Firasah

The life of a human being can be defined as a constant war between virtue and sin. Oftentimes, we find ourselves straying from righteousness, succumbing to the burrows and traps of our lower self. Yet, so long as our hearts are not entirely corrupted, there is a voice, a feeling, an urge to return to nobility. A call to return to primordial purity. It is no wonder then that the word for repentance in Arabic is ‘tawbah’ which means ‘to return’ because repentance is nothing but a return towards Allah’s mercy.

Allah does not demand nor expect perfection from us. He is the All-Merciful and the All-Wise. He knows our flawed and weak natures better than our own selves. What He has asked from us is that we do our best to worship Him, to please Him, and that when we falter – as we certainly will – that we turn to Him in repentance and regret so that He may demonstrate His Mercy. Allah says: (O you who believe! Repent to Allah with sincere repentance so that your Lord may remove from you your misdeeds and enter you into Gardens under which rivers flow.) [Al-Tahrim, 66:8]

Repentance which is not sincere is not real repentance. Paying lip service without remorse is not what is intended here. Instead, it is acknowledging the wrong, feeling grief over the sin, recognising human weakness, our propensity to sin, and sitting humbled before Allah. This is what Allah wants from us. He is All-Forgiving, and He does not only forgive, but loves to do so. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “By the One who owns my soul, if you did not sin, Allah would replace you with people who would sin, and they would seek forgiveness from Allah and He would forgive them.” [Muslim 2749]. 

Every misdeed of ours, every misjudgment and every sin serves as an invaluable opportunity for reflection. An opportunity to be better, even better than before. Life is a journey and a constant movement towards Allah – yes, there may be ebbs and flows – but our trajectory must always be upwards. Take the case of a marksman. He aims at his target but each time he misses, he does not become frustrated and overcome with despair. This would do nothing for him. Rather, he adjusts his posture, he focuses and refines his aim and then releases the arrow once again, and again, and again. The only failure would be if he stopped trying. Likewise, we too must always try to please Allah, and when we slip up, we must not lose hope in His Mercy and succumb to despair. Every sin can serve as a way to get closer to Allah if we allow it to. There is wisdom in this.

The Sufi Master Abu Ali al-Daqqaq said: ‘Repentance consists of three parts: it starts with remorse, its middle part is turning to God (inabah) and its end is returning to Him (awbah).’ Remorse then ought not to cripple a believer and leave him destroyed and utterly broken in shame and embarrassment. Rather, it is one which pushes the believer and galvanises his further action, propelling him towards Allah. What excellence is there in the blameless man who does not ‘flee unto Allah’ in comparison to the sinner who does! Repentance is not just a simple static act of apologising and seeking pardon—it is a vivacious and freeing journey towards Allah which is a blessing itself. 

Yet, beyond just our own individual lives, Tawbah also teaches us about human nature in general. Created weak and prone to sin, then this applies to all. If entire communities and societies were to realise that value of repentance, we could move away from being a people who find it easy to cast harsh and unforgiving judgements on others to one where we foster environments of compassion, mercy and betterment in the hope that Allah will be merciful in return to us also. Sin need not be a permanent or terminal state, but rather a transient one for those who believe. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Those who have mercy, the Most-Merciful will have mercy on them. Have mercy to those on earth and those in the Heavens will have mercy upon you.” [Tirmidhi 1924] 

A reflection upon the life of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ provides various instances of individuals who, after erring, embraced the path of Tawbah and were transformed into paragons of virtue. Consider the story of the companion, Ka’b ibn Malik who missed the Battle of Tabuk. His initial attempt to justify his absence withered under the weight of his own conscience, and he confessed his lapse to the Prophet ﷺ. [Muslim 2679] The sincerity of his repentance was such that it not only led to his redemption but resulted in Allah Himself revealing verses of Pardon in the Holy Qur’an. [Al-Tawbah, 9:117]

Allah’s mercy is such that not only will He forgive us when we do so sincerely but He declares: (Those who repent, believe and do righteous actions—they are the ones whose evil deeds Allah will change into good deeds. Indeed, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, All-Merciful.) [Al-Furqan 25:70]. We cannot ever truly fathom the extent of Allah’s forgiveness but one thing we can be certain about is that our misdeeds pale in comparison to His Mercy. And it is this that we must remember, and it is this that we must beseech.

The path to Allah will inevitably be paved with errors, slip-ups and mistakes. But each sincere repentance will lead one to turn to Allah, constantly and repeatedly returning to him in repentance, thereby bringing us closer to Him and His Mercy.

Make your Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in your heart like that—such that his ﷺ love possesses your heart and that his ﷺ image (timthāl) is in front of your heart’s eyes always. When he ﷺ is mentioned, you find pleasure in his ﷺ remembrance and that you find his ﷺ reverence in your heart as opposed to the mention of anyone.

al-Wasiti | Qawāʿid fī l-sulūk 25-26

In this article, we take a deep dive into the concept of concentration in Salah and how the Prophetic Presence ought to be considered during the prayer, benefitting from the insights of the Islamic Scholars and Sufi Masters.

Prayer in the Muhammadan Form

Prayer (ṣalāh) is the pillar of Islam and the greatest form of obedience to Allah. 

Allah Almighty says: ﴾And establish ṣalāh for My remembrance.﴿ [Ṭā-Hā, 20:14] 

We perform ṣalāh for the sake of Allah alone. He is the only focus of our worship and it is only Him we intend. Every action of worship, every litany and every thought is directed towards Him. No Muslim would ever face even the slightest confusion or hesitation regarding this, for directing worship to anyone else would be to commit the unforgivable crime of shirk. May Allah Almighty protect us from that. 

Ṣalāh is the primary and most superior way of drawing closer to Allah. It is also what distinguishes Muslims from those who are not. Understanding the importance of ṣalāh, someone may ask, “How do Muslims pray?” The answer to this question was answered by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ himself, who instructed: “Pray as you have seen me praying.” [Bukhari 5662] The most perfect worship therefore is an imitation of how the Perfect Man ﷺ worshipped the Perfect and Sublime Lord. 

If a person performs ṣalāh contrary to how the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ prayed, then his worship would be deemed futile and void, even if he displays much sincerity and zeal. For example, fajr consists of two obligatory cycles. If a person wanted to show extra gratitude to Allah by adding a further few cycles or by increasing the number of prostrations in his prayer, then this worship of his would be rejected. 

Why, a person may query, since “He is only focussed on worshipping Allah. He wants to dedicate extra units and do more to worship Him. Surely, this extra effort and single-mindedness in worshipping Allah should be commended?”

The reality is found in what Imam Saʿdī Shīrāzī (d. 691 AH/1292 CE) has said:

Khilāf-e payambar kisī rah guzīd
Hargiz ba manzil na-khawāhad rasīd

Whatever path you tread, other than the Messenger’s —
Be sure, you will never reach your destination. 

Even though it is Allah alone that we worship, the expression of our worship must take the Muhammadan form. We must adhere to what the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ commanded us to do and leave what he ﷺ desisted us from¹*. Only by doing so can one attain the pleasure of the Lord. We must endeavour to imitate him ﷺ as best as we can, and the closer we get to his quintessence, the more perfect our worship will be. 

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Having Presence in Prayer

Bearing in mind that our worship is solely dedicated to Allah, this does not mean however, that the entire ṣalāh is prayed by only doing the verbal remembrance of Allah Almighty in-and-of Himself. Ṣalāh is not prayed by a person simply saying ‘Allāh’ or ‘lā ilāha illā Allāh’ in all of its stages. Even if a person says that this is the best way that he can focus on Allah alone, this will be unanimously rejected—for yet again, it fails to adhere to the Muhammadan profile. A person must recite a portion of the Qur’an in ṣalāh, he must read the tashahhud, he must recite a transmitted prayer, and so on. Only then will his act of worship be called ṣalāh rather than something else.

Furthermore, it ought to be reiterated that the ṣalāh is not a mere physical ritual. It requires presence of body, mind and soul for Allah Almighty says: ﴾And do not be of the unmindful.﴿ [Al-Aʿrāf, 7:204] After all, the ṣalāh is established for His remembrance; and His remembrance requires attention, which in turn presupposes presence. He also described the successful believers as those ﴾who in their prayers are humbly attentive.﴿ [Al-Muʿminūn, 23:2] Intoxication has been prohibited for this very reason. Thus, when it comes to all stages of ṣalāh, one must be consciously attentive and should not suffice just on the physical movements and transitions in prayer. 

When it comes to reciting the Qur’an then, a person must be purposely mindful of what he is reading. In fact, the very objective of reciting the Qur’an is to dive into the oceans of the Divine Meanings and not the mere movement of the tongue itself. [Iḥyā’, 1:621]

Being attentive to the Hereafter, Heaven and Hell, as well as the stories of the Prophets then is integral to the Qur’an, and the ṣalāh by extension, of which it constitutes a core integral part. As aforementioned, even though our worship is directed to Allah alone, it does not solely consist of pure and simple remembrance of His Majestic Name (ism-i jalālat) and His Attributes (ṣifāt). It is mediated via His Revealed Word which contains manifestations and manifold appearances which aid towards contemplating and knowing Him.

For example, if one becomes deeply engaged in the thought of the ordeal that awaits profligates in the Hereafter and begins to weep fearing his own state, that too is not considered as something extrinsic to the remembrance of Allah. It is not a deficiency in his ṣalāh. Rather, his focus thereof ornaments it, for the reason that it induces more submissiveness and solemnity (khushū’) in his prayer, which in turn enhances his worship of Allah. As a result, it is deemed praiseworthy.

On the other hand, if a person began to weep audibly due to some pain or affliction that he felt, then that will nullify his ṣalāh per the Hanafi school, whereas weeping audibly and making sounds due to the above-mentioned absorption in the Qur’anic depths will not since it complies with the essence of the prayer. [Radd al-muḥtār, 2:377-378]

We have now seen that (a) ṣalāh is worship which is directed towards Allah alone; (b) ṣalāh is only valid when conducted in the Muhammadan form; (c) The content of the ṣalāh requires presence and (d) this presence may be mediated by focussing on entities such as the Qur’an and its Message without it being considered an imperfection in worship.

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The Type of Presence Solicited

Now, let us hone in further on the type of presence that is sought.

Imam al-Ghazali (d. 505 AH/1111 CE) in his aptly named Revivification of the Religious Sciences explains by stating that the inner-dimensions of ṣalāh have many expressions, such as reverence (taʿẓīm), awe (hayba), hope (rajā’), shame (ḥayā’) and so forth, but they are all contingent and sprout forth from the fundamental tenet which is the presence of the heart (ḥuḍūr al-qalb).

