Islamic Revival

Question I s Crypto currency such as Bitcoin essentially prohibited because it is issued by unknown people? Some argue that it is not tangible, being not made from anything physical, except being backed by software.  Wealth cannot be created from nothing, being prohibited in Sharī’ah .  Although paper money in origin was based upon the gold standard, even though that link is not there now, it is accepted as being legal tender, being issued and controlled by central banks therefore having the backing of states, its overall legitimately accepted widely and not contended. Answer Having analysed the matter, there isn’t specific textual evidences cited that would make the buying and selling of this prohibited.  The reasoning underpinning the adoption of a prohibition based upon its perceived nature contains several analytical flaws which will be commented upon in turn.  In short, the general ruling of permissibility would apply in this instance. Reasoning...

From The Thinking Muslim Every year, as Ramadan approaches, many in the Muslim community turn into pseudo-astronomers and classical scholars. Every punter on WhatsApp  has something to say about the moon, whether it was sighted and why this country or another are wrong.  Of course this comes from a good place, we all know that the Prophet (saw) ordered us to sight the moon as a condition for starting and ending Ramadan and we all strive to perfect our Ibadat. But there is something farcical about the debates, it has become a metaphor for our broader division - you can have two countries in the same region declaring Ramadan on different days and sometimes, as is found in the west, two people on the same street or in the same community on different days in the calendar.   Our guest this week is Ustadh Iyad Hilal . He is an Islamic scholar and is soon to publish the fourth edition of his popular Usul al-Fiqh book, aimed at English speaking Muslims. He has spent yea...

Presented here is a short translated excerpt entitled ‘There is no king but Allah’.  This is taken from chapter six (Significant issues concerning Ruling in Islam) from the book entitled Ḥakimiyah & the Sovereignty of Sharī’ah by Professor Muhammad al-Massari .  There is a substantial number of evidences from the Prophetic Sunnah that discuss matters pertaining to kingship/monarchy, ruling, and the political trajectory of the Muslim Ummah . The article therefore begins by examining the ḥadith that talk about kingship in general, thereafter examining the issue of kingship as it emerged for the Children of Israel.   What is also noteworthy, is how the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself interacted with the rulers of his time, as well as the understanding that he bequeathed to him companions.  Each of the narratives that detail this are set out and evaluated in turn.  Given that kingship has been a pervasive feature of political ruling wi...

The following is a critical assessment of the reports that discuss the Prophet (sas) and influences of magic. An Islamic frame of reference is established and the reports are evaluated through their Sanad and Matn. Furthermore, there's a discussion of the evidences presented by those critical of the fact that the Prophet (sas) had been influenced by magic.  00:00 ​ - Framework for Discussing Magic   10:02 ​ - Chronology for Reports About the Incident | The First Mention & Classical Scholars' Views   17:03 ​ - Summary of the Incident 21:03 ​ - Sanad | Investigating the Reports of the Incident  30:36 ​ - Matn | Inconsistencies in the Reports on Magic on Prophet Muhammad (sas)  38:40 ​ - Evidences Against the Influence of Magic on the Prophet (sas)  54:21 ​ - Views of Those Who Accept the Reports   57:32 ​ - Conclusion | Thoughts Regarding Strength of Evidence & Hadith Literature  This video was live-streamed on June 1st, 2019 as part...

In this short video series commemorating the Hijri centennial of the abolishment of the last caliphate, historian Dr Uthman Lateef asks: have we become acclimatised to living with division? What is a caliphate? Is it a theocracy? Is it just for Muslims? He speaks about the Adamic project which Allāh decreed before we were even created...   Episode 1       Episode 2 In the second part of this short series commemorating the Hijri centennial of the abolishment of the last caliphate, historian Dr Uthman Lateef recalls when an English queen tried to stop a Muslim Caliph from helping the Irish. What is the role of the Caliph? Is he just for Muslims? Is a Caliph needed for the Caliphate to operate?       Episode 3 In the final part of this short series, historian Dr Uthman Lateef recalls the obligation of justice on the shoulders of the “Ummah of Justice”. He contrasts the treatment of Jews under the Islamic Caliphate compared to elsewhere in Europe, wi...

Question: What is the reporting concerning the following ḥ adith and is it authentic? The Prophet peace be upon him said: ‘I wish I could meet my brothers.  The companions of the Prophet peace be upon him said: Are we not your brothers?  He (the Prophet) said: You are my companions, but my brothers are those who have faith in me although they never saw me’ [Aḥmad].     Answer:  Answer The narration is purportedly from the companion Anas ibn Mālik, may Allah be pleased with him, and is reported outside of the commonly known books or famous books of ḥ adith . Primarily, the tradition appears in three different collections: the Musnad of Aḥmad, Musnad Abu Ya’la and in Mu’jam al-Awsa ṭ of al-Ṭabarāni. As far as can reasonably be discerned, it doesn’t appear that any of the notable scholarly authorities declared this outright to be Ṣaḥīḥ .  At best seems to be the comment of Shu’ayb al-Arnā’uṭ, giving the assessment ‘ ḥ asan li’ghayrihi ,’ as a follow...

Are we witnessing one of the portents relating to the final hour? The aḥādith of the ‘ Ruwaybiḍah’ is often mentioned in various contexts and has been feature of traditional Islamic works of ‘ Fitan ,’ relating to signs before the day of judgment, including before the arrival of the cursed false ‘messiah’ – the Dajjāl . Textually, the traditions do not relate to a legal topic. As such, when cited they are not utilised in relation to developing or substantiating jurisprudence ( fiqh ). Rather, depending upon authenticity, the text relates to a possible description of a future state of events, where deception reigns. A fixed moment in time is not specified, but rather a period prior to the coming of the Dajjāl . Some in the contemporary era have given a rating of fair or good ( ḥ asan ) to a particular narration that mentions the ‘ Ruwaybiḍah ,’ others to the set of traditions overall. Partly this seems to be on the basis that there are other channels of reporting which it is h...