RABI AL-AWWAL: SIGNIFICANCE AND VIRTUES - SHAYKH ABDAL HAQQ MUHADDITH DEHLAVI (RA)
SOURCE: Islamic Months & Year (Ma sabata
bil sunnah un amal as sunnah)
Shaykh Abdal Haqq
Muhaddith Dehlavi (R.A)
Rabi al-Awwal:
Blessed Birth of
Prophet (saws)
1. Year of Prosperity & Joy-
Dear Friends! Allah Taala guide you with light of Certainty
(Nur al-Yaqeen) and illuminate your heart with remembrance of His beloved
Prophet (saws), blessings on the Chosen Prophet (saws), his family &
companions. As mentioned in the books of Sirah & Ahadith, Hazrat Amina (r) witnessed
unusual & strange events during her pregnancy. Quraysh of Makkah were
suffering with severe famine and their land became green with trees bearing
fruits after the blessed pregnancy. They became prosperous and
therefore named
570 AD as “The Year of Prosperity & Joy”.
2. Blessed Birth in State of Prostration (Sajjada)
Abu Nuaym has narrated from Abdullah ibn Abbas (r) “Hazrat Amina,
the mother of Prophet (saws) dreamed that someone said to her “You have
conceived the best of humankind and master of the worlds, when you give birth
to him, call him Muhammad and tell no one about your situation”. She said: “I
saw a flock of birds that had come without my noticing from whence they came,
until they covered my chamber. Their beaks were made of emerald and their wings
of rubies. The veil was lifted from my sight and at that moment I saw the
eastern and western regions of earth. I saw three banners raised a banner in
the East, a banner in the West and a banner on the top of the Kaaba.” “I gave
birth to Muhammad (saws); when he came out of my belly I turned and looked at
him, and lo and behold, I saw him prostrating himself with his Shahadah Finger
raised like one who was pleading and supplicating. Then I saw a white cloud
that had come from the sky, came down until it covered him and he was concealed
from my sight; I heard a voice call out “ Take Muhammad (saws) around the East
and West of the world; take him into all of the oceans, so that they will know
his name, his description, and his form and they will know that he is called
al-Mahi, the Effacer, because there is no polytheism but it will be effaced by
him in his time.”
3. Last of the Prophets (Khatim al-Nabiyeen)
Imam Ahmad,Bazar,Tibrani,Hakim and Allama Bayhaqi has
narrated from Arbaz bin Sariya that Prophet (saws) said “ I am servant of Allah
and last of the Prophets. I was Prophet when Adam was between water and mud and
I will inform you of all events shortly. I am answer to the supplication of my
father Hazrat Ibrahim, glad tiding of Hazrat Isa and I am dream of my mother
which she saw. The mothers of Prophets see dreams about prophecy of their sons.
The mother of Messenger of Allah (saws) saw a light emanating from her belly
that reached to the castles of Syria. Hazrat Abbas bin Muttalib said about this
light in his poetry “Oh.Rasul! The earth became illuminated
on your blessed birth and skies became bright with your light and we tread the
path of guidance with your light.”
4. Seal of the Prophethood (Muhr e Nabawwut)
Hazrat Aisha Siddiqa (r) stated that a Jewish Resident of
Makkah addressed the Quraysh on the day of the blessed birth of Prophet (saws):
“Oh! People of Quraysh! Did you have a birth of a son in your family? Then he
said “The Prophet of Ummah will be born this night and there will be a seal of
Prophethood between his shoulders as a sign of Prophecy. Quraysh found out that
Abdullah bin Abdal Muttalib had a son. He took few persons with him to visit
Hazrat Amina and wished to see the seal. He fainted after witnessing the seal
and then stated “ Oh.People of Quraysh ! Listen, Prophecy has finished in the
house of Bani Israel. Now you will become prominent & dominant in the world
through this Prophet(saws) and his message will spread from East to the West.”
Yaqub bin Sufyan has written this tradition with hasan isnad and is also
included in Fath al-Bari.
5. Date and Time of the Blessed Birth
There is difference of opinion about date and time of birth
however 12th Rabi al-Awwal is most popular opinion. The People of
Makkah visit the birth place of Prophet (saws) on this day and this tradition
is practiced even today. Taibi states, there is a concensus amongst Muslims
that Prophet (saws) was born on this date. I (Abdul Haq) agree with Taibi. It
is popularly believed that day of birth was Monday Morning. Qatada Ansari
states that Prophet (saws) used to fast on Mondays and when he was asked about
this, he said “This is the day I was born and this is the day, I was given Prophethood”.
(Sahih Muslim)
6. Superiority of Night of Mawlid
The night of Mawlid is superior to the night of Destiny
(laylat al-qadar). The night of Mawlid is the night of Prophet’s coming to this
world and Night of Power was given to him, that which was honored by the very
existence of one for whose sake it is honored, is more honorable than that
which is honored by reason of what was given to him.
