Advice to the Seekers

Advice to the Seekers

(بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim), صلى الله عليه وسلم، سيدنا محمد

The Importance of Learning the Fundamentals

My advice to everybody is, Shaykh Khatri used to say, learn your fara'id (obligatory matters) and then do whatever you want to do. And I was noticing just from a lot of the questions and also from a lot of the private meetings with people, a lot of your questions can be resolved very easily if you get some general knowledge on your deen.

And I said yesterday that I don't think the religion intended for everybody to be a scholar in that sense of somebody who dedicates their life just to knowledge, because the world would not work if that was the case. Allah has made people, He puts different loves in different people's hearts. Some people love grammar. Most people hate it. But some people actually love it. And because you need grammarians. And He put love of mathematics in some people's hearts. Most people don't like math. But some people, they love it. It's their life. And that's because you need mathematicians. So whatever Allah put in your heart that you love, as long as it's halal, there's a hikmah, there's a divine wisdom in that.

Recognizing the Blessings Around Us

And we should be thankful for that. So everybody that you see who's in some way doing something positive, that's a blessing from Allah. They're a blessing. Everybody that you see out there is possibly someone that you owe something to. You might not know it. You might walk past a person that delivered the milk that you bought in the store. You just don't know. Everybody out there is potentially somebody who you actually are indebted to. And vice versa.

Essential Knowledge for Every Muslim

So people, I think if they would at least take some time out of their busy lives to give to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for acquisition of basic aqeedah, a lot of your problems will be resolved by just learning basic aqeedah. And then also a basic fiqh text of ibadat in particular. And then if you get married, I mentioned yesterday, you should learn the rules of marriage. Both the ahkam of zawaj and the ahkam al-talaq, because that's actually part of marriage, knowing divorce. And then also the mas'uliyat and wajibat wal mas'uliyat, the rights and responsibilities, the huquq az-zawjayn, the rights of the spouses. So that if there's any debates or anything like that, your spouses know who they owe, who's in the right and who's in the wrong, and problems will be resolved.

And then also a basic text on akhlaq, like taharat al-qulub, of purifying the heart and working on the heart and working on those things that you need in order to change yourselves and your condition. And then the best thing is to find good company, find some brothers and some for the sisters, some sisters that you're comfortable with, that have the same mashrab that you do, because you don't want to be around people that are arguing.

The Prohibition of Religious Argumentation

Imam Malik, he didn't argue, he wouldn't argue about religion, he wouldn't debate. It's as simple as that. The Raghib al-Isfahani says in al-Dhari'ah that al-jidal makruhun fi haqq al-'ulama, muharramun fi haqq al-'awam. That argumentation is makruh for ulama because it leads to bughd and shahna, it leads to animosity and enmity. But it's haram for common people. It's actually haram to argue about religion. It's haram.

I mean, understand that, that's a hukm of the ulama. It's haram for you to sit around in some MSA and argue about Ash'ari or Maturidi or Salafi or Wahhabi or Sufi, you have no authority to do that and you're actually accruing wrong actions. If you want to find out, then you have to study.

Following the Majority of Scholars

My suggestion is that you take very seriously the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ in which he said, be with the majority. There's a hikmah in that. The Prophet ﷺ said that the wolf will eat the sheep that goes away from the flock. The one who deviates from the majority deviates into the hellfire. So the majority of ulama are very clear about what Islam is. There hasn't been any serious debates.

It's following one of the schools that are valid, which does not negate talfiq, joining between the schools with the conditions that are laid out by the ulama and I don't, you know, the Shia, I consider them, they're our brothers in the religion. It's an old debate and I'm not going to resolve it. If the greatest ulama in the history of Islam couldn't resolve it, we're not going to resolve it. We shouldn't be under that illusion. And we should just have peaceful coexistence. You know, they have their mosques and if they come to our mosques, they're welcome to pray with us and we shouldn't get into fights or arguments with them. We should certainly not discuss the issues that create the animosity about sahaba or Aisha or any of those things. And if you don't ask, you know, you won't have a problem. If you start asking, you have problems.

Sidi Ahmed Zarroq said that the worst, the door to every evil is asking how so-and-so is doing. He said that's the door, is saying, how so-and-so doing. Because it opens the door of ghibah, of backbiting and all those things. So you just don't want to do that.

Learning from Valid Scholars

People have to learn fara'id. They have to go and learn from valid scholars and my advice about valid scholars are the people that are following what has been the majority of ulama following for the last several hundred years. And the majority is they follow one of the four madhhab. And if they have talfiq, it's with the conditions of talfiq, of going to other madhhab. It's done with the conditions.

And that they follow one of the sound aqeedah of the Muslims, which is either the aqeedah of Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari رضي الله عنه or the aqeedah with his school. It's not just limited to his opinions. Just like Maliki school is not just limited to the opinions of Imam Malik رضي الله عنه or the Hanafi school, the opinions of Abu Hanifa.

The Dynamic Nature of Islamic Schools

Sometimes the school goes against the opinions of the founder of the school, which is a proof. It's not taqlid a'ma. I mean, that's one of the ridiculous arguments of the people that attack these schools is they say, oh, they just muta'assib li Malik. And it's not true because there's positions in the Maliki madhhab that concur with the Shafi'i madhhab that go against Imam Malik's position. They actually take the position of the other madhhab because they think the dalil is stronger. So the argument of that is a false argument. People shouldn't listen to that. I mean, most of these arguments that people give are sophistical arguments. They're based on unsound reasoning.

And somebody gave me a paper the other day, and it was just for their own clarification, attacking the Ash'ari and the Maturidi madhhab. And it's fallacious reasoning. You know, I don't know what else to tell you. It's just that a lot of it is very poor, shoddy reasoning based on taking things out of context, based on attacking people for things that were necessary at a given time.

The Three Valid Schools of Aqeedah

And then the third, which I don't deny, I mean, some of the ulama would disagree with this, but the third is a Athari school, like people like Ibn Abd al-Barr, who were not Ash'ari or Maturidi, but they were Athari, but they were not like these people claim now. And that school is closest to the aqidah of Imam al-Tahawi, which is a very basic, simple aqidah that goes into no speculative theology. Those are what the ummah agreed on.

The Three Dimensions of Islam: Islam, Iman, and Ihsan

And then finally, the third aspect of the deen is ihsan. Ihsan has an outward aspect, which is akhlaq, of tahdhib al-akhlaq. And then it has an inward aspect, which are the ahwal and the maqamat, which are the states and stations of the sadiqin, of people on an inward path to Allah.

And I talked yesterday about the path of salvation, which is the majority of Muslims are on, of just trying to get salvation within the next world. And then the path of sanctification, which is to actually have ma'rifah in this lifetime, before you exit the world. And that is for people with the high himmah, sabiqun as-sabiqun أُولئِكَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ )Quran 56:11). Those are the people that Allah says are the outstrippers, sabiqun al-muqarrabun.

The Prophet ﷺ mentioned a group of people, and he was asked who they were, and he said المستهترون بذكر الله - people that are intoxicated, that are addicted to the remembrance of Allah. They're doing it constantly.

Seeking Good Company and Avoiding Argumentation

And my advice inshallah is to find good company. What I was saying is to find that good company of people of the same mashrab, so that you don't fall into disputation and argumentation. And if people want to argue with you, you say what Imam Malik said is ليس الجدال من الدين في شيء - argumentation is not part of the religion.

Simple as that. That's what he said. It's not part of our religion. If there's any jidal, it's supposed to be with non-Muslims. And then it's بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ )Quran 16:125), in the best way.

