Sheikh Abu Ishaq

 

The Sheikh was born into a simple rural family that knew nothing but farming. They were neither poor nor wealthy but were of moderate means, enjoying status and respect in the village due to their good treatment of people and the well-known good character of his father.

Abu Ishaq & Abdu-Raheem

Abu Ishaq Al-Huwayni with Abdu-Raheem and Children
He taught us by his example

His Name and Birth:

 

He was - 'Abu Ishaq Hijazi ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf ibn Sharif Al-Huwayni Al-Masri.' ("Abu" means: 'father of') ("Al-Masri" means: 'from 'Masir' [Egypt]).
"Ishaq" is not his son's name, but rather a kunyah the Sheikh adopted in honour of the kunyah of the Companion Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (رضي الله عنه) and that of Imam Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi (رحمه الله).

 

He was born on Thursday, 1st Dhul-Qa’dah 1375 AH, corresponding to June 10, 1956, in the village of Huwayn, located in the Riyadh district of Kafr El-Sheikh governorate, Egypt.

 

His Family:

 

The Sheikh was born into a simple rural family that knew nothing but farming. They were neither poor nor wealthy but were of moderate means, enjoying status and respect in the village due to their good treatment of people and the well-known good character of his father. His father was married to three wives, and the Sheikh was the youngest son of the last wife. He was the middle of five male siblings.

 

His father was naturally religious—like most villagers at the time—and loved the deen. It is mentioned that cotton theft was common in those days. Once, while walking near his field, the Sheikh’s father saw someone stealing from his crop. Instead of confronting him, he hid so the man wouldn’t see him, ensuring he wouldn’t startle or frighten him while he took what he wanted and left. His father never visited a doctor in his life, except when he was diying and even then, he was forced to go. His dad died on Tuesday, 28th February 1972 (رحمه الله).

 

His Formal Education:

 

The Sheikh was enrolled in a government primary school (non-Azhari) in a neighbouring village called Al-Wazariyah, about 2 km from Huwayn, where he studied for six years. He then moved to Kafr El-Sheikh city for his preparatory education at Al-Shaheed Hamdi Preparatory School, which was a 15-minute car ride from his village. In his first year there, he began writing poetry.

 

Sheikh's secondary education, he enrolled in the science stream at Al-Shaheed Riyad Secondary School. Due to the long commute, he and his siblings rented a flat in the city, staying there during the week. Their mother (حفظها الله) would prepare their provisions, and their eldest brother would give them half a pound each week.

After completing secondary school, there was a debate about the university faculty he whould join. He considered different options before deciding on the Spanish language department at the Faculty of Al-Alsun, Ain Shams University, Cairo. His choice of Spanish was strategic, as he aimed to be on equal footing with other students and he eventually surpassed them.

 

Throughout his first three years, he was among the top three students in his class. However, in his final year, his ranking dropped slightly. He graduated with distinction and aspired to become a member of the Spanish Language Academy. He even travelled to Spain on a university scholarship, but he returned. He did not like the country.

 

His Journey in Islamic Knowledge:

 

During his early years in the village and city (before university), neither he nor those around him had much concern for Islamic knowledge beyond basic acts of worship like prayer. However, at the end of his final year of secondary school (1395 AH / 1974–1975 CE), he travelled to Cairo to study with his brother. He began to attend the Friday khutbahs delivered by Sheikh Abdul Hamid Kishk (رحمه الله) at Ain Al-Hayat Mosque.

 

One day, after Jumu’ah, he saw a book being sold on the pavement: "The Prophet’s Prayer Described from Takbeer to Tasleem as If You See It.", writen by Sheikh Al-Albani (رحمه الله). He browsed through it but found it expensive (15 qirsh), so he left it. Later, he found a summary of the book and purchased it. After he read it, he discoverd things people did in prayer -including him - that were wrong and against the authentic Sunnah.

 

Now he was determined to buy the full version of the book. When he did, he was deeply impressed by Sheikh Al-Albani’s writing style, especially the introduction. This introduction set him on the path of following the correct methodology - the path of the Salaf. It explained the obligation of adhering to the Sunnah and rejecting anything contradicting it, including statements from the great Imams, all of whom disavowed opposing any Sunnah in their lifetimes and even after their deaths.

 

The book’s footnotes caught his attention, despite his complete lack of knowledge of technical terms at the time. He even admitted, for a period, he mistakenly thought Al-Bukhari was a Sahabi due to often hearing people say, "رضي الله عنه" (Radi Allahu an, said after compaions names) after his name! (another mistake). This experience sparked his determination to study Hadith sciences.

 

As he entered the university, he actively searched for more books on Hadith. The first book he found was "Al-Fawa’id Al-Majmoo’ah fi Al-Ahadith Al-Mawdoo’ah" (The Collected Benefits Regarding Fabricated/Spurious Hadith) by Imam Al-Shawkani. He was shocked by what he discovered — many commonly cited ahadith were actually false.

 

This newfound knowledge affected how he listened to Sheikh Abdul Hamid Kishk’s sermons, because he doubted many of the ahadith being quoted. One day, during a Friday khutbah, Sheikh Kishk mentioned a hadith he doubts about. After research, he found Ibn Al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) had declared it weak.

So after a khutbah, He approached Sheikh Kishk and informed him of this. However, the Sheikh dismissed it, saying Ibn Al-Qayyim had made a mistake. He then advised him saying, "O my son! Learn before you object."

 

Later, Abu Ishaq described how this rebuke humbled him, saying, "I walked away feeling humiliated, as if I had been pecked by a rooster!" But this encounter ignited a strong desire in him to study Hadith and Islamic sciences properly.

 

Determined to find a teacher, he asked everyone he knew if there was a scholar who could teach him Hadith. He was eventually directed to Sheikh Muhammad Najib Al-Muti’i (رحمه الله).

Sheikh Abu Ishaq's Research

 

He continued searching for more books and found the first 100 ahadith from "Silsilat Al-Ahadith Al-Da’ifah wal-Mawdoo’ah wa Atharuha As-Sayyi’ fil-Ummah" by Sheikh Al-Albani (رحمه الله). He noticed the Sheikh categorised ahadith differently—some were "Munkar," others "Da’if," some "Batil." He was so curious about these terms, he began to researching their meanings and differentiations. He sought clarification from Sheikh Al-Muti’i, who referred him to a book titled "Under the Banner of the Sunnah: Simplifying the Sciences of Hadith." This book introduced him to the main collections of Hadith, their authors, and the technical terminology used in the field.

He later said: "I spent about two years with Sheikh Al-Albani’s book, and they were among the most beneficial years in my learning."

 

His Struggles in Seeking Knowledge:

 

During his university years, he worked during the day in a grocery shop in Nasr City, Cairo, to support himself while studying Hadith at night. This left him with as little as three hours of sleep per day! But due to money problems, he couldn't always afford to buy books. He would visit Al-Mutanabbi Bookstore just to touch and smell the books before quickly leaving to avoid suspicion!  At times, he would even hand-copy sections of books because he couldn't afford to buy them.

 

Scholars He Studied Under

 

Sheikh attended lessons of Sheikh al-Muti‘i at the Malaysian Students' House near ‘Abduh Basha Square in Al-‘Abbasiya. He studied the explanations of Sahih al-Bukhari; Al-Majmu‘ by Imam al-Nawawi; Al-Ashbah wa al-Naza’ir by Imam al-Suyuti; Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din by Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali – may Allah have mercy on them all.

 

His Lessons Interrupted: 

 

Sheikh remained with Sheikh al-Muti‘i for about four years until his lessons were halted due to the mass arrests ordered by President Anwar al-Sadat. (Sheikh al-Muti‘i migrated to Sudan, then later to Madinah, where he passed away and was buried in al-Baqi‘ (رحمه الله) may Allah have mercy on Sheikh al-Muti'i). Sheikh also studied under Sheikh Sayyid Sabiq – (رحمه الله - may Allah have mercy on him) – in Al-Ma‘adi. He had lessons with scholars in the columns (shu-yukh al-‘amida) of Al-Azhar Mosque, studying Usul al-Fiqh, Arabic language, and Qira’at. He also learnd part of the Warsh recitation from his uncle on his maternal uncle, who was a teacher of Qira'at.

 

Meeting Sheikh al-Albani

 

Sheikh al-Albani,(رحمه الله - may Allah have mercy on him) in 1396 Hijri, visited Egypt and gave a lecture in the headquarters of Jama‘at Ansar al-Sunnah al-Muhammadiyyah in ‘Abidin. However, Sheikh Abu Ishaq did not get a chance to meet him that time. During this time, Sheikh published his book 'Fasl al-Khitab fi Naqd al-Mughni ‘an al-Hifz wa al-Kitab. 

Sheikh al-Albani, who used to say he had no students (meaning none who followed his exact methodology in hadith authentication and criticism), remarked after reading the book: “YES!” (indicating this author was indeed a student of his methodology).

Sheikh Abu Ishaq did meet Sheikh al-Albani, but only twice. He recorded their discussions and questions on cassette tapes, later published under the title Masa’il Abi Ishaq al-Huwayni. Additionally, he had a few telephone conversations with him and gained knowledge from Sheikh al-Albani’s books and recorded lectures.

In early Muharram of 1407 AH, the Sheikh traveled to Jordan to meet Sheikh al-Albani. He stayed with him for about a month, and he described it as some of the best days of his life.

He met Sheikh al-Albani again in 1410 AH during Hajj in the sacred lands. That was the Sheikh’s first Hajj and the last Hajj of Sheikh al-Albani (رحمه الله - may Allah have mercy on him) and it was the last time he saw him.

 

Studies in Saudi Arabia:

 

Sheikh Abu Ishaq went to Saudi Arabia and studied under Sheikh Abdullah ibn Qa‘ud (رحمه الله - may Allah have mercy on him): He attended his lessons on Al-Kafiyah fi al-Jadal by Imam al-Juwayni, at the time was being read to him by Sheikh Salih Al al-Sheikh – may Allah preserve him.

Sheikh ‘Abdul Aziz ibn Baz (رحمه الله - may Allah have mercy on him): He attended some of his lessons at his mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Kabir) on: Sunan al-Nasa’i; Majmu‘ al-Fatawa, by Ibn Taymiyyah; Kitab al-Tawhid by, Imam Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul Wahhab – Allah have mercy on them all. Sheikh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (رحمه الله - Allah have mercy on him): He met the Sheikh in the Haram, entered his private room, and asked him about certain matters.

 

Praise for Him:

 

Sheikh al-Albani described Sheikh Abu Ishaq as - his student. During their meeting in Amman, Sheikh al-Albani told him: "You have attained what others have not."

In As-Silsilah as-Sahihah (vol. 5, hadith no. 2457), Sheikh al-Albani mentioned: “Perhaps some of our strong brothers in the field of hadith will undertake this work, such as our brother ‘Ali al-Halabi, Samir al-Zuhairi, and Abu Ishaq al-Huwayni, and others like them. May Allah reward them with goodness.”

 

In As-Silsilah as-Sahihah (vol. 7, hadith no. 3953), which was published after Sheikh al-Albani’s passing, he wrote:

“One of the reasons I authenticated the hadith of this chapter with such detailed research is that our esteemed brother Abu Ishaq…” (The rest of the quote continues).