34 ways - Duas Seeing the Prophet (PBUH) in dreams:
1.One of the most tried and tested means of gaining the vision of the Noble Prophet (alayhi salat wa salam) during sleep, and even during wakefulness, is intense love for him, and occupying one’s thoughts with him night and day, along with faithful conforming with his noble sunnah, and frequent prayers of benediction (salawat) upon him in a continuous fashion, and complete uprightness on his way (istiqama) and great yearning towards seeing him (asws), and supplications for him, and carrying the cares of the Beloved (alayhi salat wa salam), namely, calling to Allah in secret and in public; and continual application of all of the foregoing, and the absence of despair and hopelessness in the mercy of Allah, the Generous Bestower, for He deals in a steady manner but does not neglect anything, nor does He ruin the hopes of anyone who supplicates Him and hopes in Him, and it might be that He has hidden the treasures within the “late” response to one’s supplication.
2.Some of the gnostics (’arifeen) have said: “whoever wishes to see the Prophet (asws), then let him remember him frequently night and day, and love the Awliya, otherwise, the door to that vision is closed shut, for they are the leaders and masters of people, and our Lord and His Messenger (asws) get angry at (the object of) their anger…”
3. Regular recitation and meditation on the Burda Sharifa of Imam Sharafuddin al-Busayri.
4.It has been mentioned from the Prophet (asws) that whoever sends prayers of benediction (salawat) upon the spirit (ruh) of Sayyidina Muhammad among the spirits, and his body among the bodies, and his grave among the graves, then “he will see me in his sleep, and whoever sees me in his sleep, will see me in the Day of Rising; and whoever sees me (with this special vision) in the Day of Rising, i will intercede on his behalf, and for whomever I intercede, he will drink from my pool and Allah will forbid the Fire to touch his body.”
5.Imam Nawawi wrote in his Adhkar: “whoever, on the night preceding Friday, prays two nafl rak’as, reciting Ayat al Kursi 5 times in each rak’a after Fatiha, and then after this salah, sits and prays salawat 1,000 times upon the Prophet (asws), then he will see him in his dream.”
6.. From al-Hasan (al-Basri?): “Whoever prays four rak’at (2×2) nafl in the night preceding Friday, and in each rak’a after Fatiha recites the following suras: Duha, Sharh, Qadr, Zalzala (any multiple number of times), and then when he is done with these four, sits for the jalso and reads tahiyyat, and sends salawat 70 times and makes istighfar 70 times, and then makes the salam to end the prayer, taking care not to speak to anyone after that, then lies down on his right side and sends salawat until sleep overtakes him, then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his dreams in sha’allah.”
7.Whoever recites surat al-Qadr (”inna anzalnahu..”) one thousand times on Friday, then he will not die until he sees the Prophet (asws).
8. Whoever wakes in the middle of the night before the day of Friday and recites surat al Quraysh 1000 times, then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his sleep and all his needs will be satisfied in sha’allah.
9. Ja’far as-Sadiq said: “Whoever recites surat al Kawthar 1000 times, and then sends salawat 1000 times, in the night preceding Friday, and then ask Allah to allow him to see the Prophet (asws), then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his sleep in sha’allah.”
10. Whoever, in the night preceding the day of Thursday or Friday or Monday, prays four rak’at nafl (2×2), in the first rak’a reciting surat al Qadr 3 times, in the second reciting surat al Zalzala 3 times, in the third reciting surat al Kafirun 3 times, and in the fourth reciting al Falaq and an Naas 3 times (and another narration of this says to add Ikhlas 3 times here), and when he is done with this, sits and recites the “salat al fatih” of Sidi Mustafa al-Bakri, then he will meet with the Prophet (asws). Salat al-Fatih: “Allahumma Salli wa Sallim ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammad, al Fatihi lima Ughliqa wa’l Khatimi lima Sabaqa, Nasir il-Haqqi bi’l Haqqi, wa’l Haadi ila Siratik al-Mustaqeem, wa ‘ala aalihi Haqqa Qadrihi wa Miqdarihi-l ‘Adheem.”
do you want to see the Prophet salla allahu alayhi wa sallam in your sleep? then you have 30 different means to that in sha'allah, listed (in Arabic) in this site:
http://alnabee.com/al9alaa/manam.htm
11. Sidi Mustafa al-Bakri said: “Among the benefits of this noble name “Muhammad” is that whoever says it every night 22 times, then he will frequently see the Prophet (asws).”
12. Some of the Saliheen have stated: “whoever wishes to see the Prophet (asws) during one’s sleep, let him pray two rak’as, and after Fatiha read surat al Ikhlas 100 times, and when he is done, say three times: “Ya Muhsin Ya Mujammil Ya Mun’im Ya Mutafaddil, Arini Wajha Muhammadin salla-allahu alayhi wa sallam” then he will see him in sha’allah.”
13. Pray two rak’as, and recite any sura you wish in them, and in the sujud say 100 times: “Ya Nur an-Noor, Ya Mudabbir al Umoor, Balligh ‘Anni Ruha Muhammadin salla-allahu alayhi wa sallama tahiyyatan wa salama” (O Light of light, O Manager of all Affairs, send greetings and peace to the spirit of Muhammad (asws) on my behalf).
14. One of the righteous awliya said: “I saw the Prophet (saws) in a dream and he told me,
“say before you sleep ‘Bismillah ir Rahman ir Raheem’ 5 times
and ‘Audhu billahi min ash shaytan ir rajeem’ 5 times,
and then say ‘Allahumma bi Haqqi Muhammad, Arini Wajha Muhammadin Haalan wa Ma’aala’ (O Allah, by the right of Muhammad, show me the face of Muhammad in this moment and in the end), then I will come to you and will not break my promise to you.”
15. One of the Shuyukh said, “whoever recites the following salawat after the ‘Isha prayer, and reads the last three suras each 3 times, and does not speak with anyone after this, then he will see the Prophet (saws), and it is (the version of Imam Ghazali): (to be posted later)”
16. Qadi Yusuf ibn Isma’il an-Nabhani on page 444 of his book “Sa’adat ad-Darayn” wrote: “whoever wishes to see him in one’s sleep, then let him say an odd number of times: “Allahumma Salli ala Muhammadin kama Amartana an Nusalliya ‘alayh, Allahumma Salli ala Muhammadin kama huwa ahluh, Allahumma Salli ala Muhammadin kama tuhibbu wa tarda lah, Allahumma Salli ‘ala Ruh Muhammadin fi’l Arwah, Allahumma Salli ala Jasadi Muhammadin fi’l Ajsad, Allahumma Salli ala Qabri Muhammadin fi’l Quboor.” (O Allah, send salawat upon Muhammad as you have ordered us to send upon him, O Allah, send salawat upon Muhammad as he deserves, O Allah, send salawat upon Muhammad as much as you love for him and are pleased with him to receive, O Allah, send salawat upon the spirit of Muhammad among the spirits, and upon his body among the bodies, and upon his grave among the graves).
17. Imam Qastalaani said, “I saw written in some books that whoever recites surat al Muzzammil and al Kawthar regularly will get to see him (saws).”
18. Imam al-Yafi’i said: “whoever desires to see him (asws), then let him make ghusl and wudu in the beginning of the night before the first Friday of the month, and wear clean white clothes, and pray the ‘Isha prayer, then pray 12 rak’as (6×2), in each rak’a reciting surat al Muzzammil after the Fatiha. and when he is done with this, let him send salawat upon the Prophet (asws) 1,000 times, and recite istighfar 1,000 times, and let him sleep in a state of purity…then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his sleep in sha’allah.”
19. Frequent Recitation of the following Salawat (from Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jaylani): “Allahumma Salli Salaatan Kamilatan wa Sallim salaaman taamman ala sayyidina wa mawlana Muhammadin illadhi tanhallu bihi-l ‘uqadu wa tanfariju bihi-l kurabu wa tuqdaa bihi’l hawa’iju wa tunaalu bihi-r raghaa’ibu wa husna-l khawateem, wa yustasqa-l ghamaamu bi wajhihi-l kareem, wa ‘ala aalihi wa sahbihi fi kulli lamhatin wa nafasin bi ‘adadi kulli ma’lumin laka” (O Allah, send the perfect salawat and the complete salaam upon our master and patron Muhammad, by whom the knots are untied, and the afflictions are removed, and the needs are satisfied, and the desired goals are gained as are the best ends, and by whose noble countenance the clouds are watered; and also upon his family and companions, in every moment and breath, according to the number of things in Your Knowledge).
20. Imam Qastalaani said: “whoever recites surat al Fil on any certain night 1000 times, and then sends salawat 1000 times, then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his sleep in sha’allah. Also, whoever writes surat al Fil and hangs it on one’s person, then it serves as a great shield from one’s enemies, and Allah grants victory by it to him over them.”
21. Whoever prays Maghrib salat, and then prays naf’al rak’at (2×2) until it is time for ‘Isha, and in each rak’a reads surat Ikhlas 7 times,and when he ends the prayer (with salam), he goes down in sujud and says 7 times “subhan allah wa’l hamdu lillah wa la ilaha illa allah wallahu akbar” and then says 7 times “Allahumma salli ‘ala-n nabiyy al ummiyy Muhammad wa aalihi wa sallim” and then says 7 times “Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum Ya Rahman Ya Raheem”, and then gets up from that sujud and begins another two rak’ats in the same fashion, until the time for Isha comes, and then he prays Isha, and after Isha prayer he sits and says the following 1000 times: “Salla Allahu ‘ala Muhammadin an-Nabiyy al-Ummiyy”, and then goes to sleep on his right side and continues making salawat…then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his dreams in sha’allah.
20. Imam Qastalaani said: “whoever recites surat al Fil on any certain night 1000 times, and then sends salawat 1000 times, then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his sleep in sha’allah. Also, whoever writes surat al Fil and hangs it on one’s person, then it serves as a great shield from one’s enemies, and Allah grants victory by it to him over them.”
21. Whoever prays Maghrib salat, and then prays naf’al rak’at (2×2) until it is time for ‘Isha, and in each rak’a reads surat Ikhlas 7 times, and when he ends the prayer (with salam), he goes down in sujud and says 7 times “subhan allah wa’l hamdu lillah wa la ilaha illa allah wallahu akbar” and then says 7 times “Allahumma salli ‘ala-n nabiyy al ummiyy Muhammad wa aalihi wa sallim” and then says 7 times “Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum Ya Rahman Ya Raheem”, and then gets up from that sujud and begins another two rak’ats in the same fashion, until the time for Isha comes, and then he prays Isha, and after Isha prayer he sits and says the following 1000 times: “Salla Allahu ‘ala Muhammadin an-Nabiyy al-Ummiyy”, and then goes to sleep on his right side and continues making salawat…then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his dreams in sha’allah.
22. Pray two nafl rak’as, and in each rak’a recite surat Ikhlas 100 or 200 times, and when you are finished with this prayer, say the following three times: “Ya Allahu Ya Rahman Ya Muhsin Ya Mujammil Ya Mun’im Ya Mutafaddil, Arini Wajha Nabiyyika Muhammad Salla-allahu alayhi wa sallam”, and also write these words on white paper and put it under his pillow, then he will see the Prophet (asws)………
23. Pray Maghrib prayer in the masjid, and then pray sets of two rak’at (until the adhan for Isha prayer), and in each nafl rak’a recite surat Ikhlas 3 times after Fatiha, and after praying Isha in the masjid, return home and do not speak with anyone. And when you are ready for bed, pray two rak’as and in each rak’a recite Ikhlas 7 times and finish the prayer with salams. Then go down in sujud, and make istighfar 7 times (while in sujud) and send salawat 7 times, and then say 7 times: “subhan allah wal hamdu lillaah wa la ilaha illa allah wallahu akbar wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahi-l aliyy al adheem.” Then sit up from that prostration, and sit in the position of jalsa and raise your hands and say (7 times): “Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum Ya Dha’l Jalali wa’l Ikram Ya Arham ar-Rahimeen Ya Rahman ad-dunya wa’l akhirata wa Raheemahuma Ya Allahu Ya Ilaah al Awwalin wa’l Akhireen, Ya Rabb Ya Rabb Ya Rabb Ya Allah Ya Allah Ya Allah.” Then stand up and raise your hands and say the same thing once, and recite istighfar and salawat as much as you wish, then enter your bed and sleep on your right side…and you will see the Prophet (asws) in sha’allah.
