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The Righteous Life and Blessed Works of the Poet of the Holy Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him - the Pious Erudite Imâm al-Qâd.î Yûsuf al-Nabhânî (1265/1849-1350/1932) by GF Haddad
Bismillâh al-Rahmân al-Rahîm Al-Nabhânî wrote of himself in his first published book, al-Sharaf al-Mu'abbad li-Ali Muh.ammad - Allâh bless and greet him - (1309/1891), in Asbâb al-Ta'lîf lil-`Abdi al-D.a`îf, and in Jâmi` Karâmât al-Awliyâ' (both 1329/1911): "I am the
faqîr Yûsuf ibn Ismâ`îl ibn Yûsuf
ibn Ismâ`îl ibn Muh.ammad Nâs.ir al-Dîn
al-Nabhânî. We go back to the Banû Nabhân,
an Arab desert folk who settled of old in the town of Ijzim1 North
of the Holy sites in the land of "I read
the Qur'ân with my Master and father, the righteous Shaykh
and meticulous memorizer of the Book of Allâh, Shaykh Ismâ`îl
al-Nabhânî who is now [in 1891] past eighty, in full
possession of his senses, of strong build "My father's
daily devotion in every twenty-four hours was one third of the Qur'ân,
then he would complete the Qur'ân three times every week.
The praise for this belongs to Allâh! {Say: In the bounty
of Allâh and in His mercy: "Then he
sent me - Allâh save him and thank him on my behalf! - to
Cairo for study. I entered the Mosque of al-Azhar the day of al-Sabt
in early Muh.arram of the year 1283 [16 May 1866] and resided there
until Rajab 1289 "One of
them, or rather their peerless leader was the accomplished, erudite
teacher, the refuge of meticulous understanding, the Shaykh of all
Shaykhs, Teacher of all Teachers, Sayyidî al-Shaykh Ibrâhîm
al-Saqqâ al-Shâfi`î who died in 1298 aged around
ninety years. He spent his entire blessed long life reading lessons
until most of the Ulema of our time became his students, either
directly, or through an intermediary. I attended his classes - Allâh
"Also among
my teachers is the venerable erudite Scholar, Sayyidî al-Shaykh
al-Sayyid Muh.ammad al-Damanhûrî al-Shâfi`î
who died in 1286 aged around ninety years. "[After
I graduated and returned home to Ijzim] I began to hold a number
of religious courses in `Akka and my home town of Ijzim. Then I
travelled frequently to Beirut, then Damascus where I met the eminent
Ulema. Chief "Then I headed for Constantinople twice and worked there for several years. I edited the periodical al-Jawâ'ib until it folded. I also proofread the Arabic books that came out of its press. My monthly salary there was ten Lîras for editing and proofreading. I worked on this for about two or three hours [daily] and did it on the insistant request of the paper's owner, Ah.mad Effendî Fâris. He considered me his greatest blessing and showed great sadness at seeing me leave for my new position with the government [as a judge]. He offered me to work as his partner or a raise, but I refused. "I left
Constantinople, the first time, for Iraq. I went to the district
of Kawî S.anjaq in the province of Mosul. Then I returned
to Constantinople. I left it a second time in 1300 when I was appointed
head judge of al-Jaza' court in al-Lâdhiqiyya on the Syro-Palestinian
sea-shore. After living there for five years the Dawla - Allâh
grant her victory! - transferred me to the head judgeship of the
court of al-Qudus al-Sharîf. This took place through those
at whose hands Allâh decreed goodness for me, without request
nor prior knowledge on my part. Then, after less than a year - eight
months to be precise - they promoted me, without request nor prior
knowledge on my After al-Nabhânî
retired he turned entirely to writing and worshipping. He travelled
to al-Madîna al-Munawwara and lived in the Noble Neighborhood
for a while. Then he returned to Beirut where he passed on to the
mercy of His
