Islamic Evidence - 3
Allah in the Surah Tawba, ayah 74 of the Koran, says, Wa maa naqamuu illa a'n aghnaahumullaahu wa rasuuluhu min fadlihii, meaning "The Bounty with which Allah and his Apostle had enriched them (the believers)." (Yusuf Ali's translation)
Mufti Ahmad Yaar Khan Nayimiyy Ashrafiyy (may Allah's mercy be upon him), in his book Sultanat-i Mustafa, page 27, wrote, "The (above) ayah proves that the Prophet (peace be upon him) enriches people. This can only be done by a person who is himself the owner of riches and wealth. The pronoun hu in the Arabic word fadlihii quoted in the said ayah has been used in place of the Prophet (peace be upon him). This is because the pronoun is generally used in place of the nearest noun in a sentence (of the Arabic language). Allah is all-knowing." (Translated by late Hafez Mawlana Mu'inul Islam, the former Khatib of Shah Sufi Sharaf al-Deen Chishtiyy mazaar shareef mosque, High Court, Dhaka; he was also a high official of the Islamic Foundation Bangladesh)
Allah in the Surah Tawba, ayah 59, says, Wa lao annahum raduu maa aataahumullaahu wa rasuuluhuu wa qaaluu hasbunaAllaahu sayu'teenaAllaahu min fadlihee wa rasuuluhuu innaa ilallaahi raaghibuun, meaning "If only they had been content with what Allah and His Apostle gave them, and had said, 'Sufficient unto us is Allah! Allah and His Apostle will soon give us of His bounty; to Allah do we turn our hopes! - (That would have been the right course)." (Yusuf Ali's translation)
Mufti Ahmad Yaar Khan Nayimiyy Ashrafiyy, in his book Sultanat-i Mustafa, pages 27-8, wrote, "It is understood from the ayah that the Prophet (peace be upon him) has bestowed/granted favors (in the past) and will do the same in the future. Only the person who possesses the things for bestowing can grant those. The Prophet (peace be upon him) only bestows the things that are given to him by Allah, because the sole verb of 'giving' quoted in the ayah has been used for both Allah and His Apostle (peace be upon him). Allah grants all the favors, so does His Apostle (peace be upon him) bestow all the favors." The great mufti, in his book Shaan-i Habeeb al-Rahmaan, page 88, also wrote, "...The Prophet (peace be upon him) distributes the bounties of Allah, as the ayah declares - Aataahumullaahu wa rasuuluhuu - meaning Allah and His Apostle have bestowed favors. Henceforth, it won't be shirk (polytheism) if at present any person says that Allah and His Apostle (peace be upon him) have bestowed upon him honor and (firm) faith, money and property; because it is ja'iz (permissible) to ask favors from the benevolent."
The above-mentioned ayah elucidates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is able to bestow favors, worldly and beyond, on the believers, and the Almighty too likes to see us longing for His Apostle's grants.
In a Hadith the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, Allaahul mu'tiyy wa anaa al-qaasimu, meaning 'Allah grants bounties, and I distribute those'. He declared elsewhere, Innamaa anaa qaasimun wallaahu yu'tiyy, meaning 'I am the distributor, and Allah the Giver'. The former Hadith expounds that all of Allah's grants for His Creatures are being distributed by His Apostle (peace be upon him). While explaining the latter Hadith, Mufti Ahmad Yaar Khan Nayimiyy Ashrafiyy, in his book Sultaanat-i Mustafa, page 37, wrote, "It is understood from the Hadith that whenever Allah wishes to bestow any grants to someone, it is through the distribution of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The grants of Allah and the distribution of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as quoted in the Hadith are not stipulated with any preconditions. There is no mention about the time-limit, the particulars of the grants and the qualities of the recipients. In a nutshell, whatever Allah grants, the Prophet (peace be upon him) distributes. Only the person who has been made the owner of everything can distribute everything. This is the Ownership and Right of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Islamic Evidence - 4
Once the Apostle of Allah, after being pleased with Hadrat Rabiya' bin abi Ka'ab Aslaamiyy, one of his blessed companions, said to him, "Seek something from me." Rabiya' replied, "I ask for your companionship in Heaven." The Prophet (peace be upon him) then asked, "Is there anything else that you desire?" Rabiya' said in response, "I seek only this." (Mishkat, As-Sujuud wa fadlihii chapter)
Mufti Ahmad Yaar Nayimiyy Ashrafiyy, while explaining the above-quoted Hadith in his book Sultanat-i Mustafa, pages 32-3, wrote, "The empire (i.e. ownership) of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is illustrated in three ways by this Hadith. Firstly, the Prophet (peace be upon him) told his companion to ask for something from him; he didn't tell him to ask for anything specific. This can only be uttered by someone who owns everything. Hadrat Rabiya', seeing the opportunity, asked for such a thing that is matchless - the Jannah (Heaven). Not only that, he asked for the highest station in Heaven where the Apostle of Allah would reside. Secondly, Hadrat Rabiya' is quoted as saying 'I ask (of you)'. At this point, the Prophet (peace be upon him) didn't say to him 'You have turned into a polytheist (for uttering such words)'. This is because, requests are made only to the owner. Hence, it elucidates that Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) has ownership of everything that belongs to Allah. Thirdly, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said in response, 'Is there anything else that you desire'? It is understood here that he is able to give many more things other than Jannah. Rabiya' thought he had attained the flower of the Universe, why bother about leaves then?" The blessed companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to ask from him directly and fulfilled their wishes accordingly.
Islamic Evidence - 5
Khwaja Hasan Jan Faruqee Sirhindi, one of the grandsons of Imam-i Rabbaniyy Ahmad Faruqi Sirhindi, in his Persian book Al-Usuul al-Arba'a fii Tardid al-Wahhabiyya, 2nd part, wrote, "The Wahhabi and other La-Madhhabi (i.e. Salafi) people cannot comprehend the meanings of Majaz (it is the use of a word not in its usual or obvious literal meaning but in a sense connected to its meaning; it is figurative or symbolic) and Isti'ara (metaphor). Whenever someone says that he did something, they call him a polytheist or disbeliever though his expression is a majaz. However, Allah declares in many ayats of the Koran that He is the Real Maker of every act and that man is the majazi maker. In the 57th ayah of Surah al-An'am and in Surah Yusuf, He says, 'The decision (hukm) is Allah's alone', that is, Allah is the only Decider (Hakim). In the 64th ayah of Surah Nisaa, He says, 'They will not be Believers unless they make thee (the Prophet swallallaahu alaiyhi wa sallam) judge (yuhakkimu'naka) of what is in dispute between them'. The former ayah states that Allah is the only Real Hakim, and the latter states that man can be metaphorically referred to as a hakim.
"Every Muslim knows that Allah alone is the One who gives life and takes it away, for He declares: 'He alone gives life and takes life', in the 56th ayah of Surah Yunus, and, 'Allah is the One who makes man dead at the time of his death', in the 42nd ayah of Surah Zumar. In the 11th ayah of Surah Sajda, He says as a majaz: 'The angel who is appointed as the deputy to take life takes your life'.
"Allah alone is the One who gives health to the sick, for the 80th ayah of Surah Shu'ara states: 'When I become sick, only He gives me recovery'. He quotes 'Isaa (alaiyhis-salaam) in the 49th ayah of Surah Al-i Imraan as saying: 'I heal the blind and the leper, and I bring the dead back to life by Allah's permission'. The One who gives a child to man is actually He; the 18th ayah of Surah Maryam states (the archangel) Jibril's majaziyy words, 'I will give you a pure son.'
"The real owner of man is Allah. The 257th ayah of Surah al-Baqara states this openly: 'Allah is the Wali (Protector/Guardian) of those who believe.' And by saying, 'Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him) are your Protector/Guardians,' and 'The Prophet protects the believers more than they protect themselves,' in the 56th and 6th ayahs of Surah al-Ma'ida and Surah al-Ahzab, respectively, He means that persons, too, though symbolically, are protector/guardians. Similarly, the real helper is Allah, and He also calls human beings Mu'in (helper) metaphorically. He says in the 3rd ayah of Surah al-Ma'ida: 'Help one another in goodness and piety (taqwa).' Wahhabi people use the word 'mushrik' (polytheist) for those Muslims who call somebody an 'abd (servant) of someone other than Allah, for example, 'Abd an-Nabi' or 'Abd ar-Rasuul'; however, in the 32nd ayah of Surah Nur, it is declared: 'Give in marriage your unmarried women and those pious ones among your male and female servants.' The real Rabb (Trainer) of men is Allah, but someone else can also be called 'rabb' metaphorically; in the 42nd ayah of Surah Yusuf, the said prophet is quoted as saying, 'Mention me in the presence of your rabb.'