Opening Supplications

ختم الأنبياء وإمام المرسلين وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين ورضي الله عنا معهم برحمتك يا أرحم الراحمين

(3:8 Quran) رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ

(3:9 Quran) رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ جَامِعُ النَّاسِ لِيَوْمٍ لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ

(7:89 Quran) رَبَّنَا افْتَحْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ قَوْمِنَا بِالْحَقِّ وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْفَاتِحِينَ

أما بعد

Dear brothers and sisters, السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Hopes for Future Meetings

I don't like the word farewell because I hope that we meet again. And I like another greeting actually in the German language of Wiedersehen. We see again. This is what people say in the German language of Wiedersehen. It means we see each other over again with the hopes that we see each other over again. Farewell means there's no further meetings because people used to travel on sea and there were hardly any chances they would meet again.

But I hope inshallah that our ways will cross each other in other classes in this life here in Damascus or our ways cross each other in Mecca or Al-Madinah. And finally in our last abode in Al-Jannah inshallah where we know inshallah and we have hopes that if we maintain our iman inshallah and our righteousness and our ibadat we will be rewarded in Al-Jannah. Hopefully inshallah in the company of the Prophet ﷺ with the highest ranks of Al-Firdaws Al-A'la.

So we're not going to split or separate from each other but I hope that some memories of each other will remain with us. That is to say memories of guidance, reminders of Allah, the sacred knowledge that you studied with the teachers.

The Teacher-Student Relationship

And I'm very grateful to have been sitting with you here. Probably some of you are grateful or feel that they are obliged but actually I benefit from teaching the students. I believe I don't know how far but sometimes much more than some students benefit. Because first of all and this is number one without a student the teacher is never called a teacher. So there is no sheikh if there is no student. Otherwise I would be sitting at home and I won't be a sheikh or a teacher if I don't have a student.

Second if I don't teach what I studied just sooner or later I'm going to forget it. Third if you don't provide me with feedbacks that is to say some remarks, questions, comments I wouldn't be able to look up, find answers to recent questions, update my knowledge to the recent situations to find solutions to the rising problems for Muslims in a certain country or in a certain area in a certain time. Because we need to look up what is suitable for Muslims everywhere. And sometimes there are subtleties, explanations, proofs that we avert when we study or when we teach. So your feedback, your questions actually teach us a lot.

And besides your sincerity and your hearts are the most important things which make sometimes us speak things that we really are unaware of. It's your rizq. And this is actually what makes me fear Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala most in terms of making claims. Because what I say if it fits a person or if it comes as a response to a certain query a person has or to a certain problem a person has it's not that I am intelligent. It's not that I prepared. It's just your hearts, your sincerity that comes like a thirsty piece of land that calls for water and it absorbs water. It's not that we are good or we are learned.

The Four Categories of People in Knowledge

And I would like to remind you of the categorization that Imam al-Ghazali made in the beginning of Ihya Ulum al-Din that we don't have ignorant people and learned people. I'm not standing in front of you here claiming to be a learned person having knowledge, being proud of it, boasting of it and then talking to people in front of me as being ignorant and then reminding them of their ignorance. No. You are seekers. You are seekers.

You know Imam al-Ghazali said people are of four categories. The first is رَجُلٌ يَدْرِي وَيَدْرِي أَنَّهُ يَدْرِي فَذَلِكَ عَالِمٌ فَانْتَفِعُوا بِهِ - that is a scholar, learn from him.

The second : وَرَجُلٌ لَا يَدْرِي وَيَدْرِي أَنَّهُ لَا يَدْرِي - he doesn't know, but he knows he doesn't know. You should draw his attention to what he knows. This is the case of the seekers. People who don't know, but they know that they don't know. That is to say, they want to seek knowledge. They want to increase their knowledge of the deen or any subject. Then these are seekers. And some of these people would be probably much higher than many scholars.

The Best Generations

The Prophet ﷺ says in the Mutawatir Hadith: خَيْرُ الْقُرُونِ قَرْنِي ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ )Sahih Bukhari 2652, Sahih Muslim 2533) - the best of all generations is mine, then the one that follows, then the one that follows.

