Imam Tirmizi

IMAM TIRMIZI (R.A) 209 A.H. – 279 A.H.

Imaam Tirmizi (R.A.) was born during the reign of the Abbasid Khalifa Mamoon al Rasheed. The Abbasid Caliphate, despite its brilliant contributions to Islaam, brought along with it many thorny problems. Greek Philosophy had a free flow into the Islamic world. This was fully sanctioned by the government until eventually it declared the Mu’tazila school of thought as the state religion. Anyone who opposed the Mu’tazila school of thought would be opposing the state. With the influence of Greek philosophy infiltrating within the people, many Muslims began attempting to reconcile between reason and revelation. As a result they deviated themselves and misled many innocent weak Muslims away from Allah and His Rasul [sallallahu alyhi wasallam]. Many scholars of Islaam had come to the fore in order to defend the Shariah. Forgeries and interpolations in Hadith by rulers who wished to fulfil their personal motives was common. In the first century Umar bin Abdul Aziz(R.A.) initiated a movement for the compilation of the Mubarak Hadeeth of Nabi [sallallahu alayhi wasallam] as there was a fear of it being lost. Eventually this gigantic task was undertaken by six towering scholars of Islaam. One of them was …….. Imaam Abu Isa Muhammed ibn Isa Tirmizi (R.A.)

Having grown up in an environment of learning, together with possessing many great qualities naturally drove Imaam Tirmizi (R.A.) to dedicate his life totally towards the field of Hadith. He obtained his basic knowledge at home and later travelled to far off lands in search of this great science. He studied Hadith under great personalities such as Imaam Bukhari (R.A.), Imaam Muslim (R.A.) and Imaam Abu Dawood (R.A.). In some narrations Imaam Bukhari and Imaam Muslim (R.A.) are his students as well. Once Imaam Bukhari (R.A.) mentioned to him “I have benefited more from you than you have benefitted from me.” Moosa ibn Alaq (R.A.) once said : “When Imaam Bukhari passed away, he left no one in Khurasaan who compared with Abu Isa Tirmizi (R.A.) in Ilm, memory, piety and abstinence.” According to Abdullah ibn Muhammed Al-Ansaari (R.A.), Imaam Tirmizi’s Al-Jami is more beneficial than the works of Bukhari and Muslim (R.A.) since their compilations can only be understood by a very deep sighted scholar whereas Al Jami can be understood by both the scholar and the lay man. Imaam Tirmizi (R.A.) said that he compiled this book and presented it to the learned of Hejaaz, Iraaq and Khuraasaan and they were pleased with it. Who ever has this book in his home, it is as though he has the Prophet [sallallahu alyhi wasallam] speaking to him there.

His remarkable memory:
Imaam Tirmizi (R.A.) had an exceptionally remarkable memory. If he heard something once he never forgot it. Once on his way to Makkah, Imaam Tirmizi(R.A.) met a Muhadith from whom he had previously copied two chapters of hadith. Thinking that he had the notes with him he asked the Muhadith if he would allow him to read out these two chapters so that he may correct any errors. After realizing that he did not have those notes with him he took a blank piece of paper and read out the entire two parts from memory. When the Muhadith realized what he was doing he rebuked Imam Tirmizi (R.A.) saying: “Have you no shame, Why are you wasting my time.” Imaam Tirmizi (R.A.) assured him that he had committed all the ahadith to memory. The Muhadith was not convinced, even though he recited all the Ahadith from memory. Imaam Tirmizi (R.A.) requested him to recite to him some other Ahadith. The Muhaddith recited 40 ahadith which Imaam Tirmizi (R.A.) repeated without making a single error, thus showing his remarkable power of committing Ahadith to memory.

Another incident has been recorded by Hakeemul Ummat (R.A.) in his Al-Misk-us-Zaki, depicting the profound memory of Imaam Tirmizi (R.A.). He writes:”Imaam Tirmizi (R.A.) had lost his sight towards the latter portion of his life. Once whilst on a journey, at a certain point he bowed his head. When asked as to why he did this, he replied: “Is there not a tree here whose branches hang over in such a manner that it harms those who are passing by.” They answered in the negative. He was quite shocked when he heard this as he distinctly remembered there being a tree and was worried as to whether his memory was failing him or not. He stopped the caravan immediately and asked his companions to enquire from the locals whether a tree had existed there or not. “If it is established that no tree existed then I will stop narrating the Hadith of Nabi [sallallahu alyhi wasallam] due to my weak memory.” On inquiry it was shown to them that a tree had previously existed over there but due to it being a hindrance to travelers it was removed.”

Imaam Tirmizi (R.A.) had a large number of students from all over the world. The most famous amongst them were Haysam ibn Kulaib (R.A.), Abul Abbaas (R.A.) and Muhammed ibn Ahmed (R.A.) Shah Abdul Aziz (R.A.) describes Imaam Tirmizi (R.A.) in the following words: “His memory was unique and his piety and fear of Allah Ta’la was of a very high caliber. He would cry so much out of the fear of Allah, that towards the end of his life he lost his sight.”

According to Ibn Taimiya (R.A.) and Shah Waliullah (R.A.), Imaam Timizi (R.A.) was an independent Jurist (Mujtahid). Hazrat Moulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri (R.A.) is of the opinion that he was a Shafi.

In the year 279 A.H. in a village called Bawag at the ripe age of 70 , Imaam Tirmizi (R.A.) left this temporary abode for the ever lasting life of the hereafter. May Allah Ta’ala fill his Qabar with Noor. Aameen. The enormity of his sacrifices and the extent to which he served Deen can never be fully comprehended.

Many books of hadith were compiled before Imaam Tirmizi (R.A.) decided to compile His Al-Jami. Dawood Tayalisi (R.A.) and Ahmed ibn Hambal (R.A.) had compiled books consisting of both authentic and weak Ahadith. Later Imaam Bukhari (R.A.) compiled his Sahih Bukhari and omitted all weak narrations from it. His main objective was to derive masail / laws from the relevant Ahadith. Later Muslim (R.A.) compiled his book concentrating mainly on the Isnaad (different chain of narrators). Hazrat Imaam Nasai’s aim was to mention the discrepancies of the hadith whilst Abu Dawood (R.A.) prepared such a book which became the basis for the Fuqaha. Imaam Tirmizi (R.A.) had combined the styles of Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood and Nasai (R.A.) by mentioning the discrepancies regarding the narrators and also making his compilation a basis for the Jurists.
Extract from Life and works of Imam Tirmizi (RA) from Central-Mosque.com

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Abdullah ibn Mubarak

by Sh. Zakariyya Khan

Throughout the history of Islam there have been renowned personalities who have dedicated their life to the preservation of Islam against the tide of disbelief and deviation. In the early period of Islam, the preservation of the Hadith (traditions) was an indispensable element, which needed to be preserved in order to safeguard the deen (religion). Thus, Abdullah Ibn Mubarak was one of these personalities who ensured that Islam was presented to us today in the same form it had been 1400 years ago.

Abdullah Ibn Mubarak was born in 118 hegira / 726 CE, in the town of Marwa. In his childhood he studied elementary subjects, such as writing and arithmetic, which were considered as essential. Thereafter, his life took an unusual turn, thus, he became occupied in the pleasures of the world. He lived a luxurious life of jest and play, until one night, when he received a wake up call from Allah Ta’lah. As a routine custom one-day he invited his friends for a party in his orchard, here, they played and joked until they were overpowered by sleep. However, unlike before, in his sleep he saw a bird perched on the tree reciting a verse in which Allah Ta’lah sends an admonition to his servants:

Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe to be affected by the reminder of Allah, and that, which has been revealed of the truth. (Quran 57:16)

The message carried by this majestic verse was so profound that it led Abdullah Ibn Mubarak to discard the comforts of this temporary world in order to search for eternal bliss. He instigated his thoughts into actions by, firstly, breaking the musical instrument he had in his hand and this was his first step in Zuhad (asceticism).

