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

15 February 2015 - Courtroom Session & Saving from Punishments in the Grave

15 February 2015 - Courtroom Session and Saving from Punishments in the Grave

Lives of the Prophets: Courtroom Cases

Case 1:

The case of 99 Sheep and a good talking man with one man and his only sheep

Case 2:

The case of Sheep grazing in neighbours field destroying his livelihood

Case 3:

The case of a worshipper admiring horses and missing their prayer

Case 4:

The case of what to do with the first batch of Prisoners of War

Case 5:

Mothers disputing about whose child survived the wolf attack

Case 1:

-----------------------

Once Dawud* was in his private chamber which was the best and holiest place in his house. He had ordered that none was to invade his privacy that day. He suddenly found two persons who had climbed over the wall of the private chamber asking him to judge between them.

"Has the Story of the Disputants reached thee?

Behold, they climbed over the wall of the private chamber; when they entered to Dawud* and he was terrified of them, they said: 'Fear not: we are two disputants, one of whom has wronged the other: decide now between us with truth, and treat us not with injustice, but guide us to the even Path.

This man is my brother: he has nine and ninety ewes, and I have (but) one: yet he says: 'Commit her to my care " and he is moreover harsh to me in speech.'

(Dawud*) said: 'He has undoubtedly wronged thee in demanding thy (single) ewe to be added to his flock of ewes: truly many are the Partners (in business) who wrong each other: not so do those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, and how few are they?'

And Dawud* gathered that We had tried him: he asked forgiveness of his Lord, fell down, bowing (in prostration) and turned (to Allah in repentance).

So We forgave him this (lapse): he enjoyed, indeed, a Near Approach to Us, and a beautiful Place of (final) return." (TMQ Saad: 21-25)

* Hence – do not jump to conclusions until you hear both sides of the story. Once you make a mistake immediately ask for Allah’s forgiveness. It is important to learn in improve after mistakes.

Case 2:

-----------------------

"And remember Dawud* and Solomon, when they give judgment in the matter of the field into which the sheep of certain people had strayed by night: We did witness their judgment. To Solomon We inspired the (right) understanding of the matter: to each (of them) we gave Judgment and Knowledge."

It was recounted by many narrators that those people had a vineyard, wherein the sheep of the other people had spread, i.e. trespassed on by night and ate up all its plants.

They raised their case to Dawud* and he awarded the owner of the field the sheep themselves in compensation for his damage.

When they went out and met Solomon, he asked them, "what did the Prophet of Allah rule?" They answered, "He ruled so and so."

He said, "Had it been up to me, I would have ordered the sheep to be handed to the owners of the vineyard to benefit from its yield and profit until the owners of the sheep have restored the vineyard of the other people to its previous condition, and then they could have their sheep back."

When Dawud* was informed of this, he approved it.

*Hence – both judged with the facts and made correct decisions but one was closer to justice than the other. It is important not just to have a Just Law (Shariah) but also a Just Judge (with Iman) who applies the Law appropriately. Throughout the many centuries of Islam and the Islamic State Muslims have grown up with the idea of variations in application of the Shariah and this has led to tolerance of different opinions as Islam is not a monolith and Shariah is more than simply the Hudood. There is no territory today that applies Islam even though they may claim to.

Case 3:

-----------------------

The Story of Solomon* with the Horses: Allah says in Surah Saad:

"To Dawud* we gave Solomon (for a son)" and he was a Prophet "how excellent in Our service! Ever did he tum when (to Us)!"

"Behold, there were brought before him, at eventide, horses of the highest breeding, and swift offoot; And he said, 'Truly do I love the love of Good, with a view to the glory of my Lord '-until (the sun) was hidden in the veil (of Night):" (Saad: 32)

Some scholars say that Solomon* was so engrossed in the inspection of his fine horses that he completely forgot to perform his Asr prayer before the sunset (not deliberately).

Upon missing the 'Asr prayer, he said, " 'Bring them back to me.' "Then he fell to slashing (their) legs and their necks with his sword.

Case 4

-----------------------

Prisoners of war constituted a problem awaiting resolution because it was a new phenomenon in the history of Islam after the Battle of Badr. The Prophet* consulted Abu Bakr and ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab as to what he should do with the prisoners.

Abu Bakr suggested that he should ransom them, explaining this by saying: "They are after all our relatives, and this money would give us strength against the disbelievers, moreover, Allâh could guide them to Islam."

‘Umar advised killing them, saying, "They are the leaders of Kufr (disbelief)."

The Prophet* preferred Abu Bakr’s suggestion to that of ‘Umar’s.

The following day, ‘Umar called on the Prophet* and Abu Bakr to see them weeping. He showed extreme astonishment and inquired about the situation so that he might weep if it was worth weeping for, or else he would feign weeping.

The Prophet* said that a Qur’ânic verse had been revealed rebuking them for taking ransom from the captives rather than slaying them: "It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war (and free them with ransom) until he had made a great slaughter (among his enemies) in the land. You desire the good of this world (i.e. the money of ransom for freeing the captives), but Allah desires (for you) the Hereafter. And Allah is All- Mighty, All- Wise. Were it not a previous ordainment from Allah, a severe torment would have touched you for what you took." [TMQ 8:67-68]

The previous Divine ordainment went as follows, "Thereafter (is the time) either for generosity (i.e. free them without ransom) or ransom." [TMQ 47:4]

Which included an area providing permission to take ransom, that is why no penalty was imposed.

They were rebuked only for taking prisoners before subduing all the land of disbelief. Apart from this, the polytheists taken to Madinah were not only prisoners of war but rather archcriminals of war whom modern war penal law brings to justice to receive their due sentence of death or prison for life.

Case 5:

-----------------------

Abu Huraira said, that the Messenger of Allah* said, "Two women had their sons with them, and suddenly a wolf passed by snatching one of the two boys.

Thus they fought over the other.

The elder said, 'The wolf took your son', and the younger said, 'No, it took yours.'

They raised their case to Dawud*, who ruled that he was the elder's.

They went out and met Solomon*, who said, 'Bring me a knife and I will cut him into two, for each to take a half.

'The younger thereupon said, 'Do not, may Allah have mercy on you, he is her son.

Thus, he ruled that the child was hers. " [Bukhari, Muslim]

*Hence – the element of surprise from Solomon* allowed him to assess who really loved the child and would rather give him up than have him killed.

Main Topic: What protects us from the Punishment of the Grave?

The good deeds

The Prophet* said, “When the dead person is buried, he is able to hear the footsteps of the people when they are leaving the cemetery. Then his good deeds will surround him.

So Salah would come next to his head; fasting would come on his right side and

Zakah would come on the left side.

The other good deeds would come next to his feet.

So whenever this person would be attacked from the head, the salah would say, ‘No you cannot come from this side.’

And whenever the attack is from the right side, the siyaam [fasting] would say, ‘No, you cannot come from this side.’

The Zakah would say, you cannot come from this side.

And the other good deeds would say, you cannot from the feet.

And they would be making a shield, surrounding this person from every side and protecting this person.”

Seeking refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave

The Prophet* said, “When you make tashahud, seek refuge in Allah from four things:

- from punishment of the hell fire,

- from the punishment of the grave,

- from the fitna of life and death, and

- from the fitna of ad-dajjal (the false messiah).”

It is a sunnah to say this [Du'aa`] during salah, after tashahud (before salaam).

Who are the ones that are saved from the punishment of the grave?

The Martyrs (shuhada)

The Prophet* said, “There are six qualities for the Martyr (shaheed): he would be forgiven with the first drop of blood that comes from his body; he would see his place in paradise; he would be saved from the punishment of the grave; he would be saved from the fear of the most fearful day; the crown of tranquility will be placed on his head – one emerald in it is worth the world and everything in it; he would be married to 72 hoor al-ayn; he would be given shafa’aa (intercession) for 70 of his relatives.”

One of the companions said, “O RasulAllah, how come the believers go through the trials of the grave, but the shaheed doesn’t?” The Prophet* said, “The shining of the swords over his head is enough of a fitna for him.”

The Frontier Guard (Al muraabit)

They are the soldier who is positioned in a station away from home, guarding the Muslims, waiting for instructions to fight. The word comes from ‘rabat’ – when you tie something. Al muraabit is someone who is tied to that post – they cannot leave. That guard/soldier has to guard day and night. It is a very difficult job. Because of that, Allah gives him a special reward. The Prophet* said, “Everyone’s deeds would be terminated they die, except for the one who dies as a muraabat. Allah would continue his deeds for him, and they would keep growing until the day of judgement, and he would be saved from the punishment of the grave.”

Those who die on Friday

In a hasan hadith, “Any Muslim who dies on Friday, Allah will save him from the punishment of the grave.”

Read Surah Mulk

Imam Ahmad recorded from Abu Hurayrah the Prophet* said, "Verily, there is a chapter in the Qur’an which contains thirty Ayat that will intercede on behalf of its reciter until he is forgiven. (It is): ‘Blessed be He in Whose Hand is the dominion.’" Ibn Abbas narrates that the Prophet* said, “It is a protector; a rescuer; saving from the punishment of the grave.” (At-Tirmidhi and Al-Hakim.)

Deeds that Benefit after death

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet* said, "When a man dies, his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, and righteous offspring who will pray for him." (Muslim)

Commenting on this hadith, Imam An-Nawawi said, "The scholars said, the meaning of this hadith is that the deeds of the deceased come to an end as soon as he or she dies, and the renewal of reward ceases for him or her, except in these three cases because he or she is the cause of them:

• his or her offspring is counted among his or her earnings,

• the knowledge that he or she leaves behind through teaching or writing,

• ongoing charity, i.e., a waqf (Islamic endowment)."

The narration below adds further details: Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet* said, "The good deeds that will reach a believer after his death are:

- knowledge which he learned and then spread;

- a righteous son whom he leaves behind;

- a copy of the Qur'an that he leaves as a legacy;

- a mosque that he built;

- a house that he built for wayfarers;

- a canal that he dug;

- or charity that he gave during his lifetime when he was in good health.

- These deeds will reach him after his death."

(Ibn Majah)

[We also talked about some other etiquettes of visiting the Graves such as saying ‘Salaam’ to the ‘People of the Graveyard’ who will reply back]

May Allah protect us, our families and all of the Muslims from the punishment of the grave. Ameen.

14 December 2014 - Musa and al-Khidr

14 December 2014 - Musa and al-Khidr

The Prophet Musa* and al-Khidr
(A Wise Man)
 
Another story about the Prophet Musa* is related in the Surat al-Kahf. At the beginning of the story, Allah relates a journey the Prophet Musa* makes with his young assistant:

Who is the most Knowledge?
Ibn Abbas said that the Prophet* said: "Once Moses stood up and addressed Bani Israel. He was asked who was the most learned man amongst the people. He said: "I." Allah admonished him as he did not attribute absolute knowledge to Him (Allah). So, Allah said to him: "Yes, at the junction of the two seas there is a slave of Mine who is more learned than you." Moses said; "O my Lord! How can I meet him?" Allah said: "Take a fish and put it in a large basket and you will find him at the place where you will lose the fish."
Moses took a fish and put it in a basket and proceeded along with his servant boy, Joshua (Yusha Ibn Nun), till they reached the rock where they laid their heads (lay down). Moses slept, and the fish, moving out of the basket, fell into the sea. It took its way into the sea straight as in a tunnel. Allah stopped the flow of water over the fish and it became like an arch (the Prophet pointed out this arch with his hands). They travelled the rest of the night, and the next day Moses said to his boy servant: "Give us our food, for indeed, we have suffered much fatigue in this journey of ours." Moses did not feel tired till he crossed that place which Allah had ordered him to seek after. His boy said to him: "Do you know that when we were sitting near that rock, I forgot the fish, and none but Satan caused me to forget to tell you about it, and it took its course into the sea in an amazing way?" So there was a path for the fish and that astonished them. Moses said: "That was what we were seeking after." So both of them retraced their footsteps till they reached the rock. There they saw a man lying covering with a garment.
 
Moses Talks to Al-Khidr
Moses greeted him, and he replied saying: "How do people greet each other in your land?" Moses said: "I am Moses." The man asked: "Moses of Bani Israel?" Moses said: "yes, I have come to you so that you may teach me from those things which Allah has taught you." He said: "O Moses! I have some of the knowledge of Allah which Allah has taught me and which you do not know, you have some of the knowledge of Allah which Allah has taught you and which I do not know." Moses asked: "May I follow you?" He said: "But you will not be able to remain patient with me, for how can you be patient about things which you will not be able to understand?" Moses said: "You will find me, if Allah so will, truly patient, and I will not disobey you in aught."

The Boat, The Boy and The Wall
So both of them set out walking along the seashore. A boat passed by them, and they asked the crew of the boat to take them on board. The crew recognized Al-Khidr, so they took them on board without fare. When they were on board the boat, a sparrow came and stood on the edge of the boat and dipped its beak once or twice into the sea. Al Khidr said to Moses: "O Moses! My knowledge and your knowledge have not decreased Allah's knowledge except as much as this sparrow has decreased the water of the sea with its beak." Then suddenly Al Khidr took an axe and pulled up a plank, and Moses did not notice it till he had pulled up a plank with the axe. Moses said to him: "What have you done? They took us on board charging us nothing; yet you have intentionally made a hole in their boat as to drown its passengers. Verily, you have done a dreadful thing." Al Khidr replied: "Did I not tell you that you would not be able to remain patient with me?" Moses replied: "Do not blame me for what I have forgotten, and do not be hard upon me for my fault." So the first excuse of Moses was that he had forgotten.
When they had left the sea, they passed by a boy playing with other boys. Al Khidr took a hold of the boy's head and plucked it with his fingertips as if he were plucking some fruit. Moses said to him: "Have you killed an innocent person who has not killed any person? You have really done a horrible thing." Al Khidr said: "Did I not tell you that you could not remain patient with me?" Moses said: "If I ask you about anything after this, don't accompany me. You have received an excuse from me."
Then both of them went on till they came to some people of a village, and they asked its inhabitants for food but they refused to entertain them as guests. Then they saw therein a wall which was just going to collapse and Al Khidr repaired it just by touching it with his hands. Moses said: "These are the people whom we have called on, but they neither gave us food, nor entertained us as guests, yet you have repaired their wall. If you had wished, you could have taken wages for it."
Al Khidr said: "This is the parting between you and me, and I shall tell you the explanation of those things on which you could not remain patient."

The Explanation
“As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working in the sea. So I wished to make a defective damage in it, as there was a king after them, who seized every ship by force.” – These were believers and poor and would have suffered greatly if the king confiscated their boats. So the damage was just enough for the king to reject them but small enough for them to fix.
"And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief. So we intended that their Lord should change him for them for one better in righteousness and near to mercy.” – This boy would have grown up to oppress his parents and may have become a disbeliever and Allah wanted to replace him with a better son because the parents were strong believers.
"And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town; and there was under it a treasure belonging to them; and their father was a righteous man, and your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord.” – Again, the parents were strong believers and Allah wanted to look after the children because of the belief of the parents by protecting their wealth. This wealth would have been taken by selfish and ungrateful people had the wall not been fixed. Hence, if parents want to protect their children they should be strong believers.
“And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of those (things) over which could not hold patience.” – Finally, al-Khidr was acting under orders and doing as he was commanded. This was his gift / knowledge and he was not doing it of his own accord otherwise he would have been subject to the Law of Moses.
The Prophet* added: "We wish that Moses could have remained patient by virtue of which Allah might have told us more about their story." (Sufyan, the sub-narrator, said that the Prophet* said: "May Allah bestow His Mercy on Moses! If he had remained patient, we would have been told further about their case." (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
As related in the above story, there is good and wisdom behind these events ordained by Allah, which are neither obvious nor immediately comprehensible. People should think about the good inherent in everything that befalls them in their every-day lives. Behind many events considered to be evil by people in our day, there are surely Divine purposes created by Allah. If a person remains patient and strives sincerely to grasp their Divine purposes, Allah may well make him comprehend their hidden meanings.

Allah the Almighty narrated in Surah Kahf:
"And remember when Moses said to his boy servant: "I will not give up (traveling) until I reach the junction of the two seas or until I spend years and years in traveling." But when they reached the junction of the two seas, they forgot their fish, and it took its way through the sea as in a tunnel. So when they had passed further on (beyond that fixed place), Moses said to his boy servant: "Bring us our morning meal; truly, we have suffered much fatigue in this, our journey." He said: "Do you remember when we betook ourselves to the dock? I indeed forgot the fish, none but Satan made me forget to remember it. It took its course into the sea in a strange way!" Moses said: "That is what we have been seeking." So they went back retracing their footsteps. Then they found one of Our slaves, unto whom We had bestowed mercy from Us, and whom We had taught knowledge from Us.
Moses said to him (Khidr) "May I follow you so that you teach me something of that knowledge (guidance, and true path) which you have been taught by Allah?" He (Khidr) said: "Verily! You will not be able to have patience with me! And how can you have patience about a thing which you know not?" Moses said; "If Allah will, you will find me patience, and I will not disobey you in aught." He (Khidr) said: "Then, if you follow me, ask me not about anything till I myself mention it to you." So they both proceeded, till, when they were in the ship, he (Khidr) scuttled it. Moses said: "Have you scuttled it in order to drown its people? Verily, you have done Imra- a Munkar (evil, bad, dreadful) thing." He (Khidr) said: "Did I not tell you, that you would not be able to have patience with me?" Moses said: "Call me not to account for what I forgot, and be not hard upon me for my affair with you."
Then they both proceeded, till they met a boy, he (Khidr) killed him. Moses said: "Have you killed an innocent person who had killed none? Verily, you have done Nukra a great Munkar (prohibited, evil dreadful) thing!" Khidr said: "Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me?" Moses said: "If I ask you anything after this, keep me not in your company, you have received an excuse from me."
Then they both proceeded, till, when they came to the people of a town, they asked them for food, but they refused to entertain them. Then they found therein a wall about to collapse and he (Khidr) set it up straight. Moses said: "If you had wished, surely you could have taken wages for it!" Khidr said: "This is the parting between me and you, I will tell you the interpretation of those things over which you were unable to hold patience.
"As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working in the sea. So I wished to make a defective damage in it, as there was a king after them, who seized every ship by force. "And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief. So we intended that their Lord should change him for them for one better in righteousness and near to mercy. "And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town; and there was under it a treasure belonging to them; and their father was a righteous man, and your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of those (things) over which could not hold patience. (TMQ 18:60-82)