Islamic history and biography
Chapter 1
General
45365: How could Yoosuf have
"inclined towards" the wife of al-`Azeez when he
was chaste?
Question:
What is the tafseer of this verse in Soorat
Yoosuf (interpretation of the meaning): "And
indeed she did desire him, and he would have
inclined to her desire" [Yoosuf 12:24]?
If Yoosuf (peace be upon him) was chaste and
refused to answer the call of the wife of
al-`Azeez, how could he have inclined towards
her desires (i.e., how could that have entered
his mind)?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And indeed she did desire him, and he
would have inclined to her desire, had he not
seen the evidence of his Lord"
[Yoosuf 12:24]
Her desire was to commit sin, but as for
Yoosuf (peace be upon him), if he had not see
the evidence of his Lord, he would have inclined
to her desire _ because of human nature _ but he
did not, because of the evidence mentioned.
Because he hadseen seen the evidence of his
Lord, he did not incline to her desire.
Abu Haatim said: I used to recite ghareeb
al-Qur'aan to Abu `Ubaydah, and when I
reached the verse (interpretation of the
meaning): "And indeed she did desire him, and
he would have inclined to her desire" [Yoosuf
12:24], Abu `Ubayd said: This is to be
understood as meaning that he saw the proof of
his Lord, and so he did not incline to her
desire.
Al-Qurtubi, al-Jaami' li Ahkaam
al-Qur'aan, 9/165.
Al-Shanqeeti said in Adwa' al-Bayaan
(3/58):
This may be answered from two angles:
1 _ That what is meant by saying "Yoosuf
would have inclined to her desire" is that a
thought crossed his mind, but the influence of
taqwa (piety) deflected that thought. One of
them said: this is the natural inclination and
the instinctive desire that is restrained by
taqwa. There is no sin in that because this is
something that is instilled in man and is not
under his control. It says in the hadeeth that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) used to divide his time equally among
his wives and treat them fairly, then he would
say: "O Allaah, this is how I divide that over
which I have control, so do not take me to task
for that which is beyond my control" _ meaning
the inclination of the heart.
[Abu Dawood, al-Sunan, hadeeth no.
2134.
This is like the fasting person's inclination
towards cold water and food, while at the same
time his taqwa prevents him from drinking or
eating whilst he is fasting.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "Whoever thinks of an evil
action but does not do it, one hasanah will be
recorded for him."
[Narrated by al-Bukhaari in his
Saheeh, no. 6491; Muslim, no. 207]
2 _ Yoosuf (peace be upon him) did not think
of doing anything at all, because he was
prevented from doing so because of the proof of
his Lord. This view which was favoured by Abu
Hasaan and others is more correct according to
the rules of the Arabic language.
Then he started to quote the evidence to
support the view he favoured. Based on the
above, the meaning of the verse _ and Allaah
knows best _ is that if Yoosuf (peace be upon
him) had not seen the proof of his Lord, he
would have inclined towards her desire, but
because he had seen the proof of his Lord he did
not incline towards her desire and did not think
of it at all. Similarly, just thinking of
something without doing it is not regarded as a
sin. And Allaah knows best. May Allaah send
blessings and peace upon his noble Prophet.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
36616: Muhammad ibn `Abd
al-Wahhaab _ a reformer concerning whom many
malicious lies have been told
Question:
Why is so much of what is said about Shaykh
al-Islam Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhaab so
hostile, and why are his followers called
Wahhabis?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
You should note that one of the ways in which
Allaah deals with His chosen slaves is to test
them according to the level of their faith, to
show who is sincere and who is not. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"AlifLaamMeem.
[These letters are one of the miracles of the
Qur'aan, and none but Allaah (Alone) knows their
meanings.]
2. Do people think that they will be left
alone because they say: `We believe,' and will
not be tested.
3. And We indeed tested those who were before
them. And Allaah will certainly make (it) known
(the truth of) those who are true, and will
certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of)
those who are liars, (although Allaah knows all
that before putting them to test)"
[al-`Ankaboot 29:1-3]
Those who are most severely tested are the
Prophets, then the next best and the next best,
as it says in the saheeh hadeeth of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
If you study the seerah (biography) of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), you will see that he went
through severe tests; he was even accused of
being a liar, a sorcerer and a madman; garbage
and filth were thrown on his back; he was
expelled from Makkah; and his feet bled in
al-Taa'if. This was the situation of all the
Prophets who were rejected before him (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhaab
(may Allaah have mercy on him) suffered the same
as other sincere scholars and daa'iyahs, but in
the end the message of truth that he brought
prevailed. How could it be otherwise? How could
the light of truth be extinguished? Think about
this man and how Allaah helped him to sow the
seeds of Tawheed throughout the Arabian
Peninsula and put an end to all kinds of shirk.
If this indicates anything, it indicates that he
was sincere in his call and made sacrifices for
that cause as far as we can tell, and of course
his efforts were supported and helped by Allaah.
But the enemies of this call have spared no
effort to make false accusations concerning it.
They claimed _ falsely _ that the Shaykh claimed
to be a prophet, and that he did not respect the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) properly, and that he
condemned all the ummah as kaafirs… and other
fabrications and lies that were told about him.
Anyone who examines these claims will realize
for sure that they are all lies and
fabrications. The books of the Shaykh which are
widely circulated bear the greatest witness to
that, and his followers who answered his call
never mentioned anything to that effect. If the
matter were as they claim, his followers would
have conveyed the same ideas, otherwise they
would have been disloyal to him. If you want to
know more details about this and to clarify the
matter, you should read the book Da'aawa
al-Manaawi'een li Da'wah al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn
`Abd al-Wahhaab by Dr `Abd al-`Azeez al-`Abd
al-Lateef, which will answer all your questions,
if Allaah wills.
With regard to calling his followers
Wahhaabis, this is just another in a long series
of fabrications made up by the enemies of his
call, to divert people away from the call of
truth and to place a barrier between his call
and the people so that the call will not reach
them. If you study the story of how al-Tufayl
ibn `Amr al-Dawsi (may Allaah be pleased with
him) became Muslim, you will see the parallels
with what happened in the case of Imam Muhammad
ibn `Abd al-Wahhaab.
Ibn Hishaam narrated in his Seerah
(1/394) that al-Tufayl set out towards Makkah,
but Quraysh intercepted him at the gates of the
city and warned him against listening to
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). They made him think that he was a sorcerer
who could cause division between man and wife…
they kept on at him until he took some cotton
and put it in his ears. Then when he saw the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), he thought to himself that he would take
out the cotton and listen to him, and if what he
said was true then he would accept it from him,
and if what he said was false and abhorrent, he
would reject it. When he listened to him, all he
could do was become Muslim on the spot.
Yes, he became Muslim after putting cotton in
his ears. Those who oppose the call of Shaykh
Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhaab fabricated lies the
same way Quraysh did. Quraysh understood full
well that the call of Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) had the power
to reach people's hearts and minds, so they
exaggerated in their lies about the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) in an attempt to stop the truth reaching
people. Similarly we see that those who speak
against Shaykh Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhaab and
his followers repeat the same lies that were
told against the original call.
You should _ if you follow the truth _ not
pay any attention to these lies and
fabrications. You should look for the truth of
the matter by reading the books of Shaykh
Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhaab, for his books are
the greatest proof that these people are lying,
praise be to Allaah.
There is another subtle point that should be
noted, which is that the Shaykh's name was
Muhammad, the attributive of which is Muhammadi.
The word Wahhabi is the attributive derived from
al-Wahhaab (the Bestower), who is Allaah, as He
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate
(from the truth) after You have guided us, and
grant us mercy from You. Truly, You are the
Bestower [al-Wahhaab]"
[Aal `Imraan 3:8]
As al-Zajjaaj said in Ishtiqaaq
Asma'-Allaah, p. 126, al-Wahhaab "is the One
Who gives a great deal. This form (fa"aal) in
Arabic is indicative of something that is done
to a great extent. Allaah is al-Wahhaab (the
Bestower) Who gives to His slaves one after
another."
Undoubtedly the path of al-Wahhaab is the
path of truth in which there is no crookedness
or fabrication, and His party is the one that
will prevail. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"And whosoever takes Allaah, His Messenger,
and those who have believed, as Protectors, then
the party of Allaah will be the victorious"
[al-Maa'idah 5:56]
"They are the party of Allaah. Verily, it is
the party of Allaah that will be the successful"
[al-Mujaadilah 58:22]
Long ago they accused al-Shaafa'i of being a
Raafidi (Shi'ah) and he refuted them by saying:
"If being a Raafidi means loving the family
of Muhammad, then let the two races (of mankind
and the jinn) bear witness that I am a Raafidi."