This presence of the heart is a condition (sharṭ) for the prayer according to the Spiritual Masters, without which it is lifeless and dead. It is akin to mere exercise. As such, this presence has been likened to its animating spirit. 

By it, what is meant is that the heart of a person is cleared from everything else except for what he is engaged in. His thought (fikr) does not wander into extraneous things. Once his thought is redirected back, that his heart is aware and not heedless at all, this presence of heart is attained. In sum, it is a sense of single-mindedness towards the object of concern which is not distracted by anything else.

Al-Ghazali then ventures a level deeper. He states that the presence of the heart is caused by having deep concern (himma). The heart follows this concern; without it, it is not present—and the heart is only present in what it has solicitude for**. He writes, “There is no way-out and no cure for the presence of the heart [in ṣalāh] except through directing one’s determination (ṣarf al-himma) towards ṣalāh.” [Iḥyā’, 1:600] 

To simplify, we only pay attention to what we care to pay attention for. If we do not care for something, we will not think of it. But if we do care for something, then our hearts will turn towards it even if we would not like it to. So, to have the presence of heart, we should magnify the solicitude we have for the desired entity and consciously direct and devote our concentration towards it so that our hearts are present with it. And by presence here, we mean such that the heart is not concerned with anything or anybody else whatsoever in that moment. It is the active intentional drive that allows us to have this focus and presence.

Shah Wali-Allah al-Dihlawi (d. 1176 AH/1763 CE) writes: “As for al-himma, then it is an expression used to refer to the gathering of one’s thought and making firm one’s resolve in the form of a wish and desire, such that the person does not think of anything except for that thing, like a thirsty person’s desire for water.” [Al-Qawl al-jamīl, 113-114]

Speaking on the spiritual stations, Shaykh al-islam al-Harawi (d. 481 AH/1088 CE) says that “The himma is what propels a person to pursue the intended only.” [Manāzil al-sā’irīn, 379] Meaning, when a seeker reaches this station in his wayfaring, he is not concerned with other things, like the prospect of reward, punishment, mundanities, flaws, deeds, and even spiritual states. He is only focussed on the Divine Essence. 

Ergo, it is established that a person needs to possess this inner solicitude, drive and determination for the intended thing or object to have presence of heart with it. Otherwise, the heart will not have the resolve to remain concentrated upon it. It will be fragmented and scattered instead. The presence of heart which is resultant of this concern allows a person to be unoccupied with everything else and wholly engaged with what is sought to be focussed on. The rest of the inner-dimensions of ṣalāh are a result of this presence, thereby underscoring its importance.

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Presence in the Muhammadan Meaning

We have touched on the type of presence which we should seek to have above. Now, let us explore what the object of this presence should be. 

In other words, let us ask, to what or whom should our hearts be present with—such that we direct our solicitude towards it or them in order that we have complete consciousness thereof, and that we are not distracted by anything else?

Well, Imam al-Ghazali provides us with generous answers for every condition and integral part of the ṣalāh. At the call to prayer (adhān) for example, he says that one’s heart should be present and reminded of the Call on Judgement Day. When purifying ourselves in ablution, we should be conscious of washing away our sins. When standing, we should be present before the Almighty King. When reciting, we should be present towards the Qur’anic meanings, and so on. Consult the Iḥyā’ for more detail.

It is not our concern here to detail every aspect here, but only to provide a brief glimpse for the sake of our argument. In brief, during  ṣalāh, the presence of heart (which follows himma as explained before) is brought forth for a multitude of things, relations and entities, as al-Ghazali explores, and neither does the bringing forth of these meanings necessitate a blemish in the purity of the prayer. 

From the entities which require presence is none other than the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ himself. This presence with him ﷺ in ṣalāh may be brought forth by the recital of verses that make mention of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Or, in even more explicit terms, it is required when reciting the tashahhud at the end of every two units of prayer when one sends peace and salutations upon him, our Master and Guide to the Lord of the Worlds.

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Presence in Recital

Let us first take a cursory look at being present with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at the recital of verses that make explicit mention of or allude to his noble personage ﷺ. Indeed, one can cite endless exegeses that speak on Qur’anic verses that are about him ﷺ. And no doubt, it can be argued that the entire Qur’an is an ode to the one upon whom it was revealed, but we have chosen to cite an interesting passage which relates a spiritual station to the theme.

Imam Murtada al-Zabidi (d. 1205 AH/1791 CE) in the most-renowned commentary of the Iḥyā’ speaks clearly about the ascending ranks of gnosis in ṣalāh. Every succeeding stage of closeness to the Divine encompasses the prior. He uses this lens to analyse the presence of the heart when reciting the Qur’an, using the following verse as an example: ﴾Guide us on the straight path.﴿ [Al-Fātiḥa, 1:6] Other than the completely negligent, from those who are ‘present’ are those whose reflections are mired only in the exterior of what they are reciting. They focus on the grammar of the verse, the linguistic analysis, morphology of words, conjunctions and so on. Those who transcend and surpass this stage begin to delve into the inner-mysteries. It is not the point here to detail what he says in full. However, a pertinent section will be quoted hereunder:

“And from amongst them [the People of Inner-Realities (ahl al-bāṭin)] are those who understand ‘The Straight Path’ meanings beyond that, and say, that ‘The Straight Path’ is the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ; and we have been ordered to follow him ﷺ and tread his ways. Indeed, it is he ﷺ who has been described with perfect steadfastness and the one addressed in His saying: ﴾Be steadfast as you are commanded.﴿ [Hūd, 11:112] There is no following more noble than following one in their spiritual states (aḥwāl) after following their words (aqwāl). 

The meaning of ﴾Guide us on the straight path﴿ [Al-Fātiḥa, 1:6] is thus: Guide us [O Lord] in following the inner spiritual states of this noble Prophet ﷺ. The one who occupies this station is the most strict in the pursuance of the inner-dimensions and the most honoured of them in terms of loyalty (al-wafā’) to the [Prophetic] pledges. And this station is called ‘Annihilation in the Prophet ﷺ’ (fanā’ fi l-rasūl)—and it is the [Qur’anic] reflection of the Folk of the Fourth Rank from the People of Inner-Realities. [Itḥāf al-sāda, 3:120]

What this shows is that being deeply reflective over the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in prayer (and that too, specifically in the recital) is a tremendous rank that only few can reach. It is a lofty station which is only succeeded by the final and fifth rank, in which a person sees the ‘Unicity of Existence’ (waḥdat al-wujūd) in all that he reads. Nevertheless, in order to even arrive at this stage – nevermind traversing it – one needs to comprehend and encompass the preceding stages (baʿda iḥāṭa bi-mā sabaq), including the one of annihilation in the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. al-Zabidi states that although he has focused on just one verse, the hierarchy of gnosis is applicable to them all. [Ibid, 3:120]

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Presence in Tashahhud

After having taken a brief look on presence with the Prophet ﷺ in ṣalāh vis-a-vis the recital of verses, let us now take a look at presence with the Prophet ﷺ in the tashahhud. For the unaware, the tashahhud is read at the end of every two cycles of prayer in the sitting position, after the prostrations have been completed.

Imam al-Ghazali explicitly states: “Make present in your heart the Prophet ﷺ and his ﷺ noble personage. And say, ‘Peace be upon you O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.’ Let your hope be firm that it will reach him ﷺ and that he ﷺ will respond to you with what is more perfect than it. [Iḥyā’ , 1:628]

In order to observe worship like the sincere and realised bondsmen of Allah, it is not enough that you just recite the tashahhud, or that you understand its words, or that you passively perform this station in prayer. Here, Imam al-Ghazali is using the command form of the verb. That is, actively direct your attention towards the Prophet ﷺ in tashahhud – (which is in ṣalāh, lest one forgets) – as though his esteemed personage is present in front of you.

Imam Murtada al-Zabidi explains: “[Make present in your heart the Prophet ﷺ] ie. his pure spirit [and his ﷺ noble personage] according to the degree of your knowledge (maʿrifa) of him ﷺ and your reverence (taʿẓīm) for him; and those most knowledgeable of him ﷺ are the servants of his blessed hadith for they become acquainted with his ﷺ blessed states and pristine shamā’il more than others, so their evoking of his ﷺ presence is far stronger (aqwā) and more firm.” [Itḥāf al-sāda, 3:158-159]

What is made clear is that inducing the spiritual image of the Prophet ﷺ in the ṣalāh is not only good, but that people are of differing degrees in this. Those who are acquainted with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ more and of his esteemed status (which yet still supersedes our limited understandings) will be able to do so in a more complete and firm manner. Everyone should thus strive to increase in their knowledge and veneration of the Prophet ﷺ in order that they can be more present in this station of the ṣalāh. No part of the ṣalāh should be conducted with lack. 

Do not think that this is a ‘distraction’ – Allah forbid! – from the cognisance of Allah. The Andalusian Grand-Master (shaykh-i akbar) Ibn ʿArabi (d. 638 AH/1240 CE) illuminates in this regard: “Saying ‘Peace be upon you O Prophet’ in tashahhud […] makes it known that the bondsman has proceeded from witnessing (mushāhada) his Lord from the perspective of the Absolute (al-iṭlāq) or in terms of a particular matter – which was in his prostrations – to witnessing the Truth (al-ḥaqq) in the Messenger ﷺ and since he has appeared to him, he sends peace upon him specifically by addressing the Prophet.” [Al-Futūḥāt, 2:77] On the same page, he speaks about the person in prayer, that: “He expends every capacity of his in his ṣalāh.” [Ibid, 2:77] Accordingly, even in this witnessing, one applies himself to the utmost.

Here, the point about directing contemplative activity towards ourselves, our sins, our souls, the angels, the cosmos, and even the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ are not dismissed as diverting us from the main objective and our attention from Allah. Instead, they are seen by the sages and scholars to be augmenting thereof. Rather than corrupting the ṣalāh, and far from being polytheistic, for the Masters, directing the heart’s focus towards the Prophet ﷺ in prayer serves as an experiential event for a believer. He witnesses the Divine reflections that are manifest in the Muhammadan personality. Then, he addresses the Prophet ﷺ directly, since the Prophet ﷺ has been spiritually unveiled to him. May Allah grant us these openings of proximity.

The revelatory context of the tashahhud is found in the Ascension (miʿrāj) of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to the Heavens and beyond. It is here that these words we read in ṣalāh were first spoken. It is no wonder then that we find that these words are necessary (wājib, as per the Hanafi school) in ṣalāh, which has been termed the Ascension of the believers.

The great gnostic Shihab al-Din ʿUmar al-Suharwardi (d. 632 AH/1234 CE) writes in his acclaimed work: “The ṣalāh contains the secret of the Ascension for it is the Ascension of the Hearts. The tashahhud is the place of Arrival (al-wuṣūl). Let him send salutations upon the Prophet ﷺ whilst imagining him to be present in front of the heart’s eyes; and send peace upon the pious servants of Allah.” [ʿAwārif al-maʿārif, 2:343]

Notice that these luminaries are not suggesting that one just mention these words but are instructing an active process of deep thought and spiritual evocation; a reality of directly addressing the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ which befits due adab upon mentioning his blessed name ﷺ.

Shaykh Muhammad al-Bakri (d. 994 AH/1586 CE) is said to have alluded to this with his statement: “When he ﷺ is the means for this momentous blessing, it is appropriate that the person praying ṣalāh makes his ﷺ personage present in his mind, and then address him with the second-person ‘kāf’ pronoun [i.e. peace be upon you]  as is used for someone present (al-ḥāḍir). [Al-Futūḥāt, 2:217]

Just as how weeping audibly in ṣalāh does not break the prayer if done out of genuine presence of heart and submission – as opposed to weeping audibly due to an extrinsic pain – similarly, directly addressing the Prophet ﷺ in the tasahhud does not break the ṣalāh, whereas addressing anybody else would do so.

Mevlana Khalid-i Baghdadi (d. 1242 AH/1826 CE), the eponymous founder of the Khalidi-Mujaddidi branch of the Naqshbandiyya and spiritual guide of Ibn ʿAbidin al-Shami (d. 1252 AH/1836 CE), says: “Addressing someone other than him ﷺ in ṣalāh is a nullifier of it—whilst bringing present the form (al-ṣūra) of, and sending salutations upon the Prophet ﷺ is from the exclusivities (khaṣā’iṣ) of the Spirit of Existence (rūḥ al-wujūd) and the Master of the Praised Station (maqām al-maḥmūd) ﷺ. [Taḥqīq al-rābiṭa, 8]

In a deeply spiritual extract, the commentator of al-Nawawi’s (d. 676 AH/1277 CE) ‘Riyāḍ al-ṣāliḥīn’ and ‘Al-Adhkār’, Ibn ʿAllan al-Dimashqi (d. 996 AH/1057 CE) writes: “It is possible to express this according to the way of the People of Gnosis (ahl al-ʿirfān), that the Worshippers, when they seek permission to open the door of the King with earnest salutations (taḥiyyāt), they are graciously granted entry into the Sacred Precinct of the Ever-Living One who doth not die. Thus, their eyes are soothed with fervent supplications and they realise that this is only due to the Chosen One (al-muṣṭafā) ﷺ, and by the blessings of following him. They turn around, and behold, the Beloved [Prophet] ﷺ is present (ḥāḍir) in the precinct of the Beloved. So they approach him, saying, ‘Peace be upon you O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.’” [Al-Futūḥāt, 2:217]

The sentiment gleaned from these prominent Spiritual Masters that have been echoed by jurists too, even though this binary itself is questionable. They state that the tashahhud is not just a simple re-telling of a conversation that occurred in the past. al-Haskafi (d. 1088 AH/1677 CE) writes: “[One should actually intend the words of tashahhud] that is, the meanings of the words are intended as [a prayer] as though he is truly proclaiming the sublimity of Allah and sending salutations upon the Prophet, his own self, and His saints [and not informing] of that.”

Elucidating on this, al-Shami says: “[And not informing of that] ie. he does not intend reporting what transpired in the Ascension from him ﷺ and from his Lord – Sublime is He – and from the Angels, upon them be peace.” [Radd al-muḥtār, 2:219]

Hitherto, we have been shown instructions from the Masters that intentional concentration upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in ṣalāh is something recommended, whether in the recital or the tashahhud. For the perfection of one’s prayer, one should not ‘skim’ over his ﷺ noble mention out of negligence or fear of shirk. They have also stated that the strength of one’s resonance is commensurate with a believer’s proximity to him ﷺ and Allah Almighty. 

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The Companions and the Prophet ﷺ in Prayer

One may wonder if there is a precedent of the Companions in directing their attention to the Prophet ﷺ in ṣalāh. 

Of course, it is a given that the Best of Generations would have had an intense presence of heart in prayer. Hence, they reflected over the meanings of the Qur’an when they were recited, and these examples are far too enumerable to cite here. That being said, there are a plethora of explicit instances also where the Companions had their attention directed towards the Best of Creation ﷺ aside from the recitation in prayer. We shall cite only a few here below.

Sa’id b. Mu’alla said: “I was praying ṣalāh whilst the Prophet ﷺ called me but I did not respond to him. Later, I went and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! I was praying.’ He said, ‘Did Allah not say: ﴾O you who believe! Respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to what will bring you life.﴿’’ [Al-Anfāl, 8:24] [Bukhari 4474, 4647, 5006, Abu Dawud 1458, Nasa’i 913 ]

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out to Ubayy b. Ka’b. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “O Ubayy!” whilst he was praying. Ubayy turned but did not respond to him. Ubayy prayed but he quickened it and then he went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, “Peace be upon you O Messenger of Allah ﷺ!” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, “And peace be upon you. What stopped you, O Ubayy, from responding to me when I called you?” He said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! I was in salah.” He ﷺ replied, “Did you not find among what Allah has revealed upon me: ﴾O you who believe! Respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to what will bring you life.﴿?’’ [Al-Anfāl, 8:24] He said, “Of course, and I will not do that again, Allah-willing.” [Tirmidhi 2875]

al-Nasafi (d. 710  AH/1310 CE) in explaining the verse, says: “[Allah] has made the [‘he’] pronoun singular, because responding to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is like responding to Him. The meaning of ‘responding’ is obedience and compliance.” [Madārik, 8:24] The exegetes further remark that the clause “to what will bring you life” is not to be understood as a restrictive one, but it is to notify that his ﷺ calling is not unto anything but goodness and what brings life to our souls. This means that whatever it is that the Prophet ﷺ calls towards, one must respond to it without hesitation. [See Al-Taḥrīr wa l-tanwīr, Mafātīḥ al-ghayb, et.al, 8:24] 

In these above scenarios, the Companions were engaged in the worship of Allah in ṣalāh, and yet when the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ called them, it was not enough that the Companions were worshipping, or that they heard his call, or were mindful of it, or even hastened in their prayer as a consequence. Nor did the Prophet ﷺ commend them for being so engrossed in ṣalāh and having a single-mindedness that led to a delay in their answering of him ﷺ. Rather, the imperative was and is to attend to him ﷺ immediately. 

Ṣalāh did not serve as a valid reason for not responding to the Prophet ﷺ or responding to him late. If there ever was a reason, then being present in the worship of Allah would be it. However, this demonstrates that the call of the Messenger ﷺ is not at contradictory odds with the worship of Allah and His obedience; nay, it suggests that to be in attendance in his honourable court takes priority over even being in prayer. In fact, upon returning from his ﷺ blessed presence, one does not restart his ṣalāh but continues it as per since it is not considered to be broken in the first place! This immediacy and desire to be with the Messenger ﷺ is the solicitude that is intended. 

In addition, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Do you see my face is towards the qibla? By Allah, neither your submissiveness nor your bowing is veiled from me. Indeed, I see you from behind my back.” [Bukhari 418, 741, Muslim 424]

The Prophet ﷺ is addressing his Companions. He is telling them that he ﷺ is aware of the quality of their worship behind him in prayer, as well as their tranquillity and presence therein. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed them that he is able to see behind himself just as he is able to from in front which is a miracle bestowed to him by Allah. What is relevant for our purposes here is why the Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned himself rather than Allah in reminding the Companions. The Prophet ﷺ could very well have apprised them that Allah is watching you. He – Glory be to Him – knows the states of your hearts and the solemnity by which you pray. However, he ﷺ mentioned himself. Why?

Ibn Hajar al- ʿAsqalani (d. 852 AH/1449 CE) explores this question: “It was asked, what is the wisdom (al-ḥikma) in warning the Companions of deficiency in ṣalāh by informing them that the Prophet ﷺ sees them without warning them of Allah Seeing them — which is the Station of Excellence (al-iḥsān): “Worship Allah as if you see Him and if you do not see Him then know that He sees you”? — so I say in response: The reason that his ﷺ seeing of them is mentioned is as an exhortation (tanbīh) towards Allah’s Seeing of them. For when they perfect their ṣalāh because of the Messenger ﷺ seeing them, that will alert them towards being vigilant of Allah Most High – along with the hadith comprising of a miracle for him ﷺ – and because he ﷺ will be raised as a witness over them on the Day of Judgement, so when they know that he ﷺ sees them, they will perfect their worship so that he ﷺ can be a witness for them on the excellence (ḥusn) of their prayer.” [Fatḥ al-bārī, 3:196]

Observe how the Prophet ﷺ mentioned himself to his Companions. He ﷺ said this to inform them that he is aware of them in their very prayers and so they should be extra diligent in them. The recognition of the Prophet ﷺ being a witness over them was not considered to be in opposition to tawḥīd but it rather elevated the Companions’ presence in ṣalāh. It was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself who alerted the Companions to this; establishing that being cognisant or even deliberately reminded of him ﷺ is not considered a flaw in prayer. Otherwise, he ﷺ could have simply reminded the Companions that Allah is Omniscient and All-Knowing.

The awareness of the Prophet ﷺ in ṣalāh as increasing one’s own submission towards Allah is echoed by Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (d. 973 AH/1566 CE) when he writes on the tashahhud: “He ﷺ has been directly addressed as if it is an indication (ishāra) that He Most High unveils for him the worshippers from his umma such that he ﷺ is like someone present with them; that he ﷺ may witness for them the most virtuous of their deeds and that the remembrance of his ﷺ presence (ḥuḍūr) is a cause for greater reverence and submission. [Fatḥ al-ilāh, 4:56]

Let us take a look at another narration. 

