s treatise, “Eedâh ad-Dalâlah fee ‘Umoom ar-Risâlah”, from volume 19 of Majmoo‘ al-Fatâwâ (A Collection of Religious Rulings) into very readable English. This abridged and annotated translation is significant in that it is perhaps the first book available in English exclusively on the topic of spirit-possession and exorcism in Islam. Shaykh Ibn Taymiyah’s treatise provides a very clear, concise, and authentic view of this intriguing subject based on the Qur’an, the Sunnah, the interpretation and experience of the Companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and the early scholars of Islam. The translator has also added an appendix consisting of an article written on the subject of spirit-possession and exorcism by one of the leading contemporary scholars of Saudi Arabia confirming Ibn Taymiyah’s views as both relevant and orthodox.

Ahmad ibn ‘Abdul-Haleem ibn Taymeeyah was born 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-Shawkaanee’s 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 scholars of his day, most of whom were from the Shaafi’ite 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 visiting the Prophet Muhammad’s (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 take 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 Meeqaat (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 God’s call) or circulating the Ka’bah, 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 (Bid’ah) removes him from Allaah’s 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 al-Tawaaseen, 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 Qur’anic recitation to whom the devils came and eventually 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 call 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 Shaykh’s 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 are 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 mentioned 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]

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Sheikh Mustapha al-Majzoub

Sheikh Mustapha al-Majzoub from Sydney, Australia has been martyred in Syria. A truly beautiful brother who benefited so many with his knowledge. One of his last statuses before he was martyred was,

“Inshallah this Eid is going to be special, wallahi the spirit is high and the achievement is great.”

Subhanallah how true were his words. Insha’Allah he celebrates his Eid in the heavens.

Words of Sheikh Mustafa Majzoub about his wife. Subhan’Allah:

“Wallahi, if there is anyone I’d like to describe as a warrior and a hero, it’ll be my wife Rawya (Umm Amaar) she made the great sacrifice of sending her husband across the oceans and the lands, she gave up her comfort of being close to her husband for the sake of benefiting people she never met, she carried the risk of never seeing her husband again in this world, she carried the heavy load of looking after our 3 children alone and never complained. Wallahi when she found out I’m travelling far away she didn’t complain once, rather she only said “I hope to be with you in Jannah if we don’t meet again in this world” and she said to me not to worry about my children and that she’ll never marry anyone again if I was to be martyred. I thank her for everything and I thank Allah from the bottom of my heart for blessing me with her and I ask Allah to reward her immensely for being the best friend I could ever have.

Wallahi I would never think of having any other wife second to her because “She’s all I can ask for”.

Complete Tafseer of Surat Maryam by Sh. Mustapha Al Majzoub (May Allah have mercy upon him) in English. 7 Parts (Audio) – This series was presented last year at Masjid Al-Azhar, Belmore.

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Salim al-Amry

Shaikh Salim in this lecture provides the listener with 99 qualities a Muslim husband would like in his wife, starting with loving her to be a good slave of Allah who loves Allah and His Rasul, down to tips on how she can refine her character, home and appearance. Each point given with supporting evidence makes this lecture a beautiful reminder for any sincere wife looking to please her husband.

The Shaikh also highlights common misunderstandings that often occur between husband and wife. At times the lecture is quite explicit, hence, we recommend this talk only for those who are married or seeking to get married. Please note few points are missing.

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Teachers of Madrasa Ayesha Siddiqah in Karachi
Language:  Arabic – English | Format: PDF | Pages: 1706 | Size: 45 MB

Learning the language of the Qur’an made easy. This book teaches Arabic grammar by using examples from the Qur’an. Explanations are English. Prepared by teachers of Madrasa Ayesha Siddiqah in Karachi, a madrasa known for its extremely high level of Arabic instruction. Beautiful two-color printing. Excellent production quality that will make them as a very valuable gift as well. Includes 3 volumes  with 3 separate answer keys.

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Lisan Ul-Qur’an Volume I
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Key of Lisan Ul-Qur’an Volume I
Key of Lisan Ul-Qur’an Volume II
Key of Lisan Ul-Qur’an Volume III

Sheikh Abu Adnan
Language:  English | Format: Mp3 + PDF | PDF Pages: 453 | Size: N/A

The Fiqh of Worship. The book of al-‘Umdah is an abbreviated book of Fiqh according to the hanbali school of Fiqh (madhhab).

Fiqh is a subject that to some extent is being neglected these days with more concerted efforts taking place in the realm of aqidah (creed), and although it is undoubtedly pertinent that one learn what is permissible and not in relation to their beliefs, it is similarly important that the Muslims know what is permissible or otherwise in terms of their actions.

The term fiqh is commonly translated as jurisprudence, yet the meaning of jurisprudence has been somewhat allusive to most people. Linguistically, the word fiqh means ‘understanding’ whereas the technical meaning applied to fiqh is that it is knowledge of the practical legal rulings derived from the detailed evidences. Of course, to many people such a classification will seem like technical legal jargon but it simply means that fiqh is knowledge of what is halal and haram in accordance with the Islamic sources of authority.

The Hanbali school of legal thought was the last of the four major schools of thought to formulate its principles, and built upon the scholarship of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal it has survived and been practised for over a millennium. There were many periods in history when the Hanbalis numbered a handful, although today the school of thought seems to be making a resurgence. From amongst the long line of Hanbali scholars Muwaffaq-al-Din Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Qudama Al Maqdisi is amongst the most famous with his scholastic contributions making an impact on schools other than his own, not only in fiqh but also in aqidah. Having grown up in a religious family devoted to learning, he along with relatives would travel to Baghdad to seek knowledge already having benefitted from the scholars of Damascus (his own city) having moved there from Palestine. A contemporary of Salahuddin, he, along with his relatives took part in the great battle against the Crusaders which saw the end of their barbaric control of Jerusalem.

