النص المفهرس

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
Ibn 'Abbas رضى الله عنه narrates that the Quraysh pleaded with
Rasûlullah to refrain from condemning their idols. They
further requested that if this is not possible, they could come to
some settlement where both parties can be accommodated.
They proposed that Rasûlullah % should worship their idols for
a year and they would worship his deity for the forthcoming
year and so forth. According to M'ujamu Tabrânî, when the
Quraysh made this bizarre proposal, the following Sûrah was
revealed:
"Say! O You disbelievers! I will not worship what you worship
nor will you worship that which I worship. Neither would I be a
devotee to what you worship nor would you be devoted to that
which I worship. For you is your religion and for me is my
religion." [Sûrah Al-Kâfirûn]
According to the narration of Ibn Jarîr Tabrî, apart from Sûrah
Kâfirûn, the following verse was also revealed:
"Say! (to them): 'O you fools! Do you instruct me to worship
anyone other than Allâh? And indeed it has been revealed to
you (O Muhammad!) and to those before you that 'if you
assign partners (unto Allâh), your actions will be in vain and
you will certainly be amongst the losers. Nay! Allâh Alone
should you worship and be from amongst the grateful." [Sûrah
Al-Zumar verses 64-66]
Pointless and absurd questions of the Makkan polytheists
281

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
Following this confrontation, the Quraysh followed this up with
another proposition. They proposed to Rasûlullah : "Fine, if
you don't consent to our previous proposal, we wish to
advocate another strategy. We anticipate you will grant this
your enthusiastic approval. You are quite conscious of the
impoverishment of your people. And this city of Makkah is
also very cramped. We are surrounded by mountains on all
sides with scarcely any greenery around us. So, request the lord
who has commissioned you as a messenger to transfer the
mountains 106 of this city elsewhere so that the city becomes
more spacious. Also request him to bring forth rivers in this
city akin to the cities of Syria and Iraq. Furthermore, resurrect
our forebears particularly Qusayy bin Kilab so that we may
106 As Allâh Ta'âlâ says: "And if there had been a Qurân with which
mountains could be moved or the earth cloven asunder with it or the dead
could be made to speak with it (it would not have been other than this
Qurân) but the decision of all things is with Allâh. Have those who believe
not yet known that if Allâh wills, He would have guided all of mankind.
[Sûrah Ra'd verse 31]
107
According to Al-Bidâyah wa Al-Nihayah volume 2 page 51, they
requested Rasûlullah % to resurrect Qusayy bin Kilab because 'he was an
exceedingly truthful man'. And Allâh Ta'âlâ says: "They (the disbelievers)
says: 'what is it with this messenger that he eats food and walks in the
market places (like we do)? Why isn't an angel sent down to him so that he
(the angel) can be a warner with him? Or why isn't a treasure conferred
upon him or why doesn't he have a garden from which he eats?' And the
transgressors say: 'You follow none but a man bewitched.' See, how they
282

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
enquire from him about the veracity or fallacy of your claims.
If our forefathers, upon being resurrected, endorse what you
claim and they believe in you, only then would we regard you
as the messenger of Allâh and only then would we believe in
you." Rasûlullâh
replied: "I was not commissioned as a
messenger for this purpose. I have conveyed to you the divine
message I was sent with. If you accept the message, it would be
for your own good fortune and if you fail to believe in it, I will
exercise patience until such time that Allâh Ta'âlâ's celestial
judgement prevails over us."
"Okay", enjoined the Quraysh, "if you are unable to
accomplish our demands, make Du'â for your own benefit and
beseech Allâh Ta'âlâ to send an angel from the heavens to
accompany you wherever you go. This angel will give his
blessings to whatever you utter. Also request Allâh to bless you
with gardens, palaces and treasures of gold and silver, as this
will enhance your noble status and honourable piety. We
observe that you also walk about in the market places in search
of sustenance. (We find this rather strange from a divine
messenger.)" Rasûlullah % replied: "I will never dare pose such
requests before Allâh Ta'âlâ. I was not commissioned for this
purpose. I was commissioned to this world as a Bashîr
coin similitudes for you, so they have gone astray and they are unable to
locate the (right) path. Blessed is He who, if He wills, will assign you better
than all that - gardens under which rivers flow and He will assign you
palaces (in paradise). [Sûrah Al-Rurqân verses 7-10] These verses were also
revealed against the backdrop of the aforementioned incident.
283

