Quraanic Exegesis, Dought&clear, - * Tafseer of the verse “He has let loose the two seas (the salt water and the sweet) meeting together. Between them is a barrier which none of them can transgress” [ar-Rahmaan 55:19-20]

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In verses 19-22 in surah Ar-Rahman, Allah refers to two seas meeting side by side, and both of them having a barrier. What does this refer to?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
What we have seen according to most of the authors of books of tafseer (Qur’aanic commentary) is that what is meant by the two seas here is the two well-known types of water that are found on earth:
(i) rivers of fresh water
(ii) seas of salty water
The evidence for this interpretation is the verse in which Allah says, describing the two seas (interpretation of the meaning):“one palatable and sweet, and the other salt and bitter” [al-Furqaan 25:53].
The evidence supports the view of the majority, unlike those who say that it refers to two seas, a sea in heaven and a sea on earth, or the seas of the Persians and Byzantines, or other strange opinions of which it cannot truly be said that one of them is palatable and sweet and the other is salt and bitter.
Secondly:
With regard to the barrier between the two seas that is mentioned in these verses, there are two scholarly views concerning it:
-1-
That what is meant by the barrier between the two seas (i.e., between rivers and seas) is the vast lands that separate the rivers from the seas, so that there is no mixing of their waters; rather each of them has its own course and destination that is separate from that of the other.
This is the literalist interpretation that we find with many of the commentators.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:“and He has set a barrier and a complete partition between them” [al-Furqaan 25:53]means: between the sweet water and the salty water
“a barrier”, i.e., the dry land
“a complete partition” i.e., an obstacle that prevents one of them reaching the other.
End quote fromTafseer al-Qur’aan al-Azeem, 6/117
-2-
That between the two “seas”, the fresh and the salty, there is a barrier that is not visible to human eyes. Allah created it by His decree and it prevents mixing of the fresh water with the salty water even though the two waters meet at the mouths of rivers. This was narrated by al-Qurtubi from Ibn ‘Abbaas, and as-Suyooti attributed it to a report from ‘Abd ibn Humayyid from Qataadah. Seead-Durr al-Manthoor, 6/371
Imam al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:“and has set a barrier between the two seas (of salt and sweet water)” [an-Naml 27:61]i.e., a barrier by His will, lest the salty mix with the fresh water. Ibn ‘Abbaas said: A barrier by His decree, so one does not change the other. End quote fromTafseer al-Qurtubi, 13/222
Al-‘Allaamah at-Taahir ibn ‘Aashoor (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
He created the barrier between the two seas in His great wisdom. It is a virtual barrier resulting from each type of water pushing against the other so that they do not get mixed, because of the relative difference in density due to the different components of salt water and fresh water.
So the barrier is made of both types, and it is not something different that separates them.
End quote fromat-Tahreer wa’t-Tanweer, 20/13
There is no reason not to adopt both opinions in interpreting this verse, because each is correct and there is no contradiction between them. The barrier may indeed be dry land that separates rivers and seas, and it may be a virtual barrier (resulting from differences in density) which oceanographers speak of today. This is a different understanding, but there is no contradiction.
Dr Husayn al-Harbi says:
… The first type of different interpretation of the verse, which applies if all the different interpretations are possible for a particular verse and are supported by texts of the Qur’aan and Sunnah. This type of differences is possible and all the views are true and of equal worth because they are correct, and all these views are what the verse is referring to, and the Qur’aan testifies to each of these views.
End quote fromQawaa‘id at-Tarjeeh ‘inda al-Mufassireen, 1/42-45
And Allah knows best.

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Manners of Greeting with Salaam, Dought & clear, - * Is it valid to greet people by saying salaamun ‘alaykum?

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Many Muslims greet their brothers by saying “Salaamun ‘alaykum”. Is it permissible for us to say that? If it is not correct, will the one who does that still be rewarded for saying salaam?.
Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing wrong with the person who is initiating the greeting saying, “Salaamun ‘alaykum” or ‘Salaamun ‘alayk.” Allaah tells us that the greeting of the angels to the people of Paradise will be “Salaamun ‘alaykum” as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And angels shall enter unto them from every gate (saying):
24. ‘Salaamun ‘Alaykum (peace be upon you) for you persevered in patience! Excellent indeed is the final home!’”
[al-Ra’d 13:23, 24]
“And those who kept their duty to their Lord (Al-Muttaqoon – the pious) will be led to Paradise in groups till when they reach it, and its gates will be opened (before their arrival for their reception) and its keepers will say: Salaamun ‘Alaykum (peace be upon you)! You have done well, so enter here to abide therein”
[al-Zumar 39:73]
The salaam in this form is also mentioned in the verse where Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Those whose lives the angels take while they are in a pious state (i.e. pure from all evil, and worshipping none but Allaah Alone) saying (to them): Salaamun ‘Alaykum (peace be on you) enter you Paradise, because of that (the good) which you used to do (in the world)”
[al-Nahl 16:32]
“And when they hear Al‑Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk), they withdraw from it and say: ‘To us our deeds, and to you your deeds. Peace be to you (Salaamun ‘Alaykum). We seek not (the way of) the ignorant’”
[al-Qasas 28:55]
“When those who believe in Our Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) come to you, say: Salaamun ‘Alaykum (peace be on you); your Lord has written (prescribed) Mercy for Himself, so that if any of you does evil in ignorance, and thereafter repents and does righteous good deeds (by obeying Allaah), then surely, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-An’aam 6:54]
Ibn Hibbaan narrated in hisSaheeh(493) from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that a man passed by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was in a gathering and said, “Salaamun ‘alaykum.” He (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) said, “Ten hasanahs.” Another man passed by and said, “Salaamun ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaahi (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allaah).” He said, “Twenty hasanahs.” Then another man passed by and said, “Salaamun ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaahi wa barakaatuhu (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allaah and His blessings).” He said: “Thirty hasanahs.” A man got up and left the gathering and did not say salaam. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “How soon your companion has forgotten. When one of you comes to a gathering and says salaam, if he wants to sit down then let him do so. Then when he wants to leave, let him say salaam, for the one is not more important than the other.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, 2712.
This and other evidence indicates that there is nothing wrong with saying salaam to a person by saying “Salaamun ‘alaykum.” He will be rewarded for that, and he deserves a response to his salaam.
The scholars differed as to which version is better, al-salaamu ‘alaykum or salaamun ‘alaykum, or whether they are both the same.
Al-Mardaawi said inal-Insaaf(2/563): If a person greets a living person, then the correct view in our madhhab is that he has the choice between using the definite form (with al-) or the indefinite (without al-). And he said: this was stated by more than one.
Then he mentioned a report from Imam Ahmad which says that the definite form is better than the indefinite, and he quoted Ibn ‘Aqeel as saying that the indefinite is better than the definite.
Al-Nawawi said inal-Adhkaar(p. 356-358):
Note that it is preferable for the Muslim to say “al-salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaahi wa barakaatuhu”, using the plural pronoun (-kum), even if he is greeting only one person. The respondent should say, “Wa ‘alaykum al-salaam wa rahmat-Allaahi wa barakaatuhu.”
Our companions said: If the one who is initiating the greeting says, “Al-salaamu ‘alaykum,” then he has given the greeting. If he said “al-salaamu ‘alayk” or “salaamun ‘alayk” this also counts as the greeting.
As for the response, the minimum is to say, ‘Wa ‘alayk al-salaam” or “Wa ‘alaykum al-salaam.” If the waw is omitted and one says, “ ‘Alaykum al-salaam” that is sufficient and is a response.
If the person who is initiating the greeting says “Salaamun ‘alaykum” or “al-salaamu ‘alaykum,” in both cases the respondent may say, “Salaamun ‘alaykum”, or he may say, “al-salaamu ‘alaykum”. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“When they came in to him and said: ‘Salaam, (peace be upon you)!’ He answered: ‘Salaam, (peace be upon you ),’”
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:25]
Imam Abu’l-Hasan al-Waahidi, one of our companions, said: You have the choice between using the definite form (al-salaam) or the indefinite (salaamun).
I (al-Nawawi) say: But the alif and laam are preferable (i.e., saying the word salaam with the definite article al-).
End quote.
Secondly:
What is makrooh is for the one who is initiating the greeting to say “ ‘Alayk al-salaam” or “ ‘Alaykum al-salaam,” because this is the greeting given to the dead as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said.
Abu Dawood (5209) and al-Tirmidhi (2722) narrated that Abu Jurayy al-Hujaymi (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “ ‘Alayka’l-salaam (upon you be peace), O Messenger of Allaah.” He said, “Do not say ‘ ‘Alayka’l-salaam’, for ‘Alayka’l-salaam’ is the greeting of the dead.” This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi Dawood.
What is meant by the Prophet’s words “‘Alayka’l-salaam’ is the greeting of the dead” is the fact that many poets and others greeted the dead in this manner. Moreover the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is to greet the dead in the same manner as he greeted the living, by saying “Al-salaamu ‘alaykum.”
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, explaining that: His greeting, when he was initiating the greeting, was to say, “Al-salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaah” He did not like the initiator to say “‘Alayka’l-salaam.” Abu’l-Jurayy al-Hujaymi said: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “ ‘Alayka’l-salaam (upon you be peace), O Messenger of Allaah.” He said, “Do not say ‘ ‘Alayka’l-salaam’, for ‘Alayka’l-salaam’ is the greeting of the dead.” A saheeh hadeeth.
This hadeeth confused some people, who thought that it contradicted what was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about greeting the dead by saying, “Al-salaamu ‘alaykum,” saying the word salaam first. They thought that his words, “‘Alayka’l-salaam’ is the greeting of the dead” was describing what is prescribed, but that is a mistake which led them to think that there was a contradiction. Rather what is meant by the words “‘Alayka’l-salaam’ is the greeting of the dead” is a statement of something that used to happen, not something that was prescribed, namely that the poets and others used to greet the dead in this manner, and he did not like the greeting commonly used for the dead to become widespread.
End quote fromZaad al-Ma’aad, 2/383
Thirdly:
The most complete form of greeting is to say “Al-salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaahi wa barakaatuhu (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allaah and His blessings)” or “Salaamun ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaahi wa barakaatuhu”, because of the hadeeth of Ibn Hibbaan quoted above, and because of the hadeeth narrated by Abu Dawood (5195) and al-Tirmidhi (2689) from ‘Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “Al-salaamu ‘alaykum,” and he returned the greeting, then he sat down. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Ten.” Then another man came and said, “Al-salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaah,” and he returned the greeting, then he sat down. He said, “Twenty.” Then another man came and said Al-salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaahi wa barakaatuhu,” and he returned the greeting, then he sat down. He said, “Thirty.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi Dawood.
As for adding the words “wa maghfiratuhu (and His forgiveness)” or “wa ridwaanuhu (and His pleasure)”, these are not mentioned in any saheeh report from our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as was stated by Ibn al-Qayyim inZaad al-Ma’aad, 2/381, and by al-Albaani inDa’eef Abi Dawood, 5196.
And Allaah knows best.









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Manners of Greeting with Salaam, Dought & clear, - * Ruling on shaking hands with one’s mother’s maternal aunt

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What is the ruling on greeting my mother’s maternal aunt?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Your mother’s maternal aunt is also a maternal aunt for you. And you are a mahram for her, so there is nothing wrong with your shaking hands with her.
Allaah says, explaining who is a mahram (interpretation of the meaning):
“Forbidden to you (for marriage) are: your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your father’s sisters, your mother’s sisters…”
[al-Nisa’ 4:23]
The wordkhaalah(mother’s sister or maternal aunt) in the verse includes the maternal aunt of one's father and mother, and grandfathers and grandmothers, and the same applies to paternal aunts.
Al-Sa’di said (p. 244):
‘Ammah(paternal aunt) refers to the sister of your father and grandfather, no matter how far the line of ascent reaches, andkhaalah(maternal aunt) refers to the sister of your mother and grandmother, no matter how far back the line of ascent reaches. End quote. See alsoTafseer al-Qaasimi, 5/86
It says inZaad al-Mustaqni’, when discussing which woman are mahrams: Every paternal aunt and maternal aunt, no matter how far back they go.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his commentary: “No matter how far back they go” means the maternal and paternal aunts of one's father, or the maternal or paternal aunts of one’s mother, or the maternal aunt of one's grandmother, or the paternal aunt of one’s grandfather or grandmother, and so on ad infinitum. End quote fromal-Sharh al-Mumti’, 5/184.

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Manners of Greeting with Salaam, Dought & clear, - * Female students kissing one another every day

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What is the ruling on kissing people on the cheek, apart from husband and wife? This phenomenon has become widespread among girls in school, to such an extent that two friends will exchange kisses every morning. I would like to know the Islamic ruling, with evidence, and the ruling on this strange phenomenon in particular.
Praise be to Allaah.
What is prescribed when meeting is to say salaams and shake hands. If a person has come from a journey then it is prescribed to embrace him. As for kissing at every meeting, this is not part of the Sunnah of greeting, rather it is narrated that this is disallowed. Al-Tirmidhi narrated (2728) that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: A man said: O Messenger of Allaah, when one of us meets his brother or his friend, should he bow to him? He said: No. He said: Should he embrace him and kiss him? He said: No. He said: Should he take his hand and shake hands with him? He said: Yes. This hadeeth was classed as hasan by al-Albaani inSaheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi.
Yes, kissing is prescribed on some occasions, when returning from a journey and the like. See question no. 34497.
But as for exchanging kisses every morning, there is no doubt that this is not prescribed, and it is a strange phenomenon that is alien to Muslim societies. There is the fear that it may be taken as a means by those in whose hearts is a disease to engage in haraam physical pleasure within the framework of another phenomenon which is called admiration, which is undoubtedly a haraam kind of infatuation.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
As for embracing and kissing the face of someone other than a person who has returned from travelling, etc – apart from a child – this is makrooh, as was clearly stated by al-Baghawi and others… As for a handsome beardless youth, it is haraam to kiss him under any circumstances, whether he is returning from a journey or not. It seems that embracing him is akin to kissing him, whether the one who is kissing or the one who is kissed are righteous or otherwise. End quote fromal-Majmoo’, 4/477
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked: There is the phenomenon of young men kissing one another on the cheeks every time they meet, every day. This phenomenon has also spread among old men, in the mosques and in the classrooms. Is this contrary to the Sunnah or is there nothing wrong with it? Is it a bid’ah or a sin or is it permissible?
They replied:
What is prescribed when meeting is to say salaam and shake hands, If the meeting is after a journey then it is prescribed to embrace as well, because it is narrated that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: When the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) met, they would shake hands, and if they had come from a journey they would embrace. As for kissing the cheeks, we do not know of any Sunnah to indicate that. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 24/128
Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inSilsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Saheehah(1/74, hadeeth no. 160): This is the hadeeth of al-Tirmidhi that we mentioned at the beginning of our answer:
In fact the hadeeth clearly states that kissing when meeting is not prescribed in Islam. That does not include kissing one's children or wife, as is obvious.
With regard to the ahaadeeth which state that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kissed some of his companions on various occasions – such as when he kissed and embraced Zayd ibn Haarithah when he came to Madeenah, and when he embraced Abu’l-Haytham ibn al-Tayhaan, etc – the following points may be noted in response to that:
1 – These are unsound ahaadeeth which cannot be taken as evidence.
2 – Even if any of them were saheeh, it is not permissible to use them against this saheeh hadeeth, because it is an action on the part of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which may be interpreted as applying to a specific case or there may be some specific reason for that which makes this hadeeth unfit to be used as evidence, unlike this hadeeth, which is a verbal hadeeth that is addressed in general terms to the ummah as a whole, so it is string evidence which cannot be rejected. It is established in the field of usool that words take precedence over deeds in the event of a conflict, and the hadeeth which indicates a prohibition takes precedence over another which indicates permissibility. This hadeeth is verbal and indicates a prohibition, so it takes precedence over the other ahaadeeth mentioned even if they are saheeh.
Similarly, with regard to hugging and embracing, we say that it is not prescribed because the hadeeth forbids it, but Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: When the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) met, they would shake hands, and if they had come from a journey they would embrace Narrated by al-Tabaraani inal-Awsat, and its men are the men of saheeh, as stated by al-Mundhiri (3/270), and al-Bayhaqi, 8/36
Al-Bayhaqi (7/100) narrated with a saheeh isnaad from al-Sha’bi that when the companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) met, they would shake hands, and when they came from a journey they would embrace one another.
Al-Bukhaari narrated inal-Adab al-Mufrad(970), and Ahmad narrated (3/495) that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: I heard I heard that a man knew a hadeeth and had heard it from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). I bought a camel, loaded my luggage onto it, and traveled for a month until I came to Syria, where I found ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Unays. I said to the doorkeeper: Tell him: Jaabir is at the door. He said: Ibn ‘Abd-Allaah? I said: Yes. He came out tripping on his garment and he embraced me and I embraced him… Its isnaad is hasan as stated by al-Haafiz, 1/195. al-Bukhaari narrated it among the mu’aalaq reports.
So it may be said that embracing in the case of a journey is exempted from the prohibition, because the Sahaabah did that. End quote.
And Allaah knows best.

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