Harun Saleh

Those aspiring to seek 'ilm should not look to finance their journey by begging for money using crowdsourcing websites. There are a lot of opportunities for online work or seasonal work to fund your studies. If you can't figure out how to make minimal income while living in countries with low costs of living, you probably don't have what it takes to figure out your path of 'ilm. This might sound harsh; however, those taking this path are eventually going to be in a position where people are going to seek their guidance on sensitive aspects of their lives. If you can't figure out how to get your own life in order, how can you be trusted to be in a leadership position to help others?

There isn’t a book I bought that I regretted buying but there are books that I regret not buying.

The finer nuances of dealing with fiqh texts

Research in fiqh texts requires deep reading and careful verification of the work one is dealing with. Sometimes today, people approach fiqh texts not knowing how to deal with them and then give fatwas based on opinions they find without even being aware of bigger picture issues. One of these issues is the different types of opinions and how to deal with them.

Ibn Farhoon discusses this in his introduction to his commentary on Ibn al Haajib's Jaamiʿ al-Ummahaat, saying:

"Section: The author's principle in quoting opinions was not consistently applied. At times, he presents as two opinions (qawl) two explicit opinions (mansus). Other times, he presents them as two derived opinions (mukharraj). At other times, he cites the implications (laazim) of an opinion as if it were an opinion itself. Similarly, he sometimes treats the interpretations (ta'weelaat) of the Mudawwanah as opinions.

This has been a point of criticism, as it was incumbent upon him to clearly distinguish between these types. This is because derived opinions are neither ruled upon nor given fatwas, and the same applies to the concomitant of an opinion and the interpretations of the shaykhs (1)."

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Defining terms:

Mansus opinions are the explicitly stated opinions of the mujtahid imams.
Mukharraj opinions are the opinions derived from the mansus opinions.
The Laazim of an opinion is the implication one can understand of an opinion. It is often stated that "the laazim of a madhhab is not the madhhab."
Ta'weelaat of the Mudawwana refers to the attempts of scholars to understand what the Mudawwana is saying and, in most cases, refers to non-apparent interpretations of it but not always.

(1) Ibn al Raghaai comments that this last statement Ibn Farhoon makes is not indefinite and refers to those who have not reached the level of knowledge that makes them qualified to be relied upon when they partake in these types of explanations.

The internet brings close those who are far away, so do not allow it to distance you from He who is closer to you than your jugular vein.

"One cannot be a jurist in the present if they are not a scholar of the past"

Ibn Abdul Barr

تفسير رؤية الموت او العرس في المنام

The problem with unqualified people giving advice is that most people are trusting by default when they see someone position themselves as knowledgeable. This is because they can’t imagine putting themselves in such a position without being qualified.

Multiple diseases of the heart manifest themselves today in those who give advice on how to be successful in things they failed in.

One of my teachers constantly repeats that his job is not merely to share information with students; rather, it is to build the minds. It is as if the teacher is crafting for you glasses that allow you to see what others cannot in classical texts and when analyzing the present.

In a time when we have access to the entire world and it has become like a small village, I find it important to study with scholars from various orientations within Ahlus Sunnah. This will only strengthen one’s ability to engage with texts and increase flexibility in interacting with people from diverse backgrounds in the ummah—something critical for working effectively within the community. It also helps to avoid public disputes that could otherwise have been prevented.

Apparently ChatGPT refuses to make jokes about the Prophet ﷺ. Whether it's pre-programmed to do so, or its algorithm led it to determine that doing so would be unethical and cause for trouble, is of little consequence.

The fact that those who dislike the Prophet ﷺ are forced to contend with the reality that he is the only human being that is granted the honorific of "Prophet" by even those who do not believe in him speaks wonders to what Allah said in the Qur'an:


وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ
"And we have elevated your renown (or mention)."

One of the great signs of wretchedness in a person is that they cling dearly to a perceived right to insult the Beloved Prophet ﷺ. They will struggle their entire lives to strip the Prophet ﷺ of his rightful honors while withering away only to be forgotten in the end. They will be forced to hear the Prophet's ﷺ name everywhere as the most popular name mankind will ever witness. And in the end, among a sea of downcast faces awaiting their judgment, they will beg the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for intercession on that day when intercession is granted to none save the Beloved of God ﷺ. How pitiful an end to what could have been a noble life.

تربية الطفل عند أبي حامد الغزالي

https://www.habous.gov.ma/daouat-alhaq/item/8666

The Māliki fiqh class will be taught by Mawlana Hamzah Maqbul on Tuesdays at 7 pm CT!

-in English
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One of the calamities of this time is that preachers will say about things they don't like in the shariah, "this isn't coming from the Qur'an or Sunnah" while having not studied tafsir, hadith, usul, and fiqh extensively enough to actually be able to make that claim. As the scholars famously repeat:


من قلّ علمه كثر إنكاره

The less one’s knowledge, the more they object.

If Allah puts you in a position where you are teaching, then be sincere and want good for your students. You should want them to surpass you, so do not hold back in what you give unless it is for an educational purpose. One should have a goal to get their students to where they are in a shorter period of time than they did so that the student can go on to seek knowledge from those more learned and benefit the ummah more.

You don't teach for yourself; you teach for the sake of Allah and for the ummah. Your students are an amanah from Allah, not extras in a movie where you are the main character.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvwavOz9l9c

عن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏:‏ ‏ "‏أول ما يقضى بين الناس يوم القيامة في الدماء‏"‏ ‏(‌‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‌‏)‌‏

Ibn Mas’ud narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said: “The first matter to be judged between people on the Day of Resurrection will be concerning bloodshed” (Bukhari and Muslim)