Muslim View of Death, Bereavement and AfterLife

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Muslim View of Death, Bereavement and Afterlife

Quotations from The Quran are given in this Format

Quotations from The Hadith are given in this Format

Other Commentators Quotes are given in Blue

INDEX

GENERAL

1. Beginning In the Name of Allah.

Hadith:―...The Ink of a Scholar is Holier than the Blood of a Martyr‖

2. The Complete Cycle of Life to see where Death, Bereavement and Afterlife fit in.

3. ISLAM, Commanlity amongst Faiths, Relationship between Allah and the humans, Hadith (defined)

SECTION 1

DEATH

1.1Range of Quranic Verses on the subject of Death

The Quranic word for DEATH is ―MAWTH‖. There are well over 50 verses of The Quran on the

subject dealing with it in various Contexts and Nuances.

1.2Death is a “Created” Thing

―He (Allah) is the One who created Death and Life that He may try which one of us is best in deed‖

He is the exalted in Might, Most Forgiving‖

Saeed AbdulRahim

E-Mail: [email protected]

Web:www.scribd.com/islamicwisdom7

This article has been put together following Talks that were given on the subject at St. Mary’s

Church Battersea, on 13th March 2011 and at St.Thomas More Church, Manor House, on 1st April

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.scribd.com/islamicwisdom7

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1.3Every Soul Shall Taste of Death

One Muslim who has not tasted Death as yet, Tasting of Food as compared to the Eventual Eating

of Food, Nobody can flee from Death.

1.4Prophet Mohammad‟s own Mortality

―Those who worshipped Mohammad (Pbuh) should know that he has died, but those who Worship

Allah (Swt) should know that He is Forever Living and Never Dies...! said Abu Bakr (r)

1.5Death will “Overtake” us wherever we may be

Nobody can escape death.

1.6Death to Occur Only Once

There is Only One death in this Life, and, the Hereafter will be Forever.

1.7Time of Death is Pre-Ordained

No human being can die save by God's leave, at a term pre-ordained.

1.8Place of Death is “Not Known to Anybody”

Whereas no one knows what he will reap tomorrow, and no one knows in what land he will die,

Verily. God [alone] is all-knowing, all-aware.

1.9Sleep is likened to Death

When we sleep, our souls (Islamic Term is ―Rooh‖) are taken away from our bodies.

1.10GOD Gives Us Life after Death

A Man Dead for a Hundred Years is Brought Back to Life, Ibrahim (Abraham)‘s request to be

Shown How God Gives Life after Death

1.11Seven Sleepers of the Cave who slept for over 300 years

Christian and Muslim Narrations of their Story

1.12Those That Die Whilst Sinning

Was, then, God's earth not wide enough for you to forsake the domain of evil?

1.13Those That Die Whilst Fleeing from Evil

And if anyone leaves his home, fleeing from evil unto God and His Apostle, and then death overtakes

him - his reward is ready with God: for God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

1.14Making a Will is binding on All Muslims

IT IS ordained for you, when death approaches any of you and he/she is leaving behind wealth

and/or property, to make bequests.

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1.15Dying Should “Not” Be by Way of Self-Venture

Suicides are Specifically Prohibited in The Quran and Hadith; A MARTYR will NOT be forgiven

his debts.

1.16Bringing Death upon others is also “Prohibited” in Islam

Take not life, which Allah hath made sacred

1.17Is it Permissible to Wish for Death in Extreme Distress?

Let not any one of you wish for death because of some harm that has befallen him

1.18What to Say upon Hearing News of a Death

Those who are patient in adversity, when calamity befalls them, say, "Verily, unto God do we

belong and, verily unto Him we shall return

1.19 Does the agony of Death for some people expiate some of their sins?

Yes, everything of sickness, difficulty, worry or distress that befalls a person is an expiation of

Sins

1.20Should those who are ILL Accept Death as Inevitable and Not Seek Treatment?

You should seek medical Treatment, for Allah The Exalted has let no disease exist without

providing for its cure

1.21Angel of Death

―[One day,] the angel of death who has been given charge of you will gather you, and then unto

your Sustainer you will be brought back

1.22Description of the Moment of Death

In order to get a description of Death we look to the Hadith

1.23Reciting Surah-e-Yasin (Chapter 36 of The Quran) For or Near a Dying Person

It is a Cultural practice not founded on any strong Theological Material. See Details

1.24Ritual Washing, Shrouding and Burial

Please see details

1.25Funeral Prayers

Please see details

1.26Burial Please see details

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1.26.1Why don‟t Muslims Cremate Their Dead?

This is because, Fire is seen in Islam as a Symbol of God‘s Wrath and Punishment

1.27 Burial at Sea

A recent Infamous Burial at Sea has sparked off desires for clarification of the Islamic rulings

regarding this matter. This is a humble effort to throw some light and broaden the understanding of the

Islamic Rulings on the subject.

1.28What to do if someone dies suddenly at home?

Please see details

1.29Still Births and Souls of Children who die in infancy

Please see details

1.30Women who die during or soon after Childbirth get the status of a MARTYR

Definition of Martyrdom and Definition of Orphans

1.31Are the Sinful and the Righteous on the Same Footing?

Please see details

1.32Twilight of Death brings to us the Truth of all that we have been avoiding to look at

Please see details

1.33Are People Independent of GOD?

SECTION 2

BEREAVEMENT

2.1The Basic Principle

The basic Principle is that If Happiness and Sorrow Occur at the same time, then Muslims are required

to focus on the Happiness and Not Burden themselves with the Sorrow.

2.2Illustration of the Basic Principle Concerning Bereavement

Please see details

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2.3What Colour to Wear on Bereavement?

Allocating Specific Clothes or Clothes of Specific Colour to wear on Bereavement is not founded on

any major Islamic Theological Instructions.

2.4Wailing and Lamenting the Dead.

Raising one‘s voice in wailing and lamenting, striking the cheeks and eulogizing the deceased are all

considered disliked actions in Islam

2.5Condolences

It is a Muslim‘s duty to offer condolences, comfort, and sympathy to the family and the relatives of the

deceased.

2.6Ritual Gathering on the 3rd and 40th Day of Demise

This is a cultural practice and the vast majority of Islamic Scholars regard this as an Innovation not

founded on any Major Islamic Ruling.

2.7Concerning Widows

The Right of the Widows to Re-Marry

SECTION 3

AFTERLIFE

3.1Three Distinct Stages after Death

There are three distinct stages beyond death: (a) The first stage is that of Barzakh, the life of the grave,

and (b) the second stage is known variously as The Resurrection Day, The Day of Rising, The

Judgment Day, The Day of Accountability(c) and the Third is the eternal life in the Afterlife. Each of

these stages is different from the other.

3.2Barzakh

Literal meaning of the word ―Barzakh‖ is a Barrier, a barrier between the life of this world and the

Afterlife. It is the temporary period between a person's death and their Resurrection on the Day of

Rising and is the time during which people‘s physical bodies will rest in their graves and from where

they will be raised up again.

3.3Bliss or Torment in the Grave.

3.4Resurrection

Sounding of the Trumpet heralding Resurrection,

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Recreation to the Exactitude of Our Finger tips

3.5The Day of Judgement Follows Resurrection

The Day of Judgement is also referred to variously, as ―The Day of Reckoning‖ or ―The Day of

Accountability‖ follows the Resurrection and is an essential pre-requisite to Afterlife.

God will call us to account for our deeds; and then He will forgive whom He wills, and will chastise

whom He wills: for God has the power to will anything

3.6Brief Description of Paradise

There would be bounties which the eye has not seen, the ear has not heard and no human heart has

ever perceived them

3.7Some Believing Souls May Enter Paradise before the Day of Rising

The souls and not necessarily the physical bodies of some pious people may enter Paradise before the

Day of Rising

3.8One or the Other of the Two Places of Abode

We are told in some Islamic anecdotes about people who have been earmarked for one or the other of

the Two Places of abode in the Afterlife.

3.9Are Our Deeds Sufficient for our Entry into Paradise?

No one of you will enter Paradise by his deeds alone{ Hadith}

3.10Intercession on The Day of Judgement

There is a debate amongst Muslims about the Intercession by The Saints and Pious people who have

passed away

3.11Invoking others beside GOD

The Quran challenges those who indulge in the practice of invoking others beside GOD

3.12Are there REWARDS for us in both Worlds i.e. in This Life and in the Afterlife?

The Islamic Notion is that Rewards for Good Deeds are given both in this Life and are accrued for

us for the Afterlife as well.

3.13Afterlife will abide for ever.

3.14Women in Paradise

3.15Description from the Qur‟an and Hadith of “Al-hoor al-„iyn” {The Fair Eyed Maidens} of

Paradise

Appendixes

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1. Reciting of the Chapter of The Quran called ―Ya – Seen‖ for or near a Dying Person. Arguments for and

against the practice

2. Procedures for Islamic Funeral Rites including those of Ritual Washing (known as Ghusul), Shrouding

(known as Kafan), and the Digging and Laying out of Graves and Burial with diagrams.

Let us begin in the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent and The Most Merciful.

All Praises. ALL Praises are for Allah, who has sent to us The Final Messenger Prophet Mohammad

(Pbuh).....

Who taught us that....,

The Ink of a Scholar is Holier than the Blood of a Martyr1

Who also taught us that....,

If you educate a male child, you educate an individual and if you educate a female child you educate an entire

family or a whole nation.

Who also taught us that....,

Wisdom is the Lost Property of The Believers2

***This article is about “Sharing with you all someof the Knowledge aboutThe Muslim View of “Death,

Bereavement and After-Life”

***Each of these topics on their own could be subjects of separate presentations, but tonight we are talking

about them jointly. So, I hope you will lend me your understanding that I will be able to speak about each one

of them very briefly.

The Entire Process /The Complete Cycle.

I think, at the beginning, it will be useful to get a brief overview of “The Sequence in which these events i.e.

Death, Bereavement and Afterlife occur in our life cycle.

The Chain of Events begins with

(a)Conception....This is then followed by another“Major” event

(b)When on the 120th day- after conception, an Angel is commanded by Allah to breath The Rooh (Soul) into

the Foetus.

(c)This is then followed by The Period of Gestation in the Womb.

1The Hadith mentioned by al-Suyuti in his book: "al-Jami al-Saghir" and he ( al-Suyuti ) It is also mentioned by Ibn Abd al-Bar in his

book: "Jamie Bayan al-'Ilm wa Fadlu". Also mentioned by Ibn al-Jawzi in his book: "Al-Ilal".

2 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah Companion of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh)

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(d) Then the Next Major Event of Birth Takes Place which is then followed by

(e) Life of this world, to be followed thereafter by the Event of “Death”...and after Death comes

(f)The Day of Rising, which is then followed by the “Day-of-Judgement” – Some academics combine

these two days into one and refer to them jointly as “The Day of Judgement or The Day of Reckoning

or The Day of Accountability”

(g) Once “The Day-of-Judgement” is over, then begins the “After-Life” known by the Quranic term “Akhirah”

The description of “The Day-of-Judgement” is a separate subject on its own, and perhaps we can talk about it

on another occasion.

ISLAM

Islam is the same faith that God ordained with the creation of the first man sent to earth i.e. Prophet ADAM (Pbuh). Islam confirms almost all Biblical and Hebrew Prophets as the Prophets of Islam and their messages as the messages of Islam as long as they are confirmed in the Qur’an, the Book of Islam. The moral and ethical code of Islam is similar to Judaism, Christianity and many other major world faiths. The only difference is in theology, concepts and practices, in the methods of worship of the One and the Only One God and methodology of how morality and ethics should govern all spheres and aspects of our human life.

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COMMONALITY AMONGST FAITHS:

The Quran highlights this commonality amongst Faiths in the following words:

Say: We believe in God and that which God revealed to us and that which was revealed toAbraham,

Ishmael,Isaac,Jacob and tribes and that which was given toMoses andJesus and to the other prophets

from their Lord; We make no distinction between them, and we have surrendered ourselves to the will

of God.4

Relationship between God and Humans:

The human, like all of Allah's creations, is in a state of total submission (Islam) to the will of Allah (Swt). The difference between humans and other creations, however, is that we have been given the ability to choose. When our minds submit to Allah, then we would have completely submitted to Allah, and we would be referred to as "Muslims." At this level of total and complete submission, the relationship between Allah and the human is one of a complete peace. It is an Islamic characteristic to have complete obedience to Allah and acceptance of His will and commands. It is also an Islamic characteristic to acquire a unique feeling of satisfaction, fulfilment, and content as a result of this obedience and acceptance. The relationship between Allah (Swt) and us humans in Islam is a direct one, with no mediators. In this direct relationship, we recognise that there is no other party that canhelp, give, take, support, provide, or grant forgiveness but Allah. In such a

direct relationship, we do not associate any other deities with Allah. Moreover, our faith and submission

to Allah become complete and pure.

For the Muslim, the whole of this life constitutes a trial and a test for the human by means of which his final destiny is determined. For him, death is the return of the soul to its Creator, God, and the inevitability of death

3 Imam AbdulJalilSajid

4 Quran [3:85]

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and the Hereafter is never far from his consciousness. This serves to keep all of his life and deeds in perspective as he tries to live in preparedness for what is to come. For Muslims, the concept of death and the afterlife in Islam is derived from the Qur’an the final revelled message from God.5

HADITH

Explained:

Before we explore each of the three subjects in some depth, let me explain one term that we will come across

frequently during our discourse, and this is the meaning of the Term “Hadith".

Islamic Sources consist of Two Main Elements

(a) The Revealed – Which is the Text of The Quran which we regard as God’s Final Revelation to Mankind,

and the

(b) The Inspired – Which is covered by an umbrella Term known as HADITH which covers all that (i) Prophet

Mohammad (Pbuh6) said by way of Oral Teachings (ii) What he demonstrated by way of his lived examples

& (iii) Deeds of Others which he approved of.

Let us now explore the subject of “Death” from an Islamic point of view.

1. DEATH

1.1Range of Quranic Verses on the subject of Death

The Quranic word for DEATH is “MAWTH”. There are well over 50 verses of The Quran on the subject dealing

with it in various contexts and Nuances, and due to the short time available to us it will not be possible for me

to address each one of them, so, we will deal with only the significant ones that help us to understand the

subject.

In my opinion, two most abiding and perhaps the most significant Verses of The Quran on the subject of Death

Explain it in the following words:

1.2DEATH - “is a Created Thing”

The First Important Thing to Note about DEATH is that“It is a Created Thing”

A verse of The Quran states that:

5 Imam AbdulJalilSajid

6 Pbuh – is an Acronym for terms of Respect and stands for the words Peace be upon him which is usually pronounced after

mentioning the name of Prophet Mohammad(Pbuh)

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Blessed is He in whose hands is dominion, and He hath Power over All things.7

He (Allah)is the One who created Death and Life that He may try which one of us is best in deed‖8He

is the exalted in Might, Most Forgiving

*** All the classical scholars agree that since “death" is stated here as something that has been “Created” by God” it cannot be identical with "non-existence"

*** Hence, death is regarded as possessing a positive reality of its own.

1.3Every Soul Shall Taste of Death.

The Next Important thing to Note about DEATH IS that Every Soul shall “Taste” of Death

The Significant verse of The Quran defining the subject of Death with this nuance states that:

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This is translated as follows:

Every soul shall have a taste of death: (And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full

recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the

object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception.10

7 Quran [67:1]

8 Quran [67:2]

9 Quran [3:185]

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***This concept that Every Soul shall Taste of Death is important enough that The Quran has chosen to repeat it in two other verses [21:35, & 29:57]

***DEATH is therefore related to the Afterlife as an event and a precursor and a pre-requisite and

is not regarded as an end to everything.

This fact that Every Soul shall taste of Death is emphasised in another verse of The Quran in the following words:

And He alone holds sway over His servants. And He sends forth heavenly forces of Guardian Angels

to watch over you, until, when death approaches any of you, Our messengers cause him to die: and

they do not overlook [anyone]”11

Tasting of Food and the Eating of Food

In terms of people tasting Death, we can think of it in terms of the relationship that exists between the Tasting of Food and the eventual Eating of it.

If tasting of food is done at the wrong time or in the wrong way or at the wrong temperature this may cause the tongue to singe thereby preventing the enjoyment of the actual food of later which is the ultimate objective.

****In the same way, the ultimate objective i.e. the “Afterlife” is defiled if Death is brought about in the

wrong way or at the wrong time i.e. by self-endeavour.

*** One Muslim who has Not “tasted” Death “As Yet “Who is it????

Clues:

(a)He Lived more than 2,000 years ago (b)He is referred to in The Quran as being “Honoured in this world and

in the Hereafter...” & (c) His Mother is regarded as being One of the Most Revered Women in Islam, so much

so, that a Chapter of The Quran is titled after Her Name.

I am off course referring to His Holiness Prophet Jesus Christ, the son of Mary (Pbuh) known in Islam by his

Muslim Name of Issa.

The Muslims Believe that Prophet Jesus (Pbuh) has Not died as yet, and that he will be coming again on his

“second coming” when he will live a normal Life and then Die a Natural Death. Thereby fulfilling that verse of

The Quran that says that “...Every Soul shall taste of Death

Nobody Can Flee from Death.

For those who believe that Death cannot reach them, The Quran has the following eye-opener:

Say: Behold, the death from which you are fleeing is bound to overtake you - and then you will be

brought back unto Him who knows all that is beyond the reach of a created being's perception as well

10

Quran [3:185]

11 Quran [6:61]

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as all that can be witnessed by a creature's senses or mind, whereupon He will make you truly

understand all that you were doing [in life]12

1.4Mortality of The Prophet

The Quran highlights the Mortality of everyone, and, as a case-in-point, it states the mortality of Prophet

Mohammad (Pbuh) in the following words:

AND MUHAMMAD is only an apostle; all the [other] apostles have passed away before him: if, then,

he dies or is slain, will you turn about on your heels? But he that turns about on his heels can in no

wise harm God - whereas God will requite all who are grateful [to Him]13

This stress on the mortality of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) - and that of all the other prophets who preceded him in time - connects, in the first instance, with the battle of Uhud and the rumour of his death, which caused many Muslims to abandon the fight and even brought some of them close to apostasy (Tabari).

In its wider implication, however, the above verse re-states a fundamental Islamic doctrine that

adoration is due to God alone, and that no human being - not even a prophet - may have any share in it. It was this very passage of the Qur'an which Abu Bakr, the first Caliph, recited immediately after the Prophet's death, when many faint-hearted Muslims thought that Islam itself had come to an end; but as soon as Abu Bakr added, "Behold, whoever has worshipped Muhammad may know that Muhammad has

died; but whoever worships God may know that God is ever-living, and never dies" (Bukhari), all

confusion was stilled. - The expression "turning about on one's heels" denotes - according to circumstances - either actual apostasy or a deliberate withdrawal from efforts in the cause of God.14

1.5Death will “Overtake” us wherever we may be

The Quran states this in the following words:

Wherever you may be, death will overtake you - even though you be in towers raised high."Yet, when

a good thing happens to them, some [people] say, "This is from God," whereas when evil befalls them,

they say, "This is from thee [O fellowman]!‖ Say: "All is from God." What, then, is amiss with these

people that they are in no wise near to grasping the truth of what they are told?‖15

1.6Death to Occur Only Once:

The Quran States this as follows:

And neither shall they taste death there i.e. in the ―Afterlife‖ after having passed through their

Earthly death”16

12

Quran [62:8]

13 Quran [3:144]

14 M. Asad in his Note No. 104 Accompanying his Translation of Quran [3:104]

15 Quran [4:78]

16 Quran [44:56]

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*** Thus: Beyond the earthly death, there will be No Death in the Afterlife Where Life will be

Forever

1.7Time of Death is Pre-Ordained.

A verse of The Quran states this in the following words:

And no human being can die save by God's leave, at a term pre-ordained.”17

1.8Place of Death is “Not Known to Anybody”

A verse of The Quran states this in the following words:


Verily, with God alone rests the knowledge of when the Last Hour will come: and He [it is who] sends

down rain; and He [alone] knows what is in the wombs:*whereas no one knows what he will reap

tomorrow, and no one knows in what land he will die, Verily. God [alone] is all-knowing, all-aware.18

*This relates not merely to the problem of the sex of the as yet unborn embryo, but also to the question of

whether it will be born at all, and if so, what its natural endowments and its character will be, as well as what

role it will be able to play in life: and life itself is symbolized by the preceding mention of rain, and the end of

all life in this world, by the mention of the Last Hour.19

1.9Sleep is likened to Death

In a Hadith Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) has guided Muslims to say the following prayer when they go to sleep

and when they wake up from their sleep:

O Allah, it is with Thine Name that I live and it is with Thine Name that I die."

And when waking-up from sleep to say:

Praise is due to Allah, Who gave us life after our death (sleep) and unto Thee is resurrection.20

17

Quran [3:145]

18 Quran [31:34]

19 M. Asad’s Note No. 31 Accompanying his Translation of Quran ,31 :34} available at www.islamicity.com

20Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim Hadith No. 1251

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An Islamic notion suggest that when we sleep, our souls (Equivalent Islamic Term is “Rooh”) are taken away from our bodies, and those for whom it is ordained That they will die in their sleep, their souls are “Not Returned”, but for those whose time is not up as yet, there is a continuous to-ing and fro-ing of their Soul (Rooh) such that each time they wake up from their sleep during the night/day that is because their souls (Roohs) have done a return journey, and if they fall back into deep sleep then that is because their souls have been withdrawn again till such time that their time of waking-up or death arrives either during waking hours

or during another sleep session.

