Imam Zaid Shakir

Sheikh Yahya Rhodus

Sheikh Yahya Rhodus

Sheikh Yahya Rhodus,

The passing of the Murabit Al-Hajj

Although I never personally met Murabit Al-Hajj, I heard a lot about from his students in particular Sheikh Hamza Yusuf. Moreover, anyone who heard from Sheikh Hamza would have benefited from the knowledge that he was taught. 

He was a man known for piety and great knowledge. He taught for decades and had an understanding that is beyond a few years of study. It is foolish to think one is qualified after a few years of study but in reality, they are merely students.

The real sadness is that we do not recognise the importance of scholars and scholarship. ‘Diy’ Islam has affected us all. Namely, Islam is whatever we think it is and not what it actually is. The Internet has made experts of us all as we spread false opinions without realising the ramifications. 

Often people do not recognise knowledge but recognise dress sense. Therefore, when someone dresses like a scholar people think he is! Only those with something recognise in someone else. This is our problem.

Perhaps greater than all this is the death of a scholar without his knowledge being passed on. It is not the loss of books in that we lose religion it is from people who are in touch with the traditional works. That most of us have no access to. Scholars are a means to knowledge. You see it is the heart that contains knowledge and when the hearts go, so does the knowledge. 

I find it bizarre that the illiterate have expressed sadness about the death of a scholar when they have no interest in knowledge. To me the death of a scholar is the severing of decades of study and understanding. Even if someone was to study like them they would only reach their understanding after decades, if at all. 

He (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) said, “Allah the Exalted does not take knowledge by removing it from the servant. Nevertheless, He takes knowledge by the death of scholars until there does not remain a single scholar. Then people appoint the ignorant as their leaders. They are asked, they give legal edict without knowledge. They are misguided and cause greater misguidance.”[1]

Allah (the Exalted) does not take knowledge once it is given but there might be a time when it is not taken. Then the scholar dies and that knowledge has gone and the opportunity lost. People make leaders of the misguided because they cannot recognise knowledge. Only knowledge recognises knowledge. The people are misguided and they can only accept the misguided as leaders. Look at how a scholar saves people from misguidance, but without one everything goes. So bear in mind the person who is appointed by people might be as misguided as them. When there is no apparent heir to the knowledge should we become worried.

 

Food for thought because this hadith is happening now and has been happening for about twenty years without most people losing sleep. If we were really to understand this correctly, we should be scared.

Islam is protected from being altered by the men of knowledge and when we lose them, do the misguided rule. We are seeing these signs now. We need more students to study at least the basics, if not more than this. Religion is protected from misguidance because a party will remain steadfast on the truth. But the distressing thing that most of us are not concerned with, that makes the death of any scholar heartbreaking is, there is no replacement.

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[1] Bukhari and Muslim.

Sheikh Yahya Rhodus,

Sheikh Yahya Rhodus

Sheikh Yahya Rhodus

Sheikh Samir Al-Nass

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf

Imam Zaid Shakir

Traits of The True People of Tasawwuf (10)

Traits of The True People of Tasawwuf (9)

Traits of The True People of Tasawwuf (8)

Traits of The True People of Tasawwuf (7)

Traits of The True People of Tasawwuf (6)

Traits of The True People of Tasawwuf (4)

Temporary and permanent

الدُّنيَا سِجنُ المُؤمِنِ وَ جَنَّة الكَافِرِ

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “The world is the prison of the believer and the paradise of the disbeliever.”

(Tirmidhi and Muslim 4 no 7058) 

The above hadith clearly explains the world is a prison for the believer. He is limited, restricted and oppressed in the world. He might not be able to do the good he wants to do. He will be beset with problems and sedition. Then he might look at the disbeliever and see him without restrictions, he can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, he has the big house, the big car, the big kids and the big wife. The believer, on the other hand, might not have any of these. So why is this? 

Should not believers be in the best state and the most money, is not that a sign a love? This is one of great errors of humanity. They think by having wealth, property and businesses means that God loves them. These are temporary and will end in a short while.

Now look at the believer who is beset with difficulties and hardship, is he detested by God? 

Ponder now the worldly life of the prophets (upon them peace). They all had jobs they were farmers, traders, shepherds and kingship etc. They had different difficulties: mistreated by people, slandered, killed, harmed, loss of life and loss of family etc. Did not Allah love the Prophets? Well, of course. So why these difficulties? 

The reason for the tribulations of the Prophets (upon them peace and blessings) to increase their reward. This was for a divine wisdom. Most of all they are our teachers and as such, if they were not given tribulation then we would not know how to deal with our own problems.

From this, realise that having something is not a sign of love. Most people are closer to Allah in tribulation than blessing and that is why we often do not get what we want. 

يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ

"He loves them and they love Him." 5:54

This ayah is about Allah's love for the believers. He loves them and they love Him. So if you love Allah then Allah loves you. Allah's love for the believers was before any of you were born. Ponder that for a moment and bathe in this powerful blessing.

The fact someone has possessions does not mean love. It might be a tribulation because they cannot give gratitude for their blessings and their tribulation overcomes them. In Surah Al-Kahf (18), Khidr (upon him peace) took the life of an innocent child. This action did not make sense until it was seen in long vision of the afterlife. The child would grow up to disbelieve and become a severe tribulation for the believing parents. We would not realise the blessing of this tribulation but we have to trust Allah and have good opinion of Him. He handles our affairs better than us, so do not fret.

A true sign of whether Allah detests someone can be seen in his or her live and at his or her death. If they were given faith then this is true sign of love and if they were not given that then it is an opposite sign.

Finally, would you give something you love something temporary for a limited time or something that will last forever? The answer is simple something that lasts forever is paradise. That is what Allah has in store for those who have faith. Realise that their paradise ends and the real paradise never ends and that is only for those who believe.

So do not worry about your problems, breathe with me and let us move on to pastures new.

https://sheikhynotes.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/sheikh-atabek-shukurov.html

Traits of The True People of Tasawwuf (3)

Traits of the True People of Tasawwuf (2)