These are some notes I took on Lesson 3 from Shaykh Hamza’s lecture series that I blogged about. I would recommend watching the lectures, though; there is a lot of great material I did not note down. To see the Arabic lines download Shaykh Hamza’s translation. Please point out any errors or typos.

Lesson 3

Chapter Concerning the Death of the Prophet’s Father and His Wet Nurses

42. Now for a description of the death of the Chosen One’s father

And an enumeration of his the Prophet’s wet nurses.

A ظئر or a مرضع is a wet nurse.

43. ʿAbd Allāh died while the Prophet was in utero,

And what honor the clan of Hudhayl obtained,

44. As a result of their daughter the Saʿdiyyah

Being among the Best of Creation’s mothers-in-milk.

45. How many clear signs Ḥalīmah saw from him;

Among them was the excessive flow of her sheep’s milk;

ʿAbd Allāh died of a fever during a journey. Banū Saʿd is honored for all of time due to Ḥalīmah رضي عنها being the wet nurse of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

The aristocrats of the Quraysh sent their children to grow up in the desert because they believed the air was better there (and it was a kind of Spartan environment), as well as for the superiority of the Bedouin’s pure Arabic. There was a type of marketplace where the Qurayshī women with their babies would make deals with Bedouin women who would take the babies to raise. This highlights the level of trust in the society at the time; even if someone was a relative stranger you would know their tribe and clan, and their tribe would be responsible for them. The Arabs would hate to bring shame upon their tribe. Āminah was at this point part of the Hashemite clan by marriage, but Banū Hāshim was going through hard times. Muḥammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was considered a yatīm, an orphan, because he had lost his father. Sayyidah Ḥalīmah رضي الله تعالى عنها relates that all of the babies were taken except for Muḥammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and she did not find a baby that day, and told her husband Abū Kabshah that she did not want to return to the desert without a baby, and wanted to take the orphan Muḥammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. She took the baby, who was wrapped in a green blanket, from Āminah, and immediately felt the milk in her breasts begin to flow. Her donkey, which was the slowest on the way there, was the fastest and most energetic on the way back. Everything was aware of his presence صلى الله عليه وسلم. When they got back at night, Abū Kabshah milked the sheep and their udders were full. It was the first time they went to bed with full stomachs for a long time. He told Ḥalīmah that she had brought a blessed soul (نسمة مباركة) into their house. When they sent the animals to graze, they would come back with their udders full, despite the drought. The others in Banū Saʿd used to tell their shepherds to follow the animals of Abū Kabshah. Something little with barakah is much better and more satisfying than much without barakah.

46. Also, the noblest of humanity’s chest was split

When his age reached two years and two months.

47. It was split again at the outset of his prophetic mission

And before the Night Ascent, according to narrations transmitted.

All of the prophets had their hearts washed, in the same bowl according to some riwāyāt, and according to some it was Jewish Ark of the Covenant. The heart of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was washed three times as described in these lines. صلى الله عليه وسلم At this age he would be walking and possibly talking. He was playing with his milk-brothers and sisters. Two angels appeared and the other children fled; they split his chest, took his heart, and washed it in a bowl of ice with zamzam water. (One can see the similarities to open-heart surgery here.) Some Ṣaḥābah said that you could see the very fine line on his chest عليه الصلاة والسلام where it had been split.

48. How many blessings Thuwaybah gained 

After becoming a wet nurse; as did Barakah,

49. Who became his nanny. Then, after the death of his mother, 

He entered the guardianship of his grandfather and thereafter of his paternal uncle.

50. His mother died and left him when he was just four years old, 

And his grandfather when he was eight, so comprehend well.

51. He then traveled with his uncle to Syria,

After he had entered his thirteenth year.

52. His uncle sent him back, out of fear of the Yahūd,

Some being devious and disbelieving folk.

Thuwaybah was the freed slave of Abū Lahab mentioned earlier. A Muslim should know when all these events occurred in the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Sayyidunā Muḥammad صلى الله عليه وسلم wanted to go on the trip with his uncle, even though Abū Ṭālib did not want to take him out of concern for him. There are many well-known stories about this trip. At Buṣrah on the border of Syria and Arabia they met Baḥīrah (or Buḥayrah in another riwāyah), a Nestorian monk. He knew that Sayyidunā Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was going to be the prophet based on certain signs (the tree, the cloud that shaded him, etc). He invited the Qurayshī party to a banquet (which he had never done in the past, even though they passed by him often), and they left Sayyidunā Muḥammad صلى الله عليه وسلم to watch the animals until Baḥīrah requested that he be brought too. He asked after his father and Abū Ṭālib said that he was (a proof that uncle and father are the same in Arabic[1]); Baḥīrah said that the father should be dead so Abū Ṭālib clarified that he was the uncle. Baḥīrah asked Sayyidunā Muḥammad صلى الله عليه وسلم some questions and asked to see his back, and saw the seal of prophethood (khātam al-nabūwah). Baḥīrah told Abū Ṭālib not to take him into Palestine out of fear of the Jews there who might know who he was (it was a time of great animosity between Jews and Christians). The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم therefore went back and did not go past Buṣrah.

53. He later returned to Syria with Maysarah,

All the while in the bounty of the Merciful.

54. The angels shaded him during the trip,

From the worst of the heat at midday.

55. When he returned to Mecca at the outset

Of his twenty-sixth year, he entered into marriage,

56. With Lady Khadījah, after forty years

Of her life had passed by.

57. The best of women, all of them, 

She resided with him for twenty-

58. Four years, and all of his children he was granted 

From her, except for one, with certainty.

Maysarah was the servant of Sayyidah Khadījah رضي الله تعالى عنها when Sayyidunā Muḥammad صلى الله عليه وسلم became her agent. Khadījah had never made as much money as on the trips where he was her agent, due to his barakah. Upon their return Maysarah told her stories from the trip, such as the clouds covering them, etc. Sayyidah Khadījah was also aware of some of these signs because of her cousin, Waraqah ibn Nawfal. She asked for his hand in marriage. She had been married twice before; one of her husbands had died and the other marriage had ended in a divorce. She was noted for her beauty. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had previously tried to marry a woman but could not due to his financial situation. Sayyidah Khadījah was around forty years old; she may have been in her late thirties. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was twenty five or twenty six years old. He remained married to her until her death when she was in her sixties. His only child not from her was Ibrāhīm رضي الله عنه who was from Sayyidah Mārīyah al-Qibṭīyah رضي عنها.

59. When he was thirty-five years of age, he witnessed

The restoration of the Kaaba, and he himself placed the cornerstone

60. With his own blessed and pure hand.

May the Creator of the cosmos’ blessings be upon him.

The Quraysh rebuilt the Kaʿbah but did not have enough money to fund the project, because they had made a condition that only pure money be used (not from a prostitute or ribā, etc). Therefore, they built it smaller and differently than it had been previously. When you go up against the Kaʿbah today, or inside the ḥijr of Ismāʿīl, you are technically inside of the Kaʿbah (and must take that into account during ṭawāf). When they had finished building, they only had the ḥajr al-aswad left to complete it, and they started arguing along tribal lines over who should have the honor. They decided they would let the first person who walks in would decide for them. This person was Sayyidunā Muḥammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and they all said that they were content with al-Amīn. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had them put the stone in a blanket and all pick up the blanket together, which is from his amazing ḥikmah, and placed the stone with his own hands صلى الله عليه وسلم. (Sayyidunā ʿUmar رضي الله عنه famously said to the stone that it does not harm nor benefit and that he would not kiss it if the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had not kissed it, and he was saying this from the point of view of ḥaqīqah (reality); Sayyidunā ʿAlī كرم الله وجهه responded to that by saying that it does indeed harm and benefit, and he was saying this from the point of view of the Sharīʿah—that means (asbāb) do indeed have effects in this world. The Black Stone is the right hand of God on the Earth according to a ḥadīth related by Imam Aḥmad (يمين الله في الأرض); so kissing it is a metaphorical kissing of God’s hand.)

Chapter Concerning the Beginning of His Prophetic Mission صلى الله عليه وسلم

61. Now we turn to the elucidation of the beginning of the Guiding Prophet’s mission,

Benedictions of the Creator of all the servants upon him.

62. The angel Gabriel arrived at the cave of Ḥirā’

After forty lunar years of the Prophet’s life had passed;

63. This was a Monday, in which the angel came with the surah, “The Clinging Clot”;

May God, the splitter of the dawn, bless the Prophet always.

64. He arose and began to call both men and jinn to

Understanding the Lord of the worlds’ essential Unity.

He began to have true, clear dreams (رؤية صالحة) even in his late thirties. At forty, he wanted to go up Jabal al-Nūr to Ghār al-Ḥirā’. This was actually a practice of his forefathers. Historically, one could see the Kaʿbah from that cave. He used to empty himself out from the shirk around him (تحنث) in the cave. During this period, at the age of forty, in Ramaḍān, Jibrīl عليه السلام came to him. Some of the people of ishārah said the squeezing of Jibrīl was the last (spiritual) emptying out or purifying to prepare him for his mission. (There are three stages on the path: first, takhlīyah تخلية, the emptying out of everything other than Allah تعالى; second, taḥlīyah تحلية, the adornment with the qualities that God desires for human beings; and tajlīyah تجلية, when the meanings begin to become revealed to the person.) The most popular opinion says that Sūrah al-ʿAlaq is the first sūrah to be revealed. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was in shock from seeing the angel, and almost went down the hill which is quite steep. He was in a state of trauma (and in this state, one should be wrapped up), but was present enough to tell Khadījah to wrap him up. He was concerned that it was a jinn or something not right, but Khadījah allayed his concerns. (It should be noted that this experience of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is consistent with the Law of Discernment for a divine experience in the Catholic and Orthodox Christian tradition.) Waraqah ibn Nawfal immediately recognizes that it was Nāmūs (Greek nomos law), i.e. Jibrīl, that came to Sayyidunā Mūsā عليه السلام. Waraqah ibn Nawfal رضي الله عنه is a Muslim according to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

65. He was supported by God with miracles

That incapacitated humanity’s ability to enumerate them, 

66. Which were like rain in their benefit and copiousness; indeed, they were like the sun 

In its brilliance and height coupled with radiant beauty.

67. Despite all that, the evildoers laid down sanctions against him,

As the sound historical accounts have informed us.

68. He was capable of wreaking havoc upon them, 

Had he wished. Instead, he generously gave them respite

69. So that God might guide those He willed, 

And that their children might find salvation as well.

It was troubling to the elite of Makkah that he was calling them to tawḥīd since they did not expect him to have a big impact on the society, being an orphan and because of the state of Banū Hāshim.

Related articles

• Shaykh Hamza Yusuf’s series on Qurrah al-Abṣār fī Sīrah al-Mushaffaʿ al-Mukhtār (m7ia.wordpress.com)

These are some notes I took on Lesson 2 from Shaykh Hamza’s lecture series that I blogged about (my Lesson 1 notes are here). I would recommend actually watching the lectures, though; there is a lot of great material I did not note down. To see the Arabic lines download Shaykh Hamza’s translation. Please point out any errors or typos.

Lesson 2

Allah تعالى guided the Prophet’s صلى الله عليه وسلم movement through the loins of those who submitted to Him. The ʿulamā’ say that all of his parents were believers, and that is the dominant opinion of Ahl al-Sunnah. We believe that they are in Paradise and have a high maqām. It is attributed to Imam al-Aʿẓam Abū Ḥanīfah رضي الله عنه in Al-Fiqh al-Akbar (translated into English in an excellent edition by Muftī Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf, which also includes a discussion of this issue) that he says that the parents of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم died in a state of kufr and that Abū Ṭālib died a kāfir, but most scholars say this must be not what Imam Abū Ḥanīfah said or that he made a mistake. Also his parents were stated to be “dying upon kufr” and Abū Talib to be “dying a kāfir” (because he had received the message and had a different ḥukm than the parents). According to Imam al-Ghazālī رحمه الله تعالى in Al-Fayṣal al-Tafriqah bayna al-Islām wa al-Zandaqah (which has been translated excellently by Dr. Sherman Jackson as The Boundaries of Theological Tolerance in Islam, as well as by R.J. McCarthy), that people today who have not properly heard the message of Islam take the ruling of ahl al-faṭrah. He even said that in this world, the majority of people have enough blessing that they do not want to leave the world or commit suicide, and a minority whose life is unbearable do in fact want to leave the world; the ākhirah will be similar, i.e. the majority will be in a pleasing state (even if they have to go through Hell first).

The fact that Allah سبحانه وتعالى is called “Arḥam al-Rāḥimīn” presents a theological problem, and the ʿulamā’ have held many views regarding it. Imam Ibn Ḥazm al-Ẓāhirī, taking into consideration the existence of the Fire and punishment, goes as far as to say that “Arḥam al-Rāhimīn” cannot be taken in its literal meaning (quite unusual for a Ẓāhirī). Imam Ibn Taymīyah came to the conclusion that the Fire has to eventually extinguish, in order for it to be consistent with Allah’s being Arḥam al-Rāhimīn. He uses certain evidences to try and prove this, although it is not the position of Ahl al-Sunnah. Imam Ibn ʿArabī attempted to deal with this by saying that the ʿadhāb would eventually become ʿadhb or sweetness, as the people of Hell (he calls them nārīyīn) fell into their element, and there would no longer be punishment for those in the Fire. These are all attempts to deal with this theological problem.

Imam al-Ghazālī’s view is that kufr is a rejection of the truth when it is clearly the truth, and not rejection of that which one truly believes to be false, and therefore we cannot truly attribute kufr to those in this world, as we cannot know their hearts. (The dominant Ashʿarī opinion is that one cannot call anyone a kāfir in this world. The Ashāʿirah say īmān is a maqām and kufr is a maqām (permanent state), so even someone in a state of kufr is a mu’min because his rūḥ has īmān, yet he has not recognized it. Therefore the Ashāʿirah say that Sayyidunā Abū Sufyān رضى الله عنه was a believer even while fighting the Muslims. The Māturīdīyah say kufr is a ḥāl (impermanent state), and therefore Sayyidunā Abū Sufyan was a kāfir who became a mu’min. This also relates to the discussion of the statement, “I am a believer, in shā’ Allāh”, which the Ashāʿirah allow and the Māturīdīyah disallow.) Imam al-Ghazālī says that because of this, only Allah تعالى can judge who is a kāfir. Only when the Quran and Sunnah clearly indicate that someone is a kāfir can anyone else affirm that (like Abū Lahab). In the sīrah, one does not see the Ṣaḥābah addressing people as yā kāfir, rather they would say things like yā ʿadūw Allāh O enemy of God or yā ʿadūw nafsika O enemy of your own self.

The only time in the Sharīʿah when one may call another a kāfir, is when one is onself accused of kufr, because it is kufr to call a mu’min a kāfir. This is why Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal رضي الله عنه said لا أكفّر إلا من كفرني I do not make takfīr of anyone unless they make takfīr of me. Imam al-Dhahabī in his biography of Imam Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī رحمه الله said that, near the end of his life, he said لا تكفر احدا من اهل القبلة إنما هي ألفاظ نخترف بتأويلها we do not make takfīr of anyone who faces Makkah, and these are semantics which we differ about. Al-Dhahabī says that his teacher Ibn Taymīyah was like that at the end of his life, and said لا أكفّر من يحافظ على الوضوء فإن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال لا يحافظ على الوضوء إلا مؤمن I do not make takfīr of anyone consistent in his wuḍū’, because the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said that no one is consistent in his wuḍū’ except a mu’min. Imam Abū Ḥanīfah رضي الله عنه said that to (mistakenly) consider a thousand people believers, is easier than (mistakenly) considering one person a kāfir. It is better to err on the side of īmān.

Chapter Concerning the Prophet’s Birthday صلى الله عليه وسلم

31. Now for an explanation of the Chosen Prophet’s birthday,

Blessing and peace upon him as long as the Levanter rises in the East.

Mawlid is اسم مكان وزمان in Arabic, so the mawlid is the time that he صلى الله عليه وسلم was born and also the place where he صلى الله عليه وسلم was born. He was born in Makkah. The dominant opinion is that he was born in Rabīʿ al-Awwal, which means the first spring; he was born in April. April is the most balanced of months in terms of weather, and everything about him صلى الله عليه وسلم was balanced. (31) The Levanter is the eastern wind. Winds are one of the great āyāt of Allah. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said نُصِرتُ بالصبا I was given victory by the easterlies. The walls of the Kaʿbah is aligned to the four winds: دبور the westerly wind, صبا easterly, يمان southerly, and شمئل northerly. It is also aligned to the star Canopus (called Suhayl in Arabic), which is the star in the southern hemisphere which is as important as the North Star in the north. The corners of the Kaʿbah are not exactly aligned to the compass directions because it was aligned to the winds and Suhayl according to Sayyidunā Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه. The Yemeni corner is perfectly aligned to Suhayl. Suhayl is the most important navigational star; satellites and space travel are aligned to it—the Kaʿbah is our connection with the heavens. It is said there was a beautiful easterly wind that came at his birth عليه الصلاة والسلام.

Imam Barzanjī said that the place where he was conceived is the greatest place in the world after the place that contains his body, although this is debated among the ʿulamā’. He also says when the easterly wind comes it is beneficial to the bodies and increases ones desire to see ones beloved, and its quality is hot and dry (this relates to humoral medicine). There is a ḥadīth in Sunan al-Tirmidhī about the cucumber (which is cold and wet) being eaten with the date (which is hot and dry), which balance each other in a meal. Memory is improved by that which is hot and dry.

32. Āminah the Zahrite became pregnant,

And how blessed is she due to the noblest of God’s creation,

Tūbā means that she is in paradise, and so he is putting forward his opinion about her fate. There are many wondrous things that Āminah saw according to the tradition, much of which is weak and apocryphal. However, she did hear a voice tell her to name him Muḥammad. There were only three Arabs before him that had that name; it was quite rare. Those three Arabs were so named in the hope that they would in fact be the expected final prophet. After she married ʿAbd Allāh she only spent three nights with him.

33. In the Solitary Rajab, in the home of Wahb, 

Her father. However, another opinion holds it was in canyon of Abī Ṭālib.

34. The Guiding Prophet’s birthday, 

Upon him blessings of the Creator of all servants,

35. Was in the year of the elephant’s arrival to Quraysh, 

About fifty days after the event,

Most of the Western sources place this year as 570 (or sometimes, 569, 571, or 572); it is difficult to know with any certainty. (Shaykh Hamza described the incident of the elephant and a lot more fascinating jāhilī Arab history in the two introductory sessions.)

36. On Monday, in the Blessed Month of Rabīʿ al-Awwal, 

The third of the month, or the twelfth day.

37. A weaker opinion holds it was the eighth day of Rabīʿ al-Awwal, 

Which corresponds to the months of April, according to the scholarly premiers.

There are different opinions about the day: 8, 9, 10, and 12. 12 is the dominant opinion. It is a national holiday of almost every Muslim country. Historically, it was a very large celebration. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم recommended fasting on Mondays because he was born on that day. Abū Lahab’s punishment in the Fire will be lessened due to his freeing out of happiness the slave (Thuwaybah) who brought him news of the birth of Sayyidunā Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم.

38. This was around eight hundred years after Alexander, 

The sun being in the constellation of Aries, while Jupiter

39. And Saturn were both in the middle of the sky 

In conjunction with the spectacular constellation Scorpio.

حفظ means 800 using the abjad system. Astrology as a means of divination is ḥarām. The heavens, however, are undeniably meaningful and there is import to what happens in the heavens. The ʿulamā’ mention these heavenly signs. One of the signs of the end of times is a massive comet in the skies. The Quran swears by the retroactive planets like Mars, and many other celestial bodies.

40. Persia’s waters dried up, and her Magian’s fires Extinguished, and

the Pillars of Chosroes rent asunder.

41. Kings were dumbstruck, and idols everywhere 

Collapsed, never to find again firm footing.

It is recorded that that night the kings had this feeling, but Allah knows best the authenticity of this and the other stories about idols falling in different places all over the world, etc.

An image of the star Canopus (Suhayl), taken by the International Space Station.

Related articles

• Shaykh Hamza Yusuf’s series on Qurrah al-Abṣār fī Sīrah al-Mushaffaʿ al-Mukhtār (m7ia.wordpress.com)

These are some notes I took on Lesson 1 from Shaykh Hamza’s lecture series that I blogged about. (I am not planning to post my notes from the two introductory lessons because they’re pretty disorganized.) I would recommend actually watching the lectures, though; there is a lot of great material I did not note down. To see the Arabic lines please download Shaykh Hamza’s translation. Please point out any errors or typos.

Lesson 1

The author was a master of each of the Islamic sciences in the classical tradition. Most scholars today do not meet this condition of mastery. Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi said there were 12 sciences to master in order to do tafsīr. Aḥmad Baba, a scholar of Timbuktu, mentions in his biography of the author that he sent to his brother a poem (an arjūzah, written in baḥr al-rajiz, which the Arabs called ḥimār al-shāʿir, the donkey of the poet, because it is relatively easy to write in) in which he summarized twenty different subjects.

Qurrah al-Abṣār fī Sīrah al-Mushaffaʿ al-Mukhtār

Qurrah: the Arabs say that two types of tears exit the eyes: hot and cold. Hot tears are painful tears and cool tears are those of joy. Qurrah al-ʿayn is what gives you tears of joy.

Introduction

1. Praise be to God, who by means of Aḥmad

Guided to the straightest path of those who guide;

All of these poems begin with the praise of Allah, either with ḥamd or the basmalah (although many avoided the basmalah so as to avoid versifying the Quran, at least according to those who consider the basmalah the first āyah of the Quran). There are two riwāyāt that anything starting without the basmalah or anything starting without ḥamd are cut off (abṭar) or in another riwāyah sickly (ajdham). The ḥamd is thanā’, praise that is not necessarily uttered because the praising one has been given something from the one praised; he would do it regardless of his relationship to the praised one; it is intrinsic in the object of praise.

The ʿulamā’ say ḥamd for Allah is never-ending because it is never enough, hence the well-known ḥamd لا نحصي ثناء عليك انت كما اثنيت على نفسك. We are not able to truly praise Allah. Shukr is a type of praise but as a result of being the object of a blessing from the praised one. Having shukr for Allah is a blessing in and of itself. The Prophet عليه الصلاة والسلام who was shakūr (constantly thankful) used to make shukr for even the blessing of being able to relieve oneself. Ḥamd is also a blessing, and requires ḥamd to be thankful for it! The best thing to be thankful to Allah for is guidance: الحمد لله على نعمة الإسلام وكفا بها نعمة. And we received this all-sufficing blessing by means of Aḥmad صلى الله عليه وسلم.

2. A praise constantly renewed, everlasting,

Recompensing the continuous succession of blessings,

3. Followed by benedictions and peace, one after the other,

Upon the most majestic of messengers in rank and stature,

4. And upon his family, companions, and those who travel

Their righteous path, as long as planets revolve in their orbits

(2) Blessings—those which we are aware of and those that we are not. Just acknowledging blessings is a way of recompensing the blessings. (3) There is ijmāʿ upon the Prophet’s being the best of the messengers, عليهم الصلاة والسلام. All of the prophets are equal in nabuwwah, but they differ in their distinctions. Logically, the genus is the same but the kind is different (الجنس واحد ويختلف النوع). The Moroccans say محمد بشر لا كالبشر بل هو كالياقوت بين الحجر that Muhammad is a human unlike other humans like the ruby is a rock unlike other rocks. [I have a variation of this in a Tumblr post, and here it is written in a cool Maghribi calligraphic style.] (4) There is khilāf on who the āl of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is, but the majority says it is Banū Hāshim, from Hāshim, the great-grandfather of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Other opinions extend the āl to the people of ʿAbd Manāf, Quṣayy, or even anyone from Banū ʿAdnān. A group said it is the people of taqwā, related to the ḥadīth سلمان منا آل البيت (some say that this was due to Salman’s being a mawlā, while others said it was due to his maqām with Allah). The Ṣaḥābah include anyone who meets the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and believes in him and dies without having lost that belief (at any point in their life). The meeting should have taken place in the dunyā; thus, the prophets whom the Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله met during the Miʿrāj are generally not considered to be Ṣaḥābah (although some ʿulamā’ considered Sayyidunā ʿĪsā عليه السلام an exception to this). Sulūk is spiritual travel on the path; as long as planets revolve is a poetic way of saying forever.

5. To proceed: Know well that the best of what is sought

By those of celestial aspirations is the biography of the best of those who are sought.

6. So here I am making mention in a didactic poem

Enough of that subject to remove privation

7. For those seeking to learn from the possessors of guidance;

I do this that perhaps I too in benefiting others with the poem will benefit.

8. I have entitled it The Eyes’ Delights

In the Designated Intercessor’s Days and Nights.

9. I have organized it into sections

In order to facilitate the students’ objectives.

10. And from the Sustainer of the cosmos’ blessings,

I seek the gift of strength to complete it.

11. And I seek divine benefit for the one who narrates

And the one from whom it is narrated by the inestimable rank of the Chosen Prophet,

12. Upon him the purest of the Creator’s blessings,

And upon his family and righteous companions.

(5) Himmah is of two types: danīyah and ʿalīyah. The former is worldly ambition, while the latter is spiritual ambition. The best thing for those of himmah ʿalīyah to seek for is to know the sīrah. (6) You will have enough knowledge from this poem to not be considered bereft of the knowledge of sīrah. (9) Tartīb al-ʿulūm is one of the gifts that the Islamic tradition received from the Hellenistic tradition. Many of the earlier Islamic works are not as organized as the later ones. The Greek sciences heavily influenced the process of organization in the Islamic sciences. (10) ʿAwn is from Allah; whatever energy you have in the world is a gift from Allah. (11) Many of these scholars were true ṣāliḥīn, whose adʿīyah (plural of duʿā) were accepted, and we must appreciate their duʿā for us.

Chapter Concerning the Noble lineage of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم

13. An elucidation of the lineage of the Chosen Prophet,

Blessings and honor of His Lord upon him, follows:

14. The Preferred One’s lineage is preserved up to

ʿAdnān by consensus of the virtuous scholars.

15. Let me now indicate the ascendants’ names

With an abbreviated letter for each one:

16. Maʿin shahin ʿaqin kamin kalaghfa min

Kakhmin ‘amin maʿin, to here they are known. 

17. Now to mention Shaybah who dug the well of Zamzam,

Causing the Quraysh to attempt to stop him, so he made an oath.

18. His oath was that if God granted him ten sons

Who would protect him from vile transgressors,

19. Verily he would sacrifice one of them as a means of gaining proximity

To God. But when he wished to fulfill the oath, Quraysh refused

20. To allow him so he went to Khaybar

To take counsel from the city’s soothsayer, who commanded

21. Him to cast lots between camels and the son.

If the lots went to the son when he threw them,

22. Shaybah was to increase the camels by ten and throw again,

Until the lots fell to the camels;

23. Then he was to sacrifice the camels and know that the boy’s Lord was content

That they were in his stead, so be aware of this!

24. He then did as he was told,

Until the number of camels reached one hundred, and he finally sacrificed them

25. But only after casting three times to ensure

They fell again upon the mature high-humped camels.

26. And so the Prophet’s father was ransomed

For a hundred camels, his ransom from certain death.

27. Thus it became the indemnity in his community

For any believer as a just recompense for a wrongful death.

28. Opinions differ regarding the other sacrifice,

But most scholars consider Isaac to be the one, and this is most reliable.

29. Another group of scholars state it was, in fact, Ishmael,

And each opinion has its own strong proofs.

30. The third opinion from al-Zajjāj is to desist from speculation,

So follow the straight path, free of crookedness.

Lineage is one of the five things that Islam came to preserve (dīn, life, intellect, property, and lineage). This is the reason why zinā is so strongly forbidden. There is a ḥadīth علم النسب علم لا ينفع وجهالة به لا يضر knowledge of lineage is not beneficial and ignorance of it does not harm. The ʿulamā’ say that this is meant for those who delve too deeply into it. To have knowledge of your lineage and where you came from is very important. All of the ancestors of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم were preserved from zinā. It is wājib to know that he عليه الصلاة والسلام was a Makkan Hāshimī Qurayshī—this is the least amount of acceptable knowledge of lineage for a Muslim. The ʿulamā’ also consider it good to know his actual lineage back to ʿAdnān and Sayyidunā Ismāʿīl عليه السلام. (13) When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself traced his own lineage, he would not go beyond ʿAdnān, and we should not do so.

(16) This is mnemonic device to remember the ancestors. ʿAbd Allah was the youngest son of ten sons of Shaybah (ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib). He was the son that Shaybah had vowed to sacrifice due to his finding of the zamzam well many years before. Heredotus said of all people, no one takes vows and oaths are seriously as the Arabs. The sons of Shaybah casted lots and ʿAbd Allah was chosen. The Arabs came to Shaybah and told him that he could not do this because if he did, it would become a sunnah for the Arabs. (Shaybah was held in extremely high regard and was very dignified; he was born with gray hair hence his name. He used to feed people and even wild animals out of his kindness. He was a mustajāb al-duʿā, one whose duʿā was accepted. The Arabs always went to him to pray for rain, and Allah accepted his prayers.) So he went to a kāhinah (soothsayer), who told him to cast arrows of divination. (The story is well-known, see any book of sīrah.) It went up to 100 camels as the dīyah (blood money), and in fact the dīyah of Islam for Bedouins is still 100 camels.

ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib was called Shaybah al-Ḥamd due to his praiseworthy characteristics. Shaybah was born and raised in Madīnah. His father, Hāshim, was a merchant who used to go to Syria. He fell in love with a woman from Banū Najjār. He married her and promised that if she became pregnant he would bring her back to Madīnah. When she became pregnant, he left her at Madīnah and went on to Ghazzah in Palestine where he passed away. She gave birth to Shaybah in Madīnah. Shaybah’s uncle Muṭṭalib (Hāshim’s brother) brought him back to Makkah. The Makkans thought Shaybah was his servant and so the name ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib stuck.

Hāshim was also a very generous man. He was so beautiful that the Makkans used to beg him to marry their daughters. His father was ʿAbd Manāf, whose father was Quṣayy, the conqueror of Makkah from Khuzā’ah [there is much more detail on this in the introductory lessons]. He was the binding force holding together the Quraysh through bonds of kinship. Then there was Kilāb, Murrah, Kaʿb, Lu’ayy, Ghālib, Fihr, Mālik, al-Naḍr, Kinānah, Khuzaymah, Mudrikah, Ilyās, Muḍar, Nizār, Maʿd, ʿAdnān. Muḍar and Rabīʿah (the two sons of Nizār) are the ancestors of all the ʿAdnānī Arabs today. The Muḍar Arabs are mostly the western Arabs (Banū Ḥarb, Ghatafān, Hawāzin, Banū Thaqīf, etc), while the Rabīʿah Arabs are eastern (Banū Tamīm in Qatar, ʿAnazah in Bahrain, al-Saʿūd in Najd, most Arabs of Iraq, etc). Maʿd was a zāhid and noted for his zuhd. Sayyidunā ʿUmar رضى الله عنه said تمَعْدَدُوا واخشوشنوا وتمعددوا وامشوا حفاة be tough on yourselves like Maʿd. ʿAdnān is the ancestor is of all of these non-Qaḥṭānī Arabs. These details are important because all of these Arabs are related, and this is important because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was sent to these tribal people, to Banū ʿAdnān and Banū Qaḥṭān first, and Allah told him to warn those near relatives closest to him first (26:214) and that this message is first for his people (43:44).

(28) Someone once addressed (in a weak ḥadīth which I found some details of here) the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم as يا ابن الذبيحين oh son of the two sacrifices فتبسّم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم and he smiled. When Sayyidunā Muʿāwīyah ibn Abī Sufyān رضى الله عنه questioned him about it, he said it referred to his father ʿAbd Allah and Sayyidunā Ismāʿīl عليه السلام. There is a strong khilāf about whether Sayyidunā Ismāʿīl or Sayyidunā Isḥāq عليهما السلام was the one to be sacrificed. Many early scholars, including Imam ʿAlī رضى الله عنه, considered it to be Sayyidunā Isḥāq. Imam al-Suyūṭī said we should be silent about it. Most later scholars inclined towards Sayyidunā Ismāʿīl. It is unfortunate that Muslims today are so adamant about one of the opinions.

Some scholars said that Abū Ṭālib was actually Muslim. There is a riwāyah from Sayyidunā ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib رضى الله عنه that he heard the shahādatayn from Abū Ṭālib; the Prophet عليه الصلاة والسلام did not hear it and therefore there were not two witnesses to testify to it. We should be very careful about saying that any person is in the Fire, especially Abū Ṭālib—the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم loved Abū Ṭālib, as Allah says in the Quran (28:56). The ḥadīth in Sahih Muslim stating this (that he would get the lightest punishment of Hell) is āḥād, and Ahl al-Sunnah does not establish ʿaqīdah upon āḥād narrations. Therefore we should remain silent on this issue. People who insist that the parents of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم are in the Fire are far worse. Qadi Abū Bakr ibn al-ʿArabī, the famous Mālikī jurist, even said that those who say this should be whipped. The ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth on the issue is again āḥād, and ابي often means uncle and not father, so Abū Jahl or Abū Lahab could have been meant. The dominant opinion is that his parents are saved; they are ahl al-fiṭrah and in between revelations.

Credit for the image to Majd Imam.

Related articles

• Another great study of the sīrah and shamā’il: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani on Ḥāfiẓ al-ʿIrāqī’s Al-Alfīyah al-Sīrah al-Nabawīyah (m7ia.wordpress.com)
• Shaykh Hamza Yusuf’s series on Qurrah al-Abṣār fī Sīrah al-Mushaffaʿ al-Mukhtār (m7ia.wordpress.com)

Following up my post on Shaykh Hamza’s series on the sīrah, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani is also covering a classical poem concerning the sīrah at SeekersHub. The title of the program is Perfect Beauty, and the description at SeekersHub is as follows:

“Perfect Beauty: The Prophet Described A complete description of the Prophet’s appearance and character from Imam al-Iraqi’s classical 1,000-line poem about the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).”

This is an ongoing class that occurs every Monday night (see the SeekersHub Programs page for details). There have been only six sessions so far, if I remember correctly, and I believe Shaykh Faraz said he would post previous sessions on the SeekersHub podcast, but I am not aware of the time frame on that.

In the first five or so introductory sessions, Shaykh Faraz covered exhaustively the meaning of truly loving the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, employing quotes from sections of a work by the well-known Imām Shihāb al-Dīn Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Abū Bakr al-Qasṭallānī al-Qutaybī al-Shafiʿī (851-923 H) رحمه الله تعالى. The multi-volume work used is entitled Al-Mawāhib al-Ladunīyah bi al-Minaḥ al-Muḥammadīyah (available as PDF scans here) and contains many great discussions upon love for the Prophet عليه الصلاة والسلام and related issues. These introductory sessions were amazing, mā shā’ Allāh.

The main part of the class, however, will cover Al-Alfīyah al-Sīrah al-Nabawīyah of Ḥāfiẓ Zayn al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Raḥīm ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-ʿIraqī al-Miṣrī رحمه الله تعالى (commonly known as simply “Ḥāfiẓ al-ʿIraqī”), the famous Imām of ḥadīth. An alfīyah is a one-thousand line poem covering a certain subject, and is a genre of literature used in the Islamic ʿulūm, the most famous of which is Ibn Mālik’s in the science of Arabic grammar (naḥw). The title of this alfīyah is Naẓm al-Durar al-Sanīyah fī al-Siyar al-Zakīyah, which Shaykh Faraz translated on-the-fly as An Arrangement of the Radiant Pearls in Mention of the Pure Prophetic Life. This poem covers the sīrah and the shamā’il. The poem is available in Arabic online, and a PDF scan can be downloaded here.

Anyone who aspires to be a true lover of the beloved صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم is encouraged to attend this class. May Allah allow us all to become true muḥibbīn of Him, His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم, and the entire ummah. Āmīn.

Sandala.org has made available Shaykh Hamza Yusuf’s series of lectures covering the text of Qurrah al-Abṣār fī Sīrah al-Mushaffaʿ al-Mukhtār from the 2008 Rihla. They have also made available Shaykh Hamza’s translation. This text is a 400-line (397 to be exact) poem by the tenth century hijri Moroccan scholar Shaykh ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid al-Lamṭī al-Maghribī al-Miknāsī al-Fāsī al-Mālikī (b. around 880 H). Shaykh Hamza has translated the title of the poem as The Discerning Eyes’ Delights In Perusing the Chosen One’s Days and Nights. The poem is concerned with the sīrah of our beloved Nabi صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم. It contains many benefits and fawā’id which most people are not aware of in this subject, and Shaykh Hamza حفظه الله adds even more. I have watched the first two (introductory) sessions myself, and have to say that the Shaykh’s knowledge of pre-Islamic Arab history as well as the Christian and Jewish traditions, especially insofar as they relate directly to Islamic history, is really on display.

I would recommend that everyone take some time and watch these sessions, as they are quite amazing and will engender a real interest in the sīrah. There are 13 sessions (two introductory, and eleven lessons) in total. You can access these sessions and the PDF of the translation here with a free account at Sandala.org. These lectures will available online through the end of 2011. In shā’ Allāh I will post some of my notes on this blog, but there is so much that I do not write so I would urge everyone to give the first couple of sessions a try and see if they don’t convince you watch the rest.

May Allah تعالى allow the sīrah to become a means for us to love His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم, āmīn.

Related articles

• My notes from Lesson 1 on Qurrah al-Abṣār fī Sīrah al-Mushaffaʿ al-Mukhtār (m7ia.wordpress.com)
• My notes from Lesson 2 on Qurrah al-Abṣār fī Sīrah al-Mushaffaʿ al-Mukhtār (m7ia.wordpress.com)

Assalamu alaykum. This is my first blog post, and I don’t care much for introductions (or, rather, I’m just not good at writing them), so I’ll just dive right into a post.

I would like to make people aware of some great opportunities to study aḥādīth live online with explanation (sharḥ) from qualified shuyūkh and the opportunity to ask questions. This is especially important for those who do not have access to such classes locally.

I cannot recommend enough the live, online classes at Cordoba Academy on various works of aḥādīth. Shaykh Mohammed Daniel حفظه الله is a true muḥaddith who has the highest (i.e. shortest) sanad in the world in many works of ḥadīth. He has traveled the world over in search of the high isnād and the words of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم like the muḥaddithīn of old. He is a hidden gem and his knowledge is expansive, mā shā’ Allāh. These classes are live with a good amount of interaction with the shaykh. Ijāzah is granted to students who attend every session and hear every ḥadīth (and students are often asked to recite aḥādīth as well). To get a taste of some topics the classes cover, take a look at the various forums as well as the individual course pages on the site. The texts covered at Cordoba Academy include Al-Shamā’il al-Muḥammadīyah wa al-Khaṣā’il al-Muṣṭafawīyah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم (commonly known as Al-Shamā’il al-Tirmidhī), Al-Adab al-Mufrad of Imām al-Bukhārī, Nukhbah al-Fikr fī Muṣṭalaḥ Ahl al-Athar of Imām Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī in muṣṭalaḥ al-ḥadīth, ʿUmdah al-Aḥkām min Kalām Khayr al-Anʿām صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم of Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbd al-Ghanī al-Maqdisī which is the basic primer in the field of ḥadīth covering areas of aḥkām, among other works. I can very much recommend the course on Al-Shamā’il al-Tirmidhī; it is excellent, detailed, and really helps one to know and love our beloved Sayyidunā Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم. For a student of knowledge or one who aspires to be, I would definitely suggest taking the course on Nukhbah al-Fikr—there are not too many chances to study muṣṭalaḥ al-ḥadīth in-depth with a true muḥaddith while having the opportunity to ask questions along the way without going abroad.

A free, weekly, live, online class that just started recently which is offered through SeekersGuidance is a study of the entire text of a mukhtaṣar of Imām al-Bukhārī’s Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaḥīḥ entitled Jamʿ al-Nihāyah fī Bad’ al-Khayr wa al-Ghāyah (available in Arabic here [manuscript pdf scan] or here [Word doc]). This mukhtaṣar is extremely short, and contains only around 300 aḥādīth, a far cry from the 4,000 plus (without repetition) aḥādīth contained within the Ṣaḥīḥ. The author of this mukhtaṣar is Imām ʿAbd Allāh ibn Saʿd ibn Abī Jamrah al-Azdī al-Andalūsī al-Mālikī رحمه الله, popularly known as Ibn Abī Jamrah. Imām Ibn Abī Jamrah wrote a well-known commentary on his mukhtaṣar entitled Bahjah al-Nufūs (available in Arabic here [pdf scan]). This class is being conducted by Shaykh Walead Mosaad حفظه الله, who will be explaining each ḥadīth’s apparent meaning as well as the deeper meaning, drawing on the author’s own commentary, as well as that of Imām Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī رحمة الله عليه in his magnum opus Fatḥ al-Bārī fī sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, and a 12^th century Azharī scholar (Muhammad al-Shanawani, who was Shaykh al-Azhar from 1812 to 1818 AD). It is held every Thursday. Please view the details of this class and how to register here. You can view the collaborative notes from the first session (11/03/11) here. The recordings should be made available at a future date, in shā’ Allāh. I thought these classes were really excellent when I took them previously (covering about 30 or so of the aḥādīth) with Online Halaqa. Aspects of aḥādīth that you would never even think of were covered.

At SeekersHub, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani حفظه الله is teaching a weekly live dars on Al-Muwaṭṭa’ of Imām Dār al-Hijrah Mālik ibn Anas رضي عنه every Saturday at 1030-1130 EST, which also started very recently. This class will go through every ḥadīth in the collection, with some commentary from Awjaz al-Masālik ilā Muwaṭṭa’ Mālik, which is a sharḥ by Shaykh al-Ḥadīth Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakarīyā ibn Muḥammad Yaḥyā ibn Muḥammad Ismāʿīl al-Kandhlawī رحمه الله (1310-1402 H / 1898-1982 AD), the great scholar and muḥaddith of recent times. Students may ask questions during the dars. You can view the details for the class (and other excellent free classes) here. Previous lesson recordings, course texts, and a forum for questions and discussions are available if you register for free by emailing abdullatif [at] seekersguidance.org. May Allah تعالى reward abundantly Shaykh Faraz and everyone else involved with SeekersGuidance for making this ʿilm easily available and without cost. Amīn.

And of course, there is the ongoing study by Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq حفظه الله of a well-known mukhtaṣar of Imām al-Bukhārī’s Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaḥīḥ entitled Al-Tajrīd al-Ṣarīḥ li Aḥādīth al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaḥīḥ (of which there is an English translation published by Darussalam available at most any Islamic bookstore; the Arabic text is readily available online and in print). This abridgment of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī was authored by Imām Zayn al-Dīn Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Laṭīf al-Zubaydī رحمه الله (sometimes read al-Zabīdī). These sessions cover the ḥadīth in regards to its context, fiqhī applications according to the different madhāhib, lessons we can apply from it, and much more. The dars occurs every Friday and a free live stream can be accessed here. Older and ongoing sessions may be purchased from Al-Kawthar Academy; they have various subscription podcast and download options. Some students of this class put up their notes online, such as the Bukhari Dars Blog.

If anyone has anything to add to this post, such as other ongoing classes covering works of aḥādīth, please post a comment. In terms of recorded lectures, there is a great wealth of material on the internet. In shā’ Allāh I will follow up with a post on some of these series of lectures covering at least a significant portion of a compilation of ḥadīth (and not those that cover only a few aḥādīth, etc).

May Allah سبحانه وتعالى allow us to benefit through the study of the words of His Messenger, the Mercy to all mankind صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم. Amīn.