Part one: Principles of worship.

1)Worship is something tawqeefeeyah (that must be taken from the Qur’an and the Sunnah) meaning that it has no space for opinion in it. But rather Allah is the one who makes it lawful.  Imam Muhammad Ameen Ash Shinqitee said that an act of worship is unlawful unless proven lawful, and that a matter of the dunya is lawful unless proven unlawful.

 

Shaikh Ali At Tuwaijari said that the evidence that an act of worship is unlawful unless proven lawful is the statement of the Prophet (Salallahu alaihi wa sallam) : “Whoever does an action that is not from our actions it is rejected” and the evidence to show that everything in the dunya is lawful unless proven unlawful is Allah’s statement: “He is the one who created everything for you upon the earth.”Surah Baqarah verse 29.

Khutbah on Women

A Reminder for our Believing Women
- By Aboo Zaynab Tawfeeq Ibn Hosley

Overview :

This is a lecture that should put the heart of every woman at ease. Though the life of a woman in Islaam may seem difficult to some who have no knowledge, or insight, Allaah Has promised Paradise for His righteous servants.

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The brother starts the sermon with – Khutbatul-Haajah -

Today’s Khutbah is a reminder for myself and everyone else who is sitting here and all those who may hear about this khutbah and i.e. the prohibition of Ikhtilaaq – of freely mixing between male and female. Al Islaam has placed before us the ways to reduce the temptations of the fitnah of Nisaah and that is this ikhtilaaq (is freely mixing between a man and a woman) — a woman mixing with a man who does not have a mahram and this is prohibited in Islaam. This is the ways that destroys the society and this is the reason why we are going to speak about this today because it is the women who build the society. When you look at the society of today, we see that the women, they are amongst the people that are destroying the society. Because the strongest evidence that prohibits this mixing between men and women when Allaah Azzawajal says in Kitaab al-Azeez i.e. the Quraan :

“Allaah tabarak wa ta’ala commands the women to stay in their houses and He prohibits them from making this dazzling display of themselves.”

Why did Allaah tabarak wa ta’ala inform us thus? Why did He encourage them and command them to stay in their houses? It is because they will not be molested and they stay in their houses and remember Allaah subhana wa ta’ala and they will be protected in their houses. So that they can be protected from all of the evils that occur when they leave their house.

Yes, when we look at this ayat, look at today’s society na’am when you go and buy airline tickets, whom do you see? except women.

When you go to the bank, whom do you see? except women.

When you want to buy a car, whom do you see? except women.

When you want to pay your electricity bill / gas bill whom do you see? except women.

Na’am, they are the ones who are destroying the society. They are the ones who are allowing the destruction of the society. It is because we don’t want to listen to the guidance of Allaah subhana wa ta’ala. Because if you listen to the guidance and heed the guidance and implement the guidance and disseminate this guidance amongst the people we will be amongst the people who are successful.

Na’am the above ayah is about what? It is about women staying in their houses. Staying in their houses and not making a dazzling display of themselves.

When Allaah tabarak wa ta’ala says : “Ask them from behind the hijab.” Why??

Why? Because when you ask them from behind the hijab it is better and it will conceal the disease of that person that is asking. Like the words of the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam : It will conceal, it will protect them from their disease because they don’t see them.

And the other ayat that proceeds this is :
And when the women speak from behind the hijab they are not going to speak to try and tempt you or allure you or attract you to that temptation. But because we are far away from the guidance of Allaah subhana wa ta’ala and we want to be on something that is not right.

Na’m when we talk on the telephone and we want to ask about a brother : “is he home?” We want to get all personal with his wife : “How are you doing? I heard you were sick. How are the children?”

This is not the place for you to be asking her. You should ask her husband when he returns and you catch him and you are able to talk to him.

That is why the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam told to ask from behind the Hijab so that it can protect her.

The wives of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam were knowledgeable in that community, not like our wives. They do not know even know how to perform their salaah properly.

First of all look at our children. That is why keep them in their house.

