Can humans see the angels and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when they are awake?

 

We held a march in the capital to support the Palestinian and Iraqi people against the Israeli and American occupations. After the march ended, I heard some of the brothers and sisters saying that they had seen Jibreel coming down from the sky, and they had seen the Prophet Muhammad (S) and many of the angels accompanying them and supporting this march. Could these visions be real, and are we obliged to believe them? Otherwise we may think badly of our Muslim brothers. As for me, I cannot believe it knowing that the people of Badr and the companions and the ten who were promised Paradise did not see the angels with their own eyes, and they did not see Jibreel. Can we say that this was just their imagination, i.e., they imagined that they saw something and it became something that they believed they had really seen with their eyes?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

We have explained the ruling on demonstrations in the answer
to question no. 11469; please read.

 Secondly: 

The blessings and salaams upon the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) should not be reduced to a single letter or
abbreviation. Whoever can write such a lengthy question is not incapable of
writing (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in full. We have
explained the ruling on writing these abbreviations in the answer to
question no. 47976; please read. 

Thirdly: 

The angels have been created from light, as was narrated by
Muslim (2996), and no one can claim to have seen them in their true form
unless he is a Prophet whose words are to be believed. As for those who see
them in human form, this is possible for both the common folk and the elite.
There are many such reports in the saheeh Sunnah, whether that happened
among this ummah or among the nations who came before. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
who was blessed with deep wisdom and understanding of religion, could not
bear to see Jibreel (peace be upon him) in his true form with which Allaah
created him, so how can these people bear it – even if we assume that they
saw him at all? 

Shaykh ‘Umar al-Ashqar said: 

Because the angels have
subtle bodies of light, people cannot see them, especially since Allaah has
not given our eyes the ability to see them. No one in this ummah has seen
the angels in their true form except the Messenger (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). He saw Jibreel twice in the form with which Allaah
created him. The texts indicate that humans can see angels if the angels
appear in human form. 

‘Aalam al-Malaa’ikah al-Abraar,
p. 11.

{Translator’s note: this book by ‘Umar al-Ashqar is available
in English under the title The World of the Noble Angels, published
by International Islamic Publishing House (IIPH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia} 

He also said, in the context of affirming the humanity of the
Messengers and refuting those who said that they were angels: 

It is difficult to see the angels. When the kuffaar demanded
to see the angels, and expected that the Messengers who were sent to them
should be angels, they did not understand the nature of the angels and they
did not know the difficulty and hardship that they might encounter as a
result of seeing them. 

Contacting the angels and seeing them is not something easy.
Although the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
the best of mankind and was physically and spiritually strong to a great
degree, when he saw Jibreel in his true form, he was stricken with immense
fear and fled back to his house with his heart trembling. He (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) suffered great hardship when the Revelation
came to him, hence Allaah said, refuting them (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“On the Day they will see the angels
no glad tidings will there be for the Mujrimoon (criminals, disbelievers,
polytheists, sinners) that day”

[al-Furqaan 25:22]  

That is because the
kuffaar only see the angels at the time of death or when the Divine
punishment descends, so when they are able to see angels, that is the day of
their doom. 

It was essential that human Messengers be sent, so that they
would be able to address mankind, and so that mankind would be able to learn
from them and understand. If Allaah had sent messengers from among the
angels to them, that would not have been possible.  

“And nothing prevented men from believing when the
guidance came to them, except that they said: ‘Has Allaah sent a man as
(His) Messenger?’

95. Say: ‘If there were on the earth, angels walking about
in peace and security, We should certainly have sent down for them from the
heaven an angel as a Messenger’”

[al-Isra’ 17:94, 95] 

But those who live on the earth are human, and the mercy and
wisdom of Allaah dictated that their Messengers should be of their own
kind. 

“Indeed, Allaah conferred a great favour on the believers
when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:164] 

Since humans cannot easily see the angels and learn from
them, this means that if Allaah had wanted to send an angel as a messenger
to mankind, He would have had to make him a man: 

“And had We appointed him an angel, We indeed would have
made him a man, and We would have certainly confused them in which they are
already confused (i.e. the Message of Prophet Muhammad)”

[al-An’aam 6:9] 

They would have been
confused because of his appearing in human form, and they would not have
been able to verify that he was an angel. As that is the case, there would
have been no point in sending angels as messengers in this manner, rather
sending angels as messengers in this manner would not have achieved the
intended aim, because an angel-messenger would not be able to feel what
humans feel, and share their emotions and reactions, even if he appeared in
their form. 

Al-Rusul wa’l-Risaalaat, 72, 73.

{Translator’s note: This book by ‘Umar al-Ashqar is available
in English under the title The Messengers and the Messages, published
by International Islamic Publishing House (IIPH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia} 

Fourthly: 

With regard to seeing the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) when one is awake, this is akin to Sufi myths, and
there is no basis for that in sharee’ah or in real life. Tremendous events
befell the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) after the death of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and they were in
the greatest need of seeing him among them, so why did he not appear to
them, and why did they not see him when he was the dearest of people to them
and they were the dearest of people to him? 

With regard to some of them quoting the hadeeth that is
narrated in al-Saheehayn from the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) – that he said, “Whoever sees me in a dream will see
me when he is awake” – as evidence that it is possible to see the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when one is awake, there is
nothing in this hadeeth to support what they say. Rather it is glad tidings
to the one who sees him in a dream, that he will see him in Paradise. It
does not mean that he will see him when he is awake in this world. 

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Some of the righteous
erred and claimed that it is possible to see him with one’s own eyes. 

Fath al-Baari, 12/384. 

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, concerning the
meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), “he will see me when he is awake”, there are a number of opinions
concerning this. 

1 – That what is meant is
the people of his own time, i.e., that whoever saw him in a dream and had
not migrated, Allaah would enable him to migrate and to see him with his own
eyes when he was awake.

2 – That he would see the confirmation of that dream whilst
awake in the Hereafter, because all of his ummah will see him in the
Hereafter.

3 – That he will see him in a specific sense in the
Hereafter, by being close to him and attaining his intercession, and so on. 

Sharh Muslim, 15/26 

What al-Nawawi mentioned in the first opinion is not
contradicted by the opinion of al-Haafiz ibn Hajar that it is not possible
to see him, because al-Nawawi stated that what was meant was the people of
his own time, and what al-Haafiz was objecting to was those who claim to
have seen him in a real sense after he (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) died. 

Abu’l-‘Abbaas al-Qurtubi said, refuting those who said that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) could be seen
when one is awake: 

This idea (that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) may be seen when one is awake) may easily be refuted by
common sense, because it implies that no one can see him except in the form
in which he died, and that two people may see him at the same time in two
different places, and that he may come to life sometimes and emerge from his
grave and walk about in the marketplaces and converse with the people. That
implies that his body is not in his grave and there is nothing left in his
grave, so the grave is visited and salaam is said to one who is not there,
because he may be seen by night and by day in his real form outside his
grave. 

Quoted by al-Haafiz ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari,
12/384 

Moreover, if it were true
that someone could see the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) when he is awake, then he would be one of his companions and there
would be Sahabaah until the Day of Resurrection. 

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar
al-‘Asqallaani stated that Ibn Abi Jamrah narrated from some of the Sufis
that they saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
in a dream, then they saw him after that when they were awake, and they
asked him about some things which they were worried about, and he told them
how to deal with them, and they followed his advice and achieved the desired
results. Then al-Haafiz commented on that by saying: This is very odd. If we
interpret it as it appears to be, then these people would be Sahaabah, and
there could be Sahaabah until the Day of Resurrection. But this may be
refuted by the fact that many people see him when they are asleep but no one
says that that they saw him when they were awake, so there is an
inconsistency. 

Fath al-Baari, 12/385

 

The scholars of the Standing Committee said, refuting the
beliefs of al-Tijaani: 

There is no proven report
from the Rightly-Guided Caliphs or from the rest of the Sahaabah (may Allaah
be pleased with them), who are the best of mankind after the Prophets, that
any of them claimed to have seen the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) when he was awake. It is well known, and no Muslim has
any excuse for not knowing, that the religion was completed during the
lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
that Allaah perfected this ummah’s religion for it and completed His Favour
upon it before the death of His Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). Allaah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning):   

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you,
completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your
religion”

[al-Maa’idah 5:3] 

So there can be no doubt
that what Ahmad al-Tijaani claims, that he saw the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was awake, and learned the Tijani
tareeqah from him orally when he was awake, and that he told him what wird
to recite to remember Allaah (dhikr) and send blessings upon His Messenger,
is false and is evident misguidance. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah,
2/325, 326 

They also said: 

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) died after having conveyed the Message in full and after Allaah
had perfected His religion through him and established proof against His
creation through him. His companions (may Allaah be pleased with them)
offered the funeral prayer for him and buried him where he died, in the room
of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her). After him came the
Rightly-Guided Caliphs, during whose time events occurred which they dealt
with on the basis of their own reasoning (ijtihad), and they did not refer
concerning any of them to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). Whoever claims after that to have seen the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was awake, living
and speaking to him, or to have heard anything from him before the Day of
Resurrection, his claim is false, because it goes against the texts, the
narrated reports and the laws of Allaah that govern His creation. There is
nothing in this hadeeth to suggest that he will be seen when one is awake in
this world, because it could be interpreted as meaning, “he will see me in
the Hereafter,” or it may mean, “he will see the interpretation of his
dream”, because this dream is true according to what is stated in other
reports, namely that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “… he has indeed seen me.” The believer may truly see the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in his dream in the form in
which he appeared when he was alive. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah,
1/486, 487. 

To sum up: 

It is not permissible for
anyone – after the Prophets – to claim to have see the angels, for they have
bodies of light which Allaah has not enabled humans to see, unless the
angels appear in human form. 

It is not permissible for anyone to claim to have seen the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was awake.
Perhaps these illusions came from some of those who do not have any Islamic
knowledge or maturity, so they imagine things that are not there. 

And Allaah knows best.

 

Discussion with a Christian about the Crucifixion

 

Why is it so difficult for the Muslims to believe that Christ was crucified to erase our sins? Why do they reject the idea of the Crucifixion altogether?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

There is nothing strange about the Muslims rejecting this
idea, because the Qur’aan in which they believe and accept what it tells
them definitively states that that did not happen, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“And because of their
saying (in boast), ‘We killed Messiah ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary),
the Messenger of Allaah,’ — but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but
it appeared so to them the resemblance of ‘Eesa (Jesus) was put over another
man (and they killed that man)], and those who differ therein are full of
doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but
conjecture. For surely; they killed him not [i.e. ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of
Maryam (Mary)]”

[al-Nisa’ 4:157] 

Rather the problem rests with the Christians for whom the
doctrine of the crucifixion and redemption has become a central issue, so
much so that the cross is the symbol of their religion. 

It is strange that they differ concerning the form of this
cross which indicates their confusion about this fabrication. 

There are differences between their Gospels and their
historians regarding everything that has to do with the story of the
crucifixion. 

They differ concerning the timing of the Last Supper, which
according to them was one of the events in the lead-up to the crucifixion.
They differ concerning the traitor who led (the Romans) to Christ – did that
happen at least one day before the Last Supper, as narrated by Luke, or
during it, after Christ gave him the piece of bread, as narrated by John? 

Was Christ the one who carried his cross, as John says, as
was customary with one who was going to be crucified, according to
Nottingham, or was it Simon of Cyrene, as the other three Gospels state?

 They say that two thieves were crucified alongside Christ,
one on his right and one on his left, so what was the attitude of these two
towards the Messiah who was being crucified, as they claim? 

Did the thieves scorn him for being crucified, and say that
his Lord had abandoned him and left him to his enemies? Or did only one of
them scorn him, and did the other rebuke the one who scorned him?  

