[Utensils] Test your understanding

[Expergefactionist]

Test your understanding:


1) A type of species that often sets its feet on filth, including excrement, blood etc, yet if it touches our bodies or clothes, it does not make it Najis. What is it?


2) A person had a utensil made of pure diamond that broke, so he decided to solder it with very small quantity of gold. Can he use this utensil to make Wudu?


3) A sister buys some second-hand cutlery from a car-boot sale in Farnborough, UK. Can she use it without washing?


4) How about a brother buying a raincoat from the nearest Oxfam? Can he wear it without washing it?


5) What is the Madhab ruling on praying with clothes made of animal skins that are exported from Western countries?


6) What is the ruling on water used to wash a dead human being, Tahir or Najis?


7) If a dead locust falls into your drink, is your drink Tahir or Najis?


8 ) Write what you know about:


i) Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi
ii) al-Majd
iii) Taqi al-Din
iv) al-Qadhi
v) al-Khiraqi
vi) al-Khallal
vii) Ibn ‘Aqil


9) What is the difference between al-Riwayah al-Mutlaqah and al-Riwayah al-Mukharrajah.


10) Give two examples of Mufradat of the Madhab.


11) Explain the difference between al-‘Illah and al-Hikmah, giving your own example.


(Hint: To answer some of* these questions, you will need to refer to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Life & Madhab, which I wrote in particular for these lessons)

[Unspecified]

1) A type of species that often sets its feet on filth, including excrement, blood etc, yet if it touches our bodies or clothes, it does not make it Najis. What is it?

a cat?

2) A person had a utensil made of pure diamond that broke, so he decided to solder it with very small quantity of gold. Can he use this utensil to make Wudu?

*******

gold is specifically forbidden, as a hadith of the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi was sallam, states not to drink for gold or silver utensils, or eat from their plates, as they are for the disbelievers in this world and for us in the hereafter (paraphrased).

*******

and this is a general prohibition, applying to all types of vessels, for all purposes, due to the way the hadith is phrased: "Do not..." and also the wording of the hadith which denotes generality - disbelievers use gold and silver for all purposes, not just for making*******utensils out of which they eat/drink.******* so we cannot use these metals for making vessels, nor can we use them for eating/drinking out of or any other purpose.

*******

They are also forbidden to use as a solder: there is no mention of any exception (for use as a solder)apart from a hadith which relates the Prophet using a small amount of silver to mend a utensil - and silver is the only thing that has been mentioned in ahadith, not gold.

However, although it is prohibited, there are differences of opinion regarding whether wudhu from such a vessel is valid or not.

*******

3) - q not complete

*******

4) How about a brother buying a raincoat from the nearest Oxfam? Can he wear it without washing it?

*******

He can wear it, even if a kaafir has worn it, because it is an outer garment.

*******

5) What is the Madhab ruling on praying with clothes made of animal skins that are exported from Western countries?

Im not so sure about this one.*******

According to the madhab, all animal skins whether they have been tanned or not are najis.

However, there is a narration from Imam Ahmad stating however, that skins of animals that were tahir before can be used, but must be tanned.

If its from a western country, then presumably, they do not slaughter correctly, so such animal skins*******will be najis.

*******

6) What is the ruling on water used to wash a dead human being, Tahir or Najis?

*******

I dont quite understand the ques...

*******

Do you mean water that has been used for washing a dead human being, what is its 'status' after being used?

*******

If thats what is meant, then the water is still tahir, pure, because a human being is not najis, so the water upon touching the human wont become najis.

*******

7) If a dead locust falls into your drink, is your drink Tahir or Najis?

*******

A locust is classed as a bloodless animal, and these when dead (as long as they did not originate from somethig nasjis) are tahir.******* So your drink will still be pure.

*******

8 ) Write what you know about:

***************************************************************************** i) Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi

***************************************************************************** ii) al-Majd

***************************************************************************** iii) Taqi al-Din

***************************************************************************** iv) al-Qadhi

***************************************************************************** v) al-Khiraqi

***************************************************************************** vi) al-Khallal

***************************************************************************** vii) Ibn ‘Aqil

*******

Need to revise :S

*******

9) What is the difference between al-Riwayah al-Mutlaqah and al-Riwayah al-Mukharrajah.

