Bismillah i'r
Rahman i'r Raheem
SALAAMS ON THE BELOVED
PROPHET
Sall'Allahu
'Alaihi Wa Sallam
An Appreciation by Haji Siddiq Osman Noormuhammad
FOLLOW THE QUR'AN AND THE SUNNAH
We pray in the Holy Qur'an Kareem:
Truly, Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation. (33:56)
In this verse, Allah, The Glorified and the Exalted, The One and Only Who is worthy of worship, The Creator, The Nourisher and The Sustainer, The Sovereign Lord Who has no partner in His Kingdom, issues two commands to the mu'mineen (believers): to send salawaat (blessings) on the Holy Prophet Sayyidina wa Maulana Hadhrat Muhammad al-Mustafa Sall'Allahu 'alaihi wa Sallam and to send salaams (salutations) on him.
We pray in the Hadith Shareef:
Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud Radhy Allahu Anhu reports that the Holy Prophet Sall'Allahu alaihi wa Sallam said, "The person who asks blessings upon me abundantly will be nearest to me on the Day of Judgement" (Tirmidhi).
Sayyidina al-Imam al-Habib 'Abdallah bin 'Alawi al-Haddad Radhy Allahu 'Anhu (1044-1132 A.H) of Hadhramaut has explained the importance of sending blessings and salutations on the Holy Prophet Sall'Allahu 'alaihi wa Sallam in Risalatu'l Mu'awanah (The Book of Assistance). Translation is by Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi.
"Adopt a wird of prayers for the Messenger of God, may blessings and peace be upon him, for this will be a connection between you and the Prophet, and a door through which assistance and his presence flows in abundance to you. He has said, may blessings and peace be upon him: 'The one who prays upon me once, upon him God prays ten times'. And: 'The most beloved to me and the nearest in sitting to me on the Day of Rising are those of you who pray on me the most.' God has exhorted you to do this, so obey, do it abundantly if you wish, add salutations (salam), and include his family. In particular, repeat it frequently on Thursday night and on Friday, for he has said, may blessings and peace be upon him: 'Increase the number of your prayers on me in the White Night and the Bright Day.' May God bless him and his family, and grant them peace. And praise belongs to God, the Lord of the Worlds". (p.30)
He reports another Hadith Shareef in An-Nasaaih-id-Diniyya (Religious Advices, p.94):
Inna Lillahi Malaikatan Sayyaheena fi'l Ardhi
Yuballigunahu 'alayhi's Salaatu wa's Salaamu
Salaata man yusallee 'alahyi min ummatihi.
Truly, Allah has angels who go about the earth
and bring to the Prophet the blessings and salutations offered by his followers.
To fulfil these Qur'anic and Prophetic exhortations, all Muslims pray every day at least one tasbih (100 times) of salawaat and salaams on the blessed Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdillah Sall'Allahu 'alaihi wa Sallam. And the awliya (saints), the saleheen (pious) and the ulama (learned) have compiled many kutub (books) of salawaat and salaams on the beloved Prophet Sall'Allahu 'alaihi wa Sallam.
SALAAMS
AT THE RAWDHA
SALAAMS
IN MAULID EULOGIES
Let us now look at some of the more well-known salaams that have been composed in verse in 'Arbi, Urdu, Turkish and English languages, in that order.
SALAAM
IN MAULID U'N NABI OF IMAM BARZANJI
SALAAM BY AL-HABIB AL-HABSHI
SALAAM BY IMAM AHMED RAZA KHAN
SALAAM BY KHWAJA MUHAMMAD AKBAR WARTHI
OTHER SALAAMS IN URDU
SALAAM BY ALLAMAH SULAIMAN CHELEBI EFFENDI
SALAAM BY SHAIKH SYED MUBARIK ALI SHAH JILANI
SALAAMS BY OTHER MASHAIKH
Al-'Allamah Huseyn Hilmi Isik in Advice for the Muslim (pages 204-205), notes that Mustafa Katib Chelebi Rahmatullahi 'alaih has listed ten kutub (books) of Maulid u'n Nabi Sall'Allahu 'alaihi wa Sallam in his book Kashf az-Zunun (Clearing The Doubts) and its appendix. Of these, the kitab (book) of al-'Allamah Sulaiman Chelebi Effendi Rahmatullahi 'alaih has already been referred to. These kutub (books) inevitably contain salaams on the beloved Prophet Sall'Allahu 'alaihi wa Sallam. To quote al-'Allamah Huseyn Hilmi Isik:
1. "The Turkish maulid eulogy of Sulaiman Chelebi of Bursa has won a great fame. He was the imam (at ritual prayers) of Ottoman Sultan Yildirim Bayezid Khan (rahmat-Allahi 'alaih) and passed away in 800 A.H, (1398). It has been loved and recited everywhere in Turkey as it was throughout the Ottoman Empire. Its original title was Wasilat an-najat.
2. The maulid eulogy written by Hamdullah Effendi (rahmat-Allahi 'alaih), who was the son of Ak Shams ad-din Effendi.
3. Another maulid was written by Molla Hasan al-Basri (rahmat-Allahi 'alaih), who passed away in 994 A.H. (1586).
4. That written by Waiz Muhammad ibn Hamza.
5. Another one was written by Shams ad-din as-Siwasi (rahmat-Allahi 'alaih), who passed away in 1006 A.H. (1598).
6. Jami al-asrar fi maulidi 'l-muhtar by Hafiz ibn Nasir ad-din ad-Dimishki (rahmat-Allahi 'alaih).
7. At-ta'rif bi l'maulidi 'sh-sharif by Ibn Asir Muhammad al-Jazri, who passed away in 833 A.H. (1430).
8. Ad-Durr ul-munazzam fi mawlidi 'n-Nabii 'l-mu'azzam by Abu 'l-Qasim Muhammad al-Luluwi (rahmat-Allahi 'alaih), who passed away in Damuscus in 867 A.H. (1463).
9. Mawlid 'n-Nabi by 'Afif ad-din Muhammad at-Tabrizi, who passed away in al-Madinat al-munawwara in 855 A.H. (1451).
10.Maulid 'n-Nabi by Sayyid Muhammad Kawukju al-Hanafi, who passed away in 1305 A.H. (1887)".
Imam as-Sayyid Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki lists the Maulid Shareef composed in 'Arbi by the following 9 mashaaikh of which he has reproduced the fifth to the ninth in Baqatun 'Atirah (A Perfumed Bouquet).
1. Hafiz Muhammad bin Abibakr bin 'Abdallah al-Qusayy al-Dimishqi, popularly known as Hafiz Shamsuddin Muhammad bin Nasir ad-din ad-Dimishqi, Rahmatullahi 'alaih. He wrote the maulid eulogy in 777 A.H. and passed away in 842 A.H.
2. Hafiz 'Abdulrahim bin al-Husain bin 'Abdulrahman al-Misri, popularly known as Hafiz al-Iraqi, Rahmatullahi 'alaih. He wrote the maulid eulogy in 825 A.H. and passed away in 808 A.H.
3. Al-Hafiz Muhammad bin 'Abdulrahman bin Muhammad al-Qahiri, popularly known as as Hafiz al-Sakhawi, Rahmatullahi 'alaih. He wrote the maulid eulogy in 831 A.H. and passed away in 902 A.H.
4. Al-Hafiz al-Imam Mulla Ali Qari bin Sultan bin Muhammad, Rahmatullahi 'alaih. He passed away in 1014 A.H.
5. Al-Hafiz Wajeed ad-Deen Abdulrahman bin Ali bin Muhammad bin ad-Dayba' ash-Shaybaani ash-Shafi'i, Rahmatullahi 'alaih (866-944 A.H).
6. Al-Hafiz Al-Imam Imaaduddeen Isma'il bin 'Umar bin Katheer (Sahib u't Tafseer), Rahmatullahi 'alaih (702-774 A.H).
7. Al-Imam al-Aalim as-Sayyid Ja'far al-Barzanji, Rahmatullahi alaih.
8. Al-Imam 'Arif Billah as-Sayyid Ali bin Muhammad bin Husain al-Habshi, Rahmatullahi 'alaih.
9. Shaikh Muhammad al-Azb, Rahmatullahi 'alaih.
Indeed, Hafiz ad-Dimishqi has versified on the merit of celebrating the maulid in his book Mawrid al-Sadi Fee Maulid al-Hadi (The Water Fount For The Thirsty In The Birth Of The Guide). These verses have been translated and explained by Shaikh Siddiq Ahmad Nasir in his translation of Imam Jalaluddin Suyuti's Husn al-Maqsid fee 'Amal al-Maulid (The Excellence of the Objective In Celebrating the Birth of the Noble Prophet, Sall'Allahu 'alaihi wa Sallam). Shaikh Siddiq Ahmad Nasir explains that Hafiz ad-Dimishqi wrote in his book:
"It is established in Sahih Ahadith that punishment is lessened for Abu Lahab every Monday because he set Thuwaibah free out of joy and happiness at the birth of the Noble Prophet Sall'Allahu 'alaihi wa Sallam".
After that he composed these three verses:
Idhaa kaana haadhaa kaafiran ja'a dhimmuhu
Bi Tabbat Yadaa fi'l jaheemi mukhalladaa
Ataa annahu fee yaumi'l Ithnayni daaiman
Yukhaffif 'anhu lisururi bi Ahmadaa
Famadhannu bi'l 'abdilladhee kaana 'umruhu
Bi Ahmad masrooran wa maata Muwahhidaa
When this is a kaafir and his censure has come (in the Qur'an)
Perish his hands in the fire of hell forever
It has been narrated that always on Monday
(His punishment) is lessened because of his happiness at (the birth of) Ahmad
What is the view then about the servant (of Allah) who spent his whole life
Being happy at (the birth of) Ahmad and died an upholder of Tawhid?
May Allah Sub'hanahu wa Ta'ala give us the hidaya (guidance) to continue sending salawaat and salaam on the beloved Prophet Muhammad al-Mustafa Sall'Allahu 'alaihi wa Sallam till our last breath and give all of us Husn u'l Khaatimah (a felicitous end), Aameen Yaa Rabba'l 'Aalameen.
Sallallahu 'alaa Muhammad
Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallim
Yaa Nabi Salaam 'alaika
Yaa Rasul Salaam 'alaika
Yaa Habib Salaam 'alaika
Salawatullah 'alaika.
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Acknowledgements: I am grateful to Shaikh Ahmad Dualle and Brother Mahdi Ali for help with Arabic translations.