Welcome Aboard Fly Air Janazah

When we are leaving this world for the next one, it shall be like a trip to another country.
Where details of that country won't be found in glamorous travel brochures but in the Holy Qura'an and the Hadiths.

• Where our plane won't be Indian Air Lines, British Airways, Gulf Air or Emirates but Air Janazah.
• 
  Where our luggage won't be the allowed 30 Kgs but our deeds no matter how heavy they weigh.

• You don't pay for excess luggage. They are carried free of charge, with your Creator's compliment.
• Where our dress won't be a Pierre Cardin suit or the like but the white cotton shroud.
• Where our perfume won't be Channel, Paco Rabane, but the camphor and attar.
  

Where our passports won't be Indian, British, French or American but Al Islam.
Where our visa won't be the 6 months leave to stay or else but the "La Illaha Illallah". Where the airhostess won't be a gorgeous female but Isra'iil and its like.

Where the in-flight services won't be 1st class or economy but a piece of beautifully scented or foul smelling cloth. Where our place of destination won't be Heathrow Terminal 1 or Jeddah International Terminal but the last Terminal Graveyard.

Where our waiting lounge won't be nice carpeted and air-conditioned rooms but the 6 feet deep gloomy Qabar. Where the Immigration Officer won't be His Majesty's officers but Munkar and Nakeer. They only check out whether you deserve the place you yearn to go.

Where there is no need for Customs Officers or detectors. Where the transit airport will be Al Barzakh. Where our final place of destination will be either the Garden under which rivers flow or the Hellfire. This trip does not come with a price tag. It is free of charge, So your savings would not come handy. This flight can never be hijacked so do not worry about terrorists.

Food won't be served on this flight so do not worry about your allergies or whether the food is Halal. Do not worry about legroom; you won't need it, as our legs will become things of the past. Do not worry about delays.

This flight is always punctual. It arrives and leaves on time.

Do not worry about the in-flight entertainment program because you would have lost all your sense of joy. Do not worry about booking this trip, it has already been booked (return) the day you became a foetus in your mother's womb.

Ah! At last good news! Do not worry about who will be sitting next to you. You will have the luxury of being the only passenger. So enjoy it while you can. If only you can! One small snag though, this trip comes with no warning.

When we are leaving this world for the next one, it shall be like a trip to another country.
Where details of that country won’t be found in glamorous travel brochures but in the Holy Qura’an and the Hadiths.
Where our plane won’t be Indian Air Lines, British Airways, Gulf Air or Emirates but Air Janazah.

• Where our luggage won’t be the allowed 30 Kgs but our deeds no matter how heavy they weigh.
• You don’t pay for excess luggage. They are carried free of charge, with your Creator’s compliment.
• Where our dress won’t be a Pierre Cardin suit or the like but the white cotton shroud.
• Where our perfume won’t be Channel, Paco Rabane, but the camphor and attar.
• Where our passports won’t be Indian, British, French or American but Al Islam.
  

Where our visa won’t be the 6 months leave to stay or else but the “La Illaha Illallah”. Where the airhostess won’t be a gorgeous female but Isra’iil and its like. Where the in-flight services won’t be 1st class or economy but a piece of beautifully scented or foul smelling cloth. Where our place of destination won’t be Heathrow Terminal 1 or Jeddah International Terminal but the last Terminal Graveyard. Where our waiting lounge won’t be nice carpeted and air-conditioned rooms but the 6 feet deep gloomy Qabar.

Where the Immigration Officer won’t be His Majesty’s officers but Munkar and Nakeer. They only check out whether you deserve the place you yearn to go. Where there is no need for Customs Officers or detectors. Where the transit airport will be Al Barzakh. Where our final place of destination will be either the Garden under which rivers flow or the Hellfire.
This trip does not come with a price tag. It is free of charge, So your savings would not come handy. This flight can never be hijacked so do not worry about terrorists. Food won’t be served on this flight so do not worry about your allergies or whether the food is Halal. Do not worry about legroom; you won’t need it, as our legs will become things of the past. Do not worry about delays. This flight is always punctual. It arrives and leaves on time. Do not worry about the in-flight entertainment program because you would have lost all your sense of joy. Do not worry about booking this trip, it has already been booked (return) the day you became a foetus in your mother’s womb.

Ah! At last good news! Do not worry about who will be sitting next to you. You will have the luxury of being the only passenger. So enjoy it while you can. If only you can! One small snag though, this trip comes with no warning. Are you prepared…..you better be ! Please spread the truth and Insha-Allah our Muslim brothers & sisters will understand and practice the guiding principles, whatever way they can afford to uphold our believe of our religion Islam in this world and in the hereafter.
There once lived in Basrah a prolific and profoundly spiritual worshipper whose fear of the Hereafter caused him to become physically weak, and whose constant crying made him skinny and sick. When he was on his deathbed, his family gathered around him, and they all began to cry.

• “Help me sit up.” He said. He addressed his father first: “O my father, what is making you cry?”
• “My son,” began his father, “I remembered that I will lose you, and that I will be alone after you die.”
• The worshipper then turned his gaze towards his mother and said, “O my Mother, what is making you cry?”
• “I am crying because I will soon have to taste the bitterness of losing you,” she said.
• He then turned to his sister and asked, “what is making you cry?”
• “Because I will soon lose out on your kindness and will consequently have to depend on others for help,” she said.
• Finally, he looked at his children and asked, “what is making you cry?”
  

“The prospect of hard and humiliating life of being orphans after you die,” they said. Now it was his trun to cry. “And what is making you cry?” everyone asked.

“I am crying because I saw that each one of you cried for his or her own self, and not for me, he said. Is there none among you who cries for the long, hard journey I am about to embark upon, and the few supplies (i.e. good deeds) that I have for it? Is there none among you who cries because I will be lying down in dirt? Is there none among you who cries because I will be held accountable (and might have to endure punishment)? Is there none among you who cries because of when I will stand before the Lord of all that exists (for judgement)?” He then rolled over onto his face, when they tried to move him, they realised that he had just died.

The blessed Companion Aboo Sa’eed Khudri radiyallahu anhu narrates that the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam said, “Prompt the dying among you to say (the kalimah): Lã ilãha illallãh (I declare that there is no god but Allah).” (Muslim)

The blessed Companion Ma’qil Ibne Yasãr radiyallahu anhu narrates that the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam said, “You should recite Soorah Yãseen over the dying among you.” (Musnade-Ahmad, Aboo Dãwood, Ibne Mãjah)

• IN THE AGONY OF DEATH
  

Turn the face of the dying person towards the Qiblah. Let him or her make the following prayer, “O Allah, forgive me and have mercy on me and have me join higher companions.” (Tirmizi)

• RULINGS
  

1. Soon after the signs of death become obvious, make the dying person lie on his back with the Qiblah on his right. Turn the face slightly towards the Qiblah, raise the head a little by placing a pillow or some other head-rest, in which case also, the dying person will be considered as facing the Qiblah. But leave the dying person as he is if he feels uncomfortable while being made to face the Qiblah. One should sit down close by and say loudly, “Ash’hadu allã ilãha illallãhu wahdahoo lã shareeka lahoo wa ash’hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhoo wa rasooluh.” (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. He is One, there is no partner with Him; and I bear witness that Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wasallam is His Servant and His Messenger.) Given his condition, do not ask him to recite the kalimah, for that is a time of great trial – who knows what he might say under stress.

2. After the dying person has recited the kalimah once, leave it at that. Do not try to make him say the kalimah non-stop in an effort to see that he breathes his last whilst reciting it. For, the purpose is simply to make sure that the last words he says should be the kalimah. It is not at all necessary that the recitation of the kalimah continues right through the last breath. However, should he return to the mundane and the ordinary concerns of life, start reciting the kalimah again. When he, taking the cue, recites it, then be silent.

