http://www.wefound.org/ Your website to success through authentic knowledge of Islâm and Da'wah according to the Qur’ân and the Sunnah.
By
Shadiah Hamza Sheikh, Ph. D.
(Dr.
Shadiah Hamza Sheikh
is the Dean of the English Department, King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia. She is one of the Wisdom Enrichment Foundation’s International Board
of Advisers. An
active da’iyah, the Author has been giving Islamic lectures to women
expatriates from various countries in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This brief account
of the Prophet’s life is a summary of one of her public lectures, which she
delivered in 1996 at the Riyadh Military Hospital Jaliat (Call and Guidance)
Center for Women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.)
Those who believe in the oneness of Allah and His Messenger Muhammad (s.a.w.),
including all obligations ordered by Islam, and do the righteous good deeds,
their reward with their Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) is “Eden Paradise” --
i.e., gardens of eternity, underneath which, rivers flow, they will abide
therein forever.
On the other hand those who
disbelieve in the religion of Islam, the Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.),
from among the people of scripture (Jews and Christians) and Al-Mushrikun
will abide in the fire of Hell. (Al Bayyinah 6-8)
1.
Dying saying “La Ilah Illa Allah” will automatically enter one
Paradise.
2.
Dying on a Friday “Whoever dies on a Friday, Allah prevents him from
the grave trial” (Ahmed and Turmithi)
3.
Dying in Jihad, which also includes dying guarding soldiers fighting for
Allah’s cause
4.
Dying giving Da’wah (guiding) to the rulers.
5.
Dying defending one’s money, women or oneself.
6.
Dying in child birth.
7.
Dying with a plague.
8.
Reading Surah Tabarak would ease the grave trial.
Reward and punishment of a person is
shown to him the minute of his death. Ibn Al Bar’a narrated a long Hadith
about that, saying that the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) told Assahaba:
“When a pious (mu’min) is about to die, the angel of death
would sit near his head, show him his place in heaven and says to his soul (O
you the one in complete rest and satisfaction come back to your Rabb (Cherisher
and Sustainer), to God’s forgiveness and Paradise.” (Al Fajr 27-28)
Angels descend with a shroud and
perfume from heaven, and the angel of death, then, takes the soul puts it in the
shroud and perfume and pass it to the angels to ascend with it to heaven. When
they pass it to the first heaven, other angels ask: “Whose good soul is it?”
They reply: “It is so and so, would you let it ascend to the next heaven?”
They would not only agree, but also join them in ascending it to the higher
heaven, and so on until they reach the seventh heaven, where Allah tells his
angels to register the pious in illiyyun (nearest to Allah) and take his
soul back to his body in his grave. The grave trial then starts.
Two stern and severe angels would ask
the deceased: “Who was he worshipping, they would shout (frightening him) who
is your God? What is your religion and who is your Prophet? He would answer,
“Allah is my God, Islam is my religion and Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) is my Prophet.”
At that time a voice from heaven would call, “Open a door in heaven for
him”, and a good looking man would tell him the good news of Allah granting
him paradise. Then he shows him his place in heaven. That good looking man is
the person’s deeds.
As
far as the Kafir (non-believer) is concerned, the same happens except the angel
of death would take his soul violently and the angels in every heaven would ask:
“Whose stinky soul is it?” Then the gates of heaven are never opened to him:
“Those
who believe our Ayat, and treat them with arrogance, for them the gates of
heaven will not be opened and they will not enter Paradise until the camel goes
through the eye of the needle .” (Al
A’araf 40)
Angels then take his soul back to his
body and the two severe angels would squeeze him asking the
same questions, and every time the deceased would not know the answer, and the
grave would tighten and squeeze him until his ribs overlap. An ugly man (his bad
deeds) shows him his place in hell and hits him hard on the head so hard
that he becomes dust and Allah returns him as he was, then he hits him
again and so on until the day of judgment.
The
Inhabitants of Hell:
Hell has seven gates, every one is
assigned for a specific class of sinners: “And surely Hell is the promised
place for them all, it has seven gates, for each of those gates is a special
class of sinners assigned.” (Al Hijr 42-43)
Its depth is so extensive that it
would take a stone thrown in it 70 years for it to reach the bottom. And its
fuel is evil and hard hearted people, Jinn, stones and idols that were
worshipped instead of Allah.
After judgement, people will be sent
to Hell or Paradise, according to their deeds. Then Allah would save those who
guarded against evil.
1.
Hypocrites -- “Indeed the
hypocrites will be in the lowest depth of
the fire “(An- Nisa:145)
2.
Polytheists --
“Those who reject the truth among the people of the Book and the
polytheists will be in the fire of Hell, dwelling therein forever. They are the
worst creatures.” (Bayyinah: 5-6)
3.
Sinners and criminals --
“Indeed the criminals will be in the punishment of Hell, dwelling therein
forever. It will not be lightened for them and they will be overwhelmed there in
despair. (Zukhruf:74-76)
4.
Pharaoh, the wives of Lut and Nuh, Abu Lahab and his wife and Abu Talib.
5.
Those who are unjust --
“It will be said to those who were unjust: taste the eternal punishment. Are
you recompensed except for what you used
to earn “(Tawbah:63)
6.
Transgressors --
“For him who had transgressed and preferred the life of his world, indeed Hell
will be his shelter.” (Nazi’at 39)
7.
Tyrants -- “But they
asked victory and disappointment is the lot of every obstinate tyrant. In front
of him is Hell and is given pus to drink.” (Ibrahim:15-16)
8.
People of the Book who reject Islam.
9.
Murderers of Believers --
“And whoever kills a believer intentionally his recompense is Hell to
abide therein forever.” (Buruj 10)
10. Those who commit suicide.
11.
Women who were ungrateful: Imran bin Husayn narrated that Prophet (s.a.w.)
said “I looked into Paradise and saw that the majority of its inhabitants were
the poor, and I looked into Hell and saw that the majority of its inhabitants
were women who are ungrateful to their husbands.”
(Al Bukhari)
Paradise or Heaven has eight gates.
This was narrated in an authentic Hadith compiled by Imam Muslim that the
Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said “The opening of every gate is like forty years walking.
One of the gates is called “Al Rayyan” for fasting people.”
Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) said, that Allah says in a Hadith Qudsee:
“I have prepared for my good
slaves that which no human eye has seen, nor that of which no human ear has
heard, and nor that of which no human heart has thought of.”
The Prophet (s.a.w.) then recited “No person knows what is hidden from
them of joy as a reward for what they used to do.” (Al Sajdah 17)
Castles are made up of bricks: one
brick of gold and another of silver cemented with Musk (perfume), pearl and ruby
are its floor, and saffron is its grass. Its inhabitants live (dwell) forever
young and never bored. They will have Essah’s age, Ayyub’s patience, the
handsome and beautiful face of Yousef, and they will also have Muhammad’s
tongue (few words will have so many meanings).
The description of paradise which
the pious have been promised is that in it are rivers of water, the taste and
smell of which are not changed rivers of milk of which the taste never changes,
rivers of wine delicious to those who drink, and rivers of clarified honey
(clear honey). (Surah Muhammad:14)
As for Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) and
his followers’ river, it is called (Al Kawther). At-Tirmithi narrated
that the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: “While I was walking in heaven I came across a
river, its banks are gold, its mud is Musk, its water is sweeter than honey and
it is whiter than ice.”
More description of Paradise are to
be found in Surah Al Rahman 47-75 and Al Waqe’a 11-40.
Everyone must pass over Hell’s
fire, however, those who have taqwa (the fear of Allah, the restrain of
guarding of one’s self from evil, righteousness, piety and good conduct) will
be saved.
There
are actions which would protect one from Hell-fire.
The best among these deeds are salaah and jihad or
martyrdom for the sake of Allah the Almighty.
It
was narrated in a Hadeeth Qudsee, “The best thing my slave does
that gets him closer to me is obligatory salaat, and then if he does the nawafil
(supererogatory or extra prayers), I like him more. And if I like him, I protect
his hearing and his sight from going to haram things and anything he asks for, I
give him, and if he asks refuge from anything, I will protect him. I never
hesitate in anything which I do except when I take the Muslim’s soul away. He
hates death and I hate harming him.” (Bukhari)
Rewards
of Al Shaheed (Martyr) according to the Hadith (Tirmidhî and
Ahmad):
·
The
soul of the martyrs dwell in Paradise whenever they like.
·
All
the Shaheed’s sins and faults are forgiven with the first drop of blood
that comes out of his body.
·
He sees his place in Paradise and Allah
makes him intercede for 70 of his family.
·
He will not feel the grave trial: Martyrs
are the only people who are spared the grave trial.
·
He will not feel the agony of death.
·
He will not be horrified by the Great
Gathering on the day of Resurrection.
·
He does not feel the pain of the killing
except like that of a pinch.
·
Allah will marry him to Hur-al-een.
Finally,
let us pray together to Allah to “Let us live Muslims and die Muslims without
disgracing or subjecting us to temptations.”
We
ask You our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) to give us a merit in this world and
a merit in the here after, and to protect us from the agony of fire and make the
agony of death and grave trial easy for us.
O Allah! We ask You to raise the standing of Islam and Muslims and degrade the standing of Al-Kufr and Al-Kafirin. May the blessing and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), his family, his companions and followers.
Shadiah Hamza Sheikh, Ph. D.
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