Tareek al-Hedayah: Episode 13
Reciting Surat Ya-Seen over the dead
Translated by: Dar al-Tarjama – The English Convoy
Guests: Dr. Muhammad Hedayah and Sheikh Abdullah As-Saadi
The episode began with a recital of the Noble Qur’an read by Sheikh As-Saadi
Have you not seen those who were told to hold back their hands (from fighting) and perform As-Salat (Iqamat as-Salat), and give Zakat, but when the fighting was ordained for them, behold! a section of them fear men as they fear Allah or even more. They say: “Our Lord! Why have you ordained for us fighting? Would that you had granted us respite for a short period?” Say: “Short is the enjoyment of this world. The Hereafter is (far) better for him who fears Allah, and you shall not be dealt with unjustly even equal to the Fatila (a scalish thread in the long slit of a date stone) (77) “Whosesoever you may be, death will overtake you even if you are in fortresses built up strong and high!” And if some good reaches them, they say, “This is from Allah,” but if some evil befalls them, they say, “This is from you (O Muhammad).” Say: “All things are from Allah,” so what is wrong with these people that they fail to understand any word? (78) Whatever of good reaches you is from Allah, but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself. And We have sent you (O Muhammad) as a Messenger to mankind, and Allah is Sufficient as a Witness. (79) (An-Nisaa)
And also recited:
And if any of them should say: “Verily, I am an Ilah (a god) besides Him (Allah),” such a one We should recompense with Hell. Thus We recompense the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.) (29) Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were joined together as one united piece, and then We parted them? And We have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe? (30) And We have placed on the earth firm mountains, lest it should shake with them, and We placed therein-broad highways for them to pass through, that they may be guided. (31) And We have made the heaven a roof, safe and well guarded. Yet they turn away from its signs (i.e. sun, moon, winds, clouds, etc.). (32) And He it is Who has created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon, each in an orbit floating. (33) And We granted not to any human being immortality before you (O Muhammad), then if you die, would they live forever? (34) Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and with good, and to Us you will be returned. (35)(Al-Anbiya)
The series about death continues. The host starts the show with a question for Dr. Hedayah about the authenticity of the so-called Prophetic Hadith, which says that Surat Ya-Seen should be read over the dead.
The whole nation as well as each and every Muslim must know what Islam is. When one embraces Islam, we first tell him/her to bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship Other than Allah and Muhammad is His messenger. Then, he/she would ask us from where should religion be derived? What the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) said entails that the entire nation must follow this great man Muhammad (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him). He elaborately talked about prayer and even told his nation to offer their prayers according to the way they have seen him doing. So, once an individual embraces Islam, he/she is committed to offer the prayer just as the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) used to do. The same thing applies with pilgrimage, for which the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) said: “Take your rituals from me”. He also said: “I have left two things for you, Allah’s Scripture and my Sunnah (way of life), if you adhere to them you would never be lead astray”.
Jews, non-Muslims and all those who are conspiring against Islam, and who have attempted to distort the Sunnahh, have tried to do the same to the Qur’an, i.e., they tended to classify its Surahs, and make Muslim have an inclination towards a certain Surat rather than another. Their only objective is to ruin Islam and distance it from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Yet, since Allah has pledged to safeguard the Qur’an as He says in Surat Al-Hijr: “Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’an) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)(9)”, they have begun to focus all their efforts on the Sunnah, and have begun to put words in the mouth of the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him). Then they ascribe them to him, made changes to them and confused and altered the sequence of narrators. The nation cannot be held accountable for that; they are not the ones to blame for they are just practicing what they hear. As for the so-called prophetic narration dealing with reciting Surat Ya-Seen over the dead, it is nothing but an attempt to undermine the noble Prophetic Sunnah.
In response to such bogus prophetic traditions, we would like to say that we like the Qur’an as a whole, and as the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon him) told us: “The best of you is he who ends to begin”, i.e., he who reads the Noble Qur’an starting from the Surat al-Fatiha (the opening) and ending up with it as well as the first verses of Surat al-Baqara (The Cow). Hence, I must say that the point is not whether the prophetic tradition dealing with reciting Surat Ya-Seen over the dead is authentic or not. It is much graver than that. This phenomenon is actually taking roots amongst us. So, every herald of Islam must uncover the authentic, suspicious and fabricated prophetic traditions to laymen. I must also tell everyone who thinks otherwise or has some different perspective to contact us, pinpoint our faults and show us his/her correct point of view, for it is crucial for us not to present anything inconsistent with the right Sunnah. As the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon him) said: “He who fabricates lies against me should take a seat in Hell-fire”.
Thanks to Allah, we have taken an oath before Allah (The Exalted) in 1979 not to quote the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) unless we are positive that the quote is authentic and well scrutinized.
For this reason, we have investigated Sheikh Abdul-Jalil’s religious exposition, under the supervision of the senior Muslim scholars such as the late Sheikh Shaarawi and Sheikh Ghazali (May Allah rest their souls), and have looked up the authority of narrators, the origins, descents, authenticity, (i.e., whether the quotes were authentic, suspicious or fabricated). Sadly, it turned out that 80% of the common prophetic traditions have no grounds at all.
When ‘Death’ was our featured topic, we stopped short to say that we have heard that some people recite Surat Ya-Seen over the dead. But we must never rush at people. Rather, we should try to correct the faulty concepts, which have been established ages ago. But this will take time. Mind you, we might meet two different types of people; type A would instantly agree, seek Allah’s forgiveness, and repent. Whereas, type B would never admit that they are wrong, and would be taken by pride and arrogance, which is far from being typical of true Muslims. Similarly, when Allah (The Exalted) ordained His Apostle (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) to offer prayers (which originally started with fifty prostrations), his reply was “we hear and we obey”, and when it was reduced to five, the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) never asked why. So, it is typical of a true Muslim to yield to rightfulness. To admit one’s faults is a virtue, and a Muslim must shy away from pride.
Now, back to our topic of reciting Surat Ya-Seen by the graves of dead people:
According to sheikh Muhammad Nasirid-Deen Al-Albani, who has spent his lifetime studying ‘ Vituperation and Emendation’, a type of theology dealing with the narrators of prophetic traditions, there is no authentic prophetic tradition as the above. Al-Albani says that some narrators are “trustworthy”, “dishonest” and “deniers of the prophetic tradition”. He has also assembled prophetic traditions and classified them into two series; one for the authentic, and the other for the suspicious and fabricated ones; there, he has collected all prophetic traditions and explained why some of them are flawed.
The titles of his volumes are ‘Series of Suspicious and Fabricated Prophetic Traditions and Their Negative Impact on the Nation’. In volume I of Al-Maarif Library Edition, there is quote No. 169 on page 12, which reads:
“Everything has a heart, and Surat Ya-Seen is that of the Qur’an. He who reads it is like reading the Qur’an ten times”.
At-Tirmidhi labeled this quote as fabricated on the authority of Tirmidhi (26:4) and Darmi (406:3) and reported by Hameed Ibn Abdul-Rahman reported by Al-Hasan Ibn Saleh, from Haroun Ibn Muhammad, from Muqatil Ibn Hayyan, from Qatada, from Anas, ascribed to the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him).
At-Tirmidhi described it as a flawed quote reported by one narrator. He added that this ‘Haroun Ibn Muhammad’ is actually unknown. In the same Surah, it reads that the quote was reported by Abi Bakr, who is also suspicious. And in the same Surah, it reads that Abi Huraira reports it. Al-Albani says: “I said this quote is reported by one narrator, there are no indications to its flawlessness. Rather, it is even more than suspicious due to this ‘Haroun’”. They even said that this quote has no validity or grounds at all. Al-Albani said that this quote has marred As-Siyuti’s book and As-Saboony’s digest, who claimed that they never quote the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him) unless they were positive about the authenticity of the quote. Yet, unfortunately, this was not true! This shows how disappointed As-Sabuni was with As-Siyuti for the latter’s ascribing a faulty quote to the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him).
We do follow the Qur’an as a whole, as well as Surat Ya-Seen. But, we never put in the Prophet’s mouth (May Allah’s Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him) words he never said. The reason why I am referring to this quote is to take us back in time to the controversial argument over the creation of the Qur’an, which erupted during Ibn Hanbal and Ash-Shafiee’s time. Claiming that the Qur’an has a heart would entail that it was created; and a created creature must die, and so on and so forth. I am sure you all know how the strife of the Qur’an’s Creation took place.
As for volume III of the same series, this very same quote is written, but with a different narration (this quote has many different narrators and has been rephrased differently)… quote No. 1246: “He who enters a cemetery, then recites Surat Ya-Seen, would reduce the anguish of the deceased, and would be rewarded as many rewards as the number of the people buried in that cemetery” (fabricated).
(On the authority of Ath-Thaalabi, ascribed to the Prophet, May Allah’s Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him). Al-Albani describes this quote as an unjust ascription, filled with flaws, and was never proven authentic. He also said that this Abu Ubaida Ibnu Mueen is unknown. As for Ayyub Ibnu Mudrak, he was someone who was unanimously described as suspicious and even labeled as ‘liar’. Al-Albani says that this Ayyubi is the only drawback of this quote.
Looking at the content of the quote “…and recited Surat Ya-Seen, he would reduce the agonies of the deceased”, we would find that logically speaking, it must read “agonies would be reduced”, not “he would reduce the agonies of the deceased”. So who does the reduction? Is it the reader of the Surat! What about Allah! So, even the content is faulty. Suffice it to say that the narrator is a liar and is actually nobody.
Let me assure the viewers that death is much easier than you might have been thinking. It is preordained to all creatures, so all we have to do is increase our own facets of faith.
Let us preview another quote of those mentioned in al-Albani’s series of suspicious quotes. In volume XI, quote No. 5219 says, “He who dies and has someone recite for him Surat Ya-Seen after his death, Allah would reduce his agonies”, (fabricated).
This quote is the most widespread of all. Its drawback is the one who fabricated it, who was described as a liar and denier. In order to confuse the hearer, he said, “The Sheikhs said”. What he did has actually disclosed his lying, for the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him) is not included in those Sheikhs he referred to. So who are those Sheikhs? Al-Albani says: “Apparently, they are a group of At-tabieen (i.e., the followers). Had the quote been reported by them, I would have said it was narrated by a sole proper narrator”.
Accordingly, we ascertain that the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him) never said anything concerning reciting Surat Ya-Seen over the dead. We are not against reciting this Surah in particular. The point is we do not want to put in the Prophet’s mouth (May Allah’s Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him) words he never said. We must not be in favor of some verses of the Qur’an on the expense of others. Or believe in some and abandon others. For this is not typical of Islam, Allah says: “Who have made the Qur’an into parts”.
We just want to inform you that you may like any Surah, but never put words in the Prophet’s mouth (May Allah’s Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him). One day, I was asked: “what do you think of Surat Al-Ikhlas? Didn’t the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him) say it equals one third of the Qur’an?”
I regularly say that verses and Surahss of the Qur’an are dealing with three main hubs; monotheism, resurrection and the truthfulness of the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him), as well as some other aspects, which may be embedded into those three. Saying that Surat Al-Ikhlas equals one third of the Qur’an implies that it is tackling monotheism, which is but one of the three hubs we talked about. So if I read Surat Al-Ikhlas, say, three times, am I going to be equalized with someone who has read ten parts of the Qur’an? Of course not; for every letter written in the Qur’an equals a reward, and as the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) said: “I am not saying that Alif Lam Meem is considered as a letter. Rather, Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter, and Meem is a letter too”. This quote sounds as if the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) is emphasizing this science of separate letters, with which some Surahs of the Qur’an start. These separate letters take center stage in the arguments and controversies of many exponents. It also sounds as if the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) is telling us that his words are actually derived from the Qur’an. Insha Allah, in the next episodes, we shall talk elaborately about the separate letters of the Qur’an.
Unfortunately, some people are fabricating lies against the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him). What they are actually doing is confusing Muslims; some say that if they ever felt wronged by someone, they would read Surat Ya-Seen in reverse and invoke Allah to harm that person. What about Islam? What about tolerance and forgiveness? Were we not supposed to tell whoever did us wrong “may Allah grant you forgiveness!” is it right for us to use Surat Ya-Seen in order to harm others, especially non-Muslims?
