Prophet-King Slave Messenger
By Al-Hfidh Ibn Rajab al-Hanbal (d.795H) [1]
The Prophet sallallhu alayhi wa sallam chose the station of al-ubdiyyah (slavery and servitude) over and above the station of kingship. Once - on the day of the conquest of Makkah - a man stood-up (out of reverence) for the Prophet sallallhu alayhi wa sallam, who, being shocked, said to him: Do not trouble yourself! Indeed I am not a king. Rather I am merely the son of a Quraysh woman who eats dry meat.[2] It has also been authentically reported from the Prophet sallallhu alayhi wa sallam that he said: Do not over praise me as the Christians overpraised s son of Maryam. Indeed, I am only a slave. So call me the Slave of Allh and His Messenger. [3] Imm Ahmad - rahimahullhu tala - reports from Muhammad ibn Fudayl, from Amrah, from Ab Zurah who said: I do not know this except from Ab Hurayrah - radiallhu anhu - who said: Jibrl was sitting with the Prophet sallallhu alayhi wa sallam looking towards the sky, when he saw an angel. So Jibrl - alayhis-salm - said to him: Indeed, this angel has never descended before today. So when the angel had descended, he said: O Muhammad! I have been sent by your Lord (to inquire) whether He should make you a Prophet-King or a Slave-Messenger. [4] And in a mursal narration from Yahy Ibn Kathr - rahimahullh that the Prophet sallallhu alayhi wa sallam said: I eat as a slave eats, and I sit as a slave sits. Since indeed I am a slave. [5] This has been related by Ibn Sad in at-Tabaqt. There is also a narration related by Ab Madhr from al-Maqbur from ishah Ibrhm ibn Adham (d.160H) - rahimahullhu tala - said in an admonition, when he was asked (by some people) about the saying of Allh - the Most High -: Call upon Me and I will respond to you. [Srah Ghfir 40:60] (They said): We call upon Him, but He does not respond to us. So he said to them: You know Allh, yet you do not obey Him. You recite the Qurn, but you do not act according to it. You know Shaytn, but still agree with him. You claim to love Allhs Messengersallallhu alayhi wa sallam, yet you abandon his Sunnah. You claim to love Paradise, yet you do not work for it. You claim to fear the Fire, yet you do not stop sinning. You say: Indeed death is true, yet you have not prepared for it. You busy yourselves with the faults of others, but you do not look at your own faults. You eat the sustenance that Allh provides for you, yet you are not grateful to Him. You bury your dead, but you have not heeded its lesson. We ask Allh to grant us the ability to please Him and to bestow upon us His mercy. or
References
1. He is the Imm, the hfidh, the zhid (abstainer from this world), the admonisher Abul-Faraj Abdur-Rahmn ibn Ahmad Rajab as-Salam better known as Ibn Rajab al-Hanbal. Ibn Fahd said about him: The Imm, the hfidh, the hujjah (proof), the knowledgeable Scholar, the dependable one. He was one of the Scholars who shunned the world, and one of the Imms and worshippers. He was an instructive Scholar from the Scholars of Hadth - and an admonisher of the Muslims. Ibn Fahd also said: He - rahimahullhu tala - was a pious Imm who shunned the world. Hearts inclined towards him with love, and the different sects accepted him. His sittings for advising the general
radiallhu anh - that the Prophet sallallhu alayhi wa sallam said: An angel came to me and said: Allh sends blessings upon you and says: If you wish you may be a Prophet-Kin or a SlaveMessenger. So Jibrl - alayhis-salm - indicated to me that I should humble myself: So I said: A Prophet-Slave. So ishah said: So after that day, the Prophetsallallhu alayhi wa sallam never ate whilst reclining, saying: I eat like a slave eats and I sit like a slave sits. [6] And from the mursal narrations of az-Zuhr rahimahullhu tala - who said: we were informed that an angel came to the Prophet sallallhu alayhi wa sallam, who had never come to him before. Accompanying him was Jibrl - alayhis-salm. So the angel spoke, and Jibrl - alayhis-salm - remained silent, so he said: Your Lord inquires whether you wish to be a king or a Prophet-Slave. So the Prophet sallallhu alayhi wa sallam looked towards Jibrl - alayhis-salm - as if he was seeking his advice. So Jibrl indicated that he should be humble. So Allhs Messenger sallallhu alayhi wa sallamsaid: A Prophet-Slave. Az-Zuhr said: So it is said that from that day onwards, the Prophet sallallhu alayhi wa sallam never ate whilst reclining, until he departed from this world. [7] And it is related in the Musnad, or in the Sunan of at-Tirmidh, from Ab Hurayrah radiallhu anhu, from the Prophet sallallhu alayhi wa sallam who said: My Lord - the Mighty and Majestic - gave me the choice that the valley of Makkah be filled with gold, but I said: No! O Lord. However, grant food to me one day, and hunger the day after. So when I am hungry I humble myself before You and remember You, and when I am full, I am grateful to You. [8] Some of the knowledgeable people have said: Whoever claims al-ubdiyyah (slavery and servitude to Allh), but desires still remain with him, then he is lying in his claim. Indeed, al-ubdiyyah will only be true for the one who annihilates his desires and establishes the will of his Master, where his name is what He called him (i.e. ibdurRahmn: the Slaves of the Most Merciful).
people were of great benefit and used to open up the hearts. As-Suyt said about him: The Imm, the hfidh, the Scholar of Hadth, the admonisher Abdur-Rahmn ... He learnt from some of the major Scholars of his time, such as Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, al-Hfidh al-Irq, Ibn an-Naqb and others. He authored many books in the field of tafsr, hadth, biography and history, raqiq (heart-affecting matters) and also infiqh. He is enumerated as one of the great scholars of Fiqh of the Hanbal madbhab - as is proven by his excellent book: al-Qawidul-Kubr fil-Fur - about which Ibn Muflih said: It is a proof about his complete knowledge of the madhhab. And al-Hfidh Ibn Hajar also spoke with similar praises about the book. He rahimahullh - died in the year 795H. For a complete biography, refer to: Inbul-Ghamr bi Anbil-Umar (3/175-176) and ad-DaururulKminah (2/321-322) of Ibn Hajr, Dhayl TabaqtulHuffdh (p.532) of as-Suyt and LuhdhulLabdh (pp.180-182) of Ibn Fahd al-Makk. This article has been taken from the last chapter of his book: AlKhush fis-Salh (pp.57-62). 2. Sahh: Related by Ibn Sad in at-Tabaqt (1/23) in mursal form. However, it has been related in connected form by Ibn Mjah (no.3312) and al-Hkim (3/47) from Ab Masd radiallhu anhu. Shaykh alAlbn authenticated it in as-Sahhah (no. 1876). 3. Related by al-Bukhr (6/345), ad-Drim (2/320) and others, from Umar ibn al-Khattb radiallhu anhu. 4. Related by Ahmad (2/321), al-Bazzr (no.4262) and al-Haytham in al-Majma (9/18-19) where he said: It has been narrated by Ahmad, al-Bazzr and Abu Yal, and its initial narrators are all the narrators of as-Sahh. 5. Sahh: Related by Ibn Sad in at-Tabagt (1/371) and Shaykh al-Albn authenticated it in Sahhul-Jmi (no.8). Refer also toTakhrjul-Ihy (2/4) of al-Hfidh al-Irq. 6. Hasan: Related by al-Baghaw in SharhusSunnah (no.4683) and Abush-Shaykh in AkhlqunNab (no.213), and al-Haytham authenticated it in alMajma (9/19). 7. Although this is a musal narration, it does however, have support from those narrations that have already preceded, and it has a further witness from the narration of Ibn Abbs - which is related by al-Baghaw (no.3684) and Abush-Shaykh (nos.213.214). 8. Daf Jiddan: Related by Ahmad (5/254) and atTirmidh (no.2348), from Ab Umamah radiallhu anhu. It was declared weak by Shaykh al-Albn in Daful-Jmi (no.3704).
Marifah: The Heart Knowing Allh
Al-Bukhr (d.256H) said in his Sahh (1/88): Chapter: The saying of the Prophet sallallhu alayhi wa sallam: I have more knowledge of Allh than you all. And that marifah (realisation and knowledge) is an action of the heart, about
Al-Hfidh Ab Nuaym - rahimahullhu tala relates in the book: Asmus-Sabbah, by way of Shaykh Ab Sulaymn ad-Darn (d.215H) - rahimahullhu tala - who related from Alqamah ibn al-Hrith al-Azd, from his father, from his grandfather who mentioned the saying of Luqmn the wise when he said to his son: I have gathered my wisdom for you in six sentences: Work for this world in proportion to how long you shall remain in it, and work for the Hereafter in proportion to how long you shall remain in it. Commit acts of sin in proportion to how much you can endure it. Act for Allh in accordance to how much you are in need of Him. Commit acts of disobedience in accordance to how much you can endure the punishment. Do not ask except from the One who is in need of no one. And when you intend to commit a sin against Allh, then do it in a place where He cannot see you. Ibrhm al-Khawws - rahimahullhu tala said: The cure for the hearts is in five things: reciting the Qurn with reflection and contemplation; emptying the stomach (i.e. frequent fasting); praying at night; humbling oneself in the early hours of the morning; and being in the company of the slihn(righteous).
which Allh - the Most High - says: But He will call you to account for what your hearts have earned. [Srah al-Baqarah2:225] Al-Hfidh Ibn Rajab - rahimahullh - said in Jmi al-Ulm wal-Hikam (p.120): So hearts will not be corrected until the marifah of Allh - being in awe of Him, loving Him, fearing Him, hoping in Him, relying and trusting in Him - is not firmly implanted in them. This is the reality of Tawhd and the meaning of the saying: L ilh ilallhu (None has the right to be worshipped except Allh). So hearts cannot be corrected until Allh is made the ilh (deity) to be known, loved, feared and hoped for; and that He becomes the only ilh (deity) worthy of this - without associating any partner to Him in this ... So know that the world whatever is above and whatever is below in the waters - will not be corrected, except when the actions of its people are all for Allhs sake. Since the action of the body follows on from the actions and intentions of the heart, then when the hearts actions and intentions are directed to and for Allh alone, then it is corrected, and all the actions of the body will likewise be corrected. However, if the actions and intentions of the heart are directed to or for other than Allh, then it is corrupted, and likewise, all the actions of the body will be corrupted in proportion to how much the heart has been corrupted.
