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#1 [Permalink] Posted on 26th September 2016 11:49
Life Lessons is a series of short articles written a few years ago by Shaykh Walid Basyouni about what he learned from the company of his Teachers.

Life Lessons – The Answer is Tomorrow | Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Sh. Waleed Basyouni

For many years of my youth, I used to spend the last ten days of Ramadan in Mecca. My favorite sitting spot was on the first floor in the Ottoman construction area between Al-Rukn Al-Yamani and the Hijr, and it was there that I would largely remain during the days and nights I was in the Haram.

One year my regular choice of dwelling was changed when I heard that my teacher, Sh. Ibn Jibreen, was also visiting and was sitting on the third floor. I wanted to pray by him, watch him pray, and hoped that I might find some private moments to ask him questions or listen to answers he gave. Just watching the sheikh was in itself a great opportunity for the student of knowledge. We learned from his manners, the way he carried himself, and how he dealt with others.

One night a group of young men came up to the Shaikh after Isha and before Taraweeh. They asked the Shaikh if praying Taraweeh in congregation would be better for them, or whether they should go out to the markets to give advice and do some street Da'wah. Unfortunately, during the Taraweeh prayer time, it was very common for unsupervised young girls and boys to go out to the markets to hit on each other, and there were many other improper practices that would prevail during this time. They explained the situation to the Shaikh and the told him that they were not from Mecca and that they had traveled only so they could pray and fast at the Haram. The Shaikh said that he would answer them the next day and to meet him in the same place and at the same time. That was one of longest 24 hours in my life; I could not wait to see what the Shaikh's answer would be. I started thinking about all the answers he might give and the different ways the Shaikh might say them, but what happened that night was very different than anything I had thought of.

I came early to ensure a spot close to the Shaikh. After Isha, the brothers came and the Shaikh said, “Bismillah, let's go!”

“Whereto, Shaikhana?” they said.
With his well-known big smile, the Shaikh replied, “To the market together.” That was his answer! Giving Da'wah and advising people could be more beloved to Allah than congregational Qiyam and Taraweeh in Mecca if it was done for the sake of Allah.

Of course I followed them to the market. It was Sooq Al-Layl (the night Sooq), and the brothers were very happy to have the Shaikh with them. At the entrance of the marketplace, the Shaikh noticed a store selling music (cassette tapes), and the Shaikh asked the man in the store to come out. The Shaikh reminded him in a private manner about the prohibition of music and what these songs were calling for. I snuck as close to the Shaikh as I could to watch him and see what he was saying to the man. Among what he said was that Ibn Abbas did not live in Mecca because he was afraid that his sins would be multiplied as the rewards multiply in Mecca due to its holiness and sanctity. “Your store is only 50 meters away from the Haram. Are you ready to meet Allah with such record?” he asked in a kind and concerned tone. After 10 minutes I heard the man shout out to all the people around the area in a voice mixed with tears, “As Allah is my witness, and His Angels, and all of you, I promise that before Fajr I'll get rid of all these tapes. From now on, I will change my business to a Halal one that sells Qur'an and Islamic lectures and nasheeds.”

The story was in the news the next day. It was a great night and one in which I learned great life lessons that I try to practice until today.

1- Actions speak louder than words. If we want our words to have a real impact, we have to be the first to practice with the people.
2- The real scholars and leaders are the ones who mix with the youth, live amongst them, and are seen with the public, not those who give orders and advice from distance.
3- Naseehah to those you know and you don't know can have a powerful impact when given with mercy and wisdom.
4- Sometimes we talk about the big things that we cannot change and we do not work on the things that we can change.
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#2 [Permalink] Posted on 26th September 2016 11:51
Life Lessons – A Mother’s Letter | Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Sh. Waleed Basyouni

I traveled to Riyadh to meet Shaykh Ibn Baz, carrying with me a copy of an invitation to a concert in our city Dammam in Saudi Arabia. To tell you the truth, I was not sure if my visit would make any difference; these types of concerts were supported by some powerful people in that region. I had only met Shaykh Ibn Baz a few times up until that point and I didn't even think he knew me as I was only a freshman in college. So here I was, an unknown freshman, entering the office of the Mufti of Saudi Arabia.

