The Permissibility to say YA RASOOLALLAH

The Permissibility to say YA RASOOLALLAH 

The sensitive issue of whether or not Muslims can say the words 'Ya Rasool Allah' or
„Ya Muhammad!‟ [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] needs to be clarified,
since this issue divides the Muslim community and causes a great deal of friction
among the Muslims throughout the world. Basically, there appears to be what we
could label as two “schools of thought”. One insists that saying that stating “Ya Rasul
Allah is 'shirk' and that any Muslim proclaiming it in fact goes outside the pale of
Islam. Now the other School believes that it is indeed permissible to say so  – based
on evidences from the Salaf, and the tafsirs of later day scholars. However, they do
not insist that one must proclaim this – or that it is even a fard to do so, rather, it is
permissible to do so. This is, and always has been, the stance of the Ahl al-Sunna.

Those who believe that it is impermissible to say Ya Muhammad! [May Allah bless
him and grant him peace] not only say that there are no evidences to support the
permissibility, but also believe that the prefix of Ya, can only be used when that
person [who is being called upon] is present, as opposed to being absent. The
proclamation of Ya Muhammad, or Ya Rasul Allah [May Allah bless him and grant
him peace] is not an innovation [bid‟a] that crept in after the first three generations,
but contrary to modern misconceptions, was initiated and practiced within these
generations, as we shall see, Allah willing. Also, the fact that the later generations did
proclaim Ya Muhammad! [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] the death of the
Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant him peace], did not prevent them in doing so,
even though there were great distances between them and Madina.

As we shall aim to demonstrate to the readers in this chapter, Insha‟ Allah, that if it is
wrong today [or even Kufr and shirk as some of our brothers declare], to proclaim Ya
Muhammad! [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] why then, did the Sahaba,
Tab‟ee in and the later generations of Muslims do so? Would those brothers who
oppose the Muslims of saying Ya Muhammad! [May Allah bless him and grant him
peace] apply the same criteria to the first generations of this Umma as they do for the
believers of today?

The permissibility of saying Ya! For someone who is not physically present.

One of the main arguments used against the believers on this issue, is the one of the
impermisibility of using the prefix Ya [Oh!] to someone who is not physically present.

Innovation in the Language

This understanding of the Arabic language [that of not being able to use Ya! For an
absent person] is an innovation [bid‟a] in Arabic grammar. To the minority holding this
view, it appears that this is the only way of accusing the majority of Muslims to be
constantly committing an impermissible deed, or even shirk and kufr as others may
profess.

We first would like to invite those who hold the above view, to examine one of the
most respected classical dictionaries of the Arabic language, the Lasan al Arab of Ibn
Manzur (d. 711 hijri). Ibn Manzur states that Ya! can be applied for either a person
who is near, or far from the caller.
[Ibn Manzur al-Afriqi, Lasan al-Arab under the word „Ya‟]

Since those Muslims who often claim that saying Ya Muhammad! [May Allah bless
him and grant him peace] is shirk, I now propose to examine the views of Ibn
Taymiyya on this issue. Why? Well, it is mainly because these very brothers have
given Ibn Taymiyya the noble title of Shaykh al Islam, and such, use him as an
authority, if not, the foremost, in their attempts to practice Islam as the Salaf [pious
predecessors] did. Ibn Taymiyya writes:

When someone calls upon someone else, saying Ya! it may be used in one of two
ways – physically or by the knowledge of that person. An example of this is when the
Messenger of Allah [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] warned the people at
the time of Dajjal: “Yaa „ibaadillaahi Fathbutu…” (Oh servants of Allah! Keep your
feet steadfast…) The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said this to the
people who would be present at the time of Dajjal, and who were not yet born.

Another example, is when Sayyidna „Ali, may Allah be pleased with Him, was walking
through the plain of Karbalah, he said „Ya Abu „Abd Allah Hussayn, Fasbir! [Oh, (my
son) Abu „Abd Allah Hussayn! Be patient (when facing the enemy in this place]‟ This
was because „Ali, may Allah be pleased with Him, was informed by the Messenger of
Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), that his son, Hussayn [May Allah
be pleased with Him], would be martyred at Karbalah. Sayyidna „Ali, may Allah be
pleased with Him, called Hussayn despite the fact that he was not present with him,
and even though Hussayn could not hear his Father „Ali, may Allah be pleased with
Him, but remained in his thoughts.
[Ibn Taymiyya, Minhaj-as-sunna, chapter Aswad-al-Qadeem]

The above example demonstrates, as provided by Ibn Taymiyya, that at least in one
way, Ya can be used in the Arabic language to call someone who is not physically
present, but who is present in the thoughts of the caller, as when Sayyidna „Ali, may
Allah be pleased with Him, remembered his son and called to him.

Evidence to support the permissibility of saying Ya Muhammad! [May Allah
bless him and grant him peace]

Hafiz ibn al Qayyim writes that the Prophet of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant
him peace) said:

Send salutations on me, but send more salutations on Friday. When you recite the
salutation, your voice will reach me wherever you are. Some companions asked, “
even after your death?” The Prophet, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace)
replied, “Allah has made it unlawful for the earth to decompose my body”.
[Hafiz Ibn-al-Qayyim, Jala-ul-Afhaan page 145]

Imam Nasa‟i narrates that there are specific angels who visit the earth and whose
sole duties are to go to the persons who sends salutations upon the Prophet
Muhammad, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), and then to take those
salutations to the Prophet Muhammad, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace)
[Mishkat chapter on Salaah al Nabi]

The above mentioned Ahadith, indicate that if anyone were to send salutations to the
Prophet, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), he himself would either hear the
salutations, or an angel will convey them to him. In both cases, salutations will reach
the Prophet, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace).

The Salaf used to say Ya Muhammad![May Allah bless him and grant him peace]
Imam Bukhari, Hafiz Ibn Taymiyya and Qadi Shawkani all posed the same question,
that if a person‟s foot becomes numb, what should he do? Their recommendations
were the same, and included with their answer, the following hadith:

Some time after Rasul Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), had passed
away, „Abd Allah Ibn „Umar [May Allah be pleased with Him] was in Najd where one
day his foot became numb. As a remedy to alleviate the pain, a person said to him.
“Remember the one whom you love the most!” Upon hearing this Ibn „Umar [May
Allah be pleased with Him] said “Ya Muhammad! [May Allah bless him and grant him
peace]” and his foot made an immediate recovery from numbness.

[Imam Bukhari, Adab al Mufrad al Kalim al Tayyab; Hafiz Ibn Taymiyya and Qadi
Shawkani, Tuhfah al Dakireen chapter on Khadirat Rijluhu, and also Imam Nawawi‟s
Kitab al Adkar]

Hafiz Ibn Taymiyya writes,

In the same way as „Abd Allah ibn Umar‟s foot became numb and he remembered
the one he loves the most, „Abd Allah Ibn Abbas‟s foot also became numb. Someone
also said to him to remember the one who he loves the most, whereupon „Abd Allah
Ibn Abbas said Ya! Muhammad [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] and his
foot immediately recovered from numbness.
[Hafiz ibn Taymiyya, Al Kalim al Tayyib chapter on Khadirat Rijluhu]

Qadi Shawkani writes:

If one is in trouble or is in distress, he should perform two nawafil rakats and then
make a supplication. They should say „„Ya Muhammad!‟‟ [May Allah bless him and
grant him peace] and Allah most High will grant them what they requested and their
problems and troubles should be resolved. The scholars of hadith say that this hadith
is authentic and Tirmidhi, Hakim, Nasa‟i, Ibn Majah and at-Tabarani record it.
[Qadi Shawkani, Tofah al Dhakireen chapter on Salaah al Hajah]

Hafiz Ibn Kathir, Imam Tabari and Imam Ibn Athir all wrote [that]:

During the Khilafa of Abu Bakr as- Siddique, may Allah be pleased with Him, there
was a battle against the false prophet Musaylima [of Najd]. When the battle
commenced, the Muslims lost their footing at which point Khalid bin Walid, may Allah
be pleased with Him, and the rest of the companions called out “Ya Muhammad!”
[May Allah bless him and grant him peace] and proceeded to win the battle.

