Heart_Broken asked: What would be your advice for those who desire to have a special rank with Sayyidina Rasoolillah sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa salam.

First and foremost, I am not a scholar, but a mere speck who has been blessed beyond words and the wildest of dreams to be chosen as a close neighbour of our Beloved HabibuLlahu SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, so Insha’Allah the following words are purely from a heart flooded with Shukr. May Allah Ta’ala overlook any mistakes and forgive me of any misconceptions or misguidance as I struggle with sharing my thoughts.

My first reaction to the query is that surely we already have a special rank with our Noble Nabi SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. There are numerous Ahadith Qudsi explaining in detail the scene on the Day of Judgement where desperate souls beg previous Prophets Alaihumus Salam to intercede on their behalf, but each one says nafsi nafsi, myself myself, and then suggest they seek help from another, until they approach Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam asking: ‘Will you intercede for us with your Lord? Don’t you see in what state we are?’ The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said, ‘I shall,’ then sets off to come below the Throne, ‘and I fall down prostrating myself before my Lord, when Allah reveals to me some utterances of His Praise of a worthy manner extolling Him which He had not revealed to anyone before me He will say, <Raise your head Muhammad. If you make a request it will be granted, and if you make intercession it will be acceptable.> I shall then raise my head and say, Ummati Ummati Ummati O my Lord.’

Our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam is asking for his entire nation, with no distinctions, no distinguishing, no discrimination. May we ponder on this special rank we are blessed with by being of the Ummah of Muhammad SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.

Last night’s 14th Muharram moon, so bright even from behind a cloud and yet so  dim compared to the pearl like lustre of Al-Mustafa SallAllahu alaihi wasallam that outshines the full moon. Every month Allah Ta’ala commands the moon to appear as full, and so every month we have this visible sign, this visible reminder of the exquisite beauty of our Beloved Messenger SallAllahu alaihi wasallam if we feel pangs of separation, and if indeed we do need reminders. All signs of creation extract adoration for what we have been blessed and gifted with, from the tiniest flutter of an eyelash to the magnitude of an earthquake. Allah Ta’ala is the Ultimate Controller and the Best of Planners…and all this came into being for us to come closer to His Most Chosen of Creation, the Mercy of the Worlds, SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, whom came before all these outward signs in the form of Light from Allah Ta’ala’s Light, SubhanAllah!

And thus it seems a logical extension of being specks in this glorious system that we act upon Allah Ta’ala’s Divine Words, which seems to inherently bring us to a ‘special rank’ with Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam:

If you obey him you will be rightly guided...(24:54)

If you love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (3:31)

The promise of being rightly guided and to be loved and forgiven by Allah Ta’ala by following the Messenger SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, brings such an inner felicity as the heart feels close with love bursting from every cell for the ni’amah bestowed upon us. If nothing else contributed to a ‘special rank’ then this appreciation alone fuels the desire to follow, to activate and propagate the Sunnah in ones life, and encourage all around to do the same. Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam ‘was sent to perfect noble character’, which Our Lady Aishah RadhiAllahu anha attested to when she said that he SallAllahu alaihi wasallam ‘was the Qur’an walking’ So it is incumbent upon us to not only admire, adore and be passionately in love with the one who reached, lived and taught the highest human qualities, but to follow, Insha’Allah. Our Blessed Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam’s said:

The most beloved to me amongst you is the one who has the best character and manners.

And other variations on the same theme where he conveyed that the ones closest to him on the Day of Judgement are the ones with the best manners. ‘Amr bin Al-’As RadhiAllahu anhu said: “We saw everything the Prophet taught us embodied in his own character.” And it was his teachings that propelled the Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhum to cherish him to such degree that the desire to emulate him was such a powerful force. We have a rich inheritance of incentives to continually boost our desire to aim for a ‘special rank.’ This rank has the potential to be constantly enhanced and updated by degrees of ‘specialty’ dependent on our efforts and sacrificing, Insha’Allah. And, SubhanAllah we have been created with the ability to utilize will power and steadfastness as wayfarers on the path to Jannah, where Insha’Allah we will be with the one we love SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Ameen. Such a thought that ignites the desire to do all we can in pursuit of a ‘special rank’ and to leave that which hinders such a goal.

So we need to be a sincere lover and a true believer!

Shaykh Zulfiqar in his Love for Allah shares the following from chapter The Signs of a Sincere Lover:

It is reported in a hadith that once the blessed Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam was asked about the signs of a true believer. He replied:

Withdrawal from the abode of deceit (the material world); inclination toward the eternal abode (the Hereafter); and readiness for death before its arrival.

And a sincere ‘ashiq always obeys his Beloved Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. Truly this is the greatest sign of all. The entire life of the sincere ‘ashiq confoems to the sacred law [shariah] and the way [sunnah] of Prophet Muhammad SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Once a watermelon was presented before Hadrat Bayazid Bustami Rahmatullahi alaihi. He asked, “What is the Prophetic way [sunnah] to cut and eat this?” None of the scholars gathered were able to answer and as a result Hadrat declined to eat it, lest he eat it in a manner contrary to the sunnah. Although it is permissable in the shariah to eat such a thing in whatever way one may wish, for the lovers adhering to the sunnah of the blessed Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam is the only way of life.

Some of the asbab we have to work towards a special rank with our Noble Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam:

Recitation of Qur’an Majeed, regular reading of Hadith collections, profuse Du’a, especially at Tahajjud time, excessive Salawaat, recitation of the honourable names of Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam while learning the meanings, resting the eye on calligraphy representations of his glorious name (this is a previous post discussing the impact of visual designs, but unfortunately it seems the images have mysteriously disappeared. Insha’Allah I will try to look into recovering them. And this is from the comments from that same post: “To say his name ‘Muhammad’ brings solace to us as does writing ‘Muhammad’ with a hand that is connected to a heart full of love for him Sallallahu alayhi wasallam and solace also comes from gazing upon his name with eyes that long to see him Sallallahu alayhi wasallam.:) SubhanAllah!

Tuning the hearing to Qasidas, Nasheeds, Madeeh, reading and re-reading different Seerahs, familiarizing oneself with the Sifat and appearances of our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, engaging children with stories and associated activities related to our esteemed Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, keeping the company of the lovers of our Messenger SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, and of the pious, attending seminars if practicable, making the intention to visit the Haramain, at least once in your life. I am certain you could add more suggestions There are so many excellent programs available by the best of scholars as audio and/or video media. Insha’Allah we all desire to have a special rank with our Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam and that Allah Ta’ala sees the sincerity of our intention, and blesses us accordingly, Ameen

~*~

Al-Qadi Yusuf Al-Nabanahi’s poem praising the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam

I am the slave of the Master of Prophets
And my fealty to him has no beginning.

I am slave to his slave, and to his slave’s slave,
And so forth endlessly,

For I do not cease to approach the door
Of his good pleasure among the novices.

I proclaim among people the teaching of his high attributes,
And sing his praises among the poets.

Perhaps he shall tell me: “You are a noted friend
Of mine, an excellent beautifier of my greatness.”

Yea, I would sacrifice my soul for the dust of his sanctuary.
His favor should be that he accept my sacrifice.

He has triumphed who ascribes himself to him
Not that he needs such following,

For he is not in need of creation at all,
While they all need him without exception.

He belongs to Allah alone, Whose purified servant he is,
As his attributes and names have made manifest;

And every single favor in creation comes from Allah
To him, and from him to everything else.

ALLAHUMMA BARIK ALA MUHAMMADIN WA ALA ALI MUHAMMADIN KAMA BARAKTA ALA IBRAHEEMA WA ALA ALI IBRAHEEMA INNAKA HAMEEDUM MAJEED

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.