Biographies

Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips was born in Jamaica, but grew up in Canada where he accepted Islam in 1972. He completed a diploma in Arabic and a B.A. from the College of Islamic Disciplines (Usul ad-Din) at the Islamic University of Madinah in 1979. At the University of Riyadh, College of Education he completed an M.A. in Islamic Theology in 1985 and in the department of Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, UK, he complted a Ph.D. in Islamic Theology in 1994. He taught Islamic Education and Arabic in private schools in Riyadh for over ten years.

Between 1992 and 1994, Dr. Bilal Philips established and lectured in the graduate and undergraduate Departments of Islamic Studies in the College of Education of Shariff Kabunsuan Islamic University in Cotabato City, Mindanao, Philippines. In 1994 he founded and directed the Islamic Information Center in Dubai, UAE and the Department of Foreign Languages at Dar al-Fatah Islamic Press in Sharjah, UAE. In 2001, Dr. Bilal Philips established the Islamic Online University; the first accredited Islamic University on the Internet. He was professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the American University in Dubai and Ajman University, head of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Preston University-Ajman, UAE, and a lecturer at Qatar Guest Center, Doha, Qatar.

He has translated the famous works Ibn Taymiyyah's Eassy on the Jinn, The Devil's Deception and Arabic Calligraphy in Manuscripts.

Amongst his authored works are:

Shaykh 'Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir ibn 'Abdullah as-Sa'di was born on the 12th of Muharram 1307H in the town of 'Unayzah in the province of Qassim, in the Najd area of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He lost both his parents when he was a child. His mother died when he was four years old, and his father when he was seven years old.

He started his studies by memorizing the Qur'an, which he finished around the age of twelve. He then engaged himself in seeking different branches of knowledge from the scholars of his city, and those who came to it as visitors. He was very diligent and hardworking in seeking knowledge, and by the age of twenty-three he was already teaching at the same time as he was studying.

Among his famous teachers were:

The last of from whom he studied the fields of principles of fiqh, fiqh, tawhid, tafsir and arabic language, and he stayed with him until he died.

The Shaykh was very knowledgeable in the fields of fiqh and its principles, and tawhid and its branches. He was widely read in the various works of Shaykh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Al-Qayyim. He was also well versed in the field of commentary of the Qur'an, and he wrote a tafsir of the Qur'an in eight volumes, which he later summarized in a single volume. Among his other works are several books on fiqh, commentaries on ahadith, small treatises on fundamental rules regarding different fields of knowledge, a compendium of his legal opinions (fatawa), and a collection of his sermons in three volumes.

He was quite famous for his noble manners; very humble to both the elderly and the young. He was indifferent to this world and its glory, not caring for rank, power or glory.

He died on the night of Thursday, the 23rd of Jumada ath-Thani 1376H in his hometown of 'Unayzah. May Allah have mercy on him, and give us the benefit of his books and his knowledge. Amin.

(s) Useful Ways of Leading a Happy Life

Mahmud was a pious king, who was very much interested in seeking knowledge but above all he loved jihad. One achievement in his love of fighting in the cause of Allah lead Muslims to call him the destroyer of the idol.

As the end of the forth century of hijrah was drawing close, the city of Baghdad was suffering under the oppression of the Burayhi, a nation of ruthless people who came down from the province of Daylam in Northern Iran. They seized the region and subdued the Khalifah leaving him no power except the pomp and protocols. Meanwhile, Islam was prospering in the regions of Khurasan and Afghanistan. Didn't the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam say: "My Ummah is like the rain, you do not know whether its goodness is at its beginning or at its end." And didn't Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, promise that this Ummah will never be uprooted, and that there will be goodness in it, and that it will be the uppermost until the Hour comes. Isn't it amazing that in all the Islamic history, whenever Islam is weakened in one area, it flourishes in another!

In this weak period of the Khilafah, a power has sprung up in Ghaznah, southwest of Kabul, at the hand of a Turkish family, whose leader was Sabektekin. Sabektekin started jihad in India. Then came his son Mahmud. Mahmud showed a great capability in leadership and had a strong personality. The whole province of Khurasan rallied under his leadership, and his rule extended to Azerbedjan. Al-Qadir Billah, the Abbassid Khalifah approved of his rule, seeing in this Sunni power a help against the Shi'a and Mu'tazilah of Daylam.

Sultan Mahmud was among the earlier pious kings, very much interested in knowledge, drawing close to him the scholars, as he was known to love hearing the hadith of the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, being recited to him. When his popularity reached the far ends of the Muslim land, the Fatimid (extremist Shi'a) government in Egypt tried to win him over. They sent At-Tahirti, one of their du'at, to talk to him. Discovering their plot, Sultan Mahmud killed At-Tahirti and offered his mule to the shaykh of the city of Herat saying, "The leader of the disbelievers used to ride it, now let the leader of the believers in Allah alone ride it."

The most commendable act of Sultan Mahmud was his love for jihad. Every year he would set out to conquer new lands, heading always toward India. Allah granted him success many times as he opened many lands and brought Islam to its people. News reached him one day that the Indian people believed that what had brought weakness and destruction to their land was the wrath of the great idol Suminat against the rest of the idols. The great idol, they said, was the provider, the one that brought life and caused death. They used to make pilgrimage to it. A great wealth was accumulated at its site, to the point that ten thousands villages were counted as part of its endowment. A thousand of Brahma men were at its service. The idol was in a far away fortress, a walking distance of a month away from the Muslim land. The road to it was difficult and sparse in water.

Nevertheless Sultan Mahmud set out to destroy the idol after making istikharah (asking Allah for guidance in his decision). He left on the second day of 'Eid al-Fitr 416H, at the head of thirty thousand cavaliers and a great number of infantry men and volunteers. They reached the fortress on the fourteenth of Dhul-Qa'dah. When the Indians saw the determination of the Sultan, they offered him a great amount of money under the condition that he spared their idol. Some of his field commanders advised him to take the money and leave the idol alone. He said, "I have thought about the matter, and I see that when the Day of judgment comes, I would rather be called, 'Where is Mahmud who destroyed the idol?', than 'Where is Mahmud who spared the idol for the wealth of this world?'." He took his pickaxe and went in. The idol was adorned with gold and rare jewelry that were beyond description. With a mighty blow, it fell broken to pieces. He took the gold and jewelry and distributed it among his commanders and soldiers. He returned to Ghaznah in Safar 417H.

Sultan Mahmud sent to the Khalifah in Baghdad, informing him of the great victory, saying, "I have conquered citadels and fortresses, and nearly twenty thousand of idol worshippers reverted to Islam." In his book, 'Shatharat ath-Thahab', Ibn al-Ammar said, "[Mahmud] continued his conquest deep into India, until he reached areas where no flags of Islam were raised before." Adh-Dhahabi said, "His intention was pure in promoting the din, he was successful, he would frequently go out for jihad, and his halls were the gathering places of the scholars. His grave is in Ghaznah. People gave speeches praising him in Khurasan, India, As-Sind, Tabristan, and Azerbedjan."

Sultan Mahmud was born in 361H and died in the month of Rabi' al-Akhir in 421H. May Allah grant him mercy and reward him for what he has done for Islam and the Muslims.

(s) Al-Jumu'ah Magazine

His Birth

The Shaykh Muhammad Safwat, son of Nur ud-Din Ahmad Mursi, was born on 20th June 1943 in Al-Malayqah village, a suburb of Balbees town, in Egypt's Eastern Province (Ash-Sharqiyyah).

His Study

He completed his elementary and secondary studies in the Egyptian public schools. In college, he studied chemistry and physics and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Science and Education. As for Islamic studies, the Shaykh started quite early by memorizing the Qur'an while he was a young boy.

From his youth, the Shaykh closely associated with Jama'at Ansar as-Sunnah al-Muhammadiyyah (JASM). JASM is one of the important Islamic organizations in the Muslim World that calls to full adherence to the Sunnah of the Prophet.

During the 1960's, while he was a college student, he was also a regular student of the Shayukh of JASM. He attended the classes of the likes of 'Abdur-Rahman al-Wakil, Khalil Harras, Jamil Ghazi, and 'Abdur-Razzaq 'Afifi - both in his town Balbees and in the JASM headquarters. He also developed a special relationship with the latter and visited him frequently in Saudi Arabia until Shaykh 'Abdur-Razzaq passed away.

He received recommendations from many of the contemporary great 'ulama, and was given permission to teach and write books.

His Positions

1. He worked for a while as a teacher in intermediate and high schools of the Ministry of Education & Teaching in Egypt. He eventually reached the level of General Director of Teaching in his field of teaching.
2. In the 1980's, he held the position of General Secretary of Da'wah in JASM.
3. In 1412H (1991CE), Shaykh Muhammad 'Ali 'Abdur-Rahim, the fifth general director of JASM in Egypt passed away. On 22 Sha'ban 1412H (27 Feb 1992), Shaykh Muhammad Safwat was elected (by consensus) to replace him. Thus, he became the first director of the Jama'ah from the second generation after its original founders.

His Contributions

1. As soon as he became in charge of JASM, the Shaykh took special care in maintaining and improving At-Tawhid, which is JASM's main publication. He worked on this diligently, aided by his close companion Safwat ash-Shawadfi who passed away two years before him. He wrote numerous articles and provided fatawa on a regular basis. His writings reflected knowledge and maturity and emphasized tawhid. During his time, At-Tawhid grew strongly and became wide-spread in most countries until it reached a monthly circulation of 100,000 in recent years.
2. He helped improve and strengthen the relationship between JASM and Al-Azhar, especially during the time of Shaykh Jad ul-Haqq 'Ali Jad ul-Haqq. He also established cooperation channels with various da'wah organizations inside and outside Egypt.
3. He travelled frequently to different parts of Egypt for the purpose of da'wah and guidance. He delivered khutbahs and daily lectures in JASM's various mosques and centres.
4. He attended and lectured in numerous conferences in many Muslim and non-Muslim countries. His contributions always had the characteristics of seriousness, maturity, concern for the Ummah, and positive attitude for solving problems and improving.

His Personality

I (the compiler of this biography, Muhammad al-Jibaly) have known Shaykh Safwat personally and met with him frequently during various conferences organized by Al-Qur'an was-Sunnah Society of North America (QSS), as well as by other conferences and functions. I have known the Shaykh to be very well-mannered and humble. He was always concerned about the Muslims and keen to present advice and da'wah to them in the most effective ways. He would always meet others with a wide smile, calm and cheerful attitude, and overwhelming kindness.

He was very clear and mature about organizational and leadership matters. He provided us at QSS with numerous beneficial advices in this regard.

He had an organized thinking. He would present his arguments in a friendly and convincing manner.

His talks combined knowledge with affection, and they had a special power of moving the hearts into action. He strongly opposed raising issues that would unnecessarily bring division and hatred among the Muslims.

When he mentioned the great scholars of JASM or other Muslim 'ulama, he would praise them extensively and bring out all their good accomplishments and good works. At the same time, I never heard him praise himself or list his accomplishments, even while discussing relevant matters, such as the way the JASM leadership is conducted.

The banner that he always raised and frequently uttered was: Our manhaj is the kitab and sunnah with the understanding of the salaf of the Ummah.

The Shaykh was respected and loved by the contemporary 'ulama of the Ummah, such as Ibn Baz, Al-Albani, Al-'Uthaymin, Ibn Humayd, As-Sabil, Al-Fawzan, and many others.

His Death

He passed away, may Allah have mercy on his soul, on Friday 13 Rajab 1423H (20 September 2002).

He passed in Makkah one or two days after completing his 'Umrah, and shortly after praying Jumu'ah in the Haram (the Sacred Mosque). Janazah prayer was performed over him in the Haram right after maghrib, and he was then buried in Makkah.

We have great hope that the place and time and circumstance of his death are indications of his good end, and Allah is his Judge and Witness.

We ask Allah to engulf him with His mercy and forgiveness, and to accept him among the most righteous. We ask Allah to grant his family and the Muslim Ummah patience and submission in the face of this calamity, and to substitute him for us with other great scholars and leaders. Amin.