Islamic Creed — The Prophet, His Household, and His Companions
Section 1: The Obligation of Loving and Revering the Messenger, the Prohibition of Excessiveness in Praising Him, and an Explanation of His Status
English translation of the Arabic original. The Arabic text remains authoritative.
- The Obligation of Loving and Revering Him M First and foremost, it is obligatory upon the slave to love Allah Honored and Glorious. This is one the greatest form of worship. Allah - the Most High - said: “...But those who believe, love Allah more (than anything else)...” This is because He is the Lord Who bestows all forms of manifest and hidden favors upon His slaves. After loving Allah - the Most High, it is obligatory to love His Messenger Muhammad 3g, because he was the one who invited (mankind and jinns) to Allah, it was he who informed (us) of Him, conveyed His Shari’ ah and explained His Judgments. So, all that the believers gained of good in this life and the Hereafter, was at the hand of this Messenger and none shall enter Paradise except by obeying him and following him. In the hadith, it says: ‘Three things, in whomsoever they are found, he discovers the sweetness of Faith: that Allah and His Messenger be more beloved to him than anything else, that he loves a person only for the sake of Allah, and that he hates to return to disbelief after Allah has rescued him therefrom as he hates to be thrown into the fire. ’1 1 Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim The love of the Messenger follows from the love of Allah; it is not dissociable from it. It is next to it in level. Particular mention of the obligation of loving him and the obligation of placing his love above the love of everything else but the love of Allah - the Most High, has been reported in the hadith. He said: ‘None of you shall have (true) Faith, till I am more beloved to him than his child, parent and all of mankind.'2 Infact, it has been reported in the hadith that it is obligatory to love the Messenger, more than one’s self. 'Umar bin al-Khattab said: 'O Messenger of Allah, you are more beloved to me than everything else but myself. ’ He said: ‘(I swear) by the One in Whose Hand is my soul, not until I am more beloved to you than yourself. ’ So, Umar said to him: ‘Now, you are more beloved to me than myself. ’ He said: ‘Now, O Umar! (i.e. you have truly Based on this hadith, the love of the Messenger Ok is obligatory and takes precedence over the love of everyone else except the love of Allah. It follows from the love of Allah and is inextricably linked to it because it is love in Allah (i.e. in His religion) and for His sake. It increases with the increase in love for Allah in the heart of the believer and decreases with its decrease. Anyone who is loved for Allah, is loved in (the religion of) Allah and for His sake. His love necessitates revering him, respecting him, following him and granting preference to his utterance over those of all other creatures, and revering his Ibn Qayyim said: ‘All love and reverence for a man is only permissible if it is based upon the love and reverence for Allah. For example, love and reverence for the Messenger o f Allah It is part of the perfection of the love and reverence 2 Reported by al-Bukhari 3 Reported by al-Bukhari for the One Who sent him. His followers love him out of the love of Allah for him, and they revere and esteem him because of the esteem of Allah for him. It is love for the sake of Allah necessitated by the love for Allah. The intent here, is that Allah bestowed upon the Prophet awe and love... This is why there was no man more beloved to another, nor more esteemed to another in his mind, than the Messenger of Allah 3£ was to his ‘Amr bin al- ‘As said after he had accepted Islam: ‘There was none more loathsome to me than him (the Prophet ). But when I had accepted Islam, there was no one more beloved to me than him, nor was there anyone more esteemed in my sight than him. Were I asked to describe him to you, I would not be able because I was never able to fully gaze at him out of esteem (and regard) for him. ’ ‘Urwah bin Mas‘ud said to the Quraish. 'O people, (I swear) by Allah, I have visited the Khosrau and the Caesar and several Kings, I have never seen a king revered by his people as the companions of Muhammad revere Muhammad 3t (I swear) by Allah, they limit gazing at him out of reverence for him. He does not spit out sputum except that it lands in the palm o f a man amongst them and he would rub his face and chest therewith, and whenever he performed ablution, they would nearly fight one another over the water dripping from him.'5
- Prohibition of al-Ghuluww and al-ltrau at praising him. Al-Ghuluww means to exceed limits. It is used to refer to one who has exceeded a specified bound. Allah - the Most High - said:..Do not exceed the limits in your religion... ”(Qur’an 4:171) That is, do not exceed the bounds. 4 The designation of the Persian king at the time of the Prophet. (TN) 5 Jala' al-AJham pg. 120- 121 Al-Ifra’u is to exceed the limits in praise and lying about him. The intent with extremism regarding the right of the Prophet Ik is for one to exceed the bound in regards to his status, by exalting him beyond the status 'of Ubudiyyah (being a servant) and Risalah (being a Messenger) and giving him some of the peculiarities of Uluhiyyah (Godship), such as invoking him, seeking aid by him besides Allah and swearing oaths by him. The intent with over exaltation, is praising him more than is valid. He had forbidden this by his statement: ’ j 'Do not extol me as the Christians extolled the son of Maryam, I am but a slave of Allah. So say (call me): the slave of Allah and His Messenger. ’6 Meaning, do not praise me with falsehood and do not exceed the limits in my praise as the Christians have done with! sa (Jesus 9), claiming Uluhiyyah (the right of worship) for him. Rather, describe me with what my Lord has described ‘The slave of Allah and His Messenger. ’ Also, when the companions said ‘You are our Sayyid (Leader).’ He said: ‘The Sayyid (Leader) is Allah - Blessed and Most High is He.' When they said: ‘(You are) the noblest of us and the greatest of us. ' He Ik said: 'Say that which you say, or part of it, but do not allow Shaytan (Satan) to make you slip.'1 Also, some people said to him: ‘O Messenger of Allah, (O you) the best amongst us, son of the best amongst us, our leader, son of our leader.' He said: 6 Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim 7 Reported by Abu Dawud with a good chain ‘O people, say that which you say (used to say before), do not allow Shaytan (Satan) to make you fall. I am but Muhammad, the slave of Allah and His Messenger and I do not wish that you exalt me beyond my status which Allah Honored and Glorious has placed me.' He disliked to be praised with these wordings: 'You are our leader, you are the best amongst us, you are the noblest amongst us, you are the greatest of us,' despite the fact that he is the best of all creatures and the noblest amongst them without exception. However, he forbade these in order to avoid extremism and over-exaltation in his regard and in order to protect Tawhid. He also guided them to describe him with two attributes, which are the highest rank a slave can achieve and are devoid of extremism. Also, they are devoid of any threat to Tawhid. They ‘Slave of Allah and His Messenger.' He never loved that he should be exalted beyond the status Allah 31 had placed him and was pleased with for him. Many people, however, have contradicted this prohibition of his and began to invoke him, seeking aid by him, swearing oaths by him and requesting from him, such things as should not be requested from other than Allah. This is what is commonly done at celebrations of His birth, in poems and songs. Also, they do not distinguish between the Rights of Allah and the rights of the Messenger. Ibn Qayyim said in his an-Niiniyyah: ‘For Allah are Rights not for other than Him, and for His slave are rights, these are two rights. Do not make the two a single (same) right, without any distinction or difference.' There is no harm in explaining the status of the Prophet fs with what Allah has praised him, or mentioning the status with which Allah has favored him and believing in such. He M possesses a lofty status in which Allah has placed him; he 8 Reported by Ahmad and an-Nasa’T is the slave of Allah and His Messenger, the best amongst His creatures, and the noblest amongst the entire creation without exception. He is the Messenger of Allah to all of mankind, to all jinns and men. He is also the noblest of the Messengers, the end of Prophethood; there is no Prophet after him. Allah had expanded for him his breast, exalted his mention and cast ignominy and decline upon whoever opposes him. He is the possessor of the Station of Praise about which Allah the Most High said:..It may be that our Lord will raise you to Maqaman Mahmuda (a station of praise and glory, i.e. the highest degree in Paradise). ” Meaning, the station of intercession for all of mankind in which Allah will place him on the Day of Resurrection, so that their Lord can relieve them of the difficulty of standing on the plain of Resurrection. This is a station that is restricted to him which is not available to other Prophets. He is the most fearful creature of Allah and the most righteous (obedient) of them to Allah. Allah had prohibited raising the voice in his presence and praised those who lower their voices before him. He - the Most High - said: “O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet nor speak aloud to him as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds may be rendered fruitless while you perceive not Verily! Those who lower their voices in the presence of Allah’s Messenger they are the ones whose hearts Allah has tested for piety. For them is forgiveness and a great reward. Verily! Those who call you from behind the dwellings, most of them have no sense. And if they had patience till you could come out to them, it would have been better for them. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. ” Imam Ibn KathTr <ji said: 'In these verses, Allah taught His believing slaves the manners with which they should relate with the Prophet ££, manners such as respect, honor, deference, reverence and so on, and that they should not raise their voices before the Prophet fg above his. ‘O Muhammad.' Rather, he is to be addressed with the appellations of Messengership and Prophethood such as saying: O Messenger of Allah, O Prophet of Allah. ’ Allah - the Most High - said: “Make not the calling of the Messenger [Muhammad ] among you as the calling of one another... ’’(Qur’an 24: 63) Similarly, Allah - Glorified is He, used to call upon him by: ‘Oyou Messenger, ’ ‘O Prophet. ’ Allah and His Angels have sent blessings upon him and He ordered His slaves to send blessings and peace upon him. He - the Most High - said: “Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honors, Mercy, etc.) on the Prophet [Muhammad £/ and also His angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salat on (ask Allah to bless) him [Muhammad [ and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salamu ‘Alaykum)” However, his praise should not be associated with a specific time or manner except with evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah. What those who celebrate his birthday do, particularizing a day, which they believe is the day of his birth, for his praise, is Part of revering him, is to revere his Sunnah, believing in the obligation of acting upon it, and believing that it is in the second degree after the Noble Qur’an, with regards to the obligation of reverence and obedience. This is because it is revelation from Allah as Allah has mentioned: “Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only an inspiration that is inspired. ” (Qur’an 53: 3-4) It is not permissible to have doubts about it (Sunnah), or to trivialize its significance, or to say its chains of narrations are authentic or weak or to explain its meaning, except with knowledge thereof and cautiousness. In present times, there are several ignorant people particularly among the growing young ones, those who have not ceased to be in the initial stages of learning, who authenticate and classify hadiths as weak, and fault narrators of hadith without knowledge except by reading books. This is a grave evil for them and for the Ummah (Muslims). It is obligatory that they fear Allah and stop at the limits of their capabilities. H I
- Source pages
- 9
- Source work
- Aqidat al-Tawhid? Shaykh Salih ibn Fawzan ibn Abdullah al-Fawzan
- Source
- Aqidat al-Tawhid — Arabic book supplied to the site
- Arabic original
- Read the Arabic section
English text aligned with the corresponding Arabic sections extracted from the user-provided Word source. The Arabic original remains authoritative.