albani | The Albaani Site

October 1, 2011

A Refutation of Those who Accuse Ahlus-Sunnah of Confining Allaah to a Place | 2

Translated by Ahmed Abu Turaab

Al-Albani: Do you agree with me that Allaah was and there was nothing [in existence] with Him?

The Azhari Shaikh: Of course.

Al-Albani: Was the Throne there when Allaah was?

The Azhari Shaikh: No.

Al-Albani: So Allaah was and there was nothing with Him and then He created the Throne?

The Azhari Shaikh: Yes.

I carried on with him in this manner and then said: We are now on earth, what is above us?

The Azhari Shaikh: The sky.

Al-Albani: Then?

The Azhari Shaikh: The second.

And we carried on like this until we came to the seventh. Then I said to him, ‘What is above the seventh?’

The Azhari Shaikh: The Throne.

I said–and here is the crux of the matter– what is above the Throne?

The Azhari Shaikh: The Kuroobiyoon Angels.

So this was the first time in thirty years that I heard this name. I said, ‘What? The kuroobiyoon angels are above the Throne?’ We know that it is the Creator of the Throne who is above the [Mighty] Throne according to the aforementioned aayah and the Salaf’s interpretation of it [which states that] He rose over the Throne, i.e., ascended over it, and as those relied upon in this matter said:

And the Lord of the Throne is above the Throne but
Without describing Him as being in a place or being connected [to the Throne]

So Allaah is in no need of the worlds, but for the first time I was [now] hearing that it is the kuroobiyoon Angels that are above the Throne, [so I asked him], ‘Do you have an aayah which establishes, firstly, that there are angels called, ‘The kuroobiyoon Angels?’

The Azhari Shaikh: No.

Al-Albani: Okay. Do you have a hadith in which a mention of them has been made with this name?

The Azhari Shaikh: No.

Al-Albani: So then where did you get this aqidah that above the Throne are the Kuroobiyoon Angels?

The Azhari Shaikh: This is what our Shaikhs at the noble Azhar University taught us.

So I said how strange. I know that [from what] the Azhari scholars teach their students in their lectures concerning that which is connected to the principles of aqidah and Usool al-Fiqh is that, ‘[Points of] aqidah are not established through aahaad hadith which are authentic,’ so how have they taught you a point of aqidah that is not mentioned in the Quraan nor the Sunnah? How have you come to believe this?

He was dumbfounded. I continued and said to him, ‘Imagine that those angels who you call the Kuroobiyoon are above the [Mighty] Throne–what is above them?

So he stopped. Baffled.

And I had already spoken to him about …

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September 30, 2011

A Refutation of Those who Accuse Ahlus-Sunnah of Confining Allaah to a Place | 1

Questioner: Who are the kuroobiyoon [Cherubim] Angels?

Al-Albaani: Who are the kuroobiyoon Angels? As far as I know, there is no hadith in which a mention of this name has been made of the Angels, ‘the kuroobiyoon Angels.’ And in reality for thirty years this name had not passed by me in the hadiths which I had read in hundreds if not thousands of books, most of which were manuscripts, until [finally] I heard a mention of them in Mina during Hajj.

I was sitting during a calm, beautiful night during the days of Munaa speaking to some of our Egyptian, Syrian and other brothers from Ansaar as-Sunnah, when a Shaikh came in, gave salaam, sat down and started listening [to what was being said]. After I stopped speaking for a short while he entered the discussion and started speaking.

It became apparent from what he said that he was from those who had studied at Azhar University and who harboured a hatred against the Salafi da’wah or the da’wah to tawheed, and that he was affected by some of the false claims which are attributed to the group of tawheed in all the Muslim lands, whether here or Egypt or Syria or any other place.

So he started to attack and say that the Wahaabi da’wah was a good call but [the problem was] that they liken Allaah to the creation.

So I asked him, ‘How is that?’

He replied that they say that Allaah the Mighty and Majestic–Subhaanallaah he was declaring the Quraan to have a mistake without even realising it–he said, ‘They say that Allaah rose over the Throne.’

So I said, ‘Is that their saying or the saying of the Lord of all the worlds?’

He corrected himself and said that they explain the aayah to mean that Allaah is sitting on His Throne. I said to him: my brother, the difference between them and those who oppose them is not in likening the Lord of the worlds to the creation since they are united that it is falsehood.

Rather, the difference is in whether it is correct to interpret [the word used in the aayah] ‘istiwaa’ [rose over] to mean isteelaa [conquered] or is the correct interpretation that istiwaa means ista’laa [ascended over]? So I started talking about this topic at length.

And naturally the summary of the Salafi creed in this issue is that Allaah has the characteristic of being above all things [fawqiyyah]. So he latched on to this [statement] and said, ‘Is it possible [to believe] that Allaah the Mighty and Majestic is above the Throne? That would mean that we have situated him in a place.’

So I said to him, ‘No, this is a mistake on your part and we declare ourselves to be free from a belief which confines Allaah the Mighty and Majestic to a place whereas He is the All-High, the Most Great.’ Then I started to debate with him in a specific way and so said to him …’

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September 28, 2011

Last Post and PDF of the Discussion on the Ascendancy of Allaah

This is the last post from the lecture. Now what’s the point of reading this and not helping to spread it? Forward the PDF to whoever you can, here it is: Ascendancy

Al-Albaani: At this moment we are in a house [of Allaah, i.e., a mosque], a place that is from the most excellent of places as occurs in the Saheeh [where it is mentioned] that the Prophet of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم was asked about the best and worst of places, so he said that the best places are the mosques and the worst are the marketplaces.

In the marketplace there are places that are even worse than the market [itself], like the lavatories for example, so the marketplace is from the worst of places as you just heard, and even worse than it are the lavatories, in some markets there are bars, pubs, brothels and so on.

Is Allaah the Mighty and Majestic in these places in His Essence [based upon the aayah], ‘… and He is with you wherever you are?’

Never!

Rather He is above His Throne as Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak said—but He is with you in His Knowledge, no secret is hidden from Him in the earth or the heavens.

So let not the intending meaning of this aayah be difficult for anyone to understand: Allaah’s [Dhaat] Essence, Allaah’s [Dhaat] Essence is free of all creation, ‘Allaah was and nothing was with Him.’

So, ‘… and He is with you wherever you are …’ He is with you wherever you are in His Knowledge.

No person says, ‘By Allaah, I’m [here] between the four walls [of this place], so there is a veil between me and my Lord such that He cannot see me,’ no, no one says this except an unbeliever who denies the existence of Allaah the Mighty and Majestic.

The same is said about aayahs like, ‘…Indeed, I am with you both. I hear and I see.’ [Taa Haa 20:46]

The last part of this aayah explains its first part, and its first part the last, ‘… Indeed, I am with you both. I hear and I see.’ This sentence is an explanation of His Saying, the Most High, ‘… Indeed, I am with you both …’ how? ‘I hear and I see.’

So He was with them when He sent them to Pharaoh and ordered them to remind him [of Allaah] and to make him fear [Allaah]. Allaah said to them, ‘Fear not. Indeed, I am with you both. I hear and I see.’

So this sentence, ‘… I hear and I see,’ is an explanation of His Saying, the Most High, ‘… Indeed, I am with you both,’

He is not there [Himself] as someone who would lead an army would be, or present as the head of an army would be–no, it is not like that–Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, is free and in no need of the world. He regulates the universe from the heavens to the earth while having ascended and being above The Throne, as He, the Most High, has stated.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 741-742.

The video:

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September 27, 2011

A Discussion on the Ascendancy of Allaah, the Most High, and a Critique of the Belief that He is Present in all Things | 5

For this reason [concerning] the saying that Allaah is not inside the universe nor outside it, Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, said describing two groups both of whom are upon misguidance, with one being more misguided than the other, [he said] that the one who likens Allaah to some of His creation [mushabbih] worships an idol, he worships something present, but he has likened Him to the idols which the polytheists would worship instead of Allaah.

The one who likens Allaah to His creation worships an idol. And the mu’attil worships something nonexistent.

Who is the mu’attil? It is the one who says that Allaah, ‘… is not inside the universe nor outside it.’

The one who says that He is inside the universe is a mushabbih [someone who has likened Allaah to His creation], and such a person is upon misguidance [since], ‘… there is nothing like unto Him …’ [Shuraa 42:11]

And the one who says that, ‘Indeed Allaah the Mighty and Majestic is not inside the universe nor outside it,’ has denied the very existence of Allaah the Blessed and Most High, such a person is more astray than the first.

Now listen to the detailed explanation given by some of them about the statement, ‘Allaah is not inside the universe nor outside it,’ I want to end with this so that you can be upon clear guidance about the fact that everyone who opposes the creed of the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the pious predecessors is upon manifest misguidance.

Their proponent from the scholars of rhetorical speech says that, ‘Allaah is not described as being above, nor below, nor to the right, or the left, not in front, nor behind, not inside the universe nor outside it, not connected to it nor separate from it.’

Tell me, by your Lord, is this not the description of something nonexistent?

Interjection: Yes.

Al-Albaani: If any intellectual person who has been given some understanding, intelligence and eloquence was asked, ‘Describe a nonentity to us, something which is nonexistent, something which is not real.’

It will not be possible for him to describe such a nonentity with more than what these people have described the one they worship with, when they said, ‘He is not above nor below, not to the right nor the left, not in front nor behind, not inside the universe or outside of it, not connected to it nor separate from it.’

As for us then we say, ‘… there is nothing like unto Him …’ [Shuraa 42:11] ‘The Most Gracious rose over the [Mighty] Throne [in a manner that suits His Majesty],’ [Taa Haa 20:5]

Interjection: Following on from the first question, what is the explanation of His Saying, ‘… and He is with you wherever you are …’ [Al-Hadeed 57:4] and ‘Indeed, I am with you both; I hear and I see?’ [Taa Haa 20:46]

Al-Albaani: Before answering this question, and its answer is short inshaa Allaah, I want to remind you of the principle that I mentioned in the previous statement: we must interpret the Quraan with the Quraan, then the Sunnah, then the sayings of the Salaf.

So whoever wants to find out the meaning of this aayah, ‘… and He is with you wherever you are …’ he should study the Salafi tafsirs some of which I cited to you as examples: the tafsir of Ibn Jarir at-Tabari, that of Ibn Kathir the Damascene and whoever followed their example.

Interjection: Al-Qurtubi, O Shaikh, he is asking about al-Qurtubi.

Al-Albaani: I know your question. It is sufficient for me to say whoever followed their example.

Naturally, it is not upon every Muslim to be a scholar, but if he is not a scholar then he must be someone who asks, as is the case now with the previous questions [that were asked in this sitting] and those that followed them and the question we are asking right now.

I want to make mention of the fact that my answer now will be based upon this principle regarding tafsir. So without exception the scholars of tafsir [in interpreting this aayah], ‘… and He is with you wherever you are …,’ said, ‘i.e., with His knowledge,’ ‘… and He is with you wherever you are …’ ‘… with His knowledge,’ i.e., nothing whatsoever is hidden from Him in the earth nor in the Heavens. For this reason, Imaam Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak, may Allaah have mercy on him–and he is one of the unique and rare Imaams of the Salaf, from the hadith scholars and faqihs … he said, ‘Allaah the Blessed and Most High is above His Throne bi dhaatihi [in His Essence].’

This is a topic whose explanation has preceded in some detail. So he [i.e., Ibn al-Mubaarak] mentioned three matters whose meaning, at the very least, it is obligatory upon every Muslim to be well-grounded in, using his intellect and then his heart with which he believes, [and those three matters are]:

Firstly that, ‘Allaah the Blessed and Most High is above the Throne in His Essence.’
Secondly, ‘That he is separate and distinct from His creation,’ which strikes down the aforementioned fallacy of Him being present in all things, no, rather He is, ‘… separate and distinct from His creation,’ i.e., He is free and self-sufficient from all the worlds according to the text of the Noble Quraan, this is the second point.

Let me repeat and say it again: Allaah the Blessed and Most High–and I am not the one saying this, I am quoting what Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak said–so I say that he said, ‘Allaah the Blessed and Most High is above His Throne in His Essence,’ this is the first point. ‘Separate and distinct from His creation,’ i.e., not inside it but rather outside and free from having any need of the creation.

The third, and here is that which establishes the point [we are discussing now], ‘And He is with them in His Knowledge.’ Namely, the the previous question [about the aayah], ‘… and He is with you wherever you are …,’ [is that He is] with them in His Knowledge, not that He is with them everywhere in His Essence, that is falsehood according to the Legislation and the intellect.

Thus it is not fitting that [the idea that Allaah is with them] in His Essence/Himself should rush to the mind of the questioner [when hearing], ‘… and He is with you wherever you are …,’ i.e., this is a meaning which a Muslim is far removed from thinking in his dreams let alone while awake.

Why?

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September 26, 2011

A Discussion on the Ascendancy of Allaah, the Most High, and a Critique of the Belief that He is Present in all Things | 4

Translated by Ahmed Abu Turaab

Reciprocating this misguidance is another which is even greater: [the claim] that Allaah the Mighty and Majestic is not inside the world nor outside it.

The one who says that Allaah the Mighty and Majestic is inside the world, i.e., the one who says that Allaah is everywhere or Allaah is present in all things, has affirmed Allaah’s existence but he has likened Him to His creation [tashbeeh], and tashbeeh is false and futile, ‘… there is nothing like unto Him …’ [Shuraa 42:11], for this reason this [belief] is misguidance.

But the one who is even more misguided is the one who says, ‘Indeed Allaah is not inside the world nor outside of it.’ Half of this sentence is true: Allaah [indeed] is not inside the world. This is a correct statement. He is, rather, above all of the creation.

[But] as for following this statement with their saying that, ‘… nor is He outside of the world …’ then in the language of the scholars this is called ta’teel [neutralisation] of the existence of The Truth [i.e., Allaah], i.e., a denial of the existence of The Truth. Since as we mentioned just now in the hadith of Imraan ibn Hussain, Allaah the Mighty and Majestic was and there was nothing with Him.

Allaah was and there was no created thing with Him, but afterwards He created these things as can be seen, it is obligatory to have faith in that, that there are two existences, as we mentioned.

So if Allaah the Mighty and Majestic was not inside the world–and this is the truth–when someone adds to that saying, ‘… and neither outside it …’ it means that there is no deity.

It is to belie [His very Existence], a total denial and rejection [of it].

It is a return to the creed of the extremist Sufis, and I don’t say a return to the creed of the Sufis, because the Sufis are of two types. From them are extremists and those less than them.

The extremists are the ones who say that that which is present is one, at the head of these Sufis is Ibn Arabi who said that that which is in existence is one. As for the Muslims then they say, ‘Laa ilaaha ilallaah.’

So this aayah, ‘So know that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah …’ [Muhammad 47:19] affirms two existences: that of the One who is worshipped, The Truth, and that of the false deities.

As for Ibn Arabi and whoever was misguided by him, then they say that that which is in existence is one, and they have [other] terms through which they make their shirk and misguidance clear.

So for example they say that everything you see with your eye is Allaah, everything that you see with your eye is Allaah, it is Allaah, that which is in existence is one. What do you see, you see a man, a stone, a tree, the sky, the earth–all of this universe is Allaah, this is the creed of the atheists, the creed of communists–there is no god.

This results in the total and utter rejection of the existence of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic.

So when it is said that Allaah is not inside the world and nor outside of it then it means that that which is in existence is one, this is [as we stated] the creed of the extremist Sufis [who say that] everything you see with your eye is Allaah.

When the people of Noah worshipped the idols as is mentioned in the Quraan, ‘And they said, ‘You shall not leave your gods. Nor shall you leave Wadd, nor Suwa, nor Yaghuth, nor Ya’uq nor Nasr.’ [Nooh 71:23] Did they worship other than Allaah? The answer, according to the extremists from the Sufis, is that when the Magians worshipped the fire, they didn’t worshipping anything other than The One, the Irresistible Subduer.

This is total and utter rejection.

So when it is said that Allaah is not inside the world nor outside it … this [incorrect] creed [mentioned above] which today is said to be that of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah has returned. There are people who spread books, commenting on them, comments being an overstatement, stating that this creed, i.e., ‘… that Allaah is not inside the world nor outside it,’ is that of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah,

Allaah the Mighty and Majestic was and nothing was with Him, so He is now just as He was before–He is in no need [self-sufficient] just as before He was in no need of the entire creation. When He brought those created things into existence He said that He rose above them, ascended, ascended, i.e., rose above.

And to clarify this [point of] creed, a little sound intellect must be used.

After we have established through the texts of the Book and the Sunnah that Allaah the Mighty and Majestic is above all created things and not inside them, we must thereafter discuss [this issue] with those people who deny Allaah’s existence totally, even if they say that there is a deity, [and even if they say] Laa ilaaha ilallaah–but since they say that Allaah is not inside the world nor outside it then they have rejected the existence of Allaah–so we say to these people: you are [in agreement] with us that Allaah was and nothing was with him. So when He created the creation one of three things must [be true]:

When He created the creation, Allaah must have entered into His creation, and they are in agreement with us that Allaah is not in every single place so thereafter the second remains:
When He created the creation, Allaah must have placed it above Himself, and this is falsehood, for Allaah is above all things.
Thereafter only the third option remains, that when Allaah created the creation, He rose over it, [that He] ascended over it–and this is what is becoming of Allaah the Mighty and Majestic.

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September 24, 2011

A Discussion on the Ascendancy of Allaah, the Most High, and a Critique of the Belief that He is Present in all Things | 3

The summary of what can be said in nullifying this misguided saying, ‘Allaah is everywhere,’ [is that] researching this topic is long and in this regard I advise that the book called, Al-Uluww lil-Aliyyil-Ghaffaar or lil-Aliyyil-Adheem [‘The Summary of the Ascendancy of the Most High, the Oft-Forgiving’] of Haafidh adh-Dhahabi be read, and it is more appropriate that the summary of this book be read since it deals with the topic more succinctly, being a refinement, written by me, of the original.

In ‘The Summary of the Ascendancy of the Most High, the Oft-Forgiving,’ he [i.e., Imaam adh-Dhahabi] mentioned aayahs which establish that Allaah the Mighty and Majestic has the characteristic of being above all created things, and that He is not in a place, along with many good hadiths which are in harmony with the texts of the Quraan [stating] that Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, is above all creation. Then [he mentioned] Salafi narrations from the Companions and their followers and their followers all the way up until the time of Imaam adh-Dhahabi, to just after the seventh century of the year of the Flight [Hijrah].

Tens if not hundreds of scholars who nullified this falsehood that, ‘Allaah is everywhere,’ and who established that Allaah is above all of creation.

From the clearest examples of that is the hadith of the slave girl–the authenticity of which the scholars of hadith are united upon–the summary of which is that a man from the Companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم whose name was Mu’aawiyah ibn al-Hakam used to have a slave girl who would tend to his flock of sheep in Uhud. A wolf came and attacked the sheep. As a result her master became angry and slapped her on her cheek–and then regretted what he had done.

So he came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah! I have to expiate [for that sin] by freeing a slave and I have a servant-girl,’ i.e., he was asking the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم whether freeing this servant-girl would fulfil his penance (kaffaarah) of freeing a slave.

He told him to bring her and so when she came, the Prophet of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, ‘Where is Allaah.’ She replied, ‘Above the Heavens.’ He said, ‘Who am I?’ She said, ‘You are the Messenger of Allaah.’ He said to her master, ‘Free her, for she is a believer.’

The Prophet of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم regarded the testimony of the slave-girl that Allaah was above the Heavens to mean that she doesn’t only testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah but that she also believes that Allaah is One in His Essence, the only One who should be worshipped, One in His Attributes.

So beware of falling in to this misguidance, because we hear it [often]. We’ll be in a gathering and it will be as though someone is remembering Allaah saying, ‘Allaah is present in all things,’ don’t you hear this phrase? This is present amongst us [i.e., the Muslims], ‘Allaah is present in all things.’

There are two existences. The first is the necessarily existent [waajibul-wujood], i.e., Allaah, and there was nothing with Him, as you heard [previously].

The second are the contingent/possible existents, i.e., the creation.

So we have a [type of] existence, and Allaah the Mighty and Majestic has an eternal existence. He has no beginning or end.

So [their incorrect belief that] Allaah is present in all things [would necessitate that He] is present inside our existence which we are in right now. This is the meaning of that misguidance that, ‘Allaah is everywhere,’ so beware of saying, ‘Allaah is everywhere,’ or, ‘Allaah is present in all things.’ No, [this is not true].

There is no misguidance greater than this, because it negates that which we have mentioned and which has been reported in the Quraan and the Sunnah and the Salafi narrations which state that Allaah the Mighty and Majestic is above all created things.

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September 22, 2011

A Discussion on the Ascendancy of Allaah, the Most High, and a Critique of the Belief that He is Present in all Things | 2

Translated by Ahmed Abu Turaab

Let us stop here for a short while to remind ourselves of one of the principles of correct tafsir which, if a Muslim holds on to, will place him upon guidance from his Lord, and which, if he deviates from, will cause him to go far astray.

Tafsir of the Quraan must be done with the Quraan, this is the first principle: the Quraan is explained by the Quraan, and by the sayings of the Prophet عليه السلام then with the authentic narrations reported from our righteous predecessors.

One must stick to this method when explaining the noble Quraan, especially in those things in it which are connected to the most unseen of the Unseen, i.e., Allaah the Blessed and Most High, connected to worshipping Him or [connected to] any of His Attributes.

So these aayahs have to be explained upon this methodology: the Quraan is explained with the Quraan, then the Sunnah then the authentic narrations reported from the righteous predecessors.

I had mentioned to you before in previous sittings that for a Muslim today to be upon guidance from his Lord and to be an upright traveller on the Straight Path it is not enough to [just] say, ‘I take from the Book and the Sunnah.’

One has to do this [of course] but on its own this is not enough. There has to be the Book, the Sunnah and a third thing: [following] what the righteous predecessors were upon.

I will establish for you through some texts … and I don’t want to repeat the topic but will just remind you of His Saying, the Blessed and Most High, ‘And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the Believers We shall keep him in the path he has chosen and burn him in Hell–and evil it is as a destination.’ [Nisaa 4:115] it would have been enough to say in this noble aayah, ‘And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen …’ but Allaah the Mighty and Majestic added another sentence to the one just mentioned, saying, ‘…and follows other than the way of the Believers …’

This is a very important sentence, because it means that there is no way of understanding the Book and understanding the Sunnah except through our righteous predecessors.

Now, and as I said I don’t want to repeat what was said before for fear of repetition and boredom, the saying of some of the people of today following on from that of some of the people of theological rhetoric or scholars of theological rhetoric that Allaah is everywhere–do we find these words, this sentence, this belief in the words of the pious predecessors?

Allaah forbid!

The statements of the pious predecessors only contain that which complies and is in agreement with the aayahs and hadiths which affirm Allaah’s attribute of ascendancy over all of the creation.

‘… and then He rose over the Throne …’ [Al-A’raaf 7:54] ‘To Him ascend (all) the goodly words, and the righteous deeds exalt it (the goodly words i.e. the goodly words are not accepted by Allaah unless and until they are followed by good deeds),’ [Faatir 35:10] ‘The angels and the Spirit [Jibreel] ascend to Him …’ [Al-Ma’aarij 70:4]

‘Have mercy on those on earth and the One above the Heavens will have mercy on you,’ ‘Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven …’ [Al-Mulk 67:16]

Many aayahs and hadiths, let alone the sayings of the Salaf as-Saalih, which all come together in renouncing this misguidance that Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, is everywhere, and which affirm that Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, does not have a ‘place’ [makaan] but rather that He is as He said, ‘The Most Gracious rose over the [Mighty] Throne [in a manner that suits His Majesty],’ [Taa Haa 20:5] And they explained, ‘rose over, [istawaa]’ to mean, ista’laa [ascended/rose over].

As for those people who say that Allaah is everywhere, then they have misinterpreted the aayah and dispensed with it in opposition to the [correct] methodology to be employed when explaining the Quraan which I mentioned to you just now, because they said that, ‘rose over, [istawaa],’ means, ‘conquered [istawlaa].’

Along with the fact that this is a khalafi explanation [i.e., not an explanation from the Salaf but rather from those who came later and opposed them] not having a basis in any word from the statements of the pious predecessors … then along with that it also opposes the tafsir of the Salaf as-Saalih.

This aayah, ‘The Most Gracious rose over the [Mighty] Throne [in a manner that suits His Majesty],’ [Taa Haa 20:5] was explained by the Salaf to mean ista’laa [he ascended/rose over].

And the statement of Imaam Maalik, the Imaam of the place of migration [of the Prophet], may Allaah have mercy on him [is well-known]–when that questioner came to him and said, ‘O Maalik, ‘The Most Gracious rose over the [Mighty] Throne,’ how did He rise over?’

Imaam Maalik replied, ‘The istiwaa [rising over] is known …’ i.e., it is highness and ascension, ‘… and the ‘how’ …’ i.e., that which that person was asking about, ‘… is unknown, and asking about it is an innovation. Remove this man for he is an innovator.’

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September 20, 2011

A Discussion on the Ascendancy of Allaah, the Most High, and a Critique of the Belief that He is Present in all Things | 1

Questioner: We hear some people say that Allaah سبحانه وتعالى is in all places and we hear [others] say that He is above His Throne, above the Heavens or the Seventh Heaven. [Could you] benefit us [with an answer], may Allaah reward you with good.

Al-Albani: Yes, in reality this is an important question connected to the present day situation of the ummah.

Since that which delights the heart is that there is an Islamic awareness, and I do [indeed] believe that there really is an awakening, but it is in its early stages.

Part of it is that, as you see, I’m almost about to reach my eighties, forty years ago I would not hear, ‘Allaah said … the Prophet of Allaah said …’ on the tongues of the preachers and admonishers or those directing the people except for very few indeed.

And when one of them would speak about an aayah, he would not know its tafsir properly because he wouldn’t know the principles upon which the noble aayah should be explained. And if he reported a hadith from the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم he would do so without verifying its authenticity.

As for today, then I think that you have all witnessed along with me that many times you will hear, ‘This hadith is authentic … and this [hadith] is reported by Bukhari … by Muslim … that Ibn Jarir at-Tabari explained this aayah to mean such and such and Ibn Kathir the Damascene explained it to mean such and such …’ and so on.

So this, without doubt, is from the signs of an awareness, but as I said just now, we are still in its early stages.

You raised the question of Allaah’s Names and Attributes, so is what some of these people talk about [actually] from the Attributes of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic?

Rather, [is] what all of the general masses today, and some of their scholars, amongst them being some who associate themselves with the schools of thought of theological rhetoric or tawheed, like the Ash’aris or the Maturidis, let alone the Mu’tazilah who are barely mentioned nowadays apart from a few individuals who have gone astray following their misguidance–[is what some of these people talk about [actually] from the Attributes of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic?]

For part of the creed of the Ash’aris and the Maturidis, following on from that of the Mu’tazilah, is that Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, is everywhere–so is this from the Attributes of Allaah, the Blessed and Most High?

Is having a place from the Attributes of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic?

Us humans have a place, we are now in one of Allaah’s houses, we are in a place–but is Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, in a place?

The answer is that Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, is far removed from being in a place. For even while bearing in mind all of the differences in this issue and others, there is unanimous agreement amongst all of the Muslims that Allaah was and there was nothing with Him. Allaah was and nothing was with Him as occurs in the hadith of Imraan ibn Husain in Sahih Bukhari.

Thus Allaah was and there was nothing with Him, and there was no universe with Him, i.e., saying that Allaah is everywhere is from major shirk which negates the Oneness/Uniqueness [tawheed] of Allaah in His Names and Attributes. How so?

Let us look at what Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, has described Himself with.

Did He describe Himself in an aayah or an authentic hadith as being everywhere?

I do not say that not only have such statements not been reported in a hadith, but rather that this is speech for which Allaah has sent down no authority [whatsoever]. That is because it opposes what Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, described Himself as.

And as for the aayahs in which Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, has described Himself stating that the characteristic of complete and total ascendancy over all of His creation is His, and that He is not in anything from His creation but rather that He is above every [single] thing from it–then [such] aayahs [are so numerous that they] cannot be counted.

Like the aayah …, ‘The Most Gracious rose over the [Mighty] Throne [in a manner that suits His Majesty],’ [Taa Haa 20:5]. ‘The Most Gracious rose over the [Mighty] Throne [in a manner that suits His Majesty] …’

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September 19, 2011

The Misguided Saying of Some People that Allaah is Everywhere or Present in all Things

Translated by Ahmed Abu Turaab

[Allaah’s Knowledge is All-Encompassing. He has complete, total and perfect Knowledge of what was, what is, and what will be, but He is not everywhere]

The Shaikh was questioned about what many people say, that Allaah is everywhere or present in all things, so he answered:

This is manifest misguidance, [in opposition] to the clear text of the Quraan that, ‘The Most Gracious rose over the [Mighty] Throne [in a manner that suits His Majesty],’ [Taa Haa 20:5] and His Saying, the Most High, ‘Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High,’ [Al-A’laa 87:1] and He described His believing servants as those who, ‘… fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded,’ [An-Nahl 16:50] [and], ‘The angels and the Spirit [Jibreel] ascend to Him in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years,’ [Al-Ma’aarij 70:4] [and], ‘To Him ascend (all) the goodly words, and the righteous deeds exalt it (the goodly words i.e. the goodly words are not accepted by Allaah unless and until they are followed by good deeds),’ [Faatir 35:10].

Many aayahs and hadiths which clarify that Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, does not stand in need of any of the worlds, that He is above all of His Creation, that He is not commixed with His Creation as these people who I pointed to say–[those who say] that Allaah is everywhere, Allaah is everywhere–exalted is He and high above what the oppressors say by great sublimity.

In an authentic hadith [there occurs], ‘Allaah was and nothing was with Him,’ where is the place which [He is supposedly] gathered in as these people who claim that He is everywhere say? Especially when amongst these places are those which are clean, and those which are vile and filthy, [like] bathrooms, bars, pubs, brothels and so on.

How can they not declare Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, to be far above being everywhere even though He has said in more than one aayah that He rose over the [Mighty] Throne?

And in an authentic hadith [there occurs] that the Prophet عليه السلام asked a slave girl whose owner wanted to free her, ‘Where is Allaah?’ She replied, ‘Above the Heavens.’ He then asked her, ‘Who am I?’ She said, ‘You are the Messenger of Allaah.’ So he turned to her master and said, ‘Free her for she is a believer.’

The slave girl in the time of the Prophet has more fiqh than the faqihs of today, because if you were to ask many of them where Allaah is, they would reply, ‘Everywhere.’

A neighbour of mine says that Allaah is present in all things–these people are miskeens.

That which is present is created. Allaah was and there was nothing created. So after our Lord created the creation did He become part of it [bearing in mind] all the rubbish that it contains?! [Never]. Exalted is He and high above what the oppressors say by great sublimity.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 178.

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September 18, 2011

Al-Albani and the American Hitchhiker … Is Allaah Everywhere?

Translated by Ahmed Abu Turaab

Al-Albani: A woman who was also teaching at the university [asked me] … a doctor was arguing with her about the topic of Allaah’s Ascendancy over the Throne. The doctor said [that such a belief] was a mistake and that Allaah is everywhere.

Interjection: May Allaah guide him.

Al-Albani: By Allaah! A disbeliever would not even accept this belief, and this is something I have experience of.

One time I was travelling in Syria from Aleppo to Idlib, and from Idlib on to Latakia, westwards. One of our brothers, Abdur-Rahmaan Shilbi, was with us, [so] we went to Latakia from Idlib.

You know that the Europeans have a particular way of asking for a free car ride … the ones who get in to cars for free, what do they do?

Interjection: They call it, ‘Stop.’ [i.e., hitching a ride].

Al-Albani: I don’t know. A person [lit. beggar] stands on the road asking for a ride. [So] I’m going in my car and my companion is sitting next to me, naturally we were going slightly fast, or very fast [even], I don’t know … the important thing is that after we had travelled some distance I heard [i.e., was told] that there was a man who had raised his thumb so we stopped and looked in the [rear view] mirror. And indeed [there was, so I said], ‘What do you think, Abdur-Rahmaan, let’s take him with us, the car’s empty.’

The point is that we went back and found that the man was an American and his wife was standing … but she wasn’t in plain view, [she was standing] to the side, so when we stopped the car he signalled to her [to come]. So I said to [our brother] Abdur-Rahmaan, ‘We’ll cover the distance [on the journey] with them,’ after we came to know that they were foreigners.

They both got in and we left. My companion [Abdur-Rahmaan] speaks English as for me, I do not. My Albanian is enough for me.

I said to him, ‘Ask them where they’re from …,’ until we go to the point [where I told him to ask them], ‘What is your belief in Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic?’ The American replied, ‘He’s everywhere,’ this is [also] the aqidah of the doctor [at the university]. How strange that the belief of a non-Muslim American … [in fact] it’s not strange.

