The second reliable source of attaining purity and recognizing God is the exemplary character of the Holy Prophet. However, the seeker of purity can benefit from the exemplary character only when they have the right kind of relationship with the Prophet (PBUH). To establish this relationship, it’s necessary to understand the status of Prophethood and the nature of our association with the Prophet (PBUH). This question has arisen due to disagreements among Muslims regarding this matter since the time of the Companions and the Followers.
These differences significantly impact the goal of attaining knowledge and purification associated with the personality of the Prophet (PBUH). Thus, we would like to briefly clarify these differing viewpoints and then elaborate on the type of attachment we should have with the Prophet (PBUH) for the purpose of recognizing Allah, understanding the relevant commitments, and identifying the struggle necessary to foster this connection.
Many misconceptions have emerged regarding our relationship with the Prophet (PBUH), but we won’t delve into all of them. Instead, we’ll highlight four primary misconceptions within our four major groups:
1. There is a group among us who, God forbid, believe that the status of the Prophet between God and His servants is no different from that of a trustworthy servant or a responsible postman. In their perspective, the Prophet’s (PBUH) task was limited to delivering the Book that Allah intended for His servants. Once this duty was fulfilled, the role of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) concluded. They determine the nature of their relationship with the Prophet (PBUH) based on this concept. It’s evident that for those who diminish the status of Prophethood in this way, the Prophet (PBUH) holds no special significance in terms of recognizing God.
When the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is not seen as special, there is little reason for a unique association with him. In their view, since the responsibility of the Prophet was limited to delivering God’s message, his absence doesn’t create a gap.
This arrogance and bias have led some Sufists to regard Shari’ah as less significant than a blade of grass when compared to Sufism. From the perspective of recognizing God, the status they ascribe to Shaykh Moḥayy-ud-Dīn Ibn Arabi
This conception of Prophethood is fundamentally incorrect. The status of a prophet is not restricted to a mere postman or messenger. Instead, a prophet is also a teacher, a purifier, a mentor, and a guiding light. Most importantly, he is a guide whose obedience is compulsory. Furthermore, along with all his attributes, he is directly under the supervision of God concerning his duties of education and guidance, protecting him from all the dangers of ignorance and error. A prophet’s duty isn’t limited to delivering the Book of God to His servants but also includes explaining the book’s secrets and complexities to his followers, practically demonstrating how to follow the divine book, and preparing a group of people who follow the teachings of the book through his education and training. Moreover, he has to highlight the book’s implications in their individual and collective lives. In all these tasks, the prophet’s own actions and words are considered as teachings of the divine book and Prophethood. Considering this concept of Prophethood, it becomes evident that our relationship with the Prophet (PBUH) is unlike any other, and without an understanding of these relationships, one cannot access the blessings and
2. Another group that misunderstands the status of Prophethood is that of sophists.
They have established separate boundaries between Shari’ah and Sufism and between explicit and hidden knowledge. They wrongly disconnect these two branches of knowledge, suggesting that the Prophet educated the general only to a specific group as a secret. This hidden knowledge subsequently spread among different Sufi groups, becoming guardians of the secret. In the earlier part of this book, we’ve highlighted the shortcomings of this idea and the misconceptions it generates about the Prophet’s status and its impact on recognizing God.
This belief, although flawed, at least acknowledges the Prophet as the primary source of both Shari’ah and hidden knowledge. They don’t limit the Prophet to one source of knowledge and someone else to the other. On the contrary, some Sufists perceive Prophethood and Sainthood (Walayat) as two parallel positions, with one serving as the source of Shari’ah knowledge and the other as the source of hidden knowledge. According to them, these two positions are separate and permanent, naturally fostering rivalry and conflict. As a result, they continue to oppose each other, with Sufists considering Shari’ah followers as external and lacking insight, and a way to avoid fulfilling the actual obligations of the Shari’ah and seeking personal fame. They elevated the Prophet to a position resembling God and fabricated ways of expressing devotion and love that violate the Shari’ah. In doing so, they eroded beliefs that open the doors to recognizing God in the name of the Prophet and devotion to him, and they undermined actions and moral values that could strengthen this recognition. The person sent to guide humanity toward God was used by unscrupulous individuals to divert people from God’s path and lead them
Clearly, if one holds a negative view of Prophethood’s status, they cannot achieve even a fraction of God’s recognition, regardless of their inner spiritual experiences.
