What Position Pleases Allah Regarding Shireen and Others?
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.
Dear brothers, this word is for those who attended the session "The Muslim and Harmonious Positions." Why? Because it established a common ground for discussion. We mentioned eleven fundamental rules, and we agree with you, as followers, as there was no objection to them.
In our speech today, we will apply these rules to the topic of journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh and the debate surrounding the permissibility or impermissibility of praying for her mercy. However, before answering these questions, let us analyze why there was such a severe disagreement among us, the followers of the nation of Muhammad (peace be upon him), who claim that our reference is the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace be upon him).
Analysis of the Disagreement
Is it reasonable that the Book, which Allah described as a clarification of everything, clear, light, guidance, and insight, could have such a disagreement in understanding? Between those who say that praying for Shireen's mercy to enter paradise is permissible and those who say it is a denial of the clear Quran.
Is it true that everyone who has exceeded the bounds of condolences trivializes monotheism and does not glorify Allah? Or could there be an issue they are not aware of? If we help them solve it, they will say, "We hear and obey the command of our Lord," and the word will unite, and efforts will be directed towards what is beneficial.
Indeed, brothers, problems that seem catastrophic are solvable if treated with wisdom, calm, and the removal of veils from insight, at least for those humble to the truth.
Context of the Incident
The crime of the occupation killing Shireen came within the context of Muslims being emotionally inflamed. This inflammation led to impulsive reactions. Speaking about the ruling on mercy is like addressing a captured and detached image from the context. So, let's go back and understand what is happening and the emotional and psychological boiling that controls many people.
And let's rephrase the question from "What is the ruling on mercy?" to "What is the position that pleases Allah regarding Shireen and all non-Muslims living among us?" What is the position loved by the Lord of the Worlds, who says, "Is not His the creation and the command?"
We were created with hearts full of passionate emotion and a good nature, and at the same time, we were commanded to control the emotions resulting from this nature, so that we ultimately reach a legal position that aligns with our love for Allah and our glorification of Allah the Most High and His right, and at the same time, our humanity and our emotion towards those who treat us well and share some of our causes. Then we can talk about the subject of mercy and praying for entry into paradise.
This will be our approach to the topic, because it is clear that the issue is not ignorance of some verses and hadiths nor the need to clarify the ruling at the moment, but rather understanding the motives and reasons. Otherwise, any legal evidence will be ready to be reinterpreted to suit the position taken beforehand.
Oppression and Humiliation of the Ummah
Shireen was part of the issue of Palestine. Palestine, which represents the oppression and humiliation of the Ummah. A member of the body of the Ummah was separated from it and handed over to a handful of the worst of creation, who tamper with our sanctities, arrest our children, kill women at checkpoints in cold blood, and rain bombs on the children of Gaza, causing burns and disabilities. And all this is in the heart of the Islamic world, a world of more than a billion Muslims.
And we know that these are the cowardliest of Allah's creation, but they roam and enjoy themselves under the protection and assistance of those who control the Muslim countries, and a global system that despises us and is a partner in all of this, as was evident in the Ukrainian crisis.
Betrayal by the Scholars
A lot of feelings of oppression, humiliation, anger, and betrayal by many scholars are added to this. Many of them are either silent, discouraged, negative, or distant from the concerns of the Ummah, or even hypocritical flatterers. And sincere callers are marginalized, and many of them are in prisons.
In this context, Shireen came to convey part of the crimes of the occupier, risking her life amidst the bullets, knowing that she is exposing herself to danger, serving a cause that concerns us as Muslims and concerns the sons of her religion, and her name has been associated with this cause for twenty-seven years. The criminal occupier fired a bullet at Shireen's head and exploded it with utter contempt, disregard, challenge, and crime. Oppression, the feeling of humiliation, degradation, betrayal, and anger all turned into sympathy for Shireen.
Intellectual Occupation
Of course, all of this is in addition to the fact that Muslims are living under an intellectual occupation by the West, which has left their countries but left behind tails that impose secularism in curricula, media, education, and legislation. So, these have become factors of ideological, intellectual, emotional, and psychological destruction. Therefore, when we are emotionally charged, the passionate emotion does not turn into beneficial work that confronts the injustice we are exposed to, but this emotion has turned into an internal psychological struggle and a savage battle among ourselves, increasing our division, weakness, and humiliation, and enabling the enemies to overcome us more. Fire consumes itself if it does not find what to consume.
Redirecting Emotion
Here, we need to redirect the emotion in the right way that aligns with our creed and helps in lifting oppression.
The Need for Allah's Law
The first redirection is that this incident increases our certainty of our need and the need of humanity to establish the law of Allah on earth. Imagine, people, if Shireen was under the protection of Muslims in a state that establishes the law of Allah the Most High. Ibn Hazm of Andalusia, may Allah have mercy on him, narrated the consensus of the scholars on what? He said: "Whoever is under the protection of Muslims and the people of war come to our lands seeking him, it is obligatory upon us to go out to fight them with weapons and armor and die before that, protecting those under the protection of Allah the Most High and the protection of His Messenger (peace be upon him). Otherwise, delivering him without that is neglecting the covenant of protection."
Meaning, what is required of us is to mobilize the armies, fight, and expose ourselves to destruction to protect those whom Allah and His Messenger have given us protection over, who are not of our religion. Not by writing a few words on social media and becoming a superhero, and they are tired of what to mercy and not to mercy, and doing humanitarian work for those who oppose mercy. I am talking here about real fighting, real sacrifice, and shedding of blood and souls, leaving orphans and widows for one who is not of our religion.
If one of us is killed while defending those whom Islam obliges us to defend, he will be a martyr. A true martyr, not a martyr of the homeland, nor a martyr of humanity, nor a martyr of duty, nor all these titles, but a martyr with Allah because I defended him in obedience to Allah and in protection of the covenant of Allah the Most High and the covenant of His Messenger (peace be upon him). And I have conveyed to you the text of the fatwa on this in the episode "If the Ukrainians were in an Islamic system."
Even without an Islamic system, if a Muslim defends Shireen against the criminal occupier out of "And whoever saves a life, it is as if he has saved all of humanity," and then is killed, he is in the cause of Allah. Meaning, when a Muslim obeys Allah the Most High, he is more beneficial to Shireen and non-Shireen from her religion, who may write a few words "And to your soul be peace," and then sit and drink tea and that's it.
Therefore, dear ones, instead of our question being "What is the ruling on mercy?" The necessary question to be asked is: "Why did this crime happen?" And what is your position as a Muslim? What is your duty as a Muslim so that this crime does not happen again? So that we charge ourselves with the zeal to raise the word of Allah, the word of monotheism, to suppress the criminal and protect the blood. We must not be preoccupied with this partial incident and forget the overall picture that there are thousands who are subjected daily to injustice and killing as a result of our lagging behind in leading humanity and raising the word of Islam.
Empathy with Shireen
Peace be upon you. When we say that Shireen presented and clarified, yes, and when we are able to say that she presented, this does not mean that we make her an icon and a role model for our daughters. We have role models among the Muslim women who presented and clarified more than Shireen, and not only did they cover the event but they were part of the event and presented and clarified for the word of Allah to be supreme, without any salaries from any media network. Nevertheless, we empathize with Shireen who served a cause that is our cause as Muslims, and even if she did what she did out of nationalism or humanity.
The restaurant owner was a polytheist, and polytheism is a deterrent to action. Nevertheless, the Prophet, peace be upon him, repaid his kindness. When the Prophet triumphed in the Battle of Badr and captured prisoners, he said, as reported by Bukhari: "If Mut'im ibn 'Adi were alive and spoke to me about these prisoners, I would release them to him." What a repayment of kindness after years! That is, if he asked me to release these prisoners, I would release them for his sake. The Prophet, peace be upon him, taught us loyalty.
Allah the Almighty says: "And with all this, we must remember that the media exaggerates what it wants and marginalizes what it wants and creates icons and symbols. So you find all our emotions directed towards these icons, leading to exaggeration and excess of what pleases Allah." Do not be angry about what happened with Shireen, and at the same time remember that there are hundreds or thousands of similar incidents daily in the lands of your Muslim brothers and other oppressed people.
Someone might say to me: "So why, when our daughter Sarah, may Allah have mercy on her, died and people talked about her and still talk about her, did you not say this and tell them to think about the exaggeration?" But I told them, praise be to Allah, and a few days after her death, I published an article titled "My Daughter Is Not More Important Than the Daughters of Muslims," reminding people that Allah will reward you with good, but do not forget that there are children dying daily with suffering much greater than the suffering of my daughter, so remember them.
"O you who have believed, be constantly standing firm for justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives." Yes, there is a strong emotion towards the crime of the occupier in killing Shireen, and controlling this emotion is a test. And this is a very important point, my brothers. Allah tests such events for the believers to see whether we overcome this emotion even if it leads to disobeying Him, or whether we control it and overcome it with the love of Allah, the glorification of Allah, and the obedience of Allah, and even turn it into beneficial work?
After this introduction, let us delve into what is permissible and what is not permissible in empathizing with this incident, keeping in mind throughout that we want to turn the event and empathy with it into a reason for our adherence to our religion so that we may raise the word of Allah and prevent the repetition of these crimes. And I hope that what has happened and the emergence of problems and differences of opinion in the past few days, which have elicited responses and explanations from many of our brothers, may Allah reward them with good, I hope that all of this is the beginning of good and perhaps it is fitting for the saying: "Do not consider it evil for you, but it is good for you." Suitable for reviving faith in the hearts of Muslims and glorifying the oneness of Allah and calling non-Muslims, an opportunity to correct the course and prepare for the causes of victory.
And I remind you once again: Do not listen to the mentality of the one who is ready to respond, who has a preconceived position and wants to understand the evidence according to this position, but let the evidence be what shapes your position. Agreed, gentlemen? And pray with me: "O Allah, Lord of Jibreel, Meekaeel, and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, You judge between Your servants in that wherein they differ. Guide us to the truth in that wherein they differ by Your leave. Indeed, You guide whom You will to a straight path."
What Is Permissible and What Is Not Permissible in Empathy
All right, with the name of Allah. One of the greatest Quranic truths is the oneness of Allah, that there is no salvation in the Hereafter except through this oneness with righteous deeds, and that Allah does not forgive polytheism, and that polytheism is a deterrent to action.
The Oneness of Allah and the Danger of Polytheism
Allah the Almighty says: {Indeed, Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills}. Allah the Almighty says: {Indeed, they have disbelieved who say, "Allah is the third of three," while there is no god except one God. And if they do not desist from what they are saying, there will surely afflict the one who disbelieves among them a painful punishment. Will they not repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful}.
Notice how these verses explain the disbelief of those who say that Allah is the Messiah or that Allah is the third of three, meaning the difference in their sects, and explain that this polytheist has been forbidden Paradise and his abode is the Fire. Then these polytheists are called to repent and seek forgiveness from this polytheism, and it is said: "And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." So who is He Merciful with? With those who repent from this polytheism. Otherwise, the meaning of the verse would be: "Will they not repent to Allah from this polytheism and seek His forgiveness, and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful with them whether they repent or not," so there would be no need for repentance. And the Quran is far from this contradictory speech.
Do you own the keys to Paradise and Hell? Imagine if you were present in the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and these verses were recited to you, and you said to him, "Do you mean, O Messenger of Allah, that you own the keys to Paradise and Hell?" He might say: "No, no, the Messenger of Allah used to recite the verses of Allah." Well, I do the same thing. Am I claiming to own the keys to Paradise and Hell when I remind you of the verses of Allah?
One of the greatest Quranic truths is that Allah does not accept from anyone except Islam, which is the oneness of Allah, submission to Him, and belief in His messengers. Allah the Almighty says: {Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam}. And He says: {And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers}. The Islam mentioned in these verses is the religion of all the prophets, peace be upon them. All the prophets were monotheists and Muslims, and all the followers of a prophet who united Allah and believed in His messengers are Muslims. Therefore, our Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "The people most worthy of Jesus son of Mary in this world and the next world are the prophets, brothers whose mothers are of different tribes, but their religion is one." And the hadith was narrated by Bukhari. While Jesus, peace be upon him, is innocent of those who associated partners with Allah and lied about Muhammad, peace be upon him.
The Clear Verses and the Ambiguous Ones
Alright, but there is a verse where Allah says: {Indeed, those who have believed and those who were Jews and the Christians and the Sabians - those who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness - will have their reward with their Lord, and there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.} Yes, this takes us to a very important rule in addressing our topic today and in dealing with the Quran in general.
Allah the Most High says: {It is He who has sent down to you, [O Muhammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise - they are the foundation of the Book - and others unclear. So as for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unclarified, seeking discord and seeking to give it an interpretation [that is] such [as suits them].} So, the behavior of taking an ambiguous verse and interpreting it as you wish instead of understanding it in the light of the clear verses, is the behavior of one whose heart is deviated, misguided, and sick.
