Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

67550

Did the Prophet (pbuh) wanted Ayesha to be with him till he passed away? If so, doesn't that prove that he loved her very much?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answer updated 6 years ago

This claim came from a narration in some Sunni books from ‘Urwah Ibn al-Zubair from his aunt Aisha that the Holy Prophet (SAWA) passed away while he was putting his head on the chest of Aisha. This narration is a fabricated narration and it contradicts with authentic narrations in Sunni and Shia books . Ibn Abbas, the well known companion, denied and refuted this narration.

as it is in Tahtheeb al-Tabaqaat al-Kubra (page 402) : Abu Ghatfan asked Ibn-Abbas, “did you see the Prophet when he passed away putting his head on the chest of anyone?”

Ibn Abbas replied: “the Prophet passed away when his head was on the

chest of Ali ibn Abi Talib”. The narrator asked him, that: “‘Urwah told

me that Aisha said that the prophet passed away when his head was on

her chest.” Ibn Abbas said: “do you have sense? Can you believe it? By

Allah, the messenger of Allah, passed away and his head

was on the chest of Ali Ibn Abi Talib.”

In the well known Sunni book Al Tabaqat al Kubra (vol 2 pg 260) Ibn Sa’ad said: The prophet passed away while his head was on the chest of Ali-ibn-abi-Talib.

Ibn Asaakir, the well known Sunni scholar, narrated in his book

Tareekh Dimashq (vol 3 pg 15 narration number 1028) that the mother of

Jumai’ ibn ‘Omair and his aunt both went to Aisha and asked her about

Ali. Aisha said: “you are asking me about whom? About a man who put

his hand, when the prophet was dying, and the soul of the prophet came

out on his hand and he wiped his face with it.”

This narration has also been mentioned in Majma’ al Zawa’id by al Haythami (vol 9 pg 112)

and also mentioned by al Zamakhshari in Rabi’ al Abraar.

The false narration claiming hat he Prophet put his head on the chest of Aisha was narrated by a well known enemy of Imam Ali (AS), ‘Orwah ibn al Zubair, who fabricated this false allegation because of his enmity against Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS) . 'Orwah Ibn al Zubair fought against Imam Ali (AS) in the Bttle of Jamal in Basra and tried with his brother Abdullah to kill mam Ali (AS).

How can Muslims believe an enemy of Ali and leave what Ali (AS) himself stated? Ibn Abi Al-Hadeed narrated that Ali (AS) himself said(ولقد قبض رسول الله وان رأسه على صدري ) “verily the Messenger of Allah (SAWA) passed away when his head was on my chest.”

Nahjul Balagah, (sermon 197).

In Musnad Ahmad bin Hambal (vol 6, pg 300) Umm Salama,

one of the wives of the Holy Prophet (SAWA), she said: “I swear by

whom I swear, that Ali was the nearest to the Holy Prophet (SAWA) and

the last person who was with the Holy Prophet (SAWA) when the Holy

Prophet (SAWA) passed away, he was alone with Ali giving him secrets

and talking to him alone.”

This is also mentioned in al Musannaf (vol 7 pg 494) also in Kanz al

Ummal (vol 13 pg 146 Hadeeth number 36459) and also in Tareekh Madinat

Dimashq and also in al Bidaya Wannihaya by ibn Katheer (vol 7 pg 397)

Wassalam.

66137

Soul. Heart

What is the difference between Ruh (soul) and Qalb (heart)?

Syed Nabi Raza Abidi, Syed Nabi Raza Abidi is based in the US and has a PhD in Theology and Philosophy having attended Howzah in Iran for several years. His research was conducted under the guidance of Ayatollah Ja... Answered 6 years ago

Salamoanlaykum

May Allah bless you and your family.

Scholars of different disciplines use these terms in different ways. In a loose sense, they refer to the same reality – the source of life which is inanimate and eternal. The exact sense will depend on in which context it the term is used.

Muhaqqiq Narāqī in his famous book of ethics, Jamiʿ al-Saʿādāt states, “The soul (nafs) is that heavenly essence which employs the body and uses its various organs to attain its goals and purposes. The soul has also other names as spirit (ruh), intelligence (`aql), and heart (qalb) although these terms have other usages as well.”

Shahīd Muṭahharī indicates that these terms are used distinctly in ʿIrfān based on the qualities of the soul: “The 'urafa' have different words for the human soul; sometimes they call it nafs (self), sometimes qalb (heart), sometimes ruh (spirit) and sometimes sirr (mystery). When the human soul is dominated and ruled by desires and passions they call it nafs. When it reaches the stage of bearing Divine knowledge, it is called qalb. When the light of Divine love dawns within it, they call it ruh.”

In the Qurʾān the terms Qalb and Nafs are used much more often than the term Rūḥ; Rūḥ is also sometimes used to refer to the Holy Spirit or to ʿIsā (ʿa)

67355

Sleep. Body

Is sleeping less a desirable objective in Islam? How can the amount of sleep that someone's body requires be decreased?

Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answer updated 6 years ago

Sleep is one of the signs and blessings of Allah which is mentioned in the Qur'an.

Allah gave us sleep as a time of rest and recovery. Sleep makes us humble and reminds us that we are not invincible. Even if we are the most powerful person in the world, we still have to sleep and be vulnerable when we sleep.

Sleep is a time when we can keep away from sins, and we can be thankful to Allah to have that time. It is also a reminder of death and the resurrection, for those who pay attention to it and ponder it.

Sleep has been praised by Imam Rida (A): "Sleep is the sultan of the brain, the foundation of the body, and its strength."

Of course this praise is not for excessive sleep. It is not good to sleep excessively (beyond what one needs) or to live in such a way that all one cares about is eating and sleeping or to sleep just out of laziness. Still, a normal amount of sleep can be considered a part of worship (especially in the month of Ramadan), and what is normal or required varies from person to person and at different ages of our lives.

Sleep is part of the natural cycle, and virtually all animals sleep. They sleep at the correct time for their species and are awake at the correct time for their species.

Sometimes it is valuable to reduce sleep for the sake of worship, and of course there is nothing wrong with being awake because one needs to be awake, one wants to be awake, or one simply can't sleep. And of course it is good to be awake on laylat al qadr, etc. But in general in order to be a healthy functioning person, it is good to get the amount of sleep that one needs. I think in general, in industrialized/urban areas, there is much more of a tendency to get not enough sleep (especially in the age of electronics and television) rather than to oversleep.

Happy sleeping!

66206

Spirituality

What are some of the books which talk in detail about the esoteric practices (apart from the normal 5 daily prayers) of Shia Islam which would accelerate a person's spirituality and give him extra perceptive attributes or spiritual powers?

Excellent answer from Shaykh Zoheir Esmail, I also wanted to add that there is some indication in narrations that having faith and wilayah in the Imams (A) does develop this capacity to some degree. For instance, it is related, from Imam al-Sadiq (A), ‘Our followers (shi'a) have have four eyes: two eyes in the head and two eyes in the heart. Actually, all people have these, but Allah opened your sight.'

If one goes through what is found in the books of narrations, there are some pointers here and there on this topic. For instance, you may be familiar with the saying attributed to Imam 'Ali (A) saying 'lower your eyes and you will see wonders'. While this is often discussed in the context of having a chaste gaze in society, it can be taken on a deeper level to mean avoiding distracting one's self with the glitter of the life of this world to be able to understand beyond it.

It is my view (and by that, I mean it is my personal view and may or may not be the view of others) that both the formally prescribed practices of Twelver Shi'ism (such as prescribed du'as or a'mal as well as ziyarat to the holy sites) as well as the traditional practices (especially relating to majalis and azadari) do both facilitate a stronger sense of spiritual vision and understanding if one takes them seriously. After all, it is really not uncommon for Shi'is to experience, or at least say they experience, dreams, visions, miracles, etc, of Ahl al-Bayt when participating in these events.

One can always pray for what one seeks, whatever it happens to be in life, including spiritual vision. One could recite one's own prayers in one's own words, or there are some snippets of du'as from Ahl al-Bayt (A) that could be considered appropriate such as from Munajat Sha'baniyyah.

Beyond that, many things in life are not really learned by books. One can get inspiration or some tips from books, but many arts really are passed on through a person to person basis. For instance, few people solely learn cooking or swimming from books, even though one can get tips and advice from cooking and swimming magazines. In the Islamic tradition, historically, there has been a strong emphasis on the person to person passing on of spiritual knowledge, and I think there is a virtue to this tradition. (Of course one should be cautious whom one seeks spiritual knowledge from and keep one's inner and outer eyes open, but it doesn't diminish the value of being able to take knowledge from another human.) It seems also that spiritual perception operates differently from person to person (for instance, for some people, it might be more direct whereas others more indirect, such as via intuition or dreams) and there isn't a one size fits all answer to be taken only from books, although books may have some things to offer.

At the same time, there are some basic things one can do regardless of what faith tradition one adheres to (if any) that aren't limited to Shi'ism, such as anything that develops one's sense of focus or reduction of unnecessary distractions in life, that are likely helpful along these lines. Also - as the narration says - most people have spiritual perception, especially people who already have an inclination towards religion and spirituality, and it doesn't hurt simply to pay attention to what is already there - especially in this busy day and age and age of secularism/materialism, a lot of people tend to just shut this sort of thing out.

Best wishes on your spiritual journey!

67549

Parents. Inheritance. Marriage

Can parents abandon a son for marrying a cousin against their wishes? Do they have the right to deprive him of all inheritance?

