Joe Bradford

At times while seeking knowledge or being involved in Islamic work, some students ask questions, feeling that this is the “M.O.” of a student of knowledge. No doubt that asking questions is a part of learning, however it is neither the first part nor the most important.

Then there is the doctrine of precedent, one of my favourite doctrines. I have managed to apply it at least once a year since I’ve been on the Bench. The doctrine is that whenever you are faced with a decision, you always follow what the last person who was faced with the same decision did. It is a doctrine eminently suitable for a nation overwhelmingly populated by sheep. As the distinguished chemist, Cornford, said: “The doctrine is based on the theory that nothing should ever be done for the first time.”

Bukhari (3887) narrates from Anas ibn Malik from Malik ibn Sa’sa’ah that the Prophet of Allah informed them of the night he was taken to the heavens…
“…then prayer was ordained on me; fifty prayers in one day. I then left and passed by Moses, who said to me: ‘What were you ordered?’

The “beauty” referred to in the verse is relative to the time and place. Around one’s mahram (father, brother, uncle, son) you can show the arms, legs to the calf or knees, and the collar may be exposed. Around women only, the same. Everything else is forbidden for everyone else.

The Prophet said “All of a man’s act are for himself; God said ‘except for fasting, it is for me alone and I alone will reward him for it when he leaves his food, drink, and desires for my sake.” Of the many things that Muslims do during Ramadan, there are some that carry significant meaning and symbolism. The inner meanings of these acts are keys to understanding Ramadan as not just ritual, but as a holistic act of faith, one that represents the cyclic nature of life and man’s return to his Lord.