Islamic Revival

 “I heard the Shaykh [i.e. al-Subki’s teacher] and Imam (Allah have mercy on him) say, I heard our Shaykh al-Baji say, our Shaykh ‘Izz al-Din went to the Sultan in al-Qal’a one time on Eid day and saw the army in full array before the court (majlis) of the ruler who does not make an entrance before his people except in splendour as was the custom in Egypt and the officials would begin kissing the floor before the Sultan. The Shaykh [‘Izz al-Din Ibn ‘Abd al-Salam*] turned to the Sultan and called out to him saying, ‘O Ayyub! What is your argument before Allah when he asks you, ‘Did I not give you the land of Egypt and yet you permitted alcohol?’’ [The Sultan] asked, ‘Is this the case?’ [‘Izz al-Din Ibn ‘Abd al-Salam] replied, ‘Indeed, wine is sold in such and such tavern’ – mentioning other evil acts (munkarat) too – ‘while you bask in the luxury of this kingdom!’ He was shouting at the top of his voice in front of the army. [The Sultan] said, ‘My master, I am not the one who did th...

Introduction The traditions of the ‘black banners’ or march of the ‘black banners’  al-Riyāt al-Sawd , for some are truly evocative.  In a world characterised by oppression, injustice and even outright evil, the reported wording of these traditions speaks of apocalyptic end times, giving hope to a promise of deliverance.  An army setting march from the east, with mention of the region of Khurāsān ,  that seeks justice and depending upon the wording, being a potent force for either the coming of the Mehdi, or having him among its ranks. These traditions are purportedly narrated upon the authority of three-companions, Thawbān, Abu Hurayrah and Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with them all.  Within the corpus of  aḥādith , they sit outside of the  Ṣaḥīḥ  collections of Bukhāri and Muslim.  Despite having a chapter dedicated to the topic of the Mehdi, they do not appear either in the  Sunan  of Abu Dāwud.  Among the well-...