Q. Since Arabic has only two tenses, past and present, all references to the hereafter and the Day of Judgment are made in the present tense. This means that when a person dies, he or she immediately go to either heaven or hell. This means that the reward or punishment they receive are immediate. It also means that the common notion about torment in the grave is inaccurate, particularly since there is no reference to it in the Qur’an. I think that when a person dies his or her spirit is no longer confined to their bodies. The spirit would be immediately facing God. Actions of the person concerned would have been immediately reviewed. Since time does not apply there, it is difficult to imagine how this happens. Hence God describes it in the Qur’an in a way which we can understand. Please comment.
H. Khan, Karachi
A. The reader starts with a false premise. While Arabic may be said to have two tenses, past and present, it expresses the future very clearly by adding a modal to the present. There are two modals, "sa" for the immediate future and "sawfa" for the distant future. Thus, to say that the hereafter starts immediately on one’s death is a misconception. It starts with a day when all creation will be gathered together. This means that there is a time gap between one’s death and resurrection for the hereafter.
While torment in the grave is not mentioned in these words in the Qur’an, there are clear references to it. One such reference occurs in verse 46 of Surah 40, which speaks about the people of Pharaoh and states: "They are brought by the fire morning and evening; then when the Last Hour occurs, (it shall be said:) Place the people of Pharaoh in the most severe torment." The verse clearly provides for a sequence of actions: the bringing of those people before the fire twice a day; then their entry in hell where the worst place is reserved for them.
Now how does all this occur and what sort of time applies there, we do not know. But we take what the Qur’an says about the hereafter at face value and believe in it without hesitation. Why should we bother ourselves with its being a mental picture drawn in a way that is possible for us to understand or it is a reality described in real terms? This affects the truth of the hereafter in no way. If we believe in God, we take His word, i.e. the Qur’an, as it is and believe in it as it is expressed.
Having said that, I should add that much of what people tend to believe concerning what happens after death is invalid. For example in certain parts of the Muslim world some people install electric fans to cool down the atmosphere so as to reduce any torment their loved ones may be suffering in the grave. This is wrong, because they do not know whether God has forgiven their deceased relatives or not. If not, then no amount of cooling will reduce God’s punishment.
Interest and the devaluation of currency
Q. In our part of the world, the value of currency continues to fall. If one has some savings and leaves them in cash, they will dwindle in value. If one puts them in some deposit account, is it permissible to take the extra money one is given?
M. Arifuddin, Tabuk
A. Unfortunately, it is true that the value of currency falls so as to make the value of one’s money decrease unless one is able to retain its value through some investment. This is one of the evils of the capitalist system which operates in most countries. However, straightforward interest is not the answer to protect the value of one’s money. It is often the case that inflation outstrips the rate of interest, so that one continues to lose even if one takes interest on one’s bank deposits. Suppose that the rate of interest in a certain country is 8%, and the rate of inflation is 12%, taking interest does not retain the value of one’s deposits.
The way out of this problem is to invest the money in a profit-and-loss-sharing account, in which the bank acts as an investment agent for its clients and tries to get their investments to make returns higher than the rate of inflation. There are such accounts or investment schemes in most countries and one should always resort to these in preference to straightforward bank deposits.
The four schools of Islamic law
Q.1. When were the four schools of Islamic law instituted and what were the reasons for that?
Q.2. Did the Prophet offer his prayers in different ways?
Y. Ali Ahsanuddin
Riyadh
A.1. If we date the four schools of Islamic law by their founders then we say that they all started in the second and early part of the third centuries of the Islamic era. Imam Abu Haneefah was the earliest of the four scholars. He was born in year 80 and died in 150. Imam Malik was born in 93 and died in 179, while Al-Shafie was born in 150 and died in 204. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal was born in 164 and died in 241. May God bless them all.
None of these scholars started with the aim of establishing a school of his own. However, they distinguished themselves as scholars of the highest caliber. Each of them had a large number of students, many of whom later became eminent scholars in their own right. Sufficient it is to say in this regard that Imam Ahmad was a student of Al-Shafie, while Al-Shafie studied under Malik for 9 years and under Muhammad ibn Al-Hassan of the Hanafi school for three years.
These schools differ in their methodologies which help them to arrive at verdicts to questions that are put to them.
A.2. Basically prayer is the same, but schools of Islamic law differ in certain aspects of prayer. These differences are largely due to the way prayer was taught by different companions of the Prophet to different communities. The differences suggest that the Prophet actually resorted at different times to some variations in the form of prayer. The Prophet performed his prayers in such different ways to indicate that they are all acceptable.
Answer to Mr. M. Afzal Mohiuddin of Taif
The question you have put to me concerning inheritance is unclear. To start with, step-relatives do not inherit anything. How could they when they are unrelated to the deceased person? It may be that your usage of the term is not accurate. In order to help me to answer your question, you have to tell me exactly how everyone is related to the deceased. Unless I have such information, it will be very difficult for me to give you any answer.
Death, grief and prayers
Q. People say that a woman must not visit a graveyard, because the dead see her as though she was naked. Is this true? Is it permissible to put a rose on the grave of a loved one, or sit near the grave and speak to the dead, expressing our grief and emotion? We lost my father and my three-month-old son within two weeks of each other. This has caused us much grief. Can we pray for the dead in our own language?
F. S. Siddiqui, Jeddah
A. Death occurs by God’s will at the time He chooses. There is no way that we could ever determine the time when the death of any person will occur until it has occurred. And death affects us all at the time God chooses. Therefore, we must always be prepared to meet God when our time arrives. Some die young, some live to old age, but it is all God’s will.
There is no doubt that the two deaths you and your family suffered within a very short space of time have been very trying for you. The only advice one can give in such a situation is to remember that God does not do anything unless He has a purpose behind it. He is wise and His wisdom is reflected in every thing He does. Therefore, we accept what He has willed, sad as it may be and express our acceptance in word and deed. It is not true that women are not allowed to visit graveyards. At one stage during the Prophet’s lifetime, such a prohibition was in place, but this was later abrogated. The Prophet said to his women companions that they may visit graveyards.
This is perfectly understandable because such visits remind us of our own death and the hereafter. Everyone of us, man or woman, needs such reminders. The claim that the dead see a woman naked is absolutely false. The dead do not see anyone who comes to a graveyard. How could they when they are buried under the ground? And how could they see the woman undressed? This is all absurd, invented by people who do not wish women to go to graveyards.
The important thing when visiting a graveyard is to refrain from wailing, or crying loud or making some unbecoming expression of grief, such as tearing one’s clothes. If one expresses his grief by crying silently, that is perfectly understandable. Talking to a dead person is not very advisable, because it gives an impression that one has not accepted God’s will. Praying for the dead in your own language is perfectly appropriate.
Brief answers
Q.1. What is meant by the verse which prohibits turning our back to the unbelievers in battle?
Q.2. In my home country where the Muslims are a minority, when the national team plays a game against a team from a Muslim country, Muslim spectators support the Muslim country, which results in tension between the Muslims and the majority. Please comment.
Q.3. Please comment on the Hadith which mentions that performing the Umrah in Ramadan is equal to a pilgrimage in the company of the Prophet.
Z. Irfan, Jeddah
A.1. The verse describes a situation in which some Muslim soldiers may be tempted to run away from the battlefield when the going gets very tough. This is not permitted under any circumstances, other than to seek support or to make a maneuver to overcome the enemy. In other words, tactical turning away is permissible, if it is thought to help the Muslim army. Turning away to desert the battle in order to save one’s life is not permissible.
A.2. When the Muslims are in a minority in a certain country, they should take care not to appear disloyal, so that this is not taken against them. While Islam does not approve of nationalism in the narrow sense that is held today, it wants its community to behave judiciously so as not to cause tension between themselves and the majority of the people around them. It may be tempting to Muslims to support visiting Muslim teams, but this should be secondary to maintaining safety for the Muslim community.
A.3. The Hadith mentions the reward for offering the Umrah in Ramadan. That its reward is equal to offering the pilgrimage should make us very keen to offer it at that time, at least once in our lifetime. It does not mean, however, that it replaces the pilgrimage duty God has imposed on every Muslim.
