These are my notes from the lectures of Sh. ‘Amir Bahjat, a Hanbali scholar based in Saudi Arabia, explaining the classical text on Usool al-Fiqh entitled al-Waraqat by the Shafi’ scholar Imam al-Haramayn, the teacher of the famous Imam al-Ghazali. The book gives an excellent bird’s eye view of the field of Usool al-Fiqh. It …
Notes on al-Waraqat: Introduction to Usool al-Fiqh Read More »
Introduction The concept of disciplining one’s wife in Islamic law is very controversial and has led to much discussion in recent times. Unfortunately, most of what is found on the subject by modern writers, especially as it pertains to Qur’an 4:34, falls into one of the following four categories: Rejection of the concept – These …
A week or two ago, I was asked by someone reaching out to me through this blog about the Hanbali position on istighatha (استغاثة), directly requesting aid from the dead, and tawassul (التوسل), to make a request to Allah through some sort of means. This is a controversial issue in the Muslim world and often …
Istighatha and Tawassul in the Hanbali School: A Discussion With Sh. Kareem Helmy Read More »
I volunteer with WhyIslam as a coach for new converts. Recently, I was assigned a local case of a man in his 70s who never married and has no family and lives alone. He converted in 1994 but over time fell out of faith because he didn’t get much support from the Muslim community. I’ve …
Do you want to know how to teach your kids the Arabic alphabet without hiring a professional? Then this article is for you. It’s very simple and I’ll explain in this article how you can do it in your own home just like I did with my 4 year old. It does not require a …
How to Teach Kids the Arabic Alphabet in Three Easy Steps Read More »
By Muhammad al-Khalafi Imam Ahmad never authored a complete work on Fiqh, and this was because of his extreme wara’. Some of his students wrote his Fiqh opinions and compiled it in the small books of “Masa’il”. The most famous of those who did this are: his two sons Abdullah & Sālih, his nephew Hanbal …
According to modern science, it took billions of years for the universe to get to where it is now. However, we are told in the Qur’an: Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days. (Qur’an 10:3) So how do we reconcile this? Many atheists use this verse to …