With the exception of the sahaba and the honor of sohba of the Prophet ﷺ there could be in later generations individuals who would outdo people from earlier generations with the exception of sahaba, sharaf, as-sohba. So there could be amongst you students who would be scholars in the future, inshallah. And

Your Potential and the Ummah's Need

And we have in front of us here a group of marvelous brothers and sisters devoted to the deen. Your love for the deen brought you here. Your sincerity, your vision that Muslims need to work on a higher level brought you here. So we are grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that you made the first step.

Some of you would return home to apply what they studied in their homes and within their families. Some others would go to teach in their communities. Some others probably would go and study for one, two extra years. Some others would devote the rest of their lives for the deen to become scholars. And this is what the ummah needs.

I'm not going to talk about the fourth category. A man who doesn't know and he doesn't know that he doesn't know. This is the worst category.

Changing the Direction of Islam in the West

Because with people like you, we can change the status quo of the Muslim ummah now. And we need to change the direction of Islam in the West. And the way to change it is to bring it from a level of activism to a level of intellectualism. That is to say, we need to bring the ummah to a higher intellectual level where the concern of the ummah is the study of the deen and the deliberation on knowledge.

Knowledge that belongs to Islamic civilization. Knowledge that stems from the book of Allah, the sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the way of the ulema. Not a level of activism. Because activism is now stemming from a void. From nothing. Just from anger. The level of Islamic activities now is based on anger, frustration, complaints. It should stem from understanding of our legacy. And no ummah, no nation in the world would succeed if it abandons its history, its legacy and turns against it.

Signs of the Last Days

And this is one of the signs of the Day of Judgment when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says the hour will not come until the last generations of this ummah would curse the earlier generations. And this is what we are witnessing now. Islam has been spreading in the West and especially in America here in the past 50 years in the wrong direction. With small exceptions in some communities and some individuals.

Preserving the Legacy of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah

And we need to change that to bring the spirit of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah. To bring the spirit of the ulema. To bring this great legacy. That is almost also disappearing in the Islamic world with the invasion of Western

academic institutions, faculties of Sharia and other faculties where everyone can join. Christian, Muslim, non-Muslim, sectarian from any group can join and get a degree in Sharia.

But here in the West we have an opportunity now to spread the way of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah. Built on civilization, on wisdom, on spiritual growth of the individual. Taking care of Islam, Iman and Ihsan. The three together in harmony with people like you inshallah.

Building, Not Fighting

But this takes a lot of efforts and takes a lot of sacrifice. If we sit at home and think that Islam is going to spread, no there are people actually who are distorting the image of Islam. And working on the opposite direction. We don't want to engage with them in any fighting, in any conflicts. And I would like to confirm what Sheikh Hamza said here. Our job is to build. And Sheikh Hamza, I reminded him of the poem, the builders, he knows it. He said it was part of the curriculum people used to memorize here in schools. Longfellow. Anyway, we need to build architects of life. It says in the poem.

So we need to build. We need to work, not to engage in fighting. My father gave me this advice and it's a precious piece of advice. He said never engage in refutations.

The Danger of Listening to Deviation

And one of the basic pieces of wisdom we learned from the ulama is the following. Never lend your ears to a deviator. Never lend your ears to a person of aberrance. Because the moment you give him your ears, then he owns you. He has control over you. That is to say, a drop won't leave any traces on a rock. But continuing, dropping on the same spot will leave some impact after a while. So just listening. All they need from you is to listen. Fox News. Yeah, I wanted to quote the news. This is actually brainwashing. Brainwashing process in the news, in the media. So all they need from you is just to listen.

Situational Ethics and Relativism

Listening once and again and again, then will make you convinced this is the truth. And this is by the way, this is what is called now situational ethics or what, just turning to Imam Zaid, what Martin Luther King Jr. called relativistic ethics in one of his famous speeches in the 50s when he talked about it's wrong because no one is doing it. And it's right because everyone is doing it. This is the situational ethics. So they make you believe that because this is the common discourse. It's right. And everyone is speaking it because everyone is practicing it. This is right.

