Purpose and objective of sending Prophet by Allah
(This article was written by Fazilatus Sheikh Maulana Muhammad Saad on Responsibilities of Dawah o Tabligh and Rerquirement of qualities and aspiration of Daee as part of foreword of Hadith collection book Muntakhab Ahadith. Subheading has been additionally made.)
Allah Subhanahfl wa Ta'ala says: ...
Indeed Allah conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent
among them a Messenger (Muhammad §allallahu 'alaihi wasatlam)
from amongst themselves (being human, people can easily benefit
from his distinguished qualities), reciting unto them His verses (by
means of these Qur'anic verses, inviting them and advising them) and
purifying them (of sins and correcting their conduct) and teaches
them the Book (Qur'an) and Al-Hikmah (his Sunnah), before which
they were in manifest error.
Ale-'Imran3: 164
In the context of the above verse, Sheikh Sayyad Sulaiman
Nadavi Rahmatullahi 'alaihi writes (in the preface of a book
about Sheikh Muhammad Ilyas Rahmatullahi 'alaihi and his
religious movement) that Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi
wasallam was given the following Divine obligations of
prophethood: Invite towards Allah by reciting the verses of the
Qur'an, to purify /people's undesirable traits, and to teach them
the Book and Wisdom (Sunnah).
Dawah Divine Duty of Muslim Ummah the followers of prophet
It has been substantiated by the Qur'an and Ahadithe- Sahiha
(confirmed traditions) that the Ummah (followers) of the Last
of the Prophets, Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam, was Divinely
deputed for the guidance of all peoples (nations) of the world.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says: (O Muslims) You are the best of the peoples, you have been sent towards mankind, to enjoin good and forbid evil. Ale-'Imran 3.1 10
This verse clearly implies that the Muslim Ummah is the
deputy to the Prophet, in his ordained obligations of inviting
towards righteousness, enjoining good, and forbidding evil.
Hence, the obligations entrusted to Rasulullah Sallallahu
'alaihi wasallam - invitation through recitation of the Qurjan,
purifying people of undesirable qualities, and teaching the
Book and Wisdom - became the prime responsibilities of
Muslim Ummah as well.
Prophet SAW Trained Companion for Responsibilities of Dawah
Therefore, Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam taught his
Ummah to spend their life and wealth in inviting towards
Allah, learning and teaching Divine knowledge, Remembering
and Worshipping Allah. The Sahabah gave preference to the
above deeds over all worldly preoccupations. They were
trained to practice these A'mdl (actions) under all
circumstances with complete dedication, patience, and
forbearance withstanding all forms of difficulties and
hardships. And they were taught to benefit others by
sacrificing physically and materially. In compliance with the command: ...
And strive hard in Allah's cause, as you ought to strive
Al-Hajj22:78
The Sahabah strove in the manner of prophets with piety,
austerity, discipline, self-sacrifice, and- giving preference to
others. Thus, an environment was created in which emerged
models of excellence, who became the elite of the Ummah.
The era in which the deeds of Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi
wasallam were collectively practiced by the Ummah was
declared to be the Khair-ul-Qurun, (the best of all the times, or
the best period of the Ummah).
After Sahaba Dawah carried by Ulema Mashaikh elites of Ummah
Then in successive periods, the religious elite of the Ummah
spent their full effort and energy in fulfilling these Prophetic
obligations. The luminance of these self-sacrificing efforts is
still illuminating the world of Islam.
In these times, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala placed in the heart
of Sheikh Muhammad Ilyas Rahmatullahi 'alaihi a restlessness
and anxiety over the erosion in Islam and a burning desire to
correct this state of Ummah. In the view of the religious elite
of his times he was unique in this respect. He used to remain
restless and concerned for the revival of all what was revealed
to Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam by Allah Subhanahu
wa Ta'ala in the whole world.
Manner means and Methodology for effective Dawah
He advocated, with resolute
determination, that any effort for the revival of Deen can only
be effective and acceptable when it's done in the manner of
Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam.
Permanent need for Developing Daee with Requisite Qualities and Aspiration
Therefore, such Daee (one who invites towards Islam) need to
be developed, whose desires should be consistent in
knowledge, action, thought, perception, passion, compassion,
and the manner of invitation to Islam - with the aspirations of
prophets, particularly Muhammad Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam.
Not only should they possess a strong Iman and virtuous deeds,
but their inner inspirations should be like those of prophets.
They should cherish a fervent love of Allah and His fear, and a
state of intimacy with Him.
In character and habits, they should adhere to the Sunnah of the
Prophet Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam. Their love or hatred
should be for the: sake of Allah. The motivating factor behind
their inviting to Islam should be a deep compassion and mercy
for Muslims, and kindness for all the creation of Allah. The
often repeated Devine principle for prophets. "Our reward is
solely with Allah," should be their hallmark. They should have
no other objective except the pleasure of Allah.
Dedication Devotion and Selflessness for purpose
They should have such a passionate desire for the revival of
Deen in the world that it keeps driving them, away of their
routines, in the path of Allah; while their lives and wealth
becoming mere instruments in attaining this objective. There
should be no notion of personal authority, status, wealth,
property, honour and fame; not even a desire for personal rest
and comfort. Whether sitting, standing, speaking, or walking;
every act or move should be geared in this direction.
Ground Effort to bring above mentioned Qualities
To revive the ways of Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam in
this effort and bring all facets of life according to the
commandments of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and the Sunnah
of Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam, and to equip those
struggling in this path with the above, mentioned qualities the
Six Points (of Tabligh) were prescribed. All the contemporary
scholars and religious elite supported and commended these six
qualities.
