Al-Albani

Al-Albani (Arabic: نَاصِر ٱلدِّيْن نُوْحٌ ٱلْأَلْبَانِي, romanized: Nāṣir ad-Dīn Nūh al-Albānī; c. 1914 – October 2, 1999) was an Albanian Islamic scholar, reformer and revivalist. Among the most prominent figures of Salafism, Al-Albani is widely regarded as one of the most significant Islamic scholars of the 20th century, and is frequently ranked as one of the greatest hadith scholars of all time.

Shaykh al-Islam
Imam al-Hadith

Al-Albani
ٱلْأَلْبَانِي
Al-Albani's portrait c. 1999
Personal
Bornc. 1914
Shkoder, Albania
DiedOctober 2, 1999 (aged 85)
Amman, Jordan
ReligionIslam
NationalityAlbanian
Parents
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceIjtihad
CreedAthari
Main interest(s)Hadith
Fiqh
Aqidah
OccupationMuhaddith
Watchmaker
Muslim leader
Influenced by
Influenced
AwardsKing Faisal International Prize (in 1999)
WebsiteMemorial website

Born in Shkoder, Al-Albani and his family moved to Damascus during the secularist government of Zog I. Al-Albani studied from traditional Islamic schools (madāris), and his father Nuh Najati created a religious curriculum for his son focusing on Islamic education. At an early age, Al-Albani memorized the Quran, and worked as a carpenter, before joining his father as a watchmaker. He was initially an adherent of the Hanafi school of thought (maḏhab), though later on, became a devout preacher of Salafism. In Damascus, he primarily studied and worked at the Zahiriyya Library, and was later, started to lecture widely in the Middle East.

Al-Albani had been interested in Hadith studies from his childhood, and became active as a writer, publishing chiefly on hadith sciences. Al-Albani's efforts on hadith studies had gained him immense popularity. Noting an increase of Al-Albani's popularity, the Ba'athist Syrian government imprisoned the scholar, and accused him of promoting Wahhabism. Afterward, Al-Albani began preaching hadith at the Islamic University of Medina in Saudi Arabia. Due his opposition to the Hanbali school of thought, Al-Albani was subsequently exiled from the country in 1963. His return to Damascus was unwelcomed as he was arrested once again. He then gave his watch shop to his brother and shifted to Amman, where he died.

Al-Albani is regarded by historians as pivotal in leading Salafism in the 20th century. His opposition towards the four traditional school of thoughts earned him vehement criticism by Sunni Muslims.

Origins and early life

Al-Albani was born in Shkoder in c. 1914.[1] His father Nuh Najati was amongst the leading Sunni Islamic scholars of Albania, and a staunch supporter of the Hanafi school of thought.[1] Fearing the rise of secularism during Zog I's reign, Najati detached Al-Albani from his school in Albania.[1] At the age of nine, Al-Albani's family migrated to Damascus in Syria. He reportedly didn't attend primary schools in view of the fact that Najati was displeased with the religious curriculum of Syrian schools. Al-Albani studied at his home under his father, who created a curriculum for him focusing on religious education.[2]

Al-Albani studied jurisprudence, rhetoric and other subjects with other scholars of Damascus.[3] He memorized Quran, and studied numerous books such as 'Mukhtasar Al Quduri'. Hanafi Fiqh and further branches of the Islamic faith, also helped by native Syrian scholars.[4]: 63  He initially worked as a carpenter, though later joined his father in the profession of watchmaking.

