Tareek al-Hedayah: Episode 10
The Soul Leaving the Body
Translated by: Dar al-Tarjama – The English Convoy
The episode begins with the recitation of Surah Al-Qiyama and Surat Al-Takathor by Sheikh Abdullah Al-Saadi:
Surat Al-Qiyama:
1. I swear by the Day of Resurrection. 2. And I swear by the self-reproaching person (a believer). 3. Does man (a disbeliever) think that We shall not assemble his bones? 4. Yes, We are Able to put together in perfect order the tips of his fingers. 5. Nay! Man (denies Resurrection and Reckoning. So he) desires to continue committing sins. 6. He asks: “When will be this Day of Resurrection?” 7. So, when the sight shall be dazed. 8. And the moon will be eclipsed. 9. And the sun and moon will be joined together (by going one into the other or folded up or deprived of their light) 10. On that Day man will say: “Where (is the refuge) to flee?”11. No! There is no refuge! 12. Unto your Lord (Alone) will be the place of rest that Day.13. On that Day man will be informed of what he sent forward (of his evil good deeds), and what he left behind (of his good or evil traditions). 14. Nay! Man will be a witness against himself [as his body parts (skin, hands, legs, etc.) will speak about his deeds] 15. Though he may put forth his excuses (to cover his evil deeds). 16. Move not your tongue concerning (the Qur’an, O Muhammad) to make haste therewith. 17. It is for Us to collect it and to give you (O Muhammad) the ability to recite it (the Qur’an). 18. And when We have recited it to you [O Muhammad through Jibril (Gabriel)], then follow its (the Qur’an’s) recital.19. Then it is for Us (Allâh) to make it clear (to you). 20. Not [as you think, that you (mankind) will not be resurrected and recompensed for your deeds], but you (men) love the present life of this world 21. And neglect the Hereafter. 22. Some faces that Day shall be Nâdirah (shining and radiant). 23. Looking at their Lord (Allâh). 24. And some faces, that Day, will be Bâsirah (dark, gloomy, frowning, and sad), 25. Thinking that some calamity is about to fall on them. 26. Nay, when (the soul) reaches to the collar bone (i.e. up to the throat in its exit), 27. And it will be said: “Who can cure him (and save him from death)?” 28. And he (the dying person) will conclude that it was (the time) of parting (death); 29. And one leg will be joined with another leg (shrouded).[1]30. The drive will be, on that Day, to your Lord (Allâh)! 31. So he (the disbeliever) neither believed (in this Qur’an and in the Message of Muhammad) nor prayed! 32. But on the contrary, he belied (this Qur’an and the Message of Muhammad) and turned away! 33. Then he walked in conceit (full pride) to his family admiring himself! 34. Woe to you [O man (disbeliever)]! And then (again) woe to you! 35. Again, woe to you [O man (disbeliever)]! And then (again) woe to you! 36. Does man think that he will be left neglected (without being punished or rewarded for the obligatory duties enjoined by his Lord Allâh on him) 37. Was he not a Nutfah (mixed male and female sexual discharge) of semen emitted (poured forth)? 38. Then he became an ‘Alaqah (a clot); then (Allâh) shaped and fashioned (him) in due proportion. 39. And made of him two sexes, male and female. 40. Is not He (Allâh Who does that) Able to give life to the dead? (Yes! He is Able to do all things).
Surat Al-Takathor:
1. The mutual rivalry (for piling up of worldly things) diverts you, 2. Until you visit the graves (i.e. till you die). 3. Nay! You shall come to know! 4. Again nay! You shall come to know! 5. Nay! If you knew with a sure knowledge (the end result of piling up, you would not have been occupied yourselves in worldly things). 6. Verily, You shall see the blazing Fire (Hell)! 7. And again, you shall see it with certainty of sight! 8. Then on that Day you shall be asked about the delights (you indulged in, in this world)!
In the previous episode, we had gone over some weak Hadith from Al-Albani series, and today we will stress what we mentioned in previous episodes regarding the difference between the soul (nafs) and how the soul leaves the body.
First of all, we’ve agreed that the nafs is used to refer to the soul, in the Holy Qur’an while the opposite is not true. “O (you) the one in (complete) rest and satisfaction!“(89:27) The best description of the term nafs is most probably the joining of the soul and the body; this meaning has been precisely stated in the following verse “Allah takes the souls when they die and when they are asleep.” (39:42) The nafs here means the soul, and there’s a temporary death of the soul during sleep. The Prophet (PBUH) taught us these facts through his supplication before sleeping “O Allah, if You take my soul bestow your Mercy upon it, and if You let it go, then protect it as You protect Your good servants”. The Prophet (PBUH) is sure that when he falls asleep, Allah takes his nafs or the soul in a temporary separation of the soul from the body. This issue hasn’t been explained fully in the Qur’anic exegesis.
The verse, “O (you) the one in (complete) rest and satisfaction!“ means that rest only applies to this situation. The nafs has many meanings in the Holy Qur’an (the reproachful self, the self that invites to evil, and the self that has achieved tranquility). Scholars have argued regarding the fact of whether the naf has separate states or is just one that changes with circumstances. I say that there isn’t a nafs that calls for evil existing alone, or a reproaching one alone, or even a nafs in complete rest alone; hence, if there was only a reproaching nafs, what would it blame itself for and for what mistake? Therefore, there must already be a nafs that invites to evil in order for blame to be applicable. The Prophet (PBUH) explained that human beings make mistakes and no one is infallible except the Prophet. We must be careful of generalization because it’s a very serious matter. The nafs that calls for evil tempts a human, consequently, he makes mistakes; therefore, believers must strive to return to Allah immediately and never wait, as Allah says, “And the return in repentance is to Allah.” (4:17) The nafs that call for evil is the same as the reproaching nafs in this life? “I do not absolve myself.” (12:39) We have mentioned in earlier episodes that we must differentiate between the sin caused by the Devil and that caused by the nafs. The nafs insists on a certain sin, but the Devil misguides man in all possible ways, because he wishes that man disobeys Allah in every possible way (theft, adultery, back biting, lying…). The nafs, if left alone, generally invites to evil; thus, when it makes a mistake, the reproaching nafs intrudes. If it blames man frequently, it’s called the reproaching nafs because it blames continuously, troubles its owner and never leaves him. Omar Ibn Al-Khattab says a famous word about this nafs, “hold yourselves responsible for your actions before Allah holds you responsible, and weigh your deeds before Allah weighs them, for today we do our deeds which will not be judged by Allah, and on Judgment Day, Allah will judge us, and there will not be a chance of doing other deeds.
Question: Allah says in the Holy Qur’an, “ Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’an) and surely, We will guard it. (from corruption)“ (15:9) Why was the Qur’an the only preserved Holy book? And why was the reference to the Judgment Day in the Qur’an in the past tense when the Prophet (PBUH) said that one of his companions went to Heaven? Why don’t some people feel awe when they’re praying and why don’t they understand the Qur’an when they read it?
Answer: Allah the Almighty has tested all mankind starting with Adam (AS) and until Judgment Day. The moment holy books were sent down, people started distorting and making up things in them, but why didn’t Allah preserve these books? So that these people will have no excuse after the Qur’an was sent down and preserved. Hence, the Torah (Old Testament) and the Injil (Gospel) were temporary books sent down to specific people in a specific time, and the test was whether they will preserve or distort them. Since they failed the test, Allah the Almighty wanted to send a final book to the remaining nation after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) until Judgment Day and He defended this book; thus, we’re still under a trial period, and Allah is still challenging us in this verse until Judgment Day. Therefore, can anybody attempt to distort it or make additions? I remember that during the 1970’s, an unintentional printing error was detected in the Qur’an and all books with this error, which had been distributed and sold, were retrieved.
This is Allah’s challenge, “And they said: O, you on whom this Dhikr (Qur’an) was sent down, you are a fool,”(15:6) The magnificence of these words lie in the fact that Allah didn’t let the disbelievers call the Prophet by his name, Muhammad (PBUH), and this is the miracle made in Qur’an. We have previously said that the Prophet (PBUH) was the one addressed the whole time in Qur’an, thus when the Prophet’s name (PBUH) was mentioned it was as a sort of description not as in address, because in Arabic a name is elevated if it stands alone, that is, if we say X the son of X, it is as if we’re talking about an anonymous person. Were he known, we would mention his name directly. Therefore, abstract names hold the highest level in description.
Muhammad identifies the master of all mankind, and this is what Allah the Almighty teaches us, “And Muhammad was not the father of any of your men” “Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah” “Muhammad is only is the Messenger of Allah” (33:40). Here, Allah didn’t say “your Prophet” or “your Messenger”, instead, he mentioned him by name; hence, the more we abstract names in description, the more we elevate them. As for addressing people, when we want address people with respect, we add “ya”(O’), hence, the verse doesn’t say, “Muhammad, We have not sent down the Qur’an unto you to cause you distress.” The Qur’an addresses him with “ya ayyouha” (O, you), and even the disbelievers addressed him in such a way “O, you on whom this Dhikr (Qur’an) was sent down.” Allah the Almighty replies by saying, “We only send down the Angels in Truth;” (15:8) Allah orders the Angels to descend, and when He says, “ Verily ,We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’an)” it means that no creature can approach this Qur’an in harm or for distortion.
Let us go back to the question of why was the Qur’an the only book preserved by Allah? Because it is the only book remaining which cannot to be entrusted to mankind, and must be preserved by Allah until Judgment day.
We have shown the difference between deen (Allah’s law) and diyana (message) earlier, and again we repeat that religion with Allah is Islam and no creature can question this issue, for the deen is Allah’s law since Adam’s (AS) time and until Judgment Day. Deen is the law that Allah stated for all mankind in this universe. This law is Islam itself, which is surrendering to Allah’s Will, and this must be the goal of every Muslim; thus, we must understand the difference between deen and diyana. Allah the Almighty says, “Truly, the religion with Allah is Islam”(3:19) from Adam’s time and until doomsday, “And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him.” (3:85) What is meant by Islam here is the law not the message. If we search the whole Qur’an, we will find the word deen, but we will find neither deens nor diyanat (plural of diyana: messages). Deen cannot be pluralized, and the Qur’an explains that by saying, “He has sent to you the deen (law) He had sent to Nuh (Noah).” (42:13) Allah here is addressing the nation with the singular word (deen); hence, we shouldn’t have different laws. Deen is the law that unites all messages, and all messengers call for one deen. Christianity and Judaism are both messages, which came to have one law, Islam. When Allah wanted to finalize all messages sent to people, He gave the last message the same name as the general law, hence Muhammad’s message was Islam and his law was Islam. We are Muslims in law (that is, the Islamic Shari’a) and in message (as Muhammad’s followers), and this is what differentiates Muslims from the followers of other messages.
Referring to the Day of Judgment in the past tense: In Arabic, time is divided into various periods unlike other languages. In our language, there’s the past and the present, which includes what’s taking place now and what will be in the future. The past tense has more than 17 periods, and Arabs use it to stress that a certain action occurred and convince listeners that it did. All Qudsi Hadith say (the man came on Judgment Day) for us to believe that this action did take place; hence, it considered that he, in fact, came. When Allah says, “The Event (the Hour or the punishment of disbelievers and polytheists or the Islâmic laws or commandments) ordained by Allâh has arrived, so seek not to hasten it.” (16:1) The word ‘arrived’ indicates that, the Hour has already come, so if you consider with complete faith that it’s coming, then do not rush it. The value of using the past to indicate the future expresses the Muslim’s certainty of its happening. (For further reading, please check the Arabic bayan (eloquence) page on this site).
Praying in awe and reflecting on the meanings of the Qur’an, A sister asked us why has she lost awe in prayers, and cannot reflect on the meanings of the Qur’an. I tell her to perform ablution well, as it is an introduction to prayer, and when she does, she will pray with awe and The Qur’an will have a great effect on her, whether she reads it or recites it while praying, Allah willing. As she reads alone, let her listen to herself reading Al-Fateha and the holy verses, and be prepared to listen to Allah’s reply and His intimate discourse with a believer during Al-Fateha, remembering Allah’s words, “Don’t they reflect upon the Qur’an.” (4:82) When we hear and read the Qur’an, there’s an interaction between the mouth and ears, and when the words of the Qur’an come out with sincerity, they will reach the ear with sincerity as well. The Prophet (PBUH) says, “Do not rush to prayer, but walk slowly. If you make it on time, then pray, and if you don’t, then complete your prayer.” One shouldn’t rush into prayer, because he or she will not take their time in reciting and praying, and this is against the reverence sought in prayer. A person’s method of seeking prayer affects his performance; therefore, my advice to the sister who asked this question and to Muslims in general, is to take time in ablution and then seek prayers with awe and contemplation.
Question: What does this verse about Prophet Yusuf (Joseph)(AS) and the king’s wife mean, “And indeed she did desire him, and he would have inclined to her desire, had he not seen the evidence of his Lord.“(12:24)
Answer: It is well known in exegesis books that this was a debatable issue. The Qur’an itself solved the issue through the same verse when Allah the almighty proved Prophet Yusuf (AS) innocent in the preceding and the following verses. The king’s wife also proved him innocent in front of the women and her husband when she said, “and I did seek to seduce him, but he refused” (12:32) “Now the truth is revealed”(12:51). If the woman had proven him innocent, how can we say that he wanted to commit adultery with her? If we look up the verb “inclined” in the dictionary we will see that it only has one meaning and one use; thus, we must read and understand the Qur’an according to the way Allah wishes us to understand it, not the way we wish. The meaning of the verse is clear, “And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him.” (12:23) , and as the Qur’an is the master of short story telling, this story has all the essential elements such as the scenario and the scenes that are envisioned by the reader. “We relate unto you the best of stories through Our Revelations unto you.” (12:3) In the same story the Qur’an also referred to the king’s wife action; she closed the door tightly and said, “Come on, O you!” so Yusuf (AS) said, “I seek refuge in Allâh (or Allâh forbid)!”(12:23), so does that mean that he inclined to her desire?!
Then he said, “He is my lord! He made my living in a great comfort!” (12:23) Scholars have differed in their interpretation of the word lord; some said it was the king and some said it was Allah, and this word holds both meanings here. Then Allah says, “Verily, the Zâlimûn (wrong and evil-doers) will never be successful. It’s as if this verse says that she desired him and he would have inclined to her had he not seen Allah’s evidence. The conditional ‘had’ solved the problem because it had prevented an action from taking place due to the presence of some reason (seeing Allah’s evidence). For example, we say I would have drunk the tea had not the pot been broken. Drinking was prevented due to the breaking of the pot. Prophet Yusuf (AS) was not inclined to her desire at all due to the evidence he had seen from Allah, and because of the words she herself stated, that she did seek to seduce him but he refused. Any other person would have responded to her, but Yusuf was one of Allah’s sincere servants, and he did not respond because of Allah’s evidence. In the preceding verse which we must understand according to Allah’s wishes. It’s a clear verse and the king’s wife herself says that the truth is revealed.
The word Lord must have more effect on us than the word Allah, in the sense that it should be inscribed in a Muslim’s heart. Allah also describes Himself in Surah Al-Fateha with the words Allah, The Most Merciful, the Lord of the worlds (both humans and jinn) are mentioned, such words ‘Allah, Lord’ must always be present in a believer’s heart because when he’s asked in the grave who his Lord is, he must say my Lord is Allah and this testimony must be in every believers heart. The first name in the Qur’an is Allah, and it’s the name that combines all qualities, starting with Al-Rahman (“The Merciful”), and this is an indication of the greatness of this Holy Book. If someone reads Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim (In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Kind) after declaring his Islam, he will have all the qualities that Allah had asked His servants to have. Surah Al-Fateha is equivalent to the whole Qur’an, “Whoever reads Al-Fateha has read the Qur’an.” The order of Surahs in the Qur’an is not according to the time of their revelation, and this is out the wisdom of Allah, so that people start with Al-Fateha then, Surah Al-Baqara that has all the orders, prohibitions, and legislations, and then, the shorter Surahs.
Al-Barra’ said, “we went with Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to a funeral of a man from Al-Ansar who wasn’t an atheist, so the Prophet (PBUH) was sitting and digging in the ground with a stick in his hand. We sat around him, as if we had birds perching on our heads (This is an expression in Arabic that means they were completely still), and he said, “Take refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave” (in another relation, he repeated the phrase two or three times). Then he said, “If man leaves this life and approaches the Hereafter being a believer, he beholds Angels with faces as bright as the sun, as far as the eye can see, coming to sit with him. Then, the Angel of Death comes and rests on his head saying, “O, soul in complete peace and satisfaction (in another relation, O, good soul) come out to receive forgiveness from your Lord. When the Angels ascend with the soul to the skies, the other Angels ask, What’s that nice scent? Al-Barra’ continues,” the Prophet says that the soul of a believer comes out as gently as a water drop that drips from the lips of drinkers, as for that of the disbeliever, Angels with black faces holding shovels made from the fires of Hell approach him and pull it out as violently as a hook is pulled out of wet wool.”
We learn many things from this hadith. First, the meaning of the word janaza (funeral), which is the coffin where the corpse is laid.
Second, Al-Barra’ says in this hadith, “As if we had birds perching on our heads,” meaning that since the companions were much attached to the Prophet (PBUH), they used to sit still, watching him and waiting for his words as if there were birds perching on their heads.
Third, it’s very important that we take refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave and remember death while we prepare ourselves by performing two rakaa (prostration in prayer), repentance, and shahadah (testimony of faith). We must hurry in repentance and asking for forgiveness, for today we do our deeds which will not be judged by Allah, and on Judgment Day, Allah will judge us and there won’t be a chance of doing other deeds.
Fourth, the believer’s soul comes out pouring as gently as a water drop, and a disbeliever’s soul shudders inside his body until the Angel of Death pulls it out violently.
Supplication:
There’s no god but Allah, by the number of creatures in the skies and earth, Thanks be to Allah through Whom His blessings relief is attained, O Allah, You are our relief when all doors are closed, You are our Hope when there is no release, and while we are separated from our families and beloved ones. Praise be to Him Who never forgets those who remember Him, Praise be to Him Who never disappoints those who supplicate to Him or those who depend on Him. O Allah, guard us with your eyes that never sleep, and always be on our side, have mercy on us with Your Power such that we never perish as long as You are our Hope. Many a time have You blessed us and we rarely thanked You, many a time have You tested us and we were rarely patient. O You Whom we rarely thanked in time of blessings, but was always generous and Whom we rarely were patient through His tests, but yet never let us down, Who has seen us sinning, but never disgraced us, O You Whom our eyes cannot see, and our minds can not perceive, and Who cannot be described or altered. You know the weights of the mountains and measures of the seas, the number of raindrops and leaves on trees, and the number of all creatures upon which night falls and day rises. He knows everything that the skies, the Earth, and the seas hold. Eyes may sleep, stars may scatter and You remain Alive and Self-Sufficient never forgetting nor sleeping. We think highly of You and are grateful toYou, for we are Your humble servants, and You are our Most Exalted Lord. Oh Allah take our hands and lead us out of hardships and misery, O Most Powerful, have mercy on us when our families wash us after death and enshroud us and carry our coffins upon their shoulders and burry us, make us firm through firm words in this life and the hereafter. O Allah, have mercy on our dead in their graves, have mercy on us when we’re asked by Munkar and Nakir (the Angels of the Grave), O Allah, have mercy on our dead and all Muslims dead, O Allah reward us kindly for our good deeds and forgive us for our bad deeds. O Allah, have mercy on us when we die ourselves, O Allah, have mercy on us when we’re weak and accept our repentance and forgive our sins, O You are Most Kind, Most High, bless our Prophet, his family and all his companions.
This episode was broadcasted on June 27, 2004.