Some
people, in spite of their awareness of the injunctions of Qur’ān and sunnah
and the practice of the Companions, believe that it is possible to help one
another in the earthly world and therefore, it is valid to seek and extend help,
but after death the creature has no control over his body, so how can help be
sought from him? Since it is beyond his control to help others, seeking help
from him is a form of disbelief.
This
pig-headedness needs a twofold elaboration. First of all, it is an established
fact that the creature, whether he is alive or resting in his grave, has
absolutely no control over his body in both cases. These powers are only
conferred on him by Allāh, which we exercise during our worldly existence to
handle a variety of matters. It, in fact, is Allāh’s blessing on the creature
and, if Allāh decides to withdraw it from him during his earthly life, he will
be deprived even of the capacity to pull a straw. So, just as in this world of
cause-and-effect, Allāh has absolute control over all the powers of the
creature, and yet it is not a kind of disbelief to seek help from him, similarly
Allāh does not condemn it as disbelief if someone seeks help from another
creature after death. Just as in life it is disbelief to regard the creature as
the real helper but his help can be derivatively invoked, similarly it is quite
valid to regard the prophets and saints, as derivative helpers after death and
to beseech them for help. Disbelief whether it is associated with a living
person or a dead person remains disbelief. But to seek help from someone in his
derivative capacity whether he is dead or alive is quite valid and does not
amount to disbelief. Islam does not believe in double standards that an act is a
form of belief if you perform it in a mosque and it turns into disbelief if you
perform it in a temple. Islamic injunctions and the consequences that follow
from them display a consistent pattern. Thus, if we treat a medical expert as
the true helper and seek his assistance, it will be considered a form of
disbelief. On the other hand, if we regard Allāh as the true helper and seek the
help of a virtuous person as a form of treatment, it is quite valid and is in no
way inconsistent with Islamic sharī‘ah.
The
real purpose of a man’s life is to be included among the favourites of God and
to acquire as much knowledge of the divine springs of Power as is consistent
with human limitations. Therefore, to realise this purpose, human beings rely on
the saints and the virtuous people because they not only themselves have
cultivated divine consciousness but also develop it in those who are closely
associated with them. This is the reason we find Ibrāhīm(عليه
السلام)
praying to God to include him among His favourites so that he could persuade his
followers to pursue a similar goal:
O my Lord! Make me perfect in knowledge and conduct and include me among those
whom You have rewarded with Your nearness.[1]
Here, the word hukman means the acme of human capacity for knowledge and
conduct. Qādī Thanā’ullāh Pānīpatī says:
That is, to bring knowledge and conduct to such a climactic point that one
develops the complete ability to represent the sublime office of divinity and to
provide unflawed guidance and political leadership to humanity.[2]
Imām Rāzī writes:
“When acquisition of knowledge as the meaning of hukman has been established, it
is equally established at the same time that he (the Prophet Ibrāhīm) prayed to
Allāh for the kind of knowledge that guaranteed his total absorption in the
divine qualities and attributes, a knowledge whose purity serves as a
self-adjusting filter to drive out all impurities.”
He further
comments:
And this knowledge proves that the divine knowledge or consciousness develops in
the heart of a creature by Allāh’s will and Ibrāhīm’s supplication
¾ and
include me among those whom You have rewarded with Your nearness
¾ is a
pointer to the fact that for a creature to be saintly or virtuous is exclusively
the outcome of Allāh’s will.[3]
Therefore, the acquisition of divine knowledge is made possible only by means of
the virtuous and pious people. To be associated with them and to acquire divine
knowledge through their mediation has been the practice of the prophets. And any
creature who desires the favour of Allāh through the means of the pious and the
saintly people, never feels frustrated and his prayer is invariably granted, and
he is included among the virtuous people. Then he attains divine consciousness
as is declared by Allāh:
And surely (even) in the Hereafter, they will be in the ranks of the righteous.[4]
There is irrefutable evidence of reliance on these righteous people for the
fulfilment of their needs and the relief of their pains and troubles. In its
support, the Qur’ānic verse in which Allāh is commanding the believers to
associate themselves with the righteous is quite sufficient and conclusive.
Allāh says:
O believers! Fear Allāh, and remain in (the company of) the truthful.[5]
In
this verse, Allāh, on the one hand, is instructing the believers in the
uniqueness and immutability of His Power; on the other hand, He is enjoining
upon them to adopt the company of the truthful in order to elevate themselves to
a position which the truthful have already attained. At another place, Allāh
says:
And follow the path of the (person) who turned towards Us.[6]
Similarly, the prophet Yūsuf’s supplication is also recorded in the holy Qur’ān:
Take my soul at death as a Muslim and unite me with the righteous.[7]
Some people might object to the authenticity of the tradition, picking out flaws
in its chain of transmission or coming out with some other frivolous remarks,
but no believer can deny the credibility of the supplication by Yūsuf
(عليه السلام) as
it is recorded in the holy Qur’ān which is nothing but absolute truth. Thus it
is established that it has been the practice of the prophets to mediate their
supplications through the virtuous and the righteous. The recording of these
forms of supplication in the Qur’ān is most probably intended to persuade the
believers to follow the practice of the prophets.
Ibn-ul-Firāsī narrates that Firāsī said to the Prophet(صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم):
‘O Messenger of Allāh! Shall I beg you for something?’ He replied:
No, and if you can’t help begging, then you should beseech the pious and the
righteous (for help).[9]
Some people believe that the supplication of the pious and the virtuous is
granted during their lifetime, but after death they cannot help anyone, as they
themselves are helpless. They believe that the righteous are a source of help
but only during their earthly existence, and it is disbelief to rely on them for
help after their death.
The
supporters of this view are victims of a grave misunderstanding because the
reality is just the reverse. It is true as the green of the grass and the blue
of the sky that Allāh is the only source of blessing and no creature can
arrogate this exclusively divine prerogative to himself. If he does so, he is
committing unabashed disbelief. Therefore, to think that the supplication is
mediated through one of His favourites in his life and He turns a cold shoulder
to his supplication when he is dead smacks of a self-contradiction, as it tends
to identify the saint with Allāh as the source of help. The fact is that God
Alone has the power to fulfil the needs of the creatures through the mediation
of the saints whether they are dead or alive.
Those who object to making saints and the pious as means of help and assistance
after death are obviously in the wrong groove. They are only fumbling in the
dark and smashing their cluttered heads against the slippery walls of an
unlighted tunnel, which leads into an even darker dungeon. Their objections are
grounded in the misconception that reliance on the saints and the pious for the
acquisition of Allāh’s blessing is contingent on their manifest life while
Allāh’s dispensing of His blessings to His creatures through the saints and the
pious is absolutely unrelated to the fact of their being dead or alive. The
traditions and the quotes of the Companions that follow are purported to
eliminate the doubts raised by these deniers. A wide spectrum of evidence is
marshalled to prove the fact that it is not only valid to rely on the saints and
the pious for help after their death but it has also been the practice of the
prophets and Allāh’s favourites. These are the people who can truly guide us and
lead us to our salvation. Ibn Taymiyyah sums up the controversy at the end of
his book al-‘Aqīdat-ul-wāsitiyyah:
Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jamā‘ah are aligned (cling) to the faith of Islam, guarding
themselves gingerly against all forms of doctoring. This includes the truthful,
the martyrs and the pious (according to their grades). It also includes the
people who are the source of guidance and the minaret of light. These are the
people who have achieved distinction on the basis of a consistently virtuous
mode of living. The Substitutes and the Imāms of
dīn also
belong to this category who rallied the Muslims to (the path of) their guidance.
This is the group who received divine patronage to remain (truthful) and it was
about this group that the holy Prophet(صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم)
had said: ‘a group of my Community, who have been divinely guided to stick to
the path of truth, will not cease to exist till the Day of Judgement, and those
who oppose them or degrade them will never be able to do them any harm.’[10]
The
second point revolves around the objection that the dead lack the capacity for
help. This conclusion is also based on perverse reasoning. Allāh Himself has
referred to the purgatorial life of His favourites at various places in the
Qur’ān. There is no difference of opinion among the followers of any ideology or
religion about the life of the martyrs. What luxuries must grace the purgatorial
life of the Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
whose most lowly follower is guaranteed not only life till the Day of Judgement
if he dies a martyr but who also receives all the requisite divine blessings!
Therefore, by regarding the Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) as
a derivative helper, it is quite valid to seek his help and assistance after his
death as it was valid during his earthly existence. Rather, his purgatorial life
is as active and dynamic as his other life because his followers are sending
salutations on him in a spirit of matchless devotion and angels have been
appointed to convey these messages of sincerity and deep attachment to the
Prophet(صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم).
This symphony of sound and voice, which his followers play every second and
every minute is a living proof of the blessings Allāh has conferred on him even
in his purgatorial life.
If
the acts of intercession, beseeching the Prophet’s help and his mediation were
acts of disbelief, then they should be indiscriminately pronounced as forms of
disbelief everywhere; they should apply equally to his earthly existence,
purgatorial life and his life in the Hereafter, because disbelief is condemned
by Allāh in every colour and hue. But the facts point in the opposite direction:
Islamic teachings unambiguously reveal that the Companions beseeched the Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
for help and relied on his mediation at various occasions in their life and
besought him for help and they will also seek his help and intercession even on
the Day of Judgement, and as a result of this reliance on his means and appeal
for help, the Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
will reward his followers by interceding before Allāh for their salvation. Thus,
when it is valid during the earthly life and after-life of the Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
how can it be declared invalid and a form of disbelief during his purgatorial
life?
Proof of purgatorial life
The teachings
of Qur’ān and sunnah prove the reality of life after death or life in the
grave as clearly as they depict the reality of resurrection of the dead on the
Day of Judgement. Allāh says in the holy Qur’ān:
How can you reject the faith in Allāh? Seeing that you were without life, (and)
He gave you life; then He will cause you to die and will again bring you to
life; then again to Him will you return.[11]
The
Qur’ānic verse makes an explicit reference to two kinds of death, two kinds of
life and finally the return of all mankind to Allāh on the Day of Judgement. In
the light of the holy verse, the first kind of death was our state of
non-existence when we had not stepped into the world of existence. The life that
followed this state is our life on earth. Then death will overreach us and
people will accordingly perform our funeral rites and bury us. The life that
will follow is called the purgatorial life, which is given to man in the grave
or in his capacity as a dead person. The angels interrogate him and open a
window in the grave leading either to Paradise or Hell. After the second life,
we will be returned to God Almighty on the Day of Resurrection. Thus the
purgatorial life spans the arrival of the angels in the grave for interrogation
and the divine breath blown into the dead bodies for their resurrection. This
relates to the purgatorial life of an ordinary human being whether he is a
believer or a non-believer.
Now let us
examine another verse about the life of the martyrs:
And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allāh that they are dead, (they
are not dead) but they are living though you are not conscious (of their life).[12]
The
same theme is expressed in different words:
And those who are slain in the way of Allāh, do not (even) think of them as
dead. But they live in the presence of their Lord, they find their sustenance
(in the blessings of Paradise).[13]
The
followers of all religious sects believe in the life of the martyrs. However,
besides the Qur’ānic verses, a number of traditions draw our attention to the
fact that there is life after death even for the non-believers and infidels and
they are endowed with the capacity to respond to the words of the living. For
example, after the battle of Badr, the Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
himself called the slain infidels by their names and asked them:
Surely, we found the promise of our Lord absolutely true. (O infidels and
non-believers!) Did you also find the promise of your lord true?
At
this juncture ‘Umar bin al-Khattāb said to the Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم):
‘O Prophet! You are addressing bodies which have no soul in them.’ To make it
clear, the Prophet(صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم)
addressed the Companions:
I swear by the Power Who has in His control the life of Muhammad! The words I am
speaking to these (infidels and non-believers), they far excel you in their
power to listen to them.[14]
This agreed-upon tradition attests not only to the purgatorial life after death
of the infidels and non-believers, but it also attests to their power of
listening which excels even that of the Companions.
Similarly, the Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
taught every person passing by a graveyard of the Muslims to address the
residents of the grave by the particle “yā (O)” and send salutations on
them. This is the reason that Muslims teach their children to say as-salāmu
‘alaykum yā ahl-al-qubūr (O residents of graves, peace be on you) whenever
they pass by a graveyard.
When the life of the infidels and non-believers, the life of the ordinary
believers, and the life of the martyrs and the saints have been confirmed by the
Qur’ān and the sunnah, how is it possible to deny the life of the
prophets, particularly the life of the holy Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)?
Especially, when he himself has repeatedly and explicitly declared:
Allāh has declared it forbidden for the earth to eat the bodies of the prophets.
So the prophets are living and they regularly receive their sustenance.[15]
This sahīh (sound) tradition conclusively proves that the absolute and
incomparable power of Allāh keeps the prophets alive in their graves. Another
tradition records that the affairs of the Ummah are regularly presented to the
Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
who expresses his gratitude to Allāh for their good deeds and prays to Allāh to
forgive their misdeeds. The words of the tradition are as follows:
Your deeds are presented to me. If they are good, I express my gratitude to
Allāh, and if the deeds are not good, then I pray to Allāh for your forgiveness.[16]
The
Lord, who has the power to give life and sustenance to the whole mankind both in
this world and the Hereafter, also has the power to keep the prophets alive in
the graves and give them sustenance. The unnatural and unscientific Greek
philosophical discussions, which have percolated into Islamic literature, are no
match to the natural and immutable principles of Islam. The injunctions of Islam
clearly explain different kinds of life and the modes of addressing people in
their purgatorial life and declare categorically that the prophets, martyrs,
saints and ordinary Muslims, even infidels and non-believers, are alive in their
graves. As far as the martyrs are concerned, the Qur’ān itself is a witness that
they regularly receive their sustenance. Therefore, those who acknowledge appeal
for help and intermediation in the earthly existence as valid but treat it as
invalid, even as a form of disbelief after death, should remember that death is
the taste of a moment, which passes away. According to Iqbāl, death is “a
message of awakening behind the smokescreen of dream.”
Purgatorial life is a midway house between the earthly life and the life after
death, which will be conferred on people on the Day of Judgement. Just as it is
valid to beseech the help of a person during his earthly life and during his
life after death, it is also an equally valid act to beseech his help and to
rely on his means in his purgatorial life. This does not border on disbelief,
because in all the three kinds of life, earthly, eternal and purgatorial, Allāh
is the real Helper and the creature whose help is being sought is the derivative
helper. This is in consonance with the Islamic teaching and does not even
remotely smack of disbelief. To treat the creature as the real helper in all the
three categories of life is tantamount to disbelief. It should be noted that the
cause of disbelief is not located in the categories of life but in the division
of real and derivative.
