59 & 60 - الْمُحْيِي الْمُمِيتُ

[Bint e Aisha]

الْمُحْيِي  الْمُمِيتُ 

    

الْمُحْيِي and الْمُمِيتُ will be discussed together

 

Translations 

الْمُحْيِي is translated as The Giver of Life and The Reviver and الْمُمِيتُ is translated as The Taker of Life and The Creator of Death.

 

Definitions

الْمُحْيِي is that Being Who gives life to a dead drop (i.e. to a lifeless form but with potential of life) of impure water. He nurtures and brings forth from it a life form and then it is that Being Who will bring back to life all bodies on the Day of Judgment. Therefore Allah ta’ala is الْمُحْيِي, bringing life from non-existence and then again on the Day of Judgment, Allah ta’ala will be الْمُحْيِي when He brings people back to life. 

 

الْمُمِيتُ is that being Who gives death to the living.

 

Through the power of Allah ta’ala all of creation is born and all matters return back to Him. None is alive and no one dies except through what He wants. No one can increase or decrease anyone’s age except through His decree. 

 

Life & Death only by Allah ta’ala’s Decree

Doctors often say to a person who for instance a person aged 70 who has had a heart surgery, that he/she is fit and will live another 20 years as they now have a healthy heart however he/she may die within two years of cancer. No doctor can determine a life. Only Allah ta’ala can. 

 

Fir’awn wanted Musaa AS dead however Allah ta’ala inspired his mother to put him in a basket in a flowing river and it was Fir’awn’s wife who wanted to take the baby in and look after him. If Allah ta’ala wanted someone to live longer He will create the means for it just as Musaa AS grew up in the very house of the person who wanted him dead. 

 

Namrood claimed divinity and his dialogue is recounted in verse 258 of Surah Baqarah;

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِي حَاجَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فِي رَبِّهِ أَنْ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّيَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ قَالَ أَنَا أُحْيِي وَأُمِيتُ ۖ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْتِي بِالشَّمْسِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ فَبُهِتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ

“Have you ever reflected upon the one (Namrud), to whom Allah had given him kingdom, who argued with Ibrahim (Abraham) about his Rabb. When Ibrahim said: “My Rabb is He Who has power to give life and to cause death.” He replied: “I too have the power to give life and to cause death.” Ibrahim said, “Well, Allah causes the sun to rise from the east; just make it rise from the west.” Thus the unbeliever was confounded; Allah does not guide the evildoers.”

 

Namrood demonstrated that he too can give life and death by setting free a person who was to die and giving death to another person. When Ibraheem AS replied that Allah ta’ala causes the sun to rise from the east; just make it rise from the west, Namrood was left speechless. 

 

Khalid bin Waleed RA was known as “Sayfullah” – the sword of Allah.. On his deathbed he said, 

 

“I have participated in so-and-so number of battles. There is not a part of my body, but suffered a shot (of an arrow), a stab (of a spear) or a strike (of a sword). Yet, here I am, I die on my bed just as the camel dies! May the eyes of the cowards never taste sleep.”

 

He was the commander of the Muslim army, a brave warrior who wanted to die as a martyr on the battlefield however he did not realise that he was the “Sword of Allah” and could not be killed by the sword of a disbeliever. 

 

Allah ta’ala gives death as He wants and when He wants and not how a person may want it. Sometimes we see people who never leave home and then they travel for Umrah and die in Madeenah and are buried in Jannatul Baqee and others who are always travelling to Hajj and Umrah and hope to die there, die at home.

 

The Story of the Boy and the King (from Surah Burooj)

Imam Ahmad recorded from Suhayb that the Messenger of Allah said: 

Among the people who came before you, there was a king who had a sorcerer, and when that sorcerer became old, he said to the king, "I have become old and my time is nearly over, so please send me a boy whom I can teach magic.'' So, he sent him a boy and the sorcerer taught him magic. Whenever the boy went to the sorcerer, he sat with a monk who was on the way and listened to his speech and admired them. So, when he went to the sorcerer, he passed by the monk and sat there with him; and on visiting the sorcerer the latter would thrash him. So, the boy complained about this to the monk. The monk said to him, "Whenever you are afraid of the sorcerer, say to him: `My people kept me busy.' And whenever you are afraid of your people, say to them: `The sorcerer kept me busy.''' So the boy carried on like that (for some time). Then a huge terrible creature appeared on the road and the people were unable to pass by. The boy said, "Today I shall know whether the sorcerer is better or the monk is better.'' So, he took a stone and said, "O Allah! If the deeds and actions of the monk are liked by You better than those of the sorcerer, then kill this creature so that the people can cross (the road).'' Then he struck it with a stone killing it and the people passed by on the road. 

