What The Prophet Would Say When Directing Himself Towards the Masjid
*This is an open letter so all may benefit*
Dear beloved Sidi Zachary [and all of those who seek to benefit from the following],
Alhamdulillahi Rabbil ‘Alamin for the immense grace of our Lord upon us. We thank Allah, the exalted, for placing the light of faith within us, and allowing us all to see and act upon the light of Ihsan. We also thank Allah for His immense grace in allowing us to have a Shaykh who loves the Sunnah of our beloved Master Prophet Muhammad (‘alayhis salam). He has instructed us that the best of the adhkar are those reported in the Al-Adhkar of Imam An-Nawawi. Thus, here is the du’aa I was sharing with you in the car the other day. It is the du’aa that I told you has transformed much of my inner and outward sight. It is my favorite du’aa and I hope that it becomes one of your most beloved as well.
Imam An-Nawawi was an Asha'ri, A Refutation of the Claims of the Pseudo-salafis
compiled by Abu Layth
One of the claims of the pseudo-salafi movement is that Imam An-Nawawi was not an Asha’ri in creed. This is yet another example of their attempt to rewrite history to be in their favor. Before we prove that Imam an-Nawawi (rahmatullah ‘alayh) was an Asha’ri, we must first analyze why the pseudo-salafis would make such an unprecedented claim. Imam An-Nawawi is a Mujtahid in the Shafi’i school, having the most authority after Imam ash-Shafi’i! Imam An-Nawawi is respected by all Sunni ‘ulama‘, and indeed even non-Sunnis. His books are read, memorized, and preserved by each generation after him. He is, arguably, one of the most remembered and well-known scholars of the entire Muslim ummah. His commentary upon the Sahih Muslim is considered by many to be the best ever done in Muslim history, his Majmu‘ is considered only challenged in status by Ibn Qudamah’s Al-Mughni. If the pseudo-salafis can claim him to be an anthropomorphist and inline with their literalist views in creed, they have on their side a highly respected scholar, of whom no disagreement exists regarding his high status in Islam. It is for this reason that the deviant pseudo-salafis will do anything they can, especially lie, to claim Imam an-Nawawi as one of “them“.
Imam As-Suyuti's Treatise on the Hadith "Seeking Ilm is Obligatory on Every Muslim"
I recently fell upon a treatise written by Imam As-Suyuti wherein he collects 49 narratives of the hadith
طلب العلم فريضة على كل مسلم
“Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim [and in another narration it uses the feminine form as well "and Muslimah"].”
He begins the brief treatise with stating that Imam An-Nawawi (r) was asked whether or not this hadith was authentic and to which he responded that the hadith is da’if (weak), although its meaning is Sahih (authentic/in this case it means ‘correct’). As-Suyuti then quotes the opinion of Hafith Al-Mizzi stating that this hadith reaches the level of ‘Hasan’ (reliable/good hadith).
The Prophets Are Alive in Their Graves And Al-Albani's Recanting His Opinion!
The following scan is taken from the book “Taraj’u Al-‘Allamah Al-Albani fimaa Nass ‘Alayhi tas-hihan wa tad-‘ifan” authored by Abul Hasan Hasan Ash-Shaykh. It is a collection of contradictory verdicts found throughout the works of Al-Albani, but specifically his recantantions on his verdicts. In this scan we see that originally Al-Albani believed that the hadith, “The Prophets are alive in their graves, praying” was da’if (weak) because ibn Qutaybah was the only one to have reported this narration. Later on, he says, after looking in to further works of hadith he just happened to realize that the chain was in fact “strong” and thus authentic. So, he says, if you find in any of works that he weakened this hadith, take hold upon his verdict of authentication with your “molars”!
Jahjaah جهجاه
Imam At-Tirmidhi reports via Abu Hurayrah the following hadith:
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا يَذْهَبُ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ حَتَّى يَمْلِكَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ الْمَوَالِي يُقَالُ لَهُ جَهْجَاهُ
Rasulullah (saaws) said, “The night and the day shall not cease until a man amongst the Mawaali named Jahjaah will reign.”