|
056.063 Have
ye seen that which ye cultivate?
In this verse
Allah is attributing the cultivation of the crop to the earth itself! Once again
that which Allah provides has been attributed to other than Allah! I.e. the earth
014.035 And
when Abraham said: My Lord! Make safe this territory, and preserve me and my sons
from serving idols.
014.036 My Lord! Lo! they have led many of mankind astray. But whoso followeth
me, he verily is of me. And whoso disobeyeth me - Still Thou art Forgiving, Merciful.
071.023 And
they have said: Forsake not your gods. Forsake not Wadd, nor Suwa', nor Yaghuth
and Ya'uq and Nasr.
071.024 And they have led many astray, and
Thou increasest the wrong-doers in naught save error.
In these verses
both Sayyidina Nuh (peace be upon him) and Sayyidina
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) are saying
that the idols have led many astray, though the idols are not the ones who actually
lead astray, in fact it is Iblis who leads people astray, although Iblis?s doing
has been attributed directly towards the idols. Again this proves that attributing
a doing to other than the actual ?doer? is permissible.
073.017 Then
how, if ye disbelieve, will ye protect yourselves upon the day which will turn children
grey,
From this verse
we can see that it has been said that the final day itself will turn children grey.
However we know that is Allah alone who is capable of doing this, yet Allah has
attributed His own doing to the day. Again this proves that attributing acts of
Allah, to other than Allah is permissible.
019.017 And
had chosen seclusion from them. Then We sent unto her Our Spirit and it assumed
for her the likeness of a perfect man.
019.018 She said: Lo! I seek refuge in the Beneficent One from thee, if thou art
God- fearing.
019.019 He said: I am only a messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee
a faultless son.
019:019
He said: I am only a messenger of your Lord: That I will give you a pure boy.
In these verses Sayyidinia Gabriel (Jibra?il) says
himself that he will grant Sayyida Maryam
a son, even though Allah will provide Sayyida Maryam with a son. This is yet further
evidence proving that attributing to other than Allah is permissible.
042.052 And
thus have We inspired in thee (Muhammad) a Spirit of Our command. Thou knewest not
what the Scripture was, nor what the Faith. But We have made it a light whereby
We guide whom We will of Our bondmen. And lo! thou verily dost guide unto a right
path,
In this verse
Allah is commanding His beloved Messenger Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) to guide the people to the right path. Even though Allah
Azawajal is the One who guides to the right path, it has been said that
Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the one who guides. Allah
is simply attributing His act to His Beloved.
Brother Ali please try to understand, sit down, have a
cup of coffee, and absorb these verses very carefully. Forget your Shaykh Yasin.
Just for a moment use your eyes, open your mind and heart and this time observe
the difference between us (the Ahl al-sunnah Wa al-Jamah) and the polytheist of
Makkah. Our approach of asking the Prophets and pious for help is extremely different
from the manner in which they used to ask help from their idols. When the polytheists
of Makkah asked for help from their idols, they did so with the intention that they are the real providers of the help.
They completely forgot Allah and gave their idols a higher status than Almighty
Allah! (I seek shelter in this!) Allah then damned them and cursed them and said
they will be the fuel of the hell fire.
As I have previously explained, Muslims believe Allah
is the real provider and ?performer? of all doings, though sometimes Allah provides
or ?performs? through the means of something else i.e., the Prophet?s and pious.
They are only a means. Allah gave the
revelation through the Prophets, Allah guides through the pious. Previously I mentioned
how Allah has attributed certain acts to his creation, the taking of life, to Sayyidina Izraeel
(angel of death), bestowing a son to Sayyida Maryam has been attributed to Sayyidina Jibra?il.
Allah Azawajal says that Muhammad (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the guider. This is clear proof that with
the will of Allah the Prophets and pious can help and guide the people. The Prophets
and pious can help us. With the permission and will of Allah they have performed
many miracles helping people and guiding people. They are only a means which Allah
uses to approach and help us, (Allah has attributed the help given, to his creation
many a time in the Qur?an!) so surely it cannot be wrong to attribute help to the
Prophets and pious?
 back to contents
Proof from the Hadith
There is a famous, detailed hadith in sahih Bukhari, when
the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was sitting in the
company of some people, and Sayyidina Gabriel (peace be upon him) came to the blessed
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant hime peace) in the form of a man and asked
many questions about Islam. After each question the noble Prophet answered.
Then
that man (Gabriel) left and the Prophet asked his companions to call him back, but
they could not see him. Then the Prophet said, "That was Gabriel
who came to teach the people their religion."
Even though it was the blessed Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
who answered all the questions, and through his answering was he teaching and conveying
the knowledge, the blessed Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said
it was Sayydiina Gabriel (peace be upon him) ?who came to teach the people?. Why
did Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) attribute the teaching
to Sayyidina
Gabriel? The reason is that rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) merely attributed the teaching to Sayydiina Gabrial because Sayyidina Gabriel
was the means through which the knowledge was conveyed. This shows us that it is
permissible to attribute towards the means of approach. As Hafidh Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani
explained in his book Fath al-Bari under this hadith.
Ali: Brother please
simply answer me firmly: where does it say in the Qur?an that you can ask help from
other than Allah. And please do not show me any hadith or narration! I would appreciate
it if you did not give me another hour?s lecture! Look what the Qur?an says about
this matter:
023.117
He who crieth unto any other god along with Allah hath no proof thereof. His
reckoning is only with his Lord. Lo! disbelievers will not be successful.
Allahuakbar!
LaailahIlalaah! Please observe the above verse very carefully, how much more could
the Qur?an be clear!
Qadhi: Study
the following verses carefully
061.014 O
ye who believe! Be Allah's helpers, even as Jesus son of Mary said unto the disciples:
Who are my helpers for Allah ? They said: We are Allah's helpers. And a party
of the Children of
Israel
believed, while a party disbelieved. Then We strengthened those who believed against
their foe, and they became the uppermost.
066.004 If
ye twain turn unto Allah repentant, (ye have cause to do so) for your hearts desired
(the ban); and if ye aid one another against him (Muhammad) then lo! Allah, even
He, is his Protecting Friend, and Gabriel and the righteous among the believers;
and furthermore the angels are his helpers.
018.095 He
said: That wherein my Lord hath established me is better (than your tribute). Do
but help me with strength (of men), I will set between you and them a bank.
028.015 And
he entered the city at a time of carelessness of its folk, and he found therein
two men fighting, one of his own caste, and the other of his enemies; and he who
was of his caste asked him for help against him who was of his enemies. So
Moses struck him with his fist and killed him. He said: This is of the devil's doing.
Lo! he is an enemy, a mere misleader.
005.002 O
ye who believe! Profane not Allah's monuments nor the Sacred Month nor the offerings
nor the garlands, nor those repairing to the Sacred House, seeking the grace and
pleasure of their Lord. But when ye have left the sacred territory, then go hunting
(if ye will). And let not your hatred of a folk who (once) stopped your going to
the inviolable place of worship seduce you to transgress; but help ye one another
unto righteousness and pious duty. Help not one another unto sin and transgression,
but keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is severe in punishment.
All these verses
explain to us of how the pious would ask help from their followers. Sayyidina Gabriel
and the believers helped Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the
believers were commanded to help one another. This is not polytheism! (Shirk)
If so, then why has it been carried out by many of the Prophets, why has it been
commanded in the Qur?an.
004.075 How
should ye not fight for the cause of Allah and of the feeble among men and of the
women and the children who are crying: Our Lord! Bring us forth from out this town
of which the people are oppressors! Oh, give us from thy presence some protecting
friend! Oh, give us from Thy presence some defender!
In this verse
the oppressed Muslims of Makkah are asking Allah to send them a helper, someone
who can defend them and protect them. Note that they did not directly ask Allah for
help but thy asked Allah to send them a helper who could aid them. As they
knew that Allah?s help will reach them through the means of something else. SubhanAllah!
In this verse:
017.080 O
my Lord! Let my entry be by the Gate of Truth and Honour, and likewise my exit by
the Gate of Truth and Honour; and grant me from Thy Presence an authority to aid
(me).
the blessed
Prophet himself is asking Allah to send some assistance to help him. Again, carefully
understand that Rasulullah (the blessed prophet himself is asking Allah to send
some assistance to help him) did not directly ask for Allah?s help but asked for
Allah to send him some aid, i.e angels. Even our beloved Prophet knew that Allah?s
help will approach him through the means of something else.
