🍁🌿1447: A New Year🌿🍁
Revive a Forgotten Tradition

Question: Dear Shaykh Mohammed Daniel. Is there a "New Year dua" as some of my friends said it is not correct, but a bidah (innovation) based on a very weak narration (sent below). Can you help me please as I want to practice it if OK?

Answer
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Esteemed questioner,

May Allāh bless you for the spirit you have shown in trying to revive the blessed traditions of this dīn in a time when many have resorted to encouraging us to adopt non-Muslim celebrations & traditions in order to appease them.

The Apostle of Allāh ﷺ spoke about these days and the immense reward in store for people such as yourself when he ﷺ said:

"...فَإِنَّ مِنْ وَرَائِكُمْ أَيَّامَ الصَّبْرِ الصَّبْرُ فِيهِنَّ مِثْلُ قَبْضٍ عَلَى الْجَمْرِ لِلْعَامِلِ فِيهِنَّ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ خَمْسِينَ رَجُلاً يَعْمَلُونَ بِمِثْلِ عَمَلِهِ."‏ [أخرجه أبو داود، والترمذي، وابن ماجه، وابن حبان، والطبراني في الكبير والأوسط وغيرهم. حديث حسن لشواهده]

“Upon you lie days of patience. Patience then, will be similar to grasping on to a burning ember. The one who commits good deeds will have the reward equivalent to fifty men doing the same deed."

In reference to the hadīth that you sent the wording of which is:

حدثنا محمد بن علي الصائغ، قال: حدثنا مهدي بن جعفر الرملي، قال: حدثنا رشدين بن سعد، عن أبي عقيل زهرة بن معبد، عن جده عبد الله بن هشام، قال: كان أصحاب النبي ﷺ يتعلمون هذا الدعاء إذا دخلت السنة أو الشهر: "اللهم أدخله علينا بالأمن والإيمان، والسلامة والإسلام، ورضوان من الرحمن، وجواز من الشيطان" رواه الطبراني في الأوسط (٦٢٤١)

This narration is relatively weak due to the narrators in the chain. Rishdīn ibn Saʿd is weak or very weak and according to some Hadith experts Mahdī ibn Jaʿfar is classed as weak too. Based on this, the narration cannot be used to establish the ṣaḥāba did practice this tradition.

Having said that, the "Bidah Police" should not have been so hasty in judgment because there exists a tradition that supports the above and it is found in a lesser known hadīth work which comes to us with an authentic chain that Imam al Bukhārī (ra) uses in his Sahīh.

The great Hāfiẓ, Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī in al-Iṣābah fī Tamyīz al-Ṣahābah under the biographical account of ʻAbd Allāh ibn Hishām (ra) provides us with a version of the above hadīth from a work of Imām al-Baghawī (ra):

قال ابن حجر (رحمه الله تعالى) في كتابه الإصابة في تمييز الصَّحابة في ترجمة عبد الله بن هشام (رضي الله عنه) (2/378): "وأخرج له أبو القاسم البَغَوِي من طريق أَصْبَغ، عن ابن وهب، بسند الحديث الذي أخرجه له البخاري في الشَّركة حديثًا آخر رواه عن الصَّحابة، ولفظه:كَانَ أَصحَابُ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَتَعَلَّمُونَ هَذَا الدُّعَاءَ كَمَا يَتَعَلَّمُونَ القُرآنَ إِذَا دَخَلَ الشَّهرُ أَو السَّنَةُ:

"اللَّهُمَّ أَدخِلهُ عَلَينَا بِالأَمنِ وَالإِيمَانِ، وَالسَّلَامَةِ وَالإِسلَامِ، وَجِوَارٍ مِنَ الشَّيطَانِ، وَرِضوَانٍ مِنَ الرَّحمَنِ".  وهذا موقوفٌ على شرط الصَّحيح" ا.هـ.

Translation

"The companions of the Apostle of Allāh ﷺ would learn supplications as they would learn the Qur'an. If a new month or year came upon them they would supplicate:

"اللَّهُمَّ أَدخِلهُ عَلَينَا بِالأَمنِ وَالإِيمَانِ، وَالسَّلَامَةِ وَالإِسلَامِ، وَجِوَارٍ مِنَ الشَّيطَانِ، وَرِضوَانٍ مِنَ الرَّحمَنِ."

"Oh Allāh, make it a time of security and ʾīmān with peace and Islām and protection from satan and may al-Raḥmān be pleased with us."

Therefore, feel free to follow the tradition of the ṣaḥāba and practice this supplication with your family and friends.

And Allāh knows best

May Allāh bless you and all readers with a prosperous and wholesome year.
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إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون

انتقل إلى رحمة الله تعالى يوم السبت العاشر من محرم سنة ١٤٤٧ه، شيخنا الداعية المعمر محمد يوسف بن محمود ببراوالا الكجراتي في بيته وبين أهله في بربادوس عن عمر يناهز ١٠٤ سنوات. ولا نقول إلا ما يرضي ربنا. لله ما أخذ ، وله ما أعطى ، وكل شيء عنده بأجل مسمى.

رحم الله شيخنا وغفر له، وألهم ذويه وطلابه ومحبيه الصبر والاحتساب، وأسكنه الله الفردوس من الجنة، ورفع درجته في المهديين ، وخلفه في عقبه في الغابرين، وغفر لنا وله أجمعين.

اللهم افسح له في قبره ونور له فيه، وارفع درجته، وأقل عثرته، وأكرم وفادته، وأحسن ضيافته. اللهم آنس وحدته بفضلك، وأعظم منزلته بكرمك ، وكن له بما أنت له أهل؛ فأنت أهل التقوى وأهل المغفرة يا رحمن يا رحيم.

اللهم آمين ، اللهم آمين ،  اللهم آمين.

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Passing Away of The Great Reformer of the West Indies

بسم الله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه ومن والاه، أما بعد:

كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ وَيَبْقَى وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ

It is with deep sadness that I inform scholars and students of knowledge worldwide of the passing away of the bastion of Islamic daʿwah in the West Indies; Shaykh Muḥammad Yūsuf Pīprāwālā who was born on July 17, 1924 and passed into the mercy of Allāh ﷻ yesterday on July 5, 2025. He was over 104 Hijrī years old.

Over the past 7 years, I was honoured to have had various opportunities to benefit from the shaykh and also facilitate for my close students to benefit from him. I found him to be most humble and caring, always giving advice and praying for us. I would have liked for more people to have known him, but Shaykh requested that I not share about him publicly as he was not in good health and did not feel that he deserved any attention.

I must acknowledge the favour upon me of Shaykh Khabbaab Ahmad of Al Hashim Academy in Batley, UK, for providing me with the details to communicate with the late shaykh. May Allāh reward you immensely.

In the following post, I have provided a feeble outline of the biography of our Shaykh taken mainly from his own autobiography and my discussions with him. I am thankful to Shaykh Aakil Bhula of Barbados for providing me with various references.

In ending, we beseech Allah to envelop them with his boundless compassion. May Allah bring solace upon the hearts of their family, friends, students and all Muslims.

Amīn
Mohammed Daniel
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From Gujarat India to the West Indies: Brief Biography of the Great Muslim Reformer of the Region

Shaykh Muḥammad Yūsuf Pīprāwālā was born into a pious family on July 17, 1924, in the village of Kafletha in the district of Surat, in the state of Gujarat, India.

Formative Studies

Shaykh completed his primary education and study of urdu in the local school in Kafletha. His father, who was a Ḥāfiż of the Holy Qur'ān ensured that his son also committed it to memory, and Shaykh was known for having an exceptional recollection even in old age.

In 1940, at the age of 16, he was enrolled in the Dars-i Nizami curriculum at the prestigious Jamiah Islamiah Talimuddin seminary in Dhabel, Gujarat.

"His teachers of Qurʾānic recitation were Qārī Aḥmad of Kalakacha and Qārī Bunda ilāhī of U.P.

He studied Fārsī Awwal (first year of Persian) at the hands of Mawlānā Aḥmad Amejī of Kalakachha. He studied the second year of Persian at the hands of Mawlānā Ḥabīb Allāh of U.P

He studied the first year of Arabic with Mawlānā Ḥāshim Gorā of Dabhel.

From the second until fifth year of Arabic, he studied at the hands of Mawlānā ʾIsmāʿīl Kasūjī.

In the sixth year, he studied the complete Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ of Imām Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Khaṭīb at-Tibrīzī with Shaykh Abdul Mālik al- Kāndahlawī.

In the final year, he studied the canonical books of hadith:

The complete Sahīh of Imām al-Bukhārī (ra) with the Grand Muḥaddith Muḥammad Yūsuf al-Banūrī

The complete Sahīh of Imām Muslim with Mawlānā Islam u'l-Ḥaq.

The complete Sunan of Imām Abū Dāwūd al-Sijistānī with Mawlānā ʻAbd al-Jabbār al-A'zamī

The complete Jami' of Imām al-Tirmidhī with
Mawlānā Ḥifż al-Raḥmān Rahman Seuwharawi

He graduated as the salutatorian in his class on the 21 January 1948.

Teaching & Contribution

After graduation, shaykh returned to his village and taught Qur'anic memorization classes at his former school for four years without taking any salary. After four years, he was invited by the rector of the Islamic seminary in Dhabel, Muftī ʾIsmāʿīl Bismillah to teach Qur'anic memorization. He remained in this position for four years.

His Journey to Barbados

In 1964, shaykh was informed by his brother that the Muslim community in Barbados where in need of a scholar who could teach their children and look after the affairs of the Mosque. At first, shaykh was hesitant to leave since he had seen how life in the western world had adversely affected other scholars who had travelled there and he did not want to fall into the same pit. However, the famous author of Ḥayāt al-ṣaḥāba, and the leader of the Tablighi Jamaat movement at the time; Shaykh Muḥammad Yūsuf al-Kāndahlawī pacified his fears and encouraged him to undertake the journey for the purpose of spreading the pristine teachings of Islam.

His Sacrifice for the Dīn

Shaykh obediently left for Barbados and arrived in 1965. His salary for teaching was set at a measly $150, and he was not reimbursed for the travel costs from India to Barbados for which he had taken a loan. It was suggested that he could be given an extra $15 for leading the prayers, but he turned this down as he did not want to receive money for praying and instead choose to do this for free. This paltry amount was not even enough to cover his accommodation costs, but for the sake of Allāh, he accepted, and his brother hosted and fed him for nine years in his shared family home.

During this time, shaykh faced many challenges, and sadly, as is common nowadays, Shaykh found in the community those who were envious of him. For a period of 7 years, Shaykh persisted in serving the dīn and had not seen his wife and children due to the costs involved in travelling back to India and the lack of empathy that the community in Barbados had. After 7 years, the law permits a resident in Barbados to obtain citizenship by naturalisation, however, after not hearing anything, Shaykh's brother enquired from an associate that he knew in the government as to the cause for delay.

It was found that some envious people in the community had informed immigration that there was no need for Shaykh in their community anymore and for this reason he was not being considered for naturalisation. Shaykh became sad, but he endured and finally in 1974, he was granted nationality, and after 9 years of not seeing his wife and children, he was reunited with them.

Subḥānallāh, one cannot fathom such a sacrifice being made, however Shaykh had the fortitude for this due being a man sent upon a mission, and not someone coming for lowly, worldly motives.

Shaykh served the Muslims of Barbados for over 40 years as a teacher and guide until his ill health caused him to retire around 2005. For the past 20 years, he continued to propagate Islam and affected the lives of thousands of people across the West Indies.

This is just a glimpse of the Shaykh's life. I request all readers to benefit from his autobiography which I read in its entirety some years ago.

Credit needs to be given where it is due. Muslims living in the west as well as in many countries across Africa are indebted to the efforts of the Muslims in Gujarat, India. Where others only migrated for the purposes of worldly attainment and forgot their afterlife, they established maktabs and mosques wherever they travelled enabling the preservation of the dīn for generations to come.

May Allāh enable us to follow in the footsteps of such luminaries who selflessly served His dīn.

Mohammed Daniel
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Let us bring a smile to your faces, even though the times are hard for us all.