[Tarikh at Tabari, Tarikh Ibn Kathir and Tarikh Qamil by Imam Tabari,  Hafiz Ibn Kathir
and Imam Ibn Athir and Ibn Jarir in Chapter Musaylima Kadhaab]

Hafiz Ibn Kathir and Imam Tabari both write:

During the Khilafah of „Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him, there was a famine
outside the city of Madinah. A companion called Bilal bin Harith al Muzni, may Allah
be pleased with Him, said to his people “The famine is very severe, [let us] sacrifice a
goat”. Apart from a red bone nothing came from the goat [the goat was very thin due
to famine and as such, there was no meat on the bones]. Bilal bin Harith, may Allah
be pleased with Him, called out “Ya Muhammad!” [May Allah bless him and grant him
peace]. The Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), then
appeared in the dream of Bilal bin Harith and informed him that there will be rain.
[Tarikh Ibn Kathir and Ibn Jarir chapter of khilafah of „Umar (May Allah be pleased
with Him]

As-Sayyid Mawdudi writes:

When Hajaj bin Yusuf had placed tax upon some new Muslims, they left Basra crying
with their fuqaha [scholars] and they were all saying, Ya Muhammad!, Ya
Muhammad! [May Allah bless him and grant him peace]
[Sayyid Mawdudi, Khilafah wa Malukiyat, page 270 and Tarikh Ibn Athir]

Hafiz Ibn Kathir and Imam Tabari both write that

After the occasion of Karbala, Sayyida Zaynab, May Allah be well pleased with her,
[the sister of Hussayn, may Allah be pleased with Him] and her company were taken
as prisoners to Syria. When she passed the dead bodies she proclaimed: “Ya
Muhammad!” [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] Your Hussayn is drenched
in blood without a shroud or a grave, and Ya Muhammad! [May Allah bless him and
grant him peace], your daughters are taken prisoners and your children have been
killed
[Ibn Jarir and Tarikh Ibn Kathir in Chapter of Karbala*]

*For those of us, who have forgotten, Karbala took place in Iraq in 60AH. At that time
Zaynab may Allah be well pleased with her, said „Ya Muhammad! [May Allah bless
him and grant him peace]

Imam Waqdi writes:

During the khilafah of Abu Bakr Siddiq [may Allah be pleased with Him], there was a
battle at Halb. Ka‟ab. Abu Bakr [may Allah be pleased with Him] said “Ya
Muhammad! Ya! Muhammad, [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] and
shouted, “Oh Companions! Stay firm footed!”
['Allama Waqdi, Futoohusham, in the chapter on the Battle of Halb]

Imam Ibn Sa'ad writes:

After the Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), had
passed away, Arwa bint „Abd al Muttalib, May Allah be well pleased with her, recited
the: “Ya Rasul Allah! [May Allah bless him and grant him peace]. You were our place
of hope.”
[Imam Ibn Sa'ad, Tabaqat Ibn Sa‟ad, chapter on the Death of the Prophet]

Hafiz Ibn al Qayyim writes:

Muhammad bin „Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him, relates: „I was sitting in the
company of Abu Bakr bin Mujahid in Baghdad when Shaykh Shibli came before
them. Whereupon Abu Bakr bin Mujahid stood up and hugged Shaykh Shibli,  kissed
his forehead and sat him by his side.‟ Muhammad bin „Umar [May Allah be pleased
with Him] enquired: “You are the Shaykh [Abu Bakr bin Mujahid] whilst the whole of
Baghdad regards Shibli as Majnun [Mad] - why have you treated him with so much
respect?” To this, Abu Bakr bin Mujahid replied “I have done nothing strange, I have
treated him exactly as I have seen the Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless him and
grant him peace), treat him. In my dream I saw the Messenger of Allah, (May Allah
bless him and grant him peace), kiss Shibli between his two eyes. I asked the
Prophet, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), “Why did you treat Shibli in this
way?” to which he, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), replied “I love him
because after every Salaah he recites the last verse of Surah Tauba after which he
recites Sallal la ho „alayka Ya Muhammad! [Peace and blessings from Allah be upon
you Oh Muhammad!) Three times.
[Hafiz Ibn-al-Qayyim, Jala-al-Afham., page 80]

The above mentioned Ahadith clearly illustrate that the Companions and others of
the Salaf used to say Ya Muhammad or Ya Rasul Allah! [May Allah bless him and
grant him peace] when they experienced difficulty, and that the Prophet, (May Allah
bless him and grant him peace) did help us either by making supplication for their
success or appearing in their dreams to comfort them. Those Companions who were
ill and said Ya Rasul Allah [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] found that they
would get better; and if they were in a battle which they were losing - they would
soon win; and if they were facing a famine - they would soon have rain.

The last quotation from Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim shows that the Messenger of Allah, (May
Allah bless him and grant him peace), loves the one who pronounces „Ya
Muhammad!‟ [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] to a considerable high
degree. All these occurances took place many years after the Messenger of Allah,
(May Allah bless him and grant him peace), passed away. So if it was kufr to say „Ya
Muhammad!‟ [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] today and after the lifetime
of the Prophet, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), the Prophet, (May Allah
bless him and grant him peace), would not have expressed any love for Shibli. Also,
if this is an unreliable narration, why did Ibn al-Qayyim choose to quote it? Was he
someone who supported shirk or kufr?

What has been said above supports the fact that it is not kufr or shirk to call out Ya
Muhammad, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace).

However, still people will insist, despite of all the above, that to say Ya Muhammad
(May Allah bless him and grant him peace) is shirk, and will deduce to the fact that
this is a form of worshipping someone besides Allah. They often put forward the
following ayat of the Qur‟an:

And the masjids are only for Allah, so worship none with Allah

[Surah al Jinn verse 18]

This is just a doubt and a misunderstanding of the grammatical use of the words
Tad`u/Yad`u in the Arabic language - since Tad‟u and Yad‟u have been used in two
different contexts in the Qur‟an: in the context of worship and also in the context of
calling.

In the above verse it has been used in the context of worship and we agree that
anyone who worships something besides Allah is a kafir and a mushrik. However,
when a Muslim says Ya Rasul Allah! [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] he is
not worshipping the Messenger of Allah, but merely calling him, as Ibrahim, peace be
upon him, called all the people to Hajj [Tafsir Ibn Kathir under Surah Hajj] and as
„Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him, called Sariah. This type of calling is not
worship, of which an example is provided in the Qur‟an when Allah commanded
Ibrahim, peace be upon him, to call the dead birds [Surah Al - Baqara, verse 260]

This should demonstrate that the word „call‟ is not always used in the context of
worship. Whoever says Ya Muhammad! [May Allah bless him and grant him peace]
cannot be called either a kafir or mushrik because he is calling with the love of the
Prophet Muhammad, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), as was the case
when the salaf called upon the Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant
him peace). His intention is not the intention to worship him.

The pious can hear from afar

1) The Prophet Sulaiman, peace be upon him, heard the conversation of the ants
from a distance.
[Al- Qur‟an Surah al Namal verse 19]

2) The Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), heard the
footsteps of Bilal,may Allah be pleased with Him, in Paradise. [Bukh ari and Muslim
Kitab-al-Manaqib., Muslim., fazail Bilal]

3) Hafiz Ibn al Qayyim writes:

The Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), stated: „I hear
the voice of every person who sends salams (peace and blessings) upon me,
wherever he may be‟.
[Hafiz Ibn-al-Qayyim Jala-al-Afham page 145]

4) When women quarrel with their husbands who are righteous (and who go to
paradise) the Hoors (fair Maidens of Paradise) listen to their arguing from Paradise
whilst they are still on the earth. [Mishkat-al-Masabih in Chapter of Mu‟ashirat-anNisa]

To conclude this chapter, we would like to state that:

From the above statements it is proved that the pious can hear from a far distance,
by the grace of Allah most High.

Secondly, it is not shirk to call them using the word Ya! We would like to clarify that to
call upon the pious using Ya! is simply permissible: being neither fardh, nor wajib, nor
sunnah.

Thirdly, as proven, the Salaf did proclaim Ya Muahammed! [May Allah bless him and
grant him peace] at times of distress – and this difficulty was alleviated.

The reason for writing this article is only to clarify, to those people who shout „kafir‟
and „mushrik‟, to those Muslims who call using the word Ya! - that we can use the
word Ya!

We also say that help should only be asked from Allah most High. We should only
present the Waseela of the pious, when asking from Allah.