Question to Dr.Shabbir

[sikandar khan]

Salaam.
Dear Doctor Saheb sometime ago a young Sikh friend became Muslim and married a muslim girl. He is a fine young man and a practicing Muslim.Recently his mother died and naturally he was heartbroken and still is.He went to his parents home and spent sometime with his relatives.After two days his mother's body was to be cremated and he intended to attend the ceromoney but was forbidden by his in laws saying that it was not the Muslim way and that he should not attend the ceromoney.He naturally disagreed so his in laws consulted seven different "ULEMAAS" but all told him not to attend.They further said that he should not pray to Allah for her "MAGHFERAT" because Allah has forbidden muslims to ask him for the maghferat of KAAFIRS.
Dear doctor saheb I agree that Allah has said that he will not forgive MUSHRIKEEN but always believed that He is rahmaan and raheem and there is no harm in asking for his mercey specially for our loved ones.kindly guide.

Regards

Sikandar khan
Hounslow.Middx, uk.

[Drcheema]

salaam
Its simple
"la tazairoo wazaira tunv vizra ukhra"
Quran is clearly warning one can not share anyone else's burdon.
So asking "magfirat" for a deceased does not make any sense.
Every one is accountable for his or her own deeds.
Regards
taseer

[Arnold Yasin Mol]

Salaam Aleikum,

This is very easy when you look at the Quran.

1: We must respect our parents but not follow their Idolatry.

29:8 (As among the best deeds) We have enjoined upon the human being kindness to parents. But, if they strive to make you ascribe divinity side by side with Me, this will conflict with your knowledge. Then, obey them not, for it is unto Me that all of you must return, whereupon I shall truly make you understand what you used to do. (31:14-15).

2: Also you cannot add or take away any deeds of the deceased person.

6:132 The ranks of all individuals and nations are determined solely by their deeds, and your Lord is not unaware of what they do. (Calling yourselves believers won't help 2:8)

So he can join the funeral, he can ATTAIN to it, I believe by my knowledge. But he CANNOT participate with the cerenomy. He must understand that funerals are only meant for the people who are left behind. It will not do anything for the deceased person itself. It is purely a psychological ritual to ease the acceptance that the relationship is broken and cannot be restored.

The traditional Uluma will probably bring on some Hadiths and this Quran verse for example:

9:84 Nor shall you (O Prophet) ever follow the funeral of any of them that dies, nor stand at his grave. They rejected Allah and His Messenger and drifted away from the Divine Commands till death.

But this verse talks about who never supported the Deen and were hypocrites. It doesn't talk about people who are from different faiths. It is about people who kept rejecting the Deen all their life, while pretending they were supporting it.

9:83 If Allah returns you to a situation where they ask your permission to go forth, say, “You shall never again go out with me for any foe. For you were well pleased with sitting still the first time. Stay at home then with those who are obliged to remain behind (women, children, elderly men, the sick and the disabled).

I hope this will help him.

[Ahmed Mateen]

Salaam,

9:84 Nor shall you (O Prophet) ever follow the funeral of any of them that dies, nor stand at his grave. They rejected Allah and His Messenger and drifted away from the Divine Commands till death.

But this verse talks about who never supported the Deen and were hypocrites. It doesn't talk about people who are from different faiths. It is about people who kept rejecting the Deen all their life, while pretending they were supporting it.

I agree with brother Arnold. As we see in the story of Ibrahim(AS), his father was a chief priest and the biggest enemy of Ibrahim. He threatend him to death. Only for such people we cannot ask forgiveness. Also as brother taseer has mentioned that asking forgiveness for the deceased doesn't make any sense. This only shows our good wishes and it doesn't make no difference to the deeds of the dead.

see the following verses about Ibrahim(AS) and his father:

6:74 Remember when Abraham said to his father Azar (Terah), “How could you worship idols as gods? I see you and your people are in obvious error.” (Azar is called Terah in the Bible and Zarah in Talmud).

19:46 He answered, "You dislike my gods, O Abraham? If you cease not, I will certainly cause you to be stoned to death! Now get away from me for good! ” (As the Chief Priest, Azar had the power to declare someone apostate and condemn him to be stoned. For the Divine Statute of no compulsion in religion see 2:256).

9:114 Abraham asked forgiveness for his father because of a promise that he had made. The promise was based on the hope that his father would mend his ways. When Abraham was sure that his father was a persistent opponent of Allah's Commands, he desisted from asking forgiveness for him (14:41, 19:47). Abraham was kind-hearted, clement.


-May Allah increase us in knowledge.

[Shoaib Ali]

salaam
Its simple
"la tazairoo wazaira tunv vizra ukhra"
Quran is clearly warning one can not share anyone else's burdon.
So asking "magfirat" for a deceased does not make any sense.
Every one is accountable for his or her own deeds.
Regards
taseer

Salaam -
As per Quran, we cannot share other's burdon, but we certainly can ask for his or her "magfirat"....

[Ahmed Mateen]

What is Maghfirat ?

Ghafoor - (Ghain-Fa-Ra).

One of the Attributes of Allah. Basically means the one who provides Maghfirah. Ghafrun is to make someone wear something which would protect him from filth or dirt (Moheet). So this word has the basic meaning of covering and protecting. It also means to conceal or put cover - Ghafaral-Mata'a fil Wia's means he put valuables in a utensil and then concealed (thereby protecting) it. Mighfar, a chain armour, worn under the helmet also covering the neck and the shoulders, which protects a warrior from the attack of a sword.

Al-Ghifara is a bandage which women usually wear over the head to protect the head-covering from getting spoiled by the oily hair. Al-Jamm-ul-Ghafeer is that helmet which covers the entire head and thus protects it.

Maghfirah means protection. When a nation travels on a wrong track, the effects of evil-deeds start appearing. But anytime before a people perish or get closer to destruction, Allah the Almighty has provided alternate ways for it to recover. If a people leave the wrong path, come back and undo the wrong (this is called Taubah), and then start going on the correct path, the positive deeds not only undo or cure the damage done, but also start giving healthy results. So it not only protects them from evil-effects, but also provides them nourishment for further growth. This is the Maghfirah of that nation.

Accordingly, author of Moheet writes that Istighf'ar means to desire correction and protection from a damaging or mischievous thing by undertaking positive actions. Maghfirah also means to save a person from the punishment which has become due on account of his misdeeds (Moheet).

Maghfirah is usually translated as forgiveness. The Quranic Law of Requital, however, entirely negates the very conception of forgiveness. Every human action, according to this Law, has a natural and logical outcome for which there can be no forgiveness. Positive deeds strengthen his "self" and he remains immune from the effects of the destructive forces. This state can only be achieved by performing constructive deeds continuously.

The first prerequisite, therefore, for the prevention of disease is one's internal resistance; that is to say, his body should have sufficient internal strength to withstand an attack by forces detrimental to its health. If, however, the attack proves too strong and the person falls ill, his resistance must be strengthened so as to prevent the disease from taking a fatal turn and to effect its cure. This preventive and curative process would be called Maghfirah.

Faithful compliance of the Laws of Allah gives man sufficient strength to resist the destructive forces in life. But if he should ever fall into error and be guilty of infringing these Laws, and his personality should consequently be weakened, the remedy would lie in good conduct calculated to recuperate and strengthen his personality and save him from the harmful effects of his lapse. This is called Maghfirah.

Source of the Article

[sikandar khan]

I thank you all for the guidance.
regards

Sikandar.