The Imam, Salih Ash-Shami, may Allah preserve him, who we hope for his swift release from detention
On 19 Jumada Al-Akhirah 1444, the Imam, Salih Ash-Shami, may Allah preserve him, was detained by the Salafi government of the House of Sa`ud. We hope and pray for the Imam and will be making a khatam this week for him and for his release. And as making khatam is from the sunnah (as narrated by Anas ibn Malik in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah be pleased with both of them), we ask that the believers might also engage in this worthwhile action as well.
فضيلة الشيخ أحسن الله إليكم نحن مجموعة من طلبة العلم نسأل عن رجل يقال له أبو محمد المقدسي من الأردن يتكلم في ثورة سوريا ويوجه الشباب ويفتي ويحكم على من ليس على نهجه ، كل ذلك وهو مقيم في الأردن مستندًا على النقل له من قبل البعض فما توجيهكم لنا ولعموم الشباب ، ونرجو نشر الجواب في قناتكم الموقرة
Noble shaikh, may Allah show you much goodness indeed. We are a groups of students of knowledge asking about a man by the name of Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi[1] from Jordan who speaks on the Syrian Revolution and is urging on the youths to it, gives fatwa and makes judgement against whoever is not upon his way. And all of that is while he is resident here in Jordan, dependant on news about the events from some other people. So what is your stance or position you can impart to us and to the youth at large. We also ask that you please disseminate the answer on your site online so that others can see this and it can be pointed out.
جواب الشيخ نفع الله به
The text of the answer of the Shaikh, may Allah case benefit to come from him, is as follows: [translator’s note: notice that he did not give an answer but rather deferred it to those with jurisdiction locally or globally; he actually spent most of the question discussing who should and should not speak on the affair]
نقول وبالله التوفيق .
We say the following while declaring that the success is with Allah.
الحمد لله ..أولًا .. يشترط في المفتي إذا أفتى في مسألة أن يكون فاهمًا للواقع وفقيهًا فيه وينظر في ما هو حول المسألة من قرائن وأمارات للإحاطة بها .
Praise be to Allah, let start by saying that firstly, the condition for one to be a mufti is that when he gives a ruling in a matter, he is competent of the reality, understanding the affair intently, looks into the state of the matter from points of examination and complete research into the topic at hand.
ثانيًا . أن يكون فاهمًا للحكم في ذلك الواقع ليتسنى له إيقاع الفتوى ، لأنه قد يكون الحكم في تلك المسألة واجبًا ، إلا أن ايقاعه غير ممكن فينظر في مآلات فتواه وقد يحجم عن الفتوى ، وقد تختلف الإجابة من مستفتي إلى آخر .
And then secondly, the individual to give the fatwa should be competent in the judgement on that reality so that the fatwa fits the affair as the ruling in that matter will become wajib to complete unless it’s not possible to carry it out. The said mufti looks into all the possible outcomes of his fatwa and what will arise from it and the answer will differ based upon the one who is asking.
كل ذلك متعلق بالواقع وكما هو واضح من السؤال أن هذا الرجل بعيد عن أرض الواقع في سوريا ، ولا يعلم بمعاناتهم إلا من عاين واقعهم ورأى بعينه الشدة والفاقة والقتل والتشريد الذي عانوه .
And all of that is connected to the reality. And just as it is clear from the question, it can be seen that this man is far from the land where the reality is occurring, namely Syria. He does not know of the matters on the ground except from news being given of what is happening while at the same time his particular statement on the matter is severity, transgression and killing along trials that the people have fallen into and will fall into following him.
فلا يجوز له أن يفتي في واقع وعرف يجهله ، أما قضية النقل له فلا يجوز أن يعتمدها لأن المعاين ليس كالمخبر مع تباين نظرات الناقلين .
So it is not permissible that he gave fatwa in a reality and he knows that he is ignorant. As far as judgement being transmitted to him of the affair, it is not permitted for him to depend on that as the pieces of information coming from individuals in articles is not like eye witness accounts and matters on the ground that are being reported.
وهذا ينسحب حتى على المسائل السياسية ، فأهل سوريا هم أدرى بواقعهم لاسيما وأن فيها من أفاضل العلماء والأساتذة والباحثين ، فهم أعلم وأولى بالفتوى .
And this is something that is important to understand so that it is clearly grasped regarding political affairs. The people of Syria are the most knowledgeable of their reality, especially in the case of the virtuous scholars, teachers and researchers that have already spoken on the matter, and these are the most knowledgeable and have the most right to give fatwa and be followed.
أما ما يخص هذا الرجل :
Now in assessing the individual himself, the following must be stated:
فلا يجوز له أن يفتي لأسباب منها :
It is not permitted for this individual to give fatwa due to the following reasons:
1. لا يُعلم له طلب علم على الشيوخ ، ومهما تصدر من تأليف مصنفات ونحو ذلك إلا أنه مبتور النسب العلمي .
