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With reference to the question that was posted above about the Prophet (AS) being alive after his death, I would like to say that I disagree with what you have written and with due respect to you it seems that you have misinterptreted the ayats in the Holy Qur'an.

Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Salaam Alaykum,

With reference to the question that was posted above about the Prophet (AS) being alive after his death, I would like to say that I disagree with what you have written and with due respect to you it seems that you have misinterptreted the ayats in the Holy Qur'an.

Firstly, Allah tells us in the Qur'an that martyrs and those who were close to Allah are alive.  I do not have the exact Ayat with me as I am not at home now but I rembember an ayat in the Quran which indicates this.  This ayat includes all the Prophets and highly respected people as well.  You are wrong to say that all scholars agree that the Prophet (AS) is dead, they do not all agree on this statement.

Also I remember there is a hadith that tells us that the Prophet (AS) sends his salams back to the person who sends salaam to him in his holy shrine in Medina.

Secondly, with due respect to you the Prophet (AS) is not like any ordinary person like you have said in your statement.  He was a Prophet (AS) who was pious and at the highest possible level, to suggest that he is like any ordinary person is to degrade his position that Allah (SWT) gave to him.

Thirdly, if he is dead as you suggest then why do people all over the world go to his holy shrine in Medina to pay their respect to him and pray to Allah (SWT) through him? An act that is regarded to be highly rewarding.  If what you say is correct than no one in the world will bother to visit him in his holy shrine.

Wasalaam

 

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Answer:

 

Prophet (saws) alive not dead and his grave

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Your Statement: Firstly, Allah tells us in the Qur'an that martyrs and those who were close to Allah are alive.  I do not have the exact Ayat with me as I am not at home now but I rembember an ayat in the Quran which indicates this.  This ayat includes all the Prophets and highly respected people as well.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 154:

And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: "They are dead." Nay they are living though ye perceive (it) not.

 

Allah Subhanah revealed the above quoted aayah of Surah Baqarah immediately after the Battle of Ohud, when the hypocrites started spreading propaganda amongst the believers and said that the martyrs died in vain, and did not enjoy the life of this world! Allah Subhanah revealed this aayah to comfort the believers and to impress upon them the honor those martyrs received in the realm of His Presence. Allah Subhanah declares that these martyrs are honored and are alive in His Presence, but the people of the world cannot perceive that reality. Such is the honor Allah bestows on those who are slain in His Cause. Allah Subhanah demands that their death in the life of this world should not, and cannot be compared to the people who die a normal or natural death.

 

Thus, Allah has declared honor and admiration to those who are martyred for Allah’s Cause, and affirmed that the dying of one in the Cause of Allah cannot be compared to a normal death of this life! The very word ‘dead’ as understood by human beings is very discouraging, and kills the spirit of self-sacrifice, and the urge to fight in the Way of Allah. Instead of this, the believers are encouraged to believe that the martyrs are alive in the Presence of Allah Subhanah, but we are not able to perceive that honorable life of theirs. And this is a reality which revitalizes and keeps the spirit of courage and ‘jihad’ alive in the hearts of the true believers.

 

That is the basic essence and meaning of the above aayah 154 of Surah Baqarah.

 

Allah Subhanah reveals in another Surah, a similar verse and describes the honor and bliss the martyrs are enjoying in the Presence of their Merciful Lord, where they are provided with abundant sustenance and bounty. The aayahs are meant to impress upon the people of this life, that those who are slain in the Way of Allah, have bartered their transitory worldly life for an eternal and everlasting life of joy, bliss, Grace and Mercy, and where they have absolutely no fear, and no cause to grieve.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imraan verses 169-171:

169 Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord.

170 They rejoice in the bounty provided by Allah: and with regard to those left behind, who have not yet joined them (in their bliss), the (martyrs) glory in the fact that on them is no fear, nor have they (cause to) grieve.

171 They glory in the Grace and the Bounty from Allah, and in the fact that Allah suffereth not the reward of the faithful to be lost (in the least).

 

But some ignorant people who, rather than form their beliefs from the guidance of the Holy Quran, try to make the Quran follow their self-satisfying beliefs! They choose a particular martyr, or martyrs from a particular family of their choice, and then use these Aayahs to justify that these martyrs or ‘auliyaas’ are alive, are very close to Allah Subhanah, and thus can hear and answer their prayers! They thus celebrate the praises of their ‘specifically’ chosen martyrs and ‘auliyaas’, celebrate and perform certain rituals on their birth and death days, make shrines and tombs over their graves, and make their shrines a place of their rituals and worship. They do all these rituals so that their ‘specifically’ chosen martyr and ‘auliyaas’ becomes pleased with their service, and since they have so much ‘influence’ on Allah Subhanah, they will get their prayers answered by Allah Subhanah!

 

Thus in effect, these ignorant people involve themselves in the abomination and the most heinous of sins in the sight of Allah Subhanah: ie. Shirk! They believe that the ‘specific’ martyr and ‘auliyaa’ they are serving is All-Knowing and knows the rituals and service they do in his name and on his grave; they believe that their ‘specific’ martyr and ‘auliyaa’ is All-Seeing and can see their state and their worship; and they believe that their ‘specific’ martyr and ‘auliyaa’ is All-Hearing and can hear and respond to their invocations!

 

These ignorant people have dared to share the Exclusive Attributes of the All-Knowing, All-Seeing, All-Hearing Lord with one of Allah’s creation, and have thus involved themselves in the heinous crime of ‘shirk’! And to top it all, they use the one Aayah of Surah Baqarah completely out of context to justify their worship of their chosen martyrs and ‘auliyaas’, and disregard the rest of the Guidance and Commands of the Holy Quran! The absolute Truth of the matter is that they want the Quran to conform to their false beliefs; rather than form their beliefs with the clear Guidance and Teachings of the Glorious Quran!

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 102:

What? Do these people, who have disbelieved, presume that they would make My servants their ‘auliyaas’ besides Me? We have prepared Hell for the hospitality of such people.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumur verse 2-3:

So worship Allah Alone, making your religion His exclusively. Beware! Religion is the exclusive Right of Allah. As for those who have taken other ‘auliyas’ (guardians) with Allah (and justify their this conduct by saying): “We serve them only that they may bring us closer to Allah.” Allah will surely judge between them concerning all that in which they differ. Allah does not show guidance to any liar and denier of the Truth.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 18:

These people serve beside Allah those which can neither harm nor benefit them, and say, “These are our ‘shofa’a’ (intercessors) with Allah!” (O Mohammed), tell them, “Do you wish to inform Allah of that thing which He knows not in the heavens, or in the earth?” He is absolutely free from, and exalted above the shirk that they commit.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 20-21:

All the other beings, whom the people invoke with Allah, create nothing! Nay, they are themselves created. They are DEAD, not living, and they do not at all know themselves when they shall again be raised to life!

 

Your Statement: This ayat includes all the Prophets and highly respected people as well.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 154:

And say not of those who are slain in the Way of Allah: "They are dead." Nay they are living though ye perceive (it) not.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imraan verses 169-171:

169 Think not of those who are slain in Allah's Way as dead. Nay, they live finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord.

170 They rejoice in the bounty provided by Allah: and with regard to those left behind, who have not yet joined them (in their bliss), the (martyrs) glory in the fact that on them is no fear, nor have they (cause to) grieve.

171 They glory in the Grace and the Bounty from Allah, and in the fact that Allah suffereth not the reward of the faithful to be lost (in the least).

 

Beloved Brother, the above verses are specific to the blessed ‘martyrs’ who have been slain in the Cause of Allah…..and there is absolutely no mention of the Noble Prophets and other ‘highly respected people’ to be included in the same rank, nor is there any reason in the Quran or the Sunnah to believe so!

 

Allah Subhanah is the One Who Alone will determine the rank and honor of each individual according to their deeds….the absolute highest rank being that of the Noble Prophets of the Lord.

 

Your Statement: You are wrong to say that all scholars agree that the Prophet (AS) is dead, they do not all agree on this statement.

Dear and Beloved Brother in Islam, I sincerely seek the forgiveness of Allah Subhanah if I have mentioned in my previous articles that ‘all’ the scholars agree that the Last and Final Messenger, Prophet Mohamed (saws) is dead…..

 

What is more accurate and should have been clarified by me is that all the good scholars, those who sincerely fear Allah and the Last Day, and those who unconditionally accept the dictates of the Quran and the Sunnah absolutely unanimously agree with the fact that the Noble Messenger of Allah, Prophet Mohamed ibn Abdullah (saws) is dead.

 

Beloved Brother, I sincerely apologize to you if my statements were misconstrued or gave rise to any misunderstandings, and I do beg the forgiveness of the Lord Most High for my ignorance and my severe short-comings.

 

Your Statement: Also I remember there is a hadith that tells us that the Prophet (AS) sends his salams back to the person who sends salaam to him in his holy shrine in Medina.

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (saws), "Do not turn my grave into a site of festivities, but send greetings to me for your greetings are raised to me wherever you might be." (Reported by Abu Daw'ud)

 

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (saws) said, "When any Muslim sends greetings to me, Allah returns my soul to me so that I may respond to his greetings." (Reported by Abu Dawud)

 

It is indeed true and accurate that whenever a believer sends his salutations of respect to the Noble Messenger (saws), Allah Subhanah returns the soul of the Prophet Mohamed (saws) back unto him to enable him to respond to their greetings.

 

This is amongst the unique honor the Lord Most High has bestowed upon the Prophet Mohamed (saws)….but that in no way should mean or imply that the Prophet Mohamed (saws) possesses (and I seek the refuge in Allah from saying this!) the attributes of all-seeing or all-hearing!!!! Allah Subhanah, the Majestic and Supreme Lord Creator is Alone The All-Knowing, All-Hearing, All-Seeing, Ever-Living….

 

The Messenger of Allah (saws) after his death does not, by himself, possess the power or is able to hear or see or know what is going on in the world he has left behind…..but it is Allah Subhanah, the High and the Exalted Who returns the blessed soul of the Prophet (saws) unto him when a greeting of peace and blessings is made unto him so that he (saws) may respond to the greeting. But if an evil person (Allah forbid) were to curse or abuse or revile the Prophet (saws), it cannot be expected or conceived that the Lord Most Merciful would make it known to the Prophet (saws) so that he may be grieved!

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.585 Narrated by Abu Hazim from Sahl bin Sad

The Prophet (saws) said, "I am your predecessor (forerunner) at the Lake-Fount of Kauthar, and whoever will pass by there, he will drink from it and whoever will drink from it, he will never be thirsty. There will come to me some people whom I will recognize, and they will recognize me, but a barrier will be placed between me and them. I will say: "They are of me (i.e. my followers)." It will be said, "You do not know what they innovated (new things) in the religion after you left." I will say, "Far removed, far removed (from Mercy), those who changed (their religion) after me." ' Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet (saws) said, "On the Day of Resurrection a group of companions will come to me, but will be driven away from the Lake-Fount, and I will say, 'O Lord (those are) my companions!' It will be said, 'You have no knowledge as to what they innovated after you left; they turned apostate as renegades (reverted from Islam).' "

 

Your Statement: Secondly, with due respect to you the Prophet (AS) is not like any ordinary person like you have said in your statement.  He was a Prophet (AS) who was pious and at the highest possible level, to suggest that he is like any ordinary person is to degrade his position that Allah (SWT) gave to him.

Allah Subhanah has Himself commanded the Prophet (saws) to declare in the Glorious Quran, that he (saws) is no more than a human being; the only difference being that he (saws) has been chosen as a Messenger of Allah, is directly inspired and guided by Allah Subhanah, and receives Revelations from the Lord of the Worlds.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 110:

Say (O Prophet) : "I am but a man like yourselves, (but) the inspiration has come to me that your Allah is one Allah: whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and in the worship of his Lord admit no one as partner."

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 21 Surah Anbiyaa verses 7-8:

7 Before thee (O Mohamed (saws)) also the Prophets We sent were but men to whom We granted inspiration: if ye realize this not, ask of those who possess the Message.

8 Nor did We give them bodies that ate no food, nor were they exempt from death.

 

Without an iota of a doubt, the Noble Prophet Mohamed (saws) like all the Prophets of Allah Subhanah before him were human beings; and their greatness lies in the fact that despite the inherently weak nature of human beings, they chose to unconditionally submit and be obedient to their Lord Most Gracious.

 

Allah is our witness brother, and without an iota of a doubt, Prophet Mohamed (saws) was the Last and Final Messenger of Allah (saws), whose piety and character was of the absolute best and highest possible level which can ever be attained by any in creation.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 68 Surah Qalam verses 1-4:

1 Nun. By the Pen and by the (Record) which are written

2 Thou (O Prophet Mohamed (saws)) art not by the grace of thy Lord, mad or possessed.

3 Nay! Verily, for thee is a reward unfailing:

4 And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzab verse 21:

There is indeed the best example for you to follow in the Messenger of Allah, for every such person looks forward to Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much.

 

Such exalted is the standard of the character of the Noble Prophet (saws), that the Lord Most High Himself has Commanded and Guided the believers to make the Noble Prophet (saws) their example to follow, if indeed they look forward to Allah and the Last Day…………..but without an iota of a doubt, the Prophet Mohamed (saws) was still a human being!

 

Some people, in their excess, try to spread such false beliefs that the Prophet (saws) was not created like the other human beings, and thus try to propagate that he (saws) was created like the Angels from ‘noor’ or light! Because they believe that if the Prophet (saws) was only a human being, then what would be the difference between him and other human beings? So, in their excess, they try to invent falsehoods and say things about the Prophet (saws) and his self which have absolutely no basis to the reality or truth! People who claim such falsehood, in their excess and their ignorance, try to belittle the Noble Prophet (saws) by claiming he was created from ‘noor’! The greatness and significance of the Noble Prophet (saws) lies in the fact that he, like all the other human beings, was created from clay, possessed the nature of a human being, and was bestowed with a ‘free will’ to choose like every human being; and the Noble Prophet (saws) chose to submit himself unconditionally to His Supreme Lord and Creator.

 

Had he (saws) been created from ‘noor’, he would have been an angel, who do not possess the nature of human beings, do not have to fight temptation like the humans, and do not possess a ‘free will’ to choose between obedience and disobedience! Greatness and magnificence is when one is bestowed with the weak nature of man, and this human being chooses to remain an unconditionally obedient slave of his Lord and Creator!

 

Thus the Prophet (saws) was definitely a human being like all the other human beings in creation, but it was with the level of piety, character, and deeds of righteousness that chose to elevate his rank in the Sight of his Lord.

 

Your Question: Thirdly, if he is dead as you suggest then why do people all over the world go to his holy shrine in Medina to pay their respect to him and pray to Allah (SWT) through him? An act that is regarded to be highly rewarding.  If what you say is correct than no one in the world will bother to visit him in his holy shrine.

Abu Hurairah reported: "The Prophet (saws) said: 'May Allah destroy the Jews, because they used the graves of their prophets as shrines (places of worship).'' (Related by Bukhari and Muslim)

 

Aishah reported: "Umm Habibah and Umm Salamah mentioned to Allah's Messenger (saws) a church in which they saw drawings while in Abyssinia, whereupon he (saws) said: 'Those people used to build a shrine over the grave of a righteous man among them when he died, and make such drawings in it. These will be the worst of people in the sight of Allah on the Day of Resurrection.''

(Related by Bukhari and Muslim)

 

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “Before you there was a group who turned the graves of their prophets and their righteous ones into places of worship. Do not tum graves into places of worship. I forbid you to do that'.''

(Related by Muslim)

 

It is indeed a grave misconception that the believers travel and visit the blessed city of Madinah al-Munawwara to visit the ‘shrine’ of the Noble Prophet Mohamed (saws)….but the truth is the believers who sincerely believe in Allah and the Last Day travel to Madinah to visit the Prophet’s Mosque….and it only so happens that the Noble Messenger’s (saws) grave happens to be in the house of Hadrat Aisha (r.a.) which was adjacent to the Prophet’s Mosque.

 

Allah is our witness, if the noble Prophet’s (saws) grave were not in Madinah, it would not have been permissible for a believer to make a specific travel for the sole purpose of visiting his grave; for to undertake a travel to any place of worship or a grave, except to the three holy mosques (in Makkah, in Al-Aqsa, and in Madina) was absolutely forbidden for the believers by none other than the Messenger of Allah (saws) himself!

 

Sa'id bin Al-Musayyib reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (saws) said, "You should not undertake a special journey to visit any place other than the three Mosques: the Sacred Mosque of Makkah, this mosque of mine (in Madinah), and Al-Aqsa Mosque (of Jerusalem)." Related by Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Daw'ud.

 

Thus beloved brother, when one travels to the blessed city of Madinah, the intention or purpose of the travel of a believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day should always be to visit and offer prayers in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, not to visit the Prophet’s grave. When one is in the city or in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, there is no harm if the believer wishes to visit the Prophet’s grave and send greetings and salutations upon him (saws).

 

But one definitely does not need to go to Madinah or to the Prophet’s (saws) grave to fulfill the Command of Allah to send the greetings and salutations of peace upon the Noble Prophet (saws); one may do it wherever one happens to be or resides!

 

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (saws), "Do not turn my grave into a site of festivities, but send greetings to me for your greetings are raised to me wherever you might be." (Reported by Abu Daw'ud)

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan

 


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