Hudayr: ‘This is the Best of Provisions, My Lord.’

A beautiful story… please read and see what lessons can be drawn from it.
"Ibn 'Umar (radhi'Allahu `anhu) reports that the Prophet (sallallahu
`alayhi wa sallam) once sent out an army unit which included a man
called Hudayr. It was a year of difficulty and food was in short
supply, so the Prophet (sallallahu`alayhi wa sallam) gave each person
provisions (for the journey) but he forgot to provide for Hudayr.
Hudayr was patient and went out with the last group, seeking reward
and expecting good fromAllah, saying " 'La ilaha illa'Allah' (There is
none worthy of worship except Allah), 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is the
Greatest), 'Al-Hamdulillah' (Praise be to Allah), 'Subhan'Allah'
(Glory be to Allah), and 'La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' (There
is no might or power except with Allah)." And he would say, "This is
the best of provisions, O Lord." Continuously, he repeated this whilst
in his group.
Jibreel ('alayhisalam) came to the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa
sallam) and said, "Indeed,my Lord has sent me to you to inform you
that you provided for your companions but you forgot to provide for
Hudayr and he is in the last battalion saying, "'La ilaha illa'Allah'
(There is none worthy of worship except Allah), 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah
is the Greatest), 'Al-Hamdulillah'(Praise be to Allah), 'Subhan'Allah'
(Glory be to Allah), and 'La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' (There
is no might or power except with Allah). This is the best of
provision, O Lord." This statement of his will be a light for him on
the Day of Judgement and it shallfill what is between the heavens and
the earth, so send him his provision."
The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) immediately called a manand
gave him the provision of Hudayr (to take it to him) and commanded him
to listenand memorise whatever Hudayr says upon meeting him and upon
giving him the provision,and to tell him, "The Messenger of Allah
(sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) sends you the greeting of peace and the
mercy of Allah, and he wants to inform you that he forgot to provide
for you but my Lord, Blessed and Lofty is He, sent Jibreel to remind
him of you and he told him of your position (in the army)."
So the man set off and met Hudayr whilst he was still repeating " 'La
ilaha illa'Allah' (There is none worthy of worship except Allah),
'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is the Greatest), 'Al-Hamdulillah' (Praise be to
Allah), 'Subhan'Allah' (Glory be to Allah), and 'La hawla wa la
quwwata illa billah' (There is no might or power except with Allah).
This is the best of provision, O Lord."
He then drew close to him and said, "Indeed, the Messenger of Allah
sends you his greeting ofpeace and the mercy of Allah, and he has sent
meto you with this provision saying, "Indeed, I forgot you so Jibreel
was sent to me from the heavens to remind me of you."
He (Hudayr) praised and thanked Allah and sent his blessings upon the
Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam). Then he said, "Praise be to
Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. My Lord remembered me from above the
seven heavens and from above His Throne, and He was merciful towards
my hunger and my weakness. O my Lord, justas You did not forget me,do
not let Hudayr forget You ."
The man memorised what he said, and went back to the Prophet
(sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), informing him ofwhat he heard Hudayr
say upon reaching him and giving him the news.The Messenger of Allah
(sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) then said, "If you were to lift your
head to the sky, you would surelyhave seen a light spreading and
radiating all that is between the heavens and the earth, due to his
words.""
- Related by Ibn Jawzi in his collection, 'Sifat al-Safwah' [See also,
al-Atqiya' al-Akhfiya', pg. 117-118]

--


- - - - -

And Allah Knows the Best!

- - - - -

Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

- - - - - - -

Can the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) hear thosewho call upon him whenhe is in his grave?

