Ibn Abbas’s deep insight into the Qur’an.

Ibn Abbas said, “Umar used to make me sit with the elderly men who had fought in the Battle of Badr. Some of them felt it (did not like that) and said to `Umar "Why do you bring in this boy to sit with us while we have sons like him?" `Umar replied, "Because of what you know of his position (i.e. his religious knowledge.)"

One day `Umar called me and made me sit in the gathering of those people, and I think that he called me just to show them. (my religious knowledge). `Umar then asked them (in my presence). "What do you say about the interpretation of the Statement of Allah: 'When comes Help of Allah (to you O, Muhammad against your enemies) and the conquest (of 
Mecca).' (110.1) Some of them said, "We are ordered to praise Allah and ask for His forgiveness when Allah's Help and the conquest (of Mecca)

comes to us."
Some others kept quiet and did not say anything. On that, `Umar asked me, "Do you say the same, O Ibn `Abbas?" I replied, "No." He said, 'What do you say then?"

I replied, "That is the sign of the death of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) which Allah informed him of. Allah said:-- '(O Muhammad) When comes the Help of Allah (to you against your enemies) and the conquest (of Mecca) (which is the sign of your death). You should celebrate the praises of your Lord and ask for His Forgiveness, and He is the One Who accepts the repentance and forgives.'On that `Umar said, "I do not know anything about it other than what you have said."

The others had understood only the dhahir [apparent] of the meanings – yet the deeper meanings that Ibn Abbas had understood and Abu Bakr [in the lifetime of the Prophet saw] that this Surah indicated the death of the Prophet [saw].f one reflects on the timings of asking forgiveness, one finds these are often towards the end of something, end of the night being the optimum time for forgiveness,the end of the Salah after the tashahud and before the taslim etc.Hence, they understood that for the Prophet to be told to ask for forgiveness after the people had entered into the fold of Islam in their multitudes meant the coming to the end of the mission of the Prophet [saw], hence his death. 

Abd Allah ibn Abbas (Arabic: عَبْد ٱللَّٰه ٱبْن عَبَّاس‎; c. 619– 687), also known simply as Ibn Abbas, was the son of Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, an uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and a nephew of the Maymunah bint al-Harith, who later became Muhammad's wife. He was one of Muhammad's cousins and one of the early Qur'an scholars.

During the early struggles for the caliphate he supported Ali, and was made governor of Basra. He withdrew to Mecca shortly afterwards. During the reign of Muawiyah I he lived in Hejaz and travelled to Damascus often. After Muawiyah I died he fled to at-Ta'if, where he died in around 687 CE.

'Abd Allah ibn Abbas was known for his knowledge of traditions and his critical interpretation of the Qur'an. From early on, he gathered information from other companions of Muhammad and gave classes and wrote commentaries.
 
Family

He was the Third son of a wealthy merchant, ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, thus he was called Ibn Abbas (the son of Abbas). His mother was Umm al-Fadl Lubaba, who prided herself in being the second woman who converted to Islam, on the same day as her close friend Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Muhammad's wife.

The father of Ibn Abbas and the father of Muhammad were both sons of Shaiba ibn Hashim, better known as ‘Abdu’l-Muṭṭalib. Shaiba bin Hashim's father was Hashim ibn Abd Manaf, the progenitor of the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraish tribe in Mecca.[citation needed]
619–632: Muhammad's era
Ibn Abbas was born and his mother took him to Muhammad before he had begun to suckle and that was the beginning of the close relationship between them.

As he grew up, he was by Muhammad's side doing different services like fetching water for ablution (Arabic: wudu‎). He would pray (Arabic: salat‎) with Muhammad and follow him on his assemblies, journeys and expeditions. It is said that Muhammad would often draw him close, pat him on the shoulder and pray, "O God! Teach him (the knowledge of) the Book (Qur'an) "Muhammad had also supplicated for him to attain discernment in religion.Ibn Abbas kept following Muhammad, memorizing and learning his teaching.

Muhammad's statement

Main article: Hadith of the pen and paper
In Muhammad fell into his last illness. During this period, the Hadith of the pen and paper was reported, with Ibn Abbas as the first-level narrator, at that time about twelve years old Days after that, Abbas and Ali supported Muhammad's weight on their shoulder, as Muhammad was too weak to walk unaided.

Inheritance from Muhammad

Main article: Hadith of Muhammad's inheritance
Ibn 'Abbas was thirteen years old when Muhammad died. After Abu Bakr came to power, Ibn Abbas and his father were among those who unsuccessfully requested part of Muhammad's inheritance.[citation needed] Abu Bakr said that he had heard Muhammad say that prophets do not leave inheritance behind as a divine rule.[citation needed]

Continued education

After Muhammad's era, he continued to collect and learn Muhammad's teaching from Muhammad's companions (Arabic: Sahaba‎), especially those who knew him the longest. He would consult multiple Sahaba to confirm narrations, and would go to as many as thirty Companions to verify a single matter.[1] Once he heard that a Sahaba knew a hadith unknown to him. A hadith attributed to Abd Allah ibn Abbas reports:[citation needed]

...I went to him during the time of the afternoon siesta and spread my cloak in front of his door. The wind blew dust on me (as I sat waiting for him). If I wished I could have sought his permission to enter and he would certainly have given me permission. But I preferred to wait on him so that he could be completely refreshed. Coming out of his house and seeing me in that condition he said, 'O cousin of the Prophet! What's the matter with you? If you had sent for me I would have come to you.' 'I am the one who should come to you, for knowledge is sought, it does not just come,' I said. I asked him about the hadith and learnt from him.[1]

In addition to his own scholarship, Ibn Abbas was a teacher; his house became the equivalent of a university, where he taught.

One of his companions described a typical scene in front of his house:

I saw people converging on the roads leading to his house until there was hardly any room in front of his house. I went in and told him about the crowds of people at his door and he said: 'Get me water for wudu.'

He performed wudu and, seating himself, said: 'Go out and say to them: Whoever wants to ask about the Qur'an and its letters (pronunciation) let him enter.'

This I did and people entered until the house was filled. Whatever he was asked, Abdullah was able to elucidate and even provide additional information to what was asked. Then (to his students) he said: 'Make way for your brothers.'

Then to me he said: 'Go out and say: Who wants to ask about the Quran and its interpretation, let him enter'.

Again the house was filled and Abdullah elucidated and provided more information than what was requested.

He held classes on one single subject each day, classes on issues such as tafsir, fiqh, halal and Haraam, ghazawa, poetry, Arab history before Islam, inheritance laws, Arabic language and etymology.

Advising Umar
 
Umar often sought the advice of Ibn Abbas on important matters of state and described him as a "young man of maturity"

A hadith attributed to Abd Allah ibn Abbas Sahih reports:[citation needed]

Umar used to make me sit with the elderly men who had fought in the battle of Badr. Some of them (Abd-al-Rahman ibn Awf [15]) felt it (did not like that) and said to Umar: "Why do you bring in this boy to sit with us, while we have sons like him?"
Umar replied "Because of what you know of his position" (i.e. his religious knowledge).

One day Umar called me and made me sit in the gathering of those people, and I think that he called me just to show them (my religious knowledge). 'Umar then asked them in my presence: 'What do you say about the interpretation of the statement of Allah'.

When comes help of God, and the conquest...

Some of them said: "We are ordered to praise God and ask for His forgiveness, when God's help and the conquest comes to us". Some others kept quiet and did not say anything. On that Umar asked me: "Do you say the same, O Ibn Abbas?" I replied: "No". He said: "What do you say then?" I replied: "That is the sign of the death of Prophet Muhammad, which God informed him of. God said:

(O Muhammad) when comes the help of God (to you against your enemies) and the conquest (which is the sign of your death) – you should celebrate the praises of your Lord and ask for His forgiveness, and He is the One who accepts the repentance and forgives". On that Umar said: "I do not know anything about it other than what you have said"

I have never seen someone who was quicker in understanding, who had more knowledge and greater wisdom than Ibn Abbas. I have seen Umar summon him to discuss difficult problems in the presence of veterans of Badr from among the Muhajirin and Ansar. Ibn Abbas would speak and Umar would not disregard what he had to say.
 
Battle of Siffin

Ibn Abbas remained a staunch supporter of the fourth Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib, during Ali's war with Muawiyah, including at the Battle of Siffin. He had also been given the position of governor of Basra during Ali's reign as Caliph.[citation needed]

A large group of Ali's army were discontented with the conclusion of that arbitration, and broke off into a separate group that became known as the Khawarij or Kharijites. Ibn Abbas played a key role in convincing a large number of them to return to Ali; 20,000 of 24,000 according to some sources. He did so using his knowledge of Muhammad's biography, in particular, the events of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah

Sunnis believe that ibn Abbas was in favour of the unity of the Muslims and hence did not revolt against rulers. He advised Husayn ibn Ali against his proposed expedition to Kufa that ended at Karbala.
Wives and children
By a Yemenite princess named Zahra bint Mishrah, Ibn Abbas had seven children.
Al-Abbas, the first born, who was childless.
Ali ibn Abdullah (died  who was the grandfather of the first two Abbasid caliphs, who replaced the Umayyads in
Muhammad, who was childless.
Ubaydullah, who was childless.
Al-Fadl, who was childless. (Riverine Sudanese trace their ancestry to al-Fadl through a son named Saeed, whose mother is said to be from the Ansar).
Saad had two children
Lubaba, who married Ali ibn Abdullah ibn Jaafar and had descendants.
He had another daughter, Asma, by a concubine; she married her cousin Abdullah ibn Ubaydullah ibn Abbas and had two sons.