*******

the first one is an explicit narration of Imam Ahmad, and the latter is, well:

*******

sometimes there isnt a*******statement on a particular matter from Imam Ahmad, but his explicit narrations are used to deduce an 'opinion' - but the people of the madhab differ over whether these deduced 'narrations' are part of the madhab or not.******* Those who agree that they are, they call them al-riwayah al mukharrajah (extracted narrations).

*******

10) Give two examples of Mufradat of the Madhab.

*******

Mufradat of the madhab, is when the madhab holds an opinion, that is different from all other madhabs - i.e. it is alone in holding that opinion.

*******

One such opinion is that the skin of all animals are najis, whether tanned or not.

*******

Cant remember any other one...

*******

11) Explain the difference between al-‘Illah and al-Hikmah, giving your own example.

*******

al-'illah vs al-Hikmah

*******

Hikmah means wisdom, and al-'Illah means 'cause to effect' (?)

*******

Basically, when there is a prohibition on a certain matter, there may have been a reason given - and this will be the 'illah.******* For example, usury.******* Usury is prohibited - and the illah is that you cannot return more than you took in the first place.*******

*******

Although the wisdom behind this may be that the poor people will be hard done by this method, the illah is as stated.

*******

With respect to hikmah - this is wisdom.******* This is different from illah, in that there is no legal text supporting this.******* Basically, you can think of many reasons why usury is forbidden - to protect the poor, to make sure that banks do not profit out of this too much, to create a balanced society in terms of profits/losses on all sides etc.

*******

But the legal reason still stands.

*******

The difference between the two comes into play when you start to use qiyas - deduction using texts.

*******

For example, alcohol.******* Alcohol is forbidden.******* 'Every intoxicant is khamr (wine), and every khamr is forbidden.' ( I cant remember whether this is a hadith or ayah).******* Based on the illah here, because we have a legal text as to the reason for its prohibition*******we can deduce by analogy*******that ALL intoxicants are forbidden (e.g. drugs).

*******

Now if I state another example... gold and silver utensils.

*******

Their prohibition is clear, but there has been no illah, or reason given.

*******

Although we could state the hikmah behind this*******is the poor people would not feel saddened by seeing the rich people using these utensils, we cannot by analogy, say that you cannot make utensils out of precious stones (for example) even though they may be more costly.******* Because there is no legal text stating the reason behind its prohibition.*******

*******

You can only deduce by analogy when there are texts explaining the reasons.******* Not just based on hikmah.

*******

For example, with usury - even if the person taking out a riba based loan is happy with giving more at the end of it all, its still not ok to do it, because there is a clear text explaining the reason why its forbidden (i,e, ending up returning more than you took)

*******

So as long as the fact stands, i.e. you end up paying more, it will always be forbidden.

*******

Sorry, this answer has become too wordy :S

*******

(Hint: To answer some of******* these questions, you will need to refer to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Life & Madhab, which I wrote in particular for these lessons)

*******

? So we can use the posts to help us in our answers???

[Unspecified]

These questions are really useful Alhamdulillaah, inasmuch as they have shown my lack of revision, and holes in my knowledge as a result. Will be more thorough next time, insha'Allaah.

[Expergefactionist]

JazakumAllahu Khairan for your appreciation.

Yes, these are 'open-book' tests, which means you may look into the past posts, articles or whatever helps you in answering these questions, since the purpose of having these tests is to test your understanding and not memorisation. Especially the questions about scholars, etc are intended to encourage one to read and research.

I guess you can have a second attempt at these questions.

I think many other users are having problem logging into the forums at the moment, and hence, lack of response.

was-salaamu 'alaikum

(I have also completed question 3)

[Abu Ilyas]

As Salaamualaikum,

These are my answers:

1) - Not sure

2) A person had a utensil made of pure diamond that broke, so he decided to solder it with very small quantity of gold. Can he use this utensil to make Wudu?

No he may not use gold, even a very small quantity to fix the utensil, because the hadeeth only proves the validity of using a very small quantity of silver in a utensil.

3) A sister buys some second-hand cutlery from a car-boot sale in Farnborough, UK. Can she use it without washing?

