Imām Badr al-Dīn al-Ḥasanī on the light of the Prophet ﷺ
Small introduction.
The following are quoted from {Al Durar Al Lu'lu'iyyah} by Shaikh Mahmood al Rankoosi (pp. 9, 13, 28) who was his special student for the last twelve years of his life:
- He knew Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim and Bukhārī by heart, including individual chains of narrators
and their biographies. It is not improbable that he also knew by heart their commentaries from "Fatḥ Al Bāri", al `Ayni and al Nawawī.
He was described as the Qutb of our time. رضي الله عنه
His light ﷺ from which the entirety of creation shines; his light ﷺ that would immediately radiate in the hearts of the men who beheld him; his light ﷺ that filled the hearts of the noble companions; his light ﷺ that the Lord of Honour placed in his heart. It is sufficient
an honour for him ﷺ that his light derives from the light of Allah [1].
[1] Not literally. Anyone who believes that the light of the Prophet ﷺ is a literal portion of the Dhat of Allah has committed Kufr.
Shaykh Badr al-Din would say:
“Whoever believes that the light of the Prophet ﷺ separates from him for even a fleeting moment, it is feared that his faith shall be snatched from him.” There is no believing man or woman except that he or she is connected to the Prophet ﷺ by an
By an extended thread. Shaykh Badr al-Din would prove this by citing the Hadith: “Whenever your ear rings send prayers upon me and say: DhakarAllahu man Dhakarani bikhair.” That is because souls are of an exceedingly pure origin but are spoilt by the performance of sins and
repugnant actions. Thereafter, on occasion, a time allows for the soul to ascend to the Loftiest Domain. Thereupon, it experiences a ringing; thus it behoves man, in return, to give thanks and know that it is from the Prophet ﷺ.
Elsewhere the Shaykh said: “On occasion, the Prophet ﷺ would demonstrate that to the companions. Everything in this world comes forth from the light of the Prophet ﷺ: every bounty, the first and the last, down to individual morsels of food. The people of spiritual insight
witness the light extending from the morsel to the Prophet ﷺ. It is impermissible for anyone to say that he does not benefit from the light of the Prophet ﷺ after his passing – for Allah Has made His entire dominion, from the Throne to the Earth, and everything in this world
From the light of the Prophet ﷺ."
Al-Muhaddith al-Akbar Shaykh Shuyukh al-Sham al-Shaykh Muhammad Badr al-Din al-Hasani wa Atharu Majalisihi fi al-Mujtama’ al-Damishqi: Bairuti, Mahmud: pp. 286-287: Dar al-Bairuti, Damascus, Syria: 2009
Said al-Rabi':
I spent many nights in the house of al-Shāfi'ī رضي الله عنه and he never slept more than a very short part of the night.'
Abūl Juwayriya said: 'I kept company with Abū Ḥanīfa رضي الله عنه, for six months and there was not one night in all that
time when he laid his side on the ground. Abū Hanīfa used to stay awake half the night, but as he was passing some people he heard them say:
'This man stays awake the whole night,'
so he retorted: I am ashamed to be credited with something I do not do.'
From then on he took to staying awake all night long.
It is related too that he had no bedding for the night.
Have a read of this beautiful story of Ḥabīb 'Umar
When Ḥabīb 'Umar was younger and living in Bayda, a group of youth approached him and said,
'Is playing football haram?'
He smiled and said, 'Who told you it was haram?
Do you guys enjoy it? Where do you play? I'll come down!' They all gleamed with happiness and told him the location. He'd go every day, sit down and just show them support and how much he cared. One day, they wanted to organise a tournament but they didn't have enough money to
buy a trophy so what does Ḥabīb who was living on basic means do? He told them not to worry and puts together money that he needs - and buys them a trophy as a surprise. After a while, he got close to these young lads so one day after they finished their game, he called them
There were a group of companions who were known as
اصحاب الصفة
(Companions of the Veranda)
These Companions stayed within the Masjid as they did not have a home or much wealth, The Prophet ﷺ would provide food for them or take them along when he
ﷺ
Was invited to people's homes. They were knowledgeable as they spent most of their time in the masjid.
Some notable companions from the
اصحاب الصفة
Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah
Sayyidunā Salmān al-Fārisī
Sayyidunā 'Ammār Ibn Yāsir
Sayyidunā Ṣuhayb al-Rūmī
Sayyidunā Bilāl ibn Rabāḥ
i.e. general interpretation, which is the same as tafwid. It is rejecting the literal meaning of an attribute, affirming that the word in that specific context denoting the Attribute has a metaphorical meaning, and
stating that the metaphorical meaning is unknown; therefore, one should refrain from specifying or assigning it. Moreover, stating that it has a metaphorical meaning, means on the one hand that it is not merely a meaningless word, while on the other hand it rejects the literal
meaning. For, if the literal meaning is rejected, and it is not meaningless (i.e. random letters put together), then it should be a metaphorical
meaning because there is no other viable option left.