General hadeeths, Dought & Clear, - * Tafseer of the verse “Then He Istawa (rose over) towards the heaven when it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth: ‘Come both of you willingly or unwillingly.’ They both said: ‘We come, willingly.’”

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What is the Tafseer of Soorah 41:11? "Then turned He to the heaven when it was smoke, and said unto it and unto the earth: Come both of you, willingly or loth. They said: We come, obedient."
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Praise be to Allah
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)): Do you verily disbelieve in Him Who created the earth in two Days and you set up rivals (in worship) with Him? That is the Lord of the Alameen (mankind, jinns and all that exists).
He placed therein (i.e. the earth) firm mountains from above it, and He blessed it, and measured therein its sustenance (for its dwellers) in four Days equal (i.e. all these four days were equal in the length of time), for all those who ask (about its creation).
Then He Istawa (rose over) towards the heaven when it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth: ‘Come both of you willingly or unwillingly.’ They both said: ‘We come, willingly.’
Then He completed and finished from their creation (as) seven heavens in two Days and He made in each heaven its affair. And We adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps (stars) to be an adornment as well as to guard (from the devils by using them as missiles against the devils). Such is the Decree of Him the All-Mighty, the All-Knower”
[Fussilat 41:9-12].
Here Allah, may He be exalted, tells us that He created the earth in two days, then “He placed therein (i.e. the earth) firm mountains from above it, and He blessed it, and measured therein its sustenance” at the end of four days, i.e., in two further days. Then the creation of the seven heavens took two days, so the total was six days which were days with Allah (that are not like earthly days).
See question no. 31865.
The words “Then He Istawa (rose over) towards the heaven” mean that He turned to the creation thereof.
As-Sa‘di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Then after creating the earth, He turned to the creation of the heaven, when it was smoke that had appeared on the surface of the water. End quote.
Tafseer as-Sa‘di(p. 745).
Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to the words of Allah, may He be exalted, “Then He Istawa (rose over) towards the heaven”, there are two interpretations among Ahl as-Sunnah.
The first view is that what is meant is that He rose up towards the heaven. This is the view that is regarded as more likely to be correct by Ibn Jareer (at-Tabari), who said in hisTafseer, after mentioning the difference of opinion:
The most likely interpretation of the words of Allah, may He be glorified, “Then He Istawa (rose over) towards the heaven”, is that He rose over them and rose up, then He controlled them by His might and created them as seven heavens. End quote.
This was also mentioned by al-Baghawi in hisTafseer, quoting from Ibn ‘Abbaas and most of the commentators among the earlier generations. That is based on the apparent meaning of the wordastawa(translated here as rose over).
Knowledge of the manner of this rising is to be referred to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.
The second view is that what is meant byastawahere is intending and turning to. This view was mentioned by Ibn Katheer in his commentary on Soorat al-Baqarah and by al-Baghawi in his commentary on Soorat Fussilat.
Ibn Katheer said: That is, He turned to the heaven; istawa’ here conveys the meaning of intending and turning because the preposition used here isila(meaning to, rather than‘alameaning above or over). Al-Baghawi said: That is, He turned to the creation of the heaven. This view is not an attempt to interpret the word in a manner other than its apparent meaning, because the verb astawa is followed by a preposition that is indicative of purpose and aim, thus the meaning is shifted to something that is appropriate to that preposition. Do you not see that Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“A spring wherefrom the slaves of Allah will drink” [al-Insaan 76:6]? What is meant is that the slaves of Allah will quench their thirst thereby, because the prepositionbi(translated here as wherefrom, as opposed to the usualmin, meaning from) means that the meaning should be shifted. So the verb should have a meaning that is appropriate to the preposition that follows it, so that it will have a meaning that makes sense. End quote.
Majmoo‘ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-‘Uthaymeen(3/312)
With regard to the words “when it was smoke” what is meant by smoke here is water vapour.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This smoke is the water vapour that existed at that time, as is mentioned in reports from the Sahaabah and Taabi‘een, and as is also the view of the People of the Book. End quote.
Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa(5/564)
He also said: It was said that it is the water vapour that rose from the water over which the Throne was, for water vapour is a type of smoke. End quote.
As-Safadiyyah(2/76). See:Tafseer Ibn Katheer(7/166)
“and said to it and to the earth: ‘Come both of you willingly or unwillingly.’”
Ibn Katheer said:
That is: respond to My command and comply with what I want you to do, willingly or unwillingly.
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: Allah, may He be exalted, said to the heavens: Let My sun, My moon and My stars appear in you. And He said to the earth: Let your rivers flow through you, and bring forth your fruits. And they said, “ ‘We come, willingly.’” This view was favoured by Ibn Jareer (may Allah have mercy on him).
And he said:
“They both said: ‘We come, willingly’” i.e., we respond willingly to You, with all that we contain of what You want to create of angels, humans and jinn, in obedience to You. This was narrated by Ibn Jareer.
Al-Hasan al-Basri said: If they had refused to comply with His command, He would have punished them with a punishment of which they would have felt the pain. This was narrated by Ibn Abi Haatim. End quote.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer(7/167)
As-Sa‘di said:
That is, comply with My command, willingly or unwillingly, for My command will inevitably be executed. “They both said: ‘We come, willingly’” for we cannot go against Your will. End quote.
Tafseer as-Sa‘di(p. 745)
“Then He completed and finished from their creation (as) seven heavens in two Days” that is, He finished shaping the seven heavens in two days, i.e., two further days, namely Thursday and Friday.
“and He made in each heaven its affair” i.e., He decided and arranged for every heaven what it needs of angels and what it contains of things that no one knows except Him.
“And We adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps (stars)” which are the stars that shine on the people of earth
“as well as to guard” that is, to protect them against the devils lest they listen to those on high.
“Such is the Decree of Him the All-Mighty, the All-Knower” that is, the Almighty to Whose might all things are subjected, so that He subjugates them and subdues them, the All-Knowing Who knows the movements of all creatures.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer(7/167).
And Allah knows best.

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- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M. MD, IRI (Managing Director, Islamic Research Institution)

Da'eef (weak) hadeeths, Dought & clear, - * Expression Said When Leg Becomes Numb

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It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar in al-Adab al-Mufrad that if his foot became numb, he would mention the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Is this action something that is prescribed in Islam?

Praise be to Allah.
The isnad (chain of narrators) of this report hinges on Abu Ishaq as-Sabee‘i, and it was narrated from him by five of his companions, namely Sufyan ath-Thawri, Zuhayr ibn Mu‘awiyah, Shu‘bah, Israil ibn Yoonus and Abu Bakr ibn ‘Ayyash. But they differed concerning the narration of the report from Abu Ishaq, and there are several versions
1.
It was narrated from Sufyan ath-Thawri and Zuhayr ibn Mu‘awiyah, from Abu Ishaq, from ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sa‘d who said: Ibn ‘Umar’s leg became numb and a man said to him: Mention the dearest of people to you. He said: Muhammad.
Narrated by al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad; ad-Daaraqutni in al-‘Ilal, from Sufyan ath-Thawri with the wording mentioned above, but in the version narrated by ad-Daraqutni it says “O Muhammad.”
It was narrated by ‘Ali ibn al-Ja‘d in al-Musnad; Ibraaheem al-Harbi in Ghareeb al-Hadeeth; Ibn Sa‘d in at-Tabaqat; Ibn ‘Asakir in Tareekh Dimashq, from Zuhayr, with the wording: I came to Ibn ‘Umar and his leg had become numb, so I said: What is the matter with your leg? He said: Its nerves are contracting. I said: Call upon the dearest of people to you. He said: O Muhammad, and he was able to stretch it out.
This isnad cannot be proven to be sound because of ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sa‘d al-Qurashi al-‘Adawi al-Kufi, the freed slave of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). In al-‘Ilal by ad-Daraqutni, it says that he was the freed slave of Ibn al-Khattab. His biography is in al-Jarh wa’t-Ta‘deel and Tahdheeb al-Kamal. We did not find anyone who evaluated the narrator; rather it was said to Yahya ibn Ma‘een (may Allah have mercy on him): Who is ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Sa‘d? He said: I do not know.
Tareekh Ibn Ma‘een -- Riwayat ad-Doori.
With regard to the view of al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar in at-Tahdheeb, I say: An-Nasai said: (He is) thiqah (trustworthy).
Dr. Sa‘d al-Humayd (may Allah preserve him) commented on him by saying:
I think that this (that he is thiqah or trustworthy) is probably what an-Nasai said about the previous narrator, namely ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sa‘d al-Madani al-A‘raj. There is a similarity between them (in name), hence al-Mazzi said in Tahdheeb al-Kamal that an-Nasai stated that al-Madani al-A‘raj was trustworthy, but he did not mention his saying that al-Kufi, the freed slave of Ibn ‘Umar, was such.
End quote.
http://www.al ukah.net /Fatawa_Couns els/3004/14542
Note: ad-Daraqutni stated in al-‘Ilal that Zuhayr ibn Mu‘awiyah narrated it from Abu Ishaq, from ‘Abd al-Jabbar ibn Sa‘eed, from Ibn ‘Umar, but I have not found the origin of this report.
2.
It was narrated by Shu‘bah, from Abu Ishaq, from someone who heard Ibn ‘Umar say: My leg became numb, and it was said: Mention the most beloved of people. He said: O Muhammad.
Narrated by Ibrahim al-Harbi in Ghareeb al-Hadeeth.
There is some weakness in its isnad because of the unknown character of the narrator from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).
3.
It was narrated by Israel, from Abu Ishaq, from al-Haytham ibn Hanash, who said: We were with ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and his leg became numb. A man said to him: Mention the dearest of people to you. He said: O Muhammad. Then he stood up and it was as if he was released from a hobble.
This was narrated by Ibn as-Sunni in ‘Aml al-Yawm wa’l-Layla.
This isnad is also da‘eef (weak) because of al-Haytham ibn Hanash, whose biography appears in at-Tareekh al-Kabeerand al-Jarh wa’t-Ta‘deel. None of the scholars said he was trustworthy; no one said he was good or bad. His state is unknown and al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi gave his name in al-Kifayah as an example of those who are unknown.
Moreover in the isnad going back to Israel there is a narrator whose name is Muhammad ibn Mus‘ab al-Qarqasani, who was classed as da‘eef by Ibn Ma‘een and an-Nasa’i. Ibn Hibban said: His memory became poor; he used to mix up isnads and attribute mursal (hadeeth in which the narrator between the successor and the Prophet is omitted from a given isnad)reports to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). It is not permissible to quote his reports as evidence, although others regarded him as trustworthy.
Note: ad-Daraqutni stated in al-‘Ilalthat Israel narrated it from Abu Ishaq, from Ibn ‘Umar, in a mursal report, but I could not find this report.
4.
It was narrated by Abu Bakr ibn ‘Ayyash: Abu Ishaq al-Sabee‘i told us, from Abu Shu‘bah who said: I was walking with Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and his leg became numb. He sat down and a man said to him: Mention the dearest of people to you. He said: O Muhammad, then he got up and walked.
Also narrated by Ibn as-Sunni in ‘Aml al-Yawm wa’l-Laylah.
This is also a da‘eef isnaad, as it is not known who this Abu Shu‘bah is, and there are some reservations about Abu Bakr ibn ‘Ayyash.
To sum up, these isnads (chains) are not free of three issues:
i.
Each of them includes an unknown narrator at the level of those from whom Abu Ishaq as-Sabee‘i narrated it. They are: ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sa‘d, al-Haytham ibn Hanash and Abu Shu‘bah. And there is a fourth narrator whose name is not known.
ii.
Moreover it is not proven in the books that Abu Ishaq as-Sabee‘i heard from each of these four. It is known that Abu Ishaq was well-known for tadlees (ambiguity or giving the wrong impression), to such an extent that al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar mentioned him in the third level of mudalliseen (those who were known for tadlees), in his book Ta‘reef Ahl al-Taqdees bi Maratib al-Mawsoofoona bi’t-Tadlees. So there is the fear that he used it in some of these reports too. He narrated the hadeeth saying ‘an (from) in the isnad, and did not state clearly that he heard it. Although the basic principle is that the hadeeth of Abu Ishaq in which it says ‘an in the isnad is acceptable, using it here in conjunction with these unknown shaykhs gives rise to suspicion and doubt.
iii.
The fact that those who narrated from Abu Ishaq as-Sabee‘i differed may cause us to doubt its soundness because of this lack of harmony, especially since Abu Ishaq’s memory changed and he started to forget towards the end of his life. Even though it is possible to regard the report of Sufyan ath-Thawri as more likely to be correct, because he had the best memory of those who narrated from Abu Ishaq, this thinking is nevertheless speculative and may not be correct. Dr. Sa‘d al-Humayd (may Allah preserve him) says: The most sound of these isnads is the report of Sufyan ath-Thawri. End quote.
Shaykh Abu Ishaq al-Huwayni (may Allah preserve him) says: The report of ath-Thawri is the most reliable. End quote from al-Fatawa al-Hadeethiyyah.
Shaykh Salih Al ash-Shaykh says: Sufyan is one of the best in terms of memory and his narrating the report of Abu Ishaq with this wording proves that this is the correct version and that others are wrong and are to be rejected. End quote from Hadhihi Mafaaheemuna.
The report of Ibn ‘Umar cannot be strengthened by what Ibn as-Sunni narrated in ‘Aml al-Yawm wa’l-Laylah, where he said: Ja‘far ibn ‘Eesa Abu Ahmad told us, Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Rawh told us, Salam ibn Sulayman told us, Ghiyath ibn Ibrahim told us, from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Uthman ibn Khuthaym, from Mujahid, that Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A man’s leg became numb in the presence of Ibn ‘Abbas, and Ibn ‘Abbas said: Mention the dearest of people to you. He said: Muhammad, blessings and peace of Allah be upon him. And the numbness went away.
That is because this is a very weak report because of Ghiyath ibn Ibrahim, of whom Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: People rejected his hadeeth. Al-Bukhari said: They rejected him. See: Mizan al-I‘tidal. Its isnad also includes other weak narrators.
The report was classed as da‘eef (weak) by Shaykh al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) in Da‘eef al-Adab al-Mufrad; and by Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd (may Allah have mercy on him) when he said: There is no sound report about dhikr (remembrance of Allah) or du‘a (supplication) when one’s leg goes numb; no marfoo‘ hadeeth (narration attributed to Prophet) has been narrated concerning that.
End quote from Tasheeh ad-Du‘a. 362
Secondly:
The fact that the dearest of people to Ibn ‘Umar, namely our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), was mentioned – even if we assume the report is sound – does not mean that it was done by way of calling upon him for help. Rather it was merely mentioning him. There is a huge difference between the two matters.
Merely mentioning him is what was meant by some of the scholars who regarded this report as sound in their books, such as Imam an-Nawawi in al-Adhkar, Ibn Taymiyah in al-Kalim at-Tayyib and others. This way of treating numbness was used by the Arabs in the past; they thought that mentioning the beloved could make the blood flow in the veins and help get rid of the numbness. There are dozens of examples of this in Arabic poetry, which indicates that this was a kind of remedy used by the Arabs. For more information please refer to the book Buloogh al-Arab fi Ma‘rifat Ahwal al-‘Arab by al-Aloosi.
As for calling upon him for help, that would mean that Ibn ‘Umar was asking for immediate healing of the numbness in his leg from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and not from Allah, may He be exalted. It is not permissible to seek healing from anyone except Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, for He is the One in Whose hand is the power to cause harm or bring benefit; He is the Lord Who controls the entire universe. He, may He be glorified and exalted, has commanded us to ask of Him and not of any of His creation with regard to that which only Allah is able to do. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And the mosques are for Allah (Alone), so invoke not anyone along with Allah.
(It has been revealed to me that) When the slave of Allah (Muhammad ) stood up invoking (his Lord Allah) in prayer to Him they (the jinns) just made round him a dense crowd as if sticking one over the other (in order to listen to the Prophet’s recitation).
Say (O Muhammad ): I invoke only my Lord (Allah Alone), and I associate none as partners along with Him.
Say: It is not in my power to cause you harm, or to bring you to the Right Path” [72:18-21].
Shaykh Abu Bateen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If this report is saheeh (authentic), perhaps Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has caused mentioning the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in this situation to have a special effect. And Allah knows best. He did not say, “O Muhammad, take away my numbness”, or, “I complain to you about the numbness in my leg” – as some people (incorrectly) think that this report constitutes evidence that it is permissible to call upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and to seek help from him and ask him to fulfil their deeds and relieve distress.
End quote from Rasail wa Fatawa Aba Bateen.
Whoever wants to use this report as evidence that it is permissible to seek help from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) has gone too far and is claiming something for which there is no proof in the report; he has ignored all the rules and guidelines on understanding reports and reaching conclusions. Think about what the man said; he said “Mention” and did not say “Seek help from” or “Call upon”, except in the report of Zuhayr ibn Mu‘awiyah from Abu Ishaq, where it says “Call upon the dearest of people to you.” But there can be no doubt that the report of Sufyan ath-Thawri is more appropriate and more authentic, because he had a better memory and narrated more soundly from Abu Ishaq as-Sabee‘i. Moreover, Zuhayr ibn Mu‘awiyah heard from Abu Ishaq after his memory changed because of old age, and there is the fear that this report is one of those that come under that category.
Thirdly:
Even if we assume that it is true that Ibn ‘Umar said “O Muhammad” – although these words are not to be found in the report of Sufyan ath-Thawri – that does not necessarily mean that he was seeking help from him. It may be understood as meaning that he was calling to mind the person of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) so as to send blessings upon him. In that case what it means is: O Muhammad, may Allah send blessings upon you. This is how it was understood by Ibn Hajar al-Haytami in ad-Durr al-Mandood.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The words “O Muhammad, O Prophet of Allah” and similar calls are meant to bring to mind the person called, so that one might address the person brought to mind. This is like when the worshipper says in the prayer: “As-salaam ‘alayka ayyuha’n-Nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allahi wa barakaatuhu (Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His Blessings).” People do that a great deal; a man may address the person he is thinking of even though there is no one in front of him to hear what he says.
End quote from Iqtida’ as-Sirat al-Mustaqeem li Mukhalafat Ashab al-Jaheem.
Fourthly:
The words “Mention the dearest of people to you” would not necessarily elicit the same response from everyone whose leg becomes numb. One person may mention the name of his wife, another may mention the name of his father and a third may mention the name of his friend. Moreover, the person mentioned may not be one of the righteous or one of the pious worshippers; rather he may be an evildoer who does not adhere to the rulings of Islam. So how can it be said that calling upon him for help or even mentioning his name may be a direct cause of the numbness going away?
To sum up: there is no saheeh report concerning this matter.
And Allah knows best.

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Da'eef (weak) hadeeths, Dought & clear, - * A fabricated hadeeth about the reward for charity given on behalf of the deceased being presented to him on a platter of light

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How sound is this hadeeth: “If you offer supplication for the deceased, the angel will enter upon him with a platter of light and will say: ‘This is a gift to you from your brother or relative So and and so,’ and he will rejoice thereat”?.

Praise be to Allaah.
This hadeeth is fabricated. It was narrated by at-Tabaraani inal-Mu‘jam al-Awsat(6504): Muhammad ibn Dawood ibn Aslam as-Sadafi told us, ‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Abdillah al-Munkadiri told us, Muhammad ibn Ismaa‘eel ibn Abi Fudayk said: I heard Abu Muhammad ash-Shaami narrate that he heard Abu Hurayrah say that he heard Anas ibn Maalik say: I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: “There is no household of whom one person dies and they give charity on his behalf after his death, but Jibreel (peace be upon him) will present it to him on a platter of light. He will stand at the edge of the grave and say: ‘O occupant of the deep grave, this is a gift given to you by your family, so accept it.’ Then he will enter upon him, and he will rejoice thereat and be of good cheer, and his neighbours who were not given anything will be sad.”
At-Tabaraani said after quoting it: This hadeeth was not narrated from Anas except via this isnaad, which was narrated only by Ibn Abi Fudayk.
Al-Haythami (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It was narrated by at-Tabaraani inal-Awsat; its isnaad includes Abu Muhammad ash-Shaami, of whom al-Azdi said: He is a liar.
End quote fromMajma‘ az-Zawaa’id, 3/139
Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned it inas-Silsilah ad-Da‘eefah(486) and said: It is fabricated … The problem with this hadeeth is that it is narrated by Abu Muhammad ash-Shaami. Adh-Dhahabi said: He narrated odd hadeeths from some of the Taabi‘een. Al-Azdi said: He is a liar.
This is how it appears inal-Lisaan; it is as if what they meant by munkar hadeeth was this report. End quote.
So it is not permissible to attribute these words to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or to narrate it from him except for the purpose of explaining its status and to warn against narrating it, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever narrates a hadeeth from me thinking that it is a lie is one of the liars.” Narrated by Muslim in the Introduction to hisSaheeh(1/7).
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This hadeeth contains a stern warning against lying and indicates that whoever thinks it most likely that what he is narrating is false but still narrates it is a liar. How can he not be a liar when he is telling you of something that did not happen? End quote.
In the same chapter there is another hadeeth which says: “The dead person in his grave is like the drowning person who calls for help, hoping for a supplication to reach him from his father or mother or brother or friend, and when it reaches him it will be dearer to him than this world and everything in it. Allah will cause to reach the inhabitants of the graves gifts like mountains as a result of the supplication of the inhabitant of houses (i.e., the living). And the gift of the living to the dead is prayers for forgiveness.”
This was quoted by Shaykh al-Albaani inas-Silsilah ad-Da‘eefah(799). He said: (It is) munkar jiddan (very odd). End quote.
With regard to the hadeeth which says: “When you offer supplication for the dead, the angel enters upon him with a platter of light…”, we could not find any such report from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) whether this version or the first version. So it is not permissible to attribute that to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) just as it is not permissible to quote it, even if it is not attributed to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), because the matter of al-barzakh is one of the matters of the unseen, and it is not permissible to indulge in talking about it without knowledge.
And Allah knows best.





















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