The verse of The Quran that hints at the likeness of sleep to death states that:


It is God [alone that has this power - He] who causes all human beings to die at the time of their

[bodily] death, and[causes to be as dead], during their sleep, those that have not yet died: *

thus, He withholds [from life] those upon whom He has decreed death, and lets the others go

free for a term set [by Him]. In [all] this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who

think!21

*According to Razi, this passage states allegorically that the - the light of guidance being likened to

life, and man‟s going astray, to or, if it is not permanent, to death-like sleep followed by awakening. Beyond this, however, we have here a reminder - in tune with the subsequent passages - of God’s almightiness, and especially of His exclusive power to create and to withdraw life. As to the operative verb yatawaffa, it primarily denotes "He takes [something] away in full"; and because death is characterized by a disappearance of all vital impulses (the "soul") from the once-living body - their being "taken away in full", as it were - this form of the verb has been used tropically, since time immemorial, in the sense of "causing to die", and (in its intransitive form) "dying" or (as a noun) "death": a usage invariably adhered to in the Qur’an. The traditional likening of sleep to death is due to the fact that in both cases the body appears to be devoid of consciousness, partially and temporarily in the former case, and completely and permanently in the latter. (The popular translation of anfus - p1. of nafs - as "souls" is certainly inappropriate in the above context, since, according to the fundamental teaching of the Qur’an, man’s soul does not "die" at the time of his bodily death but, on the contrary, lives on indefinitely. Hence, the term anfus must be rendered here as "human beings".)22

21

Quran [39:42]

22 M. Asad in his Note No. 44 Accompanying his Translation of Quran [39:42] available at www.islamicity.com

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This Likeness of Sleep with Death is stated in yet another verse of The Quran as follows:


And He it is who causes you to be [like] dead at night, and knows what you work in daytime;

and He brings you back to life each days * in order that a term set [by Him] be fulfilled. In the

end, unto Him you must return: and then He will make you understand all that you were doing

[in life].23

*Lit., The polarity of sleep and wakefulness contains an allusion to life and death24

Let us remind ourselves of the Hadiths mentioned earlier on this topic.

Two Hadiths highlighting the Likeness of Sleep with Death.

Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) has suggested the following Supplications Dua’s(s) ,Supplications- as a daily practice each of which highlight the likeness of Sleep with Death.

When lying down to sleep, he has suggested that we first turn to our right side and putting our right hand under our right cheek, he has recommended that we recite the following Dua’a ,Supplication-:

My Lord; I Live and Die in your Name

And, then upon waking (as mentioned earlier) he has suggested that, as before, we first turn to our right side and with our right hand under our right cheek, he has recommended that we recite the following Dua’a {Supplication}:

All Praises are for the One who has given us Life after Our Death 25

Note the significance of the “Sequence of Mention” of Death and Life both when starting to sleep and when waking up.

23

Quran [6:60]

24 M. Asad in his Note No. 51 Accompanying his translation of Quran [6:60]

25 Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim (Hadith No. 1251)

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1.10GOD Gives Us “Life After Death...”

A Man who was Dead for a Hundred Years is Brought Back to Life

The Quran tells us this story of a man who was made to die for a Hundred Years and then brought back to Life as a lesson for all of us about God’s Unique Power to give us Life after Death...It states this in the following words:

Classical scholars are of the view that The story told in this verse is obviously a parable meant to illustrate God's power to bring the dead back to life: and, thus, it is significantly placed between Abraham's words in verse 258, "My Sustainer is He who grants life and deals death", and his subsequent request, in verse 260, to be shown how God resurrects the dead. The speculations of some of the earlier commentators as to the "identity" of the man and the town mentioned in this story are without any substance, and may have been influenced by Talmudic legends.

The Quran then continues to give the story as follows:

“[art thou, O man, of the same mind] as he who passed by a town deserted by its people, with

its roofs caved in, [and] said, "How could God bring all this back to life after its death?"

Thereupon God caused him to be dead for a hundred years; where after He brought him back to

life [and] said: "How long hast thou remained thus?" He answered: "I have remained thus a day,

or part of a day." Said [God]: "Nay, but thou hast remained thus for a hundred years! But look at

thy food and thy drink-untouched is it by the passing of years - and look at thine ass! And [We

did all this so that We might make thee a symbol unto men. And look at the bones [of animals

and men] - how We put them together and then clothe them with flesh!" And when [all this] became clear to him, he said: "I know [now] that God has the power to will anything!"26

Ibrahim (Abraham)’s request to be shown How God Gives Life after Death

The Quran narrates the story of this request to GOD by Ibrahim (Abraham) in the following words:

And, lo, Abraham said: "O my Sustainer! Show me how Thou givest life unto the dead!" Said He:

"Hast thou, then, no faith?" (Abraham) answered: "Yea, but [let me see it] so that my heart may

be set fully at rest." Said He:"Take then, four birds and teach them to obey thee* then place

them separately on every hill [around thee]; then summon them: they will come flying to thee.

And know that God is almighty, wise27

*The moral of this story has been pointed out convincingly by the famous commentator Abu Muslim (as quoted by Razi): "If man is able - as he undoubtedly is - to train birds in such a way as to make them obey his call, then it is obvious that God, whose will all things obey, can call life into being by simply decreeing, .Be!"'

1.11Seven Sleepers of the Cave who slept for over 300 years.

Muslim Legend.

The Quran narrates the legend of of the Sleepers of The Cave in Chapter 18 over 17 verses [verses 9-26]. What is interesting though, is that most of the writers of the exegesis of The Quran incline to the view that the story of the Men of The Cave relates to a phase in early Christian History {in the time of Emperor Decius}, and for

26

Quran [2:259]

27 Quran [2:260]

17

The Quran to mention it extended over 17 verses suggests that Early Christianity was well in tune with Islamic Ethos and beliefs of present times.

A summary of their story is as follows:

Legend has it that some young Christians of Ephesus, accompanied by their dog, withdrew into a secluded cave in order to be able to live in accordance with their faith, and remained there, miraculously asleep. for a great length of time (according to some accounts, referred to in verse 25 of this Chapter 18. for about three centuries). When they finally awoke - unaware of the long time during which they had lain asleep - they sent one of their company to the town to purchase some food. In the meantime the situation had changed entirely: Christianity was no longer persecuted and had even become the official religion of the Roman Empire. The ancient coin (dating from the reign of Decius) with which the young man wanted to pay for his purchases immediately aroused curiosity; people began to question the stranger, and the story of the Men of the Cave and their miraculous sleep came to light. As already mentioned, the majority of the classical commentators rely on this Christian legend in their endeavour to interpret the Quranic reference (in verses 9-26) to the Men of the Cave.28

Were these “Men of The Cave” of Christian Origin or of the Jewish Faith?

It seems that the Christian formulation of the story of the Men of The Cave is a later development of a much older oral tradition -a tradition which, in fact, goes back to pre-Christian, Jewish sources. This is evident from several well-authenticated Hadiths (mentioned by all the classical commentators), according to which it was the Jewish rabbis (ahbar) of Medina who induced the Meccan opponents of Muhammad to "test his veracity" by asking him to explain, among other problems, the story of the Men of the Cave. Referring to these Hadiths, Ibn Kathir {A Classical writer of the exegesis of The Quran} remarks in his commentary on verse 13 of Chapter b18 of The Quran:

"It has been said that they were followers of Jesus the son of Mary, but God knows it better: it is

obvious that they lived much earlier than the Christian period-for, had they been Christians, why

should the Jewish rabbis have been intent on preserving their story, seeing that the Jews had cut

themselves off from all friendly communion with them [i.e., the Christians]?" We may, therefore,

safely assume that the legend of the Men of the Cave - stripped of its Christian garb and the superimposed Christian background - is, substantially, of Jewish origin.”29

Fundamental Elements of the Story of “The Men of the Cave”

If we discard the later syncretic additions and reduce the story to its fundamentals-voluntary withdrawal from the world, agelong "sleep" in a secluded cave and a miraculous "awakening" after an indeterminate period of time-we have before us a striking allegory relating to a movement which played an important role in Jewish religious history during the centuries immediately preceding and following the advent of Jesus: namely, the ascetic Essene Brotherhood (to which, as I have pointed out in note 42 on 3:52, Jesus himself may have belonged), and particularly that of its branches which lived in self-imposed solitude in the vicinity of the Dead Sea and has recently, after the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, come to be known as the "Qumran community".

The expression ar-ragim occurring in the Qur'an -verse (and rendered by me as "scriptures") lends strong support to this theory. As recorded by Tabari30, some of the earliest authorities-and particularly Ibn ‘Abbas31-

28

M. Asad in his Note No.7 accompanying his translation of Quran [18:9-26]

29 M. Asad in his Note No. 7 Accompanying his translation of Quran [18:9-26]

30 An Exegeses writer of The Quran

31 A Commentator of The Quran

18

regarded this expression as synonymous with marqum ("something that is written") and hence with kitab ("a writ" or "a scripture"); and Razi32 adds that "all rhetoricians and Arabic philologists assert that ar-ragim signifies [the same as] al-kitab". Since it is historically established that the members of the Qumran community-the strictest group among the Essenes-devoted themselves entirely to the study, the copying and the preservation of the sacred scriptures, and since they lived in complete seclusion from the rest of the world and were highly admired for their piety and moral purity, it is more than probable that their mode of life made so strong an impression on the imagination of their more worldly co-religionists that it became gradually allegorized in the story of the Men of the Cave who "slept"-that is, were cut off from the outside world-for countless years, destined to be "awakened" after their spiritual task was done.

An Illustration of ALLAH’s Power to bring about death (or "sleep") and resurrection (or "awakening')

Whatever the source of this legend, and irrespective of whether it is of Jewish or Christian origin, the fact remains that it is used in the Qur'an in a purely parabolic sense: namely, as an illustration of God's power to bring about death (or "sleep") and resurrection (or "awakening'); and, secondly, as an allegory of the piety that induces men to abandon a wicked or frivolous world in order to keep their faith unsullied, and of God's recognition of that faith by His bestowal of a spiritual awakening which transcends time and death.(Quran Ref: 18:9 )

The Verses of The Quran that Narrate the Story of The men of The Cave: are as follows:

AND SINCE the life of this world is but a test dost thou [really] think that [the parable of] the

Men of the Cave and of [their devotion to] the scriptures could be deemed more wondrous than

any [other] of Our messages?33

When those youths took refuge in the cave, they prayed: "O our Sustainer! Bestow on us grace

from thyself, and endow us, whatever our [outward] condition, with consciousness of what is

right!34

And thereupon We veiled their ears in the cave for many a year35,

I.e., God caused them to remain cut off -physically or metaphorically -from the sounds and the bustle of the outside world. The classical commentators take the above phrase to mean that God "veiled their ears with sleep.36

and then We awakened them: [and We did all this] so that We might mark out [to the world]37

which of the two points of view showed a better comprehension of the time-span during which they had remained in this state.38

32

Another Commentator of The Quran

33 Quran [18:9]

34 Quran [18:10]

35 Quran [18:11]


37 M. Asad in his Note No.11 Accompanying his Translation Quran [18:12]

38 Quran [18:12]

19

Lit., "so that We might take cognizance of": but since God embraces all past, present and future

with His knowledge, His "taking cognizance" of an event denotes His causing it to come into being

and, thus, allowing it to become known by His creatures: hence. "marking it out" to the world.

[And now] We shall truly relate to thee their story: Behold, they were young men who had

attained to faith in their Sustainer: and [so] We deepened their consciousness of the right way39

And endowed their hearts with strength, so that they stood up and said [to one another]:

Our Sustainer is the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth. Never shall we invoke any deity other than Him: [if we did,] we should indeed have uttered an enormity40

These people of ours have taken to worshipping [other] deities instead of Him, without being able

to adduce any reasonable evidence in support of their beliefs; and who could be wicked than he

who invents a lie about God?41

Hence, now that you have withdrawn from them and from all that they worship instead of God,

take refuge in that cave: God will spread His grace over you, and will endow you - whatever your [outward] condition - with all that your souls may need!42

And [for many a year] thou might have seen the sun, on its rising, incline away from their cave

on the right, and, on its setting, turn aside from them on the left, while they lived on in that

spacious chamber,43 [bearing witness to] this of God's messages: He whom God guides, he alone

has found the right way; whereas for him whom He lets go astray thou canst never find any

protector who would point out the right way.44

Lit., "while they were in a broad cleft thereof". The cave evidently opened to the north, so that the heat of the sun never disturbed them: and this, I believe is an echo of the many Quranic allusions to the happiness of the righteous in paradise, symbolized by its "everlasting shade" (see, in particular, Chapter 4, note 74, on the metaphorical use of the term zill in the sense of "happiness")

And thou wouldst have thought that they were awake, whereas they lay asleep. And We caused

them to turn over repeatedly, now to the right, now to the left; and their dog [lay] on the

threshold, its forepaws outstretched. Hadst thou come upon them [unprepared], thou wouldst

surely have turned away from them in flight, and wouldst surely have been filled with awe of

them.45i.e., an accidental onlooker would immediately have felt the mystic, awe-inspiring aura that surrounded the Men of the Cave, and would have become conscious that he stood before God's elect (Tabari, Razi, Ibn Kathir, and Baydawi).46

39

Quran [18:13]

40 Quran [18:14]

41 Quran [18:15]

42Quran [18 :16]

43 M. Asad in his Note No.20 Accompanying his Translation of

44 Quran [18:17]

45 Quran [18:18]

46 M. Asad’s Note No.21 Accompanying his Translation of Quran [18:18]

20

And so, [in the course of time,] We awakened them; and they began to ask one another [as to

what had happened to them]. One of them asked: "How long have you remained thus?" [The

others] answered: "We have remained thus a day, or part of a day." * Said they [who were

endowed with deeper insight]: "Your Sustainer knows best how long you have thus remained.

Let, then, one of you go with these silver coins to the town, and let him find out what food is

purest there, and bring you thereof [some] provisions. But let him behave with great care and by

no means make anyone aware of you47

*Cf. 2:259, where exactly the same question is asked and exactly the same wondering answer is given in the parable of the man whom God caused to be dead for a hundred years and thereupon brought back to life. The striking verbal identity of question and answer in the two passages is obviously not accidental: it points, in a deliberately revealing manner, to the identity of the idea underlying these two allegories: namely, God's power to "bring forth the living out of that which is dead, and the dead out of that which is alive" (3:27, 6:95, 10:31, 30:19), i.e.. to create life, to cause it to disappear and then to resurrect it. Beyond this, the above verse alludes to the deceptive, purely earthbound character of the human concept of "time)

48

for, behold, if they should come to know of you, they might stone you to death or force you back to their faith-in which case you would never attain to any good!49

During their "sleep", time had stood still for the Men of the Cave, and so they assumed that the outside world had remained unchanged and was, as before, hostile to them. - At this point, the story as such ends abruptly (for, as we know, the Qur'an is never concerned with narratives for their own sake) and is revealed in the sequence as an allegory of death and resurrection and of the relativity of "time" as manifested in man's consciousness.

AND IN THIS way have We drawn [people's] attention to their story, so that they might know -

whenever they debate among themselves as to what happened to those [Men of the Cave]*that

God's promise [of resurrection] is true, and that there can be no doubt as to [the coming of] the

Last Hour. And so, some [people] said: "Erect a building in their memory; God knows best what

happened to them." Said they whose opinion prevailed in the end: "Indeed, we must surely raise a house of worship in their memory!50

*I.e., by means of the legend which has grown up around the Men of the Cave and, more particularly, by means of the allegoric use which the Qur'an makes of this legend.

51(Quran Ref: 18:21

[And in times to come] some will say, "[They were] three, the fourth of them being their dog,"

while others will say, "Five, with their dog as the sixth of them" -idly guessing at something of

which they can have no knowledge -and [so on, until] some will say, "[They were] seven, the

eighth of them being their dog." Say: "My Sustainer knows best how many they were. None but a

few have any [real] knowledge of them. Hence, do not argue about them otherwise than by way of an obvious argument, and do not ask any of those [story-tellers] to enlighten thee about them

AND NEVER say about anything, "Behold, I shall do this tomorrow52

47

Quran [18:19]

48 M. Asad’s Note No.24 Accompanying his Translation of Quran *18 :19]

49 Quran [18:20]

50 Quran [18:21]

51 M. Asad’s Note No.27 Accompanying his Translation of Quran [18:21]

52 Quran [18:23]

21

without (adding], "if God so wills."* And if thou shouldst forget [thyself at the time, and become

aware of it later], call thy Sustainer to mind and say: "I pray that my Sustainer guide me, even

closer than this, to a consciousness of what is right53

*According to almost all of the commentators, this parenthetic passage (verses 23-24) is primarily addressed to the Prophet, who, on being asked by some of the pagan Quraysh as to what "really" happened to the Men of the Cave, is said to have replied, "I shall give you my answer tomorrow" - whereupon revelation was temporarily withheld from him in token of God's disapproval; in the second instance, this exhortation

expresses a general principle addressed to all believers.

AND [some people assert], "They remained in their cave three hundred years"; and some have

added nine [to that number]54*

* This obviously connects with the "idle guesses" mentioned in the first paragraph of verse 22 above-guesses refuted by the subsequent statements, "My Sustainer knows best how many they were" in verse 22, and "God knows best how long they remained [there]" in verse 26. This was, in particular, the view of `Abd Allah

ibn Mas`ud, whose copy of the Qur'an is said to have contained the words, "And they [i.e., some people] said, `They remained.. .'," etc. (which was probably a marginal, explanatory remark added by Ibn Mas'ud), as well as of Qatadah and of Matar al-Warraq (Tabari, Zamakhshari and Ibn Kathir). My interpolation, at the beginning of the verse, of the words "some people asserted" is based on the word Qalu ("they said") used by Ibn Mas’ud in his marginal note.

55

Say: "God knows best how long they remained [there]. His [alone] has the knowledge of the

hidden reality of the heavens and the earth: how well does He see and hear! No guardian have they apart from Him, since He allots to no one a share in His rule!56

Christian narrative of the historical event57,58

The Roman Martyrology mentions the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus under the date of 27 June, as follows: “Commemoration of the seven Holy Sleeper of Ephesus, who, it is recounted, after undergoing martyrdom, rest in peace, awaiting the day of resurrection.” The Byzantine Calendar commemorates them with feasts on 4 August and 22 October. They are also regarded as pious in Islam, and are known as “People of the Cave” (Ashab Al-Kahf).

A legend about them tells of the falling asleep of seven young men in a cave, who wake up after a great deal of time has passed. The basic outline of the tale appears in Gregory of Tours (b. 538 – d. 594), and in Paul the Deacon’s (b. 720 – d. 799) History of the Lombards. The best-known version of the story appears in Jacobus de Voragine’s Golden Legend. Their story also appears in the Qur’an (Chapter 18, verses 9-26), which also includes the mention of an accompanying dog beside them named Qitmir.

The outline of the story is that during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Decius, around 250, seven young men were accused of Christianity. They were given some time to recant their faith, but instead gave

53

Quran [18:24]

54 Quran [18:25]


56 Quran [18:26]

57http://www.shahinshah.com/blog/seven-holy-sleepers-cave-of-ashab-e-kahf-video/#ixzz1GmKQv0Un

58http://www.shahinshah.com/blog/seven-holy-sleepers-cave-of-ashab-e-kahf-video/#ixzz1GmJVoAMF

http://www.shahinshah.com/blog/seven-holy-sleepers-cave-of-ashab-e-kahf-video/#ixzz1GmKQv0Un

http://www.shahinshah.com/blog/seven-holy-sleepers-cave-of-ashab-e-kahf-video/#ixzz1GmJVoAMF

22

their worldly goods to the poor and retired to a mountain to pray, where they fell asleep. The emperor, seeing that their attitude towards paganism had not improved, ordered the mouth of the cave to be sealed.

Decius died in 251 and many years passed during which Christianity went from being persecuted to being the major religion of the Roman Empire. At some later time — usually, during the reign of Theodosius II (408 – 450) — the landowner decided to open up the sealed mouth of the cave, thinking to use it as a cattle pen. He opened it and found the sleepers inside. They awoke, imagining that they had slept but one day.

One of their numbers returned to Ephesus. He was astounded to find buildings with crosses attached; the townspeople were astounded to find a man trying to spend old coins from the reign of Decius. The bishop was summoned to interview the sleepers; they told him their miracle story, and died praising God.

1.12Those Who Die Whilst Sinning

The Quran highlights their case in the following words:

Behold, those whom the angels gather in death while they are still sinning against themselves,

[the angels] will ask, "What was wrong with you?'' They will answer: "We were too weak on

earth." [The angels] will say: "Was, then, God's earth not wide enough for you to forsake the

domain of evil?" *for such, then, the goal is hell - and how evil a journey's end!”59

Islamic Concept of Migration

*Lit., "was not God's earth wide, so that you could migrate therein?" The term hijrah (lit., "exodus"), derived from the verb hajara ("he migrated"), is used in the Qur’an in two senses: one of them is historical, denoting the exodus of the Prophet and his Companions from Mecca to Medina, while the other has a moral connotation - namely, man's "exodus" from evil towards God - and does not necessarily imply the leaving of one's homeland in the physical sense. It is this wider, moral and ethical meaning of the term hijrah to which the above passage refers - just as the preceding passage (verses 95-96) referred to "striving hard in God's cause" (jihad) in the widest sense of the term, embracing both physical and moral efforts and the sacrifice, if need be, of one's possessions and even one's life. While the physical exodus from Mecca to Medina ceased to be obligatory for the believers after the conquest of Mecca in the year 8 H., the spiritual exodus from the domain of evil to that of righteousness continues to be a fundamental demand of Islam; in other words, a person who does not "migrate from evil unto God" cannot be considered a believer - which explains the condemnation, in the next sentence, of all who are remiss in this respect.60

1.13Those Who Die Whilst Fleeing from Evil

And he who forsakes the domain of evil for the sake of God shall find on earth many a lonely

road, *as well as life abundant. And if anyone leaves his home, fleeing from evil unto God and

His Apostle, and then death overtakes him - his reward is ready with God: for God is indeed

much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace61

*The word muragham is derived from the noun ragham ("dust") and is connected with the idiomatic expression raghimaanfuhu, "his nose was made to cleave to dust", i.e., he became humbled and forced to do something against his will. Thus, muragham denotes "a road by the taking of which one leaves one's people

59

Quran [4:97]

60 M. Asad’s Note No. 124 Accompanying his Translation of Quran *4:97]

61 Quran [4:100]

23

against their will" (Zamakhshari), it being understood that this separation from one's familiar environment involves what is described as muraghamah, the "breaking off (from another)" or the "cutting off from friendly or living communion" (see Lane III, 1113). All this can best be rendered, in the above context, as "a lonely road" - a metaphor of that heart breaking loneliness which almost always accompanies the first steps of one who sets forth on his "exodus from evil unto God". (Regarding this latter expression, see note on verse 97 above as well as chapter 2, verse 218.)62

1.14Making a Will is binding on All Muslims.

The Quran states this Requirement to make a Will in the following words:

IT IS ordained for you, when death approaches any of you and he/she is leaving behind wealth and/or

property, to make bequests in favour of parents and [other] near of kin in accordance with what is fair:

this is binding on all who are conscious of God63

****This bequeathing in favour of parents and next of kin is in addition to – and Preceding the distribution of-the legally-fixed shares mentioned in Quran [4:11-12.].

This ordainment to make bequests is stated again in another verse of The Quran as follows

O YOU who have attained to faith! Let there be witnesses to what you do when death approaches you

and you are about to make bequests: two persons of probity from among your own people, or -if the

pangs of death come upon you while you are travelling far from home -two other persons from

[among people] other than your own. Take hold of the two after having prayed; and if you have any

doubt in your mind, let each of them swear by God, "We shall not sell this [our word] for any price,

even though it were [for the sake of] a near kinsman; and neither shall we conceal aught of what we

have witnessed before God -or else, may we indeed be counted among the sinful64

1.15Dying should“Not” Be by Way of Self-Venture or Self-Sacrifice...It should Occur

“Only” when and as determined by God.

*** There is nothing in the Islamic Sources, Divine or Inspired (Divine Source being The Quran and Inspired being The Hadiths) which require a Muslim to Love or Court Death.

*** If anything, The Quran “Prohibits” Suicides by saying:

O ye who believe! Do not kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily Allah hath been to you Most

Merciful65

62

M. Asad in his Note No. 126 Accompanying his Translation of Quran [4:100]

63 Quran [2:180]

64 Quran [5:106]

65 Quran [4:29]

24

***And, Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) in one of his Hadiths has stated that a Person who commits

Suicide will be made to “continuously” repeat their Act of suicide in Hell as a never ending

punishment.

A MARTYR will NOT be forgiven his debts.

In order to emphasise the Islamic Injunctions against suicides, Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) has said in a Hadith

that a Martyr will not be forgiven his debts. He said so, in the following words:

By Him in whose hand Muhammad's soul is, if a man were to be killed in Allah's path then come to

life, be killed again in Allah's path then come to life, and be killed once more in Allah's path then

come to life owing a debt, he would not enter Paradise till his debt was paid.66

1.16Bringing Death upon others is also “Prohibited” in Islam

Not only is bringing of Death upon oneself prohibited in Islam, but bringing Death upon others is also

prohibited.

The Quran states this Prohibition in the following words:

Take not life, which Allah hath made sacred67

Repeated again in another verse of The Quran:

Nor take life - which Allah has made sacred68

With regard to the act of bringing Death upon others, the Recompense for it is Hell and the Wrath

and Curse of Allah


And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein; and the Wrath and

the Curse of Allah are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him69

Punishment will be Equivalent to Killing Entire Humanity.

In another verse of The Quran the Punishment for slaying a human being is stated to be as follows:

if anyone slays a human it shall be as though he had slain all mankind; whereas, if anyone saves a life,

it shall be as though he had saved the lives of all mankind70

66

Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Imam Ahmed, and There is something to the same effect in Sharh as-

Sunnah.www.alim.org

67 Quran [16:51]

68 Quran [17 :33]

69 Quran [4:193]

http://www.alim.org/

25

1.17Is it Permissible to Wish for Death in Extreme Distress?

The Answer!

It is “Not Permissible” for a Muslim to wish for Death even when in Extreme Distress.

Prophet Mohammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

Let not any one of you wish for death because of some harm that has befallen him71

1.18What to Say upon Hearing News of a Death

The verse of The Quran that answers this question states that:

Those who are patient in adversity, when calamity befalls them, say, "Verily, unto God do we belong

and, verily, unto Him we shall return72

**** These words of The Quran are to be recited not just upon hearing the News of someone’s DEATH but are

also to be recited when faced with any Calamity. This is so, because, the word used in the above verse is

“Musibah” which stands for calamity and Not “Mawth” (Death)

Additionally, some people will add this supplication:

O Allah, reward me for my bearing calamity and compensate me with something better than it).’

And, if people say this with faith and the hope of reward, Allah will reward them for that and will replace what

they have lost with something better.

1.19Does the agony of Death for some people expiate some of their sins?

The Answer!

Yes, everything of sickness, difficulty, worry or distress that befalls a person, even the prick of a thorn, is expiation for sins. Then if we bear it patiently and seek reward for that with Allah, as well as the expiation of sins we will be rewarded for the patience with which webear the calamity that has befallen us.

70

Quran [5:32]

71(Narated by al-Bukhari (al-Fath), 11/154)”

72 Quran [2:156]

26

****It makes no difference whether the Agony happens at the time of death or before. Calamities are an expiation of sins for the believer.

Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) said that:

No Fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it be a

prick of a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of their sins for that73

1.20Should those who are ILL Accept Death as Inevitable and Not Seek Medical Treatment?

The short answer for this isNO, whilst every soul shall taste of death as we have heard before,

*** But NO Soul knows the time of its Death, and, as we often hear Stories that even the most severely ill persons have recovered simply because it was not time for their Death.

Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) in answer to a question about this said that:

You should seek medical Treatment, for Allah The Exalted has let no disease exist without providing

for its cure74

*** Thus, there is No Merit in Islam in just lying down and dying.

1.21Angel of Death

Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) is asked by Allah (swt) to tell us all about the Task of the Angel of Death. The

Quran states this in the following words:


Say: (O! Mohammad) ―[One day,] the angel of death who has been given charge of you will gather

you, and then unto your Sustainer you will be brought back.75

1.22Description of the Moment of Death

In order to get a description of Death we look to the Hadith.

The Hadith gives an extensive description of the moment of Death which I have summarised as follows:

73

Hadith No.7.545 from the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Bukhari

74 Reported in all of the well-known six collections of Hadiths quoted at www.alim.org

75 Quran [32:11]

27

This description tells us about how the Rooh (Soul) of a pious person is extracted. If someone wishes to

know about how it is for a non-pious soul, and then imagine that it would be just the opposite of what is

described here.

What happens is as follows:

Two angels descend with a shroud and perfume from Paradise. These angels are different from the Angel of

Death that is tasked with the extraction process.

1. The angel of Death addressing the Rooh (Soul) says: “O pure soul, come out to the

forgiveness and pleasure of Allah.” This indicates that for a pious person, there is no physical process of extraction involved, and hence No Physical distress. It is a matter of a conversation in the form of a

request from the angel of death and the Rooh (Soul) happily obliges.

2. The Rooh (Soul) is then wrapped in the shroud from Paradise and scented with perfume whose fragrance is described as the most excellent fragrance to be found on the face of the earth.

3. Then a stepwise journey takes place whereby the angels take this wrapped-up and perfumed soul up to the First Heaven (Paradise). The angels and the Residents of the First Paradise then take it up to the Second Paradise, and so on, till the Rooh (Soul) reaches the Highest of Paradise called Illiyoun

4. From there, the Soul is returned to the body of the person in his/her grave.

1.23Reciting Surah-e-Yasin For or Near a Dying Person

It is a practice amongst some Muslims who believe, rightly or wrongly, that it is “ordained” to recite Surah-e-

Yasin which is the 36th Chapter of The Quran either at the time of some one’s death or on the corpse itself of a

deceased Muslim.

Please see Appendix 1for the scholarly arguments for and against this practice.

1.24Ritual Washing, Shrouding and Burial

After the Person has died, their body is given a Ritual Washing to purify it and the corpse is then wrapped in

an earthly shroud and laid to rest in a grave.

For a description of the Ritual Washing, Shrouding and Burial is done Please See Appendix 2for

details.

1.25Funeral Prayers

Adapted from an answer to a question on www.islamqa.com

Procedure for performing formal Funeral Prayers:

General Points of consideration:

1. The funeral prayer is a communal obligation known as “fard kifaayah” in Islam; i.e. if enough people undertake this duty, then the rest of the Muslims are absolved of it.

2. Funeral Prayers Consist of only One Session (rukkah) in the standing posture. There is neither bowing nor prostration involved in it.

3. Preferably they should be done in congregation, although they can be done individually as well if one is alone.

http://www.islamqa.com/

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4. In the vast majority of cases, it is preferable to have the Coffin present in front of the congregation, but funeral prayers in abstentia are also permissible if a death has taken place in a far away place.

5. All the recitations during the funeral prayers are recited “silently” except whilst pronouncing “Allahu Akbar” {God is the Greatest} known as the Takbeer, at the start of the Prayers and at the change of each recitation of the One session prayers.

6. If the Funeral Prayers are being held in a congregation, then only the Prayer Leader pronounces the recitation of “Allahu Akbar” ,God is the Greatest- in a loud voice so that the members of the congregation can hear these Takbeers and know when each segment begins and when the next segment starts.

7. Majority of the scholars are of the view that there is no need to raise the hands up to the earlobes at each pronouncement of the Takbeer “Allahu Akbar” ,God is the Greatest- except at the start of the prayers.

Actual Prayers:

First Segment

(a) The hands are raised up to the earlobes whilst pronouncing the words “Allahu Akbar” ,God is the Greatest} (b) The hands are then folded, as in any other normal prayers, on the

Chest / Abdomen or they are let to hang on the sides.

(c) Refuge is then sought from Devil the accursed by silently pronouncing

“Aaoozu billahhi Minnush Shaitan Nir Rageem”

(d) This is then followed by silently pronouncing “Bismillah ir-Rahmaan ir-

Raheem” ,I begin in The Name of The Most Beneficent and The Most Merciful”

(e) The First Chapter of The Quran known as “Fateha” is then recited

followed by reciting one of the short Chapters (Soorahs) of The Quran which then completes the First Segment

of the Prayers.

Second Segment

(f) Pronouncing the Takbeer i.e. “Allahu Akbar” ,God is the Greatest- for a

second time marks the beginning of the Second segment of the funeral prayers.

(g) Then Blessings are invoked on Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) by silently

reciting what is known in the Asian parlance as the Durood also referred to as the Sallat-e-Ibrahimiya in the Arabic parlance. This then completes the Second Segment of the funeral prayers.

Third Segment

Pronouncing the Takbeer i.e. “Allahu Akbar” ,God is the Greatest- marks the beginning of the Third segment of the funeral prayers.

(h) Then Dua(s) *Supplications+ invoking God’s Mercy and Blessings on the soul of the deceased are silently read. A recommended, though Not ordained, wordings for these Dua(s)

*Supplication+ in it’s transliteration form and their translation are as follows :

Allaahummaighfirlihaayinawamayitina wa shaahidina wa ghaa‟ibina wa sagheerina wa kabeerina wa dhakarina wa unthaana. Allaahumma man ahyaytahuminnafaahyihi „ala‟l-Islam wa man tawaffaytahuminnafatawiffahu „ala‟l-eemaan.Allaahummaighfirlahuwarhamhu wa „aafihi wa a‟fu „anhu, wa akrimnuzulahu wa wassi‟ madkhalahuwaghsilhubi‟l-maa‟ wa‟l-thaljwa‟l-barad, wa naqqihi min al-khataayakamayunaqqa‟ al-thawb al-abyad min al-danas. Allaahummaabdilhudaarankhayra min daarihiwaahlankhayra min ahlihi. Allaahummaadkhilhu al-jannahwaa‟idhhu min „adhaabil-qabri wa min „adhaabil-naar wa afsahlahufiqabrihi wa nawwirlahufihi. Allaahummalaatahrimnaajrahuwa la tadillanaaba‟dahu

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Translation of which is as follows

O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those who are present among us and those who are absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. O Allah, whoever You keep alive, keep him alive in Islam, and whoever You cause to die, cause him to die with faith. O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him/her, keep him/her safe and sound and forgive him/her, honour the place where he/she settles and make his/her entrance wide; wash him/her with water and snow and hail, and cleanse him/her of sin as a white garment is cleansed of dirt. O Allah, give him a house better than his house and a family better than his family. O Allah, admit him to Paradise and protect him from the torment of the grave and the torment of Hell-fire; make his grave spacious and fill it with light. O Allah, do not deprive us of the reward and do not cause us to go astray after this

76

Fourth Segment

(i) Pronouncing the Takbeer i.e. “Allahu Akbar” ,God is the Greatest- again marks the beginning of the Fourth and final segment of the funeral prayers. (j) Then making Short Dua(s) [Supplications] for yourself and for the rest of the Muslims, the funeral

prayers are ended by performing the Sallams as in any normal prayer i.e. by turning your face to the right and aligning it with your right shoulder you greet the angels on the right side and then turning your face on the left side and in like manner as before, you greet the angels on your left side.

Funeral Prayers that were missed and Prayers in Abstentia

The Prophet offering Funeral Prayers days after a person had died:

We are told77

of an occasion when - a man or a woman – who use to clean the mosque had died and The Prophet (Pbuh) had not been informed of the death, apparently because the companions thought that the matter of that person’s death was not important enough to tell The Prophet (Pbuh). So, The Prophet (Pbuh) asked to be shown that person’s grave and he went to the grave and offered the funeral prayers. This proves

that it is permissible to do so within a reasonable time “after” a person has been buried.

However, this narration has a few gaps which have not been clarified. For instance, the narrators or recorders of this Hadith are not sure whether the said person was a man or a woman leading one to wonder about the significance of the incident. The narration also does not state whether The Prophet (Pbuh) enquired or not about “if that person was buried with or without funeral prayers in the first place? - Although it is difficult to imagine that the companions will bury a Muslim without first offering funeral prayers for him / her and not tell The Prophet (Pbuh) about it.!

The widely accepted General Principle regarding Offering Late Funeral Prayers

Let us imagine that in our contemporary times, a Muslim dies in a hospital and the hospital authorities had arranged for a non-Muslim undertaker to bury that Muslim without the required funeral prayers. Then, when the Muslims of that area / town become aware of that death, Then, they must gather together and either go to that person’s grave and offer the funeral prayers there ,on the understanding that women may not join such prayers by the side of the grave- “Or” if the women also wish to join such funeral prayers, then this can be arranged anywhere other than the grave site, either in the mosque or in a house and offer funeral prayers

in abstentia.

76

Kitaab Majmoo‟ Fataawa Wa MaqaalaatMutanawwi‟ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh „Abd al-„Azeez ibn „Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may

Allaah have mercy on him), vol 13, p. 141 as quoted atwww.islamqa.com

77 The story is narrated in two of the famous collections of Hadiths known as Sahih al-Bukhaari (Hadith No.1337) and Sahih Al-

Muslim (Hadith No.956) and is attributed to being narrated by the Companion Abu Hurayrah


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Proof for the Permissibility of Funeral Prayers in Abstentia.

We are told in various narrations78

that when Emperor Negus had died Angel Jibraeel {Gabriel} descended and informed Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) about it asking for his Funeral Prayers to be performed. So, The Prophet (Pbuh) took the people out and lined them up in rows and them all offered funeral prayers for Negus. This suggests that Emperor Negus had infact embraced Islam but had kept it secret for fear that his people might revolt against him for it.

Negus, as people will remember was the King who had given sanctuary to a small band of Muslims who had emigrated from Mecca ahead of the main migration from Mecca to Medina, and He had done so after hearing the verses of The Quran about Jesus.

This indicates that it is permissible to offer the funeral prayer for the deceased after the burial. However, some scholars are of the view that this permissibility is restricted to those for whom funeral prayers had not been offered at all whilst some restrict this permissibility to only scholars and virtuous people

only.

This reminds me of another occasion when The Prophet (Pbuh) was on a campaign when a Companion who due to illness could not join that campaign and who had died whilst the Prophet (Pbuh) was away. Angel Jibraeel {Gabriel} again descended and informed Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) about it asking for his Funeral Prayers to be performed. Upon enquiry about what was so special about that person? – Angel Jibraeel {Gabriel} replied, that not only are you all being asked to offer funeral prayers for that Companion but that Allah (Swt) has sent down 10,000 Angels to Earth with the specific purpose to join in the funeral prayers for

that companion of The Rasool. – What a Status...!!!

How Long After the Burial?

With regards to the length of the period of time within which “Late Funeral Prayers” can be offered, a later day scholar Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: If the funeral prayer has not been offered for him/her at all, we

should offer it even if that is several years later.79

What if you loose track of the Location of a Grave of a Muslim who was buried without offering Funeral Prayers?

Situation:

A father said: A child of mine died at the age of six months, and he was taken to the graveyard and buried without me offering the funeral prayer for him because I forgot. I do not know where the grave is in which the child was buried. Is there any act of charity that will make up for the prayer, or any other act that will make up for the prayer?

The Answer:

The answer to any question should be given and viewed in the context of these verses of The Quran that:

Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope80

and ―So keep your duty to Allah and fear Him as much

as you can81

78

Quoted in Two of the famous Collections of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhaari (Hadith No.1333) and Sahih Al-Muslim

(Hadith No. 951) and the narration is attributed to the companion Abu Hurayrah

79Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 5/440 as quoted at www.islamqa.com


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There is no other act whether an act of charity or any other righteous deed that will make up for the “missed funeral prayer” for the deceased, whether he was a child or an adult,. You have to go to the graveyard where he is buried, and stand with the graveyard between you and the Qiblah, then offer the funeral prayer for this child, in a state of purity (i.e., with wudoo’) and fulfilling all the conditions of prayer. That will be sufficient, since you do not know exactly where the child’s grave is.

Deceased Person who had debts

We are told of a Hadith82

whenever The Prophet (Pbuh) was informed of a deceased who had debts, he would ask:

Did he leave behind anything with which to pay off his debt?‖ If he had left something behind, then he

would offer the funeral prayer for him, otherwise he would say, ―Offer the funeral prayer for your

companion. The Prophet (Pbuh) ―I am closer to the believers than their own selves83

whoever dies in

debt, I will repay it and whoever leaves behind wealth, it is for his heirs

This, in my humble opinion suggests that in a properly constituted Islamic State with an Islamic Treasury, the state will pay-off the debts of a deceased Muslim if there is no evidence that he deliberately avoided paying off his debts. One thing that even Martyrs will have to account for is un-paid debts.

Adapted with minor alterations from Islam Q&A

1.26Burial

Family, relatives and friends then take the Corpse to a Burial Ground where a grave is dug and the Corpse is

placed in the grave with its face facing in the direction of Kaaba which is the Cubical shaped Mosque in Mecca.

Graves

Please seeAppendix2 for details

Grave Stones

This bit of the article has been paraphrased from an answer given to a question at Islam Q & A

Question: Is it permissible to put a marker on a grave so that it will be known whose grave it is?

The custom in some countries is to put a stone, concrete or a peg at the head and foot of the grave, or sometimes

just at the head. What is the Islamic ruling on that?

Praise be to Allah.

Islam does not allow erecting structures over graves, but it is permitted to put a marker on the grave so that

the family and friends of the deceased will know where it is. However, this marker should not be a structure or

anything else that is not permissible under Islam.

80

Quran :[2:286]

81 Quran [64:16]

82 Quoted from the collections of Hadith known as Sahih Al-Bukhaari (Hadith No.2176) and Sahih Muslim (Hadith No.1619)

narration attributed to the companion Abu Hurayrah,

83 Quran [33:6]

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With regard to the erecting of structures over graves, Jaabir a companion of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh), has

quoted him as

Forbidding plastering over graves, sitting upon them and erecting structures over them84

The Shaafa’i School of Thought makes the following distinction with regards to the structures over graves:

maintaining that:

If the structure is built on the property of the person who builds it, it is disliked, and if it is in a public

graveyard, it is not permissible‖, however, there is no known Hadith supporting this distinction.

Ali The fourth Caliph of Islam once said to some one:

Shall I not send you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon

him) sent me? Do not leave any statue without erasing it, and do not leave any raised grave without levelling

it.‖85

Virtuous v Not Virtuous

A grave should not be made very high, and there should be no differentiation between those who were

virtuous and those who were not virtuous. 86

The making graves high that is mentioned in the Hadith especially includes the domes and shrines that are

built over graves, and the taking of graves as places of worship. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be

upon him) cursed those who do that.87It is however permissible to mark a grave with something permissible.

And Allaah knows best. Adapted from Islam Q&A

The Very First Example of Burial:

two sons of Adam fought one another as a consequence of which the first ever murder on earth took place.

The surviving son was completely nonplussed about what to do with the corpse of his brother.

Allah then sent down a bird to teach him what to do. The bird began scratching the earth digging a hole into

which it deposited something that it was carrying in its beak and then kicked up dust refilling that hole.

The surviving son of Adam then did exactly the same with the corpse of his brother which then set the

precedent for all “Children of Adam.”

84

Hadith No. 970 quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim

85 Hadith No. 969 “ “ “ “ “ “ “ Sahih Muslim, narrated by Abu’l-Hayaaj al-Asadi

86Al-Shawkaani as quoted on www.islamq&a.com

87(Nayl al-Awtaar, 4/130). As quoted in “ “ “

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Questioning in the Grave

After the corpse is laid to rest and the grave filled up, the accompanying persons then depart.

1. Two angels then appear to that person in their grave and make them sit up and ask 3

Questions as follows (a) Who is your Lord? (b) What is your Religion? (c) Who is this man

Mohammad?

2. The Pious person will reply as follows: (a) Allah is my Lord (b) Islam is my Religion (c)

This Man Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah.

3. Then a voice will call out from heaven, ‘My slave has spoken the truth. Prepare for him a bed from

Paradise and give him clothes from Paradise, and open for him a door to Paradise.’

1.26.1Why don’t Muslims Cremate Their Dead? – Before we answer this Question, let us

briefly delve into the concept of “Symbolism” which is strongly present in Islamic Theology. God’s Displeasure,

Wrath and Anger and His Punishment is symbolised in Islam by the existence and concept of the Fire, so much

so, that in the two syllable nomenclature for the Hell the second syllable is Fire and putting the Two Syllables

together, Hell in Islamic Theology is often referred to as “Hell-FIRE”.

So, why commit the dead to something which symbolizes God’s Anger, Wrath and Displeasure. And, if Hell-Fire

is going to be the likely abode of someone after The Day-of-Judgement then why start that procedure from

now?

Besides, there is an Islamic Teaching that a Wow that violates the Natural Laws should “NOT” be allowed to

stand. For instance, if someone takes a wow to “Not Eat”, then taking the concept of Eating when hungry as

being a God Given Natural instinct, this wow to Not Eat should and must be broken and not allowed to stay.

Applying this Islamic Teaching to the concept of Funerals, even if someone leaves behind a wish of wanting to

be cremated, then this being against God’s Natural Instinct to Forgive, the next of kin of the deceased are

asked to ignore that wish opposing God’s Natural Instinct and carry out the Universally acknowledged Islamic

practice of Burying their relative.

1.27 Burial at Sea

A recent Infamous Burial at Sea has sparked off desires for a clarification of the Islamic rulings regarding

this matter.

What you will find here is (a) An analysis of the Islamic rulings on the subject (b) Statements of Contemporary

Scholars and Notables on the subject of the Infamous Burial at Sea

(a) Sea Burials – Analysis of the Islamic Rulings

The recent infamous Burial at Sea of the “Most Wanted” person has sparked off debates about the

permissibility or otherwise of it and comments in the media which are by and large ill-informed. This is a

humble attempt to throw some light on and broaden the understanding of the Islamic Rulings concerning

burials at sea.

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Burials at Sea are permitted under Islamic Law “only” and “only” for passengers and crew of a sea-faring

vessel and not for those who are flown in who were already dead on land. Death in this case should have

occurred “at Sea” of any one on board, but even here, the priority has to be given to first seeking “land-ahoy”

for a land burial on a beach or inland on the condition that a shore can be reached within one or two days of

sailing time88

, and if not, then and only then, can the exception of burial at sea be considered, but not for a

dead body that is landed on board a ship.

The important point to note is that, “there is nothing in any of the Islamic Texts”, and there are four such

major explanatory texts belonging to what are known as the Schools of Thoughts or Schools of Jurisprudence,

namely Ash-Shaafa’i, Hanafi , Hanbali and Maliki that either call for or even allow for the corpse of a person

who has died on land to be taken to the high seas for a watery burial, this is unheard off in Islamic history,

Shooting dead some one on land and then dumping their remains into the sea is not allowed by any textual

reading of Islam.

According to one correspondent of a major TV Channel who is supposed to have spoken to his “claimed”

Islamic sources, shifting a dead body from land to sea for a watery burial is permissible only as an exception in

cases where there is a risk to the grave on land being dug up by animals that may subsequently devour the

human remains89 but there is no guarantee that the same will not happen to the human remains when in sea.

Saving someone’s corpse from being devoured by land based animals and then dumping them into the sea

only to be devoured by animals of the sea, jaws being a case in point, goes against logicality of not just Islam

but of any religion.

Examining the cited exception under a microscope, one is likely to note that there is no country in the world

that today has such an overwhelmingly jungle oriented landscape where animals roam about wildly with

added strength and know-how of how to dig-up graves and then devour their contents – Scenic hills of

Abbottabad in Pakistan or the Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan certainly do not fit that description allowing for

the claimed exception to be practiced?

It is therefore, not entirely clear where news correspondents get their information on Islam from. It seems

that, amongst Muslims there may be some who may claim to be knowledgeable of the Text but they are not

necessarily scholars of the Context as well and hence they convey the literal reading rather than a contextual

understanding of Islamic principles to the media and the establishment.

We must keep in mind that exception to Islamic laws, must be read in the Context of the times. So, with the

present state of technology of sailing where ships have Steam, Diesel, Electric or even Nuclear Power driving

88

Hadith (Teaching Statement) of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) as quoted in a Collection by the Scholar Imam Ahmad referenced

in the publication called Al-Mughni, ref no. 2/381

89 Based on the stand in the Maliki School of Jurisprudence in Islam

35

them, getting to the nearest shore within a day or two of sailing time would not pose any problems in order to

implement the “priority of burying on land” that is required in Islam even for those who may have died at sea.

Taking a world view however, given the world’s present division into countries and geo-political entities there

will need to be a world-wide agreement to allow for landing of corpses on the nearest land irrespective of

where the ship was at the time of a “death on board” and irrespective also of the country of origin of the

deceased before this becomes possible in practice. Without an International Agreement in place, the only

option available would be to wait till the ship docks at the country of origin of the deceased, and if this is likely

to take an unreasonably long time leading to the decomposition of the human remains, then in that event the

option of burial at sea would have to be adopted in pursuant of the Islamic Requirement of “Hasten to bury

the dead”90

Muslim scholarship of the present time will need to pour upon a possible scenario to determine whether it

would be permissible to freeze corpses in morgues on board cruise liners before reaching a suitable country

where the required land burial was possible.

The upshot of all this is, that, in our present times, it is only in “exceptional” circumstances that a burial at

sea is permissible. Not discounting off course the occasion of a ship sinking with all or some hands on board in

which case “those who drown (in an accident or are forcibly drowned) will be regarded as

martyrs.”91

Pentagon, we were told by some newscasters, had considered the option of obliterating that infamous

compound in Abbottabad from the air through bombardment., had they exercised that option raising all that

stood in that compound to the ground entombing Geronimo and all those present therein, they would have

accorded to the deceased the fast track status of martyrdom for Islam applies the status of martyrdom also to

those who die in a collapsing building92. From a purely academic stand point it would be interesting for

readers to know that, conveyed through the teachings of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh), Islam accords the

status of martyrdom also to mothers who die during or because of child birth93.

90

Hadith (teaching Statement ) of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) as quoted in the following collections: Hasten to bury Al-Mawatta

of Scholar called Imam Maalik and Ahmad, Hadith No.2/240; and by the Scholar called Imam al-Bukhaari, Hadith No. 2/87-88v

91 Hadith (Teaching Statement) of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) as quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-

Bukhari Hadith No. - 4.82

92 Hadith (Teaching Statement) of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) as quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-

Bukhari Hadith No. - 4.82

93 (a)Hadith (Teaching Statement) of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) as quoted in the Collection of Hadiths (1) made by the

Scholar (Collector) Imam Ahmad in his collection known as Al-Musnad Hadith No. 3/489

36

With respect to the transfer of the body of a deceased from one country or town to another, almost all

the Schools of Jurisprudence in Islam consider it undesirable or unlawful “unless” it is to Mecca, Madinah or

Jerusalem provided its sanctity is not affected, and this exception is due to the special significance in Muslim

History and psyche of these cities. However given the practical restrictions due to geo-political considerations

even this is now almost impossible to implement.

The various Schools of Jurisprudence of Islam state as follows:

The Ash-Shaafa’i school of Jurisprudence in Islam takes a stricter view than others regarding the place of

burial and considers it unlawful to transfer the body of a deceased from one country or town to another

“unless” it is to Mecca, Madinah or Jerusalem, and this exception is due to the special significance in Muslim

History and psyche of these cities. However given the practical restrictions due to differences in geographical

and political particularities even this will now become impossible to implement.

The Hanafi school of Jurisprudence of Islam likewise, considers the removal of a body from one place to

another as undesirable, and holds it preferable to bury a person at the place of death. The body may be taken

for a reasonable distance for burial in a cemetery. Prophet Mohammad’s own burial took place in the room

where he had died.

The Hanbali school of Jurisprudence in similar vein considers it desirable to bury a martyr i.e. those who are

slain during a battle in the cause of Allah to be buried at the place where he or she is killed.

The Maliki school of Jurisprudence is the only School of Jurisprudence that holds it permissible to remove the

body from one place to another, before or after the burial, for a genuine reason, for example, when it is

feared that the body of a deceased may be drowned in the sea or be eaten up by wild animals, or when

relatives want to bury the deceased nearby so that they may visit it more easily, or in order to seek the

blessings of the place such as Mecca, Madinah or Jerusalem to which the body is removed. In all such cases,

transferring of the body from one place to another is permissible provided its sanctity is not affected, e.g., it

does not bloat, does not decompose or its bones do not break. However, in the context of the present times

when there are no wild animals roaming around on land with the risk of them eating up human remains and

with no guarantee that the same fate will not befall a human corpse in sea, the exception mentioned cannot

be executed.

To maintain an academic and intellectual balance in this discourse on death, especially for the ones that occur

at the hands of others, and more specifically the for the ones that take place on a battle field it may interest

the readers to note that a MARTYR will not be forgiven his debts to / in this world. For instance, “if a man

were to be killed during battle in Allah's path then come to life, be killed again in Allah's path then come to

(b) Hadith (Teaching Statement) of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) as quoted in the Collection of Hadiths made by the Scholar (Collector) Imam Malik – Hadith No. 1/233

(c) Hadith (Teaching Statement) of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) as quoted in the Collection of Hadiths made by the Scholar (Collector) Imam Abu Dawood – Hadith No. 3/482

37

life, and be killed once more in Allah's path then come to life owing a debt, he would not enter Paradise till

his debt was paid” 94said Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) {Acronym for Peace be upon him}

In Summation: It is only in “exceptional” cases that a burial at sea is permissible when all possible options

to bury on a beach or inland become impossible or exhausted and that also “only” for passengers and crew of

a sea-faring vessel if death occurs on board, definitely not for those who die on land and are landed on board

a ship.

The guiding principle thus, is to bury as close as possible to the place where the person dies. Prophet

Mohammad’s own burial took place in the room where he died.

There is a Need for a root-and-branch Reassessment of from where? And How Pentagon AND the

wider American Establishment get their information on Islam from.

If the infamous Sea Burial was implemented because of a Political decision then so be it, but, if it was done on

the basis of some ill-judged advice that was given to Pentagon that...”it was what is Islamically ordained”???,

then there is a need for a root-and-branch reassessment of Pentagon’s and the wider U.S. Administration’s

source of Islamic Information.

(b) Statements of Contemporary Scholars and Notables on the subject of the Infamous Burial at Sea

Abdul Hakim Murad: {Abdal Hakim Murad is a lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Divinity, Cambridge

University, England. In 2010 he was voted Britain's most influential Muslim thinker by Jordan's Royal Islamic Strategic

Studies Centre} Writing in the Opinion Section of CNN (May 9th, 2011) Shaikh Abdal Hakim Murad said:

“The death and disposal of the Middle East's "Dark Lord," was always going to be an iconic moment. Its symbolism would provide a particular twist to the way he was remembered. Doubtless this was realized by President Obama's strategists. Yet there are good reasons, pragmatic as well as idealistic, to suggest that the final showdown with Osama bin Laden was dangerously mismanaged. The burial at sea was a sad miscalculation. It is not clear where the Pentagon finds its information on Islamic rituals. It cannot ignore, however, the fact that Muslim leaders have found the procedure by which the cadaver was tipped into the sea, following an unspecified Muslim ceremony, entirely unacceptable.

Bin Laden's watery funeral is looking, therefore, like a kind of macabre posthumous victory. By failing to dispose of the body in a way acceptable to Muslims, as defined by their leaders, America has helped to create a further legend about its contempt for Islam. Moreover, it has shown that, 10 years after 9/11, it has still not managed to understand even the most basic of Muslim practices. The result is likely to be further mistrust, at a moment that should have been a turning point, and a closing of an ugly and bitter chapter.

{The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Abdal Hakim Murad.- editors CNN}”

Al-Azhar University: The leading scholarly institution in the Muslim world is Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. And the Muslim world has heard, with disquiet, Al-Azhar's judgement on the "sea burial."

94

A Hadith (Teaching Statement of Prophet Mohammad) quoted in a collection of his Hadiths known as quoted in the Collection

of Hadiths known as Sahih Imam Ahmed, and there is some thing to the same effect in Sharh as-Sunnah.www.alim.org


38

The burial at sea was a "violation of Islamic procedures" This contradicts all humanitarian principles," he declared. "In Islamic law, it is forbidden to mistreat a human body, whatever its religion or sect may have been. To honour a body, one must bury it." --Shaykh Ahmad al-Tayyib

Shaykh Nasr Farid Wasil The venerated former Mufti of Egypt, Shaykh Nasr Farid Wasil, spoke even more forcibly. The procedures apparently followed by the Americans, including the shrouding of the body were, he said, incorrect and "illogical."

Taha Abu Kuraysha

Shaykh Taha Abu Kuraysha, a leading expert in Islamic law, has said, the American procedure, amounted to a "mutilation" of a dead body, "entirely forbidden by Islam."

Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al-Obaikan, an adviser to the Saudi Royal Court

"That is not the Islamic way. The Islamic way is to bury the person in land (if he has died on land) like all other people,"

Amidhan,

A member of Indonesia's Ulema Council (MUI), the highest Islamic authority in the world's biggest Muslim society, said

"Burying someone in the ocean needs extraordinary situation. Is there one?," he told Reuters.

Helmut Schmidt:

Former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt told German TV the operation could have incalculable consequences in the Arab world at a time of unrest there.

"It was quite clearly a violation of international law," 95

Islamic Jurisprudence on Transferring the Body from One Place to another96

95

As quoted in discussions Forum of www.islamcity.com

96 Fiqh-as Sunnah Article No. 4.78 on www.alim.org

http://www.islamcity.com/


39

Islamic Jurisprudence is largely classified into what are known as “The Schools of Thoughts” or stated

differently, Schools of Jurisprudence, and there are 4 such broadly based Schools of Thoughts namely the

Shaafa’i, Maliki, Hanafi, Hanbali and the following are their respective positions on the matter of

Transferring a Body from One Place to another (Paraphrased to make it easy reading for non-

Muslim intellectual audiences).

Shaafa’i View:

The Ash-Shaafa’i school considers it unlawful to transfer the body of a deceased from one country or town to another “unless” it is to Mecca, Madinah or Jerusalem, and this exception is due to the special significance in Muslim History and psyche. However given the physical restrictions due to differences in geographical and political particularities even this will now become impractical.

Therefore, the Ash-Shaafa’i school further maintains that, “even If”, someone leaves instructions in his or her will void that he or she be buried in a place other than the above three cities, that will under Ash-Shaafa’i law that will is considered null and void may not be executed. This is because it could delay the burial and be in violation of the commandment of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) of hastening the Burial of the deceased and also for the practical reason that it may cause the body to deteriorate.

Likewise transferring the body from one grave to another is prohibited unless there is a valid reason for doing so, for example, if the deceased was buried without a proper wash, or was buried without turning the deceased's face toward the qiblah, or the grave was damaged by flood or dampness. 97

It is stated in that digging up a grave after burial either for removing the body or for any other reason is prohibited unless there is genuine reason for it such as when a deceased person is buried without a wash or is buried in a usurped cloth or land or something of value is left in the grave or the deceased was buried without facing the qiblah.

Maliki View:

The Maliki school holds it permissible to remove the body from one place to another, before or after the burial, for a genuine reason, for example, when it is feared that the body of a deceased may be drowned in the sea or eaten up by wild animals, or when relatives want to bury the deceased nearby so that they may visit it more easily, or in order to seek the blessings of the place to which the body is removed. In all such cases, transferring of the body from one place to another is permissible provided its sanctity is not affected, e.g., it does not bloat, does not decompose or its bones do not break.

Hanafi View:

The Hanafi school considers the removal of a body from one place to another undesirable, and holds it preferable to bury a person at the place of death. The body may be taken for a mile or two for burial, for that is the usual distance to a cemetery. After the burial removing the body without a genuine reason is not permissible as mentioned above. If a woman's son dies and he is buried in her absence in another town, and she was impatient and wanted to remove his body to her own town, her request may not be heeded.

Hanbali View:

97

As stated in the Religious Text known as Al-Minhaj

40

The Hanbali School considers it desirable to bury a martyr at the place where he or she is killed. Ahmad said, "As to those who are slain, a hadith reported by Jabir from the Prophet, peace be upon him, says: 'Bury the martyrs wherever they are killed'." Ibn Majah reported: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, ordered that the martyrs of the Battle of Uhud be returned and buried at the places where they had fallen." As for the others, they are not to be removed from one town to another without a valid cause. This is the opinion of AlAwza'i and Ibn al-Mundhir. Abdullah ibn Malikah said: "Abd-ur Rahman ibn Abu Bakr died in Abyssinia and his body was carried to Makkah where he was buried. When 'Aisha visited his grave she said: 'By Allah! Had I been there when you died, I would not have allowed you to be buried anywhere except at the place where you had died. And had I seen you there, I would not have visited you'." Burying the deceased at the place of death is easier and more secure against deterioration of the physical remains. It is permissible, however, to remove the body from one place to another in case there is a valid reason.

Ahmad said: "I do not know of any harm in transferring the deceased from one town to another." When Az-Zuhri was asked about that, he said, "The bodies of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and Sa'id ibn Zaid were removed from al-'Aqiq to Madinah."

1.28 What to do if someone dies suddenly at home?

The following is an answer to the above question appearing atwww.islamqa.com98

Praise be to Allah

If the person has died and the soul has departed, then his relatives have to do the following:

- Closing his eyes

- Making du’aa’ (supplications) for him

This is because of the Hadith of Umm Salamah, who said:

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to see Abu Salamah when his sight had become fixed (he had passed away). So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him closed his eyes and said: 'When the soul is seized and it leaves the body, the eyes follow it.' Some of Abu Salamah's family wept and wailed, whereupon

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

Pray to Allah only for good for yourselves, because the angels (who are present) say "amen" to

whatever you utter.'

Then he said:

O Allah! Forgive Abu Salamah; raise his station among those who are rightly-guided; and take

good care of his family that he has left behind. O Lord of the Worlds! Forgive him and us, make

his grave spacious, and put light therein for him.99

(c) They should cover him with a cloth that will cover all of his body.

98

Adapted from MukhtasarAhkaam al-Janaa‟iz by al-Albaani

99 Hadith Narrated by Muslim, Ahmad, al-Bayhaqi and others


41

This is because of the Hadith of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), according to which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allah (Swt) be upon him) was shrouded in a striped cloak. 100

(d)This applies in the case of one who does not die in a state of ihram; the person who dies in ihram should not have his head or face covered.

This is because of the Hadith of Ibn ‘Abbaas who said: “Whilst a man was standing at ‘Arafaah, he fell from his mount and broke his neck (or he said, he died). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

Wash him with water and lotus leaves, and shroud him in two cloths‖ (according to another report,

―… in his two cloths [which he was wearing for ihram]‖) ―… and do not perfume his body, and do

not cover his head [or his face], for he will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection reciting the

Talbiyah.‖101

(e) They should hasten to prepare him and take him out for burial, if it is obvious that he is dead

This is because of the Hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) which he attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):

Hasten to bury the deceased, for if he was righteous, then you are taking him to something good, and if

he was otherwise, then it is an evil of which you are relieving yourselves102

(f) They should bury him in the city or country where he died, and not move him elsewhere; because that

would contradict the haste in burying that is enjoined in Islam.

Hence when a brother of ‘Aa’ishah died in Wadi al-Habashah, and he was moved from the place where he had died, she said,

―The only thing that upset me (or grieved me) was that I wished that he had been buried in the place where

he died.‖ 103

Al-Nawawi said in al-Adhkaar: “If he (the dying person) leaves instructions that he be moved to another land [for burial], those instructions should not be carried out, because moving the deceased [to another land for burial] is prohibited according to the view of the majority, and was clearly stated by those who examined the

matter in depth.‖

(g) Some of them should hasten to pay off his debts from his money, even if that means paying all that is left. If he did not have any wealth, then the state should pay on his behalf, if he had tried his best to pay off his debts. If the state does not do that, and some people volunteer to do that, then that is OK.

It was narrated from Sa’d ibn al-Atwal (may Allaah be pleased with him) that his brother died, leaving three hundred dirhams, and leaving dependents. He said, “I wanted to spend it on his dependents, but the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,

100

Narrated by the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhaari and Muslim) in their Sahihs, by al-Bayhaqi and others

101Narrated by the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim) in their Sahihs, and by Abu Na’eem in al-Mustakhraj, and by al-Bayhaqi. The additional material was not narrated by al-Bukhari

102Narrated by the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim) – this version was narrated by Muslim, and the authors of the four Sunans. It was classed as Sahih by al-Tirmidhi, Ahmad and al-Bayhaqi from Abu Hurayrah

103Narrated by al-Bayhaqi with a saheeh isnaad

42

Your brother is being detained by his debt, so go and pay it off for him.‘ So I went and paid it off, then

I came and said, ‗O Messenger of Allah, I have paid it off, except for two dirhams which a woman

claimed (were owed to her), but she had no proof.‘ He said, ‗Give them to her, because that is her due

(or, because she is speaking the truth)104

It was narrated from Samurah ibn Jundub that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed the funeral prayer (according to one report, he prayed the Fajr prayer), and “when he had finished he said,

Is there anybody here from the family of so and so?‘ The people remained silent, because whenever he

brought anything up, they would keep quiet at first. He said that three times, and no one answered.

Then a man said, ‗Here he is.‘ A man stood up and came, dragging his lower garment, from the back

of the assembly. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‗What kept you from

answering me the first two times? I did not mention your name except for a good reason. So-and-so –

a man from amongst them – is being kept by his debt from Paradise. If you wish, you may ransom

him, or if you wish, you may leave him to the punishment of Allah.‘ If only you had seen his family

and those who knew of his affairs getting up and praying off his debts, until there was no one left who

could make any demands from him105

We ask Allah to forgive the believing men and women. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad

(Pbuh)Adapted from Islam Q &A

1.29Still Births and Souls of Children who die in infancy

Ages of children who die in childhood when they enter Paradise

Scenario

A wife was pregnant with twins and on the day the babies were due, her waters broke, so she went to the doctor who

told her that one of the twins had died shortly before because he had drunk some of the water in which he was

swimming in the uterus. She went to the hospital and had a Caesarean in order to save the other twin, who was born

alive, praise be to Allah. I want to ask about the twin who died. How will he be raised on the Day of Resurrection? Will he be raised like us as a

young man or what?.

Praise be to Allaah.

The scholars are unanimously agreed that the fate of Muslim children -- if they die after the soul has been

breathed in and before reaching puberty -- is Paradise, as an honour from Allah, may He be exalted, to them

and their parents and as a mercy from Him, Whose mercy encompasses all things.

The texts of the scholars concerning this matter have been quoted in the answer to question number 6496.

104(Narrated by Ibn Maajah, Ahmad and al-Bayhaqi. One of its isnaads is saheeh and the other is like the isnaad of Ibn Maajah. Al-Boosayri classed it as saheeh in al-Zawaa’id).

105Narated by Abu Dawood, al-Nasaa’i, al-Haakim, al-Bayhaqi, al-Tayaalisi in his Musnad and Ahmad. Some of them narrated from al-Shu’bi from Samurah, and some mentioned Sam’aan ibn Mushannij in between them. The former is saheeh according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs [al-Bukhaari and Muslim], as al-Haakim said, and al-Dhahabi agreed with him; the latter is saheeh only

http://islamqa.com/en/ref/6496

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By studying the texts which speak of the situation of Muslim children in al-Barzakh and at the time of

resurrection and reckoning on the Day of Resurrection, then when entering Paradise, we can divide their

journey into the following stages:

1. Their situation in al-Barzakh. It is proven that as soon as they die they are transferred to Paradise and that

their souls are blessed there under the care of our father Ibrahim (peace be upon him).

