Unimaginable Blessings of Honoring the Prophet (s)

 

Excerpt from "Who Are the Guides?" (2008) by Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani
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Allāh granted awliyāullāh special knowledge from the heart of Prophet Muhammad (s) from which they share only one drop, and from that drop Shaykh Sharafuddīn ق began to describe. He was spiritual advisor to Sultān `Abdul Hamid, the last ruler of the Ottoman Empire.

Shaykh Sharafuddīn ق narrated that Allāh created a dome under the Divine Throne from which all sustenance of the Creation is dispersed for every living thing. Allāh ¹ put angels on top of that dome that are responsible to bring to every created thing their sustenance. Angels must give to you each bite of food you put in your mouth. Even the smallest living things—cells or microbes or even a virus—all need that energy, that rizq to reach them. Every particle is assigned by Allāh and is carried by angels, otherwise no soul could reach this universe without that angelic source that comes from the Heavens. Our origin is from that power, Qudrat al-Ilāhi, commonly translated as “energy” or “power,” but in reality that energy is planted and then we appear. When Allāh decides to separate that energy from our appearance, we die. Allāh created angels without limits to take that sustenance from under the dome of the Divine Throne, to disperse the rizq to everyone who needs it.

Angels must carry the food for human beings by themselves and that food has no life of its own. The food does not give life; life is given from the touch of the angels upon that food. It is not the food that gives energy, but rather the power of those angels gives you energy and life. Every bite receives the touch of three-hundred angels. Regarding animals (non-human beings), angels do not carry their food, but they guide them through with their angelic lights to the source of food and the animals take it up by themselves.

Therefore, whatever you eat is brought to you by angels, and if you use or do not use that energy in Allāh’s Way, you will be judged accordingly on Judgment Day. Humans will be questioned as to how they wasted that sustenance carried down from Heavens by angels, whereas animals will not be questioned.

Allāh made those angels responsible for our sustenance and for how we live in dunyā. The exception applies to Sayyīdinā Muhammad (s), to whom Allāh granted special angels for his sustenance, as he takes from another source. We take from under the dome, but the angels bring his sustenance from above the dome. In Ākhirah, the other prophets will never know these angels.

Anything which is for Prophet Muhammad (s) goes through one particular channel. If he (s) were to come in the time of other prophets, they owe allegiance, baya`, to him. Therefore, all prophets after Adam are under Muhammad (s).

Al-Bukhari reported (and others with different wordings) that Jabir said:
The Prophet (s) said, “I was given five things which no other (prophet) has been given (and) every prophet was sent to his people, but I was sent to all of Mankind.”
Imam as-Subki in his Tasnif said, “There is no prophet except he has taken an oath that if Muhammad (s) was to come in his time, he would believe and assist him.”

All of them are from high prophets to ordinary human beings and their sustenance is from one place and Prophet’s sustenance is from other angels. Therefore, when the people asked him about fasting on Monday, Prophet (s) replied, “This is the day I was born,” thereby indicating, “This is an important day.” This indicates if you do something for the honor of Prophet (s), then you will be rewarded from angels who provide his sustenance. Anything you do for the honor of Prophet (s), Allāh sends to you those angels who have been specifically assigned to provide his sustenance, because you are doing something for him.

From that vast ocean of knowledge that Shaykh Sharafuddīn ق and Grandshaykh `AbdAllāh ق bring, they elaborated further on this topic of reward for love of Prophet (s). They (may Allāh sanctify their souls) said (quoting their notes):

• Allāh created angels that are very huge in body and who remain in continuous tasbīh, glorifying Allāh.
• Allāh also decreed that for every atom or smallest particle associated with any act of love or honor towards Prophet (s), He will divide it into 70,000 small particles on which He will then send 70,000 angels making istighfār for the person who committed that act! This certainly includes any event rejoicing in the Prophet’s (s) birth, any gift or food sent to the Rawdat al-Mutahirrah, the Noble Garden of the Prophet’s (s) tomb, a custom observed by kings and common folk alike.
• All of those angels will descend from the dome above the Divine Throne to the person’s home and the tasbīħ they recite will be written for that servant from that time until the Judgment Day. Those angels will encompass that person’s home along with a light that goes to the Divine Throne.
  
• Whoever attends such a celebration will have all his sins waived until all his sins are forgiven as the hadith mentions, Allāh sends angels to surround those who make dhikr, and la yushqa jalīsahum, meaning, “Allāh will grant them their requests and ward off from them what they fear and forgive them their sins.”
• Even if someone came for some other purpose and happened to attend that majlis, he or she will receive the reward of that dhikr and will be forgiven.
• It is only for the honor of Prophet (s) that Allāh granted such a blessing.
  
• If someone observed Mawlid and only celebrated the birthday of Prophet (s) once in his life, half of these angels will be ordered to return to be with that person’s inheritors and grandchildren until the Judgment Day; the other half accompanies that person to his or her grave and continuously praises Allāh on their behalf until Judgment Day.

Grandshaykh `AbdAllāh said it is for this reason, for the unimaginable blessing and goodness associated with it, that we must always show an abundance of love toward Sayyīdinā Muhammad (s), as often and as much as possible!