Friday Sermon – Khalifatul Masih V – Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Year 2019
Peace be upon you all. Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah
I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is the Messenger of Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is the Messenger of Allah. Come to Prayer, Come to Prayer Come to success, Come to success Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. There is none worthy of worship except Allah. Peace be upon you all,
I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah He is alone and has no partner and I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is His Servant and Messenger After this I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed. In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. The Gracious, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment. Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for help. Guide us in the right path – The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings,
Those who have not incurred displeasure, and those who have not gone astray. Hazrat Qais bin Mihsan was a companion from among the Ansar. In several narrations, his name has also been recorded as Qais bin Hisan. He belonged to the Banu Zuraiq tribe of the Ansar.
His mother’s name was Aneesah bint Qais and his fathers name was Mihsan bin Khalid. He participated in the Battles of Badr and Uhud. Umm Sa’ad bint Qais was one of his daughters. His children were in Medina when he passed away. The second companion is Hazrat Jubair bin Iyaas.
His father’s name was Iyaas bin Khalid. He participated in the Battle of Badr. He belonged to the Banu Zuraiq branch of the Khazraj tribe. Hazrat Abdullah bin Muhammad states that his name was Jubair bin Ilyas. His name has also been recorded as Jubair bin Iyaas in another narration.
It is mentioned in Ahadith that a Jewish man cast a magic spell on The Holy Prophet (saw) and that The Holy Prophet (saw) was influenced by it, God forbid. It is mentioned in narrations that they cast a spell on a comb and some strands of hair
And threw it in a well named Zhu-Arwaan. The Holy Prophet (saw) later went there and had it removed. It is written in Fathul Bari, which is a commentary of Sahih Bukhari, that it was Hazrat Jubair bin Iyaas, who pulled out the comb and the strands of hair from the well of Arwaan.
According to another narration, it was Hazrat Qais bin Mihsan who pulled them out. Hence, I have mentioned both of these companions together. It is less important as to which one of them pulled these things out of the well. The more important matter is whether The Holy Prophet (saw)
Was influenced by any kind of magic and what is the truth behind this incident? It is important to know our viewpoint regarding this. We have to reply to anything which may give rise to an allegation against The Holy Prophet (saw) or due to which people raise allegations.
I will now present some of the details of this incident that are found in the literature of the Community. I will explain this incident in relation to both of these companions. While mentioning this incident in the introduction to the commentary of Surah Al-Falaq,
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) states, “According to some, Surah Al Falaq and An Naas,” that is, the last two Chapters of the Holy Quran – “were revealed in Mecca. “Some call them medinite Chapters.” That is, Chapters that were revealed in Medina.
He writes, “Those who are of the view that it is a medinite chapter present the argument “that this and the subsequent chapter were related to the illness of The Holy Prophet (saw) “during which it had been considered that a magic spell had been cast on him by the Jews.
“It is thought that these two Chapters had been revealed on that occasion “and having recited them he would blow air over his body.” He writes that this is what is said by some. “Commentators say that because this incident occurred in Medina, “hence, Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Naas are medinite Chapters.”
Nonetheless, it has been the preferred view that both of these Chapters were medinite that is, they were revealed in Medina. Hazrat Musleh Muad (ra) writes, “This is the argument of the commentators “and not what is written in historical accounts. “We also do not possess any conclusive evidence based on which we could say
“that these chapters were meccan, but the argument which they have given is also weak and trivial “because even if this Surah had been revealed in Mecca, The Holy Prophet (saw) could have recited “and blown it on himself during an illness. “Thus, it is not an admissible argument to think
“that this was revealed in Medina only on the basis of him blowing it on himself.” Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) has written the following in the introductory notes of the aforementioned chapters, expounding on the words of the incident regarding the ailment of The Holy Prophet (saw) and the [false] perception of the people
Regarding The Holy Prophet being enchanted and bewitched by the Jews; he states, “As the commentators have given precedence to the narration of Hazrat Ayesha, “hence I will only mention the translation of this narration.” “Hazrat Ayesha (ra) narrates, ‘The Jews had cast a spell on The Holy Prophet (saw)
‘with such an effect that on occasions he felt that he had completed a particular task ‘whereas, in fact, he had not done so. ‘During one day or night The Holy Prophet (saw) supplicated before God Almighty ‘and then again supplicated and he once again supplicated and said,
‘O Ayesha, God Almighty granted me everything for which I had supplicated.’” Hazrat Ayesha narrates, “I asked, ‘O Apostle of Allah what did you ask for? ‘What has Allah bestowed you with?’ “He replied, ‘Two men came to me and one of them sat near my head and the other near my feet.
