The
Superiority of the Prophet Muhammad
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
Imaam
Al-'Izz ibn 'Abdis-Salaam As-Sulamee
Hadeeth Checking and Comments by Al-Albaanee
Source:
Bidaayatus-Suwal Fee Tafdheelir-Rasool ( book
cover )
Translated exclusively for www.bakkah.net
PART
TWO
Al-'Izz's Introduction
& Chapter One to Chapter Eight
[
Part One ] - [ Part Two ] -
[ Part Three ] - [ Part
Four ]
In
the Name of Allaah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful...
O
Allaah! Raise the rank of our leader Muhammad and that of
his family as well, and grant him security. Aid us, O Allaah,
and make this affair easy for us, and allow us to complete
it.
All
praise is for Allaah, the Lord of all that exists. We ask
Him to raise the rank of the chief of all His creation, Muhammad,
the seal of the prophets, and that of his family and all his
companions.
Allaah
Most High says [2]:
( And
Allaah sent down to you (O
Muhammad!) the Book and the
Hikmah [1],
and He taught you what you did not know. And verily the favor
of Allaah on you is indeed a great one! )
Allaah
also says [3]:
( These
are the messengers, We favored some of them over others. From
them is one whom Allaah spoke to directly, and We exalted
some of them greatly. )
The
first verse establishes that there is a distinction in the
virtues of the different messengers, and the second verse
shows how some messengers are far more virtuous than others.
And indeed Allaah Most High preferred our Prophet (sallallaahu
'alaye wa sallam) in many ways. [4]
Chapter
One
Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa
sallam) is the Sayyid [5]
of the Offspring of Aadam
The
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
"I
am the sayyid of Aadam's offspring, and I do not say
this out of pride." [6]
A
sayyid is one who possesses the most superior characteristics
and highest manners, and thus holds an exalted position above
the rest of the people. This title befits the Messenger (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) since he is the best of mankind in
both this life and the next. As for this life, he was described
as having the highest morals and manners. As for the next
life, then the reward is connected to the manners and actions
of this life. So if he (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
surpassed their best commendable acts and traits in this life,
then he will also surpass their positions in the next life.
He
only said, "And I do not say
this out of pride," to make his nation aware
of the position that his Lord gave him. Usually when people
mention their own qualities our positions, it is from pride.
So he wanted to eliminate any false or ignorant conclusions
that would suggest that he mentioned his position out of pride
by saying, "And I do not say
this out of pride."
Chapter
Two
He (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
Will Hold the Flag of Praise
The
Prophet said:
"On
the Day of Judgement I will hold the flag of praise,
and I do not say this out of pride." [7]
Chapter
Three
Aadam and All of Mankind Will Stand
Under His Flag
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
The
Prophet said:
"Aadam
and the rest of mankind will be under my flag on the Day of
Judgement, and I do not say this out of pride."
[8]
These
virtues specific to our Prophet prove his high station. If
nothing else, this superiority hints at the virtues of his
character and his distinctively high position.
Chapter
Four
Allaah Forgave All His Sins During His
Lifetime
(sallallahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
Verily
Allaah informed him that He Glorified and Exalted forgave
him for his past and future sins during his lifetime (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam).[9] There are no narrations to support
that Allaah forgave any other prophet in this manner.
Apparently,
Allaah Most High did not inform anyone else of this kind of
general forgiveness. We understand this from the hadeeth of
the Intercession, wherein it is reported that the messengers
will be asked to intercede for their people. Each one will
remember his sin or mistake, and refuse, saying, "Myself,
myself!" [10] So if they knew they had been forgiven,
they would not be so apprehensive at this important moment.
Then, when the opportunity to intercede comes to the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), he will say:
"This
is for me." [11]
Chapter
Five
He (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
Will be the First
to be Allowed to Intercede
From
his magnificent virtues is that he (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) will be the first to be permitted to intercede
for the creation. He said:
"I
will be the sayyid of Aadam's offspring on the Day of Judgement,
the first to be raised from the earth, the first intercessor,
and the first one to be given permission to intercede." [12]
This
clearly shows his distinction (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
and superiority over the rest of creation.
Chapter
Six
He (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
Chose to Use His One Answered Supplication to Intercede for
His Nation on the Day of Judgement
The
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) put aside his
personal needs and chose to intercede for us on the Day of
Judgement, as he said:
"Every
prophet was given one supplication that would be immediately
answered whenever he would ask it. Verily I have delayed my
supplication so can I ask Allaah to allow me to intercede
for my nation on the Day of Judgement."
[13]
So
every prophet was given one supplication like this, and each
one used his in this life, while he (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) patiently chose to use his for the next life
to intercede for his nation.
Chapter
Seven
Allaah Swore by Muhammad's Life
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
Indeed
Allaah Most High made an oath by the life of His Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam), as found in His Statement [14]:
( By
your life, verily they are wandering about in a drunken state! )
The
fact that Allaah Glorified and Exalted swore by Muhammad's
life (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) shows that he
holds a very high position with Allaah, since Allaah only
swears by the most outstanding things in His Creation. This
proves his honor and prestige, and he (sallallaahu 'alaye
wa sallam) is deserving of such a position, since his
life was so generally full of blessings, every specific event
bearing witness to that.
It
has not been established that Allaah Most High swore by the
life of anyone else.
Chapter
Eight
Allaah Addressed Him (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam)
by the Most Honorable of Titles
From
the Prophet's many amazing virtues is that Allaah Most High
addressed him (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) using
only honorable and distinguished titles, like [15]:
( O
Prophet! Allaah is sufficient for you
and for the believers that follow you! )
And
[16]:
( O
Messenger! Convey what was revealed to you from your Lord! )
This
is something that gives him (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
a great distinction among the prophets, since Allaah Most
High used only their given names when He called on the rest
of them. This is evident from many verses, like: [17]:
( And
we said, "O Aadam!
Dwell, you and your wife, in the garden!" )
And
[18]:
( And
when Allaah said: "O 'Eesaa son of Mary!
Remember my favor on you and on your mother!" )
And
[19]:
( O
Moosaa! Verily I am Allaah, the Lord of all that exists! )
And
[20]:
( It
was said, "O Nooh (Noah)!
Come down (from the Ark)
as we granted you security and blessed you and some of those
with you!" )
And
[21]:
( O
Daawood! Verily we appointed you as a ruler on earth! )
And
[22]:
( And
we called out to him, "O Ibraaheem!
You have fulfilled (what
you were ordered to do in)
the dream! )
And
[23]:
( They
said, "O Loot! Verily we are messengers from your Lord! )
And
[24]:
( O
Zakariyyaa! Verily we bring you glad tidings
of a boy named Yahyaa! )
And
[25]:
( O
Yahyaa! Take the book firmly! )
Imagine
a man who calls one of his servants using a name that depicted
his best qualities and most praiseworthy manners, and he calls
the rest simply by their names. The high position of the one
who is called by his best qualities and manners is firmly
established and he is clearly preferred over the rest. [26]
It
is well known in people's customs that to call someone by
his best qualities and manners is a way of showing great respect
and honor for a person. A poet once said:
Do
not call me except with, "O Servant!"
For that is the most virtuous of all my names.
This
article was taken from BAKKAHnet (www.bakkah.net)
FOOTNOTES
[1]
Hikmah literally means wisdom, but in this context it
refers to the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam).
[2]
the meaning of Soorah An-Nisaa' (4):113
[3]
the meaning of Soorah Al-Baqarah (2):253
[4]
Translator's note: It is as if the author was refuting
a common misconception about the messengers, that they are all
equal with Allaah. This may come from a misunderstanding of
the verse that means: ( They believe
in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers, saying,
"We do not make distinctions between any of them" )
[Meaning of Soorah Al-Baqarah (2):285] This verse must
be understood in light of the two verses mentioned by the author,
may Allaah have Mercy on him. Since Allaah made a distinction
between them, preferring some over others, then we affirm these
distinctions and do not differentiate between them from our
own inclinations, as the Jews did with Moosaa and the Christians
did with 'Eesaa for example. Hence, the believers do not say,
"There is no distinction between any of them,"
rather they say, "We don't make distinctions between
any of them," sticking firmly to the exact words of
Allaah's verse. For verily Allaah, from His all-encompassing
Wisdom, legislated virtues for some of His Messengers over others,
as the opening verses mentioned by the author clearly demonstrate.
And we must understand that to identify a virtue of one messenger
over another does not include any defamation of the latter.
And Allaah Most High knows best.
The
chapters of this book are laid out to establish and illustrate
this point.
[5]
Translator's note: The following section clarifies the intended
meaning of the word sayyid.
[6]
This hadeeth is reported by 'Abdullaah ibn Salaam (may Allaah
be pleased with him), and the entire text reads, "I
am the sayyid of Aadam's offspring on the Day of Judgement,
and I do not say this out of pride. I will be the first to rise
from his grave and the first to intercede. I will hold the flag
of praise in my hand, and Aadam and the rest of mankind will
be under it." It is found in Ibn Hibbaan, by
way of Aboo Ya'laa with a saheeh chain. Its chain can
be found in Thilaalul-Jannata fee Takhreejis-Sunnah (#393).
It also has a witnessing narration on the authority of Aboo
Sa'eed Al-Khudree (may Allaah be pleased with him), as found
in At-Tirmithee and others. It can also be found in As-Saheehah
(#1571).
[7]
This is also from the aforementioned hadeeth of 'Abdullaah ibn
Salaam (may Allaah be pleased with him), with a slight difference
in the wording. This difference is supported by the hadeeth
of Aboo Sa'eed that I referred to in the last footnote, and
it is found in Ibn Maajah (#4308).
[8]
This wording is from the hadeeth of the Intercession as narrated
by Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleases with him) as found in
Ahmad (1/281, 295). It has support from another chain in At-Tirmithee
(#3620) and elsewhere. A detailed discussion of its chain can
be found in
Ath-Thilaal (#795), and its meaning is also present in
the aforementioned narrations of 'Abdullaah ibn Salaam and Aboo
Sa'eed Al-Khudree (may Allaah be pleased with them both).
[9]
Translator's note: When the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) described the events leading up to the Intercession,
he mentioned that after the people request Aadam, Nooh, Ibraaheem,
Moosaa, and 'Eesaa to intercede for them, they will ask him
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) saying, "O
Muhammad! You are Allaah's Messenger and the Seal of the Prophets!
And verily Allaah forgave your past and future sins, so intercede
for us!" This is from the hadeeth of the Intercession,
as found in Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim, on the authority of Aboo
Hurayrah.
[10]
This is a section of the long, marfoo' hadeeth of Aboo Hurayrah
(may Allaah be pleased withi him) about the Intercession, which
begins: "I will be the sayyid
of Aadam's offspring on the Day of Judgement. Do you know what
that means? Allaah is going to gather the first and last of
humankind in one place on the Day of Judgement..."
It is found in Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. See Thilaalul-Jannah
(#811).
[11]
This is from Anas' narration (may Allaah be pleased with him)
of the hadeeth of the Intercession.
[12]
This hadeeth is found in Saheeh Muslim and others (Aboo Daawood
and Ahmad -Translator), and a discussion of its chain
can be found in Thilaalul-Jannah fee Takhreejis-Sunnah
(#792). It has many supporting narrations, which I have detailed
in As-Saheehah (#1571). From them are the narrations
of 'Abdullaah ibn Salaam and Aboo Sa'eed Al-Khudree, see the
footnote to the hadeeth mentioned in Chapter One.
[13]
It is found in Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim among others, on the
authority of Anas and Aboo Hurayrah. A discussion of its chain
can be found in Ath-Thilaal (#798-799).
[14]
Meaning of Soorah Al-Hijr (15):72
[15]
Meaning of Soorah Al-Anfaal (8):64. The phrase,
"O Prophet!" is also found in verses 65
and 70 of Soorah Al-Anfaal, and other places. (Translator's
note: It is found a total of thirteen times. The remaining
ten verses are 9:73, 33:1, 33:28, 33:45, 33:50, 33:59, 60:12,
65:1, 66:1, and 66:9.)
[16]
the meaning of Soorah Al-Maa'idah (5):67. The phrase,
"O Messenger!" is
also found in the 41st verse of Soorah Al-Maa'idah.
[17]
the meaning of Soorah Al-Baqarah (2):35 (Translator's
note: Allaah calls on Aadam by his name four times in the
Qur'aan. The remaining verses are 2:33, 7:19, and 20:117.)
[18]
the meaning of Soorah Al-Maa'idah (5):110 (Translator's
note: Allaah calls on 'Eesaa by his name three times in
the Qur'aan. The other two verses are 3:55 and 5:116.)
[19]
the meaning of Soorah Al-Qasas (28):30 (Translator's
note: Allaah calls on Moosaa by his name ten times in the
Qur'aan. The other verses are 7:144, 20:11-12, 20:19, 20:36,
20:40, 20:83, 27:9, 27:10, 28:30, and 28:31.)
[20]
the meaning of Soorah Hood (11):48 (Translator's note:
Allaah also calls on Nooh by his name in the 46th verse of Soorah
Al-Hood.)
[21]
the meaning of Soorah Sawd (38):26
[22]
the meaning of Soorah As-Saaffaat (38):104-105 (Translator's
note: Allaah also calls on Ibraaheem by his name in Soorah
Hood (11):76.)
[23]
the meaning of Soorah Hood (11):81
[24]
the meaning of Soorah Maryam (19):7
[25]
the meaning of Soorah Maryam (19):12
[26]
Aboo Nu'aym discussed this point more precisely in his book
Dalaa'ilun-Nubuwwah (p.9-11), and As-Suyootee it all
in his book Al-Khasaa'isul-Kubraa (3/141), saying,
"The scholars say that from Muhammad's distinctions (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) was that Allaah did not address him in the
Qur'aan by his name..."
TEST
YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Every
prophet used their one answered supplication in their lifetime,
execpt Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam). What
does that say about him?
Is Muhammad
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) referred to in the Qur'aan
by his name?
Why
did the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) say,
"And I do not say this out of
pride," according to the author?
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