The Compilation of the Quran

The Compilation of the Quran

Conception

  The Quran is held by Muslims to have been revealed to the Prophet of Islam over a period of twenty three years, the length of his prophetic mission. The process by which the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, however, has been an area of debate by some questioning the authenticity of the Quran as they claim it isprone to human error. Those holding these doubts also believe that much of the Quran was "lost" along the way. This argument and more are summarized below.  

 During the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, the Quran was never compiled in a single bound volume as we have today. Rather , the compilation of the Quran took place over two distinct stages:

1. The first phase was under the Caliphate of Abu Bakr who began the compilation of the Quran but in a method that was later rejected by his followers;

2. The second phase was under the Caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan , who compiled the whole Quran adding things that where left out in the first phase among which were:

a. The placing of dots on the various Arabic letters. (Before  this time, Arabic was written without dots, making similar letters look alike).

b. The placing of diacritical marks signifying  vowels on all the letters.

c. The placing of the different signs for pauses, short and long, throughout the Quran.

d. The placing of circles around all the verse numbers.

These two phases contain much human error making it quite probable that additionns and substractions to verses and chapters were made.

Response

The question of the authenticity of the Quran is a fairly new one and has be virtually non-existent in the past. Certainly in Muslim circles, the question of the Quran being authentic or not is not really an issue at all since from the creedal standpoint, the Quran is the ternal Word of Allah (God) revealed from the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfudh) to the Prophet of Islam. Accordingly, Muslims view the Quran as containing the literal Words of Allah, words and verses that are eternal, preserved and protected from fabrication. 

As for the historical context through which the Quran came to be, it must be remembered that the Arabs of pre-islamic Arabia were an oral people. Their primary method of holding on to important facts was composing them into poetry and commiting the verses to memory. In essence, their mastery of language and ability to memorize things by rote were the greatest legacies the Arabs before Islam had. The fact that the Quran was not "written" in one complete volume before the Caliphate of Uthman does not mean that the Arabs before them were not able to preserve the Quran in its entirety. Memory was the method of preserving facts and documents so much to the point that memory was relid on more than written material.  This tradition was maintained  by Islam and the memorizing of texts was always a pre-requisite to the scholarly life.

The Quran `s  Arabic , while not exactly poetry, is rich and sophisticated; it easily captivated the attention of the Arabs. In fact, it was precisely the Quran that caused so much of a stir in Arabia , as it challenged the status quo and out did the best poetry the Arabs composed which posed a direct threat to the ruling elite and their established ways.

There were two main factors, which assisted the early Muslims to memorize the Quran as it was revealed:

1. The Quran was revealed piecemeal, and not all at once. This allowed the meaning of the Quran to permeate the minds and the souls of the followers and allowed them to understand the message step by step, internalizing it first then teaching it to others.

2. The structure of the Quran and the manner in which it is recite create a harmony that is attractive to the ears of an Arabic  speaker. The structure of the verses creates an intricate pattern of similar sounding words and tones. The Quran was never just read , but it was always recited according to the rules of tajwid (Quranic Recitation), allowing these patterns to be accentuated. For example, chapter one hundred of the Quran:

(1) By the (Steeds) that run, with panting (breath),

(2) And strike sparks of fire,

(3) And push home the charge in the morning,

(4) And raise the dust in clouds the while,

(5) And penetrate forthwith into the midst (of the foe) en masse;

(6) Truly, man is ungrateful to his Lord;

(7) And to that (fact) he bears witness (by his deeds);

(8) And violent is he in his love of wealth.

(9) Does he not know, when that which is in  the graves is scattered abroad?

(10) And that which is (locked up) in (human) breasts is made manifest?

(11) That their Lord had been Well-Acquainted with them  (even to) that Day?

