Thursday 25 August 2011

The meaning of the pronoun “We” as used in the Qur’an

 

Why does the Quran use the term
"we" in its ayats?

Many non-believers believe that this may be in reference to Jesus?

Praise be to Allaah.

It is a feature of literary style in Arabic that a person may refer to
himself by the pronoun nahnu (we) for respect or glorification. He may also use the
word ana (I), indicating one person, or the third person huwa (he). All
three styles are used in the Qur’an, where Allaah addresses the Arabs in their own
tongue. (Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 4/143).

“Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, sometimes
refers to Himself in the singular, by name or by use of a pronoun, and sometimes by use of
the plural, as in the phrase (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Verily, We have given
you a manifest victory” [al-Fath 48:1], and other similar phrases. But Allaah never
refers to Himself by use of the dual, because the plural refers to the respect that He
deserves, and may refer to His names and attributes, whereas the dual refers to a specific
number (and nothing else), and He is far above that.” (Al-‘Aqeedah
al-Tadmuriyyah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, p. 75).

These words, innaa (“Verily We”) and nahnu
(“We”), and other forms of the plural, may be used by one person speaking on
behalf of a group, or they may be used by one person for purposes of respect or
glorification, as is done by some monarchs when they issue statements or decrees in which
they say “We have decided…” etc. [This is known in English as “The
Royal We” – Translator]. In such cases, only one person is speaking but the
plural is used for respect. The One Who is more deserving of respect than any other is
Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, so when He says in the Qur’an innaa
(“Verily We”) and nahnu (“We”), it is for respect and
glorification, not to indicate plurality of numbers. If an aayah of this type is causing
confusion, it is essential to refer to the clear, unambiguous aayaat for clarification,
and if a Christian, for example, insists on taking ayaat such as “Verily, We: it
is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e., the Qur’an)” [al-Hijr 15:9 –
interpretation of the meaning] as proof of divine plurality, we may refute this claim
by quoting such clear and unambiguous aayaat as (interpretation of the meanings): “And
your god is One God, there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He, the Most
Beneficent, the Most Merciful” [al-Baqarah 2:163] and “Say: He is Allaah,
the One” [al-Ikhlaas 112:1] – and other aayaat which can only be interpreted
in one way. Thus confusion will be dispelled for the one who is seeking the truth. Every
time Allaah uses the plural to refer to Himself, it is based on the respect and honour
that He deserves, and on the great number of His names and attributes, and on the great
number of His troops and angels.” (Reference: Al-‘Aqeedah
al-Tadmuriyyah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, p. 109). And Allaah
knows best.

 

Commentary on the verse “so wherever you turn (yourselves or your faces) there is the Face of Allaah”

 

Could you explain the following ayaah? If Allah is above the heavens, why is Allah face there wherever you face?


I am only asking this because I was explaining that Allah was above the heavens to somebody, and he qouted this ayah; I could not respond to him after that.


Al-Baqarah - 2:115


And to Allâh belong the east and the west, so wherever you turn yourselves or your faces there is the Face of Allâh (and He is High above, over His Throne). Surely! Allâh


is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knowing.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Firstly: 

We are obliged to believe that Allaah has risen
above His throne in a manner that befits His majesty, not in a manner that resembles human movement, and to believe that Allaah has a Face that is
not like the faces of His creation. 

So we should not go astray when interpreting
verses and we must not distort their meanings; we should follow the views of the righteous salaf concerning that. 

With regard to the tafseer (commentary) on this
verse, Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: 

If you ask whether every mention of the wajh
(face) with reference to Allaah means the Face of Allaah which is one of His attributes, the answer is that this is the basic principle. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And turn not away those who invoke their
Lord, morning and afternoon seeking His Face”

[al-An’aam 6:52]. 

“And who has (in mind) no favour from anyone
to be paid back,

Except to seek the Countenance of his Lord,
the Most High.

He surely, will be pleased (when he will
enter Paradise)”

[al-Layl 92:19-21] 

And there are other similar verses. 

The basic principle is that what is meant by
wajh is the Face of Allaah which is one of His attributes. But there is a verse concerning which the mufassireen differed, which is this verse
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“And to Allaah belong the east and the west,
so wherever you turn (yourselves or your faces) there is the Face of Allaah”

[al-Baqarah 2:115] 

Some of them said that what is meant by wajh here is
direction, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“For every nation there is a direction to
which they face (in their prayers)”

[al-Baqarah 2:148] 

So what is meant by wajh here is
direction, so “there is the wajh of Allaah” means there is the direction of prayer which Allaah accepts. 

They said: because when travelling, if a person
offers naafil prayers he can pray in whatever direction he is facing. 

But the correct view is that what is meant by
wajh here is the Face of Allaah. So wherever you turn there is the Face of Allaah, because Allaah encompasses all things, and because it was
proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that when the worshipper stands to pray, Allaah in front of him. Hence it
is forbidden for the worshipper to spit in front of him, because Allaah is in front of him. So if you pray in a place where you do not know where
the qiblah is, but you do your best to figure it out and pray, and the qiblah is in fact behind you, then Allaah is in front of you even in this
situation. 

This is the correct meaning which is in
accordance with the apparent meaning of the verse, and the first meaning does not in fact contradict it. 

So the two meanings do not contradict one
another. 

It should be noted that this mighty Face which
is described in terms of majesty and honour cannot be fully encompassed by human descriptions and imagination. Rather everything that you can
think of, Allaah is above that and is greater. 

“but they will never compass anything of His
Knowledge”

[Ta-Ha 20:110 – interpretation of the
meaning] 

With regard to the verse (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“Everything will perish save His Face”

[al-Qasas 28:88] 

What this means is that everything will perish except His Essence of which s His Face is one of
the attributes. 

Sharh al-‘Aqeedah al-Waasitiyyah
by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 1/243-245. 

We should not compare the Creator to His
creation and imagine Him in terms of His creation, for Allaah is as He has said of Himself (interpretation of the meaning): 

“There is nothing like Him”

[al-Shoora 42:11] 

So Allaah has risen above His Throne, and He
faces the worshipper when he prays, and there is no contradiction between them with regard to Allaah. 

Some people were similarly confused about the
issue of Allaah descending during the last third of the night to the lowest heaven. They said that the night is not the same throughout the earth,
so how can Allaah descend during the night and day at the same time? 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: 

Later generations who knew that the earth is
round and that the sun revolves around the earth said: how can He descend during the last third of the night, when the last third of the night
moves from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and goes to Europe and areas nearby? We say: now you are comparing the attributes of Allaah to the
attributes of created beings. If you believe it you do not have to do anything beyond that, so do not ask how. 

Rather say: When it is the last third of the
night in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, then Allaah descends, and when it is the last third of the night in America, Allaah descends then as well. 

So our attitude is that we believe what has reached us via Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him), and that Allaah descends to the lowest heaven when there is one third of the night left, and says, “Who will call upon Me,
that I may answer him? Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will ask My forgiveness that I may forgive him?”  

Sharh al-Waasitiyyah,
2/437. 

And Allaah knows best.

Tafseer of the aayah “And you might have seen the sun, when it rose, declining…”

 

Please explain the following verse.


“And you might have seen the sun, when it rose, declining to the right from their Cave, and when it set, turning away from them to the left, while they lay in the midst of the Cave. That is (one) of the Ayaat (proofs, evidences, signs) of Allaah. He whom Allaah guides, he is the rightly-guided; but he whom He sends astray, for him you will find no Wali (guiding friend) to lead him (to the Right Path)”
[al-Kahf 18:17 –interpretation of the meaning]


Praise
be to Allaah. 

Shaykh Ibn Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Allaah protected them from the sun, so He guided them
to go into a cave, and when the sun rose it declined to the right and
when it set it declined to the left, so that its heat would not reach
them and cause their bodies to decay. 

“while they lay in the midst of the Cave” 

i.e., in the middle of the cave which was a spacious
area. That was so that they might have some air and breezes, and so
that they would not decay or disintegrate in a narrow space, especially
since they remained there for so long. This was one of the Signs of
Allaah which points to His power and His mercy towards them, and it
was a response to their prayers, and guided them and took care of them.
Hence Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“He whom Allaah guides, he is the rightly-guided”,
i.e., there is no way to attain true guidance except from Allaah, for
He is the true Guide who shows the way to that which is best in this
world and in the Hereafter. 

“but he whom He sends astray, for him you will find
no Wali (guiding friend) to lead him”

i.e., you will not
find anyone to help him or guide him towards that which is good for
him, because Allaah has decreed that he is to be misguided and there
is none who can overturn His ruling. 

See Tayseer al-Kareem al-Rahmaan, p. 472.

 

What are the "good righteous deeds that last"?

 

What are the "good righteous deeds that last" that are mentioned in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):


"But the good righteous deeds that last, are better with your Lord for rewards and better in respect of hope"[al-Kahf 18:46]?

Praise
be to Allaah.  

Al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:

The scholarly opinions concerning the "good righteous
deeds that last" all boil down to one thing: they are all actions
which are pleasing to Allaah, whether we say that they are the five
daily prayers, as was narrated from a group of the salaf, including
Ibn 'Abbaas, Sa'eed ibn Jubayr, Abu Maysarah and 'Umar ibn Sharhabeel;
or that it means [the phrases], "Subhaan-Allaah wa'l-hamdu Lillaah
wa laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, wa Allaahu akbar, wa laa hawla wa laa quwwata
illa Billaah il'Ali il-'Azeem (Glory be to Allaah, praise be to
Allaah, there is no god but Allaah, Allaah is most great and there is
no power and no strength except in Allaah, the Exalted, the Almighty)".
This is the view of the majority of scholars. Indication of that was
narrated in marfoo' ahaadeeth narrated from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri, Abu'l-Darda',
Abu Hurayrah, al-Nu'maan ibn Basheer and 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased
with them).

This phrase, "the good righteous deeds that will
last" is a general phrase which includes the five daily prayers
and the five phrases mentioned above (Subhaan-Allaah, etc), as
well as other deeds which are pleasing to Allaah, because they will
abide and will not fade away or vanish like the adornments of the life
of this world, and because they are also done in the manner that pleases
Allaah…

The benefit of the parables in the Qur’aan

 

We see many parables coined in the Qur’aan. What is the benefit of these parables?

Praise
be to Allaah.  

Shaykh al-Shanqeeti
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his commentary on the aayah (interpretation
of the meaning): 

“And indeed We have
put forth every kind of example in this Qur’aan, for mankind. But, man
is ever more quarrelsome than anything” [al-Kahf 18:54] 

In this and similar parables in the Qur’aan there are
great lessons and rebukes which make the truth clear, but no one can
understand their meaning except people who have knowledge, as Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And these similitudes
We put forward for mankind; but none will understand them except those
who have knowledge (of Allaah and His Signs)” [al-‘Ankaboot 29:43] 

Part of the wisdom behind putting forth these parables
is to make people think, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):                                                                                                  

“Such are the parables
which We put forward to mankind that they may reflect” [al-Hashr 59:21] 

Elsewhere Allaah explains that by means of these parables
and their explanation of the truth, Allaah guides some people and sends
others astray, as He says in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Verily, Allaah is
not ashamed to set forth a parable even of a mosquito or so much more
when it is bigger (or less when it is smaller) than it. And as for those
who believe, they know that it is the Truth from their Lord, but as
for those who disbelieve, they say: ‘What did Allaah intend by this
parable?’ By it He misleads many, and many He guides thereby. And He
misleads thereby only those who are Al-Faasiqoon (the rebellious, disobedient
to Allaah” [al-Baqarah 2:26] 

Undoubtedly those who respond to their Lord are those
who are wise and who ponder the meaning of the parables and they benefit
from the explanation of the truth contained therein; those who do not
respond to Him are those who do not ponder their meanings, and they
do not understand the truths that are explained to them. 

The first group are those of whom Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning): 

“and many He guides
thereby” [al-Baqarah 2:26] 

The second group are those of whom He says (interpretation
of the meaning): 

“By it He misleads many” [al-Baqarah 2:26] 

And He says of them (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And He misleads thereby
only those who are Al-Faasiqoon (the rebellious, disobedient to Allaah”
[al-Baqarah 2:26]” 

 

 

Monday 15 August 2011

A British boy is asking why the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) chose the five pillars

 

Why did Muhammed choose the five pillars ?

Praise be to
Allaah.

This
question caught our attention, because it indicates that you have an
interest in the religion of Islam and in the Prophet of Islam. We congratulate
you for this interest and your keenness to find out about these things
from trustworthy sources.  Perhaps this question will open the
way for you to reach the path of truth, for Allaah is the Guide to the
Straight Path. Here is the answer : 

Muhammad

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the Prophet whom Allaah
sent to all of mankind, to bring them forth from the darkness of polytheism
and disbelief to the light of guidance and Islam. Allaah commanded him
to call people to worship Allaah alone, with no partner or associate,
and to enjoin good characteristics upon them, such as generosity, courage,
honouring one’s guest, treating neighbours kindly, obeying one’s parents,
respecting the old and being compassionate towards the young, guiding
those who are misguided, showing mercy to the poor and needy, helping
those who are in need, helping those who are troubled, relieving those
who are in distress, and other kinds of good characteristics… and to
forbid polytheism, disbelief and evil characteristics and actions such
as adultery, lying, treachery, deceit, disobedience to parents, wrongdoing,
etc. See question # 219.

 With
regard to the pillars of Islam, it should be noted – may Allaah guide
you – that the Messenger

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was commanded to convey
that which Allaah revealed to him, without adding anything or taking
anything away. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“It is only a Revelation revealed”

[al-Najm
53:4]. 

It
is impossible for the Messenger

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to tell lies about Allaah.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And
if he (Muhammad) had forged a false saying concerning Us (Allaah),

We
surely would have seized him by his right hand (or with power and might),

And
then We certainly would have cut off his life artery (aorta),

And
none of you could have withheld Us from (punishing) him”

[al-Haaqqah
:44-47] 

If
we examine the five pillars of Islam, we will see that they vary. The
first pillar – the Shahaadatayn or twin testimony of faith –
combines action of the heart (belief) with action of the tongue (words).
The second pillar – prayer – means doing a physical action which connects
a person to his Lord at various times of the night and day. The third
pillar, fasting, is an act of worship which involves refraining from
food, drink, intercourse and all actions that break the fast, from dawn
till sunset. So the Muslim fasts to worship Allaah, and also to feel
how his poor brothers feel. The fourth pillar is zakaah, which is a
financial action, whereby the Muslim who is able to do so gives part
of his wealth to his poor and needy brothers. The fifth pillar is Hajj
(pilgrimage), which is an action that combines spending money and physical
effort. If you think about these five pillars, you will see great wisdom
behind them. Islam is based on submission to Allaah alone, and giving
up associating anything or anyone else with Him. It also teaches that
Allaah should not be worshipped in any way other than the ways that
He has prescribed. There are some people for whom it is easy to do physical
actions but it is hard for them to spend money, so zakaah is a test
for such people. Some people find it easy to spend a lot of money but
it is difficult for them to make physical efforts,  so prayer is
a test for them. Some people find it easy to pray and pay zakaah, but
it is hard for them to give up the food, drink and physical pleasures
that they enjoy, so fasting is a test for them. And Hajj may combine
spending money with physical effort… and other praiseworthy reasons
behind these acts of worship.

 These
pillars were revealed from Allaah, and conveyed to us by the trustworthy
Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Muslims accept them
and carry them out. We ask Allaah to guide us all.

 

Belief in the Books and Messengers

 

Who are the Prophets who were sent by Allaah? What are the Books which were sent down with them?

Praise be to
Allaah.

