On Remembering Death Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali

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On Remembering Death Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali

"Abdullah Ali's faithful translation of a section concerning the meditation of death from Ibn Rajab's famous work on yearly devotions is much needed in our culture of forgetfulness.

He has chosen a work of immense value to introduce speakers of English. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'Make much mention of the Destroyer of Delights' - meaning death. This is not morbid reflection but rather one that reminds us that the gift of life is fragile and fleeting, and its foremost purpose is as a preparation for the Hereafter.

All things end including this world, but what is coming never ends. In remembering death as a daily practice, one is reminded to use each and every day successfully as a preparation for eternity. This wonderful work is an excellent place to start."

Hamza Yusuf, President of Zaytuna College

About The Author

Imam Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali

Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali was a Muslim scholar born in Baghdad, Iraq in the year 736 AH/1335 CE and a popular exponent of the legal school of Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal. His father was known as Rajab al-Salami, and from this, he acquired the byname, Ibn Rajab. At the age of eight, he relocated from Baghdad to Damascus with his father, and this is where he began his study of the Islamic disciplines. In Damascus, he studied the variant Quranic modes of recitation and amassed great knowledge from the Damascene scholars. He would eventually travel in search of greater knowledge to Mecca, Egypt, and other regions. Ibn Rajab excelled in the study of hadith and became recognised as the greatest hadith master of his time. He was also an extremely effective sermoniser and lecturer who touched the hearts of his listeners through his wisdom and charisma. Also adding to his greatness is the love and esteem in which he was held by people of diverse ideological orientations. His writings reveal a wide range of expertise covering subjects like economics, law, legal maxims, hagiography, history, ethics, spirituality, exegesis, and most importantly, hadith science. His biographers unanimously agree upon his piety, scrupulousness, ex- exemplary behaviour, charisma, wisdom, and mastery of the prophetic tradition. He died on the 14th day of the month of Ramadan in the year 795 AH/1392 CE and is buried in the Bab al-Saghir cemetery in Damascus.

About The Translator

Hamza Yusuf

He is an advisor to the Center for Islamic Studies at Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union. He also serves as vice-president for the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, which was founded and is currently presided over by Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah, one of the top jurists and masters of the Islamic sciences in the world. In addition, he has joined the Emirates Fatwa Council under the leadership of Shaykh Abdallah.

Selected Works

The Burda of al-Busiri: The Poem of the Cloak (2002)
Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms, and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart (2004)
The Content of Character: Ethical Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (2005)
Caesarean Moon Births: Calculations, Moon Sighting, and the Prophetic Way (2007)
The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi (2007)
Agenda to Change our Condition (2008)
The Prayer of the Oppressed (2010)
Walk on Water: The Wisdom of Jesus from Traditional Arabic Sources (2010)
The Pearls of the Faith (2017)

Islamic Education

Madrasah Studies, Granada, Spain, 1987. 
Madrasah Studies, Medina, Saudi Arabia, 1986. 
Madrasah Studies, Twaymarat, Mauritania, 1984–1985. 
Madrasah Studies, Madrasah Bilal ibn Abi Rabah, Tizi, Algeria, 1984. 
Madrasah Studies, Islamic Institute of al-Ain, Emirate of Abu Dhabi, 1981–1984.
Islamic Studies, Norwich, England, 1977–1980. 
Private Studies with Shaykh Abdallah Ould Ahmadna, Shaykh Murabit Muhammad Amin, Shaykh Iqbal Ahmad al-Adhami, Shaykh Ahmad Badawi Tayyid al-Asma, Shaykh Muhammad Fatatri al-Azhari, Shaykh Murabit al-Hajj, Shaykh Abd al-Rahman Ould Murabit al-Hajj, Shaykh Murabit Muhammad Hassan Ould al- Hassan, Shaykh Abdal Hayy al-Imrawi, Shaykh Abdallah al-Kadi, Shaykh Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki, Shaykh Hamid Omar al-Wali, Shaykh Muhammad al- Yaqoubi, Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, Shaykh Murabit Ahmad Fal, Shaykh Ahmad Jabir Jibran, Shaykh Anas Abu Murad, Shaykh Abdal Aziz Qassar, Sidi Abu Said, Shaykh Bayyah Ould Salik, Mufti Muhammad Ahmad Shaybani, Shaykh Abdallah Ould Siddiq, Shaykh Muhammad Mahmoud Ould Zaydan, Shaykh Salih al-Ghursi 1980–present.
Received Teaching Licenses (ijāzah al-tadrīs) in the following subjects: Qur’anic Sciences; Arabic Grammar, Morphology, Elocution (tajwīd), Rhetoric (balāghah), Dialectics (bahth wa munādharah); Legal Theory (usūl al-fiqh); Mālikī Jurisprudence (fiqh); Hadith Sciences, Theology ('aqīdah), Timekeeping (Sacred Astronomy), Logic, Ethics, Traditional Psychology (tasawwuf), 1987–2013

Education

PhD, Islamic Studies, GTU/UC Berkeley, CA, 2020; B.A., Religious Studies, magna cum laude, San Jose State University, CA, 1997; Honorary doctorate, conferred by Shaykh Shadhili Naifer, Dean of Zaytuna University, Tunisia, 1991; A.S., Nursing, Imperial Valley College, CA, 1990; A.A., English, Imperial Valley College, CA, 1990; Islamic Institute of Al-Ain, Abu Dhabi, (1981-1984); studied grammar, prosody, literature, logic, philosophy, and rhetoric with his father, David J. Hanson; studied philosophy and educational theory in seminar format with Mortimer Adler.

Reviews

" book is straightforward and easy to understand"

I picked up this book because I knew there was more to being Muslim than the picture that the media paints. This book is straightforward and easy to understand. The explanations given in the book were delivered through facts from Quran and hadith. I highly recommend this book!

By Hayaa

"informative, well narrated, and interesting "

A very good book, informative, well narrated, and interesting to the older readers.

By Umm Hajar

"This was a great book"

This was a great book, very inspiring, written in a very easy way to understand. Thanks to friends who recommended it that I was able to find out about this wonderful book. Thank you.

By Maher Zain