Ribāṭ Insights
Timeless Traits of Muslim Scholars: Lessons for Today
From the dawn of Islam until today, there have been magnanimous men who shaped Islamic history. These scholars lived and passed, but their legacy lives on. This essay will examine some of the common traits of the great Muslim scholars in the Islamic tradition.
A Letter to Imam al-Tirmidhi
Dear Imam Muhammad ibn Sawrah ibn Musa ibn al-Dhahhak al-Tirmidhi
It is my great pleasure to address you in a letter. May Allah ﷻ elevate your rank in the hereafter. I am currently taking a course on traditional Muslim scholars through the Ribaat Academic Institute. We have learned about so many amazing scholars, but your name and your story stayed in my mind. This is mostly because we share the same last name. It is said that one of your descendants left Tirmidh to give dawah in India. In South Asia, the dha (ذ) sound became transformed to za (ز), hence the last name Tirmizi among those who came after him.
A Reflection on Blessings
Life abroad in West Africa has certainly taught me that, in the West, we are spoiled. We take things for granted. I was forced to learn the true meaning of needs versus wants—to truly know what is a blessing.
“And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them.” (Quran 14:34)
In Their Company, I Found My Way: A Letter to Imam Ash-Shafi\’i
\”When I first read about how you developed usul al-fiqh—laying the foundation of legal principles that helped organize Islamic jurisprudence—I realized that scholarship isn’t about winning arguments; it’s about guiding people closer to Allah through clarity, justice, and compassion. You didn’t aim to simply refute or correct; you sought to understand, to elevate, and to unite.\”
In Their Company, I Found My Way: A Letter to Imam al-Bukhari
From the travels you did to acquire knowledge to the thought you put in to recording it in your books, you dedicated your life for the sake of Allah and left us treasures! This day and age, most of us have so much knowledge, and it is at our fingertips, but we do not know what to do with it. Some do not know how to learn, it seems, and some are just occupied in worldly things so much so that it scares me for them.
Student of the Month – July
Our Ribaat Student of the Month for July 2025 is Kaha Osman. She is a Somali Canadian currently based in Ottawa, Canada. Although trained as a teacher, she is now supporting her family as a stay-at-home mother to her three children.