The Blessed Prophetic Migration – Stories and Morals

All praise is due to Allah, our Lord, whose existence is eternal without a beginning, without an end, and without being subject to a time or place. May Allah, the All Mighty, raise the rank of the best of all His Messengers, Prophet Muhammad, and raise the rank of all the brethren Prophets and Messengers, and the blessed and virtuous kin and companions of our dear Prophet.
Surat At-Tawbah verse 40 means: “Allah did indeed help him [Muhammad] when he left due to the unbelievers. They were two, and they were in the cave, as he [Muhammad] said to his companion ‘Do not dismay for God will support us’ ”.
Brothers and sisters in Faith, Prophet Muhammad called for justice, goodness, morality and ethics. He forbade all forms of vice and injustices. He was the man known to his people, before the revelations of Prophethood, as the trustworthy who was no thief, no immoral deviant, and no womanizer. He roamed the successive gatherings of people while repeating: “O people, say there is no God but Allah, as such leads to success” not losing his resolve and determination, despite some unbeliever who pursued him with sinister lies and falsehoods.
May Allah raise his rank. Prophet Muhammad persevered despite the harassment he faced from the idolaters, who were astounded by his level of patience. This bewilderment drove them to ask his paternal uncle Abu Talib about what his nephew was after, for if it were fame then they were ready to consult him in their daily affairs, or if it were wealth then they were ready to make him their wealthiest, or if it were kingship then they were ready to grant him the reigns of power. Despite all this, the Prophet who was revealed to by God responded to his uncle by saying: “By my Lord, O uncle, for if they were to place the sun in my right and the moon in my left, I shall not stray from this path, and I shall relentlessly persevere on it until my moment of death; so that the words of Faith do propagate and spread”.
It was in the face of such strong commitment and resolve that the idolaters agreed upon assassinating the Prophet, and they decided to do so by assigning one brutal man from each tribe so that his blood is dispersed amongst them all. But despite such evil plots, the Angel Jibril (Gabriel) came to the Prophet informing him and telling him to avoid his usual sleeping place. The Prophet then called upon Ali bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, asking him to take his sleeping bed and to cover himself with a green cloak, which the Prophet had. The Prophet then emerged to them, as he was veiled from their sights, and as they stood at his door he threw over their heads a grasp of soil while reciting from the Book some verses from Surat Y as in beginning with what means: “Yasin, by the Qur’an full of wisdom” until the verse which means: “And we have put a bar in front of them and a bar behind them, and further We have obstructed their sight; so that they cannot see”.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, then selected his beloved Abu Bakr Assiddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, to be his travel companion on the migration trip to Madinah. During their trip they entered the cave of Thawr, which had cavities in its walls. Abu Bakr attempted to cover these cavities with his outfit, until there remained a last cavity, which Abu Bakr concealed with his foot. Abu Bakr was stoutly committed to protecting his beloved Muhammad. It is then that a serpent bit him in the foot, but he held his position bearing the pain, until he cried shedding a tear that softly dropped waking the Prophet peace be upon him. The Prophet then compassionately got up and wiped away these glittering tears, consequentially leaving Abu Bakr a cured man by the will of Allah.
Furthermore, Allah protected his beloved by the spider web, and thus Muhammad peace be upon him was protected by the weakest and frailest of houses, the house of a spider. Allah brought about a dove, which laid an egg at the mouth of the cave, and the spider which spun the web.
Meanwhile, the Muslims of Madinah were affectionately awaiting the arrival of the Prophet. And so one day in searing midday heat, and while reporters were heading back and forth, a man emerged with the news to which he yelled at full voice: “O people of Madinah, the person you have been waiting for has arrived”. These echoing words caused an affectionate amassing of people driven by their love for the Prophet. This blessed scene has been captured and remembered through the resonating words of tala^al badru ^alayn a min Thaniyy atil-wad a^; the full moon [Muhammad] has shone upon us from the spot known as Thaniyy atil-wad a^.
The Prophetic migration, dear brothers and sisters, was not an act of cowardice fleeing from the idolaters, nor was it an act of betrayal towards standing up for justice and rebuttal of falsehood. In fact, the Prophet’s migration was due to an order from his Creator, Allah the All Mighty

| Contents |In Defense of At-Tawassul - A Reason for the Fulfillment of Needs

Praise be to Allah. I ask Allah humbly to raise the rank of Prophet Muhammad, his Al and Companions, and to protect his nation from that which he fears for it. I ask Allah to teach us that which we have forgotten, to add to our knowledge, and to grant us the sincere intentions. I humbly ask Allah to facilitate for us the routes of goodness and to protect us from the routes that lead to Hellfire. Thereafter:

In Al-Mu^jam Al-Kabir and Al-Mu^jam AsSaghir, Imam at-Tabaraniyy related the hadith about the Prophet from the route of ^Uthman Ibn Hunayf who was in a circle with the Prophet when a blind man came to address Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam: 
The blind man addressed the Prophet by saying, "O Prophet of Allah, ask Allah for me to cure my blindness." The Prophet replied by saying, "If you wish, you would be patient with your calamity, and if you wish, I will ask Allah to cure your blindness."

However, the blind man told the Prophet: "The loss of my sight is a great hardship for me, and there is no one near to guide me around."

At this moment, the Prophet ordered the man to go to the place where al-wudu' would be performed, perform alwudu', pray two rak^ah, end his salat by saying as-salamu ^alaykum, and then say the following words:
which mean: <<O Allah, I ask You, and I direct myself to You in supplication by our Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy. O Muhammad, I direct myself to Allah by you, so my need [here the specific need is mentioned] would be fulfilled.>> The blind man went and did as the Prophet ordered. Shortly thereafter, he returned to the Prophet's session with his blindness cured.

Then, after the death of the Prophet, and during the time of the caliphate of ^Uthman Ibn ^Affan, a man came to ^Uthman Ibn Hunayf. This man complained to ^Uthman Ibn Hunayf about a matter which he needed to be fulfilled through the caliph, but which was not being fulfilled. ^Uthman Ibn Hunayf ordered the man to go to the place where al-wudu' would be performed, perform al-wudu', perform two rak^ah, and after saying assalam to say the following words: 'O Allah, I ask You and I direct myself to You in supplication by our Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy. O Muhammad, I direct myself to Allah by you, so my need [specify need] would be fulfilled.

^Uthman Ibn Hunayf told him to return after doing this, and they would go together to the caliph. This man went and performed what ^Uthman Ibn Hunayf ordered him to do. However, instead of returning to ^Uthman Ibn Hunayf, he elected to go on his own to the caliph--which he did. When he reached the door of the caliph, the gateman took him by the hand to the caliph. ^Uthman Ibn ^Affans at him on a carpet next to him and asked him, "What is your need that you wanted fulfilled? I forgot all about it until just now." The man informed the caliph about his need, which he fulfilled. The caliph told him, "Whenever you have a need, come to me and I will satisfy it for you."

It is because of the prayer this man performed, and the du^a' that he made--asking Allah for his need by the Prophet--that Allah made the heart of the caliph move towards fulfilling the need of that man. This prayer and the du^a' afterwards in which one is asking Allah to fulfill a need is called 'Salat al-Hajah'. Let the one who has a need: perform al-wudu', pray two rak^ah, and then say that du^a' as mentioned, and in sha' Allah, his need will be fulfilled.

This hadith was narrated by many scholars of hadith. Some of them related the part of the hadith which occurred during the lifetime of the Prophet, and some narrated both parts of the hadith, i.e., the part which took place during the lifetime of the Prophet and the part which took place after his death and during the caliphate of Sayyidina ^Uthman Ibn ^Affan. Imam atTabaraniyy is among those scholars who narrated the entire hadith, in both parts--the part that took place during the life of the Prophet, as well as the part that took place after the death of the Prophet. After narrating that hadith, he said, "The classification of this hadith is sahih."

This hadith carries the proof that it is permissible in Islam for one to ask Allah for things by the Prophet during the lifetime of the Prophet and after the death of the Prophet. Hence, there is no difference in the permissibility of asking Allah for things by the Prophet, whether done during the lifetime of the Prophet or after his death. The scholars of Ahl as-Sunnah wal Jama^ah said that it is permissible to make that tawassul during the lifetime of the Prophet and after his death. Knowing that, one concludes that the claim of some people that it is not permissible to ask Allah for things except by he who is alive and present, is something which is rejected.

The first person to make this false claim was a man who lived some 600 years ago, by the name of Ahmad Ibn Taymiyah. This man falsely stated that it is not permissible to ask Allah for things except by he who is alive and present. This is wrong! It is contrary to what is stated in the rules of the Religion of Islam. During the time of Ahmad Ibn Taymiyah, scholars of Ahl as-Sunnah refuted his argument, and as a result his false claim did not spread at that time. However, some 200 years ago, a man named Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahhab emerged in a place in the Arabian Peninsula called Najd which the Prophet dispraised. Al-Bukhariyy related a hadith about the Prophet in which he said:
This means: <<From this spot, [which is called Najd] the tribulations and the sedition will occur.>> The Prophet conveyed the truth. Many tribulations and sedition have occurred from that region. Among the most recent was this man by the name of Muhammad Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab. Muhammad Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab followed Ahmad Ibn Taymiyah in the aforementioned case and in other cases as well. He started repeating the false statement of Ibn Taymiyah that it is not permissible for one to ask Allah for things except by he who is alive and present. This rule has no foundation whatsoever in the Religion of Allah. Rather, this rule and this statement were innovated by Ahmad Ibn Taymiyah an innovation of misguidance.

As a result of their stubbornness and arrogance, the leaders of the Wahhabiyyah movement rejected the part of the hadith which signifies the man asking Allah for things by the Prophet, after the Prophet's death. The great scholars of Ahl as-Sunnah told these people that the scholars classified that entire hadith as sahih, i.e., the part that took place during the lifetime of the Prophet and the part that took place after his death. Hence, one must reject the false claim of Ibn Taymiyah and Muhammad Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab, because it stands against the sayings of those reliable and dependable scholars of hadith. AlHafidhatTabaraniyy narrated that hadith, among others, including al-Hafidh al-Bayhaqiyy and al-Hafidh asSubkiyy and alHafidh al-^Ala'iyy; they all classified it as sahih. The status of those huffadh, i.e., their high knowledge and high level in the Science of Hadith, is a case of unanimous agreement among the scholars of Islam.

However, those Wahhabis, in an attempt to back their stubbornness and their false claim, rejected the sahih hadith of the Prophet; may Allah protect us from such misguidance. They refuted and rejected that which was proved to be mentioned by the Companions. It is obvious they are not following a correct methodology on their part. What is correct is for one to follow the path of the Prophet and the path of his Companions. One must adhere to that which the Prophet prescribed, and that which was put forth by the Companions, and one does not adhere to the example of someone deluded about things.

There are other ahadith that stand as a proof to the validity and the correctness of the statements of Ahl asSunnah. Among of which is the hadith narrated by Imam al-Bukhariyy and others about three people from a previous nation who went inside a cave seeking protection from a heavy rain they encountered in their travels. A big rock rolled down from the top of the mountain shutting off the mouth of the cave and blocking their exit. One of the three men suggested they all make du^a' to Allah by virtue of their good deeds. The first one stood up and made a du^a' to Allah asking Him by one of the good deeds that he had done. He said, 'O Allah, if that good deed I did previously was done in sincerity to You, then I ask You to relieve us of this calamity we are facing.' Once he finished his du^a', the rock moved slightly; however, it did not move enough for them to come out of the cave. The second man stood up and asked Allah to relieve them of their calamity by virtue of a good deed which he had done in the past. Again the rock moved a little bit more; however, it was still not enough for them to be able to leave the cave. The third man did the same as the first two, and the rock was moved completely out of the way, and the men were able to leave the cave. This hadith is very famous. It is confirmed and is classified as sahih. It was narrated by Imam al-Bukhariyy and others and confirms those three people asked Allah for something, i.e., to relieve them of their calamity, by their good deeds.

If asking Allah for things by the good deeds of a person, is something permissible in the Religion, then asking Allah for things by the Prophet takes precedence--since the good deed is a creation of Allah, and the best of all the creations is the Prophet. Moreover, one should note that the good deeds of those people are not categorized as 'alive' or 'present,' as Ibn Taymiyah made a condition. From where did Ibn Taymiyah bring this condition? It is only a delusion on his part. He deduced that from his own delusions, and it is not founded on sound religious proofs.

The Prophet, his Companions, the followers of those Companions, and the followers of those followers of the Companions are all in unanimous agreement that it is permissible to ask Allah for things by the Prophet and by the good and pious Muslims, whether during their life or after their death. All the scholars from among the four reputable schools, i.e., the school of Imam ash-Shafi^iyy, the school of Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, the school of Imam AbuHanifah, and the school of Imam Malik, concur on this issue.

Ahmad Ibn Taymiyah and his followers among the Wahhabis claim that he who asks Allah for things by the Prophet after his death or during his absence is doing an act of shirk, i.e., associating partners with Allah. Again, this is contrary to what is founded in the Religion of Allah. The hadith of the blind man previously mentioned indicates that this blind man left the session of the Prophet, i.e., he went away and was no longer in the presence of the Prophet when he made his wudu', performed his salat, and made his du^a'. How could this be classified as a shirk? If it had been a shirk, then the Prophet would not have ordered the blind man to do as he did. The Prophet is more knowledgeable than Ibn Taymiyah and all the others like him.

The scholars of Islam opposed those who claimed that the one who asks Allah for things by the Prophet after his death or during his absence is doing an act of shirk. The Wahhabis claim they are following the school of Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal. However, Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and the scholars who belong to his school all agree that it is permissible to ask Allah for things by the Prophet--during his lifetime and after his death. Even the grandfather of Ahmad Ibn Taymiyah, himself, who was among the great scholars following the school of Imam Ahmad, used to say it is permissible to ask Allah for things by the Prophet during his lifetime and after his death. This was narrated by one of the greatest students of Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Abu Bakr alMarwaziyy. This scholar, in copying the saying of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, said that it is liked during drought to ask Allah for rain by the Prophet. Imam Ahmad told about one of the great followers of the companions, Safwan Ibn Sulaym, who was a pious, humble, and very knowledgeable Muslim, that just by mentioning his name a person would hope the rain would come down as a sign of Allah's mercy to the people. The meaning is if the people mention the name of Safwan Ibn Sulaym in their session, it is because of his great status, and as a blessing from Allah, the rain would start falling. One can observe for himself that Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal was among those who established it is liked for one to ask Allah for things by the status of the pious Muslims and by the Prophet, yet those among the Wahhabis who claim to be followers of Imam Ahmad, say this is shirk if it is done after the death of the Prophet. Imam Ahmad is in one direction, and those Wahhabis are in a totally different direction.

The first case was mentioned about Imam Ahmad in a book compiled by his own son, ^Abdullah, containing questions and answers about Imam Ahmad. The second statement, about Safwan Ibn Sulaym, in was narrated by alHafidh al Mizziyy and al-Hafidh al-^Ala'iyy and azZabidiyy. In a matter such as this, i.e., asking Allah for things by the Prophet, the teachings of someone like Imam Ahmad would be followed as opposed to those of Ibn Taymiyah and his followers--the Wahhabis. All of these reliable scholars have praised Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal. He is the one among the scholars of hadith who narrated the most ahadith of the Prophet. It is not known among the scholars of hadith about another scholar who narrated in quantity as much as Imam Ahmad did. Those Wahhabis left Imam Ahmad and followed their own delusions. Those delusions are contrary to the rules of the Religion of Allah.

Be cautious! If you hear someone claim that it is not permissible to ask Allah for things in the absence of the Prophet or after his death, do not lend him a listening ear. Respond to him. Tell such a person about the hadith of the blind man, and the hadith of al-Bukhariyy regarding the three men who went into the cave. This is defending the Religion of Allah.

It is not permissible for one to remain silent when he sees someone perverting the Religion of Allah--if he is able to stand up to him. It is not permissible to leave the Muslims without guiding them and warning them against such people who pervert the Religion of Allah--once they are able to do so. This falls under the obligatory advice to the Muslims, as it was indicated by the Prophet. If the person leaves out ordering alma^ruf and forbidding almunkar, when it is obligatory on him, then this person is committing a sin. The scholars used to take many hardships to warn against someone perverting the Religion of Allah. This has great reward for them. If that obligation was left out in a community, those people would lose the support of Allah.

We ask Allah to bless us with the guidance and to make us steadfast in following the methodology and the path of the Prophet. We ask Allah to let us consume all of our life in following the methodology of the Prophet. We ask Allah to make us among those who order with alma^ruf and forbid al-munkar.

Praise be to Allah and Allah knows best.

| Contents |Celebrating the Birth of Prophet Muhammad (Mawlid Un-Nabiyy)

All praise is due to Allah and may Allah raise the rank of Prophet Muhammad, his virtuous and blessed kin and honoured companions.

Celebrations in commemoration of the birth (Al-Mawlid) of Prophet Muhammad, whom Allah sent as mercy, by way of reciting the Qur’an and by way of remembering the honourable traits and characteristics of the Prophet is a blessed matter of immense goodness, as long as the celebrations do not immerse in any types of hideous innovations which our Religion rejects.

Moreover, it should be made clear that the act of passing rules in Religion for new matters that appear in life is the function of the top Scholars of Islam (Mujtahid in) such as Imam M alik, Ash-Sh afi`iyy, Ab u Han ifah and A hmad Ibn Hanbal may Allah be pleased with them and with all the righteous Salaf. It is not the job of any person that has authored a small book or even large volumes to take on the role of the Imams of the Salaf and Khalaf in ruling religious edicts without referring back to the scholars, whose knowledge has been witnessed to by many.

The person that renders unlawful the recitation of the Qur’an or the joining in rememberance of the honourable characterists of the Prophet on the day of his birth with the excuse that the Prophet did not do it, is responded to with the following questions: ‘Do you object to the presence of Ma har ib (prayer niches) in the Mosques believing that it is an innovation of misguidance?!’, or ‘Do you reject the assembling of the chapters of the Holy Qur’an (Suwar) in the present order and the putting of the dots under and above some of its Arabic letters with the excuse that the Prophet did not do it?!’ If you illegitimatise this then you are imposing constraints, that Allah has relieved us from, on all innovations and acts of goodness that did not prevail in the time of the Prophet.

Imam Muslim related in in his Sa hi h that Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said what means: “The one who innovates a good innovation in Islam receives its reward and a reward similar to that of all those who practice with it after him without any lessening in their reward”. Our righteous leader Imam `Umar ibn Al-Kha ttab, may Allah be pleased with him, said after he gathered the people to be lead by one Imam during the Tarawih prayer: “Praised is this innovation” (related by Imam Bukhariyy in his Sahih).

Imam Ash-Shafi`iyy concluded from this that “Innovations in matters of Religion are classified into two categories: First, innovations that conflict with the Qur’an or the Sunnah (methodology of the Prophet) or an ‘Athar (saying of the Prophet or the companions) or the consensus of the Islamic scholars are classified as innovations of misguidance. Second, what has been innovated in goodness and does not conflict with any of the aforementioned is an innovation which is not dispraised” (related by Al- Hafidh Al-Bayha qiyy in his book Manaqib Ash-Sh afi`iyy pp. 469).

For those who wish, they can look at what Al- Hafidh Ibn Hajar Al-`As qal aniyy, may Allah be pleased with him, said in that: “The celebrations of the honourable birth of the Prophet is an innovation of goodness”. The judgement of those who say that such a celebration is a dissallowed innovation is an invalid judgement for the above mentioned reasons and proofs. Also, their saying contradicts the fatwa given by the scholars and Imams whose knowledge is witnessed to by many, and whose fatwas is valid, such as Al-Hafi dhibn Di hyah, Al- Hafi dh Al-`Iraqiyy, Al- Hafi dh As-Sakh awiyy, Al- Hafidh As- Suyutiyy, Shaykh ibn Hajar Al-Haytamiyy, Shaykh Muhammad Bikh it Al-Muti`iyy the former Mufti of Egypt and Shaykh Mustafa Naj a the former Mufti of Beirut. No validity or weight is given to the words of those who contradict these scholars, because they are not Mujtahids. Validity is given to the words of those who are in agreement with the statements of the considerable scholars of Islam. Furthermore, in Islam, the ruling on affairs is that it’s allowable so long as there is no Islamic disallowance or prohibition.

The Religion of Allah facilitates life and does not hinder it, and Allah is the One that Guides to the path of integrity and uprightness. Lastly our supplication to Allah is to unite us on spreading goodness and to bestow upon us the blessings of Prophet Muhammad.

| Contents |CELEBRATING THE PROPHET'S BIRTH AN INNOVATION OF GUIDANCE

Among the great innovations of guidance is the annual celebration of the Prophet's birth (Mawlid un-Nabiyy). This event is commemorated by Muslims all over the world who join together for such rewardable deeds as reciting from the Qur'an, chanting Islamic praises, telling the story of the Prophet's birth, teaching Religious Knowledge, slaughtering animals to feed to the poor, and gathering to thank and praise Allah and ask Him to exalt the honor of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam. The honorable, knowledgeable, and righteous ruler: al-Mudhaffar, the King of Irbil{1}, initiated this practice about 900 years ago, and he was praised by Muslim scholars of Islam--among them the Egyptian hafidhs: Ibn Hajar al-^Asqalaniyy and Jalal ud-Din as-Suyutiyy. The famous scholar of hadith, Abul-Khattab Ibn Dihyah, wrote a book for the king especially to be read during the mawlid celebration, and there are no great Muslim scholars who dispraised this innovated celebration.

The basis for commemorating honorable events repeatedly every year is evidenced in the Sunnah of the Prophet. As related by al-Bukhariyy, when the Prophet emigrated to al-Madinah he found the Jews fasting, so he asked them why they fasted on the 10th of Muharram{2}. They told the Prophet they do so to commemorate the day Allah saved Prophet Moses (Musa) and the Tribes of Israel (Isra'il) from the tyranny of the Pharaoh. It was revealed to the Prophet what the Jews said was true, so Prophet Muhammad told them: "We are more deserving of Moses (Musa) than you." He said this because Prophet Moses (Musa) was Muslim. Prophet Muhammad ordered the Muslims to fast the 9th and 10th of Muharram, and this Sunnah is still practiced today.

To celebrate the birth of the Prophet by doing rewardable deeds-- that can be done on any day of the year--is considered an innovated practice because this was not done at the time of the Prophet. Although this innovation was praised by the Muslim scholars of Islam, some people consider any innovation an innovation of misguidance. Those who consider any innovation an innovation of misguidance have been misled, because there are two sahih hadiths which support celebrating such an event. Imam Muslim related, through the route of Jarir Ibn ^Abdullah, the Prophet said what means:

<<The one who innovates a good innovation in Islam has its reward and a reward similar to those who follow him in it--until the Day of Judgment--without lessening their reward. The one who innovates an innovation of misguidance would be sinful for it and has sins similar to those who follow him in it--until the Day of Judgment--without lessening their sins.>>

There are two types of innovations mentioned in this hadith: the innovations of guidance and the innovations of misguidance.
What complies with the Qur'an, the Sunnah, the Ijma^ (scholarly consensus), and the sayings and practices of the Companions is an innovation of guidance, and what contradicts the Qur'an, the Sunnah, the Ijma^, and the sayings and actions of the Companions is an innovation of misguidance.

This definition of the two types of innovations was given by many knowledgeable and trustworthy scholars of Islam; among them Imam ash-Shafi^iyy, Imam an-Nawawiyy, al-Bayhaqiyy, and the Hafidh, Ibn Hajar al-^Asqalaniyy.

It is apparent Muslims have not gone astray in celebrating the birth of the Prophet, based upon the aforementioned hadith, because the deeds practiced during this event are considered rewardable by the standards of the Religion, and in line with the definition of innovations of guidance.

Unfortunately, there are some people who misinterpret a sahih hadith related by Abu Dawud:

[ Kullu bid^atin Dalaalah ]

Which means: <<Most innovations are innovations of misguidance.>>

Those who are misguided interpret the word (kul) as 'every' and thus claim this hadith means: "Every innovation is an innovation of misguidance.

Their claim is unfounded for two reasons. Linguistically, this hadith is similar to the hadith related by al-Bayhaqiyy:

[ Kullu ^Aynin Zaaniyah ]

which clearly does not mean: "Every eye gazes the look of the adulterer;" rather, "Most people are guilty of the forbidden look." The person blind since birth would surely not have the forbidden look, and it is known the Prophets would never commit such an abject sin. The word (kul) as used in both hadiths refers to 'most,' although it can mean "every" it does not mean this in all cases.

As a matter of fact, in the explanation of Sahih Muslim, an-Nawawiyy said: "The saying of the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, [ Kullu ^Aynin Zaaniyah ] is among the terms which are (^Am makhsus) i.e., a general statement giving a specific meaning; which is a known field in Islam, and the meaning of the hadith is "most innovations are innovations of misguidance." This field the is seen in the Qur'an in Ayah 25 of Surat al-Ahqaf [ Tudammiru Kulla Shay' ]: which means the wind Allah sent as punishment to the people of ^Ad demolished most of the things.

To accept the meaning: "Every innovation is an innovation of misguidance," as the meaning of the sahih hadith related by Abu Dawud would negate the sahih hadith related by Imam Muslim which specifies two types of innovations: the innovations of guidance and the innovations of misguidance. In the rules of the Religion it is not permissible to interpret two sahih hadiths in contradiction to one another, therefore we know the true meaning.

Although most innovations are innovations of misguidance, there are numerous examples of Religiously acceptable innovations. During the Caliphate of ^Umar Ibnul Khattab, ^Umar initiated the gathering of people in Ramadan to pray the Tarawih Prayer in congregation. When he saw the people performing this prayer in congregation he said:

[ Ni^matil Bid^atu Haathihi ]

which means: "What a good innovation that is!" The high status of ^Umar Ibnul Khattab is known, thus it is important to point out ^Umar used the explicit term [ Bid^ah ] "innovation" in his praise. If all innovations were misguided--as some claim--^Umar would not have innovated this practice, nor expressed this praise, yet both al-Bukhariyy and Muslim related this incident. During the era of the followers of the Companions of the Prophet, another praise-worthy innovation took place. Initially, letters like the ba, ta, tha, and ya, did not have dots above or below them. This practice of distinguishing between the letters by using this notation began after the time of the Prophet.

Since the time of the Prophet, many innovations have been adopted. Remembering the birth of the Prophet by doing rewardable deeds is a praise-worthy innovation. It is an honorable event and special to Muslims throughout the world. We rejoice in being members of the greatest nation of Islam--the nation of Muhammad--who was the best Prophet and the best creation of Allah. Ayah 110 of Chapter Ali ^Imran means:

[ You are the best of nations brought forth to the people; bidding the lawful (ma^ruf) forbidding the unlawful (munkar), and believing in Allah.]

This verse means this nation is the best of nations by virtue of its Prophet," as explained by the scholars of Islam. Muslims are thankful to Allah for the blessings of Islam and for being among the followers of Muhammad.

Ayah 31 of Chapter Al ^Imran means:

[If you love Allah, then follow the Prophet, and Allah will love you.]

It is fitting to honor the Prophet. The Mawlid (the celebration of his birth) has a great benefit: it inspires the heart to have a more profound love for the Prophet

For more details about this matter and other innovations, please see the article entitled:
Innovations of Guidance are Rewardable.

Footnote
{1}Irbil is a city in the country of present-day Iraq.
{2}Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar.