Al-Istighfaar (Seeking Repentance)
Shaykh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah rahimahullaah
Majmoo al-Fataawaa 10/88-90

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, said:

“The master of invocations for forgiveness is that the servant says:

O’ my ‘ilãh You are my Lord, there is no ‘ilãh but You. You created me, and I am your bondservant, and I will stick to my covenant and promise [of faith and sincere obedience] to You, as to my ability. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done, I acknowledge, to You, your bounties upon me, and I acknowledge, to You, my sin. Thus forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.

Whoever says this as he enters upon evening, then, dies that night, he would enter Paradise; and if one says this as he enters upon morning, then, dies that day, he would enter Paradise.” [Al-Bukhari]

The servant is always in the blessings of Allah, which necessitate thankfulness, and in sinfulness, which requires seeking forgiveness. Both of these matters are required and essential for the servant at all times, as the servant does not cease to alternate between Allaah’s (various) favors and blessings, and does not cease to be in need of repentance and seeking forgiveness.

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Usool al-Ibaadah
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah

[Majmoo` 10:172-174]

Worship, obedience, uprightness, necessity of adhering to the Straight Path etc. are from the names by which one and the same is intended and which have two basic principles.

* One of them is that nothing be worshipped except Allah.

* The other is that He be worshipped by what He ordered and legislated, not with innovations.

Allah the Exalted says: “So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord – let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone.” [al-Kahf (18):110]

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al-Imaam Ibn Taymiyyah
Source: ‘Majmoo Fataawaa ‘ (1/14 -17)

Allaah said, “those who were given the Scriptures did not differ except out of mutual jealousy and hatred (bagyan) after knowledge had come to them.” Informing that their differing arose after the coming of knowledge that made clear to them as to what they should steer clear of – for indeed Allaah does not let a people become misguided after He guided them except after telling them what they should steer clear of. And informing that they differed only due to the reason of mutual jealousy and hatred. Al-Bagy means to exceed the proper bounds as was indicated by ibn Umar (in his commentary to the verse): ‘arrogance and jealousy’ – this arising due to differing ijtihaads that were not based upon knowledge. What is not meant by al-Bagy is the permissible difference that arises between the scholars for al-Bagy is either the neglect or omission of the truth, or exceeding the proper bounds. Exceeding the proper bounds either by leaving an obligatory action or by performing a forbidden action and it is known that splitting and disunity is the outcome of this.

An example of this lies in what He said about the People of the Book, “and from those who call themselves Christians, We took their covenant but they abandoned (or forgot) a portion of the Message that was sent to them. So we planted enmity and hatred till the Day of Resurrection.” (5:14) So He informed us that in their forgetting/abandoning a portion of the Message – meaning leaving a portion of that which they were commanded with – lay the reason for their enmity and hatred.

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The Varying Forms of Wrongful Backbiting
Shaykh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah
Source: Majmoo’ al-fataawaa Shaikh ul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah vol 28 pages 236-238

There are found amongst the people those that will backbite in accordance to his gathering and his companions and his associates. Whilst his knowing that the one being backbitten is free of what it is they say – or of some of what they say. However; he sees that if he were to forbid them then the sitting will cease and the people of the sitting would become sullen with him just as they would become estranged from him. So he sees compliance with them through good social relations as well as good companionship; so when they become angered then he likewise becomes angry due to their being angered – so he takes it up with them.

Then there are those that take backbiting out into many forms. So at times it would be in the form of Religion and rectification, so he will say: ‘I am not in the habit of mentioning anyone except in good; and I neither like backbiting nor lies. However I shall inform you of his affairs.’ So He will say: ‘By Allaah – he is Miskeen (weak/pitied) – or he is a good man; however he has in him such and such.’ Or he may say: ‘let us leave off him; may Allaah forgive him and us.’ Whilst his intent is to belittle him as well as causing a wrong to his flank. Thus taking the backbiting out from the form of rectification and Religion. They seek to deceive Allaah with that just as they deceive the creation. For we have seen this and its like from them in many varying colours.

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How Tafseer is Performed
Shaykhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah
An Introduction to the Principles of Tafseer

If you ask what is the best method of tafseer, the answer is that the best way is to explain the Qur’aan through the Qur’aan. For, what the Qur’aan alludes to at one place is explained at the other, and what it says in brief on one occasion is elaborated upon at the other. But if this does not help you, you should turn to the sunnah, because the sunnah explains and elucidates the Qur’aan. Imaam Abu `Abd Allaah Muhammad ibn Idrees al-Shaafi`ee has said: “All that the Prophet, peace be upon him, has said is what he has derived from the Qur’aan.” Allaah has said:

“We have sent down to you the book in truth that you may judge between men, as Allaah guides you; so don’t be an advocate for those who betray their trust.” [al-Qur’aan, 4:105]

“We have sent down to you the message that you may explain clearly to people what has been sent to them, and that they think over it.” [ 16:44 ]

“We sent down the Book to you for the express purpose that you should make clear to them those things in which they differ, and that it should be a guide and a mercy to those who believe.” [16:64]

This is why the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: “Know that I have been given the Qur’aan and something like it” [Ahmad, Musnad, Vol. IV 131; Abu Dawood, Sunan, Sunnah, 5], namely the Sunnah. In fact, the Sunnah, too has been given to him through wahy as the Qur’aan, except that it has not been recited to him as the Qur’aan. Imaam al-Shaafi`ee and other scholars have advanced a number of arguments in support of this point; but this is not the place to quote them. [For discussion see al-Shaafi`ee, al-Risaalah]

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