النص المفهرس

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virtuous than doing so from a distance. But what Rasulullah
is stopping us from doing is that by coming again and again to
his graveside, this would diminish our respect and awe for
him."1
The Musnad of Bazzar narrates from 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud
that the deeds of the ummah are presented to Rasulullah and
they supplicate for forgiveness for him.2
Based on all the above Traditions, it becomes absolutely clear
that all the Prophets are alive in their graves and that their
bodies are safeguarded from decomposing and disintegrating.
After their demise, they are not devoid of acts of worship.
Rather, they offer salah, go for hajj, and are given provision
from Allah . The person who goes to their graves and offers
salutations, they hear them personally. The deeds of the ummah
are also presented to them. These are all clear proofs that the
Prophets are physically alive in their graves, and that their souls
continue their contact with their bodies.
In short, the Prophets' being alive in their graves is established
through absolute proofs. It is also clear that the ummah placed
the blessed body of Rasūlullah % into his grave after his
demise. The Shari'ah emphasised upon us to visit his grave.
The deeds of the ummah are presented to Rasūlullah . He
offers salah in his very grave. It is in his very grave that he
receives sustenance from Allah . The fact that their bodies are
placed and buried in graves is established through eye-witness
accounts in which there is no room for doubts or misgivings.
The claim that the bodies are moved from the graves to some
other place is not established from any sources. The mutawatir
1 Fayd al-Qadîr, vol. 6, p. 170.
2 Zurqānî, vol. 5, p. 337.

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Ahādīth which establish the fact that the Prophets are alive,
refer to their being alive in their graves and not in the heavens.1
Their bodies are placed in the graves. It is therefore established
that their life is a physical life and that the soul's essential
contact is with the bodies in the graves. In short, it becomes
clear from the above Traditions that after Rasulullah's
demise, his grave is his place of abode,2 wherein his pure body
is preserved - and not in the heavens. It is at that very place
[his grave] where his soul maintains it contact with his body. It
is at that very place where the deeds of his ummah are
presented to him. At the same time, his blessed soul also has a
contact with the supernatural world. Therefore, if his soul
traverses through the universe and the highest levels of the
heavens and earth by the permission of Allah , then it does
not contradict [his soul being attached to him in his grave].
Allāh & has the power and choice to permit His special servant
to traverse wherever He wills. It is a sign of immaturity and
lack of intelligence to measure the matters of the hereafter and
the life of the intervening world [of the grave] with the
yardstick of this world.
‘Allāmah al-Qārī rahmatullāhi 'alayh writes:
المعتقد المعتمد أنه صلى الله عليه وسلم حي في قبره كسائر الأنبياء في قبورهم وهم أحياء
عند ربهم وأن لأرواحهم تعلقا بالعالم العلوي والسفلي كما كانوا في الحال الدنيوي فهم
بحسب القلب عرشيون وبإعتبار القالب فرشيون والله سبحانه أعلم بأحوال أرباب
الكمال.
"The accepted and reliable belief is that Rasulullah & is alive in
his grave just like all the other Prophets in their graves. They
1 Jadhb al-Qulûb, p. 204.
2 Fath al-Bārî, vol. 3, p. 329.

