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"Imam Ahmad said to Abu Bakr al-Marzawi, “Let him use the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as a means of supplication to Allah.” This is found in Imam Ahmad’s Manasik narrated by his student Abu Bakr al-Marzawi. Hafiz al-Iraqi relates in Fath al-Mutual, that: “Imam Ahmad sought blessings from drinking the washing water of Imam al- Shafi’i’s shirt […]”"

 

 

[1] The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, slept on a rug in the house of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, and perspired. Anas’s mother brought a long necked bottle into which she put his sweat.  The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked her about this.  She said, “We put it in our perfume and it is the most fragrant of scents”  [Muslim & Bukhari]. Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I have not smelled amber, musk or anything more fragrant than the smell of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace”  [Muslim and al-Tirmidhi].

[2] The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was happy with good poetry, since it is related in Bukhari’s Morals and Manners and elsewhere that he has said, “There is wisdom in poetry.” Jabir bin Samarah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I attended the assemblies of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) more than a hundred times, wherein the Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) recited poetry and related the stories of the Jahilliya. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) silently listened to them [and did not forbid them].  At times he smiled with them.”  ‘A’isha, may Allah be pleased with her, said:

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to put a mimbar in the masjid for Hassan bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him), so that he might stand on it and recite poetry on the praise of, and behalf of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), or (that) he used to defend the Messenger of Allah (in reply to the accusations of the Kuffar). The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to say: ‘may Allah assist Hassan with Ruhul Qudus till he defends or praises, on behalf of the Messenger of Allah.’ 

[Shama’il al-Tirmidhi, under chapter of poetry]

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said concerning the verse “And as for the poets, only those who are lost in grievous error would follow them” [26:224]: “These verses were abrogated, and exceptions were made to them in the following verse: “Save those who have faith, and do righteous deeds, and remember Allah unceasingly, and defend themselves only after having being wronged” (26:227) [Bukhari’s Adab al Mufrad, Hadith 874].  Sharid said, “The Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked me to recite the poetry of Umayyah ibn Salt for him, and I did so.  Then the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) started saying, “More, more!” I ended up reciting nearly a hundred verses to him.  At the end, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “The man (Umayyah was a pre Islamic poet) was very nearly a Muslim” [Bukhari’s Adab al-Mufrad, Hadith 872].

[3] Imam Malik was asked by the Khalifah, Abu Ja’far al-Mansur, “Shall I face the qibla with my face backwards towards the grave of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) when making du’a?”   Imam Malik replied “How could you turn your face away from him, when he is the means [Wasila] of you on the Day of Resurrection?  Nay, face him and ask for his intercession so that Allah will grant it to you, as He said, “If they had only, when they were wronging themselves, come unto thee and asked Allah’s forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft returning, Most Merciful” (4:64) [Qadi Iyad, op cit.].

Imam Ahmad said to Abu Bakr al-Marzawi, “Let him use the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as a means of supplication to Allah.” This is found in Imam Ahmad’s Manasik narrated by his student Abu Bakr al-Marzawi. Hafiz al-Iraqi relates in Fath al-Mutual, that: “Imam Ahmad sought blessings from drinking the washing water of Imam al- Shafi’i’s shirt […]”

Ibn Hajar al-Haythami said that:

When Imam al-Shafi’i was in Baghdad, he would visit the grave of Abu Hanifa, pray two rakats nawafil according to the Hanafi Madhab (out of Ta’dhim to Abu Hanifa), give salam to him, and then ask Allah for the fulfillment of his need through his means (yatwassal ilAllah tala bihi fi qada hajatihi). When my teachers went over this Riwayah, they noted that Imam al-Shafi’i would have a question of Fiqh that he could not conceive, and after leaving the grave of Abu Hanifa, his inquiry would be answered.

This is related in Ibn Hajar al-Haythami’s al-Khayrat al-Hisan.

[4] Allah says, “Believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet who believes in Allah and His words. Follow him, perhaps you will be guided.” (7:157) “No, by your Lord, they will not believe until they ask you to judge between them in what they disagree about and then they shall find in themselves no impediment touching your verdict, but shall surrender in full submission.” (4:64) i.e. obey your judgment.  Allah also says, “You have a good model in the Messenger of Allah for one who hopes for Allah and the Last Day.” (33:21) Muhammad ibn 'Ali al-Tirmidhi said, “To take the Messenger as a model means to emulate him, follow his Sunna and abandon opposition to him in either word or action.” Several commentators said words to that effect.  It is said that this was intended as a criticism of those who fail to follow him. Sahl said that the ayat from the Fatiha (Sura 1), “The path of those whom You have blessed,” means to follow the Sunna.  Allah promises His love and forgiveness to those who follow the Prophet and prefer him to their own passions and inclinations.  

‘A’isha, may Allah be pleased with her, said, “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did something as an example in order to make things easier for people but some people still refrained from doing it. When the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) heard about that, he praised Allah and said: ‘What do you think of people who refrain from anything that I myself do? By Allah, I am the greatest of them in knowledge of Allah and the strongest of them in fear of Allah’” (Muslim and al-Bukhari).  It is related that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The Qur’an is hard and difficult for anyone who hates it. Whoever clings to what I say and understands it and retains it, then it will be like the Qur'an for him. Whoever considers the Qur’an and what I say unimportant and neglects it loses this world and the Next. My community is commanded to take my words and obey my command and follow my Sunna. Whoever is pleased with my words is pleased with the Qur'an. Allah says, ‘Take what the Messenger brings you’” (59:7) (Abu’sh-Shaykh, ad-Daylami and Abu Nu’aym from al-Hakam ibn ‘Umayr). The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever follows me is of me and whoever wants to abandon my Sunna is not of me.”

Al-Hassan ibn al-Hassan said that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Doing a little of something which is a Sunna is better than doing a lot of something which is an innovation”(al-Darimi). The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Allah will bring a man into the Garden by the fact that he clings to my Sunna.”  Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “The one who clings to my Sunna when the community is corrupt will have the reward of a hundred martyrs” (al-Tabarani).  The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The Banu Isra'il split into about seventy-two sects. My community will split into seventy-three. All of them will be in the Fire except for one.” They asked, ‘Who are they, Messenger of Allah?’ He replied, ‘Those who base themselves on what I and my Companions are doing today’” (al-Tirmidhi).

‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote to his governors telling them to learn the Sunna, the shares of inheritance and the dialects, saying, “People will try to argue with you (i.e. by using the Qur'an), so overcome them with the Sunna. The people of the Sunna have the greatest knowledge of the Book of Allah.”  When ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, prayed two rak’ats at Dhu’l-Hulayfa, he said, “I do as I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) doing” (Dhu’l-Hulayfa is the miqat for the people of Madina on their way to Hajj.)  [Qadi Iyad, op cit., Section 3: The obligation to follow him and obey his Sunna].

[5] Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, related that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said while in prostration: “O Allah, place light in my heart, light in my hearing, light in my sight, light on my right, light on my left, light in front of me, light behind me, light above me, light below me, and make light for me,” or he said: “Make me light.” Salama said: “I met Kurayb and he reported Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) as saying: ‘I was with my mothers sister Maymuna when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) came there, and then he narrated the rest of the hadith as was narrated by Ghundar and said the words: ‘Make me light’ beyond any doubt.’” Muslim narrates it in his Sahih, book of Salat al-Musafirin. Imam Ahmad in his Musnad also narrates it with a strong chain, but with the reverse order of the first narration cited above, resulting in the wording “[...] and make me light” or he said: “Make light for me.”  Ibn Hajr in Fath al-Bari (1989 ed. 11:142) mentions a narration in Ibn Abi `Asim's Kitab al-du’a which states: “And grant me light upon light” (wa hab li nuran `ala nur).

[6] Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said that a man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and asked, “When will the Last Hour come, Messenger of Allah?” “What have you prepared for it?” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked.  The questioner replied, “I have not prepared a lot of prayer or fasting or charity for it, but I love Allah and His Messenger.” The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “You will be with the one you love”(al-Bukhari).

[7] The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was met with joy and jubilation as he proceeded to enter Madina from the people of Madina. Al-Bara ibn Azib (a Companion) narrated that: [..] “I had never seen the people of Madina so joyful as they were on the arrival of Allah’s Apostle, for even the slave girls were saying, ‘Allah’s Apostle has arrived!’”[..] Bukhari, volume 5, Book 58, Number 262. Muslim narrates that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “I was sent only as (a) mercy. I was not sent as a punishment.” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was greeted with the following invocation:

Talaa al-badru alayna, min thaniyyat al-wada,

wajaba al-shukru alayna, ma daa ilillahi da

The full moon has risen over us, from the mountains of al-Wada,

We shall ever give thanks for it, As long as there will be callers to Allah.

Anta shamsun anta badrun, anta nurun fawqa nur,

anta iksiru al-wujud, anat misbah al-sudur.

You are a sun, you are a full moon.

You are light upon light, You are the quintessence of existence,

You are the lamp in every breast.

Ashraqa al-badru alayna, fakhtafat minhu al-budur,

Mithla husnik ma raayna, qattu ya wajh al-surur

The full moon has risen over us, eclipsing all other moons.

Such as your beauty we have never seen, No never, O face of delight!

Ya habibi ya Muhammad, ya arus al-khafiqayn,

Ya muayyad ya mumajjad, ya Imam al qiblatayn

O My beloved, O Muhammad, O bridegroom of the East and the West.

The one Allah vindicated and exalted, O Imam of the two directions!

[8] Al-Qur’an: 5:15.

[9] There are some Muslims who absolutely refuse to believe that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was a “light” sent to illuminate the world, and hold that to believe it is not only spurious but has absolutely no place in Islam. Because of a stigma that is attached to those who affirm that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was a ‘light’, many Muslims actually are reluctant to even speak about this. This area often brings up intense heated words and argument, when indeed their need not be any. To those who actually deny any possibility or even reference that the Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was a light is an actual negation of the fact that Allah Himself refers to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as “light” in His Glorious Book:

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

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

This is concurred upon by Imam al-Tabari and Qadi al-Shawkani in their Tafsir’s, who agree that the light was the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti: “It is the Prophet, (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).” (Tafsir al-Jalalayn, 139); Ibn Jarir al-Tabari: “By Light He means Muhammad, (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) through whom Allah has illuminated the truth, manifested Islam, and obliterated polytheism - since he is a light for whoever seeks illumination from him, which makes plain the truth.” (Jami‘ al-Bayan, 6.161); Fakhr al-Din Razi: “There are various positions about it, the first being that the Light is Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the Book is the Qur’an.” (al-Tafsir al-Kabir, 11:194); al-Baghawi: “It means Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), or, according to a weaker position, Islam” (Ma‘alam al-Tanzil, 2.228); Qurtubi (Ahkam al-Qur’an, 6.118) and Mawardi (al-Nukat wa al-‘Uyun, 2.22) mention that interpreting Nur as “Muhammad” (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was also the position by [the Imam of Arabic grammar Ibrahim ibn Muhammad] al-Zajjaj (d. 311/923). Al-Nasafi in his commentary entitled Tafsir al-Madarik (1:276) and al-Qasimi in his Mahasin al-Ta’wil (6:1921) similarly say: “There has come to you a Light from Allah: this is the light of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) because one is guided by him. Similarly he has been called a lamp (siraj). Imam Ahmad al-Sawi similarly said in his super commentary on Tafsir al-Jalalayn (1:258): “There has come to you a Light from Allah: that Light is the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). He was named a light because he enlightens the sight and guides it to the correct path; and also because he is the root of every light whether material or spiritual.” Allah said: “O Prophet! Truly We have sent you as a Witness, a Bearer of glad tidings, and a Warner, and as one who invites to Allah by His leave, and as a Lamp spreading Light.” (33:45-46) Ibn Kathir states in his Tafsir: “His saying: and a light-giving lamp, that is: your status shows in the truth you have brought just as the sun shows in its rising and illuminating, which none denies except the obdurate.”

Why do we today shrink from saying that the Messenger of Allah is a ‘light” from Allah when this is the interpretation of the earliest Qur’anic commentators?

Ibn Taymiya (in his Majmu ‘at al-fatawa [11:94, 18:366]) argued that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, could not possibly be made of light on the grounds that human beings are created from earth into which the spirit is blown, while angels alone are created from light. To support his view, he cites the hadith from ‘A’isha, may Allah be pleased with her, in Sahih Muslim whereby the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

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

However, to deduce from the above that a human being can never be characterised as a light contradicts the understandings of the majority of scholars as well as the many reports from the Sahaba, may Allah be pleased with them all, who often compared the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to a light or a harbinger of light, particularly a sun and a moon, chief among them his poet, Hassan ibn Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him:

tarahhala ‘an qawmin faddalat `uqulahum

Wa halla `ala qawmin bi nurin mujaddadi

He left a people who preferred their minds over him

And he dawned on a people with a light made new.

mata yabdu fi al-daji al-bahimi jabinuhu

Yaluhu mithla misbahi al-duja al-mutawaqqidi

Whenever his forehead emerged in pitch-black darkness

It would shine like the blazing luminary of dark night.

Bayhaqi narrated the two verses in Dala’il al-Nubuwwa (1:280, 302). The latter verse is also narrated Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr in al-Isti ‘ab (1:341) and al-Zarqani in Sharh al-Mawahib (1:91). Hassan, may Allah be pleased with him, also said:

Nor has Allah created among his creatures

One more faithful to his sojourner or his promise

Than he who was the source of our light.

Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, described the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, thus:

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

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

While ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, would recite the following:

law kunta min shay'in siwa basharin

Kunta al-mudi'a li laylat al-badri

If you were anything other than a human being.

You would be the light in the night of a full moon.

Bayhaqi narrated the above in Dala’il al-Nubuwwa (1:301-302).

Al-Zuhri narrated:

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

Al-Bayhaqi narrated it in Dala’il al-Nubuwwa (1:87). Al-Tabari in his Tarikh (2:243), Ibn al-Jawzi in al-Wafa'’ (p. 82-83, chapter 16 of Abwab bidayati nabiyyina).

There are numerous other instances where the Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was described as, and referred to, a “light” which can be found scattered throughout these notes.  It should be realised that it were the Mu’tazilis who insisted that the Light in verse 5:15 referred only to the Qur’an and not to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. For those wishing to pursue this topic in greater detail, readers are advised to refer to some on-line sources at:

http://www.abc.se/~m9783/nurn_e.html

http://ds.dial.pipex.com/masud/ISLAM/nuh/masudq7.htm  and

http://ds.dial.pipex.com/masud/ISLAM/misc/nuremuhammadi.htm

[10] The issue of when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had existed, has been one that the ‘ulama have had much to discuss about, and of which (specifically) the following hadiths have produced varying opinions:

‘Irbad ibn Sarya relates that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

Verily I was written in Allah’s Presence as the Seal of Prophets while verily Adam was still kneaded in his clay.

(Narrated by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, and al-Hakim in his Mustadrak)

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, also said: “I was a Prophet while Adam was still between the spirit and the body.” Al-Tirmidhi narrated it and said it hassan sahih, and it is authenticated by al-Hakim 2:609 as sahih, and also narrated by Ibn Abi Shayba in his Musannaf 14:292, and al-Bukhari in his Tarikh 7:374.

Imam Taj al-Din Subki said:

It has been said that Allah created the spirits before the bodies, and the Prophet’s reference to his prophecy in the hadith, “I was a Prophet while Adam was still between the spirit and the body” may be a reference to his blessed spirit and to the Reality of Realities (haqiqat al-haqa'iq). Our minds fall short of knowing such a Reality, but its Creator knows it, and also those to whom He extends a madad of light from Him [man amaddahu bi nurin ilahi]. Allah brings to existence whichever of these realities that He likes in the time that He pleases. As for the reality of the Prophet, (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) it is most likely that it was before the creation of Adam, and Allah gave it its prophetic attribute upon its creation; therefore already at that time, he was the Prophet.

[Quoted by al-Suyuti in Hawi li al-Fatawi, and by Qastallani at the beginning of his Mawahib al-laduniyya 1:31-32.].

Al Hakim narrated on the authority of ‘Umar ibn al Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

When Adam, upon whom be peace, committed the sin he said, “O Lord! I ask You in the name of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to forgive me.” Allah Almighty said, “How (do) you know him and I did not create him yet?” Adam said, “O Lord! When you created me with Your hands and breathed into me from Your spirit, I looked up and I saw on the Pillars of the Throne had been written There is No God save Allah, Muhammad (is) the Messenger of Allah, therefore I knew you put your name with the name of the Most beloved one of your creatures to you.” Allah said, “O Adam, you said the truth. He (Muhammad) is the most beloved one of the creatures to Me, you asked Me by his name, so I forgive you, because had it not been for Muhammad, I would not (have) created you.

[Imam Abi al-Fidaa Isma’il bin Kathir, Qisaas al-‘Anbiyaa (Adam Publishers & Distributors (Delhi) Revised Edn, 1999) p 21].

The scholars differed regarding the soundness of this report:

Ibn Abd al-Hadi al-Hanbali in his Sarim Almunki and Ibn Taymiya in his fatawa (and his Qaida al-Jaliyya) concluded that there was no evidence to support the authenticity of the above hadith, whereas Imam al-Dhahabi in his Talkhis al-Mustadrak, graded it to be da’if, (weak) due to the weakness of one of the narrators, ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd.  However, Imam al-Hakim al-Naysaburi in his Mustadrak and Kitab al-Tarikh, declared the hadith of the Intercession of Adam upon whom be peace, to be Sahih, while many other scholars have not only used it for proof, but explicitly declared it to be Sahih as well, such as, al-Bulqini, Qadi ‘Iyad, al-Suyuti, al-Tabarani, al-Haythami, al-Subki (hassan), Ibn Hajar al-Makki and others.  Since Ibn Kathir used the hadith as a part of the make up of his Sirat, it would be erroneous to label those who accept this hadith as committing, kufr, shirk or bid’a, since this was also Ibn Kathir’s view who uses this narration as proof.  One note about Ibn Taymiya’s view on this hadith - after acknowledging its weakness, he however states that it is, ‘Salih li istishhad,’ which is a terminology used in ‘ulum al-Hadith meaning that the hadith is supported by other evidences [see Majmu’ at al-Fatawa Ibn Taymiya vol. 2, page 150]. Also, different muhaddithin had different conditions for the acceptance of hadith. So one hadith might be sahih according to the conditions of one Imam, while it might not be so for another Imam.

In the chapter concerning the Prophet’s superiority over all other
Prophets, in his al-Wafa bi Ahwal al-Mustafa’, Ibn al-Jawzi states:

Part of the demonstration of his superiority to other Prophets is the fact that Adam (upon whom be peace) asked his Lord through the sanctity (hurma) of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that He relent towards him. The most authentic chain for this report is not that of al-Hakim’s narration from ‘Umar through ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam who is weak, but that of the Companion Maysarat al-Fajr who narrates it as follows:

I asked: “O Messenger of Allah, when were you [first] a Prophet?” He replied: “When Allah created the earth [Then turned He to the heaven, and fashioned it as seven heavens] (2:29), and created the Throne, He wrote on the leg of the Throne: “Muhammad the Messenger of Allah is the Seal of Prophets” (Muhammadun Rasulullahi Khâtamu al-Anbiya’). Then Allah created the Garden in which He made Adam and Hawwa’ dwell, and He wrote my name on the gates, its tree-leaves, its domes and tents, at a time when Adam was still between the spirit and the body. When Allah Most High instilled life into him he looked at the Throne and saw my name, whereupon Allah informed him that ‘He [Muhammad] is the master of all your descendants.’ When Iblis deceived them both, they repented and sought intercession to Allah with my name.

[11] Hafiz Ibn Kathir wrote that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “I am the prayer of Ibrahim, (upon whom be peace) the prophecy of ‘Isa (upon whom be peace).  When my mother was pregnant, she witnessed so much light from her body, that she could see the palaces of Syria” [Tarikh Ibn Kathir, vol. II. Sirat al-Nabawiyya]. The Messenger of Allah’s uncle, al-‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, composed a poem praising the birth of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in which are found the following words, “When you were born, the earth was shining, and the firmament barely contained your light, and we can pierce through, thanks to that radiance and light, and path of guidance.”  The text is found in al-Suyuti’s Husn al-Maqasid, p 5; Ibn Kathir’s Mawlid, p 30, as well as in Ibn Hajar’s Fath al Bari.  Ibn Kathir, in his Mawlid, p 19, writes, “The Night of the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) birth is a magnificent, noble, blessed and a holy night, a night of bliss for the Believers, pure, radiant with lights and of immeasurable price.”

In another narration of the above poem, we read that al-‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said to him:

O Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) I wish to praise you. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied: “Go ahead - may Allah adorn your mouth with silver!” He said a poem that ended with these lines: “And then, when you were born, a light rose over the earth until it illuminated the horizon with its radiance.  We are in that illumination and that original light and those paths of guidance - and thanks to them pierce through.”

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

‘Irbad ibn Sariya and Abu Imama said that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

I am the supplication of my father Ibrahim, and the good tidings of my brother ‘Isa. The night I was delivered my mother saw a light that lit the castles of Damascus so that she could see them.

It is narrated by al-Hakim in his Mustadrak (2:616-617), Ahmad in his Musnad (4:184), and Bayhaqi in Dala’il al-Nubuwwa (1:110, 2:8). Ibn al-Jawzi cites it in al-Wafa’ (p. 91, ch. 21 of Bidayat Nabiyyina), and Ibn Kathir in his Mawlid and his Tafsir (4:360). Haythami cites it in Majma’ al-Zawa’id (8:221) and said al-Tabarani and Ahmad narrated it, and Ahmad’s chain is fair (hassan).

Shah AbdulRahim (d. 1131/1719), father of Shah Wali Allah Muhaddith Dehlawi (d. 1176/1762), would hold mawlid gatherings annually. On such occasions, he would prepare and distribute meals to the poor (Al-Dur al-Thamin, p 8). This was also the practice of Shah Wali Allah and his son, Shah ‘Abd al-Aziz Muhaddith Dehlawi (d. 1239/1834). On every 12th of Rabi al-Awwal they used to invite the masses to their mawlid gatherings, in which they would speak about the auspicious events related to the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) birth. At the end of the celebration, they would distribute food and sweetmeats (Al-Dur al-Munazzam, p 89).

Once, Shah Wali Allah attended a mawlid gathering in Makkah, in which he said that he saw manifestations of light cascading down (Fuyuz al-Haramain, page 80-81). Haji Imdad Allah Muhajir Makki (d. 1317/1899), the shaykh of Rashid Ahmed Gangohi (d. 1323/1905), would hold mawlid gatherings each year as a means of obtaining salvation; during those gatherings, while in a standing position he would recite prayers of blessing and peace for the Messenger of Allah [Faysla-i-Haft Mas’ala (with annotation) p 111].  On the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal of each year, the grand Mufti, Shah Mazhar Allah Dehlawi, would hold Mawlid gatherings in great splendour, continuing all night from ‘Isha prayer until the Fajr prayer at dawn. Salawat and Salam would be recited while standing after which food and sweetmeats would be distributed [Tadhkara-i-Mazhar-i-Mas’ud, pp. 176-177]. The importance of invoking blessings and peace for the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace is stated in Holy Qur’an, which is understood as asserting that angels are at all times reciting praise and blessings on the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace [Qur’an, al-Saffat, 37:1]. In Madina at the blessed funeral bed of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the angels, men and women, and even children offered Salawat and Salam in groups, for hours in a standing position [Madarij al-Nabuwwa, volume 2, p 440, and examine Fatawa Ridawiyya volume 4, p 54 Ref: Bayhaqi and al Hakim].

Imam Taqi al-Din al-Subki was in a gathering of learned scholars in which the poetry of Imam Sarsari (d. 656/1258) was being recited. Upon hearing a verse in which the poet fervently urged the audience to stand at the time of the Prophet’s auspicious remembrance, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, all of the scholars stood in reverence [Tabaqat al-Kubra, Egypt, volume I p 208]. Allah the Most High states, “Speak of the bounty of thy Lord!” [Qur’an, al-Duha 93:11], and Imam Bukhari states that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is the greatest bounty of Allah [Bukhari, volume 2, p 566], hence he should become the object of most publicity. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, himself spoke about his blessed birth from the pulpit [al-Tirmidhi, volume 2, p 201]. On his instruction some of the noble companions also described and publicised the Messenger of Allah’s, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, most excellent qualities [Zurqani, volume 1, p 227].

In the year 9AH/630, on the occasion of returning from the battle of Tabuk, al-Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, recited a poem on the birth of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in his presence [Ibn Kathir, Milad-i-Mustafa (Urdu translation) pp 29-30, al-Suyuti, Husn al-Maqasid p 5]. On another occasion, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, himself put the platform (mimbar) on which Hassan bin Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, stood and sang an ode in his praise [Bukhari volume I, p 65, al-Musnad (Beirut, 1983) volume 6, p 72, al-Dhababi, Siyar al-Alam, al-Nubala (Beirut, 1992) volume 2, pp 513-541) Bukhari, chapter 68, volume I, p 264], for the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace blessed him with a special prayer.

[12] Ibn al Jawzi al-Hanbali, narrates that the light of the Messenger of Allah would overcome the light of both the sun and lamp [Al Wafa, Chapter al Wilada, Ibn al Jawzi]. Abu ‘Ubayda ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ammar ibn Yasir said: “I said to say to al-Rubayyi’ bint Mu ‘awwadh: ‘Describe for me Allah's Messenger.’ She replied: ‘If you saw him you would say: The sun is rising.’”  Bayhaqi narrates it with his isnad in Dala’il al-Nubuwwa (1:200), and Haythami in Majma’ al-Zawa’id (8:280) says that al-Tabarani narrates it in al-Mu'jam al-kabir and al-Awsat and that its narrators have been declared trustworthy.

[13] Ibn Kathir narrates that Hassan Ibn Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the star from which even the moon of the fourteenth night obtains its light”  [Tarikh Ibn Kathir, vol. III]. 

[14] “He will bring you out of the darkness into the light” [5:16]. Ibn Kathir also mentions that Ka’ab Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, recited a poem in the presence of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace of which consisted the lines […] “We have come to you, and you have transformed our darkness into light, and have removed the barriers of ignorance”  [Tarikh, and Sirat al-Nabiwiyya, Ibn Kathir, under the heading of “Miracles”]. ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, would recite the following; “ If you were anything other than a human being You would be the light in the night of a full moon.” Bayhaqi narrated the above in Dala’il al-Nubuwwa (1:301-302) and relates that ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, added after saying the above: “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was like this, and no one other than he was like this.”

[15] Contemplate over the preceding sayings of the Sahaba and scholars.

[16] As in 33:46, Allah calls the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sirajun munir,  “a shining Lamp,” an expression which Hassan Ibn Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, used to describe the Messenger of Allah as the “light” in  [5:15]. Furthermore, in the description of the battle of Badr, he narrated that the Messenger of Allah’s face shone like the full moon of Badr, and in his mournful eulogy for the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he also mentions also the radiant light that shone at the Prophets birth; “And he who is guided to the blessed light, is well guided” [Hassan Ibn Thabit, Diwan.  Edited by Walid N. Arafat. GMS, n.s. 21. 2 Vols.  London: Luzac, 1971.  See Diwan, no. 34, line 8; no. 9. Line 21; also see no. 131, line 9]. In the last section of his Sira, Ibn Ishaq quotes the poem of Hassan Ibn Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, which he recited after the loss of the Messenger of Allah:

Tell the poor that plenty has left them With the Prophet who departed from them this morning.

He was the light and the brilliance that we followed. 

He was the sight and hearing second only to God […]

He was the source of our light, blessed in his deeds, just, and upright. 

O best of men! It was as it were a river without which I have become lonely in my thirst.

[The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s “Sirat Rasul Allah,” Trans. A. Guillaume (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1955) pp. 690 –91]. Ka ‘b ibn Malik said:

I greeted the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and there was lightning in his face. Whenever the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was happy, his face would be illuminated as if it were a piece of the moon.

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

[17] Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah [4:80]. Say: If you love Allah, then follow me and Allah will love you  [3:31].

[18] The seemingly sensitive issue of whether or not Muslims can say the words ‘Ya RasulAllah’ needs to be clarified, since this issue divides the Muslim community and causes a great deal of friction among the Muslim communities throughout the world. There are basically two “schools of thought,” over this issue - one contends that stating ‘Ya RasulAllah’ is shirk and that any Muslim proclaiming it in fact goes outside the boundaries of Islam. Contrary to this position, the other School believes that it is indeed permissible to say so, however, they do not insist that one must proclaim this - rather, it is permissible to do so. Unfortunately, the two polar positions have produced two extremities: while one body of Muslims will call shirk to those who profess it, the other body of Muslims will declare those who do not proclaim Ya Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) anything but orthodox. In reality, an absence of the proclamation does not weaken ones Din, while to make the proclamation does not nullify your Din. To blanket condemn everyone who makes this call as being mushriks or people of innovation - reflects ignorance of the accuser. Perhaps these few references will shed some light upon the issue:

Some time after the Messenger of Allah had died, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ‘Abd Allah Ibn ‘Umar’s, may Allah be pleased with him, leg became numb.  A man said to him, “Remember the person whom you love the most.”  Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, replied, “Ya Muhammad”  [Imam Bukhari’s Adab al-Mufrad - Book of Muslim Morals and Manners, translated by Yusuf Talal Delorenzo, al-Saadawi Publications, Alexandria, Virginia, 1997, hadith Number 967].

Ibn Taymiya wrote that:

in the same way as ‘Abd Allah ibn Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with him) foot became numb and he remembered the one he loves most, ‘Abd Allah Ibn Abbas’s (may Allah be pleased with him) foot also became numb. Someone also said to him to remember the one who he loves the most. ‘Abd Allah Ibn Abbas said Ya Muhammad! and his foot immediately recovered from numbness

 [Al-Kalim al-Tayyib chapter on Khadirat Rijluhu, Ibn Taymiya].

Imam Nawawi mentions in his Adhkar both the narrations whereby Ibn ‘Umar and Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, would cry out Ya Muhammad whenever they had a cramp in their leg. The text can be found (amongst other editions) in: 1970 Riyadh edition, p 271; 1988 Ta’if edition, p 383; Makkah edition, p 370; ‘Abd al-Baqi Beirut edition, p 286.

Narrated Abu Hurayra:

I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) say: “By the one in whose hand is Abu al Qasim’s soul, ‘Isa bin Maryam shall descend as a just and wise ruler. He shall destroy the cross, slay the swine, eradicate discord and grudges, and money shall be offered to him but he will not accept it. Then he shall stand by my graveside and say: Ya Muhammad! and I will answer him.

