Посты канала Faisal Hassan

I tend to take people's criticism and praise of books with a pinch of salt.

Over the years, I've realised that people don't properly engage with a scholar's works for them to praise it or criticise it. In reality, what they know about the scholar and his writing is quite different to their actual teachings.

I noticed this too with the works of Sh. Abu Ghuddah (and I can mention other contemporaries).

My perception of the Shaykh is based on my own reading of his works. And if I'm honest, I'm glad it is because it's quite different to what you see online regarding the Shaykh.

And I think this should be expected.

Think about this:

- Most people don't have access to Arabic for them to directly engage with a scholar's work.

- Those who do have access to Arabic, most of them don't actually read.

- Those who do read, most don't actually understand what they're reading.

- Those who do understand, most can't critically engage with the arguments in the book for them to share their own assessment.

So if that's the case, why would you accept anyone's praise or criticism unless they've demonstrated they can do the above?

You ought to be very selective in accepting people's assessments, and the person you do listen to should be very reserved in their praise and criticism. That's the only way it's valuable.

People often message me to say how much they benefitted from my old post on the emphasised sunnah (sunnah mu'akkadah), and whether leaving it actually constitutes sin. 🙏😊

I spoke about this in a lot more detail in yesterday's Usul al-Fiqh lesson (along with a ton of other important topics!).

I mentioned numerous examples in the lesson to make things all the more relevant & practical, so feel free to check it out! 🙏❤️

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Lesson 3 - Sunnah, Mubah, Makruh, Haram (Ahkam Taklifiyyah)

https://youtu.be/EYNwfisWKK0

Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction to the chapter
02:35 - What exactly is 'sunnah' and how can you identify it in revelation?
07:00 - How to properly understand the difference between emphasised sunnah & non-emphasised sunnah
10:45 - How to actually understand the terms 'nafl' and 'mustahabb'?
15:45 - Ibn Daqiq al-'Id's important quotes on the grades of recommendation
23:40 - Does missing an emphasised sunnah (sunnah mu'akkadah) actually constitute sin?
38:50 - Sh. Abu Ghuddah arguing that missing sunnah mu'akkadah does not constitute sin
43:40 - Is it considered discouraged (makruh) to leave a general sunnah?
46:15 - The common confusion in the term 'sunnah' and its different definitions across different sciences
49:40 - Sh. Abdullah al-Judai on how to actually understand the sunnah of customs
59:15 - What is 'mubah' and how can you identify neutral permissible actions in revelation?
01:04:20 - What is the 'Principle of Permissibility' (everything is permitted unless proven otherwise) and why is this principle actually so important?
01:16:15 - Sh. Ali al-Tantawi's fatwa on whether clapping is permitted, and his application of the 'Principle of Permissibility'
01:23:05 - What is 'makruh' and how exactly can you identify discouraged actions in revelation?
01:30:05 - Sh. Abdullah al-Judai on not labelling a prophetic action as being discouraged (makruh)
01:33:30 - Imam Abu Yusuf's quote on expressing caution in one's personal view
01:34:35 - What is 'haram' and how exactly can you identify prohibited actions in revelation?
01:36:20 - The difference between intrinsic and extrinsic prohibitions, and why this distinction is so significant
01:41:10 - Q&A
01:49:55 - Does missing an emphasised sunnah constitute sin? (part 2)

I always admire this quote from Sh. Abu Ghuddah (d. 1997).

After listing a number of classical scholars, the Shaykh says that nobody is infallible such that they can be free of mistakes. Accordingly, when identifying the mistake of a classical scholar, one must apply the principle of justice and must not disregard all the good that they do.

As God Most High says, "Whoever does an atom's weight of good shall see it, and whoever does an atom's weight of evil shall see it." (99: 8-9)

Yesterday, I delivered a lesson on legal rulings and terminology.

This tends to be a confusing chapter with common pitfalls in both categorisation and understanding revelation. I address some of these in this lesson, and I hope you find it useful! 🙏♥️

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Lesson 2 - How to Understand Laws and Terminology (Ahkam Wad'iyyah & Taklifiyyah)

https://youtu.be/f6Do1Znp078

Timestamps:
00:00 - Introducing the entire chapter of Ahkam
04:10 - What actually is a hukm wad'i?
04:55 - Explaining technical terms with practical examples
10:45 - What is the actual difference between a condition (shart) and integral (rukn)?
12:15 - How actions are categorised in the way they relate to time of fulfillment (i.e. ada' and qada')
13:15 - The common anachronistic approach that leads to misinterpreting revelation
15:10 - Ibn Taymiyyah's quote on how the term 'qada'' is used in revelation
18:10 - A famous hadith in which the term 'qada'' is misinterpreted
21:45 - Does performing an action outside its appointed time (i.e. qada') require its own separate legislation?
34:20 - Sh. Abdullah al-Judai's view on performing past obligatory prayers that are missed intentionally
38:30 - How to understand concessions (rukhas) and the ease in Law
42:15 - The common confusion in the term 'umum al-balwa
44:40 - What exactly does the term 'rukhas' (concessions) refer to in Hadith?
47:44 - Ahkam Taklifiyyah
47:45 - What actually is a hukm taklifi?
50:00 - What are the five broad categories of laws (Ahkam Taklifiyyah)?
52:25 - How to actually understand the Hanafi subcategories of wajib and karahah al-tahrim
54:25 - Do scholars in reality disagree with the Hanafi categorisation of laws?
01:00:20 - What does 'khilaf al-awla' actually mean and does it really require a separate category?
01:04:25 - What is 'wajib' and how exactly can you identify an obligation in revelation?
01:10:10 - How is the term 'wajib' actually used in the hadith instructing bathing on Friday?
01:13:05 - How to properly understand the principle: the means to fulfilling an obligation itself becomes obligatory ('ma la yatimmu al-wajib illa bihi fa huwa wajib')
01:27:00 - Q&A

Last week, we covered our first introductory lesson on Usul al-Fiqh, and managed to cover a lot of content.

I'm certain you'll all enjoy this and find it very informative, and I hope it offers a fresh perspective on the science! ♥️🙏

https://youtu.be/1_a-uxXjKY8
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'What is Usul al-Fiqh, and What is its Actual Purpose?'

Timestamps:
00:00​ - Introduction
01:50​ - How to approach learning
07:20​ - What is Usul al-Fiqh?
12:30​ - What is the actual purpose of Usul al-Fiqh?
16:00​ - Imam Zarkashi's quote on confidence in Law
18:40​ - Imam Dhahabi's strong words on Usul al-Fiqh and Ijtihad
25:40​ - Imam Shatibi on Usul al-Fiqh and the need for practical discussions
27:30​ - What are the actual practical benefits of Usul al-Fiqh?
33:10​ - Why theory in Law must be coupled with practice
36:00​ - The two distinct ways of approaching Usul al-Fiqh
50:40​ - The history of Usul al-Fiqh
01:01:40​ - Why Imam Shafi'i authored 'Kitab al-Risalah' and how he approached Usul
01:09:50​ - What is the difference between the 'Approach of the Fuqaha' and Mutakallimin'?
01:13:50​ - What are Qawa'id al-Usul, and are they actually subject to disagreement?
01:31:25​ - Sh. Abdullah al-Judai and his book 'Taysir 'Ilm Usul al-Fiqh'
01:35:05​ - Q&A

InSha'Allah the Usul al-Fiqh course starts just tomorrow (https://faisal.thinkific.com/courses/UsululFiqh)!

We've created the Telegram groups and we're all set. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out @FaisalHUK

Your confidence in a legal conclusion can only be as strong as your confidence in your legal reasoning.

One of the things I would ask myself when I began studying was:

How do classical scholars find the courage to adopt an opinion knowing full well they're in the minority? How do you gain that level of conviction?

And the answer is quite simple.

If someone is truly confident in their reasoning, they're not concerned with who's on their side. The focus is always on the argument they have in front of them.

And this confidence is one of the goals of Usul al-Fiqh.

As Imam Zarkashi (d. 794) says (also attributed elsewhere with slight variation):

There's a significant difference between one who merely says (i) "I hold this view because so-and-so said it", and (ii) holding the view because you actually understand the argument behind the legal conclusion. They're two different states of being.

"ﺃﺷﺮﻑ اﻟﻌﻠﻮﻡ ﺑﻌﺪ اﻻﻋﺘﻘﺎﺩ اﻟﺼﺤﻴﺢ ﻣﻌﺮﻓﺔ اﻷﺣﻜﺎﻡ اﻟﻌﻤﻠﻴﺔ، ﻭﻣﻌﺮﻓﺔ ﺫﻟﻚ ﺑﺎﻟﺘﻘﻠﻴﺪ ﻭﻧﻘﻞ اﻟﻔﺮﻭﻉ اﻟﻤﺠﺮﺩﺓ ﻳﺴﺘﻔﺮﻍ ﺟﻤﺎﻡ اﻟﺬﻫﻦ ﻭﻻ ﻳﻨﺸﺮﺡ ﺑﻬﺎ اﻟﺼﺪﺭ، ﻟﻌﺪﻡ ﺃﺧﺬﻩ ﺑﺎﻟﺪﻟﻴﻞ، ﻭﺷﺘﺎﻥ ﺑﻴﻦ ﻣﻦ ﻳﺄﺗﻲ ﺑﺎﻟﻌﺒﺎﺩﺓ ﺗﻘﻠﻴﺪا ﻹﻣﺎﻣﻪ ﺑﻤﻌﻘﻮﻟﻪ ﻭﺑﻴﻦ ﻣﻦ ﻳﺄﺗﻲ ﺑﻬﺎ ﻭﻗﺪ ﺛﻠﺞ ﺻﺪﺭﻩ ﻋﻦ اﻟﻠﻪ ﻭﺭﺳﻮﻟﻪ، ﻭﻫﺬا ﻻ ﻳﺤﺼﻞ ﺇﻻ ﺑﺎﻻﺟﺘﻬﺎﺩ، ﻭاﻟﻨﺎﺱ ﻓﻲ ﺣﻀﻴﺾ ﻋﻦ ﺫﻟﻚ، ﺇﻻ ﻣﻦ ﺗﻐﻠﻐﻞ ﺑﺄﺻﻮﻝ اﻟﻔﻘﻪ، ﻭﻛﺮﻉ ﻣﻦ ﻣﻨﺎﻫﻠﻪ اﻟﺼﺎﻓﻴﺔ، ﻭﺃﺩﺭﻉ ﻣﻼﺑﺴﻪ اﻟﻀﺎﻓﻴﺔ، ﻭﺳﺒﺢ ﻓﻲ ﺑﺤﺮﻩ، ﻭﺭﺑﺢ ﻣﻦ ﻣﻜﻨﻮﻥ ﺩﺭﻩ."

Every now and then, I find myself sharing a light-hearted post just to remind myself and all you lovely people that I'm also someone with a personality.

As is quite clear to those who've studied, teachers and students are just normal people. They have different personalities and temperaments just like everyone else.

And they joke around and they have different types of humour, and some are more chill while others more reserved.

Now while this is common sense, there's a popular assumption that when someone embarks the journey of Islamic knowledge, they must now become super serious and lose their entire personality.

What people don't realise is that not only does this put pressure on students to be someone they're not, it also creates a negative stereotype of students living in ivory towers, who are unrelatable and behave like weirdos.

Fortunately, I had my environment snap me out of that when I began studying, so I hope to do the same thing here. As I've said before, I'm just a geezer 😁