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2013 Appeal by Friends of Deoband

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By ‘Abd Allah bin Muhammad al-Afriqui

All praises to Allah since the inception of Friendsofdeoband.com in December 2011 we have aimed to bring to you authentic, reliable Islamic information while at the same time keeping the legacy of the akabirin of Deoband alive.

We now require from you some assistance to keep this site functioning. We require contributors who are suitably qualified in the traditional sciences to contribute to this site by submitting their academic articles, translations of traditional works, historical narratives, etc.

For ease of submission please contact us with your email, your qualifications and a summary of the kind of article you wish to submit. Please do so via the Contact Us page: www.friendsofdeoband.com/?page_id=626 We will contact you in due time and Allah willing your writings may become a source of guidance and benefit for others.

We have also been operating the Hayat ‘Ulama Deoband blog at ulamadeoband.wordpress.com and contributions for this blog are also much needed.

We hope to continue bringing to you quality and authentic knowledge of Islam. With your support and du’as we hope to make this a reality. Allah grant us ikhlas (sincerity) and istiqamah (steadfastness).

Was-salaam

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An Introduction to Dar al-’Ulum Deoband

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By ‘Abd Allah bin Muhammad al-Afriqui

In every era Allah has selected from amongst the Ummah of the last Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) people who would revive the deen, teach it, practice it and rid it of all newly invented beliefs and actions. In the 19th Century this task was granted to a small band of faithful, pious and dedicated scholars who where placed in a land which was hostile to the deen and where the people had been led astray by pagan religions, centuries after Islam had come to them by the heroic spirit of Jihad under the leadership of al-Imam Muhammad bin Qasim al-Thaqafi (Allah have mercy on his soul).

This small band of scholars where led by the great spiritual master of his time, al-Hajj Imdad Allah al-Thanawi al-Muhajjir al-Makki (Allah sanctify his resting place) who beside being a noted sufi shaykh was also the amir of the armies that fought against colonialism in 1857. A few years later on the 15th Muharram 1283 H which corresponds to the 30th May 1866 C, was established in Deoband the Dar al-’Ulum al-Jami’ah al-Islamiah by al-Imam Muhammad Qasim al-Nanauwti (Allah sanctify his secret).

Cii Broadcasting, during Ramadan 1433 H, presented in the form of a drama series the establishment of the Umm al-Madaris Dar al-’Ulum Deoband. Listen to vivid details of the sacrifices and struggles of the ‘ulama in the quest for the protection of the deen.

The Status and Virtues of Salat al-Tasbih according to the Muhaddithin

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By Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Harun Abasoomar and Mawlana Zeyad Danka
Edited and compiled by ‘Abd Allah Ibn Muhammad al-Afriqui

The Hadith concerning Salat al-Tasbih

‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) has narrated that he was once informed by Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace), ”O ‘Abbas! Should I not present to you? Should I not confer to you? Should I not inform you of such an act, which if you practise [these wordings of similar meaning were repeated in order to capture the attention of the listener and to emphasise the importance of the salah so as to instil a yearning to perform it], Allah will forgive all your sins, whether old or new, intentional or unintentional, minor or major, open or secret.” [After describing the method of performing this salah] Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) stated, ”If possible, you should offer this salah once everyday, and if you cannot perform it daily, then offer it every Friday (weekly), or once a month, or once a year or at least once in your lifetime.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, hadith1297)

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Radiance of the ‘Ulama Haqq

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By Shaykh Mufti Ibrahim Desai

In response to a query received concerning etiquette’s of acquiring Shari’i knowledge through various social networks.

The real knowledge of Shari’ah which comprises primarily of Qur’an and the noble ahadith of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is not only information contained in books. In fact, the real knowledge of Shari’ah is actually a nur (divine light) which enters the heart and spurs one to follow the dictates of Shari’ah. The various sources of information from the Qur’an and ahadith etc. are the means to attain the divine nur of Shari’ah which is inculcated in the heart by showing respect to the Shari’ah and various means of attaining the Shari’ah.

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Futility in the guise of knowledge

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By Mawlana Muhammad Yusuf Ludhyanwi
Translated and adapted by Mufti Fayzal ibn ‘Abd al-Hamid

Allah has mentioned in Surat al-Fil,

وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ

“And he sent upon them flights of birds, Ababil” (Qur’an, 105:3)

Allah has mentioned that some birds were sent on to the army of Abrahah, who charged Makkah with his elephants. The word used in the Qur’an is “ababil”. Some people including knowledgeable ones have ascribed this “ababil” to “swallow bird” which is a small black bird.

However the linguists and the exegists have mentioned that this “ababil” refers to “a flight of birds” and not any particular type of bird.

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‘Allamah Binnori’s guidelines to those involved in the education system

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By ‘Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Yusuf Binnori
Translated by Shaykh Muhammad Saifur Rahman

Whole (kamil) is the person who has fitrat al-salimah and aql salim which can only be gained by holding firm to the path shown by the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him); that is the sirat mustaqim (straight path). The heart and mind have contracted vices which in turn has lead us away from the straight path. Knowledge and good character are required to bring us back in realignment and it is these two traits that the Madrasah aims (قل لا إله إلا الله ثم استقم). The goal is one but approaches differ. ‘Allamah Yusuf Binnori (Allah have mercy on him) gives us a starting point by suggesting areas of consideration and gives practical guidelines to those that may have a say. ‘Allamah Yusuf Binnori writes, Continue reading →

The Silsilas of Tasawwuf and the Reality of Bay’ah

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By Mufti Mahmud Ashraf ‘Uthmani
Translated by Mawlana Bilal ‘Ali Ansari

Query

Respected and honourable Hadhrat Mawlana Mufti Mahmud Ashraf ‘Uthmani,

I sincerely enjoyed the article you wrote in the monthly Al-Balagh magazine on Tasawwuf. In fact, I read it thrice. It was very comprehensive, demonstrative, and authentic, and it covered all the necessary aspects of the topic. After reading the article, three questions came to mind, which I have written below:

  1. How many silsilas exist in Tasawwuf? Only two silsilas, the Chishti and Naqshbandi silsilas were mentioned in the article.
  2. Who founded these silsilas and when?
  3. What is the method of performing bay’ah (the pledge) according to the shari’ah? Is it possible to give bay’ah from afar (without being present in front of the shaykh)?

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Nanautwi: Why Modern Sciences were Excluded from the Syllabus of Dar al-’Ulum Deoband

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By Sayyid Mahbub Rizwi
Translated by Prof. Murtaz Husayn F. Qurayshi

On seeing the syllabus of Dar al-’Ulum Deoband, the question arises: ‘Why were the modern sciences, which had already reached India at the time this syllabus was compiled, not included in it?’ The reason for this non-inclusion, according to Mawlana Muhammad Qasim al-Nanautwi, was that these subjects were being taught in the government schools that had been established in the country at various places and everyone could take advantage of these. On the contrary, the old (sacred) sciences were in a state of abandonment and there was not even an inferior arrangement for teaching these. Moreover, in this syllabus itself attention had been paid to the creation of so much ability in the student that he might acquire knowledge of other sciences through self-study. This question had also cropped up at the inception of the Dar al-’Ulum itself; on the convocation of 1290 AH Mawlana al-Nanautwi threw full light on this question. He said:

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‘Ilm and Madaris: The Institutes of Religious Learning (Part 2)

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By Shaykh Muhammad Masih Allah Khan Sherwani
Translation edited by ‘Abd Allah bin Muhammad al-Afriqui

It should now be clear that the Arabic dini madaris (institutes of learning) occupy a lofty and noble rank. The excellence of the men who emerged from the portals of these madaris bears ample testimony to the elevated pedestal, which these institutions occupied. The superiority of the products of the Arabic dini madaris once by far surpassed those who qualified from all the institutions of worldly knowledge. Not so long ago these dini madaris produced such unique ‘ulama who were the imams of knowledge of their times. Religious knowledge and the reputation of the ‘ulama were perpetuated by these illustrious stars of superb knowledge. These noble men were masters of both exoteric (zahiri) and esoteric (batini) branches of knowledge.

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