This short chapter has eleven verses and the endings of each verse can be classified into four categories: The first group includes the first three verses, in which verse ends in a hard H (ha) ; dabha, qadha and subha. The second group includes the fourth and fifth verses each ending with an `ayn (`aa); naq`aa and jam`aa. The third group includes verses six throught eight, in which each verse ends with the letter dal (d); lakanud, lashaheed  and lashadeed. The last group includes the remaining verses, i.e. nine through eleven, in which each verse ends with the letter ra` (r); al-qobur, al-sodur and lakhabeer.

Furthermore, we see that verses six through eleven all end in elongated vowels; either ya or waw. The combination of the ending letters with the elongated vowels form a rhythmic pattern found almost everywhere in the Quran. 

There are two other factors that make this chapter easy to memorise. First , the chapter itself is no only short but also so to its verses. These verses consist of two words, the first three verses, three words, the fourth and fifth verses, and four words, verses six through eight. The verses employ few words to maximize meaning at the same time minimizing the amount of words needed to convey that meaning which is exactly what eloquence or fasahah in the arabic language stands for. The second factor is the coupling of meaning throughout the chapter. For example, the first three verses swear by the running steeds in battle and verses four and five provide detailed information about these steeds in battle. Thus, the first five verses revolve around one topic. Then verse six proclaims that man is ungrateful towards his Lord. Verse seven confirms this ungratefulness , and verse eight shows disgust at man`s love of wordlythings, a cause of his ungratefulness. Finally, the last three verses of the chapter serve as a warning for man to get out of this heedless state. This progression and coupling of meaning , combined with the short nature of the chapter and its verses added to the rhyming verses endings, allserve to facilitate memorization, which means that the meaning of the chapter is always kept at heart. The same can be said of the other chapters in the Quran. 

The early Muslims, and Muslims of all generations, became familiar with the Quran by memorizing it. The message of the Quran from the beginning was sonarol meaning it was transmitted by listening and internalizing it. This pattern was mimicked and passed on to others, orraly, who in turn memorized it and passed it on until the current age. Anyone who memorizes the Quran with a licnsed teacher receives a certificate with a chain of transmitters (isnad), connecting the student to the Prophet of Islam, pbuh, displaying the men and women who memorized and passed on the Quran preserving it each generation. 

Upon receiving revelations, the Prophet of Islam, pbuh, would order some of his companions to write down the new verses. Many companions undertook this task of writing down the different verses on various parchments. During the life of the Prophet, pbuh, then, there were two methods by which the Quran was documented and preserved. The first  was rote memorization, and the second was the written documentation of which there were several concurrent copies. However, the arabs, being a primarily oral people, relied on memorization. The Prophet, pbuh, was considered the foremost authority as, according to Islamic historiography, he would  review  the Quran with Archangel Gabriel once a year and twice in the year he died. From the Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, many companions were able to memorize the Quran. There were those who memorized parts of the Quran and ther were those who memorized the entire Quran. Of the companions who memorized the entire Quran, seven were considered the authorities of the Quran after the Prophet, pbuh.  Their memorization was authorized by the Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, thus giving them thepermission (ijazah) to teach and transmit the Quran to others. By the time that Caliphs Abu Bakr and Uthman sought to compile the Quran into one volume, these seven were consulted and their knowledge of the Quran guided the entire project. 

-to be continue, inshaAllah-

Chapter One Misconceptions Regarding the Quran

Chapter One Misconceptions Regarding the Quran

Introduction

The Quran is the heart of Islam; the fabric of both the scholarly and spiritual life. It is the foundation of belief, the starting point of all forms of knowledge, the inspiration for the arts and the Book to which turn believing men and women, young and old. It is studied, memorized and analyzed by students of sacred knowledge, who have dedicated their lives to its service. One  cannot discuss anything  in Islam  without Quran being part and parcel of the conversation. The discussion of religion in the modern period is very much interested in the Holy Books of all major religious traditions, Islam included. This has caused modern thinkers to question the authenticity of what is considered by many to be revelation- casting doubt on many aspects of religion. In this chapter, we will look at some of the common conceptions in regards to the Quran, then offer answers and responses to these conceptions.

-to be continued, inshaAllah-

The Truth of Islam and Misconceptions about Islam

The Truth of Islam and Misconceptions about Islam

Darkness is the absence  of light. It is a field of ignorance surrounded by ignorance leading to ignorance. In darkness , one is left to grope helplessly amidst a sea of darkness hoping, by chance, light will emerge.This hope, however, is only for those who are cognizant of their ignorance, for those who have seen light before and know the difference between it and darkness.  There are those who have never seen light and are born into darkness and ignorance, which is further compounded by their ignorance of their own ignorance. The only way that this  predicament can be halted and reversed is by way of knoledge that leads to truth and serves the cause of truth and truth alone; knowledge that is unadulterated that does not respond to any corporation, any CEO or any political party. In many ways, our world is a world of darkness and ignorance since, as a human race, we have continued to demonstrate intolerance towards one another and we have quite consistently continued to suffer from age old problems rather then be the generation or the age to solve them. There are those few, however, who have remained steadfast in their pursuit of peace and justice for all. They have stood up against the current to speak the words of truth no matter how bitter they may be; a reminder of the Prophet of Islam s statement that ``THE GREATEST JIHAD IS THE WORD OF TRUTH IN THE FACE OF A TYRANT.``

In hopes of following the footsteps of those few, this present work is offered for the English speaking world. This book represents the efforts of a group of scholars of Al Azhar University, one of the oldest centers of Islamic learning in the world. It is a humble attempt to bring light upon the darkness of ignorance. Its aim is to offer honest orthodox responses to many conceptions that are currently held toward Islam. There is no doubt that Islam is closer now to the west than ever before and that relationship between Islam and the West has been for better and for worse. The Muslim world and the Western world can no longer afford to be ignorant of one another. As mentioned in the introduction of chapter 5, our world still suffers, in one way or another, from the  naivite that you are either with us or against us. It is time for cooler heads to prevail and true knowledge to flow east to west and west to east as we find in chapter 4.

Kitab Ar Rooh- The Book of The Soul

In The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful,

Kitab Ar Rooh- The Book of The Soul

The Third Case - IT IS , DO THE SOULS OF THE LIVING MEET WITH THE SOULS OF THE DEAD, OR NOT?


The examples on this case and its evidences are greater than to be counted except by Allah (The Exalted). The sense and the reality are of the justiest of the witnesses in it. That the souls of the living and the dead meet as the souls of the living meet. And He (The Exalted) had said: ” Allah that takes the souls of men at death and those that die not be taken during their sleep: Those to whom He has passed the decree of death. He keeps back from returning to life, but the rest He sends to their bodies for a term appointed, verily in this are signs for those who reflect.” (39:42)

Abu Abdullah bin Minda said: On the autority of the son of Abbas, in this verse, he said: It reached me that the souls of the living and the dead meet in the dream. They ask amongst them, and Allah (The Exalted) grasps the souls of the dead people, and He sends the souls of the living to its bodies.


The son of Abu Hatem said in his interpretation: On the authority of As-Sadi, in His saying (The Exalted): „ And those that die not he takes during their sleep.” He said: He comes to it in the dream, and the soul of the living meet with the soul of the dead and they confer and acquaint. He said: Then the soul of the living comes to his body in the world to the remaining fate, and the soul of the dead intends to return to its body and it is imprisoned.

And this is one of the two saying in the verse. It is that the holding is that which died at the very beginning, and the sent is that which died at the death of the sleep. The meaning as to this saying is that one makes the soul of the dead to die, and he grasps it, and not to send it to its body before the Judgement Day, and He (The Exalted) makes the soul of the sleeping to die and sends it to its body till the remaining of its fate, and makes it die the other death.

And the second saying in the verse that the held and the sent in the verse, both of them died, the sleep death. That which completed its fate, he holds it with him, and doesnot return it in to its body, and that which didnot complete its fate, he returns it to its body, to complete it. The Sheikh of Islam had chosen this saying. He said: The Quran and Tradition had denoted on it. He said: He, Glory be to Him, had mentioned the holding, which the death had judged in, of these souls which he made to die the sleep death. But that which he made die at its death, is that which he didnot describe with holding or with a sent, but it is a third part.

