Sat 5th Oct 2019
Lesson 10: The issue of the graves and the Danger of Exaggeration
Recap of previous lesson
- The 7 different ways in which the Prophet (ﷺ) warned against Shirk and cut off its avenues. There are a total of 8 points, the 8th point is below
The issue of the graves
- The statement of Ibn Al Qayyim on the people of innovation with regards to the graves and how this completely contradicts the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ)
- Common Innovations in our times regarding the graves:
- Is it permissible to pray in the graveyards (other than Janaazah)?
- What about taking the graves as places of worship?
- What about places lights or lanterns at the graves?
- What did the Prophet (ﷺ) say about making the graves a place of constant or repetitive visitation?
- Is it permissible to use headstones or make shrines with fences? Or rather should the graves be more flat?
- Can someone beautify a grave or write upon it? What about writing Qur’an on the grave?
- The danger of innovating things in the religion
- Contradicting the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) is a cause of weakness and loss of honour of the Muslim Ummah
- The importance of sticking to the Qur’an and Sunnah and abandoning innovation and contradictions to the religion
The state of the Ummah
- Ibn Al-Qayyim mentioned these above innovations several hundred years ago and the state of the Ummah has become even worse in this regard
- If you attempt to correct innovations, some people of innovation will say “you are not the majority” and they may even claim that the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) (i.e. to stay away from these innovations) is not the correct path!
- the shaytan will whisper to them that they are doing this out of love for the Prophet (ﷺ) and that to not carry out these innovations will be a disrespect for the awliya
The Eight Point: Exaggerating in the Right of the Prophet (ﷺ)
- This is the eighth point that may lead to shirk and the Prophet (ﷺ) warned against this
- The Prophet (ﷺ) is the best of creation and he has elevated rights, however we do not go above these rights
- However some Muslims go beyond these rights and this can lead to shirk
- The Prophet (ﷺ) himself forbade us from excessively praising him, why?
- The story of Nūh (may peace be upon him)
- What kind of excessive claims do the people of innovation make about the Prophet (ﷺ)
- Rather what is required is that we do not go into exaggeration, and at the same time we do not fall into negligence
- What does Allah say in the Qur’an?
- “All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has sent down to His slave (Muhammad (ﷺ) ) the Book (the Quran), and has not placed therein any crookedness.” (Surah Al-Kahf (The Cave) verse 1)
- There are many other examples which show us that the Prophet (ﷺ) has a raised and elevated station, and that he is the slave of Allah
- e.g. Read Surah Al-Isra (The Journey by Night) verses 89-93
- The exaggeration and blatant shirk some Sufi poems e.g. the burda and how this completely opposes what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came with
- What does it mean to love the Prophet (ﷺ)?