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MADRASA AL-HIDAYA |
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MUSLIM SCHOOL OF RIGHT GUIDANCE |
Bismillāh ar-Rahmān ar-Rahīm
MANBA‘ AL-IMDĀD: A FOUNTAIN OF HELP
A Compendium of the talks of:
AL-HABĪB AHMAD MASH-HŪR BIN TĀHĀ AL-HADDĀD
Rady Allāhu ‘Anhu
Compiled by his grandson:
As-Sayyid Muhammad bin Mustafā Bū Numay
Rahmatullāhi ‘alayh
DARS 55: THE EXALTED POSITION OF THE IMAMS OF MADH-HAB
In the words of my master, my grandfather, may Allah spread his benefit, in Malindi in a gathering of Madrasa at-Tadh-hib al-Islamiyyah on 20 Sha‘ban 1407 A.H. After a word of thanks, he said, may Allah be pleased with him.
I am giving you a comprehensive advice that will remain with you, about unity on the Declaration of Muslim Faith and about the adherence to sacred Muslim law and to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah (Tradition) of His Prophetic Messenger (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam), and the path of the pious predecessors. If you are asked, “Who are the pious predecessors?” They are the ones from whom we obtain knowledge through narration, and the chain of authorities, and trustworthiness. And in every region and in every land, there are groups who narrate from one to another. Like these books that we recite, even the Qur’an, the Magnificent Qur’an. The Qur’an that is with us, from where did we get it? We obtained it with the unanimity of the Muslim Ummah (world-wide community) about it. And in the same way, the books; like the books of Sunnah (Prophetic Tradition), the books of fiqh (jurisprudence), and the books of knowledge, all of them. These were narrated for us by one trustworthy narrator from another trustworthy narrator from another trustworthy narrator. And each era is better than the one that followed it. And we obtained knowledge from them, and we obtained sacred Muslim law from them, and we obtained from them all goodness, and they are our masters and they are our Imams.
For this reason it is necessary for us who have come later to know about them because we obtain knowledge from them and they came to us with the Qur’an (that was handed down to them), and they came to us with the Sunnah, and they came to us with this understanding and with this knowledge. So beware and again beware about listening to the talk of a talker.
All Praise is for Allah, and may Allah be pleased with the Imams who preceded like ash-Shafi‘i, and al-Hanafi, and al-Maliki and al-Hanbali. These are the Imams about whom the people of their time were agreed that they were most truthful in knowledge and education. They authored these books of madh-hab based of the Book (the Qur’an) and the Sunnah. So the whole of the Shafi‘i madh-hab is the truth, all of it is sacred Muslim law. And the whole of the Hanafi madh-hab is the truth, all of it is sacred Muslim law. And the whole of the Maliki madh-hab is the truth, all of it is sacred Muslim law. And the whole of the Hanbali madh-hab is the truth, all of it is sacred Muslim law.
And in the same way, all that they brought was not from their heads. They took it from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophetic Messenger (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam). They are known by that and they are nearer to the shining Prophetic time.
Now come some people at this end of time who ask: “What is madh-hab?” If you ask one of them about the obligatory matters of wudu’ (ablution), he does not know it properly. One (of them) talks against Imam ash-Shafi‘i whom millions upon millions of the Ummah from the scholars and the virtuous followed in his time and other times. Allah, the Glorified and the Exalted, says:
And the first and the foremost from the Emigrants and the Helpers and those who followed them with goodness. (9:100)
Our Lord praises them and commends them, the first from the Companions of the Prophetic Messenger of Allah, from the Helpers and the Emigrants, then He said,
---and those who followed them with goodness. (9:100)
From the Taabi‘in (Followers) and the Taabi‘ut-Taabi‘in (Followers of the Followers) from three centuries.
Then He said:
And those who came after them say: O our Lord! Forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in Faith. (59:10)
It is required of those who came after these three centuries to ask Allah’s forgiveness for them and to thank them for what they preceded with for us of knowledge and what they clarified for us of issues and for clearly defining for us matters of sacred Muslim law. This is required of us. Beware of being misled by these fools who speak against the masters of the Ummah and its scholars. The Ummah that has been shown mercy, the Ummah Muhammadiyyah (about which the Prophet, Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam, said):
“My Ummah will not be united on error”.
The Ummah about which Nabi Musa (‘Alayhissalam) longed to be in, the Ummah of Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam). They are the best of people raised up for mankind. So how can a person talk against the large majority of the Ummah, and the large majority of the Muslims, the first of them and the last of them and say: “They are not on the truth”.
Hold on to what has come to you from what you have inherited from your people and from your scholars from a generation to another generation to another generation to the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam). There’s no intrusion in it. (Obtained by) a scholar from a scholar, from a scholar, from a scholar, to the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam). A reporter of Hadith from a reporter of Hadith, from a reporter of Hadith, from a reporter of Hadith to the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam). An exegete (interpreter of the Qur’an) from an exegete, from an exegete, from an exegete, to the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam). We took our religion from these, and we took our knowledge, and we took our understanding. So we have taken all our actions from the predecessors and the predecessors took them from the jewels of religion and from the essence of religion. So do not listen to the talk of the talkers, nor to the fools who talk against the scholars of the Ummah and its conciliators. This issue has arisen and it is necessary to explain when needed. So beware, again beware! Hold on to your religion. Cling firmly to it. May Allah open for you the spiritual openings of the Knowers of Allah, and give us the blessing of this blessed gathering. Ameen.