Firstly, it is not known of him that he is student of knowledge that took from any shaikhs and he has started to bring forth authored works and similar things like that except the fact that he is devoid of any attribution to real knowledge.
فمن لم يتلق الفقه على أهله واكتفى بالكتب فهو صحفي لا يوثق بعلمه ، ولا يجوز له شرعًا الإفتاء باتفاق العلماء وهو آثم على أي فتوى يصدرها وضامن ،ودليل ذلك جرأته على الفتيا فلو كان قد تلقى العلم على اهله وأدرك معنى ومنزلة الفتوى وشروطها وعرف مرتبته لما تجرأ.
So whoever did not obtain fiqh from its people and suffices himself with just books, he is booksmart and not to be trusted with his knowledge. It is not permitted in the Revealed Law for such a one to give fatwa by the agreement of the scholars and this individual would be sinful for doing so in giving any fatwa and be accountable.
2. جهله بواقع سوريا ، وأهلها وما يحصل لهم .
Secondly, his ignorance of the reality of what is happening on the ground in Syria, ignorance of its people and the things currently occurring with them.
وآخيرًا نصيحتي لأهلنا في سوريا خاصة الشباب وطلبة العلم ، أن لا يصغوا إليه وإلى أمثاله ممن لا يعرف لهم طلب علم ولا شيوخ تفقهوا عليهم ، وأن يأخذوا الفتوى من علمائهم ،فهذا دين سيسألون عنه يوم القيامة .
In closing, I would direct my advice to our people in Syria, specifically the youth and students of knowledge, that they do not incline towards this individual or those like him who are not known to have sought knowledge, taken from shaikhs in which he studied fiqh with them, took fatwa from their scholars. This is indeed a religion in which they shall be held responsible for it on the Day of Resurrection.
وأروي بسندي عن الإمام مسلم بسنده عن ابن سيرين قال :
I will now narrate with my chain of transmission from Imam Muslim, who narrates through his chain to Muhammad ibn Sirin, who said:
” إن هذا العلم دين فانظروا عمن تأخذون دينكم “.
“This knowledge is indeed religion, so look at from whom your take your religion”.
فرج الله عنا وعنكم وعن سائر الأمة .
And may Allah give us, you and the rest of the Ummah relief in this time.
والله أعلى وأعلم
And Allah is most Exalted and Knows best.
وكتب فارس بن فالح الخزرجي
As written by the Shaikh, Faaris ibn Faalih Al-Khazraji
7 / 1 / 1444
7 Muharram 1444
[1] 1378 (AD1959). He is `Isam ibn Muhammad ibn Taahir Al-Barqaawi Al-`Utaibi. Known as Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, this Jordanian national (Palestinian by lineage) was born in the village of Barqaa, one of the townships included in Nablus in Palestine and grew up around Jerusalem, so he is known as Al-Maqdisi. After a period of time, he moved with his family to Al-Kuwait and while there was affected by Salafiyyah, having taken from some of the followers of Ibn Baz [1330-1420 (AD1912-1999)], the late Salafi ideologue and later Ibn Baz himself. Not long after this, he would fall into a corrupted form of what is known as the “jihad fikrah” and join some Salafis linked to Muhammad Suroor (later called “Suroori Salafis”). This was a huge influence on him and kept him in some hostility with the Salafis of Al-Madinah University. Al-Barqaawi later moved on to Pakistan and finally Afghanistan, where he would meet and fully adopt the ideas of Ayman Az-Zawahiri. It would be at this point – after digesting the booklets of Az-Zawahiri, Muhammad ibn `Abdul Wahhab, his sons and grandsons, Sayyid Qutb and reading by himself the works of Imams Taqi ud-Din Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn ul-Qayyim and Ibn Kathir – that he would publish his own booklet, Milletu Ibrahim.
This booklet called people to what he described as “pure Tawhid” and in this and later literature he jumped to making takfir on all the rulers of the 48 majority Muslim countries, the armies, muftis and those working for the government or even entering the parliaments. After returning to the Kingdom of Jordan in the year 1411, he began calling people to “reject the taghoot and worship Allah Alone” which involved generalised takfir as previously mentioned in addition to saying that Democracy was a religion and that anyone in it, following it or obeying it is guilty of major shirk and there is no excuse in actions of major shirk. In 1413 he was jailed by the Jordanian monarchy for statements that he made calling for attacks against them, sites in Jerusalem, Al-Khalil and others. While in jail he wrote more booklets that circulated in the prison and were then carried outside, similar to another hero of his, Sayyid Qutb.
Figure 1A: The 2nd edition is such a monumental improvement in my eyes.
