BELIEF IN PROPHET

Q.   What beliefs must we have about the Holy Prophet (peace be on him)?

  We must have the belief that;

·   He was a human being, a servant of Al-lah and His Messenger;

·   He is the most exalted of all after Al-lah;

·   He is innocent and free from all sin;

·   Al-lah revealed the Holy Qur-an to him;

·   Al-lah invited him to Heavens on the night of Ascendence and showed him round the Heaven and the Hell;

·   He performed a number of miracles by the will of Al-lah;

·   He offered abundant prayers and devotions to Al-lah;

·   His conduct and behavior were of the highest degree of virtuosity;

·   Al-lah endowed him with knowledge of many things, past and present, of which he apprised his community;

·   Al-lah gave him more knowledge than to anyone else, but he was not omniscient; for ominiscience is the special Attribute of Al-lah;

·   He is the last of prophets in the sense that there will come no new Prophet after him. Only Hadrat ‘Isa (Jesus) who is prophet of a preceding period will come down from heavens. He too shall follow the Islamic Shariah;

·   He is  sent as prophet for all humans and jennies;

·   He will intercede before Al-lah on behalf of sinners on the Day of Judgment, by the will of Al-lah which fact gives him the title of SHafi’ul-muznibin (intercessor for sinners). Al-lah will also accept his intercession;

·   It is incumbent upon us his community to do as he has commanded and abstain from what he has forbidden and believe in the things and events he has told us about;;

·   It is incumbent upon every member of his community to give him love as well as regard and respect. But the regard and respect this poured on him should be within the framework prescribed by the Shariah. It is folly to consider things contrary to Shariah as forms of love and respect towards him.

Q.   What do we mean by the term “innocent”?

  By his being “innocent” we mean that no sin, minor or major, was committed by the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) consciously or unconsciously. All prophets of Al-lah were clear of all sins.

Q.   Was Prophet’s Ascendance physical or spiritual?

  The Ascendance that the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) was blessed with was physical. He went up in his bone and flesh. Apart from his physical one, the Prophet also had Ascendance in dreams because dreams of Holy Prophet (peace be on him), as also of other prophets, are true. There is no possibility of doubt or error in them. The Prophet had one physical Ascendance while four or five of them were spiritual.

Q.   What do we mean by the term Intercession?

  Intercession means recommendation. On the Day of Judgment, the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) will make recommendations on behalf of sinners. The Holy Prophet (peace be on him) has been invested with this honour. Even then, out of reverence for Al-lah’s might and glory, the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) will seek Al-lah’s permission before intercession. On being granted such a permission, he will proceed to intercede.

Apart from the Holy Prophet (peace be on him), other prophets, Al-lah’s chosen friends among mankind and the martyrs will also intercede. But no one will do it without Al-lah’s permission.

Q.   What types of sins admit of intercession?

  All sins other than those of unbelief or polytheism admit of intercession for Al-lah’s forgiveness. Major sins will stand more in need of intercession, for the minor ones are washed off even in this world by prayers and devotion to Al-lah.