Preface

We are living in 1429 year of Islamic Calendar and it’s a duty incumbent
upon all of us to spread the true message of Islam among the humanity in
view of growing prejudice and propaganda against it. The message of
Islam is to spread peace among the masses with out any
discrimination. At various places in the holy book Quran, this message
has been explicitly mentioned, for instance, Surah 7, verse 56, “and do not
do mischief on the earth, after it has been set in order, and invoke Him with
fear and hope. Surely Allah’s Mercy is near to the good-doers”
And surah 4, verse 85, “who so ever intercedes for a good cause will have
reward there of, and who so ever intercedes for an evil cause will have a
share in its burden. And Allah is ever able to do everything”
And surah 4, verse 136, “O you who believe in Allah and His Messenger
and the book which He has sent down to His Messenger, and the Scriptures
which He sent down to those before and who so ever disbelieves in Allah,
His angels, His books, His Messengers and the last day then indeed he has
strayed far away”
In the same manner, the practical demonstration of Quran has been the life
and teachings of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Through out in his life, He
(SAW) has been remarkably merciful and compassionate to everyone. It
was his personal character and dealings that moulded the barbaric nature of
countless men and women and transformed them into peaceful, loving and
creative human beings. In this regard, His (SAW) last sermon is a flashlight
for every age till doomsday. A brief summary of the last sermon is
mentioned below:
O People
Lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever
be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very
carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here
today.
O People
Just as you regard this month, this day, this city as sacred, so regard the life
and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted
to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you.
Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed
reckon your deeds. Allah has forbidden you to take usury (interest);
therefore all interest obligations shall henceforth be waived. Your capital,
however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity.
Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all interest due to
Abbas Ibn ‘Abd al Muttalib (the Prophet's uncle) shall henceforth be
waived.
Beware of Satan for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he
will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following
him in small things.

O People
It is true that you have certain rights in regard to your women, but they also
have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives,
only under Allah's trust and with His permission. If they abide by your
right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do
treat you women well and be kind to them, for they are your partners and
committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with
anyone of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.
O People
Listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, say your five daily prayers (Salah),
fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in Zakat.

Perform Hajj if you can afford to.

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-
Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no
superiority over a black, nor does a black have any superiority over a
white- except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a
brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood.
Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim, which belongs to a fellow Muslim
unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not therefore, do injustice to
yourselves.

Remember one day you will appear before Allah and answer for your
deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am
gone. People, no prophet or apostle will come after me and no new faith
will be born. Reason well therefore, O people, and understand words which
I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Quran and the Sunnah
(Hadith), and if you follow these you will never go astray. All those who
listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and
may the last ones understand my words better than those who listened to
me directly. Be my witness, O Allah, that I have conveyed your message to
your people."

Even today if all of us start acting on the above mentioned world order, the
whole world will become a prosperous and peaceful society with countless
benefits for everyone to enjoy. That is the message of Islam for sustainable
world peace.

Syed Ahmad Imam Bukhari

 THE HOLY PROPHET, SALLALLAHO ALAIHI WA ‘ALII
WA SALLAM
By: Dr. Muhammad Muddassar
Hi-teck University, Texla ,Pakistan
<< … Nor was any Nabi accused of (lying when) giving knowledge … >>
Qassidah Burdah Sharif, Chapter 5, verse26.

Abstract
The function of prophet is reviewed in the light of Tradition distinguishing
between rasool and nabi. The Holy Prophet, sallalaho alaihi wa 'alii wa
sallam, is then introduced accordingly to old scriptures and his leadership
among the other prophets is also discussed in the light of other Doctrines
(Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism), the Holy and Glorious Qur’an and
Ahadith. The article introduces the concept of ishq-e-Mustafa and suggests
the method to develop it through the recitation of the awrad and
particularly darood sharif. The importance and validity of darood sharif is
also discussed on the basis of modern neuroscience not to attribute
importance to modern science but to show the perfect coincidence of the
knowledge of Tasawwuf – in this case knowledge published in 1250AC –
with lower forms of knowledge, like neuroscience.
Prologue

Thousands of blessed scholars have spoken and written about the Holy
Prophet of Islam, sallalaho alaihi wa 'alii wa sallam, and his holy precursor,
alaihi wa sallam for each of them, and we feel sincerely ashamed to engage
in this endeavor because of our ignorance and impurity due to our sins. We
ask the intercession of our beloved Pir Amin ul Hasanat Shah Sahab and
His Holy father Pir Karam Shah Al-Azhari, Radziallaho anho, true lovers
of the Holy Prophet, sallalaho alaihi wa 'alii wa sallam, to help this dust of
faqeer in completing this work without errors.

<<Allah’s blessing and peace be upon him, blessings which are permeated
with beauty, with perfection, with goodness and with favor! Ya Allah,
bless our master Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) and the family
of our master Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) as many times as
there are drops of rain! Ya Allah bless our master Muhammad (Sallallahu
‘Alaihi Wasallam) and the family of master Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi
Wasallam) as many times as they are leaves of rain! And bless our master
Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) and the family of master
Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) in as much abundance as there
is foam upon the sea! And bless our master Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi
Wasallam) and the family of master Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasal-
lam) as many times as there are rivers! And bless our master Muhammad
(Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) and family of our master Muhammad (Sal-
lallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) as there are grains of sand in the desert and in
the Wilderness! And bless our master Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Was-
allam) and the family of master Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam)
as much as the weight of all mountains and all rocks! And bless our master
Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) and the family of master
Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam), as many times as there are
dwellers of The gardens and dwellers of The Fire! And bless our master
Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) and the family of master
Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) as many times as there are right-
eous and as many times there are corrupt ones! And bless our master
Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) and the family of master
Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) as many times as the right has
alternated with the day! And make, Ya Allah, our asking for blessings
upon him a shield which give us protection from the punishment of The
Fire and a means of us gaining permission to enter the abode of Perman-
ence, for You are the Mighty, the forgiving!

(From Dalaail-ul-Khairat, Chishti Nizami Wasifa Book, pages 400 - 401)>>

Introduction and Generalities

<<Do not deny that his dreams are revelations (wahi), for verily his
Heart does not sleep, when eyes sleep>>
Qassidah Burdah Shareef Section 5, 21 - 22

It is a matter of wonder to learn from different modern authors and sources,

especially religious, how the term and meaning of the word “prophet” has
lost its meaning and significance especially when compared with the
meaning and significance attributed to the term “prophet” in Islam. There
is deep dichotomy between Islam’s point of view and those of the other
two Semitic religions, which show great confusion about the real meaning
of the term “prophet” and its function.
The English and Christian term “prophet” derives from the ancient Greek
προφητής [profetès], the most common meaning attributed to this Greek
word is “the one who speaks in front” but also “the one who speaks on
behalf of”. But quite interestingly Christians seems to privilege the first
meaning in the double acceptions of the term “in front” related to the two
essentail conditions of this world, time and space. In fact the first acception
of “in front” is speaking in public. The term “before” here is considered
equivalent to “in front”, thus the meaning is related to space. The second
acception is “before time” (considered equivalent to “in front of the time”),
which is clearly referred to time; in fact words like “prophecy” or
“prophetic words” derive from “prophet” with the understanding that all
the prophets had the gift of clairvoyance. This has been the main
characteristic perceived especially by the Christians to the extent that in the
spoken form of almost all western languages (namely Italian, French,
Spanish, Portuguise, English, German, Danish, Dutch and the languages
spoken in the Scandinavian peninsula) the word “prophet” becomes an
appellative and it is associated with anyone who has anticipated the times
in sectors which have nothing to do with religion. For example a certain
fashion stylist is the “prophet of fashion” when he is successfull in
anticipating or rather imposing a new trend in fashion. As other examples a
certain artist in paintry or music is the “prophet of paint” or “prophet of
music” whenever each of them succeeds to anticipate a new trend in his
own field. In this we can see the clear mark of Satan-rajeem, the highest in
subversion and the master of confusion and disorder. The big confusion of
the modern world and its Satanic-rajeem tract are evidenced by this
subversive association of a noble word like that of “prophet” with worldly
activities that nothing have to do with the rela, blessed “prophetic”
function.
In the Bible (Old Testament) the word equivalent to “prophet” is in
Hebrew: ‫ – נביא‬pronounced nâbîy, in the same way of the Arabic “nâbî”.
The Hebrew ‫ – נביא‬pronounced nâbîy – has the meaning “called by God for
a duty” and a “person who speaks in the Name and on behalf of the
Divinity”. Once again we find a fracture among the three Semitic religions,
once again Christianity seems a “mad” deviation, departing from Judaism
and Islam with its curious approach to the meaning of “prophet”. Anyhow
it appears that in the Bible there is a part containing 36 books, called
“Neviìm”, each of one those books is dedicated to every prophet. Actually
“Neviìm” forms the second of the three letters of TaNaKh, derived from
Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim. The meaning of “nâbîy” is perhaps described in
Deuteronomy 18:18, where God said, "I will put my words in his mouth
and he will speak to them all that I command him."1 Thus, the “nâbîy” was
thought to be the "mouth" of God. The root “nun-bet-alef” ("nâbîy ") is
based on the two-letter root nun-bet which denotes hollowness or
openness; to receive transcendental wisdom, one must make oneself
“open”. One can confront Rashbam's2 comment to Genesis 20:73. We are

