The original ‘Ālimiyyah degrees have slowly become so watered down over the years that even those who haven’t been through such programmes feel prepared to offer it now. It went from 8 years full time, to seven years by summarizing the six books of hadith into one year instead of two, then to 6 years by dropping the six books altogether or incorporating them over the six years, then to 5 years by incorporating the Arabic into the curriculum instead of it being part of a preparatory curriculum, then to 5 years part-time, then to 4 years to match the conventional degrees, then to 4 years part-time to accommodate people’s busy schedules, and now to 6 weekends a year for three years.
To call such programs “ ‘Ālimiyyah Degrees ” is obnoxious, extremely misleading, and perhaps even sinful when considering the outcomes.
The ‘Ālimiyyah degrees that follow the Dars-E-Niẓāmī curriculum properly or a comparable curriculum, and not just claim that they do, produce very promising results if all needed factors are in place. There is no such thing as a 5-year, a 4-year, or a 3-year, part-time, over the weekend, quick fix, equivalent to the heavyweight 7 or 8-year ‘Ālimiyyah programme. Just as there is no summertime equivalent to the 7-8 year extended term of study in global centres of Islamic knowledge, such as Riyadh, Cairo, Madīnah, Makkah, Amman, Istanbul or…
Likewise, there is no online equivalent to sit before the heirs of the Messenger ﷺ. Sometimes I think to myself that perhaps the Messenger ﷺ said, “Whoever treads a path to seek knowledge, Allah will make a path to Paradise easy for him,” because he knew that people will slowly but surely stop *treading the path of knowledge* and instead sit by computer screens thinking that this is sufficient.
If you want true knowledge, don’t buy into the marketing gimmicks. Benefit from the opportunities you have around you if your situation doesn’t permit you to commit your life to knowledge, but know full well that much of what I described above is just marketing gimmicks, and it is not the full deal, and in many cases not even half of the full deal.
A person who afflicts others by the evil eye is known as ❝Al-A’in❞ and a person affected by the evil eye is called ❝Al-Ma’yoon.❞
Ibn Al Qayyim (ﺭﺣﻤﻪﺍﻟﻠﻪ) said in his book Zaad al Ma’ad:
❝It is the arrow that is taken out from the soul of the envious individual, the one who causes the affliction of the evil eye, and then it is fired upon the subject of the evil eye. This individual can be affected sometimes and manage to escape it at other times.
If one encounters this and is exposed to it then there will be no protection from its effect, however, it then becomes imperative if one encounters this to take care and prepare themselves with the best defence and not allow it to be implanted upon them.
It is in this manner that a person can protect themselves from the envious individual and not be affected by them. Sometimes these arrows return to the one whom they belong and this archery makes the envious individual feel the same negativity in his life like the negatively he tried to push on the subject.❞
Allah (ﷻ) says:
❝And indeed, those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes when they hear the message and they say; ‘Indeed, he is mad.’❞
[Al-Qalam: 51]
Ibn Katheer (ﺭﺣﻤﻪﺍﻟﻠﻪ) uses this verse as evidence to show that the evil eye is real and that it has the ability to affect people since Allah (ﷻ) mentions ‘those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes when they hear the message.‘
An incident which is narrated from the time of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) saw the Quraish ask some people who were known to give the evil eye to another person which could cause illness, death or some other effect to put it on the Prophet (ﷺ).
However, Allah (ﷻ) protected the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) from those who were intent on destroying him with Ayn.
Ibnul Qayyim (ﺭﺣﻤﻪﺍﻟﻠﻪ) mentioned in his book Zaad al Ma’ad that some people have denied the effects of Ayn; he describes these people as arrogant with no knowledge.
According to some scholars, the concept of effecting a person with the evil eye (Ayn) can be likened to the effect of when a person walks into a room and they feel embarrassment or shyness due to people looking at them, perhaps causing the face to change colour.
Another example could be where someone sees someone they fear and they become pale in the face.
Ibnul Qayyim (ﺭﺣﻤﻪﺍﻟﻠﻪ) describes it as a physical or spiritual effect that leaves the eye and affects the human being.
⚫ THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF EVIL EYE (AYN)
There are different types of Evil Eye which a person can become afflicted with.
They are:
(العين) Ayn – The eye from someone who may love or know you and not have evil intentions towards you.
(الحســـد) Hasad – The envious eye from someone who hates or dislikes you or something you have but wants it removed from you.
(النفس) Nafs – The admiring eye which a person can put on themselves.
(النظرة) Nathara – The evil eye which comes from the Jinn.
Evidence for the different types of Evil Eye (Ayn)
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
❝The evil eye is real and if anything were to overtake Qadr (divine decree), it would have been the evil eye.❞
This alludes to the speed of the evil eye and expresses that if anything was to overtake the decree of Allah (ﷻ) it would have been the evil eye, i.e. in its speed.
▪Hasad
Iblees envied Adam (عليه السلام) as he disliked his creation and the fact he was ordered to prostrate to him.
He thought he was better because he was made from fire and Adam (عليه السلام) was created from clay.
Therefore it was only envy which pushed iblees to transgress and disobey the order of Allah (ﷻ).
▪Nafs
The Prophet (ﷺ) said;
❝Whoever among you sees something in himself or in his possessions or in his brother that he likes, let him pray for blessings for it because the evil eye is real.❞
[Narrated by Ibn al-Sunni, Al-Haakim and classed as saheeh by Al-Albani 243]
▪Nathara
This originates from the evil eye of a Jinn.
The evidence for this is the narration of Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنها) who said the Prophet (ﷺ) saw in her house a slave girl with discolouration on her face so he (ﷺ) said: ❝Perform Ruqyah for her, for she has been afflicted by the eye of a Jinn.❞
From the above, we see that the Evil eye can be given by a human or by a Jinn. It is also known that animals can give the evil eye too when they look at something.
There are many stories and encounters concerning this and Allah (ﷻ) knows best.
⚫ EVIDENCE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF ENVY (HASAD)
Allah (ﷻ) says:
❝Many of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) wish if they could turn you away as disbelievers after you have believed out of envy from their own selves, even after the truth has become manifest unto them (i.e that Muhammad (ﷺ) is Allah’s Messenger).❞
[Al-Baqarah: 109]
Allah (ﷻ) also says:
❝Or do they envy people (i.e. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and his followers) for what Allah has given them of His bounty? But we had already given the family of Ibraheem the Scripture and wisdom and conferred upon them a great kingdom.❞
[An-Nisa: 54]
Allah (ﷻ) also says:
❝And from the evil of the envier when he envies.❞
(Al-Falaq: 5)
⚫ THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE EVIL EYE AND ENVY.
The Evil eye (in Arabic: Ayn, in Urdu: Nathara) is an illness which some people (not everyone) carry.
It entails looking at a blessing which someone has within themselves or from that which they possess from worldly possessions with amazement or liking it.
This then leads to dwelling on the matter, continually looking at the person who has the thing which he feels jealous towards and subsequently leading to an attack described as rays emitting from a person’s eyes (and their soul) and subsequently affecting him physically/mentally causing him to become ill.
One doesn’t need to physically look at someone to give them the evil eye, even a blind person can give the evil eye. One can even give the evil eye merely by listening to the description of a person’s blessings.
[Zaad Al Ma’ad: volume 4 page 149]
The evil eye is like an arrow which comes from the soul of the one who envies towards the one who is envied and on whom the evil eye is put; sometimes it hits him and sometimes it misses.
If the target is exposed and unprotected it will affect him but if the target is cautious and armed the arrow will have no effect and may even come back on the one who launched it.
[Extracted from Zaad Al Ma’ad]
According to Shaykh Khalid Al-Hibshi (حفظه الله) it is something evil that comes out of the soul and then attacks the person.
Allah (ﷻ) himself commanded the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to seek refuge with Him from the envier.
He (ﷻ) said (interpretation of the meaning):
❝And from the evil of the envier when he envies.❞
(Al-Falaq: 5)
Allah (ﷻ) says in another verse (interpretation of the meaning):
❝And verily those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes (through hatred).❞
(Al-Qalam: 51)
In a Hadith narrated from Abdullah ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه), it says;
❝A’odhu bi kalimaat-Illaah it-taamah min kulli shaytaanin wa haammah wa min kulli a’ynin laammah (I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah, from every devil and vermin and from every envious eye).❞
[Bukhari – 3191]
The meaning of ❝vermin❞ (haammah) is lethally poisonous animals and insects.
The meaning of ❝envious❞ (laammah) is that which causes harm because of jealousy (i.e hasad).
The word ❝Haasid❞ (envier) is more general in meaning than the word Ayn (one who puts the evil eye on another).
The scholars disagreed over whether or not the evil eye is restricted only to jealousy, whilst agreeing that not every jealous person gives the evil eye.
The difference of opinion follows:
1• One group said; ❝Everyone who gives the evil eye is jealous but not every jealous person gives the evil eye.❞ This is the Fatwa of the Permanent Committee for Research and Ifta’ in Saudi Arabia.
2• Another group said: ❝Not everyone who gives the evil eye is jealous and not every jealous person gives the evil eye.❞
This is the opinion of a group of scholars.
The evidence for this is that Ayn can even be given to yourself, your own children and even when joking.
The evidence for this comes from the following Hadith:
❝Whoever among you sees something in himself or in his possessions or in his brother that he likes, let him pray for blessings for it because the evil eye is real.❞
[Ibn al-Sunni in A’mal al-Yawm wal-Laylah, page 168; Al-Haakim, 4/216. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Al-Kalim at-Tayyib, page 243]
This Hadith explains that a person may harm himself, his wealth, his children, his wife etc by the evil eye.
⚫ EVIDENCE IN THE QUR’AN.
Allah (ﷻ) says:
❝Many of the People of the Scripture wish they could turn you back to disbelief after you have believed, out of envy from themselves even after the truth has become clear to them. So pardon and overlook until Allah delivers His command. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent.❞
[Al-Baqarah: 109]
❝Or do they envy people for what Allah has given them of His bounty? But we had already given the family of Abraham the Scripture and wisdom and conferred upon them a great kingdom.❞
[An-Nisa: 54]
❝And from the evil of the envier when he envies.❞
[Al-Falaq: 5)
Various steps leading to envy:
1• Enmity
2• Supremacy
3• Pride
4• Wonder
5• Fear
6• Love of authority
⚫ ENVY IS OF VARYING DEGREES.
1 – A person wants the blessing to be taken away from his Muslim brother/sister even if it does not come to him; rather he does not like Allah (ﷻ) to bless anyone else as that upsets him/her.
This person may actively work to remove the bounty from another person without necessarily destroying the bounty itself.
He may do this with his speech or actions and may do whatever it takes to bring an end to the blessing from the envied person.
2 – Where a person wants a blessing to be taken away from someone else because he hopes that it will come to him. This person does not just seek to remove that bounty from another person but also works to get the bounty for himself.
3 – Where he wishes for himself a blessing like that which someone else has without wanting it to be taken away from the other person.
This is permissible and is not called hasad rather it is called ❝Ghibtah❞ (envy that is free from malice).
The worst are those who simply wish to destroy the bounty regardless of whether they themselves get it or if it is simply destroyed.
They only want to destroy that blessing because it was not given to them in the first place. Then there are those who cannot remove the feeling of envy from their souls.
They cannot control it but they do not like it and they wish they could remove it from themselves. Those people, Allah willing, are not sinful for their state that they cannot control.
People who have Hasad sometimes don’t know that they have hate towards others. They are in denial to themselves but their actions and speech are obvious to others.
Hasad (Envy) needs to be rectified by a person looking into their soul.
Umar (رضي الله عنه) said;
❝Bring yourselves to account before you are brought to account.
Don’t become superstitious or paranoid but get in touch with your soul and purify it as the soul is the doorway to your heart.
The soul and heart are interconnected with each other, therefore if one is corrupted the other will be corrupted.
The soul is like a child that wants to indulge in pleasure all the time. Your brain tells the soul what’s right and wrong.
The heart feeds off whatever the soul indulges in and gets affected by whatever the brain tells it to do.
Once a person taps into this then he becomes someone who is in control. Hasad (destructive jealousy) causes a great deal of harm in this world and in the Hereafter.❞
Narrated from Az-Zubayr ibn al-A’waam (رضي الله عنه),
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
❝There has come to you a disease of the nations before you, jealousy and hatred. This is the ‘shaver’ (destroyer); I do not say that it shaves hair but that it shaves (i.e destroys) faith. By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, you will not enter Paradise until you believe and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you that which will strengthen love between you? Spread the greetings of peace amongst yourselves.❞
[Tirmidhi, 2434]
Concerning the meaning of the phrase ❝it shaves (destroys) faith❞,
At-Tayyibi (ﺭﺣﻤﻪﺍﻟﻠﻪ) said:
❝Hatred takes away faith like a razor takes away hair.❞
[Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi bi Sharh Jaami’ al-Tirmidhi]
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (ﺭﺣﻤﻪﺍﻟﻠﻪ) said in his book Amraad al-Quloob: (diseases of the heart)
❝Whoever finds in himself any hasad towards another has to try to neutralise it by means of attaining taqwa (piety, the consciousness of Allah ﷻ) and Sabr (patience).
He should hate that the feeling of hasad is in himself. But the one who does wrong to his brother by word or deed will be punished for that.
However, the one who fears Allah (ﷻ) and is patient is not included amongst the wrongdoers and Allah (ﷻ) will benefit him by his taqwa.
Nobody is free from hasad, but the noble person hides it whilst the base person shows it.❞
A person will not be brought to account for whatever crosses his mind but he will be brought to account for what he says and does.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
❝Allah will forgive my nation for their mistakes, what they forget and what they are forced to do (through coercion).❞
[Bukhari – 2033]
The envious that doesn’t try to remove the envy from his own heart, there is a difference of opinion whether this type of person is sinful or not.
According to Ibn Rajab (ﺭﺣﻤﻪﺍﻟﻠﻪ) those that remove hasad from their hearts, pray for the person whom they have hasad towards and tell others of their goodness, they remove the hasad so much so they begin to love the person and love that Allah (ﷻ) has bestowed them with this bounty.
These people are amongst the highest level of faith as they love for their brother what they love for themselves and this is what everyone should strive for.
⚫ HADITH RELATED TO THE EVIL EYE.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
❝The evil eye is real and if anything were to overtake Qadr (divine decree), it would have been the evil eye.❞
This alludes to the speed of the evil eye and expresses that if anything was to overtake the decree of Allah (ﷻ) it would have been the evil eye, i.e. in its speed.
Narrated from Abdullah Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه), he said;
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
❝The evil eye is real and can bring down a person from a high mountain.❞
[Sahih al Jami’ 4146]
What is meant here is that the evil eye follows a person by Allah (ﷻ)’s will until it causes him to fall from a mountain.
Another understanding is that Ayn is so powerful it could bring down the highest mountain. We must therefore really consider the effects it can have on the human body.
Narrated from Sahl ibn Haneef (رضي الله عنه) that the Prophet (ﷺ) came out and travelled with him towards Makkah until they were in the mountain pass of Al-Kharar in Al-Jahfah.
There Sahl ibn Haneef did ghusl (bathed), and he was a handsome white-skinned man with beautiful skin.
Amir ibn Rabee’ah, one of Banu Adiyy ibn K’ab looked at him whilst he was doing ghusl and said;
❝I have never seen such skin as beautiful as this, not even the skin of a virgin,❞ upon those words Sahl fell to the ground.
They went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said;
❝O Messenger of Allah, can you do anything for Sahl because by Allah he cannot raise his head.❞ He said, ❝Do you accuse anyone with regard to him?❞ They said; ❝Amir ibn Rabee’ah looked at him.❞ So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called Amir and rebuked him strongly.
He said; ❝Why would one of you kill his brother? If you see something that you like, then pray for blessings for him.❞ Then he said to him; ❝Wash yourself for him.❞ So he washed his face, hands, forearms, knees and the sides of his feet, and inside his izaar (lower garment) in the vessel.
Then that water was poured over him (i.e. Sahl) and a man poured it over his head and back from behind. He did that to him then Sahl got up and joined the people and there was nothing wrong with him.
[Ahmad, Malik, An-Nasai’ and Ibn Hibban. Classed as saheeh (authentic) by al-Albani in Al-Mishkat]
In another narration, the Prophet (ﷺ) came out and travelled towards Makkah, until they were in the mountain pass of Al-Kharaar in al-Jahfah.
There Sahl ibn Haneef did ghusl, and he was a handsome white-skinned man with beautiful skin. Aamir ibn Rabee’ah, one of Banu Adiyy ibn Ka’b looked at him whilst he was doing ghusl and said:
❝I have never seen such beautiful skin as this, not even the skin of a virgin,❞ thereupon Sahl fell to the ground.
They went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said;
❝O Messenger of Allah, can you do anything for Sahl because by Allah he cannot raise his head.❞
He said, ❝Do you accuse anyone with regard to him?❞ They said, ❝Aamir ibn Rabee’ah looked at him.❞
So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called Aamir and rebuked him strongly.
He said, ❝Why would one of you kill his brother? If you see something that you like, then pray for blessings for him (saying TabarakAllah)❞ Then he said to him, ❝Wash yourself for him.❞
So he (Aamir) washed his face, hands, forearms, knees and the sides of his feet and inside his izaar (lower garment) in the vessel.
Then that water was poured over him (Sahl, and a man poured it over his head and back from behind.
He did that to him then Sahl got up and joined the people, after which there was nothing wrong with him.
Narrated from Abdullah ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه), Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said:
❝The influence of the evil eye is a fact. If anything were to precede the divine decree it would have been the influence of an evil eye. Therefore when you are asked to take a bath (as a cure) from the influence of the evil eye, you should take a bath.❞
[Sahih Muslim Hadith 5427]
Therefore the person who has been afflicted by Ayn should try to get the water of the person who has afflicted him and bath with it.
Narrated by Umm Salaamah (رضي الله عنها)
The Prophet (ﷺ) once saw a young girl who had a certain expression on her face, so He said;
❝Seek an Islamic formula for her because she is touched by the evil eye.❞
[Bukhari]
⚫ THE EFFECTS OF THE EVIL EYE.
Shaikh Khalid Al-Hibshi (حفظه الله) says that Ayn has a tremendous amount of power. It has an influence in all areas of a person’s life, whether religious affairs, worldly affairs, as well as moral characteristics etc.
Some of the effects are summarised below:
• Effect on the minds: IQ, wit, memory, ability to focus, understanding and assimilation.
• Effect on the livelihood: Wealth, income, provisions etc.
• Effect on beauty: hair, face, skin colour, the body etc.
• Effect on religion: worship, humility, character, integrity etc.
• Effect on a person’s morality: modesty, truthfulness, courage, good characteristics etc.
• Effect on marital and family life: happiness, pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriages, raising and loving children, discord etc.
• Effect on ages: longevity, age relative to appearance, death, etc.
• Effect on the body: power, speed and activity, health and wellness, skills etc.
• Effect on livestock: camels, bringing down birds from the sky etc.
• Effects on nature: plants, trees and fruits, damage, burns, ripeness, shrivel and die etc.
• Effect on inanimate objects: cars, all kinds of devices, gold, women’s cosmetic application or products.
⚫ EVIDENCE FROM THE SUNNAH.
Narrated from the freed slave of Az-Zubayr (رضي الله عنه) he said the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
❝The disease of the nations who came before you has started to spread amongst you; jealousy and hatred.
This is the ‘shaver’ (destroyer). I do not say that it shaves hair but rather that it shaves (destroys) faith. By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, you will not enter Paradise until you believe and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you of that which will strengthen love between you? Spread the greetings of peace amongst yourselves.❞
[Tirmidhi]
Narrated by Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) said:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
❝My nation will be stricken with the disease of the other nations.❞
They said: ❝What is the disease of the other nations?❞
He (ﷺ) said:
❝Insolence, arrogance, accumulation of wealth, competition in worldly gains, mutual hatred and envy until there will be wrongdoing and then killing.❞
⚫ SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS – EVIL EYE AND ENVY.
• Constant yawning without wanting sleep.
• Constant burping without eating.
• Symptoms increase when reading or listening to the Qur’an.
• Itching when the person afflicted carries out an act for which the evil eye has been given, For example, if the evil eye has been given because of a person’s wealth, they will start itching when they come into contact with money.
• The appearance of spots and boils on the body/face.
• Hot and cold flushes for no reason.
• Tight chested.
• Tiredness/Laziness.
• Insomnia.
• Waswasah. (constant whispering)
• Putting on weight without necessarily eating more.
• Cases of Cancer.
• Some cases of Psychological conditions such as delusion and fear.
• Forgetfulness and sleepiness while doing studying, reading Quran or going to school etc.
• Headaches.
• Allergies, rhinitis and sinusitis.
• Sneezing a lot for no reason.
• Cold/ flu.
• Hair Loss.
• Darkening under the eyes.
• Becoming pale.
• Permanent headaches.
• Spots under the skin.
• Pains at the mouth of the stomach which doctors cannot explain.
• The desire to get out of the house or hatred in staying indoors.
• The feeling of death and despair.
• Seeing dead people in your sleep, lizards or cats.
• To see people who have given you the evil eye looking at you in a strange and scary way.
• Physical ailments which doctors cannot explain and going from one problem to another.
• Seeing ants in the house.
• Children crying constantly for no reason.
And Ultimately Allah (ﷻ) knows best!
⚫ Explanation in detail about Evil Eye and Envy By Shaikh Khalid Al-Hibshi;
Hudhayfa (Allah be pleased with him) said, “People do not curse one another without that curse coming true.” [al-Adab al-Mufrad]
وعن أبي الدرداء رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : “إن العبد إذا لعن شيئًا، صعدت اللعنة إلى السماء، فتغلق أبواب السماء دونها، ثم تهبط إلى الأرض، فتغلق أبوابها دونها، ثم تأخذ يمينًا وشمالا، فإذا لم تجد مساغًا رجعت إلى الذي لُعن، فإن كان أهلا لذلك، وإلا رجعت إلى قائلها”.
Abu-Darda’ (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “When a person curses somebody or something, the curse goes up to heaven and the gates of heaven get closed. Then it comes down to the earth and its gates get closed. Then it turns right and left, and if it does not find an entrance to go anywhere, it returns to the person or thing that was cursed; if he or it deserves to be cursed; otherwise it returns to the person who uttered it.” [Abu Dawud]
For those that don’t know me, let me introduce myself. I am an Alim who studied in an institute for seven years, thereafter worked in several so-called Islamic institutes giving me enough experience to write this article, Alhumdu Lillah. I also have many Ulama colleagues and acquaintances, which has added to my experience! I will be fair, maybe it is because I am an Alim and have so many Ulama colleagues I have had such overwhelming experiences and in such a large capacity. Definitely more than the average person reading this, who may not be an Alim or has not had as many experiences because he/she does not know Ulama, as well as some of us, do. I just want to add these are my experiences, but I am not a selfish person – Alhumdu Lillah! I have also heard many of my friends, colleagues and family members who have had bad experiences with Ulama. This is what has to lead to me mustering the courage and speaking on behalf of them all. In case people who are naive say, “these are just a few experiences.”
CURSING A BELIEVER
I am going to start from recent events, as the whole reason I decided to lift my pen on such a crucial, but essential, critical, but vital topic is the image above which is my most recent experience, this was the final straw. How can we imagine anyone would give such a curse, let alone an Alim, a Mawlana, an individual who has studied Qur’an and Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ for several years under qualified Ulama. You must all be wondering what the reason was. I wasn’t going to write the story behind that message, not because I am scared, not at all. I am not afraid of the truth Alhumdu Lillah, nor am I afraid to admit my mistakes in public or in private. I feel it will get too long and I will end up going off on a tangent, as I tend to do. For the moment, I want readers to think of what possibly could be a justified reason to give someone such a curse (bud-dua)? What would be a reasonable explanation for it? Please do think long and hard. Has anyone of you heard such a curse (bud-dua) before? Would you give such a curse (bud-dua) to your enemy or even a Kafir?
Well, we all use WhatsApp and have several groups for friends, family, maybe work colleagues and other social uses perhaps. Many Alims/Alimahs will have “Ulama/Alimaat” groups where they would discuss Fiqh/Hadith or Deeni issues (if the group is used for the correct purpose). I was on such a group not so long ago. There were many young Alims on the group, some may have still been studying. It was a simple issue of someone making a statement of not putting titles next to a scholar’s name and Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) was written just as “Aishah”, this scholar was a Mufti so he should have addressed himself as a Mufti and wrote “Allah be pleased with her” or “Radhi Allahu Anhaa” after Aishah. This brother was corrected and he did not argue or reply back. Minutes later another person on the group went further and just wrote “IT” for Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (Allah have mercy upon him). I waited to see if anybody criticised him for it, as the first person was criticised. We should be fair in criticism and not pick and choose who we criticise. If our Ustadh makes a mistake we ignore it and when another person makes a mistake we magnify it? This is totally contradictory to the teachings of Islam. So, after seeing nobody commented and criticised this individual, I made a comment, I said, “We have gone a step further, far from removing titles, we are using acronyms for great Ulama.” This individual responded saying, or should I say ‘justifying’ his position, “It is acceptable because it is the Urf to use short form on Social Media.” I understand people use slang and short form on Social Media, but since when did HE become Urf. Urf is a term used in Fiqh, something which is “common in the people”, something socially habitual. One man is not Urf! One man does not decide what Urf is! It is based on a “whole” society. He further went on to say, “if I did not like it I don’t need to use the short form. He doesn’t mind using it so he will use the short form.” I found this a little arrogant, why? Doesn’t Islam say we should be doing “what’s right”? Not what “we want.” If everyone is going to do what they want, then what is the purpose of Qur’an and Hadith? What is the purpose of having knowledge?
So to hear this behaviour coming from an Alim was shocking, he didn’t need to say that. He could have accepted he was wrong or proved his point. Not by making things up that it’s Urf because Ulama have said, which Ulama? He didn’t state one single Alim who has endorsed this short form for the names of Ulama or Salaf Saliheen on Social Media or public forums. I further emphasised that I found his statement arrogant, there’s a difference between calling someone “an arrogant individual” and saying something is “an act of arrogance”. No doubt, there are signs of arrogance in Qur’an and Hadith, like there are signs of a Munafiq. As humans we use it in everyday language”, e.g. “He/she was a bit arrogant that day.” This doesn’t mean we are claiming to be God! Only Allah knows what’s in the hearts, but what is in the heart is often revealed through our actions and especially our tongues. As Imam Ibnul Qayyim (Allah have mercy upon him) says, “If you want to get a taste of someone’s heart, look at his tongue.” Here, Imam Ibnul Qayyim (Allah have mercy upon him) isn’t claiming to be God, he is making a factual statement.
MOLVIS ARE GOOD LAWYERS!
Moving on, this individual demanded that I do not call him/others arrogant (despite me clarifying it was the statement that came across as arrogant), especially because they are Ulama. Wow! I was shocked, let’s just look at this carefully… so you can never EVER call an Alim arrogant? Despite what they do, great! This is some serious dictatorship, asking us to follow him blindly. I was then removed from the group because the truth hurts. I rang the admin to ask why I was removed, he said because I called his teacher arrogant, even though I hadn’t. We debated the issue and he could not accept he was wrong. I bade him farewell. Regardless of what exactly happened, it is important to note the traits of evil Ulama, the corrupt ones, the ones cursed by the Prophet ﷺ. What I would like to point out at the end of this story, the Alim who removed me was confronted by several Ulama as to why he made this curse. He denied it, despite me sending a screenshot with his name, then another showing number. He replied saying it is all a lie and I had photo-shopped the image! Subhan’Allah, I have never known anyone in my entire life to lie so much, let alone an Alim.
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ” لاَ يَنْبَغِي لِلْمُؤْمِنِ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَعَّانًا ”
Ibn ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The believer is not one who curses others.” [Tirmidhi]
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ لَيْسَ الْمُؤْمِنُ بِالطَّعَّانِ وَلاَ اللَّعَّانِ وَلاَ الْفَاحِشِ وَلاَ الْبَذِيءِ ” . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ
‘Abdullah (Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The believer does not insult the honour of others, nor curse, nor commit Fahishah, nor is he foul.” [Tirmidhi]
ARE ALL ULAMA CORRUPT?
For those who say this is only one incident and it is not fair to ‘paint all Alims/Alimahs with the same brush. Wallahi! I am not that judgemental and narrow-minded, as to use one incident and magnify it to give all Ulama a bad name. So far, I have not once said “ALL” Alims/Alimahs are corrupt. Nor will I be saying that in the rest of the article In Sha Allah. My main reason behind this article is not to name and shame an Alim or any Ulama (notice names have not been mentioned). The aim is to protect the general public from the corrupt and crooked, immoral and depraved Ulama. We must remember there are two types of Ulama; a) Ulama Haqq (rightful) and b) Ulama Soow (corrupt). From this we can deduce, contrary to popular belief not every Alim/Alimah will go to Jannah, and yes, the rule applies to males and females. Please see the Hadeeth.
In his book Ad-Daa’ Wad-Dawaa’, Ibn Al-Qayyim (Allah have mercy upon him) explains the Hadeeth of the first three to be thrown into Hell on the Day of Resurrection. He says: “from Abu Hurayrah, who said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘Verily, the first to be judged on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who had died as a martyr. He will be brought forward. Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. Then He will ask him: `what did you do to express gratitude for it?’ The man will reply: `I fought for Your Cause till I was martyred.’ Allah will say: `You have lied. You fought so that people might call you courageous, and they have done so.’ Command will then be issued about him and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell. Next, a man who had acquired and imparted knowledge and read the Qur’an will be brought forward, Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. Then He will ask him: `what did you do to express gratitude for it?’ The man will reply: `I acquired knowledge and taught it, and read the Qur’an for Your sake.’ Allah will say to him: `You have lied. You acquired knowledge so that people might call you a learned (man), and you read the Qur’an so that they might call you a reciter, and they have done so.’ Command will then be issued about him, and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell. Next, a man whom Allah had made affluent and to whom Allah had given plenty of wealth, will be brought forward, Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. He will ask him: `what did you do to express gratitude for it?’ The man will reply: `I did not neglect any of the ways you liked wealth to spend liberally for your sake’. Allah will say to him: `You have lied. You did it so that people might call you generous, and they have done so.’ Command will then be issued about him and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell.” And the wording, “So these are the first of Allah’s creation the Fire will be kindled with on the Day of Resurrection“[Saheeh Muslim, 13/45/1905]
Then he says: “And I heard Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (Allah have mercy upon him) say, “Just as the best of the people are the Prophets, then the worst of the people is the one who imitates them, giving the false impression that he is from them while he is not from them. The best of people after them are the Ulama’ and the Shuhada’ and the Siddeeqoon and the Mukhlisoon, and the worst of the people is the one who imitates them while giving the false impression that he is from them, while he is not from them.” [Ad-Daa’ Wad-Dawaa’ pp38-39]
TWO CATEGORIES OF ULAMA
In the Hadeeth, there are grave warnings of dreadful things awaiting the Ulama-e-Soow. They are among those who will be first to enter into Jahannam. They are astray and are leading others astray. The Prophet ﷺ said: “A person who seeks knowledge with the object of acquiring worldly riches, will not even smell the fragrance of Jannat.” [Targheeb]
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever acquired knowledge for the purpose of attracting people to be inclined towards him, will be cast into Jahannam.” [Targheeb]
and also “The worst of people, have the worst Ulama.” [Targheeb]
It is also reported that Rasulullah ﷺ said: “Knowledge is of two kinds: One type is that which is only on the tongue (having no effect upon the heart). This is Allah’s proof against men (He completed His argument). The other type is that which is in the heart and is beneficial knowledge.”
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “The majority of the Hypocrites of this Ummah [Muslims] will be its readers [i.e. those who read the Qur’an and not act according to it].” [Musnad Ahmad no. 10/123]
In another Hadeeth, He ﷺ said: “In the latter days the devout ones (Sufis) will be ignorant and the Ulama immoral.”
And also,
“Seek not knowledge in order to contest with the Ulama and to argue with the ignorant ones and to attract people towards you by it. Those who do this will be cast into Jahannam”.
Sayyidina Umar (Allah be pleased with him) said:
“On behalf of this Ummah, I am most fearful of the Alim who is a hypocrite.”
People asked: “Who is a hypocritical Alim?”
Umar (Allah be pleased with him) replied:
“He is one who by the tongue is an Alim, but in his heart he is ignorant.”
Hasan (Allah be pleased with him) said: “Do not become such that in spite of having acquired the knowledge of the Ulama and become acquainted with the deep researches of the thinkers, you behave and act in the manner of ignorant fools.”
Regarding the corruption and fitnah of the Ulama in times close to Qiyamah please this article on the link. The Prophet ﷺ said: “There will come a time on the people when there will remain nothing of the Islam except its [ism] name and nothing will remain of the Qur’an except its [rasm] outward form. Their Masjids will be full of people/very well built but will be empty of guidance. Their scholars will be the evilest under the heavens; from them, [fitnah] turmoil will emanate from them and to them will it return.” [Baihaqi, Shu’bul Iman no. 2/788]
“DON’T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET”
Ulama have always played a major role in the Ummah, no doubt Ulama of the past were very sincere and honest. They treated people fairly and justly. More importantly, they gave rulings and fatwas with complete knowledge and Taqwa. The Ulama of the past had the Hereafter in mind and were God-conscious. It is because of these Ulama, Islam reached us in its pristine form – Alhumdu Lillah for their sacrifices, and I am not ungrateful. You can learn more about Ulama Haqq here. However, in the past there were also corrupt scholars and evil Ulama, the difference is today they have increased in number far more than that of the past. I heard a renowned Alim of the UK state, “Before Qiyamah, the majority of the Ulama will be corrupt.” Please do not take this statement lightly, let it sink in before you read any further. This means that the true Ulama will be few. No doubt there are good Ulama living today, even here in the West, but if we want the best for ourselves and our children we need to find those Ulama. Not every Imam is a God-fearing person, not every Madrasah teacher has Taqwa and piety. Many Imams beat their wives and stand like hypocrites on a Friday to lecture the community about peace and justice in their sermons. There are many examples I can give of “Molvis behaving badly,” unfortunately too many. I am pretty sure everyone reading this article will have had their own experiences too, at least with one Alim. I want to create a balance, give you the other side of the coin (every coin has two sides). We need good Ulama, to guide and direct us, but is every Alim good and pious? Imam Anwar Awlaki (Allah have mercy on him) once said, “Every deviant sect was made by an Alim.” So for those of you who are still in cuckoo land and think we must respect “every Alim”, that is wrong, unfortunately. You respect the devout and pious Ulama, the way to find one is to look at his actions, not his speech. Anybody can talk with a sweet tongue, looking eloquent and handsome.
CHILD ABUSE
There are many signs of corrupt Ulama. One example I would like to start with is, teachers who beat the living daylights out of our children when we send them to Madrasahs and Darul Ulooms, (this still goes on FYI). Some so-called Ulama damage our children so painfully, these children lose all confidence in themselves. They neither progress in Deen nor Dunya. They grow up hating Islam, hating Ulama, hating the Masjid and probably hate their parents for sending them to Madrasah. These children grow up distant from the Qur’an and distant from Islamic knowledge. Many later get married and have their own children, but they will not send them to the Masjid because of the experiences their father had when he was a child.
Who is to blame for all of this?
Simply because Molvi Saheb couldn’t control his anger?
Molvi Saheb didn’t get his tea on time that day?
Or due to the fact Molvi Saheb had an argument with his wife that day, he took it out on our children?
For all those evil Ulama out there, who justify child abuse, shame on you! I challenge any single one of you, show me one Ayah of the Qur’an, one Hadith where it allows you to hit a child. Show me one incident where the Prophet ﷺ hit a child? You may deceive the parents of the child by saying, “it’s for their own good!” La Hawla Wa La Quwata Illa Billah! How will you justify your zulm in Allah’s eyes?! I have no hesitation in calling such people zalims, Alim or non-Alim, zulm is Haram for everyone. It was even Haram for the Prophet of Allah ﷺ, but it has been made halal for Ulama? Allah himself declares zulm haram. Dear parents, beware of whom you send your child to, to learn Islam. Please don’t just look at convenience, “Molvi Saheb lives on the same street as us, SO HE MUST BE GOOD!” Such naïve thinking can be dangerous. Find good Madrasahs and good teachers, regularly talk to your children about their day at school and Madrasah. Ask them, “Does your Ustadh hit?” Being shy about these matters will only cost you and your child, their future. Zulm is zulm, wrong is wrong.
COMPLAIN, NOT MOAN AND WHINGE
I understand it is hard for parents, especially mothers (usually the mothers do the running around) to confront an Ustadh or the principal with regards to these issues. Considering many Alims/teachers are defensive when it comes to acknowledging their own mistakes, the short story I gave at the start is evident to this. Nevertheless, confront them.
ARROGANT & NARCISSISTIC MOLVIS
I have met many Alims who are arrogant narcissists in their approach and manner and most won’t accept their mistakes. Some will use, or should I say MISUSE Qur’an and Hadith to justify their behaviour. I remember working for a so-called Islamic charity run by Ulama. One of the senior Alims, who I used to respect a lot in my naïve days, whenever I would disagree with him or air an opinion he didn’t like (because of his arrogance), would quickly quote the Hadith, “respect your elders.” I laugh now thinking back on it, to disagree with someone is disrespectful? Having an opinion is disrespectful? Then to misuse Hadith! Subhan Allah. Another sign of corrupt Ulama, true knowledge makes you humble. Some Alims just cannot accept criticism nor accept their mistakes. Arrogance was Haram for the Prophet (SAW), who made it Halal for Molvis?
WHO IS TO BLAME?
The blame is not always on Darul Ulooms, initially, I blame the parents who are the mothers and fathers of these children. Many parents don’t have the correct intention for sending their children to Darul Uloom or making them Alim/Alimah. I have heard this from many Pakistani Ulama, in Pakistani families as long as one or two are educated and professionals, i.e. bringing the money in, the weaker children or not as bright are “shoved” into Madrasahs. So how can we fully blame Darul Ulooms for producing such arrogant individuals when their parents’ intentions were not sincere? So the lion’s share of the blame is on the parents, rather than the individuals themselves. They spend six or seven years in an Islamic environment, unable to change their ways and bad habits. How will such people make changes in the Ummah? But the one thing I will blame Darul Ulooms for, most of them anyway, is focusing on numbers, 40-50 graduates a year? What’s the need? Since when has Islam been about numbers? They need to stop lowering their standards and focus on quality, not quantity. I understand times have changed from the 80s and 90s and there is more focus on the secular side, but then you need to look at some of the product you are making. There is absolutely no need for such a great number of Ulama, especially when they are leaving with no Tarbiyyah and Islah (upbringing) whatsoever. Anyone who disagrees can ask me personally, the incidents I have seen/had with recent graduates. I won’t share them here, because my intention isn’t to expose anyone but nobody should suffer at the hands of these wolves. Yes, ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’, or should I say, ‘Devils in Molvis’ clothing’! “Islam does not say suffer peacefully.” – Malcolm X (Allah have mercy on him)
“QUALITY NOT QUANTITY.”
Islam has never been about numbers, never. When Islam started the Prophet ﷺ only had Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him), He ﷺ only had his wife Khadijah (Allah be pleased with her). One man and one woman, why didn’t He give up? Because that one man and one woman were equal to a whole Ummah! “Quality not quantity.”
On the day of Badr, there were only 313 Sahabah (Allah be pleased with them) against 1,000. Why didn’t they wait for more people to accept Islam? Simply because those 313 were unique and consolidated, they could overcome an army of 10,000 if you ask me! “Quality not quantity.”
Now, this is a problem everywhere, especially on social media. It has become all about numbers, followers and likes. Please see this article for further information.
When Madrasahs/Maktabs/Darul Ulooms just focus on numbers, people tend to start thinking is it just about making money?! More students, more fees?! I am sorry Sherlock, but it doesn’t take a genius to work that one out There are Madrasahs in the UK who focus on quality, fewer numbers more productivity. I don’t see them closing down because they cannot pay the bills. My point being we need “less Ulama,” but good Ulama.
The Prophet ﷺ:“Knowledge (of the Deen) will be (imparted and acquired) for purposes other than the Deen, the Dunya (wealth and fame) will be pursued with the deeds of the Akhirah.”
MONEY-MAKING MILLIONAIRE MOLVIS
Umar (Allah be pleased with him) said, “When you see that any scholar loves the world, then his scholarship is in doubt.”
Now we come on to the money-making Molvis, another sign of corrupt Ulama. These sell their Deen for the Dunya. Ulama who made their Madrasahs and Islamic schools into businesses, purely for money making. They neither care about the children nor the parents, as long as their surpluses add up at the end of the year. But society is deceived and loses out. They charge extortionate rates to parents for fees, their teaching standards are abysmal. Which only proves one thing: they are bereft of any form of sincerity. I am not playing God nor being judgemental, sincerity has signs and so does a lack of sincerity. Not forgetting the ones who became millionaires by selling Taweez and taking advantage of people’s misfortune, but that doesn’t stop these Molvis from making their “fortune.” Read this to see how much scholars charge for lectures.
POWER GRABBERS
Then we have Ulama who are the power-hungry control freaks. The Dictators. Nothing short of a Tyrant. Their word is the Gospel. You cannot question them or differ with them. They make Hitler and Stalin look like puppets. They will never let go of their “kursi” (position) once they hold it, Imam or principal. Some go to great lengths to get those positions. I know of an Alim in my local Madrasah who tried to absolute name me and shame for reasons Allah knows best (I don’t want to get defensive on here, nor come across defensive). But the dictator himself was not elected in management, another Alim had been selected by teachers by the majority of votes. This Alim in front of my own eyes swindled and dwindled the votes, then put his own name at the top. Most of you won’t believe it, but it is true – Allah is my witness. Masjids and Madrasahs are no longer JUST places of worship, rather they are places for politics and corruption. For power and greed! Inna Lillah Wa Inna Ilayhi Raji’oon.
RACISM AND UNFAIRNESS
Oh yes! You all knew that was coming. Racism is in everyone, not just Ulama. So why have I mentioned it here? The Racism is in Ulama is to another degree, far more than the average person. Possibly because they have a lot of authority and control, but they use that to their own advantage. Not how Allah has taught them in the Qur’an. Any institution whose constitution is based on Racism can never ever be successful in the eyes of Allah SWT, Qur’an and Hadith teaches us that. How can you judge a person from the village their grandparents lived in?? Are you for real?! Nowadays we have schools that give preference to people from their own village. Once I had a debate with an Alim who was so very defensive in respect of such schools, in my naïve days I respected this Alim a lot as he worked in my Madrasah, but his Racism was unbelievable. Nice to know what these people keep in their hearts:
“Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater. We have certainly made clear to you the signs if you will use intellect.” (3:118)
Unbeknownst to him, the school have a policy, in which they give preference to certain members of certain mosques (all to do with villages in India). Wow! When you live in the 21st century Britain you would think those days would have gone, you would think Racism was a thing of the past. Shame on such Ulama, would Fatima bint Muhammad ﷺ be allowed in your school? She certainly isn’t from your village. Why do I single these guys out, when all Mosques have similar policies? The Alim asked me this same question, but I am a fair man, Alhumdu Lillah. My answer; the Mosques are run by committees, who are mostly laymen, not Ulama. You should know better. Not saying they are correct either. I am not a member of any Mosque for this reason; their Racist constitutions. Unfortunately, I am unlike other Ulama who just look at their own benefit, I have principles – Alhumdu Lillah. Because Ulama lack principles, they tend to “stick up for their own”. This is totally against Islam.
Every Masjid and Darul Uloom is “Waqf”, nobody owns these buildings, they were made with the public’s money. When they ask for Lillah money they don’t ask you which village you are from?!
