Milad An-Nabiyy
- An Iridescence of Bliss
The Beauteous Fragrances
Of Celebrating the Birth of Prophet
Muhammad
Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã
FOREWORD
This
compilation that I called "The Beauteous Fragrances of Celebrating the
Birth of Prophet Muhammad Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã Milad
An-Nabiyy An Iridescence of Bliss" is a humble selection from the
writings and sayings of some of the great scholars of the People of Truth, Ahlus-Sunnah
wal-Jama^ah, among the Ash^ariyys and the Maturidiyys,
and is primarily based on the work of His Eminence, Shaykh ^Abdullah
al-Harariyy entitled:
(The Beauteous Fragrances of Celebrating the Birth
of the Best of the Creations)
Most Muslims today are Ash^ariyys who are the
followers of Imam Abu Al-Hasan Al-Ash^ariyy and they are
of the Shafi^yy school of thought. A significant number of Muslims are Maturidiyys
who are the followers of Imam Abu Mansur Al-Maturidiyy
and they are of the Hanafiyy school of thought. Both schools
reflect the one and same creed of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama^ah.
Sine 1150 years the astute scholars and knights of
knowledge of the People of Truth, Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama^ah, have
been among the Ash^ariyys, primarily, and the Maturidiyys.
The purpose of selecting and translating this work is to
highlight to the English reader the scholars’ support for the practice of
celebrating the birth of the Prophet, their reasons for judging it as a good
and rewardable innovation, and that they are the authority upon which Muslims
at large--in the East and the West--rely in implementing this honorable
practice.
Contrary to the vast majority of Muslims, scholars and
laypeople alike, the Wahhabi faction—just a handful of 1.5M
supporters among 1.3B Muslims worldwide-- deem such honorable practice as
devious and grounds for blasphemy. Yet the Wahhabies have no way of
attempting to transmit the knowledge of the religion except through the
narrations and reports of the Ash^ariyy and the Maturidiyy
scholars.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
Innovations: Meaning and Judgment
Examples of Good Innovations
Examples of Bad Innovations Related to the Creed
Examples of Bad Innovations Related to the Practice
Hadiths Mentioning Innovation (Bid^ah)
And Their
Meanings
Celebrating the Mawlid
And the
Proof of its Permissibility
Verses of the Qur’an that Honor Prophet Muhammad
The Honorable Genealogy of the Prophet
Aminah’s Pregnancy with Prophet Muhammad
The Honorable Birth of the Prophet
The Signs that Accompanied the Prophet’s Birth
The Time and Place of the Prophet’s Birth
The Names and Distinguished Epithets of the Prophet
The Story of the Nursing of the Prophet
And the
Splitting Open of His Chest
A Glance at the Prophet’s Genuine Attributes,
Honorable
Merits, and Pure Manners
Warning Against Some Works
Authored
In the Name
of the Mawlid (For the Misguidance Contained Therein)
SUPPLICATION
ENDNOTES
I begin with the name of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. I
praise Him and I seek His generosity and forgiveness. I humbly ask Him to raise
the rank of Prophet Muhammad and protect his nation from what he
feared for them. I profess that no one is God except Allah,
and I reaffirm my belief about Allah as beautifully stated by the
famous Shafi^iyy scholar, Shaykh Fakhrud-Din Ibn ^Asakir,
who died in 620 AH:
Allah is the only God in His Dominion. He created the
entire world, the upper and lower, the ^Arsh and Kursiyy, the
heavens and earth, and what is in them and in between them.
All the creation is subjugated by His
Power. No speck moves except by His will.
He has no manager for the creation with
Him, and has no partner in Dominion.
He is attributed with Life and His
Existence does not come to an end (al‑Qayyum). He is
not seized by somnolence or sleep.
He is the One Who
knows about the unforeseen and what is evidenced by His creation. Nothing
on earth or in heaven is hidden from Him. He knows what is on land and in
the sea. Not a leaf does fall but He knows about it. There is no
grain in the darkness of earth, or anything that is moist or dry except which
is inscribed in a clear Book. His Knowledge encompasses everything.
He knows the count of all things.
He does whatever He wills. He has the
power to do whatever He wills.
To Him is the Dominion and He needs none;
To Him belong the Glory and Everlastingness. To Him are the Ruling and
the Creating (al‑Qada'). He has the Names
of Perfection. No one hinders what He decreed. No one prevents what
He gives. He does in His dominion whatever He wills. He rules His
creation with whatever He wills.
He does not hope for reward and does not
fear punishment. There is no right on Him that is binding, and no one
exercises rule over Him.
Every endowment from Him is due to His
Generosity and every punishment from Him is just. He is not questioned
about what He does, but they are questioned.
He existed before the creation. He is
not attributed with a before or an after, an above or a below, a right or a
left, an in front of or a behind, a whole or a part.
It must not be said: When was
He? Or Where was He? Or How
is He? He exists without a place. He created the universe and willed
for the existence of time. He is not bound to time and is not designated
with place.
His management of one matter does not
distract Him from another. Delusions do not apply to Him, and He is not
encompassed by the mind. He is not conceivable in the mind. He is
not imagined in the self nor pictured in delusions. He is not grasped
with delusions or thoughts.
This ayah means: [Absolutely nothing
is like Him and He is attributed with Hearing and Sight.]
I profess that Muhammad is the slave and messenger of Allah
and I confirm my conviction about Muhammad and the prophets
before him, may Allah raise their ranks, as profoundly elucidated
in the Mutamimah of Ibn ^Asakir:
Know, may Allah be merciful
to you by guiding you to the acceptable deeds, that our Master Muhammad,
the son of ^Abdullah, the son of ^Abdul Muttalib,
the son of Hashim, the son of ^Abdu Manaf, the son
of Qusayy, the son of Kilab, the son of Murrah,
the son of Ka^b, the son of Lu'ayy, the son of Ghalib,
the son of Fihr, the son of Malik, the son of an‑Nadr,
the son of Kinanah, the son of Khuzaymah, the son
of Mudrikah, the son of Ilyas, the son of Mudar,
the son of Nizar, the son of Ma^add, the son of ^Adnan—is
the slave of Allah, His Messenger, His Prophet, and His Khalil.
He is the best of the entire creation, and
the leader of his followers who will have shining faces and illuminated upper
arms and lower legs on the Day of Judgment. His Lord sent him to the
humans and jinn as a luminous lantern—giving good tidings and warnings,
and calling to worship Allah by His Will.
He received the Revelation through the
entrusted Jibril who is the head of the honored angels. Allah
created them from light. Obedience is inherent in them, and Allah
gave them the strength to obey. They do not sleep and they do not get
tired. They do not eat or drink. They do not disobey Allah,
but rather they perform all what Allah ordered them to do.
His Book is the Wise Dhikr.[1]
His laws are straight, truthful, and easy. His nation is the best of the
nations. No human has a higher status than his, and no creature can
attain his status.
He is
the last of the Prophets and their leader, the most knowledgeable among them
and the highest in status, the most articulate and the strongest, the most
beautiful, brave, courageous, and generous. He had the most signs among
them and the most outstanding miracles.
All the prophets were people of merit and
patience, belief and certainty, truthfulness and religiosity, chastity and
impeccability, intelligence and brilliance, trustworthiness; and conveyance of
the Message. The prophets were numerous—the first of them was Adam,
peace be upon him, who was created from clay as an
unimpaired human in the best of forms. After him among his progeny
are: Shith, Idriss, Nuh, Hud, Salih, Shu^ayb, Ibrahim,
Lut, Isma^il, Ishaq, Ya^qub,
Yusuf, Musa, Harun, Yusha^,
Yunus, Ayyub, Dhu-l-Kifl, Ilyas,
al-Yasa^, Dawud, Sulayman, Zakariyya,
Yahya, ^Isa, al‑Khadir,
and many others.
Their religion is one—Islam.
They are the best of Allah's creations. They are alive,
praying in their graves. They are al‑wasilah, they
intercede on the Day of Judgment, and the intercession of our prophet is the
greatest.
The summation of all what was mentioned is
included in the hadith of the Messenger of Allah,
sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam:
<<The belief is to believe in Allah,
His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Day of Judgment, and destiny—what is
good and what is evil.>> This hadith is sahih,
related by Muslim.
Without a doubt, our beloved Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, the Trustworthy, conveyed the
full message from Allah. He delivered to the nation what
grants it success in this life and everlasting winning in the Hereafter.
May Allah reward him greatly for the prolific benefits he
delivered to us.
Thereafter, every year when the month of Rabi^ al-Awwal appears,
it brings with it the fragrant tones and shades of the memory of the honorable
birth of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam. The birth of the last prophet and best
of all creations was a beacon of light shining in the vast desert, spreading
throughout the entire world. His birth turned the sun-scorched desert
into a garden that leads to Paradise, providing the world with the glittering
brilliance of Islam. His message altered the course of the
world from prevailing dungeons of ignorance into sparkling gardens of knowledge
and belief. Those who followed his message were raised from the pits of
sinfulness to the proud peaks of obedience. Those who genuinely follow
his message shall be bestowed with the everlasting enjoyments of Paradise.
Celebrating the birth of our Master Muhammad is sound,
gratifying, and rewarding practice, for it reflects our delight for the birth
of the one whom Allah sent as a mercy for us. Among its
merits are such rewardable practices as joining with other Muslims in
remembering Allah, praising the Prophet and recalling the events
of his honorable life story and learning rich lessons from them, feeding the
poor, and reciting verses of the Qur’an. In performing
these and other good deeds one is hopeful to be rewarded by Allah.
The reputable Muslim scholars of the East and the West regarded the practice of
celebrating the Mawlid as honorable, good, and rewardable. Many of
them authored books to praise and highlight the legitimacy of this practice.[2]
This compilation is a humble selection from the writings and sayings of some of
the great scholars of the People of Truth, Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama^ah,
among the Ash^ariyys and the Maturidiyys, and is primarily
based on the work of his Eminence, Shaykh ^Abdullah al-Harariyy entitled:
Ar-Rawa’ih Az-Zakiyyah Fi Mawlid
Khayr Al-Bariyyah (The Beauteous Fragrances of Celebrating the
Birth of the Best of the Creations). The purpose of selecting and
translating this work is to highlight to the English readers the scholars’
support for the practice of celebrating the birth of the Prophet and their
reasons for judging it as a good and rewardable innovation.
We encourage those Muslims who celebrate the birth of the Prophet to continue
their practice and to encourage others to do so. We hope to convince
those who have been deluded and who are doubtful about the legitimacy of this
practice, to listen to the words of the reputable scholars on this issue and to
stop depriving themselves (and others) of the rewards they otherwise might
earn.
According to the Arabic language, the term ‘innovation’ (bid^ah), refers
to any newly introduced matter, one not based on a preceding
example. In the religious context, the innovation (bid^ah)
is any newly introduced matter, one neither mentioned in the Qur’an
nor ordered by the Prophet. Ibn ^Arabi said:
“…innovations are not dispraised due to the term “innovation” or its
meaning. Rather, innovations are dispraised if they contradict the rules
of the Religion and if they invite to misguidance.”
There are two categories of
innovations:
1. The Innovation of Misguidance. The innovation of misguidance is the innovation
which contradicts the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
2. The Innovation of Guidance. The innovation of guidance is the innovation
which conforms to the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
Categorizing innovations into these two types is derived from the hadith
of the Prophet narrated by al-Bukhariyy and Muslim in
their Sahihs from the route of ^A’ishah in
which she said: “The Messenger of Allah said:
<< ãóäú ÃóÍúÏóËó Ýì ÃóãúÑöäóÇ åÐÇ ãóÇ áóíúÓó ãöäúåõ Ýóåõæó
ÑóÏøñ >>
(which means) : <<The matter
innovated in our Religion which does not comply with it is judged as rejected.>>” Muslim narrated this saying of the Prophet
with the following words:
<< ãóäú Úóãöáó ÚóãóáÇð áóíúÓó Úáíå ÃóãúÑõäóÇ Ýóåõæó ÑóÏøñ
>>
This means: <<The one who does
something that does not conform to our Religion is judged as rejected.>>”
This saying of the Prophet on the one hand elucidates that it is not just any
new matter in general which is judged as rejected, but rather only that new
matter which does not conform to the rules of the Religion. On the other
hand, it is understood if it conforms to the rules of the Religion, it is not
rejected.
