Indexed OCR Text

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The Life of Muhammad %
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوْا لاَ تَتَّخِذُوا الْيَهُوْدَ وَالنَّصَارَى أَوْلِيَآءَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ
وَمَنْ يَّتَوَُّمْ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْهُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِيْنَ.
"O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and
Christians as friends. They are friends of each other.
Whoever among you befriends them, he is considered
to be among them. Surely Allah does not guide the
wrong-doing people."
What! Is this not a clear injustice that we claim to be
Muslims, that we claim to love Allah ; and His
Messenger % but our appearance and dress are that of
the enemies of Allah % and His Messenger ?? No
ruler and no government will ever tolerate a subject
claiming to be loyal to the government while he
maintains friendly ties, commercial ties and social
contact with the enemies of the government. All these
acts are considered to be crimes against the
government. Therefore, if Allah, the most just of
rulers, prohibits us from maintaining friendly relations
and adopting the appearance and dressing of His
enemies and the enemies of His ambassadors, i.e. His
Messengers and Prophets, why should anyone object
to this?
5. This tashabbuh will gradually lead to ridiculing and
mocking at Islamic dress and Islamic culture. The
person will look down upon Islamic dress and
consequently look down upon those who wear this
Islamic dress. If a person is not looking down upon
Islamic dress, why would he choose the dress of the
unbelievers?
6. Difficulty will be experienced in promulgating Islamic
laws. If a Muslim sees a fellow Muslim in the
appearance of unbelievers, he will assume this person

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to be a Christian, Jew or Hindu. If such a corpse is
found, he will hesitate and not know whether the
janāzah salah should be read over him and whether he
should be buried in a Muslim cemetery or not.
7. When a person abandons Islamic dress and appearance,
he will no longer enjoy any honour among his own
people. If his own people do not honour him, what
honour can he expect from others? Others only respect
a person when he enjoys respect among his own
people.
8. Adopting the dress code of others is a proof of one's
aloofness from one's own people.
9. It is sad that a person claims to be a Muslim, but his
clothing, food, society, culture, language, way of life,
are all like that of the enemies of Islam. If this is the
condition, why even bother to claim that you are a
Muslim? Islam neither needs such Muslims nor does it
bother about such Muslims who consider emulating the
enemies of Islam to be a source of honour and pride.
We cannot understand what is the need and advantage of
adopting the appearance and dressing of unbelievers. To adopt
their dressing unnecessarily means that you are saying: "Here,
we will also become unbelievers even though it may only be
in our appearance." Allah # protect us from this.
Or a person says: Bring, these are the clothes of our enemies.
We will also wear them and appear like them in order to
demonstrate our support. It is clearer than the light of day that
the Christians are the enemies of Islam and the Muslims. The
Qur'an and Hadith are clear in this regard that the unbelievers
are your open enemies. During the partition of India, the
Christian enmity towards Islam became absolutely clear. The
British gave as much as they possibly could to the Hindus

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while the Muslims were left deprived. The British brought 400
000 Jews from outside and settled them in Palestine. In so
doing, they divided Palestine as well. Based on this ruling of
theirs, wherever there were 400 000 and 800 000 Muslims in
India, they ought to have divided those areas as well - as they
had done in Palestine. In the present circumstances, the total
population of Jews and Muslims in Palestine is 800 000. In the
U.P. province of India alone, the Muslim population is eight
million. Based on the principles that they followed in
Palestine, they ought to have established a separate Muslim
state in the U.P. province. In short, the enmity that the
Christians have towards Islam is as clear as the sun. Yet, we
do not know why the Muslims are adopting the culture of their
enemies. The fact of the matter is that people think that the
English appearance and way of dress is that of the government
and those in power. Which therefore means that if they
emulate them, they will also acquire honour and respect.
It is sad that honour and respect is acquired in order to get an
advantage over others. It is not acquired in order to acquire
awe and respect for oneself and one's own people. A person
claims well-being for his own people yet he dislikes and
abhors his own people's culture and loves the culture of
others.
What honour is there in changing your colours like that of a
chameleon. That you gaze steadfastly towards Europe and
adopt the fashion and clothing that they have adopted. This
you do in your ardent love for them. When a person loves a
people, he has to live in humiliation and disgrace before them.
You now have the choice of having love for Allah %, His
Messenger %, the Rightly-Guided caliphs and their society and
culture, or you have love for the scoundrels and pleasure-
loving rascals of Europe and their culture. Understand well
that the basis of such love is humiliation.

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It is a clear fact that the light of Islam spread from Makkah to
the four corners of the world. In a short while, the world was
at the feet of the Muslims and they enjoyed religious and
material progress. The absolute power, sway and authority
which they enjoyed while spreading the Shari'ah, was not
because they acquired the sciences and knowledge of the
rulers of that time. Or that they excelled in business and
craftsmanship. Or that they proliferated interest and usurious
transactions on a grand scale. And that they established
usurious banking institutions for this large scale business.
Rather, the reason for this was that the divine Shari'ah was
their guide and following the Sunnah was their strength, their
army, their weapon, and their flag of victory. Through this,
they established a powerful domain which reduced the
greatness and grandeur of Rome and Persia to dust.
This is such a clear fact that there is no need to provide any
proof and evidence for this. The Jewish and Christian scholars
testify to this fact that Muhammad & was commissioned as a
Prophet in Makkah, that he alone taught the desert dwellers,
ignoramuses and camel-herds the lessons of tauhid, and taught
them the divine Book of Allah . On one hand, he taught
them servitude before Allah % and His cognition, while on the
other hand, he taught them how to administer laws, justice,
and equity whereby they became a superpower in a short time.
They did this without having any wealth, no army and no
force. They neither learnt and acquired the knowledge and
sciences of other nations nor did they consider usury to be
lawful. All this they did through the blessings of following the
Sharī‘ah.
After the demise of Rasulullah , Abu Bakr 4% succeeded him
as the caliph. He also followed the Shari'ah to the full during
his caliphate. He waged war against the tribes that refused to
pay zakat during his caliphate. He took an oath and said: “If

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they hesitate in giving that piece of rope in zakat which they
used to give in the time of Rasūlullah , he will wage jihad
against them and fight them." He also waged jihad and
completely wiped out the apostates and claimants to prophet-
hood.
In like manner, the awe and authority that was prevalent
during the era of the second caliph ['Umar 4%], was through
the blessing of following the Shari'ah. This was to such an
extent that great rulers and kings feared him.
It should be understood well that through the blessing of
following the Sunnah of Muhammad , the Sahabah & were
bestowed with a huge government like that of Dhul Qarnayn
and Sulayman &k). It was through the blessing of following the
Sunnah of Muhammad % that the thrones of Caesar and
Choesroes were overturned and their civilization and culture
was reduced to shreds by the Sahabah . If we also follow
their way, we will progress. Imam Malik rahimahullah says:
لا يصلح آخر هذه الأمة إلا بما صلح به أولها
"The latter part of this ummah will not enjoy prosperity and
success except through what the first part of this ummah
enjoyed prosperity and success."
The Islamic Shari'ah taught such principles of government
that the world had neither seen nor heard of. It is only through
following it that we can progress. There can be no progress in
following and emulating others. The basis of progress is not
emulation of the Jews and Christians. Mere clothing cannot
remove humiliation and insignificance. It is based on
following the noble way of Rasulullah . The progress that
was witnessed in the era of the Rightly Guided caliphs, the
Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs was all due to following the
way of Rasūlullah .

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In fact, the actual reason for our fall is tashabbuh of others and
diverting from tashabbuh of the Prophets. To assume that the
Islamic dress will cause our lack of respect in the eyes of the
west is baseless. Honour and respect is based on competence
and capability and not on clothing. In fact, those who emulate
and copy others are considered to be sellouts. Dishonour is not
in Islamic dress but in adopting the dress of others. A Round
Table Conference was held in London. Many Hindu leaders
attended wearing western clothing. Gandhi also went, wearing
his loin cloth. The respect and honour that was bestowed on
Gandhi by the British government was not bestowed on the
others who were wearing western clothing.
There were many guards in Delhi who were worthy of the
government. They used to come in Islamic dress. The respect
and honour that was shown to them was more than what was
shown to those who came in their pants and coats.
No matter how much the Muslims dye themselves in the
colour of western society and culture, the Jews and Christians
will never be happy with them as long as they consider
themselves to be followers of Islam. Allah % says: "The Jews
and Christians will never be happy with you until you follow
their religion."
O Muslims! If you desire progress, follow that path through
which the first century of Islam found progress, and through
which the call of Islam reverberated in the four corners of the
world. World history is witness to this fact that the power,
authority, victories, progress, academic, cultural and moral
supremacy that was enjoyed during the eras of the Rightly
Guided caliphs, Umayyad caliphs and Abbasid caliphs, was
never enjoyed by Britain and America put together.
The nations of the west were more barbaric than the ignorant
Arabs. When knowledge and wisdom proliferated during the
Abbasid caliphate, the nations of the west acquired knowledge

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and the sciences from the Muslims. They translated these into
their languages and then progressed in a manner that is
witnessed today. It is now the duty of the Muslims to translate
the modern sciences into their languages so that they can
benefit from them and they do not have to waste away the
lives of their youth and their wealth by sending them to
western colleges.
The economic consequences of western dress
Previously, most of the clothes were sewn at home. Especially
sending the clothing of women to be sewn by a tailor was
considered to be reprehensible. But once the doors of fashion
were opened, all the clothes in the house were sent to tailors.
There was no increase in the family income but the expenses
increased. They therefore had to resort to credit or to unlawful
ways of earning. In order to obtain western goods and effects in
the house, you also need wealth like the west. However, the
problem is that it has become a mindset that you have to live
like them irrespective of what.
I ask these people who are giving a bad name to Islam: "On
what basis have you given preference to western dress over
Islamic dress? If it is because the Islamic dress causes some
harm to the body or you experience some loss through it then
tell me so that we could think over this and gauge whether the
physical harm is in Islamic dress or western dress. Or if the
reason is that you experience insignificance in Islamic dress,
then there is also no need for you to even make a claim of being
a Muslim. Western nations clearly consider Islam and Muslims
to be insignificant and lowly. "The Jews and Christians will
never be pleased with you until you follow their religion."
Islam has no need for such Muslims who change colours like a
chameleon, who fall headlong before every new fashion and
new craze, and who are totally devoid of independence. Those

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who do not have an independent spirit and temperament can
never become leaders and rulers.
As long as the Muslim caliphs remained steadfast to the
Shari'ah, their governments progressed, their honour and awe
remained in the sight of their opponents, their enemies
continued fearing them, and the help of Allah % remained with
them. Allah % says:
يَأَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوْا إِنْ تَنْصُرُ اللهَ يَنْصُؤُكُمْ وَيُتَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ وَأَنْتُمُ الأَعْلَوْنَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِيْنَ
"O you who believe! If you help Allah, He will help you and
make firm your feet. You will remain superior if you are really
believers."
As the Muslim rulers' attachment to the Islamic Shari'ah
decreased by the day and as their preoccupation with luxury,
comfort and lusts increased, the foundations of the Islamic state
decreased day by day and the circle of the Islamic state became
smaller and smaller. Allah s says:
إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِرُوْا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ
"Surely Allah does not change the condition of a people until
they change what is within themselves."
In other words, Allah % does not deprive anyone of His
guidance and kindness until they change their attitude and ways
with Allah.
'Umar 4 warns the Muslims from emulating the unbelievers
When the Islamic victories and conquests increased during the
caliphate of 'Umar 4% and the thrones of Caesar and Choesroes
were overturned, 'Umar 4% became concerned over the fact that
Islamic peculiarities and idiosyncrasies should not become
affected by intermingling with the non-Arabs. On the one hand
he stressed on the Muslims to abstain from emulating the non-

