Can a scholar issue a fatwa?

Answered by Shaykh Gibril Haddad

What is the ruling on the person that is not a scholar issuing fawtas.

This is impermissible and haram unless he is merely reporting the fatwa of a qualified scholar, which itself is allowed only on condition that he does so without changing the context or wording of what he is transmitting. Otherwise, "Whoever gives fatwa without knowledge, the angels of the heaven and the earth curse him" as reported from the Prophet by Ibn `Asakir (al-Suyuti, Haba'ik p. 187 #694).

As `Umar said, such false muftis are the enemies of the Religion, misguided and misguiding, and their fatwas are null and void. And Ibn `Umar said: "Do not give any response except with the speaking Qur'an (biqur'anin natiqin) or a Sunna that has precedent (sunnatin madiya). If you do otherwise, you have perished and caused others to perish." By "the speaking Qur'an" he means unambiguous and unabrogated. And Hudhayfa said: "Other than an Imam [i.e. the Sultan] or a governor, or a man who can tell [i.e. through knowledge of the Sunna] the abrogating verses of the Qur'an from the abrogated, anyone who gives fatwa is an overreaching fool.

http://www.abc.se/~m9783/n/qau_e.html

Critical Reading Towards Critical Writing

Critical Reading Towards Critical Writing

Some Practical Tips
1- Critical reading occurs after some preliminary processes of reading. Begin by skimming research materials, especially introductions and conclusions, in order to strategically choose where to focus your critical efforts.

2- When highlighting a text or taking notes from it, teach yourself to highlight argument: those places in a text where an author explains her analytical moves, the concepts she uses, how she uses them, how she arrives at conclusions. Don't let yourself foreground and isolate facts and examples, no matter how interesting they may be. First, look for the large patterns that give purpose, order, and meaning to those examples. The opening sentences of paragraphs can be important to this task.

3- When you begin to think about how you might use a portion of a text in the argument you are forging in your own paper, try to remain aware of how this portion fits into the whole argument from which it is taken. Paying attention to context is a fundamental critical move.

4- When you quote directly from a source, use the quotation critically. This means that you should not substitute the quotation for your own articulation of a point. Rather, introduce the quotation by laying out the judgments you are making about it, and the reasons why you are using it. Often a quotation is followed by some further analysis.

5-Critical reading skills are also critical listening skills. In your lectures, listen not only for information but also for ways of thinking (see the Health Sciences Writing Centre's link on Making Notes from Lectures). Your instructor will often explicate and model ways of thinking appropriate to a discipline.

Amusing ourselves to death-the decline of the age of typography and the new age of television

Television is our culture's principal mode of knowing about itself. Therefore-and this is the critical point- how television stages the world becomes the model for how the world is properly to be staged.

Neil Postman states: ' Television does not extend or amplify literature culture. It attacks it'.

'It is in the nature of the medium that it must suppress the content of ideas in order to accommodate the requirements of visual interest; that is to say, to accommodate the values of show business'.

Read more ...
http://www.antithesis.com/features/amusing_01.html

Path of Knowledge Conference- Life of the Beloved

 
Life of the Beloved

Guest speakers:

• Shaykh Gibril Haddad (Damascus)
• Sayyid Sa'eed Ahmad Hamdani (Lahore)
• Shaykh Sa'ad al-Attas (Keigthley)
• Shaykh Yazdani Misbahi (London)

 
Sat 31st July 2004
Salat al-Zuhr-6.oopm

Venue: Derby Jamia Mosque, Rosehill St

Contact: 07779577356 (Br Ajaz)

Sheikh Nuh's Orbituary of Sheikh 'Abd al-Rahman al-Shaghouri

One of the most illustrious scholars of our century, Sheikh 'Abd al-Rahman, passed away in Damascus on 8 July 2004. Sheikh Nuh Keller, who spent 22 years with Sheikh 'Abd al-Rahman, movingly recounts his life, example and teaching...

http://islamicamagazine.com/

The Need To Solve 'HOT' Fiqh Issues In The West- Dr Nur Ahmad Shahtaz meets young scholars of Sultan Bahu Trust, Birmingham

Dr Nur Ahmad Shahataz is a young scholar of Fiqh 'Islamic Jurisprudence'. As well as having profound knowledge of Classical Fiqh Hanafi, he specializes in the area of Modern Fiqh Issues 'Qadhaya Fiqhiyyah Mu'asara', also known as 'Fiqh al-Nawazil'. The founder of 'The Scholar's Academy', Karachi, and Visiting Faculty of several Universities worldwide, Dr Shahtaz is also a proficient author of his domain. He has composed several books on modern fiqh. To name a few; 'The Imam's Legal and social Values', 'Historical & Legal perspective of Credit Cards', ' Historical & Legal perspective of Bank Notes', 'Banking and Zakah', 'Legal opinion on Shares', 'Cloning-An Evaluation, Consequences and Legal Judgement', 'Who is a Mufti-where to go for Legal Advice', 'Index of Sharh Sahih Muslim', 'Collective Modern Fiqh Issues' and a monthly Fiqh Magazine entitled 'Majallah al-Fiqh al-Islami'. The faqih discussed some certain fiqh topics Misunderstood in England during his visit to Hazrat Sultan Bahu Trust a couple of weeks ago. Sultan Niaz al-Hassan (Chairman HSBT), Allamah Zafarullah Shah, Mawlana Mas'ud Alam al-Azhari, Qari Ameer Hussain al-Azhari and myself asked several questions regarding Eid, Salah Timings in Summer and other various important fiqh topics. He was inspired by the dedication of these individuals and their sincere endeavours for the cause of deen.

Furthermore, he has been in continous contact with the Trust since he has left. "It is imperative that a summer Conference be held in which great scholars of the Muslim World be invited to discuss the Problems and misconceptions of some particular Fiqh Isuues in the west, since this the only way to solve our problems through unity", said Dr Nur Ahmad Shataz.

We make sincere Duas for him, his team, and for all those who work sincerely for the cause of deen propogation.

"He certainly is a man of a mission & dedication in his domain", Sulatn Niaz al-Hassan (Chairman HSBT).

Munawwar Ateeq Rizvi

Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television

'There is nothing that prevents a technology from being used well or badly; nothing intrinsic in the technology itself or the circumstances of its emergence which can predetermine its use, its control or its effects upon individual human lives or the social and political forms around us'.

Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television: Technology not neutral

Guardian daily comment | Take the honour out of killing

Domestic violence in minority communities must be tackled with understanding - and not used as an excuse for Islamophobia
Comment

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Honour crimes have no relation to religiosity. Why is it then that such acts - along with practices like female genital mutilation continue to be linked exclusively with Muslims? It becomes increasingly difficult to tackle domestic violence in an environment of blame that borders on Islamophobia'


Fareena Alam


Guardian Unlimited | Guardian daily comment | Take the honour out of killing

Al-Fatihah Youth Camp Starts Soon!

 
For the Second time in the West Midlands, Path of Knowledge presents the annual turbiyah Halaqah in which individuals are able to grasp an outline of the essentials of Islamic teachings.

The organization is setup by a group of tullab al-ilm, who on their way back from Damsacus thought that it was an imperative for them to teach and convey the knoweldge they have. However, their aims and objectives are purely for the cause of Islamic propagation and relegious awakening in the Local community.

Course Dates: 26th July-10th August 2004

Venue: Netherton Islamic Trust, 61 Cinderbank Road, Dudley. 
  
t: 07958685837

e-mail: info@pathofknowledge.co.uk

In association with HSBT.

Annual SBT Traditional Halaqah

ulum-ud-din.org

Sultan Bahu Trust Brimingham invites all brothers and sisters to the Annual Traditional Halaqah this year.

Teachers:
Dr Samir al-Nass
Dr Gibril Haddad
Shaykh Abd al-Aziz Fredericks

From 25th July till 7th August

“The one who treads a path, seeking therein knowledge, Allah eases his path to the Garden”

Sahih Muslim

Britain's most famous Muslim Revert- An interview (Observer)

.............. Observer Newspaper: Feline Groovy ...............

Molloy Woodcraft  interviews Yusuf Islam, formerly knwon as 'Cat stevens', about his life and experience...

Observer Newspaper, 18 July 2004

Muslims and the European Right- Prof Abdal-Hakim Murad (Cambridge)

Antisemitism is an ancient European disfigurement whose easing is now underway. The discourse of Jewish ‘threat’ or ‘contamination’ is no longer acceptable in cultivated circles. [Europe] has not yet, however, come to terms with its other historic chauvinism, which is only now being named: ‘Islamophobia’. Islamophobia I take to mean the emotive dislike of the Islamic religion as a whole, rather than of its extreme manifestations; or rather, we might more usefully define it as the assumption that the extremes of the religion have normative status. If that is the definition then clearly [Europe] has hardly begun to purge its subconscious. Despite welcome transformations in Christian attitudes towards ‘unbelievers’, even the churches can harbour intransigent voices. In Italy, the Archbishop of Bologna has called for the closure of the country’s mosques and an end to immigration by Muslims, who are, he believes, ‘outside our humanity.’ [1] In [Kamchatka], at the furthest end of European settlement, the Orthodox bishop has backed opposition to the construction of a mosque for the region’s large Muslim community. The mosque would be ‘a direct insult to the religious and civil feelings of the Slavic population,’ according its local opponents, and would encourage further Muslim immigration, with the result that ‘given their mind-set, they won’t let us live normally here.’ [2]

The new substitute for Antisemitism is resurgent in formerly Nazi regions as well. In Austria, the currently-triumphant Freedom Party seems no less mistrustful of the Muslim presence. ‘The increasing fundamentalism of radical Islam which is penetrating [Europe],’ it warns us, ‘is threatening the consensus of values which is in danger of getting lost.’ Far from stiffening [Europe’s] moral fibre, the new Turkish invaders form part of a relativising process which allegedly threatens Christian Austria with the confiscation of its identity and with social disaster. As the Freedom Party explains, it is not race, but culture, and hence religion, which defines legitimate belonging, which is why ‘the Freedom Party sees itself as an ideal partner of the Christian churches’. [3] Even though most local clergy have sharply denounced it, the party attracts a third of the vote of this stable, prosperous Catholic democracy, and may grow further. Minorities can only hope that Jorg Haider is wrong in his conception of his nation when he opines, ‘The Freedom Party is not the descendent of the National Socialist Party. If it were, we would have an absolute majority.’ [4]

Read more...
Islam and the Threat of Europe

Evidence of the Harmfulness of Smoking

Evidence of the Harmfulness of Smoking
Grows and grows.

But yet, Annual tobacco deaths in poor countries to reach 7 million by 2030.
"Awareness of the health hazards of tobacco is also low. In 1996 two thirds of adult Chinese smokers believed that cigarettes did little or no harm. Low levels of education in many developing countries also make it harder for people to understand the hazards."

Unfortunately it doesn't seem uncommon for Muslims to be amongst this group. Why is the ignorance so commonplace? One of the original studies which showed the cause of the sharp increase in lung cancer rates that begun in the last century, was referred to, in relation to the fiqh ruling on smoking, in the Reliance of the Traveller. [w41.2; Evidence of the Harmfulness of Smoking. Reliance of the Traveller, Ahmad ibn Naqib al Misri, trans.Nuh Ha Mim Keller].

A more accurate picture has now emerged due to the original study having continued to 2001...

Read more...

Afiyah

The Fiqh of Oaths

The type of vows that is common in everyday colloquial speech and is not intended for oath making is classed vain, thus, ineffective [al-yameen al-laghw]. That is for example when somebody utters the words: ‘wallah’ ‘aiy wallah’ ‘bala wallah’, all which imply the meaning: ‘I swear by Allah!’ One is not legally accountable for such vows.

Allah swt states: ‘and Allah does not account you for the vain in your vows, instead he accounts you for what your hearts have earned’ [Baqarah: 225]

However, The Hanafi Scholars do add that the vow will only be vain if it was said about something of the past or present. Hence, if it was about something of the future, it will be effective even if it was un-intentionally said; thus, given rulings for effective vows will apply.

(Fath’ al-Qadeer, Ibn al-Hummam, v4:p5, Radd al-Muhtar, Ibn Abideen, v3:p707)

Read More...

http://www.sunnipath.com/qandadetailframes.aspx?task=4&sectionid=3

 

The Changing Face of Secularism and the Islamic Response - Imam Zaid Shakir

The Changing Face of Secularism and the Islamic Response - Imam Zaid Shakir

If we are to intelligently discuss issues related to secularism it is imperative that we first define the term. Secularism is the divorcing of religious belief, religious ritual, or a sense of community based on religious affiliation from the moral life of society. Secularism has manifested itself historically in both a subjective and an objective sense. Subjectively, or at the level of individual experience, secularism involves the disappearance of religious thought, feeling and imagery from the understanding of worldly things. At this level of experience, many people who may appear outwardly extremely religious, may in fact be thoroughly secularized as their thought processes, sentiments, and worldview are void of any truly religious referents.

Read more...

Conserving Water at Home

Conserving Water at Home

Typical Usage Water-
Showering 25-50 gallons (5-10 gal/min, 5-min. shower)

Tub Bathing 35 gallons full

Toilet Flushing 6-7 gallons/flush; avg. 5 flushes/day 2 gallons (tap running continually)

Teeth Brushing 2 gallons (tap running)

Hand Washing 3-5 gallons (tap running)

Dishwashing 36-60 gallons

Outdoor Watering 5-10 gallons/minute .

Read More...

BBC NEWS | UK | BNP activists

BBC NEWS | UK | BNP activists admit to race crime

The Secret Agent also shows the party's leader Nick Griffin condemning Islam as a "vicious wicked faith".

Read more...

A spiritual battle-Lighthouse Annual conference

Guest speakers:
Shaykh Muhammad al-Ya'qoubi
Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller
Shaykh Abd al-Aziz Ahmed
Imam Zaid Shakir (Video Message)

August 1st 2004
10.00 am-4.oopm
Freinds House
173 Euston Road, London

light.uk.net