I said to Adbur-Rahmaan, ‘Say this to him, say that to him …,’ so he’s translating until we got to the crux of the matter. [After explaining the correct Islamic belief to him], the American said, ‘By God, this makes sense. It makes sense that God is above all creation.’

Because Allaah existed when there was no creation, no time, no place, [so] how can it be said that Allaah is everywhere.

The Egyptian doctors still don’t understand this creed and teach the students that He is everywhere; in Azhar University, an Azhari will come and debate with you [about this issue] and then above that will declare you to be misguided because you say, ‘The Most Gracious rose over the [Mighty] Throne [in a manner that suits His Majesty].’ [Taa Haa 20:5]

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 282.

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September 16, 2011

Jump the Queue

Long ago when repairing watches at his shop, the Shaikh would give each customer a receipt for when to collect his watch. One of the customers was not happy with the time he was given and asked to be placed ahead of others [who were also waiting].

So the Shaikh said, ‘I’m a Muslim.’

Al-Imaam al-Albaani, Duroos, wa Mawaaqif, wa Ibar, of Abdul-Aziz ibn Muhammad Abdullaah as-Sadhaan, p. 96.

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September 14, 2011

“Separately! Separately!” Al-Albaani’s Dream

Translated by Ahmed Abu Turaab

Al-Albaani said, “There was a problem with my eye so the doctor asked me to rest and stop reading and writing for some time. I said [to myself]: so that time is not wasted, I’ll give one of our brothers a small manuscript to copy out for me, such that by the time he finishes, I would have taken sufficient rest.

The brother started to copy out the manuscript and I would look through what he had copied, consoling myself by saying that such reading would not [adversely] affect [my eye] or overstrain it.

[While doing so] I came across a word [in the copy] which I didn’t understand and which I could not read. I went back to the manuscript [the copy was taken from] and found that the brother had copied the word [correctly] just as it appeared in the manuscript, he was a [skilled] scribe.

I started to look over it and ponder, hoping that I’d discover the correct way of reading it. I didn’t [however] and became preoccupied with it.

When the evening came and I slept, I awoke from a dream and I started saying, “Separately, separately! Separately, separately!”

I had no idea what this dream meant? So I said [to myself], ‘O Naasir, write down what happened,’ so that I wouldn’t forget the dream and in the morning I could take a look at it.

So indeed in the morning I started to think and said: maybe it has a connection to the [difficult] word [that I am trying to read in the manuscript].

I brought the manuscript and started to look at the [difficult] word and [at the same time] started to repeat the word [that I said when I woke up from the dream, i.e., ‘Separately!’]–until I came upon the solution to the problem.

The word found in the manuscript was [in fact] two words joined together by the scribe, so I separated them and was able to read it.

Al-Imaam al-Albaani, Duroos, wa Mawaaqif, wa Ibar, of Abdul-Aziz ibn Muhammad Abdullaah as-Sadhaan, p. 58.

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September 14, 2011

His time …

He said, “Sometimes a hadith will take up hours of my time, sometimes days–and sometimes I will remain on a single hadith for a whole week.”

Al-Imaam al-Albaani, Duroos, wa Mawaaqif, wa Ibar, of Abdul-Aziz ibn Muhammad Abdullaah as-Sadhaan, p. 57.

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September 13, 2011

Are Allaah’s Attributes Limited?

Questioner: Noble father, may Allaah protect you, the Prophet of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said in a hadith reported by Muslim, “His veil is light; if He were to uncover it, the splendour from His Face would annihilate the creation as far as His vision extends.” [Muslim] My question is whether this means that His Sight سبحانه وتعالى has a limit?

Al-Albani: … the creation as far as His vision extends, i.e., it is the creation that has a limit. As for His Sight, the Most High, and all of His Attributes, none of them have a confined limit.

It is, rather, the creation that is limited. This is what is meant by the hadith. The limitation has no connection to the Attributes but to the creation only.

Rihlatun-Noor, 29.

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September 12, 2011

Is there a Trial More Severe than that of Dajjaal?

Questioner: The trial which is more severe than that of Dajjaal … is it after or before Dajjaal?

Al-Albani: There is no trial greater than that of Dajjaal according to the clear text of the hadith, ‘From the time of the creation of Aadam to the Hour, there is no trial more harmful than the trial of Al-Maseeh ad-Dajjaal.’

Questioner: There is nothing more harmful than it?

Al-Albani: No.

The video:

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 177.

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September 11, 2011

Ibn Uthaimeen Angry and Annoyed in Defense of al-Albaani

Dr. Abdul-Aziz as-Sadhaan said, “Shaikh Abu Muhammad Abdullaah Rashid al-Anazi wrote to me saying, ‘Someone I trust told me that he had heard some of those who are falsely counted among the people of knowledge saying that, ‘Shaikh al-Albaani has grown old and has started to become confused/mixed up in some issues related to creed!’

So I made up my mind to travel to the person who made this statement in order to defend this noble Imaam. Before meeting the one who made the statement I attended a lecture by Shaikh Ibn al-Uthaimeen, may Allaah have mercy on him. After he finished his lecture I followed him outside the hall and told him about what I had heard.

When I did I saw the signs of anger and annoyance on his face, may Allaah have mercy on him, and after I had finished saying what I wanted to him, he said:

‘By Allaah! Whoever says that Shaikh al-Albaani, ‘… has started to become confused/mixed up …,’ [then] by Allaah, he is the one who is confused/mixed up and not the Shaikh!’

Then he said:

‘Indeed before the da’wah of the Shaikh [i.e., al-Albaani], many of the Shaikhs would not differentiate between an authentic, weak or fabricated hadith. And from the Shaikhs were those who would issue religious verdicts and would base them upon weak hadiths, in fact some of them were [even] fabricated! Then the Shaikh [i.e., al-Albaani] started to spread this noble knowledge until the people were enlightened and came to know the authentic from the weak, so may Allaah reward him with the best of rewards …’

Then Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen began to advise me and warn me against those people who slander and speak ill of the scholars …’’”

Al-Imaam al-Albaani, Duroos, wa Mawaaqif, wa Ibar, of Abdul-Aziz ibn Muhammad Abdullaah as-Sadhaan, p. 245.

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September 10, 2011

There is no place for the question, ‘How?’ in the Matters of the Unseen

Questioner: In the hadith of the Prophet’s Ascent to the Heavens, when the prayer was prescribed upon him صلى الله عليه وسلم and Moosaa عليه السلام asked him to go back [and ask for the number of prayers to be reduced] … how [exactly] was it?

Al-Albani: There is no ‘how’ in the matters of the Unseen, may Allaah bless you!

Regarding the matters of the Unseen, take [the following] as the principle and relax: there is no ‘how’ in the matters of the Unseen. People other than you twist and turn [this way and that], and go on at length but in the end they conclude with this word which you just said now, ‘How?’

There is no, ‘How?’ in the matters of the Unseen.

There is only total and complete faith, without [the question], ‘How?’

Because that world is metaphysical [lit. ‘… behind or beyond matter …’] as they say today, that which is beyond the intellect … our physical world cannot be compared to it and vice versa.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 28

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September 9, 2011

From the Innovations of the Allies of the Devil is to Declare Sayings of the Prophet to be Authentic by Way of Sufi ‘Kashf’

It is narrated from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that he said, ‘My Companions are like the stars. Whoever amongst them you follow, you will be rightly guided.”

Fabricated.

Al-Albani said, “And as for the saying of ash-Sha’raani in Al-Meezaan, (1/28), ‘Even if the scholars of hadith have written [critically] about this hadith, it is authentic in the eyes of the People of Kashf [i.e., ‘Sufi disclosure’, unveiling, insight into the Unseen through karaamah],’ then it is falsehood and nonsense not to be given any attention!

And that is because declaring hadiths to be authentic by way of kashf is an abominable, Sufi innovation, relying on it results in the authentication of false hadiths which have no basis, like this one.

Due to the fact that the most that can be said about kashf–if it is correct–is that it is just like [someone’s] opinion, it can be correct and incorrect, and [even] this is if desires do not enter [the equation].

We ask Allaah to safeguard us from that and from everything that does not please Him.”

Ad-Da’eefah, 1/144-155.