That which overweights is the first saying, because He, Glory be to Him, knows better about the two deaths. A major death, and it is the death dying, and a minor death, which is the sleep death. And He divided the souls into two parts: A part which He judged in, with the death and He held it with Him, and it is which He made to die the death dying, and a part for it the remaining fate, and He made it return to its body to complete its fate. And He, Glory be to Him, had made the holding and the sending as two judgement for the two mentioned deaths. First, it is holding, and it is sent. And He told that which didnot die is that which He made to die in its sleep. That if He were to divide the sleep death into two parts, a death dying and a sleep dying, He would not have said: ”And those that die not He takes during their sleep.” It is dead from time it is grasped, and He says after that: ”Those on whom he has passed the decree of death.”

-to be continued, inshaAllah-

Kitab Ar Rooh- The Book of The Soul

In The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful,

Kitab Ar Rooh - The Second case

IT IS, THAT THE SOULS OF THE DEAD, DO THEY MEET AND EXCHANGE VISITS AND CONFER OR NOT?


It is also an honorable case, with a great value. Its answer is that the souls are two parts: Tortured souls and benefactor souls. That the tortured in occupation with what it is in, of the torture from the exchange of visits and the colliding. The benefactor souls, are those related, not imprisoned meeting, exchanging visits and confering what was of it in the world, and what is of the people of the world, that every soul is with its companion, which is as to the like of its doing, and the soul of our Prophet Muhammad (may the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) in the Higher Companion. Allah (The Exalted) said: All who obey Allah and the Apostle are in the company of those on whom is the grace of Allah of the Prophets (who teach), the sincere (lovers of truth, the witnesses who testify, and the righeous who do good: Ah! What a beautiful fellowship> (4:69)
And this accompaniment is confirmed in the world , and in the isthmus dwelling, and in the Recompense dwelling, and the human being is with whom he loved in these three dwellings.


Jarir narrated: From Masrouq, he said: The Companions of Muhammad (may blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said: We ought not separate you in the world. If you die, you are raised upon us, and we are not able to see you. Thereupon Allah (The Exalted) had revealed: . (4:69)

The views had recurred concerning that. Some of it, what Saleh bin Bashir had mentioned. He said: I saw Ata As Salami in the dream after his death. I said to him: May Allah's mercy be upon you, you suffered of a long anguish in the world. Thereupon he said: ut, by Allah, I was followed by a long joy and a continuos felicity. I said: In what rank are you? He said: With those whom Allah had favored with the grace, of the Prophets, righteous, the marturs and the pious.

Abdullah bin Al Mubarak said: I saw Sufyan AthThawri in the dream. I said to him: What did Allah (The Exalted) do with you_ He said: I met Muhammad ( the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) and his party.

Sakr bin Rashed said: I saw Abdullah bin Al Mubarak in the dream after his death. I said: Didnot you die? He said: Certainly. I said: What did Allah (The Exalted) do with you? He said: He forgave me, and that overwhelmed every sin. I said: Then Sufyan Ath Thawri? He said: Excellent! Great! He is with those whom Allah had favored with His grace of the Prophets, the veracious, the martyrs and the pious, and he was a good friend to those.

-to be continued, inshaAllah-

Kitab Ar Rooh- The Book of The Soul (part III)

In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

Kitab Ar Rooh- The Book of The Soul (part III)


Yazid bin Abu Habib had narrated that Salim bin Umair had passed by a grave suffering from retention of urine. Some of his companions said to him: If you come down to these graves and urinate in some of its holes. Thereafter he wept, then he said: Glory be to Allah, and by Allah, I feel shy of the deads to do as I do for the living, if the deads were not to feel with that, I wont feel shy.

