Renewing Religion: An Overview of Ghazali's Ihya

Shaykh Walead explains verses 60 to 82 of Surah Kahf, which tell the story of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) with Khidr. He highlights the key lessons from the story and significant themes it addresses.

 

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Shaykh Faraz Rabbani looks at a classical commentary on verses 24-27 of Sura Ibrahim. He explains different opinions on which is the "good word" and the "good tree" and how the metaphor relates to the believer. He also offers basic advice on how to improve one's connection to the Quran's meanings. The verses are: "Do you not see how God makes comparisons? A good word is like a good tree whose root is firm and whose branches are high in the sky, yielding constant fruit by its Lord’s leave--God makes such comparisons for people so that they may reflect--but an evil word is like a rotten tree, uprooted from the surface of the earth, with no power to endure. God will give firmness to those who believe in the firmly rooted word, both in this world and the Hereafter, but the evildoers He leaves to stray: God does whatever He will."

 

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Shaykh Yahya Rhodus shares his viewpoint that in this phase of North American Islam, the most important priority is institution-building and conveying the Prophetic inheritance. He reflects on the idea of the Tree of Faith as a metaphor for institution building. Beginning with the seed of faith, he draws links between nurturing the soil of the heart and modern destructive overfarming practices that produce dead soil.

Shaykh Yahya talks about nurturing our hearts, and how, just as trees don’t bear fruit overnight, nor do institutions: the results of one's service might not appear for generations. He closes giving a few more insights related to the metaphorical Tree of Faith and shared meanings with the natural tree.

 

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In this counsel, Shaykh Walead Mosaad shares advice for seekers of knowledge. He highlights the imperative nature of seeking knowledge and the importance of the transmission of the Islamic sciences, offering insights into the precision of our oral tradition. Reminding that our tradition is alive not only in its textual form but also through the living presence of scholars, he warns of the danger of textual manipulation and offers insight into the rich diversity of our scholarly tradition. Moving on to offer practical advice, he recommends taking knowledge at a moderate pace. He gives examples of the scholars’ refining the knowledge they had collected, not focusing on mere acquisition. He highlights the importance of taking knowledge from trustworthy sources, citing the maxim that knowledge requires sound books, intelligence, a well-versed teacher, and persistence.

 

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Shaykh Faraz Rabbani narrates and explains one of the hadiths in Sahih Bukhari, from the chapter on "The Distinguishing Traits of the Immediate Family of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and The Particular Merits of Fatima (peace be upon her". It has come from Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq that he said: "Be mindful of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) when it comes to his household".

Shaykh Faraz explains that this has several meanings. One meaning is to be respectful and loving to the household of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), which is from the rights of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Another meaning is to watch out for and find the prophetic qualities, which could be found manifest in the prophetic household.

 

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Shaykh Faraz Rabbani shares four keys to “Living Faith Fully.” He explains the journey of life as being a journeying from (a) merely living; to (b) having faith; to (c) living this faithfully.

For this, he advises that:

One. Strive to live the meanings of the religion and its rituals—not just its forms. “Mean it, then say it,” he advises.

Two. Cultivate Gratitude. Gratitude is a key to living faithfully. It entails (a) seeing—with faith—everything as a blessing from Allah; then (b) appreciating these blessings, through active reflection; and then (c) expressing this appreciation

Three. Cultivate Contentment. If we realize that the greatest blessings and gifts are those we already have—namely: (a) existence; (b) live; (c) faith; and (d) guidance

Four. Recognize Tests as Blessings. If we understand these realities, we should realize that all of life—its good and bad, the ease and the distress—are all tests.

 

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Shaykh Faraz Rabbani provides a comprehensive and practical counsel on how we can connect with Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in the month of his birth, Rabi' al-Awwal. He gives us three goals to aim for this month.

1. Choose a work on the life (Seera) or description (Shama'il) of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and read it throughout the month to complete it by the end of the month.

2. Set a daily goal of a number of peace and blessings (Salawat or Durud) to send upon the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and complete it daily.

3. Find one sunna of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that you are not currently implementing and strive to implement it throughout the month so it becomes part of your life moving forward.

If there was any doubt about the importance of learning centers, this should settle the matter. Did you know, the Prophet Muhammad ((Allah bless him and give him peace) established a place of learning before he built a mosque? He began this school in the home of a teenage boy called Arqam, which explains why there are so many learning centers around the world named Dar al Arqam (House of Arqam). 

What lesson does this very strategic move by the Prophet teach those who of us who are keenly invested in how Islam will survive and flourish in our communities?

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In this Friday sermon, delivered at our 2018 retreat by Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, he reminds of a prayer of the Prophet that applies to virtually every aspect of the human experience: "O Allah, I ask you for the good of this day: it's opening, its victory, its light, it's a blessing, and its guidance."

 

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In this lesson, Shaykh Faraz covers eight characteristics of beneficial knowledge from Ghazali's Beginning of Guidance.

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