When you keep them in the house the children will benefit. Not like today when the children come to the Masjid, when they see the other Muslims (elders) they don’t give the salams. The hadith : the one who is riding should give salams to the one who is walking. The one who is walking gives salams to the one sitting and the one who has small amounts give it to the ones with larger amounts and the youngsters give salams to those who are older in age.”

How come our youngsters don’t initiate the salams with the ones older in age? It is because our women are not in the house, teaching the kids the Book of Allaah and the sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. It is because the women, the wives of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam were commanded them to stay in their house and to recite kitaab ul-Hikmah. What is Kitab-ual-Hikmah? It is the Book of Allah subhana wa ta’ala and the sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. The wives of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam did this. They didn’t read some Greek Aristotle’s. They didn’t recite anything that would keep them away from the remembrance of Allah. They are going to remember Allaah.

They are going to remember Allaah by reciting that which He sent down and implementing that which He sent down. Likewise we need to teach our children. Now, how can we teach our children if the woman is outside the home always?

They don’t know. Kids don’t know, we have to teach it to them.

When the husband comes home from a hard days work what is the first thing she (the wife) does? How would she know to attend to his needs if the woman is not at home to receive her husband?

We are not here to entertain anyone. This is Yawm-ul-Jummah. If you come to Yawm-ul-Jummah it is obligatory upon you all to know the etiquettes. This is not to entertain anyone or any of the children. It is there to remove some of the diseases that reside in the hearts and to benefit from the reminder so that we can implement it in our life-styles.

So what is it when the women stay outside of their houses? She’s not like that the woman. When her husband comes home after a hard days work, the first thing she would do after she gives you salams is to take off your shoes. She gives him something to drink. She comforts him. She wants to know how his day was at work. She asks him if there is anything that she could get him.

She has his clothes ready for the next day by ironing them etc. So that when the children see this they know that when the daughters get married they are going to treat their husbands exactly like that or better than that. Because they are witnessing the guidance of Allaah in their hearts. Not like our children. We don’t teach them anything and the cause is because our women are outside their house.

When they are outside the house, they don’t know the Shaitan, he beautifies them. “I don’t care if you are wearing all black, he beautifies you. So much that if there is disease in his heart or anyone else that black is going to look good for him. And he will say that he wants someone just like that. The lady he sees is wearing nothing but black and he can’t see anything except the eyes may be uncovered. Now, you want to see the eyes. When you look her in the eyes, now you are finished. Because the disease is just coming out. That is why we have to teach our women that when they come out for something that is a necessity, they must take care of that business and get back into their house.

Not like the women of these days in time. Because the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said that the whole body of a woman is her private part. He didn’t make no exceptions. He didn’t say except her face and hands, he didn’t say except her feet, except her eyes. He said the whole body of a woman is her awrah.

Not like our women, when they come out they don’t know about the guidance of Allaah. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam prohibited the women from walking in the middle of the streets and when you tell them, they don’t want to adhere to that. They want to adhere to their passing desires. “I ain’t walking in the sides of the street.”

When the sahabiyaats were walking in the middle of the streets the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said: “Draw back now. Draw back and walk in the sides of the roads and don’t walk in the middle of the roads. ” So much so that when the walking their body was scratching against the wall because they were adhering to the guidance of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.

I command all of you to follow the guidance of Allah, to follow that has been revealed to the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.

So we have to know that if the woman comes out, even if you are taking her and you are driving and she is sitting in the car with you, it is best for the woman to sit at the back instead in front. And it is best she doesn’t speak unless there is a need for her to speak. Because when she speaks and she is controlling the conversation and you have a friend in the car, what does that do except produce some disease that may reside in your heart, that may stay in the heart. And you may start thinking something bad and it starts rusting may be that her voice may have attracted you. We don’t think about that. When there is no need she shouldn’t talk. Why? Because the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said : “Shyness doesn’t come except with goodness.” Let her not speak unless there is a necessity since her voice may attract a non-mahram man.

When I was growing up years ago, the women used to wear skirts and long dresses. They didn’t wear pants because they felt shy to wear pants. But now they have no shyness. They have gone from skirts and long dresses to wearing pants. And when they used to wear skirts and long dresses and they needed to bow down or bend down to pick up something, they used to do it with modesty. But now the bend down to pick up something wearing pants, with no modesty, exposing it all so much so that the people around them would be affected.

Know that the woman, they need to stay in their house and teach our children. So that they wont lure and tempt us. Because every single place you go you have a woman right in front of your face. The airport, the market place, the cashier, the register clerk in the hospital, when you go to pay your gas bill, your water bill. Every place you name it they have a woman right in front of your face.

And how many of us want to go to a store and buy something now because we saw a beautiful woman walking. Apparently she is beautiful? But in actuality she is not beautiful. So much so that even if a woman is wearing all black they want to have some type of fashion with it. Why black? Because it is the purpose that it serves, it is supposed to turn us away from them. But now like other sisters they wear all black and they want to wear red with it. A red hand bag and red shoes !!!

Before we entered Islaam that was the furthest thing that turned us away. We went far away from this as this didn’t look good.

The woman is a fitnah so protect her. If you protect her you protect the society, you protect your children and without a doubt you are protecting yourself. Because when you come home from a hard days work she will take off your shoes and socks and will give you something to drink. Your children are going to do the same thing. You are teaching them how to be obedient to your husband. How to treat your husband, so much that when she is about nine years of age she knows majority of the things as to how to please her husband, how to stay with her husband, how to call her husband, how to be obedient to the husband, to help one another in good and righteousness and not help one another in sin and transgression.

So we have to learn and we have to teach our women to stay in their houses and don’t come out except when it is necessary for them to come out.

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Part 2

The importance of this khutbah is what? To protect ourselves and our women because the women make up the society. Majority of men is where? In prison. Majority of men are drug addicts but you have an abundance of women out there. Like in Egypt 16 million people in the main city and 85% or 90% are unmarried and the dowry is sky high. So what does that produce except homosexuality. That is what it is going to produce because the men can’t get married. These days we don’t have the Imaan like the Imaan of Imaam Ahmed Rahimullaah. He didn’t even get married until he was 40 years of age; na’m why?? Because he was busy with seeking knowledge. Seeking knowledge so much so that even when he went to Makkah and he was with Yahya Ibn Muaid Rahimullah he told him that after his Hajj he wanted to go to Yemen so that he could meet up and take knowledge from Imaam San’aali. Na’m today we have a Sheikh Muqbil bin Hadi rahimullah a Muhaddith in Yemen and we don’t even teach our children about him. So that when it is summer we don’t put them in the day care and your wife says: “I have saved up all the money that you have given me and I would like you to take off from your job and take my children up to Yemen so that they can benefit from the Sheikh before he dies.” We aren’t thinking like that.

Every single time you come to the Masjid the woman is right there too as though it is obligatory for her to make salaah in the Masjid. You take her to a place like this. We say the Masjid is packed and the men can’t get in there and there is no place and it is not obligatory for the woman to come to the Masjid. For whom is it obligatory? It is obligatory for the men who are responsible to perform Yawm al Jummah in the Masjid. But our women every single time there is a class or something or Yawm al Jummah, they are at the doorsteps or the doorways of the Masjids so much so that when it is time to make Salaah and you come late she makes Salah outside the door where everyone else is praying. She doesn’t know “Shyness doesn’t come except with goodness.”

If your not eligible to make salaah why do you have to come to the Masjid? Why?

When I was a Kaafir I used to be ashamed to go to the store to buy those personal things for my mother. I used to hide it in everything else. Now you got the best thing you want to let everybody know. You go to the Masjid and don’t pray you want everybody to know because you are facing the direction the brothers come in. You tell me that this ain’t temptation. I don’t care if she is wearing all black, a man can go through that, a man is weak, a woman you have to caress her to get her into the mood to be intimate but a man he gets excited and is mesmerized easily. Go to the airport, the bus stop, the gal who is driving the bus you see the woman right in front of you. They have so much of the finest women in front of us and you tell me that this ain’t gonna change us? All of a sudden we want to buy that ticket because we want to stand in her face.