Afd.alu al-S.alawât `alâ Sayyid al-Sâdât ("The Choicest Invocations of Blessings on the Master of Masters") <1309>. Ah.san al-Wasâ'il
fî Naz.mi Asmâ'i al-Nabiyyi al-Kâmil ("The
Best Means in Versifying the Names of the Perfect Prophet - Allâh
bless and greet him"), in three hundred verses, in print. The
Qâd.î wrote a brief history of the Al-Qâd.î
`Iyâd.'s superlative masterpiece al-Shifâ' A trilingual recension was recently published by Shaykh Anîs Ludhianvî rah.imahullâh. Al-Ah.âdîth al-Arba`în fî Fad.â'il Sayyid al-Mursalîn ("Forty Narrations on the Excellent Traits of the Master of Messengers - Allâh bless and greet him"), in print. Al-Ah.âdîth al-Arba`în fî Fad.l al-Jihâd wal-Mujâhidîn ("Forty Narrations on the Immense Merit of Jihâd and Mujâhidîn"), in print. Al-Ah.âdîth al-Arba`în fî Wujûbi T.â`at Amîr al-Mu'minîn ("Forty Narrations on the Obligatoriness of Obeying the Commander of the Believers"), in print. Al-Ah.âdîth al-Arba`în min Amthâl Afs.ah. al-Mursalîn ("Forty Narrations Containing Similes Made by the Most Eloquent of All Messengers - Allâh bless and greet him"), in print. Al-Anwâr al-Muh.ammadiyya ("The Muh.ammadan Lights"), an abridgment of al-Qast.allânî's al-Mawâhib al-Lâduniyya ("The Otherworldly Bestowals") <1310> in 632 pages. Al-Arba`îna Arba`în min Ah.âdîthi Sayyid al-Mursalîn ("Forty Times Forty Narrations from the Master of Messengers") <1329>. Arba`ûna H.adîthan fî Arba`îna S.îghatin fîl-S.alâti `alâ al-Nabî ("Forty Narrations on Forty Wordings of Invocations of Blessings on the Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him"). Arba`ûna H.adîthan fî Fad.â'ili Ahl al-Bayt ("Forty Narrations on the High Merits of the People of the Prophetic House"). Arba`ûna H.adîthan fî Fad.li Abî Bakr ("Forty Narrations on the Excellence of Abû Bakr"). Arba`ûna H.adîthan fî Fad.li Abî Bakrin wa-`Umar ("Forty Narrations on the Excellence of Abû Bakr and `Umar"). Arba`ûna H.adîthan fî Fad.li `Alî ("Forty Narrations on the Excellence of `Alî"). Arba`ûna H.adîthan fî Fad.li Arba`îna S.ah.âbiyyan ("Forty H.adîths on the Hight Merits of Forty Prophetic Companions"). Arba`ûna H.adîthan fî Fad.li Lâ Ilâha Illâ Allâh ("Forty Narrations on the Excellence of Lâ Ilâha Illâ Allâh"). Arba`ûna H.adîthan fî Fad.li `Umar ("Forty Narrations on the Excellence of `Umar"). Arba`ûna H.adîthan fî Fad.li `Uthmân ("Forty Narrations on the Excellence of `Uthmân"). Al-Asâlîb al-Badî`a fî Fad.l al-S.ah.âba wa-Iqnâ`i al-Shî`a ("The Beautiful Methods in [Presenting] the High Merits of the Companions and Persuading the Shî`îs") Asbâb al-Ta'lîf min al-`Ajiz al-D.a`îf ("The Reasons Why This Helpless Poorling Writes"), appended to the Jâmi` Karâmât al-Awliyâ'. Al-Asmâ fîmâ li-Rasûlillâhi - Allâh bless and greet him - min al-Asmâ ("The Apex in Knowledge of the Names of the Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him") in which the Qâd.î listed about 830 to 860 names of the Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him - in a 300-verse poem. Al-Bashâ'ir al-Imâniyya fîl-Mubashshirât al-Manâmiyya ("The Faith-Informed Glad Tidings in the Mercy-Telling Dreams"), in print. Al-Burhân al-Musaddad fî Ithbâti Nubuwwati Sayyidinâ Muh.ammad - Allâh bless and greet him - ("The Ironclad Demonstration of the Prophethood of our Master Muh.ammad - Allâh bless and greet him"), in print. Dalîl al-Tujjâr ilâ Akhlâq al-Akhyâr ("The Guide of Traders in the High Manners of the Elect"), in print. Al-Dalâlât al-Wâd.ih.ât Sharh. Dalâ'il al-Khayrât, a commentary on Imâm al-Jazûlî's manual of invocations of blessings on the Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him, the foremost manual of its kind. Shaykh Bassâm `Abd al-Wahhâb al-Jâbî of Damascus produced a good new edition of this work in 2001 printed with the fully vowelized Dalâ'il.4 Al-Nabhânî's introduction to the Dilâlât is rich in historical and legal details on the etiquette of invoking blessings on the Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him -. In the introduction to this work the Qâd.