3. When breath loses its momentum and starts heaving faster and legs sag down, unable to stay up and the nose-top turns aside and the temples collapse inwards, take these signs to be the certain knock of death. At this time, start reciting the kalimah in a raised voice.

4. Reciting Soorah Yãseen lightens the hardship of death. Recite it sitting on the side of his head or anywhere else near the body, or ask someone else to do it.

5. At a time such as this, say nothing which may divert his attention to the concerns of worldly life, for this is the time to leave the mortal world and be present in the majestic Court of Allah Almighty. Do say that which turns his heart away from the concerns of the mortal world and diverts it towards the thoughts of his Creator, for it is here that the well being of the dying lies. At a time like this, bringing his children and family members before him, or anyone else he loved most, or to remind him of things or people in a nostalgic manner causing him to be swamped in the thoughts of loves lost, is a terrible thing to do to him. It is not nice that he says farewell to his life in the world so bound by its fond memories.

6. If, at the time of death, some unfortunate remark bordering on kufr (the denial of Faith) escapes the lips of the dying person, feel or say nothing about it. Instead, take it to be a slip of his reason under the stress of approaching death. When man loses his reason, he stands forgiven for his sayings and deeds. Keep praying that Allah Almighty forgives him.

7. When death comes, all concerned should say, “Innã lillãhi wa innã ilayhi rãji’oon” (Surely to Allah we belong, and to Him we are to return) and make the following prayer, “O Allah, help me in my hour of trial and replace it for me with what is better.” (Tirmizi)

8. When death becomes obvious and certain, take a strip of cloth, wide enough to pass under the chin, bring it on to the head, tie a knot, then close the eyes gently and pray, “I begin with the Name of Allah while being faithful to the Religion of His Messenger sallalahu alayhi wasallam. O Allah, make his matter easy on him and that which he is to face after death, and make him the blessed beholder of Thy Sighting, and make that to which he has departed better than what he has departed from.” (Durre-Mukhtãr)

9. Then straighten hands and feet, bring toes of the feet close together and tie them with a strip of cloth. Then, throw a sheet over the dead body and place it on a cot or a flat wooden bunk. Do not leave it lying on the ground. It is advisable to place some weight on the stomach lest it inflates. Allow no impure persons (in need of a bath, including women in conditions that exempt them from offering Salãh etc.) near the dead body.  (Durre-Mukhtãr)

Now inform relatives and friends of the deceased so that they can all participate in his funeral prayers.

10. Some incense (such as oblibanum, lobãn or Frankincense), if available, may be placed near the deceased.

11. Reciting the Qur’ãn near the deceased before the washing of the body is not correct.

12. All funeral arrangements including the shrouding of the dead body have to be made very quickly. Start with locating a gravesite and the preparation of the grave. Collect everything needed for the stages of washing, shrouding, funeral and burial.

13. If a person dies on a Friday, it is better to make all arrangements and bury the deceased before the Jumu’ah congregational Salãh. Holding on to the prepared body with the thought that there will be a lot of participants in the Janãzah salãh after Jumu’ah is makrooh (detested). (Shãmi)

• LET THERE BE NO WAILING OVER THE DECEASED
  

It has been related in a Hadeeth that once the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam paid a visit to a Sahãbi who was on his deathbed. Seeing him in that condition, the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam broke in tears. When people saw him in that state, they too started weeping. He then said to them, “Listen to me O people, and listen well. Allah Almighty certainly does not apprehend the weeping eye and the hurting heart, for a Servant of Allah has no control over these.” Then, pointing to the tongue, he added, “But a mistake made by this, that is, on intentional mourning and wailing, He punishes, and on reciting ‘Innã lillãhi wa innã ilayhi rãji’oon’ (To Allah we belong and to Him we are to return), and on raising hands of prayer and on seeking of His Forgiveness, He bestows His Mercy.” (Bukhãri, Muslim)

• KISSING THE DECEASED
  

After the deceased has been given the required ghusl (bath), it is permissible to kiss the deceased under intense desire to express love or personal devotion as it was with the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam when he kissed ‘Uthmãn Ibne Maz’oon radiyallahu anhu and wept. Very similar to this, the noble Companion Aboo Bakr radiyallahu anhu kissed the forehead of the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam after his departure from this mortal world. (Zãdul-Ma’ãd)

• ALL FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS SHOULD BE SWIF
  

It has been narrated that once the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam came to visit Talhah Ibne Barã radiyallahu anhu when he was sick. Seeing his critical condition, he said to the people around him, “I feel that the time of his death has arrived. If it does come to pass, I should be informed and funeral arrangements be made with haste, for it is not appropriate that the dead body of a Muslim be left amidst his family members for long.” (Aboo Dãwood)

‘Abdullah Ibne ‘Umar radiyallahu anhuma narrates that he heard the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam saying, “When one among you dies, do not keep him in the house for long. Make haste in taking him to the grave and burying him.” (Bayhaqi, Shu’abul-Imãn)
The final state of a person at the time of death is what matters in the Hereafter. In this article, we discuss some of the causes for both good and evil sealing states, and how a person’s inner traits will dominate at the time of death.

In a hadith transmitted by Ibn Abi ’al-Dunya in his Commanding the Good and Forbidding Evil from Abu Umama (Allah be pleased with him) the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to his Companions (Allah be pleased with them): “How will your situation be when your women become tyrannical, your youth become transgressors and you abandon striving and jihad in the path of Allah?” They asked, “Will that really occur? The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Yes, by the One in whose hand my soul is, something even worse than that will occur.” They said, “What could be worse than that, O Messenger of Allah?”

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said; “How will your state be when you stop commanding the good and you stop preventing the evil?” They said, “Is that something that will occur?”

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “How will it be when you will begin to consider the good as evil, and when you will begin to consider the evil as good?” [They were shocked] and said, “Is that truly to occur, O Messenger of Allah?”

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Yes, of course. Allah says that I swear by Myself that I will spread such a trial in the land that even the wise ones among you could become lost.”

This hadith tells us of a gradual change in perspectives among people as their righteous behaviour diminishes and they eventually confuse what is good for what is evil, leading to a state where even those known for their wisdom have become lost. At present, we are living through, and witnessing, many of the things which the hadith describes. The point to ponder is that, if Allah has not saved us from these evils, then we may already be guilty of considering what is good according to the Shari‘a to be evil, and what is evil according to the Shari‘a to be good.

There is another hadith in which the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “A servant does work like that of the people of Paradise until there is a short distance left between him and Paradise, when the destiny written about him by Allah (May He be glorified and exalted) [through his eternal knowledge] overcomes him, and he perpetrates an act of the people of Hellfire, and thus enters the Hellfire. Then, there are certain servants who do the actions of the people of Hellfire all their life, until there is a very short distance remaining between them and the Hellfire, until the destiny written about them by Allah (May He be glorified and exalted) overcomes them and they do an act of the people of Paradise and thus they enter into Paradise.”

An explanation of this hadith is that some people’s actions are considered evil based on how they are perceived by other people and other people’s actions are considered good based on how he or she is viewed by others. However, there is something hidden inside the individual that eventually overcomes him or her, which is why the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said that what is really taken into consideration is the final sealing state of an individual at the time of their death (innama ’l-a’mal bi ’l-khawatim).

• The above hadith indicates that what really matters is husn al-khatima or su’ al-khatima.
• Husn al-khatima means a good sealing state, and su’ al-khatima means a bad sealing state
  

These terms do not refer to what a person has been doing all life long, or how they appeared to be in the sight of others, but rather to the state that they are in at the time they leave this world, their sealing state. This is why the scholars mention that the evil sealing state is such that, even though a person’s actions may appear to be very virtuous, this evil sealing state occurs due to an inner trait which was concurrent with the good that a person did in front of others. Whilst it was perceived that these actions were good, there remained something inside the individual which concurrently occurred or was a regular habit but which was not expressed in front of others. This inner trait was evil and eventually took over, leading one to commit an act of the people of the Hellfire. Likewise, many people who seem to be disobeying the Shari‘a for long periods in their lives have within their hearts much goodness which has not yet dominated and is just waiting to surface and appear in their external actions. Due to the existence of these good qualities, which are pleasing to Allah (May He be glorified and exalted), a person’s goodness can become dominant before he or she passes away.

The Companions (Allah be pleased with them) knew the system of Allah and therefore always remained concerned, primarily about how they would be viewed by Allah regarding their actions. One of the greatest believers and close Companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him), who is considered the second greatest man after Abu Bakr. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) would often say, “Have I been regarded (by Allah) as a hypocrite? Will I die with an evil sealing state?” He would ask Huzayfa (Allah be pleased with him) if his name was included in the list of the hypocrites that was given to Huzaifa (Allah be pleased with him) by the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). He was constantly worried despite having to his credit so many acts of worship and so many conquests. ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) knew that the inner dimensions of a person are what matter and not the external, apparent actions; and that one should be content with the former.

Here is a supplication that is commonly known: “O Turner of the hearts, establish my heart on your Din, keep it firm on your Deen. You are the turner of hearts.”

We should ask Allah to keep our hearts sound and firm on the Deen because we do not know how and when things could change, and we could become guilty of being boastful about our achievements and this could be the cause of our downfall. This is why having humility, being humble, is always important.

The great scholars have highlighted a few major causes of a bad sealing state. One of the main causes is intoxicants. This could be of any form, including drinking, smoking or the taking of drugs, because intoxicants can overcome a person’s rationality and can affect one’s ability to focus or to be conscious of one’s actions.

‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Rawwad says, “I was present when somebody was in the last moments of their life. They were being encouraged to say Laa ilaha illalaah, but the person refused to say it. The final statement the person then uttered was: “He is a disbeliever in what you are saying!”

So ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Rawwad enquired about him, and was informed that, although he did not do it in public, this man was given to drinking in small amounts. This is what overcame him in his last moments. It was then that ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Rawwad advised that one must beware of committing any sin as that is what had caused this person to have this ending.

The scholars mention that a sign of a good sealing state is perspiration at the time of death, and another sign is contentment or satisfaction at the time of death, evidenced by a smile on the face of the person despite the way in which he or she has died. An example of this comes from the stories of martyrs, who may have been killed in a gruesome way, but on whose faces can be seen peace and a sense of happiness.

There are numerous occasions where Allah opens up these kinds of states for his pious servants, blessing them with a vision, and making their state apparent to people around them so as to inspire and encourage others to do good because they have seen the person’s life, and now they see their state at death.

It is related about ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak (Allah be pleased with him) that when death was approaching him, the people around him were saying Laa Ilaaha Illallah. ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak looked up towards the heavens and said, “For the like of this do the people work all their life.” He was given an unveiling of what Allah had kept for him in the Hereafter.

The story of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (Allah be pleased with him) who was a caliph for about two years and six months, was able to change the whole order and system of the time for the better. At the time of his death, people were gathered around him, and he said to them, “Leave me, nobody should remain here.” Thereafter, the people moved away and sat outside his doors. ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (Allah be pleased with him) was heard saying, “Welcome to these faces. These are not the faces of the human or jinn.” He then recited an ayah of the Qur’an: “That is the abode of the Hereafter which we designate for those who do not want to cause tyranny or corruption in this world. Well-being is only for those who have the fear of Allah.” Then ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (Allah be pleased with him) breathed his last.

Allah (May He be glorified and exalted) does not deprive or humiliate his pious servants who have worked hard all their lives to please Allah, neither in this life, nor in the Hereafter. When Allah loves a person, He will place for them acceptance in the world. People will begin to love them.

Anas (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “When Allah intends good for someone, He uses him (or takes him for his service).” The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was then asked, “How will Allah use him?” The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied; “Before death, Allah will give him the tawfeeq (divine Guidance) to do something good.”

In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “When Allah wants something good for someone, He will use him.” The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was asked, “How will Allah use him?” The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied, “Allah will inspire him to do a good action, which he will do before his death, so much so that his neighbours and those people around him will become happy with him.”

Regardless of what a person does or who they are in front of, Allah will select a person and desire good for him and give him the ability to do good actions for his Deen before he dies. That action will then be a means of accomplishment and acceptance for the individual in the sight of Allah, and thus he or she will leave this world with a good sealing state.

We must ask Allah (May He be glorified and exalted) to use us for some form of good work for the Deen, regardless of our area of work or profession. One may think that “I am not capable of giving lectures or calling people towards Allah,” or other commonly known deeds that we see others doing. Do not fear. Regardless of your capabilities, ask Allah to open the doors of guidance. Whatever you do, Allah will guide you to some way in which you are able to do some good work that will be the cause of Allah’s being pleased with you and the people being pleased with you as well. If you already have tawfeeq to do good actions, whether this is through da’wah, or benefitting society through some community work, then ask Allah (May He be glorified and exalted) to accept it, make it a truly genuine and sincere, and ask that you be accepted for the service of His Deen.

Allah (May He be glorified and exalted) gives tawfeeq to his pious servants who have strived and worked hard all their lives to please Him and have done service for His Deen, enabling them to do good actions at the time of death. Ultimately what matters is what is going to happen then and how death will arrive. It is important to remember that it is not only the scholars or learned people who are able to achieve this good sealing state. It is not only through preaching or giving lectures that one can be of service to the Deen. There are numerous ways in which we can benefit humanity, things that we can do to assist and make it easier for people to worship Allah. The options are limitless.

• May Allah accept us and use us in the service of His Deen.
• May Allah make our actions until the end like the actions of the people of Paradise.
• May Allah protect us, and forgive us, and may He remove the hidden defects inside us and the hidden and apparent sins.

• May Allah give us tawfeeq to recognise virtue and to follow it.
• May Allah give us tawfeeq to recognise evil and to abstain from it.
• May Allah give us a good sealing state.
• And Allah is glorified and exalted.

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Funeral Rites and Regulations in Islam

All praise is due to Allah All-Mighty, the Ever-Living Who said: "Every soul shall taste death." And may His peace and blessings be upon His slave and final Messenger, our beloved Prophet Muhammad who himself tasted death. The one who said: "Always remember the destroyer of pleasures - Death." The topic between your hands is a
very important one, given that most certainly 

every human being will taste death, just as the prophets, kings, rich, poor, young, old, and nations of the past experienced. By the grace of Allah, Islam has provided a complete set of instructions for the dying individual, those who are present at the time of death, as well as those responsible for burying the deceased. These regulations and exhortations should be common knowledge among Muslims, since death often occurs when it is least expected. This article attempts to provide the reader with a concise compilation of rules and regulations regarding funeral rites in accordance with authentic Islamic teachings.

• What to do for a dying and dead person
  

1. Gently but firmly advise and prompt the dying person to say the Shahaadah - the declaration: Laa ilaaha illa-Allah, which means there is no true god except Allah. This prompting in Arabic is known as Talqeen. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: "Prompt your dying ones to say 'Laa ilaaha illa-Allah.' Whoever last words at the time of death was Laa ilaaha illa-Allah will enter Jannah (Paradise) one day, irrespective of what happens to him prior to that." The talqeen is necessary only when the dying person is unable to utter the shahaadah.

Muslims are also encouraged to be present when non-Muslims are dying in order to present Islam to them. This permission is conditioned by the absence of any signs of shirk or acts of disobedience to Allah. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) visited a Jewish youth who used to serve the Prophet (s.a.w) during his fatal illness. He (s.a.w) sat by his head and said to him: "Embrace Islam, embrace Islam." He looked at his father as if to take his permission. His father said: "Obey Abu Al-Qaasim (i.e. Muhammad)." He took his advice and died immediately thereafter. The Prophet (s.a.w) said: "All praise be to Allah who has saved him from the Fire," and commanded his companions to pray the funeral prayer over him.

2. It is recommended to supplicate and say good words aloud in the presence the one who is dying. These positive words make the process of dying easier, and recovery from illness more bearable. The Prophet (s.a.w) said: "If you are in the presence of a sick or dying person, you should say good things, for verily the Angels say 'Aameen' to whatever you say."

The practice of reciting Surat Yasin in the presence of the dying person or dead person is based on weak prophetic reports, having no basis in the authentic Sunnah. Neither the Prophet (s.a.w) nor his companions did it, or recommended that it be done. Those who observe the practice of reciting Yasin over the dead do so in light of the hadith: "Yasin is the heart of the Qur'an. Whoever recites it seeking the pleasure of Allah and the Hereafter will receive Allah's forgiveness. So recite it to your dead." Concerning this hadith, Ad-Dar al-Qutni is reported to have said: "In the chain of narrators of this hadith there is confusion. Its text is obscure and is not correct." Another practice which has no foundation in the practice of the Prophet (s.a.w) and his companions, is turning the body of one who is dying so that he or she faces the Qiblah (i.e. the Ka'bah in Makkah). Turning the body became a custom after the time of the Prophet's companions, but was objected to by leading scholars of that time.

3. After a person's soul leaves his body, a person from amongst those who are present should close the eyes of the dead person if they were open at the time of death. The Prophet (s.a.w) said: "When the soul is taken, the eyesight follows it." Also, the entire body of the deceased should be covered, except for the one who dies in a state of Ihraam - that is, whilst performing Hajj or 'Umrah, in which case the head and face should not be covered.

4. The relatives of the deceased must hasten in paying back any debts from whatever wealth he or she has left behind, even if it means that all of their wealth will be exhausted. Jabir ibn 'Abdullah reported that after a man once died, he was washed, shrouded, embalmed, and placed where the funerals are usually placed for the prayer.

The Prophet (s.a.w) was invited to perform the funeral prayer. He came in, took a few steps, stopped and asked: "Perhaps your friend owes some debt?" He was told: "Yes, two dinars." So he moved back and said: "You pray for your friend." Abu Qatadah (r.a) said: "O Messenger of Allah, I will take care of the two dinars."… The Prophet (s.a.w) prayed the funeral prayer for him. The following day, the Prophet (s.a.w) met Abu Qatadah and asked him: "What happened with the two dinars?" He replied, "O Allah's Messenger, he only died yesterday." On the next day, he (s.a.w) asked him the same and was informed that they had been paid off. So the Prophet (s.a.w) said: "It is now only that his skin has cooled down (i.e. from the punishment." This hadith indicates that paying the deceased's debts benefit him after death.

• Weeping and Mourning over the Dead
  

Muslim scholars agree that weeping for the dead is permissible, whereas crying out loud and wailing are not. The Prophet (s.a.w) said: "The one who is wailed for is tortured on account of it." Abu Musa is reported to have said: "I declare my disavowal of all that Allah's Messenger disavowed. The Messenger of Allah disavowed publicly a woman who mourns loudly, one who shaves her head, and the one who tears her clothes in mourning." It is permissible for a woman to mourn for a period of three days over the death of a near relative. The Islamic term for mourning is Hidaad. Mourning for more than three days is not permitted except in the case of her husband's death. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: "It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn over a dead person more than three days, except for her husband, where she mourns for four months and ten days." A women whose husband has must observe what is known as the 'Iddah -

The waiting period before she may remarry, which is four month and ten days. During this period a widow is not permitted to use any adornment, such as jewelry, kohl (eye-makeup), silk, perfume, or henna dye on her hands and feet. A widow during her 'iddah is permitted to leave her home to fulfill her economic and social needs. If for example she works to sustain her family, she may continue to leave her home daily for the period of work. Apart from leaving the house for necessities and social visits to relatives and friends, a widow during her 'iddah should pass the night in her own home until her term lapses, that is, she is not to sleep outside of her house.
Condolences

Offering condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased is an important act of kindness, which was displayed by the Prophet (s.a.w). When consoling a Muslim, it is important to remind the bereaved of the triviality of this life, that everything belongs to Allah, and that one should submit patiently to the decrees of Allah. It is also beneficent to make him hopeful of Allah's mercy toward the beloved one that he lost, and that by the will of Allah he or she will be united with the deceased on a Day after which there is no parting. What better words to say to the desolated then those taught by Allah's final Messenger (s.a.w): "Innaa lillaahi maa akhathaa wa lillaahi maa A'taa, wa kullu shay-in 'indahoo li ajalin musammaa." This means: "To Allah belongs what He took, and to Him belongs what He gave. Everything is recorded with Him for an appointed term." Offering condolences is not limited to three days, and could be extended for as long as there is a need for it. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) consoled Ja'far's family after three days had passed.

A very common practice is gathering to offer condolences to the deceased's family and relatives in the graveyard, house, or mosque. This is a heretical action that has no basis in Islam. Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali said: "We (the companions of the Prophet) considered gathering for visiting the deceased's family, and preparing food after burying them, both acts of wailing." Imaam ash-Shafi said: "I dislike gatherings, even if there is no wailing or crying. For it only renews the family's feelings of sorrow and puts burdens on their food supplies." Some Muslims also commemorate the first, third, seventh, twentieth, or fortieth day following someone's death. This has absolutely no basis from the Qur'an or Sunnah.
Preparing the Body

There are a number of rites that Muslims must hasten to perform as soon as a person dies. The Prophet (s.a.w) said: "Hasten the funeral rites." Preparing the body for burial is a Fard Kifaayah - A communal obligation on Muslims. Washing the dead body prior to shrouding and burial is obligatory, according to numerous recorded instructions given by the Prophet (s.a.w). Preparing the deceased begins with the washing of the body.

As a general rule, males should take the responsibility of washing males, and females should wash females. The only exception to this rule is in the case of husband and wife, or small children. The evidence given that it is permitted for a husband to wash his wife and vice versa is the hadith collected by Ibn Majah and others. Aisha (r.a) reported that when the Prophet (s.a.w) returned from a funeral at al-Baqee', she was suffering from a headache and said: "Oh my head." The Prophet (s.a.w) replied: "No, it is I who am in pain from whatever hurts you. If you were to die before me, I would wash you…" Furthermore, when Abu Bakr (r.a) died, it was his wife Asmaa' along with his son Abdur-Rahmaan who washed him.

Those who take on the responsibility of washing the dead should be the most knowledgeable of the procedures, preferably from amongst the immediate family members and relatives. If relatives are unavailable, it is recommended that those who wash the body be among the pious. Washing a dead person is a meritorious deed that Muslims should be encouraged to take part in. The Prophet (s.a.w) said: "He who washes a Muslim and conceals what he sees (i.e. bad odors, appearance, and anything loathsome), Allah grants him forgiveness forty times (or for forty major sins)…" For this reward to be considered, a Muslim should only seek Allah's pleasure, and not thanks, pay, or any other worldly reward. Taking a bath after washing the body is an important hygienic measure introduced in Islam. However, there is difference of opinion amongst the scholars whether it is wajib (mandatory) or not to perform ghusl (ritual bath).

The correct opinion and Allah knows best is that is not compulsory. This is based on the hadith: "You are not to take a bath after washing your deceased, because he is not najis (filthy). It is sufficient that you wash your hands."
Manner of Washing

Firstly, the body should be carefully laid on its back on a washing table. A large towel should be placed over the 'awrah (private parts, between the navel and the knee) of the deceased. Next, the clothing of the deceased should be removed, cutting whatever is not easy to slide off. The joints should be loosened, and slight pressure may be applied to the abdomen to expel any impurities that are close to exiting.

The private parts of the deceased should be washed very well. A rag or cloth should be used to wash the body and the washing should begin with the places on the side of the body washed during wudu' (ablution). After completing the wudu, the hair should be thoroughly washed. Any tied or braided hair should be undone. Next, the body should be washed a minimum of three times and the water should have some cleaning agent in it, such as soap or disinfectant. The final washing should have some perfume in it, such as camphor or the like. There is no harm in washing the body more than three times if there is a need to do so, however the total number of complete washes should be odd. Umm 'Ateeyah said: "Allah's Messenger (s.a.w) came to us while we were washing his daughter and said, 'Wash her three, or five, or more times, using water with lote-tree leaves, and put camphor in the last washing.'" The body should then be dried and the hair combed. The body is now ready for shrouding.

In the case of a martyr, their body should not be washed at all. Concerning the martyrs, the Prophet (s.a.w) said: "Do not wash them, for verily every wound will emit musk on the Day of Judgement." The following practices are amongst common innovations related to washing: Clipping of the nails and shaving of armpit or pubic hair, pressing hard on the stomach to expel impurities, stuffing cotton into the throat, nose and anus of the deceased (This is only permissible if the body has a continuous leak.), saying a specific phrase for every part of the body that is washed, and the present people making a loud thikr while the body is washed. We seek refuge with Allah from ignorance.

• The Kafan - Shroud
  

The next procedure after washing is the obligatory act of shrouding the entire body. It is allowable for the deceased to be wrapped with one or two sheets. The preferable number is generally considered to be three, given that the Prophet (s.a.w) was shrouded in three. The preferable colour of the shroud is white. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: "Wear white clothes, for verily it is among the best of your garments, and shroud your dead in it also." It is not permissible to be extravagant in shrouding the dead. The sheets should be ordinary cloth, and the number of sheets should not exceed three. It is recommended that the shroud be perfumed with incense, except in the case of a person who died in a state of ihraam. The clothing of one killed on the battlefield is not to be removed. It is recommended to shroud the martyr with one or two sheets over their clothes as the Prophet (s.a.w) did for Hamzah and others.

• The Funeral prayer
  

The performance of the funeral prayer over a Muslim, known in Arabic as Salaat-ul Janaazah, is a communal obligation - Fard Kifaayah. If someone is buried without it being performed, the whole community incurs a sin for not having fulfilled this obligation. A child born dead or aborted dead after four month, or one that dies before puberty, does not have to have a funeral prayer. This is in light with the hadith of Aishah who said: 

"The Prophet's son Ibraaheem died when he was eighteen months old, and the Prophet (s.a.w) did not make (funeral) salaat for him." Although it is not obligatory in this case, it is still recommended as it was done by the Prophet (s.a.w) on other occasions. Likewise in the case of those killed on the battlefield, such individuals may be buried without the performance of Salat-ul Janazaah, as was the case with the martyrs of the battle of Uhud. However, the funeral prayer may be performed for martyrs, given that the Prophet (s.a.w) did perform it over those who died in battle on other occasions.

The funeral prayer should also be held for those known to be corrupt, such as drug addicts, alcoholics, adulterers, and the like. In their case it is preferred that the scholars and the pious not take part in the funeral prayer as a punishment for them and deterrent for others like them. It was the practice of the Prophet (s.a.w) not to pray for those who committed major sins, allowing others to partake in it.

It is preferable to pray the funeral prayer outside of the mosque, in a place designated for that, known as the Musallah. This was the most common practice of the Prophet (s.a.w). The funeral prayer may be carried out in the mosque, however praying it outside the mosque was the predominant practice of the Prophet (s.a.w). It is permissible to pray Janaazah (but not other prayers) in a graveyard, either away from the graves, or in an area designated for that. It is also permissible to perform the funeral prayer over a grave, after burial, in two situations: If the dead person was buried before performing the prayer; or if he was buried before giving chance to the Muslims to perform the prayer. This was done by the Prophet (s.a.w) over a black woman who used to clean the mosque.

The reward and benefits for offering the funeral prayer is very great for both the deceased and the one who performs it. Allah's Messenger (s.a.w) said: "Whoever follows a funeral procession and offers the prayer for the deceased, will gain one Qeeraat of reward. And whoever follows it and remains with it until the body is buried, will get two Qeeraats of reward, the least of which is equal in weight to Mount Uhud." And he (s.a.w) also said: "Whenever a Muslim man dies, and forty men pray over his janaazah, none of them joining anything with Allah in worship, Allah grants them intercession for him." The only way the Prophet (s.a.w) and his companions offered the funeral prayer was in congregation.

It is preferable that those behind the Imaam form at least three rows, even though the rows may not be complete, as this is the Sunnah. The Imaam should stand facing the Qiblah behind the head of the dead man and behind the middle of the dead woman.
The Imaam begins the prayer with takbir. It is possible to do either four, five, six, seven, or even nine takbirs, as all of them have been recorded in authentic hadiths and acts of the companions. With the uttering of takbir, it is permissible to either raise one hands with each takbir, or to do so only for the first takbir based on different sound narrations. After each takbir, the hands should be placed on the chest, as one would do in regular prayer. After the first takbir, Surat al-Faatihah should be recited. It is also permissible to recite another small chapter after it. The recitation should be done in a quiet voice. After the second takbir, the prayer for the Prophet (s.a.w) should be made, similar to that said before one ends their salaat.

After each of the remaining two or more takbirs, sincere prayers (du'a) should be made for the dead and their relatives. There are different invocations narrated by the Prophet (s.a.w) found in books of supplication one can choose from to say. After the final takbir comes the tasleem - giving greetings of salaam, as one does in regular prayer (salaat) to conclude their prayer. One may do so by making tasleem to both the right and left sides, or the right side only, as both have been authentically transmitted.


If a Muslim dies in a land where there are no Muslims to pray the funeral prayer over him, then in this case it is permissible to perform the prayer for him in another land. This is known as salat-ul Ghaa-ib - The prayer of an absent person. This is what the Prophet (s.a.w) did when news reached him about the death of an-Najaashi, the ruler of Abyssinia at that time, and a Muslim who concealed his faith. Some scholars took this action of the Prophet (s.a.w) as a sunnah and permission for Muslims to pray for everyone who dies afar. This is the opinion of Shafi and Ahmad. Other scholars took this incident as a special case only applicable to the Prophet (s.a.w) and no one else.

This is the opinion of Abu Hanifah and Maalik. The correct opinion and Allah knows best, is that if the funeral prayer was not performed in the land where the person died, it is permissible to pray salat-ul Ghaib. The Prophet (s.a.w) prayed for an-Najaashi because it is appears that the prayer was not performed for him, given that he died amongst the disbelievers.
Visiting Graves

It is recommended to visit the graves for the purpose of getting admonishment and remembering the hereafter. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: "I forbade you from visiting graves, but now you may visit them, for in visiting them there is a reminder of the hereafter." It is totally forbidden to associate the visit with anything that would anger Allah (s.w.t), such as supplicating to the dead, invoking their assistance, wailing, or other types of shirk and sinful actions.

Difference of opinion exists amongst Muslim scholars concerning the permissibility of women visiting graves. The soundest opinion and Allah knows best is that they are allowed to visit the graves. This is the opinion of Imam Malik, some Hanafi scholars, al-Hafiz ibn Hajar, al-'Ayni, and according to one report from Ahmad.

This view is based on several reports including the above-mentioned hadith, whereby the Prophet's (s.a.w) statement recommending to visit the graves is addressed to both males and females. It is also centered on the hadith of 'Abdullah ibn Abi Mulaikah who said: "Once, 'Aishah returned after visiting the graveyard. I asked, 'O Mother of the Believers, where have you been?' She said: 'I went out to visit the grave of my brother Abdur-Rahmaan.' I asked her: 'Didn't the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) prohibit visiting graves?' She said: 'Yes, he did forbid visiting graves during the early days, but later on he ordered us to visit them.'"

Another hadith that supports this view is the hadith in which Aishah (r.a) asks the Prophet (s.a.w) about what to say when she visits the graveyard. The Prophet (s.a.w) replies with a supplication to say, and does not advise her otherwise. Also in the hadith collected by Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (s.a.w) passed by a woman crying by the grave of her son. He advised her to fear Allah and be patient…Had it been forbidden for women to visit graves, Allah's Messenger (s.a.w) would have told her that, as it is not from the character of the Prophet (s.a.w) to keep silent about prohibited actions. Although it is allowed for women to visit graves, it is not recommended that they visit frequently.

The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: "Allah (or Allah's Messenger) curses the women who frequently (visit) the graves." Muslims are allowed to visit the graves of disbelievers for reflection, however they are not allowed to participate in the funeral rites of non-Muslims.
We ask Allah Most High to grant us with authentic beneficial knowledge, and to bestow upon us the understanding of His deen. We ask Him to give us the strength and support to remember Him, praise Him, and to perfect our worship - Aameen.
Source:   missionislam.com  [External/non-QP]

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The Life of this World is Fleeting Enjoyment

 "Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children. (It is) like a rain (Ghayth), thereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller; afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw. But in the Hereafter (there is) a severe torment, and (there is) forgiveness from Allah and (His) pleasure. And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment."

• Allah the Exalted degrades the significance of this life and belittles it by saying,
•   "that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children." 
• Meaning, this is the significance of this life to its people, just as He said in another Ayah,
  

  "Beautified for men is the love of things they covet; women, children, much of gold and silver (wealth), branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land. This is the pleasure of the present world's life; but Allah has the excellent return with Him." ( 3:14 ) 

• Allah the Exalted also sets a parable for this life, declaring that its joys are fading and its delights are perishable, saying that life is,
• "Like a rain (Ghayth)," which is the rain that comes down to mankind, after they had felt despair. Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah,
•   "And He is it Who sends down the Ghayth (rain) after they have despaired." 
  

• Allah's statement,
  

•   "thereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller;"
  

meaning that farmers admire the vegetation that grows in the aftermath of rain. And just as farmers admire vegetation, the disbelievers admire this life; they are the most eager to acquire the traits of life, and life is most dear to them,

•   "afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw."
  

Meaning, that vegetation soon turns yellow in color, after being fresh and green. After that, the green fades away and becomes scattered pieces of dust. This is the parable of this worldly life, it starts young, then matures and then turns old and feeble. This is also the parable of mankind in this life; they are young and strong in the beginning. In this stage of life, they look youthful and handsome. Slowly, they begin growing older, their mannerism changes and their strength weakens. They then grow old and feeble; moving becomes difficult for them, while doing easy things becomes beyond their ability. Allah the Exalted said,

  "Allah is He Who created you in (a state of) weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength gave (you) weakness and gray hair. He creates what He wills. And He is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful."

This parable indicates the near demise of this life and the imminent end of it, while in contrast, the Hereafter is surely coming. Those who hear this parable should, therefore, be aware of the significance of the Hereafter and feel eagerness in the goodness that it contains,

  "But in the Hereafter (there is) a severe torment, and (there is) forgiveness from Allah and (His) pleasure. And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment." 

Meaning, surely, the Hereafter that will certainly come contains two things either severe punishment or forgiveness from Allah and His good pleasure.

• Allah the Exalted said,
  

•   "And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment."
  

Meaning, this life is only a form of enjoyment that deceives those who incline to it. Surely, those who recline to this life will admire it and feel that it is dear to them, so much so, that they might think that this is the only life, no life or dwelling after it. Yet, in reality, this life is insignificant as compared to the Hereafter.

Al-Bukhari collected this Hadith through the narration of Ath-Thawri [Fath al-Bari 11:328]. This Hadith indicates the close proximity of both good and evil in relation to mankind. If this is the case, then this is the reason Allah the Exalted encouraged mankind to rush to perform acts of righteousness and obedience and to avoid the prohibitions. By doing so, their sins and errors will be forgiven and they will acquire rewards and an exalted status. Allah the Exalted said,

  "Race with one another in hastening towards forgiveness from your Lord, and Paradise the width whereof is as the width of the heaven and the earth." 

• Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah,
  

  "And march forth in the way (to) forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who have Taqwa."

• Allah said here,
  

  "prepared for those who believe in Allah and His Messengers. That is the grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He is pleased with. And Allah is the Owner of the great bounty." 

Meaning, "This, that Allah has qualified them for, is all a part of His favor, bounty and compassion." We mentioned a Hadith collected in the Sahih in which the poor emigrants said to the Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, "O Allah's Messenger! The wealthy people will get higher grades and permanent enjoyment." He asked, "Why is that?" They said, "They pray like us and fast as we do. However, they give in charity, whereas we cannot do that, and they free servants, whereas we cannot afford it." The Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said,

  "Shall I tell you of a good deed that, if you acted upon, you would catch up with those who have surpassed you? None would overtake you and be better than you, except those who might do the same. Say, "Glorious is Allah," Allah is Most Great", and "Praise be to Allah", thirty three times each after every prayer."

They later came back and said, "Our wealthy brethren heard what we did and they started doing the same." Allah's Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said,

•   "This is the favor that He gives to whom He wills." [Muslim 1:416]

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Names & Attributes of God, An Islamic Point of View

Prior to the modern age very few people disputed the fact that the world has a creator. This fact was for them as obvious as a logical truth or an observed phenomenon. They only differed about the nature of this creator and about the appropriate attitude people should have towards Him. But now the very existence of a creator is disputed. Why? This is not an easy question to answer. However, I tend to agree with those contemporary writers who trace the origins of modern atheism in the West to the ideas of some influential Western philosophers, some of whom were themselves believers. But these ‘believer’ argued in such a way as to make people at least doubt , if not reject, some of the facts belief in which used to be considered of the essence of being rational.

Good reasons for belief in the Creator, whether they be strictly rational or otherwise, used to be related to those facts. Belief in God was based on the fact that there was something in our nature and in the nature of the world which points to a transcendent Creator whom we should worship. The claim of the new thinking was that our world is in every respect a closed system that cannot therefore point to anything outside itself. The first step toward this separation of heaven and earth was perhaps Descartes’ mechanistic conception of the world in which it is claimed that it is possible to explain natural phenomena by reference to matter and motion and their laws. Hume widened the distance between heaven and earth by claiming that the causal principle by which we make such explanation of natural 

phenomena was nothing but observed regular succession. God cannot therefore be a cause since His creation or effect, is not observed to occur after Him. Kant took the final step by arguing that the concept of causation cannot apply to anything outside the world of our experience. This atheistic philosophy then became, as it were, the official philosophy of science. And since ordinary people, and even many scientists, do not see the distinction between the facts which science establishes and the philosophies which scientists adopt, especially when such philosophies become popular among great scientists, this atheistic philosophy was believed by the public to be the philosophy which science demands or even the philosophy whose truth it has establish.

Many believers accepted the atheistic assumptions of this philosophy but nevertheless maintained their belief in God hoping to find a place for Him in the realms which science could not yet conquer. But the atheists argued, with some strength, that since science was rapidly progressing in giving us “rational” explanations of phenomena which we used to believe to the works of God, it was only a matter of time before everything would be so explained, thus driving God completely out of our world.

The severance of the relation between God and the world was thus, on the one hand, a result of a new conception of the nature of our world. But on the other hand it led some believers to a new conception of the nature of God. God, as a result of this new thinking became more and more of an abstract idea rather than a living person. But this in its turn strengthened the atheistic trend. Who is interested in a God that is a mere idea, who has no active role to play either on the level of our intellects and behavior or on the level of nature.

But the idea that our world is a closed system, that it does not point to transcendent creation, has received a serious blow from the big bang theory, which is being more and more accepted by scientists as the most plausible scientific cosmological theory. According to this theory our natural world had a definite beginning. And if so it would not be illegitimate to ask: Who started it? But this means that the world itself is telling us that it is not self-sufficient, i.e., it is pointing to something beyond itself. But this fact, as we said earlier, was taken for granted by early thinkers. They did not have to wait for a twentieth-century scientific theory to prove it. Almost everything around them pointed to the fact our world had a beginning, and could not therefore be self-sufficient.

