Importance of understanding the Prophets spiritual status.

In our modern times many of the Prophet's biographies especially those authored by Western oriental writers and historians describe and emphasize on the Prophet’s human qualities and nature without reflecting on his spiritual status. Like it is important to know about the Prophet's life and human qualities similarly from a believer's perspective, it is very necessary to also be reminded of his spiritual status. Sheikh Said Al Nursi[1] mentions a critical point when discussing Prophet’s human nature. He pointed that the human qualities recorded and mentioned such as his doing trade in the market cannot be compared with the divine aid of angels that provided him victories in battles where he was outnumbered in terms of strength and arms against the enemies. His having intimate relations with one of his wives cannot be compared with his miracle of praying for small amount of food sufficient for 2 people which ended up being shared by hundreds due to  being blessed! Whoever looks at one aspect and ignore the other will never do justice to the Prophet’s personality, may peace and blessings be upon him as much as the drops of water in oceans! Humans like analogies and the Sheikh Al Nursi gives one to help us understand better.

Consider a seed when implanted in the earth sprouts in to a big and tall tree with lots of beautiful green and lush leaves changing colors during fall, pleasing to the eyes in all three seasons of fall, summer and spring, with branches spread in all directions, shading from heat of sunlight anyone that sits underneath, providing space for birds to nest, bears fruits in spring and sustains itself in harsh winter conditions. If someone were to mention to people all amazing qualities of this tree pointing to its seed, it wouldn’t make sense to them unless they observed the tree and its qualities. Similarly, the human qualities of the Prophet ﷺ may be likened to the seed and the spiritual status may be likened to the tree, and definitely not of this world, in fact a tree of paradise that contains unimaginable qualities. Those who came to believe in the Prophet ﷺ carried insight due to faith in their hearts, like that carried by Abdullah ibn Salaam (radiAllahu anhu), a very learned Jewish Rabbi of Madinah, who without conversating a single word with the Prophet at the first glance said ‘no lie can come from this man’s face.’ He would become one of the greatest companion of the Prophet. Many people  are lacking in this understanding of his personality. This section will discuss all the spiritual qualities of the Prophet ﷺ that are very important for us to realize before we understand his human nature and qualities. 

References:
[1] Aziz Ustad Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1877 - 23 March 1960 CE)

​Many Prophetic traditions claim that Allah ﷻ created the entire creation due to His Beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Such as the following wording found in some ahadith:

لولاك ما خلقت الأفلاك           
Transliteration: law laaka maa khalaqtal aflaak‘
Translation: “If not for you (O Muhammad!) I would not have created creation”

There are a number of ahadith that mention these wording from Allah ﷻ which, I personally believe, have a more symbolic significance than literal because the primary cause of entire creation’s existence is due to immense Grace & Mercy of Allah ﷻ, while the embodiment of that Mercy is Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, hence “he is” why Allah ﷻ created creation. The traditions that mention such wording when understood in the light of some Quranic ayahs, from a sufic perspective, make sense of the overall subject. Even though it is a fact that these ahadith are not at all strong in respect of its chain of transmission (isnad) yet many great scholars have chosen to mention and commented that the meaning of its text is very strong because of the overall understanding of this subject matter with supporting evidence from the Quran. The major source of this hadith of Prophet’s creation and comments of the scholars on it can be accessed here: Hadith of Law laak ma khalaqta al-aflaak

Lets mention one of them in which Allah ﷻ said that He forgave Prophet Adam (alaihi salaam) and created him for the sake of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: “Allah said ‘When Adam made the mistake, he asked: O Allah! I ask you for the sake of Muhammad to forgive me…..Allah said ‘O Adam! You have spoken the truth. Indeed Muhammad is more beloved to me than anything is and when you asked me for his sake, I pardoned you. If Muhammad were not in existence, I would not have created you.” Relationship between Prophet Adam (a.s) and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Meaning of Ya - Sin (Surah 36) in the Quran & The Creation of Prophet’s Light

Ya - Sin, pronounced as ‘yaaa seeen’, is the 36 Surah (Chapter) of the Quran & Prophet Muhammad ﷺ called it the heart of the Quran: “Indeed for everything there is a heart, and the Quran's heart is Ya Sin.” (Jamit Tirmidhi - Vol. 5, Book 42, Hadith 2887) According to several narrations from the Prophet’s companions and their students, recorded in the books of scholars the term “Ya - Sin” is actually one of the names of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. According to Said ibn Jubayr (r.a) this is one of the Prophetic names and according to the famous commentary Ruhul Ma’aani the 2 letters “Ya” & “Sin” belong to the Prophet and have secrets behind it. (Maariful Quran) The sufi scholars quote a tradition of the Prophet about Ya Sin in which he said: “God recited Tahaa and Yaasin two thousand years before He created Adam. When the angels of the Dominion heard it, they said, 'Happy is the community upon which this pure speech descends!'” (Kashf Al Asraar - Rashid Al Din Maybudi) Please note that Taa Haa (named after Surah 20) is also one of the Prophet’s name. According to classical Arabic “Ya Sin” also means “O You Human being” in reference to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ who was created before Adam (alaihi salaam), and since Prophet’s essence was light (nur) and his nature was going to be human, Allah ﷻ called him “O Human Being” because of the fact that he was the first Prophet and Human, as the Prophet ﷺ himself said: “I was a Prophet while Adam was still between the spirit and the body.” Relationship between Prophet Adam (a.s) and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

A hadith attributed to Prophet’s companion Jabir bin Abdullah (r.a) mentions that before the entire creation came in to existence, the first thing Allah ﷻ created was the Prophet’s Light (Nur e Muhammad): “O Jabir, the first thing Allah created was the light (nur) of your Prophet from His light (Nur), and that light remained in the midst of His Power for as long as He wished, and there was not, at that time, a tablet or a pen or a paradise or a fire or an angel or a heaven or an earth. And when Allah wished to create creation, he divided that Light into four parts and from the first made the pen, from the second the tablet, from the third the throne, [and from the fourth everything else].”

After reading the hadith of Prophet’s light we may now understand meaning of the beginning ayah’s of Surah Yasin that hint towards beginning process of creation:

(Al Quran 36:01) Ya Sin
Meaning: “O Prophet - O You First Human Being - O Muhammad”

(Al Quran 36:02) By the wise Quran,
Meaning: Then Allah ﷻ initiated creation and began creating everything including “Pen, Tablet, Angels” and penned down the Quran in the Lauh Al Mahfuz (The Preserved Heavenly Tablet) as per Al Quran 85:22.

(Al Quran 36:03) you [Muhammad] are truly one of the messengers sent
Meaning: He then created Adam (alaihi salaam) and souls of entire humankind and declared Muhammad’s Prophethood among all Prophetic and human souls, as per Al Quran 3:81.

The Big Bang - The Beginning of the Creation & Allah’s Mercy
​
Modern research in the subject of cosmology and astronomy claims that the entire universe came in to existence from a big bang, a loud explosion from a center point somewhere in the universe that took place around 13 billion years ago. The explosion then initiated the creation of stars, planets and all cosmic bodies that grouped in to galaxies and solar systems etc. This center point of explosion caused this release of massive energy or ‘Light’ that became the source of creation of entire Universe and continues to do so. Allah ﷻ said: “(Al Quran 21:30) Are the disbelievers not aware that the heavens and the earth used to be joined together and that We ripped them apart…” As per Hadith e Qudsi Allah ﷻ says that the primary cause of entire creation is due to His grace & mercy: “Verily, Allah when He created the creation, He wrote (in the Heavenly Tablet) with His Hand concerning Himself, that: ‘My Mercy prevails over My wrath.’" (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3543) Since Allah ﷻ refers to Prophet Muhammad as: (Al Quran 21:09) “…Mercy for the entire creation.” it explains that the primary cause of creation’s existence is due to His Mercy and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the embodiment of that Mercy & Grace.

References:

1. Hadith of Law laak - الحديث: لولاك ('If not for you (O Muhammad!) I would not have created creation') -  http://www.sunnah.org/msaec/articles/hadith_of_lawlaak.htm - https://www.quora.com/What-actually-happened-to-the-missing-page-of-Musannaf-of-Abd-Al-Razzaq/answer/Zaid-Shaw​ 
2. Relationship between Prophet Adam (a.s) and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ - https://www.rizqankareem.com/prophets-creation-and-spiritual-status/relationship-between-prophet-adam-as-and-prophet-muhammad 
3. Maariful Quran - http://www.islamicstudies.info/quran/maarif/maarif.php?sura=36 
​4. Kashf Al Asraar, Rashid Al Din Maybudi - https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=2&tTafsirNo=109&tSoraNo=36&tAyahNo=1&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2 
5. MORE ON COSMOLOGY - https://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/research/research-areas/cosmology/more-cosmology 
6. The Approach of Armageddon?: An Islamic Perspective : a Chronicle of Scientific Breakthroughs and World Events that Occur During the Last Days, as Foretold by Prophet Muhammad - https://books.google.com/books?id=UmVBJiAufusC&dq=big%2Bbang%2Blight%2Bhisham%2Bkabbani&source=gbs_navlinks_s

