Explanation of the phrase: “And blessings and peace upon His Prophet and Messenger Muhammad, and his family and his Companions.”
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The Shaykh :“Ancient and modern, and blessings and peace upon His Prophet and Messenger Muhammad, and his family and his Companions”, and so on.
“Blessings and peace upon” is a declarative sentence, but its meaning is a supplication, as if you were saying: “O Allah, send blessings and peace.” So what is the blessing upon the Messenger? The best that has been said about the blessing upon the Messenger is what Abu al-‘Aliyyah al-Riyahi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “It is Allah’s praise of His servant in the highest assembly” among the angels, meaning: Allah mentions His servant with good remembrance among the angels. This is what many scholars chose, especially the later ones. However, there is some hesitation about this, because Abu al-‘Aliyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) was from the Tabi‘un, and such a matter is not to be stated by opinion, because who says that Allah praises Him? It requires evidence from the Sunnah by which the matter becomes clear and distinct. But some interpreted it, saying that the blessing from Allah means mercy, and this is also not correct, because Allah the Exalted also said in the Noble Book:[Al-Baqarah 2:157] And the conjunction implies difference, and that mercy is distinct from blessings. Also, mercy is supplicated for everyone; for every person you say: “O Allah, have mercy on him,” but the blessing is not supplicated for everyone; rather, there is disagreement and detail among the scholars regarding it. Therefore, we cannot assert that the blessing is Allah’s praise of His servant in the highest assembly, nor can we say it is mercy, because that meaning is defective. Rather, we say: The blessing is a special mercy above the mercy that is for everyone, and we do not know what it is. In this way, we are free from the doubt. However, the statement that it is Allah’s praise of His servant in the highest assembly was chosen by many of the investigators (may Allah have mercy on them). As for the peace, it is safety from all harm. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is safe after his death. As for during his life, yes, he was exposed to illnesses, exposed to harms, and exposed to everything that befalls humans. But after his death, he is safe from this. So what is the benefit of supplicating for his safety? We say that beyond death there are terrors. What are they? The terrors of the Day of Resurrection. For this reason, the supplication of the Messengers on the Day of Resurrection at the Sirat was: There are terrors there. Then, he (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) is safe from the physical afflictions that befall the living due to his death. But is it possible that someone be empowered to eat his body, for example? Yes, it is possible, and this has happened. But Allah protected him. For two strangers descended to Medina intending to take his noble body (peace and blessings be upon him). They stayed in the mosque and began digging a trench from afar in order to reach the noble body. So Allah the Mighty and Majestic provided a ruler or one of the governors at that time, who saw in a vision that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was saying: “Save me from the two small ones.” It appears, and Allah knows best, that their images were revealed to this seer. So he came to Medina in a state of panic, held a great feast, and invited every person in Medina twice or three times. He did not see the two men who had been described to him. So he asked, “Where are the people of Medina?” They said, “They all came; there is no one except two men in the mosque who came and have been in retreat in the mosque since their arrival.” So he summoned them, and they were the two men about whom he had been informed in the dream. Glory to Allah! Protection for the noble body from harm. He learned what they had done, then ordered them to be killed. He ordered that a trench be dug from the mountain around the noble grave and filled with lead and copper so that no one could reach the body of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). This is from the protection of Allah. If Allah the Exalted protected the bodies of the Prophets from being eaten by the earth, which is empowered over every body, then He, Glorified and Exalted is He, protects the noble body from the devils of mankind.
The important thing is: Is the peace upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) established, or is it not established?
The student: It is established.
The Shaykh : It is established in this world and the Hereafter. As for during his life, its establishment is clear. As for after his death, by what is the safety? The safety of his body from being tampered with. Yes.
And his saying: “upon His Prophet and Messenger” is this from the category of conjoining synonymous attributes or different attributes?
The student: Different attributes.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The student: Different attributes.
The Shaykh : Different attributes, yes. And he began with the attribute of prophethood because it precedes the attribute of messengership. So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was made a Prophet first, then sent as a Messenger second. He was made a Prophet with the first surah, al-‘Alaq, and sent as a Messenger with the first surah, al-Muddaththir. For this reason, the author (may Allah have mercy on him) conjoined the attribute of messengership to the attribute of prophethood. So who is the Prophet? The Prophet is said to be *nabi’* and also *nabiyy*. So *nabi’* with the hamza is from *naba’*, meaning: news. Is it *fa‘il* in the meaning of *fa‘il* (active) or *fa‘il* in the meaning of *maf‘ul* (passive)? Both. It is *fa‘il* in the meaning of *fa‘il* because he is one who informs about Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and in the meaning of *maf‘ul* because he is one who is informed. As for the reading of *tashil*, *nabiyy* with the ya, it is either derived from *naba’* but the hamza was deleted for lightness, meaning: the hamza was lightened, or it is from *nubuwwah*, which is the elevated thing due to the elevation of the rank of the Prophet (may Allah and his family and his Companions bless him and grant him peace) with what Allah bestowed upon him of revelation. If someone says: Is it not possible that it is from both? Answer, everyone?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, because we have a rule that a student of knowledge should know: Every word that can bear two meanings equally, meaning in its indication of them, and there is no contradiction between them, then it is taken as what? Both of them. Because the multiplicity of meanings and the unity of the word is common in the Arabic language.
And his saying: “and His Messenger” means His sent one. To whom?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, to the two heavy ones, mankind and the jinn. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent to mankind and the jinn. Allah the Exalted sent him to mankind and the jinn from the time he was sent until the Day of Resurrection. It is not hidden from us what is in the addition to the pronoun of Allah the Mighty and Majestic in His saying: “His Prophet and His Messenger” of honor and obligation.
And his saying: “Muhammad” how do we parse it? It is an *‘atf bayan* (explanatory apposition), because the *badal* (substitute) generally equals the substituted in meaning, and *‘atf bayan* adds clarification of knowledge. Here it added clarification of knowledge, which is that it indicated the proper name of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah and his family and his Companions bless him and grant him peace), Muhammad. And it is a passive name, because he (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was praised by his Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, and he was praised by the first and the last, and the complete praise will appear on the Day of Resurrection, as He, Mighty and Majestic, said:[Al-Isra 17:79] Hassan ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“And He carved for him from His name to honor him *** So the Lord of the Throne is Mahmud, and this is Muhammad”
Yes, how many times did the name Muhammad appear in the Qur’an?
The student: Four.
The Shaykh : Four times. The name Muhammad was mentioned in the Qur’an four times, and the name Ahmad was mentioned once. So what is the wisdom that Allah inspired Isa to say Ahmad without saying Muhammad? The wisdom is that Ahmad is a name of superlative, and it is an absolute name of superlative, meaning: the one compared to it was not mentioned, so Ahmad is the most praiseworthy of creation absolutely. Is it from the name of the active agent or the name of the passive, or both? Is the meaning of Ahmad that he is the one who praises people to Allah? Or is the meaning of Ahmad that he is the one whom people praise?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, both, without doubt. And it was brought in the form of Ahmad to establish the argument against the Children of Israel, where Isa affirmed with this name that Muhammad is the best of creation because he named him what? Ahmad.
Fine, he says: “and his family and his Companions”, and so on. His family and his Companions: is this the category of conjoining the specific to the general, or the general to the specific, or what? It is from the category of conjoining the general to the specific, because what came after it was: “and upon his followers.” So it is from the category of conjoining the general to the specific. So who are his family? It is known that it is not correct to say that his family are his relatives, because if we say that his family are his relatives, that would include Abu Lahab and others of the disbelievers among his relatives (peace and blessings be upon him), and this is not intended. And we do not send blessings upon the family of the Messenger who are not believers. So what do we say? We say his family are the believers among his relatives. Yes, and with this the objection of the poet in his saying is refuted:
"The family of the Prophet are the followers of his religion, *** from the non-Arabs, the Black people, and the Arabs.
