Tareek al-Hedayah: Episode 11
Continuation of the talk about the soul leaving the body
Translated by: Dar al-Tarjama – The English Convoy
Episode Guests: Dr. Mohammad Hedayah and Sheikh Amr Attiya.
Dr. Hedayah started the episode by thanking Dr. Abdel-Sabour Shaheen for participating in the previous episode to discuss what was written in his book ‘My Father Adam’.
Dr. Hedayah praised the way Dr. Shahin demonstrated the idea, the explanation, the reception and the meditation. He also praised Dr. Shahin for setting an example we should all learn from, as he continued to contemplate his idea comparing it to the opinions of scholars from 1967 until 1998.
Dr. Hedayah will discuss that idea with Dr. Shahin when they meet next week, and then will express his own opinion about it in future episodes by Allah’s Permission.
It is worth mentioning though, that Dr.Shahin did not challenge any text, nor did he endeavor to bring any new explanation to a text or a matter already finalized by learned scholars. He only brought a new explanation to a certain subject, placing his opinion among other interpreters for research and discussion by people now and in the future. The subject he brought up does not concern the general public but the specialized person and some of the general public interested in such matters. Therefore we say that Dr. Shahin is not in an accused position in the first place, for he only endeavored to do his best, just like all the other scholars in our days, such as Dr. Ramadan Abdul-Tawwab and Abdulallah Shihata, we ask Allah to bestow mercy upon them, as they have enriched the Islamic library.
A good example of what was said is the interpretation of what Allah (SWT) said in this verse, “and We know what his own self whispers to him“. We find that many, or rather 90% of the interpreters explained the word ‘whisper’ as the “un heard” sound. We are not trying to undermine what those scholars said, but we believe that they had their say and the contemporary scholars should have their say too, for if they did not have their opinions, we would not have endeavored to bring a new explanation nor expressed our opinions.
As an expert in the Arabic language, I say that the expression ‘unheard sound’ has no basis of truth and there is no such thing as an unheard sound, because a sound is a sound and a light is a light, sound is an ear and light is an eye (you wouldn’t be able to know that there was a sound if you didn’t hear it.)
If the scholars meant ‘whispered words’ then that would have been linguistically accepted, because as we said there is no such thing as an unheard sound. Thus, we say that the whispering here means either the inner voice or the whispering of Satan, and it was called whispering because it was unheard. If we said that, it would not necessarily mean that we undermined the efforts of the previous scholars such as Al-Baydawy and others.
Therefore, there is no objection for us to do our best in explanations, just like the previous scholars did.
Dr.Shahin did his best, and I ask Allah (SWT) to help him being right, so he can be rewarded twice, once for his efforts and another for being right.
Now being right here does not mean reaching the truth, for no one can reach it, even if someone did, he would never know that he did. In my opinion, being sincere and doing one’s best in his work, is just as important as being right.
If there was to be only one interpretation and one opinion on the verses of the Holy Qur’an, the Prophet (PBUH) would have been the rightful person to give it, and He would have given us the one and only interpretation for the Holy Qur’an until the Day of Judgment!
Were it not for the various interpretations we would have lost the value of the Holy Qur’an. People of every age should have their say. The verse, “So I swear by the setting of the stars (they traverse)” was interpreted by a Bedouin, who heard it centuries ago, as among the capabilities of Allah (SWT). But when the modern science came, Dr. Zagloul Al-Najjar explained this verse from the scientific point of view. So the Bedouin understood it according to his faith and his total submission to the Qur’anic text.
People of every age will never be able to reach the required truth, and no one can describe Allah (SWT) the Truthful God, and although we all believe in HIM we are unable to describe HIM. ‘No creature of Allah can describe the All Truthful God, and even if his saying was true, he would not know that he reached the truth’.
Just as it is difficult to describe Allah (SWT), it will be certainly difficult to describe HIS speech, because speech is the way of understanding between the speaker and the listener. We, in our daily life, cannot describe anyone except after hearing him speak. Only then we can describe him as a believer or non-believer, an ignorant or an educated person. It is important for each one of us to do the best he possibly can to understand the Holy Qur’an at his time. Then others would come after us, read what we said and would take it, add to it, approve some of it and reject some. This is the greatness of the Holy Qur’an!
So we should acknowledge the opinions of others, approve their efforts, and place our words next to theirs (for research purposes). But he who would give a new interpretation must be knowledgeable in the science of the basics of the religion, the science of interpretation, the science of Fiqh and he should have studied the Arabic language and is fully knowledgeable of it. Therefore I say that Dr, Abdul-Sabour Shahin is one of the top qualified people to interpret the Holy Qur’an.
Sheikh Amr Attiya read some blessed verses from Surat “Qaf”:
16-“And indeed We have created man, and We know what his own self whispers to him. And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein (by Our Knowledge).” 17-“(Remember!) that the two receivers (recording angels) receive (each human being after he or she has attained the age of puberty), one sitting on the right and one on the left (to note his or her actions)“. 18-“Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it).” 19-“And the stupor of death will come in truth: ‘This is what you have been avoiding!‘” 20-“And the Trumpet will be blown, — that will be the Day whereof warning (had been given) (i.e. the Day of Resurrection).” 21-“And every person will come forth along with an (angel) to drive (him), and an (angel) to bear witness.” 22-“(It will be said to the sinners): ‘Indeed you were heedless of this, now We have removed your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day!‘” 23-“And his companion (angel) will say: ‘Here is (this Record) ready with me!‘” 24-“(And it will be said): ‘Both of you throw (Order from Allah to the two angels) into Hell, every stubborn disbeliever (in the Oneness of Allah, in His Messengers, etc.)” 25-“Hinderer of good, transgressor, doubter,” 26-“Who set up another (god) with Allah, then (both of you) cast him in the severe torment.” 27-“His companion (Satan__ devil) will say:’ Our Lord! I did not push him to transgress, (in disbelief, oppression, and evil deeds) but he was himself in error far astray.’” 28-“Allah will say: ‘Dispute not in front of Me, I had already, in advance, sent you the threat.” 29-“The Sentence that comes from Me cannot be changed, and I am not unjust (to the least) to the slaves.” 30-“On the Day when We will say to Hell: ‘Are you filled?’ It will say: ‘Are there any more (to come)?” 31-“And Paradise will be brought near to the (pious) not far off.” 32-“(It will be said): ‘This is what you were promised, __ (it is) for those oft-returning (to Allah) in sincere repentance, and those who preserve their covenant with Allah (by obeying Him in all what He has ordered, and worship none but Allah Alone, i.e. follow Allah’s Religion, –Islamic Monotheism).” 33-“Who feared the Most Beneficent (Allah) in the (unseen): __ (i.e. in this worldly life before seeing and meeting Him), and brought a heart turned in repentance (to Him __ and absolutely free from each and every kind of polytheism).” 34-“Enter you therein in peace and security; this is a Day of eternal life!” 35-“There they will have all that they desire, __ and We have more (for them, i.e. a glance at the All-Mighty, All-Majestic).“
If we look carefully into the verses of the Holy Qur’an, we will find that whenever the verses are describing the soul leaving of the body, the word ‘Qur’an’ is always mentioned.
Let us contemplate deeply in Sura ‘Qaf’, because it was proven that the Prophet (PBUH) used to read it on Fridays and on Eid days. If we look carefully into the beginning of the Sura and read how Allah (SWT) replied to what the disbelievers had said, we will be amazed.
The Sura is divided into several sections, namely:
Verses 1-3 Allah (SWT) reviewed what the disbelievers said, and how they found it strange to send a messenger and to be resurrected after death.
Verses 4-15, 16-37 and 38-45, Allah (SWT) answered the disbelievers on the issues they raised in three paragraphs, each starting with the word ‘indeed’. Allah (SWT) said that to retrieve something is easier than starting and creating it from nothing; this is proven practically with humans. As with Allah (SWT), His ability is beyond any discussion, there is nothing like unto Him.
The verses then review Allah’s miraculous capacity in creating heavens and earth and everything, and in the middle of these things HE mentioned “And We have created man” to wipe out the wondering of the disbelievers about resurrection.
As for the meaning of ‘Qaf’: We have said that every time the soul leaving the body is mentioned, we find some words about the Holy Qur’an, a challenge by the Holy Qur’an or the word Qur’an itself has to be mentioned.
The Surah starts with:
1-“Qaf.”
2-“By the Glorious Qur’an.” If you asked, “What is the meaning of ‘Qaf’?” I will tell you that this is an irrelevant question, for the inquirer has no knowledge about it, because letters have no meanings. If someone asked “What is the meaning of a letter?” That would mean that that person has no knowledge of language, because a letter by itself has no meaning, but it can have an indication.
I will also say that these separate letters of the Holy Qur’an have secrets, not meanings. It is worth mentioning that “Qaf” is the first separate letter to be revealed according to the sequence of the revelation of the Holy Qur’an.
Abu Bakr Al Siddique said, “Do not ask about the meaning of “Qaf“, “Kaf-Ha-Ya-Ain-Sad“, “Alif-lam-Meem“, ‘Ya-Seen” or ‘Ta-Ha” for they are some of Allah’s secrets in the Holy Qur’an.”
We have stated previously that speech describes the speaker, and our incapability to describe Allah, due to our incapability to describe the speech of Allah (SWT).
We understand the Holy Qur’an according to our limited capability, as much as Allah would allow us.
We, therefore, should understand the Qur’an according to Allah’s intention, and we should ask HIM to make us understand it.
We noticed that when the separate letters were revealed, It was mentioned, neither in the biography of the Prophet (PBUH), nor in any Hadith, that any one of the Companions (may Allah Be pleased with them), the disbelievers, nor even the hypocrites ever asked the Prophet (PBUH), about the meaning of those letters; despite the fact that the hypocrites could have slandered the Holy Qur’an on this basis, and yet they never did.
It is Allah’s wisdom to make Surat Al-Fateha the beginning of the Holy Qur’an, which was followed by Surat Al-Baqara, which starts with separate letters, although the sequence of the revelation of that Surah was 57!
This is the intention of Allah (SWT) that we do not know about.
In my personal interpretation, I see that people of various types (believers, hypocrites and disbeliveers) were divided into two groups: some understood the indication of those letters, kept quiet and did not ask, some did not understand and still did not ask about them out of the sheer strength of their belief.
Those letters remain a secret among Allah’s secrets, and they remain a secret to preserve the Holy Qur’an, “Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the (Qur’an) and surly, We will guard it (from corruption)”.
It is a miraculous secret, for if people knew the indication of those letters, they would have put forth something like them and wrote a ‘Qur’an’.
As I read Surat Qaf I remembered a poetic verse by Al-Walid Bin Al-Mugira where he said:
“I told her to stop and she said ‘Qaf’.”
‘Qaf’ here means I stopped. Arabs used to use separate letters to indicate words. When the poet was asked about the meaning of his verse he explained the indication of that letter. But when Allah (SWT) says, “Qaf” we have had so many opinions as if the letter was a secret that does not have just one indication.
Letters, therefore, have no meanings in the Holy Qur’an, and if they indicated anything, they will indicate that the Prophet (PBUH), read the Qur’an by hearing it, not by writing it.
The Holy Qur’an describes the Prophet (PBUH), as the illiterate prophet. We have previously mentioned the meaning of the word ‘illiterate’, and we said that Ibn Manzour said in his book (review of great language scholars), that an illiterate is someone who cannot write.
There are two types of reading, reading from hearing (repeating after somebody), and reading from a book.