Anas b. Malik, the servant and Companion of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, narrates: “Abu Bakr would lead the Companions in prayer during the Prophet’s ﷺ final illness which ultimately led to his passing away. When it was Monday, and whilst they were stood in rows during the ṣalāh, the Prophet ﷺ unveiled the curtain of his house [which was annexed to the Mosque] and started looking at us whilst he ﷺ was standing; and it was as if his ﷺ face was a page of the Qur’an. Then he ﷺ smiled and laughed, and we were put to test due to sheer elation upon seeing the Prophet ﷺ. Abu Bakr moved back to join the row thinking that the Prophet ﷺ would join the prayer. However, the Prophet ﷺ gestured to us to complete the prayer and drew the curtains. It was on that day that he ﷺ passed away.” [Bukhari 680]

In this hadith, we are told that the Companions were gazing at the radiant countenance of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ whilst in ṣalāh and he ﷺ was also looking at them. Moreover, it was not a fleeting glance, for they looked to the extent that they described it as shining like a page of the Qur’an—unparalleled in beauty. They also noticed his heavenly smile and beautiful laughter and did not immediately look down and focus on Allah. Note that the Prophet ﷺ did not reprimand them either for looking at him ﷺ in prayer. He ﷺ did not say words or gesture by frowning a message to the effect of, “Focus on Allah alone! Do not look at me whilst in ṣalāh! You will be distracted, and Allah-forbid, may even fall into shirk for honouring me in your hearts! It is better for you to think of something uncouth instead!” Far from any censure, the Beloved ﷺ smiled in kindness, further increasing the Companions in joy – to the extent that they wished to break the ṣalāh out of happiness! – and displayed his own delight upon seeing his Companions united in prayer, together as one. 

Positioned on the seat of Shaykh al-azhar, Imam al-Bajuri (d. 1276 AH/1860 CE) writes: “The people were close to moving due to the extreme joy thinking that the Prophet ﷺ had become better, such that they intended to break their ṣalāh hoping that he ﷺ would come out and lead them, and so they would make way for him ﷺ to walk towards the miḥrāb. Some were even nudging one another due to their immense jubilation.” [Al-Mawāhib, 647] 

The verb used in the hadith is ‘naftatin’ which is derived from the word ‘fitna’ — which is to say, the Companions were faced with a ‘test’ of love whilst in ṣalāh with the beauty of their Beloved ﷺ. Glory be to Allah! Even in ṣalāh, at a time when the Companions were worshipping Him and Him alone, their eyes instinctively turned to rest their eyes upon the Prophet ﷺ whom they had not seen for a while and could not help but be overcome with merriment and sweet bliss. In another narration, they speak of this incredible spectacle: “We had never seen a sight more delightful to us than the noble face of the Prophet ﷺ when it appeared to us!” [Muslim 419]

Recall that this was the day in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ left this mundane world. If there ever was a time to reproach ‘excessiveness’ – such that his followers turned to look at his honourable presence in ṣalāh itself, at a time when they are worshipping Allah, the Lord of the Worlds – then the Prophet ﷺ would have sternly warned his Companions here. No ambiguity would have been left. Revelation would have been sent cautioning this alleged pull towards shirk. But this did not happen, for it was not the case, and nor is it the case. In truth, he ﷺ waved them on telling them to continue their ṣalāh. One may prima facie assume this was a tacit approval for their actions but in fact, the gesture implies an explicit approval for the soundness of their prayers.

—

Closing ‘Thoughts’

Thus far, we have seen that ṣalāh requires attention. We have also seen that true and sincere presence requires a prior concern or drive that is directed towards the intended objective. Thereafter, it has been established that amongst many meanings, the ṣalāh requires us to be present with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ; whether implicitly, in that we pray according to the Muhammadan form, or explicitly, when he is mentioned in our recital, or when we convey greetings of peace upon him in the tashahhud, or send salutations upon him and his Family in the final sitting. 

Self-evidently, focus upon the Prophet ﷺ is done with complete veneration and total respect. Anybody who says otherwise has committed disbelief. Reverence is not to be equated with worship or the assumption that the one being greatly honoured is believed to possess exclusive qualities of Divinity. It has also become abundantly clear that multiple Spiritual Masters instruct us to deliberately and actively evoke his ﷺ spiritual image in our hearts in ṣalāh. Not a single one mentioned that such purposeful and conscious reverential presence of heart is polytheistic, or that it seizes one towards it, or provocatively asserted that it is far better to engross oneself in the concentration (istighrāq) of crude objects than doing so with the Best of Creation ﷺ. The plethora of quotes from the Sufi Masters should make it clear that any ‘spiritual discourse’ which suggests so is far removed from adab and real taṣawwuf.

There is no objective other than Allah and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is its greatest means.

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Post-Script

The Akbarian Chishti Master of the Punjab, Pir Mehr ʿAli Shah (d. 1356 AH/1937 CE) was asked about visualising one’s spiritual guide in ṣalāh. He responded to the query by saying:

It is not possible to resolve this issue with bookish references. The tongue of the Religious Law (sharʿ) is ostensibly silent on explicating [the issue of] visualisation. Upon verification (ʿinda l-taḥqīq), no religious abhorrence is entailed from it, especially when it is a veiled visualisation. Meaning, that after abandoning one’s own individuation, you wear the [image of the] shaykh over yourself like a veil, such that in this scenario the one being individuated [ie. yourself] and the point of individuating the image of the shaykh is that he will be the worshipper (ʿabid) and not the one being worshipped. For this reason, even in juxtaposition, per ﴾Be with the truthful﴿ [Al-Tawba, 9:119], it will be togetherness (maʿiyyat) and companionship, and not [visualised] as a worshipped entity. [Mehr-i munīr, 480]

*Precisely how to worship Allah is something that we cannot know through reason alone, hence why we need Revelation to teach us—that is, even if we can know that God exists with our minds, or are tasked to as per the Maturidi Masters, how to express the incumbent gratitude due to the Creator however is something that we are informed of by His Messengers.

**The Arabic from al-Zabidi reads, “fī-mā taṣarrafa himmatak” which is rendered into Urdu as “ṣarf-e himmat.” [Zabidi, Itḥāf al-sāda, 3:122]

It is quite common during this time of the year (and understandably so) to discuss the rulings pertaining to the Hajj pilgrimage. Weekend courses are conducted, evening talks are held and scholars are inundated with questions on the matter. Hajj tours are busy and there is a sense of urgency for those involved. That being said, it is usually not something that everyone pays complete attention to, but mostly those who are fortunate and blessed to be undertaking the rite. We ask Allah for acceptance. 

As for the rest of us, we bid our farewells and watch the hordes of pilgrims flock towards the Sacred Lands from the comfort of our devices. We send in our prayers, ask for forgiveness and accept any pardon requested. We also pay a nod to the Imam’s discourse around the rite, only to tell ourselves that we will focus and learn in detail when our own time arrives to undertake the journey. In the meanwhile, we prepare ourselves to celebrate Eid on the tenth day of the month, pay our sacrifice dues and proclaim the Eid takbirs. Before we know it, these momentous days are gone and we move on towards the end of the Hijri calendar year having eaten much red meat – praise be to Him! – without consciously bathing in the spiritual significance that saturates these blessed days.

For us, the events surrounding these days may feel somewhat foreign and distant. We are not there in the holy lands, so what significance do these days hold for us? In an attempt to explore this question, let’s take a step back and look at the Hajj from afar—from a perspective that is shared by both Hajji and Non-Hajji alike, and one that inspects the rite situated as a core pillar of Islam and the relationship of ours with the Divine.

—

As is known, Allah Almighty is characterised with Divine Attributes and many many Beautiful Names. For example, He is The Most-Merciful, The Most-Forgiving, The Ever-Living, and so forth—names that denote His beauty (jamāl)—as well as being The Mighty, The Most-Powerful, The Just, The One Who Gives Death, and so on—names that denote its counter equivalent, His awe and majesty (jalāl). Allah Almighty, the Creator of the cosmos and everything within it, discloses His aforementioned Rigour and Beauty in perfect measure and harmony (kamāl) therein: ﴾We shall show them Our signs in the horizons and in themselves until it becomes clear to them that this is the truth. Does it not suffice that your Lord is witness over all things?﴿ [Fuṣṣilat, 41:53] 

Having understood this illuminating principle, we can now begin to take a look at the Hajj pilgrimage with this refreshing lens.

The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with the testimony of faith (shahādah), Prayer (ṣalāh), fasting (ṣawm) and the obligatory alms (zakāh). The testimony of faith is a condition for the validity of the rest and concerns faith and doctrine, while the others are matters of practice and action that follow from it. 

Returning back to our principles of jamāl and jalāl, Allah has also exhibited these mutually-complementary qualities not just in the cosmos but in His very legislations and the Divine Law.

—

The two pillars that exude Allah’s Majesty are the Prayer (salāh) and the obligatory alms (zakāh). 

In Prayer, we, as one unified cavalry, stand shoulder-to-shoulder in rows like troops behind a ‘commander’ who leads (the linguistic meaning of the word ‘imām’) from the prayer niche. The word for the prayer niche is ‘miḥrāb’ which is derived from the root ‘ḥ-r-b’ meaning ‘to fight or battle’—an allusion to the fact that those who have gathered to pray are combatants against the devil and the enemies of Allah. Even the Call to Prayer (adhān) on top of the minarets reminds one of a rallying-cry for battle.

As for giving the obligatory alms, a person hands over a part of his wealth, assets and belongings in the way of the Lord so that they are to be distributed to those He has made recipients thereof. What he owes is collected by the Muslim ruler or his representatives who stand on behalf of the Real King (malik).

—

As for the fast (ṣawm) and the Hajj pilgrimage, they exude the Beauty of the Most High (jamāl). They are at heart a lover’s undertaking.

The moment the love of Allah is thrust into the heart of Man, he loses himself in Him and abandons everything else—for ﴾Allah has not placed two hearts in the chest of a man.﴿ [Al-Aḥzāb, 33:4] In His fervour, praise and blame, friends and foe, affluence and poverty become equal to him. He reaches the extent of abandoning his most primal needs – food, water, and company in Ramadan – for his Beloved far surpasses any worldly joys. He has heard that his Beloved will reveal Himself in this month, so he isolates himself in the final ten days in the hope of reaching Him (wuṣūl ilayh).

He then begins to make his way towards the Land of His Abode—with nothing on him and nothing to his name. He sets out for pilgrimage to His Beloved’s Land just as he migrates away and leaves behind sins and everything other than Him. No job, no family, no attachments. He strips his body of lowly human attributes, status symbols and of any pomp—with a shaved head, a simple shroud is all that he wraps over his body. He is a slave amongst million slaves.

As he approaches, he calls out His Name over and over again – “Labbayk Allāhumma Labbayk” — humbly pleading to his only Beloved that he has arrived in His Court for His Service. He is anxious to hear a reply, hoping that he will be accepted as a true bondsman of His. 

Thus the pilgrim approaches the House of the Beloved and circumambulates (ṭawāf) the walls of His Abode to catch a glimpse of His Beauty. Repeatedly, he makes the same trip, around and around, like a lover magnetised in orbit. He wanders thirstily in the valleys and plains of the hot Arabian desert to get there. Though it is his body that seemingly circumambulates, it is far more an act of the heart. And so he cares not for his physical appearance, his hair is long and his nails untrimmed. The Beloved has not disclosed Himself to him yet, so he cleaves onto the draped curtains of His Abode and kisses it.

Umirru ‘alā al-diyār diyār laylā
Uqabbilu dha’l jidār wa dha’l jidār

Wa mā ḥubbu al-diyār shaghafna qalbī
Wa lākin ḥubbu man sakana al-diyarā

I wander the dwellings, the dwellings of Layla
I kiss this wall, I kiss that wall.

It isn’t the love of the dwellings that has captured my heart
But rather, it is the love of the one who resides therein! (Qays ibn Mulawwah)

—

The Pilgrim runs between the mountains of cleanliness (ṣafā) and chivalry (marwā) hoping to be cleansed of all vices and for his heart to be filled with dignity and honour. He briskly walks to and fro—this fluctuation between the two mounts mirroring the tipping of the Scale of Deeds (mīzān) in front of the Beloved. He is desperate not to disappoint.

He then remembers that his forefather’s – Prophet Adam – repentance was accepted in Mina. Thus, he rushes there and stays praying and beseeching His Lord, crying that he was not able to fulfil the right of Love. He realises the worthlessness of this world and remembers the Hereafter.

It is in the plains of Arafat that we shall be resurrected, where each nation will be gathered with its leaders. It was here where the beloved of the Beloved, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, delivered his final sermon. The day in Arafat is the day when the Lord is Close to all those there. It is where He asks the angels: “What do they desire?” so that He may grant it to them [Muslim 1348]. The pilgrim asks for forgiveness, for himself and for all his loved ones, for the wrongs that they have done, for the oaths that they have broken, and for the inadequacy of their servitude. Tired, weary and broken-hearted, prayers are accepted here.

Thus, with a new sense of resolve, the pilgrim proceeds to Muzdalifah following the footsteps of Prophet Adam who resided there. Remembering how the Devil tried to deceive his Masters – Prophet Adam in the Garden of Eden and Prophet Ibrahim after his Pilgrimage – the pilgrim collects rocks and pebbles to stone the Devil with them, throwing his own selfishness away with each and every launch, thereby rejecting his advances. 

Throughout the journey of Hajj, the pilgrim sustains himself with the water of life – Zamzam – for just as it gave life and sustenance to the Prophet Isma’il, this water quenches the pilgrim’s ‘thirst’ for proximity with Allah. 

—

In reality, the entire journey of Hajj is a pilgrimage of love. It exemplifies the servant’s love for Allah; a servant who has no consciousness for anything else.

Mā lī siwā rūḥī – khudh-hā
W’al-ruḥ juhd al-Muqilli 

I have nothing but my soul – take it
The soul is but the minimal sacrifice (Hallaj)

Since the Beloved has forbidden him from taking his own life, he follows the sacrifice of Prophet Abraham, who although was willing to sacrifice his own son was told to sacrifice an animal instead. An absolute surrender to the Almighty. The sacrifice symbolises the annihilation of one’s personhood, a voluntary death of the ego, emphasising further that all that exists is for the glory of Allah—even the blood that gushes forth from pulsating veins. No death for the sake of the Beloved goes to waste, so the meat of the animal is shared with friends and family, as well as the less fortunate, highlighting the universality of His Beneficence.

As the final stages of Hajj conclude, the realised pilgrim finds himself at the culmination of a profound spiritual journey. They have moved beyond earthly attachments, and the love for the Divine overflows and washes away all traces of their former self. The deep and spiritual transformation that unfolds through Hajj symbolises the peak in the quest for Divine Love. Perhaps this is why the Hajj pilgrimage is only obligatory to be undertaken once in a lifetime, in that it symbolically represents the culmination of one’s ascent and journey in love for the Beloved—the ‘summom bonum’ of the mystical endeavour. Life after death, death of the ego, death of all else that resides in the heart other than Allah.

The Zamzam does not merely satisfy a corporeal need but grants a spiritual rejuvenation that transcends the temporal world. It serves as a symbol of spiritual sustenance more than a physical one; one that grants vivacity beyond this transient realm. 

With the sacrifice made and the Zamzam drunk, the pilgrim emerges reborn, their lives forever changed—imbued with a love for the Divine, and their journey of Hajj, a reflection of the voyage to Allah.

The lover begins his spiritual quest for the Beloved ﷺ by studying what Allah has revealed about him in the Holy Qur’an. He diligently reads what has been relayed from him ﷺ in the Sunnah and what has been relayed about him ﷺ in the words of those closest to him: the People of his Household and his illustrious Companions. He reflects on his ﷺ noble names and peruses the previous heavenly scriptures seeking celebratory allusions of his ﷺ auspicious coming.

That being said, knowledge about the Messenger of Allah ﷺ can be surmised into five genres:

1. Sirah (‘Ilm al-Sirah); in which we read, investigate and research the biography of the Prophet ﷺ, his days and his nights, from the moment of his noble birth to his passing.

2. Shama’il (‘Ilm al-Shama’il); in which we explore the pristine features, beautiful character, and behaviour of the Prophet ﷺ, as well as his pure lineage and his blessed names.

3. Fada’il (‘Ilm al-Fada’il); in which we learn about the qualities and virtues of the previous Prophets and Messengers in comparison to the qualities and virtues bestowed upon him ﷺ.

4. Dala’il (‘Ilm al-Dala’il); in which we examine the incontrovertible proofs of his ﷺ prophethood, his miracles, prophecies and of his ﷺ foretelling in the previous scriptures.

5. Khasa’is (‘Ilm al-Khasa’is); in which we study the unique and exclusive qualities that have been bestowed upon him ﷺ and upon his fortunate nation ﷺ.

Each of these genres has its own identity in terms of the contents and issues that it deals with, as well as the sources that it draws from, and the benefits, effects and fruits that are gained from their study and mastery.

These genres, taken as a collective, aim to provide the seeker with a comprehensive image of the perfect personage of the Prophet ﷺ. As a result of this knowledge, the application and internalisation of the Prophetic model into our lives then become a more ripe and mature possibility. This explains why it is important to be grounded in the aforementioned disciplines if we desire to be close to the Prophet ﷺ and imbibe the Prophetic message.

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Sirah

‘Ilm al-Sirah, in sum, is wherein we read, investigate and research the biography about the Prophet ﷺ, his days and his nights, from the moment of his noble birth to his passing ﷺ.  

In detail, it discusses the sixty-three lunar years which the Prophet ﷺ spent on the face of the earth and upon which Allah swears an oath: ﴾By your life! They were wandering blindly in their intoxication.﴿ [Al-Hijr, 15:72] Thus, Allah took an oath upon every single day and night of the Prophet ﷺ.

The knowledge of the Sirah comprises the blessed life of the Prophet ﷺ from the moment of his momentous birth and the events which transpired with his noble mother, Sayyidah Aminah, his ﷺ infancy, and later upbringing with the Banu Sa’d. It discusses his ﷺ marital life, his ﷺ tradesmanship, those who brought faith in him ﷺ, the migration to Abyssinia, the Year of Sorrow, the incident of Ta’if, the Night Journey and Ascension, the pledges of allegiance, the migration to Madinah, his ﷺ participation in battles and warfare, his ﷺ establishment of a Prophetic polity, his ﷺ sending of letters to leaders and kings, reception of envoys, until the final Hajj and his passing.

Authors who wrote in this genre (presented in chronological order) include:

• ‘Urwah b. al-Zubayr in 92 AH;
• Wahb b. Munabbih in 110 AH;
• Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri in 124 AH;
• Musa b. ‘Aqabah in 141 AH;
• Mu’ammar b. Rashid in 150 AH;
• Muhammad b. Ishaq in 152 AH;
• Ibn Hisham (who summarised Ibn Ishaq) in 218 AH;
• al-Suhayli commented on Ibn Ishaq in 581 AH;
• Abu Dharr al-Khushni summarised Ibn Hisham in 604 AH;
• Badr al-Din al-’Ayni in Kashf al-Litham fi Sirah Ibn Hisham in 805 AH;
• Muhammad al-Damiri versified it in al-Fath al-Qarib fi Sirah al-Habib in 793 AH;
• Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Salihi in Subul al-Huda wa l-Rashad;
• Some more recent works in this genre include the Sirah of Sh. Ahmad Zayni al-Dahlan, Tawarikh-e Habib-e Ilah by Mufti Inayat Kakorwi, Sirat-e Mustafa by Abd al-Mustafa al-‘Azmi amongst many others.

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Shama’il

Ilm al-Shama’il, in sum, is wherein we explore the pristine features, beautiful character, qualities and behaviour of the Prophet ﷺ, as well as  his pure lineage and his blessed names.

Linguistically, the singular form of Shama’il is ‘Shamlah’ or ‘Shamilah’. It refers to what a person adorns themselves with. Others have opined that the word is derived from ‘Shimal’ which refers to a person’s nature or way of being.

Every person has two principal depictions: one which is sensible and seen by the eyes, and another which is spiritual and seen by the heart. There is a relation between both, for the inner is made apparent upon the outer, and the outer leaves an impression upon the inner. We call the outer form ‘features’ and the inner form ‘character’. 

Qatadah said: “Allah has not sent a Prophet save that he had a handsome face and a beautiful voice; and your Prophet ﷺ was endowed with a handsome face and a beautiful voice, and he did not chant in a quavering voice.” [Tirmidhi, Shama’il, §319]

The Shama’il has come in the Holy Qur’an.

Allah Almighty says: ﴾We have seen you turn your face towards the Heaven.﴿ [Al-Baqarah, 2:144] The face here is the countenance of our Master Muhammad ﷺ.

Allah Almighty says: ﴾Did we not open up your chest for you?﴿ [Al-Inshirah, 94:1] The chest here is the magnanimous chest of our Master Muhammad ﷺ.

Allah Almighty says: ﴾That had weighed so heavily on your back?﴿ [Al-Inshirah, 94:3] The back here is the dignified back of our Master Muhammad ﷺ.

Allah Almighty says: ﴾Move not your tongue with it in haste.﴿ [Al-Qiyamah, 75:16] The tongue here is the eloquent tongue of our Master Muhammad ﷺ.

Allah Almighty says: ﴾Who brought it down upon your heart.﴿ [Al-Baqarah, 2:97] The heart here is the precious heart of our Master Muhammad ﷺ.

Allah Almighty says: ﴾And lower your wing unto the believers.﴿ [Al-Hijr, 15:88] The wing here is the tender arm of our Master Muhammad ﷺ.

Allah Almighty says: ﴾Nor did you write it with your right hand.﴿ [Al-’Ankabut, 29:48] The hand here is the generous hand of our Master Muhammad ﷺ.

Allah Almighty says: ﴾Say, ‘an ear of good for you.’﴿ [Al-Tawbah, 9:61] The ear here is the attentive ear of our Master Muhammad ﷺ.

Allah Almighty says: ﴾And let not your eye turn away from them.﴿ [Al-Kahf, 18:28] The eye here is the piercing gaze of our Master Muhammad ﷺ.

Allah Almighty says: ﴾Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet.﴿ [Al-Hujurat, 49:2] The voice here is the beautiful voice of our Master Muhammad ﷺ.

Allah Almighty says: ﴾It is not for the people of Madinah and those around them to remain behind from the Messenger of Allah, nor to prefer themselves over himself.﴿ [Al-Tawbah, 9:120] The self here is the ethereal self of our Master Muhammad ﷺ.

Allah Almighty says: ﴾And purify your clothes.﴿ [Al-Muddathhir, 74:4] The clothes here are the garments of our Master Muhammad ﷺ.

Despite seeing the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the Companions would go to one another and ask of his physical appearance. For example, the beloved grandsons of the Prophet ﷺ, al-Hasan and al-Husayn, would ask their uncle, Hind b. Abi Halah, to describe their grandfather ﷺ to them.

As for the character of the Prophet ﷺ, then the reports describing his bravery, courage, generosity, compassion, steadfastness and perfection are innumerable to cite here.

The importance of envisioning the Messenger of Allah ﷺ cannot be understated in a world full of images; for it – the Muhammadan form – is the visage par excellence.

Some works written in this genre:

• Tirmidhi, al-Shama’il al-Muhammadiyyah;
• Nabhani, Wasa’il al-Wusul ila Shama’il al-Rasul;
• Munawi, al-Rawd al-Basim;
• Kattani, Munyat al-Sa’il.

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Fada’il

‘Ilm al-Fada’il, in sum, is wherein we learn about the qualities and virtues of the previous Prophets and Messengers in comparison to the qualities and virtues bestowed upon him ﷺ.

The foundation of this genre is the following premise: There is no virtue, quality or miracle endowed to a prophet of Allah but that our Master Muhammad ﷺ has also been endowed with it—rather, he ﷺ is the one who possesses them in the greatest degree.

Examples:

• The Red Sea was split for Prophet Moses; whereas the Moon was split for our Master Muhammad ﷺ.
• Prophet Moses implored thus to Allah Almighty: ﴾My Lord, expand for me my chest.﴿ [Taha, 20:251]; whereas it is Allah Almighty who says to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: ﴾Did we not open up your chest for you?﴿ [Al-Inshirah, 94:1] 
• Prophet Moses said to Allah Almighty: ﴾And I hasten to You my Lord so that You may be pleased.﴿ [Taha, 20:84]; whereas it is Allah Almighty who says to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: ﴾And your Lord is sure to give you such that you be pleased.﴿ [Al-Duha, 93:5]
• Prophet Abraham pleaded thus to Allah Almighty: ﴾And do not disgrace me on that Day when they will be raised.﴿ [Al-Shu’ara’, 26:87]; whereas it is Allah Himself who declares: ﴾On the Day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believe with him.﴿ [Al-Tahrim, 66:8]

Some works written in this genre:

• Ghumari, al-Ahadith al-Muntaqah;
• Nabhani, Jawahir al-Bihar;
• Nabhani, al-Arba’in fi Fada’il Sayyiduna Muhammad ﷺ.

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Dala’il

‘Ilm al-Dala’il, in sum, is wherein we examine the incontrovertible proofs of his ﷺ prophethood, his miracles, prophecies and news of his ﷺ coming in the previous scriptures.

The evidence for the prophethood of our Master Muhammad ﷺ can be divided into three categories:

A) Signs and foretokens of his ﷺ coming before his birth.
B) Miracles in the life of the Prophet ﷺ.
C) Miracles after his passing to The Most Exalted Company.

As for [A], then the signs and foretokens of the Prophet’s ﷺ coming are found in the previous heavenly scriptures, such as the Psalms and Bible, as well as the auguries from priests, rabbis and soothsayers that were proclaimed prior to his ﷺ birth, and the miracles that occurred around his ﷺ birth which indicate towards him ﷺ being sent by Allah.

As for [B], then miracles in the life of the Prophet ﷺ can include [i] spiritual miracles and [ii] extraordinary material feats. 

i) This features the inimitable revelation of Allah, the Holy Qur’an, which addresses all of humankind, and which rendered mute the pagan poets of Arabia.

ii) This features the inexplicable feat that occurred at the blessed hands of the Prophet ﷺ, including the splitting of the moon, making scarce water abundant, the animals and pebbles speak, healing the wounded, and so on.

These miracles serve to prove the prophethood of our Master Muhammad ﷺ; that Allah, the One and Mighty, has sent him ﷺ as the Final Prophet to guide humanity to Him.

As for [C], then the miracles after his passing include his prophecies and the miracles that transpire at the hands of saints and the pious – those who bring faith in him ﷺ – which thus corroborate the Prophet’s ﷺ truthfulness.

—

Khasa’is

‘Ilm al-Khasa’is, in sum, is wherein we study the unique and exclusive qualities that have been bestowed upon him ﷺ and upon his nation ﷺ by Allah.

The exclusivities can be divided into two principal categories:

1. Those in himself ﷺ.
2. Those in his ﷺ law.

As for [A], then these include the Seal of Prophethood marked upon his ﷺ noble back, that he ﷺ was able to see from behind himself just as he ﷺ could see from in front, in darkness and in daylight alike, that his ﷺ captivating eyes would sleep but his God-conscious heart would not, and more.

As for [B], then these include the permissibility for the Prophet ﷺ to marry more than four wives, that he ﷺ could pray immediately after waking without needing to perform ablution, that he could remain in the Masjid whilst in the state of Janabah, that six prayers were obligatory upon him as opposed to five [including tahajjud].

Some works in this genre:

• Suyuti, al-Khasa’is al-Kubra;
• Ibn Mulaqqin, Ghayat al-Sul fi Khasa’is al-Rasul;
• al-Mahdi al-Fasi, Matali’ al-Masarrat li Jala’ Dala’il al-Khayrat;
• ‘Izz al-Din ibn ‘Abd al-Salam, Bidayat al-Sul fi Tafdil al-Rasul.

Adapted from al-Qaddumi’s al-’Ulum al-Nabawiyyah.

[1] Knowledge of the Prophet ﷺ leads to [2] Love of him ﷺ. Love of the Prophet ﷺ leads to [3] complete emulation of him.

[1] As for knowing the Prophet ﷺ, then Allah Almighty says: ﴾Do they not know their messenger, and thus they deny him?﴿ [Al-Mu’minun, 23:69] and He says: ﴾Say, I urge unto one thing only; that you stand before Allah in pairs or individuals and then reflect: There is not a trace of madness in your companion. He is only a warner to you before a severe punishment.﴿ [Al-Saba’, 34:46] So, reflecting on the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and absorbing your thought into his prophethood and personality is a religious obligation. 

[2] As for loving the Prophet ﷺ, then Allah Almighty says: ﴾The Prophet is more closer to the believers than their own selves.﴿ [Al-Ahzab, 33:6] and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his son and all of humankind.” [Bukhari, §15]  So, the perfection of one’s faith is only achieved with the love of the Prophet ﷺ. 

[3] As for emulating the Prophet ﷺ, then Allah Almighty says: ﴾Say, if you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive your sins. Allah is Most-forgiving, Most-merciful.﴿ [Al ‘Imran, 3:31] and He says: ﴾Nay, by your Lord, they will never be true believers until they accept you as judge between them in all matters of dispute, and then they find no resistance in their souls to your decisions, and they submit totally.﴿ [Al-Nisa’, 4:65] So, the elevation of a person’s spiritual station and the attainment of Allah’s pleasure will be according to the degree of one’s emulation of and submission to the Prophet ﷺ.

Although these spheres have been separated, they are, in reality, and for all means and purposes, intertwined and reciprocally enforce one another. Thus, a Muslim must always be increasing in his knowledge, love and emulation of the Prophet ﷺ every day.

Knowledge, love and emulation create a resemblance and similarity between the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his believing inheritor in terms of his actions and comport, his character and appearance, and his reality and spiritual essence. The most perfect and total prophetic inheritance is one which is drowned in all the facets, completely, at every moment and in all situations.

al-Qaddumi, al-’Ulum al-Nabawiyyah pg. 30 – 32

‘It is better for the Lover to be in a state of complete engrossment in his Beloved than to be in a state characterised by any limitation. Love, as such, cannot be described or defined by any clear and understandable description or definition.’ [Al-Qushayri’s Epistle on Sufism, pg.127]

Unlike the transactional geist of the conventional world, love is beyond the boundaries of our logic. Love does not ‘play’ by normative rules—its reality overflows from this realm into another, returning to whence it came. Those observing as outsiders may perceive the affair to be a strange and senseless one, but love does not reside in the parameters of the ordinary. In particular, that love which is Divine and pure—the highest form of love.

‘Ilm ne mujh se kaha ‘ishq hai diwana-pan
‘Ishq ne mujh se kaha ‘ilm hai takhmin-o zann

Knowledge said to me, Love is madness
Love said to me, Knowledge is just calculation (Dr. Muhammad Iqbal)

The effulgence of love knows no end or separation. It does not differentiate but connects and unites. Having understood this, we should know that love for the Beloved of Allah ﷺ is not separate from the love of Allah Almighty. Notions that seek to differentiate the two, whether intended or not, betray a misunderstanding of the nature of love and Faith proper. When we begin to study the Qur’an and Hadith, we learn that this indeed is the ultimate false dichotomy.

—

Let us ask ourselves, what even is Faith (iyman)? 

We may say that it is to believe in Allah Almighty, His Angels, His Books, His Prophets and other credal tenets which are commonly affirmed in the declaratory testifications. However, if we were to examine these further, we would see that Faith in more succinct terms is to affirm everything that the Prophet ﷺ came with. This means that to be considered a Muslim, a person must wholeheartedly assent to whatever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ brought forth, which includes every law and tenet of the unknown (ghayb), regardless of whether he knows their intricate details or not. That it has been conveyed by the ‘The Truthful’ one sent by Allah to all mankind is sufficient for the Muslim—we simply ‘hear and obey.’

This is why Imam al-Shafi’i (d.204/820), in describing his Faith, is reported to have said: “I believe in Allah and all that has come from Allah as He intended it, and I believe in the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and all that has come from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as he intended it.” [Fath al-Bari, 10:595]

Imam Ahmad Rida Khan (d.1340/1921) was also asked what Faith is, and so he replied:

“To believe in everything that the Prophet ﷺ said as true and to believe in his ﷺ truthfulness from the depths of one’s heart is Faith. Whoever accepts this, we will consider him to be a Muslim, so long as any of his words, actions or behaviour do not reject, deny or disrespect Allah Almighty or His Messenger ﷺ. 

As for those who prioritise their relationship with Allah Almighty and His Messenger ﷺ over all others, they will love those beloved to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, even if that person be a personal enemy, and they will hate all those who oppose Allah and His Messenger ﷺ even if they be a piece of their own hearts.” [Al-Fatawa Al-Ridawiyyah, 29:252]

—

It is worth reflecting on the experience of the Companions in this regard. They encountered the Prophet ﷺ and brought faith in him, being mesmerised by his ﷺ pristine character, truthfulness and honesty. They recognised that he is none other than the Final Messenger ﷺ of Allah – aided with extraordinary miracles – who has been sent to turn people away from the darknesses of idolatry and to guide them towards the light of pure monotheism. For the Companions, (and all Muslims in general), the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the proof for Allah. He is ﷺ their most sublime evidence for the majestic existence of God. Therefore, there was no separation or distinction between faith in Allah and faith in His Prophet ﷺ — for one led to the other. 

Such unitary Faith was exemplified by the Companions such that when the Prophet ﷺ would command them to do anything, they would accept it without hesitation since what he ﷺ uttered was but Divine Inspiration: ﴾He does not speak of his own desires. It is but revelation revealed.﴿ [Al-Najm 53:3]

Consider instances in which the Prophet ﷺ granted the Companions ‘exceptional’ concessions to the general rule, and yet not an objection was raised as to where the Prophet ﷺ gained the authority to do so; for they knew that the command of the Prophet ﷺ is in fact the Command of Allah. In his ﷺ pleasure lies Allah’s pleasure, and in Allah’s pleasure is the Messenger’s ﷺ pleasure — ﴾So We shall surely turn you to a direction that will please you﴿ [Al-Baqarah 2:144]

—

Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an: ﴾Indeed, we have sent you [O Prophet] as a witness, a bearer of glad tidings and a harbinger. So that you [O people] may [1] believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you [2] honour him and respect him, and that you [3] glorify your Lord in the morning and evening.﴿ [Al-Fath 48:9]

If we analyse the above verse, we see that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was sent to mankind by Allah for the following reasons:

1. To believe in Allah Almighty and His Messenger ﷺ
2. To honour and respect the Messenger ﷺ 
3. To worship and glorify Allah Almighty

Observe the meticulous order of the Holy Qur’an. Belief is mentioned first, worship is mentioned last, whilst honouring the Prophet ﷺ is mentioned between the two. 

This is a subtle allusion to the fact that the Prophet ﷺ is the means and intermediary by which people come to know and bear Faith in Allah – for without him ﷺ, we would not know Him – and that it is through his ﷺ teachings that we know how to worship. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Pray as you see me pray.” [Bukhari §5662] 

In other words, bearing Faith and worshipping Allah in any form other than the Muhammadan form is fundamentally contradictory to Islam. 

Moreover, in the qualitative sense, honour and reverence for the Prophet ﷺ represent the link between worship and Faith, since the more one increases in loving and honouring him ﷺ, the more he will worship Allah and the stronger his Faith will be.

In light of this, it becomes evident that the Qur’anic understanding is that a believer’s love for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is not in contradiction to the love of Allah Almighty. Rather, they are inextricably linked to one another.

Thus, to prop Faith and love as dichotomous relations that separate between Allah and the Prophet ﷺ is a trait of disbelievers and hypocrites, just as Allah Almighty says: ﴾Indeed, those who deny Allah and His Messengers, and seek to make a distinction between Allah and His Messengers…﴿ [Al-Nisa’: 4:150] That is, that they believe in Him and not them. [Tafsir Jalalayn p.102]

—

This faithful love prompts one to the servitude of Allah, though this is achieved only through the Prophet’s ﷺ teachings, his life, and his Sunnah. This is one of the wisdoms as to why Allah sends Prophets to people in the first place. Otherwise, without Prophetic guidance, we would not know how to worship Allah and express our servitude to Him. Allah Almighty says: ﴾Say, if you love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.﴿ [Al Imran 3:31] 

The revered Tabi’i from the generations of the Salaf, Imam Hasan al-Basri (d.110/729), explained why the above verse of the Qur’an was revealed. He said: “There were people in the time of the Prophet ﷺ who claimed to love Allah, and so Allah put their love to the test. Those who claim to love Allah but oppose the practice of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, then the Qur’an itself belies him.” [Madarik al-Tanzil, 1:249]

To stress the necessity of following the Prophet ﷺ as an outcome of true love, reflect on the words of the Damascene exegete, Ibn Kathir (d.774/1373): 

“This verse is decisive against those who claim to love Allah Almighty but are not on the Muhammadan Path for they are false in their claim in reality. [That is], until they follow the Muhammadan Law and the Prophetic Religion in all their words, actions and behaviours. […] This is why Allah Almighty said: ﴾Say, if you love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you…﴿ [Al Imran 3:31] That is, you will acquire more than you sought in [proving] your love for Him, and that is His love for you, which is greater than the first. [Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 2:32]

Note the subtle point here that Ibn Kathir makes. It is one thing to claim your love for Allah, another to exert effort into substantiating that love, and something else altogether which is the real and ultimate love that Allah has for you—and this final love, the pleasure of Allah, is only obtained as stated, by emulating the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Sahl al-Tustari (d.283/896) said: “The sign for loving Allah is love for the Qur’an; and the sign of loving the Qur’an is love for the Prophet ﷺ.” [Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din, 8:487] 

—

Our love for the Prophet ﷺ does not take away from our love for Allah but it only serves to increase it—as does love for Allah increase love for the Prophet ﷺ. Therefore, presenting their love as mutually exclusive reveals a severe misunderstanding. Love for Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, God forbid, is not a zero-sum game.

It is related that Abu Sa’id al-Kharraz (d.286/899) said: “In a dream, I saw the Prophet ﷺ and asked him: ‘O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, excuse me, for my love of Allah has distracted me from loving you!’ He ﷺ exclaimed: ‘O shortsighted one! Whoever loves Allah Almighty loves me [as well]!’” [Al-Risalah Al-Qushayriyyah, p.360]

Shaykh al-Islam Zakariyyah al-Ansari (d.926/1520) explains: “This is because when someone loves the Beloved, they also love all those whom the Beloved loves. So, if you were granted true understanding, then you would also love me deeply because I am the beloved of the Beloved.” [Nata’ij Al-Afkar 4:177]

We begin to get a much clearer understanding in light of the above two quotes—that loving one is never at the expense of the other, but rather it is the wondrous nature of love that the ‘two loves’ interlink and in reality, are but one. 

On this point, Mustafa al-Arusi (d.1293/1876), the successor of al-Bajuri (d.1276/1860) for the seat of Shaykh al-Azhar, writes: “Whoever claims to love Allah Almighty but it preoccupies him from loving the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, then his claim is false and his state is presumptuous. How, when it is the gnosis of Allah which fosters love for Him, and this love is not without a means? As Allah Almighty clearly states: ﴾Say, if you love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.﴿ [Al Imran: 3:31] and thus the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is the greatest cause of instilling love for Allah inside the hearts of those who love Him.” [Nata’ij Al-Afkar 4:177]

It is thus surprising to see those who most vocally claim to champion the cause of pure monotheism grossly misunderstand these accordant loves to be conflicting and at tension — for ‘Tawhid’ (‘to make one’), as the verbal noun suggests, is to see but Him and His Glorious Names in all their resplendent beauty. Witnessing harmony in these forms of love – the love of Allah and His Prophet ﷺ – is to grasp both the Self-transcendence of Allah as well as His Immanence in the refulgence of the Divine Names in him ﷺ.

—

Reflect over the secret of Divine Love; that the love for Allah and the love of His Beloved ﷺ are mutually intertwined and inseparable. Those of weak hearts deem love as a finite resource, and so they insist that it must be divided, allocated and used according to a utilitarian logic yielding the most benefit. If such a basic and flawed understanding was taken to its logical conclusion, then it would mean that we should never love anyone in any capacity whatsoever, since all our love ought to be reserved for Allah alone. Sure, this is true in the sense that all resulting loves are downstream from the fundamental love of the Divine, but in error if understood to mean that it is at the expense of all else, for we have been told to love our Muslim kin, families, neighbours, and every creation of Allah, to the extent that the Prophet ﷺ declared about himself that: “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his child, his parent and all mankind.” [Bukhari, §15] 

The heart is able to harbour these loves as reconciled with the love of Allah because they are not contraries, such that the love of one would preclude the love for the other. More precisely, they are wholly compatible because one is causally derived from the other, whilst the other is often the epistemological origin for the former. So, in engrossing oneself in the Beloved ﷺ, one marvels and celebrates the praises of his Lord, and in engrossing oneself in the remembrance of Allah, one loves all that points and signifies to Him—and there is none who is the premium locus of the Divine Gaze than the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

And thus concluding, Imam al-’Ayni (d.855/1451) writes in his renowned commentary of al-Bukhari’s Sahih:  “Love for him is the very essence (‘ayn) of Faith; were it not for him then Faith itself would not be known.” [‘Umdat al-Qari, 1:58]

Allah ki sar ta ba qadam sha’n hain ye
In sa nahi insan woh insan hain ye
Qur’an toh iyman batata hai inhey
Iyman ye kehta hai ke meri jaan hain ye

From head to toe, he is the glory of Allah!
No human like him, he is that human —
The Qur’an declares that: He is faith itself
Whilst Faith itself says, ‘My very soul – it is he!’ (Imam Ahmad Rida Khan)

A speaker in the UK recently translated a Hadith, left without further comment, in a series of provocative tweets that have been subject to much debate. This short article attempts to correct a misunderstanding of a Hadith that was cited.

The Hadith that concerns the discussion is a lengthy one. It is cited by Bukhari in his Sahih (§6830) and mentioned in the collection as a separate report in (§3445).

The relevant section is as follows: “Do not idolise me like the Christians idolised the son of Mary, for I am but His slave, so rather say [about me]: ‘The slave of Allah and His Messenger.’”

This Hadith is undoubtedly true and accepted as such by Muslims. However, there are two starkly contrasting interpretations of it in the contemporary climate.

On the one hand, it is used by certain quarters to arbitrarily restrict the praise and veneration of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, per what they deem to be exaggeration about him ﷺ, lest people spiral into the reprehensible Christian lizard-hole of associating divinity with Prophet Jesus, upon him be peace—and on the other hand, it is understood by others to affirm every possible virtue for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, emphasising his absolute supremacy over every creation of Allah—save for associating him as a partner to the One and Only Lord.

—

First, let us examine what the command “Do not idolise me” means.

The word “Itra’” in the Hadith means ‘to exaggerate in praise’. By exaggeration here, it means praise which is untrue (al-madH al-baTil). [‘Umdah al-Qari, 16:52] This is why the Prophet ﷺ mentioned the Christians here, for they claim for Prophet Jesus that which is undoubtedly false, which is to ascribe him with divinity, thereby falling into the unforgivable sin of associationism (shirk). Hence, I have preferred the translation ‘idolise’ here in the Hadith, since it captures both the connotation of loving, often falsely, to excess, as well as to worship as god.

As for simply praising the Prophet ﷺ, then no believer with an ounce of faith in his heart would disagree, or then wilfully misunderstand this Hadith to mean barring it, for it is proven by such incontrovertible evidence aside from the very love of faith which led the Damascene scholar, Ibn Taymiyyah (d.728/1328) to say: 

“To praise and extol the Prophet ﷺ, to honour and revere him ﷺ, is the establishment of the faith in its entirety—severing this is collapsing the religion in its entirety!” [al-Sarim al-Maslul, 1:211]

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If it is alleged that the Hadith serves as a cautionary warning to the Ummah as to be on their toes, always anxious and wary in wholly praising the Prophet ﷺ with the depths of one’s heart – lest they fall into excess – then Allah Himself would not have extolled him ﷺ nor emphatically commanded us to do so as a hallmark of faith: ﴾So that you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you honour him and respect him.﴿ [Al-Fath 48:9]. Nor would He have adjoined His Glorious Name with the name of His Prophet ﷺ in the very testification of our faith, [la ilaha illa Allah Muhammad rasul Allah], nor when we stand for Prayer, for his ﷺ name is mentioned in its Call too. And in Prayer itself, worship which is solely intended for Allah alone, his ﷺ name is also mentioned therein; devotion without which one’s end is naught but the ghastly Fire. 

Note that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself did not stop his praise or mention either. In fact, he ﷺ would ask his Companions to sing his praises and approved of them doing so, such as Hassan b. Thabit and Sayyiduna ‘Abbas [Muslim §2490, Mustadrak §5485], and did not forewarn them to not indulge in his “over-praise” since he ﷺ had qualified his aforementioned statement by saying “as the Christians do” — that is, by calling him the son of God, and far be it for a Muslim to ascribe the Prophet ﷺ with divinity, for Allah is One without no partner, as is known.

In another narration, a Companion asked the Prophet ﷺ whether he should spend a quarter of his prayers dedicated to sending salutations upon him ﷺ, to which the Prophet ﷺ replied, “As you wish, but more is better for you.” 

The Companion then asked about a half, and then two-thirds—each time, he was met with the same response: “As you wish, but more is better for you.” When he finally asked, “Should all my prayers be dedicated to sending salutations upon you?” The Prophet ﷺ replied, “If so, your worries will be resolved and your sins shall be forgiven.” [Tirmidhi §2457].

This incident should serve as a lesson to those who wish to ‘portion’ the mention of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ with the perfidious excuse of excess or ‘too much’. Note that the Companion had already prefaced his question with: “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, I send abundant salutations upon you…” and yet was prompted to increase!

As Allah Almighty says: ﴾And We have raised for you your remembrance.﴿ [Al-Inshirah 94:4]

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Contrary to the outlandish claim that the Ummah had descended into a mass-psychoses of shirk and polytheism of Prophet-worship, only to be later corrected – or killed (!) – by a Bedouin reformer from the arid deserts of Najd, the prohibitive command in the Hadith does not necessitate that over-exaggeration in the rank of the Prophet ﷺ actually occurred, as was noted by the Hanbali jurist, Ibn al-Jawzi (d.597/1201). He says: “We do not know anyone who attributes to our Prophet ﷺ what the Christians do to Prophet Jesus” [Fath al-Bari, 15:652] which accords with the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: “I do not fear that you will commit shirk after me.” [Bukhari §1344, §3596, §4085, §6426, §6590]

—

As for the command itself, then it has been understood to denote the prohibitive extent (al-qadr al-mamnu’) of praising the Prophet ﷺ [al-Nihayah, 2:123] or an expression of “his sheer humbleness” [Ashraf al-Wasa’il, pg.471], hence why Imam al-Tirmidhi cited this Hadith in the Shama’il under the Chapter of the Prophet’s ﷺ Humility.

As for the prohibitive extent, then it follows that any virtue and praise which does not surpass this bound, ie. of idolatry, is permitted, and thus, by extension, deemed praiseworthy in the Prophet’s ﷺ right. The underlying reason for this is the premise that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is the greatest and most supreme being that Allah has created. He ﷺ is the very wellspring of all good, beauty and majesty. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ not only combines within himself all the qualities that are present in every other Prophet, but he ﷺ surpasses them in that, including those of Prophet Jesus. Moreover, since it is Allah Himself who extols the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, then no human being can ever do his praise justice. Even if they try, they simply cannot.

As al-Busiri (d.696/1294) says, elaborating on a sentiment although reiterated across the Islamic scholarly tradition – which may appear rather ‘provocative’ to modern ears, that:

Da’ ma’dda’athu al-nasara fi nabiyyihimi
wa’hkum bi ma shi’ta madhan fihi wa’htakimi 

Wa’nsub ila dhatihi ma shi’ta min sharafin 
Wa’nsub ila qadrihi ma shi’ta min ‘izamin

Fa-inna fadla rasul-Allah laysa lahu 
Haddun fa-yu’ribu anhu natiqun bi-famin 

Leave what the Christians claimed regarding their Prophet 
And ascribe to him what you will praise, and be firm!

Ascribe whatever nobility you wish to his personage
And ascribe whatever greatness you wish to his rank

For indeed, the virtue of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has no limit
That could ever be expressed with the tongue of a human being

The Cairene scholar and notable student of Ibn Kathir (d.774/1373), al-Zarkashi (d.794/1392), far from decrying this as shirk or ‘absurd’, instead states that every ‘hyperbole’ or ‘exaggeration’ would, in reality, be utterly deficient in praising the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Even the most eloquent of poets and ardent lovers, like Abu Tammam (d.231/846) and Buhturi (d.284/897),  were rendered silent from penning his praise because they realised that “whatever they would have thought of in terms of descriptions panegyric novelties would be less than his [the Prophet’s ﷺ] actual perfection.” [Ashraf al-Wasa’il, pg.472]

Similarly, al-Haytami (d.973/1566) says, “Even if they reached the apex of what was possible for them in his ﷺ praise, then they would have not been able to truly praise his loftiness which has no limit.” [ibid]

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Heed that the Hadith (§3445) contains the following wording: “I am but His slave” with ‘His’ referring to Allah Almighty, and not just ‘a servant’ as was left (mis)translated by the speaker.

Know that there is no station above the station of servitude. So, what may, on the apparent, seem to be a modest declaration of the Prophet’s ﷺ rank is, in reality, the greatest praise anyone could confer or ascribe themselves with since it involves an honorary attribution to the Divine (idafah tashrifiyyah), and thus underscores the unrivalled divinity of Allah with the ontic reality of one’s servitude (al-’ubudiyyah) to Him alone—which was quintessentially expressed and manifested by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. This is why Allah has described the Prophet ﷺ with this attribute and marvellous praise in many instances, including upon the very revelation of the Holy Qur’an: ﴾Exalted is He who revealed The Criterion upon His servant.﴿ [Al-Furqan 25:1] and upon mention of the miraculous Night Journey and Ascension: ﴾Glorious is He who made His servant travel by night from Masjid al-Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa.﴿ [Al-Isra’ 17:1] [Mirqat al-Mafatih 9:121]

A poet once remarked:

La tad’uni illa bi ya ‘abdiha
Fa-innahu ashrafu asma’i

Only address me by saying: ‘O servant of hers’
For this is the noblest of all my names!

Divine Bestowals are in accordance with the depths of one’s servitude. In an age where notions of hierarchy are blurred, and the impudent broach upon the sacred—imposing their own profane ‘ideas’ upon God’s Chosen One ﷺ, the Recipient of His Revelation ﷺ, then it ought to be emphasised that the humbleness of the Prophet ﷺ is of his own accord and indicative of his supreme rank, and should not dupe another to audaciously flatten the reverential relationship which ties believing folk to him ﷺ — especially by using precedents of his own humility. 

Remember, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who said, “So rather say [about me]: ‘The slave of Allah and His Messenger’” – as in the Hadith in discussion – is the very same Messenger ﷺ that also said, “I am the Master of the Children of Adam and this is no boast…” [Ibn Majah, §4308]

May Allah increase us in our gnosis of Him and His Messenger ﷺ and allow us to be drowned in their love. Amin.

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Post-Script: Beyond Words

Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi (d.741/1340), the exegete from Andalus, writes a beautiful poem encapsulating the impossibility of being able to praise the Messenger ﷺ as he ought to be praised:

Arumu imtidah al-Mustafa wa yarudduni
Qusuri ‘an idraki tilka al-manaqibi

Wa man li bi-hasr al-bahr w’al-bahru zakhirun
Wa man li bi-ihsa’ al-hasa w’al-kawakibi

Wa law anna a’daiy ghadat alsunan idhan
La-ma balaghat f’il madh ba’da ma’aribi

Wa law anna kulla l-’alamin ta’sabaqu
‘Ila madhihi lam yablughu b’ada wajibi

Fa-amsaktu ‘anhu haybatan wa ta’adduban
Wa khawfan wa i’dhaman li-arfa’  janibi

Wa rubba sukutin kana fihi balaghatun
Wa rubba kalamin fihi ‘atbun li-’atibi

I desire to extol the Chosen One, but my inadequacy
In comprehending his rank prevents me from doing so

How can I encircle the vast and overflowing ocean?
How can I enumerate the countless grains of sand and stars?

And even if all my limbs transformed into tongues, yet
I would not approach even a fragment of his deserved praise

If entire universes were to compose tributes for him,
Still, they would not fulfil even a sliver of his rightful due 

So I remain silent, borne of awe and reverence,
And out of trepidation and esteem for the most distinguished one

How often eloquence is found within silence,
And often speech leads to the censure of the speaker

Similarly, Imam Ahmad Rida Khan (d.1340/1921) writes:

Keh legi sab kuch unke thana-khwan ki khamoshi
Chup ho rahe hai keh ke, mai kya kya kahun tujhey!

The silence of his admirer will speak volumes in itself!
He is speechless, wondering ‘however may I describe you?’