A short translation [edited for readability] from Sharh Riyaad as-Saliheen by Shaykh ibn Uthaymeen rahimahullah:
Abu Hurayrah may Allah be pleased with him reported that the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said,“Allah makes the way to Jannah easy for him who treads the path in search of knowledge.” [Saheeh Muslim]
The first meaning of path is a path that one walks on, such as when people leave their home to any location to gain knowledge. The specific destination does not restrict the meaning. Thus, the meaning includes a person traveling to a masjid, school, university, or any other location where knowledge is being dispensed. This meaning also includes a student of knowledge traveling from his city to another city to seek knowledge as the first meaning includes anyone literally ‘treading’ a path (stepping the steps on a path) towards knowledge.
In the West, we do not have many options to learn directly from scholars and students of knowledge for long periods of time but alhamdulillah Shaykh Jamaal has been teaching classes online (live video + audio) and onsite in California for more than a year. He teaches various classes on the Qur’an, hadith, fiqh and Arabic.
Winter semester for his courses will start January 10th until March 17th 2010 inshaAllah and registration at the website www.jamaalzarabozo.com is available now.
Two new courses are being offered this session. One is Beginning Sciences of Hadith. This will be similar to Beginning Usool al-Fiqh in that the topic will be covered at a general level with more intensive courses to follow in the future, Allah willing. A second new course is Contemporary Fiqh Topics: Abortion, Birth Control and Organ Transplants. Perhaps the title is self-explanatory. Organ transplants, though, will only be covered if “time permits.”
To see a full listing of courses, please visit: www.jamaalzarabozo.com.
Below is an edited transcription of his first class on “Principles of Tafsir”, before teaching students these principles, shaykh Jamaal discussed how we should approach the Book of Allah. A book of this same title is also available by him.
Principles of Tafseer
First Principle: How to Approach the Qur’an
The principles that we will be talking about are not the kind of things that are commonly mentioned in the classical books of Tafsir. The main goal here is to understand the meaning of the Quraan—and in doing so one will find that these principles will be of extreme importance.
May Allah ta’ala have mercy upon our scholars and teachers, Ameen.
Many of us ask around about who we should listen to and gain knowledge from. For those of us who don’t know Arabic, we do not have the link to the scholars because all of their material is in Arabic, unless otherwise translated.
However, there is one shaykh–one of two that I could think of–that studied from these great scholars AND he has a massive collection of resources in the English Language.
One of the greatest aspects of our Deen is the purification of a Muslim and its relationship with our Emaan. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said in the well-known hadeeth, “Purification is half of emaan.” [Muslim]
Since we are in winter now, you may need an extra push to keep renewing your wudu because of the cold weather. InshaAllah the purpose of this post is to serve as a reminder as well as some motivation :) Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says in the ayah of Wudu,“Allah does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify you, and to complete His Favor to you that you may be thankful.” (5:6)
The Sunnah of the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam is to constantly be in a state of Wudu. Once a companion entered upon the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam and greeted him. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam did not return the salutation to him until he performed ablution. He then apologized to the companion saying: I disliked remembering Allah except in the state of purification. (Sunan Abi Dawood, Saheeh)
For students of Arabic, there are a lot of wonderful dictionaries and resources available online and in-print. However, the wrong dictionary at certain stages of learning could lead to a lot of frustration, unnecessary expenditure of time and even ultimately a loss of motivation to study Arabic.
Thus, here is a list of dictionaries and resources in English that students of Qur’an and Arabic can use in their studies. For each resource, the following aspects are expanded upon:
where is it available from,
what are some of its main features (not exhaustive by any means),
some pros and cons,
a personal review (if applicable), and
a final verdict.
The pros and cons, personal review and final verdict should help a student decide which dictionary is appropriate for them, insha Allah. The resources are categorized in two ways:
Arabic-English/English-Arabic dictionaries and resources,
Qur’an-Exclusive dictionaries and resources.
This categorization should further help a student decide which resource is most suited for their educational needs. The list is in no particular order. At the end of the article, there is a small concluding note as well, insha Allah.
Reading Time: 20-30 minutes.
Intended Audience: Students/Budding students of Qur’an and Arabic, preferably those with a little background.
Of the greatest blessings that Allah ta’ala has given to mankind is sending the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam as our guide and the Qur’an as our Book.
With the exception of Muhammad sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, every Prophet and Messenger sent by Allah azza wa jal was sent to a specific nation for a specific time period. Allah ta’ala chose Muhammad sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam as the Messenger for all the worlds and raised his status and mention among all of mankind.
Allah ta’ala describes this bounty that He gave to the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam in the Qur’an,
Shaykh Abu Eesa Niamatullah compiled a very beneficial collection of ahadeeth that state who the best amongst the Muslims are with explanations for some of the 100 ahadeeth. Here is a selected excerpt:
36. “The most beloved of deeds according to Allāh is that you die and yet your tongue is still moist from the remembrance of Allāh.” (Ibn Hibbān, Hasan)
What greater encouragement can one need to busy oneself day and night with the various adhkār (special words/speech of remembrance) taught to us by the Prophet himself. How convenient then that…
37. “The most beloved words according to Allah the Most High are four: Subhānallāh, Alhamdulillāh, Lā ilāha illallāh and Allāhu Akbar; there is no problem with which one you start with.” (Muslim)
The four great phrases which should make up the mainstay of our daily dhikr:Subhānallāh i.e. ‘Transcendent is Allah (from the imperfections of creation)!’,Alhamdulillāh i.e. ‘All Praise be to Allah’, Lā ilāha illallāh i.e. ‘There is nothing worthy of worship except Allāh’, and Allāhu Akbar i.e. ‘Allāh is the greatest.’
38. “The most beloved of speech according to Allāh is when the servant says, ‘Subhānallāhi wa bihamdihī’ (How Transcendent is Allāh and we praise him!).” (Muslim)
There are many different variations to be found in the books of dhikr, which are based upon the above core formula of ‘How Transcendent (Perfect) is Allāh (above and beyond His creation) and we praise Him.’ I have given a slightly different translation here in order to try and express the concept of Subhānallāh which has no single appropriate word in the English language. Not only is it one of the most common roots of dhikr but also one of the most difficult to translate due to the lack of any language being able to capture the exaltedness and perfection of God, especially when being compared to the utter deficiency of creation, hence He is beyond the limits of all human experience and knowledge except that which He and His Messenger inform us of.
39. “The most beloved of speech according to Allāh the Most High is that which Allāh chose for his Angels: Subhāna Rabbī wa bihamdihī, Subhāna Rabbī wa bihamdihī, Subhāna Rabbī wa bihamdihī.” (Tirmidhi, Sahīh)
What can be more fitting but to emulate those who do nothing better than worshipping Allah perfectly, saying, ‘How Transcendent (and Perfect) is my Lord, and we praise Him.’
This is a hadīth which we also can implement in our lives with all the different levels of fitnah that we are exposed to in our local communities here in the West between differing parties, gaining reward as opposed to losing all our hasanāt and carrying the burden of the sins of others.
