Beholding the Holy Prophet ﷺ

The Creed of Islam

Beholding the Messenger and its blessings

(Episode 03)

Maulana Muhammad Adnan Chishti Attari Madani

It is truly an indescribably auspicious honour to behold our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. There are countless saints and pious individuals who have beheld the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in their dreams, and if all of these incidents were to be gathered together in literary form, a book comprising of many chapters would be made. All categories of people may experience countless different types of dreams, however, may we be sacrificed upon the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and the dream in which he honours us with his arrival. His blessed presence in our dreams is also of such perfection and grandeur that our faculty of intellect is left astounded. In a dream, if he صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was to place his blessed lips on the face of an individual, not only would the latter’s body become fragrant, but the entire household itself would become enveloped in his blessed fragrance, as happened with Sayyiduna Muhammad Ibn al-Sa’eed رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه. The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم came into his dream and kissed him upon the face, upon which Sayyiduna Ibn al-Sa’eed رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه awoke. His blessed wife also opened her eyes, and the entire house was immersed in the scent of musk. With the blessings of the sacred kiss of the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, a sweet fragrance emanated from the face of Sayyiduna Muhammad Ibn al-Sa’eed رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه for eight days.^[1]

Granting sight to the blind

By blessing us in our dreams, the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم also relieves difficulties with his sublime presence, and on some occasions grants sight to the blind. A revered imam and Muhaddis (expert in the field of hadith), Sayyiduna Ya’qoob Bin Sufyan Faswi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه states: In search of hadith, I journeyed to many cities and dwellings. I encountered a Shaykh on my travels and desired to stay with him, so I may secure as much benefit as possible. At that time, I had a small amount of provisions, and I was a traveller too, so I would perform literary work at night and recite it to the Shaykh during the day. One night, as per my usual schedule, I was working, with a large portion of the night having already passed. Suddenly, I found moisture beginning to develop in my eyes, and instantly became blind. Unable to see the lamp I used for work or my house, I began to weep intensely at the loss of my eyesight and my inability to acquire knowledge. Such was my state that having cried profusely, I eventually lay down and fell asleep. I then had the honour of beholding the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in my dream, and he stated: ‘O Ya’qoob, son of Sufyan! Why are you crying?’ I replied humbly: ‘O Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم! I have now become blind! I am saddened by the fact that I am away from home, and now unable to have the honour and blessing of writing your hadith.’ The Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم then stated: ‘Come closer’, and I moved closer to his blessed presence. He صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم then placed his merciful hands upon my eyes, in such a manner, as though he was performing damm. Sayyiduna Ya’qoob bin Sufyan Faswi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه goes on to mention: When I awoke, my eyes had become enlightened and my vision was restored, and I was able to see everything around me. Immediately, I grasped my textbook and began to write hadith in the light of my lamp.^[2]

The blessed hospitality of the Messenger

It has been reported that the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم came into the dream of a person who was hungry and granted him fresh bread, from which he ate. Upon awakening, he found the remainder of the bread in his hands. A distinguished imam and ‘Arif (one who has spiritual recognition of Allah Almighty), the Shaykh of Syria, Abu Abdullah Ahmad Bin Yahya Ibn Al-Jala` رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه (who passed away in the year 306 Hijri) states: I visited Madina-tul-Munawwarah زادھَا الـلّٰـهُ شرفاً وَّ تعظیماً, and intense hunger began to set in. I visited the luminous grave of our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and requested: اَنَا ضَیْفُکَ (meaning, I am your guest). Afterwards, a deep sleep overcame me and I beheld the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in my dream. He granted me flatbread, and I began to eat in the dream. After eating half, my eyes opened, and the remaining bread was in my hands.^[3]

An invitation to Madinah

During the days in which Sayyiduna Bilal Habashi رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ lived in Syria, he saw the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in his dream. The Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم stated: مَا ہٰذِہِ الْجَفْوَۃُ یَا بِلَال O Bilal! Why such avoidance? You do not come to meet us? Sayyiduna Bilal رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ awakened, immediately prepared items of travel and set forth to visit the Beloved of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.^[4]

Sayyiduna Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad Bin Musa Maliki (passed away in 683 Hijri) mentions this incident in his work مِصْبَاحُ الظَّلَاْم فِی الْمُسْتَغِيْثِيْنَ بِخَيْرِ الْاَنَام فِی الْيَقْظَةِ وَالْمَنَام, as well as Imam Yusuf Bin Isma’eel Nabhaani رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه in his work شَوَاھِدُ الْحَق فِی الْاِسْتِغِاْثَةِ بِسَیِّدِ الْخَلْق.

The Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم himself gifted his blessed hair

Sayyiduna Shah Abd-ur-Raheem Dihlavi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه states: On one occasion, I developed a fever. Illness seized me so firmly that I expected not to live further. One day in the duration of my illness, I became sleepy. In my sleep, I saw a pious person, who began to say: O son! The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is coming to visit you in your sickness, and perhaps he is honourably arriving from the direction your feet are faced. As such, change the direction of your bedstead.

Upon this, I recovered slightly from my ailment, and although I could not speak, I now had the strength to signal to those present and they moved my bedstead. Straightaway, the generous Prophet of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم honoured us with his presence. His noble lips began to move, and the words that emerged from them were: کَیْفَ حَالُکَ یَا بُنَیَّ - Son, how are you?

The sweetness of these eminent words overpowered me to such an extent that I entered a state of spiritual ecstasy. Tears began to flow from my eyes, and the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم took me upon his blessed lap in such a manner that his blessed beard was above my head, and his blessed shirt became wet with my tears. After some time, my state changed from this into silence. A thought arose in my heart; as I had desired to obtain the blessed hair of the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم for a long time, I pondered upon how grand would it be if he were to gift me this priceless treasure. As soon as this thought entered my heart, the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم instantly became aware of it. He passed his blessed hand upon his illustrious beard, and placed two noble hairs in my hand. Another thought came into my heart: Will these two noble hairs remain with me in wakefulness or not? Once again, the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم became aware of the thoughts within my heart, and stated: These two hairs will remain even in that state (of wakefulness). Furthermore, the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم gave me good news of full recovery and a lengthy lifespan. I became relaxed and at ease upon hearing this.

I had a lamp brought forth, and when I looked at my hand, I did not see either of the blessed hairs. In a state of dejection, I focused my attention towards the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and presented my matter. Once again, a state of sleepiness overcame me, within which the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم stated to me: My son! I placed those two hairs under your pillow as a precaution to keep them preserved. As soon as I awoke, I held the two hairs and placed them in a pure place, with utmost respect and adoration. After this incident, my fever was removed, but a state of weakness then came over me. Those present with me assumed it was the time of my death, and they began to cry and mourn. After some time, I attained strength, returning back to full health.^[5]

Encouraging and strengthening the morale of Hakeem-ul-Ummat

Hakeem-ul-Ummat, Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Na’eemi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه possessed immense love and yearning for the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. Look at the gifts bestowed upon him in his dream: As such, it is narrated that when the great mufti finished writing his work ‘Ameer Mu’awiyah رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ par aik nazar’, he was honoured with a vision of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم on that night. The blessed lips of the generous Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم began to flow with flowers of mercy in the following way: ‘You have made efforts to preserve the honour of my Sahabi, Allah will preserve your honour.’^[6]

May Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ gift every devotee of His Messenger a vision of the master of creation صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.

اٰمِیْن بِجَاہِ النَّبِیِّ الْاَمِیْن  صَلَّی اللہ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلہٖ وَسَلَّم