We refute the claims of those who accuse us
of being Wahhabis by quoting the words of Shaykh
Mullah `Imraan who was a Shi'i but Allaah guided
him to the Sunnah. He said:
"If the follower of Ahmad [the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] is a
Wahhaabi, then I affirm that I am a Wahhaabi
I reject the association of any other with
Allaah, for I have no Lord except the Unique,
the Bestower (al-Wahhaab)
Those who were called by the Prophet accused
him of being a sorcerer and a liar."
(See: Manhaaj al-Firqat al-Naajiyah by
Shaykh Muhammad Jameel Zayno, p. 142-143.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
20903: al-Masjid al-Aqsa and the Dome of
the Rock
Question:
I have recently received an Email advising me
of the status of the Masjid al Aqsa and
diffrentiating it from the doom of the rock.
Can you please clarify the situation and
advise, if the Masjid e Aqsa is different from
the Doom of the Rock, why do we see its picture
representing Masjid e Aqsa at all Islamic
places, and I (and many other muslims) were
completely inaware of the difference.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Al-Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem) was the
first of the two qiblahs, and is one of the
three mosques to which people may travel for the
purpose of worship. And it was said that it was
built by Sulaymaan (peace be upon him), as
stated in Sunan al-Nasaa'i (693) and
classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Nasaa'i. And it was said that it existed
before Sulaymaan (peace be upon him) and that
Sulaymaan rebuilt it; this is based on the
evidence narrated in al-Saheehayn from
Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) who
said: "I said, `O Messenger of Allaah, which
mosque was built on earth first?' He said,
`Al-Masjid al-Haraam [in Makkah].' I said, `Then
which?' He said, `Al-Masjid al-Aqsa.' I said,
`How much time was there between them?' He said,
`Forty years. So wherever you are when the time
for prayer comes, pray, for that is the best
thing to do.'"
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3366; Muslim, 520.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) was taken on the Night Journey (isra')
to Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), where he led the
Prophets in prayer in this blessed mosque.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allaah)
[above all that (evil) they associate with Him]
Who took His slave (Muhammad) for a
journey by night from AlMasjid AlHaraam (at
Makkah) to AlMasjid AlAqsaa (in Jerusalem), the
neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, in order
that We might show him (Muhammad) of Our Ayaat
(proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.).
Verily, He is the AllHearer, the AllSeer"
[al-Isra' 17:1]
The Dome of the Rock was built by the caliph
`Abd al-Malik ibn Marwaan in 72 AH.
It says in al-Mawsoo'ah
al-Filasteeniyyah (4/203): "The name
al-Masjid al-Aqsa was historically applied to
the entire sanctuary (al-Haram al-Shareef) and
the buildings in it, the most important of which
is the Dome of the Rock which was built by `Abd
al-Malik ibn Marwaan in 72 AH/691 CE, which is
regarded as one of the greatest Islamic
historical buildings. But today the name is
applied to the great mosque which is situated in
the southern part of the sanctuary plateau."
It also says in al-Mawsoo'ah (3/23):
"The Dome of the Rock is situated in the middle
of the plateau of al-Masjid al-Aqsa, which is in
the southeastern part of the city of al-Quds
(Jerusalem). It is a spacious rectangular
plateau which measures 480 meters from north to
south, and 300 meters from east to west. This
plateau occupies approximately one-fifth of the
area of the Old City of Jerusalem.
The mosque which is the place of prayer is
not the Dome of the Rock, but because pictures
of the Dome are so widespread, many Muslims
think when they see it that this is the mosque.
This is not in fact the case. The Mosque is
situated in the southern portion of the plateau,
and the Dome is built on the raised rock that is
situated in the middle of the plateau.
We have already seen above that the name of
the mosque was historically applied to the whole
plateau.
This is supported by the words of Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on
him) in Majmoo'at al-Rasaa'il al-Kubra,
2/61: "Al-Masjid al-Aqsa is the name for the
whole of the place of worship built by Sulaymaan
(peace be upon him). Some people started to give
the name of al-Aqsa to the prayer-place which
was built by `Umar ibn al-Khattaab in front of
it. Praying in this prayer-place which `Umar
built for the Muslims is better than praying in
the rest of the mosque, because when `Umar
conquered Jerusalem there was a huge garbage
dump on the rock, since the Christians wanted to
show their scorn for the place towards which the
Jews used to pray. So `Umar issued orders that
the filth be removed and he said to Ka'b: `Where
do you think we should build a place of prayer
for the Muslims?' He said, `Behind the rock.' He
said, `O you son of a Jewish woman! Are
influenced by your Jewish ideas! Rather I will
build it in front of it.'
Hence when the imams of this ummah entered
the mosque, they would go and pray in the
prayer-place that was built by `Umar. With
regard to the Rock, neither `Umar nor any of the
Sahaabah prayed there, and there was no dome
over it during the time of the Rightly-Guided
Caliphs. It was open to the sky during the
caliphate of `Umar, `Uthmaan, `Ali, Mu'aawiyah,
Yazeed and Marwaan… The scholars among the
Sahaabah and those who followed them in truth
did not venerate the rock because it was an
abrogated qiblah… rather it was venerated by the
Jews and some of the Christians."
`Umar denounced Ka'b al-Ahbaar and called him
the son of a Jewish woman because Ka'b had been
a Jewish scholar and rabbi, so when he suggested
to `Umar that he should build the mosque behind
the rock, that was out of respect for the rock
so that the Muslims would face it when praying,
and veneration of the rock was part of the
religion of the Jews, not the religion of the
Muslims.
The Muslims' fondness for the picture of the
Dome may be because of the beauty of this
building, but this does not excuse them from the
resulting mistake of not distinguishing between
the Mosque and the buildings that surround it.
This may be one of the plots and tricks of
the Jews, because of their veneration for the
rock and their facing it in prayer. Or is may be
in order to give importance to the Rock so that
they can fulfil their desire to build the
so-called Temple of Solomon on the ruins of
al-Masjid al-Aqsa. This is by making the Muslims
think that al-Masjid al-Aqsa is the Dome of the
Rock, so that if the Jews start to destroy
al-Masjid al-Aqsa and the Muslims denounce them
for that, they will tell them, "Al-Masjid
al-Aqsa is fine," and will show them a picture
of the Dome of the Rock. Thus they will achieve
their aims and be safe from the Muslims'
criticism.
We ask Allaah to restore the Muslims' power
and glory, and to cleanse al-Masjid al-Aqsa of
the brothers of the monkeys and pigs, for Allaah
has full power and control over His Affairs, but
most of men know not (cf. Yoosuf 12:21).
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
14631: Where is al-Husayn
buried, and how important is it to know where
the graves of the Sahaabah are?
Question:
A questioner says that people talk a great
deal and have different opinions about where the
grave of al-Husayn is located. Can the Muslims
benefit from knowing exactly where it is?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
In fact people differed concerning that. It
was said that he is buried in Syria, or in Iraq,
and Allaah knows best what is true. With regard
to his head, they also differed concerning that;
it was said that it is buried in Syria, or in
Iraq, or in Egypt. The correct view is that the
site in Egypt is not his grave, rather that is a
mistake and the head of al-Husayn is not there.
A number of scholars have written essays on that
and explained that there is no evidence for the
head of al-Husayn being in Egypt. The most
likely to be correct is the view that it is in
Syria, because it was taken to Yazeed ibn
Mu'aawiyah who was in Syria. There is no basis
for the view that it was taken to Egypt. Either
it was kept in Syria or it was returned to his
body in Iraq.
Whatever the case, the people do not need to
know where it is buried or where it is. Rather
what is prescribed is to pray for forgiveness
and mercy for him, may Allaah forgive him and be
pleased with him, for he was killed unlawfully.
So we should pray for forgiveness and mercy for
him, and hope for much good for him. He and his
brother al-Hasan will be the leaders of the
youth of Paradise, as the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said. May
Allaah be pleased with them.
If a person's grave is known, there is
nothing wrong with saying salaams to him and
making du'aa' for him, as other graves may be
visited, without going to extremes in that or
worshipping them. It is not permissible to ask
the dead to intercede, because nothing can be
asked of the dead; rather we should make du'aa'
for them and pray for mercy for them if they
were Muslims, because the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Visit
the graves, for they will remind you of the
Hereafter."
If a person visits the graves of al-Husayn or
al-Hasan or any other Muslim to make du'aa' for
them and pray for mercy and forgiveness for
them, as he would do at the grave of any other
Muslim, this is Sunnah. But visiting graves to
pray to their occupants or seek their help or
ask them to intercede _ this is a reprehensible
action, and indeed it is major shirk. It is not
permissible to build mosques or domes etc over
graves, because the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "May
Allaah curse the Jews and Christians, for they
took the graves of their Prophets as places of
worship." (Saheeh _ agreed upon). And because it
was narrated from Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased
with him) in al-Saheeh that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
forbade plastering over graves, sitting on them
and erecting structures over them." So t is not
permissible to plaster over graves, perfume
them, place screens around them or erect
structures over them; all of that is forbidden
and these are means that lead to shirk. And we
should not pray at graves because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Those who came before you used to take
the graves of their Prophets and righteous
people as places of worship; do not take graves
as places of worship, for I forbid you to do
that." (Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh
from Jundub ibn `Abd-Allaah al-Bajali (may
Allaah be pleased with him).
This hadeeth indicates that it is not
permissible to pray at graves or to take them as
mosques; and because that is a means that leads
to shirk and worshipping someone other than
Allaah by calling upon them (the occupants of
the graves), seeking their help, making vows to
them, and touching the graves to seek their
blessings. Hence the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against
that. Rather graves should be visited in the
manner prescribed in sharee'ah only, to give
salaams to them and make du'aa' for them and
pray for mercy for them, but without travelling
specifically for that purpose.
And Allaah is the Source of strength and the
Guide to the straight path.
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah
li'l-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 6/366 (www.islam-qa.com)
30905: To whom is the book
Nahj al-Balaaghah attributed?
Question:
I would like to ask how authentic the book
Nahj al-Balaagha is and what your opinion of it
is?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The book Nahj al-Balaaghah is one of
the books that are attributed to Ameer
al-Mu'mineen `Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be
pleased with him), but it contains many things
concerning which those who claim to be Muslims
have disputed. Following the great scientific
principle which was followed by the imams of
Islam in obedience to the shar'i command to
verify reports, we have no choice but to refer
to the scholars and specialists to check on the
veracity of the things that are attributed to
`Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), because
what is narrated from the Sahaabah (may Allaah
be pleased with them) has an effect on
sharee'ah, especially in the case of someone
like Ameer al-Mu'mineen `Ali (may Allaah be
pleased with him), concerning whom some people
have exaggerated or fallen short, but Allaah
guided the Ahl al-Sunnah to follow a middle
course.
By referring to the words of the scholars
concerning this book and comparing its contents
with what has been proven with saheeh isnaads
from `Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), it
becomes clear that there is material in this
book that contradicts what was proven from him
(may Allaah be pleased with him). So we should
look at what some of these great scholars have
said:
Imaam al-Dhahabi (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said in his biography of al-Murtada `Ali
ibn Husayn ibn Moosa al-Moosawi (d. 436 AH): I
said, he was the compiler of the book Nahj
al-Balaaghah which is attributed to Imam `Ali
(may Allaah be pleased with him), but the
reports contained therein have are no isnaads.
Some of it is false and some of it is true, but
it contains some frabricated reports of things
that the Imam would never have said. But who is
the fair-minded man who would look at it in an
objective manner?! It was said that it was
compiled by his brother Shareef al-Radiy. It
includes slander against the companions of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him); we seek refuge with Allaah
from knowledge that is of no benefit. Siyar
A'laam al-Nubala', 17/589
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: "Most of the khutab
(sermons) that the author of Nahj
al-Balaaghah includes in his book are lies
against `Ali. `Ali (may Allaah be pleased with
him) is too noble and too worthy to have uttered
such words. But these people fabricated lies and
thought that they were praise, but they are
neither truth nor praise. Whoever says that the
words of `Ali or any other human being are above
the words of any other created being is
mistaken, for the words of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are above
his words, and both of them are created beings.
Moreover the correct meanings that are to be
found in the words of `Ali are to be found in
the words of others, but the author of Nahj
al-Balaaghah and his ilk took many of the
things that people say and made them the words
of `Ali. There are some words narrated from `Ali
that he did say, and some of them are true words
that would have been befitting for him to say,
but in fact they are the words of others. Hence
in Kalaam al-Bayaan wa'l-Tabyeen by
al-Haafiz and in other books there are words
narrated from people other than `Ali and the
author of Nahj al-Balaaghah attributed
them to `Ali. If these sermons which were
transmitted in Nahj al-Balaaghah were
really spoken by `Ali, they would have been
found in other books that existed before this
book was written, and they would have been
narrated from `Ali with isnaads and otherwise.
It is known from those who are well versed in
the study of narrations that many of them (these
sermons) _ indeed most of them _ were unknown
before this, therefore it may be concluded that
they are fabrications. So the narrator should
state in which book they are mentioned, who
narrated it from `Ali, and what its isnaad is.
Otherwise, anybody could say something and claim
that it was said by `Ali. Those who are
well-versed in the knowledge of the hadeeth
scholars and of reports and isnaads and are able
to tell what is sound and what is not sound
would know that these people who transmitted
reports from `Ali are the least likely people to
know about reports and be able to distinguish
the sound from the unsound.
Manhaaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah, 8/55.
Other scholars who pointed out the lies in
this book was al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadi, in
al-Jaami' li Akhlaaq al-Raawi wa Adaab
al-Saami', 2.161; al-Qaadi Ibn Khalkaan;
al-Safadi, and others. The things that have been
said against it may be summarized in the
following points:
1. There are seven generations of narrators
between `Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him)
and the author of this book, and he did not
mention any name whatsoever. Hence we cannot
accept his words without an isnaad.
2. If these narrators are mentioned, it is
essential to research about them and find out
whether they are trustworthy.
3. The fact that most of these sermons did
not exist before this book was written indicates
that they were fabricated.
4. Al-Murtada _ the author of the book _ was
not one of the scholars of reports, rather he
was one of those whose religious commitment and
competence were debatable.
5. The slander that it contains against the
leading Sahaabah is sufficient to count it as
false.
6. The insults and slander that it contains
are not the characteristics of the believers,
let alone their leaders such as `Ali (may Allaah
be pleased with him).
7. It contains contradictions and clumsy
expressions from which it may be known for
certain that it was not produced by one who was
prominent in eloquence and fluency.
8. The fact that the Raafidah accept it and
are certain that it is as true as the Qur'aan,
despite all these objections, indicates that
they do not pay attention to verifying sources
and ensuring that they are sound with regard to
the matters of their religion.
Based on the above, it is clear that this
book cannot be attributed to `Ali (may Allaah be
pleased with him), therefore nothing in it can
be used as evidence in matters of sharee'ah, no
matter what the issue is. But whoever reads it
in order to find out what it contains of
eloquence, the ruling is the same as that on all
other books on Arabic language, without
attributing its contents to Ameer al-Mu'mineen
`Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him). See
Kutub hadhdhara minha al-`Ulama', 2/250.
Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
22633: The Jews have no right
to enter the Arabian Peninsula
Question:
It is said that the Jew Labeed ibn al-A'sam
was able to able to obtain something from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) [for the purpose of witchcraft] by the help
of a Jewish slave woman who used to enter the
houses of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). Does this mean that it is
permissible to employ the services of Jews?
What is the meaning of the expulsion of the
Jews as narrated in the ahaadeeth? I hope that
you could explain the presence of the Jews in
Madeenah, as it is narrated that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
expelled them from the city?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) commanded that the Jews be expelled
from the Arabian Peninsula, and said that no two
religions should co-exist in the Arabian
Peninsula. This is a shar'i ruling. It is not
permissible for any mushrik to remain there.
With regard to the presence of the Jews in
Madeenah, Khaybar, etc., this was before the
command to expel them, as is well known. The
command to expel them came during the final
illness of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), then `Umar (may Allaah be
pleased with him) expelled them after that.
Shaykh `Abd al-Kareem al-Khudayr.
(www.islam-qa.com)
21379: Who was al-Hallaaj?
Question:
Who was Mansoor Hallaj . What is his role in
Islamic History?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Al-Hallaaj was al-Husayn ibn Mansoor
al-Hallaaj, who was known as Abu Mugheeth, or
Abu `Abd-Allaah. He grew up in Waasit, or it was
said in Tastar, and he was connected with a
group of Sufis including Sahl al-Tastari,
al-Junayd, Abu'l-Hasan al-Noori and others.
He traveled to many places, including Makkah
and Khurasaan, and India where he learned sihr
(magic, witchcraft). He finally settled in
Baghdaad, where he was killed.
He learned magic in India, and he was a
trickster and cheat. He deceived many ignorant
people thereby, and they were attracted by him,
until they thought that he was one of the
greatest awliya' (close friends or "saints") of
Allaah.
He is liked by most of the Orientalists, and
they think that he was killed wrongfully
because, as we shall see below, his beliefs were
close to Christian beliefs and he preached a
similar message.
He was executed in Baghdad in 309 AH, because
it was proven by his own confession and
otherwise that he was a kaafir and a heretic.
The scholars of his time were agreed that he
was to be executed because of the words of kufr
and heresy that were narrated from him.
The following are some of the things that he
said:
1- He claimed to be a prophet, then he went
further and said that he was God. He used to
say, "I am Allaah," and he commanded his
daughter-in-law to prostrate to him. She said,
"Should I prostrate to someone other than
Allaah?" He said, "There is a god in the heavens
and a god on earth."
2- He believed in incarnation and union with
the Divine, i.e., that Allaah was incarnated in
him, and that he and Allaah had become one and
the same _ exalted be Allaah far above that.
This is what made him acceptable to the
Christian Orientalists, because he shared their
belief in incarnation, for they believe that God
was incarnated in Jesus (`Eesa, peace be upon
him). Hence al-Hallaaj spoke of divine nature
and human nature as the Christians do.
Some of the lines of verse that he composed
said:
"Glory be to the one Whose human form
manifested the secret of His divinity
Then He emerged among His creation in the
form of one who eats and drinks."
When Ibn Haneef heard these lines, he said,
"May the curse of Allaah be upon the one who
said this." It was said to him, "This is the
poetry of al-Hallaaj." He said, "If this is what
he believes, then he is a kaafir."
3- He heard someone reciting a verse from the
Qur'aan, and he said, "I am able to compose
something like that."
4- Another of his lines of poetry says:
"People formed different beliefs about God,
and I believe in everything that they believed."
These words imply that he approved of and
believed in all forms of kufr that the misguided
sects of humanity believe in, but it is a
contradictory notion that no sound mind can
accept. How can anyone believe in Tawheed and
shirk at the same time?
5- He said things which denied the pillars
and basic principles of Islam, namely prayer,
zakaah, fasting and Hajj.
6- He used to say that the souls of the
Prophets had been reincarnated in the bodies of
his companions and students. So he would say to
one of them, "You are Nooh"; and to another,
"You are Moosa"; and to another, "You are
Muhammad."
7- When he was taken out to be executed, he
said to his companions, "Do not worry about
this, for I will return to you after thirty
days," He was executed and he never came back.
Because of these sayings and others, the
scholars were agreed that he was a kaafir and a
heretic, and for this reason he was executed in
Baghdad in 309 AH. Similarly, most of the Sufis
denounced him and denied that he was one of
them. Among those who denounced him was
al-Junayd, and he was not mentioned by
Abu'l-Qaasim al-Qushayri in his book in which he
mentioned many of the Sufi shaykhs.
The one who strove to have him executed and
who held a council in which he ruled that he
deserved to be executed was al-Qaadi Abu `Umar
Muhammad ibn Yoosuf al-Maaliki (may Allaah have
mercy on him). Ibn Katheer praised him for that
and said, "One of his greatest and most correct
judgements was his ruling that al-Husayn ibn
Mansoor al-Hallaaj was to be executed."
(al-Bidaayah wa'l-Nihaayah, 11/172)
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: "Whoever believes what
al-Hallaaj believed in and agrees with the ideas
for which al-Hallaaj was executed, is a kaafir
and an apostate, according to the consensus of
the Muslims. For the Muslims executed him
because of his belief in incarnation, union with
the Divine and other heretical beliefs, such as
his saying, `I am Allaah,' and, `There is a god
in the heavens and a god on earth.' … Al-Hallaaj
performed extraordinary feats and various kinds
of magic, and there are books of magic which are
attributed to him. In conclusion, there is no
dispute among the ummah that whoever believes
that Allaah can be incarnated in a human being
and be as one with him, or that a human being
can be a god, is a kaafir whose blood it is
permissible to shed. On this basis al-Hallaaj
was executed."
(Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 2/480)
He also said: "We do not know of anyone among
the imams of the Muslims who spoke well of
al-Hallaaj, neither among the scholars nor among
the shaykhs. But some of the people did not
comment on him because they did not know about
him."
(Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 2/483)
For more information, see Taareekh
Baghdaad by al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadi,
8/112-141; al-Muntazam by Ibn al-Jawzi,
13/201-206; Siyar A'laam al-Nubalaa' by
al-Shihaabi, 14/313-354; al-Bidaayah
wa'l-Nihaayah by Ibn Katheer, 11/132-144
And Allaah is the Guide to the Straight Path.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
22230: The number of
Sulaymaan's wives
Question:
Could you please inform me on the truth about
Suleman (AS...pbuh) having 999 or so wifes and
the reasons for this?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The highest number of wives of Sulaymaan
(peace be upon him) that is mentioned in the
saheeh ahaadeeth is one hundred, as was narrated
by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh (5242) from
Abu Hurayrah who said: "Sulaymaan ibn Dawood
(peace be upon them both) said: `Tonight I will
go around to one hundred women, each of whom
will give birth to a boy who will fight for the
sake of Allaah.' The angel said to him, `Say in
sha Allaah (if Allaah wills).' But he did not
say it, as he forgot. He went around to them but
none of them gave birth, apart from one woman
who gave birth to half a child. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: `If he had said in sha Allaah, he would
not have broken his oath and he would have had
more hope of fulfilling his wish.'" (Narrated by
Muslim, 1654). According to another report
narrated by Muslim, he said ninety women.
According to a mu'allaq report narrated by
al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh, in the Chapter
on seeking a son for jihad (Man talaba
al-walad li'l-Jihaad), he said ninety-nine
women.
Perhaps the one who said one hundred was
rounding up the figure, and the one who said
ninety was rounding it down, as was suggested by
al-Haafiz ibn Hajar in his commentary on this
hadeeth.
But al-Haafiz ibn Hajar narrated in his story
of Sulaymaan (peace be upon him) in
al-Bidaayah wa'l-Nihaayah, vol. 2, from
many of the salaf, that the number of
Sulaymaan's wives was one thousand. Al-Haafiz
ibn Hajar said likewise in Fath al-Baari,
in his commentary on hadeeth no. 3424.
This number was narrated from the Children of
Israel [i.e., the Jews], so we neither believe
it nor disbelieve it. There is nothing in the
ahaadeeth quoted above to either prove or
disprove that.
With regard to the reason for that, Allaah
gives to those whom He wills among His slaves
whatever He wills of worldly power and
enjoyment. This is according to His great wisdom
and grace. He is not to be questioned about what
He does, may He be glorified and praised. He
gave to Sulaymaan exclusively great power which
He did not give to anyone after him. So it is
not far-fetched to suggest that He also gave him
this great strength which enabled him to marry
this number of women. It should not cross the
mind of any Muslim that this matter implies any
form of belittlement towards this Prophet,
rather it is a reflection of his perfect power,
virtue and manhood, and thus he hoped that
Allaah would bless him, in a single night, with
one hundred sons, all of whom would go out as
knights, fighting for the sake of Allaah. But
first and last we must believe that Allaah
creates whatever He wills and chooses, and none
can overturn His ruling or ward off His decree.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
22248: The Prophet of Allaah
Yahyaa
Question:
Could you give us some information about the
Prophet of Allaah Yahyaa (peace be upon him)?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Shaykh al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said:
"(It was said to his son): `O Yahyaa (John)!
Hold fast the Scripture [the Tawraat (Torah)]'"
[Maryam 19:12 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
This means, `Hold fast the Tawraat', i.e., by
taking it seriously and striving. That is to
done by fist understanding the texts correctly,
then acting upon them in all aspects, believing
in its tenets, regarding as permissible that
which it permitted and regarding as forbidden
that which it forbade, adhering to its
etiquette, learning lessons from its stories,
and adhering to it in all other ways. Most of
the mufassireen say that what is meant here by
al-kitaab (the Scripture) is the Tawraat
(Torah).
"And We gave him wisdom while yet a child"
[Maryam 19:12 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
The scholars have a number of opinions as to
what is meant by wisdom, all of which are close
in meaning and refer to one thing, which is that
Allaah gave him understanding of the Scripture,
so that he understood it and acted upon it
whilst he was still a child.
"And (made him) sympathetic to men"
[Maryam 19:13 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
This is mentioned in conjunction with wisdom,
i.e., We gave him sympathy (or compassion) from
Us. Hanaan (sympathy, compassion) means
the mercy, compassion and empathy that was
instilled in him. The word hanaan is
widely used among the Arabs to refer to mercy
and compassion, for example, they say,
"Hanaanak wa hanaaneeka yaa Rabb",
meaning, I ask for Your mercy O Lord.
"and pure from sins"
[Maryam 19:13 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
This is mentioned in conjunction with the
above, and means, `We gave him purity' i.e., he
was free from sin and disobedience because he
obeyed Allaah and drew close to Him by means of
that which pleases Him.
"and he was righteous"
[Maryam 19:13 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
This means, he obeyed the commands of his
Lord and avoided that which He forbade. So he
never committed any sin and was never blamed for
any such action.
"And dutiful towards his parents"
[Maryam 19:14 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
The word barr (dutiful) refers to one
who does acts of kindness, i.e., We made him
honour his parents a great deal, i.e., he was
very kind towards them and treated them in a
gentle manner.
"and he was neither arrogant nor
disobedient"
[Maryam 19:14 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
This means that he was not too arrogant to
obey Allaah or to obey his parents. Rather he
was obedient towards Allaah and humble towards
his parents. This is the view of Ibn Jareer.
Jabbaar (arrogant) means one who is very
oppressive towards people and mistreats them.
Everyone who is arrogant towards people and does
them wrong is described as jabbaar.
"And Salaam (peace) be on him the day he
was born, and the day he dies, and the day he
will be raised up to life (again)!"
[Maryam 19:15 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
Ibn Jareer said: "Salaam (peace) be upon
him means", may he be safe and secure. The
apparent meaning is that "And Salaam (peace)
be on him the day he was born" is a greeting
from Allaah to Yahyaa, and the meaning is safety
and security.
In Soorat Aal `Imraan Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"… noble, keeping away from sexual
relations with women, a Prophet, from among the
righteous"[Aal `Imraan 3:39]
The word sayyid (translated here as
"noble") means one who is obeyed and
followed by a large number of people.
The word husoor (translated here as
"keeping away from sexual relations with
women") means that he kept himself away from
women even though he was able to have relations
with them, as an act of devotion to Allaah. That
was permissible according to his law, but the
Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) is to marry, not to remain
celibate…
In the phrase "a Prophet, from among the
righteous", the word Nabi (Prophet) is
derived from the word naba', meaning
important news, because the Revelation is
important news from Allaah. The righteous are
those whose belief, actions, words and
intentions are correct. Righteousness is the
opposite of immorality or corruption. Allaah
described Yahyaa as righteous and He described
the Prophets in a similar manner in Soorat
al-An'aam, where He says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"And Zakariyya (Zachariya), and Yahya
(John) and `Eesa (Jesus) and Ilyaas (Elias),
each one of them was of the righteous"
[al-An'aam 6:85]
Adapted from Adwaa' al-Bayaan, 4/245-252.
(www.islam-qa.com)
21817: The people of the
Cave are the people of the Inscription
Question:
Were the people of the Cave the people of the
Inscription, or were these two different groups
of people?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Shaykh al-Shanqeeti said, commenting on the
aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"Do you think that the people of the Cave
and the Inscription (the news or the names of
the people of the Cave) were a wonder among Our
Signs?" [al-Kahf 18:9]
The apparent meaning is that the People of
the Cave and of the Inscription were all one
group, mentioned in conjunction with two things.
This is in contrast to those who say that the
people of the Cave were one group and the people
of the Inscription were another group. Allaah
told this story to His Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon them) in this
soorah, and He did not mention anything about
the people of the Inscription. This is unlike
those who claim that the people of the Cave were
three persons behind whom the rock fell and
blocked the entrance of the cave in which they
were, so they prayed to Allaah by virtue of
their righteous deeds; they were one who
honoured his parents, one who was chaste, and
one who was a hired labourer. Their story is
well known and is proven in al-Saheeh,
but interpreting this aayah as meaning that
these were the people referred to therein is
far-fetched as you can see. It should be noted
there is nothing about the story of the people
of the cave, their names and which part of the
earth they were in that has been narrated in any
sound report from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), in addition to
what is mentioned in the Qur'aan. The
Mufassireen quoted many of those details from
the Israa'eeliyyaat (reports from Jewish
sources) which we will not quote here because
they cannot be relied upon.
Adwaa' al-Bayaan, 4/22. (www.islam-qa.com)
14007: Our attitude towards
Yazeed ibn Mu'aawiyah
Question:
I heard of this person Yazeed Ibn Muawiyah. I
heard that he once a calipha of the muslims and
he was a drunken sadistic person, who was not
really a muslim. Is this true? Please tell me
his story. Thank you and may allah bless you.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
His name was Yazeed ibn Mu'aawiyah ibn Abi
Sufyaan ibn Harb ibn Umayaah al-Umawi
al-Dimashqi.
Al-Dhahabi said: he was the commander of that
army during the campaign against Constantinople,
among which were people such as Abu Ayyoob
al-Ansaari. Yazeed was appointed by his father
as his heir, so he took power after his father
died in Rajab 60 AH at the age of thirty-three,
but his reign lasted for less than four years.
Yazeed is one of those whom we neither curse
nor love. There are others like him among the
khaleefahs of the two states (Umawi/Umayyad and
`Abbaasi/Abbasid) and the governors of various
regions, indeed there were some among them who
were worse than him. But the issue in the case
of Yazeed is that he was came to power
forty-nine years after the death of the Prophet
SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him); it was still close to the time of the
Prophet and some of the Sahaabah were still
alive such as Ibn `Umar who was more entitled to
the position than him or his father or his
grandfather.
His reign began with the killing of the
martyr al-Husayn and it ended with the battle of
al-Harrah, so the people hated him and he was
not blessed with a long life. There were many
revolts against him after al-Husayn, such as the
people of Madeenah who revolted for the sake of
Allaah, and Ibn al-Zubayr.
(Siyar A'laam al-Nubalaa', part 4, p.
38)
Shaykh al-Islam described people's attitudes
towards Yazeed ibn Mu'aawiyah, and said:
The people differed concerning Yazeed ibn
Mu'aawiyah ibn Abi Sufyaan, splitting into three
groups, two extreme and one moderate.
One of the two extremes said that he was a
kaafir and a munaafiq, that he strove to kill
the grandson of the Prophet SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) to spite the
Messenger of Allaah and to take revenge on him,
and to avenge his grandfather `Utbah, his
grandfather's brother Shaybah and his maternal
uncle al-Waleed ibn `Utbah and others who were
killed by the companions of the Prophet SAWS
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), by
`Ali ibn Abi Taalib and others on the day of
Badr and in other battles _ and things of that
nature. To have such a view is easy for the
Raafidis who regard Abu Bakr, `Umar and `Uthmaan
as kaafirs, so it is much easier for them to
regard Yazeed as a kaafir.
The second extreme group think that he was a
righteous man and a just leader, that he was one
of the Sahaabah who were born during the time of
the Prophet and were carried and blessed by him.
Some of them give him a higher status than Abu
Bakr and `Umar, and some of them regard him as a
prophet. Both views are obviously false to one
who has the least common sense and who has any
knowledge of the lives and times of the earliest
Muslims. This view is not attributable to any of
the scholars who are known for following the
Sunnah or to any intelligent person who has
reason and experience.
The third view is that he was one of the
kings of the Muslims, who did good deeds and bad
deeds. He was not born until the caliphate of
`Uthmaan. He was not a kaafir but it was because
of him that the killing of al-Husayn happened,
and he did what he did to the people of
al-Harrah. He was not a Sahaabi, nor was he one
of the righteous friends of Allaah. This is the
view of most of the people of reason and
knowledge and of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah.
Then they divided into three groups, one
which cursed him, one which loved him and one
which neither cursed him nor loved him. This is
what was reported from Imaam Ahmad, and this is
the view of the fair-minded among his companions
and others among the Muslims. Saalih ibn Ahmad
said: I said to my father, some people say that
they love Yazeed. He said, O my son, does anyone
love Yazeed who believes in Allaah and the Last
Day? I said, O my father, why do you not curse
him? He said, O my son, when did you ever see
your father curse anybody?
Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi said, when he was
asked about Yazeed: according to what I have
heard he is neither to be cursed nor to be
loved. He said, I also heard that our
grandfather Abu `Abd-Allaah ibn Taymiyah was
asked about Yazeed and he said: we do not deny
his good qualities or exaggerate about them.
This is the fairest opinion.
Majmoo' Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam, part
4, p. 481-484
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
21101: The name of the wife
of Ayyoob (peace be upon him)
Question:
What is the name of the wife of Ayyoob (peace
be upon him)?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The historians and some of the mufassireen
have stated that her name was Rahmah bint Meesha
ibn Yoosuf ibn Ya'qoob.
But this is something which is not proven in
any clear sound text, rather it was transmitted
from the books of the People of the Book, or by
some Muslims from them. We shall list those who
were of this view and transmitted it:
1 _ Al-Suyooti said: Ibn `Asaakir narrated
that Wahb ibn Munabbih (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: "The wife of Ayyoob (peace be
upon him) was Rahmah (may Allaah be pleased with
her) bint Meeshaa ibn Yoosuf ibn Ya'qoob ibn
Ishaaq ibn Ibraaheem (peace be upon them).
(al-Durr al-Manthoor, 7/197. Also in
Tafseer al-Baydaawi, 3/310;
Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 9/265;
Tafseer al-Baghawi, 2/451)
2 _ Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said:
But these Israa'eeli (i.e., Jewish) reports
to be mentioned for the purpose of proving a
point, they are not to be believed. They are of
three types:
(i) Those which we know are sound because of
evidence which we have which proves them to be
true. These are saheeh.
(ii) Those which we know are false because of
evidence which we have which contradicts them.
(iii) Those which we do not know whether they
are true or false. So we do not believe in them
and we do not disbelieve in them, but it is
permissible to narrate them for the reasons
given above.
Most of them are things which serve no
religious purpose, hence the scholars of the
People of the Book differ greatly concerning
such things. The mufassireen also differed
concerning them as a result of that, as they
mentioned, for example, the names of the People
of the Cave, the colour of their dog and their
number, or what kind of tree the staff of Moosa
came from, and other matters which Allaah did
not mention in detail in the Qur'aan because
knowing the specific details does not serve any
worldly or religious purpose.
(Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 13/366-367).
Al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said:
What the mufassireen have said concerning the
name of their dog _ some said that its name was
Qitmeer, and some said that its name was
Hamdaan, etc. _ we need not dwell on at length,
because it serves no purpose. There are many
things in the Qur'aan which neither Allaah nor
His Messenger has explained to us in detail, and
there are no proven reports concerning them;
there is no benefit to be gained by researching
such matters.
(Adwaa' al-Bayaan, 4/48)
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
10358: No-one who was alive
in 10 AH lived for more than one hundred years
Question:
Could you please explain this hadith:
Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar (RA): Once the
Prophet led us in the `Isha' prayer during the
last days of his life and after finishing it
(the prayer) (with Taslim) he said: "Do you
realize (the importance of) this night?" Nobody
present on the surface of the earth tonight will
be living after the completion of one hundred
years from this night." — Sahih Bukhari (1.116)
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The meaning of the hadeeth is clear and
apparent, and was borne out by real events. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was stating that none of the people who
were alive at that time would live for more than
a hundred years, and this is what in fact
happened. The last of the Sahaabah to die passed
away in 110 AH, i.e., he died one hundred years
after the Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) died. His name was
Abu'l-Tufayl ibn Waathilah.
Shaykh Sa'd al-Humayd
This hadeeth was narrated by Imaam
al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) in
his Saheeh, from `Abd-Allaah ibn `Umar,
who said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) led us in praying `Ishaa
towards the end of his life. When he had said
the salaam, he stood up and said: `Do you
see this night of yours? One hundred years from
now, there will not be anyone left of those who
are on the face of the earth.'"
There follow some comments made by Ibn Hajar
(may Allaah have mercy on him) on this hadeeth:
"Led us in prayer" means as an imaam.
"Towards the end of his life". A
corroborating report narrated by Jaabir states
that this was one month before he (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) died.
"Do you see" means, "Think about (this
night)."
"One hundred years from now" means, when one
hundred years have passed.
"There will not be anyone left of those who
are on the face of the earth" means, anyone who
was alive at that time.
Ibn Battaal said: What the Messenger (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) meant was
that during this time-span their generation
would pass away. He was pointing out to them how
short their lives were and that their lives were
not like those of the nations who came before
them, so that they would strive hard in worship.
Al-Nawawi said: What is meant is that
everyone who was on the face of the earth on
that night would not live for more than one
hundred years after that night, whether he was
young on that occasion or not. It does not mean
that anyone who was born after that night would
not live for a hundred years. And Allaah knows
best.
This hadeeth is one of the signs of the
Prophethood of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). He was speaking of
future events which came to pass as he described
them. The trustworthy scholars use this as
evidence in refuting some of the Sufis who say
that al-Khidr is still alive until now.
Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih
Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
12222: Did the Arabs know
about Allaah before the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sent?
Question:
We know that Holy Prophet's()father name was
Abdullah & he had passed away before
Prophet's birth.With this background please tell
that what was the concept in arabs about
"ALLAH"before prophet.Were they familiar to this
word before prophet's birth?How did they
differentiate Allah from idols,if at all they
did?
Answer:
You should note that Arabian societies before
Islam were not atheistic societies that denied
the existence of Allaah, or societies that were
unaware that there is a Lord, Creator and
Provider. They knew that, and they still
retained some traces of the religion of
Ibraaheem, and they had contact with Jews and
Christians. But their problem was that they did
not worship Allaah Alone in exclusion to others;
they had other gods whom they associated in
worship with Him, and which they worshipped not
on the basis that they were the Lord, the
Creator the Provider, but because they claimed
that these were intermediaries who would
intercede between them and Allaah and bring them
closer to Allaah. Hence Allaah said concerning
them (interpretation of the meaning):
"And if you (O Muhammad) ask them: `Who
has created the heavens and the earth,' they
will certainly say: `Allaah'" [Luqmaan 31:25]
This indicates that they acknowledged that
Allaah is the Creator. Another aayah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And verily, if you ask them: `Who created
the heavens and the earth?' Surely, they will
say: `Allaah (has created them)'" [al-Zumar
39:38]
Many aayaat indicated that they believed in
the Unity of Lordship (Tawheed
al-Ruboobiyyah); their shirk was with
regard to divinity (uloohiyyah), as
Allaah says concerning them (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And those who take Awliyaa' (protectors,
helpers, lords, gods) besides Him (say): `We
worship them only that they may bring us near to
Allaah'" [al-Zumar 39:3]
i.e., they said, we only worship them so that
they may bring us closer to Allaah.
Shaykh Sa'd al-Humayd (www.islam-qa.com)
1437: Does the dove hold any
significance in Islam?
Question:
In the Christian religion, a dove is a symbol
not only for peace but also for the Holy
Spirit.In the Islamic religion, does the dove
hold any significance ?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
We put this question to Shaykh `Abd-Allaah
ibn Jibreen, may Allaah preserve him, who
answered as follows.
The dove does not have any particular meaning
in Islam. It is simply one of the birds that
Allaah has permitted us to eat, just like any
other permissible bird.
In Islam, the dove does not stand for peace
or for anything else. It is sufficient for us
Muslims for us to follow the commands of Allaah
to establish justice on earth.
Shaykh `Abd-Allaah ibn Jibreen
(www.islam-qa.com)
8301: Who was Ibn Sayyaad?
Was he the false messiah (al-maseeh al-dajjaal)?
Question:
I have read in some ahaadeeth about a strange
person who appeared at the time of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). His
name was Ibn Sayyaad or Ibn Saa'id. Who was this
man and what was he?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Ibn Sayyaad's name was Saafi, or `Abd-Allaah,
ibn (the son of) Sayyaad or Saa'id.
He was one of the Jews of Madeenah, and it
was said that he was one of the Ansaar. He was a
child at the time when the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to
Madeenah. It was also said that he became
Muslim.
Ibn Sayyaad was a dajjaal (a liar), and he
used to tell fortunes, sometimes what he said
came true, and sometimes it did not. He became
famous among the people, and it was rumoured
that he was the Dajjaal. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) wanted to find
out about him, so he used to go to him secretly,
without revealing his identity to him, hoping to
hear something from him. He also asked him some
questions directly, to find out what he really
was. He outlived the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), then he was
lost on the day of al-Harrah. [comment deleted]
The story of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and Ibn Sayyaad
`Abdaan told us, `Abd-Allaah informed us,
from Yoonus from al-Zuhri, who said, Saalim ibn
`Abd-Allaah informed me that Ibn `Umar (may
Allaah be pleased with him) informed him that
`Umar set out with the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) to look for Ibn
Sayyaad, and they found him playing with some
boys near the battlement of Banu Maghaalah. At
that time Ibn Sayyaad was on the threshhold of
adolescence. He did not notice anything until
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) struck him on the back with
his hand. Then he said to Ibn Sayyaad, "Do you
bear witness that I am the Messenger of Allaah?"
Ibn Sayyaad looked at him and said, "I bear
witness that you are the Messenger of the
unlettered." Ibn Sayyaad said to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), "Do
you bear witness that I am the messenger of
Allaah?" He ignored that and said, "I believe in
Allaah and His Messengers." Then he asked him,
"What do you see?" Ibn Sayyaad said,
"(Sometimes) a truthful one comes to me and
(sometimes) a liar comes." The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "You
have been confounded." Then the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to
him, "I am concealing something from you." Ibn
Sayyaad said, "It is al-dukh." [Referring to
Soorat al-Dukhaan]. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him,
"Be off with you! You will never go beyond your
rank." `Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said, "Permit me to strike his neck (kill him),
O Messenger of Allaah." The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "If he is
he (the Dajjaal), then you will not be able to
overpower him, and if he is not (the Dajjaal),
then your killing him will not do any good."
Saalim said, I heard Ibn `Umar (may Allaah be
pleased with him) say: After that the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and Ubayy ibn Ka'b set off to go to some
date-palm trees where Ibn Sayyaad was. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) concealed himself in order to hear
something from Ibn Sayyaad before Ibn Sayyaad
saw him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) saw him lying on his bed
with a blanket around him from which was coming
a murmuring sound. The mother of Ibn Sayyaad saw
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) hiding behind the trunk of
the palm-tree and said, "O Saaf!" _ which was
his name _ "Here is Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him)!" Then Ibn
Sayyaad jumped up and the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "If she
had left him alone, things would have been made
clear." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1355).
"Battlement" refers to a structure like a
fortress.
Maghaalah was a tribe of the Ansaar.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) wanted to talk to Ibn Sayyaad without
him realizing who he was.
"from which was coming a murmuring sound"
means, a low voice, or moving the lips as in
speech, or speaking in an indistinct manner.
See Fath al-Baari for the commentary
on the above hadeeth in Kitaab
al-Janaa'iz of Saheeh al-Bukhaari.
· Was Ibn Sayyaad the great Dajjaal?
The hadeeth quoted above _ which describes
some of the features of Ibn Saayaad and how the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) examined him _ indicates that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did
not pass judgement on the matter of Ibn Sayyaad,
because it was not revealed to him (by
Wahy) whether he was the Dajjaal or not.
Many of the Sahaabah thought that Ibn Sayyaad
was the Dajjaal. `Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may
Allaah be pleased with him) swore that he was
the Dajjaal in the presence of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
the Sahaabah, and the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not
disapprove of that. Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir
said, "I saw Jaabir ibn `Abd-Allaah swear by
Allaah that Ibn al-Saa'id was the Dajjaal. I
said, `Do you swear by Allaah?' He said, `I
heard `Umar ibn al-Khattaab swear to that effect
in the presence of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) did not disapprove of that.'" (Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 6808).
Ibn `Umar told a strange story about Ibn
Sayyaad which was narrated in Saheeh
Muslim from Naafi', who said: Ibn `Umar met
Ibn Sayyaad on one of the paths of Madeenah, and
said to him something which made him so angry
that he swelled up and filled the road. Ibn
`Umar went to Hafsah and told her about this.
She said, "May Allaah have mercy upon you! Why
did you upset Ibn Sayyaad? Don't you know that
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said that he (the Dajjaal)
will emerge when something makes him very
angry?" (Saheeh Muslim, 2932)
In spite of that, when Ibn Sayyaad grew up,
he tried to defend himself and said that he was
not the Dajjaal; he was apparently upset by this
accusation, and he quoted as evidence the fact
that the attributes of the Dajjaal described by
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) did not apply to him.
Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri said: "We went out for
Hajj or `Umrah, and Ibn Saa'id was with us. We
stopped at a place to camp, and the people
separated and I was left with him (Ibn Saa'id).
I felt very nervous and afraid of him, because
of what had been said about him. He brought his
luggage and put it with mine. I said, `It is
very hot _ why don't you put your things under
that tree?' So he did that. Then some sheep
appeared before us, and he went and brought a
large vessel (of milk) and said, `Drink, O Abu
Sa'eed.' I said, `It is too hot, and the milk is
hot.' In fact (the only thing wrong was) that I
did not want to drink from his hand, or take
anything from his hand. He said, `Abu Sa'eed, I
have been thinking that I should take a rope and
suspend it from a tree, and hang myself, because
of what people are saying about me. O Abu
Sa'eed, does anyone know more about hadeeth than
you Ansaar? Are you not one of the most
knowledgeable of people about the hadeeth of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him)? Didn't the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) say that the Dajjaal is a kaafir, and I am
a Muslim? Didn't the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say that he
would be sterile, with no children, and I have
left my child behind in Madeenah? Didn't the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) say that he will never enter
Madeenah or Makkah, but I have left Madeenah and
am headed for Makkah?' … I was about to accept
his excuses, then he said, `But, by Allaah, I
know who the Dajjaal is, where he was born and
where he is now.' I said to him, `May you perish
for the rest of the day!'" (Narrated by Muslim,
no. 5211).
According to another report, Ibn Sayyaad
said: "By Allaah, I know where he is now and I
know his father and mother." It was said to him,
"Would you not be happy to be that man?" He
said, "If it were offered to me, I would not
refuse."
(Narrated by Muslim, 521)
The scholars were confused by the reports
about Ibn Sayyaad. Some scholars said that he
was the Dajjaal, and others said that he was
not. Both groups had evidence (daleel) for what
they said, and their views conflicted a great
deal. Ibn Hajar tried to reconcile the two views
by saying: the best way in which we may
reconcile what is said in the hadeeth of Tameem
al-Daari and the view that Ibn Sayyaad was the
Dajjaal is to say that the Dajjaal is the exact
same person whom Tameem al-Daari saw chained up,
and that Ibn Sayyaad was a shaytaan (a devil)
who appeared in the image of the Dajjaal at that
time, until he went to Isfahaan, where he hid
with his qareen, until the appointed time
comes when Allaah will decree that he should
emerge. Because the matter is so confusing,
al-Bukhaari, instead of attempting a
reconciliation, narrated the hadeeth of Jaabir
from `Umar, believing it to be more saheeh, and
did not narrate the hadeeth of Faatimah bint
Qays about the story of Tameem. (Fath
al-Baari, 13/328)
It was said that Ibn Sayyaad was one of the
dajjaals or liars, but he was not the greater
Dajjaal. And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
5441: Was Islam spread by
the sword?
Question:
Some enemies of the religion claim that Islam
was spread by the sword. What is your response
to that?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Islam was spread by proof and evidence, in
the case of those who listened to the message
and responded to it. And it was spread by
strength and the sword in the case of those who
stubbornly resisted, until they had no choice
and had to submit to the new reality.
And Allaah is the source of strength. May
Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family
and companions, and grant them peace.
Fataawaa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 12/14
(www.islam-qa.com)
5965: Who was `Umar
al-Khayyaam?
Question:
Who was `Umar al-Khayyaam and what was his
belief (`aqeedah)? I hope you canm give me an
idea about him.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
His full name was Abu'l-Fath, `Umar ibn
Ibraaheem al-Khayyaami al-Naysapoori. He was a
poet and philosopher from among the people of
Naysapoor, where he was born and died.
He was born in 408 AH, in the town of
Naysapoor, where he died and was buried in 517
AH, or it was said, 515 AH.
He was a scholar who was well versed in
mathematics, astronomy, language, fiqh and
history.
Because of his brilliance as an astronomer,
he was appointed as director of the observatory
in Baghdaad, and because of his interest in
philosophy, his name is associated with that of
Ibn Seenaa (Avicenna), who wrote articles filled
with kufr which put him beyond the pale of
Islam.
He is also famous for his poetry, the best
known of which is al-Rubaa'iyaat, which
is filled with ideas of kufr, promiscuity and
heresy. No wonder the West took such an interest
in publishing and distributing this book! It has
been translated into many languages, such as
English, French, Russian, German, etc. The
British sought to spread the ideas of immorality
and promiscuity advocated by al-Khayyaam in
al-Rubaa'iyaat, so they spread it in the
countries which they colonized, such as India
and Iran, and attributed it to one of the
Muslims, rather one of the greatest of them _ or
so they claimed.
One of the verses about wine _ in
al-Rubaa'iyaat _ says:
Drink wine, for it is the relaxation of the
soul
A cure for the soul and heart, and
entertainment.
If you are overwhelmed with stress and grief,
Save yourself through it, for it is like the
ship of Nooh.
Denying the idea of resurrection after death,
he said:
Get up before death seizes you
And take the rose-coloured (liquid) [i.e.,
wine] to expel darkness
O fool, you are not a piece of gold
To be buried and later brought forth
His words of promiscuity and immorality
include the following:
As much as you can, follow the people of
immorality
Destroy the structure of fasting and prayer
Receive the best words from al-Khayyaam
Drink, sing and pursue the good things
His mocking of the sharee'ah, his insolence
towards his Lord and his attitude towards
repentance may be seen in the following words:
Every day I have the intention to repent
If night falls and I feel that I want to
repent from drinking wine
Then the season of flowers comes and then,
O Lord, I repent from my intention to repent
Some researchers, such as al-Zarkali, said
that later he repented and performed Hajj.
Others, such as `Abd al-Haqq Faadil, expressed
doubts about the attribution of
al-Rubaa'iyaat to him.
Whatever the case, the Rubaa'iyaat do
not indicate that he repented, because they
contain clear statements of kufr, wilful neglect
of virtuous attributes and rejection of the idea
of repenting and turning to Allaah. Indeed, they
contain no indication that their author believed
in Allaah and the Last Day.
The doubts about whether he wrote these words
are outweighed by number of people who
attributed them to him. Allaah knows best what
is really the case.
For more details on his life, see
al-A'laam by al-Zarkali, 5/38; Mu'jam
al-Mu'aalifeen by `Umar Ridaa Kahhaalah,
2/549; `Umar al-Khayyaam bayna al-Kufr
wa'l-Eemaan, by Ihsaan Haqqi; Thawrat
al-Khayyaam by `Abd al-Haqq Faadil. May
Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.
Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih
Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
3000: Is the Rock in Bayt
al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) suspended in the air?
Question:
They told us that the sacred rock from which
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) started his ascent into heaven on the
night of the Mi'raaj is suspended in the air by
the power of Allaah. Please tell us if this is
correct, may Allaah reward you.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Everything is standing in its position by the
permission of Allaah, whether it be the heavens
and all that is in them or the earth and all
that is on it _ even the rock which you asked
about. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meanings):
"Verily, Allaah grasps the heavens and the
earth lest they move away from their places, and
if they were to move away from their places,
there is not one that could grasp them after
Him…" [Faatir 35:41]
"And among His Signs is that the heaven
and the earth stand by His Command…" [al-Room
30:25]
The Rock in Bayt al-Maqdis is not suspended
in space with air around it on all sides; it is
attached to the side of the mountain of which it
is a part and by which it is supported; both it
and the mountain stand in their positions
because of the well-known physical laws
governing the universe; in this regard it is
like everything else that exists. We do not deny
that Allaah is Able to hold part of His creation
in space; all of creation is standing in space
by the power of Allaah, as stated above. Allaah
raised the mountain above the people of Moosa
when they refused to follow the laws that Moosa
brought them. It was held up by the power of
Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"And (remember) when We took your Covenant
and We raised above you the Mount (saying):
`Hold fast to that which We have given you, and
remember that which is therein so that you may
become al-muttaqoon (the pious)." [al-Baqarah
2:63]
"And (remember) when We raised the
mountain over them as if it had been a canopy,
and they thought that it was going to fall on
them. (We said): `Hold firmly to what We have
given you, and remember that which is therein,
so that you may fear Allaah and obey Him."
[al-A'raaf 7:171]
But our point here is to explain what is in
fact the case: the rock in Jerusalem is not
suspended in space, completely separate from the
mountain; it is attached to it and is supported
by it. And Allaah knows best.
Fataawa Islamiyyah li'l-Lajnah al-Daa'imah,
485. (www.islam-qa.com)
1528: Taking the crescent as
a symbol
Question:
What is the symbolism behind the Muslim star
and crescent? I did a keyword search of your
site and searched my library's reference books
and cannot find anything more than a reference
to the flag of the Ottoman Empire. Thank you for
your interest.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
There is no basis in sharee'ah for taking the
crescent or star as a symbol of the Muslims.
This was not known at the time of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or
at the time of the Khulafa' al-Raashidoon (the
first four leaders of Islam after the death of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), or during the time of the Umawis
(Umayyad dynasty). It emerged some time after
that, and historians differ as to when this
symbol was first adopted and who was the first
to adopt it. Some say it was the Persians,
others say it was the Greeks, and that this
symbol was somehow passed to the Muslims. (See
Al-Taraateeb al-Idaariyah by al-Kittaani,
1/320). It was said that the reason why the
Muslims adopted the crescent was that when they
conquered some western countries, the churches
there had crosses on top of them, the Muslims
replaced the crosses with these crescents, and
the practice spread in this way. Whatever the
case, symbols and banners must be in accordance
with the teachings of Islam, and as there is no
evidence that this symbol is prescribed by
Islam, it is better not to use it. Neither the
crescent nor the star are symbols of the
Muslims, even though some Muslims may use them
as symbols.
As regards what Muslims think about the moon
and the stars, they believe that they are part
of the creation of Allaah, and as such can
neither benefit nor harm people, and they do not
have any influence over events on earth. Allaah
has created them for the benefit of mankind, an
example of which is seen in the aayah or verse
of the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning):
"They ask you (O Muhammad) about the new
moons. Say: These are signs to mark fixed
periods of time for mankind and for the
pilgrimage…" [al-Baqarah 2:189]
[The commentator] Ibn Katheer said,
explaining the phrase Say: these are signs to
mark fixed periods of time: "From them (the
new moons) they may know the times for repaying
loans, the `iddah (waiting period) of
their women [after being divorced or widowed]
and the timing of their Hajj (pilgrimage)…
Allaah has made them signs to mark the times
when Muslims should start to fast and break
their fast [the beginning and end of Ramadaan],
to count the `iddah of their women and to
know the times for repaying loans." (Tafseer
Ibn Katheer).
[Another commentator] Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said in his commentary on
this aayah [verse]: "This explains the wisdom
behind the waxing and waning of the moon, which
is to avoid any confusion in appointed dates,
dealings, oaths, Hajj, `iddah, fasting,
breaking fasts, length of pregnancy, rentals and
other matters that concern mankind. Similar to
this aayah are others (interpretation of the
meanings):
`And We have appointed the night and the day
as two aayaat (signs). Then, We have made dark
the sign of the night while We have made the
sign of day illuminating, that you may seek
bounty from your Lord, and that you may know the
number of the years and the reckoning…"
[al-Isra' 17:12]
`It is He Who made the sun a shining thing
and the moon as a light and measured out its
(their) stages, that you might know the number
of years and the reckoning…' [Yoonus 10:5]
Counting the new moons is easier than
counting days." (See Tafseer al-Qurtubi).
With regard to the stars, the scholars of
Islam say that Allaah created these stars for
three reasons: to adorn the heavens, to drive
away the devils (shayaateen) and as signs
for navigation. (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Kitaab
Bad' al-Khalq), as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"It is He Who has set the stars for you, so
that you may guide your course with their help
through the darkness of the land and the sea…"
[al-An'aam 6:97]
"And indeed We have adorned the nearest
heaven with lamps, and We have made such lamps
(as) missiles to drive away the shayaateen
(devils), and have prepared for them the torment
of the blazing Fire." [al-Mulk 67:5]
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
1985: When did Islam start
Question:
When did Islam start, and how long was the
period between Jesus (upon whom be peace) and
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Islam began with the beginning of the
Prophet's mission, when Jibraa'eel (the
Archangel Gabriel) brought down the Revelation
from Allaah in Makkah (Mecca) in the Arabian
Peninsula. This occurred on a Monday in the
month of Ramadaan, in the fortieth year of the
Prophet Muhammad's (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) life, thirteen years before
his Hijrah (migration) to Madeenah (which marks
the beginning of the Islamic or Hijri calendar).
According to the Gregorian calendar, the
beginning of the Prophetic mission happened
around 608 or 609 CE. Salmaan al-Farsi, may
Allaah be pleased with him, one of the
Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) reported that between
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and Jesus (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), there were six hundred years.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
255: Intermarrying among
Adam and Eve's children
Question:
Asalam Alaikum?
I have no doubt whatsoever, but these kind a
things come to mind. Whem Adam and Eve bore
children, I assume their children got married
among themselves. Isn't marrying between
brothers and sisters haram in the Quran?
Can you recommend a good book(s) on Islamic
Law covering every and each aspect of Life?
Thank you very much for the generous work for
the sake of Allah.
Thanks.
Answer:
wa alaikum us-salaam wa-rahmat ullaahi
wa-barakaatuh
All Praise be to Allaah.
As long as you are confident in your heart
about your belief, no such insinuations will
hurt you (inshaa' Allaah). If a doubt strikes a
believer or something appears to him as a
conflict between different textual sources of
Shari'ah, he must believe that indeed for such
doubts there are true answers and for such
apparent conflicts there are solutions even if
he doesn't know it or is unable to find the
right answer himself. However, a person should
not collect all the doubts in his heart and
worry about the complexities and leave aside the
learning of useful knowledge. This is because it
is incumbent upon a Muslim to learn and know
things which have been clearly described
(Muhkamaat) in Shari'ah so that he may be able
to repel the doubts.
Regarding the question you have asked, it is
a known fact that legislation differs from one
Shari'ah to another, while the principles and
beliefs remain the same in all of them. So,
making of portraits was allowed in the Shari'ah
of Sulayman (peace be upon him) but is
prohibited in our Shari'ah. Similarly, making
prostration of salutation was permitted in the
Shari'ah of Yusuf (peace be upon him) but is
illegal in ours. Also, war booty was prohibited
for nations before us but it is completely legal
for us. The Qiblah of people before us used to
be towards Bayt Al-Maqdis, but for us it is
towards Ka'bah. In a similar way, marriage
between brothers and sisters was permitted in
the Shari'ah of Adam (peace be upon him) as
opposed to those that came afterwards. The
following is a clarification on the issue by
Haafidh Ibn Katheer, who said:
Allaah allowed Adam (peace be upon him) to
marry his daughters to his sons for necessity.
Every couple used to have a boy and a girl.
Hence, he married the girl of one couple to the
boy of another. This is said by Suddi regarding
what has been narrated by Abu Maalik and Abu
Salih, from Ibn `Abbas, by Murrah from Ibn
Mas`ood and by other companions of the Prophet
(peace be upon him) that Adam did not have (in
his grandchildren) a baby boy unless it was
accompanied by a girl, so he married the male of
a couple to the female of another, and the
female of a couple to the male of another.
Tafsir Ibn Katheer, Surat Al-Maa'idah, 5:27)
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