I wrote this whole article after one incident where I walked into a Masjid in Blackburn and I was told by an Alim I wasn’t welcome because I am not from their village in India!!! I am really sorry my parents weren’t born in your village (THANK GOD THEY WEREN’T). What makes it worse is when I related the incident to some acquaintances, I was told to ‘chill out and relax. It was just a joke?!’ I apologise for my lack of sense of humour, but Racism is Haram and so are Racist jokes. Dear Molvis, don’t make Haram into Halal because it suits you. Islam is not a buffet, you can’t pick and choose. And for the record, I have a perfect sense of humour, Ma Sha Allah. There is a fine line between immaturity and cracking a joke, learn the distinction between the two. If your local Masjid or Madrasah or any organisation, be it a charity does wrong, it is wrong. I am sorry for stating the obvious, but some Ulama find this really hard to digest. Because they are blind and too stubborn to accept the truth. If an Alim or any Islamic organisation does wrong they must be condemned, NOT condoned and overlooked. Zulm is not just in Syria and Burma, we have many Ulama who oppress people right here in the UK, but it is brushed under the carpet. More importantly, when an individual complains and speaks up he is made to look like the bad guy. Why? Because we are deceived by the long turbans and flowing beards of Molvis. You respect good Ulama, not the bad ones. And you certainly do not worship them and make them into God! If people dislike and loathe what I say, then teach your staff members and parents not to behave with me in a Racist and arrogant manner. Alhumdu Lillah! My mother did not give birth to a coward, I CAN speak and SHALL speak till Allah wants me to. Allah says about the Jews and the Christians,
“They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah, and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.” (9:31)
PART-TIMERS
One final factor that has a major role in corrupt Alims/Alimahs is part-time classes, which I have never agreed with, Absolutely Dead Against.
Here’s the proof: have you ever heard of a part-time pilot? Part-time doctor? Part-time surgeon? Part-time lawyer? Part-time engineer? No! But we hear of part-time Alims/Alimahs, disgraceful.
If you were in an operating theatre and you were told the surgeon has only studied a part-time course, would you be happy for them to operate on you? Only a fool would be.
How on earth can we rely on part-time Alims/Alimahs? I understand the need to educate and equip our boys and girls with Islam but I don’t understand the need of so many Alims/Alimahs, ESPECIALLY when you are not doing a proper and thorough job of it, sorry. Let them learn Arabic and Tafsir and Hadith within a few years. You don’t need to give them the title of a scholar when they have not studied in depth. If this continues, you will see more and more evil spread in the Ummah because of these half-baked scholars. Parents are not to jump on the bandwagon and follow what everyone else does, Allah gave you Aqal. The full blame though, lies on the founders of these places, many just open because the mosque next door has opened an Alimah class, Competition?
JEALOUSY, ENMITY AND BACKBITING
On the topic of competition, Alims and Alimahs need to learn to work together and avoid jealousy and hatred on Every Little Thing! Seriously, it is not healthy AT ALL! There are Ulama that have conspired to shut another Madrasah down because they opened on the same street. Does this Alim not believe in Taqdeer? Rizq is in Allah’s hands? Unity/working together? Someone once famously said,
! ایک گلی میں دو کتے رہ سکتے ہے لیکن دو مولوی نھیں
“Two dogs can live (peacefully) in one alley, but two Molvis cannot.” Well said, I fully agree.
One of the reasons we have so many mosques and madrasah is that a certain Molvi had beef with another Molvi Saheb, so the first one split from the mosque and built his own. Is that Ikhlaas? Sincerity has signs. It is the same in Madrasahs. I don’t need to look far, Blackburn has over 40 mosques. If you look at the history behind some of these mosques, it is because they are from different villages in India – so they split. Two mosques on the same street?! These mosques were not built with Ikhlaas, how will they be successful? Allahul Musta’aan! On a micro level, we have the same on WhatsApp groups. Ulama bicker and fight over petty issues, then they go and open their own groups. Such childish behaviour is embarrassing.
THE TRUE SCHOLARS
“…Those truly fear Allah among His servants are those who have knowledge (Ulema). For Allah is Exalted in Might and is Forgiving.” [Al-Fatir: 28]
Regarding “…Those truly fear Allah among His servants are those who have knowledge…” Imam Ibn Kathir (Allah have mercy on his soul) stated that “The more the knowledge of Allah and His SWT power is complete, the more He SWT will be feared by those who have the complete knowledge.”
Imam Al-Qurtubi (Allah have mercy on his soul) said that “The scholars are those who know the power of Allah SWT. They are in no doubt of His SWT punishment no matter what the sin is.”
It was narrated by Ali (Allah be pleased with him) that Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) said, “The scholars are those who know that Allah is capable of anything.”
On the authority of Ziyad ibn Lubayd (Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘….and knowledge will go [or disappear].’ He said, ‘O Messenger of Allah how will knowledge leave [disappear] whilst we read the Qur’an and our children read the Qur’an and they will make their children read it till the Day of Judgement.’ He said, ‘May your Mother lose you I thought your one of the men of understanding of Madinah. Don’t you see these Jews and Christians reading their Torah and Gospel but they don’t practice anything of it.’ [Ibn Majah no. 4048]
Ali (Allah be pleased with him) said I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ says, ‘Fitnah will certainly come.’ I asked what is the way out O Messenger of Allah ﷺ? He replied, ‘The Book of Allah [swt] is the way, for it contains information of what happened before you, news of what will come after you and a decision regarding matters that will occur among you…It is decisive [fasl] and not a joke [hazl]. Whoever leaves it, is a tyrant and Allah [swt] will break him, and if anyone seeks guidance else-where [other than the Qur’an] Allah will lead him astray. It is the rope of Allah [swt], the wise reminder, the straight path, whims would not deviate it nor the tongue become confused, and the scholars cannot be fully satisfied [i.e. still more to explore]. It is not worn down by repetition nor do its wonders ever cease……He who quotes it speaks the truth, he who acts according to it is rewarded, he who judges according to it is just, and he who invites people to it [i.e. the Qur’an] is [himself] guided to the Straight Path….’ Tirmidhi no. 2906 [Dha’eef – the chain is weak but the meaning is Saheeh –scholars comment that this is more likely the statement of Ali and not the Prophet ﷺ]
Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ood (Allah be pleased with him) said, “No age will dawn upon you but it will be viler than the one preceding it. I do not mean a ruler better than another ruler, or a year better than another year, but (I mean) that your Ulama and Fiqh will disappear, and you will not find (uprighteous) successors to them. Then there will come people who will issue ‘fatwas’ [legal opinions] based on their own opinion.” And in another narration, “Who will blunt Islam and destroy it.”
Hakeemul Ummah, Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (Allah have mercy upon him) states: “Rasulullah ﷺ directed us to follow the ‘Sawaad-e-A’zam’ in times of fitnah. From the different opinions of Ulama, the preferred view seems to be the one that is understood from the Zaahir (text) of the Hadith i.e. ‘follow the majority.’ This view is restricted to the Khayrul Quroon when Khayr (goodness) was dominant (Ghalib). Today’s “majority” are not the purport of the Hadith (i.e. the Sawaad-e-A’zam Hadith), because today the majority consists of misguided people.”
يحيى بن معاذ ينشد في مجالسه كان
مواعظ الواعظ لن تقبلا…. حتى يعيها قلبه أولا
يا قوم من أظلم من واعظ ….قد خالف ما قاله في الملا
أظهر بين الناس إحسانه ….و بارز الرحمن لما خلا
CONCLUSION
I have written this article as a reminder for myself and other Ulama, first and foremost. A wise man once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Becoming an Alim is easy, especially in this day and age when standards are so low in Darul Ulooms. Anybody can pass like wind through six years, we have all heard of “Arafati Molvis.” We need to live up to the title, ‘Mawlana’.
I always say, “Ulama LOVE the title ‘Mawlana’, but very few people LIVE the title of a Mawlana.
In no way, means or fashion do I think of myself as a true Alim or from the Ulama Haqq. I am not perfect and there is no pretence or artificial humility there. You don’t need to be perfect to complain and speak up. You don’t need to be flawless to criticise someone. You just need to be clear and be sincere. Humility leads you to criticise your own, arrogance leads you to always “defend” your own. I have always believed that, feel free to disagree. I am not going to criticise Brelwi Ulama and Salafi Ulama when we have corruption in our own, you put your own house fire out first! Why should I be afraid to speak the truth, when these corrupt Ulama are not afraid of lying? I intend to empower people to stand up to the Ulama that deceive us and mislead us, learn to wake up and speak up! Don’t be afraid of these bullies and cowards. Many are just armchair critics, they can never meet you and have a challenge face to face. Please do listen and follow the true Ulama, I have not said once stop following Ulama. Just learn that there are two types and look for the right type. Finally, there are people out there campaigning against Ulama; Muslims and Non-Muslims, no doubt there are anti-ulama folk out there. I pray this article does not reach them, as they will misuse it against the purpose for which it was written. I fully support honest, truthful and sincere Ulama who are doing a fantastic job educating the masses. If you are anti-ulama, please read this below:
“Those who disrespect the Ulama and the Awliya, humiliate and disrespect them when they are laid in their graves their faces they will be turned away from the Qiblah! I swear by Allah! If you do not believe me, go and check for yourselves.”
Hadhrat Mawlana Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi (Allah sanctify his secret)
Allah keep us united on the truth. Allah grant us ALL Hidayah and guide us to the straight path. Allah protect us from being amongst Ulama Soow and save us all from Hellfire.
Ameen.
Ismail Ibn Nazir Satia (Unafraid to speak the truth, Alhumdu Lillah!)
10th Safar 1439
“The most dangerous man in society is he who has nothing to lose.”
