Peace be upon you. Can you please explain the wisdom behind the fact that Allah created the heavens and earth in six days? We are asked this question repeatedly by Hindus working here in the Kingdom. They say: If your lord can create everything just by saying “Be” and it is, why did he create them in six days? Please give us a convincing answer. Glorified be Allah above all that they associate as partners with Him. May Allah reward you with good and benefit the Muslims from your knowledge!

Firstly: Allah says: “He cannot be questioned as to what He does, while they will be questioned.” To those who do not know the Creator I say: He cannot be asked about anything He does while the created ones can be asked. Everything the Creator does or says has a reason. He teaches His creations by means of His Actions. He teaches them the importance of gradation and that creations evolve and develop. Just like a small boy grows up slowly until he is mature, the universe is created gradually. This is one of the wisdoms. Another is that time and place are closely connected in the journey of existence. Allah decreed that these six days and the seventh one are the bases of all calculations. The connection between time and place is very strong. This is how everything went according to a set plan until the world became ready for us, with its heavens and earth. Time is not a tangible factor while place is a tangible one and that is why Allah connected them both. Such matters cannot be understood except by people who are heedful and who submit their will to Allah.
Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allah be merciful to him) said, “Tell those with blurry eyes that sunrise and sunset are seen by other eyes. Some people are content with appearances and do not even look for the essence.”
Ask those people about the wisdom behind creating days or time. This is only known to the Creator and man is weaker and more trivial to ask the Creator and question Him. “He cannot be questioned as to what He does, while they will be questioned.” (Al-Anbiya’, 21:23) Everything Allah does has a reason and if man does not see it, this is because of his inability to see. That is what I have to say in this regard and Allah knows best.

I am from Sri Lanka. We have a habit on Thursday night of people praying and reading Qur’an often between the Maghrib and `Isha’ prayers. They consider it an important event and do it regularly. Others burn fragrant incense to spread the fragrance while people are reading the Qur’an. Mosques are usually crowded after `Isha’ prayer and the Imam gives a sermon. Is this permissible or it is an innovation in religion?

Scholars differ as to the ruling of this act. Some believe that gathering to read Qur’an and remember Allah is an innovation in religion, while others encourage it. Each group has evidence supporting their view. One group depends on the Hadith where Ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “You have done a wrong innovation in religion,” or “Have you surpassed the Companions of Muhammad in knowledge!”
The other group depends on the apparent meaning of the authentic Hadith narrated by Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) who said, “No people gather together in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, without tranquility descending upon them, mercy enveloping them, the angels surrounding them, and Allah making mention of them amongst those who are with Him.” Related by Muslim (2699) The apparent meaning of the Hadith supports the permissibility of gathering to read the Qur’an and study it.
Once Al-Awza`y was asked about gathering to study the Qur’an after Fajr prayer and he said, “There is no problem with this.” He added, “Hassan ibn `Atiyyah told me that the first person to do so was Hisham ibn Isma`il Al-Makhzumy during the caliphate of `Abd Al-Malik ibn Marawan. Since then people started doing it.” So the matter is subject to different opinions among scholars. Some scholars, like Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), disapproved of what Hisham did, while others found no problem with it. Harb mentioned that he saw the people of Damascus, Homs, and Basra gather to recite Qur’an after Fajr prayer. The people of Sham read the same Surah loudly, in one voice, and the people of Basra and Mecca used to gather and take turns in reciting ten Ayahs while the rest listened. Harb commented, “All that is good and acceptable”, thus disagreeing with Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbaly’s view (stated in his book Jami` Al-`Ulum wal-Hikam). So the matter is debatable among scholars. As regards to what happens in Sri Lanka, I hold the view that it is good.
I have been to this country and I encountered many idol-worshippers. Idols are everywhere and people are attached to them. When Muslims gather to recite and study the Qur’an or to remember Allah, without committing any prohibited act such as dancing or mixing with the other sex, this is a good act and no one should admonish them.

I am a graduate of the Islamic University of Madinah. Some brothers invited me to give the Friday Kutbah in a Musalla (praying place) in their company. I found that entering the company is restricted to the staff only due to security reasons and the nearest mosque is 10-15 minutes away by foot. I am not sure whether the company allows its employees to go to the mosque or not. The number of worshippers inside the Musalla is 10 in the summer and 35 in winter. Even if I refuse to give the Khutbah, they keep on offering Jumu`ah prayer in that small Musalla.

The basic ruling is that they should go to the mosque to offer Jumu`ah prayer and not pray it in the Musalla, as long as the mosque is near. It is not permissible to pray in this Musalla unless there are reasons like the ones mentioned in the question. If the company has a strict policy that prevents its employees from going to the mosque, they can pray in this small place. The Hanafi school of jurisprudence stated the permissibility of offering Jumu`ah prayer in two or three mosques at the same time. Yet, if the company does not ban its employees from going to the mosque, there is no reason to stay in the small praying place. They should go to the big mosque and offer Jumu`ah there. This is the opinion of the majority of scholars (may Allah be merciful with them all): holding more than one congregational prayer not due to narrowness or farness of the mosque is not permissible.

My father passed away while I was a little boy. Soon after his burial, my mother moved his body from the charity graveyard to another private yard she had bought. As you most probably know, in my country we give great importance to such matters and we could not allow him to be buried in a charity graveyard. Is my mother a sinner for doing this? Is it true that the deceased will be questioned twice in this case? If we want to visit his grave, should we visit the first or second one? May Allah reward you well!

What your mother did is not permissible. When the dead body is buried it no longer belongs to anyone, even if it is in the disbelievers’ graves. It is not permissible to move it unless for the benefit of the Muslims. The basic ruling is that each corpse’s grave belongs to the corpse and it cannot be moved unless there is a necessity. What your mother did is not permissible, as it was based on traditions, not on any rule in Shari`ah. As for visiting your father’s grave and whether to visit him at the first or the second grave, this is based on where his body is. If his whole body or remains were moved, then you can visit him at the second grave, but if he had decayed in the first grave and was not put in a cascade, then visit him in the first grave. It all depends on the remains which you moved from the first grave, whether it was the body or just what the mother thought fit to move.
Regarding the questioning of the deceased, a person is questioned once he is put in his grave. The questioning process is not repeated and there is no evidence in Sunnah that supports this idea. One is questioned by the angels once he enters his grave. This is the answer regarding the questioning process, but if you are asking about his life in Barzakh, it continues whether he is in his first or second grave. If he was living it in Paradise, it will continue so, and if otherwise, it will continue so as well. We ask Allah to protect us and all of you!

Peace be upon you. In our mosque, we announce the Adhan according to the Sunnah. We do not follow the unified Adhan system and we have been doing this for a long time now. Some people object to this and call for the adoption of the unified Adhan system which depends on the use of the radio. What is your opinion about this? Do we comply or do we keep following the Sunnah and the righteous predecessors? Does the ruling on the unified Adhan fall under what is called Fiqh Al-Waqi` (Jurisprudence of Contemporary Reality)?

You should follow the practice of the Sunnah. Each mosque announces the Adhan by itself. Do not air the Adhan from the radio, for this is not supported by any evidence. Thus, you have to follow the Sunnah and announce the Adhan yourselves, as this act cannot be done by proxy.
The unified Adhan system does not fall under any category of Fiqh. There is no need for it, since the basic ruling is that every mosque announces the Adhan, following the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Scholars agree unanimously on this, without any exceptions.