The Hand of the Prophet

Safiyya, the Prophet�s wife, said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, came one day and asked, �O Daughter of Huyay, do you have anything, for I am hungry.� I said, �No by Allah, O Messenger of Allah, save two measures of flour.� �Cook it!� he said. I put it in the pot, cooked it, then said, �It is cooked O Messenger of Allah!� He said, �Do you know if there is anything in the fat container of the daughter of Abū bakr?� I said, �I know not O Messenger of Allah!� He went himself to her house and said, �Anything in your fat container O daughter of Abū Bakr?� �Nothing but a little,� she said. He brought it back, squeezed it into the pot until I saw something coming out. He put his hand [on it] saying, �In the Name of Allah, invite your sisters for I know they feel as I do!� I invited them and we ate until satiated. Then Abū Bakr came and entered, then �Umar came and entered, then a man came. They all ate to satiety and some still remained."[56]

Abū Hurayra said, �One night I missed supper with the Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, and also missed being invited by one of our companions. I prayed �Ishā� then tried to sleep but could not. Then I tried to pray, but could not. There was a man standing near the apartment of the Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him. I walked up to him and it was the Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, praying. He prayed, then, leaning against the palm trunk he had been praying toward, said, �Who is this? Abū Hurayra?� I said, �Yes!� He said, �You missed supper with us tonight?� I said, �Yes!� He said, �Go to the house and say: Bring the food you have!� [I did and] they gave me a plate in which was a paste made with dates. I took it to the Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, and placed it before him. He said, �Call those in the mosque!� I said to myself, �Woe to me, for I can see the food is so little, and woe to me from disobedience!� I came to men asleep and awakened them saying, �Respond!� and I came to men praying and said, �Respond!� until they all gathered near the Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him. He thrust his fingers into it and pressed around the edge, then said, �Eat in the Name of Allah!� They ate to satiety and I ate to satiety. Then he said, �Take it Abū Hurayra and return it to the family of Muhammad, for there is no food with the family of Muhammad that one possessed of a liver [meaning a living being] can eat but this. It was offered to us by one of the Helpers.� I took the plate and lifted it up, and it was as it had been when I had placed it there, except for the marks of the fingers of the Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him."[57]

Ziyād ibn al-Hārith recounted how, as they were travelling with the Prophet, morning found them without water. "Any water?" the Prophet asked him. "Only a little that will not suffice you, O Messenger of Allah!" he replied. "Put it in a vessel and bring it!" he said. He put his hand in the water and they saw water gushing from between two of his fingers. He said, "Call my Companions, whoever needs water!" He called them and they came and each took what he needed. [Seeing this] they said, "O Messenger of Allah, we have a well that suffices us with water during the winter, and we gather around it. But in the summer the water becomes scarce and we have to scatter to the surroundings wells. However. Now that we are Muslims, everyone around us is an enemy. So pray Allah for our well so that its water may suffice us, so that we remain gathered around it." The Prophet asked for seven pebbles, rubbed them between his fingers, prayed to Allah, then said, "Go with these pebbles, when you reach the well throw them in one by one, invoking the Name of Allah!" They did and the well remained so full of water that they never saw its bottom again.[58]

Anas ibn Mālik said, �I once saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, when it was time for �Asr prayer and people looked for water for their ablutions and found none. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, was brought some water, he put his hand in the vessel and told the people to make their ablutions from it. I watched the water gushing from under his fingers while people made their ablutions, till the last one of them had done!"

And in another version of the same incident he said, "I reckoned between sixty and eighty [men], I watched water gushing from between his fingers."[59]

Anas recounted another similar incident thus, �Once when the Prophet of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, and his Companions were at al-Zawrā�, and al-Zawrā� is in Madina near the market and the mosque, he called for a cup partly filled with water, put his hand in it and water started gushing from between his fingers so that all his Companions made their ablutions.� �How many were they, O Abū Hamza?� he was asked. �They were about three hundred,� he replied.[60]

