Praise be to Allah!
Praise be to Allah to whose glory people’s heads have bowed in submission
and to whose majesty faces have lowered their gaze
There is no deity except Him. His compassion has encompassed all and everything
I praise Him –May he be extolled– and thank Him. He has overwhelmed us with abundant favours
I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no partner
a testimony that may save the one who says it on the Day of Resurrection,the day on which every nursing mother will be distracted fromthe baby she is nursing.
I also bear witness that our Master and Prophet Muhammad is the Servant and Messenger of Allah
He had performed true jihad until the banners of religion flew high in the sky
May Allah send His profuseSalat (Honours, Graces, Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him
his pure and immaculate family –the descendants of the pure and honourable lineage
his righteous Companions whose hearts were receptive to this religion
and upon all those who follow in their footsteps
as long as days and nights keep alternating
Nowthen,
I exhort you people as well as myself to observe taqwavis-à-vis Allah
Observe taqwa–May Allah have mercy upon you!
Your livelihoodcannot be takenby anyone, so rest assured!
Your job will not be done by anyone, so do your job and work hard to achieve it!
Your Lord is watching over you, so be ashamed to face Him!
Death is certainly coming your way, so be prepared to meet it!
Be –May Allah grant you success– among those who understand what they see
assimilate what they understand, and work in accordance with what they assimilate!
Worship purifies the soul
protects it against pathologies both overt and covert
Worship is not achieved by frequent fasting and praying
but by following Allah’s Straight Path and abstaining from what He proscribed
For showing patience while abstaining from Allah’s proscriptions
is much more tolerable than showing patience while undergoing His torture
He who learns from life’s calamities will not be needing lessons from people
So keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him as much as you can; listen and obey; and spend in charity, that is better for yourselves. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, then they are the successful ones[Al-Taghabun: 16]
O you Muslims!
Misfortunes are the touchstone of the heart
Truth tethers the believer
sincerity is his mount and truthfulness is his route
On this straight path great men stand firm in the face of hardships and plights
they take righteousness for a weapon when the going is tough
they observe patience
and enlighten others in times of trials and seditions
They are the scholars of pure shar’(religion)
May Allah elevate their esteem and status!
They are upholding righteousness, adhering to guidance
steadfast on the straight path
Their obedience to their rulers is coupled with that of Allah and His Messenger:
So keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him as much as you can; listen and obey; and spend in charity, that is better for yourselves. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, then they are the successful ones.[Al-Nisa’: 59]
May Allah glorify their status
and make them witnesses to His Oneness,the GreatestWitnessHeisindeed:
Allâh bears witness that LâilâhaillaHuwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), and the angels, and those having knowledge (also give this witness); (He is always) maintaining His creation in Justice. LâilâhillaHuwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.[Al Imran: 18]
They are the experts when questions are asked
and they are the arbiters when there are disputations:
So ask of those who know the Scripture [learned men of the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)], if you know not.[Al-Nahl: 43]
Say: "Are those who know equal to those who know not?" It is only men of understanding who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allâh's Signs and Verses).[Al-Zumar: 9]
Allâh will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge. And Allâh is Well-Acquainted with what you do.[Al-Mujadilah: 11]
To them people turn during misfortunes, trials, adversities and calamities
they are a safe haven in times of hardship
When there comes to them some matter touching (public) safety or fear, they make it known (among the people), if only they had referred it to the Messenger or to those charged with authority among them, the proper investigators would have understood it from them (directly). Had it not been for the Grace and Mercy of Allâh upon you, you would have followed Shaitân (Satan), save a few of you.[Al-Nisa’: 83]
In their companythere is benefit and good whereby one
obtains knowledge and wisdom and is protected from indolence
They have deduced the principles of religious rulings
and perfected knowledge of what is halal (permissible) and what is haram (prohibited)
People need them more than they need food and water
Imam Ahmad says
“People need knowledge more than they need food and water
because people eat and drink twice or thrice a day
as for knowledge, people need it all the time
Thanks to their teaching, students graduate
and thanks to their preaching, wrongdoers repent of their sins
Embodied in their wise behaviour are faith
solidarity and steadfastness in times of misfortunes and calamities
They are the shimmering light for people
the friends of the Compassionate and the ire of Satan
Imam Al-Shafi’i –May Allah bless his soul– says
“If scholars are not theawliya’ of Allah, I do not know then who can be!”
Their legacy outlives them, and tribute is still paid to them long after they are gone
along with the reward
of those who follow in their footsteps as an added bonus
Their gatherings are attended by angels, their lessons and lectures are blessed by compassion
and their gatherings are characterised bytranquillity and peace
Allah, the Compassionate –May He be extolled– mentions them to those around Him (i.e. His angels)
He who obeys them will attain guidance and he who disobeys them will be led astray
True knowledge is theirs; they have the final word, and they are the final arbiters
None can recognize impending seditions when they come out
or face up to them when they are recurrent except those devout men of knowledge
pointing to what is right and fending off suspicions
With them, the hearts of the righteous revive and the hearts of the misguided lose life
Just ponder over the sequential arrangement in the following holy verses whereAllah ‒Glorified be He‒says
And of men and Ad¬Dawâb (moving living creatures, beasts, etc.), and cattle, in like manner of various colours. It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is All¬Mighty, Oft¬Forgiving.[Fatir: 28]
That is for him who fears his Lord.[Al-Bayyinah: 8]
He also says one verse earlier: They are the best of creatures.[Al-Bayyinah: 7]
They are such that the one who sits with them willnotfeelmiserable
Their egos are not inflated by large numbers of followers or those attending their lessons
and certainly not tempted by high-flown eulogy and praise
Dear brothers and sisters in Allah!
Knowledge is the legacy of prophets, inherited first by the Prophet’s Companions ‒May Allah be pleased with them
then by the tabi’in (the contemporaries of the Prophet’s Companions after his death)
and so on, one generation after another until Allah wills to stop it
For this reason, Abdurrahman ibn Mahdi –May Allah bless his soul– used to say
“If a scholar met someone with superior knowledge
that would be his lucky day: he would ask him and learn from hi
.If he met someone less knowledgeable, he would teach him and humble himself to him
and if he met his equal in knowledge, he would engage with him intojoint revision and study
It is unfair for a scholar to pass away without imparting his knowledge to learners or bequeathing it to succeeding generations.
O Muslims!
Loving ulema, praising them
defending them against slanderers
and revering them are signs of divine success
This does by no means suggest that they are infallible
nor does it entail condoning their judgements when they are flawed
It is love without fanaticism or bigotry
Loving them must not make you blind to truth if put forward by those holding different views
Loving them is only motivated by the knowledge, righteousness
and piety granted to them by their Lord. As for truth, take it wherever you find it.
In a sound hadith, we read
“He is not one of us he who does not revere the elderly
have mercy on the young and acknowledge the right of the scholarly.”
[Reported by Imam Ahmad, al-Tabaranyandothers, via a good chain of narrators,and it was authenticated by Al-Albany]
Abu Al-Darda’ –May Allah be pleased with him– said
“Among the signs of good understanding is keeping the ulema company.”
Ibn Abbas –May Allah be pleased with him– said
“I spent two years trying to ask Omar about a hadith; nothing but his awe-inspiring appearance kept me from doing so.”
TawusibnKeysan –May Allah blesshissoul– said
“Part of following the Sunnah is to revere four types of people
the ulema, the elderly, the rulers, and the parents
This is part of the Sunnah of your Prophet ‒May Allah's Salat and Peace be upon him.”
O Muslims!
Among the greatest rights of the ulema on Muslims
is to refrain from slandering them or doing them harm
Accusing them falsely is a serious offense
and calumniating them unjustly is a grave sin
Al-Hafiz ibnAsakir –May Allah blesshissoul– said
“It is knownthat –I beseech Allah to help both me and you to please Him
and to make me and you among those who show Him taqwa
that the flesh of the ulema is poisonous
and that Allah’s norm in punishing their contenders is well known
Hardly anyone who slandered the ulema
escaped punishment by the death of hearts before the death of bodies.” We ask Allah to grant us safety.
Quoting Ali –May Allah be pleased with him– Al-Tha’laby said
“He who takes the ulema lightly will have lost his Hereafter
In his interpretation of the hadith
“He who engages in aggressive, hostile action againstawaliyy of mine, I will wage war against him,”al-Hafiz ibnHajar –May Allah bless his soul– said
‘Waliyyu-l-Allah’ is the one who knows Allah and regularly worshipsHim
Then he said: “Do not be misled if you see someone who inflicted harm on a man of Allah escape misfortune
in himself in his wealth or offspring
Do not jump to the conclusion that he has escaped Allah’s retribution
His misfortune may be much more serious
such as the misfortune of losing attachment to Allah.” We seek refuge in Allah from such misfortunes!
O servants of Allah!
The most likely motivation for slandering ulema
is jealousy, envy, whim, bigotry, and feigning knowledge
let alone enemy schemes
None but the misguided, the ignorant, the tendentious
and the bigots will slander the ulema.
You should know –May Allah protect you
that undermining the role of the ulemamay have detrimental consequences
both at present and in the future
taking into account the contemporary developments in communication
which is teeming with misguiding currents and twisted beliefs
Building society depends –after reliance on Almighty Allah–on theulema their participation
referring to them, revering them, venerating them, and preserving their high status
To undermine their role is to undermine society
and its resistance against corruption, corruptors
perverts and the culture left-overs
which may ultimately lead to perdition
and loss of identity and may pave the way to the ignorant to come to the fore
Yes indeed, O servants of Allah!
If a barrier was put between theulemaand the Ummah the latter will perish
and its enemies and those waiting in ambush will have freescope
For people without their ulema will be ignorant, snatched awayby devils among both the humans and Jinn
and shaken through andthrough by aberrations and whims
No one can facethe atheists and hypocrites
except the steadfastulema
Whoever strives to weaken the position of the ulema and reduce their role
is indeed strivingto lead the youth astrayandpush them to embrace extremist currents of thought
Nowadays, reality is the best witness to what is taking place
Beloved brothers and sisters!
The ulema are facing campaigns of distortion and waves of sarcasm
by atheists and libertines in essays
drawings, sarcastic tweets
and humiliating farcical clips
What influence, then, will the ulema continue to hold in the eyes of people?
What respect will their knowledge, fatwas, and rulings have
if the foolish disturb their peace
and the immoral display an arrogant behaviour towards them!
Indeed, destroying the prestige and veneration of the ulema and weakening their status
is like breaking a huge door which is there topreventpeoplefrom falling into disasters and corruption
The attempt to sowdiscord and build a barrier between the Ummah and its ulema
is one of the most dangerous plans of its enemies, those inside and outside
Now then, O servants of Allah!
In many Muslim countries, theulema were not absent but were made absent
they did not fail to accomplish their job but were excluded
The foolish took over, or were rather brought to the fore
Worsestill is when the people of diversion and impudence and their likes
such as the people of trivial ideas, weak rhetoric
and quick clips in the social media occupy the front row in Muslim societies
so as to be madesymbolic figures and role models
We resort to Allah and seek His help against the weakness of determination
the worsening of the crisis, and the deficiency of the intellect
How distant those are from the (ulema) lamps illuminatingdarkness
the stars of guidance, the proof of Allah over His creatures
the ones enjoining good and forbidding evil
the ones working for the interest of Muslims
the protectors of religion and the authorities of the creed
Indeed, they are the ones who set right what goes wrong and straighten what isbent
Hence, how nice their effect on people is and how bad the effect of people on them is!
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan: Is one who is obedient to Allâh, prostrating himself or standing (in prayer) during the hours of the night, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the Mercy of his Lord (like one who disbelieves)? Say: "Are those who know equal to those who know not?" It is only men of understanding who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allâh's Signs and Verses).[Al-Zumar: 9]
May Allah grant you and I the benefit of the Great Qur’an
and the benefit of the guidance of Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him!
I say this, and I ask Allah to forgive me and you
so ask Him for forgiveness as He is Most-Forgiving, Most-Merciful!
Praise be to Allah Who is to be praised for every condition and in every condition!
I praise Him profusely
in a way that fits His Greatness and Glory
I also thank Him abundantly for His generosity and blessings
I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate, and that He is the Great, the Most High
I also bear witness that our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, is the Servant and Messenger of Allah
His Lord blessed him with the Prophethood and the Message
May Allah’s profuse and increasing Salat, Peace and Blessing be upon him, his family, Companions ‒the best family and Companions ever
the tabi’in, and those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!
Now then, O Muslims!
Theulema are not infallible, neither are they free of mistakes
However, it is their peers from amongtheulema who can correct their mistakes
a task that cannot be carried out by those who only know how to read and write
Disagreement amongst the ulema is one of Allah’s universal laws
Therefore, it must not be used to downgrade their status
or belittle their importance
Moreover, anystatement attributed to them, along with its interpretation and intended meaning, must be verified and authenticated.
Let it be known that there is a big difference between, on the one hand, finding fault with a scholar
and commentingthereon, and, on the other, humiliating him and demeaning his status. Those who arefairare indeedrare!
We seek refuge in Allah from those who are afflicted with tracingothers’faults and following their‘slips’
They gottheulemainto the course of classifications
they tweet for the sake of misleading others
and indeed whoever is afflicted with tracing faultsand whoever steps into classifying others
then his heart will harden and he will deviate from the course of justice
and will hardly be successful!
Beware, O you ‒May Allah protect you‒of being among those who feel happy
whenever they hear that one ofour ulema has issued a wrong fatwa
drawn a faulty ruling, or shown some misunderstanding
let alone of being afflicted with spreading that
making ita subject forjokes in gatherings, ornamenting your presence with it in communities and groups
or broadcasting it in tweets.We ask Allah for safety and seek refuge in Him from disappointment!
O Muslims!
In spite ofall this, theulema must advise each other
to take special care in protecting dignity and reputation
staying away from suspicious and doubtful places
and preventingall meansleading to the display of an arrogant behaviour against them
In what the Prophet‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said (upon being seen with a woman): “Hold on!It is onlySafiyya (his wife)
is the best example and the clearest way
though he was among his righteous and pure Companions
How great a scholar will be when he is an exemplary role model in his knowledge
deeds, approach, asceticism, chastity, and godliness!
How great he will be when he takes special care of what is quotedfromhim:views, fatwas, or rulings!
A scholar should also avoid some gatherings
that might be inducing, dubious, or deceitful
Indeed, a pious man never gets into disputations!
Therefore, do observe taqwa–May Allah have mercy on you
and let it be known to you that the dignity of a scholar lies in his knowledge and piety
in knowing the Prophet’s Sunnah and working accordingly
in glorifying and teaching it, and in understanding matters and explaining them
A scholar will influence people in accordancewith his righteousness, piety
worship, obedience, sincerity, and fear of Allah
He submits himself to truth, disciplines it with honesty
and nurtures it with piety
O servants of Allah!
Whoever desires relaxation, forgiveness of sins
ease of hardships, relieffrom grief and sorrow
then let him implore Allah continuously to send HisSalatand Peace upon the generous, select and Chosen Prophet (Muhammad)
Do your best to draw closer to your Lord and to your Prophet Muhammad ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒
by beseeching Allah to send HisSalatupon him in obedience to His order.In return
profuse Salats will be sent upon you by Allah as well as His angels, your status will be raised, your sins forgiven
your good deeds increased, your supplications answered
Imploring Allah to send His Salatupon the Chosen Prophet is purification and cleansing for you
a path leading to Paradise, light on the Narrow Bridge(over Hellfire) and assistance to pass over it
Thus, you will win the Mercy your Lord, the love of your Prophet, and the commendation of the dwellers of the earth and heaven
O you who believe! Send your Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on (ask Allâh to bless) him (Muhammad وسلم علیھ لله صلى ), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salâmu ‘Alaikum).[Al-Ahzab: 56]
O Allah! Send Your Salat, Peace and Blessing upon Your Servant and Messenger
our Prophet, Muhammad ‒May Allah’s Salatand Peace be upon him‒ the beloved and the Chosen One
upon his virtuous and immaculate family and upon his wives, the Mothers of the Believers!
O Allah! Bepleased with the four Caliphs
Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman, and Ali, with all the Companions
the tabi’inand those who followed them in righteousness until the Day of Judgement!
O Allah! Be also pleased with us as well, by Your Pardon, Generosity and Benevolence, as You are Most Generous!
O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims!
O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims, and fail polytheism and polytheists!
O Allah! Let down tyrants,atheists and all other enemies of Islam!
O Allah! Grant us security in our Muslim homelands, and set right our Imams and leaders!
O Allah! Entrust our government to those who fearYou and seek Your satisfaction
O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Grant our Imam and Leader success!
Honour him with Your obedience and make Your Word the uppermost through him!
Make him an asset to Islam and Muslims!
Make the unity of Muslims around truth and guidance through him!
Guide him, his deputies, his brothers and his aides to do whatever You love and accept
and lead them to righteousness and piety!
O Allah! Help Muslim leaders to abide by Your Book
and to follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet, Mohammad ‒May Allah’s Salatand Peace be upon him!
Make them a blessing on Your faithful servants
and unite them on the grounds of truth, right guidance, and the Sunnah, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Set right the conditions of Muslims everywhere!
O Allah! Set right the conditions of Muslims everywhere! Stop their bloodshed; unite their word around the Truth, the right guidance, and the Sunnah!
O Allah! Entrust their leadership to the best among them, protect them against the malevolent among them
spread peace, justice and prosperity in their homelands
and safeguard them against all evils and fitnas(seditions), whether overt or covert!
O Allah! Whoever intends to do any evil against us, our religion, our homeland
our security, our Ummah, our leaders, our ulema, the righteous and benevolent among us
our security and armed forces, or our unity and accord
O Allah,let him be preoccupied with himself!
O Allah! Let himbe preoccupied with himself, and let his plotting return against him, and let his destruction be in his planning, O You, the Strong, the Almighty!
O Allah! We have defencelessand oppressed brothers and sisters in Palestine
Syria, Burma, Central Africa, Libya, and Iraq
who have been oppressed and struck by poverty
anguish and extreme conditions
they have been suffering from oppression, tyranny, displacement, and siege
their blood has been shed, the innocent among them killed, their wives widowed
their children orphaned, and their homes and facilities demolished!
O Allah! The Supporter of the defenceless, the Saviour of the believers!
Grant them victory, take charge of their case
put an end to their affliction and misery, give them speedy relief, draw them closer at heart
unite them
and grant them an aid, a fighting power and a triumph of Your Own!
O Allah! We beseech You to grant them a resounding victory, relief, mercy and perseverance!
O Allah! Grant them rectitude and success and strengthen their resolve!
O Allah! Do punish the tyrants and those who side with them and support them!
O Allah! Disperse their gathering, break up their unity
tear them apart, let their destruction be in their plotting O You, the Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Do punish the usurpers and occupiersamong the Jews
O Allah! Do punish the usurpers and occupiers among the Jews, for You are capable of so doing!
O Allah! Give them a taste of Your sturdiness that is
so inevitably destined to strike the offenders!
O Allah! We pray You to drive them off to their own detriment, and we seek refuge in You from their evils!
They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers."[Al-A’raf: 23]
Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire![Al-Baqarah: 201]
O servants of Allah!
Verily, Allâh enjoins Al-‘Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allâh Alone - Islâmic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsân [i.e. to be patient in performing your duties to Allâh, totally for Allâh’s sake and in accordance with the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet, may Allah’s Salat and peace be upon him, ina perfect manner], and giving (help) to kith and kin[1] (i.e. all that Allâh has ordered you to give them e.g., wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of help), and forbids AlFahshâ’ (i.e all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts, disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without right), and Al-Munkar (i.e all that is prohibited by Islâmic law: polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil deeds), and Al-Baghy (i.e. all kinds of oppression). He admonishes you, that you may take heed.[Al-Nahl: 90]
So, remember Allah and He shall remember you, and be grateful to Him for His blessings and He shall give you more
The remembering of Allah is greater indeed, and Allah knows what you are doing