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Inna
Lillahi wa inna ilayhi Raji un
In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the
All-Compassionate
"May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be
Upon You" Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His
forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from
our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and
whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is
no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu The Ayah and its Meaning
Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi Raji un Truly, to Allah we belong and truly, to Him we
shall return. [Noble Quran 2:156] The
translation of the verses mentioned before and after this ayah is: And
certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth,
lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirin (the patient). [Noble Quran
2:155] Who,
when afflicted with calamity, say: "Truly, to Allah we belong and truly, to Him we
shall return.'' [Noble Quran 2:156] They
are those on whom are the Salawat (i.e, who are blessed and will be forgiven)
from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His mercy, and it is they who
are the guided ones. [Noble
Quran 2:157] When do we recite this Ayah ? A
prevalent perception in our society is that the words Inna Lillahi wa inna
ilayhi Raji un are only recited at the time of someones death. However, this
perception is not correct. This
ayah is to be said in cases where a person has suffered any kind of loss, be it
the death of a person (Muslim or non-Muslim) or any living creature, loss of
wealth or property, deterioration of health, etc. There
is one Hadith where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is quoted to
have said "Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi Raji un" when the
lamp went off at night. Ayesha
(May Allah be pleased with her) asked him, "O Messenger of Allah. Is this
also a calamity?" Allahs
Messenger replied, "Yes. Whatever hurts or causes difficulty to a Muslim is a
calamity and on bearing it patiently, it carries Allahs promise of reward." The Virtues of reciting the Ayah As
mentioned before, Allah asks us to be those who are patient [As-Sabirun] during
calamities by reciting the ayah "Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi Raji un". In
the very next ayah Allah tells us of the reward for this practice: They
are those on whom are the Salawat (i.e., who are blessed and will be forgiven)
from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His mercy, and it is they who
are the guided ones. [Noble
Quran 2:156] Muslim
narrated in his Sahih that Umm Salamah said: I
heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "There is no
person who is afflicted with a calamity and says, "Verily to Allah we
belong and unto Him is our return. O Allah, reward me for my affliction and
compensate me with something better" - but Allah will reward him for his
affliction and compensate him with something better." She
said: When Abu Salamah died, I said: Who is better than Abu Salamah, the
companion of the Messenger of Allah? Then Allah caused me to say it and I said
it. She said: Then I married the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be
upon him). Alhamdulillah
(praise be to Allah), who could be a better husband than the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him)? It
is narrated in the Hadith that the Messenger of Allah said: "When a mans
child dies, Allah, may He be exalted, says to His angels: "Have you taken
the soul of the child of My slave ? " They
say, "Yes" He
says, although He knows best, "Have you taken the apple of his eye ? " They
say, "Yes ." He
says: "What did My slave say ? " They
say: "He praised You and said "Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi Raji un" (Verily
to Allah we belong and unto Him is our return)." Allah,
may He be glorified and exalted, says: "Build a house for My slave in Paradise
and call it the house of praise." [Narrated
and classed as good Hadith by al-Tirmidhi and al-Albani]. A Reminder Truly,
to Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return. This
ayah reminds us that whatever is in this world belongs to Allah and is a
Blessing from Him. If,
for example, a person had given some money as loan to his friend for some time
and now he wants the money back. Is the person doing anything wrong in wanting
back his own money? Similarly
when a person dies, Allah is only taking back the soul of His creation. By
reciting this ayah at the time of someones death, we remind ourselves that the
creation has returned to his Creator. We
also should bear in mind that just as the departed soul we ourselves will one
day return to our Lord and be answerable for our deeds on the Day of Judgment
before our entry into Paradise (Allah willing) or the Hellfire. With this is
mind we should always strive to attain Allahs Mercy, for no one but Allah knows
the appointed time of death. In
a Hadith, Allahs Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says, "How wonderful
is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and this applies
only to a believer. If prosperity comes to him, he expresses gratitude to Allah
and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently
and that is better for him." [Muslim] Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and
groups, to post on Internet sites and to publish in full text and subject
title in not-for-profit publications. |
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