SALAAMS ON OUR BELOVED PROPHET MUHAMMAD
Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam
An
Appreciation by Siddiq Osman Noormuhammad
SALAAM
BY IMAM AHMED RAZA KHAN
The salaam
by Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Rahmatullahi 'alaih in Urdu is
spontaneous and overflowing as if inspired, and brings out the
best of both the 'aalim (learned scholar) and the kaamil
murshid (accomplished spiritual master) in the great Imam.
He has composed all types of Muslim religious poetry in Urdu
(and some in Farsi) like hamd, munajaat, na'at,
gazal, qasaid, rubaiyyat, munqabat,
madah, shajjarah, salawaat and mathnawi,
all contained in his kitab Hadaaiqi Bakhshish
(Gardens of Gifts) but A'la Hadrat as he is affectionately
called, will for ever be remembered for his most memorable "salaam"
on the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam which
is the longest salaam in any language with 169 verses.
It is so spiritually
captivating that you will see tears run down the cheeks of muhibbeen
(beloved disciples) as they render it in their melodious voices.
It is a complete integrated whole but for purposes of understanding,
it can be said to be composed of:
1. Sifat
(praise) of the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam
in general (verses 1 to 32),
2. His physical appearance (verses 33 to 80),
3. His life and times (verses 81 to 107),
4. Sifat of the Ahl u'l Bayt and Sahaba,
Rady Allahu 'Anhum (his family and companions) (verses
108 to 147),
5. Sifat of the awliya and saleheen (the
saints and the pious) (verses 148 to 169).
This salaam
is unique in that the Imam has sung the praises of the miraculous
powers of Muhammad-e-'Arabi, Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam,
as well as the miraculous powers of each of his physical features,
for example, his ears, his vision, his blessed mouth, his blessed
tongue, his speech and khutbah (sermons), his smile,
the mohr Nubuwwah (seal of Prophethood), his arms, and
his fingers. The miraculous powers of his fingers is borne out
in the following hadith:
Narrated Jabir
bin Abdullah (Rady Allahu Anhu): I was with the Holy
Prophet Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam and the time for
the Asr prayer became due. We had no water with us except a
little which was put in a vessel and was brought to the Prophet
Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam. He put his hand into it
and spread out his fingers and then said, "Come along!
Hurry up! All those who want to perform ablution. The blessing
is from Allah". I saw the water gushing out from his fingers.
So the people performed the ablution and drank, and I tried
to drink more of that water (beyond my thirst and capacity),
for I knew that it was a blessing. The sub-narrator said: I
asked Jabir (Rady Allahu Anhu), "How many persons
were you then?". He replied, "We were one thousand
four hundred men". (Bukhari).
The Imam captures
this incident in his own inimitable style:
Nur
ke chashme lehraen darya bahen
Ungliyon ki karamat pe lakhon salaam.
Fountains of spiritual light, like
seas overflowing
Millions of salutations on the miracle of his fingers.
And everyone
would respond with the chorus:
Mustafa
jaane rahmat pe lakhon salaam
Sham-ay bazme hidayat pe lakhon salaam
Millions of salutations on Mustafa,
essence of mercy
Millions of salutations on the light of guidance.
Let us savour
12 selected verses to gain the baraka (blessing) of this
salaam (verse numbers are given in brackets).