The life and capacity of the soul
After a
logical and categorical proof of the reality of the purgatorial life of human
soul, it is sheer irrational stubbornness to deny the reality of seeking help
from others after their death. To beseech help and assistance from the souls of
the prophets and the saints is as justified as to seek help from living persons
or the angels. When we seek help from a living being we are, in fact, seeking
help from his soul. The human body is the dressing of the real man
¾
soul. After death, when the soul is liberated from the material constraints of
the body and, on account of its freedom from impurities of the flesh, then, like
the angels, even more than them, it has the power to perform non-material acts.
The soul is independent of the rules and regulations of the phenomenal world
because her world
¾ the
world of command
¾ is
different from the cause-and-effect world of the body. Allāh highlights this
reality in the holy Qur’ān:
And
these (infidels) ask you questions about the soul. Tell them that the soul is by
the command of my Lord.[17]
The
souls are blessed with a greater capacity of action and performance in their
purgatorial life than they had enjoyed in conjunction with their bodies. They
live in the world of command and can come more easily to the assistance of those
who implore them for help. If beseeching the prophets and saints for help is
confined only to a string of sensations and observations, it will be in conflict
with the spirit of faith and merely an expression of philosophical speculation.
Old philosophical reflections cannot lead us to the secrets of faith because
they operate within entirely rational grooves and hopelessly lack the spiritual
apprehension. The unfolding of the secrets of faith requires love and deep
emotional concern. It is not just to scratch the surface but to delve into the
abyss. It may be noted that the prophets and the saints pray to Allāh for the
petitioners, and in response to their supplication, Allāh fulfils the need of
the concerned person. The problem is that those who deny life to the residents
of the graves believe that the dead are not in a position to pray. But the true
Islamic belief is that they are alive and recognise their visitors in proportion
to their consciousness and understanding. The soul’s awareness grows even more
acute after it has been separated from the body, and by jettisoning its physical
inhibitions, it is made even more powerful.
Another way to understand the meaning of seeking help from others is that the
power whose help is being sought is Allāh. But the petitioner says that he
covets Allāh’s help through the mediation of the holy Prophet(صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم)
for the fulfilment of his need. He implores Allāh through His favourites. He
says to Allāh: ‘I am from among the favourites of these saints, therefore, show
special mercy to me as I am very close to them and love them immensely.’ Thus
Allāh condones his sins for the sake of the holy prophets and also on account of
his close association with the saints and fulfils his need.
The
people who gather to offer the funeral prayer of a person pray for his
forgiveness by Allāh on a similar basis. They, in fact, serve as a means of
forgiveness for the dead person and also act as his helpers.
The dead as a source of benefit for the living
The final
shot fired by these deniers of seeking help from the saints and the pious is
that the dead cannot benefit the living because they lack the power even to shoo
away a fly sitting on their body. How is it possible that a dead person, shorn
of physical power, can help the living and that the living turn to him for help?
This hypothetical objection is actually based on their unawareness of the
Prophet’s traditions and teachings of the religious leaders. As we have already
explained, the people who die and leave this worldly life, do not in fact die,
but enter another life (purgatorial life). Though they are dead in our eyes,
they are not actually dead, only their mode of life has changed as they have
been transferred from one kind of existence to another kind of existence.
This can be explained by another example. Suppose there are two tube lights in a
room. One of them is white and the other is blue. The light of the white tube is
spreading all around while the blue tube is off. Now what will happen if the
off-button of the white tube is pressed and precisely at that moment the
on-button of the blue tube is also pressed? The room is the same, all the things
in it are in their proper place, its doors, windows and curtains, etc., are also
intact, but there is a change in the inner ambience of the room, that is, in the
earlier state, everything appeared in the white light in its original colour,
and now everything in the room appears to wear a different complexion on account
of the colour radiated by the blue tube. Now the question is: ‘has the colour of
everything in the room really changed? Has the material composition of the
objects changed?’ The answer is in the negative. Every object is present in its
original state. The difference lies only in our perception. The same applies to
the dead people. When the light of their worldly life is put out, we think they
are dead, while, in reality, the tube light of their purgatorial life is put on.
Just as the saints and the pious are relied upon during their earthly life
¾
while the real source of help is Allāh
¾
similarly, they can be relied upon as a means of help to fulfil our needs and to
seek the nearness of Allāh even when they have left this material world.
Suyūtī has copied in his book Sharh-us-sudūr bi-sharh hāl-il-mawtā wal-qubūr
(pp.257-9) fifteen traditions bearing on this theme, and furnishing a proof of
the reality of purgatorial life, he has affirmed that the dead can benefit the
living.
Ibn-ul-Qayyim has written an exhaustive book on “the soul” which is the most
authentic book on this subject. At one place he has reported from ‘Abdullāh bin
Mubārak that Abū Ayyūb al-Ansārī said:
The deeds of the living are presented to the dead. If they see virtuous (deeds),
they are pleased and rejoiced, and if they see (evil) deeds, they say: ‘O Allāh!
