Spare Page

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficient, the Merciful.

The Holy Qur�an as the final and most accomplished revealed book setting forth every thing in clear prospective and a source from Almighty Allah sent down upon His most Affectionate and supremely modeled Apostle Hazrat Muhammad (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). The honour and Reverence (TA�ZIM-O-TAWQIR) of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) is as essential for every believing Muslim as the Faith and Belief in Islam itself. The Holy Qur�an Speaks voluminously in this behalf exhorts the followers to reflect upon again and again the Divine verses spread throughout the vast concourse of Revelations.

It appears we have been behaving like simpletons and looking askance every where instead of the real source of deliverance � the Holy Qur�an and the unstinted reverential love of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) and thus reduced ourselves to soulless skeletons at the mercy of others who exploit us for their refurious purposes.

Now we proceed to show to the World at large particularly the Muslims how the Holy Qur�an straight forwardly and unmistakably enunciates and delineates the august personality of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) and exhorts its addressees to ponder with themselves where they stand in this realm of Holy Prophet�s adoration:

The real test of examining the love and respect for an exalted personality is how deep the imprint of this sublime virtue (love) is in heart and mind and how far one is prepared to offer sacrifices at the altar of love and devotion. The best and the most shining example in this behalf as the expression of love and regard is provided by the Holy Qur�an which at various places has demonstrated that Almighty Allah, wherever He mentions His love (towards the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). He ordained it to be at par with what people refer towards Him in their prayers and supplientions. In other words, His devotees should not make distinction between their love and obedience towards Allah the Almighty and Respect and Reverence towards the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him), so that a pattern be set whereby the depth and intensity of love may be evaluated. It is for this reason that Almighty Allah has demanded the love of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) to be the first and most fundamental condition as the sign of faith side by side the love towards Allah the Almighty. Thus true love emanates from the real devotion and reverence, while respect is the first pre-requisite of the love. That is to say that Reverence and Respect determines the depth of love and obedience. When the Angels realised the greatness (as a mark of respect) of Hazrat Adam, all of them prostrated before him. Similarly when the Brothers of Prophet Yousuf after going through trials and tribulations, became aware of the greatness of their Brother yousuf whom they maltreated and even threw earlier in the well just to get rid of him and thus endear themselves in the eyes of their father Prophet Yaqoob, all of them lay in Prostration before Hazrat Yousuf. On the other hand, Iblis (Satan) arrogantly treated Hazrat Adam as a skeleton of clay and refused to prostrate in utter defiance of Divine Command, and thus suffered the eternal wrath of Almighty Allah after being declared "accursed" for ever and thrown down from the garden of Bliss. A true love (with reverence) produces the evolution in the heart and mind and elevates a person from a position of down trodden human being to the station of spiritual and moral grandeur to which even the angels envy. History bears how the ignorant and uncivilised Arabs became the torch-bearers of highest quality of civilization and enlightenment when they unreserved and steadfastly submitted themselves with a spirit of true love and devotion before the commands of Almighty Allah and His Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him).

The negation of the love and Reverence results in utter disgrace and curse the fate of Iblis. We must therefore be in guard of our ideological and spiritual faith, specially when we are visualising and evaluating the highest and most sublime personality of our Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him).

The Spiritual and the Divinely enlightened status of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) can be understood and visualised only by those fortunate persons who are gifted with Divine guidance and wisdom under the inspiration of true love and Reverence. Otherwise in the eyes of the unbelievers -- the Kuffar (the atheists or rejecters of the Faith), Mushrikeen (who associated others with Allah the Almighty), the Jews and the Christians, the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) was merely a common man (with no special spiritual and Divine virtues). The Holy Qur�an mentions this at various places. Some verses are quoted below as examples of this blasphemy.

These are only a few examples from a large number of verses, showing what the Kuffar, Mushrikeen, Jews and Christians of Makka said and thought about the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). Iblis (Satan) too thought (prophet) Adam only as a mortal being and refused to prostrate before him as in defiance of the Divine Command and said, "It is not befitting of me that I should prostrate before a mortal".