If his family were only his relatives, *** the one praying would send blessings upon the tyrant Abu Lahab"
How do we refute this objection? By saying that his family are the believers among his relatives. Good: "and his companions". The best we can say about his companions is what the scholars of terminology said: that they are everyone who met the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) while believing in him and died upon that. Yes, and this is a characteristic of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that is not found in other Messengers. For companionship with anyone other than the Messenger requires a length of time. So if you heard about someone in one of the gatherings and then you separated, would it be said that he is your companion? No. But among the characteristics of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is that if a person meets him for even a moment while believing in him, he is among his companions. However, there is no doubt that his companions differ greatly in their companionship, faith, piety, deeds, and so on. Good, are his family his companions?
The student: Yes...
The Shaykh : Those who met him. Good, because the family of the Messenger who came after him are his family, not his companions. But his family who were during his lifetime were among his companions. For this reason, we said "companions" in the sense of appending the general to the specific. This is if "family" is not mentioned alone. If "family" is mentioned alone, it is certainly his followers in his religion. For example, his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) when he taught them how to send blessings upon him: "Say:Sunan an-Nasa'i 1292Hasan (Darussalam) The intended meaning here is all the followers.
“Blessings and peace upon” is a declarative sentence, but its meaning is a supplication, as if you were saying: “O Allah, send blessings and peace.” So what is the blessing upon the Messenger? The best that has been said about the blessing upon the Messenger is what Abu al-‘Aliyyah al-Riyahi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “It is Allah’s praise of His servant in the highest assembly” among the angels, meaning: Allah mentions His servant with good remembrance among the angels. This is what many scholars chose, especially the later ones. However, there is some hesitation about this, because Abu al-‘Aliyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) was from the Tabi‘un, and such a matter is not to be stated by opinion, because who says that Allah praises Him? It requires evidence from the Sunnah by which the matter becomes clear and distinct. But some interpreted it, saying that the blessing from Allah means mercy, and this is also not correct, because Allah the Exalted also said in the Noble Book:
Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy
أولئك عليهم صلوات من ربّهم ورحمةO Allah, grant safety, grant safety
اللهمّ سلّم سلّمThe important thing is: Is the peace upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) established, or is it not established?
The student: It is established.
The Shaykh : It is established in this world and the Hereafter. As for during his life, its establishment is clear. As for after his death, by what is the safety? The safety of his body from being tampered with. Yes.
And his saying: “upon His Prophet and Messenger” is this from the category of conjoining synonymous attributes or different attributes?
The student: Different attributes.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The student: Different attributes.
The Shaykh : Different attributes, yes. And he began with the attribute of prophethood because it precedes the attribute of messengership. So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was made a Prophet first, then sent as a Messenger second. He was made a Prophet with the first surah, al-‘Alaq, and sent as a Messenger with the first surah, al-Muddaththir. For this reason, the author (may Allah have mercy on him) conjoined the attribute of messengership to the attribute of prophethood. So who is the Prophet? The Prophet is said to be *nabi’* and also *nabiyy*. So *nabi’* with the hamza is from *naba’*, meaning: news. Is it *fa‘il* in the meaning of *fa‘il* (active) or *fa‘il* in the meaning of *maf‘ul* (passive)? Both. It is *fa‘il* in the meaning of *fa‘il* because he is one who informs about Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and in the meaning of *maf‘ul* because he is one who is informed. As for the reading of *tashil*, *nabiyy* with the ya, it is either derived from *naba’* but the hamza was deleted for lightness, meaning: the hamza was lightened, or it is from *nubuwwah*, which is the elevated thing due to the elevation of the rank of the Prophet (may Allah and his family and his Companions bless him and grant him peace) with what Allah bestowed upon him of revelation. If someone says: Is it not possible that it is from both? Answer, everyone?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, because we have a rule that a student of knowledge should know: Every word that can bear two meanings equally, meaning in its indication of them, and there is no contradiction between them, then it is taken as what? Both of them. Because the multiplicity of meanings and the unity of the word is common in the Arabic language.
And his saying: “and His Messenger” means His sent one. To whom?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, to the two heavy ones, mankind and the jinn. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent to mankind and the jinn. Allah the Exalted sent him to mankind and the jinn from the time he was sent until the Day of Resurrection. It is not hidden from us what is in the addition to the pronoun of Allah the Mighty and Majestic in His saying: “His Prophet and His Messenger” of honor and obligation.
And his saying: “Muhammad” how do we parse it? It is an *‘atf bayan* (explanatory apposition), because the *badal* (substitute) generally equals the substituted in meaning, and *‘atf bayan* adds clarification of knowledge. Here it added clarification of knowledge, which is that it indicated the proper name of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah and his family and his Companions bless him and grant him peace), Muhammad. And it is a passive name, because he (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was praised by his Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, and he was praised by the first and the last, and the complete praise will appear on the Day of Resurrection, as He, Mighty and Majestic, said:
it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station.
عسى أن يبعثك ربّك مقامًا محمودًا“And He carved for him from His name to honor him *** So the Lord of the Throne is Mahmud, and this is Muhammad”
Yes, how many times did the name Muhammad appear in the Qur’an?
The student: Four.
The Shaykh : Four times. The name Muhammad was mentioned in the Qur’an four times, and the name Ahmad was mentioned once. So what is the wisdom that Allah inspired Isa to say Ahmad without saying Muhammad? The wisdom is that Ahmad is a name of superlative, and it is an absolute name of superlative, meaning: the one compared to it was not mentioned, so Ahmad is the most praiseworthy of creation absolutely. Is it from the name of the active agent or the name of the passive, or both? Is the meaning of Ahmad that he is the one who praises people to Allah? Or is the meaning of Ahmad that he is the one whom people praise?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, both, without doubt. And it was brought in the form of Ahmad to establish the argument against the Children of Israel, where Isa affirmed with this name that Muhammad is the best of creation because he named him what? Ahmad.
Fine, he says: “and his family and his Companions”, and so on. His family and his Companions: is this the category of conjoining the specific to the general, or the general to the specific, or what? It is from the category of conjoining the general to the specific, because what came after it was: “and upon his followers.” So it is from the category of conjoining the general to the specific. So who are his family? It is known that it is not correct to say that his family are his relatives, because if we say that his family are his relatives, that would include Abu Lahab and others of the disbelievers among his relatives (peace and blessings be upon him), and this is not intended. And we do not send blessings upon the family of the Messenger who are not believers. So what do we say? We say his family are the believers among his relatives. Yes, and with this the objection of the poet in his saying is refuted:
"The family of the Prophet are the followers of his religion, *** from the non-Arabs, the Black people, and the Arabs.
If his family were only his relatives, *** the one praying would send blessings upon the tyrant Abu Lahab"
How do we refute this objection? By saying that his family are the believers among his relatives. Good: "and his companions". The best we can say about his companions is what the scholars of terminology said: that they are everyone who met the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) while believing in him and died upon that. Yes, and this is a characteristic of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that is not found in other Messengers. For companionship with anyone other than the Messenger requires a length of time. So if you heard about someone in one of the gatherings and then you separated, would it be said that he is your companion? No. But among the characteristics of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is that if a person meets him for even a moment while believing in him, he is among his companions. However, there is no doubt that his companions differ greatly in their companionship, faith, piety, deeds, and so on. Good, are his family his companions?
The student: Yes...
The Shaykh : Those who met him. Good, because the family of the Messenger who came after him are his family, not his companions. But his family who were during his lifetime were among his companions. For this reason, we said "companions" in the sense of appending the general to the specific. This is if "family" is not mentioned alone. If "family" is mentioned alone, it is certainly his followers in his religion. For example, his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) when he taught them how to send blessings upon him: "Say: