JazakAllah for the valuable post.

And may Allah Taala increase darajaat of Hazrat Mufti Taqi Usmani saheb for highlighting to us the balanced and moderate path (eitdaal) ,gives us a practical example of what to do in similar situations (and what not to do) and exhorts us to implement the sunnah of being on eitdaal and avoiding fitnah.

JazakAllah khair to all who have any contribution in making it reach me !
Allah Taala hum subko ispar a’mal ki taufeeq de.

wassalam
adeel

Regarding fatwa of Mufti Taqi Usmani on digital photography

There are certain conditions that Hazrat Mufti Taqi Usmani Sb Db has mentioned with this ruling a number of times in various discussions.

One of them, anything that is impermissible to see in real life is also prohibited in video and digital photography. And its a clear ruling of Shariah that looking at Na Mahram is impermissible for both men and women. How then can the women be allowed to see the Imams on screens?

A senior Mufti from Bangladesh recently mentioned that he contacted Hazrat Mufti Taqi Usmani Sb Db for permission on using digital screens in women so that they can see the Imam but Hazrat strictly declined it.

Hazrat has mentioned a number of times that video and digital photography is permissible only where necessary and his ruling should not be an excuse to make photography a common practice as many people are doing here in Pakistan.

May Allah SWT help and bless us with purifying our souls, Aameen.

As was posted earlier:

ولو كان من عند غير الله لوجدوا فيه اختلافا كثيرا

May Allah give us all hidaya. Ameen

May Allah SWT shower His special blessings on Hazrat Dr. Saheb ra and give a higher place in janat ul firdos.

The letter of Hazrat Dr. Saheb’s son is also very beneficial. Please continue to share more about Hazrat Dr. Saheb ra, especially about Hazrat ra’s life.

Assalamu Aleikum,

Final Moments

Abati (Dr. Muhammad Abdul-Wahid Sayyid) Passed away on Jan 17, 2013, at the almost age of 77. It was a great honor for me (Abu-bakr, son) and Fuad (grandson) to take care of Abati. He went to another city earlier that day, and came at night. As soon he entered my apartment in Indianapolis, he passed away. I found about it early in the morning.

Inna li Allah wa Inna ileihi Raji’oon. The first feeling was of shock and uncertainty. But soon after, the word Muslim came to view. As Muslims we accept and surrender to the Will of Allah, the Most Wise. After that I felt calm tinged with some sadness.

I didn’t know how to tell my mother, so I talked to my sister alone and told her to break the news slowly to her. After a couple of minutes, they called crying. I had covered Abati with a sheet, and they asked to have a look. I refused at first, but they wanted to have a final look. So I agreed. Death is indeed so final; there aren’t any other chances. One moment the person is here, and the next he is gone. What remains is a motionless body without the lively soul inside.

As I uncovered his face, I said few prayers for him. That was the most precious moment for me. It was only me and the family and nobody else. They listened quietly, while I kept repeating: O Allah forgive him, O Allah show him mercy, O Allah keep him firm, O Allah Let him enter Paradise. After a while, I covered him again and it was over.

There is a certain procedure for burial here. What struck me the most was that you have to pay for death here! You have to make arrangement in the cemetery, you have to buy a plot there, and you have to call the funeral home. The person in charge of the funerals told me it was not possible to finish everything that day. But Masha’Allah everything went so smooth that I was surprised.

We went to the cemetery and made arrangements. Then we went and bought a plot. Then we went to the funeral home and participated in the washing. There were two Muslim brothers, and Fuad and I took part too. Masha’Allah what I liked most about the ghusl was that they never uncovered the private parts. They kept them covered all the time, and would wash them by spraying water under the towel. As we washed him, Fuad showed that there was a small smile on his face. After that we put the shroud, tied it and then took it to the masjid.

Around 150 people masha’Allah participated in the funeral prayer. Then we took him to the cemetery. Some good Muslims bought the whole south section of the Crown Hill Cemetery and allocated for Muslims. They had already dug a grave there. There were 12 people. The grave assigned to Abati was plot No. 360, Crown Hill cemetery, in Indianapolis, IN. Fuad and I went inside the grave and put Abati in his last resting place. After that we put the earth back.

As I stood there and kept praying: O Allah forgive him, O Allah show him mercy, O Allah keep him firm during the questioning, I thought to myself this the moment of truth all of us will face one day. This is the moment we all should be ready for. I looked at Abati with only his deeds and nothing else. I felt the worthlessness of dunya then; really it all comes down to this.

I looked around and only saw 12 people, I felt sad. But Immediately I remembered Abati and how modest he was. SubhanAllah, Allah willed for him what he liked best. Abati wouldn’t have liked a long procession with an escort like the regular funerals here, and subhana Allah he got the simple way he liked and lived. Fuad later told me for us it is later in the Hereafter. Somebody told me he was alone in his final moments. May be he was, but I was upstairs close at hand. And we know when a Muslim dies in ghurbah (far away land), Allah sends angels to surround him and walk with him to his grave. I trust Allah that Abati had those angels with him.

Abati wrote in a earlier remark, “Seems I am dying soon.” It seems he had felt his death and was wondering who would take care of him. All I can say is that his God took care of him. He passed away early in the morning, and we buried him by 3 in the afternoon. Things went so smooth masha’Allah, that I was amazed.

Mash’Allah Abati spent his whole life in the path of Allah. Although he had PhD in English, he always had an interest in the knowledge of deen. He first learned ilm deen thoroughly and then later conveyed it to others. He used to love ‘ulama and shyookh and was eager to go and visit them. He told me when he was young, he used to walk behind his teacher on the latter’s errands to the market. The teacher was busy, so Abati used to learn from him when the teacher was going to the market. Abati was a scholar on his own, masha’Allah always seeking knowledge and always learning till the end of his life.

When he became older, he started having his own halaqah and deeni sessions. Many righteous people used to attend, and I used to enjoy his lessons greatly. Masha’Allah after his long association with ulama’, he gained some deep understanding of deen that is rare to find these days.

That night I thought to myself, Allah is the Most Merciful and He will insha’Allah show him great mercy. I woke up the second day feeling some tranquility about him. I called Yummah and she told me people from around the world called and praised him.

Allahu Akbar, once a funeral passed and people praised it, so our beloved Prophet -prayer and peace be upon him- said: “It is obligated (wajabat)- three times.” Then another funeral passed and people dispraised it, so he said: “It is obligated (wajabat)- three times.” So Omar asked him about it and the Prophet -prayer and peace be upon him- said: “You are the witnesses of Allah on earth; if you praise someone then Paradise is obligated for him, and if you dispraise him then Hellfire is obligated for him.” (Muslim). And masha’Allah I was very glad to hear that people were praising Abati.

I can go on and on, but I will stop here and pray Allah to forgive Abati and show him great mercy. Allah, the Most Merciful, says: ‘Come toward Me one span and I will come toward you one arm.’ Abati masha’Allah kept going toward Allah all his life. We pray Allah to accept and bring him close to Him, and join him in the status of the truthful, the righteous and martyrs. Indeed what a blessing is that. And we ask Allah, the Most Exalted, to include us in His mercy and make us meet with Abati in Jannat Al-Firdows. Ameen. Wa salla Allahu wasalam ala Nabiyyana Muhammad wa ala alihi wasahbi wasalam.
Abu-Bakr Sayyid

Friday, January 18th, 2013