A great thing happened recently. I was not sure if I would be able to complete this monumental task, but Allah helped me in a major way. The 2nd edition only has about three small mistakes (yes, I knit pick) and I am happy with the new layout, typesetting and also the appendices section.
I look forward to the new reader feedback. My goal is to work with our team and insert Arabic into all the previous editions and all new books will be bilingual. This will satisfy a lot of the Arab brothers and sisters that castigated me for not having it in the first editions. Thank you to the readers for all of our support and well wishes.
Figure 1A: The crypt of Az-Zubair ibn Al-`Awwam, one of the ten promised Paradise by name.
Regarding the identity of who fits the definition of a Companion, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 241 AH), the last voice of the first three generations and known as the Imam of Muslim Orthodoxy, mentioned that a Companion is, “As far as the use of the expression ‘companion,’ this is any Muslim who met the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, even for a moment.”[1]
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 241 AH), said the following of the Companions and the Household of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
“The Rafidah are those who disavow and renounce the Companions of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and they also curse and consider as low the Companions, along with labelling as unbelievers the four Imams among them, namely `Ali, `Ammar, Al-Miqdad, Salman, and the Rafidah have nothing to do with Islam at all.
The Mansuriyyah are a group of Rafidah, but are more wretched and filthy than the others, as they say that whoever should kill 40 people who contradict their belief shall enter the Paradise. They terrorise the people, consider the wealth of them permissible to be seized. They further state that Jibril, peace be upon him, made a mistake when he came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, with the message. Such a thing is clear kufr, and there is no way of faith in holding this matter. We seek refuge in Allah from this matter.
There is among them the sect of the Sabiyy’ah, which is closer to those who oppose the four Imams mentioned before. They deny the description and they say that `Ali is in the clouds and will be sent before the Day of Resurrection, and this is clear lying, slander and open falsehood. The Zaidiyyah are another group with them and they disavow `Uthman, Talhah, az-Zubair and `A’ishah, believing that they must fight against any of those who resisted and went against the children of `Ali, whether they are righteous or sinful, even if they are victorious or overcome.
The Khashabiyyah say the same thing as the Zaidiyyah, but they claim that they love the Family and Household of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, while they lie, for they hate the Family and Household of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, more than any of the people. The only partisans and lovers of the Family and Household of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, are the pious, and these are Muslim Orthodoxy, whoever they are and wherever they may be located. They are those who love the Family and Household of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and all the Companions of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Those who love them do not mention the Companions with any evil, flaws, hatred or sinful words. Whoever should mention the Companions of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, with evil or hatred towards them, or disavows any of them, curses them, refuses the oath of allegiance that they gave, such a one is nothing but a member of the Rafidah, filthy and he makes others filthy.
The Rafidah label Muslim Orthodoxy as insulters of the Family and Household, yet they lie. They are the ones who deserve this title due to their insult of the Companions of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, by cursing and insult. They speak of the Companions in other than the truth, attribute to them things that are not true and say they are guilty of kufr and oppression. This is making a lie towards Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and making light of the right of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and the people doing this have more reason to be faulted and shown wrath than the Companions.” [2]
Imam Muwaffaq ud-Din Ibn Qudamah (d. 620 AH) made the following declaration using the previous texts of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal as a primer:
The best of his Ummah is Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, then `Umar al-Faruq, then `Uthman Dhun-Nurain, then `Ali al-Murtada, may Allah be pleased with all of them. This is according to what `Abdullah ibn `Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them, narrated when he said, “We used to say while the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was alive that the best is Abu Bakr, then `Umar, then `Uthman. When that reached him, he did not negate it.”
It was authentically narrated from (the Companion) `Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said, “The best of this Ummah after its’ prophet is Abu Bakr, then `Umar, and if I wanted, I could name the third.”[3] (The Companion) Abud-Darda’, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that he said, “The sun has never set nor rose on anyone after the prophets and messengers better than Abu Bakr.”[4]
And he had the most right to the khilafah after the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, due to his virtue and pre-eminence and the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, preferring him in the prayer over all the Companions, may Allah be pleased with him. There is the Consensus of the companions on his preference, his oath of allegiance and Allah would not gather them upon error. Then after him came `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, due to his virtue and Abu Bakr giving the covenant to him. Then after him came `Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, due to the people of consultation showing preference to him. Then after him came `Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, due to his virtue and the Consensus of the people of his time upon him.
These are the rightly guided successors who the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said about them, “You must follow my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Successors after me. Hold onto it stubbornly.”[5] He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, “The khilafah after me is thirty years.”[6] So the last of it was the khilafah of `Ali, may Allah be pleased with him.
