Rebuking Others For Praying More Than 11 Rak’ahs [Shaykh Arafat bin Hassan al-Muhammadi]

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful…

The following question was posed to Shaykh Arafat bin Hassan al-Muhammadi (may Allah preserve him):

There are some people who rebuke others sternly for praying more than 11 rak’ahs of Night Prayer, or Taraaweeh. What is your opinion about that?

He replied:

This is wrong. This is a mistake. If you were to refer back to the books of the Salaf, and the books of Fiqh (Jurisprudence) in general, the later ones and the earlier ones, you would find that the jurists in this issue differed about the number of rak’ahs, but only about what number was best. [1]

Some said that the Sunnah for Taraaweeh is that we pray 36 rak’ahs. This is widespread and well known to be from al-Imaam Maalik. Refer to al-Mudawwanah. [2]

If you were to read from the rest of the math-habs as well, you will find that they said specifically: 20 rak’ahs. They said that the Sunnah for Taraaweeh is that we pray 20 rak’ahs. This is the math-hab of the majority: the Hanafees, the Shaafi’ees, and the Hanbalees.

You do not find a single one of the early scholars saying that it is not allowed to pray more than 11 rak’ahs. Never. [3] So do not be Continue reading

Keen Scholarly Insight of Shaykh Rabee’ ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee (may Allah preserve him) About the Causes of Differing During Crises and Emergencies

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful…

QUESTION: We are here together, and to Allah is all praise, gathered and talking to one another [cordially], without any differing between us. Yet, I see that when some of us return to their lands, they begin differing, even warning against each other. This happens even though they are all Salafees, their reference points are the same, and they all honor the same scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah in this land. So what is your advice to them, may Allah reward you with goodness?

ANSWER: I always advise my brothers and my children among the students of knowledge to stay away from whatever causes differing. This means that sticking to the texts [of revelation] is an absolutely necessary matter; it is a must. Yet, there are ijtihaadaat (attempts to assess and derive rulings on issues) which lead to division. Some ijtihaadaat are beneficial; Allah provides benefit through them to Islam and the Muslims. For this reason, the door of ijtihaad remains open, open to provide benefit to the Ummah, to guide them, to derive rulings from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace. The one who tries to shut the door of ijtihaad is mistaken, and he has no evidence.

However, firstly, no one is to perform ijtihaad other than one suitable for it, one who has equipped himself with the sciences of the Book, the Sunnah, the [Arabic] Language, and other things. This is the one who performs ijtihaad and investigates relative matters when nawaazil (crucial matters in need of important rulings) take place.

As for students of knowledge, one of them tries to understand as much as he can from the textual evidence. However, in current events and crises, no one is to speak other than the elite Continue reading

Exposing the Fake Story of Salmaan Refusing to Obey ‘Umar

[In the name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful…]

The Khawaarij of this era, those who promote political turmoil and rebellion in the name of “activism” and “freedom of speech”, have spread the following false narration:

Ibn Qutaybah said in his book, ‘Uyoon al-Akhbaar:

Al-‘Utbi [d.228] said that ‘Umar received some war booty, two-piece garments. He distributed those things among the people. He went up on the Minbar and he had a complete set himself (both pieces). So he said “Oh people, will you not listen?” So Salmaan said: “We will not listen!” ‘Umar asked, “Why, O Father of ‘Abdullaah [meaning Salmaan]!?” He said, “Because you distributed the garments to us, one garment for each person, yet you have a whole set (i.e. two garments).” ‘Umar said, “Don’t be so hasty, oh Abaa ‘Abdillah,” and he called out, “Oh, ‘Abdullaah!” Nobody answered him. So he said, “Oh ‘Abdullaah bin ‘Umar!” His son responded, “At your service, O Commander of the Faithful!” Umar said, “I ask you, by Allaah, as a witness: The garment I’m wearing as an ezaar (the lower part), is it yours?” He replied, “Allaahumma Na’am (Yes).” Salmaan, may Allaah be pleased with him, then said, “OK, so now we will obey you!”

Shaykh Rabee’ ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee (may Allaah preserve him) explained the falsehood of this story. The following is a summary of his writings on the topic:

This is how al-‘Utbi narrated this, without any chain. And it’s been mentioned in the sittings of dictation that were recorded from ibn Durayd, #132, in the same way, without a chain. Ibn al-Jowzee also put it in his book: Sifatus Safwa with no chain. So this fable is rejected from the following angles:

Firstly, it has no chain from al-‘Utbi to ‘Umar and Salmaan, may Allaah be pleased with both of them. There is a huge gap in time between ‘Umar (and Salmaan) and this ‘Utbi. You would break the necks of camels trying to make that distance! [more than 200 years of broken chain!]

The second issue is that this ‘Utbi is Continue reading

Recources for Monthly Lessons at Masjid as-Sahaabah (Columbus, OH)

In the Name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful…

The following resources can be used to prepare and review for the monthly lessons shared between al-Masjid al-Awwal in Pittsburgh and Masjid as-Sahabah in Columbus, Ohio, in shaa’ Allaah:

PRIMARY RESOURCES:

Text: Explanation of Imaam Ahmad’s Usool as-Sunnah
By Shaykh Rabee’ ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee
Downloadable PDF file, 86 pages

Text: Explanation of Haafith al-Hakamee’s Meemiyyah Poem
By Shaykh ‘Abdur-Razzaaq Badr
Downloadable PDF file, 279 pages

SECONDARY RESOURCES:

Audio: Explanation of Haafith al-Hakamee’s Meemiyyah Poem
By Shaykh Muhammad ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee
16 MP3 Audio files to download

RECORDED CLASSES:

Usool as-Sunnah

Meemiyyah Poem

QUIZZES: (temporarily unavailable)

Learn how to register for a free quiz account here.

A Biography of Shaykh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jaamee

In the Name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful…

The great scholar, the imaam, Aboo Ahmad Muhammad Amaan ibn ‘Alee was originally from a village in Ethiopia called Taghaa Taab near or within the Harar region of Ethiopia, about 100 miles west of the Somali border. His family name, al-Jaamee, is an ascription to an Ethiopian village named Jaamaa.

He was born in the year 1349 amidst local political turmoil and tribal feuds. He began studying the Arabic Language from Shaykh Muhammad Ameen al-Hararee in Taghaa Taab. There he also completed memorizing the Quran and began studying the locally favored Shaafi’ee math-hab. He made his way to nearby villages to seek knowledge, and then nearby cities, into Somalia, and then across the Gulf of Aden into Yemen. He traveled impoverished, once spending his only amount of money on a single book. He eventually ventured north on foot, and offered the rites of Hajj in the year 1369.

After Hajj, he remained in Makkah, seeking knowledge at the study circles of the Sacred Haram Mosque at the Ka’bah. There, against the advice of some of his previous teachers, he reluctantly read the book, Al-Usool ath-Thalaathah of Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abdil-Wahhaab (may Allaah have Mercy on him), through which Allaah guided him to abandon the innovations of the Soofee-Ash’aree cults that influenced his earlier studies. He then enrolled in Daar al-Arqam in Makkah, along with the likes of another future scholar, Shaykh Yahyaa ibn ‘Uthmaan al-Mudarris. Daar al-Arqam later became known as Daar al-Hadeeth.

In Makkah, he studied under the great scholar, Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have Mercy on him), whom he accompanied back to Riyadh in the early 1370’s, to attend the new academic institute there, along with other future scholars, such as Continue reading

Calling to Good Manners Firstly is Contradictory to the Prophetic Dawah Method [Shaykh Saalih al-Fowzaan]

In the Name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful…

One of the great senior scholars of this era, Shaykh Saalih ibn Fowzaan al-Fowzaan (may Allaah preserve him), was asked:

Is this manner of da’wah (Islamic propagation) correct: One that begins by inviting the people to good manners at first?

The shaykh responded by saying:

No, this is misguidance, a contradiction to the da’wah of the Messengers. This is the call of the hizbees (bigoted sectarians) nowadays. It is a false da’wah, because it is contradictory to the methodology of the Messengers. What they (really) desire is that people remain upon their (various) beliefs, whether they are (the beliefs of) the Qubooriyyah (gravesite fanatics), idol-worship, or sufism. What is important (to them) is just to gather the people together, merely for the sake of Continue reading