By this link: What is the true meaning of the ṣaḥīḥ (sound) ḥadīth? I replied: Experts of this discipline have used it for a variety of meanings, all of which have in common the reliability or verification of a report’s attribution to its source. Three-Tier Usage of Ṣaḥīḥ They asked: What are the most notable… Continue reading The True Meaning of Ṣaḥīḥ
The crisis facing madrasas
Madrasas, like Nadwa, Deoband, Islah and others, which have been active in service of the Muslim community for the best part of 150 years, now face a hard choice. They are under pressure to shift away from the objectives for which they were originally founded towards curricula primarily oriented to preparing students for the current… Continue reading The crisis facing madrasas
Reflection on Education
In this book, a Muslim scholar who has dedicated a lifetime to teaching in an Islamic madrasa reflects on the different, contending styles of education prevalent in India as a consequence of the legacy of colonial rule. He explains the need to find a way between, on the one hand, the orientation of education as… Continue reading Reflection on Education
A Crystal Clear Book
By this link: Tell us about the Book of our Lord. I replied: It is the Book which God the Exalted revealed onto our Prophet Muḥammad, peace and blessings be upon him, devoid of all aberration, which brings mankind from darkness into light; a self-consistent Book which repeats its contents in manifold forms from which… Continue reading A Crystal Clear Book
Read in the Name of Thy Lord who Created
By this link: Explain the statement of God—”Read in the name of your Lord who created!”— and remove the shrouds of confusion from us, since it is the very first revelation of the Qurʾān upon the Prophet and it is not clear to us what was the reason for this command to read. We have… Continue reading Read in the Name of Thy Lord who Created
A Book Free of Aberration
By this link: You have mentioned in a previous article your particular care to ponder over the Book of God in the blessed month of Ramadan. Can you enlighten us on any new meaning that your reflections have lead you to understand? I replied: There are a number of meanings from God’s Book that I… Continue reading A Book Free of Aberration
Imam Abu Hanifah
Insofar as this talk about Abu Hanifah aims to introduce or present the book, it should pick out its major concerns – to show how and why the fiqh associated with Abu Hanifah has been relied upon and trusted by Muslims. This is done by discussing examples that illustrate how Hanafi fiqh was constructed, how… Continue reading Imam Abu Hanifah
Tarawīḥ Prayer is not Obligatory
By this link: Some people before us have condemned in very severe terms those who don’t perform the Tarawīḥ prayer. I replied: This condemnation is extremism in the religion of God and strictness where it doesn’t belong. Rather, you should be gentle and forbearing with people and strive to make them love the religion. Be… Continue reading Tarawīḥ Prayer is not Obligatory
The Length and Number of Units of Prayer
By this link: What are the obligatory and sunnah prayers (ṣalāh), and what is the number of their units (rakʿahs)? I replied: I have mentioned to you in a previous article that our prayers are scheduled according to the statement of Ibrāhīm: “I love not the things that go down” [6:76], avoiding the timings of… Continue reading The Length and Number of Units of Prayer
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, whether of women or men or children, cannot be prevented by law. At most, law agencies can punish abuse after it has happened and has done the terrible, lasting psychological and social damage that it does. In the Western world over the last seventy years any notion of ‘sin’ attached to sexual behaviours… Continue reading Sexual abuse