Ash-Shifa of Qadi ‘Iyad

Description

AUTHOR’S PREFACE PART ONE Allah’s great estimation of the worth of His Prophet expressed in both word and action Introduction Chapter One ALLAH’S PRAISE OF HIM AND HIS GREAT ESTEEM FOR HIM SECTION 1 Concerning praise of him and his numerous excellent qualities SECTION 2 Allah’s describing him as a witness, and the praise and honour entailed by that SECTION 3 Concerning Allah’s kindness and gentleness to him SECTION 4 Concerning Allah’s swearing by his immense worth SECTION 5 Concerning Allah’s oath to confirm his place with Him SECTION 6 Concerning Allah’s addressing the Prophet with compassion and generosity SECTION 7 Concerning Allah’s praise of him and his numerous excellent qualities SECTION 8 Concerning Allah instructing His creation to say the prayer on the Prophet, His protecting him and removing the punishment because of him SECTION 9 Concerning the marks of honour given to the Prophet in Sura al-Fath SECTION 10 How Allah, in His Mighty Book, demonstrates the honour in which He holds him and his position with Him and other things which Allah gave him Chapter Two ALLAH’S PERFECTING HIS GOOD QUALITIES OF CHARACTER AND CONSTITUTION, AND GIVING HIM ALL THE VIRTUES OF THE DEEN AND THIS WORLD Introduction SECTION 1 Preface SECTION 2 His physical attributes SECTION 3 His cleanliness SECTION 4 His intellect, eloquence and the acuteness of his faculties SECTION 5 His eloquence and sound Arabic SECTION 6 The nobility of his lineage, the honour of his birthplace and the place where he was brought up SECTION 7 His state regarding the necessary actions of daily life SECTION 8 Marriage and things connected with it SECTION 9 Things connected to money and goods SECTION 10 Praiseworthy qualities SECTION 11 His intellect SECTION 12 His forbearance, long-suffering and pardon SECTION 13 His generosity and liberality SECTION 14 His courage and bravery SECTION 15 Modesty and lowering the glance SECTION 16 SECTION 17 Compassion and mercy SECTION 18 Integrity, probity in contracts and maintaining ties of kinship SECTION 19 His humility SECTION 20 His justice, trustworthiness, decency and truthfulness SECTION 21 His sedateness, silence, deliberation, manly virtue and excellent conduct SECTION 22 His abstinence regarding the things of this world SECTION 23 His fear of Allah, obedience to Him and intensity of worship SECTION 24 The qualities of the Prophets SECTION 25 The hadith of al-Hasan from Ibn Abi Hala on the Prophet’s qualities Chapter Three ON THE SOUND AND WELL-KNOWN TRADITIONS RELATED ABOUT THE IMMENSE VALUE PLACED ON HIM BY HIS LORD, HIS EXALTED POSITION AND HIS NOBILITY IN THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT SECTION 1 What has come concerning his place with his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, his being chosen, his high renown, his being preferred, his mastery over the children of Adam, the prerogative of the ranks he was given in this world and the blessing of his excellent name. SECTION 2 The miracle of the Night Journey SECTION 3 The reality of the Night Journey SECTION 4 Refutation of those who say it was a dream SECTION 5 His vision of his Lord SECTION 6 His conversing intimately with Allah SECTION 7 His proximity and nearness SECTION 8 His preceding people on the Day of Rising SECTION 9 On his being singled out for Allah’s love and close friendship SECTION 10 On his being given Intercession and “the Praiseworthy Station” (al-Maqam al-Mahmud) SECTION 11 On Allah giving mediation, high degree, and Kawthar to him in the Garden SECTION 12 The hadiths related about the prohibition of disparity between the Prophets SECTION 13 On his names and their excellence SECTION 14 On Allah honouring the Prophet with some of His own Beautiful Names and describing him with some of His own Sublime Qualities SECTION 15 Recapitulation of the qualities of the Creator and the creature Chapter Four ON THE MIRACLES WHICH ALLAH MANIFESTED AT HIS HANDS AND THE SPECIAL QUALITIES AND MARKS OF HONOUR (KARAMAT) WITH WHICH HE HONOURED HIM SECTION 1 Preface SECTION 2 Prophethood and the Messengership SECTION 3 The meaning of miracles (mu‘jizat) SECTION 4 On the inimitability of the Qur’an SECTION 5 The inimitability of the Qur’an’s composition and style SECTION 6 Information about unseen things SECTION 7 The reports of past generations and departed nations SECTION 8 The challenge to the Arabs and their incapacity to respond and informing them that they would not be able to do so SECTION 9 The terror aroused by hearing the Qur’an and the awe it inspires in people’s hearts SECTION 10 The Qur’an’s remaining throughout time SECTION 11 Other aspects of the Qur’an’s inimitability SECTION 12 The splitting of the moon and holding back the sun SECTION 13 On water flowing from the Prophet’s fingers and increasing by his baraka SECTION 14 His causing water to flow by his baraka SECTION 15 Making food abundant by his baraka and supplication SECTION 16 On the tree speaking and testifying to his prophethood and its answering his call SECTION 17 The story of the yearning of the palm-trunk SECTION 18 Similar incidents with inanimate things SECTION 19 Signs in connection with various animals SECTION 20 Bringing the dead to life, their speaking, infants and suckling children speaking and testifying to his prophethood SECTION 21 On healing the sick and those with infirmities SECTION 22 On the Prophet’s supplication being answered SECTION 23 On his karamat and barakat and things beings transformed for him when he touched them SECTION 24 The Prophet’s knowledge of the unseen and future events SECTION 25 Allah’s protecting the Prophet from people and his being enough for him against those who injured him SECTION 26 His knowledge and science SECTION 27 Reports of the Prophet’s dealings with the angels and jinn SECTION 28 Reports about his attributes and the signs of his messengership SECTION 29 What is related about his birth SECTION 30 Conclusion and Appendix PART TWO Concerning the rights which people owe the Prophet Chapter One THE OBLIGATION TO BELIEVE IN HIM, OBEY HIM AND FOLLOW HIS SUNNA SECTION 1 The obligation to believe in him SECTION 2 The obligation to obey him SECTION 3 The obligation to follow him and obey his Sunna SECTION 4 What is related from the Salaf and the Imams about following his Sunna, taking his guidance and the Sira SECTION 5 The danger of opposing his command Chapter Two ON THE NECESSITY OF LOVING THE PROPHET SECTION 1 Concerning the necessity of loving him SECTION 2 On the reward for loving the Prophet SECTION THREE On what is related from the Salaf and the Imams about their love for the Prophet and their yearning for him SECTION 4 The signs of love of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace SECTION 5 On the meaning and reality of love for the Prophet SECTION 6 The obligation of nasiha1 for the Prophet Chapter Three EXALTING HIM AND THE NECESSITY TO RESPECT AND HONOUR HIM SECTION 1 Ayats in the Qur’an on this subject SECTION 2 On the esteem, respect and veneration due to him SECTION 3 Respect and esteem for the Prophet after his death SECTION 4 On the esteem of the Salaf for the transmission of the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah SECTION 5 Devotion to his family, descendants and wives SECTION 6 Respect for his Companions, devotion to them and recognising what is due to them SECTION 7 Esteem for the things and places connected with the Prophet Chapter 4 THE PRAYER ON THE PROPHET AND ASKING PEACE FOR HIM AND THE OBLIGATION OF DOING IT AND ITS EXCELLENCE SECTION 1 The meaning of the prayer on the Prophet SECTION 2 The judgement concerning the Prayer on the Prophet SECTION 3 On the situations in which it is recommended to say the Prayer on the Prophet SECTION 4 Concerning the manner of doing the prayer on the Prophet and asking for peace on him SECTION 5 On the excellence of the prayer on the Prophet, asking for peace for him and supplication for him SECTION 6 Censure of those who do not bless the Prophet and their wrong action SECTION 7 On the Prophet’s being singled out by having the Prayer on him revealed to him SECTION 8 The dispute about the prayer on other than the Prophet and the other Prophets SECTION 9 Concerning the visit to the Prophet’s grave, the excellence of those who visit it and how he should be greeted SECTION 10 The adab of entering the Mosque of the Prophet and its excellence, the excellence of the prayer in it and in the mosque of Makka. The Prophet’s grave and minbar, and the excellence of living in Madina and Makka PART THREE On what is necessary for the Prophet and what is impossible for him, what is permitted for him and what is forbidden for him and what is valid in those human matters which can be ascribed to him Introduction Chapter One CONCERNING MATTERS OF THE DEEN AND THE PROPHET’S BEING PROTECTED FROM IMPERFECTION PREFACE SECTION 1 Concerning the belief of the Prophet’s heart from the moment of his prophethood SECTION 2 The protection of the Prophets from defects before prophethood SECTION 3 The Prophet’s knowledge of the affairs of this world SECTION 4 Protection from Shaytan SECTION 5 The truthfulness of the Prophet in all states SECTION 6 Refutation of certain suspicions SECTION 7 His state in reports concerning this world SECTION 8 Refutation of certain objections SECTION 9 The Prophets’ protection from outrageous and grave wrong actions SECTION 10 The Prophets’ protection from acts of rebellion before they were Prophets SECTION 11 Oversight and Forgetfulness in Actions SECTION 12 Discussion of the above-mentioned hadith on the Prophet’s oversight SECTION 13 The Refutation of those who say that small wrong actions are permissible for the Prophet and an examination of their arguments SECTION 14 The state of the Prophets in their fear and asking forgiveness SECTION 15 The benefit of the sections investigating the Prophet’s protection from wrong action SECTION 16 On the protection of the angels from wrong action Chapter Two THE STATES OF THE PROPHET IN RESPECT OF THIS WORLD AND WHAT NON-ESSENTIAL HUMAN QUALITIES HE COULD HAVE SECTION 1 The states of the Prophets in relation to human conditions SECTION 2 His state in relation to sorcery SECTION 3 The Prophet’s states with respect to worldly matters SECTION 4 The Prophet’s judgements SECTION 5 The Prophet’s reports relating to this world SECTION 6 The hadith of the Prophet’s will SECTION 7 Study of other hadiths SECTION 8 The Prophet’s actions in this world SECTION 9 The wisdom contained in the illnesses and afflictions of the Prophets PART FOUR The judgements concerning those who think the Prophet imperfect or curse him Introduction Chapter One Clarification about Cursing the Prophet or Saying that He is Imperfect by Allusion or Clear Statement SECTION 1 The Judgement of the Shari‘a regarding someone who curses or disparages the Prophet SECTION 2 The proof of the necessity of killing anyone who curses the Prophet or finds fault with him SECTION 3 The reasons why the Prophet pardoned some of those who harmed him SECTION 4 The judgment regarding someone who maligns the Prophet without deliberation or really believing what he has said SECTION 5 Is the one who says such things an unbeliever or an apostate? SECTION 6 The judgement regarding words that could be construed to be a curse SECTION 8 The judgement regarding someone who quotes such words from someone else SECTION 9 The states of the Prophet which can be mentioned for the sake of instruction SECTION 10 The necessary adab when mentioning reports about the Prophet CHAPTER 2 THE JUDGEMENT AGAINST SOMEONE WHO CURSES THE PROPHET, REVILES HIM, DISPARAGES HIM OR HARMS HIM, AND HOW SOMEONE WHO DOES THIS SHOULD BE PUNISHED; ABOUT CALLING ON HIM TO REPENT AND THE STATUS OF HIS INHERITANCE SECTION 1 The statements and opinions on the judgement of someone who curses or disparages the Prophet SECTION 2 The judgement on an apostate if he repents SECTION 3 The judgment on the apostate whose apostasy is not established SECTION 4 The judgement regarding dhimmis regarding this matter SECTION 5 Regarding the inheritance of someone who is killed for cursing the Prophet, and whether one washes him and says the funeral prayer over him Chapter Three CONCERNING THE JUDGEMENT ON ANYONE WHO CURSES ALLAH, HIS ANGELS, HIS PROPHETS, HIS BOOKS AND THE FAMILY OF THE PROPHET AND HIS COMPANIONS SECTION 1 The judgement on someone who curses Allah and the judgement regarding asking him to repent SECTION 2 The judgement about ascribing to Allah something that does not befit Him through ijtihad and error SECTION 3 Verification of the statement about considering faulty interpreters to be unbelievers SECTION 4 Clarification of which statements amount to disbelief, what one hesitates about or is disputed and what does not amount to disbelief SECTION 5 The judgement on a dhimmi who curses Allah SECTION 6 The judgement on anyone who claims divinity or utters falsehoods and lies about Allah SECTION 7 The judgment on the one who unintentionally counters the majesty of his Lord by disreputable words and foolish expressions SECTION 8 The judgement on the one who curses the Prophets in general and the angels SECTION 9 Judgement in relation to the Qur’an SECTION 10 The judgement on the one who curses the People of the House, the Prophet’s wives and his Companions Glossary of Arabic Words Glossary of hadith collections referred to in the text Glossary of the People Mentioned in the Text Synopsis of the Section Contents Biographical Note on the Author of the Shifa’