THE RIGHTS OF THE PROPHET
(SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam)

Sister Umm Abdur-Rahman

(Part-I)

Prophet Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) deserves special rights, which are due only to the final Prophet and Messenger. These rights have been enjoined upon us by Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) and are part of safeguarding the perfect religion of Islam. Unfortunately many Muslims today have become confused with regard to these rights and have innovated practices that have no basis in Islam. The Prophet himself knew that such practices would happen and warned against them, “Beware of newly invented matters (in religion), for every invented matter (in religion) is a cursed innovation which leads astray. (Tirmizi and Abu Dawood)

So as Muslims, we must stick to giving our Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam), his rights as commanded by Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) and stay away from the innovations that either ignore these rights or take them to extremes.

Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) sent Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) to all of mankind, with the divine message of “La ilaha illaAllah” (there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah). He brought glad tidings of Paradise to the believers and warning of the punishment of the Hellfire to the disbelievers. He called to “Tawheed i.e., the belief that Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) is the sole Creator and Lord of the universe, and therefore He alone should be worshipped. Believing in Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) is also believing in His Messenger (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam).

• To believe in him
  
• To obey him
  
• To follow him
  
• To love him
  
• To respect him
  
• To judge according to his Shariah
  
• To send salaam upon him
  
• To stick to his sunnah and avoid innovations
  

TO BELIEVE IN HIM
There is no doubt that the first of our Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam)’s rights, is to believe in him and to believe in the message he was sent with. Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) says:

“Believe in Allah and His Messenger and the light which He sent down.” (64:8)

Qadhi Eyadh said in his famous and important book “Ash-Shifaa”, about the rights of the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam), that, “Belief in the Prophet Muhammad is therefore an obligation for every individual. Belief is not complete without it and Islam is only valid with it.” Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) has linked belief in Him with belief in His Messenger (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam). They are inseparable. This is what the Shahaadah, the declaration of faith, means. Even if a person follows other prophets like Musa and Eesa, (alaihimus salaam), he is not a believer until he completely follows the teachings of Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam).

Hadhrat Abu Hurairah reported that Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa)’s Messenger (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) said, “I was commanded to fight people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and believe in me and what I have brought. When they do that, their blood and property are protected from me except for a right (they owe). Their reckoning is with Allah.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

Believing in the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam), therefore, is about living according to his guidance. It is much more than just mere recognition of the fact that he is a prophet. Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) says:

“When the hypocrites come to you, they say, ‘We testify that you are the Messenger of Allah’ and Allah knows that you are His Messenger and Allah testifies that the hypocrites are liars.” (63:1)

At the time of the Prophet Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam), the Jews who lived in Arabia had been waiting for the promised Prophet that they knew of from their scriptures. But when Prophet Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) came, they rejected him out of arrogance because he was not a Jew. Many of the rabbis, however, recognized that he was a Prophet but did not accept him or believe in him. Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) says about them:

“Those to whom We gave the scriptures recognize him as they recognize their sons. But verily, a party of them conceal the truth while they know it.” (2:146)

Ibn Ishaq reports in his biography of the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam), that Hadhrat Safiyah binte Huyayy said, “I was the favorite child of my father and my uncle Abu Yasir. When I was present they took no notice of their other children. When the apostle was staying in Quba with the brother ‘Amr ibn ‘Auf, the two went to see him before daybreak and did not return until after nightfall, weary, worn out, drooping and feeble. I went up to them in childish pleasure as I always did and they were so sunk in gloom that they took no notice of me. I heard my uncle say to my father, ‘Is he the one? Do you recognize him? Can you be sure?’ ‘Yes!’ ‘And what do you feel about him?’ ‘By God, I shall be his enemy as long as I live!’” Believing in something is more than just recognizing that it exists. Shaitaan, as explained in the Quraan, recognizes that Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) exists yet he is the worst of the disbelievers.

TO OBEY HIM
The second right, which is due to our beloved Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam), is that we obey him. Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) says:

“O you who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger...” (8:20)

Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) has mentioned obedience to the Messenger (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) in connection with obedience to Him. You cannot have one without the other. Obeying the Messenger (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) means, following his commands and staying away from what he has prohibited.