Only the Prophets serve as the main source of knowledge about God. Since our
Prophet (PBUH) is the seal of Prophets and the bearer of the final and perfect
Shari’ah, he holds the positions of Khātam al-Awliyā’ (seal of Saints) and Khātam al-‘Ārifīn (seal of Gnostics). The recognition he attained of God cannot be replicated by anyone else, and the treasure of knowledge contained within his Shari’ah is
3. There’s also a group among us that regards the Prophet (PBUH) as nothing more than a revered historical figure. While they join the nation in calling him a Messenger, they fail to grasp that what the Prophet (PBUH) has said on any matter constitutes the ultimate authority. The success, both worldly and eternal, of every individual depends on complete submission to his guidance. In their view, the Prophet’s teachings were suitable for a specific time and environment, and adhering to them in this age of knowledge and enlightenment is not only wise but necessary. Now, if some of the Prophet’s teachings are worthy of being accepted, they are either those that align with their desires or those that remain relevant in the present. Apart from these, they are hesitant to accept anything else wholeheartedly due to their
4. For a significant number of people, the Holy Prophet is merely a symbol of blind devotion. They express their devotion at various times but distance themselves from the responsibilities of the Prophet’s teachings. They don’t consider the Prophet’s purpose in the world, his teachings, the responsibilities he left for the ummah, and what needs to be done to fulfill those responsibilities. Instead of addressing these questions and fulfilling the requirements, they believe that expressing devotion to the Holy Prophet, even if it contradicts his teachings, is sufficient according to their own notions. Some ignorant religious leaders have exploited this devotion, using it as
That the inimitability (i’jaz) of the Qur’an becomes evident to a reader requires a complete understanding of the intended meaning and impact of the Book.
This understanding can only be achieved by recognizing the unique form and coherence of the Qur’anic text. We won’t delve into the specifics of this magnificent
Nevertheless, according to Ḥamīd Uddīn Farāhī, the coherence within the Qur’an is the key to unlocking the treasure of mysteries and wonders it holds.
Regrettably, within the entire scholarly tradition of Muslims, many have not given due consideration to the coherence in the Qur’an when determining its meanings.
According to Imam Farāhī, this coherence conceals a wealth of wonders and mysteries, most of which remain undiscovered. The neglect of coherence in interpreting the Qur’anic text, treating it as a collection of isolated verses, has led to
Consequently, divisions among scholars have deepened, and over time, followers of each tradition have emerged, further dividing the Ummah into numerous sects due to the absence of a shared criterion like the coherence in the Qur’an to settle these
Hence, every scholar regards their own understanding of the Qur’an as the intended message of God. The coherence in the Qur’an functions as the yardstick for interpreting and commenting on it. It serves as the means to establish the genuine
Instead, all interpreters would have united under the same banner and spoken with causing every juristic school to establish its fundamental principles based on its own
The inevitable outcome is the absence of a standard to judge the validity of the principles of different legal schools. This is why a comprehensive comparison of principles can only be reviewed within the context of each specific legal tradition.
When we subject the Qur’an to human understanding, we mean formulating specific principles during its interpretation without considering the textual context, the situation in which it was revealed, and the audience. These are the natural principles for understanding any book. For instance, interpreting the Qur’an based on Hadith or deeming consensus as reliable. Consequently, each school of thought becomes an entirely independent entity because there is no decisive criterion to mediate
Even after considering the coherence in the Qur’an, there is still room for the emergence of different schools of thought. However, we possess a decisive criterion in cases of disagreement. We can confidently say that these are established principles and they have not been applied in a particular case. Unlike human understanding, the coherence in the Qur’an represents the understanding of the
Book whose significance cannot be denied. It serves as the strong and unbreakable bond (Habl al-matīn). In the compilation of Nizām al-Qur’an, Imam Farāhī argues that the main cause of differences in interpretation is the neglect of the coherence in the Qur’an. Had the coherence been explicit, and interpreters considered the central theme of the surah, differences in interpreting the Qur’anic text would have
‘It is a good tree whose roots are firm and branches reach the sky.