Likewise, the same meaning is understood from the saying of the Prophet that
was narrated by Muslim in his Sahih from the route
of Jarir Ibn ^Abdullah al-Bajliyy in which he said:
“The Messenger of Allah said:
<< ãóäú Óóäøó Ýì ÇáÅÓúáÇãö ÓõäøóÉð ÍóÓóäóÉð Ýóáóåõ
ÃóÌúÑõåÇ æóÃÌúÑõ ãóäú Úóãöáó ÈåÇ ÈóÚúÏóåõ ãöäú ÛíÑ Ãä íóäÞÕ ãä ÃÌõæÑöåã ÔìÁ
æãóäú Óóäøó Ýì ÇáÅÓúáÇãö ÓõäøóÉð ÓöíøÆóÉð ßÇä Úáíå æöÒúÑõåÇ æóæöÒúÑõ ãóäú
Úóãöáó ÈåÇ ãä ÈÚÏå ãä ÛíÑ Ãä íäÞÕ ãä ÃæÒÇÑåã ÔìÁ >>
This means: <<The one who
innovates a good innovation in Islam shall be rewarded for it and
similarly rewarded when another imitates him in performing that deed—without
the reward of the latter being decreased. And, the one who innovates a bad
innovation in Islam will be sinful for it and will similarly bear a sin when
another imitates him in that bad innovation—without any of the latter’s sin
being lessened.>>”
In Fath al-Bari, (Ibn Hajar’s explanation
of al-Bukhariyy) the Hafidh
Ibn Hajar explained the statements of Ibn Shihab and ^Abdur-Rahman
Ibn ^Abdul Qari as were reported by al-Bukhariyy in
his Sahih, the Chapter on Tarawih Prayers.
Ibn Shihab said, “At the time of the death of the Prophet, it was
not the practice of the people.” (Ibn Hajar said this means
the people did not pray the Tarawih Prayer in
congregation.) Ibn Shihab continued to say, “The situation
stayed as such during the caliphate of Abu Bakr and part of the
caliphate of ^Umar.” ^Abdur-Rahman Ibn ^Abd
Al-Qariyyii said, “I went out to the mosque one evening during Ramadan
with ^Umar Ibn al-Khattab. We found the people praying
as individuals and in small congregations. ^Umar said he saw it
better if all the people would congregate behind one imam, and he
congregated them behind Ubayy Ibn Ka^b. Then, on another evening
during Ramadan, I went out to the mosque with ^Umar and we
found the people congregating behind one imam. ^Umar said:
(äÚã ÇáÈÏÚÉ åÐå), and in the
narration of Al-Muwatta’ of Imam Malik, ^Umar
said: (äÚãÊ
ÇáÈÏÚÉ åÐå).” Both narrations contain the word bid^ah (innovation)
and mean: “Indeed this is a good innovation.”
The Hafidh Ibn Hajar
commented on ^Umar’s statement by saying, “The innovation is the
matter which is done without a preceding example. Religiously it
sometimes means a matter done against the Sunnah and as such the
innovation is dispraised. However, to be more thorough, if the innovation
falls under what is religiously good, then it is good. If it falls under
what is religiously bad, then it is bad. Otherwise, the innovation is
permissible (mubah). The innovation can also be classified
according to the five judgments." He means the judgments pertaining to the
doings of the slave, i.e., obligatory, recommended, permissible, disliked, or
forbidden.
Al-Bukhariyy reported in his Sahih
the following saying of Rifa^ah Ibn Rafi^ az-Zarqiyy:
One day we were praying behind the
Prophet. When he straightened up from ruku^ he said: ÓóãöÚó Çááåõ áöãóäú ÍóãöÏóå (sami^llahu liman hamidah).
A man praying behind the Prophet added: ÑóÈøóäÇ
æáóßó ÇáÍóãúÏõ ÍãÏðÇ ßËíÑðÇ ØíÈðÇ ãÈÇÑßðÇ Ýíå (rabbana wa lakalhamdu hamdan kathiran tayyiban
mubarakan fihi). When the Prophet terminated his prayer he
inquired about the person who made the addition. When the person
identified himself, the Prophet told him:
<<ÑÃíÊõ ÈÖÚÉð æËáÇËíäð ãóáóßðÇ íÈÊÏÑæäóåÇ Ãíøõåõãú
íóßúÊõÈõåÇ Ãæá>>
This means: <<I saw some (over)
thirty angels rushing to write it down first.>>
The Hafidh Ibn Hajar,
commenting on this report (in Fath al-Bari) said
that it holds the proof that it is permissible to innovate a statement of
remembrance (dhikr) during the prayer that the Prophet did not say, as
long as it does not contradict what the Prophet had established.
Abu Dawud (in his Sunan)
reported that ^Abdullah Ibn ^Umar used to add the wordsæóÍúÏóåõ áÇ ÔóÑöíßó áóåõ in reciting
the Tashahhud and that he used to say, “I have added that.”
Imam an-Nawawiyy (in his book, Tahdhib
Al-Asma’ Wal-Lughat) said, “Innovation in The Religious Law
refers to innovating a matter that was not done at the time of the
Prophet. It is divided into good and bad.
The astute Imam, Abu
Muhammad ^Abdul ^Aziz Ibn ^Abdus-Salam (in Al-Qawa^id)
said, “The innovation is divided into obligatory, forbidden, recommended,
disliked and permissible. The way to determine the type of innovation is
to measure it by the scale of the Religion. If it falls under the rules
of being obligatory, then it is of the obligatory type. If it falls under the
rules of being forbidden, then it is of the forbidden type. By the same
analogy it would be classified as recommended, disliked, or permissible.”
Ibn ^Abidin (in “Radd
Al-Muhtar) said “The innovation can be an obligatory
matter such as establishing proofs to refute the factions of misguidance or
learning Arabic grammar which facilitates one’s comprehension of the Qur’an
and the hadith. The innovation can be a
recommended matter such as establishing schools, monitoring stations and every
charitable matter that did not exist at the time of the Prophet. The
innovation can be a disliked matter such as ornamenting mosques. The
innovation can be a permissible matter such as excessive eating and drinking
and lavish clothing.”
In Rawdat at-Talibin, Imam an-Nawawiyy
said about Supplication of Qunut:"This is what is reported about
the Prophet and the Scholars added to it :(æáÇ íÚÒ ãä ÚÇÏíÊ) before (ÊÈÇÑßÊ æÊÚÇáíÊ) and (æáß ÇáÍãÏ
Úáì ãÇ ÞÖíÊ ÇÓÊÛÝÑß æÃÊæÈ Åáíß)after it. He proceeded to say, “Our companions said there
is nothing wrong with this addition. Abu Hamid and al-Bandaniji
and others said it is a liked addition.”
In his book “Manaqib ash-Shafi^iyy,”
Imam al-Bayhaqiyy narrated the saying of ash-Shafi^iyy:
“The innovated matters are of two types. One of them contradicts the book
of the Qur’an, the Sunnah, the doings or sayings of the
companions, or the scholarly consensus. This type is the innovation of
misguidance. The other one is the innovation of goodness which does not
contradict any of the aforementioned. This is an innovation which is not
dispraised.”
1. The “Rahbaniyyah;” a practice innovated by the
followers of Prophet ^Isa.
In
{æóÌóÚóáúäóÇ Ýöí ÞõáõæÈö ÇáøóÐöíäó ÇÊøóÈóÚõæåõ ÑóÃúÝóÉð
æóÑóÍúãóÉð æóÑóåúÈóÇäöíøóÉð ÇÈúÊóÏóÚõæåóÇ ãóÇ ßóÊóÈúäóÇåóÇ Úóáóíúåöãú ÅöáøóÇ
ÇÈúÊöÛóÇÁó ÑöÖúæóÇäö Çááøóåö }
This Ayah contains the proof that there are
good innovations due to that Allah
praised the believing Muslims among the nation of Prophet ^Isa
who correctly followed him in the matters of the belief and in clearing Allah
from resembling the creation, for the Rahbaniyyah they
innovated. Allah praised those followers of Prophet ^Isa
because they were people of sympathy and mercy, and for innovating the
practice of Rahbaniyyah, which is giving up the worldly matters
to an extent that they would not marry because they desired to dedicate their
lives entirely for worshipping Allah.
In Verse 27 of
2. For the prisoner to pray two (2) rak^ahs prior to
his execution by his captors—a practice first begun by Khubayb Ibn ^Adiyy
(one of the best of the Companions).
In his Sahih,
al-Bukhariyy narrates the story of Khubayb as follows: Ibrahim
Ibn Musa told me that Hisham Ibn Yusuf told
us from the route of Ibn Ma^mar from the route of az-Zuhriyy from
the route of ^Amr Ibn Abu Sufyan ath-Thaqafiyy from
Abu Hurayrah that he said:
The Prophet sent a delegation and assigned ^Asim
Ibn Thabit as their leader. ^Asim was the
grandfather of ^Asim Ibn ^Umar Ibn al-Khattab. They
headed towards their destination until they reached an area between ^Usafan
and Makkah. When the news of this delegation reached a group
of blasphemers called Banu Lahyan, these
blasphemers gathered one-hundred (100) skilled archers and followed the
delegations trail intending to kill them. The Banu Lahyan
troop stopped in one of the houses where they found some pits from the
dates of Madinah left behind. Knowing they were on the
right trail, they continued until they caught up with them.
^Asim and his men sought the protection of a nearby hill
overlooking the terrain called Fadfad, but they were surrounded by the
blasphemers. At that time, Bani Lahyan gave
their word that they would not kill them if they would surrender. ^Asim
said, “As far as I am concerned, I shall not surrender to a kafir.
O Allah, inform our Prophet of that for us.” They
fought until ^Asim and six others were killed by the arrows of Banu
Lahyan. When Khubayb, Zayd, and a
third man were the only ones left alive, the Banu Lahyan
repeated their promise. Believing their word, the three Companions
surrendered to them. However, as soon as they came down from their
position on the hill, the men of Bani Lahyan began
to tie them up using the strings from their own bows. The third companion
said, “This is the first sign of betrayal,” whereupon he resisted the surrender
and was killed. The Bani Lahyan took Khubayb
and Zayd and sold them in Makkah.
The blasphemers of the tribe of Harith
Ibn ^Amir Ibn Nawfal bought Khubayb, because Khubayb was
the one who had killed Harith during the
When they took Khubayb to the place of his
execution he said, “Let me pray two (2) rak^ahs, and he did. Then
he told them, “I would have prayed more had it not been the case that you would
think I am stalling my execution out of fear of death.” Then Khubayb
authored several verses of poetry:
ÝáÓÊõ ÇÈÇáì Ííä ÇÞÊá
ãÓáãÇ
Úáì Çì ÔÞ
ßÇä Ýì Çááå ãÕÑÚì
æÐáß Ýì ÐÇÊ ÇáÅáå æÅä
íÔÃ
íÈÇÑß Úáì ÃæÕÇá ÔöáæããÒÚ
This mean: “If I get killed as a
Muslim for the sake of Allah, I shall not care on which of my
sides I receive the fatal strike. If Allah wills, He shall
bless me even if my body was torn apart in pieces.” ^Uqbah Ibn
al-Harith killed Khubayb.
The tribe of Quraysh had sent some
people to where ^Asim had fallen to bring a part of his body to
them, by which they could identify him and confirm his demise. They
wanted to make sure ^Asim was dead because he had killed one of
their prominent men during the
3. The addition of writing dots on certain letters of the
Arabic alphabet to easily differentiate them from other similarly shaped
letters in the Book of the Qur’an—an innovation of Yahya
Ibn Ya^mar.
One of the very good innovations is the addition of dots to distinguish certain
letters from others in the written Book of the Qur’an. This
good innovation was introduced by Yahya Ibn Ya^mar.
