The glorification and derogation
The right of the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) upon us is to love him, obey him, follow him, glorify him and respect him without exaggeration or derogation.
- Categories: Good Manner Towards Allah, his Book, and his Messenger -
All praise is due to Allah Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, to make it superior over all religions even though the polytheists hate it. And prayers and peace of Allah be upon our prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions.
Allah Almighty enjoined on us to obey Him and obey His messenger Muhammad (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him); moreover, He set rights for Himself that could not be to anyone else, whether it’s a sent messenger or exalted angel. Also, He set rights for His Prophet are not for anyone else.
The right of the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) upon us is to love him, obey him, follow him, glorify him and respect him without exaggeration or derogation; he (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians praised the son of Mary, for I am only a Slave. So, call me the Slave of Allah and His Messenger” [Reported by Al-Bukhari].
«لا تطروني، كما أطرت النصارى ابن مريم، فإنما أنا عبده، فقولوا: عبد الله ورسوله» رواه البخاري
Moreover, he (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) prevented us from creating new things in the religion; he said: “And beware of new creations in the religion, because every new creation is an innovation and every innovation is astray” [Declared authentic by Al-Albani].
«وإياكم ومحدثات الأمور فإن كل محدثة بدعة وكل بدعة ضلالة» صححه الألباني
Among the new creations in religion is celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), because he (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) neither did it nor he ordered doing it or approved it. Moreover, he (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “He who innovates in our affair (Religion) for which is not related to it, it is rejected” [Reported by Muslim].
«من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو رد» رواه مسلم
Loving the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) and glorifying him:
Allah the Exalted the Glorious granted our prophet Muhammad (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) strong characteristics, exalted qualities and pleasant behaviors incite every Muslim to glorify him with his heart, tongue and limbs.
Allah the Exalted the Glorious chose for His Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) the name ‘Muhammad’ which includes the meanings of praise and laudation; he (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) is praised by Allah Almighty, His angels, the messengers (peace be upon them) and all who dwelt in the earth, although some of them disbelieve in him. This is why his characteristics are praised by anyone who has a mind, even if he rejected the fact out of arrogance and denial. He (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) described himself truly when he said: “I am the master of the sons Adam on the Day of Resurrection, with no pride, and I will be the first one to get out of grave and the first intercessor and the first whose intercession will be accepted (by Allah)” [Reported by Muslim].
«أنا سيد ولد آدم يوم القيامة ولا فخر، وأول من ينشق عنه القبر، وأول شافع وأول مشفَّع» رواه مسلم
Also, he (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) should be praised for the exalted characteristics and noble qualities which Allah has bestowed upon him. He who considers the characteristics and qualities of him (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) would know that they are the best human characteristics and the noblest human qualities, because he (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) was the greatest human being, the most honest, the most truthful, the most generous, the most tolerant and the most forgiver; moreover, wronging him did nothing to him but increasing his patience.
Kinds of loving him (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him):
Ibn Rajab, the Hanbali scholar, said that loving the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) is divided to two levels:
The first level: Obligatory love: It is the love that requires accepting the message of the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) and receiving it with love, acceptation, glorification, submissiveness and not seeking guidance from a way other than his way, then rightfully following what he transmitted from his Lord by believing in whatever he told and fulfilling whatever he enjoined and abstaining from whatever he forbade and supporting his religion and fighting whoever opposed him (according to the degree of ability). Such level of love is necessary and faith would not be complete without it.
The second grade: Supererogatory love: It is the love that requires applying his model exactly and following his Sunnah, behaviors, manners, supererogatory acts, the way of his eating, the way of his drinking, the style of his clothes and the etiquettes of his dealing with his wives along with all his perfect etiquettes and pure manners.
The obligation of loving the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him):
Loving the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) is one of the great bases of the religion. There is no faith for he who did not love the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) more than his love to his parents, children and all people; Allah Almighty said: {Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than Allâh and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allâh brings about His Decision (torment). And Allâh guides not the people who are Al-Fâsiqûn (the rebellious, disobedient to Allâh)} [Surat At-Tawbah 9:24].