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are alive in the sight of Allah %. Their souls maintain a contact
with both this world and the higher world just as they had such
a contact during their worldly life. Based on this, they are the
inhabitants of the heavens with their hearts, while they are
inhabitants of earth with their bodies. Allah g knows best the
conditions of His perfect servants."1
The Prophets are without doubt alive in their graves and are
engaged in salah and other acts of worship. However, on the
night of mi 'raj (the night when Rasulullah % ascended to the
heavens) they were gathered at al-Musjid al-Aqsa in order to
meet Rasulullah . Thereafter, Allah % enabled whichever
Prophet He willed to meet Rasūlullah _ in the heavens. It is
apparent that this meeting with the Prophets was both spiritual
and physical (with the soul and the body) as stated by Shaykh
Nur al-Haqq Dehlawī rahimahullah in his book, Taysīr al-Qārī.
It is also possible that on the night of mi 'raj, the original bodies
of the Prophets remained in their graves, and that their souls
were gathered at al-Musjid al-Aqsa in order to meet Rasūlullah
and that a duplicate of their physical bodies were made.
However, the more obvious explanation is that the Prophets
were gathered with the very bodies which are in their complete
and preserved form in their graves. In accordance with Allah's
absolute power, the meeting was both spiritual and physical, on
this earth and in the heavens. All these movements - on earth
and in the heavens - all took place both spiritually and
physically. To reject the Ahadith of Rasulullah % merely
because these matters appear to be impossible is proof of
foolishness and irreligiousness. Apart from this, the actual facts
concerning how and in what state all this happened is known to
Allah ; alone.
1 Sharh ash-Shifa', vol. 2, p. 142.

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A Hadith states that the grave of a believer is broadened and a
garden of paradise is made for him. So if the grave of
Rasūlullah % is made into jannatul firdaus, then what is so
surprising about this ?!
During the days when a siege was made on 'Uthman
someone said to him that he should go away to Syria so that he
could be saved from this trial and tribulation. He replied: "I
cannot leave Dār al-Hijrah (Madinah) and the close proximity
to Rasūlullāh ."
On one occasion a gate was being made for 'Ali's 4% house. He
ordered that this gate should be made outside Madinah so that
the noise that is made in its manufacture does not come into
Musjid-e-Nabawī and the noise does not disturb Rasulullah
Abū Nu'aym and others narrate from Sa'īd ibn Musayyib
who said: "During the days when the incident of Hurrah took
place, there was no one except me in the Musjid-e-Nabawī.
When the time of salah would approach, I would hear the
adhan from the grave of Rasulullah . I would then offer my
salah accordingly. Salah was not offered in Musjid-e-Nabawī
for three days. I used to hear the adhan from the grave and then
offer my salah."2
This incident is also proof that Rasulullah's # blessed soul is
still connected to his pure body which is placed in his grave.
Sayyid Samhūdī writes the following:
وأما أدلة حياة الأنبياء فمقتضاها حياة الأبدان كحالة الدنيا مع الإستغناء عن الغذاء
ومع قوة النفوذ في العالم وقد أوضحنا المسئلة في كتابنا المسمى بالوفا لما لحضرة المصطفى
صلی الله عليه وسلم.
1 Zurqānî: Sharh al-Mawāhib, vol. 8, p. 304. Shifā' as-Siqām, p. 173.
2 Zurqānî: Sharh al-Mawāhib, vol. 5, p. 332.

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The Life of Muhammad %
"All the proofs concerning the life of the Prophets [in their
graves] demand that they are physically alive in the graves with
their pure bodies just as they were alive with their bodies in this
world. The only difference being that they are not in need of
sustenance and that Allah & blessed them with the power to
come into this world. We explained this matter in detail in our
book, al-Wafa' li mā li Hadrah al-Mustafa."1
It has been the practise of the entire ummah from the era of the
Sahabah , the Tabi'in and all the righteous 'ulama' who
followed them that when they went to visit the grave of
Rasūlullah , they greeted him and many of them heard the
reply coming from his grave with their own ears.2
This is clear proof of the fact that his blessed soul is attached to
his pure body in that grave of his. He is greeted at that place
and the reply to it is heard from that very place.
An objection and a reply to it
An objection to this is that the Qur'an explicitly states that
Rasūlullah died. Allah % says:
إِنَّكَ مَبِّتْ وَإِنَهُمْ مَّيِّتُؤْنَ
"You are certainly to die and they are certainly to die as well."
Rasūlullah said:
إني رجل مقبوض
"I am a person whose soul is going to be taken away."
On the day when Rasulullah passed away, Abu Bakr 4% said
the following in his sermon:
1 Wafā' al-Wafa', vol. 2, p. 407.
2 Fayd al-Qadîr, vol. 2, p. 479.

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The Life of Muhammad %
فإن محمدا قد مات
"Surely Muhammad has certainly passed away."
This statement was accepted by all the Sahabah &. What, then,
is the meaning of Rasulullah % being alive in his grave?
The answer to all this is that based on the order of the Qur'an:
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ
"Every soul shall taste death."
Rasulullah % tasted death for a short while. Allah s then gave
him life again and prohibited the earth from eating his body. He
is therefore alive with his physical body and this life of his is
far more complete and perfect than that of the martyrs
[regarding whom Allah s also said that they are alive].1
قال الإمام البيهقي في كتاب الإعتقاد الأنبياء عليهم الصلاة والسلام بعد ما قبضوا ردت
إليهم أرواحهم فهم أحياء عند ربهم کالشهداء.
"Imam al-Bayhaqī says in Kitab al-I'tigad: After the life of the
Prophets is taken away, their souls are returned to them. They
are therefore alive with their Sustainer like the martyrs."
'Allāmah Ālūsī rahimahullah says the following with regard to
the life of martyrs:
واختلف في هذه الحياة فذهب كثير من السلف إلى أنها حقيقة بالروح والجسد ولكنا لا
ندركها في هذه النشأة استدلوا لسياق قوله تعالى عند ربهم يرزقون وبأن الحياة الروحانية
1 Sharh al-Mawāhib, vol. 5, p. 333. Also Madārij an-Nubûwwah, vol. 1, p.
169.

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التي ليست بالجسد ليست من خواصهم فلا يكون لهم امتياز بذلك على من عداهم
وذهب البعض إلى أنها روحانية.
"The 'ulama' differ with regard to the life of the martyrs. Many
of the past scholars are of the opinion that it is with the soul and
the body, but that we are unable to perceive it in this world.
Their proof in this regard is the verse of Allah is wherein He
says: 'They are given sustenance by their Sustainer.' As for
spiritual life alone, this is not peculiar to the martyrs alone
[because everyone else enjoys it as well]. If it was only a
spiritual life, the martyrs will not enjoy any distinction over
others. On the other hand, some 'ulama' are of the opinion that
the life of the martyrs is spiritual."1
Since the life of the martyrs is physical, the life of the Prophets,
who are far higher and superior to the martyrs, will have to be
even more physical.
'Allāmah Subki rahimahullah says that it is impossible for a
martyr to enjoy a position that is higher and loftier than that of
a Prophet. Moreover, the martyrs received this lofty status (i.e.
being physically alive in their graves) on account of sacrificing
their lives for the protection of the Shari'ah of the Prophet.
Therefore, all those who wage jihad in the cause of Allah de
and are martyred right till the day of resurrection - the reward
of all those martyrs will be recorded in favour of Rasulullah .
His position will be higher than all those martyrs. This is
because Rasūlullah % is the one who laid the foundation of
Islam. His life will therefore be stronger and higher than the
lives of all the martyrs of the world put together.2
1 Rûh al-Ma 'ānî, vol. 2, p. 17.
2 Shifā' as-Siqām, p. 140.

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In addition to this, Rasūlullah % was also a martyr. Shaykh
Jalāl ad-Dīn Suyūtī rahimahullah says that it is very rare for a
Prophet not to be a martyr as well. The Prophets are therefore
alive both on the basis of being Prophets and martyrs as well.1
Allāh š says:
وَلاَ تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِيْنَ قُتِلُوا فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ عِنْدَ رَِّمْ
"Do not consider those who were killed in the cause of Allah to
be dead. Rather, they are alive with their Sustainer."
Rasūlullah % passed away as a martyr because his death was as
a result of the poison that he was given by the Jews at Khaybar.
(Narrated by Imām Bukhārī rahimahullāh).
أخرج أحمد وأبو يعلى والطبراني والحاكم والبيهقي عن ابن مسعود قال لان أحلف تسعا
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قتل قتلا أحب إلي من أن أحلف واحدة أنه لم يقتل
وذلك أن الله اتخذه نبيا واتخذه شهيدا.
"Imam Ahmad, Abū Ya'lā, Tabarānī, Hakim and Bayhaqī
narrate from Ibn Mas'ūd 4% who said: 'I would rather take an
oath nine times and say that Rasulullah * was killed than
taking an oath one time and say that Rasulullah was not
killed. The reason for this is that Allah is made him a Prophet
and a martyr as well."2
[ قال السيوطي وقل إلا وقد جمع مع النبوة وصف الشهادة فيدخلون في عموم قوله تعالى ولا تحسبن الذين قتلوا ... الآية.
زرقاني، ج 5 ص 332.
2 Zurqānî, vol. 5, p. 332.

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The Life of Muhammad #
In fact, Rasulullah % is the leader of all the martyrs.1 The deeds
of all the martyrs are recorded in his book of deeds and placed
in his scale of deeds. His life in the grave will therefore be
more perfect and more stronger than that of all the martyrs put
together. 'Allāmah Shihāb Khifajī rahimahullāh writes:
الأنبياء والشهداء أحياء وحياة الأنبياء أقوى إذا لم يسلط عليهم الأرض فهم كالنائمين
والنائم لا يسمع ولا ينطق حتى ينتبه حاشيه. حياة الأنبياء للبيهقي.
"The Prophets and the martyrs are both alive in their graves.
But the life of the Prophets is much stronger. Since the earth
hasn't been given the permission to eat the bodies of the
Prophets, it could be understood that they are just like sleeping
people. A sleeping person does not hear nor speak as long as he
does not turn his attention to anything.
The words of Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautwī
rahimahullah with regard to Rasūlullah's life in his grave
All the past and latter scholars of the Ahlus Sunnah wal
Jamā'ah are unanimous in this belief that the Prophets are alive
in their graves, their bodies are protected from disintegration
and they are engaged in the worship of Allah . The
theologians, scholars of Hadith, commentators of the Qur'an,
and pious servants of Allah % from both Arabs and non-Arabs
have written books and theses on this subject.
Towards the end of the 13th century hijrī, a leading personality
of his time and a proficient theologian, Maulana Muhammad
Qasim Nānautwī rahimahullāh, wrote a book title Āb-e-Hayāt,
! لا شك في حياة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بعد وفاته وكذا سائر الأنبياء عليهم الصلاة والسلام أحياء في قبورهم حياة
أكمل من حياة الشهداء التي أخبر الله تعالى بها في كتابه العزيز ونبينا صلى الله عليه وسلم سيد الشهداء وأعمال الشهداء
في میزانه. (سید سمهودي: وفاء الوفاء، ج2، ص 405.

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devoted to this subject. This book is a treasure house of
interesting facts and realities.
In accordance with the words of Allah g.
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ
"Every soul shall taste death."
إِنَّكَ مَّتْ وَإِهُمْ مَِّنُوْنَ
"You shall certainly die and they will certainly die as well."
All past and latter scholars are unanimous in saying that apart
from 'Îsa , all the Prophets experienced death, they were
shrouded, and they were placed in their graves. The theologians
and scholars of Hadith then say that after tasting this death
once, the Prophets were given life again and will remain alive
till the day of resurrection. Although they experienced death, it
was not eternal and continuous. It was temporary and for a
short while.
Maulānā Muhammad Qāsim rahimahullāh says that the life and
death of the Prophets is established through the Qur'an, the
Sunnah, the unanimous decision of the ummah and eye-witness
accounts. Belief in this is necessary and rejection of it is not
permissible. However, the reality, type and form of the death of
the Prophets is different from that of the general body of
believers. The death of ordinary believers removes life while
the death of the Prophets conceals life. The death of the
Prophets is external while their life is concealed internally. Just
as the clouds conceal the sun, the life of the Prophets is
concealed by death.
Allah forbid, this statement of the Maulana in no way
whatsoever means that the Prophets do not experience death at
all. Rather, he considers belief in their death to be necessary.
His entire statement is actually specifying the type and form

