Hazrat Sayyidah Fatimah az-Zahra

Hazrat Sayyidah Fatimah az-Zahra

Excerpts from “Rauza-tus-Safaa”,

Edited & revised by

El-Sheikh Sayyid Mubarak Ali Shah Jilani al-Hasani wal-Husaini El-Hashimi

The princess of women, Sayyidatina Fatimah al-Zahra (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anha) was, according to the statements of all the chief ‘Ulama, the most beloved of the children of the Holy Prophet of latter times (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim), and was by her superior nobility of mind and excellent qualities distinguished above all her brothers and sisters. It is recorded in the Kashiful-Ghummah that Ibn Khisab has, in his chronicle of the births and wisals of the members of the family of the prince of existences, stated, with the proper authorities taken from Imam Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin ‘Ali al-Baqir, etc.—that the birth of Fatimah (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anha) took place five years after the announcement of prophecy and the descent of revelation, and that she departed from this world at the age of eighteen years and seventy-five days; but according to another tradition, ended was her noble life at the age of eighteen years, one month, and fifteen days. She lived with her father in Makkah for eight years, and she went to Madinah with the Rasul of Allah (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim) and dwelt with him there ten years, and she was then eighteen years old. She lived with the Commander of the Faithful, Hazrat Ali bin Abu Talib (Karram Allah Wajhah) seventy five days after the Wisal (journey from this world to the next) of her blessed father (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim), but according to another tradition, forty days. In the Tanfyh of Ibn Jawzi it is stated that the birth of Fatimah (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anha) took place five years before the Mission, and in the Rawzat al-Ahbab two traditions are recorded on this subject, the first whereof agrees with that of the Tanfyh, but the second is to the effect that this luminary sphere of prophecy arose from the horizon of nativity in the forty-first year after the catastrophe of the elephant. In the just-mentioned work it is also narrated that the decease of Sayyidatina Fatimah (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anha) took place during the night of Tuesday, the third day of the month of Ramadhan, which happened six, and according to others three, months after the wisal of the Holy Nabi (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim). On account of the two traditions of Sayyidah Fatimah (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anha) that noble lady must have reached the age of twenty-eight or of twenty-two years; but the true knowledge is with Allah.

In the Kashaful-Ghummah it is recorded, according to the precedent of those who walk in the paths of the A’immah, that the prince of the righteous (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim) had said:

“During the night of my ascension, I ate one fresh date of the fruits of the trees of eternity, which was softer than butter and sweeter than honey, and the essence of that date generated seed within my loins. When I [again] alighted on earth I approached Khadijah (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anha) and she became pregnant with Fatimah (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anha).”
The seal of Ambiya (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim) also said:

“‘O Khadijah, the faithful spirit of Allah has apprised me that this child will be a daughter. Call her Fatimah, because it is a pure and blessed name.’”

When the time of the delivery of Sayyidah Khadijah (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anha) was near at hand, she sent for several of her relatives to aid her on that occasion; but as she incurred their displeasure by marrying the Holy Nabi (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim), they would not comply with her request, so that she was much distressed. Nevertheless, four women, resembling those of the tribe of Bani Hashim, suddenly made their appearance, and Khadijah was afraid of them. One of them, however said: “Fear not, for Allah the Most High has sent us to you. We are your visitors. I am Sarah; this is Maryam, the daughter of Imran; the third is Kalthum, the sister of Musa; and the fourth is Asiyah, the wife of Pharaoh. They will be your companions in Paradise” Then one of these women sat down on the right and another on the left of Sayyidah Khadijah (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anha), the third in her front, and the fourth in her rear until Sayyidatina Fatimah (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anha) was born. When this took place a light shone from that infant of laudable end, which encircled the houses of Makkah from the east and west, so that there was no spot in any house which was not illuminated by that light:

Distich: The light of prosperity shone, Making my heart to gladness prone.

Some of the miracles and fulfillments of the prayers of Sayyidina Rasul-e-Akram

Some of the miracles and fulfillments of the prayers of
Sayyidina Rasul-e-Akram

Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim

from
Rauza-tus-Safa,
edited and revised by
Imam El-Sheikh Sayyid Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani El-Hashimi

