Modern Scholars

What do they offer the Ummah, and how does it Impact our societies today?

By

Sayyar Ismail Swift




All thanks and praise is due to Allah, we seek his help and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah
from the evil within ourselves and the consequences of our evil deed. Whoever Allah guides will
never be led astray, and whoever Allah leads astray will never find guidance. I bear witness
there is no God but Allah, alone without partners and alone is his worship; I also bear witness
that Muhammad s.a.w. is his last prophet, slave & Messenger







So why were there not among the generations before you those of enduring discrimination
forbidding corruption on earth - except a few of those We saved from among them? But those
who wronged pursued what luxury they were given therein, and they were criminals. [Al-Hud
11:116]



And your Lord would not have destroyed the cities unjustly while their people were reformers.
[Al-Hud 11:117]



And if your Lord had willed, He could have made mankind one community; but they will not
cease to differ.[Al-Hud 11:118]



Except whom your Lord has given mercy, and for that He created them. But the word of your
Lord is to be fulfilled that, "I will surely fill Hell with jinn and men all together." [Al-Hud 11:119]






And each [story] We relate to you from the news of the messengers is that by which We make
firm your heart. And there has come to you, in this, the truth and an instruction and a
reminder for the believers. [Al-Hud 11:120]

And say to those who do not believe, "Work according to your position; indeed, we are
working.[Al-Hud 11:121]

And wait, indeed, we are waiting."[Al-Hud 11:122]






And to Allah belong the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth and to Him will be
returned the matter, all of it, so worship Him and rely upon Him. And your Lord is not unaware
of that which you do. [Al-Hud 11:123]
Amma baad... {As to what follows}

uawiyah (ra) reported the Prophet (saw) said, When Allah wishes a good for
someone, he bestows upon him the understanding of the deen (fiqh) 1.

But, how is this beneficial knowledge bestowed by Allah on whom he wishes

being applied upon the affairs of the Ummah in modern times? Are the works of our
scholars leading Muslims closer to consensus upon a caliph and unity of Muslim
countries under the banner of what Allah has ordained for Muslims?

O you who have believed, fight those adjacent to you of the disbelievers and let
them find in you harshness. And know that Allah is with the righteous 2.
I believe today the majority of Muslims dont care about the affairs of our Ullema, much
less trace the footsteps of their affairs, which is a major reflection on the status &
mindset of this Ummah. This carelessness is also a reflection on many scholars who
lost support/following due to having deviated from the straight path, and now approach
matters from personal positions that undermine the overall health & wealth fare of the
Ummah.
President Obama during his U.N. General Assembly speech, surprised the audience
when he was caught quoting a famous Muslim cleric; We must declare war against war
so the outcome will be peace upon peace. These words have since then have been
coined the moderate words of Islam spoken by Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, who
traveled to New York to meet with Secretary General to the U.N. Mr. Ban Ki-moon and
also later addressing the general assembly in the presence of various heads of state.
Born 1935 in Timbedra, Mauritania, Sheikh Abdullah bin Mahfudh ibn Bayyah is
considered among the most prominent scholars of our time. He is currently a Professor
of Islamic Studies at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but he also is
acquainted with a long list of other honors: President of Forum for Promoting Peace in
Muslim Societies, member of Islamic Fiqh Council a Saudi-based institute, VicePresident of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (resigned mid 2013), member of
the Dublin-based European Council for Fatwa and Research a council of Muslim clerics
that aims to explain Islamic law toward sensitive realities of European Muslims.
1

Sunnah.com reference: book 13, hadith no. 1 and Al-Bukhari and Muslim book 13 no. 1376. 2
Surah At-Tawba (9):123

Among his current list of responsibilities are:

Director of the Global Center for Renewal & Guidance, UK

Member of the European Research & Fatwa Council, Ireland
Deputy President of the International Association of Muslim Scholars, Beirut
Member if the Association of Indian Jurists, Delhi
Member of The Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Jordan
Member of the Counsel of Jurists attached to the Organisation of Islamic
Conference, Jeddah
Member of the Specialist Panel presiding over the Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz
prize for Prophetic Traditions and Islamic Studies
Member of the Muslim Leagues International High Council of Mosques, Mecca
Member of the International Aid Organisation of Kuwait
Member of the Lecturing Staff at the King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah in
which he is a lecturer
Member of the High Council in the Centre for Studying the Aims of Sharia, UK

However, despite the Sheikhs current standings and past accomplishment its been the
more current spotlighted events that have come under question. Prior to the United
Nations there was a gate-way event on March 27-28 of 2010, where famous 14th
century Scholar Sheikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyahs (rahimullah(d. 728/1328)) infamous
Mardin (now in south-eastern Turkey) fatwa came under unprecedented international
scrutiny, which prompted an international conference of Muslim scholars to convene on
the very city Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimullah) had issued his famous verdict. According to
various press reports, the venue was indirectly funded by the British & Turkish
governments who played host to 12 speakers who all shared their personal
interpretations and arresting ideas that would come to genetically mutate the a famed
scholars prior reasoning that lead him to his verdict. Of the twelve speakers Sheikh bin
Bayyah included, where those embodied a mirage of different credentials from young
and old, traditional vs cyber sheikhs, some better known to Western Muslims for Islamic
studies, their spiritual charisma, or comparative religious dawah while a majority had
never served in administrative responsibilities to date. Furthermore, besides Sheikh bin
Bayyah most were not familiar with the school of thought of the Sheikh (ibn Taymiyyah),
his legacy and only two were published Taymiyyan scholars
Sheikh bin Bayyah, one month after the conference, appeared on interview with AlJazeera where he seemed to be preoccupied in his replies with dangers of Islamist
seemingly inspired by a 2006 book Muslims under non-Muslim Rule 3 (Michot Y. ,
2010) which he is on record attributing recruitment and actions of Europeans

(Michot Y. , 2006)

In joining jihad to a misinterpretation of (amaliyya qatl) operation of killing along with

the word (yuqatal) translated in the book as combat.
Therefore, he has been viewed indirectly to being biased in his genesis of Ibn
Taymiyyahs fatwa based on a book that outlines the earlier scholars verdicts for
Muslims living in Muslim lands and living under non-Muslim rule rather than through his
own qiyyas of the subject. (Michot Y. , 2010)
Although his recorded answers are forever noted, as well as his prior published fatwahs
that were in accordance with Islamic groups such as Hamas in fighting American
soldiers in the occupation of Muslim lands; the sheikh has also published sinaatul
Fatawa Wafiqhul Aqaliyyat 4 a 480pg. which is a catalog of contemporary jurisprudence
of legal verdicts
From the Sheikhs most prominent students (who were also among the 12 panelist at the
Madrin conference) they are Habib Ali Al-Jifri from Hadhramount, Yemen (Sufi), and revert
to Islam Hamza Yusuf (Sufi) and founder of Zatuna Institute located in Berkley,
California. In addition Turkish press sources have released information on the Zatuna
Institutes prior contact of the Mayor of Madrin requesting the plans of this meeting prior
to its facilitation. I have personally heard Hamza Yusuf use ahadith from Sahih Bukhari
in renouncing the need of a caliphate while at the same time promoting the favor of
current governance of non-Muslim states of Muslim
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e67plHYQ35s) 5 (al-Awlaki, 2015).
These events for Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah have seemed to be synon0mous with his
prominent students growing popularity whereby they either accompany him and are
treated by the host audience among the qualified in jurisprudence in giving Fatawa or
act as official translators (Hamza Yusuf for English) for the sheikh in which they seemingly
seize the opportunity to employee the Sheikhs status as influence in the task.

(Bayyah A.-S. A.-S.-M.) Book reference to sheikh bin Bayyah 5 YouTube URL that plays video
case in point to Hamza Yusuf denouncing the need for Muslim caliphate. [Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman
reported: I asked, O Messenger of Allah, we were living in an evil time and Allah brought us good which
we live in now. Will there be evil after this good? The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon
him, said, Yes. I said, And any good after this evil? The Prophet said, Yes. I said, And any evil after
this good? The Prophet said, Yes. I said, How will it be? The Prophet said, Rulers after me will
come who do not follow my guidance and my tradition (Sunnah). Some of their men will have the
hearts of devils in a human body. I said, O Messenger of Allah, what should I do if I live to see that
time? The Prophet said, You should listen and obey them even if the ruler strikes your back and
takes your wealth, even still listen and obey.]