And it were known that the dead knows with the doings of the livings of his relatives and brothers. Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak said: Thawr bin Yazid had narrated from Abu Aiyub. He said: The deeds of the living are exhibited on the dead, if they see good they are happy and announce the glad tidings, and if they see evil they say: Our Lord, see in it. And the son of Abu Ad-Dunia had mentioned from Ahmad bin Abu Al-Hawari. He said: Muhammad, my brother, had narrated, he said: Abbad bin Abbad had come upon Ibrahim bin Saleh. He was in Palestine. He said: Preach me. He said: With what I preach you, may Allah lead you the right way? It reached me that the deeds of the living are exhibited on their dead relatives, then wait for what is exhibited on the Messenger of Allah (may the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) of your deeds. Then Ibrahim died until his beard became wet.


The naming of those saluting on them is sufficient. If they were not to feel with it, then it wont be valid to name him a visitor. The visited, if he were not to know with the visit of the one who visits him, it is not valid to be said that he visited him. This is the reason for the visit as to all the nations. As well the salutation on them. The Holy Prophet (may the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) had taught his nation, if they were to visit the graves to say: Peace on them, the people of the dwelling of the believers and Muslims. We, if Allah (The Exalted) desires, will follow you. May Allah (The Exalted) have mercy on the previous of us, of you, and the late, we ask Allah, the good health for us and you.

Al-Kallal had mentioned it: From Ash-Sha'bi, whosaid: The Ansar used to go to the grave of the dead related to them, reciting at his grave the Quran. He said: I heard Al-Hasan bin Al-Jawari saying: I passes by a grave of one of my sisters, I recited there, ”The Blessed”, to what is mentioned in it. Thereupon a man came to me and said: I saw your sister in the dream saying: May Allah recompense Abu Ali with good. I had benefited with what he recited.

Abu Muhammad said: And it is mentioned from Al-Fadl bin Al-Muwaffaq. He said: I used to come to the grave of my father one time after another, and more than that. I witnessed once a funeral in the graveyard, in which he were buried in. I hurried to my need and I did not come to him. When the night had come, I saw him in the dream. Thereupon he said toe: O, son, why you did not come to me? said to him: O, father, and do you know if I come to you? He said: Yes, by Allah, O, son, I keep looking at you until you go out of the arcade until you reach to me, and as you sit to me, then when you stand. I keep on looking to you until you pass the arcade.

And it was valid from Amr bin Dinarwho said: No dead who dies, but he knows what will be in his family after him. That tey wash and shroud him, and he would be looking to them.

Chapter:

And what denotes on this also what had been done by the people anciently, and till our day of instruction: The dead in his grave. If it were not to hear that and to benefit with it, then there is no benefit in it and it is in vain. Imm Ahmad, may Allah's mercy be upon him, was asked about it, and he preferred it, and he protested on it with the doing.


And it was narrated concerning this: It is a weak hadith , in which At Tarabani had mentioned it in his lexicon of hadith Abu Umama. He said: The Messenger of Allah (the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said: It any one of you dies, and you level on him the sand, let anyone of you stand on the head of his grave, then to say: O' Such, the son of Such, than he hears and doesnot answer. Then let him say: O'Such, the son of Such (female) another time. Let him straighten his sitting. Then let him say: O'Such, the son of Such (female) and to say: Lead us , may Allah's mercy be upon you, but you do not hear. Then he says: Mention whatyou came out of the world with: The testimony, that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad is The Messenger of Allah, and I am satisfied with Allah as Lord, and with Islam as a religion, and with Muhammad as a prophet, and with the Holy Quran as an Imam. That Munkar and Nakir , each one of them is delayed and would say: Thrust with us, and what makes us sit to that, and he were instructed his argument? And Allah and His Messenger are their argumentation. Thereupon a man said: O,Messenger of Allah, and if he doesnt know his mother? He said: He relates him to his mother Eve.

Ad it was valid from Hammad bin Salma, from Shahrbin Hwshab that As-Sa'b bin Juthama and Awf bin Malek were brotherly associated. Sa'b said to Awf: O, my brother, any one who dies before the other, let him visualize the other. He said: Or that will appear to me? He said: Yes. Thereupon Sa'b diesd. Awf saw him in what the sleeper sees, as if he had come to him. He said: O, my brother,. He said: Yes. I said: What was done with you_ He said: Some of my calamities were forgiven. He said: And I saw black brightening things in his neck. I said: O, my brother, what is this? He said: Ten dinars, I borrowed from Such, the Jewish. They are in my horn. Give them to him. And do know, o, my brother, that nothing happened to my family after my death but its news was attached to me, even a cat, a few days ago died. And do know, that my daughter will die after six days, recommend her with the grace. When it was the next morning, I said: In that a meaning, so I came to his family, and they said: Hello, Awf, as well you do with the legacy of your brothers? What have you done since the death of Sa'b? He said: I distracted myself with what the people distract with . I looked to the horn and got it down, and I snatched what is in it. I found the sack in it the dinars, and I sent it to the Jewish. I said then: Had you anything on Sa'b? He said: May Allah's mercy be on Sa'b, he was of the best companions of the Messenger of Allah (may the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him). It is for him. I said: To tell me. He said : Yes. I lended him ten dinars, and I discorded it to him. He said: It is , by Allah, but its essence. He said: I said: It is one.

He said: Did anything happen to you after the death of Sa'b? They said: Yes, such had happened to us, and such had happened as well. He said: Mention it. They said: Yes, a cat had died a few days ago. I said: There are two.

I said: Where is my niece? They said: She is playing. I brought her, and he touched her. That she were feverish. I said then: Recommend with her favor, and she died during six days.

Kitab Ar Rooh- The Book of The Soul (part II)

In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful,

Kitab Ar Rooh- The Book of The Soul (part II)

Al-Fadl bin Muwaffaq had narrated. He said: When my father died, I was really frightened for him. I used to come to his grave everyday. Then I restricted from that what Allah (The Exalted) desire. Then I came to it one day. While I was sitting at the grave, my eyes overcome me. I fall in sleep. I saw as if the grave of my father had split, as if sitting in his grave, donned with his shrouds seen on him the features of the dead. He said, as if I wept when I saw him: O, son, what delayed you to come to me? I said: As if you know of my coming? He said: You never had come, but I know about it. You used to come to me, and I used to cheer up and be happy with you, and those around me feel happy with your invocation. I used to come to him after that, many times.



Uthman bin Sawda At-Tafawi had narrated, he said: His mother was among the worshippers. She was called a nun. He said: When she was at the brick of death, she raised her head to the sky, and said: O, my Supplier, and on whom I depend in my life, and after my death, do not dismay me at the death time, and do not make me alone in my grave. He said: then she died. I used to come to her every Friday, invoking Allah's and asking forgiveness for her and to the people of the graves. I saw her one day in my dream. I said to her: O, mother, how are you? She said: O, son, that for death a vehement anguish, and I am by the praise of Allah in an extoled partition, stretching out the musks, and lying in it on the sacrenet and the silk brocades till the Resurrection Day. I said to her then: Do you want anything? She said: yes. I said: And what this can be? She said: Do not abandon what you used to do, of visiting and invoking for us, and I feel happy with your coming on Friday, when you come from amongst your family. It would be said for me: O, nun, this is your son, he has come. I would be happy, and all those around me of the dead will be happy.


Bishr bin Mansour had narrated. He said: When it was the plague period, there a man used to come to the gravedigger, and he used to witness the prayer on the funerals. When it was the evening, he used stand at the door of the graves. He used to say: May Allah (The Exalted) cheer up your loneliness, and have mercy on you in your forlorness, and overpass your evil doings, and accept your virtues, not adding on those words. He said: I stayed that night, and I returned back to my people. I did not come to the graves and I did not invoke as I used to do. He said: While I was sleeping, a group of people had come to me. I said: Who are you and what is your need? They said: We are the people of the graves. I said: What is your need? They said: You used to grant us a gift at your going to your family. I said: And what is it? They said: The invocations which you used to invoke with. He said: I will return to that. He said: And I did not leave it ever after that.

