21- Muslims who will enter Jannah without being called to account (1)
Q: Is it true that some Muslims will enter Jannah (Paradise) without being called to account?
A: Yes it is true. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: All the nations were shown to me, and I saw a prophet accompanied by a small group of his followers, another with two or three people of his followers and a third not accompanied by any follower." At the end of the Hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Among my Ummah there are seventy thousand who would enter Jannah without being brought to account or being punished." When the Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet) asked who these people were, the Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "They are those who do not seek Ruqyah (recitation for healing or protection); they are those who do not get themselves cauterized; and they are those who do not believe in bad omens; rather, they put their trust in their Lord." The Hadith implies that the Mu'min (believer), who continues obeying Allah's commands and avoiding His prohibitions until death, will enter Jannah without being held accountable for their deeds and without suffering punishment. Falling under this category are the Mu`mins who do not ask others to recite Ruqyah over them. There is nothing wrong, however, if they themselves are accustomed to reciting Ruqyahs over other Muslims. This is because one who recites Ruqyah basically does a good deed by asking Allah (Exalted be He) to cure the illness of the person for whom they recite the Ruqyah. This is based on the authentic Hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: "Whosoever among you is able to benefit his fellow believer, let him do so." Istirqa' means to ask others to recite Ruqyah for you. For example, you may ask a person to recite Ruqyah for you. It is better not to ask others for Ruqyah unless one happens to be suffering from an ailment. In this case, it is not wrong to ask others to recite Ruqyah. It has been reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) saying: "Seek healing through asking for Ruqyah" The Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered her to treat herself by means of asking others for Ruqyah. He also ordered Asma' bint `Umays to recite Ruqyah to the children of Ja`far when they were under the influence of the evil eye. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is also reported to have said: "There is no Ruqyah (reciting Qur`an and supplicating over the sick seeking healing) better than that which is said as a treatment for an evil eye or (a sting of) a venomous animal." It is not wrong to seek treatment by means of Istirqa 1 when necessary. However, it is better not to resort to such means if it is possible to cure oneself by means of some other kind of medicine. It is also better not to treat oneself by means of cauterization if another means of treatment is available. This is based on the Hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: "The best of all remedies are three: cauterization, drinking honey, and cupping, yet I hate to be cauterized." In another version it states:"..and I forbid my Ummah (nation) from cauterization." This denotes that cauterization should be used as a last resort when all other means prove unsuccessful. It is better to seek treatment by other means if possible. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have cauterized some of his Sahabah. However, cauterization may only be resorted to when necessary. It is, however, better to apply another means of treatment like drinking honey, cupping, or reciting the Qur`an. The Prophet's (peace be upon him) statement: "They are those who do not seek Ruqyah; they are those who do not get themselves cauterized..." does not denote that seeking Ruqyah or cauterization are prohibited; rather, it denotes that one may resort to other means of treatment in preference to these kinds. However, if one is forced by necessity to seek Ruqyah or cauterization, there is nothing wrong with that. "They are those who do not believe in bad omens": Believing in the occurrence of evil omens, a custom practiced by the pre-Islamic Arabs, constitutes an act of Shirk (associating others with Allah in His Divinity or worship). Among the characteristics of the seventy thousand Muslims who will enter Jannah without being called to account is that they avoid the prohibited practice of believing in bad omens and the reprehensible practice of seeking Ruqyah and cauterization when there is no need for them. The statement "They put their trust in their Lord," means that such Muslims avoid these things because they put their trust in Allah (Exalted be He) and...