Muhammad: The Last Prophet has been published
at a time when people around the world, particularly those who are unfamiliar
with the Islamic faith, are searching for understanding of this great
religion, its adherents, its holy book the Quran, and the life examples of its
ultimate leader, Muhammad, unto him be peace.
This esteemed work arrives as crucial questions are
being asked. What is so appealing about Islam that nearly one-fourth of the
world’s inhabitants claim it as their religion? How does Islam regard human
life, women, education and literacy, democracy, military pursuits and, in
general terms, the life we have come to know in the West? What is the Islamic
view of other religions?
In fact Islam is a religion that engages its adherents
at every level of life, going beyond the walls of the mosque. Islamic
teachings are based on the divinely revealed Quran, on the Hadith (examples of
the Prophet Muhammad
{s}), and on the legal
judgments of trained jurists. It is also a religion largely open to
interpretation, which allows for consensus, discussion, and disagreement.
However, everyone who is familiar with Islam will
certainly agree it offers guidance for every aspect of our lives, with the
goal of serving Allah subhana wa ta’ala, The Almighty in the best manner.
Therefore, to be a servant of God is the highest goal of humankind, which
encompasses respect for all creation and humility.
To achieve this goal or “station”, one must be
cognizant of what Allah subhana wa ta’ala truly expects from His creatures.
One must seek guidance and the ability to distinguish what is right, and to
stand for it even in the face of opposition. One must certainly remain open to
Truth.
And thus we find in Islam the guidance in the form of
the textual sources, but also practices that feed the soul, to keep it in tune
with The Divine. Just as our physical bodies cannot survive without food and
drink, being from Heavens, our souls have specific needs to survive in this
earthly sphere of life. It is this spiritual connection with The Divine that
actually allows us to carry the burden of life in this physical world.
To view humanity as mere physical beings ‑ as evolved,
more sophisticated animals ‑ reduces us to a limited, one-dimensional,
material level. History is replete with countless examples of the failure of
humanity to resolve its miseries and challenges through material means.
Currently there are more resources in the world than ever before, and yet
poverty and hunger have reached unprecedented levels, prisons are bursting
from overcrowding, the volume of refugees has surpassed all predictions, wars
have not subsided, and fatal diseases and illnesses pervade every region. We
live in a time when financial success and the material life does not solve our
problems; in fact in most cases it drives us to excessive behaviors. As a
people, these circumstances are spiritually killing us, across all social and
religious boundaries, wiping out true humanity from the face of the earth.
Islam categorically refutes the materialist approach
to life by raising the status of human beings to representatives of Allah
subhana wa ta’ala on earth, equipped with faculties of reason, but similarly
equipped with powers to develop as superior beings through acts of kindness,
humility, and intervention against what is wrong. By following the divine
guidance of Allah’s prophets and saints, we are granted access to a spiritual
world through which we are perpetually fed, gaining the crucial abilities we
need to survive this material world.
Muhammad: The Last Prophet embodies the
timeless teachings of holy souls through the ages, whom Allah subhana wa
ta’ala has endowed with immense wisdom. May we benefit from what they offer,
that these lessons
help us evolve to higher stations, becoming truly in
tune with the spiritual dimension of life, achieving a state of genuine peace
‑ with ourselves and the world around us.
Wa min Allah at Tawfiq ‑ and Allah knows
best.
Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani, Cyprus, January
2002
Praise be to Allah subhana wa ta’ala (The Almighty,
glorified and exalted) that He created us and sent His messengers to teach us,
and sent His message of the Unity of God through many prophets, including
Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and our master Muhammad
{s}. To fill all
peoples with love and peace, and to provide us wisdom and guidance, Allah
subhana wa ta’ala sent the heavenly books: the Psalms of David, the Torah of
Moses (Old Testament), the Injil of Jesus (New Testament), and the Holy Quran
of Prophet Muhammad {s}.
We find in His infinite wisdom and mercy, Allah subhana
wa ta’ala has sent divine knowledge much as the sun fills the horizon,
illuminating the hearts of humankind as they navigate and face the challenges
of this earthly life. He made his Prophet's {s}ole models for all humanity,
for all times to come. May His blessings come on all messengers, especially on
the Last Messenger, Sayyidina Muhammad
{s}, the Chosen One
from among all prophets, sent as a mercy for all humanity and a rainbow of
divine light and revelation for the entire world. Blessings be upon his
companions
y
who are the stars of that universe of knowledge, and forgiveness be upon those
who follow them until the Day of Judgment.
A prophet (nabi) is a human being to whom Allah subhana
wa ta’ala has revealed a criterion of disciplinary law (Shari`a) but whom He
did not ask to deliver it as a message.
A messenger (rasul) is a human being to whom Allah
subhana wa ta’ala has revealed the disciplinary law as a prophet, but on top
of that, sent him to deliver the message; thus he is both a prophet and a
messenger.
Prophets, as they have been described in the sayings of
Ibn `Abbas
y in the work of
commentary Ruh al-bayan, specifically of the chapter of Quran entitled
Surat al-`Araaf, it is stated that the prophets number around 124,000, and
the prophet-messengers are twenty-five. Further, Imam Ahmad narrated that Abi
Dharr al-Ghifari
y said, “Oh Messenger
of Allah, who was the first Prophet?” He
r said, “Adam”. … And I
asked, “Oh Messenger of Allah, how many are the messengers?” He said, “310 and
a few more.”
And in another narration of Imam Ahmad, from the
narration of Abi Umaama, Abu Dharr asked, “Oh Messenger of Allah, how many are
the prophets?” He said, “120,000 and between them 315 messengers.”
The Holy Quran mentions twenty-five of these
messengers, namely: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishma`il, Isaac, Jacob, David,
Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Zacharia, John (the Baptist), Idris,
Jonah, Hud, Shu`ayb, Salih, Lot, Ilyas, Ilya`sa, Dhul-kifli, Jesus and
Sayyidina Muhammad, peace be upon them all. These are the messengers of Allah
who came with holy books containing the divine message. The others are
prophets who received divine revelation but who were not ordered to deliver it
to anyone; it was for them. For example, all Jacob’s sons were prophets, but
Joseph was the only messenger from among them.
Muhammad: The Last Prophet proves a very great
resource for Muslims and people of other faiths. It expounds intimate details
of the life of Prophet Muhammad
{s}, highlighting his
love and respect for all humanity, the depth of his compassion and mercy for
all creation, and his perfect example as a role model for anyone who seeks the
ultimate proximity to Allah subhana wa ta’ala and perfection as a human being.
What he brought was revolutionary: enlightenment and
education that immediately ushered people out of wayward darkness into guiding
light, from unrealistic life to realistic life, from evil to good. The life
examples of the Last Messenger Muhammad
{s} are a vast
reservoir of examples from which we can draw deeply at any point in time, to
quench the thirst for self-improvement and true guidance.
Laboriously compiled from rare manuscripts, traditional Islamic texts, and
other printed source material (including sahih hadith and others*),
painstakingly translated from Ottoman Turkish to English, Muhammad: The
Last Prophet accurately depicts the perfected, blessed character and
refined manners that Allah subhana wa ta’ala bestowed on His beloved Prophet
{S}. This illustrious work examines the greatness Prophet Muhammad {s} showed
throughout his life. It depicts the great lengths to which he went ‑ many
times risking his own life, suffering humiliation, torment and abuse from his
own tribe, leaving the only home he knew, always tolerant of his attackers and
seeking peace ‑ to guide the entire world with practical lessons on living a
successful life. These lessons can be applied in any culture, place, or era,
and miraculously remain as current today as they were fifteen centuries ago.
From
Prophet Muhammad’s life examples (sunnah) we find elaborate guidelines on all
aspects of society building, from infrastructure development and establishing
relations with foreign nations, to building academic, economic and welfare
systems, and establishing the judiciary body and ministry of defense. To this
day, he is known as a superior statesman who built a solid nation, able to
face countless challenges. In fact over time, many of the Prophet’s
nation-building tactics have been applied and proven in various regions of the
world.
In the glorious Quran, Allah subhana wa ta’ala said:
Muhammad is not the father of any
of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets,
and Allah has full knowledge of all things.
[33:40]
Tirmidhi (hasan) and Ibn Maja:
Abu Sa`id al-Khudri narrated that the Prophet said: “I am
the leader of human beings and I say this without pride.”
At-Tirmidhi narrated:
“The Prophet said: I heard your words, and everything you
said is indeed true, and I myself am the Beloved of Allah (habibullah) and I
say this without pride, and I carry the flag of glory (liwa ul-hamd) on the
Day of Judgment, and am the first intercessor and the first whose intercession
is accepted, and the first to stir the circles of Paradise so that Allah will
open it for me and I shall enter it together with the poor among my Community,
and I say this without pride. I am the most honored of the First and the Last,
and I say this without pride.”
