Muzzammil Husayn
22-09-2011, 03:10 PM
Mawlana Zafar Ahmad al-'Uthmani in the following translated passage of I'la al-Sunan criticises one aspect of the extremism of the Wahhabis who are referred to as "Najdis". The passage in question is from the chapter on visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) which was completed, according to what is mentioned at the end of the chapter, in Dhu al-Qa‘dah 1352/1934. It was written during the lifetime of Mawlana Ashraf 'Ali al-Thanawi and under his direct supervision.
Ahmad narrated with a good (hasan) chain, he said: ‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Amr narrated to us: Kathir ibn Zayd narrated to us: from Dawud ibn Abi Salih, he said: Marwan came one day to find a man placing his face on the grave [of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)], so Marwan grasped his neck and said: “Do you know what you are doing?” Thereupon, he turned to him and said: “Yes! I have come to the Messenger of Allah, and I have not come to a stone. I heard Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) say: ‘Do not cry upon religion when those worthy of it take charge of it, but cry upon it when those unworthy of it take charge of it.’” Al-Haythami said: “Ahmad and al-Tabrani in al-Kabir and al-Awsat narrated it, and Kathir ibn Zayd is in it, who was declared trustworthy by a group and weakened by al-Nasa’i and others.”
Yahya ibn al-Husayn ibn Ja‘far al-Husayni narrated it in Akhbar al-Madinah: ‘Umar ibn Khalid narrated to me: Abu Nabatah narrated to us from Kathir ibn Zayd from al-Muttalib ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Hantab, he said: Marwan came while a man clung to the grave, [to the end of] the hadith. Al-Muttalib said: “That man is Abu Ayyub al-Ansari.” Al-Subki said: “Abu Nabatah is Yunus ibn Yahya, and those above him [in the chain] are trustworthy, and I don’t recognise ‘Umar ibn Khalid.” I say: [That is] not a problem since Ahmad narrated it from ‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Amr who is trustworthy from Kathir ibn Zayid, and al-Subki declared him trustworthy. Such was mentioned in Wafa’ al-Wafa’ (2:443).
Al-‘Izz said: [It is mentioned] in Kitab al-‘Ilal wa al-Su’alat of ‘Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal from his father in the transmission of Abu ‘Ali al-Sawwaf from him, ‘Abd Allah [ibn Ahmad] said: “I asked my father about a man touching the pulpit of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), taking blessing from touching it and kissing it, and he behaves with the grave likewise, hoping for reward from Allah Almighty. He said: There is no harm in this.” Such was mentioned in [Wafa’ al-Wafa’] also (2:443)
It is strange from the Najdis, although they are Hanbalis, that they are overly strict in this [matter] and they prevent people from this with the strongest prevention, such that I saw a soldier from the people of Najd pushing with his hand the chest of woman kissing the window of the grave of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and she fell on her side and became uncovered, while I was standing in front of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), sending prayers and peace upon him. There is no doubt that love drives [one] to permit this for those passionately infatuated [with love of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)], and people’s levels differ in this. Thus, some people when they see it [i.e. the grave], they can’t control themselves but hasten towards it, and some people that have composure proceed slowly.
How wonderful is the speech of one of them:
I pass by the houses, the houses of Layla
I kiss this wall, and that wall
The love of houses has not infatuated my heart
But love of the one residing in the houses
[Having said] this, al-Nawawi said: “It is not permissible that his (Allah bless him and grant him peace) grave be circumambulated, and it is disliked to join the stomach and back to the wall of the grave as said by al-Halimi and others.” He said: “It is disliked to wipe it with the hand and to kiss it; rather the correct etiquette is to be distant from it just as one would be distant from him if he were present at the time of his life. This is the correct opinion, and this is what the scholars have said and agreed upon. In whoever’s mind [the thought] crosses that wiping with the hand and its like is more effective in [attaining] blessing, this is from his ignorance and his heedlessness, because blessing is only [acquired] in what accords with the Shari‘ah and the statements of the scholars.” End quote from Wafa’ al-Wafa’ (2:442)
I say: Therefore, the common people should be banned from this in order to block the means, but there is no justification for such harshness as striking and pushing one who cannot control himself in the chest, due to what you know of the scope of flexibility therein. The visitor should refrain from bowing [his head] to the grave when sending salutation. Ibn Jama‘ah said: “Some scholars have said that it is from the innovations, while the one with no knowledge thinks that it is a characteristic of veneration.” End quote from Wafa’ al-Wafa’ (2:445)
(I‘la al-Sunan, Idarat al-Qur’an wa al-‘Ulum al-Islamiyyah, 10:507-8)
Ahmad narrated with a good (hasan) chain, he said: ‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Amr narrated to us: Kathir ibn Zayd narrated to us: from Dawud ibn Abi Salih, he said: Marwan came one day to find a man placing his face on the grave [of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)], so Marwan grasped his neck and said: “Do you know what you are doing?” Thereupon, he turned to him and said: “Yes! I have come to the Messenger of Allah, and I have not come to a stone. I heard Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) say: ‘Do not cry upon religion when those worthy of it take charge of it, but cry upon it when those unworthy of it take charge of it.’” Al-Haythami said: “Ahmad and al-Tabrani in al-Kabir and al-Awsat narrated it, and Kathir ibn Zayd is in it, who was declared trustworthy by a group and weakened by al-Nasa’i and others.”