Muhammad ibn Ishaq has a tradition that after Abul-‘Aas bin Rabi’ bin ‘Abdul-’Uzza bin Shams, who was the son of the sister of Sayyidah Khadijah, the daughter of Khuwailid, had married her daughter Zainab, whom she begat with Rasulullah, and also after Ruqayyah, the step-sister of Zainab, had been married to ‘Utbah bin Abu Lahab, a feud had broken out between the Quraish and Rasulullah, in consequence whereof the flames of envy and rancor had commenced to blaze in the furnaces of their minds. Wishing to distress and to insult that prince, some of the Quraish said to Abul-‘Aas and to ‘Utbah “Both of you have wedded daughters of Muhammad, and have thereby relieved him of the trouble to take care of them. Now you must divorce his daughters in order to cause him grief and unhappiness; and we shall give you instead of them any of the daughters of the Quraish chieftains whom you may select.” Abul-’Aas replied, “I swear by Allah that I shall never separate from my wife, nor prefer any other woman to her.” ‘Utbah the licentious—curses be on him—however, said, “If you try to procure for me the daughter of Sa’id Abul-’Aas, I shall divorce the daughter of Muhammad.”
Accordingly the Quraish married the daughter of Sa’id to ‘Utbah, although at that time he had not yet had any true connection with Ruqayyah. ‘Urwah bin Al-Zubair says: “‘Utbah came to Rasulullah, and spoke the following words: ‘This son-in-law [of yours] does not believe in the crazy star which has come down, and does not acknowledge that Jibril is visiting you.’ Then he squirted the saliva of his impure mouth towards our Master (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim), divorced Ruqayyah, uttered a few more unbecoming words, and departed.” It is related that on the occasion when ‘Utbah—curses on him—perpetrated the above act, Rasulullah (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim) pronounced the following invocation: “Ya Allah, appoint over him one of Thy dogs.” Abu Talib, who was present with Rasulullah, said to ‘Utbah, “O my nephew, what stratagem can save you from the sequel of this prayer?” According to another tradition, Abu Talib, being grieved at his Master’s wish, said to the Nabi, “Son of my brother, what will you gain by this evil wish?” In short, ‘Utbah returned to his house and communicated to his father, Abu Lahab, what had taken place; but the latter was, despite his idolatry and obstinacy, convinced that the wish of Rasulullah, the best of the servants of Allah, would be responded to and was grieved. Some time afterwards, Abu Lahab and ‘Utbah departed with a company of the Quraish to Syria for the purpose of trading. During their journey, however, they halted in a station where a monk informed them that many wild beasts were on the road, and advised them to be very careful. On that occasion Abu Lahab turned to his companions, and said, “Be prepared for a contest and aid each other, for I am not sure where the imprecation of Muhammad will not be responded to.” Afterwards they heaped together all of their baggage, and the couch of ‘Utbah happened to be on the top of it. When the night set in, ‘Utbah reclined on his couch, and the whole caravan reposed around the property of ‘Utbah. In the middle of the night, however, a roaring lion attacked the people of the caravan, all of whom were sleeping near their baggage; he snuffed at every person, but injured no one until he mounted the heap of the merchandise where ‘Utbah slept, and sent that impudent wretch to Hell by ripping up his abdomen, thus making him a loser in this and in the next world.
There is a tradition that a woman had a son, who was so sick that he had not a single hair on his head; therefore she took the little boy to Rasulullah (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim), and requested him to pray to Allah that he might recover his health. His lordship complied with the request of the poor woman, placed his hands on the head of the little boy and uttered a prayer, whereon the hair immediately sprouted on his head and he was cured of his disease. At the time when Musailamah the liar claimed to be a prophet, a woman brought her sick boy to him, and requested him to pray for his recovery. Musailamah placed his hands on the head of the child, but by the touch of his unhallowed hand the little boy lost every hair of his head.

Raising Both the Hands and Making Dua’

 

We have received several e-mails with requests for evidence as the the status of  collective dua’ after salaah and the raising of both hands while doing so. It seems that worshippers are being accosted in the Masjid for doing so.

Ignorance is dispelled by knowledge provided the seeker is sincere.

Excerpt from:

THE SUNNA STATUS OF COLLECTIVE SUPPLICATION (SUNNIYYAT AL-DU`A’ AL-JAMA`I)
by GF Haddad

Raising Both the Hands and Making Dua

It is narrated that Abdullah Ibn Zubair (radhiallahu anhu) saw a man raising his hands and making dua before completing his salah. When the person had completed his salaah, Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Zubair (radhiallahu anhu) went up to him and said: “Verily, Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) used to only raise his hands and make dua after completing his salaah” (the narrators of this Hadith are all trustworthy Majmauz Zawaaid, vol. 1, pg. 169). It is also mentioned in the Fataawa of Ahle Hadith (vol.1, pg.190) as well as in Fataawa Nazeeriyyaa (vol. 1, pg. 566) that in the light of the Sharia, the dua after salaah is an authentically established practice and it is mustahab to do so.

This and the following report suggests that Ibn `Umar, like his father, - Allah be well-pleased with both of them - supplicated together with others: From Wahb: “I saw Ibn `Umar and Ibn al-Zubayr supplicating [i.e. together] and rubbing their hands against their faces.”

