Tareek al-Hedayah: Episode 3

The Meaning of Death and its Signs in the Holy Qur’an

Re-translated by: Dar al-Tarjama – The English Convoy

Let us summarize what we have discussed in the last episode about the misconception that Adam is the successor of Allah (SWT) on earth. This is a common misunderstanding among many people who claim its legitimacy although Allah (SWT) forbids that He could have a successor on earth or elsewhere. Allah (SWT) is “like no other”, and thus, though a creature might have a successor, it is impossible that Allah (SWT) has one. It is unfortunate to hear that someone said that Allah (SWT) says so in Qur’an citing this verse of Surat Al-Baqraa "Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth."  If we examine the verse carefully we find that it did not mention that Allah (SWT) will have successors on Earth, but rather that it is ‘generations’ that will exist on earth. (I need that to be revised by someone who studied The Interpretation of Qur’an) When he understood what the verse actually meant, the man cried and asked Allah (SWT) for forgiveness. Hence, we should understand and perceive the verse as Allah (SWT) wants us to do. Moreover, if the Angels were to think that Allah (SWT) is to create a successor for him on earth, would they have dared to inquire if this successor would corrupt the earth and shed blood? Therefore, the concept of “successor” is dramatically important as some people claim that Adam is the successor of Allah (SWT) just like Abu Baker Al-Sedik (the very truthful) is the successor of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH). It is as if they are comparing Al-Sedik to Adam and Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) to Allah (SWT) – Allah (SWT) forbids.

As illustrated in last week’s episode, a successor as mentioned in the verse of Surat al- Baqraa means that he is the head of mankind generations that will exist on earth. It could also mean that he is a successor of the Jinn, and for that the Angels asked: "Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood,” The Angels may have thought to themselves that they would be far better than whoever Allah (SWT) would create on earth but Allah (SWT) had them go through the real test by asking them to tell Him about the names that Allah (SWT) taught Adam: “And He taught Adam all the names (of everything), then He showed them to the angels” and when they had no answer they said: "Glory be to You, we have no knowledge except what you have taught us.” As we mentioned before, their response here is considered a true repentance confirming meanwhile what Allah (SWT) said in this verse “I know that which you do not know."

The question now is what “them” in this verse means: "And He taught Adam all the names (of everything), then He showed them to the angels”. To answer that we go back to what we mentioned before about words. Words include nouns, verbs, pronouns, etc. Thus, not all words are nouns, but surely enough, nouns are more inclusive since for example the word “verb” is a noun and the word “pronoun” is also a noun. Thus “them” here, does not only indicate all words, but it also extends to include all nouns. (The Hadith by Ibn Abbas) The knowledge that Allah (SWT) has taught Adam is evident in this verse “He has taught man that which he knew not” and it incorporates all previous and future knowledge of mankind. Therefore space discoveries and landing on the moon are part and parcel of Allah’s bounties. Hence, it would be more accurate to avoid referring to scientists’ work as inventions, but rather as discoveries. For example, it was not an invention to learn that iron is flexible, since it is a fact that was “discovered” through Allah’s graciousness found in this verse "And He taught Adam all the names (of everything)”.

The presenter asked: “If the Jinn are created from fire and lived on earth before Adam, so what is the meaning that the Jinn shed blood?”

This is a metaphoric expression and some scientists confirm that human beings lived on earth before Adam, but this will be discussed in detail later when we attempt to explain The Holy Qur’an with evidences from Qur’an itself and from the authentic Sunnah (we here confirm that Dr. Muhammad Hedaya cites only from The Holy Qur’an and the Authentic Hadith).

The question now is how Adam and Eve’s posterity developed on earth. After preparing heavens and earth to suit the life of mankind, Allah (SWT) created Adam and Eve and that was followed by the existence of their posterity. Although marriage of siblings is forbidden, it was a necessity at the beginning of the creation in order to allow generations to inhabit the earth. Eve gave birth 20 times to 20 twins (one male and one female in each pregnancy). It was Allah (SWT)’s Wisdom that the male of the first twins marries the female of the second twins and vice versa, hence the problem of Caine (Qabeel) and Abel (Habeel) originated. Qabeel wanted to marry his own female twin but Habeel wanted to implement Adam’s will. That led to the first murder on earth. And again, marriage between siblings was an exception for the mere purpose of inhabiting earth, since otherwise it is an act abhorred by the sound human nature. 

Matters became stable by the time of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) “Abraham” and proceeded to be more so till they became clear in the era of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Islam.

Islam is a faith and religion that Allah (SWT) willed for mankind from Adam’s era to that of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It is the religion that was established to seal all other ones to be the ultimate law for humanity.  Hence, all prophets before Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) were Muslims by faith.

Musa’s (AS)  (Moses) religion was Judaism, his faith was Islam, his book was the Torah (The Old Testament), and some of his nine miracles were the Stick, the Hand, the Locusts, the Blood, and the Frogs. Isa’s (AS) (Jesus) religion was Christianity, his faith was Islam, his book was the Holy Bible (The New Testament), and of his miracles were resurrecting the dead, and healing those born blind and the lepers with the Will of Allah (SWT). However, Prophet Muhammad’s both religion and faith were Islam. Qur’an was his book, his message, and his miracle. Thus, unlike previous eras, were faith and religion were not the same and were books and miracles varied, the era of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the perfect form of Islam that combines faith, religion, message and miracle. Allah (SWT) sent 124 messengers including 115 prophets. Of these prophets only five are of strong will with Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is their leader.

The Meaning of Death and its verses in  Qur’an

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-ana’m: “He it is Who has created you from clay, and then has decreed a (stated) term (for you to die). And there is with Him another determined term (for you to be resurrected), yet you doubt (in the Resurrection)”. Not knowing when one will die is truly the ultimate test since if one would know the specific date and place of his or her death, life would be wasted in seeking worldly pleasures till death time is close enough to try to catch up with good deeds. Consequently, a thorough review of the astounding order of Qur’an substantiates the fact that it was gathered by none but Allah (SWT).

Allah (SWT) says at the beginning of Surat El Baqarah “Alif-Lâm-Mîm. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’an and none but Allâh (Alone) knows their meanings.]. This is the Book (the Qur’an), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqûn [the pious believers of Islamic Monotheism who fear Allâh much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allâh much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)]. Who believe in the Ghaib and perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât), and spend out of what We have provided for them [i.e. give Zakât, spend on themselves, their parents, their children, their wives, etc., and also give charity to the poor and also in Allâh’s Cause - Jihâd]. And who believe in (the Qur’ân and the Sunnah ) which has been sent down (revealed) to you (O Muhammad PBUH) and in that which was sent down before you [the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel), etc.] and they believe with certainty in the Hereafter. (Resurrection, recompense of their good and bad deeds, Paradise and Hell)” The Unseen (Ghaib) comprises five elements that no one could perceive but Allah (SWT) as they are hidden from all creatures. These elements are stated at the end of Surat Luqman as follows “Verily Allâh, with Him (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. Verily, Allâh is All-Knower, All-Aware (of things)”.  Believing in these five elements of Ghaib is an essential part of a Muslim’s belief and this indeed is the Ghaib mentioned in Surat El Baqarah.

In 1985 or 1986, a conference was held discussing the use of ultrasound in detecting the gender of fetus in a mother’s womb. Since there would always be someone to attack Islam, one of the conference attendees argued that the verse of Surat Luqman on Ghaib is no longer valid because the use of ultrasound can now discover the gender of the fetus in the womb.  I (Dr. M. Hedaya) attended this conference and explained to him that Allah (SWT) (SWT) says: “and knows that which is in the wombs”, not “who”. You can know who the fetus would be; and by that we know the gender. On the other hand, “which” is a completely different story since no one can ever know which life this fetus will lead; a happy or a sad one, a rich or a poor one, an Islamic or a non-Islamic one.  So, while a doctor’s knowledge could not go beyond the gender of the fetus, the knowledge of Allah (SWT) extends to include all the details that no other can attain, because they are the Ghaib.

