Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Mulla ‘Ali al-Qari’s al-Mawrid al-Rawi fi Mawlid al-Nabi



Mulla ‘Ali al-Qari’s 
al-Mawrid al-Rawi fi Mawlid al-Nabi

Mawlid Gift


- Said the erudite Mulla ‘Ali al-Qari (may Allah have mercy upon him)
- On the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) being Sent as a Mercy to the Believers and as a Proof against the Idolaters
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 ReadHere
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Mawlid Gift (part 2)

- The Superiority of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace
over the Other Prophets
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Celebration of the Mawlid has not been Transmitted from Any of the Salaf from the First Three Generations

The Shaykh of our Shaykhs, the Imam and erudite polymath, Shams al-Din Muhammad al-Sakhawi (may Allah grant him a lofty station) said:
I was among those honored to witness the Mawlid celebration in Mecca for years, and I came to know of the many blessings it contains. . . .During my time there, I had the chance to visit many times the effulgent birthplace [of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)] and witness the grand displays of celebration. The basis for the noble Mawlid celebration was not transmitted from any of the righteous forebears of the first three virtuous generations; rather, it was inaugurated after their time with pious motives and good and sincere intentions. The people of Islam throughout the lands and major metropolises continue to celebrate it during the month of the Prophet’s birth—may Allah send salutations and prayers upon him and grant him honor and exaltation—by arranging elaborate meals and gatherings. During its nights, they engage in various forms of charitable giving and display happiness and increase in good acts. Indeed, they take advantage of the closeness of the Prophet’s birthplace (Allah bless him and give him peace)and every great bounty manifests upon them due to its blessings—and that is tried and true, as Imam Shams al-Din al-Jazari the reciter said: “It is a source of security for the entire year and an early glad tiding for every good thing that is sought after.”
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- The Celebration of the Mawlid among the Inhabitants of Egypt and the Levant
- How did the Rulers of Andalusia Celebrate the Mawlid?
- The Celebrations in India
- The Celebrations of the Non-Arabs
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- The Celebration of the Mawlid among the Inhabitants of Mecca

[al-Sakhawi continued:]During the Mawlid celebration, the inhabitants of Mecca, that treasure-store of goodness and blessings, proceed in mass to Suq al-Layl, which is the site most consider to be the location of the Prophet’s birth (Allah bless him and give him peace). They head to this site in hopes of obtaining their objectives. Their celebrations on this day exceed their celebrations on the day of Eid, and few are wont to miss it, whether they are righteous or corrupt, mindful or negligent. This is especially true for the Sharif of the Hejaz; however, these days he visits the site at other times.
[al-Sakhawi continued:]
The munificence of Mecca’s judge and scholar, al-Burhani al-Shafi‘i, includes feeding the visitors, residents, and attendees with the most exquisite foods and sweets. On the morning of the Mawlid he distributes sweets to the people in hopes of having afflictions removed. Al-Burhani’s son, al-Jamali, dutifully followed in his father’s footsteps and gives to the residents and travelers. As for today, only the smoke from the cooking fire remains and none of what we mentioned is seen, except as a lingering fragrance of wild thyme. 
The situation is as some say:
Their tents are like their tents
But I see that the women are not their women