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September 7, 2011

The Shaikh Interprets a Prophetic Hadith to Mean Cars

From ’Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas, who said, I heard the Prophet of Allaah ﷺ say, “In the last [part] of my nation there will be men who ride on means that resemble saddles. They will alight at the doors of the mosques. Their women are clothed but naked. On their heads are [what appears to be] like the humps of [lean] camels. Curse them for they are cursed. If there were a nation from the nations to come after you, your women would serve them, just as the women of the nations that were before you served you.” Hasan

Shaikh al-Albaani mentioned another narration from al-Haakim which says, “They will mount their mayaathir until they come to the doors of their mosques,” commenting on this he said, “… the word mayaathir is the plural of meetharah and Ibn al-Athir described it as, “… smooth and soft, made out of silk or a silk brocade [heavy silk] which the rider places beneath him on the saddle on top of the camel.”

So now that you have come to know this, [you will understand that] al-Haakim’s narration explains that first one, and by combining between the two the meaning will be that the saddles which they mount will be smooth and soft, and that they will resemble saddles, i.e., in terms of how wide they are.

… and this means that these saddles which those men will ride on at the end of time are not real saddles which are placed on the back of horses, they only resemble saddles.

And if one bears in mind that [the word] ‘saddles’ [rihaal] is the plural of saddle [rahl] and that its explanation is as has been mentioned in Misbaah al-Munir and others, i.e., ‘Everything that is used to prepare for a journey, from a container for goods, to a saddle for a camel.’

When you come to know this, it will become clear to you, with the Permission of Allaah, that the Prophet ﷺ is alluding to those vehicles which have been invented in this era, i.e., cars.

For they are comfortable, soft, and tender, like saddles. And what supports this is the fact that he ﷺ called them, ‘houses,’ as occurs in another hadith which has preceded under number 93, but which, it became apparent later, contained some disconnection.

So the hadith contains another miraculous prophecy [which has come into being] other than the one related to the women who are clothed yet naked, indeed it is the one connected to their men who get in those cars and stop at the doors of the mosques.

And by the everlasting existence of Allaah, it is a true prophecy which we witness every Friday when cars gather in front of the mosques such that the roads, despite their being wide, become congested, [and then] men alight from them to witness the Friday prayer, and most of them do not [even] pray the five daily prayers, or at the very least they do not pray them in the mosques.

It is as though they have become content with praying the Friday prayer in place of the [five daily] prayers and for this reason they can be found in large numbers on Fridays, stopping with their cars in front of the mosques. The fruits of prayer are not seen on them and nor in their dealing with their women and daughters, so they, in truth, are those whose, ‘… women are clothed, yet naked …’

In addition to this, there is yet another manifestation which the hadith applies to totally: indeed it is what we see with cars following funeral processions during recent times. People get in them who lack goodness from the rich and affluent who have abandoned the prayer.

Such that when the car carrying the corpse stops and the body is taken into the mosque to be prayed over, those affluent ones remain in front of the mosque in their cars, maybe some of them will get out of them, waiting for the funeral in order to follow the processions to the grave, out of social hypocrisy and [to pay mere] lip service, not as an act of worship or as a reminder of the Hereafter, and Allaah’s Aid is sought.

This is the meaning of the interpretation of the hadith with me, if I am correct then it is from Allaah, and if I am mistaken then it is from me, and Allaah the Most High is the One I ask to forgive [me] all my mistakes.

Silsilsah as-Sahihah, 6/1/411, 415-416, with editing.

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September 6, 2011

Wishing for Death

The Permissibility of Wishing for Death for Religious Reasons,
and from the Signs of the Hour is that a Man will Wish for Death Due to Trials and Afflictions that have Come Down on Him

The Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “The Hour will not be established until a man passes by a grave, and says, ‘Woe to me! Would that I were in his place!’ He will have no desire to meet Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic.”

Al-Albani: And the meaning of the hadith is that the reason for him seeking death is not for [the sake of] his religion or to get closer to Allaah and out of [his] love to meet Him, but instead due to worldly trials and afflictions that have come down on him.

In it is an indication of the permissibility of wishing for death for religious reasons. And his saying صلى الله عليه وسلم, “Let not one of you wish for death due to a harm that has befallen him …,’ does not negate this, since this is specifically concerning wishing [for death] due to a worldly matter, as is apparent.

Al-Haafidh said, ‘And this is supported by the fact that a group of the Salaf wished for death under poor conditions of religiousness/[when the affairs of the religion were being corrupted].”

An-Nawawi said, ‘It is not disliked, rather a large number of the Salaf did it, from them Umar ibn al-Khattaab and …’

As-Saheehah, 2/121.

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September 1, 2011

Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim and the Perishing of the Fire

Questioner: In [his book] Al-Waabil as-Sayyib, Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned that the Fire will come to an end. What do you say [about that]?

Al-Albani: Ibn al-Qayyim has two sayings. The one which it is fitting to adopt [or rely upon] is the elaboration which he mentioned in Al-Waabil as-Sayyib: [that] there are two Fires, one for the disbelievers and another in which the disobedient Muslim sinners [faasiqs] are punished.

The first fire will not cease to exist, it is the second one which will.

And that which is found in some of his books and some of the books of his Shaikh, Ibn Taymiyyah, the apparent meaning of which is that the fire will cease to exist totally–it is fitting that this is taken to mean the perishing of the fire which the disobedient sinners from the Muslims will enter. Because they will be saved one day, as he عليه الصلاة والسلام said, “Whoever says, ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah,’ it will help him one day …” [Compilers note: it will help him one day before Allaah].

And I have written an introduction to this book [Raf’ul Astaar of San’aani], almost fifty pages long, confirming the view that as-San’aani, may Allaah have mercy on him, held: that the saying that the fire of the disbelievers will cease is something which contradicts the Book and the Sunnah.

And the [high] regard we have of the Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah and his student Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah is that they would not fall into a contradiction as apparent as this one.

So it is fitting that the fire which he stated would cease be taken to mean that of the disobedient sinners from this Ummah and not the fire of the disbelievers.

Fataawaa Jeddah, 4.

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September 1, 2011

How can a Wife help her Deceased Husband? Can she Send the Reward of her Recitation of the Quraan to him?

Translated by Ahmed Abu Turaab

Questioner: Recitation of the Quraan reaches the dead?

Al-Albani: If the one reciting the Quraan is the child of the one who has passed away, whether it is the father or mother, then this recitation will benefit.

As for other than the children then their recitation will not benefit [anyone] other than their [own] parents as we just mentioned.

Thus the wife is excluded [from this category]–but [at the same time] there is no doubt that you, as a wife who has been afflicted with the demise of her husband … [there is no doubt that] it is within your capability to supplicate for him: [that] if he was someone who would do good, that our Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, increases his good deeds; and if he was someone who erred, that our Lord overlook his sins.

Always remember him with good and supplicate for him.

As for you reciting [the Quraan] and sending the reward for that recitation to the husband, then it is over, his actions have come to an end as I stated in the aforementioned hadith, the conclusion of which was, “… except for three: recurring charity, knowledge that others benefit by, or a righteous son who supplicates for him.”

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 290.

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September 1, 2011

Does the Reward for Reciting the Quraan reach the Dead? How Can You Help Your Deceased Parents?

Question: O Shaikh, is it allowed to send the reward for reciting the Quraan [to a dead person]? Some people use what you said in your commentary on the Explanation of Al-Aqidah al-Tahaawiyyah as a proof in this regard, that you hold it to be permissible …

Al-Albani: I do not say, my brother, that it is permitted unrestrictedly. [Rather] I say that the earnings of the child … as he عليه السلام said, “The best earnings are those which a man receives through his own work. And your children are from your earnings.” And the Most High said, “And We record that which they send before and their traces …” [Yaa Seen 36:12]

And he عليه الصلاة السلام said in an authentic hadith, “When a person dies …” and in another narration, “When the son of Aadam dies, his actions are cut off except for three: recurring charity, or knowledge that others benefit by, or a righteous son who supplicates for him.”

So this righteous son, his righteous actions will benefit his parents, because he is a trace that they have left behind, “And We record that which they send before and their traces …”

And I do not say that this recitation will benefit other than the parents or that any righteous action [which he does] will benefit other than his parents.

And maybe you will recall that some of the past scholars say that charity given by a person on behalf of some of the Muslims will reach them even if they are not his parents. In this situation we specify that it will [only] reach the parents. So the charity a son gives will reach the parents, and every righteous action [he/she does] like freeing a slave and other acts of worship in general will reach the parents due to the generality of the proofs I just mentioned.

As for other than the parents benefitting from this charity and these acts of worship, part of which is recitation of the Quraan, then we do not hold this generality.

For this reason it is fitting that such a statement be looked at again so that something we did not say is not attributed to us.

We only hold this limited restriction to be correct.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 366.

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August 31, 2011

Not Drinking from a Cracked Cup: A Scientific Miracle and Prophetic Medicine

From Abu Sa’eed who said, “The Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم forbade drinking from the cracked place on a cup …” [Abu Dawud, no. 3722]

Al-Albaani said, “Sahih li ghairihi.” Then he quoted Ibn al-Athir’s explanation of the term, ‘ثُلْمَة – cracked place,’ “I.e., the place where it is broken, and he only forbade it because the mouth of the one drinking cannot grasp [the cup] properly and [thus] the water may spill onto his garments or body. And it has been said: [it was said] because when the cup is washed, the place where it is cracked cannot be cleaned completely.” An-Nihaayah.

I [al-Albaani] say, “And today it is possible to say: [it was said] because it is the place where germs and microbes gather, so it is from Prophetic medicine, and a scientific miracle.

So may Allaah send prayers upon the Prophet, the Unlettered one.”

Saheeh Mawaarid adh-Dhamaan, 2/15.

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August 27, 2011

Do the Souls of the Dead come back to the World?

Question: The soul of the dead, does it come [back] and recognise what we do, in our houses for example?

Al-Albani: Never. These are superstitions which are present in the minds of some people. When a person dies his connection to the world is totally cut off. Namely, if a nuclear bomb were sent down, and you have heard about [how powerful] one of them [is], [such as the one] the Americans sent down on Japan … if hundreds of nuclear bombs were sent down on this planet the dead would not feel it whatsoever, “When a person dies, his actions are cut off except for three things …” And our Lord said in the Noble Quraan, “But you cannot make hear those in the graves.” [Faatir 35:22].

The dead do not hear, so do not believe any of these stories.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 290.

The video:

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August 25, 2011

What is the Correct Method to Cure Someone from Magic, the Evil Eye and Possession?

Al-Albani: I do not know a cure for magic apart from the legislated ruqyah and recitation of the Quraan, and to seek shelter and protection with Allaah the Mighty and Majestic, earnestly imploring Him to cure the afflicted person from it.

As for going to soothsayers or fortune-tellers to try to discover who the person who performed the magic is and what type of magic was used in order to be able to remove it and so on, then along with the fact that this does not benefit it is also a use of means that is not legislated.

Indeed, such means may be polytheistic due to the incantations in some of them whose meaning is not [even] known. And they may also contain [phrases which involve] seeking refuge with the devils whose names we do not know–the only ones who know their names are these imposters [Dajjaals] who seek the aid of their companions from the Jinn, as the Lord of all Creation said, “And verily, there were men among mankind who took shelter with the masculine among the jinns, but they increased them [mankind] in sin and disbelief.” [Jinn 72:6]

As for that which is connected to the one possessed or afflicted with the Evil Eye … then the one who has been afflicted with the Evil Eye has a cure mentioned in Al-Muwatta and other than it. [Which is that] the one who is thought to have [most likely] given the Eye and who is then known is brought and told to perform ablution. The water from his ablution is then taken and wiped on the limbs of the afflicted person. This is a legislated means for his cure.

There may be further details in the hadith which I do not recall right now. This is present in Al-Muwatta and others from the Sunan collections.

As for the one possessed by a Jinn, then his cure is through recitation of verses from the Noble Quraan by a righteous Muslim well-known for his righteousness. This benefits on many occasions.

This is the answer I have to this question.

Fatwaawaa Jeddah, 21.

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August 24, 2011

Is it possible that a Miracle of a Prophet can be a Karaamah of a Wali [An Ally of Allaah]?

Translated by Ahmed Abu Turaab

Questioner: In the name of Allaah. All praise is due to Allaah, and may prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allaah, Muhammad, the son of Abdullaah, and upon his family, his Companions and whoever adheres to him. As for that which follows:

The questioner says, “We have heard a Shaikh say, ‘Whatever miracle it is possible for a Prophet to perform, then it is possible that such a miracle can be a karaamah of a Wali, [i.e., a Wali can perform it too].’”

Al-Albani: It is enough to say that this is a statement of some Shaikhs and the affair is over. It is not a statement made by Allaah, nor a hadith from the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم such that we should worry about tackling it and clarifying the forgery that it is.

From another angle it is a statement which is false from its very root. That is because from the miracles of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is this Noble Quraan, which is the miracle of all miracles, as has been alluded to in some authentic hadiths.

So if we were to take that statement without exception, i.e., that ‘Whatever miracle it is possible for a Prophet to perform, then it is possible that such a miracle can be a karaamah of a Wali,’ then [as we said] the Quraan is the miracle of our Prophet–is it then possible for it to be a karaamah of an Ally of Allaah who is one of the followers of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم?!

This is impossible.

Yes! [But] according to the path of the extreme Sufis it is possible for that to happen. That which is built upon something corrupt is itself corrupt.

Regretfully, there is a book which it is likely has been reprinted more times than Sahihs Bukhari and Muslim and is known as, Tabaqaat al-Awliyaa of Abdul-Wahhaab ash-Sha’raani, in it he has mentioned a copious amount of catastrophes and calamities which conflict with the principles of the Islamic Sharee’ah.

And I wonder how this book can be reprinted tens of times and be circulated amongst the Muslims while the two Sahihs are not.

In it there occurs that which is relevant to our previous statement. [It is mentioned] that he visited a Shaikh of his and stood near his door, below the window, when he heard a sound that resembled a person reciting the Noble Quraan. Yet when he paid attention and understood what was being recited he realised that it was nothing from the Quraan. For he knew the Quranic aayaat and so was able to distinguish between the Quranic word and that of man.

The man who went to visit the Shaikh said, ‘So when the Shaikh finished his recitation I became sure that he was reciting some divine speech other than the Noble Quraan because he said, ‘O Allaah! Grant the reward of what I recited from Your Speech to my Shaikh so and so.’

This is mentioned in Tabaqaat al-Awliyaa of ash-Sha’raani.

Thus, it is possible that such a statement [as the one just mentioned in the story] came about as a result of that misguidance which has become a principle with them, because it necessitates that it is possible for a person who is not a Prophet to come with something like the Noble Quraan which was revealed by the Lord of all creation, since they said, ‘Whatever miracle it is possible for a Prophet to perform, then it is possible that such a miracle can be a karaamah of a Wali.’ And we find this phrase cited in the aforementioned book Al-Tabaqaat of ash-Sha’raani.

For this reason it is not permissible for a Muslim to be deceived with statements such as these and it is enough for him to know that it is something for which no authority has been sent down.

Fatwaawaa al-Imaaraat, 6.

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August 23, 2011

The Need to Give Due Importance to Always Reciting the Supplications through which Refuge is Sought

Al-Albani: It is obligatory upon every Muslim, as an act of worship firstly, and secondly as a means of [medically] treating oneself, to seek refuge with Allaah the Mighty and Majestic with those words authentically reported from the Prophet عليه السلام, [which are] that he either say:

Bismillāhilladhi lā Yaḍurru Ma’asmihī shai’un fil-Arḍi wa
lā fis-Samā’i wahuwas-Samī’ul-Alīm

بِسْمِ اللهِ الَّذِيْ لَا يَضُرُّ مَعَ اسْمِهِ شَيْءٌ فِيْ الْأَرْضِ
وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيْعُ الْعَلِيْمُ

In the Name of Allaah with Whose Name nothing is harmed on earth nor in the heavens and He is The All-Hearing, The All-Knowing.

Or:

A’uthu bi kalimātillāhit-Tāmmāti min sharri mā khalaq

أَعُوْذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللهِ الْتَّامَّاتِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ

I take refuge in Allaah’s Perfect Words from the evil He has created.

For then nothing will harm him that day. Imaam Ahmad reported this hadith in his Musnad as did the authors of the Sunan in their [respective] collections by way of Abaan ibn Uthmaan ibn Affaan.

Uthmaan ibn Affaan is more famous than a fire on a mountain top [Trans. note: an Arabic proverb to show how famous and well-known something is. As part of their generosity, Arabs would light a fire on the top of a mountain so that any prospective guests could see it from far away, and so come and eat from their food. Such a fire would be seen easily by everyone and would thus be very famous], one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the third one. His son, Abaan, is from the trustworthy taabi’een and one of the great preservers of hadith [huffaaz] amongst them.

