And that secret was revealed...

And that secret was revealed….

 

Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with them) says:  No matter what people say, we the Bani Hashim say that Hadhrat Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw Allah Most High with His own eyes and this was the distinction of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) which had not been granted to any other Prophet.

 

Just see!  That the clan of Hashim says that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw Almighty Allah apparently goes against the verse of the Holy Quran, then is it possible that he would have held such an opinion without consulting the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)?  Obviously not!

 

They would surely have heard this from the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  If we do not believe this to be so, then a grave insinuation of interpreting the Holy Quran as per their own wishes will be leveled against them.  We can also say that when the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw that apart from being perfect in faith, by virtue of their closeness to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and love for Him, they feel the greatest happiness on hearing the distinctions of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), He must have let them in on this secret, so as to strengthen their faith furthermore.

 

Almighty Allah says in the Holy Quran:

 

By the Star when it goes down―  Your Companion is neither astray nor being misled,  Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) desire.  It is no less than inspiration sent down to him:  He was taught by One mighty in Power,  Endued with Wisdom: For he appeared (in stately form)  While he was in the highest part of the horizon:  Then he approached and came closer,  And was at a distance of but two bow-lengths or (even) nearer;  So did (Allah) convey the inspiration to His Servant (conveyed) what He (meant) to convey.  The (Prophet's) (mind and) heart in no way falsified that which he saw.  Will ye then dispute with him concerning what he saw?  Surah Najm (53:1-12)

 

Look at the words of these verses of the Holy Quran.  They give themselves to both kinds of interpretations, for and against.  For this reason, there is much difference of opinion about the exegesis of “Dana Fatadalla” and “La Qad Raah”.

 

This difference of opinion in the Hadith and Traditions proves that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would speak as per the intelligence and fortitude of the questioner.

 

There is no doubt in the fact that all the Companions were perfect in faith.  However, one has to accept that the relation with Hadhrat Abu Bakr (May Allah be well pleased with him) had with the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), others did not have it.  Similarly, the special relation which the Clan of Hashim enjoyed, the Clan of Ummayya did not. 

 

Just see!  Almost all the Companions accepted that Meraj was a bodily journey, but Hadhrat Ameer Muawiya (May Allah be well pleased with him) remained adamant that Meraj occurred in a dream as is mentioned in Ash Shifa.  This shows that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) had not told this to Hadhrat Ameer Muawiya (May Allah be well pleased with him).  Otherwise, he would not have held this opinion after hearing this from the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

Thus, this remained a secret with the Bani Hashim.  They revealed this to those whom they saw fit.  Then this was discussed in the elite circles.  Eventually, things reached such a point that some scholars mentioned it in their books that this was the authoritative opinion.  Thus, it is mentioned in Tafseer Ruh Al Bayaan:

 

Translation: Imam Ahmed bin Hambal (May Allah be well pleased with him) says:  I also say the same which Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with them) said, that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw His Lord with His own eyes.

 

It is mentioned in Ash Shifa that Imam Ahmad bin Hambal (May Allah be well pleased with him) kept repeating the the words, “He saw Him” as long as his breath gave out.  Just think!  What state of ecstasy must have the Imam been in, that such an unusual act occurred from him!

 

Either it was this or that the Imam must have been angry so that he repeated those words to awe the opponents.

 

Imam Alusi (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) writes in Tafseer Ruh Al Ma’ani:

 

Translation: Hasan Basri (May Allah be well pleased with him) would state on oath that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw His Lord.

 

As far as the opinion of Hadhrat ‘Aisha (May Allah be well pleased with her), which goes against that of the Bani Hashim, is concerned, maybe the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) had not told this to her for some reason.  It might also be that she was told but she was not telling it to others as per their intelligence, as caution is emphasized in relating such things. 

 

Imam Sakhawi (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) has related in Maqasid Al Hasana:

 

Translation: It is narrated on the authority of Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with them) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  Of My Hadith, relate only those Hadith to My Ummah, which their intellects can bear.  For this reason, Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with them) would hide many Hadith from the common folk and relate them to the scholars.

 

[Excerpted from Ifaadatul Afhaam, Vol. 2, Pg. No. 240]