Source: Sahih Muslim 1847 Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Muslim

Bin Bayyah states: "That space of overflowing love, light, passion, insight,
transparency, transcendence, and spirituality must have some container and
some action to exist within and by. Actually, it is the inseparability and
interdependence of the body and the soul. There must be a discipline with its
own rules and terminology to represent such perfection aspired to by the highlydetermined. That discipline took various names such as sermons, as used by
Al-Bukhari, and asceticism, as in early Sunnah. Eventually, it was agreed to be
named Sufism, just as the discipline of Sharia rulings was called Fiqh.
Early Muslim history is painted with revolts which many of our earlier scholars have
risen in favor through their heroic sacrifices in preserving the pure faith; however those
who wanted to regain the straight path were often a majority or significant enough to
make changes intellectually (preferred) and at times of armed revolts with minimum or
no casualties. As time has passed on the enemy has grown stronger, the straight path
has become blurred by innovations and ignorance making armed revolt something that
would bring about greater oppression & killing, therefore the hadith [The Prophet (saw)
said The person must obey in whatever he loves, and in whatever he hates, in ease
and in hardship, in willingness and un-willingness; except if he is commanded to
disobey Allah. So if he is commanded to disobey Allah, then he should not listen, not
should he obey. Related by al-Bukhari (4/203)]
The Companions asked him: O Messenger of Allah! When you mentioned that there will
be rulers, you will approve of some things from them, and disapprove of others things.
They said: So what do you command us to do? He said: Give them their right, and
invoke Allah, since He is with you. Ubaadah (ra) said: we gave the oath of
allegiance to the Messenger of Allah that we would not oppose the command, nor its
people. He said: except if you were to see clear disbelief (kufran bawaahan) about
which NOW you have a proof from Allah. Related by Muslim (6/17)
As they see it Muslims are now bound by international treaties through which they enjoy
safety and security, with respect to their property, integrity, and homelands. This
absurdity falls short of the wisdom and haste that was made by the Ansar (ra) of Medina
who quickly gathered to discuss the succession of the prophet (saw) upon hearing of his
death, which Abu Bakr (ra) and Umar (ra) quickly joined to help appoint the next leader
of the Ummah. The Ummah was never meant to be without leadershipIn fact, it is
precisely because of lack of leadership that such carelessness and deviation is made
prominent. So, why are our Ullema convening in gatherings that promote the interest of
the west rather than to discuss the unity & leadership of Muslim nations?
The international community was born out of the death of the Islamic Calipha, and
divided up into zones of influence. Offered invitations to deliver speeches that fall on
latent actions further designed to under mind Muslims by pulling the seat from beneath,
following short of the table in deciding the fate of our own lands, it makes one wonder
how these treatise could apply to us when we have NO SAY in the matter. We are an

Ummah that is centered on religious principle, not centered on men; we respect our
scholars but we also have a duty in suggestion when we see correction is needed.
The sheikhs current viewpoints are therefore more or less seen as an attempt to adapt
Islamic legal theory into more contemporary fashion; as a result Western governments
have aligned themselves with him in finding solutions to emerging obstacles for socalled modern Muslim because he has proven to do the unthinkable for their benefit, not
ours.
Rasool Allah (saw) said: Prophet Hood will last among you for as long as Allah
wills, then Allah will take it away. Then it will be (followed by) a Khalifa Rashida
(rightly guided) on the pattern of the Prophet Hood. It will remain for as long as
Allah wills, then Allah will take it away. Afterwards there will be a hereditary
leadership {kingship passed through succession of birthright} which will remain
for as long as Allah wills, then He will lift it when He wishes. Afterwards, there will
be biting oppression, and it will last for as long as Allah wishes, then He will lift it
when He wishes. Then there will be a return of Khalifa Rashida according to the
ways of the Prophet Hood. Then he kept silent. [Musnad Imam Ahmad]

Bibliography
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