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Muslims and from adopting their appearance and way of dress.
On the other hand, he stressed on the unbelievers to maintain
their ways and appearance so that they may remain distinct
from the Muslims. They should not adopt the appearance,
dress, turban, etc. of the Muslims. This he did so that there may
be no confusion and that the door of mixing and intermingling
may remain shut.
روى البخاري في صحيحه عن عمر رضي الله عنه أنه كتب إلى المسلمين المقيمين ببلاد
فارس إياكم وزي أهل الشرك. (اقتضاء الصراط المستقيم ص 60)
Imām Bukhārī rahimahullāh narrates that 'Umar 4% wrote a
letter to the Muslims in Persia saying: Beware of adopting the
appearance of the polytheists."
Another Tradition states that he wrote the following:
أما بعد فاتزروا وارتدوا وانتعلوا وعليكم بلباس أبيكم إسماعيل وإياكم والتنعم وزي العجم
وتمعددوا واخشوشنوا واخلولقوا. (فتح الباري ج10، ص 240 باب لبس الحرير للرجال
وقدر ما يجوز منه من كتاب اللباس)
"You shoud wear the izar (sarong - lungi), the shawl and
sandals and hold on firmly to the dress of your forefather
Ismail [S]. Beware of falling into luxury and the appearance
of the non-Arabs. Choose coarse, rough and old clothes which
is the clothing of humble people."
The Musnad of Imam Ahmad ibn Hambal rahimahullah
narrates from Abū 'Uthman Nahdī who said: We were in
Azerbaijan when the commander of our army, 'Utbah ibn
Farqad read out the following letter of 'Umar 4% to us:
يا عتبة بن فرقد إياكم إياكم والتنعم وزي أهل الشرك ولبوس الحرير. (اقتضاء الصراط
المستقيم ص 60)

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"O 'Utbah ibn Farqad! Beware! Beware of falling into luxury,
of adopting the appearance of the polytheists and wearing silk."
'Umar 4% issued an edict to the Christians of Syria after they
agreed to certain conditions. This was then promulgated in the
Islamic caliphate. In return for accepting these conditions, the
Christians of Syria were guaranteed protection of their lives,
wealth and families. The conditions were as follows:
"We will respect the Muslims. We will give them place in our
assemblies if they desire to sit there. We will not emulate or
imitate them in their clothing be it the hat, the turban, the
sandals or the parting of the hair. We will not converse in their
language and we will not adopt titles that they have. We will
not place saddles on horses. We will not suspend our swords.
We will not arm ourselves with any weapons nor will we carry
them. We will not make stamps in Arabic. We will not engage
in transactions involving alcohol. We will cut the front section
of our hair. We will remain wearing our style of clothing
wherever we are. We will suspend the rosary from our necks.
We will not raise the cross in our churches. We will not expose
our cross nor our scriptures on the paths and market places of
the Muslims. We will ring our bells very softly in our churches.
We will not raise our voices with our dead. We will not carry
our fires with our dead in the pathways of the Muslims. (This
was with regard to the Magaens who were fire worshippers).
'Abdur Rahman ibn Ghanam Ash'arī says: "I wrote down the
conditions of peace that were written between 'Umar % and the
Christians of Syria. The following conditions were also
recorded."
"We will not construct any new church nor monastery in our
city and its surrounding areas. If any [old] church or monastery
1 Ibn Taymîyyah: Iqtidā' as-Sirāt al-Mustaqîm, p. 58.

