A book entitled Apocalypse Countdown 666 by Dr. Khalid clearly shows that we are living in a period when many of the prophesies are coming true. It unmasks the real nature of the UN, showing it to be the Biblical Beast, while the US is the Biblical Dragon. It also shows that adding the 3 south gates to the Masjid Al-Haram has completed the 12 major gates of the Biblical New Jerusalem. This appears very clearly if we look at the picture of the mosque bearing in mind the biblical description. We will see that the two are identical. When we consider all this, we are bound to conclude that the second coming of Jesus Christ will not be delayed much further. Those who are interested in the book can log on to HYPERLINK http://www.januspublishing.co.uk

El-Nurabi, Assir

A. How far can we go in trying to match today’s events to the prophesies that are recorded in the Qur’an, Hadith, Scriptures of other religions or words attributed to earlier prophets? There may be strong evidence to suggest that the UN could be branded as the Biblical Beast, and to make use of its Resolution 666 to show it as serving the interests of those who are hostile to Islam.

But there is nothing new in this. After all, the UN resolution that approved the partition of Palestine was far more instrumental in giving the land of Palestine to the Jews and making seven hundred thousand Arabs refugees. Its number has no association with Satan!

There is much that can be said against the US and its consistently hostile attitude to Muslims and Islam. Is the US what our reader calls the Biblical Dragon? I have no answer to that question, and I do not think that we need an answer to it. We are warned by God about the attitude of such hostile forces: "They shall not cease to fight you until they force you to renounce your faith, if they can." (2: 217)

The fact is that we have in the Qur’an and in the Sunnah of the Prophet sufficient warnings which should keep us on our guard as to how to deal with those who are hostile to Islam, and those who try to undermine the Muslims and their position in the world. But we are often heedless of these. Yet there will come a day when, as the Prophet has indicated, the Muslims will be on the ascendance again, and they will beat off, with God’s help, all the might of the forces marshaled against them. But we should not relax, waiting for any future event like the second coming of Jesus. We should do our part now, before death overtake us. It may be that God will give us victory in our lifetime, or He may make our work a factor in a future victory of Islam. When we do our part, we earn our reward from Him and that is all that matters.

If we indulge in relating prophesies to actual events, how can we be sure of our interpretation? If we say that the second coming of Jesus will not be long, that begs the question, "what is long?" Will he be coming in 20 years time or after 2,000 years? If it is the latter, will that be long? When the Jews of Madinah declared to the pagan Arabs that they were expecting the last Prophet to appear soon, and they were referring to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), they told them that "he would come very close to the Last Hour." The term, "the Last Hour" refers to the Day of Judgment. Muhammad was sent with his message over 1,400 years ago, and human life has continued. It may go on for only a few days or for several million years and be still close.

We can go on over this, but the discussion is immaterial. What is important for us as individuals is to know that we have a limited time in this life, and that we should use this time to best advantage. That is achieved when we try hard to make our objective in everything we do to please God and benefit His creatures. If we keep that in mind, we will be certain to be successful when we meet Him. That is the great prize.

Women visiting graveyards

Q. My wife lost her father and then our infant child with only a few weeks difference between them. They are buried together in the same grave. She is prevented from visiting their graves because she is a woman.

She is told that when a woman visits a graveyard the men buried there see her naked. Yet she feels great longing to visiting their grave, reading the Qur’an to them and praying God to have mercy on them. Is there anything wrong with that?

F.S. Siddiqui, Dhahran

A. Islam does not place any restriction against women visiting graves and graveyards except that they must not wail and cry aloud when they are there. The Prophet originally told women not to visit graveyards, but toward the end of his life, he said to them: "I had told you not to visit graves; now I am telling you to visit them." The reason was that Arabian women used to wail at graves. The Prophet wanted this practice to be stopped. Therefore, he banned women from visiting graves to start with. After sometime, when Muslim women were better aware of how Islam wants them to behave in different situations, he allowed them such visits. In fact, the Prophet encourages visiting graveyards because such a visit reminds the visitor of his or her own death and the fact that they would have to stand in front of God when their actions are reckoned to determine their reward or punishment.

Scholars like Ibn Qudamah, of the Hanbali school of law, make it clear that since this is the purpose of visiting graveyards, both men and women need such visits. Hence, it is allowed to both. Islam does not differentiate between men and women in matters which both of them need, unless he makes the difference in favor of women. Muslims, however, often deny women their rights under all sorts of pretexts. These are un-Islamic. One such example is that which the reader’s wife has been told, claiming that she is seen naked by the dead. This is most absurd. The dead cannot sea their visitors. How can they, when they have no eyesight, and no vision whatsoever? Even if they had, how can they see in the darkness of their graves? If you place a person with sharp eyesight in a hole and cover his face with a napkin, he cannot see anything. Would the dead who are buried deep in the graves see those who are above ground? It is all superstition.

Having said that, I may add that the reader’s wife can always pray for her father and son, without having to go to the graveyard. Whatever she prays God for them, from any place, will be accepted, God willing. Visiting their grave should be intended for the living, to remind them of death.

Forgoing inheritance

Q.1. If one heir who is earning a better living than his brothers wishes to forgo part of all of his share of inheritance from their father, with the intention of helping them, can he do so? I have an impression that this is not open to him, because it affects his own children’s inheritance when he dies? Please comment.

Q.2. What is the authentic Islamic concept concerning Imam Al-Mahdi, his absence, reappearance and role in future?

S.M. Raja, Pakistan

A.1. I am sorry if I have given such a wrong impression. I am sure that what I have said is taken a little bit out of context. May be I was talking in a totally different vein, such as a parent dividing his property among his children in his own lifetime. Anyway, if I gave the impression that the reader mentions, then that was wrong. It is definitely open to anyone to make a gift to his close relatives or friends, without impairing anyone’s rights.

If you are well-off and wish to forgo part or all of your share of inheritance from your father to your brothers and sisters, then you are making them a gift, for which you may, God willing, earn a great reward. That reward may take the form of God’s help to your children when they need it. If this is the case, then God’s help would be far more valuable than any gift you make to your brothers and sisters.

A.2. We do not have a concept about Imam Al-Mahdi. What we have is some Hadiths which speak about the appearance of a God-fearing man who will strive hard to put an end to the Impostor who would have wreaked havoc and spread corruption. He would fight that Impostor with those who believe in the right faith. When will this happen? The Hadiths give some indications and signs, but no definite dates.

When the questioner asks about Mahdi’s absence and reappearance, he is confusing this notion of the Mahdi with the Shia’s belief concerning the 12th imam. They hold that the Mahdi was the 12th imam and that he was removed by God until the time when it is right for him to reappear. He would then ensure total justice on earth. There is nothing of such beliefs in the Sunni schools of Islamic thought.

Arafat Day and the Eid

Q. The Day of Arafat is the most significant day for Muslims all over the world. The Eid of sacrifice is celebrated on the following day. However, in some countries people celebrate the Eid two or three days after Arafat Day. Their argument is based on the time when the moon was sighted in their country. If there is a difference, it is only a matter of a few hours. Why cannot Muslims agree on such an important symbolic matter?

A.M. Zahed, Jeddah

A. It is unfortunate that people should follow different systems in determining the time of the Eid. The important thing to realize is that the Eid is related to an important event in the Islamic calendar, which is the pilgrimage. The ritual that determines the timing of the pilgrimage is the attendance at Arafat on Dul Hijjah 9. The Eid occurs the following day. That Muslims in other countries mark the Eid on other days means that they pay no regard to the actual event that is taking place in Madinah and its surrounding area, when the Eid is part of it. This is absurd.

Yet people would argue that the moon in their country could not be sighted at the same time as Saudi Arabia. This may be so, but the difference, as our reader points out, is a matter of a few hours. Indeed, there could never be a difference in the birth of the new moon exceeding 24 hours anywhere in the world. How come we have a difference in fasting and Eid occasions, stretching to 3 days sometimes? The answer is that it is merely a case of compounded mistakes.

But people will not change their views and practices for the mere article or a well-presented argument. This is a matter that can only be changed if a decision is taken by authorities.

What we see in our present world is that political authority tries to steer clear of religious controversy, and religious scholars have no real authority. Therefore, the state of confusion continues. Muslims nowadays do not seem interested in being united. They are more interested in proving themselves right. This is not the way to achieve proper unity among them. Sad indeed is their state. May God help us all to achieve a better state.