With the name of Allaah, The Most Beneficent, The Bestower of Mercy

~ AL BASEERAH ~ FREE

♦ EDITORIAL Vol. 1 Issue 1 Oct 2008

Shawwal 1429
After the Fast: Continue to Benefit
STAYING STEADFAST The Administration of
the Masjid wish you
over the years, it would know: out of sight, out of all a very
I T SEEMS ALL but
inevitable:
Ramadan we all
after

lose some steam. Some

more than others, but
probably have numerous
peaks and valleys.
Each Ramadan gives
us the opportunity to
mind!
The road to Jannah is
filled with twists and
turns, and hills and val-
Happy,
blessed &
it’s a fact nonetheless. check ourselves and get leys. And if we persevere,
Shaytaan is unchained, back on course, and ask Allaah for forgive-
and he resumes his though our intensity may ness, mercy and guidance,
whisperings. We be- fade a bit after Eid-ul- and make the effort to
come more lax in our
observance of our daily
Salawah as well– espe-
Fitr, we should all try to
elevate our Eemaan to a
higher level each Rama-
achieve it, it is possible.
So go the masjid, take a
class, just don’t stay
Joyful
cially Fajr. If our Ee- dan. home. Stay steadfast!
maan was a bottle on
the shore after Rama-
dan, it would be gradu-
Staying steadfast is just
as important as the fast,
and is easier said than
♦♦♦
Eed
done. But there are many
ally slipping out to sea.
tools at our disposal for us
Taqabal Allaahu
But that’s only if we
allow it to, for Allaah to show that we came out Minna wa Minkum
knows our Eemaan will of Ramadan with some-
not remain at a con- thing we did not have be-
stant level all the time. fore. One sure killer of the
If we were to draw a Ramadan spirit is to cease
graph of our Eemaan attending the masjid– you . Inside this issue:

