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Sîratul-Mustafâ
Life of the Prophet
their construction on the same original foundation. As per the
preceding division, each tribe amassed their respective stones
and started to rebuild their allotted portion of the K'abah. Now
when the building reached completion and the crucial moment
of placing the Hajare-Aswad (black stone) surfaced, intensely
violent disputes broke out between all interested parties.
Swords were unsheathed and the people became fervently
determined to go to war and kill one another to acquire this
noble credit of raising the stone to its place. After a few days of
palpable tension and no lasting solution in sight, Abû Umayyah
bin Mughîrah Makhzumî, one of the eldest members of the
Quraysh, submitted the opinion that the decision to raise the
stone should be conferred upon the first person that enters the
doors of the Haram the next morning. All parties expressed
their approval to this proposal. The next morning, when they
reached the Haram, they saw none other than Muhammad
Rasûlullah ¿ as the first entrant of the Haram that morning.
The moment they caught sight of him, with one voice they
spontaneously proclaimed:
"This is Muhammad, the trustworthy. We are mighty pleased
with him as arbiter. This is after all Muhammad, the
trustworthy."
Rasûlullah ¿ asked for a sheet and placing the black stone onto
it, he directed: "The chief of each tribe should grasp the ends of
the sheet so that none of the tribes are deprived of this grand
opportunity. All of them wholeheartedly approved of this
proposal and each leader grasped a side of the sheet and hoisted
it to the vicinity the black stone was to be placed. Rasûlullah
then went forward and with his blessed hands raised the stone
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and placed it in its proper place. [Sîrat Ibn Hishâm volume 1
page 65, Rawd Al-Anf volume 1 page 127, Târîkh Tabrî
volume 2 page 200, Zarqânî volume 1 pages 203-206]
The fourth time the K'abah was reconstructed was during the
Caliphate of Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Zubair رضى الله عنه.The entire
structure was razed to the ground and reconstructed anew.
And finally, on the fifth occasion, it was reconstructed by
Hajjaj bin Yusuf, the same Hajjaj who does not have a
counterpart in oppression, persecution and abuse. For further
details refer to the books of history.
Hâfiz 'Irâqî cites the following Arabic poem in his book
Alfiyatus-Siyar:
"And when the Quraysh resolved to rebuild the house,
Hostilities erupted amongst them until they halted its
construction.
The focal point of their contention was who will be privileged,
To place the black stone on its original location.
When he (Rasûlullah ) appeared and they all exclaimed,
If Muhammad, the trusted, places the stone.
He positioned it on a sheet and instructed each tribal leader,
To raise the sheet and they all hoisted it together.
The trusted one then entrusted the stone to its rightful place,
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As a consequence, all of them were pleased with what
transpired."
His divine aversion to pagan customs
Although the prophets and messengers are not regarded as
prophets before they are commissioned with the mantle of
prophethood, they unquestionably qualified as saints and
staunchly pious people. And they are so saintly and pious that
the greatest of Awliya can't even be compared to them in the
vein of a droplet compared to an ocean or a speck compared to
the dazzling sun. in regard to Hadrat Ibrahim laude Allâh
Ta'âlâ declares: "And We had awarded Ibrâhîm his guidance
before (this) and We were well-acquainted with him." And the
entire incident of Hadrat Yusuf عليه السلام and particularly the
verse wherein he beseeches Allâh Ta'âlâ to deflect the evil plot
of the women, also points towards this fact. Furthermore, the
Qurânic verse wherein Allâh Ta'âlâ announces in favour of
Hadrat Yahya عليه السلام :"And We awarded him wisdom while
he was yet a child" also reveals that the Ambiya Oulade had
scaled the pinnacles of saintliness and righteousness well
before they were awarded the mantle of prophethood.
Similarly, right from the very onset, Rasûlullah remained
absolutely detached from polytheism, idolatry and other forms
of polytheistic traditions. Ibn Hishâm further explains this in
the following words:
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"Rasûlullah % grew up in the protection and security of Allâh
Ta'âlâ, effectively shielded against all the filth of the paganism
because Allâh Ta'âlâ had already decreed that he is to be
privileged with prophethood and eminence. As he grew into a
young man, he excelled his people in every form of honour. He
surpassed them all in dignity, character, lineage, forbearance,
integrity, honesty and truthfulness. He kept a great distance
away from evil and immorality and due to the accumulation of
a number of divine attributes within him; he secured the title of
Al-Amîn from his people." [Sîrat Ibn Hishâm volume 1 page
62]
It is reported from Hadrat 'Ali رضى الله عنه that Rasulullah was
once asked if he ever worshiped an idol. He replied in the
negative. He was then asked if he ever consumed wine.
Rasûlullah ¿ again replied in the negative and remarked: “I
always considered such deeds to be Kufr even though I
possessed no knowledge of Îman and the Quran. [Abû Nu'aim,
Ibn 'Asâkir]
Musnade-Ahmad reports that Hadrat 'Urwah bin Zubair
relates that the neighbour of Hadrat Khadijah رضي الله عنه
narrates that she heard Rasulullah a declaring to رضي الله عنها
Hadrat Khadijah رضي الله عنها:"By Allah! I will never ever
worship Lât. By Allâh! I will never ever worship 'Uzzâ." [Al-
Khasâisu Al-Kubrâ volume 1 page 90]
Zaid bin Harithah رضي الله عنه narrates: "During the era of
ignorance, the polytheists would reverentially stroke the stone
idols of Isaf and Nailah whenever they performed tawaf of the
K'abah. Once I accompanied Rasûlullah % in performing the
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tawaf of the Baitullah. As we passed these idols, I devotedly
lay a hand on them. Rasûlullah % forbade me from doing this. I
thought to myself, what harm can there be in touching stone. So
I stroked them again. A bit more crisply, he prohibited me
again reminding me of the previous prohibition. By Allâh!
From that day on, I have never touched a single stone idol right
up to the time when Allâh Ta'âlâ bestowed his prophethood
upon Rasûlullah % and revealed his divine speech upon him."
This narration is cited in Mustadra Hâkim, Dalâilu Abî Nu'aim
and Dalâilu Bayhaqî. Hâkim acknowledges this Hadîth to be
authentic.
It is reported from Hadrat "Ali رضى الله عنه that he heard
Rasûlullâh % saying: "The notion of participating in any of
these pagan rituals or customs had never crossed my mind
except on two occasions when Allâh Ta'âlâ safeguarded me
from their evils. One night, I told my companion who usually
grazed goats with us to keep an eye on the animals as I wished
to go to Makkah to entertain myself with a bit of storytelling.
As I entered Makkah, I was confronted with the resonance of
music. Upon enquiry I learnt that so and so is getting married. I
also joined the ceremony but the moment I sat down, I was
overcome with sleep. What's more, Allâh Ta'âlâ sealed my ears
against the music and I dozed off utterly unaware of my
surroundings. By Allâh! Only the intensity of the sun beating
down on my face the next morning jolted me awake. I returned
to my companion only to be asked what I saw. I replied that I
saw absolutely nothing. I then related my incident of falling off
to sleep."
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The next night, Rasûlullah
again decided to join in the
festivities but he fell asleep yet again. Rasûlullah & says: "By
Allâh! After this occasion I never thought of indulging in any
form of such Jahiliyyah customs until Allâh Ta'âlâ bestowed
upon me His divine gift of prophethood." This Hadîth is cited
in Musnade-Bazzâr, Musnade Ishâq bin Râhwayh etc. Hâfiz
Ibn Hajar says that the chain of narrators of this Hadîth is
successive and satisfactory. All the narrators of this Hadîth are
reliable.
Bukharî and Muslim narrate on the authority of Hadrat Jâbir
,that during the reconstruction of the K'abah رضي الله عنه
Rasûlullah % also joined the people in hauling boulders to the
site. His uncle Hadrat 'Abbas icals, advised him: "Son!
Undo up you lower garment and throw it over your shoulder so
that you may be safe from the constant chafing caused by the
boulders. On the advice of his uncle, he was about to undo his
lower garment when he suddenly fell unconscious. He was
never seen naked after this incident."
According to Abû Tufail, a mysterious voice cautioned
Rasûlullah thus: "O Muhammad! Safeguard your private
part." This was the first time Rasûlullah
heard this
mysterious voice.
This narration of Abû Tufail is cited in Dalâilu Abû Nu'aim,
Dalâilu Bayhaqî and Mustadrak Hâkim. Hâkim says that this
Hadîth is authentic. [Al-Khasâisu Al-Kubrâ volume 1 page 88]
According to the narration of Ibn 'Abbas رضى الله عنه, Abu Talib
asked Rasûlullah % what transpired. He replied: "A white-
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claded person appeared before me and cautioned me to conceal
my private parts."
Hâkim says that this Hadîth is also authentic. This Hadîth is
extracted by Ibn S'ad, Ibn 'Adî and Hâkim and he declares this
Hadîth to be authentic. It is also extracted by Abû Nu'aim on
the authority of 'Ikramah from Ibn 'Abbas رضي الله عنه .[Ibid]
On one occasion, the Quraysh place some food before
Rasûlullah . Zaid bin 'Amr bin Nufail was also present in this
gathering. Rasûlullah & refused to partake of this meal.
Subsequently, Zaid also declined to eat this food saying: "I
refuse to consume an animal slaughtered on the name of
anyone other than Allah Ta'âlâ. I will not partake of food
dedicated to a deity. I will only consume food upon which the
name of Allâh Ta'âlâ is taken exclusively." Zaid bin 'Amr bin
Nufail would often chide the Quraysh thus: "Allâh Ta'âlâ
created the goat and Allâh Ta'âlâ Himself produced the grass
for it to graze on. Then why do you slaughter the goat upon the
name of someone other than Allah Ta'âlâ?" [Fathul-Bârî
volume 7 page 108 the Hadîth of Zaid bin 'Amr bin Nufail]
Zaid bin 'Amr bin Nufail was the cousin (father's brother's
son) of Hadrat Umar رضى الله عنه. He was the father of Sa'id bin
Zaid, one of the 'Asharah Mubasharah (the ten companions
conferred with glad tidings of Jannah). He was utterly revolted
by idolatry and was in perpetual pursuit of the true religion. He
passed away five years prior to prophethood whilst the K'abah
was undergoing reconstruction. For further details see Fathul-
Barî volume 1 page 108 - 110 under the chapter dealing with
the Hadîth of Zaid bin 'Amr bin Nufail, Al-Isabah volume 1
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page 569 under the subtitle Zaid bin 'Amr bin Nufail and
Tabqât Ibn S'ad volume 1 page 105 under the chapter dealing
with the signs of prophethood before its advent.
The inception 73 of divine revelation and glad tidings of
prophethood
As flawlessly attested to by the aforementioned narrations, the
Ambiyâ even before they are appointed as Allâh Ta'âlâ's
messengers, are absolutely untainted by the filth of kufr and
shirk (disbelief and polytheism) and they are extraordinarily
clean of every from of evil and immorality. From the very
outset, their blessed hearts are brimming with Tauhid (the
belief in the unity of Allâh Ta'âlâ), fear and divine recognition
of Allâh Ta'âlâ. How is it ever possible that those personages
who are about to be commissioned by Allâh Ta'âlâ as his
chosen servants to stamp out Kufr and Shirk and to purge the
world of evil and immorality ever be soiled themselves by the
filth of such evil before they are bestowed with this mantle of
prophethood and privileged status? Allâh Ta'âlâ forbid! This is
by all odds impossible. Although the Ambiyâ are not appointed
73
The inception of divine revelation refers to the commencement of
prophethood. In other words, the manner in which prophethood was initiated
and the glad tidings heralding the dawn of prophethood. Put differently, this
chapter does not actually deal with prophethood itself but it deals with
issues portending the imminence of prophethood.
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as messengers before they are actually invested with the mantle
of prophethood, they are irrefutably Awliya and 'Urafa (saints
who recognise the majesty of Allâh Ta'âlâ). They are not new
to the divine attributes of Allah Ta'ala. Neither are they
deceived by the divine attributes of Allâh Ta'âlâ at any given
time nor are they thrown into any form of doubt.
Allâh Ta'âlâ reveals:
"And We awarded Ibrâhîm (according to his capability) his
Rushd (guidance) before (this) and We were well aware of his
capability beforehand. [Sûrah Ambiyâ]
Now we will have to establish the meaning of Rushd as
mentioned in the above verse and the connotation of Rashid
and Rashîd. The following verse of Sûrah Hujurât guides us to
this meaning:
"And remember that indeed amongst you is the Rasûl of Allâh.
