Questions that the Jews posed to the Prophet

Question:
I heard that when Prophet Muhammad started preaching Islam, the Jews
were very upset and they wanted to test him to find out whether he was
a true Prophet, so they prepared 40 difficult questions and asked him.
Is this true, if yes,please, explain what are the 40 questions and
what were the answers given by the Prophet Muhammad?
Fatwa:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad
is His slave and Messenger.
No doubt that the Jews disbelieved in what Allaah revealed to our
Prophet Muhammad and hated it. They were envious of him - except a
few of them - because he was not one of them, i.e. did not descend
from the children of Israel .
Allaah Says (which means): } And when there came to them a Book[i.e.
the Quran] from Allaah confirming that which was with them - although
before they usedto pray for victory against those who disbelieved -
but [then] when there came to them that which they recognized, they
disbelieved in it; so the curse of Allaah will be upon the
disbelievers. How wretched is that for which they sold themselves -
that they would disbelieve in what Allaah has revealed through [their]
outrage that Allaah would send down His favor upon whom He wills from
among His servants. So they returned having [earned] wrath upon wrath.
And for the disbelievers is a humiliating punishment .} [Quran
2:89-90].
However, we do not know of any authentic Hadeeth stating that they
prepared forty questions for the Prophet and asked him about them.
What is proved in the books of Imaans Al-Bukhaari and Ahmad as well as
otherauthentic sources is that they asked him seven questions.
Al-Bukhaari reported that Anas narrated that when 'Abdullaah Ibn
Salaam heard about the arrival of the Prophet to Madeenah, he came to
himand asked him about some things saying: "I will ask about three
things that none except a messenger knows: what is the first sign of
the Hour? What is the first meal that the dwellers of Paradise eat?
Why is it that the child sometimes resembles his father and other
times his mother?" The Prophet said:"Jibreel (Gabriel) informed about
this earlier. Ibn Salaam said:"That is the Jews' enemy from the
angels." The Prophet said: "As for the first sign of the Hour, it is
a fire that gathers the people from the East and the West. As for the
first meal that the dwellers of Paradise eat, it is a portion of the
fish liver. As for the child, if the water (i.e. sperm)of the man
comes before that of the woman, the child resembles his father and if
the mother's water comes first then the child resembles her.
Thereupon, Ibn Salaam said: "I bear witness that none has the right of
being worshipped but Allaah and that you are His messenger." Then Ibn
Salaam said: "O Prophet of Allaah, the Jews are people of falsehood.
So ask them about me before they realize that I havebecome Muslim.
The Jews came and the Prophet asked them:"How do you grade 'Abdullaah
Ibn Salaam within your community." They said: "Our best and the son
of our best." Thereupon, the Prophet said:"What if 'Abdullaah Ibn
Salaam becomes Muslim?" They said:"May Allaah protect
him from that!" The Prophet then repeated the same questions and the
Jews repeated the same answers. At that time, 'Abdullaah Ibn Salaam
came out to them and said: 'I bear witness that none has the right to
be worshipped but Allaah and that Muhammad is His messenger.'
Thereupon, they (theJews) said: "He is our worst and the son of our
worst," and demeaned him. Ibn Salaam said: 'This is what I feared, O
Prophet of Allaah."
Ahmad reported that Ibn Abbaas said: "A group of Jewscame one day to
the Prophet and said: 'O Abu Al-Qaasim, tell us some things that only
true messengers of Allaah know.' The Prophet said: "Ask me about
whatever you wish, but promise me by the Name of Allaah and by the
covenant Prophet Ya'qoob took from his sons, that if I tell something
that you know, then you will follow me and become Muslims." They
said:"That's for you." Thereupon they said: "Tell us about the
following four things: tell us about the meal that Israel forbade
himself before the revelation of the Torahand tell us about the water
(sperm) of the woman and the water of the man how is the male child
formed from that? And tell us this illiterate Prophet during his
sleep and who is his guardian from the angels." The Prophet said: "Do
you accept by the covenant of Allaah that you will follow me if I
inform you?" They gave him as much covenant and promise as he wished.
Then the Prophet said: "I ask you by the One Who revealed the Torah
to Moosaa do you know that Israel (Ya'qoob ) fell badly sick and his
sickness took a long time, then he made a vow to Allaah that he would
forbid on himself the food he liked most if Allaah cures him, and the
food he liked most was camel meat and the drink was camel milk. They
said:"Yes." He said:
"O Allaah testify against them." Then he said: "I ask you by Allaah,
the One Who has no partners Who revealed the Torah to Moosaa do you
know that the man's water is white and thick and that the woman's
water is yellow and thin. Any of the two waters gets above the other
gets the resemblance of the child in his sex and charactersby the will
of Allaah. If the water of the man gets over the woman it is a male
by the Will of Allaah and if the water of the woman gets above that of
the man then it is a female by the Will of Allaah. They said: 'By
Allaah what you said is true.' The Prophet said: "O Allaah testify
against them."
Then he said: "I ask you by the One Who revealed Torah to Moosaa do
you know that the eyes of this illiterate Prophet sleep but his heart
does not." They said: 'By Allaah that is true.' He said: "O Allaah,
testify against them." They said: 'You, now tell us about your
guardian from the angels, we will stay with you or leave you according
to that.' He said: "My guardian is Jibreel (Gabriel) and Allaah never
sent any Prophet but he was his guardian." The Jews said: 'So, wewill
separate from you. Had your guardian been another angel not Jibreel,
we would have followed you and believed in what you brought.'
The Prophet said: "But what prevents you from believing in him?" They
said: 'He is our enemy.' Then Allaah revealed thefollowing verses
(which means): } Say, "Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel - it is [none
but] he who has brought it [i.e. the Quran] down upon your heart, [O
Muhammad], by permission of Allaah, …} [Quran 2:97] . Allaah Says
(which means): } And when aMessenger from Allaah came to them
confirming that which was with them, a party of those who had been
given the Scripture threw away the Book of Allaah behind their backs
as if they did not know .} [Quran 2:101] . Allaah Says (which means):
} So they returned having [earned] wrath upon wrath { [Quran 2:90].
Allaah Knows best.

Commentary on the verse “so wherever you turn (yourselves or your faces) there is the Face of Allaah” .

Names and Attributes of Allah - Could you explain the following ayaah?
If Allahis above the heavens, why is Allah face there wherever you
face?
I am only asking this because I was explainingthat Allah was above the
heavens to somebody, and he qouted this ayah;I could not respond to
him after that.
Al-Baqarah - 2:115
And to Allâh belong the east and the west, so wherever you turn
yourselves or your faces there is the Face of Allâh (and He is High
above, over His Throne). Surely! Allâh
is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knowing.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We are obliged to believe that Allaah has risen above His throne ina
manner that befits His majesty, not in a mannerthat resembles human
movement, and to believe that Allaah has a Face that is not like the
faces of His creation.
So we should not go astray when interpreting verses and we must not
distort theirmeanings; we should follow the views of the righteous
salaf concerning that.
With regard to the tafseer (commentary) onthis verse, Shaykh Ibn
'Uthaymeen said:
If you ask whether everymention of the wajh (face) with reference to
Allaah means the Face of Allaah which is one of His attributes, the
answer is that this is the basic principle. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And turn not away those who invoke their Lord, morning and afternoon
seeking His Face"
[al-An'aam 6:52].
"And who has (in mind) no favour from anyone to be paid back,
Except to seek the Countenance of his Lord,the Most High.
He surely, will be pleased(when he will enter Paradise)"
[al-Layl 92:19-21]
And there are other similar verses.
The basic principle is that what is meant by wajh is the Face of
Allaah which is one of His attributes. But there is a verse concerning
which the mufassireen differed, which is this verse (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And to Allaah belong the east and the west, sowherever you turn
(yourselves or your faces) there is the Face of Allaah"
[al-Baqarah 2:115] Some of them said that what is meant by wajh here
is direction, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"For every nation there is a direction to which they face (in their prayers)"
[al-Baqarah 2:148]
So what is meant by wajh here is direction, so "there is the wajh of
Allaah" means there is the direction of prayer which Allaah accepts.
They said: because whentravelling, if a person offers naafil prayers
he can pray in whatever direction he is facing.
But the correct view is that what is meant by wajh here is the Face of
Allaah. So wherever you turn there is the Face of Allaah, because
Allaah encompasses all things, and because it was proven from the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) thatwhen the
worshipper stands to pray, Allaah in front of him. Hence it is
forbidden for the worshipper to spit in front of him, because Allaah
is in front of him. So if you pray in a place where you do not know
where the qiblah is, but you do your best to figure it out and pray,
and the qiblah is in fact behind you, then Allaah is in front of you
even in this situation.
This is the correct meaning which is in accordance with the apparent
meaning of the verse, and the first meaning does not in factcontradict
it.
So the two meanings do not contradict one another.
It should be noted that this mighty Face which isdescribed in terms of
majesty and honour cannot be fully encompassed by human descriptions
and imagination. Rather everything that you can think of, Allaah is
above that and is greater.
"but they will never compass anything of His Knowledge"
[Ta-Ha 20:110 – interpretation of the meaning]
With regard to the verse (interpretation of the meaning):
"Everything will perish save His Face"
[al-Qasas 28:88]
What this means is that everything will perish except His Essence of
which s His Face is one ofthe attributes.
Sharh al-'Aqeedah al-Waasitiyyah by Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 1/243-245.
We should not compare the Creator to His creation and imagine Him in
terms of His creation, for Allaah is as He has said of Himself
(interpretation of the meaning):
"There is nothing like Him"
[al-Shoora 42:11]
So Allaah has risen above His Throne, and He faces the worshipper when
he prays, and there is no contradictionbetween them with regard to
Allaah.
Some people were similarly confused about the issue of Allaah
descending during the last third of the night to the lowest heaven.
They said that the night is not the same throughout theearth, so how
can Allaah descend during the night and day at the same time?
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said:
Later generations who knew that the earth is round and that the sun
revolves around the earth said: how can He descend during the last
third of the night, when the last third of the night moves from the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabiaand goes to Europe and areas nearby? We say:
now you are comparing the attributes of Allaah to the attributes of
created beings. If you believe it you do not have to do anything
beyond that, so do not ask how.
Rather say: When it is the last third of the night in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, then Allaahdescends, and when it is the last third of
the night in America, Allaah descends then as well.
So our attitude is that we believe what has reached us via Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and that Allaah descends
to the lowest heaven when there is one third of the night left, and
says, "Who will call upon Me, that I may answer him? Who will ask of
Me, that Imay give him? Who will ask My forgiveness that I may forgive
him?"
Sharh al-Waasitiyyah, 2/437.
And Allaah knows best.

What is the meaning of Allaah’s name al-Sayyid?.

What is the meaning of Allaah's name al-Sayyid (the Master)?
Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah is al-Sayyid (the Master), i.e., the Sovereign of the universe;
all of creation is enslaved to Him.
Allaah is the One Who is needed in an absolute sense. No created
being is independent of Him. IfHe did not create them, they would not
exist, and if He did not sustain them after creating them, they would
not remain. If He did not help them with all that they are faced with,
theywould have no help besides Him. So it is His right that His
created beings should call Him, and none other, al-Sayyid.

Names and Attributes of Allah - The meaning of Allaah’s name al-Mateen .

What is the meaning of Allaah's name al-Mateen (the Most Strong) ?
Praise be to Allaah. Allaah is the Owner of Power, the Most Strong,
i.e., He has immense Power. He is All-Strong and All-Powerful; His
Power never fails, and whatever He does, it never results in
difficulty, discomfort or tiredness for Him. His Power is perfect and
complete, it never wanesor decreases – exalted be Allaah far above
such a thing.