His office was large; it could host up to seventy people in my estimation, but it was simple. In the middle of the room was a large desk that was filled with files–letters that were coming from all over the world. There was a phone next to him that did not stop ringing as questioners, ranging from judges and students of knowledge down to the average Muslim, called the shaykh's line to ask him for fatwas. I realized the uniqueness of my position, being in the presence of Shaykh Ibn Baz, was not so unique at all.

It was he raḥimahullāh (may Allāh have mercy upon him) who gave his audience to everyone who requested it. Past the desk there was a comfortable arm chair that he would sit on and there were two chairs across from it and one chair on each of its sides. On each side an assistant would sit, one to read his letters and one to write his answers as the Shaykh was blind, and those requesting a meeting with the shaykh would sit in either of the seats across from him. The Shaykh was never seen sitting behind his desk; he never wanted to have a barrier between himself and the people.

He start asking me about the da'wah in our city, my studies, and the Shuyukh that he knew in our region. He then asked, “What can I help you with, son?” I told him about the upcoming concert, and he said “La Hawla wala Quwata illa billah. I will see what I can do.”

I thought my job was over and so I said, “Jazak Allah khaira” and was going to leave, but he asked me to wait. He called Prince Naif raḥimahullāh (may Allāh have mercy upon him), the Interior minister at that time, and said among other things: “I have one of the mashayikh here. He came to me complaining about a concert that will happen in Dammam and I've talked to the governor of the Eastern Province many times before about similar issues and he did not listen to my advice so I want you to take care of it and talk to him. I will wait for your call.” The shaykh made du'a for him and ended the call. I was quite scared when I realized he was talking to the interior minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; I was too young and insignificant to deal with or witness that level of communication!

The shaykh again asked me to wait and he said: “May Allah let us hear a good response today. May Allah guide him to stop this haram.” While I sat and waited I witnessed something that I have never seen in my life from any Shaykh other than Shaykh Ibn Baz.

His secretary read a letter from a woman from Mauritania requesting Shaykh Ibn Baz to continue his financial support to her son who was studying in college. She said that if his financial support stops, then her son might need to quit studying and start working to provide for the family. She wrote, “The only one I could think of after Allah is you, Ibn Baz, to help.” Her son had only 2 years left to finish his studies. The shaykh asked his secretary to give her the financial support for the next two years. His secretary responded saying, “The donation fund is empty.” Ibn Baz then ordered him to give from the zakah fund, but the answer was the same! Shaykh Ibn Baz said, “Give her from my personal account” only to find the response was the same: “You have no money left for this month, O Shaykh. You have given it all in similar cases.” I later learned that the Shaykh had a dedicated portion of his monthly salary that went to cases of charity, and by the middle of the month, that portion was completely depleted. Then the Shaykh said, “Take a loan in my name, send the money to the woman and I hope I would be able to pay that loan back soon.” The mufti of Saudi Arabia, a man with a million possible excuses to offer, taking a loan for a woman in Mauritania that he would never benefit from at all in this world – I simply could not believe what I was seeing!

In less than one hour the Shaykh received a phone call from the prince to let him know that he canceled the concert and he made sure that such practices would not happen in the future. The Shaykh was so happy that I could see it on his face and kept saying alhamdulillah so many times. Then he thanked me as if I was the one who canceled it and he encouraged me to always stand up for the truth and to take action upon seeing wrong. He asked me to join him for lunch that day and I learned even more great lessons from him that I hope to share soon.

The respect I received that day in my youth and the confidence that was instilled in me by him made me who I am today. His caring for the weak, the poor, and those who were close and far from him made his excellency, Samahat Alshaykh Ibn Baz, the man he was raḥimahullāh (may Allāh have mercy upon him).

This is a weekly series of stories about my teachers and what I have learned from them through my years of studying with them.
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#3 [Permalink] Posted on 26th September 2016 11:53
Life Lessons – ‘Ilm is Far More than Just Words | Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Sh. Waleed Basyouni

We were walking back to my teacher's Riyadh home from the masjid after the Isha prayer when all of the sudden an old car stopped near us. A Pakistani worker got out to greet my teacher, Sh. Hamad Al-Shaetwy. The Shaykh was surprised to see him.

“Where you have been?” exclaimed the Shaykh, “I've been looking for you. SubhanAllah, la illaha illa Allah!!!!” The shaykh kept repeating it. The man told the Shaykh his story, explaining why he had been gone for more than 2 years. He then politely said, “Sh. Hamad, I'm sorry I didn't finish the work on your house. I know I left it in the middle, but it was not my choice. I'm sure you heard.”

The Shaykh said, “Don't worry, I need to pay you for the work you did do for me. I've been looking for you all this time, and I couldn't get hold of you.”

The man said, “Shaykh, don't worry. It's not much, and I never finished the work anyway,” but the Shaykh said, “Come tomorrow to get your money, and I have something I want to show you.”

Later on, the Shaykh told me, “I've been looking for this man everywhere to give him 1500 SR that I owe him. I had given up on ever finding him.”

I said to myself, “Why doesn't he just give him his money right now? Why does he want him to come back tomorrow? It's not much money for my shaykh to give!”

The next day I found out the reason. Sh. Hamad had asked one of his friends in Pakistan to build a masjid on behalf of this worker since he hadn't been able to find him to pay him, and the masjid's opening ceremony was that very day. His contact had promised to send a picture of the completed masjid the next day, and that was why he asked the man to come back then. Sh. Hamad showed the man the masjid's pictures, and after giving him the money, he asked him to look after the masjid that was built in that man's region in Pakistan.

The man said with tears in his eyes, “Shaykh, my family and I have often discussed our dreams of building a masjid just like it. One day, we will have money, and we will build masjid just like this one!”

Afterwards, I asked the Shaykh how much the masjid had cost. After some insistence on my part, he said that it cost more than 30,000 SR.

At that moment I realized that 'Ilm is far more than just information we memorize and words we say.
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#4 [Permalink] Posted on 26th September 2016 11:55
Life Lessons – I Had a Dream! | Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Sh. Waleed Basyouni

I used to look for him in Mecca every Ramadan to pray taraweeh beside him. Praying next to him would give my prayer a completely different taste, making it an unforgettable experience. I could hear the shaykh's soft voice in sujood, “O Allah grant me Your Forgiveness and Mercy.” Many times, I'd spot the stain of his tears on the carpet when he raised his head from sujood.

I used to occasionally ask him about my dreams and my friend's dreams, but most of the time, I'd just watch his 'ibadah and listen to his interpretations of other people's dreams.

A young man once told the shaykh that he had seen himself in a dream standing inside a train that was traveling at great speed across a bridge cast between two great mountains. Oddly, the train was moving forward while he remained in place! The young man said, “I ended up on the bridge after the last car passed by me, and then I saw the train fall off the bridge. I quickly ran to see what had happened to the train. The train hit the deep end of the valley only to turn around and quickly come back at me in the shape of a fly that finally entered my mouth! I woke up terrified.”

The shaykh quietly told the young man that he should repent to Allah. The boy was crying and kept asking, “What does it mean, Sh. Yousuf?” but the shaykh just kept asking him in return, “Have you repented to Allah?”

The young man declared, “Yes, Shaykh, I have, I have! But what does it mean?”

The shaykh said, “First you must promise me that you will commit to your Tawbah (repentance)!”

With a voice filled with regret, the young man replied, “I promise you, Shaykh.”

The shaykh then said to him, “If your dream is true, you have HIV/AIDS or a similar disease. You must go check that, my son.”

The young man said, “Yes, I know, Shaykh. I do have it! I contracted the virus while in Bangkok, but as Allah is my witness, I've repented from zina, and I will never go back to it again.” The shaykh kept talking to him and encouraging him to move on in his life, and the young man left with a message of hope and words of comfort.

I once asked Shaykh Yousuf Al-Mutlaq about my friend Mubarak who constantly dreamed of falling flat on his face while he was walking. The shaykh said, “If his dream is true, your friend has many penalties due for oaths that he made and never fulfilled. Tell him not to make promises using Allah's Name that he cannot keep and to hasten in paying what is due.” I asked my friend and he surprisingly said. “I have more than a hundred penalties that I need to pay off!” Pulling out a small, worn-out notebook, he continued, “I have them all recorded in this special notebook with the date of each! How did he know?”

A man once said to the shaykh, “I had a dream. I saw the full moon fall from the sky and break into three pieces. One of the pieces ended up in my lap.”

The shaykh asked, “You have three people living with you in your home, correct?”

The man replied, “Yes.”

Then, the shaykh said, “Khayr, in sha' Allah, do not worry about it, and be good to them and encourage them to do good.” The man kept insisting to know what his dream meant, and the shaykh kept avoiding him. Finally, he said in a downcast voice, “If your dream is true, then one of them will die.” I was later told by the shaykh's son that this man's younger brother experienced a severe seizure and was found dead underneath his bed a few days after that dream.

I can go on and on sharing hundreds of stories about the shaykh's skills in interpreting dreams. Sometimes I could see where he got the interpretation from, but most of the time I would have no clue! To watch him interpret dreams would remind me of Yousuf 'alayhi'l-salām (peace be upon him) and how he would use his talent to give da'wah. His goal was never simply to interpret the dream but to use that moment to bring the person closer to Allah. I learned from him to focus on reality and not on the dream itself and to use the opportunity to encourage people to make positive changes in their lives.

The interpretations of dreams is not a science, it is a gift. Even when I asked him about his interpretations, he would say, “That's what I felt it meant.” I have no doubt in my heart that his soft heart and spirituality played a great role in his ability to interpret dreams.

As Allah says,
“So have Taqwa of Allah; and Allah teaches you. And Allah is the All-Knower of everything.” [2:282]

“O you who believe! If you obey and fear Allah, He will grant you Furqan (a criterion to judge between right and wrong), and will expiate for you your sins, and forgive you; and Allah is the Owner of the great bounty.” [8:29]

My Allah have Mercy upon Shaykh Yousuf Al-Mutlaq and all my teachers and help me to benefit others with their knowledge as I benefited from them.

Don't forget to share the Khayr!
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#5 [Permalink] Posted on 26th September 2016 11:57
Life Lessons – Back to the Basics | Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Sh. Waleed Basyouni

As a young adult, one of the blessings that Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He) bestowed upon me was being able to grow up in the city of Riyadh at a time when it held some of the greatest scholars in the world. Being able to be in the company of Shaykh Bin Baaz raḥimahullāh (may Allāh have mercy upon him) was an experience that provided me with beautiful memories that I continue to draw lessons from to this day.


For instance, it was the habit of the Shaykh raḥimahullāh (may Allāh have mercy upon him) that he would NEVER allow for any time to pass without trying to benefit from it, even if it was over a meal. It was quite common for him to address his students by saying, “Who will give us faa'idah (benefit)?” Everyone in the circle would all then have to mention a point of benefit or advice, no matter how small the circle. This is a beautiful habit that I tray to practice until today with my peers and students. I learned it from Shaykh Bin Baaz raḥimahullāh (may Allāh have mercy upon him).

Of course while one person is speaking, others are searching their minds trying to come up with something that will stand out for their turn – a unique piece of information, a beautiful quotation of a scholar, an elaborate gem or stunning reflection. There was one gathering where what a person said stayed in my mind and taught me an astounding life lesson.

Shaykh Muhammad Al-Farrag's turn came up, and he simply looked at the ground and began to recite the Qur'an. He recited verse after verse of Surat Ale-Imran to the silence of the circle. When he was finished, I looked at Shaykh Bin Baaz and found his eyes were flooded with tears. “Jazak Allahu Khairan”, he said. No one that night said anything better than what Shaykh Al-Farrag recited.

Lesson: Make your greatest tool in reminding yourself and others the Qur'an. There is nothing that is more effective to the hearts of mankind than the words of the Lord who created them. Remember that the difference between the words of man and the words of Allah is like the difference between man and Allah Himself.

muslimmatters.org/author/waleed/
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#6 [Permalink] Posted on 6th February 2018 00:45
LIFE LESSONS – ZUCCHINI | SHAYKH WALEED BASYOUNI


I still remember those blue eyes, clearly visible behind thick, plastic glasses. I still remember the big, smiling face, the face of Professor Nuruddeen Julapular, who was one of my earliest teachers during the college years. Under the shaykh, I studied the science of hadeeth. Sh. Nurualdeen was Turkish, and I found it very interesting that he was a hadeeth scholar while being from Turkey, a land better known for producing scholars of Fiqh.

