Nazeel Azami – Rahmanur Rahim Video

Nazeel Azami

Nazeel Azami was gifted from early childhood in being able to put words into harmony. His talent was first noticed by his mother who inspired him at a very young age to memorise and recite classical Bengali poetry and songs. He learned many of these from his maternal uncle, a prominent Bengali singer-songwriter and poet.

Nazeel has put his voice to good use by learning the art of reciting the Quran from several masters. His lyrical gift is borne as much out of his life experiences as his love for languages. His travels have enabled him to draw liberally from vocal and harmonic traditions in India and the Middle East in particular, and bring them home to his place of birth in the north-west of England. Beyond the studio, Nazeel divides his time between studying languages and history, and several projects, one of which involves working with a dedicated group of individuals who have been helping young people discover their talents.

Nazeel has spent time in a rich milieu of distinguished poets, scholars and composers from across three continents, including Ustadh Ijaz Rahmani and Shaykh Ayman Swaid. This is his first album, and he has poured his flair and passion into its simmering crucible.

Nazeel is currently working on his first album. The first single from this album should be released in the first quarter of 2006, it is entitled ‘Dunya‘.

Listen to his complete album Dunya

When did the Beloved of Allah Pass away?

 

Praise be to Allah Lord of the Worlds and Peace be upon His Final Messenger who is a Mercy of the Worlds.

The exact date the Prophet Muhammad [Peace be upon him] passed away is disputed by the Scholars, many hold the view that the date he passed away coincides with the date he was born, namely the date of 12^th Rabbi-ul-Awwal.

Due to this opinion some have objected to showing happiness and celebrating the birth of the Prophet [Peace be upon him] on 12^th Rabbi-ul-Awwal as they say this day is a mark of sadness because of the great loss the ummah suffered on it.

Allah willing this article will provide substantial evidence that The Prophet Muhammad [Peace be upon him] did not pass away on the 12^th of Rabbi-ul-Awwal, but for arguments sake even if this was the date that he had passed away, it still would not be a valid objection to holding gatherings in remembrance of the birth of the most honorable of human beings, the seal of the Prophets Muhammad [Peace be upon him] in order to thank Allah for such a great favor he best owed upon mankind on that day.

Imam Jalal al Din al Suyuti says in his Al hawi lil fatawi (pg.193) that; “The Prophet’s birth is the greatest bounty, and his death is the greatest calamity. Religious law urges us to express thankfulness for bounties, and be patient and remain calm during calamities. Religious law has commanded us to sacrifice an animal on the birth of a child [and distribute the meat to the needy], which is an expression of gratitude and happiness with the newborn, while it did not command us to sacrifice at the time of death. Also, it prohibited wailing and showing grief. Therefore, the rules of Divine Law indicate that it is recommended to show joy during the month of the Prophet’s birth, and not to show sorrow for his death.”

Similarly Ibn Rajab, in his book Al lata’if, said, “Some designated the day of Aashura as a funeral ceremony for the murder of Al Hussein. But neither Allah nor His Prophet commanded that the days of the prophets’ great trials or deaths should be declared days of mourning, let alone those with lesser rank.”

Firstly to establish that the Prophet [Peace be upon him] did not pass away on the 12^th of Rabbi-ul-Awwal we have to take the below two points into consideration, know that they are unanimously accepted by the Scholars and Historians and there is no dispute on them.

1) The Prophet [Peace be upon him] died on a Monday of the 3^rd Month (Rabbi-ul-Awwal) in the 11^th year after Hijri.

2) The Last Quran Ayah was revealed on a Friday which was the 9^th day of the 12^th Month (Dhul-Hijja) in the 10^th year after Hijri.

Having said that there is an agreement of the Scholars on the above two points, I will still cite some of the evidences for the first point.

Ahmad cites a narration on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Abbas who says; “Allah’s Messenger [Peace be upon him] was born on a Monday, received Prophethood on a Monday, emigrated from Makkah to Madinah on a Monday, arrived at Madinah on a Monday, died on a Monday, and raised up the stone on a Monday.”

Imam Malik in his Al-Muwatta mentions the day the Prophet [Peace be upon him] passed away as Monday

Imam Thirmidhi cites three narrations in his Sham’ ail in the chapter concerning the death of the Prophet Muhammad [Peace be upon him].

The Narrations are from the following:

Imam Muhammad Al-Baaqir [May Allah be pleased with him]
The Mother of the believers Ayesha [May Allah be pleased with her]
Abi Salamah bin ‘Abdurrahmaan bin ‘Awf [May Allah be pleased with him]

All three stating that the Prophet [Peace be upon him] passed away on a Monday: The evidences for this are many, and as mentioned above this opinion is unanimously accepted by the Scholars and Islamic Historians and is not a matter of dispute, and this is what Ibn Hajar Asqaalani says;

Ibn Hajar Asqalani [May Allah be pleased with him] said: “There is no controversy regarding the fact that the Prophet [Peace be upon him] died on a Monday during the month of Rabee’ Al-Awwal. However, some scholars have differed as to the actual date of that Monday on which the Prophet [Peace be upon him] died.”

Regarding the date the last Quran ayah was revealed, this is also an undisputed matter, and is very well known thus there is no need to provide the evidences of this view in this article.

Now knowing the time frames of two important events will help solve the puzzle, namely the date of the last revelation and the day of the week in which the Prophet [Peace be upon him] passed away.

Friday 09/12/10 Date of last revelation
Monday **/03/11 Date of death

Each Islamic month consists of either 29 or 30 days, and if we calculate from Friday 9^th Dhull Hijja to any Monday of Rabbi-ul-Awwal using all the possible combinations of days in the month then in no outcome does the 12^th of Rabbi-ul-Awwal fall on a Monday.

Possible combinations: [For full calculations click here]

1. Dhull Hijja 29 days, Muharram 29 days, Safar 29 days [Thursday]

2. Dhull Hijja 29 days, Muharram 29 days, Safar 30 days [Friday]

3. Dhull Hijja 29 days, Muharram 30 days, Safar 30 days [Saturday]

4. Dhull Hijja 29 days, Muharram 30 days, Safar 29 days [Friday]

5. Dhull Hijja 30 days. Muharram 29 days. Safar 29 days [Friday]

6. Dhull Hijja 30 days, Muharram 29 days, Safar 30 days [Saturday]

7. Dhull Hijja 30 days, Muharram 30 days. Safar 29 days [Saturday]

8. Dhull Hijja 30 days, Muharram 30 days, Safar 30 days [Sunday]

This view is also cited by the Hadith Scholar from Deoband by the name of Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi (Died 1402 AH)

In his commentary on the Shama’il of Imam Thirmidhi he says:

“Historians are unanimous in that our master, Allah’s Messenger [Peace be upon him] passed away on a Monday. There are differences of opinion about the date of the demise. The majority are of the opinion that it was on the 12^th of Rabbi-ul-Awwal but there is a perplexity in this that in 10 AH, the 9^th Dhull-Hijja [was] on a Friday. There is no difference of opinion in this among the Hadith scholars nor the historians. After taking this into consideration, if the months of Dhull-Hijja, Muharram and Safar (all three months) had 30 or 29 days or some had 29 and others 30 days, in no combination does 12^th Rabbi-ul-Awwal fall on Monday. For this reason a group among the Hadith scholars have given preference to the other date [that is] that our master, Allah’s Messenger [Peace be upon him] passed away on the 2^nd of Rabbi-ul-Awwal”

May Allah help us recognise the truth from falsehood when it is made clear to us.

By Yamustafa Admin

Some proofs for the Mawlid

We find nowadays publications filled with lies and deception which mislead many Muslims into thinking negatively about the honorable Mawlid of the Prophet. These publications claim that to celebrate the Mawlid is an act of innovation that goes against Islam. This is far from the truth, and it is therefore necessary for those who can speak clearly to help clarify and reverse the doubts surrounding this most blessed day. It is with this humble intention that I present the following proofs in support of celebrating our beloved Prophet’s birthday.

The Prophet said, “He who innovates something in this matter of ours that is not of it will have it rejected.” He also said, “Beware of innovations, for every innovation (kul bida`) is misguidance.”

Those opposed to Mawlid cite this saying and hold that the word every (kul) is a term of generalization, including all types of innovations, with no exception, and that therefore, celebrating Mawlid is misguidance. By daring to say that, they accuse the scholars of Islam of innovation. At the top of the list of those they have accused, then, is our Master `Umar (r). Those in opposition to Mawlid quickly reply to this, “But we did not mean the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad.”

It follows, then, that the meaning of every (kul) cannot be taken in its general sense. Therefore, although the Prophet may not have said to celebrate his blessed birthday, it is nonetheless not innovation to do so. For, as the following examples show, there were many actions and practices instituted by his close followers after his time that are not deemed innovation.

Compiling the Koran.

(From a Prophetic saying related by Zaid Ibn Thabit.(r)) “The Prophet died and the Koran had not been compiled anywhere. `Umar (r) suggested to Abu Bakr (r) to compile the Koran in one book. When a large number of Companions were killed in the battle of Yamama, Abu Bakr wondered, “How could we do something that the Prophet did not do?’ `Umar said, “By Allah, it is good.’ `Umar persisted in asking Abu Bakr until Allah expanded his chest for it (Allah made him agree and accept these suggestions) and he sent for Zaid Ibn Thabit and assigned him to compile the Koran.” Zaid said, “By Allah if they had asked me to move a mountain, it would not have been more difficult than to compile the Koran.” He also said, “How could you do something that the Prophet did not do?” Abu Bakr said, “It is good, and `Umar kept coming back to me until Allah expanded my chest for the matter.” The saying is narrated in Sahih Al Bukhari.

The Maqam of Ibrahim (as) in relation to the Ka’ba.

(Al Bayhaqi narrated with a strong chain of narrators from Aisha.) “The Maqam during the time of the Prophet and Abu Bakr was attached to the House, then `Umar moved it back.” Al Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in Al Fath, “The Companions did not oppose `Umar, neither did those who came after them, thus it became unanimous agreement.” He was the first to build the enclosure (maqsura) on it, which still exists today.

Adding the first call to prayer on Friday.

(From Sahih Al Bukhari, from Al Sa’ib bin Yazid.) “During the time of the Prophet (s), Abu Bakr (r) and `Umar (r), the call to Friday prayer used to occur when the Imam sat on the pulpit. When it was Othman’s (r) time, he added the third call (considered third in relation to the first adhan and the iqama. But it is named first because it proceeds the call to the Friday prayer.)”

Salutations on the Prophet composed and taught by our Master `Ali (r).

The salutations have been mentioned by Sa’id bin Mansoor and Ibn Jareer in Tahzeeb al Aathar, and by Ibn Abi Assim and Ya’qoob bin Shaiba in Akhbar `Ali and by Al Tabarani and others from Salamah Al Kindi.

The addition to the tashahhud by Ibn Mas’ud.

After “wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu,” and the Mercy of Allah and Blessings, he used to say, “assalamu `alayna min Rabbina,” peace upon us from our Lord. Narrated by Al Tabarani in Al Kabir, and the narrators are those of the sound transmitters, as it has been mentioned in Majma’ Al Zawa’id.

The addition to the tashahhud by Abdullah Ibn `Umar.

He added the basmalah at the beginning of the tashahhud. He also added to the talbia, “labbaika wa sa’daika wal khayru bi yadayka wal raghba’u ilayika wal `amalu” This is mentioned in Bukhari, Muslim, et al.

These are some of the developments instituted by the Prophet’s Companions, the scholars, and the honorable members of his nation, which did not exist during the time of the Prophet, and which they deemed good. Are they, then, misguided and guilty of bad innovation?

As for the claim that there is no such thing in religion as good innovation, here are some sayings of the brilliant scholars of Islam belying this claim.

Imam Nawawi said in Sahih Muslim (6-21)

“The Prophet’s saying every innovation is a general-particular and it is a reference to most innovations. The linguists say, “Innovation is any act done without a previous pattern, and it is of five different kinds.’” Imam Nawawi also said in Tahzeeb al Asma’ wal Sifaat, “Innovation in religious law is to originate anything which did not exist during the time of the Prophet, and it is divided into good and bad.” He also said, “Al-muhdathat (pl. for muhdatha) is to originate something that has no roots in religious law. In the tradition of religious law it is called innovation, and if it has an origin within the religious law, then it is not innovation. Innovation in religious law is disagreeable, unlike in the language where everything that has been originated without a previous pattern is called innovation regardless of whether it is good or bad.”

Shaykh Ibn Hajar Al Asqalani, the commentator on Al Bukhari, said,

“Anything that did not exist during the Prophet’s time is called innovation, but some are good while others are not.”

Abu Na’eem, narrated from Ibrahim Al Junaid, said, “I heard Ash-Shafi’i saying, “Innovation is of two types; praiseworthy innovation and blameworthy innovation, and anything that disagrees with the Sunnah is blameworthy.’”

Imam Albayhaqi narrated in Manaqib Ash-Shafi’i that Ash-Shafi’i  said,

“Innovations are of two types: that which contradicts the Koran, the Sunnah, or unanimous agreement of the Muslims is a innovation of deception, while a good innovation does not contradict any of these things.”

Al `Izz bin Abdussalam said, at the end of his book, Al Qawa’id,

“Innovation is divided into obligatory, forbidden, recommended, disagreeable and permissible, and the way to know which is which is to match it against the religious law.”

Clearly we see from the opinions of these righteous scholars, that to define innovations in worship as wholly negative without exception is ignorant. For these pious knowers, among them Imam Nawawi and Ash-Shafi’i, declared that innovations could be divided into good and bad, based on their compliance or deviance with religious law.

Moreover, the following Prophetic saying is known even to common Muslims, let alone scholars: “He who inaugurates a good practice (sunnatun hasana) in Islam earns the reward of it, and of all who perform it after him, without diminishing their own rewards in the least.” Therefore it is permissible for a Muslim to originate a good practice, even if the Prophet didn’t do it, for the sake of doing good and cultivating the reward. The meaning of inaugurate a good practice (sanna sunnatun hasana) is to establish a practice through personal reasoning (ijtihad) and derivation (istinbat) from the rules of religious law or its general texts. The actions of the Prophet’s Companions and the generation following them which we have stated above is the strongest evidence.

The ones prejudiced against celebrating the Prophet’s birthday have paved the way for their falsehood by deceiving the less-learned among the Muslims. The prejudiced ones claim that Ibn Kathir writes in his Al Bidaya wal Nihaya (11-172) that the Fatimide-Obaidite state, which descends from the Jew, Obaidillah Bin Maimoon Al Kaddah, ruler of Egypt from 357-567 A.H., innovated the celebration of a number of days, among them, the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday. This treacherous lie is a grave insult to the scholarship of Ibn Kathir and the scholarship of all Islam. For in truth, Ibn Kathir writes about the Prophet’s birthday in Al bidaya wal nihaya [13-136] “The victorious king Abu Sa’id Kawkaburi, was one of the generous, distinguished masters, and the glorious kings; he left good impressions and used to observe the honorable Mawlid by having a great celebration. Moreover, he was chivalrous, brave, wise, a scholar, and just.” Ibn Kathir continues, “And he used to spend three hundred thousand Dinars on the Mawlid.” In support, Imam Al Dhahabi writes of Abu Sa’id Kawkaburi, in Siyar A’laam al nubala’ [22-336] “He was humble, righteous, and loved religious learned men and scholars of Prophetic saying.”

Following are some sayings of the rightly guided Imams regarding the Mawlid.

Imam Al Suyuti, from Alhawi lil fatawi, wrote a special chapter entitled “The Good Intention in Commemorating the Mawlid,” at the beginning of which he said,

“There is a question being asked about commemorating the Mawlid of the Prophet in the month of Rabi’ Al Awal: what is the religious legal ruling in this regard, is it good or bad? Does the one who celebrates get rewarded or not?” The answer according to me is as follows: To commemorate the Mawlid, which is basically gathering people together, reciting parts of the Koran, narrating stories about the Prophet’s birth and the signs that accompanied it, then serving food, and afterwards, departing, is one of the good innovations; and the one who practices it gets rewarded, because it involves venerating the status of the Prophet and expressing joy for his honorable birth.

Ibn Taymiyya said in his book Iqtida’ Al Sirat Al Mustaqeem (pg. 266)

“Likewise, what some people have innovated, in competition with the Christians in celebrating the birth of Jesus, or out of love and veneration of the Prophet⦣128;榱uot; and he continues “⦣128;æ´¨at the predecessors didn’t do, even though there is a reason for it, and there is nothing against it.” This is a saying of someone who set fanaticism aside and sought to please Allah and his Prophet. As far as we are concerned, we commemorate the Mawlid for no other reason but what Ibn Taymiya said, “Out of love and veneration of the Prophet.” May Allah reward us according to this love and effort, and may Allah bless the one who said, “Let alone what the Christians claim about their Prophet, and you may praise Muhammad in any way you want and attribute to his essence all honors and to his status all greatness, for his merit has no limits that any expression by any speaker might reach.”

In the same source previously mentioned, Al Suyuti said,

“Someone asked Ibn Hajar about commemorating the Mawlid. Ibn Hajar answered, “Basically, commemorating the Mawlid is an innovation that has not been transmitted by the righteous Muslims of the first three centuries. However, it involves good things and their opposites, therefore, whoever looks for the good and avoids the opposites then it is a good innovation.’ It occurred to me (Al Suyuti) to trace it to its established origin, which has been confirmed in the two authentic books: Al Sahihain. When the Prophet arrived in Medina he found that the Jews fast the day of Aashura; when he inquired about it they said, “This is the day when Allah drowned the Pharaoh and saved Moses, therefore we fast it to show our gratitude to Allah.’ From this we can conclude that thanks are being given to Allah on a specific day for sending bounty or preventing indignity or harm.” Al Suyuti then commented, “What bounty is greater than the bounty of the coming of this Prophet, the Prophet of Mercy, on that day?”

“This is regarding the basis of Mawlid. As for the activities, there should be only the things that express thankfulness to Allah, such as what has been previously mentioned: reciting Koran, eating food, giving charity, reciting poetry praising the Prophet or on piety which moves hearts and drives them to do good and work for the Hereafter.”

These are the derivations that those opposed to Mawlid call false conclusions and invalid analogies.

Imam Mohammed bin Abu Bakr Abdullah Al Qaisi Al Dimashqi.

Jami’ Al Athar fi Mawlid, Al Nabiy Al Mukhtar, Al lafz al ra’iq fi Mawlid khayr al khala’iq, and Mawlid al sadi fi Mawlid Al Hadi,

Imam Al `Iraqi.

Al Mawlid al heni fi al Mawlid al sani.

Mulla `Ali Al Qari.

Al Mawlid Al rawi fil Mawlid al Nabawi.

Imam Ibn Dahiya.

Al Tanweer fi Mawlid Al basheer Al Nadheer.

Imam Shamsu Din bin Nasir Al Dimashqi.

Mawlid al Sadi fi Mawlid Al Hadi. He is the one who said about the Prophet’s estranged uncle, Abu Lahab, “This unbeliever who has been dispraised, “perish his hands” [111: 1], will stay in Hell forever. Yet, every Monday his torment is being reduced because of his joy at the birth of the Prophet.” How much mercy can a servant expect who spends all his life joyous about the Prophet and dies believing in the Oneness of Allah?

Imam Shamsu Din Ibn Al Jazri.

Al Nashr fil Qira’at Al `Ashr, `Urf Al Ta’reef bil Mawlid al shareef.

Imam Ibn Al Jawzi

Imam Ibn Al Jawzi said about the honorable Mawlid, “It is security throughout the year, and glad tidings that all wishes and desires will be fulfilled.”

Imam Abu Shama

Imam Abu Shama (Imam Nawawi’s shaykh) in his book Al ba’ith ala Inkar Al bida` wal hawadith (pg.23) said, “One of the best innovations in our time is what is being done every year on the Prophet’s birthday, such as giving charity, doing good deeds, displaying ornaments, and expressing joy, for that expresses the feelings of love and veneration for him in the hearts of those who are celebrating, and also, shows thankfulness to Allah for His bounty by sending His Messenger, the one who has been sent as a Mercy to the worlds.”

Imam Al Shihab Al Qastalani

Imam Al Shihab Al Qastalani (Al Bukhari’s commentator) in his book Al mawahib Al Ladunniya (1-148) said, “May Allah have mercy on the one who turns the nights of the month of the Prophet’s birth into festivities in order to decrease the suffering of those whose hearts are filled with disease and sickness.”

There are others who wrote and spoke about Mawlid, such as Imam Al Sakhawi, Imam Wajihu Din bin `Ali bin al Dayba’ al Shaybani al Zubaidi, and many more, which we will not mention due to the limited space available. From these many evidences, it should be clear by now that celebrating the Mawlid is highly commendable and allowed. Surely we cannot simply shrug off as heretics the scholars and dignitaries of this nation who approved the commemoration of the Mawlid and wrote countless books on the subject. Are all these scholars, to whom the whole world is indebted for the beneficial books they have written on Prophetic sayings, jurisprudence, commentaries, and other sorts of knowledge, among the indecent who commit sins and evil? Are they, as those opposed to Mawlid claim, imitating the Christians in celebrating the birth of Jesus? Are they claiming that the Prophet did not convey to the nation what they should do? We leave answers to these questions up to you.

And yet we must continue to examine the errors which those opposed to Mawlid utter. They say “If celebrating the Mawlid is from the religion, then the Prophet would have made it clear to the nation, or would have done it in his lifetime, or it would have been done by the Companions.” No one can say that the Prophet did not do it out of his humbleness, for this is speaking evil of him, so they cannot use this argument.

Furthermore, that the Prophet and his Companions did not do a certain thing does not mean they made that thing prohibited. The proof is in the Prophet’s saying, “Whoever establishes, in Islam, a good practice…” cited earlier. This is the strongest evidence that gives encouragement to innovate whatever practices have foundations in religious law, even if the Prophet and his Companions did not do them. Al Shafi’i said, “Anything that has a foundation in religious law is not an innovation even if the Companions did not do it, because their refraining from doing it might have been for a certain excuse they had at the time, or they left it for something better, or perhaps not all of them knew about it.” Therefore, whoever prohibits anything based on the concept that the Prophet did not do it, his claim has no proof and must be rejected.

Thus we say to the rejecters of Mawlid: based on the rule you have attempted to found, that is, that whoever does anything that the Prophet or his Companions did not do is committing innovation, it would follow that the Prophet did not complete the religion for his nation, and that the Prophet did not convey to the nation what they should do. No one says this or believes this except a heretic defecting from the religion of Allah. To the doubters of Mawlid we declare, “Based on what you say, we convict you.” For you have innovated in the basics of worship a large number of things that the Prophet did not do⦣128;â?nor did his Companions, the Generation after the Companions, or the Generation after them. For instance:

Congregating people behind one Imam to pray Salat al Tahajjud after Salat Al Tarawih, in the two Holy Mosques and other mosques.

Reciting the Prayer of Completion of the Koran in Salat al Tarawih and also in Salat al Tahajjud.

Designating the 27th night of Ramadan to complete reading the entire Koran in the two Holy Mosques.

A caller saying, after Salat al Tarawih, in the Qiyam prayer, “May Allah reward you.”

Founding organizations which did not exist in the time of the Prophet, such as Islamic universities, societies for committing the Koran to memory, and offices for missionary work, and committees for enjoining good and forbidding evil. We are not objecting to these things, since they are forms of good innovation. We merely list these innovations to point out that those who oppose Mawlid clearly contradict their own rule stating that anything that neither the Prophet nor his Companions did is innovation. And since they claim that all innovation is bad, they themselves are guilty.

Yet another claim they make is to say that those who commemorate the Mawlid are mostly indecent and immoral. This is a vulgar statement and it only reflects the character of the one saying it. Are all the distinguished scholars that we have mentioned, from the point of view of those opposed to Mawlid, indecent and immoral? We won’t be surprised if this is what they believe. This is a most serious slander. We say, as the poet said, “When Allah wants to spread a virtue that has been hidden, He would let a tongue of an envious person know about it.”  

Those opposed to Mawlid, may Allah guide them, have confused some expressions, and claim that some religious scholars associate partners with Allah. Take for example the plea of Imam Al Busiery to Prophet Muhammad, “Oh, most generous of creation, I have no one to resort to, save You, when the prevailing event takes place.” They must examine carefully the saying of Imam Al Busiery: inda hulul il amim, when the prevailing event takes place. What is al Amim? It means that which prevails over the whole universe, and all of creation, in referring to the Day of Judgment. Imam Al Busiery is asking intercession from the Prophet on the Day of Judgment because on that Day we will have no one to resort to, or appeal to. Imam Al Busiery seeks his intercession to Allah through the Prophet, for when all other Messengers and Prophets will be saying, “Myself, myself,” the Prophet will be saying, “I am the one for it, I am for it [the Intercession]” It becomes even more clear now that the doubts of those opposed to Mawlid are unfounded, just as their charges of associating partners with Allah are unfounded. This is due to their blindness, both physical and spiritual.

Another similar example can be found in the well-known saying transmitted by the distinguished Imam Al Kamal bin Al Hammam Al Hanafi, author of Fath il Qadeer fi manasik al Farisi, and Sharh al Mukhtar min al sada al ahnaf. When Imam Abu Hanifa visited Medina, he stood in front of the honorable grave of the Prophet and said, “O, most honorable of the Two Weighty Ones (humankind and jinn)! O, treasure of mankind, shower your generosity upon me and please me with your pleasure. I am aspiring for your generosity, and there is no one for Abu Hanifa in the world but you.” Again, we must not misinterpret this entreaty, but realize its true meaning.

Yet another misconception those opposed to Mawlid hold can be seen in their statements such as these: “What occurs during Mawlid is mixing between men and women, singing and playing musical instruments, and drinking alcohol.” I myself know this to be a lie, for I have attended many Mawlids and have not seen any mixing, and never heard any musical instruments. And as for drunkenness, yes, I have seen it, but not that of worldly people. We found people intoxicated with the love of the Prophet, a state surpassing even the agony of death, which we know overcame our master Bilal at the time of his death. In the midst of this sweet stupor he was saying, “Tomorrow I shall meet the loved ones, Muhammad and his Companions.”

To continue, those opposed to Mawlid say, “The day of the Prophet’s birth is the same day of the week as his death. Therefore, joy on this day is no more appropriate than sorrow, and if religion is according to one’s opinion, then this day should be a day of mourning and sorrow.” This kind of lame eloquence, is answered by the Imam Jalal al Din al Suyuti, in Al hawi lil fatawi (pg.193), “The Prophet’s birth is the greatest bounty, and his death is the greatest calamity. Religious law urges us to express thankfulness for bounties, and be patient and remain calm during calamities. Religious law has commanded us to sacrifice an animal on the birth of a child [and distribute the meat to the needy], which is an expression of gratitude and happiness with the newborn, while it did not command us to sacrifice at the time of death. Also, it prohibited wailing and showing grief. Therefore, the rules of Divine Law indicate that it is recommended to show joy during the month of the Prophet’s birth, and not to show sorrow for his death.”

Furthermore, Ibn Rajab, in his book Al lata’if, dispraising the rejecters of Mawlid based on the above argument, said, “Some designated the day of Aashura as a funeral ceremony for the murder of Al Hussein. But neither Allah nor His Prophet commanded that the days of the prophets’ great trials or deaths should be declared days of mourning, let alone those with lesser rank.”

We conclude this article with a saying of the Prophet, which has been narrated by Abu Ya’la, from Hudhaifa and about which Ibn Kathir said, “It’s chain of transmission is good.” Abu Ya’la said, “The Prophet has said, “One of the things that concerns me about my nation is a man who studied the Koran, and when its grace started to show on him and he had the appearance of a Muslim, he detached himself from it, and threw it behind his back, and went after his neighbor with a sword and accused him of associating partners with Allah.’ I then asked, “Oh, Prophet of Allah, which one is more guilty of associating partners with Allah, the accused or the accuser?’ The Prophet said, “It is the accuser.’”

Completed, with all Praises to Allah and salutations and peace be upon our master Muhammad and the family of Muhammad and his Companions.

 

The Special Life of Our Prophet

By Sayyid Muhammad ibn `Alawi al-Maliki

Translation and notes by GF Haddad 

It is established that our Prophet possesses an isthmus-life that is greater and more perfect than that of any other, of which he himself told us. It is equally established that he is intimately connected with the Community, fully cognizant of their states, seeing their actions, hearing their speech, replying to their greetings, and the hadiths to that effect are numerous.

Among these hadiths is the narration of the Prophet from `Abd Allah ibn Mas`ud – Allah be well-pleased with him: “Verily, Allah has angels that roam the earth and convey to me the greeting of my Community.” (Inna lillâhi malâ’ikatan sayyâhîna fi al-ardi yuballighûnî min ummatî al-salâm.)1

Al-Mundhiri said: “Al-Nasa’i and Ibn Hibban in his Sahih narrated it.” Isma`il al-Qadi2 and others have narrated it through various paths with chains that leave no doubt as to their soundness. All of these chains are to Sufyan al-Thawri: From `Abd Allah ibn al-Sa’ib: From Zadhan: From `Abd Allah ibn Mas`ud. Al-Thawri explicitly declared having heard it from `Abd Allah ibn al-Sa’ib, as reported in al-Qadi Isma`il’s book. As for `Abd Allah ibn al-Sa’ib and Zadhan, Muslim used them as sub-narrators [in his Sahih], and Ibn Ma`in declared them trustworthy (thiqa), so the chain is sound.3

Also among these hadiths is Ibn Mas`ud’s narration that the Prophet said: “My life is a great good for you, you will relate about me and it will be related to you, and my death is a great good for you, your actions will be exhibited to me, and if I see goodness I will praise Allah, and if I see evil I will ask forgiveness of Him for you.” (Hayâtî khayrun lakum tuhaddithûna wa yuhaddathu lakum wa wafâtî khayrun lakum tu`radu a`malukum `alayya famâ ra’aytu min khayrin hamidtu Allâha wa mâ ra’aytu min sharrin istaghfartu Allâha lakum.)4

The hadith master al-`Iraqi said in the book of Jana’iz of his work Tarh al-Tathrib fi Sharh al-Taqrib: “Its chain is good” (isnâduhu jayyid).5 The hadith master al-Haythami said: “Al-Bazzar narrated it and its sub-narrators are the men of the Sahih.”6 The hadith master al-Suyuti declared it sound (sahîh) in al-Mu`jizat and al-Khasa’is. So did al-Qastallani the commentator of al-Bukhari. Al-Munawi also declared, in Fayd al-Qadir, that it is sahîh.7 So did al-Zurqani in his commentary on al-Qastallani’s al-Mawahib al-Laduniyya. So did Shihab al-Din al-Khafaji in his commentary on [al-Qadi `Iyad's] al-Shifa’.8 So did al-Mulla `Ali al-Qari in his, adding: “Al-Harith ibn Usama narrated it in his Musnad with a sound chain.”9 Ibn Hajar also mentioned it in al-Matalib al-`Alya.10 This hadith also came to us through another, mursal way from [the Tabi`î] Bakr ibn `Abd Allah al-Muzani. The hadith master Isma`il al-Qadi narrated it in his monograph on the invocation of blessings on the Prophet , and Shaykh al-Albani said about it: “Mursal sahîh.”11 The hadith master Ibn `Abd al-Hadi declared it sound (sahîh) despite his excessive rigor and harshness in his book al-Sarim al-Munki. After all this evidence, does any meddler have anything left to say? The hadith is undoubtedly sound, and no-one questions its authenticity.

This hadith indicates that the Prophet knows about our actions because they are being shown to him, and he asks Allah forgiveness on our behalf for whatever wrong we may do. If this is the case, then it is permissible for us to use him as a means to Allah and ask for his intercession with Him. For he knows our case, and so he can intercede for us and supplicate for us, as he is the intercesor whose intercession is granted – may Allah send blessings and peace upon him and his Family, and increase him in honor and bounty.

Allah has informed us in the Qur’an that the Prophet is a witness over his entire Community. This assuredly requires that the actions of his Community be shown to him so that he may witness to whatever he saw and knew:

Ibn al-Mubarak said: One of the Ansâr narrated to us from al-Minhal ibn `Amr that the latter hears Sa`id ibn al-Musayyib say: “Not one day passes except the Prophet’s Community is shown to him morning and evening. He knows them by their marks [or names] and their actions, thereby giving witness concerning them. Allah said: {But how (will it be with them) when we bring of every people a witness, and We bring you (O Muhammad) a witness against these?} (4:41). (Laysa min yawmin illâ wa yu`radu fîhi `alâ al-nabiyyi ummatuhu ghuduwwatan wa `ashiyyan fa ya`rifuhum bi sîmâhum wa a`mâlihim fa lidhâlika yashhadu `alayhim. Yaqûlu Allâhu ta`âlâ…)12

Also among these hadiths is the narration from `Ammar ibn Yassir – Allah be well-pleased with him – that the Prophet said: “Verily, Allah has put an angel in charge of my grave and given him the names of all creatures. No-one invokes blessings upon me until the Day of Resurrection except he informs me of his name and the name of his father thus: So-and-so son of So-and-so has just invoked blessings upon you.” (Inna Allâha wakkala bi qabrî malakan a`tâhu Allâhu asmâ’a al-khalâ’iqi falâ yusallî `alayya ahadun ilâ yawmi al-qiyâmati illâ ablaghanî bi ismihi wa ismi abîhi hâdhâ fulânu ibnu fulânin qad sallâ `alayk.)

It is narrated by al-Bazzar, while Abu al-Shaykh – Ibn Hayyan – narrates it thus:

The Prophet said: “Allah Most High has an angel to whom he has given the names of all creatures, and he shall stand at my grave, after I die, so that none shall invoke blessings upon me except he shall say: `O Muhammad, So-and-so son of So-and-so has just invoked blessings upon you.’ Thereupon the Almighty Lord shall send a blessing upon that person, tenfold for each blessing he invoked upon me.” (Inna lillâhi malakan a`tâhu asmâ’a al-khalâ’iqi fa huwa qâ’imun `alâ qabrî idhâ mittu falaysa ahadun yusallî `alayya salâtan illâ qâla yâ Muhammadu sallâ `alayka fulânu ibnu fulânin. Qâla fa yusallî al-Rabbu `alâ dhâlika al-rajuli bi kulli wâhidatin `ashrâ.)13

Also among these hadiths is the narration of Abu al-Darda’: “Make abundant invocations of blessings upon me the day of Jum’a, for that day is witnessed by the angels. Verily, no-one invokes blessings upon me except his invocation is shown to me until he finishes it.” Abu al-Darda’ said: “Even after death?” The Prophet replied: “Even after death! Truly Allah Most High forbade the earth to consume the bodies of Prophets. Therefore the Prophet of Allah is alive and sustained!” (Akthirû al-salâta ‘alayya yawma al-jumu’a fa innahu mashhûdun tashhaduhu al-malâ’ikatu wa inna ahadan lan yusalliya ‘alayya illâ ‘uridat ‘alayya salâtuhu hattâ yafrughû minhâ. Qâla qultu wa ba’da al-mawt? Qâla wa ba’da al-mawti inna Allâha harrama ‘alâ al-ardi an ta’kula ajsâda al-anbiyâ’i fa nabiyyullâhi hayyun yurzaq.)14 Shaykh Ibn Taymiyya said: “This hadith is authentic by the criterion of Muslim.”

Also, the hadith of Abu Hurayra: Abu Dawud narrated with a sound (sahîh) chain – as stated by al-Subki – from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah said: “No-one greets me except that Allah has returned my soul to me so that I may greet him back.” (Mâ min ahadin yusallimu ‘alayya illâ radd Allâhu ‘alayya rûhî hattâ arudda ‘alayhi al-salâm.)15

Also, the hadith of Abu Hurayra from the Prophet : “Whoever invokes blessings upon me at my grave I hear him, and whoever invokes blessings on me from afar, I am informed about it.” (Man sallâ `alayya `inda qabrî sami`tuhu wa man sallâ nâ’iyan bullightuhu.)16 The narrations to that effect are very numerous indeed.

NOTES

1Narrated from Ibn Mas`ud with a sound chain by Muslim’s criterion as stated by Shaykh Shu`ayb al-Arna’ut in Ibn Hibban (3:195 #914), al-`Azim Abadi in `Awn al-Ma`bud (6:21), Ibn al-Qayyim who declared its chain sound in Jala’ al-Afham (p. 24), and al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak, confirmed by al-Dhahabi (2:241=1990 ed. 2:456). Also narrated by al-Nasa’i with six chains in his Sunan, al-Sunan al-Kubra (3:43), and `Amal al-Yawm wa al-Layla (2:167), Isma`il al-Qadi in Fadl al-Salat `ala al-Nabi – Allah bless and greet him – (p. 34), al-Bayhaqi in Shu`ab al-Iman (2:217) and al-Sunan al-Kubra (1:380), Abu Ya`la in his Musnad (9:137 #5213), Ahmad in his, al-Darimi in his, Ibn Abi Shayba (2:253=2:517, 6:316), `Abd al-Razzaq in his (2:215 #3116), al-Tabarani in al-Kabir (#10528-10530), Ibn al-Mubarak in al-Zuhd (p. 364 #1028) and his Musnad (p. 30 #51), and al-Khatib in Talkhis al-Mutashabih (p. 766).

2The Imam and hadith master, Shaykh al-Islam Abu Ishaq Isma`il ibn Ishaq ibn Isma`il ibn Hammad ibn Zayd al-Azdi al-Jahdami al-Qadi al-Maliki (199-282), author of several works, including a Musnad. See al-Dhahabi, Siyar (Arna’ut ed. 13:341).

3Zadhan in this narration is Abu `Umar al-Kindi al-Bazzaz as named explicitly in Abu Sa`id al-Shashi’s (d. 335) narration of this hadith in his Musnad (2:252). Muslim narrated from him, from Ibn `Umar, two narrations of the Prophet in three places: “Whoever strikes his slave in the face or beats him unjustly, his expiation is to manumit him,” and the Prophet’s prohibition of the use of wine fermentation-vessels. See also Abu Bakr al-Asbahani’s Rijal Muslim (1:230) and Ibn Hajar’s Taqrib. He was declared thiqa by Ibn Ma`in, Ibn Sa`d, al-`Ijli, Ibn Shahin, al-Khatib, and al-Dhahabi as reported by al-Arna’ut and Ma`ruf in al-Tahrir (1:409 #1976). From `Abd Allah ibn al-Sa’ib al-Kindi or al-Shaybani al-Kufi, Muslim narrated through two chains the hadith of Thabit ibn al-Dahhak whereby the Prophet forbade sharecropping. He is trustworthy (thiqa) as stated in Ibn Hajar’s Taqrib (1:304 #3339). The rest of the sub-narrators of this hadith are all the men of al-Bukhari and Muslim.

4Narrated from Ibn Mas`ud by al-Bazzar in his Musnad (1:397) with a sound chain as stated by al-Suyuti in Manahil al-Safa (p. 31 #8) and al-Khasa’is al-Kubra (2:281), al-Haythami (9:24 #91), and al-`Iraqi in Tarh al-Tathrib (3:297) – his last book, as opposed to al-Mughni`an Haml al-Asfar (4:148) where he questions the trustworthy rank of one of the narrators in al-Bazzar’s chain. Shaykh `Abd Allah al-Talidi said in his Tahdhib al-Khasa’is al-Kubra (p. 458-459 #694) that this chain is sound according to Muslim’s criterion, and Shaykh Mahmud Mamduh in Raf`al-Minara (p. 156-169) discusses it at length and declares it sound. Their shaykh, al-Sayyid `Abd Allah ibn al-Siddiq al-Ghumari (d. 1413/1993) declared it sound in his monograph Nihaya al-Amal fi Sharh wa Tashih Hadith `Ard al-A`mal. Opposing these six judgments al-Albani declares it weak in his notes on al-Qadi Isma`il’s Fadl al-Salat (p. 37 n. 1). It is also narrated with weak chains from Anas and – with two sound mursal chains missing the Companion-link – from the Successor Bakr ibn `Abd Allah al-Muzani by Isma`il al-Qadi (d. 282) in his Fadl al-Salat `ala al-Nabi (p. 36-39 #25-26). The latter chain was declared sound by al-Qari in Sharh al-Shifa’ (1:102), Shaykh al-Islam al-Taqi al-Subki in Shifa’ al-Siqam, his critic Ibn `Abd al-Hadi in al-Sarim al-Munki (p. 217), and al-Albani in his Silsila Da`ifa (2:405). A third, weak chain is related from Bakr al-Muzani by al-Harith ibn Abi Usama (d. 282) in his Musnad (2:884) as per Ibn Hajar in al-Matalib al-`Aliya (4:23). Al-Albani declared the hadith weak on the grounds that some authorities questioned the memorization of the Murji’ hadith master `Abd al-Majid ibn `Abd al-`Aziz ibn Abi Rawwad. However, he was retained by Muslim in his Sahih and declared thiqa by Yahya ibn Ma`in, Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Nasa’i, Ibn Shahin, al-Khalili, and al-Daraqutni, while al-Dhahabi listed him in Man Tukullima Fihi Wa Huwa Muwaththaq (p. 124) as stated by Mamduh in Raf` al- Minara (p. 163, 167). Al-Arna’ut and Ma`ruf declare him thiqa in Tahrir al-Taqrib (2:379 #4160) as well as Dr. Nur al-Din `Itr in his edition of al-Dhahabi’s Mughni (1:571 #3793) and Dr. Khaldun al-Ahdab in Zawa’id Tarikh Baghdad (10:464). Even if al-Albani’s grading were hypothetically accepted, then the weak musnad narration in conjunction with the sound mursal one – graded sahîh by al-Albani – would yield a final grading of hasan or sahîh, not da`îf. In addition to this, Mamduh quoted al-Albani’s own words in the latter’s attempted refutation of Shaykh Isma`il al-Ansari entitled Kitab al-Shaybani (1:134-135) whereby “The sound mursal hadith is a proof in all Four Schools and other than them among the Imams of the principles of hadith and fiqh, therefore it is apparent to every fair-minded person that the position whereby such a hadith does not form a proof only because it is mursal, is untenable.” This is one of many examples in which al-Albani not only contradicts, but soundly refutes himself.

Shaykh Hasanayn Muhammad Makhluf wrote in his Fatawa Shar`iyya (1:91-92): “The hadith means that the Prophet is a great good for his Community during his life, because Allah the Exalted has preserved the Community, through the secret of the Prophet’s – Allah bless and greet him – presence, from misguidance, confusion, and disagreement, and He has guided the people through the Prophet – Allah bless and greet him – to the manifest truth; and that after Allah took back the Prophet , our connection to the latter’s goodness continues uncut and the extension of his goodness endures, overshadowing us. The deeds of the Community are shown to him every day, and he glorifies Allah for the goodness that he finds, while he asks for His forgiveness for the small sins, and the alleviation of His punishment for the grave ones: and this is a tremendous good for us. There is therefore `goodness for the Community in his life, and in his death, goodness for the Community.’ Moreover, as has been established in the hadith, the Prophet is alive in his grave with a special `isthmus-life’ stronger than the lives of the martyrs which the Qur’an spoke of in more than one verse. The nature of these two kinds of life cannot be known except by their Bestower, the Glorious, the Exalted. He is able to do all things. His showing the Community’s deeds to the Prophet as an honorific gift for him and his Community is entirely possible rationally and documented in the reports. There is no leeway for its denial; and Allah guides to His light whomever He pleases; and Allah knows best.”

5Al-`Iraqi, Tarh al-Tathrib (3:297).

6Al-Haythami, Majma` al-Zawa’id (9:24 #91).

7Al-Munawi in Fayd al-Qadir (3:401) only reported al-`Iraqi’s words “Its narrators are the men of the Sahih except for `Abd al-Majid ibn Abi Rawwad who, despite being retained by Muslim as a narrator and being declared trustworthy (thiqa) by Ibn Ma`in and al-Nasa’i, was declared weak by some.” Al-Munawi then went on to criticize al-Suyuti’s unmitigated authentication of the narration in Manahil al-Safa although al-Suyuti is correct.

8Al-Khafaji, Sharh al-Shifa’ (1:102).

9Al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’ (1:102), referring to the mursal hadith of Bakr al-Muzani.

10Ibn Hajar, al-Matalib al-`Alya (4:22).

11In his edition of Isma`il al-Qadi’s Fadl al-Salat `ala al-Nabi – Allah bless and greet him – (p. 37), after which he goes on to say that the hadith is weak, as in his Silsila Da`ifa (#979).

12Narrated by Ibn al-Mubarak in al-Zuhd (p. 42), Ibn Kathir (asmâ’ihim instead of sîmâhum) in his Tafsir (1:500), al-Qurtubi in al-Tadhkira (1:335), Ibn Hajar (asmâ’ihim instead of sîmâhum) in Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 9:99), and al-Mubarakfuri (asmâ’ihim instead of sîmâhum) in Tuhfa al-Ahwadhi (8:300).

