Was it wrong to start Ramadan 1434H on Wednesday 10th July 2013?
The high court in Saudi Arabia requested people to sight the new moon of Shawwal for this year 1434H (2013) on Tuesday 6th Aug as there was a possibility that the first day of Shawwal (Eid al-Fitr) could have been Wed 7th Aug 2013. Was it wrong to start Ramadan 1434H on Wednesday 10th July 2013? All praise be to Allah and may peace and blessings be upon His Messenger, salla Allah ‘alayhi wa sallam. The high court in Saudi Arabia requested people to sight the new moon of Shawwal for this year 1434H (2013) on Tuesday 6th Aug as…
al-Tahwiyyah: Pt 13- His Mighty Will
The Prophet SAW would teach his Companions the pure belief of Divine Decree (qadar). One day, the great Companion Ibn ‘Abbās, who was still a young boy at the time, was sat behind the Prophet SAW on a mount when the Prophet said to him: ‘O boy, I shall teach you some words. Be mindful of Allah and He will take care of you. Be mindful of Allah and He will protect you. If you ask then ask of Allah, and if you seek help then seek help from Allah. Know that if the nation were to gather together to…
al-Tahwiyyah: Pt 12- How Allah guides and misguides
He gives guidance to whomever He wills, protects them and keeps them safe from harm as an act of grace. And He leads astray whomever He wills, abases them and afflicts them out of His justice. يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَعْصِمُ وَيُعَافِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ فَضْلاً، وَيُضِلُّ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَخْذُلُ وَيَبْتَلِي عَدْلاً The life of this world has been created beset with trials and tribulation. This is something Allāh, Exalted is He, intended and with great wisdom. Allāh stated that He: ‘created death and life to test which of you is best in action’, and that: ‘We created man from a…
Al-Tahwiyyah: Pt 10- Beyond Imagination
The author continues introducing Allāh’s description to us. The fact that the author continues to describe Allah affirms the notion that even though we cannot perceive the reality of Allah’s attributes we can understand their meanings. لا تَبْلُغُهُ الأَوْهامُ، وَلا تُدْرِكُهُ الأَفْهامُ، ''No imagination (wahm) can conceive of Him, and no understanding (fahm) can fathom Him.'' The author continues introducing Allāh’s description to us. The fact that the author continues to describe Allah affirms the notion that even though we cannot perceive the reality of Allah’s attributes we can understand their meanings. All that we know of Allah is what…
Al-Tahwiyyah: Pt 9- He Takes Life Without Fear
مُمِيتٌ بـِلا مَخَافَةٍ، بَاعِثٌ بـِلا مَشَقَّةٍ ''He causes death without fear, and He resurrects (the dead) without any effort.'' Such a statement echoes the perfection of Allah’s Lordship over all that exists and lays bare the triviality of everything that is other than Him; truly: ‘There is nothing like unto Him’ Allāh is far above the emotion of fear. He does not fear anything or anyone; rather He is: ‘the Doer of whatever He Wills.’ He takes the life of whomsoever He wishes; and if He so wished, He could take the life of all creatures as: ‘He is over…
Al-Tahwiyyah: Pt 7 & 8- The Perfect Creator of all – Perfect Life & Perfect Existence
خَالِقٌ بـِلا حَاجَةٍ، رَازِقٌ لَهُمْ بـِلا مُؤْنَةٍ، Pt 7; He creates without need to do so, and provides without any effort (bila mu’nah). Allāh, Exalted is He, created the creation in order that they worship Him. If some refuse to worship Him, His greatness is not diminished in the least, whereas the worship of those that submit themselves to Him does not help anyone save themselves: ‘O men! It is you, who stand in need of God, whereas He alone is self-sufficient, the One to whom all praise is due.’ The statement of the author: ‘and provides for His creation…
Al-Tahwiyyah: Pt 6- The Mighty does not perish or pass away
He does not perish (yafna) or pass away (yabid). لا يَفنى ولا يَبيد، This statement reinforces the previous one, that Allāh is eternal without a beginning nor an end. The belief that Allāh is eternal sits at the heart of our understanding of Allāh as the Lord (rabb) of all. Allāh, Exalted is He, does not perish nor pass away as He has the attribute of Perfect Life (ḥayāt) and Perfect Existence (qayyūm). The verse of Surah al-Raḥmān beautifully asserts this when Allāh says: ‘Everyone on it will pass away; but the Face of your Lord will remain; full of…
Al-Tahwiyyah: Pt5 The Eternal, Everlasting
‘Oh Allāh! You are al-Awwal, for there is nothing before You’. This is the perfect way of ascribing eternity to Allāh, as it is how Allāh Himself asserted it. قديمٌ بلاَ ابتداءٍ، دائمٌ بلا انتهاءٍ، He is Eternal without a beginning, Everlasting without an end. The author gives another description of Allāh: ‘He is Eternal and Everlasting’; just as He Himself said: ‘He is al-Awwal (the First) and al-Ākhir (the Last)’ Allāh, Exalted is He, is the One who created time, and thus time does not encompass Him. Allāh preceded time, and moreover He will be present for all eternity,…
Al-Tahwiyyah: Pt 4 The Power of Allah
ولا يعجزُه شىءَ Nothing can render Him incapable. The author now begins to elaborate upon the Oneness of Allāh (tawhīd) in terms of His Lordship. He is the Creator and Sustainer of whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. He has complete and perfect control and power over them. For this reason, there is nothing that could possibly exhaust His Might or lay beyond His Power. In the greatest verse of the Qur’ān, Allāh speaks of His Might and says: ‘His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation (la ya’uduhu) tires Him not. And He…
Al-Tahwiyyah: Pt3 There is no God save He
Note; Sheikh Haitham al-Haddad's explanation of al-Aqeedah al-Tahawiyyah will soon be published as a hardback book. Islam21c have exclusive rights to share extracts from the book for its readers, and will be posting certain sections of the book on a weekly basis. The book: al-Aqeedah al-Tahawiyyah, is a short text outlining the aqeedah of Ahl al-Sunnah in short statements. Each extract posted is a complete explanation of any one of those statements. Edited by Asim Khan ‘...There is no God save He’ ولا إلهَ غيرُه. The words of the author: ‘There is no god save He’ are taken from the…