1
Although – quite obviously – Jew and also Christian commentators attribute this
verse of Deuteronomy as a general description of a Prophet but we cannot refrain
to observe a particular: if this is the description of a generic prophet why God
speaks in singular when particularly Jew had several prophets? We have the
feeling that this verse refers specifically to the Holy Prophet, sallalaho alaihi wa
'alii wa sallam.
2
Rashbam (‫ )רשב"ם‬is a Hebrew acronym for ‫( רבי שמואל בן מאיר‬Rabbi Shmuel son
of Meir) (c.1085 - c.1158). His father was Meir ben Shmuel and his mother was
Yocheved, the daughter of Rashi. Like his grandfather Rashi, the Rashbam was a
biblical commentator and Talmudist.
3
<<So now, give the man back his wife, for he is a prophet, and let him say a
prayer for you, so your life may be safe: but if you do not give her back, be certain
reminded here about the symbolism of the letter “ba, ‫ ”ﺐ‬of the Arabic
alphabet, the second letter of the alphabet after “Alif, ‫ ”ﺇ‬and therefore it
looks that ba seems recipient from Alif. Translated in other words ba, is the
symbol of the Holy Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam,
recipient of the barakah (Spiritual Influences) from Alif, symbolizing Allah
Almighty as first letter of the Arabic alphabet. Accordingly to I Samuel
9:94 the old name for “nâbîy” is “ro'eh”, ‫ ראה‬which literally means "Seer".
That could document an ancient shift, from viewing prophets as “seers” to
viewing them as moral teachers. Some examples of prophets in the Tanakh
(Hebrew Bible) include Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Samuel, Ezekiel,
Malachi, and Job. In Jewish tradition, Daniel is not counted in the list of
prophets.
Accordingly to Islamic believe Allah Almighty has sent about 124000
prophets. Thus we can see the approach to the prophet or its equivalent in
other religions and spiritual systems. In this view we can evaluate the term
equivalent to prophet in Hinduism. In Hinduism the equivalent of prophet
is “avatar” or “avatara” (in Sanskrit अवतार, avatāra). The name “avatar”
or “avatara” means the incarnation of a being of light (noor), known as
Deva (Angel) in this state of manifestation as human being. As a matter of
fact the word “avatar” or “avatara” literally means “descent” and it refers
to the descent into this earth of personalities – beings of light (noor) -
assuming human form with the purpose of spiritual enhancement of their
proxies. We observe that today the word “avatar” is exploited in the West
meaning mainly a virtual, ghostly figure, generally a computerized
individual symbolizing another person. There are unnerving signs that the
word “avatar” is currently negatively utilized in the modern world
especially by the internet users in quite similar way the word “prophet” is
negatively exploited in the common language.

What is really interesting about the Hindu definition of a Prophet are

indeed two points, the first and more important is that prophet’s essence is
of light (noor, an angelic attribute) and this statement should be also
compared with the position of the ahle-sunnah-wal-jamaat regarding the
fact that the Holy Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, is
considered not only the Noor of Allah Almighty (Light of Allah) but is
assumed to be the First Light of Allah as the Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa
‘Alii Wa Sallam, which is also confirmed by the Hadith that narrates the
episode of His Holiness Hadzrat Jibrail, Alaihi wa Sallam, waiting for quite
long time the Holy Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam,

that death will come to you and all your house.>> Genesis, 20:7.
4
In the past in Israel, when a man went to get directions from God, he said, Come
let us go to the Seer, for he who now is named Prophet was in those days given the
name of Seer.
reaching late his hujra (hut) in the compound of Masjid-un-Nabi. His
Holiness Hadzrat Jibrail, Alaihi wa Sallam, remarked to have been waiting
quite long and his words were quite resenting the situation. In listening to
His Holiness Hadzrat Jibrail, Alaihi wa Sallam, the Holy Prophet,
Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, answered: <<who was the first noor
created?>>, meaning that Allah Almighty firstly created the noor of His
Holiness Hadzrat Muhammad, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam. At
this His Holiness Hadzrat Jibrail, Alaihi Wa Sallam, understood. We should
observe here that teaching the followers is among the prophetic functions,
every single breath of the life of a prophet is spent to fulfill his function. In
this view the Ahadith should be seen as somehow provoked episodes to
leave a teaching and an opportunity to expand knowledge for those who
want to learn and advance in the path (seeraat ul mustaqeem). A
consequence of being the first noor of Allah Almighty is that all the other
prophets (Ambiyaa plural of Nâbî) derived their light from his light,
Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam. We recall here following the passage
of the third chapter of Qassidah Burdah Sharif5:

<<47) Every miracle which all the Nabis showed. 48) Verily they have
been derived from his Noor.>>

Obviously “his” is referred to the Holy Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii

Wa Sallam. The meaning of the above two verses is quite evident. Rather
the meaning is reinforced by the following verse (number 49) of the same
chapter: “For verily he is the Sun of virtue (and) they (Ambiyaa) are its
stars”, which confirms our statement above. We should also consider that
even in the physical world it is known that stars do not have their own light
but their light derives from the Sun. The meaning of this verse is quite deep
because it shows also that the Holy Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa
Sallam, being associated with the Sun has the status ahle-sunnat-wal-
jamaat followers claim for him, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, the
status of Noor-e-Allah. In fact the Sun is seen by us from the earth as a disc
5
Quoting Qassidah Burdah Shareef in order to confirm our personal statement is
perfectly correct in our humble opinion. In fact in Islam after the Holy, Noble and
Glorious Qur’an, the Ahadeeth (Traditions/Sayings of the Holy Prophet, Sallallaho
Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam) the books and compositions written by authentic
awlya-Allah (servants of Allah) are the third source of knowledge. In the specific
case of Qassidah Burdah Shareef one should ponder on the historically proven
conditions under which this Qassidah was written, the Holy Prophet, Sallallaho
Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, almost dictated it and surely inspired it while His
Holiness Hadzrat Al-Busairi, Radziallaho anho, was in the state of dream. We
should remember that accordingly to an authentic Hadith “dream is the fortieth
part of nabuwwat”. This Hadith keeps us in the subject of this work and confirms
also that prophets are gifted with clairvoyance from dreams and visions. Being
human beings Prophets shares with common believers this powerful tool.
with a front face, which is the face towards the manifested world and a
hidden backside face towards the hidden (al-ghaib) domain. Dante, the
author of the Italian Poem known as “Divine Comedy” closes his poem
with the heavenly vision of God and writes about the Love of God as the
engine which moves the Sun and the other stars6. The hidden face is quite
intuitively the Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, who is
directly recipient of Allah’s Love transmitted in the form of Light and this
Light is “visible in this world” in the essence of Muhammad, Sallallaho
Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam. In this respect we are remembered of a passage
of verse 35, section V of Sûrah XXIV, An-Nur (The Light) reads as: << …
(This) is all light upon light! Allah guides unto His light whom He will …
>>.

The fact that Hindu think of a prophet like Muslim should not be a matter
of wonder as a matter of fact it reflects the Oneness of the Primordial
Tradition when human race was united under only One Divine Truth at the
beginning of this manifestation. We must not judge Hinduism of present
days, deprived of Divine Baraqat and turned almost unknown even to those
who are born Hindu and practice more a kind of polytheistic religion than a
Unitarian Spiritual Doctrine as it was at its origin and at the acme of its
expansion. Despite the present conditions of Hinduism the works and
teachings of Veda and Upanishad should be considered as a source of
inspiration and a compendium to reach the knowledge in Islam. His
Holiness Hadzrat Zia-ul-Ummah, Radziallaho anho, had a good knowledge
of Hinduism. In the Asiatic Subcontinent there has been a massive
conversion of Hindu into Islam and many Muslim families of this area are
of Hindu descent. Hindu embraced Islam in thousands through the hands of
awlya-Allah and perfect Sufi because they recognized in the Tasawwuf a
highest degree spiritual system more in which baraqat (Spiritual
Influences) is strongest than any other system and Universal than
Hinduism, which requires to belong to a specific caste7.
6
The original sentence is <<E’ l’ Amor che muove il Sole e l’ altre stelle>>, which
literally translates as <<it is the Love (of God) which moves the Sun and the other
stars>>.
7
We remember here that the Hindu Castes System divides people in two main
groups, the outcaste and those who have the right to belong to the group of the
“twice born”. This definition reminds to the Hadith: <<O you who believe die
before to die>>. On the other side we have observed that majority of the
Subcontinent Christians derive their ancestry in the outcaste group, those to whom
Hindu would have sealed their ears with boiling lead if they would have been
found listening to the Hindu mantra (equivalent to Islamic dzikr). This harsh
punishment was due to the fact that the outcast (ativarna, namely outcaste, known
as shudra) were totally disqualified for a spiritual path. This fact indirectly
confirms that Christianity has no more spiritual access receiving in its fold people
disqualified for the spiritual path.
 Prophets, Alaihi Wa Sallam, and the Holy Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi
Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, accordingly to Islam
<< … And as for those who believe in Allah and in all
His Apostles and do not discriminate against any of them
– these it is who presently Allah shall grant their rewards.
And Allah is the Most-Forgiving, the Ever-merciful … >>
Sûrah IV, Al-Nisa’, ayat 1528

Before attempting to comprehend the function of a Prophet, Alaihi Wa

Sallam, in order to understand the function of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, we can reassume the
ground realties of a prophet accordingly to Islamic Shariah. As we know
from the basic tenants of Islam Allah Almighty has sent many messengers
to this world from time to time to guide mankind. In Islam we distinguish
two types of messengers of Allah Almighty there are the Rasools and the
Nabis. All the Rasools are Nabis but not all Nabis are Rasools. In fact
Rasool is a Prophet who receives a new Divine Law (Shariat) in the form
of a Doctrine derived from a Sacred Book given by Allah Almighty
whereas a Nabi follows the Sacred Book, Doctrine and Rites brought from
the corresponding Rasool who came before him. Judaism has several Nabis
but very few Rasools. All Rasools and Nabis are human beings without any
exception but with the peculiarities that they cannot tell lies because they
can only speak the truth and do not commit any sin, such is the purity
required to convey any message of Allah Almighty.
Generally in Islam, like in Hinduism, a prophet, regardless being a Rasool
or a Nabi, is considered a very selected and elected person, not a standard
but above standard human being. In the remaining part of this section we
will refer to the chapter XLVIII, “The birth of the <<Avatara>>” of the Book
of René Guénon: Perspectives of Initiation (firstly published in 1946)9.
8
Translation from Jamal-ul-Qur’an of His Holiness Pir Karam Shah Al-Azhari,
radziallaho anho, Zia-Ul-Qur’an editions, Lahore, Pakistan.
9
We frequently quote René Guénon’s works in our humble efforts. René Guénon
is one of the greatest authors of Metaphysics. Born as René Guénon (Blois, 15
novembre 1886 – Il Cairo, 7 gennaio 1951) lately he embraced Islam in France
with the name of Abd-ul-Waheed Yahya by the hands of the great Swedish painter
Gustaf Agelii [Ivan Aguéli (born John Gustaf Agelii) (May 24, 1869 - October 1,
1917) also named Sheikh 'Abd al-Hadi Aqhili (Arabic: ‫ )شیبخ عببد الهادی عقیلی‬upon
his acceptance of Islam, was a Swedish-born wandering Sufi, painter and author]
and then migrated to Cairo Egypt. The knowledge and power of his writings can
be compared to those of Shankaracharya in Hinduism [Ādi Śaṅkarācārya
(Kalady, Kerala, India – passed approx 820 CE) was an Indian Metaphysician who
consolidated the doctrine of Advaita (Non Duality) Vedanta, a sub-school of
Vedanta] and ibn-Al-Arabi [Ibn Arabi (Arabic: ‫ )ابن عرببي‬July 28, 1165-November
In the previous section and elsewhere in our previous articles we have
mentioned the second birth. An Hadith specifically and indirectly refers to
this second birth because the Holy Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa
Sallam, said: “O you who believe die before to die!”. Although the Hadith
stresses the importance of the “Initiatic death” it is quite obvious that the
death in one world means a birth in another world, thus to die before to die
means a process of a death and birth in this world but with a dramatic
change of condition. As a matter of fact if we recall that our life apparently
develops in this world subjected to the conditions of space and time but in
reality our existence develops simultaneously in the three domains:
physical, subtle or psychic and spiritual. Belonging to a specific religion
enables to keep in order and balance the physical and subtle domain but it
does not open the doors to the spiritual world, which is precluded to
everyone who is born in this earth until he finds those who have the keys to
open the well safeguarded door of the spiritual domain10 at least virtually11
at the beginning. The baraqah conferred during the rite of initiation (bai’at)
in Tasawwuf is of such purity and force that sooner the disciple starts his
real and effective travel along the straight path (seeraat-ul-mustaqeem),
this is the process of realization of the self. The process of realization is
usually quite painful, it is of such strength that the Holy Prophet, Sallallaho
Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, has defined it big struggle (Jihad Al Akbar), it
is a real and effective combat against the negative tendencies of the
individual ego. This is more or less what every men initiated in any
Esoteric Order experiences, particularly in Tasawwuf. But there are
comparatively few personalities who are born into this world having
already performed this process of realization of the self. It is like having
two climbers, one – related to the normal individuals – climbs to reach the

10, 1240] in Islam. We feel deeply indebted to René Guénon and those who have
preserved his works, indeed his struggle to seed the knowledge Allah Almighty
gifted him deserves the prayers of those who read our humble efforts.
10
These keys are in the hands of the Spiritual Masters (Pir in Persian or Sheikh in
Arabic and their Kholefa – Caliphs – in Arabic) in Islam and were in the hands of
the Spiritual Masters of other Traditions.
11
It must be clarified here that a Pir or Sheikh opens the doors virtually at the first
time of the initiation (bai’at) and it is depending from the spiritual qualifications of
the disciple (murid) to progress in the spiritual path until he reaches he maturity
for a second and/or third initiation, usually related to the acquisition of a spiritual
function. Only very high Pir/Sheikh have the keys to finally help their disciples
(murids) to complete the last leap of their walk in the straight path (seeraat-ul-
mustaqeem), a leap which is basically a jump or better a “passage to the limit”
during which effectively the disciple (murid) completes his death to this world to
be born again in the spiritual world without leaving this world. This is a process
easy to write but enormously difficult to be afforded requiring exceptional
qualifications. We are remembered here of the words of the Christ in the Gospel:
“Many are those who are called but very few are the elected”.
top of the mountain while the other – related to the Prophets – has been
mysteriously born on top of the mountain and his desire will be to descend
the mountain. The mountain is the same but the conditions of the two men
are radically different, from one side we have human persons who created
by clay struggle to change nature becoming of light (angelic states) through
a second birth, while the others complete the second death being born in
this world and acquiring the conscience of their Divine nature during their
human life. Technically speaking these two aspects of initiation are defined
respectively ‘ascending’ and ‘descending’ initiation12. The ‘ascending’
initiation is reserved for the majority of beings, for them the initiation –
still virtual at the beginning – acts as bringing life to the “spiritual
principle” which is latently sleeping in every human created being. The
spiritual influences conferred (or transmitted) to the being through the rite
of initiation transform the potentialities of the “spiritual principle” into a
virtual development which gradually through the practice of the rite and
duties conferred by the transmitter of the initiation and the never ending
assistance of the spiritual influences (baraqat) contribute to transform the
virtual condition into degrees of increasing real development13. On the
other side the descending realization is more difficult to explain because it
is extremely rare and mainly a special gift from Allah Almighty and
particularly the descending realization belongs to the Prophets. We suggest
that this type of realization belongs to the Prophets regardless they are
Rasool or Nabi, the reason of our statement is based on the fact that every
Prophet before coming into this world has been initiated by the
Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, thus receiving
the power of transmitting the Baraqah from Allah Almighty through
Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam. And this
statement is another way to say that the light (noor) of Muhammad
Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, is reflected in each of the
other Prophets, and this explains also the particular type of brotherhood
claimed by each of them. It is not casual in fact that we have quoted at the
beginning of this section the verse (ayat) 152 of Sûrah IV An-Nisa’ we
strongly believe that the reason while “ those to whom Allah Almighty

12
See René Guénon’s posthumous book Initiation and Spiritual Realization
appeared in 1953.
13
For those who are familiar with the principles of Physics the principles of
conservation and transformation of energy introduces the concept of potential and
dynamic energy. The similitude and example is that of a stone on top of a hill,
which can potentially fall at its bottom, in this case the stone has a potential
energy. If the stone falls from the top of the hill then its potential energy will
transform into kinetic or movement energy. In this respect the “spiritual principle”
can be assimilated to something which possesses potential energy and once
activated transforms its potential energy into kinetic energy.
shall grant His reward” is because those fortunate have comprehended14
that there is no discrimination between the Holy Prophet of Islam, sallalaho
alaihi wa 'alii wa sallam, and his precursors, alaihi wa sallam for each of
them, and this equality is because they are of the same substance: light
(noor).

How different, complete and balanced is the above position expressed by

the Holy and Glorious Qur’an and the position of Jew and Christians! The
Jew do not recognize any of the Prophets after their prophets moreover it is
historically proven that even they have tried to kill their own prophets. As
in the “Introduction to Sûrah Al-Baqarah” written by His Holiness Pir
Karam Shah Al-Azhari: <<This Sûrah mentions God’s favors on the Jews,
reminds them of their repeated acts of rebellion against God and invites
them to recognize the truth of the prophet-hood of Muhammad, sallalaho
alaihi wa 'alii wa sallam. …>> we remember that the title of this Sûrah
refers to the rebellion of the Jew against His Holiness Hadzrat Musa, alaihi
wa sallam, while he was in communion with Allah Almighty on top of
Mount Sinai.
The Christians on the other side do not give too much importance and
above all they do not venerate the Prophets of Jews and do not recognize
Jesus as a prophet nor recognize Muhammad, sallalaho alaihi wa 'alii wa
sallam, as a prophet too. The both, Jew and Christians, have somehow lost
in their respective traditions the concept of equality of prophets and above
all the knowledge of the real substance of prophets, light (noor).

How the above destruction of knowledge could happen to Jew and

Christians? This is due to the fact that Jew and Christians have totally
destroyed15 the Spiritual System peculiar of their tradition and practically

14
We have already mentioned that the tense “to comprehend” derives from the
Antique Latin “cumprehendere”, which is formed by “cum” (meaning with) and
“prehendere” (meaning to take) and assumes the meaning “to take within”, which
is synonymous of “to assimilate”. Thus using the tense “to comprehend” means to
underline a condition far stronger than simply understand. In other words many
can understand but few can assimilate because their hearts – and not their minds! –
are tuned with the statement they have assimilated.
15
This does not mean that few secret and not accessible spiritual personalities are
still present among Jew and Christians otherwise their religions would have
completely disappeared. It is for the virtue (in the sense of force) of the presence
of those spiritual personalities that somehow these religions are still present in this
world. From the authority of René Guénon we came to know that for example in
Christianity there is a initiation given to very few and selected persons by Hadzrat
Maryam, Alaihi Wa Sallam, and this is a total secret. This was quoted by René
Guénon in reference to the figure of the Italian Monk Padre Pio da Pietralcina, a
discussed figure who had for all his life to defend against the Vatican and majority
of the Catholic clergy, and perhaps this is a proof of his sainthood.
equivalent to Tasawwuf. For Jew and Christian the mind is the center of
the human being while for Muslims16 still believe that the center of the
human being is the heart and there must be no doubt about it. This is the
distinction between those who do not see beyond Shariah (thus they
privilege the human mind) and those who see in the path of Haqiqah the
full development of their human being because the path of Haqiqah starts
from the heart.

It is not possible to write about prophets without speaking about the heart,
obviously we mean the spiritual heart and not the physical heart. Both
maybe coincident but the spiritual heart is the more important because in
Tasawwuf one speaks about the “eye of the heart”, whose position maybe
different from the position of the physical heart but it is indeed the spiritual
eye related to the spiritual heart. In order to understand the function of the
Holy Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, and his brothers
prophets, Alaihi Wa Sallam for each of them, we should examine the
symbolism of the heart. Despite the following passages may be perceived
difficult to understand the importance of the heart in a prophet we can
remember a passage of the Hadith Number 1499 of Chapter 3417 narrated
by Anas bin Malik, Radziallaho Anho, telling about the Angels and the
Holy Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, before and after his
Prophet-hood here we underline that: << … he did not see them (the
Angels) till they came at another night and he perceived their presence
with his heart, for the eyes of the Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa
Sallam, were closed when he was asleep, but his heart was not asleep (not
unconscious). This is characteristic of all the Prophets. Their eyes sleep but
their hearts do not sleep. … >>. The fact that the hearts of the Prophets do
not sleep is not a marvel but a technical consequence of their condition
which perhaps can be understood summarizing Chapter XLVIII, “The birth
of the <<Avatara>>” of the book , Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam,
”Perspectives of Initiation” written by René Guénon.

René Guénon relates the symbolism of the heart with that of the “Egg of
the World” with reference to the “second birth” but not in the common
meaning of ascending realization, rather with that of descending realization
because the egg symbolizes the birth, a birth in the heart. This birth in the
heart of the “spiritual principle” is latent in an ordinary man but in a
prophet is brought to life at the entrance in this world. The process of

16
Excluded some sects but we would like to do not be involved at present on
issues regarding sectarianism, our respectable readers will understand by
themselves to which side they belonging in reacting to our words.
17
From Sahîh Al-Bukhâri, Arabic-English, translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin
Khan, Islamic University, Al-Madina Al-Munawwara, KSA, Maktaba Dar-us-
Salam.
realization is basically the same, in both cases, the prophet and the ordinary
man the realization is a process of identification with the Supreme Being
Who pre-exists in the heart of every human being but only those who are
initiated can identify with Him. Reverting to the above quoted Hadith the
condition of a Prophet is that of having his heart asleep – namely incapable
to see the Angels as the ordinary person – before his public life as a
Prophet, but his heart will be awake forever after he will be officially a
Prophet. This means that the heart of a Prophet is the purest of any other
being of his contemporary and this is in our opinion the explanation why
none of the prophets << … Nor was>> … << accused of (lying when)
giving knowledge … >> (Qassidah Burdah Sharif, Chapter 5, verse26).

The “Egg of the World” contains the germs of a new manifestation in the
macrocosmic point of view18 while the heart contains the “germ” of the
spiritual development in the microcosmic analogy. René Guénon relates the
central position of the spiritual “germ” of the “Egg of the World” (i.e.
Hiranyagarbha) to <<the center of the world in whose center is situating
the “primordial Avatara”.>> And René Guénon remembers in a foot page
note that this “primordial Avatara” <<…is not one of the particular Avatara
who manifest along the different cycles of the same manifestation, but he
in reality is the principle of all Avatara in the same way that in the Islamic
Tradition “Al-Rûh Al-Muhammadiyah” is the principle of all prophetic
manifestations, and this principle is at the origin of the same manifestation.
Remembering that the word Avatara means “descent”>>. René Guénon
reports the following passage of the Katha Upanishad: <<be informed that
this Agni, fundament of the eternal world, and for whose intermediation
this world can be reached, is hidden in the cave (of the heart)>> 19. Finally
René Guénon relates <<Hiranyagarbha not as a separate entity but as a
principle with the nature of light>> and therefore assimilated to Agni20.

We observe here the essential agreement between the Hindu and Islamic
Tradition despite they apparently look quite far21 but in reality they are very
18
According to the Hindu Tradition the “Egg of the World” containing the
principles of the macrocosmic manifestation is called Hiranyagarbha.
19
This passage explains why in Islamic tasawwuf the practice of the dzikr aimed to
stimulate the “awakening” or “second birth” of the heart.
20
We do not expand this concept in comparing once again with the microcosmic
side, since we would go beyond the subject of the present work.
21
It is well known in the history of the Asiatic Subcontinent that a large number of
Hindu embraced Islam at the hands of Sufi and awliya-Allah but in our humble
opinion few have pondered on the reasons of this quite wide phenomenon. In our
humble opinion the reason is in the fact that those Hindu had enough
comprehension of their own doctrine to understand the similarity – we would say
the identity – of the Hiranyagarbha and Ar-Ruh Al-Muhammadia and they had
enough enlightenment to perceive the freshness and the power of the Islamic
close because both descend by the Same Blessed Source, the Supreme
Principle. This does not mean that Jew and Christian original Tradition is
different, the problem is that they have lost completely the True
Knowledge and the real meaning of their scriptures. To examine and
discuss the causes of this loss is beyond the scope and the subject of this
humble work but we limit here to observe that this loss is not only a loss
related to a specific tradition, it is a loss involving the entire world like it is
said for the demise of a true Islamic scholar22.

The Holy Prophet of Islam, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam.

<<Does he think that his love can be concealed while
his eyes are shedding tears and his heart is glowing?>>
Qassidah Burdah Shareef, Section 1, 7 - 8

The prime finality of Islam for every faithful is the total submission to
Allah Almighty and through this submission everyone who qualifies can
achieve nearness to Allah Almighty so that every faithful who can achieve
this result can escape the cycle of death to one world and birth into another
world. But this submission can only be achieved through the knowledge of
the lover of the Beloved, a knowledge that cannot be earned through
books. Although sacred books can be a mean of achieving knowledge still
it is not enough. In this consideration we are remembered of His Holiness
Hadzrat Imam Ghazali23, Radziallaho anho, when at the acme of his fame
Baraqah.
22
We cannot refrain to observe here that this loss of knowledge has brought this
world to brutality, deepening the divide among different Tradition following
disorder firstly and subversion after to the extent that only hatred has remained in
this world. The total refusal, rather the rejection of the existence of Ar-Ruh Al-
Muhammadia as principle of love, order and mercy is at the origin of this
subversion. In this regard we Muslims of the Asiatic Subcontinent have to question
ourselves why there are no more conversions of Hindu into Islam in the Asiatic
Subcontinent despite a large number of Muslims? It is quite easy to hide behind
the divide imposed by the ruling colonizers, that divide was possible because it
found already deep ignorance, especially in the low castes of the Hindu side but
Muslims of the Subcontinent should enquire themselves why despite their
organization of Dawah there is no more religious dialogue with Hindu, rather the
two parties seem to know only the worst of the conditions: physical confrontation.
Our humble opinion is that today even Muslims have lost to certain extent the real
knowledge of their own Tradition and we all are waiting for the arrival of a new
reviver of our Religion to the benefit of all the world.
23
Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ghazālī (1058-1111) (Persian: ‫ابو‬
‫ حامدب بمحمدب بابنب بمحمدب بالغزالی‬or ‫)امام محمببد غزالی‬, known as Algazel to the western
medieval world, was born and died in Tus, in the Khorasan province of Persia
(modern day Iran). He was a Muslim theologian, jurist, philosopher, cosmologist,
as Alim he met his future spiritual master who threw all Ghazali’s books in
the water thus destroying them and then showed them dry, returned to
normality to the stunned Alim, asking him “Does your book knowledge
enable you to do so?”. The murshid said so in order to mark the difference
between real knowledge and erudition. This type of real knowledge known
as gnosis is beyond books and beyond rationality. Gnosis can only be
achieved through the intercessions and benedictions of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, once his entire
personality, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, is taken as a guidance
and as example in every step of our human life. Once again this process of
acquisition of knowledge is similar to the knowledge of the lover of the
Beloved. Thus it is imperative to acquire the love of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam. Actually as a first step
it is imperative to learn that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, Sallallaho
Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, loves us even if we do not feel it. We can be
sure of this statement because it is a consequence of the finality of the
manifestation of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii
Wa Sallam, being the Mercy to Mankind24. Even the Gospels refer to the

