Titles of Muslim Female Scholars.

Salaam 'alaykum.
Like men, women in the past were showered with titles testifying to their scholarly and religious standing. Some such examples are:
1. Sitt al-Ajnas: Mawfiqiya bint 'Abdul Wahhaab ibn 'Ateeq.
2. Sitt al-Ahl: Umm Ahmed bint Ulwan ibn Sa'eed.
3. Sitt al-Shaam: Khatoon Ukht al-Malik al-Aadil.
4. Sitt al-Arab: Umm al-Khayr bint Yahya ibn Qa'imaz.
5. Sitt al-Fuqaha: Sharifa bint Khatib Sharfuddin Ahmad ibn Muhammad.
6. Sitt al-Fuqaha: Amat al-Rahman bint Taqiuddin Ibrahim ibn 'Ali.
7. Sitt al-Kul: 'Ayesha bint Muhammad ibn Ahmed ibn 'Ali.
8. Sitt al-Kul: Bint Imam Radiuddin ibn Muhammad.
9. Sitt al-Kul: Bint Ahmed ibn Muhammad Makkiya.
10. Sitt al-Mulk: Fatima bint 'Ali ibn 'Ali ibn Abu Badr.
11. Sitt al-Nas: Kamaliya bint Ahmed ibn 'Abdul Qadir.
12. Tajunnissa: Bint Rustam ibn Abu Rija' ibn Muhammad
13. Sharfunnissa: Amatullah bint Ahmed ibn 'Abdullah.
14. Fakhrunnissa: Shahdah bint Ahmed ibn 'Umar.
15. Zayn al-Dar: Wajiha bint 'Ali ibn Yahya.
16. Shajarah al-Dur: Umm Khalil.
17. Hurrah: Umm Muwayd Zaynab bint Abu'l Qasim 'Abd al-Rehman
18. Jaleelah: Umm 'Umar Khadija bint 'Umar ibn Ahmed.
19. Mu'allima: Ghalima bint Muhammad Andalusiya
20. Shaykha: Umm 'Abdullah Habiba bint Khatib 'Izzuddin, Umm Zaynab Fatima bint 'Abbas, Umm al-Fadl Safiyya bint Ibrahim ibn Ahmed, Umm Ahmed Zaynab bint Makki ibn 'Ali.
21. Musnadat al-Shaam: Umm 'Abdullah Zaynab bint Kamaaluddin Maqdisiyya

Heart Poisons.

The four poisons of the heart:

1. Excessive speech.

2. Unrestrained glances.

3. Too much food.

4. Keeping bad company.

Mujhe Insaan Kar De.

Mujhe insaan tu kar de

Ke yeh ehsaan tu kar de

Hidayat de mujhe Allah

Dua' din raat karta hoon.

From Behind The Curtain.

Al Salamu 'Alaykum.

Maryam Bint Jahsh, a scholar of classical Arabic helped her husband, the Yemeni scholar Jamal Al-Deen ‘Ali Bin Abi'l-Fawaris Al-Hamdani resolve a debate with members of the Murji’ sect; while Al-Mutahhar ibn Muhammad who was married to the famous Mujtahidah Fatimah Bint Yahya used to consult her on juristic matters while she sat behind a curtain, such that when he came up with the answer, his students would say:

‘This is not from you. This is from behind the curtain!’

Taken from Muslim Women Who Taught Their Husbands.

Training Children

Al Salamu 'Alaykum.

Al-Rubay’ bint Mu’awwidh – Allah be pleased with her – said while describing how the Prophet – Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – told them to fast ‘Âshûrâ:
We used to make toys out of dyed wool for the children and keep them with us so if the children asked us for food we would give them the toys to distract them until they completed their fast.
Sahîh Muslim. A similar narration is also in Sahîh Al-Bukhârî.
Al-Nawawî states in his commentary on Sahîh Muslim:
In this narration we are shown that children should be trained to do acts of obedience and made used to doing worship; although they are not legally bound.

Taken from Sayings of the Salaf.

Speak The Truth, O Muslim!

Salam-e-masnoon.
Once during the days of the British occupation of India, a dispute arose between the Hindus and Muslims in Muzaffarnagar District, Kandhla, over a piece of land which both of them claimed as their place of worship. They referred the matter to the English ruler of the district. He heard the case and evidence presented by both parties, but could not reach a verdict. He asked the Hindus, “Is there a Muslim in the area whose word you trust.” The Hindus replied, “Yes, we do,” and they mentioned the name of a Muslim scholar. The ruler, thereupon, summoned the Muslim scholar to his court. The scholar agreed and came to the court. He stood with his back turned towards the ruler and declared, “The Hindus are right. The land in dispute belongs to them.” The ruler decided accordingly. The Muslims lost the case, but truth scored a magnificient victory.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) has encouraged speaking the truth no matter how unpalatable it might be to others.

Taken from Dar al-'Uloom, Birmingham

Forgiveness.

On the authority of Anas, who said: I heard the messenger of Allah say:
Allah the Almighty has said: "O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it."
Sunan Tirmidhi.

O Man!

Al Salamu 'Alaykum.

"Aye Insaan! Tu jitna chahe gunah kar. Agar Allah ta'ala isee zindagi ko jahannum na bana de to dekh lena."
Translation:
"O Man! Commit as many sins as you wish and then see whether Allah turns this life of yours into a living Hell or not!"
Mufti Muhammad Shafi Sahib (rah) via Bro. Azimuddin.

Inaabat Il-Allah - The Basis Of Deoband.

Al Salamu 'Alaykum.

The basis of Dar al-‘Uloom (Deoband) was Inaabat Il-Allah (turning towards Allah). Mawlana Yasin Sahib said, “We saw that time of the seminary when the highest to the lowest teacher (ustaad) and even the door-keeper and the orderlies were Saahib-e-nisbat and `awliya’. At that time the school was a place of knowledge during the day and a Khanqah at night. During the last portion of the night, the sounds of Qur’anic recitation (tilaawat) and remembrance of Allah (dhikr) could be heard from most rooms. This in reality is the special distinction of Dar al-‘Uloom.”

From ‘Ulama-e-Deoband Kya The?

Submission & Surrender.

Al Salamu 'Alaykum.
A man's Islam is not secure unless it is based on submission and surrender. Anyone who desires to know that which is beyond his capacity to know and whose intellect is not content with surrender, his covetousness will veil him from a pure understanding of Allah's Unity, clear knowledge and correct belief, and he will veer between disbelief and belief, confirmation and denial, acceptance and rejection. He will be subject to whisperings and find himself confused and full of doubt, being neither a firm believer nor a resolute denier.
Al-Aqida al-Tahawiyya.

Gems From Tablighi Elders.

Al Salamu 'Alaykum.

Hadrat Mawlana Muhammad Yusuf Kandhalwi once said:
“In Muslims the custom and shape of deen is present. The aim of this Tableeghi struggle is that the spirit and reality of deen may come in them. Scattered parts of the deen are present in them. Our objective is that complete deen may come in them in its proper form and totality…”
Words and Reflections (Malfuzat Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas) by ‘Allama Muhammad Manzoor Nu’mani, translated into English by Hafiz Safwan Muhammad, Pg 28, footnote 1.
Mawlana Abu’l Kalam Azad (rah) said, “Everyone knows flaring up and bursting (into flames) like a bonfire but burning (incessantly) internally like an oven is something which very few know – and this was the quality of the Prophets (as).
Ibid, pg. 48, footnote 2.
“The veils of light are much thicker than the veils of darkness.”
Ibid, pg. 53. An old saying of the Ahl al-‘Ilm quoted by Hadratji Ilyas.
“Anyone who is bent on disgracing anyone other than himself, Allah wills to disgrace him.”
Hadrat Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas Kandhalwi (rah). Ibid pg. 100.
Once Hadrat (Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas) said, “…..Until your nights are not colored by the color of the nights of the Companions (Sahaba) the efforts you make in the day will not bring forth any color…..”
Ibid pg.118, footnote 1.

Submit to Allah.

"And whose words can be better than his, who calls (people) towards Allah, and performs good deeds, and says 'I am one of those who submit to Allah!'"
Al-Qur'an: Surah Fussilat, verse 33.

Bow Only To Allah.

Bajuz tere dar pe, mujhe naaz hai ke ya Rabb

Mera sar kata hai lekin mera sar jhuka nahin hai.

Go To Fir` awn!

“Go to Pharaoh (Fir’ awn), indeed he has rebelled. But speak to him mildly, that he might be reminded or fear (Allah).” Surah Ta-Ha v.43-44.


It is said that one of the later Caliphs was performing Tawaaf when a scholar reproached him harshly. The Caliph (Khalifa) protested, “Look! Neither am I worse than Fir` awn nor are you better than Musa (as). Allah (the Almighty and Exalted) said, ‘speak to him mildly.’”


Commentary taken from Tafsir Ishraq al-Ma’ani by Sayyid Iqbal Zaheer. Translation taken (with slight alterations) from Khan and Hilali’s Noble Qur’an.

Mujhe Hai Hukm-e-Adhaan

Agarchey but hain jama'at ki aasteenon mein

Mujhe hai hukm-e-adhaan

La ilaaha il Allah!

La ilaaha il Allah!

Do As You Say - Mawlana Munir.

Salamu 'Alaykum.