Abdullah Ibn Mubarak was now on a new path in search of sacred knowledge, especially Hadith (traditions). He travelled the entire Islamic world in order to preserve Hadith, until Abu Usama declared that ‘I have not seen a person searching for Hadith throughout the corners of the world like Abdullah ibn Mubarak. Consequently, he became the undisputed authority in the science transmitting Hadith (traditions). He attained such a lofty rank that the critics of this science unanimously agreed on the fact that he was of a sound nature and a possessor of an extraordinary memory. To achieve such acceptance is unparalleled in the history of Islam; however, this status was necessary for a person who was to be the torch barer of the Hadith. The renowned scholar of critical analysis of transmitters, Yahya Bin Maeen, has wonderfully illustrated his noble traits:

He (Abdullah ibn Mubarak) was intelligent, cautious (in narrating Hadith), trustworthy and a true scholar of Hadith. It is sufficient to know (his status) that many narrated from him, thus he is one of the narrators of Imam Bukhari and the rigorous conditions applied by Imam Bukhari in the verification and sound nature of a narrator is all well known, therefore there is no reason to expound on it.

Hence, he was a firm pillar in the establishment of Hadith, so whenever there was a narration he would take extreme measures to ensure the authenticity of Hadith before he would narrate it. This is why his legendary statement still resonates today in the hearts and minds of the scholars of Hadith that ‘Isnad (the chain of narration) is a part of Deen (religion), if there was no Isnad, then everyone would say what they desired’. Thus, everyone, including the king knew his extreme precaution. Thus, the Abbasi King Haroon Al-Rashid once retorted to an atheist that was brought on trial, who had claimed to have fabricated over one thousand Hadith, none of which were established;

‘What is your rank in compression to Ishaq Al-Farazi and Abdullah ibn Mubarak? O Enemy of Allah! They will separate them through a sieve, letter for letter (from the collection of Hadith)’.

Not only did Abdullah ibn Mubarak gain proficiency in Hadith, but also in Fiqh (jurisprudence) he was a master in his field. The fact that he studied under the greatest living jurists of his time, including men like Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik and Sufyan Thawri, shows that he had developed an appreciation of this science.

He was also praised for being a prolific writer in his time; Imam Dhahabi states that his books include Kitab Al-Arbaeen, Kitab Tareek, Kitab Jihad and Kitab Zuhad wa Raqaiq. Unfortunately all of his written works are not published today.

One of his greatest assets was his Zuhad (asceticism) and the desire for the hereafter. Even though, he had an annual yearly income in excess of one thousand Dinars. All of which he spent in the path of Allah. This is exemplified in his excursions to Makkah for Hajj, while on the journey he would lavishly spend on his associates and fellow travellers despite the fact that he was continuously fasting.

Finally, in the year 181 hegira / 797 CE, during the month of Ramadan Abdullah ibn Mubarak departed the world while striving hard in the path of Allah. The endeavours he took during his life are numerous and cannot be covered here. However, a glimpse into the life of this great Imam testifies how taking precaution in the narration and narrators preserved the Hadith from being marred with taint. We are therefore indebted to the service rendered by our pious predecessors who fulfilled their rights upon us and especially Abdullah ibn Mubarak.
Source: LUISOC

Imam Muslim

BIRTH OF IMAM MUSLIM

His name was Abul-Hussain Muslim-bin-Hajjaj al Nishapuri. He was born in a distinguished family of Arab Muslims in Khorasan which. was a famous town of Russia. Imam Muslim was born in 817 A.D. corresponding to the Islamic year 204 A.H. His forefathers occupied prominent positions during the time of the four Caliphs. He travelled to many places with the object of learning Hadith, and after completing his studies in the various centres of learning, he settled at Nishapur. He spend the rest of his life teaching Hadith.

Imam Muslim

EDUCATION
Imam Muslim started his studies at the very early age of fourteen years. In the year 218 A.H. the atmosphere in Nishapur, his birthplace, was of a religious and knowledge type. Nishapur had great personalities in this period such as lmaam Rahiwe and lmaam Zohri. After travelling widely in search of Hadith, he settled in Nishapur as mentioned above. Imam Muslim was much impressed by the vast knowledge of Imaam Bukhari (R.A.), in the field of Hadith and the deep insight he possessed on this subject. He therefore attached himself to Imaam Bukhari (R.A.) up to the end of his life. Imam Muslim was also an admirer of another great teacher of Hadith, Muhammed bin Yahya al Dhuli. He attended his lectures regularly. He visited Baghdad several times and had the opportunity of delivering lessons there. His last visit to Baghdad was two years before his death.

IMAM MUSLIM’S TEACHERS

Imam Muslim (R.A.) apart from attending the lessons of Imaam Bukhari regularly, also attended the lectures of lmaam Ahmad bin Hambal, Abdullah al Qarri, Qutaiba bin Said, Abdullah bin Maslama and other great Muhadith.

IMAM MUSLIM’S STUDENTS

Imam Muslim (R.A.’s) most noted students are Hatim Razi, Ahrnad bin Salmah, Abu Isa Tinnizi, Abubaker bin Khuzaima and other great scholars.

CHARACTER AND KNOWLEDGE
Imam Muslim R.A. adhered strictly to the path of righteousness. He was in fact a great saint of a very high calibre. His excellent character can be well judged from the simple fact that he never ever indulged in backbiting, a very common human failing. He had a remarkable memory. Ishaq bin Rahwi said of Imam Muslim; ” I wonder what this person is going to be?” This was said in his youth. Ishaq Kausar once addressed lmam Muslim (R.A.) and said; “Your presence in the Muslim community will always keep it in the good. ” Abu Saimah who was a colleague of lmam Muslim was so attached to him that while lmaam Sahib was busy compiling the Sahih Muslim, he remained in lmaam Sahib’s company for fifteen years. He never told a lie nor did he ever use vulgar words.

MASLAK
Sheikh Abdul Latief says Imaam Tirmidhi and Imam Muslim were followers of the Shafee school of thought, although they were both Mujtahids. Moulana Abdur-Rashid says that Imaam Muslim was a Maliki. The fact is what was said by Sheikh Tahir Jazari that Imam Muslim is not a Maliki nor a Hanifi nor a Shafi, but his compilation of the sahih Muslim shows that he was more inclined towards the Shafee school of thought.

SAHIH OF IMAM MUSLIM
Allamah Nabawi (R.A.) says that the Ummat have accepted the Bukhari Shareef and Muslim Shareef as the Kitabs, which follow the Quraan, in authenicity although the Bukhari is regarded as holding a higher position than the Sahih Muslim for specific reasons, the sequence applied in the Muslim is much better than that of Bukhari. It is known as Al-Jamah as Sahih because it contains the eight different subjects on Hadis.

AL-JAMAH AS SAHIH MUSLIM
Imam Bukhari (R.A.) concentrated his efforts on compilation of authentic hadith as well as deduction of Laws from Hadith. This is the most difficult part to understand in the Bukhari. How he deduced Laws from the Hadis, Imam Muslim concentrated his efforts only on compilation of authentic Hadith.
source: inter-islam.org

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Imam Bukhari

Who is not aware of Hadhrat Imam Bukhari (R.A) and his kitaab ‘Saheehul- Bukhari’?
However in this present day, the majority of Muslims use his kitaab to refer to whenever in need of a supporting reference for their actions or deeds without the knowledge of the life of the great author.

The famous and respected Muhaddith, Imam Bukhari’s (R.A) genealogy is as follows: Mohammed Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Mugheera Ibn Bardizbah.
His father Ismail was a well-known and famous Muhaddith in his time and had been blessed with the chance of being in the company of Imam Malik, Hammad Ibn Zaid and also Abdullah Ibn Mubarak (R.A.).

Imam Bukhari’s Birth

Imam Bukhari (R.A) was born on the blessed day of Friday 13 Shawwaal 194 (A.H). He had lost the use of his eyes in the early stages of his childhood. However, due to the pious and lengthy prayers of his mother his eyesight was returned miraculously. The news had reached his mother through a dream in which Hadhrat Ibrahim (A.S) had appeared and said, “Due to your bountiful and sacred prayers Allah Ta’alaa has returned the eyesight of your son.”
The dream was proven to be true in the morning.

Ismail the father of Imam Bukhari (R.A) had died in Imam Bukhari’s childhood, leaving him in the care of his mother where he was nourished with love and care.

Imam Bukhari’s Education & Travel

At the age of sixteen after having memorized the compiled books of Imam Waki and Abdullah Ibn Mubarak, he performed Haj with his elder brother and mother. After the completion of Haj Imam Bukhari remained in Makkah for a further two years and upon reaching the age of eighteen headed for Medinah, and spent his nights next to the grave of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam compiling the books of ‘Qadhaayas-Sahaabah Wat-Taabi’een’ and ‘Taareekhul-Kabeer’ with the moonlight as a means of lighting.

