Chapter 5. The Rights Of The Prophet Due From His Followers

Please Note: This is the second part of the book entitled as Chapter Five here.

 

Section 1: The obligation to believe him (peace and blessing be upon him)

Section 2: The obligation to obey the Prophet

Section 3: The obligation to follow the Prophet and obey his prophetic way

Section 4: The narrations of the early generations of Muslims and the esteemed learned persons concerning the following of the prophetic way and accepting the guidance of the Prophet

Section 5: The danger in opposing the right of the Prophet to be obeyed

 

Section 1: The obligation to believe him (peace and blessing be upon him)

Part One contained conclusive evidence of the prophethood of Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him) coupled to the authenticity of the message he brought. With these established factors it is incumbent to believe in him and what he brought. Allah tells us to, "Believe in Allah, and His Messenger, and in the Light which We have sent down." 64:8. He speaks of the Prophet saying, "We sent you (Prophet Mohammed) as a witness and as a bearer of glad tidings and warning, so that you believe in Allah and His Messenger and that you support him, revere him (Prophet Mohammed), and exalt Him (Allah) at the dawn and in the evening." 48:8-9. He also says, "Believe in Allah and His Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet." 7:158. From these verses it is made known to the individual that there is an obligation to believe in Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him). Without it, belief is incomplete because one's belief is only valid with the belief in the Oneness of Allah and the acceptance and belief in Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him). Allah warns, "Whosoever disbelieves in Allah and His Messenger; We have prepared a Blazing Fire for the unbelievers." 48:13. Abu Hurayra heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) say, ”I have been ordered to struggle with people until they bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and believe in me, and what I have brought. When they do this, their blood and property are protected from me, except when an Islamic right is violated. Their reckoning is with Allah."

The meaning of belief in the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) is that one bears witness to his prophethood, the Message Allah entrusted to him, being supportive of all that he brought and said. What is in one's heart is then born witness by the tongue, that he is indeed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him). This meaning of belief is ratified by the hadith in which the Archangel Gabriel came to the Prophet and said, "Tell me about Islam." The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) replied, "It is that you bear witness that there is no god except Allah and that Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah." Then Gabriel asked him about the meaning of belief to which he replied, "It is that you believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books and His Messenger (and of course the third pillar of Islam Ihsan)." Belief in the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) implies the acceptance of the heart whereas Islam only demands its verbalization. However, if the testimony is simply upon the tongue without the confirmation of the heart, that is tantamount to hypocrisy. Allah speaks of the hypocrites saying, "When the hypocrites come to you they say, 'We bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah.' Allah knows that you (Prophet Mohammed) are indeed His Messenger, and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are truly liars!" 63:1. Such people lie with their tongues concealing what is really in their hearts and such testimony has no benefit in the Everlasting Life because their witnessing is incomplete and they will join the unbelievers. As for their punishment it will be in the deepest part of the Fire, below that of the unbelievers. However, in this life because they uttered the verbal testimony such people are judged by Muslim judges to be Muslims, because judges do not have access to see the reality of what is in the heart. Judges have been forbidden to investigate the reality of a person's witnessing because the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) censured the actions of a certain person by asking him, "Why then didn‟t you split open his heart?" Verbal testimony is part of Islam and confirmation with the heart is part of belief.

There are however, other aspects that lie between the two and the question arises if someone accepts in his heart but dies before he had a chance to bear witness with his tongue what then is his status? Scholars differ in their opinion. Some are of the opinion that there is a precondition that the verbal witnessing should have been uttered to complete his faith. Others hold the opinion that the person died as a believer and will enter the Garden. Their opinion is based upon the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) that reads, 'Whosoever has an atom's weight of belief in his heart will come out of the Fire." Because the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) only spoke of what was in the heart, the sound opinion is that the person neither resisted nor yet was negligent by not uttering the witnessing. Also, the question is raised about the condition of someone who believes in his heart but waits for a long time to bear witness, knowing full well that it is a necessity, or, perhaps neither speaks nor testifies to it even once during his entire life, there is also a difference of opinion as to his status. Some scholars say he is a believer because inwardly he has confirmed it, but because his witnessing is part of the requirement, then he is considered to have resisted by not doing so and will remain in the Fire for ever. It is also said that such a person cannot be considered as a real believer until he accompanies his belief with the verbal testimony. This is because testifying means entering into a contract and is a requirement of belief. The most sound opinion is that a delayed confirmation is only completed when the verbal testimony is uttered.

 

Section 2: The obligation to obey the Prophet

 

There is an obligation upon all Muslims that requires obedience to the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). This obligation is made apparent in the Quran which he delivered. Allah says, "Believers, obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not turn away from him when you are hearing. Do not be like those who say, 'We hear,' but they do not listen." 8:20. And, "Say, 'Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger. If you obey him, you shall be guided." 24:54. "Obey Allah and the Messenger in order to be subjected to mercy." 3:132. "Whosoever obeys the Messenger, indeed he has obeyed Allah." 4:80. And, "Whatever the Messenger gives you, accept it; and whatever he forbids you, abstain." 59:7. "Whosoever obeys Allah, and the Messenger, they are with those whom Allah has favored." 4:68. "We did not send a Messenger except that he should be obeyed, by the permission of Allah." 4:63. In these verses Allah clearly states that when someone obeys His Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him) he is in fact also obeying Allah. Obedience to whatever Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him) commanded and abstaining from whatsoever he forbade are synonymous to being obedient to Allah. Allah also speaks of the reward for such obedience and warns of the punishment that will fall upon whosoever disobeys.

Abu Hurayra heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) say, "Whosoever obeys me has obeyed Allah. Whosoever disobeys me has disobeyed Allah. Whosoever obeys my envoy has obeyed me and whosoever disobeys my envoy has disobeyed me." The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) also said, "When I forbid you to do something, abstain. When I command you to do something, do as much as you are able." As for the unbelievers who resist the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) Allah informs us, "On that Day when their faces are turned about in the Fire, they shall say, 'Would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger!'" 33:66, but it is too late and their wishful thinking will be of no benefit to them, it will be a constant source for regret. Abu Hurayra recalled the time when the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) spoke of the Garden, and said, "All of my nation will enter the Garden except those who refuse." The Companions asked, "O Messenger of Allah, who will refuse?" He replied, "Whosoever obeys me will enter the Garden whereas whosoever disobeys me has refused."

Another time the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told his Companions. "My likeness and the likeness of what Allah has sent me with is like a man who comes to his people saying, 'O people, I have seen the army with my own eyes, and I am a sincere warner-save yourselves!' One group of his people obey him and travel at nightfall, they go at their leisure and are saved. Another group reject him and remain. The army arrives in the morning and they are annihilated. Such is the likeness of those who obey me and follow what I bring, and the likeness of those who disobey me and belie what I bring," The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) drew another simile saying, "It is similar to a person who builds a house and then prepares a fine feast in it and sends forth a summoner. Whosoever answers the summoner enters the house and eats from the feast, whereas whosoever does not answer the summoner neither enters the house nor eats from the feast." The "house" referred to in the preceding hadith means the Garden and the "summoner" is Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him). Whosoever obeys the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) has obeyed Allah, whereas whosoever disobeys the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) has in fact disobeyed Allah.

 

Section 3: The obligation to follow the Prophet and obey his prophetic way

 

Allah says, "Say, 'If you love Allah, follow me (Prophet Mohammed) and Allah will love you, and forgive your sins." 3:31. He also says, "Believe in Allah and His Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His Words. Follow him in order that you are guided." 7:158. And, "But no, by your Lord, they will not believe you until they make you the judge regarding the disagreement between them, then, they will not find in themselves any discomfort concerning your verdict, and will surrender to you in full submission." 4:65. From the preceding verses it is very clear that there is an obligation to follow, obey and be guided by Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him). Allah also speaks of His Prophet's exemplary character saying, "In the Messenger of Allah you have a fine example for he who hopes for Allah and the Last Day." 33:21. Tirmidhi explained that 'a fine example' means that one should emulate him by following his way of life and neither oppose him in either word or action.

Verse 7 in "The Opener" reads "The path of those upon whom You have favored". Sahl explained that is means to follow the prophetic way. Whosoever follows the command of Allah to do this is promised by Him that they will be guided because Allah sent Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him) with His guidance and the religion of truth to purify us, and to teach us the Holy Quran coupled with the wisdom, all of which guides to the Straight Path. In the verse that reads "If you love Allah, follow me (Prophet Mohammed) and Allah will love you, and forgive your sins" 3:31 it is understood that whosoever follows the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) preferring him over and above personal desires and inclinations will be forgiven by Allah. Ka'b, Ashraf's son and some others who were either Jews or Christians went to the Messenger of Allah one day and told him they loved Allah. The Jews and Christians also claimed, "We are the children of Allah and His loved ones." 5:18 Hassan al-Basri tells us that it was on account of their claim that they loved Allah that Allah sent down the verse "Say, if you love Allah, follow me (Prophet Mohammed) and Allah will love you." 3:31. Allah makes it clear that His love will come upon those who follow His Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him).

We are told by Zajjaj that the phrase "if you love Allah" means that if you sincerely desire to obey Allah then you should follow His command because the love of a worshiper of Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him) lies in obedience and being

 pleased with the commands of both Allah and His Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). The love of Allah for such worshipers is that He pardons them and blesses them with His Mercy. Our attention is drawn to the fact that love from Allah manifests itself in protection and success, whereas the love of a worshiper manifests itself in obedience.

A poet wrote:

"Do you disobey Allah when you claim to love Him? By my life, this is a strange example! If your love had been true, then you would have obeyed Him. The lover obeys the one he loves."

It has been explained that the love of a worshiper is expressed in his exaltation of Allah and in his awe of Him, and the love of Allah for His worshiper is the mercy He bestows together with His concern for him. The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) warned, ”You must follow my prophetic way and the way of the rightly guided Caliphs. Cling to it voraciously and beware of new things. New things are innovations and each innovation (that is not in the Spirit of Islam) is misguidance." In addition to this warning JabReported having heard, "Each misguidance is in the Fire." The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) called upon his Companions to obey and take action saying, "Do not let any one of you be found reclining on his bed after hearing news of my order that either commands or forbids, so that later on he says, 'I do not know, I follow only what is found in the Book of Allah.'" Lady Aicha, Mother of Believers (may Allah be satisfied with her) tells us that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) would do something in order to simplify a matter for his followers. However, there were some who were negligent from its doing. When news of their negligence reached the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) he would praise Allah and say, "What do you think of people who neglect to do something I myself do? By Allah, my knowledge of Allah is greater than theirs and my fear of Allah is greater than theirs!"

Regarding those who oppose the Quran, the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said, "For those who hate the Quran, it is hard and difficult (for them to bear), it is their judge. Whosoever clings to what I say, understands and retains it, it will be like the Quran for him, but whosoever considers the Quran and what I say as being unimportant and disregards it will lose this world and the Hereafter. My nation is commanded to take my words, obey my commands and follow my prophetic way. Whosoever is pleased with my words is pleased with the Quran, and Allah instructs, 'Whatever the Messenger gives you; accept it'" 59:7. The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) described his followers saying, "Whosoever follows me is of me, but whosoever abandons my prophetic way is not of me." Abu Hurayra tells us that he told them, "The best speech is the Book of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance of Mohammed. The worst matters are innovations (that are not in the spirit of Islam)."

On another occasion the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) spoke of knowledge saying, "There are three types of knowledge; a precise verse, an established prophetic way, and a just share of inheritance. All other knowledge is superfluous." Al-Hassan said that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told his Companions, "The doing of a little of my prophetic way is better than doing a lot of an innovation (that is not in the spirit of Islam)." The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) gave the good news that Allah will bring a person into the Garden on account that the person clung to his prophetic way. The importance of clinging to the prophetic way when corruption abounds is reported by Abu Hurayra who heard the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) say, "Whosoever clings to my prophetic way in a corrupt society will be rewarded with the reward of a hundred martyrs." The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) warned of times to come saying,

 "The children of Israel divided into seventy-two sects. My nation will divide into seventy-three, all will be in the Fire except one." The Companions asked who would be the exception whereupon he replied, "They are those who establish themselves on what I and my Companions do today."

Bilal, al-Harith's son recalled the indication of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) that a time will come when his prophetic quotations will be neglected and people will follow innovations (that are not in the spirit of Islam). The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said, "Whosoever revives any of my prophetic ways that have abandoned after me will receive the reward of all those who act upon it without decreasing any of their reward. Whosoever introduces a misguided innovation which is not pleasing to Allah and His Messenger will have the like of all those who act upon it without decreasing their burden." Anass reported the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) "Whosoever revives my prophetic way has revived me, and whosoever does this will be with me in the Garden."

 

Section 4: The narrations of the early generations of Muslims and the esteemed learned persons concerning the following of the prophetic way and accepting the guidance of the Prophet

 

The father of Abdur Rahman was asked by his nephew, "In the Quran we find the prayer when one is fearful, and the prayer at home, but we cannot find the prayer of a traveler." The father of Abdur Rahman replied, "Allah sent Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him) to us when we did not know anything, we did what we saw him doing." The son of the Caliph Omar, Abdul Aziz's said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) had his prophetic way and the leaders that came after him made ways. To adopt them is to confirm the Book of Allah and to act upon them is obedience to Allah and the strengthening of the religion of Allah. No one should change or alter the prophetic way or consider the opinion of those in opposition. Whosoever follows the sunna is guided, and whosoever seeks help by it will be amongst those who win. Whosoever opposes it and follows a path other than that of the believers Allah will assign to him that which he turns to and roast him in Hell, and that is an evil arrival."

Shehab's son heard the saying of knowledgeable people that if one holds fast to the prophetic way it is a means of salvation. During the caliphate of Omar, al-Khatab's son Omar sent a letter to his governors instructing them to learn the prophetic sayings relating to the shares of inheritance and dialects. He wrote, "People will try to argue with you (using the Quran), when this occurs overcome them with the prophetic way. The people who follow the way of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) have the greatest knowledge of the Book of Allah." When Omar prayed two units of prayer at Dhu'l Hulayfa he was asked why he had done so. He replied, "I do what I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) doing." Imam Ali joined the Greater Pilgrimage and the Lesser Pilgrimage together whereupon Othman, who was unaware of the joining asked, "Who has told you to do this, when I have forbidden the people to do so?" Ali respectfully replied, "I do not abandon the way of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) in preference to the statement of another."

Imam Ali said, "I am neither a prophet nor have I received a revelation, rather I act according to the Book of Allah and the prophetic way of Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him) as much as I can." Omar's son spoke of the prayer of the traveler saying, "The prayer of the traveler consists of two units or prayer, whosoever opposes the prophetic way is an unbeliever." Ubay, Ka'bs son stressed the importance of following

Allah and the prophetic way saying, "You must follow the path of Allah and the prophetic way. The worshiper whose eyes overflow with tears out of fear of Allah as he follows the path of Allah and the prophetic way, will never be subjected to the punishment of Allah. A worshiper who follows the path of Allah and the way of His Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) and whose skin trembles out of the fear of Allah at His remembrance can be compared to a tree whose leaves are dry. In the same way that a blustery wind smites it and causes all of its leaves to fall, the sins of the worshiper fall from him just as the dried leaves fall. No matter how minor a person's action maybe following the way of the Prophet, it is far more beneficial than striving hard on the (misguided) path of innovation (which is against the spirit of Islam). Therefore, one must examine one's actions see whether they are in compliance with those of the prophets and their prophetic ways or those of striving against them."

The Caliph Omar Abdul Aziz received a letter from one of his governors that spoke of the deterioration of conditions in his province and the increase of thievery. He asked whether or not he should arrest such people on suspicion or only when clear proof was presented to him that was in accordance with the prophetic way. Omar replied, "Arrest them only when there is clear proof in accordance with the prophetic way. If the truth does not correct them, Allah will not correct them." Commenting on the words of Allah, "Should you dispute about anything refer it to Allah and the Messenger." 4:59, Omar explained that it means that in the case of disagreement one should consult the Book of Allah and also the prophetic way. One day Omar was heard saying as he stood before the Black Stone in Kaaba. "You are only a stone and can neither help nor harm. If I had not seen the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) kiss you, I would not kiss you" and he kissed it.

Abdullah, Omar's son was observed making his she-camel turn about in a certain place and was asked why he had made her do this. He replied, "I do not know. Once I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) doing it, so I do it." The father of Othman al-Hiri said, "Whosoever places the authority of the prophetic way above himself either by word or deed speaks with wisdom. But whosoever gives passion authority over himself speaks by innovation." Sahl Tustori described his school of jurisprudence saying, "The foundations of our school are three: following the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) in character and actions, eating that which is lawful, and making our intention sincere in all actions." The jurist Ahmed, Hanbal's son said, "One day I was with a party of people who stripped off all their cloths and went into the water. I applied the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) that says, 'Whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should enter the baths in a loin cloth' so I did not strip. That night I had a vision in which a voice said to me, 'O Ahmed, Allah has forgiven you because you implemented the prophetic way and He has made you an imam who will be followed.' I asked, 'Who are you?' He replied, 'Gabriel'"

 

Section 5: The danger in opposing the right of the Prophet to be obeyed

 

(Before reading this chapter one should understand that any good innovation promoting activities in the Spirit of Islam is encouraged and never condemned. Those who condemn activities that reflect the Spirit of Islam are grossly deficient in Islamic knowledge and consequently their intellect fails them. This leads to flawed opinions and they are found to be fanatical, lacking compassion. Such people hold firm to the opinion that if the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) did not do something, we should not do it, and if this is so then people from far away countries would not be able to go by boat or airplane on pilgrimage-which is one of the pillars of Islam-because the Prophet (peace and blessing be

 upon him) only went on foot or by camel! An innovation that is condemned is one that replaces the Prophetic way and goes against the Spirit of Islam. If anyone should tell you that anything the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) did not do is to be taken as a bad innovation, when it is known to comply with the Spirit of Islam, it is through sheer ignorance.)

There is great danger in opposing the command of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). If one were to change his prophetic way then one would be misguided and be among the innovators and therefore subject to the threat and severance of Allah. Allah warns "So let those who disobey His command beware, lest they are struck be sedition, or, they are stricken with a painful punishment." 24:63. He also warns, "But whosoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has been made clear to him and follows a path other than that of the believers, We shall let him follow what he has turned to and We shall roast him in Hell-and evil arrival." 4:115. Abu Hurayra tells us of the time the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) visited a graveyard. During the visit he described some of his nation saying, "Some (on the Day of Judgement) will be driven away from my Pool (Kawthar) just as a stray camel is driven away. I will call to them saying, 'Come here, come here!' But it will be said, 'After you they made changes.' Whereupon I will say, 'Go away, go away!'"

The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told his Companions, "Anyone who adds something to my commands, which is not part of them, is a deviant." One day someone brought a writing that had been inscribed on the shoulder-blade of an animal. The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said, "What is wrong with some people that they dislike what their Prophet brought them, preferring someone else to their Prophet, or another book to their Book?" Whereupon it was revealed, "Is it not enough for them that We have sent down to you the Book that is recited to them?" 29:51 Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him) told his Companions, "Those who go to extremes in speech will be destroyed." The first Caliph, Abu Bakr Siddiq said, "Of the things the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) used to do, I have omitted none. I feared that had I left out any of his commands I would have deviated."

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