Thuwayba, the slave girl of Abu Lahab
gave the glad news of the blessed birth of Prophet (saws) and therefore he
freed her out of delight. When Abu Lahab died, one of his relatives saw him
in dream. He said to him,” What happened to you?”. Abu Lahab replied I am
suffering in hell however on Mondays, there is some relief and then he
pointed to his two fingers, by signaling which, he freed Thuwayba. I am able
to drink water with these two fingers. Ibn al-Jauzi has written that if Abu Lahab, the unbeliever whose
condemnation was revealed in the Quran, was rewarded in hell for his joy on
the night of Prophet’s Birth (saws), what is the case of Muslims who delight
in his birth and spend all that they can afford or love of him? By my life,
his reward from the Allah Taala can only be that He graciously causes him to
enter the gardens of bliss. The Muslims
have always celebrated Mawlid un Nabi (saws) during the month of Rabi
al-Awwal. They prepare food, give charity to poor, distribute gifts and
express happiness. They spend generously, recite Quran and decorate their
homes. Allah Taala continues to shower His blessing & baraka
on them. The Muslims who celebrate Mawlid-un-Nabi (saws) remain in Allah’s
Security and their needs are fulfilled.
Allah Taala sends His mercy on the person who celebrates Eid on the
night of Mawlid un Nabi (saws). May Allah Taala reward us for our sincere
intensions and enable us to follow the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (saws).
Allah is enough for us and He is the Best Helper.
Shaykh Abdal
Haqq Muhaddith Dehlavi (r.a)
|
Shaykh Abdal Haqq Muhaddith Dehlvi
(958-1052A.H), one of the leading Islamic scholars of the 11th century. An
epoch-making personage well-versed in the sciences of Islam and practices of
Sufism (Tasawwuf), Shaykh Dehlvi rendered historical contributions to the
revival and renewal of faith as well as spiritual guidance of the Indian
Muslims. It would be no exaggeration to state that from the early 11th century
till the late 13th century, almost all remarkable works and researches on the
classical Islamic sciences in India were a result of rigorous intellectual efforts
and endeavors made by him.
Shaykh Muhaddith Dehlvi, whom many
eminent historians consider “the pioneer of the Islamic literature in Indian
subcontinent”, greatly excelled in the sciences of the Rivayat and Dirayat
(narration and critical appreciation) and
al-Jarh wat-Ta’deel (criticism and praise) of the Hadiths. He was the son
of Shaykh Saifuddin Turk Bukhari and spiritual devotee (Mureed) of Hazrat Syed
Musa Gilani Quadri. Shaykh Dehlvi undertook the Hajj, pilgrimage to Makkah in
996H and remained there for a couple of years to learn from the then
spiritually-inclined Ulema of Haramain Shareefain (Makkah and Madina). He spent
most of his time in the Hijaz with Shaykh Muttaqi who spiritually mentored him.
Thus, he excelled in the Islamic sciences and the practices of Sufism under the
patronage of the early Sufis of the Hijaz.
Shaykh Muhaddith Dehlvi was not
merely a Sufi practitioner but also an authoritative Islamic scholar, prolific
writer, commentator of the Qur’an and a profound critic of the Hadith
narrations. He wrote 116 books on faith, Islamic sciences and spirituality.
Among his widely circulated and greatly acclaimed works on Islamic sciences and
particularly Sufism are: “Ash’at
al-Lam’at (a scholarly critical commentary on the Hadiths of the Mishkat),
“Tareekh al-Madina” (classical work
on Islamic history), “Madarij an-Nabuwat”
(a seminal work on the Sirah, Prophethood and its attributes), “Akhbar ul Akhyar” (an incredibly
comprehensive contribution to documenting the history of South Asian Sufism), “Zad ul Muttaqeen fi Suluk Tariq al Yaqeen”
(the spiritual teachings of Shaykh Ali Muttaqi and his disciple Shaykh Abdul
Wahhab bin Waliullah Muttaqi, both are Indian Sufis who migrated to Makkah) and
“Takmeel ul Iman” (a book candidly
explaining the crucial Islamic doctrines in particular and the concepts of Ilm ul Kalam or science of theological
discourse in general).
In his writings, Shaykh Dehlvi
often dwelled on the comparison between “knowledge of philosophy” and
“understanding of faith” while explaining the rational concepts of Ilm ul Kalam at the same time. This
helped many to take deep scholarly insights into the Sufi doctrines. He also
gave paramount importance to reconciliation between the Qur’anic injunctions
and Sufism precepts.
Shaykh Dehlvi also translated into
Persian numerous gems of Islamic and Sufi literature. For instance, he rendered
into Persian the historical document of Sufi discourses “Futuh al Ghaib” (knowledge of the unseen) delivered by Shaikh
Muhiyuddin Abdul Qadir Jilani, who established the Qadriya Sufi order.
Shaykh Abdal Haqq Muhaddith Dehlvi
met his lord on the 21st of Rabi-ul-Awal, 1052 AH (1642 C.E) at the age of 94.
It was the era of Shahjahan’s rule in India. His shrine is situated in the
famous area of Mehrauli in Delhi. The main mausoleum is in the center and is
surrounded by the tombs of many Sufi Masters buried there.
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