18th Rabi al-Awwal 1444AH
Assalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakaatuh
I offer praise to my Rabb (Lord and Cherisher), and such gratitude which is worthy of His Being and magnificent sovereignty. I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, He is One and Only and has no partner; that He is Master of the Day of Qiyamah. And I bear witness that our Prophet and leader, Muhammad (SAW) is His Confidant and Messenger, leader of all the ancients and the moderns. He was sent forth with the Holy Qur’an as a blessing for the Muslim, a bearer of glad tidings to them.
Anas ibn Malik said that the Prophet (SAW) said, “Whoever recites one prayer (SALAT) upon me, Allah sends ten prayers (Salat) upon him; and whoever recites ten prayers upon me, Allah sends hundred prayers upon him; and whoever recites hundred prayers upon me, Allah writes between his eyes immunity from hypocrisy and immunity from Fire, and domiciles him with the martyrs in the hereafter.” [Tabarani]. O Allah! Exalt Muhammad with blessings that deliver us from every fear, and by means of them fulfill our every need, and purify us by means of them from every sin, and by means of them raise us to the highest stations, and by means of them make us attain the furthest degrees in all that is good in this life and in the life after death.
O servants of Allah! I urge you all to rejoice on the special month of Rabi-al-Awwal in which the best of creation was delivered to this earth. “Not only did the angels, trees and the mountains rejoice at the birth of Rasulullah (SAW) but the entire universe rejoiced” (Ahsanul Muwa’iz, pg 14) and Allah (SWT) demands that we, the recipient of this great treasure, rejoice. He (SWT)said: Say, “With the grace of Allah and with His mercy” – with these they should rejoice. It is far better than what they accumulate (Q10:58).
O servants of Allah! Two things have been identified as a source of delight in this verse, one being GRACE (FAD’L), and the other, MERCY (RAHMA). What do these two means here?
Regarding this, there is a Hadith from Sayyidna Anas (RA) where it has been reported that the Holy Prophet (SAW) said, ‘the fadl (grace) of Allah denotes the Qur’an and rahmah (mercy) means that you were blessed with the taufiq (ability) of reciting the Qur’an and acting in accordance with it’ (Tafsir Ruh al-Ma’ani from Ibn Marduwayh). The same thing has also been reported from Sayyidna Bara’ ibn ‘Azib and Sayyidna Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (RAA) while there are many commentators who say that fadl (grace) means the Qur’an while rahmah (mercy) signifies Islam.
However, the meaning remains the same as given in the Hadith appearing earlier, that is, rahmah (mercy) means that Allah Ta’ala taught us the Qur’an, gave us the taufiq to follow it practically, and that is what Islam is in reality.
But Sayyidna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (RA) narrates that fadl means the Qur’an, and rahmah refers to the Holy Prophet (SAW). This interpretation finds support in the verse of the Holy Qur’an where it is said: “And We have not sent you [O Muhammad] except as mercy for the worlds” (Q21:107). However, the outcome of this too is no different from the earlier tafsirs – because, acting in accordance with the Qur’an or Islam ultimately reverts to following the lead given by the Holy Prophet (SAW) and through his word and deed.
In this verse, the believers are advised and encouraged to rejoice as in: “they should rejoice” as a result of the presence of universal mercy of the Holy Prophet (SAW) through Islam which is not restricted to those present at his time only or living at that time but to the generality of humanity including the generations that will be born right through the last day of Qiyamah (Ruh al-Ma’anI).
Indeed, Allah has favoured the Mu’mineen (believers) when he raised up in their midst an apostle (Rasulullah, SAW) from among themselves to convey His messages (verses of the Qur’an) unto them, and to cause them to grow in purity, (from corrupt beliefs, Shirk, disobedience) and to impart unto them the divine (message from the) Book (the valid meaning of the Qur’an) as well as wisdom (the Sunnah). There is no doubt that these people were in open error before (the coming of Rasulullah – SAW) (Q3:164).
Notwithstanding the aforesaid, some of our brethren have continued to fight and castigate the Muslims over the celebration of the Mawlid. In Nigeria where a date is set as public holiday for the Mawlid, some of these brethren have continued to call against it while others were said to have sent their children to school even when the schools were not opened. One may ask: is this all about the illegality of Mawlid or exhibition of hatred against Rasulullah?
O servants of Allah! We need to study with Scholars who love Rasulullah (SAW) to get to understand the personality of this great prophet. The animosity that exists among the Ummah today arises mainly from improper understanding of the position Allah has placed this great Prophet of His. It is often heard from some of our brethren that the Prophet is being excessively praised or there is some exaggeration in the praises showered upon him (SAW). Praises have been showered abundantly upon the Prophet by his creator and benefactor, Allah for all and sundry to read in the Qur’an. So, our praise for him is nothing compared to what Allah has done in this regard.
As for those who claim that the Prophet (SAW) forbade excessive praise him cite the hadith in which the Prophet (SAW) said, “Do not exaggerate in magnifying me like the Christians exaggerated in magnifying the son of Maryam [Isa, or Jesus, AS], for I am only His slave, so say: ‘the slave of Allah and His messenger’.” [al-Bukhari, Sahih]
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (RA), in his commentary of this narration in Fath al-Bari, defines it as “praise using falsehoods and untruths” and “exaggeration” in extolling. This was because the people who claimed to follow `Isa (AS) exalted him to the level of divinity (either as “the son of God”, “Partner of God” in the trinity or as God himself), which the Prophet (SAW) did not want any of his community to fall into. This is what the prohibition was restricted to (and by corollary, all false and polytheistic claims).
Yet, for what is true and wholesome, since there was no mention of it or limit set as to the quantity or quality of praise for the Prophet (SAW), it is an implicit permission to praise without restriction. Some still seem to have a problem with this however, as if to insinuate that repeatedly praising the Prophet (SAW) would somehow slowly lead to polytheism (shirk), diverting attention from the worship of Allah Most High. This is faulty reasoning, to say the least.
How can there be such a thing as praising “too much” or “too often”, when the Lord of the Worlds decided pre-eternally, out of all the names in His infinite knowledge, to name His beloved prophet “Muhammad” (from Ha-m-d), which is not just “the one praised” (Mahmud), but intensified as “the one who is praised over and over again without cease”? [al-Zurqani, Sharh al-Muwatta]
O servants of Allah! If the Muslims do not want to praise this great servant of Allah, Allah has compelled his enemies and those who never believed in his message to praise him in a manner that the Muslims cannot do without accusation of prejudice.
The reason why Allah sent this mighty Rasul to humanity is so that he will teach us all we need to succeed in the life of this world and the world hereafter. Rasulullah is the Isaan al-Kaamil (the Perfect Man) who has played in all the fields of human endeavour. On the family front, he married, had children and administered the home. If you want guidance in your family matters, there is no better guide than Rasulullah (SAW). He has done business to make a living; so, when he speaks about business and ethics, they aren’t theories. There is Mohammad Rasulullah (SAW)! The General; the King; the husband; the father; the Warrior; Businessman; the Preacher; the Philosopher; the Statesman; the Orator; the reformer; the Refuge of orphans; the Protector of slaves; the Emancipator of women; the Law-giver; the Judge; the Saint. And in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human endeavours, he remains unsurpassed.
O servants of Allah! Recognise the favours of Allah and thank Him for them. The greatest and ever-lasting favour is the gift of Rahmah through Sayyidina Rasulullah (SAW). Therefore, according to the Qur’anic commandments we must remember the beloved Prophet of Allah, Muhammad (SAW) and Mawlid-un-Nabi is a best way of remembrance of the greatest Prophet (SAW). Allah Almighty says: “And publicize well the favor of your lord” (Q93:11).
We ask Allah Ta’ala to shower His peace and blessings on His Beloved Messenger, his family and Companions, wa al-Hamdu Lillahi Rabbi l-‘alameen.
PART 2
All praise is due to Allah, Whom we praise and seek help, guidance and forgiveness from. We seek refuge with Allah from the evils within ourselves and from the burden of our evil deeds. He, whom Allah guides, will never be misled; and he whom He allows to stray no one can guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah without partners and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
O servants of Allah! Have you ever pondered over the name of your Prophet (SAW)? It is important to study all the names with which Allah has called him in the Qur’an and the greatest of it is Muhammad! Sallallahu alayhi wa aaalihi wassalam.
The name Muhammad is derived from the root ḥa-mīm-dāl (ح-م-د) of HAMD, which means ‘to praise’; this, being the passive participle of the second form, (i.e., MUHAMMAD) signifies ‘One who is praised continuously and copiously.’ He is so called because his name is forever being mentioned on the tongues of the denizens of the heavens and the earth at every moment in time, and also in their hearts. In fact, he is remembered and brought to mind upon seeing and recognising every beautiful and noble quality and through every knowledge learnt, understood and absorbed since he is the source and epitome of all noble qualities manifested in creation. Not only is he praised abundantly in this world, owing to the guidance and wisdom that he brought: he will also be praised in the next life, thanks to his intercession for the whole of creation after the Resurrection. Thus does Allah fulfills His promise to the Prophet (SAW) as He said: And We have elevated your mention (i.e., your remeberance and praises and the esteem with which people hold you and raised your voice with the call to prayer, supplication and testification of faith, such that you are mentioned just as I am. And the Prophet (SAW) said: “Yes, indeed!”
His name (SAW) alludes not only to his being much praised but also to the fact that his qualities and virtues are endless and we can never encompass them. The more we discover, the more Allah reveals to us so that we may continue to praise him until the end of time and beyond. My brethren! Tell me how possible it is to overpraise this Noble and Exemplary Prophet.
According to a Hadith cited by Abu Nuaym al-Isfahani, it was his grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, who named him Muhammad. When asked why he had done so – the name being unknown amongst his forefathers — he answered, “It is my hope that the denizens of all the heavens and the earth will sing his praises.” It was said that he named him so because of a dream in which he saw as if a chain of silver was emanating from his back; one edge of it was in the firmament and the other was in the lands, one side of it pointed towards the east and the other in the west. Then it turned into the form of a tree, with light on every one of its leaves, to which all mankind in the east and west were holding fast. He saw the Arabs and non-Arabs all bowing and people from amongst the Quraysh holding fast to it. Then a group of people came and tried to cut the tree down; but when they drew close, a young lad whose beauty and fragrance Abd al-Muttalib had never seen or smelt the like of, appeared and broke their backs and gouged out their eyes. Abd al-Muttalib tried to reach out to take hold of the tree but he could not reach it. He was told, “You will have a share of it — but through the people who are holding fast to it.” Upon waking up, he related this dream to one of the divines of Quraysh and they interpreted it as meaning that a child would emerge from his progeny to whom all the people in the east and west would hold fast and whose praises would be sung by the denizens of the heavens and earth. (Rawd al-Unuf)
It is also related by Ibn Hisham (in Sirat an-Nabiyy) and Ibn Sa’d (in Tabaqaat) that the Prophet’s mother Amina heard a voice speak to her, informing her that she had given birth to the leader of his nation and that she should name him Muhammad. Scholars say, combining these two narratives, that she mentioned this to Abd al-Muttalib and so he named him Muhammad, since her experience confirmed what he himself had seen.
No one had been known by this name until shortly before his birth, according to Qadi Iyad. Zarqani in his commentary on al-Mawahib al-ladunniyya agrees that this is the position of the majority of scholars and is the soundest. Since the Jews and Christians were aware of his impending arrival, about fifteen boys, according to Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani’s commentary on Bukhari, were named Muhammad in the hope that they would be blessed with prophethood in their household. Yet none of them claimed prophethood, and all passed away before the spread of Islam except Muhammad ibn Adi, who by some accounts accepted the religion at the hand of the Prophet (SAW).
O servants of Allah! Praise only becomes a commendable act of worship, or on the other hand something condemned, when its contents contain something to indicate that. So to judge any praise, one must look at the status and veracity of five things:
(a) who is doing the praising (al-hamid), and
(b) who is the one being praised (al-mahmud),
(c) upon what quality (al-mahmud bihi),
(d) for what reason or favor or motivating factor is this praise being given (al-mahmud `alayhi , and
(e) what is its form and wording (Seeghah al-Hamd)?
Intention is of course a paramount determinant in this, as in all acts.
Thus, praising the Prophet (SAW) with praises he deserves, no matter how often, is not worship to him at all, rather it is recommended.
What the Muslims have always done is “madh” of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for his divinely endowed qualities, out of love for him and obedience to the Creator. Doing so is a form of worship to the One who chose to create and send him to us, and so, by praising the Prophet (SAW) through “madh”, we are really praising Allah through “hamd” and more specifically, we are being thankful (shukr).
O Allah! We appreciate and thank you for the favour of being elected in the Party of Muhammad. We ask that you plant the love of your beloved Prophet into our heart and make him the light with which we sojourn in our worldly life, the light that will abide with us in the grave, the light that will accompany us into the Mah’shar (the Great Assembly), the light to cross the Siraat and the light to enter the Jannah.
O Allah! Reliever of grief, Reliever of worry, the Answerer of the distressed when they call unto You, the Merciful of this world and the hereafter, have mercy upon us in our needs through their fulfillment and success for us, such mercy that come abundantly that we will not be in need of the mercy of any other.
O Allah! Accept our good deeds, forgive us all our evil deeds and gather us in the company of the Prophet on the Day of Judgment for acceptance into Paradise.
Allahumma Aaamiin Ya Rabbil A’lameen.
Aquulu qawliy hadha wastagfirullah liy walakum innahu huwal ghafurun Raheem. Wassalamun alal mursaleen wal hamdulillahi rabbil aalameen.
Suleiman Zubair
