الحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِيْ أَرْسَلَ رَسُوْلَهُ بِالهُدَى وَدِيْنِ الحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّيْنِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ المُشْرِكُوْنَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاإِلهَ إِلا اللهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ اللّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلىَ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّيْنِ … أمَّا بَعْدُ، فَياَ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ لَقَدْ قاَلَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ياَ آيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوْا اتَّقُوا اللهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إلاَّ وَأنتُمْ مُسلِمُونَ. …
Dear brothers, the ummah of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w,
I remind myself and fellow congregation to be conscious of Allah s.w.t. at all times; in the open or when we are by ourselves. Do all that has been commanded by Allah with dedication and commitment. Refrain from all of Allah’s prohibitions with steadfastness and seriousness. May we be blessed with His blessings and pleasure throughout our lives, Ameen Ya Rabbal 'alamin
Fellow Muslims! Speaking about great scholars is not an easy task, for however you try to grasp the life of any of them you will not be able to do so. Even you may miss the most important and the most impressive aspect of his life.
The way of life of the earliest great Ulamaa is the exemplar par excellence and showing that is an encouragement to our youths in order to discourage them from imitating evil people who have either no positive role to play in this life nor any value in human history.
Our man of today’s talk is that great Imaam who grew up in the city of Al-Madeenah, whose mention is elevated and whose knowledge has filled the earth. He taught people in the corners of masjid al-Nabawi and became so popular with this so much so that when it is said: “ the scholar of Al-Madeenah” or “ the Imaam of the city of Hijrah” no one would think of any other person.
Maalik ibn Anas was born in the Prophet’s city and grew up there as a lover and seeker of knowledge in spite of his poverty. His mother gave him good upbringing by telling him:
| | “Go to Rabee’ah and learn from him manners before you learn knowledge”. |
This woman knew her role in life and her mission of educating and grooming the youth. She knew that manners are good companions of knowledge and that knowledge is valueless without manners. This woman molded a man and as such molded a nation.
This was what actually happened in the life of Maalik and that was what made him a school in manners from whom students learn and the whole ummah benefits.
Imam Maalik once told a Quraishee youth:
| | “O my nephew, learn manners before you learn knowledge”. |
Yahya ibn Yahya At-Tameemee said,
| | “I stayed with Maalik after the completion of my learning knowledge from him for a year in order to learn manners and good qualities from him. And the qualities are the same as those of the companions of the Prophet and those who followed them.” |
Modern educational methods sometimes appear like mere texts that are devoid of any moral content thereby making knowledge losing its splendor and impact. If knowledge were to be separated from manners , you will see a huge defect in its influence on people’s conduct and purity of their deeds. Therefore, there is no good in a knowledge that does not earn one good morals.
Creating a gap between knowledge and manners breeds ill behaviors like attacking the Ulamaa, being rude to them, bad conduct, maltreatment of parents, blind imitation of unbelievers in matters of dressing and being hostile to teachers and educators either physically and verbally.
Brothers in faith!
Imaam Maalik sat to give fatwa (formal legal opinion) and did not do so until seventy scholars had attested to his worthiness of that. What a different between the one who praises and forward himself and the one who is praised and forwarded by the knowledgeable and distinguished people! Maalik said:
| | “It is not every one who would like to sit in the mosque and teach the hadeeth and give fatwa are worthy of that. Let the one who wants to sit for fatwa first seek for the advice of pious and distinguished people; if they see that he is fit for that, let him do that; for I did not sit to teach hadeeth and give fatwa until seventy scholars attested to his worthiness of that.” |
Imaam Maalik also said:
| | “I am only human, I make mistakes and I do give correct opinions. As for my opinions, examine them, if they are in accordance with Sunnah, take to them.” |
Whenever Maalik was asked a question, he would tell the questioner,
| | ‘Go now and let me think over it.’ When the questioner was gone, Maalik’s students would ask him the reason for what he said and he would answer. “I fear a Day with the Questioner (Allaah) and what a (terrible) Day!” |
He was also asked a question and he asked the questioner to give him time to make some research and the man said: ‘But the issue is very simple. Maalik retorted,
| | ‘There is nothing simple in knowledge! Don’t you hear the saying of Allaah: إِنَّا سَنُلْقِي عَلَيْكَ قَوْلاً ثَقِيلاً (5) “ We shall send down to you a weighty word.” (Qur’aan 73:4) |
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Imam Maalik used to say,
| | “The people of knowledge and understanding that I have met in our country, when one of them was asked a question on an issue, he would feel like the one about to die. But the people of our own time love giving fatwaa (without hesitation). Had they know what they are going to face tomorrow (in the Day of Judgement) they would not have done that. Umar, Alee and ‘Alqamah are some of the best companions of the Prophet, yet when anyone of them was asked a question, he would consult his fellow companions before giving an answer to it. But it is unfortunate that fatwaa has become the pride for the people of our time” |
These are the erudite and sagacious scholars who filled the world with their knowledge and good deeds and yet used to say, “I do not know”. You will however be surprised to see some people who know next to nothing about Islamic Law and yet desecrating it by speaking about the allowed and forbidden things. Even, a topic on Islamic law may come forth in a meeting and the meeting will not end before all the attendants -irrespective if their different fields of knowledge - give their opinions saying for instance, ‘According to my view . . .’ ‘As far as I belief . . .’ etc.
Subhaanallaah! When did the matter of legalizing and forbidding become a subject to ignorance and conjecture?!! If an engineer were to practice medicine and prescribe drugs, what are you going to say about him and what is going to be his fate?! What then about the one who dares to desecrate the Islamic law and speak about the lawful and forbidden things without knowledge particularly on special events that are so complicated that if Umar were to witness such events, he would have gathered all the companions who took part in the Battle of Badr to help solve the problem. But unfortunately fatwa in our age has become a spacious ground in which all those who wish to become popular or are seeking people’s pleasure at the risk of Allaah’s displeasure contest.
Issues pertaining to Islamic belief are static ones over which no one is allowed to give his independent judgement. Likewise are issues that have evidences in the Qur’aan and Sunnah and issues on which scholars have consensus. It is incumbent on all Muslims to leave the say on matters of knowledge to whom they are due and not to enter into the issues of halal and haraam on which they have no knowledge. Maalik said,
| | “Whoever wants to give answer to a question should first assume himself standing between Paradise and Hell and ponder about how he is going to be saved in the Hereafter before he answers.” |
Brothers in faith!
Imam Maalik was sick for twenty two days and died at the age of eighty seven. Naafi’ (his famous student) said,
| | “Maalik died at the age of eighty seven and lived in Al-Madeenah as its Mufti for sixty years.” |
May Allaah have mercy on Maalik, for he used to say
| | : “I met some people in Al-Madeenah who had no faults but they speak of other people’s faults, then people created fault’s for them. I also met other group of people in al-Madeenah, who had faults but kept away from speaking of other people’s faults and the people also keep off from speaking about their faults.” |
بَارَكَ اللهُ لِيْ وَلَكُمْ فِيْ القُرْءَانِ الْعَظِيْم، وَنَفَعَنِيْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ بِاْلأَيَاتِ وَالذِّكْرِ الْحَكِيْمِ، وَتَقَبَّلَ مِنِّيْ وَمِنْكُمْ تِلاَوَتَهُ، إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيْعُ الْعَلِيْمُ، أَقُوْلُ قَوْلِيْ هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ الْعَظِيْمَ لِيْ وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ الْمُسْلِمِيْنَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوْهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْمُ.
