THE RIGHTS OF THE PROPHET
(SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam)

Sister Umm Abdur-Rahman

(Final Part-III)

STICKING TO HIS SUNNAH AND AVOIDING INNOVATIONS
While the Prophet Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) deserves and is due the aforementioned rights, it is also important that we don’t go to extremes regarding his rights. Many Muslims today have innovated practices into the religion concerning his rights. It is indeed correct that the Prophet Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) deserves certain rights, but to innovate practices that go against his very teachings under the guises of loving and respecting him is Bid’ah and will only lead to the fire. The Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) said:

“Beware of newly invented matters (in religion) for every invented matter (in religion) is a cursed innovation which leads astray.”

In Deifying him
One such innovation that should be avoided is to deify Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam). This is how the Christians went astray with their belief in Jesus. After his death they began to worship him as their deity and left the Tawheed (Monotheism) that he brought them. Allah says about them:

“Surely in disbelief are they who say that Allah is the Messiah, son of Maryam. Say, ‘Who then has the least power against Allah if He were to destroy the Messiah, son of Maryam, his mother, and all those who are on the earth together?’ “ (5:17)

Likewise, deifying Prophet Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) would throw a person into disbelief. Prophet Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) was a servant and a worshipper of Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa). He was a Prophet and a Messenger. Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) says:

“Muhammad is no more than a Messenger.” (3:144)

The Prophet Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) said:
“Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians exaggerated in their praise the son of Maryam. For, indeed, I am a slave, so say, ‘The slave of Allah and His Messenger.’ “

We cannot claim that Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) knew the unseen by himself. He was given the knowledge by Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) what ever he had. Or he, by himself, brought harm or benefited anyone, after his departure from this mortal world. These are things that only Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) knows and has the power to do. Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) only knew what knowledge Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) revealed to him and he does not have the ability to decree anything. Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) says:

“Say (O Muhammad), ‘I know not whether (the punishment) is near Or whether my Lord will appoint for it a distant term. (He alone is) the All-Knower of the unseen, and He reveals to none His unseen.” (72:25,26)

In keeping away from deifying the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam), we must also accept his departure from this world. He was human and all humans must die, for Allah says:

“Verily, you (O Muhammad) will die and verily they will die.” (39:30)

Through Istigaatha
Related to this in innovation is Istigaatha to the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam). Istigaatha means to call for help, or to appeal for aid. Some Muslims have gone astray, to the point of calling upon the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam), for help, instead of Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa). This is tantamount to Shirk (Plytheism), which Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) does not forgive. Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) says:

“Do not call onto any beings other than Allah. These are capable of neither benefit nor harm. To do so is therefore to become guilty of wrongdoing. When Allah invests you with an affliction, none can remove it except Him.” (10:106-7)

Through Tawassul 
Another innovation that has become popular is making Tawassul by the right of the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam). The meaning of Tawassul is to draw near to what one seeks after, and to approach that which one desires. Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) says in the Quraan:

“O you who believe! Do your duty to Allah and fear Him. Seek the means of approach (al-wasilah) to Him, and strive hard in His cause as much as you can. So that you may be successful.” (5:35)

Ibn Katheer said that the meaning of Waseelah is to draw closer.

There are three types of Tawassul that are allowed in Islam. The first is by Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa)’s names and attributes. The proof for this is the verse.

“And the most beautiful names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them.” (7:180)

Shaikh Al-Albaanee said that the meaning of this verse is, “Call upon Allah, the Most High, by means of (performing tawassul with) His perfect Names, and there is no doubt that His exalted Attributes fit into this since His Names are Attributes of His.” Also the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) used to seek Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa)’s refuge with the words:

“O Allah, I seek refuge in Your Might, none has the right to be worshiped but You.”

