Tareek al-Hedayah: Episode 7
Verses in the Holy Qur’an about death and dying (2)
Translated by: Dar al-Tarjama – The English Convoy
The objective of this episode is the following verse: “Every soul shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the fire and admitted to paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing).” (3:185)
Before starting the topic, the presenter begins with Allah’s (SWT) saying, “…And Allah warns you against Himself (his punishment).” Orientalists use this as a means to attack the Holy Quran and say that the verse shows that Allah (SWT) has a soul. They say that as the Quran states that every soul will face death then this would also apply to Allah (SWT). So how does Dr. Hedayah respond to them?
The verse, “Every soul (nafs) will taste death” and “…Allah warns you against Himself” are in the Qur’an and so is another verse found in chapter 5 where it is mentioned that Prophet ‘Isa (Jesus) says… “ You know what is in my inner-self (Nafs) though I do not know what is in Yours…” In order to understand these orientalist claims, we must first realise that this misunderstanding began after the revelation of the Holy Qur’an and the emergence of the different schools of thought. What is happening now is but a continuation of previous failed attempts which people such as the orientalists came up with. For example, some used to say that in the verse, “…The hand of Allah is over their hands…” (48:10) meant that Allah (SWT) has a hand but again, this was disproved by Muslims and the Oreinetalists’ arguments failed. Therefore, it is imperative for us to look at the Qur’an in its entirety in order to accurately translate it. A true believer should always follow in his/her mind any mention of Allah (SWT) with the verse, “There is nothing like Him” (42:11) for Allah (SWT) has revealed this Qur’an and can reveal in it what He (SWT) wills. We ask those who attack the Qur’an, “Have you believed in it in order to speak about it?” and when we read the verse “…Allah warns you against Himself…” we should ask does Allah (SWT) have a soul? Off course not.
When the Prophet (PBUH) was asked after his ascent to the heavens whether he saw Allah (SWT), he replied, “How could I have seen Him? I only saw a light.” Some people think that when they see Allah (SWT) they will see a human look alike, with limbs, eyes, etc. However, what we should do is always place the verse, “There is nothing like Him” immediately after any mention of Allah (SWT). The meaning of the hand of Allah (SWT), for example, differs depending on who the dialogue is directed towards- for a believer it implies mercy but for a disbeliever it means a grave punishment.
We say to the Orientalists that if they were to understand the verse, “Everyone shall taste death” and that Allah (SWT) in this verse has stated the definite reality that every soul will face death and that the life of each and every living thing was predestined when they were created. When we hear the words “shall taste death” it means that the soul will stay because in order to taste something it must be alive. This is the answer to the Orientalists comments on these verses of the Holy Qur’an. I urge all of the youth who may be hearing such false claims about the Holy Qur’an or even reading it on the Internet to return to the scholars so that they could explain this properly. Always keep in mind that, “There is nothing like Him”. Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an, “They have not estimated Allah His rightful estimate.” Before embracing Islam a man said: “Even if one manages to say the right thing about Allah (SWT) he would not know it because it is too much for the human mind to realize the truth about Allah (SWT)”
“Everyone shall taste death”— Allah (SWT) has decreed that all of His creations, including Human, Jinn, plants, trees and animals will face wreckage or death. Wreckage will be of inanimate objects, disappearance for what is on earth and decease for humans. The angels heard this verse and were relieved as they knew that it was meant for those on earth, but then they heard the verse, “Whatsoever is on it will perish” (55:26) and realized that they would also face death and accepted this. Allah (SWT) follows every mention of death in the Qur’an with a verse or verses, which proves His (SWT) existence and greatness- “…Everything will perish save His Face…” (28:88), “Whatsoever is on it will perish. And the Face of you Lord full of Majesty and Honour will remain forever.” (55:26-27).
“Say (to them): Verily, the death from which you flee will surely meet you, then you will be sent back to (Allah) the All-knower of the unseen and the seen…” (62:8). Therefore, the verse “Everyone shall face death” is proof that Allah (SWT) has decreed that all of His creation will face wreckage; perishability and decease even the Angel of death and death itself so that Allah becomes the Last just as He was the First. This would therefore, fulfil two of Allah’s (SWT) known attributes which are Al-‘Awal (the First) and Al-‘Akhir (the Last).