Kitab Ar Rooh- The Book of The Soul

In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,


KITAB AR ROOH- The Book of The Soul (IBN QAYIM AL JAWZIYA)

THE FIRST PROPOSITION

IT IS, DO THE DEADS KNOW ABOUT THE VISIT OF THE LIVINGS AND THEIR SALUTATIONS OR NOT?




The son of Abdel-Barr said: It was confirmed from the Holy Prophet (may the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) who had said: No Muslim who passes by the grave of his brother, knowing him in the world, and he salutes him, but Allah (The Exalted) returns on him his soul, until (the dead) returns the salutation. This is a text that the dead knows him in specific, and he returns the salutation.

And in the two Sahihs, from him (may the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) from many phases: That he had ordered with the slain during Badr to be thrown in Qulaib (well). Then he came until he stood over them and he called them by their names: O, Such, the son of Such, and O, Such, the son of Such, did you find what your Lord had promised you? That I found what really my Lord had promised me. Thereupon Umar said to him: O, Messenger of Allah, do you talk to dead people. He (may the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said then: By whom had sent me with the right, you do not hear me with what I say more than them. But they are not able to answer.

And it was confirmed from him (may the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) : That the dead hears the tapping of the scuffs of the escorts, if they go away from him.

The Holy Prophet (may the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) had legalized for his nation, if they were to salute the people of the graves, the way they are talking to them. Thereupon he said: Peace be upon you, the dwelling of believing people. This is the talking of who hears and minds- If it were not like that, then this sermon is in the rank of the nonexisting and the solid.The ancestors agreed on this, and the traces had been recurred from them that the dead knows with the visit of the living to him and he rejoices at it.


Abu Bakr Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Ubaidullah bin Abu Ad Dunia, in the book of the graves, had mentioned in the chapter of the recognition of the dead with the visit of the living:

Zayd bin Aslam had narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) who said: No one who visits the grave of his brother and sits on it , but the latter listens, and answers until he stands up.

On the authority of Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: If the man passes by the grave of his brother, knowing him and saluting him, but the latter answers the salutation. As well he recognizes him. But if he passes by a grave not knowing him, but saluting him, he also answers the salutation.

A man of the family of Asem Al- Juhdari said: I saw Asem Al-Juhdari in my dream after two years of his death. I said to him: Did you not die? He said: Certainly. I said: Then where are you? He said: I am, by Allah, in a garden of the gardens of Paradise. I and a group of my companions. We gather every Friday night and morning to Abu Bakr bin Abdullah Al-Muzni, and we hear about you. I said: Your bodies or souls? He said: I wish but out bodies are decayed, and the souls meet. I said: Do you know with our visit to you? He said: Yes, we know about it during the period between Friday evening, and the rising of the sun on Saturday. I said: Then how is that without the other days? He said: Because of the excellence of Friday and its greatness.

Hasan Al-Kassab had narrated, he said: I used to go with Muhammad bin Wase every Saturday morning, until we come to the gravedigger, and we used to stop at the graves. We used to salute them and to invoke for them. Thereafter we used to go away. I said one day: if you change this day, for Monday? He said: It reached me that the dead do know with their visitors on Friday, a day before and a day after.

Sufyan Ath-Thawri had narrated to us: It reached me from Ad-Dahhak. We said: That who visits a grave on Saturday before the rising of the sun, the dead knows about his visit. It was said to him: And how is that? He said: Because of the position of Friday.




Abu At-Tiyah said: Mutraf used to go in the morning, and if it were Friday he used to walk at night. He said: I heard Abu At-Tiyah saying: It reached us that he used to get the light by his whip. He came one night, that when he was at the graves of his people, riding on his mare, and he saw the people of the graves, every owner of a grave sitting on his grave. They said then: This is Mutraf coming on Friday. I said: And do you know about them on Friday? They said: Yes, and we do know what the birds say during that time. I said: And what do they say? They said: Peace be upon you, peace be upon you.

-to be continued, inshaAllah-