The second type is by means of a righteous deed, which one has done. Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) says:

“Those who say, ‘Our Lord. We have indeed believed, so forgive us our sins and save us from the punishment of the fire.” (3:16)

So it is allowed to use a righteous action that one has performed in one’s supplication as a means of Tawassul so that his supplication is more likely to be responded to. An example of this is the Hadeeth, reported by Hadhrat Abdullah Ibne Umar, who said that the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) said:

“Three men amongst those who came before you set out until night came and they reached a cave, so they entered it. But a boulder rolled down from the mountain and blocked the entrance of the cave. So they said: Nothing can rescue you from this rock except that you supplicated to Allah by mentioning righteous deeds you have done. So one of them said, ‘O Allah I had my elderly parents and I had not used to give precedence over them to my family and slaves in giving them milk to drink. But one day I was delayed in seeking after something and I did not return with the flock until they had slept. So I milked the animals for them but found that they were both asleep. However I hated to give milk to my family and slaves before them, so I waited with the bowl in my hand for them to awake. Then with the break of dawn they awoke and drank their milk. O Allah if I did that seeking Your pleasure, then relieve us from this situation caused by the rock.’ So it moved slightly, but they were unable to escape. The Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) said: ‘The next said, ‘O Allah my uncle had a daughter and she was the most beloved of the people to me and I tried to persuade her to have sexual relations with me, but she refused until she suffered from a year of famine. Then she came to me and I gave her a hundred and twenty dinars on the condition that she would comply with me desire for her, so she agreed. But when I was about to fulfill my desire she said “It is unlawful for you to break the seal except by lawful means.” So I felt ashamed to commit the crime against her so I left her alone, and she was the dearest of all the people to me, and I left the gold which I had given her. O Allah if I did that seeking Your pleasure then release us from the situation we are in.’ So the rock opened further, but they were still unable to escape.” The Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) said: ‘And the third said, ‘O Allah I employed some laborers and paid them their wages except a single man who did not take his wages and went away. I invested his wages and it grew into a great deal of property. Then after some time he came to me and said, ‘O servant of Allah, give me my wages.’ So I said to him, ‘All the camels, cows, sheep and slaves that you see are your wages.’ So he said, ‘O servant of Allah, do not mock me.’ So I said, ‘I am not mocking you.’ So he took all of that and led them away and did not leave any of it. O Allah, if I did that seeking Your pleasure, then release us from our situation.’ So the rock moved and they walked out of the cave.”

The third allowed type of Tawassul is through the supplication made by a righteous man. This means going to a man whom one deems to be righteous and asking him to supplicated for him. There are a number of examples of this in the Sunnah of the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam). A man once came to the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) and asked him to pray for rain because they were having a drought. The Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) did so and it rained heavily for a week. Then a man came back and asked the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) to supplicate for the rain to stop and so the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) asked for the rain.

After the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam)’s departure, Hadhrat Umar used to ask the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam)’s uncle Hadhrat Abbas to supplicate for rain for them.

Through Celebrations
Other innovations, which have crept into the Ummah, are the celebration of his birthday, the israa and miraj, and the hijarh. Celebrating these events has no place in the Sunnah of the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) or in the religion of Islam. The Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) or his Sahaabah did not do this.

Two celebrations have been prescribed for the Muslim Ummah, the Eidul Fitr and the Eidu Adh-ha. Hadhrat Anas said:

“The Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) came to Madinah and the people of Madinah had, before Islam, two days for play and amusement. So the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) said: “I came to you and you had in Jahileeyah two days for play and amusement. Indeed Allah has replaced them for you by that which is better than them. The day of Nahr (slaughtering) and the day of Fitr (breaking fast).” Any celebrations other than these, if attributed to Islam, are innovations and have no part in this religion.

These innovations have no part in the religion but are a result of going to extremes with regard to the love and rights of the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam). Certainly, the Prophet has a high position of honor among us. But to deviate further into matters that go against his very teachings is by no means an expression of love and respect but rather an expression of disobedience and a straying from the true rights of the Prophet Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam).