Q. What does the Qur’an say about other creatures, i.e. aliens, on other planets? According to the Qur’an, did dinosaurs exist?
H. Khan
A. The Qur’an is not a book of history, biology, astronomy, or science of any specialty. It is a book of faith, devoted to explaining this faith and putting in place a code of law for human life. It certainly refers to certain aspects of the universe, but does not attempt to give a full picture of what exists, or what lived in the past. When it refers to scientific facts, it does so in as much as these serve its purpose of making the divine faith clear to people. What we can say on the basis of the Qur’an is that life could be present in other parts of the universe. Whether it is the same type of life as ours, or a totally different type, we cannot tell. But it is to be expected that there are numerous other types of life in different parts of the universe. It would not serve any purpose for us to learn about these. Indeed even if we were told of them, we may not be able to understand what they are like, because our thoughts and imagination are limited to what we experience in our own world. Take for example the jinn whom God tells us about. They are created out of fire while we originate from the earth clay. We cannot imagine the substance they are made of, or their nature, because it is beyond what we know. As for dinosaurs, the Qur’an does not mention them. They apparently existed according to the scientific evidence we have.
Headstone on Grave
Q. Is it permissible to have a headstone placed on a grave on which the name of the person buried is written together with some information about him? Some people are strongly opposed to it, but if the purpose is simply for identification, could it be wrong? Please comment.
M.D. Ebra
A. It is perfectly permissible to place a distinctive mark on a headstone on a grave so as to make it easy to identify. Ibn Majah relates a Hadith on the authority of Anas that tells us “the Prophet (peace be upon him) placed a piece of rock as a distinctive sign on the grave of Uthman ibn Mazoon.” There are other reports that suggest that placing such a mark is perfectly acceptable. Since we are encouraged to visit the graves of our relatives, we should be able to identify them, and this can only be done if there is a distinctive mark, preferably with the name of the deceased written on it. It should be remembered that Islam does not encourage building anything over a grave. It prefers that graves be very simple, rising no more than a foot over the ground level. A grave should not be built with any material, but should be made of the same ground it is in. It is raised so that it would be known that it is a grave.
Q. Is there anything wrong with the name Aziz-ur-Rahman? Some people say that both Aziz and Rahman are names of God and that one may not have two names of God as his own name. Should I change my name?
Aziz-ur-Rahman
A. The name Rahman is a proper name that refers to God and may not be applied to anyone else. Aziz, on the other hand, is an attribute of God, which means “powerful, mighty, etc.” However, the word has another shade of meaning, which is “dear, beloved, etc.” Therefore, when the two words are used in combination as a name, they mean, “the one dear to God.” As such, there is nothing wrong with the name and you do not need to change it.
