Al-Albani’s Revolutionary Approach to Hadith

MujahideenRyder · #1 (**permalink**) 06-12-2008, 11:44 AM

Al-Albani’s Revolutionary Approach to Hadith

By Stéphane Lacroix

When on the first of October 1999 Shaykh Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani passed away at the age of 85, he was mourned by virtually everyone in the world of Salafi Islam. To many, he represented its third main contemporary reference, after ‘Abd al-’Aziz bin Baz (who himself had died a few months before) and Muhammad bin ‘Uthaymin (who would pass away in January 2001), both leading figures of the Saudi religious establishment. Salafi newspapers, journals, and websites celebrated this Syrian son of an Albanian clock-maker—whose family left Albania in 1923, when he was nine years old, and re-established itself in Damascus—who had become known as the muhaddith al-’asr (traditionist of the era), that is, the greatest hadith scholar of his generation.

Continue reading here...

Abu_Hind · #2 (**permalink**) 06-12-2008, 04:45 PM

Wow did people miss this thread??

rahimahu Allah.

*BUMP*

jinnzaman · #3 (**permalink**) 06-12-2008, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abu_Hind

Wow did people miss this thread??

rahimahu Allah.

*BUMP*

I read it.

Abu_Hind · #4 (**permalink**) 06-12-2008, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinnzaman

I read it.

I just saw the thread so i'm going to read it.

Can you make available some of makdisi's stuff on hanbalis? Like uploading some of the jstor papers?

jinnzaman · #5 (**permalink**) 06-12-2008, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abu_Hind

I just saw the thread so i'm going to read it.

Can you make available some of makdisi's stuff on hanbalis? Like uploading some of the jstor papers?

maqdisi the hanbali scholar or makdisi the academic? i've got stuff by both of them.

Abu_Hind · #6 (**permalink**) 06-12-2008, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinnzaman

maqdisi the hanbali scholar or makdisi the academic? i've got stuff by both of them.

The acedamic, but are you talking about ibn qudammah?

If you can I would appreciate stuff from both. barak Allahu feek, you're awesome.

LEGALEAGLE · #7 (**permalink**) 06-12-2008, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MujahideenRyder

Al-Albani’s Revolutionary Approach to Hadith

By Stéphane Lacroix

When on the first of October 1999 Shaykh Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani passed away at the age of 85, he was mourned by virtually everyone in the world of Salafi Islam. To many, he represented its third main contemporary reference, after ‘Abd al-’Aziz bin Baz (who himself had died a few months before) and Muhammad bin ‘Uthaymin (who would pass away in January 2001), both leading figures of the Saudi religious establishment. Salafi newspapers, journals, and websites celebrated this Syrian son of an Albanian clock-maker—whose family left Albania in 1923, when he was nine years old, and re-established itself in Damascus—who had become known as the muhaddith al-’asr (traditionist of the era), that is, the greatest hadith scholar of his generation.

Continue reading here...

Wow he resembles my maternal grandfather !

jinnzaman · #8 (**permalink**) 06-12-2008, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abu_Hind

The acedamic, but are you talking about ibn qudammah?

If you can I would appreciate stuff from both. barak Allahu feek, you're awesome.

yeah i've got ibn qudama's censure of ilm ul kalam but i've also got Professor Makdisi's stuff on Hanbalism and Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah's alleged links to the Qadiri tariqa.

If anyone wants anything, e-mail meeeeeeeee.

Abu_Hind · #9 (**permalink**) 06-12-2008, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinnzaman

yeah i've got ibn qudama's censure of ilm ul kalam but i've also got Professor Makdisi's stuff on Hanbalism and Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah's alleged links to the Qadiri tariqa.

If anyone wants anything, e-mail meeeeeeeee.

oh i have censure but i'll appreciate prof. makdisi's stuff...sent you an email...sp one.

Revert · #10 (**permalink**) 06-12-2008, 07:54 PM

Interesting article!

jinnzaman · #11 (**permalink**) 06-12-2008, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abu_Hind

oh i have censure but i'll appreciate prof. makdisi's stuff...sent you an email...sp one.

my SP e-mail's whack. PM me yo address akhi.

Abu_Hind · #12 (**permalink**) 06-13-2008, 01:31 PM

Ok so I read the article, it was a very interesting read. It raised some questions in my mind and also confirmed some of the things I already understand about salafis.

Firstly, it seems that Shaykh al-Albani seems to have seen himself as a 'reviver' in the sense that he tried to open a new avenue to hadith criticism. So I wonder how much influence did he really wield?

Secondly, how influential was Muqbil al-wadi'i ?

Thirdly, it seems that this group of people is really taking their hadith criticism to a new level and this approach seems to be at odds with the mainstream sunni approach. I wonder how credible it is.

Also the article confirms something I've tried to mention many times and that is; we have to differentiate between 'wahhabis' and 'salafis', and when we talk about 'salafi-wahhabi hybrids' then again we have to distinguish between various types, and then there are 'salafis' that are not wahhabi at all. I think this distinction is important because when we discuss salafis we fail to take this into account and make gross generalizations and historical errors.

jinnzaman · #13 (**permalink**) 06-13-2008, 01:40 PM

Why are we even using the term "Wahhabi", why not just call them Hanbalis or neo-Hanbali? For all practical purposes, they're Hanbali - not some new sect.

Also, I've seen the term Albaniyyun to refer to the follower of Shaykh Albani. Maybe the proper categorization is neo-Hanbali v. Albaniyyun?

Abu_Hind · #14 (**permalink**) 06-13-2008, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinnzaman

Why are we even using the term "Wahhabi", why not just call them Hanbalis or neo-Hanbali? For all practical purposes, they're Hanbali - not some new sect.

Also, I've seen the term Albaniyyun to refer to the follower of Shaykh Albani. Maybe the proper categorization is neo-Hanbali v. Albaniyyun?

I disagree with the appellation 'neo-hanbali' for a number of reasons:

a) Saudi Hanbalis emphasize the teachings of Ibn Tayimiyyah (ra), who was a shaykhul islam in Hanbali madhhab, and Ibn Abdulwahhab who was another Hanbali, hence they follow a tradition within the Hanbali Islam. Hanbali is just fine.

b) It is a an 'Ashari concotion, coming from 'Asharis it should be no surprise as they have had historically been at odds with Hanbalis, referring to them as "Hashawis" and many other such terms. So, it is of no consequence to actual Hanbalis themselves.

Anyway I think salafi-hanbali is more apt because they are Hanbalis with salafi leanings in politics and some of their approach.

Yeah I agree that it is fair to say it is 'Hanbalis vs. Albaniyyun'.