 |
The Aim of Translating This Book
﴾Praise be to Allah, Who has guided us
to this, and in no way we could have been guided, unless Allah had guided us﴿ Chapter of
the Heights. Verse NO 43
I’d like to
indicate that I have translated this book “Selections
from Islamic Jurisprudence” for the sake of God, hoping that it helps to
clarify and
simplify Islamic obligations and pillars for non-Arabic speakers
Nashwa EL Sayed Sarseeq
======================
In The Name of Beneficent, Merciful God
Preface
Praise be to Allah alone, Almighty. He is one not due to fewness,
the First without beginning, and the Last without ending. When He is mentioned,
the faithful feel tranquil. When we see Him, we are content. With His help, the
believers rejoice. And His command is between the letters “B” and “e” (Be).
Birds praise Him in their nests, and monsters glorify Him in their desert. He is aware of His servant’s action: privately and publicly.
And of His signs is that the heaven and the earth remain by His command. He has encompassed all things in knowledge, and has forgiven the sins of the guilty because of His generosity and clemency.
Birds praise Him in their nests, and monsters glorify Him in their desert. He is aware of His servant’s action: privately and publicly.
And of His signs is that the heaven and the earth remain by His command. He has encompassed all things in knowledge, and has forgiven the sins of the guilty because of His generosity and clemency.
Blessings and peace be upon the Seal of Prophets and Messengers, the
Leader of white (bright)-faced and white (bright)-legged people, Prophet
Muhammad. He has been the best to convey the message, fulfill trust, advise the
nation, and uncover obscure. May God reward him the best for us, and please us
with his companionship in the Abode of Eternity.
Having said that:
God says ﴾And it is not for the believers to go forth [to battle] all at once. For there should separate from every division of them a group [remaining] to obtain understanding in the religion and warn their people when they return to them that might be cautious﴿ Chapter of Repentance. Verse NO 122. And the Prophet says: “If Allah wants to do good to a person, He makes him comprehend the religion.” [Narrated by AL-Bukhari and Muslim].
-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
This book “Selections from Islamic Jurisprudence” deals with the main obligations and
pillars in Islam and deals with the most important issues that Muslims face in
their daily life.
In our age, simplification of jurisprudence issues, away from footnotes labyrinth and impenetrable texts, is an urgent need. You should not use boring abundance or the brief which undermines true meaning.
A lot of people do not bother themselves to search for information in jurisprudence books, instead, they are content with what spreads around them in the audio-visual media.
These “Selections” have been extracted from “Imam Shafii School” with reference to the other schools’ opinions in some rites, so that a Muslim does not think that there are any troubles in acts of worship.
The issue of schools is not important in Islam, as they all have been established from the biography of the Prophet and the Book of Allah, and because the diversity between them is in branches, not in principles and pillars. It is just that some of the jurisprudents are tightened in order to take the prudent opinion.
◊ An Example for That: In obligations of ablution, God says ﴾And wipe over your heads (imsahoo biruoosikum)﴿ ﴿وامسحوا برؤوسكم﴾ Imam Shafii has been content with wiping some of the head. While Imam Abu Hanifah has insisted on wiping all of the head. Both of them are true, as the word “over” (i.e. the letter “b” in the word “biruoosikum”) (أي حرف الباء في كلمة "برؤوسكم") in Arabic language has five meanings. One of them, which Imam Shafii has taken, is “the dividing”. And another one, that Abu Hanifah has taken, is “the sticking” which means wiping all of the head.
❶ Duty = Obligation = Pillar. They all have the same meaning, except in pilgrimage.
❷ The Sunnah = Advisable Act = Recommended Act = Volunteering = Optional worship. All have the same meaning.
❸ Disliked act may turn into prohibited act: Listening to music for a long time is disliked, and if this leads to neglecting duty or forgetting a prayer, it will be prohibited, i.e. leads to going to hell.
Another Example: What is the provision of marriage?
The Answer: It is a Sunnah. Leaving it, for the one who needs it, is disliked. Marriage to one woman is allowed, marriage to two or three women is permissible, but marriage to more than four women at the same time is prohibited.
◊That is the mission of jurisprudents in religion. There are many jurisprudence disciplines and basics that are inherited from the first Muslim Generation, and the professional is the only one who is aware of them.
