14)
Ethal at-Thawaab
To put simply, isal ath-thawab is nothing other than to
ask Allah for the forgiveness of our sins, and to raise
the spiritual status of the deceased.This may be achieved through
various practices, such as the offering of du'a's (supplications),
to recite the Qur'an, to offer Qurbani [(t 'Id al-Adha), and also,
to perform a compulsory Hajj (fard) on the behalf of the deceased.
As this chapter will seek to demonstrate, (by using the Qur'an,
the Sunna and fatawa of the 'ulema as evidence) isal ath-thawab
is not an innovative practice (bid'a), but something that has been
practiced by Muslims throughout the centuries and, secondly, which
is permissible.
Evidence from the Qur'an
Allah Most High has ordered the Muslims to pray for their parents
as follows:
"O my Lord, have mercy on my parents even as they have brought
me up through my childhood"
[Sura al-Isra', verse 24]
Allah Most High has praised those Muslims who ask for forgiveness
of the deceased. They ask for forgiveness in the following manner:
"Our Lord! Forgive us and forgive our Muslim brothers who
came before us [passed away]"
(Sura al-Hashr, verse 10)
The above mentioned verses demonstrate that if anyone prays on
behalf of another person, the latter will receive the spiritual
benefits - Allah Willing.This also demonstrates that if it was the
wrong action Allah would not have ordered us to pray for other people,
nor would He have stated that those who ask for forgiveness for
the deceased receive praises from Allah.
Evidence from Hadith
Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim write that:
"A man came to the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) and said 'My mother has suddenly died and she did
not leave any will, but I suspect that if she did then she would
have told me to give something to charity. Now if I offer something
in charity on her behalf, will she get the reward?' Prophet Muhammad
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied, 'Yes.'Then the
man said, 'I make you, the Prophet, my witness that I offer my garden
full of fruits in charity'"
[Bukhari; Muslim, chapter on
'Al-Wasiya']
This hadith, as can be clearly read, proves that to offer a charity
on behalf of the deceased will result in the deceased obtainig a
benefit.
Imam al-Bukhari writes:
"Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
has said, 'The status of the deceased is raised [during their time
in the grave], and the deceased ask Allah why this has happened.
Allah replies, 'Your son has prayed for your forgiveness'"
[al-Bukhari, Al-Adab Al-Mufid, chapter
on 'Excellency of Parents']
From this particular hadith it can be understood that not only
charity, but the offering of prayers (making duas) and the giving
of alms, will also benefit the deceased.
Opinion of the Scholars
Hafiz Ibn Taymiyya writes:
"From the authentic ahadith there is evidence pointing out
that the deceased person will gain rewards from all the good deeds
carried out on his/her behalf by others. Some people raise the objection
that a person can only gain reward from their own actions, and refer
to the Qur'an [for evidence]. This is not correct. Firstly, because
a Muslim recieves the reward of those deeds that he /she has never
done themselves [for example]: like Allah says in the Qur'an that
the angels of the Throne of Allah, glorify Allah and ask for forgiveness
on behalf of all the Muslims.It is also evident from the Qur'an
[that] Allah Most High ordered Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) to pray for his Umma, since his du'a' is
the peace of mind for the Umma. In the same way, the du'a is offered
in the funeral prayer, when visiting the grave and when praying
for the deceased
"Secondly, we know that Allah Most High rewards us through
the deeds of other people, which arecarried out on our behalf. An
example is where the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) said, 'Whenever a Muslim prays for other Muslims, Allah
appoints an angel to say Amin' - i.e. the angel asks Allah for the
acceptance of the prayer. Sometimes Allah blesses the participants
of the funeral prayer in response to the prayer from the deceased
and vice-versa"
[Ibn Taymiyya, Mujmu' al-Fatawa, Saudia
Arabian edition, vol.7, page 500 & vol.24, page 367]
Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim writes:-
"If a Muslim recites Qur'an, performs Hajj, offers du'a' or
gives in charity on the behalf of the deceased, then the deceased
gets the benefits of it. Some innovators say that the deceased do
not get any such reward, which is wrong according to the authentic
ahadith. The proof is in the Qur'an that Allah Most High has praised
those who ask for forgiveness for their Muslim brothers. An authentic
hadith proves that Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) replied to a question saying that to offer alms on behalf
of a deceased person earns benefit. Some individuals suspect that
the earlier Muslims did not do isal ath-thawab. This is because
of their own ignorance or lack of knowledge. The earlier Muslims
did not do these to show off. The Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) himself gave permission to offer alms,
so it is right to say that isal ath-thawab is right. The aya in
the Qur'an, which states that only ones own deeds are rewarded,
means that if one is righteous enough to get rewarded, which means
that one is righteous to receive reward, but a present from someone
else is also rewarded to the deceased by Allah Most High"
[Ibn al-Qayyim, Kitab ar-Ruh, Chapter 16]
Qadi Shawkani writes:
"According to the Sunni creed, a deceased receives reward
from others praying, performing Hajj, offering alms, but the Mu'tazilites
[a deviant sect]refuse to accept this. If it is wrong to offer these
to the deceased, then Islam would not have allowed us to say Salam
[greeting of peace] to the deceased when visiting or entering the
graveyards"
[Qadi Shawkani, Nayl al-Awtar, chapter
on 'Janaiz']
These above references prove our argument for isal ath-thawab and
that the suspicion people harbour regarding it has no basis in either
the Qur'an or the Sunna.
