Excellence of Ṣalāt
The final Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم has said: “Recite
Ṣalāt upon me in abundance on the night of Jumu‘ah [the night preceding Friday]
and the day of Jumu‘ah (Friday), for your Ṣalāt is presented before me.”¹
صَلُّوا عَلَى الْحَبِيب صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى
مُحَمَّد
Imam Aḥmad Riḍā Khan’s Research regarding Ṣalāt
Imam Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Aḥmad Riḍā Khan رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ states:
It is proven and evident that Ṣalāt
and Salām and the deeds of the ummah are presented before the sacred court of
the holy Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ
وَسَلَّم repeatedly. Through the collection and arrangement of Aḥādīth,
it has become clear to me that every Ṣalāt is presented ten times in the court
of the holy Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ
وَسَلَّم and other deeds are presented five times. There are a few ways
in which Ṣalāt is presented in the court of the holy Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم:
References
¹ Al-Mu‘jam al-Awsaṭ, vol. 1, p. 84, Hadith: 241
(1) An angel delivers it near the
Prophet’s illuminated grave. (2) The angel who is appointed and tasked with the
person reciting the Ṣalāt presents it. (3) The angels who travel and roam
deliver it. (4) The guardian angels present the Ṣalāt along with all the day's
deeds in the evening, and along with the night's deeds in the morning. (5)
Along with the week's deeds, the Ṣalāt is presented on the day of Jumu‘ah. (6)
All Ṣalāt recited throughout one’s life will be presented on the Day of
Judgment. (The instances in which Ṣalāt have already been presented are as follows
:) (7) Deeds were presented on the night of Ascension. (8) The holy Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم
saw them during the Ṣalāt al-Kusūf (the solar eclipse prayer). (9) When Allah
Almighty placed his special divine favour and grace¹ between the shoulders of
the holy Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ
وَسَلَّم, everything became illuminated (manifest) to the holy Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم.
(10) At the time of the revelation of the holy Quran, the knowledge and wisdom
of all things were attained.²
صَلُّوا عَلَى الْحَبِيب صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى
مُحَمَّد
Do
not let anyone's heart be broken (An Incident)
Once upon a time, a very great
Islamic scholar and Mufti of Islam from India, considered an Imam of his time,
boarded a rickshaw to go to the railway station. Just then, a distressed person
came running and presented himself, saying, “Sir! I am suffering from such-and-such
trouble, please grant me a ta‘wīdh.” The person accompanying him became angry
and said to that man, “The train's time is up, and you have come to ask for an
amulet now! We will miss the train!” Bearing a sea of fear of Allah and mercy
in his heart, that Islamic scholar, feeling restless, said to that companion,
“Let it be missed! I will go by the next train. If Allah Almighty asks me on
the Day of Judgment why I did not help His such-and-such servant in his
distress, then what answer will I give?” Saying this, he had all his luggage
taken off the rickshaw and became busy helping that person (writing the
ta‘wīdh).
References
¹
Sunan al-Tirmidhī records the Hadith wording: «فَوَضَعَ
كَفَّهُ بَيْنَ كَتِفِي». Imam al-Ḥāfiẓ ‘Alī al-Qārī رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ explains that this is
a figurative expression [not literal], indicating that Allah Almighty singled
him out with an extra measure of favour and conveyed divine grace to him.
[Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ, vol. 2, pp. 608-609]. It should be remembered that Allah
Almighty is transcendent from being a body or having limbs. [Translation
Department]
² Inbā’ al-Ḥayy, p. 287
O devotees of the noble saints! Do
you know who that Islamic scholar and Mufti of Islam was? That great
personality was the beloved son of Imam Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Aḥmad Riḍā Khan رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ, Mufti A‘ẓam Hind,
Mawlānā Muṣṭafā Riḍā Khan al-Nūrī رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ
عَلَيْهِ. Like his noble father, he was unparalleled in knowledge,
piety, and service to humanity.
Read another incident of his service
to the creation of Allah! Sayyidunā Mufti A‘ẓam Hind رَحْمَةُ
اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ was staying at someone's place in "Zakir Nagar,
Jamshedpur" on Wednesday, April 3, 1974. Due to a gathering at night,
there was a significant delay, and very little time was left to rest before
Fajr. Therefore, after the Fajr Ṣalāh and completing his invocations and
recitations (awrād and wazā’if), he intended to apply Kohl to his eyes and
sleep. Just then, a person began to move away the people who were present.
Sayyidunā Mufti A‘ẓam Hind رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ
said to him, "Ask these people; perhaps they have some need." In
other words, he disliked that they would be turned away. And it was his
constant routine that he would rest only after fulfilling the needs of all the
people; yes, if people stand up and leave on their own out of consideration
that is another matter. He used to be displeased by sentences like, "Move
away! Let the Shaykh rest, you people go, the Shaykh will sleep, let him
rest," lest someone's heart be broken or some important need of someone
remain unfulfilled.¹
May Allah Almighty have mercy on him
and forgive us by his virtue without accountability! Accountability!
References
¹
Jahan-e-Mufti-e-Azam, p. 903
آمِينْ بِجَاهِ خَاتَمِ النَّبِيِّينَ صَلَّى
اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم
The
Excellence of Helping a Muslim Brother
The final Prophet of Allah Almighty صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم
stated: “Whoever relieves a worldly distress of a Muslim, Allah Almighty will
relieve his distress of the Hereafter on the Day of Judgment. Allah Almighty
continues to help His servant as long as the servant continues to help his
brother.”¹
صَلُّوا عَلَى الْحَبِيب صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى
مُحَمَّد
An
Inborn Wali (Friend of Allah Almighty)
When Mufti A‘ẓam Hind, Muṣṭafā Riḍā
Khan رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ, the beloved son of
Imam Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Aḥmad Riḍā Khan رَحْمَةُ
اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ, was born on 22nd Dhū al-Ḥijjah 1310 AH, corresponding to July
7, 1893, at the time of dawn on Friday in Bareilly (UP, India), Imam Aḥmad Riḍā
Khan رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ was present in the
court of his Murshid (Spiritual guide) in Marehra. After the Fajr Ṣalāh, while
sitting on the prayer mat, Sayyid Shāh Abū al-Ḥusayn Aḥmad Nūrī رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ gave his own jubbah
and ‘imāmah to Imam Aḥmad Riḍā Khan رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ
عَلَيْهِ for his soon-to-be-born and future Mufti A‘ẓam, saying:
"This trust of mine is handed over to you; give it to him when the child
becomes capable of bearing it." Then, Sayyid Shāh Abū al-Ḥusayn Aḥmad Nūrī
رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ congratulated him on
the birth of his son and said: “You should go to Bareilly.”²
Before the birth of Mufti A‘ẓam Hind
رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ, Imam Aḥmad Riḍā Khan
رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ supplicated: “O
Self-Sufficient Master, O Generous Lord! Grant me such offspring who will serve
Your religion and Your servants for a long time.” Allah Almighty accepted the
prayer in the form of Mufti A‘ẓam رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ
عَلَيْهِ.¹
Six months later, when Sayyid Shāh
Abū al-Ḥusayn Aḥmad Nūrī رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ
came to Bareilly, the beloved son of Imam Aḥmad Riḍā Khan رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ was placed in his lap. He رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ put his blessed
saliva from his index finger into the mouth of the newborn and blessed him with
prayers for a long time. On 25th Jumādā al-Ākhirah, 1310 AH, at the age of six
months and three days, Sayyid Shāh Abū al-Ḥusayn Aḥmad Nūrī رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ took him into his Silsilah. While granting
him permission and successorship in all his Salāsil (Spiritual orders) at such
a young age, he stated:
This child will grow up to serve the
religion and the ummah greatly, and the creation of Allah will receive immense
spiritual blessings from him. This child is a walī, a sea of spiritual grace,
and through his vision, millions of misguided people will be established upon
the true religion."3
The birth name and original name of
Mufti A‘ẓam Hind رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ
is “Muhammad.” His noble father, Imam Aḥmad Riḍā Khan رَحْمَةُ
اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ, named him “Muṣṭafā Riḍā” to call him by. This name became so
famous that now he is remembered by this name.4
His takhalluṣ (pen name) is
"Nūrī." (The short name of a poet which he uses in his poetry instead
of his original name is called takhallus.)
صَلُّوا عَلَى الْحَبِيب صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى
مُحَمَّد
References
¹
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, pg. 1110, Hadith: 6853 selected ² Mufti-e-Azam Hind aur unke
Khulafa, p. 20, 21, 22, 23
2
Mufti-e-Azam Hind aur unke Khulafa, p. 19
3
Mufti-e-Azam Hind aur unke Khulafa, p. 25; Tarikh Mashā’ikh-e-Qādiriyyah, vol.
2, p. 447, summarised; Jahan-e-Mufti-e-Azam, p. 183 summarized
4
Jahan-e-Mufti-e-Azam, p. 102
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