- This week, the Adab class will be given by Shaykh Tawfique Chowdhury (Aus). That’s after Maghrib Prayer, Friday 31st August at Makki Masjid, 125 Beresford Rd, Longsight, Manchester.
- The last Adab class will be on Friday 7th September after Maghrib Prayers – the restart will be on Friday 2nd November at the new time of after ‘Isha Prayers insha’Allah.
- I can confirm that the proposed Hajj programme this year with Shaykh Kehlan and myself is now unfortunately cancelled. Apologies for the delay in getting back to those people who put their names forward.
- Wednesday 5th of September will be the final fiqh class at Cheadle Masjid until after Ramadhan. We hope to restart at the new time of after ‘Isha Prayer on Wednesday 31st of October insha’Allah.
- Finally, although it doesn’t really belong here (but hey, it is my site after all innit), please have a read of this post by Baybers of Austrolabe. I think we all need a Baybers in our local Masjid so if anyone knows where you can get one on the cheap…
I should have posted this a few days back when Nathan told me but since it’s now out on the BBC here, let me officially commiserate and congratulate.
Commiserate because it means that we in the North West of England will see much less of brother Nathan in our circles and in the da’wah. Congratulate because what ever Allah ‘azza wa jall decrees is all good, and because this brother has called more people to Islam than I have for a fact. Yep, s’all good a’ight.
I request your du’as for him and his family and that Allah ‘azza wa jall keeps him strong and firm upon the Deen and brings many more to it through knowledge and wisdom, ameen.
You’ll also have seen some support from Muslims on the net publicising various efforts, one of them being this article in the NY Times here – spread it around and make du’a for your sister.
This is not only because she is a good human being (masha’Allah) but your sister in faith, your sister in need and a defender of Arabic language schools which most of us have a vested interest in for our children to learn the Qur’an; anyone involved in da’wah will have probably come across her indeed I know her personally to be a good, pious woman when we met a few years back, and we can at least make du’a that Allah protects His servants in that way which only He can jalla wa ‘ala.
It has become increasingly clear in recent times how important it is to unify the Muslims of Tradition, known as the “Salafis” and “Sufis” in the most crudest of terms, but more accurately referring to those practising Muslims that hold to the three well known central schools of ‘aqidah (ash’ari, maturidi, and athari/salafi) at the primary level, and then a mixture of the four schools of law and “no set school of law” at the secondary level. Basically, this means me and you.
This post is not meant to be detailing these issues and well-known differences, for those of us involved in teaching, lecturing, cultivating and bringing communities together are heartily sick of this never-ending vitriol of hatred of the “other”. In fact, it is not just community leaders and scholars who are sick of this but maybe the general masses are starting to wake-up to the dangers of this sectarian partisanship that is afflicting the Muslims at their most pressing hour, eloquently captured by Umm Zaid here, to quote:
O Muslims raised in the Jerry Springer era,
is there a reason any of this went as far as it did?
Is there a reason any of this ever went beyond the first little post?
For what benefit? To what end?
What benefit is there in saying
that you’re officially erasing part of the Ummah
from your Crackberry?
Where is the good in mocking and denigrating
this or that group of Muslims because they
pray differently or read different books than we do?
Some posted videos
on their blawgs
denying the humanity and
Muslimosity
of other Muslims because they
put a turbah on the floor
before they pray.
They laughed about it
with other Muslims
on other blogs.
Is this what “Comments” are for?
Then we turn around and complain
that the non-Muslims don’t see us beyond the stereotypes.
Shame. Shame.
Stand before Allah with those videos.
Will you be laughing then?
Will you be so proud then?
What is the reason for such a thing anyway?
Is pulling our official sponsorship
of other Muslims going to change
their status and station with Allah?
Or is our talk about being brothers and sisters
limited to a respectful nod and grunt
when we hear the ahadith of the Messenger of Allah
(aleyhi salatu wa salaam)
on the subject of brotherhood?
It is ironic that the back-lash against this untenable Muslim-on-Muslim aggression is coming from the internet itself, when it is very same internet that has exacerbated this enmity beyond control. Anyone reading this will no doubt be aware of their own role in fueling this fire, despite the fact their leaders and Imams have been trying their best to condemn this fitnah, indeed to quote from a useful summary of the situation from a “Sufi” perspective by brother Yahya Birt:
The phenomenon of rejoicing in groupthink, and claiming some automatic authenticity and superiority is common among camp-followers of any grouping and is hardly unique to traditionalists alone or even to Islam. The harm arises when this is systematically fostered by the leaders of such a movement. Yet the evidence for claiming that the leaders of traditionalism are guilty of this seems thin on the ground: in fact I’ve heard a number of them make explicit condemnations of cultishness or groupthink. How far that is taken on board is another matter of course.
This is a feeling from both sides of the debate; it would be wrong to think that there are winners and losers in such polemics with even the “Salafi” camp starting to realise the dangers of disunity, as honestly expressed here on the MuslimMatters forum:
Wallahi, the “traditionalists” are not perfect, and wallahi, the “salafis” are not perfect. So, why not discuss these issues of differences in a soft, amiable way instead of name-calling, hate-mongering and the like? I saw you and Abu Yusuf being thus… soft with words, “open-minded”, tolerant, humble and full of adaab. Yet, this behavior was not reciprocated. See this response of Abu Yusuf to GF Haddad’s original article that was replete with personal attacks. It reminds me, as SW stated in his post, that the same behavior we saw from some of the hard-line “salafi” shayookh, whose entire wala wal bara was related to a person’s knowledge of where Allah is, is now becoming apparent in the “other” side. And similarly, the hard-liners’ entire jarh wa ta’deel was related to Asharism as opposed to some other sects that were much further away from them in methodology and ideology. Now, many among our “traditionalist” brothers find this to be the most productive topic.
Still, it seems sadly clear that our attempts to placate the internet masses are failing and hence, to quote again from brother Yahya, further action was needed:
At the very least for Sufis and Salafis of the West (and elsewhere), a moratorium on polemical exchange, particularly over the internet, should be called for, matched by a process to getting religious scholars on both sides to met regularly along the lines of the Amman Initiative. A minimal goal would be to take the heat out of differing so that it becomes that beneficial form of differing that increases knowledge and does not create rancour, hatred and division. It might also open up a way to work together towards common interests and goals that are shared in common. There is increasing recognition that there are structural challenges facing Muslim communities that are best met together. At the very least forging unity involves the recognition that Sufi polemics against the Salafis have taken on very different implications after 9/11 that should now be taken into account.
It was with this in view that an initiative headed by Shaykh Abdullah b. Bayyah (hafidhahullah) and some of the senior Imams and Students of Knowledge in the West has just convened a week-long retreat to discuss these very issues and declare a unified front against this fitnah that is creating such weakness. The “Global Centre for Renewal and Guidance” (المركزالعالمي للتجديد والترشيد) as well as many other things, has officially been launched earlier today and will be releasing a pact insha’Allah very soon cementing all that which holds Sunni Muslims together and unified so that we can move forward and deal with the real challenges facing the Ummah at the moment, identified by our Shaykh throughout this intensive week into three main categories here, of which details will follow at a later time by expounding on his solution for our wider problem in the West from his wonderful book “The Craft of Fatwa and The Fiqh of Minorities” ( صناعة الفتوى وفقه الأقليات).
Naturally, a “minorities” approach scares off many traditonalists from all camps, for some valid reasons no doubt, but one thing which cannot be denied is the need for valid ijtihad from bona-fide scholars, and if senior scholars such as Shaykh Bin Bayyah do not set the standard, then secularism will rapidly fill that void.
Why “Renewal”? Although a scary word for some, it is simply a phrase indicating the need for perspectives to be renewed, priorities to be re-assessed and our collective iman to be refreshed.
Why “Guidance”? Because the traditional Islam which is under attack at the moment, whether practised by a Salafi or an Ash’ari, finds its salvation in divine knowledge and wisdom through the guidance of our scholars – and it will be the divine criterion of Islam that will cause us to collectively prosper and not the washing away of tradition in pampering to the whims of secularism and modernity.
This will not be easy, and we don’t expect a miracle over night – but the seeds of unity have been sown and the scholars and leaders of the da’wah from all schools, including Hamza Yusuf, Yasir Qadhi, Zaid Shakir, Usama Hasan, Jihad Brown, Abdullah Aladhami, Sherman Jackson and many more in attendance last week from all over the world at this historical and blessed event, have come together to demand their students and followers to do the same.