(Hypothetically speaking) if he has to comply with you in a
number of your affairs, you would surely land into difficulty
but Allâh (has protected you from this difficulty) by endearing
to you this faith (Îmân) and by beautifying it in your hearts and
Allâh has made you abhor disbelief, immorality and
disobedience. Such people (whose hearts are infused with the
love of Îmân and obedience and whose hearts are loath to
incline towards disbelief and sin) are the Rashidîn (rightly-
guided). (This is) a grace from Allâh and a blessing. And Allâh
is all-knowing, all-wise." [Sûrah Hujurât verse 7-8]
From this verse it clearly appears that the infusion of love for
Îmân and obedience to Allâh Ta'âlâ and the infusion of hatred
towards disbelief, immorality and disobedience is referred to as
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Rushd (guidance). And this Rushd was awarded to Ibrâhîm
Aulade from the very outset as evident from the
aforementioned verse of Sûrah Ambiyâ. And the word Rushd in
the Arabic language is used in contrast to Dalâlah
(misguidance) As Allâh Ta'âlâ says: "Verily guidance is
distinctly laid bare from misguidance." This clearly reveals that
Ibrâhîm Aulade was on the path of guidance from the very
outset. Allâh Ta'âlâ forbid, he was not misguided or gone
astray. Ibrahim undlade's utterance of "this is my lord" after
he witnessed the stars, moon and sun has deceptively led some
compilers74 to believe that Ibrahim عليه السلام was in doubt and
74 ' Allâmah Shiblî writes in Sîratun-Nabî volume 1 page 187 pocket edition:
"Before prophethood, Ibrahim Oulade observed the stars and because he
caught sight of a flicker of divine luminescence, he was thrown into
deception. When the moon came into sight, he was misled even more and
even more so by the emergence of the sun. However, when they all
disappeared from sight, he spontaneously declared: 'I do not like those that
set."
'Allâmah Shiblî's observation that Ibrahim Oulade was deceived in this
regard is downright flawed. Allâh Ta'âlâ forbid, the Ambiyâ are never
deceived when it comes to the divine attributes of Allâh Ta'âlâ.
Furthermore, Ibrâhîm OUlade enjoys s distinctive status amongst all the
Ambiyâ and messengers. Allâh Ta'âlâ revealed the realms of the skies and
earth to him and rendered him from amongst the Mûqinîn (incontrovertible
believer). He was well aware that the sun, moon and stars are all subservient
to the divine will of Allah Ta'ala. Allah Ta'ala forbid! Hadrat Ibrahim
Aulade was not confused or left in the dark about the attributes of Allâh
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this doubt vanished with the setting of the sun. Allâh Ta'âlâ
forbid! From the very outset, Ibrahim عليه السلام believed the
sun and moon to be an inferior creation of Allâh Ta'âlâ. Since
his people were spellbound by the fallacy of astrology, in order
to eliminate this fallacious belief, he asked them: "Strictly
hypothetically speaking, assuming these stars are my lord
according to your beliefs, just wait for them to fade away. Their
vanishing nature in itself will prove to you their temporal and
transient reality." In a similar vein, he went on to explain to
them the ephemeral nature of the sun and moon because these
star worshippers believed that after sunset, the stars do not
possess the effect that they enjoyed at sunrise. He wished to
demonstrate to them that if these stars were your lords, its
efficacy wouldn't have suffered such a radical transformation
and they wouldn't be subject to such limitations because Allâh
Ta'âlâ's being and attributes are not affected by any
transformation or limitations. Hadrat Ibrahim عليه السلام's
discussion with his people from beginning to end was more of a
debate than a conversation. This is evident from the verses
succeeding these verses wherein Allâh Ta'âlâ says: "And his
people disputed with him. And he said: "Do you dispute with
me concerning Allâh whereas He has guided me." And the
verse: "And that was our argument (or proof) We had awarded
Ta'âlâ. 'Allâmah himself is confused by the tenets of Islam and deluded by
the translations of the Arabic texts. Persian Couplet: 'When confronted with
a person of limited intelligence, you should less with him and merely make
Salâm with him and move on.'
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to Ibrahim against his people." These verses undeniably
confirm that his remarks about the stars, sun and moon
revolved around a debate he had with his people and these
statements were the arguments Allâh Ta'âlâ had instilled within
his heart for this debate. In short, this was a debate and not his
personal dilemma. What did Hadrat Ibrahim
not عليه السلام
notice the sun and moon prior to this occasion?
Furthermore, Bukharî, Mulsim and other authentic Hadîth
books mention the following Hadîth:
"Every child is born with the nature (of Islam) but his parents
turn him into a Jew, a Christian or a Zoroastrian."
