Noor The Blessed Light of Rasoolalah

We, the Ahl As-Sunnah Wa’l Jama, believe that it is indeed permissable to call the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] “Noor”. The Qur’an has chosen and applied this word itself to the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant him peace]. The companions would often call him [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] “Noor”. However, it is often at this point, that those who oppose this view believe from some erroneous conviction that they hold, that we claim the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] was not human!! This is indeed strange and a gross accusation. For those who claim that he was not a human, have clearly ventured out of the bounds of Islam, and have entered into Kuffr. The belief of Ahl As-Sunnah Wa’l Jamma is that the Noble Prophet Muhammad [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] is Noor and human - as we shall now seek to demonstrate. Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Qur’an. “Undoubtedly, there has come to you from Allah a light and a Book, luminous ”. (Surah Al-‘Mai’dah’ Verse 15). Imam Tabari and Qadi Shawkani write under this verse that the meaning of Noor in this verse is used for our Prophet Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam as Zujaag said. [Tafsir Tabari Tafsir Fathul Qadeer By Imam Tabari and Qadi Shawkani, under above verse] From the above evidence we conclude that it is permissible to call Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] “Noor” and it is not Kufr or Shirk as some people consider ir to be. Proof from the Hadith Imam Tirmidhi wrote that when Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) smiled, it seemed as if Noor was coming from his teeth. (Chap on Shamaa’il Tirmidhi) Allama ibn Jawzi writes: That when Adam (May Allah bless him and grant Him peace) was being created, the noor of Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] was placed in Adam [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace]’s forehead and Adam [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] saw Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace], Adam [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] asked “who is he?” Allah Ta’ala replied “He is the last Prophet and will be the chief of your children.” (Al Wafa chap on Birth of Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] by Ibn Jowzi). Hafidhh Ibn Kathir writes Abu Huraira radhiAllahu 'anhu narrates that: 'One night RasoolAllah Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam asked me to take Hassan and Hussain radhiAllahu 'anhum to their mother, when I departed with them I witnessed a light which lit our path and travelled with us until we reached their doorstep. [Tareekh Ibn Kathir and Sirat Tun- Nabi Ibn Kathir chapter on Muj’izat] Hafidhh Ibn Kathir writes: Muhammad bin Hamza radhiAllahu 'anhu narrates that once RasoolAllah Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam made my fingers glow with light. [Sirat Tun-Nabi Ibn Kathir chapter Muj’izat] Hafidhh Ibn Kathir states that: 'When the Prophet Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam was born, the King of Abysinnia witnessed the Noor of the Messenger Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam'. [Tareekh Ibn Kathir, vol.2, Chap Milad-un-Nabi] Hafidhh Ibn Kathir writes: 'One companion radhiAllahu 'anhu reports that upon the occasion of Hajja-tul-Wida [the Prophets last seremon on the day of Hajj] he saw that the blessed face of RasoolAllah Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam was shining like the moon. [Tareekh Ibn Kathir, vol.6 chap, Moa’jeezat] Hafidhh Ibn Kathir writes: 'Whilst Abd-ul-Muttalib was walking with his son Abdullah, a woman saw a light in the forehead of Abdullah, she approached them and offered one hundred camels so that Abdullah may marry her but they refused her offer. Some time after his marriage to Amina, Abdullah again confronted this woman but this time she made no offers to marry him and said: 'The Noor upon your forehead is no longer present'. [Tareekh Ibn Kathir, vol.2 Sirat Toon-Nabi Ibn Kathir,and Ibn Jareer Tabaree Chapter Mildun Nabi] Hafidhh Ibn Kathir writes 'The Prophet Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: 'I am the prayer of Ibraheem 'alaihi salaam, the prophecy of Isa 'alaihi salaam. When my mother was pregnant she witnessed so much light from her body that she could see the palaces of Syria'. [Ibn Kathir, vol.2 Sirat-Tun-Nabi Ibn Kathir Muktasar Sirat-Al-Rasool Ibn Shaykh Najdee] Ibn-al-Jawzi narrates that the Noor of the Prophet Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam would overcome the light of both the sun and the lamp. [Al-wafa Ibn Jawzi Chapter Al Wilaada] Hafidhh Ibn Kathir writes Ka'ab bin Malik radhiAllahu 'anhu recited a [na'at] poem in the presence of the Prophet Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam [part of which we have translated from Arabic is]: 'We have come to you and you have transformed our darkness into light and have removed the barriers' of ignorance. [Tareek, and Sirat-Tun-Nabi, Ibn Kathir Chapter Muj’izat] Hafidhh Ibn Kathir writes: Hassaan Bin Thaabit radhiAllahu 'anhu said: 'RasoolAllah Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam is that star from which even the moon of the fourteenth night obtains it light'. [Tareekh Ibn Kathir, chap Wilada] Hafidhh Ibn Kathir writes: From Ibn Hashaam who narrates that Hassaan Bin Thaabit RadiAllahu 'anhu who said: ' When I was eight years old, a Jew was calling to the people, they gathered around him and asked him what was the commotion, he replied: "The star of Ahmad has risen, that which is born tonight" [Tareekh Ibn Kathir, vol.2 Sirat-Toon-Nabi Ibn Hassham chapter Milad un Nabi.] All these references are proof of the light of RasoolAllah Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, which was felt by the people and witnessed by those in his presence. What was the first thing that Allah created? There is a difference of opinion amongst the Scholars with regards to what was the first to be created, whether it was water, Arsh, (Throne) Rooh (noor) of Muhammad Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, We say that Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] was the first creation of Allah Almighty. Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an, “And O beloved! Remember when We took covenant from the Prophets and from you, and from Nuh and Ibrahim and Musa and Isa son of Maryam and We took from them a firm covenant.” (Verse 7 under Surah Al-Ahzab). From the above verse we are shown that Allah took the covenant from His beloved Habib first and then from the other Anbiya’s, even though they came before. The answer to this has been written by the following scholars: Imam Tabari, Hafidhh ibn Kathir and Imam Qurtabi write, Qattadah reported that: Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said that “I was created before every one and I came at the end of all the Prophets.” [Tafsir Tabari, Tabareeh, Qurtabeah, Ibn Kathir, and under the verse of Surah Ahzab” (Qur’an) Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an, “Who sees you when you stand” and “ …your movements among those who offer prayers”. (Verse 219 under Surah Al-Shuara). Hafidhh ibn Kathir and Qadi Shawkani write that: Abdullah bin Abbas reported that the verse “…your movements among those who offer prayers”, means that the noor moved from one Prophet to the next and this carried on until it reached Amina’s house and then the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] was born. Hafidhh Ibn Kathir writes The Prophet Muhammad [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] said that I always stayed amongst the pure and then at the end I appeared in to my Mother. [Sirat-Un-Nabi Wiladatun-Nabi By Hafidhh Ibn Kathir] We are now presenting the Qaseedah recited by Abbas [May Allah be pleased with Him] who was the uncle of the Prophet. Unanimous scholars such as Ibn Abdul Barr, Imam Dhabi and Hafiz Asqalani And many others have written this so no one can have the courage to decline this Qaseedah. Hafidh ibn Qayyam, Hafidh ibn Kathir and ibn Mohammad bin Abdul Wahhaab al Najdi write, Abbas radhiAllahu 'anhu narrates that on returning from the expedition of Tabuk, I said to RasoolAllah Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: 'I wish to recite Qaseedah about you', upon which he replied: 'May Allah bless your mouth! I then recited this Qaseedah: (We Have Translated part of it in English from Arabic) "Before you came into the World, you were under the leafs of Heavens trees. Prophet Adam Alay hissallam covering his body with the leafs of Heavenly trees. (when his Heavenly clothes were taken of him ) Before Adam came into the world ,your (Noor) was transferred upon his forehead. Through Adam you came into the world, but at the time you were not human, nor a piece of flesh, not even a drop of blood. But at the time you were only (Noor) in your fore Fathers back. And when others were drowning your foreFather boarded Nooh (Alay hissallams) boat off, After coming off the boat your (Noor) was transferred from one clean woman to another. Until you came into the back of Prophet Ibraheim Alay hisslam. How can the fire burn him while you were in his back. Then you travelled into Khindaf who was also a clean woman. That is how you kept travelling forward, until the time of your birth came, when you were born, the Earth, the edge of the sky, all shone as they never did from your Noor. We are still travelling under the same guidance of that Noor [Narrated and certified by Abdul Barr,Qadhi Ayyad in Al Shifa Ibn Atheer, Tibraani, Ibn Qayyim in Zad-ul-Ma'ad vol.3 pg.10, Ibn Kathir in Tareekh in end of chapter Gazwa-e- Tabuk and Ibn Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab al Najdee in Mukhtasar Serrat-ul-Rasool. Sirat-an-Nabi Ibn Kathir, Us-dul Gabah, Ibn Aseer, Al Asaba by Askalani, Al-Isteyab Ibn Abdul Barr biography of Hoorainm Ibn Oas, Talkees Mustadrak by Hafidhh Dhabi, Nashrut Teeb by Molana Ashraf Ali Thanwi] Qadi AyyazIn his book As-Shifa narrated from Abdullah Ibn Abbas that Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallams Noor was created 2000 years before the creation of the world. [Shifa, chapter 1 page 48] Ibn Mohammad bin Abdul Wahhab al Najdi writes, There is a Hadith in which RasoolAllah (Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) stated: 'I was a Prophet even when Adam 'alaihi salaam was between clay and water (i.e. in the process of being created) [“This Hadith is transmitted by Tirmidhi, Muktaser Sirat-al-Rasool by Ibn Muhammad ibn Mohammad bin Abdul Wahhab al Najdi, Baihaqi, Ahmad, Hakim and Dhahabi declare it to be Sahih”] Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) stated: 'I have always been amongst the good (group), and my Noor was present even before Adam 'alaihi salaam'. [“Qadhi Iyyad from Tabari Al-shifa Chap, Millad-un Nabi”] The Companions used to call Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] Noor When RasoolAllah Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam had passed away, the following Na'ats were recited. Imam Ibn Sa’ad writes, Hassaan Bin Thaabit RadhiAllahu 'anhu recited: “Who can compare to the one who was Noor, the one from whom light was extracted. There were blessings in his commands and he was our guide and Warner. He was such a Noor that his light shone upon the whole of the creation. The person who has shown us the path of this blessed (Noor) attained success. He was the light, he was the Noor. It is his footsteps that we follow, and after Allah, he was our ears and eyes.' Ka'ab bin Malik RadhiAllahu 'anhu stated: 'He was Basheerun /Nazeer and the rays of his Noor kept us enlightened. Allah saved us through his blessings of Noor, and through his mercy obtained salvation from the fire of Hell'. Arwa Bint Abdul Muttalib radhiAllahu 'anha stated: 'If I weep, then it is for him who was the Noor for all the nations, he was the Messenger of Allah and his name was Ahmad, let me remain in this state of mind'. Aatiqa Bint Abdul Muttalib RadhiAllahu 'anha: stated 'O my eyes! Weep! For the one who was the selected Noor, who was from the children of Hashim'. Safiya Bint Abdul Muttalib radhiAllahu 'anha: stated 'Upon the one with whom Allah is pleased, the one upon guidance and piety, the one who brought the light of guidance after darkness'. Hind Bint Usaasa Bin Abdul Muttalib RadhiAllahu 'anha: stated 'He was the moon of the fourteenth night, such a Noor from which light was extracted and by the Lord he was bestowed with the Book'. [“Tabqaat Ibn Sa'ad chapter Wafat-An-Nabi”] Everything contained in this chapter is evidence in support of the fact that the Noor of RasoolAllah (Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was present long before human creation. For this reason the Ahl-as-Sunnah believe that although RasoolAllah (Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was a human being (bashar), it is also justified to call him Noor. This was the reality of the creed of Noor, which is the belief of the Ahl-as-Sunnah wa 'al Jamaa'ah. The final question we ask if it is kufr to have such belief, can all the Scholars whose names and references given, also be classified as Kaafirs?