Muhammadan Perfection

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following is an article by Ustadz Fakhr ad-Din Uwaysi al-Madani. 

The purpose of this existence was Allah’s (s.w.t.) Desire to Create Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.).  It was Allah’s (s.w.t.) Eternal Love for Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.), which was His Love for the image of His Own Perfection.  The Qur’an Testifies that Allah (s.w.t.) has been Praising Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) forever.  This Praise and Love for Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) was not due to any dependency or need of Allah (s.w.t.) for Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.).  Rather, it was because Allah (s.w.t.) had Eternally Decided to Manifest His Own Perfection, Beauty and Glory through the Creation of the being of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). 

Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.), then, is the most perfect, most complete and most beautiful Creation of God.  He is also the greatest Sign of God, and the complete Pathway to Him.  Many scholars of tafsir have contended that the Qur’anic term, “Swirath al-Mustaqim”, “the Straight Path”, refers to the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.).  Some exegetes have also contended that Allah’s (s.w.t.) Command to us to hold on to His Rope refers to holding on to the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.): 

سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان

وَٱعۡتَصِمُواْ بِحَبۡلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعً۬ا ... (١٠٣) 

And hold fast, all together by the Rope which Allah (Stretches out for you) ... (Surah Ali ‘Imran:103) 

Indeed, it is through Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) that Allah (s.w.t.) Revealed His Desired Name, ‘Allah.’  It is through Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) that Allah (s.w.t.) Revealed the Qur’an, the final and complete guidance for mankind.  It is through Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) that Allah (s.w.t.) Displayed to mankind how He Wishes to be worshipped and praised.  Therefore, no act of worship is accepted by Allah (s.w.t.) unless it conforms to the Way of Muhammad (s.a.w.). 

In reality, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) is the first and only Being that Allah Loved.  Indeed, the sunnah does not ascribe the title, “Habibullah”, “the Beloved of Allah”, to anyone save Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.).  Even Abraham (a.s.) is referred to as, “the Intimate Friend of Allah”, but not “the Beloved”.  Through Muhammad (s.a.w.), Allah (s.w.t.) has Revealed to mankind how He Wishes us to eat, drink and relieve ourselves.  So, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) is the perfect voice and display of Allah’s (s.w.t.) Will in Existence. 

All Creation is in need of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) for our own very existence.  The ahadits confirm that Allah (s.w.t.) told Adam (a.s.), “Had it not been for Muhammad, I would not have Created the heavens and the earth, and had it not been for Muhammad, I would not have Created you.”  More than that, the Qur’an Itself Confirms that Allah (s.w.t.) Sent Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) as “Rahmatan li al-‘Alamin”, “the Mercy for all the Worlds”.  According to scholars of Arabic, the term, “‘Alamin” refers to everything in Creation.  Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) is the Mercy for all Creation because it is for his sake that they came into existence.  Indeed, the Creation of everything in this world is complimentary to the Creation of Muhammad (s.a.w.), and an introduction to him.  It is for this reason that all the angels carrying this worldly existence are also praising Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). 

The Qur’an Confirms that everything in the heavens and the earth has been subjected to the Perfected Soul.  The cream of humanity are the prophets, the real true Perfected Souls.  The most complete and perfect of these prophets is our Master, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.).  Therefore, he is known as, “al-Insan al-Kamil”, “the Perfected Human”; and “Khatm an-Nabiyyin”, “the Seal of the Prophets”.  He himself stated in an authentic hadits that that there has not been a prophet of Allah (s.w.t.) who did not inform his people about the coming of the Final Prophet (s.a.w.).  Indeed, one of the fundamental duties of each prophet was to herald the advent of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.).  All spoke of him,and all displayed a little bit of what was to be completely manifested in Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). 

Today, there are those who are claiming that the finality of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) simply means that he was the only complete prophet of Allah (s.w.t.), but not the last prophet.  Therefore, it would be possible for a new prophet to be sent after Muhammad (s.a.w.) but he would not be as complete as Muhammad (s.a.w.) but a follower of Muhammad (s.a.w.).  If Allah (s.w.t.) has already Sent us the only complete prophet, Muhammad (s.a.w.), then we Muslims are most fortunate and satisfied to follow him.  But they can follow their new ‘incomplete’ prophet if they wish. 

Indeed, the very name of the so-called British-Indian false prophet, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad al-Qadiyani states that he was no more than a slave of Muhammad, “Ghulam Ahmad”.  So why should we Muslims go past the Master, and follow the slave?  Some of Mirza’s followers today are claiming that this self-proclaimed ‘prophet’ was just a ‘reformer’ and ‘reviver’ of Islam.  The history of Islam has seen many great revivers of the Diyn who served Islam a hundred times more than Mirza al-Qadiyani yet none of them claimed to a nabi or a rasul like Mirza did.  Noble men such as Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi’i (r.a.), Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali (r.a.), Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (q.s.), Shaykh Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad at-Tijani (q.s.), Shaykh ‘Utsman ibn Fuduyu (r.a.), Shaykh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah Niyas al-Kawlakhi (q.s.), and others, served Islam in ways that the Qadiyani cannot even come close to.  Yet, despite their greatness, they only claimed to be the humblest of servants in front of Muhammad (s.a.w.).  They did not overstep their limits by claiming nubuwwah.  This deception of Shaythan was only reserved for those misguided ones who did not yet comprehend the total completeness of Muhammad (s.a.w.), and his Diyn. 

The ahadits mention that many of the previous prophets had actually prayed to Allah (s.w.t.) to Make them amongst the ummah of Muhammad (s.a.w.).  But Mirza of Qadiyan and his followers want to be out.  The Prophet (s.a.w.) had lots of patience and tolerance for such people in his lifetime, as he knew that Allah (s.w.t.) exposes their falsehoods.  The perfection, uniqueness and sufficiency of Muhammad (s.a.w.) for his followers is manifest and clear.  Nothing can hide that ever-bright sun of Madinah.  The swahabah, Sayyidina Hasan ibn Tsabit (r.a.) wrote about this Muhammadan Perfection: 

“More beautiful than you my eyes have never seen!

Indeed, no woman can give birth to anyone better than you!

You were Created completely free of all defects

As if you yourself planned your own Creation” 

And, Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Sa’id al-Buswiri ash-Shadzili (q.s.) wrote of this perfection in his celebrated poem, Qaswidah al-Burdah: 

“He (s.a.w.) surpassed all prophets in his physical creation and in his character.

And they could not match him in his knowledge nor his generosity.

Indeed, every miracle that the Prophets displayed.

Was borrowed by them from his light.

It is impossible for him to have a partner in his qualities.

Indeed, the essence of his beauty is undividable.” 

May Allah (s.w.t.) Open the eyes to see this perfection.  May our hearts be satisfied with it.  May we live and die in the shadow of this perfection.  And may we be Raised up on the Day of Judgement as Muslims.  Amin.