In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
With pens of longing
and ink of love,
we compose words more precious than gold
in describing the master of creation,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The Prophetic Characteristics (Shama'il).
Conclusion.
Dear respected brothers,
we have reached the conclusion of this enjoyable journey
through the characteristics of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Perhaps a soul has grown eager to attain the sight
of the possessor of these noble traits,
yearned for his meeting,
and stood ready to offer all it possesses
to gain the privilege of seeing him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
For Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated
that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Among those of my Ummah who love me most severely
are people who will come after me;
one of them would wish to see me even at the cost of his family and wealth."
There is no doubt that a Muslim ought to harbor this desire in his heart,
and that this longing to see him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, should dwell within his soul,
as well as the aspiration to be reunited with him in the Gardens of Delight.
One of the Companions said to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
"O Messenger of Allah,
I ask you for your companionship in Paradise."
He replied: "Then assist me regarding yourself by prostrating abundantly."
The matter is not one of mere wishful thinking,
for faith is neither by passive wishing nor by superficial adornment;
rather, faith is that which settles firmly in the heart
and is verified by righteous deeds.
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"Whenever the servant increases his remembrance of the beloved,
bringing him to mind in his heart
and recalling his virtues and qualities that evoke love for him,
his love multiplies, his longing for him increases,
and it takes total possession of his heart.
But if he turns away from remembering him and recalling his virtues in his heart,
his love in his heart diminishes.
Nothing brings greater delight to the lover's eye than seeing his beloved,
nor brings greater solace to his heart than remembering him and evoking his virtues.
Thus, when this grows strong in his heart,
his tongue naturally flows with his praise, commendation, and mention of his virtues,
and the increase or decrease of this speech
corresponds directly to the increase or decrease of love in his heart."
End of his words.
Remembering the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
is accomplished by mentioning his virtues, noble characteristics,
commendable attributes,
morals, and manners.
The servant must adhere to the methodology of the noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them,
who were the people of moderation and balance.
He should accept what has been authentically transmitted from them regarding the description of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
without exceeding it through excess or abandonment,
nor through exaggeration or neglect.
Indeed, many people have stumbled in this domain,
and their feet have slipped into mistreating and estranging the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
whether they realized it or not.
We shall mention here various forms of mistreatment toward the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and of neglecting his rightful due.
Among the manifestations and forms of such mistreatment
is the weakness of love for him, peace be upon him, in people's hearts,
and prioritizing the love of a fleeting world,
passing desires,
and perishable pleasures over love for him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"By Him in Whose Hand my soul is,
none of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his parent and his child."
It is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari
on the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Hisham, who said:
"We were with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
while he was holding the hand of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab.
'Umar said to him:
'O Messenger of Allah,
you are indeed more beloved to me than everything
except my own self.'
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
'No, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is,
not until I am more beloved to you than your own self.'
'Umar then said to him:
'By Allah, right now
you are more beloved to me than my own self.'
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
'Now, O 'Umar.'"
For a person to recognize this weakness within his own heart,
he must measure himself against the statement of Allah, Blessed and Exalted:
“Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (3:31)
﴿Say, [O Prophet], "If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you"﴾ [Aal 'Imran: 31].
Let him examine his standing in following the guidance of the Prophet, peace be upon him, in all his affairs,
so that he may know the true reality of his love.
Another manifestation of mistreatment
is turning away from his radiant Sunnah,
his clear path,
and his upright guidance, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and diverting oneself by obsessing over false opinions, corrupt desires,
and similar matters that have turned people away from the Sunnah of the noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Yet another manifestation of mistreatment
is the failure to venerate the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Thus, his sublime hadiths and noble words are cited in certain gatherings,
yet they command no reverence,
no head is raised in respect for them,
and their esteemed status is unrecognized;
rather, they pass by just like the speech of anyone else,
and are even objected to!
Where, then, is the veneration for this noble Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him?
Where is the recognition of his true worth,
when his hadith, peace be upon him,
is treated by people as though it were the speech of ordinary men?
Allah Almighty has said:
﴿Nor does he speak from his own desire﴾ [An-Najm: 3].
“It is naught save an inspiration that is inspired,” (53:4)
Another form of mistreatment
is turning away from reading his blessed biography
and his noble accounts, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
For his biography is absolutely the purest of all biographies;
it is the biography of the master of the children of Adam, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Yet you see among people those who turn away from this glorious, fragrant biography,
preoccupied instead with reading the biographies of trivial individuals
who possess no value or weight in the honor and advancement of the Ummah.