Likewise our Muslim women want to be outside doing the same thing. So my reminder to all of us is what? If the woman comes outside let her adhere to the guidance of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. Because during the time of Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam they had two different doors, a door for the woman to go in and a door for the man to go in but it didn’t stop there. The women knew that the front line is the worst row for the woman and the worst row for the men is the last row.

When the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam finished making his salaah he was sitting in the direction he was praying so that he gave the women enough time to leave. Last month when I did that, one of the brothers said : “You are supposed to turn around right now.” So I had to explain that the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam and the sahabas did that to give the women enough time to leave. But now a days even if you do that the woman is still standing in the doorway.

So I ask all of you’ll to protect your wives, to protect your children. Keep them inside their houses except when there is a need for them to come out. And when they are in the house command them to remember Allaah subhana wa ta’ala and to raise the children upon the obedience of Allah subhana wa ta’ala and don’t be amongst the people who don’t raise them on the obedience of Allah subhana wa ta’ala.

Does Shaikh Al Albani have Ijaza?

20 Points Regarding Shaykh al-Albaanee by Abu Hudhayfah

as-salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu…

[1] Shaykh Al-Albani has Ijaza in hadith from the late Allamah Shaykh Muhammad Raghib at-Tabaagh with whom he studied hadith sciences, gaining authority to transmit from him. The Shaykh himself refers to this Ijaza in Mukhtasar al-Uluw (p.72) and in Tahdir as-Sajid (p.63). He has a further Ijaza from Shaykh Bahjatul Baitaar(through whom his isnad stretches back to Imam Ahmad). These are mentioned in the book Hayat Al-Albani (the Life of Al-Albani) by Muhammad ash-Shaibaani. This sort of Ijaza is given only to those who have excelled in hadith and can be trusted to accurately convey a hadith. A copy of the Ijaza is in the possession of his student, Ali Hassan al-Halabi. So it is not correct to say that the Shaykh is self-taught from books, without authority and without Ijaza.

Whilst we are on the subject, I think it would not be out of place here to mention a few snippets from Shaykh Al-Albani’s life and career to further emphasise his great standing in the field of hadith science as well as the respect shown to him by other scholars. One cannot really do the subject justice in one or two brief emails, however, I hope the readers will find this information both encouraging and interesting:

[1] Shaykh Al-Albani was born in 1914 in Ashkodera, the former capital of Albania.

[2] His first shaykh was his father, Al-Haaj Nuh Najjatee, who himself had completed Shariah studies in Istanbul, returning to Albania as one of its Hanafi scholars. Under his father’s guidance, Shaykh Al-Albani studied Qur’an, tajwid, Arabic language as well as Hanafi fiqh.

[3] He further studied Hanafi fiqh and Arabic language under Shaykh Sa’eed al-Burhan.

[4] He would attend the lectures of Imam Abdul-Fattaah and Shaykh Tawfiq al-Barzah.

[5] The Shaykh met the late hadith master, Ahmad Shakir, with whom he participated in knowledge based discussions on hadith and its research.

[6] He met the late Indian hadith scholar, Shaykh Abdul-Samad Sharf ad-Deen, who himself had referenced the hadith to the first volume of An-Nasa’ee’s Sunan al-Kubra as well as Al-Mizzi’s monumental Tuhfatul-Ashraf, and they continued to exchange letters on matters of knowledge. In one such letter, Shaykh Abdul-Samad expressed his belief that Shaykh Al-Albani was the greatest hadith scholar of the time.

[7] In recognition of his knowledge of hadith, he was commissioned as far back as 1955 by the Faculty of Shariah at Damascus University to carry out detailed analysis and research into hadith related to buying and selling and other business related transactions.

[8] Shaykh Al-Albani began his formal work in the field of hadith by transcribing Al-Hafidh al-Iraqi’s monumental Al-Mughni ‘an Hamlil Asfar, being a study of the various hadith and narrations contained in Al-Ghazali’s famous Ihya Ulum ad-Din. This work alone contains some 5000 hadith.

