How the Salaf Respected the Prophet ﷺ
The love for the Prophet ﷺ is the cornerstone of Iman (faith), but love is best expressed through Adab, the outward and inward etiquette that reflects the high station of the Messenger ﷺ. Throughout the history of Islam, the righteous predecessors (the Salaf) demonstrated an awe-inspiring level of reverence whenever the name of the Prophet ﷺ was mentioned.
Their behavior teaches us that our connection to the Prophet ﷺ is not merely historical, but a living, breathing reality that demands our utmost respect.
The Basis in Qur’an
Our obligation to honor the Prophet ﷺ is rooted firmly in the Qur’an. Allah ﷻ has commanded the believers to approach the mention of the Prophet ﷺ with distinct care and humility:
Allah ﷻ says, “O you who believe, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet ﷺ” Qur’an (49:1-2)
He says, “Do not make the Messenger’s ﷺ summoning of you the same as your summoning of one another.” (24:63)
Allah ﷻ made it an obligation to help and respect the Prophet ﷺ and demanded that he be honoured and esteemed. Ibn ‘Abbas said it means to honour him and al-Mubarrad that it means to respect him to the utmost.
A Timeless Obligation
It is just as necessary to have esteem and respect for the Prophet ﷺ after his death as it was when he was alive. This means to show it whenever the Prophet ﷺ, his hadith or sunnah are mentioned, when anyone hears his name or anything about his life or how his family and relatives behaved. It includes respect for the People of his House (ahl al-bayt) and his Companions.
Lessons from the Salaf: How the Imams Honored the Prophet ﷺ
The following accounts illustrate how the great Imams of our tradition carried themselves in the presence of the mention of the Prophet ﷺ:
- Imām Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq used to joke and laugh a lot; but when the Prophet ﷺ was mentioned in his presence, he grew pale.
- Imām al-Zuhrī was one of the most easy-going and friendly of people. When the Prophet ﷺ was mentioned in his presence, it was as if he did not recognise anyone else around him.
- Imām Mālik would perform wuḍūʾ, apply scent, wear clean garments, a dark cloak, a turban, and cover his head with the hood of his cloak before teaching ḥadīths of the Prophet ﷺ. Malik ibn Anas passed by Abu Hazim when he was teaching hadiths and he gave him permission to listen. He said, ‘There is no place to sit and I dislike listening to a hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷻ ﷺ, may Allah ﷻ bless him and grant him peace, while standing up.’
- Ayyub as-Sakhtiyani was one of the people from whom Imam Malik reported. Whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was mentioned before Ayyub as-Sakhtiyani, he wept until his eyes were red.
- Qatada began to sob and became very agitated when he heard a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ
- Muhammad ibn Sirin used to laugh, but when the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ was mentioned in his presence, he grew humble.
- ‘Abdu’r-Rahman ibn al-Qasim: Whenever he mentioned the Prophet ﷺ, his face seemed as if the blood had drained from it and his tongue went dry out of awe of the Messenger of Allah ﷻ ﷺ.
- ‘Amir ibn ‘Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr: When the Prophet ﷺ was mentioned in his presence, he wept until he had no more tears to weep.
Abu Ibrahim at-Tujibi said, “It is obligatory for every believer to be humble, fearful, show respect and be still when they mention the Prophet ﷺ, may Allah ﷻ bless him and grant him peace, or the Prophet ﷺ is mentioned in their presence. They should be as respectful as they would have been if they had actually been in his presence taking on the adab which Allah ﷻ taught us.” That is the way our right acting Salaf and past Imams behaved.
Imām Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ, Ash-Shifā bi-Taʿrīf Ḥuqūq al-Muṣṭafā