Return them.’[18]
Narrating another tradition, Ibn-ul-Qayyim writes:
“‘Ibād bin ‘Ibād called on Ibrāhīm bin Sālih and at that time Ibrāhīm bin Sālih
was the ruler of Palestine. ‘Ibād bin ‘Ibād said to him: give me some advice.
Ibrāhīm bin Sālih said:
What should I advise you? May God make you a pious man! I have received the news
that the deeds of the living are presented to their dead relatives. Now you just
reflect on your deeds which are presented to the Messenger of Allāh
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).
After relating this, Ibrāhīm bin Sālih cried so bitterly that his beard became
wet.”[19]
In
addition, there are many other traditions which prove that the deeds of the
living are presented to the dead. Therefore, people, who are the victims of
doubt, should study them to correct their faith which, according to Ibn
Taymiyyah, is the faith of Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jamā‘ah as has already been
explained, which leads one to the straight path and brings one increasingly
closer to the pleasure of the Lord. Exclusive reliance on reason can prove
disastrous as reason is a deceptive chameleon and puts on a variety of guises to
deceive its own followers; it is totally undependable and those who rely on it
for true enlightenment, can never be blessed with guidance as misguidance is
their destiny. According to Iqbāl:
Move beyond reason because this light is only the candle on the way; it is not the destination.
Love of the friends of Allāh is an integral part of faith
We seek help
from the prophets, the righteous and the saints and offer them as a means of
access to Allāh on account of our limitless love and devotion for them. The
choice of means is justified only by the presence of love. It is also an
established fact that to love those who are near and dear to Allāh is in itself
a virtuous act and this is obviously an argument, which cannot be rebutted by
any other argument, no matter how subtle or elaborate or tantalising it may be.
1. Love of Allāh’s favourites is a virtuous deed
The
petitioner is acting for himself because he loves those whom Allāh loves. He is
in fact saying: ‘O Lord, I love Your friend, the holy Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم),
and I love the orthodox Caliphs, the Companions, the Successors and their
followers, the saints and the righteous. I offer this love to You as means so
that You grant my prayer and fulfil my need.’ It means love of Allāh’s favoured
ones becomes a means of the supplication’s acceptance. There is no doubt that
love of Allāh’s favourites is not only the fulfilment of a divine command but is
also a great virtuous deed. It is narrated by Abū Hurayrah:
Allāh’s Messenger
(صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم)
said: when Allāh loves some person, He sends for Jibrīl and commands him:
verily, I love such and such person; you should also love him, so Jibrīl loves
him as well. Then Jibrīl proclaims in the heavens that Allāh loves such and such
person; you should also love him. Then the residents of the heavens love him as
well. Then his love is sent down to the earth (the world).[20]
First of all, Allāh elevated His Own obedient servant to the status of His
beloved, then He commanded Jibrīl and all other angels that they should love His
servant. The angels, following the divine command, also made him their beloved.
In this all the heavenly creatures shared the divine love for His beloved
servant. But the matter does not end here. Allāh descended this love for His
servant down on this earth and then created a niche for the love and popularity
of His servant in every heart and every creature fell in love with him. It
follows that to love those who are loved by Allāh is a divine command. From this
point of view this act of loving is in itself a virtuous act in which Allāh is
not only Himself included but He has also included His angels as well as the
creatures of the earth. When this act is endorsed not only by the practice of
the prophets but also a popular act performed by the creatures of the earth and
the heavens, then what could be a better virtuous act in favour of the
petitioner.
2. Reciprocal nearness of lover and beloved on the Day of Judgement
True love is
that virtuous act which draws the lover increasingly closer to the beloved. It
is narrated by Anas bin Mālik:
A person called on the Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
and said to him: ‘O Messenger of Allāh, when is the Hour (the Day of
Judgement)?’ The Holy Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
stood up for prayer. After performing the prayer he said: ‘where is the person
who had asked about the Hour?’ That person replied: ‘O Messenger of Allāh, I am
here.’ He said: ‘what preparation have you made for that (Hour)?’ He submitted:
‘O Messenger of Allāh, I have offered neither many prayers nor kept many fasts,
but I know that much that I love Allāh and His Messenger
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).’
On hearing this, Allāh’s Messenger
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
commented that (on the Day of Judgement) a person will be with him whom he loves
and you will be judged along with him. It is reported that, after accepting
Islam, this made the Muslims happier than anything else had made them in the
past.[21]
This tradition proves that whereas prayer, fast, zakāt and hajj
are virtuous acts and their performance entitles a man to a set of rewards,
similarly love is also an act of virtue, which results in nearness to his
beloved. The words of the tradition themselves endorse love as a virtuous act.
When the Holy Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
asked the petitioner: ‘what preparation have you made for the Day of Judgement?’