Mu�ādh ibn Jabal said, �We went out with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, the year of the Tabūk expedition. He joined his prayers so that he prayed Zuhr and �Asr together and Maghrib and �Ishā� together. One day when he had thus delayed the prayer he came out, prayed Zuhr and �Asr together, then went in, then came out again, prayed Maghrib and �Ishā together, then said, �Tomorrow, Allah willing, you will come upon the spring of Tabūk. You will reach it only by mid-morning. He who reaches it let him not touch any of its water until I arrive.� When we reached it two men were already there and in the spring there was little water. The Messenger of Allah asked them, �Have you touched any of its water?� �Yes!� they said. He rebuked them and spoke to them as Allah willed him to speak, then we scooped out little water by little in our palms until some was collected in something [a vessel or a cup] then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, washed his hands and face in it, then returned it into the spring, at which it gushed forth with profuse water, so that the people all took their fill. �O Mu�ādh,� he said, �if your life be prolonged, you will see this place full of gardens!�[61]

Ibn �Abbās said, �Morning came upon the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, and there was no water. �Is there any water?� he asked. They said, �No!� �Is there a waterskin?� he asked, so they brought one and placed if before the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him. He placed both hands on it, then spread his fingers and water gushed, as with Moses� staff, from the fingers of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him. He said, �O Bilāl! Call the people to their ablutions!� They came and did their ablutions from between the fingers of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, except ibn Mas�ūd who was more intent on drinking.[62] Having made their ablutions, they prayed Subh, then he sat for the people and said, �O people, whose faith is the most wondrous?� �The angels,� they replied. �How can the angels not believe, when they can witness the matter?� he said. �The Prophets, O Messenger of Allah!� they said. �How can the Prophets not believe,� he said, �when revelation alights upon them from heaven?� �Your Companions then, O Messenger of Allah!� �How can my Companions not believe,� he said, �when they are witnessing what they are witnessing? But the most wondrous in faith are people who will come after me, who have faith in me even though they have not seen me, who believe me even though they have not seen me. They are my brothers!�"[63]

Al-Barā� ibn �Āzib said, �We were on an expedition with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him. We came upon a well where the water was scarce. Six of us descended into it. A bucket was sent down to us, while the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, stood at the rim of the well. We filled half or two thirds of it, then it was pulled up to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him. He put his hand into it saying whatever Allah willed him to say, then the bucket was sent back to us with the water in it. [They poured the water in the well and the water began rising.] I saw the last one of us being dragged out in a hurry for fear of him drowning. Then it flowed [over the ground like] a river."[64]

Anas ibn Mālik said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, sent a force against the pagans which included Abū Bakr, �Umar and many other people. He said to them, �March diligently, for between you and the pagans is water, if they outstrip you to this water people will suffer hardship, you will be severely thirsty and so will your animals.� The Messenger of Allah, together with eight men, remained behind. He said to his Companions, "Shall we sleep part of the night then rejoin the people?" "Yes, O Messenger of Allah!" they replied. They laid down and were awakened only by the heat of the Sun. He said to them, "Rise and attend to your needs!" When they returned he said, "Does any of you have water?" One of them said, "A small skin with a little water O Messenger of Allah." "Bring it!" He said. He brought it and the Prophet passed both his palms over it, prayed for baraka, then said to his Companions, "Come here and make your ablutions!" He poured water for them until they had done, then one of them gave the Ādhān, then the Iqāma, and the Prophet led them in prayer. Then he said to the owner of the skin, "Look after your skin, it will be of consequence!� He climbed on his mount then said, �How do you think they have fared?� �Allah and His Messenger know best,� they replied, �but they have Abū Bakr and �Umar with them and they will counsel them.� The pagans, however, reached the water before the Muslims and the latter became extremely thirsty, so did their animals. When the Prophet arrived he said, "Where is the owner of the skin?" "Here he is O Messenger of Allah!" they replied. He took the skin in which a little water had remained and said, "Come here and drink!" He went on pouring water for them until they all drank, gave their animals, and filled every skin and cup they had.[65]

The baraka of the Prophet�s hand also showed in the animals and plants he touched.

