In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful
Verse 35.22 is crystal clear that human beings still living in this
world cannot make those to hear who are in the graves.
And yet, many Muslims today believe that the Prophet (peace be upon
him) and many other pious, saintly people, in their graves, do hear
those who remember them and ask them to pray to and intercede with
Allah for them. This belief is said to be based on two Qur'aanic
verses, 4.64 and 2.154.
The original Arabic texts of the 3 verses, mentioned above, are
given in the attachments. Their English translations are as follows:
35.22 Neither are the living and the dead alike. Allah makes anyone,
He wishes, to hear. And you are in no position to make those to hear
who are in the graves.
4.64 And We sent no Messenger, but to be obeyed by Allah's leave.
And had they indeed come to you when they had wronged their own
selves, then prayed Allah to forgive them and had the Messenger too
prayed Allah to forgive them, they certainly would have found Allah
Forgiving and Merciful.
2.154 And say not of those killed in Allah's Path, "Dead persons."
Nay! They are living, but you perceive not.
The words 'those ....... who are in the graves' in verse 35.22 are
significant. These words also cover those persons who are buried in
the graves, but are living in terms of verse 2.154. This means that
human beings, living in this world, cannot make those in the graves
- whether dead or living - to hear.
Now, let us study verse 4.64. The personal pronoun 'you' therein
stands specifically for Prophet Muhammad. So some Muslims seem to
think that even now, over 14 centuries after he was put in his grave
at Medina after a natural (and not violent) death, if people go to
the Prophet's grave and pray Allah for forgiving their sins, the
Prophet hears them and he too prays to Allah on their behalf. And
this thinking has derived apparent support from Ibn Kathir who in
his Tafseer has reportedly quoted a saying as per which a man, named
Otba, sleeping near the Prophet's grave saw the Prophet in a dream.
The Prophet tells Otba that Allah has forgiven the sins of an Arabi,
whom Otba had actually seen (and not in a dream) earlier, addressing
the Prophet at his grave. The Arabi had said that he had heard of
the Verse (4.64), and in compliance thereof, he had come to him
(i.e. the Prophet lying in his grave) seeking Allah's forgiveness of
his sins and the Prophet's intercession.
First, our Prophet did not have a violent death; he was not killed.
His death was due to natural causes. Verse 2.154 doesn't apparently
therefore apply to him. Second, there is no dispute that at his
death, the Prophet's body was put in his grave at Medina. Verse
35.22 therefore applies to him, and no living human being here in
this world is in a position to make the Prophet to hear, even if, by
any stretch of imagination, the Prophet is considered to be living
in terms of Verse 2.154.
As against this clear-cut postion seen in Qur'aanic light, we have
the Ibn Kathir story, based on a dream, giving quite the contrary
position! This is what happens when the clear Qur'aanic verses are
sought to be interpreted - and interpreted wrongly - on the basis of
sources outside the Qur'aan. We are thus led to believe in things
that are opposite to what the Qur'aan says.
The Qur'aan says, in Verse 42.48, that the Prophet was not sent as a
protector; his responsibility was but to convey the divine Message.
And the Qur'aan says, in Verse 2.154, that there shall be no
intercession. But the Ibn Kathir story cited above would have us
believe that our Prophet intercedes even while he is in his grave!
Verse 35.22, quoted above, tells us that the living and the dead are
not alike. The wrong-doers were asked to come to the Prophet, while
he was living in this world, engaged in his given task of conveying
the divine Message. They were not called to him when he was in his
grave. They were called to him so that they could also get the
divine Message direct from the Messenger of Allah. The Qur'aan was
not revealed in its full glory, and Islam was not perfected till the
very last days of the Prophet. The Prophet's personal guidance was
necessary till the Qur'aan was completed and Islam perfected.
Because, the Prophet had palpable communication with Allah Almighty,
and any problem arising could be resolved by a direct reference to
Him. But this need, to be in physical proximity with the Prophet,
ceased when the Qur'aan was completed and Islam perfected. It was
then that the All-knowing Allah took the Prophet away from mankind.
The Prophet had done his duty. He had conveyed the complete divine
Message to mankind. Why don't we understand this simple thing!? The
Muslims have not learnt any lesson from what the Christians did to
their Christ!
The deliberate misconstruction of the said verse has led us away
from Reality, not only in respect of the Prophet (peace be on him),
but also in respect of many other personalities, who are now in
their graves. Some Muslims, in exercise of their 'free wills', have
'given' these personalities Allah's exclusive powers to grant them
the boon of a son, or of worldly wealth, or of taking them out of
any difficult situation.
And Allah says,
* "Those whom they invoke besides Allah have not created
anything, but are themselves created. They are dead, lifeless,
and they know not when they will be raised up." [Q: 16.20-21]
* "And they worship besides Allah things that hurt them not, nor
profit them, and they say, 'These are our intercessors with
Allah.' Say, 'Do you inform Allah of that which He knows not
in the heavens and the earth!?' Glorified and Exalted is He
above all, whom they associate as partners with Him." [Q: 10.18]
* "Have they taken others as intercessors besides Allah? Say,
'Even though they have power over nothing, nor any
understanding!?' Say, 'To Allah belongs all intercession. His
is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. Then to Him
shall you be brought back.'" [Q: 39.43-44]
* "O mankind! An example is given, listen to it: Those on whom
you call besides Allah, cannot create a fly, even though they
combine together for the purpose. And if the fly snatches away
something from them, they have no power to get that something
released from the fly. Weak are the seeker and the sought,
both!" [Q: 22.73]
Mohammad Shafi
--
Guide us to the Straight Path, Allah!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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