All praises are due to Allāh SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala Who created His Beloved Rasūl Sayyidunā MuHammad Sallallaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam without a shadow. This is one of the many remarkable qualities that makes our beloved Master unique in the entire creation of the universe. Choicest Salāms and most revered Salutations upon the dazzling manifestation of the Sublime Lord SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala who is the most perfect and independent human created by the Real Absolute Almighty Allāh SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala.
We are living in a world of uncertainty and misconceptions. Man is beginning to question the very roots of his beliefs regarding Allah Almighty and the Holy Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam, to create doubt in the minds of the simple and unsuspecting Muslims. A brother in Islam provided me a link where some lunatics were trying to accuse the magnificent personality of Syeduna Rasoolullah Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam having a shadow like any other human!! (Na'udhu Billahi min dhalik)
Indeed, our Master, the selected splendid Moon and brilliant Star Sallallaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam, did not have a shadow. This is clearly proven by the Hadith Sharīf and consensus of the illustrious Ā'immah of Dīn. Those who dispute this are not even fit to qualify as students of these great ‘Ulamā, let alone understand their works. It is recorded in authentic books from generation to generation with unbroken chain sequence and consensus that the beloved Nabī Sallallaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam did not have a shadow. To this day it cannot be proven that any ‘Ālim of Dīn has ever dared to dispute this agreed fact. But how unfortunate is it that suddenly some fool is born who rejects this undisputed fact and intends to enslave himself with the chains of Nafs and ignorance. This rejection makes transparent such peoples ignorance, insolence and disrespect for our Master and compassionate Rasūl Sallallaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam.
Surely, it is out of the many unique attributes of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) that HE did not possess a shadow. He didn't have a shadow in the radiance of sunlight nor did he have a shadow in the illumination of the moon. This is the `Aqeedah (Creed or belief) of the SaHaba, Tabi'een and the Ulama al-Islam. We shall now proceed and contemplate upon the `Aqeedah of the pious predecessors.
The
`Aqeedah
of
Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani and Imam Nasafi Radi
ALLAHu Ta'ala Anhum Ajma'een
Allamah Imam Nasafi (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho) writes that Hadrat Uthman (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho) came to the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) and said,
قال عثمان رضی الله تعالٰی عنه ان الله ما اوقع ظلک علی الارض لئلایضع انسان قدمه علی ذٰلک الظل
"Allah did not put your shadow on the Earth in case someone trod upon it". [Tafseer-e-Madarik, Dar al-Kutb Arabi , Vol. 3, Page 135]
From this hadith it is evident that the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) did not possess a shadow and the `Aqeedah of Hadrat Uthman (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho) is vivid. The Glorious Prophet (Sallallahu'Alaihi Wasallam) listened to what Uthman (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho) had said and did not disagree with him. Also the `Aqeedah of Imam Nasafi (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho) is seen.
The `Aqeedah
of Hadrat Abdullah ibn Abbas, Son of Abdullah Ibn
Abbas, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mubarak and Hafidh
Allamah Ibn Jauzi Radi ALLAHu Anhum Ajma'een
Syeduna Abdullah bin Mubarak and Allama Jauzi in his Kitab al-Wafa narrates a hadith from Hadrat Abdullah ibn Abbas (the cousin of the Holy Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim) and Son of Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas:
قال لم یکن لرسول الله صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وسلم ظل ، ولم یقم مع شمس قط الاغلب ضؤوه ضوء الشمس ، ولم یقم مع سراج قط الاغلب ضوؤه علی ضوء السراج
"Allah's Rasul had no shadow, not while standing in the sun, but the brilliance of his Noor surpassed the rays of the sun; nor while sitting before a burning light, but his luminous Noor excelled the lustre of the light". [Al-Wafa, Chapter 29, Vol. 2, Page 407]
The
`Aqeedah of Hadrat Zakwaan Tabi'ee and Hadrat Hakeem
Tirmidhi Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Hadrat Hakeem Tirmidhi narrates from Hadrat Zakwaan Tabi'ee (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho):
فقد اخرج الحکیم الترمذی عن ذکوان ان رسول الله صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وسلم لم یکن یرٰی له ظل فی شمس ولا قمر
"The shadow of the blessed Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) didn't show in the sun nor did it became apparent in the moonlight" [Khasa'is al-Kubra, Vol. 1, Page 68]
The `Aqeedah of Imam
Qadi Iyad al-Maliki
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Allamah Qadi Iyad (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho) writes:
وما ذکر من انه کان لاظل لشخصه فی شمس ولا قمر لانه کان نوراً
"The narration that the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) did not possess a shadow in the sunlight nor the moonlight is true because the blessed Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) was made of Noor (light)." [Ash-Shifa, Dar al Kutb Ilmiyah , Vol. 1, Page 225]
The `Aqeedah of Imam
Jalal al-Din as-Suyuti
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Imam Suyuti set aside a whole chapter in `Khasaais al-Kubra' about the shadowless Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) and calls it, "In honour of the miracle that the shadow of the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) was not seen."
Thereafter, Allamah Suyuti (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho) quotes the hadith of Hadrat Zakwaan Tabi'ee (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho) which has been mentioned above and then cites another hadith as follows:
قال ابن سبع من خصائصه صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وسلم ان ظله کان لایقع علی الارض وانه کان نورا فکان اذا مشٰی فی الشمس اوالقمر لاینظر له ظل قال بعضھم ویشھد له حدیث قول صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وسلم فی دعائه واجعلنی نورا
"Ibn Saba' said that it is a uniqueness of the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) that he did not have a shadow because he was made from Noor. And when he used to walk in the light of the sun or the moon, his shadow was not apparent. Various scholars have said that this unique attribute of the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) is clear proof of another hadith in which the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) prayed to Allah to make him Noor" [Khasais al-Kubra, Vol. 1, Page 68]
Note: When the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) asked Allah to make him a Noor, this does not imply that the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) was not already a Noor. This du'a was recited so that Allah may make the blessed Prophet (sallallahu 'alahi wasallam) an even greater Noor and so that every one of his blessed features may became a source of light for the believers in terms of knowledge and also a Noor on the Day of Judgment. For example, when the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) read Sure Fatiha in salah and recited (Guide me along the straight path), this, obviously, does not mean that he was not already upon the straight path, it is simply a means of thanking Allah for keeping him upon it. In the same way, the Du'a-e-Noor was a token of thanks to Allah for making the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) noor.
From the above narration, the `Aqeedah of Imam Jalal al-Deen Suyuti (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho) and Imam ibn Saba' is clear that the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) was made from Noor and was not only a mere Bashar (man) like us. He was a bashar but he was also Noor.
A diamond is a stone but a stone like no other,
Muhammad is a man but a man like no other
The `Aqeedah of
MuHammad bin Yousuf al-SaliHi al-Shami Radi ALLAHu
Ta'ala Anho
It is stated in Seerat-e-Shaami:
قال معناه لئلایطأعلیه کافر فیکون مذلة له
"Allah Almighty does not let your shadow fall on the ground, so that no foot of man can fall on it". [Subl al-Huda wal Rishad, Chapter 20, Dar al-Kutb Ilmiyah (Berut), Vol. 2, Page 90]
The `Aqeedah of Imam
Ahmad Qastalani
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Imam Ahmed Qastalani states in al-Mawahib al-Ladunya:
لم یکن له صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وسلم فی شمس ولا قمر رواه الترمذی عن ذکوان ، وقال ابن سبع کان صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وسلم نوراً فکان اذا مشٰی فی الشمس اوالقمر لایظھر له ظل قال غیره ویشھد له قوله صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وسلم فی دعائه واجعلنی نورا
"The Holy Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam did not possess a shadow in the brightness of the sun or moonlight is proven from the Ahadith of Tirmizi Sharief of Ibn Zakwaan and Ibn Saba that when he used to walk in the light of the sun or the moon, his shadow was not apparent and this unique attribute of the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) is clear proof of another hadith in which the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) prayed to Allah to make him Noor". [Mawahib al-Ladunya, Section 3, Chapter 1, Al-Maktab al-Islami (Berut), Vol. 2, Page 307]
The `Aqeedah of
Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Hadrat Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi states in his Mathnawi Sharif:
چوں فنانش از فقر پیرایه شود ۔۔۔ او محمد داربے سایه شود
"Let alone the Holy Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam, even if an ordinary servant of the Holy Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim reaches the stage of inner mortality (BAQA), then like the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam, his shadow too disappears". [Masanwi Ma'nawi, Section 5, Kutb Khana Peshwar, Page 19]
The 'Aqeedah of Imam
ibn Hajar Makki al-Haythami
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Imam Haytami writes:
ومما یؤیدانه صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وسلم صارنورا انه کان اذا مشٰی فی الشمس اوالقمر لم یظھر له ظل لانه لایظھر الالکثیف وھو صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وسلم قد خلصه الله من سائر الکثائف الجسمانیة وصیره نورا صرفا لایظھر له ظل اصلا
"He became light to the extent that if he walked in sunlight or moonlight he did not have a shadow. The reason is that shadows pertain only to dense bodies whereas he has been purified by Allah from all the bodily attributes of denseness and he has turned him into light unadulterated and pure, and entirely devoid of shadow." [Shahrah Umm al-Qurra, Couplet 2, Vol. 1, Page 129]
The 'Aqeedah of Imam
Burhan al-Din al-Halabi
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Imam Halabi writes:
"If he walked in sunlight or in moonlight he had no shadow because he was light." [Seerat al-Halabiyah]
The `Aqeedah of Imam
Rabbani Mujaddid Alf Thaani
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Imam Rabbani writes:
او را صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وسلم سایه نبود درعالم شهادت سایه هرشخص از شخص لطیف تر است وچوں لطیف ترے ازوے صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وسلم درعالم نباشد اورا سایه چه صورت دارد
"Indeed the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) did not have a shadow. This is because in this world, the shadow of a being is always more fine than the actual being itself and in this universe, there is nothing more fine than the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam), hence, how could it be possible that he possessed a shadow?" [Maktubaat Imam-e-Rabbani, Vol. 3, Page 187]
From the above, the `Aqeedah of Mujaddid-e-Alfi Thaani (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho) is clear.