New projects at YOUR Masjid; Actions are from Eemaan 2

~ Masjid Ahlul Quraan Wa Sunnah ~ The importance of seeking 4

knowledge

A The six fasts of Shawwal 6

T A RECENT development projects, and the children’s ma-
meeting, the ad- From marriage counseling drassa. Particular empha-
ministrator of the Mas- to computer classes, the sis was also placed on the Making up for missed fasts 6
jid, Brother Zahid focus is on having more weekly live tele-links
Rashid announced a community involvement from the scholars, the
variety of new projects and a lot more Dawah most recent being the A beginner’s guide to fiqh 7
to educate, unite and activities. These new pro- mid-Ramadan conference
serve the community. jects will complement the where the turnout sur-
Ramadan Recap at Masjid Ahlul
Offering many Islamic masjid’s current programs passed all expectations
Quraan wa Sunnah
Classes and community of classes in Fiqh, Alhamdulillah.
Aqueeda, Arabic language
Page 2
Our actions are from
Our Eemaan
One main indicator of the level of ones Eemaan is in
their performance of Salaah
O you who believe! Keep
your duty to Allaah
and fear Him, and
speak (always) the truth. He will
direct you to do righteous good
deeds and will forgive you your
sins. And whosoever obeys Al-
laah, and His Messenger he has
indeed achieved a great
achievement”[Al-Ahzaab 33:70-71]
It is known that the Deen
(religion) of Islaam is the final of all
religions. This is so because the
Prophet Muhammad (sallAllaahu
alayhe wasallam)is the seal of all
the Prophets and Messengers.
Based on this, it is upon every per-
son living on this earth and those
who will be born afterwards, to
learn the Deen of Islaam and adhere
to it.
The religion of Islaam is built
upon great pillars as the Prophet
Muhammad (sallAllaahu alayhe
wasallam)clarified by saying,
“Islaam is based on five principles;
to testify that none has the right to
be worshipped but Allaah and that
Muhammad is the Messenger of Al-
laah, to offer the (compulsory con-
gregational) prayers, to pay the Za-
kaat (charity), to observe fast dur-
ing the month of Ramadaan and to
perform Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mak-
kah) for those who are able to do so.
[Bukhari, Muslim]
Therefore, one must enter into
monotheism (tawheed). He must be
a monotheist, testifying to the two
testimonies (bearing witness that
there is no god worthy of worship
except Allaah, and that Muhammad
(sallAllaahu alayhe wasallam) is
His Prophet and Messenger) and
implementing monotheism.
Tawheed (monotheism) stands upon
two great foundations, which all the
Messengers called to. {And verily,
We have sent among every na-
tion a Messenger (proclaiming):
“Worship Allaah (alone), and
avoid (or keep away from) Taag-
hoot (all false deities)…} [An-
Nahl 16:36]
So, they are: sincerity upon the
Deen (religion) and upon the wor-
ship of Allaah after knowing Him,
glorified is He; and disbelieving in
at-Taaghoot i.e. being free from
polytheism (shirk), its people, and
from every religion other than the
religion of Islaam.
ESTABLISHING THE SALAAH
Then after that, the second pillar is
establishing the salaah (five daily
prayers). The prayer is the second
pillar from the pillars of Islaam.
Imaam Ahmad, the imaam of Ahlus-
Sunnah has mentioned that the
great principle of Islaam is: “holding
fast to what the Companions of the
Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu
alayhe wasallam) were upon, taking
them (and their way) as a model to
be followed, and abandonment of
i n n o v a t i o n s . ”
This is the basis of knowledge,
meaning that the person should
~ Al Baseerah ~
learn the religion that the Com-
panions were upon. He should
learn that way of life and worship
Allaah based upon it. He should
familiarize himself what the Com-
panions were upon and learn about
the evidences that they used for
the positions that they held. This is
the way of the Salafi – to know the
r e l ig io n th a t t h e Pr o p h e t
(sallAllaahu alayhe wasallam)
taught to his Companions – to hold
fast to it, to follow them and to stay
away from innovations. The creed of
Salafiyyah is that the people cannot
(correctly) understand the Qur’aan
and the Sunnah without referring to
the guidance of the Companions.
WHOEVER ABANDONS THE
SALAAH HAS DISBELIEVED
Imaam Ahmad mentioned in his
treaty entitled Usool-us-Sunnah
(the Principles of the Sunnah) that
establishing the salaah (prayer) is from the pillars of the religion and
establishing
whoever gives it up, hasthe salaah (prayer) is
disbelieved
from the pillars of the religion and
whoever gives it up, has disbe-
lieved. He mentioned that the Com-
panions held the opinion that who-
ever abandons the salaah is a disbe-
liever. He (Imaam Ahmad) pointed
out the statement of the Taabi’ee
(follower) Abdullah bin Shaqeeq
who said: “The Companions of the
Prophet Muhammad (sallAllaahu
alayhe wasallam) were of the view
that there is nothing from amongst
the actions, the abandonment of
which constitutes disbelief except
for the prayer.” [Tirmidhi]
In explaining this position of the
Companions, he said that they
never considered any single act,
other than the abandoning of sa-
laah, as an act which would take a
person out of the fold of Islaam,
making him a disbeliever. He
quoted this narration from a
Taabi’ee (Successor) Abdullah Ibn
(Continued on page 3)
Vol. 1 Issue 1 Oct 2008
(Continued from page 2)
Shaqeeq, using it as evidence
(daleel) showing that this was some-
thing that the Companions were
u p o n . that this is clearly proven. From
- such is the importance of Salaah that whoever
abandons it is regarded as a disbeliever. How many
of us still take this lightly?
So, this is what Imaam Ahmad
clarified: that the Companions held
the view that whoever abandons the
prayer completely, never praying,
then even if he displays (signs of)
Islaam and utters the two testimo-
nies; he is not a Muslim. He men-
tioned this from Abdullah bin
Shaqeeq and it was also mentioned
by Imaam Al-Bukhaaree who re-
ported from the Salaf i.e. the Com-
panions and those who came after
them, that they hold the view that
whoever intentionally left off one
obligatory prayer until the time for
the prayer elapsed, not having any
excuse for it, then by that he be-
comes a disbeliever.
If we were to look at the authen-
tic evidences from the Prophet
... New Projects from page 1
(sallAllaahu alayhe wasallam) in
both of the authentic collections of
hadeeth (al-Bukhaaree & Muslim)
and other than them, we would find
that is the saying of the Prophet
Muhammad (sallAllaahu alayhe
wasallam)” The pact which is
between us and them is the prayer;
whoever gives it up, has disbe-
lieved.”[Tirmidhi]. Also, the saying
of the Prophet Muhammad
(allAllaahu alayhe wasallam)
”Between a man and shirk and kufr
(disbelief) is neglecting the
p r a y e r . ” [ M u s l i m ]
Furthermore, when the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhe wasallam)
mentioned the leaders who would
change and abandon uprightness
upon Islaam, and who would display
injustices and sins, some of the
Companions said to him
(sallAllaahu alayhe wasallam)
”Shall we not go out against them?
Shall we not raise the sword against
Page 3
them or fight against them?” The
Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhe wasal-
lam) said, “No, unless you see clear
disbelief.” [Muslim]; and in another
narration, “No, as long as they es-
tablish the prayer.” [Muslim] The
People of Knowledge have clarified
that from these two evidences, it
becomes apparent that abandon-
ment of the prayer is clear disbe-
lief.
ACTION MUST ACCOMPANY
F A I T H
We are mentioning these matters to
show the importance of salaah so
that no one will think that tawheed
alone is sufficient for one to be Mus-
lim. Indeed, it is a pillar of Islaam
and whoever abandons it, his Is-
laam becomes destroyed. We also
mention this because today we find
that some of the People of the Sun-
nah affirm that whoever gives up all
actions in entirety still remains a
Muslim. Without any doubt, this is
the opposite of what the Compan-
ions of the Prophet (sallAllaahu
alayhe wasallam)were upon, as was
clarified by Imaam Ahmad. ♦♦♦
[condensed from albaseerah.org]
Page 4
Why, Where, and How we should
all seek knowledge ?
Not everyone will attend Islamic universities, but you can still
benefit from Senior Scholars and Mashaykh of AhliSunnah
wal Jamah, the Imaam of the Masjid, and graduate students
from reputable Islamic Universities at YOUR Masjid, Masjid
Ahlul-Quraan wa As-Sunnah
T
HERE ARE MANY virtues of
seeking knowledge mentioned
both in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
VIRTUES OF SEEKING
KNOWLEDGE MENTIONED IN
T H E Q U R ’ A A N
From them is a saying of Allaah
t h a t : who best know Allaah and His Ca-
…}Allâh will exalt in degree
those of you who believe, and
those who have been granted
knowledge...}
[Al-Mujaadilah 58:11]
Allaah clarifies in this verse that
He will raise the Believers in levels,
those of them who were given
knowledge will be raised many lev-
els and high levels. Another verse is
the saying of Allaah :
{…..Say: "Are those who know
equal to those who know not?" It
is only men of understanding
who will remember
(i.e. get a lesson from Allâh's
Signs and Verses). } [Az-Zumar
3 9 : 9 ]
If you realize, there was no re-
sponse to this question as the aim of
this question is affirmation. There
was a question to which a response
did not come after it, why? Because
this is an issue that no one differs
in, there is no differing between
anyone or any two people that
‘those who know are not equal
to those who do not know.’
~ Al Baseerah ~
them understanding of the religion.
This is the person that Allaah
wishes good for, the one who has
understanding of Deen. Also from
the understanding of this hadeeth is
that ‘those whom Allaah does not
wish good for, then He does not give
them understanding in the religion’.
So everyone is encouraged to be
keen in seeking knowledge and
gaining understanding in the relig-
ion in order to be from those whom
Another saying of Allaah is:
Allaah wishes good for.
{…It is only those who have
knowledge among His slaves
In another hadeeth, the Messenger
that fear Allâh…} [Fatir 35:28]
of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhe
This is khashyah. Khashyah is
wasallam)said, “Whoever traverses
the fear of someone you know. So if
a path in order to gain knowledge,
fear comes together with knowing
then Allaah will make the path to
the one you fear, then this is called
Jannah easy for him.”[Tirmidhi]. So
khashyah. The `Ulamaa’ are those
if you go to a masjid for a lecture or
a class, then it is as though you are
pability. This is why Allaah de-
going towards Jannah i.e. you are
scribed them as having khashyah of
going on a path towards Jannah,
Him.
this is a great virtue of Knowledge.
Making up for the missed days
of fasting
VIRTUES OF SEEKING
At-Tabaraani narrated a hadeeth by
KNOWLEDGE MENTIONED IN
Abu Umaamah that the Messenger
T H E S U N N A H
of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhe wasal-
lam)said, “Whoever comes to a mas-
As for the Sunnah, then there
jid and he did not come to the mas-
are many different evidences show-
jid except with the intention that he
ing the virtues of knowledge. From
would learn something good or
...if you go to the masjid for a lecture or a class, then it
is as though you are going towards Jannah, this is a
great virtue of seeking knowledge...
amongst them is the saying of the
teach something good, he will be
Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu
given the reward of someone who
alayhe wasallam) "Whoever Allaah
performed hajj.” Look at this great
wants good for, He gives him fiqh
virtue, just look at this great re-
(understanding) of the
ward, whoever goes to the masjid to
Deen.”[Bukhari]. Here the Messen-
learn, Allaah will give him the re-
ger of Allaah(sallAllaahu alayhe
ward of a hajj – of a person who
wasallam) clarified that those whom
(Continued on page 5)
Allaah wishes good for, He gives
Vol. 1 Issue 1 Oct 2008 Page 5

(Continued from page 4)
went to Makkah and made tawaaf
(circumambulation) around the
Ka’bah and he made sa’ee (walking
between Safa and Marwah) as well
as the rest of the rituals of hajj.
Whoever goes to a masjid to seek
knowledge will be given this same
reward.
In another hadeeth, the Messenger
of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhe wasal-
lam)said, “The student of knowledge
(or the seeker of knowledge), every-
thing will ask forgiveness for him
even the fish in the ocean.”. Another
great virtue is that everything asks
forgiveness for the Student of
Knowledge, even the fish that are in
the ocean. This is due to their being
pleased with what he seeks i.e.
knowledge. This is another great
virtue of knowledge and the seekers
of knowledge.
In another hadeeth, the Messenger
of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhe wasal-
lam)said, “There is not a people who
gather in a house from the houses of
Allaah (a masjid) to recite the Book
of Allaah or study it except that
calmness will descend upon them
and mercy would cover them and
they would be surrounded by the
angels and Allaah will mention
them with good to those near to
Him.”[Muslim].
The scholars Shaykh Ibn Baaz and
Shaykh al-Albaanee held the opin-
ion that this does not only refer to a
masjid, but any place – whether in a
classroom or at home, i.e. whoever
gathers together in order to study or
recite the Book of Allaah will
gain this reward.
Take a look at this reward, sakee-
nah which is a great calmness will
encompass them, and the angels
will descend and surround them
with their wings, and they will be in
the Mercy of Allaah. Allaah will be-
stow mercy upon them and He
would mention them with good, to
those close to Him in the Heavens.
This is an evidence of the virtues of
seeking knowledge, and the khayr
(good) which is obtained by those
w h o s e e k i t .
Another hadeeth of the Messenger
of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhe wasal-
lam)in clarifying the virtues of the
gatherings where knowledge is
sought, is that it is a reason for the
forgiving of sins.
The Messenger of Allaah
(sallAllaahu alayhe wasallam) said
that “Allaah would say at the end of
the gathering of those who gathered
to gain knowledge, ‘Get up! You
have been forgiven.’ The malaaikah
(angels) would say ‘O Allaah there
was a servant of yours who only
came to that gathering because of a
need – he only wanted a person in
that gathering.’ Allaah would re-
spond ‘I have forgiven him as
well.’”[Ahmad & Bukhari]. This is
because in such a virtuous gather-
ing whoever gathers with them can-
not be denied. He will be given the
same reward and he will be for-
given. ♦♦♦
[condensed from albaseerah.org]

Our New Name

Did You Notice it ?

From the Editor

To our dear readers: “The Muslim

Standard” is now “ALBASEERAH”, which
means ’True Knowledge ~Sure Knowledge
~ Heavenly Knowledge’ The name change
was made to more convey the purpose of
our publication. Since this is our first
issue with the new name, we have decided
to start over from Issue one.
Page 6
Don’t forget the six fasts of Shawwal
S HAWWAL IS THE tenth
month of the Islamic lunar cal-
endar. It comes immediately after
Ramadan. Shawwal is also the first
month of the Ashhur al -hajj - (the
months of Hajj).
Eid ul Fitr also occurs in this
month. Regarding the six fasts of
Shawwal Abu Ayyub (ra) reports:
The Messenger of Allaah
(sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said:
"He who observes As-Saum (the
fasts) in the month of Ramadan,
and also observes As-Saum for
six days in the month of Shaw-
Al-Qadaa after Ramadan
I T IS NOT compulsory
(waajib) to make up the
missed days of Ramadan imme-
diately.
The compulsion to make it up is as
one is able to as ''Aaeisha (R) said:
"I used to have to make up for some
of the Fast of Ramadan and I would
not be able to do it until the follow-
ing Sha'baan." (Al-Bukhari and
Muslim)
Al Hafidh ibn Hajar said: "In this
hadeeth there is proof to indicate
that it is allowed to delay the mak-
ing up of the missed days of fasting
for an indefinite time be it that
there is a reason for not making it
up or not."
However, it is known that it is pre-
ferred to make it up as early as pos-
sible because of many proofs to indi-
cate that the Muslim must hasten to
wal, it is as if he has observed
As-Saum for
year.'' [Muslim].
the whole
According to the formula that
there is at least ten-fold reward for
every virtue, the fast of one month
(Ramadan) are equivalent to fast of
ten months. If one also observes six
days of fast of Shawwal, they will be
equal to fast of two months. Thus,
one becomes eligible for the reward
of one full years' fast. He who makes
it a permanent feature is like one
who observes fast throughout his
life. He will be considered by Allaah
do good and not postpone it for
later. Allaah said, which means:
{And be quick in the race for forgive-
ness from your Lord, and for Para-
dise which is as wide as the heavens
and the earth, prepared for the Mut-
taqeen (Allaah-fearing.} [Aali
'Imraan 3:133]
And Allaah also said, which means:
{It is those who race for the good
deeds and they are foremost in
them} [Muminoon 23:61]
It is also not compulsory to
make up the missed days on suc-
c e s s i v e d a y s .
Allaah said, which means:{... but if
you are ill, or on a journey, the same
number (of days should be made up)
from other days ...} [Al - Baqarah
2:183]
~ Al Baseerah ~
as one who observes fast perma-
nently.
Although voluntary in nature,
they are highly important. One can
observe these six-day fast at a
stretch or with intervals. Similarly,
if a person has missed some fast of
Ramadan due to illness, traveling
etc., he should first make up the
shortfall and then observe the vol-
untary six-day fast of Shawwal, i.e.
complete his obligatory fast first
before fasting the voluntary fasts.
♦♦♦
Ibn Abbaas said: "There is nothing
wrong if someone separates
(between the days he has to make
up)." [Daarqutnee]
The scholars of this Deen agree that
if someone is unable to fast, then he
should feed one poor person for eve-
ryday he misses and that no one
should fast on his behalf during his
lifetime.
However, whoever dies and had an
oath to fast that which he did not
fulfill, then his wali (guardian, off-
spring) must fast on his behalf.
This is established from the messen-
ger of Allaah who said: "Whoever
dies and there are some fast that he
did not fast, then his wali must fast
for him." [Bukhari and Muslim].
♦♦♦
Vol. 1 Issue 1 Oct 2008 Page 7

A beginners guide to Fiqh pending on the action that calls for

its use.

MAKRUH. This is an action that

for leaving there is reward, but no
By definition, Fiqh refers to: The knowledge of Is- sin in doing.
lamic rulings that pertain to ‘Eebadah, that has
been extracted from the evidences of the Qur’an HARAM. The person who does that
act that is Haram (unlawful) is pun-
and Sunnah ished. And if he/she leaves it is re-
warded.

T HE LINGUISTIC MEANING
of ’Fiqh’ is “understanding” and
the meaning given in the header is
the religious meaning. The princi-
ples of Fiqh were never formalized
during the time of the Prophet, but
were understood by the Companions
and the first person to actually
write books of Fiqh was Imam
Shaffie
Technically, Fiqh comprises of
both the how of extracting rulings,
and the rulings themselves. For ex-
ample, we know we are commanded
to fast during Ramadan. How it is
determined from the Qur’an and
Sunnah that it is indeed a command
that is obligatory, and not just a
recommendation is the ‘how’ or prin-
ciples of Fiqh. The actual mechanics
of Fasting is the broader application
of Fiqh.
When the seeker of knowledge
(this means you!) really under-
stands the principles by which rul-
ings are extracted, he/she would
then really have a greater respect
and appreciation of the contribu-
tions of our scholars.
Pure Fiqh has nothing to do with
Aqueeda (see Issue 7) because it is
concerned with our actions and not
beliefs.
Five Rulings Regarding Fiqh
Basically, commands fall into one of
five categories.
WAAJIB also known as FARD,
which means compulsory. The per-
son performing a waajib action will
be rewarded by Allaah, and a person
leaving it will be punished.
MUSTAHAB also known as SUN-
NAH. The person who performs a
Mustahab action is rewarded, but if
he/she leaves it, there is no sin. The
majority of actions in the Shariah
are Mustahab and not Waajib.
MUBAAH. This is an action that in
doing it there is no reward, and in
leaving it there is no sin. For exam-
ple driving your car is Mubaah.
However, driving your car may be-
come Mustahab or even Waajib de-
As we shall see Insha Allaah, the
principles of Fiqh is a very interest-
ing topic, and is more than simply
the extracting of rulings. It is criti-
cal that when rulings are extracted,
they are extracted correctly and
categorized appropriately.
Hence, our scholars have a huge
responsibility . Which is why we
should appreciate their efforts and
understand why they may some-
times differ in their opinions. Some
issues may not be as clear-cut as
others.
In future issues Insha Allaah we
shall also look into the the science of
Hadith, tafseer and other topics,
which shall give us all a better per-
spective on the knowledge we al-
ready have and what we are going
to learn.
♦♦♦
This article is an excerpt from class #1 of the
weekly Fiqh class held at the Masjid Ahlul Sun-
nah Wa Jamaah.

~ AL BASEERAH ~
AL BASEERAH is a monthly newsletter aimed at providing useful Islamic information to encourage personal Islamic development
and growth.. We welcome and invite reader feedback. Please send us an e-mail: masjid@albaseerah.org

We at Masjid Ahlul Quraan wa As-Sunnah are absolutely committed to serve you. We welcome your suggestions and Dawah
Ideas. Please write us how would you like us to serve you, drop us a note in “SUGGESTIONS BOX”
or send us an email or call us at Tel: 718-529-4092
We are located at 109-06 Van Wyck Expressway, South Ozone Park, NY 11416