Faraz Rabbani
Encyclopedia
Faraz Fareed Rabbani is a scholar and researcher of Islamic law
and translator
of several Arabic
works to the English language
.
, Pakistan
and raised in Toronto
, Canada
. He entered the University of Toronto
with a full scholarship and completed his Bachelor's in Economics & Commerce in May 1997. While in Canada, Shaykh Faraz was involved with various organizations and projects, including founding and running the monthly The Muslim Voice and acting as the Vice-President of the University of Toronto Muslim Students' Association
from 1994-1996. While in Toronto, he was involved in various Islamic study circles and educational programs, including those of Shaykh Ahmad Talal al-Ahdab, Shaykh Faisal Hamid Abdur-Razzak, and Shaykh Muhammad Zahid Abu Ghudda.
After graduation, Shaykh Faraz traveled with his family to Damascus
, Syria
, to formally seek Islamic knowledge. In Damascus, he studied Arabic
, Aqidah (Islamic creed), Mantiq (Islamic Logic
), Hanafi Fiqh
, Shafi'I Fiqh, Usul al-fiqh
, and Hadith
with a number of scholars including Shaykh Haytham Idilbi, Shaykh Abd al-Rahman Kharsa, Shaykh Abd al-Haleem Abu Sha`r, Shaykh Umar al-Sabbagh, Shaykh Jihad Brown, Shaykh Mu'min al-Annan, Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, Sayyidi Shaykh Adib Kallas, Shaykh Muhammad Jumuah, Sh. Abd al-Razzaq al-Halabi, Shaykh Haytham, Shaykh Abd al-Haleem Abu Sha`r, and Ustadh Mahmud al-Bayruti.
In the Summer of 2000, he moved to Amman
, Jordan
. Upon moving to Jordan, his teachers advised him to focus on teaching of what he had covered, for which they gave him encouragement and permission, and to continue his personal research and study. In 2007, he spent some time in Karachi
, Pakistan
, learning from the scholars there. In the Summer of 2007, he returned to Toronto, where he settled with his wife and three children. In Toronto, he is teaching through SeekersGuidance, both online and on-the-ground. He also travels frequently to give lectures at different conferences and universities.
.
As the founder of the original Hanafi fiqh list, Shaykh Faraz was involved with SunniPath
since its beginning until leaving in May 2008 in order to start SeekersGuidance (www.SeekersGuidance.com).
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
and translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
of several Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
works to the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Biography
Faraz Rabbani was born in KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and raised in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He entered the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
with a full scholarship and completed his Bachelor's in Economics & Commerce in May 1997. While in Canada, Shaykh Faraz was involved with various organizations and projects, including founding and running the monthly The Muslim Voice and acting as the Vice-President of the University of Toronto Muslim Students' Association
Muslim Students' Association
The Muslim Students Association, or Muslim Student Union, of the U.S. and Canada, also known as MSA National, is a religious organization dedicated to establishing and maintaining Islamic societies on college campuses in Canada and the United States. It serves to provide coordination and support...
from 1994-1996. While in Toronto, he was involved in various Islamic study circles and educational programs, including those of Shaykh Ahmad Talal al-Ahdab, Shaykh Faisal Hamid Abdur-Razzak, and Shaykh Muhammad Zahid Abu Ghudda.
After graduation, Shaykh Faraz traveled with his family to Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, to formally seek Islamic knowledge. In Damascus, he studied Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Aqidah (Islamic creed), Mantiq (Islamic Logic
Logic in Islamic philosophy
Logic played an important role in Islamic philosophy .Islamic Logic or mantiq is similar science to what is called Traditional Logic in Western Sciences.- External links :*Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy: , Routledge, 1998...
), Hanafi Fiqh
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
, Shafi'I Fiqh, Usul al-fiqh
Usul al-fiqh
Uṣūl al-fiqh is the study of the origins, sources, and principles upon which Islamic jurisprudence is based. In the narrow sense, it simply refers to the question of what are the sources of Islamic law...
, and Hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
with a number of scholars including Shaykh Haytham Idilbi, Shaykh Abd al-Rahman Kharsa, Shaykh Abd al-Haleem Abu Sha`r, Shaykh Umar al-Sabbagh, Shaykh Jihad Brown, Shaykh Mu'min al-Annan, Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, Sayyidi Shaykh Adib Kallas, Shaykh Muhammad Jumuah, Sh. Abd al-Razzaq al-Halabi, Shaykh Haytham, Shaykh Abd al-Haleem Abu Sha`r, and Ustadh Mahmud al-Bayruti.
In the Summer of 2000, he moved to Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
. Upon moving to Jordan, his teachers advised him to focus on teaching of what he had covered, for which they gave him encouragement and permission, and to continue his personal research and study. In 2007, he spent some time in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, learning from the scholars there. In the Summer of 2007, he returned to Toronto, where he settled with his wife and three children. In Toronto, he is teaching through SeekersGuidance, both online and on-the-ground. He also travels frequently to give lectures at different conferences and universities.
Work
Faraz Rabbani is Educational Director and Instructor at SeekersGuidance (www.SeekersGuidance.org). He has two published books: Sufism & Good Character and Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, & the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School. (White Thread Press, 2004.) He also runs the blog Seeker's Digest and has a regular column in Islamica MagazineIslamica Magazine
Islamica Magazine was a quarterly magazine in the United States with editorial offices in Amman, Jordan, Cambridge, MA and London, UK., dedicated to presenting various perspectives and opinions on Islam and the Muslim world...
.
As the founder of the original Hanafi fiqh list, Shaykh Faraz was involved with SunniPath
SunniPath
SunniPath was established in 2003 for the purpose of answering questions about Islamic law, belief, and daily practice. In 2004, it began offering online courses in Islamic law, belief, Arabic, and other related disciplines...
since its beginning until leaving in May 2008 in order to start SeekersGuidance (www.SeekersGuidance.com).
See also
- Shariah (Islamic law)
- HanafiHanafiThe Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
- Islamic finance
- ShadhiliShadhiliThe Shadhili Tariqa is a Sufi order of Sunni Islam founded by Abul Hasan Ali ash-Shadhili. Followers of the Shadhiliya are known as Shadhilis....
- SufismSufismSufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
External links
- SeekersGuidance - Where Faraz Rabbani's lessons may be found
- Seeker's Digest - Rabbani's blog on Islam, contemporary affairs, spirituality, and more
- Radical Middle Way Site - Bio and Media of Faraz Rabbani
- Faraz Rabbani audio and video lectures
- Rabbani's biography on RMW
- A DeenPort interview with Faraz Rabbani.
- Islamic Finance Affairs - Articles, answers, and news on Islamic Finance, run by Rabbani