SarimBlog aims to provide a fresh narrative on classical and contemporary issues, showing how Islam challenges and compels and is both obvious and remarkable.
Muslim scholars, rulers and the duty to confront injustice: historical accounts of independence, courage and speaking truth to power.
American taxpayers paid for the incineration of tents, the leveling of apartment blocks and the cremation of children, just like theirs, in their sleep. It is time to break the chain.
Ibn Taymiyyah supplicated: "If (Ghazan) has risen for show and reputation, seeking worldly gains, and for his word to be the highest while humiliating Islām and its people, then seize him, shake him, destroy him and cut off his progeny." While Ghazan stood by and said Amin.
Sensing a responsibility to confront Caliph, al-Nasir regarding the excessive construction of al-Zahra (in Andalusia Spain), al-Munthir delivered a compelling sermon in the Grand Mosque. On that Friday, he ascended the pulpit with Al-Nasir present among the congregation and commenced his extraordinary Khutbah...
By Allāh's Grace, Abu Hanifa's scholarship and courage safeguarded the lives of Muslims in Mosul. In contemporary society, how many lives could be saved if scholars spoke truth to power and stood up for justice?
Imām al-Thahabi states, "Abdullāh b. Ali was a determined and oppressive monarch, known for shedding blood. However, unlike certain corrupt scholars who acquit the unjust actions of leaders and distort falsehoods as truth, Imām al-Awzā’i fearlessly spoke the truth in his presence. Some others, despite possessing the ability to elucidate the truth, choose to remain silent. May Allāh's curse be upon them."
This series will outline numerous examples of verbal confrontation between some of the most notable Imāms across different generations. This will stand in the face of those who erroneously or even spuriously align decontextualised passages from the Qur’ān and Sunnah to justify absolute submissiveness to political authority. Or even to endorse the oppression and decadence of governments, as we see prevalent in cultish Madkhalism and among the many who endorse their approach.
The right of truth is for it to be imparted, not hidden or obscured. In Arabic, the word for 'worthy' (Ahaq) derives from the word for 'truth' (Haq). This implies that the truth is the worthiest pursuit and objective...
In almost all periods of Islam’s history, scholars – and in particular jurists (fuqahā’) – relied on a number of methods and initiatives to ensure their financial self-sufficiency...
Al-Subki and al-Qarāfi would use the term Fāsiq in reference to scholars who flatter debauched authorities, despite such a title usually afforded to those who commit major sins.
How did the scholars of Islam expose the historical alliances between ‘fraudulent scholars’ and ‘evil leaders’ to preserve their independence and maintain their integrity and impact on society?