Among the hideous manifestations of mistreatment
is embracing newly invented innovations
and fabricated desires,
venerating them, defending them,
and seeking arguments to justify them,
while simultaneously turning away from what has been reported from the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
It is authentically reported from him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that he said:
"Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me."
And he said: "Whoever performs an action that is not in accordance with our matter, it will be rejected."
Another form of mistreatment regarding the right of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
is failing to send blessings and peace upon him,
especially when he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is mentioned.
It is authentically reported in a hadith that he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"The miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send blessings upon me."
And Allah, Glorified and Exalted, has said:
“Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation.” (33:56)
“Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation.” (33:56)
﴿Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessings upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.﴾ [Al-Ahzab: 56].
Another form of mistreatment regarding the right of our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
is disparaging the status of his noble Companions, those who followed them in goodness,
and the leaders of truth and guidance among the bearers of the Sunnah.
For belittling the worth of these individuals
constitutes mistreatment toward the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Likewise, a Muslim must beware of excess,
taking care not to exaggerate concerning his right, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
by attributing to him any of the exclusive rights of the Lord,
His attributes, or His divine rights, Exalted and Majestic is He.
All of this is something that he, blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, does not approve of.
Exaggeration and excessive praise are entirely blameworthy,
forbidden by the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in numerous hadiths.
He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Do not extol me as the Christians extolled the son of Mary.
I am merely His servant,
so say: The servant of Allah and His Messenger."
And he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Beware of excess in religion,
for those before you were destroyed only by excess in religion."
And when he heard a group of people saying:
"You are our master and the son of our master,"
he said: "Do not let Satan entice you."
Thus, extolling him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and exaggerating in his praise
is a forbidden matter;
in fact, the one who indulges in it will have his deeds rejected
and will bear the sin of disobedience.
For within the domain of praise and commendation,
a person might initially offer valid and authentic praises,
but if he exceeds proper bounds,
Satan may entice him to utter praises that contain
exaggeration, undue extolment, and transgression of limits.
The underlying motive for this might well be
love and a desire for good,
yet not everyone who desires good attains it.
Therefore, alongside the intense love
that resides in the servant's heart for the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and the good to which he aspires
and seeks to achieve,
he must align his path by adhering strictly to the Sunnah,
following the guidance of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and living in light of his biography.
For it is reported in the Sahih from the hadith of Abu Hurairah,
may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
addressing the Companions:
"By Him in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad,
a day will surely come upon one of you when he will not see me,
and then, to see me
would be more beloved to him than his family and wealth along with them."
Al-Nawawi said, commenting on this with a beneficial remark:
"The purpose of the hadith
is to urge them to constantly remain in his noble gathering
and observe him whether residing or traveling,
in order to adopt his manners,
learn the sacred laws, and memorize them so as to convey them;
and to inform them that they would regret
any shortcoming on their part in seeking more
of observing him and remaining in his company."
The key point is that this longing to see him,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
ought to be backed by serious effort
in learning his guidance, manners,
character, and interpersonal dealings,
so that one may emulate him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
And upon the guidance of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and adhering to his etiquette and noble character,
one becomes the closest of people to him in station.
For he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Indeed, the most beloved of you to me, and the closest of you
to me in seat on the Day of Resurrection,
are those of you with the best character."
Thus, the more eager a servant is regarding faith,
adherence to the Sunnah, following guidance, and staying far removed
from religious innovations and desires,
the more fitting and worthy he becomes
to be blessed with his companionship in the Gardens of Delight.
In conclusion of this work,
I would like to note that in its preparation I have drawn upon
the commentaries of several classical and contemporary scholars.
In particular,
I benefited greatly from the commentary of his eminence Shaykh
'Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr
and his eminence Shaykh Muhammad al-Munajjid,
may Allah Almighty preserve them.
With that said,
we praise Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for His grace, enabling grace, and facilitation.
To Him belongs praise first and last,
and to Him belongs thanks inwardly and outwardly.
We ask Him, Exalted and Glorified be He,
to benefit us all through what He has taught us,
to make what we have learned a proof for us and not against us,
to flourish our hearts with faith,
to rectify all our affairs,
to guide us to Him along a straight path,
to grant us success in following the Sunnah of our noble Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
to resurrect us alongside him and under his banner,
to gather us with him in the Gardens of Delight,
and to forgive us, our parents,
Imam al-Tirmidhi,
our teachers, and the scholars of the Ummah, the earlier ones
among them and the later.
Indeed, He, Blessed and Exalted, is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful,
Generous, and Bountiful.
And our final supplication is that all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
And may Allah send blessings, peace, grace, and honor
upon His servant and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon all his family and Companions.