Establishing funeral prayer and visitation of tombs is as a...

Establishing funeral prayer and visitation of tombs is as a sign of a reverence and an esteem to the body of a Muslim believer; and since a hypocrite deserves no reverence, then the verse says: “…never pray over any one of them who dies, nor stand by his grave…” Surah At-Tawbah – Verse 85 وَلاَ تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَأَوْلاَدُهُمْ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللّهُ أَن يُعَذِّبَهُم بِهَا فِي الْدُّنْيَا وَتَزْهَقَ أَنْفُسُهُمْ وَهُمْ كَافِرُونَ 85 ***.

“And let not their possessions and their children astonish you; verily Allah only desires thereby to chastise them in this world, and that their souls depart while they are infidels.”*** A similar statement to this verse, with a little difference in recitation, was referred to in holy verse No. 55 of the current Surah. However, sometimes it happens that, instead of welfare and happiness, wealth and children are the cause of affliction and chastisement for a group of people.

That is why the verse says: “And let not their possessions and their children astonish you; verily Allah only desires thereby to chastise them in this world, and that their souls depart while they are infidels.” Surah At-Tawbah – Verse 86 وإِذَآ اُنْزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ أَنْ ءَامِنُوا بِاللّهِ وَجَاهِدُوا مَعَ رَسُولِهِ اسْتَأْذَنَكَ اُولُوا الطَّوْلِ مِنْهُمْ وَقَالُوا ذَرْنَا نَكُن مَعَ الْقَاعِدِينَ 86 ***.

“And whenever a Surah is sent down, saying ‘Believe in Allah and strive hard along with His Messenger’, those with abundant means among them ask leave of you, and they say: ‘Let us be with those who sit back.”*** Sometimes it happened that a Surah or a verse of the Qur’ān concerning the believers was revealed and invited them to be firm in Faith and to strive in the way of Allah beside the Prophet (S).

Such revelations caused the believers to become spiritually encouraged, firm, and steadfast; but those Divine revelations caused the hypocrites to become inconvenient and despondent. So, they (the hypocrites) sometimes came to the Prophet (S) and uttered some materials which clearly indicated their hypocrisy.

This verse denotes that when a Surah was revealed wherein people were enjoined to belief in Allah and Holy Struggle beside the Prophet (S), some of the rich hypocrites came to the Messenger of Allah (S) and asked permission not to participate in the Holy Struggle. They said that they might be allowed to stay at home with those who could stay at home, and not to take part in the Holy Struggle.

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