The Companions who had first written down the verses of the Qur’an that
were revealed to the Prophet wrote the Arabic letters like the ba’ (È), ta’ (Ê), and the like
without the dots. Likewise written without dots on the Arabic letters
were the six books of the Qur’an that ^Uthman Ibn ^Affan
ordered to be written and distributed to the different countries including
Yahya Ibn Ya^mar, who was the first to introduce the dots to the letters
of the Qur’an, was among the followers of the Companions (tabi^in)
and was a man of knowledge, merit, and piety. Ibn Abu Dawud
as-Sajastani narrated in his book, Al-Masahif: “^Abdullah
told us that Muhammad Ibn ^Abdullah al-Makhzumi told
us that Ahmad Ibn Nasr Ibn Malik told us that al-Husayn
Ibn al-Walid told us from the route of Harun Ibn Musa
that he said: ‘The first to introduce the dots to the letters of the Mushafs
was Yahya Ibn Ya^mar’.” When Yahya initiated
this innovation, the scholars did not denounce his innovation even though the
Prophet had not ordered the dots to be added.[i]
4. Calling a second adhan
(call to prayer) for the Friday Prayer—an innovation of ^Uthman Ibn
^Affan, may Allah raise his rank.
In his Sahih, al-Bukhariyy reported:
“Adam told us that Ibn Abu Dhi’b told us from the
route of az-Zuhirryy from the route of Assa’ib Ibn Yazid
that during the Prophet's time and the caliphates of Abu Bakr and
^Umar, the call for the Friday Prayer (adhan) used to be
performed when the imam sat on the pulpit. During the
caliphate of ^Uthman, when the Muslim population grew larger, ^Uthman
enforced a third call on the region of az-Zawra’ in Madinah."
In his book, Fath Al-Bari, Ibn Hajar
reported the narration of Waki^ from the route of Abu
Dhi’b: “At the time of the Prophet and the caliphates of Abu
Bakr and ^Umar ,
the adhan on Friday used to be two (2) calls.” Ibn
Khuzaymah said the two calls mentioned refer to the usual adhan
and iqamah. Ibn Hajar then explained the
saying that ^Uthman enforced a third call, that is, an adhan
added after the usual adhan and iqamah. It
may also be called a first adhan in that it was added before the
usual adhan and iqamah. Also it may be called
a second adhan in that it followed the usual adhan
as in the narration of ^Aqil.
5. The Innovation of Celebrating the Birth of the Prophet.
An entire chapter in this book is devoted to this subject. See pages
24-29.
6. The muezzin (caller of adhan), calling salah
on the Prophet after calling the adhan.
The innovation of saying aloud:” as-salah ^alan-nabiyy”
after the adhan-- by the muezzin-- was initiated after the
year 700 AH; Prior to that it was not called out aloud.
7. Writing sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam ( Õáì Çááå
Úáíå æ Óáã) after writing the name of the Prophet.
This practice is widely spread among the Muslims and can be found in literally
every authored religious work, yet this was not a practice that the Prophet
himself did. The letters that the Prophet sent to kings and leaders were
addressed, “From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah,
to so and so…”
8. The Sufi Orders (Tariqas).
Among the good innovations are the Sufi Orders started by pious, religious
people including The Rifa^iyy Order, the Qadiri Order,
and about forty (40) other orders—which are all, in essence, good
innovations. The unfortunate fact that some of those who attribute
themselves to these orders have actually deviated from them has no bearing on
the authenticity and goodness of these orders as originally founded.
There are two categories of bad innovations, one pertaining to the creed and
one related to the practice.
The bad innovations that contradict the
creed of the Prophet and the Companions are numerous. Examples of such
innovations of misguidance are:
1. Denouncing the attribute of Destining of Allah—an
innovation of the Qadariyyah.
Ma^bad al-Jahniyy, in Basrah, was the first to innovate
this horrendous innovation of misguidance, as was reported by Imam
Muslim in his Sahih from the route of Yahya
Ibn Ya^mar. Those who followed in this misguidance are called the Qadariyyah.
They claim that Allah neither decrees nor creates the voluntary
actions of the slaves but rather it is the slave himself who creates his own
voluntary actions. Some of them claim that Allah decreed
and created goodness but not evil. Other examples of their misguidance is
their claim that the enormous sinner is neither a believer nor a kafir—rather
he is in a state in between those two-- and will be in Hellfire forever.
Moreover, they deny the fact that some Muslim sinners shall be granted the
intercession as well as denying the fact that Allah will be seen
in the Hereafter by the People of Paradise.
2. Claiming the slave does not have a will—the innovation of
the Jahmiyyah.
The Jahmiyyah are the followers of Jahm Ibn Safwan.
Another name for them is al-Jabriyyah. They claim the slave is
compelled in his doings and has no choice whatsoever in what he does.
Rather, they say he is like a feather floating in the air which has no choice
in its own direction— it moves left or right depending on whichever way the
wind blows.
3. Claiming as kafir the Muslim who commits
enormous sins—the innovation of the Khawarij.
The Khawarij are a group who revolted and went against the
rightly guided caliph, Imam ^Aliyy Ibn Abi Talib.
They claim the Muslim who commits an enormous sin blasphemes by that.
4. Claiming that there is no beginning to the creation,
i.e., claiming that the universe—like Allah—exists without a
beginning.
Such a claim contradicts the judgment of the sound mind and the explicit
reliable religious texts.
Innovations of misguidance pertaining to practice that contradict the
methodology of the Prophet and the Companions and contradict the rules of the
Religion are numerous. Examples of such innovations of misguidance are:
1.
Writing the letter sad (Õ) when writing the name of the Prophet. What is even worse
is writing (SAW) (ÕáÚã).
2.
Performing Dry Ablution (tayammum)
using carpets and pillows that do not contain purifying dust.
3. Perverting the name of Allah
when making dhikr, as do many of those who claim to be following
Sufi orders.
Some pervert the name Allah to Allh with leaving out the alif of
the madd (the extension represented in a).
Some omit the ha’ å) ) and say ‘alla’ÇááÇ) ). Some even say Aah,
which the linguists unanimously agree is a term used as an expression of pain
and ailment. Al-Khalil Ibn Ahmad said it is not
permissible to eliminate the (alif of madd)
(a) from the term Allah.
The Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa
sallam, said:
<<æó ÅöíøóÇßõã æóãõÍÏóËóÇÊ ÇáÃãæÑ ÝÅä ßá ãÍÏËÉ ÈÏÚÉ æßá
ÈÏÚÉ ÖáÇáÉ>>
The terminology of this hadith,
in particular the term kul ßá) ) is known as ^am ( ÚÇã
)
(general) that has a makhsus (ãÎÕæÕ) (specific) meaning.
Classifying the term kul(ßá) in this hadith
as ^am/makhsus is determined from the previously
mentioned hadiths of the Prophet that established two
types of innovations, the good and the bad. Thus, the meaning of the hadith
of the Prophet narrated by Abu Dawud from the
route of al-^Irbad Ibn Sariyah is: <<Beware of
the innovated matters, because most of them are of the bad type, and every such
innovation is an innovation of misguidance.>>
Imam an-Nawawiyy in his explanation of Sahih
Muslim said with regards to this hadith, the saying of
the Prophet:
<<æßá ÈÏÚÉ ÖáÇáÉ>>
is of the ^am/makhsus type and it
means ‘most of the innovations’.” Then, an-Nawawiyy divided
the innovations into five (5) divisions obligatory, recommended, forbidden,
disliked, and permissible. This categorization was mentioned by Shaykh
^Abdul ^Aziz Ibn ^Abd as-Salam in some details in the end of
the book, Al-Qawa^id. The Hafidh Ibn Hajar
copied that from him in his book, Al-Fath.
An-Nawawiyy proceeded to give examples of the ^am/makhsus
and cited the saying of ^Umar “äÚãÊ
ÇáÈÏÚÉ åÐå”, (What a good innovation this is). He stressed
that although the term kul (ßá) is general (^am),
it can be specific (makhsus) as in the saying of Allah
in
Likewise, the term kul (ßá) in the hadith of the Prophet << æßá Úíä ÒÇäíÉ >> that was narrated by Ibn Hibban
and others is an ^am/makhsus. The meaning of the
hadith is that most of the people look an unlawful
look that invites to adultery. Definitely it is known that the prophets
are impeccable from such abjectness, and kul (ßá) in the hadith
does not include them.
In summary the ^am/makhsus is a known technique used in
the Qur’an and the hadith and is recognized
by the reputable and qualified scholars. Under this methodology, although
the term used is all-inclusive—to reflect the exaggeration intended by the
term—it is restricted to a specific meaning.
In Ayah 25 of
Likewise, in the hadith of the Prophet << æßá Úíä ÒÇäíÉ >> kul (ßá) is
literally all‑inclusive which would mean that everyone looks the
unlawful look. However, the intended meaning is to reflect the
overwhelming reality that most of the people—clearing the prophets, some
of the highly righteous whom Allah protected and those born blind until
death—look the unlawful look that invites to adultery.
The hadith of the Prophet << æßá ÈÏÚÉ ÖáÇáÉ >> falls under the same methodology. Kul (ßá) if used literally includes every innovation. However,
the intended meaning is to reflect the exaggeration in that most of
the innovations are of the bad kind.
The true meaning of this hadith elucidates that this hadith
of the Prophet does not conflict in meaning with the other sahih
hadiths of the Prophet (previously mentioned) nor with the ayahs
of the Qur’an that establish the existence of good
innovations.
Celebrating the birth of the Prophet is a good innovation. This celebration was
neither practiced at the time of the Prophet nor for several hundred years
thereafter. It was not until the early part of the 7th century AH that
this occasion was first celebrated. This was an innovation begun by the
King of
The King of
The scholars of both the East and the West judged this innovation as a good,
rewardable practice. The Hafidh Ibn Hajar al-^Asqalaniyy;
his student, the Hafidh as-Sakhawi;the Hafidh
as-Suyutiyy, and many others accepted this practice as a good
innovation, as evidenced in their sayings and writings.
The Hafidh as-Sakhawi said in his book of fatwas
(edicts), “Celebrating the birth of the Prophet was innovated after the lapse
of the first three centuries. Since then, the Muslims at large in the
major cities have been celebrating the Mawlid. During the nights
of the celebration they give much in charity and recite the story of the
honorable Mawlid. As a result, they reap many blessings and
merits.”
The Hafidh as-Suyutiyy authored a treatise in
support of the Mawlid. He called it Husn Al-Maqsad Fi
^Amal Al-Mawlid (The Good Endeavor of Celebrating the Mawlid).
In this book he replied to a question regarding the judgment of celebrating the
Mawlid during the month of Rabi^ al-Awwal, and whether
such practice is praised, dispraised, rewardable, or non-rewardable. His
reply was: “I see the basis of the celebration, i.e., gathering the
people, reciting Qur’an, narrating the story of the Mawlid
and the wondrous signs accompanying it, offering food for people to eat
--after which they leave--to be a good innovation. That is, it is
rewardable for the one who does it, because it involves aggrandizing the status
of the Prophet and it reflects one’s delight about the honorable birth of the
Prophet. The first to innovate celebrating the Mawlid was the King
of
In his book of history, Ibn Kathir said, “He, the Mudhaffar
King, used to grandiosely celebrate the honorable Mawlid during the
month of Rabi^ al-Awwal. He was courageous and was one who
cared for others. He was a hero, a scholar, mindful, and just; may Allah
bestow His mercies upon him and reward him. Shaykh Abu
al-Khattab Ibn Dihyah compiled a volume on the honorable
birth of the Prophet for al-Mudhaffar that he called At-Tanwir
Fi Mawlid Al-Bashir An-Nadhir (The Enlightenment of
the Mawlid of the One Who Gives the Good Tidings of Paradise and Warns Against the Tortures of Hellfire). Al-Mudhaffar
rewarded this shaykh for authoring that book by giving him one
thousand dinars. He ruled for a long time until he died while holding the
Faranj[3] under
siege in the city of ^Akka in
The grandson of Ibn al-Jawziyy mentioned in “Mir’at az-Zaman”
that the elites of the scholars and the Sufis used to attend the celebration
with him.
In his biography of Ibn Dihyah, Ibn Khillikan said:
He (Ibn Dihyah) was among the elite of the scholars and the
famous people of merit. Ibn Dihyah entered the countries of
ash-Sham and
The Hafidh as-Suyutiyy said, “The Imam of
the hafidhs, Ahmad Ibn Hajar al-^Asqalaniyy,
found one ground for celebrating the Mawlid and I have found a
second...” Ibn Hajar’s ground as-Suyutiyy is
referring to can be found in Ibn Hajar’s response regarding
celebrating the Mawlid:
“The basis for celebrating the Mawlid
is an innovation that was not reported about any of the pious scholars who
lived during the first three hundred years after the immigration of the Prophet
(as-Salaf as-Salih). Even so, this celebration
has merits and disadvantages. As such, the one who is keen to observe
implementing the merits and avoiding the disadvantages during the celebration
is performing a good innovation, otherwise one is not. (Ibn Hajar said)
I found solid grounds for celebrating the Mawlid in the hadith
of the Prophet reported by al-Bukhariyy and Muslim in
their Sahihs:
<< Åä ÇáäÈì ÞÏã ÇáãÏíäÉ ÝæÌÏ ÇáíåæÏ íÕæãæä íæã ÚÇÔæÑÇÁ
ÝÓÃáåã ÝÞÇáæÇ: åæ íæã ÃÛÑÞ Çááå Ýíå ÝÑÚæä æäÌì ãæÓì ÝäÍä äÕæãå ÔßÑðÇ ááå ÊÚÇáì
ÝÞÇá ÇáäÈì ÃäÇ ÇÍÞ ãäßã ÈãæÓì ÝÕÇãå æÃãÑ ÈÕíÇãå >>
This narration was also reported by Ibn
Majah, Malik in his Muwatta’, and
Ahmad Ibn Hanbal in his Musnad. It reports
that the Prophet came to Madinah and found the Jews fasting the
tenth day of Muharram. When he inquired about the reason,
the Jews said, “This is the day on which Allah
drowned Pharaoh and rescued Musa. We fast it
every year to be thankful to Allah.” The Prophet said, “I
am more deserving of Musa than you are,” and he fasted
this day and ordered the Muslims to fast it also.
(After
stating the incident Ibn Hajar said) “From this incident,
we benefit in understanding the permissibility of doing something on a specific
day to show our thanks to Allah for an endowment that He bestowed
upon us or a hardship he removed from us. Moreover, it shows the
permissibility of repeating that action every year on that specific day.
What reflect our thanking to Allah can be various acts of worship
such as praying, fasting, giving charity, or reciting Qur’an.
On what day do we find a grace or an endowment greater than the emergence of
the Prophet, the Prophet of Mercy?”
Ahmad Ibn Zayni Dahlan, the Mufti of Makkah,
(in his book: “Ad-Durar As-Saniyyah) said, after mentioning the saying
of Allah (Al-Hajj, 32):
{æóãóäú íõÚóÙøöãú ÔóÚóÇÆöÑó Çááøóåö ÝóÅöäøóåóÇ ãöäú ÊóÞúæóì
ÇáúÞõáõæÈö }
“What reflects aggrandizing the Prophet is
the delight on the day of his birth, narrating the story of his Mawlid on
that night, offering food, and other good things that Muslims usually do.”
Henceforth, it stands tall and clear that celebrating the Mawlid of the
Prophet is a good innovation. There are no grounds whatsoever for one to
denounce this practice. Rather, it is worthy of being
classified as a good innovation because it is included in the hadith
of the Prophet related by Muslim mentioned earlier:
<< ãóäú Óóäøó Ýì ÇáÅÓúáÇãö ÓõäøóÉð ÍóÓóäóÉð Ýóáóåõ
ÃóÌúÑõåÇ æóÃÌúÑõ ãóäú Úóãöáó ÈåÇ ÈóÚúÏóåõ ãöäú ÛíÑ Ãä íóäÞÕ ãä ÃÌõæÑöåã ÔìÁ
æãóäú Óóäøó Ýì ÇáÅÓúáÇãö ÓõäøóÉð ÓöíøÆóÉð ßÇä Úáíå æöÒúÑõåÇ æóæöÒúÑõ ãóäú
Úóãöáó ÈåÇ ãä ÈÚÏå ãä ÛíÑ Ãä íäÞÕ ãä ÃæÒÇÑåã ÔìÁ >>
which means: <<The one who
innovates a good innovation in Islam shall be rewarded for it and
similarly rewarded when another imitates him in performing that deed—without
the reward of the latter being decreased. Likewise, the one who innovates
a bad innovation in Islam will be sinful for it and will similarly bear a sin
when another imitates him in that bad innovation—without any of the latter’s
sin being lessened.>>
It is true that the Prophet mentioned this hadith in
relation to a specific incident which occurred when a group of very poor people
came to the Prophet in al-Madinah. Their extreme state of
poverty was manifested by their clothing. They were wearing only a single
sheet of material to cover their ^awrah (unlawful nakedness) with a hole
cut in the middle for their head. These people were not inhabitants of al-Madinah,
though they had come there out of their love for and desire to meet the
Prophet. When the Prophet saw their state of poverty, the expression on
his face changed to sadness. He urged the Muslims to contribute and pay
in charity to those needy people what would be enough to alleviate their
sadness and their need. The Muslims responded by gathering a sizable
amount and that pleased the Prophet.
Although the Prophet stated this hadith at that specific
incident, the meaning is general and covers the general cases. It is not
permissible to claim that this hadith applies only to charities
because the Prophet used a general term in this hadith.
He did not specify the reward to ‘he who spends in charity’; rather, he said,
‘he who innovates a good innovation.’ The scholars of the fundamentals of
the Religion stated a clear rule:
) ÇáÚÈÑÉ ÈÚãæã ÇááÝÙ áÇ ÈÎÕæÕ ÇáÓÈÈ (
This means the scope of application (i.e.,
of the hadith) is determined by the generality of the term
used and not by the specific incident that triggered the hadith.
Hence, anyone who denies that is defying the course of the one who is mindful.
Allah honored His chosen Prophet in many verses of the Qur’an.
Some verses highlight the refined manners of the Prophet as in Su rat
al-Qalam, Ayah 4:
{æóÅöäøóßó áóÚóáì
ÎõáõÞò ÚóÙöíãò}.
This ayah means:
[Certainly you have the great manners (morals).]
Su rat at-Tawbah, Ayah 128, highlights the sublimity of
the Prophet’s genealogy and status. Allah said:
{áóÞóÏú ÌóÇÁóßõãú ÑóÓõæáñ ãöäú ÃóäúÝõÓößõãú ÚóÒöíÒñ Úóáóíúåö ãóÇ
ÚóäöÊøõãú ÍóÑöíÕñ Úóáóíúßõãú ÈöÇáúãõÄúãöäöíäó ÑóÁõæÝñ ÑóÍöíãñ}.
This ayah means: [A
messenger from among you came who grieves for what is hard on you, who wants very much that which benefits you (the
guidance…). He is very kind and merciful to the believers.]
Su rat al-Fath, Ayah 29, points out Allah’s
praise of Prophet Muhammad in the books Allah revealed
to His prophets:
{ãõÍóãøóÏñ ÑóÓõæáõ Çááøóåö æóÇáøóÐöíäó ãóÚóåõ ÃóÔöÏøóÇÁõ Úóáóì
ÇáúßõÝøóÇÑö ÑõÍóãóÇÁõ Èóíúäóåõãú ÊóÑóÇåõãú ÑõßøóÚðÇ ÓõÌøóÏðÇ íóÈúÊóÛõæäó
ÝóÖúáðÇ ãöäó Çááøóåö æóÑöÖúæóÇäðÇ ÓöíãóÇåõãú Ýöí æõÌõæåöåöãú ãöäú ÃóËóÑö
ÇáÓøõÌõæÏö Ðóáößó ãóËóáõåõãú Ýöí ÇáÊøóæúÑóÇÉö æóãóËóáõåõãú Ýöí ÇáúÅöäúÌöíáö
ßóÒóÑúÚò ÃóÎúÑóÌó ÔóØúÃóåõ ÝóÂÒóÑóåõ ÝóÇÓúÊóÛúáóÙó ÝóÇÓúÊóæóì Úóáóì ÓõæÞöåö
íõÚúÌöÈõ ÇáÒøõÑøóÇÚó áöíóÛöíÙó Èöåöãõ ÇáúßõÝøóÇÑó}
Surah Al-^Imran, Ayah 81, shows that Prophet Muhammad is favored over
the rest of the prophets:
{æóÅöÐú ÃóÎóÐó Çááøóåõ
ãöíËóÇÞó ÇáäøóÈöíøöíäó áóãóÇ ÁóÇÊóíúÊõßõãú ãöäú ßöÊóÇÈò æóÍößúãóÉò Ëõãøó
ÌóÇÁóßõãú ÑóÓõæáñ ãõÕóÏøöÞñ áöãóÇ ãóÚóßõãú áóÊõÄúãöäõäøó Èöåö æóáóÊóäúÕõÑõäøóåõ
ÞóÇáó ÁóÃóÞúÑóÑúÊõãú æóÃóÎóÐúÊõãú Úóáóì Ðóáößõãú ÅöÕúÑöí ÞóÇáõæÇ ÃóÞúÑóÑúäóÇ
ÞóÇáó ÝóÇÔúåóÏõæÇ æóÃóäóÇ ãóÚóßõãú ãöäó ÇáÔøóÇåöÏöíäó}
Ayahs 4 and 5 of
{Åöäøó ÇáøóÐöíäó íõäóÇÏõæäóßó ãöäú æóÑóÇÁö ÇáúÍõÌõÑóÇÊö
ÃóßúËóÑõåõãú áóÇ íóÚúÞöáõæäó (4) æóáóæú Ãóäøóåõãú ÕóÈóÑõæÇ ÍóÊøóì ÊóÎúÑõÌó
Åöáóíúåöãú áóßóÇäó ÎóíúÑðÇ áóåõãú æóÇááøóåõ ÛóÝõæÑñ ÑóÍöíãñ}
mean: [Certainly most of those who call you from behind
your wives’ chambers lack understanding. Had they patience until you went
out to them this would have been better for them. Allah is
forgiving and merciful. Ayah 24 of
{íóÇÃóíøõåóÇ ÇáøóÐöíäó
ÁóÇãóäõæÇ ÇÓúÊóÌöíÈõæÇ áöáøóåö æóáöáÑøóÓõæáö ÅöÐóÇ ÏóÚóÇßõãú áöãóÇ íõÍúíöíßõãú
}
means: [O believers, respond obediently to Allah
and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which makes you alive (life
by Islam after death by blasphemy)]. Ayah 63 of
{áóÇ ÊóÌúÚóáõæÇ ÏõÚóÇÁó
ÇáÑøóÓõæáö Èóíúäóßõãú ßóÏõÚóÇÁö ÈóÚúÖößõãú ÈóÚúÖðÇ}
means: [Do not call the Prophet the way you call
one another] This refers to how they used to call the Prophet, ‘O Muhammad’,
‘O Abul-Qasim’; rather, the Ayah orders
honoring him by calling him ‘O Prophet of Allah’, ‘O Messenger of
Allah’).
Su rat al-Ahzab, Ayahs 6 and 53 indicate the
continuity of the obligation of aggrandizing the Prophet. Allah
said:
{ÇáäøóÈöíøõ Ãóæúáóì
ÈöÇáúãõÄúãöäöíäó ãöäú ÃóäúÝõÓöåöãú æóÃóÒúæóÇÌõåõ ÃõãøóåóÇÊõåõãú}
.
{æóáóÇ Ãóäú ÊóäúßöÍõæÇ ÃóÒúæóÇÌóåõ ãöäú ÈóÚúÏöåö ÃóÈóÏðÇ}.
These ayahs mean: [The Prophet is
more deserving to the believers than their own selves. and his wives are the
mothers of the believers] and [Do not ever marry his wives after him]
Su rat al-Hijr, Ayah 72 reveals that Allah
swore by the Prophet’s life-- thereby honoring his status. Allah
said:
{áóÚóãúÑõßó Åöäøóåõãú
áóÝöí ÓóßúÑóÊöåöãú íóÚúãóåõæäó}.
