Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

May Allah reward you for the great and noble work you are doing for muslims by launching this site. It helps in answering many questions and clearing many doubts.
Well I’ve a couple of things to ask.

First of all want to clear my doubt about Prophet’s (PBUH) wasta in the sense that sometimes people pray to God and say that for Prophet Mohamad’s (PBUH) sake accept my dua. Is that right? I read in a book that after His death no one was heard to do this anymore. So what I want to know is that if doing so now i.e after his death, is acceptable or not.Secondly I want to know about Sadqa besides sadqa fitr. It’s paid in many ways such as sadqa of life, or sadqa to avoid some misfortune etc.I guess the amount paid doesn’t matter. But must sadqa be paid regularly? And if so, what neyat has to be made, for example, should we consider it as something to avoid misfortunes etc. Because paying sadqa is fruitful. But I am a little confused about how often and with what intention must it be paid.One more thing. My father expired ten years back. I dream of him daily, since the past 2 years. I was wondering if there is something to it. I cant understand why I see him so often. I pray for his magfirat regularly and keep giving charity on his behalf. I don’t know how far it is true, but sometimes people say that the soul is worried and so it happens. However I don’t know if I should believe in it. Is this just a theory, or is it true? And can you help me understand why I dream of him so regularly. Thank you

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Charity to avoid misfortune

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Truth. If our humble and modest efforts have helped even one brother or sister get closer to Allah and His Deen of Truth, then we would consider ourselves indeed fortunate to have been given this opportunity by the Lord Most Merciful to serve in His Cause. We hope, beg, and pray the Merciful Lord accepts our humble and weak efforts, forgives us our shortcomings, and saves you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Ameen.

Your Question: First of all want to clear my doubt about Prophet’s (PBUH) wasta in the sense that sometimes people pray to God and say that for Prophet Mohamad’s (PBUH) sake accept my dua. Is that right? I read in a book that after His death no one was heard to do this anymore. So what I want to know is that if doing so now i.e after his death, is acceptable or not.

There is absolutely no evidence in the authentic and established Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) whereby he ever supplicated the Lord Most Gracious using anyone’s ‘wasta’; nor did the Messenger of Allah teach or endorse the believers to make supplications to the Lord using his (saws) or anyone else’s ‘wasta’; nor did the noble companions of the Prophet (saws) ever supplicate Allah Subhanah to give them something in the name of the Prophet (saws) or for his sake!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 186:

And if My servants ask you, O Prophet, concerning Me, tell them that I am quite near to them. I hear and answer the prayer of the suppliant, when he calls on Me. So let them respond to My call and believe in Me. (Convey this to them), perhaps they may be guided aright!

Allah Subhanah is indeed The All-Hearing, All-Aware, and He hears and answers the prayers of His believing and repentant slaves directly and without any intervention at all times.

It is totally wrong, unacceptable, unlawful and absolutely against the Sunnah of the Messenger (saws) and his noble companions to beseech the Lord All-Knowing to give them something or fulfill their desires for the sake of Prophet Mohamed (saws) or anyone else!

The Sunnah or best way of making supplications to the Lord Most Gracious as practiced and taught by the Messenger of Allah (saws) is:

1. Praise, Glorify, and Extol the Lord Most Exalted, Most Supreme.
2. Declare one’s total and absolute helplessness, humility, and meekness in front of their Lord Most Supreme.
3. In all humility, fear, and hope beseech the Lord Most Gracious for whatever (lawful) one’s heart desires.
4. And it is preferred to end the supplication by reciting the salutations upon the Prophet Mohamed (saws).

Abu Hurairah reported, "The Prophet (saws) said, "Nothing is more dear to Allah than one's supplication to Him.''

Narrated by Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.

Salman reported that the Prophet (saws), said, "Your Lord, the Blessed and the Exalted One, is Modest and Generous, and He loathes to turn away His servant empty-handed when he raises his hands to Him in supplication."

Narrated by Ahmad and Ibn Hibban.

Without an iota of a doubt, no supplication a believing and repentant slave of the Lord makes to Him is left unanswered.

Your Question: Secondly I want to know about Sadqa besides sadqa fitr. It’s paid in many ways such as sadqa of life, or sadqa to avoid some misfortune etc.I guess the amount paid doesn’t matter. But must sadqa be paid regularly? And if so, what neyat has to be made, for example, should we consider it as something to avoid misfortunes etc.

Sadaqah or supererogatory charity is anything that is spent in the Cause of Allah over and above the obligatory annual Zakah dues, seeking nothing but His Acceptance, Pleasure and Good Will. There are so many Aayahs in the Glorious Quran and so many ahaadiths of the Messenger of Allah (saws) regarding the virtues of spending in the Way of Allah that it would be indeed impossible to relate all of them here.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verses 261-262:

261 The parable of those who spend their substance in the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn: it groweth seven ears and each ear hath a hundred grains. Allah giveth manifold increase to whom He pleaseth; and Allah careth for all and He knoweth all things.