This was narrated in the Hadith of Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The

Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) often used to say to his companions: “Has

anyone among you seen a dream?” and whoever Allah willed would tell him what he had seen. One day he

said: “Last night two people came to me and made me get up, and they said to me: ‘Let’s go.’ So I set off with

them…” He mentioned things that he had seen, and then he said:

―We set off, and we came to a verdant garden, in which all were the colours of spring, where there was a man

who was so tall that I could hardly see his head in the sky. Around the man was the largest number of children

I had ever seen…” Then among things that the two angels explained to him was: “As for the tall man who was

in the garden,that was Ibrahim (Abraham). As for the children who were around him, these are all the children

who died in a state of fitrah.” One of the Muslims said: “O Messenger of Allah, what about the children of the

mushrikeen?” He said: “And the children of the mushrikeen (Polytheists).” 106

And it was narrated that Ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

The souls of the children of the believers are in the crops of birds which go wherever they want in

Paradise and return to lamps hanging from the Throne. End quote. 107

2. On the Day of Resurrection, people will be raised from their graves and the children will also be raised in

the state of childhood and youth in which they died, and they will intercede for their parents and admit them

to Paradise by Allah’s mercy towards them:

It was narrated that Abu Hassaan said: I said to Abu Hurayrah: Two of my sons have died. Can you narrate to

me any Hadith from the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) which will console us

for our loss? He said: Yes:

Their little ones are the little ones (da‘aamees) of Paradise. When one of them meets his father – or his

parents – he takes hold of his garment – or his hand – as I am taking told of the hem of your garment,

and he does not let go until Allaah admits him and his father to Paradise.108

Ibn al-Anther said: Da’aamees is the plural of da’moos, which refers to a small creature that lives in ponds.

Da’moos also refers to the one who wanders about, i.e., they go everywhere in Paradise, entering all places,

106Quotation taken from the Collection of Hadith known as Sahih Al-Bukhaari (Hadith No.7047)

107Narrated by Ibn Abi Haatim with his isnaad. See Tafseer al-Qur’aan al-‘Azeem, 7/148

108 Quotation taken from the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Muslim (Hadith no.2635)

44

and they will not be barred from any place, as children in this world are not barred from entering upon

women and no one hides away from them. End quote. 109

This Hadith clearly indicates that the children will remain as children at the time of resurrection, recompense

and reckoning, and even the miscarried foetus into whom the soul had been breathed will remain as he was

on the day he was miscarried from his mother's womb.

3. When the people of Paradise enter Paradise and take their places there.

Some scholars are of the opinion that they will all -- old and young alike -- enter Paradise aged thirty-three,

and they will not grow old; they will enjoy their youth for ever and ever. Allah will make children grow older

and old men grow younger, until they are all the same age, the age that is the prime of youth, thirty-three

years.

It was narrated from Mu’aadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (Blessings and peace

of Allah be upon him) said:

The people of Paradise will enter Paradise hairless, beardless with their eyes anointed with kohl,

aged thirty or thirty-three years.‖ 110

This was stated clearly in the report of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) – although its

isnaad is subject to some discussion -- according to which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon

him) said: “Whoever of the people of Paradise dies, young or old, will be aged thirty-three in Paradise and will

never grow older, and the same applies to the people of Hell.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2562) who classed it as

da’eef, as he said: This is a ghareeb Hadith which we know only from the Hadith of Rashdeen – namely Ibn

Sa’d. Ibn Ma’een said: He is not trustworthy. Al-Nasaa’i said: He is matrook (i.e., his Hadith is to be rejected).

Other scholars among the Sahaaba and Taabi’een were of the view that Muslim children who die before

reaching the age of puberty will be the servants of the people of Paradise, who will go around among them

with drinks and food and other delights; these are the ones who are mentioned in the verses in which Allah

says (interpretation of the meaning):

Immortal boys will go around them (serving)

With cups, and jugs, and a glass of flowing wine111

And there will go round boy servants of theirs, to serve them as if they were preserved pearls112

109 Al-Nihaayah, 2/279

110Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2545; he said it is hasan ghareeb. It was also narrated by Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 2/315, from

Abu Hurayrah, and classed as hasan by the commentators. Also narrated by al-Haythami in Majma’ al-Zawaa’id, 10/402; classed

as saheeh by Abu Haatim in al-‘Ilal, 3.272 and by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 6/1224.

111 Quran [56:17-18]

112 Quran [53:24]

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And round about them will (serve) boys of everlasting youth. If you see them, you would think them

scattered pearls113

That was narrated by al-‘Allaamah Ibn al-Qayyim from ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him) and

from al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him), but he favoured the view that these children who will

serve the people of Paradise are slaves who are created especially for Paradise, like al-hoor al-„iyn, and that

they are something other then the children of Muslims who die in this world. He said: As for the children of

people in this world, on the Day of Resurrection they will be 33 years old. End quote. {See: Haadi al-

Arwaah ila Bilaad al-Ifraah, p. 309-311}

Perhaps the second opinion is the more correct view concerning this matter, because of the Hadith of Abu

Hurayrah quoted above, in which it says: “Their little ones are the little ones of Paradise.” This is more sound

and more correct than the view of the other scholars.

Al-Manaawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Meaning: they wander around in Paradise and enter its houses, and they are not prevented from doing so just

as children in this world are not prevented from entering even private places.

And it was said that al-da’moos refers to the man who frequently visits kings, because such people frequently

come in and go out, and they do not wait for permission and do not care where they go in their houses. The

child of Paradise is likened to him because he goes wherever he wants in Paradise and is not kept out of any

part of it. End quote. Fayd al-Qadeer, 4/194; something similar was stated in Mirqaat al-Mafaateeh by Mullah

‘Ali al-Qaari 4/16.

And Allah knows best. Adapted from Islam Q&A

1.30Women who die during or soon after Childbirth get the status of a MARTYR

Scenario:

Someone’s wife died following childbirth – is she a Shaheedah (martyr)?

Question:

My wife (may Allaah have mercy on her) died two hours after giving birth to my daughter. Is my wife considered to be a Shaheedah (martyr)? What are my duties towards her daughter? Am I counted as one who sponsors an orphan?

Praise be to Allah.

If a woman dies with a child in her womb, or she dies during childbirth or after childbirth but within the period of nifaas (post-partum bleeding), she is considered to be a Shaheedah insha Allah. Raashid ibn Hubaysh narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered upon ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit when he was sick and said, “Do you know who is a Shaheed (martyr) in my ummah?” The people remained silent, then ‘Ubaadah said, “Help me to sit up.” They helped him to sit up, then he said, “O

Messenger of Allah, (is it) the patient one who seeks reward from Allah for his patience?” The Messenger of

113 Quran [76:19]

46

Allaah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Then the martyrs among my ummah would be very

few.

Definition of Martyrdom

Being killed for the sake of Allah is martyrdom, the plague is martyrdom, drowning is martyrdom,

stomach disease is martyrdom, and if a woman dies during the post-partum period, her child will drag

her to Paradise by his umbilical cord

The Hadith was narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad with a saheeh isnaad. (Al-Musnad, 3/489) There is a corroborating report narrated by Maalik (1/233) and Abu Dawood, 3/482).

With regard to how you should take care of your daughter after her mother’s death, this means that you should spend on her, clothe her, teach her good manners and educate her, etc. This is obligatory upon you, and you will have the reward for that as long as your intention is sincerely for Allah.

Definition of an Orphan

Looking after one’s own progeny is not counted as sponsoring an orphan, because according to sharee’ah the orphan is the person whose father dies whilst he or she is still a child. Muslim reported in his Saheeh that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

The one who sponsors an orphan, whether he belongs to him or to someone else, and I will be like

these two in Paradise‖ – and Maalik made a gesture with his forefinger and middle finger.

What is meant by “who belongs to him” is that the sponsor is related to the orphan, e.g. his grandfather, mother, grandmother, brother, sister, paternal uncle, paternal aunt, maternal uncle, maternal aunt, or other relative. What is meant by “or to someone else” is that the sponsor is a “stranger” (i.e., not closely related) to the orphan. Your duty towards your daughter is to spend on her food, drink, clothing and shelter, and take care of her Islamic upbringing, teaching her about her religion and instilling the pure Islamic ‘aqeedah in her heart.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

1.31Are The Sinful and the Righteous on the Same Footing?

The Quran makes it very clear that in no way are the two on similar footing. It states this in the form of a

rhetorical Question in the following words:

as for those who indulge in sinful doings - do they think that We place them, both in their life and their

death, on an equal footing with those who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds? Bad, indeed,

is their judgment Now:114

The nuances beneath this Quranic comparison between the “righteous” and the “sinful is twofold: "that We

consider them to be equal with those who…", etc., and "that We shall deal with them in the same manner as

We deal with those who…", etc. The reference to the intrinsic difference between these two categories with

regard to "their life and their death" points not merely to the moral quality of their worldly existence, but also,

on the one hand, to the inner peace and tranquillity with which a true believer faces life’s tribulations and the

114

Quran [45:21]

47

moment of death, and on the other, to the nagging anxiety which so often accompanies spiritual nihilism, and

the "fear of the unknown" at the time of dying.115

1.32Twilight of Death brings to us the Truth of all that We have been avoiding to

Look At.

The Quran states this dawning of the Truths that we have been avoiding in the following way:

And [then,] the twilight of death brings with it the [full] truth that [very thing, O man,] from which

thou wouldst always look away!116

1.33Are People Independent of GOD?

Here The Quran refers to those who boastfully claim that they are “Independent” of any Supreme Power

challenging them to reverse the process of Death from a dying person; it poses this challenge in the following

words:

Why, then, when [the last breath] comes up to the throat [of a dying man],117

The while you are [helplessly] looking on‖118

And while We are closer to him than you, although you see [Us] not119

Why, then, if [you think that] you are not truly dependent [on Us]120

Can you not cause that [ebbing life] to return - if what you claim is true121

The Quran carries this theme again in another set of verses as follows, mentioning that when the

truths which people were want to avoid facing becomes apparent at the time of death, then do

some people incline towards GOD.

NAY, but when [the last breath] comes up to the throat [of a dying man],122

And people ask, "Is there any wizard [that could save him]?123

The while he [himself] knows that this is the parting124

115

M. Asad in his Note No. 22 Accompanying his translation of Quran [45:21]

116 Quran [50:19]

117 Quran [56:83]

118 Quran [56:84]

119 Quran [56:85]

120Quran [56 :86]

121 Quran [56:87]

122 Quran [75:26]

123 Quran [75:27]

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And is enwrapped in the pangs of death125

At that time towards thy Sustainer does he feel impelled to turn!126

2. BEREAVEMENT

2.1The Basic Principle:

The basic Islamic Principle regarding Bereavement is that If Happiness and Sorrow Occur at the same time,

then Muslims are required to focus on the Happiness and Not Burden themselves with the Sorrow.

*** Death Occurring During a Wedding.

If a Death occurs in the family whilst the festivities of a wedding are taking place, then the festivities are cut

out, but, the wedding still goes ahead because of the above noted principle.

The suggestion being that, One should Not Go Overboard in Grieving for the Dead to

the extent of Completely Forgetting the Surviving Living.

2.2Illustration of the Basic Principle Concerning Bereavement

*** The Birth and death of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) on the same date.

The basic Islamic Principle regarding Bereavement as stated above is best illustrated by the Muslim Attitude

towards the “Life & Death” of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh).

Muslims all over the World Celebrate Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh)’s Birthday on the Islamic Calendar date of

12th Rabbi-ul-Awwal.

*** However, No Muslim anywhere ever “Mourns” his Death. This maybe Because of the widely accepted view that his “Date-of-Birth” and “Date-of- Demise” occurred on the same Calendar Date of 12th of Rabbi-ul-

Awwal.

Those who differ on the exact date of his demise would still prefer to not mourn his death choosing instead to

“celebrate” his Birth.

**** Interestingly When Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) had died The Affairs of the Muslims and the Matter

of who should lead them after his passing away so occupied the minds of his close companions that for nearly

a day they had almost forgotten that some one had died who needed to be buried.

124

Quran [75 :28]

125 Quran [75:29]

126 Quran [75:30]

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Abu Bakr: Islam in “One Short Succinct Statement”.

When news spread of the Death of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh), people were stunned into a shocked state of

disbelief Not wanting to believe that a Messenger whose Ministry had lasted for a mere 23 years could Die,

what? They wondered would happen to the Religion that he had come to Preach? But had died so soon.

In their state of shock people had missed the Divine Point in all this, and that is, that Religion is from Allah, and

Messengers come and go, but the religion which is from God will survive precisely because it is from God.

Chaotic scenes outside Prophet Mohammad’s House...

Then he came out and surveyed the scene of shock, chaos, confusion and disbelief. Abu Bakr soon realised that, in order to contain the situation, he needs to do something and do something pretty fast. Addressing the Crowd, Abu Bakr said:

―O! People, those who “worshiped” Mohammad (Pbuh) should know that he has indeed died,

however, those who Worship Allah should know that he is “Forever Living”

**** Ladies and Gentlemen, if you were to ask me to summarize Islam in one short succinct statement, I will

commend this statement of Abu Bakr to your good-selves.

2.3What Colour to Wear on Bereavement ?

Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) would often wear Black in his day-to-day life as a normal way. He had for instance

a Black Cloak/Mantle; he also had a Black Turban,

**** So his companions, as well as later day Muslims, in emulating Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) would habitually wear black as normal rather than deliberately doing so in face of demise.

Thus, Black has become a popular colour to wear for Muslims rather than as a colour for Mourning.

**** The Principle being that, Allocating Specific Clothes or Clothes of Specific Colour to wear on

Bereavement is not founded on any major Islamic Theological Instructions.

Respecting the Customs of those that One isVisiting:

However, Muslims will not deliberately wear colourful or jazzy clothes when attending the funeral of a non-

Muslim neighbour, friend or colleague.

This is so, because of a Basic Islamic teaching that “Requires Muslims to Respect the “Urf” or Custom of the

people that you are visiting.” And, if there is the Custom, as with non-Muslims to wear Black on Bereavement,

then one would ordinarily wear Black or dark colours in respect of their Urf or Custom.

2.4Wailing and Lamenting the Dead

Raising one’s voice in wailing and lamenting, striking the cheeks and eulogizing the deceased are all

considered disliked actions in Islam.

It has been reported that Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) has said that:

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He is not one of us who strikes his cheeks, rends his garments and calls with the call of the ignorant127

Thus, in accordance with this Hadith, if striking the “cheeks” in bemoaning a death is Not Permitted in Islam,

then striking one’s self at any other part of the body is also not permitted.

2.5CONDOLENCES

It is a Muslim’s duty to offer condolences, comfort, and sympathy to the family and the relatives of the deceased. This strengthens the relationships within the Muslim community.

When offering condolences, words should be chosen carefully and said gently to convey sympathy and to encourage the family and the relatives of the deceased to accept Allah’s will and to help them to get back to their normal life.

Condolences may be offered to the family and to the relatives of the deceased before, during or after burial for up to three days, but it may be offered even at later time if someone did not hear about it or he was far away.

It is recommended to leave after offering condolences to give the family time to take care of their other affairs, assistance may be offered for anything the family may need, and one may stay to help, if asked.

Some families hold gatherings for three days or more, and hire people to recite Quran loudly. While the Quran is recited, others eat, drink or talk, disregarding the rules of listening to the Quran, and inflicting the family with high expenses.

It is Sunnah{Tradition of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh)} that friends, neighbours and relatives prepare food for the family of the deceased, for the loss of the loved one occupies the family’s whole attention.

Adapted from Islam Q&A

2.6Ritual Gathering on the 3rd and 40th Day of Demise

This is a cultural practice mostly amongst people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and also in some Arab

countries like Morocco and Egypt for relatives and friends of the deceased to gather on the 3rd day (called the

Soyem) and the 40th day (called the Chelum) of the demise to recite from the Quran and bequeath that to the

deceased. Vast majority of Islamic Scholars regard this as an Innovation not founded on any Major Islamic

Ruling.

This practice of bequeathing recitation of The Quran to a deceased goes against a Hadith of

Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) in which he said that:

When a person dies, every thing stops for them except for three things

(a) A Book of Knowledge that the deceased may have written which is continuing to benefit people, so

long as this continues to benefit people, the reward to the deceased will continue to accrue.

(b) An act of Charity such as setting up an orphanage, hospital etc or Planting a Tree which is

continuing to benefit people or animals, then so long as this continues to benefit people and the

animals, then the reward for it will continue to accrue to the deceased.

127

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1294, Fath 3/163; Muslim, 103; Ahmad, 1/244

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(c) Progeny or relatives left behind by the deceased that make Dua‘a(s) {Supplications} for the

deceased, then these will continue to accrue to the deceased.

What Benefits the Soul of the Deceased However, are The Dua’a(s) {Supplication} Made for them

by their surviving Family, Relatives and Friends?

Story of Angels taking a Silver Platter to the Rooh (Soul)

When someone from the “living” makes Supplications known as Dua’a(s) in Islam, for a deceased...Then Two

Angels carry that on a Silver Platter which is draped with a pure white silk cloth on top of which is a silver

dome shaped cover...they take that to the soul (Rooh) of the deceased, the soul then asks “what is

this..?”...they, the Angels then lift up the dome shaped cover and what is then seen is a ball of light, and light

is a symbol for God’s Grace and Mercy in Islam...Pointing to this ball of light, the Angels say....“This is a Gift

sent to you by such and such person”

2.7Concerning Widows

*** Regarding the Right of the Widows to Re-Marry, The Quran states that:

And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they (the wives) shall wait (as regards their

second marriage) for four months and ten days, then when they have fulfilled their term, there is no

sin on you if they (the wives) dispose of themselves in a just and honourable manner (i.e., they can

marry). And Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do128

The wisdom behind this provision is that, should there be any issues from the deceased husband then this will become apparent in this period of 4months and 10 days so that there is no debate about the paternity of that forth coming issue.

*** Regarding the Right of the Widows to Maintenance, the Quran states as follows:

And those of you who die and leave behind wives should bequeath for their wives a year‘s

maintenance and residence....129

THE EDDA (WAITING PERIOD) OF MUSLIM WIDOWS (FEMALES)

Upon hearing the news of the death of her husband, a Muslim wife should be steadfast and patient. Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said:

Patience (Endurance) is to be present from the first shock130

Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said:

"Allah says: I have no better reward than Paradise for a believer servant of Mine who is patient and

resigned when I take away one of his/her beloved, one among those he/she most cherishes in the

128

Quran [2:234]

129 Quran [2:240]

130 Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim

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world" 131She should accept all that Allah plans for her and her family with sincerity and patience, as Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said :

When a person suffers from some calamity and supplicates: ‗ Inna lil-la-he wa inna ilay he ra je oon‘,‗

to Allah we belong and to Allah shall we return‘, O Allah make good the loss in this calamity, and

grant me something good, Allah then compensates him/her for the loss, and give a better substitute132

It is prohibited to express grief by wailing, shrieking, beating the chest or cheeks, tearing hair or clothes, or saying phrases that makes a Muslim lose faith.

Um Atiyyah reports:

The Messenger of Allah made us pledge that we will not wail over the dead" 133

Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said:

I detest a woman who cries out very loudly, or shaves her hair, or tears her clothes when a beloved one

dies 134

She may cry, as the Prophet did when his son died. He said:

The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved, and we will not say except what pleases our

Lord135

Allah in the Quran prescribed the Edda (Waiting period) for those wives whose husbands die:

And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they (The wives) shall wait for four

months and ten days”136

Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said in an authentic Hadith:

It is prohibited for a woman who believes in Allah and the Day of Judgment to mourn a dead person

more than three days except her husband, in which case it is four months and ten days137

Edda is prescribed for widows in order to mourn the death of their husbands, observe their memory, fulfill any obligations toward them, and to see if the widow is pregnant or not.

131 Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Bukhari

132 Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim

133 Quoted in the Collections of Hadiths known as Sahih Bukhari &Sahih Muslim

134Quoted in the Collections of Hadiths known as Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim

135Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Bukhari

136 Quran [Quran 2:234]

137

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In the following authentic Hadith, Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) explains the way that she should conduct herself during this time.

Um Atiyyah reported that the Messenger of Allah said:

A woman should not mourn for any deceased person for more than three days, except in the case of

her husband‘s death, which she may mourn for a period of four months and ten days. Such a woman in

mourning is not to wear any fancy, bright clothes, but only plain clothes, not use any adornment or

make-up, nor use perfume, nor die her hands or feet with Henna138

If the widow is pregnant, then her waiting period ends when she delivers her baby, according to Allah’s command in the Quran:

And for those who are pregnant, their Edda is until they deliver139

3. Afterlife

3.1Three Distinct Stages after Death

The Quranic Word for Afterlife is “Akhirah”

According to the Qur’an and the Teachings of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh), there is no reincarnation

(tanasukh al-arwah), but there will be indeed resurrection (ba`th).

There are three distinct stages beyond death: (a) The first stage is that of Barzakh, the life of the grave, and

(b) the second stage is known variously as The Resurrection Day, The Day of Rising, The Judgment Day, The

Day of Accountability (c) and the Third is the eternal life in Heaven or Hell. Each of these stages is different from the others.

All [revealed] religions agree on the basic notion of Heaven and Hell; but they differ in their precise articulation of their nature and content. The difficulty is that human knowledge is not simply meant to depict or describe the nature of eternal life or Heaven or Hell; at best, what we are given in the scripture about such matters can be considered as reminders and approximations, nothing more. How can language, which has been created to describe the things of the limited world, be used to describe the experience of eternal life, which is beyond all comparison?

Those who dispute the reality of the Afterlife are answered by The Quran in the following words:

And [now] he [argues about Us, and] thinks of Us in terms of comparison, [46] and is oblivious of how he

himself was created! [And so] he says, ―Who could give life to bones that have crumbled to dust?”140

138

Quoted in the Collections of Hadiths known as Sahih Bukhari & Sahih Muslim

139

140 Quran [3778]

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Lit., "he coins for Us a simile (mathal)" - an elliptic allusion to the unwillingness of "those who deny the truth" to conceive of a transcendental Being, fundamentally different from all that is graspable by man’s senses or imagination, and having powers beyond all comparison with those which are available to any of the created beings. (Cf. 42:11, "there is nothing like unto Him", and 112:4, "there is nothing that could be compared with Him".) Since they are enmeshed in a materialistic outlook on life, such people deny - as the sequence shows - all possibility of resurrection, which amounts to a denial of God’s creative powers and, in the final analysis, of His existence.141(Quran Ref: 36:78)

Say: He who brought them into being in the first instance will give them life [once again], seeing that

He has full knowledge of every act of creation142

Metamorphosis of green - i.e., water-containing - plants into fuel,

The Quran talks about this metamorphosis in the following words....

He who produces for you fire out of the green tree, so that, lo! you kindle [your fires] therewith143

Cf. the ancient Arabian proverb, "In every tree there is a fire" (Zamakhshari): evidently an

allusion to the metamorphosis of green - i.e., water-containing - plants into fuel, be it through

desiccation or man-made carbonization (charcoal), or by a millennial, subterranean process of

decomposition into oil or coal. In a spiritual sense, this "fire" seems also to symbolize the God-given warmth and light of human reason spoken of in verse 77 above.144(Quran Ref: 36:80 )

God’s Power to create a “New Life” is emphasised in the following words of The Quran....

Is, then, He who has created the heavens and the earth not able to create [anew] the like of those [who have died]? Yea, indeed - for He alone is the all-knowing Creator145

3.2Barzakh.

Literal meaning of the word “Barzakh” is a Barrier, a barrier between the life of this world and the Afterlife.

It is the temporary period between a person's death and their Resurrection on the Day of Rising and is the time during which people’s physical bodies will rest in their graves and from where they will be raised up again.

Language in the Barzakh

At the start of this phase / period there will be a Questioning mentioned in item 1.26 above. As to the language in which this Q & A takes place, there are three distinct major opinions of the scholars about this as follows:

1– That the Q & A will take place in Arabic.

141

M. Asad in his Note No. 46 accompanying his translation of Quran [36:78]

142 Quran [36:79]

143 Quran [36:80]

144 M. Asad in his Note No. 47 accompanying his translation of Quran [36:80]

145 Quran [36:81]

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This was stated by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (May Allah have Mercy on him). Evidence of that may be seen in the apparent meaning of the ahadeeth, because they describe what will happen in al-Barzakh in Arabic, and there is no reason why this should not be true, and Allah will inspire everyone who is tested in the grave so that he will understand this language and answer in it.

Ibn Hajar (May Allah have Mercy on him) said:

With regard to the questioning by the two angels, the apparent meaning of the saheeh hadith is

that it will be in Arabic, because it says that they will say to him: “What do you know about this

man?” etc. However it may also be understood as meaning that each person will be addressed in his own language. End quote.146

2 – That the Q & A will take place in a language that the person understands.

This was mentioned by Ibn Hajar as a possibility, as stated above.

This was also stated in fatwas by the Standing Committee, and by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on them).

It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (3/450): When a person dies and is buried, two angels come to him and ask him about his Lord, his Prophet and his religion in a language that he understands. End quote.

What appears to be the case is that EVERYONE will be questioned in whatever language theyunderstand. If he is an Arab then he will be questioned in Arabic and if he is a non-Arab then he will be questioned in his own language.147

3 – In our opinion it is better to refrain from commenting on that because there is no saheeh text on this

issue, and concerning oneself with these details is something which will not benefit the questioner in either religious or worldly terms. It is sufficient for him to believe that he will be questioned in his grave, and to ask Allaah to help him to obey Him and to inspire him with the right answers, and to make him steadfast when he is questioned.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (May Allah have Mercy on him) in reply to a Question on the subject said as follows:

It is not known which language the people will speak on that Day or in which language they will hear the words of the Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, because Allah has not told us anything about that, and neither has His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It is not true that Farsi is the language of the people of Hell or that Arabic is the language of the people of Paradise. We do not know of any dispute concerning that among the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them); rather they all refrained from discussing that, because discussing such matters is unnecessary talk. But there was a dispute concerning that among later scholars.

Some people said that they will speak in Arabic, and others said: Except the people of Hell, who will answer in Farsi, which will be their language in Hell. Others said: They will be speak in Syriac, because it is the language of Adam, and from it all other languages stemmed. Others said: Except the people of Paradise, who will speak Arabic?

146

Al-Imtaa‟ bi‟l-Arba‟een al-Mutabaayinatu‟l-Samaa‟ (p. 122).

147Sharh al-„Aqeedah al-Safaareeniyyah (p. 435), Dar al-Watan.

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None of the proponents of these arguments have any evidence, whether based on

reason or textual evidence. Rather they are claims that are devoid of any evidence.

Allaah knows best and is Most Wise. 148End quote. And Allah knows best. Islam Q&A

3.3Bliss or Torment of the Grave

One of the things to do with respect to things of the Unseen and the Afterlife which we may not understand is to first say

“We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys.” 149

And only when we have given the above commitment, should we seek to understand through research and enquiry from academic people knowledge about the subject which puzzles us. With regards to the “Torment of the Grave” there is a special DUA’A (Supplication) which Prophet Mohammad use to make; and it is as follows:

According to the Hadith of her Holiness ‘Aa’ishah (May Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to supplicate as follows,

O Allaah, I seek refuge in You from the torment of the grave, I seek refuge in You from the tribulation of theDajjaal, I seek refuge in You from the trials of life and death, O Allaah, I seek refuge in You from sin and loss.”150

When written phonetically in English it comes out like this

Allaahummainnia‘oodhubika min ‗adhaabil-qabr, wa a‘oodhubika min fitnatil-maseehil-dajjaal, wa

a‘oodhubika min fitnatil-mahyaa wa fitnatil-mamaat, Allaahummainia‘oodhubika min al-

ma‘thamwa‘l-maghram

And the Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) also said:

Were it not that you would not bury one another, I would have asked Allaah to make you hear the torment of the grave that I can hear.

Then he turned to those who were present and said:

Seek refuge with Allah from the torment of the Fire

And they said,

We seek refuge with Allaah from the torment of the Fire He said,

148 Majmoo‟ al-Fataawa (4/300).

149 Quran [2:285]

150 From the Collection of Hadiths known asSahih al-Bukhaari, Hadith No. 798; Sahih al-Muslim, Hadith No. 589

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Seek refuge with Allaah from the torment of the grave and they said,

We seek refuge with Allaah from the torment of the grave151

Vis-a-Vis one of the Bliss of the Grave.

Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) said concerning the believer:

His grave will be made spacious for him, as far as the eye can see152

Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) also said in connection with the Bliss or Torment of the Grave the following:

When any one of you dies, he is shown his place morning and evening. If he is one of the people of Paradise then he is one of the people of Paradise, and if he is one of the people of Hell, then he is one of the people of Hell.153

If a person is a disbeliever, then there is no way that any Bliss will reach him in the grave and his torment of the grave will be continuous. However, If a person was a sinner but he was a believer, then his torment in the grave will commensurate with his sin, and perhaps the punishment for his sin will take less time than the time in al-barzakh between his death and the onset of the Hour, in which case it will cease.

154

Is it the soul that is afflicted or just the body or both?

According to most of the scholarly views, the torment of the grave befalls both the soul and the body.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (May Allah be pleased with him) said:

The view of the salaf (earliest generations) of this ummah and its imams is that the torment or blessing (of the

grave) happens to the soul of the deceased and his body. After it departs from the body, the soul continues to

be blessed or punished, and it is also connected to the body from time to time, so that the blessing or torment

befalls the body as well as the soul.” 155

So we must believe in that which Allaah has told us.

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

Shaykh al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah) was asked about this matter, and we will quote his reply in full:

151

From the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih al-Muslim, Hadith No. 2867.

152From the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1374; and Sahih al-Muslim, Hadith No. 2870.

153 From the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih al-Bukhaari, Bid’ al-Khalq, 3001; & Sahih al-Muslim, al-Jannah wa sifat na’eemihaa, 2866).

154 Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him and save him from the torment of the grave) said: (al-Sharh al-Mumti’, vol. 3, p. 253)

155(al-Ikhtiyaaraat al Fiqhiyyah, p. 94) -

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“Indeed, the torment and blessing happen to both the soul and the body, according to the consensus of the

Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah. The soul is blessed or tormented separately from the body, and it is blessed or

tormented in connection with the body. The body is connected to it, so in this case the blessing or torment

happens to them both, and it may happen to the soul separately from the body.

The view of the salaf and imams of this ummah is that when a person dies, he will be in a state of blessing or

torment, and that happens to his soul and his body. After the soul has departed from the body, it remains in a

state of blessing or torment, and that is sometimes connected to the body and the blessing or torment

happens to them both. Then when the Day of Resurrection comes, the souls will be returned to their bodies

and they will rise from their graves to meet the Lord of the Worlds. The physical resurrection is a matter upon

which the Muslims, Jews and Christians are agreed.” 156

The scholars likened that to dreams when one is asleep, for a person may dream that he is going and

travelling, and he may feel happiness or grief and sorrow while he is sleeping, and that is when he is in his

place and in this world. So it is more apt that things should be different in the life of al-Barzakh which is

completely different from the life of this world and the life of the Hereafter.

Imam Al-Nawawi said:

“If it is said, we see the deceased and how he is in his grave, so how can he be questioned, made to sit up and

beaten with iron rods, when no mark is left on him? The answer is that this is not impossible, and indeed there

is a similar case in our regular lives, that of the sleeper who feels joy or pain of which we feel nothing. A

person who is awake may also feel joy or pain because of something he hears or thinks about, and those who

are sitting with him feel nothing of that. Similarly, Jibreel used to come to the Prophet (peace and blessings of

Allaah be upon him) and tell him of the Wahy (Revelation), and the people present were unaware of it. All of

that is clear and evident.”

- Constructed from answers to questions onwww.islamqa.com

3.4Resurrection.

Trumpet heralding resurrection.

The Quran talks about the Trumpet in the following words.

And [then] the trumpet [of resurrection] will be blown - and lo! out of their graves towards their

Sustainer will they all rush forth157

The Last Hour is bound to come beyond any doubt.

The Quran states this in the following words

156(al-Rooh, p. 51, 52)

157 Quran [36:51]


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And [know, O man] that the Last Hour is bound to come, beyond any doubt, and that God will [in-

deed] resurrect all who are in their graves

Those who doubt resurrection should ponder how a Human being is created in the First Place.

The Quran states this challenge to ponder in the following words...

O MEN! If you are in doubt as to the [truth of] resurrection, [remember that,] verily, We have created [every

one of] you out of dust, then out of a drop of sperm, then out of a germ-cell, then out of an embryonic lump

complete [in itself] and yet incomplete [4] so that We might make [your origin] clear unto you. And whatever

We will [to be born] We cause to rest in the [mothers‘] wombs for a term set [by Us], and then We

bring you forth as infants and [allow you to live] so that [some of] you might attain to maturity: for

among you are such as are caused to die [in childhood], just as many a one of you is reduced in old age

to a most abject state, ceasing to know anything of what he once knew so well. [5] And [if, O man,

thou art still in doubt as to resurrection, consider this:] thou canst see the earth dry and lifeless - and

[suddenly,] when We send down waters upon it, it stirs and swells and puts forth every kind of lovely

plant.158

Resurrection: Similitude is that of rain giving Life to a Dead Earth.

He [it is who] brings forth the living out of that which is dead, and brings forth the dead out of that which is

alive, and gives life to the earth after it had been lifeless: and even thus will you be brought forth [from death to

life]159

The One who can create and resurrect a single soul can do the same to all souls.

―[For Him,] the creation of you all and the resurrection of you all is but like [the creation and resurrection of] a

single soul: for, verily, God is all-hearing, all-seeing160

The Quran emphasises the point about God bringing the “Dead back to Life”, in another verse as follows:

Verily, We shall indeed bring the dead back to life; and We shall record whatever [deeds] they have sent ahead,

and the traces [of good and evil] which they have left behind: for of all things do We take account in a record

clear161

Description of “The Day of Resurrection.”

The Day-of-Resurrection is described by the following verses of The Quran....

And [then] the trumpet [of resurrection] will be blown - and lo! Out of their graves towards their

Sustainer will they all rush forth162

Nothing will there have been but one single blast - and lo! BeforeUs will all of them be arraigned [and

be told]163

158

Quran [22:5]

159 Quran [30:19]

160 Quran [31:28]

161 Quran [36:12]

162 Quran [36:51]

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[and bethink thyself, too, of] the Day on which all [human beings] will in truth hear the final blast -

that Day of [their] coming-forth [from death]164

And that [therefore] it is within His power to bring about a second life165

They will say: ―Oh, woe unto us! Who has roused us from our sleep [of death]?‖ [Whereupon they

will be told:] ―This is what the Most Gracious has promised! And His message-bearers spoke the

truth166

They will come forth from their graves, with their eyes downcast, [swarming about] like locusts

scattered [by the wind]167

―Running in confusion towards the Summoning Voice; [and] those who [now] deny the truth will

exclaim, ―Calamitous is this Day168

The Day when they shall come forth in haste from their graves, as if racing towards a goal-post169

Let us recall the story of a Man who had been made to die for a 100 years:

The Quran tells us the story, as a Symbol of God’s Power to give Life after Death, of a man who was made to die for a 100 years and then resurrected, but his animal and his food were kept afresh during that period, it narrates this story in the following words:

Or [art thou, O man, of the same mind] as he who passed by a town deserted by its people, with its

roofs caved in, [and] said, "How could God bring all this back to life after its death?" Thereupon God

caused him to be dead for a hundred years; where after He brought him back to life [and] said: "How

long hast thou remained thus?" He answered: "I have remained thus a day, or part of a day." Said

[God]: "Nay, but thou hast remained thus for a hundred years! But look at thy food and thy drink-

untouched is it by the passing of years - and look at thine ass! And [We did all this so that We might

make thee a symbol unto men. And look at the bones [of animals and men] - how We put them

together and then clothe them with flesh!" And when [all this] became clear to him, he said: "I know

[now] that God has the power to will anything170

Let us also recall Allah Educating Ibrahim (Abraham) About How He gives Life to the Dead.

And, lo, Abraham said: "O my Sustainer! Show me how Thou givest life unto the dead!" Said He:

"Hast thou, then, no faith?" (Abraham) answered: "Yea, but [let me see it] so that my heart may be set

fully at rest." Said He: "Take, then, four birds and teach them to obey thee. then place them separately

163

Quran [36:53]

164 Quran [50:42]

165 Quran [53:47]

166 Quran [36:52]

167 Quran [54:7]

168 Quran [54:8]

169 Quran [70:43]

170 Quran [2:259]

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on every hill [around thee]; then summon them: they will come flying to thee. And know that God is

almighty, wise171[

My rendering of the above parable is based on the primary meaning of the imperative surhunna ilayka ("make them incline towards thee", i.e., "teach them to obey thee"). The moral of this story has been pointed out convincingly by the famous commentator Abu Muslim (as quoted by Razi): "If man is able - as he undoubtedly is - to train birds in such a way as to make them obey his call, then it is obvious that God, whose will all things obey,

can call life into being by simply decreeing, .Be!"'(Quran Ref: 2:260 )172

Re Creation to the Exactitude of Our Finger tips.

The Quran is so emphatic about God’s Power to re-create things even after they are dust of the earth, that it states that Re-Creation will be to the exactitude of our “Finger Prints”...It states this in the following words...

Yea indeed, We are able to make whole his very finger-tips!173-

3.5The Dayof Judgement Follows Resurrection

The Day of Judgement, as has been said earlier, is also referred to variously, as “The Day of Rising”, or “The Day of Reckoning” or “The Day of Accountability” follows the Resurrection and is an essential pre-requisite to Afterlife for the vast majority of the people.

***However, there are some people who because of their piety, basic goodness or closeness to Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) are so beloved to Allah that He has given these selected few Glad Tidings of a place in Paradise even during their Life on this earth. Some of the companions of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) were addressed by him as dwellers of Paradise in their life time.

Abiding principle on The Day of Judgement

The Abiding Principle regarding Forgiveness on “The Day of Judgement” is highlighted by this

verse of The Quran which states that:

God will call us to account for our deeds; and then He will forgive whom He wills, and will chastise

whom He wills: for God has the power to will anything174..... And

We are not privy to know the basis of God’s Will or Wisdom on The Day of Judgement.

3.6Brief Description of Paradise

The Quran states that the description of Paradise is not subject to human cognition, it states this limitation of

human perception in the following words.

So no soul knows what refreshment of the eyes is hidden for them: a reward for what they did175

171

Quran [2:260]

172 M. Asad in his note No.257 accompanying his translation of Quran [2:260]

173 Quran [75:4]

174 Quran [2:284]

175 Quran [32:16]

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Once the Rasul (Pbuh) concluded the description of Paradise with these words:

There would be bounties which the eye has not seen, the ear has not heard and no human heart has

ever perceived them In another Hadith, Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) described that:

The Paradise has bricks of gold and silver, and mortar of fragrant musk, pebbles of pearl and sapphire,

and soil of saffron. Whoever enters it is filled with joy and will never feel miserable; he will live there

forever and never die; their clothes will never wear out and their youth will never fade176

In another Hadith describing Life in Paradise, Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) said:

There will be no dissent or enmity among the People of Paradise and their hearts will be as one, and

they will glorify Allah morning and evening177

With respect to the Physical beauty of Paradise, Allah has said in The Quran,

No soul knows what is kept hidden for them of delights of eyes, as a reward for what they used to do178

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, “In the Heaven there will be such bliss the like of

no eye has ever witnessed, no ears have heard about, nor any mind has ever conceived.179

3.7SomeBelievers’Souls May Enter Paradise before The Day of Rising

The point to be kept in mind here is that we are talking about “Souls” and not necessarily the

Physical bodies of the people.The Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

The soul of the believer is a bird hanging in the trees of Paradise, until Allaah restores it to its body on

the day when He resurrects him180

Classical scholars suggest that “Hanging in the trees” means moving about and eating and not just hanging around.

Quote: ―This clearly shows that souls may enter Paradise before the Day of Resurrection.181

End

quote.

Some souls may also be exposed to the Fire and feel some of its heat and torment.


176

Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih of Imam Ahmad

177Quoted in the Collections of Hadiths known as Sahih of Al-Bukhari (Hadith no.3073) and Sahih of Muslim (Hadith No.2834).

178 Quran [32:17]

179 Taken from the collection of Hadiths by Imam Tabarani

180 Narrated by Maalik in al-Muwatta’ (1/240); classed as saheeh by Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr in al-Istidhkaar (2/614).

181

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The Fire, they are exposed to it, morning and afternoon. And on the Day when the Hour will be

established (it will be said to the angels): ‗Cause Fir‗awn‘s (Pharaoh) people to enter the severest

torment!182

Two Reckonings:

1st Reckoning

The first reckoning is what has been earlier mentioned as the Questioning in the grave. For the one who passes the test in the grave, the reckoning in the Hereafter will be easier for him. 183 When ‘Othman ibn ‘Affan stood by a grave he would weep until his beard became wet It was said to him, “You remember

Paradise and Hell and you do not weep, but you weep because of this?” He said, “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

‗The grave is the first of the stages of the Hereafter; whoever is saved from it, whatever comes

afterwards will be easier for him, but if he is not saved from it, what comes afterwards will be worse

for him.‘‖ And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ―I have never

seen any scene but the grave is more frightening than it.‖184

The Second Reckoning

The second reckoning will be after the Resurrection in the Hereafter; this is the great reckoning in which the people of Paradise will be distinguished from the people of Hell, and all scores will be settled amongst people, that Day is called the Day of Reckoning.

Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

This it is what you (Al-Muttaqoon — the pious) are promised for the Day of Reckoning!185

Musa (Moses) said:

Verily, I seek refuge in my Lord and your Lord from every arrogant who believes not in the Day of

Reckoning186

No one will enter Paradise or Hell until after this reckoning. Some people will have an easy reckoning, and some will have a difficult reckoning. Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will be the first one to enter Paradise in the full and real sense in the Hereafter.

It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

182

Quran [40:46]

183It was narrated that Hani ’the freed slave of ‗Uthman ibn ‗Affaan said

184Narrated and classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi (2308); classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

185 Quran [38:53]

186 Quran [40:27]

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I will come to the gate of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection and will ask for it to be opened. The

keeper will say: ‗Who are you?‘ I will say, ‗Muhammad.‘ He will say: ‗I was commanded not to open

it for anyone before you187

Interpretation of Hadiths or someone‟s saying that I saw so-and-so in Paradise or Hell.

With regard to the Hadiths in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that he saw someone in Paradise or in Hell, these are of two types:

1 – Either they were dreams, as in the Hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to Bilaal at the time of Fajr prayer:

O Bilal, tell me of the best deed you have done in Islam, for I heard the sound of your sandals in front

of me in Paradise

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Baari (3/35):

Al-Karmaani said: The apparent meaning of the hadith is that the hearing mentioned happened in a dream, because no one can enter Paradise except after death. The idea that it happened in a dream is supported by that which is quoted in the first part of (the chapter on) the virtues of ‘Umar from the marfoo’ hadith of Jabir: “I saw myself entering Paradise and I heard footsteps, and it was said: This is Bilaal. And I saw a palace in the courtyard of which there was a girl, and it was said: This is for ‘Umar. …” After this hadith is the marfoo’ hadith of Abu Hurayrah: “Whilst I was sleeping I saw myself in Paradise, and I saw a woman doing wudoo’ beside a palace, and it was said: This is for ‘Umar. …” So it is known that this happened in a dream. This affirmed the virtue of Bilaal, because the dreams of the Prophets are wahy (Revelation), hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) affirmed that for him. End quote.

2 – Or Allah showed His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) what would happen in the Hereafter, so that he saw it with his own eyes or in his heart. That includes things that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw on the night of the Mi’raaj of things that would happen in Paradise or in Hell. Al-Haafiz al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim (6/207):

al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad said: The scholars said: It may be understood as meaning that he saw it with his own eyes, as Allah showed it to him and lifted the barrier between him and it, as He showed him al-Masjid al-Aqsa when he described it.

They said: Or it may be understood as meaning that he saw it by way of knowledge and revelation, so he saw it and learned of it in details that he had not known before that.

Al-Qaadi said: The first interpretation is more likely and is closer to the wording of the hadeeth, because it contains things that point to seeing with the eyes, such as his reaching out to take the bunch of grapes, and his stepping back in fear lest the heat of Hell reach him. End quote.

And Allah knows best. Islam Q&A

3.8One or the Other of the Two Places of Abode:

We are told in someIslamic anecdotes about people who have been earmarked for one or the other of the Two Places of abode in the Afterlife.

187Hadith taken from a Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim (no. 193).

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(a) For instance we are told of a Prostitute who has been forgiven her sins and earmarked for Paradise

for the simple act of giving water to a “thirsty” dog, whilst on the other hand...

(b) We are also told of a woman who has been marked out for the Hell Fire because she kept her cat locked-up in a room and withheld food and water from it.

3.9Are Our Deeds Sufficient for our Entry into Paradise?

Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) has said in one of his Hadiths, that:

No one of you will enter Paradise by his deeds alone

They asked, "Not even you, O Messenger of Allah?" He said….

Not even me, unless Allah envelops me with His Grace and Mercy

**** Thus - Nobody will enter Paradise, no matter how good they were through deeds alone.

**** Good deeds will nevertheless be needed to Qualify for Allah's Mercy and Permission to

enter Paradise.

3.10Intercession On The Day of Judgement

There is a debate amongst Muslims about the Intercession by The Saints and Pious people who have passed away. Oneof the Significant Quranic Verses on this subject states that:

O ye who believe! Spend out of (the bounties) we have provided for you, before the Day comes when

no bargaining (Will avail), nor friendship nor intercession.188

3.11Invoking others beside GOD

The Quran challenges those who indulge in the practice of invoking others beside GOD in the following words:

Verily, all those whom you invoke beside God are but created beings like yourselves: invoke them,

then, and let them answer your prayer - if what you claim is true189

M. Asad a Translator of The Quran clarifies by stating that Allcreated beings are subservient to God's will. This refers to saints, living or dead, as well as to inanimate objects of every description, including idols, fetishes and representational images-physical or mental-of saints or deified persons.190

The fact that those whom some people invoke beside GOD are themselves created, as noted in the above verse, is focussed again in another verse of The Quran when it states that the ones that are invoked cannot “create anything” since they themselves are but created. The Quran uses the following words to state this argument:

Now those beings that some people invoke beside God cannot create anything, since they themselves

are but created191

188

Quran [2:254]

189 Quran [7:194]

190 M. Asad in his Note No. 159 Accompanying his translation of Quran [7:194] available at www.islamicity.com

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Not Only can these people {who are invoked beside GOD} NOT create anything, the Quran argues, but they are dead and are not living, not even knowing when they will be raised from being dead for the Day of Accountability.

The Quran articulates this argument using the following words

They (the invoked people) are dead, not living, and they do not [even] know when they will be raised

from the dead192

What will be said by the Angels upon DEATH to those who Invoke Beings Other than GOD.

The Quran articulates this in the following words

And who could be more wicked than they who attribute their own lying inventions to God or give the

lie to His messages? Whatever has been decreed to be their lot [in life] will be theirs -till there shall

come _ unto them Our messengers to cause them to die, [and] shall say, "Where, now, are those beings

whom you were wont to invoke beside God?" And [those sinners] will reply, "They have forsaken us!"

-and [thus] they will bear witness against themselves that they had been denying the truth.”193

GOD REQUIRES NO MEDIATOR

There are about17 other verses of The Quran which in summation reject the popular belief in

―unqualified‖ intercession by the living or dead saints. This is done so to lay stress on God’s Omniscience which requires no “mediator”.

However, As is shown elsewhere in the Qur'an (e.g., in 20:109, 21:28 or 34:23), God will grant to His Prophets on Judgment Day the permission to "intercede", symbolically, for such of the sinners as will have already achieved His “redemptive acceptance” (rida') by virtue of their repentance or basic goodness (see 19:87 and the corresponding note 74): in other words, the right of "intercession" thus granted to the Prophets will be but an expression of God's approval of the latter.

Prophet Mohammad’s Intercession

Prophet Mohammad’s Intercession on The Day of Judgement is universally acknowledged in all schools of thoughts in Islam.

The Quran describes one of the purposes of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh)‘s mission in the following

words:

We have sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures194

God’s redemptive acceptance

In my humble opinion, The emphasis in this verse on Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) being a ―Mercy for All Creatures‖ suggests that he may intercede “also” on behalf of the Christians, Jews and Other Non-Muslims

191

Quran [16:20]

192 Quran [16:21]

193 Quran [7:37]

194 Quran [21:107]

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who may have received GOD’s Redemptive Acceptance by virtue of their not associating any partners with

God and their repentance and basic goodness.

3.12Are there REWARDS for us in both Worlds i.e. in This Life and in the Afterlife?

The answer to this Question is “yes” i.e. we are Rewarded by Allah for any Righteous Deed done both in this

world and in the Afterlife. So, in a sense we are getting two rewards for each good deed, but the

―Magnificence‖ of the Reward of the Hereafter is “un-measurable” and ―un-imaginable‖

The verse of The Quran that confirms this states as follows:

As for anyone - be it man or woman - who does righteous deeds, and is a believer - him shall We most

certainly cause to live(1) a good life. (2)And most certainly shall We grant unto such as these their

reward in accordance with the best that they ever did195

And, as I have said earlier, the reward in the Afterlife is Un-Imaginable, Un-Fathomable the magnificence of

which is beyond the perception of human mind, intellect or heart.

3.13Afterlifewill abide for ever.

The fact that “Afterlife” will abide for ever is stated in The Quran in the following words:

But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, We shall admit them to Gardens under which

rivers flow (Paradise), abiding therein forever. Therein they shall have Azwaajun Mutahharatun

(purified mates or wives), and We shall admit them to shades wide and ever deepening (Paradise)”196

The Fact of Afterlife being For Ever is stated in another verse of The Quran as follows:

This is a Day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are Gardens under which rivers

flow (in Paradise) they shall abide therein forever. Allah is pleased with them and they with Him.

That is the great success (Paradise)”197

3.14Women in Paradise.

*** No woman will be unmarried in Paradise. Every woman will have a Husband, and there will be no single people in Paradise. **** Regarding the Matrimonial in Paradise, Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) has said: that:

There will be no one in Paradise who is unmarried198

195

Quran [16 :97]

196Quran [4:57]

197Quran [5:119]

198Quoted from the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih of Muslim (Hadith No.2834).

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If a woman’s husband enters Paradise along with her, then he will be her husband there too, but if he is one of the people of Hell, or if the woman did not get married in this world, then she will get married to a man from among the people of Paradise.

This is based on the following two verses of The Quran:

Therein you shall have (all) that your inner selves desire, and therein you shall have (all) for which

you ask199

there will be) therein all that inner selves could desire, and all that eyes could delight in and you will

abide therein forever200

So if a woman is one of the people of Paradise and she did not get married, or if her husband is not one of the people of Paradise, when she enters Paradise there will be men who did not get married either, and women in

such situations will be married to men of Paradise in similar circumstances.

Will women wear hijab in Paradise too?

This may not necessarily be a subject of utmost importance to Muslims, but in the context of the Ban

implemented in some European countries on the wearing in Public Places of the Face-Veil {Niqab} and the similar ban on Burqa {the head-to-toe full body covering} as worn by some of the women in Afghanistan, I

thought it would be interesting to include this subject in this section on After Life in Islam of the article.

To a Question on whether Muslim women will be required to wear the Hijab{Head Scarf}, Niqab{Face

Veil}, or the Burqa{Full Body Covering from head-to-toe} in Paradise, the scholars of the website Islam Q&A have given an answer which has been adapted here to make it readable for Non-Muslims as well.

Paradise is the abode of bliss and not the abode of responsibilities. Allah has created in it delights that no eye has seen, no ear has heard and it has not crossed the mind of man. Allah says in The Quran:

No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do201

Paradise is a different world that has nothing in common with this world except names only; the realities of things are completely different. We should not go out of our way to compare things in Paradise with their counterparts in this world.

Comparing the Hooral-‘iyn ,Fair Eyed Maidens- created by God “For” Paradise with the Virtuous Women of this World who will enter Paradise

With respect to the Hoor-al-‘iyn ,Fair Eyed Maidens- created for Paradise, The Quran states that:

Wherein both will be Qaasiraat-ut-Tarf [chaste females (wives) restraining their glances, desiring none

except their husbands], whom no man or jinni has touched before them202

199

Quran [41:31]

200 Quran [43:71]

201Quran [32:17].

202Quran [55:56].

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This refers to al-hoor al-‘iyn the Fair Eyed Maidens of Paradise; but, does it indicate that this applies to other women too? This is a matter that requires further examination.

Al-Hafiz Ibn Katheer (May Allah be Pleased with him) writer of a famous exegesis of The Quran has said:

In the above quoted verse of The Quran, “Restraining their glances” means that they lower their gaze and avoid looking at men other than their husbands, so they do not think that there is anything in Paradise that is more handsome than their husbands. This was stated by Ibn ‘Abbaas, Qataadah, ‘Ata’ al-Khuraasaani and Ibn Zayd. And it was narrated in a Hadith,

that one of them i.e. the Fair Eyed maidens of Paradise will say to her husband: By Allah I do not

think that there is anything in Paradise finer than you, or that there is anything in Paradise dearer to me

than you; praise be to Allah (Swt) Who has made you for me and made me for you.‖203

With regard to wearing the Khimaar or head cover, we have not come across any report which speaks of that in detail. There is however a reference to it in a Hadith narrated by Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say:

If a woman from among the people of Paradise were to look out over the people of this world,

everything between them would be illuminated and filled with fragrance, and her kerchief on her head

is better than this world and everything in it. 204

A Scholar, Abu ‘Ubayd al-Qaasim ibn Salaam (may Allaah be pleased with him) has said:

Kerchief means the khimar (head cover).

Ghareeb al-Hadith (1/166)

But that is not sufficient to be certain that the women of Paradise will be obliged to cover their heads, for three reasons:

1. Some scholars interpret the word naseef (translated above as kerchief) as referring to the band that a woman wraps around her head, which does not cover the head, rather women wear it for adornment.

2.The context of the Hadith does not reflect that meaning, because what is meant in the Hadith is to emphasise the extreme beauty of the womenfolk of the people of Paradise and the hoor al-‘iyn, such that the smallest thing worn by them is better than this world and everything in it. The focus is not the kerchief itself. There is another report in which it says: “and her crown on her head…”

3.Moreover this casual mention of the kerchief does not mean that all the women wear it or at all times and in all places, and in front of all people. To understand it in such general terms requires special evidence, which we cannot find.

And Allah knows best. Islam Q&A

203 An Exegesis of The Quran called :Tafseer al-Qur’aan al-‘Azeem (7/504).

204 Quoted in a Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhaari (Hadith No. 2796)

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3.15

Description from the Quran and Hadith of “Al-hoor al-‘iyn” {The Fair Eyed Maidens) of

Paradise

The description of al-hoor al-„iyn is mentioned in quite a few places in the Quran such as the

following:

Lexicological meaning of the word al-hoor al-„iyn is split between the word Al-Hawra which

refers to a woman whose eyes are lined with Kohl whilst Al-„iyn is the Arabic word for Eyes.

The Quran describes these Fair Eyed Maidens as being Virgins of Special Creation

Verily, We have created them (maidens) of special creation.. And made them virginsWho will

be Loving (their husbands only), (and) of equal age as their husbands(approximately 33 years old)205

They will be equal in temperament to one another and they will not resent or envy one another,

i.e., they are not like hostile co-wives.206

These verses of The Quran about The Fair-Eyed Maidens of Paradise are underpinned by The Verse which

states the following about Life in Paradise

Therein you shall have (all) that your inner-selves desire, and therein you shall have (all) for which you ask.An

entertainment from (Allaah), the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful “Therein you shall have (all) that your inner-

selves desire207

One of the things that people of Paradise will have in the Hereafter is, for men, the women of Paradise,

namely Al-Hoor al-‘iyn, and for women there is an equivalent delight. By His great wisdom, Allah has not

mentioned what the women will have as the equivalent of al-hoor al-‘iyn for men and that is due to modesty

and shyness. How can He encourage them to seek Paradise by mentioning something that they are too shy

and modest to mention or speak about themselves? So He has simply hinted at it. The description of al-hoor

al-‘iyn is mentioned in more than one place in the Book of Allah, such as the following:

1– The Fair Eyed maidens known as Hoors are described by Allah in The Quran as Pearls

Like unto preserved pearls208

Like unto preserved pearls means, as if they are pure, white, shining pearls, which are covered and protected

from people’s eyes, the wind and the sun. Their colour is one of the most beautiful of colours and they have

205

Quran [56:35-37]

206Fath al-Baari, 8/626

207 Quran [41:31-32]

208Quran [56: 23]

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no fault or blemish of any kind. This is how al-hoor al-‘iyn are: they have no faults of blemishes of any kind,

rather they are beautiful in all ways. 209

2 –Then again, in another verse of The Quran, Allah says:

(In beauty) they are like rubies and coral210

Al-Tabari (May Allah be pleased with him) a writer of the exegesis of The Quran, in explaining the above verse has said:

One of the commentators on the exegesis of The Quran explains that: the words “they are like rubies and coral” means that they are rubies in their purity and like coral in their whiteness. So their purity is that of rubies and their whiteness is that of pearls. 211

3 - And, in yet another verse of The Quran, the Fair Eyed Maidens of Paradise are described with the following words.

Therein (Gardens) will be Khairaatun-Hisaan [fair (wives) good and beautiful]212

The scholar Ibn al-Qayyim says that their description of being fair and beautiful is based on the word: Khayarat which is derived from the word khayyarah which refers to the woman who combines all good qualities, both outward and inward and whose physical appearance and attitude are perfect. So, they are good in attitude and fair in face.213

There will be Two Hoors for each man of Paradise

4 - The use of the word both in the following verse indicates that there will be two such Fair Eyed Maidens for

each man of Paradise.

Wherein both will be Qaasiraat-ut-Tarf [chaste females (wives) restraining their glances, desiring none

except their husbands]214

5 – Regarding the Specially created Fair-Eyed-Maidens of Paradise, Allah says in TheQuran

Verily, We have created them (maidens) of special creation.

And made them virgins, Loving (their husbands only), (and) of equal age215

209 Exegesis of The Quran known as Tafseer al-Sa’di, p. 991

210 Quran [55:58]

211 Commentator al-Tabari

212 Quran [55:70]

213Rawdat al-Muhibbeen, p. 243. As quoted at islamqa

214 Quran [55:56]

215 Quran [56:35-37]

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The famous exegesis writer Ibn Kathir (May Allah be Pleased with him) has said of the words “..Loving their

husbands” in the above verse as follows:

With regard to the word “loving (‘uruban)”, Sa’eed ibn Jubayr said, quoting from Ibn ‘Abbaas that it means:

they are loving towards their husbands. It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas that al-‘urub are those who love

their husbands and their husbands love them.

With regard to the word “of equal age (atraaban)”, al-Dahhaak said, quoting from Ibn ‘Abbaas, that it means:

of the same age, thirty-three years.

Al-Saddi said: “atraaban” means that they are equal in temperament and they do not resent or envy one

another, i.e., they are not like hostile co-wives. End quote. 216

Another scholar Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar quoting someone called Mujaahid has said: that;

It was narrated that said concerning the verse “Loving (their husbands only), (and) of equal age”: i.e., those who are dear to their husbands. 217

6 – Also in another verse concerning the Fair-Eyed-Maidens of Paradise, Allah describing them says

Therein (Gardens) will be Khairaatun-Hisaan [fair (wives) good and beautiful]

Another famous scholar Ibn al-Qayyim has said:

They are described as being fair and beautiful. The word khayraat (fair and good) is derived from the word khayyarah, which refers to the woman who combines all good qualities, both outward and inward, and whose physical appearance and attitude are perfect. So they are good in attitude and fair of face. 218

7 – And, in another verse of The Quran, Allah describes the Fair-Eyed-Maidens as pure, as He says

And they shall have therein Azwaajun Mutahharatun (purified mates or wives), and they will abide therein

forever219

Regarding the above verse, another famous scholar Ibn al-Qayyim has said:

Allah describes them as pure: “and they shall have therein Azwaajun Mutahharatun (purified mates or wives)”,

pure from menses, urine and the like (stools) and all off-putting features that may exist in the women of this

world. And their hearts are pure from envy, annoyance of their husbands; meanness or wishing for husbands

other than them.

8 – Regarding the Fair-Eyed-Maidens Refraining Looks Allah says in The Quran describing them as refraining

from looking at anyone except their husbands

216 Exegesis of The Quran known as Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 4/294


218Rawdat Al-Muhibbeen, p. 243.

219 Quran [2:25]

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Wherein both will be Qaasiraat-ut-Tarf [chaste females (wives) restraining their glances, desiring none except

their husbands]220

And who will be guarded in pavilions as stated in the following verse of The Quran:

Hoor (beautiful, fair females) guarded in pavilions221

Explaining the above verse a little bit in detail, the famous scholar Ibn al-Qayyim has said:

Allah ( Swt) describes them as being “guarded in pavilions”, i.e., they are prevented from making a display of themselves before anyone except their husbands. They are guarded for their husbands and they do not go out of their houses, and they restrain themselves for them and do not desire anyone else. And Allah describes them as “Qaasiraat-ut-Tarf *chaste females (wives) restraining their glances”. This description is more complete than the first, for one of them restrains her gaze and focuses her love upon her husband; she is content with him and does not look beyond him at anyone else. 222

So (it will be). And We shall marry them to Hoor (fair females) with wide lovely eyes223

They will recline (with ease) on thrones arranged in ranks. And We shall marry them to Hoor (fair

females) with wide lovely eyes224

Al-hoor al-„iyn are extremely beautiful, such that the marrow of their shins will be visible from beneath their garments. Every man who enters Paradise will have two wives from among al-hoor al-„iyn. Allah (Swt) says, describing them (interpretation of the meaning):

Therein (Gardens) will be Khayraatun-Hisaan [fair (wives) good and beautiful

Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny?

Hoor (beautiful, fair females) guarded in pavilions


With whom no man or jinni has had Tamth[opening their hymens with sexual intercourse] before them.


Reclining on green cushions and rich beautiful mattresses225

220 Quran [55:56]

221 Quran [55:72]

222Rawdat al-Muhibbeen, p. 244

223 Quran [44:54]

224 Quran [52:20]

225 Quran [55:70-76]

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And (there will be) Hoor (fair females) with wide lovely eyes (as wives for Al-Muttaqoon – the pious). Like unto preserved pearls

226

Hadiths

Description of Al-Hoor al-‘iyn {Fair-Eyed Maidens} of Paradise in the Hadiths

The Hadiths give the following descriptions of them.

1 – It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah(Swt) be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah

(peace and blessings of Allah (Swt) be upon him) said:

The first group will enter Paradise looking like the moon on the night when it is full, and those

who follow them will be like the brightest shining star in the sky. Their hearts will be as one, and

there will be no hatred or jealousy among them. Each man will have two wives from among al-

hoor al-„iyn, the marrow of whose calves can be seen from beneath the bone and flesh227

The scholar Ibn Hajar (May Allah be pleased with him) said the following about their beauty:

The stunning beauty of the hoori is such that the marrow of her calves can be seen from beneath her clothes, and a man will be able to see his face in the liver of one of them, like a mirror because of the fineness of her skin and the purity of her colour

228

2 – Regarding the Illuminating qualities of the “Hoors” another Hadith has the following description:

It was narrated that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings

of Allaah be upon him) said:

If a woman from among the people of Paradise were to look out over the earth, she would illuminate

everything that is in between them, and would fill everything that is in between them with fragrance. And the

scarf on her head is better than this world and everything in it

And furthermore,

If she were to show her face, it would shine between heaven and earth; how beautiful is the light of her face

and how beautiful the scent that is filling the space between heaven and earth. As for her garments, the scarf

that she places on her head is better than the beauty of this world and all that is in it of delights and pleasure

and natural beauty and splendid palaces and other kinds of luxuries. Glory be to their Creator, how great He is,

and congratulations to the one for whom she is and he is for her

3 - Allah has prepared for His believing slaves in Paradise that which no eye has seen, no ear has heard and has never even crossed the minds of men, such that even the person who has the least blessings in Paradise will think that he is the most blessed among them. Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allah (Swt) be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah (Swt) be upon him) said:

226

Quran [56:22-23]

227 Quoted in the Collections of Hadiths known as Sahih al-Bukhaari (Hadith No.. 3014) and Sahih Al-Muslim,(Hadith No. 2843).


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The lowest of people in status in Paradise will be a man whose face Allah(Swt) turns away from the Fire towards Paradise, and shows him a tree giving shade. He will say, ‘O Lord, bring me closer to that tree so that I may be in its shade… Then he will enter his house *in Paradise] and his two wives from among al-hoor al-‘iyn will come in and will say to him, ‘Praise be to Allah (Swt) who brought you to life for us and brought us to life for you.’ Then he will say, ‘No one has been given what I have been given. 229

Among the blessings that Allah (Swt) has prepared for His slaves are al-hoor al-‘iyn. Allah (Swt) says (interpretation of the meaning):

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah (Swt) be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah (Swt) be upon him) said:

The first group will enter Paradise looking like the moon on the night when it is full, and those who follow them will be like the brightest shining star in the sky. Their hearts will be as one, and there will be no hatred or jealousy among them. Each man will have two wives from among al-hoor al-‘iyn, the marrow of whose calves can be seen from beneath the bone and flesh.”230

It was narrated that Anas Ibn Malik (may Allah (Swt) be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (Swt) (Peace and blessings of Allah (Swt) be upon him) said:

If a woman from among the people of Paradise were to look at the people of this earth, she would light up all that is in between them and fill it with fragrance. The veil on her head is better than this world and all that is in it. 231

Secondly: The Status of the women of Earth who enter Paradise as compared to the status of the Hoors of

Paradise:

The situation of the believing woman in Paradise will be better than the situation of the hoor al-‘iyn; she will

be higher in status and more beautiful. Several Hadiths and reports have been narrated concerning that, but

none of them can be proven to be sound. But if a righteous woman from among the people of this world

enters Paradise, then she will do so as a reward for her righteous deeds and as a honour from Allaah to her for

her religious commitment and righteousness. As for the hoori who is one of the delights of Paradise, she has

only been created in Paradise for the sake of someone else, and has been made the reward for the believing

man for his righteous deeds. There is a great difference between one who enters Paradise as a reward for her

righteous deeds and the one who was created as a reward for one who did righteous deeds. The former is a

queen and a princess, and the latter, no matter how beautiful she is, is undoubtedly lower in status than a

queen, and she is subject to the command of her believing master for whom Allaah created her as a reward.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (May Allah be Pleased with him) was asked: Does the description of the hoor al-‘iyn include the women of this world?

He replied:

It seems to me that the women of this world will be better than the hoor al-‘iyn, even in outward appearance,

and Allah (Swt) knows best.232

229

Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim, Hadith no. 275

230 Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Bukhari Hadith no. 3014

231 Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. no. 2587

232Fataawa Noor ‘ala al-Darb

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We ask Allah (Swt) the Almighty to give us the best of that which He gives to His believing slaves.

And Allah knows best .Islam Q&A

Some Important Points about Hoors

Will men in Paradise have intercourse with “Al-hoor al-‘iyn”?

Responding to a Question vis-a-vis the above, the scholars of the website Islam Q&A have stated as follows:

Praise be to Allah (Swt)

According to a Hadith whose strength of authenticity is not universally acknowledged

A man will have intercourse in Paradise with his wives from among al-hoor al-‘iyn and his wives from among the people of this world, if they enter Paradise with him. A man will be given the strength of a hundred men to eat, drink, feel desire and have sexual intercourse. It was narrated from Anas (may Allah (Swt) be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah (Swt) be upon him) said: “The believer in Paradise will be given such and such strength for sexual intercourse.” He was asked, “O Messenger of Allah (Swt), will he really be able to do that?” He said, He will be given the strength of one hundred (men).”

233

In my humble opinion, the use of the word “Strength” should not be taken literally, otherwise this may lead to an image that the men of Paradise will be running a rampage whereas in Paradise there will be nothing displeasing. Thus, the contextual meaning of the word strength in the translation of the above Hadith should be read to mean their “ability” to please and satisfy one’s desire.

In another Hadith narrated by Zayd Ibn Arqam that the Messenger of Allah (Swt) (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

A man among the people of Paradise will be given the strength of a hundred men for eating, drinking, desire and sexual intercourse......‟”

234

In a famous Chapter of The Quran called Ya-Seen (Chapter 36), there is a verse which states:

Verily, the dwellers of Paradise, that Day, will be busy in joyful things235

The Mufassireen {Commentators / Writers of The Exegesis of The Quran including ‘Abd-Allaah Ibn Masood and Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah (Swt) be pleased with them both), and Sa’eed Ibn al-Musayyib, ‘Ikrimah, al-Hasan, Qutaadah, al-A’mash, Sulaymaan al-Taymi and al-Oozaa’i said concerning the phrase “busy in joyful things”

(it means) they will be busy deflowering virgins. Ibn ‘Abbaas (May Allah (Swt) be pleased with him) said, according to a report narrated from him, that “busy in joyful things” means listening to stringed instruments. Abu Haatim said: he misheard the phrase iftidaad al-abkaar (deflowering virgins) and thought it was samaa’ al-

233

Quoted in a Collection of Hadiths by Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2459 He said, (it is) Sahih ghareeb

234Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths by Ahmad, Hadith No. 18509; al-Daarimi, No. 2704

235 Quran[36:55]

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awtaar (listening to stringed instruments). In fact the correct phrase is iftidaad al-abkaar (deflowering virgins).

236

Would Children be born as a result of Sexual Intercourse with Hooris and the Worldly Wives of

Paradise?

With regard to children, the scholars differed as to whether children would be born as a result of this intercourse or not. Some said that there would be children if the man wants them, but the pregnancy and birth would take just one hour. Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allah (Swt) be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If the believer wants a child in Paradise, the

pregnancy and delivery will take only an hour, then the child will be the age that the man wants.‖ 237

And Allah knows best.

We ask Allah (Swt) to admit us to Paradise and to keep us far away from the Fire. May He bless us with the highest of Paradises (Firdaws), for He is the One Who is Able to do that. Praise be to Allaah the Lord of the Worlds.

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

End:

I would like to end this short presentation on the Muslim View of Death, Bereavement and AfterLife

with two Quotations from Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh)...One is the Quotation with which I started my

presentation i.e.

“The Ink of a Scholar is Holier than the Blood of a Martyr”

And in another of his Hadiths Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) said:

“A moment spent in reflection is Far Superior than a Whole Night spent doing Voluntary

Prayers”

------==============--------------================-----------------------=============---------

Appendix 1

Reciting of the Chapter of The Quran called Ya-Seen for or near a

Dying Person, arguments for and against the practice.

What follows is an Answer given to a Question vis-a-vis the above practice appearing at

www.islamqa.com

Praise be to Allah (Swt).

236

Exegesis of The Quran written by Ibn Katheer, No. 3/564

237 Quoted in the following Collections of Hadiths by al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2487; al-Daarimi, Hadith No. 2712; Ahmad, Hadith

No. 11339; & Ibn Maajah, Hadith No. 4329


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The majority of scholars from the Schools of Thought (including the Hanafi, Shaafa‘i and Hanbalis)

are of the view that it is mustahabb (recommended) to recite the Chapter of The Quran known as Yaa-

Seen in the presence of one who is dying, and they quoted a number of things as evidence for that, but

the evidence is not free of some weakness.

Imam Ahmad (Hadith No. 19789) and Imam Abu Dawood (Hadith No.3121) have quoted The Prophet

(Pbuh) as saying:

―Recite Ya Seen for your dying ones.‖

If this Hadith is taken in its literal meanings then one will note that the recommendation is for ―the

dying ones‖ and not necessarily for the ―dead‖ i.e. not to be practiced once somebody is already dead

because as we have seen in an earlier Hadith that everything stops for a person who is dead, hence no

act, no matter how charitable can be done bequeathing it to the dead. The logic behind this is to

encourage everyone to do their good deeds themselves whilst they are alive.

Scholars who consider the Hadith about reciting Ya Seen as being weak in strength of

authenticity

This Hadith is da‟eef (weak) and was classed as such by Imam Al-Nawawi in al-Adhkaar. Ibn Hijr

said in al-Talkhees (2/104): Ibn al-Qattaan described it as da‘eef because there is some problem with

it and it is mawqoof, and because the status of the narrator Abu ‗Uthmaan and his father is unknown.

Ibn al-„Arabi narrated from al-Daaraqutni that it is a Hadith whose isnaad {Chain of narration} is

weak and whose text is unknown elsewhere, and there is no Sahih Hadith on this topic. End quote.

It was also classed as da‘eef by al-Albaani in Irwa‟ al-Ghaleel (688)

Ahmad (4/105 and 16521) narrated that Safwaan said: The shaykhs told me that they were present

with Ghudayf ibn al-Haarith al-Thumaali (a Sahaabi) when his death throes grew intense. He said: Is

there anyone among you who can recite Yaa Seen? Saalih ibn Shurayh al-Sakooni recited it and when

he reached the fortieth verse, he passed away. The shaykhs used to say: If it is recited in the presence

of the dying person, he finds relief thereby. Safwaan said: ‗Eesa ibn al-Mu‘tamari narrated it in the

presence of Ma‘bad.

Al-Haafiz said in al-Isaabah (5/324): its isnaad is hasan.

See also: al-Majmoo‘ (5/105); Sharh Muntaha al-Iraadaat (1/341); Haashiyat Ibn ‗Aabideen (2/191).

This view was favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him), who said

in al-Ikhtiyaaraat (p. 91):

Reciting Quran over the deceased after he has died is a bid‟ah (innovation), unlike reciting for the one

who is dying, when it is mustahabb to recite Yaa Seen. End quote.

They said: the reason why it is mustahabb to recite it is that this surah [chapter] includes mention of

Tawheed {Exclusive Unity of Deity of Allah} and the Resurrection, and the glad tidings of Paradise

for the one who dies believing in Tawheed, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ―Would

that my people knew That my Lord (Allaah) has forgiven me‖ [Yaa Seen 36:26-27]. So the soul is

comforted by that and it is easier for it to come out.

See: MataalibOoli al-Nuha (1/837).

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Imam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) was of the view that it is makrooh {disliked} to recite

Surah Yaa Seen or any other surah in the presence of the dying person, because of the weakness of the

Hadith which speaks of that, and because it was not what people did.

See: al-Fawaakih al-Dawaani (1/284); Sharh MuhtadarKhaleel, 2/137.

Shaykh al-Albaani said in Ahkaam al-Janaa‘iz:

With regard to reciting Surah Yaa Seen in the presence of the dying person and turning him to

face the Qiblah, there is no authentic report concerning that. End quote.

Adapted with minor adjustments from Islam Q&A

APPENDIX -2

DETAILS OF Islamic Funeral Rites including those of Ritual Washing (known as Ghusul), Shrouding (known as Kafan), and the Digging and Laying out of Graves and Burial.

238

GHUSUL - Ritual Washing of aDeceased Muslim

When a Muslim dies, it is the responsibility of his family or other Muslims to wash him according to the Islamic rites of washing the deceased. Two or three persons may perform the washing.

The person(s) who may wash the deceased should :

Be a trustworthy and honest adult Muslim(s).

Know the Islamic way of washing the dead and be able to carry out the washing.

Not make any comment on the body of the deceased.

NOTE:

If the deceased is a male, then ONLY males should wash him.

If the deceased is a female, then ONLY females should wash her.

For a married person, the spouse may perform the washing.{Some argue that this is an exception applicable only in countries where there may be no Muslim Funeral Services}

For a child, either males or females may do the washing.

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http://islam.about.com/cs/elderly/a/funerals.htm

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PLACE OF WASHING:

The deceased‟s body should be washed in a clean, secluded, and private place where clean water and soap are available. Gloves or pieces of cloth are needed.

The body of the deceased should be washed with water and, if available, lotus leaves, or camphor (To be used in the final wash).

The washing should be done three or five, or any more odd number of times if necessary.

Procedure for the Ritual WASHING:

The body of the deceased should be placed on a table or alike, the deceased‟s clothes should be

removed, and the body should be covered with a sheet of cloth.

The head and the upper body should be raised slightly to insure the washing water with

exudations from the body flows down and does not run back to the body.

The Aura (Private parts) of the deceased should be covered with a piece of cloth (The Aura of a

male is from the belly button to the knee in the presence of males, for the female is the same in the presence of females).

The washer should start washing by saying: “Bismil - lah ","In the name of Allah".

The washer winds a piece of cloth around his hand, and with this he cleans away any impurities from the body using water. Then he should dispose of this piece.

The washer should take another piece of cloth around his hand, press lightly the stomach of the

deceased so as so to expel, if possible, any remnants from it, and then wash the body of all impurities using water. Then he should dispose this piece of cloth.

The washer should take another piece of cloth around his hand (May use gloves), and wash the covered private parts, and then dispose of this piece of cloth.

The washer should perform Wudu (Ablution) on the deceased without inserting the water in the nose and in the mouth.

The washer should clean the body with water and soap (If available), starting from the head

(hair, face and beard {Men}), then the upper right side of the body then the left side, after that the lower right side then the lower left.

In the case of a female, her hair should be loosened, washed, combed, and be braided in three braids, and placed behind her back.

The washing should be done three times, or five times, or seven times, as needed, providing that

after washing the head, wash the right side before the left, and the upper parts before the lower

ones.

In the last wash, the washer may use camphor, or some perfume with the water.

After that the body should be dried with clean towel.

Then the body should be totally covered with a white sheet.

Get ready to start the shrouding.

SPECIAL NOTE : In case the deceased is a female in her menstrual period or have child birth

bleeding, padding should be used to prevent blood from leaving the body.

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NOTE:

It is recommended that those who performed the washing should take a bath .

It is recommended that those who performed the washing should make Wudu.

All of this is based on authentic Hadith that Um Atiyah narrated that: " When the daughter of

Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) died, he instructed us:‘ Wash her three times, or more

than that if you feel it is necessary, with water and sidr(good smelling leaves), and

then after the last wash apply some camphor to the body , then loosen her hair, wash it, comb it, and make it in three braids laid behind her back " (Bukhari & Muslim).

NOTE:

There is no Islamic teaching of reading the Quran during the Ghusul.

There is no Islamic teaching of making special dhikr (Certain words to remember Allah) during the Ghusul.

AL-KAFAN (Shrouding of the Deceased Muslim)

Shrouding should start Just after washing the body of the deceased. It is recommended

to use white sheets from inexpensive material. Extravagance is not recommended in the Kafan (Shroud).

Her Holiness Aisha w/o Prophet Mohammad relates that:

“When the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) died, he was shrouded in three white sheets from Yemen"239

The Shroud [Kafan] Of a Male

The Shroud [Kafan] of a male should consist of three white winding sheets about {7 x 7 feet},

clean and large enough to conceal the whole body, after having been perfumed with incense. Use

4 tie ropes, each 7 feet long see Figure (1).

The material of the sheet should not be silk, nor should any gold be used.

PROCEDUREOF SHROUDING FOR A MALE:

The winding sheets should be spread out one on the top of the other.

The deceased, covered with a sheet, is lifted and laid on his back on the winding sheets.

Some scent or perfume may be put on those parts of the body upon which one rests during

prostration, which is the forehead, nose, hands, knees, and feet.

If it is possible the deceased‟s left hand should be placed on his chest, then put his right hand on the left hand like the way in the Sallah (Prayer).

239

Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim

82

The edge of the top sheet is folded over the deceased right side, then the other edge over his left

side. Then the second sheet should be folded the same way. The third and the largest sheet

should be treated the same way.

These sheets should be fastened with a piece of cloth {Tie ropes}, one above the head, another

under the feet, and two around the body.

THE SHROUD [KAFAN] OF A FEMALE

The Kafan of a female should consist of five white garments, (Two winding sheet, a long loose

sleeveless shirt {From shoulder to feet}, a waist wrapper, and a head veil ), these should be

large enough to cover the whole body and may be perfumed with incense, a loin cloth may be used to bind the upper part of her legs, use 4 tie ropes, each one is 7 feet longsee Figure (2)

PROCEDURE OF SHROUDING FOR A FEMALE:

The garments are spread out (First: winding sheets {7 x 7 feet}, Second: the long loose

sleeveless shirt {3 1/2 x 14 feet, with a hole in the middle line for the head}, Third: waist

wrapper {6 feet x 3 1/2 feet}, Fourth head veil {a 4x4 square feet white sheet}, and Fifth: the loin cloth {12 inches wide x 4 feet long} ).

The deceased, covered with a sheet, is lifted and laid on her back on the shroud.

Some scent or perfume may be put on those parts of the body upon which one rests during prostration that is the forehead, nose, hands, knees, and feet.

The loin cloth is bound round her upper legs (Acts like underwear).

The waist wrapper is tied in place.

Put on the sleeveless shirt (Long to cover the body from the shoulder to the feet) .

Put the head veil.

The deceased‟s left hand should be placed on her chest, then put her right hand on the left hand like the way in the Sallah (Prayer).

The edge of the top sheet is folded over the deceased right side, then the other edge over his left

side. Then the second sheet should be folded the same way.

These sheets should be fastened with a piece of cloth {Tie ropes}, one above the head, another under the feet, and two around the body.

NOTE:

There is no Islamic Instruction of writing anything on the shrouds.

AL-DAFIN (BURIAL)

Islam has a unique style of building graves and cemeteries that is characterized by humility, simplicity and economy in costs and that avoids glorifying the dead with elaborate monuments.

It is of great importance that a special cemetery be devoted exclusively for the use of Muslims.

Muslims may not be buried in the cemeteries of non-Muslims, nor can non-Muslims be buried in a

Muslim cemetery.

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The deceased should be buried in the locality in which he lived. It is undesirable to take the body to the person‟s own country or to another city.

In Muslim cemeteries, there are two types of graves:

Al-Shaq: is to make a deep vertical hole in the ground.

Al-Lahed: is to make a deep vertical hole in the ground, then in the bottom make a side horizontal hole big enough to cover the whole body.

Both types are used, but it is preferable to use Al-Lahed if the land is solid ( Figure(6) ).

The burial should be done as soon as possible after death, but the following times should be

avoided:

At night from sunrise until the sun is fully risen. At the zenith of the sun (The sun at the meridian), until it passes the meridian

When the sun pales before sunset until it has set

During these times burying is prohibited unless there is an urgent necessity, according to the

Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) that was narrated by (Muslim).STEPS OF BURIAL : A grave is dug deep enough to totally hide the body of the deceased.

The grave should be always be Horizontal to the direction of Qiblah. Only men are allowed to

attend the burial. All Muslims who are present should remember death, the hereafter, and that

one day he too will be buried. They should keep quiet (No talking unless it is necessary).The

deceased‟s male relatives are expected to put the body in the grave, putting the body in the

grave should be carried out only by Muslim men. .A female is placed in her grave either by her husband, her sons, her father, her brothers, or her uncle.

The deceased‟s body should be entered to the grave from the direction where his feet will be From the rear of the grave

Should be fastened with a piece of cloth {Tie ropes}, one above the head, and another under the feet, and two around the body.

Diagrams of the various elements of the Shroud and of the Digging of Graves Follow on the

Next Page:

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85

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Figure (6)

The burial should be done as soon as possible after death, but the following times should be avoided :

At night. From sunrise until the sun is fully risen. At the zenith of the sun (The sun at the meridian), until it passes the meridian.

When the sun pales before sunset until it has set.

During these times burying is prohibited unless there is an urgent necessity, according to

the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) that was narrated by (Muslim).STEPS

OF BURIAL : A grave is dug deep enough to totally hide the body of the deceased.

The grave should be always perpendicular (Horizontal) to the direction of Qiblah. Only

men are allowed to attend the burial. All Muslims who are present should remember

death, the hereafter, and that one day he too will be buried. They should keep quiet ( No

talking unless it is necessary ).The deceased‟s male relatives are expected to put the

body in the grave, putting the body in the grave should be carried out only by Muslim

men..A female is placed in her grave either by her husband, her sons, her father, her brothers, or her uncle.

The deceased‟s body should be entered to the grave from the direction where his feet will

be (From the rear of the grave) (Figure (7) ).

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How to place the body into the grave

Front

Rear

Figure ( 7)

Those who enter the body of the deceased in the grave should say : (Bismilllah wa ala

millatirasulilllah), which means : " In the name of Allah and in the faith of the Messenger of Allah".

The deceased‟s body should rest on his right side, and should be close to the wall and

supported so that the body will not fall back, the deceased‟sface should be towards

the Qiblah.( Figure (6),(8) ).

Figure ( 8)

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Those who put the deceased in the grave should not have had sexual intercourse with their wives the night before.

According to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H). Anas Ibn Malik related

that:" During the burial of the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.),

Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) was sitting, tears coming out from eyes, he asked

us:" Who did not have sexual intercourse with his wife last night?" Abu Talha

answered:" I, Prophet Muhammad ", then Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said to him:" You get down in the grave and lay her down" (Bukhari).

They should undo the tie on the head and the feet.

They should put above the body a layer of wood or big stones, so that earth will not be

put directly on the body when they fill the grave with earth.

After the body is totally covered, it is desirable to throw three handfuls of soil into the

grave.

Then the grave should be filled up with sand .

It is allowable to put a mark on the grave or a stone to know the grave.

It is also Sunnah to make the grave convex from sand, according to the Hadith that was

reported by Sofyan who said:" That I saw the grave of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) is made convex” (Bukhari), convex out of sand.

Just after the burial all Muslims, including the deceased‟s relatives, may stay in the

cemetery for a while and make dua‟ (Supplicate) for the deceased, since he is being

questioned by the Angels.

Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) in an authentic Hadith said:" Make dua’ of Istighfar (

Supplicate for forgiveness) for your brother and request steadfastness for him because he is now being questioned " (Authentic -Abu Dawood).

NOTE:

There is no Islamic teaching of transferring the deceased to another country.

There is no Islamic teaching of revealing the face of the deceased after putting the body in the grave.

There is no Islamic teaching of shouting with special dthiker (Certain words to remember Allah) before, during, and after burial.

There is no Islamic teaching of reading the Quran in the cemetery.

There is no Islamic teaching of putting flowers, food, water, or money around the grave

that will benefit the deceased.

There is no Islamic teaching of putting anything in, on or around the grave that will benefit the deceased.

There is no Islamic teaching of slaughtering an animal during or after burial.

There is no Islamic teaching of staying in a state of sadness for one year.

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There is no Islamic teaching that the relatives of the deceased should wear black clothes.

There is no Islamic teaching that planting flowers on, or around the grave will benefit the deceased.

IMPORTANT RULES IN THE CEMETERY

It is prohibited to step over, lean, or sit on a grave.

Abu Hurayrah relates that the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) said: “It is better for a person to sit

on burning coal by which his clothes may catch fire and the heat thereof may touch his skin, rather than that he sits on a grave “(Muslim).

It is prohibited to build any form of construction on the grave, or decorate the

grave.

From the authentic traditions, it is clear that to erect domes over graves or build

mausoleums or Mosques on graves is strictly forbidden. Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said:" Do not build Mosques in the graveyard” (Muslim).

Ali ibn abiTaleb reported that: “Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) instructed him to

destroy all statues, and not to leave a grave raised high without levelling it with

the ground " ( Muslim), which means no construction on the grave.

It is prohibited to plaster the grave, whitewash the grave, or use cooked stones.

Jabir relates that the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) has forbidden that a grave should be made

strong (of bricks and plaster), or durable or one should sit over it or the same should have a construction over it. (Muslim).

Jabir also reported:" Prophet Muhammad forbade the whitewashing of a grave, sitting on it, or erecting any type of structure on it” (Muslim).

It is prohibited to pray facing towards the graves.

Abu Martad al-Ghanawi reported that Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) said:" Do not pray facing towards the graves “(Muslim).

Women are forbidden from attending the burial.

This is according to the authentic Hadith of Um-Atiyah who reported that we were

forbidden to accompany funeral processions. (Bukhari & Muslim).

It is prohibited to slaughter animals around the grave.

Arranging a mourning gathering on the day of death, or on the third day after

death, or on the seventh, or on the twentieth day, or on the fortieth day, or on

the anniversary of the death, all are abominable and heretical practices which people have introduced.

These practices have no basis whatsoever in the Quran, in the Sunnah of the Prophet, or

in the practices of the early Muslims, may Allah the Exalted have mercy upon them.

Some of these practices are done by some Muslims in different countries, but that does not make it the Islamic way.

It is prohibited to cremate the body of dead Muslim, even if the deceased

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requested it before his death.

It is prohibited to put candles on the grave. Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) said in an authentic Hadith:" Curse those wholight lamps on graves " (Authentic-Ahmed).

It is also disliked (Makrooh) to pray in the cemetery (Bukhari ).

Performing autopsy on a dead Muslim is totally prohibited, unless it is requested

by court order.

SPECIAL CASES

1) Miscarried Foetus :

If the foetus is less than four months old (Mother was pregnant for less than four

months), then the foetus may not be washed; the foetus should be wrapped in a piece of white cloth and buried. Then there is no Salatul Janazah for this foetus.

If the foetus is more than four months old (Mother was pregnant for more than four

months), then the foetus may be washed, shrouded (Using one or two winding sheets to

cover the whole body), and then Muslims have the choice whether to perform funeral prayers {Salatul Janazah} or not.

Some take the view that since the Rooh {Soul is breathed into a foetus on the

120th day after conception} so, if the foetus is 120 days or more old, then it is

obligation owed to that life instituted foetus to perform funeral prayers on it.

2) Children :

A) Before reaching the age of puberty, a child may be washed by males or females.

Shrouding a child for females use a shirt and two winding sheets and for males two or three winding sheets may be used.

B) For those children who reached the age of puberty, they should be dealt with as

an adult {Female child like female adult, and male child like male adult}, but then Salatul Janazah be performed.

3) Martyr :

The body of a Martyr should not be washed, nor be shrouded but buried with the same clothes that people found him with.

The strongest opinion of Muslim scholars is not to offer Salatul Janazah for martyrs since

Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) did not offer it for the martyrs of the battle of Uhud.

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Muslim View of Death, Bereavement and AfterLife