22 February 2015: Prophet Dawud and between the Grave and the Hour

22 February 2015: Prophet Dawud* and between the Grave and the Hour

Lives of the Prophets: The Story of Prophet David* (Dawud)

Background

Ibn Katheer states: Prophet Dawud*, belongs to Judas, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham. He is Allah's servant, messenger and vicegerent in Jerusalem. As previously mentioned, when Prophet Dawud* killed Goliath. Bani Israel loved Prophet Dawud* and were attached to him. He succeeded Talut (Saul) as a king and Allah granted him prophethood as well. Thus, he became both a king and a prophet and a messenger.

Allah says: "And David slew Goliath; and Allah gave him power and wisdom and taught him whatever (else) He willed. And did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, the earth would indeed be full of mischief: but Allah is full of bounty to all the worlds." (TMQ 2:251) This means were Allah not to appoint kings to rule people, the strong amongst them would humiliate the weak. Thus it is reported, the king resembles Allah's shade on earth. The Caliph Uthmaan Ibn Affaan said, Allah establishes by means of the ruler what He may not establish by means of the Qur'an.
 
Miracles of Dawud
Allah says: "We bestowed Grace aforetime on David from Ourselves: 'O ye Mountains! sing ye the Praises of Allah with him, and ye birds (also)!' And we made the iron soft for him - (commanding), 'Make thou coasts of mail, balancing well the rings of chain armor, and work ye righteousness; for be sure I see (clearly) all that ye do." (Saba': 10-11)
Allah further says: "It was Our Power that made the hills and birds celebrate our praises, with David: it was We who did (all these things). It was We who taught him the making of coasts of mail for your benefit, to guard you from each other's violence: will ye then be grateful?" (AI Anbiyaa': 79-80)
Allah also says: "And remember Our servant David, the man of strength: for he ever turned (to Allah). It was We that made the hills declare in unison with him, Our praises, at eventide and at break of day, and the birds gathered (in assemblies): all with him did tum (to Allah). We strengthened his kingdom, and gave him wisdom and sound judgement in speech and decision. "(Saad: 17-20)

Dawud’s voice and Dhikr (with mountains and birds)
Allah has granted David a very pleasant voice. When he recited his Book, the Psalms, in a pleasant voice, the birds gathered in assemblies to recite with him and the hills declared in unison with him Allah's praises in the evening and at dawn. Once Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, passed by Abu Musa AI-Ashari at night while he was reciting the Qur'an. He (Abu Musa) had a very pleasant voice so the Prophet stopped to listen to his recitation and said, "He has been gifted with one of Prophet Dawud*'s psalms." Abu "Uthmaan An-Nahdi said: I have heard the lute and wood-wind instrument, but I have never heard a more pleasant voice than that of Abu Musa AI-Ashary.

Dhikr
We also talked about what it means for creation to worship Allah. Allah made the birds and mountains repeat the Dhikr of Prophet Dawud* in a fashion that people could comprehend and this was one of the many special miracles that was given to Prophet Dawud*. That aside, we must realise that the creation is in constant remembrance of Allah but in a fashion or a dimension that we cannot comprehend.

For example, it is mentioned in the Qur’an that the lightning glorifies Allah. But how can we perceive this and we talked about the scientific explanation behind the production of thunder and its relationship to the generation of lightning. And we compared this to somebody observing human beings whilst they were praying and the scientific explanation for the production of sound from the chest and vocal cords through the mouth is very different to standing the words meaning behind saying 'SubhanAllah' or 'Allahu Akbar'. The difference in perception around we see of creation and how reality it managed to glorify praise Allah.
Hence the importance of trying to undertake as much Dhikr of Allah as we can in addition to the obligatory times we do the form remembrance when we pray five times a day.

Dawud – Iron Man
We also talked about the miracle of Prophet Dawud* being able to mould iron with his bare hands - the original 'Iron Man'! Not only that we talked about how Allah taught him to make new technological advancements in military equipment and technology. This was the production of chainmail armour in a fashion that gave military superiority to the army of Prophet Dawud*. Before this, armour was mainly sheets of metal which reduced flexibility and was quite heavy. Following this new invention it was clear that the chainmail allowed the soldiers for greater flexibility in movement as well as being much lighter to wear.

Being thankful for technology
This raises the important discussion point around general advancements in technology and learning and how, despite seeing all the technological advancements in our civilisation today, we tend to attribute and acknowledge the source of the use as being the inventors and we fail to give any real credit to Allah for facilitating these inventions. For example, how was the first loaf of bread made!? Hence, in our everyday life we should be constantly thanking Allah for all the technology and advancements that we see around ourselves and use all the time. We should also be thankful for the gifts and the knowledge that we have. We briefly talked about the student undertaking a PhD thesis and acknowledging that all the benefit comes from Allah and any mistakes in this piece of work from himself. In addition, if we do have special gifts from Allah we should be thankful for these and grateful for these and not too boastful that any achievements that we receive through these gifts are purely personal and we should realise that it is only through Allah facilitating these achievements that we managed to achieve whatever we do actually achieve! Hence, passing exams is not solely through our own hard work but is related to Allah supporting as in that process and giving as the talents and abilities to achieve them.


Being thankful for knowledge
And the final point related to this is that all the knowledge that we have today is built upon knowledge from yesterday and the source of knowledge can be traced all the way back to Allah teaching Adam the names of everything. Hence, that is the source of all knowledge and we should be grateful for that. We have previously talked about this in greater detail when we talked about knowledge, source of knowledge and the feral child. This relates to the example of the first loaf of bread in civilisation many thousands of years ago!


 
Main Topic: The Minor and Major Signs of the Day of Judgment

Some of the Minor Signs of the Day of Judgment
In the hadith of Jibreel, when he asked about the Hour, the Prophet* said, “The one who is asked does not know any better than the one who is asking.” However, the Prophet* has told us many of its signs. In the area of the signs of the Day of Judgment, there are many weak ahadith and many strong ahadith – below are a selection from the stronger ahadith.
•    The Coming of The Prophet*
•    The Death of The Prophet*
•    The Opening of Jerusalem
•    Plague
The Prophet* said, a death that will eat you away like a certain illness that afflicts goats. This is referring to plague. It occurred in 18H.
•    The Abundance of Wealth
The Prophet* said, “Wealth will be so abundant that a man will be handed 100 dinar (a small weight of gold) and they wouldn’t be satisfied.”
•    Times of Trials and Tribulations
The Prophet* says in the hadith narrated by Muslim: “Do good deeds before the times of trials and tribulations that are like the darkness of night.” Do the good deeds before the trials and tribulations are like darkness of night, spreading all over. Then The Prophet* said that during those times, a man would be a believer in the morning, but a disbeliever by night time. And a man would be a believer at night time, but a disbeliever by the morning. The Prophet* said because they are selling their religion for a worldly benefit.
•    The Beginning of the Fitna: Assassination of ‘Uthmaan
•    The Battle of Al-Jamal
•    The Battle of Siffeen
•    Al-Khawaarij
•    Battle of Nahrawand
•    Death of Al-Hussain ibn Abi Talib
•    False Prophets
Abu Hurayrah narrated that The Prophet* said, “The Day of Judgement will not occur until 30 false prophets arise. Every one of them is claiming that he is a messenger.”
•    The Spread of Peace
The Prophet* says, “But Allah will complete this religion. Allah will give victory to this religion until the traveller will leave from sam’aa to Hadramawt, and not fear anyone but Allah and the wolf on their sheep.” The Prophet* said, “There will be a time when the land of the Arabs will be rivers and forests (it will be green). And the traveller would leave from Iraq to Makkah, fearing no one but getting lost.”
•    The Appearance of a Fire in Hijaaz
The Prophet* said, “The Hour will not be established until a fire will come out of the land of hijaaz that will throw a light on the necks of the camels of Busra.”.
•    The Wars with the Turks
The Prophet* said, “The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Turks. People with small eyes, round, red faces and flat noses. Their faces will look like shields coated with leather. The Hour will not be established until you fight with people whose shoes are made of hair.”
•    Loss of Trust
The Prophet* said, “If trust is lost, then wait for the Hour.” If there is no more trust, wait for the Hour; it’s the end of the Hour. The Sahabi asked The Prophet* asked, “How will trust be lost?” The Prophet* said, “When authority is given to those who do not deserve it, then wait for the Hour.” When the leaders are sufahaa` (people with lack of understanding of religion).
•    Knowledge will Subside and Ignorance will Prevail
The Prophet* said, “Some of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that knowledge will be lifted up and ignorance will replace it.”
•    The Increase of Security Forces
The Prophet* said, “There will be a time when there will be security forces, they leave in the morning with the wrath of Allah on them, at night they come home with the wrath of Allah on them. Be careful, don’t be one of their associates.”
•    Zina (adultery) Prevails
The Prophet* said, “Zina will prevail.” The Prophet* said, “If zina will prevail until people will advertise for it in public, then Allah will inflict on them diseases which did not exist before.”
•    The Spread of Riba
The Prophet* said, “Approaching the Day of Judgement, approaching the hour, riba would be widespread.” [AtTabarani]
•    The Decoration of Mosques
The Prophet* said, “A time will come when people will be proud of – or will compete – in building mosques.
•    Construction of Tall Buildings
The Prophet* said, “You will find the barefoot, naked, poor shepards of goats and sheep competing in building tall buildings.” [Muslim]
•    The Slave Woman gives birth to her Owner
This is the famous hadith of Jibreel, in Bukhari and Muslim. Jibreel asked The Prophet* about the signs of the day of judgment. The Prophet* said that one of the signs is that the woman would give birth to her master, or that the slave would give birth to her master.
•    Bloodshed Spreads
The Prophet* says, “A time will come when haraj will be widespread.” The Sahabah asked, “What is haraj?” The Prophet* said, “It is an Abyssinian word (from habasha). It means killing.” [Bukhari]
•    The Shrinking of Time
Bukhari, Abu Hurayrah said that The Prophet* said, “Approaching the Day of Judgement, time will shrink.” The Prophet* said, “The Day of the judgement will not occur until time shrinks. The year will be like a month, and a month will be like a week, and a week will be like a day, and a day will be like an hour and an hour would be like burning a leaf.”
•    The Proximity of Markets
The Prophet* said, “One of the signs of the Day of Judgment is that markets will be close to each other.”
•    Spread of Trade
The Prophet* said, “Business and trade will be so widespread.” The Prophet* said, “Businesses will be so widespread, to the point where the woman will be helping her husband with the business.”.
•    Appearance of Shirk
The Prophet* said, “One of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that some tribes would follow disbelievers and some would worship idols (pagan worship).”
•    Zalzaal (Earthquakes)
The Prophet* said in a hadith, “Earthquakes will be frequent.” In another hadith by Ahmad, The Prophet* said, “O son of Hawaala (a companion), if you see khilafaa appraoach the holy land (Palestine), then the time for earthquakes and disasters and great issues is approaching. And the Hour, at that time, will be closer to the people than the my hand to your head.”
•    Sinking, Stoning and Turning into Animals
At-Tirmidhi, The Prophet* said, “In the end of this Ummah, there will be sinking, stoning and turning into animals.”
•    Rise of the Low
Ibn Maajah, Abu Hurayrah said that The Prophet* said, “There will be tricky (wicked) years, where the liar will be believed and the truthful will not be believed. The untrustworthy will be trusted and the trustworthy will not be trusted. The Ar-Ruwaybadah will speak.” The Sahabah asked, “Who are the Ar-Ruwaybadah?” The Prophet* said, “The low person.”
•    You will Give Salaam Only to those You Know
The Prophet* said, “One of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that you will give salaam only to those you know.”
•    Women Who are Dressed, but Naked
Muslim, The Prophet* said, “One of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that there will be women who are dressed, but naked. Their heads are like the humps of camels [referring to the hairstyle]. They will not enter jannah or even smell it, enough though the smell of jannah can be smelled from a long distance (in another hadith: a distance of 70 years).”
•    Cars
Ahmad, The Prophet* said, “In the future, there will be men of my Ummah sitting over surooj [saddle] on things that are similar to camels, but not exactly camels. And they descend from these vehicles at masaajid but their wives are dressed, but naked. Curse them, for they are cursed.”
•    True Dreams of the Believers
The Prophet* said in a hadith narrated by At-Tirmidhi, “Towards the end of time, the dream of the believer almost never lie.”
•    Spread of Qalam
The Prophet* said, “Approaching the Day of Judgement, the pen will prevail.”
•    Expansion of the Crescent (Hilaal)
The Prophet* said, “One of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that the crescent will be bloated.”
•    Lies and Fabrication in Religion
The Prophet* said, “Approaching the end of time, there will be dajjaloon (people who pretend to be something they’re not – imposters). They present you with talk that you did not hear and your fathers never heard before. Beware of them. Don’t let them mislead you and misguide you.”
•    Shayateen Coming
Muslim, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al ‘Aas said, “There are some devils imprisoned in the ocean. They were imprisoned by Sulaymaan. A time will come when they will come out and they will recite to people Qur’an and they are going to claim that it is Qur’an and Sacred Books.”
•    False Witnessing
The Prophet* says, in a hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad, “Approaching the Day of Judgement will be false witnessing and concealing the true witness.”
•    The Woman to Man Ratio will Increase
The Prophet* said, “One of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that the number of women would increase and the number of men would decrease so there would be 50 women for 1 man.”
•    Sudden Death
At-Tabarani, The Prophet* said, “One of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that sudden death would occur frequently.”
•    Hostility Between the People
The Prophet* was asked about the Hour. The Prophet* said, “Only Allah know, but I will tell you some of the signs. There will be fitna and haraj.” The Sahabah asked, “What is haraj?” The Prophet* said, “It means, in the language of Abyssinia, Killing.” Then he said, “People would not know each other.”
•    The Arabian Peninsula becomes Green with Rivers Again
Imam Muslim narrates that the Prophet* said, “The Day of Judgement will not occur until the land of the Arabs becomes gardens and rivers again.”
•    Lots of Rain, but Nothing Grows
The Prophet* said, “The Day of Judgement will not occur until a widespread rain will fall over the people, but nothing will grow.”
•    Euphrates Uncovers a Mountain of Gold
The Prophet* said, “Soon the river Euphrates will disclose the treasure (the mountain) of gold, so whoever will be present at that time should not take anything of it.” Bukhaari, Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet* said, “The Last Hour would not come before the Euphrates uncovers a mountain of gold, for which people would fight. Ninety-nine out of each one hundred would die but every man amongst them would say that perhaps he would be the one who would be saved (and thus possess this gold.)” [Muslim]
•    Animals and Objects Speaking
There was a shepherd with his sheep. A wolf attacked and took one of the sheep. The shepherd followed it and took his sheep back. The wolf sat back, with his legs in the air – like a person – and said, “Itiqillah (fear Allah). You are taking away food from me that was sent to me by Allah.” The shepherd said, “What an amazing thing! A wolf sitting like a man and speaking to me!” The wolf said, “I will tell you something more amazing. The Prophet* is in Yathrib [what Medina was called at the time], and he is teaching the people about the nations before.” The shepherd, who was not Muslim at the time, went to Medina and went to The Prophet* and told him what happened. The Prophet* gathered all of the sahabah and told the shepherd, “Tell them what you heard.” The shepherd told them and then the Prophet* said, “The Day of Judgement will not occur until the beasts will speak to you…..and your legs would speak to you.”
•    Desire of Dying
The said Prophet*, “The Hour will not be established till a man passes by a grave of somebody and says, ‘Would that I were in his place.’” [Bukhari]
•    Population of the Romans Increases
Muslim, the Prophet* said, “The Day of Judgement will occur and the Romans are the largest nation, in terms of number.”
•    Opening of the Constantinople
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Apostle* saying, “You have heard about a city the one side of which is in the land and the other is in the sea (Constantinople).” They said: “Allah’s Messenger, yes.” Thereupon he said: “The Last Hour would not come unless seventy thousand persons from Bani lsrail would attack it. When they would land there, they will neither fight with weapons nor would shower arrows but would only say: “There is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest,” that one side of it would fall. Thaur (one of the narrators) said: I think that he said: “The part by the side of the ocean.” Then they would say for the second time: “There is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest” that the second side would also fall. And they would say: “There is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest” then the gates would be opened for them and they would enter therein and, they would be collecting spoils of war and distributing them amongst themselves that a noise would be heard and It would be said: “Verily, Dajjal has come.” And thus they would leave everything there and would turn to him. [Muslim,]
•    Reign of Qahtaan
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet* said, “The Hour will not be established until a man from Qahtaan appears, driving the people with his stick.” [Bukhaari
•    Medina Expelling the Evil
The Prophet* said, in a hadith by Bukhari, that a time would come when a man would call his cousin and his relative, telling him, “Come to the luxurious life. Come to the luxurious life.” Prophet* said, “Medina is better for them, if they know.” Then the Prophet* said, “In the name of the One in Whose Hand is my soul Allah], anyone who leaves Medina and gives it up, Allah will replace in Medina someone better than him.” Then the Prophet* said, “Al-Medina is like a furnace that separates the impurities and Medina will expel all of the impurities out.”
•    A Blessed Wind Taking the Souls of the Believers
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that The Prophet* said: “Verily Allah would make a wind to blow from the side of the Yemen more delicate than silk and would spare none but cause him to die who has faith equal to the weight of a grain. [Muslim]
•    Destruction of the Ka’bah
The Prophet* said, “The ones who will transgress against the sanctity of Al-Ka’bah will be its people (meaning the Ummah).” No enemy can destroy the Ka’bah. The only transgression against it will be when this Ummah transgresses it. The Prophet* says, “When that happens, don’t ask about the perishing of the Arabs.” Then The Prophet* says, “Abyssinia would come and they would destroy al-Ka’bah and they would take out the treasures of the Ka’bah.”
•    Al-Mehdi
The Prophet* says that there will be one of your khulafaa` that will give out money without counting. Muslim and Imam Ahmad. Abu Sa’eed AlKhudri reported that the Prophet* said, “I am giving you the good news of Al-Mehdi, who will be sent to Ummah during times of disputes. And there will be a lot of earth problems. He will replace the oppression and injustice of the world with justice. And he will fill the hearts of the Ummah of Muhmmad* with satisfaction and content.”


The Major Signs of the Day of Judgment

The Prophet* says, “The major signs are deeds in a string. When the string is cut, all of them would fall down.” [Ahmad].
 
This hadith is in Muslim. These signs are not in chronological order. Hudhaifa ibn Usaid Ghifari reported: Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) came to us all of a sudden as we were (busy in a discussion). He said: “What do you discuss about?” They (the Companions) said, “We are discussing about the Last Hour.” Thereupon he said: “It will not come until you see ten signs before and (in this connection) he made a mention of the smoke, Dajjal, the beast, the rising of the sun from the west, the descent of Jesus son of Mary (Allah be pleased with him), the Gog and Magog, and land-slidings in three places, one in the east, one in the west and one in Arabia at the end of which fire would burn forth from Yemen, and would drive people to the place of their assembly [the land of mahshar].” [Muslim]
 
•    Ad-Dajjaal
Narrated ibn ‘Umar: Once Allah’s Apostle* stood amongst the people and then mentioned the Dajjal saying, “l warn you against him (i.e. the Dajjal) and there was no prophet but warned his nation against him. No doubt, Noah warned his nation against him but I tell you about him something of which no prophet told his nation before me. You should know that he is one-eyed, and Allah is not one-eyed.” [Bukhari]
The Prophet* said: “I have told you so much about the Dajjal (Antichrist) that I am afraid you may not understand. The Antichrist is short, hen-toed, woolly-haired, one-eyed, an eye-sightless, and neither protruding nor deep-seated. If you are confused about him, know that your Lord is not one-eyed.” [Abu Dawood]
The Prophet* said that nothing from the time Adam was created until akhirah is a greater fitna than ad-dajjaal. Hudhaifa and Ibn Mas’ud met together. Hudhaifa said: I know more than you as to what there would be along with the Dajjal. There would be along with him two canals (one flowing with water) and the other one (having) fire (within it), and what you would see as fire would be water and what you would see as water would be fire. So he who amongst you is able to see that and is desirous of water should drink out of that which he sees as fire. [Muslim]
One day, The Prophet* talked about the ad-dajjaal so much, we thought that he was just outside of Medina. When we went to go meet The Prophet*, he knew that. He felt that we were worried. The Prophet* said, “What’s wrong with you?” They said, “You have talked about him so much – up and down- that he thought that he’s next to the palm trees of Medina.” The Prophet* said, “If he comes out and I am with you, then I’ll take care of him for you. If he comes out and I am not with you, then everybody is responsible for himself. And I ask Allah to protect every Muslim. He’s a young man and one of his eyes is bulging out. If you ever live to his time and see him, read on him the first ayah of surah al-Kahf.” That is the protection. Abu Darda’ reported Allah’s Apostle* as saying: “If anyone learns by heart the first ten verses of the Surah al-Kahf, he will be protected from the Dajjal.” [Muslim]
The Prophet* said that he will come out between ash-Shaam and Iraq, and he will corrupt the whole world, right and left. Then The Prophet* said, he will stay on earth for 40 days. One day is like a year; one day is like a month; one day is like a week and then the rest of his days are like your regular days.
The Prophet* said…. “He would appear on the way between Syria and Iraq and would spread mischief right and left. O servant of Allah! adhere (to the path of Truth).” We said: “Allah’s Messenger, how long would he stay on the earth?” He said, “For forty days, one day like a year and one day like a month and one day like a week and the rest of the days would be like your days.” We said: “Allah’s Messenger, would one day’s prayer suffice for the prayers of day equal to one year?” Thereupon he said: “No, but you must make an estimate of time (and then observe prayer).” We said: “Allah’s Messenger, how quickly would he walk upon the earth?” Thereupon he said: “Like cloud driven by the wind.
“He would come to the people and invite them (to a wrong religion) and they would affirm their faith in him and respond to him. He would then give command to the sky and there would be rainfall upon the earth and it would grow crops. Then in the evening, their posturing animals would come to them with their humps very high and their udders full of milk and their flanks stretched. He would then come to another people and invite them. But they would reject him and he would go away from them and there would be drought for them and nothing would be left with them in the form of wealth.
“He would then walk through the waste, land and say to it: Bring forth your treasures, and the treasures would come out and collect (themselves) before him like the swarm of bees. He would then call a person brimming with youth and strike him with the sword and cut him into two pieces and (make these pieces lie at a distance which is generally) between the archer and his target. He would then call (that young man) and he will come forward laughing with his face gleaming (with happiness)
 
How to Protect Yourself from Ad-dajjaal

• Imaan.
• Al Isti’aadah – Seek refuge in Allah from him. One of the du’aa that The Prophet* would say after Salah very frequently: ‘O Allaah, I take refuge in You from the punishment of the grave, from the torment of the Fire, from the trials and tribulations of life and death and from the evil affliction of the Al-Maseeh Ad-Dajjaal.’
• Read the opening of Surah al-Kahf or the last part of Surah al-Kahf.
• Avoiding him. The Prophet* said: “Let him who hears of the Dajjal (Antichrist) go far from him for I swear by Allah that a man will come to him thinking he is a believer and follow him because of confused ideas roused in him by him. [Abu Dawood]

No one will be able to fight him. AlMehdi will have no way of competing with him. He will be with the believers in Jerusalem, hiding with them in their forts. There will be no way for them to confront ad-dajjaal, until ‘Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary), descends. Then Isa ibn Maryam, just like Allah has given ad-dajjaal these supernatural abilities, Allah will give Isa a miracle and that is: he will have the power of killing ad-dajjaal by his vision. In one hadith, his vision, and in another, his breath. The vision and breath of Isa will be enough to make ad-dajjaal melt like a piece of ice melts. And that is a miracle that Allah will give Isa. In a hadith narrated by Ahmad, Isa ibn Maryam will kill ad-dajjaal at Baab-lud (in Palestine).
 
•     The Coming of Isa (Jesus)
The second sign, in terms of order, is the descending of Isa*. The location of the descending will be Damascus. The Prophet* pinpointed Damascus and said, next to the eastern white minaret. At the time, when The Prophet* said this, there wasn’t any masjid in Damascus; it was part of the Roman Empire; it was Christian. Nevertheless, The Prophet* said he [Isa] will descend next to the eastern white minaret in Damascus. Al-Masjid Al-Amawi is the biggest of the masaajid of Damascus.
 “And he [Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)] shall be a known sign for (the coming of) the Hour (Day of Resurrection) [i.e. 'Isa's (Jesus) descent on the earth]…”
The Prophet* says in another hadith: “What will your situation be when the son of Mary will descend amongst you and your Imam is from within yourselves?” Because when Isa arrives, he will walk in and the Muslims are about to pray – the ‘iqaamah was made in the masjid. When Al-Mehdi sees Isa, he will retreat and he will ask him (Isa) to lead the prayer. But Isa* will tell Al-Mehdi that the ‘iqaamah was made for you, therefore you lead the salah. This is a great honor for this Ummah – that Isa will pray behind one of the followers of Muhammad*. Obviously, after that Isa* will resume the responsibility, but at that time Al-Mehdi will led because the ‘iqaamah was made for him.
In At-Tirmidhi. The Prophet* says Isa ibn Maryam would descend next to the eastern white minaret of the masjid. He has two yellow garments, and he will be placing his two hands on the wings of angels.
There is a hadith in Muslim which says that after Ya`juj and Ma`juj: [...]Then Allah would send rain which no house of clay or (the tent of) camels’ hairs would keep out and it would wash away the earth until it could appear to be a mirror. Then [Allah would give order to] the earth would be told to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing and, as a result thereof, there would grow (such a big) pomegranate that a group of persons would be able to eat that, and seek shelter under its skin and milch cow would give so much milk that a whole party would be able to drink it. And the milch camel would give such (a large quantity of) milk that the whole tribe would be able to drink out of that and the milch sheep would give so much milk that the whole family would be able to drink out of that and at that time Allah would send a pleasant wind which would soothe (people) even under their armpits, and would take the life of every Muslim and only the wicked would survive who would commit adultery like asses and the Last Hour would come to them. [Muslim]
In another hadith by Imam Ahmad, “The Prophets are half-brothers. Their religion is one, but their mothers are different. And Isa is the closest one to me because there is no prophet between me and him. And he would descend. When he comes down, know him. He is average height and he has fair skin and he will be wrapped in two garments which have a yellowish color. His hair looks as if it is wet and dripping with droplets of water, even though it’s dry. He will crush the cross. And he will rid the earth from pigs. And he will abandon jizya. And he would call all mankind to Islam. All of the religions, Allah will destroy them in his time, except for Islam.” The Prophet* says, he would stay for 40 years and then he would die and the Muslims would pray on him. He has to come down to earth, because Allah created us from this earth. We would live on this earth and die on this earth.
 
•    Yajuj and Majuj
Yajuj and Majuj [Gog and Magog] are two tribes. The Prophet* said, “On the day of Resurrection Allah will say, ‘O Adam!’ Adam will reply, ‘Labbaik our Lord, and Sa’daik.’ Then there will be a loud call (saying), Allah orders you to take from among your offspring a mission for the (Hell) Fire.’ Adam will say, ‘O Lord! Who are the mission for the (Hell) Fire?’ Allah will say, ‘Out of each thousand, take out 999.’ At that time every pregnant female shall drop her load (have a miscarriage) and a child will have grey hair. And you shall see mankind as in a drunken state, yet not drunk, but severe will be the torment of Allah.” (22.2) (When the Prophet mentioned this), the people were so distressed (and afraid) that their faces got changed (in color) whereupon the Prophet* said, “From Yajuj and Majuj nine-hundred ninety-nine will be taken out and one from you. You Muslims (compared to the large number of other people) will be like a black hair on the side of a white ox, or a white hair on the side of a black ox, and I hope that you will be one-fourth of the people of Paradise.” On that, we said, “Allahu-Akbar!” Then he said, “I hope that you will be) one-third of the people of Paradise.” We again said, “Allahu-Akbar!” Then he said, “(I hope that you will be) one-half of the people of Paradise.” So we said, “Allahu Akbar.”[Bukhari]

Some other hadith that talk about Yajuj and Majuj: [...] He ['Eesa] would then search for him (Dajjal) until he would catch hold of him at the gate of Ludd and would kill him. Then a people whom Allah had protected would come to Jesus, son of Mary, and he would wipe their faces and would inform them of their ranks in Paradise and it would be under such conditions that Allah would reveal to Jesus these words: “I have brought forth from amongst My servants such people against whom none would be able to fight; you take these people safely to Tur”, and then Allah would send Yajuj and Majuj and they would swarm down from every slope. The first of them would pass the lake of Tiberius and drink out of it. And when the last of them would pass, he would say: “There was once water there.” Jesus and his companions would then be besieged here (at Tur, and they would be so much hard pressed) that the head of the ox would be dearer to them than one hundred dinirs and Allah’s Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would supplicate Allah, Who would send to them insects (which would attack their necks) and in the morning they would perish like one single person. Allah’s Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would then come down to the earth and they would not find in the earth as much space as a single span which is not filled with their putrefaction and stench. Allah’s Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would then again beseech Allah, Who would send birds whose necks would be like those of bactrin camels and they would carry them and throw them where God would will. Then Allah would send rain which no house of clay or (the tent of) camels’ hairs would keep out and it would wash away the earth until it could appear to be a mirror. … [Muslim]

Qur’an tells us the story of Dhul-Qarnayn. He was a king who lived thousands of years ago: Until, when he reached between two mountains, he found, before (near) them (those two mountains), a people who scarcely understood a word. They said: “O Dhul-Qarnain! Verily! Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog) are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between us and them?” He said: “That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord had established me is better (than your tribute). So help me with strength (of men), I will erect between you and them a barrier. Give me pieces (blocks) of iron,” Then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-cliffs, he said: “Blow,” till when he had made it (red as) fire, he said: “Bring me molten copper to pour over it.” So they [Yajuj and Majuj] were made powerless to scale it or dig through it. Dhul-Qarnain) said: “This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it down to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true.” And on that Day [i.e. the Day Yajuj and Majujwill come out], We shall leave them to surge like waves on one another, and the Trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together. [18:93-99]

[ I have not gone into any details about these signs outlined above but I have covered them before in the Study Circle and will do the following signs next time, InshaAllah. Please visit the website for more details: www.harborneislam.blogspot.com ]

•    Sinking of the Earth
•    The Smoke
•    Rise of the Sun from the West
•    The Beast
•    The Fire

1 June 2014 Dhul-Kifl, Intro to Musa, Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog)

1 June 2014

- Dhul-Kifl
- Intro to Prophet Musa
- Dhul-Qarnayn
- Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog)



Prophet Musa (Moses)
This is the longest story on the Qur’an of any Prophet, mentioned in 30 different places (124 times). The Prophet* saw Musa on his night journey (Isra) prying in his grave and in the Ascension (Miraj) where Musa is on the 6th heaven.
2 phases of the life of Musa:

• With Pharaoh

• With Bani Israel

Important to study both as:

• This is the last Ummah before the Ummah of Prophet Muhammed

• Full of useful learning for us in terms of their journeys and mistakes

• Conflicts faced by Bani Israel similar to today issues

• Pharaoh is the archetypal tyrant / ruler / oppressor symbolised in the Qur’an (and we have many tyrants here today!)

The Prophet* stated, 'Do not prefer me over Musa. On the Day of Rising, people will faint, and I will faint with them. I will be the first to regain consciousness, and there will be Musa grasping the Throne. I do not know whether he will be among those who fainted and came to before me, or if he was one of those that Allah excepted.’

The Prophet* said, "I was shown the nations, and I saw a Prophet passing by with his Ummah, another with a band of followers, another with ten followers, another with five, and another who was alone. I looked and saw a huge crowd of people, and I asked, "O Jibreel, are these my Ummah?" , "I hoped that this would be my Ummah, but I was told that this was Musa and his people." Jibreel then said, "No look at the horizon." I looked and saw a vast multitude. He said, "These are your Ummah, and the seventy thousand in front will not be brought to account or be punished."



Other Prophets:
Allah destroyed other nations before Musa’s time which are mentioned in the Qur’an but not much details about the stories / Prophets (People of Ar-Raas, of Ya-Seen).


Dhul-Kifl
Dhul-Kifl has been mentioned twice in the Holy Qur'an:
And (remember) Isma'il, Idris, and Zul-kifl, all (men) of constancy and patience. We admitted them to Our mercy: for they were of the righteous ones. [TMQ 21:85-86]
And commemorate Isma'il, Elisha and Zul-Kifl: Each of them was of the Company of the Good. [TMQ 38:48]
Some say he is the same as Ezekiel mentioned in the Bible – but no definitive proof.


Dhul-Qarnayn
Literally "the possessor of two horns" or "the one who impacts upon two ages or generations". Some people think he Cyrus the Great and others Alexander the Great – unlikely to be the latter as he believed in many gods. No definitive historical proof.
The story of Dhul-Qarnayn appears in fifteen verses of the Quran, specifically verses 18:83-98:
They will ask thee of Dhul-Qarnayn. Say: "I shall recite unto you a remembrance of him. Lo! We made him strong in the land and gave him unto every thing a road. And he followed a road. Until, when he reached between two mountains, he found, before (near) them (those two mountains), a people who scarcely understood a word. They said: “O Dhul-Qarnain! Verily! Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog) are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between us and them?” He said: “That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord had established me is better (than your tribute). So help me with strength (of men), I will erect between you and them a barrier. Give me pieces (blocks) of iron,” Then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-cliffs, he said: “Blow,” till when he had made it (red as) fire, he said: “Bring me molten copper to pour over it.” So they [Ya'juj and Ma'juj] were made powerless to scale it or dig through it. Dhul-Qarnain) said: “This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it down to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true.” And on that Day [i.e. the Day Ya'juj and Ma'juj will come out], We shall leave them to surge like waves on one another, and the Trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together.”
The Quraysh had sent a delegation to Medina to try to find out if Mohammed could be a Prophet and the Jews told them to ask three questions: about the Traveller to the East & West, the men in the cave and what is the Ruh (Spirit) and these verses were then revealed (found in Surah Kahf).


Main Topic: Ya'juj and Ma'juj and Dhul-Qarnayn
Ya'juj and Ma'juj are humans alive today but buried somewhere that will appear towards the end of time, after ad-Dajjal and the re-appearance of Isa. Dhul-Qarnayn  didn’t only build the sadd (damn – vertical barrier), but he build radam – something that seals off completely.
The Prophet* said: "Ya'juj and Ma'juj dig into the barrier every day, until when they almost see the light of the sun, the one in charge of them says: "Go back home and dig again tomorrow." So they go home, and it returns to being as thick as it was before.  Then when their time has come, and Allah wishes to send them upon the people, they will dig until when they almost see the light of the sun, the one in charge of them will make an exception by saying: "Go back home and dig again tomorrow, if Allah wills (InshaAllah)." Then they will come back to it and find it as they had left it. So they will dig through it, and come out upon the people. They will drink all the water, and the people will go for protection to their fortresses…So they [i.e. Ya'juj and Ma'juj] will shoot their arrows into the sky, and they will come back with the appearance of having blood on them. So they will say: "We have overcome the inhabitants of the earth, and conquered the inhabitants of the heaven." Then, Allah will send down upon them an-naghf in their necks which will kill them…Isa (Jesus) and his companions will then come down (from Tur mountain) and they will not find as much space as a single span that is not filled with decomposed remains of Ya'juj and Ma'juj’s  corpses. Isa and his companions will then make du’a to Allah who will send birds whose necks would be like those (the necks) of Bactrian camels and they will carry them (Ya'juj and Ma'juj) away and throw them where Allah wills.
Then Allah will send rain which no house of mud-bricks or (tent of) camel-hair will keep out and it will wash the Earth until it resembles a mirror. Then, the Earth will be ordered (by Allah) to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing and, as a result thereof, pomegranate will grow that will be enough for a group of people to eat and seek shelter under its skin. A dairy cow will give so much milk that (will be enough for) a group of people to drink. The milking camel will give so such milk that a whole tribe will be able to drink from it..."
Numbers:
The Prophet* said, "Allah divided mankind into ten parts. Nine tenths constitute Ya'juj and Ma'juj while the remaining one tenth constitutes the rest of mankind."  (Ibn Hajar Asqalani)
"On the Day of Judgement, Allah will tell Adam to pick out the Jahanamis (people destined to Hell) from his progeny. Adam will ask, "O Allah, who are they?" Allah will say,"999 out of 1000 are Jahanamis while one is a Jannati (people destined to Paradise)." On hearing this, the Sahaba over taken by fear asked, "Who will the ONE Jannati (people destined to Paradise) be?" The Prophet  replied, "Do not grieve, the 999 will be Yajuj and Ma'juj, while you will be the one Jannati (people destined to Paradise)."   (Bukhari, Muslim)

25 October 2009

Seerah of Muhammed*
*: May the peace blessings & Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an
Migration of the Early Muslims to Abyssinia

In total there were two migrations, the first as a group in the 5th year of Prophethood. This consisted of 12 men + 4 women; whereas the second migration totalled 83 men and 19 women over a period of time. The second migration was after a rumour that Mecca (& the Quraish) had become Muslims following their sujjood. The Prophet* had recited Surah an-Najm and ayah of Sujjod caused all Muslims & non-Muslims to prostate.

The Prophet* had asked the Muslims to go to Habasha (Abyssinia) ‘because there is a king that does not oppress anyone’. He knew of his justice.

Even though there were only a few Muslims the Quraish plotted to get them back to Mecca: they selected Amr bin Aas and Abdullah bin Rabiyyah. Amr was well connected and career diplomat and good at scheming & making conspiracies. So Amr went and gave gifts to all the kings courtiers & officials to get them on his side and they would agree with any request from him. He preferred the Muslims to be handed over without them meeting the an-Najashi (Negus). After presenting their gifts to him Amr said: ‘Mighty King, some of our foolish people have abandoned their ancestral religion and have adopted a new faith which is opposed to your religion also. These people have created great disorder in our country, and now some of them have fled from our country and have taken refuge here. We request that you may be pleased to direct that they should be sent back to us.’ Some of the officials supported their request, but Najashi, refused and said: ‘These people have sought my protection. I will not decide anything without hearing them.’

The Muslims were summoned. After a Shura’a (consultation amongst themselves) they appointed Jafar bin Abi Talib as spokesman and decided to only tell the truth. An-Najashi asked them what they had to say and what was the religion they had adopted. (Umm Salamah narrates this Hadith) Jafar bin Abi Talib replied:

‘Gracious King, we were an ignorant people, given to idol-worship, the eating of meat from dead animals, and to all manner of vices such as bloodshed. We had no regard for ties of kinship, we misbehaved towards our neighbours, and the strong among us suppressed the weak and ignored matters of right & wrong. In this situation, God raised among us His Messenger whose noble descent; truth, honesty and integrity were well known to all of us. He called us to the worship of the One True God without associate, forbade idol-worship, He ordered us to be truthful in our speech, honesty and beneficence towards kindred and honour right s of hospitality and to fast for our God. He urged us to behave well towards neighbours, and abandon things forbidden, forbade vice and do anything immoral, to tell lies, to kill or shed blood, and devouring the substance of the orphan, or to make accusations against women of virtue. He ordered us to pray to the One God and turn away from the false stones our forefathers worshipped, give alms and fast. We believed in him and followed him, on account of which our people turned against us, persecuted us, afflicted us and tormented us in diverse ways. They tried to wean us away from our faith by force and turn us back to the worship of idols instead of God and to again consider permissible the abominations we had forsaken. Thus, they treated us with violence& persecution, beseeched us and prevented us from performing our religion we were compelled to leave our home and to seek asylum in your country and chose you above others. We desired your hospitality and hoped that under you we shall be safeguarded against tyranny in your domain.’

Then, An-Najjashi asked Ja'far," Would you tell me something of the revelation that came upon your Prophet?" Ja'far recited segments of Surat Maryam. He went on reciting until An-Najjashi's beard was wet with tears and his officials had wet their bibles. Then An-Najjashi said to Ja'far "Go in peace, for I will never let them harm you".

Amr was in a rage. He decided to try once more after vowing to put an end to the Muslims. He went to An-Najjashi on the second day telling him that the Qur'an insults Isa by calling him a slave. An-Najjashi then called for the Muslims again asking them if that was true – and this was a troubling time. Ja'far said, “Isa is a servant and messenger of Allah. He is a Word that Allah cast forth to Maryam the virgin". An-Najjashi then drew a line on the ground and said, "I swear that Isa has never said anything more than what you have just said. "Nobody would ever harm you in my land, and I swear that I would rather lose a mountain of gold than having you harmed in any way". Then he turned to Amr and said, "Go Amr and take your gifts back. I would never accept such a bribe, while Allah Is He Who Granted me this reign"

Reasons for Migration

These Muslims were leaving the best place (Mecca) for elsewhere, where there would not be the Prophet*. Some of the reasons were:

• Flee from persecution and harm
• Safeguard their Iman (Belief) as not everyone can resist torture
• Embarrass the Quraish - Both the weak Muslims and strong & noble families went, including some who had given protection to the Prophet*, and Abu Sufyan’s daughter (Umm Habibah). There may have been a need to shake the foundations of the beliefs & practices of the noblest Quraishi families with their people escaping for conscientious & religious reasons
• A secondary base outside Mecca – in case of devastating attack on the Muslims in Mecca or later in Medina. The Muslims only returned 7 years after the Prophet* established the Islamic State in Medina.

Why Abyssinia and not other Empires chosen

• For reasons of receiving justice in that kingdom
• Arabs familiar with Habasha (trade routes & customs)
• An-Najashi knew Arabic
• Abyssinians were Christian (not polytheists)

Hadith (Riyadh as-Salihin): On Repentance (seeking Forgiveness)

Abu Sa'id ibn Sa'd ibn Malik ibn Sinan al-Khudri reported that the Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Among those before you there was a man who killed ninety-nine people. He asked who was the most knowledgeable man in the world and was directed to a monk. He went to him and said that he had killed ninety-nine people and was repentance possible for him? The monk said, 'No,' so he killed him and made it a hundred. Then he again asked who was the most knowledgeable man on earth and was directed to a man of knowledge. He said that he had killed a hundred people, so was repentance possible for him? The man said, 'Yes, who can come between you and repentance? Go to such-and-such a land, where there are some people worshipping Allah Almighty. Worship Allah with them and do not return to your own country. It is an evil place.' So he went and then, when he was half way there, he died. The angels of mercy and angels of punishment started to argue about him. The angels of mercy said, 'He came in repentance, turning with his heart to Allah Almighty.' The angels of punishment said, 'He has not done a single good action.' An angel came in a human form and they appointed him arbitrator between them. He said, 'Measure the distance between the two countries and whichever one he is nearer to, that is the one he belongs to.' They measured and found he was nearer to the land to which he was going, so the angels of mercy took him." [Bukhari & Muslim]

In the variant in the Sahih, "He was a hand-span nearer to the virtuous land, so he was put among their people." In the variant in the Sahih, "Allah revealed to this country to distance itself and that one to come nearer. He said, 'Measure the distance between them,' and they found that he was nearer to the good one by a hand-span and he forgave him." In one variant, "He was nearer it by a short neck."

Abu Nujayd 'Imran ibn al-Husayn al-Khuza'i reported that a woman from Juhayna came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who was pregnant as a result of fornication. She said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have broken a hadd, so carry out the punishment on me. The Prophet of Allah summoned her guardian and said, "Treat her well. When she gives birth, bring her back to me." He did that and the Prophet of Allah commanded that her garment be tied tightly about her and then he commanded that she be stoned. Then he prayed over her. 'Umar said to him, "Do you pray over her, Messenger of Allah, when she committed fornication? He said, "She repented with such a repentance that if it were to be divided out among seventy of the people of Madina, it would be enough for all of them. Can you think of anything better than her offering herself to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic?" [Muslim]

Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If the son of Adam possessed a valley full of gold he would want to have two valleys, yet his mouth will only be filled by earth. Allah turns towards those who turn in repentance." [Bukhari & Muslim]



Parents in Islam

"Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or more attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say, "my Lord! Bestow on them Thy Mercy, even as they cherished me in childhood." [TMQ 17: 23,24]

When Allah made forbidden the tribalism of Jahiliyah (time before islam) He only forbade that tribalism should be the bond between the people of the Muslim Ummah, and He forbade that it is the main relationships amongst the Muslims. Islam came with a new brotherhood of belief. However, He ordered people to maintain contact with relatives and show kindness to them. It has been reported that a man asked the Prophet*: “who shall I show kindness to?” He said: “Your mother, father, sister and brother.” In another version: “And your (Mawla) relation who is closer to you, as a right and duty and a tie of relationship (Rahm) which you should be kind to.”

All religions and all societies have given parents a high status. From a purely material viewpoint, we find ourselves indebted to our parents, particularly our mother. She not only nourished us in her womb, but went through pain and suffering. She loved us even before we were born. She toiled when we were totally helpless infants. She spent sleepless nights caring for us. Our parents as a team provided for all our needs: physical, educational, psychological, and in many instances, religious, moral, and spiritual. Our indebtedness to our parents is so immense that it is not possible to repay it fully. Hence, it becomes obligatory for us to show the utmost kindness, respect, and obedience to our parents. The position of parents, and the mutual obligations and responsibilities, have been addressed in Islam in great detail. The Qur'anic commandments, as well as the sayings of Prophet Muhammad guide us in this matter. The parent-child code of behaviour in Islam is unique, since rules were laid down by divine command. In addition, Muslims do not stick their elderly parents in an 'old people's home' when they are old but have a duty to look after them. Muslim society respects the elderly and refers to them for wisdom and guidance if they are knowledgeable. This contrasts with the lack of respect that many older people face in Western countries such as the UK.

The mother is the first and most important teacher of every human being in every society. If the mother plays her role and is dutiful to Allah concerning her child in the light of Islamic teachings then the children adopt the way of Jannah (paradise), which is the way towards peace and tranquillity of our life in this world and in the world here after.

"And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents. In hardship upon hardship did his mother bear him, and in two years was his weaning. Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents; to Me is thy final goal. But if they strive to compel thee to associate with Me that of which thou hast no knowledge, do not obey them; but keep company with them in this life in a kind manner and follow the way of those who turn to Me. Then to Me will be your return and I will inform you (of the meaning of) all that you did." [TMQ 31:14-15]

"We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents; in pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth." [TMQ 46:15]

"We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents; but if they strive (to force) thee to join with Me anything of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not." [TMQ 29:8]

“People ask you (O Prophet) how they should spend. Say, ‘whatever you spend should be spent on Allah (in good cause), on parents, near relatives, on orphans, destitutes and travelers” [TMQ]


Some of the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad* are:

"Paradise lies under the feet of the mother."

"God's pleasure is in the pleasure of the father, and God's displeasure is in the displeasure of the father."

"He who wishes to enter Paradise through its best door must please his parents."

"It is a pity that some people may not attain Paradise, on account of not serving their old parents."

"If a person looks with love at his parents, God writes in his favour the reward equal to the performance of one Hajj. Someone asked, "will this promise be good if one looks at his parents one hundred times a day?" The Holy Prophet (pbuh) replied, "even if one does so a hundred thousand times a day, God gives the reward accordingly."

"A man or woman is bound to be good to his or her parents, even though they may have injured him or her."

Once a man came to the Prophet (peace be on him) and asked, 'Who is most deserving of my good companionship?' 'Your mother,' replied the Prophet*. 'Who next?' the man asked. 'Your mother,' replied the Prophet*. 'Who next?' he asked. 'Your mother,' replied the Prophet*. 'Who next?' asked the man. 'Your father,' replied the Prophet. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Asmaa bint Abu Bakr said: “My mother who was a pagan, came to see me during the period of the treaty between the Muslims and Quraish. I went to seek the advice of the Prophet saying: ‘My mother has arrived and she is hoping (for my favour).” The Prophet said: “Yes, be good to your mother”.

'Shall I not inform you about the three major sins?' Those who were present replied, 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah.' He said 'Associating partners with Allah and disobedience to parents,' and sitting up from the reclining position, he continued, 'and telling lies and false testimony; beware of it.' (Bukhari & Muslim)

"Allah defers (the punishment of) all sins to the Day of Resurrection excepting disobedience to parents, for which Allah punishes the sinner in this life before his death."

'Among the major sins is a man's cursing his parents.' The people who were present wondered how a sane and believing individual could curse his own parents, and enquired, 'How is it possible for a man to curse his own parents?' The Prophet (peace be on him) replied, 'He insults another man's father, and then the other insults his father, and he insults the other's mother, and the other returns the insult to his mother.' (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Umamah reported that a man asked: "O messenger of Allah! What are the rights of parents over their children?" He* replied: "They (mum and dad) are your paradise and your hell" (Ibn Maja)

A man of Banu Salma came to the Prophet* and asked: "Ya RasulAllah! Is there any obedience to parents left that I can show to them after their demise?" He* said: “Yes! by praying for them, to seek forgiveness for them by fulfilling their instructions after their death, by keeping affinity to those who are not connected with you but through them and to honour their friends" (Abu Dawud and Ibn Maja)

“If any one of you is poor let him start with himself and if any one of you has surplus (wealth) let him spend on his family, and if any of you has further surplus let him spend it on his relatives.”

“The one who severes ties with the relations will not enter Paradise”.

“The Al-wasil (the one who keeps good ties with kith and kin) is not the one who recompenses the good done to him by his relatives, but Al-Wasil is the one who keeps good relations with those relatives who had severed the bond of kinship with him.”

The Silat ar-Rahm (keeping good relations) indicates the importance of what Allah has said regarding the keeping of good and friendly relations within one's relatives and the Islamic community., In the maintaining of good relations and co-operation between relatives, and the extent of the Shari’ah concern to organise the meeting of men and women and organise what results from this meeting in terms of the relationships. Hence the Islamic Shar’a, through the rules which it legislated for the social aspect in the society, provides the best social system for mankind protecting the children and parents, thus the famliy and the society.