HADHIR & NADHIR
Dr Gibrael Haddad
"They
encompass nothing of His knowledge save what He will"(2:255)
"(He is) the Knower of the Unseen and He reveals unto
none His secret, save unto every Messenger whom He has chosen" (72:26-27)
"Nor does he withhold grudgingly a knowledge of the Unseen" (81:24)
Ibn Khafif al-Shirazi said in his al-‘Aqida al-Sahiha
(pg 48):
[The Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa
sallam] is knower of what is and what shall be and he gave news of the Unseen
(wa [ya‘taqidu] annahu al-‘âlimu bimâ kâna wa mâ yakûnu wa akhbara ‘an ‘ilmi
al-ghayb).
Meaning, in the sense of being
imparted by Allah whatever He imparted to him. Our teacher the Faqîh Shaykh
Adib Kallas said: “Note that Ibn Khafif did not say ‘He knows all that is and
all that shall be.’”
Shaykh ‘Abd al-Hadi Kharsa told us:
The Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa
sallam, possesses knowledge of all that is and knows the created universes in
the same way that one knows a room in which one sits. Nothing is hidden from
him. There are two verses of the Holy Qur’an that affirm this, [But how (will
it be with them) when we bring of every people a witness, and We bring you (O
Muhammad) a witness against these] (4:41) and [Thus We have appointed you a
middle nation, that you may be witnesses against mankind and that the
messenger may be a witness against you] (2:143) nor can the Prophet,
sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, be called to witness over what he does not know
nor see.
The above evidence is confirmed by
the authentic Prophetic narration from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri in the Sahih, Sunan,
and Masanid:
The Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa
sallam, said:
“Nuh and his
Community shall come <also: ‘shall be brought’> and Allah Most High shall
say: ‘Did you convey [My Message]?’ He shall say, ‘Yes, indeed! my Lord.’ Then
He shall ask his Community, ‘Did he convey [My Message] to you?’ and they
shall say, ‘No, no Prophet came to us.’ Then Allah shall ask Nuh, ‘Who is your
witness?’ and he shall reply, ‘Muhammad, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, and his
Community.’ Then we shall bear witness that he conveyed [the Message] indeed,
and this is [the meaning of] His saying, [Thus We have appointed you a middle
nation (ummatan wasatan), that you may be witnesses against mankind] (2:143),
al-wasat meaning ‘the upright’ (al-‘adl).”[2]
Ibn Hajar in his commentary of the
above narration in Fath al-Bari said that another same-chained, similar
narration in Ahmad and Ibn Majah shows that such witnessing applies to all the Communities
and not just that of Nuh,`alayhis salaam:
The Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa
sallam, said:
“One Prophet shall
come on the Day of Resurrection with a single man [as his Community]; another
Prophet shall come with two men; others, with more. The nation of each Prophet
shall be summoned and asked, ‘Did this Prophet convey [the Message] to you?’
They shall reply, no. Then he shall be asked, ‘Did you convey [the Message] to
your people?’ and he shall reply, yes. Then he shall be asked, ‘Who is your
witness?’ and he shall reply, ‘Muhammad and his Community.’ Whereupon Muhammad
and his Community shall be summoned and asked, ‘Did this man convey [the
Message] to his people?’ They shall reply, yes. They shall be asked, ‘How do
you know?’ They shall reply, ‘Our Prophet came to us and told us that the
Messengers have indeed conveyed [the Message].’ This is [the meaning of] His
saying, [Thus We have appointed you a middle nation] – He means upright
(yaqûlu ‘adlan) – [that you may be witnesses against mankind and that the
messenger may be a witness against you] (2:143).”
Al-Qari said in commentary of the
narration of Nuh, `alayhis salaam, cited in Mishkat al-Masabih:
“And he shall reply, ‘Muhammad and his Community’” means that his
Community are witnesses while he vouches for them, but his mention came first
out of reverence (li-t-ta‘zîm). It is
possible that he, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, too witnesses for Nuh, since it is a context of help and Allah
Most High said [When Allah made (His) convenant with the Prophets] until He
said [you shall believe in him and you shall help him] (3:81). In this there is
a remarkable warning that the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, is present and witnessing in that Greatest
Inspection (wafîhi tanbîhun nabîhun annahu sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallama
hâdirun nâzirun fî dhâlika al-‘ardi al-akbar), when the Prophets are brought,
Nuh being the first, and the latter’s witnesses are brought, namely, this
Community.[3]
There are other verses that affirm
that the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, hears and sees the deeds of
human beings. Allah Most High said: [And know that the Messenger of Allah is
among you] (49:7). In the verses [Allah and His Messenger will see your
conduct] (9:94) and [Act! Allah will behold your actions, and (so will) His
Messenger and the believers] (9:105), the Prophet’s, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa
sallam, perception is put on a par with that of the Lord of the worlds Who sees
and encompasses all on the one hand and, on the other, that of all the living
believers.
Shaykh ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Ghumari said:
“The saying of Allah
Most High [O you who believe! Observe your duty to Allah, and give up what
remains (due to you) from usury, if you are (in truth) believers. And if you do
not, them be warned of war (against you) from Allah and His Messenger] (2:278-279) indicates that the Prophet,
sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, is alive in his noble grave, fighting the
usurers with his supplication against them or with whatever suits his isthmus-life.
I do not know anyone that inferred this from the verse before me”. [4]
The above is further confirmed in the
Sunna by the following evidence:
(1) Ibn Mas‘ud’s authentic narration of the
Prophet’s, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, witnessing of all the deeds of the Umma from his Barzakh:
The Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa
sallam, said: “My life is a great good for you, you will relate about me and it
will be related to you, and my death is a great good for you, your actions will
be exhibited to me, and if I see goodness I will praise Allah, and if I see
evil I will ask forgiveness of Him for you.” (Hayâtî khayrun lakum tuhaddithûna wa yuhaddathu lakum wa wafâtî khayrun
lakum tu‘radu a‘malukum ‘alayya famâ ra’aytu min khayrin hamidtu Allâha wa mâ
ra’aytu min sharrin istaghfartu Allâha lakum.)[5]
(2) The authentic narration of “the Supernal
Company” (al-mala’u al-a‘lâ) from Mu‘adh ibn Jabal (RA) and others
The Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam,
said: “My Lord came to me in the best form” – the narrator said: “I think he
said: ‘in my sleep’” – “and asked me over what did the Higher Assembly
(al-mala’ al-a‘lâ)[6] vie; I said I did not know, so He put His hand between my
shoulders, and I felt its coolness in my innermost, and knowledge of all things
between the East and the West came to me.”[7]
(3) The staying back of Sayyidina Gibril,
`alayhis salaam, at the point the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, went
beyond the Lote-Tree of the Farthermost Boundary (sidrat al-muntaha) and heard
the screeching of the pens writing the Foreordained Decree then saw his
Lord,[8] although Gibril is the closest of all creatures to Allah U and the
angels do see Him according to Ahl-al-Sunna.[9]
Al-Qadi ‘Iyad in al-Shifa, in the
section titled “Concerning the places where it is desirable to invoke
blessings and peace upon him” cited from ‘Amr ibn Dinar al-Athram (d. 126) the
explanation of the verse [when you enter houses salute one another] (24:61):
“If there is no-one in the house then say: ‘as-salâmu ‘alâ al-Nabiyyi wa
rahmatullâhi wa barakâtuh.’”[10]
Al-Qari said in his commentary on
al-Shifa’:
“Meaning, because
his soul, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam,
is present in the house of the Muslims (ay li’anna rûhahu ‘alayhi
al-salâmu hâdirun fî buyûti al-muslimîn).”[11]
What ‘Iyad cited from al-Athram is
only narrated by al-Tabari in his Tafsir from Ibn Jurayj, from ‘Ata’
al-Khurasani (d. 135):
“Hajjaj narrated to
me from Ibn Jurayj: I said to ‘Ata’: “What if there is no-one in the house?” He
said: “Give salâm! Say, al-salâmu ‘alâ al-Nabiyyi wa rahmatullâhi wa barakâtuh,
al-salâmu ‘alaynâ wa ‘alâ ‘ibâdillah al-sâlihîn, al-salâmu ‘alâ ahli al-bayti
wa rahmatullâh.” I said: “This statement you just said about my entering the
house in which there is no-one, from whom did you receive it?” He replied: “I
heard it without receiving it from anyone in particular.”[12]
‘Ata’ was a pious muhaddith, mufti,
and wâ‘iz from whom Yazid ibn Samura heard the statement: “The gatherings of
dhikr are the gatherings of [teaching] the halâl and the harâm.”[13] His
trustworthiness and/or memory were contested by al-Bukhari, Abu Zur‘a, Ibn
Hibban, Shu‘ba, al-Bayhaqi, al-‘Uqayli, and Ibn Hajar, but he was nevertheless
declared thiqa by Ibn Ma‘in, Abu Hatim, al-Daraqutni, al-Thawri, Malik,
al-Awza‘i, Ahmad, Ibn al-Madini, Ya‘qub ibn Shayba, Ibn Sa‘d, al-‘Ijli,
al-Tabarani, and al-Tirmidhi, while Ibn Rajab concludes he is “thiqa
thiqa.”[14]
A False Assertion against Mullah Ali al-Qari
Recently, someone forwarded the
strange claim that al-Qari’s text in Sharh al-Shifa’ actually stated, “NOT THAT
his soul, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, is present in the houses of the Muslims”
(lâ anna rûhahu hâdiratun fî buyûti al-muslimîn) that is, the diametrical
opposite of what al-Qari actually said:
He [al-Qari] discussed the issue in
the Sharh of Shifa, that <lâ anna rûhahu hâdiratun fî buyûti al-muslimîn>
i.e. this notion is incorrect that the soul of our Master Hazrat Mohammed,
sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, is present in the homes of the Muslims. In some
copies the word lâ has been dropped and has without any reason created
confusion for some individuals, including Mufti Ahmed Yar Khan sahib (see Jaa
al-Haqq p. 142). ... In all his explicit quotes Hazrat Mulla Ali al-Qari
himself negates the belief of hâdir wa nâzir. Those who have relied on his
brief, indistinct quotes (out of context) are absolutely and definitely wrong.
[15]
That one can actually dare to make
the above claim is only because of ignorance of the Arabic language since
al-Qari prefaces the statement with the word “meaning (ay),” which would be
grammatically incorrect if it were followed by a disclaimer such as “not that
his soul is present in the houses of the Muslims.” The truth is that no such
word as lâ has been dropped because there was no such word there in the first
place, and the claim that there was is nothing short of tampering (tahrîf).
Furthermore, the word al-Qari used for “present” is hâdir in the masculine, not
hâdiratun in the feminine, as rûh can have either gender but the masculine is
more appropriate here to refer to the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam.
Another one of those of the same
School considered by some to be knowledgeable objected to attributing the
characteristics of hâdir nâzir to the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam,
because, he claimed, these attributes belong to Allah U. Even if the latter
premise were true, the reasoning is spurious and is like saying that because
al-Ra’ûf and al-Rahîm are Divine Attributes, they cannot be also Prophetic
Attributes. This sophistry was refuted by al-Qadi ‘Iyad in al-Shifa where he
said:
“Know that Allah has
bestowed a mark of honor on many of the Prophets by investing them with some of
His names: for example He calls Ishaq and Isma‘il “knowing” (‘alîm) and
“forbearing” (halîm), Ibrahim “forbearing” (halîm), Nuh “thankful” (shakûr),
Musa “noble” (karîm) and “strong” (qawî), Yusuf “a knowing guardian” (hafîz,
‘alîm), Ayyub “patient” (sabûr), ‘Isa and Yahya “devoted” (barr), and Isma‘il
“truthful to the promise” (sâdiq al-wa‘d)... Yet He has preferred our Prophet
Muhammad, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, since He has adorned him with a wealth
of His names in His Mighty Book and on the tongue of His Prophets”. [16]
The above evidence establishes beyond
doubt that there is no impediment to the possibility of hâdir nâzir to be
Attributes shared by Allah Most High with some of His servants if such two
Names should be established to be His. In fact, it is known that the two
angel-scribes, the qarîn, the angel of death, and Shaytan, are also present,
seeing, hearing, and fully witnessing the deeds of human beings at any given
time.
Furthermore, are Hâdir and Nâzir
among the Divine Names and Attributes? Imam Ahmad al-Sirhindi was quoted to
say: “Allah Most High is aware of each and every minor and major condition and
is Hâdir and Nâzir. One should feel shame before Him.”[17]
However, the Divine Attributes are
ordained and non-inferable. [18] Logic, reasoning, analogy, and other forms of
interpretation are not used to infer an attribute but only Divine disclosure
through the primary two sources of the Shari‘a i.e. Qur’an and Sunna. This is
an elementary point of doctrine that is present in most if not all books of
‘aqîda, including the Maturidi classics. So we cannot speak of al-Hâdir, while
al-Nâzir is the same as al-Shahîd where the divine Sight means His Knowledge.
Imam al-Bayhaqi said:
“The meaning of “The
Witness” (al-Shahîd) is He Who is well aware of all that creatures can know
only by way of witnessing while being present...because a human being who is
far away is subject to the limitation and shortcomings of his sensory organs,
while Allah Most High is not endowed with sensory organs nor subject to the
limitations of those who possess them.[19] (Shâhid is also a Prophetic Name in
the Qur’an.)
As for al-Hâdir it is precluded,
because Hâdir in Arabic has the sense of a being physically present at a
location, i.e. attributes of the created that are absolutely precluded from
the Creator. Therefore Hâdir in relation to Allah Most High, like the attribute
of omnipresence, may only be applied figuratively to mean that He is
All-Knowledgeable, but neither “Omnipresent” nor Hâdir have actually been
reported or mentioned among the Divine Attributes in the Qur’an, the Sunna, and
the texts of the early Imams. Allah knows best.
When some of these rebuttals were
presented to the above-mentioned objector, he replied verbatim, that “By Haazir
and Naazir, we mean Allah’s knowledge is complete and comprehensive. Nothing is
hidden from the absolute knowledge of Allah. In other words, he is Aleem and
this quality of Allah is repeatedly mentioned in the Qur’aan.” By thus replying
he has acknowledged that:
1. He
used the Attributes Hâdir and Nâzir figuratively, to mean ‘Alîm.
2. He has done so on the basis of his own
interpretation of the former two terms as meaning the latter term, neither (a)
on linguistic bases nor (b) according to a law-based stipulation (nass shar‘î).
To return to the statement of Shaykh
Ahmad Sirhindi – Allah sanctify his soul – that “[He] is Hâdir and Nâzir,” there
are also caveats:
1. Isolated statements cannot be used to
invalidate a basic rule of Ahl al-Sunna in the Divine Names and Attributes,
namely that spelled above as found in the doctrine of the Salaf and Khalaf on
al-Asmâ’ wa al-Sifât.
2. In practical terms, Shaykh Ahmad
Sirhindi was careful to frame his statement within an affirmation of the
sincere murîd’s consciousness of the all-encompassing nature of Divine
Knowledge within the ladder of spiritual process in the Naqshbandi Tarîqa, just
as the Shuyukh of the Shadhili Tarîqa teach their murîds to say, “Allâhu
hâdirî, Allâhu nâziri, Allâhu ma‘î.” These expressions are meant to induce
scrupulous Godwariness and in fact all refer to the attributes of Divine
Knowledge without any resemblance whatsoever to the hudûr or nazâr of created
beings other than in name.
3. In doctrinal terms, Shaykh Ahmad
Sirhindi means something other than what those who use hâdir in the Arabic
language and in relation to the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, mean. Namely, he means hâdir not in the
normal creatural sense of “present” but in the non-creatural sense of “Divine
Knowledge of Things in their Essence” (al-‘ilm al-hudûrî). This is explained by
him at length in his epistle 48 of Volume Three to the Prince, Zadah Khwaja
Muhammad Sa‘id, titled “The Secret of His Nearness and the Self-Disclosure of
His Essence.” This is a highly peculiar, specialized sense that should be
treated thus unless one is interested in making Shaykh Sirhindi say other than
what he means.
4. Some of our contemporaries – who are
known by the title of Mufti – innovatively use the same phrase in terms of a
stipulation of ‘Aqîda, giving rise to legitimate doubt as to what they mean by
their use of the phrase, a doubt fortified by their adding made-up provisions
or conditions such as “Hâdir and Nâzir cannot be applied to anyone besides
Allah.” By saying this they have invalidated the sine qua non pre-requisites of
the judge for receiving witnesses to any and all cases that require witnesses.
Rather, they mean to say, “cannot be applied to anyone besides Allah in the
sense they are applied to Allah” while they can be applied to others besides
Allah in the sense that applies to creatures.
5. Those who use Hâdir and Nâzir in
relation to the Best of Creatures, our Master Muhammad, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa
sallam, , mean it in the creatural sense of his noble soul or noble essence
being physically and spiritually present wherever Allah Most High wishes. One
who denies that the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, can be present in
that sense, has left Islam.
6. None of what the opponents bring up as
supposed proofs actually invalidates the use of Hâdir and Nâzir for the
Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, among other shared Names as we have
already demonstrated. For example, Allah Most High is Ra’ûf and Rahîm, and He
is Nûr, and He is al-Shâhid – the Witness – and al-Shahîd – the Giver of
testimony – all five attributes being also given by Him in His Own Pre-Eternal
Speech – the Qur’an – to the Prophet himself, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam.
7. If it comes to scholarly quotations,
they should accept that the attributes of Hâdir and Nâzir are applied to the
Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam,
by the Ulema of Ahl al-Sunna such as Mulla Ali al-Qari as cited above,
and countless others such as the Friends of Allah known to keep company with
the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam,
day and night, among them Shaykh Abu al-‘Abbas al-Mursi, Shaykh Abu al-Hasan
al-Shadhili, and Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Dabbagh, probably also Shaykh Ahmad
Sirhindi himself – may Allah sanctify their secrets.
Ibn al-Qayyim said in al-Ruh:
This is a subject about which men are
troubled. There are those who say, “The sciences, all of them, are latent in the
soul, and only its occupation with the world of sensation prevents its
examination of them; so, if it is detached in sleep, it see some of them in
accordance with its preparation; and when its detachment by death is more
perfect, its sciences and its experiential knowledges there are more perfect.”
This statement has in it both what is right and what is groundless; not all of
it is to be rejected and not all of it is to be accepted. For the detachment of
the soul informs it of the sciences and experiential knowledges which are not
received without detachment. But if it should be detached altogether, it would
not be informed of the knowledge of Allah with which His Messenger was sent,
and of the details of what He told by past messengers and peoples that are
gone; and details of the Return and regulations of the Hour and details of
command and prohibition, and Divine Names and Attributes and Acts, etc., that
are not known except by Revelation; although the detachment of the soul is an aid to it for knowledge of
that, and the drawing of it from its source is easier and nearer and greater
than what is given to the soul engaged in the labors of the body.[20]
Another objection was raised and
disseminated on a website titled, “The Belief that the Prophet comes to the
Milad Meeting” with the following text:
Some people also believe that
Rasulullah, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, comes to this function and due to
this belief, they stand up in respect and veneration. This is absolutely
untrue. Rasulullah, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, does not arrive at any
“Eid-e-Milad-un Nabee,” function. He is in his Rawdha-e-Mubarak (grave) at
Madinah Munawwarah and will emerge from it at the onset of Yawmul-Qiyaamah, or
the Day of Judgement. … The following Ayat and Hadith testify to this fact: The
Qur’an, addressing Rasulullah, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, announces
explicitly: [Lo! Thou wilt die, and Lo! They will die. Then Lo! On the day of
resurrection, before your sustainer, you will dispute]. [Az-Zumar 39:30-31] At another
place, Rasulullah, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, is addressed together with
the rest of mankind: - [Then Lo! After that you surely die, then Lo! On the day
of resurrection you are raised (again)] [Al-Muminun 23:16] Rasulullah,
sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, himself has said in a Hadith: - “My grave will
be the first to be opened on the day of Qiyamah and I shall be the first person
to intercede and the first person whose intercession shall be accepted.” These
Ayat and Hadith as well (and there are others) prove that all of mankind will
be raised from their graves on the day of Qiyamah, with Rasulullah, sall-Allahu
'alayhi wa sallam, being no exception. On this, there is consensus of the
entire Ummah. [21]
The reply is: Does this Mufti have
knowledge of the unseen and the gift of ubiquity? For he positively affirms
that the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam;
(1) Is not present at a given Mawlid
function and (2) Is not possibly present at any place other than in Madina, in
his grave! So then, he allows that the other Prophets can be in Bayt al-Maqdis
praying, and in Makka making tawâf, and in the Seven Heavens, but he insists
that our Prophet – upon him and them blessings and peace – is confined to his
Noble Grave?
Yet testimonies from the great
Awliyâ’ and Sâlihîn of this Umma have flown uninterruptedly for a thousand
years to the effect that the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, was and
continues to be seen by countless pure eyes in countless different locations.
Read the fatwa to that effect in
Shaykh al-Islam al-Haytami’s Fatawa Hadithiyya (p. 297), entitled:
“Question: Can the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa
sallam, be seen in a wakeful state?”
“Answer: Yes, and if he is seen, then he is present.
There is no need to ask “how”.
Sayyid Ahmad Zayni Dahlan said in his
book al-Usul li al-Wusul ila Ma‘rifat Allah wa al-Rasul, that when the walî is
said to see the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, “in a waking state” (yaqazatan), “it means
that he sees only the spiritual form (rûhaniyya) of the Prophet, sall-Allahu
`alayhi wa sallam, , not his physical form.” But our Shaykh, Sidi Mustafa
al-Basir commented on this: “Is there any impediment to seeing him in his
physical form, or to his coming to a place in his physical form?” and Shah
Waliyyullah al-Dihlawi said in his book Fuyud al-Rahman (p. 116-118) that the
presence of the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, in the office of imam
at every prayer “is a fact” and that “the noble Rûh of the Prophet, sall-Allahu
`alayhi wa sallam, is similar to a physical body.” Many valuable pages were
recorded from the disclosures of Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Dabbagh on this issue
by his student ‘Ali ibn al-Mubarak in al-Ibriz.
Yes, we do know with positive
knowledge that he is in al-Madina al-Munawwara – but in the state of Barzakh.
That state, by the decree of Allah Most High, is governed by laws other than
phenomenal laws of time and place.
Imam Malik said in the Muwatta’: “It
has reached me [i.e. from the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, with an
authentic chain as is well-known concerning Malik’s balâghât] that the souls
[of the dead] are free to come and go as they please.” Further readings about
this can be found in Sayyid Muhammad ‘Alawi al-Maliki’s Manhaj al-Salaf, [22]
Kitab al-Ruh by Ibn al-Qayyim, or al-Tadhkira by al-Qurtubi.
Furthermore, there is an Islamic rule
of law (qâ‘ida) that says, al-ithbâtu muqaddamun ‘ala al-nafy meaning:
“Affirmation takes precedence over denial”; and another one that states, man
‘alima hujjatun ‘alâ man lam ya‘lam, meaning: “The one who knows is a
conclusive proof against the one who does not know.”
Even in the matter of a simple hadith
narration there are things we know and things we do not know, as that Mufti is
eminently aware.
As for the verses and hadith quoted
by the objector to the effect that the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam,
will die and be raised, the quoter himself concludes, “These Ayat and Hadith as
well (and there are others) prove that all of mankind will be raised from their
graves on the day of Qiyamah, with Rasulullah,sall-Allahu `alayhi wa
sallam, being no exception. On this,
there is consensus of the entire Ummah.” This is like the Arabic saying, “I
spoke to him in the East and he answered me in the West.” There is no question
about the fundamental tenet of Resurrection in Islam, and such evidence is
irrelevant to the specific matters of (1) seeing the Prophet, sall-Allahu
`alayhi wa sallam, present in a wakeful state or (2) his presence in the
gatherings of the Sâlihîn in Dunyâ and Âkhira nor should it have been brought
up in this fatwa. So this purported evidence is true, and so is the rest of the
evidence that we have adduced in affirmation of the Prophet’s, sall-Allahu
`alayhi wa sallam, presence with the
Umma and full awareness of their states, including the saying of Allah Most
High: [And know that the Messenger of Allah is among you] (49:7). Meaning,
according to the majority of the commentaries: Do not lie.
Standing for the Prophet sall-Allahu `alayhi
wa sallam
The following are quoted from Sayyid
Muhammad ibn ‘Alawi al-Maliki’s commentary on this issue from his book on
Mawlid titled Hawl al-Ihtifal bi Dhikra al-Mawlid al-Nabawi al-Sharif
(“Regarding the Celebration of the Prophet’s Birthday”) which was translated
and cited in Shaykh Hisham Kabbani’s Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine
(3:45-48):
Some of those who forbid standing for
the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, do so because of what they imagine
people to believe when standing and invoking blessings on him: namely, that the
Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, is actually present in person at that
time. However, this is not the reason why the people stand and no one claims
this except those who actually object to standing. Rather, those who stand are
only expressing happiness and love, and they are overflowing with respect and
dedication at the mention of the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, in the
august assembly of those who remember him. They stand to attention because of
their awe before the light that dawns upon creation for the one whose fame
Allah Most High has exalted high.
They stand as a sign of thankfulness for
the immense mercy bestowed on creation in the person of the Prophet Muhammad,
sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam.
At the same time it is impermissible
to object to the freedom of the soul in Barzakh to travel wherever it pleases
by Divine permission, according to the sayings reported by Ibn al-Qayyim in his
book Kitab al-Ruh (p. 144) whereby Salman al-Farisi said: “The souls of the
believers are in an isthmus of land from where they go wherever they wish,” and
Imam Malik said: “I have heard (balaghanî) that the soul is set free and goes
wherever it wishes.”[23]
Standing or dancing out of joy for
the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, or for what is connected to him or
proceeds from him, has clear proofs in the Sunna.
Here the Shaykh lists a long list of
the well-known authentic proof-texts to that effect. Then he concludes:
“There is no doubt
that such singing, dancing, reciting of poetry, and banging the drum was for
joy at being with the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, nor did he condemn
or frown upon such displays in any way whatsoever. These are common displays
of happiness and lawful merriment, and similarly to stand up at the mention of
the birth of the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, is an ordinary act
that shows love and gladness symbolizing the joy of creation: it does not
constitute worship, nor law, nor Sunna! That is why the savant al-Barzanji
(d.1103) said in his famous poem of Mawlid” (transliteration of
the Arabic text):
wa qad
sanna ahlu al-‘ilmi wa al-fadli wa al-tuqâ
qiyâman ‘alâ al-aqdâmi ma‘a husni im‘âni
bi tashkhîsi dhâti al-mustafâ wa huwa hâdirun
bi ay maqâmin fîhi yudhkaru bal dânî
Meaning: “It is the usage of the
excellent people of knowledge and piety to stand on their feet in the best
demeanor // acting as if the Prophet, sall-Allahu`alayhi wa sallam, were
actually present every time they mention him and even visualizing him coming to
them.”
Observe that he spoke well when he
said, “acting as if he were present and visualizing him,” that is, strongly calling
to mind his gracious form and qualities so as to increase and perfect the
motions of their hearts and bodies towards respecting and loving him, as the
narrations show. This is a delicate matter from which are shut out those in
whose hearts Allah did not place mercy. And Allah knows best.”[24]
Among those who wrote poetry
mentioning standing at the mention of the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa
sallam, are the hadith master Abu Musa al-Asbahani (d. 581) who recited (transliteration of
the Arabic):
qiyâmî
wa al-‘azîzi ilayka haqqun
wa tarku
al-haqqi mâ lâ yastaqîmu
fa hal
ahadun lahu ‘aqlun wa lubbun wa ma‘rifa
yarâka
fa lâ yaqûmu?
