Belief in the Messengers
Question:
What sort of references can I use to confirm that
what GOD intended as regards His will, and that His will
has been changed by christian scribes/translators? Also, if
you could tell me where in the Bible it speaks of the
Prophet Muhammad, does it mention his name or it is symbolic?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah says in His Book (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when `Eesa (Jesus), son of
Maryam (Mary), said: `O Children of Israel! I am the
Messenger of Allaah unto you, confirming the Tawraat
[(Torah) which came] before me, and giving glad tidings of
a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be
Ahmad.' But when he (Ahmad, i.e. Muhammad) came to them
with clear proofs, they said: `This is plain magic'"
[al-Saff 61:6]
"Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who
can neither read nor write (i.e. Muhammad) whom they
find written with them in the Tawraat (Torah) and the
Injeel (Gospel)— he commands them for Al-Ma`roof (i.e.
Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained); and
forbids them from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of
all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); he allows
them as lawful AtTayyibaat (i.e. all good and lawful as
regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons and foods), and
prohibits them as unlawful AlKhabaa'ith (i.e. all evil and
unlawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons and foods),
he releases them from their heavy burdens (of
Allaah's Covenant with the children of Israel), and from the
fetters (bindings) that were upon them. So those who believe
in him (Muhammad), honour him, help him, and follow
the light (the Qur'aan) which has been sent down with
him, it is they who will be successful"
[al-A'raaf 7:157]
These two verses indicate that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is mentioned in the
Torah and the Gospel (the Bible), no matter how much the
Jews and Christians claim that he is not, for the word of
Allaah is the best and most truthful of words.
Some of the things mentioned in the previous Books
are as follows:
1 _ In the Torah, in the Book of Deuteronomy 18:18-19
it says:
"I will raise up for them a prophet like you from
among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and
he will tell them everything I command him.
If anyone does not listen to my words that the
prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account."
(New International Version)
This text is still extant among them. With regard to
the phrase "from among their brothers" _ if that prophet
were to be from among the Children of Israel, it would
have said, "I will raise up for them a prophet from
among them." But it says "from among their brothers" _ i.e.,
from among the sons of Ismaa'eel (Ishamel).
Secondly, it says in the Gospel of John 16:6-8, 12-13:
"It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I
go away, the Counselor [Paraclete] will not come to
you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin…
I have much more to say to you, more than you can
now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he
will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own;
he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you
what is yet to come."
(New International Version)
This cannot apply to anyone except the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Secondly: Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said: It says in the Torah, in the fifth book
[Deuteronomy 33:2]:
"The LORD came from Sinai and dawned over them
from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran. He came
with myriads of holy ones from the south, from his
mountain slopes [or: from his right hand went a fiery law for them]."
(New International Version; alternative version of
last phrase _ the meaning of which is unclear in the
original Hebrew texts _ is from the King James Version)
This refers to the three Prophethoods: the
Prophethood of Moosa (Moses), the Prophethood of `Eesa (Jesus)
and the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). "Coming from Sinai" refers to
the mountain where Allaah spoke to Moosa and called
him and told him he was a Prophet. "Dawning over them
from Seir" refers to the appearance of the Messiah from
Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). Seir is a village that is still
known there to this day. So this was a foretelling of
the Prophethood of the Messiah.
"Paran" refers to Makkah. Allaah likens the
Prophethood of Moosa to the coming of the dawn, and the
Prophethood of the Messiah after him to the rising of the sun, and
the Prophethood of the Seal of the Prophets to the sun
rising high in the sky and its light reaching all over the
earth. And it came to pass exactly as foretold, for
Allaah dispelled the night of kufr with the Prophethood of
Moosa, and the light increased with the Prophethood of
the Messiah, and was completed and reached everywhere
on earth with the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). These three
Prophets who were mentioned in this foretelling were
also mentioned in the beginning of Soorat al-Teen (interpretation of the meaning):
"By the fig, and the olive.
2. By Mount Sinai.
3. By this city of security (Makkah)"
[al-Teen 95:1-3]
End quote. See Hidaayat al-Hayaara, p. 110; and Ibn
al-Qayyim's comments on the Old Testament,
Deuteronomy 33:1.
Fourthly: Shaykh `Abd al-Majeed al-Zandaani said in
his book al-Bishaaraat bi Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) fi'l-Kutub al-Samawiyyah
al-Saabiqah that in the 22nd chapter of the Gospel of
Barnabas it says:
"And this will continue until there comes
Muhammad the Messenger of God who, when he comes, will
expose this deceit to those who believe in the laws of God."
And it says in the Book of Isaiah:
"I have made your name Muhammad O Muhammad,
O beloved of the Lord, your name will abide forever."
And it says in the Book of Isaiah:
"What I have given to him I will not give to anyone
else: Ahmad, because he praises God and this praise
comes from the best part of the earth, and this will bring joy
to mankind and they will recite the word of divine unity
on every hill and glorify God in every high place."
Many scholars have mentioned the places in the
Bible where the name of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) is mentioned. Sometimes his
name is mentioned clearly, and sometimes he is described
in ways that can only apply to him (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him).
You should note that the books of the Bible as they
exist today have been altered and changed. This fact has
been stated by non-Muslim historians, but despite all that
we still find in the Bible the foretelling of the coming of
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him). Shaykh Rahmat-Allaah al-Hindi stated
that every time the Christians were able to change
something they did so, hence you will find that some of the
ancient scholars quote passages from the Bible that no
longer exist. But there are still other passages that foretell
the Prophethood of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and his coming.
It should be noted that we have to arm ourselves
with adequate sound knowledge in order to debate with
the Christians, because even if they have no proof, they
will still try to sow the seeds of doubt in people's hearts
so that they will give in to these wrong ideas and so that
the truth will be concealed. "But Allaah will bring His
Light to perfection even though the disbelievers hate (it)"
[al-Saff 61:8 _ interpretation of the meaning].
Some of the most useful books on this topic are:
Izhaar al-Haqq by Shaykh Rahmat-Allaah al-Hindi;
Kitaab Hidaayat al-Hayaara by Ibn Al-Qayyim; and
al-Jawaab al-Saheeh by Ibn Taymiyyah. And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I would like to ask a question about `aqeedah. Is it part
of our `aqeedah to believe that the Prophets committed
sins and were not infallible?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Prophets are the best of mankind, and the most
noble of creation before Allaah. Allaah chose them to
convey the call of Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah to mankind, and
Allaah has made them the intermediaries between Him and
His creation in conveying His Laws. They were
commanded to convey the message from Allaah, as He
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"They are those whom We gave the Book,
AlHukm (understanding of the religious laws), and
Prophethood. But if these disbelieve therein (the Book, AlHukm
and Prophethood), then, indeed We have entrusted it to
a people (such as the Companions of Prophet
Muhammad) who are not disbelievers therein"
[al-An'aam 6:89]
The Prophets' task was to convey the message from
Allaah even though they were human, hence the issue
of infallibility may be examined from two angles:
1 _ Infallibility in conveying the message
2 _ Infallibility from human error
Firstly: With regard to the first issue, the Prophets
were infallible in conveying the message from Allaah.
They did not conceal anything that Allaah had revealed to
them, and they did not add anything from themselves.
Allaah said to His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning):
"O Messenger (Muhammad)! Proclaim (the
Message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord. And
if you do not, then you have not conveyed His
Message. Allaah will protect you from mankind"
[al-Maa'idah 5:67]
"And if he (Muhammad) had forged a false
saying concerning Us (Allaah),
We surely would have seized him by his right hand
(or with power and might),
And then We certainly would have cut off his life
artery (aorta),
And none of you could have withheld Us from
(punishing) him"
[al-Haaqqah 69:44-47]
And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And he (Muhammad) withholds not a knowledge of
the Unseen" [al-Takweer 81:24]
Shaykh `Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sa'di (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said in his commentary on this verse:
He is not stingy with that which Allaah has revealed to
him, concealing some of it. Rather he (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) the most trustworthy of the inhabitants of heaven and the people of earth, the
one who conveys the message of his Lord, the
faithful conveyor (of the message). He does not withhold any
part of it, from rich or poor, from ruler or subject, from
male or female, from city-dweller or Bedouin. Hence
Allaah sent him to an illiterate and ignorant nation, and he
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not die
until they had become knowledgeable scholars, steeped
in knowledge…"
So with regard to conveying the religion of his Lord,
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
did not make any mistakes at all, whether major or
minor, rather he was infallible and under the constant
protection of Allaah.
Shaykh `Abd al-`Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said in Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 6/371:
All the Muslims are unanimously agreed that the
Prophets (peace be upon them) _ especially Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) _ are infallible
and protected from error in that which they conveyed
from Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"By the star when it goes down (or vanishes).
Your companion (Muhammad) has neither gone
astray nor has erred.
Nor does he speak of (his own) desire.
It is only a Revelation revealed.
He has been taught (this Qur'aan) by one mighty in
power [Jibreel (Gabriel)]"
[al-Najm 53:1-5]
Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) is infallible in all that he conveyed
from Allaah, in word and deed and in what he approved
of. There is no dispute on this point among the scholars."
The ummah is agreed that the Messengers are
infallible in their conveying the message. They did not
forget anything that Allaah revealed to them, except for
things that were abrogated. And Allaah guaranteed
His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) that he would remember it and would not forget it,
except for that which Allaah wanted him to forget, and
He guaranteed to remember the whole Qur'aan in his
heart. Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning):
"We shall make you to recite (the Qur'aan), so you
(O Muhammad) shall not forget (it)"
[al-A'la 87:7]
"It is for Us to collect it and to give you (O
Muhammad) the ability to recite it (the Qur'aan).
And when We have recited it to you [O Muhammad through Jibreel (Gabriel)], then follow its (the
Qur'aan's) recitation" [al-Qiyaamah
75:17-18]
Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] said in Majmoo'
al-Fataawa, 18/7]:
The verses which point to the Prophethood of the
Prophets indicate that they are infallible with regard to the
message that they convey from Allaah, so what they convey
from their Lord can only be true. This is the meaning
of Prophethood and this implies [?] that Allaah tells
[the Prophet] of the unseen and he tells the people of
the unseen. So the Messenger is commanded to call
people and to convey the message to them."
Secondly: With regard to the Prophets as people,
they may make mistakes. This may be discussed as follows:
1 _They do not commit major sins
With regard to major sins, the Prophets do not
commit major sins at all, and they are protected from such
major sins both before their missions began or afterwards.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said in Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 4/319:
The view that the Prophets are infallible and
protected against committing major sins, as opposed to minor
sins, is the view of the majority of Muslim scholars and of
all groups. It is also the view of the scholars of tafseer
and hadeeth and fuqaha'. Indeed, nothing has been
narrated from any of the salaf, imams, Sahaabah, Taabi'een
and those who followed them except that which is
in accordance with this view."
2 _ Matters that have nothing to do with conveying
the message and the revelation.
With regard to minor sins, these may be committed
by them, or by some of them. Hence the majority of
scholars are of the view that they are not infallible when it
comes to minor sins. But if they committed such actions
they were not left to persist therein, rather Allaah pointed
that out to them and they hastened to repent therefrom.
The evidence that they might commit minor sins and
that they were not left to persist therein is the verses in
which Allaah says of Adam (interpretation of the meaning):
"Thus did Adam disobey his Lord, so he went astray.
Then his Lord chose him, and turned to him with forgiveness, and gave him guidance"
[Ta-Ha 20:121-122]
This indicates that Adam committed sin, but he was
not left to persist therein, and he repented to Allaah from that.
And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"He said: `This is of Shaytaan's (Satan's) doing,
verily, he is a plain misleading enemy.'
He said: `My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself,
so forgive me.' Then He forgave him. Verily, He is
the OftForgiving, the Most Merciful"
[al-Qasas 28:15-16]
So Moosa (peace be upon him) confessed his sin
and sought forgiveness from Allaah after he killed
the Egyptian, and Allaah forgave him his sin.
And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"and he [Dawood] sought forgiveness of his Lord,
and he fell down prostrate and turned (to Allaah)
in repentance.
So We forgave him that, and verily, for him is a near
access to Us, and a good place of (final) return (Paradise)"
[Saad 38:23-24]
Dawood's sin was hastening to pass judgement
before hearing the case of the second disputant.
And our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) was rebuked by his Lord for
several things that are mentioned in the Qur'aan, such as
the following (interpretation of the meaning):
"O Prophet! Why do you forbid (for yourself) that
which Allaah has allowed to you, seeking to please your
wives? And Allaah is OftForgiving, Most Merciful"
[al-Tahreem 66:1]
This refers to the well-known story with some of
his wives.
Allaah also rebuked His Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) concerning the prisoners of war
at Badr:
Muslim narrated in his Saheeh (4588) that Ibn
`Abbaas said: When the prisoners were taken captive,
the Messenger of Allaah (S) (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said to Abu Bakr and `Umar (may
Allaah be pleased with them): "What do you think about
these prisoners?" Abu Bakr said: "O Prophet of Allaah,
they are our cousins and kinsmen. I think that we should
accept a ransom from them which will give us some
support against the kuffaar, and perhaps Allaah will guide
them to Islam." The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "What do you think, O
Ibn al-Khattaab?" He said: "I say, no, by Allaah, O
Messenger of Allaah. I do not agree with Abu Bakr. I think that
you should hand them over to us so that we may strike
their necks (execute them). Hand over `Aqeel to `Ali so
that he may strike his neck, and hand over So and so _ a
relative of `Umar _ to me, for these are the leaders and
veterans of kufr." The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) liked what Abu Bakr said and
he did not like what I [`Umar] said. The next day I came
and found the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) and Abu Bakr weeping. I said:
"O Messenger of Allaah, tell me, what has made you
and your companion weep? If there is a reason to weep, I
will weep with you, and there is no reason, I will pretend
to weep in sympathy with you because you are
weeping." The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "I am weeping because I was
shown the torture to which they were subjected. It was
brought as close to me as this tree" _ a tree which was near
the Prophet of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) _ then Allaah revealed the words (interpretation
of the meaning):
"It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners
of war (and free them with ransom) until he had made
a great slaughter (among his enemies) in the land. You
desire the good of this world (i.e. the money of ransom for
freeing the captives), but Allaah desires (for you) the
Hereafter. And Allaah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.
Were it not a previous ordainment from Allaah, a
severe torment would have touched you for what you took.
So enjoy what you have gotten of booty in war,
lawful and good"
[al-Anfaal 8:67-69]
So Allaah permitted booty to them.
From this hadeeth it is clear that when the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) chose to
ransom the prisoners, this was a decision that he made by
ijtihaad after consulting his companions, and he had no
revelation from Allaah concerning that.
The words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):
"(The Prophet) frowned and turned away.
Because there came to him the blind man (i.e.
`Abdullaah bin Umm Maktoom, who came to the Prophet while
he was preaching to one or some of the Quraysh chiefs)"
[`Abasa 80:1-2]
This is the famous story of the great companion
`Abd-Allaah ibn Umm Maktoom and the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), when
Allaah rebuked him.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in Majmoo'
al-Fataawa, 4/320:
What has been narrated from the majority of scholars
is that they (the Prophets) are not infallible with regard
to minor sins, but they are not left to persist therein.
They do not say that this does not happen under
any circumstances. The first group from whom it was
narrated that they are infallible in all cases, and who say that
the most, are the Raafidis (Shi'ah), who say that they
are infallible and protected even against forgetfulness
and misunderstanding."
Some people think this is too much to suggest
that Prophets may commit sin, and misinterpret some of
the texts of the Qur'aan and Sunnah which indicate that.
Two specious arguments lead them to do that:
(i) _ The fact that Allaah has commanded us to follow
the Messengers and take them as our example. The
command to follow them is taken as meaning that everything
they did is an example for us to follow, and that every
action and belief of theirs is an act of worship. If we
suggest that that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) committed a sin, there will be a
dilemma, because that implies that we are commanded to
imitate this sin which was committed by the Prophet because
we are commanded to follow his example, but at the
same time we should no agree with it or do it, because it is
a sin.
This argument is valid and is appropriate if the sin
is hidden and not obvious in such a way that it could
be confused with acts of obedience. But Allaah has
explained to His Messengers where they went wrong and
enabled them to repent without delay.
(ii) _ Sins contradict perfection and are a
shortcoming. This is true if they are not accompanied by
repentance, for repentance brings forgiveness of sin, and does
not contradict perfection or bring blame upon a person.
Rather in many cases a person may be better after repenting
than he was before he fell into sin. It is well known that
no Prophet committed sin but he hastened to repent and
seek forgiveness. The Prophets did not persist in sin or
delay repentance, for Allaah protected them from that, and
after repenting they became more perfect than they were before.
3 _ Unintentional mistakes with regard to some
worldly matters
With regard to mistakes in some worldly matters, it
is permissible for them to make such mistakes although
their reason is sound and their insight is strong. This
happened to several of the Prophets including our
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). This happened with regard to various spheres of life
such as medicine, agriculture, etc.
Muslim narrated in his Saheeh (6127) that Raafi'
ibn Khadeej said: The Prophet of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah and
found them pollinating the palm trees. He said: "What are
you doing?" They said: "We always do this." He said:
"Perhaps if you do not do it, that will be better." So they did not
do it, and the harvest failed. They told him about that and
he said: "I am only human. If I tell you to do something
with regard to your religion, then do it, but if I tell you to
do something based on my own opinion, then I am
only human." Hence it is known that the Prophets are
infallible and protected from error with regard to the
Revelation, so we should beware of those who cast aspersions
upon the Messenger's conveying of the Message and his
laws, and say that it is his own personal opinion. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) could
never do such a thing. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Nor does he speak of (his own) desire.
It is only a Revelation revealed"
[al-Najm 53:3-4]
The Standing Committee was asked: Do the Prophets
and Messengers make mistakes?
They replied:
Yes, they make mistakes but Allaah does not let
them persist in their mistakes, rather he points out their
mistakes to them as a mercy to them and their nations, and
He forgives them for their mistakes, and accepts
their repentance by His Grace and Mercy, for Allaah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful, as will be clear to anyone
who studies the verses of the Qur'aan which speak of that.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 3/194
For more information see question no.
7208
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Was the virgin Maryam pregnant with `Eesa (peace
be upon him) for nine months? Or when the angels came
to her and told her to take refuge at the trunk of the
palm tree, did she give birth to him at that point?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The scholars differed as to how long Maryam was pregnant with `Eesa (peace be upon him).
The view of the majority is that it was nine months,
as with all other humans.
`Ikrimah said: Eight months, and said: For that reason
no child born at eight months' gestation lives, so as
to preserve the uniqueness of `Eesa.
It was narrated that Ibn `Abbaas said: No sooner did
she become pregnant but she gave birth.
Ibn Katheer said (3/117) concerning this report
narrated from Ibn `Abbaas:
This is strange, and appears to have been taken from
the apparent meaning of the verses in which Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to
a far place (i.e. Bethlehem valley about 46 miles
from Jerusalem).
23. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of
a date palm"
[Maryam 19:22]
The particle fa (translated here as `and'), in Arabic,
implies a succession of events, but things follow one another
at their own pace, as in the verse where Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And indeed We created man (Adam) out of an extract
of clay (water and earth).
13. Thereafter We made him (the offspring of Adam) as
a Nutfah (mixed drops of the male and female
sexual discharge and lodged it) in a safe lodging (womb of
the woman).
14. Then We made the Nutfah into a clot (a piece of
thick coagulated blood), then We made the clot into a little
lump of flesh, then We made out of that little lump of
flesh bones"
[al-Muminoon 23:12-14]
Here the particle fa (translated as `then')
indicates succession at the appropriate pace.
And it is proven in al-Saheehayn that between each
two stages is a period of forty days [i.e., it remains a
nutfah for forty days, then a clot for forty days, then a lump
of flesh for forty days].
And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"See you not that Allaah sends down water (rain)
from the sky, and then the earth becomes green?"
[al-Hajj 22:63]
The well-known view is the apparent meaning_
and Allaah is able to do all things _ which is that she
bore him as all other women bear their children. Hence
when the signs of pregnancy appeared on her, and there
was with her in the mosque a righteous man from among
her relatives who worshipped in the temple with her,
who was called Yoosuf al-Najjaar. When he saw that her
belly had become swollen he found it strange. Then he
decided to think well of her because of what he knew of
her innocence, honour, religious commitment and
worship. Then he thought about her situation, and he could
not stop thinking about this matter. So he said,
speaking indirectly: "O Maryam, I am going to ask you
about something, so do not get alarmed." She said, "What
is it?" He said: "Has any tree or plant ever grown without
a seed? Has any child ever been born without a
father?" She said: "Yes, I understood what you are referring to.
As for your asking whether any tree or plant has ever
grown without a seed, when Allaah first created trees and
plants He created them without seeds. And has any child
ever been born without a father? Allaah created Adam
without either a father or a mother." So he believed her and
left her alone.
When Maryam felt that her people were accusing
her, she withdrew to a far place, i.e. far away from them,
so that she would not see them and they would not see her.
Muhammad ibn Ishaaq said: When she became
pregnant with him and her menses ceased, and she
experienced the discomforts that all pregnant women face, then
no household experienced what the household of
Zakariyah experienced. Talk spread among the Children of
Israel and they said that the one who was responsible for
this was her companion Yoosuf because there was no one
else in the church with her except him. So she stayed
away from people and put a screen between her and them
so that no one could see her and she could not see
anyone." (from Ibn Katheer).
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Can the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) be described as "Habeeb-Allaah (the Beloved
of Allaah)"?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn `Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) is undoubtedly the Beloved of Allaah; he loves
Allaah and Allaah loves him. But there is a better
description than that, which is Khaleel-Allaah (the Close Friend
of Allaah). The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the Close Friend of
Allaah, as he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Allaah has taken me as a close friend (khaleel) just as
he took Ibraaheem as a close friend." (Narrated by
Muslum, 532).
Being a close friend is the most perfect form of love.
Hence whoever describes him as "habeeb" only is
not giving him his full due. Close friendship (being
a "khaleel") is greater and more sublime than love. All
the believers are beloved to Allaah, but the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) occupies a
higher status than that, which is close friendship. Allaah
took him as a close friend just as He took Ibraaheem as a
close friend. Hence we say that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and the Close Friend of Allaah. This is better than
saying that he is the Beloved of Allaah, because the Arabic
word khillah (close friendship) implies love and more,
because it is the ultimate love.
Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn `Uthaymeen (may Allaah
have mercy on him), 1/319.
Shaykh al-Islam said in Majmoo'
al-Fataawa, 10/204:
The view of some people that Muhammad is the
Beloved of Allaah and Ibraaheem is the Close Friend of
Allaah, and their notion that love (hubb) is superior to
close friendship (khillah), is a weak view, because
Muhammad is also the Close Friend of Allaah (Khaleel-Allaah),
as was proven in many saheeh ahaadeeth.
And Ibn al-Qayyim said in Rawdat
al-Muhibbeen, 1/49:
Some of those who have no knowledge think that
a "beloved (habeeb)" is superior to a "close
friend (khaleel)", so they say "Muhammad is the Beloved
of Allaah and Ibraaheem is the Close Friend of Allaah."
This is false for many reasons:
For example: close friendship is specific whereas love
is general. Allaah loves those who repent, and He loves
those who purify themselves, and He says of His
believing slaves (interpretation of the meaning):
"whom He will love and they will love Him"
[al-Maa'idah 5:54]
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) stated that he had no close friend among the people
of this world, but he stated that the most beloved of
women to him was `Aa'ishah and the most beloved of men
to him was her father.
And he said: "Allaah has taken me as a close
friend (khaleel) just as he took Ibraaheem as a close friend."
And he said: "If I were to have taken any of the people
of this world as a close friend, I would have taken Abu
Bakr as a close friend, but (between us) is the brotherhood
and love of Islam."
Note:
There is a hadeeth which appears to contradict the
above statement that close friendship (khillah) is superior to
love (hubb). It was narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3161) from
Ibn `Abbaas who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Ibraaheem
was the Close Friend of Allaah and Moosa was the one
with whom Allaah spoke, and `Eesa was a spirit and
Word created by Allaah, and Adam was chosen by Allaah, but
I am the Beloved of Allaah and I am not boasting…"
This hadeeth is da'eef (weak) and is not soundly
narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him). It was classed as da'eef by al-Albaani in
Da'eef al-Tirmidhi.
Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I read in some history books that Idrees was the first
of the Messengers and that he came before Nooh. Is
this correct?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The first of the Messengers (peace and blessings be
upon them) was Nooh (peace be upon him), and the last
of them was Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him). Before Nooh, no Messenger was sent,
and from this we realize that the historians are mistaken
in their view that Idrees (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) came before Nooh, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, We have sent the Revelation to you
(O Muhammad) as We sent the Revelation to Nooh
(Noah) and the Prophets after him"
[al-Nisa' 4:163]
According to the saheeh hadeeth which talks of intercession (on the Day of Resurrection), "… the
people will come to Nooh and will say to him, `You are the
first Messenger whom Allaah sent to the people of
the earth…'" So there was no Messenger before Nooh,
and there is no Messenger after Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but
he is the Messenger of Allaah and the last (end) of
the Prophets"
[al-Ahzaab 33:40]
With regard to the descent of `Eesa ibn Maryam
(peace be upon him) at the end of time, he will not come
down as a Messenger with a new message, rather he will
come down as a ruler who rules according to the sharee'ah
of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), because `Eesa and other Prophets are obliged to
believe in Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when Allaah took the Covenant of
the Prophets, saying: `Take whatever I gave you from the
Book and Hikmah (understanding of the Laws of Allaah),
and afterwards there will come to you a Messenger (Muhammad) confirming what is with you; you must,
then, believe in him and help him.' Allaah said: `Do you
agree (to it) and will you take up My Covenant (which I
conclude with you)?' They said: `We agree.' He said: `Then
bear witness; and I am with you among the witnesses
(for this)'"
[Aal `Imraan 3:81]
This Messenger who confirmed what was with them
is Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), as was narrated in saheeh reports from Ibn `Abbaas
and others.
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn
`Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him), 1/315
See also question no. 10551 for more information.
Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
What are the Muslims' beliefs concerning the
Messiah `Eesa ibn Maryam?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Our beliefs concerning the Messiah `Eesa ibn
Maryam (Jesus the son of Mary _ peace be upon him) are
those indicated by the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of
our Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him).
We believe that `Eesa (peace be upon him) was one
of the slaves of Allaah, and one of His noble
Messengers. Allaah sent him to the Children of Israel to call them
to believe in Allaah alone and worship Him alone.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when `Eesa (Jesus), son of
Maryam (Mary), said: `O Children of Israel! I am the
Messenger of Allaah unto you, confirming the Tawraat [(Torah)
which came] before me, and giving glad tidings of a
Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.' But
when he (Ahmad, i.e. Muhammad) came to them with
clear proofs, they said: `This is plain magic'"
[al-Saff 61:6]
"But the Messiah [`Eesa (Jesus)] said: `O Children
of Israel! Worship Allaah, my Lord and your Lord.'
Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allaah,
then Allaah has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire
will be his abode. And for the Zaalimoon (polytheists
and wrongdoers) there are no helpers"
[al-Maa'idah 5:72]
`Eesa was not a god or the son of God as the
Christians claim.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Surely, they have disbelieved who say: `Allaah is
the Messiah [`Eesa (Jesus)], son of Maryam (Mary).'"
[al-Maa'idah 5:72]
"And the Jews say: `Uzair (Ezra) is the son of
Allaah, and the Christians say: Messiah is the son of Allaah.
That is their saying with their mouths, resembling the
saying of those who disbelieved aforetime. Allaah's Curse be
on them, how they are deluded away from the truth!"
[al-Tawbah 9:30]
The first words that `Eesa spoke when Allaah caused
him to speak when he was in the cradle were
(interpretation of the meaning):
"He [`Eesa (Jesus)] said: `Verily, I am a slave of
Allaah, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet'"
[Maryam 19:30]
We believe that Allaah supported him with miracles
that proved he was speaking the truth.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"(Remember) when Allaah will say (on the Day
of Resurrection). `O `Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam
(Mary)! Remember My Favour to you and to your mother when
I supported you with RoohulQudus [Jibreel (Gabriel)]
so that you spoke to the people in the cradle and in
maturity; and when I taught you writing, AlHikmah (the power
of understanding), the Tawraat (Torah) and the
Injeel (Gospel); and when you made out of the clay, a
figure like that of a bird, by My Permission, and you
breathed into it, and it became a bird by My Permission, and
you healed those born blind, and the lepers by My
Permission, and when you brought forth the dead by My
Permission; and when I restrained the Children of Israel from
you (when they resolved to kill you) as you came unto
them with clear proofs, and the disbelievers among them
said: This is nothing but evident magic'"
[al-Maa'idah 5:110]
We believe that `Eesa was born from the Virgin
Maryam with no father, and that is not impossible for Allaah
Who, when He wills a thing, says "Be!" and it is.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, the likeness of `Eesa (Jesus) before Allaah is
the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then
(He) said to him: `Be!' — and he was"
[Aal `Imraan 3:59]
"(Remember) when the angels said: `O Maryam
(Mary)! Verily, Allaah gives you the glad tidings of a Word
[`Be!' — and he was! i.e. `Eesa (Jesus) the son of
Maryam (Mary)] from Him, his name will be the Messiah
`Eesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), held in honour
in this world and in the Hereafter, and will be one of
those who are near to Allaah."
He will speak to the people, in the cradle and in
manhood, and he will be one of the righteous.'
She said: `O my Lord! How shall I have a son when
no man has touched me.' He said: `So (it will be) for
Allaah creates what He wills. When He has decreed
something, He says to it only: "Be!" and it is'"
[Aal `Imraan 3:45-47]
We believe that he permitted to the Jews some of the
things that had been forbidden to them.
Allaah tells us that `Eesa said to the Children of
Israel (interpretation of the meaning):
"And I have come confirming that which was before
me of the Tawraat (Torah), and to make lawful to you part
of what was forbidden to you, and I have come to you
with a proof from your Lord. So fear Allaah and obey me"
[Aal `Imraan 3:50]
We believe that he did not die and his enemies the
Jews did not kill him, rather Allaah saved him from them
and raised him up to heaven alive.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And because of their (Jews) disbelief and
uttering against Maryam (Mary) a grave false charge (that
she has committed illegal sexual intercourse);
And because of their saying (in boast), `We killed
Messiah `Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger
of Allaah,' — but they killed him not, nor crucified him,
but it appeared so to them the resemblance of `Eesa
(Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that
man)], and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They
have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing
but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not [i.e.
`Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)]:
But Allaah raised him [`Eesa (Jesus)] up (with his
body and soul) unto Himself (and he is in the heavens).
And Allaah is Ever AllPowerful, AllWise"
[al-Nisa' 4:156-158]
We believe that he told his followers of the coming
of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him).
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when `Eesa (Jesus), son of
Maryam (Mary), said: `O Children of Israel! I am the
Messenger of Allaah unto you, confirming the Tawraat [(Torah)
which came] before me, and giving glad tidings of a
Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.' But
when he (Ahmad, i.e. Muhammad) came to them with
clear proofs, they said: `This is plain magic'"
[al-Saff 61:6]
We believe that he will come back down at the end
of time, and will disprove the claim of his enemies the
Jews that they killed him, and will disprove the claim of
the Christians that he is God or the son of God, and he
will not accept anything from them but Islam.
Al-Bukhaari (2222) and Muslim (155) narrated that
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "By the One in Whose hand is my
soul, soon the son of Maryam will descend among
you [according to another report: the Hour will not begin
until the son of Maryam descends among you] as a just
judge. He will break the cross, kill the pigs and abolish the
jizyah, and money will become abundant until no one will
accept it."
"Soon" means it will inevitably happen quickly.
"will descend among you" means among this ummah.
"A just judge" means that he will come down and
rule according to this sharee'ah, and that this sharee'ah
will remain and not be abrogated, rather `Eesa will be one
of the rulers of this ummah.
"He will break the cross and kill the pigs" means he
will declare as false the religion of the Christians by
breaking the cross in a real sense and proving false the
Christians' claims and veneration of the cross.
"and he will abolish the jizyah":
al-Nawawi said:
The correct view concerning this is that he will not
accept it, and he will not accept anything from the kaafirs
but Islam. If any of them offer the jizyah that will not
make him stop fighting them. Rather he will not accept
anything but Islam or death. This is the view of Imam
Abu Sulaymaan al-Khattaabi and other scholars (may
Allaah have mercy on them)."
"Money will become abundant" _ the reason for
this abundance will be the descent of blessings and the
spread of goodness because of justice and the absence
of oppression or wrongdoing. At that time the earth will
bring forth its treasures, and desire to keep money will
decrease because they will know that that Hour is at hand.
Then he will die and the Muslims will offer the
funeral prayer for him and bury him.
Ahmad (9349) narrated from Abu Hurayrah that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "I am the closest of people to `Eesa ibn Maryam
because there was no Prophet between him and me…" Then
he mentioned his descent at the end of time. Then he
said: "And he will remain for as long as Allaah wills he
should remain, then he will die and the Muslims will offer
the funeral prayer for him and bury him." Classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah
al-Saheehah (2182).
We believe that he will disavow himself on the Day
of Resurrection of the claims that he was a god.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when Allaah will say (on the Day
of Resurrection): `O `Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam
(Mary)! Did you say unto men: Worship me and my mother
as two gods besides Allaah?' He will say: `Glory be to
You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say).
Had I said such a thing, You would surely have known it.
You know what is in my innerself though I do not know
what is in Yours; truly, You, only You, are the AllKnower of
all that is hidden (and unseen).
Never did I say to them aught except what You
(Allaah) did command me to say: Worship Allaah, my Lord
and your Lord. And I was a witness over them while I
dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were
the Watcher over them; and You are a Witness to all things'"
[al-Maa'idah 5:116-117]
" `Never did I say to them aught except what You
(Allaah) did command me to say: Worship Allaah, my Lord
and your Lord. And I was a witness over them while I
dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were
the Watcher over them; and You are a Witness to all
things'" [al-Maa'idah 5:116-117]
This is what the Muslims believe about the Messiah
`Eesa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him).
Al-Bukhaari (3435) and Muslim (28) narrated
from `Ubaadah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Whoever bears witness that there is no god but
Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, and that
Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, and that `Eesa is His
slave and Messenger, a word which Allaah bestowed
upon Maryam and a spirit created by Him, and that Paradise
is real, and Hell is real, Allaah will admit him
through whichever of the eight gates of Paradise he wishes."
We ask Allaah to make us steadfast in faith and to
cause us to die as believers.
May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our
Prophet Muhammad.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Allaah has revealed religions and sent the Messengers
to set mankind's affairs straight, because these laws
bring goodness, righteousness, happiness and justice etc.
But in fact we do not see these laws achieving these
aims except in a few short periods of history.
My question is, how can the religious believe in
these values which are like a mirage that did not exist on
earth except at the time of the Prophets and the Sahaabah?
I really hope that you can answer this question that
is bothering me.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
First of all we want to remind you of an important
point, advice which was given by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyah to his student Ibn al-Qayyim, as it says in
Miftaah Daar al-Sa'aadah, 1/140. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said:
Shaykh al-Islam (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said to me _ when I started to ask him one question
after another _
"Do not make your heart like a sponge soaking up
any idea and specious arguments that come to mind,
rather make it like a glass through whose surface the
specious arguments pass but do not settle there, otherwise if
all those doubts and specious arguments settle in your
heart, it will be overwhelmed by them." I do not think that
I have ever benefited from any advice on how to deal
with doubts and specious arguments as much as I
benefited from this.
Know, may Allaah bless you, that the purpose behind
the sending of the Messengers was to guide mankind to
the worship of Allaah, so that proof may be established
against His slaves. The Prophets of Allaah were not charged
with the task of instilling faith in people's hearts, as
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"You are only a warner, and to every people there is
a guide"
[al-Ra'd 13:7]
"Say (O Muhammad): I am only a warner and there
is no Ilaah (God) except Allaah (none has the right to
be worshipped but Allaah) the One, the Irresistible"
[Sad 38:65]
"Verily, this is an admonition, therefore whosoever
will, let him take a Path to His Lord!"
