The Albaani Site

Translation from the Works of the Reviver of this Century

March 2, 2011

The Shaikh’s Life in his Own Words … 5

Some of the Contention Faced by the Shaikh

“The first of these was when a group of Shaikhs, among them one whom it was thought would have been a help to the Salafi da’wah, set up a petition claiming therein that I was spreading a Wahhaabi da’wah to cause trouble amongst the Muslims. So they started collecting signatures for the petition from the people and then submitted it to the Mufti of Syria. He, in turn, passed it on to the chief of police who summoned me in and questioned me about the affair, until in the end it came to nothing.

One day a friend of mine who I used to study with asked me about a certain hadith concerning the reward of fasting, so I explained to him that [this particular] hadith was weak. This friend had heard the hadith from the Imaam giving the Jumu’ah sermon quoting it as a proof on the pulpit and he could not help but go back to this Shaikh who had given the sermon to mention what he had come to know about the weakness of the hadith and the reference where that could be checked. So as a result, the next Jumu’ah sermon of this Imaam was an attack on the way of the Salaf and he started to accuse those who followed it as being Wahhaabis, characterising this way as misguidance, warning the people from approaching them and calling on them to protect their children from its callers. The people listening to this [second] sermon were not all equal in accepting or rejecting what he said, and as a result there was a lot of disorder and confusion.

Hayaatul-Allaamah al-Albaani, rahimahullaah, bi qalamihi, pp. 13-14.

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March 1, 2011

Shaikh al-Albaani in an overturned car …

“Shaikh Ali Khashhaan, may Allaah protect him, in a piece he wrote entitled, ‘The Aider of the Hadith and the Reviver of the Sunnah, Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani’, said, “So by Allaah! My eyes have never seen–as far as I know-anyone who cared more about the Sunnah and aided it with greater vigour or followed it more than al-Albaani. One time between Jeddah and Medinah an-Nabawiyyah [he had an accident] and his car overturned and the people present rushed to him saying, “O Sattaar! O Sattaar! يا ستار! ياستار [i.e., O Concealer, meaning Allaah].” So the Aider of the Hadith, Shaikh al-Albaani says to them while he is under the overturned car, “Say, ‘O Sitteer [يا ستير]’ and don’t say, ‘O Sattaar [يا ستار], because al-Sattaar is not one of His Names, the Most High!”

And in the hadith there occurs, “إن الله ستير يحب الستر – Allaah is characterised by modesty and concealment [sitteer] and loves that people conceal themselves.”[1]

Have you seen anyone who aids the Sunnah and the Hadith in a situation such as this in this time of ours?! Never! Except for what has been related from the likes of Umar ibn al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and others from the Pious Predecessors of this nation.””

Taken from Juhoodul-Imaamil-Albaani, of Ahmad Saalih Hussain al-Jabboori, pp. 7-8

[1] An authentic hadith reported by Abu Dawud (4012), an-Nisaaee (1/70), al-Baihaqi (1/198), by way of Zuhair from Abdul-Malik from Abu Sulaymaan al-Azrami from Ataa from Ya’laa, who said, “The Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, saw a man taking a shower in the bazaar without his lower garment on. So the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, mounted the pulpit, praised Allaah and extolled him and then said, “Indeed Allaah is characterised by modesty and concealment, and He loves modesty and concealment. So when one of you takes a shower let him conceal himself.” See Irwaaul-Ghaleel, no. 2335.

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March 1, 2011

The Shaikh’s Life in his Own Words … 4

Calling to Allaah, the Most High

“Communication began between acquaintances, friends and their friends and I made a place in the shop where we could gather and I would teach. Then we saw it fit to move to the house of one of the brothers and then again to another bigger one until we had to rent out the floor of a building for this teaching. The people attending increased in number until the space became congested and the vigour and activity to read hadith, its explanations and chains of narrations reached a high level.

We continued like this until the efforts of those who oppose us were directed at us and so matters became restricted until the lessons were cancelled and the sessions were disbanded.

And here we are, even now, [still] not free of these restrictions, so we gather whenever it is possible and when something comes between us and being able to meet I turn to writing and verifying instead, two things which I can never cut off from.

The Spread of Da’wah outside Damascus

From the results of this positive turn which the da’wah received was that we arranged a program to visit different places, like Aleppo, Latakia, Idlib, Salamiyah, Homs, Hama and ar-Raqqah, and despite the limited time that I had allocated for these cities, the journeys met with tangible success. Since a large number of those who were keen to study the science of hadith would gather at lectures which resembled seminars, books of the Sunnah would be read, questions asked and beneficial debate would flare up.

Except for the fact that this travelling [to spread da’wah] doubled the intensity of the wrath from others [directed at us]. So they doubled their efforts to [cause trouble] before those in places of authority and as a result we were in the centre of one problem after another.”

Hayaatul-Allaamah al-Albaani, rahimahullaah, bi qalamihi, pp. 12-13.

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March 1, 2011

“Carpenter, change the side the door opens on …”

Shaikh Ali Hasan said, “The Shaikh, may Allaah have mercy upon him, called a carpenter to his house and requested that he change the side from which the door of his library opens from one side to the other!

So the carpenter responded, “From one side …” looking stunned, “… to the other?” Trying to ascertain what use and benefit there would be in doing that.

So our Shaikh answered him saying, “When the door opens towards the left side then this increases the distance to my library by a number of steps! And I go to the mosque [to pray] five times a day along with having to go out once or twice for household chores or for personal matters. So how much of my time is wasted, when accumulated, as a result of all those extra steps which could be eliminated or reduced?

So when the opening of the door is changed from this side to that we can benefit from all of this lost time since it is so priceless and infinitely important.””

Su’aalaat of Ali Hasan al-Halabi, vol. 1, p. 38-39.

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February 28, 2011

The Shaikh’s Life in his Own Words … 3

The Beginning of his Work

“And the truth is that this affair [i.e., praying salaah at the graves of the righteous] was from the very first reasons that led me to part from the majority of Shaikhs, since in this matter they were on the way of my father. Thus from the early things that I began which resembled knowledge-based research was that I followed up this topic in some fiqh and hadith reference books which could be found in my father’s library. I wrote a few pages in which I took the opinion of such prayer being disliked to such an extent that it is prohibited in those areas. Especially prayer in those mosques that were built on top of the graves of the Prophets and Friends of Allaah, using as proof the sayings of the scholars that I had come across in those references.

I then presented my research to my Shaikh al-Burhaani at the end of Ramadaan and he promised to answer it after Eed. When I came to him [after Eed] he smiled and said, “You have not done anything. Since the places that you take from do not exceed Haashiya Ibn Aabideen and Maraaqi al-Falaah, and these are not references of fiqh.”

I was shocked at this answer and knew that the Shaikh had not grasped all that I had written, since I had in fact quoted from Umdatul-Qaari, Mirqaah al-Mafaateeh, Mubaaraq al-Azhaar and Haashaiyah at-Tahtaawee, and they are references that are respected by the people of knowledge.

It was due to this that I saw fit to follow up the issue with wider research. In this way I continued to scour and research until the point was completed with proofs from the Book, the Sunnah and the sayings of the Scholars. And so the result of this research was my book known as, “Tahdheer as-Saajid minint-Tikhaadhil-Qubooril-Masaajid – [literally: A Warning to the One who Prostrates from taking the Graves as Places of Worship.”

Hayaatul-Allaamah al-Albaani, rahimahullaah, bi qalamihi, pp. 11-12.

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February 27, 2011

Shaikh al-Albaani on blind following

The First Question

Is it permissible for the student of knowledge to suffice with the declarations of the scholars of the past as to whether a saying of the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, is weak or authentic? For example, he reads the checking of Haafidh al-Iraaqi where he says, “This hadith is authentic.” So is it permissible for him to suffice with that and the same with Imaam Ahmad or other than him?

Shaikh al-Albaani: “This matter resembles blind following in Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). It is sufficient for the student of knowledge to listen to and act upon an opinion of one of the Imaams who are followed, and by that I do not only mean the four [famous ones], since there are more, by the Grace of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic.

We say: [This is so] since it is not possible for all students of knowledge to be on the same level of ability in discerning the truth in those matters where the people have differed. So it is enough for the student of knowledge to implement the aayah, “So ask those who know the Scripture if you know not.” [Surah an-Nahl (16): 43]

So if there are people of knowledge who are alive then he should ask them and embrace their answer, and if there is not a scholar who is alive for him to question, and he knows that a certain scholar from those who are followed has a certain opinion then he can follow him. And in this he is safe from any reproach or blame even if in reality the opinion that he followed is a mistake because he has implemented what was mentioned in the aayah as being obligatory upon him, “So ask those who know the Scripture if you know not.”