[9] The Shaykh was famous for attending the Zahiriyyah library in Damascus, and was eventually given his own set of keys due to his frequent and lengthy study there. On one such occasion, an important folio was missing from a manuscript in use by the Shaykh and this led Shaykh Al-Albani to painstakingly catalogue all the hadith manuscripts in the library in an endeavour to locate the missing folio. Consequently, he gained in-depth knowledge of 1000s of hadith manuscripts, something that was attested to years later by Dr. Muhammad Mustafa Azami in the introduction to Studies in Early Hadith Literature where he said: ‘I wish to express my gratitude to Shaikh Nasir al-Din al-Albani, who placed his extensive knowledge of rare manuscripts at my disposal.’

[10] Shaykh Al-Albani would sometimes mention his extreme poverty during his early life. He said he would be reduced to picking up scraps of paper from the street, often discarded wedding cards, and use them to write his hadith notes on. Often, he would purchase scrap paper in bulk from the rubbish dump and take it home to use.

[11] He would correspond with numerous scholars, particularly those from India and Pakistan, discussing matters related to hadith and the religion in general, including Shaykh Muhammad Zamzami from Morocco and Ubaydullah Rahman, the author of Mirqat al-Mafatih Sharh Mushkila al-Masabih.

[12] His skill in hadith is attested to by a host of qualified scholars, past and present, including Dr. Amin al-Misri, head of Islamic Studies at Madinah University who considered himself to be one of the Shaykh’s students; also Dr. Subhi as-Salah, former head of Hadith Sciences at the University of Damascus; Dr. Ahmad al-Asaal, head of Islamic Studies at Riyadh University; the late Pakistani hadith scholar, Allamah Badiudeen Shah as-Sindee; Shaykh Muhammad Tayyib Awkeej, former head of Tafsir and Hadith at the University of Ankarah in Turkey; not to mention the likes of Shaykh Ibn Baz, Ibn al-Uthaymeen, Muqbil ibn Hadee and many others in later times.

[13] After a number of his works appeared in print, the Shaykh was chosen to teach hadith at the new Islamic University of Madinah for three years from 1381 to 1383H where he was also a member of University board. After this he returned to his former studies and work in the Zahiriyyah library. His love for Madinah University is evidenced by the fact that he bequeathed his entire personal library to the University.

[14] He would hold study circles twice a week whilst in Damascus which were attended by numerous students and university lecturers. In this way, the Shaykh completed instruction in the following classical and modern works:

Fathul-Majid of Abdur-Rahman ibn Husain ibn Muhamamd ibn Abdul-Wahhab
Rawdah an-Nadiyah of Siddiq Hasan Khan
Minhaj al-Islamiyyah of Muhammad Asad
Usul al-Fiqh of Al-Khallal
Mustalah at-Tarikh of Asad Rustum
Al-Halal wa al-Haram fil-Islam of Yusuf al-Qardawi
Fiqh as-Sunnah of Sayyid Sabiq
Bath al-Hathith of Ahmad Shakir
At-Targhib wa at-Tarhib of Al-Hafidh al-Mundhiri
Riyadh as-Saliheen on Imam an-Nawawi
Al-Imam fi Ahadith al-Ahqam of Ibn Daqeeq al-Eid

[15] After carrying out an analysis of the hadith in Ibn Khuzaymah’s Sahih, the Indian hadith scholar, Muhamamd Mustafa Azami (head of Hadith Science in Makkah), chose Shaykh Al-Albani to verify and re-check his analysis and the work is currently published in 4 volumes containing both their comments. This is an indication of the level of trust placed in Shaykh Al-Albani’s hadith ability by other scholars.

[16] In their edition of the well known hadith compilation, Mishkat al-Masabih, the Maktaba al-Islamee publishing house requested Shaykh Al-Albani to edit the work before publication.The publisher wrote in the introduction: ‘We requested that the great hadith scholar, Shaykh Muhammad Nasir ad-Deen al-Albani, should help us in the checking of Mishkat and take responsibility for adding footnotes for any ahadith needing them, and researching and reproducing their sources and authenticity where needed, and correcting any deficiences’

[17] The Shaykhs printed works, mainly in the field of hadith and its sciences, number some 112 books. I personally have 17 of these books and these alone run into 45 volumes! He left behind him in manuscript form at least a further 70 works.

