This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri's book Aamad Mustafa ﷺ.
The Reality of Attributed Works
Blessings from the blessed relics of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, were only granted to those who lived close to his time, namely the noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, the great Followers (Tabi‘in), may Allah have mercy on them, and the Followers of the Followers, may Allah have mercy on them. After fourteen hundred years have passed, it is not possible to obtain blessings from these relics because all these relics have been lost. Some people have attributed self-made relics to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, but they do not even have a chain of narration to prove the authenticity of the relics they claim; rather, they are merely engaging in falsehood.
Just as attributing any saying, action, or tacit approval to the Prophet, peace be upon him, requires great caution because of the severe warning against lying about him, as this authentic hadith states:
من كذب علي، فليتبوأ مقعده من النار .
“Whoever lies about me deliberately, let him take his seat in Hellfire.”
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 107, Sahih Muslim: 3)
Similarly, attributing any relic, such as sandals, hair, a cloak, or a turban, to the Prophet, peace be upon him, also requires extreme caution. Whoever does so is undoubtedly subject to the Prophet’s warning. Therefore, one must fear Allah’s punishment and think a thousand times before introducing self-made relics as Prophetic relics among people: Are we not attributing falsehood to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him?
If someone claims, after fourteen hundred years, to possess relics attributed to the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, they must present an authentic chain of narration for their claim. If someone says, “These noble sandals belong to the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him,” or “These blessed hairs are of the Prophet, peace be upon him,” should we then begin to venerate and honor these sandals and hairs and seek blessings from them? No. Rather, a demand for an authentic chain of narration will be made, and if no authentic chain is presented, the claim will be rejected because it is a lie about the noble person of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. Therefore, the sensitivity of this matter must be understood.
It is right that if something attributed to the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, is proven through reliable sources, then denying blessings from it is outright misguidance and extreme misfortune. But the tragedy is that some people treat the matter of the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, with extreme disrespect and resort to arrogance. If anyone asks them for evidence and proof, they immediately issue a fatwa of disrespect against that person.
The Prophetic Traces Have Been Lost
It is an undeniable fact that the relics of the Prophet have been lost; their existence no longer remains in the world.
The pulpit of the Prophet ﷺ was burned in 654 AH.
The funeral of Yahya bin Ma'in, may Allah have mercy on him, was carried on the bed of the Holy Prophet ﷺ.
Reference: (Tareekh Yahya bin Ma'in by Al-Duri: 67/3)
What happened to that blessed bed afterward is unknown.
Similarly, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Anis, may Allah be pleased with him, had the blessed stick of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, which he used to tie with his sword at all times. His will was that this stick be placed with his shroud, and accordingly, it was buried with him.
Reference: (Musnad Imam Ahmad: 486/3 with a good chain)
Imam Ibn Khuzaymah, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (982)
, and Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (7160)
, have narrated this hadith, and Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (Fath al-Bari: 437/2)
, has declared its chain of narration as "Sahih" (authentic). Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that a companion asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ for his blessed cloak, and that very cloak became his shroud.
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 1377)
The blessed ring of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, on which "Muhammad Rasul Allah" was engraved, came into the possession of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, after the Prophet ﷺ. After him, it adorned the finger of Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, and then Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him. Eventually, this ring fell into a well during the time of Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, and despite many efforts, it could not be found.
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 5866-5879)
The Matter of the Tree of Bay'at al-Ridwan
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar رضي الله عنهما says:
رجعنا من العام المقبل، فما اجتمع منا اثنان على الشجرة التى بايعنا تحتها، كانت رحمة من الله .
"When we came in the second year of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, two of us could not even agree on the exact tree under which we had pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم. This is the mercy of Allah Almighty."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 2958)
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar رحمه الله (d. 852 AH) writes:
أن لا يحصل بها افتتان لما وقع تحتها من الخير، فلو بقيت لما أمن تعظيم بعض الجهال لها، حتى ربما أفضى بهم إلى اعتقاد أن لها قوة نفع أو ضر، كما نراه الآن مشاهدا فيما هو دونها، وإلى ذلك أشار ابن عمر بقوله: كانت رحمة من الله، أى كان خفاؤها عليهم بعد ذلك رحمة من الله تعالى .
"The wisdom behind the disappearance of the tree was so that people would not fall into discord over the matter that took place under that tree, which was for good. If it had remained, there was a fear that some ignorant people would venerate it. People would develop the belief that the tree was the owner of benefit and harm. We have observed that such beliefs are held even about lesser things. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar رضي الله عنهما alluded to this in his statement that the disappearance of this tree after that year is the mercy of Allah Almighty."
Reference: (Fath al-Bari: 18/6)
◈ Saeed bin Musayyib رحمه الله narrates:
كان أبى ممن بايع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عند الشجرة، قال: فانطلقنا فى قابل حاجين، فخفي علينا مكانها، فإن كانت تبينت لكم؛ فأنتم أعلم .
"My honorable father was among those who pledged allegiance on the blessed hand of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم under the tree. He said that when we went for Hajj the next year, we did not find the place of the tree. If it appears before you, then you are more knowledgeable."
Reference: (Sahih Muslim: 1859)
◈ Hafiz Nawawi رحمه الله (d. 676 AH) writes:
قال العلماء : سبب خفائها ألا يفتتن الناس بها لما جرى تحتها من الخير ونزول الرضوان والسكينة وغير ذلك، فلو بقيت ظاهرة معلومة لخيف تعظيم الأعراب والجهال إياها وعبادتهم لها، فكان خفاؤها رحمة من الله تعالى .
"The scholars have explained the reason for its disappearance as that the goodness, pleasure, and tranquility that were attained under that tree should not cause people to fall into discord. If it remained visible and known, the villagers and ignorant people would begin to venerate and worship it. Therefore, its concealment is the mercy of Allah Almighty."
Reference: (Sharh Sahih Muslim: 5/13)
When a visible piece of land was hidden from the Companions رضي الله عنهم, then how is it possible in our time to claim with certainty and conviction the attribution of blessings to the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم? These have not reached us through trustworthy and reliable narrators generation after generation, nor is there a claim of mutawatir (mass transmission) regarding them. Mere baseless statements cannot be trusted.
Allama Lakhnawi's Opinion on the Existing Relics:
Allama Abdul Hayy Lakhnawi Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him, writes about the relics of the Prophets, peace be upon them:
Thus, from all these ahadith and narrations, it is well established in the eyes of the believers that obtaining blessings from the relics and observations of the Prophet and honoring them is one of the excellent blessings of Allah. The proof of this kind of blessing and respect is found in the actions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and the noble companions, may Allah be pleased with them. However, Muslims should consider that just as these ahadith prove the blessing and respect of the Prophetic relics, they also indicate the proper way to honor and obtain blessings from them. Therefore, just as a person who denies the blessing of the Prophetic relics is considered irreligious and sinful, similarly, a person who innovates any special method of honoring contrary to the approved way of the hadith will be regarded as an innovator and opponent of the Sunnah. Both are equal in opposing the Sunnah, and this applies provided that the invented method does not include any explicit prohibited matters or definite prohibitions of Shariah. If the invented method includes any matters prohibited by Shariah, then two harms occur: first, the innovation of a special method, and second, the commission of Shariah prohibitions. The ruling on both is that the doer is a sinful disbeliever and a sinner. Secondly, it should also be considered that the blessing and respect proven for the relics of the Master of the Prophets, peace be upon him, is specific to his relics alone. Treating the relics of others in the same manner as the relics of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is forbidden. Therefore, if anyone claims that a particular cloak, special garment, or specific hair is the relic of the Prophet, peace be upon him, first it must be confirmed that these relics truly belong to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and are not attributed to him by someone else out of desire, so that such certainty does not lead to treating the relics of others as the relics of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Achieving such certainty without proper method is unlikely, and the method adopted by the muhaddithin, may Allah have mercy on them, in narrating hadith is necessary. Because the affirmation of the Prophetic relics is also a hadith narrated from the Messenger, peace be upon him, and the method followed in the hadith of the Messenger, peace be upon him, is the same. It is clear that when the proof of those relics depends on such a method of narration, their authenticity or lack thereof also depends on the authenticity or weakness of the chain of narration. If even a weak chain is not available, then only the statements of the ignorant cannot establish it. Therefore, the summary is that undoubtedly honoring the Prophetic relics is among the signs of faith, proven by authentic ahadith, but that honor and blessing depend on the methods established by the ahadith. This honor is a consequence of the correct attribution of these relics and blessings to the noble person of the Master of the Universe, peace be upon him, and the correctness of the attribution depends on the authenticity of the narration. So, the relics proven by authentic narration must be honored according to the method of the noble companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and there is no doubt in obtaining blessings from them. Those not proven by authentic narration should not be treated in the same way as the proven relics of the Prophet, peace be upon him, without investigation, as it is like calling baseless speech a hadith and acting upon it, for which severe warnings have been revealed.
Reference: (Majmu' al-Fatawa by Lakhnawi: 3/175-176)
Another Opinion:
Mufti Muhammad Sharif-ul-Haq Amjadi Barelvi (Mubarakpur, Azamgarh, U.P) writes:
"Merely being kept in the Royal Mosque is not proof that a particular item was used by the Holy Prophet ﷺ; evidence is required for that, so the burden of proof lies on you."
Reference: (Fatawa Sharh Bukhari: 479/1)
Existing Relics and Other Scholars
◈ Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 728 AH), says:
هذا إذا كان النعل صحيحا، فكيف بما لا يعلم صحته، أو بما يعلم أنه مكذوب، كحجارة كثيرة يأخذها الكذابون وينحتون فيها موضع قدم، ويزعمون عند الجهال أن هذا الموضع قدم النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم .
This matter of veneration can only be discussed when the attribution of these shoes to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is established. But if their authenticity is unknown, and it is clear that they are false, as some liars take a stone and imprint the footprint of the Prophet, peace be upon him, on it and then claim before the ignorant that these are the footprints of the Prophet, peace be upon him, then how can their veneration be correct in such a case?
Reference: (Iqtidā’ al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm : 337/2)
◈ Hafiz al-Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 748 AH), says:
مثل هذا يقوله هذا الإمام بعد النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم بخمسين سنة، فما الذى نقوله نحن فى وقتنا لو وجدنا بعض شعره بإسناد ثابت، أو شسع نعل كان له ، أو قلامة ظفر، أو شقفة من إناء شرب فيه، فلو بذل الغني معظم أمواله فى تحصيل شيء من ذلك عنده، أكنت تعده مبشرا أو سفيها ؟ كلا .
Such a statement was made by Imam Ibn Sirin, may Allah have mercy on him, fifty years after the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Now, if in our time we find a piece of evidence with an authentic chain of narration for the Prophet’s hair, the strap of his shoe, his nail, or a piece of the vessel from which he used to drink water, what would we say? If a wealthy person spends a great deal of money to acquire it, would you call him wasteful and foolish? No! Certainly not.
Reference: (Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’: 42/4)
It is established that the scholars base the authenticity and inauthenticity of Prophetic relics on the chain of narration, so we too should rely on the chain of narration; this is the way of the believers.
