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4) The permissibility to say 'Ya Muhammad'
The sensitive issue of whether or not Muslims can say the words 'Ya Rasool Allah'
or 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) needs to be clarified,
since this issue divides the Muslim community and causes a great deal of friction
among the Muslims throughout the world. Basically, there appears to be what we could
label as two "schools of thought"; one insists that stating "Ya
Rasulu'llah!" is 'shirk' and that infact, any Muslim proclaiming it goes outside
the pale of Islam. Now the other school believes that it is indeed permissible to
say so, based on evidences from the Salaf, and the tafsirs of later day scholars.
However, they do not insist that one must proclaim this, or that it is
even a fard to do so; rather, it is permissible to do so. This is, and always has
been, the stance of the Ahl as-Sunna.
Those who believe that it is impermissible to say 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) not only say that there are no evidences to support the
permissibility, but also believe that the prefix of 'Ya', can only be used when
that person who is being called upon is present, as opposed to being absent. The
proclamation of 'Ya Muhammad!', or 'Ya Rasulu'llah!' (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) is not an innovation (bid'a) that crept in after the first three
generations but, contrary to modern misconceptions, was initiated and practiced
within these generations, as we shall see, Allah willing. Also, it is a
fact that the death of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did
not prevent the later generations to proclaim 'Ya Muhammad!', even though there
were great distances between them and Madina.
As we shall aim to demonstrate to the readers in this chapter, insha'llah,
if it is wrong today [or even Kufr and shirk as some of our brothers declare],
to proclaim 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) why then, did
the Sahaba and Tabi'un in and the later generations of Muslims do so? Would those
brothers who oppose the Muslims of saying 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) apply the same criteria to the first generations of this Umma as
they do for the believers of today?
The permissibility of saying 'Ya!' For someone who is not physically present.
One of the main arguments used against the believers on this issue, is the one of
the impermisibility of using the prefix 'Ya' (Oh!) to someone who is not
physically present.
Innovation in the Language
The understanding that one is not able to use 'Ya!' for an absent person is an innovation
(bid'a) in Arabic grammar. To the minority holding this view, it appears
that this is the only way of accusing the majority of Muslims to be constantly committing
an impermissible deed, or even shirk and kufr as others may profess.
We first would like to invite those who hold the above view, to examine one of the
most respected classical dictionaries of the Arabic language, the Lasan al Arab
of Ibn Manzur (d. 711 hijri). Ibn Manzur states that 'Ya!' can be applied for either
a person who is near, or far, from the caller.
[Ibn Manzur al-Afriqi, Lasan al-Arab, under the word 'Ya']
Since those Muslims often claim that saying 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) is shirk, I now propose to examine the views of Ibn Taymiyya
on this issue. Why? Well, it is mainly because these very brothers have given Ibn
Taymiyya the noble title of Shaykh al Islam, and such, use him as an authority
(if not the foremost) in their attempts to practice Islam as the Salaf
(pious predecessors) did. Ibn Taymiyya writes:
"When someone calls upon someone else, saying 'Ya!', it may be used in one
of two ways: physically or by the knowledge of that person. An example of this is
when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) warned the
people of the time of Dajjal, "Yaa 'ibaadillaahi! Fathbutu..." (Oh servants
of Allah! Keep your feet steadfast...). The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) said this to the people who would be present at the time of Dajjal, and
who were not yet born.
Another example is when Sayyidna 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was walking
through the plains of Karbala and said, 'Ya Abu 'Abd Allah Husayn! Fasbir! ('Oh,
[my son] Abu 'Abd Allah Husayn! Be patient [when facing the enemy in this place]')
This was because 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was informed by the Messenger
of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that his son, Husayn (may Allah
be pleased with him), would be martyred at Karbala. Sayyidna 'Ali (may Allah be
pleased with him) called Husayn despite the fact that he was not present with him,
and even though Husayn could not hear his father, 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with
him). Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) remained in his father's thoughts"
[Ibn Taymiyya, Minhaj-as-sunna, chapter 'Aswad-al-Qadeem']
The above example demonstrates, as provided by Ibn Taymiyya, that, at least in one
way, 'Ya' can be used in the Arabic language to call someone who is not
physically present, but who is present in the thoughts of the caller, as when Sayyidna
'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) remembered his son and called to him.
Evidence to support the permissibility of saying 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace)
Hafiz ibn al-Qayyim writes that the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) said:
"Send salutations on me, but send more salutations on Friday. When you recite
the salutation, your voice will reach me wherever you are. Some Companions asked,
"Even after your death?"The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) replied, "Allah has made it unlawful for the earth to decompose my body"
[Ibn-al-Qayyim, Jala-ul-Afhaan, page 145]
Imam Nasa'i narrates that there are specific angels who visit the earth and whose
sole duties are to go to the people who send salutations upon the Prophet Muhammad
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and then to take those salutations to
the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).