When Allaah sent Adam down to the earth and
his descendents spread out, He did not forsake them. Rather He gave
them provision and sent down to him and his descendents revelation.
So some of them believed and some of them disbelieved: 

“And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community,
nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): ‘Worship Allaah (Alone), and avoid
(or keep away from) Taaghoot (all false deities, i.e. do not worship
Taaghoot besides Allaah).’ Then of them were some whom Allaah guided
and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified”[al-Nahl
16:36 – interpretation of the meaning] 

There are four heavenly books which Allaah
sent down. They are the Tawraat (Torah),  Injeel (Gospel), Zaboor
(Psalms)and the Qur’aan: 

“It is He Who has sent down the
Book (the Qur’aan) to you (Muhammad) with truth, confirming what came
before it. And He sent down the Tawraat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:3 – interpretation of the meaning]

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“and to Dawood (David) We gave the
Zaboor (Psalms)”

[al-Israa’ 17:55] 

The Prophets and Messengers were many, and
no one knows their number except Allaah. Among them are those of whom
Allaah has told us, and some of whom He has not told us: 

“And Messengers We have mentioned to you before, and
Messengers We have not mentioned to you”[al-Nisaa’ 4:164 – interpretation
of the meaning] 

It is obligatory to believe in all the Books
which Allaah has revealed and in all the Prophets and Messengers whom
Allaah has sent, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“O you who believe! Believe in Allaah, and His Messenger
(Muhammad), and the Book (the Qur’aan) which He has sent down to His
Messenger, and the Scripture which He sent down to those before (him);
and whosoever disbelieves in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers,
and the Last Day, then indeed he has strayed far away”[al-Nisaa’ 4:136] 

Rasool (Messenger) and Nabi (Prophet) are
two names with the same meaning, which is someone whom Allaah sent to
call the people to worship Allaah alone, one of the Prophets and Messengers
whom Allaah chose and sent to His slaves to convey His religion: 

“Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of
warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allaah after
the (coming of) Messengers”[al-Nisaa’ 4:165 – interpretation of the
meaning] 

The Prophets and Messengers are many, of whom
Allaah has mentioned twenty five in the Qur’aan, and we are obliged
to believe in all of them. They are: Aadam, Idrees, Nooh, Hood, Saalih,
Ibraaheem, Loot, Ismaa’eel, Ishaaq, Ya’qoob, Yoosuf, Shu’ayb, Ayyoob,
Dhu’l-Kifl, Moosa, Haaroon, Dawood, Sulaymaan, Ilyaas, al-Yasa’, Yoonus,
Zakariyya, Yahyaa, ‘Eesa and Muhammad – blessings and peace be upon
them all. 

The Qur’aan is the greatest and last of the
heavenly Books, and it abrogates the books which came before it and
is a witness over them, so we must follow it and ignore those which
came before it:

 “And We have sent down to you (O
Muhammad) the Book (this Qur’aan) in truth, confirming the Scripture
that came before it and Mohaymin (trustworthy in highness and a witness)
over it (old Scriptures). So judge among them by what Allaah has revealed”[al-Maa’idah
5:48 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Allaah chose Messengers and Prophets from
among the sons of Adam, and sent them to each nation, and commanded
them to call them to worship Allaah alone and to explain the ways which
would bring happiness in this world and in the Hereafter, and to bring
glad tidings of Paradise to those who believed and the warning of Hell
to those who disbelieved: 

“And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community,
nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): ‘Worship Allaah (Alone), and avoid
(or keep away from) Taaghoot (all false deities, i.e. do not worship
Taaghoot besides Allaah).’ Then of them were some whom Allaah guided
and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified”[al-Nahl
16:36 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Allaah preferred some of the Prophets and
Messengers over others. The best of them are the “Messengers of strong
will” who are Nooh, Ibraaheem, Moosa, ‘Eesa and Muhammad; and the best
of the Messengers of strong will is Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). For each Prophet was sent
only to his own people, until Allaah sent Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to all of mankind. He is
the last and the best of the Prophets and Messengers, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“And We have not sent you (O Muhammad) except as a
giver of glad tidings and a warner to all mankind, but most of men know
not”[Saba’ 34:28 – interpretation of the meaning] 

The Prophets and Messengers were chosen by
Allaah to be an example to their nations. He taught them, guided them
and honoured them with the Message; He protected them from falling into
sin and supported them with miracles. So they are the most perfect of
humanity both physically and in their attitude, the best of them in
knowledge, the most truthful in speech, the most exemplary in the life
they lived. Allaah says of them (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And We made them leaders, guiding (mankind) by Our
Command, and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds, performing
Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah), and the giving of Zakaah and
of Us (Alone) they were the worshippers”[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:73] 

Because the Prophets and Messengers reached
such a high status of obedience and good character [?], Allaah has commanded
us to take them as an example. Allaah says ((interpretation of the meaning): 

“They are those whom Allaah had guided. So follow
their guidance”[al-An’aam 6:90] 

All of the characteristics of the Prophets
and Messengers were combined in our Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and Allaah honoured him
by instilling in him the noblest characteristics. Therefore Allaah stated
that his example is to be followed in all situations: 

“Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah
(Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the
Meeting with) Allaah and the Last Day, and remembers Allaah much

[al-Ahzaab 33:21 – interpretation of the meaning]

Belief in all the Prophets and Messengers
is one of the pillars of Islamic belief (‘aqeedah), without which the
faith of the Muslim cannot be complete, because they all preached the
same message, which is belief in Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning): 

“Say (O Muslims): ‘We believe in Allaah and that
which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to
Ibraaheem (Abraham), Ismaa’eel (Ishmael), Ishaaq (Isaac), Ya‘qoob (Jacob),
and to Al-Asbaat [the offspring of the twelve sons of Ya‘qoob (Jacob)],
and that which has been given to Moosa (Moses) and ‘Isa (Jesus), and
that which has been given to the Prophets from their Lord. We make no
distinction between any of them, and to Him we have submitted (in Islam)’”
[al-Baqarah 2:136] 

The first of the Prophets and the first of the Messengers

 

i wouldlike to know if adam-ali-is-salaam was a prophet and if he was not who was our first prophet ,basicily the origen and the history of islam

Praise be to
Allaah.

Adam
(peace be upon him) was the first of the Prophets, as it says in the
hadeeth narrated by Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh, that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) was asked about Adam – was he a Prophet? He said, “yes,
a Prophet to whom Allaah spoke.” But he was not a Messenger, because
of the hadeeth about intercession in which it says that the people will
go to Nooh and say to him, “You are the first Messenger whom Allaah
sent to the earth.” 

This text clearly indicates that Nooh was the first
of the Messengers. And Allaah knows best. 

Majmoo’
Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 1/317. 

Adam
the father of mankind was a Prophet, so he was the first of the Prophets.

 

The superiority of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to all of creation

 

I believe for sure that Rasulu'LLah Muhammad(swa) Is the best of all the prophets(asw) . But is there any envidence in the Quran or Sunna to support this ? There is an aya in quran which says 'we(i) don't diffetiance(nufariq) amoung them(the prophets). 

Praise be to Allaah.

(1)    
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“We
make no distinction between one another of His Messengers”

[al-Baqarah
2:285]. 

Ibn
Katheer said in his Tafseer of this aayah:

The believers believe in all the Prophets and Messengers,
and the books revealed from heaven to the slaves of Allaah, the Messengers
and Prophets; they do not differentiate between any of them, believing
in some and rejecting others. Rather they regard all of them as truthful,
righteous, rightly-guided and guiding to the path of goodness, even
though some of them abrogated the laws of others, until all of them
were abrogated by the sharee’ah of Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets
and Messengers, upon whose sharee’ah the Hour will cone.(Tafseer
Ibn Katheer, 1/736) 

With
regard to the superiority of some of the Prophets over one another,
Allaah has told us of this, when He said (interpretation of the meaning):

“Those
Messengers! We preferred some of them to others; to some of them Allaah
spoke (directly); others He raised to degrees (of honour)”[al-Baqarah
2:253] 

Allaah tells us that some of
them are several degrees above others, hence the chosen ones among the
Messengers are “those of strong will”. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):

“And
(remember) when We took from the Prophets their covenant, and from you
(O Muhammad), and from Nooh (Noah), Ibraaheem (Abraham), Moosaa (Moses),
and ‘Eesa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary). We took from them a strong covenant”[al-Ahzaab
33:7] 

And
Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the best of them. This
is indicated by the fact that he was their imaam on the night of the
Mi’raaj, because no one but the best is put forward. More evidence that
he is the best of them comes from Abu Hurayrah, who said: “The Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘I will be the leader of the sons of Adam
on the Day of Resurrection, and the first one for whom the grave will
be opened, and the first to intercede, and the first whose intercession
will be accepted.’”

(Narrated
by Muslim, al-Fadaa’il, 4223) 

Al-Nawawi
said in his commentary on Saheeh Muslim:

The
phrase “I will be the leader of the sons of Adam on the Day of Resurrection
and the first one for whom the grave will be opened, and the first to
intercede, and the first whose intercession will be accepted”: al-Harawi
said: the leader (sayyid) is the one who surpasses his people
in goodness. Someone else said: He is the one to whom they turn at times
of calamity and hardship, so he takes care of them, carries their burdens
and protects them.

The
phrase “the Day of Resurrection” – even though he is their leader in
this world and in the Hereafter. The reason for this specific mention
is that on the Day of Resurrection his position of leadership will become
apparent to everyone, and there will no longer be anyone who disputes
or stubbornly rejects it, unlike the case in this world when the kings
of the kuffaar and the leaders of the mushrikeen competed with him.
The scholars said, he (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not say ““I will be the leader
of the sons of Adam” out of pride. Indeed, that is clearly stated in
the famous hadeeth narrated by compilers other than Muslim: “I will
be the leader of the sons of Adam, and I am not boasting.” Rather, he
said it for two reasons. The first was in obedience to the command of
Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): “And proclaim the Grace of your
Lord”, and the second was that it was part of the message that he was
commanded to convey in totality to his ummah so that they would
acknowledge his status and believe in him, and do as he commanded, and
respect him (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) as required by his status and as Allaah commanded
them. This hadeeth implies that he is superior to all of creation, because
the view of Ahl al-Sunnah is that human beings, i.e., the people of
obedience and piety, are superior to the angels, and he
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is superior to human beings
and to others. With regard to the other hadeeth – “Do not differentiate
between the Prophets” – it may be responded to in five ways. The first
is that he (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said this before he knew that he was the leader
of the sons of Adam; then when he came to know he spoke of it. The second
is that he said it out of politeness and humility. The third is that
the prohibition refers to the kind of differentiation that leads to
undermining the position of the one who is less preferred. The fourth
is that the prohibition applies to the kind of differentiation that
leads to dispute and fitnah (tribulation), as is well known in the reason
for the hadeeth. The fifth is that the prohibition applies only in the
case of prophethood itself, not to superiority within the ranks of the
Prophets; rather, it applies to superiority in characteristics and other
virtues, so it is essential to believe in that. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):

“Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others…”

[al-Baqarah
2:253]

And
Allaah knows best. 

The
characteristics of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) confirm that he is superior
to the rest of the Messengers. We will mention some of them which are
narrated in the Qur’aan and Sunnah: 

Allaah
has singled out the Qur’aan, to the exclusion of other Books, to be
preserved. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily,
We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’aan) and surely,
We will guard it (from corruption)”

[al-Hijr
15:9]

In the case of
the other Books, Allaah entrusted their protection to their people.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning]

“Verily,
We did send down the Tawraat (Torah) [to Moosa (Moses)], therein was
guidance and light, by which the Prophets, who submitted themselves
to Allaah’s Will, judged for the Jews. And the rabbis and the priests
[too judged for the Jews by the Tawraat (Torah) after those Prophets],
for to them was entrusted the protection of Allaah’s Book, and they
were witnesses thereto

[al-Maa’idah
5:44] 

He
is the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):

“Muhammad
is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allaah
and the last (end) of the Prophets”

[al-Ahzaab
33:40] 

He
is unique in that he was sent to all of mankind. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):

“Blessed
be He Who sent down the criterion (of right and wrong, i.e. this Qur’aan)
to His slave (Muhammad) that he may be a warner to the ‘Aalameen (mankind
and jinn)”

[al-Furqaan
25:1] 

Among
his unique characteristics in the Hereafter:

 He
will be the owner of the “position of praise and glory (al-maqaam
al-mahmood)” on the Day of Resurrection. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):

“And
in some parts of the night (also) offer the Salaah (prayer) with it
(i.e. recite the Qur’aan in the prayer) as an additional prayer (Tahajjud
optional prayer Nawaafil)
for you (O Muhammad). It may be that your Lord will raise you to Maqaam
Mahmood (a station of praise and glory, i.e., the honour of intercession
on the Day of Resurrection)”

[al-Israa’
17:78]

Ibn
Jareer said: most of the commentators said that is the position which
he (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) will occupy in order to intercede for the people on the
Day of Resurrection, to ask that their Lord might grant them respite
from the great hardship that they are suffering on this Day.” (Tafseer
Ibn Katheer, 5/103) 

And
he will be the leader of all of mankind on the Day of Resurrection,
as stated in the hadeeth quoted above.

 He
will be the first one to cross al-Siraat with his ummah.
Al-Bukhaari narrated a lengthy hadeeth concerning that from Abu Hurayrah,
in which it says, “… and I will be the first one among the Messengers
to lead his ummah across it.” (al-Adhaan, 764).

 Another
indication that he is the best of the Prophets is the fact that they
will not intercede, rather one of them will refer the people to another,
until ‘Eesa refers them to Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He will say, “I (will do
it),” then he will step forward to intercede for everyone, and the first
and the last will praise him for that, the Prophets and the rest of
mankind.

 His
unique characteristics, as mentioned in the ayaat and saheeh
ahaadeeth, are too many to mention in this brief summary; entire
books have been written on this topic.

 See
Kitaab Khasaa’is al-Mustafa
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) bayna al-Ghulw wa’l-Jafaa’
by al-Saadiq ibn Muhammad, 33-79

 To
sum up, we prefer our Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) over all the other Prophets
and over all of mankind, because of the evidence that has been narrated
concerning that, whilst also respecting the rights of the other Prophets
and Messengers and believing in them and respecting them. And Allaah knows best.

A child is asking why we have to love and respect our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) the most

 

Praise be to Allaah.

We welcome you to our
website and ask Allaah to cause you and all the children of the Muslims to
grow well; may He help your parents to give you a sound Islamic upbringing
so that you can carry the banner of faith and be heroes of this religion. 

I ask you: 

If you love to play, but your father tells you not to play at
certain times because of your studies, what would you do? If you truly love
your father, you will do as he asks, even though you love to play. 

If you are afraid that your father will punish you, and you
know that he punishes the one who does not listen to what he says, then you
will stop playing and go study. 

If you expect a gift or a reward from your father when you
study or do well, then you will stop yourself playing sometimes, and you
will put up with the trouble of studying, because of the reward you hope to
earn. 

The bounty of Allaah is greater than anything that our
fathers and mothers and all people can give us. All the good things that we
and our parents have come from Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“And whatever of blessings and good things you have, it is
from Allaah”

[al-Nahl 16:53] 

The reward that Allaah
has prepared for those who obey Him is the greatest of rewards: Paradise.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Allaah has promised those who believe (in the Oneness of
Allaah — Islamic Monotheism) and do deeds of righteousness, that for them
there is forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise)”

[al-Maa'idah 5:9] 

The punishment that He
has prepared for those who disobey Him is the worst of punishments. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And whosoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger
(Muhammad), and transgresses His limits, He will cast him into the Fire, to
abide therein; and he shall have a disgraceful torment”

[al-Nisa’ 4:14] 

Obeying Allaah can only be achieved by obeying His Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad), has indeed obeyed
Allaah, but he who turns away, then we have not sent you (O Muhammad) as a
watcher over them”

[al-Nisa’ 4:80]

So you can only enter Paradise by obeying the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). 

Al-Tirmidhi (2860) narrated that Jaabir (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) came out to us one day and said: “In my dream I saw
Jibreel by my head and Mikaa’eel at my feet. One of them said to the other:
‘Let us tell him an parable.’ He said: ‘Let your ears hear and let your
heart understand. The likeness of you and your ummah is that of a king who
took some land and built a house on it, then he placed a table therein and
sent a messenger inviting the people to come and eat. Some of them responded
to the messenger and others did not. Allaah is the king, the land is Islam,
the house is Paradise, and you, O Muhammad, are a messenger. Whoever
responds to you enters Islam, and whoever enters Islam will enter Paradise,
and whoever enters Paradise will eat what is therein.’”  See al-Silsilah
al-Saheehah by al-Albaani, 3595. 

Now you know why we have
to love the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
respect him the most. It is because he is the one who showed us the path to
Paradise. We cannot enter Paradise unless we follow him (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and follow his Sunnah. Paradise is the
greatest thing that the Muslim can hope for and strive for. 

Now I shall tell you of the practical way of expressing this
love and obedience: 

You must have heard the story of the Hijrah (migration) of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), from your
father or in the mosque where you pray, or from your teacher at school. I
ask you: 

If ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) did
not love the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) the
most, and also respect and obey him the most, would he have been able to
undertake this dangerous mission? 

Finally, we thank you for this important question and for
your keenness to learn. We have answered the question a little differently
in question no. [14250]. Please ask your father to explain this answer to
you. 

May Allaah help us all to reach the highest level of faith, and bring us to Paradise by His mercy.

 

Can humans see the angels and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when they are awake?

 

We held a march in the capital to support the Palestinian and Iraqi people against the Israeli and American occupations. After the march ended, I heard some of the brothers and sisters saying that they had seen Jibreel coming down from the sky, and they had seen the Prophet Muhammad (S) and many of the angels accompanying them and supporting this march. Could these visions be real, and are we obliged to believe them? Otherwise we may think badly of our Muslim brothers. As for me, I cannot believe it knowing that the people of Badr and the companions and the ten who were promised Paradise did not see the angels with their own eyes, and they did not see Jibreel. Can we say that this was just their imagination, i.e., they imagined that they saw something and it became something that they believed they had really seen with their eyes?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

We have explained the ruling on demonstrations in the answer
to question no. 11469; please read.

 Secondly: 

The blessings and salaams upon the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) should not be reduced to a single letter or
abbreviation. Whoever can write such a lengthy question is not incapable of
writing (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in full. We have
explained the ruling on writing these abbreviations in the answer to
question no. 47976; please read. 

Thirdly: 

The angels have been created from light, as was narrated by
Muslim (2996), and no one can claim to have seen them in their true form
unless he is a Prophet whose words are to be believed. As for those who see
them in human form, this is possible for both the common folk and the elite.
There are many such reports in the saheeh Sunnah, whether that happened
among this ummah or among the nations who came before. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
who was blessed with deep wisdom and understanding of religion, could not
bear to see Jibreel (peace be upon him) in his true form with which Allaah
created him, so how can these people bear it – even if we assume that they
saw him at all? 

Shaykh ‘Umar al-Ashqar said: 

Because the angels have
subtle bodies of light, people cannot see them, especially since Allaah has
not given our eyes the ability to see them. No one in this ummah has seen
the angels in their true form except the Messenger (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). He saw Jibreel twice in the form with which Allaah
created him. The texts indicate that humans can see angels if the angels
appear in human form. 

‘Aalam al-Malaa’ikah al-Abraar,
p. 11.

{Translator’s note: this book by ‘Umar al-Ashqar is available
in English under the title The World of the Noble Angels, published
by International Islamic Publishing House (IIPH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia} 

He also said, in the context of affirming the humanity of the
Messengers and refuting those who said that they were angels: 

It is difficult to see the angels. When the kuffaar demanded
to see the angels, and expected that the Messengers who were sent to them
should be angels, they did not understand the nature of the angels and they
did not know the difficulty and hardship that they might encounter as a
result of seeing them. 

Contacting the angels and seeing them is not something easy.
Although the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
the best of mankind and was physically and spiritually strong to a great
degree, when he saw Jibreel in his true form, he was stricken with immense
fear and fled back to his house with his heart trembling. He (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) suffered great hardship when the Revelation
came to him, hence Allaah said, refuting them (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“On the Day they will see the angels
no glad tidings will there be for the Mujrimoon (criminals, disbelievers,
polytheists, sinners) that day”

[al-Furqaan 25:22]  

That is because the
kuffaar only see the angels at the time of death or when the Divine
punishment descends, so when they are able to see angels, that is the day of
their doom. 

It was essential that human Messengers be sent, so that they
would be able to address mankind, and so that mankind would be able to learn
from them and understand. If Allaah had sent messengers from among the
angels to them, that would not have been possible.  

“And nothing prevented men from believing when the
guidance came to them, except that they said: ‘Has Allaah sent a man as
(His) Messenger?’

95. Say: ‘If there were on the earth, angels walking about
in peace and security, We should certainly have sent down for them from the
heaven an angel as a Messenger’”

[al-Isra’ 17:94, 95] 

But those who live on the earth are human, and the mercy and
wisdom of Allaah dictated that their Messengers should be of their own
kind. 

“Indeed, Allaah conferred a great favour on the believers
when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:164] 

Since humans cannot easily see the angels and learn from
them, this means that if Allaah had wanted to send an angel as a messenger
to mankind, He would have had to make him a man: 

“And had We appointed him an angel, We indeed would have
made him a man, and We would have certainly confused them in which they are
already confused (i.e. the Message of Prophet Muhammad)”

[al-An’aam 6:9] 

They would have been
confused because of his appearing in human form, and they would not have
been able to verify that he was an angel. As that is the case, there would
have been no point in sending angels as messengers in this manner, rather
sending angels as messengers in this manner would not have achieved the
intended aim, because an angel-messenger would not be able to feel what
humans feel, and share their emotions and reactions, even if he appeared in
their form. 

Al-Rusul wa’l-Risaalaat, 72, 73.

{Translator’s note: This book by ‘Umar al-Ashqar is available
in English under the title The Messengers and the Messages, published
by International Islamic Publishing House (IIPH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia} 

Fourthly: 

With regard to seeing the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) when one is awake, this is akin to Sufi myths, and
there is no basis for that in sharee’ah or in real life. Tremendous events
befell the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) after the death of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and they were in
the greatest need of seeing him among them, so why did he not appear to
them, and why did they not see him when he was the dearest of people to them
and they were the dearest of people to him? 

With regard to some of them quoting the hadeeth that is
narrated in al-Saheehayn from the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) – that he said, “Whoever sees me in a dream will see
me when he is awake” – as evidence that it is possible to see the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when one is awake, there is
nothing in this hadeeth to support what they say. Rather it is glad tidings
to the one who sees him in a dream, that he will see him in Paradise. It
does not mean that he will see him when he is awake in this world. 

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Some of the righteous
erred and claimed that it is possible to see him with one’s own eyes. 

Fath al-Baari, 12/384. 

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, concerning the
meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), “he will see me when he is awake”, there are a number of opinions
concerning this. 

1 – That what is meant is
the people of his own time, i.e., that whoever saw him in a dream and had
not migrated, Allaah would enable him to migrate and to see him with his own
eyes when he was awake.

2 – That he would see the confirmation of that dream whilst
awake in the Hereafter, because all of his ummah will see him in the
Hereafter.

3 – That he will see him in a specific sense in the
Hereafter, by being close to him and attaining his intercession, and so on. 

Sharh Muslim, 15/26 

What al-Nawawi mentioned in the first opinion is not
contradicted by the opinion of al-Haafiz ibn Hajar that it is not possible
to see him, because al-Nawawi stated that what was meant was the people of
his own time, and what al-Haafiz was objecting to was those who claim to
have seen him in a real sense after he (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) died. 

Abu’l-‘Abbaas al-Qurtubi said, refuting those who said that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) could be seen
when one is awake: 

This idea (that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) may be seen when one is awake) may easily be refuted by
common sense, because it implies that no one can see him except in the form
in which he died, and that two people may see him at the same time in two
different places, and that he may come to life sometimes and emerge from his
grave and walk about in the marketplaces and converse with the people. That
implies that his body is not in his grave and there is nothing left in his
grave, so the grave is visited and salaam is said to one who is not there,
because he may be seen by night and by day in his real form outside his
grave. 

Quoted by al-Haafiz ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari,
12/384 

Moreover, if it were true
that someone could see the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) when he is awake, then he would be one of his companions and there
would be Sahabaah until the Day of Resurrection. 

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar
al-‘Asqallaani stated that Ibn Abi Jamrah narrated from some of the Sufis
that they saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
in a dream, then they saw him after that when they were awake, and they
asked him about some things which they were worried about, and he told them
how to deal with them, and they followed his advice and achieved the desired
results. Then al-Haafiz commented on that by saying: This is very odd. If we
interpret it as it appears to be, then these people would be Sahaabah, and
there could be Sahaabah until the Day of Resurrection. But this may be
refuted by the fact that many people see him when they are asleep but no one
says that that they saw him when they were awake, so there is an
inconsistency. 

Fath al-Baari, 12/385

 

The scholars of the Standing Committee said, refuting the
beliefs of al-Tijaani: 

There is no proven report
from the Rightly-Guided Caliphs or from the rest of the Sahaabah (may Allaah
be pleased with them), who are the best of mankind after the Prophets, that
any of them claimed to have seen the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) when he was awake. It is well known, and no Muslim has
any excuse for not knowing, that the religion was completed during the
lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
that Allaah perfected this ummah’s religion for it and completed His Favour
upon it before the death of His Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). Allaah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning):   

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you,
completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your
religion”

[al-Maa’idah 5:3] 

So there can be no doubt
that what Ahmad al-Tijaani claims, that he saw the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was awake, and learned the Tijani
tareeqah from him orally when he was awake, and that he told him what wird
to recite to remember Allaah (dhikr) and send blessings upon His Messenger,
is false and is evident misguidance. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah,
2/325, 326 

They also said: 

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) died after having conveyed the Message in full and after Allaah
had perfected His religion through him and established proof against His
creation through him. His companions (may Allaah be pleased with them)
offered the funeral prayer for him and buried him where he died, in the room
of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her). After him came the
Rightly-Guided Caliphs, during whose time events occurred which they dealt
with on the basis of their own reasoning (ijtihad), and they did not refer
concerning any of them to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). Whoever claims after that to have seen the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was awake, living
and speaking to him, or to have heard anything from him before the Day of
Resurrection, his claim is false, because it goes against the texts, the
narrated reports and the laws of Allaah that govern His creation. There is
nothing in this hadeeth to suggest that he will be seen when one is awake in
this world, because it could be interpreted as meaning, “he will see me in
the Hereafter,” or it may mean, “he will see the interpretation of his
dream”, because this dream is true according to what is stated in other
reports, namely that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “… he has indeed seen me.” The believer may truly see the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in his dream in the form in
which he appeared when he was alive. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah,
1/486, 487. 

To sum up: 

It is not permissible for
anyone – after the Prophets – to claim to have see the angels, for they have
bodies of light which Allaah has not enabled humans to see, unless the
angels appear in human form. 

It is not permissible for anyone to claim to have seen the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was awake.
Perhaps these illusions came from some of those who do not have any Islamic
knowledge or maturity, so they imagine things that are not there. 

And Allaah knows best.

 

Discussion with a Christian about the Crucifixion

 

Why is it so difficult for the Muslims to believe that Christ was crucified to erase our sins? Why do they reject the idea of the Crucifixion altogether?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

There is nothing strange about the Muslims rejecting this
idea, because the Qur’aan in which they believe and accept what it tells
them definitively states that that did not happen, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“And because of their
saying (in boast), ‘We killed Messiah ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary),
the Messenger of Allaah,’ — but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but
it appeared so to them the resemblance of ‘Eesa (Jesus) was put over another
man (and they killed that man)], and those who differ therein are full of
doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but
conjecture. For surely; they killed him not [i.e. ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of
Maryam (Mary)]”

[al-Nisa’ 4:157] 

Rather the problem rests with the Christians for whom the
doctrine of the crucifixion and redemption has become a central issue, so
much so that the cross is the symbol of their religion. 

It is strange that they differ concerning the form of this
cross which indicates their confusion about this fabrication. 

There are differences between their Gospels and their
historians regarding everything that has to do with the story of the
crucifixion. 

They differ concerning the timing of the Last Supper, which
according to them was one of the events in the lead-up to the crucifixion.
They differ concerning the traitor who led (the Romans) to Christ – did that
happen at least one day before the Last Supper, as narrated by Luke, or
during it, after Christ gave him the piece of bread, as narrated by John? 

Was Christ the one who carried his cross, as John says, as
was customary with one who was going to be crucified, according to
Nottingham, or was it Simon of Cyrene, as the other three Gospels state?

 They say that two thieves were crucified alongside Christ,
one on his right and one on his left, so what was the attitude of these two
towards the Messiah who was being crucified, as they claim? 

Did the thieves scorn him for being crucified, and say that
his Lord had abandoned him and left him to his enemies? Or did only one of
them scorn him, and did the other rebuke the one who scorned him?  

At what hour did this crucifixion take place – was it in the
third hour, as Mark says, or in the sixth as John says? 

What happened after the so-called crucifixion?  

Mark says that the veil of the Temple was torn from top to
bottom. Matthew adds that the earth shook and rocks crumbled, and many of
the saints rose from their graves and entered the holy city, appearing to
many. Luke says that the sun turned dark, and the veil of the Temple was
torn in the middle, and when the centurion saw what had happened, he
glorified God and said, “Truly this man was righteous.” 

But John does not know anything about all that! 

These are not the only weak elements and indications of
falseness in the story of the crucifixion, as narrated in the gospels.
Rather the one who studies the details of the gospel narratives of this
story will, with the least effort, notice the great differences in the
details of this story, which are such that it is impossible to believe it
all or even any part of it! 

How desperate are the failed attempts to fill this gap and
conceal the faults of this distorted book. Allaah indeed spoke the truth
when He said in His Book which He has preserved (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“Do they not then
consider the Qur’aan carefully? Had it been from other than Allaah, they
would surely, have found therein many a contradiction”

[al-Nisa’ 4:82] 

Apart from the fact that
the gospel accounts are not sound, and their authors themselves admit that
they were not revealed to the Messiah in this form, nor were they even
written during his lifetime, none of the witnesses were present at the
events to which they testify, as Mark says:  

“Then everyone deserted him and fled.”

Mark 14:50 – New International Version (NIV) 

Because these events were not witnessed by anyone who
narrated them, there is a great deal of room for imagination and poetic
licence. 

We will complete our discussion of the fable of the
crucifixion of Christ (peace be upon him) by looking at what the Gospels say
about the Messiah’s prediction that he would be saved from death: 

On one occasion the Pharisees and chief priests sent the
guards to arrest him and he said to them: 

“I am with you for only a
short time, and then I go to the one who sent me. You will look for me, but
you will not find me, and where I am, you cannot come.”

John 7:33-34 – NIV 

Elsewhere he says: 

“Once more Jesus said to them, ‘I am going away, and you
will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot
come.’

This made the Jews ask, ‘Will he kill himself? Is that why
he says, “Where I go, you cannot come”?’

But he continued, ‘You
are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this
world.

I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not
believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.’

‘Who are you?’ they asked.

‘Just what I have been claiming all along,’ Jesus replied.
‘I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and
what I have heard from him I tell the world.’

They did not understand that he was telling them about his
Father.

So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man,
then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on
my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.

The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone,
for I always do what pleases him.’”

John 8:21-29 – NIV 

Then at the end he tells them again: 

“For I tell you, you will
not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord.'”

Matthew 23:39 – NIV, also Luke 13:35 

The Messiah, as these
texts and others show, was certain that God would never hand him over to his
enemies, and would never forsake him. 

“But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be
scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not
alone, for my Father is with me.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have
peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome
the world.”

John 16:32-33  

Because of that the
passers by, and indeed everyone who attended the so-called crucifixion,
mocked the Messiah, as the writer of this Gospel says (although that could
not have been true): 

“Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their
heads

and saying, ‘You who are going to destroy the temple and
build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are
the Son of God!’

In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law
and the elders mocked him.

‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can't save himself!
He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will
believe in him.

He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him,
for he said, “I am the Son of God.”’

In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him
also heaped insults on him.”

Matthew 27:39-44 – NIV  

But it seems that Jesus’ certainty that God was with him
began to waver, according to the distorted Gospel narrative, (although that
could not have been true): 

“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called
Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’

He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him,
and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.

Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow
to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the
ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from
me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping.



He went away a second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not possible for
this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.’

When he came back, he again found them sleeping, …

So he left them and went away once more and prayed the
third time, saying the
same thing.

Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, ‘Are
you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man
is betrayed into the hands of sinners’”

Matthew 26:36-45 – NIV 

Luke describes the scene and says: 

“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his
sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

When he rose from prayer
and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.

‘Why are you sleeping?’ he asked them. ‘Get up and pray so
that you will not fall into temptation.’”

Luke 22:44-46 – NIV 

Because of this mockery of the message of Christ – according
to their claims – and because Christ thought that God was with him and would
never forsake him, then it follows that the writer who fabricated this
dramatic scene would end it with a vision of the despair of the Messiah and
his feelings of being abandoned by God – exalted be Allaah far above what
the wrongdoers say. The fabricator says: 

“From the sixth hour
until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’--which means, "My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?"

Matthew 27:38-47 – NIV

See also Mark 15:34 

If we understand what this story means when subjected to
criticism, the same will apply to the doctrine of redemption and sacrifice
that is based on it. 

With regard to the Christian doctrine of salvation, see also
question no. 6 

And Allaah is the Source of strength and the guide to the
Straight Path, and there is no Lord but He.

 

Ibraaheem (peace be upon him)

 

Could you give us some information about the Prophet Ibraaheem (peace be upon him)? 

Praise be to
Allaah.

Allaah sent His Prophet Ibraaheem (peace be
upon him) and ordained among his offspring Prophethood and the Book
(cf. al-‘Ankaboot 29:27). 

“And mention in the Book (the Qur’aan) Ibraaheem (Abraham).
Verily, he was a man of truth, a Prophet [Maryam 19:41 – interpretation
of the meaning] 

Allaah guided Ibraaheem and honoured him with virtues
and praiseworthy characteristics: 

“Verily, Ibraaheem (Abraham) was
an Ummah (a leader having all the good righteous qualities), or a nation,
obedient to Allaah, Haneef (i.e. to worship none but Allaah), and he
was not one of those who were Al-Mushrikoon (polytheists, idolaters,
disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah, and those who joined partners
with Allaah).

(He was) thankful for His (Allaah’s) Favours. He (Allaah)
chose him (as an intimate friend) and guided him to a Straight Path
(Islamic Monotheism — neither Judaism nor Christianity).

And We gave him good in this world, and in the Hereafter
he shall be of the righteous”[al-Nahl 16:120-122 – interpretation of
the meaning] 

Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) was the father
of the Prophets; no Prophet was sent after him but he was from among
his descendents. He had two sons whom Allaah chose to be Prophets. They
were Ismaa’eel the grandfather of the Arabs, from among whose descendents
Allaah sent the Prophet Muhammad SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him), and Ishaaq whom Allaah blessed with a Prophet called Ya’qoob,
who was also known as Israa’eel, after whom Bani Israa’eel (the Children
of Israel) and their Prophets were called. 

The Qur’aan refers to the fact that Ibraaheem
was the father of the Prophets, when it says concerning Ibraaheem (interpretation
of the meaning): 

“And We bestowed upon him Ishaaq
(Isaac) and Ya‘qoob (Jacob), each of them We guided, and before him,
We guided Nooh (Noah), and among his progeny Dawood (David),
Sulaymaan (Solomon), Ayyoob (Job), Yoosuf (Joseph), Moosa (Moses), and
Haaroon (Aaron). Thus do We reward Al-Muhsinoon (the good-doers).

And Zakariyya (Zachariya), and Yahya (John) and ‘Eesa
(Jesus) and Ilyaas (Elias), each one of them was of the righteous.

And Isma‘eel (Ishmael) and Al-Yasaa‘ (Elisha), and
Yoonus (Jonah) and Loot (Lot), and each one of them We preferred above
the ‘Aalameen [mankind and jinn (of their times)]”[al-An’aam 6:84-86] 

Ibraaheem called his people in Mesopotamia to worship
Allaah alone and to stop worshipping the idols which could neither bring
benefit nor cause harm. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And (remember) Ibraaheem (Abraham)
when he said to his people: ‘Worship Allaah (Alone), and fear Him: that
is better for you if you did but know.

You worship besides Allaah only idols, and you only
invent falsehood. Verily, those whom you worship besides Allaah have
no power to give you provision, so seek your provision from Allaah (Alone),
and worship Him (Alone), and be grateful to Him. To Him (Alone) you
will be brought back’”[al-‘Ankaboot 29:16-17]  

Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) wanted to free
his people from idol-worship and rid them of myths and legends. He asked
his people about these idols, as Allaah tells us (interpretation of
the meaning): 

“And recite to them the story of
Ibraaheem (Abraham).

When he said to his father and his people: ‘What do
you worship?’

They said: ‘We worship idols, and to them we are ever
devoted.’

He said: ‘Do they hear you, when you call on (them)?

Or do they benefit you or do they harm (you)?’

They said: ‘(Nay) but we found our fathers doing so’”[al-Shu’araa’
26:69-74] 

Then he explained to them that they should
not mindlessly follow others like dumb animals and clarified for them
the ultimate reality which is that they should worship Allaah alone,
in Whose hand is the dominion of all things: 

“He said: ‘Do you observe that which
you have been worshipping

You and your ancient fathers?

Verily, they are enemies to me, save the Lord of the
‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists),

Who has created me, and it is He Who guides me.

And it is He Who feeds me and gives me to drink.

And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me.

And Who will cause me to die, and then will bring
me to life (again).

And Who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the
Day of Recompense (the Day of Resurrection)’”[al-Shu’araa’ 26:75-82] 

The father of Ibraaheem was one of the idol-worshippers.
He used to carve them and sell them. His father’s kufr troubled Ibraaheem,
so he singled him out for advice and said to him: 

“O my father! Why do you worship
that which hears not, sees not and cannot avail you in anything?

O my father! Verily, there has come to me of the knowledge
that which came not unto you. So follow me, I will guide you to the
Straight Path”[Maryam 19:42-43 – interpretation of the meaning]  

But his father did not respond to him, rather
he threatened to stone him and forsake him. He said: 

“Do you reject my gods, O Ibraaheem (Abraham)? If
you stop not (this), I will indeed stone you. So get away from me safely
(before I punish you)”[Maryam 19:46 – interpretation of the meaning] 

So Ibraaheem had no choice but to leave him,
and he said to him:

 “Peace be on you! I will ask forgiveness
of my Lord for you. Verily, He is unto me Ever Most Gracious[Maryam
19:47 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Ibraaheem continued to ask for forgiveness
for his father and to ask his Lord to guide him, but when it became
clear to him that he (his father) was an enemy of Allaah, he disavowed
him and stopped asking for forgiveness for him. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning): 

“And Ibraaheem’s (Abraham) invoking (of Allaah) for
his father’s forgiveness was only because of a promise he [Ibraaheem
(Abraham)] had made to him (his father). But when it became clear to
him that he (his father) is an enemy of Allaah, he dissociated himself
from him. Verily, Ibraaheem was Awwah (one who invokes Allaah with humility,
glorifies Him and remembers Him much) and was forbearing[al-Tawbah 9:114] 

When the people of Ibraaheem persisted in
worshipping idols, Ibraaheem wanted to prove to them in practical terms
that these idols could not cause harm or bring benefit, after his preaching
and teaching had had no effect on his people: 

“Then he cast a glance at the stars,

And he said: ‘Verily, I am sick (with plague). [He
did this trick to remain in their temple of idols to destroy them and
not to accompany them to the pagan feast)].’

So they turned away from him, and departed (for fear
of the disease).

Then he turned to their aalihah (gods) and said: ‘Will
you not eat (of the offering before you)?

What is the matter with you that you speak not?’

Then he turned upon them, striking (them) with (his)
right hand”

[al-Saaffaaat :88:93] 

Ibraaheem broke all the idols except the biggest
one, which he left so that they could ask it who had done this: 

“So he broke them to pieces, (all)
except the biggest of them, that they might turn to it”

[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:58 – interpretation of the meaning] 

When they came back from the festival for
which they had gone out, they saw the broken idols and they accused
Ibraaheem (of breaking them). He said to them: 

“Nay, this one, the biggest of them
(idols) did it. Ask them, if they can speak!”

[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:63 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Because they knew that these idols could not
speak – for they were inanimate objects – they said to Ibraaheem: 

“Indeed you [Ibraaheem (Abraham)]
know well that these (idols) speak not!”

[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:65 – interpretation of the meaning] 

When they admitted that these idols could
do nothing, Ibraaheem said to them:

 “Do you then worship besides Allaah,
things that can neither profit you, nor harm you?

Fie upon you, and upon that which you worship besides
Allaah! Have you then no sense?”

[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:67 – interpretation of the meaning] 

When they had exhausted all lines of argument,
they resorted to the use of force and said: 

“Burn him and help your aalihah
(gods), if you will be doing”

[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:68 – interpretation of the meaning] 

They gathered a lot of wood and started a
fire which had great sparks and flames, then they threw Ibraaheem (peace
be upon him) into that fire. He said, “Hasbi Allaah wa ni’am al-wakeel
(Allaah is sufficient for me and He is the best Disposer of affairs).”
So Allaah saved him from it and made it coolness and safety for him,
and foiled the plot of his enemies: 

“We (Allaah) said: ‘O fire! Be you
coolness and safety for Ibraaheem (Abraham)!’

And they wanted to harm him, but We made them the
worst losers”

[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:69-70 – interpretation of the meaning]

 After saving Ibraaheem from the fire,
Allaah commanded him to leave Mesopotamia and migrate to the Holy Land
in Palestine. He married his cousin (the daughter of his paternal uncle)
– Saarah – and set out with her and his brother’s son Loot for Syria,
as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And We rescued him and Loot (Lot) to the land which
We have blessed for the ‘Aalameen (mankind and jinn)[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:71] 

Then great hardship befell the land of Syria,
so Ibraaheem moved to Egypt with his wife, then he came back to Palestine,
bringing his wife and a slave woman of hers called Haajar. Ibraaheem
longed to have children, but his wife was barren and had grown old.
When she saw how much her husband longed to have a child, she gave her
slave woman, Haajar, to him. So he married her and was blessed with
his son Ismaa’eel from her: 

“’My Lord! Grant me (offspring)
from the righteous.’

So We gave him the glad tidings of a forbearing boy”

[al-Saaffaat 37:100-101 – interpretation of the meaning] 

After Haajar gave birth to Ismaa’eel, Saarah
began to feel jealous, so she asked Ibraaheem to send them away from
her. Allaah revealed to Ibraaheem that he should take Haajar and the
infant Ismaa’eel and take them to Makkah. So he took them and left Haajar
and her child Ismaa’eel in an bleak, isolated place in which there was
no water, then he left them and went back to Palestine. Haajar said
to him, “For whom are you leaving us in this forsaken valley?” But Ibraaheem
went and left her, and she said, “Has Allaah commanded you to do this?”
He said, “Yes.” She said, “Then Allaah will not cause us to be lost.” 

Ibraaheem submitted to the command of his
Lord and patiently bore the separation from his wife and child. Then
he turned towards where they were at the Sacred House and prayed for
them in the following words (interpretation of the meaning): 

“O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell
in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (the Ka‘bah at Makkah)
in order, O our Lord, that they may perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah).
So fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allaah)
provide them with fruits so that they may give thanks”[Ibraaheem 14:37] 

Haajar stayed in Makkah, eating the food and
drinking the water that Ibraaheem had left for her and her son. When
that ran out, she and her son became thirsty. She looked for water,
and climbed the hill of al-Safaa but she did not see anything. Then
she climbed the hill of al-Marwah but she did not see anything. She
did that seven times, then she turned towards Ismaa’eel and saw water
gushing from beneath his feet. She rejoiced and drank some, and gave
some to her son to drink. Then a tribe – Jurham – came to Haajar and
asked her permission to settle by the water. She gave them permission
and they settled beside her. When Ismaa’eel grew up, he married one
of their women and learned Arabic from them. 

During this period, Ibraaheem used to visit
his son from time to time. On one of these visits, Ibraaheem saw in
a dream that Allaah was commanding him to sacrifice his son Ismaa’eel.
The dreams of the Prophets are true, so Ibraaheem resolved to obey the
command of Allaah, even though he was old and Ismaa’eel was his only
son. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“So We gave him the glad tidings
of a forbearing boy.

And, when he (his son) was old enough to walk with
him, he said: ‘O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering
you (offering you in sacrifice to Allaah). So look what you think!’
He said: ‘O my father! Do that which you are commanded, In sha’ Allaah
(if Allaah wills), you shall find me of As-Saabiroon (the patient).’

Then, when they had both submitted themselves (to
the Will of Allaah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (or
on the side of his forehead for slaughtering);

We called out to him: ‘O Ibraaheem!

You have fulfilled the dream!’ Verily, thus do We
reward the Muhsinoon (good-doers).

Verily, that indeed was a manifest trial.

And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice (i.e. a
ram)”

[al-Saffaat 37:101-107] 

Then Allaah gave him the glad tidings of another
son, who was Ishaaq, and then Ibraaheem returned to Palestine: 

“And We gave him the glad tidings of Ishaaq (Isaac)
a Prophet from the righteous[al-Saaffaat 37:112 – interpretation
of the meaning] 

Ishaaq was born to him from his wife Saarah: 

“And his wife was standing (there),
and she laughed [either, because the messengers did not eat their food
or for being glad for the destruction of the people of Loot (Lot)].
But We gave her glad tidings of Ishaaq (Isaac), and after Ishaaq, of
Ya‘qoob (Jacob)”

[Hood 11:71 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Then Ibraaheem stayed in Palestine for a while,
then he returned to Makkah for an important reason. Allaah had commanded
him to build in Makkah the first House to be built for the worship of
Allaah. So Ibraaheem undertook this task of construction, and his son
Ismaa’eel was lifting up the stones to him. When the walls grew higher,
Ibraaheem stood on a rock, and this is the Station of Ibraaheem (Maqaam
Ibraaheem) which is to be found in the vicinity of the Ka’bah. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):  

“And (remember) when Ibraaheem (Abraham)
and (his son) Ismee‘eel (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the
House (the Ka‘bah at Makkah), (saying), ‘Our Lord! Accept (this service)
from us. Verily, You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower’”

[al-Baqarah 2:127] 

Allaah commanded Ibraaheem and Ismaa’eel to
cleanse the House of idols and other impurities so that it would be
pure for those who would circumambulate it and stand and bow and prostrate
(in prayer). When Ibraaheem built the House, Allaah commanded him to
call mankind to perform the Hajj, as He says (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“And proclaim to mankind the Hajj
(pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel,
they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to
perform Hajj)”

[al-Hajj 22:27] 

Then Ibraaheem offered this great supplication
for Makkah and for those who live in it: 

“And (remember) when Ibraaheem (Abraham)
said, ‘My Lord, make this city (Makkah) a place of security and provide
its people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allaah and the Last
Day.’ He (Allaah) answered: ‘As for him who disbelieves, I shall leave
him in contentment for a while, then I shall compel him to the torment
of the Fire, and worst indeed is that destination!’”

[al-Baqarah 2:126 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Then he prayed for himself and his descendents,
saying: 

“Our Lord! Accept (this service)
from us. Verily, You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.

Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our
offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manaasik (all
the ceremonies of pilgrimage — Hajj and ‘Umrah), and accept our repentance.
Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful”[al-Baqarah
2:127-128 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Then he prayed for the people of the sanctuary,
that Allaah would send to them a Messenger from amongst them, who would
call them to worship Allaah Alone. He said: 

“Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger
of their own, who shall recite unto them Your Verses and instruct them
in the Book (this Qur’aan) and Al-Hikmah (full knowledge of the Islamic
laws and jurisprudence or wisdom or Prophethood), and purify them. Verily,
You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise”

[al-Baqarah 1:129 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Allaah responded to the prayer of His Prophet
Ibraaheem. He made Makkah a place of security, He blessed its people
with fruits and sent to them a Messenger from amongst themselves, who
was the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, Muhammad <!--#include
virtual="/saws.htm" --> (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
All praise and thanks be to Allaah. 

After Ibraaheem, Prophethood remained with
the Children of Israel for a long time, until Allaah sent Muhammad <!--#include
virtual="/saws.htm" --> (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
from among the descendents of Ismaa’eel as a Messenger to all of mankind,
and commanded him as He said (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Say (O Muhammad): ‘O mankind! Verily, I am sent to
you all as the Messenger of Allaah…’”[al-A’raaf 7:158] 

Allaah commanded Muhammad <!--#include
virtual="/saws.htm" --> (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
to follow the religion of Ibraaheem, as He said (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“Then, We have sent the Revelation to you (O Muhammad
saying): ‘Follow the religion of Ibraaheem (Abraham) Haneef (Islamic
Monotheism — to worship none but Allaah) and he was not of the Mushrikoon
(polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers)”[al-Nahl 16:123] 

Ibraaheem’s advice to his children was to
adhere to the religion of Islam and follow its commands until they died.
Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And this (submission to Allaah, Islam) was enjoined
by Ibraaheem (Abraham) upon his sons and by Ya‘qoob (Jacob) (saying),
‘O my sons! Allaah has chosen for you the (true) religion, then die
not except in the Faith of Islam (as Muslims — Islamic Monotheism)’”
[al-Baqarah 2:132] 

O Allaah, send blessings upon Ibraaheem and
upon the family of Ibraaheem, for You are Praiseworthy, Most Glorious. 

Other Prophets who were alive at the time of Ibraaheem
(peace be upon him) were Loot, Ismaa’eel, Ishaaq, and Ya’qoob. Then
came Yoosuf, then Shu’ayb, then Ayyoob, then Dhu’l-Kifl. Then Allaah
sent Moosa and Haaroon (peace be upon them and may the best of blessings
and peace be upon all the Prophets).