This ayah means: [I
adjure by your life O’Prophet Muhammad) they (the blasphemers)
are confused and hesitant in their intoxication.]
The details of the lineage (genealogy) of
the Prophet up to ^Adnan are a case of consensus among the
Muslims. The Prophet is: Muhammad the son of ^Abdullah
the son of ^Abdul-Muttalib the son of Hashim the
son of ^Abdu Manaf the son of Qusayy the son of Kilab
the son of Murrah the son of Ka^b the son of Lu’ayy the
son of Ghalib the son of Fihr the son of Malik the
son of an-Nadr the son of Kinanah the son of Khuzaymah
the son of Mudrikah the son of Ilyas the son of Mudar
the son of Nizar the son of Ma^add the son of ^Adnan.
^Adnan is a descendant of Prophet Isma^il, the son of Prophet Ibrahim
(Abraham). According to the authentic narrations, Isma^il is the one whom Allah ordered
Prophet Ibrahim to slaughter. The scholars hold
different opinions as to the details of the lineage between ^Adnan and
Isma^il. May Allah
raise the rank of Prophet Muhammad, the Master of the sons of
Adam, and the ranks of all his brothers' prophets and messengers?
Prophet Muhammad, who
has the above mentioned honorable lineage, is the elite of the sons of Hashim
and the greatest among them. Imam Muslim narrated in
his Sahih, as did others from the route of Wathilah
Ibn al-Asqa^, that he said, “The Prophet said:
<< Åä Çááå ÇÕØÝì ßäÇäÉ ãä æáÏ ÅÓãÚíá æÇÕØÝì ÞÑíÔÇ ãä ßäÇäÉ
æÇÕØÝì ãä ÞÑíÔ Èäì åÇÔã æÇÕØÝÇäì ãä Èäì åÇÔã >>“
This means: <<Allah chose
the tribe of Kinanah from the sons of Isma^il, the tribe of Quraysh from Kinanah,
the tribe of Hashim from Quraysh. And Allah
chose me from the sons of Hashim.>>
In his Sunan, at-Tirmidhiyy narrated the following hadith
of the Prophet, which according to Abu ^Isa, is
hasan sahih:
<< Åä Çááå ÇÕØÝì ãä æáÏ ÅÈÑÇåíã ÅÓãÇÚíá æÇÕØÝì ãä æáÏ
ÅÓãÇÚíá ßäÇäÉ æÇÕØÝì ãä ßäÇäÉ ÞÑíÔÇ æÇÕØÝì ãä ÞÑíÔ Èäì åÇÔã æÇÕØÝÇäì ãä Èäì
åÇÔã >>
This means: <<Allah chose
Isma^il from the sons of Ibrahim, Kinanah
from the sons of Isma^il, Quraysh from Kinanah,
the tribe of Hashim from Quraysh, and He chose me
from the sons of Hashim.>>
These texts, and more, unequivocally
testify that the Prophet is definitely the choicest of the choicest.
^Abdullah, the Prophet’s father, married a woman from the tribe of
Bani Zuhrah named Aminah Bint Wahb Ibn ^Abd Manaf
Ibn Zuhrah Ibn Kilab. She conceived the Master of all
Creations and Nations whom Allah brought into existence as a
blessing .Allah willed to bestow the endowment of emerging Prophet Muhammad
in this existence as a mercy for all—Arabs and non-Arabs. His Message
is a guiding light for Bedouins and city dwellers alike.
Ibn Sa^d narrated in his book, Tabaqat Ibn Sa^d,
from the route of the aunt of Yazid Ibn ^Abdullah Ibn Wahb Ibn
Zam^ah that she said, “We used to hear that Aminah
said about her conceiving and carrying the Prophet:
I felt neither conceiving him nor the burden of pregnancy
women usually feel. However, I did notice skipping my menstruation, and perhaps
it used to appear and disappear. Someone came to me while I was half
asleep and half awake and asked me, ‘Do you feel you have conceived?’ It was as
if I answered, ‘I do not know.’ He told me, ‘You have indeed conceived the
Master of this nation and its Prophet.’ This confirmed to me that I was
pregnant. It was on a Monday. When the time of my delivery became near,
he came again and said to me, ‘Say: I seek refuge for him by the One Who does
not have a partner in Godhood (al-Wahid), the One of Whom the
entire creation is in need (as-Samad)-- from the evil of
every envious person.’ She said, ‘This is what I used to say’.”
Imam Ahmad narrated (in his Musnad), al-Bayhaqiyy (in Ad-Dala’il),
al-Hakim (in his Mustadrak),
and others from the route of al-^Irbad Ibn Sariyah, the
Companion of the Prophet, that he said: “I have heard the Prophet say:
<< Åäì ÚÈÏ Çááå æÎÇÊã ÇáäÈííä¡ æÅä ÁÇÏã áãäÌÏá Ýì ØíäÊå¡
æÓÃÎÈÑ ßã Úä Ðáß: ÏÚæÉ ÃÈì ÅÈÑÇåíã¡ æÈÔÇÑÉ ÚíÓì Èì æÑÄíÇ Ããì ÇáÊì ÑÃÊ¡ æßÐáß
ÃãåÇÊ ÇáäÈííä íÑíä. æÃä Ãã ÑÓæá Çááå ÑÃÊ Ííä æÖÚÊå äæÑÇ ÃÖÇÁÊ áå ÞÕæÑ
ÇáÔÇã >>“
This means: <<I was decreed by Allah
as His slave and the last of the prophets when Adam, prior to
his creation, was still a form of clay. And I shall tell you more. My
revelation as a prophet was Allah’s answer to Prophet Ibrahim’s
supplication. ^Isa, the son of Mary, announced
the good news of my forthcoming. My mother saw the dream about me as all
mothers of prophets see dreams about them.>>
When the Prophet’s mother delivered him she saw a light that illuminated the
palaces of the countries of ash-Sham.” Al-Bayhaqiyy commented
that Prophet Muhammad was predestined as the slave of Allah
and the last of the prophets before Adam was created as the
father of humans and the first of the prophets.
Imam Ahmad, al-Bayhaqiyy, and at-Tayalisiyy
narrated from Abu ‘Ummah that he said, “It was asked, ‘O
Messenger of Allah, how did you come about?’ The Prophet
said:
<< ÏÚæÉ ÃÈì
ÅÈÑÇåíã¡ æÈÔÇÑÉ ÚíÓì ÇÈä ãÑíã¡ æÑÃÊ Ããì Ãäå ÎÑÌ ãäåÇ äæÑ ÃÖÇÁÊ ãäå ÞÕæÑ ÇáÔÇã
>>“
<<ÑÃÊ
Ããì Ííä æÖÚÊäì ÓØÚ ãäåÇ äæÑ ÃÖÇÁÊ áå ÞÕæÑ ÈÕÑì >>
which means: <<When my mother
delivered me, she saw a light glowing out of her that illuminated the palaces
of Busra. It was narrated that when Aminah
delivered the Prophet, he landed on his knees with his head raised to the
sky. A light came out with him that illuminated the palaces of ash-Sham
and enabled his mother to see the necks of the camels in Busra
(an old Damacene city known as Huran by the Jordanian borders).
Ayahs 126 and 129 of Surah al-Baqarah tell about
the supplication of Prophet Ibrahim (mentioned in the
previous hadith) which he made after he finished building
the Ka^bah. Verse 126:
{æóÅöÐú ÞóÇáó
ÅöÈúÑóÇåöíãõ ÑóÈøö ÇÌúÚóáú åóÐóÇ ÈóáóÏðÇ ÁóÇãöäðÇ æóÇÑúÒõÞú Ãóåúáóåõ ãöäó
ÇáËøóãóÑóÇÊö ãóäú ÁóÇãóäó ãöäúåõãú ÈöÇááøóåö æóÇáúíóæúãö ÇáúÂÎöÑö}
Means: [And remember Ibrahim
said, “My Lord make this a city of peace and
feed its people with fruits, those of them who believe in Allah and
the last day”]. Verse 129:
{ÑóÈøóäóÇ æóÇÈúÚóËú Ýöíåöãú ÑóÓõæáðÇ ãöäúåõãú íóÊúáõæ Úóáóíúåöãú
ÁóÇíóÇÊößó æóíõÚóáøöãõåõãõ ÇáúßöÊóÇÈó æóÇáúÍößúãóÉó æóíõÒóßøöíåöãú Åöäøóßó
ÃóäúÊó ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÍóßöíãõ}
means: [Our Lord, send amongst them a messenger of their
own, who shall recite to them Your Verses and teach them the Qur’anic scripture
and the wisdom, and purify them, for You are the ^Aziz and the
Wise.] Allah answered Prophet Ibrahim’s supplication
for a prophet to be sent and sent our prophet, Prophet Muhammad.
The good tidings that Prophet ^Isa announced to his people
regarding the forthcoming of Prophet Muhammad (mentioned in the
previous hadith) is told to us in the Qur’an in
Surah as-Saff, Ayah 6:
{æóÅöÐú ÞóÇáó ÚöíÓóì
ÇÈúäõ ãóÑúíóãó íóÇÈóäöí ÅöÓúÑóÇÆöíáó Åöäøöí ÑóÓõæáõ Çááøóåö Åöáóíúßõãú
ãõÕóÏøöÞðÇ áöãóÇ Èóíúäó íóÏóíøó ãöäó ÇáÊøóæúÑóÇÉö æóãõÈóÔøöÑðÇ ÈöÑóÓõæáò
íóÃúÊöí ãöäú ÈóÚúÏöí ÇÓúãõåõ ÃóÍúãóÏõ}.
This ayah means: [And
remember, Jesus the son of Mary said, “O children of Israel, I am the Messenger
of Allah sent to you confirming the Torah which came before me
and giving good tidings of a messenger to come after me whose name shall be Ahmad.”]
The night of the Mawlid is an honorable, blessed, and grand night.
It is a sublime night full of evident illuminations; a precious night on which Allah
brought Prophet Muhammad into existence. His mother
conceived him in a valid marriage and gave birth to him on that honorable
night. The narrations, texts, and news testify to the mind-boggling and
sight-astonishing enormous merits and blessings that accompanied his birth.
Many signs accompanied the honorable birth
of the Prophet. Al-Bayhaqiyy, Ibn ^Asakir and others
narrated from the route of Hani’ öl-Makhzumi
that he said, “On the night of the
birth of the Messenger of Allah, the palace of Kisra (the
King of the Persians) shook and fourteen (14) balconies fell from it. The
fire of the Persians which had been burning continuously for one thousand
(1,000) years went out. The
The fourteen (14) fallen balconies from the
The fire of the Persians is in reference to
a fire that they had kept burning day and night for one thousand (1,000)
years. At the time of the birth of the Prophet, the Persians were
fire-worshipers. They worshipped the fire unrightfully. On the
night of the birth of the Prophet, this fire went out—a sign of the truthful
call of Prophet Muhammad to worship Allah alone.
The
Some scholars mentioned that another sign
which accompanied the birth of the Prophet was that the devils were stricken
with falling stars and were blocked from hearing any of the news exchanged by
the angels in the sky. However, the more famous saying is that the devils
were stricken with falling stars when Allah revealed Muhammad
as a prophet.
The Hafidh al-^Iraqiyy
mentioned in his book, Al-Mawlid Al-Hani, from the
route of Baqiyy Ibn Makhlad, “Among the signs is that Iblis,
the forefather of the devils, was blocked from the news of the sky so he rang
out a very loud scream. Likewise, he rang out when he was damned, when he
was taken out of Paradise, and when the Chapter of the Fatihah
was revealed.”
Also among the signs are the sounds that
were heard at the time of Zawal (beginning of noon time) coming
from the interiors of the idols in Makkah announcing the good news of
the appearance of Prophet Muhammad.
Although some scholars have different
opinions regarding the year in which the Prophet was born, most of them agree
that he was born in the Year of the Elephant. Ibn ^Abd al-Barr said
that the Prophet was born a month after the incident of the elephant. It
was also said his birth was forty (40) days after that incident, and others
said after fifty (50) days. Al-Bayhaqiyy narrated in his book, Dala’il
An-Nubuwwah, from the route of Ibn ^Abbas, that he said, “The Prophet was born in the year of the Elephant.”