The `Aqeedah
of Shaykh Abd al-Haq Muhaddith al-Dehlwi
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anho
Shaikh Abdul Haq Shaikh-e-MuHaqqiq writes:
ونبودمرآنحضرت را صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وسلم سایه نه در آفتاب ونه در قمر
"The shadow of the Prophet was non-existent in the rays of the sun and in the moonlight" [Madarij an-Nabuwwah, Vol. 1, Page 21]
نور یکے از اسمائے آنحضرت است صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وسلم ونور راسایه نمی باشد انتهٰی
"Noor is one of the Names of The blessed Prophet Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam, and Noor does not have a shadow". [Madarij an-Nabuwwah, Vol. 1, Page 21]
The `Aqeedah of Shah
Abd al-Aziz Muhaddith al-Dehlwi
Shah Abd al-Aziz writes concerning the Shadowless Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam):
سایه ایشاں برزمیں نمی افتاد
"His (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) shadow did not fall upon the Earth". [Tafseer-e-Azeezi, Muslim Book Depot , Page 312]
The `Aqeedah of the pious individuals above is clearly evident. They believed that the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) was a Noor, hence, he did not possess a shadow. This is the `Aqeedah of the Sahaba, tabi'een and all Muslim generations.
The 'Aqeedah of
Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Deobandi
The following quote of Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi is presented so that Deobandis can take a second glance at their beleifs regarding the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) in light of their Imam's quote. Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi writes,
بتواتر ثابت شد کہ آنحضرت صلی الله علیه وسلم سایہ نہ داشتند وظآهر است کہ بجز نور همه اجسام ظل می دارند
"It is steadily proved that Prophet Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam did not possess a shadow. And it is an established fact that all things apart from Noor have a shadow." [Imdad-us-Sulook, Page 68]
The 'Aqeedah of
Ashraf Ali Thanvi Deobandi
Ashraf Ali Thanvi has also accepted in his Book Shukr an-Ne'mah:
یہ بات مشهور ہے کہ ہمارے حضور صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وآله وسلم کا سایہ نہ تھا کہ ہمارے حضور صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وآله وسلم سر تاپا نور ہی نور تھے۔
It is very famous that Our Prophet Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam did not possess a shodow because Our Prophet Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam was Orbiculate Noor. [Shukr an-Ne'mah, Page 20]
The 'Aqeedah of Abid
Miaan Deobandi
Abid Mian (Deobandi) says:
آنحضرت صلی الله تعالٰی علیه وآله وسلم کا جسم نورانی تھا جس وقت آپ دھوپ اور چاندنی رات میں آمد و رفت فرماتے تو مطلقاً سایه ظاهر نہ ہوتا تھا۔
The blessed body of Prophet Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam was Noor. Whenever we used to walk under the sun or the moon, his shadow was never seen. [Rahmatullil Aalameen (Dehli), Page 35]
Those Deobandis who revere and honour Rasheed Gangohi and Ashraf Ali Thanvi should inspect their creed and thereafter alter it so that it is in line with the above quotation of his.
Dear Muslims! In light of the aforementioned, we must not consider ourselves to be from the minority when believing the Dear Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) to be Noor and shadowless. Rather, it is those who deny the light of the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) who are from the minority and have arisen with their beliefs recently. Our belief in the Noor-e-Muhammadi is as old as Islam whereas the belief that the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) is a normal human being like any other is an innovation.
May Allah Almighty give us the guidance and strength of Imaan to remain steadfast on the Straight Path. May Allah grant us all the true love of His dearest and first creation (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam)... Aameen!
--
Almighty Allāh SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala and His Beloved
Rasūl Sallallaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam knows the best.
--
Sources:
قَمَرِ التَّمَام فيِ نَفِى الظِّلِّ عَنْ سَيِّدِالاَ نَام
نفی الفیئ عمن استنار بنوره کل شیئ
by AlaHadrat Imam aHmad Rida al-Qadiri Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anhu
Translated by Shaykh 'Abd al-Hadi al-Qadiri Radawi [Durban - South Africa]
The Shadowless Prophet Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam
by Brother MuHammad Aqdas