1 - Islam: A Tradition of Mercy

&
 2 - Islam: A Tradition of Mercy

ISLAM
A TRADITION OF MERCY


ALLIE KHALFE

ISBN: 978-0-6398165-0-0
 3 - Islam: A Tradition of Mercy

CONTENTS
Forward ...............5
Introduction ...............7
The Author ...............8

Chapter 1: Divine Mercy

The Cure ...............10

Rābi’ah and the burglar ...............11
In the Name of Allah, kindness and tolerance …............12
Mercy and Dominance ...............13
Nabī Nūh and the Ark ...............14
Three Names ...............15
Bishr and the Paper ...............17
‘Umar, Caesar and the Cap ...............18
‘Īsā and the First Lesson ...............19
Scriptures from Heaven ...............20
Three-thousand Names ...............21
The Etiquette of Beginning and Ending ...............22
Mūsā, Khidr and the Wall ...............23

Chapter 2: The Opening: Al-Fātiha

The Law, the Path and the Reality ...............25

Seven Verses, Seven Postures ...............26
Eight gates of Paradise ...............30
Five Attributes of the Lord, ...............38
five attributes of the servant
Five pillars in sūrah al-Fātiha ...............39
Plurality - Generosity ................41
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Chapter 3: Remembrance

The Majestic name Allah ……...................................44

Bishr and the Watermellon .........................................45
Reliance - Tawakkul .........................................46
Abū Bakr and the Ring .........................................48
Five Blessings .........................................49
Paradise at her feet .........................................50
Hope and Fear .........................................51
Safety in Silence .........................................52
The Marketplace .........................................53
Prophetic Qualities .........................................54
The perfumed name – Muhammad………….....................55

Chapter 4: Subtleties of Worship

Three Postures .........................................57

Four Postures .........................................58
Tabīratul Ihrām .........................................59
Prostration (Sujūd) .........................................60
Seven limbs – Seven attributes........................................61
Secrets of Charity .........................................62
Secrets of Ramadān .........................................63
Secrets of Hajj .........................................64
 5 - Islam: A Tradition of Mercy

FOREWORD
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

Fakhr al-Dīn Muhammad ibn `Umar al-Razī is without a doubt one

of the most influential Muslim scholars of all time. He played a huge
role in restructuring the relationship between philosophy and
religious sciences, notably, Kalam (theology). His monumental
Qur’an commentary Mafatih al-Ghayb (Keys to the Unknown) is
packed with spiritual and philosophical insights. One could argue
that it was an early demonstration of the synthesis of Kalam,
Philosophy and Sufism that became prevalent in the Islamic world,
especially during the Ottoman period. Scholars for centuries
considered his commentary a reservoir of deep meanings of al-
Qur’an, especially the elaborative volume, which covers his
commentary of the most important and most commonly read
chapter of the Qur’an, Surat al-Fatīha. This volume, for its
magnificence and brilliance, was often transcribed and later-on
printed independently of the remaining thirty one volumes. One
could also argue that it inspired a tradition of al-Fatīha
commentaries in both the Islamic East and West.

In these selected narratives and excerpts from Mafātih al-Ghayb –

extracted, translated and illustrated by Shaykh Allie Khalfe – the
reader can begin to appreciate the depth and transformative power
of what is perhaps the most encompassing exegesis of al-Qur’an ever
written. Shaykh Khalfe has an incredible skill of rendering complex
texts and topics in a much simpler, easy-to-digest forms.
 6 - Islam: A Tradition of Mercy

He has provided the English-speaking world, especially Muslim

youth, an immeasurable service with this transformative work. Islam:
A Tradition of Mercy not only lays out, in an accessible language, the
pearls of a renowned Qur’an commentary, it also demonstrates these
gems in graphical representations, allowing the mind to move
beyond gazing at their beauty to actually owning them!

I would highly recommend this volume to anyone interested in

learning about the core of Islam, because it traces the thread of
mercy as it is weaved within Surat al-Fatīha and its exegesis; and to
anyone looking to know more about Imam al-Razī’s epic
commentary. Perhaps this work could be a stepping stone to a much
wider works serving al-Razī’s Mafatih al-Ghayb.