24. Some of the righteous awliya said, “whoever wishes to witness the Prophetic Beauty then let him make wudu’ before going to bed, and then sit on his bed, making sure it is clean, and then recite suras Shams and Layl and Tin, saying the Basmala before each of them, and then make frequent salawat, and end with this du’a: “Allahumma Rabb al Balad il Haraam wa’l Halli wa’l Haraam wa-r Rukni wa’l Maqaam, Iqra’ ‘ala Ruhi Muhammadin minna-s Salaam.”
25. It was related that one man used to see the Prophet (asws), and that he used to recite the following salawat 16,000 times: “Allahumma Salli ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa Aalihi Haqqa Qadrihi wa Miqdarih”
26. One of the Shuyukh of Sidi Ahmad Zarruq said: “After making the final salam for salat al Jum’a, say “Subhan Allah wa Bi Hamdihi” 100 times, and then after ‘Asr prayer, say 1000 times “Allahumma Salli ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammadin an-Nabiyy al-Ummiyy,” and he tried this in the Prophet’s mosque in Madina, and found it worked.
27. Shaykh Muhammad Haqqi Afandi an-Nazili wrote in his book “The Treasurehouse of Secrets” the following: “in the year 1262 I asked my Shaykh about some special Adhkar that would unviel to me Divine knowledges and bring me closer to Allah and connect me to the Messenger of Allah (alayhi salat wa salam), and he told me to recite Ayat al Kursi and the following salawat: “Allahumma Salli ala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa ala Aali Sayyidina Muhammadin fi kulli lamhatin wa nafasin bi ‘adadi kulli ma’lumin laka”,
and he said, “if you are assiduous in this, you will take the knowledges and secrets from the Prophet (asws) until you come to be under his direct spiritual training (tarbiya).
And he said, “and this is tried and tested, and so-and-so found it to be true” and he listed a number of names of people. So on the first night i tried it, i recited this salawat 100 times, and i saw the Prophet (asws) in my sleep, and he told me, “(my) intercession is for you and your parents and your brothers,” and then i found in my own experience what the Shaykh told me to be true. And then I told many of the Ikhwan about this practice, and i found that whoever stayed constant with it, received many extraordinary secrets unlike others, and in it is many secrets indeed, and this indication should suffice for you.”
28. Sayyid Ahmad Dahlan, the Shafi’i Mufti of Makka, wrote in his collection of salawat the following: “and among the forms of salawat that is tried and tested for meeting the Prophet (alayhi salat wa salam) is the following: “Allahumma Salli wa Sallim ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammadin al Jaami’i li Asraarika wad-Daalli ‘alayk, wa ‘ala Aalihi wa Sahbihi wa Sallim”…every day 1000 times each.
29. Sayyid Ahmad Dahlan also mentioned in that same book the following: Among the greatest and most beneficial forms that the gnostics mentioned was beneficial for recitation - even if only one time - on the night preceding Friday, and that whoever was constant in that, then the form of the Prophet (asws) would appear before his spirit when he dies and when he enters the grave, until he sees that the Prophet (asws) himself is the one who is placing him in the grave; and the gnostics said that whoever takes up this salawat should read it every day 10 times, and on the night before Friday 100 times, so that he can attain this great favor and immense blessing in sha’allah. And that specific form is: “Allahumma Salli ala Sayyidina Muhammadin an Nabiyy al Ummiyy al Habeeb, al ‘Aali-l Qadr al ‘Adheem al-Jaah, wa ‘ala Aalihi wa Sahbihi wa Sallim”. This was also related by Shaykh Ahmad as-Sawi and Imam Suyuti.
30. Shaykh Ahmad as-Sawi said in his commentary on the Wird of Sidi ad-Dardir: “the recitation of the salawat al Ibrahimiyya (the same as the one in the tashahhud) 1000 times brings one to the vision of the Prophet (asws), and Shaykh al Adawi said in his commentary on Dala’il al Khayrat that whoever reads this salawat 1000 times on the night preceding Friday or Monday, then he will necessarily behold the being of the Prophet (asws).”
31. the Qutb al-Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jaylani wrote in his Book “al-Ghunya” that Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet (asws) said: “whoever, on the night preceding Friday, prays two rak’at, and in each rak’a recites (after the Fatiha) Ayat al Kursi once and surat al Ikhlas 15 times, and then after that salat, sits and says 1000 times, “Allahumma Salli ala Sayyidina Muhammadin an Nabiyy al Ummiyy” then he will see me in his sleep, and the next Friday will not come without him seeing me. And whoever sees me, then the Garden is his, and all his sins - past and future - are forgiven.”
32. Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) related that the Prophet (alayhi salat wa salam) said: “there is no believer that prays two nafl rak’as on the night before Jum’a, and in each rak’a recites surat Ikhlas 25 times (after the Fatiha), and then after finishing the prayer says 1000 times, “Salla Allahu ala Muhammad in-Nabiyy il-Ummiyy”, then the next Friday will not come without him seeing me in his sleep, and whoever sees me then Allah forgives his sins.”
33. Shaykh Hasan al-’Adawi in his commentary on the Dala’il al Khayrat recorded that Shaykh al-Mursi said: “Whoever recites this salawat 500 times every day and night - and is constant in that - then he will not die until he meets with the Prophet (asws) in a state of wakefulness (yaqadha). That salawat is: “Allahumma Salli ala Sayyidina Muhammadin ‘Abdika wa Nabiyyika wa Rasulika an-Nabiyy al-Ummiyy wa ‘ala aalihi wa sahbihi wa Sallim”.
34. Shaykh al-’Adawi also recorded that Imam al-Yafi’i stated in his book “Bustan al Fuqara” that the Prophet Muhammad (alayhi salat wa salam) stated that, “Whoever prays this salawat upon me on Friday 1000 times, “Allahumma Salli ala Sayyidina Muhammadin in-Nabiyy il-Ummiyy wa ‘ala aalihi wa sahbihi wa Sallim” then he will see either his Lord or his Prophet or his dwelling place in heaven during his sleep, and if he does not, then let him repeat that for two Fridays or three or five.” Shaykh Abdullah al-Khayyat ibn Muhammad al-Fasi wrote in his book that he tried this practice but did not see anything, so then he said he sent salawat purely out of love for the Prophet (asws), and he saw a dream of glad tidings that he saw himself in the Garden.
35. One of the Shuyukh said, "whoever recites the following salawat after the 'Isha prayer, and reads the last three suras each 3 times, and does not speak with anyone after this, then he will see the Prophet (saws), and it is (the version of Imam Ghazali): (to be posted later)"
Allahumma ij'al afdala salawaatika abadan
O Allah, cause the most superior of Your salawat always
wa anmaa barakaatika sarmadan
and Your most superabundant blessings forever
wa azkaa tahiyyaatika fadlan wa 'adadan
and the purest of Your greetings, in blessing and number,
'ala ashraf il-khalaa'iq al insaaniyya
upon the noblest of the human creatures
wa majma' al haqaa'iq al imaaniyya
and the gathering locus of the realities of Imaan
wa madhhar at-tajalliyaat al ihsaaniyya
and appearance/form of the manifestations of Ihsaan
wa mahbaT al asraar al-rahmaaniyya
and the descent of the secrets of the mercy of the All-Merciful
wasiTati 'aqd an-nabiyyeen
center of the circle of the Prophets
wa muqaddami jaysh il mursaleen
and leader of the army of the Messengers
wa qaa'idi rakb il anbiyaa' al mukrameen
and captain of the ship of the ennobled Prophets
wa afdal il khalqi ajma'een
and the most superior of all of the creations
Haamili liwaa' il-'izz il A'laa
carrier of the banner of most sublime majesty
wa maaliki azimmat il majd il asnaa
and owner of the reigns of the highest honor and glory
shaahidi asraar il Azal
beholder of the secrets of pre-eternity
wa mushaahidi anwaar as-sawaabiq il Awwal
and contemplator of the lights of the precedent beginnings
wa turjumaan lisaan il qidam
and interpretor/translator of the "tongue" of beginninglessness
wa manba' il 'ilmi wal hilmi wal hikam
and treasure-mine of the knowledge and clement character and wisdom
madhhari sirri-l wujud il juz'i wal kulli
manifestation of the secret of partial and complete existence
wa insaani 'aynil wujud al 'ulwi was sufli
and source of the spring of high and low being/existence
ruhi jasadil kawnayn
spirit of the body of the two worlds
wa 'ayni hayaat id-daarayn
and source of the life of the two abodes
al mutahaqqiq bi a'la rutab il 'ubudiyya
the realizer of the highest levels of worshipful servanthood
wal mutakhalliq bi akhlaaq al-maqamaat al-istifaa'iyya
and the one characterized by the character traits of the stations of (Divine) election
al-Khalil al A'dham, wal Habib al Akram
the greatest intimate friend, and the most noble beloved
Sayyidina Muhammad ibn Abdillah ibn Abdil Muttalib wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi 'adada ma'lumaatik wa midaada kalimaatik
our liege-lord Muhammad son of Abdullah son of Abdul Muttalib, and upon his household and companions, according to the number of things known by You, and the (amount of) ink of Your Words
kullama dhakarak adh-dhaakirun, wa ghafala 'an dhikrihi-l ghaafilun
as long as those who invoke invoke You, and those who are heedless remain heedless of his invocation
wa sallim tasleeman katheeran, wa radiya Allahu 'an asHaabi rasulillaahi ajma'een
and much greetings of peace, and may Allah be pleased with the companions of the Messenger of Allah, all of them....
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This salawat is ascribed to Imam Ghazali, and some others ascribe it to Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jaylani. (Allah be pleased with them)
http://groups.msn.com/TheHabaib/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=7172&ID_CLast=7255&CDir=1
This Section is concerned with informing the brethren that the saints behold the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in a state of wakefulness, and that he is present at every meeting or place he wished, with his body and his spirit. He moves freely and travels wherever he will, and he is in the shape he was in before his death, with no part of him having altered. He is invisible, just as the angels are invisible, despite their being alive in their bodies. If Allah wished to let a servant behold him, He removes the veil from Him, so he sees him in his physical shape.
Success is achieved with the help of Allah , for He is the Guide by His grace to the straight path!
In Lawaqih al Anwar al Qudsiyya fi l Uhud al Muhammadiyya, Imam as Sha'rani has said. "If you make a frequent practice of invoking blessing and peace upon him, perhaps you will attain to the station of witnessing him. That is the procedure of Shaykh Nur Din as Shinwani, Shaykh Ahmad al Zawawi, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Dawud al Manzalani, and a company of the Shaykhs of the era. Not one of them ever ceases to invoke blessing upon Allah's Messenger, to make a frequent practise thereof, and to cleanse himself of all sins, so that he may come together with him in a state of wakefulness at any moment he wishes. If someone does not experience this coming together, he has not yet practised the invocation of blessing upom Allah's Messenger with the frequency required in order to attain to this station.