Imam Bukhari (R.A) travelled a great deal in order to expand his knowledge. He made two trips to Syria and Egypt and stayed six years in Arabia. He also happened to return to Kufa, Baghdad and Basra four times and at times remained there for a period of five years. Also at Haj season he used to return to Makkah.

Imam Bukhari ( R.A) first started listening and learning ahaadeeth in 205 A.H., and after profiting from the Ulamaa of his town he started his travels in 210 A.H. There are a great number of teachers from whom Imam Bukhari (R.A) actually gained his much respected knowledge. It has been known to be said by Imam Bukhari (R..A) himself that, “I have written ahaadeeth from 1080 different people all of whom were scholars.” However, he profited most from Ishaq Ibn Rahway and Ali Ibn Madeeni (R.A). Imam Bukhari (R.A) has narrated ahaadeeth from Ulamaa of five different categories. He has also narrated ahaadeeth from his students believing in the fact that no person shall be titled a scholar of ahaadeeth until he has narrated from his elders, youngsters and contemporaries.

Imam Bukhari (R.A) also had a vast amount of students. It has been stated that approximately 9 000 people were privileged to sit in his lessons where he taught his Kitab ‘Sahih-Ul-Bukhari’. There were travellers amongst these from all corners of the world in order to join these pious sittings and to be honoured with a glimpse of the knowledge that he held and which never failed to astonish anybody.

Imam Bukhari’s Memory

Imam Bukhari’s (R.A) memory was considered to be inhuman, for as soon as the praying of a hadith would finish Imam Bukhari (R.A) would repeat it orally. It has been known that in his childhood he had memorized 2 000 ahaadeeth.

There is one spectacular incident which took place in Baghdad when Imam Bukhari (R.A) took up temporary residence there. The people having heard of his many accomplishments, and the attributes which were issued to him, decided to test him so as to make him prove himself to them. In order to do that they chose one hundred different ahaadeeth and changing the testimonials and the text of the ahaadeeth they were then recited by ten people to Imam Bukhari (R.A).

There was a crowd of gathered people from within and outside the city to witness the outcome of such a test. When the ahaadeeth were recited Imam Bukhari (R.A) replied to all in one manner, “Not to my knowledge.” However, after the completion of all the ahaadeeth Imam Bukhari (R.A) repeated each text and testimonial which had been changed followed by the correct text and testimonial, such was the memory of Imam Bukhari (R.A).

Imam Bukhari’s Abstinence

His abstinence was also an attribute which was incomparable and undauntless. He had been left a considerable amount of wealth by his father however, due to his generosity he spent it all in the path of Allah so that at the end he had been left with no money forcing him to spend his day on one or two almonds.

He never took advantage from the generosity of any king or ruler, although many occasions arose. Once he fell ill and when his urine was tested, the results showed that he had not consumed curry for a long time. Upon questioning he said, “I have not consumed curry for the last forty years.

The Governor of Bukhara made a special request for Imam Bukhari (R.A) to make daily visits to his home in order to teach his children. Imam Bukhari (R.A) declined stating that, “I give greater respect to knowledge rather than to people, for it is they who are in need of the knowledge and it is they who should seek it.”

Upon hearing this the Governor was further annoyed by Imam Bukhari’s (R.A) answer and made a second request that Imam Bukhari (R.A) make a special arrangement to teach his children alone without anyone else being present which was also refused by Imam Bukhari (R.A). The Governor was infuriated by the second refusal and ordered Imam Bukhari (R.A) out of Bukhara. The people of Samarqand hearing of this quickly issued an invitation to Imam Bukhari (R.A) to come to their town. However, there was also a difference of opinion within the people of Samarqand which forced Imam Bukhari (R.A) to turn towards Khartang.

It was here that he spent the month of Ramadaan and in the month of Shawwaal headed towards Samarqand, where death found him whilst he was traveling. Imam Bukhari died in the month of Shawwaal 256 A.H., at the age of 62.
(To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.)

Works & Writings

There are a number of books compiled by Imam Bukhari (R.A) however, Bukhari Shareef has gained great esteem and a high status in the learning and praying of ahaadeeth.
A specific date has not been known as to when he had started the writing of Bukhari Shareef, however, we do know that after he had finished he had shown the manuscript to his teachers Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (R.A) for approval who died in 241 A.H, along with Ibnul-Madeeni who died in 234 A.H, and lastly Ibn Maeen who passed away in 233 A.H. It has also been recorded that it took the noble writer a period of 16 years to gather the ahaadeeth and to write Bukhari Shareef which sets the date back to 217 A.H, as the year in which he started the compilation; Imam Bukhari (R.A) being merely 23 years of age.

Before Imam Bukhari (R.A) had started to collect ahaadeeth there had actually been quite a few published books of ahaadeeth in which Imam Bukhari (R.A) found ahaadeeth of both weak and strong testimonials, which gave him the idea to compile such a kitaab containing ahaadeeth of only strong testimonials. Ishaaq Ibn Rahway (R.A) agreed to this idea which strengthened Imam Bukhari’s (R.A) decision.

Imam Bukhari (R.A) states, “There was once a time during one of our sessions when my teacher Ishaaq Ibn Rahway remarked it would be appreciated if someone could collect ahaadeeth which held strong and reliable testimonials and write them in the form of a kitaab.” This inspired Imam Bukhari (R.A) which was later strengthened by a dream in which Imam Bukhari (R.A) was positioned in front of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam with a fan in one hand to aid him in ridding the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam of all flies which would rest upon him. Upon waking, Imam Bukhari (R.A) visited several interpreters for an appropriate interpretation. They all answered that it meant he would in future cleanse the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam of all lies spoken by the people through narrating misunderstood ahaadeeth. This gave Imam Bukhari (R.A) great comfort and strength once he started the writing of his kitab Al-Jame-ul-Sahih. The complete name of the kitaab is ‘Al-Jame-ul-Sahih-al-Musnad-min-ahaadeethe-Rasulillah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam-wa-sunanihi-wa-Ayyaamihi,’ which means a collected version of ahaadeeth in the form of a kitaab which relates to us the sayings, actions and the life of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.

Imam Bukhari (R.A) had taken great care in writing the ahaadeeth and choosing those which met the standards and conditions which he set to find ahaadeeth with only strong testimonials which included only reliable and trustworthy testifiers. He spent 16 years in writing the kitaab, altering it a total of three times. Allaamah Ayni (R.A.) reports of Ibn Tahir’s remark that Imam Bukhari had written Sahih-ul-Bukhari in his hometown Bukhara. Ibn Bujair however, relates that he had started his compiling in Makkah, and some have reported of seeing him in Basra. There is still another differing remark made by others who comment on seeing him in Madinah to write his kitaab. However, we find Imam Bukhari (R.A) relating himself that he wrote Sahih-ul-Bukhari in Masjid-e-Haraam.

Before he actually placed a hadith in his compilation he used to perform ghusl and prayed to Allah through two rakah nafl prayers asking for guidance. Imam Bukhari ( R.A) worked such that only after being completely satisfied with the hadith in question did he give it a place in his kitaab. Due to this great care which was taken, the people were heard to say that the ahaadeeth which Imam Bukhari (R.A) has narrated have been so carefully phrased and with such precision that it is felt Imam Bukhari (R.A) had heard the ahaadeeth directly through the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.

Abu Zaid Marwazi reports that I was once asleep in between the ‘Black stone’ and ‘Maqaam-e-Ibrahim’ when the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam appeared in my dream he stated, “O Abu Zaid! For how long shall you teach Imam Shafi’s (R.A) kitaab ? When shall you start the teaching of my kitaab ?”

I questioned, “O Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam! Which kitaab is yours?” He replied, “Mohammed Ibn Ismail’s Al-Jame-ul-Sahih.”

Hafiz Ibn Hajar (R.A) reports that Imam Bukhari (R.A) has kept it of utmost importance to only narrate ahaadeeth of a strong testimonial which can be proven by the name of the kitaab. However, along with this Imam Bukhari (R.A) also made an effort to explain all points which are difficult to understand, which is the reason why he has given a plentiful host of meanings for one sentence which may include a word that is in reality difficult to understand. Imam Bukhari (R.A) has included within his kitaab the art of narrating ahaadeeth which have been divided into eight different chapters. These chapters contain subjects which have been sub-titled and are famous for the ingenious way in which they have been phrased.

Imam Bukhari (R.A) has imposed conditions which all narrators and testifiers must meet before the hadith can be selected. One condition requires that all testifiers must have a strong memory.

