Fatima Amenda
Junior Member
"These five operational principles do not constitute everything a Muslim needs to know about Islam. They are not a substitute for the study of Islamic theology, law or spirituality. What they do provide are general rules for grasping and wisely applying the broader tradition. The renowned sage ‘Abd al-Karim al-Jili stated: “Operational knowledge (al-‘ilm al-‘amali) is the wisdom that guides a wise person to benefit from his knowledge.” These five principles are examples of fundamental operational knowledge and provide Muslims with a necessary skill set to utilize other forms of knowledge effectively. Each of the five operational principles is critically important, but, if the reader were to come away from this paper with only one idea, it should be this: Islam must make sense, but, to make sense, it requires intelligent followers with sound understanding.
“Ibn ‘Ata-Allah, the renowned jurist and sage, stated: ‘The beginnings are the manifestation of the ends’. The way that things begin reflects how they are likely to end. A good beginning promises a bright future; a solid foundation supports a strong and lasting structure.”
The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e-hi wa Sallam said: “The essence of the religion of Islam is giving good council”
Moral responsibility (takif) is the first prerequisite for obligatory Islamic practice and never has legal validity in the absence of the faculty of reason. Because they lack the capacity to reason and to fully comprehend mundane realities, the mentally incapacitated, insane, and children are not accountable before God, nor are they obliged to obey His commands. The Qur’an repeatedly refers to the excellence of reason and deems it a principal source of guidance. The following verses teach that reason leads to wellbeing and eternal felicity, while turning one’s back on reason leads to calamity and loss: “In this manner, God makes his signs clear for you that, perhaps, you may reason” (Qur’an, 2:242)
“God will put a loathsome chastisement upon those who do not use their reason” (Qur’an 10:100
“In the Islamic tradition, religion without reason is a disaster, and listening to the voice of reason is imperative”
“Never be satisfied with a person’s Islam until you have tested his reason” al-Raghib al-Isfahani, a contemporary of al-Ghazali
“In the end, Islam must make good sense. As al-Raghib al-Isfhani held, a Muslim’s competence in Islam cannot be trusted before testing his or her reason.”
“If a judge (hakim) interprets the law and finds the correct answer, he receives two rewards from Allah. If he is honestly mistaken, he receives one”.
The Companion Abu Razin asked of the Prophet: “Where was our Lord before he created creation?” The Prophet answered: “He was in a state of complete hiddenness (‘ama’), beneath which there was no atmosphere. Then He created His throne over the water.”
12th century scholar Fatima bint Muhammad al-Samarqandi of Syria. Her father was a pre-eminent Hanafi jurist and took active part in his daughter’s education. Fatima became widely renowned for her own knowledge. She mastered Hanafi jurisprudence and the sciences of Hadith; her legal judgements (fatwas) and transmissions of Hadith were held in the highest regard. Fatima also excelled as a teacher of the various Islamic sciences. She instructed men as well as women, and students traveled to Syria to learn from her and receive their scholarly credentials.
Fatima al-Samarqandi was a personal counsellor of Nur al-Din Zangi. Nur al –Din is counted among the most significant rulers in Islamic history; he is remembered primarily for preparing the ground for the success of his vassal Salah al Din a few years after his death.
Fatima married one of her father’s students al-Kasani, who is ranked today among the most brilliant Hanafi jurists.
“It is not God’s will to cause you distress; rather, it is God’s will to make you pure” (Qur’an 5:6).
“God wills to make things easy for you, for human beings were created weak” (Qur’an 4:28)
The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e hi wa Sallam said: “Make things easy, and do not make them hard. Give people words of good news, and do not drive them away.”
The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e hi wa Sallam said: The
Essence of this religion of Islam is ease; no one goes to extremes in this religion but that it will get the better of him. Seek to do what is right. Try to get as close to what is right as possible, and give people good news.”
The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e hi wa Sallam said: “If I command you to do something, do of it what you are capable of doing”
The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e hi wa Sallam made it clear that Islam is a religion of ease and that suffering for the sake of suffering is not laudable and does not please God. The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e hi wa Sallam preferred choosing the easiest way to do things; an authentic Hadith reports that: “The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e hi wa Sallam was never given the choice between two good things, one of which was easier of them” The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e hi wa Sallam said: “Certainly, the best part of your religious practice is what is easiest for you.”
http://www.nawawi.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Article6.pdf
“Ibn ‘Ata-Allah, the renowned jurist and sage, stated: ‘The beginnings are the manifestation of the ends’. The way that things begin reflects how they are likely to end. A good beginning promises a bright future; a solid foundation supports a strong and lasting structure.”
The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e-hi wa Sallam said: “The essence of the religion of Islam is giving good council”
Moral responsibility (takif) is the first prerequisite for obligatory Islamic practice and never has legal validity in the absence of the faculty of reason. Because they lack the capacity to reason and to fully comprehend mundane realities, the mentally incapacitated, insane, and children are not accountable before God, nor are they obliged to obey His commands. The Qur’an repeatedly refers to the excellence of reason and deems it a principal source of guidance. The following verses teach that reason leads to wellbeing and eternal felicity, while turning one’s back on reason leads to calamity and loss: “In this manner, God makes his signs clear for you that, perhaps, you may reason” (Qur’an, 2:242)
“God will put a loathsome chastisement upon those who do not use their reason” (Qur’an 10:100
“In the Islamic tradition, religion without reason is a disaster, and listening to the voice of reason is imperative”
“Never be satisfied with a person’s Islam until you have tested his reason” al-Raghib al-Isfahani, a contemporary of al-Ghazali
“In the end, Islam must make good sense. As al-Raghib al-Isfhani held, a Muslim’s competence in Islam cannot be trusted before testing his or her reason.”
“If a judge (hakim) interprets the law and finds the correct answer, he receives two rewards from Allah. If he is honestly mistaken, he receives one”.
The Companion Abu Razin asked of the Prophet: “Where was our Lord before he created creation?” The Prophet answered: “He was in a state of complete hiddenness (‘ama’), beneath which there was no atmosphere. Then He created His throne over the water.”
12th century scholar Fatima bint Muhammad al-Samarqandi of Syria. Her father was a pre-eminent Hanafi jurist and took active part in his daughter’s education. Fatima became widely renowned for her own knowledge. She mastered Hanafi jurisprudence and the sciences of Hadith; her legal judgements (fatwas) and transmissions of Hadith were held in the highest regard. Fatima also excelled as a teacher of the various Islamic sciences. She instructed men as well as women, and students traveled to Syria to learn from her and receive their scholarly credentials.
Fatima al-Samarqandi was a personal counsellor of Nur al-Din Zangi. Nur al –Din is counted among the most significant rulers in Islamic history; he is remembered primarily for preparing the ground for the success of his vassal Salah al Din a few years after his death.
Fatima married one of her father’s students al-Kasani, who is ranked today among the most brilliant Hanafi jurists.
“It is not God’s will to cause you distress; rather, it is God’s will to make you pure” (Qur’an 5:6).
“God wills to make things easy for you, for human beings were created weak” (Qur’an 4:28)
The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e hi wa Sallam said: “Make things easy, and do not make them hard. Give people words of good news, and do not drive them away.”
The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e hi wa Sallam said: The
Essence of this religion of Islam is ease; no one goes to extremes in this religion but that it will get the better of him. Seek to do what is right. Try to get as close to what is right as possible, and give people good news.”
The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e hi wa Sallam said: “If I command you to do something, do of it what you are capable of doing”
The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e hi wa Sallam made it clear that Islam is a religion of ease and that suffering for the sake of suffering is not laudable and does not please God. The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e hi wa Sallam preferred choosing the easiest way to do things; an authentic Hadith reports that: “The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e hi wa Sallam was never given the choice between two good things, one of which was easier of them” The Prophet Sallalaho alayh-e wa Al-e hi wa Sallam said: “Certainly, the best part of your religious practice is what is easiest for you.”
http://www.nawawi.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Article6.pdf