The mentioned verse, look at its context and refer it to the many clear verses as the exegetes have done, you will find that it has one of two meanings: either it speaks of the believers in the prophets in their time who followed them and died upon Tawheed before the mission of Muhammad (peace be upon him), or it is about those who were Christians or Jews or Sabians and then believed in Tawheed and the Prophet (peace be upon him) and entered Islam.
And the context of the verse supports this meaning, because the verse before it was concluded with Allah the Most High saying about the Children of Israel: {And humiliation and wretchedness were imposed upon them and they were covered with wrath from Allah. That is because they used to disbelieve in the signs of Allah and kill the prophets without right. That is because they disobeyed and [habitually] transgressed.} So, can someone say does this mean that there is no repentance for them for these crimes and sins? The answer came that if they believe and do righteous deeds, they and others, the door of repentance is open for them and for others.
Even if you do not look at the context, the same verse, notice what the Lord said in it: {Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does righteousness.} These are the two conditions: a considered faith in Allah and the Last Day and doing righteous deeds. Okay, is the faith of the People of the Book who rejected the call of Islam, is their faith in Allah not a considered faith? No, it is not considered.
The evidence: Allah the Most High says: {Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and wish to make a distinction between Allah and His messengers and say, "We believe in some and disbelieve in others," and wish to adopt a way in between - Those are the true disbelievers, and We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment.} Meaning, those who believed in Moses and disbelieved in Jesus and Muhammad, or believed in Moses and Jesus and disbelieved in Muhammad (peace be upon him). What is the state of these people, O Lord? {Those are the true disbelievers, and We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment.}
Notice: {Those are the true disbelievers.} Meaning, it did not benefit them that they believed in the existence of Allah nor that they believed in some of the prophets. Not a faith of believers nor three-quarters of a believer, but {Those are the true disbelievers.} Allah then said: {And those who believe in Allah and His messengers and do not distinguish between any of them - those - He is going to give them their rewards. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.} Forgiving and Merciful to those who believe in true faith in the Oneness of Allah and all of His messengers.
Also, the verse they use as evidence stipulated "and does righteousness," and righteous deeds are not acceptable with shirk. Allah the Most High says: {Observe the same verse they use as evidence and its context and all the clear verses of the Quran and the Sunnah indicate that a Jew or a Christian is not excused if he does not believe in the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Quran.} Therefore, no wise Muslim throughout the centuries has said that this verse means that all of them have attained some of it, and that it is permissible for Jews and Christians to believe in Allah and the Last Day and disbelieve in Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Quran and still be among the people of Paradise. Otherwise, why the call to Islam? And why {Say, "O mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allah to you all.}?
So, when someone leaves all these evidences and uses the verse {Indeed, those who have believed and those who were Jews and the Christians and the Sabians} to say that it does not obligate you to believe in Muhammad or the Quran or the Oneness of Allah, this is from those whose hearts are deviated, sick, and misguided, who distort the word from its place. The one who comes after all this and says that it is permissible to have mercy meaning that Allah forgives shirk and allows the polytheist to enter Paradise, this is not merciful, but he is lying about Allah and His messenger. Not merciful, not compassionate, but lying about Allah and His messenger.
Allah says to you: {Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating others with Him.} And you say: "No, my Lord, there is hope that He will forgive him." Allah narrates about Jesus his saying: {Indeed, whoever associates others with Allah has forbidden for him Paradise, and his abode is the Fire.} And you say: "No, my Lord, it is possible to enter Paradise and his abode is not the Fire." Allah says, meaning you, O Muhammad, and the prophets before you: {And it has already come down to you and to those before you, "If you associate [anything] with Allah, your work will surely become worthless, and you will surely be among the losers."} And you say: "No, my Lord, it is not necessary that shirk nullifies the work if the person is good and does not harm others and serves the Palestinian cause." Or perhaps you see that Shirin's achievements are more important than the prophets, so even if she associates others with Allah, Allah will not nullify her work.
By the way, this verse: {If you associate [anything] with Allah, your work will surely become worthless.} What did Allah say after that? {Rather, [worship] Allah, and be among the grateful.} And they did not estimate Allah with His true estimation, and the earth entirely is His grasp on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens are folded by His right hand. Glorified and Exalted is He above what they associate [with Him]. Glorified is Allah, how {And they did not estimate Allah with His true estimation} came after the warning of shirk. So, the basis of every problem and the basis of every shirk in this world is the underestimation of Allah's true worth. And this is our problem today with those who have mercy on the polytheists after all these evidences. They did not estimate Allah with His true estimation.
The Response to the Doubt "And My Mercy Encompasses All Things"
Where is the verse of Allah: {And My mercy encompasses all things}? Isn't this also a verse? No, this time the one who uses this method does not follow the similar verses, but he does something worse, which is that he says: "Allah the Almighty says: 'Woe to the pray-ers'" and peace be upon you. Peace be upon you. Allah said: "O you who have believed, do not approach prayer" and the lesson is over, and we will see you in good condition, God willing.
Let's read the verses. Allah the Almighty said: {And My mercy encompasses all things. I will prescribe it for those who fear Me and give zakah and those who believe in Our verses - those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet whom they find written with them in the Torah and the Gospel, commanding them to do what is right and forbidding them from what is wrong and making lawful for them the good things and prohibiting for them the evil things and removing from them their burden and the shackles that were upon them. So those who believe in him and support him and help him and follow the light which was sent down with him - it is those who are the successful [in the Hereafter]}.
Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet. Allah said directly after these verses: {Say, "O mankind, I am the Messenger of Allah to you all, [from] Him to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no deity except Him; He gives life and causes death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered prophet, who believes in Allah and His words, and follow him that you may be guided}.
In the past days, preachers and scholars of Islamic law used a part of the verse "And My mercy encompasses all things" in the same way as "Woe to the pray-ers." And this, by Allah, is a betrayal of knowledge and a betrayal of religion. Beware of tomorrow, beware of you tomorrow, this will become another viewpoint and a considered opinion. No, by Allah, but this is misleading people and distorting the meaning of the words of the Lord of the worlds. And it will never benefit you to take this distortion because it agreed with your whim and your unrestrained inclination to glorify Allah and say: "Put it on the neck of a scholar and come out safe." This is the same as what Allah warned against by saying: {They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah}, and your master, the Prophet, peace be upon him, explained them as those who made lawful for them the unlawful and made unlawful for them the lawful, so they followed them, and that was the worship of the general people for the scholars and monks.
Allah said: {And My mercy encompasses all things}. Is Iblis not a thing as well? Does this mean that Allah's mercy will encompass Iblis and Iblis will enter Paradise? Are the killers of Sherine included in all things, so Allah's mercy will encompass them? Is it permissible for us to have mercy on them? Those who carried out the massacre of the Solidarity neighborhood, which we saw its brutality from weeks ago, are they not also from all things, so it is possible that Allah's mercy will encompass them?
Allah's mercy is wide for the disbelievers in this world. In the hadith narrated by Muslim, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "No one is more patient with harm he hears from Allah the Almighty than they, for they make for him a rival and they make for him a child, and He provides for them, cures them, and gives to them." Be aware, Sherine has no favor from Allah. All the blessings she was in were from Allah, He provided for her, cured her, and gave to her for fifty-one years. As for the Hereafter: {And indeed, all of that is [only] the enjoyment of worldly life. And the Hereafter is better for those who fear Allah}.
The Danger of Showing Mercy to the Disbeliever
We all have red lines that if crossed by a person, they will not deserve our mercy after their death. However, the difference is that believers know that this red line is shirk (associating partners with Allah). Some people's attitude is: "He wronged me once, he wronged me, so may Allah not have mercy on him. He insulted my Lord and stands by my cause, so a thousand mercies upon him." No, by the wrath of Allah, no! Who brought about the tradition of insulting Allah? It is you who do not know the hadith narrated by Bukhari, where our Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Allah the Most High said: 'The son of Adam insults Me, the son of Adam insults Me, and it is not befitting for him to insult Me, and he lies against Me, and it is not befitting for him. As for his insult, it is his saying that I have a son.' Claiming that Isa (Jesus) is the son of Allah is an insult to Allah. And you say: 'It doesn't matter, even if the one who insults Allah enters the Paradise of Allah because he did not harm me nor did he harm any human being.'"
If it is established for us with conclusive evidence that we have a Great Lord, perfect in all aspects, how can we then present the right of an imperfect human being who shows his inadequacy at every moment of his life to his Lord, who eats, drinks, and does what is necessary from entering the privy, gets sick, and dies? We make the right of this human being greater than the right of Allah, the Lord of Lords, glorified and exalted be He, who is perfect in every aspect?
Showing mercy to a disbeliever who has died is a crime against the living, because this mercy means that there is no need for them to believe in Allah and His Messenger as long as everyone is hoped for mercy. The Hereafter, my brother, is a fire, a fire of torment, a torment. Do you not have hearts? We have hearts and more mercy than you, and with this mercy, we have a reverence for the right of the Lord of the Worlds. We show mercy because we follow our Prophet who said: "The merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Show mercy to those on the earth, and the One in the heaven will show mercy to you." Therefore, we show mercy to the disbelievers, polytheists, and atheists and call them to the religion of the Lord of the Worlds. Therefore, I invite non-Muslims and call them and cooperate with brothers and sisters to translate my lectures, series, and articles into many languages so that they reach non-Muslims. We work on missionary series like the Journey of Certainty, which I know that many of the youth who fell into apostasy returned to Islam after watching them, thanks to Allah.
We do not sleep regarding their invitation, deceive them, or trick them with mercy for those who have died among them. Then, when one of them dies, our compassion appears once, and we will continue to show mercy to them that Islam is not necessary for their salvation, and to make light of the right of Allah and to deny His words and the words of His Messenger. Islam is a religion of serious actions, not false flattery. By your mercy, you even deceive the Muslims, and you mislead even your children. Pray, Dad, five prayers, fast Ramadan, cover yourself, my daughter. Why, Dad, do I bear the hardship of these things to enter Paradise, my son? Okay, Dad, so-and-so died a disbeliever, and you showed mercy to him. He did not pray nor fast, nor was he covered, nor was he even a Muslim, and yet you said perhaps Allah will have mercy on her. What will you say to your son or daughter in this case? When you say to your son: "Do not commit adultery, my son, do not drink alcohol, do not deal with riba (usury), do not disobey your parents." Why, Dad? "So that you do not enter the fire." Okay, Dad, is not shirk worse than all these sins? Yes. Okay, so you showed mercy to the one who died a polytheist and hoped that he would not enter the fire. So, I will also commit all these sins and hope not to enter the fire.
Do you imagine, people, what it means to hope for Paradise for one who died a disbeliever in Islam? It means breaking the bonds of religion and making religion something trivial and secondary that has no value, does not determine destiny, nor saves from torment. After the chaos that happened in the recent days, hold the Mushaf (Quran) and read any two pages of the Quran. If the "Paradise for all" virus enters you, see how the verses become meaningless. So that you know that some of those who insist on waging this battle of mercy do not do so out of ignorance or emotion or out of concern for their well-being or their fate, but they trade with their death and exploit the event to blur the doctrine of Muslims, which is the secret of their unity and strength. They blur it under the cover of emotion and mercy. So, do not follow them, do not let them deceive you and laugh at you.
When the "mercy for all" virus enters you and you stand before Allah, pray, and recite Al-Fatihah: {You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path. The path of those whom You have favored, not (the path) of those who earn Your anger, nor of those who go astray.} And we have been saying all our lives that those who earn His anger are the Jews and those who go astray are the Christians. Amen. So, why does Allah guide us to the straight path if all paths lead to Paradise? Why do we want a path other than that of these and those? Are we not all hoped for mercy in the end? Do you understand, people, what this virus means? The "mercy for all" virus.
Who benefits from raising the issue of showing mercy to Shireen and entering her into Paradise and defending her more blatantly than the claimants of the new Abrahamic religion who want to melt Islam? Therefore, we see them active and boasting in spreading their lewdness these days, exploiting the sympathy with the incident. Who benefits from blurring the Islamic nature of the Palestinian cause more than the occupation? The one who attacked Shireen's funeral in a blatant and suspicious manner in front of the cameras in a way that cannot be spontaneous or accidental, after we saw in Ramadan and the Eid prayer in Al-Aqsa and the Islamic world what pleases every believer and enrages every disbeliever and hypocrite.
We are not asking you to kill the mercy in your heart, but to add to it the glorification of Allah, to appreciate Him and appreciate His oneness as it should be so that the scale is balanced. And to show your mercy to the creation at the right time, not after the time has passed.
Response to the Doubt of "Good Deeds"
Okay, the good deeds of Shireen and supporting the Palestinian cause. "Actions are judged by intentions." Even if the Muslim did not intend the face of Allah with his good deeds, they will not be accepted from him. Nevertheless, Allah hastens the reward of the disbeliever in this world. As for the Hereafter, remember that no one among us, no matter how great his achievements, will enter Paradise by his deeds but by the mercy of Allah. Even the Prophet (peace be upon him). And for the human being to deserve the mercy of the Hereafter, it has conditions, the first of which is monotheism (tawhid).
Response to the Doubt of "Perhaps She Converted to Islam"
Okay, is it not possible that Shireen converted to Islam and did not inform anyone of her Islam? Correct, it is possible, but it is also not possible that your Muslim father apostated in secret and did not inform anyone of his apostasy? Therefore, you must not pray for him when he dies. We are brothers to each other in appearance in Islam and disbelief. This objection has been answered in a separate word entitled "Is it not possible that he repented?"
Response to the Doubt "Alleviating Punishment"
Alright, what about praying for her mercy with the intention of alleviating punishment? Yes, a question: Did this proposal escape the Prophet peace be upon him when Allah forbade him from seeking forgiveness for Abu Talib? Especially since supplication is worship and worship is prescribed. There must be evidence. You are adding to the mercy of the Prophet peace be upon him, whom Allah said to him: {Perhaps you would kill yourself through grief for them, if they do not believe in this message, in sorrow.} He almost destroyed himself, peace be upon him, out of mercy for the polytheists. If there were a difference between forbidding supplication for mercy and supplication for forgiveness, the Prophet peace be upon him would have been the first to raise his hands and ask for mercy for his uncle and his mother. And all the companions would have done so for those who died in disbelief.
And according to our brother Dr. Ayman Al-Balawi: Is the suggestion of showing mercy by alleviating punishment one of the scientific discoveries so that you imagine that you have discovered what the Messenger of Allah, the companions, and the Ummah did not discover over 14 centuries? Ibn Kathir in Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah in the chapter on the death of Abu Talib said: "Were it not for what Allah forbade us from seeking forgiveness for the polytheists, we would have sought forgiveness for Abu Talib and shown mercy to him." Notice: "And shown mercy to him." So do not think that this did not occur to them. Think about the wisdom of Allah the Almighty that it was decreed for Abu Talib to die in disbelief and Allah forbade His Prophet from seeking forgiveness for him so that the creation would know until the Day of Judgment that the polytheist will not be forgiven and so that the great sin of disbelief would be known.
Mercy in the Quran and Sunnah
The verses of the Quran, people, are clear in making mercy the opposite of punishment. That is, one of the two outcomes: either punishment or mercy. If the one who is in a lighter degree in Hell is considered to be in Allah's mercy, then that means all the people of Hell are in Allah's mercy except those in the lowest degree of Hell. Does this align with the verses that describe the people of Hell as being in clear loss, severe torment, humiliating torment, and severe torment?
Allah the Almighty says: {Say, 'Indeed, I fear if I disobey my Lord, the punishment of a tremendous Day.' Whoever is turned away from Him that Day, He will have mercy on him, and that is the clear success.} Here, the Quran tells us who is shown mercy on the Day of Judgment: it is the one who is turned away from this punishment. Allah the Almighty says: {On the Day when some faces will be whitened and some faces will be blackened; as for those whose faces were blackened, it will be said to them, 'Did you disbelieve after your belief? Then taste the punishment for what you used to disbelieve.' And as for those whose faces were whitened, they will be in the mercy of Allah; therein they will abide.} Notice that only the second group is in Allah's mercy. And He says: {He punishes whom He wills and has mercy on whom He wills, and to Him you will be returned.} Thus, mercy is made the opposite of punishment. He says: {The believers, men and women, are protecting friends one of another.} Until He says: {Those are the ones upon whom is the blessing of Allah and mercy.} On the other hand, Allah says: {And those who disbelieved in the signs of Allah and the meeting with Him - those have despaired of My mercy, and they will have a painful punishment.} Did the death of the People of the Book not involve disbelief in meeting Allah? Well, what about {They disbelieved in the signs of Allah and the meeting with Him}? That is, if they disbelieved in the signs of Allah and believed in meeting Him, they can hope for Allah's mercy. The verses are clear in limiting the otherworldly mercy to the believers and in not showing mercy to the disbelievers.
As for the Sunnah, in the authentic hadith narrated by At-Tirmidhi and others: "The Jews would sneeze in the presence of the Prophet peace be upon him, hoping that he would say to them, 'May Allah have mercy on you,' but the Prophet would say to them, 'May Allah guide you and rectify your affairs.'" That is, the Jews would pretend to sneeze in the presence of the Prophet peace be upon him so that he would pray for their mercy. They knew in their hearts that he was the Messenger of Allah and they wanted the blessing of his supplication for them. However, the Prophet peace be upon him did not supplicate for them as he would for the Muslims, "May Allah have mercy on you," but rather said, "May Allah guide you and rectify your affairs." This is even though the Jews were alive and it was possible that one of them might embrace Islam and Allah would have mercy on him as He has mercy on the Muslims. So how about those who died without Islam and there is no possibility of their guidance after that?
Response to the Doubt "Marrying a Book-Woman"
Alright, brother, is it reasonable that Islam allows marriage to a Christian woman and then does not allow me to show mercy to her if she dies? Yes, it is reasonable. One of the purposes of Islam in permitting marriage to a Book-woman is that she may be influenced by her husband and love Islam and be convinced by it, not that he may be influenced by her. Therefore, notice that Islam did not permit the marriage of a Muslim woman to a Christian or a Jew. Imagine when the Muslim husband invites his Christian wife to Islam morning and evening, she asks him: "Alright, if I die as a Christian, will you pray for my mercy, my beloved?" "Of course, of course, my beloved, my children, how can I not pray for your mercy?" "Then there is no need for your religion, you pray for my mercy, and Allah will respond to you, if He wills, and we will enter Paradise together." Is it reasonable that the Christian wife gives birth to a child who is a Muslim like his father, and then if she dies, it is forbidden for this child to show mercy to his mother?
Response to the Doubt "Ibrahim's Supplication for His Father"
{It was not for the Prophet and those who believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they were relatives, after it had become clear to them that they were companions of Hellfire.} {Even if they were relatives.} In the hadith narrated by Muslim: "The Prophet peace be upon him visited his mother's grave and wept, and those around him wept. He said: I asked my Lord for permission to seek forgiveness for her, but He did not permit me, and I asked Him for permission to visit her grave, and He permitted me." He did not show mercy to her even though he wept, peace be upon him, out of compassion for his mother. "No, it's not reasonable, the mother of the Prophet and you do not show mercy to her, I will not take the hadith." Alright, if you do not take the hadith, where do you go from the saying of Allah the Almighty: {And the supplication of Ibrahim for his father was only due to a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to Ibrahim that he was an enemy to Allah, he disassociated himself from him.} Do you not show mercy to him.
This verse can be understood as being specific, meaning it is not about all fathers. The specific and the general are like some people who said about some people that they gathered for you. Or that the verse is general but specified by the verses that prohibit supplication for the disbelievers. It can also be understood that the supplication for mercy for the disbelieving parents is only in this world. If Allah takes them, then supplication for them is forbidden. All of this is possible without the verses contradicting each other. You do not need the verses to contradict each other. But it's not necessary that the children should be present during the call to prayer and the door should be closed with some noise so that the sound of the birds does not reach, perhaps, the people, if you permit me.
Response to the Doubt "The Prophet's Prayer for the Najashi"
Alright, did not the Prophet peace be upon him command the companions to pray for the Najashi when he died even though he was a Christian? He wept and said: "By Allah, the one who came with Isa, he will come out from a single niche." And when the Prophet commanded them to pray for him, he said: "A righteous man has died today, so stand up and pray for your brother Ashamma." Ashamma. If he is their brother. {The believers are but brothers.}
Conclusion
I have taken up too much of your time, brothers, and it is time for the evening prayer. I know that there are still questions. What we will do in the coming days is to refer to excellent articles written in response to the doubts raised. May Allah reward them with good and benefit us through their knowledge. Then, if Allah wills, we will hold a session for discussion and to hear your opinions, objections, and questions.
Finally, I remind you and myself of the words of Allah the Almighty: {O you who have believed, if you fear Allah, He will make for you a criterion [to judge between right and wrong].} A clear criterion that shows you things as they truly are. And remember the words of Allah the Almighty: {But when they deviated, He let their hearts deviate.} And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people. And if an incident has provoked us, remember that the strongest weapon we can arm ourselves with in our battle against our enemies is the companionship of the Lord of the worlds, who says: {So we do not want to show leniency in a way that angers our Lord and thereby lose His companionship, glory be to Him.}
I ask Allah the Almighty to unite our hearts upon the truth and upon what pleases Him, and to make what has happened and what will happen a good thing for the Ummah of Islam, and to help us in calling non-Muslims to enter with us the Paradise of the Lord of the worlds. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.