Praying for the Dead and What Benefits Them

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad

Question:

There is a hadith from Abu Hurayrah (R) saying that the “Prophet (S) saying only three acts benefit a deceased when he dies. Those being knowledge he gave, charity he spent, or the prayers of a pious son.” I also read a hadith where Abu Hurayrah (R) prayed for a dweller of the grave by asking Allah to increase the good of a believer if he did good, and to forgive his bad if he did bad. How do we reconcile these two hadith of the Prophet (S)? Especially because some Muslims use the first hadith to ban acts on behalf of the deceased.

Answer:

The Prophet himself prayed for the deceased and declared that his prayer benefited them, as in the hadith of the mosque-sweeper in Sahih Muslim.

The majority of Ahl al-Sunna consider that the Prophet’s hadith “three things remain” is not absolute. There are so many hadiths drawing lists in similar terms, such as : “Seven people will be shaded on the day of Resurrection”, and “three things of your world have been made beloved to me”, and “women are betrothed for four reasons”, and “a woman enters Paradise for three reasons”, and “the earth is cursed except for four things”, and so on and so forth. These do not have an absolute, exclusive value, but a general value. The sense is: Three MAIN acts continue to be fresh and current after one’s book is closed, and Allah knows best.

Hajj Gibril Haddad

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Tahajjud Prayers (Night Vigil)

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Eshaykh Staff

Question:

Can you tell me about Tahajjud?

Answer: (by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani):

Tahajjud, Qiyam al-layl or Night Vigil is a source of great spiritual energy. The Quran commends the one who utilizes the early hours of each day to engage in remembrance of Allah:

أَمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاء اللَّيْلِ سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا يَحْذَرُ الْآخِرَةَ وَيَرْجُو رَحْمَةَ رَبِّهِ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُوْلُوا الْأَلْبَابِ

“Is one who worships devoutly during the hours of night prostrating himself or standing [in adoration] and who places his hope in the mercy of His Lord – [like one who does not]? Say: ‘Are those equal – those who know and those who do not know?’ It is those who are endowed with understanding that receive admonition.” [Az-Zumar 39:9]

وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نَافِلَةً لَّكَ عَسَى أَن يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًا مَّحْمُودًا

“And in some parts of the night (also) perform the Salat (prayer) with it (i.e., recite the Qur’an in the prayer) as an additional prayer (Tahajjud optional prayer – Nawafil) for you (O Muhammad). It may be that your Lord will raise you to Maqam Mahmud (a station of praise and glory, i.e., the honour of intercession on the Day of Resurrection).” (17:79)

تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ

“Their sides forsake their beds [at night] to call out to their Sustainer in fear and hope; and who spend on others out of what We provide for them as sus­tenance.” (32:16)

كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ

“They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Rabb (Allah) and praying, with fear and hope].’‘ (51:17)

The Prophet has said: “Keep up qiyam al-layl. It was the way of the virtuous who came before you, it draws you nearer to your Lord, atones for your sins, forbids you from evil and protects the body from sickness.” (Tirmidhi.)

“Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (s) kept standing (in prayer) so long that the skin of his feet would crack. I asked him: “Why do you do this, while you have been forgiven of your former and latter sins?” He said, “Should I not be a grateful slave of Allah?” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

COMMENTARY: This Hadith has already been mentioned. It is reproduced here to illustrate the practice of the Prophet (s) in respect of Qiyaam-ul-Layl. It tells us that:

o The nafl salaat should be performed with full concentration and peace of mind.

o The more one is endowed with gifts from Allah, the greater gratitude and worship one should express for them to Allah.

o The best time for showing one’s humility before Allah and for worship is the later period of night.

“Ali (r) reported: The Prophet (s) visited me and Fatimah (r) one night and said, “Do you not observe prayer (at night)?”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

COMMENTARY: This Hadith tells us that one should also awaken others at night for prayer so that they also avail the benefits of performing prayer at this particular time.

“Salim bin `Abdullah bin `Umar bin Al-Khattab (r) reported, on the authority of his father, that the Messenger of Allah (s) said, “What an excellent man `Abdullah is! If only he could perform optional prayers at night.” Salim said that after this, (his father) `Abdullah slept very little at night.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

COMMENTARY: This Hadith points out the excellence of `Abdullah bin `Umar (r) as well as the merits of Qiyam-ul-Layl.

“Abdullah bin Salaam (r) reported: The Prophet (s) said, “O people, promote the greetings, feed (the poor and needy) and perform salaat when others are asleep so that you will enter Paradise safely.” [At-Tirmidhi].

Sources:

o In the Early Hours by Khurram Murad chapter two

o Riyad-us-Saliheen Book Eight Chapter 212

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What is the Meaning of “Allah’s Elevation”?

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Eshaykh Staff

Question:

In the book al-Asha`ira you mentioned one of the students of al-Asha`ri thus:

Abu al-Hasan al-Tabari, `Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Mahdi (d. ~380). He studied under al-Ash`ari in Basra and Abu al-Hasan al-Bahili, and accompanied Abu Ishaq al-Isfarayini, Abu Bakr ibn Furak, and Abu Bakr al-Baqillani. …He authored among other works: “Al-Usul wa Tafsir Asami al-Rabb” (“Principles of the Religion and the Explanation of the Divine Names”) and “Ta’wil Ahadith al-Mushkilat al-Waridat fi al-Sifat” (“The Interpretation of the Problematic Narrations That Pertain to the Attributes.”) In the latter book he said: “Allah is in the heaven above everything and established over His Throne in the sense that He is elevated high above it, and the sense of istiwa‘ is elevation.”

This troubles me. Using words like “above everything” and “elevated” appear like Salafi renderings of istiwa‘? Can you please explain?

Answer:

Thank you for the remarks. The original words are `ali and mu`tali which refer to elevation in the sense of exaltation, not altitude. I have modified the translation slightly to read:

In the latter book he said: “Allah is ‘in the heaven above everything and established over His Throne’ in the sense that He is exalted high or elevated (`âlin) above it, and the sense of istiwâ‘ is self-exaltation (i`tilâ‘).”

The sense is clarified by al-Bayhaqi in al-Asma’ wa al-Sifat:

Among the perspicuous scholars, Abu al-Hasan `Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Mahdi al-Tabari said: “Allah is ‘in the heaven above everything and established over His Throne’ in the sense that He is exalted high or elevated (‘âlin) above it, and the sense of istiwâ‘ is self-exaltation (i ’tilâ‘).” . . .

The Preternal One (al-Qadîm) is thus elevated over His Throne but neither sitting on (qâ’id) nor standing on (qâ’im) nor in contact with (mumâss), nor separate from (mubâyin) the Throne – meaning separate in His Essence in the sense of physical separation or distance. For  “contact” and its opposite “separation,” “standing” and its opposite “sitting,” are all the characteristics of bodies (ajsâm), whereas “Allah is One, Everlasting, neither begetting nor begotten, and there is none like Him.” (112:1-4) Therefore what is allowed for bodies is impermissible for Him.

The teacher Abu Bakr ibn Furak also mentioned the above method in interpretation from one of our companions who said: “He established Himself in the sense of elevated.” Then he said that such elevation is not in the sense of distance, nor boundary, nor place in which He is firmly fixed. Rather, he means by it what Allah meant when He said: “Have you taken security from Him Who is in the heaven. . .” (67:16-17), that is, above it, together with the preclusion of limit (hadd) for Him and the fact that He admits neither of being contained by a heavenly stratum nor of being encompassed by an earthly expanse of space. Allah Almighty was described thus in the evidence transmitted, and so we do not dispute what the evidence said.

End of al-Bayhaqi’s words.

In another passage of the book I say:

Al-Bayhaqi quotes one of the companions of al-Ash`ari, Abu al-Hasan `Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Mahdi al-Tabari (d. ~380) as saying in his book Ta’wil al-Ahadith al-Mushkilat al-Waridat fi al-Sifat (“Interpretation of the Problematic Narrations Pertaining to the Attributes”): “Allah is in the heaven above everything and established over His Throne in the sense that He is exalted or elevated (`âlin) above it, and the sense of istiwâ‘ is self-elevation (i’tilâ‘).”  This is the most widespread interpretation (ta’wîl) of the issue among the Salaf: al-Baghawi said that the meaning of the verse “The Merciful established Himself over the Throne” (20:5) according to Ibn `Abbas and most of the commentators of Qur’an is “He elevated Himself” (irtafa`a).  This is the interpretation quoted by Bukhari in his Sahih from the senior Tâbi`i Rufay` ibn Mahran Abu al- `Aliya (d. 90). Bukhari also cites from Mujahid (d. 102) the interpretation “to rise above” or “exalt Himself above” (`alâ). Ibn Battal declares the latter to be the true position and the saying of Ahl al-Sunnah because Allah described Himself as “the Sublimely Exalted” — al-`Alî (2:255) and said: “exalted be He (ta`âlâ) over all that they ascribe as partners (unto Him)!” (23:92).

Hajj GF Haddad

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Levels of sin?

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad

Question:

Is there a difference between sins? Is telling a white lie the same as murder and /or rape, and so on?

Answer:

Yes, there is a great difference. The latter two are enormities (kaba’ir). Telling a small lie is far less offensive. If you lie in order to reconcile a husband with his wife, for example, it is actually praiseworthy. E.g. in telling each that he/she spoke well of the other when that is not necessarily the case, in order to move their hearts towards reconciliation. And Allah knows best.

Hajj Gibril

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