Hadith Qudsi: The Promise from Allah Most High
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Photo: Masjed al Nabawi, the resting place of the Prophet (PBUH), in Medina.
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As I entered the Mosque in Medina, I saw the Messenger, may Allah immerse him in peace, coming forth from the house of prayer. I followed him, without his appearing to notice my presence. He entered a palm grove, turned in the direction of prayer, and prostrated. He prolonged his prostration to such an extent, while I stood quietly behind, that I thought Allah had taken his soul. I approached very close to him and bent down to see his face. Soon afterward, he raised his head, asking, "What is it, 'Abd-ar-Rahman?"
"O Messenger of Allah, your prostration was so prolonged I feared that Allah All- Magnificent and All-Glorious had taken your soul. I came close to see.":
O my companion, when you observed me entering the palm grove, I had just encountered Archangel Gabriel, upon him be peace, who brought me this promise from Allah Most High: O beloved Muhammad, to those who send you greetings of peace, I offer My Peace. To those who call down My Blessing upon you, I send the same blessing.
"O Messenger of Allah, your prostration was so prolonged I feared that Allah All- Magnificent and All-Glorious had taken your soul. I came close to see.":
O my companion, when you observed me entering the palm grove, I had just encountered Archangel Gabriel, upon him be peace, who brought me this promise from Allah Most High: O beloved Muhammad, to those who send you greetings of peace, I offer My Peace. To those who call down My Blessing upon you, I send the same blessing.
(This hadith is transmitted by 'Abd-ar-Rahman ibn 'Awf)
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Recommended Reading:
'Doorkeeper of the Heart: Versions of Rabi'a'
By Rabi'a al-Adawiyya (Author), Charles Upton (Author)
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Description:
Rabi'a al-Adawiyya, a major saint of Islam and one of the central figures of Sufi tradition, was born around 717 AD in Basra in what is now Iraq. Little is known of her actual life: she was born into a poor family and both her parents died in a famine. Separated from her sisters, homeless and destitute, she was sold into slavery but was eventually freed. In later life she became famous as a saint; she was offered money, houses, proposals of marriage, but she preferred to remain single and live in humble surroundings.
The bulk of the Rabi'a material as we know it comes from stories of her interactions with those who came to challenge or learn from her. Uncompromising and singleminded in her devotion to the highest spiritual realization, she belittled miracles that apparently happened around her, the fear of hell, and the desire for paradise. Sometimes even well-known spiritual figures, like Hasan of Basra, could be the butt of her sharper wit, deeper wisdom, and greater spiritual power.
To place Rabi'a in perspective we might compare her to another great Sufi figure and one of the greatest spiritual writers of all time - Rumi. First, she stands some five hundred years earlier, close to the beginnings of Sufi poetry as we know it. If Rumi is the Ocean, Rabi'a is the Well. If Rumi has sheer ecstatic energy and compacted multidimensional meanings, Rabi'a has virgin clarity and undistracted focus. Along with the taste of wine, she carries the taste of water - a precious substance when you live, as Rabi'a did, in the desert of God.
'Doorkeeper of the Heart: Versions of Rabi'a'
By Rabi'a al-Adawiyya (Author), Charles Upton (Author)
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Description:
Rabi'a al-Adawiyya, a major saint of Islam and one of the central figures of Sufi tradition, was born around 717 AD in Basra in what is now Iraq. Little is known of her actual life: she was born into a poor family and both her parents died in a famine. Separated from her sisters, homeless and destitute, she was sold into slavery but was eventually freed. In later life she became famous as a saint; she was offered money, houses, proposals of marriage, but she preferred to remain single and live in humble surroundings.
The bulk of the Rabi'a material as we know it comes from stories of her interactions with those who came to challenge or learn from her. Uncompromising and singleminded in her devotion to the highest spiritual realization, she belittled miracles that apparently happened around her, the fear of hell, and the desire for paradise. Sometimes even well-known spiritual figures, like Hasan of Basra, could be the butt of her sharper wit, deeper wisdom, and greater spiritual power.
To place Rabi'a in perspective we might compare her to another great Sufi figure and one of the greatest spiritual writers of all time - Rumi. First, she stands some five hundred years earlier, close to the beginnings of Sufi poetry as we know it. If Rumi is the Ocean, Rabi'a is the Well. If Rumi has sheer ecstatic energy and compacted multidimensional meanings, Rabi'a has virgin clarity and undistracted focus. Along with the taste of wine, she carries the taste of water - a precious substance when you live, as Rabi'a did, in the desert of God.
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