 

The boy came to the monk and informed him about it. The monk said to him, "O my son! Today you are better than I, and you have achieved what I see! You will be put to trial. And in case you are put to trial, do not inform (them) about me. ''The boy used to treat the people suffering from congenital blindness, leprosy, and other diseases. There was a courtier of the king who had become blind and he heard about the boy. He came and brought a number of gifts for the boy and said, "All these gifts are for you on the condition that you cure me.'' The boy said, "I do not cure anybody; it is only Allah who cures people. So, if you believe in Allah and supplicate to Him, He will cure you.'' So, he believed in and supplicated to Allah, and Allah cured him. 

 

Later, the courtier came to the king and sat at the place where he used to sit before. The king said, "Who gave you back your sight'' The courtier replied, "My Lord.'' The king then said, "I did'' The courtier said, "No, my Lord and your Lord - Allah'' The king said, "Do you have another Lord beside me'' The courtier said, "Yes, your Lord and my Lord is Allah.'' The king tortured him and did not stop until he told him about the boy. So, the boy was brought to the king and he said to him, "O boy! Has your magic reached to the extent that you cure congenital blindness, leprosy and other diseases'' He said, " I do not cure anyone. Only Allah can cure.'' The king said, "Me'' The boy replied, "No.'' The king asked, "Do you have another Lord besides me'' The boy answered, " My Lord and your Lord is Allah.'' So, he tortured him also until he told about the monk. Then the monk was brought to him and the king said to him, "Abandon your religion.'' The monk refused and so the king ordered a saw to be brought which was placed in the middle of his head and he fell, sawn in two. Then it was said to the man who used to be blind, "Abandon your religion.'' He refused to do so, and so a saw was brought and placed in the middle of his head and he fell, sawn in two. Then the boy was brought and it was said to him, "Abandon your religion.'' He refused and so the king sent him to the top of such and such mountain with some people. He told the people, "Ascend up the mountain with him till you reach its peak, then see if he abandons his religion; otherwise throw him from the top.'' They took him and when they ascended to the top, he said, " O Allah! Save me from them by any means that You wish.'' So, the mountain shook and they all fell down and the boy came back walking to the king. The king said, "What did your companions (the people I sent with you) do'' The boy said, "Allah saved me from them.'' So, the king ordered some people to take the boy on a boat to the middle of the sea, saying, "If he renounces his religion (well and good), but if he refuses, drown him.'' So, they took him out to sea and he said, "O Allah! Save me from them by any means that you wish.'' So they were all drowned in the sea. 

 

Then the boy returned to the king and the king said, "What did your companions do'' The boy replied, "Allah, saved me from them.'' Then he said to the king, "You will not be able to kill me until you do as I order you. And if you do as I order you, you will be able to kill me.'' The king asked, "And what is that'' The boy said, "Gather the people in one elevated place and tie me to the trunk of a tree; then take an arrow from my quiver and say: `In the Name of Allah, the Lord of the boy.' If you do this, you will be able to kill me.'' So he did this, and placing an arrow in the bow, he shot it, saying, "In the Name of Allah, the Lord of the boy.'' The arrow hit the boy in the temple, and the boy placed his hand over the arrow wound and died. The people proclaimed, "We believe in the Lord of the boy!'’ Then it was said to the king, "Do you see what has happened That which you feared has taken place. By Allah, all the people have believed (in the Lord of the boy).''So he ordered that ditches be dug at the entrances to the roads and it was done, and fires were kindled in them. Then the king said, "Whoever abandons his religion, let him go, and whoever does not, throw him into the fire.'' They were struggling and scuffling in the fire, until a woman and her baby whom she was breast feeding came and it was as if she was being somewhat hesitant of falling into the fire, so her baby said to her, "Be patient mother! For verily, you are following the truth!'')

 

Counsel

To have Yaqeen that it is Allah ta’ala Who gives life and death despite people’s strategies and conspiracies or black magic (there is Haqeeqat in black magic but it does not work without the will of Allah ta’ala). 

 

Masnoon Du’a before Sleeping & upon Awakening

اللَّهُمَّ بِاسْـمِكَ أَمُوتُ وَأَحْيَا

In Your name O Allah, I live and die.

 

الحَمْدُ لِلهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ
 

All praise is due to Allah, Who has brought us back to life after He has caused us to die, and to Him is the return. 

 

These Du’a reminds us that it is Allah ta’ala Who grants life and death. Death is a type of sleep and when we awaken from it will be the Day of Judgment. We should make Du’a for Husn-e-Khaatimah. 

 

*~~*~~*