‘The one that was seated near my head said to one who sat near my feet’” Hazrat Ayesha states, “Or perhaps he said, ‘Or the one who sat near my feet said to one who sat near my head, ‘What is this man,’ that is, ‘Muhammad (saw), suffering from?’
“The other one replied, ‘A spell has been cast on him.’ “The former asked, ‘Who has cast the spell?’ “The latter replied, ‘It was a Jew named Labid bin Asim.’ “He then asked, ‘What is the thing by which he transmitted its effect?’
“The other one replied, ‘Using a comb and by the hair wrapped around the spathe of a date-palm.’ “He then asked, ‘Where is it located?’ The other replied, ‘In the well of Zhi Arwan.’” Hazrat Ayesha states, “The Holy Prophet (saw) went to the well along with some of his companions.
“When he returned he said, ‘O Ayesha, by God! The water of the well had a reddish complexion resembling extracts of henna.’” Hazrat Musleh has then further explained this saying, “It seems that it was the practice “of the Jews to add henna or something similar in water when casting a spell on someone.
“This was done to display that through the power of magic the water had turned red.” This was a technique they used to deceive ignorant people. Hazrat Musleh Maud (rh) then says, “The Holy Prophet (saw) has further elaborated “that the dates were like that of Satan that is, like the head of a snake.”
Here the dates have been compared with the head of a snake, illustrating that the branches of the date palm were almost ripe. Hazrat Ayesha states, “I then said, ‘O Messenger of Allah (saw) why did you not burn it?’ “He replied, ‘Since Allah has cured me,
‘I did not wish to carry out an action which can become a means of contention among people. ‘Therefore, I commanded that they ought to be buried.’” Thus those things were then buried. Regarding the narration of Hazrat Ayesha (ra), Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) states,
“It seems that the two people mentioned who came to The Holy Prophet (saw) were in fact Angels. “Had they been humans, surely Hazrat Ayesha (ra) would have seen them. “In relation to the narration of Hazrat Ayesha (ra), Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) states,
‘It merely implies that Allah the Exalted had informed The Holy Prophet (saw) ‘through the means of angels that the Jews had cast a spell on him. ‘It does not mean that The Holy Prophet (saw) was affected by the spell ‘in the way people believe spells to work.’”
He further states, “Nevertheless, when The Holy Prophet (saw) had buried their “instruments of magic in the ground, the Jews considered that their spell had been broken. “At the same time, Allah the Exalted had granted The Holy Prophet (saw) health as well.
“In short, the Jews were convinced that they had cast a spell on The Holy Prophet (saw). “Due to this, their attention was naturally drawn to the fact “that The Holy Prophet (saw) would fall ill.” Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) writes, “Whereas this narration manifests the hostility of the Jews
“towards The Holy Prophet (saw), it also becomes evident “that The Holy Prophet (saw) was a true Prophet of God the Exalted. “The reason for this is that The Holy Prophet had been informed by God Almighty of all the ploys “being hatched against him by the Jews.
“Hence, for The Holy Prophet (saw) to have received knowledge of the unseen “and for the Jews to have failed in their objectives are clear “and evident signs of The Holy Prophet (saw) being a true Prophet.”
In any case, the manner in which Hazrat Musleh Maud has drawn a conclusion is in fact the truth; that the Jews cast a spell on The Holy Prophet (saw) according to their own understanding. However, it did not have any impact on The Holy Prophet (saw).
Furthermore, the ailment and the illness of forgetfulness, or whatever illness it was, could have been the result of some other causes. Nevertheless, having informed The Holy Prophet (saw) of this scheme by the Jews, God Almighty negated their assumption that they had cast a spell.
Furthermore, those Jews who saw the illness of The Holy Prophet (saw) and rejoiced according to their understanding and spread the word that this illness is the result of the impact of their spell; the truth of this matter became manifest.
Then, an article can be found within our literate by Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib, which details this incident from a historical and intellectual perspective and which further elaborates this incident. He writes, “In accounts of History and in fact, even in the Ahadith it has been mentioned
“that following the treaty of Hudaybiyyah, a hypocrite of Jewish descent, “whose name was Labid bin Asim, “once cast a spell on The Holy Prophet (saw), God forbid. “This spell was cast by tying strands of hair to a comb, “a spell was recited over it and then thrown into a well.”
He further states, “It is said that, God forbid, The Holy Prophet (saw) remained under this spell “for quite some time and this is the rumour they [i.e the Jews] had spread. “During this period, The Holy Prophet (saw) would often be sad and unhappy “and he would repeatedly supplicate due to anxiety.
“One prominent aspect in relation to this state was “that The Holy Prophet (saw) became forgetful during these days. “He used to forget certain matters, so much so that at times, “he would think that he has already completed a certain task, whereas, he had not in fact done so.
“Or at times, The Holy Prophet (saw) would believe that he had already visited the home “of such and such wife, whereas he had not in fact done so.” Elaborating further on this, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib says,
“In relation to this, it should be remembered that the practice of The Holy Prophet (saw) was “that he had appointed turns for his wives “in accordance with the commandments of the Holy Qur’an “and he would go to each wife in the evening and inquire about their wellbeing.
“Ultimately, he would reach the home of the wife, who had her turn that day.” The aforementioned narration is indicating towards this very aspect, but the narration continues further. Eventually, God Almighty disclosed the reality of this evil plot etc. This is the summary, which has been mentioned earlier in the words
And commentary of Hazrat Musleh Maud (rh). This is a narration of Bukhari, which he has summarised. He further writes, “This is the summary of the narration “which has been mentioned in some books of history and Hadith. “Such tales have been invented about this incident that it is difficult to decipher the truth.”
Such stories have been told based on this narration that is has become very difficult to find out what is the truth. He further writes, “If all of these narrations are accepted then, God forbid, “the blessed and holy character of The Holy Prophet (saw) “appears to be of a very weak disposition who,
“at least in worldly affairs, could be led by his opponents into any direction they wanted “as a result of their magic. “Furthermore [it would also seem as if], they could make him a target of their impure attention “and influence his heart and mind and that, God forbid,
“The Holy Prophet (saw) was helpless in confronting this magic. “If the incident is accepted as it has been narrated in historical accounts and Hadith, “then the outcome is completely false and cannot be accepted. “If one analyses the accounts and by pondering over them rationally,
“one delves into the depths of historical analyses, they would arrive at the conclusion “that this was nothing more than an illness of temporary memory loss, “which can occur temporarily due to anxiety or physical weakness. “Some evil minded enemies took advantage of this and spread rumours that the Prophet of the Muslims
“was under the influence of a spell, heaven forbid. “However, God Almighty swiftly restored The Holy Prophet (saw) back to health “and destroyed the false propaganda of the enemies and the hypocrites. “The great conqueror of Satanic forces, the most eminent amongst the prophets, “who defeated and crushed Satan and his armies,
“neither has such a person ever existed nor will anyone like him ever be born. “To think that he was a target of evil sorcery by a Jewish man is severe misjudgement. “Such a thought should not even be entertained. “This is not only our claim; instead, The Holy Prophet (saw) himself has refuted this.
“This matter has been elaborated upon in a Hadith. “Hazrat Ayesha (ra) asked The Holy Prophet (saw), ‘O Messenger of Allah! Is there a Satan with me?’ “The Prophet (saw) responded: ‘Yes.’ “She then asked if Satan is attached to every human. “The Prophet (saw) answered in the affirmative.
“Astonished, Hazrat Ayesha (ra) enquired, ‘O Messenger of Allah (saw)! ‘Is there a Satan attached with you?’ “The Prophet (saw) responded: ‘Yes. However, God has granted me ‘victory over Satan to the extent that even my Satan has become a Muslim.’ “Despite this clear saying, how can someone imagine that a Jew,
“with the help of his Satan could cast a spell on someone as exalted as The Holy Prophet (saw), “causing him to become affected by this Satanic sorcery and as a result of “which he remained troubled, sorrowful and sick for a long time?
“Liars and deceivers in all ages have used such false tricks against the truth. “However, God the Powerful and the Magnificent has continuously exposed all such liars.” He states, “Allah has decreed: (Arabic).” Meaning that, God has recorded this and has decreed that He, along with His messenger
Will be victorious in all ages and no satanic deceit will prevail over them. He further writes, “The question then arises as to the truth of this incident “which has been narrated by Hazrat Ayesha (ra) in Sahih Bukhari. “If one were to consider the context of this incident and take into account
“the ways and habits of the Jews and the hypocrites, “then it would not be difficult to understand the truth of this incident. “First of all, it is important to note that this incident of sorcery took place “after the Treaty of Hudaibiyah.
“It is recorded in Tabqaat ibn Sa’ad that The Holy Prophet (saw) decided to perform Umrah “based on a dream he had seen. “While he was travelling for this purpose, the Quraish prevented him from entering Mecca, “as a result of which he had to return.
“This apparent failure caused immense grief, and the disbelievers and the hypocrites “began to mock and ridicule this. “To the extent that it affected even sincere Muslims, as it is recorded in a Hadith “that even an eminent Companion such as Hazrat ‘Umar (ra) was in doubt
“for a brief period owing to the apparent defeat.” This incident relating to Hazrat Umar is found in a Hadith of Bukhari. “During this time, The Holy Prophet (saw) became anxious and worried for those individuals “that were weak of faith, lest they be put into a trial.
“This had a severe impact on the disposition of The Holy Prophet (saw) “and he was concerned regarding it for a period of time. “This anxiety naturally affected the health of The Holy Prophet (saw). “He would pray fervently to God in this state of apprehensiveness,
“as is indicated in the words of the Hadith, ‘Da’a wa dua’, “so there is no hindrance in the progress of Islam owing to the Incident of Hudaibiyah. “This prayer was similar to the prayer he recited during the Battle of Badr. “Despite the fact that God Almighty had promised him victory,
“on seeing the apparent strength of the opposing army, “The Holy Prophet (saw) supplicated, (Arabic) “Due to these reasons, it impacted him psychologically “and he suffered from temporary amnesia [memory loss]. “According to some narrations it lasted a few days whereas in other narrations it is stated
“that this illness lasted two days or one day and a night. “Regardless of however many days this persisted, the illness naturally affected his health. “The conclusion of Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib was that the illness lasted a few days
“which came about due to the worry The Holy Prophet (saw) had for the weakness “in faith of [some of] the Muslims. “Hence, this is an intrinsic component of human nature, “which even the prophets of God are not exempted from.
“When the Jews and hypocrites witnessed that The Holy Prophet (saw) was unwell during those days, “under a lot of strain both mentally and physically “and that he was suffering with a spell of forgetfulness, “as was their habit they began creating mischief by announcing that they had cast a spell
“on The Holy Prophet (saw) and that his forgetfulness etc. were a result of this sorcery. “Furthermore, as was their longstanding custom, “they tied knots of hair around a comb and buried it in a well, as a physical symbol. “When The Holy Prophet (saw) came to know of this supposed sorcery,
“he prayed further to God Almighty in order to put this mischief to an end. “Hazrat Ayesha (ra) has stated that, ‘Once The Holy Prophet (saw) was made aware of this, ‘he prayed fervently for a day and night, supplicating His Lord for the name of the one
‘who instigated this and the way in which this fabricated sorcery was carried out, ‘in order find out the root cause behind this false sorcery.’ “Therefore, God Almighty heard his ardent pleas and manifested the truth to him in a vision. “The principle mentioned is the Holy Quran is: (Arabic)
“In other words, no sorcerer can ever be successful against the prophets, “in any case whatsoever, regardless of how they try to attack. “In light of this clear verdict of the Quran, we find: (Arabic – Holy Quran 17:46)
“that is, ‘The wrongdoers say, ‘You follow none but a man who is a victim of deception.’’ “This claim of the disbelievers is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. “Furthermore, after pondering over the wording of this Hadith, the phraseology and the Arabic idiom,
“this narration of Bukhari can only be understood to be the viewpoint of others stating “what seemed to have taken place. “This means that the narrator although seems to write on his own account, “but in reality, it is merely relating what others have been saying.
“Therefore, the translation of this narration would be as follows, ‘Hazrat Ayesha (ra) narrates that once a spell was cast on The Holy Prophet (saw), ‘That is, the enemies had spread the rumour that he was a victim to this sorcery.’ “Hazrat Ayesha (ra) did not hold this view herself.
“Hence the translation would be that the opponents themselves spread the rumour “that The Holy Prophet (saw) was afflicted by magic to the extent “that at times he would think he had carried out a task, which he had not done so “and according to one narration he would think
“that he had just visited the house of one of his wives, “but in actual fact he had not. “According to the clarification of Hazrat Ayesha (ra), ‘In those days he was once ‘at my house and would supplicate to God Almighty again and again regarding this concern of his.
‘After making this supplication he addressed me saying, ‘O Ayesha, are you aware ‘that God Almighty has disclosed to me [the truth] in regards to that which I enquired.’ ‘I replied, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what is it that you enquired about?’
‘He answered, ‘Two people came to me in a dream or in a vision. ‘One of them sat near my head whilst the other sat towards my feet. ‘One of them asked the other what has befallen this person?’” Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad writes that this method of conversation likewise seems to be describing
A narrative from the perspective of the opposing party. Thereafter, it is the same lengthy account which has already been mentioned. That is, the ailment of The Holy Prophet (saw) is allegedly due to the effect of a certain Jew’s sorcery.
Hazrat Ayesha (ra) states that after this dream or vision, The Holy Prophet (saw) – along with some of his companions – went to that well and inspected it. Several date palm trees had grown around it and the well was completely dark and very deep.
The Holy Prophet (saw) returned to Hazrat Ayesha (ra) and told her ‘O Ayesha, I have seen the well. ‘The water of the well is like the colour of henna extract and red in colour.’” It was a practice amongst the Jews there – as has previously been mentioned –
That to trick the people, they would contaminate the water with artificial colour which in turn would cause the surrounding palm trees to appear desolate like desert cacti. Hazrat Ayesha (ra) states, “I asked The Holy Prophet (saw) “why he did not take the comb and its related objects out and dispose of them?”
Some narrations say she asked why he did not burn them? The Holy Prophet (saw) stated, “God has kept me safe and cured me. “Why then should I – by throwing it out in front of the people- needlessly spread an ill
“which risks causing the weak minded to believe sorcery was the root of it all.” Therefore, the well was buried and closed off. Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (rh) writes that speaking from the perspective of other people, or narrating the words of other people is a method of conversation that was prevalent amongst the Arabs.
In fact, at certain occasions the Holy Qur’an itself has made use of this method of speech. Accordingly, in one instance while addressing the inmates of hell, God the Almighty states, That is, O one who is entering Hell, taste this punishment of God. “Taste it! Thou didst consider thyself the mighty, the honourable.” In this verse, it is never meant that – God forbid – God considers the inmates of hell respectable and honourable.
Rather, it is in the context of describing another person’s perspective meaning that the associates of these inmates and the inmates themselves considered their own selves honourable and respectable. Those who, after committing wicked deeds in the world – still believed themselves to be
Highly honorable and respectable are explicitly told to taste the fire of God’s punishment. It is exactly this style of conversation that the two men or angels utilized whom The Holy Prophet (saw) saw in his vision. Therefore, when both concluded in saying that this individual has been stricken by sorcery,
Their purport was not ,“We think he has been stricken by sorcery.” However, they are meant to say, “The people are claiming that he has been stricken by sorcery and magic.” The real and ultimate purpose of the dream thus was none other then for God to reveal
To His prophet, the object which those wretched mischief mongers had concealed in the well and by means of which they would spread deception amongst like minded people. They were using this excuse and spreading these lies amongst hypocrites and others like them. God’s intent was thus to reveal this to His messenger
In order to utterly annihilate this fabricated sorcery of theirs. It happened accordingly that their alleged object of sorcery was buried and the well was likewise destroyed. Consequently, The Holy Prophet (saw)’s worry and anxiety that such deceptions may cause the simple minded people to go astray was also alleviated. God’s promise of: (Arabic)
That is, whatever trickery a magician may try; if he comes against a prophet of God, he can never be victorious. In all cases, the aforementioned hadith strongly establish the following statements; “That after the Treaty of Hudaibiyyah, because of his constant concern for people slipping
“due to misunderstandings along with the multitude of worldly and domestic affairs, “he would sometimes suffer lapses in memory.” Secondly, the Jews and the hypocrites, who would leave no stone unturned to make such things a basis for defaming Islam and its Holy Founder (saw), saw this state of The Holy Prophet
And began a secret rumour that we have – God forbid – cast a spell over the Prophet of the Muslims. This rumour of theirs was just like the one that they started at the expedition of Bani Mustaliq against Hazrat Ayesha (ra) because she got left behind,
Thereby trying to create hardship and agony for The Holy Prophet (saw). Thirdly, as an outward symbol of their so-called magic, these evil-natured people used Labeed bin Aasim, a hypocrite of Jewish decent, to tie knots of hair around the teeth of a comb.
He pressed it into a well so that simple-minded people would be easily deceived, and started secret rumours which only raised more concern for The Holy Prophet (saw). The fourth point is that The Holy Prophetsaw began to offer fervent supplications, saying, “O God! You Yourself dissolve and extinguish this disorder,
“and reveal its reality to me so that I may expose this trickery “and thereby save simple-minded people from misgivings.” Hence, God accepted this prayer and threw open the reality for all to see. The fifth point is that God Almighty exposed the mischief-making of Labeed bin Aasim,
Upon which The Holy Prophet (saw), accompanied by some witnesses, proceeded to the well, buried the comb and totally covered up the well, so that the matter could come to an end once and for all. In the end, the only question that remains, is:
How could it be that The Holy Prophet (saw), a Prophet of such lofty stature who is in fact the greatest of all Prophets could fall victim to episodes of forgetfulness, which could apparently become an impediment in the way of fulfilling the duties of Prophethood?
So, in response to this, one should bear it well in mind that every Prophet comes in two capacities. One is that of a Prophet and Messenger from God Almighty, by virtue of which he is honoured with Divine Revelation, and stands as an educator
In all matters of faith for his followers, becoming an example to be followed by them. The second capacity of a Prophet is that he is also a man from among mankind, and so is subject to all those human requirements and natural vulnerabilities attached to other human beings.
This is why God the Almighty, addressing The Holy Prophet (saw) in the Holy Qur’an, stated, “O Messenger, tell them, ‘I am but a human being like yourselves, ‘and subject to all those laws to which other human beings are subject. ‘Yet, I am also a Prophet of God and have been granted Divine Revelation
‘from God for the guidance of mankind.’” This is a commentary-based translation of the verse. In this subtle verse, God has expounded the two-pronged duty of Prophets in an extraordinary fashion, that is, that in one regard they have been given a distinction from other human beings,
Whereas on another front, they have not been placed outside the category of other men. Therefore, whoever contends that Prophets stand outside the perimeter of human requirements and natural weaknesses is a liar. Surely, Prophets also fall ill like other people, and can fall victim to Malaria, fevers and Typhoid.
Hazrat Mian Bashir Sahib has written that here, with regards to this, “One should also bear in mind that according to the apparent symptoms recorded by Hadith “and books of history, The Holy Prophet (saw) passed away due to Typhoid. “Tuberculosis, asthma, flu, Cough, Gout, Migraine, psychological ailments such as anxiety, stress,
“lapses in memory, and injuries due to accidents or as a result of war etc. “a Prophet can suffer from any of these, and have always been subject to them, “except in special cases where a specific Prophet has been given a Divine promise “of protection from a particular illness.