physician, psychologist and adept of tasawwuf of Persian origin, and remains one
of the most celebrated scholars in the history of Sufi Islamic thought. He is
considered a pioneer of the methods of doubt and skepticism, and in one of his
major works, The Incoherence of the Philosophers, he changed the course of early
Islamic philosophy, shifting it away from the influence of ancient Greek and
Hellenistic philosophy, and towards cause-and-effect that were determined by God
or intermediate angels. Ghazali contributed significantly to the development of a
systematic view of Sufism and its integration and acceptance in mainstream Islam.
He was a scholar of orthodox Islam, belonging to the Shafi'i school of Islamic
jurisprudence and to the Asharite school of theology. Ghazali received many titles
such as Sharaful A'emma (Arabic: ‫)شرف الئمببه‬, Zainuddin (Arabic: ‫)زيببن الديببن‬,
Hujjatul Islam, meaning "Proof of Islam" (Arabic: ‫)حجة السلم‬. He is viewed as the
key member of the influential Asharite school of early Muslim philosophy and the
most important refuter of Mutazilites. However, he chose a slightly different
position in comparison with the Asharites; his beliefs and thoughts differ, in some
aspects, from the orthodox Asharite school. Among his shaykhs in tasawwuf were
al-Fadl ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Farmadi al-Tusi – one of Abu al-Qasim al-
Qushayri’s students – and Yusuf al-Sajjaj. – Written by Shaykh Gibril F. Haddad.
24
In the Qassidah Burdah Sharif we learn that: <<For had it not been for him
(Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam) this world would not
have come out of non-existence>> [Verse 10, Section 3]. This verse basically
establishes that Allah Almighty asks the permission of Muhammad Mustafa,
Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, to create every manifested creature. This
action can be interpreted from many points of view but essentially it confirms the
unmatchable status of Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam,
being the first of manifestation as Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam,
and last as Muhammad, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam. See other note
below.
arrival of the “Spirit of Consolation” and consolation is an attribute of
Mercy while Love is the essence of Mercy.
In order to understand the universality and importance of the function of
the Holy Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, among the other
Prophets, Alaihi Wa Sallam for each of them, as Mercy to mankind we can
recall the Hadith Qudsi where Allah Almighty says: “I was an hidden
treasure and I created in order to be known”, which expresses indirectly
that His creation “Qun fa yakun” is dictated by His Love, which matches
logically also the other Hadith Qudsi where Allah Almighty says that His
Mercy will prevail on His Wrath. In this respect we may observe that
Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, is the object
(of Allah’s Creation and Love), witness and guarantor of the two quoted
statements of Allah Almighty and we humbly believe that it is for this
effective status of object, witness and guarantor that Muhammad,
Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, was sent as last Prophet and as a
Prophet of Mercy to mankind.
Correlating the two above quoted Hadith Qudsi with the following Hadith:
"Rasuluallah Sallallhu Alayhi Wasallam has said: "None Of you has
(perfect) lman until I am more beloved to him than his parents and his
children" and in another Hadith "than all mankind." we can deduct that the
first and unique object of the Supreme Infinite Love of Allah Almighty is
Muhammad-Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, who is the
“first created being” (awwalu khalqi’Llah) and the seal of the prophets (al-
awwal wa al-akhir). We should here ponder and comprehend that to be the
“first created being” is beyond the limiting conditions of time and space
because it is a perennial and immanent condition. To comprehend this
unique and unmatched condition is not for everyone but it should be
considered essential for the understanding of Islam as universal religion
preaching the total submission of the created beings to their Creator but
above all should help to understand the exact condition of Muhammad-
Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, and this comprehension
would eliminate forever the doubts and misunderstandings among Muslims
who have ended into an obnoxious sectarianism letting certain parties
argue about subjects like “power of intercession” (wasilat) and the
immanent presence of Muhammad-Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa
Sallam, in this world. As a matter of fact recognizing and comprehending
that the essence of the “first created being” is not a condition of the past
but is simultaneously a present25 and perennial26 station because it falls
beyond the limitative conditions of time and space. In virtue of this
absolute condition free from every bondage Muhammad-Mustafa,

25
Beyond the limits of past and future.
26
Perennial is an attribute for the created beings while Eternal is exclusively for
Allah. In fact perennial refers to a time with a precise instant of start and no end,
while Eternal does not have start and end.
Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, has is body, subject to time and
space, dead in the physical condition but not in his spiritual essence, which
is rather the closest to Allah Almighty, more closer than the position of the
best of the angels (malâïkah), His Holiness Hadzrat Jibraeel, Alaihi wa
Sallam, whose essence was created after27 that of Muhammad Mustafa,
Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam. Everything which flows from Allah
Almighty towards His universal creation or is received back from the
universe towards Allah Almighty is passing through the “first and the last 28
of the manifestation” (al-awwal wa al-akhir) therefore the function of
intercession attributed to the Holy Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa
Sallam, but also contested (astaghfirullah) by certain Muslims pertains to
the unique condition and station of Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi
Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam.
For what it concerns the second Hadith quoted above it seems at a first
glance that sentimentalism is involved utilizing the expression “love”, we
do not exclude or criticize sentimentalism a priori but we reject the idea of
being limited and bound to sentimentalism, especially in a path of Haqiqah.
Therefore it is essential for every Muslim to understand first what is the
real meaning and importance to love Muhammad-Mustafa, Sallallaho
Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, and then how to love him, Muhammad-
Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi wa ‘‘alii wa sallam, above human blood
connections even and just a little lesser than Allah Almighty.
The reciprocal love of Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa
Sallam, can be only gained by deep and intense recitation of Darood-
Shareef and profound study of the life and Ahadith of the Holy Prophet,
Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, assuming his integral personality as
a life style example. All the above with the humbleness and submission
belonging to those who are conscious of their complete ignorance in the
sense of deprivation of knowledge, which in our humble opinion it is real
faqr29.
27
The temporal adverb “after” used here must not deceive: it has nothing to do
with time, rather “after” must be seen here as referred to a logical sequence freed
from spatial and temporal limitations.
28
Also here “first” and “last” must not be seen as temporal adverbs but in logical
sequence and with a reference perspective, in other words Muhammad Mustafa,
Sallallaho Alaihi wa ‘alii wa sallam, is the first from the point of view of the
Supreme Principle and the last from the point of view of this world and more in
general from the point of view of the manifested universes. In this regard the
condition of “first” and “last” is without time – timeless – so that it is beyond the
conditions of two different pasts – i.e. as “first” at the creation time and as “last” at
the time of the start of Muhammad’s, Sallallaho Alaihi wa ‘alii wa sallam, mission
as the last Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi wa ‘alii wa sallam, in this manifested world.
29
It is for this reason that His Holiness Pir Karam Shah Al-Azhari known as Zia ul
Ummat, Radziallaho Anho, and his blessed son - His Holiness Pir Amin ul Hasanat
Shah Sahab, may Allah Almighty be always pleased with him –consider
 Notes about Darood Shareef
<<Surely Allah and His angels send blessings on the Holy Prophet. O you
who believe! (you too) send upon him blessings and salute him with goodly
salutation (in all reverence and love) in abundance. >>
Holy and Glorious Qur’an, Surah XXXIII Al-Ahzab, The Confederates,
Ayat 56

A work on the Holy Prophet Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa

‘Alii Wa Sallam, is not complete without underlining the importance of
Darood Shareef, the blessings sent on Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho
Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam. Many authors have already written about this
subject in a very comprehensive fashion so much that we do not pretend to
replace them or criticize their work. Rather we would like here to add few
notes and suggest an approach that can be useful to present the importance
of Darood Shareef to those who have a pragmatic and scientific mind ready
to accept more about physical phenomenon rather than metaphysical
arguments.

The auspicious verse (Ayat Mubarek) of the Holy and Noble Qur’an quoted
at the beginning of this section tells us that to be true believers in Islam it is
our duty to recite Darood Shareef because not only is a due action for the
Holy Prophet Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam,
but because Allah Almighty and His angels do it and who are we, humans
made of clay, to do not do it? It is an order imposed by Allah Almighty.
Blessings on the Holy Prophet Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa
‘Alii Wa Sallam, can have different forms like poetic compositions
(Qassidah Burdah Shareef for example), Nath and Darood Shareef. Darood
Shareef is perhaps the simplest and short form of blessings that Muslims
can utilize, as short as: “Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam”.

In order to understand the importance of sending blessings to the Holy

Prophet Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, we
can consider two accidents.

themselves and sign themselves as faqeers. We have witnessed the highest degree
of humbleness in His Holiness Pir Amin ul Hasanat Shah Sahab, may Allah
Almighty be always pleased with him, when in front of a reliquary of the Holy
Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, and in our presence several persons
were rubbing the reliquary on their body, but His Holiness Pir Amin ul Hasanat
Shah Sahab, may Allah Almighty be always pleased with him, has been the only
one who has placed the reliquary on his head as a sign of total submission to the
Holy Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam. We mention this episode as
an example of real humbleness in front of the Holy Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa
‘Alii Wa Sallam, resulting from real faqr.
The first relates to His Holiness Hadzrat Prophet Adam, Alaihi Wa Sallam,
and it is related in a Hadith Mubarek, which recites as follows: <<after His
Holiness Hadzrat Adam, Alaihi wa Sallam, made his error in force of
which he was transferred from Paradise to the earth he – Hadzrat Adam,
Alaihi wa Sallam – was spending all his time in crying, praying and
repenting until a certain day he rose his sight to the heaven and prayed
saying: “O Allah I beg Your forgiveness in the name of Muhammad,
Sallallaho Alaihi wa ‘Alihi wa sallam”. At this request Allah Almighty
asked to Hadzrat Adam, Alaihi wa Sallam, “Who is Muhammad, Sallallaho
Alaihi wa Alihi wa sallam?” Then His Holiness Hadzrat Adam, Alaihi Wa
Sallam, answered: “When You have created I have seen the following
sentence carved in your Throne – al-Arsh – LA ILAHA ILLALLAH
MUHAMMAD-UR-RASOOLAALLAH and from that very moment I
have understood and realized that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, Sallallaho
Alaihi wa Alihi wa sallam, is Your supreme creation since I have seen his
name written beside Your Name” Then Allah Subhana wa T’ala answered:
“He - Muhammad, Sallallaho Alaihi wa Alihi wa sallam, - will be the last
of all Prophets and he will be your descendant. If he would have not been
created you would have never been created.” This Hadith confirms what
we have written in the sections above about the primate of the Holy
Prophet Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, his
nearness to Allah Almighty and the fact that any request to Allah Almighty
must be made on the Holy Prophet Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi
Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, name, which confirms once more that the Holy
Prophet Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, has
the power of intercession because anything is requested to Allah Almighty
must be on his name and behalf. The forgiveness requested by His Holiness
Hadzrat Adam, Alaihi Wa Sallam, could be granted by Allah Almighty
exclusively the moment he invoked Almighty through the name of the
Holy Prophet Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam,
and it is for this reason that whenever one has to make dua to Allah
Almighty he must recite first and after at least three time the blessings on
the name of Muhammad, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alihi Wa sallam.

The second accident can be found in the book Aab-e-Kauthar and relates to
His Holiness Hadzrat Sir Dr. Allama Iqbal, Radziallaho Anho. Someone
asked the great “Poet of the East” how he could have acquired such a great
knowledge. At the question the great “Poet of the East” answered without
hesitation: “because I have recited ten million Darood-Shareef and above”.
Quite interestingly he, Radziallaho Anho, did not mention his curricula of
studies he did not mention about his master in Great Britain and his PhD in
Germany conversely he attributed his knowledge exclusively to the
recitation of Darood-Shareef!
From the two accidents narrated above we can learn that Darood-Shareef is
a blessing of Allah Almighty and a gift of the Holy Prophet Muhammad
Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, to every human being30
useful for remission of sins and acquisition of knowledge, such is the
power of the Holy Prophet Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii
Wa Sallam!

There is a last aspect that we would like to present in this humble work.
Professor Dr. Vallortigara is a neuro-scientist31 of the University of Trento,
Italy, has made a joint study with the Australian University of New
England to study bees from the neuro-science point of view. Their work
has been publish in the prestigious British journal “Nature”. These
scientists have found that bees have a brain similar to the human brain thus
bees can learn new things and adjust accordingly their behavior because
bees have a developed memory system, moreover they have found that
bees can experience states of incantation similar to the states procured by
the exercise of Sâmâ and Dzikr. But this is not all. Quite astonishingly the
great Noble Prize Albert Einstein declared that “If bees would disappear
from the ‘face’ of this earth” menkind will not survive more than four
years”. We must now look into Islamic literature and a search through
internet has enabled us to discover that Hadzrat Nawawi, Radzi Allaho
Anho, wrote a book entitled Maqasid ul Salekeen, narrating that the Holy
Prophet Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, asked
a bee why honey can cure many diseases. The bee answered that bees have
a leader to whom they pledge full obedience and when the bees start to
suckle the nectar from the flowers their leader starts reciting Darood
Shareef and then all the other bees follow their leader in the same
recitation. This recitation of Darood Shareef transforms the nectar, essence
of the flower, the nectar, which is tasteless into the delicious honey with all
the curative properties well known to humans. It is a matter of wonder to

30
The Universality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa
‘Alii Wa Sallam, is such in our opinion that his power of intercession can operate
for Muslims and those among the non-Muslims who address him with full
sincerity.
31
A neuro-scientist studies the functionality of the nerve system particularly
related to the brain function, since the nerve system appears to operate like a cable
telecommunication system having the operative center in the brain. “From antenna
to antenna: Lateral shift of olfactory memory in bees”. Authors: Lesley J. Rogers
et al. Short Abstract: Honeybees, Apis mellifera, readily learn to associate odours
with sugar rewards and we show here that recall of the olfactory memory, as
demonstrated by the bee extending its proboscis. Received 26 December 2007
12:49-GMT;Posted-26-December-2007Neuroscience.
[http://precedings.nature.com/users/048043b420a9b0e9465179128f5e735f]
see that still there are Muslims who have less sensibility than a non-
Muslim, a Jew like Albert Einstein.

Some Conclusions

<<Glad tiding be to us o people of Islam. We have by the Grace of Allah a

pillar who is indestructible. When Allah called, the one who invited us
(Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam) to His
worship because the noblest of messengers, we are the noblest of
ummats>>
Qassidah Burdah Shareef, Section 7, 24 – 26.

We have shown the centrality of the role and position of Muhammad

Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, in all the manifested world.
We have seen that this role is described in different authentic and orthodox
tradition and cannot be denied by those who have understanding.
We have shown that the essential sublime nature of Muhammad Mustafa,
Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, is of light, not only but it is of such a
light that every prophet has acquired his own light as derived by the light
of Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam.
We have also seen that Prophets are extraordinary creatures of Allah
Almighty and this is demonstrated by the fact that their spiritual realization
is different (descending realization) from that of the ordinary beings
(ascending realization).
As a consequence of the above findings the only way to obtain the
Supreme Identity is to love and obtain the love of Muhammad Mustafa,
Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, since without his intermediation
nothing is possibly in this world and in the worlds to come.
Moreover it is quite understandable that due to the above findings the
episode of Mi’raaj is real and without any doubt. For this episode we must
have the same position of His Holiness Hadzrat Abu Bakr Siddique, Alaihi
Wa Sallam, when informed about the night travel of Muhammad Mustafa,
Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam, he said: <<If he says so then it is
really happened>>. It is quite clear that when His Holiness Hadzrat Abu
Bakr Siddique, Alaihi Wa Sallam, pronounced the above sentence he was
in deep love for the Holy Prophet, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam,
and indeed he was quite aware of the luminous nature and superior, central
status of Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa Sallam.
May Allah Almighty grant to everyone, readers and this humble author, the
understanding and love of His Holiness Hadzrat Abu Bakr Siddique, Alaihi
Wa Sallam, for Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallaho Alaihi Wa ‘Alii Wa
Sallam, the best among the prophets,
Wal’ hamdulillahi Rabbil ‘Alameen
Muhammad Muddassir Gualini
Shabhan, 25 – 1429 AH
 Fatawa

Zakaat on Shares and Profits

Dear readers, a new series of Fatawa issued by Grand Mufti of Arab

Republic of Egypt, Prof. Dr. Ali Jumaa Muhammad is added in English
translation and we hope it will benefit the Muslim Ummah at large. .
________________________________

Question:
After one year has passed, will the zakat on the financial shares and
profits be: 2.5% of the market value on the day it becomes due, 2.5% of its
purchase value, or on its annual dividend?
What is the percentage if zakat is the dividend?

Answer:

The zakat will be based on the current market value of the shares. It is
owed if those shares are for commercial trade companies, have reached the
minimum amount upon which zakat is owed (Ar. nisab). However, the
opinion used for fatwa for shares in industrial and manufacturing
companies is that zakat is not obligatory - however great their value might
be.
__________________________________________________

Giving Zakat to educational foundations

Question:

We have reviewed request no. 988 for the year 2007 submitted on 18 Jun
2007 by … and which includes the following:

Please inform us of the legal ruling pertaining to giving zakat money to

foundations which teach sciences related to the Qur’an and sacred
knowledge under the supervision of al-Azhar, and which develop human
skills and reduce community illiteracy

Answer:

God the Most High defined the lawful recipients of zakat by saying:
Alms are meant only for the poor, the needy, those who administer zakat,
those whose hearts need winning over, to free slaves and help those in
debt, for God’s cause, and for travelers in need. This is ordained by God;
God is all knowing and wise. [9:60]

What is relied upon when giving a fatwa is that eligibility of ‘for God’s
cause’ in the previous verse is restricted to jihad and knowledge, since
jihad can be by arms or by the tongue. The Exalted be He says:

So do not give in to the disbelievers: strive hard against them using

Qur’an. [25:52]

Scholars are in consensus upon the permissibility of giving zakat for those
seeking knowledge.

The majority of scholars stipulate that zakat must be put under the
ownership of its eligible recipients. However, it is possible to follow the
scholars who permit giving zakat to all kinds of charity and beneficence
whether or not this is by putting it under their ownership. Imam Fakhr al-
Razi in his exegesis explains the expenditure ‘for God’s cause’ saying:

Bear in mind that the apparent meaning of ‘for God’s cause’ does not
restrict it to warriors. It is for this reason that al-Qaffal has transmitted this
meaning through a number of scholars who permit giving alms to all kinds
of good, since ‘for God’s cause’ applies to them all in general.

In al-Mughni, the Hanbali Imam Ibn Qudamah transmitted through Anas

ibn Malik and al-Hassan (may Allah be blessed with them) the following
statement: “What is given – as zakat – to construct bridges and roads is
considered on-going alms."

Based on the above, and in reference to the question it is legally

permissible to give zakat money to foundations which teach sciences
related to the Qu’ran, sacred knowledge, remove illiteracy, and develop
human skills.

And Allah knows best

 The Maqasid ul Saliqeen
Compiled by
Sheikh Zeya-ullah Naqshbandi
The Objectives of Traveling Towards Allah
Translated by: Muhammad Jalal

Continuation---Part 3
In the Name of Allah the Most Merciful the Most Beneficent

Continued from the 2nd part of Maqasad ul Salaqin………

Some unlucky people having clean shaved their beard and mustache tying
around their neck a black thread like Zunnar (a blessed thread- according to
the Hindu faith-which is folded upon the body, it should be explained here
that Muslim scholars have prohibited to wear this kind of thread for a
Muslim as wearing of this kind of thread is a religious symbol of Hindus
though Islam prohibits a Muslim from following the religious identity of
other faiths) divesting themselves of the Shariah's lights, besetting of bhang
and poppy, claiming that they are in the status of being absorbed in the
remembrance of Allah, having entrapped in the confinement of Satan.

They have disported themselves in pastime and entertainment avoiding

even to perform the daily prayers believing that it was the ritual of
Malamatiyah (The group of Muslim mystics who were vigilant and careful
of searching out their own shortcomings and faults accusing their souls on
every moment with all kinds of evil and malice in order to discipline them
with good deeds) and it was the worship of Allah-according to their claim-
indeed such people have no sense nor knowledge which would be helpful
for them to correct their manners and remove their spiritual diseases as
well as they have no aspire to escape from the pleasure of their self-
worshiping mood, in fact they are self-centered ignorant undoubtedly they
have thrown themselves in the gulch of perversity divested from the way
of Islam.

Their bad luck and misfortune have captured them to such extent that they
are unable to see their own faults, in short there are many groups of people
who present themselves by different ways to search out about Allah and
spend their lives in this cause but their souls and Satan have mixed up the
truth with the wrong that is why they have mistaken and sought their goal
by the sources which contradict to Shariah.
How much pleasant are those people who love the Sunnah of the Noble
Prophet (May Peace of Allah and His blessings be upon Him and His
family) and adopt the guidance of the companions, their followers, the
followers of those followers and the pious ancestor scholars, jurists, and
pioneers of Islam (May Allah's Mercy be upon all of them) in order to
achieve nearness to Allah, and to differentiate between good and bad, and
to remain aware of deceiving tricks of the soul, adhere their exteriors and
interiors with good manners and noble attributes divesting never even to
hair-breadth from the sacred Shariah, as Shariah is the safest source of
knowledge about Allah, if a person deserts the source refusing to hold it's
commandments then he has put his feet out of the Islamic limitation
throwing the religion of Allah behind him.

Some ignorant innovator mystics claim that they have passed through the
Shariah having reached to the stages of Tareeqat (the ways or methods of
acquiring the spiritual gains is called Tareeqat) and Haqeeqat (pertaining to
Divine attribute and acts especially related to affairs between Allah and its
creation, is known as Haqeeqat) (May Allah protect us from their faiths)
When a person crosses the limitations of Shariah then he becomes an
apostate and never would be able to acquire Haqeeqat.

The Pioneer of the ascetic group his holiness Junaid Baghdadi (May Allah
sanctify his secrets) says, “all doors are closed for the all creature except
the person who follows the life and teachings of the Prophet (May Peace of
Allah and His blessings be upon Him and His family) and only such person
would be admitted to the blessed court of Allah”.

His holiness Abul Hasan Barusi (May Allah sanctify his secrets) says, “
Purification of the heart and it's enlightenment are attained only when a
Muslim follows the Sunnah of the Prophet (May Peace of Allah and His
blessings be upon Him and His family) and avoids the innovations”.

His holiness Sheikh Abu Saeed Qalawi (May Allah sanctify his secrets)
says, “ Whoever claims to be blessed with Hal (the state of spiritual
exaltations) and that Hal causes him to cross the limitations of Shariah then
neither be near him nor accompany him.”

The conditions of the spiritual journey: For the eternal blissful that have
entered this field, there are some conditions which are essential for them to
know and practice accordingly.

It is compulsory to be mindful and complete aware about all virtuous and

malicious acts, if the searcher of truth fails to act upon anyone of these
conditions then his spiritual exercises will remain incomplete and fruitless,
and will fall away from his ultimate goal.

To repent and regret on the sins and disobediences committed by him in the
past and to weep and feel shame asking Allah of His forgiveness presenting
himself humbly and with complete devotion to Him seeking His grace and
favour hoping from Him to accept his repentance and regrets, as Istighfar
(to seek His forgiveness) is the saver from the hellfire and is the key of the
paradise as well as it rescues from the abasements of sins, and opens the
gates of mercy and grace, as the following tradition explains, “The
repentant from one’s sin is like the one who never committed any sin.”

And he has to repent on his sins whole heartedly promising that he never
will return to contaminate his heart with any kind of sin and never intend in
his heart to commit any sin in future, as the genuine repentance in it's true
nature is to always avoid the disobedience of Allah and his heart should
hate such intention and should completely surrender to His Will as his heart
should not be tempted of committing any sin again. Allah exalted be He
says, “O ye who believe turn to Allah with sincere repentance.” (Surah8;
Verse66)

But recalling of past sins is useful for the common people, as the
remembrance of sins leads to fear and regret which keeps a person far from
sins in future, nevertheless recalling of gone sins are harmful for a spiritual
traveller who has newly entered the field of spiritual exercise, as the whole
aspire of a traveller should be concentrated on Allah only and it is must for
him to forget every thing except Him and to be occupied and absorbed in
his spiritual inquiry and to forget all past and future actions, he has to
vacuum his imaginary power so that his heart is completely absorbed only
in the remembrance of Allah far from every thing except Him. He should
be stead fast on Shariah's commandments and firmly practice all guidance
of the Noble Prophet (May Peace of Allah and His blessings be upon Him
and His family) so that no minor duty of sacred Shariah be left by him, nor
any tradition of the Noble Prophet (May Peace of Allah and His blessings
be upon him and his family) be left unpracticed. The position of the
righteousness could not be completed and perfected without the obedience
of the Noble Prophet (May Peace of Allah and His blessings be upon Him)
and no spiritual knowledge would be opened without firm stand on the
religious rituals.

Allah glorified be He says, “He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah”
(Surah 4, An Nisa 80)
He should remain occupied day and night with those prayers and
assignments which have been bestowed on him by his spiritual instructor,
no moment should pass in negligence of it, so that it will bear it's fruits of
eternal bliss and valuable wealth of both worlds, and he has to strengthen
his ties of love, sincerity, devotion and faith and should not object on his
actions or sayings rather he should strive to follow his footsteps, whatever
his instructor orders him, he has to accept it thankfully so that the doors of
blessings

and divine bounties would be opened for him.

The proverb says, "The instructor among his followers is like the Prophet
amongst his people"

And he has to direct his heart and mind towards his aspired goal
concentrating his intention to worship and remember Allah (exalted be He),
as the remembrance of Allah with scattered thoughts bears no fruit at all, a
traveller will remain far from real nearness to Allah to the same level as he
would be occupied with whatever is except Allah. He should be sincere in
whatever worships, he offers to Allah, as the worship without sincerity is
like the tree which bears neither fruit nor profit. The sincere worship is that
which is performed only for Allah and there is no aim except Allah. He
should do whatever only to please Allah far from any sort of avarice, he
should make his interior and exterior alike. He should not value whatever
good deeds, he performs and never be proud of it. If a traveller performs
worship equaling to a hill (in height and weight) but he has to value it as
little as a small bit, rather he should doubt his worship and fear about those
worship to be counted as sins (in the sight of Allah) so that he will remain
far from proud and arrogance. He should keep himself away from ignorant
people and innovators, who are governed by their desires and Satan and
never accompany them. The friendship with such unworthy people leads to
wastage of time and steals away whatever the traveller posses in the way of
Allah but by chance if the traveller was entrapped in their gathering then he
has to remain characterized with his decency, calmness, honour and respect
and should avoid to answer their meaningless questions in order to prevent
himself from dispersion of mind which can cause the destruction of his
concentration, he should avoid meeting and mingling with people without
reasonable cause, thus he will achieve nearness to Allah as much as he will
stay far from the people. It is said, “Nearness to Allah comes to the same
extent as the distance from the people.”
 The family of the
Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Aalihi
Wasallam
Compiled by: Muhammad Jalal Raza B.A Al Azhar University Egypt,
Fadil Jamia Nizamiya, Hyderabad M.A Cairo University Egypt.
India

HASSAN AL ANWAR

As it was mentioned above, he was the father of Lady Nafeesa and the son
of Zaid Al Ablaj, son of Hassan, son of Hazarat Ali (Razi Allahu Tala
Anhu). He was an extremely pious man and was blessed by Allah in a way
that whatever he prayed for, Allah would accept his request immediately.
It is narrated that while a woman was traveling in the desert, an eagle
swooped down and snatched her baby from her lap. She came to Hassan
and asked him to pray to Allah for the return of her baby. Hassan raised his
hands in dua, and a little while later, the woman’s child was thrown back
into her arms, unharmed. Hassan was famous for his riches and wealth in
Madina. His palace was more splendid and luxurious than any other palace
in Madina. Even though he lived in this luxury, he was very generous and
open-hearted. He never feared poverty, in emulation of his forefather.

