The Notes: The Notes:
On Asma Wa Sifaat: On Asma Wa Sifaat:
- The Asharis
- The Asharis and the Mu¶tazillas went into two different extremes.and the Mu¶tazillas went into two different extremes. - ³Whenever the Asharis and Matrudis differed from the Salaf, they - ³Whenever the Asharis and Matrudis differed from the Salaf, they could not give any satisfactory answers´ (Akram Nadwi)
could not give any satisfactory answers´ (Akram Nadwi) - The Quran is not just the ³meaning´ from Allah, It is the
- The Quran is not just the ³meaning´ from Allah, It is the ³meaning³meaning and the wording´.
and the wording´.
- ³You cannot say that ³Qul hu Wallahu Ahad´ is the meaning f - ³You cannot say that ³Qul hu Wallahu Ahad´ is the meaning fromrom Allah but not His words´ (A.Nadwi)
Allah but not His words´ (A.Nadwi) - Jibraeel (AS) brought the me
- Jibraeel (AS) brought the message with BOTH, wording andssage with BOTH, wording and meaning.
meaning.
- ³The Asharis have a
- ³The Asharis have a similar problem like the Muttazilis in similar problem like the Muttazilis in relationrelation to Asma wa Sifaat... They say
to Asma wa Sifaat... They say Allah has only eight eternalAllah has only eight eternal attributes. Who told you this??! Is it from the Quran or
attributes. Who told you this??! Is it from the Quran or Sunnah??!´ Sunnah??!´ (A. Nadwi)
(A. Nadwi)
- When the Asharis make all
- When the Asharis make all these attributes into one or seven, theythese attributes into one or seven, they are limiting Allah.
are limiting Allah.
- ³Every Attribute is different from the other and has a
- ³Every Attribute is different from the other and has a differentdifferent meaning´. They are not the same.
meaning´. They are not the same.
- ³We are not like those Asharis who limit the Atributes of All
- ³We are not like those Asharis who limit the Atributes of Allah toah to seven/eight´ (A. Nadwi)
seven/eight´ (A. Nadwi)
- ³We believe Allah¶s Attributes are unlimited´ (A. Nadwi) - ³We believe Allah¶s Attributes are unlimited´ (A. Nadwi)
- ³We believe in Allah¶s Attributes as Allah has described Himself´ - ³We believe in Allah¶s Attributes as Allah has described Himself´
(A.Nadwi)
- In relation to the Asharis, the Sheikh said- ³don¶t make the
Attributes the same as each other. If you d o not know, then ask the Scholars!´ (A.Nadwi)
- The Sheikh criticised the Asharis for affirming some of Allah¶s Attributes and not others, like Love of Allah, Hand of Allah. In
relation to this the Sheikh said ³They run away from one problem to a bigger problem´.
- ³If you can believe in Allah¶s knowledge and say it is not li ke the creation, then why do you have a problem with Allah¶s Hand, Love etc.´ (A. Nadwi on Asharis)
- The sheikh criticised the philosophers, saying that philosophy can always be refuted; therefore their belief will never be firm.
On Defining Ahlal Sunnah Wal Jama¶ah:
- There are 3 groups that fall within the A.S.W.Jamah: Salaf/Athari , Ashari and Matrudi.
- ³The Aqeedah of the salaf¶s is the safest and this is what I follow´ (A. Nadwi)
- The Aqeedah of the salaf is that of the early generations which include: ³Imam Abu Hanifa, Malik, Shafi, Ahmed Ibn Hanbal, Laith Ibn Saad, Awzaa¶ee, Shaybaani, Sufiyan At¶Tawri, Tahawi, Abu Yusuf ect.´ And ³this is what I prefer and follow´ (A. Nadwi). They all believed like each other.
- Whilst the Ashariya and Matrudiya are from their respective founders and students.
interest of Philosophy in the Ummah. This is why it gained
acceptance. The people were asking questions that were nev er
asked before. Therefore Ashari/Matrudi used the philosophy to take people away form Mutazzili beliefs.
- The Ashari and Matrudi school was a ³response´ to the Mutazzili problem.
- ³If we don¶t have the problem (anymore) then we don¶t need this (i.e Ashari/Matrudi schools)´. (A.Nadwi)
- People are not being affected by philosophy like before, so no need to resort to the Ashari/Matrudi ways. ³We have to go back to the Salaf´ (A.Nadwi)
- ³Ashari ya and Matrudiya are of the past´. (A. Nadwi)
- ³Most people do not even know what Ashariya/Matrudiya are about yet still try to somehow propagate them´ (A.Nadwi)
- ³We don¶t need Ashari and Mutrudi anymore´(A.Na dwi)
- Ashari and Matrudi are part of A.S.W.Jamah. They defended Islam from the onslaught of the deviants. It was a response for their time, so we no longer need that (Ashari/Matrudi Schools) anymore.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- One good thing about the Khawarij was that they didn¶t lie, as they considered major sins taking one out of Islam. Therefore they were actually good narrators of Hadith. (Sheikh was laughing when saying this)
- Istiwaa: We believe in it, and do not ask how. The sheikh then quoted Imam Malik¶s famous saying regarding Istiwaa.