He replied: ‘O Messenger of Allāh! My acts do not include big-ticket deeds like
prayer and fast, but the act of loving Allāh and His Messenger
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) is
one of my deeds.’ The Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
replied that as each act has a reward, similarly the act of loving has also a
reward. A person will be judged along with the man he loves and you will be
judged on the Day of Judgement along with the man you love.’ It means that this
man, simply on account of his love for the Holy Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم),
will be judged with him. He will be in the Prophet’s company and this is a
promise made by the Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
himself and this is Allāh’s promise as well. Besides, this promise is not
restrictive; it has a general application; it applies to the Companions, the
Successors, their followers, even the entire Muslim community.
Love of Allāh’s Messenger
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) is
an act, which not only earns the lover a number of blessings through the agency
of his beloved on this earth but also brings him closer to his beloved in the
next world. Since the word hubb (love) here is used in a generic sense,
it equally applies to all forms and grades of love. Its litmus test is sincerity
as insincere love is a travesty of true love and, therefore, not only
repulsively hideous but also morally revolting. This comment is vindicated by
the words of Anas bin Mālik that after accepting Islam, he had never found the
Muslims happier than he found them on hearing this explanation.
This tradition conclusively proves that the love of Allāh’s favoured people
serves as a means for divine blessings. And when the servant prays to Allāh, he,
in fact, is saying: ‘my Master, the love I have for Your beloved Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم),
and the love I have for the Companions, the Successors and the righteous on
account of You, I offer this act of love as mediation to You and request You to
grant my such and such need for their sake.’ The servant’s love for Allāh’s
favoured ones is an act that enjoys Allāh’s blessings and this very act becomes
a means for the servant.
3. Love for Allāh’s lovers is the cause of divine love
The servant,
following the divine commands, performs all kinds of worship: he offers prayer,
keeps fast, performs hajj and pays zakāt. In short, he fulfils all
his obligations. These acts have twofold significance: on the one hand, he is
implementing the divine commands; on the other hand, he earns the reward for
these acts. The range and scope of these rewards include a place in Paradise for
him. But the highest and the most cherished prize is the pleasure of Allāh. To
secure this prize, he spends every moment of his life in divine love. And he
does not restrict his remembrance of Allāh only to a specific schedule or
timetable but it straddles his entire life. No matter where he is, or what he is
doing, he never forgets the Lord. The focus of his love or enmity is Allāh
alone. The following tradition is about such lovers of Allāh:
It
is narrated by Mu‘ādh bin Jabal that he heard the Messenger of Allāh
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
saying:
Allāh the Exalted and Almighty said: ‘My love has been made obligatory for those
two persons who love each other on My count and spend time together for My sake,
and see each other for My sake and give money to each other generously for My
sake.’[22]
Now
a petitioner loves the holy Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم),
members of the Prophet’s family, the Companions, the saints and the righteous
people simply because the basis of his love is the love of Allāh. By loving
these people, he himself in return is loved by Allāh. Thus all these forms are
various links in the chain of love, which is ultimately the love of Allāh, and
these expressions and acts of love eventually draw him closer to Allāh and he
acquires a favoured status. Thus the petitioner’s act of love is regarded by
Allāh as a virtuous as well as a favourite act and it is graded higher than
other virtuous acts mainly because in this act the Lord Himself is one of the
participants and it is uncertain whether the other acts will find divine
acceptance or not. But love of the saints and the favourites of Allāh is an act,
which transforms the petitioner into Allāh’s beloved. In this way its acceptance
is guaranteed.
4. Love for the sake of Allāh results in higher grades
Love of the
servants of Allāh brings one not only nearer to Him but also helps one in
securing higher grades.
It
is narrated by ‘Umar bin al-Khattāb that the Prophet(صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم)
said:
Among Allāh’s servants there are some who are neither prophets nor martyrs but
on the Day of Judgement the prophets and the martyrs will envy their grades. The
Companions asked: ‘O Messenger of Allāh, tell us, who are those people?’ He
replied: ‘those are the people who love one another on Allāh’s count. They are
neither related to one another nor do they have any property to exchange. I
swear on Allāh that they will have faces of light, they will be on pulpits of
light. They will not have any fear when others will be afraid, they will not
have any grief when others will be aggrieved.’ Then he recited the verse:
Beware! No doubt, there is no fear for the friends of Allāh nor shall they be
sad and sorrowful. [Qur’ān (Yūnus,
Jonah) 10:62.][23]
The
tradition has clearly established the fact that people who love one another
simply because they love Allāh deserve high rewards and grades on the Day of
Judgement and they will receive these precious gifts through the mediation of
Allāh’s favourites because their love of these intimate friends is based
fundamentally on their love of Allāh from which basic source it draws its
strength and influence.
5. Love of Allāh’s friends is the cause of Allāh’s love
Love of holy
men and saints is an act which earns the servant not only the love of Allāh but
also draws him closer to Him.
It
is reported by Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allāh
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
said:
If two persons love each other on Allāh’s count, and if one of them is in the
east and the other in the west, Allāh will bring them together on the Day of
Resurrection and He will say: ‘this is the man you loved on my count.’[24]
It
is now established that intermediation through the prophets, the holy persons
and the saints and to seek help from them is quite valid whether it is by
invoking their name in prayer, or by physical presence in their companionship or
through expressions of love for them. These acts of istighāathah and
intermediation are correct and legally permissible.
[1]. Qur’ān (ash-Shu‘arā’, the Poets) 26:83.
[2]. Qādī Thanā’ullāh Pānīpatī, at-Tafsīr-ul-mazharī (7:72).
[3]. Rāzī, at-Tafsīr-ul-kabīr (24:148).
[4]. Qur’ān (al-Baqarah, the Cow) 2:130.
[5]. Qur’ān (at-Tawbah, Repentance) 9:119.
[6]. Qur’ān (Luqmān, Luqmān) 31:15.
[7]. Qur’ān (Yūsuf, Joseph) 12:101.
[8]. Ahmad bin Hambal transmitted it in his Musnad (5:191); Hākim, al-Mustadrak
(1:516); Tabarānī, al-Mu‘jam-ul-kabīr (5:119,157 #4803,4932); and
Haythamī in Majma‘-uz-zawā’id (10:113).
[9]. Abū Dāwūd narrated it in his Sunan, b. of zakāt (obligatory
charity) 2:122 (#1646); Nasā’ī, Sunan, b. of zakāt (5:95);
Ahmad bin Hambal, Musnad (4:334); Bukhārī, at-Tārīkh-ul-kabīr
[7:138 (4/1/138)]; Bayhaqī, as-Sunan-ul-kubrā (4:197); Ibn
‘Abd-ul-Barr, at-Tamhīd (4:107); and ‘Alī al-Hindī in
Kanz-ul-‘ummāl (6:502#16721).
[10].
Muhammad Khalīl Harās, Sharh al-‘Aqīdat-ul-wāsitiyyah (p.153).
[11]. Qur’ān (al-Baqarah, the Cow) 2:28.
[12]. Qur’ān (al-Baqarah, the Cow) 2:154.
[13]. Qur’ān (Āl ‘Imrān, the Family of ‘Imrān) 3:169.
[14].
Bukhārī narrated it in his as-Sahīh, b. of maghāzī (military
expeditions led by the Prophet) ch.7 (4:1461#3757); Muslim, as-Sahīh,
b. of jannah wa sifat na‘īmihā wa ahlihā (Paradise, attributes of its
and natives) ch.17 (4:2203#77/2874); Ahmad bin Hambal, Musnad (3:145;
4:29); Tabarānī, al-Mu‘jam-ul-kabīr (5:96#4701); Baghawī,
Sharh-us-sunnah (13:384#3779); Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāyah wan-nihāyah
(1:210); ‘Asqalānī, Fath-ul-bārī (7:301); and Haythamī in
Majma‘-uz-zawā’id (6:90-1).
[15].
Ibn Mājah narrated this sahīh (sound) hadīth in his Sunan,
b. of janā’iz (funerals) ch.65 (1:524#1636-7), b. of
iqāmat-us-salāt was-sunnah fīhā (establishing prayer and its sunnahs)
ch.79 (1:345#1085); Abū Dāwūd, Sunan, b. of salāt (prayer)
1:275 (#1047); Nasā’ī, Sunan, b. of jumu‘ah (Friday prayer)
3:92; Ahmad bin Hambal, Musnad (4:8); Ibn Hibbān, as-Sahīh
(3:191#910); Dārimī, Sunan (1:307#1580); Ibn Khuzaymah, as-Sahīh
(3:118#1733); Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Musannaf (2:516); Hākim, al-Mustadrak
(1:278); Tabarānī, al-Mu‘jam-ul-kabīr (1:217#589); and Bayhaqī in
as-Sunan-ul-kubrā (3:249).
[16].
Haythamī transmitted it in Majma‘-uz-zawā’id (9:24) and said that
that tradition had been reported by Bazzār (in his Musnad) and its
sub-narrators are all of sahīh (sound) hadīth. ‘Irāqī has
confirmed the soundness of its chain of transmission in his book
Tarh-ut-tathrīb fī sharh-it-taqrīb (3:297). Ibn Sa‘d has recorded it in
at-Tabaqāt-ul-kubrā (2:194). Qādī ‘Iyād has inscribed this tradition
in ash-Shifā (1:19); and Suyūtī, recording it in al-Khasā’is-ul-kubrā
(2:281) and Manāhil-us-sifā fī takhrīj ahādīth ash-Shifā (p.3), has
commented that Ibn Abī Usāmah in his Musnad has reproduced it through
Bakr bin ‘Abdullāh al-Muzanī and Bazzār in his Musnad who have relied
on its narration by ‘Abdullāh bin Mas‘ūd with a sound chain of transmission.