Yahya ibn al-Husayn ibn Ja‘far al-Husayni narrated it in Akhbar al-Madinah: ‘Umar ibn Khalid narrated to me: Abu Nabatah narrated to us from Kathir ibn Zayd from al-Muttalib ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Hantab, he said: Marwan came while a man clung to the grave, [to the end of] the hadith. Al-Muttalib said: “That man is Abu Ayyub al-Ansari.” Al-Subki said: “Abu Nabatah is Yunus ibn Yahya, and those above him [in the chain] are trustworthy, and I don’t recognise ‘Umar ibn Khalid.” I say: [That is] not a problem since Ahmad narrated it from ‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Amr who is trustworthy from Kathir ibn Zayid, and al-Subki declared him trustworthy. Such was mentioned in Wafa’ al-Wafa’ (2:443).
Al-‘Izz said: [It is mentioned] in Kitab al-‘Ilal wa al-Su’alat of ‘Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal from his father in the transmission of Abu ‘Ali al-Sawwaf from him, ‘Abd Allah [ibn Ahmad] said: “I asked my father about a man touching the pulpit of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), taking blessing from touching it and kissing it, and he behaves with the grave likewise, hoping for reward from Allah Almighty. He said: There is no harm in this.” Such was mentioned in [Wafa’ al-Wafa’] also (2:443)
It is strange from the Najdis, although they are Hanbalis, that they are overly strict in this [matter] and they prevent people from this with the strongest prevention, such that I saw a soldier from the people of Najd pushing with his hand the chest of woman kissing the window of the grave of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and she fell on her side and became uncovered, while I was standing in front of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), sending prayers and peace upon him. There is no doubt that love drives [one] to permit this for those passionately infatuated [with love of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)], and people’s levels differ in this. Thus, some people when they see it [i.e. the grave], they can’t control themselves but hasten towards it, and some people that have composure proceed slowly.
How wonderful is the speech of one of them:
I pass by the houses, the houses of Layla
I kiss this wall, and that wall
The love of houses has not infatuated my heart
But love of the one residing in the houses
[Having said] this, al-Nawawi said: “It is not permissible that his (Allah bless him and grant him peace) grave be circumambulated, and it is disliked to join the stomach and back to the wall of the grave as said by al-Halimi and others.” He said: “It is disliked to wipe it with the hand and to kiss it; rather the correct etiquette is to be distant from it just as one would be distant from him if he were present at the time of his life. This is the correct opinion, and this is what the scholars have said and agreed upon. In whoever’s mind [the thought] crosses that wiping with the hand and its like is more effective in [attaining] blessing, this is from his ignorance and his heedlessness, because blessing is only [acquired] in what accords with the Shari‘ah and the statements of the scholars.” End quote from Wafa’ al-Wafa’ (2:442)
I say: Therefore, the common people should be banned from this in order to block the means, but there is no justification for such harshness as striking and pushing one who cannot control himself in the chest, due to what you know of the scope of flexibility therein. The visitor should refrain from bowing [his head] to the grave when sending salutation. Ibn Jama‘ah said: “Some scholars have said that it is from the innovations, while the one with no knowledge thinks that it is a characteristic of veneration.” End quote from Wafa’ al-Wafa’ (2:445)
(I‘la al-Sunan, Idarat al-Qur’an wa al-‘Ulum al-Islamiyyah, 10:507-8)