Log taqreer, bayaan awr waaz naheen sunte, balke hamari zindagi dekhte hain.

People don't (only) listen to (our) speeches, sermons and exhortations, rather they (also) look at our lives.

Mawlana Munir (db) through brother 'Azimuddin. 

Imam Abu Hanifa & His Mother.

Imam ‘Azam and his mother

Imam Abu Hanifa obeyed his mother in everything  she said. Whenever he went to the circle of ‘Umar ibn Dirar, he took her along on a beast. Once, she made a vow to do something and asked him to give a verdict about it but was dissatisfied with his (Imam Abu Hanifa’s) answer. She said, “I will only be at peace if you find (this) out from the preacher Zur’ah.” So he took her to him and she put her question to Zur’ah. He said, “The Faqih of Kufa is with you! Why ask me?” So, out  of respect for his mother, the Imam said, “I will dictate the edict (fatwa) and you issue it.” Thus, she was satisfied. 
The ‘Amir of Kufa, Ibn Hubayra offered the Imam the post of judge and he refused. So Yazid (had him) flogged with 110 lashes. He said that he was not so hurt with the punishment as with the pain that it caused his mother who said to him, “Nu’man! Give up this knowledge for which you have to suffer.” He said, “Mother, if I had sought the world with this knowledge then I would have earned much but I have acquired it only to please Allah and to earn deliverance.
Akhbar Abu Hanifa Wa Ashabihi pg. 53, ‘Uqud al-Juman pg. 292, Tarikh Baghdad, v13, pg.266.
Adapted from Qadi Athar Mubarakpuri’s “Achievements of Muslim Women in the Religious and Scholarly Fields.”

Mahmud-o-Ayaz

Aa gaya ayn ladaai mein agar waqt-e-namaz, 

Qibla rukh hoke zameen-bos hui qawm-e-hijaz

Ek hi saff mein khade ho gaye Mahmud-o-Ayaz, 

Na koi banda raha awr na koi banda-nawaz.

In the midst of fighting when came the time for prayer

The people of Hijaz turned to the Ka'ba and fell on their faces.

In one line stood king (Mahmud) and servant (Ayaz) 

neither of them a slave or master.

Teachers & Students Of Imam Abu Dawud.

Teachers and Students of Imam Abu Dawood Sijistani.

Teachers of Imam Abu Dawood:
Imam Shamsuddin al-Dhahabi says that he studied under many great ‘ulama. Ibn Hajr puts the number at 300. Among his more famous teachers are:

• Musaddad ibn Musarhad
• Yahya ibn Ma’een
• Qutayba ibn Sa’eed
• ‘Uthman ibn Abi Shayba
• Ahmad ibn Hanbal
• Qa’naby
• Abu’l Waleed Tayalisi.
• Muhammad ibn Kathir ‘Abdi
• Muslim ibn Ibrahim
• Abu Ja’far Nufaily.

He also benefited from Abu ‘Amr Dharir and ‘Asim ibn ‘Ali who were from the senior scholars of that time. He studied under many of Imam Bukhari’s shuyukh. Ibn Hajr has counted him alongwith Bukhari in the 11th generation of traditionists (muhaddithin).
Students:
Among his more noted students are: 

• Lu’lu’i.
• Ibn ‘Arabi
• Ibn Daastah
• Abu Hasan Ansari
• Abu Teeb Ashnani
• Abu ‘Amr Basri 
• Abu ‘Isa Ramli (to whom he gave his handwritten copy of Kitab al-Sunan) 
• Abu Usama Ruwas (narrator of 8 Sunan books)
• Abu ‘Abdullah (narrator of Kitab al-Radd ‘ala Ahl al-Qadr)
• Abu Bakr Najjar (narrator of Nasikh wa’l Mansukh)
• Abu ‘Ubayd Aajurri (narrator of Kitab al-Masa’il)
• Isma’il Saffaar (narrator of Musnad Malik)
• Abu Bakr ‘Abdullah (son of Imam Tirmidhi)
• Imam Nasa’i, 
• Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

Adapted from “The Biography of Imam Abu Dawud Sijistani”, edited by Mufti A.H. Elias.

Saving The Eyes & Lowering The Gaze.

It is reported that Hassân b. Abî Sinân (rah) went out one 'Eid and when he returned home his wife said, “How many beautiful women have you looked at today?” After she kept asking him, he said, “Woe to you! I have looked at nothing but my toe from when I went out to when I returned to you.”

It is reported on the authority of Al-Wakî’ b. Al-Jarrâh (rah):
We went out one 'Eid with Sufyân Al-Thawrî and he said, “The first thing we will do on this day of ours is to lower our gaze.”

Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Kitab al-Wara'. Taken from Sayings of the Salaf.

Wa Salam.