“Everyone shall taste death,” the Arabic word referring to “Everyone” is “Nafs”. If translated further, this word is referring to the soul, which, if looked at in the context of the verse, implies that the soul remains by separating from the physical body after its death, as this is the only way in which the soul can taste death. But why does Allah (SWT) refer to the soul as the Nafs and not as Rooh, which is the more direct and literal translation of soul? In order to understand this we must look at the following verse, “It is Allah who takes away the souls (Nafs) at the time of their death, and those that die not during their sleep…” (39:42). Here, Allah (SWT) did not use the Arabic word Rooh for soul but instead again used the word Nafs because the nafs is what is taken away from those who die or sleep but the soul (Rooh) only defines the taking of the soul from those who die. Therefore, every death is a result of the taking of the soul (Nafs) but not every taking of the soul (Nafs) is death.
“Everyone shall taste death”- The Nafs tastes which may either result in death or a repeat of the same event. Further detail of the soul is one of the secrets of Allah (SWT), which we should not discuss further. The Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) explains the Holy Qur’an further, where even he (PBUH) referred to the soul as the nafs, saying “If the soul (Rooh) of a believer leaves his body, two angels ascend with it to the skies above. The angels smell a pleasant scent from this soul (Rooh) and say “a good soul has come from earth, peace be upon you (on the soul) and on the body you were in” so the Messenger (PBUH) gave good tidings. As for the soul (Rooh) of a disbeliever when it is taken up the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) mentioned that due to its strong offensive smell… (Then he (PBUH) covered his nose with his clothes as if he smelt it.”
When the soul is in the body it is known as the Nafs, which can also be described as Rooh. When Allah (SWT) says in the Holy Qur’an “Everyone shall taste death” the soul (in this case the rooh) leaves the physical body, which decays, except for the bodies of the Prophets, the pious and the martyrs; these do not decay. The Prophet (PBUH) says in a Hadith, “Allah has prohibited the earth from eating the bodies of the Prophets, the pious ones and the martyrs.” The verse reiterates the eternal existence which will be for none but Allah (SWT) and when He (SWT) describes Himself using the word Nafs we must understand that it does not mean the same thing because “There is nothing like Him”.
Question: How valid is the statement, which a lot of scholars mention in their lectures, that the angels can be white or black when they come down to receive the soul from the body?
Answer: This statement is unfounded for angels are angels and they are never described as black or white. The difference between those who come to the dead person is in what they carry from heaven, be it perfume or different types of silk.
The duties of a sick person on his death bed or when critically ill:
We return to the topic of today’s episode, which is Allah’s (SWT) saying, “Everyone shall taste death”. As everyone shall die, in my opinion, it is a mercy from Allah if one should become ill before dying. It is a huge favour from Allah (SWT) to die like this instead of dying a surprise death, as one would not be prepared. It is imperative for any ill person to prepare oneself for death as being inflicted with an illness brings you closer to death than to health; this does not depend on age. There are also some issues which people follow which have no basis in Islam. For example, if a person is 70 yrs old they may position him towards the qibla and say that there is a Hadith, which tells us to do so; this is a huge mistake. There are other actions, which are done and, again, have no basis in the Prophet’s (PBUH) Sunna, like reading Surat Yaseen. The following are some of the duties of an ill or dying person:
11. It is imperative on a sick person to increase his/her remembrance of Allah (SWT). There are specific characteristics of such remembrance, and the best remembrance to say is the Shahadah that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger (La Ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad Rasulu Allah), Glory be to Allah (Subhan Allah), all praise to Allah (Alhamdulillah), there is no God but Allah (La illaha illa Allah) and all power and might belong to Allah (La hawla wa la Quwatta illa billah). When remembering Allah, the sick or dying person should always be in a state of cleanliness or must have made ablution or, if he/she was not able to do so then at least have tayammum (dry ablution). By doing so, one becomes clean both physically and mentally, making remembrance of Allah easier and more frequent. I would like to advise anyone who falls ill or is dying to perform ablution or tayammum; this is why the Muslim nation is known as the ‘pure nation’.
In my opinion, tayammum was made an Islamic law as an alternative ritual if water is absent and also to emphasise the importance of performing ablution in Islam. If we ask ourselves, is ablution a form of simple cleanliness or a form of purity of the soul as well? Tayammum, as is known, is done using earth, so would it make sense to make tayammum if you were 100% clean and have ghusl?
No, it would not make sense. Therefore, tayammum, which is done by wiping the face and hands only with earth, is done to emphasise the importance of ablution. As the Prophet (PBUH) said, “Sins leave the different parts of the body with the last drop of water.” Any person who falls ill should return to Allah and remember that we were taught by the Prophet (PBUH) that one of the main attributes of faith (Iman) is ablution. The Prophet (PBUH) appeared once to his companions and said: “O Bilal, what have you done that has made you beat me to heaven (Janna)?” Bilal was filled with joy and the Prophet (PBUH) then said; “I have never seen heaven (Janna), without hearing your rustling.” The Prophet (PBUH) then added, “I saw in heaven a palace made of gold and asked who it belonged to. So the angels replied, ‘It is for a man from the Arabs’ so I (the Prophet (PBUH)) replied, “I am a man from the Arabs. Who is this for?” The angels replied, “It is for a man from the tribe of Quraysh.” The Prophet (PBUH) then said, “I am from Quraysh, who is this for?” The angels then said, “It is for a man from the nation of Muhammad.” Again the Prophet (PBUH) said, “I am Muhammed, who is this palace for?” They then said, “It is for Umar Ibn Al-Khattab.” So the Prophet (PBUH) laughed. Bilal then said “I have never called to prayer without following it with two Rak’as and I have never nullified my ablution without following it with ablution knowing and seeing that I owe Allah (SWT) two rak’as,” to which the Prophet (PBUH) replied, “This is how you beat me to heaven, Bilal.”
It is important to comment on what may have crossed the minds of some people. First, that the Prophet, (PBUH) with his conversation with the angels, seemed to imply that he wanted the palace for himself. This is not true. What was meant by his (PBUH) questioning was that he was an Arab and from Quraysh and would therefore know who the palace belonged to if he was told the name (as the owner was from his time and his tribe). There is another point, which was raised in this Hadith, which is that every act a person does is huge in Allah’s sight. Such that Bilal did not say, “I felt that I owe Allah two rak’as” but said that he did it as if he knew it to be a fact without any doubts. Therefore, if it is imperative on a Muslim to have made ablution all the time then it is only logical that one should make ablution when ill or dying. We should advise each other about making ablution as it is a form of advise and sincerity in religion which the Prophet (PBUH) recommended us to give and a form of enjoining each other to the truth (Chapter 103: verse 3). When asked to whom sincerity was, the Prophet (PBUH) replied that it was to Allah, His book, His messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common people. Do not forget that by performing ablution we become in the company of Allah and the angels and that an ill or dying person especially, should be ready, as he/she does not know when the angel of death may take away his/her soul.
2. Remembrance: Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an, “O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance. And glorify His praises morning and afternoon” (33:41-42). Remembering and glorifying Allah brings you as close as you can be to the level of the Prophets and messengers. Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an, “He it is who sends Salat (His blessings) on you, and his angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive you), that He may bring you out from darkness (or disbelief and polytheism) into light…” (33:43). He (SWT) also says, “Allah sends His salat (Graces, honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet (PBUH), and also His angels (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salat on (ask Allah to bless) him and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting” (33:56).
The Prophet (PBUH) deserves this and we can be in the company of the Prophet (PBUH) because Allah (SWT) and the angels send their prayers on those who are with the Prophet (PBUH) and who of the believers would dislike that? It is best for a dying or ill person to glorify and remember Allah a lot and who is better than a man who Allah and the angels send their salat on and he meets Allah in such a state.
Here I will stop to mention a Hadith that people sometimes quote in an incomplete form. It was mentioned in Sahih Muslim that Ibn Shurayh ibn Hani’ reported from Abi Hurraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (PBUH) said, “Whoever yearns to meet Allah, Allah yearns to meet him and whoever hates to meet Allah, and Allah will hate meeting him.”
So Ibn Hani’ went to Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and said, “O mother of the faithful, I heard Abu Hurraira mention a Hadith from the Prophet (PBUH), which, if it were true, would mean that we will be doomed. Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) then said, “Being doomed will be to those who are doomed by the Prophet’s (PBUH) words, what did he say?” So ibn Hani’ said, “The Prophet said “Whoever yearns to meet Allah, Allah yearns to meet him and whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah will hate meeting him.” But I don’t think there is anyone from us who does not hate death.” So Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “It is not so, but rather it is that when the believer is given news of Allah’s mercy, His approval and His Paradise, he likes to meet Allah and Allah likes to meet him; but when the unbeliever is given news of Allah’s punishment and His displeasure, he dislikes to meet Allah and Allah dislikes to meet him.
This is when whoever yearns to meet Allah, Allah yearns to meet him and whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah will hate meeting him.” (Muslim 2685, Bukhari 6507). It was also mentioned in a Hadith Qudsi, “If My servant likes to meet Me, I like to meet him; and if he dislikes meeting Me, I dislike meeting him.” The love and hate to meet Allah must be discussed. We ask those who love death and those who hate death, do you hate death out of fear or do you love death out of fear? If we were to ask someone whether they loved or hated death what would their response be? He/she will of course say that they hated it as Allah (SWT) said, “Everyone shall taste death,” the word ‘taste’ hear implies that the soul does not want to experience it but is tasting it despite that. It was mentioned in a Hadith Qudsi, that Allah (SWT) was having a conversation with the soul saying, “Come out” so it replied, “I will not come out unless I am forced.” So Allah (SWT) says, “Leave even if you are forced.”
In another example the Prophet (PBUH) met Ibn Abbas, who wished that he was dead, when he was ill The Prophet (PBUH) said, “O uncle, do not wish for death, if you have been doing good deeds then if you stay alive more you can do more good deeds and if you had sinned you can seek Allah’s forgiveness and repent and this is better for you.” Instead one can say, “O Allah let me live as long as this life is best for me and take my soul away as long as death becomes better for me.”
We return to the story of Bilal (RA) and from it, we take a valuable lesson, which is that we should try to get closer to Allah (SWT) by doing a lot of extra prayers as mentioned in the Hadith Qudsi, “Nothing brings my slave closer to me than that he does what is obligatory on him and also performs extra prayers at which point I will love him and if this happens I become the ears that he hears with, the eyes which he sees with and the hands which he uses. If he were to ask me for something then I would give it to him and if he were to seek refuge in me I would grant him it.”
To give an overview of what we have said so far about the duties of a sick or dying person, we mentioned that the first point was being in a state of ablution or tayammum and increasing one’s remembrance of Allah (SWT), “Their greeting on the Day they shall meet Him will be ‘Salam: peace’.” (33:44).
This will prepare you for meeting Allah (SWT) and it is a good idea to get used to this and be in a state of ablution all the time because death is inevitable. We also said that the Prophet (PBUH) has prohibited us from wishing to die, for who would wish for death?
A sinner or a person who does good deeds? Normally, it would be a person who does good deeds because there is no sinner that would wish to die, as it was mentioned in the Qur’an, “Say to (them): “If the home of the Hereafter with Allah is indeed for you specially and not for others, of mankind, then long for death if you are truthful.” (Chapter 2: verse 94) and in other verse, “But they will never long for it because of what their hands have sent before them (i.e. what they have done). And Allah is All-Aware of the thalimuun (polytheists and wrongdoers).” (2:95).
We shall now continue to mention the things that a dying person should do.
3. Seeking Allah’s (SWT) forgiveness and repenting for what one has done.
4. Being content with what Allah (SWT) has decreed, having patience and faith in what He (SWT) has done and knowing that it is for the best. It was narrated in Hadith that the Prophet (PBUH) said, “Whatever may happen to a pious person is good and this is only the case for a pious person. If something good happens to him/her, he/she thanks Allah (SWT) and is rewarded and if he/she is inflicted with something bad he/she is patient and is also rewarded.” So in both cases a pious person is rewarded. In illness, an ill person has patience and if one is cured then he/she will thank Allah (SWT) or if the illness gets very serious one has faith in Allah and thinks well of Him as was revealed in a Hadith Qudsi: [On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (PBUH) said, Allah the Almighty said: “I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assemble better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.”]
Another possible rendering of the Arabic is: “I am as My servant expects Me to be”. The meaning is that forgiveness and acceptance of repentance by the Almighty is subject to His servant truly believing that He is forgiving and merciful. However, not to accompany such belief with right action would be to mock the Almighty. (It was related by al-Bukhari also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn-Majah).
The least thing that I would want for myself is that Allah (SWT) makes mention of me in Himself. Imagine that one dies without that happening? The Prophet (PBUH) then directs us as narrated by Jabir Ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (PBUH) said, “None of you should die without having faith and thinking well of Allah (SWT)” (Related by Muslim 2877).
Whatever one has done in this life, when on the death bed, one should have faith in Allah (SWT) and think well of Him and we must not forget that Allah (SWT) has written over His throne “My mercy prevails over My wrath” and that His (SWT) mercy includes everything. It is also imperative for those who visit the sick to remind him/her of this and also remind him/her of patience and acceptance of what Allah (SWT) has decreed and that he/she should not listen to the shaytan, who will, until the last minute, try to cause the patient to despair from Allah’s (SWT) mercy. The visitor should remind one that there is no despair with Allah’s mercy and the fact that we are Muslims is enough proof and the first attribute of Allah (SWT) in the Qur’an is The Merciful
5. One should stay away from any distractions that may divert one’s attention from remembering Allah (SWT), such as the television and games. Instead one should try to concentrate on Allah’s book, the Sunna (practice) of the Prophet (PBUH), prayers and reading the Qur’an. Illness is a show of generosity by Allah (SWT) for this may be the closest one gets to death without dying. For example, if I am in a car accident I should not be concerned with the state of my car but instead should be focusing my efforts on seeking forgiveness from Allah (SWT) and thank Him as these may be the last moments before death and we have seen a lot of people that have died in car accidents with their fingers lifted declaring the shahada (i.e. witness that there is no God but Allah and Prophet Muhammad is his messenger). We must always keep death in our mind and be prepared for it.
6. Paying back debts: It is imperative on an ill or dying person to pay back his/her debts, write a will with what he/she owes people and ensure that his/her family know and will take responsibility for any outstanding debts. It is mentioned in a saying by the Prophet (PBUH), “Having a dept is being indebted. He who intends to cover his debts I shall be his advocate and he who dies without intending to cover his debts then no Dinars nor Dirhams shall pay it for him on the day of Judgment.” So they asked the Prophet, “So what should pay it, O Prophet of Allah?”. He replied, “Taking from his good deeds and adding to his bad deeds”.
The Prophet (PBUH) also said, “Do you know who the broke person is?” They said, “The broke person is one who does not have any money” He (PBUH) said, “No, the broke person from my nation is one who has prayed, fasted and paid his alms (Zakah) but has come on the day of resurrection and he/she had insulted so and so, backbited about so and so and taken the money of so and so without his/her consent. So on that day each of these people will take from his/her good deeds for what he/she had done to him/her until he/she is left with no more good deeds and he/she is given bad deeds from those who were oppressed by him/her and he/she is thrown into the hell-fire.” We seek refuge from Allah (SWT) from this. This is why it is imperative on an ill or dying person to record what one owes people in order to do one’s part in avoiding such a situation.
7. The will: The Prophet (PBUH) has prohibited that a pious person sleeps two nights without preparing a will and this is for the person who has debts to pay as well as wealth which he/she owns which will be inherited. The verses mentioned in the Qur’an about inheritance has allowed that a person has the right to do what he/she likes with a third of what one owns which can be described in the will (there are guidelines for the remainder of the wealth) but what is more important to mention in the will is that every Muslim should inform his/her family that he/she should be washed and buried according to Allah’s (SWT) laws (Shari’ah) and the Prophet’s (PBUH) sunnah (practice). Allah (SWT) says in the Holy Qur’an, “…And whoever is removed away from the fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful…” (Chapter 3: verse 185). This is as if saying that the origin is going to hell and only due to Allah’s (SWT) mercy and one’s faith, good deeds and Islam some of us will enter paradise as the Prophet (PBUH) said,
“None of you will enter paradise due to his/her good deeds” so they said, “And you O Messenger of Allah,” to which the Prophet (PBUH) replied, “Not even me unless Allah (SWT) allows me due to His mercy.” If we return to the verse in the Qur’an we find that Allah (SWT) has said, “whoever is removed from the fire” and not “removed from paradise” and Abu-Bakr Assidiq (RA) used to say, “I would never feel secure against the Plan of Allah, even with one feet in Paradise”.
So if we think well of Allah (SWT) and have faith in Him we will be able to become like Abu Bakr and Omar (may Allah be pleased with them) and the palace in paradise which belongs to Omar was not because of nothing, but because he is Al–faruq (the one who makes a difference- i.e. when he accepted Islam made a big difference for Islam and Muslims). Ibn Abbas used to say, “Mention Omar a lot because when you mention him, you mention justice, and mentioning justice is mentioning Allah (SWT).”
In another saying, a girl swore that if the Prophet (PBUH) succeeded in one of the battles she would play the tambourine, as she had made a promise, the Prophet (PBUH) let her do so. She continued to do so as Abu Bakr, Ali and Othman (may Allah be pleased with them) entered until she heard that Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) was coming. She hid the instrument and sat on it so the Prophet (PBUH) said, “the Shaytan is afraid of you Omar.” Note that this does not mean that shaytan is literally afraid from Omar but not from the messenger (PBUH) or that the girl is afraid of Omar but not the Messenger (PBUH). What this is saying is that Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) was stricter than the Prophet (PBUH) who had a lenient heart as Allah (SWT) says, “…And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you…” (Chapter 3: verse 159) and in another chapter, “And verily, you are on an exalted (standard of) character.” (Chapter 68: verse 4).
Duties of those who witness the death of a person:
1. Remembrance of Allah a lot in front of one who is ill or dying.
2. Teaching him/her the shahada (that there is no God but Allah (SWT) and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the messenger of Allah). There is a difference of opinion between the scholars; some say that one should not be forced to recite it but should keep saying it so that one does not despair whilst others say that the visitor should keep saying it until the ill or dying person repeats it. My view is that one should try to get the ill or dying person to say it, as they have nothing to lose, even if they do so at least once. A scholar once entered the room of a dying man and found the visitors around him chatting. He asked why no one was teaching the dying man the shahada so one of those sitting tried and the man said it. However, we must be aware that we should not say it repeatedly, but say it once and wait.
It is also a good idea to read the Qur’an in front of the ill/dying person and it does not need to be any specific chapter. The saying of the Prophet (PBUH), which many say about reading Surat Yassin for those who are dying, is not an authentic Hadith. The advantage of reading Qur’an next to a person who is dying is that it makes him/her long for meeting Allah (SWT), so they should read verses that gave glad tidings and encouragement for him/her to remember Allah. Some of these include, “O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance. And Glorify His Praises morning and afternoon.” (33:41-42), “Their greeting on the Day they shall meet Him will be ‘Salaam’…” (33:44).
3. Mention death in front of him/her every now and then as a reminder to explain that illness brings a person back to Allah (SWT) and reminds him/her of seeking forgiveness from Allah (SWT). It may be an idea to mention a story of some of the righteous people who repented and asked for forgiveness from Allah (SWT).
In conclusion, Dr. Hidayah directs a prayer to all the viewers and those who may be experiencing illness or know of someone who was ill or had passed away, that they be steadfast and he said: Allah (SWT) is enough consolation for any calamity one may face, He (SWT) is the Everlasting (Al-Baqi) who will not die… “Everyone (with a soul) shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the fire and admitted to paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing).” Wassalamu Alaikum WA rahmatullAhi WA Barakatu.
Question from the audience during the episode:
Question: Commenting on the episode about the Prophet (PBUH) seeking refuge from sudden death, the sister is asking what she should do as an act of charity as her daughter who was 12 years old, died two months ago.
“The Prophet (PBUH) would seek refuge from sudden death for those adults who had sinned a lot. As for your young daughter, her reward is heaven InshaAllah and I ask from the sister who has asked the question to have patience because Allah (SWT) will grant heaven to those who are patient when their children are taken away from them, as I have mentioned in sayings by the Prophet (PBUH) from previous episodes.”
The Dr. asked the sister to have patience and give charity on behalf of her daughter, providing for an orphan, for example, and this, he said, Allah willing, will make her from the people of heaven. By having patience for her loss, Allah (SWT) will build a house for her in heaven and whomever Allah builds a house for in heaven is, without doubt, from the people of paradise.
Question: The sister who is calling says that she heard that giving charity on behalf of a dead person is not permitted unless he/she had started something before they died. Is this true? She says that she gives charity on behalf of her mother who has passed away and she did not own any money to give to charity but used to do good deeds and perform her religious duties. Is this enough?
“The Prophet (PBUH) said, reported by Abi Hurraira (may Allah be pleased with him), “If the son of Adam dies, everything he did will stop except three things: Ongoing charity (Sadaqqa Jarriya), knowledge he taught someone which they made use of it, or a righteous son/daughter who prays for him.” (Muslim 1631). What is meant by son/daughter is any offspring, whether it be his own, or that of his brother or his relatives or anyone else. Useful knowledge would be that left as a book, for example and ongoing charity should be carried out by the person who has passed away to ensure that it is accepted. But if this does not happen what should be done? His family should make some ongoing charity on behalf of him, as the Prophet (PBUH) said, “You and your money are for your father.” But it is better for the person to make the ongoing charity before he/she dies and what is most effective and important for the rest is making prayer (Du’a) for the person who passed away.”
Question: The presenter mentioned that he received a lot of questions related to making hajj on behalf of someone. He asks if the repentance for the dead person by the person making the hajj pilgrimage is accepted and whether or not the dead person is forgiven.
“This is up to Allah (SWT) and we ask Allah (SWT) to forgive and have mercy. This is where the Maliky school of thought differs from the other schools of thought on the authenticity of the saying of the Prophet (PBUH). But what is important and required from all of us is to strive to do good deeds in our lives and if he/she did not, then his/her family can do it on his/her behalf. But as I mentioned in the previous saying of the Prophet (PBUH), the best action for a dead person is to pray for him/her.”
Question: There have been quite a few questions about the state a Muslim should be in between fearing and begging Allah (for forgiveness and Heaven). What are your comments?
“We said that an ill or dying person must be in this state and must have made ablution or tayammum. He must have increased his/her remembrance of Allah (SWT) and has constantly repented and asked for forgiveness. He/she should also pay off their debts and accept and be patient in what he/she has been afflicted with. The Prophet (PBUH) visited an old man who was dying and asked him, “How are you feeling?” He replied, “I seek my Lord’s forgiveness but am scared of the sins that I have committed.” The Prophet (PBUH) then said, “Whenever a slave has these two feelings in his/her heart, Allah forgives him/her” (and in another narration, the Prophet (PBUH) replied, “When these two feelings are together in one’s heart, Allah relieves him/her from what he is afraid and grants him/her what he/she asked for)”.
When I thought about this, I realised that he had such high faith that he did not say that he feared Allah (SWT). Instead, he put Allah’s (SWT) mercy first and then said that he was afraid of his sins. This is proof of a person faithful to Allah (SWT) in his belief; the fear of Allah (SWT) should fill our hearts but on our deathbed, we should have a firm belief and understanding that Allah’s (SWT) mercy comes before His anger.
It was mentioned in a Hadith Qudsi, On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “A Jew sinned greatly against himself, and when death came to him he charged his sons, saying: When I have died, burn me, then crush me and scatter [my ashes] into the sea, for, by Allah, if my Lord takes possession of me, He will punish me in a manner in which He has punished no one [else]. So they did that to him.
Then Allah (SWT) said to the earth: “Produce what you have taken”–and there he was! And He said to him: “What induced you to do what you did?” The man said: “Being afraid of You, O my Lord (or he said: Being frightened of You)” and because of that, He forgave him.” It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, an-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah).”
Question: A person would like you to clarify a point about the difference between decease (Mawt) and death (wafat)? Could you also shed some light on how the soul leaves the body and the topic of the two types of dreams?
We spoke about decease and death and the difference between them earlier. Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an, “It is Allah who takes away the souls at the time of their death, and those that die not during their sleep…” (Chapter 39: verse 42). We said that the angel of death takes the soul “at the time of their death…” and that “those that die not during their sleep” is the time when there is a temporary link between decease and being alive and we will look at this in more detail in later episodes. We also said that every death is a result of the taking of the soul (Nafs), but not every taking of the soul (Nafs) is death.
This episode was aired on 4/4/2004