It is apparent that in visualising and considering the status of the prophets of Allah all the heathenish and unbelieving elements like Iblis, Kuffar, Mushrikeen, Jews and Christians regarded them as mortals or common men, without confessing and believing their super human and prophetic virtues.

This repetitive degrading epithet �Bashar� or �mortal being� was not uttered by the companions of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him), but it were the heathens and unbelieving Christians and the Jews, who in their obstinacy to oppose Islam and discredit the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) spoke in this insolent manner. In answer to these blasphemous utterance, Allah the Almighty consoled the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) and directed him to answer (those opponents) say thus (no doubt) I look a mortal like you, but (it is also a fact) that I receive Revelation (Wahi) from Almighty Allah that your God (Allah) is only One (without being shared or associated by any other God or Gods).

Here it must be observed that the words �mortal like you� were not spoken by Allah the Almighty in respect of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) but it was said by the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) in reply to his detractors, meaning thereby that though in appearance I look a mortal like you but my point of superiority over you is that I receive �Revelations� (Wahi) from Allah the Almighty, tell me which of you receives Wahi from Allah; obviously there is none to claim this exclusive Divine Privilege and Honour; If there is none, then surely I am not a common man (mortal) as you think of me. Is there any one among you who receives Revelation (Wahi) from Allah the Almighty. It is the point which demands deep faithful and conscious reflection, the quintessence or the spirit of which can only be gained if we ponder over and study the Qur�an as a whole and not fragmentarily or in piece-meal. The Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) said, "No one knows my Reality except Allah.and He declared him the light."

Such a slighting and derogatory utterances (refered to above) can hardly be expected from son to his father, from an obedient student to his teacher or from a disciple (murid) to his spiritual guide (Murshad). If some one ever said to his elder, you are an ordinary man like me then he can only be called insolent and disrespectful. Can there be any one among men who can claim equality -- what to think of superiority with the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) even if we take into consideration the highest blood of human relations, who are all in essence, human being or mortals (Bashar). It is improper to address them with this phraseology. This being so, it is the impropriety or insolence of the basest degree on the part of that mentally distracted person who dares to utter the word �Bashar� for the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) or compares him to any of our dynastic or domestic relations. Such a kind of thinking can not produce real love and regard and consequently the real spirit of Ta�zim-o-Tawqir (Respect and veneration) towards the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). May Allah the Almighty in His infinite mercy bless us with the real and unstinted love and Reverence towards the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) and increase and strengthen our Faith, Amin!

It is very significant that Almighty Allah did not straight-away ordain to honour and revere the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) as that would have been compulsive and arbitrary without the heart and soul being attuned to it. The process is very much in the line of human instinct. To begin with it is the primary instinct of love which initiates and binds two (or more) persons together then follows the process of honour and respect (Ta�zim-o-Tawqir). Then every-thing ordained and proclaimed by way of Divine Demand and command finds its passage in the heart and mind of the person so addressed and thus what follows thereafter is witting and voluntary submission without the least grudge and grumble. This constitutes the bond of faithful and honest adherents; in this way a band or group or society or community of Muslims, loyal and loving to the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) makes its appearance and moving forward and gaining momentum spreads its blessings far and wide among the fellow beings.

The gradual induction of love, honour, respect and assistance propounded by Allah the Almighty paves the way for establishing Ta�zim-o-Tawqir for the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) and the entire clan of Prophets. It is said :

In the order of priority and beginning with faith or belief (Eiman) as the foundation, followed by in that succession of realising the ultimate perfection and accomplishment of the personality of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) with Respect or Reverence (Ta�zim) for him in the spiritual domain, and material help by way of sacrifice in the Divine Mission of guidance, the demand for the Holy Prophet�s (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) obedience and unreserved following (Ita�at) did not come as a burden or compulsion for the true followers and companions. Now the inflow of the Divine Blessing and award was as smooth as it was guaranteed. The glad tiding was then given that those who were firm in their Faith, who respected and honoured the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him), who offered help and assistance in his mission and who followed and obeyed him with no mental reservation gained the real fulfillment of their life long ambitions and desires not only in this world but also in the hereafter the great Divine pleasure.

No doubt the real success and prosperity in both the worlds comes only in this way that there should be Faith (Eiman) in the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) together with respect and honour for him from the depth of heart and mind in a manifest manner through words and deeds. The fragrance of love can not be checked from spreading far and wide. The grandeur and excellence of the Ta�zim-O-Tawqir (Respect and Reverence) of the holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) can be seen from the fact that wherever the Almighty Allah mentioned His obedience, there was also the simultaneous mention of Holy Prophet�s obedience, (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him).

Similarly where there is warning against disobedience to Allah the Almighty the same holds good in respect of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). No where it is mentioned that one who obeys Allah the Almighty, he obeys the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). Instead in order to be more explicit in enhancing the status of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him), it is stated that who-ever obeys the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) he obeys Almighty Allah. The real emphasis is on the love and obedience of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). This means that one who loves the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him), he loves Allah and one who follows and obeys the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) he is deemed as affectionate and beloved in the presence of Allah the Almighty.

That is the reason why Allah the Almighty has commanded honour and regard for the sacred rites (and monuments) held as such by the chosen servants, as anything held sacred and dear by them is also held sacred and dear by Allah the Almighty. This is how love behaves naturally;

One method of increasing popularity and enhancing prestige and dignity of a person is that his expected advent or arrival should be proclaimed emphatically without naming him till the august moment comes so that when he makes his appearance all those present realise his greatness as spontaneously as his personality exhorts them to express their acclamation, and when prior to his appearance they are asked to give pledge for his honour and help, the response to this call is as unanimous as if it rises from the heart of the audience. The allusion here is to the great occasion on the Day of Alast in the Day when thousand upon thousand years before the creation of the universe, Almighty Allah took oath of allegiance of Faith and succour from the Apostles and Prophets in favour of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). This by no stretch of imagination is to be taken as a passing event. It has, on the other hand the grandeur and excellence of the personality of the Holy Prophet, thousand and thousand years before he and the universe had taken concave shape. The great event is unsurpassed from all angles of vision and imagination. Likewise when prophets Ibrahim and Ismail were raising the foundation of the house of Allah, and praying for the arrival of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) hundreds of years before his birth, it demonstrated what august and pre-eminent place the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) enjoyed in the comuty of nations yet to be born

Then again about five hundred and seventy years before the coming of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) in the world prophet Jesus Christ addressed his audience numbering in thousands and gave them the good tidings of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) whose arrival was anxiously awaited by believer and in whose name people prayer for their welfare as foretold in the Holy Qur�an, telling them that "A prophet will come after me and his name will be Ahmad (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him)." This is illustrative of the great spectical of loftiness and grandeur of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) shown to the world at large, so that the world may be witness to this Divine Dispensation of splendeur. No less then one lac and twenty four thousand apostles of Allah, mentioned his name among their peoples (Ummah), which created a pleasant stir of expectancy in each passing age. Then suddenly in that state of universal eagerness, the advent of the Holy Prophet was proclaimed and all the world was aglow with the Divine Brightness of the Holy Noor of Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa. (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). He was proclaimed as superior to the inhabitants of the World.

His mention was raised to unprecedented heights. The splendour was accompanied by series of Divine oaths just to highlight the occasion and elevate the august honorific phenomena then and there-after for ever brightening the atmosphere in every nook and corner.

All these virtues of qualities of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) have been presented in a candid unambiguous manner so that the real imprint of the Holy Prophet�s super human questionable personal excellence may not be confused as being the part of his quality as of any ordinary mortal as believed by the Kuffar, Mushrikeen, Jews and Christians who suffered the ignoming of being condemned by the enlightened believers.

The Holy Pages of the Holy Qur�an are strewn with embellishing pearls of defining and illustrating the sacred virtues and spiritual moral qualities of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). It only needs a discerning eye to visualise and assimilate the splendour hidden therein; Allah-O-Akbar the Almighty Allah is Himself nearer to every man (believer) than his jugular vein and made the Holy Prophet near to the soul of every believer. The Holy Prophet has himself said, "there is not a single momin (believer) but I am accompanying him in the world and shall be so in the hereafter". Enough praise is not enough to delineate the attributes of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). He has been proclaimed a witness (one who is in the know of every incident taking place as an eye-witness) to the entire Ummah. He has been Divinely with the Holy Qur�an which makes everything clear and contains every relevant details thereof. He has been honoured and blessed with the gift of Lailat-ul-Qadr (the Night of power and Divine Dispensation conducting and directing the affairs of the universe) which is better (and more blissful) than thousand months; unaccountable in the connotative sense. He has been given the glad tidings (Basharat) of the Muqaam-i-Mahmud (station of praise and Glory) with the bestowment of Durud (the rites of prayer for grant of blessings) by Almighty Allah Himself, the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) has been raised to such celestial heights which no mortal can ever dream to attain. It was for the fulfillment of the Holy Prophet�s desire that the Direction of Qibla was changed. The world of God moves in humble submission to whatever sight thou art.

Allah the Almighty loves His chosen servants dearly and affectionately. He has even equally affectionate regards for things which these blessed persons hold dear. This involves a deep sense of mutual love and inter-communicable attachment on both sides. The wooden chest (Tabut) containing blissful relics (Tabarrukat) from Hazrat Moosa and Hazrat Harun has been declared as treasure of peace and security; it was carried by the angels as an emblem of authority among the Bani Israel. The (Stone containing) first marks of Hazrat Ibrahim (Maqam-i-Ibrahim) was installed right in front of Holy Ka�ba and declared as one of clear signs of Allah. The foot prints in the sands of Safa-Marwa caused due to frantic to and fro running by Hazrat Hajirah was immortalised as one of the sacred rites (sha�a�ir) of Allah and running round about on these sacred hills was ordained as an integral part of the Haj and Umrah. This practice still continues and shall remain so till Resurrection. On account of their sanctity the three monuments have been declared by the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) as sacred, and selected from among the numerous places of worship to be visited and prayed within their precincts, for people coming and traveling from far off places braving the hazards which fall en-route their journey. What was the reason for bidding their respect. Perhaps the superficial intellect can not probe the latent spiritual blessings attached to them. It is their misfortune that is only to be pitied. The Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) undated journey to Masjid-i-Haram (the Holy Ka�ba) and prayed there in and declared it as sacred monument as it carried the traces of deep and sanctimonious regard of the great prophets Hazrat Ibrahim and Hazrat Ismail and thousands and thousands of pious souls from among the other prophets and holy personages who visited these places and paid homage there, the greatest of all attributes of Masjid-i-Haram is that the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) himself offered prayers within its precincts. He undertook journey to Masjid-i-Aqsa (on the eve of Shab-i-Miraj) and encouraged visit and prayers there as this is the place where at the site of Hazrat Moosa�s tent camp) prophet Da�ud laid the foundation of the Masjid-i-Aqsa or Bait al-Maqdis and the whole monumental structure was completed by Hazrat Sulyman (may peace of Allah be on them all). The Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) on migration from Makka himself selected the site for laying the foundation of Masjid-i-Nabawi and later completed it under his own personal participation and supervision and in due course proclaimed it as the seat of the Islamic state on the surface of the earth and took his abode (Hujra Sharif) quite adjacent to it. Today all the abodes (Hujras) of the pious consorts of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) rather a big part of the Madina Sharif are included within the premises of the Masjid-i-Nabawi. The eternal place of rest of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) together the Holy graves of Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddique and Hazrat Umar Farooq are all under the Mausoleum of the shrine of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) what a sweet smelling fragrance of the sacred association with the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). Allah the Almighty has declared the devotion and homage to the pious personality as part of worship certainly demands deep delving in the intricacies of love and affection to achieve and enjoy the pleasant blessing of this godly defined special attachment between souls and souls of extra ordinary caliber and potential.

This high grade status is the destiny of those who really deserve it. The instinct of love has its process and methodology of finding its own passage of entering and staying into the heart of the person so loved and admired true unstinted and pure love has the knack and acumen of spotting its own repository where it stays as if by way of right and settles and intensifies its influence on the whole being of its beloved. Then it infuses, inspires respect for itself and the person concerned. It advances and proceeds on and on, never looking back for a moment. It never spies the weakness in the person of its choice, nor all those any one to do so. This is contrary to its nature. It is ever prepared to sacrifice itself, rather than destroy the object of its solace and comfort. Allah the Almighty chose the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) as His persona deadmire and persona grata and proclaimed as the model for us to emulate and admire in all circumstances. Allah loves that the followers of the Holy Prophet should speak of him lovingly, respectfully and honourably. The reward promised by Allah the Almighty increases manifold as the love and obedience for the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) intensifies and consolidates stage by stage, but never culminating because love has a beginning but never an ending. Allah has made His pleasure conditional upon the love and obedience of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). Thus a Divine procedure for living a life without blemish and mental aberration has been assured through love, respect and honour of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him).

One hypocrite (munafiq) Imam who used to recite Surah Abasa (No. 80) every day in the morning prayer with the evil and debased intention of harming the dignity of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). When the news reached the great caliph Hazrat Umar he deputed one companion to chop off the head of the munafiq Imam even though he was reciting the Holy Qur�an, but his intentions were evil which rendered him worth beheading. The four caliphs and the companions did not tolerate even the minute act of indecency against the person of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). This was an indication of their true unstinted love and unaffected affection for the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) which had enlightened their heart and mind and who were ever prepared to sacrifice their all for the sake of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him).

The respect, honour and submissive regard shown by the companions towards the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) remained unparalleled even till this date. The quality of a nation or community can be judged and appreciates by the deep sense of honour and respect demonstrated by it towards its leaders specially the chief of them who leads and duides his people however selflessly and exclusively for the betterment of the masses without a semblance of self interest and personal aggrandizement viewed from this point, the personality of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) remains unmatched in the annals of mankind. He revolutionised the pattern of the society in which he was born and completely transformed and purified the people and elevated them from the debased state of savagery and hatred to the most sublime position of culture and enlightenment and converted them from idol-worshippers to the deeply devoted submission of Almighty Allah, and thus laid the foundation of the society who later helped raise the down-trodden humanity to the become leaders and reformers of the world at large.

We would present a few examples to show the respect and regard paid by the companions to the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him).

The companions were so immersed and imbibed with feeling of honour and reverence for the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him), that even in his absence they adhered to his teachings and advices with as much sincerity and devotion as if he was present among them. They never deviated from these abiding principles, such was the attachment of the companions demonstrating their sincere love and respect of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). A few illustrations of these teachings and advices of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) may be presented here for enlightenment and faithful observance.

The Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) has said that whenever anyone of you stands for prayers (Namaz) he should not spit in front (of himself). Why? because there is Ka�ba in front of him in which direction prayers are offered. For every Muslim, respect for the Ka�ba Sharif is essential as an article of faith.

Once a companion while leading the prayer spat in front of him. The Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) saw him doing so. He forbade him to lead the prayers anymore. Thereafter that companion never led the prayer as Imam. It is reported by another companion said, bin Khallad that perhaps the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) also said you have given pain to the Almighty Allah and His Prophet.

It is binding on the Muslims not to cause pain and embarrassment to the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). It should be life�s motto to pay respect and honour to the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) because if any once heart is devoid of his respect and honour he is not a Muslim at all.

In truth the real muslims or momins are those whose hearts and mind are effervescent with the love and esteem of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) and who every moment seek his blessing and on him the incessantly send Durud-o-Salam overtly and covertly and this enriches their lives with the Divine Blessings on the other hand if there be people who fail to pay respect and honour and engage themselves in utterances and behaviour not unbecoming of the Holy Prophet Dignity and Honour, they should be ostracised from the Muslim society and all social connections with them be shunned.

They are more dangerous than wild beasts, rather more harmful than these animals because these animals only can only cause physical harms and injuries, while the wretched bands of the deflers of the sactred and Divnely dignified position of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him) look and plunder the very essence of eiman the love and Honour (Tazeem-o-Tauqir) of the Holy Prophet (Allah�s Grace and Peace be upon him). When these precious possessions are lost then every thing is lost for ever. May Allah the Almighty save us from this uncompensateable loss and grant us the favour of His Pleasure through ever vigrlant and respectful Devotion to the Holy Prophet by offering to him our sincerest and dearest love and Honour which Almighty Allah has command us Amin!