Shirk in Naat Poetry: Refuting Exaggerated Praises of the Prophet ﷺ
Compiled by: Tariq Ali Brohi
Introduction
Love for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is an integral part of faith, and it is the life of our hearts. However, when this love exceeds its limits and turns into exaggeration (ghulūw), it leads to shirk by attributing the exclusive qualities of Allah to the Prophet ﷺ. Unfortunately, many Naat poems and popular verses today contain such exaggerations, granting the Messenger of Allah ﷺ powers and attributes that belong only to Allah. This article highlights some of these well-known verses and explains their refutation in the light of the Qur’an and Hadith.
✦ Verses of Exaggeration and Their Refutation
➊ Verse:
“Shāh-e-Madīnah! Yathrib ke wālī, sāre nabī tere dar ke sawālī”
This verse implies that all Prophets are dependent on the Prophet ﷺ, which is a clear violation of Tawḥīd.Allah rejects this claim:
﴿وَسْـَٔــلْ مَنْ اَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رُّسُلِنَآ اَجَعَلْنَا مِنْ دُوْنِ الرَّحْمٰنِ اٰلِهَةً يُّعْبَدُوْنَ﴾ (al-Zukhruf: 45)
“Ask those Messengers whom We sent before you: Did We ever appoint any deities to be worshipped besides the Most Merciful?”
➋ Verse:
“Jalwe hain sāre tere hī dam se, ābād ʿālam tere karam se”
These words attribute creation and sustenance to the Prophet ﷺ instead of Allah.Allah says:
﴿اَللّٰهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَّهُوَ عَلٰي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَّكِيْلٌ﴾ (al-Zumar: 62)
“Allah is the Creator of everything, and He is the Guardian over all things.”
And He also said:
﴿وَمَآ اَنْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِوَكِيْلٍ﴾ (al-Zumar: 41)
“You (O Prophet ﷺ) are not a guardian over them.”
➌ Verse:
“Tere liye hī dunyā banī hai, nīle falak kī chādar tanī hai”
This falsely attributes the creation of the universe to the Prophet ﷺ.But Allah clarifies the purpose of creation:
﴿الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيٰوةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ اَيُّكُمْ اَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا﴾ (al-Mulk: 2)
“He created death and life to test which of you is best in deeds.”
﴿وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْاِنْسَ اِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوْنِ﴾ (al-Dhāriyāt: 56)
“I created jinn and humans only that they may worship Me.”
As for the fabricated narration: “Law lāka lamā khalaqtu al-aflāk” (“If it were not for you, I would not have created the universe”), scholars such as Imām al-Albānī رحمه الله have declared it fabricated in al-Silsilah al-Ḍaʿīfah (280).➍ Verse:
“Mazhhab hai tera sab kī bhalāʾī, maslak hai tera mushkil-kushāʾī”
Declaring the Prophet ﷺ as the one who removes hardships is shirk. Only Allah has this attribute.Allah says:
﴿وَاِنْ يَّمْسَسْكَ اللّٰهُ بِضُرٍّ فَلَا كَاشِفَ لَهٗٓ اِلَّا هُوَ﴾ (Yūnus: 107)
“If Allah afflicts you with harm, none can remove it except Him.”
﴿اَمَّنْ يُّجِيْبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ اِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوْۗءَ﴾ (al-Naml: 62)
“Who responds to the distressed when he calls upon Him and removes the evil? Is there any deity besides Allah?”
➎ Verse:
“Hai nūr tera shams o qamar mein, tere labon kī lālī gahar mein”
The sun and moon are signs of Allah, not dependent on any human.Allah says:
﴿اَللّٰهُ نُوْرُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالْاَرْضِ﴾ (al-Nūr: 35)
“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The sun and the moon are two signs of Allah. They do not eclipse for the death or life of anyone.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1060, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2116)
✦ The Prophets’ Unawareness After Death
The Qur’an and authentic Hadith clarify that Prophets do not know the state of their people after death.
ʿĪsā عليه السلام said:
﴿فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِيْ كُنْتَ اَنْتَ الرَّقِيْبَ عَلَيْهِمْ﴾ (al-Māʾidah: 117)
“When You (Allah) took me up, You were the Watcher over them.”
Similarly, the Prophet ﷺ will be told at the Ḥawḍ (Basin):
“لَا تَدْرِي مَا أَحْدَثُوا بَعْدَكَ”
“You do not know what they innovated after you.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4625, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 7201)
✦ Summary and Conclusion
① Declaring the Prophet ﷺ as problem-solver, provider, creator of the universe, or master of all Prophets is shirk.
② Qur’an and Sunnah establish that these attributes belong only to Allah.
③ Fabricated ḥadīth and exaggerated poetry contradict Tawḥīd and must be avoided.
④ True love for the Prophet ﷺ lies in obeying him, acknowledging him as the servant and Messenger of Allah, and avoiding all forms of ghulūw.
