The Story of Prophet Job (Ayoub) -peace be upon him

Job [Ayoub (peace be upon him)] was a descendant of Abraham's offspring as Allah Almighty declared: 

"That was the reasoning about Us which We gave to Abraham (to use) against his people: We raise whom We will degree after degree: for thy Lord is full of wisdom and knowledge. We gave him Isaac and Jacob: all (three) We guided: and before him We guided Noah and before him We guided Noah and among his progeny David Solomon Job Joseph Moses and Aaron: thus do We reward those who do good" Quran 6:83-84 

Allah the Almighty praised His worshipper Job in His Glorious Quran: 

"Truly! We found him patient. How excellent a slave! Verily, he was ever oft-returning in repentance to Us" Quran 38:44 

Job was repentant, remembering Allah with thankfulness, patience and steadfastness. This was the cause of his rescue and the secret of Allah's praising him. 

A group of angels were discussing Allah's other human creatures, how those who were humble earned Allah's displease, while those who were arrogant incurred His displeasure. One of the angels remarked: 

"The best creature on earth today is Job, a man of noble character who displays excellent patience and always remembers his Generous Lord. He is an excellent model for the worshippers of Allah. In return, his Lord has blessed him with a long life and plenty of riches, yet he is never haughty or selfish. His family, his servants, as well as the needy and the poor share in his good fortune; he feeds and clothes the poor and buys slaves to set them free. He makes those who receive his charity feel as if they are favoring him, so kind and gentle is he." 

Iblis, overhearing all this, became annoyed. He planned to tempt Job to corruption and disbelief, so he hastened to him. He tried to distract Job from his prayers by whispering to him about the good things in life, but Job was a true believer and would not let evil thoughts tempt him. This disturbed Iblis more; thus he began to hate Job even more. 

Iblis complained to Allah about Job. He said that although he was continuously glorifying Allah, he was not doing so out of his sincerity but to satisfy Allah so that his wealth should not be taken away. It was all a show, all out of greed. "If You remove his wealth then You will find that his tongue will no longer mention Your name and his praying will stop." 

Allah told Iblis that Job was one of His most sincere devotees. He did not worship Him because of the favors; his worship stemmed from his heart and had nothing to do with material things. But to prove Iblis the depth of Job' s sincerity and patience, Allah allowed him to do whatever he and his helpers wished with Job's wealth. 

Iblis was very happy. He gathered his helpers and set about destroying Job's cattle, servants, and farms until he was left with no possessions. Rubbing his hands in glee, Iblis appeared before Job in the guise of a wise old man and said to him: 

"All your wealth is lost. Some people say that it is because you gave too much charity and that you are wasting your time with your continuous prayers to Allah. Others say that Allah has bought this upon you in order to please your enemies. If Allah had the capacity to prevent harm, then He would have protected your wealth" 

True to his belief, Job replied: 

"What Allah has taken away from me belongs to Him. I was only its trustee for a while. He gives to whom He wills and withholds from whom He wills" 

With these words, Job again prostrated to his Lord. 

When Iblis saw this, he felt frustrated, so he again addressed Allah: 

"I have stripped Job of all his possessions, but he still remains grateful to You. However, he is only hiding his disapointment, for he places great store by his many children. The real test of a parent is through him children. You will then see how Job will reject You" 

Allah granted Iblis authority, but warned him that it would not reduce Job's faith in his Lord nor his patience. 

Iblis again gathered his helpers and set about his evil deeds. He shook the foundation of the house in which Job's children were living and sent the building crashing, killing all of them. Then he went to Job disguised as a man who had come to sympathize with him. In a comforting tone he said to Job: 

"The circumstances under which your children died were sad. Surely, your Lord is not rewarding you properly for all your prayers?" 

Having said this Iblis waited anxiously, hoping Job was now ready to reject Allah. But again Job disapointed him by replying: 

"Allah sometimes gives and sometimes takes. He is sometimes pleased and sometimes displeased with our deeds. Whether a thing is beneficial or harmful to me, I will remain firm in my belief and remain thankful to my Creator" 

Then Job prostrated to his Lord. At this Iblis was extremely vexed. Iblis again called on Allah: 

"O my Lord, Job's wealth is gone, his children are dead, but he is still healthy in body, and as long as he enjoys good health he will continue to worship You in the hope of regaining his wealth and producing more children. Grant me authority over his body so that I may weaken it. He will surely neglect worshipping You and with thus becomes disobedient" 

Allah wanted to teach Iblis a lesson that Job was a devoted servant of his Lord, so He granted Iblis his third request but placed a condition: 

"I give you authority over his body but not over his soul, intellect, or heart, for in these places reside the knowledge of Me and My religion" 

Armed with this new authority, Iblis began to take revenge on Job's body and filled it with disease until it was reduced to mere skin and bone and he suffered severe pain. But through all the suffering Job remained string in his faith, patiently bearing all the hardships without complaining. Allah's righteous servant did not despair or turn to others for help but remained hopeful of Allah's Mercy. Even close relatives and friends deserted him. Only his kind loving wife stayed with him. In his hour of need, she showered her kindness on him and cared for him. She remained his sole companion and comforter through many years of his suffering. 

Ibn Asaker narrated: 

"Job was a man having much wealth of all kinds: beasts, slaves, sheep, vast lands of Haran and many children. All those favors were taken from him and he was physically afflicted as well. Never a single organ was sound except his heart and tongue, with both of which he glorified Allah, the Almighty all the time day and night. His disease lasted for a long time until his visitors felt disgusted with him. His friend kept away from him, and people abstained from visiting him. No one felt sympathy for him except his wife. She took good care of him, knowing his former charity and pity for her" 

Therefore, Iblis became desperate. He consulted his helpers but they could not advise him. They asked: 

"How is it that your cleverness cannot work against Job, yet you succeeded in misleading Adam, the father of man, out of paradise?" 

Iblis went to Job's wife in the form of a man. "Where is your husband?" he asked her. 

She pointed to an almost lifeless form crumpled on the bed and said: "There he is, suspended between life and death." 

Iblis reminded her of the days when Job had good health, wealth and children. Suddenly, the painful memory of yeas of hardship overcame her, and she burst into tears. She said to Job: 

"How long are you going to bear this torture from our Lord? Are we to remain without wealth, children or friends forever? Why don't you call upon Allah to remove this suffering?" 

Job sighed, and in a soft voice replied: 

"Iblis must have whispered to you and made you dissatisfied. Tell me, how long did I enjoy good health and riches?" 

She replied, "For eighty years" 

Then Job asked, "How long am I suffering like this?" 

She said, "for seven years" 

Then Job told her: 

"In that case I am ashamed to call on my Lord to remove the hardship, for I have not suffered longer than the years of good health and plenty. It seems your faith has weakened and you are dissatisfied with the fate of Allah. If I ever regain health, I swear I will punish you with a hundred strokes! From this day onward, I forbid myself to eat or drink anything from your hand. Leave me alone and let my Lord do with me as He pleases." 

Crying bitterly and with a heavy heart, she had no choice but to leave him and seek shelter elsewhere. In his helpless state, Job turned to Allah, not to complain but to seek His mercy: 

"Verily, distress has seized me, and You and the Most Merciful of all those who show Mercy. So We answered his call, and We removed the distress that was on him, and We restored his family to him (that he had lost) and the like thereof along with them - as a mercy from Ourselves and a Reminder for all who worship Us" 

Quran 21:83-84 

Almighty Allah also instructed: 

"Commemorate Our servant Job behold he cried to his Lord: "The Evil One has afflicted me with distress and suffering"! (The command was given:) "Strike with thy foot: here is (water) wherein to wash cool and refreshing and (water) to drink." And We gave him (back) his people and doubled their number as a Grace from Ourselves and a thing for commemoration for all who have Understanding." Quran 38:41-43 

Job obeyed, and almost immediately his good health was restored. Meanwhile, his faithful wife could no longer bear to be parted from her husband and returned to beg his forgiveness, desiring to serve him. On entering he house, she was amazed at the sudden change: Job was again healthy! She embraced him and thanked Allah for His mercy. 