î recapitulates his detailed examination - which he first presented in the introduction to Sa`âdat al-Dârayn - of the preferability of adding the title Sayyidinâ ("our Master") to the name of the Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him - in tashahhud. This is the position preferred by the late Shâfi`î authorities in particular such as Ibn `Abd al-Salâm, al-Isnawî, al-Mah.allî, al-Suyût.î, al-Fayrûzâbâdî, al-Ramlî, al-Sakhâwî, al-Haytamî, al-Nabhânî himself, and others. The proofs for
giving precedence to respect (adab) over obedience (t.â`a)
in the matter are [1] the refusal of Abû Bakr to pray as imâm
in front of the Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him - although
the latter ordered him. After The proofs for
calling the Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him - sayyid are
in the verses {lordly (sayyidan), chaste, a Prophet of the righteous}
(3:39) and {and they met her lord and master (sayyidahâ) at
the door} (12:42) as well as the following Prophetic narrations:
[1] "I am the Master (sayyid) of human beings";7 [2] "This
son of mine [al-H.asan] is a leader of men (sayyid)";8 [3]
"Get up to meet your chief (qûmû ilâ sayyidikum)
[Sa`d ibn `Ubâda]";9 this h.adîth is also narrated
as Qûmu li-sayyidikum which means the same thing.10 (It is
noteworthy that the Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him -
specifically invoked the blessings and mercy of Allâh upon
the family Al-Fad.â'il al-Muh.ammadiyya ("The Muh.ammadan High Merits"), in print. Al-Fath. al-Kabîr fî D.amm al-Ziyâdat ilâl-Jâmi` al-S.aghîr ("The Great Divine Opening: [Al-Suyût.î's] al-Jâmi` al-S.aghîr [edited together] With Its Addenda"), in print. Hâdî
al-Murîd ilâ T.uruq al-Asânîd ("Guide
for the Seeker to the Paths of Transmission") <1317>,
appended to S.alawât al-Thanâ' and detailing al-Nabhânî's
Thabt or compendium of transmission chains in h.adîth and
other H.izb al-Awliyâ'
al-Arba`în al-Mustaghîthîna bi-Sayyid al-Mursalîn
- Allâh bless and greet him - ("The Devotion of the Forty
Friends of Allâh That Seek Help Through the Master of Messengers
- Allâh bless and greet him"), also H.usn al-Shir`ati fî Mashrû`iyyati S.alât al-Z.uhri Idhâ Ta`addadat al-Jumu`a ("The Beauty of the Law in Permitting the Z.uhr Prayer When More Than One Jumu`a is Held [in one and the same region]"), in print. Irshâd al-H.âyârâ fî Tah.dhîr al-Muslimîn min Madâris al-Nas.ârâ ("Guidance of the Perplexed: Warning the Muslims Against the Christians Schools"), an advice royally ignored by most Muslims nowadays, especially the educated and the wealthy. Al-Nabhânî also wrote an abridgment titled Mukhtas.ar Irshâd al-H.âyârâ. Al-Istighâthat al-Kubrâ bi-Asmâ' Allâh al-H.usnâ ("The Great Invocation of Help Through the Beautiful Names of Allâh"), printed together with Riyâd. Ahl al-Janna. Ith.âf al-Muslim bi-Ah.âdîth al-Targhîb wal-Tarhîb min al-Bukhârî wa-Muslim ("A Gift for Every Muslim in the Narrations of Encouragement to Goodness and Deterrence from Evil from al-Bukhârî and Muslim") <1329>. Jâmi`
Karâmât al-Awliyâ' ("Compendium of the Miraculous
Gifts of the Friends of Allâh") <1329> in two volumes
(reprint Beirut: al-Maktaba al-Thaqâfiyya, 1991), an encyclopedia
of the miracles of the Muslim Saints in the - Al-Tibrîzî's
Mishkât al-Mas.âbîh. ("The Niche of Lights"
c.737). Jâmi` al-S.alawât ("The Compendium of the Invocations of Blessings") <1318>. Jâmi` al-Thanâ'i `alâ Allâh ("The Compendium of the Glorification of Allâh Most High"), in print. Jawâhir al-Bih.âr fî Fad.â'il al-Nabî al-Mukhtâr ("The Jewels of the Seas in the Excellent Traits of the Elect Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him") <1327>, in four volumes. Khulâs.at al-Kalâm fî Tarjîh.i Dîn al-Islâm ("The Summation Concerning the Preferability of the Religion of Islâm"), in print. Al-Khulâs.at al-Wafiyya fî Rijâl al-Majmû`at al-Nabhâniyya, in print. Al-Majmû`atu al-Nabhâniyya fîl-Madâ'ih. al-Nabawiyya ("The Nabhân Collection of Prophetic Praises") <1320>, with a marginal glossary. Mithâl al-Na`l al-Sharîf ("The Image of the Noble Sandals [of the Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him]"), in print. The major Indian H.anafî Scholar Mawlânâ Ashraf `Alî al-Tahânawî titled a chapter Nayl al-Shifâ' bi-Na`l al-Mus.t.afâ ("Obtaining Remedy through the Sandals of the Elect One - Allâh bless and greet him") in his book Zâd al-Sa`îd ("Provision for the Fortunate"). The Shaykh of our Shuyûkh and Muh.addith of India, Shaykh Muh.ammad Zakariyyâ Kandihlawî said in his English translation of Imâm al-Tirmidhî's foundational work al-Shamâ'il al-Nabawiyya wal-Khas.â'il al-Mus.t.afawiyya ("The Prophetic Traits and Muh.ammadan Features"): "Mawlânâ
Ashraf `Alî Thanwî S.âh.ib has written in his
book Zâdus-Sa`îd a detailed treatise on the barakât
[blessings] and virtues of the shoes of Rasûlullâh S.allAllâhu
`alayhi wasallam. Those interested in this should Al-Mubashshirât al-Manâmiyya, see al-Bashâ'ir al-Imâniyya. Mufarrij al-Kurûb wa-Mufarrih. al-Qulûb ("The Remover of Difficulties and Cheer of Hearts"), in print, a collection of Prophetic supplications for the removal of difficulties. Mukhtas.ar Irshâd al-H.âyârâ, see Irshâd al-H.âyârâ. Muntakhab al-S.ah.îh.ayn ("Anthology from the Two S.ah.îh.s [of al-Bukhârî and Muslim]"), in print, containing about 3,000 h.adîths. Al-Muzdawijatu al-Gharrâ fîl-Istighâthati bi-Asmâ' Allâh al-H.usnâ ("The Shining Verse and Prose of Seeking Help Through the Beautiful Divine Names"). Al-Naz.m al-Badî` fî Mawlid al-Shafî` - Allâh bless and greet him - ("The Fine Poetry on the Birth of the Intercessor" - Allâh bless and greet him -) <1312>. Nujûm
al-Muhtadîn wa-Rujûm al-Mu`tadîn fi Ithbâti
Nubuwwati Sayyidinâ Muh.ammadin Sayyid al-Mursalîn wal-Raddu
`alâ A`dâ'ihi Ikhwâni al-Shayât.în
("The Stars of the Well-Guided and the Missiles against the
Attackers in Al-Qas.îdat al-Râ'iyya al-Kubrâ fî Was.fi al-Ummat al-Islâmiyyati wal-Milal al-Ukhrâ ("The Major Râ'-Rhyming Poem on the Description of the Islamic Community and the Other Groups"), in print. Al-Qas.îdat al-Râ'iyya al-S.ughrâ fî Dhamm al-Bid`ati wa-Ahlihâ wa-Madh.i al-Sunnati al-Gharrâ' ("The Minor Râ'-Rhyming Poem on the Blame of Innovation and the Praise of the Radiant Sunna"), in print. This work focused on "the three arch-innovators of the times": Jamâl al-Dîn al-Afghânî, Muh.ammad `Abduh al-Mis.rî, and Rashîd Rid.â the owner of the periodical al-Manâr. Al-Qawl al-H.aqq fî Madh.i Sayyid al-Khalq ("The Word of Truth on the Praise of the Master of Creation"), in print. Qurrat al-`Ayn min al-Bayd.âwî wal-Jalâlayn ("The Coolness of the Eyes: [The Combined Qur'anic Commentaries of] al-Bayd.âwî and al-Jalâlayn"), in print. Raf` al-Ishtibâh fî Istih.âlati al-Jihati `alâ Allâh ("The Removal of Uncertainty Concerning the Impossibility of Direction for Allâh Most High"), published as part of Shawâhid al-H.aqq. Al-Rah.mat al-Muhdât fî Fad.li al-S.alât ("The Bestowed Gift Concerning the Excellence of Prayer"), in print. Ryâd. al-Janna fî Adhkâr al-Kitâbi wal-Sunna ("The Groves of Paradise: Supplications from the Qur'ân and Sunna"), in print. Sa`âdatu al-Anâm bi-Ittibâ`i Dîni al-Islâm ("The Bliss of Creatures in Following the Religion of Islâm"), in print. Sa`âdatu
al-Dârayni fîl-S.alâti `alâ Sayyidi al-Kawnayn
("The Bliss of the Two Abodes in the Invocation of Blessings
on the Master of the Two Universes") <1318> in 720 pages,
comprising a sequence of ten-verse poems 1. Anâ
`abdun li-sayyidi al-anbiyâ'i wa walâ'î lahu al-qadîmu
walâ'î 2. Anâ
`abdun li-`abdihi wali-`abdi al-`abdi `abdun kadhâ bi-ghayri
intihâ'i 3. Anâ
lâ antahî `anil-qurbi min bâbi rid.âhu fî
jumlati al-dukhalâ'i 4. Anshuru al-`ilma
fî ma`âlîhi lil-nâsi wa-ashdû bihi
ma`al-shu`arâ'i 5. Fa `asâhu
yaqûlu lî anta Salmânu walâ'î H.assânu
h.usni thanâ'î 6. Wa-birûh.î
afdî turâba h.imâhu wa-lahul-fad.lu fî qabûli
fidâ'î 7. Fâza
man yantamî ilayhi wa-lâ h.âjata fîhi bi-dhâlika
al-intimâ'i 8. Huwa fî
ghunyatin `ani al-khalqi t.urran wa humu al-kullu `anhu dûna
ghinâ'i 9. Wa-huwa lil-Lâhi
wah.dihi `abduhu al-khâlis.u mujallâ al-s.ifâti
wal-asmâ'i 10. Kullu fad.lin
fil-khalqi fa-huwa min Allâhi ilayhi wa-minhu lil-ashyâ'i
Sa`âdat al-Ma`âd fî Muwâzanat Bânat Su`âd ("The Bliss of the Return in Metrical Correspondence to [Ka`b ibn Zuhayr's Poem] 'Su`âd Has Departed'"), in print. Sabîl al-Najât fîl-H.ubbi fil-Lâhi wal-Bughd.i fil-Lâh ("The Path to Salvation in Loving for the sake of Allâh and Hating for the Sake of Allâh"), in print. Al-Sâbiqâtu al-Jiyâdu fî Madh.i Sayyid al-`Ibâd - Allâh bless and greet him - ("The Excellent Enduring Good Deeds in the Praise of the Master of All Servants - Allâh bless and greet him"), in print. S.alawât al-Akhyâr `alâ al-Nabiyyi al-Mukhtâr - Allâh bless and greet him - ("The Invocations of Blessings of the Best Saints on the Elect Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him"). Al-S.alawât al-Alfiyya fîl-Kamâlât al-Muh.ammadiyya ("The Thousand-Verse Invocations of Blessings on the Muh.ammadan Perfections"). Al-S.alawât al-Arba`în lil-Awliyâ' al-Arba`în ("Forty Invocations of Blessings by Forty Friends of Allâh"). S.alawât al-Thanâ' `alâ Sayyid al-Anbiyâ' - Allâh bless and greet him - ("The Invocations of Blessings and Glory on the Master of Prophets") <1317>, followed by Hâdî al-Murîd. Al-Sharaf al-Mu'abbad li-Ali Sayyidinâ Muh.ammad - Allâh bless and greet him - ("Eternal Honor for the Family of Our Master Muh.ammad - Allâh bless and greet him") <1309>. Shawâhid
al-H.aqq fil-Istighâtha bi Sayyid al-Khalq - Allâh bless
and greet him - ("The Witnesses to Truth on the Obtainment
of Aid through the Master of Creatures") <1323>, a summation
of several hundred pages comprising [1] On the affirmation
of direction (al-jiha): al-Nabhânî's magnificent epistle
Raf` al-Ishtibâh fî Istih.âlat al-Jiha `alâ
Allâh ("The Removal of Uncertainty Concerning the Impossibility
of Direction for Allâh Most High") (p. 210-240), a refutation
of Shaykh Ah.mad ibn Taymiyya's notorious Fatwâ H.amawiyya
which had adduced the "verses of unapparent meaning" (mutashâbihât)
to affirm direction and place for the Divinity. Other refutations
include Imâm Ibn Jahbal al-Kilâbî's (d. 733) lengthy
reply which Imâm Tâj al-Dîn Ibn al-Subkî
reproduced in full in his T.abaqât Imâm `Abd al-Qâhir al-Baghdâdî in his Us.ûl al-Dîn cites, among those who consider the verse of istiwâ' among the mutashâbihât or Qur'ânic ambiguities, Imâm Mâlik ibn Anas, the seven jurists of Madîna, and al-As.mâ'î.18 Imâm al-Pazdawî said of the attribute of corporeality in his Us.ûl that it is "known in principle but ambiguous in escription (ma`lûmun bi-as.lihi mutashâbihun bi-was.fihi).19 Al-Baghdâdî's and al-Pazdawî's words show the fallacy of Ibn Taymiyya's claim in the epistle al-Iklîl fîl-Mutashâbih wal-Ta'wîl that "I do not know any of the Salaf of the Community nor any of the Imâms, neither Ah.mad ibn H.anbal nor other than him, that considered these [the Divine Names and Attributes] as part of the mutashâbih"!20 Al-Nabhânî (p. 251) points out that Ibn Taymiyya not only claimed to know the meaning of these verses, but also added categorical interpretive terms to their purported meanings, such as "literally" (h.aqîqatan) and "with His essence" (bi dhâtihi). He concludes, "If the meaning of such verses [of corporeality in relation to the Divine Attributes] were known, it could not be other than in the sense in which the attributes of created entites are known, as in istiwâ' in the sense of sitting (al-julûs) which we know in relation to ourselves, and this applies to the rest of the ambiguous terms." [2] On the proofs of the hearing of the Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him - in his noble grave (p. 283-285) contrary to the contrary assertions by modernist "Salafis" such as Nu`mân al-Alûsî's al-Ayât al-Bayyinât fî `Adam Samâ` al-Amwât ("The Clear Signs that the Dead Cannot Hear") - whose editor went so far as to state: "I have found no evidence for the Prophet's - Allâh bless and greet him - hearing of the salaam of those who greet him at his grave!" 21 [3] On the proofs
of tawassul or seeking the intermediary of the Prophet - Allâh
bless and greet him: al-Nabhânî refutes in great detail
those who deny the permissibility of tawassul adducing, among other
texts, the proofs [4] On the claimed
impermissibility of travelling to visit the Prophet - Allâh
bless and greet him: al-Nabhânî's counter-refutation
(p. 241-247, 275-298) of Muh.ammad ibn `Abd al-Hâdî's
al-S.ârim al-Munkî fî Nah.r al-Subkî ("The
Hurtful Blade in the Throat of al-Subkî"!), a violent
attack on Shaykh al-Islâm al-Taqî al-Subkî's masterpiece
on the visitation of the Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him
- [Shifâ' al-Siqâm fî Ziyârati Khayr al-Anâm
- Allâh bless and greet him - ("The Healing of Hearts
in Visiting the Best of Creatures")] in which Ibn `Abd al-Hâdî
"adopted the manner of fanatics and departed from the norms
of the h.adîth Scholars" according to Shaykh `Abd al-`Azîz
ibn al-S.iddîq al-Ghumârî,23 in defense of his
teacher Ibn Taymiyya's aberrant fatwa that it was a sin to undertake
travel to the intention of visiting the Prophet - Allâh bless
and greet him -. Ibn `Abd al-Hâdî filled his book with
unfounded accusations "in order to defend the innovations of
his teacher.... It should have been titled al-Shâtim al-Ifkî
('The Mendacious Abuser')."24 He falsely accuses Imâm
al-Subkî of encouraging pilgrimage to the Prophet's - Allâh
bless and greet him - grave, prostration to it, circumambulating
around it, and the belief that the Prophet - Allâh bless and
greet him - removes difficulty, grants ease, and causes whoever
he wishes to enter into Paradise, all independently of Allâh
Most High! Nu`mân al-Alûsî also wrote an attack
on both Imâms al-Haytamî and al-Subkî titled Jalâ'
al-`Aynayn fî Muh.âkamat al-Ah.madayn which he dedicated
to the Indian Wahhâbî S.ûfî, S.iddîq
H.asan Khân al-Qinnawjî and in which, according to al-Nabhânî,
he went even further than Ibn `Abd al-Hâdî. Also among
the counter-refutations of these two works: Al-Nabhânî said of Ibn Taymiyya in Shawâhid al-H.aqq: "He refuted the Christians, the Shî`îs, the logicians, then the Ash`arîs and Ahl al-Sunna, in short, sparing no one whether Muslim or non-Muslim, Sunni or otherwise," all the while "clamoring a lot about following the Salaf" (p. 207). He also praised Ibn Taymiyya's "worthy book" (p. 275-276) al-S.ârim al-Maslûl `alâ Shâtim al-Rasûl ("The Drawn Sword Against the Insulter of the Prophet - Allâh bless and greet him") and said that he saw in his dream that Ibn Taymiyya had been forgiven but that he was in a lower level of Paradise than Taqî al-Dîn al-Subkî. The Qâd.î never declared Ibn Taymiyya a disbeliever nor do any of the reliable Ulema of Ahl al-Sunna. May Allâh forgive him and them, take us back to Him as Muslims, and join us with His righteous servants! Amîn. Al-Sihâm al-S.â'iba li-As.h.