[Mishkat, chapter on 'salat al Nabi']
The above mentioned Ahadith indicate that if anyone were to send salutations to
the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) he himself would either hear
the salutations, or an angel will convey them to him. In both cases salutations
will reach the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).
The Salaf Used to Say 'Ya Muhammad!'(may Allah bless him and grant him
peace)
Imam Bukhari, Hafiz Ibn Taymiyya and Qadi Shawkani all posed the same question:
if a person's foot becomes numb, what should he do? Their recommendations were the
same, and included with their answer the following hadith:
"Some time after Rasulu'llah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had
passed away, 'Abd Allah Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was in Najd where
one day his foot became numb. As a remedy to alleviate the pain, a person advised
him, "Remember the one whom you love the most!". Upon hearing this Ibn
'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Ya Muhammad! (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace)" and his foot made an immediate recovery from numbness"
[Bukhari, Adab al Mufrad al Kalim al Tayyab; Ibn Taymiyya and Qadi Shawkani,
Tuhfah al Dakireen, chapter on 'Khadirat Rijluhu', and also an-Nawawi,
Kitab al Adhkar]
Hafiz Ibn Taymiyya writes,
"In the same way as 'Abd Allah ibn Umar's foot became numb and he remembered
the one he loves the most, 'Abd Allah Ibn 'Abbas's foot also became numb. Someone
also advised him to remember the one who he loves the most, whereupon 'Abd Allah
Ibn 'Abbas exclaimed 'Ya! Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and
his foot immediately recovered from numbness"
[Ibn Taymiyya, Al Kalim al Tayyib, chapter on 'Khadirat Rijluhu']
Qadi Shawkani relates that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
said:
"If one is in trouble or is in distress, he should perform two nawafil rakats
and then make a supplication. One should say 'Ya Muhammad!' (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) and Allah Most High will grant them what they requested and
their problems and troubles should be resolved.The scholars of hadith say that this
hadith is authentic and at-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah and at-Tabarani
record it.
[Qadi Shawkani, Tofah al Dhakireen, chapter on 'Salat al-Hajat']
Hafiz Ibn Kathir, Imam at-Tabari and Imam Ibn al-Athir all wrote:
"During the Khilafa of Abu Bakr as-Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him)
there was a battle against the false prophet, Musaylima of Najd. When the battle
commenced, the Muslims lost their footing at which point Khalid ibn Walid (may Allah
be pleased with him) and the rest of the Companions called out 'Ya Muhammad!' (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) and proceeded to win the battle"
[Tabari, Ta'rikh at-Tabari; Ibn Kathir, Ta'rikh Ibn Kathir; and
Ibn al-Athir and Ibn Jarir, Ta'rikh Qamil, chapter on 'Musaylima Kazzab']
Hafiz Ibn Kathir and Imam Tabari both write:
"During the Khilafa of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) there was a famine
outside the city of Madina. A Companion called Bilal ibn Harith al Muzni (may Allah
be pleased with him) said to his people, 'The famine is very severe, [let us] sacrifice
a goat.' Apart from a red bone nothing came from the goat [the goat was very thin
due to famine and as such, there was no meat on the bones]. Bilal ibn Harith (may
Allah be pleased with him) called out, 'Ya Muhammad! (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace)'.The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) then
appeared in the dream of Bilal ibn Harith and informed him that there will be rain"
[Ta'rikh Ibn Kathir and Ibn Jarir, chapter on 'Khilafah of 'Umar
(may Allah be pleased with him)]
As-Sayyid Mawdudi writes:
"When Hajaj ibn Yusuf had placed tax upon some new Muslims, they left Basra
crying with their fuqaha [scholars] and they were all saying, 'Ya Muhammad!, Ya
Muhammad!'"
[Mawdudi Sayyid, Khilafa wa Malukiyat, page 270 and Ta'rikh Ibn al-Athir]
Hafiz Ibn Kathir and Imam Tabari both write:
"After the occasion of Karbala, Sayyida Zaynab (may Allah be well pleased with
her) [the sister of Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him)] and her company were
taken as prisoners to Syria. When she passed the dead bodies she proclaimed: 'Ya
Muhammad! Your Husayn is drenched in blood without a shroud or a grave', and 'Ya
Muhammad! Your daughters are taken prisoners and your children have been killed'"
[Ibn Jarir and Ta'rikh Ibn Kathir, chapter on 'Karbala']
NOTE: Karbala took place in Iraq in 60AH. At that time Zaynab (may Allah be well
pleased with her) said 'Ya Muhammad!'
Imam Waqdi writes:
"During the khilafa of Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) there
was a battle at Halb. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said 'Ya Muhammad!
Ya Muhammad!' and shouted, 'Oh Companions! Stay firm footed!'
['Allama Waqdi, Futoohusham, chapter on 'The Battle of Halb']
Imam Ibn Sa'd writes:
"After the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had
passed away, Arwa ibnt 'Abd al Muttalib (may Allah be well pleased with her) recited:
'Ya Rasulu'llah! You were our place of hope' "
[Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd, chapter on 'The Death of the Prophet']
Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim writes:
"Muhammad ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) relates:'I was sitting
in the company of Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid in Baghdad when Shaykh Shibli came before
us. Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid stood up and hugged Shaykh Shibli, kissed his forehead
and sat him by his side.' Muhammad ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) enquired:
'You are the Shaykh [Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid] whilst the whole of Baghdad regards Shibli
as majnun [mad] - why have you treated him with so much respect?' To this, Abu Bakr
ibn Mujahid replied, 'I have done nothing strange; I have treated him exactly as
I have seen the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) treat
him. In my dream I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) kiss Shibli between his two eyes. I asked the Prophet,'Why did you treat
Shibli in this way?' to which he (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied,
'I love him because after every salaah he recites the last verse of Sura Tauba after
which he recites 'Sallal la ho 'alayka Ya Muhammad!' ['Peace and blessings
of Allah be upon you Oh Muhammad!') three times"
[Ibn-al-Qayyim, Jala-al-Afham.,page 80]
The above mentioned Ahadith clearly illustrate that the Companions and
others of the Salaf used to say 'Ya Muhammad' or 'Ya Rasulu'llah!' when
they experienced difficulty, and that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) did help them, either by making supplication for their success
or appearing in their dreams to comfort them. Those Companions who were ill and
said 'Ya Rasulu'llah!' found that they would get better; and if they were in a battle
which they were losing, they would soon win; and if they were facing a famine, they
would soon have rain.
The last quotation from Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim shows that the Messenger of Allah (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) loves the one who pronounces 'Ya Muhammad!'
to a considerably high degree. All these occurances took place many years after
the death of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).So
if it was kufr to say 'Ya Muhammad!' today and after the lifetime of the
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the Prophet would not
have expressed any love for Shibli. Also, if this is an unreliable narration, why
did Ibn al-Qayyim choose to quote it? Was he someone who supported shirk or kufr?
What has been said above supports the fact that it is not kufr or shirk
to call out 'Ya Muhammad'. However, people will still insist that, despite all the
above, to say 'Ya Muhammad!' is shirk, and will deduce to the fact that this is
a form of worshipping someone besides Allah. They often put forward the following
aya of the Qur'an:
"And the mosques are only for Allah, so worship none with Allah"
[Sura al Jinn, verse 18]
This is just a doubt and a misunderstanding of the grammatical use of the words
'Tad`u/Yad`u' in the Arabic language, since 'Tad'u' and 'Yad'u' have been used in
two different contexts in the Qur'an: in the context of worship and also in the
context of calling.
In the above verse it has been used in the context of worship and we agree that
anyone who worships something besides Allah is a kafir and a mushrik. However, when
a Muslim says 'Ya Rasulu'llah!', he is not worshipping the Messenger of Allah(may
Allah bless him and grant him peace), but merely calling him; just as Ibrahim (peace
be upon him) called all the people to Hajj[Tafsir Ibn Kathir, under 'Sura
Hajj'] and as 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) called Sariah. This
type of calling is not worship, an example of which is provided in the
Qur'an when Allah commanded Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to call the dead
birds [Sura al-Baqara, verse 260]
This should demonstrate that the word 'call' is not always used in the
context of worship. Whoever says 'Ya Muhammad!' cannot be called either a kafir
or mushrik because he is calling out of love for the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) as was the case when the Salaf called upon the Messenger
of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). His intention is not
the intention to worship him.
The Pious Can Hear from Afar
1) The Prophet Sulayman (peace be upon him) heard the conversation of the ants from
a distance.
[al- Qur'an, Sura al Namal, verse 19]
2) The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) heard the footsteps
of Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) in Paradise.[Bukhari, Kitab-al-Manaqib,
and Muslim, Fazail Bilal]
3) Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim writes:
"The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) stated:'I
hear the voice of every person who sends salams (peace and blessings) upon me, wherever
he may be.'
[Ibn-al-Qayyim, Jala-al-Afham, page 145]
4) When women quarrel with their husbands who are righteous (and who go to paradise)
the hoors (fair maidens of Paradise) listen to their arguing from Paradise whilst
they are still on the earth [Mishkat al-Masabih, chapter on 'Mu'ashirat-an-Nisa']
To conclude this chapter, we would like to state that:
From the above statements it is proved that the pious can hear from a far distance,
by the grace of Allah Most High.
Secondly, it is not shirk to call them using the word 'Ya!'. We would like to clarify
that to call upon the pious using 'Ya!' is simply permissible, being neitherfardh,
wajib nor sunna.
Thirdly, as proven, the Salaf did proclaim 'Ya Muahammed!' at times of
distress - and this difficulty was alleviated.
The reason for writing this article is only to make clear to those people who shout
'kafir' and 'mushrik', that those Muslims who address the Messenger of Allah (Allah
bless him and give him peace) using the word 'Ya!' are doing nothing wrong, as this
is permissible.
We also say that help should only be asked from Allah Most High. We should
only present the waseela of the pious, when asking from Allah.
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