One time he was sitting in a gathering when he narrated this hadith [i.e., that whoever says the above will not be harmed that day] and one of the people present looked at him in a certain way. Abaan understood what he meant. For the hand of this muhaddith, Abaan, was paralysed. So [like I said] Abaan understood what the person who looked at him in that particular way meant [i.e., you’re relating this hadith but what happened to your hand then?].

So Abaan said to him, ‘O my son …’ and the meaning of what he said was, ‘… when the Decree comes nothing else can avail against it, I forgot to seek refuge with Allaah with this supplication that day, so I was afflicted with this paralysis.’

Someone present: Laa ilaaha illallaah.

Al-Albani: For this reason it is befitting that the Muslim makes it his practice and principle [to say these supplications so that] it is not possible for him to forget [them] just as it would be impossible for him to forget to drink or eat if he was in dire need of food or water. In such a way he should be eager to say such supplications of refuge.

But when that which [is written in the Decree] occurs, then none besides Allah can avert it.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, no. 746.

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August 22, 2011

Does the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم know the Unseen? A Long Discussion Concerning that | 3

Translated by Ahmed Abu Turaab

Following on from the second post:

The Shaikh continues, “Another point remains which I alluded to earlier [but] I [still] want to talk about it a little, and hopefully [talking about] it won’t go on for too long.

If [for argument’s sake we were to say that] Allaah chose His Prophet عليه السلام by [indeed] informing him of all of the Unseen, who is that person who can encompass the knowledge of the Messenger عليه السلام, and claim to have memorised it?

We now say [the following, let us suppose that] Ustaadh Maaher [is an expert] in any field you want to name, and he has the most adept and bright of students, the best memoriser–how much of Ustaadh Maaher’s knowledge will he memorise? A little. So will this intelligent teacher pour all of his knowledge into the breast of that student? [To do so] will require him [to expend] an extraordinarily exhausting effort. And Allaah does not burden a soul with more than it can bear.

So from this angle which negates human nature it is not plausible that the Prophet عليه السلام … if Allaah had taught him everything and had made him a partner with Himself concerning the knowledge of the Unseen, it is not reasonable [to say] that he would inform the people of that which they are not capable of bearing or enduring.

So in summary, may Allaah bless you, it is obligatory to explain hadiths such as this one in light of the aqidah of the Muslims which has been derived from all of the Book of Allaah and all of the Sunnah and hadiths of the Prophet of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم and that we do not stop at one hadith. For this reason I’m telling you now that the last word in this issue is: we claim that, firstly, we are all Muslims, alhamdulillaah.

But there is something else which we claim which is that we respect our Pious Predecessors from the Companions and their students [taabi’een], and the mujtahid Imaams. Through them we learnt the knowledge of the Book, the Sunnah, fiqh and aqidah.

So who from the scholars of the Muslims says that Allaah taught the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم everything, [that He taught him all the things that] occur in the hadith of the Pen, ‘Write that which will be up until the Day of Judgement,’ basing that upon the hadith of Muslim [quoted in the question]. I do not know a Muslim scholar who has preceded us in such a statement.

For this reason it is not permissible for a person to say that which opposes what our scholars of before, who were from different madhhabs and inclinations, have said.

Questioner: your excellency, the [respected] Shaikh, knows that the Companions were the most truthful and precise of people in reporting from the Prophet عليه الصلاة والسلام, such that one of them would refrain from reporting [something from him عليه الصلاة والسلام] for fear of [the possibility of] forgetting something. So [even though they were so careful, here] this narration came to us on the tongue of a Companion with precision, ‘He told us what was and would be.’ The Companion could have said, ‘He informed us of the keys to these things, or told us in generality, or the major events that would occur,’ but instead he said, ‘He told us what was and would be,’ meaning comprehensively/exhaustively. This is one point.

The second thing is that the Companion said, ‘To the extent that there was not an [army] detachment except that he informed us of it and its leader.’ And it is known that the ‘detachment’ is a group [of people].

As for your saying that if Allaah, the One free of all imperfections and the Most High, informed the Prophet of His Knowledge then he would have become a partner [with Allaah in that], then this is not said for one reason: as long as we ascribe the matter back to Allaah the Mighty and Majestic, saying, ‘Allaah informed him,’ then this is something from the creation. This is one matter.

The second thing is that your Excellency knows that Allaah, the One free of all imperfections and the Most High, bestowed [lit. ‘split/shared’] some of His Beautiful Names on him which are present in the Quran, “Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger from amongst yourselves (i.e. whom you know well). It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He is anxious over you (to be rightly guided …), for the believers full of pity, kind [ra’oof], and merciful [raheem].” [Tawbah 9:128]. And these are from the Most Beautiful Names of Allaah [Al-Asmaa al-Husnaa].

We are only trying to say the following: He said about our master Ishaaq, “…a boy (son) possessing much knowledge and wisdom [aleem].” [Hijr 15:53] and this [i.e., aleem] is also from the Asmaa al-Husnaa. But when the wisdom is attributed back to Allaah the Mighty and Majestic then the knowledge of the Prophet عليه الصلاة والسلام is something originated or brought into being [haadith], so if Allaah were to inform him of the Unseen and [we also have] the open statement of the Companion that He informed him of what was and what will be, then this is somethng brought into being [haadith] in relation to the Prophet عليه الصلاة والسلام. Because the Prophet عليه والسلام is muhaddath [“spoken to” i.e., this knowledge is revealed unto him]. So this does not show that there is any sharing in any way, nor does it mean that the kindness of the Prophet عليه الصلاة والسلام is the same as the divine Kindness, nor that the prophetic mercy is the same as the diving Mercy. Because the first Mercy [i.e., that of Allaah], is sempiternal, and the mercy of the Prophet عليه والسلام is recent and created. Just like that is the knowledge of our master Ishaaq, which is recent knowledge, whereas the knowledge of The Truth is pre-existent.

Thus: Imaam al-Busiri has a point when he says, ‘And from your knowledge is the knowledge of the Tablet and the Pen,’ i.e., he came across this hadith and is not ignorant or a polytheist. Rather he was in a generation that had scholars and people of tawheed, [discerning scholars] who knew how to separate the wheat from the chaff. So if he was a polytheist they would have refuted him [it’s as though here the questioner is saying to Shaikh al-Albaani, ‘If he was a polytheist or a kaafir as you Salafis claim …’ even though Shaikh al-Albaani has not made any such accusation in the discussion]. [On top of that] it is well known that if we have ninety-nine reasons to declare a Muslim to be a disbeliever and we have one reason not to, we should resort to the safer option [of not declaring him to be a disbeliever], as long as supporting rationale exists.

Al-Albani: I’m sorry, you are now straying from the topic at hand, no offense intended.

Questioner: I haven’t strayed at all.

Al-Albani: I’ll establish for you the fact that you have strayed.

Questioner: If I have strayed I take back what I have said.

Al-Albani: I’m sorry but now you’re saying firstly, secondly, thirdly, fourthly and fifthly. Wallaahi, I admit to you that my memory is weak, I will not say to you that the answer to number one is so and so, and number two is so and so, etc. But at the end I felt that you left the topic when you said that al-Busiri is [not] a polytheist and no one declared him to be a disbeliever etc.–we were not discussing that.

Interjection by someone at the gathering: What’s known to people is that this majlis [assembly/sitting] is clean and its conduct is vindicated [of accusing anyone of shirk “idolatry”].

[Compilers note: The questioner was trying to say that the Salafis say that al-Busiri is a mushrik, so Shaikh al-Albaani answered him back because by saying that he has now entered into a new topic of discussion and so the above interjector was trying to say that it is common amongst many who associate themselves to Salafiyyah that al-Busiri is a mushrik but as for the gathering of Shaikh al-Albaani then it is clean and its conduct is vindicated from abusing people. Shaikh al-Albaani also responds by saying what is written below, that as long as our gathering is clean and free of such things then why do you want to make it filthy with your accusation of shirk?]

Al-Albani: I’m sorry but just now you didn’t mention [the topic of] shirk and that it is not shirk and that he is not a polytheist.

Questioner: Because there is a story …

Al-Albani: I’m sorry ustaadh, did you say he was not a polytheist or not?

Questioner: Indeed.”

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August 21, 2011

The Al-Albaani Blog in … Albanian!

Articles from this blog are being translated into Albanian by the brother at this blog: http://imamalbani.wordpress.com/.

May Allaah reward him with good.

So if you know any Albanians, spread the word.

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