The Hanbali scholar Abdul Qadir ibn Badran discussed the juristic contributions of Ibn Qudama stating that he wrote four major books in Fiqh which served as a curriculum, the first one (Al Umdah) suitable for the absolute beginner and the last one (Al Mughni) qualifying the student as a jurist.[1] It is Umdah Al Fiqh that is the focus of this review, since the book serves as essential for those who wish to ground themselves in fiqh and grasp the basics.

Many Hanbali scholars past and present have attached great importance to Ibn Qudama’s Al Umdah due to its scholastic value, clear layout, simple language, and providence of basic evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah. He says in his introduction, “I have abridged this book of fiqh as much as I can and shortened it merely to one opinion of the school so that it will serve as a primer for the reader. Thus, he will not be confused as to what is correct because of differing reports and narrations. Some of my (Muslim) brothers asked me to summarise it so as to make it simple for the teachers and to facilitate its memorisation for students…”

The ease by which the student can encompass all of the major topics of fiqh is facilitated by Ibn Qudama’s method of writing the manual. The chapters begin with a hadith (prophetic tradition) related from the authentic compilations and Ibn Qudama’s discussion is drawn out of that hadith – a method which instils within the reader the importance of hadith as well as encouraging him/her to study the prophetic traditions. It was for reasons such as these that many of the great luminaries from amongst the Hanbalis paid attention to this brief primer. Ibn Taymiyyah undertook its explanation which provides an extremely beneficial analysis of the primer although he did not complete it only reaching the chapter of pilgrimage. However, that which he did complete is extremely beneficial for the student, its depth is realised by the fact that reaching the chapter of pilgrimage took him four volumes! It has been printed by Dar Ibn Taymiyyah (Cairo) and Al Maktabah Al Dhahiriyyah (Damascus).

The most well known explanation of the primer is Al Uddah Sharh al Umdah by the faqih (jurist) and muhaddith (traditionalist) Baha’uddeen Abdul Rahman ibn Ibrahim Al Maqdisi. His explanation is a detailed exposition of the Hanbali school of thought crammed with evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah. Although Al Umdah provides only one position in regards to a legal issue, Al Uddah at many junctures quotes up to three opinions found within the school (as well as the scholars these opinions are ascribed to) whilst occasionally mentioning the opinions of the other Imams, although, this is not an oft occurrence. Some scholars state that Al Uddah is, arguably, an abridged form of Ibn Qudamah’s Al Kafi (the third book in his curriculum) but written as an explanation to Al Umdah.

Al Uddah has become somewhat of a norm to be studied alongside Al Umdah, although, it can be confusing for those who are absolute beginners in fiqh, and more specifically, the Hanbali School of thought. Al Uddah has been published by Maktabah Al Qahirah (Cairo) although it contains many errors as well as the verification of hadith being unreliable. A better verification has been provided by the scholar Dr. Abdullah Al Turki and printed by Mu’assasah Al Risalah (in two volumes).

Al Umdah also has a few contemporary explanations such as that written by Abdullah ibn Abdul Aziz Al Jibreen, and due to its simplicity, it seems to be more of an appropriate starting point for the beginner than Al Uddah. Such is also the case with Hashiyah ala Umdah Al Fiqh by shaikh Abdullah Aali Bassam which provides explanatory notes that accompany Al Umdah.

Al Umdah, being a brief primer in Hanbali fiqh is extremely beneficial for those beginning a new course of study as well as those wanting to go over the basics. The manual consists of short chapters which are very much understandable, and the brevity of the primer leaves the reader thirsty for more. The issues covered within the respective chapters are core points to note, but the intriguing way in which they are presented leaves the reader with deeper questions as if the discussion at hand was intended not only to inform the reader of the legal issue, but to invoke questions deeper into the topic.

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1. Book of Tahaarah (Purification)

Lesson 1 | Lesson 2 | Lesson 3 | Lesson 4 | Lesson 5 | Lesson 6 | Lesson 7 | Lesson 8 | Lesson 9 | Lesson 10 | Lesson 11 | Lesson 12 | Lesson 13 | Lesson 14 | Lesson 15 | Lesson 16 | Lesson 17

2. Book of Salaah (Prayer)

Lesson 18 | Lesson 19 | Lesson 20 | Lesson 21 | Lesson 22 | Lesson 23 | Lesson 24 | Lesson 25 | Lesson 26 | Lesson 27 | Lesson 28 | Lesson 29 | Lesson 30 | Lesson 31 | Lesson 32 | Lesson 33 | Lesson 34 | Lesson 35 | Lesson 36 | Lesson 37 | Lesson 38

2. Book of Sawm (Fasting) – NEW!

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Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Da‘wah and Guidance
Language:  English | Format: PDF | Pages: 22 | Size: 11 MB

A brief book on the two Holy Mosques in Saudi Arabia, the Holy Mosque in Makkah is the most revered place of worship for Muslims around the world. At the center of the Mosque is the Ka’aba, which literally means ‘cube’ in Arabic. All Muslims are required to face in the direction of the Ka’aba five times every day when offering their prayers. The Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah is the second most revered place of worship for Muslims around the world. Millions of Muslims visit the Mosque each year, to worship, to visit the Prophet’s grave, and to see the city that gave birth to Islam.

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