Some of the due rights on us towards our Lord is the performance of Salaah in congregation and avoid behaving like the hypocrites who are described by Almighty Allah as:
The hypocrites, they think they are over-reaching Allah, but He will over-reach them. When they stand up to prayer they stand without earnestness to be seen of men, but little do they hold Allah in remembrance. [An-Nisaa: 142]
All Muslims must co-operate and help one another on piety and kindness. They must study their religion and become well-versed in it, so as to be knowledgeable in their (Jihaad) in their peacetime, and their war-time. Man is not born with knowledge but with ignorance. Allah Almighty said
It is He Who brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers when ye knew nothing; and He gave you hearing and sight and intelligence and affections that you may give thanks (To God). [An-Nahl: 78]
The Muslims must devote their attention to the Holy Qur’an, it’s continuous recitation and its study and asking about its deep meanings. The students, boys and girls, must study and review the literature on (Tafseer) which mentions the evidences and explains the meanings. So must the other Muslims. They must listen to the preaching delivered on the (Jumu’ah) Salat. They must listen to the public lectures and lessons. Negligence of these good deeds, is the work of the disbelievers. Allah Almighty said:
“But those who reject Faith turn away from that.” [Al-Ahqaf: 3]
So studying and being learned on religion is one of the most essential duties, particularly in this time of ours. Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said, “Whom Allah intends good, grants him the knowledge and insight in religion.”
Each one or us must participate to the extent of his utmost capacity in teaching the people and guiding them in the path leading to the good, and that is through inviting with wisdom and beautiful preaching, arguing with them in the ways that are best and most gracious. All this is to be done in observation of the hadith of Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, who said, “Religion is sincerity. We said. To whom? He said: To Allah and His Book and His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk .” So sincerity to Almighty Allah and to His servants, guiding the astray, enjoining the good and forbidding the evil through wisdom and good preaching and not through violent methods except with those aggressors. Allah Almighty said:
And dispute you not with the People of the Book except with means better (than mere disputations) unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury). [Al-Ankabut: 46]
Invocation is to be made to those who are charged with authority to be granted success in their endeavours and their good intentions, and that Allah Almighty brings around them the earnest assistants, who would help them achieve the good and hold fast to the ordinances of Almighty Allah, applying the Shari’ah of Allah for the good in this world arid the bliss in the Hereafter.
When Almighty Allah sees the manifestation of good intention from one of His servants, He would direct him to the good deeds and would help him to the work accepted by Him Almighty everywhere. A Muslim must send his invocation for the good of the place where he is living, for probably his invocation be blessed and accepted and that he would become behind the guidance to the good path of those whom chose to be guided, whether he is a ruler or a prince or any other Muslim with authority, become in being guided those people would be the examples to be followed by the members of the (Ummah).
Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “The one who guides to the good, he would get the same reward like the doer of it.” This is a great offer which would not be achieved except through sincerity, devotion, and avoidance of violence in preaching, the thing which would repel the people. The caller to Islam must resort to the gentle methods which help in the way of accepting the truth and putting it into effect.
The Muslim must strive in what would improve his religious life and the life of the members of his family. One must help the members of his family to be good and pious. He must teach and instruct them and guide them in the straight path, and warn them against the prohibition of Almighty Allah and from his wrath.
Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said, “Each one of you is a guardian and he is responsible for his charge. The ruler is a guardian and he is responsible about his subjects, the man is a guardian in his family and he is responsible about the members of his family, the woman is a guardian in the house of her husband and she is responsible about her house, and the servant is a guardian over the property of his master and he is responsible about his duty, and all of you are guardians and are responsible about your obligations.”
So men and women are held, each one of them, responsible to carry out the obligation of responsibility of educating the family members because raising a good family is participation in building the good society.
Allah addressed the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: Enjoin prayer on thy people, and be constant therein. [Ta Ha: 132]
One should follow the example of the Prophets and the good people, and pay attention to the affairs of the family members. The young one must be ordered to perform the prescribed prayer when they reach the age of seven, and lightly beat them if they do not perform Salat when they reach the age of ten so that they make it a good habit to perform Salat every day, following the good straight path of the religion.
They must be warned against all that would harm them and against all that is forbidden by Almighty Allah such as neglecting Salat, consumption of intoxicants and drugs, smoking, shaving of the beards, wearing the clothing below the ankles (isbaal ath-thiyaab - for males), listening to singing and all the disobedience. This is your duty, you Muslim, towards your children, your brothers and sisters, towards your wife, and those who are around you. It is imperative to help one another in righteousness and piety, as Allah Almighty says:
Help you one another in righteousness and piety. [Al-Maaidah 2]
Those who do so are the real winners, from the men and the women of all times and all places. Those are the ones who were granted tranquility of the hearts and so they entered earnestly and sincerely into the realms of the light of faith, not only that, but they put their faith into application and practiced all that they were ordered to do, and abstained from all that they were prohibited from. They advised one another in righteousness and the truth. They invited the people to the faith and guided them in the mutual teachings of Truth and of patience and constancy. Those are the ones who are saved arid salvaged in this world and in the Hereafter.
Such should be the behaviour of the Muslim, striving for his livelihood in the (Halaal) permissible ways in selling and in buying, doing all that would improve him spiritually and materially. He is never to beg the others, but would rather ask the help from Almighty Allah to make the (Halaal) earning available to him. He should be following all the permissible ways in health and in sickness and abstaining from the (Haram) forbidden ways. Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said, “The strong Muslim is better and closer to Allah from the weak Muslim, and in each one there is good.” and another saying states that Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, was asked, “Which kind of earning is the best?’ He said, “Man’s work by his hand and all accepted deals.”
And “Guard that which is beneficial to you and depend upon Allah and do not be weak. If something bad occurs to you don’t say ‘If I had done such and such this and that would have happened.’ Rather, say ‘Allah had decreed it and what He wills comes to pass for indeed saying “If” opens the way for the work of Shaitaan.” [Muslim]
So you slave of Allah must work hard in seeking you livelihood, and earn through what is halaal and avoid dependence on people, begging, staying away from cheating, lying and betrayal. He must keep his trusts and be honest whether in buying and selling, business, building or writing or whatever.
I ask Allah by His beautiful Names to grant us all success and do what is acceptable and pleasing to Him and to bless us to stand upon the truth and give victory to His deen. We ask that His Word be raised uppermost and that He correct the condition of the Muslims everywhere and put the best of them over the rest of them. I ask that Allah make the leaders successful in the things that are pleasing to Him and do what is best for their people and nations and assist them to do good and give them righteous advisors and make them guides for the righteous implementing the Shari’ah.
I ask that Allah make them safe from the insinuations of the Shaitaan and the trial of going astray for He is indeed the Protector and Most Able. Finally, I pray that Allah give the Muslims understanding of their deen and to stand upon it and to co-operate in righteousness and piety and help us all to do that which is pleasing to Him. May Allah’s salaat and salaam and blessing be upon his slave and messenger our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family, companions and those who follow him in good.
History of Imaam Maalik Khutbah
All praise is due to Allah. May peace and blessings be upon the noble Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, his household and companions.
Fellow Muslims! Speaking about great scholars is not an easy task, for however you try to grasp the life of any of them you will not be able to do so. Even you may miss the most important and the most impressive aspect of his life.
The way of life of the earliest great Ulamaa is the exemplar par excellence and showing that is an encouragement to our youths in order to discourage them from imitating evil people who have either no positive role to play in this life nor any value in human history.
Our speech about the scholars does not in any way mean being partisan to any one of them, for everybody can have his word accepted or rejected except the impeccable Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.
Our man of today’s talk is that great Imaam who grew up in this city of Madinah, whose mention is elevated and whose knowledge has filled the earth. He taught people in the corners of the great Prophet’s mosque and became so popular that people called him “The scholar of Madinah” or “the Imaam of the city of Hijrah”.
Maalik Ibn Anas was born in the Prophet’s city and grew up there as a lover and seeker of knowledge in spite of his poverty. His mother gave him good upbringing by telling him: “Go to Rabee’ah and learn from him manners before you learn knowledge”. This woman knew her role in life and her mission of educating and grooming the youth. She knew that manners are good companions of knowledge and that knowledge is valueless without manners. This woman moulded a man and as such moulded a nation.
Mother’s role is not restricted to nurturing body and guarding it against physical diseases. Rather, she has greater mission to accomplish. Her mission includes strengthening the faith, building a strong personality, developing intellectual capability and encouraging children to aim high. All these cannot be achieved except by first giving preference to meritorious act of upbringing over concerns for this world.
This was what actually happened in the life of Maalik and that was what made him a school in manners from whom students learn and the whole Ummah benefits.
Maalik once told a Quraishee youth: “O my nephew, learn manners before you learn knowledge”.
Yahya ibn Yahya At-Tameemee said: “I stayed with Maalik after the completion of my learning knowledge from him for a year in order to learn manners and good qualities from him. And the qualities are the same as those of the companions of the Prophet and those who followed them.”
Brothers in faith! Modern educational methods sometimes appear like mere texts that are devoid of any moral content thereby making knowledge losing its splendour and impact. If knowledge were to be separated from manners – however much the knowledge may be – you will see a huge defect in its influence on people’s conduct and purity of their deeds. Therefore, there is no good in a knowledge that does not earn one good morals.
Creating a gap between knowledge and manners breeds ill behaviours like attacking the Ulamaa, being rude to them, bad conduct, maltreatment of parents, blind imitation of unbelievers in matters of dressing and being hostile to teachers and educators either physically and verbally.
The city of the Prophet had a significant impact on Maalik’s personality, for it has been flourishing with scholars. The first school in Islamic history was the Prophet’s mosque and there have always been classes there conducted by competent scholars and these classes provided the Muslim children with good education that guaranteed for them religious and moral qualities that make man good-mannered.
Brothers in faith! It goes without saying that bad environment only destroys and does not build …If not, what is the benefit of teaching a child Islamic values in the morning and in the evening he goes to bad companies who destroy what his parents has put in order? Or what is the benefit of teaching a child manners for years and then to be taken to corruption ridden environment by his very father?!
Imaam Maalik sat to give fatwa (formal legal opinion) and did not do so until seventy scholars had attested to his worthiness of that. What a difference between the one who praises and forward himself and the one who is praised and forwarded by the knowledgeable and distinguished people! Maalik said: “It is not everyone who would like to sit in the mosque and teach the Hadith and give fatwa are worthy of that. Let the one who wants to sit for fatwa first seek for the advice of pious and distinguished people; if they see that he is fit for that, let him do that; for I did not sit to teach Hadith and give fatwa until seventy scholars attested to his worthiness of that.”
Imaam Maalik said: “I am only human, I make mistakes and I do give correct opinions. As for my opinions, examine them, if they are in accordance with Sunnah take them.” With this valuable statement, Maalik established a moderate line between those who follow their leaders blindly and those who reject authentic evidences outright and reject the sayings of scholars and say, “They are men and we are also men.”
What a difference between those men and these men! What a difference between dead men whom Allah immortalises their names for centuries and valueless men who though are living are counted among the dead! Mere mention of the formers’ names activates the heats while keeping the company of the latter deadens the hearts. Those scholars of eminence did not only possess knowledge but were also leaders in morals, piety, self-abstinence and fear of Allah.
There are however some followers of these scholars who prefer only imitation and do not wish to exceed that in spite of their ability to differentiate between the truth and falsehood.
It is also a mistake to look down upon other people’s works or to feel that one’s good deed is better than others. This is because all these talents and capabilities are provisions from Allah and not from any human being. This is a great concept that Maalik wanted to show people that serving Islam is an obligation that should involve every Muslim in all professions without anyone revolting against others.
Maalik wrote to one of the worshippers of his time, “Allah has portioned out deeds as He has portioned out provisions. Many are endowed with energy and the will to pray (as many supererogatory prayers as possible) but are not endowed with (much of voluntary) fasting; others are endowed with giving charity but are not endowed with fasting; others are endowed with Jihaad and others with seeking for knowledge. Spreading knowledge is one of the best deeds and I am contented with Allah has endowed one with and I do not think that what I do is less meritorious than what you do but hope that both of us are doing good and righteous deeds.”
Therefore charitable people, worshippers, those who spend their times in the cause of Allah, the scholars, the propagators of Islam and those serving Islam in their various fields are all doing righteous deeds - if they are sincere in their intentions.
Whenever Maalik was asked a question, he would tell the questioner, “Go now and let me think over it.” When the questioner was gone, Maalik’s students would ask him the reason for what he said and he would answer. “I fear a Day with the Questioner (Allah) and what a (terrible) Day!”
A man was sent by the people of Maghrib to ask Imaam Maalik about some issues. The man would ask Maalik a question and he would say, ‘I do not know, for we do not know of this issue in our land and we have not heard any of our scholars saying anything about it, but you can come back again!’ On the following day, the man went back to Maalik and Maalik told him: “ You asked me question but I do not know the answer!’ the man said: ‘O Abu Abdullaah! I came from a people who think that there is none in the world who is more knowledgeable than you!’ Maalik answered: “I am not perfect.”
He was also asked a question and he asked the questioner to give him time to make some research and the man said: ‘But the issue is very simple. Maalik retorted, ‘There is nothing simple in knowledge! Don’t you hear the saying of Allah’: “We shall send down to you a weighty word.” (Qur’an 73:4)
Maalik used to say, “The people of knowledge and understanding that I have met in our country, when one of them was asked a question on an issue, he would feel like the one about to die. But the people of our own time love giving fatwaa (without hesitation). Had they know what they are going to face tomorrow (in the Day of Judgment) they would not have done that. Umar, Alee and ‘Alqamah are some of the best companions of the Prophet, yet when anyone of them was asked a question, he would consult his fellow companions before giving an answer to it. But it is unfortunate that fatwaa has become the pride for the people of our time”
These are the erudite and sagacious scholars who filled the world with their knowledge and good deeds and yet used to say, “I do not know”. You will however be surprised to see some people who know next to nothing about Islamic law and yet desecrating it by speaking about the allowed and forbidden things. Even, a topic on Islamic law may come forth in a meeting and the meeting will not end before all the attendants -irrespective if their different fields of knowledge - give their opinions saying for instance, ‘According to my view . . .’ ‘As far as I believe . . .’ etc.
SubhaanAllah! When did the matter of legalising and forbidding become a subject to ignorance and conjecture?!! If an engineer were to practise medicine and prescribe drugs, what are you going to say about him and what is going to be his fate?! What then about the one who dares to desecrate the Islamic law and speak about the lawful and forbidden things without knowledge particularly on special events that are so complicated that if Umar were to witness such events, he would have gathered all the companions who took part in the Battle of Badr to help solve the problem. But unfortunately fatwa in our age has become a spacious ground in which all those who wish to become popular or are seeking people’s pleasure at the risk of Allah’s displeasure contest.
Brothers in faith! Issues pertaining to Islamic belief are static ones over which no one is allowed to give his independent judgment. Likewise are issues that have evidences in the Qur’an and Sunnah and issues on which scholars have consensus. It is incumbent on all Muslims to leave the say on matters of knowledge to whom they are due and not to enter into the issues of Halaal and Haraam on which they have no knowledge. Maalik said, “Whoever wants to give answer to a question should first assume himself standing between Paradise and Hell and ponder about how he is going to be saved in the Hereafter before he answers.”
Some people may be thinking that these Ulamaa are only well-versed in controversial issues and discussion of scholastic opinions and that their classes are devoid of admonishing Hadith that address the hearts and remind of Paradise and Hell. In order to show that their classes are resplendent in various kinds of sciences, let us hear what Maalik said to a brother of his admonishing him:
“Remind yourself of the agonies of death, what you are going to experience and what is going to be your fate after death; your standing before Allah, your reckoning, then your perpetual abode of either Paradise or Hell. Provide for that moment what will make things easy for you then, for when you see those who have earned the wrath of Allah and the horror of their torment and you hear their cries in the Fire with their gloomy faces; unable to see and talk and exclaiming for destruction and greater than all this is Allah’s turning away from them and their despair of His answer to their pleas and He will say: “Remain you in it with ignominy! And speak you not with Me.”(Al-Mu’minoon 23:108) if you know all this, nothing in this world will be too great for you to sacrifice if you want salvation.”
Imaam Maalik was sick for 22 days and died at the age of 87. Naafi’ (his famous student) said: “Maalik died at the age of 87 and lived in Al-Madinah as its Mufti for 60 years.”
May Allah have mercy on Maalik, for he used to say: “I met some people in Al-Madinah who had no faults but they speak of other people’s faults, then people created faults for them. I also met other another group of people in al-Madinah, who had faults but kept away from speaking of other people’s faults and the people also keep off from speaking about their faults.”
All praise is due to Allah. May peace and blessings be upon the noble Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, his household and companions.
Fellow Muslims! Speaking about great scholars is not an easy task, for however you try to grasp the life of any of them you will not be able to do so. Even you may miss the most important and the most impressive aspect of his life.
The way of life of the earliest great Ulamaa is the exemplar par excellence and showing that is an encouragement to our youths in order to discourage them from imitating evil people who have either no positive role to play in this life nor any value in human history.
Our speech about the scholars does not in any way mean being partisan to any one of them, for everybody can have his word accepted or rejected except the impeccable Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.
Our man of today’s talk is that great Imaam who grew up in this city of Madinah, whose mention is elevated and whose knowledge has filled the earth. He taught people in the corners of the great Prophet’s mosque and became so popular that people called him “The scholar of Madinah” or “the Imaam of the city of Hijrah”.
Maalik Ibn Anas was born in the Prophet’s city and grew up there as a lover and seeker of knowledge in spite of his poverty. His mother gave him good upbringing by telling him: “Go to Rabee’ah and learn from him manners before you learn knowledge”. This woman knew her role in life and her mission of educating and grooming the youth. She knew that manners are good companions of knowledge and that knowledge is valueless without manners. This woman moulded a man and as such moulded a nation.
Mother’s role is not restricted to nurturing body and guarding it against physical diseases. Rather, she has greater mission to accomplish. Her mission includes strengthening the faith, building a strong personality, developing intellectual capability and encouraging children to aim high. All these cannot be achieved except by first giving preference to meritorious act of upbringing over concerns for this world.
This was what actually happened in the life of Maalik and that was what made him a school in manners from whom students learn and the whole Ummah benefits.
Maalik once told a Quraishee youth: “O my nephew, learn manners before you learn knowledge”.
Yahya ibn Yahya At-Tameemee said: “I stayed with Maalik after the completion of my learning knowledge from him for a year in order to learn manners and good qualities from him. And the qualities are the same as those of the companions of the Prophet and those who followed them.”
Brothers in faith! Modern educational methods sometimes appear like mere texts that are devoid of any moral content thereby making knowledge losing its splendour and impact. If knowledge were to be separated from manners – however much the knowledge may be – you will see a huge defect in its influence on people’s conduct and purity of their deeds. Therefore, there is no good in a knowledge that does not earn one good morals.
Creating a gap between knowledge and manners breeds ill behaviours like attacking the Ulamaa, being rude to them, bad conduct, maltreatment of parents, blind imitation of unbelievers in matters of dressing and being hostile to teachers and educators either physically and verbally.
The city of the Prophet had a significant impact on Maalik’s personality, for it has been flourishing with scholars. The first school in Islamic history was the Prophet’s mosque and there have always been classes there conducted by competent scholars and these classes provided the Muslim children with good education that guaranteed for them religious and moral qualities that make man good-mannered.
Brothers in faith! It goes without saying that bad environment only destroys and does not build …If not, what is the benefit of teaching a child Islamic values in the morning and in the evening he goes to bad companies who destroy what his parents has put in order? Or what is the benefit of teaching a child manners for years and then to be taken to corruption ridden environment by his very father?!
Imaam Maalik sat to give fatwa (formal legal opinion) and did not do so until seventy scholars had attested to his worthiness of that. What a difference between the one who praises and forward himself and the one who is praised and forwarded by the knowledgeable and distinguished people! Maalik said: “It is not everyone who would like to sit in the mosque and teach the Hadith and give fatwa are worthy of that. Let the one who wants to sit for fatwa first seek for the advice of pious and distinguished people; if they see that he is fit for that, let him do that; for I did not sit to teach Hadith and give fatwa until seventy scholars attested to his worthiness of that.”
Imaam Maalik said: “I am only human, I make mistakes and I do give correct opinions. As for my opinions, examine them, if they are in accordance with Sunnah take them.” With this valuable statement, Maalik established a moderate line between those who follow their leaders blindly and those who reject authentic evidences outright and reject the sayings of scholars and say, “They are men and we are also men.”
What a difference between those men and these men! What a difference between dead men whom Allah immortalises their names for centuries and valueless men who though are living are counted among the dead! Mere mention of the formers’ names activates the heats while keeping the company of the latter deadens the hearts. Those scholars of eminence did not only possess knowledge but were also leaders in morals, piety, self-abstinence and fear of Allah.
There are however some followers of these scholars who prefer only imitation and do not wish to exceed that in spite of their ability to differentiate between the truth and falsehood.
It is also a mistake to look down upon other people’s works or to feel that one’s good deed is better than others. This is because all these talents and capabilities are provisions from Allah and not from any human being. This is a great concept that Maalik wanted to show people that serving Islam is an obligation that should involve every Muslim in all professions without anyone revolting against others.
Maalik wrote to one of the worshippers of his time, “Allah has portioned out deeds as He has portioned out provisions. Many are endowed with energy and the will to pray (as many supererogatory prayers as possible) but are not endowed with (much of voluntary) fasting; others are endowed with giving charity but are not endowed with fasting; others are endowed with Jihaad and others with seeking for knowledge. Spreading knowledge is one of the best deeds and I am contented with Allah has endowed one with and I do not think that what I do is less meritorious than what you do but hope that both of us are doing good and righteous deeds.”
Therefore charitable people, worshippers, those who spend their times in the cause of Allah, the scholars, the propagators of Islam and those serving Islam in their various fields are all doing righteous deeds - if they are sincere in their intentions.
Whenever Maalik was asked a question, he would tell the questioner, “Go now and let me think over it.” When the questioner was gone, Maalik’s students would ask him the reason for what he said and he would answer. “I fear a Day with the Questioner (Allah) and what a (terrible) Day!”
A man was sent by the people of Maghrib to ask Imaam Maalik about some issues. The man would ask Maalik a question and he would say, ‘I do not know, for we do not know of this issue in our land and we have not heard any of our scholars saying anything about it, but you can come back again!’ On the following day, the man went back to Maalik and Maalik told him: “ You asked me question but I do not know the answer!’ the man said: ‘O Abu Abdullaah! I came from a people who think that there is none in the world who is more knowledgeable than you!’ Maalik answered: “I am not perfect.”
He was also asked a question and he asked the questioner to give him time to make some research and the man said: ‘But the issue is very simple. Maalik retorted, ‘There is nothing simple in knowledge! Don’t you hear the saying of Allah’: “We shall send down to you a weighty word.” (Qur’an 73:4)
Maalik used to say, “The people of knowledge and understanding that I have met in our country, when one of them was asked a question on an issue, he would feel like the one about to die. But the people of our own time love giving fatwaa (without hesitation). Had they know what they are going to face tomorrow (in the Day of Judgment) they would not have done that. Umar, Alee and ‘Alqamah are some of the best companions of the Prophet, yet when anyone of them was asked a question, he would consult his fellow companions before giving an answer to it. But it is unfortunate that fatwaa has become the pride for the people of our time”
These are the erudite and sagacious scholars who filled the world with their knowledge and good deeds and yet used to say, “I do not know”. You will however be surprised to see some people who know next to nothing about Islamic law and yet desecrating it by speaking about the allowed and forbidden things. Even, a topic on Islamic law may come forth in a meeting and the meeting will not end before all the attendants -irrespective if their different fields of knowledge - give their opinions saying for instance, ‘According to my view . . .’ ‘As far as I believe . . .’ etc.
SubhaanAllah! When did the matter of legalising and forbidding become a subject to ignorance and conjecture?!! If an engineer were to practise medicine and prescribe drugs, what are you going to say about him and what is going to be his fate?! What then about the one who dares to desecrate the Islamic law and speak about the lawful and forbidden things without knowledge particularly on special events that are so complicated that if Umar were to witness such events, he would have gathered all the companions who took part in the Battle of Badr to help solve the problem. But unfortunately fatwa in our age has become a spacious ground in which all those who wish to become popular or are seeking people’s pleasure at the risk of Allah’s displeasure contest.
Brothers in faith! Issues pertaining to Islamic belief are static ones over which no one is allowed to give his independent judgment. Likewise are issues that have evidences in the Qur’an and Sunnah and issues on which scholars have consensus. It is incumbent on all Muslims to leave the say on matters of knowledge to whom they are due and not to enter into the issues of Halaal and Haraam on which they have no knowledge. Maalik said, “Whoever wants to give answer to a question should first assume himself standing between Paradise and Hell and ponder about how he is going to be saved in the Hereafter before he answers.”
Some people may be thinking that these Ulamaa are only well-versed in controversial issues and discussion of scholastic opinions and that their classes are devoid of admonishing Hadith that address the hearts and remind of Paradise and Hell. In order to show that their classes are resplendent in various kinds of sciences, let us hear what Maalik said to a brother of his admonishing him:
“Remind yourself of the agonies of death, what you are going to experience and what is going to be your fate after death; your standing before Allah, your reckoning, then your perpetual abode of either Paradise or Hell. Provide for that moment what will make things easy for you then, for when you see those who have earned the wrath of Allah and the horror of their torment and you hear their cries in the Fire with their gloomy faces; unable to see and talk and exclaiming for destruction and greater than all this is Allah’s turning away from them and their despair of His answer to their pleas and He will say: “Remain you in it with ignominy! And speak you not with Me.”(Al-Mu’minoon 23:108) if you know all this, nothing in this world will be too great for you to sacrifice if you want salvation.”
Imaam Maalik was sick for 22 days and died at the age of 87. Naafi’ (his famous student) said: “Maalik died at the age of 87 and lived in Al-Madinah as its Mufti for 60 years.”
May Allah have mercy on Maalik, for he used to say: “I met some people in Al-Madinah who had no faults but they speak of other people’s faults, then people created faults for them. I also met other another group of people in al-Madinah, who had faults but kept away from speaking of other people’s faults and the people also keep off from speaking about their faults.”
