Aspects of the Days of Ignorance: Workbook

NOT for independent self-study, this workbook is your companion for the upcoming Winter Seminar at the Germantown Masjid in Philadelphia, Dec.25-29, 2019, in shaa’ Allah.

The book, Masaa’il al-Jaahiliyyah, is a unique and powerfully insightful work warning against the worst traits of the days of ignorance, authored by one of the most knowledgeable and authoritative scholars of the past few centuries, Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn ‘Abdil-Wahhaab at-Tameemee (may Allah have Mercy on him).

Shaykh Saalih ibn ‘Abdil-‘Azeez Aal ash-Shaykh (may Allah preserve him) said, “These are tremendous points which, no doubt, we are in need of in every time, and especially in this time. Reviewing them and reminding the people about them is a necessity.”

In this workbook, you will find the original Arabic text of the book, Masaa’il al-Jaahiliyyah, paired with its translation, with ample space to take notes for each point. Appendices in the back provide a chain of transmission for the text, the complete, uninterrupted text of the English translation, and the fully voweled Arabic text of the book as well.

You will also find a total of 12 quizzes to challenge your understanding and memorization of this important text. Five daily quizzes with multiple-choice questions have been prepared to check your understanding of the lessons of each of the five days of the seminar.

A 25-question mastery test awaits you once you have studied the entire book and reviewed the five quizzes. For more advanced students who choose to memorize the Arabic text along with its study, five more daily quizzes and another comprehensive test are also included.

The following are the topics as cited in the Table of Contents:

ASPECT 1: CALLING UPON SAINTS FOR THEIR INTERCESSION

ASPECT 2: SPLITTING INTO RELIGIOUS FACTIONS

ASPECT 3: DISREGARDING AND OPPOSING THE AUTHORITIES

ASPECT 4: TAQLEED: A SHARED PRINCIPLE OF ALL DISBELIEVERS

ASPECT 5: THE MAJORITY VOTE: BEING DELUDED BY NUMBERS

ASPECT 6: USING THE WAYS OF THE ANCESTORS AS PROOFS

ASPECT 7: USING THE RICH AND POWERFUL AS PROOFS

ASPECT 8: REJECTING THE TRUTH BECAUSE THE WEAK FOLLOW IT

ASPECT 9: TAKING EVIL SCHOLARS AS ROLE MODELS

ASPECT 10: CLAIMS ABOUT THE FOLLOWERS OF TRUTH

ASPECT  11: USING FALSE ANALOGIES AS PROOFS

ASPECT 12: REJECTING SOUND ANALOGIES

ASPECT 13: FANATICISM TOWARDS THE SCHOLARS AND RIGHTEOUS

ASPECT 14: MISGUIDED NEGATIONS AND AFFIRMATIONS

ASPECT 15: PRETENDING NOT TO UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH

ASPECT 16: TRADING IN REVELATION FOR BOOKS OF MAGIC

ASPECT 17: ATTRIBUTING THEIR OWN FALSEHOOD TO THE PROPHETS

ASPECT 18: FALSE AND CONTRADICTORY ASCRIPTIONS

ASPECT 19: REVILING THE RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF THEIR FOLLOWERS

ASPECT 20: CONSIDERING MAGIC TRICKS A SIGN OF PIETY

ASPECTS 21-22: WHISTLING, CLAPPING, AND FRIVOLITY AS WORSHIP

ASPECT 23: BEING DELUDED BY THEIR WORLDLY PROSPERITY

ASPECT 24: REJECTING TRUTH BECAUSE THE WEAK EMBRACED IT FIRST

ASPECT 25: TAKING THE PREVIOUS ASPECT A STEP FURTHER

ASPECT 26: CHANGING THE BOOK OF ALLAH INTENTIONALLY

ASPECT 27: INVENTING FALSE SCRIPTURE AND ATTRIBUTING IT TO ALLAH

ASPECT 28: NOT ACCEPTING THE TRUTH FROM OUTSIDE THEIR GROUP

ASPECT 29: NOT EVEN TRULY PRACTICING THEIR OWN RELIGION

ASPECT 30: EACH GROUP REJOICING WITH WHAT THEY HAVE

ASPECT 31: HYPOCRITICAL HATRED FOR WHAT THEY ASCRIBE TO

ASPECT 32: DESPISING PEOPLE, REJECTING THE TRUTH THEY HAVE

ASPECT 33: REJECTING PARTS OF THEIR OWN RELIGION

ASPECT 34: EVERY SECT CLAIMED IT WAS THE SAVED ONE

ASPECT 35: NAKEDNESS AS A FORM OF WORSHIP

ASPECT 36: FORBIDDING PERMISSIBLE THINGS AS PIETY

ASPECT 37: TAKING PRIESTS AND MONKS AS LORDS BESIDE ALLAH

ASPECT 38: DEVIATION WITH REGARDS TO ALLAH’S ATTRIBUTES

ASPECT 39: DEVIATION WITH REGARDS TO ALLAH’S NAMES

ASPECT 40: COMPLETE DENIAL OF ALLAH’S EXISTENCE…There are a total of 128 aspects. Follow the @GtownMasjid