291
The Life of Muhammad %
that the death of the Prophets takes. He is in no way whatsoever
rejecting the death of the Prophets. For example, the
theologians differ with regard to the attributes of Allah g - are
they intrinsically part of Him or not. This difference of theirs is
based on specifying the type and form that these attributes take
and not in the attributes themselves. In like manner, Maulānā
Nānautwī's entire statement concerns specifying the type and
form that the death of the Prophets takes. As for belief in death
itself, this he considers to be absolutely necessary. He says: "I
consider the Prophets to be alive with those very bodies that
they had in this world. At the same time, it is necessary to
believe that they experienced death based on the words of Allah
: 'Every soul shall taste death.' And 'You shall certainly die
and they shall certainly die as well.'">1
However, the life of the Prophets is concealed behind death. It
is concealed from our outward eyes. It is not like the death of
the rest of the believers whereby life is taken away completely.
The Prophets are alive, and their death is a cover for their life, it
does not completely remove life.2
In fact, at the time of death, the death of the Prophets is even
more severe. The difference between the death of the Prophets
and that of the general masses is like a lamp placed in a
cauldron and closed from above, and that of a lamp that
becomes wet and its light is therefore extinguished. While the
lamp that is placed in a cauldron and closed from above causes
the light to become concealed. The light is not extinguished.
Rather, all its rays are confined within that cauldron. Since the
lamp is confined within that cauldron, the intensity of its light
increases drastically.
1 Latā'if Qasimî, p. 403.
2 Muhammad Qasim Nānautwî: Āb-e-Hayāt, pp. 42-43.

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The Life of Muhammad %
Thus, by the death of ordinary believers, their light is totally
extinguished, while by the death of the Prophets, their light is
concealed and not extinguished. This, despite the fact that there
seems to be no outward difference between the two. Whether a
lamp is extinguished by water or whether it is placed in a
cauldron, both these actions result in darkness.1
Because of this outward death, the Prophets' being concealed in
their graves will be considered to be equivalent to remaining in
seclusion for 40 days or remained concealed.2
The proof of this is the following:
1. The blessed bodies of the Prophets remain in their
complete form as previously and they are safeguarded
from disintegration.
2. Their pure wives are forbidden to marry forever.
3. Their wealth is not inherited.
Each of the above is testimony to the fact that the Prophets are
alive in their graves and that their souls have not been separated
from their bodies. Rather, even after death, their souls maintain
the relationship with the bodies as it had been previously. On
the other hand, the souls of the martyrs are separated from their
physical bodies. They leave these bodies of this world and
attach themselves to the bodies of paradise. It seems that this is
the reason behind the wealth of the martyrs being inherited
while that of the Prophets is not inherited.
The words:
يُوْصِيْكُمُ اللهُ فِيْ أَوْلاَدِكُمْ لِلَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الأُنْثَيْنِ
1 Ibid.
2 Ibid, p. 43.

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The Life of Muhammad #
Applies to everyone - the masses and the Prophets as well.
Moreover, the wives of martyrs are permitted to marry after the
expiry of the 'iddah (waiting period). This is also proof that
their lives have come to an end. As for the wives of Rasūlullah
Allah % says the following:
لاَ تَنْكِحُوْا أَزْوَاجَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ أَبَدًا
"Do not ever marry his wives after his demise."
This shows the prohibition of marrying his wives forever. This
shows that their marriage has not come to an end. The words:
أَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَا تُمْ
"His wives are their [believers'] mothers."
Also prove this - that their marriage relationship still continues
as before. The word أزواجه is the plural of زوجة which is an
attribute showing eternity.
Allah prohibits a person from marrying the wife [from a
previous marriage] of one's father. Allah says:
وَلاَ تَنْكِحُوْا مَا نَكَحَ آبَآءَكُمْ
"Do not marry the women whom your fathers had married."
Here the verb & is used. It is in the past tense and shows
newness of an action [and is not used to show eternity] and that
the marriage relationship has come to an end. Since the
marriage relationship of the wives of Rasulullah % has not even
been severed, they will be included in the words:
وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ النِّسَآءِ