We bear witness of the ten promised the Paradise, just as the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, testified to this for them when he said, “Abu Bakr is in Paradise, `Umar is in Paradise, `Uthman is in Paradise, `Ali is in Paradise, Talhah is in the Paradise, az-Zubair is in the Paradise, Sa`d is in the Paradise, Sa`id is in the Paradise, `Abdur-Rahman ibn `Awf is in the Paradise, Abu `Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah is in the Paradise.”[7]
Anyone who the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, bore witness that he is in the Paradise, we bear witness of that for him, such as his statement, “Al-Hasan and Al-Husain are the two leaders of the youth of Paradise.”[8] Then there is his statement to Thabit ibn Qais, “Indeed he is from the people of Paradise.”[9]
It is from the Sunnah to show loyalty to the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to love them, mention their goodness, ask for mercy upon them, seek forgiveness for them, and abstain from mentioning their sins, and what disputes took place between them. And one should believe in their virtue and know their pre-eminence. Allah, Exalted be He, has said, And those who come after them say, “Our Lord! Forgive us and our brothers who came before us in faith and do not put in our heart any hatred towards those who believe.”[10] The Exalted One has said, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and those with him are stern against the unbelievers, but merciful among themselves.[11]
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, “Do not curse my companions. Indeed if one of you had spend the like of Mount Uhud in gold, it would not have reached one handful of any of them nor even a half of that.”[12][13]
[1]Sahih Muslim bi-Sharh in-Nawawi, vol.1, pp. 34-35.
[3] Collected by Imam `Abdullah ibn Ahmad in his Zawa’id`ala Musnad, vol.1, pp. 106-110 and classed by him as authentic.
[4] Collected by Imam Abu Nu`aim al-Asbahani in Hilyat ul-Awliya’, vol.10, pp. 300-302 and classed by him as authentic.
[5] Collected by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad, vol.5, pp. 220-221
[6] Collected by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad, vol.5, pp. 220-221 and classed by him as authentic.
[7] Collected by Imam Abu Dawud in his Sunan, Book of the Sunnah, under the chapter of the Successors and classed by him as authentic.
[8] Collected by Imam Abu `Isa at-Tirmidhi in his Sunan, Book of Virtues, under the chapter of the Virtues of Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn `Ali ibn Abi Talib and Al-Husain ibn `Ali ibn Abi Talib and classed by him as authentic.
[9] Collected by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad, vol.3, pp. 136-137
Figure 1A: Shaikh Muwaffaq at a gathering in the Central Masjid in Duma.
He is Muwaffaq Mahmud `Uyun Al-Hanbali Ad-Dumi. He was born in the city of Duma in Syria in the year 1377 AH (AD 1958) and took knowledge from his father in his early years at the Nizamiyyah School of Primary Studies.
Shaikh Muwaffaq went on to memorise the Qur’an and then went to Intermediate School of Engineering at the University of Damascus.
The Shaikh – having already completed the memorisation of Qur’an from the narration of Hafs from `Asim – decided to study the major ten recitations according to the Shatibi methods.
After this, he went headlong into the different branches of knowledge in the Revealed Law with numerous teachers and upon being given permission to teach immediately started his service within the community.
His teachers include:
Imam Ahmad Ash-Shami, the marja` based on Duma. He taught Shaikh Muwaffaq fiqh.
2. Imam `Abdur-Rahman Ash-Shami, the marja` based in Duma who also taught Shaikh Muwaffaq additional books in fiqh.
3. Shaikh Muhy ud-Din Al-Kurdi, who gave Shaikh Muwaffaq time in teaching him the different levels of narrations.
4. Shaikh Muhammad Isma`il Al-`Arini, who gave him time to learn the Shatibiyyah in recitation.
5. Shaikh Muwaffaq `Uyun has numerous students and enjoys teaching the Qur’an, hearing it recited and benefiting from the blessings of the faith. We ask that Allah have mercy upon all our scholars and bless us with good recitation and steadfastness in this month of Ramadan.
Figure 1A: The Al-Muzaffar Central Masjid. This institution represents 900 years and more of learning and teaching. It has many names and appellations.
This institution represents 900 years and more of learning and teaching. It has many names and appellations. Imam Ibn Al-Mabrid (d. 900 AH) said that this complex has four main names:
1) The Central Masjid of Al-Muzaffar. This name was given on account of the Sultan, Muzaffar ud-Din Kawkaburi – the governor of Irbil and husband of the sister of the venerable hero and legend, Salah ud-Din Al-Ayyubi – who completed the building of the structure. This is one of the most well known names that was used by historians.
2) The Central Masjid of the Mountain as it is not far from the great mountain Qasiyun.
3) The Central Hanbali Masjid. This title was given as it was an endowment set by a Hanbali marja`.
4) The Central Masjid of the Pious Ones.
Figure 2A: The courtyard of the Central Masjid along with the Arabic columns, western facing gate and fountain.
Particular Features of the Central Masjid and What is Said of the Structure
The Central Masjid is the very first large central Masjid built and established in Damascus after the Umayyah Family Central Masjid. Ibn `Abdul Hadi remarked, “The Al-Muzaffar Central Masjid is the first place built in the Salihiyyah neighbourhood and the `Umariyyah School came not long after.”
Ibn Kannan said of these two structures, “They are set apart by making mention of what is in them of blessings for every one. This is due to the fact that much of what happens in them is the preoccupation with lectures and places of memorisers of texts and hadith sciences. The gatherings in these places is not like the gatherings of other places.”
Figure 1B: An inside view of the complex that shows its’ exalted beginning and the care of its’ builders.
The Building of the Central Masjid
Historical documents indicate and all point to that the laying of the foundation of the Al-Muzaffar Central Masjid was begun by the Imam Abu `Umar Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Qudamah Al-Maqdisi. He had emigrated with his family to the area from Palestine in the year 550 AH (AD 1155).
He was settled in the Salihiyyah neighbourhood area of Damascus and started the project of building the Central Masjid in the year 598 AH (AD 1202) after first building the hostel for the Hanbali scholars and making it an open place with a courtyard in order for people to gather.
A man by the name of Abu Dawud Al-Fami, who was a merchant, donated some money towards building the structure and expended his wealth in the process. When this happened, the building came to a halt and it did not go forward and this news reached the king, Al-Muzaffar Kawkaburi who was in Irbil.
Upon hearing of the situation, Al-Muzaffar sent 3,000 dinar to them in order for the completion of the project just the same way as money was put forward by Imam Abu `Umar Al-Maqdisi to excavate a well and the building was declared an endowment.
The building projected was completed on 17 Rajab 610 AH. It was mentioned that the one given the post of maintaining the Al-Muzaffar Central Masjid and starting classes and projects was the Shaikh, Ahmad ibn Yunus ibn Hasan Al-Maqdisi Al-Mardawi (d. 622 AH). This was another Imam who had emigrated to the area from Jerusalem in Palestine.
Figure 2B: A view of the grounds of the Al-Muzaffar. One can already see the greatness of the structure even through the pictures.
A Description of the Central Masjid and its’ Grounds
At first glance, the grounds of the Central Masjid, in terms of its’ measurements, appearance and general layout was originally intended to be similar to those of the Umayyah Family Central Masjid. The Al-Muzaffar Central Masjid has an Arabic overhanging arch that has within it the Great Western Gate that opens onto the enclosed courtyard which has in its’ centre an enclosed water fountain.
Figure 3B: Another picture of the outside grounds of the Al-Muzaffar complex.
The Masjid area also has another western facing gate. Now just as the south wall of the Central Masjid has a mihrab mounted as part of the new construction, there are also whicte pillars that are decked out and go to the right of the mihrab and there is the mimbar made of wood. This is a great sign of construction and building and was a gift from the king Kawkaburi. This area was beautified with places of trees and vegetation and engineering that is numbered among the wonders of Islamic engineering sciences.
The history books point to the issue that the mimbar of the masjid in the beginning of its’ building resembled exactly that of the mimbar in the Masjid of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in Al-Madinah. This mimbar had three steps up until the construction was complete in the year 604 AH.
1C: This is the inside of the Al-Muzaffar complex. On the left, one can see the ornamented mihrab indicated the direction of prayer. On the right is the mimbar, patterned after the mimbar in Al-Madinah.
In summary, the Central Masjid is one of the wonders of Damascus in terms of its’ layout, unique embellishments and the structure was also renovated in the 1970s of the Gregorian calendar. One can see in it moderns works of engineering but they always make it a point to preserve the original measurements and older structure and keep with the vast majority of the external structure and form.
2C: the walls of the Al-Muzaffar near the prayer area. The workmanship is clearly amazing.
A Historical Account of the Central Masjid and the Knowledge Disseminated
A historical account of the knowledge disseminated in the Al-Muzaffar Central Masjid brought about a general knowledge renaissance spearheaded by those who had emigrated from Jerusalem in Palestine to the Salihiyyah neighbourhood and when they made their children hear the knowledge from their youth.
These children also used to head out to speak with and learn from the senior scholars from the habitations of Damascus and made their way there and met up in the Al-Muzaffar which had a large group of scholars there teaching lessons. It is not possible to list all of their names in this place, so the most well known of those who lived in the Salihiyyah area, heard knowledge, made other people hear by teaching and dictation include the following:
1. Ahmad ibn `Ubaidullah ibn Ahmad Al-Maqdisi (d. 613 AH)
2. Al-`Imad ibn `Abdul Wahid Al-Maqdisi (d. 614 AH)
3. `Abdur-Rahman ibn `Abdul Jabbar Al-Maqdisi (d. 635 AH)
4. Ahmad ibn `Ali ibn Al-Hasan Al-Jazari (d. 743 AH)
5. Yusuf ibn Muhammad ibn `Abdullah Al-Mardawi (769 AH)
6. Muhammad ibn `Ali ibn Tulun Ad-Dimashqi (d. 953 AH)
3C: An old photo of the inside of the Al-Muzaffar
Congregational gatherings for listening to the knowledge was widespread in the Al-Muzaffar Central Masjid and an abundant number of shaikhs shared the area and it maybe that some of them also shared the area with the female shaikhs in one gathering so that they could hear some of the books of hadith and this way was unique and a symbol of excellence that the scholars of the Salihiyyah possessed.
The Central Masjid was a bright star in the constellation of scholars and memorisers that spread knowledge far and wide in the world and they heard the hadith collections therein and some of the most popular students who attended were:
1. Ahmad ibn `Abdul Halim ibn `Abdus-Salam Ibn Taymiyyah Al-Harrani (d. 728 AH). This same scholar had learned in the Sakriyyah and Hanbaliyyah schools and heard from his shaikh, the Imam `Abdur-Rahim ibn `Abdul Malik Al-Maqdisi, Isma`il ibn Abi `Abdullah Al-`Asqalani in the year 675 AH. There is a text of dictation and reading by gathering that was found in his handwriting recently.
2. Isma`il ibn `Umar Ibn Kathir Ad-Dimashqi (d. 774 AH). He was the Imam, the Mufti, the well grounded scholar of hadith and author of Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah history text. He heard Ahadith by dictation and reading from Abul Hussain ibn Al-Muzaffar with his shaikh Ahmad ibn Al-Muhibb in the year 730 AH while in attendance at the Central Masjid.
3. Ahmad ibn `Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Hajar Al-`Asqalani (d. 852 AH). He is the author of the well known commentary on Al-Jami` us-Sahih by Imam Muhammad ibn Isma`il Al-Bukhari entitled, Al-Fath ul-Bari bi-Sharh Sahih il-Bukhari. He was the seal of the memorisers, the chief Qadi.
He was resident in the Salihiyyah neighbourhood for 100 days and he heard 100 parts of the major books of hadith. He was present in a gathering in which the teacher was the Imam, Ibrahim ibn Muflih Al-Hanbali in the Al-Muzaffar Central Masjid.
Figure 4C: A close up of the prayer area of the Al-Muzaffar.
It is has become clear to us according to that which followed previously the exalted standard which this Central Masjid belongs to and the role it played in the religious renaissance in the land of Sham when the senior scholars came together and exerted their brilliance. This was taken from the website of the maraji` and translated with only slight modifications.
It is my intent to make this part of a much larger post in the future about intellectual history and how the preservation of institutions protects one from colonisation. If someone controls your learning, they control you without firing a cannon ball, rifle or wielding a knife. It is my hopeful intention to put forward this example for the readers.
Figure 1A: The Central Masjid of Duma, which was one of the first casualties of Salafiyyh in its’ rapacious desire to dominate the hearts and bodies of the people of Syria.
Much has been made in the news of the ISIS advance and also what they have done to countless historical sites; sites that were left from the time the Companions, may Allah be pleased with all of them, and their successors ruled Sham, Iraq and countless other places.
I also wanted to include the photo above of the grand masjid in Duma, one of the great places of faith and teaching for the Muslims. Please notice that this is a place of worship and what ISIS and its’ offshoots are responsible for in this regard. This is what they would like to do to every place that Sunnis inhabit.
Figure 1A: Imam Diya’ ud-Din Khalid Al-Baghdadi, one of the great marja` people of recent memory.
I had first encountered the texts of the grand Imam, Diya’ ud-Din Khalid Al-Baghdadi (1193-1242 AH (AD 1779-1826) some 11 years ago through my brothers at Maktabat ul-Haqiqah by recommendation. I was thoroughly impressed by the layout, the diligence of the writing style and also his concern for other Muslims. It is for this reason that I wanted to give a biography of this man, who was a real warrior and a late marja` in the Ottoman period.
He is Khalid ibn Ahmad ibn Hussain Ash-Shahrazuri Ash-Shafi`ii An-Naqshabandi Al-Mujaddidi Al-Qadiri As-Suhrawardi Al-Kibrawi Al-Shishti. Born in the year 1193 AH (AD 1779) in Qurrah Taagh, some five miles from the city of As-Sulaimaniyyah and he was raised there. He was raised there under the authority of his father and recited the Qur’an in the local madrasah with the recitation of Hafs from `Asim.
Figure 2A: The crypt of the Imam in Damascus in Syria.
He studied the texts of Ar-Rafi`ii, the rhyming text of Az-Zinjani in grammar and morphology and some other texts on the topic. He memorised countless texts even though he had not reached adulthood. After fifteen years of age, he traveled on to obtain knowledge. He learned from different Imams such as `Abdul Karim Al-Barzanji, `Ali Al-Manla Muhammad Salih, Al-Manla Ibrahim Al-Byari, `Abdullah Al-Kharbani.
Al-Baghdadi would later head to Damascus and also learn from such stellar Imams such as Muhammad Al-Kazbari and his student Mustafa Al-Kurdi and also took on the Qadiri Way. It was at this time that he also began writing his texts on theology. These would later be collected together in books such as Al-Iman wal-Islam.
Figure 3A: The grave of Imam Al-Baghdadi
By the time he died in the year 1242 AH (AD 1826), he had left behind some twenty texts or more in different languages and had also taken part in wars against colonists, cults and used the pen against them as well. If I was to tell anyone to follow someone or to attach someone to the Naqshabandis, attach yourselves to this one.
Figure 4A: The grave marker of the Imam along with his vital details. If only there was anyone worth their salt in the Anglo sphere that was worth their salt as was this Imam.
This Naqshabandi fought colonialism, preached the faith, recited the Qur’an accurately, broke the back of prostitution in Turkey, wrote extensively, built schools, learned from numerous scholars, left behind dozens of students.
This Naqshabandi made rulings against making people into eunuchs, was fluent in several languages and used the language of Islamic thought (ARABIC) as the primary resource when he wrote. You should follow this man if you want to attach yourself to someone.
This Naqshabandi was pivotal in understanding the growth of fractional banking – along with another marja`, Imam `Abdul Qadir Ibn Badran (d. 1346 AH) – and assessing its’ rapacious impact on society and the bleak future this represents for all countries that indulge in that madness.
I hope that people will follow this man rather than the filth that they have been following in this present age in the Anglosphere. If you are looking for a role model from the past, then look no further.
Figure 1A: A photo of the town of Ruhaibah, the home of the grand marja`.
The marja` is referred to by the scholars as, “the Shaikh, the Imam, the `Alim, the Faqih, the Scholar of Inheritance, the Complete Researcher and Authority, Unique Researcher of his time, former Mufti of the Hanbalis of Damascus.”
Birth and Upbringing
Mustafa ibn Sa`d ibn `Abduh as-Suyuti ar-Ruhaibani ad-Dimishqi. Born in the hamlet of Ar-Ruhaibah in the year 1165 AH, he memorised the Qur’an and then set out almost immediately for Damascus at a young age.
The first teacher of the Imam was the great scholar, Imam Ahmad al-Ba`li (d. 1189 AH), whom he benefited from greatly and strived a great deal before Imam al-Ba`li died and he had to move to another teacher.
Learning and Authority
The next two teachers he moved to in Damascus were also marja` scholars and they were Imams Muhammad ibn Mustafa ibn Al-Lubadi an-Nabulsi (d. 1191 AH) – a marja` from the great hamlet of maraji`, namely Kafr Lubad – and Shaikh `Ali Afanda At-Taghtashani.
After benefiting from these men, he next moved to the Imam, Muhammad ibn `Ali as-Salimi and Shaikh Muhammad al-Kamili.
When looking at the curriculum of Ar-Ruhaibah and Damascus in fiqh and other areas, this is the shape of what the Imam studied after completing his work on the Qur’an and the readings in the six books of hadith:
Fiqh:
Beg: Ad-Dalil ut-Talib Li-Nail il-Ma’arib Imam Mar`ii ibn Yusuf al-Karmi (d. 1033 AH). This is the standard foundational work in Sham while the scholars of the Gulf, Egypt lean heavily on Ar-Rawd ul-Murbi` by Imam Mansur al-Buhuti (d. 1051 AH).
Inter: Ghayat ul-Muntaha by Imam Mar`ii ibn Yusuf al-Karmi. This text was a joining between the original text of the author, Al-Muntaha, as well as the work Al-Iqna`, penned by the Palestinian giant, Imam Musa ibn Yahya al-Hajjawi (d. 968 AH).
Well known throughout Sham, Iraq, Egypt but is more dominant in Sham than in Egypt and the Gulf, which usually utilize Kash-shaf ul-Qina` by Imam Mansur al-Buhuti (d. 1051 AH) – top student of Imam Yahya al-Hajjawi (d. 1000 AH), the son and marja` successor of his father, Imam Musa al-Hajjawi (d. 968 AH).
Creed:
Beg. and Inter: Lum`at ul-I`tiqad al-Hadi ila Sabil ir-Rishad by Imam Muwaffaq ud-Din Ibn Qudamah and its’ associated commentaries. Most authorities and their students tend to study the bare text but to compare it with Imam Al-Balbani (d. 1083 AH) and sometimes progressing to the Nihayah of Imam Ibn Hamdan (d. 695 AH).