 “And no person knows in what land he will die”. Thus not only is the place of death unknown, but also the time. Furthermore, if we acknowledge that Allah (SWT) is Who knows the unseen (El Ghaib), we should be able to comprehend the verse that describes death most precisely in Surat Qaf in which Allah (SWT) says: “And the stupor of death will come in truth: This is what you have been avoiding!” This is a pivotal verse when it comes to explaining death. Different people have attempted to interpret this verse, but observe how amazingly Abu Baker El Seddik puts it as he tried to interpret it. He said “The stupor of death would come in truth. The stupor of truth would come in death”. Since death is a truth, he considered the two utterances equal and hence, order is not an issue. This is the interpretation of a man who fully understood the meaning of death. And the second part of the verse validates this analysis “This is what you have been avoiding!” To whom is “you” in the verse referring? Some interpreters said it refers to the unbelievers only while other interpreters said that it refers to mankind in general. This verse takes place every day every where. Death takes place and is always followed by different expressions of grief. Yet, what is the meaning of “truth” in the verse? What is the “truth” that death brings along? Truth here is what was refused, neglected and disbelieved in.  And if the dying person is a non-believer, he realizes how wrong he was in the way he led his or her life saying as in Surat El Moaamnoun: “Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allâh), he says: "My Lord! Send me back, "So that I may do good in that which I have left behind!" No! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected”. Why is he saying this? Because he immediately realizes the truth wishing he could be sent back to life to do better. This verse makes it very clear that Allah (SWT) is just because when the unbeliever knows the truth during death, he says: “I may do good” not “I will do good”. This is a verification that if he is ever sent back, he will do exactly what he has done before in spite of realizing the “truth” that death elucidates; the truth that he did not actually need to get in touch with had he intended to lead a better life in the first place. Allah (SWT)’s reply is “No! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected” Observe that Allah (SWT) is not replying to the man but rather He is saying that on behalf of the man since it is all over; “and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected”. Accordingly, the two above-mentioned verses of Surat Qaf and Surat El Mamnoun are complementary that they should be interpreted together.

Death is opposed to life and in previous episodes; we (Dr. Hedaya) talked about the beginning of creation with the creation of Adam as an example. We also said that the death arrow goes into an opposite direction to that of the life arrow. Therefore, when the soul is the last thing that enters the body at the beginning of life, it is the first thing that exits the body at the beginning of death. The soul goes into the dried clay of mud transforming it into the human body as we know it, of flesh and blood. In the case of death, the soul exits first then the body is dry and solid again “dried (sounding) clay of altered mud”. And if the body is not buried it gets rotten to be soft again to be “moulded into shape”. And if it is buried, it will be turned into mud, then dust and water. The soul escalates first from the legs, and then goes on through the knees, to the chest, to the throat till it exits completely. Hence, when a doctor wants to check if somebody is dying, he starts checking the sensation in the legs then the knees, and when the dying person fails to feel the pain there, the doctor is certain that it is a matter of hours before that person dies. It is also said that when the soul entered into Adam’s body from his head, he sneezed.

Allah (SWT) says Surat Al-Waqaa: “Then why do you not (intervene) when (the soul of a dying person) reaches the throat? And you at the moment are looking on, But We (i.e. Our angels who take the soul) are nearer to him than you, but you see not, Then why do you not - if you are exempt from the reckoning and recompense (punishment) Bring back the soul (to its body), if you are truthful?” and in Surat Al-Qeyamah: “Nay, when (the soul) reaches to the collar bone (i.e. up to the throat in its exit), And it will be said: "Who can cure him (and save him from death)?"  And he (the dying person) will conclude that it was (the time) of parting (death)”.