The Prophet was born in the month of Rabi^
al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The adopted
saying is that he was born after the lapse of twelve (12) nights of the month
of Rabi^ al-Awwal. The scholars agree that he was born on a
Monday. Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih from
the route of Abu Qatadah al-Ansariyy that when the
Messenger of Allah was asked about why it is sunnah
to fast on Monday, he replied:
<<
ÐÇß íæã æáÏÊ Ýíå¡ æÃäÒá Úáì Ýíå>>
This means: <<This is the day
on which I was born and the day on which I received the Revelation.>> The Prophet was born in the honorable city of
Allah said in Surah al-Fath, Ayah 29:
{ãõÍóãøóÏñ ÑóÓõæáõ Çááøóåö}
This means [Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah] and in Surah as-Saff,
Ayah 6, predicating about Prophet ^Isa:
{æóãõÈóÔøöÑðÇ ÈöÑóÓõæáò íóÃúÊöí ãöäú
ÈóÚúÏöí ÇÓúãõåõ ÃóÍúãóÏõ}
This means: [I give the good tidings
that a messenger will come after me whose name is Ahmad.]
Al-Bukhariyy, Muslim, at-Tirmidhiyy, and others narrated
from the route of Jubayr Ibn Mut^im that he said, “I heard the
Messenger of Allah say:
<<Åä áì ÃÓãÇÁ:
ÃäÇ ãÍãÏ¡ æÃäÇ ÃÍãÏ¡ æÃäÇ ÇáãÇÍì ÇáÐì íãÍæ Çááå
Èì ÇáßÝÑ¡ æÃäÇ ÇáÍÇÔÑ ÇáÐì íÍÔÑ ÇáäÇÓ Úáì ÞÏãì¡ æÃäÇ ÇáÚÇÞÈ ÇáÐì áíÓ ÈÚÏå
ÃÍÏ>>
This means : <<I have certain
names. I am Muhammad. I am Ahmad.
I am al-Mahiyy—the one by whom Allah removes
blasphemy. I am al-Hashir—the one at whose feet (i.e.
following after me) the people shall assemble. I am al-^Aqib—the
one after whom there is no prophet.>>”
Muslim narrated in his Sahih from the route
of Abu Musa al-Ash^ariyy that he said, “The Prophet
used to tell us about his names saying:
<< ÃäÇ ãÍãÏ¡ æÃÍãÏ, æÇáãÞÝì¡ æÇáÍÇÔÑ¡
æäÈì ÇáÊæÈÉ¡ æäÈì ÇáÑÍãÉ >>
This means : <<I am Muhammad,
and Ahmad, and al-Muqaffi, and al-Hashir,
and Nabiyy at-Tawbah, and Nabiyy ar-Rahmah.>>”
Imam Ahmad narrated in his Musnad from the route of Jubayr
Ibn Mut^im that he said, “I heard the Prophet say:
<< ÃäÇ ãÍãÏ¡ æÃäÇ ÃÍãÏ¡ æÇáÍÇÔÑ¡
æÇáãÇÍì¡ æÇáÎÇÊã¡ æÇáÚÇÞÈ >>
This means : <<I am Muhammad,
and I am Ahmad, and al-Hashir and al-Mahi,
and al-Khatim and al-^Aqib.>>”
Al-Bayhaqiyy narrated in his book, Dala’il An-Nubuwwah,
from the route of Abu Hurayrah that he said, “The Messenger of Allah
said:
<<
ÅäãÇ ÃäÇ ÑÍãÉ ãåÏÇÉ >>
)which means(: <<Indeed I am a mercy given as a gift to
you.>>”
Al-Bayhaqiyy (in Dala’il An-Nubuwwah) and at-Tayalisiyy
(in the Musnad) narrated from the route of Jubayr Ibn Mut^im
that he said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah say:
<< ÃäÇ ãÍãÏ¡ æÃÍãÏ¡ æÇáÍÇÔÑ¡ æäÈì ÇáÊæÈÉ¡ æäÈì ÇáãáÍãÉ
>>
This means : <<I am Muhammad and
Ahmad and al-Hashir and Nabiyy at-Tawbah and
Nabiyy al-Malhamah.>>”
With regards to the epithets of the Prophet, al-Bukhariyy and
Muslim (in their Sahihs) and others narrated from
the route of Abu Hurayrah that he said, “The Messenger of Allah
said:
<<
ÊÓãæÇ ÈÇÓãì æáÇ ÊßÊäæÇ ÈßäíÊì >>
This means : <<Name yourselves
after my name but do not name yourselves with my epithet>>” Al-Bayhaqiyy
narrated in Dala’il An-Nubuwwah from the route of Abu
Hurayrah that he said, “The Messenger of Allah said:
<< áÇ ÊÌãÚæÇ Èíä ÇÓãì æßäíÊì¡ ÃäÇ ÃÈæ
ÇáñÞÇÓã¡ Çááå íÑÒÞ¡ æÃäÇ ÃÞÓã >>
This means : <<Do not name yourselves after my name and epithet conjointly. I am Abu
al-Qasim, Allah gives the sustenance and I distribute.>>”
Al-Hakim narrated in his Mustadrak from the route of Anas
Ibn Malik that he said, “When Ibrahim, the son
of Marya[4] was born, Jibril came to
the Messenger of Allah and told him:
<< ÇáÓáÇã Úáíß íÇ ÃÈÇ ÅÈÑÇåíã
>>
(which means) : <<As-salamu
^alayka, O Abu Ibrahim.>>”
This hadith of al-Hakim has Abu
Lahi^ah among its narrators and he is a weak link in the chain of
narration.
Some reports say the Prophet’s father, ^Abdullah, died when the Prophet
was two months old. Some said he died even before the Prophet was born.
There are also other reports on the subject. Halimah as-Sa^diyyah was
honored to be the wet-nurse of the Prophet and she
told the following story:
I went to Makkah with other women
from the tribe of Bani Sa^d Ibn Bakr.
We were looking for infants whose parents wanted them wet-nursed. During
the journey to Makkah, I was riding a female
donkey off-white in color. It was a year of drought and we had nothing,
only an old camel that hardly gave any milk. My own son’s hungry crying
kept my husband and I awake at night because I did not have a drop of milk in
my breasts to feed him.
When we arrived in Makkah, each one
of us was offered the Prophet as a nursing son. We all refused at first
because he was an orphan, and we depended on the generosity of the child’s
father for our services. We used to say, “He is an orphan. How
generous can his mother be?” Every woman in our group except for me
managed to get a baby to nurse. I hated to return the only one empty
handed. I told my husband I would go back and take that orphan, and I
did. When I came back to where my animal was, my husband asked me, “Did
you take him?” I told him I had because I could not find any other.
He said, “May Allah endow His blessings on us.”
By Allah, as soon as I put
him in my lap my breasts filled with milk. Both he and his brother (her own son) drank their fill. When my husband went
out that night to check our old camel, he found her udder full of milk.
We got all the milk we wanted from her. My husband and I drank our fill
and slept soundly that night, as did our boys. My husband said, “O Halimah,
I think you have put your hands on a blessed creation. Look how our sons
sleep.”
We started heading back, and to everyone’s
surprise my female donkey was energetic and in the lead. They asked me,
“Is this the same donkey you rode on our trip here?” I said it was.
My donkey remained in the lead until we reached the outskirts of where our
tribe, Bani Sa^d Ibn Bakr, was camped,
and it was a very dry land.
We all used to send our sheep out to graze
with our shepherds. By Allah, my sheep would come back
satiated; their udders full of milk, whereas the others’ sheep would come back
hungry and dry. We had all the milk we wanted when none of the others had
a drop of milk. The others told their shepherds to take their sheep to
the same place Halimah’s shepherd takes hers to
graze. They sent their sheep to graze in the same meadow with ours, but their
sheep would still come back hungry and dry when ours came back satiated and
full of milk.
The Prophet matured in a day what a child
normally matures in a month and in a month what a child normally matures in a
year. At one (1) year old,[5] he was a very strong child.[ii]
We went back to his mother, and I, or rather my husband, asked if she would
allow us to keep him a while longer. We told her we were afraid for him
to be exposed to the diseases of Makkah. In reality, we wanted to
keep him with us because of the blessings we saw from having him. We kept
on asking her until she agreed that we take him. We took him back and he
stayed with us for two months. One day, he and his brother were attending
to one of our animals behind the houses and his brother rushed back
trembling. “Rescue my brother!” he said to his father and me. “Two
men came, laid him down, and split his chest open!!” We were terrified
and rushed out to him. When we reached him, we found him standing, very
pale in color. His father and I embraced him and asked him about the
matter. He said, “Two men in white clothing came to me, laid me down, and
split open my abdomen. By Allah, I do not know what they
have done.” We carried him back home. His father said, “O Halimah,
I see this child has been inflicted with a matter. Let us take him back
to his mother before any signs of that appear.” So, we took him back to
his mother.
His mother wanted to know what brought us back so soon
when we had been so persistent in wanting to take him away. I said that
we had fulfilled our commitment and it would be better for her to keep him
because now we feared for him. His mother knew this was not the real reason.
She insisted we tell her what had happened, and we did. She said, “So
this is why you feared for him.” Then, she reassured us, saying, “This
child of mine has a special status. Let me tell you about him. I
conceived and carried him, yet I felt I never had carried a lighter load or any
greater blessing. When I delivered him, I saw a great light coming out of
me, similar to a shooting star that illuminated the necks of the camels in Busrah.
Contrary to most deliveries, he came out putting his hands on the ground and
raising his head to the sky.” Then his mother told us, “Leave him here,
and go attend to your business.”
The Hafidh al-Bayhaqiyy said (after attributing the story
to Muslim), “It conforms to that which is known to the people who
authored about the subject of raids. In his Sahih, Muslim
also narrated from the route of Anas that he said, “The Messenger of
Allah said:
<< ÃÊíÊ æÃäÇ Ýì
Ãåáì¡ ÝÇäØáÞ Èì Åáì ÒãÒã¡ ÝÔÑÍ ÕÏÑì Ëã ÛÓá ÈãÇÁ ÒãÒã¡ Ëã ÃÊíÊ ÈØÓÊ ãä ÐåÈ ããÊáÆÉ
ÅíãÇäÇ æÍßãÉ ÝÍÔì ÈÜåÇ ÕÏÑì – ÞÇá ÃäÓ: æÑÓæá Çááå Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã íÑíäÇ ÃËÑå
– ÝÚÑÌ Èì Çáãáß Åáì ÇáÓãÇÁ ÇáÏäíÇ¡ ÝÇÓÊÝÊÍ Çáãáß ... >>
This means : <<When I was with
my parents, I was approached and taken to the Well of Zamzam. My
chest was split open and washed with Zamzam water. The contents of
a golden container full of belief and wisdom were stuffed inside my
chest. (Anas said, “The Prophet would be pointing out the trace
for us.”) The angel took me up to the lower sky and requested the gate be
opened…>>” and Anas continued to mention the Hadith
of the Mi^raj (the Ascension).
The Hafidh al-Bayhaqiyy in Dala’il An-Nubuwwah said
after mentioning the hadith, “It is possible that
this incident occurred twice; once when the Prophet was a child with Halimah,
his wet nurse, and once when he was in Makkah after his Revelation on
the night of the Mi^raj (Ascension).”
What supports these words is the saying of Ibn
Hibban in his book, Al-Ihsan. He
said, “The chest of the Prophet was split open when he was a lad playing with
the boys. The clot was removed from him. When Allah willed
for him to ascend to the skies, Allah sent Jibril to
split his chest open a second time. He took his heart out, washed it and
put it back in its place. It is not contradictory that this might have
happened two times at two different locations.”
Al-Bukhariyy and Muslim (in their Sahihs)
and others narrated from the route of al-Bara’ Ibn ^Azib that
he said, “The Messenger of Allah had the most beautiful face and
the best manners. He was neither exceedingly tall nor short.” Al-Bayhaqiyy
(in Ad-Dala’il), at-Tabaraniyy (in
Al-Mu^jam Al-Kabir and Al-Awsat) narrated from the
route of Abu ^Ubaydah Ibn Muhammad Ibn ^Ammar Ibn Yasir
that he said, “I asked ar-Rubbayyi^ Bint
Mu^awwidh to describe the Prophet for me. She said, ‘If you see him
you would say the sun is shining. ’”
At-Tirmidhiyy (in his Sunan) and Ahmad (in his Musnad)
narrated from the route of Abu Hurayrah that he said, “I have not
seen anything more beautiful than the Prophet and anyone faster in his walk
than the Prophet. It is as if the land folds up for him. We
endeavored to walk as swiftly as the Prophet.”
Al-Bukhariyy, Muslim, and an-Nasa’iyy (in their Sahihs)
and others narrated from the route of Anas Ibn Malik that he
said, “The Prophet’s hair was shoulder-length.” Al-Bukhariyy and
Muslim using different terminology said, “The Prophet’s hair reached to
the middle of his ears.”
Muslim narrated in his Sahih from the route of Anas
Ibn Malik that he said, “I have not smelled anything --whether musk,
amber, or other than that-- better smelling than the Prophet. I have not touched
anything-- whether silk, taftan, or other than that-- smoother than the hand of
the Prophet.”
Al-Bukhariyy and Muslim narrated in their Sahihs
from the route of al-Bara’ Ibn ^Azib that he said,
“The Prophet was medium in height and he had wide shoulders. He was the
greatest of the people. His hair reached his ears. I have never
seen anything more beautiful especially when he wore maroon-colored clothing.
Muslim narrated in his Sahih from the route of Anas
Ibn Malik that he said, “The Prophet was neither exceedingly tall
nor short. His complexion was neither whitish pale nor too dark.
His hair was neither extremely curly nor straight. Allah revealed
him as a prophet when he was forty (40) years old. He lived in Makkah for
ten (10) years. When he died in his early sixties, he did not have more
than twenty (20) white hairs in his beard and on his head.”
Al-Bayhaqiyy (in his Dala’il) narrated from the route of Ibn
^Umar that he used to recite in the mosque of the Prophet the piece of
poetry that Abu Talib (the Prophet’s uncle) used to recite
in describing the Prophet’s complexion:
One asks Allah for
the rain,
He was the resort and feeder of
the orphans
And the
protector of widows.
Everyone who heard him recite this poetry used to say,
“This is how the Prophet was.”
Al-Bazzar narrated in Kashf Al-Astar from the route
of ^A’ishah that she said, “I said about my father (Abu
Bakr), ‘White face, by it one asks Allah for the rain, the
supporter of the orphans and protector of widows.’ My father said, ‘This
is the attribute of the Prophet. ’”
Surah al-Qalam, Ayah 4 best elucidates the manners of the
Prophet:
{æóÅöäøóßó áóÚóáì
ÎõáõÞò ÚóÙöíãò}.
This ayah means:
[Indeed you have great manners.]
Muslim narrated in his Sahih from the route of ^A’ishah
that when she was asked about the manners of the Prophet, she said, “His
manners were the glorious Qur’an.”
Al-Bukhariyy (in his Sahih) and others
narrated from the route of ^Abdullah Ibn az-Zubayr that
he said in explaining Ayah 199 of Surah al-‘A^raf: {ÎõÐö
ÇáúÚóÝúæó} “Allah ordered His
Prophet to overlook and forgive the shortcomings of others.”
Al-Bukhariyy and Muslim (in their Sahihs),
al-Bayhaqiyy (in Ad-Dala’il), and others narrated from the
route of ^A’ishah that she said, “Every time the Prophet
had a choice between two matters, he chose the easier one as long as it did not
involve a sin. If it was sinful, he would be the farthest of the people
from it. The Prophet never revenged for his own sake. He would
revenge only when the religious boundaries were crossed.” Al-Qattan
added, “He would revenge for the sake of Allah.”
Abu Dawud at-Tayalisiyy (in his Musnad)
and al-Bayhaqiyy (in his Dala’il) narrated from the route
of ^A’ishah that when asked about the manners of the Prophet, she
replied, “He was neither abhorrent nor outrageous and he did not hawk in the
marketplace. He did not reciprocate an ill-doing with an ill-doing;
rather, he would forgive and overlook.
Al-Bukhariyy and Muslim (in their Sahihs)
and al-Bayhaqiyy (in his Dala’il) narrated from the route
of Abu Sa^id al-Khudriyy that he
said, “The Messenger of Allah was more shy than a virgin in her
quarters and if he hated something we could see it in his face.”
Al-Bukhariyy and Muslim (in their Sahihs)
and at-Tirmidhiyy and Ibn Majah (in their Sunans)
narrated from the route of al-Mughirah Ibn Shu^bah that he said,
“The Prophet prayed night prayers until his feet swelled. Ought I to not
be a thankful slave’?”
Also among his praiseworthy characteristics is that the Prophet was extremely
courageous. He was strict in carrying out the matters ordered by Allah.
Ahmad (in his Musnad) narrated from the route of ^Aliyy
Ibn Abu Talib that he said, “On the day of the
Among Prophet Muhammad’s honorable merits is that he was
extremely generous, and stories of his generosity are numerous. Muslim
(in his Sahih) and Ahmad (in his Musnad)
narrated from the route of Anas that he said, “The Prophet never denied
the request of the one who just embraced Islam. Once a man
who had just embraced Islam came to the Prophet and asked that he
is given something. The Prophet gave him a flock of sheep filling the
area between two mountains. This man rushed to his people and told them,
‘Embrace Islam, for Muhammad gives like what the
one who does not fear poverty gives. ’”
The Prophet was well-known for being humble, detached from this world, and one
who chooses the Hereafter over this world. Al-Bayhaqiyy (in Ad-Dala’il)
and at-Tirmidhiyy and Ibn Majah (in their Sunans)
narrated from the route of ^Abdullah that he said, “The Prophet
was lying on a bamboo carpet which left a mark on his skin. I started rubbing
it off, saying, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I favor you over my own
mother and father. Will you not permit that we spread something
underneath you to protect you from this carpet?’ The Prophet said, ‘What
business do I have with this world? I am like a rider who stopped under a
tree for some shade and then he went on and left it behind. ’”
The Prophet was attributed with all the good attributes. He was truthful,
trustworthy, kind to his relatives, chaste, generous, and brave. He was
obedient to Allah all the time, in every circumstance and
situation, and with every breath. He was profoundly articulate and
advised others perfectly. He was full of mercy and sympathy for
others. He was charitable and full of pity for others. He was the
caretaker of the poor, the needy, the orphans, the widows, and the weak.
He was humble. He loved the needy and attended their funerals and visited
the sick among them. He was all this and he was a beautiful person with
an honorable lineage.
Allah said in Surah al-An^am, Ayah 124:
{Çááøóåõ ÃóÚúáóãõ ÍóíúËõ íóÌúÚóáõ
ÑöÓóÇáóÊóåõ}
This means: [Allah knows
best who to entrust for conveying His message.]
The honorable merit of the Prophet is well-founded in the Qur’an and
the confirmed hadiths. Hence, no fabrications or
exaggerated narrations are needed to confirm his sublime status and profound
merit. Ahmad (in his Musnad) and Ibn Hibban
(in his Sahih) narrated from the route of ^Umar Ibn
al-Khattab that he said, “The Messenger of Allah said:
<< áÇ ÊØÑæäì ßãÇ
ÃØÑÊ ÇáäÕÇÑì ÚíÓì¡ ÝÅäãÇ ÃäÇ ÚÈÏ¡ ÝÞæáæÇ ÚÈÏ Çááå æÑÓæáå >>
This means : <<Do not praise me
unlawfully as the Christians did when they unlawfully praised ^Isa.
I am just a slave of Allah. So say about me, ‘He is the
slave of Allah and His Messenger’.>>”
Lying about the Messenger of Allah is not a matter taken
lightly. Rather, it is an enormous sin. Muslim (in his Sahih)
and at-Tirmidhiyy and Ibn Majah (in their Sunans)
narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:
<< ãä ÍÏË Úäì
ÈÍÏíË íÑì Ãäå ßÐÈ Ýåæ ÃÍÏ ÇáßÇÐÈíä >>
This means: <<The one who
narrates a hadith about me and knows that it is fabricated,
and then he is one of the fabricators.>>
Al-Bukhariyy and Muslim (in their Sahihs)
and Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhiyy, and Ibn Majah
(in their Sunans) narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:
<< ãä ßÐÈ Úáì
ÝáíÊÈæà ãÞÚÏå ãä ÇáäÇÑ >>
This means: <<Let the one who
fabricates a hadith about me prepare himself for his seat
in Hellfire.>>
It is clear that attributing to the Prophet a fabricated and untrue matter is a
dispraised exaggeration. Moreover, doing so can not be justified by claiming
it to be similar to narrating the weak hadiths pertaining
to the fada’il (merits of the Prophet). According to most
of the scholars (jumhur) it is acceptable to narrate a weak hadith
if it pertains to the fada’il. However, there is
consensus among the scholars that it is not acceptable to narrate a fabricated hadith
pertaining to the fada’il.
Unfortunately, these days many of the books on the Mawlid which are
widespread and read by many are full of contraventions and vileness.
Included in these books are fabricated hadiths, defective
narrations, and dispraised exaggerations. They contain lying about the
Religion, likening Allah to the creations, and attributing bodily
attributes to Him. It is forbidden to narrate such fabrications without
exposing their false content. It is obligatory upon one to warn against
such books and fabrications.
One of the most widespread of these books is called Mawlid Al-^Arus
which was falsely attributed to Ibn al-Jawziyy. That Mawlid
Al-^Arus was not authored by Ibn al-Jawziyy is
obvious because his writings are full of statements which contradict what is
written in Mawlid Al-^Arus with regard to clearing Allah
from resembling the creations and from attributing bodily attributes to
Him. The weak language and poor sentence structure of Mawlid Al-^Arus
is another evidence that its author was not Ibn al-Jawziyy.
Ibn al-Jawziyy was a scholar of hadith, a
scholar of jurisprudence, an interpreter of the Qur’an, and was
deeply rooted in preaching and providing guidance. Whenever Ibn al-Jawziyy
spoke, he moved the hearts of the people. One hundred thousand people
became Muslim after listening to his strong preaching, profound articulation,
and good expressions. Ibn al-Jawziyy mastered the Arabic
language and was extremely articulate. It was Brookleman, an Orientalist,
who falsely attributed Mawlid Al-^Arus to Ibn al-Jawziyy.
Among the blasphemous statements contained in Mawlid Al-^Arus is
that Allah took a handful of the ‘light of His Face’ and ordered
it to be Muhammad, and so it was. Such a statement means
that part of Allah became Muhammad. May Allah
protect us from blasphemy. Allah is
clear of having parts and is clear of dispersing. Allah is
clear of partitions and divisions. Allah is clear of all of
that. He does not resemble any of His creations, and none of His
creations are like Him. Allah said in Surah
ash-Shura, Ayah 11:
{áóíúÓó ßóãöËúáöåö
ÔóíúÁñ æóåõæó ÇáÓøóãöíÚõ ÇáúÈóÕöíÑõ}
Which means: [Absolutely nothing is
similar to Allah, and Allah is attributed with
Hearing and Sight.] The one who believes that Muhammad or
other than Muhammad is part of Allah is definitely
a blasphemer.
Allah said in Surah az-Zukhruf, Ayah
15:
{æóÌóÚóáõæÇ áóåõ ãöäú
ÚöÈóÇÏöåö ÌõÒúÁðÇ}
Which means: [They (the blasphemers)
attributed to Him a part among His slaves.]
Another widespread contravention is the false saying that Muhammad is
the first of the creations. This false statement came about because of
the spread of a fabricated hadith[6]
called Hadith Jabir:
<<. Ãæá ãÇ ÎáÞ
Çááå äæÑ äÈíß íÇ ÌÇÈÑ ÎáÞå ãä äæÑå ÞÈá ÇáÃÔíÇÁ >>
This means: <<“The first that Allah
created, O Jabir, was the light of your prophet. Allah
created him from His light before creating other things.”>> This hadith
has no foundation and is a fabrication about the Prophet. Moreover, it
contradicts the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Contradicting
the Qur’an is self apparent when one reads Surah
al-Anbiya’, Ayah 30:
{æóÌóÚóáúäóÇ ãöäó
ÇáúãóÇÁö ßõáøó ÔóíúÁò Íóíøò}
This means: [We created from water
all living things], and Surah al-Kahf, Ayah 110:
{Þõáú ÅöäøóãóÇ ÃóäóÇ
ÈóÔóÑñ ãöËúáõßõãú íõæÍóì Åöáóíøó}
This means: [Say, O Muhammad,
I am only a human like you except that I receive the Revelation and you do
not.]
Hadith Jabir contradicts the confirmed hadiths
about the first creation of Allah. Al-Bukhariyy
(in his Sahih) and al-Bayhaqiyy (in Al-Asma’
Was-Sifat) narrated from the route of ^Imran Ibn
al-Husayn that he said, “The
Messenger of Allah said:
<< ßÇä Çááå æáã
íßä ÔìÁ ÛíÑå æßÇä ÚÑÔå Úáì ÇáãÇÁ >>
(which means): <<Allah
existed eternally and there was nothing else existing and Allah created
His ^Arsh (the ceiling of Paradise) on water.>>”
Ibn Hibban (in his Sahih) narrated
from the route of Abu Hurayrah that he said, “O Messenger of Allah,
when I see you I feel good on the inside and it delights my eyes, so tell
me how the creation started. The Prophet said:
<< ßá ÔìÁ ÌáÞ ãä
ÇáãÇÁ >>
This means : <<Everything was
created from water.>>”
As-Suddiyy narrated from many routes in the explanation of Fath
Al-Bari the saying of the Prophet:
<< Åä Çááå áã
íÎáÞ ÔíÆÇ ããÇ ÎáÞ ÞÈá ÇáãÇÁ >>
Which means: <<Allah did
not create any of His creations prior to the water.>>
The first hadith explicitly states that the water and the ^Arsh
are the first creations of Allah. The fact that the
water was created before the ^Arsh is taken from the second and third hadiths.
The claim that Hadith Jabir was narrated by al-Bayhaqiyy
is untrue. The claim that Hadith Jabir is
in Musannaf ^Abdur-Razzaq is also untrue. It is neither in Musannaf
^Abdur-Razzaq nor in his Jami^ nor in his Tafsir
of the Qur’an. Rather, one finds in his Tafsir
what contradicts Hadith Jabir. Indeed what he
mentioned is that the water is the first creation of Allah.
The Hafidh as-Suyutiyy said in his book Al-Hawi
Lilfatawa about Hadith Jabir, “It
does not have any reliable chain of narration.” Moreover, he explicitly
stated in his explanation of at-Tirmidhiyy, “The hadith
referencing that the light of Muhammad is the first creation
is not confirmable. The superficiality of the terms of Hadith
Jabir is a proof that it is fabricated. The Prophet was the
most articulate of the creations of Allah; hence, he did not
utter any superficial statement.”
The Hafidh and Scholar of Hadith, Shaykh
Ahmad Ibn as-Siddiq al-Ghumariyy judged Hadith
Jabir as fabricated on the grounds of the superficiality of its
terms and the invalidity of its meanings. Shaykh ^Abdullah
al-Harariyy explained that the meaning of the statement in Hadith
Jabir that Allah created the Prophet from ‘His Light’
before other things is contradictory and superficial enough to judge the hadith
as fabricated. He said that on one hand, it could mean that Allah
created a light and from that light He created Muhammad.
As such, Muhammad would be the second creation of Allah—and
this is contrary to what is claimed. On the other hand, it can mean that Muhammad
is a part of Allah—and this is abhorrent blasphemy for
attributing parts to Allah.
Another defect of this hadith is the idtirab
(shakiness) of its terms. There are some narrations of Hadith
Jabir in which the terms used are very divergent—enough to change
the meaning. The terminology of the narration of az-Zarqaniyy
and as-Sawiyy are very different and this makes the hadith
mudtarib (shaky).
The hadith: <<I was the first of the prophets
in creation and the last in Revelation>> is a weak hadith,
as copied by the scholars in Al-Maqasid Al-Hasanah, Kashf
Al-Khafa, and Asna Al-Matalib. Bugyah
Ibn al-Walid, who is a mudallis,[7]
is one of the narrators of this hadith. Sa^id Ibn Bashir is also among
the narrators and he is da^if (a weak narrator).
The so called hadith: <<I was a prophet when Adam
was in a state between water and clay>> and the so called hadith:
<<I was a prophet and there was no Adam, no water and no
clay>> are fabricated and have no foundation as mentioned in At-Tadhkirah
Fi Al-Ahadith Al-Mushtahirah, Al-Maqasid Al-Hasanah,
Kashf Al-Khafa, Tanzih Ash-Shari^ah, Al-Asrar
Al-Marfu^ah, and Asna Al-Matalib.
The rule remains strong that there is no need to ascribe a meaning or an
interpretation to a sahih hadith for the
sake of a fabricated hadith which has no foundation.
Another fabrication found in some books on the Mawlid is the
saying: “O Muhammad, if it were not for you I would not
have created the planets.” This saying was judged by the scholars of hadith
as fabricated-- as reported by al-^Ajluni (in Kashf Al-Khafa)
and as-Saghaniyy (in his Mawdu^at).
Also, an abhorrent lie is what was mentioned about Jibril receiving
the Revelation from behind a barrier. It is claimed that one time the
barrier was removed and Jibril saw Prophet Muhammad receiving
the Revelation. So it is claimed Jibril said: ãäß æÅáíß which means: “From
you and on to you.” This contradicts the saying of Allah in
Surah ash-Shura, Ayah 52:
{æóßóÐóáößó
ÃóæúÍóíúäóÇ Åöáóíúßó ÑõæÍðÇ ãöäú ÃóãúÑöäóÇ ãóÇ ßõäúÊó ÊóÏúÑöí ãóÇ ÇáúßöÊóÇÈõ
æóáóÇ ÇáúÅöíãóÇäõ}
This means: [O Muhammad,
likewise We revealed to you Jibril, and
prior to that you had neither knowledge of the Book nor the details of belief.]
Also among the fabrications is what some books on the Mawlid mention
from the route of Abu Hurayrah they say he said, “The Prophet
asked Jibril how old he was. Jibril replied,
‘O Messenger of Allah, I do not know except that there is a star
that appears once every seventy thousand years, and I have seen it seventy-two
thousand times.’ The Prophet said, ‘by the glory of my Lord, I am that
star. ’”
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, Who endowed upon us
many endowments, and Who enabled us to translate this valuable booklet about
the honorable birth of the Prophet that we named "The Beauteous Fragrances
Of Celebrating the Birth of Prophet MuhammadÕáì
Çááå Úáíå æÓáã Milad An-Nabiyy An Iridescence of Bliss". We ask Allah
to make it of widespread benefit and to make our intentions pure and
sincere in seeking the reward from Allah alone. We humbly
ask Allah to make this work a reason for our winning on a day in
which neither money nor children will benefit one, and only one’s own piety,
God-fearingness, and soundness of heart shall matter.
No one evades sinning except by the protection of Allah, and no
one gives us the strength to be obedient to Allah except Allah.
May Allah raise the rank of Prophet Muhammad and
his kind Al and Companions and protect his nation from what he
fears for them.
O Allah we ask you and direct ourselves to You
by Your Prophet, Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy. O Muhammad
we direct ourselves to Allah by you, so that Allah may
forgive all of our sins, enable us to see you in your original form in our
dreams, assemble us under your banner, move us away from Hellfire, and grant us
the upper parts of Paradise.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the
Worlds.
[1] Dhikr here refers to the ayahs of
the Qur’an.
[2]Among such works are Al-Maqsad Fi ^Amal
Al-Mawlid by the Hafidh of Hadith as-Suyutiyy and At-Tanwir Fi
Mawlid Al-Bashir An-Nadhir by Abu al-Khattab
Ibn Dihyah.
[3] The army of the enemy which is constituted of non Muslims.
[4] Marya was owned by the Prophet.
[5] Al-^Iraqi said the one (1) year is an
error in Ibn Hibban’s narration and what is correct is two (2)
years. For more detail, see endnote (ii), page _____
[6] A fabricated hadith is a fabricated
statement attributed to the Prophet.
[7] Mudallis means he insinuates the names of the
wrong narrators.
[i]
When the Companions first wrote down the Qur’an, for certain
wisdom they did so without writing the dots. This was because the Qur’an
was revealed to the Prophet with different methods of recitation. In some of
the recitations, the word would be recited with the letter ta’(Ê) and in other recitations, it would be recited with the letter ya’
(í). The ta’ and
the ya’ are written in the same shape or format, however, they
differ in the placement of the dots on them. The ta’
(Ê) has two dots on top and the ya’ (í) has two dots underneath. Writing the format of the word
without the dots would allow for either the ta’
or the ya’ to be read. As such, one Book, compiling the
letters and the words (without the dots) would enable more than one method of
recitation. However, if the dots are applied, this is restricted.
The flexibility of reading the different recitations from one Book is
eliminated, and if one wanted to recite according to a different recitation,
one would need to rewrite the words with the dots placed differently to suit
that recitation. For that wisdom, the Companions did not innovate the dots before this time. However, later on
(at the time of Yahya Ibn Ya^mar),
the benefit of this innovation became apparent. At that time, many of the
non-Arabs had embraced Islam and reading the Qur’an without
the dots without making errors and mistakes constituted a hardship for those
Muslims. To reduce the difficulty, Yahya applied the
dots to the letters of the Qur’an. The Companions found
that to be a good action on his part. This innovation of Yahya
Ibn Ya^mar is included and covered by the hadith of
the Prophet: << The one who innovates a good innovation in Islam
shall be rewarded for it and similarly rewarded when another imitates him
in performing that deed—without the reward of the latter being
decreased…>>
[ii] Ibn
Hibban in Al-Ihsan Bitartib Sahih
Ibn Hibban said, after he mentioned the aforementioned story,
“Wahb Ibn Jarir Ibn Hazim told us from the route of his
father from the route of Muhammad Ibn Ishaq. We were told
the same by Jahm Ibn Abi Jahm. ^Abdullah Ibn Muhammad
told us, Ishaq Ibn Ibrahim told us Wahb Ibn
Jarir told us the Hafidh al-^Iraqi said,
after attributing the story to Ibn Hibban and reporting
his words, “This is how Ziyad Ibn ^Abdullah
al-Bakka’iyy narrated it from the route of Ibn Ishaq. ”—So
he was explicit in stating that it was narrated, however, he was doubtful about
the continuity of the chain (the ittisal). Likewise, he
said, it was narrated to us by a ^ali chain
of narration from the route of Muhammad Ibn ^Aliyy Ibn ^Abd al-^Aziz
al-Qatrawaniyy; narrated to us by Muhammad Ibn Rabi^ah,
by ^Abd al-Qawiyy Ibn ^Abd al-^Aziz Ibn al-Hasan al-Khal^iyy by
^Abdur-Rahman Ibn ^Umar an-Nahhas. We were
told by ^Abdul Malik Ibn Hisham, by Ziyad Ibn
^Abdullah al-Bakka’iyy, by Muhammad Ibn Ishaq
he said: Jahm Ibn Abu Jahm, the freed slave of al-Harith
Ibn Hatib al-Jumahi, from the route of ^Abdullah
Ibn Ja^far Ibn Abu Talib or from he
who told him he said:
Halimah Bint Abu Dhu’ayb as-Sa^diyyah, the mother
of the Messenger of Allah that wet-nursed him, narrated that she
left her town with her husband, a young son of hers that she was nursing… and
he mentioned the rest of the story using different terminology and he
added: the Prophet kept on taking from the endowments and blessings that Allah
provided for him until both of his years lapsed. He used to grow up
vigorously unlike other children; by the time he became two years of age he was
a very strong child. He said --‘both of his years,’-- which is
correct. Likewise, the narration of al-Bayhaqiyy stipulates.
The narration of Ibn Hibban of ‘one year’ is an error on
the part of one of the narrators. This is the end of the words of al-^Iraqi.
Allah knows best.