The Beauty ofProphet Muhammad.

y

AS REFLECTED IN LECTURES ON ṢAḤĪḤ AL-BUKHĀRĪ

A Collection of LecturesDelivered by

SHAYKH AL-ḤADĪTH MAWLĀNĀ YUSUF MOTALA

vii

Co n t e n t s

Transliteration Key xxiiTranslation Note xxivPreface 2

1Be at i n g o f Dru m s i n B o t h Wo r l D s t o g r e e t t h e Be au t y t h at Br i g h t e n e D a n D i l l u m i n at e D t h e Wo r l D

Travelling Becomes Difficult for Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh h 6The Attempt of a Soothsayer of Makkah Mukarramah 6Divine Illumination (Nūr) of Prophethood on Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh’s h

Forehead 7Trial for Humanity 8Upbringing of an Orphan Gem 8Envisaging This Orphan Gem in Meditation (Murāqabah) Is Sufficient 9Seclusion (Iʿtikāf) of the Noble Prophet in the Cave of Ḥirā for Years on End 9The Noble Prophet Had to Discover His Own Means of Living 10A Challenge Through Sūrat al-ʿĀlaq 11The Challenge of the Holy Qur’ān 11The Initiation of Propagation (Tablīgh) 12Oppression of the Unbelievers upon the First and Foremost from the Believers 12Sayyidah Sumayyah i 13Sayyidunā Bilāl and Sayyidunā Khabbāb Ibn al-Aratt k 13An Iraqi in the Gathering of Sayyidunā Ibn ʿUmar h 14Financial Position of the Noble Prophet and His Respected Companions j After Migration 14Sayyidunā Dhū ’l-Bajādayn h 15Letters Dispatched to Kings in a State of Indigence 16Hiraql (Heraclius) Also Identified the True Prophet Through Signs 17Tubbaʿ of Yemen 17Was Islam Really Spread by the Sword? 18An Army of Hardship 18Hiraql Saved Himself and His People by Treating the Noble Prophet’s Letter with Due Reverence 19Kisrā and His People Destroyed 19The Respect for the Name ‘Muḥammad’ in the Court of Sayyidunā ʿUmar h 19

viii

2h a p p i n e s s e x p r e s s e D B y s i n g i n g oD e s at t h e Bi r t h o f t h e r e a s o n f o r a l l C r e at i o n

The Greater an Event the More it Is Publicised 24News of Shaykh Abrār al-Ḥaq’s r Passing Away 25Prior to the Messenger of Allāh Gracing the World 26ʿAbd al-Masīḥ and His Maternal Uncle 27Sayyidunā Danyāl n 28Musnid al-Hind Shāh Waliyullāh r 30Three Great Saints of Dehli 32Three Saints of Thana Bhawan 32The Supplication of Sayyidunā ʿUmar h 34The Condition of Sayyidunā Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī h 35A Female Companion Gave Her Life at the Blessed Grave of the Noble Prophet 35A Bedouin Gives His Life at the Blessed Grave of the Noble Prophet 35Sayyidunā ʿUmar h Addresses the Noble Prophet from the Pulpit 36The Messenger of Allāh , Sayyidunā Abū Bakr and Sayyidunā ʿUmar k 37Sayyidunā Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, Sayyidunā ʿ Umar and Sayyidunā Abū ʿUbaydah Ibn al-Jarrāḥ j 38Fleeing the Decree of Allāh Towards the Decree of Allāh 38The Plague of ʿAmwās 39

3t h e l i g h t o f pr o p h e t h o o D o f t h e i l l u m i n at o r o f B o t h Wo r l D s , h i s Bl e s s e D Bi r t h, a n D h i s pr e s e n C e i n m a k k a h, m a D i n a h, m a D ya n, mo u n t t u r a n D Be t h l e h e m

Two Great Blessings 48The Light (Nūr) of Prophethood (Nubuwwah) 48The Poem Of Sayyidunā ʿAbbās h Pertaining to the Light (Nūr) of Prophethood 49The Purpose of Listening to and Reciting Poetry 49The King of Yemen and Madinah Munawwarah 50The House of Sayyidunā Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī h was Built by Tubbaʿ 51Sayyidunā Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī h 52The Perseverance of a Soothsayer to Acquire the Light (Nūr) of Prophethood 53Auspicious Birth 54Sequence of Events Before Kisrā’s (Chosroes) Downfall 54Have it Interpreted! 55‘Abd al-Masīḥ 55

ix

Saṭīḥ of Shām 55Holding a Staff During Sermons 56Interpretation of Saṭīḥ 57Do Not Raise Your Voices 57The Respect Displayed by Imām Mālik h 58The Respect of Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh Ibn ʿAbbās and Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh Ibn Masʿūd j 58The Respect of Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī r 58Spiritual Raptness of Shaykh Zakariyyā r 59The Genius of the Holy Qur’ān 59Angel Jibra’īl n Descended With Revelation on Twenty-Four Thousand Occasions 59Sanctified Places 60Sayyidunā ʿUmar h 61A Holy Verse 61Proof in Support of the Miʿrāj 61Madinah Munawwarah, Madyan, Mount Tur and Bayt al-Laḥam (Bethlehem) 62

4t W o gat h e r i n g s o f a n g e l s f o r t h e l e a D e r o f t h e C h i l D r e n o f Ā Da m