Some people believe that the Prophet Muhamamd [(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him)] is "Shaheed" and is in BArzakh where he can hear
us if we send 'darood' on him and also if we ask his 'wasta' [by
virtue of his closeness to Allah]in praying to God.
Praise be to Allaah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is alive in
his grave in the sense of thelife of al-barzakh, so he enjoys the
blessings that Allaah has prepared for him as a reward for his great
good actions that he did in this world. But the life in the grave is
not like the life of this world, or the life in the Hereafter. Rather
it is thelife of al-barzakh which comes in between his life in this
world and his life in the Hereafter. Hence we know that he died as
other Prophets and other people beforehim died. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And We granted not to any human being immortality before you (O
Muhammad); then if you die, would they live forever?"
[al-Anbiya' 21:34]
"Whatsoever is on it (theearth) will perish.
And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honour will remain forever"
[al-Rahmaan 55:26,27]
"Verily, you (O Muhammad) will die, and verily, they (too) willdie"
[al-Zumar 39:30]
And there are other verses which also indicate that Allaah caused him
to die. Moreover, the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them)
washed him, shrouded him, offered the funeral prayer for him and
buried him; if he had been alive in the worldly sense, they would not
have done the same as is done for others who die.
Faatimah (may Allaah be pleased with her) asked Abu Bakr (may Allaah
be pleased with him) for her inheritance from herfather (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) because she was convinced that he had
died, and no one among the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them)
differed withher concerning that. Rather Abu Bakr (may Allaah be
pleased with him) responded to her request by saying that nothing
could be inherited from the Prophets.
The Sahaabah agreed unanimously to choose akhaleefah for the Muslims
to succeed the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
and that wasdone with the appointment of Abu Bakr (may Allaah be
pleased with him) as khaleefah. If the Prophet(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) had been alive in a worldly sense, they would not
have done that. So this indicates that there was consensus among them
that he had indeed died.
When the tribulations (fitan) and problems increased during the time
of 'Uthmaan and 'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with them both), and
before and after that, they did not go to his grave to consult him or
ask him for a way out of those tribulations and problems, or the way
to solve them. If he had been alive in a worldly sense, they would not
have overlooked that when they were in such great need of someone to
save them from the trials that surrounded them.
With regard to the soul of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him), it is in the highest part of 'Illiyyeen,because he is
the best of creation, and because Allaah has given him al-waseelah
which is thehighest position in Paradise.
The life of al-barzakh is aspecial life. The Prophetsand the shuhada'
(martyrs) are alive in al-barzakh as the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "The Prophets are alive and they pray in
their graves." (Narrated by al-Mundhiri and al-Bayhaqi who classed it
as saheeh because of corroborating reports in al-Saheehayn.)
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And say not of those who are killed in the way of Allaah, 'They are
dead.' Nay, they are living, but you perceive (it) not"
[al-Baqarah 2:154]
This is a special life, the nature of which is known to Allaah. It is
notlike the life of this world in which the soul remains with the
body.
The basic principle concerning the dead is that they do not hear the
words of the living sons of Adam, because Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"but you cannot make hear those who are in graves"
[Faatir 35:22]
Allaah confirmed that those whom he (the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him)) was calling to Islam could not hear, by
likening them to the dead. There is nothing inthe Qur'aan or in the
saheeh Sunnah to indicate that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) can hear every du'aa' or call from human beings.
Rather it is proven that the only thing that reaches him (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the blessings and salaams of those
who send blessings and salaams upon him. This was narrated by Abu
Dawood, 2041, with a hasan isnaad from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be
pleased with him) who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "There is no one who sends salaams uponme
but Allaah will restore to me my soul so that I may return his
salaams." This does not mean that he hears the words of the one who
sends salaams. Rather it is possible that he comesto know of those
salaams when the angelsconvey that to him. If weassume that he hears
thewords of the one who sends salaams, this is an exception from the
general rule, as in the case of the dead hearingthe footsteps of those
who carry his bier, and as in the case of the slainkuffaar in the well
at Badr who heard the call of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he said to them: "Have you found
your Lord's promise to be true? For we have found our Lord's promise
to be true." (See Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 1/313, 318, 321).
With regard to calling upon the Prophet (peaceand blessings of Allaah
be upon him) and askinghim directly, this is the essence of shirk
which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sent
to forbid and to fight against its people. For more details on the
ruling on that, see Question no. 10289 , 11402 , 1439 . We ask Allaah
to bring the Muslims back to the rightpath. And Allaah knows best. May
Allaah send blessings and peace upon his Prophet Muhammad and his
family and companions.21524

The believer’s family joining him in Paradise

Will the people who go to Heaven be reunited with their loved ones who
go to Hell? Is it possible to take loved ones out of Hell, since all
requests in Heaven are granted (assuming they know about their fate)?
Can we also be reunited with our Loved ones in this world who are
non-mahrum to us? This includes those that we loved but could not
marry.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly, you say, "does this include those whom we loved but could not marry?"
The answer to this is thatit is not permissible for aMuslim man to
form a relationship with a non-mahram women, or for a Muslim woman to
form a relationship with a man or to have an emotional attachment
tohim, except for her husband. See Questions nos. 9465, 5445, 1200.
Secondly, you say, "Will the people who go to Heaven be reunited
withtheir loved ones who go to Hell?"
The answer is, yes, the people of Paradise will be reunited with their
loved ones who went to Hell, if they were believers in Tawheed (the
oneness of Allaah). That will be by virtue of their intercession for
them to be brought forth from Hell and admitted to Paradise. The
evidence for that was narrated by al-Bukhaari in Kitaab al-Tawheed,
no. 7440:
It was narrated that Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri said: "We said, 'O Messenger
of Allaah! Shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?' He said,
'Do you have any difficulty in seeing the sun and the moon when the
sky is clear?' We said,'No.' He said, 'So you willhave no difficulty
in seeing your Lord on thatDay, just as you have no difficulty in
seeing the sun and the moon (in a clear sky). …Then the bridge will be
laid acrossHell.' We said, "O Messenger of Allaah! What is the
bridge?' He said, 'It is a slippery (bridge) on which there are clamps
and (hooks like) thorns which are wide at one side and narrow at the
other and have bent ends. A plant with such thorns is found in Najd
and is called al-Sa'daan. Some of the believers will cross the bridge
as quickly as the wink of aneye, some others as quick as lightning, a
strong wind, or fast horses or she-camels. So some will be safe
without any harm; some will be safe after receiving some scratches,
and some will fall down into Hell (Fire).The last person will crossby
being dragged (over the bridge). You (Muslims) cannot be more pressing
in claiming from me a rightthat has been clearly proved to be yours
than the believers in interceding with Almighty Allaah for their
(Muslim) brothers on that Day, when they see themselves safe.
They will say, "O Allah! (Save) our brothers (for they) used to pray
with us, fast with us and also do good deeds with us." Allah will say,
"Go and take out (of Hell) anyonein whose heart you find faith equal
to the weightof one (gold) Dinar." Allah will forbid the Fire to burn
the faces of those sinners. They will go to them and find some of them
in Hell (Fire) up to their feet, and some up to the middle of their
legs. So they will take out those whom they will recognize and then
they will return, and Allah willsay (to them), "Go and take out (of
Hell) anyonein whose heart you find faith equal to the weightof one
half Dinar." They will take out whomever they will recognize and
return, and then Allah will say, "Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in
whose heart you find faith equal to the weightof an atom (or a small
ant)," and so they will take out all those whom they will recognize.'"
Abu Sa'eed said, "If you do not believe me, read, if you wish,
'Surely, Allaah wrongs not even of the weight of an atom(or a small
ant), but if there is any good (done), He doubles it...' [al-Nisaa'
4:40 – interpretation of the meaning]." The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Then the Prophets and Angels
and the believers will intercede, and (last of all) the Almighty
(Allah) will say, 'Now remains My Intercession. He will thenhold a
handful of the Fire from which He will take out some people whose
bodies have beenburnt, and they will be thrown into a river at the
entrance of Paradise,called the water of life. They will grow on its
banks, as a seed carried by the torrent grows…"
But for those who believed in shirk, no intercession will benefit
them. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, Allaah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him
(in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He
wills"
[al-Nisaa' 4:48]
Note that intercession is of two types:
"The first type is the kindof intercession that is the exclusive
preserve ofthe Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
which is of varying kinds, the greatest of which is the Great
Intercession in the Station of praise and glory (al-maqaam al-mahmood)
which Allaah has promised to him in the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning):
'And in some parts of thenight (also) offer the Salaah (prayer) with
it (i.e. recite the Qur'aan inthe prayer) as an additional prayer
(Tahajjud optional prayer Nawaafil) for you(O Muhammad). It may be
that your Lord will raise you to Maqaam Mahmood (a station of praise
and glory, i.e., thehonour of intercession on the Day of
Resurrection)'
[al-Israa' 17:79]
This intercession means that he will intercede forthe people who are
standing on the Day of Resurrection, so that the distress they are
suffering will be reduced for them.
The second type is general intercession on the part of the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for all the believers.
This is of various kinds:
(i) Intercession for those who
deserve Hell, so thatthey will not enter it. This is indicated by the
words of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
"There is no Muslim who dies and forty men who do not associate
anything with Allaah pray the funeral prayer for him, but Allaah will
accept their intercession for him." (narrated by Muslim, 2/655).
(ii) Intercession for those who
have entered Hell, so that they will be brought forth from it. It was
narrated that Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri said: "The Messenger of
Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'By the One in
Whose hand is my soul,
You (Muslims) cannot be more pressing in claiming from me a rightthat
has been clearly proved to be yours than the believers in interceding
with the Almighty for their (Muslim) brothers on that Day, when they
see themselves safe.
They will say, "O Allah! (Save) our brothers (for they) used to pray
with us, fast with us and also do good deeds with us." Allah will say,
"Go and take out (of Hell) everyone whom you recognize." Allah will
forbid the Fire to burn the faces of those sinners. So they will bring
forth many peoplewho were in the Fire upto their calves or their
knees." (Narrated by Muslim,269)
(iii) Intercession to raise the
believers in status. This isbecause of the du'aa's ofthe believers for
one another, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said, making du'aa' for Abu Salamah: "O Allaah, forgive Abu
Salamah, raise him in status among those who are guided, make his
grave spacious for him and fill it with light, and protect his family
who are left behind." And there is thedu'aa' for intercession asthe
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There isno
Muslim who dies and forty men who do not associate anything with
Allaah pray the funeral prayer for him, but Allaah will accept their
intercession for him."
Reference: al-Qawl al-Mufeed, vol. 1, p. 332

What is the virtue of Ahl al-Bayt? Will they intercede for the people on the Day of Resurrection?

What is the virtue of Ahl al-Bayt and their superiority over other
people? Will they intercede for the people on the Day of
Resurrection?.
Praise be to Allaah.
In the answer to question no. 10055 we explained who Ahl al-Bayt are:
they are the members of the household of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). At the end of that answer we said:
So the family of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) are: his wives,his children, and Banu Haashim, Banu 'Abd
al-Muttalib and their freed slaves. End quote.
Secondly:
Allaah has bestowed upon the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) numerous virtues. Ahl al-Sunnah
wa'l-Jamaa'ah are unanimously agreed that it is obligatory to love
them and respect their rights.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Similarly the family of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) have rights which must be paid attention to.
Allaah has allocated to them a share of the khums and fay', and He has
enjoined that blessings be sent upon them along with the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said to us:
"Say: 'Allaahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala aali Muhammadin kamaa
salayta 'ala aali Ibraaheem, innaka Hameedun Majeed, wa baarik 'ala
Muhammadinwa 'ala aali Muhammadin kamaa baarakta 'ala aali Ibraaheem
innaka Hameedun Majeed (O Allaah, send prayer uponMuhammad and upon
the family of Muhammad, as You sent prayers upon the family of
Ibraaheem; You are indeed Worthy of Praise,Full of Glory. And send
blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent
blessings upon the family of Ibraaheem; Youare indeed Worthy of
Praise, Full of Glory)'".
Majmoo' al-Fataawa (3/407).
And he also said:
Similarly, with regard to the family of the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) (Ahl al-Bayt), it is obligatory
to love them, be loyal to them and respect their rights.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa (28/491).
Thirdly:
The virtues of the family of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him):
1.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women. If you keep
your duty (to Allaah), then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose
heart is a disease (of hypocrisy, or evil desire for adultery) should
be moved with desire, but speak in an honourable manner.
33. And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that
of the times of ignorance, And perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah),
and give Zakaahand obey Allaah and His Messenger. Allaah wishesonly to
remove Ar-Rijs (evil deeds and sins) from you, O members of the family
(of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم), and to purify you with a thorough
purification"
[al-Ahzaab 33:32, 33]
This does not apply only to the Prophet's wives (may Allaah be pleased
with them); rather it is narrated in the saheeh Sunnah that it also
includes others. It was narrated that 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased
with her) said:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out one
morning wearing a striped cloak of black camel hair. Al-Hasan ibn 'Ali
came and he enfolded him in the cloak, then al-Husayn came and he
enfolded him in it, then Faatimah came and he enfolded her in it, then
'Ali came and he enfolded him in it, then he said: "Allaah wishes only
to remove Ar-Rijs (evil deeds and sins) from you, O members of the
family (of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم), and to purify you with a
thorough purification" [al-Ahzaab 33:33].
Narrated by Muslim (2424).
2.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"The Prophet is closer to the believers than their ownselves, and his
wivesare their (believers') mothers (as regards respect and marriage)"
[al-Ahzaab 33:6]
3.
It was narrated that Waathilah ibn al-Asqa' said: I heard the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say:
"Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, chose Kinaanah from among
the children of Ismaa'eel (peace be upon him), and He choseQuraysh
from among Kinaanah, and He chose Banu Haashim from among Quraysh, and
He chose me from among Banu Haashim."
Narrated by Muslim (2276).
4.
It was narrated that Zayd ibn Arqam said: TheMessenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood and addressed us at
a watering place called Khumm, between Makkah and Madeenah. He praised
and glorified Allaah, and he exhorted and reminded us, then he said:
"O people, I am only human, and soon the messenger of my Lord will
come to me and I will respond. I am leaving among you two weighty
things, the first of which is the Book of Allaah in which is guidance
and light. Follow the Book of Allaah and hold fast to it." And he
encouraged us to adhere to the Bookof Allaah, then he said: "And the
people of my household, I remind you of Allaah with regard to the
people of my household, I remind you of Allaah with regard to the
people of my household, I remind you of Allaah with regard to the
people of my household."
Narrated by Muslim (2408).
The companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) paid attention to this commandment; foremost among them were Abu
Bakr al-Siddeeq and 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with
them).
Al-Bukhaari (3508) and Muslim (1759) narrated that Abu Bakr (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said to 'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with
him): "By the One in Whose hand is my soul, kinship with the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is dearer to me
than kinship with my own people."
Al-Bukhaari also narrated in his Saheeh (3509) that Abu Bakr (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: "Pay attention to the rights ofthe
household of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)."
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The words "Pay attention to the rights ofthe household of Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)" are addressed to the
people,enjoining them to fulfil the rights of Ahl al-Bayt.
Fath al-Baari (7/79).
With regard to the respect of 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab for the relatives
of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), that is
apparent from many things, such as his preferring to put the ahead of
himself or any other people with regard to allocating shares from bayt
al-maal.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Moreover, when 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him)
set up the registry of stipends, he wrote down people's names
according to their lineage, so he started with those who were closest
in lineage to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him), When he had finished listing the Arabs, he listed the
non-Arabs. Thisis how the registry was at the time of the
Rightly-Guided Caliphs, and all the caliphs of the Umayyad and
'Abbaasid dynasties, until things changed after that.
Iqtida' al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem, p. 159, 160
Fourthly:
There is no intercession specifically for the familyof the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), rather that is something
that may be granted to all those among the righteous, the martyrs and
the scholars with whose intercession Allaah is pleased, whether they
are amongAhl al-Bayt or are from among the ordinary people.
In the answer to question no. 21672 we said: Intercession for those
who committed sin will not be granted only to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), rather the Prophets, the martyrs,
the scholars, therighteous and the angelswill also join in that. A
man's righteous deeds may also intercede for him. But the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will have the greatest
share of intercession. End quote.
Thus we may know the response to the extremists among the Raafidis who
claim that intercession is only for the family of the Prophet(peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Rather it is stated in their
books that Ahl al-Bayt are the ones whowill admit people to Paradise
and to Hell! Thisis just part of a lengthy list of the different
typesof exaggeration that they have, the source of which is their
ignorance of the religion of Allaah, may He be exalted, and their
keeping away fromthe texts of Revelation inthe Qur'aan and Sunnah.
We advise you to read an essay entitled Fadl Ahlal-Bayt wa 'Uluw
Makaanatihim 'inda Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah, written by Shaykh 'Abd
al-Muhsin ibn Hamad al-'Abbaad al-Badr, which we have benefited from
in composing this answer, and which contains additional research on
this topic. It is short but very useful, and may be seen here [in
Arabic]