We hope and pray that Allah grants us all the wisdom and ability to do that which pleases Him and serve the best interest of this divinely blessed Ummah of Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa-sallam).
Update from PG Admin (Wed 22/8/07): Dr Sherman Abdul-Hakim Jackson and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf apologise and cannot attend. Shaykh Jihad Brown and Shaykh Abdullah al-Adhami also cannot make this Friday’s meeting but have promised to return in the future. Shaykh Yasir Qadhi has also apologised for not attending this Friday but will return in late October insha’Allah. Two additional Speakers have been added as above.
One would agree that from the most unfortunate things possible is to be the rightful recipient of some good news – a present maybe, a gift of money, a bequest etc – but then one remains unaware of this fact, or doesn’t pay attention to all the phone calls informing him of such glad tidings.
So there’s your present waiting for you, and you’re not really aware to its full worth or value – no-one else is going to claim it on your behalf and if you knew its real significance, you’d never leave it to waste!
Yet the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, told us, as narrated by al-Imâm al-Bayhaqî, that:
“Sha’bân is a month between Rajab and Ramadhân, much neglected by people. In it, the actions of all servants are raised to the Lord of the Worlds; I love that my actions are not presented except that I am fasting.”
Here is a man, the wisest and most eager of creation to obtain all possible good, who saw this blessed month of Sha’bân very differently to many of us. He, peace be upon him, would never leave it to waste, rather he would be seen fasting almost the entire month of Sha’bân, only ever surpassed by the fasting of the whole of Ramadhân.
So why exactly is that?
There are numerous authentic reports that detail how the majority of Sha’bân was spent by our beloved Prophet in a state of fasting; a state which heightens our God-consciousness, makes us aware of our desires and the need for their control, makes us aware of the problems and difficulties of so many poor people around the world when we feel those pangs of hunger. The fasting one becomes very mindful of their tongue and how they abuse by it, their eyes and how they deviate from purity, their hearts and how much filth enters it without wilful control.
All in all, there is nothing more conducive to sincerely worshipping our Master, the Lord of the Worlds than doing so whilst fasting.
But doesn’t that occur whenever someone is fasting? Why then the month of Sha’bân?
With Ramadhân just around the corner, where many of us really do ‘make it or break it’ for the rest of the year due to the quality of our ‘ibâdah (worship) in it, it becomes paramount to prepare properly for this once in a lifetime opportunity. After all, do you know whether you’ll ever be lucky enough to greet another one? Weren’t the Sahâbah (Companions) described by Ma’lâ bin Fadhl as those people who spent six months of the year asking Allâh to accept their ‘ibâdah of their previous Ramadhân and the next six months asking just to be allowed to reach the next one?
So often do many of us think we can just turn up to the show in Ramadhân, take a seat and watch the game, see the team win and go home happy at the end. What a huge mistake.
Spending thirty odd days of Ramadhân refraining from food and drink from morning to night isn’t the second pillar of Islam known as Siyâm. No – I think people might be getting a bit confused there don’t you? That’s just a hungry and thirsty person, someone who in reality, has just wasted his time.
Rather as the Prophet, peace be upon him, advised us, we need to avoid all the well-known slips of the tongue, eyes, heart and really just our desires in general in order to be one who fulfils the conditions of Ramadhân. We need to make sure that we adorn our fasting with all other possible extra good actions such as praying extra nawâfil (voluntary prayers), giving charity, re-establishing family ties, increasing our social and da’wah (presenting Islam to non-Muslims) work, displaying generosity to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, extra dhikr (remembrance), memorisation of the Qur’ân etc. Surely that is the whole point here – that we fast so as to be more aware of our actions and that they are presented to Allâh, the Most High, in their best possible light.
Only with such a high quality day of fasting can we really have hoped to achieve the desired consequence – that all our previous sins are forgiven and that we enter His Garden with His pleasure, if Allâh wills it.
But don’t think such a day is easy to come by. Rather it is the exception although it shouldn’t be like that. Hence the greatness of Sha’bân, that blessed opportunity to see whether we can make the mark, the mock exam before the impending finals, the last practice in front of the mirror before the key interview – although each practice is important itself, mistakes that are made here are blessed ones if they are learned from and not repeated at the key moment.
This has to be our aim in the remaining days of Sha’bân. Try and make it a real and sincere practice effort for Ramadhân which is only a few weeks away – keep a note of all your external and internal actions during the day whilst you refrain from food and drink and be horrified at the amount of rubbish we espouse from our bodies on a daily basis. It’s going to be a major wake-up call and all praise is due to Allâh for that – I would rather that I’m rudely awoken today than be found in a drunken stupor during Laylat’l-Qadr (the Night of Power) …
Don’t you want to take full advantage of Ramadhân when it comes? Don’t you want to profit whilst the doors of Heaven are thrown wide open, the doors of Hell are slammed shut and our greatest detractors of all, the devils, are firmly chained up? Which believer doesn’t welcome those open doors and which sinner of us doesn’t sigh with relief at the taming of the Fire – if but just for a small moment?
For as the poet said,
“Whoever is shown mercy in Ramadhân is marhûm (blessed, receiver of mercy), whoever prohibits for himself its good is mahrûm (devoid of blessing and good) and whoever doesn’t take provision and sustenance from it is malûm (has no-one to blame but himself).”
So at this ‘neglected time’, when the majority of our friends, family and community are not paying attention to what could be gained, where the environment is not conducive to steeling one’s resolve and focus on that which is good, where people are concentrating on ‘enjoying’ themselves as much as possible before the ‘hardships’ of Ramadhân – during this time, let us strive to perfect ourselves now and learn from our mistakes whilst we prepare for the ‘Big One’, so as to really achieve the objective behind fasting and indeed life itself – to become those who are constantly aware of Allâh (al-Muttaqûn). How on Earth can we possibly achieve this if we just dive into Ramadhân without a care in the world, not having conditioned our bodies, physically and spiritually in Sha’bân? How can we work on preserving our energy during Ramadhân, not simply to last till Sunset, but to pray all the extra sunnah available if we don’t try and test ourselves now? How will we know the looseness of our eyes if we don’t catch the eyes out now? How will we ever realise how much we gossip and backbite during Ramadhân when we don’t try refraining ourselves from the rafath (filth) and fisq (evil) during our fasts today?
Surely, the fact that we can perfect ourselves and reach the true goal during Ramadhân simply by exerting ourselves now during Sha’bân is a compelling argument for why the Companions observed that when they saw the Prophet, peace be upon him, fasting at this time, they thought he’d never eat again – may Allâh bless him, give him eternal peace and reward him with the very greatest of rewards!
Last, but certainly not least, for those who look for bargains and the like at such times (and who wouldn’t considering how miskeen to our Lord we all are!), there is another super jackpot moment in this blessed month. If all the obvious benefits were not enough, we also have a special night in which forgiveness is on a unique limited offer for the Believers.
In a much disputed hasan narration collected by ibn Hibbân, one of many other weak ahâdîth, it is reported that on the authority of Mu’âdh ibn Jabal, may Allâh be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
“Allâh looks to His creation on the middle night of Sha’bân and forgives all of His creation, except for the one who ascribes partners to Him and the one who holds malice against others.”
Which one of us isn’t in need of this special moment of forgiveness? Yes, Allâh, the Most High, descends in the last third of every night offering salvation to us but here is another special moment for us to profit from, not restricted by the length of the night and specifically chosen by Sayyidina Mustapha, peace be upon him, to strive for.
Let us use this night to beseech our Lord for His bounty and pardon, prioritising our good deeds. After all, this is a night of forgiveness so what else better to do but to seek it! But at the same time, let us not put our hopes into just this one night but use these many sanctified days ahead to do exactly that – get ahead.
Al-Imâm ibn al-Jawzi, may Allâh have mercy upon him, was once asked:
“Is it better for me to make tasbîh (glorification of Allah) or to make istighfâr (seek forgiveness)?” He replied, “The dirty robe is more in need of soap than perfume.”
Hasan, may Allâh be pleased with him, once said:
“Increase in making istighfâr for you’ll never know when His Mercy will next descend.”
Indeed. So let us be aware of these blessed times in our times of need – let us pay attention to that which is neglected and make our Sha’bân and Ramadhân our sources of salvation.
If you’re going to use the internet, then you might as well use it to watch this 8-minute video below if you’re not one of the 13 million odd who’ve done it already. Subhanallah, forget Hollywood and Bollywood, words cannot describe this real-life thriller:
The BBC Urdu service’s Masud Alam says a contempt for the law has always permeated throughout Pakistan’s ruling class.
——————————————————————————–
Senior government functionaries in Pakistan are fond of complaining, in private, that the nation they are serving is averse to following the dictates of law.
That if something does not work in this country it is because the common man does not follow the system.
Lack of education, lack of discipline and lack of respect for the law are just some of the misdemeanours on the part of a populace that hampers the pace of progress.
A section of Pakistanis – the so-called educated and those living abroad – also subscribe to this preposterous notion.
But in truth, things could not be more different.
It is the incompetence of the bureaucracy, the ignorance of lawmakers, the greed of the military for power and riches – combined with a glaring contempt for the law on the part of all three groups – that has created and then compounded the social anarchy that everyone is now forced to live in.
There is no law in this country that cannot be or has not been broken by the very people who made them, and those whose job it is to implement them.
Take the law banning alcohol, for instance. It was introduced by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the first elected prime minister and the modern, liberal and democratic face of Pakistan in the 70s.
Bhutto is also the man who publicly admitted that he did not mind downing a few drops after a hard day’s work.
Another prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, took the oath of office that emphasises the protection of life and property of every citizen.
He then proceeded to allow a team of American security men to raid a hotel in a Pakistani city, kidnap a Pakistani national, drive him to Islamabad, put him in a plane and fly off to the US.
The suspect, Aimal Kasi, was wanted by the Americans on charges of killing two CIA officials. The US wanted to bring him to justice at any cost. And the Pakistani PM was eager to please the Americans at any cost – in this case the cost was trashing the judicial system of his own country.
The same prime minister sent a team of party officials, including sitting parliamentarians, to storm the Supreme Court building and break into the court room where a petition against the PM was being heard.
The so-called National Accountability Bureau has in the past few years apprehended several high ranking politicians on charges of corruption, but if they agreed to join the military government – and almost all of them did – they were not only conveniently forgotten, some were made federal ministers.
Three times in the history of this young country, the army chief has led a coup against a civilian government. The constitution was on each occasion trampled under military boots, even though it defines such actions as acts of “high treason”.
Each military dictator seeks to pass on the baton to another, much like handing family treasures to the next generation.
The message that reaches the masses is: there is no law of the land and we have no rights, except what we can grab for ourselves.
The rulers, their coterie and functionaries, are the law. They will apply the writ when they see fit and they will overlook when it is wise to do so.
The people of this country have learnt to live in a system heavily skewed against them. They look for short cuts, they bribe their way, they use friends’ and family’s influence, they lie through their teeth, they plead and they threaten because there is no straightforward way to get things done.
To label these people “law breakers” is then adding insult to injury if the labeller is from the ruling class. Because in this country, laws are not made “for the people”, more often than not they are made to be used “against” them.
It is therefore only natural for people to break these laws whenever they can get away with it.
Conversely, if you provide an environment where the regulations aim to provide comfort and protection to the users, and the laws they produce are clearly communicated and fairly and firmly applied, the people of Pakistan will be as law abiding as any other people in the world.
This is the background that explains the relief and joy of the common man at the reinstatement of Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry as the chief justice of Pakistan.
For the first time the law has not sided with the law makers. For the first time, a powerful government headed by a serving general has failed to subvert the judiciary. And for the first time, people have come out on the street, in their hundreds of thousands, in support of the rule of law.
These masses were not motivated by some charismatic political leader. It was the unity of lawyers all over the country, and their objective of upholding the law, that got the attention of the people.
The Supreme Court’s landmark decision, striking down the presidential charge sheet against the chief justice, is indeed a watershed in the history of Pakistan.
It has proved conclusively that the people of this country want justice. They believe in the need for laws, and they are capable of respecting them.
It is the ruling class that routinely breaks the law and considers it a privilege. These are the people who, for a change, are now fearful of the application of law under an independent judiciary.
The people of Pakistan do not expect an overnight sea change in their circumstances at the hands of a born-again judiciary. It is the prospect of law finally catching up with the real law breakers, that they find so irresistibly sweet.
This is a good time to write a little guide to the net, for two main reasons:
1. I am going to have to drastically cut the amount of time I can write on a blog such as this, which won’t be too difficult as I’m only doing it about once a week anyway. Like, whenever. You know, every couple of weeks or summin’. Whatever.
2. The ego seems to be expanding in recent times so there’s nothing as good as deflating an ego to admit the kind of net-usage you really have. Coming out can be so painful sometimes.
So, here we go. Some is pretty obvious and a little bit is embarrassing so just remember - it’s all good in the hood.
Which is a nice place to start: blogs. I’m not a massive reader of blogs to be honest, but I do occasionally read blogs across the religious and political spectrum. My favourite “Deeni” ones are very very few because there aren’t any worth their name, except possibly Islamic Law etc written by a promising student of knowledge called Hood Bradford. I think that’s about it for Islamic ones as such.
As for those written by Muslims then there are a few favourites: Austrolabe is definitely a favourite (and funny as well which is a must with me), Blogistan by Yusuf Smith is excellent, as is Osama Saeed’s Rolled-Up Trousers, and that’s probably it for the notable blogs that can be read regularly due to their quality and the amount of time and dedication that goes into keeping them updated. Other interesting blogs are Seeker’s Digest which always gives a few good links to various media stories and an American site called hahmed which has a few good video links from time to time. Haroon Moghul’s site used to be good but then, well, he just disappeared.
The rest are pretty average me reckons (like this one I suppose) and probably reflects the amount of effort put in, which is fair enough. Then again, I don’t wish to promote blog-reading in general as it is a huge wholesale waste of precious time and the more readers there are, the more authors feel the confidence to speak about Allah and His Messenger when they shouldn’t be daring to do anything of the sort.
But I make one definite exception: the best blog in the entire history of the internet, something which I read every 3-4 days at least is Umar Lee. This guy is a legend. I’d go to the States just to take a ride in his cab and shake him by the hand. Other than the Arab commentator on the “Ya Salam Ya Messi” videos, this brother Umar has made me laugh out loud so many times that I’ve totally lost count. His is a site I go and visit if I’m feeling a bit down. His is the site that puts all other comedy sites to shame. And he’s real. And he’s raw. Don’t go there with false hopes of some spiritual experience though, because he’s there to entertain and my goodness, he certainly does that. Oh, and he likes Ricky Hatton too which is always an easy way to get in my good books.
Keep it up bro. Halal (just about!) comedy at it’s very best.
The best website in the world is a toss-up between Google and BBC, but I’ll give it to Google. Cricinfo is the best cricket site of course, and BBC Sport is the best all-rounder for Sport. MoneySavingExpert is a must to catch all the bargains, and Islamway has some excellent Qur’anic recitations.
And that’s about it to be honest in the English language. There are some excellent Arabic ones out there but then that’s probably not much to use many readers here because if you did visit those sites, the last site that you’d be reading would be this one.
I have a few pet-hates: commentisfree drives me bananas; far too much content and far too much vitriol for your efforts. Youtube is a problem because it is such a fitnah - spend enough time on it and you’ll find every single thing that you’ve ever wanted to watch in your life, and the time flies of course where a few minutes turns into half an hour of utter abuse of time.
As for those (hundreds) who ask which website should they read to learn authentic Islamic knowledge, then my answer: none of them. All of these sites are flawed and if you have a need to ask such a question, then you definitely don’t have the ability to work out what is flawed and what isn’t on these sites. So stay away and find a teacher instead and invest time and money into that relationship.
My wife hasn’t used the net other than to speak to family for the last 15 years and it is her Deen that I most trust and it is her Deen that I am most impressed with out of the masses of people I know masha’Allah tabarakallah. And believe me, there is a statistically significant link somewhere between all that.
So as I start to slowly slip away from writing regularly here, don’t say I didn’t leave you with good (net-usage) advice. And if you can, turn the net off altogether and get a Setanta Subscription instead. The TV is far less a fitnah than the internet…
Here’s Hood with an excellent spot (and subsequent translation) of ibn ‘Ashūr’s Qur’anic commentary on the “Verse of beating”. I’ve reproduced it below with a bit of editing to make it easier on the eye.
