The Green Islamic Foundation

بسم الله الرمان الرحيم

قال الناظم رحيمه الله (يقول عبدالواحد بن العاشر … الى قوله: و المقتدي): بدا رحمه الله بتسمية نفسه, لان معرفة مؤلف الكتاب من مهمات الامور, لما علم ان العمل و الفتوى من الكتب التي جهل مؤلفوها و لم يعلم صحة ما فيها لا يجوز.

The author, may Allah have mercy upon him said, ” ‘Abd al Waahid ibn al ‘Aashir says” … to his statement ” followers”. He began, may Allah have mercy upon him, with his name because knowledge of the author of the book is from the important matters, since it is not permissible to act or give a fatwa from a book whose author is unknown and whose content is not confirmed.

~ Sidi Mayyara from Mukhtasar ad-Durr ath-Thamin otherwise known as Mayyara as-Sughra

‘Abd al Wahid bin Ahmad bin Ali bin ‘Ashir

He is Al Ansari in lineage, born in Al Andalus. Imam Ibn Ashir raised in Fes during the turn of the 11th hijri century/ 16th/17th common era century when Fes was under the rule of the Saadi sultanate. He was an erudite, experienced and devout worshipper. His knowledge encompassed several disciplines of Islamic scholarship including the various recitations of the Qur’an, tajweed of the Qur’an, grammar, Quranic exegesis (tafsir), morphology, writing and dictation of the Qur’an, theology, theological apologetics, foundations of jurisprudence (usul al fiqh), jurisprudence (fiqh), hadith, the science of time, mathematics, inheritance law, logic, rhetoric, eloquence (bayan), poetic meters, medicine and more. He also was known to have performed the hajj, fought in war, performed i’tikaf and night prayers as Allah willed. He learned from numerous teachers and wrote several beneficial works.

Of his most luminous works was his versified manual of the fiqh of worship entitled “Al Murshid al Mu’in ‘ala ad Daruri min ‘Ulum ad Din” – “The Helpful Guide on the Necessities from Sciences of the Din”. It is essential to the study of the Islamic sciences and one of the introductory texts in the curriculum for students of the Maliki school (madhhab). This blessed manual was written on a poetic meter so that it could be easily memorized, therefore making it easy to learn and retain from a young age. The content of the text includes lessons in the following sciences:
• The science of Imaan (Faith) or Aqidah which encompasses the theology of Islam.
• The science of Usul Al Fiqh (The foundations of jurisprudence) which encompasses the understanding of the legal rulings of the Shariah, types of judgements, and categories of obligations and recommendations.
• The science of Fiqh (Jurisprudence), which encompasses the understanding of the five pillars of Islam, their prerequisites, conditions, rulings and types.
• The science of Ihsan or Tasawwuf (Excellence) which encompasses a deep understanding repentance, purification of the heart, understanding of the vices and virtues of character, manners and the etiquette and conditions of a student and a teacher.

As expressed in the “Murshid”, Ibn Ashir, may Allah have mercy upon him, was a student and teacher of the Ash’ari creed, one of the three creedal schools of thought (madhahib) of Islamic theology. Additionally, his school of thought (madhhab) in fiqh was the school of Imam Malik and his adherence in the science of tasawwuf was the way of Imam Junayd al Baghdadi. He died on a Wednesday night on the third of Dhul Hijjah in the year 1040 AH / July 3, 1631 CE in the city of Fes. May Allah have mercy on his soul and continue to benefit him through our learning of the essentials of our religion through his work.