-The Celebration of the Mawlid by the Inhabitants of Medina

[al-Sakhawi continued:]The inhabitants of Medina—may Allah Most High increase them—celebrate the Mawlid with great fervor. Al-Malik al-Muzaffar, may Allah have mercy upon him, used to go to great lengths in his celebration and preparations for it. The erudite Abu Shama, one of al-Nawawi’s teachers known for his rectitude, praised al-Muzaffar for this in his book al-Ba’ith ‘ala al-bida’ wa al-hawadith and said: “Actions like this are good and recommended and the one who performs them should be praised and lauded. Ibn al-Jazari added, ‘Even if it only enrages Satan and brings delight to the people of faith.’ Al-Jazari also said, ‘If the people of the cross [i.e., the Christians] took the birth night of their Prophet as a major celebration, the Muslims have even more right to honor [the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)].’ One can, however, retort that we are commanded to be different from the People of the Book, although there does not appear to be an answer to this from the words of the Shaykh.”
[al-Sakhawi continued:]
That is a rhetorical argument, for the Shaykh of the Shaykhs of Islam, the Seal of the noble Imams, Abu al-Fadl Ibn Hajar, the relied upon teacher (may Allah cover him in His mercy and settle him in His expansive gardens) stated that there occurred to him a legal text upon which the gallant scholars can rely upon. It is the report found in the collections of al-Bukhari and Muslim. It mentions that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)came to Medina and found the Jews fasting on the day of ‘Ashura’. When he asked them concerning this, they replied, “It is the day on which Allah drowned Fir’awn and saved Musa, so we fast this day out of gratitude to Allah Most High.” The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “I have more right to Musa than you all,” and he fasted on that day and ordered others to fast on it . . . His first fast coincided with theirs for the sake of drawing them near [to Islam] and then later he did it differently to show the differences between them. He [Ibn Hajar] said, “Giving thanks to Allah Most High can be shown by many acts of worship, such as prostration, fasting, charity, or reciting [the Quran]. And what bounty is greater than the blessing of the birth of this Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)—the Prophet of mercy—on this day?”
I [Mulla 'Ali al-Qari] say: The verse “Certainly, there has come to you a Messenger” alludes to this and indicates that the time of his appearance should be celebrated with reverence. 
Ibn Hajar continued:
 As for what is done in the Mawlid, it should be confined to what expresses gratitude to Allah Most High, such as the aforementioned practices such as reciting the Quran, feeding others, giving charity, and singing something of the odes that praise the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and encourage renunciation [zuhd], and songs that move the heart and encourage it to do good deeds and work for the Hereafter. As for what is added to this, such as singing and amusement and the like, what should be said concerning it is that the permissible therein that displays joy over the day is of no harm if joined with it, while the unlawful, disliked, or offensive [khilaf al-awla] is forbidden [yumna’].

Now, this also applies to areas wherein there are differences of opinion [khilaf]. Indeed, we should be committed to doing deeds of excellence every day and night of the month, as was reported from the Ibn Jama’a, who hoped to do that. It has reached us that when the ascetic and devout exemplar, Abu Ishaq Ibrahim b. Abd al-Rahim b. Ibrahim b. Jama’a, was in the city of the Prophet—may prayers and pure salutations be upon its resident—he would prepare food for theMawlid celebration and proclaim, “If only I was able, I would hold a Mawlid celebration day of the month.” I say: So since I am unable to host people for the Mawlid celebration physically, I have written these pages in order that they may host people metaphorically and with light for all times to come—without restriction to a particular year or month. I have named this work al-Mawrid al-rawi fi Mawlid al-Nabi. . .
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Read Full: Here
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Mawlid Gift (part 3)

- What should be Read during the Mawlid Celebration?
- When was the Prophet Created?
- Imam al-Ghazali Speaks about the Prophet’s Creation (Allah bless him and give him peace)
- Imam al-Subki Speaks about the Creation of the Prophet’s Soul (Allah bless him and give him peace)
- Imam al-Qastalani Speaks about the Muhammadan Reality (al-Haqiqa al-Muhammadiyya)
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 Read: Here
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Mawlid Gift (part 4)

- Why is the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) Preeminent over the other Prophets?
- The First Creation is the Muhammadan Light
- The Disagreements of the Scholars regarding the First Creation after the Muhammadan Light
- The Muhammadan Light Shone from Adam’s Forehead
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 Read: Here
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Mawlid Gift (part 5)

- What was Hawwa’s Dowry?
- Adam Seeks a Means of Approach [Tawassul] through the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) 
Read: Here
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Mawlid Gift (part 6)
- The Purity of the Prophet’s Lineage[a] (Allah bless him and give him peace)


Allah Most High has purified this noble lineage from the fornication of the pre-Islamic period of ignorance [jahiliyya]. This is reported in many acceptable hadith reports.

Al-Bayhaqi reported in his Sunan that Ibn ‘Abbas said, “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, ‘Nothing of me hailed from the fornication of jahiliyya. I was only born through the union of Islam.’”

 Al-Qastalani said, “The word [used here,] al-siffah, with a kasra vowel-mark on the letter sin, means fornication. The intended meaning of it here is when a woman sleeps with a man for a period of time and then gets married to him afterwards.”

 Ibn Sa’d and Ibn ‘Asakir both reported from Hisham b. Muhammad b. al-Sa’ib al-Kalbi, who reported from his father who said, “I accounted for five hundred grandmothers of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) [when tracing his noble lineage], and I did not find a single fornicator among them or anyone else who engaged in the practices of jahiliyya!”

‘AlÏ b. Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “I was born in wedlock and I was not transmitted through the loins of a fornicator from the time of Adam until I was born to my mother and father; I was not touched by any of the fornication of jahiliyya.” This was narrated by al-Tabarani in al-Mu’jam al-Awsat,Abu Nu’aym, and Ibn ‘Asakir.

Abu Nu’aym also reported from Ibn ‘Abbas in a raised tradition, “None of my forefathers ever committed fornication, and Allah continued to transmit me from the pure loins of fathers to the pure wombs of mothers. Never would a family line branch out in two except that I was in the best of the two.”
 Ibn ‘Abbas also reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, commenting on the verse “And your movement among those who prostrate themselves”: “From one Prophet to another until I became a Prophet [in the worldly realm].” This was narrated by al-Bazzar and Abu Nu’aym has a similar report.

This means that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was transmitted through the loins of the noble Prophets; it does not mean that all of his fathers were Prophets, for that runs counter the scholarly consensus.

Neither does this report mean that all of the Prophet’s forefathers were from the adherents to Islam, for some of them, as the notable jurists have concurred, were disbelievers, such as Abu Talib, Ibrahim’s father, and the Prophet’s own parents. [1] 

I had detailed this issue in a separate research and furnished decisive and unequivocal proofs refuting al-Suyuti’s three epistles on the subject.
(Also Read [a] below)

Moving on, we look at the verse “from yourselves.” This means “from your genus,” so in other words, “he is a human like you; however, he is a Messenger who conveys the message from Us.” This is found in the statement of the Most High, “Say, “I am only a human like you; it is revealed to me that your God is One God.” [al-Isra': 94] The wisdom behind [this statement] is that a shared humanity is cause for affinity, which in turn leads to closeness and complete order. In addition, a shared humanity makes it easier to emulate him more fully, for had an angel been sent [as a prophet to humanity], some would object on the grounds that he is an angel and that they are humans and incapable of following him due to their human weakness. This cannot be said if the messenger is human; instead, he is to be emulated in his statements, actions, spiritual states, and effects, because he is the intermediary between the Sender [Allah] and those to whom he was sent. He takes the spiritual outpourings from the Real [Allah] and gives a portion to the creation.

   A large portion of the disbelievers did not understand this point and were heedless of it, so they said out of denial, “Has Allah sent a human being as a messenger?” This demonstrates the shallow-mindedness of the disbelievers, for they were pleased to take a stone as a god but believed that it was farfetched for a messenger to be a human being!
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- Synopsis
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[1] The soundest position is that both Ibrahim’s father (who was named Tarah, not Azar, the latter being his paternal uncle) and the Prophet’s parents were monotheists. For more on both points, see the word Of Pure Origin. [t]
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 Read Full: Here

Mawlid Gift (part 7)

- The Prophet’s August Rank (Allah bless him and give him peace)
 -The Disagreement of the Scholars over the Noble Prophetic Lineage after ‘Adnan
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-Abd al-Muttalib and the People of the Elephants

Ibn Shihab said, “The first virtue mentioned about ‘Abd al-Muttalib concerns the time when the Quraysh fled the Sacred Precinct as the People of the Elephants approached.
 ‘Abd al-Muttalib proclaimed, ‘I swear by Allah! I shall never leave Allah’s Sacred Precinct and seek honor elsewhere, and I shall never desire any replacement for it!’
 ‘Abd al-Muttalib remained in the Sacred House until there occurred the confrontation between him and the vice-regent of Abyssinia when the latter sought him out, which only increased ‘Abd al-Muttalib’s rank with the people of nobility and honor. Allah Most High destroyed the Abyssinian [army] and prevented them from attacking His House, and He removed worries from the inhabitants of Mecca.
 ‘Abd al-Muttalib took charge of providing water and rafada [for the pilgrims] after his uncle al-Muttalib. He continued to carry out the services provided by his people before him and attained to a level of honor that his forefathers did not reach and unlike anything they achieved.

‘Abd al-Muttalib was highly loved and revered by his people and they relied upon him for guidance and direction. Rafada is a resource that the Quraysh of pre-Islamic times would extract among themselves as much as they were able, and after they amassed a sufficient amount they would trade in it, buying therewith food and raisins for the production of wine. They would then feed people and provide them drink during the days of the Hajj until it was completed.
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- ‘Abd al-Muttalib’s Vow to Sacrifice His Son
- The Legality of Blood Money
- The Reason for ‘Abd al-Muttalib’s Vow
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 Read Full: Here

Mawlid Gift (part 8)

