The Chishti Nizami Habibi Soofie

Sufi Order

Pietermaritzburg

KwaZulu- Natal

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Muhammad the Final Messenger of Allah

(Allah has bestowed on him His blessing and peace)

What is the implication of the second part of the Testification of Faith (Kalimah)? Who is the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)? What is his status? What is his personality? What is the nature of his personality and all their allied questions?  There are numerous confusion’s, especially in this age of doubt and the impact of materialism that are arising in the mind of Muslims. I do not stand for condemning groups and branding personalities as Disbelievers (Kaafir) and Polytheist (Mushrik).  I realise as a humble pursuer of knowledge that knowledge has different levels.  Everybody 's level of knowledge is not the same whether he maybe called an Alime - Deen or whatever.  The comprehension of facts through knowledge varies from person to person.  These problems arise because those who come forward to understand the problem view it with their subjective limitations.  Don't say that they are dishonest.  Those that say that the Holy Prophet's (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) teachings are important and cultivation of love for him is not, we cannot even call them dishonest.  This is a matter of faith, and no one who is sincere would like to be dishonest.

  Akbar ilah Badi said about the status of the human being,

There are those who fall short in understanding, this is because of their subjective limitations.  This should not be made into the grounds for fighting and theological bickering.  Thus you will hear views expressed about the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) that many of us would consider as derogatory. E.G. People read the same book but some recognize the Alphabets and some the words. Others will read sentences and paragraphs. Those with higher education will know the language in which it is written, the Subject, Theme, Sub Theme and Inter related Subjects. Therefore knowledge is either of a higher order or lower order.  Those who can see as far as their nose, they can see that far and no further.  How can we call them dishonest and make their limited knowledge the grounds for fighting.  

 You will find people of knowledge of a lower order saying, " The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) is just a mortal like us. " Yet you will find great intellectual giants of this 20 C like the great Sir Muhammad Iqbal (May Allah be well pleased with him) who as a poet of Islam is incomparable with anyone else before him except, Maulana Jalalluddin Rumi (may Allah be well pleased with him), saying:

What does the absolutely authentic source of belief (aqaaid), the Holy Qur'aan say about the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)? Let's explain the status of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) from the Holy Qur'aan. 

 All the worlds! This is beyond this earth and humanity. This is called the cosmic or universal level.  He is the mercy for the entire creation of Allah i.e. the universe. 

His earthly status is, as Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 18^th Sura, Kahaf in Verse 110:   

Many people have stumbled on this verse because this word Mislukum can be translated in two ways.  One translation leads to disbelief (kufr) whilst the other translation is the translation of Faith (imaan).  It has been translated by some as being " like you “ This is the translation on the basis of kufr.  This statement is the greatest falsehood against the Holy Qur'aan and Hadith and is blasphemous against the personality of the Holy prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions).  Blasphemy leads a person to kufr.  No human being is like the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) , What do they mean when they translate it in this ugly fashion ? Like whom? A robber, murderer, drunkard, thief or devil incarnate; like whom? Who has that standard of piety and status that he can be likened to the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)?  The implication of the verse is to emphasize the humanity of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) so that Muslims do not fall prey, like others have, in view of his great qualities and miraculous powers that Allah has given him.  They may not fall into the misconception that he is God or Son of God like others have fallen before them. It is his divinity that is being denied here, not that he is like us.  He is a human being - We are human beings.  Students of science and physics know that charcoal is pure carbon and diamond is also pure carbon.  It is only the frequency of molecules of the electronic particles of the diamond that makes one a diamond and the other charcoal.  Charcoal is black whilst diamond is luminous. Medicinally charcoal when eaten expels stomach gasses whilst diamond when eaten, will kill one.  In Monetary value a truckload of charcoal cannot compare to a little diamond. Although both are carbon there is a world of difference between them.  The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) is human being and we are human beings, but he is diamond and we are charcoal.  Although, basically, both are the same their laws of existence, value and worth are worlds apart. Although me and you and the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) are human beings, there is a world of difference in point of status, constitution of personality and powers. This is the status with regard to the temporal or mortal world in which we live. 

As a divine messenger, does Allah deal with him differently?  Allah addresses all prophets in the Qur'aan from Adam to Jesus (may Allah bless them with peace). He always addresses them by name and He has not addressed the Holy prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) even once in the Holy Qur'aan by name. Can we attribute any meaninglessness to Allah's wisdom?  Allah wants to demonstrate the grandeur of the status of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) and the special relation with Him. A person is not called by name either out of intense love or respect. Allah demonstrates here that He loves the Holy Prophet intensely and he wants the Muslims to honour him.

 Remember Allah has said in the Holy Qur’aan in the 49th Sura, al-Hujeraat, Verse 2:

What is this status?  You will forgive any insult done to you but you will never forgive any insult done to your beloved.  This is the law of love.  If for a single error, of disrespect to Allah's beloved, every act of virtue is annulled, how much must Allah love him?  He does not even give the blasphemer, the divine help (Taufiq) to realise he has sinned, thus the door of repentance remains closed.  Beware of this.  The great Possessors of Recognition (aarifeen), those who rose to spiritual eminence, they say:

What are Muslims being taught? They have lost the source of grace and they feel that they can get grace from Allah.  The source of grace as established by Allah is only the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions).  There is no other source.

When Allah addresses the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) as, O Unique Prophet! (Ya ayyuhan Nabi); O Unique Messenger!  (Ya ayyuhar Rasul), this refers to his official status.

When Allah addresses the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) as, O You wrapped up! (Ya ayyuhal Muddathir) O You folded in garments! (Ya ayyuhal Muzzamil) Here there is a rise in status. Here it shows the intimacy of friend ship.

Not only is the Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) honorable but the soil upon which he walks becomes honorable. 

Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan in the 90^th Sura al-Balad, Verse 1-4: 

 Not only is the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) venerable but also the particles of dust that touch the soles of his blessed shoes become venerable. Maulana Zakarriyya quotes in his book, that is read by Tablighi Jamaat who have strong Wahabbi leanings, " The Virtues Of Hajj" in the chapter "Behaviour In Madinah And Its Virtues" on the authority of Qaadi Ayaadh, Imam Maalik and ibn Asaakir that the portion of the earth in the immediate vicinity of the holy body of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) is even higher in rank than the Kaaba and the Throne of Allah. Yet, what are those that profess to follow Maulana Zakarriyya are teaching today?

Universal/ cosmic status.

I refer you to what Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 21^st Sura, al-Ambiya Verse 107:

And in another verse Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 5^th Sura, al- Maida, Verse 15:

Verily there has come unto you a light and a clear book....

The wow here is the wow of conjunction, the ‘light’ (nur) is something different and the book (kitaab) is something different. There is a difference of opinion amongst the commentators, some say ' light ' herein refers to the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) others say that it does not, but only to the guidance he has brought. Here again the same problem comes in, everybody thinks according to his understanding or level of comprehension' (fikre har kast bekadre himmate who). However the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) was commissioned by God to explain every intricate verse of the Holy Qur'aan, and Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 16^th Sura, an-Nahl, Verse 44:

 Here comes in hadith as the authority. Let us ask the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) what is the reference to the word nur here. In the Hadith quoted on the authority of Muhaddith ' abd ar Razzaq, the eminent fore runner of Imam Bukhari and quoted by Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi one of the very eminent ulama of Deoband in his book Nashrut teeb fi zikre Habeeb. Hazrath Jabir bin Abdullah al-Ansari reports that the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) informed him that:

This Hadith compels us to side with those commentators who say that nur here refers to the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions). It has been the consensus of Muslim belief which was challenged only in this period of Muslim decay and degeneration, under the impact of modern materialism, that the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) is the center of creation, that Allah created the light of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) and from that light He created the whole universe. 

According to another Hadith:

Allah is indivisible, so the meaning in the Hadith is ‘due to’ (sababbiya), not from the light, but because of the light. The Qur'aan also bears testimony to this that the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) was the first of creation, when it explicitly affirms this fact, when it says in the 6^th Sura al- Anaam, Verse 163:  

 Muslim here refers to the first thing or being to submit to the will of Allah and not the misuse it has been put to in these days of bickering. Muslim means he or she that submits his/her will entirely to the will of God. In another verse Allah says, Sura al Imraan 3 Verse 83

"Everything in the heaven and earth is Muslim"

Then what would ' I am the first among the Muslims mean”? That the first being to be created by Allah was the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) Science bears testimony to this fact today. Modern science says that this entire universe started as a point of light in intense motion. This point of light projected itself on the tape of extension and became space and projected itself on the tape of duration and became time. The experiment of physical analysis pursued on the principle of heat, by raising temperature and disintegrating a particular thing into its constituent particles prove that the essence of all matter is light. [Refer to Hubert Reeves, the Canadian Astro-physicist. Read his light radiation theory]. The essential human being therefore is a space less and timeless being. (ar Ruh - the essence al Asl). All matter is therefore ultimately anti-matter and all the properties of matter ultimately cease to exist, since the essential being was created in the transcendental world called al Jannah. When Allah willed the universe to exist He said, ‘Be Muhammad’ (kun Muhammadah). Therefore the real Muhammad (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) is the foundation of the universe and all creation came through him. When our pious ancestors taught that the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)   is the medium or wasila between this world and Allah- How can it be said that they were teaching wrongly?  What else is there that links this universe with Allah except Allah's first creation: the nure Muhammadi? Allah is all Mighty and all Powerful, He does not need any wasilah, but He has made a universe that is in need. The angels are intermediaries, mediating between Creator and creation, performing functions for Allah, and when it is said that the highest in Allah’s creation is the intermediary why do we not accept. The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) is the intermediary for forgiveness also according to the Qur’aan in the  4^th Sura al-Nisaa:  Verse 64:

This verse of the holy Qur'aan is for all times. The Question arises, how do I approach the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) today? Some people say go to Madinah the Illuminated, and then forgiveness is only for the rich. If we say the verse was only for the companions then we are denying the Qur'aan is for all times. People who say the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is only hayaat or living in Madinah the Illuminated seem to be very ignorant about the constitution of human life and the meaning of death. If one means by the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) his bodily constitution that lies buried in Madinah, then this is a childish view. Madinah the Illuminated has an added affinity because the blessed body lies buried there but the essential Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) transcends the limitations of space and time and thus, he is a living Prophet that is approachable every where. When one approaches anyone, with a plea of help, one approaches with full respect and humility. Thus our elders have taught, and rejected lately on the basis of defective knowledge, that we should stand with full respect and humility and greet him (salaam) , and present our plea (dua). The word salaat in Arabic has three meanings, prayer (Namaaz), nearness (qurbiyat) and greeting. Thus salatu salaam means approach and greet. We do this in attahiyat. Form a direct contact with him and present ones petition to him. If he feels we are fit then he will plea for us to Allah. Is Allah an impersonal force? 

 If through his imitation his followers can become Allah's beloved, it is absolutely rational and clear that he is Allah's beloved par excella .He is the magnet that turns the iron filings into something magnetized. He has stated to his followers as we read in Sihah sitta, he said,

 Allah has commanded entire creation to seek Allah's pleasure. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the 93^rd, Sura ad-Dhuha, Verse 5:

Meaning, Allah says, "I seek your pleasure my beloved Rasul". This is the ‘Status of the Beloved’ (Maqaame Mahbubiya). He has been given al Kauthar i.e. "good in abundance". Therefore he will liberate us sinners from hell by giving us charity from his abundance of virtues, on the Day of Reckoning. This is what Shafa’at or intercession means.

Another status is that which is unknowable to us. The Qur’aan proclaims in the 33rd Sura, al-Ahzab: Verse 45:

  Who else can be a witness except him who sees the things upon which he stands witness? He is witness that Allah exists; unless he has seen Allah he cannot be witness. He is a witness that the universe is infinite, heaven exists, angels etc. This status is beyond our understanding. The Hadith is in the Authentic Collection (Sihah), were he says,

This status transcends every body. How can I explain this status? How could Hazrath Abu Bakr (may Allah be well pleased with him)? The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) said to Hazrath Abu Bakr (may Allah be well pleased with him):

 Yet you see little, little Molvis, walking on their two legs, opening their mouths that this unique personality is just like us. It is an insult to human reason. It is an insult to the Holy Qur’aan. It is an insult to the stability of your Faith (Imaan). It is to lay eggs at your own feet. One cannot damage the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) but it is damage to one's self. Beware of entertaining such blasphemous thoughts! 

During the Meraj the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) saw the entire universe-including Allah-from highest point in the 53^rd Sura, an-Najm, Verses 7-9:

All differences were abolished here, except one; he is the created whilst Allah is the creator. The Qur’aan says in 4^th Sura, an-Najm, Verse 150,

Imam Irshad Soofi

Adapted from a Lecture by Dr. Maulana Fazlur Rahman al-Ansari (may Allah be well pleased with him)

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