USING THE 'HARF-E-NIDAA' WHEN RECITING SALAWAT AND SALAAM

[Ghulam E Mustafa]

USING THE 'HARF-E-NIDAA' WHEN RECITING SALAWAT AND SALAAM

 

The 'Harf-e-Nidaa' means - to use the pronoun for addressing the second person - who is present (ie. using the word 'YA' which means 'O !', when addressing the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) eg. 'Ya Nabi !, Ya Rasool !')

The words 'Ya' and 'Ayyu' are for addressing. The one who is addressing is called Munadee and the addressee is called Munadaa. If the Munadaa has the quality of hearing then the addressing would be 'Real', like calling a person who is present: Ya Zaid !, and if the Munadaa cannot hear then the addressing will be metaphorical, like : Oh sky! Oh earth! Oh mountain!

 

In the book Sharh Jami, which is a set book for the Maulvi Degree, it is written : Munadaa means to address or call the attention for real, like: Oh Zaid! or metaphorically, like Oh Sky! Oh Earth! Because the person or the thing is established which can be addressed then the word of address is affixed to it. By this general law of Arabic grammar is known that it is not necessary for the addressed to hear, to permit the addresser to use the word 'Ya'.

 

So it is seen that we are allowed to address even inanimate things. Rasoolullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) on the other hand, is alive, and hears the Salaam and so it is obvious that he can be addressed using the Nida'.

 

Some individuals say that it is Shirk (attributing partners to Allahu Ta'aala) to use words like Ya Nabi ! and Ya Rasool! They say this because they believe that the Prophet (sallallu 'alaihi wasallam) cannot hear and is not present so one should not call to him as if he can hear and is present. (This is answered in this chapter and next)

 

Others, say that it is permissible to say so only out of love for the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) but not with the belief in mind that he can hear you.

 

If the 'Harf-e-Nidaa' was not permissible then why is it present in the Salaah that we read five times a day, when every worshipper salutes the Holy Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam), "Ayyuhannabiyyu" (Oh Prophet !) ?

 

Some individuals state that, one does not have the intention of calling to the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) in the "Attahiyaat", rather one is merely repeating the story of M'iraj. This opinion is without basis. The religion of Islam has never commanded us to recite any Dhikr, without pondering on its meaning. Therefore, when we are reciting the "Attahiyaat", we should not possess this belief, rather we should believe that we are directly addressing the Holy Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) and sending Salaams to him, upon oneself and upon all the pious of the Ummat.

 

Moreover, in the famous book of Jurisprudence, Durr ul-Mukhtar, Volume 1, Page 228, is explained:

 

"The 'Tashahud' (Du’a read in the sitting position of Namaaz) must be read in the present and not as the repetition of an event such as took place during the Mi'raj when the 'Tashahud' was revealed. In fact, one must know and read 'Tashahud' and recite Allah's Praises then make present (haazir) the Prophet (peace be upon him) and say 'Assalamu alaika ayyahannabiyu ...', then the Salaam upon the present congregation and the pious peoples, and then the testament of the Oneness of Allah and the Messengership of the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam). This then constitutes the 'Tashahud'."

 

Words of similar effect are also found in the books of Jurisprudence, Fatawa Alamgeeri (also see Chapter on Haazir and Naazir for testimonies of the 'Ulama regarding the Attahiyyaat).

 

Allah Ta'aala orders us not to call upon the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) in the same way as we call upon each other : “Make not the summoning of the Messenger among yourselves, like one calls the other among you.” (Surah al-Furqan, Verse 63)

 

i.e. When we call upon the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) it must be with utmost respect and not like how we call each other. This Ayat is sufficient evidence, because besides making it permissible, Allah Ta'aala also shows us the etiquette when calling Rasoolullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam).

 

Imam Bukhari (radi allahu 'anhu) in his Kitaabul Adaabul Mufrad, Imam Ibnus Sinni and Imam ibn Bashkool (radi allahu 'anhuma) have recorded that, Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn 'Umar (radi allahu 'anhu) once suffered from a cramp. Someone advised him to remember the person whom he loved the most. The great companion then proclaimed loudly, "YA MUHAMMADAH". It is recorded that he was immediately relieved.

 

Imaam Nawawi (rahmat allahi 'alaih) in his commentary of the Sahih Muslim, including in his book, Kitaabul Azkaar, records that some individuals were sitting in the company of Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Abbas (radi allahu 'anhu), when suddenly one of them suffered from cramps. The great companion advised the man to remember the person whom he loved the most. The man proclaimed, "YA MUHAMMADAH". He was immediately cured. There are in fact many Ashaab who narrate incidents of similar import.

 

Substantiating this, Allama Shahaab Khafaaji Misri (radi allahu 'anhu) states in his Naseem-ur Riyaaz, a commentary of the Shifa by Imaam Qadhi 'Iyad (radi allahu 'anhu), that it is indeed an established practice of the people of Madina Shareef to proclaim, "YA MUHAMMADAH" in times of difficulty and anxiety.

 

A blind man came to the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) and said: "Invoke Allah for me that he help me." He replied: "If you wish I will delay this, and it would be better for you, and if you wish I will invoke Allah the Exalted (for you)." He said: "Then invoke Him." The Prophet said to him: idhhab fa tawadda', wa salli rak`atayn thumma qul -- "Go and make an ablution, pray two rak`at, then say: "O Allah, I am asking you (as'aluka) and turning to you (atawajjahu ilayka) with your Prophet Muhammad (bi nabiyyika Muhammad), the Prophet of mercy; O MUHAMMAD (YA MUHAMMAD), I am turning with you to my Lord regarding my present need / I am asking my Lord with your intercession concerning the return of my sight (inni atawajjahu bika ila rabbi fi hajati hadhih -- another version has: inni astashfi`u bika `ala rabbi fi raddi basari) so that He will fulfill my need; O Allah, allow him to intercede (with You) for me (allahumma shaffi`hu fiyya)."

 

It is related by Ahmad (4:138 #17246-17247), Tirmidhi (hasan sahih gharib -- Da`awat Ch. 119), Ibn Majah (Book of Iqamat al-salat wa al-sunnat, Ch. on Salat al-hajat #1385), Nasa'i (`Amal al-yawm wa al-laylat p. 417-418 #658-660), al-Hakim (1:313, 1:526), Tabarani in al-Kabir, and rigorously authenticated as sound (sahih) by nearly fifteen Hadith masters including Ibn Hajar, Dhahabi and Shawkani. Even the non-conformist, Ibn Taymiyya relates it.

 

The Prophet's (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) order, here as elsewhere, carries legislative force for all Muslims and is not limited to a particular person, place or time; it is valid for all generations until the end of time unless proven otherwise by a subsequent indication from the Prophet himself, peace be upon him.

 

The Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) was not physically present at the assigned time of the invocation, since he said to the blind man: "Go and make ablution," without adding: "and then come back in front of me." With regard to physical absence, the living and the dead are exactly alike, namely: absent.

 

Despite the Prophet's (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) physical absence, the wording (sigha) for calling upon his intercession is direct address: "O MUHAMMAD." Such a wording -- "O So-and-So" -- is only used with someone present and able to hear. It should also be noted that Allah forbade the Companions from being forward or calling out to the Prophet in the ordinary manner used with one another (49:1-2). The only way, therefore, that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, could both be absent and at the same time be addressed as if he is present is that it should be understood that he is absent in the physical sense but present in the spiritual sense.

The above invocation was also used after the Prophet's (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) lifetime, as is proven by the sound (sahih) Hadith authenticated by Bayhaqi, Abu Nu`aym in the Ma`rifa, Mundhiri (Targhib 1:473-474), Haythami, and Tabarani in the Kabir (9:17-18) and the Saghir (1:184/201-202) on the authority of `Uthman ibn Hunayf's nephew Abu Imama ibn Sahl ibn Hunayf: A man would come to `Uthman ibn `Affan for a certain need, but the latter would not pay him any attention nor look into his need, upon which he complained of his condition to `Uthman ibn Hunayf who told him: "Go and make ablution, then go to the mosque and pray two rak`at, then say (this Du’a)," and he mentioned the invocation of the blind man, "then go (to `Uthman again)." The man went, did as he was told, then came to `Uthman's door, upon which the door-attendant came, took him by the hand, and brought him to `Uthman who sat him with him on top of the carpet, and said: "Tell me what your need is." After this the man went out, met `Uthman ibn Hunayf again, and said to him: "May Allah reward you! Previously he would not look into my need nor pay any attention to me, until you spoke to him." He replied: "I did not speak to him, but I saw the Prophet when a blind man came to him complaining of his failing eyesight," and he mentioned to him the substance of the previous narration.

 

It is written in the book Hisn-ul-Hasin, Rasoolullah (sallallhu 'alaihi wasallam) declared, "Any person who has lost his animal should say, 'O Allah's slaves ! Help me ! And may Allah Ta'ala help you !'”

 

Shah Wali-Allah Muhaddith Dahlawi (rahmat allahi 'alaih) in Atyabun Naghm Fi Madahi Sayyidil Arab wal Ajam, Page 22 addresses the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) as "O, the best of all creations, the blessing of Allah be on you,..."

 

It was the practise of the Shah Wali-Allah (rahmat allahi 'alaih) to emulate and remember daily, the practises of Shaikh Muhammad Ghawth Gawalyary (rahmat allahi 'alaih) after seeking permission from his teachers Mawlana Abu Taahir Madani and Shaikh Muhammad Sa'eed Lahori (rahmat allahi 'alaih). In this (practise) is recorded the following : “Call on Ali whose life is an open miracle. When you invoke him, he will help dispense all your difficulties." (Al Intibah Fi Salaasil Awliya Allah, Page 138)

 

Hadhrat Mawlana Shah Abd al-Azeez Muhaddith Dahlawi (rahmat allahi 'alaih) says that if one knows that although all help comes from Allah, to call upon another for help is allowed. He says that Awliya and Prophets also sought help in this way. Thus if one asks for help from another, he is infact, asking for help from Allah. (Tafseer Azeezi, Page 10)

 

Imam Allama Khairudeen Ramli (rahmat allaih 'alaih) states in Fatawa Khayria, "People who proclaim, Ya Abdul Qaadir (are merely emulating) a call. What therefore, is the reason for it not to be permissible".

 

It is recorded in the Fatawa of Hadhrat Shahaab Ramli Ansari (rahmat allahi 'alaih), whether it was permissible for the people to invoke the names of Prophets, Saints and 'Ulama in times of difficulty as they normally did. The great scholar replied, "Undoubtedly, it is permissible to seek the assistance of great Prophets, Saints and 'Ulama. They do, in fact, assist after they have departed from this world."

 

Ibn Khateer (rahmat allahi 'alaih) in his book Al bidayah wa al-Nihaaya states that during the Yamama expedition the call of the Muslims was "Ya Muhammada". Hadhrat Hajee Imdaadullah Muhaajir (rahmat allahi 'alaih) says, "O Muhammad Mustapha (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam)! I have a complaint,....."(Naala-Imdaa Ghareeb, Page 26)

 

What the 'Ulama of Deoband have to say

 

Moulvi Qaasim Nanotwi, founder of Darul Uloom Deoband, says, "Help me! Oh kindness of Ahmed, for besides thee, There is none helper for Qasim, the helpless!” (Qasaid Qasimi Deobandi, Page 8) Moulvi Ashraf 'Ali Thanawi in an Arabic quartet says, “O intercessor of the servants (of Allah)! help me, you (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) are my last hope. Besides you there is none to listen to my complaints, O my Master, listen to my complaints, I am encompassed by difficulties ..." (Nasharut Teeb, Page 232)

 

In Munaajaat-e-Maqbool Qurbat indallahi wa Salawaatir Rasool, Page 230, he again says, “O Messenger of Allah help me, for I am in great loss, ..."