Fat'he
baabe nubuwwat pe bayhad durood
Khatme dauray risaalat pe lakhon salaam
Jis
ke aage saraysarwara kham rahe
Us saretaaj rif'at pe lakhon salaam
Jis
ke maathe shafa'at ka sehra raha
Us Jabheene sa'adat pe lakhon salaam
Jis
taraf uth gaee dham may dham aagaya
Us nigaahe inayat pe lakhon salaam
Wo
dahan jis ki har baat wahiye Khuda
Chashmae ilmo hikmat pe lakhon salaam
Wo
zabaan jis ko sab kun ki kunjee kahen
Us ki naafaz hukumat pe lakhon salaam
Hajjre
Aswad-e Ka'ba-e Jano Dhil
Ya'nee Mohre Nubuwwat pe lakhon salaam
Kul
jahan milk aur jaun ki roti gizaa
Us shikan ki qana'at pe lakhon salaam
Jis
suhanee garee chamka Tayba ka chaandh
Us dhil afroze sa'at pe lakhon salaam
Unke
Maula ke un par karoron durood
Unke as'haab-o-'itrat pe lakhon salaam
Kaamilaane
Tariqat pe kaamil durood
Haamilaane Shariat pe lakhon salaam
Ek
mera hee Rahmat pe da'wa naheen
Shah ki saari ummat pe lakhon salaam
Unlimited
blessings on the Seal of Prophethood
Millions of salutations on the end of the era of Messengers
(13)
Millions of salutations on one crowned
with success
Before whom the kings silently stood to attention (34)
The bridegroom garlanded with powers
of intercession
Millions of salutations on his immensely good nature (40)
Millions of salutations on that enriching
glance
Which brought life in whichever direction it turned (45)
The blessed mouth whose every word
was a revelation from Allah
Millions of salutations on the fountain of knowledge and wisdom
(55)
The tongue which was the key to all
the orders of Allah
Millions of salutations on its well-established governance (58)
Millions of salutations on the seal
of Prophethood
Which abides like the Black Stone of the Ka'ba in the heart
(66)
He owned the whole world yet fed on
barley bread alone
Millions of salutations on that contented appetite (76)
The beautiful moment when Tayba's moon
shone bright
Millions of salutations on that joy-filling moment of his birth
(81)
A billion salutations on him from his
Lord
Millions of salutations on his companions and offspring (108)
Complete blessings on those who tread
the spiritual Path
Millions of salutations on those who live by the Sacred Law
(153)
I am not the only one with a claim
in his mercy
Millions of salutations on all the followers of that king (167)
This salaam has become so popular among devotees in all
Tariqas like the Qadiriyya, Naqshbandiyya
and Chishtiyya that many other scholars have composed
salaams in Urdu with the same rhyme and rhythm, as for
example, Janab Hamid Siddiqi, Mawlana 'Abdul Masjud Wujud Jabalpuri
and Pirzadah Muhammad 'AbdulSabur Baig Manshur as given in Majmu'a
Na'at (Collected Hymns) compiled by Janab Anis Ahmad
Nuri Saheb.
Yet other scholars
like Janab Akhtar-ul-Hamdi Saheb have made a takhmees
of it! In Urdu, it is called tazmeen. They have taken
a couplet from A'la Hadrat and prefixed to it three more verses
of their own to make it a quintet! The following quintet for
example, is developed on the all too familiar verse number 45.
Aur pargaee jis pe mehshar may bakhshaa gaya
Dekha jis simt abray karam chaa gaya
Aur rukh jidhar hogaya zindhagi paa gaya
Jis taraf uth gaee dham may dham aagaya
Us nigaahe inayat pe lakhon salaam.
Those
he glances at on the Day of Judgement are saved
Mercy enveloped the direction he looked at
And whichever place he turned to, received life, (indeed)
Millions of salutations on that enriching glance
Which brought life in whichever direction it turned.
Imam Ahmed Raza
Khan Rahmatullahi 'alaih composed yet one more salaam
in Urdu with 45 verses, also given in Hadaaiqi Bakhshish
(Gardens of Gifts) whose chorus is the universally familiar
Yaa Nabi Salaam 'Alaika. Its opening couplet is:
Mustafa Khairul
Waraa Ho
Sarware har Dosaraa Ho
Apne Ach-chon ka Tasadduq
Ham Bhadon ko bhi Nibhaho
Mustafa
you are the best of creation
You are the leader of both the worlds
For the sake of your good followers
Take in your fold us sinners as well.
