The grandeur of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)

I wrote the blessed name of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) as the title, but then sat idly, bewildered, thinking what to write.  Even if somebody’s virtues are 100, 1000, 2000, they can be written down, but here it is a different scenario altogether.  Like the bounties of the Lord Almighty, the virtues and distinctions of my Master (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) are also innumerable.  I was in this bewilderment, when the heart called out:  Come to your senses!  Granted that what all you are saying is true, but the aim of this booklet of yours is to give the plan for Sharh Sadr (Lit. the opening of the bosom meaning enlightenment).  Write down some aspects of His blessed life about this.  Otherwise, where are you and where the distinctions of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)!  I answered to this divine call and am writing this.  O my Merciful Prophet!  I would sacrifice my heart and soul for you.  For the sake of your Sharh Sadr, grant the same to me as well.

 

Friends!  This is the same enlightenment which Hadhrat Moosa (May peace be upon him) kept asking for a long time.  After a lot of efforts it was granted to him.  He would frequently say:  Rabbish Rahlee Sadree Wa Yassirlee Amree and our Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), Allah gives the same to Him without His asking for it.  Allah says:  Alam Nashrah Laka Sadrak.

 

What an enlightenment it must have been that within a few days, the nomads of the deserts, became all knowing and all seeing.  The gnosis of the saints, the minutiae of the scholars are but explanatory notes of this enlightenment.  It would be highly reasonable to compare this enlightenment with a great palace, which has 12 rooms and in each room, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is the King and Chief.

 

The first room

 

A grand emperor is seated in a room and all the great kings of this world are standing before Him with folded hands.  They are asking Him the methods of managing a country and listen carefully to whatever He says.  We see Haroon Al Rashid standing in one spot.  In another corner, we see Mamoon standing.  At one place, we see the Seljuk kings standing and somewhere else the caliphs of Egypt.  Somewhere behind them is Sultan Bayezid and somewhere else Sultan Muhammad, the conqueror of Constantinople.  Somewhere else Taimur is standing and somewhere else Alauddin Khilji and Sultan Mahmood.  Thus, all the kings of every place and every time, books of history are brimming with whose names and whose tales are on the tips of the populace’s tongues, are all standing before a single emperor and are waiting for His orders.  Who is this emperor?  The Holy Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

The second room

 

A great erudite philosopher is seated and all the thinkers of all ages are respectfully standing before Him.  They are learning politics and ethics from Him.  We see Avicenna standing in one place.  Somewhere else we see Abu Rayhan Al Biruni standing.  Somewhere else we see Farabi and Shahrastani and somewhere else we see Nasiruddin Tusi are all learning from Him and that Perfect Teacher (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is teaching everyone as per their ability and understanding.

 

The third room

 

In this room, many books of Islamic Law are there.  Al Hidayah and other canons of Islamic Law are there and one Chief Justice (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is seated in a very dignified manner.  The most astute and discerning legal brains are present there.  Imam Abu Hanifa is there and so is Imam Abu Yusuf.  We see Imam Muhammad there as well as Imam Shafa’ee and other great Imams.  Behind them, Imam Ul Haramain and Ibn Daqeeq Ul ‘Eid and Tajuddin Subki are present, and are making His judgments and utterances the precepts and maxims of their science.

 

The fourth room

 

An erudite Mufti is seated and oceans of knowledge, which are present in His heart are being expended.  At one point, the rules for modern issues are being extracted from the Holy Quran and the Hadith as per the principles and are being explained.  Somewhere else the experts of Hadith are discussing the sciences of Hadith and are drawing benefit.  Somewhere else the exegetes of the Holy Quran are inquiring and noting down about the secrets hidden in the verses of the Holy Quran.  Somewhere else the incidents mentioned in the Holy Quran are being inquired and yet somewhere else the saints are drawing their share of benefit from the verses which have spiritual ardor.  Somewhere else a group of those who deal with inheritances and bequests are inquiring the rules and guidelines for inheritance.  Somewhere else the reciters of the Holy Quran are sitting and are correcting their recitation and learning to pronounce the words of the Holy Quran as per His recitation.  Somewhere else some people are inquiring the rules and etiquette of Salaat, fasting, Zakaat and Hajj.  The theologians are inquiring about the tenets of faith, about the beginning and end of the creation, the attributes of the Lord Almighty and His deeds, existence of angels, about the earlier Prophets, their divine books and the Shariah that they had.  Somewhere else all that happens after death is being asked.  Somewhere else inquiries are being made about the religions of the world, which ones are totally baseless and which ones were brought by the earlier Prophets and later on got changed (by people).  Somewhere else a group is asking about the wisdom and secrets of divine laws.  Somewhere else the minutiae of asceticism are being asked and the Mufti is the guide of the world, the Holy Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

The fifth room

 

A dignified person is seated and is handing out punishments to those who break divine commands.  At one place the adulterers are being stoned, at another the hands of the thieves are being cut off.  At another place, those who use intoxicants are being whipped.  Somewhere else those who oppress people are being punished.  Somewhere else those who engage in singing, dancing, etc. are being whipped.  At some place the customs of sin and transgression are being wiped out.  Somewhere else cheaters are being admonished.  Somewhere else the corrupt officials are being taken to task.  This dignified person is again the Holy Prophet Hadhrat Mustafa (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

The sixth room

 

A great intellectual is royally seated.  Great administrators of kingdoms and realms are standing before Him with folded hands and are asking Him solutions as per their eras.  He is sometimes describing the principles and guidelines of administrating a country.  He is ordering the administrators of a country to form a council (Shoora) by saying “Their work is to rule as per mutual discussion” and is handing over all the rights of administration to mutual discussions; sometimes He is ordering a great army to be prepared for the defense of the country by saying “Ready arms as much as possible” and is stressing that the best arms as per the times should be readied.  He is ordering the employees of the country to obey their superiors with the words “The one who obeys his ruler will get the reward of obeying Me.”  He is instructing as to how relations should be maintained with neighboring countries and kingdoms.  He is also laying great stress to maintain peace in the country.  He is forcing the nation to honor its promises and is thereby taking initiatives to uphold the honor of the nation.  He is ordering the superiors to be affectionate with the subordinates and is ordering them to be strict and stern with the mischief-makers.  He is ordering the nation to be pious and forbidding them to fall into luxury and decadence.  He is describing the guidelines for mutual love and affection by ordering congregational Salaat, the Friday and ‘Eid Salaat, Hajj, calling upon the sick, to return the greeting of “Salaam,” to help each other when needy, to be forgiving in their dealings.  At other times, He is encouraging the nation to achieve great victories and is describing the ills of staying back in one’s house.  Who is this person?  It is Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

The seventh room

 

A great worshipper and ascetic, who has turned His back to the world………From morning till evening, He doesn’t waste even a single moment of His precious life.  Sometimes He recites the Holy Quran, sometimes He offers Supererogatory Salaat and at other times praises and glorifies Almighty Allah.  He doesn’t miss even a single supplication of the day or night.  He lives in some cave or some tumble-down hut or hovel with just one dry morsel and 2 sips of water and in coarse garments.  His face is effulgent.  People have sincere love for Him.  Angels of the spiritual and earthly realms also come to Him.  People come in great concourses and draw benefit from Him.  Some He instructs in Supererogatory and Tahajjud Salaat and other recitations and to others He gives supplications for the day.  He doesn’t care for any ruler or noble nor has any desire of wealthy folk coming to Him.  This is also our Master, Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

The eighth room

 

A great Gnostic is seated.  The secrets and subtleties of Almighty Allah and His attributes and the secrets of different realms are unveiled to His heart.  His tongue freely describes the secrets and subtleties of gnosis.  Fusus Ul Hukm and Futuhaat-e-Makkiya are being compiled with His words.  This is also Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

The ninth room

 

A preacher is seated on the pulpit and is moving the very hearts and souls of the people with His sermons and is casting such an effect that is never dispelled.  He is bringing some onto the right path by exhortations of great reward.  Then He is making some repent by showing them the punishments of the grave and the raging flames of hell.  Some, He is exhorting towards good deeds by showing them the high stations of the hereafter and the eternal life.  Thousands of disbelievers, idol-worshippers repent of their disbelief and idol worship and embrace Islam at His hands.  Sinners are regretting their misdeeds and are crying.  The hearts of the stone-hearted folk are melting like wax.  Cries and wails rent the air and shake the hearts.  Then the effect is such that it doesn’t recede again.  Anyone who comes into this gathering just once, that person is changed to such an extent that he doesn’t revert for the rest of his life.  Cruel murderers become so kind-hearted that they look upon a bird’s chick with more affection than they have for their own children.  Those who ran after their own desires have become pious.  Dull and careless folk have become intelligent and active.  Misers have become really generous…. This preacher is also Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

The tenth room

 

In the 10^th room a great Sufi is seated whose very gaze turns dust into gold.  The seekers of Allah are crowded around Him.  He is removing the veils of each person as per his (or her) strength and ability and teaching them the ways of gaining the closeness of Allah Most High.  He is expressing their spiritual conditions, states and stations and is creating a veritable kaleidoscope in the inward aspects of the seekers.  Some become ecstatic, some are bewildered, some are engrossed in their Lataaif, some are being overwhelmed by Annihilation and some by subsistence, some are immersed in the ocean of closeness and proximity……….Hadhrat Junaid Baghdadi, Shibli, Hadhrat ‘Abdul Qadir Jeelani, Shaykh Ahmed Badawi, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Nizamuddin Mahboob Ilahi, Shaykh Shihabuddin Suharwardi, Khwaja Bahauddin Naqshband, etc. all saints are present.  This great Sufi Master is also Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

The eleventh room

 

A radiant being is seated here.  The heavenly bodies are nothing before His radiant face.  He is a complete manifestation of divine beauty.  He is dearly loved by one and all.  There is such attraction in Him that the hearts of all humankind leap towards Him.  All creation is fawning on Him.  This is also Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

The twelfth room

 

A Prophet, with a divine book is royally seated.  Hadhrat Ishaaq, Hadhrat Ibraheem, Hadhrat Y’aqoob, Dawood, Sulaiman, Moosa, ‘Isa (May peace be upon them) are seated around Him and this Seal of the Prophets is amending their respective Shariah.  As per the needs of the times, somewhere He is adding some commands and at others, He is removing some rules.  At some other places, He is reviving some forgotten commands and everyone is accepting of this and of Him as their teacher.  This is also Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

This is the enlightenment.  The details of this enlightenment cannot be described in huge volumes.  What can be said is that He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) taught enlightenment to the whole world and started this series which will go on until the Day of Judgment.  He passed away from this world on 12^th Rab’ee Ul Awwal, 11 Hijri and is now hid from our eyes.

 

[Excerpted from Gulzar-e-Auliya]