And thus we lovingly present Muhammad: The Last
Prophet in our humble attempt to bring light where there is darkness, to
bring peace to troubled minds, and to restore love to battered hearts.
Wa min Allah at Tawfiq ‑ and Allah knows best.
Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, Washington D.C.,
January 2002
Hajjah Amina Adil is a renowned author, lecturer and
spiritual advisor who, for more than forty years, has devoted herself to help
people of all walks of life better understand Islam. In addition, she has
played a pivotal role in helping Muslim women understand and apply the many
distinguishing rights God Almighty set forth for women in the Islamic faith.
Married for fifty years to Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil
al-Haqqani, the spiritual head of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi Order, Hajjah
Amina has traveled the world. A scholar of Shari`ah and shaykha, she has
thousands of disciples throughout North and South America, Europe, the Middle
and Far East, Southeast and Central Asia, and Africa.
She studied under many scholars of the Middle East and
Turkey, including Grandshaykh Abdullah ad-Daghestani an-Naqshbandi, among
others.
Hajjah Amina is from the family of Prophet Muhammad
{s}. She was born in Russia’s Kazan Province during the early Communist era,
which mandated a statewide purge of Jews, Christians and Muslims. With
neighbors mysteriously disappearing and millions exiled to camps in Siberia
where they either froze or starved to death, when she was a mere toddler the
family fled on foot in the dark of night on a perilous journey that, for
reasons of safety, could only be undertaken with the clothes on their backs.
Too young to recall the long journey that would
eventually lead them to Turkey, family members have narrated her parents’
bravery and deep sense of faith, young Amina’s sense of adventure, and a
tragic life-threatening fall that left her in a coma from which they feared
she would not recover. After more than a year and with Communist officials in
deadly pursuit, the family miraculously made their way to Arzurum in
northeastern Turkey.
Thus, at such a tender age, Hajjah Amina was granted
the high status of “muhajirah”, which means one who migrated from tyranny and
religious oppression to a place where they can openly practice their faith. It
is said the reward for such an undertaking rests solely with God Almighty.
These early life experiences seem to have shaped
Hajjah Amina’s love of family, community and travel, her forthrightness in
standing for justice, and her love of Islam. However, after twelve years in
Turkey, Hajjah Amina’s father had a vision in which he was instructed to
relocate the family to “Sham” (Damascus), which had been their original
destination upon leaving Russia. In Damascus they found the life they had been
seeking, and settled on Jabal Qasiyun, a high mountain which overlooks the
entire city.
It was here the family met Grandshaykh Abdullah al-Fa`iz
ad-Daghestani of the Golden Chain of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order, who took
particular care in overseeing Hajjah Amina’s religious and spiritual
development. Under Grandshaykh Abdullah she studied Tasawwuf (Sufism – Islamic
spirituality) and she studied Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) under such notable
scholars as Shaykh Salih Farfour of Syria and Shaykh Mukhtar Alaily, then
Secretary General of Religious Affairs of Lebanon. Hajjah Amina’s teachers and
mentors were always amazed with her acumen, with her high level of retention,
and her ability to grasp and reason complex issues within the framework of
Islamic Law, even at a young age.
At age twenty-three, upon the advice of Grandshaykh
Abdullah she was engaged to the young Shaykh Nazim; they married a month later
and have remained great companions for nearly fifty years. In fact Shaykh
Nazim often remarks that his wife seems to him the same as when they first
married. Together they have lived and raised their four children between
Syria, Turkey and Cyprus, and at the time of this writing they have been
blessed with sixteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
As a young mother and wife of a shaykh in training,
Hajjah Amina was often left alone to face the challenges of raising a family
while her husband was either in spiritual retreat or traveling for months on
end, visiting various regions to spread the word of the Unity of God. This,
coupled with her early life experience, only strengthened her faith and
reliance on God Almighty.
Hajjah Amina has thrice performed Hajj, the Islamic
pilgrimage to Mecca. Known for her wise, practical approach to life and her
problem-solving skills, over the years she has become a much-turned-to advisor
of women on a host of issues. She speaks fluent Turkish and Arabic, and is
proficient in English. She is uniquely beloved to heads of state and their
ministers, to celebrities, as well as common folk.