- ‘Abd Allah’s Marriage to Amina b. Wahb
- Amina’s Pregnancy
- The Appearance of the Muhammadan Light (Allah bless him and give him peace)
- The Various Narrations Concerning the Time in which the Muhammadan Light (Allah bless him and give him peace) Appeared
- Did Amina Give Birth to Another Child Besides the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)
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 Read: Here

Mawlid Gift (part 9)
- The Glad Tidings of ‘Isa
- The Prophet’s Birth (Allah bless him and give him peace) was a Cause for Delight and Victory for the Meccans
- The Passing of His Father ‘Abd Allah
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 Read: Here
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Mawlid Gift (part 10)
- The Description of His Birth (Allah bless him and give him peace)
-Abu Lahab’s Delight upon the Prophet’s Birth (Allah bless him and give him peace)
- The People of the Book Gave Glad Tidings of the Prophet’s Birth (Allah bless him and give him peace)
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 Read: Here
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Mawlid Gift (part 11)
- The Toppling of Kisra’s Arch on the Day of the Prophet’s Birth (Allah bless him and give him peace)
- The Sacred Fire of the Zoroastrians was Extinguished and Sawa’s Lake Dried Up on the Day of the Prophet’s Birth (Allah bless him and give him peace)
- The Devils Were Assailed with Flaming Meteors

During the night of the Prophet’s birth (Allah bless him and give him peace) the devils were assailed with flaming meteors, but before that night, the devils would take up positions for hearing in every direction. It is also reported that Satan was veiled from the heavens on that night; although perhaps it was he who sat in positions for hearing and mentioned cryptically. Baqi b. Mukhlid, the author of a Musnad collection, mentioned in his exegesis, as we also narrated from Mujahid, that he, i.e., Satan, was caused to decay four times: when he was cursed, when he was forced to descend [to the earth], when the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was born (and in one wording, “when he (Allah bless him and give him peace) was tasked with the prophetic mission”) and when Sura al-Fatiha of the Qur’an was revealed….
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Read: Here
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Mawlid Gift (part 12)

- Was the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) Born with the Prophetic Seal, or did He Receive it after His Birth?
There is a difference of opinion over whether the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was born with the prophetic seal (as mentioned earlier from the hadith of ‘A’isha) or whether he received it from one of the two angels when they split open his breast during his infancy[b]. The former opinion was cited by Ibn Sayyid al-Nas, the latter by Maghlatay from Yahya b. ‘Abid in a passive-anonymous form [sigha al-tamrid]. The former position is sounder since there is a hadith from ‘A’isha found in the Musnads of al-Tayalisi al-Harith, as well as Abu Nu’aym’s Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, in which the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “And he [i.e., Jibril] gave me the seal on my back and I was able to feel the touch of the seal upon my heart.” There is a similar hadith from Abu Dharr in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad and Dala’il al-Nubuwwa of al-Bayhaqi.
I say: Taking the additional wordings in account, it is clear that it is possible to reconcile between reports.
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 -The Prophet’s Circumcision (Allah bless him and give him peace)
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Read: Here
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Mawlid Gift (part 13)

- On the Name Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace)
- The Prophet’s Many Names (Allah bless him and give him peace)
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Read Full: Here
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Mawlid Gift (part 14)

- The Disagreement of the Scholars over the Length of the Prophet’s Gestation and the Location of His Birth (Allah bless him and give him peace)
In addition, the scholars have disagreed over the exact length of time the Prophet was carried [in the womb]. Some say it was nine months and others say it was ten, eight, or even seven months. Al-Qastalani said, “The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was born in a house belonging to Muhammad b. Yusuf, the brother of al-Hajjaj. Others state that he was born near one of the mountain passages [of Mecca], and some say he was born at al-Radm or ‘Asfan. Our Shaykh, Ibn Hajar al-Makki said, “The sound view—nay, the correct view—is that he was born in Mecca, as is well-known today. The scholars stated, ‘His birth was not in the month of Muharram, Rajab, or Ramadan, lest it appear that he was honored by being born in a virtuous time. In fact, it was he who honored both times and places.
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- His Suckling and the Proofs of His Prophethood with Halima al-Sa’diyya
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- Some of the Prophet’s Miracles as a Nursling (Allah bless him and give him peace)
Al-Bayhaqi, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, and Ibn ‘Asakir (the latter two in their historical collections) related from al-’Abbas b. ‘Abd al-Muttalib who said, “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! I was called to embrace your religion because of a portent of your prophethood that I beheld as you were in the cradle. I saw you speaking gently to the moon, and saw that it moved wherever your fingers moved.’ The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, ‘I was speaking to it, and it to me, and it was distracting me away from crying as it was prostrating under the Throne.’” Ibn Hajar mentioned in Fath al-Bari that it is reported in the Sira of al-Waqidi that this event took place when the Prophet s was just born. In Ibn Sab’a’s al-Khasa’is it says that the Prophet’s cradle shook due to the immense number of angels around it…

Read Full: Here

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Mawlid Gift (part 15)

- The Clouds that Shaded the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)

Al-Bayhaqi and Ibn ‘Asakir related from Ibn ‘Abbas who said, “Halima mentioned that when she first attempted to wean the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), he spoke and said, ‘Allah is the greatest, all praise belongs to Allah abundantly, and exalted and transcendent is Allah morning and evening.’ ‘After he matured,’ Halima said, ‘he went outside and looked at the children playing, but he did not join them.’”
Ibn Sa’d, Abu Nu’aym, and Ibn ‘Asakir all related from Ibn ‘Abbas who said, “It was Halima’s habit that she would not let him [the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)] go far from her sight. One hot afternoon day however, she was preoccupied and he went out with his sister [from suckling] Shayma’ to play with the small sheep. Soon afterwards, Halima went out in search of him and finally found him along with Shayma’. She asked Shayma’, ‘How could you go out with him in this heat?’ ‘Dear mother,’ replied Shayma’, ‘my brother suffered no heat; I saw that clouds hovered over him, stopping where he stopped, and moving where he moved, until we reached this spot here.’”

- The Splitting of the Prophet’s Breast (Allah bless him and give him peace)
Halima said, “Soon after I weaned him we took him to his mother—even though we were very eager to have him remain with us due his blessings he brought us—and we spoke to her and said, ‘It would be better if you left him to remain with us until he grows larger, for we fear that he may suffer from the plague that has befallen Mecca. We importuned her until she finally agreed and we brought him to our home once more. One day, several months after our return, when he and his brother [from suckling] were behind our tents, his brother came running and called out, ‘That Qurayshi brother of mine! Two men clothed in white have taken him and laid him down and opened his breast!’ So his father and I went to him and we found him standing, but his face was very pale. We drew him to us and said, ‘What is wrong, dear son?’ He said, ‘Two men clothed in white came to me and laid me down and opened my breast and took out something from it and cast it aside. Then they returned my breast to its previous state.’ After returning with him, his father [from suckling] said to me, ‘O Halima, I am worried that my son has been afflicted with a spell; take him back to his family before he manifests any further symptoms.’ We carried him with us until we reached his mother, and she asked, ‘What brings you back so soon after being so eager to keep him?’ We said, ‘We are afraid of loss or an accident.’ Not to be deceived, Amina said, ‘Now tell me the real reason. Did you fear that Satan would get to him? By Allah, Satan has no way to get to him. Great and wondrous things are in store for him. Now you shall leave him with me.’”
Having mentioned this, the splitting of the Prophet’s breast occurred three times: the first time was recounted here and the second time was with Jibril when revelation was brought to him in the cave of Hira’, and the third time was during miraculous night journey. [1]
[1] The opening of the Prophet’s blessed chest (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was to add purity upon purity, not, as some believe, to remove something impure or evil from him. The knower of Allah Habib ‘Ali al-Habshi said in some poetry:
The angels removed no blemish from his heart;
They only increased the purity already with him!

- The Passing of the Prophet’s Mother (Allah bless him and give him peace)
When the Prophet was four years old (and some say he was five or six or seven, or even twelve and a half years old) he mother passed away in Abwa’, which is a region that lies between Mecca and Medina. Some say that she passed away in a mountain pass in Jahun. In the dictionary al-Qamus al-muhit it states under the entry “Dar Nabigha”: “A place near Mecca wherein lies the Prophet’s mother (Allah bless him and give him peace).”
Ibn Sa’d related from Ibn ‘Abbas, from al-Zuhri, from ‘Asim b. ‘Umar b. Qatada (whose reports are intertwined), all of whom said, “When the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) was six years of age, his mother went with him for a one month visit of his maternal aunts from Banu’ Adi b. al-Najjar in Medina. As he recounted to us the events that he experienced, the Prophet looked at one of the homes and said, ‘This is where my mother took me when we disembarked. I was at the well of Banu ‘Adi b. al-Najjar and there stood a folk from the Jews who were looking at me.’ Umm Ayman said, ‘I heard one of them say, “He is the Prophet of this nation and this is the abode of his migration.” I understood what they were saying, so I embarked to take the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) back to his mother in Mecca, but she passed away at Abwa’.’”
Al-Hafiz Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti declared emphatically that the Prophet’s parents are saved, but the position of the majority [of scholars] is otherwise. I have detailed this in my separate treatise on the topic.[2] 
Umm Ayman [mentioned in this report] is none other than Baraka, who cared for the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) after the passing of his mother. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to say to her, “You are my second mother.”
[2] In Mulla ‘Ali al-Qari’s commentary on the Shifa, one of his later works, he seems to have changed his opinion on this issue. He said,  “As for the religion of the parents of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) there are many opinions. The most correct one is that they were believers according to the consensus of the greatest of the scholars, mentioned by al-Suyuti in his three books.”
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- The Passing of His Grandfather ‘Abd al-Muttalib
His grandfather ‘Abd al-Muttalib passed away at the age of eighty, having held on to the religion of the pre-Islamic period of ignorance. Some say that he passed away when the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was nine years old, while some say ten or six years old. His grandfather at the time was one hundred and ten years old, although others say he was one hundred and forty. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was later cared for by Abu Talib, whose name was ‘Abd Manaf, and ‘Abd al-Muttalib ordered Abu Talib to care for him since he was the close brother of ‘Abd Allah.

- The Messenger’s Journey to the Levant (Allah bless him and give him peace)



When the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) was twelve years old, he traveled with his uncle Abu Talib on a journey to the Levant. When they reached Bostra, the Prophet encountered Bahira the Monk. Bahira’s real name was Jarjis. When the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and his uncle arrived in Bostra, Bahira recognized the Prophet by his description and said to him as he took him by the hand, “This is the master of the creation. Allah has sent this one as a mercy unto the worlds.” When asked how he knew that, Bahira replied, “When you rose from the valley there was not a single tree or stone save that it fell prostrate before him—and they do not prostrate to any save a Prophet. I also recognize him by the Seal of Prophecy that lies between his shoulder blades like an apple, and indeed that is how we find the [final Prophet] described in our Scriptures.” Bahira asked Abu Talib to bring Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) [back to Mecca] for fear of the Jews. This was reported by Ibn Abi Shayba, and further in the report it mentions that the clouds covered the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). May Allah aid the one who said:
If they say one day, “He was covered by the clouds.”
We say, “Indeed it was they who were covered!”
Ibn Manda related with a weak chain from Ibn ‘Abbas that when Abu Bakr al-Siddiq was eighteen years old, he accompanied the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) who was twenty at the time, and they set out for the Levant to engage in trade. Along the way they disembarked and the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) sat under the shade of a lote tree while Abu Bakr went to a local monk named Bahira and asked him a question. Bahira asked, “Who is that man who sits under the shade of the tree?” Abu Bakr replied, “That is Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Abd al-Muttalib.” Bahira said, “By Allah, he is a Prophet; no one after ‘Isa has sought shade under that tree save Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace).” Bahira’s words entered Abu Bakr al-SiddIq’s heart and when the Prophet was tasked to deliver the message he immediately followed him. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani said in al-Isaba, “If this story is true it is a separate journey from the one taken with Abu Talib.”

- The Prophet’s (Allah bless him and give him peace) Marriage to Khadija
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Read Full: Here

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Mawlid Gift (part 16—Conclusion)
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- The Beginning of Revelation

Allah tasked the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) with the prophetic mission and made him a mercy unto the worlds and sent him as a Messenger to mankind and jinn entire when he reached forty years of age. Some say it was when he was forty years and one day, and others say forty years and ten days or forty years and two months. It began on Monday, the 27th of Rama\an; some say on the 23rd or the 24th. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr says that it began on Monday the 8th of Rabi’ al-Awwal in the year 41.

Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir,
and others relate from Qatada who said regarding the verse “Certainly, there has come to you a Messenger from your own selves. . .”, “Allah made him from your own selves, so envy him not for what Allah has given him of prophecy and miracles; it “is grievous to him that you should suffer”, in other words, he cares deeply for the misguided and hopes that Allah will guide him.”

Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu al-Shaykh both relate from Ibn ‘Abbas who said regarding the verse “it is grievous to him that you should suffer”, “This means, your sufferings weigh heavily upon him, and he is eager for the disbelievers among you to believe.


- Conclusion

The upshot is that the verse “grievous to him that you suffer” means that he finds it difficult and heavy upon him that you suffer and fatigue. This is why—due to his blessings—the sins of mistakes, forgetfulness, and acts done under compulsion are lifted from you, and this is why the burdens and fetters that were on the previous nations have been removed from you. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) brought the upright, moderate religion, and the illumined, well-pleasing path.

It is also possible that the word “grievous” is separate from the phrase that proceeds it and connected to what comes after it. In that case it is an attribute of the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) and means essentially that “his existence is valuable and rare, and his generosity is perfect and his august beauty is radiant, and he is unrivaled and honored by Allah, so honor and exalt him, and assist him and magnify his status.” This position is supported by the anomalous variant reading of the verse in which it is pronounced with two zays: “that you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you exalt him [tu’azzizuhu].”[1]

Alternatively this can mean he is superior to the other Messengers since he is the Seal of the Prophets, or because his religion is dominant over the other religions and inclusive of all times and places, and he takes vengeance upon his enemies just as he shows mercy to those he loves.

The verse “that you suffer” means that it grieves him when you suffer harm and it is heavy upon him when you go through trials, for he is the mercy unto the worlds and takes pity on the believers. The verse “eager for you” means that he is eager for your faith, certitude, and spiritual excellence. And for the believers he is especially full of pity and mercy; he personifies the epitome of mercy, care, subtle kindness, and mercy.

Ibn Abi Hatim related from ‘Ikrima who said that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Jibril came and said, ‘O Muhammad! Indeed, your Lord greets you. Here is the angel in charge of the mountains. Allah has sent him to you and ordered him to do nothing unless it is by your command.’ The angel in charge of the mountains said to him, ‘Indeed, Allah has ordered me to do nothing unless it is by your command. If you wish, I will take the mountains and crush them [the people of Taif] in between them, or if you wish I will rain down stones upon them, or if you wish the earth will swallow them up.’ The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) replied, ‘O angel of the mountains! I come to them so that perhaps someone from their offspring says there is no god but Allah.’ The angel of the mountains said, ‘You are as your Lord has named you: Full of Pity, Merciful.’”

Ibn Mardawayh
related from Abu Salih al-Hanafi who said, “‘Abd Allah [Ibn ‘Abbas] reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, ‘Indeed, Allah is Merciful, and He does not place His mercy except with one who is merciful.’ We said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! But all of us show mercy to our belongings and children.’ The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) replied, ‘That is not the mercy I speak of; rather, it is as Allah said, “Certainly, there has come to you a Messenger from your own selves. It is grievous to him that you should suffer and he is eager for you and full of pity and mercy to the believers.”’”

This hadith indicates that mercy should be both general and restricted, as the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said in other hadith reports, such as the rigorously authentic report: “None of you truly believe until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself,” and the other rigorously authentic report: “Those who show mercy shall receive mercy from the All-Merciful. Show mercy with those on the earth, and the Lord of the heavens shall show mercy to you.”

The verse “so if they turn away” means: If the disbelievers turn away from faith in you, or if all of creation turn away and refuse to follow you, say to them, “Allah is sufficient for me. . .” That is, He is enough for me in all of my affairs, “there is no god but Him. . .” That is, there is no Lord but Him, so only He merits worship. “Upon Him I put my trust”: upon Him I rely completely, “and He is the Lord of the Magnificent Throne.” The word Magnificent is in the genitive state since it is an adjective of the Throne. It has also been recited in the nominative state as an adjective of Lord (i.e., the Magnificent Lord). 
According to the former reading, this describes the immense shape of the Throne that encompasses all of creation. It is related that when compared to the size of the heavens of this world, the seven earths are like a ring thrown into a desert. Despite that, it has been reported in a hadith qudsi, “My earth and heavens cannot contain me, but the heart of My believing servant can contain Me.” 
Abu Dawud reported from Abu al-Darda’ with a raised chain, as did Ibn al-Sunni, that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever says seven times upon waking and entering the evening, ‘Allah is sufficient for me, there is no god but Him, upon Him I put my trust and He is the Lord of the Magnificent Throne,’ Allah shall suffice him from all that worries him in his worldly and After worldly affairs.”

Ibn Abi Shayba
and others related from Ibn ‘Abbas from Ubayy b. Ka’b who said, “The last verse revealed to the Prophet was “Certainly, there has come to you a Messenger from your own selves. . .” In another narration Ubayy said, “This is the last portion of the Quran to be revealed, and the matter was closed with what started it, which is ‘there is no god but Allah.’ Allah said, “And We have not sent a Messenger before you save that We revealed to him, ‘there is no god but me, so worship Me alone.’”