Sayyidina
Isa had power to help!
Many people would come to the Prophets and pious and ask
them to help them in many ways. The blind and lepers would come to Sayyidina Isa
and ask him to cure them and with the will of Allah they were cured just as the
this verse informs us:
003.049 And
will make him a messenger unto the Children of
Israel
, (saying): Lo! I come unto you with a sign from your Lord. Lo! I fashion for you
out of clay the likeness of a bird, and I breathe into it and it is a bird, by Allah's
leave. I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I raise the dead,
by Allah's leave. And I announce unto you what ye eat and what ye store up in your
houses. Lo! herein verily is a portent for you, if ye are to be believers.
Here we learn that the curing of the blind and leper is
directly attributed to Sayyidina
Isa, ?I
heal him who was born blind, and the leper,?
even
though there has been no mention of Allah curing the people we know that Allah is
the curer. To cure the blind and leper is something beyond the human capability,
though this verse tells us clearly that if Allah wills he can do anything through
his Prophets and pious.
back to contents
It is permissible to ask the
pious to help you
with something that is beyond human capability?
027.038 He
said: O chiefs! Which of you will bring me her throne before they come unto me, surrendering ?
027.039 A stalwart of the jinn said: I will bring it thee before thou canst rise
from thy place. Lo! I verily am strong and trusty for such work.
027.040 One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it
thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in
his presence, (Solomon) said: This is of the bounty of my Lord, that He may try
me whether I give thanks or am ungrateful. Whosoever giveth thanks he only giveth
thanks for (the good of) his own soul; and whosoever is ungrateful (is ungrateful
only to his own soul's hurt). For lo! my Lord is Absolute in independence,
Bountiful
.
The help Sayyidina
Sulayman (peace be upon him) asked for from his followers, was something that was
beyond human capability. However his followers did help with the help of Allah.
If asking help from other than Allah Almighty is polytheism then why did Sayyidina
Sulaiman (peace be upon him) ask help from his followers? A question may arise that
why did Sayyidina Sulaiman (peace be upon
him) not bring the throne himself? Why did he ask his followers to do so? The answer
to this is that he asked for their help to emphasize that if his followers were
capable of such acts, then as a Prophet he would be capable of even greater acts!
We also learn from these verses that the Jinn also have the capability to help,
though the pious have more power and capability to help than the Jinn.
007.160 We
divided them into twelve tribes, nations; and We inspired Moses, when his people
asked him for water, saying: Smite with thy staff the rock! And there gushed
forth therefrom twelve springs, so that each tribe knew their drinking-place. And
we caused the white cloud to overshadow them and sent down for them the manna and
the quails (saying): Eat of the good things wherewith we have provided you. They
wronged Us not, but they were wont to wrong themselves.
When the nation
of Sayyidina Musa (peace be upon him) was thirsty for water and they requested to
him to provide them with water, he did not argue by saying, by asking him this was
committing shirk, no! Though Allah Azawajal
inspired Moses to hit his staff against the rock and twelve springs gushed forth!
Allahuakbar! In the following verse Sayyidina Gabriel says that he bestowed Sayyida
Maryam with a son
019.019 He
said: I am only a messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee a faultless son.
To ask someone
to provide them with a son is nothing compared to actually saying ?I bestow to you
a son?. Though either one cannot be called polytheism (Shirk) as then Sayyidina Gabriel (Jibra?eel) could not have
said this! To ask the Prophets and pious for help with the intention
that they are not the providers of the help, and are only a means through which
the help is provided is permissible and this is not worship. To worship and to ask
for help are two different things, as Allah clearly differentiates between them
in the Qur?an:
001.005 Thee
we worship; Thee we ask for help
Allah is clearly
differentiating between worship and help in this verse. If worshipping and asking
help are the same then why has Allah discussed them separately? This explains to
us that worship and help are two different things!
Iblis even helps his followers
The verses that
I am about to recite to you explain to us how even Iblis helps his followers
006.112 Thus
have We appointed unto every prophet an adversary - devils of humankind and jinn
who inspire in one another plausible discourse through guile. If thy Lord
willed, they would not do so;
007.027 O
Children of Adam! Let not Iblis seduce you as he caused your (first) parents
to go forth from the Garden and tore off from them their robe (of innocence) that
he might manifest their shame to them. Lo! he seeth you, he and his tribe, from
whence ye see him not. Lo! We have made the devils protecting friends for those
who believe not. so leave them alone with their devising;
These verses
inform us how that even Iblis inspires and helps his friends in doing wrong. If
he has the power to help those who do wrong, surely with the will of Allah the Prophets
and pious can be of help to us!
Further proof
that the Jinn can help:
027.039 A
stalwart of the jinn said: I will bring it thee before
thou canst
rise from thy place.
Lo! I verily am strong and trusty for such work.
This verse proves
that the jinn have great power, if the jinn have such power why then can?t the pious?
Ali: I see that
you cannot answer my question without confusing the topic. You are just ignoring
the verses of the Qur?an. Are you one of those sad, lost people who also claim that
seeking help from the dead is permissible?
046.004 Say
(unto them, O Muhammad): Have ye thought on all that ye invoke beside Allah ? Show
me what they have created of the earth. Or have they any portion in the heavens
? Bring me a scripture before this (Scripture), or some vestige of knowledge (in
support of what ye say), if ye are truthful.
046.005
And who is in greater error than he who calls
besides Allah upon those that will not answer him till the day of resurrection
and they are heedless of their call?
046.006
And when men are gathered together they shall be their enemies, and shall be deniers
of their worshipping (them).
046.007 And when Our clear revelations are recited unto them, those who disbelieve
say of the Truth when it reacheth them: This is mere magic.
How can you pray to something that will not hear your
prayer until the final day! This clearly proves that the dead pious you pray to
cannot hear you!
Qadhi: Firstly brother the verses you have recited are
not talking of the pious. They are talking about the idols who were worshipped by
the polytheists of Makkah. Alhamdulillah, I have proved that asking for help from
other than Allah is permissible. If you are now claiming that asking the dead for
help is polytheism (shirk) then this must mean that asking the living for
help is also polytheism! If asking help is polytheism it should not matter whether
those who you ask for help are living or are deceased. Why are you differentiating
between them? Where does it say in the Qur?an that to ask help from the living is
permissible and to ask from the deceased is polytheism? If you are claiming that
asking help is worship then that means you are saying that you can worship a living
person but not the deceased! We have already
acknowledged that asking help from other than Allah is not worship anyway and that
the deceased pious are alive in their graves!
Asking help from the deceased pious is just asking the deceased pious to make supplication
(dua) for you. Muslims believe that if they go to the grave of a pious person,
they can hear (as we have proven earlier) and so ask them to make supplication (dua)
on their behalf. The scholars of the Ahl al-Sunna Wa al-Jama?a have clarified that
supplication (dua) is made to Allah alone, as supplication (dua) is
a form of worship. However the Supplication (dua) is not directed towards
the pious but to Allah alone, and the pious are selected to be the means (wasila)
in which the prayer is offered. I clarified some time ago that the pious are alive
in their graves, but just as a reminder I shall present a verse proving this:
back to contents
Proof that the Pious are enjoying
the life of their
graves
:
016.097 Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and
has Faith, verily, to him will We give a new Life, a life that is good and
pure and We will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions
Here Allah Most
Gracious promises the believers, a new life good and pure. This life is the Afterlife.
If we are completely lifeless once we have died, then how will we enjoy the pleasures
our Lord has promised us? Surely we will be alive in the hereafter?
Ali: Allah Most
Merciful is able to hear supplication (dua) wherever you may
be, so why is there a need to go to the graves of the Prophets and pious
and making supplication there?
Qadhi: The answer to this is simple. The places where
the Prophets and pious are buried are holy, as Allah Almighty says in the Qur?an
005.021
O my people! Go into the holy land which Allah hath ordained for you. Turn
not in flight, for surely ye turn back as losers:
007.137
And We made a people, considered weak (and of no account), inheritors of lands in
both east and west, - lands whereon We sent down Our blessings. The fair
promise of thy Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel, because they had patience
and constancy, and We levelled to the ground the great works and fine buildings
which Pharaoh and his people erected (with such pride).
017.001
Glory to (Allah) Who did take His servant for a Journey by night from the Sacred
Mosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless,- in order that
We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (all
things).
021.071
But We delivered him and (his nephew) Lut (and directed them) to the land which We
have blessed for the nations.
These verses
are talking about the blessed
land of Palestine
, where Allah has sent many blessings and many Prophets. Allah
Azawajal took our beloved Rassulullah from the blessed city of
Makkah
on the night of Mira?j to show him this very holy city. This proves that Allah has
made certain cities holy; He has made
Palestine
especially holy due to all the coming of countless Prophets to that very land.
Palestine
has been said to be holy because of the Prophet?s who lived there and who are buried
there. Makkah and Madina are also said to be holy, as Madina is the place where
Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is buried. Futhermore there
are many lands where the Prophets and pious have lived and are buried, and it is
for this reason that they are considered holy. If one was to make a supplication
to Allah whilst at the graves of the Prophet?s and pious, the supplication would
Insha?Allah be accepted quickly, as one would be at a holy place.
Sayyidina
Zakariya (peace be upon him)
supplicated to
Allah at a holy place
003.037 And
her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth;
and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where
she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto
thee this (food) ? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to
whom He will.
003.038 Then Zachariah prayed unto his Lord and said: My Lord! Bestow upon
me of Thy bounty goodly offspring. Lo! Thou art the Hearer of Prayer.
These verses
tell us that whenever Saayyidina Zakariya (peace be upon him) went to Sayida Maryam?s
house, she was always blessed with food. This was because she was a blessed woman
and her house was a blessed place. So Sayyidina
Zakariya (peace
be upon him) made supplication whilst he was
at her house as he knew that it was a place of blessing and his supplication would
be accepted quickly! This shows us the significance of a
blessed place.
back to contents
The Mountains
As-Safa and Al-Marwah
002.158 Surely
the Safa and the Marwa are among the signs appointed by Allah; so whoever
makes a pilgrimage to the House or pays a visit (to it), there is no blame on him
if he goes round them both; and whoever does good spontaneously, then surely Allah
is Grateful, Knowing.
In these verses,
Allah has called the mountains Safa and Marwah His signs: places that are holy and
special. He, Azawajal, has further made
it essential to visit these mountains because Sayida Hajara (may Allah be pleased
with her), walked between these two mountains in search of water and because the
feet of Sayida Hajra (may Allah be pleased with her) touched the ground between
the mountains, it is said to be holy. Now if that ground has become holy as a result
of a pious person?s feet touching it, just imagine how holy those grounds must be
where the entire bodies of the Prophet and pious are buried! SubahnAllah!
A question may
arise from this that, does this mean whatever ground the Prophets and pious have
walked on, wherever their bodies have touched, are all these places and lands considered?
The Prophets were sent all over the world to many communities, does this mean the
whole world is holy land? We can answer this question by stating that the land where
the Prophets and pious have been are considered to be holy. For example, the land
of al-Sham,
Syria
, has been given a lot of recognition in the Qur?an. However at times when the Prophets
and pious walked upon that land, Allah Most Merciful, particularly likes their walking,
the way of their walking, their reason and intention of walking; so therefore it
becomes of more value to Allah, such as in the case of Sayida Hajra (may Allah be
pleased with her). Allah valued Sayida Hajar?s
(may Allah be pleased with her) walking so much that he made it His sign, and a
part of the Hajj.
Ali: Where has it been made permissible to even go to graves?
Qadhi:
009.084
And never (O Muhammad) pray for one of them who dieth, nor stand by his grave. Lo!
they disbelieved in Allah and His messenger, and they died while they were
evil-doers.
This verse forbids
us from going to the graves of the disbelievers or to pray for them. However Allah
Azawajal could not make this command
apply to Muslims visiting other Muslims who have passed away as we have been told
time and time again to pray for other Muslims. If visiting the graves of Muslims
was prohibited all together then why did Allah not mention so in the verse that
I just recited?
You should not be hopeless
from the people of the grave
060.013
O ye who believe! Be not friendly with a folk with whom Allah is wroth, (a folk)
who have despaired of the Hereafter as the disbelievers despair of those who
are in the graves.
In this verse,
Allah informs us that He is angry with the disbelievers for two reasons:
firstly that they ?have despaired of the Hereafter? meaning that they
do not believe in the hereafter. This implicitly means that they do not believe
that mankind will be raised once they have died. Secondly, Allah
Azawajal is angry with the disbelievers because they ?despair of those who
are in the graves.? Meaning that they believe that the people of
grave are dead, lifeless and hopeless. If Muslims are to believe in either of these
then we share the same belief as those who disbelieve in Allah, and just as Allah
is angry with them He will be angry with us. This is why as Muslims we cannot
believe that the people of the graves are dead, lifeless and hopeless. So, when Muslims go to the graves of the Prophets
and pious we will go with the intention that they are alive in their graves and
they are not lifeless. We will not go with the intention that the Prophet?s and
pious are dead and lifeless just as idols are.
Ali: Have you
not yet listened to my next verse! Listen carefully to Allah?s words:
035.022
Nor are the living equal with the dead. Lo! Allah maketh whom He will to hear. Thou
canst not reach those who are in the graves.
035.023
Thou
art but a warner.
These verses
prove that the dead cannot hear in their graves. So when you go to the graves of
the Prophets and the pious, how can you go with the intention that they will hear
you? How can you claim this when Allah Azawajal
has clearly informed us that those who are in the graves cannot hear? Do you understand
what cannot means!?
Qadhi: Brother
Ali I have told you before that this verse you have presented does not go against
what I am saying. I understand and believe that it is Allah who grants the deceased
the power to hear, and that they will only hear if Allah Most High wills, but this
does not prove that the deceased cannot hear in their graves. We have already discussed
this topic and I have provided you with all the necessary verses to prove that the
deceased can hear in the grave. The answer to your own question is within the verse
you presented: in the verses you recited, Allah
Azawajal is addressing Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
and Allah Azawajal is telling him that
he cannot make the people of the grave hear: only Allah has the ability to
do this. This is what we believe. We do not believe that it is in our power
to enable the Prophet?s and pious to hear, only Allah creates this ability as Allah
Ta?la says in the Qur?an:
035.022 Lo! Allah maketh whom He will to hear.
back to contents
Even the living cannot
hear without Allah?s will!
008.021 Be
not as those who say, we hear, and they hear not.
008.022 Lo! the worst of beasts in Allah's sight are the deaf, the dumb, who have
no sense.
008.023 Had Allah known of any good in them He would have made them hear,
but had He made them hear they would have turned away, averse.
In these verses
Allah Azawajal has called those who do
not believe in His message as ?deaf,? though if Allah
Azawajal chooses to do so he can make them hear and therefore they will
believe and have faith in His message. So we understand from this that the disbelievers
are ?deaf,? but if Allah wills He can make them ?hear.? These verses are talking
of the living, so obviously if the living cannot hear without Allah?s will and nor
can the dead, this must mean that the deceased only hear when Allah wills. We cannot
enable the deceased to hear, nor is it in their own capability, only Allah creates
this ability for them, and only when Allah wants to make them hear they will hear.
There is no difference in the manner of hearing between the living and the deceased.
The disbelievers have been called deaf and dumb metaphorically as Allah Almighty
has said to them in the Qur?an:
002.018 Deaf,
dumb and blind; and they return not.
This verse is
not describing the disbelievers in a literal manner, only in a metaphoric way, as
they do not hear, see or understand the message of Allah.
Ali: From what
I have gathered you are claiming that once the pious have died, they are not actually
dead. Do you mean to say that the pious never die?
Qadhi: You are
right in saying that in a sense, the pious do not actually die. The human is made
up of two things, the body made from clay and the inner spirit. The inner spirit
is what animates us and that is what makes us human. The body can die and rot away
but the inner spirit will never die, it is eternal. For this reason, when someone
dies, we say ?so and so has ?passed-away?? which means just passing death. For example,
if one were to pass by a door then we would say that he has passed by the door;
he would have only been in front of the door for seconds. This is why when the pious
die they only ?pass by? death and they then regain life and enter the hereafter.
As Allah Almighty says in the Qur?an:
003.185 Every
soul shall have a taste of death
This verse informs
us that every soul shall experience death; and we know that an experience is momentary:
it is in the moment and the experience soon passes. Likewise, in relation to life,
when death approaches, the actual time in which your soul is taken is an experience
? which will soon pass. This proves that the pious shall only taste death for a
matter of seconds, and after that, the ?taste? of death will go and the pious will
regain life in the hereafter.
Let us now examine
the evidence the Qur?an has given us about this explanation that I have just given
you.
Human?s have been
made from two things:
Clay & Spirit
015.028 And
(remember) when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am creating a mortal out of
potter's clay of black mud altered,
015.029 So, when I have made him and have breathed into him of My Spirit,
do ye fall down, prostrating yourselves unto him.
015.030 So the angels fell prostrate, all of them together
It is proven
from these verses that at first, humans were made out of clay. Our human aspect
only occurred when the spirit was blown into it; and even before the human form
was made from clay the spirit existed. So when the human has to die it is said that
the soul is taken: it does not die as it eternal.
007.172 And
(remember) when thy Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their reins,
their seed, and made them testify of themselves, (saying): Am I not your
Lord ? They said: Yea, verily. We testify. (That was) lest ye should say
at the Day of Resurrection: Lo! of this we were unaware;
007.173 Or lest ye should say: (It is) only (that) our fathers ascribed partners
to Allah of old and we were (their) seed after them. Wilt Thou destroy us on account
of that which those who follow falsehood did ?
These verses
prove that before our birth we were all ?alive.? The spirit was present, alive in
front of Allah. The spirit further testified that Allah is their only Lord. It also
proves that the spirits had the ability to talk as the following verse also proves:
003.081 When
Allah made (His) covenant with the prophets, (He said): Behold that which I have
given you of the Scripture and knowledge. And afterward there will come unto you
a messenger, confirming that which ye possess. Ye shall believe in him and ye shall
help him. He said: Do ye agree, and will ye take up My burden (which I lay upon you)
in this (matter) ? They answered: We agree. He said: Then bear ye witness. I will
be a witness with you.
This is also
proof that the spirit was alive in the spiritual world before we were born and not
only did the spirit have the ability to understand but also to speak. They were
particularly given knowledge about the Excellency of our beloved Rasulullah (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) and they understood this.
back to contents
The spirit
does not die after death
003.169 Think
not of those, who are slain in the way of Allah, as dead. Nay, they are living.
With their Lord they have provision.
006.162 Say:
Lo! my worship and my sacrifice and my living and my dying are for Allah,
Lord of the Worlds.
These verses
prove that the spirit does not die, it is not only alive but it is receiving provision
from their Lord.
The spirits of the
deceased meet daily with the living
006.060
He it is Who gathereth you at night and knoweth that which ye commit by day.
Then He raiseth you again to life therein, that the term appointed (for you) may
be accomplished. And afterward unto Him is your return. Then He will proclaim unto
you what ye used to do.
039.042
Allah receiveth (men's) souls at the time of their death, and that (soul) which
dieth not (yet) in its sleep.
He keepeth that (soul) for which He hath ordained death and dismisseth the rest
till an appointed term. Lo! herein verily are portents for people who take thought.
From these two
verses we learn that while we are asleep, our spirits go to Allah where the spirits
of the deceased are already present. So in this way, the living and the deceased
spirits have the opportunity to meet and talk with one another. Whatever the living
person discusses with the deceased person is sometimes remembered the next morning,
in the form of a dream. Though at other times it is changed or forgotten due to
Iblis filling the mind with different images and occurrences. Some may object that
this is not true because the people of this world cannot meet with the people of
the next because there is a barrier between them both, as Allah Almighty says in
the Qur?an:
023.099
Until, when death cometh unto one of them, he saith: My Lord! Send me back,
023.100
That I may do right in that which I have left behind! But nay! It is but a word
that he speaketh; and behind them is a barrier until the day when they are raised.
According to
some, these verses prove that whosoever has gone into the next world cannot come
back into this world. The actual meaning of these verses are that when a person
is very close to their death, they ask Allah to allow them to go back to this world
so they can earn more good deeds; as the verse says, ?when death cometh unto one
of them, he saith: My Lord! Send me back.? Though Allah tells that person
that they cannot go back to this world to earn good deeds, as there will
always be a barrier between them and coming back to this world to earn more good
deeds. As Allah Azawajal says in the
Qur?an:
006:028 Nay,
but that hath become clear unto them which before they used to hide. And if they
were sent back they would return unto that which they are forbidden. Lo!
they are liars.
We do not say
that the dead can come into this world physically, though they can come into this
world spiritually. However, in the hereafter they are alive both spiritually and
physically.
It is proven
in the Qur?an that a living person can meet the deceased without being in the state
of a dream!
032:023
And we did give Moses the Book; be not then in doubt concerning the meeting with
him; and we made it a guidance to the children of
Israel
.
[Translation: Palmer]
032.023
We did indeed aforetime give the Book to Moses: be not then in doubt of its reaching
(thee): and We made it a guide to the Children of
Israel
.
[Translation: Yusuf Ali]
There are many
various translations of this verse, however the Arabic word used ?Li Qa? ihi?
means ?meeting? this is the accurate translation. This verse proves that Rasulullah
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) once met with Sayyidina
Musa (peace be upon him). When Rasulullah
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) told the people of his meeting with Sayyidina Musa
(peace be upon him) some of them doubted his meeting because they thought that how
could Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) someone who was alive
meet with a deceased Prophet? It was for this reason that Allah Almighty revealed
the verse I just recited. Allah Azawajal
revealed the verse for Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to inform
the people, that just as there is not doubt in Allah revealing a scripture to Sayyidina Musa
(peace be upon him) there is no doubt in the meeting between his two Prophets.
Ali: I do not
agree with your interpretation of this verse. I believe that the meeting between
Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and Sayyidina
Musa (alayhissalam) is either the
meeting that took place on the night of Mi?raj, or it will be a future meeting
that will take place between the two Prophets on the Day of Judgment. Also you have
said that it was the people who doubted the meeting between the Prophets, however
I believe that it was Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) himself
who doubted the meeting and Allah addressed Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) when revealing the above verse.
Qadhi: Ali!
I am quite shocked to hear from you that you consider it a possibility that
Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) met Sayyidina
Musa (alayhissalam) on the night of
Mi?raj. Where is this written in the Qur?an? You usually are very firm about everything
being in the Qur?an, I think just because you have found this verse difficult to
?tackle?, you have desperately brought yourself to use hadith.
Firstly, according
to the hadith, on the night of Mi?raj, Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) met with all the Prophets. Why then, does he doubt his meeting with Sayydina
Musa (alayhissalam)? Surely, if he were to doubt this meeting then he would have
doubted his meeting with all the other Prophets on the night of Mi?raj. What was
so unusual about Sayyidina
Musa (alayhissalam) that it made Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) doubt particularly meeting him? Secondly, your other explanation was
that the meeting discussed in this verse (032:023) could refer to a future meeting
between the two Prophets on the Day of Judgment. The fact is that on the Day of
Judgment Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is not only going
to meet Sayyidina Musa (alayhissalaam) alone, he is going to meet all the Prophets
and followers. Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was sure that
Judgment Day existed, in the same manner that he was sure that he is going to meet
all the Prophets and his followers on the final day; if he was to doubt his meeting
with Sayyidina Musa (alayhissalam) on the Day of Judgment, he would have not only
doubted this one meeting, but the meeting with all the Prophets and followers!
From this we
learn that the meeting discussed in this verse (032:023) was not when Rasulullah
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) met Sayyidina
Musa (alayhissalam) during the night
of Mi?raj, nor is it when they will meet on the Day of Judgment. In fact it was
a meeting that took place between the two Prophets in this world and it was
not Rasulullah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) who doubted the meeting,
but the people whom he told.
Verse 032:023 is not addressing Rasulullah
(may Allah bless
him and grant him peace)
It is addressing
the people who doubted!
back to contents
back to top
|
