Category: Q n A

The funeral prayer should be offered for every child even if he were the son of a prostitute as he was
born with a true faith of Islam (i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone). If his parents are Muslims,
particularly the father, even if his mother were a non-Muslim, and if he after the delivery cries (even
once) before his death (i.e. born alive) then the funeral prayer must be offered. And if the child does
not cry after his delivery (i.e. born dead) then his funeral prayer should not be offered, and he will be
considered as a miscarriage. Abu Huraira, narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Every child is born with a
true faith (i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone) but his parents convert him to Judaism or to
Christianity or to Magainism, as an animal delivers a perfect baby animal. Do you find it mutilated?”
Then Abu Huraira recited the holy verses: ‘The pure Allah’s Islamic nature (true faith i.e. to worship
none but Allah Alone), with which He has created human beings.’ ” (30.30).

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Every child is born with a true faith of Islam (i.e. to worship none but Allah
Alone) but his parents convert him to Judaism, Christianity or Magainism, as an animal delivers a
perfect baby animal. Do you find it mutilated?” Then Abu Huraira recited the holy verses: “The pure
Allah’s Islamic nature (true faith of Islam) (i.e. worshipping none but Allah) with which He has
created human beings. No change let there be in the religion of Allah (i.e. joining none in worship
with Allah). That is the straight religion (Islam) but most of men know, not.” (30.30)

When the time of the death of Abu Talib approached, Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) went to him and found Abu Jahl
bin Hisham and `Abdullah bin Abi Umaiya bin Al-Mughira by his side. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said to Abu
Talib, “O uncle! Say: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, a sentence with which I shall be
a witness (i.e. argue) for you before Allah. Abu Jahl and `Abdullah bin Abi Umaiya said, “O Abu
Talib! Are you going to denounce the religion of `Abdul Muttalib?” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) kept on inviting
Abu Talib to say it (i.e. ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah’) while they (Abu Jahl and
`Abdullah) kept on repeating their statement till Abu Talib said as his last statement that he was on the
religion of `Abdul Muttalib and refused to say, ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.’ (Then
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “I will keep on asking Allah’s forgiveness for you unless I am forbidden (by
Allah) to do so.” So Allah revealed (the verse) concerning him (i.e. It is not fitting for the Prophet (ﷺ) and
those who believe that they should invoke (Allah) for forgiveness for pagans even though they be of
kin, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of the fire (9.113).

The Prophet (ﷺ) once passed by two graves, and those two persons (in the graves) were being tortured. He
said, “They are being tortured not for a great thing (to avoid). One of them never saved himself from
being soiled with his urine, while the other went about committing slander (to make enmity between
friends). He then took a green leaf of a date-palm tree split it into two pieces and fixed one on each
grave. The people said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! Why have you done so?” He replied, “I hope that their
punishment may be lessened till they (the leaf) become dry.”

” We were accompanying a funeral procession in Baqi-I-Gharqad. The Prophet (ﷺ) came to us and sat and
we sat around him. He had a small stick in his hand then he bent his head and started scraping the
ground with it. He then said, “There is none among you, and not a created soul, but has place either in
Paradise or in Hell assigned for him and it is also determined for him whether he will be among the
blessed or wretched.” A man said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! Should we not depend on what has been
written for us and leave the deeds as whoever amongst us is blessed will do the deeds of a blessed
person and whoever amongst us will be wretched, will do the deeds of a wretched person?” The
Prophet said, “The good deeds are made easy for the blessed, and bad deeds are made easy for the
wretched.” Then he recited the Verses:– “As for him who gives (in charity) and is Allah-fearing And
believes in the Best reward from Allah. ” (92.5-6)

The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, “Whoever intentionally swears falsely by a religion other than Islam, then
he is what he has said, (e.g. if he says, ‘If such thing is not true then I am a Jew,’ he is really a Jew).
And whoever commits suicide with piece of iron will be punished with the same piece of iron in the
Hell Fire.” Narrated Jundab the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “A man was inflicted with wounds and he committed
suicide, and so Allah said: My slave has caused death on himself hurriedly, so I forbid Paradise for
him.”

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “He who commits suicide by throttling shall keep on throttling himself in the Hell
Fire (forever) and he who commits suicide by stabbing himself shall keep on stabbing himself in the
Hell-Fire.”

When `Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul died, Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) (p.b.u.h) was called upon to offer his funeral
prayer. When Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) stood up to offer the prayer, I got up quickly and said, “O Allah’s
Apostle! Are you going to pray for Ibn Ubai and he said so and so on such and such occasions?” And
started mentioning all that he had said. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) smiled and said, “O `Umar! Go away from
me.” When I talked too much he said, “I have been given the choice and so I have chosen (to offer the
prayer). Had I known that he would be forgiven by asking for Allah’s forgiveness for more than
seventy times, surely I would have done so.” (`Umar added): Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) offered his funeral
prayer and returned and after a short while the two verses of Surat Bara’ were revealed: i.e. “And
never (O Muhammad) pray for any of them who dies . . . (to the end of the verse) rebellion (9.84)” —
(`Umar added), “Later I astonished at my daring before Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) on that day. And Allah and
His Apostle know better.”

A funeral procession passed and the people praised the deceased. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “It has been
affirmed to him.” Then another funeral procession passed and the people spoke badly of the deceased.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “It has been affirmed to him”. `Umar bin Al-Khattab asked (Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)
(p.b.u.h) ), “What has been affirmed?” He replied, “You praised this, so Paradise has been affirmed to
him; and you spoke badly of this, so Hell has been affirmed to him. You people are Allah’s witnesses
on earth.”

I came to Medina when an epidemic had broken out. While I was sitting with `Umar bin Al-Khattab a
funeral procession passed by and the people praised the deceased. `Umar said, “It has been affirmed to
him.” And another funeral procession passed by and the people praised the deceased. `Umar said, “It
has been affirmed to him.” A third (funeral procession) passed by and the people spoke badly of the
deceased. He said, “It has been affirmed to him.” I (Abu Al-Aswad) asked, “O chief of the believers!
What has been affirmed?” He replied, “I said the same as the Prophet (ﷺ) had said, that is: if four persons
testify the piety of a Muslim, Allah will grant him Paradise.” We asked, “If three persons testify his
piety?” He (the Prophet) replied, “Even three.” Then we asked, “If two?” He replied, “Even two.” We
did not ask him regarding one witness.