Origins and Development
The origin of isal ath-thawab is in the Qur'an but it is carried
out in different manners in different communities. Similarly, to
preach Islam or invite others to the Din is proven but the methods
are different for different situations. For example Islamic circles
are held on Saturdays or Sundays in some communities but it is not
mentioned in the Qur'an or ahadith that they should be held on these
evenings. In the same way, the origin of isal ath-thawab is in the
Qur'an and ahadith but it is carried out differently in different
communities. Thus to call it an innovation is not right.Now we will
discuss four issues, concerning isal ath-thawab, that have been
labelled as innovations by certain people.
1) When a person dies, Muslims offer alms (sadaqa) on their behalf
and pray in congregation. In these gatherings, Islamic teachings
are preached; this serves as a way to preach or spread Islam. Through
these gatherings, the deceased receive benefit because Muslims pray
for their fogiveness and others get knowledge of Islam. The poor
get benefit from these alms. If you look at it from any angle, it
is not an innovation.
2)Some people raise the question that a day should not be fixed
for this and that fixing such a day is haram in Islam. The answer
to this question is that 'fixing a day' for isal ath-thawab will
only be haram if it is said that outside of this day it will not
be isal ath-thawab. For instance, Qurbani, Hajj and salat times
are fixed, but isal ath-thawab is sometimes found on a fixed day
merely for convenience of relatives and friends for du'a. The participants
do not believe it is compulsory to hold the gathering for that 'fixed
day'. Like any Islamic conference, the date of it is fixed in advance.
Another example is when the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) asked Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him)
after Fajr, 'Tell me what good deeds you do because I heard your
footsteps in Janna. Bilal replied, 'The only thing I do is after
I make wudu I pray as much nawafil as Allah wills me to do' [Bukhari,
Chapter of Salat]. Hafiz al-'Asqalani writes in his commentary to
this hadith, 'We can understand from this hadith that it is permissible
for a person to fix a time for their voluntary prayers' [Fath
al-Bari, Book of Salat]
A final example is the 'fixed times' for congregational prayers
in the mosque - no one can be labelled an innovator because of this
and, in the same way, to fix a day for du'a' for the deceased is
not an innovation.
3) Some people object to the provision of food and drink at the
gatherings of isal ath-thawab. However, this is merely a showing
of hospitality. At some of these gatherings many people get together
to read Qur'an for the deceased. For the people who get together
and read Qur'an, we could be hospitible by providing for them by
giving food and drink. This is all done with the intention of thawab
(reward). Similarly, when Islamic circles are held there are usually
refreshments held after and this is carried out with the intention
of blessings and reward. This is one way of doing isal ath-thawab.
There are many other ways of doing isal ath-thawab..
4) One of the methods of isal ath-thawab is the gathering of Urs,
which is done annually for a saint by his disciples (murids). They
hold this Urs in the mosque near the grave of the saint. They recite
the Qur'an and various scholars give lectures on different topics
of Islam. The audience are allowed to question the scholars on anything
they wish. At the end of the gathering, a du'a' is said and then
hospitality is shown to the people. The hospitality is solely done
for Allah's good pleasure and the blessings.
Some people consider this an innovation (bid'a) and regard it to
be forbidden (haram). They object to this and ask questions such
as "Why once a year?" The other objection they have towards
it is that the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) curses those who build mosques on the grave. Therefore, the
objection they hold is that if a mosque is not allowed to be built
on a grave, how can you hold a gathering, such as Urs, there?
Regarding the objection of holding Urs only once a year, Imam Tabari,
Hafiz Ibn Kathir and al-Qurtubi write:
"The Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
used to go to the graves of the martyrs of Uhud once a year and
recite a verse from the Holy Qur'an regarding the excellence of
patience. The Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) used to pray for them. When the beloved Prophet Muhammad
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) passed away himself, the
khulafa, Abu Bakr, 'Umar, Usman and 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with
them) used to do the same thing"
[Tafsir Tabari, Tafsir Ibn Kathir and Tafsir
Qurtubi, commentary of Sura ar-Ra'd, verse 20]
From this we can conclude or understand that going to the grave
of a saint once a year is permissible and is not an innovation (bid'a).
Also to lecture in a gathering is just another way of doing da'wa
(propagating Islam).
As for the alleged impermissiblilty of building a mosque over a
grave, the meaning of the hadith is that it is impermissible to
prostrate to the grave. There is proof in the Qur'an of building
a mosque for saints near the grave:
"They said, build over their cave any building. Their Lord
knows well about them. Those who prevailed in their affair said,
'We swear that we shall erect over them amosque"
[Sura al-Kahf, verse 21]
Commenting on this verse, Imam at-Tabari, Hafiz Ibn Kathir and
Imam al-Qurtabi write:
"When the people of the cave went into the cave, some people
close to the entrance of the cave said, 'Build a mosque so we can
worship Allah.' The people who said this were Muslims"
[Tafsir Tabari, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Sura
al-Kahf, verse 21]
Therefore, from this we can prove that building a mosque near the
grave of a pious person is permissible.
Hafiz al-'Asqalani writes:
"If a person built a mosque near the graves of pious people,
and that person's intention is solely for the blessings of Allah,
and at the time of prayer the people do not not prostrate or face
the grave, it is permissable to build a mosque near the grave of
a saint and is not forbidden"
[Fath al-Bari, Chapter of Masjid]
From the above, we can understand the true meaning of the hadith
which points out not to prostrate to the graves. It does not mean
not to build a mosque near the graves. It basically means not to
face the graves whilst praying.
Imam at-Tabari and Hafiz Ibn Kathir write, in 88 AH, that the room
of 'A'isha (may Allah be pleased with her) - where there are graves
of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace),
Abu Bakr and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) - was joined
to the mosque of the Prophet
[Tareeh Tabari and Tar'ikh Hafiz
Ibn Kathir, Chapter of Government of Walid ibn 'abd al-Malik]
At the time of this, some Companions and their students (Tabi'un)
were alive and since then no-one has objected to this, which means
it is allowed to have a mosque near the grave.
Some people assert that it is not allowed to visit the grave with
the intention to see the grave. We, the Ahl as-Sunna say that it
is permissible and, moreover, praiseworthy to go and visit the grave
with the intention that you are going to see the grave. We have
already mentioned the evidences for this in the previous chapter.
Vows
Some people make the false accusation that the Ahl as-Sunna wa'l-Jama'a
make vows to pious people (anbiya and awliya) but the Ahl as-Sunna
make vows only for Allah and no one else. To make a vow is worship.
We believe that if someone worships something other than Allah
he is a mushrik, and a kafir.
Then the following question is raised: What is the meaning
when the Ahl as-Sunna go to the graves of the pious and make vows
to them?
When the people of Ahl as-Sunna make vows like this to Allah, they
do so in the following manner: 'O Allah, if You make our sick people
better, we will feed ten poor people, and the sawab (reward) from
it we will donate to this pious person named so and so.' Sometimes
the person makes a vow to Allah and then slaughters a sheep and
gives the meat to the poor and then makes du'a that the sawab from
this goes to pious people who have passed away.
Some People say that This Type of Vow is Kufr and Shirk.