After the Prophet left Macca for Madina in the company of Abū Bakr, the latter�s servant, �Āmir ibn Fuhayr, and their guide, �Abdallah ibn Urayqit, they passed by the two tents of Umm Ma�bad of Khuzā�a. She was a tough, elderly woman who sat before her tent giving people food and drink. They asked her to sell them meat and dates but she had none. The Prophet noticed an ewe near the corner of the tent, "What is this ewe, O Umm Ma�bad?" he asked." An ewe that is so weak it was left behind by the sheep," she replied. "Does she have any milk?" he asked. "She is too weak for that!" she replied. "Will you allow me to milk her?" he asked. "If you see that she can be milked then milk her!" she said. The Prophet passed his hand over the ewe�s udder, uttered the Name of Allah, prayed for her, then asked for a large vessel. He milked her and milk came out in profusion. He gave Umm Ma�bad to drink first, until she was full, then his companions, leaving himself for last. Then he milked the ewe again until the vessel was full and left it with her.[66]

Umm Ma�bad later said that the ewe the Prophet had touched with his hand remained with them till the "year of the famine" in the days of �Umar ibn al-Khattāb. They milked her mornings and evenings even though nothing at all grew from the earth. Meaning that she produced milk although there was nothing for her to eat.[67]

Abū Qursāfa recounted that as an orphan he was raised by his mother and her sister and was more attached to his aunt. She had a few sheep which he looked after for her and she often told him about the Prophet, �My son, do not pass by this man, for he will deceive you and lead you astray!� But Abū Qursāfa, leaving his sheep to graze, spent his time listening to the Prophet, then took his sheep home lean, with dry udders. "Why does your herd have dry udders?" his aunt asked. "I do not know!" he replied. He went on listening to the Prophet until he accepted Islam, took his hand, and gave him allegiance. Then he told the Prophet about the state of his sheep. "Bring the ewes here!" the Prophet said, then passed his hand over their backs and udders, and prayed for them to have baraka. The animals swelled with meat and milk. When Abū Qursāfa took them back to his aunt she said, �My son, this is how to graze your animals!� �Aunt, I grazed them at the same place as previously,� he replied, �but I will tell you the story.� His mother and aunt listened to him then asked to be taken to the Prophet. They accepted Islam, gave him allegiance and took his hand.[68]

Salmān the Persian was a slave owned by the Jews. He made an agreement with them for his freedom to plant three hundred palm trees and give them a certain amount of gold. As soon as the palms produced their first dates, he was to be free. He went to the Prophet, asking for his help. The Prophet planted the three hundred trees with his blessed hands. All three hundred grew and produced dates by the end of the year.[69]

The baraka of the Prophet�s hand also showed its effect in many of the inanimate objects that he touched.

Suwayd ibn Zayd recounted how he once saw Abū Dharr sitting on his own in the mosque and thought it a good opportunity to ask him about �Uthmān. Abū Dharr said, �I shall never say anything about �Uthmān but good, because of something I saw with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him. I used to watch for the time when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, was all alone so that I could learn from him. One day I went and found that he had gone out. I followed him. He sat somewhere and I sat with him. �What has brought you, O Abū Dharr?� he said, �Allah and His Messenger!� I replied. Then Abū Bakr came, gave salām and sat to the right of the Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him. He said, �What has brought you Abū Bakr?� �Allah and His Messenger!� he replied. Then �Umar came and sat to Abū Bakr�s right. �O �Umar,� he said, �What has brought you?� �Allah and His Messenger!� he replied. Then �Uthmān came and sat to �Umar�s right. He said �O �Uthmān, what has brought you?� �Allah and His Messenger!� he replied. The Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, picked up seven or nine pebbles. They glorified [Allah] in his hand, till I heard them buzz like bees buzz. He put them down and they became silent. He put them in Abū Bakr�s hand and they glorified till I heard them buzz like the bees buzz, then he put them down and they were silent. He picked them up and put them in �Uthman�s hand and they glorified till I heard them buzz as bees buzz. Then he put them down and they were silent."[70]

The baraka of the hand of the Prophet was also seen clearly in many battles and during the conquest of Macca, again with inanimate objects.

During the battle of Badr three of the Companions broke their swords. �Ukāsha ibn Mihsan was given a palm branch by the Prophet. As soon as he brandished it it turned into a fine sword which he made good use of till the end of the battle, and then carried on using, calling it "Al-Qawiy" (the Strong) until he was martyred in Najd during the wars against the apostates.[71]

Salama ibn al-Harish also broke his sword and was given a palm branch by the Prophet who said, "Fight with it!" It turned into a sword which he used until many years later he was martyred on the bridge of Abū �Ubayd during the conquest of Iraq.[72]

�Abdallah ibn Jahsh was the third to be given a palm branch to fight with. It became a sword which they named �Al-�Urjūn� (the Palm Branch). He died a martyr on the day of Uhud, but the sword remained with his heirs until they sold it.[73]

During the Battle of Badr, but also before that in Macca and after that at Hunayn, the Prophet threw gravel or pebbles at the pagans, hitting them individually in eyes. Allah addresses him thus in the Qur�ān: "You threw not when you threw, but Allah threw," [8:17] for it is humanly impossible to achieve such a feat.

On the first occasion, in Macca, the elders of Quraysh met in the Hijr and swore to each other by Lāt, �Uzzā, Manāt, Nā�ila, and Isāf that as soon as they saw Muhamamd they would rise to him as one man and part not from him until they had killed him. Fātima overheard this, she hastened home weeping, and entered upon the Prophet saying, �There were the elders of your people promising each other that as soon as they saw you they would rise as one man to your blood!" "My child," he said, "bring me some water for my ablutions!" He performed his ablutions then headed towards the mosque. When they saw him they said, "Here he is! Here he is!" but they lowered their gazes, hung their chins on their chests, did not look at him, nor did any of them rise toward him. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, approached till he stood over them. He took a handful of dust and saying, "Befouled be the faces!" threw it at them. Not one of those who were hit by it on that day escaped being killed at Badr.[74]

On the day of Badr he took a handful of pebbles and threw it at the pagans saying, "Befouled be the faces!" Allah caused these to hit most of the pagans in the eyes, with a sound as if pebbles were falling into a pan. This is when their defeat began.[75]

As for the day of Hunayn, when the Mulims were taken by surprise by the enemy and some chaos ensued, the Prophet found himself on his own on his mule. Salama ibn al-Akwa� recounted how he saw the Prophet climb down from his mule, pick up a handful of dust, then throw it in the pagan�s faces saying, "Befouled be the faces!" Their eyes were filled with dust and they retreated in disarray.[76]

Before the siege of Madina, the Battle of the Trench, as the Muslims were digging the trench, they met a rock they could not break. They tried hard but it only broke their picks. They reported this to the Prophet who took the pick from Salman and struck the rock. A light flashed, illuminating Madina from one lava tract to the other, as if it was a lamp lit in a dark night. The Prophet said, "Allahu Akbar!" He struck it again, another flash shot forth, he said, �Allāhu Akbar!� Then he struck it a third time. Again a flash of light shot forth, and again he said, �Allāhu Akbar!� The rock was shattered by the third blow. They asked him about the three flashes of light, and he said, �The first one lit up for me the palaces of Hīra and the cities of Khosroes, as if they were dogs� teeth, and Gabriel informed me that my nation is to overcome them. The second one lit up for me the red palaces of the land of the Byzantines, as if they were dogs� teeth, and Gabriel informed me that my nation is to overcome them. The third lit up for me the palaces of Sana�ā, as if they were dogs� teeth, and Gabriel told me that my nation is to overcome them!�[77]

When he entered the Sacred Mosque after the conquest of Macca, the Prophet went round the Ka�ba pointing at the idols with his stick or his bow. There were three hundred and sixty idols on and around the Ka�ba, their feet fixed with lead, in addition to Isāf and Nā�ila where the pagans slaughtered their offerings. As the Prophet passed by each of the idols, he pointed at it, reciting: "Say: The truth has come and falsehood has vanished; falsehood is ever vanishing." [17:81] When he pointed at them the idols fell on their faces one by one.[78]

The Companions knew well the baraka in the hand of the Prophet; they also knew about its being the symbol of Divine generosity and power. They loved to touch and kiss it, they competed for the water he had dipped it in, and, after his death, those who never saw him were eager to touch and kiss those hands that had touched him.

Both the Jews and the Christians who recognized the Prophet as a Divine envoy also showed their love and respect for him by kissing both his hands and his feet.

Once, after the Prophet�s emigration to Madina, a Jew said to a friend of his, "Let us go to this Prophet!" his friend said, "Say not Prophet! Were he to hear you he would have four eyes!" They came to the Prophet and asked him about nine things which he answered. They kissed his hands and feet, saying, "We testify that you are a Prophet!" "What prevents you from following me?" he asked. "David prayed that there should always be a Prophet from his progeny. We fear, were we to follow you, that the Jews would kill us!"[79]

When the Prophet went to Tā�if to call its people to Islam they mistreated him and wounded both his feet by throwing stones at him. He repaired to a garden belonging to two Qurayshi noblemen, �Utba and Shayba, sons of Rabī�a. They happened to have come down from Macca and to have seen what had happened to him. As they were related to him sufficiently closely in tribal terms to allow themselves to feel some sympathy, they called a Christian slave of theirs named �Addās and told him, �Take some of these grapes, put them in this plate, then take them to this man and tell him to eat!� When �Addās placed the plate before him and said �Eat!� the Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, extending his hand, said, �In the name of Allah!� then began to eat. �Addās looked at his face, then said, �By Allah! These words are not what the people of this land say!� �From which land do you hail �Addās?" he was asked, "and what is your religion?" He replied, "I am a Christian, a man from Nineveh." "From the town of the virtuous man Jonah the son of Matthew?" asked the Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him. "How do you know who Jonah the son of Matthew is?� asked �Addās. �He is my brother,� he was told, �he was a Prophet and I am a Prophet!� At this �Addās rushed to him, kissing his head, hands and feet.

One of the sons of Rabī�a said to the other, �He has spoiled your slave for you!� Then, when �Addās returned to them, they said to him, �Woe to you, O �Addās! Why do you kiss this man�s head, hands, and feet?� He replied, �Master, there is no one on earth better than this man, he has just informed me of a thing that only a Prophet knows!� They said, �Woe to you, O �Addās! Let him not divert you from your religion, for your religion is better than his!�[80]

Those upon whose heads the hands of the Prophet wound a turban were thereby forever honoured.

Qurayt ibn Abī Ramtha al-Tamīmī, who, in the Caliphate of �Umar, conquered Aqaba, was taken along by his father when he emigrated to the Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him. The Prophet took him on his lap, prayed for him to have baraka, and wound a black turban around his head.[81]

The Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, decided to send an expedition of seven hundred men to Dūmat al-Jandal, under the command of �Abal-Rahmān ibn �Awf. On the morning they were to set out, �Abal-Rahmān appeared wearing a turban dyed black. The Prophet took it off with his hand and wound it again, leaving four fingers� length hanging from the back.[82] When the time came for �Abdal-Rahman ibn �Awf to decide who was to become caliph, �Uthmān or �Alī, he came out wearing the same turban the Prophet had wound on his head.[83]

Anas said, "Once the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, prayed the morning prayer, the servants of the people of Madina brought him their vessels full of water, he dipped his hand in them, even on cold mornings."[84]

Abū Juhayfa said, �The Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, came out in mid-morning. Water for ablution was brought to him and he performed his ablution, then the people took what remained and rubbed it on themselves. Those who could not reach any took the water that dripped from their companions� hands."[85]

Abū Juhayfa also said that when the Prophet was in Macca and had finished his ablutions, the people crowded around him, taking his hands and rubbing them on their faces. �I took his hand," he said, "and placed it on my face and it was cooler than snow and better smelling than musk!"[86]

Abū Ayyūb said, �We used to prepare supper and send it to him, when it was brought back to us, I and Umm Ayyūb used to look for the mark of his hand and eat from there, hoping for the baraka. One night we sent his supper to him, having put onions or garlic in it, but the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, returned it untouched, I saw no trace of his hand in it. I rushed to him in distress, saying, �O Messenger of Allah, my father and mother be the ransom! You have returned your supper and I saw no trace of your hand, whereas before, whenever you returned it, I and Umm Ayyūb sought the trace of your hand, seeking the Baraka!� He said, �I found the smell of that plant in it and I am a man who converses, [with Gabriel, as another version adds] as for you, you may eat it!� So we ate it but never used that plant again!"[87]

When the Prophet fell ill, �Ā�isha, in the knowledge that he used to recite the Mu�awwidhāt, blow in his hands, and rub his body, recited them herself, then took his hand and rubbed him with it, for no palm was as blessed as his.[88]

�Ā�isha said that whenever the Prophet entered Fātima�s house she rose to meet him and kissed his hand.[89]

