Privileges of Allah’s Messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-
Author: Ustadz Said Yai, Lc, MA
In this article, we’ll explain about some privileges of the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- which are not possessed by any of his followers, or even some other prophets.
His privilege: His followers are obliged to love him more than anyone or anything
Allah the Glorified and Exalted decreed,
قُلْ إِن كَانَ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَاكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ اللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُوا حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَ اللهُ بِأَمْرِهِ وَاللهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ
“Tell them, (O Prophet): “If your fathers and your sons and your brothers and your wives and your tribe and the riches you have acquired and the commerce of which you fear a slackening, and the dwellings that you love, if they are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His cause, then wait until Allah brings about His decree. Allah does not guide the evil-doing folk.” (Chapter At Taubah/The Repentance:24)
The meaning of “to love him more than anyone or anything” supposed to be understood that to love him above anything else after the love for Allah, because the love for Allah is the first and foremost of all.
His privilege: He -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- was escorted by a guardian of jinn who was already a muslim
Allah the Glorified and Exalted had created every human being together with his guardian from among the genies (jinn) when he was born. Each one of this jinn has a indecent soul, which causes it to frequently disturb mankind and lure it to commit sin and infidelity. The Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- also had this kind of jinn, but his jinn already embraced Islam and therefore, it always advised him to do good.
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- : (( مَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلاَّ وَقَدْ وُكِّلَ بِهِ قَرِينُهُ مِنَ الْجِنِّ )). قَالُوا: ( وَإِيَّاكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ) قَالَ : (( وَإِيَّاىَ إِلاَّ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَعَانَنِى عَلَيْهِ فَأَسْلَمَ فَلاَ يَأْمُرُنِى إِلاَّ بِخَيْرٍ ))
(2) It is narrated from ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud that the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said, “None of you
His privilege: Anyone who dreams of meeting him in his dream, truly meets him in that dream
عَنْ أَبِى هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- : (( مَنْ رَآنِى فِى الْمَنَامِ فَقَدْ رَآنِى فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لاَ يَتَمَثَّلُ بِى )).
(3) It is narrated from Abu Huraira -may Allah be pleased with him-, that the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said, “Whoever sees me in his dream, indeed, he has seen me. Verily, satan can not impersonate me.” [2]
His privilege: A severe threat for whoever lies on behalf of his name
عن الْمُغِيرَةُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- يَقُولُ: (( إِنَّ كَذِبًا عَلَىَّ لَيْسَ كَكَذِبٍ عَلَى أَحَدٍ فَمَنْ كَذَبَ عَلَىَّ مُتَعَمِّدًا فَلْيَتَبَوَّأْ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ )).
(4) It is narrated from Al Mughirah -may Allah be pleased with him- that he heard the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said, “Indeed, lying upon my name is nothing like lying upon anyone else’s name beside me. Whoever lies upon my name deliberately, has prepared his own seat in Hellfire.” [3]
The scholars agreed that the degree of this hadith is mutawatir, or narrated by too much people to be considered a false one. The scholars have also agreed that whoever deliberately lies upon the name of the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- and believes that it is allowed to do so, has committed infidelity that expels him fro, Islam. However, they disagreed upon the ruling of a person who commits lie upon the Prophet’s name -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- in deliberate except he believes that it is unlawful to do so. As for majority of them, they said that he is not deemed as disbeliever, but the sin he commits is greater than lying upon any other name beside the Prophet’s -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him, as mentioned in the previous hadith,
His privilege: It is not allowed to raise one’s voice higher than his voice -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-
Allah the Glorified and Exalted decreed,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ وَلَا تَجْهَرُوا لَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَن تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَغُضُّونَ أَصْوَاتَهُمْ عِندَ رَسُولِ اللهِ أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ امْتَحَنَ اللهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُنَادُونَكَ مِن وَرَاءِ الْحُجُرَاتِ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
(5) ” (2) Believers, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet and when speaking to him do not speak aloud as you speak aloud to one another, lest all your deeds are reduced to nothing without your even realizing it. (3) The ones who lower their voices in the presence of the Messenger of Allah are those whose hearts Allah has tested for God-fearing. Theirs shall be forgiveness and a great reward. (4) Surely most of those who call out to you, (O Prophet), from behind the apartments, are devoid of understanding.” (Chapter Al Hujurat/The Chambers:2-4)
To raise one’s voice before a respectable figure is not a decent manner; if it is indecent before a mere human being, what about doing it before the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-? Worse, indeed.
There’s an interesting question regarding this topic, of whether this prohibition still valid for the Prophet’s followers today? Isn’t Prophet Muhammad -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- has passed away? Insya Allah, we’ll answer this question under the topic of “True Love for The Beloved”.
His privilege: His heart never slept, even though his eyes slept
The prophets -peace and prayer be upon them- were favored with exclusivity that no one beside them ever has. It is within their hearts that were always remembering Allah, even though they were asleep.
عن أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ لما ذكر قصة الإسراء: (…وَالنَّبِيُّ -صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- نَائِمَةٌ عَيْنَاهُ وَلَا يَنَامُ قَلْبُهُ وَكَذَلِكَ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ تَنَامُ أَعْيُنُهُمْ وَلَا تَنَامُ قُلُوبُهُمْ).
(6) It is narrated from Anas Ibn Malik -may Allah be pleased with him- that when he told the story of Isra’ (the night journey), he said, “Regarding the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-, his eyes were asleep, but his heart wasn’t.”[4]
The sufis believe that they are the ones who possess this exclusivity. Glorified and Exalted be He, that is an example of their lie and extreme attitude. As for the ahl sunnah, we believe in the news that Anas -may Allah be pleased with him- had conveyed to us in this hadith.
His privilege: He is able to see things behind him as he saw things in front of him
عَنْ أَنَسٍ أَنَّ نَبِىَّ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- قَالَ: (( أَتِمُّوا الرُّكُوعَ وَالسُّجُودَ فَوَاللَّهِ إِنِّى لأَرَاكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ ظَهْرِى إِذَا مَا رَكَعْتُمْ وَإِذَا مَا سَجَدْتُمْ )).
(7) It is narrated from Anas -may Allah be pleased with him- that the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said, “complete your bow and prostration. By Allah! Indeed, I see you behind me when you bow and prostrate.” [5]
This is what the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- told his followers about, and we have to believe him.
His privilege: He is able to hear and see whatever other human unable to hear and see
The Prophet – peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- was able to see angels, jinn, and other unseen things that Allah presented before him, and was able to hear sounds that human being couldn’t hear, such as the cries of people who were tormented inside their grave, voice of the angels, etc.
عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ-: (( إِنِّي أَرَى مَا لَا تَرَوْنَ وَأَسْمَعُ مَا لَا تَسْمَعُونَ )).
(8)It is narrated from Abu Dzar -may Allah be pleased with him- that the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said, “Indeed, I see what you don’t see, and I hear what you don’t hear.” [6]
His privilege: The prohibition for the muslim to marry his wives after his death
His wives are the mother of the believers (umm al mu’minin). His wives -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- were exclusively marry to him, thus it is not allowed for anyone to marry them after him, as mentioned in the Qur’an. Allah the Glorified and Exalted decreed,
{ وَمَا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَنْ تُؤْذُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَلا أَنْ تَنْكِحُوا أَزْوَاجَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ }
(9)”It is not lawful for you to cause hurt to Allah’s Messenger, nor to ever marry his wives after him. Surely that would be an enormous sin in Allah’s sight.” (Chapter Al-Ahzab: 53)
His privilege: The place where he died was where he was buried
Allah has given The prophets -peace and prayer be upon him- privilege to be buried at where they died, because they didn’t die except at the place where Allah has been pleased for them to be buried at that place.
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ: ( لَمَّا قُبِضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- اخْتَلَفُوا فِي دَفْنِهِ. فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: ( سَمِعْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ -صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- شَيْئًا مَا نَسِيتُهُ قَالَ: (( مَا قَبَضَ اللَّهُ نَبِيًّا إِلَّا فِي الْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُدْفَنَ فِيهِ)), ادْفِنُوهُ فِي مَوْضِعِ فِرَاشِهِ.
(10) It is narrated from ‘Aisha -may Allah be pleased with him- that she said, “When the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- died, his companions were in disagreement over where should he be buried. Abu Bakr said, ‘I’ve heard the words of the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- that I don’t forget, in which he said, “Allah doesn’t take away a prophet’s life except at place where He pleases him to be buried at.’ bury him at where his bed lies!’,[7]
He -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- was buried next to the Masjid of Nabawi, inside the house of ‘Aisha -may Allah be pleased with her.
His privilege: His corpse will not be destroyed by the earth worms
عَنْ أَوْسِ بْنِ أَوْسٍ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ -صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- قَالَ: (( إِنَّ مِنْ أَفْضَلِ أَيَّامِكُمْ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فِيهِ خُلِقَ آدَمُ -عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام-, وَفِيهِ قُبِضَ, وَفِيهِ النَّفْخَةُ وَفِيهِ الصَّعْقَةُ, فَأَكْثِرُوا عَلَيَّ مِنْ الصَّلَاةِ فَإِنَّ صَلَاتَكُمْ مَعْرُوضَةٌ عَلَيَّ)), قَالُوا: (يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَكَيْفَ تُعْرَضُ صَلَاتُنَا عَلَيْكَ وَقَدْ أَرَمْتَ أَيْ يَقُولُونَ قَدْ بَلِيتَ؟) قَالَ: (( إِنَّ اللَّهَ -عَزَّ وَجَلَّ- قَدْ حَرَّمَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ أَنْ تَأْكُلَ أَجْسَادَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ -عَلَيْهِمْ السَّلَام-.))
(11) It is narrated from Aus Ibn Aus -may Allah be pleased with him-, that the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said, “Verily, Friday is the best day for you. It was the day prophet Adam -peace be upon him- was created and passed away. It is the day when the horn will be blown and all creatures will die. Recite salawat upon me aplenty! Indeed, you recitation will be conveyed to me.” The companions said, “O Messenger of Allah, how could our slawat reach you whereas you’ve been perished or gone?”. He -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said, “indeed, Allah has prohibited the earth to destroy the corpses of the prophets -peace be upon them-.”[8]
These are some privileges of the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- that I can write in this book, and although there are some other privileges that he possessed, at least, what we’ve mentioned here could represent them all.
(Rewritten from the book “Bersama Sang Kekasih di Surga’. By the author, published by Darussunnah)
Footnotes:
[1] Narrated by Muslim no. 7286
[2] Narrated by Al-Al-Bukhari no. 7993 and Muslim no. 6056 , and this is the text from Muslim
[3] Narrated by Al-Bukhari no. 1291 and Muslim no. 5 (in his prologue/opening script)
[4] Narrated by Al-Bukhari no. 3580.
[5] Narrated by Al-Bukhari no. 6644 and Muslim no. 988
[6] Narrated by At-Tirmidzi no. 2312 and Ibn Maja no. 4190 and classified as sound hadith by Sheikh Al Albani in Ash-Shahihah no. 1722
[7] narrated by At-Tirmidzi no. 1018 and classified as sound hadith by Sheikh Al Albani in Shahih Sunan At-Tirmidzi
[8] Narrated by An Nisa’i no. 1374 and Ibn Maja no. 1636 classified as valid hadith by Sheikh Al Albani in Ash-Shahihah no. 1527