Lesson 3: More benefits of studying seerah (none of these are required)

Question 1

Statements of al Girafi on the messenger ﷺ

Answer 1

• Al girafi- a giant Maliki scholar who wrote books on masalih and mafasid, a book called qawaid al anam fi masalih al anam, a book called Al furooq-and this book talks about differences of words used in the books of Fiqh<aside>
  
  **قال القرافي: "اعلم أن رسول الله، صلى الله عليه وسلم، هو الإمام الأعظم، والقاضي الأحكم، والمفتي الأعلم، فهو صلى الله عليه وسلم إمام الأئمة وقاضي القضاة وعالم العلماء فجميع المناصب الدينية فوضها الله تعالى إليه في رسالته وهو أعظم من كل من تولى منصبًا منها في ذلك المنصب إلى يوم القيامة، فما من منصب ديني إلا وهو متصف به في أعلى رتبة، غير أن غالب تصرفه صلى الله عليه وسلم بالتبليغ…**
  
  </aside>> Al-Qarafi said: ‘Know that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, is the greatest leader, the most judicious judge, and the most knowledgeable mufti. He, peace and blessings be upon him, is the leader of the leaders, the judge of the judges, and the scholar of the scholars. All religious positions were entrusted to him by Allah in his message. He is the greatest of all who have ever held such positions until the Day of Judgment. There is no religious position except that he possesses it in the highest rank. However, most of his actions, peace and blessings be upon him, were in the capacity of conveying…”.-Al Furooq
  • This shows to us that the messenger ﷺ is a role model for anyone, regardless of who they are
  • Many people look up to those with positions-be it leaders,managers, and wish to be like them. We should rather try to be like him more than them
  • So if one ever becomes one who has the positions mentioned above, one must learn about the messenger ﷺ and try to be like him ﷺ
  <aside>
  
  **قال القرافي - رحمه الله - في كتاب الذخيرة**
  
  **حديث: "وإن فضل العالم على العابد كفضل القمر ليلة البدر على سائر الكواكب"**
  
  **وأما التشبيه بالبدر ففيه فوائد:**
  
  **إحداها: أن العالم يكمل بقدر اتباعه للنبي ﷺ لأن النبي هو الشمس، لقوله تعالى: {إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا * وَدَاعِيًا إِلَى اللَّهِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَسِرَاجًا منِيرًا}**
  
  **والسراج: هو الشمس؛ لقوله تعالى {وَجَعَلْنَا سِرَاجًا وَهَّاجًا}**
  
  **ولما كان القمر يستفيد ضوءه من الشمس وكلما كثر توجهه إليها كثر ضوؤه حتى يصير بدرا، فكذلك العالم كلما كثر توجهه للنبي، وإقباله عليه توفر كماله**
  
  </aside>> Al-Qarafi, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his book “Al-Dhakheerah”:**The hadith: “The superiority of the scholar over the worshiper is like the superiority of the moon on the night when it is full over the rest of the stars.”As for the comparison to the full moon, it has benefits:One of them is that the scholar perfects himself by following the Prophet ﷺ, for the Prophet is like the sun, as Allah says: {Indeed, We have sent you as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner * And one who invites to Allah, by His permission, and an illuminating lamp} [33:45-46, Saheeh International]The lamp refers to the sun, as Allah says: {And We made [therein] a burning lamp} [78:13, Saheeh International]And just as the moon derives its light from the sun, the more it turns towards it, the more its light increases until it becomes a full moon. Similarly, the scholar, the more he turns towards the Prophet, and focuses on him, the more his perfection increases

Question 2

Statements of Ibn Taymiyyah on the messenger ﷺ

Answer 2

• قال ابن تيمية: وانفع الخوارق الخارق الديني وهو حال نبينا محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم وكانت آيته هي دعوته وحجته بخلاف غيره من الأنبياء> Ibn Taymiyyah said: ‘The most beneficial miracles are the religious miracles, which is the condition of our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. His miracle was his message and his proof, unlike other prophets.’”قال ابن تيمية في مجموع الفتاوى وباب المعرفة بأخبار النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وأقواله وأفعاله، وما ذكره من توحيد، وأمر، ونهي، ووعد ووعيد، وفضائل الأعمال أو لأقوام، أو أمكنة أو أزمنة، ومثالب لمثل ذلك، أعلم الناس به أهل العلم بحديثه الذين اجتهدوا في معرفة ذلك وطلبه من وجوهه وعلموا أحوال نقلة ذلك وأحوال الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم من وجوه متعددة وجمعوا بين رواية هذا وهذا وهذا، فعلموا صدق الصادق، وغلط الغالط، وكذب الكاذب وهذا علم أقام الله له من حفظ به على الأمة ما حفظ من دينها، وغير هؤلاء لهم تبع فيه إما مستدل بهم، وإما مقلد لهم> Ibn Taymiyyah said in “Majmu’ al-Fatawa”: The chapter on knowing the reports of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, his sayings and actions, and what he mentioned about monotheism, commands, prohibitions, promises, and threats, the virtues of deeds, or for people, places, or times, and the faults related to these. The most knowledgeable people about this are the scholars of hadith who strove to know and seek it from its sources. They knew the conditions of the narrators and the conditions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, from multiple angles and combined the narrations of this and that. So, they knew the truth of the truthful, the mistake of the mistaken, and the lie of the liar.

Question 3

Statement of Ibn Qayyim on the Seerah

Answer 3

• <aside>
  
  **قال ابن قيم: سعادة العبد في الدارين معلقة بهدي النبي صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فيجب على كل من نصح نفسه، وأحب نجاتها وسعادتها، أن يعرف من هديه وسيرته وشأنه ما يخرج به عن الجاهلين به، ويدخل به في عداد أتباعه وشيعته وحزبه، والناس في هذا بين مستقل، ومستكثر، ومحروم، والفضل بيد الله يؤتيه من يشاء، والله ذو الفضل العظيم**
  
  </aside>> Ibn al-Qayyim said: The happiness of the servant in both worlds is tied to the guidance of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. It is obligatory for everyone who advises himself (is sincere to himself) and loves his salvation and happiness to know his guidance, his biography, and his affairs to distinguish himself from those ignorant of him and to be counted among his followers, supporters, and party. People in this matter are between those who take little, those who take much, and those who are deprived. The bounty is in the hand of Allah; He gives it to whom He wills, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty.