Monthly Archives: May 2008
Funeral Prayer in Absentia
A number of people sent me queries concerning the correct opinion on praying Salât al-Janâzah in absentia (on a person who is not present). The question was obviously relevant since people all over the world prayed Salât al-Janâzah for Shaykh Ibn Bâz rahimahullâh.
Before I briefly answer the question, I would like to mention the fact that this occurrence (that so many millions of people prayed over Shaykh Ibn Bâz) is in and of itself an indication insha-Allâh of the status and sincerity of the Shaykh. As some of the salaf said: The criterion between the person of Sunnah and the person of bid’ah is the Janâzah; meaning that Allâh azawajal blesses the scholar of the Sunnah to have many people pray for his forgiveness. The Janâzah of Imâm Ahmad was attended by more than a hundred thousand people, according to some reports, and for that time and age that is an astounding figure. Continue reading
Why Should I Study?
Many years ago in Uzbekistan, a baby boy was born blind. His Mother, the strong Mu’minah that she was, did not lose sight of He who had the Power to cure him. She prayed and prayed for her sons sight. And within a few years the boy regained his eyes.
She was widowed, the boy an orphan. She traveled with him to Makkah so that he could receive an Islamic Education. She arranged that he attend the circles of the scholars, and in those circles, he began excelling in the science of Hadeeth. He traveled to distant villages in search of the most authentic sayings of Rasul Allah (pbuh). He would pray two raka’at before accepting a Hadeeth. His mother named him: Muhammad ibn Isma’il. And many of us know him today by the book he compiled, the book that stands after the Qur’an in authenticity.