Meaning: “I swear by the All-Powerful
that my standing for you [O Prophet] is right and true and to leave truth and right
is to embrace error. // I ask: can anyone possessed of a mind and a heart and
knowledge, upon seeing you, not stand up?”
Imam al-Nawawi mentioned it in his
famous fatwa titled al-Tarkhis fi al-Ikram bi al-Qiyam li Dhawi al-Fadl wa
al-Maziyya min Ahl al-Islam ‘ala Jihat al-Birr wa al-Tawqir wa al-Ihtiram la
‘ala Jihat al-Riya’ wa al-I‘zam (“The Permissibility of Honoring, by Standing
up, Those Who Possess Excellence and Distinction among the People of Islam: in
the Spirit of Piety, Reverence, and Respect, not in the Spirit of Display and
Aggrandizement”). [25]
Another poet to recommend standing
for the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, was Yahya ibn Yusuf ibn Yahya
al-Sarsari (588-656).
Al-Dhahabi described him in glowing
terms in Tarikh al-Islam:
“The erudite Shaykh,
the ascetic, Jamal al-Din Abu Zakariyya al-Sarsari al-Baghdadi al-Hanbali
al-Darir, the philologist, man of letters, poet, and author of the Prophetic
panegyrics that are known East and West…. He kept company with Shaykh ‘Ali ibn
Idris, the companion of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir [al-Gilani]. He heard from a number
of narrators and narrated hadith…. We heard that when the Tatars came to him –
and he was blind – he stabbed one of them with his walking-stick and killed him
then was killed as a shahîd”.
Al-Dhahabi goes on to quote a
panegyric of thirty-five verses in each of which al-Sarsari used all of the
Arabic alphabet. [26]
Al-Dhahabi’s student, Ibn al-Subki,
narrated in his Tabaqat al-Shafi‘iyya al-Kubra about his father, Shaykh
al-Islam al-Taqi al-Subki:
“One time he
attended a khatma in the Umawi Mosque, the judges and eminent people of the
region before him as he sat in the mihrâb of the Sahaba. The reciter declaimed
al-Sarsari’s Prophetic panegyric beginning, qalîlun
li-mad-hil-Mustafâ-l-khattu bidh-dhahabi (“Too slight for the praise of the
Elect One is gold calligraphy”). When he reached the line wa’an
yanhada-l-ashrâfu ‘inda samâ‘ihi (“And that the elite stand when they hear of
him”), emotion overcame the Shaykh and Imam [my father] so that he sprang to
his feet and stood due to that state. The people considered they all had to
stand also, which they did, and an excellent moment ensued”. [27]
The conclusion of those endowed with sense
is that the presence of the Noble Rûhâniyya of the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi
wa sallam, at pious gatherings and with whatever select individuals of the Umma
Allah Most High wishes, is a ghaybî matter which is outside the province of
anyone other than the Lawgiver to declare positively impossible. In
actuality, mass-transmitted (mutawâtir) testimony proves beyond doubt that such
presence is a reality. Its modality is unknown while its description is a
matter of spiritual experience (dhawq) we pray to be granted. If not, we ask to
receive that share of adab that will ensure proper custody of the tongue lest
we slip and fall into error that will cause us shame tomorrow, in his venerable
presence, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam. And Allah knows best.
[1] This Appendix complements the material adduced in the section
titled “The Prophet’s Knowledge of the Unseen” in the third volume of Shaykh
Hisham Kabbani’s Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine.
[2] Narrated by al-Bukhari with three chains, al-Tirmidhi (hasan
sahîh), and Ahmad.
[3] Al-Qari, al-Mirqat (Dar al-Fikr 1994 ed.
9:493=Imdadiyya Maltan (Pakistan) ed. 10:263-264=Cairo 1892 ed. 5:245).
[4] ‘Abd Allah al-Ghumari, Khawatir Diniyya (1:19).
[5] Narrated from Ibn Mas‘ud by al-Bazzar in his Musnad (1:397)
with a sound chain as stated by al-Suyuti in Manahil al-Safa (p. 31 #8) and
al-Khasa’is al-Kubra (2:281), al-Haythami (9:24 #91), and al-‘Iraqi in Tarh
al-Tathrib (3:297) – his last book, as opposed to al-Mughni‘an Haml al-Asfar
(4:148) where he questions the trustworthy rank of one of the narrators in
al-Bazzar’s chain. Shaykh ‘Abd Allah al-Talidi said in his Tahdhib al-Khasa’is
al-Kubra (p. 458-459 #694) that this chain is sound according to Muslim’s
criterion, and Shaykh Mahmud Mamduh in Raf‘al-Minara (p. 156-169) discusses it
at length and declares it sound. Their shaykh, al-Sayyid ‘Abd Allah ibn
al-Siddiq al-Ghumari (d. 1413/1993) declared it sound in his monograph Nihaya
al-Amal fi Sharh wa Tashih Hadith ‘Ard al-A‘mal. Opposing these six or more
judgments al-Albani declares it weak in his notes on al-Qadi Isma‘il’s Fadl
al-Salat (p. 37 n. 1). It is also narrated with weak chains from Anas and –
with two sound mursal chains missing the Companion-link – from the Successor
Bakr ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Muzani by Isma‘il al-Qadi (d. 282) in his Fadl al-Salat
‘ala al-Nabi (SAWS) (p. 36-39 #25-26). The latter chain was declared sound by
al-Qari in Sharh al-Shifa’ (1:102), Shaykh al-Islam al-Taqi al-Subki in Shifa’
al-Siqam, his critic Ibn ‘Abd al-Hadi in al-Sarim al-Munki (p. 217), and
al-Albani in his Silsila Da‘ifa (2:405). A third, weak chain is related from
Bakr al-Muzani by al-Harith ibn Abi Usama (d. 282) in his Musnad (2:884) as per
Ibn Hajar in al-Matalib al-‘Aliya (4:23) and Ibn Sa‘d in his Tabaqat as per
al-Munawi in Fayd al-Qadir (3:401 #3771). Al-Qadi ‘Iyad cites it in al-Shifa (p. 58 #6) and
al-Sakhawi in al-Qawl al-Badi‘. Al-Albani declared the hadith weak on the
grounds that some authorities questioned the memorization of the Murji’ hadith
master ‘Abd al-Majid ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Abi Rawwad. However, he was retained
by Muslim in his Sahih and declared thiqa by Yahya ibn Ma‘in, Ahmad, Abu Dawud,
al-Nasa’i, Ibn Shahin, al-Khalili, and al-Daraqutni, while al-Dhahabi listed
him in Man Tukullima Fihi Wa Huwa Muwaththaq (p. 124) as stated by Mamduh in
Raf‘ al-Minara (p. 163, 167).
Al-Arna’ut and Ma‘ruf declare him
thiqa in Tahrir al-Taqrib (2:379 #4160) as well as Dr. Nur al-Din ‘Itr in his
edition of al-Dhahabi’s Mughni (1:571 #3793) and Dr. Khaldun al-Ahdab in
Zawa’id Tarikh Baghdad (10:464). Even if al-Albani’s grading were hypothetically
accepted, then the weak musnad narration in conjunction with the sound mursal
one – graded sahîh by al-Albani – would yield a final grading of hasan or
sahîh, not da‘îf. In addition to this, Mamduh quoted al-Albani’s own words in
the latter’s attempted refutation of Shaykh Isma‘il al-Ansari entitled Kitab
al-Shaybani (1:134-135) whereby “The sound mursal hadith is a proof in all Four
Schools and other than them among the Imams of the principles of hadith and
fiqh, therefore it is apparent to every fair-minded person that the position
whereby such a hadith does not form a proof only because it is mursal, is untenable.”
This is one of many examples in which al-Albani not only contradicts, but
soundly refutes himself.
Shaykh Hasanayn Muhammad Makhluf
wrote in his Fatawa Shar‘iyya (1:91-92): “The hadith means that the Prophet
(SAWS) is a great good for his Community during his life, because Allah the
Exalted has preserved the Community, through the secret of the Prophet’s (SAWS)
presence, from misguidance, confusion, and disagreement, and He has guided the
people through the Prophet (SAWS) to the manifest truth; and that after Allah
took back the Prophet (SAWS), our connection to the latter’s goodness continues
uncut and the extension of his goodness endures, overshadowing us. The deeds
of the Community are shown to him every day, and he glorifies Allah for the goodness
that he finds, while he asks for His forgiveness for the small sins, and the
alleviation of His punishment for the grave ones: and this is a tremendous good
for us. There is therefore ‘goodness for the Community in his life, and in his
death, goodness for the Community.’ Moreover, as has been established in the
hadith, the Prophet (SAWS) is alive in his grave with a special ‘isthmus-life’
stronger than the lives of the martyrs which the Qur’an spoke of in more than
one verse. The nature of these two kinds of life cannot be known except by
their Bestower, the Glorious, the Exalted. He is able to do all things. His
showing the Community’s deeds to the Prophet (SAWS) as an honorific gift for
him and his Community is entirely possible rationally and documented in the
reports. There is no leeway for its denial; and Allah guides to His light
whomever He pleases; and Allah knows best.”
[6] I.e. “the angels brought near” according to Ibn al-Athir in
al-Nihaya and others.
[7] Narrated by al-Tirmidhi with three chains: two from Ibn
‘Abbas – in the first of which he said “the knowledge of all things in the
heaven and the earth” while he graded the second hasan gharîb – and one chain
from Mu‘adh (hasan sahîh) which explicitly mentions that this took place in the
Prophet’s (SAWS) sleep.
Al-Bukhari declared the latter chain
hasan sahîh as reported by al-Tirmidhi in both his Sunan and ‘Ilal, and it
towers over all other chains, according to Ibn Hajar in al-Isaba (2:397), in
the facts that there is no discrepancy over it among the hadith scholars and
its text is undisputed (cf. Asma’ Hashidi ed. 2:78). Also narrated by Ahmad
with four sound chains according to the typically lax grading of Shakir and
al-Zayn: one from Ibn ‘Abbas with the words “I think he said: ‘in my sleep’”
(Shakir ed. 3:458 #3484=al-Arna’ut ed. 5:437-442 #3483 isnâduhu da‘îf); one
from Mu‘adh which Ahmad explicitly declared sahîh as narrated by Ibn ‘Adi in
al-Kamil (6:2244), with the words: “I woke up and lo! I was with my Lord”
(al-Zayn ed. 16:200 #22008); and two from unnamed Companions in which no
mention is made of the Prophet’s (SAWS) sleep or wakefulness (al-Zayn ed.
13:93-94 #16574=al-Arna’ut ed. 27:171-174 #16621 isnâduhu da‘îf mudtarib;
al-Zayn ed. 16:556 #23103). Al-Haythami declared the latter sound as well as
other chains cited by al-Tabarani in al-Kabir (20:109 #216, 20:141 #290) and
al-Bazzar in his Musnad, and he declared fair the chain narrated from Abu Umama
by al-Tabarani in al-Kabir (8:290 #8117). See Majma‘ al-Zawa’id (7:176-179).
Shaykhs ‘Abd al-Qadir and Shu‘ayb al-Arna’ut both declared sahîh the seven
narrations of al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad in their edition of Ibn al-Qayyim’s Zad
al-Ma‘ad (3:33-34 n. 4). Also narrated from Jabir ibn Samura by Ibn Abi ‘Asim
in al-Sunna (p. 203 #465) with a fair chain according to al-Albani. Also
narrated from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘A’ish by al-Darimi in his Musnad (2:170
#2149) and al-Tabarani through two chains in al-Ahad wa al-Mathani (5:48-50
#2585-2586) and another in Musnad al-Shamiyyin (1:339 #597), and from Umm
al-Tufayl by al-Tabarani in al-Ahad (6:158 #3385). The latter chain actually
states: “I saw my Lord in the best form of a beardless young man” and was
rejected by al-Dhahabi in Tahdhib al-Mawdu‘at (p. 22 #22). Also narrated from
the Companion Abu Rafi‘ [al-Isaba 7:134 #9875] by al-Tabarani in al-Kabir
(1:317 #938). Also narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas by Abu Ya‘la in his Musnad (4:475
#2608). Some fair narrations of this hadith – such as al-Tabarani’s from ‘Abd
al-Rahman ibn ‘Ayyash and al-Khatib’s from Abu ‘Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah in Tarikh
Baghdad (8:151) – have the words: “I saw my Lord” instead of “My Lord came to
me,” hence Ibn Kathir’s conclusion previously cited. Al-Ahdab in Zawa’id Tarikh
Baghdad (6:251-253) and al-Haytami also cited Abu ‘Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah, Ibn
‘Umar, Abu Hurayra, Anas, Thawban, and Abu Umama which brings to at least
eleven (without Umm al-Tufayl) the number of Companions who narrated this
hadith. The various chains and narrations of this hadith were collated and
discussed by Ibn Rajab in his monograph Ikhtiyar al-Awla fi Sharh Hadith
Ikhtisam al-Mala’ al-A‘la, ed. Jasim al-Dawsari (Kuwait: Dar al-Aqsa, 1406).
See also: Ibn Athir, Jami‘ al-Usul (9:548-550). Among those that considered
this hadith as falling below the grade of sahîh are al-Bayhaqi in al-Asma’ wa
al-Sifat (Kawthari ed. p. 300, Hashidi ed. 2:72-79), Ibn al-Jawzi in al-‘Ilal
al-Mutanahiya :34), Ibn Khuzayma in
al-Tawhid (p. 214-221) and al-Daraqutni in his ‘Ilal (6:56). Al-Saqqaf went so
far as to suggest that it was forged in Aqwal al-Huffaz al-Manthura li Bayan
Wad‘ Hadith Ra’aytu Rabbi fi Ahsani Sura, appended to his edition of Ibn
al-Jawzi’s Daf‘ Shubah al-Tashbih.
[8] “Farafadanî Gibrîl” in Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Kathir’s Tafsirs,
while al-Salihi in Subul al-Huda (3:129) has “Fata’akhkhara Gibrîl” – both
meaning “he left me and stayed back.” Cf. al-Maliki, Wa Huwa bil-Ufuqi al-A‘la
(p. 73, 279) and al-Anwar al-Bahiyya (p. 75-77).
[9] See Abu al-Shaykh, al-‘Azama and al-Suyuti, al-Haba’ik. This
leads to the issue of the precedence and preferability of the Prophet (SAWS)
over all creation and his title Afdalu al-Khalq which is documented elsewhere.
[10] Al-Qadi ‘Iyad, al-Shifa (p. 555-556=Ithaf Ahl al-Wafa p.
369).
[11] Al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’ (2:117).
[12] Al-Tabari, Tafsir (18:173 #19894).
[13] Narrated by al-Dhahabi in the Siyar (6:360).
[14] Ibn Rajab, Sharh ‘Ilal al-Tirmidhi (2:780-781). Cf.
al-Dhahabi’s Mizan (3:73) and al-Mughni (1:614-615 #4122) with the notes of Dr.
Nur al-Din ‘Itr, and al-Arna’ut and Ma‘ruf’s Tahrir Taqrib al-Tahdhib (3:16-17
#4600) although the latter misattribute tawthîq to al-Bukhari while ‘Itr
misattributes tad‘îf to Ahmad!
[15] Sarfaraz Safdar, Aakho(n) Ki T(d)andak (p. 167-168).
[16] Al-Qadi ‘Iyad, al-Shifa’ as translated by ‘A’isha A. Bewley,
Muhammad Messenger of Allah: al-Shifa’ of Qadi ‘Iyad (Granada: Madinah Press,
1992) p. 126.
[17] Maktubat-e-Imam Rabbani, Volume 1, Letter 78 addressed to
Jabbari Khan.
[18] See Appendix titled “The Divine Names and Attributes are
Tawqîfiyya: Ordained and Non-Inferable” in our translation of Imam Ibn ‘Abd
al-Salam’s The Belief of the People of Truth.
[19] Al-Bayhaqi, al-Asma’ wa al-Sifat (Kawthari ed. p. 46-47;
Hashidi ed. 1:126-127).
[20] Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Ruh (1975 ed. p. 30).
[21] Mufti Ebrahim Desai FATWA DEPT.
Jamiat Ulema Islam. South
Africa http://www.albalagh.net/qa/milad_qa2.shtml.
[22] See our translated volume titled The Prophets in Barzakh
available at As-Sunna Foundation of America Publications.
[23] Here the Shaykh acknowledges that although the Noble
Presence is not the reason why people stand up, yet there is no impediment to
its possibility anyway.
[24] Al-Maliki, Manhaj al-Salaf, as translated in the Encyclopedia
of Islamic Doctrine (3:45-48) with slight changes.
[25] Al-Nawawi, al-Tarkhis (p. 94).
[26] Al-Dhahabi, Tarikh al-Islam (Yrs 651-660:303-306 #339).
[27] Ibn al-Subki, Tabaqat al-Shafi‘iyya al-Kubra (10:208)