The Hadîth does not mention his parents turning him into a
Muslim because he is naturally born a Muslim. And according
to the narration of Muslim, 'Iyad bin Hammad says that
Rasûlullah said: "Allâh Ta'âlâ proclaims: "I have created my
servants as Hunafâ (plural of Hanîf, meaning true believer)."
Since every child is born a Hanîf and a natural Muslim, this
logically concludes that the leader of the Ambiyâ, the Imâm of
the Hunafa, the epitome of the monotheists and the paradigm of
those who shun polytheism and disbelief should be a Hanîf and
Rashid (true believer and rightly-guided) of a greater
magnitude than the others. His nature should be much more
untarnished and his disposition much more upright. In many
verse of the Quran, Rasûlullah has been instructed to
conform to the creed of Ibrahim, the Hanîf. For instance: "Then
we revealed unto him to adhere to the creed of Ibrahim, the
Hanîf and he was not of the polytheists." [Sûrah Al-Nahl verse
123]
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Allâh Ta'âlâ says: "Say (O Muhammad!) Indeed my Lord has
guided me towards the straight path, a straight religion, the
creed of Ibrâhîm, the Hanîf (true Islamic monotheism) and he
was not of the polytheists." [Sûrah Al-An'âm verse 161]
For further details, see the Tafsîr of Imam Hafiz 'Imadud-Dîn
.رحمة الله عليه Ibn Kathir
During the pre-Islamic era of ignorance, when the gloom of
disbelief and polytheism had enshrouded every quarter, even in
these times of spiritual darkness, people like Zaid bin 'Amr bin
Nufail, Waraqah bin Nawfal and other such monotheists and
Hunafâ entertained robust sentiments of Tauhîd (unity of Allâh
Ta'âlâ) within their hearts. If this spiritual illumination of
Tauhid was not a reflection of the Tauhid of Ibrahim Allagde,
then what was it? What, Allah Ta'ala forbid, the nature of Zaid
and Waraqah was more sound and flawless than the nature of
? عليه السلام Ibrahim
Qadi 'Ayad رحمة الله عليه writes in Shifa:
"Bear in mind, O reader, - may Allâh Ta'âlâ bestow upon you
and I His divine guidance - that anything associated with the
Tauhîd of Allâh Ta'âlâ, His recognition, Îmân and Wahî
(divine revelation) is intimately and extensively known to the
Ambiyâ ALhade. The knowledge of the Ambiya regarding
the Being and attributes of Allah Ta'âlâ is indisputably
positive. Allâh Ta'âlâ forbid, neither are they oblivious to such
matters nor do they entertain any doubts about this. And they
are exclusively pure of everything that is contrary to this divine
recognition and absolute faith. The Muslims are unanimous
over this. Furthermore, on the grounds of irrefutable proof and
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unambiguous evidence it has been established that there is no
room whatsoever for any flaws in the beliefs of the Ambiyâ
[88 Shifa Qadi 'Iyad volume 2 page]. عليهم السلام
Summary:
In short, the sacred souls of the Ambiya عليهم السلام are free of
all forms of polytheism, disbelief, evil and immorality. They
are Rashid and Hanîf (well-guided and truly faithful) from the
very outset. They are by nature aloof and averse to every form
of evil. As Hadrat Shaddad bin Aws رضى الله عنه relates that
Rasûlullah % said: "From the time I was still growing up, I
harboured an intense aversion to idol worship and poetry."
[Kanzul-'Ummal volume 6 page 305 on the authority of Abû
Y'alâ and Abû Nu'aim.]
It is imperative for a messenger to be an embodiment of truth.
His speech, actions, intention and resolve should not contain an
iota of falsehood and delusion. This is one of the reasons the
Rasûl of Allâh Ta'âlâ is not a poet because in all probability it
is almost impossible for a poet to be free of falsehood and
suspicion. This is also attested to by the following verse of the
Holy Quran:
"And We did not teach him poetry nor is it appropriate for him.
Sûrah Yâsîn verse 69]
Since the mantle of prophethood was already preordained for
Rasûlullah , from the very outset Allâh Ta'âlâ cleansed his
sacred heart of every evil and cultivated within it a revulsion to
everything that is inconsistent with this prestigious rank.
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In this manner Allah Ta'ala nurtured him from his formative
years all through his adulthood. As the moment of his
designation drew closer, he was made to see truthful and pious
dreams. 75
The word Nabî is derived from Naba'. In the Arabic lexicon,
the word Naba' refers to a piece of momentous news that is
absolutely accurate and factual. Inconsequential news is not
referred to as Naba'. A Nabî (messenger) is referred to as a
Nabî because he delivers momentous news of the unseen that is
absolutely accurate and true without a trace of falsehood. This
news reaches him through the medium of Wahî (divine
revelation). Imâm Rabbânî Shaikh Mujaddid Alfu Thânî
very briefly explains the reality of prophethood in رحمة الله عليه
one of his articles thus: "Just as the physical perception differs
enormously from the intellectual perception in a sense that
what the outer senses are unable to perceive, the intellect
promptly grasps it, similarly, the phase of prophethood differs
from the phase of intellect in a sense that the knowledge the
intellect is unable to grasp, that knowledge is acquired through
the medium of Wahî (divine revelation)."
75 The dreams of the Ambiya lade are always truthful. Their dreams
are by no means deceptive. Notwithstanding this, in relation to worldly
matters, their dreams are sometimes good enough and sometimes not.
However, in matters pertaining to the hereafter, their dreams are always
true. This is akin to the calamity afflicting a believer; in relation to this
ephemeral world, it is detestable but in relation to the hereafter it is
endearing. [Fathul-Bârî Kitab Al-T'abîr volume 12 page 311]
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The physical senses can only perceive tangible objects whilst
the intellect can comprehend philosophical matters but the
affairs of the unseen is far above the grasp of the intellect or
physical senses. Neither the physical senses nor the intellectual
capacity of man is able to comprehend the realm of the unseen.
This realm can only be explored through the medium of Wahî
(divine revelation) and prophethood. The only channel of
comprehending the realm of the unseen is the channel of divine
revelation via a messenger of Allâh Ta'âlâ. The reality of
divine revelation can only be comprehended by the Ambiyâ
Allagde but, due to His sheer mercy, Allah Ta'ala has
blessed simple folk like us by conferring upon us a minuscule
glimpse of this divine revelation so that we may be able to
grasp the reality of this. And this miniscule glimpse of this
divine revelation awarded to us is in the form of true dreams,
which apart from the physical senses and intellectual
capabilities, is the smallest medium of catching a glimpse of
the unseen.
When a person sleeps and all his internal, external and
perceptive senses are lying completely idle, a number of things
are made visible to him by Allâh Ta'ala. For further details,
read Imâm Ghazâlî's booklet entitled Al-Munqiz Min Al-Dalâl.
In short, just as divine revelation is the supreme means of
exposure to the realm of the unseen, in the same way, true
dreams is the lowest ranking agency of exposure to the realm of
the unseen. And true dreams are a glimpse of divine revelation
that heralds the initiation of prophethood. In Dalâilu Abî
Nu'aim it is indirectly reported with a satisfactory chain of
((رضي الله عنه narrators from the student of 'Abdullah bin Masud
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'Alqamah bin Qays رحمة الله عليه that the Ambiya عليهم السلام are
initially shown true dreams to such an extent that when their
hearts are at ease, now in a state of consciousness, divine
revelation is conveyed to them by Allâh Ta'âlâ. [Fathul-Bârî
volume 1 page 7 under the chapter 'how divine revelation
commenced'.]
For example, Yusuf عليه السلام was shown a strange dream long
before his prophethood. This is the reason true dreams are
referred to as a glimpse of prophethood. It appears in the
Hadîth that pious dreams form a component of prophethood.
The dreams of the Ambiya undlade are always true. There is
no possibility whatsoever of falsehood in their dreams. Yes, the
dreams of the pious are predominantly true. Very rarely their
dreams are made up of muddled dreams whilst the dreams of
the sinners are largely made up of muddled dreams. It is
reported in Sahîh Muslim on the authority of Hadrat Abû
Hurayrah dical , that Rasûlullah said: "He who is most
truthful in speech would be most truthful in his dreams."
This Hadîth clearly confirms that truthfulness whilst conscious
plays a prominent role in determining the accuracy of dreams.
The more truthful the person, the closer he is to prophethood
whilst the more distant he is from the truth, the more distant
will he be from prophethood. This is why Rasûlullah
sometimes acknowledged pious dreams to be a twenty-sixth
portion of prophethood. Sometimes he referred to them as a
fortieth part of prophethood. According to one Hadîth, pious
dreams are a thirty-fifth portion of prophethood whilst another
Hadîth refers to them as a fiftieth part of prophethood. Yet
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another Hadîth refers to these dreams as one seventieth or
according to another Hadîth, one seventy-sixth portion of
prophethood. Imam Ghazalî dealăsa, writes in Ihyâul-'Ulum
under Kitab Al-Faqr wa Al-Zuhd:
"Don't ever regard the inconsistency of these expressions as
contradictions but regard these divergent expressions as an
indication of the various levels of people's status. In other
words, the people beholding dreams are made up of varying
degrees of distinction. The dreams of the Siddîqîn (saints of the
highest order) make up one twenty-sixth portion of
prophethood whilst the dreams of others make up a fortieth or a
fiftieth or seventieth or a seventy-sixth portion of prophethood.
[Fathul-Barî volume 12 pages 319-324] Furthermore, the
Hadith of Hadrat Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه (as just mentioned
above) "He who is most truthful in speech would be most
truthful in his dreams", also seems to confirm this varying
degrees of distinction because the Hadîth uses a superlative
"most truthful" and a the usage of a superlative is most
appropriate when there are varying degrees of distinction or a
difference in rank."
Hafiz Ibn Qayyim dealdas, writes that it is explicitly related
from Imam Ahmad bin Hambal رحمة الله عليه that the
inconsistent Ahadîth pertaining to the dreams forming a part of
prophethood actually refer to the varying degrees of distinction
found in people. [Madârijus-Sâlikîn volume 1 page 28]
Now the question arises as to what exactly is the meaning of
pious dreams making up a portion of prophethood? Scholars
may refer to Fathul-Bârî volume 12 pages 331-332 to get to the
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bottom of this enigma. Thereafter enlighten your students and
friends about this. May Allâh Ta'âlâ compensate you
excellently for this good deed. This humble servant is also
hopeful of a reward from his lord for steering people in this
direction of good. Out of fear of a protracted discussion, I am
presently forced to withdraw. "Perhaps Allâh Ta'âlâ will create
something anew after this."
Now I wish to return to the original topic. Bukharî and Muslim
narrate that Hadrat 'Ayeshah رضى الله عنها said: "Divine
revelation upon Rasûlullah % originated with pious dreams.
Whatever he witnessed in his dreams, it would come to pass as
true as the crack of dawn."
Ibn Abu Jamarah says: "The dreams of Rasûlullah are
compared to dawn because the sun of prophethood had not as
yet risen. Just as the crack of dawn heralds the imminent advent
of the sun, similarly, pious dreams were a precursor to the
imminent advent of the sun of prophethood." It was as though
the 'dawn' of pious dreams is proclaiming: "Soon, the sun of
prophethood will rise." And just as the radiance of the morning
continues spreading in a flash, similarly, the light of these true
dreams continued to flourish until such time that the luminance
of prophethood extended to light up the mountains of Makkah.
People like Abu Bakr رضى الله عنه who possessed the spiritual
vision of the heart appeared before this sun and benefited from
its brilliance whilst people like Abû Jahal who were enveloped
in spiritual darkness, closed their eyes to this radiance and like
bats they were unable to endure the luminosity of this brilliant
sun of prophethood.
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Persian Couplet: "If the bat is unable to see during the day,
what is the fault of daylight?
The face of the sun is naturally radiant, ill-fated is the bat."
As for the remainder of the people between the ranks of Abû
Bakr رضي الله عنه and Abu Jahal, each and every person benefited
from this sun of prophethood according to the level of his
spiritual vision and luminance of his heart. [Fathul-Bârî volume
12]
Ummul-Muminin Hadrat 'Ayeshah رضى الله عنها further relates:
"Thereafter, solitude was made dear to him. He would often go
into seclusion in the cave of Hirâ."
Ummul-Muminin Hadrat 'Ayeshah رضي الله عنها employs a
'passive verb' when she says 'solitude was made dear to him'
probably to reveal to us that the reason for this solitude was
unknown. What was the core reason for this solitude? Perhaps
it was some internal matter that constrained him to seek
solitude. Allâh Ta'âlâ knows best what the actual reason was.
In regards to other people, the underlying reason was absolutely
mysterious. Perhaps this is why she used a passive verb to
describe this form of solitude.
When Allâh Ta'âlâ intends to shower His special mercy upon a
person, He cultivates the yearning for solitude and seclusion
within this person's heart. As Allâh Ta'âlâ discloses in the
story of the people of the Kahf (cave):
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