Sheikh Muhammad Raslan

Sheikh Muhammad Raslan: Education, Career, and Works

• Full name: Muhammad ibn Sa'id Ahmad Raslan (محمد بن سعيد أحمد رسلان), known by the kunyah Abu Abdillah.
• Birth: November 23, 1955, in Subk al-Ahad, Ashmoun District, Monufia Governorate, Egypt.
• First degree: Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from Al-Azhar University.
• Arabic studies: Bachelor of Arts in Arabic Language, Islamic Studies division.
• Master's degree: hadith sciences, with highest honors, for a thesis entitled ضوابط الرواية عند المحدثين, “The Principles of Transmission According to Hadith Scholars.”
• Doctorate: hadith sciences, with highest honors, for الرواة المبدعون من رجال الكتب الستة, a study of narrators accused of innovation among the transmitters of the six canonical collections.
• Teaching: lessons, sermons, and recorded series delivered at al-Masjid al-Sharqi in Subk al-Ahad.
• Main fields: hadith, creed, research methodology, the education of students, Arabic language, and preaching.

From Medicine to the Sciences of Hadith

Muhammad Sa'id Raslan's path is unusual because it brings together two complete courses of study. He first trained in medicine and surgery at Al-Azhar. This was more than a passing phase: it gave him an academic discipline, a familiarity with methodical reasoning, and a profession. He then completed a degree in Arabic language and Islamic studies before specializing in hadith sciences.

His master's thesis examined the rules governing the reception and transmission of reports among hadith scholars. His doctoral dissertation addressed a more technical question: how to assess narrators accused of religious innovation who nevertheless appear in the six major collections. These studies account for a significant feature of his later writing—careful attention to the vocabulary of hadith criticism, distinctions between judgments about individuals and the precise evaluation of a report, and frequent recourse to the biographical dictionaries of narrators.

Within an Islamic library, this work can be read alongside the verification tools popularized in the twentieth century by Sheikh al-Albani, while still leading the reader back to the collections and methods of the early masters, foremost among them Imam al-Bukhari.

A Teaching Career Rooted in Subk al-Ahad

Unlike biographies built around long journeys and a succession of formal posts, Sheikh Raslan's life has remained closely tied to his native village. Subk al-Ahad, in the Nile Delta, is his birthplace, his principal teaching base, and the center from which his lessons have reached a much wider audience.

His teaching takes several forms: Friday sermons, continuous lesson series, commentaries on texts, thematic lectures, and answers to questions. The systematic recording of this material has produced a very large audio and video library. Some series were later transcribed, revised, or condensed into booklets, which explains the close relationship between his printed books and his spoken teaching.

In this respect, his body of work resembles that of other contemporary scholars whose printed legacy grew out of decades of lessons and answers, such as Sheikh Ibn Baz. Raslan's own style, however, gives particular prominence to language: definitions, terminological distinctions, poetic quotations, and close attention to the construction of an argument regularly accompany the religious evidence.

A Body of Work Shaped by Method

His titles cover creed, hadith, ethics, Arabic language, and contemporary questions. One concern runs through them: preparing the reader before introducing specialized debates. Several books therefore do more than present a subject; they explain how to study it, in what order to read, and which pitfalls to avoid.

آفات العلم

A work on the diseases that threaten both student and teacher: seeking reputation, concealing knowledge, speaking without knowledge, arrogance, contentious argument, and rushing to issue religious rulings. It is one of the best entry points into his writings because the chapters stand on their own and the vocabulary recurs throughout.

مراتب طلب العلم

A concise guide to the stages of learning and the organization of a student's path. It distinguishes memorization, understanding, revision, and transmission without suggesting that a large reading list can replace gradual study.

العلم والعمل

A study of the relationship between knowledge and practice. It naturally follows the previous title: knowledge is presented not as a store of information but as a responsibility that should change conduct.

فضل العربية ووجوب تعلمها على المسلمين

A defense of Arabic as the key to accessing the primary sources. This title is particularly relevant to My Maktaba readers, as it gives practical meaning to the work of learning grammar and vocabulary by linking both directly to the understanding of religious texts.

شرح الجامع لعبادة الله وحده

A commentary centered on worshipping Allah alone and the principles that follow from it. The commentary format lets the reader follow the base text and then examine its proofs and concepts one by one.

أذكار الصباح والمساء

A practical collection devoted to morning and evening remembrances. Shorter and more immediately useful than his academic studies, it is well suited to a first daily reading project in Arabic.

Other titles include فضل العلم, أهم المصنفات في علم الرواية, موقف الصحابة من رواية الحديث, رسالة في سجود السهو, and collections of sermons and lectures. With this author, the distinction between a full book, a booklet, and a revised transcript can matter: always check the pagination, format, and exact nature of an edition before purchasing.

Which Book by Sheikh Raslan Should You Read First?

For an intermediate reader of Arabic, begin with آفات العلم or أذكار الصباح والمساء. The first offers short chapters around a coherent theme; the second uses familiar vocabulary and rewards repeated reading. مراتب طلب العلم is a sensible next step for anyone building a structured study program.

His hadith research and specialized refutations require more technical vocabulary. They are most useful to readers already familiar with the terminology of isnad, al-jarh wa al-ta'dil, and the categories of narrators. A short book is not necessarily an easy book: subject matter and degree of specialization matter as much as page count.

Buy Sheikh Muhammad Raslan's Books in Arabic

Every book offered by My Maktaba is in Arabic and brand new. Each product page lists the publisher, page or volume count, format, binding, and, whenever relevant, the extent of vocalization.

For this author, also check the origin of the text. An academic dissertation, a book prepared directly for publication, and a transcript of an audio series offer very different reading experiences. Our product pages distinguish these formats so you can choose a book suited to your level and aim: continuous reading, thematic study, or reference.