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The Life of Muhammad
becomes dilapidated, we will not renovate it. We will not
inhabit any piece of land that is set aside for the Muslims. We
will not stop any Muslim from getting in our churches be it by
day or night. We will keep the doors of our churches wide open
for passers-by and travellers. We will host Muslim guests for
three days. We will not give refuge to any spy in our churches
or in our homes. We will not conceal any usurped wealth of
Muslims. We will not teach our children the Qur'an. We will
not openly do any polytheistic act nor will we call anyone
towards it. We will not stop any of our relatives from
embracing Islam if they desire to embrace Islam.
'Abdur Rahman ibn Ghanam Ash'arī says: "When I wrote
these conditions and brought them to 'Umar 4% for him to check
them, he said: 'Add the following conditions."
"We will not strike any Muslim. We have accepted these
conditions on ourselves and on behalf of those who follow our
religion, and we accept peace in return for all this. If we go
against any of these conditions, we can no longer enjoy the
peace that you have guaranteed to us and the treatment that is
meted out to the enemies of Islam can be meted out to us as
well."1
A misgiving that is expressed at times is that if a person is
covered in western or Hindu clothing from head to toe, will
there be any effect on his belief in the oneness of Allah ; and
the messenger-ship of Rasūlullah ? Or will he become a kāfir
by wearing these clothes?
The answer to this is: if you were to remove your male clothing
for a short while and wear your wife's clothes: a satin pants, a
red silk dress, a brightly coloured scarf, bangles in your hands,
1 Tafsîr Ibn Kathîr, vol. 2, p. 347, under the commentary to the verse on
jizyah from Sûrat at-Taubah.

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The Life of Muhammad
anklets at your feet and a necklace around your neck; and you
go to your office in this manner, then will you become a
woman? Will there be any difference and decrease in your
internal masculinity? Will you be prepared to sit in this manner
in your office? It is hoped that based on your principles, you
will be prepared to do this because according to you, there is
nothing wrong in outward emulation. There is no harm in mere
clothing. And when a person does not become a kāfir by
wearing western clothing, a man will not become a woman by
wearing a woman's clothes. What change will there be in him
by merely wearing the clothes of women?
Based on this, if a person adopts the clothing of a
hermaphrodite, will he really become a hermaphrodite?
Without doubt, by wearing the clothes of a woman, a man will
not immediately become a woman. But if he were to wear these
clothes for several days, you will see that after a few days his
mannerisms and actions will become like a woman and a
hermaphrodite. His tone, way of speaking, sitting, walking,
everything will become like a woman or a hermaphrodite. The
reason for this is that the outer has an effect on the inner. All
the intelligentsia are unanimous in this regard that just as the
inner has an effect on the outer, in like manner the outer has an
effect on the inner. The heart is illuminated by good deeds and
it becomes dark by evil deeds.
It should be understood in the same light that although there
may not be any effect in wearing western or Hindu clothing at
present, how do we know that this will not cause any internal
harm later on? You should understand well that as long as your
Islamic beliefs are protected internally, till that time you will
only be emulating the Christians and polytheists by using their
dress. And according to the Hadith of Rasulullah * "The
person who emulates a nation is considered to be from among
them." You are thus a criminal for having committed this crime
of tashabbuh. And, if Allah forbid, your outward appearance

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has an effect on your internal self and harms your Islamic
beliefs as well, you should understand that you have not
remained emulating the Christians and polytheists, but you
have become one of them. The same rule will apply to you
even if you make verbal claims to Islam. Such Islam will be
referred to as a national Islam and not a Shar'ī Islam. Shar'ī
Islam is that which is in accordance with the fundamentals of
the Shari'ah.
By law, a Pakistani is he who accepts the laws of the Pakistani
government and abstains from adopting the uniform of the
enemies of the government. As for the person who criticizes the
laws of Pakistan and wears the uniform of India and walks
about in the streets of Pakistan, then although such a person
may be a Pakistani national, but according to the laws of the
government, he is an enemy of the government.
From the above explanation, another misgiving is also
removed. A person may say that by giving the example of a
man wearing women's clothing, the sexes here are completely
different. The reply to this is that according to the Shari'ah, a
believer and an unbeliever are two separate species. It is not
permissible for one species to imitate the other. Just as a loyal
subject and a rebel are two different species according to the
government, and different laws are applicable to each even
though they may be from the same father and members of the
same family. In like manner, the believer and the unbeliever are
two separate species according to Islam. Different laws are
applicable to each. Allah % says: "It is He who created you.
Then from among you is he who is a believer and he who is an
unbeliever." All the civilized nations of the world have this law
that an enemy to the government and a rebel cannot be given
presidential and ministerial positions. In like manner, Islam
says that an enemy of Islam [an unbeliever] cannot be made a
leader or minister of an Islamic state.

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The Life of Muhammad %
The definition of Islamic dress
Allah ; says: "The dress of piety, that is best. That is from the
signs of Allah so that they may take admonition."
There are two ways of considering any deed and action to be
Islamic. One is that Rasūlullah # did that himself. The other is
that he permitted it and did not stop anyone from doing it.
Therefore, if Rasulullah % stopped anyone from any particular
deed or action, that will be un-Islamic. If he did something
himself or permitted it, that will be Islamic. For example,
eating barley bread was a Sunnah practice of Rasūlullah . To
act on this is very meritorious. To eat leavened bread, biryani,
etc. are permissible because the Shari'ah has permitted the
eating of such delicacies. To consume dogs, pigs, alcohol are
all un-Islamic because the Shari'ah has prohibited the
consumption of these.
Clothing should be understood in the same light. The clothes
that Rasūlullah % himself wore: kurtah, lungi, shawl, cloak and
turban are all obviously an Islamic dress. Those garments that
were not personally worn by Rasūlullah , e.g. a pants, closed
shoes, a long coat, a waistcoat, but permissibility in this regard
is established from the Shari'ah, then these are lawful. Those
items which have been prohibited, e.g. silk clothes, saffron-
coloured clothes, garments that go below the ankles, then these
will be referred to as un-Islamic clothes.
The prohibition of emulating and imitating the enemies of
Allah, i.e. the unbelievers, is mentioned in the Qur'an and
Hadith. Therefore, wearing clothes which to onlookers makes
the person look like a Jew, Christian, Magaen or Hindu, will
certainly be un-Islamic clothing. The dhoti worn by Gandhi, the
English cap and pants will all have the same ruling.
From here, an answer is also given to the misgiving of the
followers of fashion who object to the 'ulama' that if the coat
and pants of the English are un-Islamic, then the long kurtahs,

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long coats and closed shoes which the 'ulama' wear will also
be un-Islamic because it is not established from history and the
biography of Rasulullah # that he or his Sahabah & wore these.
The reply to this is that if Rasulullah & permitted anything
either verbally or by his actions, then that will all be referred to
as Shar'ī and Islamic. Whatever he prohibited, will all be
referred to as un-Islamic. Although Rasūlullah % did not wear
such kurtahs, long coats and shoes, and although he did not eat
such foods like biryani, kebabs, etc. however, he did permit the
acquisition of such luxuries provided they remain within the
limits of the Shari'ah. Such luxuries and items of comfort made
their appearance in the time of the Rightly Guided caliphs. The
Sahabah & did not reject the items of comfort that were within
the boundaries of the Shari'ah. Except for those specific
personalities who led an especially ascetic life and therefore
refused to wear fine clothing and rejected the acquisition of
dinars and dirhams.
The clothing, the food, the drink, the appearance and the culture
that are within the limits of the Shari'ah will be referred to as
Islamic. Those that are not within the limits of the Shari' ah will
be referred to as un-Islamic. Allah % says:
تِلْكَ حُدُوْدُ اللهِ فَلاَ تَعْتَدُوْهَا وَمَنْ يَّتَعَدَّ حُدُوْدَ اللّهِ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُ
"These are the limits of Allah. So do not transgress them.
Whoever transgresses the limits of Allah has certainly wronged
himself."

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The Miracles of Muhammad
Allah % sent Prophets and Messengers from among mankind
for the guidance of mankind. He did this in order to convey His
injunctions through these pious personalities, to remind man of
his Creator and in order to complete His evidence against man.
Allah % says in the Qur'an: "So that the people may not have
any evidence against Allah after the Messengers." Moreover,
after the message has been conveyed by the Prophets and
Messengers, people will have no excuse for not obeying the
commands of Allah .
Since a Prophet and a Messenger was a human himself and his
external form was no different from other humans, Allah
gave them miracles which would be proofs and evidences of
their truthfulness. Allah says in the story of Musa (l):
"These two [the staff and the luminous hand] are two proofs [of
your prophet-hood] from your Sustainer."1
A proof is necessary for every claim. The proof has to be
appropriate to the claim. A person who claims to be a Prophet
means that he is saying that he is chosen by Allah s, that he is
His envoy, and that he has come with His injunctions and
guidelines. Therefore, in order to prove his truthfulness, there
has to appear such matters that the rest of the creation is totally
unable to produce. On seeing such supernatural feats at the
hands of the person claiming prophet-hood, the rest of the
creation must be convinced that this is solely through divine
help and a manifestation of Allah's power which is being
manifested at the hands of this claimant to prophet-hood
without any outward causes. The person seeing this must
conclude that this miracle is solely an act of Allah . Allah
forbid, it is not the act of the Messenger, the will and choice of
1 Sûrah al-Qasas, verse 32.

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The Life of Muhammad
the Messenger has nothing to do with it, and it has not occurred
through any forgery. Rather, it has taken place solely through
the power of Allah is because to display such a feat is beyond
the power of man. It is gauged from this that this person has the
divine assistance of Allah . And that it is through following
him [the Messenger] that a person can reach Allah . Success
and salvation in this world and in the hereafter can only be
achieved by holding on to the Messenger. On seeing the
miracle, the heart is spontaneously convinced that this Prophet
is a true Prophet and his soul is compelled to affirm him
(provided the heart of the person who sees the miracle is pure
from obstinacy, jealousy and crookedness). The soul has no
room for rejection and denial.
The claim to prophet-hood and messenger-ship is a very great
claim. Therefore, the evidence to prove this claim also has to be
great. Since a miracle is an example of Allah's power and
might, when it is displayed by a Prophet, no person can remain
steadfast and in control of himself when he sees its power and
awe. In the case of rational proofs, the path of argumentation
with the enemy does not become totally closed. However, after
witnessing miracles and clear signs, there is no reason
whatsoever for a person to reject and deny unless it is because
of obstinacy and eternal misfortune. A miracle incapacitates the
inner and outer self.
The first Prophet is Adam s and the last and seal of all
Prophets is Muhammad %, with whom prophet-hood and
messenger-ship came to an end. With his messenger-ship, the
religion was perfected and noble characteristics and
mannerisms were completed. When this purpose was achieved,
there remained no need for any Prophet after Muhammad .
The deputies (khulafa') of Rasulullah % and the 'ulama' of
Islam who are the helpers and protectors of Islam are sufficient
for the administration and spreading of Islam. Allah % says:
"Today have I perfected your religion for you."

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The Life of Muhammad %
Therefore, if a person makes a claim to prophet-hood after
Muhammad , his very existence is baseless and useless. The
fact of the matter is that Muhammad % does not need any
miracle and sign. His very appearance, his way of life, his
movements, his character - everything was a sign of his
truthfulness. People used to merely look at his face and say that
this is not the face of a liar.
Imam Ghazzālī rahimahullah says that the beautiful
characteristics of Rasūlullah , his actions, his conditions, his
deeds, his habits, his qualities, his system, his dealings with
people, his organizational skills, and the manner in which he
brought together people of different temperaments and opposite
natures under a single divine law. Moreover, the laws which
Rasūlullah gave to the creation of Allah s has left the
eminent 'ulamā' and jurists at a loss in trying to fathom their
intricacies, details, finer points and allusions. If these matters
are pondered over, a sound intellect will not have the slightest
doubt that all these matters can never be shown through human
strength alone and without the help of divine assistance. Such
noble characteristics and such a perfect Shari'ah can never be
conceived by a fraud and con-man. Everyone knows that
Rasūlullah was unlettered. He neither studied under anyone
nor did he study any book. Nor did he travel anywhere in
search of knowledge. He always remained among the ignorant
Arabs. He was an orphan. Under such circumstances, for the
fountains of knowledge and wisdom to gush forth from his
tongue, and for such sciences and disciplines to emanate from
him of which there is no such parallel in the entire past and
future history, all this could not have been acquired without
divine revelation. Mere human strength and insight are unable
to fathom such matters.
Rasūlullāh's unique mannerisms and characteristics are clear
proof of the fact that he is a chosen and beloved of Allah .
When Allah's wrath befalls someone, he makes that person

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The Life of Muhammad
possessing vile characteristics and evil deeds. Despite the lack
of resources, the fact that his followers were able to conquer
and rule over the Arabs and non-Arabs is clear proof that divine
help is with him.
Imām Ghazzālī rahimahullah says that these outward matters
were sufficient to prove his truthfulness. However, apart from
these outward matters, we will also enumerate some internal
signs, i.e. miracles, so that even a person possessing the least
intelligence will have no room for any doubt whatsoever as
regards his truthfulness. Imām Ghazzālī rahimahullāh then
enumerates some of Rasūlullah's % miracles without going into
details.1
The number of miracles
Imam Bayhaqī rahimahullah says that Rasūlullah's ¿ miracles
reach about 1000. Imam Nawawi rahimahullah says that they
reach 1200. Some 'ulama' say that they are about 3000. The
imams of Hadith have devoted entire books to the miracles of
Rasūlullāh , e.g. Dalā'il an-Nubūwwah of Imam Bayhaqī
rahimahullāh and Imām Abū Nu'aym rahimahullāh. Shaykh
Jalāl ad-Dīn Suyūtī rahimahullah has written a book titled al-
Khasā'is al-Kubra in which he enumerates 1000 miracles.
The fact of the matter is that the miracles of Rasulullah _ are
beyond counting. The reason for this is that every word, every
deed and every condition of Rasūlullah & is extraordinary and a
miracle because it comprises astonishing mysteries and
wisdoms.
The Christian scholars state that the miracles of the old era
number 67. And that the miracles of 'Isa ) from the time of
his birth till his ascension number 27. They further state that his
Imam Ghazzalî: Ihya' 'Ulum ad-Din, vol. 2, p. 342 and the commentary
thereof by 'Allāmah Zabîdî, vol. 7, pp. 164-198.

440
The Life of Muhammad %
disciples had 20 miracles. However, those who write these
incidents neither have a chain of narrators for these miracles
nor do they have any proof of the equity and reliability of the
narrators of these miracles. On the other hand, the miracles of
Muhammad are in their thousands and they have been
narrated through continuous and unbroken chains of narrators.
Many of these narrations reach the level of tawatur (such a
large number of narrators that it is inconceivable for them to
have fabricated a lie). Moreover, these miracles surpass the
miracles of all the other Prophets & in their rarity and
uniqueness.
The types of miracles
Since the prophet-hood and messenger-ship of Muhammad % is
for the entire world and forever, Allah % bestowed him with
miracles and signs of different types and categories. This, so
that everything of this universe may be a proof and evidence of
his prophet-hood, and there may remain nothing that does not
give testimony to his prophet-hood. Since his miracles will be
from all the different categories and classes of the universe, it
will mean that all the different categories and classes of the
universe are bearing testimony to his prophet-hood.
Moreover, in so doing, his superiority over all the Prophets and
Messengers will be as clear as the light of day. That his
miracles alone are more than those of all the Prophets put
together. No one will have the room to harbour any doubts and
misgivings about his prophet-hood. The miracles and signs
which Allah g bestowed him with are of two types: intellectual
and perceptual. The intellectual miracles refer to those which
need to be understood through the intellect. Such miracles can
only be understood by those who have been endowed with
intelligence and deep understanding. As for the perceptual
miracles and matters that are extraordinary, these have to be
understood by the senses. Such miracles are normally