Tafseer Ibn Kathir


Vol 9 pg. 287-290


Surah. At-Tur (52) Ayah 21


<i><b>"And those who believe and whose offsprings follow them in faith- to them shall We join their offspring, and We shall not decrease the reward of their deeds in anything. Every person is a pledge for that which he has earned." </b></i>



(Surah At-Tur ayah 21)


The Offspring of Righteous Believers will be elevated to Their Gardens in Paradise


In this ayah, Allah the exalted affirms His favor, generosity, graciousness, compasion and beneficence towards His creation. When the offspring of the rightgeous believers imitate their parents regarding faith, Allah will elevate the latter to the ranks of the former, even though the latter did not perform deeds as goodly as their parents. Allah will comfort the eyes of the parents by seeing their offsprings elevated to the grades. Surely, Allah will gather them together in the best manner, and He will not decrease the reward or the grades of those higher in rank for joining them together, hence His statement,


"to them shall We join their offspring, and We shall not decrease the reward of their deeds in anything"


Ath-Thawri reported that Ibn Abbas said, "Verily, Allah elevates the ranks of the believers' offspring to rank of their parents, even though the latter hav not performed as well the former, so that the eyes of the parents are comforted." Ibn Abbas then recited this ayah,


And those who believe and whose offsprings follow them in faith- to them shall We join their offspring, and We shall not decrease the reward of their deeds in anything. Every person is a pledge for that which he has earned. {1} (Tafsir Ath-Thawri 283)


Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim recorded this statement from Sufyan Ath-Thawri from Ibn Abbas. {2} (At-Tabari 22:467)


Ibn Abi Hatim also recorded that Ibn Abbas commented o­n Allah's statement,


And those who believe and whose offsprings follow them in faith- to them shall We join their offspring.


saying, "They are the offspring of the believers who died o­n the faith. If the ranks of their parents are higher than their ranks, they will be joined with their parents. No part of the reward their parents received for their good deeds will be reduced for them."


Abdullah, son of Imam Ahmad, recorded that 'Ali said, "Khadijah asked the Prophet (alayhee salatul wasalaam) about two of her children who died during the time of Jahiliyyah, and the Messenger of Allah (alayhee salatul wasalaam) said; "They are both in the Fire" When he saw sadness o­n her face, he said "If you saw their dwelling place, you would hate them. She said, "O Allah Messenger! What about my children with you.' He said, "They are in Paradise." The Messenger of Allah (alayhee salatul wasalaam) said,


"Verily, the believers and their offspring will dwell in Paradise, while the idolators and their offspring will dwell in the Hell-fire.


The Prophet (alayhee salatul wasalaam) then recited the ayah,


And those who believe and whose offsprings follow them in faith...*


<b>Ahmad 1:135. This is a weak Hadith according to the majority of the scholars</b>


Certainly, it is Allah's grace and favor that He grants the children this blessing because of the good deeds of their parents. He also grants His favor to parents o­n account of their offspring invoking Allah for them. Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah, (radiallahu anhu), said that the Messenger of Allah (alayhee salatul wasalaam) said,


"Verily, Allah shall elevate the grade of a righteous servant in Paradise, who will ask, "O Lord! How did I earn this?' Allah will reply, "Through your son's invoking Me to forgive you." {1} (Ahmad 2:509)


This Hadith has an authentic chain of narration, but it was not recorded in the Sahih this way. However, there is a witnessing narratoin for it in Sahih Muslim, from the Hadith of Abu Hurayrah, who said that the Messenger of Allah (alayhee salatul wasalaam) said,


"When the Son of Adam dies, his record of deeds will cease except in three cases: an o­ngoing charity, knowledge that people are benefitting from and a righteous son who invokes Allah for him." {2} (Muslim 3:1255)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3789241.stm

Quote:US President George W Bush is expected to unveil his plan for promoting democracy, freedom and economic growth in the Middle East at the Group of Eight (G8) summit on Wednesday.
Washington hopes to gather strong support for the Broader Middle East Initiative, which aims to encourage internal reform in Middle East countries through various projects, including financial assistance programmes, literacy projects and public forums.


However, the plan has been viewed with scepticism by some countries in the region, with Egypt and Saudi Arabia turning down the US president's invitation to attend the summit.

Why do people forget that palestinian muslims and christians are semetic people to onot just the jews. They are very clever in making most of the western masses to believe thatthe word semetic is synonymous with jews.

I saw on BBC news 24 today a news piece about the Bokhari jews from uzbekistan how 200000 of them have already emmigrated to Israel and many more are on their way. They interviewed al ittle jewish boy learning hebrew in school, when asked why he was doing that he said because he was going back to israel one day soon. It made me so sad because that 7 or 8 year old boy believes he has the right to go live in Israel, milliond of jews around the world have this right and the palestinians are constantly told that if they want to negotiate any peace deal then they have to revoke this very basic right. How can the west not see the injustice in this?

i found this article on the net:


Napoleon Bonaparte embraced Islam?


England's foe for many years has been France. The legacy remains as seen in the Capital of England, London, where monuments dedicated to defeats over France, are evident. The defeats have been most significant against that of when France was being ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte. (Nelson's Column, Trafelgar Square, Waterloo Station to name but a few.)


Yet, history is seldom seen in the truthful light, and is nearly always partial to the 'winning side' - in whose hand the pen remains, long after both the battle and the war have been won. Yet, recent discoveries have seemed to suggest some interesting facts about Napoleon and his religious beliefs.


In the book, ‘Satanic Voices - Ancient and Modern’ by David M. Pidcock, (1992 ISBN: 1-81012-03-1), it states on page 61, that the then official French Newspaper, Le Moniteur, carried the accounts of his conversion to Islam, in 1798 C.E.


It mentions his new Muslim name, which was ‘Aly (Ali) Napoleon Bonaparte’. He commends the conversion of his General Jacques Menou, who became known as General ‘Abdullah-Jacques Menou’, who later married an Egyptian, Sitti Zoubeida - who was descended from the line of the Prophet Muhammad (on whom be peace).


Napoleon did recognise the superiority of the Islamic (Shari'ah) Law - and did attempt to implement this in his Empire. Most of this, as one can imagine, has been removed/replaced by modern-day secular laws in France and other parts of Europe, but some aspects of the Islamic (Shari'ah) Law do currently exist in French constitution as the basis for some of their laws from the Code Napoleone. One publicised case was that of the fatal car accident with Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Al-Fayed. "The photographers were charged with an old part of the French Jurisprudence, for ‘not helping at the scene of an accident’- which is taken from the Shari'ah Law of Imam Malik." (David M. Pidcock, 1998 C.E.)


Further detailed accounts of this can be found in the book 'Napoleon And Islam' by C. Cherfils. ISBN: 967-61-0898-7

<b><i>Imaam Abu Bakr Ibn Abee Shaybah</i></b>


Shaikh Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaanee


His Checking of Ibn Abee Shaybah's book Kitaab-ul-Eemaan (pg. 11-12)


He was Abu Bakr 'Abdullaah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Abee Shaybah Ibraaheem Ibn 'Uthmaan Al-'Abasee Al-Koofee. He was the author of large voluminous works such as Al-Musannaf, Al-Musnad and others.


He was born in 159H and heard from a large group of the scholars from the reliable and trustworthy Imaams, such as Sufyaan Ibn 'Uyainah, 'Abdullaah Ibn Al-Mubaarak and 'Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Mahdee.


Imaam Ahmad and his son, 'Abdullaah, reported on his authority and he is from the shuyookh (teachers) of the famous Imaams: Al-Bukhaaree, Muslim, Abu Dawood and Ibn Maajah.


Abu 'Ubayd Al-Qaasim Ibn Salaam (rahimahullaah) said: "The leading scholars of Hadeeth are four: The most knowledgeable of them of the Halaal and the Haraam (Lawful and Unlawful) is Ahmad Ibn Hanbal. The best at listing hadeeth and placing them in the right context is 'Alee Ibn Al-Madeenee. The best at writing a book is Ibn Abee Shaybah. And the most knowledgeable of which hadeeth are authentic and which are weak is Yahyaa Ibn Ma'een."


And he also said: "(Knowledge of) the Hadeeth ultimately goes back to four (people): to Abu Bakr Ibn Abee Shaybah, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Yahyaa Ibn Ma'een and 'Alee Ibn Al-Madeenee. So Abu Bakr (Ibn Abee Shaybah) is the best amongst them at presenting it (i.e. the hadeeth). Ahmad is the one with the most Fiqh (understanding) of it amongst them. Yahyaa is best amongst them at gathering and collecting it. And 'Alee is the most knowledgeable amongst them of it."


Al-'Ijlee (rahimahullaah) said: "He is reliable (thiqqah) and a Haafidh."


Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdaadee (rahimahullaah) said: "He was precise in his narration (mutqin), memorized many ahaadeeth (haafidh), and produced many works (mukthir). He wrote the books Al-Musnad, Al-Ahkaam, and At-Tafseer. He died in the year 235H."


Al-Haafidh Ad-Dhahabee (rahimahullaah) described him as: "The Grand and unique Haafidh, and the one who is reliable (in narration)."


He died at the age of 76.


<b>The following volumes of his book Al-Musannaf can be found in Al-Maktabah Adh-Dhaahiriyyah (Dhahiree Library) in various manuscript forms: </b>


The first volume: 278 ahaadeeth (pg. 1-128)


A second copy of this (first volume) is defective: 290 ahaadeeth (pg. 1-210)


The second volume: A third copy, which is defective: 422 ahaadeeth (pg. 1-230)


The seventh and eighth volume: A fourth copy: 288 ahaadeeth (pg. 1-209)


The eleventh and twelfth volume: the same copy: 289 ahaadeeth (pg. 1-208)


He also has a book in this library called Kitaab Al-Adab (The Book of Manners) similar to the book Al-Adab Al-Mufrad of Imaam Al-Bukhaaree, with first and second volumes. It is understood that its complete set consists of three volumes, but the third volume is not found in the Dhahiree Library. So if it is found in some of the other libraries, I suggest that the noble people responsible for it strive to print and distribute it, for it is extremely valuable.

Imaam Abul-Hasan, ‘Alee Ibn Al-Madeenee


<b>His Name and Lineage: </b>


He was ‘Alee bin ‘Abdillaah bin Ja’far bin Najeeh as-Sa’adee, Abul-Hasan Ibn al-Madeenee, the reliable authority, the Haafidh, author of books, the expert, the Imaam of Ahlul-Hadeeth, the Leader in the Science of Narrators and Defects, and the foremost of scholars of Hadeeth during his time.


He was born in 161H in the era of the eminent scholars of Hadeeth, such as Ibn Hanbal, Ibn Mahdee, Ibn ‘Uyainah, Al-Qattaan and others.


<b>His Teachers:</b>


He learned and took knowledge from the Imaams of Hadeeth of his time like Hamaad bin Zayd, Sufyaan bin ‘Uyainah, Yahyaa bin Sa’eed al-Qattaan, Hushaim bin Basheer, ‘Abdur-Rahmaan bin Mahdee and others.


<b>His Students: </b>


Many people learned under and benefited from ‘Alee Ibn al-Madeenee, such as: his son, ‘Abdullaah, Ahmad bin Mansoor ar-Ramaadee, Saalih Juzrah, Abu Haatim ar-Raazee and others.


<b>The Scholars’ Praise for Him:</b>


Abu Haatim ar-Raazee said about him: “He was a symbol amongst the people in knowledge of the Hadeeth and its Defects. Imaam Ahmad would not call him by his name, but rather by his kunyah out of respect for him.”


Yahyaa al-Qattaan said: “They blame me for my love for ‘Alee Ibn al-Madeenee, but I learn from him.”


<b>His Search for Knowledge:</b>


As for his search for knowledge, he sought knowledge of Hadeeth and memorized them and became so proficient in that field that he surpassed the people of his time and the Hadeeth scholars of his era, amongst whom were the senior Muhadditheen. So he reached a level in Hadeeth that no one else reached, such that the people would write about how he stood, how he sat and what he wore, as well as everything he said or did.


<b>His Books:</b>


Among the books that he authored were: Al-Asaamee wal-Kunaa (Names and Kunyahs of Narrators), the book ad-Du’afaa (Weak Narrators), at-Tabaqaat (Biographies of Narrators), Al-Waham wal-Khata’ (Defects and Errors in Hadeeth), ‘Ilal-ul-Hadeeth wa Ma’rifat-ir-Rijaal (Defects of Hadeeth and Knowledge of the Narrators), and others.


<b>His Death:</b>


Imaam Ibn al-Madeenee died in the year 234H.

<b>The Story of ABRAHAM
</b>


After Noah, Abraham was selected by God to be His Prophet. Abraham first preached in his own country, now known as Iraq. Then he moved to Syria, Palestine and Egypt. Finally, he settled down in Arabia.



In carrying on with his mission, he was assisted by other messengers appointed from his own family by God: Lot, his nephew, who lived in the midst of the people of Jordan, and Abraham's two sons, the elder son Ishmael [or Ismail], and the younger Isaac [or Ishaq].



<i>Isaac preached in Syria and Palestine. Ishmael assisted his father in Arabia and is credited with having helped him in building the Ka'aba, which is now the religious center of the Islamic world. Ishmael and Isaac founded two sects, the Ismailites and Israelites respectively. </i>



The tribe of Quraish, to which Muhammad belonged, is said to be Ismailite in origin, while the Jews and the Christians are said to be descendants of Jacob, whose other name was Israel, the son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham. Hence Abraham is regarded as the father of all Semitic peoples; from him were born not only Jews and Christians but also the Muslims. He is the common bond who links them all. After him, God transferred the leadership to Isaac and Jacob, and their descendants are collectively described in the Quran as 'the Children of Israel'.



As soon as Abraham received the commission from the Lord to propogate the Oneness of God and preach His worship among the people, he called upon the Lord to preserve the Ka'aba that he had built to eradicate the worship of idols, which had led many people astray. Abraham asked them, <b>'What is it that you worship?' </b>



They replied: We worship the idols, as did our fathers. And in devotion to them we shall remain steadfast. [26: 72, 74]


<b>Abraham asked them: Do they hear you when you call them? Have they the power to do anything, either good or bad for you? [26:73]</b>



He reminded them that there was <b>only one God, </b>the Lord of all creation, who controlled Life, death and resurrection. He told his own father, Azar, to desist from worshipping idols. He said he had learned from his own experience that God alone was worthy of worship. He was shown by God 'the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth so that he might be convinced of the faith' in his Creator.



<i>The Quran narrates[/i<b>]: When the night was dark, Abraham saw a star; he said to himself, 'This must be the Lord.' But soon the star set and his faith was shaken. Then he saw the moon rising in the sky. 'This is the Lord,' he said. However, when it waned, he lost faith in it. Likewise, when the sun rose, brighter than everything, he was convinced that it was the Lord. But the sun also set, and Abraham cried: 'I set my face against all these. I repudiate every other kind of worship except the worship of God, Creator of all that is in the heavens and on the earth.' [6:76-79]</b>
</i>


The people jeered at Abraham and remonstrated with him, and even stoned him; they tried to frighten him into believing that their idols would destroy him and his God would not be able to save him
.


But Abraham responded: <b>Will you dispute with me about Allah who has guided me? I have no fear of the idols you worship. Unless my Lord wills nothing can happen. [6:80-81]</b>



Turning to his father, Abraham asked what the images were to which he and his people were devoted. Azar replied that they worshipped what their fathers had worshipped. Abraham said: 'Then assuredly, you and your fathers are clearly in error.' Earlier, he had told Nimrod, the King of Iraq, not to forget that <b>it was God who gave him the Kingdom and power and glory</b>; but the King, in his arrogance, had denied it and had declared that he determined the life and death of his subjects.



<i>Abraham had then asked him</i><b>: 'Allah makes the sun rise from the east; can you make it rise from the west?' The King had no answer. He sentenced Abraham to be burnt alive.</b>



<i>Abraham bore all the hardships but remained firm and steadfast in his loyalty to God. One day he broke all the idols in the Ka'aba, one by one, except the largest. As soon as the people heard of the destruction, they rushed to the temple and, seething with rage, cried</i>
<b>: Who has done this to our idols? This is, indeed, an outrage. [21:59]</b>



They were told that young Abraham was the culprit. <b>'Fetch him,' </b>they demanded. <b>'And let everyone witness what we do do him.</b>' When Abrahm was brought before them, they asked him: <b>'Who has done this to our idols?' 'Not I; it is that big idol over there. Why don't you question him?' </b>
They replied that idols did not speak.


<b>Abraham said: </b><i>Isn't it strange that you should worship these idols which can neither speak nor do anything. They can neither help nor harm anyone. Shame on you and on your idol worship. How foolish of you to worship them. [21:60]</i>



They were fashioned, he reminded them, by their own hands. He beseeched them to worship the One God who created and fashioned everything. They were so angered by his words that they decided to throw him into a pyre of blazing fire. They could not succeed, however, <b>because God 'made them bite the dust'</b>.



Abraham prayed to the Lord to grant him an heir, who 'will be numbered among the righteous'. So God gave him a gentle boy, Ishmael. But Abraham had pledged to God in a dream that if he had a son, he would offer him in sacrifice to the Lord. Abraham told his son of his dream and his pledge. 'Then, Father, ' said Ishmael, <i>'you should honor your commitment and surrender me to the will of God.'</i>



<i>So Abraham laid him down, and as he was about to slay him, he heard the Voice commanding him: </i>
<b>Enough, Abraham! You have kept your word with Us. You have already fulfilled the vision. [37:105]</b>



<b>The Lord had intended merely to test Abraham; He now declared that he had fulfilled his commitment: We redeem Abraham's son with a great sacrifice and We give Our benediction to him and bless him through generations to come and shower Our peace upon him. [37:107-109]</b>



<i>Thus God rewarded the righteous and His 'believing servants'.</i>


<b>In Isaac, Abraham's other and younger son, the Lord gave to the world 'one of the best of prophets'. Among their descendants some did good deeds, but some who did bad, 'were blatant evil-doers, who sinned against themselves' . [37:110-113]</b>



<b>The Quran clarifies[/b<i>]: Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian. He was a hanif, a man of pure worship, he was not an idolator but a believer in One God; only those who follow him are entitled to claim relationship with him. Muhammad and his followers are nearer to him. Allah is the protector of all believers. [3:67-68</i>
]</b>


<i>Referring to the House of Mecca, </i>'the place of sanctuary and serenity for the people', Allah asked Muhammad to 'make it your House of prayers'. Thus God's covenant given to Abraham and Ishmael was fulfilled and the Ka'aba became for the believers 'the pilgrim circuit' for worship and for prostration. Abraham and Isaac had prayed to Allah to 'send among our people after us a messenger of our own kin who recites to the people Your revelations, teaches them the Book and the wisdom it contains and purges them of all evil' [2:129].



Allah admonishes: Tell the people, O Muhammad! that to be rightly guided one need not be a Jew or a Christian. The righteous belong to the community of Abraham, who was pure in his worship of God. So were Ishmael, Jacob and the tribes, and Moses, Jesus and the rest. They are all Our messengers; We make no distinction between them. [2:135-136]

salamu alaikum,


i have been looking for banat aisha but its not there any more. i hope its not because of my thread. i didn't mean it to be a fitna, i am worried that because of me u have deleted the entire banat aisha forum. Ur help and advice was and is valueable for me and has been helping me to deal with my issues so please don't abandon me now.


That one issue is not the only thing i m all about, i m sure i can a learn a lot more from and contribute a lot more to the forum,


wassalm

The Banaat Aisha aka Sisters -private forum, is open to everyone!~



I just thought to let you know.........


Because I know that one cannot enter that room unless Muslimah grants them permission for access, but look at me I just joined and I got in just like that.


~Concerned Sister~


MaSalama