"Shaykh Ahamad al Zawawi told me that, when he had failed to achieve the experience of coming together with the Prophet, he devoted himself with assiduous perseverance to the invocation of blessing upon the Prophet for one whole year, invoking blessing upon him fifty thousand times each and every day. In similar fashion, Shaykh Nur ad Din ash Shinwani informed me that he devoted himself with assiduous perserverance to the invocation of blessing upon the Prophet for such and such a period of time, invoking blessing upon him thirty thousand times each and every day.
"I heard Sidi Ali al Khawwas say: 'A servant does not achieve perfection in the station of mystical knowledge(irfan) until he experiences communion with Allah's Messenger in a state of wakefulness and oral conversation. The following are included among those righteous predessors who have seen him in a state of wakefulness: Shaykh Abu Madyan al Maghribi, The Shaykh of the Sufi community, Shaykh Abd Rahim al Qinawi, Shaykh Musa az Zawawi, Shaykh Abul Hasan ash Shadhili, Shaykh Abu Abass al Mursi, Shaykh Abu Sa'ud ibn Abi Masha'ir, Sidi Ibrahim al Matbuli, and Shaykh Jalal ad Din as Suyuti.' He also used to say: I have seen the Prophet and I have come together with him in a state of wakefulness no fewer than seventy times. As for Sidi Ibrahim Matbuli, his communion with his is beyond reckoning, since he woudl come together with him in all his spiritual states, and He woud say "I have no Shaykh except Allah's Messenger." Shaykh Abbu Abbass al Mursi used to say "If Allah's Messenger was veiled from me for a moment, I would not count myself among the Muslims"
He also said in another place: "The wird of Shaykh Ahmad Zawawi used to consist of forty thousand invocations of blessing and he once said to me: ' Our procedure is to make frequent invocations of blessing upon Allah's Messenger, to the point where he keeps us company in a state of wakefulness and we associate with him like the Companions. We then ask him about the affairs of our worldy life. We also ask him about those Prophetic traditions (ahadith) which the hafiz has reported to us on weak authority, and we act in accordance with what he has to say about them. When that experience does not come about for us, it must mean that we are not among those who make a frequent practise of invocation of blessing upon him(Allah bless him and give him peace).....
Shaykh Ahmad ibn al Mubarak, the author of al Ibriz has mentioned that he noticed a man who saw the Prophet in the state of wakefulness, and because of him the fragrant scent of Medina, the City of the Prophet, was emanating from the city of Fez. He has then gone on to say: "I heard this man say: 'I went on the Pilgrimage(Hajj) and when I visited the tomb of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) a spiritual state came over me and I said: "O Messenger of Allah, I did not think that I would reach your City and then return to Fez" Then I heard a voice from the noble tomb, and it was saying: "If I am stored in this tomb, those of you who come must stay here, but if I am with my Community, wherever it may be, you must return to your homelands". I therefore went back to my homelands........
Behold the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in a state of wakefulness
The Meccan scholar, Abu 'l-Baqa' al-'Ajimi said: "This tariqa (tariqa Muhammadiyya) is founded on an inner submergence accompanied by a visible manifestation when you see the Prophet, may God bless and grant him peace, himself. This is the outcome when you try to follow him in your words and deeds, when you busy your tongue with saying the tasliya ["May God bless and grant him peace"] and repeating it at every moment in public and private until the glorification of the Prophet, namely the tasliya, overwhelms your heart and permeates your deepest self, so that you quiver when you hear him mentioned and the vision of him takes hold of your heart and you see his form before your inner eye. Then God will bestow upon you His clemency, outwardly and inwardly. Thereafter, you will see a vision of the Prophet in many of your dreams while asleep as a first step; secondly you will see him unexpectedly while dozing off. Finally, you will see him awake." - Muhammad bin Ali al-Sanusi[1]
Among the graces with which God honoured [Shaykh Ahmad Tijani] was the waking vision of the Prophet, continuously and ever, so that it was never absent from him for the twinkling of an eye. And (another grace was) his questioning of the Prophet on everything and asking his counsel in small things and great, and undergoing training at his hands. [2]
He [the devotee] confines himself to this dhikr [i.e the tasliya] and is patient until [the Prophet] appears to him. I never met anyone at this rank except an old blacksmith in Ishbiliyya who was known as "God, bless Muhammad" (Allaahumma, salli 'alaa Muhammad). He was not known by any other name...He doesn't talk to anyone except out of necessity. If anyone comes asking him to make something for him from iron, he asks as pay only that the customer bless Muhammad. No man, boy, or woman came to him without blessing Muhammad until he left....Whatever is revealed to the one who does this dhikr is true and immune from error, for nothing comes to him except through the Messenger.. Ibn Arabi[3]
By God, my brothers, I did not believe that a learned man could deny the vision of the Prophet (God bless him and give him peace) in the waking state, until the day I met some learned men in the Qarawiyyin Mosque and had a conversation with them on this matter. They said to me: "How ever is it possible to see the Prophet when one is awake, since he has been dead for over 1,200 years? It is only possible to see him in a dream, since he himself said: 'He who sees me, that is to say in a dream, sees me in reality, for the Devil cannot imitate me,'" I answered: "Of necessity, he can be seen in waking state only by one whose mind- or let us say, whose thoughts- have transported him from this corporeal world into the world of Spirits; there will he see the Prophet without the slightest doubt; there he will see all his friends." They were silent and said not a word when I added: "Indeed he can be seen in the world of Spirits," But after a while they said to me, "Explain how this is so." I answered: "Tell me yourselves where the world of Spirits is in relation to the world of bodies." They did not know what to reply. And then I said: "There where the world of bodies is, there also is the world of Spirits; there where the world of corruption is, there also is the world of purity; there where is the world of the kingdom (mulk), there also is the world of kingship (malakut); in the very place where the lower worlds are, there are to be found the higher worlds and the totality of worlds. It has been said that there exist ten thousand worlds, each one like this world, (as recounted in the Hilyatul Awliya (Adornment of the Saints)) and all these are contained in man, without his being conscious of it. Only he whom God sanctifies by absorbing his qualities into His own, his attributes into His own, is conscious of this. Now, God sanctifies many of his servants and does not cease from sanctifying them until their end." - Shaykh ad-Darqawi[4]
Whoever sees the Lord of being [i.e the Prophet] in a dream can do so in two ways. In the first way the dream is in no need of interpretation because the person sees the Prophet in the same state he appeared in the world and as the Prophet’s Companions beheld him. Should this vision occur to someone who is illuminated …then what he sees is the pure and noble dhat of the Prophet. [Dhat is here used to mean a human being as he can be perceived by the senses, man as a unit compounded of body, soul and spirit.] If the person is not illuminated, he can experience this as well but that is a rare situation. Usually what is seen is the image of his dhat (surat dhatihi), not his dhat itself ('ayn dhatihi), since the dhat of the Prophet can take on various forms and then be seen in numerous places, whether in a dream or in a waking state. This is because the dhat of the Prophet possesses light which emanates from it and fills the entire world. There is no place where the noble light of the Prophet does not exist.
The dhat of the Prophet appears in this light the way the form of the face appears in a mirror. Thus, the light of the Prophet is similar to a mirror which fills the entire world, and what is represented in it is the dhat. That is why one person can see the Prophet in the east and another person see him in the west, one sees him in the south and another in the north. And innumerable people see him in other places— all at the same time. Each person really sees the Prophet before him because the light of the Prophet, in which his dhat is represented, is with each person. If an illuminated person (al-maftuh 'alayhi) beholds the image (sura) of the Prophet before him, he then follows it with his spiritual deeper sight (baseera) and penetrates through the light of the image to the dhat of the Prophet himself. Shaykh Abd al-Aziz al-Dabbagh [5]
Shaykh Ahmad al-Zawaawi (d.1517) once said to me: "We recite the tasliya on behalf of the Prophet so often that he then sits with us while we are in a waking state (hattaa yaseera yujaalisunaa yaqzatan) and we keep company with him like the sahaaba did (nashabuhu). Then we question him about matters of our religion and about hadiths which are held to be weak in the opinion of our religious scholars. Subsequently we base our behaviour on his words."
Abd al-Wahhab al-Sha'rani [6]
In terms of meeting with and learning from the Prophet after his death, each of the three shaykhs [Ahmad ibn Idris, Abd al-Wahhab al-Tazi, and Abd al-Aziz al-Dabbagh] had this occur to them, both while asleep and while awake. Even more, in the later part of their lives, each of the shaykhs relied only on him and had recourse to none except him, [salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam]. [7]
1. The Enigmatic Saint, Ahmad Ibn Idris and the Idrisi Tradition – R.S. O'Fahey via Red Sulphur
2. And Muhammad is His Messenger, pg 226.
3. al-Futuhaat al-Makkiyya, 4:184. Taken from Valeria J. Hoffman, "Annihilation in the Messenger of God: The Development of a Sufi Practice".
4. Letters of a Sufi Master: The Shaykh ad-Darqawi, pg 40-41.
5. al-Ibrız min kalam sayyidı al-ghawth Abd al-Azız. Taken from Ibriziana (pdf document), pg 10-11.
6. Lawaqih al-anwar al-qudsiyya fi bayan al-'uhud al-muhammadiyya, Cairo 1321, 116. Taken from The Exoteric Ahmad ibn Idris, pg 17.
7. Voll, John. "Two biographies of Ahmad ibn Idris al-Fasi (1760-1837)". International Journal of African Historical Studies, Vol. 6, No. 4 (1973), 642.
http://nuruddinzangi.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_nuruddinzangi_archive.html
IBN HAJAR’S FATWA ON MEETING THE PROPHET (pbuh)
We hold, as Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani, Nawawi and Abu Musa al-Asbahani, that no one possessed of a heart and mind can object to standing for the sake of the Prophet, and that this is desirable and recommended not only in the time of the Prophet but until the end of time. Observe that the hafiz Abu Musa al-Asbahani died in 581, more than five centuries after the time of the Prophet, and yet stands for him in the present tense and mentions "seeing him": this seeing of the Prophet by the pious believers both in a sleeping and a wakeful state is an attested fact in the Shari`a which has been mentioned by the scholars, among them Shaykh al-Islam al-Faqih Ibn Hajar al-Haytami in his Fatawa hadithiyya [Cf. Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, “Fatawa hadithiyya”, Cairo, Halabi, 1390/1970, p. 297]:
He was asked: "Is it possible to meet the Prophet while awake in our time?" He replied: "Yes, it is possible. It has been asserted as part of the miracles of saints (karamat al-awliya') by Ghazali, al-Barizi, al-Taj al-Subki, and al-Yafi`i among the Shafi`is, and by al-Qurtubi and Ibn Abi Jamra among the Malikis. It has been narrated that one of the awliya' was sitting in the assembly of a jurist (faqih) while the latter related a hadith, whereupon the wali said: "This hadith is false." The jurist said: "How do you know that?" The wali replied: "There is the Prophet standing right next to you, and he is saying: "I never said this." When he said this the sight of the faqih was unveiled and he could see the Prophet."
THERE IS SOUND EVIDENCE THAT THE PROPHET IS ALIVE
Sakhawi, Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani's student, said: "As for us (Muslims of Ahl al-Sunna) we believe and we confirm that he is alive and provided for in his grave" (“Al-Qawl al-badi`”, p. 161). Ibn al-Qayyim said in “Kitab al-ruh”, p. 58: "It is obligatory knowledge to know that his body is in the earth tender and humid (i.e. as in life), and when the Companions asked him: "How is our greeting presented to you after you have turned to dust" he replied: "Allah has defended the earth from consuming the flesh of Prophets," and if his body was not in his grave he would not have given this answer."
The Shaykh of Mecca, Sayyid Muhammad ibn Alawi -- may Allah guard him -- said in his last book “Manhaj al-Salaf”: «[...] he -- Allah bless and greet him -- died and his body has undoubtedly disappeared from our sights «for none eternally remains except the One Alone, the Living, the Self-Sustaining Who never tires nor sleeps» nevertheless, he is alive with a complete isthmus-life (hayât barzakhiyya) which is greater and better and more perfect than worldly life indeed, higher, dearer, sweeter, more perfect, and more beneficial than worldly life».
THE TRUE VISION OF THE PROPHET IS AN ESTABLISHED REALITY
The meeting and true vision of the Prophet is a reality established in the hadith of seeing the Prophet in dream, and documented through the relations of the trustworthy from the Companions to the Successors and their Successors down to our day.
Some of these relations have been recorded in Suyuti's fatwa “Tanwir al-halak fi imkan ru'yat al-nabi wal malak” (The illumination of intense darkness through the possibility of seeing the prophet and the angels) in his “Hawi li al-fatawi”. We have already mentioned in the section discussing the evidence that the Prophet hears and sees us al-Haytami's answer in his “Fatawa hadithiyya” whereby it is possible for Allah's Friends to meet the Prophet while awake in our time [Cf. al-Haytami, “Fatawa hadithiyya”, p. 297].
They can also meet al-Khidr, as Sakhawi relates about Imam Nawawi: "It is well-known that he (Imam Nawawi) used to meet with al-Khidr and converse with him among many other mukashafat" [Cf. Al-Sakhawi, “Tarjimat shaykh al-islam qutb al-awliya Abi Zakariyya al-Nawawi”, p. 33].
It is established by the authentic hadith narrated from him by Imam Ahmad in his “Musnad” and others with a chain of sound narrators as stated by al-Haythami in Majma` al-Zawa'id, that a certain man Salman al-Farisi had seen in al-Qudus was actually Isa ibn Maryam -- Allah bless and greet our Prophet and him. If `Isa can be seen after leaving this world, then the more so can our Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him.
TO SEE THE PROPHET IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF AWLIYA’ ALLAH
Ibn `Ata’ Allah in “Lata’if al-Minan” narrates from his teacher Abu al-`Abbas al-Mursi that his teacher Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili said: “If I stopped seeing the Prophet – upon him peace – for even one moment, I would consider myself no longer a Muslim.”
The illiterate Moroccan Ghawth `Abd al-`Aziz al-Dabbagh – hedied at age 39 – said, as related by his student the Faqih and Imam`Ali ibn al-Mubarak in “Kitab al-Ibriz” (“The Pure Gold”) – one of the treasure-books of Islam – that it is a characteristic of the rank of Ghawth to see the Prophet while awake, at all times.
Seeing the Prophet Whilst Awake
http://www.marifah.net/articles/seeingtheprophet-suyuti.pdf
According to me, it is possible to see Rasoolullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) in the awakened state. As it is reported from Imam Suyuti that he saw Rasoolullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) twenty-two times and he asked Rasoolullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) regarding some Ahadith. He amended those Ahadith after Rasoolullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) rectified them".
(Faizul Baari, Volume 1, Page 304, Cairo)
ON KASHF AND MUKAASHAFAA (Spiritual Unveilings)
Abundant Praise and Thanks to Allah, and Blessings and Peace upon His Beloved, Muhammad, and upon his Family and Companions, and may Allah be well pleased with their Pious Followers, and with the Imams Who Strove for Knowledge, and with the Scholars Who Truly Fear Him, and with the Pious Saints. May Allah bless my Shaykh and the Shaykh of my Shaykh.
Kashf (Unveiling) is a reality which refers to the miraculous knowledge of the awliya (Friends of Allah). Such knowledge attains higher levels than that of any other knowledge of humankind and jinn including in certain cases the knowledge of Prophets, such as Musa (as) with al-Khidr (as), who is described in the Qur'an as "one of Our slaves, unto whom We had given mercy from Us, and had taught him knowledge from Our presence" (18:66). Such knowledge is also described as "the knowledge of the Book" and may take the form of mastery over time and space (27:40). The Qur'an extols the rank of the awliya with the affirmation: "Lo! Verily the friends of Allah are those on whom fear cometh not, nor do they grieve" (10:62).
The Prophet (s) said: "The true vision is one-forty sixth part of prophecy." The Imam of the Sunnah and of Tasawwuf, the Ghawth (Arch- Helper) of Mankind Shaykh Abd al-Qadir Gilani -- may Allah sanctify his secret -- said (Discourse 9 of 'Futuh al-ghayb'): "To awliya and abdal (Substitutes) are disclosed such workings of Allah as in the course of kashf and mushahada (vision) as overwhelm the reasoning power of man and shatter into pieces all habits and customs." These phenomena fall under the category of khawaariq (extraordinary matters) to which belong the karaamaat, the "gifts" or miracles of saints, belief in which is an obligation of each and every person in Islam. (The sect of the Mu`tazila did not believe in the miracles of the saints, and some today even say that the awliya are not known!)
The Companions of the Prophet (s) were familiar with such disclosures, chief among them the two Shaykhs of Islam, our Masters Abu Bakr (r) and `Umar (r). The first announced to his wife that she was pregnant with a boy, and the second miraculously saw Sariya and his army in Persia while he was in Madina, and he cried out to Sariya and Sariya heard him. And the Prophet (s) said: "In the nations before you were people who were inspired other than the Prophets. If there is anyone such as this in my Community, it is `Umar ibn al-Khattab."
That kashf is an opening granted by Allah that is completely independent of one's own exertion or capacity for learning is clear from the saying of Abu Hurayra (r): "The Prophet (s) poured into my breast two large vessels of knowledge": he did not say "taught me," which would suppose the activity of learning on his part, but "poured into me," which indicates a state of passive receptivity.
The reality of kashf is established in the Shari`ah, as is stated in Haythami's fatwa on the subject and Nawawi's before him (Fatawa hadeethiyya 311-313). And Ibn Taymiyya says: "Faqad thabata anna li awliya Allahi mukhaaTabaatun wa mukaashafaat" (al-Furqan p. 52): "It is established that the awliya possess spiritual communications and unveilings."
Many sayings of the Prophet (s) mention the various types and ranks of the saints, as Suyuti has shown in his collection of them in his article: 'al-Khabar al-daall `ala wujood al-qutb wa al-awtaad wa al-nujabaa' wa al-abdaal' or "The Reported Matter That Indicates the Existence of the Pole, the Pillars, the Leaders, and the Substitutes (of the Awliya)." These and other types of perfected individuals form the khawaas or elite of the pious, whom the Qur'an also calls Siddiqin (Most Truthful Ones) and ranks after the Prophets and before the Martyrs. Their position in relation to Allah on the Day of Judgment is described as an object of desire for the Prophets in the hadith.
The exalted status of the knowledge and power of the awliya is referred to in the verse "Those who strive hard in Us, We shall most surely guide them in our Ways" (29:69) and the verse "Ittaqullah yu`allimukumullah" [Be aware of Allah, and Allah Himself will teach you], and "Man ya`malu bima ya`lamu yu`allimuhullahu ma lam ya`lam" [Whoso acts according to what he knows, Allah will teach him what he did not know]. The Shaykh Al-Haakim al-Tirmidhi in Aadaab al-murideen (Ch. 2) describes such striving as a kind of door which leads to nearness to Allah, and Shaykh Abd al-Qadir refers to the knowledge and power that result from it in Discourse 16:
And fear Allah and He will teach you, then He will invest you with the power of controlling the universe with a clear permission which will have no obscurity in it... and He has done this with many of His Prophets and awliya and people especially favored from among the children of Adam.
The highest example of such favor is undoubtedly the meeting and true vision of the Prophet (s), which is a reality documented through the relations of the trustworthy from the Companions to the Successors and their Successors down to our day. Some of these relations have been recorded in Suyuti's short treatise "tanweer al-Halak fi imkaan ru'yat al-Nabi wal malak" (The Illumination of Intense Darkness Through the Possibility of Seeing the Prophet and the Angels).
The exalted status of the firaasat (another word for vision) of saints is referred to in the hadith: "Ittaqu firaasat al-mu'min fa innahu yara bi noorillah" [Beware the vision of the believer, for he sees with the light of Allah]. Thus it is related that the firaasat of a pious shaykh was at the origin of Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani's decision to take up the study of fiqh (jurisprudence) rather than devote himself exclusively to hadith: "Ibn Hajar said:
He (Muhibb al-Deen al-WaaHidi al-Maaliki) said to me: "Invest some of that energy of yours into fiqh, for I see by way of firaasat that the scholars of this country are going to be depleted, and there will be need of you, so don't indulge yourself." And his word to me helped me greatly, and I still pray for him for that reason, may Allah have mercy on him."" (al-Biqaa`i, "`Unwaan al-zamaan" p. 92.)
The possessor of such gifts and powers of vision is in no way exempted from the obligations of religion. The Shareef of the Prophet's Family, the Siddeeq and Ghawth Abu al-Hasan al-Shaadhili al-Maaliki warned: "If your kashf opposes the Book and the Sunnah, leave kashf and tell yourself: Allah has guaranteed infallibility to the Book and the Sunnah, but He has not guaranteed it for kashf." (al-Taftazani, Madkhalun ila al-tasawwuf p. 240.)
The Shaykh al-Akbar, the Renewer of Religion Muhyiddeen Ibn `Arabi said:
Someone in this Community who claims to be able to guide others to Allah, but is remiss in but one rule of the Sacred Law -- even if heMANIFESTS MIRACLES
that stagger the mind -- ...we do not even turn to look at him, for such a person is not a shaykh, nor is he speaking the truth, for no-one is entrusted with the secrets of Allah Most High save one in whom the ordinances of the Sacred Law are preserved." (Quoted in Nabahani, Jaami` karaamaat al-awliya 1:3)
Abd al-Qadir Gilani says the same thing in the "Futuh." And their leader in this is the Sultan of the Knowers of Allah Bayazid al-Bistami who said:
If you see him fly in the air and walk on water do not be deluded by him, but see how he stands on the orders and the prohibitions. (Quoted in Ibn Taymiyya's Fatawi 11:466.)
It is evident from the definition of the term kashf that it refers to a hidden knowledge of a tremendous nature, and that is what Ibn `Arabi meant by saying "the secrets of Allah Most High," as is confirmed by the continuation of the hadith of Abu Hurayra: "The Prophet (s) poured into my breast two large vessels of knowledge: the first one I disseminated among the people; as for the second, were I to disseminate it, they would cut my neck." (Bukhari narrates it.)
In conclusion, it is forbidden to deny the reality of kashf, and its content is sound on condition that it not contradict the Qur'an and the Sunnah. It is unfalsifiable and therefore neither obligatorily accepted nor obligatorily rejected, nor can it be obligatory for other than the person directly concerned, i.e. the one disclosed to. He can communicate his disclosure and he may be believed, as many of the pious Imams have done with their contemporaries who benefited from such disclosures. Thus it is related by one of the Imams of hadith whose word lies beyond suspicion, that "it is well-known that he (Imam Nawawi) used to meet with al-Khidr (as)" and converse with him among many other mukaashafaat (al-Sakhaawi, "Tarjimat shaykh al-islam qutb al-awliya Abi Zakariyya al-Nawawi" p. 33). And the Prophet (s) said: "`Alaamat al-mu'min al-tasdeeq" - "The mark of the believer is trust." And Allah knows best.