262 Those who spend their substance in the cause of Allah and follow not up their gifts with reminders of their generosity or with injury for them their reward is with their Lord; on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.

Allah says in the Glorious Quran, Chapter 63, Surah Munafiqoon, verse 10

Spend from the provisions that We have given you before death should come to any of you and then he should say, "O my Lord, why did You not reprieve me awhile that I should have given in charity and become of the righteous." But Allah does not at all reprieve a person when his term comes to an end, and Allah is well aware of what you all do.

Your Statement: It’s paid in many ways such as sadqa of life, or sadqa to avoid some misfortune etc

Superrogatory Sadaqah is anything a slave spends from his lawful earnings in the Cause of Allah seeking nothing but His Acceptance, His Pleasure and His Good Will. There is absolutely no evidence in the authentic and established Sunnah whereby the Messenger of Allah (saws) divided his sadaqa into titles of ‘sadaqah for life’, or ‘sadaqa to avoid misfortune’, etc.; thus one should not assign a name or title for the sadaqah one gives in the Cause of Allah when the Messenger of Allah (saws) has not assigned it a name or title.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.119 Narrated by Abu Wail from Hudhaifa

Umar asked the people, "Who remembers the narration of the Prophet (saws) about the affliction?" Hudhaifa said, "I heard the Prophet (saws) saying, 'The affliction of a person in his property, family and neighbors is expiated by his prayers, fasting, and giving in charity.'

Rather than assigning a name or title for each good deed one does, whether it be prayers, or fasting, or charity….one should strive to do as many good deeds as one can seeking only the Pleasure and Good Will of the Lord Most High; it is expected that their Lord Most Gracious will accept their good deeds, expiate their afflictions, and make their trials easy for them.

Your Question: But must sadqa be paid regularly?

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 219:

…They ask thee (O Prophet (saws)) how much they are to spend (in charity); Say: "What is beyond your needs." Thus doth Allah make clear to you His Signs: in order that ye may consider.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 215:

215 They ask thee (O Prophet (saws)) what they should spend (in charity). Say: ‘Whatever ye spend that is good is for parents, and kindred, and orphans, and those in want, and for wayfarers. And whatever ye do that is good Allah knoweth it well.’

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 177:

177 It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces toward East or West; but it is righteousness to believe in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the Book and the Messengers; to spend of your substance out of love for Him for your kin for orphans for the needy for the wayfarer for those who ask and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient in pain (or suffering) and adversity and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth the Allah-fearing.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.232 Narrated by Abu Huraira

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "There is a sadaqa (charity) to be given for every joint of the human body (as a sign of gratitude to Allah) every day the sun rises. To judge justly between two persons is regarded as sadaqa, and to help a man concerning his riding animal by helping him to ride it or by lifting his luggage on to it, is also regarded as sadaqa, and (saying) a good word is also sadaqa, and every step taken on one's way to offer the compulsory prayer (in the mosque) is also sadaqa and to remove a harmful thing from the way is also sadaqa."

And if so, what neyat has to be made, for example, should we consider it as something to avoid misfortunes etc.

The one and only intention one needs to make when giving supererogatory charity is to spend in His Cause seeking nothing but the Acceptance, Pleasure and Good Will of the Lord Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Your Question: My father expired ten years back. I dream of him daily, since the past 2 years. I was wondering if there is something to it. I cant understand why I see him so often.

To believe that one sees a loved one in one’s dream is because the soul of the deceased is distressed, or worried, or in trouble, etc. is a pagan belief and such beliefs have absolutely no basis to reality.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.144 Narrated by Abu Huraira

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "When the Day of Resurrection approaches, the dreams of a believer will hardly fail to come true, and a dream of a believer is one of forty-six parts of Prophetism, and whatever belongs to Prothetism can never be false." Muhammad bin Sirin said, "But I say this." He said, "It used to be said, 'There are three types of dreams:

1. The reflection of one's thoughts and experiences one has during wakefulness,
2. what is suggested by Satan to frighten the dreamer,
3. or glad tidings from Allah.

So, if someone has a dream which he dislikes, he should not tell it to others, but get up and offer a prayer.'"

It may be that you so love and think about your deceased father during your hours of wakefulness, that it is reflected in your dreams. Or if you see your deceased father in your dreams in a happy and blissful state, that it is a glad tiding from Allah Subhanah that your deceased father’s belief and deeds were accepted by Allah Subhanah and your father is enjoying the Mercy and Grace and Rewards of your Lord in his life in barzakh.

In any case, you should remain constant in your supplications you make for your father and beseech and implore your Lord Most Gracious to have mercy on his soul, forgive him his errors, raise his status and rank in the Hereafter, and save him and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Nothing is more beneficial to a deceased soul than the sincere supplications their off-spring or loved ones make for them.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan