Fathwa, - Meaning of laa ilaaha illa Allah Muhammadun rasool ullah

Question: What is the meaning of the words "laa ilaahah illa allaah
muhammadun rasool ullaah"?
Answer:
Bearing witness "laa ilaahah illa allah" and that "muhammadun rasool
ullaah" is the first pillar of the five pillars of Islam. And the
meaning of "laa ilaahah illa allah" is that nothing worshipped is
worthy of worship except Allah—it is simultaneously a denial and
affirmation. "laa ilaahah" is denial of all worship other than that of
Allah. "illa allaah" is affirmation that all worship is for Allah
alone without partners.
As for the declaration, "muhammadun rasool ullaa," its meaning is the
assertion of the message of Mohammed (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) and to believe in it and to adhere to it by speech, action
and faith, and to avoid all that is against it, whether it be sayings,
actions, or intentions… In other words, obeying him in what he ordered
and believing in what he said and relayed and avoiding what he has
forbid and denounced and not worshipping Allah except as he has
ordained.
wa-sall-allahu wa-sallim 'ala nabiyyina muhammadin wa-aalihi
wa-sahbih. (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our prophet
Muhammad and upon his families and companions).

Fathwa, - Is it possible to see Allaah in this world?

Question: I have read that no man has seen Allah (S) in this life, not
even the prophet (SM) in his mira'j. The book has been written by Sk.
Abu Ameenah Bilaal Philips. Now, I have heard from one scholar from my
country that Imam Malik saw Allah (S) hundred times in his dream. Is
that possible? May Allah (S) reward you.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Seeing Allaah in reality (as opposed to in a dream) is not possible in
this life, although no doubt it will happen after death. This is not
because seeing Him is impossible in itself, but because Allaah has
willed that it should not happen. This is for many reasons, some of
which have been found by the scholars, and others which remain known
only to Allaah. Among the reasons which we do understand is human
weakness, which is apparent from the story of Moosa (upon whom be
peace), which we will quote shortly. Another reason is that seeing
Allaah is a great blessing and joy, indeed it is the greatest
blessing, so it is withheld for the place of ultimate blessing and
joy, namely Paradise. Another reason is that this world is a mixture
of good believers and kuffaar, so this blessing is deferred until it
will be given exclusively to the believers in Paradise. Withholding
this blessing until the Hereafter also provides a strong motive to do
good in this world, so that one may see Allaah and feel secure and
content in nearness to Him in the Hereafter.
Evidence that it is not possible to see Allaah in this world
Allaah says, in the story of Moosa (peace be upon him) (interpretation
of the meaning): "And when Moosa came at the time and place appointed
by Us, and his Lord spoke to him, he said, 'O my Lord! Show me
(Yourself), that I may look upon You.' Allaah said, 'You cannot see
Me, but look upon the mountain, if its stands still in its place, then
you shall see Me.' So when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He made
it collapse to dust, and Moosa fell down unconscious. Then when he
recovered his senses he said, 'Glory be to You, I turn to You in
repentance and I am the first of the believers.'" [al-A'raaf 7:143].
The word lan (here translated as cannot in 'You cannot see Me')
conveys the meaning of 'You will not see Me in this life', because
there is evidence that man will see Allaah in the Hereafter, which
means that this lan is not eternal in application. (The negative
particle lan often carries a sense of eternal negation, that something
will never happen, but this is not the case here. Translator).
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "No vision can grasp Him,
but His Grasp is over all vision. He is the Most Subtle and Courteous,
Well-Acquainted with all things." [al-An'aam 6:103]. The commentator
al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, in his
tafseer of this aayah: "Concerning the phrase No vision can grasp Him,
several comments regarding it have been narrated from the imaams of
the salaf, one of which is that it means, you will not be able to see
Him in this world, even though you will see Him in the Hereafter. The
reports that state this, narrated from the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), reach the level of mutawaatir
and are reported through more than one sound isnaad in the books of
Saheeh, Musnad and Sunan. [Translator's note: a mutawaatir report is
one that was narrated by so many to so many that it is inconceivable
that they could all have agreed on a lie].
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "It is not given to any
human being that Allaah should speak to him unless (it be) by
inspiration, or from behind a veil, or (that) He sends a Messenger to
reveal what He will by His Leave. Verily, He is Most High, Most Wise."
[al-Shoora 42:51].
Abu Hurayrah said: "Some people said, 'O Messenger of Allaah, will we
see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?' He said, 'Do you have any
doubt about seeing the sun on a cloudless day?' They said, 'No, O
Messenger of Allaah.' He said, 'Do you have any doubt about seeing the
full moon on a cloudless night?' They said, 'No, O Messenger of
Allaah.' He said, 'You will see Him just as clearly on the Day of
Resurrection…'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 6088). It is clear that the
idea that Allaah will not be seen in this life was well-entrenched in
the minds of the Sahaabah. They were asking about the Hereafter, and
this is what the Prophet's answer also referred to.
Abu Dharr said: "I asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him), 'Have you seen your Lord?' He said, '(There
is) light, how could I see Him?'" This light, which prevented him from
seeing Him, is a veil of light, which is further explained in the
hadeeth of Abu Moosa, who said, "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up and told us five things:
'Allaah does not sleep, and it is not befitting that He should sleep.
He lowers the scale and lifts it. The deeds in the night are taken up
to Him before the deeds of the day, and the deeds of the day before
the deeds of the night. His veil is the light. If He were to withdraw
it (the veil), the splendour of His countenance would consume His
creation as far as His sight reaches.'" (Reported by Imaam Ahmad and
Muslim, 263).
Further clear evidence comes in the hadeeth which warns against the
Dajjaal (antichrist): "Written between his eyes is (the word) kaafir,
which will be read by everyone who hates his works, or every believer
will read it. Know that none of you will see your Lord until he dies."
(Reported by Muslim, 5215).
So any claim that anyone but the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) can see Allaah in reality is impossible, according
to the consensus of the scholars. However, there is some disagreement
among the scholars as to whether or not the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw Allaah on the night of the
Mi'raaj. The correct view is that he did not see Him physically, with
his own two eyes, because when he was asked about this, he said,
"(There is) light, how could I see Him?" According to another report,
he said, "I saw light." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) did not see Him, but he saw His veil of light.
The question of whether Allaah may be seen in a dream does not
contradict the fact that Allaah cannot be seen in reality in this
world, because all the texts quoted above speak about physical vision
when one is awake, not the "vision" of the heart when one is asleep.
Proof that the latter kind of vision is possible is to be seen in the
hadeeth about the dispute of the "chiefs on high" (the angels). Ibn
'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, "The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, 'My Lord came
to me tonight in the most beautiful form.' I think he said, 'in a
dream. He said, "O Muhammad, do you know what the chiefs on high
disputed about?" I said, "No." He put His hand between my
shoulder-blades and I could feel its coolness on my chest (or just
beneath my throat), then I knew everything that is in the heavens and
on earth. He said, "O Muhammad, do you know what the chiefs on high
disputed about?" I said, "Yes." He said, "About expiation, and
expiation is staying in the mosque after prayers, walking to join
congregational prayers, and doing wudoo' properly in adverse
conditions. Whoever does that will live a good life and die a good
death, and will be as sinless as the day his mother bore him." He
said, "O Muhammad, when you pray, say Allaahumma innee as'aluka fa'l
al-khayraat wa tark al-munkaraat wa hubb al-masaakeen, wa idha aradta
bi 'ibaadika fitnatan fa'qbudni ilayka ghayra maftoon (O Allaah, I ask
you to make me do good deeds and avoid evil deeds, and to make me love
the poor and wretched. If You want to test Your slaves, then take me
unto You without subjecting me to the trial). One's status in Paradise
may be raised by spreading the greeting of salaam, feeding others, and
praying at night when people are sleeping."'" (Reported by Imaam
Ahmad, 16026; and by al-Tirmidhi, 3159, who said it is a saheeh hasan
hadeeth).
Some of the scholars have commented that it is possible to see Allaah
in a dream.
Imaam al-Daarimi said, in his refutation of Bishr ibn Ghiyaath, "This
seeing took place in a dream, and in a dream it is possible to see
Allaah in any shape or form." (p. 166)
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said, "A believer may see his Lord in a
dream, in various forms according to his faith and belief. If his
eemaan is correct, he can only see Him in a beautiful form, and if his
faith is lacking, this will be reflected in the way he sees Him.
Seeing Allaah in a dream is not like seeing Him in reality. It may
have different interpretations and meanings referring to something in
reality." (al-Fataawa, 3/390)
He also said, "Whoever sees Allaah in a dream sees Him in a form that
corresponds to his own state. If he is righteous, he will see Him in a
beautiful form, which is why the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) saw him in the most beautiful form. (al-Fataawa,
5/251)
Shaykh 'Abd al-Azeez ibn Baaz was asked about the ruling concerning
one who claims to have seen the Lord of Glory in a dream, and whether
it was true, as some claim, that Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal had seen the
Lord of Glory in his dreams more than one hundred times. The Shaykh
answered as follows:
"Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) and
others said that it is possible for a man to see his Lord in a dream,
but what he sees is not reality, because there is nothing like Allaah,
may He be glorified and exalted. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): '… There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer,
the All-Seer.' [al-Shoora 42:11]. Nothing in His creation is like unto
Him. A person may dream that his Lord is speaking to him, and no
matter what kind of image he sees, that image is not Allaah, because
there is nothing that is like Allaah in any way. Shaykh Taqiy al-Deen
(may Allaah have mercy on him) mentioned that dreams differ according
to the state of the person who is dreaming. The more righteous and
closer to goodness a person is, the more correct his dream will be,
but the truth is still something other than what he sees, because the
guiding principle is still that there is nothing like unto Allaah.
He may hear a voice and be told such-and-such, or to do such-and-such,
without any clear image resembling anything in creation, because there
is nothing at all like unto Allaah… Some people may imagine that they
have seen their Lord when in fact this is not the case. The Shaytaan
may deceive a person and make him imagine that he is their Lord, as it
was reported that he made 'Abd al-Qaadir al-Jeelaani see him on a
throne above water, and said, 'I am your Lord and I freed you from
doing any duties (worship, etc.).' 'Abd al-Qaadir al-Jeelaani said,
'Get lost, O enemy of Allaah! You are not my Lord, because the
commands of my Lord are not cancelled for anyone,' or some similar
words.
As for whether Imaam Ahmad saw his Lord, I do not know if this is true
or not. It is said that he saw his Lord but I do not know if this is
true." And Allaah knows best.

Fathwa, - The reason for the existence of the honourable scribes even ...

Question: What is the reason for the existence of the honourable
scribes even though Allaah knows all things?.
Answer: Praise be to Allaah.
We say concerning such matters: we may or may not understand the
wisdom behind it, because we do not know the wisdom behind many
things, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And they ask you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) concerning the Rooh
(the spirit). Say: 'The Rooh (the spirit) is one of the things, the
knowledge of which is only with my Lord. And of knowledge, you
(mankind) have been given only a little'"
[al-Isra' 17:85].
With regard to these creatures, if someone were to ask us: what is the
reason behind Allaah making the camel in this manner, and making the
horse in this manner, and making the donkey in this manner, and making
the human in this manner? and so on, if he were to ask us about the
reason or wisdom behind these things, we would not know. If we were to
be asked: what is the reason why Allaah has made Zuhr prayer four
rak'ahs, and 'Asr prayer four, and Maghrib three, and 'Isha' four, and
so on? We would not be able to know the wisdom behind that.
Thus we know that with regard many matters, both in the universe and
in terms of sharee'ah, the wisdom behind them is hidden from us. As
that is the case, we say: if we manage to understand the wisdom behind
some things in creation or in sharee'ah, if Allaah blesses us by
enabling us to understand it, that is additional virtue, goodness and
knowledge. If we do not understand that, that is not going to harm us
in any way.
Now let us go back to the question, which is what is the reason why
Allaah has appointed honourable scribes to record what we do?
The wisdom behind that is to show that Allaah has organised and
measured all things in the most perfect manner, to such an extent that
He has appointed honourable scribes to record the actions and words of
the sons of Adam; they are enjoined to watch over them and write down
all that they do, even though He knows what they are going to do
before they do it. But this is a manifestation of the perfection of
Allaah's care for man and His complete protection, and it shows that
this universe is organised in the best possible manner, and Allaah is
All Knowing, Most Wise. And Allaah knows best.

Lailat ul-Qadr (The Night of Power)

'Lailat ul-Qadr' or 'Night of Power'… a very important occasion in
the history of Islam and in our personnel lives.
Allah says in the Qur'an in Surah Al-Qadr:
"We have indeed revealed this (message) in the Night of Power. And
what will explain to thee what the Night of Power is? The Night of
Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels
and the spirit by God's permission, on every errand: Peace! This until
the rise of Morn." ( Surah 97: Verses 1-5)
Allah also says about thispowerful nightin Surah Dukhan:
"Ha. Mim. By the book that makes things clear. We sent it down during
a blessed night. For We (ever) wish to warn (against evil). In that
(night) is made distinct every affair of wisdom, by command, from Our
Presence. For We (ever) send (revelations), as a mercy from Thy Lord:
for He hears and knows (all things)." ( Surah 44: Verses 1-6)
Allahsaid in the Qur'an in Surah Baqarah:
"Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an, as a guide
to mankind, also clear (signs) for guidance and judgment (between
right and wrong)."( Surah 2: Verse 185)
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)said about Lailatul-Qadr:
It as narrated byAbu Hurayrathat Prophet said, "Anyone who stays awake
for the Night Of Power with belief and for the pleasure of Allah, all
his previous sins will be forgiven." (Bukhari and Muslim)
It has also been reported byAisha, the wife of the Prophet (pbuh) who said:
"I asked the Messenger of Allah if I knewwhich night was the Night of
Powerand whatPrayerI should say during that night?
He said to me: Say: "O Allah! You are forgiving and you love
forgiveness, so you too forgive me.
Better then 1000 months of prayers
The Night Of Power is better for you to live, to experience and to
enjoy thanone thousand monthsof your personal life. Even if you were
to live one thousand months (83.3 years) withsincerity, dedication,
and sacrificesand with good intentions and deeds, the Night Of Power
is stillfar betterfor you to live and to enjoy.
TheRevelation of the Qur'anstarted in the month of Ramadan and
specifically on the Night Of Power. The Revelation of the Qur'an; a
sign ofMercy, aguideand ablessingof Allah to mankind. Anyone who is
interested in finding the best guide, he/she should look into the
teachings of the Qur'an.
Night of blessings
The Night of Power is a night of blessings Allah has blessed this
Night. Therefore whosoever is interested inreceiving the blessingsof
Allah may look forward to the Night of Power.Anyone who seeks the
Night of Power and lives it, all his/her sin will be erased. This is,
as if, he/she is,born againnowfree of all sin and mistakes.
Everyone of us would like to live a life free of sins an free of
mistakes. Everyone would like to meet Allah on theDay of
Judgmentwithout sins. Every one of us would like to feel that he/she
isreborntoday. All of us wish torejuvenateourselves, and to start a
new year with a fresh outlook and a fresh life. Every one of us wants
to live a pure life and everyone wants to purify himself/herself
without anguish or torment. The Night of Power is one of the best ways
in which a person is to achieve all these ideals.
Determining Night of Power
As far as determining the Night of Power (Lailatul Qadr) is concerned,
it has been reported to be during one of theodd numbered nightsof
thelast ten days of Ramadan, i.e.21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th. It
has been emphasized that it is most likely to be the27th night.
Signs of Lailatul-Qadr
As far as theSigns of Lailatul-Qadrare concerned:
1.The sunrises earlyin the morning withoutrays.
2.Rainmay fall either during the night or during the day of that night.
3.During night the sky will be lightlyfoggy.
4.Theskywill be slightly lighted without reflections and without rays.
5.The angels andGabrielall descend down onto earth for many purposes.
If you are interested in living the Night of Power, lsome of thethings
that you might have to do.
1.Try to observe it during the lastten days of Ramadan, at the time of
sunrise, during the days and the nights.
2.On the nights one may spend the time collectively and/or
individually observing the following activities:
a.Recitationof the Our'an.
b.Prayers-Naflafter Taraweeh.
c.Remembranceof Allah orzikr
d.Supplicationor Du'a for you and for others.
e.Pondering and contemplating into the universe, the creation of the
Heavens and the Earth: "...and they contemplate the (wonders of)
creation in the heaven and the earth…."(3:191)
f.Reading books ofHadeethso as to enjoy the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
g.ReadingTafseerof Qur'an.
h.Givingcharityto others if you can afford it.
i.Trying to explainIslam, if you know something about it, to those
next to you so they will benefit from you.
Tosummarize,
The Night of Power is a very important occasion in Islam. Everyone is
asked to live it and to enjoy it. This Night is anight of Mercy,
anight of Blessing, anight of Peaceand anight of Guidance. It is a
night ofUnificationbetween the finite world of ours and the Infinite
Universe of the Unseen.
Anyone who is interested inattainingthe Mercy of Allah will strive
very hard to look for the Night of Power. Anyone who is interested
inreceivingthe blessings of Allah on the Blessed Night will work very
hard to enjoy the Night of Power. Anyone who is interested in
attaining peace of mind, peace of body and peace in society, he has to
look for this Night and to live it.
May Allah give us the strength, the power, the courage and the effort
to do our best to obey Allah and to follow His teachings. May Allah
guide us and may Allah strengthen our Iman. May Allah help us to live
another year with sincerity and devotion. May Allah make us realize
that one year of our life is over and that we are one year closer to
our graves.
Let us wake up and do ourbest to please Allahin our daily life. Let us
askAlmighty Allah forgiveness. Ameen