You go to the mosques now, you find all people practicing a way of prayer or a way of ibadah often against Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah. You speak to people, mostly people are convinced of principles against Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah. And they make you believe because of the number of people and the common practice and the common discourse that this is correct.

Truth is Not Determined by the Majority

We have become actually to a way in Islam almost similar to the Western way. Here it is situational ethics as it's called now or relativistic ethics. This is very dangerous. Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib laid down a rule that I believe it could easily defeat the foundation of modern democracy. And it's very important. People don't pay attention to it. It just destroys the foundation of modern democracy. Referendum, polls and so on.

He says, you want to know the truth? Don't look for the number of people who are embracing the truth. Establish the truth through its proofs and then see who is practicing the truth, who is embracing the truth. It's not by the number of people. All democratic systems now are built on the number of people, the majority of people. And they made us believe that if the majority of Muslims are doing it, then it is right. If no one else is doing it, it's wrong.

So I know brothers who learned, for example, their deen to pray the Hanafi way. They go to the mosque, they see everyone is praying in a different way. They start imitating them. They believe they're wrong. They didn't study, just were taught by their parents. So they think they are wrong. So they go to follow just the Salafi way in the mosque because everyone is practicing the other way. No, it's not the opinion of the majority.

The Minority Nature of Believers Throughout History

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala defeats this premise in the Quran when he says

- not the majority of mankind, even if you persist, will be believers. That is to say, it's not throughout the history of Islam. It's not the majority who are going to be Muslims. Actually, the minority throughout the history of humanity.

And this has been beside the Quran also clarified in sound hadith as in the Sahihain. For example, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says:

مَا أَنْتُمْ فِي النَّاسِ إِلَّا كَالشَّعَرَةِ الْبَيْضَاءِ فِي الثَّوْرِ الْأَسْوَدِ أَوْ كَالشَّعَرَةِ السَّوْدَاءِ فِي التَّوْرِ الْأَبْيَضِ - amongst humanity, amongst people and mankind, you're like a white hair on a dark bull, or a dark hair on a white bull. This is the percentage of Muslims.

And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم explained this in several other hadith. In one hadith, he made the proportion on the day of judgment out of every thousand people, there will be 999 in the fire and one person in al-jannah.

Establishing Truth Through Proof, Not Numbers

So we don't take it by number. We don't take it by the majority. We don't take it because it is commonly practiced. We don't take it because everyone is saying it. No, we have to establish the path of truth.

And a lot of people will argue with you. So you have to be deaf. The best solution is just to be deaf. لا تمكن ذائق القلب من أذنيك - don't let the taste of the heart reach your ears. Allah has given you two ears to absorb knowledge. I feel myself, if I hear something, I would pick it up. This is why you have to be always with people who speak

the best language, who have the best practices, who tell you things that are good and right. Otherwise, you should actually put, you know, block your ears.

How to Deal with Those Who Argue

So when someone opens a conversation to argue with you, this is bid'ah or this is sunnah, then say, brother, if they are close to you, relatives or close friends to you, don't open the subject again. I don't want to argue. If they insist, then just leave them. And the problem is they are trained. And the best example I could bring to you from your society here, like Jehovah's Witnesses. They are trained. They know how to present their case. And they present their fallacies in a beautiful way that looks like, you know, a real proof. But it's just void of any foundation.

But you don't know it. You don't know how to refute it, how to counter-argue their premises. So you feel or you think sometimes that, oh, it makes sense. And this is what they want. The first thing is to plant some doubt in your minds. So the best thing is not to listen to them, because their fallacies, of course, won't sell in front of the scholars. They won't be able to present their fallacies in front of scholars. This is why they come to people like you.

The Nature of Fanatics

And they are fanatics. They don't want to change the subject. They don't want to change their minds. And they don't want to change the subject. According to Winston Churchill, his definition of a fanatic. Sometimes there's some wisdom you pick up from here and there when you read.