But this is based upon certain premises–there is one condition to this, which is that it is not evident to him that the opinion he is following is a mistake. And knowing whether the opinion he is following is incorrect or not can be done by the student doing some personal research if he has the capability of doing so, or it can become known by the direction of another scholar whom he trusts and in whose knowledge he trusts. What is important is that it is permissible for the student of knowledge to blindly follow a scholar if the mistake [in that opinion] is not clear to him and he himself is not capable of clarifying whether [the chosen opinion] is correct or incorrect …” [1]

[[1] Footnote here by Amr Abdul-Mun’im Salim the one who compiled and explained the book the question is taken from, he said, “In other words, that he should not take this blind following to be religion. Rather whenever the mistake of the scholar or the Imaam becomes clear to him, it is obligatory for him to shun the opinion in which he is mistaken, whether it is with regard to matters of rulings or the creed, or that which is particular to declaring hadiths to be authentic or weak. And Shaikh al-Albaani has another very important religious verdict [fatwaa] concerning this topic in the book, Fataawaa Madinah, no., 32 on pages 42-43 …”] [it has been translated and can be read below after this answer].

Shaikh al-Albaani continues, “Likewise, totally, is the answer regarding the student of knowledge, he finds an Imaam from the Imaams of the Muslims or a preserver of hadith who authenticates hadith and declares others to be weak, then it is sufficient for this student of knowledge to follow this verifier [who declares hadiths to be authentic or weak] as long as two conditions are met, just as we have mentioned regarding the issue of [blind following] in fiqh:

1) The first condition: That he does not know it to be a mistake, since what is intended by this condition–whether it is hadith or fiqh–is that he does not follow his desires and thus say, “So and so gave me this religious verdict and the matter is closed …” [even though while saying this in reality] he feels some uneasiness in his soul, and the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said, “Question your heart even if the mufti gives you his fatwa.” [2]

[[2] Footnote of Amr Abdul-Mun’im Salim, “Reported through different paths of narration the most authentic of which is the one reported by Imaam Ahmad (17922) with an authentic chain of narration from the hadith of Waabisah ibn Ma’bad, may Allaah be pleased with him, and the relevant part of that hadith is, “Righteousness is that which gives delight to your heart and sin is that which wavers in your heart, even if the people give you religious verdicts [fatwaas] concerning it.” ]

Shaikh al-Albaani continues, “This is the first condition, i.e., that he does not know that the opinion is a mistake–whether it is regarding the declaration of a hadith to be authentic or weak, or whether it is regarding the permissibility of something or its forbiddance.

2) the second condition: That he himself is not capable of verifying the authenticity or inauthenticity of the particular hadith in question, so this is something permissible–since we cannot burden all of the people [by saying that they must] become capable of reaching the level of ijtihaad or that they become scholars.” [3]

[[3] Footnote here by Amr Abdul-Mun’im Salim who said, “That is because if someone reaches the level of being capable of making ijtihaad and he acquires the tools of this knowledge, then it is not permissible for him to blindly follow anyone rather it is then obligatory upon him to make ijtihaad in the declaring of hadiths to be authentic or weak, but it is permissible for him to look at the rulings of the Imaams and the criticisers of hadith to pick from them that which is in accordance with the truth, so that he does not isolate himself with his opinion from their opinion.”]

The Second Question

“What is the proof concerning the forbiddance of blind following?”

Shaikh al-Albaani said, “I do not know of any proof that states that blind following is haraam, rather blind following is a necessity for the one who has no knowledge. And Allaah, the one free from all defects and the Most High, said, “So ask those who know the Scripture if you know not.” Therefore, this aayah placed the Muslims into two categories as regards knowledge:

i) the scholar and it made obligatory upon him to answer the questioner
ii) those who do not know, and it made asking the scholars obligatory upon them.

So if a person from the common folk came to a scholar and asked him about something and the scholar answered him, then this man has implemented the aayah.

And maybe what is intended is something other than what was mentioned in the question [directed to me] and that is the forbiddance of actively splitting into sects and groups; i.e., that a person take his religion from one of schools of thought that are followed and then he totally [refuses] to look at what the other schools of thought might say or at what the sayings of other scholars are–so it is this blind following of schools of thought which is then taken as religion that is not permitted because it opposes the proofs from the Book and the Sunnah.

And the people of knowledge place the people into three categories:

1) the mujtahid
2) the follower on clear proof and insight and
3) the blind follower, and it is this category that most of the people fall into.

As such we cannot say that, “Blind following is haraam,” [that] is only when blind following is taken as religion, as for blind following in general then it is not permissible to declare it to be forbidden.” [1]

[[1] Footnote here by Amr Abdul-Mun’im Salim who said, “And what has been said here is also said concerning taking the opinion of a scholar concerning the declaration of a hadith to be weak or authentic, with the condition that the status/rank of that scholar in relation to that knowledge be borne in mind. So such declarations of whether a hadith is authentic or weak are not taken from a scholar of fiqh who does not know [the science of] hadith criticism. Just as the declaration of whether a hadith is authentic cannot be relied upon when it comes from someone among the scholars of hadith or the hadith preservers who is known as being lenient; just as it is not possible to take the declaration that a hadith is weak from someone is known as being overly-strict. In fact this is a correct rule [established] by those known for their moderation and justice along with their knowledge of the principles of this profession and who are known for their practise of it which established their ability to exercise their judgement in arriving at a religious ruling [ijtihaad] concerning the criticism and chains of narration and their texts.”]

Taken from Al-Fataawaa al-Kuwaitiyyah, compiled by Amr Abdul-Mun’im Saleem, pp. 81-83.

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February 26, 2011

The Shaikh’s Life in his Own Words … 2

The Beginning of his Quest for Knowledge

“The first thing that I had a passion to read were Arabic stories, like those of Dhaahir [Baybars] and Antara [ibn Shaddaad a famous Arab poet], King Saif [ibn Dhi Yazan] and their like, then translated crime or detective novels like Arséne Luprin and others. After which I found an inclination towards reading books about history.

Then one day at one of the booksellers, I noticed an issue from a magazine called Al-Manaar amongst the books for sale so I bought it. In it I came across a piece of research written by as-Sayyid Rasheed [Rida] in which he was describing the book Al-Ihyaa by al-Ghazaali, pointing out its strengths and weaknesses.

So for the first time I across this type of knowledge-based critique and that drew me to reading the entire issue. I continued following the subject of Al-Ihyaa in the [book] Al-Ihyaa itself, with the version which contained the hadith verification of al-Haafidh al-Iraaqi, and I found myself having to borrow it since I did not have the money to purchase it.

As a result I started to read [the entire] book since that detailed verification fascinated me such that I resolved to copy out the book or summarise it after I had laid down a mental picture of copying out the [hadith] verification which was printed in the footnotes of Al-Ihyaa. I started to write out the hadith, “Indeed praise for a servant can spread as far and as wide as that which is between the east and the west and yet he is not equal to the weight of a mosquito before Allaah …” this is how it was written in Al-Ihyaa.

Al-Haafidh al-Iraaqi said, “And I have quoted it from him but have not been able to find it with such wording. In the two Sahihs from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah there occurs, “Indeed a huge fat man will come on the Day of Resurrection and he will not weigh the weight of the wing of a mosquito in Allaah’s Sight.”

But what did I do? I wrote down a hyphen and completed the hadith as it is found in the two Sahihs and I continued upon this so as not to attribute to Al-Haafidh al-Iraaqi something that he did not say, and I also placed the addition which I was writing from the original and to which he attributed the hadith, between two hyphens [=]. In those days I was new to researching and if I knew then what I know now I would have used brackets like the ones I used in my books thereafter instead of the two hyphens.

I started to copy and then got half way through the first volume, when an idea occurred to me which was that during my work on the hadiths parts of them would come by me whose words I did not understand and as a result the intending meaning of the hadith would not be clear to me. So I said to myself, ‘Why don’t I explain all of these words in the margins which would be a revision for me and an aid to understanding the hadith?” So after I had gotten half way through the first volume I left it and started copying all over again based upon this new idea.

Every time I came across a hadith which had a word I couldn’t fathom I would use Ibn al-Athir’s book Ghareeb al-Hadith [a book explaining rare and difficult words found in hadiths] and dictionaries and then I would write the meaning in the margin, until the notes that I would write for myself turned out to be more than the actual text, and I carried on like this until I finished the book. I strived like this until a good method was established which helped to make concrete all those new points.

And I think this effort which I put into that study is what encouraged me and endeared to me the desire to continue upon this path, since I found myself seeking the aid of many different works on the Arabic language, figurative speech [بلاغة], and works explaining the rare and difficult words found in hadiths so that the text could be understood alongside its verification.

And this is what benefitted me greatly, and in reality I say: I am amazed at Allaah’s Kindness to His servants, and I feel that Allaah was moving me from one step to the next. Now I reap the benefits of what I used to write and make copies of, [at that time] I did not know what was behind that writing or that copying, now I reap the benefits of some of that work. I will find writings from my early knowledge-based research that is profuse and abundant and that was due to the persistent desire to follow such research and because I found the narrations of hadith to be something beautiful. And I still continue, and all praise is for Allaah, to have the vigour and desire to research, but old age has its rights.”

His Children

“Indeed from the blessings of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, upon me is that he inspired me to name all of my sons as servants of His, and they are: Abdur-Rahmaan, Abdul-Lateef, Abdur-Razzaaq from my first wife, may Allaah have mercy on her; and Abdul-Musowwir, Abdul-Muhaimin and Abdul-A’laa from my other wife, and I don’t think anyone has beaten me to naming their son Abdul-Musowwir since with all of the names of narrators that I have come across in the books of the men of hadith and its conveyors [I never found this name]. And I ask Allaah, the Most High, to increase me in success and that He bless me in my family, “”Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring those who will be the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders for the pious.” [Furqaan 25:74]

Then in 1383AH [1963CE] while I was in Medina, Allaah blessed me with a son whom I named Muhammad, as a reminder of his, صلى الله عليه وسلم, city and in fulfilment of his saying, “Name yourselves with my name, but do not use my kunyaa.””
[Bukhaari and Muslim]

Giving Precedence to the Truth over the Heritage of the Forefathers

“I continued to follow in the footsteps of my father in this direction, until Allaah guided me to the Sunnah, so I left much of what I had studied with him which he regarded as being a means of getting closer to Allaah and worship.”

Al-Albaani and His Father

“I had proceeded to study the Sunnah with great longing and adoration, and so when my father saw that in me he began to warn me and said, “The science of hadith is the profession of the bankrupt!” But despite what that differing put between us in terms of ideological outlook, near the end of his life we become very close, as he used to say at the end of every debate, ‘I do not deny that you brought me some knowledge based benefits concerning matters about which I was not on clear proof beforehand, like it not being legislated to intend to go to pray salaah at the graves of the righteous.’”

Hayaatul-Allaamah al-Albaani, rahimahullaah, bi qalamihi, pp. 5-10.

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February 26, 2011

A month before he died …

“In Dubai Ali ibn Hasan al-Halabi told us, “A month before his death, the Shaikh, may Allaah have mercy upon him, spent three days researching one hadith. And he dictated eighteen pages to his grandson, Ubaadah, while I was watching.””

Safahaat Baidaa min Hayaatil-Imaam Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, rahimahullaahu ta’aala, of Abu Asmaa Atiyyah ibn Sidqee Ali Saalim, p. 94.

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February 25, 2011

The Name of the Angel of Death …

Question: Is it correct that the name of the Angel of Death is Izraaeel [Azrael/Azriel]?

Shaikh al-Albaani: Nothing authentic has been reported from the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, naming the Angel of Death as Izraaeel.

Fataawas-Shaikh fil-Madeenah of Amr Abdul-Mun’im Saleem, p. 57.

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February 25, 2011

He stood up and turned to the people …

“At Jumu’ah prayer the Imaam giving the sermon mentioned amongst other things the hadith, “The believer to the believer is like a [solid] building, some [parts of it] support others …” [Bukhaari and Muslim] adding the word, ‘… solid …’ [which is not part of the narration]. So after the jumu’ah prayer ended Shaikh al-Albaani stood up and turned to the people and made clear the absence of the word ‘solid’ in the narration of the hadith and urged that the hadiths be narrated as they came without any additions.

So, by Allaah, his critique was better than the sermon itself.”

Muhaddithul-Asr, Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani of Samir ibn Amin al-Zahraani, pp. 31-32.

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February 25, 2011

“Why does he not give salaam …?”

“One day we were in a lecture being held at someone’s house. Whenever the owner of the house would come in or leave he would not give salaam assuming that by doing so he would be disturbing the lesson. So the Shaikh turned to him and asked, “Why does he not give salaam when he enters and leaves?” And so the lesson changed topic and ended up being about the manners concerning giving salaam when entering and leaving and the manners of seeking permission and so on.”

Muhaddithul-Asr, Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani of Samir ibn Amin al-Zahraani, p. 31.

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February 25, 2011

Enjoining the good and forbidding the evil …

“I saw him one time when he was sick, one of the nurses came in and he was clean shaven. After he had given the Shaikh his medicine and was about to leave, he said, “Pray to Allaah for me, O Shaikh.” So the Shaikh, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “May Allaah beautify you with that which he beautified men with.””

Muhaddithul-Asr, Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani of Samir ibn Amin al-Zahraani, p. 31.

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February 25, 2011

The Shaikh’s Life in his Own Words … 1

There’s a small book written by a person called Isaam Moosaa Haadi, entitled, “The Life of Allaamah al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy upon him, in His Own Words.” I thought it would be a good idea to go through the book, a little at a time, so we could get a picture of the Shaikh’s life as he narrated it himself. Isaam Haadi basically went through the Shaikh’s works and gathered sections where the Shaikh spoke about himself and the result was this small but lovely work. Here’s the first post …

Migrating to Syria

Shaikh al-Albaani said, “Indeed the blessings of Allaah upon me are numerous and I cannot enumerate how many there are. And perhaps from the most important of them are the following two: the migration of my father to Syria and that he taught me his profession as a watch repairer [horologist].

The first [blessing] made learning arabic easy for me and if we had remained in Albania I do not believe that I would have learnt a letter from it, and there is no path to the Book of Allaah or the Sunnah of his Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, except by way of arabic.

The second [blessing], learning how to repair watches, gave me spare time which I filled with seeking knowledge. And it provided me with the opportunity to visit the Dhaahiriyyah library and other than it for many hours every day.

And if I had continued to stick to carpentry, which I had initially tried to learn, it would have devoured all of my time, and as a result the paths of knowledge would have been closed in my face, [paths] whose students must have free time.”

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February 24, 2011

Al-Albaani and The Ladder

Shaikh Baasim Faisal al-Juwaabirah said, “And from that which showed the Shaikh’s patience and fortitude in seeking knowledge was what Dr. Mahmood al-Meerah, may Allaah protect him, told me: that Shaikh Naasir climbed up a ladder in the Dhaahiriyyah library in Damascus to take a book, a manuscript, so he got the book and opened it and then started to read it while standing on the ladder—and stayed there reading for more than six hours.”

Al-Imaam al-Albani, Duroos wa Mawaaqif wa Ibar, p. 63.

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February 24, 2011

Going to the mosque

“Saami Khalifah wrote to me telling me that, ‘When the Shaikh, may Allaah have mercy upon him, would pick somebody up in his car on the way to the mosque, he would wait after the prayer would finish for that same person so that he could take him back and drop him up off at the place where he picked him up.’”

Al-Imaam al-Albani, Duroos wa Mawaaqif wa Ibar, p. 175.

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February 22, 2011

Nostalgia … pictures from the world of Shaikh al-Albaani ..

Clink on the link at the top of the page …

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February 22, 2011

“The best worship is …”

Question: The questioner says what is the level of authenticity of the hadith narrated by al-Baihaqee, “The best worship is recitation of the Quraan …”

Shaikh al-Albaani answered: It is weak.

[See As-Silsilah ad-Da’eefah, no. 2516]

Su’aalaat of Shaikh Ali Hasan al-Halabi, vol. 2, p. 250, no. 215

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February 21, 2011

“Woe to the one who …”

Question: In Bulughul-Maraam Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajr mentions the hadith of Bahz ibn Hakeem who narrates from his father from his grandafather that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “Woe to the one who lies when he speaks just to make the people laugh! Woe unto him, woe unto him.” And al-Haafidh declared its chain of narration to be authentic, what [do you say about its] level of authenticity?

Shaikh al-Albaani answered: It is hasan.

Su’aalaat of Shaikh Ali Hasan al-Halabi, vol. 2, p. 250, no. 214.

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February 21, 2011

Forty-eight hours before he died …

Shaikh Ali Hasan mentioned that Shaikh Al-Albaani’s son, Abdul-Lateef said that forty-eight hours before his death, the Shaikh, may Allaah have mercy upon him, requested that he bring the book Saheeh Sunan Abi Daawood to look for something that had crossed his heart and mind.

Al-Imaam al-Albani, Duroos wa Mawaaqif wa Ibar, pp. 275-276.

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February 21, 2011

“His eyes swelled up with tears…”

Muhammad al-Khateeb said, “One time I was working on the roof of the Shaikh’s house to fix some things. I was carrying a heavy rod from one place to another. Then [all of a sudden] the rod overwhelmed me and I was almost, were it not for the grace of Allaah, about to fall off the top of the roof. Later the Shaikh found out about what had happened, so he thanked Allaah that I was safe and quickly fell into prostration out of thankfulness, his eyes then swelled up with tears, crying. He then took out one hundred dinaars and gave them to me.”

Al-Imaam al-Albani, Duroos wa Mawaaqif wa Ibar, p. 167

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February 21, 2011

“Show me that book …”

Esaam Moosaa Haadi said, “A student of knowledge who used to study at the Institute of Sharee’ah used to work with our Shaikh. During his spare time he would come to our Shaikh and transcribe for the Shaikh [whatever he wanted penned down]. So this student told me that the Shaikh once said to him, “Show me that book you have with you …” [alluding] to a book that student had with him. The Shaikh then started to look through the book. He then left the study with it and came back later returning it to the student. So when the student left our Shaikh, he said, “I noticed that there was something in the book. When I had a look I saw that our Shaikh had left some money [between the pages].””

Al-Imaam al-Albani, Duroos wa Mawaaqif wa Ibar, p. 173.

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February 21, 2011

Don’t You Hang Up on Me!

A youth who had just started to practise Islaam phoned Shaikh al-Albaani and as soon as the Shaikh picked up the receiver he said, “I’m a young guy who has just started to practise and I have heard that you hang up the phone very quickly so make sure you don’t hang up until I’ve finished what I want to say!” So the Shaikh started to laugh and gave him what he wanted.

Al-Imaam al-Albani, Duroos wa Mawaaqif wa Ibar, p. 159.

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February 20, 2011

Everyone must say it …

The Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said, “Indeed Allaah loves the one who sneezes and dislikes yawning. So if someone sneezes and then praises Allah it is obligatory upon every Muslim who heard him to say, ‘May Allaah be merciful to you …[يَرْحَمُكَ الله] …’”

Shaikh Al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy upon him said, “And his, صلى الله عليه وسلم, saying, ‘… then it is obligatory upon every Muslim who heard him …’ is a clear proof showing the obligation upon everyone who heard him to say the tashmeet (i.e., may Allaah be merciful to you [يَرْحَمُكَ الله]). And what has become widespread about it only being a fard kifaayah, i.e., that when some people say it the obligation is no longer upon the rest to say it also, is something which is not proven here, in contrast to returning the salaam.”

Tahqeeq Kalimat-Tayyib, 158.

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February 19, 2011

From the rulings concerning giving salaam

Question: When someone says, “As-Salaamu alaikum,” do we add, ‘… wa barakaatuhu …’ when replying to him?

Answer: Yes. There is nothing to stop you saying up to wa barakaatuhu. And the order is not a condition, i.e., when someone says to you, “As-Salaamu alaikum,” you have the option of saying, “Wa alaikum salaam wa rahmatullaah” or “Wa alaikum salaam wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu.”

I (Shaikh Ali Hasan) asked: As for saying, “… wa maghfiratuhu …” [after wa barakaa-tuhu] then it is not said unless the person says upto wa barakaatuhu?

Shaikh al-Albaani: Yes.

Shaikh Ali Hasan said in a footnote to the above, “And whoever reports that the Shaikh retracted from his stance about the correctness of the addition, “… wa maghfiratuhu …” when returning the greeting of salaam then he is mistaken! Yes, the Shaikh retracted from his statement that the chain of the narration was saheeh li-dhaatihi but he declared it to be hasan due to its supporting narrations, so pay heed to that, may Allaah have mercy upon you. [And that is] just as I read, in his own handwriting, may Allaah have mercy upon him, in his notes to the third volume of Silsilah as-Saheehah, hadith number 1449.”

Su’aalaat of Shaikh Ali Hasan al-Halabi, vol. 2, p. 567, no. 393

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February 17, 2011

Every son of a female …

“When I (Shaikh Ali Hasan al-Halabi), informed Shaikh Al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy upon him, of the death of his Eminence Shaikh Abdul-Aziz ibn Baaz, may Allaah have mercy upon him, he could not stop himself from crying, his eyes were filled with flowing tears, and he spoke of him with compassionate, righteous words. So he, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, and I wrote this down from him:

‘To Allaah we belong and to Him we return. Oh Allaah! Recompense me for my affliction and replace it for me with something better. May Allaah have mercy upon him, a vast mercy. And may He reward him well on behalf of Islaam and the muslims.

Every son of a female, even if he is well for a long time
will, one day, be carried on a bier [to his grave]

Indeed Shaikh Abdul-Aziz Ibn Baaz, may Allaah have mercy on him, was from the elite of the scholars. We ask Allaah, the Most High, to make Paradise his dwelling. If this life were to last forever for anyone, it would have lasted as such for Mustafaa, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam.

May Allaah have mercy on him and may He cause us and him to be with the righteous.’”

Ma’a Shaikhinaa Naasirus-Sunnnah … of Shaikh Ali Hasan, p. 15.

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February 16, 2011

“O Lord! This is Not What I had Hoped For!”

Mention of the Fact that Having Good Suspicion about the One Worshipped – the Lofty and Most High – Can Help in the Hereafter for the one for whom Allaah Intends Good

Al-Hasan ibn Sufyaan narrated to us, saying: Hudbah ibn Khalid Al-Qaisee narrated to us, saying: Hammad ibn Salamah narrated to us from Thaabit, from Anas ibn Maalik who said, “The Prophet, sallallaahu aalaihi wa sallam, said:

‘Two men will be taken out of the Fire. Then they will be brought before Allaah. Then they will be ordered [back] into the Fire. So one of the two will look back and say, ‘O Lord! This was not what I hoped for!’ He will say, ‘And what was your hope?’ He will say, ‘My hope was that when You took me out of the Fire You would not return me into it.’

So Allaah will have Mercy on him, and admit him into Paradise.'”

Authentic ∣ Reported in Saheeh Ibn Hibbaan, no. 631.

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February 16, 2011

“If Allaah Were to Seize Me …”

“Mention of the Statement Concerning Abandoning Reliance Upon Acts of Obedience Even if the Man is One Who Strives in Doing Good Deeds

Muhammad ibn Ishaaq ibn Ibraheem, the mawlaa of Thaqif, narrated to us: Abdullah ibn Umar ibn Abaan narrated to us: Hussain ibn Alee Al-Ju’fee narrated to us: from Fudail ibn Iyaad: from Haashim: from Muhammad: from Aboo Hurayrah who said, “Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ said:

If Allaah were to seize me—and the Son of Mary—because of what these two have earned [i.e., the thumb and the one next to it] He would punish us and He would not have oppressed us at all.””

Authentic ∣ Saheeh Ibn Hibbaan, no. 656.

“In another narration Aboo Hurayrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“If Allaah were to seize me—and Jesus—for our sins He would punish us, and He would not have oppressed us at all.””

Authentic ∣ Saheeh Ibn Hibbaan, no. 658.

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February 16, 2011

Saving the Foetus

Question:
A pregnant woman passes away before giving birth and the foetus is alive and is completely formed, is it permissible to [operate] and cut open the stomach in order to retrieve the foetus?

Shaikh al-Albaani answered:
It is obligatory if [the baby] is alive and if it is not then it is not permissible to do so.

Su’aalaat of Ali Hasan al-Halabi, vol. 2, p. 398, no. 289.

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February 13, 2011

“With Jibreel and Meekaa’eel and Israafeel …”

Aaishah, radiyallaahu anhaa said, “The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam, fainted [during his final illness] while his head was in my lap, so I started to rub it and supplicate for him to be cured. Then when he came round, he, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam, said:

‘No. Rather I ask Allaah for the Highest Company! With [the angels] Gabriel and Meekaail and Israafeel!'”

Reported by Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh, no. 6557 and declared authentic by Shaikh Al-Albaani, rahimahullaah.

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February 13, 2011

Shaikh al-Albaani Talking While Asleep …

Shaikh al-Albani’s son, Abdul-Lateef, mentioned that his father:

“… used to say in his sleep, ‘Bring me the book entitled ‘Al-Ilal. Bring me the book entitled such and such. Bring me the book entitled such and such. Bring me the book entitled ‘Al-Jarh wat-Ta’deel.‘ And one time he said while he was asleep and while he was moving his hand as someone writing would, ‘Bring [the book] Sunan Abu Dawood and the problem will be solved.’

One time he said to me whilst he was asleep, ‘Bring the first volume of the book Al-Targheeb and Tarheeb.’ So I brought it. He then said to me, ‘Open it,’ and I did. He said, ‘Look at one, two, three ahadith. Are these approximately equal in length?’ So I said, ‘No. There is one amongst them which is long.’ He said, ‘Go …’—this is during sleep, he is talking whilst he is asleep. I then said to him, ‘This third hadith is long.’ So he asked, ‘Who narrated it?’ I replied, ‘So and so.’ Then he said, ‘Enough. Return the book.'”

All of this was when he was asleep!”

Al-Imaam al-Albani, Duroos wa Mawaaqif wa Ibar, pp. 65-66.

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