Ibn Abbas narrated that Muhammad said, "Two favours are treated unjustly by most people: health and free time." from Sahih Bukhari, at-Tirmidhi, ibn Majah and Al-Nasa'i[citation needed]

Ibn Abbas reported: Muhammad said, "He who does not memorize any part from the Qur'an, he is like the ruined house. from Tirmidhi.[citation needed]

On the authority of Ibn Abbas, who said, "One day I was behind (i.e. riding behind him on the same mount) the Prophet and he said to me: 'Young man, I shall teach you some words (of advice). Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah; if you seek help, seek help of Allah. Know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something Allah had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried. from Tirmidhi

Al Hakim records on the authority of ibn Abbas that Muhammad advanced, carrying upon his back Hassan ibn Ali, and a man met him and said, 'an excellent steed thou ridest, lad!'. Muhammad replied, 'and he is an excellent rider.'[citation needed]

Ali ibn Husam Adin (commonly known as al-Mutaki al-Hindi) records that ibn Abbas narrated that Muhammad said the following about his deceased aunt Fatima, the mother of Ali: "I (Muhammad) put on her my shirt that she may wear the clothes of heaven, and I lay in her grave that I may lessen the pressure of the grave. She was the best of Allah’s creatures to me after Abu Talib".[citation needed]

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'Love of Allah

      

Complete reading of one of the most amazing books on Salah in the Urdu language - 'Love of Allah [swt]: Experience the Beauty of Salah'

We encourage all to read the book and share it with family and friends - Share the reward!

Sweetness of this Life.

As the author notes about our Creator; 'The sweetness of this life lies in remembering Him, the sweetness of the next life lies in seeing Him! The next time you proceed for prayer, go because you love Him, go because you miss Him and long to be with Him. Feel your heart flutter. Only then, will you be on your way to attaining that inner peace and comfort Salah was prescribed for.'

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May Allah [swt] grant us the most blessed conditions in our Salah and achieve the status of being amongst the most beloved to The Beloved Himself. O Allah, bless us with Your Love, the love of whom You Love and the love of deeds which bring us closer to Your Love. Please save us from the Fire, Forgive us for every sin and bless us and our families to be with You in the highest places of Jannah [ameen].

All praise is due to Allah, and we seek refuge with Him in the evil which lies within our ownselves. Whoever Allah guides, there is none can lead him astray and whom He leads astray, there is none can guide him and I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam is His prophet and messenger.

After this, know dear brothers, that Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, has said in His Qur'an:

"And We have not created the Jinn and Mankind except to worship Me."

What is the meaning of worship?

Is the meaning of worship to establish prayer only or to give Zakah or to make Hajj to the house of Allah or to make Wudu', to fast? Are these things only worship? Or are these things mere signs of worship? The truth is that worship, as it was explained by the Shaykh of Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah, worship is an expression of love for Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, and it also expresses complete humility to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. For worship does not only mean prayer but prayer is merely a sign of worship but worship is indeed love for Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala.ning of worship? Is the meaning of worship to establish

Many people claim that they love Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, and they say: 'I prayed and I fasted and I made the Hajj and I gave Zakah. After all of this, what does Allah want from me because I have done all these forms of worship? I have worshipped Allah.' Has this person really worshipped Allah? Does Allah need our prayer? Does Allah need our fast? Does he need our Zakah and our Hajj.

 Allah is High above all these things.Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, said in a hadith qudsi, "O my servants! I have made unlawful oppression upon myself and I have made it unlawful between you. So do not oppress each other.O my servants! All of you are astray except the ones whom I have guided, so seek my guidance and I will guide you. O my servants! All of you are naked except those of you whom I have clothed, so seek clothing from me and I will clothe you. 

O my servants! All of you are hungry except those of you whom I have fed, seek food from me and I will feed you. O my servants! You make errors in the night and in the day and I forgive all sins. Seek forgiveness from me and I will forgive you. O my servants! You will never be able to harm Me and you will never be able to benefit Me. O my servants! If the first of you and the last of you and the jinn from among you and the men from among you, were to stand as one man from among you, that would never take away from My Majesty one bit.

If you were to fear Allah as the best among you, that would not increase in My Majesty any. O my servants! If the first of you and the last of you and the Jinn among you and the men among you, were to perform the worst forms of crimes, that will not decrease from My Majesty any. O my servants! If the first of you and the last of you, the Jinn of you and the men of you, were to stand on one side and ask Me, I will give each one of you what you ask and still this will not decrease from My Majesty. This will not decrease from My Majesty as if you dip a needle into the water.""

Can anyone take away from the Majesty of Allah? No-one can decrease from the Majesty of Allah. He is Great and Supreme. Allah does not need our worship, he does not need our love, he does not need our Salat, he does not need our fast. Allah is the Owner of all majesty and supremecy and He is independent and above all needs. He does not need our worship. We need the worship of Allah, we need Salat, we need Zakat and we need to fast, we need to perform good deeds to the creation. We are poor and Allah is rich. We are weak and Allah is strong. We are the degraded, the low and Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, is the High. So we need the love of Allah.aah or to make Wudoo, to fast? Are

O brothers! We relate to Allah as we relate to this world. Who from among us, when someone comes to him, says to his brother: 'I love you and I am this and that in obedience to you,' and then you say to him, if he said these words to you: 'Have you said these words from your heart?' Did he really understand what he said to you or are you merely speaking words that you have memorised. 

O brothers, are we truly relating to Allah in our prayers in this manner? How many of us recite Fatihah, the opening prayer of the Qur'an, in the right manner? How many of us, when we prostrate to Allah, we fell in our hearts, humility? We enter Salah, when the Imam says 'Allahu Akbar', God is the Greatest and we remember, at that moment, all the affairs of the world. We remember, at this moment, all the affairs of the world. We remember, we remember, only at this moment, the affairs of the world and we forget Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. We remember our food when we go to prayer and we remember our friends when we go to Salah and we remember our needs when we go to prayer and we don't know what the Imam is saying, what he is reading and we don't feel anything from the prayer except for when the Imam says 'Salam wa Alaykum, Salam wa Alaykum'.

Are we really loving Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala? When we are reading Fatihah, do we really understand the meaning or what we say or are we merely repeating words that we have memorised? We will never be pleased if people relate to us in this way, so how can we be happy if we relate to Allah in this manner? Our heart has become hard and they have become like stones! Even harder than stones! What is the way to the love of Allah? What is the way which would lead us and help us to arrive at this station of love of Allah?

Everyone of us, at this moment, should ask ourselves - When did you love this person? What were the reasons that lead you to love that brother or that women? There are three things that lead to love. The first is beauty, the second is dignity of character and the third is the kindness and graciousness of that person towards you. Maybe that person is not beautiful and he has no good character but he provides for you all your needs and maybe that is the reason that your heart feels out for him.

If we take the first reason, O dear brothers, we know that the hearts are naturally attached, naturally inclined to beauty. No-one can say that beauty does not affect the heart. Therefore if someone intends, or needs to travel to some place, he asks about the natural beauty of that place and if he wants to marry, he asks if the woman is beautiful. Once a young man came to me and he asked me to help him find a wife through my wife and I asked him: What are the things you are looking for?

 What are your conditions? He said to me: She must be beautiful, long hair, very tender, beautiful eyes and the colour of her must be qurnubi. I said: What is the meaning of this qurnubi? The Shaykh did not know what was meant by qurnubi. He began to describe beauty to me and the last word he said to me: '...and she must be religious, so that I will not despise her because the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said choose the one that is pious.' He did not describe Din but he described to me beauty. He only mentioned Din, so that I would be pleased with him and carry out his wishes. So really, the hearts of men are very much attached to beauty..

(Also), When we read the story of Yusuf alayhis salam, the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam informed us that Yusuf and his mother were given half of all the beauty in the world. When we read what happened between Yusuf and the wife of the 'Aziz in Egypt and the woman of the 'Aziz was the highest in social status for Egypt, because she was the wife of the minister of finance and she was very beautiful and Yusuf was a slave to her, not

only a servant but a property. So one day, her heart reached out to Yusuf. She closed the door to him and said: Come to me. And Yusuf refused and this word spread among the women and among the women, the wives of the ministers. They said that the wife of the 'Aziz, the minister of finance, tried to lure her servant into lewdness. The love of Yusuf had dominated her heart and she became possessed by this love and it overwhelmed her heart. They said: 'Indeed the wife of the 'Aziz has gone astray. Is she not ashamed of herself? She is trying to intice her servant! This mean and low person is trying to capture (her slave), 

surely she is a women who has gone astray.' The word, sooner or later, go to the 'Aziz and when she heard of their sayings, she invited them to her house and she prepared for them a dinner and after this, she presented them with fruits and gave each one of them a knife and she said, 'Please eat,' and then each one of them took a fruit and a knife and then they began to peel the fruit. The wife of the 'Aziz went to Yusuf and ordered him to have a bath and then she ordered him to wear his finest clothes and this only increased in his beauty. She, herself, prepared her hair in the best manner. She made Yusuf wear the best forms of perfume and his beauty seemed perfect and absolute. So she said to him, 'Now, go to these women.' They were peeling their fruits and when they saw him, their image of him became very outstanding and then, without even feeling or being conscious of it, they cut 

themselves. The knives began to cut the nerves and the skin without them feeling it and it was said that they cut their hands and they said, 'By Allah! This is not a human being. He is nothing but a gracious Angel!' She (the wife of the 'Aziz) said to these women, 'This is what you have been blaming me for. Do you want to blame me for what I have done now?' They said, 'No!' She said, 'This thing which you have blamed me for. Surely, I tried to intice him and make him do something bad against his own nature but he stood firm.' She confessed that she had done something wrong. She was prepared to stand by her wrong-doing. At this moment, she had not yet gone back on her wrong-doing and she was happy with the words of the women. '

WIll you hold me wrong for what I have done?' One women from the crowd called Yusuf, as if she wanted to ask him something. She said to him secretly, 'What is your opinion of a meeting tonight?' He said, 'I seek refuge with Allah,' and another women invited him as if she wanted to make a similar request and when he came, she said, 'What about a meeting tonight?' And all of them invited (him) to have sex with them and he said, 'O my Lord! Prison is better to me rather than to do what they invite me to and if you do not divert me away from what they have tried to make me do, I will fall victim and I will be among the ignorant,' and Allah answered his prayer and Allah diverted him away from the bad calling. Allah is indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.

Who from among us, reads the story of Yusuf, he wishes in his heart that he see Yusuf in his sleep? To see and witness his beauty. By Allah! If the beauty of Yusuf were gathered and the beauty of his mother and the beauty of his nature and the beauty of all men and all women and all this beauty was put in the person of one man, by Allah, this beauty would not be in any way equivalant to the beauty of Allah. The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said in a hadith by Imam Muslim, 'Indeed Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty.' Because Allah's nature is beauty. Every aspect of Allah is beauty.

The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam was asked, 'Have you ever seen your Lord?' He sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, 'Nur (Light)! This is what I have seen. How can I see all that beauty?' The face of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, is all beauty and all light, therefore Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says about this world, 'Everything in it will vanish and face of Allah will remain.' His Majesty and His Glory, His Dignity and His Beauty is all that He embodies. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, has described himself that is face is all light. Therefore he says about the light of His Face, 'Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth.' So, the light of the heaven and the earth is part of the creation of Allah. When the world is overwhelmed with darkness, this sun, which Allah has created, and it will overwhelm the darkness and present light to the earth and give it light and this is the light of the creation, so how can you imagine the light of the Creator! Therefore the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, 'Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, opens His Hands in the night, to give forgiveness to those who disobeyed Him during the day and He opens His Hands in the day, to give forgiveness to those who disobeyed Him in the night and His veil is Light and if He removes it, His Light will burn whoever of His creation turn to Him.' All of Him is light.

Therefore Musa alayhis salam, when Allah spoke to Him, his heart reached out to Allah and there was an exchange of words between him and Allah. When Allah spoke to Moses, his heart was attached to Allah and Musa thought that there was no harm in trying to see Allah. He said, 'O my Lord, let me see You.' Allah, 'You will never see Me, but if you so wish, look at the mountain and if it stands in its place (when Allah unveiled Himself to the mountain), then you will see Me.' So Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, said, 'And when Allah revealed Himself to the mountain,' and as Ibn Malik said the light of Allah was only a small bit and when Allah revealed Himself to the moutain, it smashed the mountain, Musa fell down in a state of unconsciousness. The mountain could not carry the beauty of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. It could not stand in front of the Majesty of Allah and it became levelled with the earth and Musa fell down in a state of unconsciousness. When he was revived, he said, 'Glory be to You O Allah! I repent and I am the first of the believers.'

So, my dear brothers, Allah, all of Him is light and all of Him is beauty. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says about himself: On that Day, the Day of Judgement, how great is the Glory and Majesty of Allah and the whole of the earth, on the Day of Judgement will be in His grip and the heavens will be in His Palms. Glory be to Him over what they ascribe to Him!

It will be blown in the trumpets and all of the people in the heavens and the earth will faint away except whom Allah wills and then there will be a second blowing and they will stand up looking, all the people will stand again and look and the people will ask that Allah should come to seperate between the people and Allah says about Himself, ' ... and Allah will come with the angels in ranks ... ' and the angels will come carrying the Throne of Allah. Allah says, ' ... and they carry the Throne of Allah above them.' Eight angels carrying the Throne of Allah and when the procession comes before those who carry the Throne of Allah. Rows, ranks of angels will proceed before Allah comes. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, informs of His coming and the earth will become enlightened with the light of Allah and that is because of the beauty of Allah and the completeness of His light and Allah gives the best of examples.

When some of the most beloved people come to you, you say, 'Oh you have bought light because of your beauty.' So how could it be with Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala? So the dark earth which encompasses all the worlds on the Day of Judgement will become enlightened with Allah. It was this reason that the hearts of the companions were attached to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, and so to our Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam was deeply attached to Allah and His Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, 'I ask you for the good taste of seeing Your beauty and I ask You, so that I may long to meet You.' So too the heart of Abu Bakr radiallahu 'anhu was attached to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, and Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, spoke about Abu Bakr in Surah al-Layl, when Allah said about the Fire, 'The pious will never enter the Fire.' Ibn Abbas said the most pious and God-fearing man after the Prophets and Messengers was Abu Bakr. This is because he used to purchase slaves, the weak, the oppressed and he would free them for the sake of Allah and his father would say to him, '

O son! Will you purchase people who have strength for themselves so they can defend you but you are purchasing weak people. What will they do for you and what will you do for them?' What did Abu Bakr say to his father, 'O my dear father, I want what I want and I want the pleasure of seeing the Face of my Lord, one look only at Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. It is equal to this world and what is in it.' And Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, said, 'The pious will never enter the Fire, the one who gives his wealth to purify his heart.' There is none who has any greater worldly qualities than Abu Bakr except the Holy Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam because he bought guidance, therefore Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said the most beloved person among people in terms of their person, is Abu Bakr and none can claim to better than him but he, himself, can claim to better than them.

Why? Because Abu Bakr wanted to see the face of Allah and Allah said that He will indeed be pleased with Abu Bakr and Abu Bakr will be pleased with Allah. So the hearts of the companions were attached to Allah and their hearts were attached to the beauty of Allah. And Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, said about them, 'And they were giving out of their wealth for the love of Allah.' And they were giving their wealth despite their love of that which they were giving and they gave their wealth to the poor, the orphans and the prisoners of war. They said, 'We are feeding you. Why? So we can see the Face of Allah. We do not want your reward or your thanks.'

Once, one companion came to the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam and his heart was shredded and he said, 'O Prophet of Allah! Our hearts have become really attached to Allah and His beauty. O Prophet of Allah, will we see Allah on the Day of Judgement?' The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, 'If you all put yourself together and if the sun comes out without any clouds, will you see the sun (without needing to move to see it)?' He said, 'No Messenger of Allah, we do not need to move to see it.' The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, 'Do you crowd each other in order to see a full moon?' He said, 'No O Messenger of Allah!' He sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, 'So you shall see Allah like this on the Day of Judgement.'

What is the way to see Allah? The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, 'Whoever from among you is able to make Salat ul-Fajr and 'Asr, he should preserve these prayers.' These are two reasons which will enable us to see the Face of Allah. Therefore the hearts of believers are always attached to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, and Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, has promised them and Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, has said that on the Day of Judgement, all their faces will be lights and they will see the Face of their Lord.

... and their faces will increase with light when they see the Allah! As Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, has also said when he has spoken about the righteous; He says, 'Indeed the Book of the righteous will be in a high stage ('illiyin).' And what can you perceive is this high station? Allah says it is a written book and the people who are close (the angels) will bear witness to this book and indeed the righteous will be in contentment and delight. They will be sitting on high chairs looking. What are they looking at? They will be looking at the Face of Allah! They will be sitting on high cushions looking at the Face of Allah and you will see in their faces, contentment and delight after they have seen Allah. You will contentment and pleasure. They will be given a drink, the Sealed Nectar. At the end of this drink will be misk* and for this, those who compete should compete and this drink will be mixed with something from tasnim. Tasnim is a spring from which the close people will drink.

Those crinimals used to laugh at the believers and the righteous. Used to laugh at the people when they grew their beards. They laughed at him and made fun of him because he had his thawb short. They laughed at him because he turned his back on vain desires and women and they say that he wasted his youth and they say he wasted his life and they say that he made his life narrow because of this religion, so they laugh at him. Surely, those people who committed crimes and outrages,

they laugh at the believing, righteous people and when they pass the righteous people, they touch each other and they make fun of the righteous and when they go to their people, they laugh at the religious and the righteous people and when they see the righteous people, they say, 'Surely these people have gone astray. They have wasted their lives, wasted their youths. Surely there are many womens and girls for them to have and all these fair delights are easy to have.' Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says about the kuffar that He did not send the disbelievers to set any standard or to preserve or protect the believers. O unbelieving people are you not calling to freedom? So why don't you leave the Muslim people? Why are you laughing at them. I did not send you to protect them.

Allah says on this Day of Judgement, the believers will laugh at the disbelievers. They will be sitting on their high chairs looking at the Face of Allah and Allah says, after this, about the kuffar, did the unbelieving people get their reward for what they were doing? This the rewards for anyone who turns to Allah and attaches his heart and allows his heart to reach Allah.

Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says in Surah al-Insan, 'And they will be surrounded by boys who will never die and if you see them you will think they are scattered pearls.' And if you see them in their high stations, you will see delight and you will see Allah in His High Majesty. This is the promised vision of the believers of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala,. This is the greatest that a believer will be given on the Day of Judgement.'

So Bukhari has related and so too Imam Muslim on the authority of Abi Sa'id al-Qudri, that the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, 'If the people on Jannah, enter Jannah and the people of Hell, enter the Hell, there will be a caller who will give his call. 'O people of Jannah! You have an appointment with Allah, He wants to realise for you all your ambitions.' ' Then the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, 'Then the curtain will be taken away and they will not be given something more loved to them than the sight of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala.' Therefore the greatest pleasure to the believers is the sight of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, and the worst punishment of the people of the fire is the denial to see Allah. So Allah says about the unbelieving people, 

'Surely the Book of the unbelieving people will be locked.' And what is the prison were the unbelieving will be locked? It will be a punishment to those who denied the Prophets, the coming of the Day of Judgement and what did they deny with except with every mean form of outrage and sin. 'If our signs and verses were recited to them, they say 'Stories, fables of the past peoples.' O indeed, we will cover their hearts because of their wrong-doings. Indeed, they will be a barrier between them and their Lord on that Day.' They will be denied the right to see Allah, the King of all kings. They will be denied the right to see the most Mighty and Allah gives the most complete expressions.

If you want to reach out to the heart of the most beloved person to you or the most beautiful person, you will say close the door upon him. Don't let him enter him upon me. This is the way and this is the curse and he does not have the rights, he does not deserve to see me and he will be belittled and denied the right to see me and many peope will have this experience and they will be exposed in front of the people. How will it be on the Day of Judgement? When they will be thrown out in front of all the world.

This is one of the worst forms of punishment for the people of the Fire while the believers will be given the delight and the pleasure of seeing Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is the reason why the heart of the Prophet was so much attached to Allah. He used to say, 'O Bilal! Make us comfortable with prayer.' He never said, make us comfortable from prayer. That is because in prayer, he spoke to Allah and he felt during this dialogue with Allah, he felt love for Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, and his heart moved and pulsated with the love of Allah and Allah gives the most beautiful expressions.

If all the disasters will fall upon you, you go the most beloved person to you and you speak to him and you sit with him and you open your heart to him and when you do this, your sadness goes away. So the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, 'O Bilal! Make us comfortable with prayer.' This is why the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, 'The delight of my eye is prayer.' Therefore, he stood up one night from among the nights, and he was sleeping in the house of the Mother of the Faithful, 'Aishah and he wanted to pray and she said to him, 'O Prophet of Allah. I love your closeness to me.' The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, 'O 'Aishah. Leave me one minute to worship my Lord because my heart is attached to Allah.' 

Who from amongst us feels this way? The hearts of believers are this way. A man, when the night comes, his heart begins to throb with love and his heart begins to search for the most loved thing to him, so that he can sit with that person and he would call that person and pour out his troubles to that person as one person once said, 'When the darkness comes and the heart begins to move with love and longing is the most burning thing in the heart, and the believers wait for that night and instead of sitting with their love, they wait for the moment when they can stand in prayer, so that they can make the prayer of Tahajjud to Allah because their hearts are attached to Allah.'

One companion, one believer, was on his death bed. He began to cry and they said to him: Why are you crying? You are about to die and Allah has written death to everyone and you are among the believers. He said: I am not crying because my spirit is going, because I am going to leave but I will miss 3 things - Firstly, the night prayer. How will I be able to speak to Allah and I am in my grave and my heart has become so attached to Allah. Second, the fasting during hot days and the third, sitting close to the scholars who reminded me about Allah, about my beloved Prophet. Who would remind me of my beloved Prophet when I am in my grave?

One of the Salaf, Sufyan ath-Thawri was on his death bed and he began to cry. They said: Why are you crying? Allah has written death to all people. He said: I am not crying because of death but I am crying because Tawhid will be taken away from me. And what he means by Tawhid, if the love of worship for Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, only.

O brothers do we feel this way?

One of the Salaf, Qais said to his beloved wife, her name was Laylah and the star which guides people never came out and the morning except that it made me remember her. But the believers say the star never comes out and the morning never comes until we remember Allah. They never say that the coming of the star or the coming of the Fajr reminds them of their lovers but they say that the coming of the stars and the coming of Fajr reminds them of Allah and Qais also said about Laylah that he used to go to the desert alone and he said that we would go out from among the house, so that I can speak to my serve about you (Laylah) and it is an empty night. But what does the believer say? One of the students of Ibn Taymiyyah said: We saw Shaykh ul-Islam leaving the houses going and he went into the desert so we followed him without him knowing and we heard him saying, 'I have come out from among the houses so that I can speak to myself about you O my Lord!' So it was how their hearts were attached to Allah.

So the love of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, dominates the hearts of the believers. Do we ourselves feel this kind of love? Maybe one of us, if we enter prayer to speak to Allah and to communicate with Him, he remembers his beloved or some other of creation other than Allah and when he sits with his beloved, he does not remember Allah and when he enters that thing which should be dedicated to Allah, he remembers his beloved and when he sits with his beloved, he does not remember Allah. Allah speaks about the polytheists, they ascribe to Allah what they have created from plantations, animals, a portion. They say these products are for Allah and this portion is for our idols and when the produce which they dedicated to the idols finishes, 

they take from that which they give to Allah and they give it to the idols and when the produce they dedicate to Allah decreases, they never take from Allah and give it to Allah. When we do our prayer, we see this matter. When we sit with the most beloved person to us, this sitting becomes purely for that person who we love and when we enter prayer, then comes the ideas and the memories of our beloved persons and so this prayer will never be purely for the sake of Allah. Would anyone be pleased that we are related to in this manner? So Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says that from among the people, there are those who take false gods and they love those false gods as they love Allah but the people who believe, they are more strong in their love towards Allah and Allah says in another ayah, '

And the gates of Jannah will be bought close to the God-fearing people and the fire will be bought close to the bad people and it will be said to them, 'What did you worship? Those who you worshipped other than Allah, can they help you now?' They will thrown onto their faces into the Fire and those whom they worshipped and the soldiers of the Satan, all together and they will be there debating and fighting amongst themselves in the Fire and they will say, 'O Allah! Surely we were astray because we worshipped others in the way that we should have worshipped Allah.' ' The associating of partners in Shirk is like the associating of partners in love as Ibn Taymiyyah said.

Therefore it should become clear to us know, the way to the love of Allah. I will not be much longer upon you. I will conclude now.

The second reason that leads to the love of Allah after the beauty of Allah, to know the great qualities of Allah because you may have heard of some man and you have never seen him but his qualities are well known and you love him, only because you have heard about his great qualities. If you look at the qualities of Allah, as this Arab once said he heard only one hadith of the Prophet. The hadith in which the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, 'The last person to come out of the Fire, his face will be turned to the Fire and he will look for one moment and the heat of the Fire will burn him and also the smell of the Fire and he will say, 'O my Lord, turn my face away from the Fire,' and Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, will take from him a strong promise that he will not ask other than this question (for anything else) and Allah turned his face away and then he stood for one moment and then he would say, 'O Allah, turn my face towards the Jannah,' and Allah will say to him, 'O what a wretched 

creature you are! Did you not promise you would not ask for anything else?' He said, 'O Allah! I swear, I promise I will not ask for anything else.' Then Allah turned his face towards the Jannah. He (the man) waited for a moment and then he said, 'O my Lord! Make me come close to the Jannah,' and Allah will say, 'O what a wretched creature you are son of Adam! Did you not promise you would not ask for anything else?' He said, 'I swear I will not ask for anything else,' and Allah made him come close to the Jannah and the Jannah became high and near towards him and he saw in it the delights and pleasures.

He said, 'O Allah, make me enter the Jannah.' Allah says, 'O what a wretched creature you are son of man! Did you not promise you would not ask for anything else?' He said, 'I swear Allah, I will not ask for anything else.' Allah then says to him, 'Make a wish.' And Allah said to him, 'Again, make a wish,' and the angels were near to the that person and the angels will say, 'Wish for any of things of al-Jannah,' and the angels will say, 'There are so many things in al-Jannah, what do you want?' And the angels will tell him all about the delights of al-Jannah and his heart began to long and yearn for the things of al-Jannah and then he made more demands from Allah until he had nothing more to ask for. Allah will then say to him, 'Ask for something again.' He said, '

I don't have anything else to ask for.' Allah says to him, 'All of this is for you and ten times this is for you,' and Allah laughed and this servant said, 'Are you laughing at me and you are the Lord of the Worlds? You told me to make a wish and now you laugh at me.' Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says, 'I am not laughing at you but I am able to do whatever I want for you.' So Allah gave him.' This Arab man from the desert heard that Allah laughed, he said that the great Master of the heavens and the earth, He laughed!? The King of all kings is laughing!? The Owner of all-Majesty and Power laughs! The One who can hold the heavens in His Hands and the earth in His other hand and then He shakes them and then He says,

'I am King! Where are the great oppressors?' Where the proud people? Where are the people who held up their heads high up in pride and did not submit to this Din? And none of them will be able to say anything and they will be forced into submission and humility to Him. Where are the Ceasers? Where are the rulers of Persia? None of them will be able to speak in front of the Majesty of Allah, and they (the Arabs) would say, 'The Great and Powerful Allah is laughing!? Allah will never be able to deny us any good. If Allah is laughing then He will not deny us any good.'

If you enter upon one responsible person or one minister and you have some request and he smiles in your face after you enter upon him, you will say O look he is laughing at me and then you would say I am sure he will not reject my request. So how can it be with Allah? The King of all kings. Therefore when Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, smiles we know that there will not be a denial of good. O observe dear brothers, this one quality. This one quality made the heart of this desert Arab become attached to Allah.

And the third thing which will take us to the love of Allah, is the graciousness of Allah towards us. How much have we paid for what Allah had blessed us with? If you have lost your sight, how much can you pay? If you loose your heart, how much can you pay? If you loose your mind, how much can you pay for it? If you loose a kindey, how much can you pay for it? 30,000? A liver? 50,000? Intestines? 30,000? How much about the nervous system and different parts of the body? How much have we paid for all of these things which we have? We have not paid one single cent and Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, gives them working in perfect order for us.

One man, Ibn Sama, he went to Harun Rashid and Harun Rashid had with him a gathering. Harun Rashid asked for a cup of water and he was at the time, the leader of the Muslims and before Harun drank, Ibn Sama said to him, 'One minute Amir ul-Muminin, can you imagine if you were denied that cup of water and you were in the heart of the desert and you are about to die from thirst? How much will you pay for this small cup of water?' He said, 'Half, O Ibn Sama, I will pay half of my throne (kingdom) for this.' Ibn Sama said to him, 'O leader of the faithful, drink graciously and thankfully.'

Then Harun Rashid drank and we waited for one moment and we wanted to go now to the bathroom to relieve himself of this water and Ibn Sama said to him, 'O leader of the faithful, can you imagine if this water could not leave you and this water was held within you? How much will you pay to get this water out of your system?' He said, 'O I will pay one half of my throne (kingdom).' Ibn Sama said, 'O leader of the faithful, what do you want from your throne!? Your throne is not equal to a cup of water? Half of your throne is not equal to what you drink and half of it is not equal for you to relieve what you drink? And in the night and the day, we drink and we relieve ourselves without anything in return!'

We use our eyes to disobey Allah! He preserves our eyes and we disboey Him with them. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, preserves our ears and yet we disobey Him with them? Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, keeps our minds and we use them to disobey him. His good to us is descending upon us and our evil is going towards Him. He blesses us and provides for us and we give thanks to others. Is this not waywardness? Is this not a display of poor manners towards Allah? These are the ways towards love for Allah but this love must be encircled with humility of Allah through the way of learning the qualities of Allah.

Let us consider the story of this little girl. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab was making one of his rounds during the night and he became close to this house and this women was speaking to her daughter, 'Get up my daughter and mix the milk with water. So we can sell the people this and they will not know that it is mixed and we will make great interest and profit.' She said, 'O my dear mother, the Amir of the Muslims has prohibited us from doing this.' The mother said, 'Where is the leader of the Muslims now? He is not here.' She said, 'If the leader of the Muslims does not see us but the Lord of the Amir is seeing us!' 'Umar began to shiver. This strong man, this great personality, he began to shiver. He said to his servant, 'Put a mark on that house and come to me in the morning with the name of that girl,' and 'Umar gathered all his sons ...

When she knew the value of worshipping Allah this way, when she knew that Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, is the All-Seeing, she worshipped him with this consciousness and Allah raised her in station.

'Aishah said, 'Glory be to Him, Whose Ear encompasses all the voices.' She said, Kholat entered upon the Prophet and she was an old woman, and she began to complain to the Prophet in the house of 'Aishah, and the house of 'Aishah was small and the Prophet had placed a curtain in this house and 'Aishah was behind this curtain and the old woman was on the other side and the Prophet was with her and the Prophet said to her, 'What is your complaint?'

The woman said, 'O Messenger of Allah! Aisha will hear what I am saying because it is the nature of women to listen. She would say that I have heard some of her sayings and perhaps some of it will not be known to her.' And among the things she heard the woman say, 'My husband has used all her wealth and I have lost all my beauty and now I have become old and I have no offspring and he said to me, ‘You are like the back of my mother to me!' ' And she said, 'O Allah I complain to you!' 'Aishah said, 'I heard some of her statements and some of it was not clear to me but when she said, ‘O Allah I complain to you!’, Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, He was above His Throne, He heard her complaint, He sent down a verse at that moment:

'Allah has heard the saying of that women, who complains to you about her husband, and she complains to Allah and Allah hears your conversation. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.' '

And Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, is worshipped because He has this quality of hearing and Allah answered and Allaah, He has all things.

And those who feel the majesty and power of Allah, who goes to Hajj or goes to Makkah in the last ten days of Ramadhan, and he stands on the third story and sees the people circling the Ka'bah and he sees their number, a million or more and this one is making du'a and this one is crying and this one is seeking help and this one is hiding his du'a and this one is crying and tears are flowing from his eyes and the one who hides his crying and this one is speaking in Arabic,

and another is speaking in Hindi, and another in Pakistani and 
another in English and all the people with their languages are calling upon Allah according to their own conditions and in one moment and their number is more than one million! Allah hears all of this and He hears this one and He answers to this one and He gives to the other and He realises the promises to this one, in one moment and the same time! This is greatness and power upon greatness and power. Glory be to Allah who can hear all voices.

This is why the scholars of the Salafis, they concentrate on this quality of Allah, that He is all-Hearing and they try to explain this meaning of this quality of Allah, that He is all-Hearing so that the believers can really feel the closeness to Allah and the love for Allah and they can experience true humility to Allah without any form of distortion of the qualities of Allah, without any form of denial of the qualities of Allah.

One of the Salaf said, 'Whoever denies any of the qualities of Allah, surely he does not love Allah, he does not feel the Majesty and Power of Allah.' Therefore, one of the people who denied the qualities of Allah, said when he was prostrating, 'Glory be to Allah, the lowest.'

This is why 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said, 'The truth about what they say is not above the Throne of Allah.' But on the other hand, the righteous predecessors, they have established and given true recognition to the qualities of Allah and they establish and realised true worship of Allah and also complete love for him and all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.

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The Qur'an and Scientific Advancement

This 80 page Book is a new version of 'Scientific Truths of the Qur'an.' It is high-colour edition which is ideal for viewing on Tablets and phone devices.

The miraculous nature of the Qur’an lies in the knowledge it contains and this is an everlasting, renewable and a living proof. The Qur’an was given to mankind more than fourteen centuries ago. Recent advancements in various sciences have revealed innumerable facts. None of these discoveries contradict a single verse of the Qur’an. In fact, each time the world makes a breakthrough in unravelling the universe, we increase in certainty that the One who created this 

universe is the One who revealed the Qur’an.
Question: Right after any scientific discovery or invention, it is expressed that there are certain allusions to it in the Qur’an. From this perspective, what should be researchers’ general attitude toward the scientific truths in the Qur’an? What is the message such verses convey particularly to those who study natural sciences?

Answer: The Qur’an and the universe are two different books of God Almighty. Therefore, it is inconceivable for them to contradict one another. The Qur’an, the Miraculous Exposition, is a manifestation of Divine Speech; it is an eternal interpreter, an expounder, and a lucid proof of this Great Book of the Universe, which is a manifestation of Divine Power. The Qur’an expounds the Book of Universe, and thus the universe gains light with it. In other words, the Qur’an proclaims the principles prevalent in creation, Divine mysteries, and Divine disposals.

Since the Qur’an expounds and interprets the universe as the word of the Almighty, it contains allusions to certain sciences exploring the creation. For this reason, from very early on scholars have studied the verses alluding to scientific truths, along with those on faith, worship, and morality, and have expressed different considerations on their meanings and implications. For example, when you consider the interpretation of certain verses by Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, who lived in the fourth century of Hijra,

it will be seen that his commentaries are very close to scientific findings in our time, in spite of living eleven hundred years ago. The conclusions drawn and commentaries made by this great interpreter of the Qur’an are far beyond the scientific level of his age. For example, with respect to verse 22 of Surah al-Hijr which means, “And We send the winds to fertilize…,” Ibn Jarir expounds upon the role of winds at fertilizing seeds. The interesting fact here is that, at a very early time when nobody knew about positive and negative charges of clouds, he points to the fact that this verse alludes to the fertilization of clouds by winds, which paves the way for rainfall.

It was not only Ibn Jarir, but other scholars as well, who made many remarkable commentaries and conclusions about the verses concerning the “creative commands” (the laws of God’s creation and maintenance of the universe and the laws He has established for life). However, until the last century or two, this issue was not taken as a separate branch of study. Toward the contemporary age—in a way with the influence of the positivist understanding of the time—more emphasis began to be laid on this issue. For example, Muhammad Abduh, who interpreted the Qur’an until the Surah Yusuf in fifteen volumes, also made some modern commentaries about verses related to scientific facts. And Rashid Rida, one of his foremost students, corrected some points in his teacher’s work and completed the remaining chapters himself.

However, there are certain mistaken commentaries that contradict the general acceptances of former Sunni scholars. For example, the final verse at the end of the Surah al-Fil (105:5) meaning, “And so He rendered them like a field of grain devoured,” is explained with a commentary that the relevant army was destroyed by the smallpox virus brought by the birds. In fact, the metaphor of devoured grains here describes how the bodies of the soldiers were pierced like leaves eaten by insects. Shortly after this interpretation was published, the scholar Tantawi wrote an interpretation entitled,

Al-Jawahir, in which he explained Qur’anic verses from the perspective of developments in science. Even though the desired profundity is not maintained throughout this work, he tried to explain many verses under the light of the findings of modern science. However, other interpreters of the Qur’an saw his work more as an encyclopedia than an exegesis. The late Said Hawwa also made efforts in this direction. As a result, studies and efforts by many scholars led to a new era in the name of scientific interpretation of the Qur’an, and a great deal of studies have been carried out in Turkey and several Arab countries.

For example, Zaghloul al-Najjar, who I followed on a Saudi television channel for a long time, is a person with important studies in this field. This valuable scholar is both deeply knowledgeable about the Qur’an and is an academic with high scientific achievements; he knows his field well and is able to explain scientific matters after scrutinizing them in meticulous detail. As for Bediüzzaman, he did not go into great detail on this subject in his works, but sufficed with explaining certain verses that were challenged, such as how Moses struck a rock and made water gush from it and how Prophet Solomon had the Queen of Sheba’s throne teleported. But one thing that he highlighted was that the miracles of the Prophets mark the furthest horizons sciences can reach and encourage people to explore. In my opinion, this is an extremely significant remark and an approach to be considered seriously.