Narrated by al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad (2:6 with a sound chain according to Shaykh `Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda in his Thalath Rasa’il (p. 93). This event may have taken place at the highly dramatic time following the death of al-Husayn ibn `Ali – upon them peace - at the hands of Yazid ibn Mu`awiya, after which Ibn `Umar told `Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr - Allah be well-pleased with them: “Al-Husayn has beaten us” i.e. with martyrdom, and they wept.

Ibn `Abd al-Razzaq narrated with his chain in his Musannaf (2:252-253) from Yahya ibn Sa`id al-Ansari the qadi of al-Madina that “Ibn `Umar used to supplicate together with al-Qass” (kâna yabsutu yadayhi ma`a al-Qass) and that “they [i.e. the senior Successors]mentioned that those that came before them [i.e. the Companions] would supplicate and then place back their hands on their faces so as to place back the du`â’ and its baraka. Al-Qass is the Tâbi`î `Ubayd ibn `Umayr ibn Qatada al-Laythi al-Makki the admonisher and Qur’anic commentator.

Shaykh Abu Ghudda said (p. 94): “This is frank evidence to the effect that wiping the face
with the two hands after raising them in supplication was practiced in the first generations.”
12.

From Abu al-Darda’ - Allah be well-pleased with him -: “Raise up these hands of yours in supplication before they become manacled with the chains [of Hellfire].”Narrated from al-Faryabi’s al-Dhikr by al-Zarkashi in his al-Azhiya (p. 74). III.

On seeking help from other than Allah Subhaanahu wa ta ‘ala

Bismilahir Rahmanir Rahim

Wa Sall Allahu ta ‘ala alaa Saayidinaa wa Mawlaana Muhammad wa Aalihi wa Sahbihi ajma’een

Wa alaikumus salaam wa Rahmtullahi wa Barakaatuhu.

Ana bi khayr Al Hamdulilah Rabbil ‘aalameen. Jazaakumullahu khayran ya Akhi. May Allahu ta ‘ala strengthen us both and accept our ‘ibaadah and our sincere intentions. The issue of Tawassul is one that has been misunderstood by many Muslims. The true nature of which can best be explained by our esteemed ‘Ulama. Below please find what our esteemed scholars have said, ones whom we trust and know very well. Hafidh Ibn Taymia Rahimuhumullah, Ibn al Qayyum and Hafidh ibn Kathir and Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab have all spoken on this matter. I think it is better that they give us clarification. Allahu ta ‘ala guide us to the completion of Iman and allow us to accept the truth no matter from where or whom it comes from.

May He Subhanahu wa ta ‘ala allow us to adhere to the truth and not dogmatically accept what our scholars say without checking what they say against the classical materials handed down to us from the authentic scholars from the past who were on the right path Ameen. Lastly if someone says that Tawassul is Wajib they have misunderstood the matter and have made a grave mistake. Lets take one step at a time.

Ma’salaama

Muhammad Sa’id

Original message:

From: Hassan Ibnul-Irby [mailto:salafibait@xxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 3:34 PM
To: hunafaa@hotxxxx.com
Subject:

as salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullah kayfa halukum? taqaballahu minkum I just wanted to state the asaaneed and ahaadeeth u brought did not prove they use tawassul. akhi this is taqiyah (deception) the way of the rawaafid and their detestable lies. imam abu abu abdullah ahmad ibn hanbal did u know he had a piece of hair which he received that was the hair of the messager of allah. this hair was beloved to him and if u read usuul as sunnah it narrates about this hair not once does it mention he sougt tawassul in his time of need calling upon muhammad salla allahu 3alayhi was salam or seeking nearness with him. u stated asmaa had a juyyub she got from 3aisha radiyallahu 3anha after she died this was a worldly posession of the messager and it was beloved by the sahaabah they loved the prophet salla allahu 3alayhi was salaam. akhi does your site promote the way of the rawaafidah, sufiyyah and those deviant sects who say tawassul is waajib seek the prophet salla allahu 3alayhi was salam as an intercessor or intermediary. akhi would u bring sufficent proof this is correct.

Our reply:

Excerpt from: Traditional Scholarship & Modern Misunderstandings
by Abu Ammar

Seeking Assistance From Other Than Allah Ta`ala

Certain Muslims argue that one can only ask Allah directly for help, and if people were to ask help from other than Allah, then he or she would be committing shirk. The scholars of the Ahl al-Sunnah have always maintained that all help is ultimately sought from Allah. However, if an individual seeks help from the Prophets or Allah-conscious people with the intention that they are only a means of achieving help then the person asking is not committing shirk. To illustrate this point, take the example of an ill person being cured by medicine. Metaphorically, the person would say that he was cured by the medicine, but in reality, the actual cure is from Allah.

The Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa also say that help offered by the awliya is only by the will of Allah. No one can be of help to anyone if Allah has not willed it so. Indeed, it is a great blessing from Allah that He has given the anbiya and awliya the ability to help those seeking help. The reason why Allah has given this ability to the pious is to show their status of purity amongst the people, and it indicates their relationship with their Creator.

The argument can be summarised as thus:
Help should only be asked from Allah.

The type of help asked from a pious person should be the help that is within the sphere of human influence.
Seeking help from a pious individual who is physically not present or has passed away is kufr.

We will prove, insha’Allah, that the pious can help in ways that are beyond normal human capability and that even if they are not present and have passed away, help can still be sought.

Belief of Ahl al- Sunnah wa’l- Jamaa regarding Seeking Help through the Awliya

‘Allama Sa’eedi and ‘Allama ‘Abd al-Hakim Sharf Qadri write:

“It is better that help is sought directly from Allah, most High, and through the waseela of the anbiya or awliya. If an individual seeks help from the anbiya or awliya by means of achieving help from Allah, most High, the person is not committing kufr.”

[Sharh Muslim, 'Allama Sa'idi, Nidaa-e-Ya Muhammad, page 30 by 'Allama Sharf Qadri]

Shaykh al-’Alawi al-Maliki, the mufti of Makka writes:

“When we ask help from the anbiya and awliya, as a means, it is through their supplication (du’a) that they help us. Take for example the Day of Judgment when the umma will benefit from our Prophet, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace). This is called asking for help through the anbiya and awliya and likewise to ask them to make du’a for us can be called help or istishfah or tawasul.

[Ziyarat of the Grave, page 213, by the mufti of Makka, 'Allama Shaykh Muhammad al-'Alawi al-Maliki al-Makki]

The Permissibility of Seeking Help from the Pious

Hafidhh ibn Taymiyya and Qadi Shawkani quote the following hadith:

‘Abd Allah bin Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with Him, reported that our Prophet, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), stated: “If you ever find yourselves stranded alone in a desolate place or jungle, then say, ‘O servants of Allah! Help me, Allah have mercy on you.’”

[Al-Kalim al-Tayyib, page 69, by Hafidhh ibn Taymiyya, and Qadi Shawkani in Tufhat ad-Dhakireen, page 130. Ibn Sunni, Imam Bazaar, Hafidhh al Hasamim and Imam Nawawi all quote this hadith also in their various books.]

This hadith, demonstrates that one can ask help from those who one cannot see, like the angels, the friends of Allah, the jinn, and that it cannot be said that it is a wrong act.

Mullah ‘Ali Qari writes that our Prophet Muhammad, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), said that:
If you are in the jungle alone say, “O servants of Allah! Help me.” The servants of Allah are the angels, Muslims, jinn, or ‘abdal. This hadith is useful for travellers.

[Al Hirzu al-ThAmin, page 378, by Mullah 'Ali Qari]

The Awliya’s Provision of Help beyond Human Capability

The Prophet Sulaiman, peace be upon him, asked his companions who could bring the throne of the Queen of Sheba to his court. Allah says, describing this in the Holy Qur’an:

An ifreet of the jinn said,
‘I will bring it to you
before you get up from your seat.
I am strong and trustworthy enough to do it.’
He who had knowledge of the Book said,
‘I will bring it to you
before your glance returns to you.’
And when he saw it standing firmly in his presence,
he said, ‘This is part of my Lord’s favour to me to test me
to see if I will give thanks or show ingratitude’.
[Surah Al-Naml, verse 39-40]

Hafidhh Ibn Kathir writes concerning this verse that the man who brought the throne was called Asif bin Barkhiyah.

[Tafsir Ibn Kathir]

There was a companion named Salamah bin Akwa, may Allah be pleased with Him, who was injured so severely on his shin that people began to fear that he would die a matyr. Salamah, may Allah be pleased with Him, states: “I went to the Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), and told him about my wound, whereupon he proceeded to blow on it three times and I was cured instantly.”
[Mishkat, chapter on Virtues of Sayyid al-Mursalin]

Hafidhh Ibn Kathir writes:

“During the khilafah of ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him, there appeared a fire in the desert. ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him, asked Tamim al-Dari, may Allah be pleased with Him, to assist him. They approached the area of the fire and Tamim al-Dari, may Allah be pleased with Him, began to gather the fire with his hands and started shoving the fire into a hole in the ground. This was a karamah of Tamim al-Dari, may Allah be pleased with Him.”

[Tarikh Ibn Kathir, Vol. 6, chapter on Miracles, and Sirat un-Nabi, Ibn Kathir, chapter on Mu'jizat]