- When asked during the Q&A t o elaborate on his saying of ³Allah¶s Attributes being unlimited´- he quoted Ibn Taymiya and then said this is what the salafs believed.
- When asked during Q&A regarding point no.38 of Tahawiya (Allah not having any parts and Limbs) - The Sheikh explained this point as ³Allah not having any parts that are similar to us (creation). His Hands are not like our hands´
- ³I don¶t agree with them (Ashari/Matrudi) but they are still part of A.S.W.Jama¶ah´ (A.Nadwi)
- ³Read Ibn Taymiyas books. Very good´ (A.Nadwi)
- ³I prefer to follow the way of the Salaf and the Muhadditheen (as opposed to Ashari/Matrudi) , because you only go to the
metaphorical meanings if there was a need to, but there is no need to give metaphorical meaning to Yad (referring to Allah¶s Hand). - When the sheikh was asked to recommend an y Sharh
(explanation) of Tahawiya, the Sheikh recommended Ibn A bil-'Izz al-Hanafi's explanation. Also recommended Sheikh Al Albani¶s Muqadimah.
- When Asked about Ibn Taymiya²the Sheikh said that Ibn Taymiya was from the Aqeeda of the Salaf.
- ³Ibn Taymiya was one of the great defenders of the Aqeedah of the Salaf´ (A. Nadwi)
- ³We praise and love Ibn Taymiya like we do with Abu Hanifa´«´He was a defender of Islam´. (A.Nadwi)
- "If you want to disagree with Ibn Taymiya, that¶s fine, but at least read his books first" (A. Nadwi)
- I asked in the Q&A session if Fiqh Al Akbar was correctly attributed to Imam Abu Hanifa. The sheikh said he is currently researching
into the writings of Imam Abu Hanifa and will insha¶Allah soon be publishing a book on it. He said that Fiqh al Akbar is not Abu
Hanifa¶s as Imam Abu Hanifa didn¶t used to write any books. Also he said that the language and some of the topics within the book
shows that it cannot be from the lifetime of Imam Abu Hanifa, as those topics and the manner of explaining them came about long after the Imam. He said it is most probably from his Students¶
student or later Hanafi students. These students may have gathered the information form the fatawa and sayings of Im am Abu Hanifa, and therefore the attribution of the book is justified, but the book itself, in terms of wording etc, is not that of Abu Hanifa¶s.
- I then asked- despite the controversy surrounding the attribution of the book, is the contents of the book good? He said yes it was a good book.
- Qadiyanis are Kuffars. They are not even a ³sect´ of Islam. - During Q&A when he was asked about the differences between Brelwis and Deobandis, he said there were some similarities as well as differences. The similarity being that they both are Hanafis as well as following same Sufi Orders. He said the Brelwis believe that the Prophet is alive because Allah says that the martyrs are alive, so therefore the Prophet, who is better then the martyrs must be alive. This is their logic. However the sheikh then criticised them for this. He mentioned the verses of the Quran that talk s about the prophet¶s (saw) death, as well as Abu Bakr (RA)¶s statement after the death- ³Those who used to worship Muhammed, let him know that he is
dead«´
- The sheikh said that the best of the awli ya are not better than the lowest ranked Companion of the Prophet (SAW).
- The sheikh criticised the sufis that do not question their Sheikhs at all. He then gave an example of a Ahlal Hadith student who had a Hanafi Sufi teacher. When the teacher told him that he had ³ilhaan´ (inspiration)that the best and most correct Medhab was Abu
he told him that he must follow it. The student, who was the first to ever question the Sheikh, told him I do not follow your ³ilhan´,
rather show it to me from the Quran and Sunnah where it says that the Hanafi Medhab is the best and that I m ust follow it. The Sheikh, who was a pious man, realised his mistake and told the student that he was correct. The moral of the story being- Not to give
unreserved obedience to a teacher for they are humans, prone to error.
- He criticised all those groups who label themselves and are constantly fighting each other due to their ignorance and blind
hatred. He gave an example through a true story from India. There was a Sikh store where the muslims would by t heir goods. But news was spread that this Sikh has become a ³Wahhabi´. So those
scholars that were against ³wahhabism´ told all the muslims in the area not to by from the ³Wahhabi Sikh¶s store´. The Sikh after some time found out about this and so went to the m osque and told the imam, please tell them I am n ot a wahhabi. The Scholars then announced that ³the sikh is no longer a wahhabi, so you can buy from his store´! (The sheikh was laughing when narrating this, highlighting the ignorance and misunderstanding that exists
between groups). Furthermore he went on to say how if a so called ³wahhabi´ would enter their mosque, they would insist on the
mosque being cleaned, whilst others would demand the mosque being rebuilt!!
