Monday 3 October 2011

The believer’s family joining him in Paradise

 

Will the people who go to Heaven be reunited with their loved ones who go to Hell? Is it possible to take loved ones out of Hell, since all requests in Heaven are granted (assuming they know about their fate)? 


Can we also be reunited with our Loved ones in this world who are non-mahrum to us? This includes those that we loved but could not marry.

 

Praise
be to Allaah.

Firstly, you
say, “does this include those whom we loved but could not marry?” 

The answer
to this is that it is not permissible for a Muslim man to form a relationship
with a non-mahram women, or for a Muslim woman to form a relationship
with a man or to have an emotional attachment to him, except for her
husband. See Questions nos. 9465, 5445, 1200. 

Secondly, you
say, “Will the people who go to Heaven be reunited with their loved
ones who go to Hell?” 

The answer
is, yes, the people of Paradise will be reunited with their loved ones
who went to Hell, if they were believers in Tawheed (the oneness of
Allaah). That will be by virtue of their intercession for them to be
brought forth from Hell and admitted to Paradise. The evidence for that
was narrated by al-Bukhaari in Kitaab al-Tawheed, no. 7440: 

It was narrated that
Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said: “We said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah! Shall we
see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?’ He said, ‘Do you have any
difficulty in seeing the sun and the moon when the sky is clear?’ We
said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘So you will have no difficulty in seeing your
Lord on that Day, just as you have no difficulty in seeing the sun and
the moon (in a clear sky). …Then the bridge will be laid across Hell.’
We said, "O Messenger of Allaah! What is the bridge?’ He said,
‘It is a slippery (bridge) on which there are clamps and (hooks like)
thorns which are wide at one side and narrow at the other and have bent
ends. A plant with such thorns is found in Najd and is called al-Sa'daan.
Some of the believers will cross the bridge as quickly as the wink of
an eye, some others as quick as lightning, a strong wind, or fast horses
or she-camels. So some will be safe without any harm; some will be safe
after receiving some scratches, and some will fall down into Hell (Fire).
The last person will cross by being dragged (over the bridge). You (Muslims)
cannot be more pressing in claiming from me a right that has been clearly
proved to be yours than the believers in interceding with Almighty Allaah
for their (Muslim) brothers on that Day, when they see themselves safe. 

They will say,
“O Allah! (Save) our brothers (for they) used to pray with us, fast
with us and also do good deeds with us.” Allah will say, “Go and take
out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight
of one (gold) Dinar.” Allah will forbid the Fire to burn the faces of
those sinners. They will go to them and find some of them in Hell (Fire)
up to their feet, and some up to the middle of their legs. So they will
take out those whom they will recognize and then they will return, and
Allah will say (to them), “Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose
heart you find faith equal to the weight of one half Dinar.” They will
take out whomever they will recognize and return, and then Allah will
say, “Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith
equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant),” and so they will take
out all those whom they will recognize.’” Abu Sa’eed said, “If you do
not believe me, read, if you wish, ‘Surely, Allaah wrongs not even of the weight of an atom (or a small ant), but
if there is any good (done), He doubles it...’
[al-Nisaa’ 4:40 – interpretation of the meaning].” The Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Then the Prophets
and Angels and the believers will intercede, and (last of all) the Almighty
(Allah) will say, ‘Now remains My Intercession. He will then hold a
handful of the Fire from which He will take out some people whose bodies
have been burnt, and they will be thrown into a river at the entrance
of Paradise, called the water of life. They will grow on its banks,
as a seed carried by the torrent grows…” 

But for those
who believed in shirk, no intercession will benefit them. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“Verily, Allaah forgives not that
partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except
that (anything else) to whom He wills”

[al-Nisaa’
4:48] 

Note that intercession
is of two types: 

“The first
type is the kind of intercession that is the exclusive preserve of the
Messenger

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which is of varying kinds,
the greatest of which is the Great Intercession in the Station of praise
and glory (al-maqaam al-mahmood) which Allaah has promised to
him in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

‘And in
some parts of the night (also) offer the Salaah (prayer) with it (i.e.
recite the Qur’aan in the prayer) as an additional prayer (Tahajjud
optional prayer Nawaafil) for you (O Muhammad). It may be that your Lord will raise you to
Maqaam Mahmood (a station of praise and glory, i.e., the honour of intercession
on the Day of Resurrection)’

[al-Israa’
17:79] 

This intercession
means that he will intercede for the people who are standing on the
Day of Resurrection, so that the distress they are suffering will be
reduced for them. 

The second type is general intercession
on the part of the Messenger

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for all the believers. This
is of various kinds:

(i)                                       
Intercession for those
who deserve Hell, so that they will not enter it. This is indicated
by the words of the Messenger

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “There is no Muslim who
dies and forty men who do not associate anything with Allaah pray the
funeral prayer for him, but Allaah will accept their intercession for
him.” (narrated by Muslim, 2/655).

(ii)                                     
Intercession for those
who have entered Hell, so that they will be brought forth from it. It
was narrated that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said: “The Messenger of Allaah

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘By the One in Whose
hand is my soul,

You (Muslims) cannot
be more pressing in claiming from me a right that has been clearly proved
to be yours than the believers in interceding with the Almighty for
their (Muslim) brothers on that Day, when they see themselves safe. 

They will say, “O Allah! (Save)
our brothers (for they) used to pray with us, fast with us and also
do good deeds with us.” Allah will say, “Go and take out (of Hell) everyone
whom you recognize.” Allah will forbid the Fire to burn the faces of
those sinners. So they will bring forth many people who were  in
the Fire up to their calves or their knees.” (Narrated by Muslim,269) 

(iii)                                   
Intercession to raise the believers in status. This is because
of the du’aa’s of the believers for one another, as the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, making du’aa’ for
Abu Salamah: “O Allaah, forgive Abu Salamah, raise him in status among
those who are guided, make his grave spacious for him and fill it with
light, and protect his family who are left behind.” And there is the
du’aa’ for intercession as the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no Muslim
who dies and forty men who do not associate anything with Allaah pray
the funeral prayer for him, but Allaah will accept their intercession
for him.” 

Reference: al-Qawl
al-Mufeed, vol. 1, p. 332

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