Why Muslims honor and seek blessings from sacred relics and places

Why Muslims honor and seek blessings from sacred relics and places Narrations from Our Master Muhammad the Messenger of Allah and As Shifa

Clothes
Imam Muslim narrates that, Abdullah, the freed slave of Asma bint Abi Bakr said, “One day, Asma, brought out for us a jubbah decorated with a pattern and hemlines, its collars and cuffs lined with brocade, and said: “This is the jubbah of the Prophet peace be upon him, which was in the keeping of Aisha, and when she passed away I took it. The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to wear it, and now we wash it to treat the sick.”
from Our Master Muhammad the Messenger of Allah

Pulpit
Ibn Saad narrated that Yazid bin Abdullah bin Qusayt said: “I saw some of the Companions of the Messenger, peace be upon him, when the Mosque had emptied of the people, taking hold of the pommel on the pulpit behind the grave with their right hands, and then facing Qibla and supplicating.”
from Our Master Muhammad the Messenger of Allah

Ibn Umar was seen to place his hand on the seat of the Prophet, peace be upon him, in the mimbar/pulpit and then place it on his face.
As Shifa

Staff
Muhammad Ibn Sirin relates that Anas bin Malik had in his possession a short staff which had belonged to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and when he died, it was buried with him between his body and his shroud.
from Our Master Muhammad the Messenger of Allah

His, peace be upon him, resting place
Zayd bin Aslam related that his father told him that Umar went to the Mosque and found Muadh weeping at the grave of the Prophet peace be upon him. Umar asked him why he wept, and he replied, “I heard a hadith of the Prophet, peace be upon him, in which he said, “The slightest ostentation in worship is idolatry, and whosoever shows enmity to the Friends of Allah has thereby declared war on Allah.”
from Our Master Muhammad the Messenger of Allah

One of the early Muslims said, “I saw Anas bin Malik come to the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) grave. He stopped and raised his hands so that I thought he was beginning the prayer. He greeted the Prophet (peace be upon him) and left.”

 As Shifa

Whoever they are, wherever they are ...

"The people who have the best claim to me are the pious, whoever they are, and wherever they are."

Said the Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, to Muadh ibn Jabal r.a. when bidding him farewell.

Jalal wa Jamal

If Makkah is Jalal, then Madinah is Jamal. 
Makkah is effort (tawaf etc) while Madinah is rest with the Beloved.
- Khaadim

A Gift

“Love cannot be attained even if the whole world tries for it, nor can it be repelled even if the whole world tries for it. This is because love is a Divine Gift and cannot be achieved by effort. Man is finite but love is infinite, and finite has no control over the infinite. God knows best.”
- Kashful Mahjub, Syed Ali Hujweri

It is one thing to read this statement, and another to come to know of it by experience.

Related post on Love.

A Beautiful Chain of Narration

Imam Zaid (radi Allahu anhu) narrated in his Musnad from his father Ali Zaynul Abidin (radi Allahu anhu), from his father al-Husayn (radi Allahu anhu), from his father Ali ibn Abi Talib (radi Allahu anhu) that the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam) said: "Increase your sending of blessings upon me on the day of Friday, for it is a day in which good deeds are multiplied."

Shaykh Badr al-Din al-Hasani

One of his students related,“He would often ask us upon completion of his prayers, ‘Do you hear the reply of the Messenger of God (PBUH) during the tashahhud(recited during the sitting of the ritual prayer) when you say, al-salāmu ʿalayka ayyuha al-nabiyyu wa raḥmatullah wa barakātuhu?’ I used to ask, ‘And is there anybody who hears such a thing?’ He would respond, ‘There are people for whom if they lost their presence of heart with the Messenger of God (Peace and Blessing be Upon Him) for one moment, they would perish.’”

Examples of Love

It is reported that in the battle of Uḥud, when attacking the Prophet (PBUH) the enemy forced him to fall into a ditch and his life was then endangered.  There was no way to save him from this situation except through forming a wall of human bodies around the ditch.  The Companions competed with each other to do this.  They stood around the ditch and exposed themselves to the arrows of the enemy who sought to destroy this human fortress while another group extracted the Prophet (PBUH).  As a result, they were unable to cause any further harm to the Prophet (PBUH).  As the bodies of this human fortress would fall one after another, new men would rush to replace them.  May God’s mercy be upon all of them who taught us the true essence of loyalty and love for the Messenger (PBUH) through their actions. 

Similarly, it is reported that a woman from the Anṣār came out after hearing that her father, brother, and husband had been slain on the Day of Uḥud.  She said, “What has happened to the Messenger of God?”  They said, “[He is] well.  Thanks be to God, he is as you would like him [to be].”  She said, “Show him to me so that I may look at him.”  After seeing him she said, “Every calamity after your [safety] is insignificant.” 

When the pagans took Zayd b. Dathna (RA) out to execute him after he had been one of their prisoners, Abū Sufyān b. Ḥarb (he was still a pagan at this time) said, “I summon you by God O Zayd.  Would you prefer that Muḥammad was in your place today so that we execute him [instead] while you are with your family, safe from getting killed?”  Zayd h said to him, “By God, I would not wish for the Prophet to get pricked with a thorn in the place that he currently is [in exchange] for me to be sitting with my family.”  Abū Sufyān said, “By God, I did not see anybody who loves another person the way the Companions of Muḥammad love Muḥammad.”  Some reports state that this question was posed to Khubayb b. ʿAdī who replied, “I would not wish that a thorn prick his foot so that I may be saved.”[2]    

The intense devotion of the Companions to the commands of the Messenger of God (PBUH) is also depicted in the incident of the “three who remained behind” from the battle of Tabūk.  When the Muslims were ordered not to speak to these three individuals, there was not a single person in the community who disobeyed, neither openly nor discretely.  As they would later recollect in their own words, the city became a ghost town for them in which there was not a single soul who would acknowledge their presence or return their greetings.

The Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) represented an examplary model of individuals for whom God and His Messenger had become dearer to them than anything in their world and they became the ultimate manifestation of the reality of this love.  When ʿAlī (RA) was asked what their love for the Messenger (PBUH) was like he answered, “The Messenger of God (PBUH) was more beloved to us than our wealth, our children, our fathers and our mothers.  He was more beloved to us than cold water during intense thirst.”

ʿUrwa b. Masʿūd al-Thaqafī said to the pagans after negotiating with Prophet (PBUH) during Ḥudaybiya, “O people, by God I have served as a representative to kings.  I have been a representative to the Caesar, Kisra, and Najāshī.  By God, I have absolutely never seen a king whose people venerate him the way the Companions of Muḥammad venerate Muḥammad.  He does not spit except that it lands in the hand of one of them who rubs it on his face and his skin.  If he commands them, they race to fulfill his command.  If he makes ablutions, they fight with each other for the remains of its water.  If they speak, they lower their voices in his presence.  And they do not gaze at him intently out of reverence for him.”[3]    

The Companions also realized that the objective in loving the Messenger of God (PBUH) was not simply to experience delight in his presence or to possess an emotional bond with him, but rather this love had to be manifested in their actions through the practice of self-discipline, submission, and following his teachings.  This is best illustrated in the words of Saʿd b. Muʿādh (RA) in which he spoke on behalf of himself and the Anṣār to the Prophet (PBUH) before the Battle of Badr saying, “I speak on behalf of the Anṣār and answer on their behalf.  Traverse wherever you please. Attach the ropes of whom you please and break the ropes of whom you please.  Take from our properties whatever you please and give us whatever you please.  It is dearer to us that you take from us than you give to us.  You will not command us except that we will fulfill your command.  By God, even if you set forth until you reached the far off corners of Yemen ( al-bark min al-ghimd) we will go with you.  Even if you set off to the ocean to cross it, we will cross it with you.”

http://www.nursacredsciences.com/and-muhammad-is-his-messenger/

Complete Durood Taj - translation and transliteration

Sallallahu alaika ya Muhammad

--------------------------------------

DUROOD TAJ 


O my Allah
Bless our noble lord
and master
Muhammad -

Possessor is he of -
The crown celestial,
The ascension ethereal,
The steed supernal,
And the standard of
Truth and discernment eternal.

Dispeller is he of:
Tribulations inescapable,
Plagues incurable,
Famines horrible,
Ailments unbearable,
And tragedies terrible.

Whose name-
Scribed eternally,
Elevated incomparably,
Interceding unfailingly-
Is etched indelibly
On the tablet heavenly.

Lord is he alike of
The Arab and
The non-Arab.

His earthly form-
Sacred and Fragrant,
Pure and Radiant-
Adorns the House
And the Sanctuary.

Like the bright Sun at midday,
And like the full moon at midnight,
Established at the heights of zenith,
Our Guiding Light,
Haven for the hapless,
He is the lamp dispelling the darkness.


Adorned with qualities most beautiful,
Intercessor is he for all people.
Possessor of majesty is he,
And also of generosity bountiful.


And Allah is his Protector,
Gabrielle his valet,
The steed supernal, his ride,
The ascension sublime his journey,
Loftiest height his station,
Intimacy with Truth his desire,
His desire his Objective,
And one with his Objective, he already is. 


Leader of the messengers from heaven,
Seal of the prophets,
Intercessor for the sinners,
Friend of the poor,
Mercy for worlds, 
Bliss for lovers,
Goal of the aspirants,
Sun among the Gnostics,
Beaconing light for the seekers of Truth,
Illuminating lamp for the ones up and close,
Beloved of the poor, of the needy,
And of the downtrodden too, 
Is he. 


Master of the worlds: the seen and the unseen,
Prophet of the two Sanctuaries,
Leader of the two directions of prayer,
Means of felicity is he in both abodes:
Here and in the Hereafter.


Possessor of proximity to the Truth,
Beloved of the Lords of the easts and wests,
Grandfather of Hasan and Hussain,
Our liege lord is he,
And also the lord of all beings:
Seen and unseen.


Father of Qasim,
Muhammad, son of Abdullah,
Is verily Light from the Light of Allah.


O ye, who are eager to behold
His radiant beauty eternal,
Send blessings on him galore,
And also on his family,
And on his companions;
And say the greetings of peace
Unto them all.


Translation from http://www.bhurgri.com/bhurgri/munajatpdf.php

TRANSLITERATION: 
Allahumma salli `ala sayyidina wa mawlana Muhammadin sahibit taji wal-mi`raji wal-buraqi wal-`alam. Dafi` al-bala'i wal-waba'i wal-qahti wal-maradi wal-alam. ismuhu maktubum marfu`um mashfu`um manqushun fil lawhi wal-qalam. Sayyidil `arabi wal-`ajam. Jismuhu muqaddasum mu`attarum mutahharum munawwarun fil-bayti wal-haram. Shamsid duha badrid duja sadril `ula nuril huda kahfil wara misbahiz zulam. Jamilish shyami shafi` il-umam. Sahibil judi wal-karam. Wallahu `asimuhu. Wa jibrilu khadimuhu. Wal-buraqu markabuhu. Wal-mi`raju safaruhu wa sidratu al-muntaha maqamuhu. Wa qaba qawsayni matlubuhu. Wal-matlubu maqsuduhu wal-maqsudu mawjuduh. Sayyidil mursalin. Khatimin nabiyyeena shafi`il mudhnibin. Anisil gharibeena rahmatil lil `alamin. Rahatil `ashiqeen. Muradil mushtaqeen. Shamsil `arifeen. Sirajis salikeen Misbahil muqarrabeen. Muhibbil fuqara'ay wal-ghuraba’ay wal-masakeen. Sayyidith thaqalaynay nabiyyil haramayn. imamil qiblatayn. Waseelatina fid darayn. Sahibi qaba qawsayni mahbubi rabbil mashriqayni wal-maghribayn. Jadd al-hasani wal-husayn mawlana wa mawlath thaqalayn Abil Qasimi MUHAMMAD dibni `Abdillahi nurinm min nurillahi yaa ayyuhal mushtaquna bi nuri jamalihi sallu `alayhi wa alihi wa ashabihi wa sallimu taslima.
Transliteration from: http://www.islamicacademy.org/html/Dorood/Dorood_Taaj_Eng.htm

Layla Majnun

“I pass by these walls, the walls of Layla
And I kiss this wall and that wall
It’s not Love of the houses that has taken my heart
But of the One who dwells in those houses”

– attributed to Qays ibn al-Mulawwah ibn Muzahim (Majnun)

Abu Talib r.a.

A fair skinned one by whose face rainclouds are sought,

A caretaker of the orphans and protector for the widows

With him the clan of Hashim seek refuge from calamities,

For they possess in him immense favor and grace 

-  by Abu Talib 

http://khaadim.blogspot.com/2009/05/dearly-loved-one.html

It is said that Abu Talib, uncle of Prophet peace be upon him, recited the above verses at a time of  severe drought in Makkah when he stood in front of the Kab'a making Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, his intercessor. The Prophet peace be upon him was only two years old at that point in time. 

Shaykh Tahir ul Qadri mentions that it is narrated in hadith that after the Prophet peace be upon him had migrated to Madinah, a time came when the people approached him to pray for rain, which he did.  

It is said, that once the Prophet's (peace be upon him) prayers were answered, he smiled and said that if Abu Talib were alive today he would have been pleased.  Then he asked for someone to repeat the above verses by Abu Talib, at which point Imam Ali r.a. stood up and recited the  verses. 

Such was the Messenger's love for Abu Talib. But, Abu Talib loved the Messenger of Allah no less. 

Shaykh Tahir ul Qadri states that it is narrated in hadith that after the announcement of Prophethood, Abu Talib would ask the Prophet (peace be upon him) to sleep before darkness so that enemy spies would know where he slept, but then Abu Talib would ask Imam Ali, Abu Talib's son,  to change beds with the Prophet after darkness had fell. So if the enemies ever attacked they would attack Imam Ali and not the Prophet peace be upon him!

Thus, for three years of Qureshi enmity, Abu Talib never let the Prophet, peace be upon him, sleep in his bed, instead Imam Ali and his brothers took turns to sleep in the Prophet's bed.

A Muslim's duty is to protect the Messenger with his life and property, and Abu Talib's life was defined by the Messenger's protection. 

wasimun qasimun jasimun nasim

From Annemarie Schimmel's book And Muhammad is His Messenger:

"In the report of Umm Ma'bad, whose barren sheep the Prophet (peace be upon him) had milked, Muhammad (peace be upon him) is described as nasim wasim, "graceful and elegant."

"These words are used by Saadi in his famous poem at the beginning of his Bustan, and further expanded:

wasimun qasimun jasimun nasim

Elegant, well shaped, noble, and graceful."

So much more poetic these words are in Persian!

Pleader of the folk who fall

Most noble of Messengers! To whom but 

you shall I turn, when the General 

Calamity befalls? 

Verse 152 of Qasida Burda translated by Abdul Hakim Murad. 

Porthole of his tomb

At the golden porthole of his tomb
Pilgrims glimpse and whisper greetings,
Wait for his promised reply,
Then depart with hearts love-brimmed.
- Abd Al-Hayy Moore
From The Mantle Adorned, translated by Abdul Hakim Murad

My wish is this ...

My wish is this, that when I die
  I still may smile,
And while I go, Muhammad's name
 be on my tongue.

- Shakil Badayuni (Indian poet)
From Annemarie Schimmel's book mentioned previously.

You Belong to Muhammad!

It is mentioned in Ash Shifa that the camel that was rescued by the Messenger (peace be upon him) in its old age from slaughter or from hard work was put out to pasture, and the wild beasts avoided it, calling out to it, "You belong to Muhammad!".

After the Prophet (peace be upon him) left this world, it would neither eat nor drink until it died.

The Garden

"Surely the God-fearing shall be
among gardens and fountains."
Quran 51:15

Every corner of the garden
shines with Ahmed's light.
There the verdant herbs; his Comrades;
there his Kin, the tulips bright!
-Mesihi
From Abdul Hakim Murad's trans of Qasida Burda

Islamic Gardens:
http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=309
http://www.reep.org/resources/islamic-gardens/islamic-garden-design.php

A Mercy for the Worlds

Wherever there arises
a tumult of the worlds.
A Mercy for the Worlds
will surely come.
- Ghalib
From Abdul Hakim Murad's transl of Qasida Burda

All our sorrows and troubles are vanquished by the arrival of His Mercy. Peace and Blessings be upon His Messenger.

My pledge with the Prophet is unbroken.

Yet despite my sins, my pledge with the
Prophet is unbroken, and the cord which
binds me to him has not been cut.

Qasida Burda (Translation by Abdul Hakim Murad)

May this cord shorten in distance, may our hearts find consistency in love for this is the strongest of relations; an unending relation.

With this I have been commanded ...

A man came to the Prophet (peace be uppon him) and asked him to give a gift, so the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "I have nothing at my disposal, but purchase at my expense, for when something comes to me, I shall settle the debt." Umar r.a. therefore said: "O Messenger of Allah, you have given it, so Allah has not you with what is beyond your means!"

The Prophet (peace be upon him) disapproved fo what Umar r.a. said, so a man among the Ansar said: 'O Messenger of Allah, spend, and do not fear any impoverishment from the Lord of the Throne!" Allah's Messenger smiled (peace be upon him), and delight in the Ansari's saying was recognized in his face. Then he said: "With this I have been commanded!"

From Ash Shamail Al Muhammadiyya - Muhammad Bin Isa At Tirmidhi

Victor Hugo's Poem on the Prophet (peace be upon him)

"Comme s’il pressentait que son heure était proche,
Grave, il ne faisait plus à personne un reproche ;
Il marchait en rendant aux passants leur salut ;
On le voyait vieillir chaque jour, quoiqu’il eût
À peine vingt poils blancs à sa barbe encor noire ;
Il s’arrêtait parfois pour voir les chameaux boire,
Se souvenant du temps qu’il était chamelier."
http://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/L’An_neuf_de_l’Hégire


Separately, Abdul Hakim Murad (from The Mantle Adorned) provides a selection from Victor Hugo's poem in English:


"The silenced crowd
Moved backward as he passed along his way,
The people's gaze was soft as the dove's eye,
Resting upon that man, august."