The Crisis facing Madrasah
Madrasahs, like Nadwa, Deoband, Islah and others, which have been active in service of the Muslim community for the best part of 150 years, now face a hard choice. They are under pressure to shift from the objectives for which they were originally…
Indian Triple Talaq Bill
People have called and written to me to report that Muslims in India are very angry and, at the same time, very anxious, that the so-called “triple talaq” bill has been passed by both houses of the parliament, and the President has given assent to it.
The Standing on the Plain of Arafah
Translated by Dr. Abu ZaydStanding in ʿArafah is ṣalāh just as ṭawāf is ṣalāh, for Ḥajj combines all forms of ṣalāh together.Ṣalāh essentially signifies entry into the presence of God. When an ordinary person comes before a powerful king into his majesty’s...
What do you have?
An Indian cinema star once said to a little boy “I have a luxury vehicle, a towering mansion, and millions of rupees – what do you have?”
The boy responded “I have my mother”…
Don’t Waste Ramadan
The Prophet (saw) said that he was sent to make things easy for the believers. His sunnah for deciding the times of the daily prayers, and the beginning and end of Ramadan, was meant to make things easy so that the people would come together, in goodwill and trust…
Mixing Between Madhabs
They said: It displeases us that you leave the madhab of Abu Hanifah in some things for the opinions of Malik, Al Shafi’i and Ahmad ibn Hanbal. This is “talfiq” (blameworthy mixing between madhabs).
Tell us: “What are you?”
They said: You have authored “Al Fiqh Al Islami” according to the madhab of Abu Hanifah Nu’man ibn Thabit, may Allah have mercy on him, collating the school’s evidences therein, and you have written a biography on him; so you are a Hanafi.
The Best Madrassa
They said: You have worked in Oxford for twenty years on an academic project looking at the history of the Islamic sciences in India and its Madrassas and centres of learning. So what is the best madrassa in the long history of India…