​The First Prophet & Messenger

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was the last prophet to be sent but he was the first one to be chosen. Allah ﷻ chooses a prophet whom He trusts, directly communicates His guidance and revelations, to deliver to the people to whom he is sent. The difference between all the previous prophets (alaihim us salaam) and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is that the former were only sent to their respective nations but he was sent to the entire humankind. As the saying goes 'with higher status comes greater responsibility', therefore the responsibility to deliver guidance for entire humanity until the Day of Judgment can only be assigned to someone who is truly deserving of this status and that was Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The reason for him being sent as the final is due to him being chosen and honored as the first, as taught according to Quran and hadith, i.e. the two foremost sources of guidance in Islam. Allah ﷻ reminds us: “And (remember), when Allah took the covenant of the prophets, [saying], "Whatever I give you of the Scripture and wisdom and then there comes to you a messenger confirming what is with you, you [must] believe in him and support him." [Allah] said, "Have you acknowledged and taken upon that My commitment?" They said, "We have acknowledged it." He said, "Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.”[1] This covenant was made with the souls of all prophets, in their primordial existence in the heavens, before they were sent on earth. Commenting on the above verse, Prophet’s cousin and son in law Ali Ibn Abi Talib (alaihi salaam) and his cousin Abdullah Ibn Abbas (radiAllahu anhu), the two most knowledgeable companions said: “Allah never sent a prophet but after taking his pledge that if Muhammad were sent in his lifetime, he would believe in and support him.”[2] This prophetic covenant is similar to the covenant Allah ﷻ took from souls of entire humankind about His Tawhid (Oneness) of Lordship and Divinity, which He continued to remind nations by sending Prophets throughout history: “[remind them O Prophet], when your Lord took out the offspring from the loins of the Children of Adam and made them bear witness about themselves, He said, ‘Am I not your Lord?’ and they replied, ‘Yes, we bear witness.’ So you cannot say on the Day of Resurrection, ‘We were not aware of this,’”[3] Allah ﷻ made these two covenants, one with the souls of entire humankind about His Tawhid (Oneness) and one with souls of all Prophets about the prophethood of his last and greatest messenger Muhammad ﷺ.  Additionally, the blessed words of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also inform us that his existence preceded that of Adam (alaihi salaam), the first human and prophet: “Verily I was written in Allah's Presence as the Seal of Prophets while when Adam was still kneaded in his clay.”[4] In another narration it is said, “I was a Prophet while Adam was still between the spirit and the body.”[5] More discussion on this primordial existence of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is given in the subsequent posts.

References:
[1] Al Quran 3:81
[2] Tafsir Ibn Kathir – Surah Al Imran 3:81 - Taking a Pledge From the Prophets to Believe in Our Prophet, Muhammad – www.qtafsir.com
[3] Al Quran 7:172
[4] Narrated by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, and al-Hakim in his Mustadrak.
[5] Tirmidhi narrated it and said it hasan sahih, and it is authenticated by al-Hakim 2:609 as sahih, and also narrated by Ibn Abi Shayba in his Musannaf 14:292, and al-Bukhari in his Tarikh 7:374.

 The spiritual and physical connection

There exists a very strong and a unique relationship of Adam (alaihi salaam) with Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
unlike with any other prophet. The relationship that exists between both is a spiritual one and physical, which includes revelation and descendancy. One major factor of this relationship is the process of revelation that began with the father of humankind, first prophet of Allah ﷻ on earth namely Adam (a.s). Allah ﷻ chose to complete the revelation process with the stamp and seal of prophet hood through the last prophet and messenger, Muhammad ﷺ.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Adam (a.s) in the assembly of Prophets.

The covenant taken by Allah ﷻ from the all the souls in their heavenly existence bears witness that Adam (a.s) was chosen to be the ancestor of all humankind and prophets including Muhammad ﷺ, as per Al Quran 7:172. Additionally Allah made another covenant with the souls of all prophets, in their primordial existence in the heavens, before they were sent on earth: “Allah took the covenant of the prophets, [saying], "Whatever I give you of the Scripture and wisdom and then there comes to you a messenger (Muhammad) confirming what is with you, you [must] believe in him and support him.”[1] This prophetic covenant witnessed the fact that every prophet, including Prophet Adam (a.s), was honored with prophethood due to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the best creation of Allah ﷻ, the leader of all messengers. Due to this covenant, previous prophets mentioned Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to their followers and traces of his references are still found in many scriptures such as those of Bible, Hindu, Zoroastrian, Buddhist etc.

The existence of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Adam (a.s) in the heavens.

In regards to this covenant[2] which Allah ﷻ took from all prophets and messengers, numbering a total of 124,000, per ahadith sources, proves Prophet Muhammad’s existence and leadership in the spiritual world even before humankind's existence. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also said: “Verily I was written in Allah's Presence as the Seal of Prophets while verily Adam was still kneaded in his clay.” And that “I was a Prophet while Adam was still between the spirit and the body.”[3] The covenant of the Prophets and the traditions prove Prophet Muhammad's existence before humankind's existence. This would explain to us why many classical Imams have chosen to quote a prophetic hadith that mention him being created as a nur (light): “O Jabir, the first thing Allah created was the light (nur) of your Prophet from His light (Nur), and that light remained in the midst of His Power for as long as He wished, and there was not, at that time, a tablet or a pen or a paradise or a fire or an angel or a heaven or an earth. And when Allah wished to create creation, he divided that Light into four parts and from the first made the pen, from the second the tablet, from the third the throne, [and from the fourth everything else].”[4] Thus Muhammad ﷺ was born through the lineage of Adam (a.s) but Adam (a.s) like all other creation came to exist through his nur  (light).

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is an expression of Allah’s mercy for the children of Adam (a.s)

In Islam, the underlying purpose for entire creation is that it has come to exist due to the mercy of Allah ﷻ. Allah’s Mercy is infinite as compared to His wrath. This is established by a hadith-e-qudsi (sacred tradition) where we are informed: “Verily, Allah when He created the creation, He wrote with His Hand concerning Himself, that: ‘My Mercy prevails over My wrath.’”[5] Amazingly, Allah ﷻ refers to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as the mercy for entire creation including Adam (a.s) and his children: “We have sent you (Muhammad) forth as nothing but mercy to the entire Universe.” [6] This explains that on the Day of Judgment large segment of humankind will beg all prophets to intercede for them but none will be able to, except Prophet Muhammad [7]. Therefore his intercession is going to be accepted by Allah ﷻ for whoever is deserving which is a proof for us that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is a mercy for entire creation especially for all descendants of Adam (a.s).

Allah ﷻ forgives Adam (a.s) sin due to His beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Allah said ‘When Adam made the mistake, he asked: O Allah! I ask you for the sake of Muhammad to forgive me. Allah said ‘O Adam! How do you recognize Muhammad when I have not yet created him? Adam said: ‘O Allah! When you created me and blew into me the spirit, I lifted my head and saw written on the Arsh (Your throne) La ilaaha illallah Muhammadur rasoolullah[8]. So, I got to know that you would only join your name with him who is most beloved to you.' Allah said: ‘O Adam! You have spoken the truth. Indeed Muhammad is more beloved to me than anything is and when you asked me for his sake, I pardoned you. If Muhammad were not in existence, I would not have created you.”[9] Please note that this incident does not contradict the Quran where Allah ﷻ says that Adam and Hawwa (Eve) (alaihim us salaam) begged for forgiveness in the following words “they said: Our Lord! We have been unjust to ourselves, and if You forgive us not, and have (not) mercy on us, we shall certainly be of the losers.”[10] Since Quran is not a book that carries details of all incidents, therefore many incidents recorded in books of ahadith are reference for details on those events that are in the Quran, such as the one of Adam’s forgiveness. Thus, Adam's forgiveness and him being sent to earth from whom entire humankind will continue to descend is due to the forgiveness Allah ﷻ granted him through mercy of all creation, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ descended from Adam (a.s) through a pure lineage

Imam Al Qastallani[11] has mentioned the following narrations in his famous al-Mawahib al-laduniyya bi al-minah al-Muhammadiyya[12] from several companions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ that mention his descent through pure lineage from Prophet Adam (a.s):

“Hawwa (Eve) (a.s) gave birth to forty sons from Adam (a.s), in twenty births; but she gave birth to Sheesh (Biblical Seth) (a.s) separately, out of respect to Our Master Muhammad ﷺ, whose light moved from Adam to Sheesh (Seth). Before Adam’s death, he gave Sheesh (Seth) custody over his children, and he, in turn, entrusted the children with the testament of Adam: to put this light only into pure women. This testament continued, century after century, until Allah gave this light to Abdul Muttalib, prophet's grandfather and his son Abdullah, prophets father. In this way, Allah kept pure the impeccable lineage of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ from the fornication of the ignorant.” Ibn Abbas (radiAllahu anhu) said, “Muhammad ﷺ said: "Nothing of the fornication of ignorance has touched my birth. I was born by no other than the marriage of Islam.” Hisham ibn Muhammad Al Kalbi, famous historian and collector of genealogies, narrated that his father said, “I counted for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ five hundred mothers, and I never found in any of them a trace of fornication, or any of the ignorant ones affairs.” Ali (a.s) said that the Prophet ﷺ said, “I came forth from marriage, I did not come from fornication; from Adam until I was born to my father and mother, nothing of the fornication of ignorance has touched me.” Ibn Abbas (r.a) said Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “My parents never committed fornication. Allah kept moving me from the good loins to the pure wombs, purified and refined; whenever there were two ways to go, I was in the best of them.” In Sahih Al Bukhari, Abu Huraira (radiAllahu anhu) relates that the Prophet ﷺ said, “I have been sent from the best generations of the sons of Adam, one after the other, until I reached the one I am in.”

Therefore, Adam (a.s) relationship with Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is necessary to know that as they both are incumbent for the existence of humankind and their guidance.

References:
[1] Al Quran 3:81
[2] Al Quran 3:81
[3] Narrated by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, and al-Hakim in his Mustadrak and Tirmidhi narrated it and said it hasan sahih, and it is authenticated by al-Hakim 2:609 as sahih, and also narrated by Ibn Abi Shayba in his Musannaf 14:292, and al-Bukhari in his Tarikh 7:374 - Haddad, Various Questions Answered by Shaykh Gibril Haddad 2007
[4] Famously recorded in The Musannaf of Abdul Razzaq - Please view for more details http://www.sunnah.org/sources/musannaf/musannaf_f.htm 
[5] Jami Tirmidhi
[6] Al Quran 21:107
[7] Please see my post The Mercy of Allah + Prophetic Intercession = Salvation
[8] ‘There is no god but Allah (swt) and Muhammad is His messenger.’ Also referred to as a short shahadah (testimony of faith).
[9] recorded in al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, Baihaqi in Dalail an-Nubuwah, Tabarani in his Kabeer, Abu Naeem in his Hilya and ibn Asakir in Tarikh Damishq report from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (radiyallahu ta’ala anhu) (Also from Imam Subki in Shifa as-Siqam and Shihab in Naseem - For references click here.
[10] Al Quran 7:23
[11] Shihab al-Din Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr al-Qastallani al-Qutaybi al-Shafi'i (1448–1517 CE) - Famous Muhaddith (Hadith Expert).
[12] al-Mawahib al-laduniyya bi al-minah al-Muhammadiyya (The Divinely-Granted Gifts in the Form of the Muhammadan Grants), Part One, The Creation of His Sacred Body - Translated by Shaykh Gibril Haddad – As-Sunnah Foundation of America

The greatest honor
​
Allah ﷻ has placed His final messenger on the highest pedestal and nearest to Himself in this world and the hereafter as mentioned in the Quran: “It may be that your Lord will raise you to Maqam Mahmud.”[1]
Maqam Mahmud is the highest station and honor given to no one else by Allah ﷻ except to His final messenger and prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Additionally he has been given Al-wasila (the highest station) in paradise which no one has except him. Allah ﷻ has raised some prophets more than others and that is His blessings and having mercy on humankind through their high ranks: “We have chosen some of those messengers above others. Allah spoke directly to some, and raised some high in rank.”[2] This the honor, high rank and station given to him by Allah ﷻ due to which he enjoys love in the hearts of all believers and respect among entire humankind.

Renown 12th century mufassir, historian and scholar Imam ibn Kathir (r.a) in his famous commentary briefly explains the importance of this Maqam (station) and how it raises the honor of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to the highest as compared to all other prophets – my comments are in between Imam's quoted and italicized sentences:

“The Messenger of Allah will have honors in the Day of Resurrection in which no one else will have a share, honors which will not be matched by anyone else. He is the first one for whom the earth will be opened” i.e. first one to be resurrected from his grave “and he will come forth riding to the gathering place.” this is the place where all humankind will be gathered for judgment. “He will have a banner under which Adam and anyone else will gather, and he will have the Hawd (Lake) to which no one else will have more access than he.” The lake is called Kawthar, which has been gifted by Allah ﷻ only to the Prophet ﷺ who will give water to believers to quench their thirst; it is sweeter than honey and whiter than milk! “He will have the right of the Grand Intercession with Allah when He comes to judge between His creation. This will be after the people ask Adam, then Nuh (Noah), then Ibrahim Abraham), then Musa (Moses), then Isa (Jesus) to intercede, and each of them will say, 'I am not able for that.' Then they will come to Muhammad, and he will say 'I can do that, I can do that.' The Imam continues and says “Part of that (honor) will be that he will intercede for some people who had been commanded to be taken to Hell, and they will be brought back. He is the first Prophet whose Ummah (nation) will be judged, and the first to take them across the bridge over the Fire, and the first to intercede in Paradise, as was reported in Sahih Muslim. In the Hadith about the Trumpet, it says that none of the believers will enter Paradise except through his intercession. He will be the first to enter Paradise, and his Ummah will be the first nation to enter. He will intercede for the status to be raised for people whose deeds could not get them there. He is the one who will reach Al-Wasilah, which is the highest position in paradise, which befits no one but him. When Allah gives permission for intercession on behalf of sinners, the angels, Prophets and believers will intercede, and he will intercede for people whose number is known only to Allah. No one will intercede like him and no one will match him in intercession. This has been explained in comprehensive detail at the end of the Book of Sirah, in the chapter on the specific qualities. Praise be to Allah.” (Tafsir ibn Kathir n.d.) Thus the highest seat given to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is an act, expression of Allah’s mercy for humankind as it is through this highest honor, and rank many among humankind will be forgiven.

References:
[1] Al Quran 17:79
[2] Al Quran 2:253

Loving him is through obedience

There is an ayah (verse) of the Quran where Allah ﷻ says: “Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Last of the prophets.”[1] The Quran teaches that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is not the father because his status is greater than that of a father and that is the meaning of this statement. ‘Muhammad is not the father’ means he is in fact greater than our own parents as confirmed by an authentic hadith: “None of you has real faith unless I am dearer unto him than his father, and his child, and all mankind”[2]  The companions were the first ones to learn Islam directly from the Prophet ﷺ and they considered him to be greater than their own parents. The prophetic hadith is further corroborated by the Quran where Allah ﷻ says: “the Prophet has a higher claim on the believers than [they have on] their own selves, [seeing that he is as a father to them] and his wives are their mothers.”[3] The famous 20th century Western Muslim Scholar, Muhammad Assad, in his translation adds the words in parenthesis “seeing that he is as a father to them” and comments that: “this verse points to the highest manifestation of an elective, spiritual relationship: that of the God-inspired Prophet and the person who freely chooses to follow him….. The Companions invariably regarded the Prophet as the spiritual father of his community. Some of them - e.g., lbn Mas'ud (as quoted by Zamakhshari) or Ubayy ibn Ka'b, Ibn 'Abbas and Mu'awiyah (as quoted by Ibn Kathir) hardly ever recited the above verse without adding, by way of explanation, "seeing that he is (as] a father to them"; and many of the tabi'in - including Mujahid, Qatadah, 'Ikrimah and Al-Hasan (cf. Tabari and Ibn Kathir) - did the same: hence my interpolation, between brackets, of this phrase.”[4]

A father can only be truly respected by his own children and not by other than his own. But in a spiritual bond and relationship, the love and respect can exceed even more than with our own fathers and that is the bond that the companions had with the Prophet ﷺ. If one can understand the aspects of such a relationship with him then it should be understandable that since he is dearer to us than our fathers, than our children, then his wives are sacred to us just like our own mothers, in fact more than our mothers. It is all about understanding from a spiritual perspective. If we realize the importance of Muhammad ﷺ only then we can understand the importance of his blessed wives and only then we may realize why Allah ﷻ said “his wives are their mothers”. 

References:
[1] Al Quran 33:40
[2] Sahih al-Bukhari 15 – Sunnah.com
[3] Al Quran 33:06
[4]Message of the Quran by Muhammad Assad - Surah Al Ahzab - Chapter 33 - pg. 868

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sallAllahu alaihi wassallam - peace & blessings be upon him

Quran commands the believers to send salawaat on Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Salawaat in Arabic means 'prayers, blessings, greetings, mercy', also called durood. The salawaat are included in our daily obligatory prayers (fives times salah). Additionally, Muslims are encouraged to send salawaat even when outside of obligatory prayers, throughout the day out of love and respect and by doing so we form a spiritual connection with him. The Quran says very clearly to send blessings upon Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  and in fact it is says that Allah ﷻ and His Angels also send upon him every day: “Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy, etc.) on the Prophet (Muhammad) and also His angels too (ask Allah to bless him). O you who believe! Send your Salat on (ask Allah to bless) him (Muhammad), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. Asaalamu 'Alaikum).”[1] There’s a hadith that teaches us the three important lessons and one of them is sending salawaat (peace and blessings) upon Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. It’s narrated that the Prophet ﷺ climbed up on the minbar (pulpit), and then said three times “ameen (amen), ameen, ameen.” It was said, "O Messenger of Allah, why did you say ameen'' He said “Jibril (Gabriel) came to me and said, "O Muhammad, he is doomed who hears you (your name) mentioned and does not say salla (blessings, mercy) upon you.'' He said, "Say Ameen,'' so I said “Ameen”. Then he said, "He is doomed who sees the month of Ramadan come and go, and he has not been forgiven.'' He said, "Say Ameen,'' so I said “Ameen”. Then he said, "He is doomed who grows up and both his parents or one of them are still alive, and they do not cause him to enter Paradise.'' He said, "Say Ameen,'' so I said “Ameen”.[2] By him saying ‘ameen (amen)’ -  an utterance in the form of request for acceptance after making supplications to Allah ﷻ - proves that these three conditions have been made effective till the Day of Judgment. Therefore saying "sallAllahu alaihi wassallam (peace & blessings be upon him)" whenever Prophet's name is mentioned is as important as forgiveness in Ramadaan and serving one’s parents, two major sources of earning Allah’s mercy, which whoever remains deprived of is truly deprived and unfortunate.

The salawaat i.e. peace and blessings, that we say when Prophet's name is mentioned, is a source of mercy for believers in this world and the hereafter and that’s due to many factors. Firstly that he will intercede for major sins on the Day of Judgment. Secondly, those who do so will be close to him on judgment day and this will be due to the spiritual nearness gained through sending abundant blessings in this world. Thirdly, Allah ﷻ and His angels continually send blessings upon him as per Quran, therefore by us sending blessings upon him we tend to honor the most precious creation of Allah ﷻ and in return He honors us. Such honorable people are blessed, remaining content and at peace, in this world and the hereafter. The act helps us feel spiritually blessed and that is something no words can truly express, it can only be experienced especially by the peace our minds, hearts and soul experience. At this point it's also important to mention that if we were to simply call him by his name as we call each other, without required salawaat, may cause us to forget importance of his great status. This can also become a source of disrespect towards his personality, which may cause us to fall in to a punishable sin in the hereafter.

References:
[1] Al Quran 33:56
[2] Tafsir Ibn Kathir- Surah 17. Al-Israa, verses 23 To 24

 All prophets receive honor through Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Know that even though Allah ﷻ has chosen and honored all prophets, which according to a tradition number 124000, yet there are some who are honored more than the rest, as the Quran says: “We have made some of these messengers to excel the others, among them are they to whom Allah spoke, and some of them He exalted by (many degrees of) rank.”[1] There are five prophets that Islamic scholars call Ulu’l Azm Anbiya  meaning "The Great 5 Prophets" because of the honor Allah ﷻ gave them in the Quran by separately mentioning them: “And call to mind, (O Prophet Muhammad), when We took the covenant from all Prophets; and also from you and Noah and Abraham, Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary. We took from them a solemn covenant.”[2] For instance Prophet Ibrahim (alaih salaam) (Abraham) has been mentioned in the Quran as the Imam (leader) of humankind (Al Quran 2:124), an honor which is not given to other prophets such as Yusuf (a.s) (Joseph) or Yunus (a.s) (Jonah), even though their honor is no less. Therefore the status enjoyed by Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) is indeed greater than many prophets who came before him or that descended from him. Another example is that of Prophet Adam (a.s) whom Allah honored by making angels prostrate to him (Al Quran 15:29), an honor not given to any other prophet. We have to keep in mind that whom Allah ﷻ has honored more we should mentioned their honor in the same length, as taught by the Quran and the prophetic traditions.