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So we too shall conclude with what Allah concluded with when He revealed His clear words to the Seal of the Prophets (Allah bless him and give him peace). Thus we hope to receive a goodly end and attain unto the lofty station out of Allah’s grace and bounty—to be with those whom Allah has graced from the Prophets, the veracious, the martyrs, and the righteous, and what a good company they are! That is Allah’s bounty, and sufficient is Allah as a Knower.

All praise belongs to Allah in the beginning and the end, outwardly and inwardly,contingently and pre-eternally. And may Allah send prayers,salutations and increased honor, nobility,
and exaltation to our master Muhammad.

Amin.


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[1] That is, instead of the canonical reading: wa tu’azziruhu. [t]

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December 23, 2014 by Abdul Aziz Suraqah

During the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal I’ll be posting my translation of Mulla ‘Ali al-Qari’s Prophetic Nativity al-Mawrid al-Rawi fi Mawlid al-Nabi (Allah bless him and give him peace). In sha’ Allah I’ll release it bit by bit each day this month. Here

Here also Here



Abdul Aziz Suraqah
I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. As a teenager I began my study of the Arabic language, and pursued further studies in Yemen, Mauritania, and Morocco with a focus on theology, legal theory, Arabic grammar, rhetoric, and literature. Since 1998, I have been teaching Arabic and Islamic studies, both privately and in educational institutions. In 2005, however, I shifted my focus and began translating from Arabic to English full time, to date completing over forty-seven works. I continue to teach Arabic and Islamic studies at Dar al-Ma’rifah and Risalah Foundation here in Toronto, Canada, where I live with my wife and three daughters.
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[Edited by ADHM]


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Nur ad-Din Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Sultan Muhammad al-Hirawi al-Qari al- Hanafi
Mulla ‘Ali al-Qari (d.1014AH /1605AD)
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Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Rahman al-Sakhawi al-Shafi'i
Imam al- Sakhawi ( d.902 AH/1497AD)
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[a] Regarding the belief of the Parents of the Messenger of Allah [صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم], Mullah Ali al-Qari [may Allah have mercy on him] for a period held that they were in the Hellfire. He wrote a booklet on this issue and also expressed the same opinion in his commentary on Al-Fiqh al-Akbar.
However, he later changed his position, as can be seen from his statement in his commentary of Qadi ‘Iyad’s Al-Shifa’ which he completed in 1602AD, three years before his death. There, he says, “As for the religion of Allah’s Messenger [صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم], there are many opinions. The most correct one is that they were believers according to the consensus of the greatest of the scholars, mentioned by  Imam Al-Suyuti(RA)[d.911AH/1505AD] in his three books.”
He goes on to say, “As far as what they have mentioned regarding his bringing them back to life [and their testifying to his prophethood], the most correct opinion according to the majority of trustworthy scholars and as also mentioned by Imam AlSuyuti(RA) in his three works, is that it did happen” [Sharh al-Shifa 1:601].”  [Al-Ta’liq al-Muyassar 18]
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Mullah Ali al-Qari, Sharah al-Shifah, Publish: Dalal-Kutub al-ILmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon
Mullah Ali Qari writes: The Iman of Abu Talib is not proven, however there are different opinions regarding Parents of Prophet (Peace be upon him), “The relied upon opinion” is that they were Muslims and the great scholars of Ummah are unanimous upon it. [Mullah Ali Qari, Sharah ush-Shifah, Volume: 1, Page No. 601] see scan: Here
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(SALLALLAHU ALAIHE-E-WA-SALLAM)
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[b] Prophetic Seal
"...Bahira was bewildered by all the answers that he received to his questions because they exactly matched everything that he knew about the Last Prophet. Lastly, he looked at the Master of the Universe’s back and saw the seal of Prophethood. Bahira’s conviction was now certain and without doubt: This youth was the long-awaited Last Prophetصلى الله عليه وسلم "
Ibn Hisham:
When the Messenger of Allâh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was twelve (12) years old (42 BH/580 CE), he went with his uncle Abu Talib on a business journey to Syria. When they reached Busra (which was a part of Syria, in the vicinity of Howran under the Roman domain) they met a monk called Bahira (his real name was Georges), who showed great kindness, and entertained them lavishly. He had never been in the habit of receiving or entertaining them before. [Ibn Hisham 1/180-183; Za'd Al-Ma'ad 1/17] More Info:Here
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