[Abu Ya’la relates this with a sound chain in his Musnad (Dar al Ma’mun edition 1407/1987) 11:462; Ibn Hajar cites it in al-Matalib al-‘Aliya (Kuwait, 1393/1973) 4:23, under the chapter ‘The Prophet’s life in his grave’ and No.4574; Haythami comments in his Majma’ al-Zawa’id (8:5), under the chapter entitled: ‘Isa ibn Maryam’s Descent’ that: Its sub-narrators are the men of sound (sahih) hadith’]

Al-Haytham ibn Hanash [al-Nakha‘i] said:

We were in ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar’s house when he felt a cramp in his leg, where­upon one man said to him: ‘Remember (or mention) the dearest of people to you,” so he said: ‘Ya Muhammad!’ and he seemed relieved of his cramp.

[Narrated by al-Nawawi in al-Adhkar (op. cit.,) Ibn al-Qayyim – without the interjection Ya – in al-Wabil al-Sayyib (1952 ed. p 195) and al-Shawkani’s Tuhfa al-Dhakirin (Cairo ed. pp. 291-292, 1970 Beirut ed. pp. 206-207). This report is narrated by Ibn al-Sunni from Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Bardha‘i who said: Hajib ibn Sulayman [al-Manbiji] narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Mus‘ab narrated to us: Isra’il narrated to us: From Abu Ishaq: From al-Haytham ibn Hanash, as cited by al-Shawkani in the Tuhfa (see below)]

A blind man went to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said:

Invoke Allah for me that he might help me. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied: “If you wish, I will delay this, and it would be better for you, and if you wish, I will invoke Allah for you.” The blind man replied: “Then invoke Him.” The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to him: “Go and make wadhu’, offer two rakats of prayer, then say ‘O Allah, I am asking you and turning to you with your Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the Prophet of mercy: O Muhammad (Ya Muhammad), I am turning with you to my Lord with your intercession concerning the return of my sight [another version has: so that He will fulfil my need. O Allah, allow him to intercede (with You) for me].

This is related by Ahmad (4:138 No. 17246-17247), Tirmidhi; Ibn Majah; Nasai; al-Hakim; Tabarani (in his al-Kabir) and has received the mark of vigorously authenticated by at least fifteen hadith masters, including Ibn Hajar al Asqalani, al-Dhahabi, al-Shawkani and even Ibn Taymiya.

Despite the Messenger of Allah’s absence, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he still ordered the man to say ‘O Muhammad,’ since the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace did not say: “Go and make wadhu’ and come back to me,” or ‘in front of me.’ For those who will then next say that this was only allowed at the time that the Messenger of Allah was amongst the Sahaba, they need to also realise that the very invocation which the Messenger of Allah gave the blind man, was used after the Prophet’s lifetime, as authenticated as Sahih amongst others: al Bayhaqi, Abu Nu’aym, al-Mundhiri and al-Tabarani in al-Kabir. They relate on the authority of ‘Uthman ibn Hunayf’s nephew, Abu Imama ibn Sahl ibn Hunayf that:

A man would come to ‘Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) for a certain need, but the latter would not pay him any attention nor look at his need, upon which he complained to ‘Uthman ibn Hunayf who told him to ‘go and make wadhu,’ then go to the mosque and pray two rakats, then say this supplication ..’ and he mentioned the invocation of the blind man, ‘then go (to ‘Uthman again).’” The man went, did as he was told, then went to ‘Uthman ibn Affan’s door, to which the door attendant came, took him by the hand and brought him to ‘Uthman ibn Affan who sat with him on top of the carpet and said: ‘Tell me what your need is.’ After this, the man went out and met ‘Uthman ibn Hunayf and said to him: ‘may Allah reward you! Previously he (‘Uthman ibn Affan) would not look into my need nor pay attention to me, until you spoke to him.’ Uthman ibn Hunayf replied, ‘I did not speak with him, but I saw the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) when a blind man came to him complaining of his failing eye-sight.’

Hafiz Ibn Kathir, Imam al-Tabari and Ibn Athir wrote that:

During the caliphate of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) there was a battle against the false prophet Musaylima.  When the battle commenced, the Muslims lost their footing, at which Khalid bin Walid (may Allah be pleased with him) and the rest of the Companions called out, “Ya Muhammad!” and proceeded to win the battle.

[Tarikh al-Tabari, Tarikh Ibn Kathir and Tarikh Qamil by Imam Tabari and Hafiz Ibn Kathir, under chapter Musaylima kadab]

Qadi Shawkani wrote:

If one is in trouble or experiencing some difficulty, they should perform two units of nawafil and then supplicate (to Allah) the du`a [...]‘Ya Muhammad!’’ [...] and Allah will grant them what they want in that their problems or troubles should go away.  The scholars of hadith say that this hadith is authentic and it is recorded by Tirmidhi, Hakim, Nas’ai, Ibn Majah and Tabarani.

[Tuhfa al-Dhakirin chapter on Salat al-Hajah, Qadi Shawkani]

Ibn Sa’d wrote:

After Rasul Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had passed away, Arwa bint Abdul Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with her) recited the following: “Ya Rasul Allah! You were our (place of) hope.

[Tabqat Ibn Sa’ad Chapter: Wafat al-Nabi, Ibn Sa’ad].

Seyyed Mawdudi wrote that:

When Hajaj bin Yusuf levied a new tax on the new Muslims, they left Basra crying with their fuqaha all saying, Ya Muhammad! Ya Muhammad!

[Khilafat wa Malukiyat, Seyyed Mawdudi, p 270 and also recorded in the Tarikh by Ibn Athir]

Some often fail to realise that we are all required to recite the tashahhud during salat – without it the prayer becomes invalid. The part that is of interest is where we recite: as-salamu ‘alayka ayyuha al nabi – wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh. The point here is that the saying of ayyuha al nabi is actually the same as saying ya nabi.

It is significant to note that neither Imam Bukhari, Imam Nawawi nor Qadi Shawkani for that matter ever raised such a notion as to say that calling out Ya Muhammad amounted to shirk. This practice is often condemned by observers who look to people that often misunderstand the context within which the calling occurs. Imam al-Suyuti mentions that if a practice is sound and has basis in the Shari’ah and is being polluted by the mistakes of the people – do you condemn the activity, rather than correcting the people?

[19] “Allah and His angels are praying on the Prophet, Oh believers, pray on him”  [33:56]. Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Gabriel called me and said, ‘whoever prays one prayer on you, Allah prays on him ten times and raises him up by ten degrees’” [Ibn Abi Shayba].  ‘Amir Ibn Rabi’a said that he heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, “The angels will continue to bless anyone who blesses me, as long as he continues to do so, so do a lot, or even a little” [Ibn Majah and al-Tabarani].  Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whenever anyone greets me with peace, Allah will return my soul to me, so that I can return the greeting”  [Abu Dawud and al Bayhaqi].  Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, “The nearest people to me on the Day of Rising, will be those who have said the most prayers on me”  [Al-Tirmidhi].  The Messenger of Allah said, “Dust be upon the face of the man who does not bless me when I am mentioned in his presence”  [Muslim, from Abu Hurayra].  The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever blesses me in a book or a letter, the angels continue to ask forgiveness for him, as long as my name is on it”  [Al-Tabarani].

[20] The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, called himself the Seyyed of all human beings. In addition he called his grandson al-Hassan a Seyyed in absolute terms. (Inna waladi hadha seyyeduna). He also ordered the Ansar, when he saw Sa`d ibn Mu’adh coming, as related by Bukhari in his Sahih: Qumu li seyyedikum or “Stand up for your master.” The implications of that term on the basis of these narrations are that it entails leadership, rank, and respect. The word ‘master’ is used both in the lofty senses mentioned above, as well as in the possibly lowly senses of ‘sahib’ [owner], as in ‘sahib al-bayt,’ ‘sahib al-kalb,’ the owner of the house, of the dog etc.  There are further language usages that taint the word ‘master,’ such as the Western/European concept of the word in the context of slavery, where n the words ‘slave’ and ‘master’ infer abuse and injustice but which are absent from ‘abd, mamluk, and sahib, not to say Seyyed.  That is partly why the Christians have "lord" instead of ‘master’ in a similar context, but they also use it for “THE Lord,” and so when it comes to Prophets the doctrinal aberration of ascribing divine lordship becomes too glaring, and so Muslims prefer to use ‘master.’

[21] Those who often argue that standing out of respect for anyone is an act that is prohibited by Islam, (or at the very best, makruh) will often quote the following two hadiths in their favour:

1.       ‘Abd Allah bin ‘Abd al-Rahman related that Anas said: “No one was dearer to them (the companions) than Allah’s Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) yet when they saw him they did not stand up because they knew of his dislike of that.”

[Related by al Tirmidhi].

2.       Mahmud bin Ghaylan related that Mu’awiyya came out (from a place) so ‘Abd Allah bin al-Zubayr and Ibn Safwan stood up when they saw him. Mu’awiyya said: sit down for I heard the Prophet say: Let he who is pleased by people standing before him, await his place in Hell.

[Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi]

Al-Tirmidhi cites the first hadith in Kitab al-Adab and asserts that this hadith is hassan sahih gharib min hadha al wajh. This makes us note that this hadith does not relate to ‘aqa’id or ‘ibadat, but to adab. Imam Nawawi comments upon this hadith and points out that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stood up in respect for some of the Companions and they stood up out of respect for each other in the Prophet’s presence and he did not forbid nor criticised them for it [See Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Fath al-Bari fi sharh al-Bukhari (Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 1993), vol. 12, p 322]. Interestingly, various books and commentaries upon hadiths address the issue of standing up in respect to someone. However, books of fiqh rarely discussed the issue, which is an indication that standing up in respect was not perceived to be a subject of legal inquiry.

As for the hadith narrated in Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi through Abu Mijlaz from Mu’awiyya, this again appears in the section of adab. With this hadith, there is a discrepancy that occurs in the various transmissions. Abu Dawud reports that when Mu’awiyya appeared, Ibn ‘Amir stood up and al Zubayr remained sitting. According to Tirmidhi’s version, both Ibn Zubayr and Ibn Safwan stood up, with no mention of Ibn ‘Amir at all. So there is a disagreement as to who exactly stood up and who remained sitting. Also, most of the transmitted versions go back to Abu Mijlaz, of whom not much is known about him as a transmitter. In a different version of this narration, Ibn Baridah reports that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘Whoever likes men to stand before him let him await his place in Hell.’ This version is not accepted by any of the six books of hadiths.

Regarding this hadith, both Imam al-Tabarani and Imam Nawawi explain that the hadith does not actually prohibit standing up or not standing up. Rather, it says that whoever is pleased with people standing up for him is doomed. In other words, the prohibition applies to the person being stood up for, not the person or persons that are standing. The hadith they conclude, calls for the humility of leaders, but says nothing of the followers [Fath al-Bari, op cit., vol. 12, pp 318-322].

If one really wanted to investigate further into this area, one will find that there are in actual fact other hadiths that can be cited as prohibitions of standing:

Abu Dawud narrated that Abu ‘Umamah reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came out to the believers leaning on a cane. Upon seeing him the believers stood up, so the Prophet said: “Do not stand up as the a’jim stand up for each other.” However, Imam al-Tabarani argued that this hadith is weak due to problems in its chain of transmission. 

Another hadith is related by Jabir, who relates that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, felt ill during prayer so he sat down, but the believers continued to stand. The Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saw this and signaled for them to sit down. After the prayer had been completed, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “You were about to do as the Persians and Byzantines do. They stand while their kings sit down. Do not do that!” In another hadith, Anas related that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Those before you have been ruined by the fact that they have glorified their kings by standing up as their kings sit down.”

It is clear from reading the above hadiths that there is a central theme connecting them all – namely the prohibition of standing. There is some appeal to this argument as it can be identified that from the collective memories of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, that they recalled that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, took some issue with them standing up before him. However, in this case, this approach is not reasonable. The problem lies with conflicting evidences which support the contrary. For example:

Usama ibn Sharik narrates:

I went to see the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) while his Companions were with him, and they seemed as still as if birds had alighted on top of their heads. I gave him my Salam and I sat down. [Then the Bedouins came in and asked questions which the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) answered ..] The Prophet then stood up and the people stood up. They began to kiss his hands whereupon I took his hand and placed it on my face. I found it more fragrant and cooler than sweet water.

This was narrated by Abu Dawud in his Sunan, al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, Tirmidhi in his Sunan, Ibn Majah in his Sunan and Ahmad in his Musnad.

Tirmidhi narrates that Abu Kurayyab reported that two Jews kissed the Prophet’s hands and feet. Notably, Abu Dawud, al Bukhari, Muslim and al Bayhaqi narrate through a variety of transmissions, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah be pleased with him, told the Companions to stand up for Sa’d. According to these reports, after Sa’d’s judgment was accepted by Banu Quraydha (a Jewish tribe), Sa’d returned to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Companions upon seeing him, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, told the companions to ‘stand up for your master’ (Qumu li seyyedekum) [Shaykh Albani insists that the reason why the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, told the companions to stand up, was so that they could assist Sa’d off his horse saddle. He uses a narration that is not found in neither the Adab al-Mufrad nor Fath al-Bari]. It is also narrated by Abu Dawud that Abu Hurayra reported that when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would stand up to leave, the companions would also stand up and remain standing until he left the Mosque. Furthermore, in Fath al-Bari, there is a discussion as to whether the Prophet’s standing up to greet Fathima or ‘Ikrimah bin Abi Jahal or the Prophet’s milk brother could also be related to the issue of standing [Fath al-Bari, op cit., vol. 12, p 321].

It is also reported by Tirmidhi and al-Nisa’i that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would stand up when he would see a passing funeral. In one famous incident, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stood up for a Jewish woman’s funeral. When informed that the deceased was Jewish, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace is reported to have commentated: ‘But isn’t she a soul?’ Nonetheless, the scholars have debated whether this rule on standing up for funerals has been abrogated. Imam Malik, Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Shaf’i said that the standing has been abrogated, while Imam Ahmad, Ishaq and other Maliki fuqaha have said that it is a matter of personal choice. Imam Nawawi said that standing up for funerals is not preferred. Other Shafi’i scholars (such as Mutwali) said that standing is recommended [Refer to Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, Sharh al-Suyuti ‘ala Sunan al-Nisa’i (Beirut: Dar al Qalam, n p d) vol. 2, pp 43-44].

Returning to the issue of standing, the question then should be, how did the earlier Muslims reconcile the various reports? How did they understand them? The jurists have adopted various positions depending upon how they understood and interpreted the injunctions. Al-‘Ayni, the Hanafi scholar and author of ‘Umdat al-Qari fi Sharh al-Bukhari, said that no set rule was reached by the scholars on the issue of standing because the disagreement over the matter [Badr al Din Ahmad al ‘Ayni, ‘Umdat al-Qari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari (Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, n p d) vol. 11, p251]. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani agreed with this assessment. He concluded that no final rule was reached because of disagreement [Fath al-Bari, op cit., vol. 12, p 317]. However, al-‘Izz Ibn ‘Abd al-Salam and Ibn Hajar further add that if the failure to stand up will result in insult or create a mafsada (corruption) then it becomes forbidden not to stand up (i.e. that they should stand)[Ibid. p 323]. As mentioned earlier, Imam Nawawi held that the prohibition applies to people who demand and who enjoys people standing in their presence.  As to the person who is doing the standing, Imam Nawawi relied on the principle that people should be given their rightful place (bi ‘umumiyati tanzili al nasi manazilahim). This means, according to Imam Nawawi that one should stand up before one’s elders and the wise [Ibid p323]. Imam Nawawi demonstrated at length that standing out of respect for scholars is permissible in al Tarkhis fi al – Ikram bi al-Qiyyam, or, ‘The Permissibility of Honouring, by standing up, those whose who possess excellence and distinction among the people of Islam: In the spirit of piousness, reverence and respect, not in the spirit of display and aggrandisement.’ Imam al-Suyuti mentions in his Tabyid al-Sahifa, that when Imam Abu Hanifa visited Sufyan after the death of the latters’s brother, Sufyan stood up, went to greet him, embraced him, and bade him sit in his place, saying to those who questioned this act: ‘This man holds a high rank in knowledge, and if I did not stand up for his science, I would stand up for his age, and if not for his age, then for his godwariness [wara’], and if not for his god-wariness, then for his jurisprudence [fiqh].’  Al-Hakim narrates in Ma ‘rifat ‘ulum al-hadith [p 104] that when al Dhuhuli went to see Imam Ahmad, the latter stood up for him and the people were astounded.  Then he told his son and his companions: ‘Go to Abu ‘Abd Allah [al-Dhuhili] and write his narrations.’  Ibn Hajar, al ‘Ayni and others held that it is recommended that one stand up for the leader, a just Imam, and elder or knowledgeable person. Al-Baghawi, in his Sharh al-Sunna, al-Bayhaqi and al-Ghazali said that standing up out of compassion or respect is permissible [Husayn bin Mas’ud al-Baghawi, Sharh al-Sunna (Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 1994) vol. 7 p 213; Fath al-Bari, op cit., vol. 12, pp 320 and 323].

Imam Tabarani held that the standing depended upon the intention. If one stands up to promote arrogance and conceit, then standing is prohibited. If one is merely showing respect, then it is permitted. Ibn Kathir concluded that what was prohibited was the imitating of the Kuffar; but standing up to one who arrives from travel, or to a governor in his place of governorship is permitted [See Shaikh Muhammed bin Jameel Zaynoo, The Methodology of the Saved Sect, Translated by Aboo Naasir ‘Abid bin Basheer (Invitation To Islam: 1999), pp 181-185. The author adheres to the view of Ibn Kathir, while dismissing any other possibility as ‘The Forbidden Standing’ clearly ignoring any possibility of other than his view. He also alludes to the reason why the companions were told to stand for Sa’d, for the reason to ‘…help him down.’ As mentioned earlier, this version of the hadith does not appear in either the Adab al-Mufrad nor Fath al-Bari (See al Albani, Silsilat al-Hadiths al-Da’ifa, vol. 3 p 637; al Albani, Silsilat al-Hadiths al Sahiha (Beirut: al Maktaba al-Islami, 1972) vol. 1, pp 103-106)]. Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn al-Hajj disagreed and contested that standing up in all circumstances is reprehensible because one can never know whether the one you stand for is truly pious or knowledgeable or not. Ibn Rushd concluded that standing up is of four types:

1.       It is prohibited for one to arrogantly and self-conceitedly want others to stand up in his presence

2.       It is reprehensible to stand up to one who is not conceited or arrogant but of whom it is feared that he or she will become conceited or arrogant when people stand in his or her presence

3.       It is permissible to stand up as a sign of respect before someone who you do not fear will become arrogant

4.       It is recommended that one stand up to greet someone who arrives after