| In Praise of the Prophet pbuh |
 |
 |
 |
 “And rarely do one’s eyes behold the bearer of
a name; whose description does not tally with the meaning – when one
thinks about it.”[1]Even before hearing anything of his  character, or learning the details of his life, the name of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad Rasool Allah - indicates
towards his status and praiseworthy qualities. This name “Muhammad” was
given to no other before him, and linguistically it is linked to Hamd,
praise. “Muhammad is a passive participle, whosoever is praised, possessing many praiseworthy qualities then he is muhammad. And Muhammad is praised more than any other person, and this is why - and Allah knows best - he was called by this name.”[2]Hamd means a praise that is genuine, the one who is praised by this deserves it and it is linked with Muhabba (love), so the one who is praised with Hamd is also loved. It is never false praise or mere flattery. Equally the name Ahmad was given to none other before RasoolAllah and is also linked to Hamd:“His
praising of Allah is more than any other person’s praise of Him, and
therefore he is the most deserving of being praised and the first. So
in meaning Ahmad is similar to Muhammad except that the distinction is
that he is Muhammad due to his possessing many praiseworthy qualities,
and he is Ahmad due to his being praised in a more excellent way than
the praise of any other. And this is the most complete meaning of this
word, and the most extensive in commending him (SAW)”[3]Due to their hatred of Islam, some of the mushrikeen of Makkah used to distort his name. The wife of Abu Lahab -Umm Jamil bint Harb- used to recite the following lines of poetry, reversing the meaning of his name:“We have disobeyed the dispraised one, rejected his Call, and alienated ourselves from his religion.” مذمما أبينا ودينه قلينا وأمره عصينا They would use the name “Mudhammam” meaning “dispraised” instead of Muhammad. This is because it hurt them even to call him by his name, which would be to admit his praiseworthiness. At this, Rasool Allah used to say “don’t you see how Allah has protected me” (or “protected my name”) as by insulting and cursing “Mudhammam” they were not insulting RasoolAllah as he was not called Mudhammam in the first place, so in reality it did not refer to him. Another of the names by which Rasool Allah was most famously known is al-Ameen
meaning the trustworthy, honest one. This is name by which he was known
even before the beginning of revelation, due to his integrity and the
trust that others felt in him.Recall the incident of rebuilding the Kaba and the dispute which arose about who should have the honour of placing the black stone. It was suggested that whoever was the next person to enter could bring the solution, and as we know that person was none other than Rasool Allah .Upon seeing him enter, the people declared: “Al-Ameen (the trustworthy) has come. We are content to abide by his decision.”[4] This shows the level of trust they had in him
. Even before he spoke to give his suggestion, they felt content that
what he was going to say would be beneficial to all of them. And of
course, he solved the dispute in an excellent manner by placing the
black stone onto a cloth, thereby allowing all of them to participate
together in placing it.The root of Ameen is hamza-meen-noon, which is linked to the noun أَمْن (amn) which is safety or security. So al-Ameen is somebody who is so trustworthy that you feel safe and secure because of this aspect of his character. Another of the most famous names or descriptions of Rasool Allah is a mercy to the worlds, as Allah says in Surat al Anbiyaa:وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ “We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures[5]” This is a description given by Allah Himself, and the importance of this attribute of mercy is really emphasised here. It could have been said: Arsalnaaka rahmatan lil aalameen – We sent you (O Prophet) as a Mercy to all creatures. Such a sentence would have put across the meaning in an adequate way, however it has been emphasised further by negation. Allah says: wa MAA arsalnaaka ILLAA rahmatan lil aalameen. And we did not send you, EXCEPT as a Mercy for all creatures. This is the role of Rasool Allah . This is not just one small point amongst many others, but rather this is the reason and purpose in his being sent. It is recorded in Sahih Muslim that RasoolAllah said:«إِنِّي لَمْ أُبْعَثْ لَعَّانًا، وَإِنَّمَا بُعِثْتُ رَحْمَة» “I was not sent as a curse, rather I was sent as a mercy.”[6] The merciful nature of Rasool Allah towards the believers was mentioned elsewhere in Quran. Allah says in Surat at Tawbah:لَقَدْ جَاءكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَؤُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ Indeed, there has come unto you [O mankind] an Apostle from among yourselves: heavily weighs -upon him [the thought] that you might suffer [in the life to come]; full of concern for you [is he, and] full of compassion and mercy towards the believers.[7] The sending of messengers to mankind is a mercy to us from Allah. Without this we would be lost without a chance of following the straight path, without knowing Allah or knowing how to worship Allah correctly. Allah says in Surat al Ahzab: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا وَدَاعِيًا إِلَى اللَّهِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَسِرَاجًا مُّنِيرًا [And as for thee,] O Prophet - behold, We have sent thee as a witness [to the truth], and as a herald of glad tidings and a warner. And as one who summons [all men] to God by His leave, and as a light-giving beacon.[8] So RasoolAllah
was sent as a mercy to us. How is he a mercy to us? By calling us
towards Allah, to facilitate our guidance, to show us the right way. As
Allah says in Surat at Talaq:رَّسُولًا
يَتْلُو عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ مُبَيِّنَاتٍ لِّيُخْرِجَ الَّذِينَ
آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ A Messenger, who rehearses to you the Signs of Allah containing clear explanations, that he may lead forth those who believe and do righteous deeds from the depths of Darkness into Light.[9] This name -Siraajun Muneer - is a beautifully accurate and eloquent description of Rasool Allah
. He acts as a light for us, allowing us to see clearly what is right
and wrong; as a guide for us, without his example we would be
completely lost. As described by Abu Bakr:As there is no darkness in the moonlight; so is Mustafa (Muhammad ), the well wisher, the bright. The guidance that he brought for us is enough for all of mankind, from the time that Quran was revealed until Yawm ul Qiyaamah, so there is no need for any further prophet after him and he has the honour of being khaatim al anbiyaa, the seal of the Prophets.Jubayr bin Mut`im, may Allah be pleased with him, said that he heard the Messenger of Allah say: «إِنَّ
لِي أَسْمَاءَ أَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ، وَأَنَا أَحْمَدُ، وَأَنَا الْمَاحِي
الَّذِي يَمْحُو اللهُ تَعَالَى بِيَ الْكُفْرَ، وَأَنَا الْحَاشِرُ
الَّذِي يُحْشَرُ النَّاسُ عَلَى قَدَمَيَّ وَأَنَا الْعَاقِبُ الَّذِي
لَيْسَ بَعْدَهُ نَبِي» I have several names: I am Muhammad, and I am Ahmad; I am Al-Mahi (the eradicator) through whom Allah will erase disbelief; I am Al-Hashir (the gatherer) at whose feet mankind will gather; and I am Al-`Aqib (the final one) after whom there will be no Prophet. [1] Lines of poetry quoted in “Zaad al Maad” (Provisions for the Hereafter) – Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyyah [2] http://www.islamnewsroom.com/content/view/561/52/ [3] Ibid [4] http://www.islamcan.com/cgi-bin/incr...79494308.shtml [5] Yusuf Ali translation – Quran 21:107 [6] http://tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=21&tid=33596 [7] M Asad translation. Quran 9:128 [8] M Asad translation. Quran 33:45-46 [9] Yusuf Ali translation. Quran: 65:11
|
Who's Online
We have 195 guests online
Group Talk
Groups
Stats