Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH) said:
“An imām leading the prayer may leave—based on his own research—what the ones praying behind him believe to be obligatory. For example, the imām may not hold that reciting the basmalah [aloud] is wājib, or he may not be from among the ones who perform a [new] wūdūʿ from bleeding, or coughing, or touching his wives. However, the ones praying behind this imām (maʿmūm) are of the opinion that wuḍūʿ is required in these instances. The opinion taken by Imām Mālik in this issue is that the ṣalāh of these maʿmūm is valid. This is also one of the opi…
Narrated by Abū Ḥamzah Anas ibn Mālik (may Allāh be pleased with him), the servant of the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ), said that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
‘None of you truly has full īmān until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.’
Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.
Imām Ibn Rajab [d. 795 AH] said in explanation of the aforementioned ḥadīth:
[In the same vein is what has been] narrated by al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr (may Allāh be pleased with him) that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
‘The parable of the believers as regard the love, mercy and compassion [that exists amongst them] is like tha…
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ
‘Guide us to the straight path (of beneficial knowledge coupled with righteous action). The path of those (Prophets and their truthful, righteous followers) upon whom You have bestowed favour, not of those who earn Your anger (by not acting upon what they know) and nor of the astray (who act without knowledge).’
[Al-Fātiḥah, 1:6-7]
Shaykh Muḥammad Amīn al-Shanqīṭī [d.1393 AH] explained:
Concerning Allāh’s saying:
غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّ…
لْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
All praises be to Allāh, the Lord of the worlds (for His perfect attributes and benevolent and just actions).
[Al-Fātiḥah, 1:1]
Imām Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar al-Ṭabarī [d. 310 AH] said:
The meaning of ‘All praises be to Allāh’ is: All gratitude is sincerely for Allāh, Exalted in praise, besides all that is worshipped in His stead, and besides what is put forth by His creation. For He has bestowed on His servants bounties above enumeration, the true number of which cannot be fully comprehended by any being save for Him. He is the One who has made the facultie…
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah [d. 728 AH] said:
Some people say: ‘O my Lord! I fear those who do not fear You.’
These are false, baseless words, the utterance of which is impermissible. Rather, the slave [of Allāh] must harbor fear of Allāh alone and should never be afraid of anyone [else]. For the one who does not fear Allāh is most despicable and not deserving of fear. This is because he is an oppressor, one from among the close allies of Shayṭān. Thus, fearing [such an individual] has been made impermissible by Allāh.
If it is then said: ‘[This individual] may harm me.’
We say: ‘He o…
Imām Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 721 AH) said:
“If it is said: ‘we should [think only good thoughts of Allāh], for such is the subsequent nature of His magnanimous forgiveness, mercy, pardon, and goodness. Truly, His mercy precedes His anger. He does not derive benefit from punishing [his slaves] and forgiving them does not harm Him in the least.’
We say [in response]: This matter is [as described]. Nay, Allāh is above even this narrative. For He is more exalted, generous, full of goodness, and more merciful [than that]. However, these [attributes] must be applied to the correct context. For He…
Imām Ibn Al-Qayyim [d. 751 AH] said:
“As for what many of the companions of fanciful imagination and ignorance [from the people of bidʿah] say: My heart narrates to me from my Lord. It is true that their heart has spoken to them but [we pose the question] from whom? [Is it] from their shayṭān or from their Lord? For if they say: my heart has spoken to me from my Lord they would have ascribed speech to one whose identity is unknown to them and thus is an outright lie. The muḥaddith of this ummah would never say such a thing, nor would he deign to utter such words. For Allāh is the o…
Imām Abū al-Farj ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597 AH) said:
[Among the ways of dealing with catastrophe, misfortune, sadness, and depression in this life] is that [a Muslim] should imagine how his joyful excursion in Jannah will be never ending. What is the true value of that moment [of entry]? Rather, what is the true value of this entire [temporal] existence compared to the eternal, everlasting life [of the hereafter]?
To further clarify this, [the parable of the eternal nature of the hereafter is like] if Allāh the Glorified, the Most High, was to cover the heavens and the earth and everything tha…
Because of conflicting reports, the scholars dispute this affair. Some reports state that the child should be named after seven days of his birth. ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb’s grandfather (رضي الله عنه) reported: “The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered us to name our children after seven days of their birth.”1
Also, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Every baby boy is held ransom until his ʿaqīqah is performed for him, his head is shaven, and he is given his name on the seventh day.”2
Other reports state that the child can be named on the day of his birth. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “My son was born last night, so I named him aft…