Hajjah Amina currently resides in Cyprus in a
comfortable “old world” farm house with a spacious garden, where she receives
thousands of visitors each year from all over the world. She still
occasionally accompanies Shaykh Nazim on his official visits to other
countries and has been a keynote speaker at numerous conferences on Islam and
Muslim women.
Hajjah Amina’s other works include the three-volume
series Lore of Light, her inimitable narration of stories of the
prophets and miracles of the saints. All inquiries for Hajjah Amina may be
directed to the publisher.
This brilliant work stands as tribute to the profound
impact on religious and social development made by the Rahmatun-lil `Alamin,
the “Mercy to all the Worlds”, Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdallah (peace and
blessing of God be upon him).
As one who grew up at the feet of renowned scholars
thoroughly conversant in Islamic history and tradition, it is my distinct
honor to acknowledge my mother’s shining attempt to bring to life stories
handed down over centuries on the unprecedented life of the Prophet of Islam.
In her inimitable style – which captivates the
imagination much like in the pre-television era ‑ renowned scholar and author,
my mother Hajjah Amina Adil meticulously compiled this great Seerah
(biography) in her native Ottoman Turkish, a classic language which inevitably
suffers loss when translated to English. Thus, every care has been taken to
capture the linguistic styles and finer meanings of ancient narrations, while
presenting them to a contemporary, English-speaking audience.
It is deeply hoped Muhammad (r):
The Last Prophet will fill the current literary demand for titles on
traditional Islam, and its much-discussed religious interpretations. This book
is presented with a view to answer many contemporary questions and to help
those unfamiliar with this great world religion in better understanding its
tenets, history and culture which is shared by 1.5 billion adherents, roughly
one-fifth of the world’s inhabitants.
For the past year our editorial team has worked
intensely to bring you this highly authoritative work, replete with textual
references and a glossary of the many foreign terms, which have recently
surfaced into the mainstream English language.
My deep gratitude goes to Ms. Radhia Shukrullah of
Cyprus who labored to provide an accurate translation from the original
Ottoman Turkish.
The following women have taken great pains to ensure
the integrity of all textual references, and have provided extensive editing
to present this work to mainstream audiences: Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi, Director
of International Affairs, Islamic Supreme Council of America; Hajjah Talibah
Jilani, National Executive Director, Kamilat Muslims Women’s Association; and
Ms. Jennifer McLennan, Executive Director, Islamic Supreme Council of America.
Muhammad: the Last Prophet is a work of enduring
love, which comes to you from our hearts. The efforts of this sincere group of
women – from the author and translator through the editors and publisher – is
tribute to the high standards of women’s and human rights, introduced in
Arabia fifteen centuries ago by this greatest of God’s prophets.
In these times, when we are inundated with news of
religious radicalism, I pray the readers of this shining work will gain a
deeper respect and understanding for traditional Islam, which has thrived
peacefully for many centuries, and which supports religious tolerance, gender
equality, social consciousness, and civil responsibility. Further, through
centuries of influence of the Sufi mystics and their various spiritual
practices, classical Islam is known to liberate souls from their earthly
bondage.
If you complete this reading better informed, with a
sounder view of Islam and its adherents, if it spurns discussion and debate,
and challenges you to re-evaluate past perceptions of Islam, Muslims, and
their place in world history, not one moment of our collective effort has been
in vain.
With a combination of pride, humility, and awe, I
salute the five decades of my mother’s devotion to bringing light where there
is darkness, and for instilling in me a deep love for Islamic tradition. May
this valuable book be blessed, and may it reach those who may truly benefit
from it.
Hajjah Naziha
Adil.
Chairwoman, Kamilat
April 2002
Quran translations are quoted from the Arberry English
translation, The Quran Interpreted by Arthur J. Arberry, Oxford
University Press, 1964.
Quotes from the Quran and Hadith, the two major source
texts on Islam, are italicized and referenced by the chapter name and verse.
The following symbols are universally recognized by
Muslims and have been respectfully included in this work:
The symbol s represents
“sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam” (Allah's blessings and greetings of peace be
upon him) which is customarily recited after reading or pronouncing the name
of Prophet Muhammad.
It is intended that “alayhis-salam” (peace be upon
him/her) be recited after the names of the other prophets, the Family of the
Prophet, the pure and virtuous women in Islam, and the angels, represented by
the symbol
u.
It is also intended that “radiAllahu anh” or (may
Allah be pleased with him/her) is recited after the names of Companions of the
Prophet, represented by the symbol
y.