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The Life of Muhammad %
"[Forbidden to you are] married women ... " (Sūrah an-Nisa',
verse 24)1
The continuance of marriage without connection to the spirit
and body is not imaginable. Despite the martyrs having life,
there remains no connection with the physical body at the time
of death. Difference between the death of ordinary believers
and that of martyrs is that after the soul of martyrs severs its
relationship with the original body, it establishes a relationship
with other bodies. In this respect, they have both physical and
spiritual life. As for the rest of the believers, when the soul is
removed from the body, it does not attach itself to another
body. The similarity between these two [martyrs and ordinary
believers] is that there is no relationship with the bodies of this
world. This being the case, how can the effects of this world
still have a relationship with the bodies of this world ?! How
can their wealth and wives still have a relationship with them ?!
Why should their wealth not be distributed to their rightful
heirs ?! Why should their wives not remarry ?! The souls require
a relationship with wealth and wives because of the relationship
with the physical bodies. It is not just a spiritual relationship.
Therefore, once the physical contact is severed, the physical
contact that existed with the wealth and wives will be even
more eligible to be severed. Despite the martyrs being alive,
their wives, like the wives of ordinary believers, have the right
to remarry after the expiry of the 'iddah. And their wealth will
be distributed among the rightful heirs according to the rules
laid down.
The death of the martyrs requires that their first life comes to an
end. While that life that is established from the Qur'an and
1 Ibid, p. 185.

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The Life of Muhammad
authentic Ahadith refers to a second life. The words of Allah
¡Å "is - "with their Sustainer" - seem to suggest this.
On the other hand, the relationship of life with the Prophets is
not severed. It is for this reason that the wives of Rasulullah
and the wealth of Rasulullah % will remain in his marriage and
in his ownership. Others do not have the choice to marry his
wives nor do the inheritors have the right to distribute the
wealth.
In short, there is a world of difference between the death of the
Prophets and that of ordinary believers. In the case of the
Prophets, their "death" is concealed while in the case of
ordinary believers, death puts an end to life. It is probably for
this reason that when Allah Is addressed Rasulullah _ and the
believers about their respective deaths, He did so by separating
the two. He first addressed Rasulullah : . sf - you are
certainly to die. He then addresses the believers separately by
saying: ◌َوَإِنْهُمْ مَيِّتُوْن - and they are certainly to die. He then
ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عِنْدَ رَبِّكُمْ :completed this statement by saying
Stekt- "You will all then dispute before your Sustainer on the
day of resurrection." In this latter statement, Allah , addresses
everyone. He could have done the same in the previous
statement. He could have said: ◌َإِنَّكُمْ مَّيِّتُون - you are all certainly
to die. However, He addressed Rasulullah % and the general
believers separately in order to show the difference in their
deaths.
Just as there is a difference in the life of Rasulullah % and that
of the ordinary believers, and just as there is a difference in the
sleep of Rasulullah % and that of the ordinary believers, when
he said:

296
The Life of Muhammad %
تنام عيناي ولا ينام قلبي وكذلك الأنبياء تنام أعينهم ولا تنام قلوبهم (بخاري)
"My eyes sleep but my heart does not sleep. In like manner, the
eyes of the Prophets sleep but their hearts do not sleep."
In like manner there is a difference between the death of
Rasūlullah % and that of ordinary believers. A Hadith states:
النوم أخو الموت
"Sleep is the brother of death."
And Allah % says:
اللهُ يَتَوَّ الأَنْفُسَ حِيْنَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِيْ لَمْ تَمُتْ فِيْ مَنَامِهَا
"Allah takes away the lives when the time for their death
arrives, and those that do not die, He takes them away in their
sleep." (Sūrah az-Zumar, verse 42)
Allah & speaks of death and sleep in the same vein and uses
the same words - , and sal - to apply to both.
Since the soul of ordinary believers is "dead" and held back at
the time of dreams, their perception and feelings are
incapacitated. But this does not happen to the Prophets when
they are dreaming. It is for this reason that there is no
difference between the dreams of Prophets and the divine
revelation that they receive when they are fully awake. The
eyes of the Prophets are asleep but their hearts are awake. Their
dreams are equal to divine revelation when they are fully
awake. The story of Ibrahim say and Isma'il all is testimony to
this when the former said to his son:
إِّ أَرَى فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّ أَذْبَحُكَ فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَى
"I see in a dream that I am slaughtering you, so tell me what
you have to say in this regard."

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The intellectual and perceptual capabilities of ordinary
believers is incapacitated when they are dreaming. Whereas the
intellectual capabilities of the Prophets remains intact when
they are dreaming.1
The gist of what Maulana Qasim Nanautwī rahimahullah wrote
ends at this point. Those endowed with knowledge may refer to
his book, Ab-e-Hayāt, for more details.
Based on Qur'anic verses and the Ahādīth of Rasūlullah , it is
absolutely clear that the Prophets are physically and spiritually
different from normal human beings. As regards the Prophets'
proximity to Allah , they are closer to Him than Jibra'il Sadel,
Mika'il stay and all other angels. Allah created Adam stal
with the power of His hands and placed the crown of caliphate
on his head. Allah , then caused this body that was created of
soil to be prostrated by bodies that were made of light [i.e. the
angels had to prostrate before Adam ]. Allah conferred a
special physical excellence to the Prophets over the rest of the
humans. He made the bodies so pure, clean and fragrant, that
the perspiration that emanated from their bodies used to be
more fragrant than musk and umber.
أخرج البيهقي وغيره عن عائشة قالت قلت يا رسول الله إنك تدخل الخلاء فإذا خرجت
دخلت في أثرك فما أرى شيئا إلا أني أجد رائحة المسك. قال إنا معشر الأنبياء تنبت
أجسادنا على أرواح أهل الجنة فما خرج منها من شيء ابتلعته الأرض. (الخصائص
الکبری، ج1، ص 70)
Bayhaqī rahimahullah and others narrate on the authority of
A'ishah radiyallahu 'anha who said: "I said: 'O Messenger of
Allah! You go to the toilet. When you come out, I go after you.
I do not see anything except that I get the fragrance of musk.'
1 Ibid, pp. 218-220.

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The Life of Muhammad
He replied: 'We group of Prophets are such that the birth and
growth of our bodies takes place like that of the souls of the
people of paradise. Whatever leaves our bodies is immediately
absorbed by the earth."">1
In other words, the bodies of the Prophets are pure and clean
like the souls of the people of paradise. Just as the perspiration
of the people of paradise is more fragrant than musk and
umber, in like manner whatever leaves the bodies of the
Prophets is more fragrant than musk and umber. In other words,
the temperament, essence, psychological and physiological
make of the bodies of the Prophets are all like that of the people
of paradise. It is for this reason that after they pass away, their
bodies are protected from decomposition just as the bodies and
souls of the people of paradise are protected from
decomposition. It is based on this, that some 'ulama' are of the
opinion that the excreta, urine, etc of Rasulullah % are all pure.2
It is related in a Hadith that when Rasulullah % undertook a
treatment of cupping, he ordered 'Abdullah ibn Zubayr 4% to
dispose of his blood at such a place where no one would see it.
'Abdullah ibn Zubayr 4% drank this blood. When he returned,
Rasūlullah % asked him: "O 'Abdullah! What did you do with
the blood?" He replied: "O Rasūlullah! I placed it in a very
1 In his al-Khasā'is al-Kubrā, vol. 1, p. 70, Shaykh Jalāl ad-Dîn Suyûtî
rahimahullah says that the different chains of narrators of this Hadîth are
reliable and that it is narrated through seven chains. Therefore those who
consider this Hadîth to be fabricated are certainly wrong. In his commentary
to ash-Shifa' of Qadî 'Iyad rahimahullah, 'Allāmah Qārî rahimahullah
states that this Hadîth is reliable and established.
2 Refer to Sharh ash-Shifā' of 'Allāmah Qārî rahimahullāh, vol. 1, p. 160.