There are also restrictions made upon this condition :

1. All the Muhadditheen who possess great knowledge of ahaadeeth must agree upon the testifiers’ in question ability to learn and memorize, along with his reporting techniques.

2. The testimonial must be complete without any missing testifiers.

3. If there are two different narrators of a hadith related to them by a Sahaabi then the hadith shall be given a high stage in rank. However, if only one narrator can be found and the testimonial proves to be a strong one then this shall be accepted without any doubts.

Allaamah Nawawi (R.A) relates that all scholars in Islam have agreed that Sahih-ul-Bukhari has earnestly gained the reward of being the most authentic after the Holy Qur’an.  Sahih-ul-Bukhari consists of 7 275 ahaadeeth including those ahaadeeth which have been repeated. However, should the repeated ahaadeeth be excluded then the total number of ahaadeeth will be 4,000.

Hafiz Ibn Hajar counted the ahaadeeth and concluded that there was 7 397 where the ahaadeeth have been passed down from the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam directly and with the narrations of Sahabah or Tabi’een etc.; procuring a total of 9 407 ahaadeeth in all. Although after excluding the repetitions he found 2 353 narrations of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam and 160 sayings of the respected Sahabah totaling to 2 513 narrations in all.

Bukhari Shareef has been set apart from other compilations, gaining a distinctive honour due to the following reasons :

1. Whilst Imam Bukhari (R.A) was engaged in the writing of Bukhari Shareef, if the need arose to stop work for a period of time, then he would continue his work only after writing ‘Bismillah’ which is the reason why ‘ Bismillah’ has been found to be written in between in many places.

2. At the end of all chapters Imam Bukhari (R.A) has concluded by use of a word within the sentence so as to give one a point to ponder upon and hopefully so that one becomes more aware of the primary objective of life. e.g. after the first chapter he has included a word which brings one to think of their short life in this world and of their death. His intention is that one reads Kitaabe-Bukhari with death in mind.

3. Imam Bukhari (R.A) has paid great attention towards the beginning and ending his kitaab with an appropriate hadith. For the first hadith narrated within the kitaab is based upon intention which gives one the opportunity to be sincere with himself as to what he intends to gain from studying the words of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam which have been narrated throughout the kitaab. Also the last chapter which Imam Bukhari (R.A) has chosen to end his kitaab with is ‘Kitaab-ul-Tauheed’ which gives one a whole host of words which may be said in order to praise the oneness of Allah; for it is this which is believed to be the sole aid for all humans when they shall find themselves in the unbearable position of being reckoned for their sins on the Day of Judgment.

Hadhrat Shaikh Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya (R.A) has summed up the above in these words,” Imam Bukhari (R.A) has commenced his kitaab with the hadeeth ‘ Innamal Aamaal….’ and concluded it with ‘Kalimataan.

Imam Bukhari

Source: Inter-islam.org

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Shaykh Hussain Ahmed Madani

Sheikhul Islam Hadhrat Maulana Sayyid Hussein Ahmad Madani Sahib (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) was a descendant of Rasulullah (Salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam). His father’s name was Sayyid Habibullah Sahib. He was a headmaster of a school. Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Ahmad Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) commenced his Nazirah (reading of Quran) at a very early age. He completed approximately five juz of his Nazirah by his mother.
Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Ahmad Madani’s mother was a very pious woman. She would recite Surah Ikhlas 200 times daily and offer that as Isaale Thawab to Rasulullah (Salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam). He completed the remainder of his Nazirah by his father. Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Ahmad Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) had two brothers, Maulana Ahmad and Maulana Muhammad Siddique. They were elder than Hadhrat Maulana and were already studying in Darul Uloom Deoband.

His father decided to send Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Ahmad Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) to Darul Uloom Deoband with his two brothers to study there. Hadhrat Maulana studied his Darsi Nizami (general syllabus) in Darul Uloom Deoband and qualified at the very young age of 21. Maulana’s Father, Sayyid Habibullah Sahib, was bayat to Hadhrat Maulana Fazlurahman Ganj Moradabadi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). Allah Ta’ala had blessed Hadhrat Maulana Fazlurahman Sahib with a very long life. He had passed away at the age of 105. He was a very great saint and pious person.

When Maulana Fazlurahman passed away, Sayyid Habibullah said, “Now there is no enjoyment for us to stay in India” and made the intention to migrate to Madinah Munawwarah. That was the place where they originally came from because they are Sayyids, descendants of Rasulullah (Salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam), and for 19 generations they were in Hindustan.

When they left for Madinah Munawwarah, Sheikhul Hind (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) and the ustadh of Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi), went to leave him at the station. At the time of leaving him he emphasized, “Never ever leave dars and tadrees (teaching)!”

When Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) came to Madinah Munawwarah, upon the instruction of his ustadh, he started teaching. Initially he had difficulty in the Arabic language. This was due to him not being an Arab, but within a short period of time, he got a grip of the Arabic language and slowly his class began expanding.

Ulama from different places such as Madinah Munawwarah, Syria, Yemen etc. started sitting in his discourses. Hadhrat Maulana conducted lessons in Hadith for approximately 18 years in Masjid Nabawi (Salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam). Once he and his brother decided to go to Gangoh to visit Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). It was during this visit that Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) bestowed them with khilaafat.

They then returned to Madinah Munawwarah. Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) continued with his discourses in Masjid Nabawi (Salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and it was during this time that Sheikhul Hind (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) came for Hajj. He stayed in Madinah Munawwarah by Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). It was only then that Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) came to learn of Sheikhul Hind’s plan to liberate India.

Sheikhul Hind (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) was then arrested thereafter and taken to Jeddah and thereafter taken to Malta. Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) had so much love and reliance upon his ustadh that he was prepared to sacrifice his comfort teaching in Madinah Munawwarah and handed himself over voluntarily to be arrested in order to be with his ustadh so that he could make the khidmat of Sheikhul Hind (Rahmatullahi Alayhi).

He remained with Sheikhul Hind in Malta for approximately three years. One can imagine what a great sacrifice this was. With such a sacrifice how could such a person not get barakah in his uloom? Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) and Sheikhul Hind (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) were freed together from Malta.

After Sheikhul Hind passed away, Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) was in the forefront of the liberation struggle. He was the essence of this entire movement. Sheikhul Hind started this struggle at an old age towards the end of his life and thereafter Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) followed it up until India was liberated.

When India was liberated, Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) left everything aside but he carried on with his Dars and Tadrees. Normally what happens after a person takes part in a liberation struggle and they achieve their objective is that the issue of position and status plays its role. However, Maulana wasn’t interested in such things. His objective was the liberation of India and since it was liberated his objective was achieved. If he wanted he could have received the highest position that any person could have received but Maulana left all of that and went to Darul Uloom Deoband and dedicated himself to teaching.

When the time came for distribution of awards and honors to those who partook in the liberation struggle, then the call was also made for Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). This was a very prestigious honor whereby his name would have become elevated throughout the world. Yet, Maulana declined to go forward to accept such an award. He explained his refusal by simply mentioning that this was against the way of our pious predecessors. This is a prime example of Ikhlas (sincerity). He took part in the struggle solely for the pleasure of Allah and not because of attaining a position in society.

Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani’s (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) very outstanding quality was hospitality. One person had observed that on an average there would be at least 50 people in the house of Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). In 1946, one person by the name of Sanul Haqq Siddiqui met Hadhrat Maulana. While staying at Maulana Madani’s home, Sanaul Haqq Siddiqui mentions regarding the first night that while he was trying to sleep, at about midnight the people were waking up and the sounds of “Allah, Allah” could be heard from Maulana’s house.

The following morning he had mentioned to Maulana, “It’s a real pleasure for me to stay here. My islah could be made very quickly and I could inculcate all the good habits and qualities that all those people who stay around you have; waking up for tahajjud in the middle of the night, making zikr and so forth but the only thing is that my nature can not tolerate it. I must have my sleep at night. By everyone waking up in the middle of the night, I can’t sleep and I can not keep up to their standards.” So Maulana understood and arranged a separate room for him to sleep.

Maulana did not impose upon him the trend that was taking place there. He then stated that one night a very strange thing happened. He says that he happened to be walking around the whole day and thus he became very tired and went to sleep. And whilst he was sleeping he noticed that someone was pressing his legs. He was in the midst of enjoying this treatment when suddenly he just happened to turn and he saw none other than Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) himself pressing his legs. He woke up in a shock and actually held Maulana’s hand and said, “What are you doing!” Hadhrat Maulana replied and said, “You are tired. The whole day your were walking around. I feel pity for you and here I got a chance to make some khidmat for you and here you are stopping me for which I am very upset because you are depriving me of thawaab.”

Here Sheikhul Islam is making the khidmat of an ordinary visitor who can’t even wake up for tahajjud and zikr whereby separate arrangements had to be made for him and still too with all that comfort Sheikhul Islam goes to press his legs.

Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) was the Sheikhul Hadith of Darul Uloom Deoband for approximately 28 years. One can imagine the level of his discourses especially after having taught in Masjid un Nabawi (Salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) for 18 years before that. There, different types of students would come to him from the different parts of the world and after that he taught at Darul Uloom Deoband for another 28 years.

He was accustomed to a hectic way of life. As a politician he would travel the length and breadth of India and when he would reach Deoband, no matter what time of the day or night, be it the middle of the night, when the bell would ring then the students of Daur-e-Hadith would have to come to attend their classes. After his long arduous journeys as a politician, without any sleep, he would come to the classroom and conduct his lesson on Bukhari Sharif. Considering all this it is mentioned that his lessons were a detailed Dars. Even after the lesson he would conduct a question and answer session for the students in case they had any question to ask. Then too, very patiently he would listen to the students and answer them in complete detail. Once the students were completely satisfied and contented only then would he terminate the lesson and go. How fitting is the poem of the poet boasting about his forefathers,

Oh Jareer, these are my forefathers,
So bring forth of their likeness
When the assemblies unite us.

One noteworthy point about Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) is that whenever he would travel around India he would never travel in first class or second class. He would always travel in the third class. One can imagine how often he would have to travel as a politician, continuously traversing the different regions of India for years on end. Some allegations were made that the Congress was paying Hadhrat Maulana but this is incorrect, as Maulana wouldn’t take even a single cent.

It was Hadhrat Maulana’s habit to always travel in the third class compartment and would never travel in the first class or second class. This in itself is proof because if one has to see the conditions of the third class compartments then they would understand the reality of this situation. In the third class compartment, rarely does a person find a seat. For hours on end he would have to remain standing. Then to he would be lucky to find a sufficient place to stand comfortably being surrounding by hoards of people. If Hadhrat Maulana wished, he could have booked first or second-class tickets at the expense of the Congress, but he never did that.

Hadhrat Maulana reached a high position in regards to Sulook as well. In spite of him being a great politician, many people had ascended the heights of spirituality under his guidance. When he passed away, he had approximately 167 khulafaa.

It is also mentioned that one of his habits were that whenever he was invited for any program, he would make sure that there were no acts of Bid’ah or un-Islamic activity taking place. If he were invited to a Nikah also, he would make sure that no innovated traditions taking place there. This was especially rampant in the customs of India. Upon witnessing such nikahs in India one would wonder if the participants were Muslim or not. It was also special habit that he would only attend such a Nikah where the husband agreed to give the wife Mehr Fatimi.

Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) passed away in 1957 at the age of 81. He was buried in Darul Uloom Deoband next to his ustadh Sheikhul Hind (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). The name of the graveyard there is Maqbar-e-Qasimi.

May Allah Ta’ala fill the qabr of Hadhrat Maulana Hussein Madani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) with noor and allow us to benefit from his roohaniyah. Ameen.

Source: Al Mahmood

Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi

(1244 AH – 1323 AH) (1826 AD – 1905 AD)

Hadhrat Maulana was known as Qutbul Irshad and Alim-e-Rabbaani. Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) was an Ayyubi. He is from among the descendents of Hadhrat Abu Ayyub Ansari (Radiyallahu Anhu). When Nabi Kareem (Salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) made Hijrah, Hadhrat Abu Ayyub Ansari (Radiyallahu Anhu) hosted him.

These Akaabir of Deoband were the children of Sahabah, one a Siddiqi, the other a Farooqi and now an Ayyubi. Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) was born in 1244 AH (1826) and he passed away on 1323 AH corresponding with 1905. Hadhrat Maulana was approximately 79 years of age.

Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) acquired education at a very young age and many of his Asaatizah (teachers) were those who were also the Asaatizah of Maulana Qasim Nanotwi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) and some were also the Asaatizah of Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki (Rahmatullahi Alayhi).

A common personality between them is Hadhrat Maulana Mamlook Ali (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). He was the father of Maulana Yaqub Nanotwi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) who was the first Sadr Mudarris (head teacher) of Darul Uloom Deoband. Whilst discussing the life of Maulana Qasim Nanotwi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi), it has been mentioned already that both Maulana Qasim Nanotwi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) and Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) studied hadith together under Sheikh Abdul Ghani Muhaddith Dehlawi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi).

It is important to mention that Hadhrat Maulana lost his father at a very young and tenderage of seven. So Maulana was actually raised as an orphan. The maternal uncles of Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) nurtured him and took great care of him. They were great Ulama.

When Hadhrat Maulana was 21 years of age, he married his cousin. Generally it is noticed that when a person gets married, his life before marriage is different from his life after marriage.

Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) was not a Hafiz before marriage but surprisingly soon after marriage within a period of one year Hadhrat Maulana became a Hafiz all by himself. Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) memorized the Quran in approximately one year and in the following year, he performed Taraweeh.

Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) like Hadhrat Maulana Qasim Nanotwi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) took bayat on the hands of Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). When he went to take bayat, his intention was to stay for a very short while but he remained there for forty-two days. He became very attached to Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki (Rahmatullahi Alayhi).

He went with a very sincere quest to gain the recognition of Allah Ta’ala, treading the path of sulook, piety, taqwa, tahaarah, and on the eighth day Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki made a statement that “Whatever Allah Ta’ala has bestowed upon me, Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) has all of that.”

On the forty second day when Maulana was leaving, Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) also walked with him and instructed him, “If anyone requests to take bayat upon your hands then don’t refuse him.” basically appointing him as a khilafah.

Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) said, “Hadhrat, who will come to me?” Hadhrat Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) told him, “What are you worried about who will come to you? All I am telling you is that when anyone comes to you, you must not refuse him. You don’t worry about who will come to you and who won’t come to you. Do what I am telling you to do.” Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) used to say, “Within myself, I don’t like to give bayat to anyone, but what can I do? Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) told me that I should not refuse anyone.”

There’s so much to mention about Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) that require volumes upon volumes but for the sake of brevity we will only mention a few points.

His Ilmi Maqaam (status in knowledge):
His depth and insight in Ilm was very great and very high. Maulana Qasim Nanotwi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) stated that Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) is Abu Hanifa al Athar, (the Abu Hanifa of this time).

Hadhrat Maulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) was a miracle from the miracles of Allah Ta’ala. He was known as Chalta Pirta Kutub Khana (a rotating library). Maulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) states that if Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) is not higher that Allamah Shami then he is not lesser either. Any Alim who knows Shaami will know what is the maqaam of Shaami otherwise known as Raddul Muhtar.

Maulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri’s statement shows the great Ilmi maqaam of Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). Whenever the Ulama were stranded and had any Ilmi ishkaals (questions), they would present it to Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). He would give them such answers that would satisfy them. One very great Alim, Maulana Fazlur Rahman Ganj Muraadabaani (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) said that Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) is such a personality that he has taken in oceans of Ma’rifat (recognition) of Allah but he doesn’t even belch.

One day someone asked Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) “Hadhrat, if during the day if someone had some zikr to make, and he was unable to do that during the day and did it during the night, would he get the same reward as doing it during the day?” Hadhrat Maulana mentions, “Why not?” and immediately his tongue went to the verse,

“He (Allah) is the one who has made the night and the day as deputies for he who intends to remember Allah or express gratefulness.”

How apt and adequate is this proof! Allah Ta’ala says that Allah has made the night a deputy of the day. What he forgot to do in the day he can do it in the night for that person who wants to make zikr or for that person who wants to express shukr.

One of his famous compilations is Fataawa Rashidiyyah. Hadhrat Maulana served the line of Fataawa very diligently and responsibly. When anyone used to ask him a question, he would give him the answer quickly as that person is in need of some guidance in Shariah.

Hadhrat Maulana’s Akhlaq:
Hadhrat Maulana used to be very tolerant. Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan Barelwi was a contemporary of Hadhrat Maulana. In his writings, very often he would condemn Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) with very rude and harsh words.

The friends and associates of Hadhrat Maulana were waiting for the order or instruction of Maulana to reply to Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan. They just waited an indication and they were prepared to give a detailed answer to Ahmad Raza Khan.

One can imagine that if he was put in the same situation where someone is attacking him, attacking his personality and his integrity as though he is the worst of creation. This was the expression of Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan’s about Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) through his writings. Despite this, all Maulana would say is “Don’t respond.”

Normally, when a person condemns one, he has the fervor to show a point to that person. Thereafter he would take out all the time apply all his energies to give a word for word response to that person. But what is that for? It is only to cool the nafs down and to satiate the nafs.

Hadhrat Maulana’s approach was different. In spite of his hurt he said, “Don’t respond”. In fact he even said that by responding, you are wasting your time as well because Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan would not listen.

When one person is condemning another and he will not listen to the response, then what is the point in responding? The enemy will be even more cheerful. He will be doing all this to pierce the heart of the enemy and yet it doesn’t even prickle him.

If one only knew that all of his energies have been exerted to hurt his enemy and later he comes to know that it never even pierced him, he just took the paper and threw it in the dirt bin, how would one feel then? This is just the right thing to do and this is exactly what Hadhrat Maulana did.

He did not follow his nafs. He exercised restraint. This is a very good and beautiful example for us. At one stage, he mentioned when a person asked him permission to respond to Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan, “Instead of responding to Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan on my behalf and giving him answers, you rather sit in one corner and make zikr. That time that you will use making zikr of Almighty Allah will be more beneficial in relation to responding to Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan where you will not even benefit at all.” How appropriate an answer! How often do we abuse our time in things that do not benefit us?

Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan became ill with leprosy. Many people became happy and they felt that this was the azaab and punishment of Allah Ta’ala upon Ahmad Raza Khan for swearing at Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). However, when Maulana heard that Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan became ill with leprosy, there were signs of sadness on his face.

One should sit back and think that if he were to hear bad news regarding his archenemy, how would he respond? Immediately he would think, very good very good. However, this was not the response of Hadhrat Maulana. Hadhrat Maulana showed signs of displeasure and disappointment on his face. He further mentioned to his friends and associates “When someone is in pain and difficulty, one shouldn’t get happy.” He even said, “Only Allah knows what our final hour and end will be.” What is the point of laughing at someone? Will one be certain that at the end he will laugh? What if his condition is worse than his enemies? It would be premature to laugh at someone even though one disagrees with that person.

Hadhrat Maulana’s was also a Hakeem:
It would be surprising to know that apart from Hadhrat Maulana being a very powerful Alim, and a person who reached the heights of spirituality, he was also a hakeem and doctor.

Once a woman from his family got sick and she told to Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) that “You are a learned person, I want you to look at some books and see if there is any cure for me.” All the doctors and hakeems had failed.

Then Hadhrat Maulana started searching the books of medicine. One of his uncles was also a hakeem. When Hadhrat Maulana felt that he had diagnosed what the sickness was and what the cure was, he went and presented his findings to his uncle. His uncle knew the insight and the wittiness of Hadhrat Maulana. When he looked into what Maulana had presented he said, “ Yes this is the cure.” Then they gave the cure to the woman. Alhamdulillah the woman was cured.

This message spread far and wide and people would come to Maulana for cure. His son, Hakeem Masood followed his footsteps and became a renowned hakeem in India as well.

Various points regarding Hadhrat Maulana:
Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) was a close friend of Maulana Qasim Nanotwi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi). He would assist Maulana Qasim Nanotwi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) in issues of Darul Uloom Deoband.

He also had a hand in establishing Mazaahirul Uloom Saharanpur. Both of these Darul Ulooms were blessed with the guidance of these two great luminaries of Islam. It has been mentioned previously that Maulana Qasim Nanotwi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) had passed away at a young age and then the head of Darul Uloom Deoband was Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi).

Darul Uloom Deoband and Sahranpour were very close to the heart of Hadhrat Maulana and he was always excited to see the success and prosperity of these two Darul Ulooms.

Hadhrat Maulana performed several Hajj and after his third Hajj Hadhrat Maulana decided to conduct lessons of Sihah Sitta, the six famous books of Hadith. In one year he would teach all six books himself and great Ulama would participate in this. The last lessons were conducted in 1895 due to him losing his eyesight.

In 1905 he had passed away. It was in the last lesson that Hadhrat Sheikh Zakariya’s (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) father Hadhrat Maulana Yahya Kandalwi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) participated and compiled Maulana’s talks of Tirmizi Shareef and Bukhari Shareef in Kaukabi Durri and Laamiu Daraari.

Hadhrat Maulana passed away in Gangohi in 1905 at a very blessed time on a Friday after the Jumuah Azaan.

Source: Al Mahmood

Imam al-Nawawi

Birth of Imam Nawawi

Al-Imām Muhy al-Dīn Abū Zakariyyā Yahyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī (more commonly known as Imam Nawawi), was born in the village of Nawa on the Horan Plain of southern Syria in 631 H.

He was the imām of the later Shāfiʿī School, the scholar of his time in knowledge, piety, and abstinence, a hadīth master (hāfiẓ), biographer, lexicologist, and Sufi.

When he first came to Damascus in 649 H., he memorized the text of al-Imām Abū Ishaq al-Shīrāzī; al-Tanbīh in four and a half months, then the first quarter of al-Muhadhdhab, after which he accompanied his father on ḥajj, then visited Madīnah, and then returned to Damascus, where he assiduously devoted himself to mastering the Islāmic sciences.

He took Shāfiʿī Law, hadīth, tenets of faith, fundamentals of jurisprudence, Arabic and other subjects from more than twenty-two scholars of the time, including Abū Ibrāhīm Ishaq al-Maghrībī, ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Qudāmah al-Maqdisī, and others, at a period of his life in which, as al-Imām al-Dhahabī notes,“his dedication to learning, night and day, became proverbial.”

Spending all his time in either worship or gaining Sacred Knowledge, he took some twelve lessons a day, only dozed off in the night at moments when sleep overcame him, and drilled himself on the lessons he learned by heart while walking along the street.

Fastidious in detail and deep in understanding of the subjects he thus mastered. He authored many great works in Shāfiʿī jurisprudence, hadīth, history, and legal opinion, among the best known of which are his Minhāj al-ṭālibīn, which has become a main reference for the Shāfiʿī School, Riyāḍ al-ṣālihīn and Kitab al-adhkār in hadīth, and his eighteen-volume Sharh Ṣahīh Muslim.

He lived simply, and it is related that his entire wardrobe consisted of a turban and an ankle-length shirt with a single button at the collar.

Death of Imam Nawawi

After a residence in Damascus of twenty-seven years, he returned the books he had borrowed from charitable endowments, bade his friends farewell, visited the graves of his Shaykhs who had died, and departed, going first to Jerusalem and then to his native Nawa, where he became ill at his father’s home and died at forty-four years of age in 676 H, young in years but great in benefit to Islām and the Muslims.

Source: Madrasa In’aamiyyah

Imam Nawawi

Tariq bin Ziyad

Tariq ibn Ziyad was sent by Musa ibn Nusayr in the year 711 AD as a chief commander to conquer Andalus. His men numbered 12000-17000. On his journey he decided to take some rest and sleep. It is said whilst sailing across the sea, which separates Africa from Andalus, he saw in his dream the prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) surrounded by arabs of the Muhajiruun and Ansaars, who with unsheathed swords and bended bows stood by him. They also heard the prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) say ” take courage, O Tariq! and accomplish what you are destined to perform. ” On hearing this, he looked around him and saw the messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and his companions entering Andalus. Tariq immediately awoke from his sleep with a smile, and from that moment on he never doubted victory. Tariq advanced towards a small mountain in the sea which later became known as Jabal Tariq (Mount Tariq) derived from which is the modern name: Gibraltar. Here Tariq and his army disembarked into the darkness of the night. He then set fire to his fleet and in his determination to conquer Andalus he told his army ” I have now burnt the ships, and now there is no return for us and here we will conquer or die fighting.”

The king of the time, King Roderick, heard about the seizure and immediately prepared his army which numbered 100,000. King Roderick set off with confidence that they will make each and every Arab his prisoner. Roderick took his army to Cordova to attack Tariq and his armies.

Before the battle, Tariq gave a speech which portrayed his valiance, determination and ideology regarding the life after death. In this speech he also mentioned his desire to kill King Roderick with his own hands. After his influential speech, Tariq and his army with their white turbans and spears in their hands proceeded towards the battlefield. When Tariq reached the battlefield he saw his ambition and aimed his arrow towards him and killed him. He had now fulfilled his long felt desire and gained victory for the Muslims. It is said in the confusion that followed the defeated Christian soldiers fled for their lives, the body of King Roderick had also disappeared. The Muslims had a zeal for knowledge, they were advanced in architecure and were masters in science.

