Beholding the Prophet صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ

The Creed of Islam

Beholding the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم

Maulana Adnan Chishti Attari Madani

What can be said about beholding the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in a dream. سُبْحٰنَ اللہِ  , at times, the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم shows just a glimpse of his beautiful countenance. In other instances, he صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم brings coolness to the eyes of those longing to see him by showing himself and honours them with his soothing speech. Here, to gain blessings, just a few accounts are mentioned regarding those who saw him, otherwise volumes of works are required to produce detailed works on this subject.

The blessings of loving the pious

Imam Abu Ja’far Muhammad Bin Ahmad al-Saidlani رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه—a leading figure of his time—said: ‘I saw the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in my dream. He was surrounded by a group of poor people. Suddenly, two angels descended from the heavens. One of them was holding a basin, and the other was holding an ewer. The basin was placed before the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. He صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم washed his hands, and the poor people around him also washed their hands after he instructed them to do so. Then, the basin was placed before me, and one angel said to the other: “Do not pour water over his hands. He is not from amongst them.” I said: “O Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, has it not been narrated from you that اَلْمَرْءُ مَعَ مَنْ اَحَبَّ (A man will be with the one he loves)?^[1] The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم replied, “Sure.” I stated: واَنَا اُحِبُّك وَاُحِبُّ هٰؤُلاءِ الْفُقَراء (I love you and these poor people). The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “Pour water over his hands too; he is also from them.”^[2]

The individual who the Prophet  صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم called a ‘Master of Hadith’ (Sheikh al-Hadith)

Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti al-Shaafi’i رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه said: ‘On a Thursday night on 8 Rabi al-Awwal, 904 AH, I saw a dream in which I was present before the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. Whilst referring to a compilation of Hadith that I had started to gather (جَمْعُ الجَوَامِع  or جامِعُ الکَبِیْر), I asked: “O Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, if you allow me to, may I read out something from it?” The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم replied, ہَاتِ یَا شَیْخَ الْحَدِیث “(Read, O Master of Hadith.)”’ Imam al-Suyuti رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه states: ‘For me, this was better than the world and all that which is in it.’^[3]

The command to govern like Abu Bakr and Umar رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهُمَا

Sayyiduna Umar Bin Abd  al-‘Aziz رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه stated: ‘I was honoured with beholding the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in my dream. He صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “O Umar, come near me.” I went so close that I could have shaken his hand. Then, two middle-aged men came and stood next to him. The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said to me: “When the affairs of my Ummah are entrusted to you, then govern just how these two governed.” I asked, “Who are these two?” The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم replied, “Abu Bakr and Umar.”^[4]

The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم conveyed salaam to him

The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم came in someone’s dream and asked, ‘Where do you intend on going?’ The individual replied: ‘I intend on visiting Muhammad Bin Ismail al-Bukhari [Imam Bukhari].’ The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, ‘Convey salaam to him on my behalf.’^[5]

Beholding the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم due to a Mawlid offering

Sheikh Shah Waliyyullah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه wrote the following about his father Sheikh Abdul Raheem al-Dihlavi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه: ‘My honourable father told me: “I used to distribute food in the name of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. On one occasion, my financial circumstances did not permit to cook food [to distribute]. All I had was roasted chickpeas, and so I distributed them. I saw the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in my dream; my offering was before him, and he صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was pleased.”^[6]

The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم informed him of interceding for a hundred thousand people

Sayyiduna Abu al-Mawahib al-Shaazili رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه stated: ‘I saw the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in my dream who said to me: “You will intercede for one hundred thousand people on the Day of Judgement.” I asked: “How did I become worthy of this?” The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم replied: “By sending peace and blessings (Salat) upon me and conveying its reward to me as a gift.”^[7] The method for this is to intend at the time of sending peace and blessings that you will convey its reward as a gift. Alternatively, either prior to or after sending peace and blessings, one may verbally say that he intends on conveying the reward to the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم as a gift.

The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم responded to his salaam

Sayyiduna Sulayman Bin Suhaym رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه—a predecessor who met a companion (so he was a tābi’) —said: ‘I saw the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in my dream and said: “ يَا رَسُولَ الـلّٰـهِ هٰؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ يَاتُونَكَ فَيُسَلِّمُونَ عَلَيْكَ اَتَفْقَهُ سَلامَهُمْ ؟ ” “O Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, do you acknowledge the Salam of those who visit you and present their salaam?” The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم replied, “Yes, and I reply to their salaam.”’^[8]

The method to fulfil his needs

Sayyiduna Abu al-Mawahib al-Shaazili رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه said: ‘I saw the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. He said “اِذَا كَانَ لَكَ حَاجَةً، وَاَرَدْتَ قَضَاءَهَا، فَانْذِرْ لِنَفِيْسَةِ الطَّاهِرَةِ، وَلَوْ فَلْساً” “Whenever you have a need which you want fulfilled, then make a vow by Nafeesah Taahirah, even if it be a copper coin, and your need will be fulfilled.”^[9]

The command to visit a shrine and pray to Allah Almighty

Imam Abu Ali al-Nayshapuri رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه said: ‘كُنْتُ فِیْ غَمِّ شَدِيْدِ فَرَاَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلّٰى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِیْ الْمَنَامِ’ ‘Once, I was very upset, and I saw the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in my dream who told me to visit the grave of Yahya Bin Yahya, repent there and ask [for my needs to be fulfilled], and they will be. In the morning, I did this, and my need was fulfilled.’^[10]

Yahya Bin Yahya رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه is a narrator mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim; he was a student of Imam Malik رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه.

The blessings of reciting Surah Nuh

A plague had spread in Rome. A pious person saw the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in his dream. He mentioned to him the difficulty that struck the people and asked for help. The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said to recite Surah Nuh 3,360 times and ask Allah Almighty for refuge from the plague. Listening to this, the people acted upon what the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said and supplicated to Allah whilst weeping and seeking forgiveness for their sins. They continued to do so for seven days, and by the mercy of Allah Almighty, the plague gradually ended.^[11]

May Allah Almighty grant every devotee of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم the honour of beholding him.

اٰمِیْن بِجَاہِ النَّبِیِّ الْاَمِیْن صَلَّی اللہ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلہٖ وَسَلَّم