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As
we shall aim to demonstrate to the readers in this chapter, Insha’
Allah, that if it is
wrong today [or even Kufr and shirk as some of our brothers declare],
to proclaim Ya Muhammad! [May Allah bless him and grant him peace]
why then, did the Sahaba, Tab’ee in and the later generations of Muslims
do so? Would those brothers who oppose the Muslims of saying Ya Muhammad!
[May Allah bless him and grant him peace] apply the same criteria
to the first generations of this Umma as they do for the believers
of today?
The
permissibility of saying Ya! For someone who is not physically present.
One
of the main arguments used against the believers on this issue, is
the one of the impermisibility of using the prefix Ya [Oh!] to someone who is not physically
present.
Innovation
in the Language
This
understanding of the Arabic language [that of not being able to use
Ya! For an absent person] is an innovation [bid’a]
in Arabic grammar. To the minority holding this view, it appears that
this is the only way of accusing the majority of Muslims to be constantly
committing an impermissible deed, or even shirk and kufr as others
may profess.
We
first would like to invite those who hold the above view, to examine
one of the most respected classical dictionaries of the Arabic language,
the Lasan al Arab of Ibn Manzur (d.
711 hijri). Ibn Manzur states that Ya! can be applied for either a
person who is near, or far from the caller.
[Ibn
Manzur al-Afriqi, Lasan al-Arab under the word ‘Ya’]
Since
those Muslims who often claim that saying Ya Muhammad! [May Allah
bless him and grant him peace] is shirk, I now propose to examine
the views of Ibn Taymiyya on this issue. Why? Well, it is mainly because
these very brothers have given Ibn Taymiyya the noble title of Shaykh
al Islam, and such, use him as an authority, if not, the foremost,
in their attempts to practice Islam as the Salaf
[pious predecessors] did. Ibn Taymiyya writes:
When
someone calls upon someone else, saying Ya! it may be used in one
of two ways – physically or by the knowledge of that person. An example
of this is when the Messenger of Allah [May Allah bless him and grant
him peace] warned the people at the time of Dajjal: “Yaa ‘ibaadillaahi
Fathbutu…” (Oh servants of Allah! Keep your feet steadfast…) The Prophet,
Allah bless him and grant him peace, said this to the people who would
be present at the time of Dajjal, and who were not yet born.
Another
example, is when Sayyidna ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with Him, was
walking through the plain of Karbalah, he said ‘Ya Abu ‘Abd Allah
Hussayn, Fasbir! [Oh, (my son) Abu ‘Abd Allah Hussayn! Be patient
(when facing the enemy in this place]’ This was because ‘Ali, may
Allah be pleased with Him, was informed by the Messenger of Allah,
(May Allah bless him and grant him peace), that his son, Hussayn [May
Allah be pleased with Him], would be martyred at Karbalah. Sayyidna
‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with Him, called Hussayn despite the fact
that he was not present with him, and even though Hussayn could not
hear his Father ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with Him, but remained
in his thoughts.
[Ibn
Taymiyya, Minhaj-as-sunna, chapter Aswad-al-Qadeem]
The
above example demonstrates, as provided by Ibn Taymiyya, that at least
in one way, Ya can be used in the Arabic language
to call someone who is not physically present, but who is present
in the thoughts of the caller, as when Sayyidna ‘Ali, may Allah be
pleased with Him, remembered his son and called to him.
Evidence
to support the permissibility of saying Ya Muhammad! [May Allah bless him and grant him peace]
Hafidhh
ibn al Qayyim writes that the Prophet of Allah, (May Allah bless him
and grant him peace) said:
Send
salutations on me, but send more salutations on Friday. When you recite
the salutation, your voice will reach me wherever you are. Some companions
asked, “ even after your death?” The Prophet, (May Allah bless
him and grant him peace) replied, “Allah has made it unlawful for
the earth to decompose my body”.
[Hafidhh
Ibn-al-Qayyim, Jala-ul-Afhaan page 145]
Imam
Nasa’i narrates that there are specific angels who visit the earth
and whose sole duties are to go to the persons who sends salutations
upon the Prophet Muhammad, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace),
and then to take those salutations to the Prophet Muhammad, (May Allah
bless him and grant him peace)
[Mishkat
chapter on Salaah al Nabi]
The
above mentioned Ahadith, indicate that if anyone were to send salutations
to the Prophet, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), he himself
would either hear the salutations, or an angel will convey them to
him. In both cases, salutations will reach
the Prophet, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace).
The Salaf used to say Ya Muhammad![May
Allah bless him and grant him peace]
Imam
Bukhari, Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyya and Qadi Shawkani all posed the same
question, that if a person’s foot becomes numb, what should he do?
Their recommendations were the same, and included with their answer,
the following hadith:
Some
time after Rasul Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace),
had passed away, ‘Abd Allah Ibn ‘Umar [May Allah be pleased with Him]
was in Najd where one day his foot became numb. As a remedy to alleviate
the pain, a person said to him. “Remember the one whom you love the
most!” Upon hearing this Ibn ‘Umar [May Allah be pleased with Him]
said “Ya Muhammad! [May Allah bless him and grant him peace]” and
his foot made an immediate recovery from numbness.
[Imam
Bukhari, Adab al Mufrad al Kalim al Tayyab;
Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyya and Qadi Shawkani, Tuhfah al Dakireen chapter
on Khadirat Rijluhu, and also Imam Nawawi’s Kitab al Adkar]
Hafidhh
Ibn Taymiyya writes,
In
the same way as ‘Abd Allah ibn Umar’s foot became numb and he remembered
the one he loves the most, ‘Abd Allah Ibn Abbas’s foot also became
numb. Someone also said to him to remember the one who he loves the
most, whereupon ‘Abd Allah Ibn Abbas said Ya! Muhammad [May Allah
bless him and grant him peace] and his foot immediately recovered
from numbness.
[Hafidhh
ibn Taymiyya, Al Kalim al Tayyib chapter on Khadirat
Rijluhu]
Qadi
Shawkani writes:
If
one is in trouble or is in distress, he should perform two nawafil
rakats and then make a supplication. They should say ‘‘Ya Muhammad!’’
[May Allah bless him and grant him peace] and Allah most High will
grant them what they requested and their problems and troubles should
be resolved. The scholars of hadith say that this hadith is
authentic and Tirmidhi, Hakim, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah and at-Tabarani record
it.
[Qadi
Shawkani, Tofah al Dhakireen chapter on Salaah
al Hajah]
Hafidhh
Ibn Kathir, Imam Tabari and Imam Ibn Athir all wrote [that]:
During
the Khilafa of Abu Bakr as- Siddique, may Allah be pleased with Him,
there was a battle against the false prophet Musaylima [of Najd].
When the battle commenced, the Muslims lost their footing at which
point Khalid bin Walid, may Allah be pleased with Him, and the rest
of the companions called out “Ya Muhammad!” [May Allah bless him and
grant him peace] and proceeded to win the battle.
[Tarikh at Tabari, Tarikh Ibn Kathir
and Tarikh Qamil by Imam
Tabari, Hafidhh Ibn Kathir and Imam Ibn Athir and Ibn Jarir in Chapter
Musaylima Kadhaab]
Hafidhh
Ibn Kathir and Imam Tabari both write:
During
the Khilafah of ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him, there was a
famine outside the city of Madinah. A companion called Bilal bin Harith
al Muzni, may Allah be pleased with Him, said to his people “The famine
is very severe, [let us] sacrifice a goat”. Apart from a red bone
nothing came from the goat [the goat was very thin due to famine and
as such, there was no meat on the bones]. Bilal bin Harith, may Allah
be pleased with Him, called out “Ya Muhammad!” [May Allah bless him
and grant him peace]. The Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless
him and grant him peace), then appeared in the dream of Bilal bin
Harith and informed him that there will be rain.
[Tarikh
Ibn Kathir and Ibn Jarir chapter of khilafah of ‘Umar (May Allah
be pleased with Him]
As-Sayyid
Mawdudi writes:
When
Hajaj bin Yusuf had placed tax upon some new Muslims, they left Basra
crying with their fuqaha [scholars] and they were all saying, Ya Muhammad!,
Ya Muhammad! [May Allah bless him and grant him peace]
[Sayyid
Mawdudi, Khilafah wa Malukiyat, page 270
and Tarikh Ibn Athir]
Hafidhh
Ibn Kathir and Imam Tabari both write that
After
the occasion of Karbala, Sayyida Zaynab, May Allah be well pleased
with her, [the sister of Hussayn, may Allah be pleased with Him] and
her company were taken as prisoners to Syria. When she passed the
dead bodies she proclaimed: “Ya Muhammad!” [May Allah bless him and
grant him peace] Your Hussayn is drenched in blood without a shroud
or a grave, and Ya Muhammad! [May Allah bless him and grant him peace],
your daughters are taken prisoners and your children have been killed
[Ibn
Jarir and Tarikh Ibn Kathir in Chapter of Karbala*]
*For
those of us, who have forgotten, Karbala took place in Iraq in 60AH.
At that time Zaynab may Allah be well pleased with her, said ‘Ya Muhammad!
[May Allah bless him and grant him peace]
Imam
Waqdi writes:
During
the khilafah of Abu Bakr Siddiq [may Allah be pleased with Him], there
was a battle at Halb. Ka’ab. Abu Bakr [may Allah be pleased with Him]
said “Ya Muhammad! Ya! Muhammad, [May Allah bless him and grant him
peace] and shouted, “Oh Companions! Stay firm footed!”
['Allama
Waqdi, Futoohusham, in the chapter on the
Battle of Halb]
Imam
Ibn Sa'ad writes:
After
the Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace),
had passed away, Arwa bint ‘Abd al Muttalib, May Allah be well pleased
with her, recited the: “Ya Rasul Allah! [May Allah bless him and grant
him peace]. You were our place of hope.”
[Imam
Ibn Sa'ad, Tabaqat Ibn Sa’ad, chapter on the
Death of the Prophet]
Hafidhh
Ibn al Qayyim writes:
Muhammad
bin ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him, relates: ‘I was sitting
in the company of Abu Bakr bin Mujahid in Baghdad when Shaykh Shibli
came before them. Whereupon Abu Bakr bin Mujahid stood up and hugged
Shaykh Shibli, kissed his forehead and sat him by his side.’ Muhammad
bin ‘Umar [May Allah be pleased with Him] enquired: “You are the Shaykh
[Abu Bakr bin Mujahid] whilst the whole of Baghdad regards Shibli
as Majnun [Mad] - why have you treated him with so much respect?”
To this, Abu Bakr bin Mujahid replied “I have done nothing strange,
I have treated him exactly as I have seen the Messenger of Allah,
(May Allah bless him and grant him peace), treat him. In my dream
I saw the Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace),
kiss Shibli between his two eyes. I asked the Prophet, (May Allah
bless him and grant him peace), “Why did you treat Shibli in
this way?” to which he, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace),
replied “I love him because after every Salaah he recites the last
verse of Surah Tauba after which he recites Sallal
la ho ‘alayka Ya Muhammad! [Peace and blessings from Allah be
upon you Oh Muhammad!) Three times.
[Hafidhh
Ibn-al-Qayyim, Jala-al-Afham., page 80]
The
above mentioned Ahadith clearly illustrate that the Companions
and others of the Salaf used to say Ya Muhammad or
Ya Rasul Allah! [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] when they
experienced difficulty, and that the Prophet, (May Allah bless him
and grant him peace) did help us either by making supplication
for their success or appearing in their dreams to comfort them. Those
Companions who were ill and said Ya Rasul Allah [May Allah bless him
and grant him peace] found that they would get better; and if they
were in a battle which they were losing - they would soon win; and
if they were facing a famine - they would soon have rain.
The
last quotation from Hafidhh Ibn al-Qayyim shows that the Messenger
of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), loves the one
who pronounces ‘Ya Muhammad!’ [May Allah bless him and grant him peace]
to a considerable high degree. All these occurances took place many
years after the Messenger of Allah, (May
Allah bless him and grant him peace), passed away. So if it
was kufr to say ‘Ya Muhammad!’ [May Allah bless him and grant him
peace] today and after the lifetime of the Prophet,
(May Allah bless him and grant him peace), the Prophet, (May Allah
bless him and grant him peace), would not have expressed any love for
Shibli. Also, if this is an unreliable narration, why did Ibn al-Qayyim
choose to quote it? Was he someone who supported shirk or kufr?
What
has been said above supports the fact that it is not kufr or shirk to call out Ya
Muhammad, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace).
However,
still people will insist, despite of all the above, that to say Ya
Muhammad (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) is shirk, and will
deduce to the fact that this is a form of worshipping someone besides
Allah. They often put forward the following ayat of the Qur’an:
And
the mosques are only for Allah, so worship none with Allah
[Surah
al Jinn verse 18]
This
is just a doubt and a misunderstanding of the grammatical use of the
words Tad`u/Yad`u in the Arabic language - since Tad’u and Yad’u have
been used in two different contexts in the Qur’an: in the context
of worship and also in the context of calling.
In
the above verse it has been used in the context of worship and we
agree that anyone who worships something besides Allah is a kafir
and a mushrik. However, when a Muslim says Ya Rasul Allah! [May Allah
bless him and grant him peace] he is not worshipping the Messenger
of Allah, but merely calling him, as Ibrahim, peace be upon him, called
all the people to Hajj [Tafsir Ibn Kathir under Surah Hajj]
and as ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him, called Sariah. This type of calling is not worship, of which an example
is provided in the Qur’an when Allah commanded Ibrahim, peace be upon
him, to call the dead birds
[Surah Al- Baqara, verse 260]
This
should demonstrate that the word ‘call’ is not always used in the
context of worship. Whoever says Ya Muhammad! [May Allah bless him
and grant him peace] cannot be called either a kafir or mushrik because
he is calling with the love of the Prophet Muhammad, (May Allah bless
him and grant him peace), as was the case when the salaf called upon
the Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace).
His intention is not the intention to worship him.
The
pious can hear from afar
1) The
Prophet Sulaiman, peace be upon him, heard the conversation of the
ants from a distance.
[Al- Qur’an Surah al Namal verse 19]
2)
The Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace),
heard the footsteps of Bilal,may Allah be pleased with Him, in Paradise.
[Bukhari and Muslim Kitab-al-Manaqib., Muslim.,
fazail Bilal]
3)
Hafidhh Ibn al Qayyim writes:
The
Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), stated:
‘I hear the voice of every person who sends salams (peace and blessings)
upon me, wherever he may be’.
[Hafidhh
Ibn-al-Qayyim Jala-al-Afham page 145]
4)
When women quarrel with their husbands who are righteous (and who
go to paradise) the Hoors (fair Maidens of Paradise) listen to their
arguing from Paradise whilst they are still on the earth. [Mishkat-al-Masabih
in Chapter of Mu’ashirat-an-Nisa]
To
conclude this chapter, we would like to state that:
From
the above statements it is proved that the pious can hear from a far
distance, by the grace of Allah most High.
Secondly,
it is not shirk to call them using the word Ya! We would like to clarify
that to call upon the pious using Ya! is simply permissible: being
neither fardh, nor wajib, nor sunna.
Thirdly,
as proven, the Salaf did proclaim Ya Muahammed!
[May Allah bless him and grant him peace] at times of distress – and
this difficulty was alleviated.
The
reason for writing this article is only to clarify, to those people
who shout ‘kafir’ and ‘mushrik’, to those Muslims who call using the
word Ya! - that we can use the word Ya!
We
also say that help should only be asked from Allah most High.
We should only present the Waseela of the pious, when asking from
Allah.
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