When we are reading Surat Ya-Seen, we must do so wholeheartedly for one reason; it is a Surah of the Qur’an. We must never be in favor of a certain Surah over the others. We must never use Allah’s favoring Surat al-Fatiha as He says, “I have divided prayer between Me and My servant”, and the fact that He has made Surat al-Fatiha a must in every prayer, as a pretext for us to do so. In response to that, we must say that it is Allah (The Exalted) Himself, Who has preferred Surat al-Fatiha, not us; we just have no right to prefer some Surahs over the other. Some people might ask that if we are not entitled to recite Surat Ya-Seen over the deceased, what else should we do? Suppose a good man passed away. He had no one around him but a group of illiterate women, who do not know the Qur’an by heart, and do not know how to read the Qur’an. Does this mean that the deceased is ruined, and is doomed to hell-fire? Of course not!
We have to consider the essence of death, and realize that it is the only way out for us to move to the afterlife. This fact must be well established within ourselves. We must see death as the only thing that will take us to the afterlife and would enable us to meet with Allah (The Exalted). Without death, we would never be able to meet Him. To love death has nothing to do with the longing to meet Allah. And we have to like death, for it is the only thing that would help me meet with Allah. There is this prophetic tradition which says: “He who longs to meet Allah, Allah would long to meet him, and he who loathes to meet Allah, Allah would loathe to meet him”.
When an individual dislikes death, it does not mean that this person hates death itself for being death, rather it is the judgment and punishment that he/she is afraid of.
Therefore, we must accept death as well as the fact that it is preordained by Allah, and in Surat Al-Mulk, it was precedent over life Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed . Basically, the word ‘life’ in the Qur’an denotes two kinds of life; the worldly life, and that of the afterlife. Death is actually the only way that could lead us to the afterlife. Let us imagine that death does not exist, and people who were born back in Adam’s days are still alive till now. A philosopher once said that had there been no death, and had mankind as a whole been alive from Adam’s time until now, a group of wise people would appear, and select some people to be killed. Allah the Almighty should never be questioned about what He is doing. Thus, we must wholeheartedly accept death for a fact. Take the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) for instance; had we been true Muslims, we would never be grieved for the loss of anyone after we have lost him (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him)? Even in the noble Qur’an Allah tells the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him): “Verily, you (O Muhammad) will die and verily, they (too) will die”.
Submission requires reason, weighing matters, and contemplation. Could anybody stop a living creature from dying? Submission is the only option we have. We have to accept and get ready to death. Death is actually the strongest soldier of Allah, whereas mountains are one of the strongest soldiers of Allah. ‘Jibal’, the Arabic word for mountains, written in the Qur’an, denotes a great deal of strength and might. For, by Allah’s will, it is the mountains, which are keeping the earth firmly fixed. Allah says in the Glorious Qur’an: “Had We sent down this Qur’an on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rending asunder by the fear of Allah”.
If this Qur’an, which has conveyed to us the concept of death and life, had been sent down on a mountain or man, they would both humble themselves and submit, for humility and submission are but traits characterizing the believers, “The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts”. The strongest soldiers of Allah are the high mountains. Yet, these mountains could be defeated by iron. Iron could be melted with fire. Fire could be distinguished with water. Clouds could carry water. Wind could disperse clouds. Man could defeat wind. Yet, intoxication could defeat man. And death could defeat sleep. Thus, the strongest soldier of Allah ever is death, for it is undefeatable.
So we have to learn our lessons. And every Muslim must sincerely long to meet Allah and go to paradise. What is actually going to lead me to Allah is death, so how could I possibly hate it! And when I am in a situation where there is a dying person, I should learn my lesson and should look for some deeds that would bring me closer to Allah. When we are telling people not to recite Surat Ya-Seen over the dead, it is just because there is no authentic prophetic tradition that says so. Rather, the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) told us to read a particular Surah, which is going to defend us when we are dead, namely Surat Al-Mulk; we are told that when one reads it day in day out, and knows what it means, he/she will definitely be defended by this very Surah.