In this regard, it is narrated that an indebted person came to Hassan and

asked him for a large amount of money to help repay his debts. Hassan
granted the amount immediately and in addition gave 200 Dirhams to the
man for the man’s personal expenditure.

HASSAN AND HIS FATHER, ZAID

It has been stated that Zaid, son of Imam Hassan and the father of Hassan
(Al Anwar), would always take his faithful son Hassan to the blessed tomb
of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wasallam and would say : “ O
my guardian ! O Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wasallam of Allah
This is my son Hassan and I am pleased with him” He continued this
particular address during his frequent visits to the tomb. Once he had a
dream that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wasallam was telling
him “ O Zaid ! I am also satisfied with your son Hassan, and Allah is also
pleased with him due to our pleasure.
According to historians , the above mentioned dream happened in the same
manner with Hassan and his daughter Nafeesa while she was in Madina
and would visit the blessed tomb of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Aalihi
Wasallam in the company of her father Hassan. Hassan would address the
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wasallam in the same way that his
father Zaid addressed the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wasallam.

HASSAN’S FAITH

Once a poet came in the presence of Hassan and started acclaiming the
qualities of Hassan. The poet stated that as Allah is unique and without
parallel Hassan, the son of Zaid is also unique and matchless. Hassan
replied, “You are a liar ! Don’t say that , rather say Allah is unique and
without parallel and the son of Zaid is his humble servant. “ Thereafter,
Hassan descended from his chair and threw himself to the ground
glorifying Allah and praising Him with humility and respect.

HASSAN’S GENEROSITY

Imam Zahabi, the noted Islamic scholar, states: “He was one of the
prominent grandchildren of Hazarat Ali (Razi Allahu Tala Anhu) and
Fatima, as well as one of the noblest personalities of that blessed family.
He was an expert of Islamic jurisprudence and a noted scholar of many
branches of Islamic knowledge. “He was one of the lucky ones to have met
the companions of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wasallam. He
was entrusted the governorship of Madina by the Caliph Mansoor.
However, he abdicated the governorship and traveled to Cairo. He passed
away in Cairo and was buried in old Egypt. His shrine and its affiliated
mosque is well-known in Cairo.

IMAM ABU HANEEFA WITH ZAID

Imam Abu Haneefa, the most famous Islamic scholar and a well-known
Islamic jurist stated: “I met a number of Zaid’s contemporaries, but I never
found any of them like Zaid, His mental perception and his vast knowledge
was really matchless and unique.
IMAM ZAID (AL ASGHAR)

Zaid was the youngest son of Hassan Al Anwar and was buried in the same
room in which his father was buried. There was another Zaid, who was the
father of Hassan Al Anwar. His name was Zaid Al Ablaj and he was buried
in Hajer, between Mecca and Madina.
It should be noted that Zaid Al Asghar and Zaid Al Ablaj are separate
personalities from Zaid, the son of Imam Zainul Abideen.
MUHAMMAD AL ANWAR

He was the son of Zaid Al Asghar and thus the nephew of Lady Nafeesa.
However, some historians say that he is the brother of Hassan Al Anwar,
which would make him the uncle of Lady Nafeesa.

Other historians conclude that Lady Nafeesa had an uncle and a nephew
both named Muhammad Al Anwar. Both of them shared names and were
also buried in the same place.

YAHYA, SON OF QASIM AT TAYYEB

Yahya was the son of Qasim At Tayyeb, son of Muhammad Al Mamoon,

son of Jafar As Sadiq. He was thus the brother of Fatima Al Aina (the lady
mentioned above). He was given the title of “Him who is similar to the
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wasallam.

His spiritual excellence was visible to all and he was brought to Egypt by
the Egyptian king Ahmed, son of Toolun. His devotees from Egypt and afar
would flock around him during his stay in Egypt. His grave is located near
the mosque of Imam Al Laith in Cairo.

YAHYA AL MUTAWWAJ

He was the son of Hassan Al Anwar and was titled “ Al Mutawwaj bil
Anwaar” meaning the man crowned with lights, as he had a bright face as a
consequence of his spiritual exercises. He was the full brother of Lady
Nafeesa.

His grave is located near the mosque of Imam Al Laith in Cairo.

MU’AZ SON OF DAWOOD AL HUSAINI

He was the son of Dawood, son of Muhammad, son of Umar, son of Imam
Hussain, son of Hazarat Ali (Razi Allahu Tala Anhu). He died in the month
of Rabi ul Awwal 295 A.H. and was buried in Cairo near the shrine of
Imam Hussain. However, this shrine has collapsed.

SAADULLAH, SON OF ABDULLAH AL KAMIL AL MAHAZ

He is the son of Abdullah Al Kamil Al Mahaz (Kamil means perfect and

Mahaz means pure), son of Hassan Al Musanna, son of Imam Hassan
grandson of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wasallam. He is
therefore, the brother of Zainab, the one titled “Fatima An Nabawiyya”.
Her brief biography has been given above.

Ibrahim Al Jawwaad, mentioned earlier, is the full brother of Saadullah. As

mentioned previously, Ibrahim’s head is buried in Al Matariya in Cairo.
Saadullah lived in Cairo till his death. His grave is near the tomb of Fatima
An Nabiwiyya, the daughter of Imam Hussain near the foot of Mount
Muqattam in Cairo.

LADY UMME KULTHOOM

She is the daughter of Qasim At Tayyeb, son of Muhammad Al Mamoon,

son of Jafar As Sadiq. She is the sister of Yahya, son of Qasim At Tayyeb
(mentioned above) and she is the sister of Fatima Al Aina.

HER WORSHIP OF ALLAH

Umme Kulthoom would perform prayers as much as she could and would
continuously fast.

HER DEATH

She lived in Egypt and died there. She was buried between the mosques of
Imam Al Laith and Imam Shafaee in Cairo.

LADY SAFIYYA

She is the daughter of Ismail, the son of Muhammad, son of Ismail, son of
Al Qasim. There are seven generations between herself and her ancestor
Imam Hassan.

She was an Islamic preacher. She was pure and generous, an ascetic who
did not care for the adornments and beauty of this world, though she was
quite rich.

She lived in Egypt till her death in 383 A.H. and was buried in Ad Darbul
Ahmar near the locality of Imam Hussain.

AS SULTAN HUSSAIN ABUL OLA

He is the son of Hassan Al Anwar. His mosque is in the Abideen quarter of

Cairo and a street exists to this day which is known by his name. He was
from the family of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wasallam
through Imam Hussain.
Hussain Abul Ola was born in Mecca during the last decades of the 8th
century A.H. However, he traveled to Cairo and camped at the banks of the
River Nile. The area was unpopulated at the time and resembled an
uninhabited jungle. However after a short period it was populated by
people and was consequently named “ Bulaaq Abul Ola”.

Imam Sharaani mentions that, “Abul Ola” remained in a separate room

with the intention and purpose of worshipping Allah for forty years. He
lived till the age of 120 and died in 890 A.H. He was buried in Bulaaq and
a mosque is associated to this shrine.

MUHAMMAD SON OF HUSSAIN

His name was Abu Abdullah Muhammad son of Hussain and he belongs to
the Ahlul Bait through Imam Hussain. He was titled “Sa’I Al Bahr”
meaning the runner around the river.

It is narrated in his biography that once the water of the Rive Nile had
decreased to such a low level that famine and aridness were spreading
throughout the country. Abdullah started running around the river and was
praying to Allah for water. Because of his actions , he was given the title
“Sa’I Al Bahr”

He died in 330 A.H. and was buried by the banks of the River Nile.

THE COMBINED GRAVE

Some historians have said that the locality of Hussain in Cairo was
essentially a graveyard housing some of the prominent personalities of the
family of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wasallam. Graves were
transferred to the foot of the mountain Muqattam, under the wall of Cairo
and a hotel was built over the site of the previous graves.

A graveyard housing several of the Ahlul Bait is located on Ainu Saira

Street in Cairo.
These graves contain the bodies of the grandsons of Tobatoba.