Given that the cutlery was second hand and must have been eaten from, she must wash it before using the cutlery unless she knows for a fact that the previous owners were people of the book who did not eat swine or unslaughtered meat.

4) How about a brother buying a raincoat from the nearest Oxfam? Can he wear it without washing it?

Raincoat will therefore have been worn before. This raincoat he can wear without washing even if worn by kaafir before him as it would not have been in contact with private parts. The raincoat is Taahir.

5) What is the Madhab ruling on praying with clothes made of animal skins that are exported from Western countries?

The position of the Madhab is that one cannot pray in such clothes tanned or untanned regardless of if they come from the west or from any other countries, this is because the skins of dead animals are Najis.

6) What is the ruling on water used to wash a dead human being, Tahir or Najis?

I was going to say such water is Taahir based on the hadeeth of abu Hurayrah 'A muslim does not become Najis' - but I have a doubt about it , maybe something I read previously..so I pass.

7) If a dead locust falls into your drink, is your drink Tahir or Najis?

Locusts blood does not flow when u kill it, therfore aslong as it does not originate from filth a locust falling into your drink does not make your drink najis it remains pure.

8 ) Write what you know about:

(This will be brief!)

i) Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi - Please see my post on him in the relevant thread.

ii) al-Majd - Ibn Taiymiyahs grandfather who wrote a book on fiqh ul hadeeth.

iii) Taqi al-Din - Shaykh Ul Islam..major major scholar , too much to write..but he refuted the deviants of his time and helped defeat the mongol menace .

iv) al-Qadhi - was a Hanafee who became a Hanbali

v) al-Khiraqi - He wrote a fiqh manual for the Hanbalee Madhab.

vi) al-Khallal - He went around the world collecting the statements of Imaam Ahmad.

vii) Ibn ‘Aqil - later Hanbalee scholar, but he was influenced by some mutazili type Ideas...(I saw a book written about his life by George Makdisi in Daar At Taqwaa.but it was £50 !!)

9) What is the difference between al-Riwayah al-Mutlaqah and al-Riwayah al-Mukharrajah.

The former is the explicit statement of the Imaam. The latter is an extracted opinion based upon narrations of the Imaam which may be used to deduce the ruling of the madhab where there is no explicit statement on the matter at hand.

10) Give two examples of Mufradat of the Madhab.

The only one*******I know is the issue of the tanned animal skins. the hanbalis are the only ones who hold the opinion that Tanned skins do not become Taahir.

11) Explain the difference between al-‘Illah and al-Hikmah, giving your own example.

al -'Illah is the legislative cause of a ruling in the Shariah. The ruling comes into force due to this i.e someone who has sex outside of marriage is whipped 100 times for this. The cause (illah) for the lashings is the act of fornication..

...whereas the hikmah behind this type of punishment (i.e the benefits gained from such type of punishment)*******might be the*******prevention *******of sexually transmitted diseases for example.

[Unspecified]

1) A type of species that often sets its feet on filth, including excrement, blood etc, yet if it touches our bodies or clothes, it does not make it Najis. What is it?

The insect species? e.g. flies.******* But I still think it could be cats as well, as they walk about everywhere, and mingle with us, and of they drink from a container, it is still clean and does not need to be washed.

2) A person had a utensil made of pure diamond that broke, so he decided to solder it with very small quantity of gold. Can he use this utensil to make Wudu?

Gold is specifically forbidden as a material for a vessel, or for mending one (as use as a solder) due to a hadith of the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi was sallam, which states that we should not drink from gold or silver utensils, or eat from plates made from them, as they are for the disbelievers in this world and for us in the hereafter.

Although the hadith mentions the prohibition in relation to eating or drinking utensils, the scholars say it applies to all types of vessels, for all purposes, including purification.

So, it is prohibited to use a utensil that has been soldered using gold.

However, there is a hadith which relates the Prophet using a very small amount of silver to mend a utensil – and this is the only exception.*******

Regarding a person who uses such a vessel for wudhu, there are two narrations on this issue in respect to whether that persons wudhu is valid or not; some scholars say it is valid, and other scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah say it is not.