I think that it will soon be obvious that those who denied the existence of the Creator cannot support their claim by any scientific facts. But mere belief in the existence of a creator is not of much consequence. We need to know who this creator is so that we can establish appropriate relations with Him, relations that would make a difference in our life.

It is to this end that thinking believers should henceforth direct their energies. We must overcome the pre Big Bang complex which induced many of us to think of God as an abstract idea, and start expounding and defending the ordinary believer’s conception of Him as a living and loving Person.

I believe that there is much in the writings of early Muslim theologians, especially those of the Sunnite School, from which all those who believe in the existence of the Creator can benefit in this respect. And it is towards this end that I am writing the rest of this paper. I shall attempt to give contemporary believers an idea about the way early Muslim theologians thought about an issue in which we are still interested, namely, the nature of God and His attributes.

There were three major views concerning the nature of divine attributes among Muslims. These are the views of the mujassima or anthropomorphists, mu’attila or negators, and the muthbita or affirmers:

The physicalistic or anthropomorphistic view likens God to a huge human being, and thus attributes to Him the human form of attributes like hearing, seeing, speaking, having eyes, etc. The difference between Him and ordinary human beings, according to this view, is not of kind but of degree. Only a few influential people held such a view in the history of Islam, and they were immediately condemned as idol worshippers. Since this view is no longer taken seriously by any contemporary believers, it need not detain us. The only important point to mention here, because it relates to the two following views, is the reason behind such a view, i.e., the assumption that only physical things with which we are familiar exist, and since God exists He must be physical in this sense, and his attributes cannot but take the forms of those of physical things.

The negators’ view assumes that all the attributes we express in the Arabic language or any other human language are attributes of physical existents. But God is not physical. When He attributes to Himself, in the Quran, things like hearing, seeing, being above His throne, having hands or eyes, etc., He is addressing us in the only language we can understand, but He is not using words describing these qualities in any real sense. What are we then to understand by such words and expressions when we use them in relation to God? Nothing, according to the extreme advocates of this view. This view, though it was not known until about the third century of Islam, soon became, especially in its milder forms, very influential and popular among many theologians and educated Muslims. It is sometimes wrongly assumed to be the only alternative to the first view.

The affirmers’ view says that when God describes Himself as being capable of seeing, hearing, etc., He is using these words in a real sense, because God really sees and hears. He has a real face and real hands. But since “nothing is like Him”, His attributes, though real, are not like the attributes of human beings or any other created things. This is the view of the early generations of Muslims and of all the great Sunnite ‘ulama’ who followed in their footsteps. It is, I believe, the view of all believers in their hours of worship. But it is no longer popular among theologians and “modernist” believers. One reason for this, as I have said, is that it is confused with the anthropomorphist view, which is obviously untenable. It is this view which I am going to briefly expound and defend against the second view.

Does God exist? The extremist advocates of the second view would refuse to answer in the affirmative, because existence in the real sense is ascribed, in their view, to natural things only. Since God is not like them we cannot even describe Him as existent. What is He then? We cannot say anything positive about Him, they say: we can only say what He is not. The affirmer says that by refusing to liken Him to any physical existent, you end up likening Him to non-existents because it is only in reference to non-existents that we cannot say anything positive.

A contemporary philosopher might think that what the negators are saying is that it is a categorical mistake to describe God as existent and therefore it would be equally wrong to describe Him as non-existent. The affirmers may respond that: we did not say that negators liken God to non-existents merely because they refused to describe Him as existent, but because of their argument for doing so, namely, that nothing positive can be said about God. Our claim is that this description applies only to non-existents.

The affirmers say, more over that the claim that a category mistake is being committed must be supported by showing that the nature of the thing to which a certain attribute is wrongly applied is different in at least one relevant aspect from the things to which this attribute is rightly applied, i.e., that they belong to different categories. But to claim that two things belong to different categories you must know something positive about each one of them. If the only thing you know about one of them is that nothing which applies to anything applies to it in a real sense, you are saying that it belongs to the category of nothingness.That is why the famous Imam Ahmad said in replying to the Jahmiyyah, a very influential school of negators, that a thing which is not like anything else is not a thing at all Admittedly, there is a verse in the Qur’an which says that “Nothing is like Him”

The Jahmiyyah took this to be a Qur’anic support for their negativist view, but this verse does not say that nothing which is said of other things can be said of God, in any real sense. That is why after saying that “Nothing is Like Him,” it goes on to say “He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.” All that the verse is saying is that God is not to be likened to His creation. But you do not liken Him to them by merely saying that He exists and they exist, or that He knows and some of created things know. You do so only if you take His existence to be as ephemeral and dependent as the existence of created things and that His knowledge is to be as limited as theirs.

The Affirmers’ second objection to the negators refusal to describe God as existent is that anyone who takes such a belief seriously cannot really worship God. How can a person worship, love, fear, turn for guidance to, depend on, or pray to something about which he cannot say, even to himself, that it exists? This is not to say that they do not actually worship God; many of them do, but only at the expense of their theoretical standpoint.

The third objection is that since as Muslims you read the Qur’an and believe in its divine source, what do you understand by expressions which attribute to God things like knowing, hearing, acting, creating, speaking, seeing, etc.? Some negators would say that since God is completely different from anything we know. His real attributes cannot be couched in human language because human languages are necessarily confined to things which fall within our sense experience. But since this language is the only one we understand, God is using it to give us a glimpse of something which is really beyond our comprehension.

The question is how our human language can succeed in giving us even such a glimpse. If the words and expressions of our language do not apply to God in any real sense, then they cannot convey to us anything about Him. And in that case, God would be revealing to us a mere string of words which have no meaning. But no one who really believes in God would attribute to Him such a folly. On the other hand, if they do convey to us even a glimpse, there must be a relationship between them and the real attribute of God.

Other negators would acknowledge the existence of such a relation, but would say that the words are used in their metaphorical and not in their real sense. For example, when it is said in the Qur’an of God that He sees or hears, what is meant is that He knows [III] because seeing and hearing in their real senses apply to animals only. There are three objections to this view.
It can easily be shown that to see is linguistically different from to hear, and both are different from, though related to, knowing. 

If it is claimed that all the words of our language are used in the metaphorical sense when they apply to God, this would lead either to an infinite regress or an impasse. If every word or expression in our language had a metaphorical sense, then once a word, say is used in a sacred book to describe God, we must look for its metaphorical sense, but that metaphorical sense must be expressed in yet other words whose metaphorical senses are expressed in other words and so on, ad infinitum. But if you stop the regress by giving some words their real meanings, you violate your principle.

If the claim is that this applies to some and not all words and expressions describing God, then a valid argument must be given to the difference between the two. But no such argument exists. The truth is that, as Ibn Taymiyyah showed clearly in his ar-risalatu at-tadmuriyyah, whatever is said of some Divine attributes can be said of the others, as we will presently show.

This leads us to a milder version of negationism. Propounders of this milder version are ready to attribute to God things like existence, knowledge, life, power, will, seeing and hearing in their real sense, but would take as metaphorical attributes such as love, pleasure, anger and hate. The reply to a person who makes such a distinction between these two classes of attributes – affirming the former and denying the latter – is to say “there is no difference between what you affirmed and what you denied. What applies to one of them does indeed apply to the other. If you say that His will is like the will of human beings, so also would be His love and pleasure. But this is anthropomorphism. But if you say that He has a will that suits Him just as a human being has a will that suits him, it will be said to you: He also has a love that suits Him, and an anger that suits Him; and the human being has an anger that suits him” ”If one interprets things like love, hate and anger in an anthropmorhistic way, we say that the same can be said about will, knowledge and power.

People like Ibn Taymiyyah, the author of the above quotations, are often mistakenly described by their opponents and by some modern scholars as being literalists, or even worse, anthropomorphists. Those who say this assume that the only alternative to negationism or allegoricalism is literalism or anthropomorphism. But it is clear from Ibn Taymiyyah’s statement that when he affirms that God loves or hates in a real sense and not in a metaphorical sense, he is not, thereby, likening Him to human beings. He rejects the view that language cannot be used in a real sense except when it applies to created things. He thinks that some descriptive words have general meanings which as abstract meanings do not apply to anything in particular, whether it be human or divine. But when they are used to describe a particular, then they describe something which is peculiar to the particular in question [VII]. For example, if we describe two persons, X and Y, as “learned”, the connotation of “learned” when it applies to X is not the same as its connotation when it 

applies to Y. Does this mean that all words are equivocal? No, by no means. Ibn Taymiyyah thinks that though the referents are different, the word has an abstract meaning that is common to both referents. This, he thinks, applies even in the case of God. When we describe Him as loving, for example, we are not likening Him to Human beings, i.e., we are not saying that he loves in the same way as humans love. It is wrong, he insists, to think that the real meanings of such words are their meanings when they apply to human beings. Descriptive words, as such, are neutral. They take their specific forms according to the particulars which they describe. And just as there are differences between particular created things, there are differences – and greater ones – between God and the world of created things.

How do we know about the attributes of God? According to the school of Ahl as-Sunnah, also called the “people of affirmation,” some of the Divine attributes can be known by reason alone, though most of them are known by revelation also. Other attributes of God are not known except through the Divine revelation to God’s chosen Prophets or Messengers. Those which can be known by reason alone may be divided into three categories: God’s attributes as existent, His attributes as a living being, and His attributes as a creator and the object of our worship.

It is of paramount importance to see the difference between the attributes of something as an existent and its attributes under other descriptions or headings. Failure to see this has led both believers and atheists into confusion about their conceptions of God. The mistake starts when either the theist or the atheist assumes that all the attributes of the physical are limited to its attributes under this physical description. Once this mistake is committed, it is easy to argue from it that since God is not physical, nothing which is said of physical things can be said of Him in any real sense. Thus, Lenin, seeing that the progress of science was creating havoc for the materialists’ conception of matter, thought of defining the latter in a way which no scientific discovery could render obsolete. He came to the conclusion that the material was anything that existed objectively, i.e., 

outside our mind.But, this is not a definition of the material; it is a necessary condition of every existent. If communists took Lenin’s definition seriously, the difference between them and the believers would be only verbal, i.e., whether it is proper to say of God that He is material or not. But they do not take their own view seriously. In fact, they insist on having their cake and eating it. Thus, if you tell them that you are ready to say that God is material according to their definition of this word, because you believe that He exists objectively, they would react by asking you to show Him to them, thus reverting back to an earlier definition of the material.

Because material things exist objectively, and God is not material, then His existence must be only subjective. It seems that Lenin argued in this way. Some theistic theologians argued in a manner that is rather similar to this. In their attempt to exalt God above all material things, they ended up depriving Him of the very necessary attributes of the existent thus making Him a mere word that designates nothing.The Ahl as-Sunnah were very much against this trend, and they dubbed the people who followed it mu’attila, i.e., negators. In contrast the Ahl as-Sunnah called themselves the people of ithbat, i.e., affirmation. The negators talk of God only in negative terms: All they say about God is that He does not have the attributes that material things have. The affirmers, on the other hand, believe that the basic attributes of God are positive ones. The negative attributes which God is said not to have are only the negations of these positive attributes and what is logically implied by these negatations.

They think that as a Creator, God must exist and exist objectively. To exist objectively God must have all the attributes of objective existents. God must therefore be somewhere and cannot thus be everywhere. Why not? Because to be everywhere is to fail to be distinguished from other existents and thus not to have a special identity.To believe that He is everywhere leads, moreover, to yet other absurdities. If God was everywhere before He created some things, then where did He create them? To say that He created them inside Himself is absurd.To say that He created them outside Himself contradicts the statement that He is everywhere.To say that God shrank to leave some space for them is absurd. At least it contradicts the assumption that He is infinite. It also leads to the absurdity that whenever anything passes out of existence God extends Himself to fill the empty space.

Where is God then? The Ahl as-Sunnah do not hesitate to answer that He is above His throne in heaven. Does this mean that He is limited? If by this is meant His person, then the answer is yes. But although His person is confined to a particular “region”, His power, knowledge and other attributes are not so limited. God is in heaven, but His power and knowledge are everywhere. He cannot in this sense; therefore, he said to be limited.

The negators believe that God cannot at all be known by the five senses because they thought that to be thus known is to be physical. The affirmers agreed that He cannot be observed by us while we are in this world. But this is not because it is in His nature not to be observed; it is rather because of our own present nature. There are verses in the Qur’an and the authentic sayings of the Prophet Muhammad which affirm that believers shall behold God in the Hereafter. In fact, beholding Him would be their greatest joy. They would be able to behold Him because their nature would be different from what it is now.

The affirmers do not depend on this religious argument alone. They also believe that it is a contradiction in terms to say that something exists objectively and yet cannot, in principle, be observed. It is only non-existents which cannot in principle be observed, or as al-Darimi says, “a thing which cannot be observed, yudrak, by any of the senses, is nothing” [IX]. As an existent, then, God must exist outside our minds, i.e. He cannot be a mere idea or an abstract concept. Secondly, He must have some defining qualities [X]. Thirdly, He must exist in a “place”, that is distinct from places occupied by other existents. [XI] Otherwise, He would be one with them and hence could not be anything in His own right. Fourthly, He must be in principle observable.

God is not only an existent. He is a Living existent. And as a Living existent He must have the attributes of willing, knowing, seeing, hearing, etc. In short, God must have all the attributes which living things necessarily have as living things, and not because of their materiality or animality.

But God is the Creator of everything. As such He must be eternal and hence self-sufficient, unique and perfect. All the other attributes that He has must be seen in the light of these basic attributes.Thus if we say that He knows, His knowledge must be different from that of any of His creatures in that it must be knowledge which is not preceded by ignorance and thus acquired through the senses or any other means. And so on. The same must be said of all the other attributes. That is why it is one of the pillars of the Muslim faith to believe that God is unique in His person as well as in His attributes. Just as none of His creation resembles Him, so none of their attributes resemble His attributes. And so while we know the meanings of the divine attributes, we do not know their modality or the form which they take when they apply to His unique person.

Some of the attributes of God we cannot know except through His own words revealed to chosen prophets. In Islam these words are confined to the Qur’an and the Sunnah, the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.These sources attribute to God things like being above His Throne, having hands, smiling, etc... The negators take all these attributes to be metaphorical, but the Ahl as-Sunnah’s position is to affirm about God whatever He affirms about Himself in the Qur’an or through His prophet without tashbih, i.e., likening Him to created things, or ta’til, i.e., explaining away His attributes as metaphorical. We understand them, affirmers say, in the light of the principle stated in the verse “Nothing is like Him, the All-hearing, the All-seeing”

Let me end this paper by quoting some famous Qur’anic verses about God’s attributes which every practicing Muslim knows by heart and repeats on many occasions as an expression of his devotion to God:
Say: He is God, one God the Everlasting Refuge, Who has not begotten, and has not been begotten, and equal to Him is not any one 

God, there is no God but He, the Living, the Everlasting, slumber seizes Him not, neither sleep; to Him belongs all that is in the Heavens and the earth. Who is there that shall intercede with Him save by His leave? He knows what lies before them and what lies after them, and they comprehend not anything of His knowledge save such as He wills. His throne comprises the heavens and the earth; the preserving of them oppresses Him not; He is the All-High, the All-Glorious.
 
By person I do not of course mean that God is a human or like a human person. Person is used here in the general sense of an actual existent with definite characteristics in contradistinction to an abstract idea. Allah is described in some ahadith of the Prophet as being that and as having a shakhs (personality).

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