[al-Muzzammil 73:19]
"And say: `The truth is from your Lord.' Then
whosoever wills, let him believe; and whosoever wills, let
him disbelieve"
[al-Kahf 18:29]
In Saheeh Muslim (2865) it is narrated from `Iyaad
ibn Himaar al-Mujaashi'i that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said one day in
his khutbah:
"My Lord has commanded me to teach you something
of which you are unaware, that He has taught me
today…: `I created all My slaves as haneefs (pure
monotheists), but the devils came to them and turned them away
from their religion, and forbade them that which I
permitted them and commanded them to associate with Me
others with no authority from Allaah. Allaah looked at the
people of the earth and despised them, Arabs and
non-Arabs, except a few left over from the People of the Book.
And He said, `I have only sent you in order to test you and
test (others) by means of you."
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"It may be that you (O Muhammad) are going to
kill yourself with grief, that they do not become believers"
[al-Shu'ara 26:3]
And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And had your Lord willed, those on earth would
have believed, all of them together. So, will you (O
Muhammad) then compel mankind, until they become believers"
[Yoonus 10:99]
"And most of mankind will not believe even if you
desire it eagerly" [Yoosuf 12:103]
Allaah has decreed that some of the sons of Adam will
be believers and some will be kaafirs. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"He it is Who created you, then some of you
are disbelievers and some of you are believers. And Allaah
is AllSeer of what you do" [al-Taghaabun
64:2]
It was narrated that Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri said:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Allaah will say on the Day of Resurrection: `O
Adam!' He will say, `Here I am, our Lord.' Then a voice will
call out: `Allaah commands you to bring forth those of
your offspring who are to be sent to Hell.' He will say, `O
Lord, who are those who are to be sent to Hell?' He will
say, `From every thousand, nine hundred and ninety
nine.'" That affected the people so much that their
expressions changed. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said, "From Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj
nine hundred and ninety nine, and from you one. Among
the people you are like a black hair on the side of a
white bull, or like a white hair on the side of a black bull. I
hope that you will be one-quarter of the people of
Paradise." We said, "Allaahu akbar!" Then he said, "One third
of the people of Paradise." We said, "Allaahu akbar!"
then he said, "Half of the people of Paradise." And we
said, "Allaahu akbar!"
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4741; Muslim 222
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) told us that Islam started as something strange, and it
will go back to being strange as it started. Muslim narrated
in his Saheeh (no. 145) that Abu Hurayrah said:
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "Islam started as something strange
and it will go back to being strange as it started, so give
glad tidings to the strangers."
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) spoke of the Prophets who came before him,
whose followers were few, as it says in the hadeeth narrated
by Muslim in his Saheeh (no. 5705): It was narrated
from Ibn `Abbaas that the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The nations
were shown to me and one or two Prophets came past me
with a small group, and a Prophet with no one with him.
Then a great crowd was shown to me and I said, `What is
this? Is this my ummah?' It was said, `No, this is Moosa
and his people.' Then it was said, `Look at the horizon,'
and there I saw a (vast) crowd filling the horizon. Then it
was said to me, `Look there and there on the horizon,' and
I saw a crowd that had filled the horizon. It was said,
`This is your ummah, and seventy thousand of them will
enter Paradise without being bought to account.'"
It should be noted that for values to be sound, it is
not essential for all the people to adhere to them. Most
people, of all times, all classes and all languages _ except
for those on whom Allaah has mercy _ do not follow
their better instincts, let alone the commands that Allaah
has enjoined, and the fact that they do not follow these
laws does not mean that these laws are not good in and
of themselves.
The reason for that is that Allaah has created the
human soul, and made among its basic attributes ignorance
and injustice, as Allaah says of man, and He knows best
about him (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, he was unjust (to himself) and ignorant (of
its results)"
[al-Ahzaab 33:72]
This soul knowingly does things that harm it, because
of its inherent unjust and ignorant nature.
For the Muslim who has submitted fully to Allaah,
Soorat al-`Asr is enough, of which al-Shaafa'i (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said: If Allaah had not revealed any
soorah to His slaves apart from this, that would have
been sufficient for them.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"By Al`Asr (the time).
Verily, man is in loss,
Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism)
and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another
to the truth [i.e. order one another to perform all kinds
of good deeds (AlMa`roof) which Allaah has ordained,
and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds
(AlMunkar) which Allaah has forbidden], and recommend one
another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries
which one may encounter in Allaah's Cause during
preaching His religion of Islamic Monotheism or
Jihad)" [al-`Asr 103:1-3]
Every kind of human being is in a state of loss,
apart from those who fulfil these conditions.
We ask Allaah to make us among them and to make
us steadfast in following this path.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I have got a question regarding a hadiith. How sound
is the hadiith, that states, that it were not for
Muhammad (saw) Allaah (swt) would not have created this world???
To be honest I am a bit suspicious about this hadiith,
could you shatter some light in the matter?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Many false and fabricated ahaadeeth have been
narrated that say similar things. For example:
"Were it not for you, I would not have created
the universe."
This was quoted by al-Shawkaani in al-Fawaa'id
al-Majmoo'ah fi'l-Ahaadeeth al-Mawdoo'ah (p. 326).
He said:
Al-San'aani said: (it is) mawdoo' (fabricated).
Al-Albaani said in al-Silsilah
al-Da'eefah (282): (it is) mawdoo'.
Another example is the hadeeth narrated by
al-Haakim according to which Ibn `Abbaas said:
"Allaah revealed to `Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him):
`O `Eesa, believe in Muhammad, and tell whoever you
meet of your ummah to believe in him. For were it not
for Muhammad, I would not have created Adam, and were
it not for Muhammad, I would not have created
Paradise and Hell. I created the Throne over the water and it
would not settle until I wrote on it, Laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah Muhammad Rasool Allaah (There is no god but
Allaah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah)."
Al-Haakim said: its isnaad is saheeh! But
al-Dhahabi commented on that and said: I believe it is fabricated
and falsely attributed to Sa'eed.
Meaning, Sa'eed ibn Abu `Aroobah (one of the
narrators of this hadeeth). This hadeeth was narrated from him
by `Amr ibn Aws al-Ansaari, who is the one who is
accused of fabricating it. Al-Dhahabi mentioned him in
al-Meezaan where he said: "He produced a munkar
report," then he quoted this hadeeth, and said, "I believe that it
is mawdoo' (fabricated)." Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar agreed
with him, as it says in al-Lisaan.
Al-Albaani said in al-Silsilah
al-Da'eefah (280): There is no basis for it.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have
mercy on him) was asked:
Is the hadeeth which some people quote _ "Were it
not for you, Allaah would not have created the Throne or
the Kursiy or the earth or the heavens or the sun or the
moon or anything else" saheeh or nor?
He replied:
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) is the leader of the sons of Adam, and the best and
noblest of creation, hence some people say that Allaah
created the universe because of him, or that were it not for
him, Allaah would not have created the Throne or the
Kursiy or the earth or the heavens or the sun or the moon.
But this hadeeth that is narrated from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is neither
saheeh (sound) nor da'eef (weak), and it was not narrated by
any scholar in a hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). Neither was it known from
the Sahaabah. Rather it is the words of one who is
unknown. Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 11/86-96.
The Standing Committee was asked:
Can it be said that Allaah created the heavens and
the earth for the purpose of creating the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? What is the
meaning of the hadeeth, "Were it not for you the universe
would not have been created," and does this hadeeth have
any basis?
They replied:
The heavens and the earth were not created for the
sake of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), rather they were created for the purpose
which Allaah mentions (interpretation of the meaning):
"It is Allaah Who has created seven heavens and of
the earth the like thereof (i.e. seven). His Command
descends between them (heavens and earth), that you may
know that Allaah has power over all things, and that
Allaah surrounds all things in (His) Knowledge"
[al-Talaaq 65:12]
As for the hadeeth mentioned, it is falsely attributed
to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and has no sound basis.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 1/312
Shaykh Ibn Baaz was asked about this hadeeth and said:
The answer is that this was transmitted from the words
of some of the common people who have no
understanding. Some people say that the world was created for the
sake of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) and were it not for Muhammad the world would
not have been created and mankind would not have
been created. This is false and has no basis, and these are
corrupt words. Allaah created the world so that He would
be known and worshipped. He created the world and
He created mankind so that His names and attributes,
His power and knowledge, would be known and so that
He alone would be worshipped with no partner or
associate, and so that He would be obeyed _ not for the sake
of Muhammad or for the sake of Nooh or Moosa or `Eesa
or any other Prophet. Rather Allaah created the universe
so that He alone would be worshipped, with no partner
or associate.
Fataawa Noor `ala al-Darb, 46.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Is there any reality in that before getting birth rasool
as pak sallah alai salam was there in the sky as a light
or (star), if it is there then can you explain me this in
the light of quran and ahadis.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
One of the signs of the coming of our Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is that when his
mother became pregnant with him, she saw in a dream that
a light came out of her that reached Syria.
