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:

Dear burhan,

salam. firstly, i would like to appreciate the dedication with which u all are carrying out the job.may u all be rewarded suitably. amen.

1.my question to you is that i find it a common practise everywhere  that when the prayer mat is spread out on the ground and if nobody is praying on it,they fold the top corner of the mat in order to 'prevent' the satan from praying on it.how far is it true?

2. second question is related to dreams. when my maternal grandmother passed away my mother was staying abroad. she came in my mother's dream and told to clean her bedpan. my mother narrated this dream to my uncle and when my uncle went and checked the bedpan, it was used and not cleaned. how come my grandmother conveyed this to my mother in dream? is there any connection between the dead and the living through dreams? in anohter incident my mother was in financial need, so my maternal grandmother came in my uncle's dream and told him to help her. how is this possible?

(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:

Dreams

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 none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: ….my question to you is that i find it a common practise everywhere  that when the prayer mat is spread out on the ground and if nobody is praying on it,they fold the top corner of the mat in order to 'prevent' the satan from praying on it.how far is it true?

First and foremost sister, the Shaytaan is a disbeliever unto the Lord to say the least, and he obviously does not worship the Lord of the Worlds like the believers!!!

Secondly, the turning of the top corner of the prayer mat when it is not being utilized is a self-invented ritual and superstition, and it has absolutely nothing do with the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah.

Your Question: …..second question is related to dreams.when my maternal grandmother passed away my mother was staying abroad.she came in my mother's dream and told to clean her bedpan.my mother narrated this dream to my uncle and when my uncle went and checked the bedpan,it was used and not cleaned.how come my grandmother conveyed this to my mother in dream?is there any connection between the dead and the living through dreams?in anohter incident my mother was in financial need,so my maternal grandmother came in my uncle's dream and told him to help her.how is this possible?

In light of the absolutely clear guidance of the Glorious Quran and the established and authentic Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), the Angels of Allah Subhanah take control of the soul of the deceased. Neither the soul has the power to ‘flee’ from the Angels, nor do the Angels of Allah set these souls free so that they may go where they please; and the Quran guides that the souls of all the deceased are placed in a place called the ‘Barzakh’.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 23 Muminoon verses 99-103:

99 (In Falsehood will they be) until when death comes to one of them he says: "O my Lord! send me back (to life)

100 In order that I may work righteousness in the things I neglected." By no means! It is but a word he says; before them is a ‘Barzakh’ (Veil or Partition) till the Day they are raised up.

101 Then when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no more relationships between them that day nor will one ask after another!

102 Then those whose balance (of good deeds) is heavy they will attain salvation:

103 But those whose balance is light will be those who have lost their souls; in Hell will they abide.

The literal meaning of the term ‘barzakh’ is something of a barrier or a veil, or something which is kept hidden. In Quranic terminology, the period between one’s death on earth and when one will be granted life again by Allah on the Day of Judgement, is known as ‘Barzakh’.

Thus in light of the absolutely clear guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah, no living person can communicate with the souls of the deceased….nor can the soul of the deceased ever communicate with those alive on the earth!

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, 'There are three types of dreams:

• The reflection of one's thoughts and experiences one has during wakefulness,
• what is suggested by the Shaytaan to frighten the dreamer,
• 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.' "

The dreams that your mother and your uncle experienced were most probably a mere reflection of their thoughts which they had during wakefulness rather than being glad tidings from Allah Subhanah, or suggestions by the Shaytaan to frighten them. And Allah Alone Knows Best.

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