● Abu ᶦUbaydah ibn AL Jarrah, the governor of Damascus (AL-Sham), sent a message to the Caliph ᶦUmar ibn AL Khattab to tell him that a group of Muslims had drunk wine and they had said, “The verse said﴾Will you not desist?﴿ and did not settle it.” Then, ᶦUmar counselled Imam Ali. Imam Ali said, “Order Abu-ᶦUbaydah to get them in public, and ask them one question: Is wine legal or prohibited? If they say: ‘Prohibited’, flog them. And if they say: ‘Legal’, order to cut their throats.”
Thus, as the Prophet said, which is legal is clear and which is prohibited is clear.
In our age, simplification of jurisprudence issues, away from footnotes labyrinth and impenetrable texts, is an urgent need. You should not use boring abundance or the brief which undermines true meaning.
A lot of people do not bother themselves to search for information in jurisprudence books, instead, they are content with what spreads around them in the audio-visual media.
These “Selections” have been extracted from “Imam Shafii School” with reference to the other schools’ opinions in some rites, so that a Muslim does not think that there are any troubles in acts of worship.
The issue of schools is not important in Islam, as they all have been established from the biography of the Prophet and the Book of Allah, and because the diversity between them is in branches, not in principles and pillars. It is just that some of the jurisprudents are tightened in order to take the prudent opinion.
◊ An Example for That: In obligations of ablution, God says ﴾And wipe over your heads (imsahoo biruoosikum)﴿ ﴿وامسحوا برؤوسكم﴾ Imam Shafii has been content with wiping some of the head. While Imam Abu Hanifah has insisted on wiping all of the head. Both of them are true, as the word “over” (i.e. the letter “b” in the word “biruoosikum”) (أي حرف الباء في كلمة "برؤوسكم") in Arabic language has five meanings. One of them, which Imam Shafii has taken, is “the dividing”. And another one, that Abu Hanifah has taken, is “the sticking” which means wiping all of the head.
Obligation: Its doer is praised and its leaver is vilified. Examples: prayer, fasting, and obligatory charity (zakah).
The Sunnah: Its doer is praised and its leaver is not punished. Examples: forenoon prayer and voluntary charity.
.Permissible Act: If you do it or leave it, you will not be praised or vilified. Examples: eating or drinking.
Disliked Act: Its leaver is praised and its doer is not vilified. Examples: the amusement that is not prohibited.
Prohibited Act: Its doer is vilified and its leaver is praised. Examples: lying, theft, and usury.
❶ Duty = Obligation = Pillar. They all have the same meaning, except in pilgrimage.
❷ The Sunnah = Advisable Act = Recommended Act = Volunteering = Optional worship. All have the same meaning.
❸ Disliked act may turn into prohibited act: Listening to music for a long time is disliked, and if this leads to neglecting duty or forgetting a prayer, it will be prohibited, i.e. leads to going to hell.
Another Example: What is the provision of marriage?
The Answer: It is a Sunnah. Leaving it, for the one who needs it, is disliked. Marriage to one woman is allowed, marriage to two or three women is permissible, but marriage to more than four women at the same time is prohibited.
◊That is the mission of jurisprudents in religion. There are many jurisprudence disciplines and basics that are inherited from the first Muslim Generation, and the professional is the only one who is aware of them.
● Abu ᶦUbaydah ibn AL Jarrah, the governor of Damascus (AL-Sham), sent a message to the Caliph ᶦUmar ibn AL Khattab to tell him that a group of Muslims had drunk wine and they had said, “The verse said﴾Will you not desist?﴿ and did not settle it.” Then, ᶦUmar counselled Imam Ali. Imam Ali said, “Order Abu-ᶦUbaydah to get them in public, and ask them one question: Is wine legal or prohibited? If they say: ‘Prohibited’, flog them. And if they say: ‘Legal’, order to cut their throats.”
Thus, as the Prophet said, which is legal is clear and which is prohibited is clear.
I ask Almighty God, Generous Lord
of the Throne, to satisfy the thirst of Muslim Men
and Women to the true religious knowledge, in order that He accepts our deeds
well, lets us land at a blessed landing place and gathers us with the ones,
upon whom Allah has bestowed favor, of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of
truth, the martyrs, and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions.
Excellent is the Protector, and excellent is the Helper.
EL Sayed Muhammad AL-Jameel Sarseek . .