The Place of Scientific Inventions within the General Purposes of the Qur’an

As for how often scientific discoveries and inventions are mentioned in the Qur’an, Bediüzzaman’s approach tells us that the verses of the Qur’an mention everything in accordance with their ranking among the general purposes of the Qur’an. When the Qur’an, the Miraculous Exposition, is viewed with a holistic perspective, it will be seen that it shows humanity the ways to eternal bliss by primarily expounding on the pillars of faith and religion. At the same time, it provides happiness in this world by making the necessary regulations about the individual and society. Namely, the Qur’an gives priority to the crucial matters that are necessary for humanity’s happiness in both worlds.

When the issue is seen from this perspective, it will be clear that the matters related to scientific discoveries and inventions are of a secondary importance in comparison to these crucial issues raised in the Qur’an. Furthermore, the Qur’an is not a scripture that is addressed to scientists exclusively. On the contrary, it addresses the whole of humanity. Therefore, as its contents are addressed to everyone, the style it uses allows everyone to receive a message. If the Qur’an had explained matters in accordance with the horizons of scientific experts, whose number do not even amount to five percent of humanity, ninety-five percent of humanity would not be able to benefit from it.

Inferiority Complex and Overstated Commentaries

On the other hand, while commenting on verses related to scientific truths, it is a mistaken attitude to blow things out of proportion and seek fantasy, attaching irrelevant things to the Qur’an with an ambition to make scientific commentaries. Additionally, attempting to test the Qur’an through knowledge presented by natural sciences is a great disrespect against the Word of God. Pretending that issues of science and technology are essential and trying to fit the explanation of the Qur’an to them in some way, and taking every scientific discovery and development as a base and trying to support them with Qur’anic verses by pushing the limits of obvious religious truths is an approach of great disrespect toward God’s Word. 

Moreover, the Qur’an alludes to different scientific matters in its own style. It uses a style that addresses both the understandings of its contemporaries and the people of our age, when science has made a great deal of progress. In other words, although the verses of the Qur’an made perfect sense to the people of the Prophetic period, they do not contradict at all the scientific truths of our time. To give an example, chapters in the Qur’an such as al-Hajj, al-Mu’minun, and al-Mursalat openly tell about the phases an embryo passes through in the womb. As the people of those days read these verses and benefited from them as far as their horizons allowed, the gynecologists of our time cannot help but be fascinated by the truths revealed about embryonic development in the Qur’an.

There is another issue that requires us to be careful about: While interpreting verses of the Qur’an and sayings of the noble Prophet under the light of scientific developments, we need to present matters with alternatives, or at least keep in mind that there can be other meanings pointed out or alluded to by these verses, leaving the door open for other possibilities and never sealing the issue. Particularly, if research is being conducted in a new field and on a different subject, making decisive judgments about the interpretation of verses before matters gain clarity can lead to serious mistakes. In addition, it is absolutely necessary to refer to earlier studies and know about the commentaries about the issue in basic reference sources of Qur’anic interpretation from past to present.

Underlining one more issue can be beneficial here: Scholars that deal with Qur’anic interpretation must be experts in several different fields. For example, they need to know the Arabic language very well, together with disciplines of Tafsir (the Qur’anic Exegesis), Hadith studies, Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), Usul at-Tafsir (the Methodology of the Qur’anic Exegesis), and Usul ad-Din (Theology). In addition to knowing these, they must have sufficient knowledge to understand the scientific explanations. Likewise, a researcher must have adequate knowledge of religious disciplines in addition to knowing his own scientific field profoundly, if truth is to be reached.

Unfortunately in our time, these two fields advance along separate paths. We see that an expert of natural sciences knows the depths of his own field but does not know very much about religion. I would like to clarify the point I am trying to make by saying, “does not know”: Knowing basic facts about religious practices does not mean knowing religion. Even if a person learns by heart Imam Bukhari’s collection of the Prophet’s sayings, this does not mean that he knows religion. Memorizing the entire Qur’an is not sufficient to have a saying in this field either, because, in addition to committing the sayings of the Prophet and verses of the Qur’an to one’s memory, it is necessary to know the disciplines of religious methodology in order to understand Divine purposes correctly.

Believing Hearts Burning to Discover

Today, Western scientists are meticulously studying the existence with the researches they conduct. One cannot help admire their boldness and efforts in exploring. However, since most of them have not discovered the true identity of the Prophet and his teachings, they interpret everything within the narrow dimensions of material objects and happenings. For this reason, the systems they establish are bound by materialism, positivism, or naturalism. In other words, the extent allowed by these systems—which see matter as everything—restricts the horizons of a researcher from the West. As researchers on the history of science and philosophy insistently emphasize, until the fifth century of Hegira when Muslims lived their renaissance, Muslim scientists made staggering scientific advancements.

At a time when many such matters were not even discussed in the West, they conducted serious research, leading to discoveries in medicine, geometry, astronomy, and more bitter fact is that after the fifth century of Hijra, Muslims gave up their scientific pursuits for about ten centuries and the West took the flag, carrying it further. When this happened, the Western scientists were the ones who set the framework of the present system. Since they established the system in their own way, they evaluated the existence through their own understandings. However, reason alone has its limits with respect to perceiving the truth. Reason can only take one to a certain extent and can only explain the issues of research to a certain degree. There are such matters that cannot be understood without using Divine revelation as the touchstone; revelation must have the final say in all fields, including science.”

To reiterate, in the fields of science and research the spirit and the metaphysical must be considered along with the physical. Only with such a balance can you correctly see and evaluate the things that you study by telescopes, microscopes, and x-rays. These expressions should not be misunderstood. We do not adopt an approach that condemns everything discovered by the West. Since the power of reasoning also given to humanity is a wisdom, there are many correct things stated by basing them on reason but all of the theories that have been developed by only taking physical matter into consideration must undergo a critical revision, distinguishing what is right with them and what is wrong. And this necessarily depends on considering natural and social sciences from the perspective of the Qur’an and Islamic faith. And only those who understand the Qur’an correctly will achieve this.

At this point, some Muslims talk about transferring or “Islamizing” knowledge. I think this is a defective approach that cannot lead to the proper conclusion; it is like putting on a borrowed shirt. Instead, we must evaluate issues together with their fundamental principles and re-examine the present sciences with the united perspective of sound reason, reliable senses, as well as authenticated knowledge from Divine sources. Using this criterion, Muslims must then come up with their own truths.

Success in this regard depends upon raising individuals thirsty for truth, knowledge, and discovery. If we are to write a real Qur’anic interpretation that appeals to the understanding of people of our time, we must first form a council of scholars with encyclopedic knowledge on all fields of sciences. This council must initially consider matters among themselves and then decide what is right or wrong by using the well established methodologies of the Qur’anic Exegesis and Theology. The interpretations and commentaries made only after the affirmation of such a collective consciousness must be included in religious literature.

If such a council comprised of both experts on Islamic disciplines and natural and social sciences can be formed, then with the help of God, the consequent study of interpretation should be free from artificial commentaries seeking fantasy. It is our hope and expectation that the contemporary scientists whose hearts are firm in and content with faith come together and collaborate in order to form a Qur’anic interpretation of the desired level, so that Muslims will have, to some extent, paid part of the tribute they owe toward the Noble Qur’an.

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Death

"O you who believe! Let not your properties, nor your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. Whosoever does that, then they are the losers. So spend (in charity) of that with which We have provided you, before death comes to one of you and he says: ‘My Lord! If only you would give me respite for a little while (i.e. return to the worldly life), then I should give Sadaqah (I.e. Zakat - Obligatory charity) of my wealth, and be among the righteous.’ But Allah grants respite to none when his appointed time (death) comes. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said:

"Remember much, that which cuts off pleasure: Death, since no-one remembers it in times of difficulty, except that things are made easy for him, nor mentions it at times of ease, except that the affairs become constricted for him."

Life in this World

Many humans live the life of this world, seeking the best that it has to offer, while ignoring what lies ahead of them upon death. This is a result of weak faith, for such people live only for what is before their eyes. The adornment of this world are but temptations to distract you from the true purpose of life and the reminder that you will indeed be responsible for all you do in this life.
Believing in death is part of belief in the unseen and is an essential part of faith.

As Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an:

"Alif Laam Meem. This is the Book without doubt, in it is guidance sure, for those who fear Allah, those who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what we have provided."

"Seek Allah’s help with patience and prayer. It is indeed hard, except for those who are humble. Who bear in mind that they will meet their Lord and that they are to return to Him."

Death is a harsh and fearful reality faced by everyone who lives. No one has the power to avoid it, nor does anyone around the dying person have the ability to prevent it.
It is something, which happens every moment and is encountered by the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak. They are all the same because there is no plan or means of escaping it, no power, no means of intercession, no way to prevent it, nor to delay it, which shows that indeed it comes from One having tremendous power - so that the human is helpless in this regard and can only submit to it.

So in Allah’s hand alone is the granting of life, and in His hand is the return of what He gave at the appointed time, and after the allotted life span, whether the people are in their houses amongst their families, or striving to seek provision or striving for Aqeedah (correct belief). Reward and recompense are with Him, and He has full knowledge and power.

So the return of all is to Allah, and they will be raised up before Him, having no place of return except that, and no destiny but this one.

The only difference between people will be their deeds and intentions. But, with regard to their physical death, then it is one, death at the appointed time after the decreed span, and resurrection on the Day of Gathering of mankind when we will all face Allah. Then Forgiveness and Mercy, or His displeasure and punishment will be dealt out justly according to His will.

As Allah says in the Qur’an:

"Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing)."

You must believe with absolute certainty the reality that the life in this world is limited and has an appointed beginning and an appointed end. Everyone’s soul will taste it and will depart from this life. The difference between these souls is their final destination: Paradise or Hell. We should exert all effort in attaining Paradise and pay great attention to avoiding prohibitions and deeds, which may inevitably lead us to Hell.

There are many ayah’s in the Qur’an that mention Death:

"Say: Verily, the death from which you flee will surely meet you, then you will be sent back to (Allah), the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen, and He will tell you what you used to do."

"And we granted not to any human being immortality before you (O Muhammad), then if you die, would they live forever? 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."

"(He) Who created death and life, that He may test which of you is best in deed. He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving."

There are many Prophetic Ahadith regarding death and the effect it should have on us.

"We went out with Allah’s Messenger (saws) with the funeral of a man of the Ansar and we came to the grave and the niche in the side of the grave (al-Lahd), had not been dug out yet, so Allah’s Messenger (saws) sat and we sat around him as if we had birds upon our heads, and in his hand he had a stick with which he was striking the ground.

Then he raised his head and said: ‘Seek Allah’s refuge from the Punishment of the Grave,’ two or three times. Then he said: ‘When the believing servant is leaving this world and going onto the Hereafter, angels with white faces - as if their faces were in the Sun - descend upon him. With them is a shroud from the shrouds of Paradise and perfume for embalming from the perfume of Paradise, so they sit away from him at the distance the eye can see and then the Angel of Death (as) comes and sits by his head and says:

"O good soul, come out to forgiveness from Allah and His good pleasure." He said: "So it comes out, just as a drop flows out from the mouth of the drinking vessel, and he takes it but does not leave it in his hand even for the blink of an eye until they take it and places it in that shroud, and that perfume, and there comes out from him a smell like that of the best musk found upon the face of the earth." He said: "So they ascend with it, (i.e. the persons soul) and they do not pass by any group of Angels except that they say: ‘Who is this good and pure soul?’

So they reply: "So and so, the son of so and so." with the best of his names which he used to be called by in this world, until they come to the lowest Heaven, and ask that it should be opened for him, so it is opened for him, they accompany him through every Heaven until he is taken up to the seventh Heaven, and Allah the Al-Mighty says: "Write the record of my slave in Illiyon (signifying highness) and return him to earth to his body." Then they say: "Who is your Lord?" So he will say: "My Lord is Allah." So they will say: "What is your Deen?" He will say: "My Deen is Islam." So they say: "Who is the man who was sent amongst you?"

 So he will say: "He is Allah’s Messenger." So they say: "How did you come to know that?" So he will say: "I read the Book of Allah, and believed in it , and attested to it." So a caller will call from Heaven: "Indeed My servant has spoken the Truth, so spread a place for him in Paradise, and a open a door to Paradise for him, so some of its fragrances and scents come to him and his grave is extended as far as the eye can see." He said: "A person with a Handsome face, and beautiful clothes and good smell comes to him and says. ‘Receive good news, which will please you. This is the day which you were promised.’ So he says to him: "Who are you?, since your face appears to signify good." So he says: "I am your righteous actions." He therefore says: "O Lord, establish the Last Hour. O Lord establish the Last Hour - so that I may return to my family and wealth."

But when the unbelieving servant is leaving this world and going into the Hereafter, angels with black faces descend upon him as far as the eye can see. The Angel of Death comes and sits by his head and says: "O foul soul, come out to Allah’s displeasure and anger."

So the soul spreads throughout the body, so he (the Angel of Death) drags it out, just as a pronged roasting fork is pulled out of wool. So he takes it, but does not leave it in his hand for the blink of an eye until they put it in those coarse sack cloths. Then there comes from him an offensive stench, like that of the foulest smelling corpse rotting upon the face of the earth. So they ascend with it (i.e. the soul), and they do not pass by any group of angels except that they say: "what is that foul smell!" So they say: "So and so, son of so and so," calling him with the ugliest names which he used to be called with in this world, until they come with him to the lowest heaven, and ask permission to enter, and it is not opened for him." Then Allah’s Messenger (saws) recited:
"...for them the gates of heaven will not be opened, and they will not enter Paradise until the camel goes through the eye of a needle (which is impossible)."

So Allah (swt) says: "write his record in Sijjeen (a name signifying constriction) within the lowest earth." Then his soul is flung down, and he recited:

"...and whoever assigns partners to Allah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky, and the birds had snatched him, or the wind had thrown him to a far off place."

So his soul is returned to his body and two Angels come and make him sit up. Then they say to him: "Who is your Lord?" So he will say: "Ah, ah, I don’t know." So they will say: "Who is this man who was sent amongst you?" So he will say: Ah, ah, I don’t know." So a caller will call from heaven: "You have lied so spread a place for him in the Fire, and open a door to the Fire for him." So some of its heat and scorching air comes upon him, and his grave is constricted to the extent that his ribs interlace, and a man with an ugly face, unsightly clothes and smelling offensively comes to him and says: "Receive news of that which will grieve you, this is the day which you were promised." So he will say: "Who are you?" He will answer: "I am your evil actions." So the unbeliever will say: "O Lord, Do not establish the Last Hour."

Death is Pre-Established

Death will occur at a fixed time. The time is, of course, unknown to us. The place, the time, the way in which each of us will die is known only to Allah. The death of each of us has been pre-recorded in a book by Allah. It cannot be brought about or avoided:

"Wherever you are death will find you out, even if you are in the towers built up strong and high...

"It is He who gives Life and causes Death: and when He decides upon an affair, He says to it, ‘Be’ - and it is."
Death cannot be caused by anyone or anything, nor can it be stopped or delayed unless such is in agreement with what has been pre-written. Allah (swt) tells us:

"Nor can a soul die except by Allah’s leave, the term being fixed by writing..."
This is where belief in Al-Ghayb (unseen) plays a big role. As humans we are deficient in our knowledge and as such we grasp that which is before us, comprehend it very well and use it for our benefit. We see the signs of Allah throughout the world before our eyes... the sun, the moon, day and night. etc., and it is these that we use to our advantage. However, the unseen, that which we have been asked to believe in without being able to see, is also an area of knowledge that we must grasp and use to benefit us as it contains much concerning our life in the hereafter.
 
The demise of a person contains a number of occurrences that we cannot see and perhaps are unaware of when they take place. When a person dies we cannot see what he sees, nor hear what he hears, nor feel what he feels. We don’t know what happens and of course no one has lived to tell of that experience. There are certain things we do not know that occur.
 
The stupors of death, called Sakaraatul Mawt, will be painfully felt by all. This fact is related in the Hadith concerning the death of the Prophet (saws). Aa-ishah (ra) related about the events before his death:

"There was a leather or wood container full of water in front of the Messenger (saws). He put his hand into the water and rubbed his face with it, saying: "Laa illaaha illallaah !" No doubt death has its stupor’s." Then he raised his hand and started saying: "O Allah, with the highest companions!" (and kept on saying this) until his hand dropped."
The Prophet (saws) was shown his place in Paradise and given the choice of living or dying and joining those "Highest Companions". Refer to Surah Nisa: 4 Ayah 69 and Al-Bukhari - Volume 1, Hadith Number 516.

The best way to explain "The stupors of Death" is as follows: When a person is dying, they come in and out of consciousness, even when they appear conscious, they may be dazed and incoherent - that’s why it is so important, at this time to remind the person of Allah, always remembering, that (though you cant see what’s happening), it is a very trying and sometimes a confusing time for the dying person.

Another inevitable occurrence at death is the desire to return back to life just to do one more good deed. This is especially true for the Kaffir (unbeliever), and the transgressor. They will regret their lives and wish to return to put aright their deeds. It must be a frightening thing for them at death.

"Until when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allah), he says: "O my Lord! Send me back in order that I may work righteousness in the things I have neglected...

Once Sakaraatul Mawt approaches there is no turning back. When the rattling of death is heard in the throat, nothing can be reversed:

"Then why do you not intervene when it (the soul of the dying person), reaches the throat...Call back the soul if you are true."
 
It is then that the dying person sees the angels and he realizes Death is at hand. Once the angels are seen, man can grasp the reality of Al-Ghayb (the unseen), for he has witnessed the truth of it. Declaration of faith is of no avail at that time for it is no longer "Unseen". Any repentance at this stage is rejected.

"Allah accept the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent afterwards; to them will Allah turn in mercy, for Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom. Of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil until death faces one of them and he says: ‘Now have I repented indeed’, Nor of those who die rejecting faith; for them We have prepared a punishment most grievous."
 
Many people don’t repent or seek refuge in Allah, until they face difficulty. Then when they are in trouble and feel the need they have for Allah, they turn to Him and beg for His help and His mercy.

"When trouble touches man he cries unto Us - lying down on his side, or sitting or standing. But, when We have removed his affliction he passes on his way as if he had never cried to Us for the affliction that had touched him. Thus do the deeds of transgressors seem fair in their eyes."

Incredibly, many people today feel no need for Allah at all. Repentance never occurs to them. They feel self-sufficient. As sincere Muslims, we should turn to Allah at all times, not just at times of trouble. Consider the stories of Prophet Yunus (as) and Fir’awn. They were in similar places and trouble. They both sought refuge in Allah in the same manner. Yet they were dealt with in different ways. Fir’awn was drowning at sea. When he realized his plight, he turned to Allah saying:

"...And I believe that there is no God but Him whom the Children of Israel believe in. I am of those who submit (to Allah in Islam).

At his moment of death he declared his belief in Tawheed, which is the key to Paradise. Yet his repentance was rejected. When he supplicated to Allah, Jibreel (as) threw mud in his mouth so that the angels could not hear him.

Prophet Yunus (as) was in three dark places: way out to sea, in the dark of night, in the stomach of a whale. He supplicated:

"And remember Jonah, when he went off in anger, and imagined that We shall not punish him (i.e. the calamities that had befallen him!) But he cried La illaha illa Anta (none has the right to be worshipped but You, (O Allah), Glorified (and Exalted) be You above all the (evil) they associate with You. Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers."

Prophet Yunus (as) also sought refuge in Allah through his belief in Tawheed and was saved. Why Yunus (as) and not Fir’awn? Allah (swt) said:

"So, We answered his call, and delivered him from the distress. And thus We do deliver the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allah, abstain from evil and work righteousness)

Fir’awn was not of true faith, therefore his repentance was rejected by Allah. True faith is always present, not simply in times of distress. Remember the mud thrown in the mouth of Fir’awn when he cried out. When Yunus (as) supplicated to Allah the angels responded saying: "A familiar voice from a well known slave." A very important lesson from this is that we should try to remember Allah, at all times and asks Him for help even when we are in comfort and free of problems. By remembering Allah in easy times He will remember you in difficult times just as He did Yunus (as).

Presence of Shaytan

Just as the angels will be present, Shaytan will be too. It is his last chance to try to turn man to evil. He will do what he can to cause him to die upon Shirk (Polytheism), or at least commit sin.

"Indeed Shaytan is present in all of your affairs, even at the time of eating. Therefore, if a morsel of food falls to the ground, one should remove any harmful thing from it, and eat it. Don’t leave it for Shaytan to eat. And when one finishes, he should lick his fingers, for no one knows where the blessing in the food might be.

Shaytan can assume any form he desires in order to deceive man. He can come to you when you are dying in the form of your deceased Mother or Father or close friend saying:

"I come to you from the other life and I have found that Christianity is the truth."

Related by Dr. Umar Al-Ashqar Al-Yawn Al-Aakhir - Al-Quyaam As-Sughraa p.29

This is the time when the weak in faith may fail. Never consider yourself to be of firm, unshakable faith. Allah holds our hearts between His fingers.

Even those of great knowledge never consider themselves of unwavering faith. They fear that they may lose the gift of Islam. The Qur’an tells us of such people:

"...And those firmly grounded in knowledge say: ‘We believe in it, the whole of it is from our Lord. And none will grasp the message but men of understanding. O Lord let not our hearts deviate now after You have guided us, but grant us mercy from You, for You are the Granter of bounties without measure."

An example of Shaytan’s work at the time of death is seen in the story of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, the great scholar and founder of the Hanbali school of thought.

At his death, his son was beside him telling him: "Say Laa illaaha illallaah." Imam Ahmad replied: "No! No!" The son was horrified and repeated to his father: "Laa illaaha illallaah." And again Imam Ahmad said: "No! No!" He then lost consciousness. When he came to he told his son: "I see my devil saying: Ahmad! I was not able to deviate you!" The devil had come to him and tried to get him to admire himself for his righteous life by insisting that before he die, he say he was of the people of Paradise. Imam Ahmad reply was: "No!, No!, not until I die."

Life in this world is of many types yet death is only two. Just as there is only Paradise and Hell, there is only a good ending and a bad one. A good ending is known as Husnul Khaatimah. We know that a person who dies with Husnul Khaatimah is reassured by the angels that good awaits him. He has died with faith in Islam and his good deeds will benefit him all the more.

Of course there are stories of those who, Insh Allah died with Husnul Khaatimah:

** A young man helped a stranded elderly couple repair their car, which had broken down on the freeway. His friends left him with them and continued on their way Makkah. The young man stayed with the couple until their car was fixed and then went to Makkah. When he arrived, he went to the Haram (mosque), he prayed, and stayed in sujood for a long time until finally his friends became worried. When they touched him he fell over.

He had died in prostration.

** A young man was changing a tire and while doing so, his car was hit from behind which then hit him. He was severely injured and kept mumbling the entire time. The ambulance came to take him to hospital, the medic noticed his constant mumbling, and tried to hear what he was saying, as he leaned over to listen, he realized that the young man was reciting Qur’an.As for a bad ending - Suu-ul Khaatimah - there are a few causes:

1) Corrupt Beliefs

Even though this person may perform good deeds, may even renounce the world in piety, some of his beliefs are false. He is convinced that his belief’s are true and correct. It doesn’t cross his mind that he may be in error. This discovery is only made when Sakaraatul Mawt reaches him. And, though he may be upon the truth in some of his belief’s, his falsehood will delete him.

"Say: shall we tell you of those who lose most in respect of their deeds? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their works."

Whether such beliefs are held due to one’s opinions or are taken from others, the person falls into this danger. His good deeds are of no benefit to him. Without correct belief, which is based upon the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah, nothing will benefit him.

2) Persistence in Acts of Disobedience

The person who persists in sin will accustom his heart to sinful acts. They will become natural to him. All such deeds that become typical aspects of our lives will come to us at the time of death. If we are accustomed to righteousness and obedience and the doing of good deeds, it will be in this frame of mind that we die. And, if we have accustomed ourselves to a life of sin or persisted in certain sinful acts, these acts will fill our minds at death. If this occurs, if these acts of disobedience overcome our thoughts due to the active role they played in our lives, we will end our lives with Suu-ul Khaatimah.

We know from the Sunnah that a person should be encouraged to say La illaaha illaallah when he is dying, but some of us will be unable to say this due to such acts of disobedience that preoccupied us in our lives.

A few examples are:


** A person who was very fond of alcohol was dying. He was encouraged to say La illaaha illaallah, but all he could say was: "Pour another glass for me."
** Two young men were driving around the city listening to music. They were in a very bad accident. One of them escaped with little harm, while the other one was badly hurt. When the friend who was not hurt realized that his friend was dying he encouraged him to say: La illaaha illallaah, all he could do was to sing the verses of the song he had been listening to in the car.

3) Deviation From The Straight Path

He who possesses correct belief and is upon the straight path, but then leaves it will cause himself Suu-ul Khaatimah. Man may know the truth and live in accordance with it for some time. Yet he follows Shaytan when he commands him to reject faith.

"Like the Shaytan when he says to man: "Disbelieve!" But when man disbelieves, Shaytan says: "I am free of you, I do fear Allah, Lord of the Worlds." The end of both will be that they will go into the fire, dwelling therein forever. Such is the reward of the Unjust and the Wrongdoers."

4) Deterioration of Faith

Deterioration of faith begins in this way. A Muslim feels himself sufficient in his knowledge and fails to see his weaknesses. Slowly he loses even the knowledge that he has because he fails to put it into practice. He neglects the Sunnah and perhaps feels the spiritual path of faith is sufficient for him. Practical affairs, for which we take guidance from the Sunnah, such as; how to eat and sleep, how to pay Zakat, become unimportant to him. Though spiritual worship is rewarded, often the practical deeds are of more benefit to a Muslim in life and may even be of greater reward.

For example: Scholars are of the opinion that recitation of the Qur’an is rewarded, although seeking knowledge is of greater reward. Recitation without knowledge and practical application is fruitless.

"The similitude of those who were entrusted with the Taurat (torah), but who subsequently failed in those (obligations) is that of a donkey which carries books (but understands them not). Evil is the similitude of a people who falsify the signs of Allah; And Allah guides not those who do wrong."

5) Weakness in Faith

Faith to many people is a matter of the heart, an inner belief. However, Islamic faith is much more.

The definition of faith in Islam is: A belief in the heart supported by words from the tongue and actions of the body. Faith in Islam cannot simply be an inner belief, nor words from the tongue, it must be backed up by deeds. This is where many Muslims fail in faith.

You cannot simply hope for Paradise, you must work for it. We must consequently pass many trials and tests in order to obtain it. If our actions do not convey what we carry in our hearts and voice from our mouths, our faith is weak, and therefore deficient. Often times, such weaknesses in faith are caused by one’s love for Dunya, the worldly life. The love of Dunya can become excessive causing faith to become so weak that one lives for this world only, dreading death, as it represents the end of worldly life, that he loves so much. If Sakaraatul Mawt reaches him whilst in this state, he will find himself doubtful in faith and can end with Suu-ul Khaatimah.

Often we are impressed with people particularly non-Muslims, who are well mannered and of impeccable behaviour. Yet they posses little or no faith. Such people will have their deeds rejected by Allah and will be those with Suu-ul Khaatimah.

The manners and behaviour with which they impressed people so much in this life will be of no help to them when they face Allah. Muslims may die with Minor and Major Suu-ul Khaatimah.

Perhaps, they were believing practicing Muslims, but fell into innovation in religion. Some may have fallen into one of the sects, whose followers claim to be Muslim. Whether or not they fall into the minor or major category depends upon the seriousness of that which they involve themselves in. Of course the most serious is that which concerns one’s Aqeedah, definitely casting one into the Major Suu-ul Kaatimah.

An example is found in the Sufi’s. Some of their beliefs are Kufr, while others, though they are contrary to Islamic teachings, do not cast them out of the fold of Islam. Such things show all the more reason to seek Islamic knowledge so that we may avoid falling into such falsehood, thinking that we are on the right path.

"Say: ‘Shall We tell you of those who lose most in respect to their deeds? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought they were acquiring good by their works."

Those of the Minor category are those who have faith yet die upon sin. On the Day of Judgment, the Scale will weigh their deeds, good and bad. This will determine whether they are the people of Hell or the people of Paradise.

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