ISMAEL

Taleem & Tarbiyyat Magazine for Waqfeen-e-Nau

QUARTERLY | ISSUE #17 | JAN-MAR 2020
FROM
THE EDITOR
It is often said that man experiences two Hazrat Maulvi Nuruddin, Khalifatul Masih I,
types of death; once, when he dies and may Allah be pleased with him, once said:
moves on to the Hereafter and the second, “Neither do those who are more prone to
when his name is mentioned for the last time cause harm live in peace, nor do they let
on earth. others do so. They remain in hell themselves
In Islam, one of the most motivating factors and also make life miserable for others.
of keeping your name alive is for seeking Therefore, instead of being harmful to
God’s pleasure. others, be beneficial to all.
We all know that we have a limited amount “The biggest thing that you can do is to
of time on earth, and we are limited, due manage your time, make use of prayers,
to that time, to the amount of good deeds forge a bond friendship with the pious and
we do to ensure God is pleased with us. increase in love for pious people. A principle
However, one method of pleasing our Lord of love is:
and receiving His blessings is to leave
behind such works as can help others and
thus, become the recipients of their prayers. “[(People’s) hearts are made on the love of
Ahadith are replete with instructions to pray those who are best with them.] My nature is
for the dead, that they may be successful such that if I ask someone to do something
on the Day of Reckoning and please their and they do not do it, then my love for that
Lord. In another hadith, we are reminded person ceases to remain. The same is the
to visit graveyards often so that we may be case of God’s love. He holds those dearest
reminded of our real duties on earth. who remain obedient to Him.” (Haqaiq-ul-
In the Holy Quran, we are told: Furqan, Vol. 2, p. 417)
May Allah enable us to remain loyal to our
Creator and may we please Him in every
“… as to that which benefits man, it stays on sphere of life. May we leave a legacy for
the earth.” (Surah al-Ra‘d, Ch.18: V.13) future generations that can benefit them
Thus, one of our goals should be to leave and, ultimately, benefit us. Amin.
behind such a legacy that is beneficial for
our families, our children, our fellow Ahmadi
Muslims and the world at large.
WELCOME TO
07
ISMAEL MAGAZINE
Quarterly ISSUE #17 JAN-MAR 2020

CONTENTS
04 The Holy Quran

05 Hadith

06 Excerpt from the writings of the

Promised Messiahas

07 The Pure Life of the Seal of all Prophets

12 Pride leads one to forget God

14 Blessings of tabligh (calling unto Allah) 16

A personal account

19
16 Significance of service to Islam

18 POEM - The Test

19 Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifa

30 POEM - Allah
 MEET THE TEAM
12
Chief Editor & Manager
Luqman Ahmed Kishwar

Assistant Manager
Athar Bajwa

English Editor
Qaasid Muin Ahmad

Urdu Editor
Farrukh Raheel

Editorial Team
Farhad Ahmad
Jalees Ahmad
Mudabbir Din
Ataul Fatir Tahir

Design & Creativity

Mirza Lutf ul Qadous

Front Cover
Zaid Tariq

CONTACT
WAQF-E-NAU (CENTRAL)
22 DEER PARK ROAD,
LONDON. SW19 3TL
(UK)

+44 (0)20 8544 7633

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manager@ismaelmagazine.org
editorenglish@ismaelmagazine.org
editorurdu@ismaelmagazine.org

www.waqfenauintl.org

14
 “Haply thou wilt grieve thyself to death because they believe not.”
(Surah al-Shu‘ara, Ch.26: V.4)

In his exegesis of the Holy Quran, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih II, may Allah
be pleased with him, states:

“When Hazrat Alira accepted Islam, he was still just a child, but he accepted Islam with the realisation
that he would have to bear all hardships and difficulties for the sake of Islam, so much so that, if required,
he would have to offer his life for God Almighty.
“It is narrated in a hadith that in the early days of his prophethood, the Holy Prophet, peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him, invited Banu Abdul Muttalib for a meal so that he could convey to them
the message of Islam. Many relatives of the Holy Prophetsa also attended the dinner.
“When everyone had eaten, the Holy Prophetsa stood up to deliver his message, but Abu Lahab sent
all the participants away and thus, they all left for their homes without listening to what the Holy Prophetsa
had to say.
“They Holy Prophetsa was very surprised that he had invited all those people to a meal and they still
did not listen to what he had to say. But the Holy Prophetsa was not disheartened, rather he instructed Hazrat
Alira to invite them again. Hence, arrangements for another meal were made all over again.
“On the following occasion, once they had all eaten to their full, the Holy Prophetsa stood up and
said, ‘Look at what a great favour Allah has done upon you that He has sent His Prophet among you. I call
you to the One God. If you accept what I have to say, then you will inherit spiritual and worldly blessings. Is
there anyone among you who will help me in this mission?’
“There was complete pin-drop silence in the gathering. Then from one corner, a young child stood
up and said, ‘I am a very weak person and the youngest among those present here, but I vow to support
you.’ This young child was Hazrat Alira, who announced his support for Islam.”

(Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 7, pp. 24-25)

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 Hazrat Abu Saeed al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, said that

The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
“Paradise becomes incumbent for a person who is pleased with Allah as his Lord, with Islam as his faith and with
Muhammad as the Messenger.” Hazrat Abu Saeedra was pleased with this and requested the Holy Prophetsa to
repeat it. He repeated it and added, “There is something else by which Allah exalts a servant a hundred grades in
Paradise, the distance between any two grades being like the distance between heaven and earth.” Hazrat Abu
Saeedra asked: “What is that, O Messenger of Allah?” He answered, “Striving in the cause of Allah, striving in the
cause of Allah.”

(Sahih Muslim)

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 THE WORK OF PROPHETS IN
PROVING GOD’S UNITY
A close study of all the Scriptures revealed by God Almighty shows that all the Prophets have admon-
ished the same thing: believe in God Almighty to be One without partner and, along with it, also believe
in God’s Messengers. This is why the gist of Islamic teaching was taught to all of the ummah in these
two sentences:
ُ َ ٌ َ ُ ُ َّ َ ٰ َ
ِ‫ہّٰللا ﳏ َ ّﻤد ّر ُﺳ ْو ل ہّٰللا‬ ‫ل اِلہ اِل‬
[“There is no God but Allah. Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”].
It should also be borne in mind that it is only the Prophets, peace be on them, who demonstrate the
existence of God and teach people that He is the One without any partner. If these holy ones had not
appeared in the world, it would have been an implausible and impossible matter to find the straight
path with certainty. Though a person of pure nature and sound mind can, by reflecting on the earth
and heaven and observing their perfect and firm order, conclude that there ought to be a Creator of
this work full of wisdom; but, there is a great difference between the statement that “there ought to be
[a Creator]” and “He really does exist”.
(Haqiqatul Wahi [The Philosophy of Divine Revelation], p. 133)

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 Love for the
Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
and the importance of Durood

Azhar Goraya

Missionary of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in Mexico

Azhar Goraya graduated from Jamia Canada in 2014. He chose to be a missionary as he is part of the Waqf-e-
Nau scheme. He had developed an interest in the writings of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, which
encouraged him to pursue this line of education. He is currently serving as a missionary in Mexico.

Islam is a perfect religion, one that guides us in every matter of life. It teaches us that to be a true
Muslim, one must have sincere love for the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

The Holy Quran states:

“Say, if your fathers, and your sons, and your brethren, and your wives, and your kinsfolk, and the wealth
you have acquired, and the trade whose dullness you fear, and the dwellings which you love are dearer
to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His cause, then wait until Allah comes with His
judgment; and Allah guides not the disobedient people.” (Surah al-Taubah, Ch.9; V.24)

The Prophet Muhammadsa also highlighted the necessity of having love for the Messengersa of Allah.

Hazrat Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him, said:

“None of you will have faith until they love me more than their father, their children and all mankind.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman, Bab Hubbur-Rasul sallallahu alaihi wa sallam minal-iman)

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It is necessary to love the Holy Prophet and anyone who claims any superiority without
Muhammadsa more than our own lives. There is acknowledging his grace is not a human being
an interesting narration about Hazrat Umar, may but is the spawn of Satan, because he (the Holy
Allah be pleased with him, that sheds light on this Prophetsa) has been bestowed the key to every
aspect of faith. exaltation and he has been given the treasure
house of every understanding. He who does not
Hazrat Abdullah bin Hisham, may Allah be receive through him is deprived forever.
pleased with him, narrated, “We were with
the Prophetsa and he was holding the hand of “I am nothing and possess nothing. What am I
Umarra bin al-Khattab. Umarra said to him, ‘O and what do I amount to? I would be ungrateful
Allah’s Messengersa! You are dearer to me than if I were not to confess that I have found true
everything except my own self.’ The Prophetsa Tauhid through this very Prophet. I have attained
said, ‘No, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is, [you the recognition of the Living God through this
will not have complete faith] until I am dearer same perfect Prophet and through his light. The
to you than your own self.’ Then Umarra said to honour of converse and communion with God,
him, ‘However, now, by Allah, you are dearer to through which I behold His countenance, has
me than my own self.’ The Prophetsa said, ‘Now, been bestowed upon me through the same Great
O Umar, [now you are a believer].’” (Sahih al- Prophet. (Haqiqatul-Wahi, The Philosophy of
Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman wa al-Nudhur, Bab Kaifa Divine revelation, pp. 137-138 [2018])
kanat yamin al-Nabi sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)
The Prophet Muhammadsa is an “excellent model”
We should therefore increase our knowledge of Islamic teachings. His life was based upon
about the life of the Holy Prophetsa. Based on that high moral principles, and the Quran has in many
knowledge, we should inculcate in ourselves love, places mandated Muslims to follow his example.
honour and respect for the Holy Prophetsa in our
hearts, which is a requirement of our faith. The Quran tells us the following about the
Prophet Muhammadsa:
To truly send Durood, we must be conscious of
the rank and honour that Allah granted the Holy “And thou dost surely possess high moral
Prophet Muhammadsa. excellences.” (Surah al-Qalam, Ch.68: V.5)

The Promised Messiahas stated: He demonstrated these high moral qualities in

all parts of his life, to both friend and foe. So
“Thus, I always wonder what a sublime high was the rank of the Prophet Muhammadsa,
Prophet this Arabian Prophet is, whose name that Allah granted him many distinctions that he
is Muhammad (thousands upon thousands of did not grant any other prophet. It is only for the
blessings and peace be upon him). One cannot Holy Prophetsa that Allah has declared in the Holy
fathom the limit of his sublime status and it is not Quran:
given to man to estimate the extent of his spiritual
effectiveness. It is a pity that his rank has not been “Allah and His angels send blessings on the
recognised as it should have been. Prophet. O ye who believe! you also should
invoke blessings on him and salute him with the
“He is the champion who restored to the world salutation of peace.” (Surah al-Ahzab, Ch.33: V.57]
the Tauhid [unity of God] which had disappeared
from the world; he loved God to the extreme and That is Allah himself declares that he sends
his soul melted to the extreme out of sympathy blessings on this prophet and has instructed
for mankind. every believer to seek blessings for him as well
until the Day of Judgement.
“Therefore, God, who knew the secret of his
heart, exalted him above all the Prophets and Why has He told us to invoke Durood? One of
all the first ones and the last ones and bestowed the reasons is that Prophet Muhammadsa is so
upon him all that he desired within his lifetime. beloved to Allah, that those who send blessings
It is he who is the fountainhead of every grace, on him will be blessed by Allah, much like how

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if a person loves a small child, eventually the Companionsra of the Holy Prophetsa had the very
parents of that child will also begin to love that same question. It is narrated in a hadith:
person.
Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Abi Laila, may Allah
We should send blessings upon him, keeping be pleased with him, narrated that Hazrat Kaab
in mind his high status and the great pains and bin Ujrah met him and said, “Shall I not give you
lengths he went to teach us Islam and with a a present that I got from the Prophet?” Hazrat
realisation that even now it is only possible to Abdur Rahmanra said, “Yes, give it to me.” He was
come closer to Allah if we have love for him in our told, “We asked Allah’s Messengersa saying, ‘O
heart and follow his footsteps. Allah’s Messenger! How should one (ask Allah to)
send blessings on you, the members of the family,
The Promised Messiahas wrote in one place about for Allah has taught us how to salute you (in the
why we should love the Holy Prophetsa in the prayer)?’ He replied, Say:
following words:

“Just reflect upon the sincerity and devotion

of our Chief and Master, Muhammad, the
Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him. The Holy Prophetsa stood firm
against all forms of evil. He bore diverse trials and
tribulations, but did not care in the least. It was
this sincerity and devotion which moved Allah the
“O Allah! Send Your mercy on Muhammad
Exalted to shower His grace. It is for this reason
and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent
that He states:
Your Mercy on Abraham and on the family of
Abraham, for You are the Most Praiseworthy, the
Most Glorious. O Allah! Send Your blessings on
Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You
sent your Blessings on Abraham and on the family
“Translation: ‘Allah Almighty and all His angels of Abraham, for You are the Most praiseworthy,
send blessings upon the Messenger. O ye who the Most Glorious.”’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab
believe! You also should invoke blessings and Ahadith al-Anbiya, Hadith 3370)
peace upon the Prophetsa.’ This verse establishes
that the deeds of the Noble Messengersa were This prayer is known as “Durood Sharif” or
such that Allah Almighty did not use any specific “Assalaatu alan-Nabi”. To recite this prayer is an
word to praise them or outline his attributes. essential part of our faith.
Although words could be found, God Himself
chose not to use any in particular. Under the conditions of Bai‘at outlined by the
Promised Messiahas, the third condition states:
“For the pious deeds of the Holy Prophetsa
were beyond the confines of praise. A verse “That he/she shall regularly offer the five daily
of this nature does not exist in praise of any prayers in accordance with the commandments of
other Prophet. The soul of the Holy Prophetsa God and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings
was imbibed with such sincerity and purity, and of Allah be upon him); and shall try his/her best
his deeds were so praiseworthy in the sight to be regular in offering the Tahajud (pre-dawn
of God that Allah the Almighty decreed for all supererogatory prayers) and invoking Durood
times to come that all future generations would (blessings) on the Holy Prophet (peace and
send blessings upon the Holy Prophetsa as an blessings of Allah be upon him); that he/she shall
expression of gratitude.” (Malfuzat, Vol. 1, pp. 36- make it his/her daily routine to ask forgiveness
37 [2018]) for his/her sins, to remember the bounties of God
and to praise and glorify Him.”
How do we invoke blessings on the Holy
Prophetsa? When this verse was revealed, the The Durood that we send upon the Prophet

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Muhammadsa should be heartfelt. The Promised me.” (Jamey‘ al-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-da‘waat an
Messiahas stated in a letter to one of his Rasulillah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)
companions:
Durood Sharif is an essential part of our daily
“Stay intensely focused in invoking Durood and prayers. It is a necessary part of the acceptance of
seek blessings for the Holy Prophetsa with the prayers.
same sincerity and discernment with which one
seeks blessings for a dear one. Seek this with It is mentioned in a hadith that Hazrat Fazalah bin
great humility and there should be no pretense in Ubaid, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
this humility and prayer, rather pray for the Holy
Prophetsa with the spirit of true friendship and “While the Messengersa of Allah was seated,
love. Seek those blessings with a sincere heart a man entered, performed Salat and said, ‘O
and soul for the Holy Prophetsa which are inherent Allah, forgive me, and have mercy upon me.’ The
in Durood. It is a sign of personal love that one Messengersa of Allah said, ‘You have rushed, O
never tires, is not disheartened and invokes praying person. When you perform Salat and then
Durood with no involvement of vested interests sit, then praise Allah with what He is deserving of,
and only recites it for Divine blessings for the Holy and send Salat upon me, then call upon Him.’”
Prophetsa. (Maktubaat-e-Ahmad, Vol. 1, pp. 534-
He carried on by saying:
535)
“Then another man performed Salat after that,
There are many blessings associated with the act
so he praised Allah and sent Salat upon the
of Durood. We should be conscious of them and
Prophetsa. The Prophetsa said to him, ‘O praying
consequently feel even more inclined towards
person! Supplicate, and you shall be answered.’”
reciting this prayer to better our relationship with
(Jamey‘ al-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-da‘waat an Rasulillah
Allah.
sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)
We should not think that offering Durood Sharif is
The Day of Judgement will be a day when there
in some way necessary for the Holy Prophetsa. It is
shall be no refuge other than the refuge of Allah.
in fact to help us that Allah has taught us to pray
Many will be honoured and many will be abased.
for him. The Holy Prophetsa once stated:
The Holy Prophetsa guaranteed that the person
“O people, on the Day of Judgement, those who is most regular in offering Durood will be
who will be most worthy of salvation from its closest to him on the Day of Judgement, and
fear and risks will be those who sent the most therefore safe from the calamity of that day.
Durood upon me during their lives. Certainly, the
Hazrat Abdullah bin Masud, may Allah be pleased
blessings of Allah and His angels was sufficient
with him, narrated that the Prophet of Allah,
for me as is mentioned in the verse, ‘Certainly
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
Allah and His angels call down blessings on the
Prophet’. But Allah ordered the believers to do
“The person closest to me on the Day of
so as well so that they may be rewarded because
Judgement is the one who sent the most Salat
of it. (Kanzul Ummal, Al-kitab al-thani min harfil-
[blessings] upon me.” (Jamey‘ al-Tirmidhi, Abwab
hamza)
al-Witr)
The Prophet Muhammadsa admonished those that
Durood Sharif is also a way to gain blessings,
were not in the habit of sending Durood upon
wipe out our faults and elevate our spiritual rank:
him.
Hazrat Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with
Hazrat Ali bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased
him, said that the Prophet of Allah, peace and
with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah,
blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
“Whoever sends Salat [blessings] upon me once,
“The stingy person is the one before whom I am
Allah will send Salat upon him tenfold, and will
mentioned, and he does not send Salat upon

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erase ten sins from him, and will raise him ten The Promised Messiahas writes:
degrees in status.” (Sunan al-Nasai, Kitab al-Sahw,
Bab al-fazl fis-salah alan-Nabi sallallahu alaihi wa “The man who in his being and his attributes
sallam) and his actions and through his spiritual and
holy faculties set an example of perfection,
The Promised Messiahas was a witness to the great in knowledge and action and in sincerity and
blessings linked with Durood. He wrote in one steadfastness, and was called the perfect man was
place: Muhammad [peace and blessings of Allah be on
him]. ...
“I recall that one night, this humble one recited
Durood Sharif [calling down blessings on the “The man who was most perfect as man and
Holy Prophetsa] so abundantly that my heart and as Prophet, and came with full blessings, and
soul became fragrant therewith. The same night, who through a spiritual revival and resurrection
I saw in a dream that people were carrying into manifested the first Judgement in the world and
the house of this humble one waterskins filled revived the dead world, that blessed Prophet, the
with divine light in the form of pure water and Seal of the Prophets, the leader of the righteous
one of them said, ‘These are the very blessings ones, the pride of the Prophets, was Muhammad,
which you had sent to Muhammad, may peace the chosen one [peace and blessings of Allah be
and blessings of Allah be upon him.’” (Barahin-e- on him].
Ahmadiyya – Part Four, pp. 378-379)
“Our Lord, send down on that beloved Prophet
How much Durood should we offer? The more that mercy and blessing that Thou hast not sent
Durood we offer, the more Allah will Himself take down on anyone since the beginning of the
care of our affairs and the more He will forgive us. world. Had that grand Prophet not appeared in
the world then we would have no proof of the
Hazrat al-Tufail bin Ubayy bin Kaab, may Allah truth of lesser Prophets like Jonah, Job, Jesus son
be pleased with him, narrated from his father of Mary, Malachi, John, Zechariah, etc. “Though
who said that once, when a third of the night had they were favourites and honoured and were
passed, the Messengersa of Allah stood and said: beloved ones of Almighty God, they are under
obligation to this Prophet that they were accepted
“O you people! Remember Allah! Remember in the world as true Prophets.
Allah! The Rajifah is coming, followed by the
Radifah, death and what it brings is coming, “O Allah, send down Thy blessings on him and
death and what it brings is coming!” Ubayy said, on his people and on his companions, all of them.
“O Messenger of Allah! Indeed, I say frequent Our last word is that all praise belongs to Allah,
Salat for you. How much of my Salat should I Lord of the worlds. (Itmam-ul-Hujjah, Ruhani
make for you?” He said, “As you wish.” He asked, Khazain, Vol. 8, p. 308; Essence of Islam, Vol. 1, p.
“A fourth?” He replied, “As you wish. But if you 199)
add more, it would be better for you.” He asked,
“Then half?” He replied, “As you wish. And if
you add more it would be better [for you].” He
asked, “Two-thirds then?” “He replied, “As you
wish, but if you add more it would be better for
you.” He asked, “Should I make all of my Salat for
you?” He replied, “Then your problems would be
solved and your sins would be forgiven.” (Jamey‘
al-Tirmidhi, Kitab sifatul-qiyamah wa al-raqaiq wal-
war‘ an Rasulillah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)

Durood Sharif is thus an essential part of the life

of a Muslim. There is no other person upon whom
so many blessings are sent, and as a result of
which so many blessings are reaped.

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 Pride leads one to
forget God

Hazrat Abu Saeed, may Allah be pleased with him, my banner. And I am the first one for whom the earth
narrated that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings will be opened for and this is not a boast.” (Jamey‘
of Allah be upon him, said: al-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Manaqib ‘an-Rasulillah Sallallahu
“I am the master of the children of Adam on the Day alaihi wa sallam)
of Judgement and this is not a boast. The Banner of With regard to this subject, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin
Praise will be in my hand and this is no boast. There Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih II and Musleh-e-
will not be a prophet on that day – neither Adam nor Maud, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
anyone other than him – except that he will be under “It is said in the Ahadith that once, the Holy Prophet,

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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, mentioned
one of his superiorities, followed by the words, ‘I
do not boast.’ This was another way of saying, ‘The
reason is that this blessing was granted to me by God
Alone.’ This shows that a true believer, no matter how
successful they become, refrain from arrogance as
they are aware that the cause of pride was not a result
of their own effort but Allah’s blessing. Non-believers,
however, do not practice this.
“Thus, whenever a person experiences prosperity and
they take pride in their success or their respect or their
wealth or their power, then it becomes inevitable that
God’s existence becomes hidden from them and the Howtoreadbooksof
person thinks that the success was a result of their
own doing. Affluence causes a person to first forget thePromisedMessiahas
God’s blessings upon them and then, to forget God’s
existence altogether.
“For a person who cries out, ‘I am big’ and ‘I am great’,
it is impossible to recognise anything greater than
In light of an answer given by Hazrat Amirul
them. Otherwise, can such a person face the sun and
Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah
say that their flame is much stronger? During the
evenings, such people can undoubtedly take pride strengthen his hand
in their lamps, but not during the day. And if a person
does take pride in their light during the day, then it Question: Reading Ruhani Khazain [compila-
means that the sun has become hidden from them. tion of books of the Promised Messiah, peace
Otherwise, how can it be that whilst seeing the sun, be upon him] from the beginning is a bit dif-
they pride over their flame?
ficult. What can we read before that?
“In the same way, when a person deems themselves
to be great, there can be no reason for such a belief
Answer: You should start with Malfuzat. It
other than the fact that God becomes hidden from
them; thus, as a result of prosperity, the reasons of has various topics and sayings, so you should
pride i.e. the attributes of God become hidden from read that. But if your Urdu is not good and
them and then gradually, the existence of God ceases your English is better, then there is a collec-
to remain in the person’s eyes. Thus, the meaning of: tion of the Promised Messiah’s as writings in
English on various topics. It is called Essence
of Islam and has five volumes. You should
read that so that you may understand it in
[Mutual rivalry in (seeking worldly) increase diverts
you] is as follows: English. If you know Urdu, then you can start
with Malfuzat, followed by Haqiqatul Wahi,
which is in the 22nd volume. It is slightly easier
to understand as compared to earlier books.
[Mutual rivalry in (seeking worldly) increase diverts The books in the first few volumes are difficult
you from the attributes of Allah and from the existence
and the ones towards the end are a bit easier,
Allah]. (Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 9, p. 526 [under verse 2 of
so you should start by reading those.
Surah al-Takathur)
(Gulshan-e-Waqf-e-Nau, 31 January 2016)

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 Blessings of tabligh
(calling unto Allah)
A personal account
EAKEN AHMED
Eaken Ahmed is a college student currently studying in New York, USA and aspires to serve the Jamaat
as a lawyer.

The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be Ahmadi Muslim men and women partake in tabligh, the
upon him, prophesied that the Imam Mahdi and the propagation of the true Islam.
Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, would come in Alhamdolillah, at a very young age, I developed a
the latter days during a time where the Muslims would passion for tabligh. I remember my first experience doing
desperately need help from Allah. tabligh in the heart of New York City. A representative
Through him, the Divine system of Khilafat would be was sent from Ohio, Brother Hanan, whose goal was to
reestablished and Islam would see its glory once again. distribute 1,000 flyers.
As we know, Allah fulfilled this promise through the He arrived at the mosque during the evening. We took
person of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, peace be on the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan and placed
him, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat. a stall in the middle of Times Square. Brother Hanan
Since the establishment of the Jamaat on 23 March gave me a sign that read “Meet a Muslim”. I walked
1889, the community has spread in more than 200 around the city with the sign, attracting attention from
countries of the world. Despite the Jamaat’s amazing tourists and locals. There were people who asked me
growth, there are still millions who remain unaware questions about Islam, some which I could answer and
of the advent of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, peace others which I could not.
be on him. That is why, it is the need of the hour that The experience was highly motivating. The best thing for

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me was that I enjoyed distributing flyers, talking to the The national tabligh department of the United States
public and representing my faith. I did not feel like I was started a campaign called “Coffee Cake and True Islam”.
doing tabligh as a chore, but with true love and passion. The initiative was to invite local neighbours to have a
A more recent tabligh experience showed me that discussion on Islam over coffee and cake. In my local
tabligh is the need of the hour and people are Jamaat, I was assigned to take charge of this programme.
desperate in search to find God and religion. I attended For weeks I spent money on advertisements, organised
a Catholic high school, where most students were part flyer distribution and prayed that we would receive
of the Catholic faith and there were only a handful of guests at the event. Our efforts were to no avail.
Muslims. Being an Ahmadi Muslim, I knew that it was A brother from the national tabligh department advised
my responsibility to act in a manner where I could stand me that I should write to beloved Huzooraa for prayers.
out in a positive way. I immediately wrote a letter to Huzooraa requesting
One of the students in my school approached me and prayers for an increased attendance in our weekly
my brother and asked if we were Muslim. The student’s Coffee Cake and True Islam event.
name is Shemar Latty. He was well known in the school At our next event, we received three guests. We had a
and is a prominent basketball player. We responded, fruitful discussion and exchanged contacts for future
“Yes, why do you ask?” Shemar told us that he was raised meetings. Throughout the entire meeting, I was stuck
as a Catholic, but was very confused with his religion. with the thought that after weeks of advertising and
He told us he had been doing researching on Islam, but distributing flyers, we received no guests, but after
he still had many questions. My brother and I decided writing just one letter to beloved Huzooraa we received
to give Shemar the proper resources to help him better three guests.
understand Islam. The prayers of Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa are so powerful.
We took Shemar to the mosque and gave him a tour Allah listens to all the prayers of our beloved Khalifa and
and explained the fundamental principles and beliefs without his prayers, we will be deprived of the blessings
of Islam and in specific, about Ahmadiyyat. Shemar that Khilafat has to offer.
said that he felt a sense of peace at the mosque and In a speech at the 124th Jalsa Salana Qadian, Maulana
his experience was life changing. I also gave Shemar Mubashir Ahmad Kahlon Sahib, Mufti-e-Silsila
literature, articles and videos to help him in his research. Ahmadiyya, stated:
When Shemar started to feel more comfortable about “One of our elders, Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Malik Sahib
Islam Ahmadiyyat, my brother and I organised a meeting used to narrate that the day Hazrat Masih-e-Maud, peace
with our local missionary, Mahmud Kauser Sahib, to be upon him, passed away, he would start seeing divine
clear any questions or doubts that Shemar had. visions. He saw one companion in a vision, namely Mian
The meeting was amazing and Shemar decided that he Ghulam Rasul, who had died and who he met him in a
wanted to join the Jamaat, Alhamdolillah. vision.
Shemar is taking steps now to learn more about Islam “He (Hazrat Maulvi Abdul Malik Sahib) asked him, ‘Mian
Ahamdiyyat and trying to adopt the habits of a true Ghulam Rasul, you have died and attended the court
Ahmadi Muslim. of Allah and you have spoken to Allah. Tell me, when
This was a faith-inspiring event that motivated me to an Ahmadi dies, what questions does Allah ask him?’
continue doing tabligh. I understood that people, even The companion replied, ‘When an Ahmadi dies, Allah
at a young age, are spiritually lost and struggle to build asks him two things. Firstly, whether we performed
a relationship with God because they lack true guidance. tabligh and secondly, whether we offered Chanda? If
Shemar is one example of the billions of people who the Ahmadi replies in the affirmative, then Allah
are in need of Islam Ahmadiyyat, and it is only through permits us entry into paradise.’”
us Ahmadi Muslims that they can be shown the truth. Hearing this incident showed me how much Allah wants
Throughout my time doing tabligh, I learned that the us to do tabligh. I made a promise to myself that I would
prayers of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih, may Allah be his always prioritise tabligh in my life and never shy away in
Helper, are so powerful and writing to beloved Huzooraa moments where I have a chance to represent my faith.
is necessary in expecting results from our tabligh efforts. May Allah enable each and every Ahmadi Muslim man
An incident comes to mind where the prayers of Hazrat and woman to understand the importance of tabligh
Khalifatul Masihaa brought fruitful results in a tabligh and passionately partake in it. Amin.
initiative.

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 SIGNIFICANCE OF
SERVICE TO ISLAM
Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih II
and Musleh-e-Maud, may Allah be pleased with him

During his Khilafat, Hazrat Umar, may Allah be were, they would be afforded special treatment
pleased with him, once went to Mecca for Hajj. as compared with other visitors.
When he had completed the pilgrimage, just Thus, Hazrat Umarra extended due respect to
as is customary among us to congratulate one them, sat them beside him and spoke to them
another on Eid, one day, powerful chieftains on various matters. After some time, a new
came to congratulate him and convey their Muslim servant arrived. Hazrat Umarra asked the
Salam. Hazrat Umarra was seated in a relatively chieftains to move down and make room for the
small room. Huge halls did not exist at that time person who had just arrived. They moved back
that could seat vast amounts of people. With only and Hazrat Umarra sat the servant down beside
a few people, such rooms would get filled up. him. Hazrat Umarra then began to talk to him.
Hazrat Umarra belonged to a family that were After a short period, another new Muslim servant
experts in remembering ancestries and who came and Hazrat Umarra again asked everyone
were able to distinguish the families people to move back and make space for him. When
belonged to. At the time, chieftains belonging to that person sat down, a third new Muslim servant
the progeny of the disbelievers of Mecca came came, followed by a fourth, then a fifth and in
to visit him. They came with the belief that as this manner, seven new Muslim servants came
Hazrat Umarra was familiar with their lineages and and sat down. On the arrival of every such new
how respected their fathers and grandfathers Muslim, Hazrat Umarra would ask everyone to

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move down to make space. aware of their previous glory and splendour
It seems as if through this incident, Allah and how well respected their forefathers
wanted to show to the chieftains that all respect were. As they said this, Hazrat Umar’s eyes
and reverence now lay in the service to Islam; began to flood with tears. He replied, “I was
belonging to an influential family could not helpless. Those servants accepted Muhammad
make someone more deserving of respect. Rasulullahsa when the entire world was opposed
As the chieftains moved down to accommodate to him. They are those who endured great
the new Muslim servants, they eventually hardships for the sake of Islam. When God
reached the area where people had taken their has given them respect in Islam, then it is my
shoes off. Upon observing the situation, they obligation to seat them with reverence.”
said to one another, “Do you see how we have They replied, “We have come to you with
been humiliated today?” Then they expressed the knowledge that you are not to blame for
their disappointment, saying, “We did not this. This is our own fault. The servants truly
expect this of Umar. Umar knows full well how deserved the respect you showed them.
esteemed our families are. How unfortunate However, the question we have is, how can we
that he neglected our respect and preferred the atone the humiliation that has been branded on
servants over us.” our foreheads.”
A slightly more intelligent one among them said Hazrat Umarra became so emotional on hearing
in response to hearing all this, “What are you this question that he could not get his words
saying? Do you not think how Umar is not to out and so, he gestured in the direction of
blame in this? This is our own fault! Muhammad Syria. At the time, Muslim forces were fighting
Rasulullah, peace and blessings of Allah be the qaisar in Syria and with his gesture, Hazrat
upon him, came into the world and repeatedly Umarra meant that if they participated in this
urged people to accept him, but our forefathers battle and sacrificed their lives for the sake of
repeatedly rejected him and subjected him Islam, then maybe their previous sins could be
to the cruellest of treatment. If we have to atoned.
suffer the consequences, then how is Umar to The young chiefs understood the gesture and
blame? Our forefathers rejected Muhammad immediately left. They got on their camels and
Rasulullahsa, while these servants accepted him proceeded towards the battlefront. History tells
and offered every sacrifice for the sake of Islam. us that none of them returned alive. All of them
For this reason, the servants have been given lost their lives in the battle.
preference over us this day. If our forefathers No doubt, on the Day of Judgment, God will
made sacrifices for the sake of Islam, then we ask about the blessings He bestowed upon
too would be afforded respect. They did not us and will ask, “How did you benefit from My
even accept Islam, let alone offer sacrifices for favours upon you?”, however, when nations
Islam, so how can we complain as to why they face destruction in this world, people say to
were given more respect than us.” one another, “We were given such and such
They replied, “That is true, but my question is, opportunity to progress, but we did not benefit
how can we rectify this humiliation?” One of from it”, or, “We squandered such and such
them said, “Come, let us pose this very question opportunity to progress.”
to Hazrat Umar.” Therefore, in this chapter [Surah al-Takathur]
Therefore, they went to Hazrat Umarra again. Allah the Almighty has taught us in very brief
The congregation had dispersed and the words the way nations are destroyed. If this is
companions had returned to their homes. The always borne in mind, then nations cannot face
chieftains asked Hazrat Umarra, “You are aware destruction.
of what we experienced today. We have come (Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 9, pp. 544-545)
to ask you regarding it.” Hazrat Umarra was fully

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 THE TEST BY SHAARIF AHMAD

Shaarif Ahmad is 18 years old

and is a Waqif-e-Nau student
from Canada. He is fluent in
French and has been part of
many exchange programmes
in Canada, eventually leading
him to travel to France. Shaarif
was also fortunate enough to
be part of the first Atfal trip to
UK from Canada. As a Waqif-e-
Nau, Shaarif hopes to serve the
Jamaat and humanity as a doctor
of medicine and homeopathy.
His passions include nutrition,
cooking and photography. He
is also very passionate about
children, especially ones with
disabilities and aspires to conduct
research in the domain of child
psychology. Shaarif has been
writing poems since he was little.

The test has only begun

It is time for sacrifice, focus and not fun
You have got lots of responsibilities ahead that you need to face head on and without fear
My fear is that you may not be ready when the time is near
You are nothing without your Lord God, you see
For He is the source of all happiness and fulfillment for you and me
Always remember that your bad habits are your spiritual death
So, go ahead, pick you poison if you wish a long life of fret
If not, tread on this path carefully
For you will have to work hard to reach your goals fully
You have to work hard for six to seven months without any results
But your belief in the unseen should be so strong that it removes all the halts
Slacken not, nor grieve, for Allah is with the patient ones
He always gives his strongest soldiers the strongest fights and believe me, there are not a tonne
Always remember to see the bigger picture
Keep moving and don’t stay still like a fixture
You are a bright boy with unlimited potential
If you don’t see it, then believe your Lord Who sees what you see not
And remember to keep your eyes open from the attacks of Satan and not get caught

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 Kufa Mosque in Iraq

HAZRAT IMAM ABU HANIFA

MALIK SAIF-UR-RAHMAN

Malik Saif-ur-Rahman Sahib, the author of the article given below, was a highly educated and established scholar
of Islam, having studied and taught at famous Islamic institutes prior to accepting Islam Ahmadiyyat.
He devoted his life to the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in Islam and served in many capacities. In 1947, he was appointed
as Mufti-e-Silsila and later, also served as the principal of Jamia Ahmadiyya Rabwah for ten years.
He is famous for his services to the Jamaat and notable works such as the compilation of Hadiqatus-Salihin and
authoring Tarikh Afkar-e-Islami, which includes the article presented below

Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifa’srh full name was Numan His family belonged to an illustrious and religiously
bin Thabit bin Zuta, also known as Abu Hanifa. influential lineage of Kabul (Afghanistan), which
(There are disputes as to why he was known as consisted of Zoroastrian priests of Kabul.
Abu Hanifa. One narration suggests that as he After the conquest of Kabul, Imam Abu Hanifa’s
lived a life of moderation and refrained from going grandfather, Zuta settled with his family in Kufa
to extremes, he was called Abu Hanifa. Some are or came there after being captured. He accepted
of the view that as “hanifa” meant inkpot in Iraq Islam and made friendship with Banu Teem bin
and due to his services to fiqh, inkpots always Tha‘libah.
surrounded him by his students, that is why he was It is said that Zuta had immense reverence for
known as Abu Hanifa.) Hazrat Alira. He once made a drink called faluda,
He was born in 80 AH in Kufa and when he which the people of Kabul were experts in, and
was around 70 years of age, he passed away in offered it to Hazrat Alira. He had a son named
Baghdad in the year 150 AH. Thabit and requested Hazrat Alira to pray for his

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successful life and blessed offspring. Kufa.
Imam Abu Hanifarh was tall, had a broad and Initially, he had an interest in the subject of kalam
friendly face, fair and wheat brown complexion, [argumentation on the basis of Islamic scholastic
full beard, pleasant appearance and was overall a theology], due to which he visited Basra, the capital
clean, holy person. He was always considered to be of kalam at the time. However, having studied the
a content and patient person, full of wisdom and subject for some time, he realised that deliberation
knowledge. and absorption in the subject could make a
His grandfather, Zuta, came to Kufa and started person quarrelsome and argumentative. After
a business of garments and excelled in it. This observing it as a science whose arguments were
business eventually was bequeathed to Imam Abu completely useless, inconsequential and negative
Hanifarh. He too possessed a great deal of expertise for a person’s outward demeanour, he shunned
in this trade as he would partake in it along with his it. However, the thirst for knowledge that had now
father, Thabit, from a very young age. Later, when been ignited did not permit him to sit idly.
this burden was placed on his shoulders, not only He assessed various institutes of fiqh [Islamic
did he take care of the business, considering it his jurisprudence] as this science too was popular at
duty, but also gave it new heights. the time. The sermons of Hazrat Hamaadrh bin Abi
A famous type of garment at the time was khaz Sulaiman appealed to him. Hamaadrh was a scholar
and this very popular to customers. Khaz was of hadith traditions and narrators and was a famous
made by combining silk and cotton. He installed scholar and jurist of his time in Kufa. Thus, Abu
weaving looms that could make this cloth and Hanifarh formed an attachment with his madrasah
began trade with this cloth as a partnership. He [institute] and embarked on a journey of studying
established agencies in various cities, where he fiqh.
would send the product and earned profit. Due to The relationship between student and teacher
his professionalism, other people would also invest became a fountain of knowledge and their bond
in his business. strengthened into a loving friendship.
Once, he sent 170,000 dirhams to a youth and Hazrat Hamaadrh was a student of Imam Ibrahim al-
said, “This was given to me by your father, which Nakhai and al-Nakhai, through Alqama [ibn Qays],
he was not able to take back before his death.” This had the honour of indirectly studying from Hazrat
incident has been recorded in history books. Abdullahra bin Masud. Hazrat Ibn Masudrawas sent
When he passed away, he had about 50,000 by Hazrat Umarra to Kufa to acquire knowledge of
investments from different people, which were Islam. Imam Ibrahim al-Nakhai also derived benefit
returned after his demise. Nonetheless, Imam Abu from Hazrat Alira.
Hanifarh was very affluent and never experienced In this manner, Imam Abu Hanifa’srh acquisition
any financial problems. of knowledge was linked with such a prestigious
Imam Abu Hanifa’s knowledge ijtihad [hermeneutics] promoting madrasah that
As has been mentioned above, from a very young was an authority in the fields of traditions, narrators,
age, he had developed a relationship with his nass [sources of ruling] and tafaqquh [grasping the
familial profession and could not give due attention meaning and gaining insight].
to the sciences prevalent at the time. Imam Abu Hanifarh spent around 18 years seeking
Once, when he was about 15 years old, whilst knowledge. Alongside that, he oversaw matters
walking in a bazaar, he had the chance to meet the related to his business. Due to having such
famous muhaddith [scholar of hadith] Hazrat Imam business partners who were professional and
Sha‘birh. During the course of the conversation, conscientious, his business remained afloat and he
Hazrat Imam Sha‘birh gauged that the child was did not allow his studies to affect his business in
intelligent and promising. Upon observing this, any way.
he advised Abu Hanifarh that he should focus on Imam Abu Hanifarh as a teacher
acquiring knowledge.
After acquiring knowledge, he began teaching.
Imam Sha‘bi’srh advice had an impact on him and
At the time, mosques would serve as schools also.
consequently, due to a natural inclination, he
Therefore, he too preferred the mosque as his
started looking at various educational institutes in

ISMAEL JAN-MAR 2020

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place to teach and used part of the central mosque down and a ruling would be made, sealing the
of Kufa to teach, which gradually excelled to such discussion. Discourses like this would run into the
a level that it was counted among the foremost night and the only recesses would be for Salat
schools of the time. Alongside his intellectual growth, Imam Abu
His weekly schedule, in terms of division of duties, Hanifarh was an extremely generous and
consisted of the following: philanthropic saint. Alongside his affluency, he was
Saturdays were dedicated to house-related work also openhanded in giving in the way of Allah. He
and overseeing his properties. On this day, he did would spend a great deal of money on his students
not give any attention to his business, nor did he and always took their welfare upon himself.
occupy himself with his teaching responsibilities Imam Abu Yusuf’srh father was an extremely
Every Friday, aside from worshipping Allah, he destitute and impoverished labourer. He once
would offer a feast for his friends and prominent said to his son, “Instead of attending Abu Hanifa’s
students and would spend the day meeting and classes, you should work so that we can have some
conversing with them money to run the house.” Therefore, upon his
On other days, he would attend to his teaching father’s persistence, he withdrew himself from the
obligations and business-related affairs. During lessons and began work as a tailor.
these When Imam
working Abu Hanifa Mosque 1950 Abu Hanifarh
days, he came to learn of
would divide this, he called
his day into Abu Yusufrh and
three parts: enquired from
In the first him about his
part, after circumstances.
saying his He then assigned
prayers, a reasonable
he would allowance for him
perform and from then
house on, always looked
chores; after after him.
midday, he For other
would go to students too,
the bazaar he adopted the
and oversee same means. It
his business, where he would give instructions was his desire for intelligent students to not waste
to workers and inspect the profit and loss of the their intellect due to poverty and not to deprive
business; in the afternoon, he would eat, rest themselves of the wealth of knowledge. The
and following the Asr prayer at the mosque, start students at Imam Abu Hanifa’srh madrasah would
teaching later be positioned at extraordinary ranks and
His madrasah was no ordinary one. He would have served as shining stars in their respective fields.
students of various aptitudes; some were specialists In this manner, the Almighty Allah had bestowed
in linguistics, while others were experts in hadith, Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifarh with knowledge and
history, tafaqquh, qiyas [deductive analogy] and wealth and the best of both the religious and
sociology. In this manner, his madrasah was a hub secular worlds. He was never closefisted in
for people of different specialities. spreading his knowledge and sharing his wealth.
Students had permission to ask any question and A business partner, Hafs, was very intelligent. He
partake in discussions. Every statement, even worked with Imam Abu Hanifarh for around 30
if it was the statement of a lecturer, would be years. Once, he said:
scrutinised. Eventually, after much deliberation, “I have spent time with many scholars, fiqh experts,
when issues were solved, they would be noted judges, pious people and tradesmen, but never

ISMAEL JAN-MAR 2020

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have I seen a saint full of qualities as was Imam suggests, then a liar is not fit to be a qazi [judge].”
Abu Hanifarh. He possessed all the qualities and Upon hearing this prompt reply, Mansur was left
attributes that people possessed separately.” dumbfounded and was unable to say anything else.
Imam Abu Hanifarh and governance At another occasion, Abu Jafar said angrily,
“Neither do you accept any post in my government,
Imam Abu Hanifarh witnessed both the Umayyad
nor do you accept any gifts I send for you. This
and Abbasid dynasties. Around 52 years of his life
shows that you are opposed to this government!”
were spent under the Umayyad rule, while 18 years
Imam Abu Hanifarh replied:
were spent under the Abbasids. He saw the period
“That is not the case. I cannot bear the
of Umayyad influence and eventually its dissolution
responsibility of the judiciary. The gifts sent from
too.
Amirul Momineen are not sent from his personal
He disliked the method of governance used by
money, but from the treasury, for which I am not
both dynasties. He was beyond any desires as such,
worthy as I am neither a soldier, nor do I belong
however he desired for the pious members of
to the offspring of a soldier, nor am I needy. Only
the Holy Prophet’ssa progeny to come into power.
these people deserve money from the treasury.
Despite this desire, he never resorted to rebellion
When I am not worthy of this money, then how can
and never attempted to topple the government.
I accept these gifts?”
He was of the view that one should help a
Upon this, Mansur responded, “You can take this
government in their good works. He was always a
money and distribute it between the poor.” He
well-wisher for others and tried to advise them for
replied, “Amirul Momineen’s wealth is far greater
their betterment. He would say that rebellion was
than this humble one’s. You are far more qualified
a form of disorder and that the blood shed in this
to ascertain who is needy and who is rich. Thus,
act was even worse than the individual cases of
your distribution would be much better suited.”
wrongdoings of those in authority. Therefore, he
He tolerated many difficult circumstances, suffered
would always discourage rebellion as a means of
the cruelty of caliphs and leaders, endured
seeing improvement.
lashings, spent many long periods imprisoned,
The Umayyads tried to gain his support and did
departed Kufa and settled in Mecca, yet he never
their utmost in getting him to work in their favour,
accepted any official governmental post, nor did
however he never accepted any official position.
he accept any gifts.
In the time of the Abbasids, he was pressured
At one instance, he explained the reason behind
into accepting the title of a jurist under their
not accepting any post himself. The governor of
government, however he never accepted
Kufa under the Umayyad rule, Ibn Hubayra once
the request. The government would ask for
asked him to accept a position in the judiciary so
the cooperation of scholars at the time as the
that he may be an authority of the government. If
masses, following the example of scholars, would
he declined, he said that no ruling made by him
become obedient. Yet it was not the policy of the
would be deemed credible. To this, Imam Abu
government for such scholars to play any role in
Hanifarh replied:
governance as this would be akin to sympathising
‫ِک‬ ٰ َ ‫ض ُب ُع ُن َق ُہ َو َا ْخ ِت ُم َا َن‬
َ ‫ع َذ ا ل‬ ْ َ ُ َ َ َ َ ‫ن َا ْن َّی ْک ُت‬ ْ ِّ ‫ی ْی ُد ِم‬ُ َُ
with the wrongdoings of the government, and ِ ‫ب د م َر ج ٍل َی‬ ُ ُ َ َ َ ِ ‫ھ ْو‬
ًَ َ ْ
ْ ِ ‫الک َِتاب ف َو ہّٰللا ِ ل ا د خل‬
religious scholars would abstain from giving such ‫ف ذ ا لِک ا بد ا‬ ِ
an impression and were never prepared to take up meaning that Ibn Hubayra’s purpose was to
a role in governance. demand the murder of a person and then have
Once, the Abbasid Khalifa, Abu Jafar Mansur said Imam Abu Hanifarh legitimise it, however this would
to Imam Abu Hanifarh, “Why do you not accept a never happen.
post in the judiciary?” He replied, “I do not consider Concerning the persistence of Abu Jafar Mansur,
myself worthy of this post.” Mansur, somewhat he said:
furiously, said, “You are lying! You are completely
‫ال یصلح للقضاء اال رجل یکون لہ نفس حیکم ہبا علیک و یلع‬
fit for this role.” Imam Abu Hanifarh very respectfully
‫ولدک و قوادک و لیست تلک النفس یل‬
responded, “The matter has been settled by Amirul
Momineen. If I am lying, as Amirul Momineen “A judge should be so courageous as to call a

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ruling against you, your children or the chiefs of encouraged his students to do the same.
an army without any hesitation, however I am not He would always say that he had proven matters
such.” from the aforementioned sources and that if
The reality is that Imam Abu Hanifarh wanted to anyone could prove and interpret it in a more
dedicate his time for the study and spread of suitable manner, then he would accept their
knowledge and practice. Other imams of fiqh were deduction and would not be adamant to have his
also of the thought that instead of accepting any ruling accepted.
official governmental position, they should try to If ever he rejected a tradition or it was ignored, it
teach knowledge and practice to those who had was either because the tradition was not authentic
accepted government posts so that they may serve enough in his view or he knew of a stronger
the public in a much better way. It was for this one or that such a tradition did not come to his
reason that those who studied from such imams knowledge. Traditions were collated much later on
of fiqh later accepted high official positions and and gradually, they suffered changes, as has been
through their knowledge and justice, served their discussed previously in the chapter concerning
countrymen and through their guidance, attained Sunnah and Hadith [in the book Tarikh Afkar-e-
eternal fame. Islami].
Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifarh once gathered his During his time, due to various reasons, the
students, among whom were well renowned tendency to fabricate ahadith had increased and
students who numbered 40. Whilst speaking to for this reason, he felt compelled to take extra care
them, he said, “I have performed your intellectual when extracting traditions.
and practical tarbiyat [edification] in a manner Whilst working on his fiqh, Imam Abu Hanifarh
that has enabled you to take on responsibilities acquired another novel approach, which was that
and contain the powerful government. Now you he thought up all possible social questions of
can walk steadily and firmly on the principles of the time and answered them in light of the Holy
integrity.” Quran, ahadith and the principles of deduction,
In this manner, Allah the Almighty blessed his thereby compiling them as questions and answers
efforts and fulfilled his desires. His students to assist other scholars. In this manner, through
attained high ranks and proved to be worthy his guidance and with the efforts of his students,
of those ranks – history bears testimony to their a treasure trove of fiqh concerning possible
achievements. questions and scenarios was compiled.
Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifa’srh approach to fiqh was This manner of compilation was not liked by other
that he would primarily focus on the Holy Quran, scholars and imams; his approach was challenged
seeking guidance from it. If full clarity was not and sternly criticised. Their view was that when an
provided by the Quran, he would then focus his incident is learnt of and one is practically faced with
attention on the established Sunnah [practice of the it, only then should it be solved and answered. To
Holy Prophetsa]. If there was no clear explanation raise hypothetical questions or suggest potential
in the Sunnah, then he would pursue the practice scenarios and then seek answers for them was,
of the majority of the Companionsra. If the matter in in their view, a bid‘at[innovation in the teachings
question could not be solved from their collective of Islam] and a means of causing harm. However,
example, then he would select such sayings of Imam Abu Hanifarh would say to this that this
the Companionsra that would be the closest in was all done with the purest intentions, for the
meaning and interpretation to the Holy Quran and promulgation of knowledge and to polish the
established Sunnah. Thereafter, he would pursue human intellect.
other sources of knowledge, for example qiyas, After him, almost all of his students utilised
istihsan [make a ruling different from that on which this method for their extraordinary works in
similar cases have been decided on the basis of fiqh. Sahnun’s Al-Mudawwana – a Maliki fiqh
precedent] and urf [custom] etc. from which he book containing 36,000 solutions to matters,
could make a ruling. Al-Mukhtasar al-Kabir li-ibn Abdil Hakam, Ibn
Whilst studying and compiling fiqh, he bore Qudamah’s Al-Mughni and Al-Muhalla by Ibn Hazm
in mind the aforementioned principles and are perfect examples of this and treasure troves of

ISMAEL JAN-MAR 2020

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Islamic jurisprudence. great respect in spite of being the son of a poor
Compilation of books tailor.
The other worthy student of Hazrat Imam Abu
Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifarh never wrote any book
Hanifarh was Imam Muhammad bin Hasan al-
himself. Some journals are attributed to him, for
Shaybani, who also served as a jurist, but whose
instance Al-Fiqh-ul-Akbar, which was on doctrine
nature was inclined more towards preparing
and Kitab-ul-Alim wal-Muta‘allim, which was on
literature. It is for this reason that he is considered
the etiquette of gaining knowledge. There is a
the biggest compiler of Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifa’srh
letter that he wrote to a famous scholar of the
views.
time, Uthman al-Laythi explaining the issue of irja
Imam Muhammad bin Hasan was born in 132 AH.
[postponement of an edict].
He belonged to a prosperous family. He passed
Two of his students preserved his fiqh-related
away in 189 AH.
views. Both these students are famous by the
He was a student of Imam Abu Hanifarh for around
term, “Sahibain” [the two gentlemen]. One of them
three years. At the time, he was very young, yet Abu
was Hazrat Imam Yaqub bin Habib al-Ansari, who
Hanifarh remained vigilant about the educational
is famous by the appellation of Abu Yusuf. The
and moral wellbeing of this young child and would
other was Hazrat Imam Muhammad bin Hasan al-
sit him beside him during lessons. That is why he is
Shaybani.
also famous by the term, “Tarafain”, i.e. he who sits
Imam Abu Yusuf was the qazi al-quzat [chief
beside the teacher.
jurist] in the time of Harun al-Rashid, which was a
When Imam Abu Hanifarh passed away in 150 AH,
respectable post under the Abbasid rule. He was
he completed his education studying from Imam
the first to be given this post and was famous by
Abu Yusuf and also studied for three years under
the appellation of qazi al-quzat.
Hazrat Imam Malikrh.
During the Abbasid reign, he appointed qazis
There are various copies of Hazrat Imam Malik’srh
[jurists] mostly belonging to the Hanafi mazhab
compilation of traditions, which is famous by the
[order], due to which the entire government was
name, Al-Muwatta. Two such copies are popular;
highly influenced by the Hanafi beliefs. Imam
one is called Muwatta Imam Malik, which was
Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi would often say that two
narrated by Yahya bin Yahya al-Laythi, while the
mazhabs of fiqh had influenced the policies
other is Muwatta Imam Muhammad, as narrated by
of governments: the Hanafites had gained
Muhammad bin Hasan al-Shaybani.
ascendency during the Abbasid reign and the
Imam Muhammad bin Hasan al-Shaybani authored
Maliki order was popular under the Caliphate of
many voluminous books, most of which is based on
Cordoba.
the Hanafi school of thought. Among these books,
At one point, when the Ayyubid dynasty was
the following are famous:
dominant in Egypt and Syria and Sultan Mahmud
Kitab al-Mabsut, Kitab al-Ziyadat, Al-Jamey‘ al-
Sabuktigini [Mahmud of Ghazni] ruled over Ma
Saghir, Al-Jamey‘ al-Kabir, Al-Siyar al-Saghir and
Wara al-Nahr [Transoxiana], the Shafi‘is held the
Al-Siyar al-Kabir. These six books are famous by the
same position and were considered the state
name of Zahir al-Riwayat.
religion.
Two other books of his are also deemed to be of
Hazrat Imam Abu Yusuf was a prolific writer.
the same calibre: one is called Al-Rad ala Ahlil-
His work, Kitab-ul-Khiraj gained much acclaim.
Medina, while the other is Kitab al-Athar. Muwatta
Similarly, his second book, Al-Athar, and
Imam Muhammad is also very famous.
pamphlets, Ikhtilaf ibn Abi Layla and Al-Raddu Ala
Many other students of Imam Abu Hanifarh were
Siyaril-Auza‘i were also famous.
positioned at key posts and were no less in the field
Imam Abu Yusuf passed away in 183 AH. He left
of knowledge.
behind a lot of wealth. His will said that 100,000
Imam Zufar, Daud Tai, Hasab bin Ziyad and
dirhams should be distributed respectively among
Abdullah bin al-Mubarak were all saints of their
the needy and deserving in Mecca, Medina,
age. Due to his students, Imam Abu Hanifa’srh
Baghdad and in Kufa – the city where he spent his
fiqh-related views were widely circulated. A heavy
childhood, acquired knowledge and was given
portion of the Muslim population living in Iraq,

ISMAEL JAN-MAR 2020

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Syria, Egypt, Turkistan, Afghanistan and Hindustan A neighbour of his was a dissolute alcoholic and
associate with the Hanafi order. His followers would create a lot of disturbance. During the
can be found in other Muslim countries also. The nights, his alcoholic friends would gather at his
Ottoman reign of the Turks was based on the home, where dancing, drinking and many acts that
Hanafi school of thought and due to the Turks, the disturbed the environment would take place. This
Hanafi order was spread widely. was somewhat unsettling for Imam Abu Hanifarh,
Beautiful aspects of the life of Hazrat Imam Abu however, due to the guidance about treating
Hanifarh neighbours with kindness, he did not consider it
suitable to file a complaint against him.
Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifarh would adopt a beautiful
One night, the area’s chief of police was walking
approach when addressing contentious matters.
past, when he heard the disturbance from the
He would try his utmost to clear the matter, without
man’s house. When he approached the house
hurting anyone’s sentiments.
to enquire about the disturbance, he ended up
He once presented a beautiful example regarding
arresting them all and putting them in jail.
this. He said:
The following day, when Imam Abu Hanifarh came
“If four people dispute about a white coloured
to learn of this, he met with the governor of the
sheet – one saying that it is red, the other saying
city and gave him the guarantee of treating his
that it is black, another calling it green and the
neighbour kindly. With that, the prisoner was freed
last one, who knows that the actual colour is white
and Imam Abu Hanifarh brought him home.
– and remain adamant on their stance, then the
Imam Abu Hanifarh said to him, “You would often
person who knows the true colour should not say
recite a couplet saying that a neighbour should be
to the others, ‘You are wrong’, but rather should
such who helps in times of difficulty. So, what sort
say, ‘As far as I am aware, the colour is white.’”
of a neighbour have you found me to be?”
Imam Abu Hanifarh was very clean. He would wear
The following couplet could often be heard being
clean, presentable clothes and would desire the
sung from his house:
same for others.
ُ ‫ن َو َا َّی َف ًﱴ َا َﺿ‬
‫اع ْو ا‬ ُ ‫َا َﺿ‬
ْ ِ ‫اع ْو‬
Once, some scholars arrived to meet him, of whom َْ َ َ َ
one wore old, dirty, torn and tattered clothes. After ‫ل َِی ْو ِم ﮐ ِر ْﳞَ ٍﺔ ّو ِﺳد ا ِد ﺛغ ِر‬
their meeting, when they got up to leave, Imam After freeing his neighbour, Abu Hanifarh jokingly
Abu Hanifarh asked the gentleman with torn clothes asked him:
to stay behind. When the others had left, he gave َ ‫َھ ْل َا َﺿ ْع َن‬
‫اک‬
1,000 dirhams to the gentleman to purchase new,
The neighbour was so overwhelmed by the
decent clothes. The man replied, “I am a wealthy
treatment of Imam Abu Hanifarh that he ceased
person. I do not need such financial help.” Abu
such activity and started to live a peace-loving,
Hanifa replied, “When God has given you wealth
pious and sincere life.
and has made you affluent, then you should be
Imam Abu Hanifarh was a steadfast and intelligent
thankful to Him for this blessing upon you. There
person who would resolve conflicts. He would
should be a practical display of this blessing upon
respond to harsh words in such a way that would
you. It is thanklessness to wear such torn and
leave the other feeling ashamed, yet wanting to
tattered and unclean clothes. It goes against the
correct their way.
verse:
Due to fiqh-related disputes, scholars would use
ْ ّ َ َ َّ َْ ََ
‫ک ﲿ َ ِد ث‬ ِ ‫َو ا ّما ِب ِنعﻤ‬
‫ت ر ِب‬ harsh words for him and the ignorant followers of
[‘And as for the bounty of your Lord, do relate it such scholars would take this anger to extremes.
(to others)’ (Surah al-Duha, Ch.93: V.12).] It goes However, whenever people would observe his
against the hadith that says that there should be a patience and fortitude, they would be forced to
practical display of God’s beneficence.” change their views.
Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifarh was a great neighbour Once, a person called him an innovator and
and had the great quality of solving disputes and disbeliever. In response, Imam Abu Hanifarh
quarrels. replied, “May Allah forgive you. I am not what you

ISMAEL JAN-MAR 2020

-25-
claim I am. Ever since I accepted Islam and Allah his stance, Abu Hanifarh responded, “This view
bestowed spiritual wisdom upon me, I hold fast seems more accurate. We were all thinking along
only to Him. I neither consider anything parallel the wrong track.” After hearing this, Hasan bin
to Allah, nor do I deify anything. Is this what a Ammara replied, “If Abu Hanifa wanted, he could
disbeliever is?” have remained adamant on his stance, but due to
Upon hearing this response, the man felt his taqwa, he accepted the truth.”
embarrassed and sought forgiveness. Imam Abu Once, a sanction was placed against him by the
Hanifarh said, “When a person commits a mistake government that prohibited him from making
unknowingly, upon repenting, Allah forgives them.” a fatwa [ruling] on any issue or addressing any
Once, Imam Abu Hanifarh was sitting in a mosque issue. While at home, his son, Hamaad enquired
when a person following an opposing scholar about a certain matter, to which he replied, “The
came and started hurling abuse at him. Imam Abu government has prohibited me from giving my
Hanifarh remained quiet throughout his abuse, but view on any religious matter. If anyone from the
that person increased in his verbal abuse. When government asks whether I issued any ruling, then
Abu Hanifarh got up to leave, that person started to how will I reply?”
follow him and continued his verbal assault. As far as possible, Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifarh
When he eventually reached his home, he turned maintained friendly and sincere relations with
to the man and said, “This is my home. I must go contemporary scholars. He had great respect for
inside. If anything remains, please express it now. Hazrat Imam Malikrh. Whenever he would meet
Otherwise, do not say later on that you still have a him, they would share views on different religious
desire to continue.” issues. He had the same sort of relationship with
Upon hearing this reply, the man felt ashamed and other moderate scholars.
repented from his actions. Imam Abu Hanifarh had a very content and satisfied
During the time of the Umayyads, Kufa’s governor, disposition. Once, when a wife of Abu Jafar Mansur
Ibn Hubayra and the second Caliph of the Abbasid enquired of a religious matter from him, the reply
reign, Abu Jafar Mansur tried their utmost to Imam Abu Hanifarh gave was so pleasing to her that
have Imam Abu Hanifarh accept the role of chief she sent 50,000 dirhams, a concubine and a horse
judge, however he would always reject the as a gift for him. He replied that his fatwa was not
offer. Both these rulers were harsh towards him given in the lust of any reward and that whatever
during their periods of rule, at times lashing and truth he knew, he had mentioned it. Thus, he
imprisoning him. Abu Hanifarh bore this time with returned the gift with thanks.
immense forbearance, however he disliked any Imam Abu Hanifa’srh astuteness to critical
wrongdoings. questions
Once, his mother said quite anxiously to him, “Son,
His style of rejoinder was very unique. Even in the
what has this knowledge brought you? Troubles
most complicated circumstances, he would reply
and lashings?” He replied to his mother:
in such a fashion that all onlookers would be left
َ ‫ار َع َذ‬
ُ ‫ِن َا ْخ َت‬ ‫َ ُ َّ ُ ُ ْ ُ ْ َ ْ َ َ ّ ُ ْ َ َ ّ ْ ُ ْ ُ ْ آ‬
ْ ّ ِ ‫ال خ َِر َۃ َو ا‬
‫ابُ ْم‬ ‫ی ید و ن ِن ع الد نیا و ا ِِن ا ِر ید‬ ِ ‫اہ‬ ‫ی ام‬ amazed.
ََ ََ
ِ ‫اب ہّٰللا‬
ِ ‫ذ‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ع‬ The fitna [unrest] of the Kharijites was in full swing
“My dear mother, these people present the during his lifetime. These people were usually ill-
world, yet I yearn for the Hereafter. I bear the pain mannered and always ready to create disorder.
they extend so that I may be saved from Allah’s Once, a group of Kharijites stormed into the main
punishment.” mosque of Kufa whilst Imam Abu Hanifarh was
Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifarh was a very balanced, teaching his class. He instructed everyone not to
moderate and God-fearing saint. fret and remain calm. When the head of the group
Once, while scholars had gathered to meet the arrived, he asked everyone sternly, “Who are you
ruler of the city, a debate started on a certain people?” Imam Abu Hanifarh promptly replied:
issue. Everyone gave their opinion and Imam Abu ُ ْ ‫َ ْن ُن ُم ْس َتج‬
‫ی ْو َن‬ ِ
Hanifarh also presented his view. Among them was
“We are refugees.” The Kharijites assumed that he
a scholar, Hasan bin Ammara; when he presented
was referring to the verse of the Holy Quran that

ISMAEL JAN-MAR 2020

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mentions giving refuge to the idolater who wishes “You have yourself answered the question.” This
to seek refuge whilst listening to the Quran so that shows that he considered anyone a Muslim who
they may listen to God’s word and then to shift called themselves a Muslim.
them to a place of rest i.e. their homes. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, they said, “Alright,
Nonetheless, the leader said to his men to recite then tell us, are they hell bound, or can they
the Quran to them and then to return them safely enter paradise?” Imam Abu Hanifarh replied, “My
to their homes. answer is that which Abrahamas and Jesusasgave.
Through his astute wisdom, not only was the life of Abrahamas said:
َ ُ َ َ َّ َ َ َ َ َ ّ ٗ َّ َ َ َ َ َ
everyone saved, but they were taken home safely.
‫ک غفوۡ ٌر ّر ِحی ٌۡم‬ ۡ ‫نۚو‬
ۡ ِ ‫م عص‬
‫ان ف ِا ن‬ ۡ ِ ‫ن ف ِا نہ ِم‬
ۡ ِ ‫ف ۡن ت ِبع‬
Once, the Kharijites turned up all of a sudden. The
“‘So whoever follows me, he is certainly of me;
leader of the Kharijites, Dahhak bin Qays said to
and whoever disobeys me – Thou art, surely, Most
Imam Abu Hanifarh, “If you are in favour of tahkim
Forgiving, Merciful.’ (Surah Ibrahim, Ch.14: V.37)
[the incident of a mediator being appointed
Jesusas, the Messiah, said:
between Alira and Muawiyyahra] then you should
‫ت ۡال َع ِز ۡ ُی‬ َ َّ‫ک ۚ َو ا ِۡن َت ۡغفرۡ َل ُہ ۡم َفا ن‬
َ ‫ک َا ۡن‬ ُ َ ۡ ُ َّ َ ۡ ُ ّ َ ُ ۡ
َ ‫اد‬ ‫اِن تع ِذ ۡبم ف ِا نم ِعب‬
repent, otherwise we shall be forced to kill you.” ِ ِ
Imam Abu Hanifarh replied, “Do you wish to use ُ ‫ا ۡلَ ِکی‬
‫ۡم‬
force or will you listen to reason?” He replied, “If “‘If Thou punish them, they are Thy servants; and if
you have any reason, then of course, do present it.” Thou forgive them, Thou surely art the Mighty, the
Abu Hanifa said, “Who can decide whether this Wise.’” (Surah al-Maidah, Ch.5: V.119)
argument is correct or not?” He replied, “We can Upon hearing this response, they felt ashamed and
assign a mediator”, to which Imam Sahibrh replied, went on their way.
“Okay, fine. We shall accept [so and so] from your Once, Imam Abu Hanifarh visited the court of Abu
party as a mediator.” Dahhak agreed and asked Jafar Mansur where an official of Mansur, Abul
Imam Abu Hanifa to present his arguments. He Abbas Tusi, who held animosity against Abu
astutely and immediately responded, “What can Hanifarh, was also seated. Abul Abbas Tusi found
be more of an argument than the fact that you an opportunity to create mischief and intended
have yourself accepted the option of mediation; to have him punished by any means necessary.
this is called tahkim.” Dahhak was immediately In front of Mansur, he asked Imam Abu Hanifarh,
dumbfounded and could not utter anything else. “If Amirul Momineen calls someone and orders
Once, a group of Kharijites came to visit Imam him to smite another person’s neck while they are
Abu Hanifarh with swords in their hands. They were unaware of their crime, should such a person follow
of the belief that a person who had committed such orders?”
atrocious sins would be summoned to the hellfire Imam Abu Hanifarh realised the mischief and
for eternity. Therefore, they said to Imam Abu asked, “In your view, does Amirul Momineen
Hanifarh, “We have two questions only. Answer issue commands with justice and integrity, or are
them, otherwise we shall kill you.” He responded, his orders unjust and without reason, bearing a
“What are the questions?” thirst for the blood of others?” Abul Abbas Tusi
They said, “The first question is that if a person immediately felt uneasy and abruptly answered,
consumes a lot of alcohol and dies whilst drunk, or “Amirul Momineen’s decision is just”, to which
if a woman commits adultery and gets pregnant as Imam Sahibrh replied, “A just order should be
a result and dies whilst pregnant with that child, tell obeyed.”
us, will they both be considered Muslims?” A person once made a will for Imam Abu Hanifarh
Imam Abu Hanifarh replied, “Were they Jewish?” in his absence. According to the law, his property
They replied in the negative. “Were they was handed to the court. When Imam Abu Hanifarh
Christians?” They replied negatively. “Were they finally arrived, he filed a lawsuit and explained the
Zoroastrian?” They again replied in the negative. circumstances. The witnesses attested to the fact
He then asked, “Then what religion did they belong that the will was, in fact, in Abu Hanifa’srh name.
to?” They replied, “They were Muslims.” Imam Abu Upon hearing this, the adjudicator said to Imam
Hanifarh immediately replied: Sahibrh, “Can you swear on oath that what the
َ َْ
‫قد ا َج ْب ُت ْم‬
ISMAEL JAN-MAR 2020
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witnesses are saying is the truth?” Imam Sahibrh sentences so that the injuries sustained from first
replied, “How can I take an oath when I was not punishment can heal
even present when the will was made?” to which 6. Those who have been accused of being
the adjudicator responded, “Then you have lost adulterers should also be present during
this case.” sentencing and their refutation should be heard,
Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifarh was very intelligent and rejecting any truth in the claim. It is apparent that in
so, when he assessed that the adjudicator was the case mentioned, this did not happen
testing his intellect, he said to him, “If a blind man The qazi, Ibn Abi Layla, complained to the
is beaten by someone and injured and witnesses governor of the city about Imam Abu Hanifa’srh
attest that so and so was the one who beat the criticism, saying that he had defamed the court.
blind man and that they were present and saw Thus, the governor issued sanctions upon Abu
it happen, would you require for the blind to Hanifarh that prevented him from issuing any fatwas
take an oath that the witnesses are telling the or answering any theological question.
truth?” Observing Imam Sahib’srh intelligence and Imam Abu Hanifarh considered it acceptable to
astuteness, the adjudicator was left stunned and criticise issues surrounding the Shariah. He would
called a decision in favour of Imam Sahibrh. himself criticise and would welcome criticism.
A mentally challenged lady would often walk the Once, a qazi called Shurayk was presented with a
bazaars of Kufa. Once, someone harassed the lady, question on what to do if a person was in doubt
to which the lady became enraged and started about whether they had divorced their wife or not.
hurling foul language, calling him “Ya ibnal- To this, Shurayk answered, “Such a person should
zaniyain” (son of two adulterers). This incident took divorce his wife and then do ruju‘ [seek to return to
place in the bazaar close to the main mosque and the wife] to remove any doubt.”
was witnessed by Kufa’s qazi [judge], Ibn Abi Layla. Imam Thawrirh said that in such circumstances,
He instructed for the woman to be arrested and divorce was not required as the husband’s
sentenced her to twice the amount of the usual intention was equivalent to ruju‘. Imam Zufarrh said
sentence of lashing. that their Nikah was certain and that doubt was not
When Imam Abu Hanifarh came to learn of the more credible than certainty. Therefore, she would
injustice against the lady, he could not just sit by remain his wife as she was prior to the doubt.
and observe. He criticised the sentencing and When Imam Abu Hanifarh heard of these views, he
said that the qazi had made many blunders, for remarked that Imam Zufar’srh views were closest
example: to the principles of fiqh, Imam Thawri’srh fatwa was
1. The lady was insane and such people cannot be based on taqwa, while Shurayk’s suggestion was
held accountable for their crimes and cannot be similar to a person, who says that they are in doubt
punished about whether their clothes were contaminated
2. The punishment was given inside the mosque, with urine, being told to urinate on their clothes
whereas the mosque is not a place for meting out and then to wash them.
punishments Shurayk was offended by Imam Abu Hanifa’srh strict
3. When the lady had been punished, she was criticism and never ceased in his spite for him.
standing, even though women should be seated A case was presented before Shurayk, the qazi,
whilst being punished and cannot be punished in which two witnesses were presented. One was
whilst standing Nazar bin Ismail, while the other was Imam Abu
4. By ascribing two crimes to the lady, the qazi Hanifa’srh son, Hamaad. Both were noble scholars
issued two punishments, even though one of fiqh and respectable members of society,
punishment was enough. If a person falsely makes however Shurayk rejected their testimonies.
an accusation against an entire group of people, Nazar was accused of being the imam of a
they would be punished once only and only that certain mosque and accepting money for this
false accuser would be punished responsibility, while Hamaad was accused of
5. The qazi issued both punishments together, believing in false principles, alongside his father,
even though the limits prescribed are that there who supposedly said that the level of faith of the
should be a gap of a few days between such evil and pious was the same.

ISMAEL JAN-MAR 2020

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During the course of raising accusations against Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifa Numanrh bin Thabit was a
Nazar, when Nazar replied, “You also take money great scholar of fiqh. He was an exemplary imam,
whilst being a qazi”, he replied by saying, “When I had a noble personality and was a saint of the
come as a witness in your court, feel free to reject highest order. The Muslim Ummah remembers him
my testimony.” Shurayk would often say that the as “Al-Imam al-A‘zam” [the Great Imam], a title he
existence of the Hanafi school of thought was the deservedly earned. He was bigger than all of the
misfortune of Islam. famous imams of fiqh, age-wise and otherwise.
Accusations against Imam Abu Hanifarh Everybody attested to his intellectual prowess.
He had the honour of initiating the compilation
The governor of the city once required an
of fiqh. He was the teacher of such students who
intellectual thesis on a particular subject. Qazi Ibn
would go on to become great men and took great
Shibrima and Qazi Ibn Abi Layla exerted all efforts,
pride in being his students. His fiqh became known
yet they were not able to prepare the required
as an ocean of knowledge due to the stretch of
thesis. When the matter was referred to Imam
principles and abundance of rulings.
Abu Hanifarh, he prepared it in a very calculated
Islamic governments of various eras adopted his
and precise manner, which the governor highly
fiqh to rule. As compared to other imams of fiqh,
appreciated, leading him to praise Abu Hanifarh.
his following is much larger and it is for this reason
When Ibn Abi Layla left the court of the governor,
that the Imam of the age, the Promised Messiahas
he said to his companion, Ibn Shibrima, “Did you
praised him and said with respect to him:
see how this foolish and stupid person surpassed
“The fact is that the aforementioned Imam Sahib,
us?” Ibn Shibrima replied, “The real ‘foolish and
in terms of his aptitude of ijtihad [hermeneutics],
stupid person’ is the one who was not able to
comprehension of hadith, understanding and
formulate even a few lines on this subject and who
wisdom was superior and greater than the other
is now furiously hurling insults at the scholar who
three imams [i.e. Hazrat Imam Malikrh, Hazrat Imam
was capable of it.”
Shafi‘irh and Hazrat Imam Ahmadrh bin Hanbal].
He would be at the receiving end of a lot of verbal
His God-given decision-making skills were so
abuse and accusations. Some would allege that
refined that he knew how to differentiate between
he did know Arabic, while others said that his
evidence and lack of evidence. His reasoning skills
knowledge of hadith was not sound. He was
had a special power to understand the Holy Quran
accused of having ties with the Murji‘ah sect, not
and his nature had a deep familiarity with the
accepting the importance of actions, being a Shiite,
word of God, elevating him to the highest stage
claiming to love the Ahl-e-Bait [close family of
of God-realisation. It is for this reason that in terms
the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa] despite being a
of ijtihad and deduction, he was accepted as the
disbeliever or a Jew.
highest authority, something which the rest were
Thousands of accusations were levelled against
unable to attain.”
him, but who bears the capacity to humble a
(Izala-e-Auham, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 3, p. 385)
person whom God desires to favour? Those who
raised false accusations against him have been
(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu
effaced and are not remembered today, whereas
in Tarikh Afkar-e-Islami, written by Malik Saif-
Imam Abu Hanifarh and his students are venerated
ur-Rahman Sahib)
even today throughout the world.
Once, the chief jurist of the city, Imam Abu Yusuf
was asked, “You have accomplished so much. Do
you still have any unfulfilled desire?” He replied,
“Firstly, to have the purity of Hazrat Musar bin
Kudam and secondly, to be destined to become a
great master of fiqh as was Abu Hanifa.” Harun al-
Rashid, upon hearing this response, said, “This is a
desire even higher than that of Khilafat.”
The greatness of Imam Abu Hanifarh

ISMAEL JAN-MAR 2020

-29-
 I NEED YOU
(An announcement published by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Musleh-e-Maud, may
Allah be pleased with him, in search of young Waqifeen)

1. Are you able to work hard, even up to 13 to 14 hours in a 7. Do you have enough strength to say “Yes” while the
day? whole world says “No”; to observe everyone laughing
2. Are you able to speak the truth and not lie under any around you, while you remain unshaken; to have someone
circumstance, to the point that even the closest of friends chase after you and tell you, “Stop! We will kill you!” and
cannot lie to you? If someone does falsely narrate their tales you stop and say, “Go on!”, while presenting your head to
of bravery to you, can you express your utter disdain? them; to not listen to anyone because people can lie, but
3. Are you free from a sense of false pride? Can you sweep you have everyone listen to you because you are truthful?
the streets? Can you lift heavy weights? Can you lift heavy 8. Can you refrain from saying, “I made every effort, but God
weights and wander the streets? Can you make every type prevented me from being successful”, and instead, consider
of loud announcement in marketplaces? Can you travel for every failure to be of your own doing? Can you be certain
entire days and stay awake throughout the night? that everyone who makes effort eventually succeeds and
4. Can you perform e‘tikaf i.e. can you sit in one place for whoever is unsuccessful did not make any effort?
days or sit and recite prayers or refrain from talking to If you can answer the above affirmatively, then you have the
anyone for days? capability of being a good missionary and businessman. But
5. Can you travel alone and bear your expenses without where are you? A man of God has been in need of you for a
having any money in your pocket for yourself and live long time?
among enemies, opponents, strangers and unfamiliar O Ahmadi youth! Find that person in your regions, in your
people for days, weeks or months? cities, in your villages, in your households and in your
6. Do you believe that some men are above every type of hearts, for the tree of Islam is withering away. Only through
defeat and do not like to hear the word “defeat”? Do you such a person’s blood can it be revived.
believe that such men are ready to carve their way through Mirza Mahmud Ahmad
mountains and alter the flow of rivers? Do you think that you (Al Fazl, 22 May 1948)
can prepare yourself to make such sacrifices?

ALLAH BY FAREED AHMED

Fareed Ahmed is only 6 years old and is a Waqif-e-Nau from London. His

simple, yet beautiful poem that he wrote on his Creator is presented here

for all readers

Allah has no partner; He is the only one;

He says, “Kun” and everything gets done.

Allah is the most Merciful, All-Knowing and Kind;

He knows what we do and what’s in our mind.

The whole universe, He created without a flaw;

He is An-Nur, His light has Power and Awe.

Those who follow His orders, get His pleasure;

He blesses them from His never-ending treasure.

ISMAEL JAN-MAR 2020
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