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 SIR,

ASSALAMALAIKKUM.

THIS IS IN REGARD TO THE DISCUSSIONS WITH SOME OF MY FRIENDS,ONE OF WHOM IS AN IMAM TOO AND THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS WERE RAISED RELATED TO WHICH WE HAD DIS-AGREEMENT.

#1:IT SEEMS THAT THE KING OF SAUDI ARABIA`S NAME IS ENGRAVED ON THE DOOR OF KAABA AND A PHOTOGRAPH WAS SHOWN TO ME,BUT I WAS UNABLE TO READ IT DUE TO THE ARABIC CALIGRAPHY.IS IT BECAUSE THE KING IS THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES,A RITUAL TO DO SO FROM EARLIER DAYS OR IS IT REALLY WRONG TO DO ITAND IS HARAM.PLEASE ENLIGHTEN US ON THIS.

#2.IS IT MANDATORY TO HAVE THE HEAD COVER OR CAPS DURING PRAYERS?

#3.MANY OF THE GATES OF HARAM IN MECCA,BEARS THE NAME OF KINGS OF THE COUNTRY.IS IT RIGHT TO DO IT?PLEASE CLARIFY.

#4.IS PROPHET MOHAMMED(PBUH) THE FIRST LIGHT(NOOR) CREATED BY ALLAH? AS THE MALAYEKS(ANGELS) ARE MADE OF LIGHT EVEN BEFORE,IS IT RIGHT THAT PROPHET MOHAMMED(PBUH) THE FIRST NOOR(LIGHT) CREATED BY ALLAH?KINDLY CLARIFY.

#5.IS IT RIGHT TO ASK SOMEONE TO PRAY ON OUR BEHALF?

#6.COULD YOU PLEASE EXPALIN AS TO WHAT REALLY HAPPENED WHEN PROPHET MOHAMMED(PBUH) LEFT FROM HIS HOME,(DID HE BLOW OUT HANDFUL OF SAND WHICH BLINDED THE ENEMIES)WHEN THE ENEMIES WERE OUTSIDE THE GATE TO KILL AND THEY FOUNG ALI (RA) IN HIS BED,DURING THE START OF HIJRI.

I WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD ENLIGHTEN ME ON THESE TOPICS WITH RELEVANT AUTHENTIC HADEES AND QURAN,AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE.
WASSALAM

(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:

Prophet Noor, Saudi King, Etc

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.

Q-1: IT SEEMS THAT THE KING OF SAUDI ARABIA`S NAME IS ENGRAVED ON THE DOOR OF KAABA AND A PHOTOGRAPH WAS SHOWN TO ME,BUT I WAS UNABLE TO READ IT DUE TO THE ARABIC CALIGRAPHY.IS IT BECAUSE THE KING IS THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES,A RITUAL TO DO SO FROM EARLIER DAYS OR IS IT REALLY WRONG TO DO ITAND IS HARAM.PLEASE ENLIGHTEN US ON THIS.

It is indeed true that the name of some of the kings of Saudi Arabia are indeed engraved on the bottom part of the main door of the Holy Ka’aba. One cannot say doing such a thing is ‘haraam’ or forbidden, as there is no such specific restriction prescribed in the Quran or the Sunnah. Beloved brother, these people and their families have declared themselves to be the custodians of the Holy Mosque, they build and maintain it to the best of their ability, and since they are ‘kings’ of this world, for a time period decreed, they may do as they please!

The Holy Kaa’ba will remain the Holy Kaa’ba and the Sacred House of the Lord of the Worlds; whether one who builds and maintains it writes his name on it or not! If the people who built it wish that their name should be remembered by fellow man and history, they will obviously make sure that their name is engraved on it; and if they wish to get their reward from The One and Only King of kings, whether they write their names on it or not, they will have their due reward from Him.

Q-2: IS IT MANDATORY TO HAVE THE HEAD COVER OR CAPS DURING PRAYERS?
Wearing a covering on the head while offering his prayers is not amongst the obligatory acts for a believing male in Shariah. If one covers his head, or leaves it uncovered; both ways his prayers and his worship will be considered valid.

Ibn 'Asakir related that the Prophet (saws) would sometimes remove his head cover (turban) and place it in front of him as a ‘sutrah’ for prayer.

The dressing norm at the time of the Messenger of Allah (saws) was such that the Arabs used to wear a turban over their heads; and thus the Messenger of Allah (saws) normally always prayed with his head covered. Thus, if the normal dress code of the person is such that he covers his head (like the Arab ‘gatra’ or head-cover); then it is fine to pray with the head cover. But if the normal dress code of the person is such that in normal circumstances he does not cover his head, there is no need to specially cover his head while offering his prayers.

Q-3: MANY OF THE GATES OF HARAM IN MECCA,BEARS THE NAME OF KINGS OF THE COUNTRY.IS IT RIGHT TO DO IT?PLEASE CLARIFY.

As the number of the faithful guests to the Sacred House of Allah increased, it was only natural that the precincts had to be expanded and that obviously necessitated many entry and exit points to the Sacred Mosque. To differentiate one door from the other, the custodians could have chosen the Noble Names of Allah, or numbers, or names of the noble Prophet’s, or the names of the noble companions of the Prophet (saws), or names of their choice. One may very well argue that the custodians had better or alternate choices, but If they have chosen to name some of the gates by the name of their ancestors, it is their choice and there is no harm in doing so.

Q-4: IS PROPHET MOHAMMED(PBUH) THE FIRST LIGHT(NOOR) CREATED BY ALLAH? AS THE MALAYEKS(ANGELS) ARE MADE OF LIGHT EVEN BEFORE,IS IT RIGHT THAT PROPHET MOHAMMED(PBUH) THE FIRST NOOR(LIGHT) CREATED BY ALLAH?KINDLY CLARIFY.

Allah Subhanah clearly Declares in the Quran that He created the Angels from ‘noor’ or light; and He created humans from clay. Prophet Mohamed (saws) was a human being, and thus he was NOT created from ‘noor’. There is absolutely no truth to the statement that the Noble Prophet Mohamed (saws) was created from ‘Noor’ or Light!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 32 Surah As-Sajdah verses 7-8:

7                    He Who has made everything which He has created most Good. He began the creation of man with (nothing more than) clay.

8                    And made his progeny from a quintessence of the nature of a fluid despised.

Some people, in their excess, try to spread such false beliefs that the Prophet (saws) was not created like the other human beings, and thus try to propagate that he (saws) was created like the Angels from ‘noor’ or light! Because they believe that if the Prophet (saws) was only a human being, then what would be the difference between him and other human beings? So, in their excess, they try to invent falsehoods and say things about the Prophet (saws) and his self which have absolutely no basis in reality! People who claim such falsehood, in their excess and their ignorance, try to belittle the noble Prophet (saws) by claiming he was created from ‘noor’! The greatness and significance of the Noble Prophet (saws) lies in the fact that he, like all the other human beings, was created from clay, possessed the nature of a human being, and was bestowed with a ‘free will’ to choose like every human being; and the Noble Prophet (saws) chose to submit himself unconditionally to His Supreme Lord and Creator.

Had he (saws) been created from ‘noor’, he would have been an angel, who do not possess the nature of human beings, do not have to fight temptation like the humans, and do not possess a ‘free will’ to choose between obedience and disobedience! Greatness and magnificence is when one is bestowed with the weak nature of man, and this human being chooses to remain an obedient slave of his Lord and Creator!

Allah Subhanah has Himself commanded the Prophet (saws) to declare in the Glorious Quran, that he (saws) is no more than a human being; the only difference being that he (saws) has been chosen as a Messenger of Allah, is directly inspired and guided by Allah Subhanah, and receives Revelations from the Lord of the Worlds.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 110:

Say (O Prophet) : "I am but a man like yourselves, (but) the inspiration has come to me that your Allah is one Allah: whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and in the worship of his Lord admit no one as partner."

Q-5: IS IT RIGHT TO ASK SOMEONE TO PRAY ON OUR BEHALF?

There is absolutely no harm if one prays for himself, and in addition to that approaches his loved ones and well-wishers (who are alive and in direct communication with him) and asks them to supplicate the Lord Most Gracious on his behalf.

But if one were to invoke someone other than Allah in the ‘unseen’, like invoking someone who is dead, or in the grave, or an idol, or a photo, etc. then it would definitely be a manifestation of the grave and heinous sin of ‘shirk’!

Q-6: COULD YOU PLEASE EXPALIN AS TO WHAT REALLY HAPPENED WHEN PROPHET MOHAMMED(PBUH) LEFT FROM HIS HOME,(DID HE BLOW OUT HANDFUL OF SAND WHICH BLINDED THE ENEMIES)WHEN THE ENEMIES WERE OUTSIDE THE GATE TO KILL AND THEY FOUNG ALI (RA) IN HIS BED,DURING THE START OF HIJRI.

The incident regarding Prophet Mohamed (saws) throwing a handful of dust at those pagan youths of Makkah who had besieged his house in wait to kill him at the start of his Hijrah journey from Makkah to Madinah is indeed recorded in many of the books of ‘Seerah’ or ‘life of the Prophet (saws)’.

The pagan chiefs of the Quraish had accepted the evil plan of Abu Jahl and agreed to nominate a member from each tribe who would all together in the darkness of the night, besiege the house of the Prophet (saws) and murder him altogether so that no one person, or tribe, or clan would be to blame; and that instead of revenge, the family of Prophet Mohamed (saws) would have to settle to accept the blood money which they would willingly pay. But Allah Subhanah informed the Prophet (saws) of the evil plan through Hadrat Jibrael (a.s.), and subsequently summarized the incident in the Holy Quran as follows:

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 8 Surah Anfaal verse 30:

30 Remember how the unbelievers plotted against thee (O Prophet (saws)) to keep thee in bonds, or slay thee, or get thee out (of thy home). They plot and plan and Allah too plans; but the best of planners is Allah!

When it was time to depart, the Prophet (saws) asked Hadrat Ali (r.a.) to lay in his bed, and he (saws) walked out straight through the door of his besieged house. As he (saws) walked out of his door, he threw a handful of dust, and by the Will and as a Miracle from Allah, the assassins who had gathered outside his house waiting to kill him could not see the Prophet (saws) leave his house.

Later in the Battle of Badr, the Prophet (saws) threw a handful of dust at the pagan army; and the incident was eternalized by Allah Subhanah in His Glorious Quran through His Declaration that ‘it was not thy act (O Prophet (saws)), but Allah's’.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 8 Surah Anfaal verses 17-18:

17 It is not ye who slew them; it was Allah: when thou (O Prophet (saws)) threw (a handful of dust) it was not thy act but Allah's: in order that He might test the believers by a gracious trial from Himself: for Allah is He Who Hears and Knows (all things).

18 That, and also because Allah is He Who makes feeble the plans and stratagems of the unbelievers.

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