It was narrated from Khaalid ibn Ma'daan that
the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "O Messenger
of Allaah, tell us about yourself." He said: "I am the
answer to the prayer of the father of Ibraaheem, and the
glad tidings of `Eesa, and when my mother became
pregnant with me, she saw something as if a light came out of
her and illuminated the palaces of Busra in the land of Syria."
Narrated by Ibn Ishaaq with his isnaad; Seerat
Ibn Hishaam, 1/166. Narrated with a different isnaad by
al-Tabari in his Tafseer, 1/566, and by al-Haakim in
al-Mustadrak, 2/600. He said: its isnaad is saheeh
although they [al-Bukhaari and Muslim] did not narrated, and
al-Dhahabi agreed with him. See al-Silsilah
al-Saheehah, 1545
Al-Tabaraani narrated that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "My mother
saw in a dream that there came from between her legs a
lamp that illuminated the palaces of Syria." Classed as
hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', 224.
Ahmad (16700) narrated from al-`Irbaad ibn
Saariyah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said… and he mentioned the hadeeth according to which
the mother of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw, when she gave birth to
him, a light which illuminated the palaces of Syria.
Al-Haythami said in Majma' al-Zawaa'id: its isnaad
is hasan.
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in al-Fath:
When she gave birth there came forth from her a
light which illuminated the house. This is supported by
the hadeeth of al-`Irbaad ibn Saariyah who said: I heard
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) say: "I was the slave of Allaah and the Seal
of the Prophets, when Adam was still in the form of mud
on the ground, and I will tell you about that. I am the
answer to the prayer of the father of Ibraaheem, the glad
tidings of Eesa concerning me, and the dream that my
mother saw and that the mothers of the Prophets saw. The
mother of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) saw, when she gave birth to him, a
light which illuminated the palaces of Syria. Narrated
by Ahmad and classed as saheeh by Ibn Hibbaan and
al-Haakim. A similar hadeeth was narrated from Abu Umaamah by Ahmad.
We should note that the evidence of the Prophethood
of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) is not limited to this sign. Whether this
is proven or not, his Prophethood is proven by
definitive evidence which no fair-minded person can deny,
rather those who deny it do so out of ignorance or arrogance.
We ask Allaah to cause His religion to prevail and
His word to be supreme.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
How can one develop in their heart love of
Prophet Muhammad more than anything else in the world?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The strength of love for the Messenger (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is connected to
the Muslim's faith. When his faith increases, his love for
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) increases. Loving the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) is an act of obedience to Allaah
and a means of drawing closer to Him. Loving the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is one of
the obligatory duties in Islam.
It was narrated that Anas said: The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "None of you
truly believes until I am more beloved to him that his
father, his child and all the people."
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 15; Muslim, 44)
You can increase your love of the Messenger (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) by realizing
the following:
Firstly: he was sent by his Lord who chose him above
all of creation to convey the religion of Allaah to
mankind. Allaah chose him because He loved him and was
pleased with him. If Allaah were not pleased with him, He
would not have chosen him. So we must love the one
whom Allaah loves and be pleased with the one with
whom Allaah is pleased. We must realize that he is the
close friend (khaleel) of Allaah and that close friendship is
a higher status and it is the highest degree of love.
It was narrated that Jundub said: I heard the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: "I declare
before Allaah that I have no close friend (khaleel) from
among you. Allaah has taken me as a close friend as he
took Ibraaheem as a close friend. If I were to have taken
a close friend from among my ummah, I would have
taken Abu Bakr as a close friend." (Narrated by Muslim, 532).
Secondly:
We should realize the high status to which Allaah
has raised him, for he (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) is the best of mankind.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "I will be the leader of mankind of the Day
of Resurrection, the first whose grave will be opened,
the first to intercede and the first to be asked to intercede."
(Narrated by Muslim, 2278)
Thirdly:
We should realize that he suffered trials and
difficulties in order to bring Islam to us. We should remember
that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) was persecuted, hit, slandered and insulted;
the closest people to him disowned him and accused him
of being a madman, a liar and a sorcerer. He fought
the people in order to protect the religion so that it could
reach us; they fought him, expelled him from his people
and homeland, and gathered armies against him.
Fourthly:
We should follow the example of his companions
who loved him deeply. They loved him more than wealth
and sons, and more than their own selves.
There follow some examples of that:
It was narrated that Anas said: I saw the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
when the barber was cutting his hair and his companions
were going around him wanting to ensure that his hair
would fall only into someone's hand.
Narrated by Muslim, 2325
It was narrated that Anas (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: "On the Day of Uhud some of the people
fled and left the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him), but Abu Talhah stood before him
covering him with a shield. Abu Talhah was a powerful archer
who broke two or three bows that day. When a man passed
by carrying a quiver containing arrows, he would say:
Give them to Abu Talhah. Whenever the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) raised his head to
look at the people, Abu Talhah would say: O Prophet of
Allaah, may my father and my mother be sacrificed for you,
do not raise your head lest you be struck by an arrow shot
by the enemy. My neck is before your neck."
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3600; Muslim, 1811)
Fifthly:
You should follow his Sunnah in word and deed, so
that his Sunnah is the path you follow in your whole life,
and you put his words before any other words and put
his command before everything else; and you should
follow the `aqeedah (belief) of his noble Companions, and
the `aqeedah of the Taabi'een who followed them, and
the `aqeedah of those who followed their path until the
present day, namely Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah, and
avoid bid'ah (innovation), especially the Raafidis (Shi'ah),
for their hearts are hardened against the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
they give their imams precedence over him and love them
more than they love him.
We ask Allaah to help us to love His Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and to make
him dearer to us than our children, parents, families and
our own selves.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Are the prophets alive or dead?
Because when prophet Muhammed(pbuh) went on the miraaj, all the prophets prayed behind him in masjid
al-aqsa, then prophet Muhammed(pbuh) went though
each heaven and met some of the more well known
prophets again who must have prayed behind him earlier.
Therfore, how could the prophets be in masjid al-aqsa and then
in the heavens after.
Or are the prophets alive, but in a different reality to us?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Prophets (blessings and peace of Allaah be
upon them) are dead as far as the people of this world
are concerned. Allaah says, addressing the last and best
of them (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, you (O Muhammad) will die, and verily, they
(too) will die"
[al-Zumar 39:30]
But before Allaah they are alive, for if the martyrs
are alive with Allaah, then the Prophets are
undoubtedly higher in status before Allaah. See
Fath al-Baari, 6/444.
It was narrated in a saheeh report that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The
Prophets are alive in their graves and they pray." (Narrated by
al-Bazzaar; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Jaami', 2790). This prayer is something that they
are blessed with just as the people of Paradise are
blessed with tasbeeh (glorifying Allaah).
They (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon them) are
in their graves apart from `Eesa (peace be upon him),
whom Allaah raised up into heaven, as He says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but it
appeared so to them [the resemblance of `Eesa (Jesus) was put
over another man (and they killed that man)], and those
who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no
(certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For
surely; they killed him not [i.e. `Eesa (Jesus), son of
Maryam (Mary)]:
But Allaah raised him [`Eesa (Jesus)] up (with his
body and soul) unto Himself (and he is in the heavens).
And Allaah is Ever All Powerful, All Wise."
[al-Nisa' 4:157-158]
With regard to the Prophets praying behind the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on the
night of the Isra' (Night Journey), they prayed behind him
in spirit, but their bodies were in their graves. The
same applies to his seeing the Prophets during the
Mi'raaj (ascent into heaven), when he saw Adam in the
lowest heaven, and `Eesa and Yahya in the second heaven,
and Yoosuf in the third, and Idrees in the fourth, and
Haroon in the fifth, and Moosa in the sixth, and Ibraaheem in
the seventh, or vice versa. He saw their souls appear in
the shape of their bodies.
Some people say that he saw the same bodies that
are buried in the graves, but this view does not carry
any weight.
But `Eesa ascended into heaven body and soul, and
the same is said of Idrees.
But with regard to Ibraaheem, Moosa and others,
they are buried on earth.
The Messiah (may the blessings and peace of Allaah
be upon him and all the other Prophets) will
inevitably descend to earth, to the white minaret in the east
of Damascus; he will kill the Dajjaal ("Antichrist"),
break the cross and kill the pigs, as is proven in the
saheeh ahaadeeth. Hence he is in the second heaven even
though he is superior to Yoosuf, Idrees and Haroon, because
he will descend to the earth before the Day of
Resurrection, unlike the other Prophets. And Adam is in the
lowest heaven because the souls of his descendents who
are blessed (i.e., destined for Paradise) will be shown to
him. As for the souls of the doomed (i.e., those who are
destined for Hell) the gates of heaven will not be opened for
them and they will not enter Paradise until the camel
passes through the eye of the needle. So if they will be shown
to him, he has to be near them. There is no contradiction
in the fact that they (may the blessings and peace of
Allaah be upon them) prayed behind the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) then he met some
of them after he was taken up into the heavens, because
the souls are like the angels, they may ascend and descend
in an instant; they are not like bodies.
Adapted from Majmoo' al-Fataawa by Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him),
4/328-329.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I would like to know about the status of
Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) .
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It is prescribed for everyone who hears the adhaan
and call to prayer to repeat after the muezzin, and when
he has finished repeating the entire adhaan, he should
send prayers and blessings on the Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then recite the
words narrated in the saheeh hadeeth from Jaabir ibn
`Abd-Allaah, who reported that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Whoever says when he hears the call to prayer,
`Allaahummah Rabba haadhihi'l-da'wat il-taammah wa'l-salaat
il-qaa'imah, aati Muhammadan al-waseelata wa'l-fadeelah, wab'athhu maqaaman mahmoodan
alladhi wa'adtahu (O Allaah, Lord of this perfect Call and
the Prayer to be offered, grant Muhammad the privilege
and also the eminence, and resurrect him to the
praised position that You have promised), will be granted
my intercession on the Day of Resurrection." (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, 579). There is no phrase in this du'aa'
like "al-darajah al-`aaliyah
al-rafee'ah (the high and elevated status)," so this should not be said. The conjunction
"wa" in the phrase "al-waseelata
wa'l-fadeelah (the privilege and also the eminence) is by way of explanation;
waseelah is the status higher than the rest of creation. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained
it in the hadeeth narrated by `Abd-Allaah ibn `Amr ibn
al-`Aas, who said that he heard the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: "When you
hear the muezzin and say something like he says, then
send blessings on me, whoever sends blessings on me,
Allaah will send blessings tenfold on him. Then ask Allaah
to grant me al-waseelah, for it is a status in Paradise
that only one of the slaves of Allaah will reach, and I
hope that I will be the one. Whoever asks for
al-waseelah for me will be granted intercession."
(Reported by Muslim, 577).
The "praised position"(maqaam
mahmood) is intercession before Allaah so that He will start to judge between
His slaves, and no one will be granted this except
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This
is mentioned in the words of Allaah addressed to the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) (interpretation of the meaning):
"Perform al-salaah from mid-day till the darkness of
the night (i.e., the Zuhr, `Asr, Maghrib and `Isha'
prayers), and recite the Qur'aan in the early dawn (i.e., the
morning prayer). Verily, the recitation of the Qur'aan in the
early dawn is ever witnessed (aatended by the angels in
charge of mankind of the day and the night).
And in some parts of the night (also) offer the
salaah (prayer) with it (i.e., recite the Qur'aan in the prayer),
as an additional prayer (tahajjud _ optional prayer) for
you (O Muhammad). It may be that your Lord will raise
you to maqaaman mahmoodah (a station of praise and
glory, i.e., the highest degree in Paradise)." [al-Isra' 17:78-79]
It is called al-maqaam al-mahmood because all of
creation will praise Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) for that status, because his intercession
will ease their distress on that terrible day by setting the
process of judgement in motion. And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
How was the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) bewitched, when Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Allaah will protect you from mankind"
[al-Maa'idah 5:67]?
How could he have been bewitched when he was
receiving Revelation from His Lord and conveying that to
the Muslims? How could he convey it if he was
bewitched, and the kaafirs and mushrikeen said:
"You follow none but a man bewitched"[al-Furqaan
25:8 _ interpretation of the meaning]
We hope that you could explain this and clear up
these doubts.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It was proven in a saheeh hadeeth that this witchcraft
took place in Madeenah, when the Revelation and the
Message had become well-established and clear, and after
the evidence of Prophethood and the truthfulness of
the Message had been confirmed, and after Allaah
had supported His Prophet against the mushrikeen
and humiliated them. Then a Jewish person called Labeed
ibn al-A'sam came to him and did some kind of
witchcraft against him, using a comb and the hairs stuck to it
and the skin of pollen of a male date palm. He _ the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) _ started
to imagine that he had done something with his wife
when he had not done it, but his reason, feelings and ability
to distinguish matters remained with him with regard to
the things he was telling the people, praise be to Allaah.
So he continued to speak to the people of the truth
which Allaah had revealed to Him. But he felt that
something was affecting him with regard to his wives, as
`Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: "He used
to imagine that he had done something in the house with
his wife when he had not done it. So Revelation came to
him from his Lord via Jibreel (peace be upon him),
telling him what had happened. So he sent someone to take
that thing [the material used for witchcraft purposes] out
of the well of one of the Ansaar, and he destroyed it."
Then the effects of that left him, praise be to Allaah, and
Allaah revealed to him the two soorahs of seeking refuge
with Allaah (al-Mi'wadhatayn, the last two soorahs of
the Qur'aan). He recited them and all harm left him.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Those who seek refuge can never seek refuge
with anything like them."
Nothing resulted from this witchcraft that could
have harmed the people or undermined the Message
or Revelation. Allaah protected him from the people
with regard to the matter of receiving and conveying
the Message.
But with regard to the kinds of harm that befell
the Messengers, he (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) was not protected from them, rather some such
things befell him too. He was wounded on the day of Uhud,
and his helmet was smashed on his head and his cheek
was cut, some of the rings from his chain mail pierced
his cheeks, he fell in one of the holes that were there,
and they subjected him to intense persecution in Makkah.
He suffered some of the things that the Messengers
before him had suffered, and that were decreed for him, by
means of which Allaah raised him in status and multiplied
his hasanaat (reward for good deeds). But Allaah
protected him from them, so that they were not able to kill him
or to prevent him from conveying the Message; they
were not able to prevent him from fulfilling his obligation
to convey the Message, so he conveyed it and fulfilled
the mission with which he had been entrusted. May the
peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him, and praise be
to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds.
See Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah
li Samaahat al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, may Allaah have
mercy on him, 8/149. (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
What is meant by belief in the Messengers?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Belief in the Messengers implies four
things:
1 _ Firm belief that Allaah sent to every nation
a Messenger from amongst them, to call them to
worship Allaah alone and to disbelieve in everything that
is worshipped instead of Him, and that they (the
Messengers) were all truthful, speakers of the truth, righteous,
wise, pious and honest, and that they conveyed everything
with which Allaah sent them, concealing and altering
nothing. They did not add even one letter from themselves or
omit anything.
"Are the Messengers charged with anything but to
convey clearly the Message?"
[al-Nahl 16:35 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
Their message was the same, from the first to the last
of them, based on the principle of Tawheed, i.e., that all
kinds of worship should be devoted to Allaah alone,
beliefs, words and deeds alike, and that everything that
is worshipped instead of Allaah is to be rejected.
The evidence for that is the verses (interpretation of
the meanings):
"And We did not send any Messenger before you
(O Muhammad) but We revealed to him (saying): Laa
ilaaha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but
I (Allaah)], so worship Me (Alone and none
else)"[al-Anbiya' 21:25]
"And ask (O Muhammad) those of Our Messengers
whom We sent before you: `Did We ever appoint aalihah
(gods) to be worshipped besides the Most Gracious (Allaah)?'"[al-Zukhruf
43:45]
And there are very many similar aayahs.
With regard to the obligatory duties by which Allaah is
to be worshipped and the minor details of legislation,
prayers and fasts may have been enjoined on some nations
but not on others, and some things may have been
forbidden to some and permitted to others, as a test from Allaah.
"Who has created death and life that He may test
you which of you is best in deed" [al-Mulk 67:2
_ interpretation of the meaning]
The evidence for that is the verses (interpretation of
the meaning):
"To each among you, We have prescribed a law and
a clear way"
[al-Maa'idah 5:48]
Ibn `Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said
"(This means) a way and a path." Mujaahid, `Ikrimah and
many of the mufassireen said likewise.
In Saheeh al-Bukhaari (3443) and Saheeh
Muslim (2365) it is narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: "The Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: `The Prophets are like brothers from one father,
their mothers are different but their religion is one'" _ i.e.,
the Prophets are united on the principle of Tawheed,
the message with which Allaah sent every Messenger
whom He sent, and which He included in every Book that
He revealed, but their laws differed as to command
and prohibitions, what was permitted and what was forbidden.
Whoever disbelieves in the message of one of them
has disbelieved in all of them, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"The people of Nooh (Noah) belied the
Messengers"
[al-Shu'ara' 26:105]
Allaah described them as disbelieving in all of
the Messengers even though there was no Messenger
other than Nooh at the time when they disbelieved.
2 _ Belief in those Messengers whose names we
know, such as Muhammad, Ibraaheem, Moosa, `Eesa and
Nooh (may blessings and peace be upon them all). With
regard to those who have been mentioned in general terms
but whose names we do not know, we are obliged to
believe in them in general terms, as Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"The Messenger (Muhammad) believes in what has
been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the
believers. Each one believes in Allaah, His Angels, His Books,
and His Messengers. (They say,) `We make no
distinction between one another of His
Messengers'" [al-Baqarah 2:285]
"And, indeed We have sent Messengers before you
(O Muhammad), of some of them We have related to you
their story. And of some We have not related to you their
story" [Ghaafir 40:78]
And we believe that the Final Messenger was our
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), and there is no Prophet after him, as Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but
he is the Messenger of Allaah and the last (end) of
the Prophets. And Allaah is Ever AllAware of everything"
[al-Ahzaab 33:40]
In al-Bukhaari (4416) and Muslim (2404) it is
narrated from Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqaas (may Allaah be pleased
with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out to Tabook, and
appointed `Ali as his deputy (in Madeenah). `Ali said, "Are
you leaving me in charge of the children and women?"
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, "Does it not please you that you are to me like Haroon
to Moosa? But there will be no Prophet after me."
Allaah favoured him and singled him out for
great blessings which were given to no other Prophet.
For example:
1- Allaah sent him to all of the two races of mankind
and jinn, whereas each Prophet who came before him
was sent only to his own people.
2- Allaah supported him against his enemies by
striking fear into the hearts of all his enemies within the radius
of one month's travel.
3- The earth was made a place of prayer and a means
of purification for him.
4- War booty was made permissible for him, where it
had not been permitted to any Prophet before him.
5- He will be granted the position of greater intercession.
And there are many other special favours that have
been bestowed upon him (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him).
3 _ Believing in the sound reports that have been
narrated from the Messengers.
4 _ Following the laws of the Messenger who has
been sent to us, namely the Final Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who was sent to
all of mankind. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until
they make you (O Muhammad) judge in all disputes
between them, and find in themselves no resistance against
your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission"
[al-Nisa' 4:65]
We should note that belief in the Messengers bears
great fruit, such as:
1- Knowledge of the mercy of Allaah towards His
slaves and His care for them, as He sent the Messengers to
guide them to the path of Allaah and to show them how
to worship Allaah, for human reason alone cannot come
to know that.
2- Giving thanks to Him for this great blessing.
3- Loving and venerating the Messengers (blessing
and peace be upon them), and praising them in the
manner that befits them, because they are the Messengers
of Allaah, and because they worshipped Him and
conveyed His Message, and were sincere towards His slaves.
And Allaah knows best.
See A'laam al-Sunnah al-Manshoorah, 97-102;
Sharh Usool al-Thalaathah by Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen, 95, 96.
Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih
Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
How can we reconcile between the two aayahs (interpretation of the meaning):
"Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to
others [al-Baqarah 2:253] and :
"We make no distinction between any of them
[al-Baqarah 2:136]?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others
[al-Baqarah 2:253]
is like the aayah:
"And indeed, We have preferred some of the
Prophets above others"
[al-Isra' 17:55]
There is no doubt that some of the Prophets and Messengers are superior to others; the Messengers
are superior to the Prophets, and the "Messengers of
strong will" (cf. al-Ahqaaf 46:35) are superior to all the
others. The Messengers of strong will are the five whom
Allaah has mentioned in two verses of the Qur'aan, the first
of which is in Soorat al-Ahzaab:
"And (remember) when We took from the Prophets
their covenant, and from you (O Muhammad), and from
Nun (Noah), Ibraaheem (Abraham), Moosa (Moses), and
`Eesa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary)"
[al-Ahzaab 33:7 _ interpretation of the
meaning] _ these are Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), Nooh, Ibraaheem, Moosa and `Eesa ibn Maryam.
The second verse is in Soorat al-Shoora:
"He (Allaah) has ordained for you the same
religion (Islamic Monotheism) which He ordained for
Nooh (Noah), and that which We have revealed to you
(O Muhammad), and that which We ordained for
Ibraaheem (Abraham), Moosa (Moses) and `Eesa
(Jesus)"[al-Shoora 42:13 _ interpretation of the
meaning].
These five are superior to all others.
With regard to what Allaah says concerning the
believers (interpretation of the meaning) _
"Each one believes in Allaah, His Angels, His
Books, and His Messengers. (They say,) `We make no
distinction between one another of His Messengers'"
[al-Baqarah 2:136] _
what this means is: we make no distinction between
them in terms of belief, we believe that they are all
truly Messengers from Allaah, and that they did not tell
lies, so they all spoke the truth. This is the meaning of
the phrase "We make no distinction between one another
of His Messengers", i.e., in terms of belief: we believe
that they were all truly Messengers from Allaah.
But in terms of the kind of belief that implies
following, for those who come after the Messenger (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), this applies only to
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). He is the one to be followed because his sharee'ah
(law) abrogates all other laws. Hence we know that we
must believe in all of them and believe that they are
truly Messengers from Allaah, but after the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sent,
all previous religions were abrogated by his sharee'ah,
and it became obligatory upon all people to follow Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) only. Allaah by His wisdom abrogated all religions
apart from the religion of the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), hence He says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad): O mankind! Verily, I am sent
to you all as the Messenger of Allaah — to Whom
belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. Laa ilaaha
illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). It
is He Who gives life and causes death. So believe in
Allaah and His Messenger (Muhammad), the Prophet who
can neither read nor write (i.e. Muhammad), who believes
in Allaah and His Words [(this Qur'aan), the Tawraat
(Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel) and also Allaah's Word: "Be!"
— and he was, i.e. `Eesa (Jesus) son of Maryam
(Mary)], and follow him so that you may be guided"
[al-A'raaf 7:158].
So all religions other than that of the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are abrogated,
but we must still believe in the Messengers and that they
are true.
From the fatwas of Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen,
Kitaab Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/81. (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Why do people need the Prophets?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Prophets are the Messengers of Allaah to His
slaves; they convey His commands, and give them glad
tidings of the delights that Allaah has promised them if they
obey His commands, and they warn them of the
abiding punishment if they go against His prohibitions. They
tell them the stories of the past nations and the
punishment and vengeance that befell them in this world because
they disobeyed the commands of their Lord.
These divine commands and prohibitions cannot
be known through independent thinking, hence Allaah
has prescribed laws and enjoined commands and
prohibitions, to honor mankind and protect their interests,
because people may follow their desires and thus transgress
the limits and abuse people and deprive them of their
rights. So by His wisdom Allaah sent among them from time
to time Messengers to remind them of the commands
of Allaah and to warn them against failing into sin, to
preach to them and to tell them the stories of those who
came before them. For when people hear wondrous stories
it makes their minds alert, so they understand and
increase in knowledge and understand correctly. For the
more people hear, the more ideas they will have; the more
ideas they have, the more they will think; the more they
think, the more they will know; and the more they know,
the more they will do. So there is no alternative to
sending Messengers in order to explain the truth.
(A'laam al-Nubuwwah by `Ali ibn Muhammad al-Maawardi, p. 33).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have
mercy on him) _ Ahmad ibn `Abd al-Haleem ibn `Abd
al-Salaam, who is well known as Ibn Taymiyah, born in 661 AH
and died in 728 AH, one of the greatest scholars of Islam
who wrote many valuable books _ said:
Messengership is essential to guide mankind to that
which is best for them in this world and in the Hereafter.
Man cannot follow what is best for him with regard to
the Hereafter unless he follows the Message and he
cannot be guided to what is best for him in this world unless
he follows the Message. Man needs the sharee'ah
because he has two motives, to bring that which will benefit
him and to ward off that which will harm him. This
sharee'ah is the light of Allaah on this earth, and His justice
among His slaves, and the refuge which whoever enters it
will be safe.
Sharee'ah does not mean distinguishing between what
is beneficial and what is harmful on a physical basis,
because even animals are able to do this. Donkeys and camels
are able to differentiate between barley and dust. Rather
the distinction is between deeds which will harm a person
in this world and the Hereafter, and deeds which will
benefit him in this world and in the Hereafter, such as
faith, Tawheed, justice, righteousness, kindness, trustworthiness, chastity, courage, knowledge,
patience, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is
evil, upholding the ties of kinship, honouring one's
parents, treating neighbours well, recognizing people's
rights, sincerely doing things for the sake of Allaah, putting
one's trust in Him, seeking His help, accepting His
decree, submitting to His will, believing in Him and in
His Messengers in all that they have told us, and other
deeds which are of benefit to a person in this world and in
the Hereafter. The opposite of that leads him to misery
and doom in this world and in the Hereafter.
Were it not for the Messengers, our minds could not
guide us to differentiate between the beneficial and the
harmful in this life in a detailed manner. One of the
greatest blessings that Allaah has bestowed upon His slaves
is that He sent Messengers to them and revealed books
to them, and showed them the Straight Path. Were it not
for that, they would have been like cattle, and even
worse off. So whoever accepts the Message of Allaah
and adheres to it is one of the best of mankind, and
whoever rejects it and ignores it is one of the worst of
mankind, even worse off than dogs and pigs, and the vilest of
the vile. The people of this world could not survive
except by virtue of the Messengers' teachings, traces of
which are still extant amongst them. If these traces of
the Messengers vanished from the earth and their
teachings were wiped out, Allaah would destroy the upper and
lower realms and the Hour would begin.
The need of the people of the earth for the Messengers
is not like their need for the sun, moon, wind and rain,
or like a man's need for his life, or like the eye's need
for light, or like the body's need for food and drink. Rather
it is greater than that, greater than his need for
anything you could think of. The Messengers (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon them) are intermediaries between
Allaah and His creation, conveying His commands
and prohibitions. They are ambassadors from Him to
His slaves. The last and greatest of them, the noblest
before his Lord, was Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him, and upon all of them). Allaah sent him as
a mercy to the worlds, guidance for those who want to
draw closer to Allaah, proof which left no excuse for all
people. He enjoined the people to obey him, love him,
respect him, support him, and acknowledge his rights. Allaah
took the covenant from all the Messengers and Prophets
that they would believe in him and follow him, and
He commanded them to take the same covenant from
the believers who followed them. He sent him just before
the Hour as a bringer | 