When Tariq and his army conquered a large portion of Spain in 711-718 AD, which mainly consisted of the Moors who were a Muslim tribe from North Africa, they immediately implemented Islamic law ( Shariah ) with Caliphates. the muslim ruled with islamic law for over 800 years. However when the Muslim government of Spain collapsed during the early 1000s due to the fighting amongst the groups of Moors, the country split into many small Moorish states and independent cities. This was not the only reason for the downfall of a nation which ruled for many centuries. This was due to the fact that the leaders did not rule according to the Islamic law and chose an un-islamic life.

Below is an extract from the hadith. Abdullah ibn Umar narrates ; “The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) came to us and said O muhajiruun, you may be afflicted by five things, may Allah forbid you live to see them, if leaders do not govern according to the book of Allah, you should realize this will not happen without Allah making them into groups and making them fight another. ” ( Ibn Majah, Kitab al Fitan, 4019,2/1332 ) you can see from this small extract how the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) had advanced knowledge of the future and how correct his prophecies were to be.
Inter-islam

Hudhayfah ibn Yaman

“If you wish you may consider yourself among the Muhajirin or, if you wish, you may consider yourself one of the Ansar. Choose whichever is dearer to you.” With these words, the Prophet, peace be upon him, addressed Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman when he met him for the first time in Makkah. How did Hudhayfah come to have this choice’? His father, al-Yaman was a Makkan from the tribe of Abs. He had killed someone and had been forced to leave Makkah. He had settled down in Yathrib, becoming an ally (halif) of the Banu al-Ash-hal and marrying into the tribe. A son named Hudhayfah was born to him. The restrictions on his returning to Makkah were eventually lifted and he divided his time between Makkah and Yathrib but stayed more in Yathrib and was more attached to it. This was how Hudhayfah had a Makkan origin but a Yathribite upbringing. When the rays of Islam began to radiate over the Arabian peninsula, a delegation from the Abs tribe, which included al-Yaman, went to the Prophet and announced their acceptance of Islam. That was before the Prophet migrated to Yathrib. Hudhayfah grew up in a Muslim household and was taught by both his mother and father who were among the first persons from Yathrib to enter the religion of God. He therefore became a Muslim before meeting the Prophet, peace be upon him. Hudhayfah longed to meet the Prophet. From an early age, he was keen on following whatever news there was about him. The more he heard, the more his affection for the Prophet grew and the more he longed to meet him.

He eventually journeyed to Makkah, met the Prophet and put the question to him, “Am I a muhajir or am I an Ansari, O Rasulullah?” “If you wish you may consider yourself among the muhajirin, or if you wish you may consider yourself one of the Ansar. Choose whichever is dearer to you,” replied the Prophet. “Well, I am an Ansari. O Rasulullah,” decided Hudhayfah. At Madinah, after the Hijrah, Hudhayfah became closely attached to the Prophet. He participated in all the military engagements except Badr. Explaining why he missed the Battle of Badr, he said: “I would not have missed Badr if my father and I had not been outside Madinah. The disbelieving Quraysh met us and asked where we were going. We told them we were going to Madinah and they asked whether we intended to meet Muhammad. We insisted that we only wanted to go to Madinah. They allowed us to go only after they extracted from us an undertaking not to help Muhammad against them and not to fight along with them. “When we came to the Prophet we told him about our undertaking to the Quraysh and asked him what should we do. He said that we should ignore the undertaking and seek God’s help against them.” Hudhayfah participated in the Battle of Uhud with his father. The pressure on Hudhayfah during the battle was great but he acquitted himself well and emerged safe and sound. A rather different fate, however, awaited his father. Before the battle, the Prophet, peace be on him, left alYaman, Hudhayfah’s father, and Thabit ibn Waqsh with the other non-combatants including women and children. This was because they were both quite old. As the fighting grew fiercer, al-Yaman said to h is friend: “You have no father (meaning you have no cares). What are we waiting for? We both have only a short time to live. Why don’t we take our swords and join the Messenger of God, peace be on him? Maybe, God will bless us with martyrdom beside His Pr ophet.”

They quickly prepared for battle and were soon in the thick of the fighting. Thabit ibn Waqsh was blessed with shahdah at the hands of the mushrikin. The father of Hudhayfah, however was set upon by some Muslims who did not recognize who he was. As they flayed him, Hudhayfah cried out: “My father! My father! It’s my father!” No one heard him. The old man fell, killed in error by the swords of his own brothers in faith. They were filled with pain and remorse. Grieved as he was, Hudhayfah said to them: “May God forgive you for He is the most Merciful of those who show mercy.” The Prophet, peace be on him, wanted diyah (compensation) to be paid to Hudhayfah for the death of his father but Hudhayfah said: “He was simply seeking shahadah and he attained it. O Lord, bear witness that I donate the compensation for him to the Muslim s.” Because of this attitude, Hudhayfah’s stature grew in the eyes of the Prophet, peace be on him. Hudhayfah had three qualities which particularly impressed the Prophet: his unique intelligence which he employed in dealing with difficult situations; his quick wittedness and spontaneous response to the call of action, and his ability to keep a secret even under persistent questioning. A noticeable policy of the Prophet was to bring out and use the special qualities and strengths of each individual companion of his. In deploying his companions, he was careful to choose the right man for the right task. This he did to excellent advantage in the case of Hudhayfah. One of the gravest problems the Muslims of Madinah had to face was the existence in their midst of hypocrites (munafiqun) particularly from among the Jews and their allies. Although many of them had declared their acceptance of Islam, the change was only superficial and they continued to plot and intrigue against the Prophet and the Muslims.

Because of Hudhayfah’s ability to keep a secret, the Prophet, peace be on him, confided in him the names of the munafiqin. It was a weighty secret which the Prophet did not disclose to any other off his companions. He gave Hudhayfah the task of watching the movements of the munafiqin, following their activities, and shielding the Muslims from the sinister danger they represented. It was a tremendous responsibility. The munafiqin, because they acted in secrecy and because they knew all the developments and plans of the Muslims from within presented a greater threat to the community than the outright hostility of the kuffar. From this time onwards. Hudhayfah was called “The Keeper of the Secret of the Messenger of Allah”. Throughout his life he remained faithful to his pledge not to disclose the names of the hypocrites. After the death of the Prophet, the Khalifah often came- to him to seek his advice concerning their movements and activities but he remained tight-lipped and cautious. Umar was only able to find out indirectly who the hypocrites were. If anyone among the Muslims died, Umar would ask: “Has Hudhayfah attended his funeral prayer?” If the reply was ‘yes’, he would perform the prayer. If the reply was ‘no’, he became doubtful about the person and refrained from performing the funeral prayer for him. Once Umar asked Hudhayfah: “Is any of my governors a munafiq?” “One,” replied Hudhayfah. “Point him out to me,” ordered Umar. “That I shall not do,” insisted Hudhayfah who later said that shortly after their conversation Umar dismissed the person just as if he had been guided to him.

Hudhayfah’s special qualities were made use of by the Prophet, peace be on him, at various times. One of the most testing of such occasions, which required the use of Hudhayfah’s intelligence and his presence of mind, was during the Battle of the Ditch. T he Muslims on that occasion were surrounded by enemies. The seige they had been placed under had dragged on. The Muslims were undergoing severe hardship and difficulties. They had expended practically all their effort and were utterly exhausted. So intens e was the strain that some even began to despair. The Quraysh and their allies, meanwhile, were not much better off. Their strength and determination had been sapped. A violent wind overturned their tents, extinguished their fires and pelted their faces and eyes with gusts of sand and dust. In such decisive moments in the history of warfare, the side that loses is the one that despairs first and the one that wins is the one that holds out longer. The role of army intelligence in such situations often proves to be a crucial factor in determin ing the outcome of the battle. At this stage of the confrontation the Prophet, peace be on him, felt he could use the special talents and experience of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman. He decided to send Hudhayfah into the midst of the enemy’s positions under cover of darkness to bring him the latest information on their situation and morale before he decided on his next move.

Let us now leave Hudhayfah to relate what happened on this mission fraught with danger and even death. “That night, we were all seated in rows. Abu Sufyan and his men – the mushrikun of Makkah – were in front of us. The Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayzah were at our rear and we were afraid of them because of our wives and children. The night was stygian dark. N ever before was there a darker night nor a wind so strong. So dark was the night that no one could see his fingers and the blast of the wind was like the peel of thunder. “The hypocrites began to ask the Prophet for permission to leave, saying, ‘Our houses are exposed to the enemy.’ Anyone who asked the Prophet’s permission to leave was allowed to go. Many thus sneaked away until we were left with about three hundred men.< P> “The Prophet then began a round of inspection passing us one by one until he reached me. I had nothing to protect me from the cold except a blanket belonging to my wife which scarcely reached my knees. He came nearer to me as I lay crouching on the ground and asked: ‘Who is this?’ ‘Hudhayfah,’ replied. ‘Hudhayfah?’ he queried as I huddled myself closer to the ground too afraid to stand up because of the intense hunger and cold. ‘Yes, O Messenger of God,’ I replied. ‘Some thing is happening among the people (meaning the forces of Abu Sufyan). Infiltrate their encampment and bring me news of what’s happening,’ instructed the Prophet.

“I set out. At that moment I was the most terrified person of all and felt terribly cold. The Prophet, peace be on him, prayed: ‘O Lord, protect him from in front and from behind, from his right and from his left, from above and from below.’ “By God, no sooner had the Prophet, peace be on him, completed his supplication than God removed from my stomach all traces of fear and from my body all the punishing cold. As I turned to go, the Prophet called me back to him and said: ‘Hudhayfah, on no a ccount do anything among the people (of the opposing forces) until you come back to me.’ ‘Yes,’ I replied. “I went on, inching my way under cover of darkness until I penetrated deep into the mushrikin camp and became just like one of them. Shortly afterwards, Abu Sufyan got up and began to address his men: ‘O people of the Quraysh, I am about to make a statement to you which I fear would reach Muhammad. Therefore, let every man among you look and make sure who is sitting next to him…’

“On hearing this, I immediately grasped the hand of the man next to me and asked, ‘Who are you?’ (thus putting him on the defensive and clearing myself). “Abu Sufyan went on: ‘O people of the Quraysh, by God, you are not in a safe and secure place. Our horses and camels have perished. The Banu Qurayzah have deserted us and we have had unpleasant news about them. We are buffered by this bitterly cold wind. Our fires do not ligh t and our uprooted tents offer no protection. So get moving. For myself, I am leaving.’ “He went to his camel, untethered and mounted it. He struck it and it stood upright. If the Messenger of God, peace be on him, had not instructed me to do nothing until I returned to him, I would have killed Abu Sufyan then and there with an arrow. “I returned to the Prophet and found him standing on a blanket performing Salat. When he recognized me, he drew me close to his legs and threw one end of the blanket over me. I informed him of what had happened. He was extremely happy and joyful and gave thanks and praise to Hudhayfah lived in constant dread of evil and corrupting influences. He felt that goodness and the sources of good in this life were easy to recognize for those who desired good. But it was evil that was deceptive and often difficult to perceive and comba t. He became something of a great moral philosopher. He always warned people to struggle against evil with all their faculties, with their heart, hands and tongue. Those who stood against evil only with their hearts and tongues, and not with their hands, he considered as having abandoned a part of truth. Those who hated evil only in their hearts but did not combat it with their tongues and hands forsook two parts of truth and those who neither detested nor confronted evil with their hearts, tongues or hands he considered as physically alive but morally dead.

Speaking about ‘hearts’ and their relationship to guidance and error, he once said: “There are four kinds of hearts. The heart that is encased or atrophied. That is the heart of the kafir or ungrateful disbeliever. The heart that is shaped into thin layer s. That is the heart of the munafiq or hypocrite. The heart that is open and bare and on which shines a radiant light. That is the heart of the mumin or the believer. Finally there is the heart in which there is both hypocrisy and faith. Faith is like a tree which thrives with good water and hypocrisy is like an abscess which thrives on pus and blood. Whichever flourishes more, be it the tree of faith or the abscess of hypocrisy, wins control of the heart.” Hudhayfah’s experience with hypocrisy and his efforts to combat it gave a touch of sharpness and severity to his tongue. He himself realized this and admitted it with a noble courage: “I went to the Prophet, peace be on him and said: ‘O Messenger of God, I have a tongue which is sharp and cutting against my family and I fear that this would lead me to hell-fire.’ And the Prophet, peace be upon him, said to me: ‘Where do you stand with regard to istighfar – asking forgiveness from Allah? I ask Allah for fo rgiveness a hundred times during the day. ” A pensive man like Hudhayfah, one devoted to thought, knowledge and reflection may not have been expected to perform feats of heroism in battlefields. Yet Hudhayfah was to prove himself one of the foremost Muslim military commanders in the expansion of Is lam into Iraq. He distinguished himself at Hamadan, ar-Rayy, ad-Daynawar, and at the famous Battle of Nihawand.

For the encounter at Nihawand against the Persian forces, Hudhayfah was placed second in command by Umar over the entire Muslim forces which numbered some thirty thousand. The Persian forces outnumbered them by five to one being some one hundred and fifty thousand strong. The first commander of the Muslim army, an-Numan ibn Maqran, fell early in the battle. The second in command, Hudhayfah, immediately took charge of the situation, giving instructions that the death of the commander should not be broadcas t. Under Hudhayfah’s daring and inspiring leadership, the Muslims won a decisive victory despite tremendous odds. Hudhayfah was made governor of important places like Kufa and Ctesiphon (al-Madain). When the news of his appointment as governor of Ctesiphon reached its inhabitants, crowds went out to meet and greet this famous companion of the Prophet of whose piety a nd righteousness they had heard so much. His great role in the conquests of Persia was already a legend. As the welcoming party waited, a lean, somewhat scrawny man with dangling feet astride a donkey approached. In his hand he held a loaf of bread and some salt and he ate as he went along. When the rider was already in their midst they realized that he was Hudhayfah, the governor for whom they were waiting. They could not contain their surprise. What manner of man was this! They could however be excused for not recognizing him for they were used to the style, the pomp and the grandeur of Persian rulers.

Hudhayfah carried on and people crowded around him. He saw they were expecting him to speak and he cast a searching look at their faces. Eventually, he said: “Beware of places of fitnah and intrigue.” “And what,” they asked, “are places of intrigue?” He replied: “The doors of rulers where some people go and try to make the ruler or governor believe lies and praise him for (qualities) he does not possess.” With these words, the people were prepared for what to expect from their new governor. They knew at once that there was nothing in the world that he despised more than hypocrisy.

Fatimah Khanum, The Princess

Seven centuries had passed since afore said Zubaydah canal was created and now it was in its worst with the passage of time despite being looked after by the subsequent rulers. Almost all the wells and springs had gone dried and dead and Zubaydah canal was filled with shifting sand and stones and its concrete wall was broken here and there and water was no more once again. It was the year 965H (1557 A.D) when all those days had returned which had urged Zubaydah to come to the rescue.

Fortunately another Zubaydah had come in to the world in the shape of the Turk princess Fatimah Khanum, daughter of the great ‘Uthman ruler Sultan Salim. When the things came to her knowledge, she under took to solve the problem once for all. She assigned the task to her trusted aide Ibrahim ibn Takrim to restore the canal and extend it to Makkah to bring it in to the easy reach of every Makkan and the pilgrims.

The repair of the canal proved not very difficult and it was done positively with the help of Egyptian, Syrian and the Yemenite engineers and the masons. But ahead, a huge rock whose length was not less than two thousand feet and the width more than fifty had stopped their advance.

Ibrahim, the chief of the project lost his heart, as it looked quite impossible to turn aside or to break through the gigantic rock. Fatimah Kanum was informed of the failure. But the resolute princess stood to her previous order. She reprimanded her assignee and told him in clear words that nothing could hamper the human courage and determination.

The inspiring order of the princess invigorated the entire arena. In those days neither the dynamite was invented yet, nor were the titanic machines of today, which blow out the sky rising mountains. The only method to cut the stone was to heat them up to a very high degree and then cut them with sharp tools.

It took hundreds of workers long ten years to make a break through, after having been burnt millions tons of fuel and spending thousands of arduous days and nights. It came at last that auspicious day when in 979H (1571 A.D) the proud rock was conquered which, years before looked duly insurmountable.

The water began to flow up to Makkah. No one could imagine the delight of the Makkans that day. The event was celebrated fervently with the participation of the government and the masses. All, the bigs and smalls of the project were rewarded beyond their expectations. The Princess came to be called empress Zubaydah Thani (the second).
(Monthly Al-Hasanat, Rampur – India)

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