Sunni versus Shia

[sinner]

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
ASALATU WASALAMU ALAYKA YA RASULLALLAH
Assalamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Most respected Imam may Allah accept you...

Imam sahib, a Shia raised some question at a Dutch forum and I think you can answer them better than me. This Shia wants clearification of some hadith in which the Ahle Sunnah beliefs. How can I win this Shia? The hadith the Shia raised are:

Volume 8, Book 78, Number 654:
Narrated Anas bin Malik:

The Prophet said, "The Hell Fire will keep on saying: 'Are there anymore (people to come)?' Till the Lord of Power and Honor will put His Foot over it and then it will say, 'Qat! Qat! (sufficient! sufficient!) by Your Power and Honor. And its various sides will come close to each other (i.e., it will contract). "

Volume 9, Book 93, Number 586:
Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Apostle said, "Every night when it is the last third of the night, our Lord, the Superior, the Blessed, descends to the nearest heaven and says: Is there anyone to invoke Me that I may respond to his invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone asking My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?. " (See Hadith No. 246,Vol. 2)

Two Hadith in Al-Bukhary sayin that allah descends???
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Volume 2, Book 23, Number 423:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The angel of death was sent to Moses and when he went to him, Moses slapped him severely, spoiling one of his eyes. The angel went back to his Lord, and said, "You sent me to a slave who does not want to die." Allah restored his eye and said, "Go back and tell him (i.e. Moses) to place his hand over the back of an ox, for he will be allowed to live for a number of years equal to the number of hairs coming under his hand." (So the angel came to him and told him the same). Then Moses asked, "O my Lord! What will be then?" He said, "Death will be then." He said, "(Let it be) now." He asked Allah that He bring him near the Sacred Land at a distance of a stone's throw. Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) said, "Were I there I would show you the grave of Moses by the way near the red sand hill."
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Volume 7, Book 62, Number 6:
Narrated Anas:

The Prophet I used to go round (have sexual relations with) all his wives in one night, and he had nine wives

ASTAKFIRULLAH!
ASTAKFIRULLAH!
ASTAKFIRULLAH!
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Volume 1, Book 6, Number 298:
Narrated 'Aisha:

The Prophet and I used to take a bath from a single pot while we were Junub. During the menses, he used to order me to put on an Izar (dress worn below the waist) and used to fondle me. While in Itikaf, he used to bring his head near me and I would wash it while I used to be in my periods (menses).


ATSTAKFIRULLAH!
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Book 008, Number 3424:
' A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Sahla bint Suhail came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be eupon him) and said: Messengerof Allah, I see on the face of Abu Hudhaifa (signs of disgust) on entering of Salim (who is an ally) into (our house), whereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Suckle him. She said: How can I suckle him as he is a grown-up man? Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) smiled and said: I already know that he is a young man 'Amr has made this addition in his narration that he participated in the Battle of Badr and in the narration of Ibn 'Umar (the words are): Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) laughed.

Allowing women to breast-feed adult men!!!!!! Read this narration in Sahih Muslim.

ASTAKFIRULLAH!
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Volume 1, Book 4, Number 224:
Narrated Hudhaifa:

Once the Prophet went to the dumps of some people and passed urine while standing. He then asked for water and so I brought it to him and he performed ablution.


ASTAKFIRULLAH!

Imam sahib could you please explain these ahadith one by one?
Preferably with reference?
Jazakallahu Gairan

May Allah help you in answering questions...
Wassalamu 'alaykum

[Imam]

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Wa'alaykum 'Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu



All Praise be to Allah who is the Lord of the Worlds, and may Endless Blessings be showered upon His Most Beloved, and Final Messenger of Islam Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa 'saabihi wa Sallam



Jazak'allah for your question. It is nothing new that the Shi'as have raised doubts relating to the hadiths of our Beloved Messenger Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam. It must be remembered that critics of the Book of Allah, and of the ahadith-e-mubarikah of the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam have existed in every era. Therefore it is the duty of the Muslims, and especially the role of the 'Ulama' of the Ahl as-Sunnah, to erase these doubts, and to eliminate every doubt, completely.


In relation to the first hadith that you have mentioned, in which it is quoted:

'Till the Lord of Power and Honor will put His Foot over it and then it will say, 'Qat! Qat!'

This actually means that the Lord does not actually have a foot (na'udhu billahi), but the word 'foot', is used as a metaphorical term, which denotes the power (qudrah) of Allah the Almighty.


We can never say that Allah the Almighty has a 'foot', because He is free from all human characteristics. Such metaphorical (mijazi)terms have also been used in the Qur'an al kareem, for example:

'Yadullahi fawqa aydihim'


'The hand of Allah is over their hands'

(al Qur'an, 48:10)


and:

'Wa ma ramayta idh ramayta wa lakinnallaha rama'

'And they did not throw, when they threw, but it was Allah who threw'

(al Qur'an, 8:17)


Thus there are numerous instances in the Qur'an al kareem where such metaphorical terms have been used, which do not require the use of the original/literal (haqiqi) meaning.


Since the Qur'an al kareem contains the usage of such terms, and the Qur'an al hakeem is true (haqq), in every sense of the word, it is not far-fetched that the ahadith of the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, will also have the usage of such terms. Afterall, the conversation between Allah the Almighty, and His Beloved Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, is best understood, between them.


The second hadith, which has been quoted, and states:

'Every night when it is the last third of the night, our Lord, the Superior, the Blessed, descends to the nearest heaven'

This does not mean that Allah the Almighty physically descends to the nearest heavens, as is suggested from the 'literal' meaning of the hadith, but means that He is so close to His servant in terms of His Magnificence, and His Power of Forgiving, that the description lies nowhere else in relation to Him being so Merciful. That at that time He is so Merciful, that anyone asking for forgiveness at that particular time is forgiven. It does not mean that He has a body, and that He descends to the skies with that body, as is quoted above.


The third hadith which has been quoted, is a genuine hadith, which does not seem to have any form of criticism attached to it. If there is a hadith which is spoken of by the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, then it is deemed to be true, as nothing comes from the mouth of a Messenger which is not true, but only that which is true. Allah the Almighty says:

'Wa ma yantiqu anil hawa in huwa illa wahyuy yuha'


'They do not speak from their own desires, but only that which is revealed to them'

(al Qur'an, 53:4)


So how can something which has such a solid proof as that which is quoted above, be challenged by someone who thinks that the sacred word of the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, is not true? This will definitely result in infidelity.


The fourth hadith in relation to the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam visiting His wives in one night is also true, as this shows how masculine the Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam was, when it came to fulfilling the rights of His wives, and what a precedent He set for us, that there is nothing wrong in visiting your wives, all in one night, although the number of wives that can now be married to has decreased to four, as was the practice of the Beloved, at a later stage. The translator of the quotations may have misconstrued it's meaning when he states:

'The Prophet I used to go round (have sexual relations with) all his wives in one night, and he had nine wives'

This is a rather blunt translation of the hadith which does not do any justification for the dignity, and esteem, of the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam.


The fifth hadith states:

During the menses, he used to order me to put on an Izar (dress worn below the waist) and used to fondle me.

There is no mention of the word 'fondling' in the actual hadith. Another misinterpretation, which suggests a slur and rude impression, directed to The Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam.


The sixth and seventh hadiths are again a misinterpretation of what was the intended meaning of the hadith. The sixth hadith when the Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam is quoted to have said 'suckle him', is not directed for a grown up woman to be ordered to suckle a grown up man, but denotes the fact the she is the mother of Salim, and that it was not astonishing for the Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam to ask a mother of a breastfed son, to be suckled, as she already had suckled him when he was young, so this again is not an astonishing event, but a more informative one, as a son is allowed to enter the house of his parents (those who he has been suckled by), and there is nothing wrong with that.


I hope that I have drawn a more clear picture of what some of the ahadith actually mean, instead of trying to derive meaning from them, as though they were read through, without them being taught to the questioner.


May Allah the Almighty give us all the true meanings of the Qur'an al kareem and the sunnah, as they were taught to the People of Islam, and may He prevent us from deriving our own fabricated meanings from them, which is the greatest source of ignorance today.


Wallahu A'lamu Biththawaab



M. Waseem Ashrafi