Ramadan Articles - Repentance in Ramadhan

I praise Allah, Who has brought near to us the means of goodness and
has opened the gate of repentance to His slaves, and I send blessings
and peace upon the Messenger of Allah.
I have put together thesefew words for everyone who wants to change
his situation and his actions so as to earn the pleasureof his Creator
and achieve happiness in this world and in the Hereafter. I ask Allah
to make it of benefit to those who read it and tellothers about it,
and I ask Allah to forgive sins both open and secret.
My dear brothers and sisters,
I congratulate you on theoccasion of this blessed month, the month of
repentance, forgiveness and ransom from the Fire, the month of
goodness and blessing, the month of generosity and kindness. I say to
myself, to you and to everyone who is falling short in his duties
towards his Lord (this Arabic poem):
O you who did not have enough of sin in Rajab,
So he continued to disobey his Lord during the month of Sha'baan,
Now these two months have been followed by the month of patience,
So do not let this be a month of sin too.
Recite the Qur'aan and glorify your Lord during this month, striving
your utmost,
For it is the month of glorification and Qur'aan.
The month of Ramadaan has come
So come to Allah, O seeker of good.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:"When the
first night of Ramadaan comes, the devils and demons are chained up,
and the gates of Hell are closed and not one gate of it is opened. The
gates of Paradise are opened and not one gate of it is closed. And a
caller calls out: "O seeker of good, come to Allah; O seeker ofevil,
desist." Allah will have ransomed some people from the Fire, andthat
happens every night."(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Maajah with a
hasan isnaad).
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,"Ameen,
ameen, ameen."It was said, "Messenger of Allah,you climbed up on the
minbar and said, "Ameen,ameen, ameen." He said,"Jibreel (peace be upon
him), came to me and said, "Whoever witnessesthe month of Ramadaan and
is not forgiven so he enters Hell, may Allah casthim away. Say Ameen."
So I said Ameen.""(This hadeeth was narrated by Ahmad and is saheeh).
Yes! Ramadaan has come,so turn to your Lord Whom you have disobeyed,
beseeching Him and fearing Him, regretting and weeping,and say,
"O God of the Universe, I am returning (to You)."
"O Giver of all good things, give me guidance,
For there is no good without guidance.
Overlook my mistakes with forgiveness, kindness and mercy,
For no one else can bestow forgiveness." [Arabic poetry]
My brothers and sisters, ifyou are not forgiven, if your eyes do not
shed tears and your heart doesnot break before your Lord in this
month, then when?
My brothers and sisters, why do you not shed tears for fear of your
Lord even once? Do you not feel that your heart isclose to your Lord
during this month? Do you not think that this is an opportunity for
you to draw closer to your Lord and increase in humility, repentance
and submission, so that it maybe the true beginning of your returning
to your Lord so that you may be more closely connected with Allah?
"While as for those who accept guidance, He increases their guidance and
bestows on them their piety"[Muhammad 47:17]
O man!
Allah rebukes us and tells us (interpretation of the meaning):
"O man! What has made you careless about your Lord, the Most
Generous?"[al-Infitaar 82:6]
Indeed, O man, what has made you careless about your Lord, so that you
have become so audacious in disobeying Him and transgressing
Hislimits? Is it because you are ignoring His blessings? Or because
youforget that He is always watching over you, and that He is
almighty?
"I am the one who closes the doors, striving in sin (in secret),
Although the eye of Allah is watching me.
How patient Allah is with me, when He lets me off
Although I persist in my sin, and He covers me." [Arabic poetry]
My brothers and sisters! Do not look at how small your sin is, but
look at how great is the One Whom you are disobeying. My brothers and
sisters! Do not let Allah be the one whom you care the least about of
all those who are watching you.