Scholary contribution of Maulana Yusuf Rahimullah for presenting a representative glimpse of the life of Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam and his companions.
(Prophet sayings practices and fine detail of Sahabas life to set an standard of Requisite qualities)
Sheikh Yusuf Rahmatullahi 'alaihi, son of Sheikh Ilyas
Rahmatullahi 'alaihi, dedicated his whole life striving
relentlessly with a directed zeal to promote the work in this
direction and raise a group of workers equipped with these
qualities.
1. These qualities have been derived from reputable
books of Ahadith, biography, and history, he compiled a three-
volume book, Hayat-us-Sahabah (The Lives of the
companions of the Prophet), which gives a representative
glimpse of the life of Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam
and his companions. By the grace of Allah, this book was
published during his lifetime.
2. The Sheikh had compiled another book of hadith, Muntakhab
Ahadith, in respect of these six qualities of Dawah and Tabligh. However, prior to the final compilation of this book, he left for his
heavenly abode. Sheikh Muhammad Yusuf Rahmatullahi 'alaihi, spoke to numerous close friend* and colleagues about this collection of
ahadith He used to thank Allah, in gratitude and was well
pleased with this collection. Allah alone knows what
aspirations were in his heart and how he wanted to present the
collection, to make it illuminating and effective. This is how it
was destined by Allah.
By the grace of Allah, the Urdu rendering of Muntakhab
Ahadith has already been presented (Jamadiul-Auwal 1421 or
September 2000). Now this collection of ahadith with its
English translation is being presented. In translating this book,
it has been tried that the language remains simple and easy to
grasp. For the clarification of the meanings of certain ahadith,
some sentences have been added in brackets. Besides this,
some explanatory notes have also been added.
Since, the Sheikh could not review the draft of the book,
considerable effort had to be made to, correct the text of
ahadith, and to make a critical analysis of the transmitters, and
to classify the ahadith as Sahih, Hasan, or Dhaif (technical
terms used in the classification of hadith) and an explanation of
the difficult words of hadith. All the sources consulted have
been referred to at the end of the book.
All precautions were taken in accomplishing this task and a
group of scholars have substantially shared the burden. May
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala bless all those associated with this
venture with an excellent recompense. However, human error
is always there. It is an earnest request to the scholars of Deen
that they may kindly inform us of any amendments that may be
needed. This collection was compiled by Sheikh Yusuf
RahmatuHahi 'alaihi for a specific objective, the importance of
which has been adequately explained by Sheikh Sayyad Abul
Hasan Ali Nadvi RahmatuHahi 'alaihi. It is, therefore,
important to save this collection from any amendments or
brevity.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala appointed Prophets 'Alaihimus
Salam tovdisseminate His word and knowledge for the eternal
success of mankind. To benefit fully from these branches of
sublime knowledge, it is essential that fervent belief be built
according to the knowledge. While reading or listening to the
words of Allah or Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam, one
should consider oneself completely ignorant. That is, belief in
human experiences and research should be replaced by the
belief in the unseen, and the heart should affirm every word,
read or heard as the truth.
An etiquette of reciting or listening to the Qur'an is that one
should imagine that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala is addressing
him, similarly when one sits to read or listen to hadith, one
should think that Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam is
directly addressing him. While reading or listening, the effect
of the words will be proportionate to the greatness and respect
that one has for the addressee and how attentive one is.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says: . .-.
When they listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger
(Muhammad Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam), you see their eyes
overflowing with tears because of the truth they have recognised.
Al-Maidah 5: 83
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says (at another place): . . .
(O Muhammad) announce the good news to my slaves. Those who
listen to the Word and follow the best thereof (i.e. worship Allah
alone and repent to Him and avoid Taghut etc), those are (the one)
whom Allah has guided and those are the men of understanding.
(Az-Zumar 39: 17-18)
It is reported in Bukhari
Abu Hurairah Radiyallahu 'anhu narrates: Rasulullah Sallallahu
'alaihi wasallam said: When Allah decrees a matter in heaven, the
angels strike their wings in fear and submission to His word. The
decree of their Rabb sounds to them like (the chiming of) a chain on a
smooth rock. When their hearts are relieved from fear, they ask one
another what did your Rabb say? They reply that whatever He said
is the Truth, and He is the Most High and the Greatest. (Bukhari)
In another narration from Bukhari
Anas Radiyallahu 'anhu narrates that whenever Nabi Sallallahu
'alaihi wasallam would say something (important) he would repeat
his words thrice, so that they are understood.
Therefore, it .will be proper to read a hadith three times. One
should be engaged in this knowledge with discipline;
suppressing ones personal desires. Practice to read and hear
attentively, lovingly and respectfully. Conversations in
between should be avoided. An attempt should be made to sit
with wudu, in the position of tashahhud, without reclining.
The objective is that the Qur'an and words of hadith affect the
heart. Such a fervent belief be built on the promises of Allah
and His Prophet that it creates an earnest longing for Deen -
the force which makes us perform every action according to
the Simnah of Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam, and to
consult the scholars of Deen, for a systematic guidance in
performing our deeds (actions) correctly.
I begin this book with an excerpt from the Preface of the book,
Amdnil Ahbar Sharh Ma' anil Athar by Sheikh Muhammad
Yusuf Rahmatullahi 'alaih. This book is a commentary on
Imam Tahawi Rahmatullahi 'alaih' s famous book of hadith
Ma'anil Athar, on the life and sayings of Rasulullah Sallallahu
'alaihi wasallam and his companions.
(This article was written by Fazilatus Sheikh Maulana Muhammad Saad Kandhas
part of foreword of Hadith collection Muntakhab Ahadith.
Subheading has been additionally made.)