May Allah grant us the meeting of His Prophet (s) in this life before the next life.
http://www.sunnah.org/tasawwuf/kashf001.html
1.One of the most tried and tested means of gaining the vision of the Noble Prophet (alayhi salat wa salam) during sleep, and even during wakefulness, is intense love for him, and occupying one’s thoughts with him night and day, along with faithful conforming with his noble sunnah, and frequent prayers of benediction (salawat) upon him in a continuous fashion, and complete uprightness on his way (istiqama) and great yearning towards seeing him (asws), and supplications for him, and carrying the cares of the Beloved (alayhi salat wa salam), namely, calling to Allah in secret and in public; and continual application of all of the foregoing, and the absence of despair and hopelessness in the mercy of Allah, the Generous Bestower, for He deals in a steady manner but does not neglect anything, nor does He ruin the hopes of anyone who supplicates Him and hopes in Him, and it might be that He has hidden the treasures within the “late” response to one’s supplication.
2.Some of the gnostics (’arifeen) have said: “whoever wishes to see the Prophet (asws), then let him remember him frequently night and day, and love the Awliya, otherwise, the door to that vision is closed shut, for they are the leaders and masters of people, and our Lord and His Messenger (asws) get angry at (the object of) their anger…”
3. Regular recitation and meditation on the Burda Sharifa of Imam Sharafuddin al-Busayri.
4.It has been mentioned from the Prophet (asws) that whoever sends prayers of benediction (salawat) upon the spirit (ruh) of Sayyidina Muhammad among the spirits, and his body among the bodies, and his grave among the graves, then “he will see me in his sleep, and whoever sees me in his sleep, will see me in the Day of Rising; and whoever sees me (with this special vision) in the Day of Rising, i will intercede on his behalf, and for whomever I intercede, he will drink from my pool and Allah will forbid the Fire to touch his body.”
5.Imam Nawawi wrote in his Adhkar: “whoever, on the night preceding Friday, prays two nafl rak’as, reciting Ayat al Kursi 5 times in each rak’a after Fatiha, and then after this salah, sits and prays salawat 1,000 times upon the Prophet (asws), then he will see him in his dream.”
6.. From al-Hasan (al-Basri?): “Whoever prays four rak’at (2×2) nafl in the night preceding Friday, and in each rak’a after Fatiha recites the following suras: Duha, Sharh, Qadr, Zalzala (any multiple number of times), and then when he is done with these four, sits for the jalso and reads tahiyyat, and sends salawat 70 times and makes istighfar 70 times, and then makes the salam to end the prayer, taking care not to speak to anyone after that, then lies down on his right side and sends salawat until sleep overtakes him, then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his dreams in sha’allah.”
7.Whoever recites surat al-Qadr (”inna anzalnahu..”) one thousand times on Friday, then he will not die until he sees the Prophet (asws).
8. Whoever wakes in the middle of the night before the day of Friday and recites surat al Quraysh 1000 times, then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his sleep and all his needs will be satisfied in sha’allah.
9. Ja’far as-Sadiq said: “Whoever recites surat al Kawthar 1000 times, and then sends salawat 1000 times, in the night preceding Friday, and then ask Allah to allow him to see the Prophet (asws), then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his sleep in sha’allah.”
10. Whoever, in the night preceding the day of Thursday or Friday or Monday, prays four rak’at nafl (2×2), in the first rak’a reciting surat al Qadr 3 times, in the second reciting surat al Zalzala 3 times, in the third reciting surat al Kafirun 3 times, and in the fourth reciting al Falaq and an Naas 3 times (and another narration of this says to add Ikhlas 3 times here), and when he is done with this, sits and recites the “salat al fatih” of Sidi Mustafa al-Bakri, then he will meet with the Prophet (asws). Salat al-Fatih: “Allahumma Salli wa Sallim ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammad, al Fatihi lima Ughliqa wa’l Khatimi lima Sabaqa, Nasir il-Haqqi bi’l Haqqi, wa’l Haadi ila Siratik al-Mustaqeem, wa ‘ala aalihi Haqqa Qadrihi wa Miqdarihi-l ‘Adheem.”
do you want to see the Prophet salla allahu alayhi wa sallam in your sleep? then you have 30 different means to that in sha'allah, listed (in Arabic) in this site:
http://alnabee.com/al9alaa/manam.htm
11. Sidi Mustafa al-Bakri said: “Among the benefits of this noble name “Muhammad” is that whoever says it every night 22 times, then he will frequently see the Prophet (asws).”
12. Some of the Saliheen have stated: “whoever wishes to see the Prophet (asws) during one’s sleep, let him pray two rak’as, and after Fatiha read surat al Ikhlas 100 times, and when he is done, say three times: “Ya Muhsin Ya Mujammil Ya Mun’im Ya Mutafaddil, Arini Wajha Muhammadin salla-allahu alayhi wa sallam” then he will see him in sha’allah.”
13. Pray two rak’as, and recite any sura you wish in them, and in the sujud say 100 times: “Ya Nur an-Noor, Ya Mudabbir al Umoor, Balligh ‘Anni Ruha Muhammadin salla-allahu alayhi wa sallama tahiyyatan wa salama” (O Light of light, O Manager of all Affairs, send greetings and peace to the spirit of Muhammad (asws) on my behalf).
14. One of the righteous awliya said: “I saw the Prophet (saws) in a dream and he told me,
“say before you sleep ‘Bismillah ir Rahman ir Raheem’ 5 times
and ‘Audhu billahi min ash shaytan ir rajeem’ 5 times,
and then say ‘Allahumma bi Haqqi Muhammad, Arini Wajha Muhammadin Haalan wa Ma’aala’ (O Allah, by the right of Muhammad, show me the face of Muhammad in this moment and in the end), then I will come to you and will not break my promise to you.”
15. One of the Shuyukh said, “whoever recites the following salawat after the ‘Isha prayer, and reads the last three suras each 3 times, and does not speak with anyone after this, then he will see the Prophet (saws), and it is (the version of Imam Ghazali): (to be posted later)”
16. Qadi Yusuf ibn Isma’il an-Nabhani on page 444 of his book “Sa’adat ad-Darayn” wrote: “whoever wishes to see him in one’s sleep, then let him say an odd number of times: “Allahumma Salli ala Muhammadin kama Amartana an Nusalliya ‘alayh, Allahumma Salli ala Muhammadin kama huwa ahluh, Allahumma Salli ala Muhammadin kama tuhibbu wa tarda lah, Allahumma Salli ‘ala Ruh Muhammadin fi’l Arwah, Allahumma Salli ala Jasadi Muhammadin fi’l Ajsad, Allahumma Salli ala Qabri Muhammadin fi’l Quboor.” (O Allah, send salawat upon Muhammad as you have ordered us to send upon him, O Allah, send salawat upon Muhammad as he deserves, O Allah, send salawat upon Muhammad as much as you love for him and are pleased with him to receive, O Allah, send salawat upon the spirit of Muhammad among the spirits, and upon his body among the bodies, and upon his grave among the graves).
17. Imam Qastalaani said, “I saw written in some books that whoever recites surat al Muzzammil and al Kawthar regularly will get to see him (saws).”
18. Imam al-Yafi’i said: “whoever desires to see him (asws), then let him make ghusl and wudu in the beginning of the night before the first Friday of the month, and wear clean white clothes, and pray the ‘Isha prayer, then pray 12 rak’as (6×2), in each rak’a reciting surat al Muzzammil after the Fatiha. and when he is done with this, let him send salawat upon the Prophet (asws) 1,000 times, and recite istighfar 1,000 times, and let him sleep in a state of purity…then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his sleep in sha’allah.”
19. Frequent Recitation of the following Salawat (from Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jaylani): “Allahumma Salli Salaatan Kamilatan wa Sallim salaaman taamman ala sayyidina wa mawlana Muhammadin illadhi tanhallu bihi-l ‘uqadu wa tanfariju bihi-l kurabu wa tuqdaa bihi’l hawa’iju wa tunaalu bihi-r raghaa’ibu wa husna-l khawateem, wa yustasqa-l ghamaamu bi wajhihi-l kareem, wa ‘ala aalihi wa sahbihi fi kulli lamhatin wa nafasin bi ‘adadi kulli ma’lumin laka” (O Allah, send the perfect salawat and the complete salaam upon our master and patron Muhammad, by whom the knots are untied, and the afflictions are removed, and the needs are satisfied, and the desired goals are gained as are the best ends, and by whose noble countenance the clouds are watered; and also upon his family and companions, in every moment and breath, according to the number of things in Your Knowledge).
20. Imam Qastalaani said: “whoever recites surat al Fil on any certain night 1000 times, and then sends salawat 1000 times, then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his sleep in sha’allah. Also, whoever writes surat al Fil and hangs it on one’s person, then it serves as a great shield from one’s enemies, and Allah grants victory by it to him over them.”
21. Whoever prays Maghrib salat, and then prays naf’al rak’at (2×2) until it is time for ‘Isha, and in each rak’a reads surat Ikhlas 7 times,and when he ends the prayer (with salam), he goes down in sujud and says 7 times “subhan allah wa’l hamdu lillah wa la ilaha illa allah wallahu akbar” and then says 7 times “Allahumma salli ‘ala-n nabiyy al ummiyy Muhammad wa aalihi wa sallim” and then says 7 times “Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum Ya Rahman Ya Raheem”, and then gets up from that sujud and begins another two rak’ats in the same fashion, until the time for Isha comes, and then he prays Isha, and after Isha prayer he sits and says the following 1000 times: “Salla Allahu ‘ala Muhammadin an-Nabiyy al-Ummiyy”, and then goes to sleep on his right side and continues making salawat…then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his dreams in sha’allah.
20. Imam Qastalaani said: “whoever recites surat al Fil on any certain night 1000 times, and then sends salawat 1000 times, then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his sleep in sha’allah. Also, whoever writes surat al Fil and hangs it on one’s person, then it serves as a great shield from one’s enemies, and Allah grants victory by it to him over them.”
21. Whoever prays Maghrib salat, and then prays naf’al rak’at (2×2) until it is time for ‘Isha, and in each rak’a reads surat Ikhlas 7 times, and when he ends the prayer (with salam), he goes down in sujud and says 7 times “subhan allah wa’l hamdu lillah wa la ilaha illa allah wallahu akbar” and then says 7 times “Allahumma salli ‘ala-n nabiyy al ummiyy Muhammad wa aalihi wa sallim” and then says 7 times “Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum Ya Rahman Ya Raheem”, and then gets up from that sujud and begins another two rak’ats in the same fashion, until the time for Isha comes, and then he prays Isha, and after Isha prayer he sits and says the following 1000 times: “Salla Allahu ‘ala Muhammadin an-Nabiyy al-Ummiyy”, and then goes to sleep on his right side and continues making salawat…then he will see the Prophet (asws) in his dreams in sha’allah.
22. Pray two nafl rak’as, and in each rak’a recite surat Ikhlas 100 or 200 times, and when you are finished with this prayer, say the following three times: “Ya Allahu Ya Rahman Ya Muhsin Ya Mujammil Ya Mun’im Ya Mutafaddil, Arini Wajha Nabiyyika Muhammad Salla-allahu alayhi wa sallam”, and also write these words on white paper and put it under his pillow, then he will see the Prophet (asws)………
23. Pray Maghrib prayer in the masjid, and then pray sets of two rak’at (until the adhan for Isha prayer), and in each nafl rak’a recite surat Ikhlas 3 times after Fatiha, and after praying Isha in the masjid, return home and do not speak with anyone. And when you are ready for bed, pray two rak’as and in each rak’a recite Ikhlas 7 times and finish the prayer with salams. Then go down in sujud, and make istighfar 7 times (while in sujud) and send salawat 7 times, and then say 7 times: “subhan allah wal hamdu lillaah wa la ilaha illa allah wallahu akbar wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahi-l aliyy al adheem.” Then sit up from that prostration, and sit in the position of jalsa and raise your hands and say (7 times): “Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum Ya Dha’l Jalali wa’l Ikram Ya Arham ar-Rahimeen Ya Rahman ad-dunya wa’l akhirata wa Raheemahuma Ya Allahu Ya Ilaah al Awwalin wa’l Akhireen, Ya Rabb Ya Rabb Ya Rabb Ya Allah Ya Allah Ya Allah.” Then stand up and raise your hands and say the same thing once, and recite istighfar and salawat as much as you wish, then enter your bed and sleep on your right side…and you will see the Prophet (asws) in sha’allah.
24. Some of the righteous awliya said, “whoever wishes to witness the Prophetic Beauty then let him make wudu’ before going to bed, and then sit on his bed, making sure it is clean, and then recite suras Shams and Layl and Tin, saying the Basmala before each of them, and then make frequent salawat, and end with this du’a: “Allahumma Rabb al Balad il Haraam wa’l Halli wa’l Haraam wa-r Rukni wa’l Maqaam, Iqra’ ‘ala Ruhi Muhammadin minna-s Salaam.”
25. It was related that one man used to see the Prophet (asws), and that he used to recite the following salawat 16,000 times: “Allahumma Salli ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa Aalihi Haqqa Qadrihi wa Miqdarih”
26. One of the Shuyukh of Sidi Ahmad Zarruq said: “After making the final salam for salat al Jum’a, say “Subhan Allah wa Bi Hamdihi” 100 times, and then after ‘Asr prayer, say 1000 times “Allahumma Salli ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammadin an-Nabiyy al-Ummiyy,” and he tried this in the Prophet’s mosque in Madina, and found it worked.
27. Shaykh Muhammad Haqqi Afandi an-Nazili wrote in his book “The Treasurehouse of Secrets” the following: “in the year 1262 I asked my Shaykh about some special Adhkar that would unviel to me Divine knowledges and bring me closer to Allah and connect me to the Messenger of Allah (alayhi salat wa salam), and he told me to recite Ayat al Kursi and the following salawat: “Allahumma Salli ala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa ala Aali Sayyidina Muhammadin fi kulli lamhatin wa nafasin bi ‘adadi kulli ma’lumin laka”,
and he said, “if you are assiduous in this, you will take the knowledges and secrets from the Prophet (asws) until you come to be under his direct spiritual training (tarbiya).
And he said, “and this is tried and tested, and so-and-so found it to be true” and he listed a number of names of people. So on the first night i tried it, i recited this salawat 100 times, and i saw the Prophet (asws) in my sleep, and he told me, “(my) intercession is for you and your parents and your brothers,” and then i found in my own experience what the Shaykh told me to be true. And then I told many of the Ikhwan about this practice, and i found that whoever stayed constant with it, received many extraordinary secrets unlike others, and in it is many secrets indeed, and this indication should suffice for you.”
28. Sayyid Ahmad Dahlan, the Shafi’i Mufti of Makka, wrote in his collection of salawat the following: “and among the forms of salawat that is tried and tested for meeting the Prophet (alayhi salat wa salam) is the following: “Allahumma Salli wa Sallim ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammadin al Jaami’i li Asraarika wad-Daalli ‘alayk, wa ‘ala Aalihi wa Sahbihi wa Sallim”…every day 1000 times each.
29. Sayyid Ahmad Dahlan also mentioned in that same book the following: Among the greatest and most beneficial forms that the gnostics mentioned was beneficial for recitation - even if only one time - on the night preceding Friday, and that whoever was constant in that, then the form of the Prophet (asws) would appear before his spirit when he dies and when he enters the grave, until he sees that the Prophet (asws) himself is the one who is placing him in the grave; and the gnostics said that whoever takes up this salawat should read it every day 10 times, and on the night before Friday 100 times, so that he can attain this great favor and immense blessing in sha’allah. And that specific form is: “Allahumma Salli ala Sayyidina Muhammadin an Nabiyy al Ummiyy al Habeeb, al ‘Aali-l Qadr al ‘Adheem al-Jaah, wa ‘ala Aalihi wa Sahbihi wa Sallim”. This was also related by Shaykh Ahmad as-Sawi and Imam Suyuti.
30. Shaykh Ahmad as-Sawi said in his commentary on the Wird of Sidi ad-Dardir: “the recitation of the salawat al Ibrahimiyya (the same as the one in the tashahhud) 1000 times brings one to the vision of the Prophet (asws), and Shaykh al Adawi said in his commentary on Dala’il al Khayrat that whoever reads this salawat 1000 times on the night preceding Friday or Monday, then he will necessarily behold the being of the Prophet (asws).”
31. the Qutb al-Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jaylani wrote in his Book “al-Ghunya” that Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet (asws) said: “whoever, on the night preceding Friday, prays two rak’at, and in each rak’a recites (after the Fatiha) Ayat al Kursi once and surat al Ikhlas 15 times, and then after that salat, sits and says 1000 times, “Allahumma Salli ala Sayyidina Muhammadin an Nabiyy al Ummiyy” then he will see me in his sleep, and the next Friday will not come without him seeing me. And whoever sees me, then the Garden is his, and all his sins - past and future - are forgiven.”
32. Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) related that the Prophet (alayhi salat wa salam) said: “there is no believer that prays two nafl rak’as on the night before Jum’a, and in each rak’a recites surat Ikhlas 25 times (after the Fatiha), and then after finishing the prayer says 1000 times, “Salla Allahu ala Muhammad in-Nabiyy il-Ummiyy”, then the next Friday will not come without him seeing me in his sleep, and whoever sees me then Allah forgives his sins.”
33. Shaykh Hasan al-’Adawi in his commentary on the Dala’il al Khayrat recorded that Shaykh al-Mursi said: “Whoever recites this salawat 500 times every day and night - and is constant in that - then he will not die until he meets with the Prophet (asws) in a state of wakefulness (yaqadha). That salawat is: “Allahumma Salli ala Sayyidina Muhammadin ‘Abdika wa Nabiyyika wa Rasulika an-Nabiyy al-Ummiyy wa ‘ala aalihi wa sahbihi wa Sallim”.
34. Shaykh al-’Adawi also recorded that Imam al-Yafi’i stated in his book “Bustan al Fuqara” that the Prophet Muhammad (alayhi salat wa salam) stated that, “Whoever prays this salawat upon me on Friday 1000 times, “Allahumma Salli ala Sayyidina Muhammadin in-Nabiyy il-Ummiyy wa ‘ala aalihi wa sahbihi wa Sallim” then he will see either his Lord or his Prophet or his dwelling place in heaven during his sleep, and if he does not, then let him repeat that for two Fridays or three or five.” Shaykh Abdullah al-Khayyat ibn Muhammad al-Fasi wrote in his book that he tried this practice but did not see anything, so then he said he sent salawat purely out of love for the Prophet (asws), and he saw a dream of glad tidings that he saw himself in the Garden.
35. One of the Shuyukh said, "whoever recites the following salawat after the 'Isha prayer, and reads the last three suras each 3 times, and does not speak with anyone after this, then he will see the Prophet (saws), and it is (the version of Imam Ghazali): (to be posted later)"
Allahumma ij'al afdala salawaatika abadan
O Allah, cause the most superior of Your salawat always
wa anmaa barakaatika sarmadan
and Your most superabundant blessings forever
wa azkaa tahiyyaatika fadlan wa 'adadan
and the purest of Your greetings, in blessing and number,
'ala ashraf il-khalaa'iq al insaaniyya
upon the noblest of the human creatures
wa majma' al haqaa'iq al imaaniyya
and the gathering locus of the realities of Imaan
wa madhhar at-tajalliyaat al ihsaaniyya
and appearance/form of the manifestations of Ihsaan
wa mahbaT al asraar al-rahmaaniyya
and the descent of the secrets of the mercy of the All-Merciful
wasiTati 'aqd an-nabiyyeen
center of the circle of the Prophets
wa muqaddami jaysh il mursaleen
and leader of the army of the Messengers
wa qaa'idi rakb il anbiyaa' al mukrameen
and captain of the ship of the ennobled Prophets
wa afdal il khalqi ajma'een
and the most superior of all of the creations
Haamili liwaa' il-'izz il A'laa
carrier of the banner of most sublime majesty
wa maaliki azimmat il majd il asnaa
and owner of the reigns of the highest honor and glory
shaahidi asraar il Azal
beholder of the secrets of pre-eternity
wa mushaahidi anwaar as-sawaabiq il Awwal
and contemplator of the lights of the precedent beginnings
wa turjumaan lisaan il qidam
and interpretor/translator of the "tongue" of beginninglessness
wa manba' il 'ilmi wal hilmi wal hikam
and treasure-mine of the knowledge and clement character and wisdom
madhhari sirri-l wujud il juz'i wal kulli
manifestation of the secret of partial and complete existence
wa insaani 'aynil wujud al 'ulwi was sufli
and source of the spring of high and low being/existence
ruhi jasadil kawnayn
spirit of the body of the two worlds
wa 'ayni hayaat id-daarayn
and source of the life of the two abodes
al mutahaqqiq bi a'la rutab il 'ubudiyya
the realizer of the highest levels of worshipful servanthood
wal mutakhalliq bi akhlaaq al-maqamaat al-istifaa'iyya
and the one characterized by the character traits of the stations of (Divine) election
al-Khalil al A'dham, wal Habib al Akram
the greatest intimate friend, and the most noble beloved
Sayyidina Muhammad ibn Abdillah ibn Abdil Muttalib wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi 'adada ma'lumaatik wa midaada kalimaatik
our liege-lord Muhammad son of Abdullah son of Abdul Muttalib, and upon his household and companions, according to the number of things known by You, and the (amount of) ink of Your Words
kullama dhakarak adh-dhaakirun, wa ghafala 'an dhikrihi-l ghaafilun
as long as those who invoke invoke You, and those who are heedless remain heedless of his invocation
wa sallim tasleeman katheeran, wa radiya Allahu 'an asHaabi rasulillaahi ajma'een
and much greetings of peace, and may Allah be pleased with the companions of the Messenger of Allah, all of them....
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This salawat is ascribed to Imam Ghazali, and some others ascribe it to Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jaylani. (Allah be pleased with them)
http://groups.msn.com/TheHabaib/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=7172&ID_CLast=7255&CDir=1
This Section is concerned with informing the brethren that the saints behold the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in a state of wakefulness, and that he is present at every meeting or place he wished, with his body and his spirit. He moves freely and travels wherever he will, and he is in the shape he was in before his death, with no part of him having altered. He is invisible, just as the angels are invisible, despite their being alive in their bodies. If Allah wished to let a servant behold him, He removes the veil from Him, so he sees him in his physical shape.
Success is achieved with the help of Allah , for He is the Guide by His grace to the straight path!
In Lawaqih al Anwar al Qudsiyya fi l Uhud al Muhammadiyya, Imam as Sha'rani has said. "If you make a frequent practice of invoking blessing and peace upon him, perhaps you will attain to the station of witnessing him. That is the procedure of Shaykh Nur Din as Shinwani, Shaykh Ahmad al Zawawi, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Dawud al Manzalani, and a company of the Shaykhs of the era. Not one of them ever ceases to invoke blessing upon Allah's Messenger, to make a frequent practise thereof, and to cleanse himself of all sins, so that he may come together with him in a state of wakefulness at any moment he wishes. If someone does not experience this coming together, he has not yet practised the invocation of blessing upom Allah's Messenger with the frequency required in order to attain to this station.
"Shaykh Ahamad al Zawawi told me that, when he had failed to achieve the experience of coming together with the Prophet, he devoted himself with assiduous perseverance to the invocation of blessing upon the Prophet for one whole year, invoking blessing upon him fifty thousand times each and every day. In similar fashion, Shaykh Nur ad Din ash Shinwani informed me that he devoted himself with assiduous perserverance to the invocation of blessing upon the Prophet for such and such a period of time, invoking blessing upon him thirty thousand times each and every day.
"I heard Sidi Ali al Khawwas say: 'A servant does not achieve perfection in the station of mystical knowledge(irfan) until he experiences communion with Allah's Messenger in a state of wakefulness and oral conversation. The following are included among those righteous predessors who have seen him in a state of wakefulness: Shaykh Abu Madyan al Maghribi, The Shaykh of the Sufi community, Shaykh Abd Rahim al Qinawi, Shaykh Musa az Zawawi, Shaykh Abul Hasan ash Shadhili, Shaykh Abu Abass al Mursi, Shaykh Abu Sa'ud ibn Abi Masha'ir, Sidi Ibrahim al Matbuli, and Shaykh Jalal ad Din as Suyuti.' He also used to say: I have seen the Prophet and I have come together with him in a state of wakefulness no fewer than seventy times. As for Sidi Ibrahim Matbuli, his communion with his is beyond reckoning, since he woudl come together with him in all his spiritual states, and He woud say "I have no Shaykh except Allah's Messenger." Shaykh Abbu Abbass al Mursi used to say "If Allah's Messenger was veiled from me for a moment, I would not count myself among the Muslims"
He also said in another place: "The wird of Shaykh Ahmad Zawawi used to consist of forty thousand invocations of blessing and he once said to me: ' Our procedure is to make frequent invocations of blessing upon Allah's Messenger, to the point where he keeps us company in a state of wakefulness and we associate with him like the Companions. We then ask him about the affairs of our worldy life. We also ask him about those Prophetic traditions (ahadith) which the hafiz has reported to us on weak authority, and we act in accordance with what he has to say about them. When that experience does not come about for us, it must mean that we are not among those who make a frequent practise of invocation of blessing upon him(Allah bless him and give him peace).....
Shaykh Ahmad ibn al Mubarak, the author of al Ibriz has mentioned that he noticed a man who saw the Prophet in the state of wakefulness, and because of him the fragrant scent of Medina, the City of the Prophet, was emanating from the city of Fez. He has then gone on to say: "I heard this man say: 'I went on the Pilgrimage(Hajj) and when I visited the tomb of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) a spiritual state came over me and I said: "O Messenger of Allah, I did not think that I would reach your City and then return to Fez" Then I heard a voice from the noble tomb, and it was saying: "If I am stored in this tomb, those of you who come must stay here, but if I am with my Community, wherever it may be, you must return to your homelands". I therefore went back to my homelands........
Behold the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in a state of wakefulness
The Meccan scholar, Abu 'l-Baqa' al-'Ajimi said: "This tariqa (tariqa Muhammadiyya) is founded on an inner submergence accompanied by a visible manifestation when you see the Prophet, may God bless and grant him peace, himself. This is the outcome when you try to follow him in your words and deeds, when you busy your tongue with saying the tasliya ["May God bless and grant him peace"] and repeating it at every moment in public and private until the glorification of the Prophet, namely the tasliya, overwhelms your heart and permeates your deepest self, so that you quiver when you hear him mentioned and the vision of him takes hold of your heart and you see his form before your inner eye. Then God will bestow upon you His clemency, outwardly and inwardly. Thereafter, you will see a vision of the Prophet in many of your dreams while asleep as a first step; secondly you will see him unexpectedly while dozing off. Finally, you will see him awake." - Muhammad bin Ali al-Sanusi[1]
Among the graces with which God honoured [Shaykh Ahmad Tijani] was the waking vision of the Prophet, continuously and ever, so that it was never absent from him for the twinkling of an eye. And (another grace was) his questioning of the Prophet on everything and asking his counsel in small things and great, and undergoing training at his hands. [2]
He [the devotee] confines himself to this dhikr [i.e the tasliya] and is patient until [the Prophet] appears to him. I never met anyone at this rank except an old blacksmith in Ishbiliyya who was known as "God, bless Muhammad" (Allaahumma, salli 'alaa Muhammad). He was not known by any other name...He doesn't talk to anyone except out of necessity. If anyone comes asking him to make something for him from iron, he asks as pay only that the customer bless Muhammad. No man, boy, or woman came to him without blessing Muhammad until he left....Whatever is revealed to the one who does this dhikr is true and immune from error, for nothing comes to him except through the Messenger.. Ibn Arabi[3]
By God, my brothers, I did not believe that a learned man could deny the vision of the Prophet (God bless him and give him peace) in the waking state, until the day I met some learned men in the Qarawiyyin Mosque and had a conversation with them on this matter. They said to me: "How ever is it possible to see the Prophet when one is awake, since he has been dead for over 1,200 years? It is only possible to see him in a dream, since he himself said: 'He who sees me, that is to say in a dream, sees me in reality, for the Devil cannot imitate me,'" I answered: "Of necessity, he can be seen in waking state only by one whose mind- or let us say, whose thoughts- have transported him from this corporeal world into the world of Spirits; there will he see the Prophet without the slightest doubt; there he will see all his friends." They were silent and said not a word when I added: "Indeed he can be seen in the world of Spirits," But after a while they said to me, "Explain how this is so." I answered: "Tell me yourselves where the world of Spirits is in relation to the world of bodies." They did not know what to reply. And then I said: "There where the world of bodies is, there also is the world of Spirits; there where the world of corruption is, there also is the world of purity; there where is the world of the kingdom (mulk), there also is the world of kingship (malakut); in the very place where the lower worlds are, there are to be found the higher worlds and the totality of worlds. It has been said that there exist ten thousand worlds, each one like this world, (as recounted in the Hilyatul Awliya (Adornment of the Saints)) and all these are contained in man, without his being conscious of it. Only he whom God sanctifies by absorbing his qualities into His own, his attributes into His own, is conscious of this. Now, God sanctifies many of his servants and does not cease from sanctifying them until their end." - Shaykh ad-Darqawi[4]
Whoever sees the Lord of being [i.e the Prophet] in a dream can do so in two ways. In the first way the dream is in no need of interpretation because the person sees the Prophet in the same state he appeared in the world and as the Prophet’s Companions beheld him. Should this vision occur to someone who is illuminated …then what he sees is the pure and noble dhat of the Prophet. [Dhat is here used to mean a human being as he can be perceived by the senses, man as a unit compounded of body, soul and spirit.] If the person is not illuminated, he can experience this as well but that is a rare situation. Usually what is seen is the image of his dhat (surat dhatihi), not his dhat itself ('ayn dhatihi), since the dhat of the Prophet can take on various forms and then be seen in numerous places, whether in a dream or in a waking state. This is because the dhat of the Prophet possesses light which emanates from it and fills the entire world. There is no place where the noble light of the Prophet does not exist.
The dhat of the Prophet appears in this light the way the form of the face appears in a mirror. Thus, the light of the Prophet is similar to a mirror which fills the entire world, and what is represented in it is the dhat. That is why one person can see the Prophet in the east and another person see him in the west, one sees him in the south and another in the north. And innumerable people see him in other places— all at the same time. Each person really sees the Prophet before him because the light of the Prophet, in which his dhat is represented, is with each person. If an illuminated person (al-maftuh 'alayhi) beholds the image (sura) of the Prophet before him, he then follows it with his spiritual deeper sight (baseera) and penetrates through the light of the image to the dhat of the Prophet himself. Shaykh Abd al-Aziz al-Dabbagh [5]
Shaykh Ahmad al-Zawaawi (d.1517) once said to me: "We recite the tasliya on behalf of the Prophet so often that he then sits with us while we are in a waking state (hattaa yaseera yujaalisunaa yaqzatan) and we keep company with him like the sahaaba did (nashabuhu). Then we question him about matters of our religion and about hadiths which are held to be weak in the opinion of our religious scholars. Subsequently we base our behaviour on his words."
Abd al-Wahhab al-Sha'rani [6]
In terms of meeting with and learning from the Prophet after his death, each of the three shaykhs [Ahmad ibn Idris, Abd al-Wahhab al-Tazi, and Abd al-Aziz al-Dabbagh] had this occur to them, both while asleep and while awake. Even more, in the later part of their lives, each of the shaykhs relied only on him and had recourse to none except him, [salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam]. [7]
1. The Enigmatic Saint, Ahmad Ibn Idris and the Idrisi Tradition – R.S. O'Fahey via Red Sulphur
2. And Muhammad is His Messenger, pg 226.
3. al-Futuhaat al-Makkiyya, 4:184. Taken from Valeria J. Hoffman, "Annihilation in the Messenger of God: The Development of a Sufi Practice".
4. Letters of a Sufi Master: The Shaykh ad-Darqawi, pg 40-41.
5. al-Ibrız min kalam sayyidı al-ghawth Abd al-Azız. Taken from Ibriziana (pdf document), pg 10-11.
6. Lawaqih al-anwar al-qudsiyya fi bayan al-'uhud al-muhammadiyya, Cairo 1321, 116. Taken from The Exoteric Ahmad ibn Idris, pg 17.
7. Voll, John. "Two biographies of Ahmad ibn Idris al-Fasi (1760-1837)". International Journal of African Historical Studies, Vol. 6, No. 4 (1973), 642.
http://nuruddinzangi.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_nuruddinzangi_archive.html
IBN HAJAR’S FATWA ON MEETING THE PROPHET (pbuh)
We hold, as Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani, Nawawi and Abu Musa al-Asbahani, that no one possessed of a heart and mind can object to standing for the sake of the Prophet, and that this is desirable and recommended not only in the time of the Prophet but until the end of time. Observe that the hafiz Abu Musa al-Asbahani died in 581, more than five centuries after the time of the Prophet, and yet stands for him in the present tense and mentions "seeing him": this seeing of the Prophet by the pious believers both in a sleeping and a wakeful state is an attested fact in the Shari`a which has been mentioned by the scholars, among them Shaykh al-Islam al-Faqih Ibn Hajar al-Haytami in his Fatawa hadithiyya [Cf. Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, “Fatawa hadithiyya”, Cairo, Halabi, 1390/1970, p. 297]:
He was asked: "Is it possible to meet the Prophet while awake in our time?" He replied: "Yes, it is possible. It has been asserted as part of the miracles of saints (karamat al-awliya') by Ghazali, al-Barizi, al-Taj al-Subki, and al-Yafi`i among the Shafi`is, and by al-Qurtubi and Ibn Abi Jamra among the Malikis. It has been narrated that one of the awliya' was sitting in the assembly of a jurist (faqih) while the latter related a hadith, whereupon the wali said: "This hadith is false." The jurist said: "How do you know that?" The wali replied: "There is the Prophet standing right next to you, and he is saying: "I never said this." When he said this the sight of the faqih was unveiled and he could see the Prophet."
THERE IS SOUND EVIDENCE THAT THE PROPHET IS ALIVE
Sakhawi, Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani's student, said: "As for us (Muslims of Ahl al-Sunna) we believe and we confirm that he is alive and provided for in his grave" (“Al-Qawl al-badi`”, p. 161). Ibn al-Qayyim said in “Kitab al-ruh”, p. 58: "It is obligatory knowledge to know that his body is in the earth tender and humid (i.e. as in life), and when the Companions asked him: "How is our greeting presented to you after you have turned to dust" he replied: "Allah has defended the earth from consuming the flesh of Prophets," and if his body was not in his grave he would not have given this answer."
