Monday, December 18, 2006

Halaqah #4 - 12/18/06

------------------- Samina's Notes -------------------

Schedule for next couple weeks:
  • No Class for the next two weeks. Will resume back on Monday, January 8th. Possibly a quiz will be given J! Will start the tafseer of Surah Al-Hujuraat on Wednesday, January 17th with the brothers as well.

There are three schools or centers of tafseer:

  • Makkah
    • ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas
      • He was the most popular among the Shahabah in terms of tafseer.
      • The Prophet (sallahu alaihyi wa salaam) made du’a for him: “O Allah, give him a deep understanding of the religion and make him skilled in interpretation.”
      • The Prophet (sallahu alaihyi wa salaam) gave him the title “Turjumaan al-Qur’an” (Translator of the Qur’an)
      • Some famous students of his were Mujaahid ibn Jabr, ‘Ikrimah, Sa’eed ibn Jubayr, Taawoos ibn Keesaan al-Yamaanee, and ‘Ataa ibn Abee Rabaah.

  • Madinah
    • Ubayy ibn Ka’b
      • Came to Mecca to accept Islam
      • One of the first official writers for Prophet Muhammad (sallahu alaihyi wa salaam)
      • He was considered as the best qari* (reciter) of all according to the Prophet Muhammad (sallahu alaihyi wa salaam). The Prophet (sallahu alaihyi wa salaam) was reported to have said to him, “Verily Allah, the most Great and Glorious has commanded me to recite to you, “Lam yakunilladheena kafaroo,” (Surah Bayyinah). When Ubayy asked if Allah had mentioned his name to him, the Prophet (sallahu alaihyi wa salaam) answered in the affirmative and Ubayy wept.
      • Became the official leader of taraweeh prayer.
      • Some of his famous students of his were Zayd ibn Aslam, Abul-‘Aaliyah, and Muhammad ibn Ka’b al Quradhee.

*’Qari’ back then meant having the knowledge of the Quran, not the way of reciting, like these days.

  • Iraq
    • Ibn Mas’ood
      • One of the earliest people to accept Islam (considered one of the first six that accepted Islam)
      • One of the first to recite the Qur’an in the public
      • One of the first to perform hijarah to Madinah from Absenyia
      • One of the participants in Battle of Badr. He played a role in all of the Battle
      • He was really thin and small, but his legs are a lot heavier, more heavier than Mount Uhud
      • He learned 70 surahs from the mouth of Prophet Muhammad (sallahu alaihyi wa salaam)
      • There is not a verse in the Qur’an where he does not know and the revelation of it.
      • Some of his famous students were al-Hasan al-Basree, ‘Alqama ibn Qays, Masrooq, al-Aswad ibn Yazeed, and ‘Aamir ash-Sha’bee.

There are five methods of tafseer that were used by the Mufasareen:

  • To interpret the Qur’an using the Qur’an
  • To interpret the Qur’an using Prophet Muhammad (sallahu alaihyi wa salaam) (the sunnah)
  • To interpret the Qur’an using the opinion of the companions (the Sahaabah)
  • To interpret the Qur’an using Arabic