By Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwi and translated by Hala Akram and Aisha Akram There is a large population of South Asian Muslims in East London. Situated near Whitechapel station is the London Muslim Centre. I have taught numerous courses here and even now, give lectures from time to time. In 2006, I taught the Muwatta of Imam Malik for several months. This class was once a week and I would drive from Oxford and back; Due to London’s traffic, the sixty-mile route would take between an hour and a half to two hours. I once drove into a street near…
View More When I had to reverse my carCategory: Character
Questioning your studentship – an address to the students of Al-Salam Institute
By Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwi and translated by Hala Akram and Aisha Akram Today (5th July, 2020) is the last day of this academic year at Al-Salam Institute. God willing, we will meet again in October. Just like every year, I have something to say to you today. Farewell speeches are cherished, everyone values them and tries to act upon them. Today I will not talk to you about Al-Salam Institute, nor will I remind you of the responsibilities of your teachers, or complain about the circumstances or anything else.Today I must criticise you. This is a question of your…
View More Questioning your studentship – an address to the students of Al-Salam InstituteDesire is desire, not will
By Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwi and translated by Hala Akram and Aisha Akram. During this lockdown period, you are confined to your homes. Madrasahs are not yet open. You wish to continue your studies at home, engage in regular activities and make the most of your time. You set aside time to read different subjects and books but you lack consistency. Various pleasures entice you; you are overwhelmed by interests and postpone today’s work for tomorrow. The same thing happens during exam season when you cannot stick to a revision timetable. You wonder how easily each subject is given its…
View More Desire is desire, not willWisdom, Good Instruction and Argument
By Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwi and translated by Dr Abu Zayd To access the original arabic, follow this link They asked: What is the meaning of the verse: “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best.” ? I replied: You would have achieved real success were you to truly understand the meaning of this verse, for most people have neither understood it properly nor applied it correctly. Know that inviting to our Lord’s way (daʿwah) is only realized with two fundamental characteristics: wisdom (all of which…
View More Wisdom, Good Instruction and ArgumentMeaning of Companionship
By Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwi I need to explain to you the difference between a disciple and a companion. A disciple can only do those things that the master has defined and given him explicit permission to do. The disciple cannot make decisions or make adjustments in connection with the master’s teachings, neither in the terminologies used, nor in its implementation in explaining doctrine and practice. The disciple can only alter or amend the habits of his master when and if the master grants him the title ‘master’ after him or in some other place. The range of the teaching…
View More Meaning of CompanionshipEase and Relaxation in Islam
By Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwi Ease is through hardship. Muslims should be suspicious of any ease which does not involve any effort. The obvious example of that is watching t.v. The only effort it requires is to push the button. It actually will be better to sleep rather than watching tvs. There are certain things that the Prophet sanctioned which nowadays are put under the category of entertainment like sports such as archery, horse-riding and swimming. The Prophet accepted the people have to relax, they have to live in this world and so they have to give time to it,…
View More Ease and Relaxation in IslamIbrahim, `alayhi al-salam:
By Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwi This man, whom God Himself has praised in the Qur’an as His ¬khalil, is the exemplar of perfected determination to know God, to be fully in His presence. This determination is expressed in what we may call, figuratively, the opening of various curtains: The cultural curtain Seeing through the world of his father and his people generally, who are worshipers of natural phenomena (his challenging and breaking of the idols, and demonstration of their falsity); The natural curtain Seeing through the scale and majesty of natural phenomena, which are impressive yet bounded within large conditions,…
View More Ibrahim, `alayhi al-salam:The Prophet as a teacher
By Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwī The manners and personal preferences, and also the public judgements and policies, of the Prophet, salla l-lahu `alayhiwa-sallam, have been studied and preserved by devout Muslims throughout the millennium and half since the coming of Islam. No other religious leader has had such an enduring influence on so many people after him, shaping both the ideals that they profess to aspire to and the concrete detail of how they conduct their everyday relations and affairs individually and collectively. His precepts and practice have been reverently, conscientiously and continuously applied in the most diverse geographical and…
View More The Prophet as a teacherManners in Islam
By Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwī and translated by Dr. Abu Zayd Our manners are, after our skin, and then our clothes, the point of contact between us and the world, especially other people. It is an interface that should be looked after and kept in good order. Just as we care for our body’s cleanliness and good health, and just as we care that our clothes are clean and do not offend others or leave a bad impression, so also we should regard manners as something requiring regular attention and maintenance. In Islam, manners are not a superficial polish, nor…
View More Manners in IslamTell Us : What Are You?
By Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwī and translated by Tariq Pandor To access the original arabic, follow this link They said, “You’ve written on Islamic Fiqh through the school of Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) and gathered (in your writings) proofs from him. Additionally, you’ve written a biography about him. So you’re a Hanafi. But then we see that you combine between prayers during travel, and give fatwa declaring the permissibility of wiping over socks. And you don’t mind if your students follow a specific Imam (in taqleed) or if they don’t follow anyone – so you’re a…
View More Tell Us : What Are You?