The Absolute Essentials of Islam; A Basic Hanafi Primer on Faith, Prayer, & the Path of Salvation By: Faraz Fareed Rabbani

This worship is not possible without knowledge. This short work outlines the absolute essentials of this knowledge: in faith, prayer, and key points related to one’s life and dealings.

Allah has commanded us to worship and obey Him with sincerity, reverence, love, and gratitude. He says in the Qur’an: “And they are ordered only to serve Allah, keeping religion pure for Him, to remain upright, and to establish worship and to pay the poor due. That is true religion.” (98:5)

This worship is not possible without knowledge. This short work outlines the absolute essentials of this knowledge: in faith, prayer, and key points related to one’s life and dealings.

It is based on the methodology of traditional Sunni Islam, according to the Hanafi school, the largest school of Islamic law, and its purpose is to make one’s worship valid, sound, and proper in a short amount of time.

• Learn the basics & essentials of Islamic beliefs
• Make your purification and prayer proper, sound, & valid
• Learn key issues on the path to Paradise

About the Author 

Faraz Fareed Rabbani

Faraz Rabbani is a scholar of Hanafi fiqh and the Islamic sciences. While completing his Bachelors in Economics and Commerce at the University of Toronto, Shaykh Faraz developed a deep interest in Islamic learning, studying with local scholars such as Shaykh Talal al-Ahdab and Shaykh Faisal Abdur-Razak. After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1997, he and his wife (Ustadha Shireen Ahmed) travelled to Damascus and then to Amman, where he studied with leading Islamic scholars, including Shaykh Adib Kallas (Allah have mercy upon him), Shaykh Hassaan al-Hindi, Shaykh Muhammad Jumuah, Shaykh Akram Abd al-Wahhab, and Shaykh Nuh Keller. In 2001, Shaykh Faraz began answering questions for his family and friends online; this grew into the Hanafi Fiqh list at Yahoo Groups. On the advice of his teachers, the SunniPath web site was created, which featured both a question/answer service and online Islamic courses.

After ten years overseas, Shaykh Faraz returned to Canada in the Summer of 2007. In May 2008 he founded Seekers Guidance to deal with the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner.
With fellow SeekersGuidance teachers Shaykh Yahya Rhodus and Shaykh Omar Qureshi, Shaykh Faraz hopes to establish a model Islamic seminary that will produce Islamic scholars of the highest caliber, through excellence in teaching, curriculum, spiritual training, and a deep spirit of service–with knowledge of both religion and contemporary social and intellectual realities. Shaykh Faraz also serves as a partner and legal advisor with Straightway Ethical Advisory.
He is the author of Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) In 2009, Shaykh Faraz was named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.