At what hour did this crucifixion take place – was it in the
third hour, as Mark says, or in the sixth as John says? 

What happened after the so-called crucifixion?  

Mark says that the veil of the Temple was torn from top to
bottom. Matthew adds that the earth shook and rocks crumbled, and many of
the saints rose from their graves and entered the holy city, appearing to
many. Luke says that the sun turned dark, and the veil of the Temple was
torn in the middle, and when the centurion saw what had happened, he
glorified God and said, “Truly this man was righteous.” 

But John does not know anything about all that! 

These are not the only weak elements and indications of
falseness in the story of the crucifixion, as narrated in the gospels.
Rather the one who studies the details of the gospel narratives of this
story will, with the least effort, notice the great differences in the
details of this story, which are such that it is impossible to believe it
all or even any part of it! 

How desperate are the failed attempts to fill this gap and
conceal the faults of this distorted book. Allaah indeed spoke the truth
when He said in His Book which He has preserved (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“Do they not then
consider the Qur’aan carefully? Had it been from other than Allaah, they
would surely, have found therein many a contradiction”

[al-Nisa’ 4:82] 

Apart from the fact that
the gospel accounts are not sound, and their authors themselves admit that
they were not revealed to the Messiah in this form, nor were they even
written during his lifetime, none of the witnesses were present at the
events to which they testify, as Mark says:  

“Then everyone deserted him and fled.”

Mark 14:50 – New International Version (NIV) 

Because these events were not witnessed by anyone who
narrated them, there is a great deal of room for imagination and poetic
licence. 

We will complete our discussion of the fable of the
crucifixion of Christ (peace be upon him) by looking at what the Gospels say
about the Messiah’s prediction that he would be saved from death: 

On one occasion the Pharisees and chief priests sent the
guards to arrest him and he said to them: 

“I am with you for only a
short time, and then I go to the one who sent me. You will look for me, but
you will not find me, and where I am, you cannot come.”

John 7:33-34 – NIV 

Elsewhere he says: 

“Once more Jesus said to them, ‘I am going away, and you
will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot
come.’

This made the Jews ask, ‘Will he kill himself? Is that why
he says, “Where I go, you cannot come”?’

But he continued, ‘You
are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this
world.

I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not
believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.’

‘Who are you?’ they asked.

‘Just what I have been claiming all along,’ Jesus replied.
‘I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and
what I have heard from him I tell the world.’

They did not understand that he was telling them about his
Father.

So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man,
then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on
my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.

The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone,
for I always do what pleases him.’”

John 8:21-29 – NIV 

Then at the end he tells them again: 

“For I tell you, you will
not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord.'”

Matthew 23:39 – NIV, also Luke 13:35 

The Messiah, as these
texts and others show, was certain that God would never hand him over to his
enemies, and would never forsake him. 

“But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be
scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not
alone, for my Father is with me.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have
peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome
the world.”

John 16:32-33  

Because of that the
passers by, and indeed everyone who attended the so-called crucifixion,
mocked the Messiah, as the writer of this Gospel says (although that could
not have been true): 

“Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their
heads

and saying, ‘You who are going to destroy the temple and
build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are
the Son of God!’

In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law
and the elders mocked him.

‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can't save himself!
He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will
believe in him.

He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him,
for he said, “I am the Son of God.”’

In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him
also heaped insults on him.”

Matthew 27:39-44 – NIV  

But it seems that Jesus’ certainty that God was with him
began to waver, according to the distorted Gospel narrative, (although that
could not have been true): 

“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called
Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’

He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him,
and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.

Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow
to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the
ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from
me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping.

…

He went away a second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not possible for
this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.’

When he came back, he again found them sleeping, …

So he left them and went away once more and prayed the
third time, saying the
same thing.

Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, ‘Are
you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man
is betrayed into the hands of sinners’”

Matthew 26:36-45 – NIV 

Luke describes the scene and says: 

“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his
sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

When he rose from prayer
and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.

‘Why are you sleeping?’ he asked them. ‘Get up and pray so
that you will not fall into temptation.’”

Luke 22:44-46 – NIV 

Because of this mockery of the message of Christ – according
to their claims – and because Christ thought that God was with him and would
never forsake him, then it follows that the writer who fabricated this
dramatic scene would end it with a vision of the despair of the Messiah and
his feelings of being abandoned by God – exalted be Allaah far above what
the wrongdoers say. The fabricator says: 

“From the sixth hour
until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’--which means, "My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?"

Matthew 27:38-47 – NIV

See also Mark 15:34 

If we understand what this story means when subjected to
criticism, the same will apply to the doctrine of redemption and sacrifice
that is based on it. 

With regard to the Christian doctrine of salvation, see also
question no. 6 

And Allaah is the Source of strength and the guide to the
Straight Path, and there is no Lord but He.

 

Ibraaheem (peace be upon him)

 

Could you give us some information about the Prophet Ibraaheem (peace be upon him)? 

Praise be to
Allaah.

Allaah sent His Prophet Ibraaheem (peace be
upon him) and ordained among his offspring Prophethood and the Book
(cf. al-‘Ankaboot 29:27). 

“And mention in the Book (the Qur’aan) Ibraaheem (Abraham).
Verily, he was a man of truth, a Prophet [Maryam 19:41 – interpretation
of the meaning] 

Allaah guided Ibraaheem and honoured him with virtues
and praiseworthy characteristics: 

“Verily, Ibraaheem (Abraham) was
an Ummah (a leader having all the good righteous qualities), or a nation,
obedient to Allaah, Haneef (i.e. to worship none but Allaah), and he
was not one of those who were Al-Mushrikoon (polytheists, idolaters,
disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah, and those who joined partners
with Allaah).

(He was) thankful for His (Allaah’s) Favours. He (Allaah)
chose him (as an intimate friend) and guided him to a Straight Path
(Islamic Monotheism — neither Judaism nor Christianity).

And We gave him good in this world, and in the Hereafter
he shall be of the righteous”[al-Nahl 16:120-122 – interpretation of
the meaning] 

Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) was the father
of the Prophets; no Prophet was sent after him but he was from among
his descendents. He had two sons whom Allaah chose to be Prophets. They
were Ismaa’eel the grandfather of the Arabs, from among whose descendents
Allaah sent the Prophet Muhammad SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him), and Ishaaq whom Allaah blessed with a Prophet called Ya’qoob,
who was also known as Israa’eel, after whom Bani Israa’eel (the Children
of Israel) and their Prophets were called. 

The Qur’aan refers to the fact that Ibraaheem
was the father of the Prophets, when it says concerning Ibraaheem (interpretation
of the meaning): 

“And We bestowed upon him Ishaaq
(Isaac) and Ya‘qoob (Jacob), each of them We guided, and before him,
We guided Nooh (Noah), and among his progeny Dawood (David),
Sulaymaan (Solomon), Ayyoob (Job), Yoosuf (Joseph), Moosa (Moses), and
Haaroon (Aaron). Thus do We reward Al-Muhsinoon (the good-doers).

And Zakariyya (Zachariya), and Yahya (John) and ‘Eesa
(Jesus) and Ilyaas (Elias), each one of them was of the righteous.

And Isma‘eel (Ishmael) and Al-Yasaa‘ (Elisha), and
Yoonus (Jonah) and Loot (Lot), and each one of them We preferred above
the ‘Aalameen [mankind and jinn (of their times)]”[al-An’aam 6:84-86] 

Ibraaheem called his people in Mesopotamia to worship
Allaah alone and to stop worshipping the idols which could neither bring
benefit nor cause harm. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And (remember) Ibraaheem (Abraham)
when he said to his people: ‘Worship Allaah (Alone), and fear Him: that
is better for you if you did but know.

You worship besides Allaah only idols, and you only
invent falsehood. Verily, those whom you worship besides Allaah have
no power to give you provision, so seek your provision from Allaah (Alone),
and worship Him (Alone), and be grateful to Him. To Him (Alone) you
will be brought back’”[al-‘Ankaboot 29:16-17]  

Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) wanted to free
his people from idol-worship and rid them of myths and legends. He asked
his people about these idols, as Allaah tells us (interpretation of
the meaning): 

“And recite to them the story of
Ibraaheem (Abraham).

When he said to his father and his people: ‘What do
you worship?’

They said: ‘We worship idols, and to them we are ever
devoted.’

He said: ‘Do they hear you, when you call on (them)?

Or do they benefit you or do they harm (you)?’

They said: ‘(Nay) but we found our fathers doing so’”[al-Shu’araa’
26:69-74] 

Then he explained to them that they should
not mindlessly follow others like dumb animals and clarified for them
the ultimate reality which is that they should worship Allaah alone,
in Whose hand is the dominion of all things: 

“He said: ‘Do you observe that which
you have been worshipping

You and your ancient fathers?

Verily, they are enemies to me, save the Lord of the
‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists),

Who has created me, and it is He Who guides me.

And it is He Who feeds me and gives me to drink.

And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me.

And Who will cause me to die, and then will bring
me to life (again).

And Who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the
Day of Recompense (the Day of Resurrection)’”[al-Shu’araa’ 26:75-82] 

The father of Ibraaheem was one of the idol-worshippers.
He used to carve them and sell them. His father’s kufr troubled Ibraaheem,
so he singled him out for advice and said to him: 

“O my father! Why do you worship
that which hears not, sees not and cannot avail you in anything?

O my father! Verily, there has come to me of the knowledge
that which came not unto you. So follow me, I will guide you to the
Straight Path”[Maryam 19:42-43 – interpretation of the meaning]  

But his father did not respond to him, rather
he threatened to stone him and forsake him. He said: 

“Do you reject my gods, O Ibraaheem (Abraham)? If
you stop not (this), I will indeed stone you. So get away from me safely
(before I punish you)”[Maryam 19:46 – interpretation of the meaning] 

So Ibraaheem had no choice but to leave him,
and he said to him:

 “Peace be on you! I will ask forgiveness
of my Lord for you. Verily, He is unto me Ever Most Gracious[Maryam
19:47 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Ibraaheem continued to ask for forgiveness
for his father and to ask his Lord to guide him, but when it became
clear to him that he (his father) was an enemy of Allaah, he disavowed
him and stopped asking for forgiveness for him. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning): 

“And Ibraaheem’s (Abraham) invoking (of Allaah) for
his father’s forgiveness was only because of a promise he [Ibraaheem
(Abraham)] had made to him (his father). But when it became clear to
him that he (his father) is an enemy of Allaah, he dissociated himself
from him. Verily, Ibraaheem was Awwah (one who invokes Allaah with humility,
glorifies Him and remembers Him much) and was forbearing[al-Tawbah 9:114] 

When the people of Ibraaheem persisted in
worshipping idols, Ibraaheem wanted to prove to them in practical terms
that these idols could not cause harm or bring benefit, after his preaching
and teaching had had no effect on his people: 

“Then he cast a glance at the stars,

And he said: ‘Verily, I am sick (with plague). [He
did this trick to remain in their temple of idols to destroy them and
not to accompany them to the pagan feast)].’

So they turned away from him, and departed (for fear
of the disease).

Then he turned to their aalihah (gods) and said: ‘Will
you not eat (of the offering before you)?

What is the matter with you that you speak not?’

Then he turned upon them, striking (them) with (his)
right hand”

[al-Saaffaaat :88:93] 

Ibraaheem broke all the idols except the biggest
one, which he left so that they could ask it who had done this: 

“So he broke them to pieces, (all)
except the biggest of them, that they might turn to it”

[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:58 – interpretation of the meaning] 

When they came back from the festival for
which they had gone out, they saw the broken idols and they accused
Ibraaheem (of breaking them). He said to them: 

“Nay, this one, the biggest of them
(idols) did it. Ask them, if they can speak!”

[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:63 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Because they knew that these idols could not
speak – for they were inanimate objects – they said to Ibraaheem: 

“Indeed you [Ibraaheem (Abraham)]
know well that these (idols) speak not!”

[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:65 – interpretation of the meaning] 

When they admitted that these idols could
do nothing, Ibraaheem said to them:

 “Do you then worship besides Allaah,
things that can neither profit you, nor harm you?

Fie upon you, and upon that which you worship besides
Allaah! Have you then no sense?”

[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:67 – interpretation of the meaning] 

When they had exhausted all lines of argument,
they resorted to the use of force and said: 

“Burn him and help your aalihah
(gods), if you will be doing”

[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:68 – interpretation of the meaning] 

They gathered a lot of wood and started a
fire which had great sparks and flames, then they threw Ibraaheem (peace
be upon him) into that fire. He said, “Hasbi Allaah wa ni’am al-wakeel
(Allaah is sufficient for me and He is the best Disposer of affairs).”
So Allaah saved him from it and made it coolness and safety for him,
and foiled the plot of his enemies: 

“We (Allaah) said: ‘O fire! Be you
coolness and safety for Ibraaheem (Abraham)!’

And they wanted to harm him, but We made them the
worst losers”

[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:69-70 – interpretation of the meaning]

 After saving Ibraaheem from the fire,
Allaah commanded him to leave Mesopotamia and migrate to the Holy Land
in Palestine. He married his cousin (the daughter of his paternal uncle)
– Saarah – and set out with her and his brother’s son Loot for Syria,
as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And We rescued him and Loot (Lot) to the land which
We have blessed for the ‘Aalameen (mankind and jinn)[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:71] 

Then great hardship befell the land of Syria,
so Ibraaheem moved to Egypt with his wife, then he came back to Palestine,
bringing his wife and a slave woman of hers called Haajar. Ibraaheem
longed to have children, but his wife was barren and had grown old.
When she saw how much her husband longed to have a child, she gave her
slave woman, Haajar, to him. So he married her and was blessed with
his son Ismaa’eel from her: 

“’My Lord! Grant me (offspring)
from the righteous.’

So We gave him the glad tidings of a forbearing boy”

[al-Saaffaat 37:100-101 – interpretation of the meaning] 

After Haajar gave birth to Ismaa’eel, Saarah
began to feel jealous, so she asked Ibraaheem to send them away from
her. Allaah revealed to Ibraaheem that he should take Haajar and the
infant Ismaa’eel and take them to Makkah. So he took them and left Haajar
and her child Ismaa’eel in an bleak, isolated place in which there was
no water, then he left them and went back to Palestine. Haajar said
to him, “For whom are you leaving us in this forsaken valley?” But Ibraaheem
went and left her, and she said, “Has Allaah commanded you to do this?”
He said, “Yes.” She said, “Then Allaah will not cause us to be lost.” 

Ibraaheem submitted to the command of his
Lord and patiently bore the separation from his wife and child. Then
he turned towards where they were at the Sacred House and prayed for
them in the following words (interpretation of the meaning): 

“O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell
in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (the Ka‘bah at Makkah)
in order, O our Lord, that they may perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah).
So fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allaah)
provide them with fruits so that they may give thanks”[Ibraaheem 14:37] 

Haajar stayed in Makkah, eating the food and
drinking the water that Ibraaheem had left for her and her son. When
that ran out, she and her son became thirsty. She looked for water,
and climbed the hill of al-Safaa but she did not see anything. Then
she climbed the hill of al-Marwah but she did not see anything. She
did that seven times, then she turned towards Ismaa’eel and saw water
gushing from beneath his feet. She rejoiced and drank some, and gave
some to her son to drink. Then a tribe – Jurham – came to Haajar and
asked her permission to settle by the water. She gave them permission
and they settled beside her. When Ismaa’eel grew up, he married one
of their women and learned Arabic from them. 

During this period, Ibraaheem used to visit
his son from time to time. On one of these visits, Ibraaheem saw in
a dream that Allaah was commanding him to sacrifice his son Ismaa’eel.
The dreams of the Prophets are true, so Ibraaheem resolved to obey the
command of Allaah, even though he was old and Ismaa’eel was his only
son. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“So We gave him the glad tidings
of a forbearing boy.

And, when he (his son) was old enough to walk with
him, he said: ‘O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering
you (offering you in sacrifice to Allaah). So look what you think!’
He said: ‘O my father! Do that which you are commanded, In sha’ Allaah
(if Allaah wills), you shall find me of As-Saabiroon (the patient).’

Then, when they had both submitted themselves (to
the Will of Allaah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (or
on the side of his forehead for slaughtering);

We called out to him: ‘O Ibraaheem!

You have fulfilled the dream!’ Verily, thus do We
reward the Muhsinoon (good-doers).

Verily, that indeed was a manifest trial.

And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice (i.e. a
ram)”

[al-Saffaat 37:101-107] 

Then Allaah gave him the glad tidings of another
son, who was Ishaaq, and then Ibraaheem returned to Palestine: 

“And We gave him the glad tidings of Ishaaq (Isaac)
a Prophet from the righteous[al-Saaffaat 37:112 – interpretation
of the meaning] 

Ishaaq was born to him from his wife Saarah: 

“And his wife was standing (there),
and she laughed [either, because the messengers did not eat their food
or for being glad for the destruction of the people of Loot (Lot)].
But We gave her glad tidings of Ishaaq (Isaac), and after Ishaaq, of
Ya‘qoob (Jacob)”

[Hood 11:71 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Then Ibraaheem stayed in Palestine for a while,
then he returned to Makkah for an important reason. Allaah had commanded
him to build in Makkah the first House to be built for the worship of
Allaah. So Ibraaheem undertook this task of construction, and his son
Ismaa’eel was lifting up the stones to him. When the walls grew higher,
Ibraaheem stood on a rock, and this is the Station of Ibraaheem (Maqaam
Ibraaheem) which is to be found in the vicinity of the Ka’bah. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):  

“And (remember) when Ibraaheem (Abraham)
and (his son) Ismee‘eel (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the
House (the Ka‘bah at Makkah), (saying), ‘Our Lord! Accept (this service)
from us. Verily, You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower’”

[al-Baqarah 2:127] 

Allaah commanded Ibraaheem and Ismaa’eel to
cleanse the House of idols and other impurities so that it would be
pure for those who would circumambulate it and stand and bow and prostrate
(in prayer). When Ibraaheem built the House, Allaah commanded him to
call mankind to perform the Hajj, as He says (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“And proclaim to mankind the Hajj
(pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel,
they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to
perform Hajj)”

[al-Hajj 22:27] 

Then Ibraaheem offered this great supplication
for Makkah and for those who live in it: 

“And (remember) when Ibraaheem (Abraham)
said, ‘My Lord, make this city (Makkah) a place of security and provide
its people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allaah and the Last
Day.’ He (Allaah) answered: ‘As for him who disbelieves, I shall leave
him in contentment for a while, then I shall compel him to the torment
of the Fire, and worst indeed is that destination!’”

[al-Baqarah 2:126 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Then he prayed for himself and his descendents,
saying: 

“Our Lord! Accept (this service)
from us. Verily, You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.

Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our
offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manaasik (all
the ceremonies of pilgrimage — Hajj and ‘Umrah), and accept our repentance.
Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful”[al-Baqarah
2:127-128 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Then he prayed for the people of the sanctuary,
that Allaah would send to them a Messenger from amongst them, who would
call them to worship Allaah Alone. He said: 

“Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger
of their own, who shall recite unto them Your Verses and instruct them
in the Book (this Qur’aan) and Al-Hikmah (full knowledge of the Islamic
laws and jurisprudence or wisdom or Prophethood), and purify them. Verily,
You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise”

[al-Baqarah 1:129 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Allaah responded to the prayer of His Prophet
Ibraaheem. He made Makkah a place of security, He blessed its people
with fruits and sent to them a Messenger from amongst themselves, who
was the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, Muhammad <!--#include
virtual="/saws.htm" --> (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
All praise and thanks be to Allaah. 

After Ibraaheem, Prophethood remained with
the Children of Israel for a long time, until Allaah sent Muhammad <!--#include
virtual="/saws.htm" --> (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
from among the descendents of Ismaa’eel as a Messenger to all of mankind,
and commanded him as He said (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Say (O Muhammad): ‘O mankind! Verily, I am sent to
you all as the Messenger of Allaah…’”[al-A’raaf 7:158] 

Allaah commanded Muhammad <!--#include
virtual="/saws.htm" --> (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
to follow the religion of Ibraaheem, as He said (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“Then, We have sent the Revelation to you (O Muhammad
saying): ‘Follow the religion of Ibraaheem (Abraham) Haneef (Islamic
Monotheism — to worship none but Allaah) and he was not of the Mushrikoon
(polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers)”[al-Nahl 16:123] 

Ibraaheem’s advice to his children was to
adhere to the religion of Islam and follow its commands until they died.
Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And this (submission to Allaah, Islam) was enjoined
by Ibraaheem (Abraham) upon his sons and by Ya‘qoob (Jacob) (saying),
‘O my sons! Allaah has chosen for you the (true) religion, then die
not except in the Faith of Islam (as Muslims — Islamic Monotheism)’”
[al-Baqarah 2:132] 

O Allaah, send blessings upon Ibraaheem and
upon the family of Ibraaheem, for You are Praiseworthy, Most Glorious. 

Other Prophets who were alive at the time of Ibraaheem
(peace be upon him) were Loot, Ismaa’eel, Ishaaq, and Ya’qoob. Then
came Yoosuf, then Shu’ayb, then Ayyoob, then Dhu’l-Kifl. Then Allaah
sent Moosa and Haaroon (peace be upon them and may the best of blessings
and peace be upon all the Prophets). 

Was al-Khidr a Prophet?

 

Was al-Khidr an angel, a Messenger, a Prophet or a wali (“saint”)?

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

The from the general meaning of the Qur’aanic verses it appears  that he was
a Prophet. 

Shaykh al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
his commentary on the aayah (interpretation of the meaning) 

“Then they found one of Our slaves, on whom We had
bestowed mercy from Us, and whom We had taught knowledge from Us”

[al-Kahf 18:65] 

“But it may be understood from some aayahs that the mercy mentioned here was
the mercy of Prophethood, and that this knowledge which came from Allaah was
the knowledge of revelation (wahy)… It is known that mercy and the bestowal
of knowledge from Allaah is more general and comes in more ways than via
Prophethood. The fact that something general exists does not necessarily
imply that something more specific exists, as is well known. One of the
indications that the mercy and knowledge with which Allaah blessed His slave
al-Khidr came by way of Prophethood and revelation is the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“And I did them not of my own accord”[al-Kahf 18:82] 

i.e., rather I did them by the command of Allaah, and the
command of Allaah is only conveyed via wahy (revelation), because there is
no way for the commands and prohibitions of Allaah to be known except
through revelation from Allaah, especially with regard to the killing of an
apparently innocent soul and damaging a ship by making a hole in it, because
committing acts of aggression against people’s lives and wealth can only be
validated via revelation from Allaah. Allaah has restricted the method of
warning to revelation as He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Say (O Muhammad): “I warn you only by the Revelation”

[al-Anbiya’ 21:45] 

the word innama (translated here as “only”) implies
limitation or restriction. 

Adwaa’ al-Bayaan, 4/172, 173 

And he said: 

From all of this we know that al-Khidr’s killing the boy and
making a hole in the ship, and his saying, 

“And I did them not of my own accord”

[al-Kahf 18:82 – interpretation of the meaning]] 

clearly indicate that he was a Prophet. Al-Fakhr al-Raazi, in
his tafseer, attributed the view that he was a Prophet to many scholars.
Another factor that may indicate that he was a Prophet is the fact that
Moosa (peace be upon him) humbled himself before him and said
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“May I follow you so that you teach me something of that
knowledge (guidance and true path) which you have been taught (by
Allaah)?”[al-Kahf 18:66] 

“If Allaah wills, you will find me patient, and I will not
disobey you in aught”[al-Kahf 18:69] 

even though al-Khidr said to him (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And how can you have patience about a thing which you
know not?” [al-Kahf 18:68] 

Adwaa’ al-Bayaan, 3/326.

 

Doubts about what the Qur’aan says about ‘Eesa (peace be upon him)

 

How can you expect non-Muslims to believe what your Book says about ‘Eesa, and to reject the story of his crucifixion and deny that he is the son of God, when the Bible affirms these things?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

We may be repeating ourselves here if we point out that the
Gospels, or the Bible, of which we are speaking, that is extant among the
people nowadays, is something other than that which was revealed from
Allaah to His slave and Messenger ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary –
peace be upon him). With regard to what was revealed from Allaah, no one's
faith is valid if he disbelieves in it or in any part of it. We have
warned against that in question no.
47516. 

But for reasons of divine wisdom, that book continued to be
distorted and misinterpreted from ancient times until its divine origin was
lost and disappeared. All that the people have in their hands now is no more
than a mixture of the darkness of shirk and trinity with the glimmer of the
light of Tawheed, an accumulation of lies and distortions mixed with the
remnants of the truth and knowledge of the Prophets. 

Now, after so many centuries of tampering, it is impossible
for anyone to be certain whether any part of the Bible is true or false,
unless it is checked in the light of the truth that confirms that which went
before, the divine light of which has not been extinguished by the darkness
of ignorance and whims and desires, and whose pure truthfulness has not been
contaminated with even a single lie or mistake. That can be nothing other
than the Holy Qur’aan which Allaah has guaranteed to preserve, as He says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“Verily, We, it is We Who
have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’aan) and surely, We will guard it
(from corruption)”

[al-Hijr 15:9] 

Even though one of the greatest Christian scholars and
defenders of the Bible, namely Norton, tried to defend the Bible against the
criticism of Ackharn the German, he was forced to admit that distinguishing
truth from lies nowadays is very difficult. 

From this we reach the matter asked about in the question. We
say that whoever does not believe in the Qur’aan will never have any valid
book in which to believe, and whoever casts aspersions upon the truthfulness
of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the
validity of the Islamic religion, will not be able to offer any proof that
the religion which he follows is valid. 

The point is that whoever casts aspersions upon the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the things that he said
about his Prophethood and the Revelation that he received from heaven, even
though miracles happened at his hands that confirmed the veracity of what he
said, and all his life he continued to challenge his enemies to produce the
like of the Book which he attributed to the revelation of his Lord, and even
challenged mankind and the jinn together to cooperate and produce something
like this Qur’aan, as Allaah said: 

“Say: “If the mankind and the jinn were together to
produce the like of this Qur’aan, they could not produce the like thereof,
even if they helped one another”

[al-Isra’ 17:88] 

But they were not able
to do that and produce anything like it, throughout history and until now,
in spite of the numerous enemies who opposed him and wished that they could
prove that he was lying. But there is no way they can do that! 

Moreover, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) continued to prevail over his enemies and they were unable to
prove him wrong. They were never able to prove that he was lying in anything
he said, even in the regular kind of talk that people engage in amongst
themselves, let alone telling lies about his Lord Who had sent him.  

I wonder, if they reject all that evidence, how they could
have any evidence of the soundness of the idea of “divine inspiration” which
forms the foundation of their belief in their books, in spite of the fact
that they do not claim that the Gospel was revealed to Jesus, or that he
wrote it or dictated it, or even that the Gospels were written during his
lifetime! 

Moreover, there is no sound evidence concerning the
personalities of the four men who wrote the Gospels: who they were, how they
lived their lives, and whether what they wrote came from divine revelation
or divine inspiration, as they claim, or it was only their own ideas or what
was inspired to them by their devils. Horn, one of the greatest exegetes of
the Bible, says: “If it is said that the Bible was revealed from God, that
does not mean that every single word or phrase of it is inspired by God.
Rather we know from the statements of those who wrote the Bible, from the
differences in their styles, that they were permitted to write according to
their own natures, customs and understanding. It is unimaginable that they
could have been inspired in everything they described or in every ruling
they stated.” 

The Encyclopaedia Britannica refers to the different
opinions among Christian scholars and researchers concerning the matter of
divine inspiration and whether every phrase of the Bible is divinely
inspired or not. Then it comments on that in one article (19/20) where it
says: “Those who say that every phrase is divinely inspired cannot prove
their claims with any ease.” 

We say: and they cannot do so even with difficulty! 

There are dozens of places where the Gospels contradict one
another, and dozens of historical errors and false prophecies that never
materialized. Frederick Grant stated that “The New Testament is not
homogeneous because it is a compilation of scattered elements. It does not
represent a single point of view or style from beginning to end, rather it
represents different points of view. 

The American Encyclopaedia states that there is a
serious problem that results from the contradictions that appear in
different places throughout the fourth Gospel and the three synoptic
Gospels. The differences between them are so great that if you accept the
synoptic Gospels as sound and correct, this will lead to the conclusion that
the Gospel of John is not sound. 

It is worth noting that the Gospel of John is the one which
focuses the most on their doctrine of trinity; indeed they admit that it was
written to establish this doctrine, which the other three Gospels failed to
do, and to put an end to the dispute concerning this matter. 

The Catholic Church, which strongly adheres to the idea of
divine inspiration as the origin of the Bible, confirmed that in a meeting
of the Vatican in 1869-1870. But a century later it revised its opinion and
admitted, in Vatican II (1962-1965) that these books contain a great deal of
defects and some falsehoods, according to what was reported by the French
Catholic researcher Dr Maurice Bucaille, who later became a Muslim. 

Moreover, if a person disbelieves in any of the miracles of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or any aspects
of his life story that point to his truthfulness, how can he prove the
miracles of these so-called apostles who wrote the Gospels, or prove that
their claim to divine inspiration is correct? 

For them, the idea of divine inspiration is correct on the
basis of what is written in the Bible, and the miracles mentioned therein,
and the Bible is sound and correct because it is divinely inspired! 

Thus their evidence ends in a vicious circle, as was
mentioned in the Encyclopaedia by some researchers: “So the Bible is
sound because it is divinely inspired and their inspiration is proven
because the Bible testifies to that!” 

If a person disbelieves in the Qur’aan, which was transmitted
by means of tawaatur (a process in which something is narrated from so many
by so many that it is inconceivable that they could all agree upon a lie),
throughout the Muslim world, east and west, generation after generation, by
memory and in writing, with no variant copies and no contradictions, how can
he prove the Gospels to be sound or rely on them, when there is no shred of
evidence, not even a hint, that they existed any earlier than two hundred
years after the death of Christ, according to what Norton quoted from
Ackharn the German? Then there were the calamities that befell the
Christians in the fourth century CE, when their churches were destroyed and
their books were burned, which makes one lose confidence in any of their
books that appeared after that. When did they appear and in whose possession
were they during that period of persecution and hiding? How did they reach
us?… There are many questions about this problem as was expressed in the
Encyclopaedia Britannica where it says: 

“We have no certain knowledge of the way in which the
canonical soundness of these four Gospels was established, nor where or when
this decision was made.” 

With regard to not knowing who translated it from the
language in which it was originally written, how reliable his knowledge was
and how qualified he was for this task, and how we can be certain that he
translated it in the proper manner, that is a whole other issue! 

For more details on what we have mentioned in summary in this
answer, please see: Izhaar al-Haq by Shaykh Rahmat-Allaah al-Hindi.
And Munaazarah bayna al-Islam wa’l-Nasraaniyyah by Shaykh Muhammad
Jameel Ghaazi et al. 

May Allaah guide us and you to the Straight Path.

 

He is annoyed by the misbehaviour of some of his Qur’aan-memorization students

 

I am a teacher in a circle for Qur’aan memorization for youngsters between the ages of 16 and 20, but they misbehave and mess about to an extent which only Allaah knows. What is the correct way to train these youngsters in jihad and manliness?

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Perhaps one of the best
ways to deal with youth of this age is to teach them about heroes and
conquerors, tell them about their stories and their attitudes, to create
ambition in them. Also tell them about the reality that Muslims face, how
their enemies plot against them and try to distract their youth with idle
entertainment. Do not be too hard on them with regard to some things that
are natural to them at this age, such as being concerned with how they look,
but teach them the limits set by sharee’ah with regard to that.

 I advise you to read the book al-Muraahiqoon by Dr.
‘Abd al-‘Azeez al-Nughaymishi.

 May Allaah give you strength.

How can she teach her five-year-old sister to memorize Qur’aan?

 

I have a sister who is five and half years old and I want to teach her to memorize Qur’aan. Where should I start with her, and how?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Raising children to follow Islam from an early age, teaching
them to memorize the Book of Allaah and educating them is the Sunnah of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and is regarded as
a very important matter, especially in this day and age. But it is something
that many people neglect with regard to their children and those under their
care, and they get distracted by things that will be of no benefit to them
in the Hereafter and may indeed harm them, and make them emotionally
attached to those who do not even deserve to be mentioned, let alone taken
as role models, such as actors, sports players and singers. 

We appreciate our sister’s question and we ask Allaah to make
her steadfast and to help her in this matter and others, and to decree
reward for her on the Day of Judgement. What can be greater than meeting
one's Lord with a record of good deeds which includes guiding others to do
good or sharing in establishing good? 

With regard to this little sister and teaching her to
memorize Qur’aan, we advise our sister to do the following: 

1-    
Start with that which is
easiest to read and memorize, namely Soorat al-Faatihah, then with the last
juz’, working from the end. Starting with something easy helps one to move
on to more difficult material. Moreover she will have a real need for that
when she starts to learn the prayer.

2-    
The amount to be memorized
every day should be small, so that she will be able to memorize it and it
will be easy for her to memorize what comes next. This amount will vary from
one child to the next, depending on his or her intelligence and memory.

3-    
Review often so that what has
been memorized will stick. Do not let any day go by without memorizing
something new and reviewing the old.

4-    
Encourage her by giving her a
prize every time she finishes a juz’ – for example – and memorizes it well.

5-    
Start to move from prompting
her and having her repeat, which is usually the first stage in memorization,
to teaching her how to read, so that it will be easy for her to read the
Qur’aan by herself at times when her sister or teacher are not present.

6-    
Let her get used to reciting
what she has memorized in her prayer, whether that is obligatory or naafil
prayer, once she reaches an age where prayer is required of her and she can
understand it.

7-    
Let her get used to listening
to what she has memorized on tapes or on the computer, so that she can hear
both a good pronunciation and good recitation, and she can review and
consolidate what she has learned.

8-    
Choose a good time for
memorization when there are few distractions – such as after Fajr or between
Maghrib and ‘Isha’. Avoid times when she is hungry, tired or sleepy.

9-    
Praise her for what she has
memorized in front of neighbours and relatives, so as to encourage her and
encourage them to do the same thing; at the same time, pray for refuge for
her with Allaah for fear of the evil eye and envy (hasad).

10-It is essential for
her to have one style of Mus-haf with no changes, so that the layout of the
verses will be imprinted in her memory.

11-You should encourage
her to write out what she has memorized so that she may combine learning how
to write with reinforcing what she has memorized. 

And Allaah is the Source of strength.