Hadhrat Abu Hurairah narrated that the prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) said:

“All of my ummah will enter Paradise except for those who refuse to.” They asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Who will refuse?” He replied, “Whoever obeys me will enter the Paradise. Whoever disobeys me has refused.”(Bukhari)

TO FOLLOW HIM
Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) says:
“You have a good model in the Messenger of Allah for one who hopes for Allah and the last day.” (33:21)

Commenting on this verse, Imam at-Tirmidzi said:
“To take the Messenger as a model means to emulate him, follow his Sunnah and avoid opposition to him in either word or action.” We should strive to follow his mode of life, his sayings and doings, his conduct and manners.

We can see from the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam)’s companions, the way in which they emulated the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam), followed his examples, and modeled their behaviors upon his. This is what it means to follow the Prophet Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam).

A man from Khalid ibn Asid’s family asked Hadhrat Abdullah ibne Umar, “Abu Abdurrahman! We find the fear Salaah and the Salaah at home in the Quraan, but we do not find the travelling Salaah.” Hadhrat Ibne Umar said, “My nephew, Allah sent Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam), to us when we did not know anything. We do as we saw him doing.”

When Umar looked at the black stone, he said, “You are a stone and can neither help nor harm. If I had not seen Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa)’s Messenger (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) kissing you, I would not have kissed you.” Then he kissed it.

Hadhrat Umar ibne Abdul Aziz said, “Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa)’s Messenger (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) made a Sunnah and the people in command after him made sunnahs. To adopt them is to confirm the Book of Allah and to act on them is to obey Allah and strengthen the deen of Allah. It is not for anyone to change the Sunnah, or alter it, or to look into the opinion of those who oppose it. Whoever follows it, is guided. Whoever opposes it and follows other than the path of the believers, Allah will entrust him to what he turns to and will roast him in the hellfire, which is a bad ending.”

TO LOVE HIM
A Muslim must love the Prophet (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa), truthfully. Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) says:
“Say, if your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your tribe and the possessions you have earned, commerce you fear may slacken, dwellings you love - if these are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and to struggle in His way, then wait until Allah brings His command.”(9:25)

The Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) said:
“None of you will believe until I am more beloved to you than your children, your fathers, and all people.” Hadhrat Umar ibnul Khattab said to the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam), “I love you more than anything except my soul, which is between my two sides.” The Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) replied, “None of you will believe until I am dearer to him than his own soul.” Hadhrat Umar said, “By the One who sent down the Book to you, I love you more than my soul which is between my two sides.” The Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) said, “Now, O Umar! Now you have it.”

Related to this love is Naseehah. Naseehah is usually translated as good counsel and sincere conduct. It is “used to designate the desire for what is good for the one who is its object.” Linguistically it means purity. Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa)’s Messenger (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) said, “The deen is naseehah. The deen is naseehah. The deen is naseehah.” They asked, “To whom, O Messenger (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam)?” He said, “To Allah and His Book and His Messenger and the imams of the muslims and the common people.” Naseehah to the Messenger (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) is confirming his Prophethood, obeying him, supporting and protecting him, and following his Sunnah.

Abu Bakr al-Ajurri said, “Naseehah for his sake includes two types of sincere conduct. One is naseehah during his lifetime and the other is naseehah after his death.” During his lifetime it was helping, protecting and obeying him. After his death it is “By maintaining esteem, respect and great love for him. By persevering in learning his Sunnah and understanding his Shari’ah. It is to love for the people of his house and his Sahaabah, avoiding things disliked in his Sunnah and what deviates from it.”

As loving the Prophet (Sall-Allaho alaihe wa sallam) is an obligation, it comes with an excellent reward. Hadhrat Anas said that a man came to the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) and asked, “When will the last Hour come, O Messenger (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam)?” He said, “What have you prepared for it?” He said, “I have not prepared a lot of Salaah or Sawm or Zakaah and Sadaqah for it, but I love Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) and His Messenger (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam).” The Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) said, “You will be with the one you love.” He also said, “Whoever loves me will be with me in the Garden.”

Love for the Prophet Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) manifests itself in many ways. One will prefer what the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) came with, over his own desires. His anger against people will be for the sake of Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa). He will mention the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) often. He will have a yearning to meet him. He will exalt and respect him and be humble when he hears his name mentioned. He will have love for the Quraan, which the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) brought. He will have compassion for his fellow human beings, striving for their best interests.

Another sign for love of the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) is that he who aspires to it, does without in this world and prefers poverty. The Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) said, “Poverty for those among you who love me comes quicker than a flood from the top of the mountain to the bottom.”
(Continued)