From the Layman’s Desk-15:
PART 6: TRYING TIMES FOR SUNNIS AND SUFIS:
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, MOST BENEFICIENT, MOST MERCIFUL.
“Do not insult our dead, thereby harming our living." (Prophet Muhammad sal Allahu alayhi wasallam)
There is a hadith in Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal’s Musnad (Musnad madiniyyen No.15962): It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Saib bin Khalad (May Allah SWT be well pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Whoever frightens the people of Madina by their oppression, Allah SWT will frighten him and on him rests the curse of Allah SWT, of the angels and of all the people. Allah (SWT) will not accept any obligatory (Fardh) of optional (nafl) act from such a person the Day of Judgment.
Now didn’t this mass slaughter by the Wahhabis frighten the people of Medina? Evidently it did. Not to speak of those of Makkah al-Mukarrama, at-Taif and other cities. Therefore, isn’t it reasonable to hold that upon such perpetrators of genocidal murders and inhumanity the curse of the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) and that of the angels, and all the people will go on till the Day of Judgement?
Next, it is firmly established as the ‘Aqida of Ahlus-Sunna wa’l Jama’a that the people in their graves are nonetheless alive,
Allah said: “And do not say that those who are slain in the Way of Allah are dead. Rather, they are living, but you do not comprehend (in what way).” (Q2:154). Allah said: “And reckon not that those who have been killed in the Way of Allah are dead. No! They are alive with their Lord, provided for (continually). They are jubilant because of what Allah in His Grace has given them, rejoicing in the good news...” (Q3:169-171). Prophets and Awliya are alive, are able to hear and understand and perceive, can visit one another and communicate with each other, and can pray on behalf of those living upon the earth. As Shaykh al-Islam Imam Suyuti writes in his Hawi lil Fatawi (2:147): “The life of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) in his grave - he and the remaining Prophets - is well-known among us as absolutely correct, due to the numerous proof-texts that indicate so, which have reached the status of tawatur (mass-transmission).” We shall not go into the details for that would be an entirely different subject.
However, shortly stated, in every religion, including Islam, it is recognized that the graves and the departed are to be respected.
It is known that the Prophet Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) himself used to visit the graves of his companions who had passed away at that time. He used to regularly visit the graveyard of Baqi’ in Madina and make supplications there. He also used to visit the graveyard of the martyrs of Uhud annually at the same time. He also would visit his mother’s grave at Abwa, between Makka and Madina, and weep there. The Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) always remembered his dear wife Hadhrat Khadija ® with love and gratitude. Her death filled his heart with pain and anguish. When she breathed her last, the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) himself descended into her grave to lay in it for a few moments, and smoothened the earth on her grave after the burial. He also called the graveyard of Jannatul Mu’ala a place of blessing. Also, before the campaign of Badr (middle of 2 A.H), his daughter Ruqayya ® fell grievously ill and so Uthman ® missed the campaign, remaining at her bedside. She died even before her father, the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) returned after the victory in Battle of Badr. The first thing on return to Madinah Munawwara that the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) did was to visit the grave of his daughter. When the mother of Ali ®, Fatima bint Asad, died, and when the grave was made ready, the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) lay himself down in it and said: O God! Life and Death are in Thy hands. Thou alone will never die. Bless my mother, Fatima bint Asad, and give her a mansion in Heaven. Thou are the Most Merciful. Hafiz Murtada al-Zabidi, a great commentator of al-Ihya (Revival of Religious Sciences) and Qaamoos (The Ocean) [d.1732-1790] narrated in Vol.10 of It’haaf al-Saadah al-Muttaqeen – (Presents from Pious Chieftains) that while A’isha ® was on her death-bed, she took out a piece of Holy Prophet’ (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) garment which she had previously hidden, and said: ‘If I die, bury me with it on my chest, “as I am hoping to be saved from the torture of the grave by its blessings,” and she is the Truthful One, the daughter of the Truthful one: Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq ®. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasaallam) encouraged the Muslims to visit graves regularly and considered it a cause for forgiveness. It is narrated in Sharh as-Sudur (Ch. 51) by Imam al-Suyuti that the Prophet Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said that when one visits the graves, he should read Surat al-Ikhlas, Surat at-Takathur and Surat al-Fatiha, and present the reward of the recitations as a gift to the inhabitants of the graves. He also explained that these souls then ask forgiveness for him, asking Allah to forgive and bless him. This shows that the souls of the departed have the ability to make Du’a for the living, asking Allah to help those who visit them. This, then, is the source of the blessings gained by visiting the graves of the righteous. A’isha related that when Najashi (the pious king of Abyssinia) passed away, the Sahaba reported that there was a light shining from his grave. He was not even a Companion, but it was believed that he was a Wali. This shows that the Sahaba believed that the Awliya can have light and blessings at their graves, showing that the graves of the righteous are a place of blessing. The 4 Madhhabs allow Tawassul. Even the great Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal allowed it. Imam Ahmad made tawassul through the Prophet a part of every du`a according to the following report: `Ala' al-Din al-Mardawi said in his book al-Insaf fi ma`rifat al-rajih min al-khilaf `ala madhhab al-Imam al-mubajjal Ahmad ibn Hanbal (3:456): The correct position of the [Hanbali] madhhab is that it is permissible in one's supplication (du`a) to use as one's means a pious person, and it is said that it is desirable (mustahabb). Imam Ahmad said to Abu Bakr al-Marwazi: "yatawassalu bi al-nabi fi du`a'ih" ("Let him use the Prophet as a means in his supplication to Allah.")
Memory of the departed is also to be respected as is evident from the following Hadith Shareef: [As Shaykh Haddad points out in the context of the obsession of the Salafis and Wahhabis against the parents of the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wassalam)]: A man from the Ansar insulted al-`Abbas's father who lived in the Time of Ignorance, whereupon al-`Abbas slapped him. The man returned to his people who said: "By Allah, we shall slap him just as he slapped him," and they girded their weapons. News of this reached the Prophet - Allah bless and greet him - who ascended the pulpit and said: "O people! Who among the dwellers of the earth is deemed most honorable in the presence of Allah?" They said, "You." He continued: "And al-`Abbas is part of me, and I am part of him. Do not insult our dead, thereby harming our living." The people then came to the Prophet - Allah bless and greet him - and said: "O Messenger of Allah! We seek refuge in Allah from your anger." (Narrated from Ibn `Abbas by Ahmad and al-Nasa'i with a sound chain according to al-`Iraqi in Takhrij Ahadith al-Ihya'.) Insulting the dead and thereby harming the living is also the reality of al-Wahhabiyyah. May Allah relieve the Muslims and their countries from them; and all due thanks to Allah
Again, it is stated in the Hadith that the Holy Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said, "It is easier for me to put my foot on a sharp sword than to put a foot on the grave of a Muslim". In another Hadith, he says, "I will prefer to put my foot on burning fire so much so that it burns my shoe and reaches my feet, than putting my foot on the grave of a Muslim". This is a statement by that person, whom by Allah, if he sets his holy feet on the chest or eyes of any Muslim, will gain the peace and pleasure of both the worlds! It is stated in "Tahtawi," "Raddul Mukhtaar," and even in Shawkani’s Fathul Qadeer that, "If a new path is created in a Muslim graveyard by any person then it is Haraam to walk on it because it must have been made over graves. On the contrary, old pathways were made avoiding graves. Therefore, to walk on them is quite in order". Once, in the presence of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam), a person was walking out of a graveyard with his shoes on, Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) said: "O you who have shaved your hair, are you wearing shoes? Throw your shoes away. Do not harm the people of the grave so that they may not harm you". And what have we now? The Wahhabi Brigade, or rather Brigand, goes to any length to disrespect and destroy any Muslim’s grave, except perhaps Ibn Taimiyya’s and Ibn Kathir’s which are preserved in a Sufi Cemetery in Syria. Destruction of Muslim tombs and cemeteries and vandalizing grave-markers and thus insulting the dead are the first sign of Wahhabi activity. It is as if their life depends on it for the propagation of their deviant beliefs
The Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) had foretold about the Kharjites and the Najdis. Similarly, he also anticipated that such sects would accuse the Muslim Ummah of Shirk. He therefore chose the burial grounds of Uhud to tell the Sahaba (this should not be misconstrued to mean that it was meant only for the Sahaba) by swearing upon Allah that he was not afraid that the Muslims would commit Shirk after him but was afraid that after his death the Muslims would fight one another for worldly things. In fact, this visit was in the form of an Urs. Following is the said Hadith Shareef:
Translation: Narrated 'Uqba bin 'Amir: One day the Prophet went out and offered the funeral prayers of the martyrs of Uhud and then went up the pulpit and said, "I will pave the way for you as your predecessor and will be a witness for you. By Allah! I see my Fount (Kauthar) just now and I have been given the keys of all the treasures of the earth (or the keys of the earth). “By Allah! I am not afraid that you will worship others along with Allah after my death, but I am afraid that you will fight with one another for the worldly things” . [Volume 2, Book 23, Number 428: (Sahih Bukhari)]
Now, apart from sanctioning the observation of Urs, how evocative, unambiguous and crystal clear is the declaration made by the Beloved Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) that visiting the burial grounds is not grave-worship and that his Ummah will not commit any Shirk! The Wahhabis and other extremists clearly oppose the said Hadith and as such they stand to be condemned.
As far as destruction of the graves and cemeteries is concerned, there appears to be similarities between the Wahhabis and the Zionists. The Zionists are committing the same type of atrocities in the occupied Palestine by destroying Islamic relics and the graves of the Companions of the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) as well as the graves of Muslim Saints. According to the reports, on the pretext that the occupied land belongs to Israel, Israeli Zionist occupation forces have bulldozed hundreds of such graves that have the history right from the Moslem conquest. Has any Arab Sheikhdom raised its voice against this inhumanity? No!
As a small digression, it may be noted that the Zionists are also digging under the First Qibla of Islam, al-Masjid al-Aqsa which was built by Yaqub (a.s.) and which was expanded during the reign of Sulayman (a.s.), signifying that Temple of Solomon is a myth. To state it shortly, one of the reasons for digging is that documents and books of magic which the dispersed and enslaved Jews learnt in Babylonia and the Talmuds that the Rabbis wrote in there and the books on Kabbalah (an ancient form of Magic which the Zionists had learnt during or before the time of Moses) are buried there. Since Hazrat Sulayman (a.s.) came to know that some groups were practising magic in his Kingdom, he had the books seized from the Zionists and dumped them in the foundation of the Masjid for safety. (Magic was not taught by Sulayman A.S., as the Yahood allege insinuating that the devils had influenced the Nabi) However, after the passing away of Sulayman (a.s.), the guards (sometimes referred to as “Knights Templers”) got hold of this knowledge, passing it on from generations to generations, some of which culminated into Zionists freemasonry in the modern age. Has any Arab country even taken a cognizance of the destruction of the First Qibla of Islam that is being perpetrated by the Zionists? You know the answer!!
To continue, Insha Allah…
NASIR
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