The Shaykh of Mecca, Sayyid Muhammad ibn Alawi -- may Allah guard him -- said in his last book “Manhaj al-Salaf”: «[...] he -- Allah bless and greet him -- died and his body has undoubtedly disappeared from our sights «for none eternally remains except the One Alone, the Living, the Self-Sustaining Who never tires nor sleeps» nevertheless, he is alive with a complete isthmus-life (hayât barzakhiyya) which is greater and better and more perfect than worldly life indeed, higher, dearer, sweeter, more perfect, and more beneficial than worldly life».
THE TRUE VISION OF THE PROPHET IS AN ESTABLISHED REALITY
The meeting and true vision of the Prophet is a reality established in the hadith of seeing the Prophet in dream, and documented through the relations of the trustworthy from the Companions to the Successors and their Successors down to our day.
Some of these relations have been recorded in Suyuti's fatwa “Tanwir al-halak fi imkan ru'yat al-nabi wal malak” (The illumination of intense darkness through the possibility of seeing the prophet and the angels) in his “Hawi li al-fatawi”. We have already mentioned in the section discussing the evidence that the Prophet hears and sees us al-Haytami's answer in his “Fatawa hadithiyya” whereby it is possible for Allah's Friends to meet the Prophet while awake in our time [Cf. al-Haytami, “Fatawa hadithiyya”, p. 297].
They can also meet al-Khidr, as Sakhawi relates about Imam Nawawi: "It is well-known that he (Imam Nawawi) used to meet with al-Khidr and converse with him among many other mukashafat" [Cf. Al-Sakhawi, “Tarjimat shaykh al-islam qutb al-awliya Abi Zakariyya al-Nawawi”, p. 33].
It is established by the authentic hadith narrated from him by Imam Ahmad in his “Musnad” and others with a chain of sound narrators as stated by al-Haythami in Majma` al-Zawa'id, that a certain man Salman al-Farisi had seen in al-Qudus was actually Isa ibn Maryam -- Allah bless and greet our Prophet and him. If `Isa can be seen after leaving this world, then the more so can our Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him.
TO SEE THE PROPHET IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF AWLIYA’ ALLAH
Ibn `Ata’ Allah in “Lata’if al-Minan” narrates from his teacher Abu al-`Abbas al-Mursi that his teacher Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili said: “If I stopped seeing the Prophet – upon him peace – for even one moment, I would consider myself no longer a Muslim.”
The illiterate Moroccan Ghawth `Abd al-`Aziz al-Dabbagh – hedied at age 39 – said, as related by his student the Faqih and Imam`Ali ibn al-Mubarak in “Kitab al-Ibriz” (“The Pure Gold”) – one of the treasure-books of Islam – that it is a characteristic of the rank of Ghawth to see the Prophet while awake, at all times.
Seeing the Prophet Whilst Awake
http://www.marifah.net/articles/seeingtheprophet-suyuti.pdf
According to me, it is possible to see Rasoolullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) in the awakened state. As it is reported from Imam Suyuti that he saw Rasoolullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) twenty-two times and he asked Rasoolullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) regarding some Ahadith. He amended those Ahadith after Rasoolullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) rectified them".
(Faizul Baari, Volume 1, Page 304, Cairo)
ON KASHF AND MUKAASHAFAA (Spiritual Unveilings)
Abundant Praise and Thanks to Allah, and Blessings and Peace upon His Beloved, Muhammad, and upon his Family and Companions, and may Allah be well pleased with their Pious Followers, and with the Imams Who Strove for Knowledge, and with the Scholars Who Truly Fear Him, and with the Pious Saints. May Allah bless my Shaykh and the Shaykh of my Shaykh.
Kashf (Unveiling) is a reality which refers to the miraculous knowledge of the awliya (Friends of Allah). Such knowledge attains higher levels than that of any other knowledge of humankind and jinn including in certain cases the knowledge of Prophets, such as Musa (as) with al-Khidr (as), who is described in the Qur'an as "one of Our slaves, unto whom We had given mercy from Us, and had taught him knowledge from Our presence" (18:66). Such knowledge is also described as "the knowledge of the Book" and may take the form of mastery over time and space (27:40). The Qur'an extols the rank of the awliya with the affirmation: "Lo! Verily the friends of Allah are those on whom fear cometh not, nor do they grieve" (10:62).
The Prophet (s) said: "The true vision is one-forty sixth part of prophecy." The Imam of the Sunnah and of Tasawwuf, the Ghawth (Arch- Helper) of Mankind Shaykh Abd al-Qadir Gilani -- may Allah sanctify his secret -- said (Discourse 9 of 'Futuh al-ghayb'): "To awliya and abdal (Substitutes) are disclosed such workings of Allah as in the course of kashf and mushahada (vision) as overwhelm the reasoning power of man and shatter into pieces all habits and customs." These phenomena fall under the category of khawaariq (extraordinary matters) to which belong the karaamaat, the "gifts" or miracles of saints, belief in which is an obligation of each and every person in Islam. (The sect of the Mu`tazila did not believe in the miracles of the saints, and some today even say that the awliya are not known!)
The Companions of the Prophet (s) were familiar with such disclosures, chief among them the two Shaykhs of Islam, our Masters Abu Bakr (r) and `Umar (r). The first announced to his wife that she was pregnant with a boy, and the second miraculously saw Sariya and his army in Persia while he was in Madina, and he cried out to Sariya and Sariya heard him. And the Prophet (s) said: "In the nations before you were people who were inspired other than the Prophets. If there is anyone such as this in my Community, it is `Umar ibn al-Khattab."
That kashf is an opening granted by Allah that is completely independent of one's own exertion or capacity for learning is clear from the saying of Abu Hurayra (r): "The Prophet (s) poured into my breast two large vessels of knowledge": he did not say "taught me," which would suppose the activity of learning on his part, but "poured into me," which indicates a state of passive receptivity.
The reality of kashf is established in the Shari`ah, as is stated in Haythami's fatwa on the subject and Nawawi's before him (Fatawa hadeethiyya 311-313). And Ibn Taymiyya says: "Faqad thabata anna li awliya Allahi mukhaaTabaatun wa mukaashafaat" (al-Furqan p. 52): "It is established that the awliya possess spiritual communications and unveilings."
Many sayings of the Prophet (s) mention the various types and ranks of the saints, as Suyuti has shown in his collection of them in his article: 'al-Khabar al-daall `ala wujood al-qutb wa al-awtaad wa al-nujabaa' wa al-abdaal' or "The Reported Matter That Indicates the Existence of the Pole, the Pillars, the Leaders, and the Substitutes (of the Awliya)." These and other types of perfected individuals form the khawaas or elite of the pious, whom the Qur'an also calls Siddiqin (Most Truthful Ones) and ranks after the Prophets and before the Martyrs. Their position in relation to Allah on the Day of Judgment is described as an object of desire for the Prophets in the hadith.
The exalted status of the knowledge and power of the awliya is referred to in the verse "Those who strive hard in Us, We shall most surely guide them in our Ways" (29:69) and the verse "Ittaqullah yu`allimukumullah" [Be aware of Allah, and Allah Himself will teach you], and "Man ya`malu bima ya`lamu yu`allimuhullahu ma lam ya`lam" [Whoso acts according to what he knows, Allah will teach him what he did not know]. The Shaykh Al-Haakim al-Tirmidhi in Aadaab al-murideen (Ch. 2) describes such striving as a kind of door which leads to nearness to Allah, and Shaykh Abd al-Qadir refers to the knowledge and power that result from it in Discourse 16:
And fear Allah and He will teach you, then He will invest you with the power of controlling the universe with a clear permission which will have no obscurity in it... and He has done this with many of His Prophets and awliya and people especially favored from among the children of Adam.
The highest example of such favor is undoubtedly the meeting and true vision of the Prophet (s), which is a reality documented through the relations of the trustworthy from the Companions to the Successors and their Successors down to our day. Some of these relations have been recorded in Suyuti's short treatise "tanweer al-Halak fi imkaan ru'yat al-Nabi wal malak" (The Illumination of Intense Darkness Through the Possibility of Seeing the Prophet and the Angels).
The exalted status of the firaasat (another word for vision) of saints is referred to in the hadith: "Ittaqu firaasat al-mu'min fa innahu yara bi noorillah" [Beware the vision of the believer, for he sees with the light of Allah]. Thus it is related that the firaasat of a pious shaykh was at the origin of Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani's decision to take up the study of fiqh (jurisprudence) rather than devote himself exclusively to hadith: "Ibn Hajar said:
He (Muhibb al-Deen al-WaaHidi al-Maaliki) said to me: "Invest some of that energy of yours into fiqh, for I see by way of firaasat that the scholars of this country are going to be depleted, and there will be need of you, so don't indulge yourself." And his word to me helped me greatly, and I still pray for him for that reason, may Allah have mercy on him."" (al-Biqaa`i, "`Unwaan al-zamaan" p. 92.)
The possessor of such gifts and powers of vision is in no way exempted from the obligations of religion. The Shareef of the Prophet's Family, the Siddeeq and Ghawth Abu al-Hasan al-Shaadhili al-Maaliki warned: "If your kashf opposes the Book and the Sunnah, leave kashf and tell yourself: Allah has guaranteed infallibility to the Book and the Sunnah, but He has not guaranteed it for kashf." (al-Taftazani, Madkhalun ila al-tasawwuf p. 240.)
The Shaykh al-Akbar, the Renewer of Religion Muhyiddeen Ibn `Arabi said:
Someone in this Community who claims to be able to guide others to Allah, but is remiss in but one rule of the Sacred Law -- even if heMANIFESTS MIRACLES
that stagger the mind -- ...we do not even turn to look at him, for such a person is not a shaykh, nor is he speaking the truth, for no-one is entrusted with the secrets of Allah Most High save one in whom the ordinances of the Sacred Law are preserved." (Quoted in Nabahani, Jaami` karaamaat al-awliya 1:3)Abd al-Qadir Gilani says the same thing in the "Futuh." And their leader in this is the Sultan of the Knowers of Allah Bayazid al-Bistami who said:
If you see him fly in the air and walk on water do not be deluded by him, but see how he stands on the orders and the prohibitions. (Quoted in Ibn Taymiyya's Fatawi 11:466.)
It is evident from the definition of the term kashf that it refers to a hidden knowledge of a tremendous nature, and that is what Ibn `Arabi meant by saying "the secrets of Allah Most High," as is confirmed by the continuation of the hadith of Abu Hurayra: "The Prophet (s) poured into my breast two large vessels of knowledge: the first one I disseminated among the people; as for the second, were I to disseminate it, they would cut my neck." (Bukhari narrates it.)
In conclusion, it is forbidden to deny the reality of kashf, and its content is sound on condition that it not contradict the Qur'an and the Sunnah. It is unfalsifiable and therefore neither obligatorily accepted nor obligatorily rejected, nor can it be obligatory for other than the person directly concerned, i.e. the one disclosed to. He can communicate his disclosure and he may be believed, as many of the pious Imams have done with their contemporaries who benefited from such disclosures. Thus it is related by one of the Imams of hadith whose word lies beyond suspicion, that "it is well-known that he (Imam Nawawi) used to meet with al-Khidr (as)" and converse with him among many other mukaashafaat (al-Sakhaawi, "Tarjimat shaykh al-islam qutb al-awliya Abi Zakariyya al-Nawawi" p. 33). And the Prophet (s) said: "`Alaamat al-mu'min al-tasdeeq" - "The mark of the believer is trust." And Allah knows best.
May Allah grant us the meeting of His Prophet (s) in this life before the next life.
http://www.sunnah.org/tasawwuf/kashf001.html
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