They say that you love what your teacher loves – I’d never heard of Ibn ‘Ashūr’s tafsīr until my teacher told me about it just before I left for the Maghrib many years ago, and now it’s a favourite. Our Shaykh uses it all the time and it is a magnificent piece of work that I advice every student of knowledge to read and utilise it’s semi-modern outlook on the Qur’anic narrative. Anyway, here’s the full post:
Muhammad Al-Tāhir ibn ‘Ashūr says in Al-Tahrīr wal-Tanwīr in explanation of Sūrat’l-Nisā’, verse 34:
Men are maintainers of women; because of what Allah has bestowed for some of them upon others… and those that you fear from bad conduct then admonish them verbally, then abandon them in their beds, and then hit them. If they obey you then do not transgress against them, Verily Allah is most high and great. (4:34)
Those being addressed in {that you fear} are either the husbands … it is also conceivable that those being addressed are those communally capable of performing these actions, thus including both husbands and the local authorities; each group would then take responsibility for the actions they are responsible for.
This is similar to the Most High’s statement in Surat’l-Baqarah:
It is not permissible for you to take from them that which you have given them except if the two of them fear that they will not fulfill the boundaries set by Allah; If you fear that they will not fulfill the boundaries…(2:229)
Here {…for you…} is addressing the husbands, while {… If you fear that…} is addressing the authorities. As mentioned in (the book) al-Kashhāf: “This type of conjunction is not rare in the Quran…”
Meaning that this is similar to the verses in Surat’l-Saff((And you [all] believe in Allah and his messenger…)) until ((And give glad tidings to the believers)). The verb {…give glad tidings…} is conjoined to {…and you [all] believe…} i.e. this address is applicable to all, but since it cannot come from other than the Messenger it was specified as his duty.
This reading/interpretation was held by Atā’ who said, “A man must not hit his wife; instead he shows her his anger.”
Ibn al-‘Arabi said: “This is from the juristic insight of Atā’, his understanding of the Sharī‘ah, and his ability of deduction and inference; he comprehended that the order to hit here was one of permissibility [as opposed to obligation], as he also comprehended the disdain for doing so found in other texts such as ‘Never will the best of you hit.’”
I (ibn ‘Ashūr) see Atā’s insight as even more far-reaching than that viewed by Ibn al-‘Arabi, being that he placed these things as needed due to their substantiating evidences, a large group of scholars agreeing with this understanding…
…as for hitting then this is a dangerous thing, and is difficult to set the limits of. It was permitted [to be used] in a time of apparent corruption, i.e. the woman having transgressed then. However, it is imperative to set the boundaries of such a thing (which would be described in the [works of] Fiqh) being that if such a thing was left unrestricted for husbands to pursue, they would more than likely (while in a state of venting their anger) transgress the bounds that were set, being that there are few who truly reprimand according to the actual wrong committed.
With this in mind, the base rule of the Sharī‘ah is that no one passes a judgment by himself, if not a case of necessity. All the same, the majority of scholars [those that ascribe to the first meaning] restricted application to a state of safety from harm, and that the one who hits not be one doing so for harm and denigration.
With this we say: it is permissible for the Authorities, if they know that the husbands are not fit for applying legislated reprimands properly, nor do they have the capability to prevent themselves from transgressing bounds, they then have the ability to prevent them from applying such reprimands and declare that whoever was to hit his wife would be punished, so as to prevent harm between spouses, especially at times when personal restraint is weak.
(AE: this last statement is clearly a controversial one and has been criticised by the majority of the scholars. Once one makes such a general statement and allows such an absolute ruling to be passed in the courts against all couples – albeit with good intention and logic – the door is then opened to write-off much of what is in the Qur’an regarding societal law and order rulings. Thus this statement in its absolute sense is to be rejected. This is a classic example of how modernists start off their attack on the tradition of Islam and one should be careful even with our trusted scholars and their statements to filter them through the scales of the Qur’an and Sunnah and the general body of the scholars, and not be swayed by the strength of just one or two classical voices against the hordes of rightly guided Imams.
That being said, it is quite permissible for a court – knowing past history or having some sort of reason – to pass a specific judgement on a husband (partake in any sort of physical discipline) during his marriage if they believe it is the public interest as intimated by the Imam above. And Allah knows best.)