{قُلْ إِن كَانَ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَآؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَاكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ اللّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُواْ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ اللّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ وَاللّهُ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ} التوبة: 24
Transliteration:Qul in kana abaokum waabnaokum waikhwanukum waazwajukum waAAasheeratukum waamwalun iqtaraftumooha watijaratun takhshawna kasadahawamasakinu tardawnaha ahabba ilaykum mina Allahi warasoolihi wajihadin fee sabeelihi fatarabbasoo hattayatiya Allahu biamrihi waAllahu la yahdee alqawma alfasiqeena
‘Iad, the judge, said in his explanation to this verse: “This is enough as incitement, caution and evidence for the obligation of loving him and its being grave thing he (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) deserves it, because Allah Almighty rebuked whoever loved his wealth and wives and children more than loving Allah and His Messenger. Moreover, He threatened them by His saying: {then wait until Allâh brings about His Decision (torment)} [Surat At-Tawbah 9:24]; then, at the end of the verse, He declared that they are disobedient to Allah and told them that they are astray and are not among those who had been guided by Allah. The Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no believer but I am, of all people, the closest to him both in this world and in the Hereafter. Recite if you wish: {The Prophet is closer to the believers than their ownselves}” [Reported by Al-Bukhari].
«ما من مؤمن إلا وأنا أولى الناس به في الدنيا والآخرة، اقرءوا إن شئتم {النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ}» رواه البخاري
The Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) also said: “I am closer to every believer than his own self” [Reported by Muslim].
«أنا أولى بكل مؤمن من نفسه» رواه مسلم
And he (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “None of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father, his children and all mankind” [Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
«لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى أكون أحب إليه من والده وولده والناس أجمعين» رواه البخاري ومسلم
And Abdullah Ibn Hisham said: We were with the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) and he was holding the hand of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab. Omar said to Him, “O Messenger of Allah! You are dearer to me than everything except my own self.” The Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “No, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is, (you will not have complete faith) till I am dearer to you than your own self.” Whereupon Omar said to him, “However, now, by Allah, you are dearer to me than my own self.” The Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Now, O Omar, (now you are a believer)” [Reported by Al-Bukhari].
«كنا مع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وهو آخذ بيد عمر بن الخطاب، فقال له عمر: يا رسول الله لأنت أحب إليَّ من كل شيء إلا من نفسي، فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: لا والذي نفسي بيده حتى أكون أحب إليك من نفسك، فقال له عمر: فإنه الآن والله لأنت أحب إليَّ من نفسي، فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: الآن يا عمر» رواه البخاري
Ibn Hajar said: “He meant ‘you knew now; so you said what is obligatory to be said.’” Also, the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever possesses the following three qualities will taste the sweetness of faith: to have Allah and His Messenger dearer than anything else, to love a person and be loved by him only for Allah’s sake, and to hate to return to disbelief as you hate to be thrown in fire” [Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
«ثلاث من كن فيه وجد حلاوة الإيمان: أن يكون الله ورسوله أحب إليه مما سواهما، وأن يحب المرء لا يحبه إلا لله، وأن يكره أن يعود في الكفر كما يكره أن يقذف في النار» رواه البخاري ومسلم
Kinds of turning away from the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him):
1- Neglecting the Sunnah inwardly and outwardly: This may occur by having the acts of worship turned to habits along with forgetting seeking the reward from Allah. Also, it may be by neglecting following the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), glorifying him and sincerely loving him. And it may be by neglecting the supererogatory acts of worship and not caring for learning and searching for them. Also, it may be by not respecting the Sunnah and belittling it in the heart. The Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “And he who turns away from my Sunnah, he is not related to me” [Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
«فمن رغب عن سنتي فليس مني» رواه البخاري ومسلم
2- Opposing the authentic Ahadith: Among the clear kinds of turning away from the Prophet is opposing some authentic proved Ahadith for trivial reasons; such as not being logical or not being compatible with the real life or not being applicable. Also, this may take the shape of refusing the Ahadith and explaining them wrongly (deliberately) or rejecting the authentic Ahadith because of not being consecutive. In fact, most of the rulings of the Shar’ia are driven from non-consecutive Ahadith. Also, this may take the shape of pretending accepting the Holy Quran alone and rejecting anything else; the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “I do not want to see one of you leaning on his sofa, hears about something I ordered or forbade, then he says: we do not know; we would follow (only) whatever we find in the Book of Allah”. [Reported by Abu Dawud and authenticated by Al-Albani].
«لا ألفين أحدكم متكئاً على أريكته يأتيه الأمر من أمري مما أمرت به أو نهيت عنه فيقول: لا ندري ما وجدنا في كتاب الله اتبعناه» رواه أبو داود وصححه الألباني
Even if they pretended the obligation of having the Muslims united by following the Qur’an alone; Allah has enjoined, in the Holy Qur’an, following whatever came from the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him). He Almighty said: {And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it). And fear Allâh; verily, Allâh is Severe in punishment} [Surat Al-Hashr: 7].
{وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ} الحشر: 7
Transliteration: wamaatakumu alrrasoolu fakhuthoohu wamanahakum AAanhu faintahoo waittaqoo Allaha inna Allaha shadeedu alAAiqabi
Allah the Exalted the Glorious mentioned obeying the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) in thirty-three places in the Holy Qur’an. Moreover, the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “I have been given the Qur’an and what equals it along with it” [Authenticated by Al-Albani].
«ألا إني أوتيت القرآن ومثله معه» صححه الألباني
3- Turning away from the biography and Sunnah of him (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him): In the era of media turning away from the Prophet appears in substituting his biography, Sunnah and acts with other icons (as they are called) from the east and west, whether they are symbols in the field of leadership, policy, culture, philosophy, literature or behaviors.
4- Neglecting the solemnity of speech when talking about the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him): In our gatherings, you could notice spiritual emptiness apparent in neglecting the solemnity of speech when talking about the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him). Many people take such talk as a travelers words or poet’s biography; there is no respect to the speech or feeling the solemnity of the prophetic magnificence. There is no care, attentiveness, regard or respect, although Allah Almighty said: {O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), nor speak aloud to him in talk as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds should be rendered fruitless while you perceive not} [Surat Al-Hujurat 49:2].
{يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ وَلَا تَجْهَرُوا لَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَن تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ} الحجرات: 2
Transliteration: Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo latarfaAAoo aswatakum fawqa sawti alnnabiyyi wala tajharoo lahu bialqawli kajahri baAAdikum libaAAdin an tahbata aAAmalukum waantum la tashAAuroona
O people, this is the divine respect, hence, where is the human respect apart from the Islamic respect?
5- Turning away from the people of Sunnah or backbiting and mocking them: Turning away from those who served the Sunnah is like turning away from the way of the Prophet. Many people turn away from the people who care for the Sunnah and Hadeeth, backbite and mock them beside degrading them, criticizing and accusing them for holding fast to the Sunnan inwardly and outwardly.
6- Creating new things in the religion: Turning away from the Prophet becomes worse when the person neglects the straight path and holds fast to new creations in the religion and resembles those who mixed the right with the wrong by glorifying the false Sufi Sheikhs and considering them in a rank above the rank of the prophets, despite their Satanic behaviors and pretended miracles, or by glorifying those who are thought to be pious and praising them in their lives and considering them sacred after their death and invoking them instead of invoking Allah and slaughtering sacrificial animals for them and circumambulating round their graves and building upon them. In fact, this is the polytheism that the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) was sent to eliminate and destroy it to build the building of monotheism in its place in the earth and hearts. Then Allah established His religion, granted victory to His Servant and honored His believer solders; He also pleased their eyes by removing the signs of polytheism and idols of the pre-Islamic period when the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) was lunging and destroying them with his own hand while saying: {And say: “Truth (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism or this Qur’ân or Jihâd against polytheists) has come and Bâtil (falsehood, i.e. Satan or polytheism) has vanished. Surely Bâtil is ever bound to vanish.”} [Surat Al-Isra 17:81],
{وَقُلْ جَاء الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقاً} الإسراء: 81
Transliteration: Waqul jaa alhaqqu wazahaqa albatilu inna albatila kana zahooqan
{Say (O Muhammad, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him): “Al-Haqq (the truth i.e. the Qur’ân and Allâh’s Revelation) has come, and Al-Bâtil [falsehood - Iblîs (Satan)] can neither create anything nor resurrect (anything).”} [Surat Saba’ 34:49].
{قُلْ جَاء الْحَقُّ وَمَا يُبْدِئُ الْبَاطِلُ وَمَا يُعِيدُ} سبأ: 49
Transliteration: Qul jaa alhaqqu wama yubdio albatilu wama yuAAeedu
7- Exaggeration in praising the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him): Among the shapes of turning away from the prophet that hurts him (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) and opposes his guidance and call along with the base that he is sent with by Allah (i.e. monotheism) is to exaggerate in praising him (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) or to put him in a rank above the rank of prophet hood or to ascribe to him knowing the unseen or to ask him instead of asking Allah or to swear by him. The Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) feared the occurrence of that; so he said during the illness of his death: “Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians praised the son of Mary, for I am only a Slave. So, call me the Slave of Allah and His Messenger” [Reported by Al-Bukhari].
«لا تطروني، كما أطرت النصارى ابن مريم، فإنما أنا عبده، فقولوا: عبد الله ورسوله» رواه البخاري
And he (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not make my grave a place of festivity. But invoke blessings on me, for your blessings reach me wherever you may be” [Al-Albani, authentic due to other narrations].
«لا تجعلوا قبري عيداً وصلوا عليّ فإن صلاتكم تبلغني حيث كنتم» الألباني، صحيح لغيره
He reached in prohibition against exaggeration in praising him (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) to the degree of cursing those who took the graves of their prophets as places for prayer; he (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah had cursed the Jews and Christians because they took the graves of their Prophets as places of prayer” [Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
«لعن الله اليهود والنصارى اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجد» رواه البخاري ومسلم
Among the shapes of exaggeration in praising him (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) is to swear by him, because it is glorification none deserves it but Allah alone; moreover, he (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever has to take an oath should swear by Allah or remain silent” [Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
«من كان حالفاً فليحلف بالله أو ليصمت» رواه البخاري ومسلم
8- Not praying upon him (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him): The Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “A man has stuck his nose in the sand (has lost) Who I have been mentioned in his presence but he did not pray upon me” [reported by At-Tirmidhi and Al-Albani said: good authentic],
«رغم أنف رجل ذكرت عنده فلم يصل علي» رواه الترمذي وقال الألباني: حسن صحيح
and he (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The stingy person is the one who I have been mentioned in his presence and he did not pray upon me” [Authenticated by Al-Albani].
«البخيل من ذكرت عنده فلم يصل علي» صححه الألباني
Status of the lovers:
* Mus’ab Ibn Abdullah said: Whenever the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) was mentioned to Malik, his face’s color used to turn pale and he used to stoop till those who are sitting with him feel pity for him. Then; at one day, he was asked about that and he replied by saying: “If you were to see what I saw, you would not be astonished by what you see from me.” And he said about Muhammad Ibn Al-Munkadir, who was the master of the reciters of the Holy Qur’an: “We had never asked him about a Hadeeth but he wept till we felt pity for him. And I used to see Ja’far Ibn Muhammad, who was a cheerful man, has his face turned pale whenever the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) is mentioned to him, and I had never seen him narrate on the authority of the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) unless he is in a state of purity.”
* Al-Hassan (may Allah mercy him) used to say, whenever the Hadeeth of the trunk yearning and weeping is mentioned: “O Muslims, the wood yearns to the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him); therefore, it is worthier for you to yearn for him.”
* Abdurrahman Ibn Al-Qasim used to mention the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him); and whenever he mentioned him, his face’s color turned to be as if he bled and had his tongue dried in his mouth for feeling the augustness of the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him). Also, I used to go to Amir Ibn Abdullah Ibn Az-Zubair who used to weep, whenever the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) is mentioned to him, till his eyes have no more tears.
* Also, I saw Az-Zuhri, who was one of the kindest and most cheerful people, whenever the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) was mentioned to him; he turned to be like a man had never known you.
* And I used to go to Safwan Ibn Salim, who was one of the worshippers who do their best in worship, and whenever the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) was mentioned to him, he wept and continued weeping till people go away and leave him alone.
* Muawiah was told that Kabis Ibn Rab’iah resembles the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him). So, when he entered upon him, Mu’awiah stood up and received him and kissed him between his eyes and gave Al-Merghab (i.e. a piece of land) to him, for his being counterpart to the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him).
* Muhammad Ibn Sirin used to laugh when he talks, but whenever a Hadeeth is mentioned, he humbled himself.
* Abu Salama Al-Khuzaa’ei said: “Whenever Malik Ibn Anas wanted to get out for saying the Hadeeth, he used to make ablution like that for prayer and put on his best clothes along with cap and combed his beard. And when he was asked about that, he said: I glorify the Hadeeth of the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him).”
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