Curious about his choice to pursue the study of Hadeeth, and not one to shy away from asking the questions on my mind, I once asked him, “Teacher, what made you interested in this particular field of knowledge while most scholars from your region specialize in Hanafi Fiqh?” He first responded with a single unexpected word. “Zucchini.” Surprised, I eagerly awaited the rest of the story, which I was sure must follow. He continued, “When I was younger, there was an Imam in our village who gave an entire khutbah (Friday sermon) on how the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) used to love zucchini. The khutbah went on and on, enumerating all the possible virtues of zucchini! “In our culture,” he went on, “it was customary for families to take turns cooking for the Imam, and an Imam would almost never have to cook. Upon hearing the khutbah, people started making zucchini for him EVERY day. After all, it was a most virtuous food! I still remember carrying zucchini to his house when I was very young.” The Shaykh smiled in recollection. “Several weeks later, after he undoubtedly got tired of zucchini, the Imam started mentioning other types of foods and their claimed religious merits! At this point my father became angry and was skeptical of the Imam. Were all of these ahadeeth about food valid, or were they fabrications made to satisfy the cravings of our Imam? Knowledge of hadeeth was so sparse in my country there was no easy way to even find out!

“It was then that my father decided to send me to Al-Azhar University in Egypt to study Hadeeth. I was a young teenager when I arrived to an Egypt ruled by King Fou’ad I (1930s). I was on a mission. I quickly mastered the Arabic language and memorized the Quran. It was not too long before I received my PhD in the Science of Hadeeth. From that day on, I dedicated my life to teaching, defending, and spreading the authentic narrations concerning our beloved Messenger ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) and vehemently cautioning against the use of weak narrations.”

I witnessed that defense in action. Time and time again, during a class or during my private studies with him, the shaykh would mention any severely weak or fabricated hadeeth that he had seen posted on a street sign, in a newspaper, or on a flyer. He would ask us to go with him to speak to the one/s who had posted it. On his visits to the “offenders,” the shaykh would bring with him two hand-written papers, one containing explanations as to why the hadeeth is unacceptable and the other suggesting authentic ahadeeth that could be used to substitute for the weak one.

I learned a great many things from my Shaykh Nuruddeen:

I learned from him the love and respect for the Hadeeth of the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him)
He instilled in my heart the importance of depending on authentic narrations versus seeking support in weak ones. The scholars of our past used to say, “The authentic narrations suffice leaving no need for weak ones.”
He taught me the importance of providing people with alternatives when we try to correct them, and that offering alternatives makes our advice more acceptable.
Finally, I learned that you never know how your journey of knowledge may start!

I later asked the shaykh about the zucchini narrations. “Did you ever find them?” I questioned. He had found a few of them, but they were all clearly fabricated. I was mildly disappointed. Zucchini has always been one of my favorite foods!
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#7 [Permalink] Posted on 14th January 2023 19:27
UNCATEGORIZEDLife Lessons – VHS | Shaykh Waleed Basyouni


Having breakfast with Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen is not something that can easily be forgotten. I knew it was a special honor that I was among those who attended such a gathering. A breakfast was arranged between the Shaykh and the students of Gulf high schools who had made the trip out west to perform Umrah that spring.

After we finished eating, the Shaykh started his talk. It was general advice to the students of knowledge. We were shocked by the amount of knowledge he had, and personally, what I loved most about him was how his thoughts were so organized and clear.

In the question and answer session that followed, he was asked about some rulings on taking pictures and the difference between those images made by humans and those that were only a reflection on a lens. He explained that the forbidden ones in Shari’ah were the ones made by humans. He was then asked about video recordings, and he said they were not allowed.

I then said, “But Shaykh, is it not the same as capturing a reflection? No human is involved in creating the actual image.”

He said, “Yes, but the tape has images saved on it which are reflected onto the screen using light.”

I objected, “If I bring you a VHS tape now, you will not find any images.”

The shaykh then humbly said, “If this is true, I will change my position,” and indeed, he later did change his opinion on videotaping.

Later, we went to the Haram for the Dhuhr prayer, and I was walking with him the whole time, asking questions and listening to his answers. When we entered the Haram, the prayer started, and the Shaykh went to the open area, getting as close to the Ka’bah as he could. I was right behind him. We lined up, and he had his besht robe underneath him. Standing beside him, my feet were on fire! The ground was so hot! At that time the masjid did not have its new marble flooring that stayed cool all year long. The Shaykh noticed me moving my feet, so he stretched his besht out, and he grabbed my foot and placed it on the top of his besht after noticing that I was hesitant to do so.

I saw how humility manifested itself in knowledge and in action that day. I may not remember most of the words of advice the Shaykh gave us that morning now, but I learned that what will really remain after us for our communities, our spouses, our children, and those whom we get to know is not our words, but our actions and attitude.
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