Ihsan:
Beg. and Inter: In this area, Imam Mustafa ar-Ruhaibani consulted the works of Imams Muhammad Ahmad as-Saffarini (d. 1188 AH), Ibn al-Mabrid (d. 909 AH) as well as Badr ud-Din Al-Balbani (d. 1083 AH), may Allah have mercy upon all of them.
Imam Mustafa ar-Ruhaibani, like many of the Imams of his time and Maraji`, had no tariqah in tasawwuf, yet was a paragon of piety according to all accounts and biographies of him by contemporaries.
The Imam eventually was given permission to give rulings by Imam ash-Sharif Isma`il al-Jarra`ii (d. 1202 AH), who was the chief judge in Damascus and their Mufti up until his death.
Imam ar-Ruhaibani had a huge footprint in Islam and was declared to be marja` by his peers in his time and taught numerous maraji`, one of them being Imam Hasan ash-Shatti (d. 1275 AH).
The two maraji` came together and authored a text entitled, Al-Ghayah, a work dually authored and collected by the two authorities. The original work by Imam Ar-Ruhaibani was entitled Matalib Uwl in-Nuha Fi Sharhi Ghayat il-Muntaha, which was a large three or six (depending on print size) volume work that was an expansion of Imam Mar`ii ibn Yusuf al-Karmi’s Ghayat ul-Muntaha.
Imam Hasan ash-Shatti’s contribution to the text was his Tajrid Zawa’id il-Ghayah wash-Sharh, which further fleshed out the texts in the two works but also highlighted the differences between these two mountains of knowledge.
The works of the the Imam are some five or more which include the above fiqh text and also the following:
Tuhfat ul-`Ibadi Fima fil-Yawmi wal-Lailati min al-Awrad. This is at text that details the various supplications of a believer in his daily life from authentic sources in the Sunnah of our Messenger, Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Majmu`a Fatawa. A series of collected fatawa on numerous topics that is currently under scrutiny for printing. We ask Allah to speed the process and make these works available to us.
Notable rulings
Imam Mustafa as-Suyuti ar-Ruhaibani stated boldly and without apology that whoever made hajj and thought that this lifted from him the obligation of prayer and zakah should be asked to repent or if he was ignorant taught the truth. If he was to continue after that, the ruling of the Imam is that he is to be killed.
[Source: Matalib Uwl in-Nuha Fi Sharhi Ghayat il-Muntaha, vol.2, pp. 478-479]
Building on graves and making tawaf around them was seen as impermissible, rather than disliked, the stricter of the two positions narrated from Imam Musa al-Hajjawi.
[Source: Matalib Uwl in-Nuha Fi Sharhi Ghayat il-Muntaha, vol.2, pp. 146-147]
Women were not to be forbidden from visiting the graves, but it was still disliked as there was a fear that there may be wailing and the tearing of clothing in morning. It is here that the Imam took the more lenient position rather than prohibition.
[Source: Matalib Uwl in-Nuha Fi Sharhi Ghayat il-Muntaha, vol.2, pp. 159-160]
The dead know of those who visit them every second and not merely Friday, which is the most far ranging of most of the rulings of the scholars.
[Source: Matalib Uwl in-Nuha Fi Sharhi Ghayat il-Muntaha, vol.2, pp. 161-162]
One should recite Surahs such as Fatihah, Yasin, At-Takathur, Ikhlas, Falaq and Nas upon entering and in the graveyard, a practice that has its’ origins in the first three generations.
Family connections and remembering one’s loved ones was especially important to the Imam during the period of occupation in Sham from the French when sometimes people were stopped from going to the graves due to warfare.
[Source: Matalib Uwl in-Nuha Fi Sharhi Ghayat il-Muntaha, vol.2, pp. 161-162]
Jihad is a communal obligation and does not become an individual obligation. The point is important as the Imam himself was a warrior but never stated that most, all of the Ummah are obligated as we find today.
[Source: Matalib Uwl in-Nuha Fi Sharhi Ghayat il-Muntaha, vol.2, pp. 509-511]
Those innovators and people in cults are unbelievers in general but not individually until the judgments have been established and they have been evaluated; but these people in the groups, one is to fear for their souls.
[Source: Matalib Uwl in-Nuha Fi Sharhi Ghayat il-Muntaha, vol.6, pp. 200-203]
Imam Mustafa as-Suyuti ar-Ruhaibani died Friday 12 Rabi` ul-Akhir 1243 AH at 78 years of age and was prayed upon by all the scholars of the Ummayah Family Central Masjid and buried with the family of Imam Ibn `Abdul Baqi ad-Dimishqi.
We ask Allah to reward him and place him in the highest palaces of the Paradise for his leadership.
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