{"_id":"66df56186df6cc867de7a6f3","title":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"What is the correct understanding of the status of the Prophet ﷺ’s mother as a believer?\"}]}","question":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"I am aware that among the conditions for a human to be a prophet (nabi) is for the prophet to have parents who were believers and did not engage in illegimate relations. However, I heard some say that there is a story of the Prophet ﷺ asking for permission to perform dhikr on behalf of his mother when he passed by her grave, and was not allowed to. The people I heard this from said people that she was a non-believer.\\n1) Is this story from the Prophet ﷺ’s life authentic and accurate?\\n2) If yes, then what would be the correct understanding of this story with the fact that the Prophet ﷺ’s mother indeed believed in Allah ﷻ in mind?\"}]}","answer":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"You might be referring to the hadith in Sahih Muslim, which, according to hadith experts like Imam al-Suyuti, is the only authentic narration on this particular subject. The hadith is as follows:\\n\\nاسْتَأْذَنْتُ رَبِّي أَنْ أَسْتَغْفِرَ لأُمِّي فَلَمْ يَأْذَنْ لِي وَاسْتَأْذَنْتُهُ أَنْ أَزُورَ قَبْرَهَا فَأَذِنَ لِي\\n\\n\\\"I asked my Lord for permission to seek forgiveness for my mother, and He did not grant me permission. I sought permission to visit her grave, and He granted me permission.\\\"\\n\\nWhile the authenticity of this hadith is sound, its meaning is not unequivocal; it is open to interpretation. One possible interpretation is that the Prophet's mother was a disbeliever, and the Prophet (pbuh) wanted to ask forgiveness for her disbelief. The problem with this interpretation is that it would pose a contradiction with an Islamic text that is stronger in terms of authenticity and clearer in terms of meaning. That is verse 17:15 in which Allah, the Exalted, makes it clear that people who did not receive a prophet or messenger will not be taken to account for not being believers and followers. Without a doubt, the Prophet's mother falls into that category (referred to as ahl-al-fatrah). Verse 17:15 states:\\n\\nمَّنِ ٱهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِى لِنَفْسِهِۦ ۖ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌۭ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۗ وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًۭا\\n\\n\\\"Whoever chooses to be guided, it is only for their own good. And whoever chooses to stray, it is only to their own loss. No soul burdened with sin will bear the burden of another. And We would never punish a people until We have sent a messenger to warn them.\\\"\\n\\nIbn Jarir al-Tabari and Ibn Abi Hatim reported in their tafsir (exegesis) on the authority of Qatadah that the meaning of this verse is that those who did not receive any message from Allah are not to be punished until a clear proof from Allah reaches them. This scholarly position has been expressed by Imam Shafi'i in his book, al-Umm, and has been adopted by subsequent generations. It is an established principle adopted by the Ashari school, as well as the Bukhari scholars of the Maturidi school, and it is the opinion adopted by the prominent Maturidi scholar, Ibn al-Humam, and others.\\n\\nAmong other Quranic evidence supporting this principle are:\\n\\n1. Verse 28:47:\\n\\nوَلَوْلَآ أَن تُصِيبَهُم مُّصِيبَةٌۢ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَيَقُولُوا۟ رَبَّنَا لَوْلَآ أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولًۭا فَنَتَّبِعَ ءَايَـٰتِكَ وَنَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ\\n\\n\\\"Were it not that some calamity should strike them for what their own hands have sent ahead, and they then say: 'Our Lord, why have You not sent us a messenger so that we might wholeheartedly follow Your verses and be of the true believers?'\\\"\\n\\nIbn Abi Hatim narrates a sound report in his tafsir regarding the meaning of this verse from Abu Saeed al-Khudri, Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet (pbuh) said, \\\"The one who died during the fatrah will say, 'My Lord, a book has not come to me nor a messenger,'\\\" then he recited the above verse.\\n\\n2. Verse 20:134:\\n\\nوَلَوْ أَنَّآ أَهْلَكْنَـٰهُم بِعَذَابٍۢ مِّن قَبْلِهِۦ لَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا لَوْلَآ أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولًۭا فَنَتَّبِعَ ءَايَـٰتِكَ مِن قَبْلِ أَن نَّذِلَّ وَنَخْزَىٰ\\n\\n\\\"Had We destroyed them with a harrowing chastisement at any time before it, they had said: 'Our Lord, why did You send to us no messenger at all, that we might have faithfully followed Your verses in time, before we had been abased and shamed.'\\\"\\n\\n3. Verse 28:59:\\n\\nوَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ ٱلْقُرَىٰ حَتَّىٰ يَبْعَثَ فِىٓ أُمِّهَا رَسُولًۭا يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا ۚ وَمَا كُنَّا مُهْلِكِى ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ إِلَّا وَأَهْلُهَا ظَـٰلِمُونَ\\n\\n\\\"Nor ever was your Lord about to destroy towns until having sent their main city a momentous messenger who recites to them Our verses.\\\"\\n\\nIbn Abbas said regarding the above verse, \\\"Allah did not destroy Mecca until He sent them Muhammad (pbuh). When they disbelieved and committed wrong, then for that, they were destroyed.\\\"\\n\\n4. Verses 6:155-157:\\n\\nوَهَـٰذَا كِتَـٰبٌ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ مُبَارَكٌۭ فَٱتَّبِعُوهُ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ\\nأَن تَقُولُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَآ أُنزِلَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ عَلَىٰ طَآئِفَتَيْنِ مِن قَبْلِنَا وَإِن كُنَّا عَن دِرَاسَتِهِمْ لَغَـٰفِلِينَ\\nأَوْ تَقُولُوا۟ لَوْ أَنَّآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَكُنَّآ أَهْدَىٰ مِنْهُمْ ۚ فَقَدْ جَآءَكُم بَيِّنَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَهُدًۭى وَرَحْمَةٌۭ ۚ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن كَذَّبَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَصَدَفَ عَنْهَا ۗ سَنَجْزِى ٱلَّذِينَ يَصْدِفُونَ عَنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا سُوٓءَ ٱلْعَذَابِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَصْدِفُونَ\\n\\n\\\"And this is a momentous book We have sent down that is a veritable font of blessing. So faithfully follow it, and be God-fearing, that haply you may find mercy. Lest you should say: 'The scripture was but sent down upon two peoples that once lived before us; and verily of their long study of it we had no idea.' Or say: 'Had only the Book been sent down unto us, we had certainly been more guided than they.' Now has there truly come to you a tremendous clear proof from your Lord, and an incomparable guidance and mercy.\\\"\\n\\n5. Verse 26:208-209:\\n\\nوَمَآ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا لَهَا مُنذِرُونَ\\nذِكْرَىٰ وَمَا كُنَّا ظَـٰلِمِينَ\\n\\n\\\"Nor destroyed We a single town, but it had warners, as a mighty reminder. Nor wronged We ever any.\\\"\\n\\n6. Verse 35:37:\\n\\nوَهُمْ يَصْطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا رَبَّنَآ أَخْرِجْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَـٰلِحًا غَيْرَ ٱلَّذِى كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ ۚ أَوَلَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُم مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَآءَكُمُ ٱلن\\n\\nَّذِيرُ ۖ فَذُوقُوا۟ فَمَا لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ مِن نَّصِيرٍۢ\\n\\n\\\"And they will cry out therein, 'Our Lord, bring us out! We will do righteous deeds, other than what we had done!' But did We not grant you long life enough for whoever would reflect to reflect therein? And the warner had come to you. So now taste you the torment. Then for the wrongdoers there is no supporter whatsoever.\\\"\\n\\n7. Verse 6:131\\n\\nذَٰلِكَ أَن لَّمْ يَكُن رَّبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ ٱلْقُرَىٰ بِظُلْمٍۢ وَأَهْلُهَا غَـٰفِلُونَ\\n\\n“That was because your Lord would never destroy towns for wrongdoing when those in them know no better.”\\n\\nRegarding the Arabs, scholars, including Imam al-Suyuti and al-Zarqani, agree that they fall within the period of fatrah between Prophet Ismaeel and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Izzu-l-din Ibn Abdu-l-salaam also supports this view, stating, \\\"Every prophet was sent to his nation except our Prophet (peace be upon him). Therefore, all nations that did not receive a prophet are considered ahlu-l-fatrah, except for the progeny of the prophets, who continue to receive the message until the sharia (sacred law) of their prophet disappears. At that point, they too become part of ahlu-l-fatrah.\\\"\\n\\nTherefore, it is certain that the parents of the Prophet (peace be upon him) are from ahlu-l-fatrah, as the shariah of Prophet Ismaeel had vanished long before their time, and they did not belong to the people of Prophet Isa (peace be upon him). It is incorrect to assume otherwise because the teachings of Isa and Musa (peace be upon them both) reached them through the Jews and Christians living in Arabia. Imam Suyuti argued that accepting such an assumption would almost nullify the concept of ahlu-l-fatrah, considering prophets have existed since Adam (peace be upon him), making it highly improbable for people not to have heard of previous prophets who called for monotheism. He further emphasized that this would discredit the many authentic narrations concerning ahlu-l-fatrah.\\n\\nNow that we have established that the Prophet's parents are from ahlu-l-fatrah and that the people of fatrah are saved and not held accountable for their lack of belief or adherence to the sacred law, how do we reconcile narrations that appear to contradict this concept? In Islamic scholarship, it is a well-established principle that when faced with conflicting texts, reconciliation must be sought.\\n\\nTherefore, the initial interpretation of this hadith—that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was denied permission to seek forgiveness because his mother was a disbeliever—is not valid. This interpretation leads to a contradiction and violates the principle of reconciliation. If someone insists on this interpretation, they would effectively have to reject the hadith because it contradicts the Quran.\\n\\nHowever, such rejection is unnecessary because scholars have proposed other plausible interpretations. One such interpretation suggests that the Prophet's request to seek forgiveness was denied because his mother was either a believer or was excused due to being from ahlu-l-fatrah, who are not held accountable for their disbelief. Therefore, since there was no need to seek forgiveness for her, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was not granted permission. This is akin to the case of a child who passes away before reaching puberty, for whom we do not pray for forgiveness.\\n\\nAnother approach to reconcile this is to disregard singular reports (ahād) like this and similar hadiths because the Quran is transmitted through mass transmission (mutawātir).\\n\\nAlternatively, it can be argued that these hadiths were abrogated by Quranic verses, similar to how hadiths about the fate of children of disbelievers being sent to Hell were superseded by Allah's statement, \\\"No soul shall bear the burden of another.\\\"\\n\\nFurthermore, interpreting this hadith to mean that the Prophet's mother is a disbeliever not only contradicts the Quran but also conflicts with other hadiths in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) takes pride in and praises his lineage:\\n\\n\\\"Allah chose Kinana from the descendants of Isma'il, and He chose Quraish from Kinana, and He chose Banu Hashim from Quraish, and He chose me from the tribe of Banu Hashim.\\\" [Sahih Muslim]\\n\\n\\\"I am the master of the children of Adam on the Day of Resurrection, and I am the first to be resurrected, the first to intercede, and the first whose intercession is accepted.\\\" [Sahih Muslim]\\n\\nThere is also a hadith where the Prophet (peace be upon him) takes pride in the fact that his prophethood was foreseen by his mother during his birth, he would not take pride in and narrate the vision of a disbeliever:\\n\\n\\\"I have been designated as the Seal of the Prophets in the sight of Allah while Adam was still in his clay. I will tell you about the beginning of that: it is the supplication of my father Ibrahim (Abraham), the glad tidings of Isa (Jesus), and the vision of my mother who saw when she gave birth to me that a light emerged from her which illuminated the palaces of Sham (Syria).\\\" [Sahih Ibn Hibban]\\n\\nMoreover, interpreting the hadith in question would contradict the interpretation of Quranic verse 26:219 according to the tafsir tradition, where Ibn Abbas explains that the verse refers to the lineage of the Prophet (peace be upon him) from Adam through his ancestors, all of whom are described as devout worshippers.\\n\\nThese considerations highlight the need for a coherent interpretation that aligns with the broader context of Islamic teachings and principles as laid out in the Quran and Sunna.\\n\\nLastly, I would like to conclude by highlighting how Muslim scholars have addressed the discussion on this matter and their rulings regarding those who lack the propriety and wisdom to engage in such discussions.\\n\\nQadi Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi was asked about someone who asserts that the Prophet's parents are in hell. He responded, \\\"Whoever says that is cursed, for Allah says, 'Verily those who offend Allah and His messenger, Allah has cursed them in this world and the next, and readied them a humiliating chastisement.' There is no greater offense than to claim that his parents are in hell.\\\"\\n\\nSome scholars have prohibited such speech considering the authentic hadith: \\\"Do not speak ill of the dead, for you will harm the living.\\\"\\n\\nIn the commentary on Imam Malik's Muwatta by al-Bājy, it is mentioned that it is prohibited (haram) to insult the Prophet (peace be upon him), even by engaging in actions that are permissible (mubah). For instance, when Ali wanted to marry the daughter of Abu Jahl while already married to Fatima, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, \\\"Fatima is a part of me, and I will not make unlawful what Allah has made lawful. By Allah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah and the daughter of the enemy of Allah will never be in the same man's household.\\\"\\n\\nIbn Asakir records in his Tarikh that during the administration of Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz, someone from Umar’s administration hired a man whose father was known to be an adulterer. When Umar questioned him about hiring such a person, he remarked callously, \\\"It's not a big deal; the Prophet's father was a mushrik (polytheist).\\\" Upon hearing this, Umar lowered his head in silence, then raised it and responded sternly, \\\"Should I cut off his tongue? Should I cut off his hands and feet? Should I cut off his neck?\\\" Umar then dismissed the man, stating, \\\"You will not hold any position of authority as long as you live.\\\"\\n\\n\\nMay Allah guide us to uphold the reverence and respect due to His Prophet (peace be upon him) and his family and grant us wisdom in our speech and actions. May He protect us from falling into error or causing offense and enable us to follow the path of righteousness and knowledge. Ameen.\"}]}","tags":[{"_id":"668d9ff70b76658b4c232a80","tag":"Seerah: Sunnah and Hadith","count":68},{"_id":"668d9fe70b76658b4c2328a0","tag":"Quran: Tafseer","count":34},{"_id":"668d9fea0b76658b4c232905","tag":"Aqeedah: Muhammad ﷺ","count":20},{"_id":"668d9feb0b76658b4c23290a","tag":"Seerah: Lineage of the Prophet","count":4}],"createdOn":"2024-09-09T20:10:00.804Z"}