3) A sister buys some second-hand cutlery from a car-boot sale in Farnborough, UK. Can she use it without washing?

If a sister were to buy some second-hand cutlery from a non-Muslim (& more specific, from the people of the book) in Farnborough, she would have to wash it first before using it.

In general, it is permissible to use utensils of the people of the book without washing as long as their contamination with filth is not known.******* However, in the context of the society we live in, the non-Muslims eat slaughtered meat that we are not allowed to eat.

So the cutlery, as it is second had, and because it was owned and used by a person whose meat we cannot eat, is not tahir.

4) How about a brother buying a raincoat from the nearest Oxfam? Can he wear it without washing it?

The same permissibility regarding utensils also applies to garments.

As a raincoat is an outer garment, and has not come into contact with the previous wearers private parts, it is Tahir, so can be worn without washing.

5) What is the Madhab ruling on praying with clothes made of animal skins that are exported from Western countries?

According to the madhab, all skins of dead animals are Najis, regardless of whether they have been tanned or not.******* Thus, one cannot pray in them.******* However, one can wear them, but has to remove them before he can pray to fulfil the condition of being in a purified state for prayer.

6) What is the ruling on water used to wash a dead human being, Tahir or Najis?

Do you mean water that has been used for washing a dead human being, what is its 'status' after being used?

*******

If that is what is meant, then the water is still Tahir, pure, because a human being does not become Najis due to death, so the water, upon touching the human, wont become Najis.

7) If a dead locust falls into your drink, is your drink Tahir or Najis?

The general rule is that all dead animals are Najis, as a verse in Surah al-Maidah states that the dead animal has been made forbidden to us.

There are exceptions however, and one of them is a dead bloodless animal (an animal whose blood does not rush out when slaughtered).******* This type of animal is not Najis, as long has it has not originated from Najasat (filth).

A locust is classed as a bloodless animal, so if it falls into your drink, your drink will still be pure.

8 ) Write what you know about:

***************************************************************************** i) Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi

Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi was a notable Hanbali scholar.******* He authored five famous books on fiqh, starting for a beginners book, Umdat al Fiqh, progressing upwards, to al-Muqni, al-Kafi and then his masterpiece for advanced students, al-Mughni; a book on comparative fiqh.

***************************************************************************** ii) al-Majd

Majd al-Din Ibn Taymiyah was the grandfather of Ibn Taymiyyah, another renowned teacher of the Hanbali madhab.

***************************************************************************** iii) Taqi al-Din

Is the first name of sheikh ul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah.******* A great scholar, expert in many fields, and also forefront in Jihaad, notably against the tartars.******* He was tested much through his life, and spent a lot of time in prisons.******* In his last imprisonment before he died, he was banned from having any books, pens or papers etc. He remained in prison until he passed away.

Whenever news of his death reached a region, the people would gather in the main mosques and prayer over him. [Refer to Al-A'laam al-'Aliyyah, pg. 85] http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/seerah/0047.htm

***************************************************************************** iv) al-Qadhi

*******

al-Qadhi Abu Yusuf was the famous student and companion of Imam Abu Haneefah.******* Imam Ahmad studied fiqh under him in his early years.

*******

al-Qadhi Abu Ya'la al-Kabir was a Hanafi who became a Hanbali.******* He is also regarded to be the victor of Ahmad's Madhab.

***************************************************************************** v) al-Khiraqi

*******

A scholar named al-Khallal compiled all the narrations of Imam Hanbal into a voluminous work known as Jami' al-Khallal.******* Al-Khiraqi then summarised it into a short treatise.

***************************************************************************** vi) al-Khallal

*******

See above.

***************************************************************************** vii) Ibn ‘Aqil

*******

A scholar of the Hanbali school, a liberalist (literalist???) Sorry, did a google, not much.******* Some articles say he was a sufi?

9) What is the difference between al-Riwayah al-Mutlaqah and al-Riwayah al-Mukharrajah.

The first are explicit narrations, issues of fiqh that are based on explicit statements of Imam Ahmad.

When there is no explicit statement of Imam Ahmad on an issue, Hanbali’s extract information from available explicit narrations.

But there is a difference of opinion with respect to whether these narrations are part of the Madhab of Imam Ahmad; those who believe they are, call these narrations extracted narrations, or, Riwayah al-Mukharrajah.

10) Give two examples of Mufradat of the Madhab.

Mufradat of the madhab, is when the madhab holds an opinion, that is different from all other madhabs - i.e. it is alone in holding that opinion.

*******

One such opinion is that the skin of all animals are Najis, whether tanned or not.

Another is regarding the washing of filth of a pig (I am not so sure here whether Hanbali’s are the only one to do this).******* A hadith states that of a dog licks a utensil, he should wash it seven times, one of them with sand.******* Hanbali’s include the najaasah of a pig as well, by qiyas.

11) Explain the difference between al-‘Illah and al-Hikmah, giving your own example.

When there is a prohibition or permissibility on a certain matter, there may have been a reason given - the 'illah, or effective cause.******* And by that, we can know the reason why that thing has been, say, allowed/prohibited.*******

*******

[Im still thinking on my own example for this one!]

*******

But something may be prohibited or permissible, but there is no legal text or reason for this given.******* For example, gold is prohibited for men.******* The hikmah, or wisdom behind this may be that adorning yourself with gold in any form is something that is woman-like.******* But there is no legal reason.*******

[Stuck in Prison]

1. A type of species that often sets its feet on filth, including excrement, blood etc, yet if it touches our bodies or clothes, it does not make it Najis. What is it?

a bird (?)

2. A person had a utensil made of pure diamond that broke, so he decided to solder it with very small quantity of gold. Can he use this utensil to make Wudu?

No, only can if its silver and little quantity but one must not touch the silver white using it.

3. A sister buys some second-hand cutlery from a car-boot sale in Farnborough, UK. Can she use it without washing?

As the cutlery is second hand she knows that they have been used – this is certain. She doesn’t have to wash them if the people she bought them from were Christian or Jews who don’t eat swine nor unslaughtered meat. If the people were Christians or members from another religion who eat dead meat or whose dead meat we cannot eat then they must be washed.

4. How about a brother buying a raincoat from the nearest Oxfam? Can he wear it without washing it?

It is tahir as it is an outer garment and hasn’t come into contact with the disbelievers private parts.

5. What is the Madhab ruling on praying with clothes made of animal skins that are exported from Western countries?

All skins of dead animals are najis even tanned animals. This is the correct opinion of the madhab and the hanbali madhab is unique with this opinion.

6. What is the ruling on water used to wash a dead human being, Tahir or Najis?

Tahir, as the Muslim does not become najis according to this hadith of Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – when he left the company of the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam – in order to make the Ghusl of Janabah (sexual defilement). Upon his return the Prophet asked him where he was, to which he replied that he was in the state of Janabah, and did not like to sit next to him without Taharah. The Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alahi wa-sallam – said to him in reply: “SubhaanAllah! Verily, a Muslim does not become Najis.”

7. If a dead locust falls into your drink, is your drink Tahir or Najis?

A locust is a bloodless animal and the general rule is that they are tahir but if it originates from najis then it is najis but Im not sure whether locusts originate from najis or not!

8. Write what you know about:

i) Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi

Author of******* 4 classical books in hanbali fiqh.

1)*********************************** al Umdah – for beginners

2)*********************************** al Muqni – intermediate

3)*********************************** al kafi

***************************************************************************************************************************************************************** 4) al mughni – advanced

ii) al-Majd

grandfather of shaykh al islaam ibn taymiyyah

iii) Taqi al-Din

This is Shaykh al Islaam ibn Taymiyyah > Ibn Taymiyya was born in Harran, Syria, and died in Damascus in ah 728/ad 1328. He lived in a time when the Islamic world was suffering from external aggression and internal strife. The crusaders had not been fully expelled from the Holy Land, and the Mongols had all but destroyed the eastern Islamic empire when they captured Baghdad in ah 656/ad 1258. In Egypt, the Mamluks had just come to power and were consolidating their hold over Syria. Within Muslim society, Sufi orders were spreading beliefs and practices not condoned by orthodox Islam, while the orthodox schools of jurisprudence were stagnant in religious thought and practice. It was in this setting of turmoil and conflict that Ibn Taymiyya formulated his views on the causes of the weakness of the Muslim nations and on the need to return to the Qur'an and sunna (practices) as the only means for revival.

iv) al-Qadhi

Imam Ahmad started his career by learning fiqh under Al Qadhi Abu Yusuf – the famous student and companion of Imam Abu Hanifah.

Al Qadhi Abu Ya’la wrote ibtal al taweel li akhbar al sifat (nullification of figurative interpretation of narrations pertaining to divine attributes) – A hanafi who became hanbali – also regarded a victor of Imam Ahmad’s madhab.

v) al-Khiraqi

Summarised the compilation of al khallals work – Jami al Khallal into a short treatise of fiqh called mukhtaser al khiraqi. This was the first fiqh manual ever written on the madhab and its first explanation was written by al khiraqi. He was the first hanbali to explain his own manual in fiqh. Ibn Qudama al maqdisi gave the most beneficial explanation to the manual in his al mughni. Khiraqi died after being beaten up when he tried to command the good and forbid the evil in Damascus.

vi) al-Khallal

al Khallal travelled the Muslim world collecting opinions and knowledge of Imam Ahmad from his students after his death. He compiled it all into an organised form, complied all the narrations into a volumous work known as Jami al Khallal.

vii) Ibn ‘Aqil

Abul Wafa Ali Ibn ‘Aqil – influenced by the mu’tazilahs but later repented. Great hanbali scholar. He stated that whenever Allaah blessed the hanbalis with knowledge they became more engrossed in worship and thanks to Allaah.

9)*********************************** What is the difference between al Riwayah al Mutlaqah and al Riwayah al Mukharrajah?

Al Riwayat al mutlaqah are explicit narrations from the Imam whereas in fiqh where there is no explicit narrations from the Imam they extract opinions from them ( even though thye may differ amonst themselves)those who regarded their extracted opinions to be the madhab of Imam Ahmad called this type of al Riwayat al Mukharraja )extracted narrations)

10)******* Give two examples of Mufradat of the Madhab

Skin of the dead animal after being tanned is still najis.

11) Explain the difference between al-‘Illah and al-Hikmah, giving your own example.

There is hikmah in women covering and wearing hijab, which can be seen******* - it reduces attention from men, women aren’t used and abused through, zina is less likely, rape statistics are lower, this isn’t the illaah – the effective cause – this is simply that the woman is not covering herself.

[Expergefactionist]

[Utensils]:

1) A type of species that often sets its feet on filth, including excrement, blood etc, yet if it touches our bodies or clothes, it does not make it Najis. What is it?

A fly often sets its feet on filth, including excrement or blood, yet if it lands on our bodies, clothes or even food, it still does not make what it landed on/in Najis. In fact, we have been advised to dip the fly into our drink three times, which often causes the fly to die, yet it still does not make our drink Najis, because a fly is from the ‘bloodless animals’ that do not become Najis after death.

2) A person had a utensil made of pure diamond that broke, so he decided to solder it with very small quantity of gold. Can he use this utensil to make Wudu?

There is nothing wrong with using a utensil made of pure diamond. The prohibition only applies to gold and silver. As for using a soldered utensil, then if it is soldered using gold, then it is prohibited. However, if it is soldered using a very small amount of silver, for necessity only, then it is allowed, so long as one does not touch the silver solder while using the utensil, except for necessity.

3) A sister buys some second-hand cutlery from a car-boot sale in Farnborough, UK. Can she use it without washing?

The people in Farnborough, like the rest of Europe, use their utensils to eat and drink that which is forbidden for us to consume, in which case one should wash the second-hand cutlery before utilising them.

4) How about a brother buying a raincoat from the nearest Oxfam? Can he wear it without washing it?

Since a raincoat is an outer-garment, there is no need to wash it.

5) What is the Madhab ruling on praying with clothes made of animal skins that are exported from Western countries?

The Madhab is singled out in holding the opinion that skins of those animals, not slaughtered according to Shariah, remain Najis even after being tanned. This follows that the Madhab regards leather garments imported from the West to be Najis, since they do not slaughter the animals Islamically, and therefore, it is not allowed to pray with such garments on. However, there is another narration from Imam Ahmad, which agrees with the rest of the Imams, that once an animal skin has been tanned, it becomes Tahir, irrespective of whether it is slaughtered Islamically, or otherwise.

6) What is the ruling on water used to wash a dead human being, Tahir or Najis?

The water remains Tahir, since a human being does not become Najis by death. Therefore, the water poured over a dead human being also remains Tahir, for if it were to become Najis, due to the human being becoming Najis after death, washing the dead will only increase Najasah, and not get rid of it, and hence, there will be no wisdom in washing the dead.

7) If a dead locust falls into your drink, is your drink Tahir or Najis?

Locust is from the ‘bloodless’ species that do not become Najis due to death, and therefore, the drink remains Tahir.

8) Write what you know about:

a. Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi

He is a great Hanbali Imam who died in the 7^th century after Hijrah. He is the very author of the book we are studying – al-‘Umdah – which is book heavily depended upon in the Madhab. He is also the author of famous al-Mughni in Fiqh. He migrated from Palestine at an early age during the crusades and thereafter resided in Syria. He also had the opportunity to with the great Sufi Sheikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani al-Hanbali, as he had the opportunity to fight alongside Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi against the crusaders. He died on the day of Eid, leaving behind someone of the most beneficial works, such as Lum’at al-I’tiqad in Salafi creed, as well as Dham al-kalam in criticism of the Ash’aris and other philosophers and free thinkers.

b. al-Majd

He is known as Abd al-Salam Majd al-Din Ibn Taymiyah, Abul-Barakat. He is the grand father of the famous Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyah and a great Hanbali scholar of al-Harran (northern Iraq/Kurdistan). He is regarded to be one of the foremost authority in the Hanbali madhab, such that it was said, that the Madhab is whatever the ‘two Sheikhs’ agree on; meaning Ibn Qudamah and Majd al-Din Ibn Taymiyah. He is also the author of al-Muharrar fil-Fiqh, one of the reliable manual in the Madhab, as he is the author of a collection of Hadeeth in Fiqh called Muntaqa al-Akhbar, to which al-Shawkani wrote a famous explanation called Nail al-Awtar. He was known amongst the contemporary scholars, and admired by great grammarians, such as Ibn ‘Aqil – the author of the famous Alfiyah (1000 verses on Arabic grammar).

c. Taqi al-Din

He was the wonder of his age, as his rivals admit. Indeed, he is Sheikh al-Islam, Abul-‘Abbas Taqi al-Din Ahmad Ibn Taymiyah al-Harrani al-Hanbali. He memorised the Quran and books of Hadeeth before he was ten, and was given the position of Fatwa, before he was 20. There was not a science, except that he mastered it, such that it could easily be said that he was the master of all sciences in his time. As much as he was an outstanding scholar of his age, he was also a very keen activist who would encourage the rulers to fight against the Tatar onslaught, as he would also give fiery lectures in Damascus, encouraging the Muslims to face the Tatar and not runway. This was at a time when the prominent scholars of Syria were fleeing with their families and books to Egypt. On the battlefield, he was described as the most courageous and valiant warrior who would be the first to attack the enemy. He wrote at length discussing and exposing the pseudo-intellectualism of Muqallid Ash’aris of his time, due to which he was brought to the court numerous times for his creed to be cross-examined, and in every one of those cross examinations he defeated his opponents and adversaries. He had a very strong personality, such that he refused to give in to the Ash’ari demands, in exchange for his freedom from prisoners and suffering. In fact, he looked at his imprisonment as a source of immense good, such that he would fall in prostration and make Dua: ‘O teacher of Adam and Ibrahim, teach me and give me understanding!’. This is while his followers would become overcome by anxiety and fear. When Allah gave him the upper hand over his opponents in Egypt, he had a golden opportunity to exterminate his enemies by ordering the ruler, but instead, he praised them in presence of the ruler and spared their lives. To this, his opponents praised Ibn Taymiyah saying, ‘when we had an upper-hand over him, we persecuted him, and when Allah gave him an opportunity to kill us, he forgave us all’. The Muslim population at that time, especially in Damascus had immense respect and love for Ibn Taymiyah, which made Ibn Taymiyah – not a scholar of high positions in the government, but that of high position in the hearts of people, in fact he truly was the king of hearts, which is substantiated by the multitudes of people who came out on the streets for his funeral, in spite of him dying in prison. He had a huge impact on the Hanbalis to come after him, such as Ibn Muflih, al-Mardawi, Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab and many others. He began his Sharh on al-‘Umdah, but did not manage to finish. His works continue to affect the present Islamic Awakening throughout the Islamic world. May Allah give me the opportunity to write his biography, Ameen.

d. al-Qadhi

al-Qadhi Abu Ya’la is regarded to be the champion of the Hanbali Madhab in his time, and surely he deserves the credit for spreading the Madhab at a time when the Madhab was about to die out. He studied Fiqh under two main Hanbali figures, Ibn Hamid and Abu Muhammad al-Tamimi, where the latter had Ash’ari inclinations, which explains al-Qadhi’s Ash’ari tendencies towards the beginning of his career. However, towards the end he wrote his book Ibtal al-Ta’wilat in refutation of Ash’aris and aided the Madhab of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and his immediate teacher and the Sheikh of Hanbalis on his time, Ibn Hamid, by affirming all of Allah’s attributes that have come in the divine texts. In the Hanbali terminology, the early and the intermediate scholars (until 9^th century AH) use the word al-Qadhi to refer to al-Qadhi Abu Ya’la, where as the latter scholar use the word al-Qadhi to refer to al-Qadhi al-Mardawi.

e. al-Khiraqi

He was one of the prominent students of Salih and Abdullah, the two sons of Imam Ahmad. He is the first Hanbali to write a manual in Fiqh, which became known as Mukhtasar al-Khiraqi. Allah placed much blessing in this manual, such that it was explainened numerous times by various Hanbali scholars, the best of all these explanations being al-Mughni, the masterpiece of Ibn Qudamah. One of the unique things to remember about al-Khiraqi is that he is the first in three things; 1) To write a fiqh manual in the Madhab, 2) to be the first one to write its sharh, and 3) to be the first Hanbali to write a Sharh to his own manual. He wrote many books, although, the only book available to us today is his Mukhtasar. He was killed in Syria for commanding the good and forbidding the evil.

f. al-Khallal

He was the famous Hanbali scholar who deserves the credit for collecting and preserving the Madhab of Imam Ahmad. He is famous for travelling around the Islamic world in search for Imam Ahmad’s opinions which he collected in voluminous collection called al-Jami’. Unfortunately, vast majority of al-Jami’ is lost, but nevertheless, we still have in our midst Mukhtasar al-Khiraqi, which is a summarisation of al-Khallal’s Jami’.

g. Ibn ‘Aqil

He is one of the most intelligent Hanbalis of his time. He was a student of al-Qadhi Abu Ya’la. He is the author of one of the biggest works ever written in Islamic history, which he called al-Funun (the Arts). He was influenced by Mu’tazilahs during his early career; however, he later repented and wrote extensively condemning Mu’tazilahs and Ash’aris in particular.

9) What is the difference between al-Riwayah al-Mutlaqah and al-Riwayah al-Mukharrajah.

The former is the opinion in the Madhab which is explicitly stated by Imam Ahmad. Latter is an opinion in the Madhab, which is extracted from the general principles or explicit statements of Imam Ahmad, when there is no explicit opinion narrated from the Imam.

10) Give two examples of Mufradat of the Madhab.

i) The skin of a dead animal remains Najis irrespective of whether it is tanned or not.

ii) If one uses stolen water to make Wudu, the Wudu is rendered invalid.

11) Explain the difference between al-‘Illah and al-Hikmah, giving your own example.

Al-‘Illah (the effective cause) is that which the presence or the absence of it results in the presence or the absence of ruling; unlike al-Hikmah (wisdom) for the presence or the absence of it, has no effect on the ruling.

An example of that is stopping at the traffic lights. The ‘illah for stopping at the traffic lights is, the light turning red, where is the Hikmah is prevention of road accidents. If a driver at the traffic lights sees no car coming, he is still obliged to stop if the light is red, even if there seems to be no Hikmah in stopping. The same is applied to Islamic laws pertaining to interests, Hijab and other issues.