حکیم الامّت مجددالملت حضرت مولانا اشرف علی صاحب تھانوی نور اللّٰه مرقدہ کی قیمتی نصیحت
⚫ایک بات اہلِ علم کے کام کی بتاتا ہوں کہ دین پر عمل کرنے کا مدار سلف صالحین کی عظمت پر ہے، اس لیے حتی الامکان ان پر اعتراض اور تنقیص کی آنچ نہ آنے دیں
⚫(صرف )مولوی ہونا کوئی خوشی کی بات نہیں ہے،(مولوی ہونے کے ساتھ ) دین دار ہونا خوشی کی بات ہے
⚫علم کے ساتھ صحبت (اولیاء )کی بڑی ضرورت ہے، صحبت سے واقفیت بھی ہوتی ہے اور عمل کے ساتھ مناسبت بھی ہوتی ہے
⚫(اکثر )علماء کو ہمیشہ غریب ہی رہنا چاہیے، جس قوم اور جس مذہب کے (اکثر )علماء امیر ہوئے، وہ مذہب برباد ہوگیا
⚫دو چیزیں علماء کے واسطے بہت ہی بری معلوم ہوتی ہیں، حرص اور کبر*
⚫مناسب ہے کہ قلم اور کاغذ جیب میں پڑا رہے، جس وقت جو مضمون ذہن میں آئے اس کا اشارہ لکھ لیاجائے، پھر دوسرے وقت ان میں ترتیب دے دی جائے
⚫دو باتیں مجھے بہت ناپسند ہیں: ایک تو تقریر میں لغت (مشکل الفاظ) بولنا دوسرے تحریر میں شکستہ لکھنا،کیوں کہ تحریر و تقریر سے مقصود افہام ہوتا ہے اور یہاں ابہام ہوتا ہے
⚫جب آدمی دین کا پابند نہ ہو اس کی کسی بات کا اعتبار نہیں، کیوں کہ اس کا کوئی کام حدود کے اندر تو ہوگا نہیں، دوستی ہوگی تو حدود سے باہر، دشمنی ہوگی تو حدود سے باہر، ایسا شخص خطرناک ہوگا، ہر چیز کو اپنے درجے میں رکھنا یہی بڑا کمال ہے. آج کل اکثر مشائخ و علماء میں اس کی کمی ہے
⚫میں تو اپنے دوستوں کو بھی مشورہ دیتا ہوں کہ اگر اللّٰه تعالیٰ ان کو کسی دینی مدرسے میں درس و تدریس کا موقع نصیب فرمائیں تو انتظام و اہتمام کو اپنے لیے قبول نہ کرو، کیوں کہ دونوں میں تضاد ہے، مدرس اور علمی خدمات کرنے والوں کے لیے یہی زیبا ہے کہ اپنے آپ کو اسی شغل میں لگا ئے رہیں
⚫چھوٹی جگہ میں رہ کر کام زیادہ ہوسکتا ہے کیوں کہ وقت فراغت کا زیادہ ملتا ہے اور بڑی جگہ رہ کر چھوٹا کام بھی نہیں کر سکتا، اور نہ ہوسکتا ہے، کیوں کہ زیادہ وقت لوگوں کی دل جوئی میں گزرتا ہے. کام تو گم نامی ہی میں ہوتا ہے
These are notes from the above course delivered in Manchester, 2nd April 2017. As they are notes please excuse the lack of references and brevity. Any corrections, please feel free to comment below. JazakAllah Khayran.
Intro – Brother Jalal ibn Sa’eed (London)
“Do not put your sin above Allah.” Sometimes we sin and think our sin is unforgivable. Ask Allah for forgiveness and Allah will forgive you.
Allah tests us in different ways, the greater the trial the greater the reward.
It was narrated from Mus’ab bin Sa’d RA that his father, Sa’d bin Abu Waqqas RA, said:
“I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, which people are most severely tested?’ He said: ‘The Prophets ﷺ, then the next best and the next best. A person is tested according to his religious commitment. If he is steadfast in his religious commitment, he will be tested more severely, and if he is frail in his religious commitment, his test will be according to his commitment. Trials will continue to afflict a person until they leave him walking on the earth with no sin on him.’” (Ibn Majah)
“Sihr” comes from the root word “Suhoor”, which mean darkness. The whole aspect of magic it’s just a jinn, to scare you and make you think they can do something supernatural. The truth is, nothing is supernatural – only Allah is supernatural ‘La Hawla Wa La Quwwata Illa Billah’ (There is no power or might except with Allah).
Even the Prophet ﷺ had Sihr (black magic). His enemies got the most powerful sorcerer. The effect of it was He kept thinking he needed to do ghusl. It was done by a Jewish man Labeed ibn A’sam, who took hair from the comb of the Prophet ﷺ and date skin from a tree. Eventually, they found the well which had date-palms like the devil’s horns. (I have found the full hadith below)
Narrated Aishah RA: Magic was worked on Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) so that he used to think that he had sexual relations with his wives while he actually had not (Sufyan said: That is the hardest kind of magic as it has such an effect). Then one day he said, “O `Aishah do you know that Allah has instructed me concerning the matter I asked Him about? Two men came to me and one of them sat near my head and the other sat near my feet. The one near my head asked the other. What is wrong with this man?’ The latter replied he is under the effect of magic The first one asked, Who has worked magic on him?’ The other replied Labid bin Al-A’sam, a man from Bani Zuraiq who was an ally of the Jews and was a hypocrite.’ The first one asked, what material did he use)?’ The other replied, ‘A comb and the hair stuck to it.’ The first one asked, ‘Where (is that)?’ The other replied. ‘In a skin of pollen of a male date palm tree kept under a stone in the well of Dharwan’ ” So the Prophet (ﷺ) went to that well and took out those things and said “That was the well which was shown to me (in a dream) Its water looked like the infusion of Henna leaves and its date-palm trees looked like the heads of devils.” The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “Then that thing was taken out’ I said (to the Prophet (ﷺ) ) “Why do you not treat yourself with Nashra?” He said, “Allah has cured me; I dislike to let evil spread among my people.” (Bukhari)
Please remember, whomsoever Allah loves the most, He SWT will test him.
It was narrated from Anas bin Malik RA that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“The greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. When Allah loves a people He tests them. Whoever accepts that wins His pleasure but whoever is discontent with that earns His wrath.” (Ibn Majah)
Shaykh Khalid Hibshi (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
The first thing we must understand is Tawheed, the Oneness of Allah SWT. Allah controls everything and is the Master of everything. Nothing can happen without His approval and nothing is out of His control.
We wish we could live in ease, in comfort. There would be no jealousy, no hatred, no enmity. But the truth is besides that. Iblis has promised to destroy us.
When we were born, Shaytan poked us until we cried. Hadith says, “There is no baby except that the Shaytan pokes it when it is born, so it screams from the Shaytan’s poke, except for Ibn Maryam and his mother.” (Bukhari)
The Prophet ﷺ taught us how to protect ourselves at certain times; whilst eating;
The phrase that is prescribed for mentioning Allah when eating is to say “Bismillah” (In the name of Allah), because of the report narrated by ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), that the Prophet ﷺ said: “When one of you eats some food, let him say Bismillah, and if he forgets to do so at the beginning, let him say Bismillah fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi (In the name of Allah at the beginning and end).Narrated by at-Tirmidhi, 1781.
whilst drinking;
Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah RA reports that Rasulullah ﷺ would drink in three breaths. When he would lift the cup to his mouth, he would say ‘Bismillah’ and when completed [the sip], he would say ‘Alhamdulillah’. Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) would do this thrice. (Al Mu’jamul Awsat of Imam Tabarani, Hadith: 844. Declared sound Hasan by Hafiz Ibn Hajar, Fathul Bari, under Hadith: 5631. Also see Majma’uz Zawaid, vol. 5 pg, 81 and Al Futuhatur Rabbaniyyah, vol. 5 pg. 240/241)
whilst going to the toilet:
Narrated Anas RA: Whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) went to answer the call of nature, he used to say, “Allah-umma inni a`udhu bika minal Khubuthi wal Khaba’ith” i.e. O Allah, I seek Refuge with You from all offensive and wicked things (evil deeds and evil spirits). (Bukhari)
and when going to sleep, as well as during intercourse;
“Recite بِسْمِ اللَّهِ Bismillah (In the name of Allah) before closing the doors of the house, before covering utensils with food in them, switch off or turn off fires, light etc.” [Bukhari] “If one cannot find anything with which to cover the utensil then one should place a stick across the top of the utensil.” [Muslim]
“Before climbing into bed, dust the bed thrice with the corner of your clothes.”[Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah]
“To make Miswak before retiring to bed even if one has already made it for Isha prayer.” [Kitabut Tahaarah and Sunnats]
“To sleep in a state of Wudhu.” [Tabarani, Hakim, Abu Dawood]
“To sleep on the Right, facing the Qibla with the right hand underneath the head like a pillow and with the knees slightly bent.” [Bukhari]
It was narrated from Aa’ishah RA that when the Prophet (ﷺ) went to bed every night, he would hold his hands together and blow into them, and recite into them Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad, Qul a’oodhu bi rabb il-falaq and Qul a’oodhu bi rabb il-naas. Then he would wipe them over whatever he could of his body, starting with his head and face and the front of his body, and he would do that three times. [Bukhari]
If afraid to go to sleep or feeling lonely or depressed then recite: أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللهِ التَّامَّاتِ مِنْ غَضَبِهِ وَعِقَابِهِ، وَشَرِّ عِبَادِهِ، وَمِنْ هَمَزَاتِ الشَّيَاطِينِ وَأَنْ يَحْضُرُونِ
A’oothu bikalimaatil-laahit-taammaati min ghadhabihi wa ‘iqaabihi, wa sharri ‘ibaadihi, wa min hamazaatish-shayaateeni wa ‘an yahdhuroon.
I seek refuge in the Perfect Words of Allah from His anger and His punishment, from the evil of His slaves and from the taunts of devils and from their presence. [Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi]
Narrated Ibn `Abbas RA:The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “If anyone of you, when having sexual intercourse with his wife, says: Bismillah, Allahumma jannibni-Sh-Shaitan wa jannib-ish-Shaitan ma razaqtana, and if it is destined that they should have a child, then Satan will never be able to harm him.”[NB: Please recite before removing clothes, as we shouldn’t take the name of Allah unclothed].
Even when we are praying Salah Shaytan whispers. One of the Sahabah RA complained to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about waswaas (satanic whispers) during prayer, and he ﷺ said: “The Shaytan comes between me and my prayers and my recitation, confusing me therein.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “That is a devil called Khanzab. If he affects you seek refuge in Allah from him and spit drily to your left three times.” He [the Sahabi] said, I did that and Allah took him away from me. (Narrated by Muslim, 2203)
He makes us think we have broken our Wudhu when we haven’t. Repeating Wudu again and again due to doubts is the result of falling into satanic whispers. It is action driven by a negative thought. Wudhu does not break on mere doubts and this rule is very clear from the Ahadith of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم: Abu Hurairah رضى الله عنه narrated that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “If one of you finds a disturbance in his abdomen and is not certain if he has released any gas or not, he should not leave the mosque unless he hears its sound or smells its scent.” (Sahih Muslim)
Ibn al-Mubarak RH, “If one is uncertain about his condition of purity, he does not need to perform a new ablution.”
(Shaykh Khalid said)… If I were to ask you, put your hands up if Shaytan walked into this room, you would get scared? Many of us would. Whereas we should only fear Allah SWT. Some of us fear the creation so much if a mouse came we would run for miles.
Have we forgotten, Iblis and his army stood shoulder to shoulder on the Day of Badr. Whilst the Muslims stood with the angels, so Iblis got scared.
And [remember] when Satan made their deeds pleasing to them and said, “No one can overcome you today from among the people, and indeed, I am your protector.” But when the two armies sighted each other, he turned on his heels and said, “Indeed, I am disassociated from you. Indeed, I see what you do not see; indeed I fear Allah. And Allah is severe in penalty.” (8:48)
Once the Prophet ﷺ started praying Salah, he stepped forward and backwards. Again, forward and backwards, then he ﷺ took his blessed hand out. After Salah, he ﷺ asked Sahabah RA, “Did you see me move forward and backwards?” They replied, “Yes!” It was Shaytan and he had a fire with which he tried to harm me, so I strangled him.
“The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Last night a big demon (afreet) from the Jinns came to me and wanted to interrupt my prayers (or said something similar) but Allah enabled me to overpower him. I wanted to fasten him to one of the pillars of the mosque so that all of you could see him in the morning but I remembered the statement of my brother Solomon (as stated in Quran): My Lord! Forgive me and bestow on me a kingdom such as shall not belong to anybody after me (38.35).” The sub-narrator Rauh said, “He (the demon) was dismissed humiliated.”
Many of the Salaf had Sihr upon them.
Abu Sulaiman Darami RH says, “I would stand at night in prayer. Shaytan would come in the form of a snake. Sometimes he would come up my Thawb (garment).”
The teacher of Imam Bukhari RH, Yahya ibn Ma’een RH would recite Ayatul Kursiyy 5 times when he entered his house. Even though there is no Hadith to endorse this, but he would pray it every time he entered his house. Until he would hear a voice say, “That’s enough!” (One narration says 50 times).
Imam Malik RH related to me from Safiyy RA, the mawla of Ibn Aflah RA that Abu’s-Saib, the mawla of Hisham ibn Zuhra RA said, “I went to Abu Saeed al-Khudri RA and found him praying. I sat to wait for him until he finished the prayer. I heard a movement under a bed in his room, and it was a snake. I stood up to kill it, and Abu Saeed gestured to me to sit. When he was finished he pointed to a room in the house and said, ‘Do you see this room?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘There was a young boy in it who had just got married. He went out with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to al-Khandaq, (the ditch which the Muslims dug in the 5th year of the Hijra to defend Madina against the Quraysh and their allies).
When he was there, the youth came and asked his permission, saying, “Messenger of Allah. Give me permission to return to my family.” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave him permission and said, “Take your weapons with you, for I fear the Banu Quraydha tribe. They may harm you.” The youth went to his family and found his wife standing between the two doors. He lifted his spear to stab her as jealousy had been aroused in him. She said, “Don’t be hasty until you go in and see what is in your house.” He entered and found a snake coiled up on his bed. He transfixed it with his spear and then went out with it and pitched it into the house. The snake stirred on the end of the spear and the youth fell dead. No one knew which of them died first, the snake or the youth. That was mentioned to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he said,“There are Jinn in Madinah who have become Muslim. When you see one of them, call out to it for three days. If it appears after that, then kill it, for it is a Shaytan.” “‘
This is the reason the Prophet ﷺ forbade us from urinating in holes. As Jinn/snakes can reside there. If you harm them, they may take revenge. Narrated Abdullah ibn Sarjis RA:
“The Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited to urinate in a hole.” (Abu Dawud)
Qatadah RH (a narrator) was asked about the reason for the disapproval of urinating in a hole. He replied: It is said that these (holes) are the habitats of the jinn.
These events are present in today’s day and age. One of the greatest things the Shaykh has seen was: A person had a car accident, he was taken to the hospital immediately. Whilst in hospital, the Jinn spoke from inside him, “He has harmed me! He ran me over in his car! So I took revenge!”
It is very important to read morning and evening Duas.
Read Bismillah before we do anything, the Hadith says:
Abu Hurayrah RA: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:“Every important word or matter that does not being with the remembrance of Allah is maimed.” Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad (14/329)
Imam Ahmad also recorded in his Musnad, that a person who was riding behind the Prophet ﷺ said, “The Prophet’s ﷺ animal tripped, so I said, `Cursed Shaytan.’ The Prophet said, “Do not say, ‘Cursed Shaytan,’ for if you say these words, Satan becomes arrogant and says, ‘With my strength I made him fall.’ When you say, ‘Bismillah,’ Satan will become as small as a fly.”
Also, the Bismillah is recommended before eating, for Muslim recorded in his Sahih that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to `Umar bin Abi Salamah while he was a child under his care,
“Say Bismillah, eat with your right hand and eat from whatever is next to you.”
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If one says when eating, Bismillah ir-Rahmaan ir-Raheem, that is good and more perfect. End quote from al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 5/480
Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It is more important to note the phrase to be used when mentioning the name of Allah. … The best is to say Bismillah ir-Rahmaan ir-Raheem, but if one says Bismillah, that is sufficient and fulfils the Sunnah. End quote from al-Adhkaar, 1/231
Ali bin Abi Talib RA narrated that: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The screen between the eyes of the jinns and nakedness of the children of Adam when one of you enters the area of relieving oneself is saying: ‘Bismillah.'” (Tirmidhi)
I would like to add another Sunnah, it was narrated from Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:“When the wings of the night spread – or when evening comes – keep your children in, for the devils come out at that time. Then when part of the night has passed, let them go. And close the doors and mention the name of Allah, for the Shaytan does not open a closed door. And tie up your waterskins and mention the name of Allah, and cover your vessels and mention the name of Allah, even if you only put something over them, and extinguish your lamps.” Narrated by Bukhari (3280) and Muslim (2012). A version narrated by Muslim says: “Cover vessels, tie up waterskins, close doors and extinguish lamps, for the Shaytan does not undo waterskins or open doors or uncover vessels.”
“And from the evil of the envier when he envies.” [113:5]
We need to avoid evil eye and evil glances. Nowadays, the mobile phone can take you to those places. Even if you don’t go yourself. You can easily be affected by evil eye, it will get into your body But hard to get out. Remember, the Prophet ﷺ told the best of people, ‘Sawwam and Qawwam and Akmalun naas imaana’ [Regular fasting, frequent in Tahajjud, best of people in Iman], the Sahabah RA – still they were told to protect themselves from evil eye:
It was narrated from ‘Aishah RA that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Seek refuge with Allah, for the evil eye is real.”
It was narrated from ‘Aishah RA that the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded her to recite Ruqyah to treat the evil eye.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The evil eye is real and if anything were to overtake the divine decree, it would be the evil eye. When you are asked to take a bath (to provide a cure) from the influence of the evil eye, you should take a bath.” (Muslim).
What are we doing to protect ourselves?
What is worse, evil eye or cancer?
What is worse, evil eye or swine flu?
What is worse, evil eye a deadly disease?
Evil eye can be there from a young age till old age.
Light travels 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometres per second), evil eye travels faster than this.
There are many types of evil eye, astonishing eye – when you see something amazing on your husband/wife. You can even afflict yourself, just like this the Jinn can affect you with evil eye. Brothers and sisters, learn to say “MA SHA ALLAH!” “BARAK ALLAH!”
Cure: Not just evil eye, anything that befalls us is due to sins. We need to avoid sins completely, major and minor. Then Fardh Salah, Sunan (plural of Sunnah), offer them in a way that pleases Allah. The Prophet SAW said,”People in Salah, some only get half the reward, some a quarter, some one tenth and some the full reward.” Because of the lack of concentration, where is our concentration in Salah?
Look at our Salah, we are all aware of our own Salah. Whereas the Munafiq (hypocrites) prayed five times a day WITH JAMA’AH. But despite this Allah says, “Verily the Hypocrites will be in the lowest part of Hell.” (Surah Nisaa)
Only the known Munafiq would delay his Salah after Fajr. Most of us only pray Jumu’ah. We don’t ever offer any nafl or tahajjud, but our lives are full of sin.
E.g. each one of us has a computer or laptop, we use anti-virus to protect it from viruses. In the same way we need to protect our bodies and our Iman!
The Prophet ﷺ forbade us from many clothes which draw attraction. We all use social media, we put up our best pictures, best food and family’s pictures. To cause evil eye you don’t need to be in front of someone. A digital image is enough. Social media is a big cause of the evil eye.
Even by smelling can cause evil eye. You make biryani, someone smells it and says “What wonderful biryani.!” Also, by hearing, someone came first in his exams and shouted his results. A jealous person states, “How’s it possible?” The evil eye is passed on. By tasting, you made a cake and someone bit it and said, “Such a sweet cake!”
Brothers, remain humble at all times and do not display the blessings of Allah SWT.
Ibn ‘Abbas RA reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: “The influence of an evil eye is a fact; if anything would precede the destiny it would be the influence of an evil eye, and when you are asked to take bath (as a cure) from the influence of an evil eye, you should take bath.” (Muslim)
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah RA that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The evil eye is real.”(Ibn Majah)
NB: One must seek advice from someone qualified for a cure, but here are a few tips to help you In Sha Allah, Shaykh mentioned the following things help to cure black magic/evil eye:
Quran recitation – “And We send down of the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe.” (Surah Al-Israa, 17:82)
Ruqya – Narrated `Aisha RA:“The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered me or somebody else to do Ruqya (if there was danger) from an evil eye.” (Bukhari)
Sidr leaves – Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalani RH said in Al-Fath that “Ibn Abtal stated in the books of Wahab bin Menabah to take seven leaves of a green Sidr, grind them with two rocks, add water to it, read the verse of Al Kursi (2:255) and Al-Qawakil (the Surah’s which start with “Qul”), take three sips, then wash up with the rest. This will remove all of his afflictions, and is a cure for men who have sexual disorders.” (Fath Al-Bari -10/233)
Hijamah (cupping) – Narrated Abu Hurayrah RA: The Prophet (ﷺ) said:“If anyone has himself cupped on the 17th, 19th and 21st it will be a remedy for every disease.”(Abu Dawud)
Ajwah dates – Narrated Sa`d RA: I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying, “Whoever takes seven ‘Ajwa dates in the morning will not be affected by magic or poison on that day.”(Bukhari)
Zam Zam water – Ibn al-Mubarak RH entered Zamzam and said, “O Allah, Ibn al-Mu’ammal told me, from Abu’l-Zubayr from Jabir that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘The water of Zamzam is for whatever purpose it is drunk for,’ so, O Allah, I am drinking it (to quench) my thirst on the Day of Resurrection.”
In addition to these, I would like to add a few more:
Black seed oil – Narrated Khalid bin Sa`d RA:“We went out and Ghalib bin Abjar was accompanying us. He fell ill on the way and when we arrived at Medina he was still sick. Ibn Abi ‘Atiq came to visit him and said to us, “Treat him with black cumin. Take five or seven seeds and crush them (mix the powder with oil) and drop the resulting mixture into both nostrils, for `Aisha has narrated to me that she heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, ‘This black cumin is healing for all diseases except As-Sam.’ Aisha said, ‘What is As-Sam?’ He said, ‘Death.” (Bukhari)
Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Treat your sick ones with charity.” (Saheeh al Jami) Giving Sadaqah also helps, little or large in sha Allah.
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “When the Adhan has been pronounced Satan takes to his heels and passes wind with noise during his flight in order not to hear the Adhan. When the Adhan is completed he comes back and again takes to his heels when the Iqamah is pronounced and after its completion he returns again till he whispers into the heart of the person (to divert his attention from his prayer) and makes him remember things which he does not recall to his mind before the prayer and that causes him to forget how much he has prayed.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 1, Book 10, Hadith 6)
Finally, from my own experience going for Hajj/Umrah benefits greatly. Makkah Sharif and Madinah sharif are such blessed places, just visiting them can cure a person. Remember, they are surrounded by angels and the rahmah of Allah is constantly descending in plenty-fold. Also, giving Sadaqah/charity is powerful. It breaks the backbone of Shaytan.
Notetaker – Ismail ibn Nazir (One who is in dire need of Allah’s forgiveness, mercy and pleasure)
al-arbaoon Please see PDF for Hadith compilation – Jazak Allah
FORTY FORGOTTEN HADITH
All praise is due to Allah Who made His creation and portions out His slaves to be rich and poor. He set down rain and opened the channels for the rain to percolate into the soil. I praise Him – glorified is He – Who bestows abundant reward to the obedient ones and veils the disobedient one. He is the one who knows what is above the sky and what is beneath the soil; the crawling of the ant in the night when it crawls is not hidden from His knowledge.
The heavens and His angels glorify Him, and the stars and their orbits glorify Him. The rivers and their fish glorify Him; the earth and its inhabitants glorify Him and the oceans and creatures living in them glorify Him.
I testify there is none worthy of worship except Allah Alone; He has no partner, equal to Him or bearing any similarity to Him. And I testify that Muhammad is His slave, messenger, honest and intimate friend, and the best of His creatures as well as the custodian over His revelation.
He sent him as a mercy to the universe and as a proof to the entire mankind. May Allah’s blessings be upon him as much as the mention of him by the righteous, and as many as (the number of) the alternating days and nights. We ask Allah the Exalted to make us all be among his righteous followers, and may He resurrect us in his company on the day of resurrection. Ameen.
To proceed,
The tradition in Muslim religious literature of gathering collections of forty Hadiths dates as far back as the first century after the Hijrah. Abdullah ibn Mubarak al-Marwazi (Allah have mercy on him) is thought to be the first to have gathered forty Hadith in a collection. Perhaps the most well-known collection is that of Imam an-Nawawi (Allah have mercy on him), which has been translated into English, and on which there are several commentaries.
The practice of gathering forty Hadiths springs from a Hadith, narrated through several Companions, which puts the spiritual rank of religious scholarship within easy reach of the ordinary believer: “Whoever memorises forty narrations for my nation in matters of this religion, Allah will raise him up a scholar and I shall be an intercessor and witness for him on the Day of Rising.”
Allah make us from them.
I have put together Hadith which are mostly related to Mu’aamalaat (social interactions). Which you will all agree is a very important part of our Deen, at the same time greatly neglected. There are a few specific for women, again whom we neglect and leave behind in Ta’leem and Tazkiyah (Islamic education and spirituality). The rest are Fadhail (virtues) or evil traits which I am sure we all hear time and again, but often forget to practise upon or refrain from the latter.
(Mawlana) Ismail ibn Nazir Satia (One who is in dire need of Allah’s forgiveness, mercy and pleasure)
I feel my blogs get too long sometimes, I get told I talk too much! Maybe, I just have a long breath?
Tonight, I plan to write something short which hopefully everyone will have time to read In Sha Allah.
Random thought: does activism really benefit? I mean all those people out there trying to promote and advocate something, help someone. Do their bit for the world. Signing petitions and protesting. I have done it myself to be honest. But after all these years, I think activism in itself is a failure. Simply because I think it is hypocritical. The people who shout most about human rights and equality are sometimes the one doing all the oppressing. Not in Syria and Palestine! Perhaps, in their own homes. Beating their wives up? Depriving their children? Not of gadgets, but of love and affection. Usurping someone’s wealth?
You see if we focused upon ourselves more, you would change one person. And if everyone acted upon this rule, we would change the world? Pretty deep for a short blog.
I feel it could be more effective than my longer blogs!
I am all up for supporting people in Syria and Gaza and third world countries. But there is something more important than that, yes I repeat MORE important. To save ‘ourselves’ from committing oppression; oppression against Allah or fellow human beings.
The people in Gaza and Syria will get Jannah for their patience In Sha Allah, and die as martyrs. But what about us? The rights we deprive people from, those who we treat unfairly, those who we hurt, and those who we speak to harshly.
Will Allah forgive us?
Ismail Ibn Nazir Satia (One who is in dire need of Allah’s Forgiveness, Mercy and Pleasure).
I was married to a man who everybody, including myself, believed to be a gentleman. From university classmates, to university teachers, family friends, acquaintances in religious gatherings and the workplace – they all viewed this man as having a soft nature. Nobody could ever imagine him raising his voice, let alone raising his hands. But you know, as they say, things aren’t always as they seem.
Shortly into our marriage, the smoke screen slowly started disappearing. Slowly, the silhouette of a new figure began to appear and I stood there confused, squinching and anxiously guessing at what would emerge from the other side. It was frightening but I often talked myself out of my fears and uncertainties. He was the prince in shining armour and I must’ve not been seeing right…my mind must’ve been lying. And thus began the muddled conversations in my head…
In the short clip below, a couple (portrayed by actors) are walking through a London park and begin to argue. In the first scenario, the argument becomes increasingly intense, until the man starts to manhandle the woman. Almost immediately, bystanders intervene, firmly, threatening to call the police. In the second scenario, the argument again becomes increasingly intense but, this time, the woman takes to abusing the man, including grabbing him by the head and pushing him into a lamppost. This time, the bystanders, well they just stand by, and even laugh at what they are witnessing.
40% of domestic violence is suffered by men. And these are obviously the cases that are reported, bearing in mind a lot of men keep it to themselves. They don’t like to talk about it. So the unreported cases must be many more, possibly making it more than 50%?
Violence is violence! Men shouldn’t suffer in silence!
This video highlights the deeply troubling double standard that society holds when it comes to domestic abuse – women, when victims, must be helped; men, when victims – well, they’re never really victims.
Relationships between men and women should be governed by covenants of mutual agreement and justice; no human being should be abused or humiliated by their spouse, regardless of gender. Domestic abuse, it goes without saying, is a degrading, painful, and traumatising experience – and it happens to men, too. Any cause for justice that is truly seeking remedy for victims of domestic abuse, and who seek prevention of this social ailment, must acknowledge that domestic abuse is not a gender-based problem and thus doesnot require a gender-based solution (such as feminism). Here are a few necessary myth busters that explain why.
Myth 1: “Domestic abuse is a thing men do to women”
Because the matter of ‘domestic abuse’ has largely been monopolised by women’s rights groups and feminists, it is almost always presumed that the victim is female.
Reality: more married men suffered from partner abuse in 2012 than married women (Source: British Crime Survey). Reality: (at least) 40% of the victims of domestic violence are actually men (Source: Office for National Statistics). Reality: in the US, an earlier study found that, in non-reciprocally violent relationships, women were the perpetrators in more than 70% of the cases (Source: American Journal of Public Health).
Yet, citing the reality that women strike almost just as much as men (sometimes more) is often met with outraged indignation from many quarters of society, including some feminists, as though acknowledging male victims’ injuries somehow invalidates a female victim’s injuries.
And if we put aside heterosexual couples, and look at domestic abuse between same-sex couples, we find yet another surprisingreality: amongst same-sex couples, lesbian couples experienced more domestic abuse than gay men!
According to findings by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)[1], 44% of lesbians had been physically assaulted by a partner (more than two-thirds of them (i.e. 29%) only by women), compared to 35% of straight women, 26% of gay men, and 29% of straight men
One can only conclude that such feminists, and others who defend the above myth, have a stake in portraying the male as always being the aggressor, and the female as always being the victim, in order to perpetuate a bias against men that garners sympathy, license, and defences for women, and zero tolerance for men.
Myth 2: “Women cannot hurt men”
Some claim that the bystanders in the video laugh at the man’s predicament because he is physically stronger than the woman anyway so she cannot really hurt him, and he has the power to defend himself against her.
Reality: women can be just as hurtful as men. Whilst men have more physical power than women, female assailants are perfectly able to inflict physical harm on men (especially with use of objects), and also have far more psychological and legal power to silence them afterward.
The ManKind Initiative reported cases where men “have been laid out with iron bars, had glass put in their food and been set upon with a knife. Others have been stabbed, punched in the face and threatened with an axe.” Parity, another organisation, details that, from a sample of male victims, “[o]ver half had been threatened with a weapon and a significant proportion reported serious forms of injury. One third had been kicked in the genitals, and others burnt or scalded, stabbed, or hit with heavy objects.” Ergo, women can hurt men.
Not only this, but male victims were less likely than women to report what had happened to them. When they did, they were met with widespread prejudice or discrimination by the authorities, even the courts. Little action was taken by the police against female assailants unless the men had a visible and significant injury.
Parity further explained that “[z]ero tolerance and pro-arrest policies appeared to be directed mainly at men and offered little protection to genuine male victims and their children. […] A male victim appeared to be over twice as likely as a female assailant of being arrested when the police responded to an emergency call.” Approximately a fifth of male victims were themselves arrested.
So, not only can women hurt men, but they can even have their victim arrested when the police turn up – just because he is a man.
Myth 3: “”Gender Equality” will bring about harmony between men and women”
Movements like feminism that advocate “gender equality” seek to equalise the rights of men and women, so that women have the same “entitlements” as men do, putting them on a “level field” with men.
Reality: in the wake of feminism, and striving to become “equal” to men, patterns show that women are becoming increasingly violent. It was reported in The Independent, that female violent crime once rose by 12% in the space of only 5 years – that was four times the rate of increase among men. Offences involving women carrying out assault, robbery, murder and drug-related crimes had also increased by 250% since 1973. It was later reported that, by 2011, official figures showed that the number of women convicted of perpetrating domestic abuse had quadrupled in the past six years, from 806 in 2004-2005 to 3,494 in 2009-2010.
Movements like feminism that advocate “gender equality” seek to equalise the rights of men and women, so that women have the same “entitlements” as men do – but they do not always seek to equalise the responsibilities that justify having those entitlements in the first place.
When women are only seeking to obtain all of the “entitlements” that they perceive men to have, without the tempering responsibilities, they end up perpetrating the same injustices that they accuse men of perpetrating because it simply ends up being a wielding of power for its own sake.
In Islam, a woman is entitled to be provided for – but she has a matching duty to guard her husband’s property and is accountable for the actions and raising of the children; conversely, a husband is entitled to be the “head” of the household – but he is accountable for the wellbeing, and the actions of his wife and children. Thus, in current Muslim societies where “entitlements” are indulged in without the tempering duties being implemented, injustices such as domestic abuse occur.
In Western society, where neither men nor women tend to hold certainty or agreement as to what values to live by, frustration and anarchy between men and women is inevitable. Women can spend centuries trying to “equalise” with men – but they have not asked whether men’s entitlements represent correct values in the first place.
It is not “gender equality” that will bring about harmony between men and women in any society – but a clear understanding and agreement between a man and a woman as to what they expect from each other, and recourse to justice that does not disbelieve or mock at the injuries of either party, when those expectations are not fulfilled.
Footnotes:
[1] See: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/cdc_nisvs_ipv_report_2013_v17_single_a.pdf table 3.4 and 3.5, and http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/NISVS_SOfindings.pdf at p.27
The original ‘Ālimiyyah degrees have slowly become so watered down over the years that even those who haven’t been through such programmes feel prepared to offer it now. It went from 8 years full time, to seven years by summarizing the six books of hadith into one year instead of two, then to 6 years by dropping the six books altogether or incorporating them over the six years, then to 5 years by incorporating the Arabic into the curriculum instead of it being part of a preparatory curriculum, then to 5 years part-time, then to 4 years to match the conventional degrees, then to 4 years part-time to accommodate people’s busy schedules, and now to 6 weekends a year for three years.
mylittlebreathingspace - Ismail Satia 