We have to read the Qur’an in succession. As we said earlier, we start with Surat al-Fatiha and end up with it too, i.e., we never stop at Surat An-Nas. And as we conveyed to you, the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) said, “The best of you is he who ends to begin”. Just accept death for a fact and admit that it is a creature like all creatures; it falls asleep and does what other creatures do. Just be prepared for it, and adjust yourselves to Allah’s meeting, and abide by what the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) said to his daughter Fatima “Work hard, for not even I could be of use to you other than Allah. Do not let others come to me with their good deeds, whilst you would come to me with your lineage. He who has been hindered by his deeds, his lineage would never be able to speed him up”.
So one should never say that my father is a cleric or the likes. Take for example, when the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) went to see a dying young man. He asked him “How are you doing?” The young man replied, “I aspire to the mercy of Allah, but my sins are frightening me”. The Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) said, “These two never gather in one’s heart unless this person is promised forgiveness”. Therefore, we have to have both fear and hope. Death is inevitable; we have to accept and endure the pain left by the loss of our loved ones. Mind you, there is no one more precious than the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him), which is the highest type of submission to Allah. Back in the Prophet ‘s time (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him), we can see that the Prophet (p.b.u.h) never recited Surat Ya-Seen over any dead Muslim or companion. As Muslims, we must follow the example of the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) and hang on to his authentic Sunnah.
Viewers’ Questions:
First Question: One of the sister viewers asked about the differences between fatwas issued by different scholars. How can we distinguish between them and which should we take? Our Arabic language is not good enough to make us understand what the books explaining the Qur’an say.
Dr. Hedayah’s answer was as follows:
The differences amongst scholars about any matter the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) did not deal with, are possible. He added that Muslim heralds suffer from huge kinds of burdens. Whatever they say, no matter how faulty it is, people would believe it. Sometimes we hear someone say that the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) did not explain the Qur’an. In answer to that, we ascertain that he did explain the Qur’an but within the available means back then; i.e., he explained some verses and left those concerned with cosmological and scientific signs. After the Prophet’s death (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him), many exponents attempted to understand and explain these verses. So, it is wrong for us to say that the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) did not explain the Qur’an. Sadly, there are some scholars who would disagree for the sake of some personal motivations. The duty of preachers and heralds is to work for Allah’s cause, not theirs; they have to grasp the question as well as the one posing it and other things that may affect the answer. Differences in views are but an everlasting fact that would stay on until the Day of Judgment.
To answer this sister’s question, you could go to any mosque in your vicinity, where there is a sheikh or a preacher that you trust. I think this nation has a lot of good to give. And keep in your mind that what is lawful is conspicuous as well as what is forbidden, and everything in between is dubious. Differences of views are actually concerned with these dubious matters.
Second Question: Another sister viewer asked about the prophetic tradition, which reads “I was shown the Hell-fire and that the majority of its dwellers were women, and I was shown paradise and that the majority of its dwellers were the poor”, when the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) was asked “ why O Apostle of Allah?” he replied “They curse excessively, and are ungrateful to their husbands”. What does this quote mean?
In answer to this question, Dr. Hedayah said:
This quote is not an action ascribed to the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him), it is only said as a warning for women to avoid hellfire. Besides, when the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) said this, he was not referring to the believers; rather he was referring to women in general. Next episode about paradise, we shall tackle this topic more elaborately, Insha Allah. The words of the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) would answer this question; he said, “When women fast the month of Ramadan, never commit fornication, and offer the five compulsory prayers, they would be asked to choose any of the eight gates leading to Paradise”. Thus, a good and pious woman would never dwell in hellfire. Also, the Prophet’s description of women as cursing excessively and being ungrateful to their husbands was a habit of Arab women at the time; i.e., a man may be so good to his wife, but once he irritates her, she would forget all the good things he had done to her, and would get mad at him; this is actually a fact proven by psychologists.
The Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) said “may Allah grant His mercy upon a man who would be tolerant whenever he sells, buys or makes a decision”. The word ‘man’ here, actually denotes both man and woman. Similarly, a Muslim sister once asked me about a supplication, does she have to say, “O Allah, I am your servant” or “female servant”? I told her to say the supplication according to its original form, which is said by the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him), for the word ‘abd’ (= servant), denotes both men and women. Besides, we are not entitled to change the original form of the supplication. The words ‘abd’ and ‘ibad’, which stand for ‘servant’ and servants’ respectively, refer to both males and females as Allah (The Exalted) says: “And the slaves of the Most Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness”. And every time ‘believers’ are mentioned in the Qur’an, women are also included. A woman could be the wife, the mother, or the daughter. Basically, women carry the heaviest burden ever on their shoulders, namely reforming this nation within the next stage, for they are the ones who are responsible for the coming generations.
As for the poor, there is another fabricated quote saying that the majority of paradise dwellers are the fools; it is obvious that it is fabricated.
Third Question: Came from a female caller who asked about the booklets containing some Qura’nic verses such as Surat Ya-Seen, Ad-Dukhan, and Al-Kahf that are usually circulated for the benefit of a dead person. She also asked about the authenticity of the prophetic tradition, which describes Surat Ar-Rahman as The Bride Of The Qur’an. Her final question was about the practicing Muslim who would sense death whenever he/she offers a prayer. Could this be a good sign?
Dr. Hedayah’s answer was:
Muslims must always think of death, for this is a sign of faith and submission to Allah. A man who drinks alcohol, and fornicates also fears from death, yet Satan adorns his evil deeds. We must always keep death in our minds, and follow the example of the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him), “Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for him”, for he never retired to bed without offering his ablution, he used to lie on his right side and say “ in the name of Thee, O Allah I laid on my side and in Thy name too, I would raise it. O lord if you seize my soul, have mercy on it, and if you send it back, bestow Thy protection on it as You would do to all Thy good servants”. This very supplication is actually derived from Allah’s words 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. He keeps those (souls) for which He has ordained death and sends the rest for a term appointed. Verily, in this are signs for a people who think deeply” (Az-Zumar: 42). The Prophet’s words are always based on the Qur’an. There is this Qudusi Hadith, ascribed to Allah that the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) used to say when he would retire to bed, filled with submission to Allah’s will, – this Hadith says: “the soul would either be back to the body, or would be taken away”. So had we been eager for our salvation, we must follow the example of the Prophet (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him).
As for the quote describing Surat Ar-Rahman as the Bride of the Qur’an, it is also fabricated. I must say that these booklets are ruining this nation, for they tend to divide the Qur’an, take some Surahs and abandon others. Instead of circulating these booklets, which are dividing the Qur’an, why not circulate other religious booklets written by Muslim scholars?
The episode was concluded with a supplication to Allah recited by sheikh Abdullah As-Saadi: “We say there is no deity worthy of worship other than Allah, as many times as the number of creatures who have walked in heaven and on earth. Praise be to Allah, Who has the keys to happiness. How frightened shall we be, had all doors in front of us been slammed. And how hopeful shall we be, when all ropes are cut, and we are distanced from our loved ones. O my Lord, I have found You full of mercy, so how could I not beseech You! I have found that You are my Only help and sanctuary, so how could I not invoke You! If you would break me off from you, who else could I turn to! And if you helped me out, who else could do me harm! If You had mercy on me, who else would be able to torture me! If You have preordained to save me, who else would be able to hurt me! If You have bestowed me with sound body, who else would be able to sicken me! If You have distanced me, who else would bring me closer! O Allah, You are the One Who eases all sufferings, records all that is said, and acts everyday in a different way. Get us out of this hardship and take us to the widest path. We seek refuge in You from what we can handle and what we cannot. O Allah have mercy on us when we are no longer alive, and carried inside boxes on men’s shoulders and are covered with dust. O Allah, have mercy on us when we are down our graves. O Allah, keep us steadfast in this worldly life and the hereafter. O Allah grant us the enormous mercy of Yours which would spare us the trouble of asking for others’ mercy. O Allah, have mercy on our parents. O Allah show us your everlasting mercy and bestow forgiveness upon us. O Allah accept our repentance, wipe out our sins, forgive our blunders, and disclose not our flaws. O Allah You are the most generous. You are the Omnipotent. Allah’s Peace and Blessing be Upon Muhammad (May Allah’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him), all his family and companions.”
This episode was broadcasted on 20th June 2004.