A ROBBER'S ADVICE

As Salaamu Alaikum,

Its been a very long time since I posted anything on this blog, I don't know if anyone even reads it, khair Insha'Allah, I always keep hearing this story of Imaam Ghazzali (Rahmatullahi Alayh) and I thought I should share it with my friends its such a staunch lesson for all of us students of knowledge.

Duas requested

Ma'salaamah

The experience of Imam Ghazali (Rahmatullahi Alayh) is a valuable lesson for anyone especially those in search of knowledge. Ayuhatullab! Listen carefully!

Having completed his studies, Imam Ghazali (Rahmatullahi Alayh) was en route back home. On the way the caravan in which he was travelling was waylaid by robbers. Together with his co-travellers, Imam Ghazali (Rahmatullahi Alayh) was dispossessed of all his goods. Amongst his possessions were the carefully written notes of the lectures delivered by his ustads. These notes were also taken by the robbers. Imam Ghazali (Rahmatullahi Alayh) sought out the leader of the band of robbers and pleaded with him: "Your men have taken all my possessions except for the clothes I wear. You may keep the extra clothes and other valuables - I do not lament their loss. However, please ask your men to return the papers they have taken."

The leader of the band of robbers was amazed at this unusual request. This young man was not worried about clothes and valuables, but he was asking for some pieces of paper to be returned!

Very curious, he asked: "What papers are these?"

Imam Ghazali (Rahmatullahi Alayh) explained: "I am a student returning home after completing my studies. When my teachers used to lecture, I used to make notes. These are those very pages of 'ilm that I am requesting to be returned to me."

The leader of the robbers said, "What you have just said fills me with great sorrow and regret. Young lad! Is your 'ilm on pieces of paper when it should have been in your heart? Papers can get lost. Papers can be destroyed by fire, become parched by the sun, get eaten by moths, become damaged with damp, etc., etc. You are dependent on papers? It fills me with great pity. Your 'ilm should be in your heart! Be that as it may, your papers will be returned."

He summoned one of his men and ordered him, "Give back to this boy his papers." The notes were retrieved and returned to Imam Ghazali (Rahmatullahi Alayh).

Imam Ghazali (Rahmatullahi Alayh) was of noble character. He was, moreover, a dedicated student. The words of the gang-leader were like a knife piercing his heart. On reaching home, he lost no time in memorising all his notes!

Source: Shaykh Maseehullah Khan Sb Rahmatullahi Alayh - For friends

A Wise Young Muslim Boy

Alhamdulillah, its been a long time since I posted anything in this blog, to be honest I quite lost interest but, Insha Allah I will be a bit more active from now on, purely for the sake of Allah and with the intention that I can possibly help to spread the message of Islam, as taught to us by the rightly guided scholars.

So to start I would like to share a story Im sure many have heard, but id like to share it anyway, cause it shows the true intelligence of our Scholars and that if we fulfill Allah SWT's commands then we also would be able to defeat our enemies in a similar way.

A Wise Young Muslim Boy

Many years ago, during the time of the Tâbi'în (the generation of Muslims after the Sahâbah), Baghdâd was a great city of Islam. In fact, it was the capital of the Islamic Empire and, because of the great number of scholars who lived there, it was the center of Islamic knowledge.

One day, the ruler of Rome at the time sent an envoy to Baghdad with three challenges for the Muslims. When the messenger reached the city, he informed the khalîfah that he had three questions which he challenged the Muslims to answer.

The khalîfah gathered together all the scholars of the city and the Roman messenger climbed upon a high platform and said, "I have come with three questions. If you answer them, then I will leave with you a great amount of wealth which I have brought from the king of Rome." As for the questions, they were: "What was there before Allâh?" "In which direction does Allâh face?" "What is Allâh engaged in at this moment?"

The great assembly of people were silent. (Can you think of answers to these questions?) In the midst of these brilliant scholars and students of Islam was a man looking on with his young son. "O my dear father! I will answer him and silence him!" said the youth. So the boy sought the permission of the khalîfah to give the answers and he was given the permission to do so.

The Roman addressed the young Muslim and repeated his first question, "What was there before Allâh?"

The boy asked, "Do you know how to count?"

"Yes," said the man.

"Then count down from ten!" So the Roman counted down, "ten, nine, eight, ..." until he reached "one" and he stopped counting

"But what comes before 'one'?" asked the boy.

"There is nothing before one- that is it!" said the man.

"Well then, if there obviously is nothing before the arithmetic 'one', then how do you expect that there should be anything before the 'One' who is Absolute Truth, All-Eternal, Everlasting the First, the Last, the Manifest, the Hidden?"

Now the man was surprised by this direct answer which he could not dispute. So he asked, "Then tell me, in which direction is Allâh facing?"

"Bring a candle and light it," said the boy, "and tell me in which direction the flame is facing."

"But the flame is just light- it spreads in each of the four directions,

North, South, East and West. It does not face any one direction only," said the man in wonderment.

The boy cried, "Then if this physical light spreads in all four directions such that you cannot tell me which way it faces, then what do you expect of the Nûr-us-Samâwâti-wal-'Ard: Allâh - the Light of the Heavens and the Earth!? Light upon Light, Allâh faces all directions at all times."

The Roman was stupified and astounded that here was a young child answering his challenges in such a way that he could not argue against the proofs. So, he desperately wanted to try his final question. But before doing so, the boy said,

"Wait! You are the one who is asking the questions and I am the one who is giving the answer to these challenges. It is only fair that you should come down to where I am standing and that I should go up where you are right now, in order that the answers may be heard as clearly as the questions."

This seemed reasonable to the Roman, so he came down from where he was standing and the boy ascended the platform. Then the man repeated his final challenge, "Tell me, what is Allâh doing at this moment?"

The boy proudly answered, "At this moment, when Allâh found upon this high platform a liar and mocker of Islam, He caused him to descend and brought him low. And as for the one who believed in the Oneness of Allâh, He raised him up and established the Truth. Every day He exercises (universal) power (Surah 55 ar-Rahmân, Verse 29)."

The Roman had nothing to say except to leave and return back to his country, defeated. Meanwhile, this young boy grew up to become one of the most famous scholars of Islam. Allâh, the Exalted, blessed him with special wisdom and knowledge of the deen. His name was Abu Hanîfah (rahmatullâh 'alayhi- Allâh have mercy on him) and he is known today as Imâm-e-A'dham, the Great Imâm and scholar of Islam.

[Adapted into English from "Manâqib Abî Hanîfah" written by Imâm Muwaffaq Ibn Ahmad al-Makki (d. 568 Hijri). Dar al - Kitâb al-'Arabiy, Beirut, 1981/1401H.]

The Importance of Intention (niyyah)

As with all things we must first begin by purifying our intentions. Firstly I ask Allah to purify my own intentions and make me do this purely for his pleasure and by asking those who read this to purify their own intentions so that we may all be rewarded by Allah



Many of the scholars have begun in a similar way to this, by first quoting the hadith that has only been narrated by Amirul Mu'mineen Umar bin Al Khattab
so that we may all remind ourselves that our actions are of no benefit except that they be solely for the pleasure of Allah
. Imaam Bukhari has narrated this Hadith in his Sahih collection, and many scholars have put this in collections of hadith and other Islamic works as the first hadith in their books, hence I see it of benefit to mention this hadith as it is one of the most important hadith in Islam.

Firstly I will mention a few points made by the Scholars with regard to this Hadith:

• Imaam Shafiee has been quoted to have said that this hadith compromises one third of the knowledge of Islam
• Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal has also been quoted to have said something similar

Allah Almighty says, "They were only ordered to worship Allah, making their deen sincerely His as people of pure natural belief, and to establish the prayer and pay zakat ­ that is the correct deen," (98:5) and the Almighty says, "Their flesh and blood does not reach Allah but your fear of Him does reach Him." (W22:35; H322:37) and the Almighty says, "Say, 'Whether you conceal what is in your breasts or make it known, Allah knows it.'" (3:29)


The Hadith as it is found in the Summarised Version of Sahih Al Bukhari (Taken from the dars of Shaykh Riyad ul Haq) :

Abu Abdillah Muhammad ibn Ismaeal bin Ibrahim bin Mughira bin Bardisba Al Bukhari Al Juhthi (rahimullah) who says hadathana Humaydi Abu Abdillah az-Zubair Qala Hadathana Sufyan, Abu Abdillah az-Zubair al Humadi related to us from Sufyan who said Yahya bin Sa’eed al Ansari related to us that Muhammad bin Ibrahim at Tamie related to us that Alqama bin Waqqas al Laythi related to us, he says I heard Ameerul Muh’mineen Umar ibnul Khattab
upon the mimbar say “I heard the Messenger
say "inaamal a’maalu bin niyaat wa inaamah li quli ma nawah fa man qanat hijrahtuhu ilah dunya yu seebuha aw imra’ahtun yun kifuha fa hijratuhu elah ma haajara iley”

The Prophet
said "Deeds are by intentions, (therefore) and a man will only receive what he has intended, so whoever’s hijrah is to the dunya that he wishes to acquire or a woman that he seeks to marry then his hijrah is to that which he has intended."