The Importance of Learning Language and Culture

So I told them yesterday, it takes a lot of effort for a man coming from the Middle East to speak in America. It takes a lot of effort because you need to read the culture, study the language, listen to the news and, you know, follow up just to keep up to date and what's going on. I just want to say that Sheikh Mohammed should put you to shame in terms of English. And just forget about Arabic. And I really mean that, you know.

And the thing that I really appreciate about him, Dr. Omar said the thing that he really gets upset about is he said, you have Khutbah here in America who've been given Khutbah for 10, 15, 20 years on the minbar and they can't speak English still. You know, they speak poor, broken sentences. They don't study any of the language or the culture. And he said it really upsets him because he feels that he's being insulted as somebody who converted from this culture or civilization to Islam. And then he listens to people that haven't taken the time just to learn his language in order to speak in it.

The Prophet's Example in Speaking to Different People

And that's one of the secrets of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. They said, he used to speak to every clan with their particular dialect. And then he would speak in what they preferred of their dialect. In other words, it was the

highest language. When he spoke to the people of Himyar, he spoke in their language. And when Umm Habibah came back from Habasha, she gave him a shirt from Ethiopia. And he said سَنَه - it's the language of Ethiopia.

And some of the ulama took it as proof that he knew all the languages. If he wanted, he could have spoken in any language.

But he spoke, she was coming from Habasha and he said, it's a nice garment. And every time that I see him, the language is more sophisticated than it was the previous time. So, you know, that's the thing. If you put some effort in, Allah gives you increase and openings and things like that.

The Challenge of Speaking High-Level English

But we have very few scholars from the traditional world that can come and speak, not only in a high level of English, but with the nuances of the language and of the culture. And for me, it's sad when your wit gets lost on witless people. Maybe one of the most important reasons for keeping up my English, actually quite formal and alhamdulillah on that literal style is that I don't live in America. The Americans are good at many things, but definitely not at the English language. With the exceptions of some poets, of course, and good writers in the past. I mean, common Americans, actually, it's terrible.

Actually, I had a journalist once in New York City in the Islamic Center. After listening to my speech, she said, your English is marvelous. What did you or excellent? What did you study? I said, not in America. She was embarrassed.

Maintaining Contact and Studying Traditional Texts

Anyway, actually, that's what I wanted to say. Ending up just the words, advice on not listening to people of deviation. At one point or another, you have to build up your own group of brothers, sisters, those of you who have come here and made friends here. Maintain reviewing what you studied, exchanging your notes, and then study further.

Because the beauty of our way is that we're studying texts and the text you can take at home. Our public talks are reminders of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Or sometimes just we entertain the soul, the mind, the heart, and you go at home so that you can change. But there's no text with a public talk to refer to other than some notes. If you carry with you your pen and paper, which is recommended, and you should do always when you move that you carry your pen and paper, notebook wherever you travel.

Apart from that, it's only the text that we are teaching that we hope that you maintain them. You go home, you review your notes, you exchange them. If there's any misunderstanding, of course, we are available. Teachers are not disappearing, although some are traveling. I'll be traveling myself, but we're not disappearing. There is a follow-up. We will follow up with you, inshallah, clarifying anything that could probably be misunderstood or any ambiguous sentence.

The Authority of Traditional Texts

This is the type of knowledge that we received from our teachers. There's a text. If there's anything wrong we say, the text is an authority. We're not teaching modern texts also that could be arguable. We're teaching texts that have been proven through history century after another. This is why I say for modern works, if anyone writes a book here now in our modern time and argues about fiqh issues that already settled by the fuqaha, let them survive for 200 years and see how they will be looked at after 200 years.

We're teaching manuals of fiqh that have been studied, elaborated on, reviewed over centuries. And as Imam Sheikh Hamza said, the Malikite school is not the opinions of Imam Malik. The same also, similarly, the Hanafite school is not the opinion of Abu Hanifa.

