Amazing Lecture on the Beautiful Friendship of Rasoolullah SAW and Abu Bakr RA

"It is from the sunnah of Allah SWT that wherever Allah SWT creates something, He always creates within that creation a higher tier..

Within the animals, you will always find there are certain animals higher in rank than other animals

Within foods, you will find that there are certain foods that are greater than other foods

Within lands, you will always find there are certain lands that are better than other lands

Within angels, you will find that out of all the millions of angels, there are 4 that outrank the others and out of these; 1 has the highest rank - Jibreel AS

About Muhammad (pbuh)

Unlike other great religious leaders, like the Buddha, Moses, and Yeshua of Nazareth (Jesus Christ), Muhammad was born relatively recently, in the late 6th century CE, about the year 570. Omid Safi, assistant professor of religion and philosophy at Colgate University, commented that Muhammad was probably the first religious leader to rise up in the full glare of history. 6

Many unusual events have been recorded about Muhammad's (pbuh) birth and childhood:

His mother said "When he was born, there was a light that issued out of my pudendum and lit the places of Syria."

Also at the time of his birth, "...fourteen galleries of Kisra's palace cracked and rolled down, the Magians' sacred fire died down and some churches on Lake Sawa sank down and collapsed."

His foster family had many experiences of amazingly good luck while he was in their care.

As a young child, the angel Jibril visited the boy, ripped his chest open, removed his heart, extracted a blood clot from it, and returned him to normalcy. 4

While still young, he was sent into the desert to be raised by a foster family. This was a common practice at the time. He was orphaned at the age of 6 and brought up by his uncle. As a child, he worked as a shepherd. He was taken on a caravan to Syria by his uncle at the age of 9 (or perhaps 12). Later, as a youth, he was employed as a camel driver on the trade routes between Syria and Arabia. Muhammad (pbuh) later managed caravans on behalf of merchants. He met people of different religious beliefs on his travels, and was able to observe and learn about Judaism, Christianity and the indigenous Pagan religions.

How Heraclius examined the Prophet

The Prophet wrote to the Caesar of the Byzantine Empire, inviting him to Islam, sending a letter to him with Dihya al-Kalbi. The Prophet directed him to present the letter to the governor of Busra, who would forward it to Caesar.

When God had relieved him of the Persian armies, Caesar walked from Emesa [in central Syria] to Jerusalem, out of gratitude to God for having inured him to trial. So when the letter of the Prophet reached him, Caesar read it and said, "Look for someone from his people around here, so that I may ask about this Messenger of God."

Now, it happened that Abu Sufyan was then in Syria with some men from the Quraish tribe who had come on business during the truce that then existed between the Prophet and the disbelievers of the Quraish.

Abu Sufyan later said, "The emissary of Caesar found us in a part of Syria, and he took me and my companions to Jerusalem. There we were brought to Caesar, who was sitting at his royal court, his crown on his head, around him the grandees of Byzantium."

Now, Caesar said to his interpreter, "Ask them who among them is closest in kinship to this man who claims to be a prophet."

Abu Sufyan [who was not a Muslim at the time] responded that he was nearest of them in kinship.

Caesar asked, "And what is the relationship between you and him?"

Abu Sufyan said, "He is a son of my paternal uncle." Then Caesar said, "Bring him closer," and had Abu Sufyan's companions placed behind him, at his shoulders. Then he told his interpreter, "Tell his companions that I am going to question him about this man who claims to be a prophet; so if he tells a lie, immediately repudiate it as a lie."

Later Abu Sufyan admitted that he would have lied when asked about the Prophet, if not for the fact that he would have been shamed to have others spreading reports that he was a liar. So he told the truth.

Now, Caesar asked through his interpreter, "How is the lineage of this man among you?"

Abu Sufyan replied, "He is of noble descent among us." Caesar asked, "And has any one of your people previously said what he has said?"

The Seven Phases of Prophet Muhammad's Life

Traditional scholarship's divides Prophet Muhammad's life into Makkan and Madinahn phases. This is chronologically valid and represents the two broad aspects of his life before and after the watershed event of the Migration. It is historically important and marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

Additionally I believe Muhammad's struggle can be naturally divided into seven phases. Each phase brings forth a different aspect of his personality and highlights a different facet of his mission. Studying the Messenger's mission for its various phases and analyzing its internal dynamics is important as it gives the narrative relevance for today. Since his life is better documented than the lives of other prophets and leaders of major world religions, it is possible to build this analysis on a historical foundation.

The Search for Light in a Period of Darkness: The Seeker of Truth

As his biography (Seera) is recorded we find Prophet Muhammad pondering over societal ills for years. The society he was born in was in a state of moral, religious, economic and social chaos. It is difficult to resist drawing analogies between the seventh century world and the state of the human morality in today's world at the beginning of the new millennium. 

The nuclear man-woman two-parent family, as a core unit of society has eroded seriously in the West. Brazen sexual exploitation in the media is commonplace and illicit sex condoned and even accepted. Violence at home, against women, children, and violence in the streets, is frightfully routine. 

Substance abuse is widespread, with United States as the largest consumer of drugs in the world. Alcoholism is rampant, especially among college students, with only feeble attempts being made to address the problem. African- Americans have been liberated as slaves for a century and a half, yet many are still trapped in an unending cycle of poverty and discrimination, which is in a way a form of economic slavery. Because of a system that allows unrestrained growth of wealth without encouraging proper redistribution, economic disparities and injustices continue to grow at an alarming rate.

The Beauty of Allah's Creation

The Prophet (pbuh) has said that Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty1. It is for this that the whole of Allah's creation has been designed and created according to the highest heavenly standard of splendor and order impossible to be ever emulated by anyone. According to Ibn al-'Arabi, who epitomized the Sufi speculative ontological thought, the divine beauty through which God is named "Beautiful", and by which He described Himself as loving beauty, is in all things. There is nothing in existence but beauty, for God created the cosmos only in His image, that is, in the image of His infinite beauty. Hence all cosmos with all its objects and events is beautiful.2

Allah says on this: "Such is the Creation of Allah: now show Me what is there that others besides Him have created..." (Luqman 31:11).

"...(Such is) the artistry of Allah, Who disposes of all things in perfect order..." (al-Naml 27:88).

Since man has been created as the vicegerent on earth to whose use all things in the heavens and on earth had been subjected (Luqman 31:20), man stands for an essential part of the intricate picturesque network of creation, serving the Creator's universal plan: "We have indeed created man in the best of moulds" (al-Tin 4).

"It is Allah Who has made for you the earth as a resting place, and the sky as a canopy, and has given you shape - and made your shapes beautiful -, and has provided for you Sustenance..." (Gafir 40:64)

"He Who created all things in the best way and He began the creation of man from clay" (al-Sajdah 32:7).

Man is created as the most beautiful creature on earth. He is given the power of reasoning and insight. He is created as the vicegerent on earth never to be forsaken by God's words of guidance. 

Muhammad The Prophet

In the desert of Arabia was Mohammad born, according to Muslim historians, on April 20, 571. The name means highly praised. He is to me the greatest mind among all the sons of Arabia. He means so much more than all the poets and kings that preceded him in that impenetrable desert of red sand.

When he appeared Arabia was a desert -- a nothing. Out of nothing a new world was fashioned by the mighty spirit of Mohammad -- a new life, a new culture, a new civilization, a new kingdom which extended from Morocco to Indies and influenced the thought and life of three continents -- Asia, Africa and Europe.

When I thought of writing on Mohammad the prophet, I was a bit hesitant because it was to write about a religion I do not profess and it is a delicate matter to do so for there are many persons professing various religions and belonging to diverse school of thought and denominations even in same religion. Though it is sometimes, claimed that religion is entirely personal yet it can not be gain-said that it has a tendency to envelop the whole universe seen as well unseen. It somehow permeates something or other our hearts, our souls, our minds their conscious as well as subconscious and unconscious levels too.

The problem assumes overwhelming importance when there is a deep conviction that our past, present and future all hang by the soft delicate, tender silk cord. If we further happen to be highly sensitive, the center of gravity is very likely to be always in a state of extreme tension. Looked at from this point of view, the less said about other religion the better. Let our religions be deeply hidden and embedded in the resistance of our innermost hearts fortified by unbroken seals on our lips.

Medina Charter of Prophet Muhammad and Pluralism

The original Madina Charter document does not exist but the most widely read version of the Constitution is found in the pages of Ibn Ishaq's Sirah Rasul Allah (For English translation of the full text see wikisource),

The clash of civilizations, cultures, tribes, and religions seems to be prevalent throughout all of history. At the same time, history reveals simultaneous conflict and efforts to resolve tensions and division feeding animosity through mediation, diplomacy, and dialogue. Many conflicts seem too complicated for an agreement to be established on just one point, whether or not the conflict revolves around territory, religion, or ethnic discrimination. 

So what approach is best to mediate issues in a contemporary world that seems to be driven by economics, natural resources, and ethnic or religious ideologies? The Medina Charter serves as an example of finding resolve in a dispute where peace and pluralism were achieved not through military successes or ulterior motives but rather through respect, acceptance, and denunciation of war - aspects that reflect some of the basic tenets of the religion Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was guiding and promoting. Through an examination of the Medina Charter, I will show how pluralism was advanced and instated in Medina and the reasons reflecting on such a document could help avoid the divide and misunderstanding plaguing much thought, rhetoric, and media today between Muslims, Christians, and Jews all over the world.

When the Prophet was forced to immigrate to Medina, the population was "a mixture" (akhlat) of many different tribes (predominantly Arabic and Jewish), who had been fighting for nearly a century, causing "civil strife," and it was for this reason that the Prophet was summoned there (Peters 1994, 4). Tribal fighting and a lack of governance in Medina (known as Yathrib) meant disputes were dealt with "by the blade" on many occasions, which deepened the divides and fueled conflicts. 

Message and Method of the Prophet

Some of the major aspects of the mission and method of Prophet Muhammad are eloquently presented in a speech which one of his companions, Jafar ibn abi Taalib, made to the Christian ruler of Abyssinia in Africa in the year 616 CE. Jafar was the spokesman of a group of early Muslims who had sailed across the Red Sea and sought asylum in Abyssinia from the persecution of the pagan Makkans:

"0 King," he said, "We were a people steeped in ignorance, worshipping idols, eating the flesh of dead animals, committing abominations, neglecting our relations and ill-treating our neighbors, and the strong among us would oppress the weak.

"We were in this state when God sent to us a messenger from among us, whose descent and sincerity, truthfulness, trustworthiness and honesty were known to us.

"He summoned us to worship the One True God and to renounce the stones and idols we and our fathers used to worship apart from God.

"He ordered us to speak the truth, to fulfill all that is entrusted to us, to care for our relatives, to be kind to our neighbors, to refrain from what is forbidden and from bloodshed.

The Prophet of Mercy

For thirteen years in his birthplace of Makkah, the Prophet Muhammad called people to the worship of the One True God, to do good and renounce all that was false. But the powers with interests to protect remained implacably hostile and made life intolerable for those who had submitted to the truth.

In constant search for fertile soil to plant the message of truth, the noble Prophet eventually migrated - not fled - northwards to Yathrib. The green oasis became known as the Madinah or the City of the Prophet and was to become the territorial base from which he won the hearts of multitudes and consolidated Islam's place in the landscape of the peninsula.

The leaders of Makkah and a large part of its citizenry remained stubbornly hostile and sought - through wars, siege and alliances - to destabilise the fledgling community. The Prophet, who desired security and peace for people, negotiated a truce with the pagan Makkans on terms that many of his followers were deeply unhappy about. This was in the fifth year after the hijrah or migration to Madinah.

The truce turned out to be beneficial to the whole peninsula but the Makkans eventually broke it by mounting a bloody aggression against an ally of the state of Medinah. The Prophet could not overlook this breach and in the eighth year after the hijrah, he mobilised an impressive force and moved on Makkah. Ten thousand converged on the city, reaching there in the month of Ramadan, the month of fasting. The Quraysh realised that there was no hope of resisting, let alone of defeating, the Muslim forces. What was to be their fate - they who had harried and persecuted the believers, tortured and boycotted them, driven them out of their hearths and homes, stirred up others against them, made war on them, and killed many?

Muhammad in the Bible

Those who follow the Apostle, the unlettered Prophet, Whom they find mentioned in their own Scriptures, in the Torah and the Gospel... (Holy Qu'ran: VII - 157; Translation: Yusif Ali)

BIBLE PROPHECIES ABOUT THE ADVENT OF MUHAMMAD

Abraham is widely regarded as the Patriarch of monotheism and the common father of the Jews, Christians and Muslims. Through His second son, Isaac, came all Israelite prophets including such towering figures as Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus. May peace and blessings be upon them all. The advent of these great prophets was in partial fulfillment of God's promises to bless the nations of earth through the descendents of Abraham (Genesis12:2-3). Such fulfillment is wholeheartedly accepted by Muslims whose faith considers the belief in and respect of all prophets an article of faith.

BLESSINGS OF ISHMAEL AND ISAAC

Was the first born son of Abraham (Ishmael) and his descendants included in God's covenant and promise? A few verses from the Bible may help shed some light on this question;

Genesis 12:2-3 speaks of God's promise to Abraham and his descendants before any child was born to him.

Genesis 17:4 reiterates God's promise after the birth of Ishmael and before the birth of Isaac.

In Genesis, ch. 21. Isaac is specifically blessed but Ishmael was also specifically blessed and promised by God to become "a great nation" especially in Genesis 21:13, 18.

According to Deuteronomy 21:15-17 the traditional rights and privileges of the first born son are not to be affected by the social status of his mother (being a "free" woman such as Sarah, Isaac's mother, or a "Bondwoman" such as Hagar, Ishmael's mother). This is only consistent with the moral and humanitarian principles of all revealed faiths.

The full legitimacy of Ishmael as Abraham's son and "seed" and the full legitimacy of his mother, Hagar, as Abraham's wife are clearly stated in Genesis 21:13 and 16:3. After Jesus, the last Israelite messenger and prophet, it was time that God's promise to bless Ishmael and his descendants be fulfilled. Less than 600years after Jesus, came the last messenger of God, Muhammad, from the progeny of Abraham through Ishmael. God's blessing of both of the main branches of Abraham's family tree was now fullfilled. But are there additional corroborating evidence that the Bible did in fact foretell the advent of prophet Muhammad?

MUHAMMAD: The Prophet Like Unto Moses

Long time after Abraham, God's promise to send the long-awaited Messenger was repeated this time in Moses' words.

In Deuteronomy 18:18, Moses spoke of the prophet to be sent by God who is:

From among the Israelite's "brethren", a reference to their Ishmaelite cousins as Ishmael was the other son of Abraham who was explicitly promised to become a "great nation".

Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) Farewell Sermon

"O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and TAKE THESE WORDS TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT BE PRESENT HERE TODAY.

O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds.

 ALLAH has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. Allah has Judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn 'Abd'al Muttalib (Prophet's uncle) shall henceforth be waived...

Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah's trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.

Life of Mohammad Sallal laho Alaihi Wasallam

"Perhaps the world was never in greater need of an accurate account of Prophet Muhammad's life than it is now." So states Adil Salahi, author of Muhammad: Man and Prophet 1. After 9/11, for whatever reason(s), many people began asking themselves: Just who is this Muhammad? As a result, awareness of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad has increased considerably. And yet so many people still do not really know who he was and what legacy he left behind. The recent infamous caricatures are a further reminder that many people's understanding about Muhammad is indeed flawed and far from the facts.

Such a lack of knowledge is, however, rather surprising, for unlike most other prophets or religious personalities whose life stories are full of myths and legends, Muhammad lived in the full light of history. Almost every aspect of his life was recorded by those who lived with him and knew him intimately, and so we do not have to guess at what he said or did. When we read this vast body of literature, we can see that he was a man of exalted character and compassion, one who was kind and considerate to all people, regardless of how they treated him, and even to animals and plants. His revolutionary message changed not only his own society, but the very course of history, facts that even his bitterest enemies have acknowledged. Today, more than 1,400 years later, more than 1.5 billion people revere him and follow him as God's last messenger.

The veneration of Muhammad is not limited to his followers, however. Many great philosophers, thinkers, and reformers have praised him and said that it would be to humanity's great benefit to follow his teachings. George Bernard Shaw called him "the savior of humanity" and said: "I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it much needed peace and happiness." 2 Echoing him, French historian Lamartine wrote: "As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?" 3 Similar statements were made by Thomas Carlyle, Edward Gibbon, and Mahatma Gandhi, to name only a few.

Ya Rasool Allah Sallal Laho Alaihi Wasallam

Talk of Islam's new moral order and the normative nature that Muhammad's life had for Muslims seems to clash with Western perceptions of Islam. If Muslim tradition tended to mythify the Prophet, Western tradition too often has denigrated and vilified his memory. Two issues in particular-Muhammad's treatment of the Jews and his (polygynous) marriages-have proven popular stumbling blocks, or perhaps more accurately whipping posts, for Western critics and polemics.

In his early preaching, Muhammad had looked to the Jews and Christians of Arabia as natural allies whose faiths had much in common with Islam. He anticipated their acceptance and approval. When the Islamic community was established at Medina, Muslims, like the Jews, had faced Jerusalem to pray. However, the Jewish tribes, which had long lived in Medina and had political ties with the Quraysh, tended to resist both religious and political cooperation with the Muslims. They denied Muhammad's prophet-hood and message and cooperated with his Meccan enemies. While the constitution of Medina had granted them autonomy in internal religious affairs, political loyalty and allegiance were expected. Yet the Quran accuses the Jewish tribes of regularly breaking such pacts: "Why is it that whenever they make pacts, a group among them casts it aside unilaterally?" (2:100).

After each major battle, one of the Jewish tribes was accused and punished for such acts. Muslim perception of distrust, intrigue, and rejection on the part of the Jews led first to exile and later to warfare. After Badr, the Banu Qainuqa tribe and after the Battle of Uhud, the Banu Nadir, with their families and possessions, were expelled from Medina. After the Battle of the Ditch in 627, the Jews of the Banu Qurayza were denounced as traitors who had consorted with the Meccans. 

Eid Milad un Nabi Mubarak, Eid - Milad un Nabi 2012 to all of you

When my arms can't reach people close to my heart.

I always hug them with my prayers.

May ALLAH'S peace be with you.

A very happy Eid Milad Un Nabi to you.

*************

Duniya ki her Fiza mein Ujala RASOOL ka,

Ye saari kainaat hai Sadqa RASOOL ka;

Khushbu-e-Gulab hai Pasina RASOOL ka,

Aap ko bhi ho Mubarak Mahina RASOOL ka

*************

RABI-UL-AWWAL Bhuhat Bhuhat Mubarak Ho

Remember me in your Prayers...

EID MILAAD-UN-NABI Mubarak Ho

***********

Kissing the Thumbs

الحمد للّٰه الذي نورعيون المسلمين بنورعين اعيان المرسلين، والصّلاة والسلام علي نورالعيون سرورالقلب المحزون محمد نالرفيع ذكره في الصلاة والاذان، والجيب اسمه عند اھل الايمان، وعلى اٰله وصحبه والمشروحة صدورھم لجلال اسراره والمفتوحة عيونھم بجمال انواره، واشھد ان لاالٰه الا اللّٰه وحده لاشريك له، وان محمّدا عبده ورسوله بالھدى ودين الحق ارسله صلى اللّٰه تعالٰى عليه وعلٰى اٰله وصحبه اجمعين، وعلينا معھم وبھم ولھم يا ارحم الراحمين اٰمين

When hearing the Muazzin proclaim, "Ash'hadu anna Muhammad ar­-Rasoolullah" it is preferred (Mustahab) to kiss the two thumbs or the shahaadat finger and place them on the eyes. There are many spiritual, religious and worldly benefits associated to this, as well as numerous Ahadith documenting its practice. Doing so is even practiced by the Sahaaba, and Muslims everywhere perform it in the belief that it is Mustahab. It is stated in the book, Salaat al-Mas'oodi:

روي عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم انه قال من سمع اسمي في الاذان ووضع ابھاميه على عينيه فانا طالبه في صفوف القيمه و قائده الى الجنه

''The Noble Messenger is reported to have said, "On the Day of Qiyaamat, I shall search for the person who used to place his thumbs on his eyes when hearing my name during the Adhaan. I shall lead him into Jannat." [Salat al-Mas'oodi, Vol 2, Chapter 20]

Allama Ismail Haqqi Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho writes under the verse 58 of Surah al Maidah,

وضعف تقبيل ظفرى ابهاميه مع مسبحتيه والمسح على عينيه عند قوله محمد رسول الله لانه لم يثبت فى الحديث المرفوع لكن المحدثين اتفقوا على ان الحديث الضعيف يجوز العمل به فى الترغيب والترهيب

"Kissing the nails of the thumbs and the shahadat finger when saying "Muhanunadur-Rasoolullah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam has been classified as weak (zaeef) because it is not proven from a marfoo' Hadith. However, Muhadditheen have agreed that to act upon a zaeef Hadith to incline people towards deeds and instill fear within them is permitted." [Tafseer Rooh al-Bayaan, Vol 3, Page 282]

Shaami states,

يستحب أن يقال عند سماع الأولى من الشهادة : صلى الله عليك يا رسول الله ، وعند الثانية منها : قرت عيني بك يا رسول الله ، ثم يقول : اللهم متعني بالسمع والبصر بعد وضع ظفري الإبهامين على العينين فإنه عليه السلام يكون قائدا له إلى الجنة ، كذا في كنز العباد . قهستاني ، ونحوه في الفتاوى الصوفية . وفي كتاب الفردوس من قبل ظفري إبهامه عند سماع أشهد أن محمدا رسول الله في الأذان أنا قائده ومدخله في صفوف الجنة وتمامه في حواشي البحر للرملي

Follow the Sunnah and increase your beauty

Hadrat Ibn-e-‘Umar Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho reported that the Messenger of Allah has said, “Do the opposite of what the polytheists do; let the beard grow long and clip the mustache.” A version has, “trim the mustache down and leave the beard.” [Sahih Bukhari, Vol 2, Page 875]

Hadrat Zaid ibn Arqam Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho reported that the Messenger of Allah has said, “Whoever does not take something off his mustache is not one of us (not on our path).” [Sunan Nisa'i, Vol 2, Page 274]

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayra Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho reported that the Holy Prophet Peace and Blessings be Upon Him said: “He who does not shave off the hair from the abdomen and does not cut his nails and does not trim his mustaches, is not of us”.

Sayyiduna Anas Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho reported that the maximum exemption for shaving off the hair from the abdomen and armpit and for cutting nails and for trimming the mustaches is forty days. [Sahih Muslim]

Hadrat Abu Huraira Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho reported that the Messenger of Allah has said, “Cut the mustaches and let the beards grow long; (by doing this) do the opposite of the fire worshipers.” [Sahih Muslim, Vol 2, Page 129]

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayra Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho reported that the Glorious Prophet of Islam Peace and Blessings be Upon Him said: “Five things are from the traditions of the Prophets of the old: circumcision, removing the hair below the navel, trimming the mustaches, cutting the nails and removing the hair from armpit”. [Bukhari, Muslim]

IMPORTANT NOTES:

1. Many of our Muslim brothers have opted to make their beards into a fashion and have a ‘stylish’ effect to it. Many completely shave it off and some leave a bit on the chin. Some keep their beards only 2 fingers long, and believe that they’re following the Shari’ah, despite the fact that those who shave all of their beards and those who shave it to less than one fist are all the same in sin in the eyes of Shari’ah. It has been stated in Bahar-e-Shari’at:

To grow the beard is the Sunnah of the prophets. To shave it all or less than a fist is Haraam.

Hadrat Shaykh ‘Abd al-Haq “Muhaddith-e-Dehlwi” has stated:

Infallibility of the Prophets Alaihimus Salam

It was very agonizing to have an email from a brother in which he asked us to assist him refuting some so-called Muslim ignorants who accused Prophets Alaihimus Salam being Sinful and Polytheists (Ma’azALLAH). As a matter of fact, the insults of the Prophets made by the deviant sects and insolent individuals have encouraged some people to openly slander and ridicule the Prophets. In addition to this, there has arisen a sect which says that the Prophets are sinners and even polytheists and Infidels (May Allah forbid!), believing that the Prophets were polytheists and Infidels and major sinners and only became Prophets after repenting (Tauba).

It is incumbent upon each and every Muslim to affirm faith (have Imân) in all the Prophets, in such a manner that one does not differ between the Prophets in their core Prophethood. Furthermore, one should respect all the Prophets and believe that they are free from any sin, (major or minor) or imperfections; before their declaration of Prophethood or after, is also an essential element in belief. This is the sound position and this is the opinion of the majority of scholars.

The Major and Minor Sins:

It must be known that leaving obligatory (farḍ) or necessary (wājib) acts even once without excuse is considered an enormity (kabīra). Likewise, committing the unlawful (Harām) is also considered an enormity. Leaving the sunna act once without excuse due to laziness or taking the matter lightly is considered a minor sin (ṣaghīra), as is committing a disliked action (makrūh). However, habitually leaving the sunnah or committing disliked actions also becomes an enormity, though they are considered enormities beneath other enormities. This is because major and minor are relative terms, and thus it is said, “The good deeds of the pious are the sins of the intimate (muqarrabīn).”

Sunnah here is taken in the juridical sense where it refers to an action regularly performed by the Messenger of Allāh SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam and left at times in order for it not be taken as an obligation. This is then sub-categorized into the emphasized sunnahs and the non-emphasized sunnahs, the latter being more like the mustaHabb (preferred ) acts, i.e., those performed by the Messenger SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam sometimes or encouraged in general.

Respect the things associated with Prophet

Another element of the one's reverence and esteem for Beloved Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon Him is found in all things and places connected to him in Makkah al-Mukarrama, Madinah al-Munawwarah and elsewhere.

Hadrat Saffiyah bint Najda Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anha tells us that Abu Madhura Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho had a long lock of hair on his forehead that touched the ground when he sat down. When he was asked why he did not cut it he replied, "I will not cut off something that the hand of the Messenger of Allah Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon Him touched." [Ash-Shifa, Vol 2, Page 62]

The Sword of Islam, Hadrat Sayyiduna Khalid Ibn Waleed Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho had some strands of the Prophet's of hair that he placed inside his cap. During one of the battles the cap fell off whereupon he fought zealously to retrieve it. He told his companions that he had not fought for the sake of the cap, rather he had fought to retrieve the strands of the Prophet's hair that were tucked within it so that he would not be deprived of their blessing, and also to avoid them falling into the hands of the unbelievers. [Majma' az-Zawaid, Vol. 9, Page 349 – Mustadrik, Vol. 3, Page 239]

Ibn al-Sakan narrated through Safwan ibn Hubayra from the latter's father: Thabit al-Bunani said: Anas ibn Malik said to me (on his death-bed): "This is one of the hairs of Allah's Messenger, Allah's blessings and peace upon him. I want you to place it under my tongue." Thabit continued: I placed it under his tongue, and he was buried with it under his tongue." [al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-sahaba (Calcutta - 1853), Vol. 1, Page 72]

Hadrat Sayyiduna Ibn Umar Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho was seen placing his hand on the seat of the Beloved Prophet's pulpit and then wipe it over his face. [Dalail an-Nabuwwah lil Bayhaqi, Vol. 6, Page 249]

Abu Abd ar-RaHman Salma Alaihir raHma narrated from Ahmad Ibn Fadlwiya Zahid Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anho that he was a famous archer in Battles. He says that he never touched his bow without Ablution from the time Beloved Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon Him) took it in his Blessed Hands. [Ash-Shifa, Vol 2, Page 63]

It was on account of the esteem Imam Malik Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho had for the Prophet Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon Him that we would not ride a mount in Madinah al-Munawwarah. He would say, "I am too shy before Allah SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala to trample with the hoof of an animal upon the earth in which the Messenger of Allah Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon Him is buried." [Ash-Shifa, Vol 2, Page 63]