It has been endorsed by Khafājī and Mullā ‘Alī Qārī in their commentaries on
ash-Shifā, i.e. Nasīm-ur-riyād (1:102) and Sharh ash-Shifā
(1:36) respectively. Hadīth-scholar Ibn-ul-Jawzī has reproduced it in
al-Wafā bi-ahwāl-il-mustafā (2:809-10) from Bakr bin ‘Abdullāh and
Anas bin Mālik. Subkī has copied this tradition in Shifā’-us-siqām fī
ziyārat khayr-il-anām (p.34) from Bakr bin ‘Abdullāh al-Muzanī, and Ibn
‘Abd-ul-Hādī in as-Sārim-ul-munkī (p.266-7) has authenticated its
veracity. Bazzār’s tradition has also been recorded by Ibn Kathīr in al-Bidāyah
wan-nihāyah (4:257). ‘Asqalānī narrated it through Bakr bin ‘Abdullāh
al-Muzanī in al-Matālib-ul-‘āliyah (4:22-3#3853). ‘Alī al-Hindī
copied Ibn Sa‘d’s tradition in Kanz-ul-‘ummāl (11:407#31903) and from
Hārith (#31904). Nabhānī related it in Hujjatullāh ‘alal-‘ālamīn fī
mu‘jazāt sayyid-il-mursalīn (p.713).
[17]. Qur’ān (al-Isrā’, the Night journey) 17:85.
[18]. Ibn-ul-Qayyim, Kitāb-ur-rūh (p.13).
[19]. Ibn-ul-Qayyim, Kitāb-ur-rūh (p.13).
[20].
Muslim transmitted it in his as-Sahīh, b. of birr was-silah
wal-ādāb (virtue, joining of the ties of relationship and good
manners)
ch.48 (4:2030#157/2637); Bakhārī narrated it at three places in his
as-Sahīh:
b. of bad’-ul-khalq (beginning of creation) ch.6 (3:1175#3037), b.
of adab (good manners) ch.41 (5:2246#5693), and b. of tawhīd
(Islamic monotheism) ch.33 (6:2721#7047); Ahmad bin Hambal in Musnad
(2:413); Mālik bin Anas in al-Muwattā, b. of sha‘ar (hair)
ch.5 (2:953#15); and Khatīb Tabrīzī in Mishkāt-ul-masābīh, b. of
ādāb (good manners) ch.16 (3:74#5005).
[21].
Tirmidhī narrated it in al-Jāmi‘-us-sahīh, b. of zuhd (piety)
ch.50 (4:595#2385), and graded it sahīh (sound); Ahmad bin Hambal in
Musnad (3:104, 168, 178, 200); Ibn Hibbān, as-Sahīh (1:182,
308-9#8,105; 16:345#7348); Baghawī, Sharh-us-sunnah
(13:60-4#3475-9).
Bukhārī also narrated it with different words in his as-Sahīh, b. of
fadā’il-us-sahābah (merits of the Companions) ch.6 (3:1349#3485), b.
of adab (good manners) ch.95, 96 (5:2282-3#5815-9), and b. of
ahkām (judgements) ch.10 (6:2615#6734); Muslim in as-Sahīh, b. of
birr was-silah wal-ādāb (virtue, joining of the ties of relationship
and good manners) ch.50 (4:2032-3# 161-4/2639); Ahmad bin Hambal in
Musnad (3:110,165, 167,172,173,207,208,255,276); ‘Abd-ur-Razzāq,
al-Musannaf
(11:199#20317); Humaydī, Musnad (2:502# 1190); Ibn Abī Shaybah,
al-Musannaf (15:169#19407); Abū Ya‘lā, Musnad (5:144#2758; 6:
36,256#3280-1, 3557); Ibn Hibbān, as-Sahīh (2:323-4#563-5);
Tabarānī, al-Mu‘jam-ul-kabīr (3:183#3061); Bayhaqī, Shu‘ab-ul-īmān
(1:380,387 #462,498; 2:130-1#1379); and Khatīb Tabrīzī in
Mishkāt-ul-masābīh, b. of adab (good manners) ch.16 (3:75#5009).
[22].
This sahīh (sound) hadīth narrated by Mālik bin Anas in al-Muwattā,
b. of sha‘ar (hair) ch.5 (2:954#16), and Ibn ‘Abd-ul-Barr said its
chain is good. Ahmad bin Hambal also transmitted it in his Musnad
(5:233); Hākim in al-Mustadrak (4:169), who graded it sahīh,
and also confirmed by Dhahabī; Baghawī in Sharh-us-sunnah,
(13:49-50#3463); Khatīb Tabrīzī in Mishkāt-ul-masābīh, b. of ādāb
(good manners) ch.16 (3:75#5011).
[23].
Abū Dāwūd, Sunan, b. of ijārah (wages) 3:288 (#3527); Bayhaqī, Shu‘ab-ul-īmān, (6:486#8998,8999); Khatīb Tabrīzī,
Mishkāt-ul-masābīh, b. of adab (good manners) ch.16
(3:75-6#5012).
[24].
Bayhaqī, Shu‘ab-ul-īmān, (6:492#9022); Khatīb Tabrīzī,
Mishkāt-ul-masābīh, b. of ādāb (good manners) ch.16 (3:77#5024);
‘Alī al-Hindī, Kanz-ul-‘ummāl (9:4#24646).
