Who Will Be The Leader of the Elderly in Paradise?

Madani Muzakarah

1. Who will be the leader of the elderly in Paradise?

Q: Our masters Imam Ḥasan and Imam Ḥusayn رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهُمَا will be the leaders of the youth in Paradise, but who will be the leader of the elderly?

A: First of all, it should be noted that nobody will be old in Paradise.^[1]  All of the people of Paradise will perpetually appear to be thirty years old.^[2] Those who will have died in old age or at a very young age in the world, will also be young in Paradise, i.e., they will appear to be thirty years of age.^[3]  However, those who will have died in old age in the world, their leaders will be the first rightly guided Caliph of Islam, Sayyidunā Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ and the second rightly guided Caliph of Islam, Sayyidunā ʿUmar b. Khaṭṭāb رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ .^[4]

2. Supplicating for good health to serve the religion

Q: Can a sick person ask a pious person to make the following supplication for him, “May Allah Almighty grant you good health and well-being so that you can serve the religion”?

A: He can ask for this supplication to be made for him, in fact, one should ask for health and well-being for this very purpose, saying, “O Allah! Grant us good health so that we can worship You and serve Your religion in the best way.” This is a virtuous supplication.^[5]

3. Obeying both mother and father is a duty

Q: We often read about and receive forwarded messages detailing the status of the mother in Islam and the duty of serving her. Yet, we seldom find posts and messages about the rank and rights of the father. Please guide us on this matter.

A: This is indeed the case! The poignant adage, “A mother’s supplication is the breeze of Paradise,” is often displayed on the back of cars, but the father too has his respective status, and obeying both parents is a duty (farḍ). It should be noted that, “The father will be respected more, and the mother will be obeyed more.”^[6]  The mother is mentioned more because the mother’s favours are greater. The father only loves his children, whereas the mother loves them and also picks up their mess, puts them to sleep, dons them with clothes, and bathes them; the father does not usually do all of this. Like this, the children have a greater affinity towards the mother, and they become more attached to the mother in comparison to the father.^[7]

4. Eating red bone marrow

Q: What is the ruling on eating the blood-filled bone marrow of meat which is half white and half black in colour?

A: This is marrow, and it can be eaten. It starts off with some redness, but it is not blood, it is called marrow. Just as a watermelon is red inside, but it is not referred to as blood, and meat is also red.^[8]

5. Is mercy greater or a blessing?

Q: Is mercy greater or a blessing?

A: Whatever one receives from Allah Almighty is great! Sometimes, blessings are complemented with their respective vices. For example, the blessing of eloquence can easily lead to the vice of arrogance and disdain for others. In any case, a worldly blessing cannot be compared to mercy of Allah, and it is impossible for there to be any weakness in the mercy of Allah Almighty. Allah Almighty states:

 وَ رَحۡمَتِیۡ وَسِعَتۡ کُلَّ شَیۡءٍ ؕ

“And My Mercy encompasses all things.”^[9]

Remember that a worldly blessing sometimes, in fact, many times, becomes a means of loss. When one is rich, a thief will come, but nobody will bother the poor man who sleeps on the footpath. In any case, a blessing is a blessing, and mercy is mercy; a blessing contains a trial but mercy does not. We ask Allah Almighty for mercy, and if we receive a blessing, we ask for it to be shaded in mercy, lest a blessing becomes a means of loss in this world and the hereafter.^[10]

6. Sweeping up after Asr or Maghrib?

Q: Is it permissible to sweep up after the evening prayer?

A: If the evening prayer refers to Asr salah, then it is still daytime after Asr, and there is no harm in sweeping up during the day. However, if this refers to Maghrib salah, then the night sets in after Maghrib, and the noble elders رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْهِم have cautioned against sweeping up at night because it is a cause of deprivation and poverty.^[11] Nevertheless, it is permissible to sweep up at night.^[12]

7. Applying mosquito repellent and entering the masjid

Q: If we apply mosquito repellent cream to our body, can we enter the masjid in this state?

A: If the cream does not give off a bad odour, then there is no harm in going to the masjid whilst wearing it.^[13]