As for the greatest honor that Allah ﷻ has ever given to any of his prophets is the honor He gave to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Allah ﷻ commands the believers in the Quran to send salawaat (blessings, peace, mercy) upon him, during daily salah (5 times obligatory prayers) and even during normal routine when outside of salah: “Allah sends His salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy,) on the Prophet (Muhammad) and also His angels too (ask Allah to bless him). O you who believe! Send your salat on (ask Allah to bless) him (Muhammad), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. AsSalamu 'Alaikum).”[3] When the companions inquired “O Messenger of Allah! We have been commanded to send peace and blessings upon you. How should we send peace and blessings upon you?” He said: “Say: Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammadin kama sallayta ‘ala Ibrahim wa ‘ala ali Ibrahim; innaka Hamidum Majid. Allahumma barik ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammadin kama barakta ‘ala Ibrahim wa ‘ala ali Ibrahim, innaka Hamidum Majid - Allah, send Your grace, honour and mercy upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your grace, honour and mercy upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, You are indeed Praiseworthy, Most Glorious. O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, You are Praiseworthy, Most Glorious.”[4] The reason why Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) (Abraham) and his family and children are altogether included in this salawaat because Prophet Muhammad’s message of Islam is not disconnected from what they preached. Indeed its part of the same revelation which was sent to Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) (Abraham) and all prophets who descended from him. Another reason they are included because the previous nations (majority of them) have forgotten the way Allah ﷻ taught them to worship and pray for their prophets, mainly due to corruption of their texts as well as teaching. Therefore Allah ﷻ continues to send blessings on those prophets through Islam, whose teachings have not been lost nor underwent significant changes. Additionally, Islam does not exclude any prophet or messenger from God's list, accepting them all is essential part of Islamic faith (Imaan).  Millions of Muslims that pray daily are obliged to send these salawaat on the blessed souls of all prophets and messengers as taught by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and this is possible only because of his honor as the final messenger. 

Imam Wahidi in his Asbab e Nazool (Reasons of Revelation) mentions how the honor bestowed on Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is incomparable. The Imam compares the special honor of angels prostration to Prophet Adam (a.s) with what has been commanded in the Quran to angels for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. In the bestowal of his honor to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Allah ﷻ also includes Himself with the angels, a special act of honor when compared with honors given to other prophets in Quran:

“The honour that Allah, exalted is He, bestowed upon our Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, by His saying “(Al Quran 33:56) Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet” is more far-reaching and more complete than the honour bestowed upon Adam, peace be upon him, when the angels were ordered to prostrate to him. This is because it is not conceivable that Allah be with the angels upon the bestowal of that honour. However, Allah, exalted is He, has informed that He Himself showers blessings on the Prophet, and then He informed that the angels do shower blessings upon him. Therefore, an honour which ensues from Him is much far-reaching than an honour which ensues from the angels only and which is inconceivable that Allah be with them upon its bestowal.”[5]

References:
[1] Al Quran 2:253
[2] Al Quran 33:7
[3] Al Quran 33:56
[4] Sunan ibn Majah - Vol. 1, Book 5, Hadith 905 & Sunan an-Nasai 1285  - Sunnah.com
[5] Al-Wahidi. n.d. "Asbab Al-Nuzul trans. Mokrane Guezzou." AlTAFSIR.com. Accessed March 15, 2019. https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=86&tSoraNo=33&tAyahNo=56&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2.

How the Prophet ﷺ ​continues to benefit us

Allah ﷻ mentions in the Quran status of martyrs - those who are slain in His path while struggling: “And say not of those who are slain in God's cause, "They are dead": nay, they are alive, but you perceive it not.”[1] Allah ﷻ  informs us that they are alive in a way incomprehensible to us. The life of the hereafter is separated from the life of this world through an invisible divider called barzakh, an Arabic term which can be translated as ‘barrier’ in English. Barzakh is the intermediary stage between life and the day of resurrection. Our physical existence separates us from that state which we can truly understand only if we ourselves were to transfer to that state. If Allah ﷻ  says that a martyr is alive in a way our physical perceptions cannot comprehend then the prophets are definitely greater than the martyrs as Allah ﷻ  says: “And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, these are with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favors, from among the prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and the good, and a goodly company are they!”[2] Everything mentioned in the Quran is for a reason. The sequence in the verse mentions ‘prophets’ before ‘martyrs' which should make it clear that if martyrs are living in the presence of Allah then the prophets who not only die for Allah ﷻ  but their entire lives are spent in Allah’s obedience could not be considered dead i.e. in the sense of having no existence in hereafter. A prophetic hadith confirms this for us “Prophets are in Paradise, martyrs are in Paradise, infants (Muslim and non-muslim) are in Paradise and children buried alive are in Paradise.”[3]

The possibility of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ being alive in the barzakh has been experienced by millions of Muslims for the past fifteen centuries and continues to do so mainly in the form of dreams in which they experienced visions of the prophet. These visions are an evidence of Prophet’s spiritual connection with his ummah (nation) and continues to guide and bless them through it. Imam Nawawi relates this story of al-Utbiyy in his book al-Adhkaar:

“Al-`Utbiyy said: As I was sitting by the grave of the Prophet (s), a Beduin Arab came and said: Peace be upon you, O Messenger of God! I have heard God saying: If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come unto you and asked Allah’s forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful, (Al Quran 4:64), so I have come to you asking forgiveness (of God) for my sin, seeking your intercession with my Lord [mustashfi`an bika ila rabbi]. “Then he began to recite (poetry): ‘O best of those whose body is buried in the deep earth, And from whose fragrance the depth and the height have become sweet, May I be sacrificed for a grave which you inhabit, And in which are found purity and bounty and munificence!.' Then he left, and I dozed and saw the Prophet (s) in my sleep. He said to me: ‘O `Utbiyy, run after the Bedouin and give him glad tidings that God has forgiven him.'” And God Almighty knows best.”[4]

It is reported by Muhammad ibn Abi Hatim, one of the scribes of Imam Bukhari, who said “I once saw al-Bukhari in a dream. He was walking behind the Prophet setting his feet directly in the Prophet’s footsteps.”[5] Imam Bukhari’s collection of prophetic ahadith is agreed upon by Islamic scholars as the most authentic collection in the history of Islam. It has guided Islamic scholars for centuries and continues to do so. The vision of Imam walking in the footsteps of the Prophet is a symbolic reference to his position as an Islamic figure which influenced the world of knowledge. AI-Khatib al-Baghdadi narrated that Abd al-Wahid ibn Adam said: ‘I once saw the Prophet with a group of his companions, in a dream. He was standing, and I greeted him, and when he returned my greeting, I said: “Why are you standing here, O Messenger of Allah?” and he replied: “I am waiting for Muhammad ibn Ismail." A few days later the news of Imam Bukhari’s death reached me, and when I checked I realized that he had died at the moment when I beheld that dream.”[5]

Another incident recorded by Ibn al-Jawzi[6] in Kitaab al-Wafa: “Al-Hafiz Abu Bakr al-Minqari said I was with al-Hafiz al Tabarani and al-Hafiz Abu al-Shaykh in the Holy Prophet’s Masjid, in some difficulty. We became very hungry. That day and the next we didn't eat. When it was time for isha, I came to the Holy Prophet’s grave and I said ‘O Messenger of Allah, we are hungry, we are hungry!’ Then I left. Abu al-Shaykh said to me ‘Sit. Either there will be food for us, or death.’ I slept and Abu al-Shaykh slept. Al-Tabarani stayed awake, researching something. Then an Alawi (a descendant of Hazrath Ali) came knocking at the door with two boys, each one carrying a palm-leaf basket filled with food. We sat up and ate. We thought that the children would take back the remainder but they left everything behind. When we finished, the Alawi said: ‘O people, did you complain to the Holy Prophet? I saw him in my sleep and he ordered me to bring something to you.’”

The above are a few of thousands of instances in which many pious have experienced the Prophetic vision for themselves or for others. Recently a young British man accepted Islam because he saw Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in a dream. He related the dream in a short interview to a Muslim preacher on a street in London, please click here to view. These visions inform us and confirm for us the spiritual status that has been bestowed upon him from Allah ﷻ and how his blessed personality continues to pray for us from barzakh. A prophetic hadith informs us how the Prophet continues to play his role as a messenger from the life of barzakh: “My life is a great good for you, you will relate about me and it will be related to you, and my death is a great good for you, your actions will be exhibited to me, and if I see good­ness I will praise Allah, and if I see evil I will ask forgiveness of Him for you.”[7] For the past 14 centuries the Muslims have experienced miracles in the city of Madinah, as well as witnessed him making supplications for them in their dreams, asking Allah ﷻ  for their forgiveness, mercy and assistance. One very important thing to mention here is that despite the fact there is evidence of prophet’s great spiritual status in Islam (even after his death) he clearly emphasized in all his teachings to seek assistance directly from Allah ﷻ  without the use of intermediaries as that is one of the beautiful aspects of Ibadaah (worship) in Islam as explained earlier. For instance when some companions expressed fear of Dajjal (Anti-christ) and his trials, the Prophet said: “‘If he appears while I am among you, I will contend with him on your behalf, and if he appears when I am not among you, then each man must fend for himself, and Allah will take care of every Muslim on my behalf.”[8] Instances like these make it clear that the Prophet did not advise us to invoke him instead he emphasized on seeking assistance directly from Allah ﷻ  as none can assist like Allah ﷻ  can and that is the core of Ibadaah (worship) in Islam.

References:
[1] Al Quran 2:154
[2] Al Quran 4:69
[3] Sunan Abu Dawud 2521 – Sunnah.com
[4] Haddad, Shaykh Gibril Fouad. 1992. "Visiting the Grave of the Prophet (s)." In Kitab Al-Adhkar, by Imam Al-Nawawi, 253-254. Mecca: al-Maktaba al-Tijariyya.
[5] Asqalani, Ibn Hajar Al. n.d. Selections from the Fath Al-Bari (commentary on Sahih Al Bukhari) Translated by Abdul Hakim Murad. The Muslim Academic Trust - www.masud.co.uk
[6] Abu Al Farash Al Jawzi (1126 – 1200 CE) - He was known for his works in exegesis of the Qur’aan as well as his numerous hadith writings. 
[7] The Prophet in Barzakh by Sayyid Muhammad ibn Alawi al-Maliki – Translation by Sheikh Gibril Haddad. Please click here for more details.
[8] Sunan Ibn Majah 4075 – Sunnah.com