These verses confirm Man’s helplessness when it comes to death especially when knowing that the soul will reach the throat and exit sooner or later while the people around are looking at the dying person and cannot see what he is going through. This helplessness prepares the dying person for death. Moreover, when people around are “looking on”, they cannot actually “see” what is taking place or learn from it. This is why Allah (SWT) said “looking on” to refer to the inability of people to perceive with their “insight” the reality of death. And since it is insight that counts here and not mere vision, then it is possible that of all the people who are “looking on”, only a blind person, would be able to recognize the truth of the inevitability of death. Many people attend funerals; yet go home only to forget all about them. This is the real issue here since a dead person has no chance to come back to do better, while a person who comes back from a funeral should thank Allah (SWT) that he is still alive for the day and that he still has a chance to repent and  to perform good deeds. He should remember that the dead wishes to come back saying "My Lord! Send me back”.

Many psychologists explained that those who weep for a dying person are actually lamenting themselves as they attempt to imagine themselves in that situation. Death is a serious matter, and grief could not bring back the dead.

The Muslim should be aware of his duties towards the dead. Following Prophet Muhammed’s (PBUH) set of guidelines, we are asked to help the dying to say Shahada. It is also a duty to wash and enshroud the corpse, to perform Salat (prayer), and to bury the dead. These rituals will be discussed in detail in following episodes insha’ Allah (SWT).

Death awaits every living creature. Furthermore, we mentioned before that we are the combination of both a soul and a body, and the soul is what exits when dying. In later episodes, we will quote Authentic Hadith to discuss how the Angel of death receives the souls of both the believer and the non believer.

In Surat El Waqaa Allah (SWT) says: “Then why do you not - if you are exempt from the reckoning and recompense (punishment) Bring back the soul (to its body), if you are truthful?” So those who would call back the soul are the ones who are exempt from future account. And since no one is exempt, then none can bring it back; especially if the soul is to be joined back to the body, which would be another creation. Moreover, it is equally impossible to bring back the soul to the body even when it is still in the throat. Thus since this is all in the realm of the impossible then people should believe in Allah (SWT) as all these verses aim at.

Every female’s son, lives as he might wish,

Would be on an ugly cart put

So when you carry that corpse, one soon day,

Rest assured that you are next

In Surat Al-Qeyamah Allah (SWT) says: “Nay, when (the soul) reaches to the collar bone (i.e. up to the throat in its exit), And it will be said: "Who can cure him (and save him from death)? And he (the dying person) will conclude that it was (the time) of parting (death)”. The interpreters provided different meanings to “who” in the verse, but linguists make it very clear that once this sentence is in the passive form then “who” refers to one of the dying person’s close relatives who tries to save him by reciting a “ruqya” (incantation) – spells Arabs used that helps in recovery.

Moreover, nobody can escape from or postpone his death hour as Allah (SWT) says: “Verily you (O Muhammad PBUH) will die, and verily they (too) will die”.

When we read in Surat Al-Qeyamah “Nay, when (the soul) reaches to the collar bone (i.e. up to the throat in its exit), And it will be said: "Who can cure him (and save him from death)? And he (the dying person) will conclude that it was (the time) of parting (death)”, we understand that “conclude” means becoming certain since human recognition consists of four phases follows:

1.     “Conviction”  which is a recognition of certainty: By this we mean the ability to be 100% conscious of all possible aspects of a matter. This kind of recognition is beyond the reach of mankind but rather could be attributed to Allah (SWT) only. Only when I am 100% aware can I reach “Yaqeen” (certainty). Moreover, ‘absolute certainty’ in a general sense, is death as death is the ‘confirmed truth’ as Allah (SWT) puts it in this verse: “And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death)”. When Allah (SWT) says “Saw you (O Muhammad PBUH) not how your Lord dealt with ‘Âd (people)”, He is revealing to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) the story of A’d people as if he were there since Allah (SWT) alone has the absolute awareness and recognition to see and to tell.

2.     “Doubt”  which is in the middle of the certainty - ignorance scale When both my awareness and ignorance of a matter are equal, I am in doubt. In other words, I am in doubt if I am 50% aware but 50% ignorant of a certain matter.

3.     “Illusion” is when the scale of awareness tips towards ignorance: If I am a 60% or 70% ignorant of certain aspects of a matter while 40% or 30% aware of others, I am misapprehending this matter.

4.     “Presumption” is when the scale of awareness tips towards certainty:  If I am a 60% or 70% aware of a certain matter, yet 40% or 30% ignorant of it, I am in a state or presumption.

The state of presumption is how Allah (SWT) chooses to describe the extent of human knowledge as in “And he (the dying person) will conclude that it was (the time) of parting (death)” where “conclude” here is the closest to describe this kind of recognition as a presumption, and not complete certainty, the attribute of Allah (SWT) as aforementioned. The same could be said about this in Surat El Haqah: “Then as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand will say: "Here! read my Record! "Surely, I did conclude (believe) that I shall meet my Account!" since who will be given his Record in his right hand would not dare to declare certainty in the presence of Allah (SWT) on the Day of Judgment. He rather uses the closest description of his knowledge; presumption. And since no one can encompass this certainty, no one can save the dying from death by bringing his soul back to his body; with ruqya (incantation). And the dying person himself concludes that death is the result of parting life itself, or the soul’s parting of the body.

A possible interpretation of the Arabic word “raq” in verse 27 in Surat Al-Qeyamah is “ascending”. Hence the meaning could include a possible question the Angel of death could be asking about who would ascend this soul to its creator since if it were that of a believer, Angels of mercy would. But if it were that of a non-believer, Angles of punishment would, and each time they pass one of the seven heavens the Angles of it would be disturbed by the loathsome smell of that soul that they call it with the worst names it used to be called with in its lifetime. 

Hence, it is reasonable enough to say that since we are unable to return a soul to a body, then we ought to return and to submit to Allah (SWT). We have heard about the number of people who return and submit to Allah (SWT) after attending the death or the funeral of somebody as they imagine themselves in that grave situation that no one can endure. That is why what one will say to the Angles of Account in the grave[1] confirms what Allah (SWT) says in the first verses of Surat Al-Baqarah: “Who believe in the Ghaib……. and they believe with certainty in the Hereafter” because believing in ‘Ghaib” (the unknown) is being not only the beginning of death, but also an indication of being “on (true) guidance from their Lord, and they are the successful” This is true due to the fact that whoever believes in the Hereafter, death, and Account has to put this belief into action as Allah (SWT) says in Surat El Israa: “And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it, with the necessary effort due for it (i.e. does righteous deeds of Allah’s Obedience) while he is a believer (in the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism) - then such are the ones whose striving shall be appreciated, (thanked and rewarded by Allah)”.

In addition, certainty, or truth, is called death in this verse “And the stupor of death will come in truth”. The absolute truth is opposite to Falsehood, and when the stupor of death comes in truth, the oblivious person is realizes that truth since it runs contrary to the kind of belief he held. Thus you recognize truth after earlier Falsehood, just as you recognize sugar if you have previously tasted salt. Thus, things are sometimes defined by their opposites. Consequently, we should consider the moment of death and how Allah (SWT) enables us then to witness our helplessness. The moment of death is indeed conclusive. I ask Allah (SWT) that we go through it knowing that when the soul leaves the body, a new kind of life for the dead will begin; a life that Allah (SWT) called the Barzakh in this verse: “and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected”- it is a barrier between the life of the dead and that of the alive.

The Audience’s Questions

      Question – A viewer said that his father died a year and a half ago, on the 12^th of Ramadan, after a tough battle with cancer that lasted for two years. The question is whether his father’s suffering would atone for his previous sins.

Answer – We ask Allah to bless him with His mercy for his long suffering since Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) said that “even being pierced by a throne is a penance for wrong doings and sublimation”. Whoever dies, is left with his deeds?[2]. However, we should learn from this question and observe how the son grieves his father and is eager to know about his father’s fate; and we hope it would be a good one insha’ Allah. Yet, in spite of the awareness of the inevitability of death, some people are unmindful of it till they abruptly face it exactly as Allah (SWT) says in this verse “Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allah), he says: "My Lord! Send me back” The moment of death could neither be hastened or postponed and we have previously given an example of that in the story of Musa (Moses) (AS) when he was visited by the Angel of death. Consequently we learn that we should be prepared with our good deeds and worshipping because the moment of death will catch us wherever we are as Allah (SWT) says: “Wherever you may be, death will overtake you even if you are in fortresses built up strong and high!"

      Question – A viewer said that righteous men will have Hur (Companions with beautiful, big beautiful eyes) in Heaven – Will righteous women have that too?

Answer – This is another common misconception because the Hur are not for males only. Moreover, we cannot specify their gender as females since it is not stated in Qur’an; just like angels are not and should not be described as females. This will be further explained in next episodes of Paradise. [3]

      Question – A viewer said that she did not know that the slapping and tearing of clothes, as extreme expressions of grief, are forbidden – What is the punishment in that case? And are the dead tortured for these forbidden acts done by the living?

Answer- I cannot blame anybody since Allah’s mercy includes everyone as Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said "When Allah completed the creation, He wrote in His Book which is with Him on His Throne, "My Mercy overpowers My Anger." Nevertheless, a Muslim should not do what might lead to Allah’s anger. Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) teaches us that true patience is when the first shock is received as in the story of the woman who slapped her cheeks that Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) told her that she should endure with patience. Not knowing who he was, she asked him to go away. When she realized that he is the Prophet she went to him apologizing and asking for Allah’s forgiveness. He told her that patience should be at the first shock.

Death is a true test for everybody, except for the dead himself as Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-Molk: “Who has created death and life that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving” In other words, life is a test for every one while death is one for the living only. I ask Allah to make us all endure it with patience. Many Muslims have gone through the calamity of having a loved one die, yet true belief in Allah makes them thank Allah for his decree and say as stated in Qur’an: “Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: "Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return."

As mentioned before, psychologists explain that crying after the dead implies a dormant fear of death. Nevertheless, crying should not be accompanied with loud bewailing since Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) teaches us that “The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved” to indicate that real grief is in the heart. And we say to the sister, may Allah (SWT) forgive you, which necessitates repentance on your part and deep regret of what you have done. Moreover, you should ask for Allah’s forgiveness. A true Muslim grieves more than an ordinary person, as he inclines to hide grief in his heart rather than showing it in a way that may displease Allah (SWT), that some might even die out of it themselves.  Sublime yielding to Allah is a must and that is why Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) explained that the heart grieves while submitting to Allah’s Will. Whether the dead person senses[4]  these wrong doings or not is sufficiently explained in this verse “Nor can a bearer of burdens bear another's burden”.  Yet the need to ask Allah (SWT) for forgiveness persists because of what we see in some funerals that some, out of unbearable grief, may get to the extent that they might not believe in Allah (SWT) any more - may Allah forbid. And we cannot claim that the dead person suffers from what goes on around him since it does not make sense that a pious person for example would suffer for the mistakes of others.

      Question – What do you say in the case of a person who buys his own coffin damping it with Zamzam (a well in Mecca) water?

Answer – This has no ground and there has been a dispute among the interpreters about that matter, yet being certain of death is what counts, when any other action becomes pointless.

      Question – Could a person (clinically dead) who lives on life support machines be considered dead? [5]

Answer – Though life support machines could never bring him back, he cannot be considered dead as long as he is still in the hospital and not actually buried.

      Question- Is magic real?

Answer – We will discuss the concept of magic in Qura’n and Sunnah in later episodes. Believing that a magician could carry out anything against Allah’s Will is blasphemous. Magic exists, but it could not lead to the marriage, or divorce of somebody for example. Magicians are the most helpless of all people simply because they cannot help themselves, let alone helping others. Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-Tawbah: “Say: "Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us.” Magicians often fool the dim-witted and as long as idiots turn to them, magicians would thrive. The question now is could someone be healed from a spell by a spell? Answering that would take some time. Yet,  our belief in Allah should guide us amidst all the delusion and falsehood that take place nowadays.

      Question – Was the name of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) written on Allah’s Throne before the creation of Adam?

Answer – This claim has no origins in both the Qur’an and Sunnah.

      Question – which was created first: Heavens or Earth?

Answer – In Qur’an, Heavens were mentioned before Earth and this will be explained and discussed later through verses of the Qur’an.

      Question – When were the angels created?

Answer – They were created before Adam as described in the Qur’an.

      Question – There are requests by the audience to specify an episode on Paradise?

Answer – This will be discussed in detail through Qura’n and Sunnah after finalizing the episodes of Death and Judgment and the tranquility or torture that might follow them.

 Question – What is the world of posterity?

Answer – Allah said in Surat Al-Aaraf: “And (remember) when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed (or from Adam’s loin his offspring) and made them testify as to themselves (saying): "Am I not your Lord?" They said: "Yes! We testify," lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: "Verily, we have been unaware of this." Allah created the posterity and made them testify as to themselves of the Oneness of Allah, i.e, the man testified the Oneness of Allah before his being on earth as stated before in last episode.

      Question – How can we differentiate between Satanic temptation and self insinuation?

Answer – If the insinuation urges one to carry out a specific misconduct then it is from one’s self.  On the other hand, Satanic temptation insinuates one to indulge in various forms of sin like stealing, killing, or not praying.

      Question – Is Man endowed with free will or is he deprived the choice of option?

Answer – Allah’s Will dominates Man’s life, but when it comes to issues of Faith and worshipping, it is Man’s free will at play here. Allah (SWT) says “There is no compulsion in religion” and “Then whosoever wills, let him believe; and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve.”

      Question – Are Satan and Jinn the same kind of creatures?

Answer – Shaitan (Satan) and Jinn are different. There is also Ifrit, which is the smartest, strongest, and fastest of Jinn. Allah (SWT) says “An ‘Ifrît (strong jinni) from the jinn said: "I will bring it to you before you rise from your place (council). And verily, I am indeed strong, and trustworthy for such work." While in describing Satan Allah (SWT) says “Ever feeble indeed is the plot of Shaitân (Satan).”

      Question – Does supplication alter our destiny?

Answer – It is destiny when supplication wards off calamities. Thus it is essentially Allah’s destiny for us, and supplication cannot change that. It takes firm belief on the Muslim’s part to believe that Allah’s destiny cannot change.  

      Question – Allah (SWT) created Satan; the core of Man’s troubles. Why would he be going to Hell if he was doing his job?

Answer – We cannot question why Allah (SWT) created Angels, Jinn, or Man since Allah (SWT) stated clearly in Qur’an “And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).”

      Question – What is the difference between “Qaber” and “Lahed”?  (being both Arabic synonyms for grave).

Answer – A “qaber” is the place where the dead body is, be it on a crashed plane or in the sea, it is a “qaber” as long as the body, or its remains are in it. A “lahed” on the other hand, is the place that you actually dig in order to bury the dead body that nothing of it would remain “on” the surface of earth.

      Question – Is eternal Paradise where Adam lived?

Answer- No. The paradise where Adam lived was a garden on earth. People misinterpret the verse where Allah (SWT) says: “Then the Shaitan (Satan) made them slip from (the Paradise), and got them out from that in which they were. We said: "Get you down, all, with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment for a time." “To go down” is the same expression used in a different verse in which Allah (SWT) addressed the Jews saying “Go you down to any town and you shall find what you want!" Thus “going down” here is merely moving from one place to the other that is less in worth but not necessarily lower. And the fact to validate that is that when Adam was first mentioned in Qur’an Allah (SWT) says: “Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth”

      Question – It is said that in Ramadan Paradise’s gates are opened and Hell’s gates are closed. Does that mean that whoever dies in Ramadan goes to Paradise?

Answer – It is not accurate to claim that Hell’s gates are closed in Ramadan.[6]

      This episode was broadcasted on 14^th March 2004.

Comments by the translator:

1.     The translation in English was divided into sections, though this is not clearly marked in the Arabic reciprocal, so that division was discarded.

2.     When there is somehow a lack of logical order, or unnecessary repetition, as is sometimes the case in spoken speech as contrary to written one, does the translator have the liberty to bring back order to the text?