The Living and Evolving Nature of Madhhabs

So those people who come with the claims that this fiqh is not suitable to our time, they are building it on a fallacy that the Hanafi school or the Maliki school is the opinion of Imam Malik laid down 1200 years ago or more. No, a school of fiqh is a production of the greatest minds on the face of the earth for centuries ongoing, a process that is ongoing for centuries until our time.

In the Malikite Madhhab until let's say 1345 Hijri, probably the last of the greatest Malikite Muftis, Sheikh Al-Mahdi Al-Wazzani and his collection 13 volumes of fatawa has a lot of insights and insightful opinions in it. Just 1345 and sometimes he does not ijtihad but he does tarjih between or ikhtiyar between al-aqwal according to the development, the progress of people. Yeah, they think these like abortion, they were all dealt with these issues, even mudawwa bil dam, mudawwa bil a'lam. It's just, you know.

So most of modern issues are tackled actually. We have fuqaha, the same also in the Hanafite school. The process is going on and these madhhabs are not, you know, opinions that freezed 1200 years ago or more and then we have to apply them.

The Ranks of Scholars Within Each Madhhab

A madhhab is developing and scholars of course of authority, scholars of authority in each madhhab and there is tabaqat, there are ranks in each madhhab like in the Hanafite madhhab there are seven ranks of scholars. From a muqallid, a blind follower who sees this is haram, this is halal, applies it, to you have a mujtahid in the madhhab, a man who has authority to give his opinion in the madhhab. Seven ranks in the Hanafite madhhab and these ranks are known in each madhhab, in every madhhab, ahl al-tarjih, ahl al-ikhtiyar and so on, ahl al-fatwa, people of fatwa, people who would select, people who would give preference to opinions.

So this is what we need to understand. The fallacies that these people bring are very obvious to the ulama but difficult for you to refute. So this is what you should do. You should always turn away from people. Don't read such literature. Don't listen to such people.

Building Your Own Study Circles

Build on your own group, your own circles and start studying with each other. Start deliberating on what you have studied. This is the most important challenge that we are facing now amongst young people in colleges, in schools, with MSAs, with other organizations. People come together and this is the worst thing that we are receiving when people come to us. So you can do a lot of good work and save us a lot of time if you just protect your ears. And keep in good company as the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم advises us

Concluding Advice and Gratitude

I don't want to remind you of what I said because I think all my talks were just a piece of advice after a piece of advice on how to prepare for the Day of Judgment, how to prepare for the Hereafter, how to select our friends, how to purify our hearts, how to prepare for the sacred knowledge. Ibn al-Jawzi gave us some marvelous advice that we benefited hopefully from.

And last but not least, I would like just to thank Sheikh Hamza and Imam Zaid for just this great honor they have given me to be here with you and to sit with you and talk to you. Alhamdulillah, it's a great honor for me to meet any true believer, any sincere Muslim and transmit knowledge to them because otherwise, you know, wallahi, I have little actions. I have little works and I don't know whether I would be surviving on the Day of Judgment, passing over the bridge or not, but I hope that with the good intentions that you have and with the dua that you make for me and with this opportunity that Allah has given me to transmit knowledge to you that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive me my sins and let me pass over the bridge on the Day of Judgment with all of you inshaAllah.

Closing Supplications

اللهم شر ما أهمنا وأغمنا بخفي لطفك

اللهم فرج الهم عنا وعن المهمومين ونفس الكرب عنا وعن المكروبين واقض الدين عنا وعن المدينين وفك أسر المأسورين وأحسن خلاص المسجونين واغفر للعاصين والمذنبين وانصر أمة سيدنا محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم أجمعين

واغفر اللهم لنا ولوالدينا ولمشايخنا ولأرباب الحقوق علينا ولمن أحسن إلينا ولمن أساء إلينا ولمن أحبنا فيك ولمن سألنا الدعاء من المسلمين

وتقبل اللهم منا بجاه الحبيب الأعظم سيدنا محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم وبأسرار سورة الفاتحة

Please contact Zaytuna Institute at 510-582-1979 and on the internet at www.zaytuna.org