Good news for you
Here I bring you good news from your Lord andHis Messenger (peace
andblessings of Allah be upon him). Allah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"Say: "O 'Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves
(by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of
Allah, verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful"[al-Zumar 39:53]
And,
"And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allah, nor
kill such person as Allah has forbidden, except for justcause, nor
commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive
the punishment.
The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he
will abide therein in disgrace;
Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do
righteous deeds; for those, Allah will change their sins into good
deeds, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful"[al-Furqaan 25:68-70]
This is a great blessing and a great deal, for Allah will change your
sins into good deeds! Allah is Most Great. No one misses out on such a
great deal except one who is ignorant or who does not care about this
blessing.
So repent! my dear brothers and sisters, if you want this great deal,
Allah will change your sins into good deeds.
And listen to what your beloved Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) said to encourage people to repent:
"Allah is more delighted with the repentance of His slave than one of
you who suddenly finds his camel laden with supplies after losing it
in a barren land."(Agreed upon)
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Allah says: "O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and put your
hope in Me, I will forgive you no matter what you have done, and I do
not mind. O son of Adam, if your sins were to reach up to the clouds
of the sky, then you were to ask Me for forgiveness, I will forgive
you and I do not mind."
And he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:"Allah says, "O
My slaves, you commit sins by night and by day, but I forgive all
sins. So ask Me for forgiveness and I will forgive you."
And he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:"Allah
stretches forth His hand by night to accept the repentance of those
who sinned during the day, and He stretches forth Hishand by day to
accept the repentance of those who sinned during the night. (This will
continue)until the sun rises from the west."
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw
a woman looking for her young son among the prisoners of war. When she
found him, she embraced him and gave him her breast. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,"Do you think that she
could throw her child into the fire?"They said, "No." He said,"Allah
is more merciful towards His slaves than this woman istowards her
child."
Allah is Most Great! After knowing of this generosity, can we ignore
the matter of repentance? Can we delay repenting?O Allah, glory be to
You, how merciful You are. Glory beto You, how kind You are.Glory be
to You, how generous You are.
"When my heart grew hard and I did not know where to turn,
I made the hope of Your forgiveness my way out.
I thought that my sin was so great, but when I compared it
To Your forgiveness, my Lord, Your forgiveness was greater.
You never cease to forgive sin, and You never cease
To be generous, out of Your bounty and kindness." [Arabic poetry]
Be frank with yourself
What is keeping you from repenting and following the path of
righteousness? I can imagine you saying, "My family, community and
friends. I am afraid of repenting then going back to my sin. My sins
are so many, how can I be forgiven? I am worried about my family and
my wealth." I say to you: Do you think that you will say that to your
Lord on the Day when you meet Him? No, by Allah! These are imaginary
obstacles which can only be overcome by one who fears his Lord.
"If the soul had great ambitions,
The body would be exhausted by trying to fulfil the desires of the
soul." [Arabic poetry]
Be proud of your religion, and sincerely resolve to do good and to
continue doing so, putting your trust in Allah. And remember the mercy
of your Lord and the vast extent of His forgiveness.
My brother, if the Angel of Death were to come toyou at this moment,
would you be content to meet your Lord in this state? My brother,
please do not run away from yourself or try to avoid checking on
yourself. If you do not check on yourself today, then in your grave
you will regret it, at the time when regret will be of noavail.
A new beginning
Know that repentance is not limited only to this month it may take
place during this or any other month. But why should your new
beginning not take place in the month of goodness and blessing? A man
may be born twice, on the day when he emerges from the darkness of his
mother's womb into the light of this world, and on the day when he
emerges from the darkness of sin into the light of obedience. So be
like this.
I advise you, my friend, to catch up with good people who will benefit
you even after you die byAllah's Leave by making du'aa for you. Catch
up with them and keep company with them wherever they come and go; be
patient with them until you meet your Lord,then it may be said to you
and to them:
"Salaamun 'Alaykum (peace be upon you) for you persevered in patience!
Excellent indeed is the final home!"[al-Ra'ad 13:24 interpretation of
the meaning]
A story and an attitude
There was a man who was with the righteous, then he left them and
started to fall short in his religious commitments. One day he was
going ona trip, and his car overturned on the road. He was
resuscitated, thenhe died.
The sad news came. We prayed over him, and he was taken and placed in
his grave. His grave was filled with bricks and earth, and he would
never come back. Tears flowed and hearts were filled with grief. One
of the righteous people, I think he was righteous, but Allah knows
best and I do not praise anyone before Allah, who was one of his
former friends,sat by his grave with his head bowed, making du'aa for
him.
Thus I knew what kind offriends could benefit a man after his death.
My brother, beware lest you become one of thoseof whom Allah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) the Daywhen the Dhaalim (wrongdoer, oppressor,
polytheist) will bite at hishands, he will say:
"Oh! Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger (Muhammad).
"Ah! Woe to me! Would that I had never taken so and so as a Khaleel
(an intimate friend)!
He indeed led me astray from the Reminder (this Qur'aan) after it had
come to me."
And Shaytaan (Satan) is to man ever a deserter in the hour of need"
[al-Furqaan 25:27-29]
Before the door is closed
My dear brother, before the door is closed, decidefrom now, and do not
delay, the path that you want to follow, which will be your path in
this world and in the Hereafter.
What great joy and happiness is to be found when a person comes back
to his Lord, regretting (his sin) and joining the caravan of the
righteous. By Allah it is joy which no one tastesexcept those who
experience this.
My brother in Allah, if youhave resolved to repent and turn back to
your Lord, then know that there are conditions which must be met
whenrepenting:
1- Regret for what is past.
2- Giving up the sin.
3- Resolving not to go back to it. But if you do itagain, then repent
to Allah again but your resolve must be genuine.
4- The repentance must come before the death-rattle reaches the throat
and before the sun rises in the west.

Those who openly sin – I

It is from the Sunnah of the Prophetthat we take the light of guidance
regarding this crucial issue, which is one that requires urgent
attention due to it being one of the most important matters that will
assist in preserving the Muslim community with regards to its religion
and chastity.
Abu Hurayrahreported: "The Messenger of Allaahsaid:"Every member of my
nation will be forgiven, except those who expose their wrongdoings. An
example of this is that of a man who commits a sin at night which
Allaah then conceals, but, the next morning, he goes and says )to
people(: 'I committed such and such a sin last night' - while Allaah
had kept it secret. During the night Allaah had concealed it, but in
the morning he tore up the cover provided by Allaah
Himself."]Al-Bukhaari & Muslim[
Those who openly expose their sins to others will be deprived from the
forgiveness of Allaah. Imaam An-Nawawisaid: "It is permissible to
speak openly about those who openly expose the sins that they commit,
or innovations they propagate."
Such a person would sit in a gathering and say: "I committed such and
such a sin last night" and then give details, whilst the Messenger of
Allaahsaid:"Refrain from these filthy matters)i.e. sins( that Allaah
has forbidden, and if one of you is tried by committing any of them,
then let him conceal them as Allaah has concealed them for
him."]Al-Haakim[
Why is this? It is because openly exposing one's sins is a way of
slighting the rank of Allaah; it is Allaah who forbade such sins to be
committed and who informedus of this through His Messenger. Thus, the
one who openly exposes his disobedience is expressing indifference
regardingthe legislation of Allaah, the rank of His Messengerand the
feelings of the righteous within the Muslim community. To do this is
therefore nothing except dogged arrogance.
Openly exposing sins and bragging about them is a common practice
amongst people nowadays, and has replaced repenting from them and
concealing them from others. If one sins, he should not even inform a
single person, and must repent and resolve never to commit the same
sin again. One may, however, inform a scholar or a wise friend in
order to seek his help and receive advice on how to refrain from and
resist such sins, as well as to receive guidance on matters that would
protect him from being tempted again and to inform him of deterrents
that would prevent him from falling into the same mistake again.
Another specific permissible reason for one exposing his sin isto do
so in order to seek the Islamic ruling regarding what he has
committed; the proof for thisis the story of the man who had sexual
intercourse with his wife during the daytime one Ramadanduring the
lifetime of the Messenger of Allaah. The man then went and informed
theProphetof what he had done so that he would know what the ruling
was and what he should therefore do regarding this sin. The Prophetdid
not condemnhim for telling him what he had done and instructed him as
to what to do for expiation.
Exposing sins and bragging about them encourages others tocommit them
and imitate the sinners. The prohibition of openlycommitting sins is a
great wisdom, because Allaah knows that such acts move others and
motivate them to indulge in the same evil; it also makes sinning more
attractive to people, decorating it in their eyes. This is why openly
exposing one's sins isso perilous.
The Islamic scholarsmentioned many rulings related to those who openly
expose theirsins to others, such as the prayer behind such people to
be disliked)i.e., such people may not lead congregational prayers(.
Some scholars even went as far as to state that one must repeat his
prayer if he prays behind such a person. Ibn Abu Zaydwas asked whether
or not a sinner can lead people during congregational prayers, to
which he answered: "If he is one who openly and persistently exposes
his sins to others, then he may not." This means that he should not be
given the opportunity to lead to begin with, and if he is already
leading, then people must strive to remove and replace him, because
this person is unfit for leadership.
On the other hand, if one openly exposes a sin of his unintentionally
then he is pardoned due to it occurring accidentally. Imaam Maalikwas
asked about this and answered: "This is something that anyone could
)accidentally( do … )but( nothing is similar to the evil of he who
persistently and openly exposes his sins."
An issue related to this is that of visiting such a person when he is
sick; visiting a sick Muslim is highly rewardable by Allaah, and it is
a right that a Muslim has over other Muslims, but the Islamic
scholarssaid regarding the one who openly exposes his sins: "He is not
to be visited, so that this )shunning( acts as a means of making him
repent from such evil, and in order for others to refrain from such an
act when they see how badly he is treated; but, )one mayvisit him( if
the intention is to admonish and advise him."
Another ruling regarding such a person is concerning praying the
funeral prayer over him; the Islamic scholarsstated thathe is not to
be prayed over as a deterrent for others, so that they will not follow
in his footsteps. Inthis regard, Imaam Ibn Taymiyyahsaid: "People
should refrain from praying over the dead person who was knownto
openly expose his sins to others as a means to prevent others from
acting like him." Onlythe common people should pray over such a
person, because he was still a Muslim, but people of piety and
knowledge should be absent.
What is the ruling of backbiting such people and revealing their sins?
Generally, it is recommended to conceal the sinsof others because the
Prophetsaid:"Whoever covers up the fault of a Muslim, Allaah will
cover up his fault)s( on the Day ofResurrection."]Al-Bukhaari &
Muslim[
The exception to this narration applies only for the one who openly
exposes his sins, as the scholars stated; this is because it becomes
recommended for others to expose him to people so that they can avoid
dealing with him. Concealing the faults ofsuch a person could
encourage him to commit more evil.
As for backbiting such people, Imaam Ahmadsaid: "He whoopenly exposes
his sins to others has no protection against backbiting )i.e. it is
not prohibited to backbite him(." On the other hand, Imaam
An-Nawawistated that it is permitted, but only regarding thesins he
exposed to others and nothing else, so that people can be warned
against him.
Additionally, if he is likely to take heed as a result of people
boycotting him, then people should boycott him by not talking to him,
not visiting him, not responding to him when he salutes with Salaam
and so on. This is because exposition of sins is a matter taken very
seriously inIslam.
One is obliged Islamically to respond to invitations to wedding feasts
because the Prophetsaid:"He who does not respond to and honour the
dinner invitation of a wedding has disobeyed Allaah and His
Messenger."Nonetheless, this obligation does not apply to the
invitations of those who openly expose their sins.

Errors committed whilst raising children

It is very unfortunate and painful that some fathers fail to perform
their duties towards their children as Allaah has commanded them to
do; they do not protect themselves, their wives and their children
from theHellfire. In some cases, they not only fail to raise their
children upon honesty, but worse than this, they deliberately raise
them as liars by teaching them to deceive and swindle others, claiming
that they are thereby teaching them how to be intelligent and
diplomatic in theirdealings with others.
Some teach their children how tobe aggressive and attack and oppress
others, claiming that they are thereby raising them to be brave.
Another group teach their children the ways and manners of the
disbelievers and how to imitate them, claiming that they are thereby
raising them in a modern and civilised way.
Having excessive trust in children:
Fathers must know who their children befriend, what they bring back
home with them and especially where their daughters go and with whom.
Some fathers are unaware that their children possess indecent
pictures, immoral movies and even drugs. Others are unaware that their
daughters go to the markets and malls especially to meet Satan )i.e.,
her boyfriend(; others do not know that their daughters smoke with
their female friends when in their houses.
Those who are not watchful over their children will not escape on the
Great Day of Resurrection from the torment from which nobody can
escape. Anasnarrated that the Prophetsaid:"Allaah will ask everyone
about those whom he was entrusted with."]An-Nasaa'i & Ibn Hibbaan[
Spoiling children:
Some parents are too emotional and tend to spoil their children, to
the extent that perhaps their children have never heard the word "no"
to anything they requested of their parents. The result of this is a
generation who cannot cope with the expected problems of life and who,
therefore, break down at the firstproblem they face. We do not saythat
parents should be harsh on their children and refuse all their
requests, but rather, parents should not surrender to their emotions.
'Umarsaid: "Get yourselves accustomed to harshness because bounties
are not always available."
Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyimsaid: "The parent must keep his child away from
laziness, extra comfort and being spoilt, and should raise him upon
the opposite of these. He should get him used to exerting effort
because laziness has evil consequences, which will cause eventual deep
regret; on the other hand, exerting effort and getting used to
striving in life is praiseworthy and has good consequences whether in
this lifeor the Hereafter, or both; this is because attaining high
ranks in this life and the happiness in the Hereafter are only
achieved through hard efforts and striving."
Imaam Al-Ghazaalisaid: "A father must protect his child by raising him
upon good morals and keeping him away from evil company; he must not
make him accustomed to having an easy lifeand must not make
entertainment and joy be his main interest, because this will result
in the child wasting his life in endeavouring to attaining these
pleasures and joys."
Treating children unequally:
A contemporary and evil social phenomenon that exists within some
families is that they fail to treat their children equally and fairly.
Some parents favour one ormore of their children over others by giving
them extra gifts,which is prohibited unless there is an Islaamic
justification for doing so, such as if the child is sick or has a debt
to pay off, or has just completed memorising the Quran, or parts of
it; other justifiable excuses for favouring achild over the others is
when he cannot find a job whilst having a large family to support, or
if he happens to be a student of knowledge who cannot work andseek
knowledge at the same time. A father who does favour one of his
children over the others, due to such valid circumstances, must have
the intention that he would have helped any of his children in such a
manner, if the circumstances were the same. The general evidence that
parents must be just is the saying of Allaah )whichmeans(:"…Be just;
that is nearer to righteousness and fear Allaah…"]Quran 5: 8[
The specific evidence for it is what was reported on the authority of
An-Nu'maan Ibn Al-Basheerwho said: "My father took me to the Messenger
of Allaahand said to him: 'I have gifted one of my slaves to this son
of mine.' The Messenger of Allaahasked:"Have you given such a gift to
every son of yours?"He replied, 'No.' Thereupon, hesaid:"Take thisgift
back."So my father came back and revoked his gift".]Al-Bukhaari &
Muslim[ In another narration of this incident, hesaid:"Be fearful of
Allaah and treat your children justly."Yet in another narration that
is found inthe book of Imaam Muslimthe Messenger of Allaahsaid:"I am
not going to bear witness to this act of injustice."
Imaam Ahmadsaid: "A son may be given twice the share of the daughter,
as is the case whendistributing the will."
One who looks at the situation ofsome families will find that
somefathers do not fear Allaah when giving gifts to their children.
Theygive them to some of their children and deprive others; or, they
may give to the children of one of their wives whilst depriving the
children of others, which implants enmity and hatred amongst the
children and cause them to not be kind and dutiful to their father;
this may inturn lead to the collapse of the family. The Prophetasked a
man who did not treat his children fairly:"Do you not wish that they
will all treat you with goodness and dutifulness?"]Muslim & Ahmad[
Some people mistakenly believe that correctly raising children is
limited to feeding them properly and providing them with adequate
clothing and education,and they disregard instilling high morals and
religious principles and etiquettes in them.
Others fall into the mistake of thinking that once they have placed
their children in school, the school shoulders the sole responsibility
of their cultivation.
Some fathers panic as soon as their child's temperature rises slightly
and rush in all directions looking for a doctor or a hospital;while on
the other hand, they areindifferent to the prohibitions or major sins
that the same child commits. We ask: what is the temperature of the
Hellfire? Why does the father panic at such a small temperature
increase but fail to protect his child from the Hellfire?
There are some parents who become extremely angry and losetheir sleep
when their child falls behind his classmates and performs worse than
them; they may hire a private tutor in order to make him catch up,
but, when he neglects his prayers or even totally abandons them, or if
he commits prohibitions or major great sins, they will not even rebuke
him for it.
Similarly, there are fathers who become enraged when their
childdisobeys one of his orders, but are careless when the same child
disobeys Allaah and shuns His commandments.
The father who neglects his children and does not guide them to adhere
to the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophetand fails to raise them upon
Islaamic tenets, beliefs and morals, will undoubtedly have hischildren
divert and become misguided, and they may even become dangerous
individuals in the community.
Do not forget that a righteous son is a source of goodness for you
after your death as the Prophetsaid:"When a servant)of Allaah( dies,
his )good( deeds will cease, except for three )kindsof deeds(: A
charity with continuous effect, a kind of knowledge from which people
draw benefit, and a good son who prays to Allaah for him."]Muslim[
Abu Hurayrahnarrated that the Prophetsaid:"The rank ofa man would be
raised inParadise, and he would ask why, and he would be told: `It is
due to your son supplicating for your forgiveness.`"]Ibn Maajah[
Finally, the Prophetsaid:"He who recites the Quran, studies it and
acts according to its teachings will be dressed on the Day of
Resurrection with a crown of light, the light of which is like that of
the moon, and his parentswill be dressed in two garments the like of
which do not exist in this life; they will ask: `How did we attain
it?`, they will be told: `It is due to your child memorising the
Quran.`"]Al-Haakim[

Imaam Ash-Shaafi'ee: the grand jurist for the Sunnah

Everything was placid in the large valley except for the voice of a
two-year old child who was weeping. His motherembraced him, took him
close to her chest, and patted his shoulders withtenderness and
compassion. The youngster quickly went into sleep as his mother stared
at the far horizon saying in a low weakened voice : "May Allaah have
mercy on your soul: father of Mohammad )her husband(; you took us with
you from Makkah toGaza in search of our daily bread and good life, yet
you died and were buried here. Here am I on my way to Makkah again to
have your son raised among his tribe and clan 'Banu Al-Muttalib'."
The poor mother went into a bitter fit of weeping and crying as she
remembered those few years she had spent inPalestinewith her beloved
husband, who was the best husband, brother, and friend for her.
However, the happy and beautiful days passed as quickly as clouds, or
as a short but pretty dream.
In the honorable Makkah,the mother lived with herchild in the
protection of her husband's family. Sheraised her son by giving him a
good education and instructions, flowing on him her love and
compassion, so the youngster grew up with a well balanced psyche,
apeaceful nature, and great ethics. The virtuousmother took on her
shoulders the responsibility of teachingher son the Quran, reading,
and writing so that he may be well armed by both religion and
knowledge. Thus, she sent her son to one of the small schools )Kuttaab
, Pl : Kataateeb(despite her poverty and inability to save the
instructor's wage. Yet, Mohammad went to his first day at school
almost unable to walk properly, and when the instructor saw Mohammad,
he sort of belittled him and told him: "O my son, just sit next to me
and listen carefully to your elders sothat you may get used to reading
and memorization."
However, the young Mohammad Ibn Idrees Ash-Shaafi'eewas glittering
with intelligence and ingenuity. He used to incredibly quickly learn
by heart whatever he heard from what the teacher dictated to his
students. Every single dayin the small school his knowledge increased
along with his enthusiasm to learn more. His teacher then loved him
more and actively pushed him forward. The youngster naturally became
more and more distinguished, until his teacher told him one day, "My
son, you arehighly smart and intelligent to the extent that I hardly
make any effort with you that is worth any wage. All I need from you
is to teachon my behalf when I am not present." The youngster rushed
happilyto his mother to tell her the happy news that she would not
have to pay anymore for the teacher. The virtuous mother was glad for
her son's excellence and encouraged him even more to study. This led
him to embark actively on the completion of learning the Quran by
heart which he finally completed when he was only seven years old.
Being in great happiness for her son's completion of the memorization
of the Quran in that fast manner, she started thinking how could she
best direct this smart child towards more excellence. She sent him to
attend the lessons given around the sacred Mosque of Makkah. The boy
started to listen to prominent scholars; and as he did not have the
price for paper on which to write what he listenedto, he used
parchment, palm tree leaves, and camel shoulder bones. During this
early period of his quest for knowledge, Ash-Shaafi'eeintelligently
realized the importance of the learning the classical Arabic language
from its pure sources, in order to understand the Quran and theSunnah,
)the Prophet Muhammad's )( sayings, acts, and approvals( in the best
possible way. He went totheHuthayltribe, which was among the most
eloquent Arab tribes, andstayed with them for long years in which he
learned their eloquence, memorized their poems, studied from them the
biographies of Arabs both pre-Islam and after Islam, and learned
knighthood and archery. He eventually became a brave unrivaled knight
and a skillful archer who rarely missed his target.
As years passed, Ash-Shaafi'eereturned to his beloved hometown Makkah.
No sooner had he quenched his longings to his mother, he continued his
quest for knowledge enthusiastically. He headed for the
GrandMufti)Religious Jurist( of Makkah, the sacred Mosque, Muslim Ibn
Khaalid Az-Zinji who became the first teacher for him inFiqh)Islamic
Jurisprudence(. He also, started studyingHadeethunder the supervision
of Sufyaan Ibn 'Uyaynah, the narrator of the sacred Mosque. In a
shorttime, Ash-Shaafi'eerose to prominence as anexcellent Islamic
scholar. His mentor, Muslim Ibn Khaalid gave him permission to answer
thereligious enquiries when Ash-Shaafi'ee was only fifteen. He told
him proudly, "O Mohammad! Give fatwa and answer the questions of
people. By Allaah! Now it is opportune for you to give fatwa." His
other mentor, Sufyaan Ibn 'Uyaynah, used to refer enquirers to him
while he turned towards him and pointed "ask this boy."
While still studying in Makkah, Ash-Shaafi'eeheard of the renown
scholar of Madeenah, Imaam Maalik Ibn Anas. He wanted to become a
student of Imaam Maalikyet he saw with his sharp intellect that he
should not go to him unprepared and void. He memorized Maalik's famous
book"Al Muwatta"in only nine days. After that he went off to see Imaam
Maalikin his house in Madeenah. Ash-Shaafi'eespoke eloquently and
politely with the Imaam and told him that he wished to become his
student. The Imaam looked at the boy for a long time as the boy was
telling his story of how he sought knowledge so far. The Imam had an
astonishing physiognomyand a penetrating insight; he told him: "My
son! By the Will of Allaah you will have a great future. Tomorrow come
to me and bring with yousomeone who could readtheMuwatta'well as I
fear you would not be able to read it by yourself."
Ash-Shaafi'eeresponded with the same politeness "Imaam, I will read it
myself from memory without a book."
Ash-Shaafi'eeremained in the companyof Imaam Maalikfor a long time.
The Imaam loved him a lot, and in 179 A.H after Imaam Maalik passed
away, Ash-Shaafi'eereturned to Makkah fromMadeenah armed with a great
load of knowledge which had influenced his life. In Makkah he was
wedded to Hameedah Bint Naafi', a grand daughter of Caliph 'Uthmaan
Ibn 'Afaan, MayAllaah be pleased with him, and had two sons and a
daughter from her.
In the courtyard of the well ofZamzamand next to Prophet
Ibraaheem'sMaqaam)the stone on which he stepped up to put the bricks
in the Ka'bah(, Imaam Ash-Shaafi'eesat down to teach people and around
him many students were gathered from everywhere. His circle became
very prominent in the sacredmosque of Makkah and even became well
knownoutside Makkah until it reachedIraq. Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Mahdi,
one of the scholars ofIraqsent him a letter requesting that he authors
a book on the evidences of legislation from
Quran,Sunnahandtheconsensus of the religious scholars, as wellas other
issues upon which the science ofFiqh)Islamic Jurisprudence( isbuilt.
Ash-Shaafi'ee wrotethe book and named itAr-Risaalah)The Treatise(
which became the first book that founded what came to be called:'Ilm
Usul Al Fiqh)The science of the sources of Islamic Jurisprudence(, of
which Ash-Shaafi'ee was the organizer, classifier, and the inventor of
its issues.
In 195 A.H the Imaam Ash-Shaafi'eetraveledtoBaghdadfor the second time
and continued to teach therefor two years. Many studied under his
supervision including Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbalwho later said "Had it
not been for Ash-Shaafi'ee we would not have known the
understandingofHadeeth." Before he leftIraqhe had finished writing his
large bookAl Hujjah)the Proof(, in which he put down the essence of
his new schoolof jurisprudence.
In 199 A.H the Imaam went toEgyptwhere he stared to spread his
knowledge between the Egyptians who loved him very much. More
studentscame to him from all overthe world. Towards the end of his
life, the Imaambecame very sick. This illness continued with him for
four years yet it did not stop him from teaching or lecturing. When he
came back to his house after teaching, he used to force himself to
ignore the pains of thesickness and get absorbed in writing, and
editing and proofreadingthe book ofHujjahwhich he wrote inIraq. After
the proofreading and editing, he renamed the edited book:Al Umm)the
Mother(. The Imaam remained to follow his daily routine until illness
forced him to retire and stop teaching. His students used to visit
himto console him in his sickness. One day one of his students entered
his room and asked him:"How do you feel this morning O Imaam?"
Ash-Shaafi'ee answered: "I feel that I am traveling away from this
world, away from the brothers, drinking from the cup of death, and
approaching Allaah the Glorious. By Allaah I do not know if my soul
will go to heavenso that I may congratulate it, or to hell so that I
may lament." He then went into crying. OnFriday, the last day of Rajab
the year 204 A.H, his pure soul went up to its Provider and Caretaker.
He was buried in thecemeteryofQurashiyyeenamidst the cemeteries ofBanu
Al-HakaminEgypt. May Allaah bless the Imaam's soul and admit him into
his wide paradises.