[18] It is recorded on one occasion (and this incident is available on two tape cassettes – his students were in the habit of recording his teaching sessions), that a man visited Shaykh Al-Albani in his home in Jordan claiming to be a prophet! How would we have reacted when faced with such a situation? Shaykh Al-Albani sat the man down and discussed his claims at length (as I said, covering two tape cassettes) and in the end the visitor made tawba from his claim and all present, including the Shaykh, were overcome with tears. In fact, how often is Shaykh Al-Albani heard on tape bursting into tears when speaking about Allah, His Messenger and the affairs of the Muslims?

[19] On another occasion (and I was told this by a Shaykh who was present in the gathering) he was visited by three men all claiming that Shaykh Al-Albani was a kafir. When it came time to pray they refused to pray behind him, saying it is not possible for a kafir to lead the prayer. The Shaykh accepted this, saying that in his eyes the three of them were Muslims so one of them should lead the prayer. Afterwards, they discussed their differences at length and when it came time for the following prayer, all three men insisted on praying behind Shaykh Al-Albani!

[20] During the course of his life the Shaykh has researched and commented on over 30,000 individual chains of transmission (isnad) for countless hadith, having spent 60 years in the study of the books of the Sunnah and being in the company of, and in contact with, its scholars.

Abu Hudhayfah

Islam is a 24/7 religion and you can’t live with that hype 24/7

Very nice quote indeed. Islam is not like a style that in the summer that is ‘in’ and in the winter it is not fashionable anymore. It is a religion that has to be lived throughout one’s life and not just for a small period of time.

A lot of people practice hype and not Islam. For example, I remember in the late 90s Niqaab with the Jilbaab was a fashion statement. Then by the year 2002 it was back to basics. Jeans, T-shirt and a stingy Khimar (i.e a Khimar that doesn’t cover properly).

For a lot of Muslims life is like a rap album. They hear the hype surrounding some albums when they are marketed. For example: This is greatest album of all time. Afterwards, they drown themselves into it and at the end of that high they get from listening to the album they go back looking for the next latest thing to get hooked on.

This lifestyle is as a result of Muslims not knowing their religion therefore he is here one day and there a next. This my brothers and sisters is from the descriptions of the hypocrites. Allah said about them in Surah Nisa: “They are neither here nor there”. A Muslim should understand what he is practicing so that he is firm upon his belief. Not simply a Muslim by environment or association.

Clothes don’t make the man.

An old addage goes: “Sometimes the clothes do not make the man”. Clothing in itself can represent an aspect of who that person is. However, at the same instances it can represent what a person may be feigning to be just to be part of an organization or have a sense of belonging. This is demonstrated in the streets of California with the bloods who wear red and the crypts who wear blue.

Unfortunately many Muslims have taken this gang mentality into this beautiful religion. Many go to different Masjids and make it seem like if you do not come to their particular location you are not upon the truth. Or if you don’t wear a particular colour or dress you are upon misguidance. It is unfortunate that many cannot rise over their abysmal ignorance and childish mentalities and realize that love, hate, unity and division is based upon the sake of Allah and not the sake of your group.

I gave a Khutbah years ago in a certain mosque in my country. And I said that wearing certain clothing and coming one particular Masjid doesn’t mean that you are upon the Sunnah. Rather it is your actions and your speech that display this. Sad to say, I have witnessed that a lot of people claim to be upon the Sunnah in order to feel special or become part of something and unfortunately after a while they fall off. This is different to the one who comes upon the Sunnah knowing and understanding what he/she is getting into. Their faith remains unshaken because they know the truth and follow it.

Thing is I want good for all. But if some want to rejoice in their ignorance I cannot help them.  And what I mean by ignorance is not what is being taught to them but rather their mentality. This category of people do not seek knowledge but rather they  just go with the flow because it is the ‘in’ thing. Unfortunately, as I have seen in my years of being Muslim, many of these hot and sweaty brothers and sisters end up counted as being statistics of the movement mentality.

Allahu Musta’aan.