Passing Away of the Great Muslim Preacher of South Korea

بسم الله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله وعلى آله وصحبه ومن والاه، أما بعد:

إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

“Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we shall return.” (2:156)

It is with deep sadness that I inform scholars and students of knowledge worldwide of the passing away of the great preacher, reformer and Grand Mufti of South Korea, Shaykh Dr. ʿAbd al-Wahhāb Zāhid al-Ḥalabī al-Nadwī who was born in 1941 and passed into the mercy of Allāh ﷻ last Saturday 17th July 2025. He was over 84 years old. Shaykh had devoted his entire life to the pursuit, preservation, and dissemination of the peaceful teachings of Islam through submission to Allah ﷻ.

There can be no doubt that the loss of Shaykh will be felt in the region for years to come since he was personally responsible for building scores of Islamic centres and places of worship for the thousands of people who reverted to Islam through his efforts. Many of these students are now leading scholars and academics of the country.

قال كعب -رحمه الله-: "عليكم بالعلم قبل أن يذهب، فإن ذهاب العلم موت أهله، موت العالم نجم طمس، موت العالم كسر لا يجبر، وثلمة لا تسد، بأبي وأمي العلماء -أحسبه قال- قبلتي إذا لقيتهم، وضالتي إذا لم ألقهم، لا خير في الناس إلا بهم" (أخلاق العلماء للآجري).
Kaʿb (ra) said:

"Seize knowledge before it is leaves for indeed knowledge leaves with the death of its people. The death of a scholar is the extinguishment of a star, an irreparable breakage, an irreplaceable loss. By my mother and father, scholars are my focus when I meet them and my lost possessions when I am not with them. There is no goodness in people except through them."

Ever since I had heard of the honourable Shaykh and his efforts some years ago, it had been my aspiration to meet him. This aspiration was rekindled at the Cordoba Academy International Hadith Convention Egypt in August 2024, when I met with my beloved students from Australia — Shaykh Abdullah Chaabou and Brother Oumar Dargham. They shared with me their beneficial experience with the Shaykh during their visit to South Korea.

By the grace of Allah ﷻ, the opportunity to travel to South Korea arose in September, as I was invited as the principal guest at an international Islamic conference in Ansan, South Korea. I replied to the organisers, expressing that I would be honoured to accept the invitation, on the condition that they make every effort to arrange a meeting with the late Mufti. They responded affirmatively, assuring me that the Mufti would attend in person and that they would be pleased to introduce us. During the time I was privileged to be in the Shaykh’s company and the phonecalls that I had with him after returning, I found him to be of a convivial disposition, exceptionally humble and possessing a deep rooted sincerity for the well-being of the community.

We pray that Allāh ﷻ grants him the highest stations in Jannat al-Firdaws, accepts his lifelong efforts in the cause of dīn, and bestows patience upon his family, students, and all those who mourn his loss.

As I was not able to find any biographical account of the Shaykh written in English, I will shortly share a brief account which I hope will serve to pay my respects and return some of the favour that the late Shaykh had upon me.

اللَّهمَّ اغْفِرْ لَه ُُ وَارْحَمْهُ، وَعَافِه ِِ وَاعْفُ عَنْهُ، وَأَكْرِمْ نُزُلَهُ، وَوَسِّعْ مُدْخَلَهُ، وَاغْسِلْهُ بِالمَاءِ وَالثَّلْجِ وَالبَرَدِ، وَنَقِّه ِِ مِنَ الخَطَايَا كَمَا نَقَّيْتَ الثَّوْبَ الأَبْيَضَ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ، وَأَبْدِلْهُ دَاراً خَيْرا ً مِنْ دَارِهِ، وَأَهْلاً خَيْرا ً مِنْ أَهْلِهِ، وَزَوْجَاً خَيْرا ً مِنْ زَوْجِهِ، وَأَدْخِلْهُ الجَنَّةَ، وَأَعِذْهُ مِنْ عَذَابِ القَبْرِ وَعَذَابِ النَّار.
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(Written by Shaykh Mohammed Daniel)
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Flyer for the program in South Korea in English

Flyer for the program in Bangla for the large working population there

The Grand Mufti aged 83 attended the function and spoke for approximately 45 minutes despite his ill health.