Calling “Dear Messenger of Allah” in Distress

Islamic Beliefs and Knowledge

Calling “Dear Messenger of Allah” in Distress

Mawlana Adnan Chishti Attari Madani

Allah’s attributes and perfection are limitless. He is omnipotent, He is omniscient, and He is the answerer of supplications, needs and requests. The anxious and grief-stricken call out to Allah Almighty and attain their heart’s desires.

Allah Almighty has bestowed upon His favoured and elect servants the authority to assist people too. By the bestowal of Allah Almighty, they are able to hear the pleas of people and fulfil their needs.

Remember, our creed as Muslims is that only Allah Almighty is the ultimate Helper. All others help through His bestowal and grace, and this is established in the holy Quran and hadith. As Allah Almighty states:

فَاِنَّ اللّٰهَ هُوَ مَوْلٰىهُ وَ جِبْرِیْلُ وَ صَالِحُ الْمُؤْمِنِیْنَۚ-وَ الْمَلٰٓىٕكَةُ بَعْدَ ذٰلِكَ ظَهِیْرٌ(۴)

“So Allah is indeed his Helper, and Jibrīl and the virtuous believers; and after that the angels are also ˹his˺ supporters.”^[1]   

The Prophet of mercy صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “If one of you loses something or is in need of help, but he is in a land where there is no one to help, let him call:

يَاعِبَادَاللهِ اَغِيثُونِي، يَا عِبَادَ اللهِ اَغِيثُونِي،فَاِنَّ لِلَّهِ عِبَادًا لَا نَرَاهُمْ

‘O servants of Allah, help me! O servants of Allah, help me!’

For verily Allah Almighty has servants whom we do not see.”

The narrator states, “This is tried and tested.”^[2]

Allah Almighty has made His beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم a mirror of His divine attributes. Even a cursory glance at the Sunna and the Prophet’s life reveals that through Allah’s bestowal, our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم eases difficulties and helps creation. From the angels, jinn, and humans to small insects and large beasts, everyone and everything can have their needs fulfilled by the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم .

The Prophet’s vast and generous power to help people is a manifest truth according to the teachings of Islam. Imam Muhammad b. Mūsā al-Mālikī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه (d. 682 AH) dedicated an entire book to this subject. Yet, even he concluded:

وَلَو تُتُبِّعَت ھٰذَا الْفَنُّ لَحَفِیَتِ الْاَقْلَامُ وَ جَفّتِ الْمَحابِر ُ وَ فَنَیَتِ الطُرَوسُ فِی تَتَبُّعِہٖ وَ الدَّفاترُ

“If all the accounts relating to this topic were written down, the pens would be worn out, the inkwells would dry up, and the pages and notebooks would be depleted.”^[3]

Cured from disability

A man from Granada was afflicted with an illness for which the physicians had no cure. Sayyidunā Abū ʿAbd Allah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه wrote a poetic request on this man’s behalf, sending it to the court of the blessed Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم with visitors travelling to Madina. The content of the poetry was:

This is a plea from one who has been suffering for a long time from a severe illness, seeking a cure through the means of the pure shrine of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم . His feet no longer function, and he can only signal with his hands. O Seal of the Prophets! O you who intercedes! This is a plea from a sick person whose heart cries and whose eyes are lowered in shame. As you did during your worldly life, we hope you will repel substantial harm even after your veiling.

As soon as that caravan arrived at the blessed shrine and the lines of poetry were recited from the plea, the ill person was healed.^[4]

Saved from drowning

Sayyidunā Imam Muhammad b. ʿAlī al-Khazrajī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه records:

I was once at Jarjar. Travelling by sea, a destructive storm suddenly brewed. As I was about to drown, I called out to the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم for help. At once, a piece of wood appeared from the unseen, by virtue of which I reached the shore…Allah Almighty saved me because I sought help from the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم .”^[5]

Protected from bandits

Sayyidunā Shaykh Abū ʿAbd Allah Ḥusayn رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه relates:

I was staying in Homs, Syria. A thought came to me that I should visit Egypt. However, as there was a danger of bandits and disbelievers on the road to Egypt, I changed my mind and postponed the journey for a year. One night, I was asleep when I was honoured with a vision of the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم . I said, “Dear Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم ! I need your protection. The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم asked, “What are you afraid of?” I explained my intention ˹to travel to Egypt˺ and said, “I need your protection.” The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم repeated, “What are you afraid of?” The third time I mentioned, “My enemies are many.” The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم repeated, “What are you afraid of?” I then woke up. I travelled from Homs to Egypt feeling safe and secure, and I arrived happily at my destination.^[6]

The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم knows

Mufti Ahmad Yār Khan Naʿīmī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه states, “Today, every person presents his pleas at the door of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in his own language. There is no translator in between, yet the noble Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم hears and understands and aids them all. This is the proof of the Prophet’s knowledge of all languages.”^[7]

As our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is not just a prophet for humanity alone but for all of creation, he eases the difficulties of other creatures too. He صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم hears the pleas, understands the languages of calamity-stricken animals, birds, and even inanimate objects, and aids them.

Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Na’imi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه mentions, “The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم himself speaks Arabic but understands all languages, even the speech of animals. That is why camels and birds pleaded to him and reaped his blessings…^[8] Sayyidunā Sulaymān عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام understood the speech of birds and ants, whereas our Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم understands the speech of rocks, trees, the animate, and inanimate; and all of creation in fact.  The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم fulfils needs and removes distress; and even animals acknowledge this.^[9]

The noble hadith masters have mentioned numerous accounts of camels, deer, and birds receiving aid from him.

Cure from illness

Imam Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Qastalānī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه (d. 923 AH) says:

I was once afflicted by an illness which all the physicians declared incurable. I stayed afflicted by this devastating illness for many years. On one occasion, I arrived in Makka and pleaded in the court of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم for a cure. At this point, my eyes closed. In the dream state, a man approached me with a piece of paper that had the following written on it:

ھَذَا دَوَاءُ دَاءِ اَحْمَدَ بْنِ القَسْطَلَانِی مِنَ الْحَضرَۃِ الشَّرِیْفَۃِ بَعْدَ الْاِذْنِ الْشَّریفِ

‘This is the medicine for the illness of Ahmad b. al-Qastalānī from the blessed court after receiving permission.’

When I woke up, I was free of my illness. By Allah, my illness had disappeared. I was healed by the blessing of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم .”^[10]

Saved from jinn

Imam al-Qastalānī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه adds:

In 885 AH, after the blessed visitations of Hajj, I was on the road from Makka to Egypt when a jinn attacked my maidservant. She was affected by this for many days. So I petitioned the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم to heal her. Subsequently, I saw a dream in which a man approached me, and that jinn was with him. The man said, “The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم has sent this jinn to you. The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is displeased with it, and it has promised not to return here.” When I woke up, my maidservant was completely at ease and had recovered.^[11]

For more faith reviving accounts on this topic, study Misbāḥ al-Ẓalām by Imam Muhammad b. Mūsā رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه , as well as Imam Yūsuf al-Nabahāni’s Shawāhid al-Ḥaqq and Hujjatullāh ʿalā al-ʿĀlamīn.