Job was now worried, for he had taken an oath to punish her with a hundred strokes if he regained health, but he had no desire to hurt her. He knew if he did not fulfill the oath, he would be guilty of breaking a promise to Allah. Therefore, in His wisdom and mercy, Allah came to the assistance of His faithful servant, and advised him: 

"And take in your hand a bundle of thin grass and strike therewith (your wife), and break not your oath. Truly we found him patient. How excellent a slave! Verily, he was ever oft-returning in repentance to Us" Quran 38:44 

Abu Huraira (ra) narrated that the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) said: "While Job was naked, taking a bath, a swarm of locusts fell on him, and he started collecting them in his garment. His Lord called him: 'O Job! Have I not made you too rich to need what you see?' He said: 'Yes, O Lord! But I cannot shun Your Blessings" (Bukhari).

What You Can Do In One Minute

All perfect praise be to Allaah, and may Allaah exalt the mention of the Prophet Muhammad as well as that of his family and all his companions.

The time is the life of a person and it should be preserved and spent properly. Therefore, a wise person is he who preserves his time and does not waste it in useless things and idle talk. Rather, one should spend his time in good endeavours and in performing righteous deeds which should please Allaah, the Exalted, and which should benefit people. Hence, in every minute of your life, you may do something which will increase your status (in the Hereafter) and bring happiness to your nation.

Therefore, if you are keen to achieve glory and bring happiness to your people, you should not waste your time in unnecessary resting and playing.

Indeed, in one minute, one may do much good and obtain a great reward. One single minute could extend your life, increase your acts of obedience, your understanding, your memorization (of the Quran), and your good deeds. If you know how to spend one minute, it can be added to the book of your good deeds (on the Day of Judgement).

The following are some investments which you can do in one minute:

1- In one minute, you can recite chapter Al-Faatihah (the opening chapter of the Quran) 7 times silently. Some scholars, may Allaah have mercy upon them, stated that a person gets more than 1400 good deeds for reciting it once. If one recites it 7 times, one gets 9800 good deeds in one minute.

2- In one minute, you can recite chapter 112 [Al-Ikhlaas] silently 20 times; reciting it once equals reciting one-third of the Quran. If one recites it 20 times, then this equals reciting the whole Quran 7 times. If you recite this chapter every day for one minute, this means reciting it 600 times in one month, and 7200 times in one year. This equals the reward of reciting the whole Quran 2400 times.

3- In one minute, you can read a part of the Quran.

4- In one minute, you can memorize a small verse of the Quran.

5- In one minute, you can say ''Laa ilaaha illa Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa 'ala kulli chay'in qadeer'' (None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah Alone, He has neither partners nor associates, to Him belongs sovereignty and praise and He is over all things wholly capable) 20 times; its reward is setting 8 slaves free for the sake of Allaah from the children of Ismaa'eel (Ishmael), may Allaah exalt his mention.

6- In one minute, you can say ''Subhaana Allaah wa bihamdihi'' (How perfect Allaah is and all praise be to Him) 100 times, and whoever says this, his sins will be forgiven even if they were like the foams of the sea.

7- In one minute, you can say ''Subhaana Allaah wa bihamdihi, Subhaana Allaah Al-Adheem'' (How perfect Allaah is and all praise be to Him, how perfect Allaah is, The Supreme) 50 times, and these are two expressions which are easy to say, but they are very heavy on the scale of good deeds, and they are beloved to Allaah. [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim].

8- The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: ''If I were to say: ''Subhaana Allaah, wal hamdu lillaah, wa laa ilaaha illa Allaah, wallaahu Akbar''(How perfect Allaah is, all praise be to Allaah, None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah, and Allaah is the greatest.) it is better for me than the whole world.'' [Muslim]. In one minute, you can say all the above words 18 times, and these words are the most beloved words to Allaah, and the best of all speeches, and their weight on the scale of good deeds is very heavy, as reported in authentic narrations.

