| Bismihi Ta`ala *VALUE YOUR LOCAL ULAMAS**It is a trend to import Sheikhs/Lecturers/Ulamas for special occasions or times to times. Together with this trend, we should value our local ulamas. Because they are the active inheritors of the prophet Muhammad Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam.**Reported in Bukhari that when Hazrat Mu`awiyah r.a. came to Madinah Munawwarah during his rule, he found a bunch of human hair cut to be used as wig. He took it out on mimbar and exclaimed: ‘’Where are your ulamas? As I have heard rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam prohibiting the use of human wig…’’(Bukhari)*صحيح البخاري – ()عن ابن شهاب عن حميد بن عبد الرحمن أنه سمع معاوية بن أبي سفيان عام حج على المنبرفتناول قصة من شعر وكانت في يدي حرسي فقال يا أهل المدينة أين علماؤكم سمعت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ينهى عن مثل هذه ويقول إنما هلكت بنو إسرائيل حين اتخذها نساؤهم *It is our local ulamas who will promote deen locally and our local ulamas that are questioned on open defiance of the deen of Allah. So take councel of your local ulamas for your daily issues of deen. You see here, Hazrat Mu`awiyah r.a. referred the issue of hair wig found to the local ulamas of Madinah Munawwarah.* *Reported in Bukhari, Alhamdulillah, that `Alqamah came to Syria and read 2 rakaats in Masjid. Then he made this du`a: ‘’Allahoumma Yassir li Jaleesan Saalihan’’ ‘’O Allah path my way easily to sit with a good companionship.’’ I came to a group of people and I sat. Soon an old person came and he sat by me. I asked others about this old personality and they informed me that he is Abu Darda r.a. So I told hazrat Abu Darda r.a. about the du`a I made for good companionship and that Allah Ta`ala has made me sit with him.**Hazrat Abu Darda r.a. asked me : ‘’From where are you ?’’ So I told him that I am from Kufah. So Hazrat Abu Darda r.a. told me: ‘’Don`t you people have the senior Mufti named Abdullah bin Mas`ood r.a. who always used to accompany Rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam wherever He went, take his shoes, take his cushion and other hygienic utensils/means? Don`t have Hazrat Ammaar r.a., the one who Allah Ta`ala protected him from Shaitaan, on the words of Rasouloullah Swalallahou Alaihi Wasallam? And don`t you have Hazrat Huzeifah r.a. the secretary of the secrets of Rasouloullah Swalallahou Alaihi Wasallam?’’ So I replied yes to all these questions.* صحيح البخاري – ()حدثنا إسرائيل عن المغيرة عن إبراهيم عن علقمة قالقدمت الشأم فصليت ركعتين ثم قلت اللهم يسر لي جليسا صالحا فأتيت قوما فجلست إليهم فإذا شيخ قد جاء حتى جلس إلى جنبي قلت من هذا قالوا أبو الدرداء فقلت إني دعوت الله أن ييسر لي جليسا صالحا فيسرك لي قال ممن أنت قلت من أهل الكوفة قال أوليس عندكم ابن أم عبد صاحب النعلين والوساد والمطهرة وفيكم الذي أجاره الله من الشيطان يعني على لسان نبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم أوليس فيكم صاحب سر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم الذي لا يعلمه أحد غيره صحيح البخاري – ()حدثنا سليمان بن حرب حدثنا شعبة عن مغيرة عن إبراهيم قال ذهب علقمة إلى الشأم فلما دخل المسجد قال اللهم يسر لي جليسا صالحا فجلس إلى أبي الدرداءفقال أبو الدرداء ممن أنت قال من أهل الكوفة قال أليس فيكم أو منكم صاحب السر الذي لا يعلمه غيره يعني حذيفة قال قلت بلى قال أليس فيكم أو منكم الذي أجاره الله على لسان نبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم يعني من الشيطان يعني عمارا قلت بلى قال أليس فيكم أو منكم صاحب السواك والوساد أو السرار قال بلى *Hazrat Abu Darda r.a. explained to us here a great lesson for our deen. We tend to think that our local ulamas are ‘’ghar ki murghi daal barabar’’ That is we take for granted our local ulamas. This is wrong. Because it is our local ulamas that has the most acquaintances of the local trends, soul food needs and local caprices. They should be given the opportunity to address the people.**As a principle of telling a favour, tahdeethe ni`mat, Alhamdulillah, my mentor Hazrat Mufti Meerun sahab r.a. mentioned to me that he made the above du`as of `Alqamah and Allah Ta`ala made me picked him up from his home for a ride. Alhamdulillah again.**We should make the above du`as more often. To get the best benefit of those living in your era.**By the way, this travel of ‘Alqamah was not to Haramein nor Masjidul aqsa of Jerusalem. Hence permissible to travel for pious visits anywhere in the world.**Another example vivid that we should follow our local ulamas is that when during Hajj, there are several fatwas that circulate between the Hajis. There was the issue of a woman who already performed the tawaaf Hajj and she happened to get her menses before the Tawaaf wida`. Reported in Bukhari that the group of Hajis from Madinah asked Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbaas r.a. about the fatwa. But still the Hajis of Madinah insisted to take the fatwa of the local alim of Madinah: Hazrat Zaid r.a. ‘’We will not leave the fatwa of Zaid for your fatwa.’’ Because Hazrat Zaid r.a. was the local mufti of Madinah Munawwarah. You can see taqleed of sahabahs and tabi`ees on the local mufti sahabah. *صحيح البخاري – (حدثنا أبو النعمان حدثنا حماد عن أيوب عن عكرمة أن أهل المدينة سألوا ابن عباس رضي الله عنهماعن امرأة طافت ثم حاضت قال لهم تنفر قالوا لا نأخذ بقولك وندع قول زيد قال إذا قدمتم المدينة فسلوا فقدموا المدينة فسألوا *I am confronted with the moon issue in my island of Rodrigues. Hazrat Mufti Meerun sahab r.a. told us that we should share the moon with Mauritius*. *I wrote a fatwa on that and he approved. In October last, I talked on the issue in a majlis of Ulamas in Mauritius. All the Darul Iftas we asked also gave us the same fatwa that we should share the moon with Mauritius*. *Obvious Shami Ibaarat because we are under one government-Republic of Mauritius. Now some ‘’foreign’’ influences are telling us that we should wait for them to finalize the issue.**Well, I tell them all that it is against the protocol of sahabahs to interfere in local deeni issues when there are qualified ulamas present.**Value your local ulamas and you will see the deen of Allah flourish around you. This is an established sunnah.* Mufti Mackoojee |