"Istighatha is what the Wahhabi sect oppose most: 'to ask for help or protection of someone other than Allah,' which they call polytheism. In fact, as all Muslims know, true (in haqiqiyy sense) istighatha is only for Allah. However, it is permissible to say metaphorically that one can make istighatha for someone (other than Allah), since it is declared in the 15th ayah of Surah Qassass: 'People of his (prophet Musa/Moses') tribe made istighatha for him against the enemy.' A Hadith states, 'They will make istighatha for Adam (alaiyhis-salaam) at the place of Mahshar (Judgement).' Another Hadith written in the book al-Hisn al-Hasin says, 'He who needs help should call out loudly, Yaa 'ibaadallaahi a'iyynuuniiyy meaning - O Allah's votaries! Help me!' This Hadith commands everyone to call for help from someone not near him/her." (English translation from the online book Sunni Path at http://www.hakikatkitabevi.net/book.php?bookCode=032)
Islamic Evidence - 6
Allah has granted His Apostle the Knowledge of the Unseen ('Ilm-i Ghaiyb). He is Haadir and Naazir (omnipresent) and Shahid (Witness to the Truth) for having this Knowledge. Allah, in the Surah Al-i Imraan, ayah 179 of the Koran, says, "Nor will He (Allah) disclose to you the secrets of the Unseen, but He chooses of His Apostles (for the purpose) whom He pleases." He says elsewhere, "Allah knows the Unseen, nor does He make any one acquainted with His Mysteries; except an Apostle whom He has chosen" (Surah Jinn, ayah 26, Yusuf Ali's translation). In Surah Takweer, ayah 24 of the Koran, Allah says, Wa maa hua 'alal ghaiybi bi-dwaneen, meaning "Neither doth he withhold grudgingly a knowledge of the Unseen" (Yusuf Ali's translation).
The grand Mufti of the Sub-continent, Hadrat Ahmad Yaar Khan Nayimiyy Ashrafiyy (Allah's mercy be upon him), while explaining the Koranic verse, wrote, "This is possible only when the Prophet (peace be upon him) is himself aware of the Unseen knowledge ('Ilm-i Ghaiyb) and is able to disclose it to the people. The ayah has been explained in the Tafseer book (commentary) 'Ma'alimut-tanzil' as follows: 'The Prophet (peace be upon him) is not inclined to withhold grudgingly any unseen matters, revelations and other information and narrations from Allah Almighty. In other words, he is not holding back anything while relating the Divine Revelations to the people, whenever these are made available to him. He doesn't keep secrets or hold back information like the fortunetellers and astrologers' (Ma'alimut-tanzil). It is stated in Tafseer-i Khazayin, a commentary on the Koran, 'The ayah expresses that unseen matters are revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him). He does not grudgingly withhold those from us, but rather, discloses to us' (Tafseer-i Khazayin). This ayah elucidates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) imparts knowledge of the Unseen to the people. Needless to say, only the one who knows can teach or impart knowledge." (Mufti Ahmad Yaar Khan: Ja'al Haqq, 'Ilm-i Ghaiyb chapter. To know more kindly see Dr G. F. Haddad's Online article "80 Hadiths on the Prophet's Knowledge of the Unseen" at http://www.livingislam.org/n/pku_e.html)
Islamic Evidence - 7
The Prophet (peace be upon him) is the Witness to the Truth. Allah, in Surah Ahzab, ayahs 45-6 of the Koran, says, Yaa ayyuhaan-Nabiyyu innaa arsalnaaka shaahidaao-wa mubasshhiraao-wa nadheeraao-wa daa'iyaan ilallaahi bi-idhnihee wa siraajaam-muneeraa, meaning "O Prophet! Truly We have sent thee as a Witness, a Bearer of Glad Tidings, and a Warner; and as one who invites to Allah's (Grace) by His leave; and as a Lamp Spreading Light."
Mufti Ahmad Yaar Khan Nayimiyy Ashrafiyy (Allah's mercy be upon him), while explaining the above ayah in the Haadir-Naazir chapter, pages 259-61 of his book Ja'al Haqq, wrote, "The word Shaahid referred to in the Koran could mean both 'Witness' and Haadir-Naazir (Omnipresent). The word is used as witness, because the Witness was present at the place of incident. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) may be referred to as the 'Witness' because he is bearing firsthand testimony to the 'World of the Unseen' upon his advent to this world (of matter). If he is not the (firsthand or eye) Witness, then his sending by Allah as a 'Witness' means nothing whatsoever! This is because all the Prophets (peace be upon them) were witnesses, too. Or, he might have been mentioned as the Shaahid, since he would bear firsthand testimony in favor of the other prophets. This testimony cannot be borne without witnessing all events. Same is the case with his being a 'Bearer of Glad Tidings', a 'Warner' and the 'one who invites to Allah's Grace by His Leave'. The other prophets also carried out the same duties, the only exception being the fact that they did so by hearing. On the other hand, our Prophet is bearing firsthand testimony, that is, he is an eyewitness . This is why the Mi'raj (Ascension to Allah's presence in the Heavens) took place solely in his case. In the above ayah, he is also mentioned as the Siraajam-muneer. This term is referred to the sun only. As the sun (ray) is present everywhere on earth, in every dwelling, so is the Prophet (peace be upon him) omnipresent (everywhere). Each and every word of this Koranic verse proves the Haadir-Naazir issue of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
"Allah declares in the Koran, 'Thus have We made of you an Ummat (nation) justly balanced, that ye might be witnesses over nations, and the Apostle a witness over yourselves' (Surah Baqara, ayah 143, Yusuf Ali's translation). He declares elsewhere, Fa kayifa idha ji'naa min kulli ummatin bi-shaheedioo-wa ji'naa bi ka 'alaa haawoolaa-i shaheeda, meaning 'What would be the situation when We produce a witness from each nation and grant you, O Prophet, the opportunity to testify as an eyewitness for each of those witnesses?' (The translation is mine)
"The above-mentioned ayahs allude to the incident described as follows: On the Day of Judgement the Ummats or followers of other prophets (peace be upon them) will remonstrate with them (the prophets) by saying, 'You didn't convey to us the Message (of Allah).' On the other hand, the prophets will say, 'We have conveyed the Divine Commandment.' They (the prophets) will put forward the testimony of the Ummat-i Muhammadiyya (Muslim community) in favor of their plea. At this point, the Ummats of the other prophets (peace be upon them) will object by saying, 'You were not present at the times of the preceding prophets. How can you testify in their favor without witnessing the events?' The Ummat-i Muhammadiyya will reply, 'Our Prophet (peace be upon him) has informed us in this regard.' Hence, he will testify on this matter and his testimony will cover two aspects: 1. The preceding prophets conveyed Divine Revelations or Laws; and 2. The Ummat-i Muhammadiyya are trustworthy as witnesses. That would put the case to rest and the judgement would be given in favor of the preceding prophets (peace be upon them). It may be noted here that if our Prophet (peace be upon him) had not been an eyewitness to the Divine missions of the preceding prophets (peace be upon them) and had not foreseen the future state of his Ummat, then objections to his testimony would have been raised; but none were raised. Thus it is understood that his testimony is firsthand, and the former testimonies were upon hearing. The issue of Haadir-Naazir is hereby illustrated." [Mufti Ahmad Yaar Khan: Ja'al Haqq]
Allah declares in Surah Zukhruf, ayah 86 of the Koran, Wa laa yamlikul-ladheena yad'uuna min duunihiish-shafa'ata illaa man shahida bil-haqqi wa hum ya'lamuun, meaning "And those whom they (pagan Arabs of Mecca) worship beside Allah have no power of intercession, except the one (Prophet Muhammad swallallaahu alaiyhi wa sallam) who bears witness to the Truth; and they know (him)." (Imam Ahmad Reza Khan's and Yusuf Ali's translations)
The above ayah is the most sound Islamic evidence as regards the issue of our Prophet's (peace be upon him) being the Witness and the Intercessor on the Day of Judgement. [For further studying kindly refer to Dr G.F. Haddad's Online article "The Omnipresence of the Prophet" at http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/misc/hazarnazar.htm
(End of Blog 2)