9- In one minute, you can say ''la hawla wa laa quwwata illa billaah'' (there is neither might nor power except by Allaah) more than 40 times. This is a treasure among the treasures of Paradise, as reported by Al-Bukhaari and Muslim, may Allaah have mercy upon them. It is also one of the major reasons of bearing difficulties and hardship.

10- In one minute, you can say ''Laa ilaaha illa Allaah'' (None has the right to be worshipped but Allaah) approximately 50 times, and it is the greatest word, as it is the word of Tawheed (Oneness of Allaah), a good word, and a firm statement, and whoever says this expression as his last words before breathing his last, he will enter Paradise; the above expression also has other virtues.

11- In one minute, you can say: ''Subhaanah Allaah wa bihamdihi, 'adada khalqihi, wa ridha nafsihi, wa zinata 'arshihi, wa midaada kalimaatihi'' (How perfect Allaah is and all praise be to Allaah, by the number of His Creation and His Pleasure, and by the weight of His Throne, and the ink of His Words) more than 15 times. This statement equals multiplied rewards of ordinary legislated mention of Allaah, as confirmed by the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.

12- In one minute, you can say ''Astaghfiru Allaah'' (I seek forgiveness of Allaah) more than 100 times. The virtue of seeking forgiveness is well-known, it is a reason of obtaining forgiveness, entering Paradise, having good provisions, increasing one's strength, repelling harm, having affairs facilitated, the descent of rain, and increasing in wealth and children.

13- In one minute, you can give a short summarized speech which could be very beneficial for the listeners.

14- In one minute, you can exalt the mention of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, by saying ''Sala Allaahu 'Alayhi wa sallam'' (may Allaah exalt his mention) 50 times, for which Allaah will exalt your mention 500 times, because one exaltation is multiplied tenfold.

15- In one minute, you can think about the creation of the heavens and the earth, as a result you will be considered among the people of understanding whom Allaah mentioned in the Quran.

16- In one minute, you can think about being grateful to Allaah, loving Him, fearing Him, hoping for Him (His Mercy) and longing to meet Him; by doing so, you would have achieved great acts of worship while you may be lying down on your bed or walking in the street.

17- In one minute, you can read more than two pages from a beneficial book which is easy to understand.

18- In one minute, you can keep ties with your kinship by phoning them.

19- In one minute, you can supplicate with general supplications.

20- In one minute, you can greet (by saying Salaam to) a number of people and shake hands with them.

21- In one minute, you can forbid evil.

22- In one minute, you can enjoin good.

23- In one minute, you can advise a brother.

24- In one minute, you can intercede in doing good for a person.

25- In one minute, you can comfort a distressed person.

26- In one minute, you can take off an obstacle from the road.

27- By benefiting from one minute, you will preserve and benefit from other times.

Therefore, according to your sincerity and being conscious that Allaah is always watching you, your good deeds and reward may be multiplied.

You should know that most of the actions do not necessitate anything from you, you do not need to be in a state of purity and they do not cause you any hardship.

You may do the above deeds while walking on the road, or being in a car, or while lying down, or sitting, or waiting for someone. In addition to this, these actions are the best reasons for achieving happiness, being content and overcoming problems and difficulties.

I ask Allaah to safeguard you and protect you.

All perfect praise be to Allaah and may Allaah exalt the mention of His Prophet Muhammad, as well as that of his family and companions.

Establish Islam in Yourselves

Praise be to Allah.

What is required of every Muslim is to practise the religion of Allaah as much as he is able to. The imaamah (Islamic political leadership) has been prescribed for the purpose of establishing the religion of Allaah. No one should think that the fact that there is no imaam at any given time in any given country means that we can be negligent and introverted and not practise or establish any aspect of the religion.

Among the people of misguidance during this age and at other times there are those who say that we do not need to establish any of the symbols of Islam until a khaleefah has been appointed over the Muslims and the Islamic state has been established. This is one of the worst kinds of misguidance, and believing this leads to abandoning Jumu’ah prayers, prayer in jamaa’ah, Hajj, jihaad, collecting zakaah, prayer for rain (istisqaa’), Eid prayers, appointing imaams for mosques, calling the adhaan and other things, which amounts to cancelling the rulings of Islam. What do the people who say this have to say about the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

"So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you can" [al-Taghaabun 64:16]

What do they have to say about the hadeeth, "Whatever I command you to do, do as much of it as you can."

It is obligatory to take care of all matters of religion, starting with the most important, then the next most important, so we should study the religion of Allaah, the most important aspect of which is knowledge of the teaching of Tawheed, then establishing the symbols and rituals of Islam and the other duties. No doubt occupying oneself with these things is the most important thing, and each person should do everything that he is able to do. There cannot be an Islamic state without proper understanding of the religion and achieving eemaan (faith) and Tawheed, and ridding ourselves of shirk, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Allaah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the land, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And He will surely, give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me." [al-Noor 24:55]

The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stayed in Makkah for thirteen years, calling people to Allaah and teaching Tawheed and ‘Aqeedah, reciting the Revelation to them, debating to the kuffaar with in the best manner, bearing their persecution with patience, as well as praying and establishing the acts of worship which had been prescribed at that time. He did not forgo teaching the religion, although the Islamic state had not been established in Makkah at that time. Moreover, how can an Islamic state be established without an ideological foundation and a society of Muslims who been educated in the religion and have learned it thoroughly? He spoke the truth who said: Establish the Islamic state in yourselves, and it will be established for you in your land. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Source: Islam-QA.com

By : Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Reflections on Valentine's Day

As Valentine's Day approaches again, I see dispays of bright red and pink colour everywhere. Shops have gorgeous red dresses on displays, flower shops increase the prices of red roses, and the gift shops in shopping malls are full of cute teddy bears carrying red and pink hearts, jewellery and watches with special expressions inscripted on them. Even the candy shops have heart shaped chocolates and candies specially wrapped in red and pink on requests! All this, and yet it is not happening in a western country, rather it is happenning a country like Saudi Arabia!

I note young men and women making big plans to celebrate this day together in groups or alone with their "special friends" of the opposite gender (and of course behind their parents' backs)! I see them shopping for special things to wear on this day; from t-shirts, shoes, jewellery and dresses, and even red nail colour to wear with those special high heels!! Oh yes! But let us not forget the abayas with shiny red hearts on them... SubhanAllah! I see this happenning all around and in my mind plays yet another scene from a time when the Prophet (peace be upon him) was alive and a young man goes to meet the best of all men and says, "O Messenger of Allah! You are more beloved to me than myself, my family and children. Sometimes when I am at home, I remember you, and I cannot wait untill I come and look at you. When I contemplate about my death and your death, I know that you will be with the prophets when you enter Paradise. I fear that I might not see you when I enter Paradise." The Prophet (peace be upon him) doesn't reply... but then Allah reveals a verse which takes care of the young man's concerns!

Allah says, "And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, then they will be in the company of those, on whom Allah has bestowed His favour, of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions." [An-Nisa 69]

I remember this beautiful incident as my eyes well up and I think of the lucky young man to whom Allah himself responded to, SubhanAllah. The way this man expressed his sincere love for the best of all men - he loved the Prophet for the sake of Allah and wished to gain the mercy, pleasure and paradise of Allah by being close to His Prophet through loving him and following him. His mind was busy with the concern of, not this world, but that of the next life. And what about us? We seem too busy following the customs and rituals of the non-Muslims.

The fact of the matter is that the idea of loving the Prophet and following his sunnah is in a far and distant corner of our minds. We as Muslims have been neglecting the orders and prohibitions of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet for quite some time now, and the results are obvious for those who look around. We read, we observe, we witness the numerous signs and warnings given by Allah - but again, we forget and we ignore them. The Gaza Massacre, just a couple of weeks back was like a slap in the face of every living Muslim, but again, as time has passed, the reminder is lost in short lived memory. The horrifying images of blood shed, the tears, the killing and burning of innocent Muslim brothers and sisters have been converted into images of cute red and pink hearts and teddy bears. We persist in following the ways, customs, and behaviour of the people who caused or supported this humiliation and injustice to our fellow brothers and sisters. It seems strange that after all of this, we enjoy immitating them and celebrating their shallow festivals.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever imitates a people is one of them." [narrated by Ahmad, 2/50; Abu Dawood, 4021]

In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to the companions, "You will certainly follow the ways of those who came before you (bit by bit, step by step) until even if they were to enter a lizard's hole, you would follow them." The companions replied, "O Messenger of Allah, [do u mean] the Jews and Christians?" He said, "Who else?" [Bukhari]

As we look around us, we can see this already start to happen. We are blindly following the ways of the non-Muslims and even feel pride in doing so! We need to wake up and submit wholeheartedly to the will and commands of Allah - we need to follow the way of Prophet and his companions and their righteous followers. Only then will we find true peace and success.

"And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger and fears Allah and is conscious of Him - it is those who are the successful." [Surah An Nur 52]

I will end with this, that the Prophet said, "A person will be with those whom he loves [in the Hereafter]." [Bukhari and Muslim]

May Allah put in our hearts the love of those who will be in paradise.

Mariam Anwer submitted this article to A2Youth.com.

Signs of Allah's Existence

"O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may acquire taqwa (piety)."

"Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship) while you know (that He alone has the right to be worshipped." [Qur’an, 2:21-22]

Several scholars of Tafsir, like Ar-Razi and others, used this Ayat (verse) as an argument for the existence of the Creator, and it is a most worthy method of argument. Indeed, whoever ponders over the things that exist, the higher and lower creatures, their various shapes, colors, behavior, benefits and ecological roles, then he will realize the ability, wisdom, knowledge, perfection and majesty of the Creator. Once a Bedouin was asked about the evidence to Allah’s existence, he responded: "All praise is due to Allah! The camel’s dung testifies to the existence of the camel, and the track testifies to the fact that someone was walking. A sky that holds the giant stars, a land that has fairways and a sea that has waves, does not all of this testify that the Most Kind, Most Knowledgeable exists?" [Ar-Razi 2:91]

Hence, whoever gazes at the sky in its immensity, its expanse, and the various kinds of planets in it, some of which appear stationary in the sky – whoever gazes at the seas that surround the land from all sides, and the mountains that were placed on the earth to stabilize it, so that whoever lives on land, whatever their shape and color, are able to live and thrive – whoever reads Allah’s statement:

"And among the mountains are streaks white and red, of varying colours and (others) very black. And likewise, men and ad-Dawwabb (moving, living creatures, beasts) and cattle are of various colours. It is only those who have knowledge among His servants that fear Allah." [35:27-28]

Whoever thinks about the running rivers that travel from area to area bringing benefit, whoever ponders over what Allah has created on earth; various animals and plants of different tastes, scents, shapes and colors that are a result of unity between land and water, whoever thinks about all of this then he will realize that these facts testify to the existence of the Creator, His perfect ability, wisdom, mercy, kindness, generosity and His overall compassion for His creation. There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, nor is there a Lord besides Him, upon Him we rely and to Him we turn in repentance. There are numerous Ayat in the Qur’an on this subject.

source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Entrance into Paradise or Hell

This is the final stage when the people of Paradise will enter Paradise and the people of Hell will enter the Fire. 

Question:Are Paradise and Hell present today?

Reply: Yes, Paradise and Hell are present today as is proven in the Book and the Sunnah. Allah says concerning the Fire, "Fear the Fire which is prepared for the disbelievers." [Soorah aali-Imran (3): 131] 'prepared' means readiness. 

Allah says about Paradise, "March forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for the pious." [Soorah aali-Imran (3): 133] (here again) prepared means readiness. 

As for proof from the Sunnah, it is established in the two Saheehs and in other (books of Hadeeth) in the story of the eclipse of the sun that the Messenger stood for Salaat, and Paradise and Hell were shown to him and he witnessed Paradise until he intended to reach a bunch of grapes from it but he did not take it. He saw Fire and saw Amar ibn Luhay al-Khuza'ee dragging his intestines that were hanging from his stomach. We seek Refuge with Allah from the Fire of Hell. He was tormented because he was the first man who introduced Shirk amongst the Arabs. As a result, he was given a share of punishment for what he introduced and that was followed after him. 

He also saw a woman being tormented in the Fire because of a cat that was under her care and it died because she did not feed it, nor let it out to eat from the vermin of the earth.... [See, Saheeh al-Bukharee] This proves that Paradise and Hell are present now.

Question:Are Paradise and Hell eternal?

Reply: Paradise and Hell are eternal and they will remain forever. The proof concerning Paradise in the Qur'an is the Saying of Allah, "Verily, those who believe and do righteous good deeds, they are the best of creatures. Their reward with their Lord is 'Adn Paradise, underneath which rivers flow, they will abide therein forever, Allah is Well-Pleased with them, and they with Him." [Soorah al-Bayyinah (98): 7-8] 

Allah mentioned the eternity of Hell in 3 verses of the Qur'an,

In Soorah an-Nisa, "Verily, those who disbelieve and did wrong, Allah will not forgive them nor will He guide them to any way. Except the way of Hell to dwell therein forever and this is ever easy for Allah." [Soorah an-Nisa (4): 168-169] 

In Soorah al-Ahzab, "Verily, Allah has cursed the disbelievers and has prepared for them a flaming Fire (Hell). Wherein they will abide forever and they will find neither a protector nor a helper." [Soorah al-Ahzab (33): 64-65]

In Soorah al-Jinn, "Whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger then verily for him is the Fire of Hell, he shall dwell therein forever." [Soorah al-Jinn (72): 23] 

It is thus proven by the clear verses of the Qur'an that the saying that Fire will be destroyed is a very weak saying which cannot be relied upon because it is not possible to rely upon a saying which is contrary to what the Qur'an has clearly explained. Rather it is not permitted for us to rely upon such a saying. 

The Siraat

The Siraat is a Bridge that extends above the Fire. The people will pass over the bridge according to their deeds; some will pass like the twinkling of an eye, some will pass like lightning and some will pass like wind. All those who were quick in accepting the truth and following it will quickly pass through the bridge and whosoever was sluggish to say the truth and act upon it will be sluggish on the bridge. 

Only the people of Paradise will pass over this bridge while the disbelievers will not pass over it because they are from the people of Fire – and we seek Allah's refuge – They will come to the Fire suffering from thirst.

Conditions of Shafa'ah (Intercession)

The Conditions of Shafa'ah are three;

i) The Pleasure of Allah with the intercessor

ii) The Pleasure of Allah with the one, on behalf of whom the intercession is requested

iii) The Permission of Allah

The proof are the following verses,

"There are many angels in the heavens whose intercession will avail nothing except after Allah has given leave for whom He wills and pleases." [Soorah an-Najm (53): 26] 

"they cannot intercede except for him with whom He is pleased." [Soorah al-Anbiya (21): 28] 

"Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission?" [Soorah al-Baqarah (2): 255] 

"On that day no intercession shall avail except the one for whom the Most Beneficent has given permission." [Soorah Ta-Ha (20): 109] 

This Shafa'ah will not benefit the disbelievers because Allah is not pleased with them. It is a condition of Shafa'ah that Allah is pleased with the one, on behalf of whom the Shafa'ah is requested. Therefore the idols of the mushrikeen whom the mushrikeen cling to and say, 'they are our intercessors with Allah,' will not benefit them and will not intercede for them rather they will increase their grief because Allah said, "Certainly! You (disbelievers) and that which you are worshipping now besides Allah are fuel for Hell!" [Soorah al-Anbiya (21): 98] So the idols' being the fuel of Fire will increase the sorrow of the disbelievers.

Shafa'ah (Intercession)

Shafa'ah is of two types:

The first type is the Shafa'ah that is exclusive for Prophet Muhammad 

The second type of Shafa'ah is general for all the prophets, siddiqeen, martyrs and righteous 

Shafa'ah that is exclusive to Allah's Messenger is al-Shafa'ah al- Udhma. It will be for the account to begin. On the Day of Judgment, the people will be overtaken by suffering and grief because they will be standing for fifty thousand years while the sun will be over their heads. Some of them will be surrounded by their sweat. 

People will thus look for someone to intercede with Allah on their behalf and rescue them from their suffering. They will go to Adam , who is the father of mankind. They will ask him to intercede but Adam will refuse because he had disobeyed Allah by eating from the forbidden tree.

Question: Adam's sin of eating from the forbidden tree is a sin which he repented for and then Allah chose him and gave him guidance. "Thus did Adam disobey his Lord, so he went astray. Then his Lord chose him and turned to him with forgiveness and gave him guidance." [Soorah Ta-Ha (20): 121-122] (So, why will Adam refuse to intercede?) 

Reply: Yes. Allah did say that after Adam committed the sin and sought forgiveness, "Then his Lord chose him" and made him from among the guided. But Adam will refuse to intercede giving the excuse of eating from the tree because the position of intercession is a great position which requires that the intercessor be pure/upright with regards to everything since the intercessor seeks intercession on behalf of others. So if he is himself guilty, how can he be an intercessor? 

The people will thus go to Nuh and ask him to intercede but he will refuse because he had once asked for something which he had no knowledge of. He asked Allah to save his disbelieving son from drowning, "Nuh called upon his Lord and said, "O my Lord! Verily, my son is of my family! Certainly, Your Promise is true, and You are the Most Just of the judges." He (Allah) said, "O Nuh! Surely, he is not of your family. Verily, his work is unrighteous. So ask not of Me that of which you have no knowledge! I admonish you, lest you be one of the ignorant." [Soorah Hud (11): 45-46] So, Nuh will refuse to intercede.

The people will then come to the Khaleel of Allah, Ibraheem , who too will refuse to intercede because he had lied thrice – although, those were not lies in reality. Those were apparently the truth but the intent was contrary to the apparent and so they were likened to falsehood in some way. It is due to Ibraheem's perfect etiquette towards Allah that he will refuse to intercede. 

The people will come to Moosa , who will also refuse to intercede because he killed a man without being commanded to do so. The man referred to was killed unrightfully. Moosa came out and saw two men fighting; one was from his followers Bani Israeel and the other was from his enemy Aqbat. Moosa's follower called for help over the enemy. Moosa was a strong man and so the man died when Moosa pushed him. As such Moosa killed him before being ordered to do so and thus Moosa will refuse to intercede. 

The people will then come to Eesa who will not confess any sin rather he will acknowledge the position of Allah's Messenger and say, “Go to Muhammad - Allah has forgiven all his past and future sins.” So they will come to the Prophet and ask him to intercede. 

The Prophet will intercede with Allah and then Allah will descend to judge between His slaves. This intercession is called al-Shafa'ah al- Udhma (the Great Intercession). (The right to intercede for al- Shafa'ah al-Udhma) is al-Maqaam al-Mahmood mentioned in the Saying of Allah, "It may be that your Lord will raise you to Maqaman Mahmooda." [Soorah al-Isra (17): 79]

So Allah's Messenger will intercede and Allah will descend to judge between his slaves and relieve them from this (long) standing. 

The Shafa'ah that are exclusive to the Prophet also include interceding for the people of paradise to enter Paradise. After having passed over as-Siraat (the bridge), the people of Paradise will reach the door of Jannah but they will find it locked. The Prophet will intercede with Allah to open the door of Paradise for them as Allah mentioned, "those who kept their duty to their Lord will be led to Paradise in groups till when they reach it and its gates will be opened." [Soorah az-Zumar (39): 73] 

Allah did not say, 'until when they reach it, the gates thereof will be opened' as He said about the people of Fire, "those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups, till when they reach it, the gates thereof will be opened." [Soorah az-Zumar (39): 71]

Allah said about the people of Paradise, "when they reach it, and its gates will be opened" because the gates will not be opened until after the intercession. 

The common Shafa'ah which is for the Prophets, Siddiqeen, martyrs and the righteous will be of two kinds: 

First: Shafa'ah for the believers to be taken out from the Fire.

Second: Shafa'ah for the believers who deserve the Fire – to be saved from entering the Fire.