Studying of Hadith
Al-Albani studying in the Al-Zahiriyah Library in Damascus

Despite his father's systematic guidance to him imitating Hanafi School of Thought and his strong warning against studying the science of Hadith, he became interested in the science of Hadith, therefore he learned the hadith at about twenty years of age, influenced by Al Manar Magazine founded by Muhammad Rashid Rida. Though he was largely self-taught,[4]: 63 [5]: 119 [6] he transcribed and commented on Abd al-Rahim ibn al-Husain al-'Iraqi's Al-Mughnee 'an-hamlil-Asfar fil-Asfar fee takhrej maa fil-lhyaa min al-Akhbar. He followed this writing a series of lectures and books, as well as publishing articles in Al-Manar magazine.[7] That work was the beginning of Albani's scholarly career, and for this book he became known in the scholarly circles of Damascus, and library allocated him a special room to carry out his research, and gave him a duplicate key of the library. After a while, he began teaching two lessons per week about doctrine, Fiqh and Hadith Science; his lessons were attended by students and university professors; and he also began organizing advocacy trips to various cities of Syria and Jordan. Then, he obtained a leave from Muhammad Rabegh Al Tabakh, to profess Hadith in Islamic University of Madinah from 1381 until 1383 AH, and then he returned to Damascus to complete his studies; and his work in the library, where he left his place for one of his brothers. He also lectured widely in the Middle East, Spain and the United Kingdom on the Salafist movement.

His teachers

The most important teacher of Albani was his father. Moreover, he studied under Muhammad Saeed Al Burhani; where he studied a book named 'Maraqi Al Falah' on Hanafi Jurisprudence, and 'Shadoor Al Dhahab', a book on Arabic grammar, and some other contemporary books on rhetoric. He also used to attend the lessons of Muhammad Bahja Al Bitar, scholar of levant

Later life and death
Al-Albani's grave in Amman, Jordan

Starting in 1954, Albani began delivering informal weekly lessons. By 1960, his popularity began to worry the government, and he was placed under surveillance. He was imprisoned twice in 1969.[8] He was placed under house arrest more than once in the 1970s by the Ba'ath regime of Hafez al-Assad, which accused him of promoting Wahhabism, among other things.[8][9] The Syrian government accused Albani of "promoting the Wahhabi da'wa, which distorted Islam and confused Muslims."[9]

At the invitation of Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Shaykh, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Al-Albani began preaching hadith at the Islamic University of Madina.[2][10] He initially maintained cordial relations with the Wahhabi government and its scholars.[2] Al-Albani openly declared intellectual challenges to the ruling Wahhabis, who did not like his anti-traditionalist stances in Muslim jurisprudence. When Albani wrote a book supporting his view that the Niqab, or full face-veil, was not a binding obligation upon Muslim women, he caused a minor uproar in the country. His opponents ensured that his contract with the university was allowed to lapse without renewal.[4]: 66 

After preaching for three years, Al-Albani was subsequently forced to leave Saudi Arabia by the enraged Wahhabis.[11] He returned to his studies and work in the Az-Zahiriyah library in Syria. He left his watch shop in the hands of one of his brothers.

Albani visited various countries for preaching and lectures – amongst them Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, and the United Kingdom. He moved a number of times between Syria and a couple of cities in Jordan. He also lived in the UAE. After Bin Baz's intervention with Saudi educational management, Albani was invited to Saudi Arabia a second time in order to serve as the head of higher education in Islamic law in Mecca.[4]: 67  This did not last due to controversy among the Saudi establishment regarding Albani's views.

Albani returned to Syria, where he was briefly jailed again in 1979. He moved to Jordan, living there for the remainder of his time. He died in 1999 at the age of 85.[7]

Views

Albani was a proponent of Salafism, and is considered one of the movement's primary figureheads in the 20th century.[12][13][14][15] Albani criticized the four mainstream schools of Islamic law and rejected the traditional Sunni view that Muslims should automatically turn to a Madhhab for fiqh (jurisprudence).[16][17] Al-Albani did not advocate violence, preferring quietism and obedience to established governments.[18][19] Instead, he spent much of his life critically re-evaluating hadith literature and felt that numerous previously accepted hadiths were unsound.[17] This led him to produce rulings that were at odds with the Islamic majority.[17]

Albani was amongst some leading Salafi scholars who were preaching for decades against what they considered the warped literalism of extremists. Politically they were quietists who rejected vigilantism and rebellion against the state. They believed that Muslims should focus on purifying their beliefs and practice and that, in time, "God would bring victory over the forces of falsehood and unbelief."[20]

Albani's own views on jurisprudence and dogma have been a matter of debate and discussion. During a 1989 visit to Saudi Arabia, Albani was asked if he adhered to the lesser-known Zahiri school of Islamic law; he responded affirmatively.[21] Albani's opponents among the mainstream have affirmed this as a point of criticism. A number of Albani's students have denied his association with any formal school of jurisprudence.

Albani openly criticized Syed Qutb after the leader was executed. He claimed that Qutb had deviated in creed and held the belief of Oneness of Being. Further, Albani accused Hassan al-Banna, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, of not being a religious scholar and holding "positions contrary to the Sunna".[5]: 86 

Wahhabism

Although Salafism has frequently been associated with Wahhabism, Al-Albani distinguished between the two movements, criticizing the latter while supporting the former. He had a complex relationship to each movement.[4]: 68 [5]: 220  Al-Albani was a staunch critic of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (c. 1703–1792), and claimed that the latter was not a mujtahid in fiqh, as he 'blindlly' followed the Hanbali school [22] He also questioned Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's knowledge of hadith.[11]

Formula for Salah (Prayer)

Albani wrote a book in which he redefined the proper gestures and formula that constitute the Muslim prayer ritual "According to the Prophet's sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallams practice." These were contrary to the prescriptions of all established schools of jurisprudence.[23]

As he argued that several details of the concrete prayer that have been taught from generation to generation were based on dubious hadith, his book caused considerable unease.[6] Albani's descriptions for the performance of the Tahajjud and Taraweeh prayers deviated considerably from established practice.[6]

Controversies

Albani held a number of controversial views that ran counter to the wider Islamic consensus, and more specifically to Hanbali jurisprudence.[23] These include:

  • his view that mihrabs – the niche found in mosques indicating the direction of Mecca – were bid'ah (innovation).[23]
  • his view that it was permissible to pray in a mosque with one's shoes.[23]
  • his call for Palestinians to leave the occupied territories since, according to him, they were unable to practice their faith there as they should.[5]: 87 [23] This view was also controversial within the Salafi movement.[24]
  • his view that it is prohibited for women to wear gold bracelets.[25]
  • his view that it was not necessary for women to cover their faces.[25]
  • his view that the Muslim ruler must be from the tribe of Quraysh.[26]

Criticism

Albani and his methodology was criticized by a number of contemporary Sunni scholars, who consisted of various theological and political opponents. These included:

  • In the early 1970s, Syrian hadith scholar Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda (d. 1997) published a tract against al-Albani's revaluation of Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.[27]
  • The Egyptian hadith scholar Mahmud Sa'id Mamduh, who studied with 'Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda and 'Abdallah b. al-Siddiq al-Ghumari. Mamduh has written at least four rebuttals of al-Albani's work on different subjects. In 1987, published a work entitled Alerting the Muslim to al-Albani's Transgression upon Sahih Muslim.[27] He stated that:[28]

Indeed, I have concluded that his methods disagree with those of the jurists and hadith scholars, and that his methods are creating great disarray and evident disruption in the proofs of jurisprudence both generally and specifically. He lacks trust in the Imams of law and hadith, as well as in the rich hadith and law tradition handed down to us, in which the umma has taken great pride.[28]

Awards

Albani was awarded the King Faisal International Prize in 1999 before his death for his contributions to Islamic studies. The award committee described him as "considered by many academics as probably the greatest Islamic scholar of the 20th Century."[7][35]

Over a period of sixty years, Albani's lectures and published books were highly influential in the field of Islamic studies, and many of his works became widely referred to by other Islamic scholars.[7] Muhibb-ud-Deen Al-Khatib, a contemporary scholar, said of him:[36]

And from the callers to the Sunnah who devoted their lives to reviving it was our brother Muhammad Nasiruddin Nooh Najati Al-Albani.

— Al-Khatib[36]

Works

Emad Hamdeh has described Albani as a "prolific scholar". He was the author of 217 books on various topics; such as hadith, fiqh, and creed.[37]

Albani's works in Fields of hadith and its sciences
Title Volumes Description
At-Targhib wa't-Tarhib Volumes 1–4
At-Tasfiyah wa't-Tarbiyah
At-Tawassulu: Anwa'uhu wa Ahkamuhu Tawassul: Its Types & Its Rulings) (link to english translation)
Irwa al-Ghalil Volumes 1–9
Talkhis Ahkam al-Jana'iz
Sahih wa Da'if Sunan Abu Dawood Volumes 1–4
Sahih wa Da'if Sunan at-Tirmidhi Volumes 1–4
Sahih wa Da'if Sunan Ibn Majah Volumes 1–4
Al-Aqidah at-Tahawiyyah Sharh wa Ta'liq
Sifatu Salati An-Nabiyy (link to English translation)
Silsalat al-Hadith ad-Da'ifah Volumes 1–14
Silsalat al-Hadith as-Sahihah Volumes 1–11
Salat ut-Tarawih Later an abridgment of this book was published by al-Albani – Qiyamu Ramadhan

See also

References
  1. Wagemakers 2016, p. 100.
  2. Lav 2012, p. 108.
  3. Thurston 2016, p. 59.
  4. Meijer, Roel (October 1, 2009). Global Salafism: Islam's new religious movement. New York, the USA: C. Hurst & Co., Columbia University Press. pp. 63–68. ISBN 9781850659792. In this way he became a self-taught expert on Islam, learning from the books rather than the ulema. One of his biographers even states that al-Albani was distinguished in religious circles by how few ijazats (certificates) he possessed.
  5. Lacroix, Stephane; Holoch, George (August 15, 2011). Awakening Islam. Harvard University Press. pp. 68–220. ISBN 978-0-6740-6107-1.
  6. Bruinessen, Martin van; Allievi, Stefano (June 17, 2013). Producing Islamic Knowledge: Transmission and Dissemination in Western Europe. Routledge. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-1369-3286-1.
  7. Sheikh Mohammad Nasir Ad-Din Al-Albani, King Faisal International Prize official website. Accessed November 26, 2014.
  8. Jacob Olidort (February 2015), The Politics of "Quietist" Salafism, Brookings Institution, p. 14
  9. Abu Rumman, Mohammad; Abu Hanieh, Hassan (2011). Jordanian Salafism: A Strategy for the "Islamization of Society"and an Ambiguous Relationship with the State (PDF). Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-6740-4964-2. Dec 2010
  10. Thomas Hegghammer; Stéphane Lacroix (February 2007). "Rejectionist Islamism in Saudi Arabia: The Story of Juhayman al-ʿUtaybi Revisited". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 39 (1): 109. JSTOR 4129114.
  11. Gauvain 2013, p. 9.
  12. Gauvain, Richard (2015). Salafi Ritual Purity. Routledge. ISBN 9780710313560.
  13. Mustafa, Abdul-Rahman, and Mustafa Abdul Rahman. On Taqlid: Ibn Al Qayyim's Critique of Authority in Islamic Law. Oxford University Press, 2013. p.10
  14. Lauzière, Henri (2015). "Islamic Reform in the Twentieth Century". The Making of Salafism: Islamic Reform in the Twentieth Century. Columbia University Press. p. 10. ISBN 9780231540179. JSTOR 10.7312/lauz17550 – via De Gruyter.
  15. Hamdeh, Emad (July 2016). "The Formative Years of an Iconoclastic Salafi Scholar". The Muslim World. 106 (3): 411–432. doi:10.1111/muwo.12157. ISSN 0027-4909.
  16. Hamdeh, Emad (June 9, 2017). "Qurʾān and Sunna or the Madhhabs?: A Salafi Polemic Against Islamic Legal Tradition". Islamic Law and Society. 24 (3): 211–253. doi:10.1163/15685195-00240A01. ISSN 1568-5195.
  17. Inge, Anabel (January 1, 2016). The Making of a Salafi Muslim Woman: Paths to Conversion. Oxford University Press. p. 25. ISBN 9780-1-9061-1675.
  18. Haykel, Bernard (2009). "Salafī Groups". In John L. Esposito (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195305135.001.0001. ISBN 9780195305135.
  19. Adis Duderija (January 2010). "Constructing the religious Self and the Other: neo-traditional Salafi manhaj". Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations. Vol. 21, no. 1. pp. 75–93. Retrieved May 23, 2019. In addition, Salafism is a term that has a broader base in Islamic tradition and is more encompassing than Ahl-Hadith, which has more sectarian implications. Among the most influential exponents of NTS are some contemporary Middle Eastern Muslim scholars such as Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani (d. 1999), ‘Abd al-‘Aziz bin Baz (d. 1999), Muhammad Salih al-‘Uthaymin (d. 2001), and Yahya al-Hajuri, to name but a few, who held senior positions on religious councils responsible for issuing fatwas (legal opinions) and/or were lecturers in Islamic sciences at traditional Islamic institutions such as the Universities of Medina and Riyadh.
  20. A. C. Brown, Jonathan (2014). Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy. Oneworld Publications. p. 129. ISBN 978-1780744209.
  21. Al-Albani (1989), Shareet al-Khobar, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
  22. Ismail, Raihan (2021). Rethinking Salafism: The Transnational Networks of Salafi 'Ulama in Egypt, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-094895-5.
  23. Stephane Lacroix (Spring 2008), Al-Albani's Revolutionary Approach to Hadith (PDF), Leiden University's ISIM Review, p. 6, archived from the original (PDF) on October 10, 2017, retrieved February 13, 2013
  24. Batrawi, Samar (October 28, 2015). "What ISIS Talks About When It Talks About Palestine". Foreign Affairs. Foreign Affairs. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  25. Brown, Jonathan (June 5, 2007). The Canonization of Al-Bukhari and Muslim: The Formation and Function of the Sunni Hadith Canon. Brill. p. 325. ISBN 978-9004158399.
  26. Kahn, Jonathan; Lloyd, Vincent (March 22, 2016). Race and Secularism in America. Columbia University Press. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-2315-4127-5.
  27. Brown, Jonathan (June 5, 2007). The Canonization of Al-Bukhari and Muslim: The Formation and Function of the Sunni Hadith Canon. Brill. p. 327. ISBN 978-9004158399.
  28. Brown, Jonathan (June 5, 2007). The Canonization of Al-Bukhari and Muslim: The Formation and Function of the Sunni Hadith Canon. Brill. p. 328. ISBN 978-9004158399.
  29. Cook, David (September 1, 2015). Understanding Jihad. University of California Press. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-5209-6249-1.
  30. Pierret, Thomas (March 25, 2013). Religion and State in Syria: The Sunni Ulama from Coup to Revolution. Cambridge University Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-1070-2641-4.
  31. Jonathan Brown (2007). The Canonization of Al-Bukhari and Muslim: The Formation and Function of the Sunni Hadith Canon. Brill Publishers. p. 325. ISBN 978-9004158399.
  32. Jocelyne Cesari (2007). Encyclopedia of Islam in the United States, Volume 1. Greenwood Press. p. 25. ISBN 9780313336263.
  33. Lav 2012, p. 117.
  34. Brachman, Jarret M. (September 3, 2008). Global Jihadism: Theory and Practice. Routledge. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-1340-5541-8.
  35. ["Albani 1999 KFIP winner"]
  36. Al-Khatib, Muhibbud-Din, Al-Asalaah, pp. 76–77
  37. Hamdeh, Emad (2021). Salafism and Traditionalism: Scholarly Authority in Modern Islam. Cambridge University Press. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-108-61836-6. A prolific scholar, he authored 217 books on various topics such as ḥadīth, fiqh, and creed.

Further reading
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.