HADITH e JIBREEL (ALAIHIS SALAAM)
Hazrat Farook e Azam(Radi Allaahu Anh) narrates that one-day while he and other companions were sitting in the company of the Prophetﷺ, a man in exceptionally white clothes, and with very dark black hair appeared before us. No signs of travel could be seen on him, nor did any of us recognize him. He came and sat before Prophetﷺ. He rested his knees with the blessed knees of Prophetﷺ, and placed his hands upon the blessed thighs of Prophetﷺ.
As such, a lesson was given for the mankind till the day of judgement as how to sit with respect in the court of belovedﷺ. One should not sit as you sit before a Molvi, but sit with a high degree of respect and admiration.
He sat with great respect and love and asked: 'Ya RasoolAllahﷺ; what is Islam?' Prophetﷺ 'replied: 'Islam is that you testify that there is no god, but Allah, and Muhammadﷺ is the Messenger of Allah. And to establish prayer (Salaah), pay the compulsory charity (Zakaat), fast in the month of Ramadhan, and undertake the pilgrimage (Hajj) to the house (of Allah) if you are capable of finding your way there-physically and financially'. The man said: 'You have said the truth'. We were surprised. He asks the question and he himself validates the answers.
It is worth noting here that Prophetﷺ did not reply that you 'utter or say', instead he replied that 'you testify that there is no god, but Allah'. Consequently, the Islamic Scholars have decreed that only by utterance, one does not become a perfect Muslim (Muslim e kamil). Faith (Imaan) is not only utterance but also attestation by the heart (tazdeek e qalbi). A believer (mu'min) is one who has complete submission to the will of Allah and has faith firmly established in the heart.
Allah Ta'ala states in The Holy Quran:
'Oh those who declare faith verbally, do declare your faith sincerely and whole-heartedly'
(Surah An-Nisa. verse 136)
The man then asked: 'Ya RasoolAllahﷺ; what is Imaan?' Prophetﷺ replied: 'It is that you believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, Resurrection-the last day, and that you believe in fate (Qadr) i.e. good and bad fortune'. The man said: 'You have said the truth'.
The man asked again: 'Ya RasoolAllahﷺ; tell me about righteousness (Ihsan)'. Prophetﷺ 'replied: 'It is that you worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion, you must consider that He surely sees you'.
It is not possible to see Allah Ta'ala. The Messengerﷺ is only portraying the highest level of concentration and devotion in prayer by using these words.
Hazrat Farook e Azam(Radi Allaahu Anh) says the man then asked: 'Ya RasoolAllahﷺ tell me about the hour of the judgment day (qayamat)'. Prophetﷺ 'replied: 'The one questioned (Prophetﷺ ) about it does not know more than the questioner (the man)'.
At this point, I need to clarify a very important issue. The Wahabis are using this answer of Prophetﷺ as their argument to their fictitious claim that Prophetﷺ does not have the knowledge of everything. Maaz Allah. It is their deceptive belief that Prophetﷺ does not have the knowledge of the day of judgement (qayamat). I question these deviants that if Prophetﷺ did not have the knowledge of the day of the judgement, then why would the man (Jibreel(alaihis salaam)) ask Him the question. The answer of Prophetﷺ is explicitly recorded, clear, leaving no room for confusion or doubt. Prophetﷺ' did not say that 'He did not know'. The Messengerﷺ said that the knowledge of the man (Jibreel(alaihis salaam)) in this regard is equivalent to the knowledge Prophetﷺ possessed.
Allah Ta'ala states in The Holy Quran:
'Surely, with Allah is the knowledge of the hour (of doomsday) and He sends down rain and knows what is in the wombs of the mothers, and no
soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die. Undoubtedly, Allah is the All-knowing, All-Aware'
(Surah Luqmaan. verse 34)
In this verse of The Holy Quran, the knowledge of five things is mentioned. Undoubtedly. Allah is All-knowing, All-Aware. Allah Ta'ala is all-knowing, and He reveals it to whom He pleases.
The interpreters of The Holy Quran (Mufassireen) have stated that Prophetﷺ, has the knowledge of the five things and this is granted to Him by Allah Ta'ala. And this includes the knowledge of the day of judgement.
In his commentary (tafseer) of The Holy Quran, Allama Qurtubi(Rahamatullah Alaih) quotes Hazrat Ibne Abbas(Radi Allaahu Anhu) as saying that only Allah Ta'ala knows these five things. The angels and Prophets do not possess the knowledge of these five things on their own. If anyone claims that the knowledge of these five things is their own, they are in defiance of The Holy Quran. The Ambiya have the 'knowledge of the unseen' (ilm e gaib), but Allah Ta'ala grants this knowledge to them. It is not their own (zaati), but it is granted to them by Allah Ta'ala (atayi).
Qazi Sanaullah Panipati(Rahmatullah Alaih), in his commentary 'Tafseer Al-Mazhari' states that no matter what a human being tries, he cannot know these five things, which are known by Allah Ta'ala (zaati). The only possibility of knowing these five things is if Allah Ta'ala grants them that knowledge (atayi).
Sheikh Muhakik Shah Abdul Haqq Dehlvi(Rahamtullah Alaih), in his book 'Ashatul Lamaat' states that no one can have the knowledge of these five things without Allah Ta'ala granting them that knowledge.
Prophetﷺ also foretold the time of the qayamat. Hazrat Anas bin Malik(Radi Allaahu Anhu) narrates in Tirmizi Shareef that qayamat will be on the day of Jumma, from the time of Asr prayer till the sunset. The only thing Prophetﷺ, 'did not foretell was the year of the day of judgement; the reason, people don't stop taking the good deeds seriously. Another reason for not foretelling the year was because it is stated in The Holy Quran that the day of judgement will come unanticipated.
And in Hadith e Jibreel(alaihis salaam) itself, Prophetﷺ'' addresses the day of judgement.
So, the man asked: 'Ya RasoolAllahﷺ inform me of its signs (signs of qayamat)'. Prophetﷺ 'replied: 'of it is that a slave woman will give birth to her master. And you will see the bare foot, naked, destitute shepherds vying in construction of tall buildings'.
In Bukhari Shareef, Hazrat Anas bin Malik(Radi Allaahu Anhu) narrates that he heard Prophetﷺ saying that the signs of qayamat will be that knowledge will be taken away by the death of people with knowledge, absurdity will become customary, intoxication and adultery will become habitual. The women population will surpass men population. For every fifty women, there will be only one man, time will pass more quickly, three landslides will occur: one in the east, one in the west and one in the Arabian Peninsula, Antichrist (Dajjal) will appear. In Muslim Shareef, Hazrat Huraira(Radi Allaahu Anhu) narrates that Prophetﷺ has said that Dajjal will be blind in the left eye and will be very hairy. Jannat and Jahanam will be with him. His Jahanam in reality will be Jannat and his Jannat in reality will be Jahanam. Gog and Magog (Yajooj and Majooj) will appear. Isa(alaihis salaam) will descend, the sun will rise from the west, and a great fire will emerge from Yemen.
In Abu Dawood Shareef, Hazrat Anas(Radi Allaahu Anhu) narrates that Prophetﷺ' said that qayamat will come when there will be no one to recite the name of 'Allah'.
Prophetﷺ has imparted so much knowledge regarding qayamat to the ummah. Yet the Wahabi Mulla refuses to believe in the 'knowledge of the unseen' of Prophetﷺ.' May Allah Ta'ala give guidance to these people.
Sayiduna Farook e Azam(Radi Allaahu Anh) said: Then he went away, and I remained for a while. Then the Messengerﷺ said to me: 'Umar! Do you know who the questioner was?' I said: 'Allah and His Messengerﷺ know best'. Heﷺ' 'said: 'He was angel Jibreel(alaihis salaam). He came to teach you your religion (deen)'.
If Jibreel(alaihis salaam) being noor can appear as a bashar to teach religion, then why the Prophet of this ummah, also being noor, cannot come as a bashar?
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This article is an abridged English translation of an Urdu sermon delivered by his eminence, Peer Syed Imroz Dean Saifi, Hanfi, Maturidi of Masjid Anwaar e Madina, Surrey BC Canada
If there is an inaccurate translation, please pardon it and not let it be a means to negatively reflect on the honoured presenter.