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The Life of Muhammad #
secret place where no one can ever see it." Rasūlullah & said:
"You probably drank it. How sad."1
It is also related in Ahadith that Umm Ayman and Umm Yusuf
drank the urine of Rasūlullah
and they never fell ill
thereafter.2
It seems that the bodies of the Prophets is a sample of the body
of their forefather, Adam sell which was created by the blessed
hand of Allah g. Their bodies therefore remain in their original
form and are safeguarded from earthly changes. Just as the
bodies of the people of paradise will remain safeguarded from
changes, in like manner, the bodies of the Prophets remain
safeguarded from changes. The original and most beloved of
the children of Adam Mck are the Prophets. A Hadith states that
the child is the secret of the father. It is therefore not farfetched
to assume that the blessings and boons that Adam fly received
due to being created directly by Allah %, have also been
inherited by the other Prophets from their forefather. The factor
that is intrinsic for being the chosen and selected creation of
Allāh & is restricted to the chosen ones of Allah s. As for the
bodies of the Prophets remaining untouched after their death,
this is from among the intrinsic things which is reserved
specifically for the special servants to inherit.3
The person who bears in mind the physical and spiritual
distinctions of the Prophets will have no doubt whatsoever
regarding the fact that although they are just like the rest of
humans as regards their life, their essential and intrinsic life is
1 Narrated by al-Bazzār, Abû Ya'lā, Tabarānî, Hakim and Bayhaqî. Refer to
al-Khasā'is al-Kubrā, vol. 1, p. 68.
2 Ibid, p. 71.
3 For details concerning the physical distinctions of Rasûlullah , refer to
Sharh ash-Shifā' and al-Khasā'is al-Kubrā.

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The Life of Muhammad
totally different from that of other humans. Their awakefulness
compared to that of the rest of the creation is not even like that
of the ocean and a drop of water. This is a bit about their life
and their remaining awake. As for their dreams, their eyes are
asleep during this time while their hearts are awake. This is
related at several places in the Sahih of Imam Bukharī
rahimahullāh. It is also learnt from the Ahādīth of Imam
Bukhārī rahimahullah that the sleep of the Prophets does not
break wudū.
نوم النبي عند الإمام الأعظم لا ينقض الوضوء حتما
"According to Imam al-A'zam, the sleep of the Prophet
certainly does not break wudū'."
A Hadīth states:'
ما تثاءب نبي قط وما احتلم
"No Prophet every yawned nor did he experience a wet-
dream."
The reason for this is that both these things are through the
whisperings and urges of Satan. And the Prophets are protected
from Satan.1
The dreams of the Prophets are divine revelations. The incident
of Ibrahim &gal is clear proof of this. When he said to his son:
إِيْ أَرَى فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّيْ أَذْبَحُكَ فَانْظُرْ مَا ذَا تَرَى
"I see in a dream that I am slaughtering you. Tell me what you
have to say in this regard."
It is impossible for the dreams of the Prophets to be imaginary
dreams. A Hadith states:
1 Zurqānî: Sharh al-Mawāhib, vol. 5, p. 248.