Register now at DarulFath.org if you want to take part in this amazing event, starting tomorrow!

As a reminder, the event will be at MAS Youth Center in North Brunswick and will start promptly at 4 pm. Food will be provided throughout the program, insha Allah.

Assalamualaykum! Today is the last day to sign up for the Hanafi Intensive. I received a lot of messages about people who wanted to sponsor the event's food since they couldn't make it physically. If you'd like to feed the students of knowledge at this upcoming event, you can sponsor the event through this link:
https://www.darulfath.org/sponsor-food-for-hanafi-intensive

You can change the amount to sponsor by increasing the item quantity when you checkout.

May Allah reward all of you!

We’ve finalized our book list for Darul Fath’s second Hanafi Intensive with Sh. Tabraze Azam! Seats are nearly filled, so register today at DarulFath.org/pay before seats sell out like last year!

Alhamdulillah, we are thrilled to announce our second Hanafi Intensive, titled “Venturing the Hanafi Path” with Shaykh Tabraze Azam in collaboration with Irshad Centre for Hanafi Studies.

The intensive will be held on December 13 - 15, 2024, and tickets are available for sale immediately.

Details about the program can be found at https://www.darulfath.org/hanafi-intensive

Last year, this program sold out very quickly, so get your tickets fast!

Sidi Ahmed Zarruq, in his Qawa’id al-Tasawwuf said:

“Know that knowledge is only taken from its masters, so the Sufi is not depended upon in matters of Fiqh unless his mastery of it is known, nor is a Faqih taken in Tasawwuf unless he has implemented it. Nor is a Muhaddith taken in either of them [Tasawwuf or Fiqh] unless his mastery of them is known.

It is mandatory for the Seeker to seek Fiqh from the Fuqaha and he should only refer to the scholars of the Tariqa for what is specific to rectifying his inner state from that or other than it. For this reason, Abu Muhammad Al-Marjani commanded his companions to always return back to the Fuqaha in matters of Fiqh even though he had mastered it.”

[Qawa’id ul-Tasawwuf, Qa’ida #61]

Imam Al-Suyuti said in Al-Itqan, “everything said by the [consensus of the] Ummah is an explanation of the Sunnah, and the entirety of the Sunnah is an explanation of the Qur’an.”

Al-Itqan fi Ulum il Quran (28/4) (طبعة الهيئة المصرية العامة)

One of Darul Fath’s core foundational goals is to bring the “Rihla” nearer to us. Many students of Darul Fath are physicians, PhDs, lawyers, etc., excelling in their respective fields. More than half of them are also parents. For many students, despite being incredibly brilliant and dedicated, traveling to the Muslim world for a long time may not be possible for them. If they were to immerse themselves in the Islamic tradition, they would be a tremendous resource to the Muslim community due to their level of accomplishment in their respective fields. So Darul Fath aims to bridge that gap.. by bringing scholars who have taken knowledge from incredibly diverse backgrounds- Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Mauritania, Damascus, Pakistan, Yemen, and other places- and creating an environment where students can seek knowledge from these great traditions without needing to leave the country.

Travel Beyond Your Borders

As I was reading the brilliant book Al-Qawl al-Fasl by the last Shaykh al-Islam Mustafa Sabri, he lamented in the footnote that sadly some scholars don’t travel beyond their borders to know scholarship that exists in other countries. While he was specifically referring to the situation in Egypt at his time, this complaint is quite intensified by the borders that have divided the post-colonial Muslim world.

The rihla has always been part and parcel of the traditional seeking of knowledge such that our predecessors wouldn’t consider a student seriously unless he has travelled. Different schools of learning spread across the Muslim world employ different methods and varying curriculum with a special focus got each. While complementing each other, each has brilliance in one or more area. A seeker or a scholar can only excel when they appreciate these differences. They become aware of the depth and richness of the tradition let alone the confidence they have when they see the lived tradition in its various contexts.

Students of knowledge as well scholars need to travel beyond their own borders to appreciate - in addition to the above - that knowledge is so vast that it cannot be contained in one location or in one school or by one person. While certain centers of learning like Al-Azhar continue to be a beacon of guidance and scholarship, there are hidden gems in every corner as they say in Arabic.

وكم في الزوايا خبايا وكم في الناس من بقايا

The esteemed hadith scholar, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah (may Allah have mercy on him) states:

"It is unfortunate that many who are affiliated with the scholarly community today, once they have obtained a certificate, achieved a position, or gained prestige, show little enthusiasm for continuing their pursuit of knowledge and expanding it. You see them grow in their status but their knowledge diminishes and shrinks until it almost vanishes. They seek to meet people and do not mind spending an hour, two, or three in empty conversations and trivial talks. Their concern becomes rising in ranks, salaries, and leadership, not in the development, verification, exploration, and deepening of knowledge. Indeed, to Allah we belong."