An Insight from Dr. Stodolsky’s al–Hidāyah Classroom
By Abdullah Ansari
In the spring semester of 2025, I was fortunate to continue studying the well-known Ḥanafī work, al-Hidāyah, with Dr. Stodolsky. What is special about Shaykh Muhammed is his ability to effortlessly shift legal discourse from particulars (juzʾiyyāt) to universals (kulliyāt). As one might expect, studying al-Hidāyah is a formidable task. The work presents complex legal reasoning from the Ḥanafī school of law, addressing both broad categories of Islamic law, such as personal, transactional, family, and penal law along with the detailed rulings within each of these areas. Dr. Stodolsky has an uncanny mastery over the text, allowing him to assist the student in navigating the difficult terrain of the work.
What makes Shaykh Muhammed’s classroom even more enjoyable to the seeker of knowledge is his ability to see beyond the boundaries of any particular field of study and harmonize it with others. It is as if he has a bird’s eye view of the universals of Sharīʿah concurrent to his magnified view of its particulars. The student would get a glimpse of this at the beginning of each section of the book. For example, when we began the chapter of Ḥajj (Kitāb al-Ḥajj), Dr. Stodolsky reminded the class about the dualistic nature of man, being both Angelic (samāwī) and animalistic (ḥayawānī). A human’s animalistic tendencies are divided into two categories: (1) Anger and (2) Desires. A human’s desires can be further broken down into five areas: (A) Desire to eat, (B) desire to drink, (C) desire to have a partner/intimate relationship, (D) desire to have shelter, and (E) desire to dominate.
Animalistic Tendencies of Man
├── Anger
└── Desires
├── Desire to Eat
├── Desire to Drink
├── Desire for Intimate Relationship
├── Desire for Shelter
└── Desire to Dominate
Figure 1.
Man’s pathway to Allah ﷻ is in his ability to resist his animalistic tendencies through which he can gain access to his angelic side — a well-known idea supported by many scholars of taṣawwuf (spirituality) and kalām (dialectic theology) such as Imam Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī. Shaykh Muhammed explained that one of the many wisdoms of the legislation and obligation of designated acts of worship is to assist man in actualizing this purpose. Every form of worship will tackle one or many of these tendencies.
Ḥajj tackles the human desire for shelter. While shelter is a basic need for survival, it quickly becomes a luxury and comfort for most people, and they begin taking it for granted. The comfort of one’s shelter becomes a breeding ground for laziness, intellectual decay, and negligence of one’s responsibilities to his Lord. It is through the nomadic nature of Ḥajj, along with the patience, submission, and remembrance it requires, that the slave creates meaningful connection with his Creator. Tangentially, Shaykh Muhammed mentioned that Ḥajj is the only ritual worship in Islam in which one is expected to let go of oneself entirely. Actions that are otherwise praiseworthy and beloved outside of Ḥajj, such as trimming one’s nails and hair, become impermissible. It is through abandoning one’s shelter and grooming that one paves the path to Allah ﷻ. Ḥajj additionally tackles a person’s desire for anger and intimacy, both of which are prohibited in the state of ihrām. Allāh ﷻ states: Whoever commits to ˹performing˺ pilgrimage, let them stay away from intimate relations, foul language, and arguments during pilgrimage (Qurʾān 2:197)
Dr. Stodolsky explained that a deep understanding of these subtle underpinnings and wisdoms could only be acquired through a comprehensive reading of the Asrār al-Aḥkām (lit. Secrets of Rulings) genre of Islamic literature. Notable authors in this field include the great al-Shaykh al-Akbar Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī, Shāh Walī Allāh al-Dihlawī, and Qārī Muḥammad Ṭayyib al-Qāsimī. It is through meaningful engagement with this particular field that a student can begin grasping the innumerable Divine wisdoms vested within Sharīʿah. May Allāh ﷻ bless our teachers, allow us to benefit from their knowledge, and connect us to our Creator through their company.
