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Sheikh
Imam Hassan ibn Ali Cisse’s
says grandfather Abul Fayd Shiek Ibrahim b.
Abdullahi Niass (d. 1390/1975) says in Ruh al-Adab,
The critics of Sufism, and particularly the critics
of the Tijaniyat Order, have heavily criticized this
particular formula (Salat al-Fatih) because of the
claim that the formula is divinely inspired, and not
based on a mental construction like most other
formulas. To understand the position of inspiration
in Islam, we start by looking at the statement of
Allah in the Quran, “It is not fitting for a man
that Allah should speak to him except by
inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the
sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah's
permission, what Allah wills: for He is Most High,
Most Wise” [42:51].
The popularly accepted English translation of the
Holy Quran makes a comment on the above verses in
commentary No. 4598 thus: “God is Most High, Most
Wise. Man, despite of his high destiny, is often the
lowest of the low. Yet God, out of His infinite
Mercy and Grace, has bestowed His Revelation on man.
How does it come about? Three ways are mentioned:
(1)
Inspiration (wahy);
(2)
from behind a veil, and
(3) by the sending of a Messenger.”
Inspiration is interpreted as being of two kinds;
(a) a suggestion thrown by Allah into the heart or
mind of man, by which he understands the substance
of the message, whether it is a command or
prohibition, or an explanation of a great truth; and
(b) Verbal or literal inspiration by which the
actual words of God are conveyed in human language.
Sunni opinion admits the existence of both kinds,
although the latter (“al-matlu”; the recited) is
held to be of a superior degree, only vouchsafed to
the Greater Prophets. While the former ("ghair al-matlu”)
may be given not only to Greater Prophets, but also
to other men of spiritual insight who have not
attained the degree of Prophethood. If we accept the
theory of verbal inspiration, it would also cover
the messages brought by the angel Gabriel (peace
upon him). The translator Yusuf Ali clarified
further in commentaries 4599 and 4600 thus: “Behind
a veil: not of course, a material veil (or screen or
purdah), but the mystic veil of light (i.e. 70,000
veils of light).
(…) From the above commentary of the Quran by an
internationally accepted translation, we conclude
that inspiration (wahy), other than recited (ghairi
al-matlu), can be received by men of spiritual
insight who have not attained Prophethood. Allah
says, “Fear Allah and Allah shall teach you.”
[2:282] and, “O ye who believe! When ye deal with
each other, in transactions involving future
obligations in a fixed period of time, reduce them
to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as
between the parties: let not the scribe refuse to
write: as Allah Has taught him, so let him write.
Let him who incurs the liability dictate, but let
him fear His Lord Allah, and not diminish aught of
what he owes. If they party liable is mentally
deficient, or weak, or unable Himself to dictate,
Let his guardian dictate faithfully, and get two
witnesses, out of your own men, and if there are not
two men, then a man and two women, such as ye
choose, for witnesses, so that if one of them errs,
the other can remind her. The witnesses should not
refuse when they are called on (For evidence).
Disdain not to reduce to writing (your contract) for
a future period, whether it be small or big: it is
juster in the sight of Allah, More suitable as
evidence, and more convenient to prevent doubts
among yourselves but if it be a transaction which ye
carry out on the spot among yourselves, there is no
blame on you if ye reduce it not to writing. But
take witness whenever ye make a commercial contract;
and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm. If
ye do (such harm), it would be wickedness in you. So
fear Allah; For it is Good that teaches you. And
Allah is well acquainted with all things. If ye are
on a journey, and cannot find a scribe, a pledge
with possession (may serve the purpose). And if one
of you deposits a thing on trust with another, let
the trustee (faithfully) discharge his trust, and
let him Fear his Lord conceal not evidence; for
whoever conceals it, - his heart is tainted with
sin. And Allah knoweth all that ye do. Also in the
Quran, “We taught man that which he knew not”.
[96:5]
We can also conclude that God fearing pious
servants are blessed with this type of spiritual
inspiration. The above conclusions are supported in
various places in the Quran, as people like the
mother (may Allah be satisfied with him) of Moses
(peace upon him) who was not a prophet, received an
inspiration directly from Allah as in the Chapter of
Ta-Ha (Ch. 18), “Behold! We sent to thy mother, by
inspiration, the message. Throw (the child) into the
chest, and throw (the chest) into the river: the
river will cast him up on the bank, and he will be
taken up by one who is an enemy to Me and an enemy
to him': But I cast (the garment of) love over thee
from Me: and (this) in order that thou mayest be
reared under Mine eye”. [20:39] Another example of
an inspiration, being in the form of a suggestion
thrown into a pious Heart by Allah, was shown in the
case of the encounter by Hadrat Khidhr (may Allah be
satisfied with him) and Prophet Moses (peace upon
him) when Hadrat Khidr (may Allah be satisfied with
him) concluded his action by saying, as in the
Quran, “I did it not of my own accord. Such is the
interpretation of (those things) over which thou
wast unable to hold (with) patience. As for the
wall, it belonged to two youths, orphans, in the
Town; there was, beneath it, a buried treasure, to
which they were entitled: their father had been a
righteous man: So thy Lord desired that they should
attain their age of full strength and get out their
treasure - a mercy (and favour) from thy Lord. I did
it not of my own accord. Such is the interpretation
of (those things) over which thou wast unable to
hold patience.” [18:82]
Here the statement simply implies that (he) too was
inspired, to carry out such action. The story of
Jesus' (peace upon him) mother (may Allah be
satisfied with him) was another glaring example.
Allah Almighty says, “Relate in the Book (the story
of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a
place in the East. She placed a screen (to screen
herself) from them; then We sent her our angel, and
he appeared before her as a man in all respects. She
said: “I seek refuge from thee to (Allah) Most
Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah.”
He said: “Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord,
(to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son”.
[19:17-9] Such was also the case of the Companions
of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) whom
the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told
that their guest or stranger, was no other than
angel Gabriel (peace upon him) who came to teach
them their religion, as contained in a Hadith
related by Omar ibn Khattab (may Allah be satisfied
with him) the second Caliph. Furthermore in the
Quran, Allah says: “And out of His (Allah's) signs
is your sleeping during the night and day” [30:23].
And among His Signs is the sleep that ye take by
night and by day, and the quest that ye (make for
livelihood) out of His Bounty: verily in that are
signs for those who hearken.
One of the important happenings in sleeping, during
the day or night, is a dream. The Prophet (peace and
blessing be upon him) used to ask his companions if
they saw a dream in their sleep. The most
authoritative and most authentic of narrations of
the Hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessing be
upon him) is the Sahih Bukhari. His collection has a
section of 48 chapters in volume 9, devoted to the
interpretation of dreams as reported from the most
knowledgeable Prophet (peace and blessing be upon
him). Chapter 3 starts with a heading “Dreams are
from Allah” He then narrated the Hadith of Abu
Qatada which narrates from the Prophet (peace and
blessing be upon him) that: “A true good dream is
from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan” Chapter 4
of the same section has a heading “A righteous good
dream that comes true is one of the forty-six parts
of Prophethood” Here a Hadith from Abu Huraira (may
Allah be satisfied with him) says: “For sure the
Messenger of Allah says; the dream of a faithful
believer is a part of the forty-six parts of
Prophethood.”
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