Education at a Maktab 68The Perceptiveness of Shaykh al-Ḥadīth r 68Shaykh Zakariyyā’s r Clairvoyance 69Who Deserves the Role of Oratory 70Shaykh Zakariyyā’s r Precious Words 70The Outcome of Hiraql’s (Heraclius) High Regard 70Hiraql’s Final State 72Kisrā’s End 72Kisrā’s Envoys in the Court of the Noble Prophet 73Your Kisrā Has Been Murdered 74Who Should Orate and When? 74The Effect of Shaykh Gangohī’s r Speech 75Wisdom Behind Addressing the Noble Prophet with ‘O Prophet’ 75What Is the First Creation? 76The Type of Prostration Performed by the Angels 77Establishing Darul Uloom Deoband 77The Dream of Shaykh Qāsim Nanotwī r and its Interpretation by Shaykh Rashīd Aḥmad Gangohī r 78A Distinguishing Quality of the Saints 79Angels Were Assembled on Two Occasions 80Various Other Reasons for the Address of ‘O Prophet’ 81The Noble Prophet’s Prophethood Is Antecedent to All 82The First Revelation Is of Apostleship (Risālah) 82

x

The Final Moments of Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah’s i Life 83Lengthy Introductions on Stage: A Way Of Imitating the Unbelievers and Inconsistent with Islamic Teachings, and thus Impermissible 84Shaykh Zakariyyā’s r Adherence to Ḥadīth 84The Noble Prophet’s Testimony on the Day of Judgement 85The Master of Both Worlds Is both a Bearer of Good News and a Warner 87We Must Change Our Disposition 88May We Eradicate This Inadequacy 89To What Extent Did the Master of Both Worlds Tolerate Hardships 90Shaykh Niẓāmuddīn Awliyā’ r and Qāḍī Ḍiyā’uddīn Sanāmī r 91Simāʿ Gathering in the Presence of Shāh ʿAbd al-Quddūs r 91The Meaning Of ‘For Him Who Holds Fast to My Sunnah at the Time of its Corruption Is the Reward of a Hundred Martyrs’ 92A Story of Shāh ʿAbd al-Quddūs Gangohī r 93Seeing the Noble Prophet Whilst Awake 94Make Us Visit the Noble Prophet 95

5r e a D i n g a n D l i s t e n i n g t o p o e t r y i n pr a i s e o f t h e Di v i n e ly e x t o l l e D pr o p h e t i s Wo r s h i p

The Master of Both Worlds 99Poetry Has a Profound Impact 100He Laid Down His Life for a Poem 101The Poets Among the Respected Companions j 101Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah i 102Sayyidunā Abū Bakr h 102Contests of Poetry and Oration 102A Poem Dedicated to the Esteemed Person of the Master Of Both Worlds 103The Most Valuable Poems 104He Laid Down His Life After Reciting a Poem 105Shaykh Sayyid Aḥmad Rifāʿī r 105Faḍā’il Durūd Sharīf 106Listening to Qaṣīdahs 107Shaykh Jāmī r 109

6t h e r e s p e C t e D mo t h e r i o f t h i s or p h a n g e m ; i m Ā m Bu k h Ā r ī r ; say y i d u n Ā m u ʿĀw i ya h h ; a n D t h e mo t h e r o f i m Ā m aʿ ẓ a m u

And He Does Not Speak out of (His Own) Desire 113Why Did Sayyidah Āminah i Take the Noble Prophet to Madinah Munawwarah? 115

xi

The First Visit of the Noble Prophet to Madinah Munawwarah 116Imām Bukhārī’s r Honourable Mother 117The Most Tolerant: Sayyidunā Amīr Muʿāwiyah h 117My Tolerance Killed Him 119Receive a Second Reward! 119Pay the Compensation (Diyah) from Me 120Imām Aʿẓam Abū Ḥanīfah r: My Patience Killed Him 120The Noble Prophet Preserved the Holy Qur’ān Merely By Listening to It 122Train Your Children to Acquire Three Characteristics 123Three Morsels from the Noble Prophet 124The Story of the Governor of Samarqand 125Sufyān Ibn ʿUyaynah r and a Student 125Bābūjī’s Jeep 127Relate to Me the One Hundred Ḥadīths of Al-Zuhrī 127The Water of Zamzam Is for that for Which It Is Drunk 128Ḥadīth Recitation in the Lectures of Shaykh Zakariyyā r 129Ḥadīth Lectures of Shāṭibī r 130Why Did Imām Bukhāri r Culminate His Book with This Ḥadīth? 131Glorify Allāh Most High Upon the Eloquence and Diction of the Unlettered Prophet 132The Final Ḥadīth Brought as a Challenge for the Eloquence and Diction of the Noble Prophet 133

7Bl e s s i n g s a n D pe a C e i n vo k e D o n t h e n o B l e pr o p h e t on ly a f t e r C l e a n i n g t h e mo u t h W i t h a ro s e Wat e r M i s wā k : ‘ to u t t e r yo u r n a m e e v e n a f t e r C l e a n i n g t h e mo u t h a t h o u s a n D t i m e s W i t h ro s e Wat e r i s s t i l l Di s r e s p e C t ’

Ḥakīm Sʿad Rashīd Ajmerī r 139Repentance Before Presence 141Freewill Alms (Ṣadaqah) Before Presence 141Mountains Communicate with Each Other 142That Day [the Earth] Will Describe All its Happenings 142Why Aren’t the Pillars of Riyāḍ al-Jannah Aligned? 143A Dry Branch Cries Due to Separation 143

8t h e u n l e t t e r e D pr o p h e t C h a l l e n g e s t h e sa g e s o f t h i s Wo r l D t h r o u g h ‘r e a D i n t h e n a m e o f yo u r l o r D’

There Is Only One Creator and Lord 149The Life of the Noble Prophet Is a Challenge for the World 150Sayyidunā Dhū ’l Bajādayn h 151Sayyidunā Dhū ’l Bajādayn h – The Man with Two Sheets 151

xii

The Claim that Islam Spread by the Sword, Despite the Hardships 152Witticism 153Shaddād Ibn Aws’ h Complaint 153The Condition of Masjids in 1968 154Sagacity of the Saints 155The Faith (Īmān) of Shaddād Ibn Aws h 155One Should Never Question Allāh Most High 156The Battle of Tabuk And the Expedition to Tabuk Are Two Separate Events 156Four Leaders of the Tabuk Expedition – Each One of Them Equal to a Thousand Men 157Confronting the Enemy and Victory for the Muslims 158Jarjīs’ Question: Why Did We Taste Defeat? 158The Bravery of Rabīʿah Ibn Abī ʿĀmir h 159Proposing Peace 160We Do Not Make Peace for Worldly Gains 160How could Islam Have Spread by the Sword? 160A Conversation with the Priest 161First Question 161Second Question 162Third Question 162The Priest’s Acceptance of the Truth 163Attack on Sayyidunā Rabīʿah Ibn Abī ʿ Āmir h and the Manifestation of Sayyidunā al-Ṣiddīq’s h Truthfulness 163A Single Man Overpowered One Thousand Men 164Shaddād Ibn Aws h Appointed to Look over the Spoils of War 164All the Tears of ʿArafah Are in It 165Shaddād Ibn Aws h Entered Masjid Nabawī Before Anything Else 166

9t h e l ov e r s o f t h e Be l ov e D o f a l l Ā h s e n D g r e e t i n g s W h i l e e x p e r i e n C i n g t h e pa n g s o f De at h

The Hearts of the Respected Companions j Were Decorated with the Remembrance of the Noble Prophet 170Invoking Greetings of Peace from a Gibbet 170Salām Conveyed to the Noble Prophet on the Final Lash 171Sayyidunā Bilāl h 173Collecting Ḥadīths and the Endeavours of the Respected Companions j 173Shujāʿ al-Asadī h in the Court of Ghassān 174Shujāʿ h and Ḥārith Of Ghassān 174A Letter to the Leader Of Ḥimyar 175Ḥāṭib Ibn Abī Balṭaʿah h 176Muqawqis – The King of Egypt 177His Knowledge of My Condition Suffices Me 178

xiii

Muqawqis Is Sending Greetings of Peace (Salām) 178Sayyidunā Khuraym al-Asadī h 179I Thought One Thousand Was the Largest Number 180The Question Is Known but its Answer Is Unknown 181

10t h e e m i g r a n t t o m a D i n a h , a n D t h e m i g r at i o n o f say y i d u n Ā i b r Ā h ī m n

The Household of Sayyidunā Ibrāhīm n and the Noble Prophet 185The Prophetic Model and the Faith of Sayyidunā Ibrāhīm n 186Shāhjahān, ʿĀlamgīr and Dārāshakwah 188Do Not Lend Support to Religious Differences 189Sayyid Ādam Binorī r 189Two Scholars Visit a Saint 189Sayyid Ādam Binorī r in Surat 190Shājahān’s Dream 190The Mabsūṭ of Sarakhsī 191Kissed by Beasts of Prey 192

11t h e k i n g o f B o t h Wo r l D s a n D t h e t r o u B l e s o m e h y p o C r i t e s

Cause of Sūrat al-Nūr’s Revelation 198Under Which Circumstances Did Sayyidah ʿ Ā’ishah i Convey to Us Half of Our Faith (Dīn) 199Conversations of Love 200A Thousand Nights 200Who Is Khurāfah? 201Fulfilment of Spousal Rights 203The Ḥadīth of Slander (Ifk) 204

12a n a n n o u n C e m e n t f r o m t h e h e av e n s o f t h e i n n o C e n C e a n D C h a s t i t y o f t h e pu r e a n D C h a s t e mo t h e r o f t h e Be l i e v e r s , say y i dĀ h ʿĀ’ i s h a h i

The Splitting of the Moon (Shaqq al-Qamar) Miracle Comprises So Many Miracles 214The Tolerance of the Master of Both Worlds 215Comparisons with the Story of Sayyidunā Yūsuf n 215Proof of Islam Being a True Religion 217Sūrat al-Nūr Contains Guidance in the Hundreds 217Light - and How to Attain It 218Everything Is Engaged in Proclaiming the Purity of Allāh Most High (Tasbīḥ) 219

xiv

Witticism 220A Prominent Attribute of Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah i: Devotion [to her Husband] 220Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah’s i Innocence 221

13t h e mo t h e r o f t h e Be l i e v e r s’ i u n i q u e r e l at i o n s h i p W i t h h e r Be l ov e D

A Religion of Patience and Tolerance 228The Difference Between the Qur’ān and Ḥadīth 229A Story of Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah i During Her Mortal Illness 229The Extreme Diligence of Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh Ibn ʿAbbās k 230The Generosity of Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah i 231The Paying Of Blood Money (Diyah) on Killing a Snake 233An Amulet (Taʿwīdh) For Protection Against Snakes 233Expiation (Kaffārah) for Violating an Oath 234Lavishing Praise in Front of a Person Is Detested in Sharīʿah 235The Ḥadīth of the Slander (Ifk) Is Sufficient for One’s Guidance 236

14t h e mo t h e r o f t h e u m m Ā h ’ s i ta l e o f pat i e n C e a n D Co n t e n t m e n t

The Patience and Tolerance of the Master of Both Worlds 242The Condition of a Common Ummatī of the Master of Both Worlds 242May We Receive the Thirst for the Love of the Master of Both Worlds 244

15a l ov e r r o f t h e C r e at o r’s Be l ov e D , a n D h i s u n i q u e m a n n e r o f e m u l at i n g t h e n o B l e pr o p h e t : s h ay k h Z a k a r i y yĀ’ s r s tay i n J i r a n a a n D h i s ʿU M r a h

The Battle of Hunayn 250Valour of a True Prophet 251A Remarkable Sign of the Veracity of Islam 252Today’s Rulers 252Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah’s i Camel Sat Right Here 253Spending the Night in Jirana 254Mercy for All the Worlds 255A Method of Intensifying One’s Enthusiasm to Study 257Final Moments of the Saintly Elders 259The Saints of Ahmadabad 259Pledge of Allegiance (Bayʿah) 260

xv

Pledge of Allegiance (Bayʿah) Is in Actual Fact Made to the Noble Prophet 260Pīr Ghulām Ḥabīb r 262The Same Conduct with Us 262

16a lt ru i s t i C f i r e f l i e s De D i C at e D t o t h e l a m p o f pr o p h e t h o o D o f t h e r e a s o n Be h i n D t h e u n i v e r s e ’s Be au t y : t h e Ṣa ḥ Ā b a h j

The Anger of Shaykh Zakariyyā r 268The Master of Both Worlds 269Criticism Aimed at the Anger of the Respected Companions j 270Sayyidunā Abū Dhar Ghifārī h 270He Criticised the Noble Prophet Too 272Criticism Levelled Against the Prophets 273Anger of the Imāms Towards One Another 274A Mountain of Knowledge: Imām Aʿẓam r 276The Anger of Imām Awzāʿī r 278Ibn Abī Laylā And Imām Aʿẓam r 279The Reason Behind Imām Bukhārī’s r Anger 281The Umayyad and ʿAbbāsid Caliphates 282The Tribulations of Imām Mālik r 283Rabīʿ Muzanī and Buwayṭī 285Buwayṭī in Prison 286The Foresight of Shaykh Zakariyyā r 287The Trial of Imām Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal r 288

17t h e n o B l e m a n n e r s o f t h e on e W h o e s p o u s e D g o o D C h a r a C t e r

Dealing with the Malevolent 294Habbār Ibn al-Aswad 294ʿUmayr Ibn Wahb 296Thumāmah – The Chief of Banū Ḥanīfah 296Forgiveness and Pardon 297Forgiving the Bloodthirsty 298The Need for Elegant Manners 299

18t h e Be s t o f m e n Wa s Co n s C i o u s o f h i s h u m a n i t y

A Magnificent Verse 304A Female Companion (Ṣaḥābiyyah) of the Noble Prophet 305Al-Ism al-Aʿẓam (The Greatest Name of Allāh Most High) 306The Miracle of Splitting the Moon 307

xvi

Miracles and Human Attributes 309Rain Fell as the Blessed Hands Were Raised 310Sayyidunā ʿAlī h 310A Corpse Comes Back to Life 311Sayyidunā ʿUmar h and Sayyidah Asmā’ i 311The Inclination of the Respected Companions j at the Time of Need 313One Should Be Conscious of His Human Weaknesses 315

19s t o r i e s o f t h o s e W h o gat h e r e D t h e s C at t e r e D pe a r l s o f t h e or p h a n g e m

The Acceptance of Supplication (Duʿā’) at the Completion of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 319The Primary Task 321The Second Priority 321The Third Duty 323126,000 Students Participate in a Ḥadīth Lecture 324Ibn Ḥaywah’s Travels for Acquiring Ḥadīth 325Shaykh Islamul Haque, Qārī Raḥīm Bakhsh, Shaykh Ṣiddīq Aḥmad s 326The Most Important Religious Duty in Current Times 328

20t h e l e a D e r o f t h e f i r s t a n D t h e l a s t s u p p l i C at i n g i n pr o s t r at i o n

The Miracle of Islam 333Only One Concern – The Ummah 334The Prostration of Supplication (Duʿāiyyah) 334Sayyidah Āminah i 334The Prostration of Supplication (Duʿāiyyah) and the Prostration of Gratitude (Shukr) 335The Narration of Sayyidunā Saʿd Ibn Abī Waqqāṣ h 336

21t h e i n D i v i D ua l i t y a n D u n i q u e a s C e t i C i s m o f t h e i m Ā m o f t h e a s C e t i C s a n D l e a D e r o f B o t h Wo r l D s

It Is Inconsiderate to Pray for it Not To Rain, for One’s Own Benefit 342The Supplication of the Noble Prophet 342Supplication at the Time of Rainfall 343A Story of the Noble Prophet to do with Rain 343Adherence to the Sunnah 344Every Particle in the Universe Acknowledged the Position of the Master of Both Worlds 345

xvii

The Sunnah Method of Performing Istinjā’ 346Date Trees 347The Pillars of Riyāḍ al-Jannah 347The Noble Prophet’s Bedding and Chair 348Our Lifestyles 348How Did the Respected Companions j Preserve the Day and Night of the Noble Prophet 349The Stairs of the Noble Prophet’s Residence 350Islam Gave Protection to Women 352The Total Contents of the Noble Prophet’s Blessed Home 353Indigence out of Choice 354The Blessings of the Darse Nizāmī 355The Selection of the Six Authentic Books of Ḥadīth (Ṣiḥāḥ Sittah) 356Imām Bukhārī’s r Orphanhood 356The Master of Both Worlds’ State of Orphanhood 356Supplicating for Rain Through the Blessings of His Radiant Face 357Supplicating for Rainfall Through the Blessings of Sayyidunā ʿAbbās h 358So Why Do They Object to Supplicating Allāh Most High with the Intercession of the Pious? 358The Mother’s Supplication and its Acceptance 359Imām Bukhārī r Memorises Books by the Age of Sixteen 359The Compilation of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and its Approach 360Completing (Khatam) the Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī at Times of Hardship 360Circumstances Surrounding Imām Bukhārī’s r Death and His Supplication (Duʿā’) 361The Master of Both Worlds Awaits 362Imām Bukhārī’s r Dream Prior to its Compilation 362The Martyrdom of King Fayṣal 362Ḥadīth Musalsal bi ’l-Awwaliyyah 363

22t h e ho m e o f t h e k i n g o f t h e pr o p h e t s

A Story of a Companion 367The Lifestyle of the Master of Both Worlds 368Yawm al-Aswadayn 369The Final Days of the Noble Prophet’s Life 370The State of Our Extravagance 370

23t h e m a D i n a n l i f e o f t h e Be n e fa C t o r o f t h e u n i v e r s e : a C h a l l e n g e

A Comparison with the Pure Life of the Master of Both Worlds 376The First Priority 377The Second Year 378

xviii

The Third Year 379Fourth Year 380The Fifth Year 381The Sixth Year 381The Seventh Year 381Eighth Year 382The Ninth Year 382The Tenth Year 383Muḥammad Ibn Muqātil r 384Ḥātim al-Aṣamm r 384She Saw Paradise in this World 385A Story of Ḥātim al-Aṣamm r 386A Miracle (Karāmah) of Shaykh al-Islām Madanī r 387Another Story of Ḥātim al-Aṣamm r 388Not a Single Prostration Which could be Relied Upon 389It Seems Like the City of Pharaoh 390Master of Both Worlds Deprived of Food 391The Master of Both Worlds was Deprived of Basic Provisions 391

24pa r a D i s a l s t r e n g t h i n t h i s Wo r l D f o r t h e DW e l l e r o f t h e h i g h e s t pa r a D i s e

Power Defying Rules and Notions 396The Noble Prophet’s Faculty of Vision 396Sayyidunā ʿUmar’s h Power of Hearing 397The Noble Prophet’s Grappling Power 398The Noble Prophet’s Strengths - A Fascinating Theory 399

25t h e ḥ u s ay n ī Way: ‘h e sa C r i f i C e D h i s h e a D B u t r e f u s e D t o pu t h i s h a n D i n t h e h a n D o f ya z ī d ’

The Virtue of Compassion 404Avenging an Injustice 404Sayyidunā Ḥusayn’s h Head Was Decapitated but it Refused to Bow 405Imām Aʿẓam Abū Ḥanīfah r and Imām Mālik r 406Mūsā Kāẓim r and Caliph Mahdī 407Mūsā Kāẓim r and Hārūn Rashīd 408Ḥusaynī Blood 409Sayyidāh Uthaylah h 411

xix

26s p e C i f i C g u i Da n C e f o r ʿĀ s h ū r Ā’ gi v e n B y t h e g r a n D fat h e r o f ḥ a s a n ay n

What Is Sunnah to Begin with when Eating 418Starvation is sunnah 418A Narration Regarding ʿĀshūrā’ 418The Gift of ʿĀshūrā’: A Practice of Shaykh Zakariyyā r 419Many Obligatory Acts (Farḍ) Neglected for the Sake of a Non-obligatory (Nafl) Act 419How Much Reward Have You Sent (Īṣāl al-Thawāb) to the Martyrs of Karbala 420Love for Grandchildren: A Way (Sunnah) of the Noble Prophet 420Most Resemblance to the Noble Prophet 421Seventeen Patches on Sayyidunā ʿUmar’s h Clothing 421The Condition of the Home of the King of Both World’s During His Mortal Illness 422The Wish and Supplication of Shaykh Abū’l Ḥasan ʿAlī Miyā Nadwī r 422No Water to Drink 423He Sacrificed His Head but Refused to Put His Hand in the Hand of Yazīd 424Prior Knowledge of Sayyidunā Ḥusayn’s i Martyrdom 425The Dream of Sayyidunā Ibn ʿAbbās h 425A Practice of Completing a Whole Qur’ān Daily for the Martyrs of Karbala 426The Practice in the First Ten Days of Dhū ’l-Ḥijjah 426

27t h e m at e r n a l g r a n D fat h e r o f ḥ a s a n ay n a n D t h e m a r t y r s o f k a r B a l a j

A Lamp Is Lit by Another Lamp 432Memorising the Qur’ān 432The System of Memorising the Holy Qur’ān In Saudi Arabia 433How Much Reward Did We Send (Īṣāl al-Thawāb) to the Martyrs of Karbala on the Day of ʿĀshūrā’ 433The Practice of Shaykh Zakariyyā r from 1st Muḥarram to 10th Muḥarram 434Sayyidah Umm Salamah’s i Dream on the Day of ʿĀshūrā’ 434The Dream of Sayyidunā IbnʿAbbās k 434Remaining Content with the Decrees of Allāh Most High 436Objections and Complaints 437The Blessed Practice of the Master of Both Worlds at the Demise of His Son 437We Need to Share in the Noble Prophet’s Grief 438The Miracle of Memorising the Holy Qur’ān 439

xx

Memorising the Holy Qur’ān in Three Months Alongside University Studies 439A Blind Person Memorised the Holy Qur’ān in Just Three Months 440Sayyidah Ṣafiyyah’s i Dream and its Interpretation 441Sayyidunā Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq h Was an Expert Interpreter of Dreams 441Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah’s i Dream and its Interpretation 442A Dream Regarding the ‘Imām of the Dream Interpreters’, ʿAllāmah Ibn Sīrīn r and its Interpretation 442A Dream and its Interpretation 443 Ibn ʿAbbās’ k Astonishing Interpretation of a Dream 444

28t W o pr a C t i C e s a f t e r fa J r pr ay e r o f t h e l e a D e r o f t h e pr o p h e t s

Interpretation of Dreams 449Istikhārah and Dreams 450The Reality of Our Dreams 450The Reality of a Correct and True Dream 451A Dream of Imām Mālik r 451The Interpretation of Imām Mālik’s r Dream 452

29De D i C at i n g a n i g h t a n D Day, on C e a W e e k , t o t h e s e a l o f t i m e a n D pl a C e : t h e n i g h t a n D Day o f J u m u ‘a h

Reciting Sūrat al-Kahf on a Friday 458The Recitation of Sūrat al-Kahf disappears in the name of Religious innovation (Bidʿah) 459One Should Avoid Being Stern 459Do Not Relate Contentious Issues 459These Issues Are Very Delicate 459Regard for the Respect of the Master of Both Worlds 460Objectivity Even in Issuing Judicial Decrees (Fatwās) 461Observance of the Night and Day of Jumuʿah and Reciting Durūd Sharīf Abundantly 461The Love for the Master of Both Worlds Is an Obligation Above All Obligations 461We Ought to Inspect Our Hearts 462A Scale for Measuring and weighing Love 462What a Severe Tone! 463Allāh Most High Has Left Us to Decide 464Corroboration from Shaykh Gangohī’s r and Shaykh Thānawī’s r

Speech 464We Should Be Stricken by Remorse upon Neglecting this Farḍ 465Three Conditions of a Companion (Ṣaḥābī) 465

xxi

Allāh Most High Changed His Law for the Love of the Noble Prophet 467Abū Ṭālib’s Love and Goodwill 467Even this Much Love Profited Abū Lahab 468Shaykh ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s Dream and His Travelling to Tarkeshwar 470Seeing the Noble Prophet in a Dream 470Different Individuals Seeing Sayyidunā ʿĪsā n in Their Dreams 470

30t h e s e a l o f t h e pr o p h e t: a l l Ā h ’ s m e s s e n g e r , m u ḥ a m m a d

The Seal of the Master of Both Worlds 475Ibn ʿArabī Mālikī r and Salafiyyah 476The Ingenuity of Imām Aʿẓam Abū Ḥanīfah r 477Imām Mālik r and the Rulers 477Shāh Waliyullāh and the Shīʿah Governor 478The Trials of the Four Imāms 479The Ingenuity of Imām Aʿẓam r 479Another Story Pertaining to Imām Aʿẓam’s r Intelligence 480The Seal of Ḥasan IbnʿAlī h 481I Am with You on the Face of this Earth: This Is My Karāmah (Extraordinary Act) 481O My Mountain of Sins 482Shaykh Sirrī Saqaṭī r 483Shaykh Thābit ʿAlī r 483A Story of Transformation of Appearance (Maskh) 484Seeking Forgiveness upon Reciting Al-ḥamdu li ’llāh 486Those Who Are Burnt Are Also Mine 487The Testimony of Stones 488The Earth Speaks 489

31t h o s e W h o va l u e D t h e u t t e r a n C e s o f t h e t e a C h e r o f t h e Wo r l D

Our Ṣalāh Resembles Our Lectures 496Whose Love Prevails? 496The Condition of Shaykh Zakariyyā’s r Writing 497Adversity Is Appointed with Speech 498Love For Shaykh al-Islām Ḥusayn Aḥmad Madanī r and Shaykh Rāipūrī r 499Five Days Spent in Search of a Single Ḥadīth 499The State of Shaykh ʿAbd al-Ḥayy Lucknowī r 500Water Is Sought but Vinegar Is Given Instead 501

4

t Wo gat h e r i n g s o f a n g e l s f o r t h e l e a D e r o f t h e C h i l D r e n o f

Ā Da m

�ااکمین رم ن

ج� � اضفےئ ےہ ��اامں ون�ر ےس سج ہک �د�ا�ودنین

� ن

اضیفں �اون�ا�ر ہطقن �وہ ےہ وت

اطلسین وک �اوہں ش

� وہیئ ر�اں ن

�ا�ر� ےس ضیف یہ رتے ےس ھجت �ویل ےلھچپ وہےئ ےس ھجت یبن �اےلگ ےنب

ےہ وس�ر�ج وخ�د ےس �ر�ونش �ا�و�ر اعشںیع �ا� ےس ون�ر�این ےس ن

�اں مت ہن ںیہ ےس مت �ر�و� رع�و�ج ت

اقمام�

ون�ر�این رہم وہ مت �ا�و�ر ںیہ ی�اء ج� �ن�ا� اتس�رے احلم مت وہ ےک

توبن� متخ ںیہن یہ

توبن�

ون�ر�این ت

د�ا�ن

� ےہ ہ�ا ت

�نم� اک ط�اوتقں �د�ایئ

ن� د�رہ

ن� �ایمٹی ےہ ہ�ا

ت�

نم� اک ط�اوتقں ی

نی� رم�

ن�

�اینش

ی� �پ� رغط�اےئ رھپ ہن ویکں رامین ن

� متخ وہ ہن رپ دقم� ت

د�ا�ن

� ںیہ متخ ت

وبن� ت

امکال�

امیلسین تخت دمجنم ارک �� اتیل ایک دقم اک �ادق� ت

د�ا�ن

� اھت �ر�و�اں تخت پ�ا � ج�رق � ج�ر�اق �

) ہیلع ہلل ا � حمۃ ر � ح�ج اص بیط دمحم ی ر � اق ا �ن� ال وم

ت� رضح (

67

Gatherings of Angels

ل عليه، مد هلل نحمده و نستعينه و نستغفره و نؤمن به و نتوك مد هلل، ال الده اهلل فال مضل له ور انفسنا و من سيات اعاملنا، من ي و نعوذ باهلل من شيك له، و و من يضلل فال هادى له، و نشهد ان ال اله اال اهلل وحده ال شدا عبده و رسوله، صىل اهلل عليه و عىل م نا و موالنا م دنا و نبي نشهد ان سي

ا، م تسليام كثريا كثري اله و صحبه و بارك و سلحيم ﴿يا ن الر مح جيم، بسم اهلل الر يطان الر ا بعد: فأعوذ باهلل من الش أم

اجا نذيرا و داعيا اىل اهلل باذنه و س ا و مبش ا ارسلناك شاهدا و بىه ان ا الن ايها﴾ نري مه

Recite durūd sharīf:

د و م نا و شفيعنا و حبيبنا و سندنا و موالنا م دنا و نبي اللهم صل عىل سيم بارك و سل

frienDs, prior to toDay I cannot recall delivering a lecture in any part of Leicester in the past thirty years. Besides, I pre-fer to teach good students wherever I may encounter them.

Thus, not too long ago, when I decided to prolong my stay in South Africa, I thought to myself that with me hoping to stay there for a few months, ‘What will I do if I don’t teach?’ With my respected mother’s house being in Durban, I used to teach for a few hours in

68

Gatherings of Angels

a local darul uloom daily.

e D u C at i o n at a m a k ta B

My real attachment and inclination is towards teaching and learn-ing. When I first came to this country, delivering speeches was one of my duties when I was employed as an imām in Bolton. However, I did not have an enduring fondness for it since it did not yield much benefit. Although it is of some benefit, the profession of teaching is more wholesome as it allows teachers to accurately assess their performance and gauge student learning. Exams help in achieving this.

Māshā Allāh (Allāh has willed it), you listen to speeches fre-quently, but after the orator leaves, the results of its effectiveness are unknown. For this reason, more useful than the teaching of fiqh, ḥadīth and tafsīr, which we’re engaged in, is the education received at a maktab (evening classes in Islamic subjects). Here, tutoring children to learn the Holy Qur’ān and reading alif, bā, tā, thā etc from the Qāʿidah derives absolute benefit. The gathering which you see around yourselves is the outcome of this education. Were it not for the education you received at the maktab, you would have been unable to offer ṣalāh, observe fasts or recite the Holy Qur’ān. Of paramount importance, highly necessary and rewarding is the education received at a maktab; the education in Arabic, ḥadīth and tafsīr etc acquired at a darul uloom is secondary.

t h e pe r C e p t i v e n e s s o f sh ay k h a l -ḥ a d ī t h r

I recollect a letter I wrote to Shaykh al-Ḥadīth Muḥammad Zakariyyā r a few months after coming to this country in 1968. Therein I wrote, ‘The prevailing conditions here are such that in the masjid where I have begun to lead the daily and Jumuʿah prayers, a reasonable number of worshippers turned up at the weekend. But on Monday, the worshippers told me that I need not turn up for ʿIshā’ and Fajr prayers as they were the only people who prayed

69

Gatherings of Angels

at the masjid, and from Monday, they would all be going to work. With it being summer time, ṣalāh is offered late, hence you will not find anyone lurking in the masjid at eleven o’clock, nor in the morning at Fajr time.’ I related the situation and added, ‘My wish is to return to India where I can begin teaching in a madrasah in order to preserve all the knowledge that I have acquired over the course of my eight to ten year study at a madrasah.’

sh ay k h Z a k a r i y yĀ’ s r C l a i rvo ya n C e

Shaykh Zakariyyā’s r perspicacity was far-reaching. Allāh Most High bestows [saints] with astonishing acuity through which they discern things of a distant nature. His Intuition revealed itself when I wrote to him to inform him that very few people attended the masjid for the five daily prayers. In response to my protests and intention of returning to India, he wrote, ‘Do not try to return. Stay put. It is not beyond Allāh Most High’s self to establish a darul uloom through your efforts wherein ḥadīth and Qur’ānic exegesis (tafsīr) lectures take place.’

At the time, after reading his letter, I could not believe his words. Yet, it was a command of my spiritual mentor, so I put my faith in it and stayed put. Al-ḥamdu li ’llāh (All praise is due to Allāh), the darul uloom was established a few years later, wherein, through the blessings acquired through the shaykh’s supplications and spiritual attention, the curriculum of teaching fiqh, ḥadīth and ṭafsīr was initiated. To date, Al-ḥamdu li ’llāh, approximately four hundred scholars have graduated, and close to three hundred and seventy five ḥāfiẓes have progressed through the ḥifẓ programme.

As I was saying, I have never been inclined towards making speeches or delivering discourses. I have visited Leicester often, and the shaykh here has asked me time and again to deliver a speech or give a lecture, only for me to evade the issue by making an excuse, for the role of oratory is an important position.

70

Gatherings of Angels

W h o De s e rv e s t h e ro l e o f or at o r y

A saying of Shāh ʿ Abd al-ʿAzīz Muḥaddith Dehlawī r on this subject explains that oratory, speech making and preaching are positions only for those who are disturbed by and filled with a concern as to why people do not attend the masjid?’. Their hearts are affected and in turn, ache and fear for them. ‘Why do they not attend? They ought to become regulars at the masjid. They do not keep a beard. Why though? What will be their position in the grave when made to face the Master of Both Worlds .’ I recall Shaykh Zakariyyā’s r words, and many of you can probably recall them too, which he said during one of our gatherings that took place in Darul Uloom Bury.

sh ay k h Z a k a r i y yĀ’ s r pr e C i o u s Wo r D s

Shaykh Zakariyyā r said, ‘O my beloved, Look! Two Iranian, non-Muslim envoys entered the Masjid Nabawī while the Noble Prophet was sat amongst the Respected Companions j. These envoys, who had been sent by Kisrā (Chosroes), were outstanding wrestlers too. The Noble Prophet had written letters addressing the kings, rulers and emperors of his time, inviting them towards Islam and, in reply, envoys had been sent from their side.

t h e ou t C o m e o f h i r aq l’s (h e r aC l i u s) h i g h r e g a r D

As soon as the Roman King received the Noble Prophet’s blessed letter, he afforded it due honour and reverence. The narration has it that the Companion who carried the letter was led into a treasure chamber by Hiraql, who then opened a chest in which lay a storage box. He took out a picture and asked the Companion ‘Whose picture is this?’

The Companion replied, ‘I do not recognise him.’Hiraql said, ‘It is the picture of Sayyidunā Ādam n.

71

Gatherings of Angels

He then took out another picture and asked, ‘Whose picture is this?’

The Companion, again, replied, ‘I do not know.’ Hiraql said, ‘This is the picture of Sayyidunā Nūḥ n.’ Thereafter,

he took out yet another picture, asking, ‘Whose picture is this?’ The Companion replied, ‘I do not recognise him.’ Hiraql revealed, ‘Sayyidunā Mūsā n.’ Once again, he took out

another picture and asked, ‘Who is this?’ The Companion replied, ‘I do not recognise him.’ Hiraql said, ‘Sayyidunā ʿ Īsā n.’ Thereafter, he took out a picture

and asked, ‘Is this your prophet?’The Companion says, ‘I was somewhat startled upon seeing

this picture. I examined it closely and said, ‘This picture is not of the Messenger of Allāh, but it bears a close resemblance to him.’

Hiraql told him, ‘You have spoken the truth as this is the picture of Sayyidunā Ibrāhīm n, who is the illustrious forefather of the Last Prophet.’

He continued, and pulled out another picture, ‘Who is this?’ he asked.

‘I do not recognise him,’ was the Companion’s reply yet again.Hiraql said, ‘This is the picture of Sayyidunā Ismāʿīl n. Finally, Hiraql presented a picture and as soon as the

Companion’s eyes fell on it, he was overcome and began crying incessantly, saying, ‘This is a picture of the Messenger of Allāh.’

Concerning these pictures, it has been said that they were given to the prophets and messengers in an era when pictures were not prohibited (ḥarām), and after them, they eventually reached these rulers.

Some others have opined that the previous books contained every detail of the prophets’ features, i.e. their complexion, eyes, nose, and overall appearance was outlined therein, similar to the glad tidings of the Noble Prophet given in the Torāt (Torah) and Injīl (Bible). This enabled artists to draw accurate portraits of all the messengers including the Noble Prophet .