Muhammad ibn 'abd al-Wahhab wrote:
"Vows is kufr for the pious" [Ibn 'abd al-Wahhab, Kashf
al-Shubhat, Chapter on Vows]
The problem with Ibn 'abd al-Wahhab's statement is that he did
not differentiate between the vow of worship and the vow of gift.
The vows of the pious mean the gift of sawab (reward) and not vows
of worship that can only be for Allah.
Imam Ahmad Raza Khan writes:
"When we slaughter an animal for 'aqiqa, the slaughtering
of the animal is for Allah and the meat is for the people. Or when
we have visitors we slaughter the lamb, cow, chicken, etc. We do
it not for worship but for the hospitality of the visitors. So in
the same way, when a person goes to the graves of the pious and
slaughters an animal, the intention is for the meat to be given
to the poor and the sawab to go to the pious. We cannot think that
any Muslim can make vows as worship for any pious person or slaughter
animals in respect and worship of the pious. But if somebody does
it with the intention of worship there is no doubt that he is a
non-Muslim"
[Khan, Ahmad, Raza., Fatawa Razawiyya;
Fatawa Shami, Fatawa Alamghir, Chapter of Vows]
To perform du'a' over food
Some people have raised the question that is it bid'a to read the
Qur'an and say du'a on the food during an isal ath-thawab gathering.
There are certain aspects to the above question. Firstly, we believe
that the food is not part of the isal ath-thawab gathering. Imam
Ahmad Raza Khan writes:
"If someone puts food before an isal ath-thawab meeting and
he has the intention of reading Qur'an and du'a' on it, then this
is allowed. If someone states that the deceased cannot get sawab
because there is no food in the isal ath-thawab then they are wrong"
[Fatawa Razawiyya, Chapter on Janaza]
Secondly, we cannot say that having food before the isal ath-thawab
gathering is bid'a, as the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) put food, milk and water in front of him, and then he
did du'a' and read something on the food. Hafiz Ibn-Kathir writes:
"One day the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
was invited to someone's house. The Prophet (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) accepted the invitation and he bought a lot
of Companions with him to the house. There was a very short amount
of food for the people. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) said to bring the food out. Prophet Muhammad (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) read whatever Allah wanted on the
food and du'a' was also done on the food and the food was given
to the people. After the people had eaten the food, there was still
the same amount of food left as it was before the people started
to eat"
[Ibn Kathir, Ta'rikh Ibn Kathir & Sirat an-Nabi,
Chapter of Mu'jizat]
From this narration we can see the proof for the permissibility
to do du'a on food - it is not an innovation but a Sunna and is
only done for the purpose of baraka (blessing) and so the food does
not come short.
The purpose of isal ath-thawab gatherings is to spread and teach
Islam, and to offer food to the people who join the gathering is
not bid'a [Tafsir Ibn Kathir, under Sura ash-Shu'ara', verse 214]
Hafiz Ibn Kathir writes:
"When Allah Most High revealed this verse of the Qur'an which
states: 'O Beloved, warn your nearest kinsmen' the Prophet (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to 'Ali, 'O Ali, sacrifice
a goat and cook that meat and bring milk and fruit with the cooked
to my house for a party.' At the party, Muhammad (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) said, 'I am a Prophet of Allah. I have
been sent to guide you to the right path, so become Muslim.' When
the family heard this, they started to laugh and they left the house.
This happened for three days continuously"
[Tafsir Ibn Kathir, under Sura ash-Shu'ara',
verse 214]
From the above references it is clear that to prepare food for
blessings is allowed and to hold the gatherings for the spread and
teaching of Islam and to invite people to eat the blessed food is
not bid'a.
In our times, especially in the western countries, Muslims have
become very lazy and they do not attend the Mosque to perform salat.
Therefore, it is good to organise a gathering and to prepare food
for the gathering and to invite Muslims and offer them food and
to teach about Islam and their duties. The people who carry out
this job are praiseworthy because they are spending their money
and time in Allah's way. Their intention is to please Allah Most
High and it is very surprising that people say that this is bid'a
and you will get bad deeds if you do this and this is a waste of
money.
We pray for all the Muslims who have passed away for their forgiveness
and we also pray for those people who organise different kinds of
gatherings to guide and remind Muslims of their duties.
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