Sayyed Muhammad Husaini Ragheb, Sayyed Muhammad Husaini Ragheb has a BA in Law from Guilan University, Iran and has also undertaken Hawzah studies in Qom. He used to be a Cultural Affairs director of Ethics Group of Al-Mustafa... Answered 6 years ago

According to Fiqh i.e. jurisprudence, a boy has no need to acquire the consent of either of parents, so he can marry any girl even if it is against his parents' consent.
Please bear in mind that I'm not answering according to moral and sociological advice!
As for the second part of your question, we have nothing like that in Islam and as soon as a person dies his/her connection to their possessions is removed and the properties automatically go into the account of the heirs, so if one is going to deprive an heir of getting their properties, they must transfer whatever they have in their lifetime to other people.

63800

Employment. Western Society. Handshake

Can you please provide advice on how to deal with handshakes with the opposite gender in a business meeting or for a job interview for those living in the West?

Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answer updated 6 years ago

I tend to smile, put my hand to my chest, and say 'Sorry, I don't shake.' By placing your hand on your chest, you are offering an alternative way of greeting, which makes greeting less awkward. Another method is to get a sympathetic colleague - if you have one - to inform people ahead of meeting you that you don't shake hands with the opposite gender.

67547

Wife. Mut'a (Temporary marriage)

Is it disliked by the Imams (a) that a person who already has a wife does Muta on the basis that it is an option for those who cannot have a permanent wife?

The aim of Mut’ah marriage is to save people from falling into sinful
sexual acts. Those who don’t have a permanent wife or those who are
away from their wife can take the benefit from this type of Islamic
marriage which is a time fixed marriage to save themselves from
falling into sinful acts. The Holy Prophet (SAWA) and the infallible
Imams (AS) warned against hurting the feelings of anyone
specially your near ones like your wife. If the person who has a wife
with him does anything which causes pain and injury to her feelings,
he should avoid such act. Even if he does need it to save
himself from sexual sins, he must not cause any harm t his wife.

Wassalam.

67527

Hereafter. Dunya

Is it true that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was critical of both those who abandon the Hereafter for this world and also those who abandon this world for the Hereafter? Does it mean we should be moderate and try to enjoy both the worlds?

Yes it is true that the Holy Prophet (SAWA) never encourages anyone to
abandon the Hereafter for this world nor this world for the Hereafter.
In the narrations one of the pious companions Usman ibn Madh’oon عثمان بن مظعون who was one of the earliest Muslims (13th or 14th) and who suffered a lot
from the enemies of the Muslims in Makkah and who had migrated to
Abyssinia twice, first with the Muslims of Madinah were who led by him
and the second time he migrated to Abyssinia with a group of Muslims
led by Ja’far ibn Abi Talib.

Usman ibn Madh’oon participated in the Muslim army in the battle of
Badr. He was spending his days in fasting and the nights in
worshipping. He sought permission from the Holy Prophet (SAWA) to
abandon this world and remain in worshipping Allah (SWT) only. The
Holy Prophet (SAWA) did not allow this and told him : “No, I was not
sent to abandon this world for the Hereafter nor to abandon the
Hereafter for sake of this world”. The Hadeeth says : “Do for your
worldly life as if you will remain in the world forever and do for
your Hereafter as if you are leaving this world tomorrow. (Mustadrak
al-Wasaa’il vol. 13 pg. 58 and Bihar al-Anwar vol. 44 pg. 139). Even
in the Holy Qu’ran in Surah al-Qasas verse 77, Allah (SWT) says :
“Seek with what Allah (SWT) has bestowed on you the Hereafter and
don’t forget your lawful portion from this world”.

Wassalam.

67342

God (Allah)

If God doesn't need anything then for what reason has He created all the worlds and the creatures?

No doubt, Allah (SWT) is the absolute needless, but He also is the Most
Merciful, the Most Compassionate, the Most Gracious and He showers His
Mercy. The creation of all Creatures was because of His Mercy which He
wanted to shower on His creatures. He created them and us to make us
enjoy His Mercy. There is no question of need but it is a gesture of
kindness and generosity from Allah (SWT) on the creatures whom He
created.

(response to a similar question was given earlier in this
forum which you may also refer to)

Wassalam.

67523

God (Allah). Imam Ali b. Abi Talib

Could you please elaborate on Imam Ali (AS)'s statement along the lines that he recognized God through revoking of determinations and breaking of intentions? What is its practical significance in our daily life?

The narration from Imam Ali (AS) that “I recognized Allah (SWT) through
revoking of determination and the breaking of the decisions ( عرفت الله سبحانه بفسخ العزائم ونقض الهمم ) means that one of the clear signs of Allah (SWT) is that the
decisions of people are not always fulfilled or implemented as they decided. Allah (SWT)' decision is The Final.

The human being should never think that he will do what he wants to do
and he will achieve his determination and decisions. Allah (SWT)
creates different situations and circumstances which make many of the
determinations and decisions invalid. This is one of the signs of the
unlimited power of Allah (SWT).

Wassalam.

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