âb al-Da`âwâ al-Kâdhiba ("The Sure Missiles Against the Prevaricators"), printed with Shawâhid al-H.aqq. Tahdhîb al-Nufûs fî Tartîb al-Durûs ("The Education of Souls in the Arrangement of the Lessons") <1329>, an abridgment of Imâm al-Nawawî's Riyâd. al-S.âlih.în. Al-Tah.dhîr min Ittikhâdh al-S.uwar wal-Tas.wîr ("Warning against the Use of Photographs and Photography"), in print. Tanbîh al-Afkâr ilâ H.ikmat Iqbâl al-Dunyâ `alâ al-Kuffâr ("Awakening the Thoughts to the Wisdom Behind the World's Embrace of the Disbelievers"). Tarjîh. Dîn al-Islâm ("The Preferability of the Religion of Islâm"), in print. T.ayyibat al-Gharrâ' fî Madh.i Sayyid al-Anbiyâ' - Allâh bless and greet him - ("Radiant T.ayyiba [another name for Madîna] on the Praise of the Master of Prophets - Allâh bless and greet him") with a marginal glossary <1314>. Al-`Uqûd al-Lu'lu'iyya fîl-Madâ'ih. al-Nabawiyya ("The Strings of Pearls: Prophetic Praises"), in print. Wasâ'il
al-Wus.ûl ilâ Shamâ'il al-Rasûl - Allâh
bless and greet him - ("The Means of Arrival to the Characteristics
of the Messenger - Allâh bless and greet him"), a commentary
on Imâm al-Tirmidhî's Shamâ'il (see above, Mithâl
Al-Wird al-Shâfî ("The Healing Spring"), in print, an abridgment of Imâm al-Jazarî's al-H.is.n al-H.as.în ("The Superfortress"), a manual of supplications and invocations from the Sunna. May Allâh
shower His greatest mercy on the Qâd.î Yûsuf al-Nabhânî,
bless him with the Highest Company in Paradise, and thank him and
reward him abundantly on behalf of the Umma! Truly, the benefit
of his spiritual The writer of these lines was privileged to visit the light-bathed grave of Qâd.î Yûsuf al-Nabhânî - Allâh have mercy on him! - in the Bâshûrâ neighborhood of the Bast.a district of Beirut on the day of Jumu`a 24 Dhûl-H.ijja 1423 / 8 March 2002, the tombstone of which reads "H.assân Ah.mad - Allâh bless and greet him, Yûsuf Ismâ`îl al-Nabhânî." The next day, I was honored to meet one of the Qâd.î's direct students, the venerable Shaykh H.usayn `Usayrân al-Shâfi`î al-Naqhsbandî (b. 1329/1911) - Allâh save him! - who kindly granted me his chains of transmission to the Qâd.î among other prestigious chains in his possession. {This is of the bounty of my Lord}, (27:40) {He selects for His mercy whom He will. Allâh is of infinite bounty} (3:74). {And peace be unto the Messengers}, especially the Master of Messengers, {and praise be to Allâh, Lord of the Worlds!} (37:181-182).
GF Haddad NOTES 1 28 kms. south of H.aifa, Palestine on the Southern edge of Mount Carmel, 100 meters above sea level. 2 Al-Sharaf al-Mu'abbad li-Ali Muh.ammad - Allâh bless and greet him - (p. 140-142). 3 Asbâb al-Ta'lîf (p. 290, 332) and Jâmi` Karâmât al-Awliyâ' (2:52). 4 Cairo: al-Dâr al-Ghannâ', 2001. 5 Narrated from Sahl ibn Sa`d al-Sâ`idî by al-Bukhârî, Muslim, Mâlik, Abû Dâwûd, al-Nasâ'î, and Ah.mad. 6 Narrated from Ibn Mas`ûd by Ibn Mâjah, Abû Ya`lâ (9:175 #5267), al-T.abarânî in al-Kabîr (9:115 #8594), Abû Nu`aym in the H.ilya (1985 ed. 4:271), and al-Bayhaqî in the Shu`ab (2:208 #1550), all through `Abd al-Rah.mân ibn `Abd Allâh ibn `Utba al-Mas`ûdî who is weak although al-Mundhirî declared the chain fair in al-Targhîb (1997 ed. 2:329 #2588) cf. Fath. (11:158). Further, al-Bûs.îrî in Mis.bâh. al-Zujâja (1:111) said it is corroborated by an identical narration from Ibn `Umar by Ah.mad ibn Manî` in his Musnad. Al-Mas`ûdî is further corroborated by Abû Salama al-Mughîra ibn al-Nu`mân in `Abd al-Razzâq (2:213-214 #3109-3112) while al-Dâraqut.nî in his `Ilal (5:15 #682) cites yet two other chains to Ibn Mas`ûd, raising the narration to a grade of h.asan at the very least, or rather s.ah.îh. in shâ' Allâh. 7 Narrated from: Abû Hurayra by al-Bukhârî, Muslim, al-Tirmidhî (h.asan s.ah.îh.), Abû Dâwûd, Ah.mad, al-Nasâ'î in al-Sunan al-Kubrâ (6:378), Ibn Abî Shayba (6:307, 6:317, 7:257), Ibn Sa`d (1:20), Ibn H.ibbân (14:381), al-Bayhaqî in al-Sunan al-Kubra (9:4); H.udhayfa by al-H.âkim (4:617) and al-T.abarânî in al-Awsat. cf. al-Haythamî (10:377) and others; Abû Sa`îd al-Khudrî by al-Tirmidhî (h.asan s.ah.îh.), Ibn Mâjah, and Ah.mad; by Ah.mad and al-Dârimî; Ibn `Abbâs by Ah.mad; `Ubâda ibn al-S.âmit by al-H.âkim (1990 ed. 1:83 s.ah.îh.); Ibn Mas`ûd by Ibn H.ibbân (14:398); `Abd Allâh ibn Salâm by al-T.abarânî and Abû Ya`lâ cf. al-Haythamî (8:253) and al-Maqdisî's al-Ah.âdîth al-Mukhtâra (9:455); and Jâbir ibn `Abd Allâh by al-H.âkim (1990 ed. 2:660 s.ah.îh. al-isnâd) and al-T.abarânî in al-Awsat. cf. al-Haythamî (10:376); etc. 8 Narrated from Abû Bakrah by al-Bukhârî, al-Tirmidhî, al-Nasâ'î, Abû Dâwûd, and Ah.mad. 9 Narrated from Abû Sa`îd al-Khudrî by al-Bukharî, Muslim, Abû Dâwûd, al-Nasâ'î, and Ah.mad. 10 Cf. al-T.ah.âwî, Mushkil al-Athâr (2:38), Ibn Kathîr, Bidâya (4:122), and al-Zabîdî, Ith.âf al-Sâdat al-Muttaqîn (7:142). 11 Narrated from `A'isha by al-Tirmidhî, Abû Dâwûd, al-Nasâ'î, al-H.âkim ("s.ah.îh. narration per the criteria of al-Bukhârî and Muslim") while al-Zayla`î in Nas.b al-Râya (4:258) said: "Al-Tirmidhî said: h.adîth h.asan and in some of the manuscripts: h.asan s.ah.îh.." Cf. Ibn al-Muqri', al-Rukhs.a bil-Qiyâm (p. 91 #26). 12 Narrated
from Sahl ibn H.unayf by Abû Dâwûd, Ah.mad, al-Nasâ'î
in al-Kubrâ (6:72 #10086, 6:256 #10873) and `Amal al-Yawm
wal-Layla (p. 252 #257, p. 564 #1034), al-T.ah.âwî in
Sharh. Ma`ânî al-Athâr (4:329), al-T.abarânî
in 13 Cited by Ibn Rajab in his Jâmi` al-`Ulum wal-H.ikam (Dâr al-Ma`rifa ed. p. 107). 14 Ibn Jahbal wrote: "How can you say that Allâh is literally (h.aqîqatan) in (fî) the heaven, and literally above (fawq) the heaven, and literally in (fî) the Throne, and literally on (`alâ) the Throne?!" Ibn Jahbal, Refutation of Ibn Taymiyya §93 in Ibn al-Subkî, T.abaqât al-Shâfi`iyya al-Kubrâ (9:61). 15 Cf. `Imâd `Abd al-Salâm Ra'ûf, al-Athâr al-Khat.t.iyya fî al-Maktabat al-Qâdiriyya fî Baghdâd (2:493 ms. 642). 16 In al-Fiqh al-Absat. ("The Greatest Wisdom"), the same work as the Fiqh al-Akbar but in catechetic form narrated from the Imâm exclusively by Abû Mut.î` al-H.akam ibn `Abd Allâh ibn Muslim al-Balkhî al-Khurâsânî through Abû `Abd Allâh al-H.usayn ibn `Alî al-Alma`î al-Kâshgharî (d. >484), both of them discarded as narrators. 17 Al-Kawtharî, Maqâlât (p. 368-369). 18 Cf. al-Khat.t.âbî in Ma`âlim al-Sunan (Hims ed. 5:101) and al-Qârî in al-Asrâr al-Marfû`a (2nd ed. p. 209-210 #209; 1st ed. p. 126 #478). 19 Kashf al-Asrâr (1:55-60). 20 Majmû`at al-Rasâ'il (13:294). 21 Nâs.ir al-Albânî, footnote to al-Alûsî's al-Ayât al-Bayyinât (p. 80) and al-Silsila al-D.a`îfa (#203). 22 Cf. Sulaymân ibn `Abd al-Wahhâb (d. 1210/1795), Fas.l al-Khit.âb fî Madhhab Ibn `Abd al-Wahhâb, also published as al-S.awâ`iq al-Ilâhiyya fî al-Radd `alâ al-Wahhâbiyya; `Alawî ibn Ah.mad al-H.addâd, Mis.bâh. al-Anâm (1216/1801) of which we published the introduction in full together with the translation of al-Sayyid Yûsuf al-Rifâ`î's Advice to Our Brothers the Scholars of Najd (1420/1999); Sayyid `Abd Allâh ibn H.asan Bâshâ Bâ `Alawî, S.idq al-Khabar fî Khawârij al-Qarn al-Thânî `Ashar ("The Truthful News Concerning the Khawârij of the Twelve Century") (al-Lâdhiqiyya, 1346/1928); Ah.mad Zaynî Dah.lân (d. 1304/1886), al-Samnûdî al-Mans.ûrî, Sa`âdat al-Dârayn fîl-Radd `alâl-Firqatayn al-Wahhâbiyya wal-Z.âhiriyya ("The Bliss of the Two Abodes in the Refutation of the Two Sects: Wahhâbîs and Z.âhirîs"), and Salâmat al-`Azzâmî, al-Barâhîn al-Sât.i`a fi Radd Ba`d. al-Bida` al-Shâ'i`a ("The Radiant Proofs in Refuting Some Widespread Innovations"). 23 In his al-Tahânî fî al-Ta`qîb `alâ Mawd.û`ât al-S.âghânî (p. 49). 24 Al-Nabhânî, Shawâhid al-H.aqq (p. 275-276).
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