Tasawwuf

REVERENCE OF THE HOLY PROPHET

BA ADAB BA NASEEB

REVERENCE OF THE HOLY PROPHET (SALLALLAHU ALEYHI WASALLAM)

It is recorded in a Hadith Qudsi:

لو لاك لما خلقت الافلاق

"O beloved, if you were not there, I would not have created this universe."

Thus, if the benefactor of humanity, Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa sallallahu aleyhi wasallam, had not come into this world, then everything in the universe would be non-existent.

EXAMPLES FROM THE HOLY QUR'AN

There are many examples in the Holy Qur'an which accentuate the honour and respect of the Holy Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wasallam. The Holy Qur'an says:

((يا ايها الذين ءامنوا لا ترفعوا أصواتكم فوق صوت النبي ولا تجهروا له بالقول كجهر بعضكم لبعض أن تحبط اعمالكم وأنتم لا تشعرون))

((O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk, as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds should be rendered fruitless while you perceive not.))

Allama Shabbir Uthmani (rah), in explanation of this verse, writes:

"That is, do not create noise in the assembly of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu aleyhi wasallam), as you informally do amongst yourselves. This is against the honour and respect due to the Holy Prophet (sallallahu aleyhi Wasallam). When you talk to the Holy Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wasallam, do so in a soft tone, with veneration and respect, and in a cultured way. See how a cultured son talks to his father, an outstanding student talks to his teacher, a devoted mureed (disciple) talks to his Peer-o-murshid (sheikh), and a sepoy talks to an officer. The status of the Holy Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wasallam is greater than all of them. While talking to the Holy Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wasallam, one should be very careful lest he is disrespectful and thus a cause of discomfort to the Holy Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wasallam. After earning the unhappiness of the Holy Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wasallam, a Muslim has no place in this world. In such a situation, all his deeds will go to waste and all his efforts are in vain."

It is written in. "Masnad Bzaz" that after the revelation of the above verse, Hadhrat Abu Bakr (ra) said, "O Holy Prophet, I swear on Allaah, in future I will talk to you in whispers."

It is stated in "Durre Manthur" that after the revelation of this verse, Hadhrat Umar (ra) used to talk to the Holy Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wasallam in a very low tone.

It is recorded in Bukhari Shareef that Hadhrat Anas bin Malik (ra) related that when the high-pitched khateeb (preacher) of the Ansaar, Hadhrat Thabit bin Qays (ra), heard these verses of the Holy Qur'an, he reclused himself in his house. Once Hadhrat Sa'd bin Mu'adh (ra) asked him, "How are you?" He replied, "I am in bad shape. I used to raise my voice above that of the Holy Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wasallam. My deeds are wasted. I am destined to hell now." When Hadhrat Sa'd bin Mu'adh (ra) mentioned this situation to the Holy Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wasallam, he told him to go to Hadhrat Thabit bin Qays (ra) and tell him, "You are destined for Heaven, and not Hell."

From the above, it is evident that if one is high pitched by nature, and during discourse, his voice rises above that of the Holy Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wasallam, then he will be forgiven. However, it is the diktat of honour and respect due to the Holy Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wasallam that one must try to keep his voice lower than was due to him during his (sallallahu aleyhi wasallam) auspicious life.

Even today, these verses of the Holy Qur'an are written on the wall in front of the "Muwajha Shareef" in the Masjid Nabawi (sallallahu aleyhi wasallam). The visitors to this Rawdha e Anwar (brilliant garden) should keep their voices low during Salaat and Salaam (prayers and while submitting salutations).

Hadhrat Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmed Naqshbandi db.