“However, if the thought arises in someone’s mind that regarding The Holy Prophet (saw), “the Holy Qur’an states: (Arabic – Holy Quran 87:7) ‘We shall teach thee the Qur’an, and thou shalt forget it not.’ “In response to this one should remember that this promise is only regarding the Quranic revelation
“and is not to be applied as a general rule for everything. “The meaning of this verse is that, ‘O Prophet! The teaching We shall reveal to you ‘for the benefit of mankind, We shall cause you to not forget it ‘and We shall safeguard it till the Day of Judgment.’
“However, this promise was not for general day to day dealings, or worldly matters, “or even the physical actions related to the religious injunctions.” Thus, we find in the Ahadith that owing to the natural human tendencies, The Holy Prophet (saw) would also on several occasions fail to remember or recall something,
In fact in a hadith recorded in both Bukhari and Muslim, The Holy Prophet (saw) at times would forget the number of Raka’ts he had offered whilst leading the prayer and the Companions would remind him. Similarly, on many other occasions, The Holy Prophet (saw) would have a lapse in memory.
In another Hadith, The Holy Prophet (saw) even stated: (Arabic) “I am also a human like you, and at times, just like you forget something, I also forget. “Therefore, if I fail to remember something, then remind me.” Just as The Holy Prophet (saw) would at times have a lapse in memory,
He also suffered from the illness of temporary amnesia after the Treaty of Hudabiyya. Thus, the earlier scholars have offered a similar interpretation to the narration regarding sorcery. For instance, Allama Maazari states, “There exists countless sound and irrefutable arguments “which establish the truthfulness of The Holy Prophet (saw),
“moreover the miracles of The Holy Prophet (saw) further testify to his truthfulness. “However, all other aspects of life for which The Holy Prophet was not commissioned “for as a prophet, and this includes suffering from ailments like other humans do, “this [lapse in memory] would also be considered as a form of ailment.”
Allama ibn Al-Kisar states, “When The Holy Prophet (saw) “suffered from this lapse in memory, “this was also a form of ailment as is clearly evident form the concluding words of the Hadith in “which The Holy Prophet (saw) stated that God Almighty had granted him cure.”
In short, after the Treaty of Hudaibiyya, The Holy Prophet (saw) suffered from the aforementioned ailment, but the enemies alleged that this was a result of a sorcery. However, this was certainly not the case, in fact owing to the circumstances of the time, The Holy Prophet (saw) suffered from temporary amnesia and
Some mischievous individuals took this an opportunity to create false propaganda against the noble character of The Holy Prophet (saw). The Holy Qur’an strongly rebuts such fallacies of sorcery against prophets and neither does human intellect accept this. The words of the Hadith also reject this false interpretation, moreover The Holy Prophet (saw)’s
Lofty and noble status completely dispels this notion of sorcery. Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib (ra) mentions that, “It would not be out of context to mention “Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra)’s narration,” Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad’s is mentioning this during the lifetime of Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra).
“In part one of Seeratul Mahdi, narration no. 75, it states that, ‘One day a Hindu, who was full of prejudice and lived in Gujrat, came to Qadian. ‘He was an expert in the art of hypnotism and sat in a gathering of the Promised Messiah (as)
‘and secretly began to focus his attention on the Promised Messiah (as), ‘so that he could influence him to carry out some inappropriate acts ‘and thus make the Promised Messiah (as) a target of mockery and ridicule. ‘However, when he began to focus his attention upon The Promised Messiah (as),
‘he suddenly screamed out aloud and ran away. ‘When he was asked about what had happened to him he said that, ‘When he focused his attention on Mirza sahib, itseemed as if ‘a ferocious lion was standing before him, ‘ready to pounce at any moment. That is why he became terrified and ran away.”
Since the Promised Messiah (as) was the servant of The Holy Prophet (saw), Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib writes, “If the servant holds such a status that God Almighty did not allow for him to be hypnotised, “then how can one believe that the master – ” that is, The Holy Prophet (saw),
“was hypnotised by the Jews, God forbid?” In the end I will read the sayings of the Just Arbitrator of this era [i.e the Promised Messiah (as)] which prevails over all other commentaries and explanations. In one of his gatherings, a person asked the Promised Messiah (as) what he thought about
The incident where the disbelievers asserted that they had cast a spell on The Holy Prophet (saw). The Promised Messiah (as) stated, “Sorcery is also the work of Satan. “It does not behove the status of a prophet or messenger to come under the influence of a spell.
“Rather, all spells are broken when they come in contact with a prophet, “just as God Almighty states in the Holy Quran: (Arabic) “Observe, Prophet Moses was confronted by the magicians, did Moses not succeed? “To say that The Holy Prophet (saw) was influenced by magic is absolutely incorrect
“and we can never accept there to be any truth in this matter. It is contrary to our beliefs “to heedlessly accept everything that is written in Bukhari and Muslim. “Even logic does not accept the fact that a spell could have any influence “over such a grand and noble prophet.
“For one to say that The Holy Prophet (saw) was under a spell, heaven forbid, “in which his memory was affected is completely false.” The Promised Messiah (as) further says, “It seems that these statements were fabricated by a wretched individual. “Despite the fact that we have high regard for the Ahadith, however,
“we can never accept a Hadith which is contrary to the Holy Quran “and the honour of The Holy Prophet (saw). “During the time in which the Ahadith were being collected, “those that compiled the narrations worked meticulously and recorded them with due care. “However, despite all their efforts and precautions,
“they were unable to safeguard them from error. “That was the period in which the Hadith were to be collated, but now is the time to reflect. “Read and deliberate over them.” Any Hadith that is averse to the teachings of the Holy Quran or the honour and dignity
Of The Holy Prophet (saw) ought to be rejected or one should ensure that its meanings do not contradict them, just as Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra). The Promised Messiah (as) then writes, “To collate the Aathaar of The Holy Prophet (saw) is a noble deed.”
That is, to collect incidents about the lives of prophets is a virtuous deed. “To collate these incidents is a noble deed, however, in principle, “the people that collate such incidents can never do so with complete accuracy. “It is the responsibility of every individual to deliberate over them and having analysed them
“they ought to decide which ones should be accepted and which ones ought to be rejected. “To accept that The Holy Prophet (saw) was influenced by a spell cast on him, heaven forbid, “is a belief in which one can lose their faith.”
The Promised Messiah (as) adds, “God Almighty states: (Arabic – Holy Quran 17:46) “When the wrongdoers say, ‘You follow none but a man who is a victim of deception’ “- who is under the influence of a spell. “People who say such things are wrongdoers and not Muslims.
“It is the non-believers and transgressors who make such statements “that The Holy Prophet (saw) was under the influence of a spell, heaven forbid. “People do not think that if The Holy Prophet (saw) could have been “influenced in such a way, heaven forbid, then what would be the state of the Muslim Ummah?
“In such a case, it would certainly perish. “I am lost for words as to how those people who believe The Holy Prophet (saw) to be free “from the grasp of Satan – as is the case with all other prophets – “but then they can believe in such statements which are against his honour.”
All praise is for Allah that we accepted the Imam of the age, through which we can recognise the true rank and status of The Holy Prophet (saw). Bless and Prosper, O Allah, Muhammad and his people. Thou art indeed Praiseworthy, the Exalted. All praise is due to Allah.
We laud Him, we beseech help from Him and ask His protection; we confide in Him, we trust Him alone and we seek protection against the evils and mischief of our souls and from the bad results of our deeds. Whomsoever He guides on the right path, none can misguide him;
And whosoever He declares misled, none can guide him onto the right path. And we bear witness that none deserves to be worshipped except Allah. We bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. O servants of Allah! May Allah be merciful to you.
Verily, Allah commands you to act with justice, to confer benefits upon each other and to do good to others as one does to one ‘s kindred and forbids evil which pertain to your own selves and evils which affect others and prohibits revolts against a lawful authority. He warns you against being unmindful.
You remember Allah; He too will remember you; call Him and He will make a response to your call. And verily divine remembrance is the highest virtue.