[The Power]

[Sunni Tehreek]

The permissibility to say 'Ya Muhammad'

 

The sensitive issue of whether or not Muslims can say the words 'Ya Rasool Allah' or 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) needs to be clarified, since this issue divides the Muslim community and causes a great deal of friction among the Muslims throughout the world. Basically, there appears to be what we could label as two "schools of thought"; one insists that stating "Ya Rasulu'llah!" is 'shirk' and that infact, any Muslim proclaiming it goes outside the pale of Islam. Now the other school believes that it is indeed permissible to say so, based on evidences from the Salaf, and the tafsirs of later day scholars. However, they do not insist that one must proclaim this, or that it is even a fard to do so; rather, it is permissible to do so. This is, and always has been, the stance of the Ahl as-Sunna.

 

Those who believe that it is impermissible to say 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) not only say that there are no evidences to support the permissibility, but also believe that the prefix of 'Ya', can only be used when that person who is being called upon is present, as opposed to being absent. The proclamation of 'Ya Muhammad!', or 'Ya Rasulu'llah!' (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is not an innovation (bid'a) that crept in after the first three generations but, contrary to modern misconceptions, was initiated and practiced within these generations, as we shall see, Allah willing. Also, it is a fact that the death of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did not prevent the later generations to proclaim 'Ya Muhammad!', even though there were great distances between them and Madina.

 

As we shall aim to demonstrate to the readers in this chapter, insha'llah, 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 and Tabi'un 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

 

The understanding that one is not 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 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 of the time of Dajjal, "Yaa 'ibaadillaahi! Fathbutu..." (Oh servants of Allah! Keep your feet steadfast...). The Prophet (may 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 plains of Karbala and said, 'Ya Abu 'Abd Allah Husayn! Fasbir! ('Oh, [my son] Abu 'Abd Allah Husayn! 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, Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), would be martyred at Karbala. Sayyidna 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) called Husayn despite the fact that he was not present with him, and even though Husayn could not hear his father, 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) remained in his father's 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)

Hafiz 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"

 

[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 people who send 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 'salat 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, Hafiz Ibn Taymiyya and Qadi Shawkani all posed the same question: 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 Rasulu'llah (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 advised 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"

 

[bukhari, Adab al Mufrad al Kalim al Tayyab; Ibn Taymiyya and Qadi Shawkani, Tuhfah al Dakireen, chapter on 'Khadirat Rijluhu', and also an-Nawawi, Kitab al Adhkar]

 

Hafiz 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 advised him to remember the one who he loves the most, whereupon 'Abd Allah Ibn 'Abbas exclaimed 'Ya! Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his foot immediately recovered from numbness"

 

[ibn Taymiyya, Al Kalim al Tayyib, chapter on 'Khadirat Rijluhu']

 

Qadi Shawkani relates that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

 

"If one is in trouble or is in distress, he should perform two nawafil rakats and then make a supplication. One 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 at-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah and at-Tabarani record it.

 

[Qadi Shawkani, Tofah al Dhakireen, chapter on 'Salat al-Hajat']

 

Hafiz Ibn Kathir, Imam at-Tabari and Imam Ibn al-Athir all wrote:

 

"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 ibn 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"

 

[Tabari, Ta'rikh at-Tabari; Ibn Kathir, Ta'rikh Ibn Kathir; and Ibn al-Athir and Ibn Jarir, Ta'rikh Qamil, chapter on 'Musaylima Kazzab']

 

Hafiz Ibn Kathir and Imam Tabari both write:

 

"During the Khilafa of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) there was a famine outside the city of Madina. A Companion called Bilal ibn 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 ibn 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 ibn Harith and informed him that there will be rain"

 

[Ta'rikh Ibn Kathir and Ibn Jarir, chapter on 'Khilafah of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)]

 

As-Sayyid Mawdudi writes:

 

"When Hajaj ibn 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!'"

 

[Mawdudi Sayyid, Khilafa wa Malukiyat, page 270 and Ta'rikh Ibn al-Athir]

 

Hafiz Ibn Kathir and Imam Tabari both write:

 

"After the occasion of Karbala, Sayyida Zaynab (may Allah be well pleased with her) [the sister of Husayn (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! Your Husayn is drenched in blood without a shroud or a grave', and 'Ya Muhammad! Your daughters are taken prisoners and your children have been killed'"

 

[ibn Jarir and Ta'rikh Ibn Kathir, chapter on 'Karbala']

 

NOTE: Karbala took place in Iraq in 60AH. At that time Zaynab (may Allah be well pleased with her) said 'Ya Muhammad!'

 

Imam Waqdi writes:

 

"During the khilafa of Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) there was a battle at Halb. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said 'Ya Muhammad! Ya Muhammad!' and shouted, 'Oh Companions! Stay firm footed!'

 

['Allama Waqdi, Futoohusham, chapter on 'The Battle of Halb']

 

Imam Ibn Sa'd writes:

 

"After the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had passed away, Arwa ibnt 'Abd al Muttalib (may Allah be well pleased with her) recited: 'Ya Rasulu'llah! You were our place of hope' "

 

[ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd, chapter on 'The Death of the Prophet']

 

Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim writes:

 

"Muhammad ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) relates:'I was sitting in the company of Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid in Baghdad when Shaykh Shibli came before us. Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid stood up and hugged Shaykh Shibli, kissed his forehead and sat him by his side.' Muhammad ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) enquired: 'You are the Shaykh [Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid] whilst the whole of Baghdad regards Shibli as majnun [mad] - why have you treated him with so much respect?' To this, Abu Bakr ibn 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,'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 Sura Tauba after which he recites 'Sallal la ho 'alayka Ya Muhammad!' ['Peace and blessings of Allah be upon you Oh Muhammad!') three times"

 

[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 Rasulu'llah!' when they experienced difficulty, and that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did help them, either by making supplication for their success or appearing in their dreams to comfort them. Those Companions who were ill and said 'Ya Rasulu'llah!' 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 Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim shows that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) loves the one who pronounces 'Ya Muhammad!' to a considerably high degree. All these occurances took place many years after the death of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).So if it was kufr to say 'Ya Muhammad!' today and after the lifetime of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the Prophet 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'. However, people will still insist that, despite all the above, to say 'Ya Muhammad!' is shirk, and will deduce to the fact that this is a form of worshipping someone besides Allah. They often put forward the following aya of the Qur'an:

 

"And the mosques are only for Allah, so worship none with Allah"

 

[sura 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 Rasulu'llah!', he is not worshipping the Messenger of Allah(may Allah bless him and grant him peace), but merely calling him; just as Ibrahim (peace be upon him) called all the people to Hajj[Tafsir Ibn Kathir, under 'Sura Hajj'] and as 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) called Sariah. This type of calling is not worship, an example of which is provided in the Qur'an when Allah commanded Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to call the dead birds [sura al-Baqara, verse 260]

 

This should demonstrate that the word 'call' is not always used in the context of worship. Whoever says 'Ya Muhammad!' cannot be called either a kafir or mushrik because he is calling out of love for 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 Sulayman (peace be upon him) heard the conversation of the ants from a distance.

 

[al- Qur'an, Sura 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, Kitab-al-Manaqib, and Muslim, Fazail Bilal]

 

3) Hafiz 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.'

 

[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, chapter on '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 neitherfardh, wajib nor sunna.

 

Thirdly, as proven, the Salaf did proclaim 'Ya Muahammed!' at times of distress - and this difficulty was alleviated.

 

The reason for writing this article is only to make clear to those people who shout 'kafir' and 'mushrik', that those Muslims who address the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) using the word 'Ya!' are doing nothing wrong, as this is permissible.

 

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.

[Ghulam E Mustafa]

bhai