CAIRO – Eighty scholars from 23 Turkish universities are working on a major project to classify and translate the Hadith (the collection of sayings of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him). “Make no mistake, we are not after modifying or revising the Hadith,” Mehmet Gormez, deputy director of the religious affairs authority Diy and supervisor of the project, told IslamOnline in a phone interview.

“What we are actually doing is re-classifying, re-categorizing the Hadith and translating it into Turkish, no more no less.”

A hadith literally means “saying,” but in the Islamic technical sense, a hadith refers to the sayings of the Prophet, the Prophet’s acts, the Prophet’s tacit approval of an action or practice, or the Prophet’s attributes, whether physical or moral.

Gormez said the three-year project has to do with a new understanding of the Sunnah and Hadith and accordingly making them more understandable to today’s Turks.

He added that Turkish scholars working on the project, which will be completed by yearend, are taking early Muslim scholars, who had already revised the Hadith, as their basic reference.

“We have compiled all hadiths and read them to reclassify them anew,” he explained.

“We have also taken into account the unauthentic ones or those attributed falsely to the Prophet because to understand the true Hadith, you really need to (understand) the unauthentic sayings.”

Muslim scholars believe Hadith is integral to the understanding of Qur’an, since they are inseparably linked to each other.

They say it is impossible to understand the Qur’an without reference to Hadith because the Qur’an is the message and the Hadith is the explanation of the message by the Messenger himself.

Western Fuss

Gormez, a British trained theologian, said the re-classified Hadith will come in multiple volumes.

“It might be five or even six volumes; we are still not decided.”

He shrugged off media suggestions that Turkey was re-writing the Hadith and creating a new Islam.

“They made too much fuss and took the project out of its real context.

“We are neither fashioning a new Islam nor dare to alter the fixtures maxims of Islam,” Gormez said emphatically.

“The Western media have read what are doing from a Christian perspective and understood it in line with their Christian and Western cultures.”

When it comes to Islam, Gormez said, the Western media is used to focusing on women’s status and jihad.

Several British newspapers on Wednesday, February 27, ran stories on the Turkish project .

The Guardian headlines the story as “Turkey strives for 21st century form of Islam.”

A day earlier the BBC reported the project under the headline “Turkey in radical revision of Islamic texts.”

Gormez also refuted claims they would and edit out some hadiths, especially about women.

“No Muslim in the right mind would dare delete any hadith or tamper with the Prophet’s heritage.”

Source: IslamOnline

Still to come after Part1.4 of Fiqh-us-Seerah:

5. The Early Years.
6. Young Adulthood to Marriage.
7. Marriage to Prophethood.
8. The First to Believe.

Still to come after Part1.3 of Fiqh-us-Seerah:

4. The Lineage and Birth of the Prophet Muhammad (s).
5. The Early Years.
6. Young Adulthood to Marriage.
7. Marriage to Prophethood.
8. The First to Believe.

Thawbaan (ra) reported that the Messenger of Allah(saw) said:

““The nations are about to call one another and descend upon you just as those who are eating invite others in sharing their food. Someone asked, “Will that be because we are few in number at that time?” He answered, “ No, at that time you will be numerous. But you will be froth/scum carried by the torrent. Allah will remove the fear of you from the hearts of your enemies and will put a weakness into your hearts”. Then someone asked, “What is that weakness?” He replied, “Love of the world and hatred of death.” (Reported in Aboo Dawood and he said that it is authentic – Hasan – Saheeh).”

Commentary:

The armies of the Western world and their allies are again pouring into the Middle East and surrounding the heartlands of Islam. Thousands of children have died in Iraq as a result of unjust sanctions. False justifications of fighting “terror”, or disarming governments which were created and armed by the same Western powers, are being used as a means of destroying the next generation of Muslim youth.

Where are the Muslim leaders and their huge armies? What has happened to the billions of dollars spent to prepare their own military defence systems? Surely the Prophet Muhammad(saw) did not speak from himself. Allah (swt)gave him a vision of the events of our times. Muslims are increasing in numbers throughout the world. Our masaajid and Islamic centres overflow on special occasions. Millions make earnest supplications on the Hajj, asking the Creator to lift this oppression from our backs and bring back the dignity and security of the past.

Something fundamental has to change in the essence of our Islam. The Messenger of Allah (saw) and his Companions did not have the support of millions of people or fabulous oil and mineral wealth, but Allah (swt) gave them authority in the land. They feared Him alone, and were not tied to the material world. They longed to meet their Lord and did not see death as an end but as a door leading to a better existence.

The time has come for Muslims to re-examine their relationship with the Creator and bring out the real Islamic personality that can transform a puppet, despotic ruler into a noble servant of humanity or a weak, humiliated Muslim into a mighty defender of Truth.

Still to come in Part1 of Fiqh-us-Seerah:

3. Highlights from the History of Arabia.
4. The Lineage and Birth of the Prophet Muhammad (s).
5. The Early Years.
6. Young Adulthood to Marriage.
7. Marriage to Prophethood.
8. The First to Believe.

Aboo Hurayrah (ra) reported that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said,

“This, my Ummah, is a nation that has mercy on it. Its punishment will not be in the Hereafter, but in this life. That being fitan(2), earthquakes, and murder.”(3)

Commentary:

Many people wonder why Muslims are suffering so much in the lands of Islam. These trials are punishment and purification for the corruption and oppression that exists within our Ummah. We should take heed from these tribulations and make constant tawbah (repentance) to Allah (swt). Maybe through our seeking mercy and not returning to our wrong actions, the calamities can be lifted. We can no longer only blame the West or the disbelievers for the calamities and crises that have befallen us. Islam is a complete way of life that is viable in all environments at all times, and when practiced accordingly, will lead to success, victory and peace.

2. Fitan, the plural of Fitnah, can refer to a trial, tribulation, punishment, temptation, confusion or calamity or wars between Muslims
3. This Hadeeth is reported in Sunan Aboo Dawood, Ibn Majah, and Musnad ibn Hanbal. Al Haakim, also, reported and authenticated it. Ath-Thahabi confirmed this position. See ‘Aun al-Ma‘bood of ibn Qayyim al- Jawziyyah, vol.11, Hadeeth #4258.

Delivered in an atmosphere of social upheaval and political turmoil in the Middle East. These presentations are a must for all who need an authentic look at the threatening events of our times.

This lecture series takes us through the following stages:

1. Why Believe in the Hereafter
2. The Soul and Death
3. The Grave and Al-Barzakh
4. The Minor Signs of Qiyaamah
5. The Mahdi, Dajjal etc.
6. The Return of Isa & Yajuj and Majuj
7. Other Major Signs and the Resurrection
8. The Siraat, Scale and Jahannum (Hell) and Paradise

All praises are due to Allah , Lord of the worlds. Surely the best reward in the next life is for those who have “Taqwa” and surely there is no animosity except for the oppressor. I bear witness that Allah  is One and has no partners, and that Muhammad , the son of ‘Abdullah, is His servant and last Messenger. May Allah  send His choicest Blessings and Peace upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad , his family, his Companions, and all those who call to his way and establish his Sunnah till the Day of Judgement.

As to what follows: Islam has taken a firm hold in the Western world during the past thirty years. Those who have been involved in the propagation and establishment of Islam recognize that the greatest enemy to Islamic growth has not been military or political. The greatest threat has come, primarily, from the new and sophisticated tactic of “Confuse and Conquer”. The opponents of Islam have spent millions of dollars convening conferences, publishing books, producing television and radio specials, releasing Hollywood anti-Islamic fantasies and supporting deviant forms of Islam. Despite this tidal wave of confusion, Islam continues to spread. Young people, especially in the United States, see Islam as a type of alternative culture, or as a spiritual sanctuary.

The main obstacle left in the rapid growth and development of Islam is the Muslims, themselves. Fanaticism, tribalism, racism, class conflict, petty power disputes, lack of respect for women, and uncontrolled egoism, have The Forty Ahaadeeth on Islamic Revival 6 marred Muslims’ efforts in forming viable national organizations, and functioning local Masjids and Islamic centers. Allah  tells us very clearly in Surah Ra‘d, verse 11: “Verily Allah  will not change the condition of a people until they change that which is in themselves.”

After twenty years in the field of Da‘wah and Islamic guidance, I have come to the conclusion that our success in Islam in these confusing times is based on purifying our relationship with Almighty Allah and changing our un-Islamic ideas, habits and cultural baggage. Reviewing my Friday Khutbahs over the past two decades, I found a number of Ahaadeeth constantly repeating themselves in the solutions to the problems that the Muslim community was facing. So, when I was approached, sometime ago, to put together a collection of Ahaadeeth which were authentic, and which would be the most effective in bringing about the revival of Islam within ourselves and our communities, my response was this book.

A number of collections of Forty Ahaadeeth have been written by renowned scholars such as Imam An-Nawawi and Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaani. Recent works such as the Forty Hadeeth of Sheikh ‘Alee Hasan ‘Alee ‘Abdul Hameed have also been of great benefit to the Ummah. This set, like the others preceding it, is only a reflection of the undying legacy of the Messenger of Allah(saw). It is not meant to rival the previous works, but to compliment them and provide, for the Muslims of the twenty-first century, valuable reminders of the reality of the Muslim world and the struggle within ourselves.

It is hoped that these Ahaadeeth can answer some of the questions posed by people who are embracing Islam or renewing their inherited faith. I pray that Allah will bless, through this humble effort, my mother who embraced Islam before her death, my wife, Kareema, who has been my most enlightened advisor and companion and my children, whom I pray, will carry on the struggle for Islam after my death. Surely Allah is the hearer of our prayers and He has power over all things.

Al-Faqeer ila-Allah , Shaykh ‘Abdullah Hakim Quick (Ramadaan, 1423 A.H), Cape Town.

HADEETH ONE ON INTENTIONS

‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab  reported that the Messenger of Allah(saw)  said,

“Surely actions are based on intentions and surely every person will get what he intends. So whoever has migrated to achieve a worldly goal, or in order to get married to a woman, then his migration will be for exactly what he intends.” (“Agreed Upon” i.e. by al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Commentary:

Intentions are the basis for all actions. People who have entered Islam for the love of a woman or a man should remember that their partner did not bring them to Islam. It is Allah (swt) himself, who guides people. We are only instruments in His will. Those who have migrated to the West in order to gain wealth or to further their education should be reminded that Allah (swt) is the Lord of the East and the West. We are accountable for our Islam in all countries. Death can overtake us at any moment and in any part of the planet.

This Hadeeth was related by ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab. See Al Lu’Lu wal Marjaan fimaa-Tafaqah Alayhi As Shaykhaan (printed by Darul Jeel) Vol.1, p.1.

The life of the Prophet Muhammad (s) is a road map for travellers on the path of life. The Prophet Muhammad (s) was a mercy to all living things and a Warner of perilous times to come. Today, Muslims, more than any other people, are in need of a guide to the practical application of Islamic traditions.

This set of lectures is the first of a series intended to bring to the student of Islamic knowledge and the average listener the life of the Last Prophet Muhammad (s). Taped in an atmosphere of social unrest and Islamic revival, these presentations are a must for those who are trying to apply the wisdom of the Prophetic message (Fiqh-us-Seerah) to the 21st Century. The lecturer has travelled and researched in over 54 countries, qualified in Islamic Sciences at the Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia and received an M.A. and Ph.D. from the History Department of the University of Toronto, Canada.

This particular chapter introduces us to the study of Seerah, it’s sources and the scholars responsible for compiling the many reports on the life of The Prophet Muhammad (s) still available to us.

Still to come in Part1 of Fiqh-us-Seerah:

3. Highlights from the History of Arabia.
4. The Lineage and Birth of the Prophet Muhammad (s).
5. The Early Years.
6. Young Adulthood to Marriage.
7. Marriage to Prophethood.
8. The First to Believe.