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
(provider of glad tidings) and as a Nazîr (warner). If you
believe in what I say, I guarantee you success in this world as
well as the next. And if you fail to believe, I will exercise
patience until Allâh Ta'âlâ passes judgement between us."
The Quraysh replied: Very well, beseech Allâh Ta'âlâ to thrust
His divine punishment upon us." Rasûlullah % countered: "It is
up to Allâh Ta'âlâ to decide. It is His prerogative either to
punish you or to grant you respite."
Upon this, 'Abdullah bin Umayyah
108
sprang up saying: "O
Muhammad! Your people have made a number of proposals
but you refused to consent to even a single one. O Muhammad!
Even if you were to hoist a ladder and ascend to the sky and
108 'Abdullah bin Umayyah was Rasûlullah s cousin - Rasûlullah 's
father's sister's son. He was the brother of Ummu Salimah رضي الله عنها, the
wife of Rasûlullah . He embraced Islam at the conquest of Makkah. On his
sister's intercession, Rasûlullah
absolved him of all his past
misdemeanours and forgave him. It was in regard to him that the following
verses were revealed: "And they said: 'we will never believe in you until
you cause a spring to gush forth form the earth for us, or you have a garden
of date-palms and grapes and you cause rivers to gush forth in their midst
abundantly or you bring down the sky upon us in pieces as you have
forecasted or you bring Allâh and the angels before us face to face or you
have a house embellished (with gold and silver) or you ascend up into the
sky and even then we will not put any faith in your ascension until you bring
down to us a book that we may read.' Say! Glorified be my Lord. Am I
anything but a man sent as a messenger?" [Sûrah Isrâ verses 90-93] {Isâbah
volume 2 page 37]
284

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
return with a written permit authorising your prophethood and
even if four angels return with you proclaiming your
prophethood, then too I will not believe you."
Burdened with torturous heartache, Rasûlullah headed
home." ['Uyûn Al-Athar volume 1 page 108, Al-Bidâyah wa
Al-Nihâyah volume 3 page 50]
Intriguing analysis
When Allâh Ta'âlâ bestows the mantle of propehthood upon
His chosen servants, He also grants them proofs and signs
authenticating this distinctive assignment. If a person sanitizes
his heart of obstinacy and deviation and contemplates over
these signs and proofs, he will surely harbour no more
misgivings about the legitimacy of this prophethood. However,
Allâh Ta'âlâ does not bestow these messengers with such
obvious evidence that compels the beholder to instantaneously
believe in the veracity of the Ambiyâ. Because the idea is to put
people through a trial and a trial is based upon one's volition
earning. In other words, the faith a person develops after
contemplating over the signs and proofs of prophethood, this
degree of faith and conviction will be rewarded. The Îmân one
develops and the faith one cherishes volitionally is the brand of
faith acceptable in Sharî'ah. As for the faith that a person is
compelled to harbour spontaneously due to some self-evident
truth, this type of faith is neither acceptable in Sharî'ah nor
required by Allâh Ta'âlâ. For instance, belief in the reality of
angels, relying solely upon the word of the Ambiya Alulegde,
285

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
this is referred to as volitional Îmân and voluntary faith. As for
believing in the angels at the time of death (when he actually
witnesses the angel of death), this type of belief is
unintentionally imposed upon him. This is not Îmân in the true
sense and it is not acceptable in Sharî'ah. This world is a place
of trial. So, witnessing such miraculous feats of the Ambiyâ
Mullegde that forces the beholder to believe in the veracity of
the Ambiya Allagde to such an extent that even a obstinate
disbeliever is left with no doubt, is clearly inexpedient.
Furthermore, the very objective of the Ambiya Auflage
coming to this world is forfeited because the objective is that
people embrace Îmân out of their own free will. If coerced
Îmân were the objective, what would be the need to
commission Ambiyâ Oulade to this world? Allâh Ta'âlâ
would have made His servants hear His words directly from
Him. Listening to the divine words of Allâh Ta'âlâ without an
intermediary would have made disbelief impossible. These are
the types of proof the polytheists of Makkah demanded - proofs
that beget instantaneous faith in the veracity of Rasûlullah 's
prophethood. For instance, their demand for angels to come
down and publicly testify in favour of Rasûlullah 's
prophethood or their challenge to Rasûlullah % to resurrect
their deceased relatives who would bear testimony in support of
Rasûlullah 's propehthood etc. Their demand for exposing
such compelling proofs and signs was declined because the
exposition of such miracles is entirely contrary to the rationale
and purpose of prophethood. Furthermore, it is the Sunnah
(divine custom) of Allâh Ta'âlâ to summarily punish a nation
who does not believe even after they have observed a miracle
286

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
they themselves had demanded. The Holy Quran frequently
cites the incidents of the past nations. As Allâh Ta'âlâ says:
"And nothing prevents Us from sending the signs (and proofs)
but that the people of former times denied them." [Sûrah Isrâ
verse 59]
These peculiar signs and proofs that these Quraysh are
demanding, nothing prevents us from furnishing these signs but
people of the past declined to believe even after convincing
miracles were presented to them. This is why they were
destroyed. For this reason, if divine miracles were exhibited
before the Quraysh and yet they refused to embrace Îman, they
would have been destroyed like those before them.
And since Rasûlullah % was commissioned to this world as
Rahmatan-Lil 'âlamîn (a mercy unto the worlds), the diverse
forms of divine punishment that had befallen the previous
Ummahs were withdrawn from this Ummah due to the barakah
(blessing) of Rasûlullah . It appears in one narration that the
Quraysh requested Rasûlullah % to transform the mountain of
Safa into gold. This time round, Rasûlullah % planned to make
Du'â before Allâh Ta'âlâ but Hadrat Jibraîl turned up saying:
"O Rasûlullah ! Inform them that they will get what they ask
for but also warn them that if they fail to believe even after
witnessing these definite signs, it won't auger well for them.
They are then doomed to swift annihilation." The Quraysh
retorted: "We are not in need of this." This information was
extracted from 'Allâmah Suhailî's writings. [Rawdul-Anf
volume 1 page 187]
287

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
Quraysh of Makkah consult Jewish scholars
When the Quraysh realised that their line of questioning is
foolish and opinionated, they, after mutual consultation, sent
Nasr bin Harith and 'Uqbah bin Abî Ma'ît to Madinah
Munawwarah to make meticulous enquiries about Rasûlullah
from the Jewish scholars stationed there. They were reasonably
acquainted with the knowledge of the Ambiya and relatively
more intimate with the signs of prophethood. These two
representatives went to Madinah and apprised the Jewish
scholars of what's happening back in Makkah. The Jews
proposed that they pose three questions to Muhammad
(Rasûlullah ). The first question they proposed was: who were
the people who sought refuge in a cave and what is their story?
In other words, ask Muhammad (Rasûlullah ) about the story
of the people of the cave. The second question they proposed
was; who was the man who traversed the whole earth from east
to west? In other words, ask him about the story of Zul-
Qarnain. And the third question they suggested was: what is the
rûh (soul)?
These Jewish scholars additionally advised that if Muhammad
provides answers to the first two questions and remains silent
about the third, this is a sure sign of his prophethood otherwise
he is a liar and fraud.
Buoyant with joy, Nasr and 'Uqbah returned to Makkah and
notified the Quraysh that they returned with a decisive
proposal. They appeared before Rasûlullah % and posed these
questions to him. On the assumption that he would get some
288

Sîratul-Mustafâ
Life of the Prophet
response in the form of divine revelation the next day,
Rasûlullah % said: "I will provide an answer tomorrow." In
keeping with his human nature, Rasûlullah % forgot to say
Inshâ Allâh (if Allâh Ta'âlâ wills). A few days later, a number
of verses recounting the stories of the people of the cave and
the story of Zul-Qarnain were revealed. In response to the third
question, the following verse was revealed: "Say! (O
Muhammad) The soul is from the affairs of my Lord." In other
words, you will not be able to unravel the reality of the soul.
All you need to know is that the soul is something that when it
enters the body, it comes to life with the directive of Allâh and
when it departs, the body dies." [Muwaddih Al-Qurân]
In keeping with his human nature when Rasûlullah # forgot to
say Inshâ Allâh, the following verses were revealed:
"And never say about anything that I will do it tomorrow
except by adding Inshâ Allâh to it and when you forget
remember your Lord (as this will make amends for this
forgetfulness)." [Sûrah Al-Kahf verse 23]
This is why Ibn 'Abbas رضي الله عنه would say that even if a
person recalls after a whole year, he should still say Inshâ
Allâh, as this would compensate for his slip-up or
forgetfulness. This is the meaning of saying Insha Allah after
one year. This does not imply that saying Insha Allah after one
year in cases of conditional divorce or emancipation is valid.
Since he omitted mentioning the will of Allah Ta'âlâ and relied
on his own will by saying I will do this tomorrow, Allâh Ta'âlâ
despises it. This is why, if a person forgets to say Inshâ Allâh
presently, he may redress this act of forgetfulness by saying
289

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
Inshâ Allâh whenever he remembers. This will compensate for
his forgetfulness.
Ibn 'Abbas رضى الله عنه 's statement in no way suggests that
saying Inshâ Allâh after a whole year is considered in cases of
divorce, emancipation of slaves, swearing oaths etc. Imâm Ibn
Jarîr and Hafiz Ibn Kathîr described the same meaning of Ibn
"Abbas رضي الله عنه 's statement. Bear this well in mind.
Rûh and Nafs
The 'Ulama have voiced a myriad of opinions over the reality
of the Rûh (soul) but in actual fact, only Allâh Ta'âlâ, the all-
knowing, is really acquainted with its reality. Hâfiz Ibn Arsalân
writes in Matn Al-Zabadain:
"And the Rûh (soul) is that as disclosed to us by Rasûlullah .
So, we restrain ourselves by not voicing our personal opinions
out of respect for him."
At this juncture, the aim is not to mystify or stress the reader by
citing the diverse opinions of the philosophers and doctors
about the reality of the soul. Here the idea is merely to briefly
discuss the direction of the Holy Quran and Sunnah of
Rasûlullah as far as the reality of the soul and nafs is
concerned and to what extent have we been enlightened about
its attributes and conditions.
290

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
According to the majority of the 'Ulamâ, the ruh (soul) is an
incredibly subtle 'body' that courses through the entire human
body just as rose oil dissolves in water or as the essence of
olives mingles with oil or as fire penetrates coal etc. As long as
this delicate body is coursing through the dense body, until then
this dense body (the human body) remains alive and the
moment this delicate body detaches itself from this dense body,
this dense body will perish. The intimate relationship and close
link between the delicate body and the dense body is referred to
as 'life' whilst their separation from each other is referred to as
'death'.
That the soul is a delicate 'body' is corroborated by a number
of Qurânic verses and Ahadîth of Rasûlullah . For instance,
clutching or releasing the soul, the angels stretching out their
hands to extract the soul or the soul surfing up to the throat as
death approaches etc. The Holy Quran distinctly mentions all
these attributes of the soul. This clearly indicates that the soul is
a 'body, form or substance'. It appears in the Hadîth that when
the soul of the believer is extracted, he is able to observe this
extraction of the soul. The soul of the believer flies about the
trees of Jannah like a bird and eats the fruit therein with relish.
It relaxes beneath the lamps of the throne. A believer's soul is
draped in a shroud of Jannat and transported to the skies by the
angels. The portals of the heavens are thrown open in reception
of this blessed soul. The noble angels of every level of the
heavens cordially receive and bid farewell to it as it ascends to
the various levels until it reaches the presence of Allâh Ta'âlâ.
As for the soul of a disbeliever, his soul is tossed into the
lowest of the low and finally flung into Sijjîn (a deep in which
291

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
the register recording the evils of the wicked is deposited and
the register itself is referred to as Sijjîn). The angels drape the
soul of a believer in a silken shroud from Jannah whilst the soul
of a disbeliever is shrouded in thick coarse fabric. The soul of a
believer is scented with sweet-smelling perfume and as it
makes its way and passes by, the angels exclaim in wonder:
"Subhânallâh! What a pure soul." As for the soul of a
disbeliever, it emits an offensive odour."
In his book "Kitab Al-Ruh", Hâfiz Ibn Qayyim cites one
hundred and sixteen proofs corroborating the soul to be a
'delicate body'. In his proofs, he only cites the Quran, Sunnah
and the opinions of the pious predecessors. Hafiz Ibn Qayyim
says: "The Holy Quran, the Sunnah and the unanimous verdict
of the esteemed Sahabah confirms the soul to be a delicate
body. And an untarnished and unbiased disposition would also
uphold this view." [Kitab Al-Ruh by Ibn Qayyim page 284]
In his book "Irshad", Imam Ghazalî's teacher, Imâmul-
Haramain defines the soul as a body as we mentioned above.
The same has been recorded by 'Allâmah Taftâzânî in the
commentary of Maqâsid under the chapter dealing with
resurrection. After citing the opinion of Imam Al-Haramain in
"Sirr-Al-Rûh" 'Allâmah Baqâ'î writes: "In unveiling the
mystery of the soul, the Quran, Sunnah, the unanimity of the
Sahâbah and logical and natural reasoning all distinctly
establish this opinion to be accurate. And that is that the soul is
a delicate body that penetrates this dense body.
Shaikh 'Izzud-Dîn bin 'Abdus-Salâm says: "It is possible that
all souls are Nurânî (luminous), delicate and translucently
292

Sîratul-Mustafâ
Life of the Prophet
clean. And there is also a possibility that this luminosity is
exclusively found in the souls of the angels and believers and
not in the souls of the disbelievers and the Shayatîn." [Sharah
Sudûr page 216]
It is mentioned in the Hadîth dealing with the Sûr (trumpet of
Qiyâmah):
"Israfil عليه السلام would beckon all the souls and they would all
draw close to him. The souls of the believers will shimmer with
radiance whilst the other souls (of the disbelievers) will be
menacingly dark." [Sharah Sudur page 219]
We deduce on the basis of this Hadîth that the luminosity of the
souls is exclusive to the souls of the believers whilst the souls
of the disbelievers will be ominously gloomy. However, from a
congenital and natural perspective, there is a possibility that the
souls of everyone; believers and disbelievers alike, are
luminous. As it appears in a Hadîth: "Every child is born upon
a natural disposition. His parents then turn him into a Jew,
Christian or Zoroastrian." A believer's soul would grow to be
even more luminous because Îman is actually a Nûr
(luminosity) and the soul of a disbeliever turns dark due to his
wicked kufr (disbelief). When the Hajare-Aswad (black stone)
descended to this earth from Jannah, it was reputedly whiter
than milk. The sins of the children of Adam blackened it to its
current state. Similarly, it is possible that the soul of a
disbeliever was congenitally luminous and it turned black and
gloomy due to his disbelief and polytheism. Kufr, in reality is
darkness whilst Îmân is radiance. As Allâh Ta'âlâ says: "Allâh
is the guardian of the believers. He extracts them from
293

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
darknesses towards light. And those who disbelieve, their
supporters are Tâghût (false deities) who extract them from
light towards darknesses." [Sûrah Âlu 'Imrân verse 257]
This verse unambiguously attests to the fact that Îman is a light
whilst kufr is darkness. And the radiance of the faces of the
believers and the blackness of the faces of the disbelievers on
the day of judgement is clearly mentioned in the Holy Quran.
As Allâh Ta'âlâ declares: "And on the day when faces will turn
white (in radiance) and faces will turn black (in gloom)." This
will be carried out to expose the luminosity of Îmân and the
darkness of kufr. This is why the angels extract and drape the
soul of a believer in a white shroud and wrap the soul of a
disbeliever in a coarse black cloth.
Nonetheless, from the Quranic verses and Ahadîth we learn that
the colour white signifies compliance to Allâh Ta'âlâ whilst
black is the colour of disobedience and sin. This is not the place
to go into detail.
Difference between Ruh and Nafs
According to some scholars, there is absolutely no difference
between the Ruh and Nafs (self). It is the one and same thing.
However, according to the research scholars, the Rûh and Nafs
are two distinctly different things.
Ustaz Abul-Qasim Qushayri رحمة الله عليه says: "The wellspring
of good character is referred to as the Ruh and the source of
immoral character is referred to as the Nafs. But the
294

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
commonality between them is that both of them are 'delicate
bodies'. As in the case of the angels and the Shayatîn; the
commonality between them is that both are delicate bodies but
the angels are Nûrî (luminous) whilst the Shayatîn are Nârî
(igneous or fiery). The angels were created from light whilst
the Shayatîn were produced from fire as explicitly evident from
the narration of Muslim.
Hafiz Ibn 'Abdul-Barr رحمة الله عليه cites a Hadith in this regard
in his book "Tamhîd". He quotes:
"Allâh Ta'âlâ created Adam undlade and He placed a Ruh
and a Nafs within him. So from the Rûh emanates goodness
like chastity, intellect, forbearance, generosity, loyalty etc. And
from the Nafs originates his lustful desires, recklessness,
foolishness, anger etc." Rawdul-Anf volume 1 page 197]
In short, good character emanates from the Ruh whilst
immorality originates from the Nafs. Furthermore, a close
inspection of the Quran and Hadîth reveals that licentious
desires, foolishness, recklessness and other such immoral
character are attributed to the Nafs and not to the Rûh. As Allâh
Ta'âlâ says:
"And for you therein (in Jannah) will be that what your Nafs
desires." [Sûrah Zumar verse 31]
"." [Sûrah Nisâ verse 128]
"And as for him who dreads standing before his Lord and
inhibits his Nafs (inner self) from whimsical desires, surely
Jannah will be (his) abode." [Sûrah Nâzi'ât verse 40]
295

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
In these verses, vile desires, greed and hedonistic impulses are
all attributed to the Nafs. Allâh Ta'âlâ did not say: "And for
you therein (in Jannah) will be that what your Soul desires" nor
"And the Souls have been possessed by avarice and
niggardliness" nor "and inhibits his Soul from whimsical
desires". Nafs is used instead.
Take the case of foolishness for instance. Allâh Ta'âlâ says:
"And who turns away from the creed of Ibrahim (Oulade)
except he who befools his Nafs (himself)." [Sûrah Baqarah
verse 130]
In this verse, foolishness is attributed to the Nafs and not the
Rûh. The vere does not read as "he who befools his Soul".
Take the case of anger and recklessness. It appears in a Hadîth
that Rasûlullah % said: "A wrestler is not one who is strapping
and strong but a (true) wrestler is he who subdues his Nafs on
the occasion of anger." The Hadîth does not say, "Subdues his
Soul".
Furthermore, there are numerous Ahadîth encouraging Jihad
(waging a battle) against the dictates of the Nafs and it is this
Jihad with the Nafs that has been referred to as the 'major
Jihâd'. Not a single Hadîth makes mention of Jihad with the
Soul.
Additionally, it appears in a Hadîth with a weak chain of
narrators that Rasûlullah % said: "Your fiercest enemy is your
Nafs that appears between both your sides." We establish two
things from this Hadîth; the first is that the Nafs is man's
greatest enemy and secondly, we learn that the location of the
Nafs is between the left half and the right half of the human
296

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
body. This also confirms the distinction between the Nafs and
Rûh because the Ruh cannot be an enemy and secondly, the
Rûh penetrates the entire body from head to toe. It is not
restricted to the area between the sides.
Furthermore, Khuzaimah bin Hakim رضى الله عنه narrates that he
asked Rasûlullah % about the location of the Nafs. Rasûlullah
replied: "It is within the heart." This Hadîth is narrated with a
multitude of Sanads in Tabrânî, Mu'jame-Awsat [Sharah Sudûr
page 217]
What's more, jealousy and pride have also been attributed to the
Nafs in the Holy Quran. As Allâh Ta'âlâ says: "Out of jealousy
that emanated from their Nufus." [Surah Baqarah verse 109]
Another verse mentions: "Verily, those people were arrogant
within their Nufüs (within themselves). [Sûrah Al-Furqan verse
21]
Moreover Allâh Ta'âlâ says in the Holy Quran:
"Verily the Nafs is inclined to evil." [Sûrah Yusuf verse 53]
This verse clearly reveals that the fountainhead of all evils is
the Nafs. Nowhere is it mentioned, "the Ruh is inclined to evil".
Wahab bin Munabbah رضى الله عنه narrates: "The Ruh beckons a
person to good whilst the Nafs tempts a person to evil. If the
heart is a Mumin (believer), it would comply with the dictates
of the Ruh. Extracted by Ibn 'Abdul-Barr in Tamhîd. [Sharah
Sudûr page 216]
It is mentioned in Tabqât ibn S'ad on the authority of Wahab
bin Munabbah that Allâh Ta'âlâ casted the mould of Hadrat
Adam ALdla de with sand and water. He then created the Nafs
297

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
within him and He thereafter blew the Ruh into him." [Sharah
Sudûr page 116]
We ascertain from this that the Ruh is something completely
different to the Nafs. Likewise, the Ruh is from the realm of
Amr 109 whilst the Nafs is from the realm of Khalq.
'Allâmah Baqâ'îe writes in his book Sirrur-Rûh:
"In 'Allâmah Ibn Jawzî's book "Zâdul-Masîr" under the
commentary of Sûrah Zumar, it is narrated from Ibn 'Abbâs
that man is an amalgam of the Ruh and the Nafs. A رضي الله عنه
man employs the Nafs to comprehend and to distinguish whilst
the Ruh is employed to breathe and make movements. When a
person goes to sleep, Allâh Ta'âlâ takes custody of his Nafs and
not his Rûh." Ibn Juraij says: "Within the human body is a Nafs
and a Rûh and between them is an intervening partition. Whilst
a person is asleep, Allâh Ta'âlâ takes possession of his Nafs
and returns it to the body when he awakens. And when Allâh
Ta'âlâ has decreed death for a person in his sleep, He does not
reinstate the Nafs and also takes possession of the Rûh. And
Allâh knows best." [Sirrur-Rûh page 11]
Profile of the Ruh
109
Refers to a divine commandment whereby Allâh Ta'âlâ commands
something to be and it becomes. This is in opposition to the realm of Khalq
where Allâh Ta'âlâ creates something. And Allâh Ta'âlâ knows best [Tr.]
298

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
The shape of the soul is precisely the same shape as that of a
human being. Just as the human body has eyes, nose, hands and
feet, similarly, the soul also has eyes, nose, hands and feet etc.
Essentially, a human being is actually a soul whilst the physical
human body is merely like a garment for the soul. The physical
hands are like sleeves to the Rûhânî (spiritual) hands. The legs
are like pant legs to the spiritual legs. The head of the physical
body is akin to a hat and the face is akin to a veil and so forth.
،Arif Rumi رحمة الله عليه says:
"The soul is nothing but Nûr (luminescence)
whilst the physical body is composed of colours and smells.
Abandon the colours and smells and talk about the soul only.
Colours undergo drastic transformation but the soul remains
purified;
it remains pure of varying hues and pure of turning to dust.
Everything in this world is - with all its perspectives and
directions - is a creation of Allâh Ta'âlâ
but regard the realm of 'Amr and Sifat (divine commandments
and attributes) as without any direction.
O man! If you regard the realm of 'Amr as directionless the
surely the Âmir (the commander i.e. Allâh Ta'âlâ) will be
moreso directionless.
My soul, like the divine attributes is mysteriously concealed,
Whatever example I offer to illustrate this is inconsequential."
299

Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
Disbelievers persecute Rasûlullah
When the Quraysh noticed Islam being proclaimed publicly and
idolatry is being openly condemned, they couldn't tolerate this
any further. They became sworn enemies to anyone engaged in
inviting to one Lord. They geared their strains of hostility
against the principles of Tauhid (monotheism). And they
resolved to hound Rasûlullah to such an extent that he
capitulates and abandons his mission to invite people towards
Islâm.
1. It is mentioned in Mu'jame-Tabrânî that Munîb
Ghamidi رضى الله عنه relates: "I observed Rasulullah
summoning the people to Islam pleading with them: "O
people! Say 'Lâ Ilâha Illallâh', you will be successful."
But alas, I also witnessed some ill-fated souls hurling
abuse at him. Some people were spitting at him whilst
others were busy flinging sand at him. In this manner
they relentlessly abused him when a young girl carrying
water appeared on the scene. She approached
Rasûlullah and washed his 's blessed face and
hands. When I enquired who she is, I was informed that
- رضي الله عنها she is Rasulullah 's daughter, Zainab
Bukhârî briefly cites this Hadîth with the same Sanad (chain of
narrators). This Hadîth is also narrated by Harith bin Harith
Ghâmidî. This version of the Hadîth contains the following
additional account: "Rasûlullah addressed his daughter
Zainab رضى الله عنها saying: "O my beloved daughter! Don't
panic over your father's overwhelmed and humiliated
300