I, personally, thank Shaykh Khalfe, for his extremely insightful

work. Clearly, he has put great time and effort in compiling and
carefully illuminating these finely selected passages. May Allah
reward him abundantly in this world and the next for providing this
inspiration and may He make it a source of benefit for all.

Shaykh Ahmed Hussein El Azhary

Cairo, 9 Ramadan 1440 | 14 May 2019
 7 - Islam: A Tradition of Mercy

INTRODUCTION
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

The work before you contains anecdotes from a few classical texts,
particularly the Quranic commentary, Mafātih al-Ghayb, penned by
the gnostic and pole of the saints, Imām Fakhrudīn al-Rāzī, may
Allah’s mercy be upon him.

The reason for selecting this text in particular is because of the

amount of beneficial lessons it contains, which, in my opinion has
for far too long been limited to those well-versed in the Arabic
language. While some have attempted to translate certain sections
of this work, which comprises some 37 volumes into various
languages, including English, I have not come across any graphical
representation of the anecdotes found in it to date.

While this work, Islam: A Tradition of Mercy, focusses primarily on

the on the opening chapter of the Quran (Sūrah Al-Fātihā), it is not
limited to it but rather expands and sheds light on some of the
infinite spiritual treasures it contains. Some of these include mercy
(al-rahma), forgiveness (maghfirah), hope (rajā’), fear (khawf), and
consciousness (taqwā).

I pray that this work is accepted by Almighty Allah and that it

serves beneficial to the reader.

Allie Khalfe
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THE AUTHOR
Allie Khalfe spent a decade learning various
traditional texts from Shaykh Seraj and Shaykh
Ahmad Hendricks who are the current Shaykhs
of the Azzawia Institute in Walmer Estate, Cape
Town. They in turn graduated from the Umm ul-
Qura University in Mecca specializing in Usūl al-
Fiqh and spent about ten years at the feet of the
ocean of knowledge, Al-Sayyid Muhammad bin
‘Alawī al-Mālikī, may Allah be pleased with him.

Allie received from them license [ijāza] to transmit various branches of

knowledge including Islamic Jurisprudence [Al-Fiqh], Theology [Al-
Tawhīd] as well as the Spiritual Sciences [Al-Tasawwuf]. He also spent
two years at the Grand Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, sitting at the feet of
some of the foremost scholars alive today, including Shaykh Sa’īd
Mamdūh, Shaykh ‘Alī Jumu’a, Shaykh Fat’hī ‘Abdurahmān Al-Hijāzī,
Shaykh Hasan Al-Shāfi’ī and Shaykh Hishām Kāmil, may Allah be pleased
with them, all of whom he heard traditional texts to and received from
them ijāza to transmit these texts.

He is currently completing his Masters in Islamic Studies with a focus on

Theology at UNISA and is the founder of The IslamicText Institute, in
Surrey Estate, Cape Town. He is the author of the following works: Sūrah
Al-Fātiha: A Fellowship of Faith, Mind, Body and Soul, The Honor and
Status of the Human Being, The Legacy: A Spiritual Journey to God and
the IslamicText family Trivia game.

He also lectured on Theology at both the International Peace College of

South Africa (IPSA) and the Madina Institute SA, and has been sanctioned
as an ambassador of Dār al-Iftā al-Misriyyah in Egypt.
 9 - Islam: A Tradition of Mercy

Chapter 1

Divine
Mercy
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The Cure 1

The blessed Prophet Mūsā  fell ill and experienced an intense

pain in his stomach. After supplicating to God, he was guided to a
certain herb of the desert. He ate from this herb and his health
was restored by the permission of Allah.

After a while the illness

returned and he went back to
the same herb, took it but


found that his pain only
increased. Mūsā supplicated:
me
‘O Lord! I took the herb the first
time and found relief, but the
second time my ailment
increased!’

God Almighty replied:

‘The first time you went from

Me to the herb and found the
cure. As for the second time, you
went from yourself to the herb
and your ailment increased. Do
me 
you not know that the entire
world is a poison and the
antidote is My Name?’

1 Tafsīr al-Kabīr, Fakhr al-Rāzī, Sūrah al- Fātiḥa, chapter 1, point 1

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Rābi’ah and the Burglar 2

One night, Rābi’ah, the pious

servant of Allah, spent the
entire night in voluntary
prayer and overslept when
the compulsory fajr prayer
entered.

It so happened, that a burglar

entered her home and tried to
steal her clothes.

The problem was that every time

the burglar attempted to escape,
he could not find the door.

What astonished the burglar was

that whenever he put down the
clothes he realised that he could
see the exit. This occurred three
times in succession.

Suddenly a voice called out from

the corner of the house: ‘Put down
the clothes and leave, for while the
beloved sleeps, the Sultan is awake!’

2 Tafsīr al-Kabīr, Fakhr al-Rāzī, Sūrah al- Fātiḥa, chapter 1, point 2

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In the Name of Allah 3

Kindness and Tolerance

'In the Name of Allah' actually means 'I begin in the Name of Allah'

ِ ‫بِـاس ِم‬
‫للا‬ ِ ‫أبـ َـدأُ بِـاس ِم‬
‫للا‬
ْ ْ ْ

The verse starts with a particle bā,

which allows for the verb I begin to
be omitted. This omission makes
the recitation light and easy.

Thus when we say 'In the Name of

Allah', it is as if we are saying 'I
begin in the Name of Allah'.

The wisdom behind the omission of

the verb is to demonstrate that the
servant’s path from the very
beginning is founded upon ease and
lenience.

It is as if the All-Merciful
commenced in this manner as a
sign of His Kindness and
Tolerance.

3 Tafsīr al-Kabīr, Fakhr al-Rāzī, Sūrah al-Fātihā, chapter 1, point 4

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The majestic name Allah

The majestic name, Allah stands for the
Allah, is composed of One whom existence
four blessed letters: is necessary (wājib

‫ُه‬
Alif, lām, lām and hā. al-wujūd).

If the second lām is removed

then it reads Hūwa, meaning,
‘He’.

ّٰ
‫للَاه‬
‫ُله‬ ‫لِل‬
‫ّ ّٰه‬
If the first lām is If the alif is
removed then it removed then it
reads Lahū, reads Lillāhi,
meaning, ‘to meaning, ‘to
Him it returns.’ Allah it belongs.’
 14 - Islam: A Tradition of Mercy
Bishr and the Watermellon
2 They sent one of their own to
the market to buy some
perfume and eatables. On
arrival he saw a herd of people
competing to buy a
watermelon. He was stunned
and wondered why a
watermelon could hold such
value. On enquiring he was
informed that Bishr Al-Hafī
brushed his hand on the
watermelon and that people
were competing for it so as to
receive from his blessings. He
decided to join the competition
and eventually purchased the
watermelon.
4 Foundations of knowledge and wisdom – Imam ‘Abdullah bin Alawi al-Haddad.
4
1 Imam ‘Abdullah bin ‘Alawī
Al-Haddād  records in his
masterpiece, The Foundations
of Knowledge and Wisdom, that
a group of negligent people
once gathered and decided
to decorate and perfume
their gathering like the Sūfī’s
were doing.
3 He mentioned how a brush
of Bishr’s hand raised the
level of the watermelon. They
thought for a while and
agreed that if this was the
rank Allah bestowed upon a
conscious heart in this life
then what wonders await him
in the life to come. They
changed their lives of
negligence, repented and
never looked back.
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Reliance (Tawakkul)

“And whosoever puts his

trust in God,
He shall suffice him.”
(Talāq: 3)

2
“One who trusts God is
distinguished by three
signs: he does not
ask, does not
refuse(when given), and
does not hold on (to what
was given to
him).”

Sahl Al-Tustarī
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3 4

Reliance on Allah (Tawakkal ‘ala-Allah) is a

realisation of the verse in sūrah al-Fātiha:
‘You alone do we worship, You alone we ask for help.’

Someone asked Yahya bin Muādh (al-Rāzi):

“When does someone trust in God?” He answered:
“When he is content to have God as his trustee.”

5
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Paradise is at her Feet

ِ ِ
َ ‫نس َـن بَِول َديْه إِ ْح َسـناً ََحَلَْتهُ أ ُُّمهُ ُكْرهاً َوَو‬
ُ‫ض َعْتهُ ُكْرهاً َو ََحْلُه‬ ِ َّ ‫وو‬
َ ‫صْيـنَا اإل‬ ََ
"We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents; in pain did his
mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth."

(Al-Ahqāf - 46:15)

Be there for her like

she was there for you

"Paradise is under the feet of mothers."

(Hadīth)