The Revival #09

bIllahi min ash shaytaan rajim Bismillah R Rahman Rahim Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen wa Salatu was Salam ala should have been with city CD now Mohamed Anwar Eddie he also had big money and I said Mr. Aiken Mala Mala barakato.

This section of our series, the revival series of Islam. The section was called or is called Saving Islamic orthodoxy or establishing is something orthodoxy. What does it mean to be a Muslim? If you look at other religions, very, very early on in its history, It fractured and you had many sects and groups and divisions, by and large, Islam has a very strong majority would you call and Asuna? Well, Gemma, and this was not a fluke. Yes, it was by the Rama and baraka of Allah. However, it took great scholars that preserve its foundation so that when influences came and attacked orthodox Islam, it could withstand that pressure. And there will always be a number of reoccurring threats to Islam,

orthodoxy, very early on, it was the heritage and they remain prevalent. And today, the Shia threat, and we'll talk more about that as the series goes on. But the next big threat that would come is with Greek philosophy, looking at trying to understand Allah subhanaw taala, through Russian and reason and trying to override reason over revelation. And so we'll talk about that today in sha Allah. And this comes in the context of the great Imam Muhammad Muhammad Rahim Allah so let's talk a little about the Imam Muhammad. And how this links up. Imam Muhammad Rahim Allah, as we said, his name is Ahmed. And he was born in Baghdad, and by this time, but that is the greatest city in the

world. The Abbas caliphate now was firmly established. And we said that assets were not like the overheads in terms of rule and power. They were more about building a civilization, nearly the abassi two or more a figurehead, like the Queen of England, you know, they weren't directly involved. Some of them were strong, and some of them

would later on just be a figurehead. But the most major focus was to bring in knowledge from all over the world. And but that would be that same day, it's also becoming the biggest city on Earth. Imam Muhammad was born in the city. He's described as being a very skinny guy, tall, but dark and coarse, unlike Imam Malik, who look very smart and very, like the dashing scholar, Muhammad had a very simple look. And this is how he's going to spend the rest of his life like Mr. Shafi. His father passed away when he was very young, he didn't even know he's dead. And he was he was raised by a single mom, who was Subhan. Allah, how could we say it? She was very strict in Russia, Imam

Ahmed says that and I think for those who are worried I used by a single mother, you know, a single mom is like a mom and a dad put together, she was very strict and very determined, and she refused for her son to ever show any kind of I wouldn't say weakness, but she would not allow him to ever look for help, you are going to be independent, and she made me the point we are going to move you're going to struggle through anything ourselves. And we're going to put our trust in Allah, he would say that things happen has got so bad. And when they were hungry, she wouldn't ask anyone for a plate of food, she would say okay, go out when the you know, when the market is done, the flea

market is done, then the people selling things would have dropped grinds on the floor. And you pick that up, bring it home, and that so this is the kind of extreme poverty that they lived in. But she prioritizes education, she made him learn the Quran, memorize the Quran, and he was young to read and write and it was very rare for children at that time to read and write. And before it became known in the neighborhood that if you had a letter or something, this is boy Ahmed, he can read call Him and He will read the letter for you. And he would love attending the masjid and because of his a HELOC and his demeanor, even though he didn't have as we said, the the the fees to pay, he was

invited by Shijo to sit in because they loved his character. And they saw piety in him and one of the great Imams of the time. This is Abu Abu Yusuf who is Imam Abu Hanifa is number one student, he's in Baghdad, he's a judge, he allowed this young boy to sit in his classes. And so I'm sitting and learning in his classes, and his teachers were impressed with his ability to memorize he was a prolific memorizer but more so his piety and it's well known that we Mohammed, he says that whenever I learned the Hadith, I would make sure I implemented that hadith at least once in my life. So at least when Allah calls where other people have this work, I use the miswak every time he learned a

new Hadith he will try to do it at least once so that he could say I practices Hadith at least once in my life.

And like we started to elude in the other sessions. They are different fields in Islam. fic is more about reason and logic and trying to apply rules and extract laws. hadith is really about memorizing and authenticating. And at this point in time, Hadith has not yet been collected globally. Imam Malik did a great job in Medina, but it was just really linked to Medina and Mecca. But there was a lot of Hadith out there.

In the world, many Sahaba left Medina and the Hadith still needed to be collected. Anyway, Muhammad found that he was a prolific memorizer. And he became a he basically graduated from the dark room as a accomplished Muhaddith by the age of 20. And now he asked his mom give me permission, can I travel to collect more Hadith and she gave him permission. And so in his 20s, he would do what very few scholars did, he would travel the entire Middle East, basically, collecting Hadith from different scholars that were there for 20 years. And as we said he was bitterly poor. He would say, I traveled to Makkah five times in my life. Three of them was on foot. I walked from Baghdad, to Makkah, and I

walked then one of those journeys, I walked from Makkah to Santa in Yemen, because there was a great scholar Abdul Razak, Sinani to collect Hadith from him. Subhanallah This is determination. Also something to think about? Why do we study an author books to be well known to be published to his compiling knowledge, there's no way that's going to publish him. There's no one that's going to take the book and buy it. It's purely for acquiring and learning knowledge. And he's going from city to city to collect these books. And he goes during these journeys his first time when he comes to Makkah perform Hajj, we said that yesterday, he's in the Haram His intention was I'm going to learn

from the Hadith master of the of Makkah, that's the man I'm going to learn from when he gets the 60 and mashallah Sheikh is quite, and then he sees Imam Shafi to the back of the Haram this new up and coming professor, and he's sitting alone with us Bedouin chef and everyone says I'ma do live Baghdad to Makkah, are you sitting with that unknown teacher? It says, Don't worry, this teacher is gonna is a superstar. One day you're gonna see he is unlike any of the teachers in the Haram and that's why every time Imam Muhammad comes to Makkah, he sees him Shafi becoming more and more prominent until he is the main event of the Haram and that's why Imam Muhammad says that Imam Shafi to the almost

like the sun, every single person, every single member of the Ummah benefits from his light, and he says that I once from the day I met Imam Shafi, every in every surah I made dua for my mother and my father, and for my Shafi. Right. So there's a great love that Imam Muhammad had for him Shafi and I think also the fact that they were both sort of raised by single moms, there was this admiration between them. After 14 out of his 20 years, he was in Baghdad, 20 years, he sees, he's traveling and collecting Hadith, he finally says, Okay, it's time to get back home. And he goes to Baghdad, he gets married. And subhanAllah we get to see him I hammered is a very strict and stern man. But

here's what comes out very often in his biography, he was a very loving husband. He was married, and he says, For 30 years, my wife and I never fought Subhanallah for 30 years, my wife and I never fought. And he obviously becomes a dad quite late in his life. And he was a very patient and soft teacher with his sons. He has a very famous advices to his son when he got married. One of the advices he sees Oh, my son, when you get married, you see this cute, lovely girl that you have is going to come a week in a month, she's not going to be this cute, lovely girl. It's not going to be the same. So when you get frustrated with her and you get angry with her when she goes through that

menses, remember, Allah gave up his right of fasting and salah upon her because she's not herself. So your rights as a husband, let it go. Allah pardon her in that time, the right of Salah, so you also be easy with the time at 40 he starts teaching and he said oh focus he's teaching Hadith. But naturally, when you start teaching Hadith people going to ask you share what happens if I divorced my wife, three dogs. What happens if I ate this what today you must give fatawa and he hated giving fatwa. And he would, he never ever gave an opinion. While Imam Shafi was alive, he would say my chef Imam Shafi says this, When I'm sure if he passed away, now you felt okay. Now I can give my own

opinion. But he would say don't write my opinion. And if you look at his mouth, he never wanted a mouth. But really, he says my methodology is simple. I look at the Quran. I look at the Hadith. And I will even use a weak Hadith instead of my opinion, because the Hadith that is 20% from the Navy Salam I feel is greater than in my opinion, and that's why he's madhhab he desperately didn't want to matter. But Allah subhanho wa Taala calls that he would have a mother and some of the great scholars who were of the humbly madhhab even Tamia will talk about in the season Shala Abdul Qadir jeelani. It is humbling method is the method of Saudi Arabia and today, but of course, his greatest

contribution was in the field of Hadith. And he compiled what is still today, the largest collection of Hadith in the world. Oh, but he's most not. He's got an encyclopedia of Hadith around 30,000 Hadith in the if you add the six books of Hadith together, Buhari Mr. Buddha would assign it to me and even imagine put it together. It's about 35. His book alone is 30. And in his class, if you look at his class of students, Buhari was in his class. Imam Malik was in his class Abu Dawood was in his class. So he really was the man that put all the Hadith together, and the next generation could now really sift out and perfect and finalize the science of Hadith he was that almost that last step for

the Hadith sciences to become perfected.

And

he's now you know, as we said, he's 55. He's a, he's a teaching professor, the most celebrated Hadith scholar in the world, people are traveling from all over the world to come and learn Hadith from him. When he really goes through what is called the Mishnah. He's Mehanna, his style his fitna. This is where Islam for the first time, orthodoxy of Islam is going to be challenged. So while knowledge of Islam is building and developing in Baghdad, remember other fields are also developing. And Muslims are making new discoveries all the time. One of the areas that they delve into was Greek philosophy, Plato and Aristotle was translated now revived from almost extinct Greek into Arabic.

And so what is philosophy? Really, the philosophers, they try to answer the big questions of life in the absence of a Sharia in the absence of Revelation. So they will say, for example, is the was the world created yes or no? And was the creator and trying to answer these questions without a why? And because of those questions, it developed science. It forced him to study the scientific world, but it also put them in the field of metaphysics, metaphysics is we trying to ease the freewill and destiny? All these questions. Now we have a shadow odd Allah has revealed these things to us. But now you have Aristotle and Plato, who have a very different philosophy, and this starts to creep in.

And what this certain views contrary to Islam, is becoming prevalent. So for example, and the arguments are really, if I don't want to confuse you, but let's take for example, ask you, you obviously is the world was the world created the universe?

Yes, we all agree the world was created. And there was a creator, yes, who created the universe? Can the Creator change? Can you acquire more knowledge? Can the creator or is the creator perfect and then he made perfect for complete, complete? And his qualities do not change with time? Yes. Now, Allah, one of His Names of harlech, the creator, so was he a Holic before the creation was created? We know Allah is Rahman, the Most Merciful was he merciful before there was a Greek creation to be merciful upon. So now these kinds of philosophical discussions are really deep, and it puts into conflict, what the philosopher said and what we find in the Quran. How do we understand the Quran

now, and slowly but surely, more and more heresies begin to develop for example, the denial of freewill and destiny because it cannot be cannot be Allah cannot have decreed everything that goes against justice. They denied all those attributes. Allah does not come down in the last third of the night. He doesn't have a face, Allah doesn't smile or laugh. He doesn't have qualities of speaking. And one of the one of the areas where they said the fact that if Allah speaks and nobody Musa speaks, and Allah responds, it's like he's having a conversation. He's changing his acquiring new knowledge. This is not befitting for Allah. So If Allah doesn't speak, then what is the Quran the

Quran is the recitation. So they said, the Quran is the creation of Allah. And the Khalifa was so mesmerized by this group called them Wartsila. This group is called the more Tesla, that he not only accepted the doctrine for himself, but he imposed this as the official orthodox position of Islam, that everybody must follow the madhhab of the Tesla. And this is the first as we said, test to Islam orthodoxy. And the old AMA, at that time, basically crumbled under the pressure of the Khalifa they gave in, and there was really the only man that was standing, not responding the only major figure in the Muslim world that is refusing to acknowledge what Alma moon the Khalifa was saying was Imam

Muhammad, even humble Imam Ahmed now is arrested. He's taken from Baghdad to wherever the Khalifa was in Syria. And on his way Mr. Mohammed mentioned on my way, I made you I did not want to meet a moon my moon had had a reputation about being very severe and he makes to Allah Allah save me out Allah save me. I don't know what's going to happen. I'm going to capitulate under pressure. On his way. He says, I meet a Bedouin in the desert. Bedouins don't know all this philosophy and stuff, but of course, they know the news. And he says, The Bedouin meets him and says, you listen, the whole Ummah is watching you. You are the last man standing, if you give in remember, you are the one

that's gonna let the whole Ummah down, you are holding the Quran in your hand, and it's up to you. And Mr. Mohamed salah, this is not what I've been. I'm not built for this. And he made the point that I don't meet a Moon Moon dies before he gets there. So now he's saying back to Baghdad, a new Khalifa, the new Khalifa is awesome. A lot awesome is not a scholar. He's not like he's the brother of the polyphor. That was introduced the Murtaza but he said, Look, my brother had this rule and the policy of my brother, I'm going to keep it going. But I'm willing to look at this issue. I'm willing to have an open mind and I'm going to either keep my brother's opinion but I'm gonna give you a

chance I'm going to make

your case. And so he says we're going to have a public trial between him and Muhammad on the one side and then what does the panel of philosophers all have them and the Imam Muhammad is one

I'm against the whole fatwa committee of the martyrs ILA, and this is like the trial of the century. It happens in Ramadan. And some snippets of this of the of the case between Marta Zilla and Imam Muhammad. For example, Ahmed would keep saying yeah, I mean what meaning I will say anything I will say the Quran and yet they did just say the Quran is created, we let you go free. This is yeah, I read the Quran and I've read all the Hadith. Never does Allah use the word the Allah King hated the Quran rather it is the speech of Allah. And that is why in a very famous dua we all know who be Kenny Mattila, he time we seek protection here Allah through your words through the Quran. Now

you're not allowed to say I seek protection with anyone except Allah. You can't say I seek protection with the Rasul let's check only through Allah and the Quran, which means the Quran is not a creation, it is the eternal speech of Allah, Allah create the Quran, it was always there. And so he says, I cannot say this. So then the Khalifa said, What's the big deal? Just say it's created and then we can move on because you are now threatening my authority. So then Imam Muhammad said, Okay, tomorrow I'll, I'll say what you want. And Imam Ahmed comes and he says, Chef, Khalifa says, How do you sleep? Muhammad said, I sleep very bad. Because last night I performed the Janaza Janaza. And

who channels on the Quran, Quran died and I put cuffs on and they put him in the corner my janazah on him. What are you crazy? What are you saying? How can the Quran die? So you said you are saying the Quran is created and whatever is created comes to an end. So you are saying the Quran will die. And something which is created can change, which means tomorrow we can then change the Quran. And this was what you were saying it's not a simple word of saying the Quran is created. The implication is we'll go down the road of the Christians and the Jews, if I capitulate. So, eventually the Khalifa, you know, he said, Look, you either going to say it to I'm going to make you say it, you

either go, you are now up, you're going against my authority as the Khalifa, you have until tomorrow, are we going to last you? And this is a very famous in this incident is so famous in the history of Islam and Pamela chose Allah's Khalid, Mohammed comes back to himself. He's pacing up and down. He's worried because being as a scholar to be Lashley is not any worries, what am I going to say under pressure? When a drunk man comes into his self? It's finally put him in the cell with the normal criminals. They put him in the cell with his drunk man. And this drunk message as you said, Yes. I mean, so they talking and chatting now. And I'm very worried I'm going to be lashed. So drunk

man says, Do you know how many times I've been arrested? I've been arrested so many times, I can't even count and they lash me at times. And then I go and I drink again in the restroom at times. And he's like, Listen, I love Hummer so much that I'm willing to take the beating. Now, how much do you love the Quran to take the beating? Subhanallah Mohammed says Allah sent this man to give me saying that if I truly loved Allah, and the Quran more than this man loves Hummer, I will take the, the hiding. And so Imam Muhammad was was brought in, and they put a post there and said last chance, are you willing to? Are you willing to admit that the Quran was created? He said, No. And they tied him

up and they started the lesson, one after the other. He son was in the crowd. And he said, I, my dad eventually passed out, I thought he died. And the crowds in Baghdad, this is now this was a public trial. They started writing the palace. And eventually the Khalifa said, stop. If this man dies, when I'm going to be overthrown, leave him and he told the physician you will make sure he doesn't die and you are hammered was revived. And so he says fine. You are under house arrest for 15 years and for 15 years, Mr. Mohammed is under house arrest. I mean, he was already 55 is like now going to 70 the greatest scholar in the world is not allowed to teach anymore, not allowed to teach. And this

continues, the mark does not continue to dominate the situation. But he refuses to respond. He's teaching what little classes he can. And eventually as Allah would have it, more and more scholars have the courage and eventually a new Khalifa comes and the ruling is overturned anymore. Muhammad is released in his city almost 70 He's released from house arrest is returned to the main magic of Baghdad, and he's about to give his first lecture. And you can imagine how packed the masjid was, everyone in the world knew Imam Muhammad was going to teach again, Hadith And subhanAllah the whole world knew of his stance and that the Quran, you know, was saved by his his his staunch opposition

to the martyrs ILA And subhanAllah. He lived for another few years, seven years, and then he passes away. And what is mentioned in the books of history. Even Ahmed had the biggest janazah in the history of Islam until modern times until the Haram was expanded 1 million people the entire city of Baghdad biggest city in the world, it came to a stop from the world until answer one Jama after the other major and as Salah on him. And as we said that this is this really crystallized what orthodox Islam was orthodox Islam now became crystallized. It is within the format if we understand the Quran, without going into that revelation will always be higher.

The reason that where we find the contradiction between the Quran and certain philosophical views the Quran will take precedence means our thinking has not yet caught up with that. Not just the sighted, but which is going to come up into our latest series, you might have heard about now a group of scholars come to Him. Now the philosophy that we call it cut down the knowledge of Kalam, a group of scholars come to him and says, Chef, you have condemned Greek philosophy altogether. However, it's not the philosophy that's bad. It's the conclusions they reached. If we can apply philosophy correctly, Kalam correctly, we can come to the same conclusion. And they presented him a

book of how philosophy the aim of Kalam comes to the same conclusion as he had with the Quran and Sunnah. And even looks at this philosophy. He he says, Look, you're not like deviated. You're not like the Morteza. But I don't like what you're doing. I don't like this. And I'm going to say I'm going to I'm going to say no one should learn this. This door is closed. And this group basically becomes obscure, and they settle in a place called Nisha poor. Keep this in mind because it will become a big deal later on in Islam. There's a little group of cadang they are banished from Baghdad. The standard madhhab of Baghdad is basically humbly aphorism, almost literal understanding

when you read in the Quran, Allah is face Allah's hand, we almost have a literalistic view. This is almost the standard view of the humbly method and that is what is the default position of the Ummah at the time, this little group of Kalam, they are banished and they settled in a place in Persia. We'll talk about them in sha Allah in in a day or two with Nila, tomorrow we're going to talk about the fall of Toledo in Spain and the revival from the last night's question. Imam Shafi was a student of course, Imam Malik Malik was his teacher. And

since the Mischka, yeah.

No, she's lucky.

She's already a sister, Leila Solomon.

Yes, sister, Leila is the and

Zara Baker.

Yes, it is. So two winners. At what age Ahmed become a Mufti? Easy one in sha Allah, just a quick one last announcement. The Maharajah feeding of people. It's 100 litres pot of acne which 200 People can eat 250 So if anybody on the day of Eid nothing better to do than to one of the best things you can do is feed people on a day of Eid, perhaps as a family as a group. I know 4000 Rand is a lot 3900 But in sha Allah we hope to cook 450 pots of food and to feed. What is that? 10,000 people so in sha Allah, please support and we hope you will assist us aka hate, or some Allah say no Mohammed Salim hamdulillahi rabbil Alameen