English-only Madhab followers...where do you get your fiqh from?

[Ibrahim ibnImran]

Love it or hate it...neither me or my family have ever followed a madhab (we've always been "ahl-e-hadith" for generations). I actually viewed following a madhab somewhat undesirably until just a few years ago when I started to learn more, alhamdulillah http://forums.almaghrib.org/images/icons/icon7.gif. Before this gets too off topic (maybe i'll make another thread)...I wanted to ask those non-arabic speakers who are following a madhab:

What books and other resources do you use to follow your madhab??

There don't seem to too many books in english. Or am I wrong? Fill me in!

The reason why I'm asking is that, if following a madhab in english means wandering from website to website, fatwa to fatwa, shaykh to shaykh...then doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of following a madhab in the first place? Or am I wrong about that too?




*brothers & sisters, please try to stay on topic...http://forums.almaghrib.org/images/icons/icon12.gif

[kako12]

What books and other resources do you use to follow your madhab??

I am hanafi and in madrassa i have studied Shorot Salah, Qudoori , Noor ul Idah. These should cover the basics of fasting , salah, hajj , zakah , inheritance and many more issues. All the above mentioned books were in arabic with pashto tsanslation.


There don't seem to too many books in english. Or am I wrong? Fill me in!

There are alot of books in english that explain key fiqh issues. There are fatawa books that have been published in english that deal with most of the contemorary issues. I have seen the english version of Noor ul Idah. There is another book called " Key Proofs in Hanafi Fiqh" another good resource for fiqh issues.
I do not know how wandering around to get answers to your queries has anything to do with following a madhab.

[Atif]

SubhanAllah, I think about this everyday...

Yes, there are plenty of books in English for the Hanafi and Shafi'i madhabs, but sometimes you have to "avoid the appendices". This is especially troublesome with a summary text (matn) that has no proofs, because you ask yourself "Is this based on an authentic hadeeth....or something else??".

As for the books/resources on the Hanafi madhab:
-Matn: Essential Islamic Knowledge, Absolute Essentials of Islam, Pearls of Purification
-With Evidences: Fiqh al-Imam, Nur al-Idah, Al-Fiqh al-Islami, Hidayah Vols. 1 and 2

Shafi'i madhab:
-Matn: Al-Maqasid
-With Evidences: Reliance of the Traveler

Is Bulugh Al-Maram a Shafi'i Book?

I haven't seen every book, so I don't know if every book has problems...but we need to get the message across to the shuyookh and book publishers to publish a matn (based on a madhab) that doesn't have problems with it.
The scholars say that a student should memorize a matn of a madhab, then learn it's evidences, and then go from there to a higher level. But because of this kind of situation (with the English matns), it may be best to skip to a book that has evidences, or least a complement a matn with an evidence book.....Allah knows best.

[mujahideenryder]

tons of hanafi fiqh texts in english at al rashad books. also you can get fiqh answers from sunnipath.

[mujahideenryder]

The scholars say that a student should memorize a matn of a madhab, then learn it's evidences, and then go from there to a higher level. But because of this kind of situation (with the English matns), it may be best to skip to a book that has evidences, or least a complement a matn with an evidence book.....Allah knows best.
learning arabic should be in there somewhere.

[Basil]

I have Reliance of the Traveler and generally go by what I hae read in translations of Quran, Bukhari and Muslim. I am rapidly giving less and less credence to Reliance of the Traveler due to the sketchy sufi business Keller put into the back. I really want to learn Arabic (seems like I have no time anymore since I got my new job).

As a side: does anybody know if any of the books on shafii fiqh by Imam Nawawi have been translated to English?

[Ibn Abi Ukhti]

بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم
وعليكم السلام و رحمة الله و بركاته
There are quite a few classical books on different madhahib that have translated such as:

1) Bulugh al Maraam Fee Adillatil Ahkhaam (shafi'i) by al Hafidh Ibn Hajar AL Asqalaani رحمه الله
(basically a book for shafi'i madhhab containing their proofs thus not exactly a fiqh book)
2) Mukhtasar Al Quduri (hanafi) by Imam Al Quduri رحمه الله
3) Al Risalah (maliki) by Imam Ibn Abi Zayd Al Qayrawani رحمه الله
4) 'Umdatul Fiqh (hanbali) by Al Muwwafaq Ibn Qudaamah Al Maqdisee رحمه الله (partially translated)

[Adib Contractor]

There's also alMuwatta of Imam Muhammad ibn Hasan ashShaybani in Hanafi fiqh, with proofs.

[Ibrahim ibnImran]

JazaakumAllahu Khair everyone for your input!! http://forums.almaghrib.org/images/icons/icon7.gif

Keep going!


For those who mentioned Bulugh al Maram...subhanAllah I found that very suprising. I've never considered that a Shafi'ee book (even though it was compiled by Ibn Hajar[rh] ). In fact, that's exactly the book I studied from with some of my teachers...I've always considered it a hardcore ahlul hadith book.
-no fatwas/rulings are given
-there's nothing in the book other than ahadith
-->there's no way it could possibly be used for taqleed

MashaAllah, a beautiful book though indeed. Ibn Hajar[rh] arranged the ahadith in such an amazing and skillful way! mashaAllah.

[Asha]

What books and other resources do you use to follow your madhab??


Good question, I would also like to know english resources on the shafiee madhab.

jazakhAllahu Kheir

[gkhan]

what about fiqh as sunnah by sayyid sabiq.
might not be a complete codex, but gives you some major opinions of the imams.

Sheikh Al-uthymeen spoke good about it, and Al-albani did a takreej on it.
I found it a nice reference when i read it.

[Imtiaz]

um from here : http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=27475

[Ibn Abi Ukhti]

بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم

-no fatwas/rulings are given
-there's nothing in the book other than ahadith
-->there's no way it could possibly be used for taqleed

That's (in my opinion) rather an incorrect statement brother. Taqleed doesn't mean that you don't use ahadith as adillah. It's big misconception amongst the ghayr muqallideen (myself) that people who follow madhahib are always following without knowing adillah i.e. blind following which is not always correct and indeed Allah سبحانه و تعالى knows best.

um from here : http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=27475Bro that's for usul not fiqh

[Imtiaz]

Bro that's for usul not fiqhthere were some books for comparative fiqh too i thought?

[Ibn Abi Ukhti]

بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم

there were some books for comparative fiqh too i thought?There's only one fiqh book which is "Fiqh Made Easy," by Shaykh Salih Al Sadlaan حفطه الله

A good comparative fiqh would be Bidayaat Al Mujtahid wa Nihayaat al Muqtasid by Qadhi Ibn Rushd, take a look here:



Or Al Mughnee by Al Muwaffaq Ibn Qudaamah Al Maqdisee رحمه الله a 10 volume book on comparative fiqh

and in our times as a brother mentioned Fiqh as Sunnah by Shaykh Sayyid Sabiq رحمه الله (closer to shafi'i madhhab though)

And Allah سبحانه و تعالى knows best.

[Dawud Israel]

tons of hanafi fiqh texts in english at al rashad books. also you can get fiqh answers from sunnipath.Yeah, sunnipath and seekersguidance courses are the obvious place to go.

Also Sh. Yasir Qadhi uses Hanbali fiqh in a Fiqh ul-Ibadah course. I remember listening to a lecture series of this online.

[Ibrahim ibnImran]

بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم


That's (in my opinion) rather an incorrect statement brother. Taqleed doesn't mean that you don't use ahadith as adillah. It's big misconception amongst the ghayr muqallideen (myself) that people who follow madhahib are always following without knowing adillah i.e. blind following which is not always correct and indeed Allah سبحانه و تعالى knows best.Bismillah.

JazaakAllahu khair. But I must respectfully disagree and stand behind my original statement inshaAllah. Placing Bulugh al Maram in the hands of a muqallid would be like placing a plate of delicious food in front of someone who is fasting. How would they use it? (by the way, I don't have any problem with taqleed; in fact I consider myself somewhat of a muqallid) A muqallid by nature is someone who admits that they don't have enough knowledge to determine what the strongest opionion is / which ahadith should take precedence over others in a given situation.

Yes of course the rulings which a muqallid follows must have adillah behind them (and usually do), but he or she is not the one who weighs the evidences for him or herself - becuase if they could...they would no longer be doing taqleed; they'd be doing ijtihad.

It was mentioned in your statement that not everyone who follows a madhab is blindly following without knowing adillah. I absolutely agree, but we should distinguish between those who are qualified to weigh evidences and those who are not. Most people are not.

As this is getting off-topic, I invite you to join me in inshaAllah reviving an old (and very interesting) thread: http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=11944


Once again, thank you everyone for your responses.http://forums.almaghrib.org/images/icons/icon14.gif May Allah Accept it from all of us, ameen. I really appreciate it; believe me, it was truly beneficial for me alhamdulillah! May Allah Reward every single one of you!! http://forums.almaghrib.org/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Tuwaylib]

To be a muqallid of a madhhab wouldn't the books that give the final verdict on each madhab?

for the Hanafis wouldn't you need ibn Abidin's hashiyah translated? or for the Hanbalis Mar'i ibn Yusufs Ghayatul Muntaha?

How can one be a muqallid of a madhhab by doing taqleed of Muhammad ash-Shaybanis book or simply refering to al-'Umdah when the latter has opinions that oppose the Madhhab?

This is one of the reasons why I believe laymen do not have a madhhab.

[Atif]

JazakAllah Khayr!
I found these lectures on the AudioIslam website. It's very difficult to find Hanbali material in English.

Yeah, sunnipath and seekersguidance courses are the obvious place to go.

Also Sh. Yasir Qadhi uses Hanbali fiqh in a Fiqh ul-Ibadah course. I remember listening to a lecture series of this online.

[Atif]

Is "Basic Fiqh (8 CDs) By Yasir Qadhi" (from IlmQuest) comparative, or is it Hanbali?

[JayshAllah]

tons of hanafi fiqh texts in english at al rashad books. also you can get fiqh answers from sunnipath.SunniPath says its ok to call on the dead. So no thank you. I'm a Muslim.

[Atif]

SunniPath says its ok to call on the dead. So no thank you. I'm a Muslim.What's your proof that they said this? Do you have a question number or the title of an answer we can look up?

[gkhan]

Is "Basic Fiqh (8 CDs) By Yasir Qadhi" (from IlmQuest) comparative, or is it Hanbali?to the best of my knowledge, the series he takes the "majority/strongest" opinion in his opinion. I would recommend it.

[Atif]

to the best of my knowledge, the series he takes the "majority/strongest" opinion in his opinion. I would recommend it.Does he take the strongest opinion within the Hanbali madhab or all 4?

[Ibrahim ibnImran]

What's your proof that they said this? Do you have a question number or the title of an answer we can look up?I actually was once directed by someone to that page in order see this for myself...it is mentioned in the context of tawassul, and they try to warn against worshipping the grave in the absolute sense. Obviously, that doesn't make it ok.

Here--> Question ID:3185 .."Practices at the graves of the scholars and righteous in the Indian Subcontinent and elsewhere-Answered by Shaykh Munawwar Ateeq Rizvi"

I'm not familiar with the site; I've only seen it 2 or 3 times. I was directed to that article and to another which illustrates their hate for Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab.

ok now that that question has been answered...Br's & Sr's please let's try to stay on topic from now, i know, i may be guilty too. :o

---------------------------------


SubhanAllah, it seems I've been somewhat foolish and missed a link to another thread at the bottom of this very page!! It's almost the same topic. (http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=10162)

[Dawud Israel]

Is "Basic Fiqh (8 CDs) By Yasir Qadhi" (from IlmQuest) comparative, or is it Hanbali?It was on Audio Islam.

It was called Fiqh of Ibadah or something...gosh, I can't remember since it was such a long time ago. But yeah, as far as I recall, I believe it was ALL Hanbali madhab stuff. I would say this was probably my favorite lecture of Sh. YQ. I think one reason was because Hanbali fiqh teachers are rare and as some of the Hanbali fuqaha have said, "The noblest are the few." :D

Also I know Ilm Summit had fiqh of tahara, for all 4 madhabs, but it was really, really introductory.

Talk to some of your madhabi friends and see what resources they have used.

[Atif]

It was on Audio Islam.AlHamdulillah, I found that. Jazak Allah Khayr
I'm talking about the 8 CD set from Ilmquest....is that CD set based on the Hanbali madhab?

[Dawud Israel]

No idea br. Atif.
Sorry can't be of much help.

[Yusuf513Khan]

What books and other resources do you use to follow your madhab??

Books:
A Summary of Islamic Jurisprudence (2Vol) by Dr. Salih Fawzaan (h)
Very simple...KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid...not referring to anybody on here, it's just a saying).
Recommended by YQ in a MSA lecture...along with the Fiqh Made Easy one...

Fiqh As-Sunnah
More "advanced" (for non-Arabic) studies, and read for more background information...

Audio:
YQ's Basic Fiqh cds.... there were 2 versions. Again simple for everybody. Basic Fiqh. (practical for us)



A throwback one from like 1999 (he mentioned in the series it was based upon Hanbali madhab because he was most comfortable with it)
There's another recent set which does not state the madhab (which is smarter as it doesn't matter, for whoever is listening...doesn't need to know...otherwise, we wouldn't need to listen to it. feel me? [See Abuz Zubair's "The Opinion of the Majority: The Layman Has No Madhab"]

[bintamina]

Shaykh Al Albaanee also reviewed the ahadeeth in Fiqh As-Sunnah - it'd be beneficial to read this along with the book.

[Atif]

For Maliki Fiqh, Sh. Suhaib Webb has started a Maliki Fiqh series on his website.

For Shaf'i Fiqh, I've been reading Reliance of the Traveler, and I say it's pretty decent if you stick with the translated book itself ('uddat as-salik, not the introductory chapters and appendices). I still wouldn't recommend it to people who haven't taken LOG, LUL, and/or Code of Evolution.
So it's not all bad, in fact, one of the introductory chapters is a nice mini-review of Code of Scholars.

[Yusuf513Khan]

Shaykh Al Albaanee also reviewed the ahadeeth in Fiqh As-Sunnah - it'd be beneficial to read this along with the book.
Na'am. It can be found in English online (not sure if it's the whole thing or not). I've attached a word document of it in English if anybody wants it (it's a copy/paste from the site that has it).

[layman]

Assalam alaykum,

Following a mathab on your own is difficult, and if your doing it in english...fo get bout it. The more you learn the more you realize there are so many answers to the same question. Shaykh Muhammad Shareef said in his Usool al fiqh class: that it is the shuyokh who follow a mathab, not the laymen. The layman needs a shaykh for guidance in fiqh issues because many issues have 3 or 4 or more opinions. So how can a layperson determine which answer is the best or strongest?

The books you do read should be a way of expanding your knowledge base, but not as a final say in your opinion for the most part.

What's your proof that they said this? Do you have a question number or the title of an answer we can look up?Not to go off topic, but here's your answer 3752. Start a new thread if you wish, but I would imagine there already is one on this thread. Also info about this was mentioned at ilm summit. So go find a student who has some good notes on the Aqeedah class from the summit.

[Yusuf513Khan]

Shaykh Muhammad Shareef said in his Usool al fiqh class: that it is the shuyokh who follow a mathab, not the laymen. The layman needs a shaykh for guidance in fiqh issues because many issues have 3 or 4 or more opinions. So how can a layperson determine which answer is the best or strongest?

The books you do read should be a way of expanding your knowledge base, but not as a final say in your opinion for the most part.jazakAllahukhair. I completely agree with you. There is a VERY thorough and good read on this very subject (as well as making careless fatawa from the lips of someone like myself) that can be found in this thread (http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=11944&page=2&pp=10&highlight=mustafti)(and on the net).