Seeing of Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) while Awake

Seeing of Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) while Awake

This article shall deal with the ruling about Seeing Prophet (Peace be upon him) whilst awake and how It has been a known reality amongst the people of Ma’rifah (Deep knowledge). But before that Let us look:

In Light of the Glorious Qur'an

Quran states: It is He who hath sent among the unlettered ones a messenger of their own, to recite unto them His revelations and to make them grow, and to teach them the Scripture and wisdom,though heretofore they were indeed in error manifest(62:2)

The Next ayah says:


وَءَاخَرِينَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُواْ بِهِمْ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ 


Translation: Along with others of them "WHO HAVE NOT YET JOINED THEM" He is the Mighty, the Wise. (62:3)

The Leader of Mufasireen i.e. Imam Tabri (rah) explains this ayah as:

قال ابن زيد، في قول الله عزّ وجلّ: { وآخَرِينَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوا بِهِمْ } قال: هؤلاء كلّ من كان بعد النبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى يوم القيامة، كلّ من دخل في الإسلام من العرب والعجم.
Translation: Ibn Zayd (ra) said about the verse of Quran {Along with others of them who have not yet joined them} It refers to “All” those people who after the Prophet (Peace be upon him) shall keep on entering Islam till the day of judgment, this includes both the Arab and foreigners [Tafsir at-Tabri, Volume No. 7, Page No. 83: Dar al Fikr Beirut, Lebanon]

Allama Alusi (rah) says under this ayah.

طوائف الناس الذين يلحقون إلى يوم القيامة من العرب والروم والعجم وغيرهم؛ وبذلك فسره الضحاك وابن حيان ومجاهد في رواية، ويكون الحديث من باب الاقتصار والتمثيل
Translation: It includes all mankind till the day of judgmentincluding Arabs, people of Rome, foreigners etc… In this regard the qawl which is mentioned by Ibn Hayyan and Mujahid (i.e. about Faris/Persia) is just given to explain an example [Al-Alusi in Ruh ul Ma’ani, Volume No. 8, Page No. 39]

In Light of Hadith

Sight of Prophet(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) in Dream

Hadith #1

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who saw me in a dream in fact saw me, for the satan does not appear in my form.

►Muslim :: Book 29 : Hadith 5635

Hadith #2

Abu Huraira reported: I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who saw me in a dream would soon see me in the state of wakefulness, or as if he saw me in a state of wakefulness, for the satan does not appear in my form.

►Muslim :: Book 29 : Hadith 5636

Hadith #3

Abu Qatada reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who saw me in dream in fact saw the truth (what is true).

►Muslim :: Book 29 : Hadith 5637

Hadith #4

Narrated Anas:

The Prophet said, "Whoever has seen me in a dream, then no doubt, he has seen me, for Satan cannot imitate my shape.

►Bukhari :: Book 9: Volume 87: Hadith 123

Sight of Prophet(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) While in Awake

Al-Alusi (rah) proved "Seeing Prophet while awake"

وجوز أن يكون ذلك بالاجتماع معه عليه الصلاة والسلام روحانية، ولا بدع في ذلك فقد وقعت رؤيته صلى الله عليه وسلم بعد وفاته لغير واحد من الكاملين من هذه الأمة والأخذ منه يقظة، قال الشيخ سراج الدين بن الملقن في «طبقات الأولياء»: قال الشيخ عبد القادر الكيلاني قدس سره: رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قبل الظهر فقال لي: يا بني لم لا تتكلم؟ قلت: يا أبتاه أنا رجل أعجم كيف أتكلم على فصحاء بغداد فقال: افتح فاك ففتحته فتفل فيه سبعاً وقال: تكلم على الناس وادع إلى سبيل ربك بالحكمة والموعظة الحسنة فصليت الظهر وجلست وحضرني خلق كثير فارتج عليَّ فرأيت علياً كرم الله تعالى وجهه قائماً بإزائي في المجلس فقال لي: يا بني لم لا تتكلم؟ قلت: يا أبتاه قد ارتج علي فقال: افتح فاك ففتحته فتفل فيه ستاً فقلت: لم لا تكملها سبعاً قال: أدباً مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم توارى عني فقلت: غواص الفكر يغوص في بحر القلب على درر المعارف فيستخرجها إلى ساحل الصدر فينادي عليها سمسار ترجمان اللسان فتشترى بنفائس أثمان حسن الطاعة في بيوت أذن الله أن ترفع.

وقال أيضاً في ترجمة الشيخ خليفة بن موسى النهر ملكي: كان كثير الرؤية لرسول الله عليه / الصلاة والسلام يقظة ومناماً فكان يقال: إن أكثر أفعاله يتلقاه منه صلى الله عليه وسلم يقظة ومناماً ورآه في ليلة واحدة سبع عشرة مرة قال له في إحداهن: يا خليفة لا تضجر مني فكثير من الأولياء مات بحسرة رؤيتي، وقال الشيخ تاج الدين بن عطاء الله في «لطائف المنن»: قال رجل للشيخ أبـي العباس المرسي يا سيدي صافحني بكفك هذه فإنك لقيت رجالاً وبلاداً فقال: والله ما صافحت بكفي هذه إلا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: وقال الشيخ لو حجب عني رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم طرفة عين ما عددت نفسي من المسلمين، ومثل هذه النقول كثير من كتب القوم جداً.  

Translation: There are proofs of meeting the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in the spiritual state, and this is not amongst something new because many of the upright people of this Ummah have seen the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in the state of “Wakefulness” and received knowledge from him. Sheikh Siraj ud din (rah) mentions in his Tabaqat al Awliya that Sheikh Abdul Qadir al Jilahni (rah) said that he met the Prophet (Peace be upon him) before the time of Dhuhr, (The prophet) said: O son why don’t you give speeches? I sad: O My Father (note Sheikh was Syed) how can I being a foreigner dare to say a word infront of (elite) of Baghdad. (The Prophet) said: Open your mouth and I opened it, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) then touched his Saliva on my lips seven times and said: You should preach now and invite people towards the deen with kindness and Hikmah.

I prayed Dhuhr and sat, soon high amount of people gathered around me due to which I started to tremble because I saw that amongst the public there was sitting Hadrat Ali (ra), he (i.e. Ali ra) said: O Son why don’t you start your speech? I said O My Father I am trembling right now, then he asked me to open my mouth and he added his Saliva on my lips 6 times, I asked why din’t you do it 7 times? He (Ali ra) replied: Due to the Adab for Prophet (Peace be upon him), after this he disappeared from my sight, I started to feel as If (abudance) of knowledge is flourishing inside me and making the realties known to me…

Sheikh Ibn Musa al Nahr Makki (rah) has written that Sheikh Abdul Qadir al Jilani (rah) used to often see the Prophet in sleep and also while being awake, Once he saw him 70 times in one night, amongst these sights the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said once, O my Khalifa do not be so keen in seeing me because unknown amount of Awliya have died hoping just to see me (once).

...Sheikh Taj ud din Ibn AtaUllah (rah) mentions in Lataif al-Manan, that once a person asked Sheikh Abul Abbas al Mursi (rah): O Master kindly shake your hand with me, at this he replied By Allah I do not shake my hand except with the Prophet (Peace be upon him) , sheikh Mursi (rah) also said: If I do not see the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in time of twinkling of an eye then I do not consider myself Muslim in that moment. (Allama Alusi said): These incidents are mentioned overwhelming times in books
[Tafsir Ruh ul Ma’ani, Volume No. 22. Page No. 51-52]

Imam Jalal ud-din Suyuti (rah)

تنوير الحلك في إمكان رؤية النبي والملك
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الحمد لله وسلام على عباده الذين اصطفى. وبعد فقد كثر السؤال عن رؤية أرباب الأحوال للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في اليقظة وإن طائفة من أهل العصر ممن لا قدم لهم في العلم بالغوا في إنكار ذلك والتعجب منه وادعوا أنه مستحيل فألفت هذه الكراسة في ذلك وسميتها تنوير الحلك في إمكان رؤية النبي والملك ونبدأ بالحديث الصحيح الوارد في ذلك: أخرج البخاري ومسلم وأبو داود عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من رآني في المنام فسيراني في اليقظة ولا يتمثل الشيطان بي، وأخرج الطبراني مثله من حديث مالك بن عبد الله الخثعمي ومن حديث أبي بكرة، وأخرج الدارمي مثله من حديث أبي قتادة. قال العلماء اختلفوا في معنى قوله فسيراني في اليقظة فقيل معناه فسيراني في القيامة وتعقب بأنه بلا فائدة في هذا التخصيص لأن كل أمته يرونه يوم القيامة من رآه منهم ومن لم يره، وقيل المراد من آمن به في حياته ولم يره لكونه حينئذ غائبا عنه فيكون مبشرا له أنه لا بد أن يراه في اليقظة قبل موته، وقال قوم هو على ظاهره فمن رآه في النوم فلا بد أن يراه في اليقظة يعني بعيني رأسه وقيل بعين في قلبه حكاهما القاضي أبو بكر ابن العربي، وقال الإمام أبو محمد بن أبي جمرة في تعليقه على الأحاديث التي انتقاها من البخاري: هذا الحديث يدل على أنه من رآه صلى الله عليه وسلم في النوم فسيراه في اليقظة وهل هذا على عمومه في حياته وبعد مماته أو هذا كان في حياته وهل ذلك لكل من رآه مطلقا أو خاص بمن فيه الأهلية والاتباع لسنته عليه السلام اللفظ يعطى العموم ومن يدعي الخصوص فيه بغير مخصص منه صلى الله عليه وسلم فمتعسف قال وقد وقع من بعض الناس عدم التصديق بعمومه وقال على ما أعطاه عقله وكيف يكون من قد مات يراه الحي في عالم الشاهد قال وفي قول هذا القول من المحذور وجهان خطران أحدهما عدم التصديق لقول الصادق عليه السلام الذي لا ينطق عن الهوى والثاني الجهل بقدرة القادر وتعجيزه

Detailed extract from Imam Suyuti’s Fatawa

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Praise be to Allah and salutations upon His Slaves whom He has Chosen.

This question has become increasingly [common nowadays] about the visions among the People of the State (arbab al-ahwal) of the Prophet whilst awake; a group in our times - those who have no foothold in religious knowledge have vehemently refused and are astonished at this;] they also claim that it is an impossible (mustahil) thing. So I have written these few pages and named it ‘tanwir al-halak fi imkani ruy’at al nabiyyi wal malak.’We begin with the sahih (rigorously authenticated) Hadith reported in the matter: Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud report from Abu Hurayrah that Rasulullah _ said: “Whosoever saw me in his dream shall see me in wakeful state too (yaqadha) and the devil cannot impersonate me.” Tabarani has reported a similar narration from Malik ibn `Abdullah from the Hadith of Abu Bakra; Darami has a similar narration from the Hadith of Abu Qatadah. The scholars have said: there is difference of opinion concerning the meaning of ‘he shall see me whilst awake’. Some said its meaning is: ‘he shall see me on Judgment day’ and this opinion is criticized as being futile because this is a special mention (takhsis); otherwise, everyone shall see him on Judgment day,those who have already seen him and those who haven't. It is also said that it means: ‘those who bore faith in him in his lifetime and did not see him because they were not present are given glad tidings that they shall see him before they die.’...

A group has said that the meaning is literal and whosoever saw Rasulullah _ in his dream, he shall surely see him awake; that is, with his waking eyes though some said that the insight of his heart [is meant] - both of these reported by Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn al- `Arabi. Imam Abu Muhammad Ibn Abu Jamra says in his annotations on al-Bukhari: “This Hadith proves that whosoever saw him in his dream shall see him whilst awake. [The debate is] whether this statement is generic for both during his lifetime and after his passing away, or whether it is only during his lifetime; also whether it is for everyone who saw him or whether it is specific for those people of merit and those who follow his Sunnah assiduously.

The word appears to be generic and anyone who claims it to be specific without it being specified by him has transgressed (mut’assaf).” He also said that, “Some people fell to disbelieving the generic case and said what their intelligence permits them and said: ‘how can one living see the dead, in this world of beholding?’” He replied: “This objection gives rise to two dangerous possibilities; first is to disbelieve the [authenticated] saying of the truthful Prophet who does not speak from his own desire; and secondly to ignorance of the Power of the All-Powerful.”[Al Hawi lil Fatawi, Volume 2, Page No. 437-438, Published by Maktaba al Asriyyah, Beirut, Lebanion]

Note: Due to a mistake made by one sunni brother in translation of Imam Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani (rah)'s analysis, It is removed however this does not effect the overall article as proofs shown above are simply magnificent and those who degrade the Prophet (Peace be upon him) know that above proofs are extra-ordinary.

Ahlus Sunnah is not shy in accepting mistakes which they make unlike the misguided Wahabi sect who justify their wrong points even after knowing they are wrong.

The sight of Prophet (Peace be upon him) in wakeful state "STILL STANDS AS TRUTH WITHOUT ANY SHADOW OF DOUBT"