A person, who has learned the alphabet at school and wrote them down, will be able to read and write. He was able to read because he could write. But an illiterate man, who never went to school, if you made him sit with a sheikh, will be able to read from hearing, but he would be unable to write.
This is the intention of Allah (SWT) when he told His Prophet “Read“. But how do we know that the Prophet (PBUH) has read? From the separate letters! Because he was taught the noun of the letter as well as the name of it, but if someone only knows the name of the letter, he will not be able to spell one single word because he does not know the noun of the letter! This is why that the way of reading Qur’an is from hearing it and reading it, because if we read it by writing we could make mistakes.
The meaning of the word ‘Qur’an’ is derived from the word ‘reading’ and reading is from hearing and this is why when the Holy Qur’an was completed, Allah named it a Book. The word ‘book’ did not appear until after the reading was established, and people knew the names of the letters and how to write the verses, only then it was named a book “This is the Book (the Qur’an), whereof there is no doubt…”
“Qaf“, “By the Glorious Qur’an“, Allah (SWT) sent down the Qur’an in challenge to the disbelievers who used the letter ‘Qaf’ in their poetry. HE then talked about the disbelievers’ objection to the sending of the Prophet and to the resurrection, and answered them in 3 paragraphs “And We have created man” meaning HE who create can also resurrect, and can send a prophet.
The “jugular vein” is the vein which, when cut a human being dies immediately. ‘Jugular’ can also mean rope, which is the vein, and this a way of connecting the particular to the general, or the adjective to the described.
Allah (SWT) talked first about the creation of man, and then went to talk about the stupor of death, and thereof to the Day of Resurrection. He did not talk about how the soul leaves the body or about the grave. The wisdom of not mentioning this in Surat ‘Qaf’ is because it is too short a Surah to talk about such things in it. There will be details about them in Surat ‘Al-Qiyama” and Surat ‘Al-Waqi’a”.
The period of staying in the grave is too short no matter how long it was. We find the proof of this is in Surat ‘Al-Kahf’ where the story of the people of the cave was told, and how they stayed there for 300 years and nine more, as well as the story of Al-Ozair whom Allah made him die for 100 years and then resurrected him.
All these people when asked how long they stayed, they said for a day or a part of a day!
Days are counted by sunrise and sunset, but a grave has no sun, a dead man will be cut from this world on his way to the hereafter. Between them there is a transitional period where time does not exist. So if we asked a man who was dead at the time of Adam, how long he stayed, he would also say, a day or a part of a day!
In Surat “Al-Waqi’a”, Allah (SWT) talked about HIS miracle of making the soul leave the body:
83-“Then why do you not (intervene) when (the soul of a dying person) reaches the throat?” 84-“And you at the moment are looking on,” 85-“But We (i.e. Our angels who take the soul) are nearer to him than you, but you see not.” 86-“Then why do you not, — if you are exempt from the reckoning and recompense (punishment, etc)” 87-“Bring back the soul (to its body), if you are truthful.”
Also in Surat ‘Al-Qiyama’:
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?“
“Who can cure him?” means who can have compassion for him and return his soul to him? The answer was:
31-“So he (the disbeliever) neither believed (in this Qur’an, in the Message of Mohammad PBUH) nor prayed!” 32-“But on the contrary, he belied (this Qur’an and the Message of Muhammad PBUH) and turned away!“
‘Belied’ is the opposite of ‘believe’, and ‘turned away’ means ‘went far from’ and that is the opposite of ‘prayed’. It seems that a person who prays gets nearer to Allah. Allah (SWT) said, “Nay! (O Muhammad)! Do not obey him (Abu Jahl). Fall prostrate and draw near to Allah!” So every time a person prostrates and prays he gets nearer to Allah.
May Allah have mercy on Dr. Abdul-Jalil Issa who said in interpreting the word ‘Saddaqa’ (which means; believed, but also could be used as giving charity), that Allah (SWT) has stressed on that word to combine both the meanings of truthful and charity, and thus the word means them both.
A question: In the Qur’an, there are 14 places for prostration, what is the wisdom of this?
First we must not ask what is the wisdom of their being 14 places, because if they were more or less we would ask the same question.
We should pose the question differently, saying why do we prostrate when we read those specific verses?
We say that prostration has two meanings, the lingual meaning which is submission and humbleness to Allah (SWT), and the terminological one which means to prostrate by putting your forehead on the ground in a way that the head and feet are aligned together, which indicates total submission and humbleness to Allah as we should always be.
“Then why do you not, — if you are exempt from the reckoning and recompense (punishment, etc)” “Bring back the soul (to its body), if you are truthful“
Is there anything more difficult for a man than having his beloved die before his eyes and not being able to do anything to keep him alive? Submission to Allah is done by all those in heavens and on earth, “to Him submitted all creatures in the heavens and the earth, willingly and unwillingly“. This is a submission of humbleness.
A Muslim submits willingly, while the non-Muslim submits unwillingly because when he wakes up everyday he cannot do what Allah has not decreed him to, and thus he is submitting to HIM though unwillingly.
Prostration also is the ultimate way of submission to Allah (SWT), and it is also total submission and humbleness to watch the soul of your loved one leaving him while you are utterly powerless, watching him dying while you can’t do anything.
This is why Allah (SWT) did not continue with the subject but moved to describe the three types of dead people (those brought near to Allah, those on the Right Hand and those denying). Having the issue of the soul leaving the body mentioned in the Holy Qur’an makes it too great an issue to be taken lightly.
When it was mentioned in other Surahs it was to show its miraculousness. Allah (SWT) then left it to His Prophet (PBUH) to talk about the soul leaving the body in the noble Hadith, which we started to review in the episode before the last one. It seems that the Sunnah and the noble Hadith is an explanatory memorandum of the Holy Qur’an but with limits.
The Prophet (PBUH), when he talked about Paradise, he said, “In it, there is what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no heart has ever imagined”. It seemed as if the Prophet (PBUH) was not able to describe Paradise despite the fact that He has seen it!
Therefore, the Holy Qur’an talks about some things, leaving some others to the Prophet (PBUH) to talk about.
We have previously said that the Holy Qur’an, whenever it mentions the miracle of the soul leaving the body always preceded it by mentioning the word ‘Qur’an’. In Surat ‘Qaf’ Allah (SWT) said, “Qaf“, “By the glorious Qur’an“.
We also said previously that a ‘self’ is the combination of soul and body. In Surat “Al-Waqi’a”, “That (this) is indeed an honourable recital (the Noble Qur’an)”, “In a Book well-guarded“, then Allah (SWT) says, “Then Why do you not (intervene) when (the soul of a dying person) reaches the throat?” . And we ask to what is the word “reaches” referring? Is it to the soul? What soul? Is it the soul meaning the Qur’an in the Surah? As we have talked in a previous episode about the six different meaning of the word ‘soul’ in the Qur’an.
Dr. Abdul-Sabour Shahin has interpreted the verse: “So when I have fashioned him completely and breathed into him (Adam) the soul which I created for him“, saying that the word ‘soul’ here is not the substance of life, but one that is attributed to Allah! Therefore the pronoun here requires a long pause, where we will find that the only creature who has taken a soul attributed to Allah (SWT) is man!
In Surat ‘Al-Qiyama’, the word ‘reached’ in the verse: “When (the soul) reaches to the collar bone (i.e. up to the throat in its exit” refers to the soul, but it is no coincidence that the Surah talked about the soul and the Qur’an together, it seems that Allah wants to say that those brought near to HIM, those foremost and those on the Right Hand have two souls, one is the Qur’an:”(an Inspiration, and a Mercy) of Our Command” and the other is the substance of life, so they are different from those denying and erring who have but one soul which is the substance of life!
A big change will happen in the life of a person who just embraced Islam and just started reading the Qur’an. The change will take place as soon as he starts to pray and fast. He will have two souls, the one inside him and the Holy Qur’an. So it was no coincidence that Allah (SWT) talked about the Qur’an and then talked about the soul leaving the body: “Qaf“, “By the Glorious Qur’an“, “That (this) is indeed an honourable recital (the Noble Qur’an)”, “Move not your tongue concerning (the Qur’an, O Mohammad) to make haste therewith.”
Those brought near were honoured for honouring the Qur’an, while the disbelievers denied the Book, which is a Book of orders, prohibitions and of obligation, and the human nature, does not like being obliged.
The Prophet’s Hadith describing how the soul leaves the body is an explanation of the above-mentioned verses, which we were not able to understand. The stage of the soul reaching the throat comes just before the stage when the soul leaves the body. In Surat Al-Qiyama, “when (the soul) reaches the to the collarbone (i.e. up to the throat in its exit)“, “And it will be said: ‘Who can cure him and save him from death?’“ it seems as if it was said ‘who will cure him’ before the throat stage was mentioned, it would have been possible!
Allah (SWT) said, “ then has decreed a stated term (for you to die), And there is with Him another determined term (for you to be resurrected)“, which means that there is a ‘term’ for the whole world, and another ‘term’ for each of us individually.
I find fault with those who say, when someone dies young, did he die due to Godly causes, as if there is a death caused by Godly causes and other types of death too! Allah Forbid! Allah (SWT) does not need reasons for death; it is only in our own limited human concept!
The text of the Noble Hadith Narrated by Albara’ Bin Azib, “We went with the Prophet (PBUH) to a funeral of a man from the Ansar, while he was being buried, the Prophet (PBUH) had a small stick with which he was plucking the earth, he thought for a long time and then raised his head and said, ‘Seek refuge in Allah from the torment of the grave’, he repeated it thrice, then said, ‘A slave who is a believer, when he is in a state of departure from this worldly life, and proceeding to the hereafter, the angels of heaven will come to him with faces that are white like the sun, they would sit within his eye-sight, and then the angel of death would come and sit at his head and say,’ O restful self, come out to the forgiveness of Your Lord and HIS Pleasure.’” In other narrations it was (O good self). Here the word ‘self’ was used because the soul was still inside the body. When the angels raise that soul to the heavens, the other angels of heaven would ask, What is this good soul?’
A Supplication:
I supplicate to you, Our Lord, so may be You would hear our call. Our sin is too big, and we are shameless, so until when this will be our case, we admit that You have every reason for your gentle reproof, and You would still not find any truthfulness in us! If it were only for the hardship of death, it would have been sufficient, so how is it to be when what is after death is even more awful? We run to You, Our Lord, to save us from our desires which overwhelmed us, from the worldly life which has been made attractive to us, and from our own evil-inclined selves, but for a few to whom My Lord Was Merciful! Our Lord, if You have been Merciful to people like us, be Merciful to us too. Be Merciful when we bid farewell to our family and loved ones, when dust is being thrown upon us, when our bodies are decayed, our names forgotten and our graves deserted, when we have neither a visitor nor anyone to remember us. Have Mercy on us when we each come to you alone, with eyes fixed, wearing our deeds while everybody has disowned us. Have Mercy on us when our sins are exposed and our blames are dominating and when we have long complaints from our rivals. Be Merciful when the prayer of the oppressed has been answered. Be Merciful when our days of good pleasures have gone, and our sins remained. If You are not Merciful to us, who would be? Who would be amiable to us in our grave? Who would make our tongue speak when we are left alone with our deeds, and when You asked us about what You have more knowledge of, than us. If we conceded, where can we run from your justice? And if we said we did not do it, You would say: “Read your book, You yourself are sufficient as a reckoner against you this Day“. Forgive us, O Allah; forgive us, O Most Merciful than all the merciful!
Episode was broadcasted on 11/7/2004