𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐔ṣū𝐥 𝐚𝐥-𝐈𝐟𝐭ā’ 𝐰𝐚 Ā𝐝ā𝐛ū𝐡
(أصول الإفتاء وآدابه)
Exciting new year-long course for advanced students of knowledge, graduate scholars and those wishing to study this unique masterpiece Arabic work of Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (hafizahullah). I had the
The married contemplates divorce, the unmarried yearns marriage, the young wants to grow up quickly, the old wants youth to return, the poor wants to become rich, the rich wants peace, the unknown craves fame, the popular wants privacy... “Indeed, man is very ungrateful” (22:66).
The great Moroccan scholar with probably the highest hadith chains in the world, Shaykh Abd al-Rahman Kattani, passed away today at the approximate age of 107. He narrated Sahih Bukhari with only 18 links between him and the author. May Allah grant him the best of abodes, Ameen.
When your parents reach old age, do not burden them with negative news of conflict, disputes and other problems. After all the hard work and hardships they endured to bring you up in their younger days, they now deserve to spend the last part of their life in peace.
إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون
Really sad news. My respected teacher, Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Rafi’ Usmani (elder brother of Mufti Taqi Usmani) has just passed away. Have no words to describe the sadness.
Please pray for him and the family & all connected to Dar al-Ulum Karachi.
My late father’s (Shaykh Mawlana Adam Sahib) notebook wherein for decades he recorded his daily Qur’an recitation, adhkar, du’as, salawat & other litanies (award).
He remained steadfast his entire life and would place a ✅ once a particular recital was completed. رحمه الله
“It is strange that when an air hostess serves meals to hundreds of strangers in an airplane, it is taken as a symbol of liberalism & emancipation, but when a housewife renders much lighter services to her own family, it is deemed a sign of backwardness.” - Mufti Taqi Usmani
إنَّا لله وإنا إليه راجعون
Woke up to the sad news that the great Syrian scholar Shaykh Muhammad Ali al-Sābūni has passed away in Turkey at the age of 91. He was the author of the famous Qur’anic exegesis ‘Safwat al-Tafāsir’ & numerous others books. May Allah accept his efforts.
#HagiaSophia
(Aya Sofiya) is reverting as a mosque, Al-hamdulillah, 85 years after Ataturk un-mosqued it and converted it into a museum under his secularist revolution.
Verse after verse in the Qur’an refers to ‘sabr’.
Life is all about sabr: Sabr to avoid sins, sabr to worship, sabr whilst fasting, sabr during tarawih, sabr when dealing with others, sabr in family relationships/marriage, sabr on financial hardships…
Sabr till we meet Allah.
My beloved & respected teacher, Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, has been unwell/bedridden for a week now due to high fever😔 Please make du’a Allah grant him a full & speedy recovery, strength and wellbeing. Amin.
It is Islamically and ethically wrong (and may even be sinful) to put someone on speaker phone during a conversation, without first asking them and informing them who else will be listening to the conversation.
May Allah protect us from being of those “Muslims” who are Muslims by birth and name, but internally dislike many things associated with the religion. Amin ya Rabb al-Alamin.
The amount of top Sunni ulama assassinated in Pakistan within the last few years is extremely disturbing. Today, Mawlana Dr. Adil Khan (principal of Jamia Farooqia seminary) was shot and martyred in Karachi. إنَّا لله وإنا إليه راجعون
إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون
The great Turkish shaykh and reviver, Shaykh Mahmud Efendi, passed away in Istanbul at the age of approximately 93. He spent his life reviving Islam in Turkey and left behind thousands of students and scholars, and affected the hearts of many. رحمه الله.
إنَّا لله وإنا إليه راجعون
The great muhaddith of Syria, my respected teacher whom I would visit weekly, the author & editor of numerous Hadith works, Shaykh Dr. Nur al-Din Itr has passed away. May Allah have mercy on him and be pleased with him. Amin.
Thousands of people from all over Leicester & beyond attended the janaza prayer and burial of my beloved father, Shaykh Mawlana Adam Sahib. Amazing acceptance amongst the people; an indication of his acceptance by Allah (as per the hadith). May Allah have mercy on his soul. Amin.
إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون
The great scholar of Islam, Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi has just passed away at approx age of 95. A mujahid & mountain of knowledge who spent his life serving the umma. He left behind over 200 works. May Allah reward him immensely & grant him His pleasure.
Taking medical advice on delicate matters of health from random unqualified YouTubers may harm your health and physical wellbeing.
Taking religious advice on delicate matters of religion from random unqualified YouTubers may harm your 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘯 and spiritual wellbeing.
Prophetic du’a:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ
“O Allah, I ask you for your love”
A du’a we should constantly be making - asking Allah for His love. That is, to have love for Him in our hearts, and for Him to love us.
إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون
My dear and beloved father - Shaykh Mawlana Adam Sahib of Leicester (UK) - just left this temporary above to the mercy of Allah, at 86 years of age. Difficult to describe the feelings and emotions at this time. Please pray for him and the family.
I just received some very sad news. The great Shaykh and teacher of Hadith at the Dar al-Ulum seminary in Deoband (India), Shaykh Mufti Sa’id Palanpuri has departed this world in these blessed nights of Ramadan. May Allah have mercy on his soul, Ameen.
Our solidarity with the Palestinians is of course based on basic humanitarian grounds - but for a Muslim, it goes further than that. Islamic brotherhood/sisterhood, love for Masjid
#AlAqsa
, and the location of Prophet’s accession (المعراج) make this a much greater issue.
Our respected Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani arrives in Afghanistan with a delegation of scholars, upon the invite of the Taliban. May Allah make the visit fruitful, Amin.
Beware of destination addiction: The idea that happiness lies in the next place/house/job/marriage... Until you give up the idea that happiness is somewhere else, it will never be where you are. ‘Real’ happiness - in any case - is in the ‘real’ destination: the hereafter.
Death of another alim
إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون
Shaykh Adnan al-Saqqa of Homs (Arabic: حِمْص - Syria) passed away today in Istanbul. I met him when I visited Homs during my study days in Syria. He was a solid, traditional & pious scholar. May Allah have mercy on his soul, Ameen.
“The most superior form of remembrance of Allah (dhikr) is the recitation of Qur’an. No day of a believer should be empty from reciting the Book of Allah”
- Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (حفظه الله)
Liberal doctrine: My life. My choices. My body. My opinions. My reasoning. Not your business. Don’t judge..
Islam: I belong to Allah. He owns my body. His choices. His reasoning. His laws. His business. He can judge.
Muslims, Hindus & other faith communities have lived peacefully for decades in our city of Leicester. Unfortunately, in recent times, it appears an influx of Hindus from a specific area of India, with an extremist ideology, are seeking to change this.
In earlier times, Muslims attended 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘶𝘴 of traditional ʿ𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘢, read books & accompanied the 𝘢𝘸𝘭𝘪𝘺𝘢. Now, they watch ‘Muslim YouTubers’ to understand religion - algorithms often dictating the content watched. Any surprise of the chaos & 𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘢 in the 𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢?
A much neglected Prophetic Sunna is to make others feel important and appreciated - behaving and dealing with such love, care and concern that they begin to feel they are one of the dearest people to you.
Al-hamdulillah, my first ever experience of Eid in Karachi (Pakistan), and such a blessed one. I accompanied our Shyakh Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani and his family to the Eid Musalla where he led an approximate gathering of 200,000 people.
A unique and old pic from 1966:
Late Grand Mufti, Shaykh Muhammad Shafi’ (رحمه الله); behind him with arms folded his son, Mufti Rafi’ Usmani; and behind him, his other son Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (حفظهما الله)
Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi: “Shaykh Muhammad Taqi Usmani is more learned (afqah) than me in matters of Islamic finance.”
Mufti Taqi Usmani on Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi: “It is as though we are part of one family; he loves me and I love him. I respect him; he is like a teacher.”
During a discussion, I said to my 8 year old daughter, “We think [i.e. believe] that Allah is our God. She instantly replied, “Not think, we know!”
I was pleasantly surprised by her immediate correction. The Qur’an says: “So, know that there is no god but Allah...” [47:19]
Upon a brother’s invite to an iftar meal, our Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani said that his long standing principle is that he eats iftar and suhur meals only with his family at home.
Iftar and suhur meals with one’s family and children are very important. Never neglect them.
إنَّا لله وإنا إليه راجعون
Just received the extremely sad news that the teacher/Shaykh of thousands of scholars Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlānā Yusuf Motala رحمه الله has left this world. May Allah grant him a high abode in Paradise & patience to his family and students, Amin.
The recent Saudi ban on jama’ah tabligh
#TablighiJamaat
is not about perceived innovations and religious deviation.
It’s about liberal & economic reforms, crackdown on religion/religious people, secularisation & converting the country into a centre of tourism and entertainment.
Ma Sha Allah, Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani conducting the final lesson of the year to the final year hadith students, last night, at Dar al-Uloom Karachi. These are the students of just one class. May Allah accept, Ameen.
Shaykh Mahmud Efendi, the great Turkish scholar who passed away yesterday, meeting our shaykh and teacher, the great Hanafi jurist & expert of Qira’aat, Shaykh Abdul-Razzaq al-Halabi of Damascus (Syria) who passed away in 2012. May Allah have mercy on both.
The Syrian city of Aleppo (Halab) has produced some really special scholars in recent times such as:
Sh Abdul-Fattāḥ Abu Ghudda
Sh Abdullah Siraj al-Din
Shaykh Nur al-Din Itr
Sh Abdul-Razzaq al-Halabi
Sh Muhammad Ali al-Sābūni
Sh Muhammad Awwama
(May Allah be pleased with them)
Woke up to extremely distressing news: Assassination attempt on our beloved teacher Mufti Taqi Usmani in Karachi! His guard lost his life & driver injured, but he remained safe. Make du’a for the guard & his family & for the driver. Allah grant Shaykh a long life with wellbeing.
'Private' life, when it is actually private, is the best life. The less people know about your personal matters (home, family, marriage, job, car, income, holidays), the more calm and peaceful your life is.
Staying in the company of pious, righteous, intellectually balanced, wise and knowledgeable people enhances a person in so many ways: spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, psychologically... May Allah grant us good company. Amin.
Shaykh Abu’l Hasan Nadwi (RA) was awarded the ‘King Faisal International Prize’ in 1980 for his services to Islam, especially this book, and invited by the Saudi government.
Now, the regime has released a list of ‘banned’ books, which includes this and many of his other works.
The great Mauritanian scholar, Shaykh Muhammad al-Hasan Wald al-Daddu al-Shanqiti meeting our respected teacher Shaykh Muhammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve both) in Qatar and kissing his forehead.
“Certain moments appear in history wherein if a correct decision is not taken, we have to bear its negative consequences for centuries. I believe today we are facing such a historical moment.”
- Mufti Taqi Usmani at the Sanctity of Aqsa Conference in Islamabad today
We have been losing great ulama increasingly within the last few years. 2022 was no different. Some scholars to have departed this year include (feel free to add to the list):
Liberalist ideology: “Just be you, never change for anyone.”
Islam: Keep improving & making changes to your self for the One Who Created you, and for anyone that He tells you to make changes for.
My beloved Shaykh, Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (حفظه الله) granting us ‘hadith musalsal bi’l mahabba’ (continuation with each narrating saying “I love you, so recite......”) - after I requested him for it during our stay in Wales last June (2019).
Can’t understand why people waste time arguing about 15th Sha’ban night?!
If you feel the hadiths collectively are proof, spend the night worshiping. If you think they are not proof, just go to sleep. However, there is no justification to spend the day/night debating & arguing.
Our respected teacher, Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Rafi’Usmani, was buried in between the graves of his father, the late Grand Mufti Muhammad Shafi’ (author of Tafsir Ma’arif al-Qur’an), and pious mother. May Allah have mercy on them all. Ameen.
My respected father is 86. He recently suffered a stroke, hence fully bed-ridden with no mobility at all.
Whilst sat at his bed side through the night, I heard him for most of the night reciting Surat al-Waqi’a and al-Mulk during his sleep. A habit formed over a lifetime never
When you lose pious and righteous parents, you also lose their regular du’as/supplications for you, because of which you may face certain tests and trials in life.
When they were alive, they’d make sincere du’a for you, which were definitely accepted (as per the hadith).
“One of the greatest trials (𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘢) for people of knowledge (scholars and 𝘥𝘶’𝘢𝘵) is the desire to please the creation - doing/saying things to please people rather than what they feel is the truth with Allah & pleases Him.”
Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (حفظه الله)
It is permitted for a woman to offer herself to a [righteous] man in marriage and informing him of her desire to marry him; there is no disgrace in doing so, provided it is done with adab and observance of Islamic guidelines. (Fath al-Bari, 9/219)
All our life, we spent Eid day with parents and family. This Eid, we visited the grave of my father.
May Allah have mercy on his soul & grant him paradise. May Allah grant the martyrs of Gaza (Palestine) eternal bliss, protect Al-Aqsa, and give victory to the Palestinians. Amin.
Afghanistan’s minister of higher education informed Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani & other visiting scholars from Pakistan that thousands of female students are studying at their various universities, with 6000 just in one Kabul university and 8000 in another.
It is sad and disturbing to see young lay people, with no Islamic scholarly credentials whatsoever, debating on social media regarding what was written in classical Arabic texts several hundred years ago. In most cases, they can’t even pronounce the name of the books correctly!
Dealing in drugs is Islamically haram. There is no blessing (baraka) in money that is earned via haram means. One may become rich in apparent terms, but will remain poor spiritually. Haram earnings/money will never bring about peace and tranquility in to one’s life.
Travelling to scenic places WITH the intention of purposeful reflection (tafakkur) and marvelling at Allah’s beautiful creation is also a rewardable act of worship. Make your holiday holy days.
The only human in history who agreed for every statement of his to be recorded, whether in private or public, regardless of his state such as happiness, sadness, anger, concerned, emotional... saying: “nothing comes out from this mouth except the truth.”
#ProphetMuhammad
ﷺ
The Prophets of Allah were ridiculed and called insane/foolish. What was their response? “O my people, there is not foolishness in me, but I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds.” (Qur’an 7: 67)
Simple. Expression of facts. No reciprocation or retaliation.
إِنَّا لله وَإِنَّا إليه راجعون
Extreme sad news. One of my teachers, Shaykh Mahmud Ashraf Usmani (a Mufti & hadith teacher at Dar al-Ulum Karachi), just passed away at the age 71. One of the most amazing teachers I was honoured to have. May Allah have mercy on his soul, Ameen
It is wrong and contrary to basic Islamic ettiequte to fiddle with one’s phone when talking to someone. The right of the one whom you are talking to is that you give him or her your full attention.
Another great scholar leaves this temporary abode: Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ali ibn Adam al-Ithyoubi passed away today in Makka. He is known for his 42 volume commentary on Sunan Nasa’i, amongst other works. May Allah be pleased with him, Amin.
The human brain was not designed to socialise/communicate with thousands of people at the same time every single day. Keep social media interaction to a minimum, for your own sanity and mental well-being.
In Islam, we do not idolise scholars or treat them how celebrities in other fields are treated. However, we love and respect them for the sake of Allah, and try to emulate their good ways and follow their teachings.
The difference is subtle but huge.
One of the beautiful qualities of the Prophet ﷺ was to adapt according to those around him. He was a child with children, youngster with the youth and an adult with adults. He would smile when they smiled, and expressed amazement to something when they expressed amazement.
The media wrongly portrays “gender segregation” in Islam as “segregating women.” Islam instructs respectful separation (which is not limited to physical separation) between the two genders, decreeing certain rules for both men and women to facilitate this segregation.
Especially for scholars & tullab:
Always wanting to choose strict rulings simply to gain respect & be regarded as pious is a hidden spiritual disease. Likewise, choosing lenient rulings simply to become popular & be regarded as progressive is also a hidden spiritual disease.
Attending ‘Sahih al-Bukhari’ lessons of Shaykh Muhammad Taqi Usmani. Feels amazing to sit amongst students, and be one of them, as part of a classroom after so many years. There are over 500 students in the final year at Dar al-Ulum Karachi.
We tweet regularly about the passing away of so-and-so. One day, someone will tweet that we have passed away. May Allah make that day easy for us, Ameen.
Some “Muslims” won’t deny the Qur’an & Hadith outright - for the fear of backlash & being deemed as non-believers - but raise doubts and objections, under the pretext of “thinking outside the box”. Firm believers, convinced of their greatness, will never entertain such doubts.
The Ulama of Pakistan - of different theological backgrounds - standing all together, hand in hand, in solidarity for the Palestinian cause, yesterday at the “Sanctity of Al-Aqsa” Conference.
Muslim women should not be upset for experiencing menstrual periods during Ramadan; Allah gives you the concession to not fast/pray so embrace it. Making female members of the family feel ashamed and bad is wrong and has no place in Islam.
It is interesting, and not really surprising, that many of our esteemed scholars/ulama - both in the past and present - started off their studies & early learning by their mothers. Their first and most influential teacher was their mother. Never underestimate the role of mothers.
Why do Muslims fast?
1) To practice controlling one’s carnal desires & building willpower against the urge to commit sin.
2) Practicing submission to God - eating when He allows & abstaining when He forbids.
3) Training to excercise sabr.
4) Experiencing the plight of the poor.
Real tasawwuf/tazkiya goes against the very essence of today’s online & social media world. The desire to be known, become a social media star, have more followers/likes, become a popular YouTuber & lusting after money..are spiritual diseases that Islam instructs us to eradicate.
Once you stop worrying about public image, pleasing people and opinions of others - and only worry about acceptance in Allah’s sight - life becomes much more relaxed and easier Al-hamdulillah.
A marriage does not work on a set of dry rules; the spirit is what makes it prosper. The wife ‘technically’ does not have to cook for her husband, and the husband ‘technically’ does not have to take her on holiday ever or smile at her. True love is not subject to technicalities.