13Narrated from `Ammar ibn Yâsir by Abu al-Shaykh in al-`Azama (1988 ed. 2:763) and al-Bazzar in his Musnad (Ibn Hajar, Mukhtasar 2:436 #2164), and from Abu Bakr al-Siddiq by al-Daylami in al-Suyuti’s al-La’ali’ al-Masnu`a (1996 ed. 1:260 =1981 ed. 1:284) and al-Haba’ik fi Akhbar al-Mala’ik (p. 99).

Al-Haythami (10:162) said: “Its chains contain Nu`aym ibn Damdam whom some scholars declared weak and `Imran ibn al-Himyari [al-Ju`fi], whom al-Bukhari indicated was unconfirmable (lâ yutâba`) [i.e. very weak], while the author of Mizan al-I`tidal [al-Dhahabi] declared him unknown. The rest of its sub-narrators are the men of the Sahih.” There are some inaccuracies in this report. Al-Bukhari actually stated in al-Tarikh al-Kabir (6:416 #2831): “He is unconfirmable in his narration of that hadith” as cited by Ibn `Adi in al-Kamil (5:93 #1273). Al-Dhahabi in the Mizan (3:236 #6278) did not declare Ibn al-Himyari unknown, but said: “His narration of the hadith `Allah has given me an angel’ is not known, and al-Bukhari said: he is unconfirmable in narrating it.’” Ibn Hajar names him `Imran ibn Himyar and similarly states in Lisan al-Mizan (4:345 #996): “His narration of `Allah has given me an angel’ is not known.” However, Ibn Hibban includes him in the Thiqat (5:223 #4608) and Ibn Abi Hatim mentions him without discrediting him in al-Jarh wa al-Ta`dil (6:296 #1644). As for Nu`aym ibn Damdam, Ibn Hajar in Lisan al-Mizan (6:169 #595) stated: “From him narrated Sufyan ibn `Uyayna, Abu Ahmad al-Zubayri, Qubaysa ibn `Uqba, `Abd al-Rahman ibn Salih al-Kufi, and others… and I was so far unable to discover who had declared him weak.” Accordingly, the chain of the hadith is fair because Nu`aym’s unknown state is eliminated and his credibility is established by the fact that two or more trutworthy authorities narrated from him, according to the rules of hadith science. Lastly, al-Daylami’s chain contains neither Nu`aym nor `Imran.

Al-`Uqayli cited the narration in his Du`afa’ (3:248 #1246) and said: “`Ali ibn al-Qasim al-Kindi from Nu`aym ibn Damdam is a Shi`i chain of transmission that needs investigation.” Al-Suyuti cited it in La’ali’ al-Masnu`a (1996 ed. 1:259-260 =1981 ed. 1:284) and went on to narrate corroborative proofs for the authenticity of the hadith, among them Ibn Abi Shayba’s (2:253, 6:326) two mursal narrations from the weak Tâbi`î Yazid ibn Aban al-Raqashi: “An angel is in charge of all that invoke blessings upon the Prophet to inform him of it saying: `So-and-so from your Community has invoked blessings on you.’” Isma`il al-Qadi also narrates it from Yazid in Fadl al-Salat (p. 37-38 #27) but with the addition: “on the day of Jum`a, and with the wording: “So-and-so from your Community is invoking blessings on you.”

Al-Suyuti cites `Ammar’s narration in his commentary on al-Nasa’i’s Sunan (4:110). Al-Mundhiri cites the narration in al-Targhib (1994 ed. 2:388) after al-Bazzar, Abu al-Shaykh, and al-Tirmidhi in [al-`Ilal?] “al-Kabir.” The hadith is further confirmed by the sound narrations already mentioned and those that follow, as well as the Tâbi`î Ayyub al-Sikhtyani’s sound mursal narration in Isma`il al-Qadi’s Fadl al-Salat (p. 36): “It has reached me – and Allah knows best – that there is an angel in charge of each person that invokes blessings on the Prophet so that he will convey it to him.” Al-Tabari in the commentary on the verse {For him are angels ranged before him and behind him who guard him by Allah’s command} (13:11) in his Tafsir (13:115) narrates from `Uthman ibn `Affan that the Prophet identified the angels that attend every believer as twenty, ten in the day and ten in the night, among them two angels whose unique responsibility is to record one’s invocations of blessings upon the Prophet . See also al-Albani, Silsila Sahiha (#1530).

14Narrated from Abu al-Darda’ by Ibn Majah with a munqati’ chain missing a sub-narrator in two places. However, its parts are confirmed verbatim by other sound narrations, among them Aws’s narration cited below. Consequently the hadith master al-Busiri declared it sound in his Zawa’id (2:58-59). The first part (concerning the order to invoke more blessings on Jum’a and the disclosure of this invocation to the Prophet) is related by al-Bayhaqi in Shu’ab al-Iman through Abi Umama, Anas, and Abu Mas’ud al-Ansari, and by al-Hakim in his Mustadrak from the latter. Al-Shafi’i in his Musnad relates the first part only (”Invoke blessings upon me abundantly on Friday”) mursal from Safwan ibn Salim.

15Narrated from Abu Hurayra by Abu Dawud with a chain declared sound by al-Nawawi in Riyad al-Salihin and al-Adhkar, Ibn al-Qayyim in Jala’ al-Afham (1996 ed. p. 48 #23 cf. ‘Awn al-Ma’bud 6:22), Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 6:488), al-Wadyashi in Tuhfa al-Muhtaj (2:190), al-’Ajluni in Kashf al-Khafa’ (2:253), and al-Shawkani in Nayl al-Awtar. Also narrated from Abu Hurayra by Ahmad with a sound chain according to al-Zayn in the Musnad (9:575 #10759) and al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra (5:245 #1040) and Shu’ab al-Iman (2:217, 3:490-491); and al-Tabarani in al-Awsat (3:262) with a weak chain as indicated by al-Haythami (10:162). There is little weight to al-Albani’s claim in his notes on al-Alusi’s al-Ayat al-Bayyinat (p. 80) and his Silsila Sahiha (#2266) that “this hadith is only fair, not sound.”

16A fair hadith narrated from Abu Hurayra, not by Ibn Abi Shayba (as mistakenly stated by al-Qadi `Iyad in al-Shifa’) but:

* By Abu al-Shaykh with a good chain in Thawab al-Salat `ala al-Nabi as stated by Ibn al-Qayyim in Jala’ al-Afham (p. 48-49=p. 16-22), Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari (1989 ed. 6:379=1959 ed. 6:488), al-Suyuti in al-La’ali’ (1996 ed. 1:259=1:282-283), and others. Ibn al-Qayyim states: “This narration is extremely singular” while Ibn Hajar states: “Abu al-Shaykh cites it in al-Thawab with a good chain (sanad jayyid).” Al-Sakhawi reiterates the latter verdict in al-Qawl al-Badi` (p. 154) as reported by Shaykh `Abd Allah Siraj al-Din in al-Salat `ala al-Nabi (p. 214) and Shaykh Mahmud Mamduh in Raf` al-Minara (p. 351). Al-Munawi questions this grading in Fayd al-Qadir and Ibn `Abd al-Hadi in al-Sarim al-Munki (p. 206) claims without proof that Abu al-Shaykh’s chain, although strong, is “a gross mistake” because – in his view – “the hadith did not come to us except through al-Suddi, who is discarded” (cf. below). However, Ibn `Arraq in Tanzih al-Shari`a (1:335) confirms Ibn Hajar’s verdict and al-Suyuti in al-La’ali’ authenticates Abu al-Shaykh’s chain – among other narrations, citing it in his commentary on al-Nasa’i’s Sunan (4:110) and rejecting Ibn al-Jawzi’s verdict of forgery in al-Mawdu`at (1:303). Shaykh Ahmad al-Ghumari in his al-Mudawi li `Ilal al-Munawi (6:277) graded Abu al-Shaykh’s chain “spotless.”

* By al-Bayhaqi with two chains – with ublightuhu in the end – in Shu`ab al-Iman (2:218 #1583), al-`Uqayli in al-Du`afa’ (4:137) and others, through Muhammad ibn Marwan al-Suddi who is accused of lying and is discarded as a narrator as stated by Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir (6:466), or through al-`Ala’ ibn `Amr al-Kufi who is weak, but al-Bayhaqi in Hayat al-Anbiya’ (p. 15) cites corroborating chains and narrations which strengthen the hadith.

* By al-Khatib in Tarikh Baghdad (3:292) with the very weak chain of Muhammad ibn Marwan al-Suddi with the wording: “Whoever invokes blessings upon me at my grave I hear him, and whoever invokes blessings on me from afar, an angel was put in charge of it who informs me of it. He will have sufficiency of his worldly needs for it as well as his needs in the hereafter, and I shall witness on his behalf – or: I shall be his intercessor.” Al-Ahdab in his Zawa’id Tarikh Baghdad (3:69) considers the second sentence of this narration undoubtedly forged.

As for al-Albani’s grading of mawdû` for this hadith in his notes on al-Alusi’s al-Ayat al-Bayyinat (p. 80) and his Silsila Da`ifa (#203) in imitation of Ibn Taymiyya’s identical verdict in the latter’s al-Radd `ala al-Akhna’i in Majmu`a al-Fatawa (27:241-242), it stems from studied ignorance of Abu al-Shaykh’s chain as pointed out by Mamduh in Raf` al-Minara (p. 354). Note that Ibn Taymiyya contradicts himself by (1) declaring al-Suddi’s chain not forged but “containing some weakness (fîhâ lîn) and corroborated by firmly established reports” elsewhere in his Fatawa (27:116) and (2) considering the meaning of the hadith correct, all of which al-Albani rejects (”I do not know from where Ibn Taymiyya took his claim (27:384) that he hears the salaam from someone near!”). That man goes so far as to state: “I have found no evidence for the Prophet’s hearing of the salaam of those who greet him at his grave”! This is one of his greater enormities and the essence of innovation and deviation. On the hearing of the Prophet in the grave see also al-Nabahani, Shawahid al-Haqq (p. 283-285).

Allah bless and greet the Prophet, his Family, and all his Companions. Wal-hamdu lillahi Rabb al-`alamin.

Hajj Gibril

GF Haddad ©
[2000-06-11]

 

The Meaning of Bid’a

Two of the best works to date on the precise definition of bid’a are ‘Abd al-Hayy al-Lucknawi’s Tuhfa al-Akhyar – with its commentary by his student Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda – and Sayyid ‘Abd Allah Mahfuz al-Haddad’s al-Sunna wa al-Bid’a in which the latter adduces more than three hundred and fifty narrations of the Prophet and the Companions — Allah be well-pleased with them — in refutation of the “Salafi” author Muhammad al-Shuqayri and his book entitled al-Sunna wa al-Mubtada’at. In the latter book al-Shuqayri displays blind fanaticism and attacks the scholars of the Community as innovators on the misconceived basis of the hadith of the Prophet :

Every new matter (kullu muhdathatin) is an innovation (bid’a), every innovation is misguidance (dalala), and every misguidance is in the Fire.1

Al-Shuqayri misconstrued the above hadith in disregard of the Prophet’s hadith concerning the variances of scholars:

If the judge (al-hakim) rules by exerting his mind and hits the mark, he has two rewards; if he rules by exerting his mind and misses the mark, he has but one reward.2

Yet the near-totality of the scholars, including Ibn Taymiyya, have understood, in the light of the hadith of the mujtahid’s reward and contrary to the claims of latter-day “Salafis,” that the findings of ijtihad on the principles of the Sunna is part of the Law and not an innovation in the Religion. As Sayyid ‘Ali ibn Muhammad Ba ‘Alawi said in his introduction to al-Haddad’s al-Sunna wa al-Bid’a:

All of the imams are correctly guided and have their reward with Allah for their inferences and individual exertions in their diligent pursuit of the truth…. As for the likes of [Muhammad al-Shuqayri] the author of al-Sunan wa al-Mubtada’at, their entire knowledge is limited to one hadith of the Prophet , “Every new matter is an innovation,” while they toss away every other hadith of his that indicate the procurement of every good and provide the rulings that concern all new matters…. Whereas what is meant by the hadith “Every new matter is an innovation” is the innovation that contravene the texts of the Law. That, and that alone, is the innovation of misguidance.3

Sayyid ‘Ali and Sayyid ‘Abd Allah go on to cite several verses of the Qur’an as proofs for the lexical understanding of words denoting universal inclusivity such as kull (”every”), each of which allowing for exceptions to the rule of all-inclusiveness, which indicates, among other lexical facts, that kull in Arabic may mean “most” or “very many” and not necessarily “all without exception”:

* (We opened unto them the gates of all (kull) things( (6:44) except the gates of divine mercy.

* (Destroying all (kull) things by commandment of its Lord( (46:25) except the dwellings, and also the mountains, the heavens, and the earth;

* (And she has been given (abundance) of all (kull) things( (27:23) except Sulayman’s ( throne;

* (And that man has only that for which he makes effort( (53:39) although there are proofs that reach the level of mass transmission in meaning (tawatur ma’nawee) whereby the Muslim can benefit from the deeds of others among his brethren and the supplication of theangels, in evidence of which Ibn Taymiyya gathered over twenty proofs which were quoted by al-Jamal in his supercommentary on Tafsir al-Jalalayn for this verse.

* (Those unto whom men (al-nas) said: Lo! the people (al-nas) have gathered against you( (3:173), in which case both mentions of al-nas patently refer to a limited number and not to the totality of human beings.

* (Lo! you (idolaters) and that (ma) which you worship beside Allah are fuel of hell( (21:98) but ‘Isa (, his mother, and the angels, although they were all worshipped beside Allah, are not meant by this verse.

* (And consult with them upon the conduct of affairs( (3:159). Ibn ‘Abbas said: “That is: in some of the affairs.”4 The Prophet did not consult them for law-giving and legal rulings.

* (That every (kull) soul may be rewarded for that which it strives (to achieve)( (20:15), “every soul” in the sense of what Allah does not forgive, but as for what He forgives, it is excluded from the expression of universality.

The terminology of the scholars of usul for the lexical and juridical rule applied in the above examples is “the universal [mentioned] in the sense of the specific” (al-’umum bi ma’na al-khusus). Following are examples of this rule in the hadith:

* The Prophet sent a military detachment under the command of one of the Companions after ordering those who were with him to obey him faithfully. In the course of the expedition the commander became angry with them. He lit a fire and ordered them to enter it. They refused, saying: “We have fled to Allah’s Messenger to get away from the fire (fararna ila Rasulillahi min al-nar)!” When the Prophet heard about the incident he said: “Had they entered it they would not have come out of it until the Day of Resurrection. Obedience is only in good matters.”5

* Similarly, the verse (Obey Allah, and obey the messenger and those of you who are in authority( (4:59), although couched in absolute terms, in meant in abolute terms for Allah and His Messenger but in conditional terms for (those of you who are in authority( as stipulated by the Prophet’s hadith: “No obedience whatsoever is due to creatures in disobedience of Allah.”6

* The Prophet said: “Every human being shall be consumed by the earth but for the coccyx (’ajbal-dhanab).”7 Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said: “The letter of this hadith and its general meaning necessitate that human beings are all undifferentiated in this case, except that it was narrated that the earth does not consume the bodies of Prophets and martyrs.”8

* The Prophet forbade the abandonment (al-hajr) of one Muslim by another for a period of over three days.9 Yet he ordered the Muslims to ostracize the three Companions who had stayed back during the campaign of Tabuk, and this ostracism lasted for fifty days as narrated by Ka’b ibn Malik al-Ansari – one of the three – in Bukhari’s Sahih.10 Thus the hadith of prohibition bears specific interpretations.

* The Prophet said: “Truly, this black seed (al-habba al-sawda’) is a cure for every (kull) disease except death.”11 The consensus of the commentators is that the universal was named in the sense of the specific in this hadith to mean that many diseases are cured by the black seed, although an all-inclusive wording was used.

* The Prophet said: “None shall enter Hellfire who prays before sunrise and before sunset.”12 This hadith is worded all-inclusively although it is not meant to include those who abandon the prayers of zuhr, maghrib, and ‘isha’. Ibn Hajar confirmed al-Tibi’s ruling that sound germane narrations must be taken together as one hadith, the general being modified in light of the specific (yuhmalu mutlaquha ‘ala muqayyaduha) so that practice can conform with the totality of their contents.13

Following are some illustrations of the Companions’ innovations on the basis of individual ijtihad on the principles of the Sunna:

* The Prophet said to Bilal — Allah be well-pleased with him — at the time of the dawn prayer: “O Bilal, tell me about the deed for which you are most hopeful for reward in Islam, for, truly I heard the sound of your sandals in Paradise.” He replied: “I did not do anything for which I am more hopeful of reward except the fact that I never perform ablution in the day or night without praying what I must pray after such ablution.”14 In another version Bilal says: “I never raised adhan except I prayed two rak’as afterwards, nor did I ever lose my ritual purity except I performed ablution then prayed the two rak’as I owed Allah,” whereupon the Prophet said bihima, meaning “With these two acts [you entered Paradise].”15 Ibn Hajar said: “This hadith signifies that ijtihad is permissible concerning timing in acts of worship.”16

* Similar to the above evidence is the hadith of the Companion Khubayb ibn Isaf or Yasaf al-Ansari — Allah be well-pleased with him — who, when he was captured by the disbelievers of Quraysh, asked to pray two rak’as before his execution as narrated in two places by Abu Hurayra — Allah be well-pleased with him — in Bukhari’s Sahih. Abu Hurayra then added: “Khubayb was the first to innovate (sanna) the two rak’as for each and every Muslim who is to be executed by his enemies.” The general rule for acts of worship, particularly prayer, is spelled out by the Prophet in his hadith al-salatu khayru mawdu’in fa aqlil minha aw istakthir: “Prayer is an immense good. Therefore, pray a little, or [if you can] pray a lot.”17 Although this hadith is weak, it is agreed upon among the jurists of Ahl al-Sunna that the best type of physical worship (’ibada al-badan) is prayer on the evidence of the divine order (Bow down and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord, and do good( (22:77) as elucidated by the Prophet’s hadith: “Know that the best of your good deeds is prayer.”18

* The Companion Rifa’a ibn Rafi’ al-Zurqi’s innovated invocation at the time the Prophet was leading the sunset prayer and said: “May Allah hear whoever praises Him!” whereupon Rifa’a said: “Our Lord! To You belongs all praise, abundant, excellent, and blessed!” Later, the Prophet asked who had said this and declared that the angels were competing to be the first to write it down.19 Ibn Hajar said: “From this hadith can be inferred the permissibility of innovating (jawaz ihdath) an invocation inside sala other than what is received from the Prophet as long as it does not contradict what is received from the Prophet .”20

* Similar to the above evidence is the hadith whereby a Companion came late to join the ranks of the people at prayer and opened his prayer with the words: Allahu akbar kabeeran wa al-hamdu lillahi katheeran wa subhan Allahi bukratan wa aseela

Allah is greater and truly great! Praise belongs to Allah abundantly! Glory to Allah morning and evening!

After prayer the Prophet asked who had said this. The man identified himself saying: “O Messenger of Allah! I did not intend by it other than good.” The Prophet said: “I saw the gates of heaven open because of those words.” Ibn ‘Umar added in his narration: “I never stopped saying them since I heard the Prophet say this.”21

There are numerous additional verses and sound hadiths that similarly illustrate the above principles. It is therefore a mark of profound ignorance of the foundations of the Law and of the Islamic sciences – in fact a patent contravention of the practice of the Salaf and Khalaf of Ahl al-Sunna – to interpret the hadith “Every new matter is an innovation” in the absolute sense and refuse to subject it to the established rules provided by the Sharee’a in such a case.

Imam al-Nawawi in Sharh Sahih Muslim said of the hadith “Every new matter is an innovation”:

This is an universal rule understood specifically (ammun makhsus). What is meant by it is new matters that are not validated by the Sharee’a. That – and that alone – is what is meant by innovations (al-bida’).22

Similarly, Abu Bakr ibn al-’Arabi in his commentary on al-Tirmidhi’s narration of the hadith “Beware of newfangled matters” (iyyakum wa muhdathat al-umur) said:

Know – may Allah teach you! – that a newfangled matter is one of two kinds: a new matter that has no foundation except lust and whim, and this is definitely invalid; or, a new matter that corresponds to something already there, and that is the Sunna of the Caliphs and the great Imams. Nor do the terms “new matter” (muhdath) and “innovation” (bid’a) in themselves denote blameworthy terminology nor blameworthy meanings. For Allah said: (Never comes there unto them a new reminder (dhikrun muhdath) from their Lord but they listen to it while they play( (21:2), and ‘Umar — Allah be well-pleased with him — said: “What a wonderful innovation (bid’a) is this!”23 The only blameworthy innovation is what contravenes the Sunna, and the only blameworthy new matter is what leads to misguidance.24

NOTES

1. Narrated from Jabir by al-Nasa’i with a fair chain and from Ibn Mas’ud by Ibn Majah with a weak chain. The hadith is sound in Muslim’s narration from Jabir with the wording: “Every new matter is an innovation and every innovation is misguidance” without mention of the Fire. Ibn Taymiyya stated in his epistle Minhaj al-Usul in Majmu’ al-Fatawa (19:191) that the phrase “every misguidance is in the Fire” is not a sound (saheeh) narration from the Prophet . See the discussion of the various narrations of that hadith adduced by Abu Ghudda and the latter’s confirmation of Ibn Taymiyya’s remark in his appendices on al-Lucknawi’s Tuhfa al-Abrar (p. 139-144).

2.Narrated from both ‘Amr ibn al-’As and Abu Hurayra by Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad. 3In Al-Haddad, al-Sunna wa al-Bid’a (p. 5-6).

4.Narrated by Sa’id ibn Mansur, al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad, and Ibn al-Mundhir with a fair chain as stated by al-Suyuti in al-Durr al-Manthur for this verse.

5.Narrated from ‘Ali by Bukhari and Muslim.

6.Narrated from ‘Ali, Ibn Mas’ud, and ‘Imran ibn Husayn by Ahmad in his Musnad with sound chains.

7.Narrated from Abu Hurayra by Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, al-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, Ahmad, and Malik in al-Muwatta’.

8.Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, al-Tamhid (18:173). See Appendix 25, “The Prophets in Barzakh” (p. 455).

9.Narrated from Anas by Bukhari, al-Tirmidhi, Malik, Abu Dawud, and al-Nasa’i.

10.The hadith is translated in Shaykh Hisham Kabbani’s Encyclopedia in the section listing the hadiths of the Companions’ kissing of the Prophet’s hand.

11.Narrated from ‘A’isha and Abu Hurayra by Bukhari, Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad through nineteen chains. Al-Zuhri said: “The black seed is black cumin (al-shuneez).” It is also named Indian cumin, fennel-flower; corn cockle, and wild savager.

12.Narrated from ‘Amara ibn Ru’ayba al-Thaqafi by Muslim, al-Nasa’i, Abu Dawud, and Ahmad.

13.In Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 11:271 #6080).

14.Narrated from Abu Hurayra by Bukhari, Muslim, and Ahmad.

15.Narrated from Burayda al-Aslami by al-Tirmidhi (hasan saheeh ghareeb) and al-Hakim, who declared it saheeh and al-Dhahabi concurred.

16.In Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 3:63 #1098).

17.Al-salatu khayrun mawdu’un. Narrated from Abu Dharr by Ahmad in his Musnad with three weak chains although al-Zayn declares one of them fair (16:259 #22189), by al-Quda’i in Musnad al-Shihab (1:378 #651), al-Hakim who declared it saheeh but al-Dhahabi pointed out that its chain contains Yahya ibn Sa’id Abu Zakariyya al-Sa’di al-Basri who is weak as per Ibn ‘Adi in al-Kamil fi al-Du’afa’ (7:244 #2142), by al-Bazzar in his Musnad and, as part of a very long hadith, by Abu Nu’aym in al-Hilya and Ibn Hibban in his Sahih with a very weak chain as stated by al-Arna’ut (2:76 #361); also narrated from Abu Hurayra by al-Tabarani in al-Awsat with a weak chain as indicated byal-Haythami, and from Abu Umama by Ahmad and al-Tabarani in al-Kabir (8:217 #7871) with a weak chain as stated by al-Haythami in Majma’ al-Zawa’id (1:159). Ibn Hajar indicates its weakness in Talkhis al-Habir (1964 ed. 2:21 #542) and Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 2:480 #946). 18Narrated as part of a longer hadith from Thawban with sound chains by Ibn Majah and Ahmad. Malik cites it in his Muwatta’.

19.Narrated from Rifa’a by Bukhari, al-Nasa’i, Ahmad, and Malik.

20.In Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 2:287 #766).

21.Narrated from Ibn ‘Umar by Muslim, al-Tirmidhi (hasan saheeh ghareeb), al-Nasa’i with two chains, and Ahmad with several chains in his Musnad. One of al-Nasa’i’s versions has: “I saw twelve angels compete for it,” while two of Ahmad’s versions have: “I saw your words ascend to heaven until a door was opened and they entered.” 22Al-nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim (1972 ed. 6:154).

23.Narrated from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Abd al-Qari by Bukhari and Malik in his Muwatta’.

24.Ibn al-’Arabi, ‘Arida al-Ahwadhi, Book of Knowledge, Chapter entitled “Concerning Conformity to Sunna and the Avoidance of Innovation” (Ma ja’a fi al-akhdhi bi al-Sunna wa ijtinab al-Bid’a).

GF Haddad

 

The Light of the Prophet

From Shaykh M. Hisham Kabbani’s book “The 555 beautiful names of the Prophet” (Forthcoming).

72. al-Nur: The Light.

There are three verses in the Qur’an which mention the Prophet as a light.

Allah said: “From Allah has come to you a Light and a Book manifest.” (5:15)

Qadi `Iyad said: “He [the Prophet] was named a Light because of the clarity of his case and the fact that his Prophecy was made manifest, and also because of the illumination of the hearts of the believers and the knowers of Allah with what he brought.”

Suyuti in Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Fayruzabadi in the Tafsir Ibn `Abbas entitled Tanwir al-miqbas (p. 72), Shaykh al-Islam, Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, the Mujaddid of the sixth century, in his Tafsir al-kabir (11:189), Qadi Baydawi in his Tafsir entitled Anwar al-tanzil, al-Baghawi in his Tafsir entitled Ma`alim al- tanzil (2:23), Imam al-Shirbini in his Tafsir entitled al-Siraj al- munir (p. 360), the author of Tafsir Abi Sa`ud (4:36), and Thana’ullah Pani Patti in his Tafsir al-mazhari, (3:67) said: “What is meant by a Light is: Muhammad, Blessings and peace upon him.”

Ibn Jarir al-Tabari in his Tafsir jami` al-bayan (6:92) said: “There has come to you a Light from Allah: He means by the Light: Muhammad, Blessings and peace upon him, by means of whom Allah has illuminated the truth, brought forth Islam, and obliterated idolatry. Therefore he (the Prophet) is a light for those who have been enlightened by him and by his exposition of truth.”

al-Khazin in his Tafsir (2:28) similarly says: “There has come to you a Light from Allah means: Muhammad, Blessings and peace upon him. Allah called him a light for no other reason than that one is guided by him (Muhammad) in the same way that one is guided by light in darkness.”

al-Nasafi in his commentary entitled Tafsir al-Madarik (1:276) and al-Qasimi in his Mahasin al-ta’wil (6:1921) similarly say: “There has come to you a Light from Allah: this is the light of Muhammad, Blessings and peace upon him, because one is guided by him. Similarly he has been called a lamp (siraj).”

Imam Ahmad al-Sawi similarly said in his supercommentary on Tafsir al-Jalalayn (1:258): “There has come to you a Light from Allah: that Light is the Prophet, Blessings and peace upon him. He was named a light because he enlightens the sight and guides it to the correct path; and also because he is the root of every light whether material or spiritual.” We will return to the latter statement below insha Allah.

Sayyid Mahmud al-Alusi in his commentary entitled Tafsir Ruh al-Ma`ani (6:97) similarly says: “There has come to you a Light from Allah: that is, an immense light which is the Light of Lights and the Elect among all Prophets, Blessings and peace upon him.”

Isma`il al-Haqqi in his supercommentary on Alusi entitled Tafsir ruh al-bayan (2:370) similarly said: “There has come to you a Light from Allah and a Book that makes all things manifest: It is said that the meaning of the former is the Messenger, Blessings and peace upon him, and the latter is the Qur’an… The Messenger is called a Light because the first thing which Allah brought forth from the darkness of oblivion with the light of His power was the light of Muhammad, Blessings and peace upon him, as he (the Prophet) said: The first thing Allah created is my light.” This narration is addressed below.

Of particular note is the fact that the Mu`tazilis insisted that the Light in verse 5:15 referred only to the Qur’an and not to the Prophet. Alusi said in the continuation of the passage quoted above: “Abu `Ali al-Jubba’i said that the light concerns the Qur’an because the Qur’an discloses and brings forth the paths of guidance and certitude. al-Zamakhshari [in al-Kashshaf 1:601] also contented himself with this explanation.” Further elaboration on these two sources is given by Shah `Abd al-`Aziz al-Multani in his al-Nabras (p. 28-29): “al-Kashshaf proclaims itself Father of the Mu`tazila… Abu `Ali al-Jubba’i is the Muhammad ibn `Abd al- Wahhab of the Mu`tazila of Basra.” The similarity of the Mu`tazila with the Wahhabis and “Salafis” of modern times is pointed out by Imam Kawthari in many places in his Maqalat, where he shows that as in the case of the Mu`tazila, the Wahhabis’ denial of the characteristics of the awliya’ camouflages a denial of those of the Prophets.

There is a notable explanation among Ahl al-Sunna which ascribes the meaning of the Prophet to both the Light and the Book. al-Sayyid al-Alusi said in Ruh al-ma`ani (6:97): “I do not consider it far-fetched that what is meant by both the Light and the Manifest Book is the Prophet, the conjunction being in the same way as what was said by al-Jubba’i [in that that both the Light and the Book were the Qur'an]. There is no doubt that all can be said to refer to the Prophet. Perhaps you will be reluctant to accept this from the viewpoint of expression (`ibara); then let it be from the viewpoint of subtle allusion (ishara).”

al-Qari said in Sharh al-shifa’ (1:505, Mecca ed.): “It has also been said that both the Light and the Book refer to Muhammad, because just as he is a tremendous light and the source of all lights, he is also a book that gathers up and makes clear all the secrets.” He also said (1:114, Madina ed.): “And what objection is there to predicate both nouns to the Prophet, since he is in truth an immense Light due to the perfection of his appearance among all light, and he is a Manifest Book since he gathers up the totality of secrets and he makes evident all laws, situations, and alternatives.”

Allah said: “The likeness of His light is as a niche wherein is a Lamp (the lamp in a glass, the glass as it were a glittering star) kindled from a Blessed Tree, an olive that is neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil wellnigh would shine, even if no fire touched it; Light upon Light.” (24:35)

Suyuti said in al-Riyad al-aniqa: Ibn Jubayr and Ka`b al- Ahbar said: “What is meant by the second light is the Prophet because he is the Messenger and the Expositor and the Conveyor from Allah of what is enlightening and manifest.” Ka`b said: “Its oil wellnigh would shine because the Prophet wellnigh would be known to the people even if he did not say that he was a Prophet, just as that oil would send forth light without a fire.”

Ibn Kathir comments on this verse in his Tafsir by citing the report through Ibn `Atiyya whereby Ka`b al-Ahbar explained Allah’s words: yakadu zaytuha yudi’u wa law lam tamsashu nar as meaning: “Muhammad is nearly manifest as a Prophet to people, even if he did not declare it.”

Qadi `Iyad said in al-Shifa’ (English p. 135): Niftawayh said regarding the words of Allah: “Its oil almost gives light when no fire has touched it” (24:35): “This is the likeness that Allah has made of His Prophet. He said that the meaning of the ayat was that this face almost indicated his Prophethood even before he had received the Qur’an, as Ibn Rawaha said:

Even if there had not been clear signs among us,
His face would have told you the news.”

Among those who said that the meaning of mathalu nurihi — the likeness of His Light — is the Prophet Muhammad, upon him blessings and peace: Ibn Jarir al-Tabari in his Tafsir (18:95), Qadi `Iyad in al-Shifa’, al-Baghawi in Ma`alim al-Tanzil (5:63) in the margin of al-Khazin, from Sa`id ibn Hubayr and al-Dahhak, al- Khazin in his Tafsir (5:63) Suyuti in al-Durr al-manthur (5:49), Zarqani in Sharh al-mawahib (3:171), al-Khafaji in Nasim al-riyad (1:110, 2:449).

al-Nisaburi in Ghara’ib al-Qur’an (18:93) said: “The Prophet is a light and a light-giving lamp.”

al-Qari in Sharh al-shifa’ said: “The most apparent meaning is to say that what is meant by the light is Muhammad.”

Allah said: “O Prophet! Truly We have sent you as a Witness, a Bearer of glad tidings, and a Warner, and as one who invites to Allah by His leave, and as a Lamp spreading Light.” (33:45- 46)

Qadi al-Baydawi said in his Tafsir: “It is the sun due to His saying: We have made the sun a lamp; or, it could be a lamp.”

Ibn Kathir states in his Tafsir: “His saying: and a light- giving lamp, that is: your status shows in the truth you have brought just as the sun shows in its rising and illuminating, which none denies except the obdurate.”

Raghib al-Asfahani in al-Mufradat (1:147) said: “The word [lamp] is used for everything that illumines.”

al-Zarqani in Sharh al-mawahib (3:171) said: “He was named lamp because from the one lamp take the many lamps, and its light is no wise diminished.”

`Abd Allah ibn Rawaha al-Ansari — the great-grandson of the poet Imru’ al-Qays — said of the Prophet:

law lam takun fihi ayatun mubina
lakana manzaruhu yunabbi’uka bi al-khabari

Even if there were not, concerning him, clear and evident signs, yet the sight of him would have told you the news.

Ibn Hajar narrated it in al-Isaba (2:299) and said: “This is the most beautiful verse of poetry by which the Prophet was ever praised.” Ibn Sayyid al-Nas said of him in Minah al-madh (p. 166):

He was killed as a martyr on the day of Mu’ta in Jumada 8 before the conquest of Mecca. On that day he was one of the commanders. He was one of the poets who did good and who used to fend off harm from Allah’s Messenger. It was concerning him and his two friends Hassan (ibn Thabit) and Ka`b (ibn Zuhayr) that was revealed the verse: “Except those who believe and do good deeds and remember Allah abundantly.” (The Poets 26:227).

Hisham ibn `Urwa narrated from his father that the latter said: I never saw anyone more aggressive or faster in his poetry than `Abd Allah ibn Rawaha. I heard Allah’s Messenger say to him one day: “Recite some poetry appropriate to the moment, while I look at you.” He rose up then and there and said:

inni tafarrastu fika al-khayra a`rifuhu
wallahu ya`lamu anna ma khanani al-basaru
anta al-nabiyyu wa man yuhramu shafa`atahu
yawma al-hisabi laqad azra bihi al-qadaru
fa thabbat allahu ma ataka min hasanin
tathbita musa wa nasran kalladhi nusiru

I foresee for you immense good, of this I am certain.
Allah knows that my sight never betrayed me.
You are the Prophet, and whoever is deprived of your intercession
On the Day of Reckoning, his destiny is disgrace.
May Allah make firm all the good that He gave you,
With a firmness like Musa’s and the same victory.

Upon hearing this the Prophet said to him: “And you also, may Allah make you firm, O Ibn Rawaha.” Hisham ibn `Urwa continued: Allah indeed made him firm with the staunchest firmness. he died as a martyr, and Paradise was opened for him and he entered it.

As an attribute of Allah it is Dhu al-Nur which means the Creator of light and the Illuminator of the heavens and the earth with His lights, as well as the illuminator of the hearts of the believers with guidance. Nawawi said in Sharh Sahih Muslim, in his commentary on the Prophet’s du`a which begins: “O Allah, you are the light of the heavens and the earth and yours is all praise…” (Book of Salat al-musafirin #199):

The scholars said that the meaning of “You are the light of the heavens and the earth” is: You are the One who illuminates them and the Creator of their light. Abu `Ubayda said: “Its meaning is that by Your light the dwellers of the heavens and the earth obtain guidance.” al- Khattabi said in his commentary on Allah’s name al-Nur: “It means the One by Whose light the blind can see and the lost can be guided, whence Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth, and it is possible that the meaning of al-Nur is: Dhu al-nur, and it is incorrect that al-Nur be an attribute of Allah’s Essence, for it is only an attribute of action (sifatu fi`l), that is: He is the Creator of light.” Others said: “The meaning of the light of the heavens and the earth is: The disposer of their sun and moon and stars.”

Ibn `Umar narrated that the Prophet said: “Allah the Exalted created creation in a darkness (fi zulmatin); then He cast upon them from His Light. Whoever was touched by that Light, he is guided, and whoever was missed by it is misguided. Therefore I say that the Pen is dry (and all is) in Allah’s foreknowledge.”

Narrated by Tirmidhi with a good chain in the Sunan (hasan), Ahmad in two places in his Musnad, Tabarani, al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, and Bayhaqi in the Sunan al-kubra. Ibn `Arabi al-Maliki in his commentary on Tirmidhi entitled `Aridat al- ahwadhi (10:108) confirmed the latter’s grading and comments on the hadith: “It is clear from it that each one receives of that Light to the extent of what he has been granted out of the general and the specific… in the heart and in the limbs.”

The above hadith and its explanation by Qadi Ibn al-`Arabi show that the characteristic of Believers is light, and the Prophet is the first of the Believers and the one who can be more than anybody else characterized as light — including the angels who are formed of light — and only someone deficient in their belief would deny that he was assuredly the first and the foremost of all creation to be touched by Allah’s light when He cast it, to an extent in which no angel, no Prophet, and no jinn rivals him.

The above brings to light the pitfalls of the literalism of Ibn Taymiyya when he claimed in his essay on tasawwuf in Majmu`at al-fatawa (11:94, 18:366) that the Prophet could not possibly be made of light on the grounds that human beings are created from earth into which the spirit is blown, while angels alone are created from light. To support his view, he cites the hadith from `A’isha in Muslim whereby the Prophet said:

“The angels were created from light, the jinn from smokeless fire, and Adam from what was described to you (i.e. in the Qur’an).”

However, to deduce from the above that a human being can never be characterized as a light is precisely what Iblis presumed when he disobeyed Allah on the pretense that smokeless fire is a nobler and higher element than earth. Furthermore, it contradicts the authentic hadith of Ibn `Umar narrated by Tirmidhi instead of elucidating it as would be required for a correct and comprehensive understanding of the subject.

The correct view is that Prophets are a brand of human beings superior to the angels with respect to the light and the other gifts bestowed on them by Allah, whether general or particular, in their hearts or in their limbs, to use Ibn al-`Arabi al-Maliki’s language. This is explicited by Qadi `Iyad in al-Shifa’ (English p. 277-278) with regard to the Prophets’ angelic inward qualities:

Prophets and Messengers are intermediaries between Allah and His creation. They convey His commands and prohibitions, His warning and threat to His creatures and they acquaint them with things they did not know regarding His command, creation, majesty, power and His Malakut. Their outward form, bodies and structure are characterized by the qualities of men as far as non-essential matters such as illnesses, death and passing away are concerned and they have human traits.

But their souls and inward parts have the highest possible human qualities, associated with the Highest Assembly, which are similar to angelic attributes, free of any possibility of alteration or evil. Generally speaking the incapacity and weakness connected with being human cannot be associated with them. If their inward parts had been human in the same way as their outward, they would not have been able to receive revelation from the angels, see them, mix and sit with them in the way other mortals are unable to do.

If their bodies and outward parts had been marked by angelic attributes as opposed to human attributes, the mortals to whom they were sent would not have been able to speak with them as Allah has already said. Thus they have the aspect of men as far as their bodies and outward parts are concerned, and that of angels in respect of their souls and inward parts.

It is doubtful that Ibn Taymiyya did not understand the aspects of the question elaborated by Qadi `Iyad. In fact, after denying that Prophets are made of light like the angels, Ibn Taymiyya goes to state the known position of Ahl al-Sunna that Prophets — chief among them the Seal of Prophets — manifest a rank not reached by the angels:

Allah manifests some of His Power and Wisdom through righteous human beings, saints and prophets, which He does not manifest through the angels, for He combines in the former group qualities which are scattered among other creation. Thus He creates the man’s body from the Earth and his spirit from the Highest Company, and this is why it is said, “Man is a microcosm, and a copy of the greater Universe.”

Muhammad is the Chief of the Children of Adam, the Best of Creation, the noblest of them in the sight of Allah. This is why some have said that “Allah created the Universe due to him,” or that “Were it not for him, He would have neither created a Throne, nor a Footstool, nor a heaven, earth, sun or moon.” However, this is not a hadith on the authority of the Prophet… but it may be explained from a correct aspect.

Ibn Taymiyya goes on to elaborate his proofs for the truth of the saying that Allah created the Universe due to the Prophet, and we have quoted the continuation of his discourse above, in the chapter on the names Muhammad and Ahmad (#1-2).

The Companion `Abd al-Rahman ibn `Awf recited the following poetry about the Prophet:

ala anna khayra al-nasi fi al-ardi kullihimi
nabiyyun jala `anna shukuka al-tarajjumi
nabiyyun ata wa al-nasu fi `unjuhiyyatin
wa fi sadafin fi zulmati al-kufri mu`timi
fa aqsha`a bi al-nuri al-mudi’i zalamahu
wa sa`adahu fi amrihi kullu muslimi

Verily, the best of all humankind on the earth is a Prophet
who removed from us the doubts of skepticism,
A Prophet who came while people were wrapped in haughtiness
and in the pitch-black darkness of the night of disbelief:
Whereupon he dispelled this darkness with abundant light
and in this matter he was helped by each of those who submitted.

Ibn Sayyid al-Nas narrated it in Minah al-madh (p. 176).

The Prophet’s uncle al-`Abbas ibn `Abd al-Muttalib said to him: “O Messenger of Allah, I wish to praise you.” The Prophet replied: “Go ahead — nay, may Allah adorn your mouth with silver!” He said:

Before you came to this world you were blessed in the shadows and in the repository (i.e. loins) in the time when they (Adam and Eve) covered themselves with leaves. Then you descended to the earth, neither as a human being, nor as a piece of flesh, nor as a clot, But as a drop that boarded the ark when the flood destroyed the eagle and the rest of the idols: A drop that progressed from the loins to the wombs in the succession of the worlds and the heavens Until the Preserver of All made your immense honor issue in the highest summit of the line of Khindif. And then, when you were born, a light rose over the earth until it illuminated the horizon with its radiance. We are in that illumination and that original light and those paths of guidance — and thanks to them pierce through.

Ibn Sayyid al-Nas narrated it with his isnad through al- Tabarani and al-Bazzar in Minah al-madh (p. 192-193), also Ibn Kathir in al-Sira al-nabawiyya (ed. Mustafa `Abd al-Wahid 4:51), and `Ali al-Qari in his Sharh al-Shifa’ (1:364) says it is narrated by Abu Bakr al-Shafi`i and Tabarani, and cited by Ibn `Abd al-Barr in al-Isti`ab and Ibn al-Qayyim in Zad al-ma`ad.

The Companions many times compared the Prophet to a light or a harbinger of light, particularly a sun and a moon, chief among them his poet, Hassan ibn Thabit al-Ansari:

tarahhala `an qawmin faddalat `uqulahum
wa halla `ala qawmin bi nurin mujaddadi

He left a people who preferred their minds over him and he dawned on a people with a light made new.

mata yabdu fi al-daji al-bahimi jabinuhu
yaluhu mithla misbahi al-duja al-mutawaqqidi

Whenever his forehead emerged in pitch-black darkness
it would shine like the blazing luminary of dark night.

Bayhaqi narrated the two verses in Dala’il al-nubuwwa (1:280, 302). The latter verse is also narrated Ibn `Abd al-Barr in al-Isti`ab (1:341) and al-Zarqani in Sharh al-mawahib (1:91).

Abu `Ubayda ibn Muhammad ibn `Ammar ibn Yasir said: I said to al-Rubayyi` bint Mu`awwadh: “Describe for me Allah’s Messenger.” She replied: “If you saw him you would say: The sun is rising.”

Bayhaqi narrates it with his isnad in Dala’il al-nubuwwa (1:200), and Haythami in Majma` al-zawa’id (8:280) says that Tabarani narrates it in al-Mu`jam al-kabir and al-Awsat and that its narrators have been declared trustworthy.

Ka`b ibn Malik said: “I greeted the Prophet and there was lightning in his face. Whenever the Prophet was happy, his face would be illuminated as if it were a piece of the moon.”

Bukhari and Muslim narrated it, as well as Ahmad in his Musnad. Bayhaqi in Dala’il al-nubuwwa (1:301) relates these descriptions of the Prophet by the Companions and others:

When the Prophet left Mecca and emigrated to Madina his aunt, `Atika bint `Abd al-Muttalib, recited the following — although, Bayhaqi said, she still followed the religion of the Quraysh:

`aynayya juda bi al-dumu`i al-sawajimi
`ala al-murtada kal-badri min ali Hashimi

My eyes have overflowed with streaming tears shed
for the Uniquely Chosen One, the Full Moon
of the House of Hashim.

Abu Bakr al-Siddiq described the Prophet thus:

aminun mustafa li al-khayri yad`u
ka daw’i al-badri zayalahu al-zalamu

A trustworthy one, chosen, calling to goodness,
Resembling the light of the full moon set off from darkness.

While `Umar would recite the following:

law kunta min shay’in siwa basharin
kunta al-mudi’a li laylat al-badri

If you were anything other than a human being
You would be the light in the night of a full moon.

Bayhaqi narrated the above in Dala’il al-nubuwwa (1:301- 302) and relates that `Umar added after saying the above: “The Prophet was like this, and no one other than he was like this.” See the complete text of `Atika bint `Abd al-Muttalib’s praise below (#545-550).

Jami` ibn Shaddad said: One of our men was called Tariq. [al- Qari: "This is Ibn Shihab Abu `Abd Allah al-Muharibi, a Companion who narrated from the Prophet.] He related that he had seen the Prophet at Madina and the Prophet had asked: “Do you have anything with you to sell?” We replied: “This camel.” The Prophet said: “How much?” We said: “So many wasqs [about 240 double-handed scoops] of date.” He took its rein and went to Madina. Tariq and his companion said: “We have sold to a man and we do not even know who he is!” One of the women with us said: “I will guarantee the price of the camel. I saw the face of a man like the full moon. He will not cheat you.” In the morning, a man brought us the dates and said: “I am the messenger of the Messenger of Allah. He bids you eat of these dates and weigh until you have full weight.” We did so.

Qadi `Iyad narrates it in al-Shifa’ (English p. 135). Suyuti in Manahil al-safa (p. 114 #515) and al-Qari in Sharh al-shifa’ (1:525) refer it to al-Bayhaqi.

Ibn `Abbas related that the Prophet said while in prostration:
“O Allah, place light in my heart, light in my hearing, light in my sight, light on my right, light on my left, light in front of me, light behind me, light above me, light below me, and make light for me,” or he said: “Make me light.” Salama said: I met Kurayb and he reported Ibn Abbas as saying: “I was with my mother’s sister Maymuna when the Messenger of Allah came there, and then he narrated the rest of the hadith as was narrated by Ghundar and said the words: “Make me light,” beyond any doubt.

Muslim narrates it in his Sahih, book of Salat al- musafirin. Imam Ahmad in his Musnad also narrates it with a strong chain, but with the reverse order of the first narration cited above, resulting in the wording: “… and make me light,” or he said: “Make light for me.” Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari (1989 ed. 11:142) mentions a narration in Ibn Abi `Asim’s Kitab al-du`a which states: “And grant me light upon light” (wa hab li nuran `ala nur). There are many sound narrations of this hadith mentioning other parts of the Prophet’s person. Ibn Hajar states that Abu Bakr ibn al-`Arabi numbered the items for which the Prophet supplicated for light in himself at twenty-five in the totality of the sound narrations of that hadith. Among them are:

Light in the Prophet’s heart
Light in the Prophet’s tongue
Light in the Prophet’s hearing
Light in the Prophet’s eyesight
Light in the Prophet’s six directions: right, left, front, back,
above, and below
Light in the Prophet’s soul
Light in the Prophet’s chest
Light in the Prophet’s sinew
Light in the Prophet’s flesh
Light in the Prophet’s blood
Light in the Prophet’s hair
Light in the Prophet’s skin
Light in the Prophet’s bones
Light in the Prophet’s grave
“Enhance light for me.”
“Give me abundant light.”
“Give me light upon light.”
“Make me light.”

The Prophet first appeared to his mother in the form of a light that lit the world for her until she could see the palaces of Syria from her place in Mecca:

`Irbad ibn Sariya and Abu Imama said that the Prophet said: ” I am the supplication of my father Ibrahim, and the good tidings of my brother `Isa. The night I was delivered my mother saw a light that lit the castles of Damascus so that she could see them.”

It is narrated by al-Hakim in his Mustadrak (2:616-617), Ahmad in his Musnad (4:184), and Bayhaqi in Dala’il al-nubuwwa (1:110, 2:8). Ibn al-Jawzi cites it in al-Wafa’ (p. 91, ch. 21 of Bidayat nabiyyina sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), and Ibn Kathir in Mawlid rasul Allah and his Tafsir (4:360). Haythami cites it in Majma` al-zawa’id (8:221) and said Tabarani and Ahmad narrated it, and Ahmad’s chain is fair (hasan). See for Ahmad’s complete text Bisharatu `Isa (#454).

Ibn Ishaq in his history of the early Muslims narrates something similar in a longer form as related in Ibn Hisham’s epitome entitled Sirat Rasul Allah (Dar al-wifaq ed. 1/2:166):

Ibn Ishaq said: Thawr ibn Yazid related to me from one of the scholars, and I do not reckon it is other than Khalid ibn Ma`dan al-Kala`i, that a small group of the Prophet’s Companions said to him: “O Messenger of Allah, tell us about yourself.” He replied: “Yes. I am the supplication of my father Ibrahim, and the good tidings of my brother `Isa, and my mother saw, when she delivered me, that a great light issued from her and lit the castles of Syria for her. I was nursed by the Banu Sa`d ibn Bakr. While I was with a brother of mine besides our dwellings, feeding the sheep, two men came to me wearing very white clothes and carrying a contained of gold filled with snow. Then they took me and they opened my chest, removed my heart, opened it, and removed from it a black clot which they threw away. Then they washed my heartand my chestwith the snow until they purified them. Then one of them said to the other: Weigh him against ten of his Community. He did, and I outweighed them. Then he said: Weigh him against a hundred of his Community. He did, and I outweighed them. Then he said: Weigh him against a thousand of his Community. He did, and I outweighed them. Then he said: Leave him, for by Allah if you weighed him against all of his Community he would outweigh them. [Tabari added:] Then they hugged me close to their chests and kissed my head between the eyes and said: O Beloved, do not fear, verily if you knew the good that is to take place through you, you would be pleased.

It is also related by Tabari in his History. Thawr ibn Yazid and Khalid ibn Ma`dan are trustworthy narrators from whom Bukhari and many others took hadith.

Qadi `Iyad said in his book al-Shifa’, in the chapter on the nobility of the Prophet’s lineage:

Ibn `Abbas said that the spirit of the Prophet was a light in front of Allah two thousand years before he created Adam. That light glorified Him and the angels glorified by his glorification. When Allah created Adam, he cast that light into his loins.

Suyuti said in Manahil al-safa (p. 53 #128): “Ibn Abi `Umar al-`Adani relates it in his Musnad.” In Takhrij ahadith sharh al-mawaqif (p. 32 #12) Suyuti cites it with the wording: “The Quraysh were a light in front of Allah.” Ibn al-Qattan in his Ahkam (1:12) narrates it in the following form, although `Abd Allah al-Ghimari in Irshad al-talib rejects the latter as a forgery:

`Ali ibn al-Husayn from his father from his grandfather said that the Prophet said: “I was a light in front of my Lord for fourteen thousand years before He created Adam.”

Something similar is narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Fada’il al-sahaba (2:663 #1130), Dhahabi in Mizan al-i`tidal (1:235), and al-Tabari in al-Riyad al-nadira (2:164, 3:154). Related to the above are the following reports:

`Amr ibn `Abasa said that the Prophet said: “Verily, Allah created the spirits of His servants two thousand years before He created His servants. Then whichever among them recognized each other came close, and whichever did not, stayed apart.”

Suyuti in Takhrij ahadith sharh al-mawaqif (p. 31 #10) says that Ibn Mandah narrated it, while Haytami in his Fatawa hadithiyya says that it is extremely weak.

Ibn `Abbas explained taqallubak — “your translation” — in the verses “[Your Lord] Who sees you when you stand, and your translation among those who prostrate themselves” (26:218- 219), as “your descent through the loins of your ancestors.” It is narrated from Ibn `Abbas by al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak (2:338) and is the explanation retained by Ibn Mardawayh, al- Razi, Suyuti, and others.

al-Shahrastani in his Kitab al-milal wa al-nihal (2:238) said: “The light of Muhammad went from Ibrahim to Isma`il. Then that light passed through all his children, until it arrived at `Abd al- Muttalib… and with the blessing of this light Allah repelled Abraha’s harm” (wa bibarakati dhalik al-nur dafa` allahu ta`alaa sharra Abraha).

Suyuti cites the above in several of his books, such as Masalik al-hunafa’ (p. 40-41) which we translated below under the attribute Karim al-tarafayn (#485), also his al-Duruj al-munifa (p. 16) and his al-Ta`zim wa al-minna (p. 55), all three of which were written to show the bases on which the Prophet’s two parents are considered to be in Paradise by the majority of the scholars.

al-Zuhri narrated: `Abd Allah ibn `Abd al-Muttalib was the most handsome man that had ever been seen among the Quraysh. One day he went out and was seen by a an assembly of the women of Quraysh. One of them said: “O women of the Quraysh, which among you will marry this youth and catch thereby the light that is between his eyes?” For verily there was a light between his eyes. Thereafter Amina bint Wahb ibn `Abd Manaf ibn Zuhra married him, and after he joined her she carried Allah’s Messenger.

al-Bayhaqi narrated it in Dala’il al-nubuwwa (1:87). Tabari in his Tarikh (2:243), Ibn al-Jawzi in al-Wafa’ (p. 82-83, ch. 16 of Abwab bidayati nabiyyina), and Ibn Hisham narrated something similar but on the authenticity of which they raise doubt (cf. Guillaume trans. p. 68-69):

It is alleged a woman of Banu Asad who was the sister of Waraqa ibn Nawfal proposed to `Abd Allah, but he married Amina bint Wahb instead and consummated his marriage. Then he left her presence and met the woman who had proposed to him. He asked her why she did not make the proposal that she made to him the day before; to which she replied that the light that was in him the day before had left him, and she no longer had need of him… She said: “When you passed me there was a white blaze between your eyes and when I invited you you refused me and went to Amina, and she has taken it away.”

It is related that Jabir ibn `Abd Allah said to the Prophet: “O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you, tell me of the first thing Allah created before all things.” He said: “O Jabir, the first thing Allah created was the light of your Prophet from His light, and that light remained (lit. “turned”) in the midst of His Power for as long as He wished, and there was not, at that time, a Tablet or a Pen or a Paradise or a Fire or an angel or a heaven or an earth. And when Allah wished to create creation, he divided that Light into four parts and from the first made the Pen, from the second the Tablet, from the third the Throne, [and from the fourth everything else].”

The judgments on this narration vary greatly among the scholars. Their words are listed below under the alphabetical listing of their names.

`Abd al-Haqq al-Dihlawi (d. 1052) the Indian hadith scholar cites it as evidence in Madarij al-nubuwwa (in Persian, 2:2 of the Maktaba al-nuriyya edition in Sakhore) and says it is is sahih (sound and authentic).

`Abd al-Hayy al-Lucknawi (d. 1304) the Indian hadith scholar cites it in his al-Athar al-marfu`a fi al-akhbar al-mawdu`a (p. 33-34 of the Lahore edition) and says: “The primacy (awwaliyya) of the Muhammadan light (al-nur al-muhammadi) is established from the narration of `Abd al-Razzaq, as well as its definite priority over all created things.”

`Abd al-Razzaq (d. 211) narrates it in his Musannaf according to Qastallani in al-Mawahib al-laduniyya (1:55) and Zarqani in his Sharh al-mawahib (1:56 of the Matba`a al-`amira edition in Cairo). There is no doubt as to the reliability of `Abd al- Razzaq as a narrator. Bukhari took 120 narrations from him, Muslim 400.

`Abidin (Ahmad al-Shami d. 1320), the son of the Hanafi scholar Ibn `Abidin, cites the hadith as evidence in his commentary on Ibn Hajar al-Haytami’s poem al-Ni`mat al-kubra `ala al- `alamin. Nabahani cites it in his Jawahir al-bihar (3:354).

`Ajluni (Isma`il ibn Muhammad d. 1162) in his Kashf al- khafa’ (1:265 of the Maktabat al-Ghazali edition in Beirut) narrates the hadith in its entirety from Qastallani in his Mawahib.

Alusi (al-Sayyid Mahmud) in his commentary of Qur’an entitled Ruh al-ma`ani (17:105 of the Beirut edition) said: “The Prophet’s being a mercy to all is linked to the fact that he is the intermediary of the divine outpouring over all contingencies [i.e. all created things without exception], from the very beginnings (wasitat al-fayd al-ilahi `ala al-mumkinat `ala hasab al-qawabil), and that is why his light was the first of all things created, as stated in the report that “The first thing Allah created was the light of your Prophet, O Jabir,” and also cited is: “Allah is the Giver and I am the Distributor.” [See al-Qasim #261.] The Sufis — may Allah sanctify their secrets — have more to say on that chapter.” Alusi also cites the hadith of Jabir as evidence in another passage of Ruh al-ma`ani (8:71).

Bakri (Sayyid Abu al-Hasan Ahmad ibn `Abd Allah, d. 3rd c.) in his book al-Anwar fi mawlid al-nabi Muhammad `alayhi al- salat wa al-salam (p. 5 of the Najaf edition) cites the following hadith from `Ali: “Allah was and there was nothing with Him, and the first thing which He created was the light of His Beloved, before He created water, or the Throne, or the Footstool, or the Tablet, or the Pen, or Paradise, or the Fire, or the Veils and the Clouds, or Adam and Eve, by four thousand years.”

Bayhaqi (d. 458) narrates it with a different wording in Dala’il al-nubuwwa according to Zarqani in his Sharh al-mawahib (1:56 of the Matba`a al-`amira in Cairo) and Diyarbakri in Tarikh al-khamis (1:20).

Diyarbakri (Husayn ibn Muhammad d. 966): He begins his 1,000-page history entitled Tarikh al-khamis fi ahwal anfasi nafis with the words: “Praise be to Allah Who created the Light of His Prophet before everything else,” which is enough to disprove al- Ghumari’s exaggerated claim that “anyone who reads it will be convinced that the hadith is a lie.” Then Diyarbakri cites the hadith as evidence (1:19 of the Mu’assasat Sha`ban edition in Beirut).

Fasi (Muhammad ibn Ahmad d. 1052) cites it as evidence in Matali` al-masarrat (p. 210, 221 of the Matba`a al-taziyya edition) and says: “These narrations indicate his primacy (awwaliyya) and priority over all other creations, and also the fact that he is their cause (sabab).”

Ghumari (`Abd Allah) in his Irshad al-talib al-najib ila ma fi al-mawlid al-nabawi min al-akadhib (p. 9-12 of the Dar al- furqan edition), commenting on Suyuti’s words (quoted below) whereby the hadith has no reliable chain: “This shows great laxity on the part of Suyuti, which I thought him to be above. First, the hadith is not present in `Abd al-Razzaq’s Musannaf, nor in any of the books of hadith. Secondly : the hadith has no chain of transmission to begin with. Thirdly: he has not mentioned the rest of the hadith. It is mentioned in Diyarbakri’s Tarikh, and anyone who reads it will be convinced that the hadith is a lie about the Messenger of Allah.” This exaggerated conclusion is disproved by the fact that Diyarbarkri himself does not consider it a lie since he cites the hadith in the first words of his book.

Gilani (Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir, d. 561) in his book Sirr al- asrar fi ma yahtaju ilayh al-abrar (p. 12-14 of the Lahore edition) said:

Halabi (`Ali ibn Burhan al-Din, d. 1044) cites it as evidence in his Sira (1:31 of the Maktaba Islamiyya edition in Beirut) and then states: “It provides evidence that he is the root of everything that exists (in creation) and Allah knows best.”

Haqqi (Isma`il, d. 1137) cites it as evidence in his Tafsir entitled Ruh al-bayan and says: “Know, O person of understanding, that the first thing Allah created is the light of your Prophet… and he is the cause for the existence of everything that was brought to existence, and the mercy from Allah upon all creatures… and without him the higher and the lower worlds would not have been created.” Yusuf al-Nabahani mentions it in his Jawahir al-bihar (p. 1125).

Haytami (Ahmad ibn Hajar d. 974) states in his Fatawa hadithiyya (p. 247 of the Baba edition in Cairo) that `Abd al- Razzaq narrated it, and cites it in his poem on the Prophet’s birth entitled al-Ni`mat al-kubra `ala al-`alamin (p. 3).

Ibn al-Hajj al-Abdari (Muhammad ibn Muhammad d. 736) in his book al-Madkhal (2:34 of the Dar al-kitab al-`arabi in Beirut) cites it from al-Khatib Abu al-Rabi` Muhammad ibn al- Layth’s book Shifa’ al-sudur in which the latter says: “The first thing Allah created is the light of Muhammad, blessings and peace upon him, and that light came and prostrated before Allah. Allah divided it into four parts and created from the first part the Throne, from the second the Pen, from the third the Tablet, and then similarly He subdivided the fourth part into parts and created the rest of creation. Therefore the light of the Throne is from the light of Muhammad , the light of the Pen is from the light of Muhammad , the light of the Tablet is from the light of Muhammad , the light of day, the light of knowledge, the light of the sun and the moon, and the light of vision and sight are all from the light of Muhammad .”

Isma`il al-Dihlawi (Shah Muhammad, d. 1246), one of the leaders of the Wahhabi-influenced Deobandi school in the Indo- Pakistani Subcontinent in one of his booklets entitled Yek rawzah (p. 11 of the Maltan edition) says: “As indicated by the narration: The first thing Allah created was my Light.”

Jamal (Sulayman d. 1204) cites it as evidence in his commentary on Busiri entitled al-Futuhat al-ahmadiyya bi al- minah al-muhammadiyya (p. 6 of the Hijazi edition in Cairo).

Janijawhi (Rashid Ahmad) a leader of the Wahhabi- influenced Deobandi school of India and Pakistan in his Fatawa rashidiyya (p. 157 of the Karachi edition) said that the hadith was “not found in the authentic collections, but Shaykh `Abd al-Haqq (al-Dihlawi) cited it on the basis that it had some grounding of authenticity.” Actually Shaykh `Abd al-Haqq not only cited it but he said it was sound (sahih).

Jili (`Abd al-Karim) in his Namus al-a`zam wa al-qamus al-aqdam fi ma`rifat qadar al-bani sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam cites it as evidence. Nabahani relates it in his Jawahir al-bihar (see below).

Kharputi (`Umar ibn Ahmad, d. 1299) in his commentary on Busiri entitled Sharh qasidat al-burda (p. 73 of the Karachi edition).

Maliki al-Hasani (Muhammad ibn `Alawi) in his commentary on `Ali al-Qari’s book of the Mawlid entitled Hashiyat al-Mawrid al-rawi fi al-mawlid al-nabawi (p. 40) said: “The chain of Jabir is sound without contest, but the scholars have differed concerning the text of the hadith due to its peculiarity. Bayhaqi also narrated the hadith with some differences.” Then he quoted several narrations establishing the light of the Prophet.

Nabahani (Yusuf ibn Isma`il) cites it as evidence in al- Anwar al-muhammadiyya (p. 13), in his Jawahir al-bihar (p. 1125 or 4:220 of the Baba edition in Cairo), and in his Hujjat Allah `ala al-`alamin (p. 28).

Nabulusi (`Abd al-Ghani d. 1143) says in his Hadiqa al- nadiyya (2:375 of the Maktaba al-nuriyya edition in Faysalabad): “The Prophet is the universal leader of all, and how could he not be when all things were created out of his light as has been stated in the sound hadith.”

Nisaburi (Nizamuddin ibn Hasan, d. 728) cites it as evidence in elucidation of the verse: “And I was ordered to be the first of the Muslims” (39:12) in his Tafsir entitled Ghara’ib al- Qur’an (8:66 of the Baba edition in Cairo).

Qari (Mulla `Ali ibn Sultan, d. 1014) cites it in full in his book al-Mawlid al-rawi fi al-mawlid al-nabawi (p. 40), edited by Sayyid Muhammad `Alawi al-Maliki.

Qastallani (Ahmad ibn Muhammad, d. 923) narrates it in his al-Mawahib al-laduniyya (1:55 of the edition accompanied by Zarqani’s commentary).

Rifa`i (Yusuf al-Sayyid Hashim) cites it as evidence in Adillat ahl al-sunna wa al-jama`a al-musamma al-radd al- muhkam al-mani` (p. 22): `Abd al-Razzaq narrated it.

Suyuti in al-Hawi li al-fatawi, in the explanation of Surat al-Muddaththir: “It has no reliable chain”; and in Takhrij ahadith sharh al-mawaqif: “I did not find it in that wording.”

Thanwi (Ashraf `Ali), a leader of the Wahhabi-influenced Deobandi school in the Indian Subcontinent, in his book Nashr al- tayyib (in Urdu, p. 6 and 215 of the Lahore edition) cites it as evidence on the authority of `Abd al-Razzaq, and relies upon it.

Zarqani in Sharh al-mawahib cites it (1:56 of the Matba`a al-`amira edition in Cairo) and refers it to `Abd al-Razzaq’s narration in his Musannaf.

Zahir (Ihsan Ilahi), a leader of the Wahhabi-influenced Deobandi school and declared enemy of the Barelwi school of Ahl al-Sunna in Lahore, India, in his book Hadiyyat al-mahdi (p. 56 of the Sialkut edition) says: “Allah began His creation with the Muhammadan light (al-nur al-muhammadi), then He created the Throne over the water, then He created the wind, then He created the Nun and the Pen and the Tablet, then He created the Intellect. The Muhammadan Light is therefore a primary substance for the creation of the heavens and the earth and what is in them… As for what has come to us in the hadith: The first thing which Allah created is the Pen; and: The first thing which Allah created is the Intellect: what is meant by it is a relative primacy.”

Blessings and peace on the Prophet, his Family, and his Companions.

Fouad Haddad

 

Tawassul of `Umar through al-`Abbas (Allah be pleased with them)

Question:

How do the contemporary Hanafi scholars explain the hadeeth recorded in Sahih Al-Bukhari according to which Khalifah Umar (Allah be pleased with him) asked Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) to ask Allah for rain on behalf of the Muslim community and not the Prophet Muhammad at his grave. The Khalifah said that they USED to ask the Prophet Muhammad to ask Allah and now they ask his uncle instead.

Answer by Shaikh G.F Haddad

Before turning to the question and its questionable premises some preliminary remarks are in order.

First of all, `Umar asked al-`Abbas ibn `Abd al-Muttalib, not his son `Abd Allah ibn `Abbas. What was posted recently on the Hanbali forum is a mistake which I pointed out to the author.

Second, the terminology of the Khalifa’s request, Allah be well-pleased with him, is as follows:

“O Allah! We would use our Prophet as a means to You and You then sent us rain; now we use our Prophet’s uncle as a means to You, therefore send us rain!”

Narrated from Anas by al-Bukhari in his Sahih.

“Whoever understands from this that `Umar only used al-`Abbas as his means and not the Messenger of Allah, upon him peace, because al-`Abbas is alive and the Messenger of Allah is dead – that person’s understanding is dead.” (Al-Maliki)

Al-Suyuti mentions the context of this event in his Tarikh al-Khulafa’ (Beirut, 1992 Ahmad Fares ed. p. 140):

“In the year 17 `Umar enlarged the Prophetic mosque. That year there was a drought in the Hijaz. It was named the Year of Cinders (`am al-ramada). `Umar prayed for rain for the people by means of al-`Abbas. Ibn Sa`d narrated from [the Sahabi] Niyar al-Aslami that when `Umar came came out to pray for rain, he came out wearing the cloaks (burd) of the Messenger of Allah, upon him blessings and peace. Ibn `Awn narrated that `Umar took al-`Abbas’s hand and raised it up, saying, ‘O Allah, we seek a means to You with the uncle of Your Prophet to ask that You drive away from us the drought and water us with rain’….”

Now, the event of the tawassul of Sayyiduna `Umar through al-`Abbas shows the following:

[1] Nowhere in the hadith is there any indication that there was no tawassul through the Prophet upon him peace, in the time of `Umar. Such a view is an inference or an extrapolation that is not based on explicit evidence.

[2] On the contrary, `Umar implicitly made tawassul through the Prophet upon him peace, at that very time, by wearing his blessed cloaks as he came out for the prayer for rain as mentioned in the report by Ibn Sa`d. In Sahih Muslim Asma’ says that she inherited the mantle of the Prophet from her sister `A’isha and that they used it to seek a cure for people.

[3] The use of the Prophet’s uncle illustrates that tawassul is essentially through the Prophet upon him peace, as the importance of al-`Abbas in this respect is only in his relationship to the Prophet as `Umar himself states with the words “the uncle of Your Prophet” in al-Bukhari’s version already mentioned; “the status of al-`Abbas in relation to your Prophet” in al-Lalika’i’s version; and as al-`Abbas states:

“O Allah, truly no tribulation descends except because of sins, nor is lifted except upon repentence. The people have turned to you by means of me BECAUSE OF MY POSITION IN RELATION TO YOUR PROPHET, and here are our hands [raised up] towards you – despite our sins – and our forelocks in repentence, so send down water for us and PRESERVE YOUR PROPHET IN THE PERSON OF HIS UNCLE.” Whereupon the sky let down water as thick as ropes and the people came over to al-`Abbas passing their hands over him and saying to him: “Congratulations to you, irrigator of the two Sanctuaries!” Whereupon `Umar said, “He/This is, by Allah, the means to Allah and the place of nearness to Him!”

Cited from al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar’s narration in al-Ansab by Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari (2:497).

So the tawassul continues to be solely through the Prophet despite appearances to the contrary, for he is the ultimate recourse of human beings seeking nearness to Allah as he himself taught the blind man (“Say, ‘O Muhammad, I turn with you to Allah…’”) and as several Sahaba explicitly said, such as in the following reports:

(a) Report of the Bedouin who said to the Holy Prophet :

We have come to you when even our virgins’ milk is dry, and the mother worries for her own life over her child’s, The child lets down his arms sitting still For hunger, a hunger unstilled and uninterrupted. We have nothing left from what our people eat Except bitter colocynth and camel-wool mixed with blood. And we have none but you to flee to, for where can people flee except to the Messengers?

Then the Prophet - upon him peace – stood up and he was dragging his garment. He climbed up the pulpit and said: “O Allah, send us water….” whereupon rain fell abundantly. Then the Prophet upon him peace said: “If Abu Talib were alive he would have liked to see this. Who will recite for us what he said?” Hearing this, `Ali stood up and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I think you mean his saying:

A fair-skinned one by whose face rainclouds are sought, A caretaker for the orphans and protector of widows. With him the clan of Hashim seek refuge from calamities, For they possess in him immense favor and grace….”

Narrated by al-Bayhaqi in Dala’il al-Nubuwwa (6:141) cf. Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wal-Nihaya (6:90-91) and Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari (1989 ed. 2:629).

(b) Report of Sawad ibn Qarib al-Sadusi who declaimed:

Truly, you are the nearest of all Messengers as a means to Allah, son of the noblest and purest ones!

 

Therefore, be an intercessor for me the Day none but you among intercessors shall be of the least benefit for Sawad ibn Qarib!

Whereupon the Prophet smiled, upon him peace, and said: “You have obtained success, Sawad!”

Narrated by Abu Ya`la in his Mu`jam (p. 265), al-Tabarani in al-Kabir (7:94 §6475), Abu Nu`aym in Dala’il al-Nubuwwa (p. 114 §63), al-Taymi in the Dala’il (p. 132), al-Hakim in the Mustadrak, (3:705), al-Bayhaqi in the Dala’il (2:251) cf. Ibn `Abd al-Barr, Isti`ab (2:675), Ibn Kathir, Tafsir (4:169) and Bidaya, Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari (7:180) and Isaba (3:219).

(c) Report of Hassan ibn Thabit who declaimed:

 

O Pillar of those who rely upon you, O Immunity of those who seek refuge in you, and Resort of those who seek herbiage and rain, and Neighboring Protector of those in need of shelter! O you whom the One God has chosen for His creatures by planting in him perfection and purity of character!

Narrated by Ibn `Abd al-Barr in al-Isti`ab (1:276) and Ibn Sayyid al-Nas in Minah al-Mad-h (p. 73).

[4] The background to `Umar’s prayer for rain shows that there was also an explicit tawassul through the Prophet upon him peace, performed by the Sahabi Bilal ibn al-Harith as narrated in two versions:

(a) Version 1

From the Sahabi Malik al-Dar:

 

The people suffered a drought in `Umar’s khilafa, whereupon a man came to the grave of the Prophet sallAllahu `alayhi wa- Alihi wa-Sallam and said: “Messenger of Allah! Ask for rain for your Community, for verily they have but perished.” After this the Prophet appeared to him in a dream and told him: “Go to `Umar and give him my greeting, then tell him that they will be watered. Tell him: Be clever!” The man went and told `Umar. The latter wept and said: “My Lord! I spare no effort except in what escapes my power.”

Ibn Kathir cites it thus from al-Bayhaqi’s Dala’il al-Nubuwwa (7:47) in al-Bidaya wal-Nihaya (Ma`arif ed. 7:91-92=Dar Ihya’ al-Turath ed. 7:105) saying: “isnaduhu sahih” and he also declares its chain sound (isnaduhu jayyidun qawi) in his Jami` al-Masanid (1:223) in Musnad `Umar. Ibn Abi Shayba cites it (6:352=12:31-32) with a sound (sahih) chain as confirmed by Ibn Hajar who says: “rawa Ibn Abi Shayba bi’isnadin sahih” and cites the hadith in Fath al-Bari, Book of Istisqa ch. 3 (1989 ed. 2:629-630=1959 ed. 2:495) as well as in al-Isaba (6:164 §8350=3:484) where he says that Ibn Abi Khaythama cited it. It is also thus narrated by al-Khalili in al-Irshad (1:313- 314) and Ibn `Abd al-Barr in al-Isti`ab (2:464=3:1149).

Al-Albani attempted to weaken this report in his Tawassul (p. 120) but was refuted in the lengthy analysis given by Mamduh in Raf` al-Minara (p. 262-278), which refutes other similar attempts cf. Ibn Baz’s marginalia on Fath al-Bari, Abu Bakr al-Jaza’iri’s tract Wa-Ja’u Yarkudun, Hammad al-Ansari’s articles “al-Mafhum al-Sahih lil-Tawassul” also titled “Tuhfat al-Qari fil-Radd `ala al-Ghumari,” and other such literature.

Ibn Hajar identifies the man who visited and saw the Prophet upon him peace, in his dream as the Companion Bilal ibn al- Harith, counting this hadith among the reasons for al- Bukhari’s naming of the chapter “The people’s request to their leader for rain if they suffer drought” in his Sahih, book of Istisqa’.

(b) Version 2 from al-Tabari’s Tarikh (2:509):

In the year of the drought called al-Ramada during the successorship of `Umar the Companion Bilal ibn al-Harith, while slaughtering a sheep for his kin, noticed that the sheep’s bones had turned red because the drying flesh was clinging to them. He cried out “Ya Muhammadah!” Then he saw the Prophet - upon him peace – in a dream ordering him to go to `Umar with the tidings of coming rain on condition that `Umar show wisdom. Hearing this, `Umar assembled the people and came out to pray for rain with al-`Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet upon him blessings and peace.

[5] `Umar had made tawassul through the Prophet in the past, upon him peace, since he said: “WE WOULD USE OUR PROPHET AS A MEANS TO YOU…” i.e. in his and Abu Bakr’s rule (and not only during the life of the Prophet upon him peace), as it is improbable that they never once experienced drought in the previous 8.5 years. “But to restrict this sententence to the Prophet’s lifetime is a deficiency stemming from idle lust, a manipulation of the text of the report, and figurative interpretation without proof.” (Al-Kawthari)

[6] At any rate the major Sahaba did make tawassul through the Prophet upon him peace, after his time as established by the report from our Mother `A’isha – Allah be well- pleased with her – in al-Darimi’s Sunan, in the 15th Chapter of the Introduction (1:43) titled: “Allah’s generosity to His Prophet after his death,” related from Aws ibn `Abd Allah with a good chain:

“The people of Madina complained to `A’isha of the severe drought that they were suffering. She said: “Go to the Prophet’s grave and open a window towards the sky so that there will be no roof between him and the sky.” They did so, after which they were watered with such rain that vegetation grew and the camels got fat. That year was named the Year of Plenty.”

The reader will find extensive documentation on this report in the Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine (4:47-52) and it was declared authentic by all the Sunni experts of hadith, last in date Shaykh Nabil ibn Hashim al-Ghamri in his 1999 10-volume edition of and commentary on al-Darimi titled Fath al-Mannan (1:564-566) where he rejects the objections of al-Albani and his likes to this hadith.

[7] `Umar had made tawassul through the Prophet upon him peace, in the campaign of Tabuk and had therefore directly experienced the Divine munificence and Prophetic generosity.

“When the travel provision of the people decreased they thought of slaughtering their camels but `Umar came to the Prophet upon him peace, and said, ‘How will they survive without their camels?’ The Prophet said, ‘Call to them to bring every remainder of their travel provisions.’ A piece of leather was spread and they brought whatever they had. Then the Messenger of Allah stood and supplicated, then he blessed over the food and summoned them to being their bags. The people supplied themselves to the last one. Then the Messenger of Allah said, ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah!’”

Narrated from Salama ibn al-Akwa` by al-Bukhari and Muslim and from Abu Hurayra by Muslim and Ahmad.

[8] `Umar used al-`Abbas to show people the status of the Prophet’s family in the society and teach them to respect and venerate them, as Ibn Hajar said in explanation of the report of Anas cited above:

“It is desirable to seek the intercession of saintly people and the relatives of the Prophet sallAllahu `alayhi wa-Alihi wa-Sallam, and it shows al-`Abbas’s great merit and that of `Umar due to the latter’s humbleness before al-`Abbas and his recognition of his due right.”

This is confirmed by al-Ajurri’s narration in al-Shari`a and Ahmad in Fada’il al-Sahaba (2:937 #1802) that Ka`b al- Ahbar took al-`Abbas’s hand and said, “I shall hide it away [this handshake] for your intercession on my behalf.” Al- `Abbas replied: “Why, will I have the power of intercession?” Ka`b said: “Yes, there is none from the Household of the Prophet upon him and them peace, except they have the power of intercession!” Ka`b al-Ahbar also said to Sayyidina `Umar: “Whenever the Israelites had a drought they sought intercession through their Prophet’s household” as narrated by Ibn `Abd al- Barr in al-Isti`ab (2:814).

[9] It is known that `Umar had a particular veneration for the Prophetic Household (Ahl al-Bayt) as illustrated by the following reports:

(a) Ibn Sa`d narrated from al-Sha`bi and al-Hasan that al- `Abbas had some need of `Umar one day and said to him: “Commander of the Believers, suppose the uncle of Musa, upon him peace, came to you as a Muslim, how would you treat him?” He replied, “I swear by Allah that I would treat him well!” Al-`Abbas said, “Well, I am the uncle of Muhammad the Prophet - upon him and his House blessings and peace!” `Umar said, “Abu al-Fadl, and what do you suppose? By Allah, your father [`Abd al-Muttalib] is certainly dearer to me than my own father!” He said, “By Allah?” `Umar said, “By Allah, yes! Because I know that he [`Abd al-Muttalib] is dearer to the Messenger of Allah than my own father, therefore I prefer the love of the Messenger of Allah to my love.”

(b) A man disparaged `Ali ibn Abi Talib in the presence of `Umar whereupon the latter said: “Do you know the dweller of this grave? He is Muhammad ibn `Abd Allah ibn `Abd al-Muttalib. And `Ali is the son of Abu Talib ibn `Abd al-Muttalib. Therefore, do not mention `Ali except in a good way for if you dislike him you will harm this one in his grave.” Narrated by Ahmad with a good chain in Fada’il al-Sahaba (2:641 #1089).

(c) After `Umar saw al-Husayn ibn `Ali ibn Abi Talib waiting at his door he said to him: “You are more deserving of permission to enter than [my son] `Abd Allah ibn `Umar! You see the goodness that was placed on our head; [therefore] first Allah; then you [the Prophetic Household]!” and he placed his hand on his head as he spoke. Narrated by Ibn Sa`d, Ibn Rahuyah, and al-Khatib.

(d) Jabir said he heard `Umar ibn al-Khattab say on the pulpit after he married Umm Kulthum, the daughter of `Ali and Fatima – Allah be well-pleased with them:

“Do not disparage me [for marrying a young girl], for I heard the Prophet say, upon him blessings and peace: ‘On the Judgment Day every means will be cut off and every lineage severed except my lineage.’”

Narrated by al-Tabarani. Al-Haythami said its narrators are those of al-Bukhari and Muslim.

`Umar desired to place himself in the Prophet’s lineage through this marriage due to the precedence of Ahl al-Bayt in the Prophet’s intercession, upon him and them peace.

[10] Nor is this intercession solely by way of the Prophet’s mere supplication (du`a) and by means of al-`Abbas’s mere supplication as claimed by the innovators and by the terminology of the question cited above. Rather, it was by means of their person (dhat) AND du`a as literally stated in the following reports among many others:

(a) Intercession through the Prophet’s person according to Ibn `Umar:

In Sahih al-Bukhari: `Abdullah ibn Dinar said:

“I heard Ibn `Umar reciting the poetic verses of Abu Talib:

A fair-skinned one by whose face rainclouds are sought, A caretaker for the orphans and protector of widows.

“`Umar ibn Hamza said: Salim narrated from his father (Ibn `Umar) that the latter said: “The poet’s saying came to my mind as I was looking at the face of the Prophet - upon him blessings and peace – while he was praying for rain – and he did not come down until the rain water flowed profusely from every roof-gutter:

 

A fair-skinned one by whose face rainclouds are sought, A caretaker for the orphans and protector of widows.”

One sub-narrator added: “These were the words of Abu Talib.”

Note that in his translation of Bukhari (2:65), Muhammad Muhsin Khan alters the wording of the hadith to read: “A white person WHO IS REQUESTED TO PRAY FOR RAIN” in place of “by whose face rain is sought.” This is tahrif i.e. textual and semantic manipulation of the most important source in Islam after the Qur’an.

(b) Intercession through al-`Abbas’s person according to `Umar:

“People! The Messenger of Allah sallAllahu `alayhi wa-Alihi wa-Sallam considered al-`Abbas like his father, venerating him and greatly respecting him and his rights. Therefore, O people! take the lead of the Messenger of Allah in the person of his uncle al-`Abbas and take the latter as your means to Allah Most High in the context of your tribulation.”

Narrated from `Umar with a sound chain by al-Baladhiri and with weak chains from Ibn `Umar by al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar in al-Ansab and Ibn `Asakir in Tarikh Dimashq (8:932) as cited by Ibn Hajar in the Fath (1959 ed. 2:497). Shaykh Mahmud Mamduh in Raf` al- Minara (p. 120) rejected al-Albani’s claim in his book al-Tawassul (p. 67-68) that the chain of this hadith is “mixed up” (mudtarib) as inapplicable here.

[11] `Umar showed the possibility of tawassul through X. even though Y. – also present – may be better than X. He showed that tawassul through the inferior in the presence of the superior is permissible as there is Consensus that the best of all living human beings after Prophets then, namely `Umar, `Uthman, and `Ali are all three superior to al-`Abbas, Allah be well-pleased with all of them. This was also a mark of humbleness on `Umar’s part as already cited from Fath al-Bari. Another example of this is the tawassul of Mu`awiya for rain through the Sahabi Yazid ibn al-Aswad al-`Amiri as narrated by Abu Zur`a al-Dimashqi in his Tarikh and his tawassul also through the Tabi`i Abu Muslim al-Khawlani as narrated by Ahmad in al-Zuhd cf. al-Tahanawi, I`la’ al-Sunan (8:193).

[12] `Umar used al-`Abbas also as a precaution lest people’s faith in the Prophet upon him peace, be shaken in case the prayer were not answered.

[13] Finally, the Sunna prayer for rain formally has to be performed by the outward, political Imam of the Muslims or his deputy. It is in that function that the office of the Messenger of Allah – upon him blessings and peace – had ceased and was taken over, first by Abu Bakr, then by `Umar. Al-`Abbas’s position in this event is that of the deputy of the latter as the Commander of the Believers. And Allah knows best.

–

I have compiled the above from the references cited below and the lights imparted by my teachers on this subject – may Allah keep them and thank them for guarding pure and authentic Sunni doctrine from the ignorant and the extremists.

Contemporary Hanafi References:

- Al-Kawthari, Muhammad Zahid. “Mahq al-Taqawwul fi Mas’alat al-Tawassul” (”The Eradication of Gossip Concerning the Use of Intermediaries”) in his Maqalat (”Essays”) and recently published as a monograph with introduction and notes by Shaykh Wahbi Sulayman Ghawji (1997).

- Al-Dajwi, Yusuf Ahmad – al-Kawthari’s Shaykh. Four Articles on tawassul originally published in Majallat al-Azhar and reprinted at the beginning of Ghawji’s edition of al-Kawthari’s “Mahq al-Taqawwul.”

- Ghawji, Wahbi Sulayman. Introduction to Mahq al-Taqawwul.

- Al-Nass, Samer. Al-Wasilatu ila Fahmi Haqiqat al-Tawassul (”The Means to Understanding the Truth of Seeking a Means”). Beirut: Dar al-Tawfiq, 2003. The best treatment in our opinion.

Other references:

- Muhammad ibn `Alawi al-Maliki, Mafahim Yajib an Tusahhah (”Necessary Correction of Certain Misconceptions”). 10th ed. (p. 153-156.)

- Abul-Hasanayn `Abd Allah ibn `Abd al-Rahman al-Makki al- Hashimi, al-Salafiyya al-Mu`asira: Munaqashat wa-Rudud (“Contemporary Salafism: Discussions and Rebuttals”) p. 143-145.

- Al-Ghumari, Irgham al-Mubtadi` al-Ghabi bi-Jawaz al- Tawassul bil-Nabi (”Compelling the Dunderheaded Innovator to Accept the Permissibility of Using the Prophet as a Means”). Ed. Hasan `Ali al-Saqqaf. 2nd ed. Amman: Dar al-Imam al-Nawawi, 1992.

- Mahmud Mamduh, Raf` al-Minara bi-Ahadith al-Tawassul wal- Ziyara (”Raising the Lighthouse with the Hadiths of Seeking Means and Visitation [of the Prophet]“) p. 118-121.

In his book (al-balagh-ul-Mubeen) Imam Shah Waliullah infers that the Khalifah did not consider it allowed to ask those who had left this world or the absent for intercession.

This is contrary to the view reported from Shah Wali Allah in his book Fuyud al-Haramayn (”The Outpourings of the Two Sanctuaries) cf. http://www.al-maqsood.org/islam/shah-1.htm

The apparent contradiction is explained by the fact that some books of Shah Wali Allah may not be free from Wahhabistic interpolations, see LivingIslam.org

It is known that the beasts themselves ask for rain as in the Prophetic hadith of the ant narrated from Abu Hurayra by al-Daraqutni, his student al-Hakim, and others:

cf. Ibn Abi Shayba (6:62, 7:71)
Abu al-Shaykh, al-`Azama (5:1572)
Ibn Kathir, Tafsir (3:360)
Ibn Hajar, Talkhis al-Habir (2:97 #718)
Ibn al-Mulaqqin, Khulasat al-Badr (1:250)
Al-San`ani, Subul al-Salam (2:83)
Al-Shawkani, Nayl al-Awtar (4:27)
Al-Tahanawi, I`la’ al-Sunan (8:193).

And the Sunna requires us to bring the beasts out during the prayer for rain, and the Prophet said, - upon him peace,

- “Were it not for the beasts they [who withhold zakat] would never be granted rain.” Narrated by Ibn Majah.

- “Were it not for the pasturing beasts punishment would be poured on you literally.” Abu Ya`la, al-Bazzar and others.

So we may hope for their intercession, but not for that of the Prophet Muhammad??

No, the Khalifah did not consider the Prophet upon him peace, to be absent nor to have left this world. Otherwise, why did he address the Prophet upon him peace, and Abu Bakr in their graves as narrated by al-Tabarani through trustworthy narrators (see below) and why was “nothing more important to him” – as narrated from him by al- Bukhari in his Sahih – than to be buried near them?

Qays ibn Abi Hazim narrated that one day, `Umar addressed the people from the pulpit in Madina and said in his address:

“Verily there is in the Gardens of `Adn a palace which has five hundred doors, each posted with five thousand of the ladies of Paradise, and none but a Prophet shall enter it.” At this point he turned to the grave of the Messenger of Allah – upon him blessings and peace – and said: “Congratulations to you, O dweller of this grave!” Then he continued: “And none but a Most-Truthful One (siddiq) shall enter it.” At this point he turned towards Abu Bakr’s grave and said: “Congratulations to you, Abu Bakr!” Then he said: “And none but a Martyr shall enter it,” and he pointed to himself. He continued, speaking to himself outloud: “And when did you inherit martyrdom, `Umar?” Then he said: “Truly, the One who brought me out from Makka unto the migration to Madina is able to bring me martyrdom!”

Al-Tabarani narrated it in al-Awsat through trustworthy narrators cf. al-Haythami, Majma` al-Zawa’id (9:54-55).

Do the Ahnaaf consider Khalifah Umar to have performed his ijtihad on this issue but the Ahnaaf disagreed with him? Please explain.

Even if the act of `Umar were not originally a Sunna – which it is – the ijtihad of the Khulafa’ al-Rashidin nevertheless has the probative force of Sunna in this Religion, with which no School, Hanafi or other, is at liberty to differ. Not that the Ahnaaf disagreed with him in this or in anything else whatsoever that comes to mind! And it is a poorly phrased question indeed that places an entire Sunni School in the immaterial position of disagreeing with one of the Khulafa’ al-Rashidin when this is the exclusive wont of Ahl al-Bid`a.

Hajj Gibril
GF Haddad
[Mon, 20 Oct 2003]

 

The Sunni Definition of Bid`a As Either Good or Bad

This article is in two parts:

I. Al-Shâfi`î’s definition of bid`a as either good or bad;
II. The division of bid`a into good and bad among Ahl al-Sunna and others.

I.
Al-Shâfi`î’s Definition of Bid`a
as Either “Good” or “Bad”

A major contribution of Imâm al-Shâfi`î (ra) in the Foundations of Jurisprudence (us.ûl al-fiqh) is his division of innovation (al-bid`a) and innovated matters (al-muh.dathât) into “good” and “bad” depending whether they conformed or not to the guidelines of the Religion. This is authentically narrated from al-Shâfi`î from two of his most prestigious students in the latter period of his life, the Egyptian h.adîth Masters H.armala ibn Yah.yâ al-Tujaybî and al-Rabî` ibn Sulaymân al-Murâdî:

H.armala said, “I heard al-Shâfi`î (ra) say:

‘Innovation is two types (al-bid`atu bid`atân):
approved innovation (bid`a mah.mûda) and disapproved innovation (bid`a madhmûma). Whatever conforms to the Sunna is approved (mah.mûd) and whatever opposes it is abominable (madhmûm).’

He used as his proof the statement of `Umar ibn al-Khat.t.âb (ra) about the [congregational] supererogatory night prayers in the month of Ramad.ân: “What a fine innovation this is!”[1]

Al-Rabî` said, “Al-Shâfi`î said to us:
‘Innovated matters are of two kinds (al-muh.dathâtu min al-umûri d.arbân):
one is an innovation that contravenes (mâ uh.ditha yukhâlifu) something in the Qur’ân or the Sunna or a Companion-report (athar) or the Consensus (ijmâ`): that innovation is misguidance (fahâdhihi al-bid`atu d.alâla).
The other kind is the innovation of any and all good things (mâ uh.ditha min al-khayr) contravening none of the above, and this is a blameless innovation (wahâdhihi muh.dathatun ghayru madhmûma).
`Umar (ra) said, concerning the prayers of Ramad.ân: What a fine bid`a this is! meaning that it was innovated without having existed before and, even so, there was nothing in it that contradicted the above.’”[2]

Thus al-Shâfi`î set forth the essential, indispensable criterion for the determination of true bid`a, as defined, among others, by Imâm al-Haytamî, Qâd.î Abû Bakr Ibn al-`Arabî, and Imâm al-Lacknawî respectively:

“Bid`a in terms of the Law is everything innovated in contravention of the Lawgiver’s command and the latter’s specific and general proof.”[3]

“Only the bid`a that contradicts the Sunna is blameworthy.”[4]

“Bid`a is all that did not exist in the first three centuries and for which there is no basis among the four sources of Islâm” i.e. Qur’ân, Sunna, Ijmâ`, and Qiyâs.[5]

Consequently, it is not enough for something merely to be novel to be a bid`a; it must also contradict the Religion.

Al-Bayhaqî commented on al-Rabî`s report thus:

Similarly, debating with the people of innovations – when they make public their innovations or bring up their insinuations – to refute them and expose their fallacies: even if this is an innovation, nevertheless, it is a praiseworthy one because it consists in refuting what we just mentioned. The Prophet was asked about Divine foreordainment (al-qadar) and so were some of the Companions, and they replied with the answers that were narrated to us from them. At that time, they contented themselves with the words of the Prophet and, thereafter, with the reports to that effect. However, in our time, the innovators do not content themselves with such reports nor do they accept them. Therefore, it is necessary to refute their insinuations – when they make them public – with what they themselves consider proofs. And success is through Allâh.[6]

This is a clear-cut defense of the necessity and Sunna character of kalâm in the defense against innovators on the part of Imâm al-Bayhaqî. Something similar is reported from Ibn `Asâkir, Ibn al-S.alâh., al-Nawawî, Ibn al-Subkî, Ibn `âbidîn, and others of the great Imâms.

II.
Division of Bid`a
into Good and Bad
among Ahl al-Sunna and Others

Al-Ghazzâlî’s Identical Definition

H.ujjat al-Islâm al-Ghazzâlî said in his discussion of the adding of dots to the Qur’anic script:

The fact that this is innovated (muh.dath) forms no impediment to this. How many innovated matters are excellent! As it was said concerning the establishing of congregations in Tarâwîh. that it was among the innovations of `Umar (ra) and that it was an excellent innovation (bid`a h.asana). The blameworthy bid`a is only what opposes the ancient Sunna or might lead to changing it.[7]

Ibn al-`Arabî al-Mâlikî’s Identical Definition

The Qâd.î Abû Bakr Ibn al-`Arabî said in his discussion of bid`a:

Know – May Allâh grant you knowledge! – that innovated matters are two kinds (al-muh.dathâtu d.arbân).
1.) An innovated matter that has no basis other than lust and arbitrary practice. Such is categorically invalid. And
2.) An innovated matter understood to correspond to something [established]. Such is the Sunna of the Caliphs and that of the eminent Imâms. Innovated matters and innovations are not blameworthy merely for being called muh.dath and bid`a nor because of their meaning! Allâh Most High has said, (Never comes there unto them a new (muh.dath) reminder from their Lord) (21:2) and `Umar (ra) said: “What a fine bid`a this is!” Rather, only the bid`a that contradicts the Sunna is blameworthy and only the innovated matters that invite to misguidance are blameworthy.”[8]

Ibn H.azm and Ibn al-Jawzî’s Identical Definition

Ibn H.azm al-Z.âhirî said: Bid`a in the Religion is everything that did not come to us in the Qur’ân nor from the Messenger of Allâh , except that one is rewarded for some of it and those who do this are excused if they have good intentions. Of it is the rewardable and excellent (h.asan), namely, what is originally permitted (mâ kâna as.luhu al-ibâh.a) as was narrated from `Umar (ra): “What a fine bid`a this is!” Such refers to all good deeds which the texts stipulated in general terms of desirability even if its practice was not fixed in the text. And of it is the blameworthy for which there is no excuse such as what has proofs against its invalidity.[9]

Ibn al-Jawzî speaks in similar terms in the beginning of his Talbîs Iblîs: “Certain innovated matters (muh.dathât) have taken place which do not oppose the Sacred Law nor contradict it, so they [the Salaf] saw no harm in practicing them, such as the convening of the people by `Umar (ra) for the night prayer in Ramad.ân, after which he saw them and said: `What a fine bid`a this is!’”

 

Ibn al-Athîr al-Jazarî’s Identical Definition

The lexicographer Ibn al-Athîr said in his masterpiece, al-Nihâya fî Gharîb al-H.âdîth wal-Athar: Bid`a is two kinds: the bid`a of guidance and the bid`a of misguidance (bid`atu hudâ wa-bid`atu d.alâla). Whatever contravenes the command of Allâh and His Messenger : that is within the sphere of blame and condemnation. And whatever enters into the generality of what Allâh or His Prophet commended or stressed: that is within the sphere of praise. Whatever has no precedent such as extreme generosity or goodness – such are among the praiseworthy acts. It is impermissible that such be deemed to contravene the Law because the Prophet has stipulated that such would carry reward when he said: “Whoever institutes a good practice in Islâm (man sanna fîl-islâmi sunnatan h.asana) has its reward and the reward of all those who practice it.” And he said, conversely, “whoever institutes a bad practice in Islâm (waman sanna fîl-islâmi sunnatan sayyi’atan) bears its onus and the onus of all those who practice it.” [10] Such is when the act goes against what Allâh and His Messenger commanded…. It is in this sense that the h.adîth “every innovation is misguidance”[11] is understood: he means, whatever contravenes the bases of the Law and does not concur with the Sunna.[12]

 

Ibn `Abd al-Salâm’s Final Fivefold Classification

Shaykh al-Islâm, Sult.ân al-`Ulâmâ’ Imâm al-`Izz Ibn `Abd al-Salâm similarly said: There are different types of innovations (bida`). The first type is whatever the Law indicated as praiseworthy or obligatory and the like of which was not done in the first period of Islâm. The second type is whatever the Law indicated as forbidden or disliked, and which was not done in the first period of Islâm. The third type is whatever the Law indicated as indifferently permitted and which was not done in the first period of Islâm.[13]

Elsewhere he states that the categories of bid`a are five, identical to the jurists’ classification of deeds: “obligatory” (wâjib), “forbidden” (h.arâm), “recommended” (mandûb), “disliked” (makrûh), and “permitted” (mubâh.).[14]

 

Al-Nawawî’s Endorsement of the Fivefold Classification

Shaykh al-Islâm, Imâm al-Nawawî said: Al-Bid`a in the Law is the innovating of what did not exist in the time of the Messenger of Allâh and is divided into “excellent” and “bad” (wahya munqasimatun ilâ h.asana wa qabîh.a). The Shaykh, the Imâm on whose foremost leadership, greatness, standing, and brilliance in all kinds of Islamic sciences there is consensus, Abû Muh.ammad `Abd al-`Azîz ibn `Abd al-Salâm – Allâh have mercy on him and be well-pleased with him! – said toward the end of his book, al-Qawâ`id [al-Kubrâ]:

“Innovation is divided into ‘obligatory’ (wâjiba), ‘forbidden’s (muh.arrama), ‘recommended’s (mandûba), ‘offensive’s (makrûha), and ‘indifferent’s (mubâh.a).
The way [to discriminate] in this is that the innovation be examined in the light of the regulations of the Law (qawâ`id al-sharî`a). If it falls under the regulations of obligatoriness (îjâb) then it is obligatory; under the regulations of prohibitiveness (tah.rîm) then it is prohibited; recommendability, then recommended; offensiveness, then offensive; indifference, then indifferent.”[15]

 

Ibn H.ajar’s Endorsement of the Fivefold Classification

The H.âfiz. Ibn H.ajar said: The root meaning of innovation is what is produced without precedent. It is applied in the law in opposition to the Sunna and is therefore blameworthy. Strictly speaking, if it is part of what is classified as commendable by the law then it is a good innovation (h.asana), while if it is part of what is classified as blameworthy by the law then it is blameworthy (mustaqbah.a), otherwise it falls in the category of what is permitted indifferently (mubâh.). It can be divided into the known five categories.[16]

 

Agreement of the Schools over the Fivefold Classification

Agreement formed in the Four Schools around the fivefold classification of bid`a as illustrated by the endorsement of the major later authorities in each School.

(1) Among the H.anafîs: al-Kirmânî, Ibn `âbidîn, al-Turkmânî, al-`Aynî, and al-Tahânawî.[17]

(2) Among the Mâlikîs: al-T.urt.ûshî, Ibn al-H.âjj, al-Qarâfî, and al-Zurqânî, while al-Shât.ibî attempts a refutation and claims that the fivefold classification is “an invented matter without proof in the Law”![18]

(3) Consensus among the Shâfi`îs.[19]

(4) Reluctant acceptance among later H.anbalîs, who altered al-Shâfi`î and Ibn `Abd al-Salâm’s terminology to read “lexical innovation” (bid`a lughawiyya) and “legal innovation” (bid`a shar`iyya), respectively – although inaccurately – matching al-Shâfi`î’s “approved” and “abominable.[20] This manner of splitting hairs has become the shibboleth of Wahhâbism in every micro-debate on bid`a although the correct way – as usual – is patently that of the Jumhûr.

Shaykh Muh.ammad Bakhît al-Mut.î`î concluded that “The legal bid`a is the one that is misguidance and condemned; as for the bid`a that the Ulema divided into obligatory and forbidden and so forth, such is the lexical bid`a which is more inclusive than the legal because the legal is only part of it.”[21]

Al-Shawkânî concluded in Nayl al-Awt.âr that the foundational division of innovations into “good” and “bad” is the soundest and most correct position.[22]

It is enough that a major Mujtahid Imâm of the Salaf said so on the basis of the Qur’ân and Sunna regardless of the argumentations of later centuries – whether from a would-be murajjih. like al-Shawkânî or a would-be censor like al-Shât.ibî – in light of the concurrence of the Jumhûr around al-Shâfi`î’s explanation and the Divine and Prophetic injunctions to follow the path of the Believers and to stay with their greatest mass.
“He is not an Imâm in `Ilm who follows aberrant (shâdhdh) positions” (`Abd al-Rah.mân ibn Mahdî).

And Allâh knows best.

Notes

[1] Narrated from H.armala by Abû Nu`aym with his chain through Abû Bakr al-âjurrî in H.ilyat al-Awliyâ’ (9:121 #13315=1985 ed. 9:113) and cited by Abû Shâma in al-Bâ`ith `alâ Inkâr al-Bida` wal-H.awâdith (Ryadh 1990 ed. p. 93), Ibn Rajab in Jâmi` al-`Ulûm wal-H.ikam (p. 267=Zuh.aylî ed. 2:52= Arna’ût. ed. 2:131 s.ah.îh.), Ibn H.ajar in Fath. al-Bârî (1959 ed. 13:253), al-Turt.ûshî in al-H.awâdith wa al-Bida` (p. 158-159), and al-Shawkânî, al-Qawl al-Mufîd fî Adillat al-Ijtihâd wa al-Taqlîd (1347/1929 ed. p. 36). `Umar’s report is narrated by Mâlik in al-Muwat.t.a’ and al-Bukhârî in his S.ah.îh.. 

[2] Narrated from al-Rabî` by al-Bayhaqî in his Madkhal and Manâqib al-Shâfi`î (1:469) with a sound chain as stated by Ibn Taymiyya in his Dâr’ Ta`ârud. al-`Aql wa al-Naql (p. 171) and through al-Bayhaqî by Ibn `Asâkir in Tabyîn Kadhib al-Muftarî (Kawtharî ed. p. 97). Cited by al-Dhahabî in the Siyar (8:408), Ibn Rajab in Jâmi` al-`Ulûm wal-H.ikam (p. 267=Zuh.aylî ed. 2:52-53=Arna’ût. ed. 2:131 s.ah.îh.), and Ibn H.ajar in Fath. al-Bârî (1959 ed. 13:253).

[3] Al-Haytamî, al-Tabyîn fî Sharh. al-Arba`în (p. 32).

[4] Ibn al-`Arabî, `ârid.at al-Ah.wadhî (10:147).

[5] Cf. al-Lacknawî, Iqâmat al-H.ujja (p. 12).

[6] Al-Bayhaqî, Manâqib al-Shâfi`î (1:469).

[7] Al-Ghazzâlî, Ih.yâ’ `Ulûm al-Dîn (1:276).

[8] Ibn al-`Arabî, `ârid.at al-Ah.wadhî (10:146-147).

[9] Ibn H.azm, al-Ih.kâm fî Us.ûl al-Ah.kâm (1:47).

[10] Narrated from Jarîr ibn `Abd Allâh al-Bajalî by Muslim, al-Tirmidhî, al-Nasâ’î, Ibn Mâjah, Ah.mad, and al-Dârimî. Also narrated with a similar wording from Abû Hurayra by Ibn Mâjah and Ah.mad; from Abû Juh.ayfa by Ibn Mâjah; and from Hudhayfa by Ah.mad.

[11] Narrated from al-`Irbâd. ibn Sâriya by al-Tirmidhî (h.asan s.ah.îh.), Abû Dâwûd, Ibn Mâjah, Ah.mad, al-Dârimî, Ibn H.ibbân (1:178-179 #5 s.ah.îh.), al-H.âkim (1:95-97=1990 ed. 1:174-177) – declaring it s.ah.îh. while al-Dhahabî confirmed it – and in al-Madkhal ilâ al-S.ah.îh. (p. 80-81), al-âjurrî in al-Sharî`a (p. 54-55 #79-82=p. 46 s.ah.îh.), Ibn Abî `âs.im in al-Sunna (p. 29 #54 s.ah.îh.), al-T.ah.âwî in Mushkil al-âthâr (2:69=3:221-224 #1185-1187 s.ah.îh.), Muh.ammad ibn Nas.r al-Marwazî in al-Sunna (p. 26-27 #69-72 s.ah.îh.), al-H.ârith ibn Abî Usâma in his Musnad (1:197-198), al-Rûyânî in his Musnad (1:439), Abû Nu`aym in H.ilyat al-Awliyâ’ (1985 ed. 5:220-221, 10:115), al-T.abarânî in Musnad al-Shâmiyyîn (1:254, 1:402, 1:446, 2:197, 2:298) and al-Kabîr (18:245-257), al-Bayhaqî in al-Sunan al-Kubrâ (10:114), al-Madkhal (p. 115-116), al-I`tiqâd (p. 229), and Shu`ab al-‘mân (6:67), al-Baghawî who declared it h.asan in Sharh. al-Sunna (1:205 #102 isnâd s.ah.îh.), Ibn al-Athîr in Jâmi` al-Us.ûl (1:187, 1:279), Ibn `Asâkir in al-Arba`în al-Buldâniyya (p. 121), Ibn `Abd al-Barr in al-Tamhîd (21:278-279) and Jâmi` Bayân al-`Ilm (2:924 #1758) where he declared it s.ah.îh., and others.

[12] Ibn al-Athîr, al-Nihâya (1:79 entry b-d-`).

[13] Ibn `Abd al-Salâm, al-Fatâwâ al-Maws.iliyya (p. 129).

[14] Ibn `Abd al-Salâm, al-Qawâ`id al-Kubrâ (2:337-339) cf. al-Nawawî in al-Adhkâr (Thaqâfiyya ed. p. 237) and Tahdhîb al-Asma’ wal-Lughât (3:20-22), al-Shât.ibî in al-I`tis.âm (Beirut ed. 1:188), al-Kirmânî in al-Kawâkib al-Darârî (9:54), Ibn H.ajar in Fath. al-Bârî (13:253-254), al-Suyût.î, introduction to H.usn al-Maqs.id in al-H.âwî lil-Fatâwâ; al-Haytamî, Fatâwâ H.adîthiyya (p. 150), Ibn `âbidîn, Radd al-Muh.târ (1:376) etc.

[15] Al-Nawawî, Tahdhîb al-Asmâ’ wal-Lughât (3:20-22).

[16] Ibn Hajar, Fath. al-Bârî (1959 ed. 5:156-157=1989 ed. 4:318).

[17] Al-Kirmânî, al-Kawâkib al-Darârî Sharh. S.ah.îh. al-Bukhârî (9:54), Ibn `âbidîn, H.âshiya (1:376, 1:560); al-Turkmânî, al-Luma` fîl-H.awâdith wal-Bida` (Stuttgart, 1986, 1:37); al-Tahânawî, Kashshâf Ist.ilâh.at al-Funûn (Beirut, 1966, 1:133-135); al-`Aynî, `Umdat al-Qârî in al-H.imyarî, al-Bid`at al-H.asana (p. 152-153).

[18] Al-T.urt.ûshî, Kitâb al-H.awâdith wa al-Bida` (p. 15, p. 158-159); Ibn al-H.ajj, Madkhal al-Shar` al-Sharîf (Cairo, 1336/1918 2:115); al-Qarâfî, al-Furûq (4:219) cf. al-Shât.ibî, al-I`tis.âm (1:188-191); al-Zurqânî, Sharh. al-Muwat.t.a’ (1:238). Al-Shât.ibî’s I`tis.âm was recirculated by two Wahhâbîs: Rashîd Rid.â then Salîm Hilâlî. A third Wahhâbî, Muh.ammad `Abd al-Salâm Khad.ir al-Shuqayrî – Rid.â’s student – authored al-Sunan wal-Mubtada`ât al-Muta`alliqa bil-Adhkâr wal-S.alawât which he filled with unverifiable tales which he proceeds to denounce with much ado.

[19] Abû Shâma, al-Bâ`ith `alâ Inkâr al-Bida` wa al-H.awâdith (Riyad: Dâr al-Raya, 1990 p. 93, Cairo ed. p. 12-13) as well as those already mentioned. Note: “consensus” (ijmâ`) is more inclusive than “agreement” (ittifâq), and binding.

[20] Ibn Rajab, al-Jâmi` fîl-`Ulûm wal-H.ikam (2:50-53), and Ibn Taymiyya’s section on bid`a in his Iqtid.â’ al-S.irât. al-Mustaqîm Mukhâlafat As.h.âb al-Jah.îm. This is also the position of Ibn Kathîr: see his commentary of the verse: (The Originator of the heavens and the earth!) (2:117) in his Tafsîr. He followed in this his teacher Ibn Taymiyya.

[21] Bakhît, Fatâwâ H.adîthiyya (p. 205).

[22] Al-Shawkânî, Nayl al-Awt.âr (4:60).

The Hilye of the Prophet Muhammad

Calligraphy presents the thought as the source of the image, not the image as the source of the thought.” — Nabil F. Safwat¹

How does one describe the indescribable? How does one form an image of that which cannot be portrayed? That is what the hilye does–it gives parameters to the imagination so that one can think about the Prophet with a mental or spiritual image to hang onto, yet not attempt to visualize him or portray him in a painting. But the hilye is not an icon in words. As impressive and accurate as the many hilye texts are, they still remain vague, contrary to the claims of literalists, who would reject these texts as being visual portraits. That, of course, would not be acceptable to Muslims.

Hilye² is the Turkish form of the Arabic word hilya, which has several meanings, including physiognomy, natural disposition, likeness, depiction, characterization, and description. But these dictionary definitions only begin to convey the real meaning of the hilye, which embodies the Prophet’s moral, behavioral, and spiritual qualities as well as physical appearance. Like most Arabic words, hilya carries multiple overtones, making it difficult to translate. It has connotations of ornament, beauty, finery, and embellishment. I like to think of a hilya as a beautiful and significant description.

The Hilye in History

Arabic source literature includes hilye texts describing many important figures. Most prominent of these are the hilyes of the Prophet Muhammad and of his four companions–the chahar yar, or four friends, the first four caliphs and successors of the Prophet, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali. Interestingly, we also have hilyes for some of the pre-Quranic Biblical prophets. In one of the great works on hilyes, Qasas al-Anbiya, by Tha’labi (d. 1035 AD), we find hilyes for Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, John the Baptist, and Jesus. These are related by the enigmatic figure Ka’b al-Ahbar. A learned Muslim of Jewish, possibly rabbinic, origin and a specialist in Biblical lore, K’ab al-Ahbar was a friend and confidant of Umar and the Prophet’s wife, Aisha.

Oral literature was possibly the highest calling of the ancient Arabs, and long before the hilye was used in calligraphy, it was spoken. What first impresses the reader–or listener–about these texts is their compactness, their terseness. They say as much as possible in a few well-chosen words, some of which are profoundly obscure. In my translations of the texts, for example, I consulted both the commentary of Molla Ali Al-Qari, a Hanafi religious scholar of the early 17th century AD, and the Lisan al-Arab, a lexicon that includes many of the words used in the hilyes. Yet some areas remain ambiguous or open to interpretation.

The wording of hilyes is carefully composed, with the care one would expect from a keen observer of people, one gifted with a finely honed skill in language. In his narration of the hilye, for example, Hind is mentioned as a wassaf, or one who describes. One can hypothesize that Hind had a special gift for this kind of literature, just as some may have a special gift for poetry. Few writers could match these gems of conciseness and beauty, composed as they were with wit, poignancy, intimacy, and rhetorical flourish. These artful descriptions make vivid impressions on the listener or reader. They are quite memorable and played an important part in recalling beloved and respected figures.

Hilyes have some general features in common. They begin with a succinct description of the subject’s physical characteristics, including height, build, complexion, eyes, hair, hands, and gait, then move to the subject’s individual and moral characteristics. Consider, for example, the hilye of Soloman (the prophet Sulayman, in Islamic terms), as told by K’ab al-Ahbar:

Sulayman was of pale complexion; his body was large, very clean and beautiful. He was humble and unpretentious and liked to associate with the poor and would keep company with them. He would say, “The poor must sit with the poor.” During his father Dawud’s reign, his father would consult him because of his advanced intellect and knowledge, which was remarkable considering his young age.

Or take this hilye of Uthman, the third caliph:

Uthman, may God be pleased with him, was of medium stature. He wasn’t short or tall. He had a beautiful face. He was fleshy and had fine skin. He had a thick beard. His head and beard hair were abundant. Because of this, his opponents called him Na’sal [after an Egyptian in Medina with a long beard]. His complexion was swarthy, and he was big boned. He was the beloved friend of the beloved friend [Muhammad] of the All-Merciful God. He collected the Quran [and published it]. He was full of modesty and faith. He died a martyr while reading the Quran.

Another interesting occurrence of the word hilye is in the title of the famous biographical work in Arabic Hilyat al-Awliya, by Abu Nu’aym (d. 1038 AD), which can be translated as “Description (or Depiction) of the Saintly People.” This is an excellent source of information about the early religious figures of Islam and contains much material from their own lips, including, fascinatingly, Ka’b al-Ahbar himself in a long entry.

The Hilyes of the Prophet

The most famous hilye texts, of course, are those that characterize the Prophet Muhammad. In Turkish they are called Hilye-i Saadet (the Hilye of Felicity), Hilye-i Serif (the Noble Hilye), and Hilye-i Nebevi (the Prophetic Hilye). The most popular of these texts for calligraphers is one related by Ali ibn Abi Talib, which I translate as follows:

Transmitted from Ali [son-in-law of the Prophet], may God be pleased with him, who, when asked to describe the Prophet, peace be upon him, would say: He was not too tall nor too short. He was medium sized. His hair was not short and curly, nor was it lank, but in between. His face was not narrow, nor was it fully round, but there was a roundness to it. His skin was white. His eyes were black. He had long eyelashes. He was big-boned and had wide shoulders. He had no body hair except in the middle of his chest. He had thick hands and feet. When he walked, he walked inclined, as if descending a slope. When he looked at someone, he looked at them in full face.

Between his shoulders was the seal of prophecy, the sign that he was the last of the prophets. He was the most generous-hearted of men, the most truthful of them in speech, the most mild-tempered of them, and the noblest of them in lineage. Whoever saw him unexpectedly was in awe of him. And whoever associated with him familiarly, loved him. Anyone who would describe him would say, I never saw, before him or after him, the like of him. Peace be upon him.

The most comprehensive hilye text is found in the great work on the Prophet by Al-Qadi Iyad (d. 1149). Here it is, in its fullest version:

Al-Hasan, son of Ali [May God be pleased with both of them] said: “I asked my uncle Hind, son of Abu Hala about the hilye [description] of the Prophet of God, my peace and blessings be upon him. Hind was known to be a prolific describer of the Prophet, and I wished him to relate some of it for me so I might hold fast to it.”

So Hind said: “The Prophet of God, peace be upon him, was of mighty significance to God, and profoundly honored among the people. His face radiated light like the moon on its fullest night. He was a bit taller than the medium stature and a bit shorter than the tall and skinny. His head was large. His hair was wavy. If his hair parted, he would leave it parted, if not he would leave it, and it would not be long enough to pass his earlobes. His complexion was fair. He had a wide forehead, arched, thick eyebrows with a space between them. There was a vein between them that would swell and pulse when he was angry. His nose was aquiline; it had a brightness about the upper part that led those who were less observant to think him haughty. He had a thick beard. His eyes were very black and the whites very white. His cheeks were not prominent, he had a wide mouth. His teeth were white and there was a space between his front teeth.

“There was a fine line of hair on his chest, and it was as if it were an ivory statue with the purity of silver. His figure was well proportioned, full bodied and strong. There was no slackness in his musculature, his chest didn’t protrude over his belly, nor the reverse. His chest was broad and his shoulders wide and muscular. He had large limbs. The parts of his body that could be seen while he was clothed were luminous. His body from the neck to the navel was joined by hair which flowed down like a line. There was no hair on his nipples. His forearms, shoulders, and upper chest were hairy. The bones of his forearms were long. His palms were wide and generous. His hands and feet were thick. His limbs were long. He had long sinews. His insteps were high. His feet were smooth without protuberances and water would run off of them. When he would move off, he would move with determination. He would step surely and unhurriedly and not proudly. He walked gently and with dignity, and he would take wide steps when he wanted to walk quickly. When he walked, it was as if he were descending from a slope and when he would look at someone, he would turn to him fully. He would lower his gaze and look down more often than up. He didn’t stare. He would lead his companions by walking behind them out of modesty and would always be the first to greet them.”

At this point, Al-Hasan said to Hind, “Describe to me the way he spoke.”

Hind said, “The Prophet of God, peace and blessings be upon him, was continually full of concern. He was constantly deep in thought. He had no rest, and would not speak without a reason. He would be silent for long periods of time. He would begin conversations, and end them clearly and distinctly and would speak in a way that combined many meanings in few words. He spoke with excellence, and there was no excess in it, nor unnatural brevity. He was gentle by nature and not coarse, nor was he contemptuous of anyone. He would extol the favors he received, even when they were few and small. He never found fault with them. He never criticized the food or drink that was prepared for him, nor did he overly praise it. No one would stand against his anger when matters of the Lord’s truth were opposed, until he had triumphed, but he would never get angry for his own sake, nor would he ever seek to win such an argument. He would gesture with his whole palm, to point. When he was astonished, he would make his palm face upwards. He used his hands frequently as he spoke, and would strike his left palm with his right thumb. When he would get angry, he would turn away and avert his gaze, and when he was full of joy he would lower his eyes. Most of his laughing was as smiling; when he did laugh, it was not loud, and he would show his teeth a bit like they were hailstones.”

Al-Hasan said, “I kept this report to myself, away from [my brother] Al-Husayn for awhile, then I told it to him, but he had already heard it and found out even more. He had asked our father [Ali] about the way the Prophet of God, peace be upon him, was at home, when he went out in his assemblies, and about his way of living.” Al-Hasan left nothing of this out.

Al-Husayn said, “I asked my father [Ali], may God be pleased with him, about how the Prophet of God, peace be upon him, was at home.”

He [Ali] said, “He always asked permission to enter his home, from God, and those within. When at home, he would divide his time into three parts, one for God, one for his family, and one for himself. Then he would divide his own portion between himself and the people. His elite companions would mostly share this time with him, and they would convey his words to the common people. He would hold nothing back from them, neither knowledge or worldly things. It was his way to prefer the people of excellence, according to their merit in religious matters. Among the people there were those with a need, those with two needs, and those with many needs. He would work with them, and he would occupy them and the community in general with that which would improve their situations. This he would do by asking about them and their needs, and informing them what they ought to do. He would say, ‘Let the one who is present among you inform the one who is absent, and bring to me the need of he who is unable to tell me himself. Truly, the one who informs a person of authority of the need of one who is unable to convey it himself, God will make firm his feet on the day of judgment.’ This was the kind of topic mentioned in his presence, and he didn’t accept anything else from anyone [he didn’t like meaningless conversation and liked to talk about how to help people].”

Ali then said, in the hadith of Sufyan Ibn Waki: “They would come as scouts [seeking decisions or knowledge], and they would not go on their way until they had found what they sought, and then they would leave as guides and learned people.”

I said [Husayn to his father Ali], “Tell me about his going out and how he acted outside.”

Ali said, “The Prophet of God, peace and blessings upon him, would hold his tongue except in matters which concerned his companions. He would encourage affection and concord between them and would say nothing to alienate one from another. He honored the nobles of every people who would come to him and make them their leaders. He would be wary around some people and on his guard against them [especially nomads], but he would never withhold from anyone his open-faced friendliness and fine personality. He would ask his companions about their situations, and he would ask people about what was going on amongst them. He would approve of that which was good and advocate it, and he would denounce that which was base and discourage it.

“Everything he did was in moderation, without excess or contrariness. He was not thoughtless, out of fear that those who came to him would become unmindful or weary. He was prepared for every situation in this world and the next. He didn’t fail to fulfill what was right, and he didn’t overstep his authority in regards to those near him. The most meritorious and excellent people to him were those whose advice was most universal; the most significant of them to him were those most beneficial to others, and the most helpful in helping others bear their burdens.”

Then Al-Husayn said, “Then I asked him [Ali] about his gatherings and about what he did in them, and he said: “The Prophet of God, peace be upon him, did not sit down or stand up without mentioning God, nor did he reserve for himself fixed places among the people to be seated, and he forbade others also to reserve places for themselves [especially in mosques and public gatherings]. When he would go to visit a group, he would sit in the nearest available spot, and ordered that others follow this practice. He would give those seated near him his full share of attention in such a way that no one would think others had been given precedence over him. Whenever someone he would be sitting with would tell him of his needs, he would bear with that person until that person left him. When someone would ask him to solve a problem, he would not turn him away without solving it for him, if possible, or saying a comforting word or a prayer for its fulfillment. His cheerfulness and open personality were felt by all the people, and he became like a father to them. They came to have the right of mercy and compassion from him, as they were close, like the relation of parent and child, distinguished only by virtue and devotion to God. And in another narrative, they became equals regarding their rights in his eyes.

“Assemblies with him were gatherings of gentleness, dignified conduct, modesty, patience, and trust. No voice would be raised, nor would women be spoken of in a depraved way, nor would peoples’ errors be mentioned. [This last item comes via different narrations.] They inclined to each other in affection out of devotion to God, as humble people. In these gatherings, the old were honored, the young were treated with gentleness. They would come to the aid of the needy and would have compassion for the stranger.”

And then I asked him [Ali] about the Messenger’s conduct among his close associates and servants.

[Ali] said: “The Prophet of God, peace be upon him, was unfailingly cheerful, easy going by nature, and mild mannered. He was neither crude nor coarse . He was not a clamorous loudmouth, nor a repeater of obscenities. He was not one to find faults in others, nor did he overly praise them either. He was unconcerned about what he did not want, and this did not bother him. He allowed his soul no portion of three things – hypocrisy, acquisitiveness, and that which did not concern him. He did not allow himself to engage in three things regarding people – he would not criticize others, he would not revile anyone, and he would not seek out others’ faults. He would speak of nothing unless he hoped a reward from God for it. When he would talk, the ones sitting with him would be so still and quiet, you would imagine birds were sitting on their heads. When he was silent, they would talk, but not quarrel in his presence. When one of them would talk, they would all listen attentively until he had finished. They would speak about a subject that was brought up by the first to speak until they had finished with it. He would laugh at what they laughed at, and he would be amazed by what amazed them. He was patient with the stranger who had roughness in his speech. He would say, ‘Whenever you see someone seeking to solve a problem, help him out.’ He did not seek praise, except to be spoken of appropriately. He wouldn’t interrupt another’s speech unless it got excessive or too long, then he would end it or get up to leave.”

Here ends the hadith of Sufyan IbnWaki. Through other narrators, Al-Hasan continues in the words of his brother Al-Husayn. I said [to Ali], “What was the silence of the Prophet of God [peace upon him] like?”

He said, “His silences were for four situations: forbearance, caution, estimation, and contemplation. As for his estimation, it was to take an impartial study of events and listen to the people in order to be just. As for his contemplation, it was about what was eternal and what was transitory. His forbearance was part of his patience, he was not angered by that which was provocative. His caution was for four reasons – taking good speech or action into consideration so he might use it in an exemplary way; abjuring the ugly and bad so it would be left alone; exerting his judgment to improve the situation of his community; [and] establishing ways to maintain the good order of his community in regard to this world and the next.”

The description is finished, with thanks and praise to God for His aid.

From the same work is a shorter, very intriguing hilye text:

Hilal related to us, from Ata Bin Yasar. He said: “I met Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al-As, and I said, ‘Tell me about the description of the Prophet of God, peace be upon him.’”

He said, “Yes, certainly. By God, he was described in the Torah³ in some ways as in the Quran, ‘O Prophet, we have sent you as a witness, a bringer of good tidings, and a warner’ and as a protector of the weak. You are my servant and prophet. I have named you The One Who Relies.

“He was not crude, nor was he coarse, nor was he one to shout and make a lot of noise in the marketplace. He did not answer an evil deed with another, but he would pardon and forgive. He would not be taken by God until he had straightened out the crooked people, until they would confess there was no divinity but God, and open blind eyes and deaf ears and closed hearts. O God, grant mercy and peace to our master Muhammad and his family.”

Other hilye texts exist, such as those related by Umm Ma’bad and Abu Hurayra. Both of these have been calligraphed by Ottoman artists in the 19th century. In 1897, the Ottoman calligrapher Bakkal Arif Efendi, a refugee from Bulgaria, was commissioned by the Ottoman Printing House to write a large hilye in Turkish. Its text was composed by the Ottoman statesman, poet, and author Jevdet Mehmet Pasha. Displaying a hilye in the home, workplace, or mosque was believed to provide a blessed environment, but a hand-made levha, or panel of calligraphy, was expensive. A beautifully printed version made the hilye accessible to people of lesser means.

The Hilye in Calligraphic Art

The first hilyes to be produced as an art form were, as far as we can tell, by the great Ottoman calligrapher Hafiz Osman Efendi (the Second Sheikh, 1644-98 AD). He took the hilye text from Iman Tirmidhi’s Ash-Shama’il al-Muhammadiya and composed it in the configuration we now associate with the hilye. At the top is the Besmele–that is, the text “In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful,” often prefixed by the words “It is from Suleyman, and it is …” In the center, generally within a crescent shape, is the main text, surrounded by the names of the Prophet’s four main companions, the first four successors. Under this is a Quranic ayat, or verse, usually, “We did not send you [Muhammad] except as a mercy to the universe,” or occasionally, “Truly, you are of a tremendous nature.” The remainder of the text follows, ending in supplications to the Prophet, plus the calligrapher’s signature and date. Very rarely, the whole work is finished with a hadith qudsi (that is, a holy saying direct from God): “Were it not for you, were it not for you, I would not have created the starry heavens.” ⁴

In the art of calligraphy, this form has been very significant, most often written in Sulus and Nesih scripts, both small and large versions. The work is also done in Nestalik script; the first to do so was Mehmed Es’ad Yesari Efendi (d. 1789 AD).

Largely ignored outside of Ottoman Turkey, the hilye was a beloved and honored work there. It is still an important part of the calligrapher’s repertoire. It is common for calligraphy students to compose a hilye when they are ready to receive the icazet, or diploma. My case was typical. In 1988, my teacher, Hasan Celebi, informed me that I was ready to receive the icazet and told me to write the text but not to sign it. When I finished the text and sent it to him, he wrote the icazet text under it. He then took the piece to another calligrapher, Sheikh Mustafa Bekir, who, after examining it, wrote to the left of the icazet text the taskik–confirmation of the icazet. The piece was then illuminated by Hasan Celebi’s son, Mustafa, one of the most prominent illuminators in Turkey. Finally, it was presented to me at a ceremony at the headquarters of the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art, and Culture in Istanbul.

There is nothing in the art of Islamic calligraphy quite like illuminating a hilye. It is a challenging and daunting undertaking, due to the composition’s complex structure and layout. It requires careful planning to bring balance and harmony to the work as a whole and to avoid creating focal spots, which are not appropriate in classical Islamic calligraphy.

Attempts have been made to produce hilyes in other forms and layouts. Sometimes, for example, the hilye is executed in a small, folding, portable format, or album, as was done by Mehmed Shevki Efendi (1827-87 AD). In addition, Kadiasker Mustafa Izzet (d. 1876 AD) and Hasan Riza Efendi (d. 1920 AD) produced magnificent large-format hilyes, some over four feet in height. Other departures from the traditional format, however, were garish or kitschy in design and have become historical curiosities of little merit.

The Significance of the Hilye

In the Hind hilye, Al-Hasan, grandson of the Prophet, said, “I asked my uncle Hind, son of Abu Hala, about the Hilye of the Prophet of God so I might hold fast to it.” I believe this is a clue to the hilye concept. Most Muslims and historians of Islam know about the Prophet and his life, which is an open book. He is a daily presence and memory, showing us through his life and teachings the way to the well-lived life and thus the way to God. Muslims love Muhammad and commend him for always doing the right thing, even at his own expense. They appreciate his directness and clarity, his courtliness and manliness, his warmth and bravery. They sympathize with his terrors during the first revelations of the Quran and empathize with the huge burden he had to bear. But they do not and cannot adore him. Adoration is reserved for the Creator alone.

An interesting but questionable hadith, which was thought to be genuine until recently, may shed some light on the significance of the hilye. The Prophet said, “He who sees my hilye after me, it is as if he had actually seen me, and he who sees it out of love and desire for me, God will forbid the fire of Hell to touch him. He will be safe from the trials of the grave, and he will not be sent forth naked on the day of resurrection.” This hadith, whatever its status, refers, of course, not to the calligraphic composition of the hilye but to the physical, moral, and spiritual description of the Prophet.

Reading, or even simply viewing, a well-produced hilye can refresh the heart and mind. It gives us, so many generations later, a kind of intimacy with the Prophet, as though we had known him. To see him in this way is to allow him to show the way.

In an authentic hadith, the Prophet said, “He who has seen me in a dream, has seen the truth.” His presence must have been so striking that people saw right through him to the prophetical truth he taught. After his death, people wanted to remember him, and these hilye texts must have been very helpful in retaining a “memory vignette” his companions could pass to future generations.

Since the death of the Prophet, a substantial literature has developed devoted to the things he said and did (hadith) and, later, to his life and times and the circumstances of his prophecy (sira). The hilyes fit into this framework as they answer the questions, “What was he like? What kind of human being was he?”

Hollywood has done prophets a considerable injustice. They are depicted on screen as ranting, ill-clad madmen, flaky revolutionaries, or effete wise men. The hilyes offer a better picture of a prophet–of the one who claimed to be the last prophet. Images fixed in the imagination by countless Biblical epics, while often entertaining, do not prepare the mind for the depiction of an actual prophet that we find in the hilye texts–nor does the image (or non-image) portrayed in the movie “The Message,” which characterizes Muhammad as a 1960s-style social revolutionary.

In the hilyes we find a man who was not physically remarkable, yet attractive to all who saw him–a man who stood out among his peers. He was a man of humility but not humble; a man who was complex yet straightforward. He made time for his family, his friends, and his social responsibilities but left private time for himself and God. He loved the company of women, and he liked a good joke, but he didn’t laugh too much, nor was he quick to anger. He was neither a braggart nor a ranter. He said what he meant and said it eloquently, and there wasn’t an inch of hypocrisy in him. He was the Prophet of God, the model for mankind, yet he did not boast of it. He made it abundantly clear that high ideals never justified bad behavior. He had to deal with the social and theological implications of an idolatry far more terrible in its lumpen banality, its home-made weirdness, than the fire-belching Baals and Molochs of DeMille, and all in 21 years.

Muhammad was such a guide to spiritual truth that his wife Aisha said of him, “His personality was the Quran.”

It is not part of the truth to be Arab or Afghan, Persian, Turk, or American. Religion is to seek the truth and try to live by it. Muslims believe that Muhammad ushered in the adulthood of humanity: Islam would be enough. It is the privilege of the calligrapher to honor this man through art. Returning over and over to these hilyes, these eyewitness accounts, one can savor the wonder of the Prophet and the awesome mystery of the Creator.

Copyright 2002, Mohamed Zakariya. This text may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without permission from the author.

1 Safwat, Nabil F. The Art of the Pen: Calligraphy of the 14th to 20th Centuries, volume 5 of the Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art. (London: Oxford University Press, 1996), p. 47.

2 Because the word has become known to connoisseurs and historians of Islamic art primarily through calligraphic works composed by Ottoman calligraphers, I prefer to use the more easily pronounced Turkish version of the word, hilye, rather than the Arabic hilya, with its hard h. (Although the hilye occasionally appears in Persian art, it is nearly completely ignored in other Islamic art traditions.)

3 See Isaiah 42:1-4 for a remarkable confluence of meanings.

4 In his book on popular hadiths, the 18th century scholar al-Ajluni says this one was found to have been forged, yet in his opinion it is sound in meaning even if not an authentic Hadith

 By Mohamed Zakariya