Once when Ibn �Umar was in a raiding party they retreated before the enemy. They said to each other, "What shall we do now that we have run away from the fight and come under [Allah�s] wrath?" "Let us go to Madina and spend the night," they said, then, "Let us show ourselves to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, it may be that our repentance will be accepted, or else we shall depart." They came to him before the morning prayer. "Who are the people?" he asked, "We are the deserters!" they replied. "No!" he said, "But you are the fighters, and I am your host and every Muslim�s host."[90] Then they approached him and kissed his hand. Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, recited this verse: "or withdrawing to a host," [8:16][91]

When the delegation of �Abdal Qays reached Madina, [they had such longing for the Prophet that] they jumped off their camels and rushed to him, kissing his hands and feet.[92]

Ibn �Umar used to kiss the Prophet�s hand.[93]

Ka�b ibn Mālik, one of the three Companions that failed to join the Tabuk expedition, kissed the Prophet�s hand when Allah relented towards the three.[94]

Once Salama ibn al-Akwa� said to his companions, "I gave allegiance to the Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, with this hand of mine!" They kissed it and he never objected to this.[95]

The famous Follower, Thābit al-Bunānī, Anas ibn Mālik�s student, said, �Whenever I visited Anas, they told him I was there, he came to me, and I took both his hands and kissed them saying, "My father be the ransom of these hands that have touched the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him!" and I kissed his eyes saying, "My father be the ransom of these eyes which have seen the Messenger of Allah, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him!"[96]

And whenever Thābit came to visit him, Anas called his servant saying, �Bring me some perfume that I may perfume my hands, for Thābit will not rest content until he has kissed my hand!�[97]

Burayda said, "A Bedouin came to the Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, saying, �O Messenger of Allah, I have accepted Islam, so show me something that will increase me in certitude!� He asked him, �What do you want?� He replied, �Call this tree, let it come to you!� �Go to her and call her!� He told him. The Bedouin went to the tree saying, �Answer the Messenger of Allah!� The tree leaned to one side, pulling her roots out, then to the other, pulling her roots out then she went to the Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, saying, �Peace be upon you O Messenger of Allah!� The Bedouin exclaimed, �This is sufficient for me! This is sufficient for me!� The Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, said, �Go back!� so it returned to its place and struck its roots again. The Bedouin said, �Permit me, O Messenger of Allah, to kiss your hands and feet!� He did [kiss his hands and feet], then said, �Permit me to prostate myself before you!� �No man should prostate himself before another man!� he replied."[98]

The wooden pulpit of the Prophet had a knob on which the Prophet rested his hand as he spoke. After the Prophet�s death Abū Hurayra used to stand beside the pulpit and place his hand on the pommel, before the caliph came out to deliver the Friday sermon. Thus standing he would recite a few of the hadiths he had learnt from the Prophet.[99]

As for the other Companions, they used to wait until those in the mosque became few, then rise to the pommel, rub it, and make du�ā�. So did the Followers and those who came after them.[100] Upon learning of this, �Abdallāh, son of Imām Ahmad ibn Hanbal, asked his father what he thought of this and of touching the Prophet�s chamber. The Imām answered that he saw nothing wrong there. And the famous compiler of hadith, Imām ibn �Asākir, who witnessed the fire that burned part of the Prophet�s mosque, said, "The remaining parts of the pulpit of the Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, were burnt. Now visitors can no longer touch the pulpit�s pommel, on which the Prophet, may Allah�s blessings and peace be upon him, placed his noble hand, nor the place where he used to sit, nor the place of his noble feet, for their great baraka."[101]

The Prophet informed us that Allah, Exalted and Majestic is He says, "He who shows hostility to a Walī of Mine, on him I declare war. My slave draws nearer to Me with nothing that I love more than what I have made obligatory on him. And My slave ceases not to draw nearer to Me with supererogatory devotions until I love him. When I love him I become his eye with which he sees, his ear with which he hears, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot on which he walks. When he asks of Me I give him and when he seeks My protection I protect him."[102]

The Prophet, by virtue of being the most perfect of Allah�s slaves, is he in whom the gifts mentioned in this Hadīth Qudsī manifest in the most perfect from. Thus, because he saw and heard by Allah�s power and ability, he was able to see and hear through the earth, down to the seventh nether earth, and through the heavens up to and beyond the Throne. He saw through people�s intentions and heard the whisperings in their breasts. His hand manifested the powers we have spoken about and much more that is known only to Allah. His feet walked the seven heavens and the Throne, and took him into the Divine Presence.

The same attributes, according to this Hadith Qudsī, manifest in the more spiritually gifted among the Prophet�s community, for he must have heirs amongst the Muslims, in each of their generations till the end of time. Only he who knows the saints is able to catch a glimpse of the unassailable rank of Prophethood. Only he who accepts that Allah�s treasury of gifts is infinite and that He gives according to His generosity will begin to understand. Only he who overcomes his skepticism and thinks well of the virtuous servants of Allah will be allowed to witness some of these gifts.

NOTES

1. Bukhari, Kitab' al-Iman. 70. Muslim 1:49.
   
   
2. Muslim 2/721, Abu Dawud 2/121, Nisa'i 1/142.
   
   
3. Bukhari 2:969, Muslim 4:1815.
   
   
4. Majma' al-Zawa'id 7:33.
   
   
5. Bayhaqi and ibn 'Asakir. Majma' al- Zawa'id 7:33.
   
   
6. Muslim 7:81.
   
   
7. Abu Dawud 1:103, Bayhaqi, Sunan, 1:113.
   
   
8. Bukhari 2:967, Muslim 3:1489.
   
   
9. Comprehensive speech is the ability to state the most profound truths very clearly in few words. Second to the Qur'an themost comprehensive expression undoubtedly belongs to the Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him.
   
   
10. To be supported by terror is Allah's striking terror into the hearts of his enemies so that they are at a disadvantage before the actual confrontation takes place.
    
    
11. Bukhari 3:1087.
    
    
12. Bukhari, Bab al- 'Ilm ,13, Muslim, Zakat: 100.
    
    
13. Bayhaqi in Dala'il 3/252 , al-Hakim, Mustadrak, 3:334.
    
    
14. Abu Nu'aym, Dala'il 1:172, Bayhaqi, and ibn Sa'd.
    
    
15. Bukhari in Tarikh, Tabarani, and Bayhaqi.
    
    
16. Bukhari 4:1483
    
    
17. Ibn 'Abdal-Barr, Al-Isti'ab fi Ma'rifat' il Ashab, 3:1415.
    
    
18. Suyuti, al-Khasa'is al-Kubra, 2:291.
    
    
19. The Prophet is here doing tawassul with his own blessed self.
    
    
20. Suyuti, al-Khasa'is al-Kubra, 2:290.
    
    
21. Majma' al- Zawa'id, 9:405.
    
    
22. Majma' al- Zawa'id, 9:405. Baghawi, Bayhaqi.
    
    
23. Majma' al- Zawa'id 9:409 ibn Sa'd, Bayhaqi.
    
    
24. The kunya is the respectful Arab way of calling their elders Abu Fulan, Father of so and so, in the Prophet's case: Abu'l-Qasim.
    
    
25. Bukhari in Tarikh, Bayhaqi, and Majma'al-Zawa'id 8:48.
    
    
26. Majma' al-Zawa'id 8:48.
    
    
27. Majma'al- Zawa'id 8:54, ibn 'Asakir, and Abu Ya'la .
    
    
28. Al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar.
    
    
29. Ahmad 5:77, 5:340, Bayhaqi in Dala'il 6:210.
    
    
30. Abu Nu'aym, Bazzar.
    
    
31. Bukhari 1/87.
    
    
32. Majma' al-Zawa'id 9:405.
    
    
33. Majma' al-Zawa'id 9:405.
    
    
34. Ahmad 5/67, ibn Sa'd.
    
    
35. Al-Baghawi.
    
    
36. Majma' al-Zawa'id 9:402.
    
    
37. Majma' al-Zawa'id 9:401
    
    
38. Al-Hakim 3:677, Majma 'al-Zawa'id 9:412.
    
    
39. Majma' al-Zawa'id 9:41.
    
    
40. Ahmad 5:28 Bayhaqi.
    
    
41. Mada'ini.
    
    
42. Tabarani, al-mu'jam al-Saghir, 1/77.
    
    
43. Ibn Sa'd, Abu Nu'aym, Bukhari in Tarikh, Baghawi.
    
    
44. Tirmidhi 3627.
    
    
45. Ibn Hisham 1:482.
    
    
46. Ibn Maja 2/774 , Ibn Abi Shayba 6/13.
    
    
47. Bukhari, manaqib, 38, 1/56.
    
    
48. Muslim 1:341.
    
    
49. This is the Companion's polite manner of saying he used to have relations with her.
    
    
50. Ibn Hisham 2/417.
    
    
51. Bayhaqi, Suyuti, al-Khasa'is al-Kubra, 2/95.
    
    
52. Suyuti, al-Khasa'is al-Kubra 2:93, Bayhaqi and ibn 'Asakir.
    
    
53. Bukhari 3/1117 Muslim 3/1611
    
    
54. Majma'al-Zawa'id 8:305
    
    
55. Majma' al-Zasa'id 8:306
    
    
56. Majma' al-Zawa'id 8:308-309
    
    
57. Majma' al-Zawa'id 8:307.
    
    
58. Bayhaqi, Abu Nu'aym, Suyuti 2:216.
    
    
59. Muslim 4: 1783.
    
    
60. Muslim 4: 1783.
    
    
61. Muslim 4: 1783.
    
    
62. Ibn Mas'ud, being one of the earliest Muslims and one of the most knowledgeable, realized what an opportunity it was to drink this most blessed water, to purify himself inwardly with it.
    
    
63. Majma'al-Zawa'id 8:300.
    
    
64. Majma'al-Zawa'id 8:300.
    
    
65. Majma' al-Zawa'id 8:301.
    
    
66. Al-Hakim, Tabarani, Bayhaqi, Abu Nu'aym, Baghawi, ibn Shahin, Suyuti 1:466.
    
    
67. Ibn Sa'd , Abu Nu'aym, Suyuti 1:469
    
    
68. Tabarani in Kabir 3:1, Abu Nu'aym in Dala'il 1:152.
    
    
69. Ahmad 5:354.
    
    
70. Majma' al-Zawa'id 8:298-299.
    
    
71. Ibn Sa'd, 1/188, Bayhaqi.
    
    
72. Bayhaqi, Dala'il, 2/370.
    
    
73. Abdal Razzaq, al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar, ibn Abdal Barr 3/879.
    
    
74. Ibn Hibban 14/430.
    
    
75. Tabarani in Kabir 3/203 Ibn Hisham .
    
    
76. Muslim 3/1402.
    
    
77. Ibn Sa'd, ibn Jarir, ibn Abi Hatim, Bayhaqi, Abu Nu'aym, ibn Ishaq. Suyuti 1:571.
    
    
78. Bayhaqi in Dala'il 4/71. Waqidi 2/832.
    
    
79. Tirmidhi 5/72 Nisa'i 7:111.
    
    
80. Ibn Hisham 1/421.
    
    
81. Al-Isaba 5/519.
    
    
82. Bayhaqi, Sunan 6/363. Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat 3:124.
    
    
83. Tabari, Tarikh.
    
    
84. Muslim 4/1812, Ahmad 3/137.
    
    
85. Bukhari 376.
    
    
86. Bukhari 3553.
    
    
87. Ibn Hisham 1:499, Ibn Hibban 5:448.
    
    
88. Ahmad 6:104.
    
    
89. Al-Hakim, 3:160.
    
    
90. The host is the main body of the army towards which one can retreat to regroup and return to the fight.
    
    
91. Abu Dawud 3:107 Tirmidhi, ibn Maja, Ahmad.
    
    
92. Majma'al- Zawa'id 9:389
    
    
93. Abu Dawud 5:393 Majma' al-Zawa'id 8:42
    
    
94. Ibn 'Asakir , Tabarani, Majma'al-Zawa'id, 8/42.
    
    
95. Majma'al-Zawa'id 8:42
    
    
96. Majma'al-Zawa'id 9:325
    
    
97. Majma'al-Zawa'id 9:325
    
    
98. Suyuti, al-Khasa'is al-Kubra, 2:200, Bazzar, and Abu Nu'aym.
    
    
99. Al-Hakim, 1:190.
    
    
100. Ibn Abi Shayba 3:450.
     
     
101. Samhudi, Khulasat'al-Wafa 210-211.
     
     
102. Bukhari, Riqaq, 38.