عربي
Home


Articles

Articles

The Obligation to Honor the Prophetic Station and to Uphold Complete Etiquette toward His Noble Rank
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 24-08-2026

 

The Obligation to Honor the Prophetic Station and to Uphold Complete Etiquette toward His Noble Rank

On the occasion of the anniversary of the birth of our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the General Iftaa Department affirms the obligation to honor the Prophetic station and to uphold complete etiquette (adab) toward his noble rank.

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

The Noble Qur'an and the pure Prophetic Sunnah have made obligatory the observance of complete etiquette and reverence toward our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ — including the obligation to carefully select one's words, elevating one's speech in a manner befitting his noble rank, and in describing his states and accounts, peace and blessings be upon him. Allah, the Exalted, says (what means): "That you [people] may believe in Allah and His Messenger and honor him and respect him [i.e., the Prophet] and exalt Allah morning and afternoon" [al-Fatḥ/9]. And Allah, the Exalted, says (what means): "Do not make [your] calling of the Messenger among yourselves as your calling of one another" [an-Nūr/63].

Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has made obligatory his honoring — meaning, his support and reverence — and has made incumbent his esteem and exaltation. Accordingly, using any expression that carries disrespect toward his noble station is among the major sins, even if the speaker did not intend disrespect.

For this reason, the noble Companions and those who followed them in righteousness refrained from transmitting the mockery and insults directed at the Messenger of Allah ﷺ by the polytheists and hypocrites, even merely for the sake of narration. This has been clarified by the scholars. It is stated in the book ash-Shifā bi-Ta‘rīf Ḥuqūq al-Muṣṭafā — after mentioning those who transmitted scholarly consensus (ijmā‘) on the prohibition of narrating what was used to mock the Prophet ﷺ: "May Allah have mercy on our pious predecessors, who were so careful to safeguard their religion — they omitted from the narrations of the military campaigns (maghāzī) and biographical accounts (siyar) whatever followed this path, meaning disrespect, and abstained from narrating it, except for a few minor and inoffensive matters mentioned in a manner similar to the earlier examples, so as to show Allah's vengeance upon the one who uttered such words, and His seizing of the slanderer for his sin. This is Abū ‘Ubayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām, may Allah have mercy on him, who exercised great caution in his books regarding the mocking Arabic poetry he was compelled to cite as evidence — he would conceal the name of the one being mocked by using a name of similar meter, safeguarding his own religion and taking care not to participate in defaming anyone through narrating or spreading such material. How much more so, then, regarding anything that touches upon the honor of the master of mankind, peace and blessings be upon him."

Adhering to the noblest and most fitting speech is thus a sharī‘ah obligation, and it is among the rights owed to the Prophet ﷺ by Muslims — a measure of a Muslim's faith, the sincerity of his following, and his appreciation of what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ represents for him. He is the mercy sent [to all creation], and the illuminating lamp sent with wisdom. It is therefore fitting for believers to express their gratitude to him, peace and blessings be upon him, through faith in him and emulation of his guidance, until adherence to proper etiquette toward him becomes a way of life for believers. And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.

The published article reflects the opinion of its author

Article Number [ Previous | Next ]

Read for Author




Comments


Captcha


Warning: this window is not dedicated to receive religious questions, but to comment on topics published for the benefit of the site administrators—and not for publication. We are pleased to receive religious questions in the section "Send Your Question". So we apologize to readers for not answering any questions through this window of "Comments" for the sake of work organization. Thank you.




Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on fasting only on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday?

In voluntary fasting (nafl), it is disliked (makruh) to fast only on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
However:
● If one fasts a day before or after Friday, then that is permissible.
● The same applies to Saturday and Sunday—fasting them along with another day removes the dislike.
● Fasting all three days (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) together is not disliked.
If any of these days coincide with a recommended fasting day, such as Arafah or Ashura, then fasting it alone is not disliked.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on a person who abandons prayer after reaching puberty—is he required to make them up?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Making up missed obligatory prayers is an Islamic duty just as performing them in their proper time is obligatory, and taking care of them takes precedence over performing voluntary prayers. This is established by the practice of our Supreme Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when the polytheists distracted him on the Day of the Trench from performing the Asr prayer, so he made it up afterward, as well as the Hadith: "Pay Allah what is due to Him, for Allah is most deserving of fulfillment." (Recorded by Al-Bukhari)
 
Furthermore, it is valid to make up missed prayers at any time.
 
Whoever has missed a number of prayers and does not know their exact count, it is obligatory upon them to sincerely repent and exert their utmost effort to estimate their number. If they are unable to determine the exact count, they should base it on what is most probable according to their best judgment. They should then make them up gradually; if one performs one missed prayer alongside every current obligatory prayer, the matter becomes easy and manageable, and with the passage of time, one will complete what is owed, Allah willing. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on praying seated due to severe obesity, given that I experience hardship in performing the prayer — especially when rising from the ground after sujūd to perform the next rak‘ah?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Standing, when one is able to do so, is a pillar of the prayer. However, whoever would experience severe, intolerable hardship, or fears harm to himself or to a limb due to obesity, or finds that standing causes him to lose his khushū‘ (humble focus and concentration) in prayer, then there is no objection to his praying seated on a chair or on the ground, performing rukū‘ (bowing) and sujūd (prostration) through gesture — provided that the gesture for sujūd is made lower than that for rukū‘. Whoever is able, at any point, to properly perform any one of these pillars, is obligated to perform it in full; for omitting it is a concession that applies only in cases of genuine inability. The Prophet ﷺ said: "When I command you to do something, do of it whatever you are able." (Related by al-Bukhārī). As the scholars of fiqh have established: what remains possible is not waived on account of what is difficult.
The criterion for determining genuine inability, as chosen by Imam al-Ḥaramayn al-Juwaynī (raḥimahullāh), is that the worshipper experiences hardship that causes him to lose his khushū‘.
As for voluntary (nafl) prayer, there is no objection to performing it while seated, even if one is able to stand. However, rukū‘ and sujūd must still be performed [in their proper physical form] by anyone who is able to do so. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on using the *subḥah* (prayer beads) to count during *tasbīḥ* and *dhikr*?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is recommended to use the ordinary or electronic subḥah (prayer beads or counter) to count tasbīḥ, dhikr, and istighfār, because it helps one to remember Allah. Many reports have been transmitted from the Companions and the Followers (tābiʿūn) showing that they continued to use strings of date pits as an aid to dhikr and tasbīḥ.
It is one of the lawful means of worship. Indeed, what is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), namely that he counted tasbīḥ on his right hand, shows that it is permissible to count tasbīḥ with whatever helps a Muslim keep track of the number. There is therefore no basis for calling it an innovation (bidʿah), and we know of no jurist who said so.
Al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote a dedicated treatise on the subject titled al-Minḥah fī al-Subḥah, printed within al-Ḥāwī li’l-Fatāwī (vol. 4–6).
Shaykh al-Islām Imam Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: Does the subḥah have a basis in the Sunnah? He replied: “Yes, and al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī wrote on this. Among the evidence is what is authentically reported from Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both): ‘I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) counting tasbīḥ on his hand.’ Ibn Abī Shaybah, Abū Dāwūd, and al-Tirmidhī also narrated: ‘Hold fast to tasbīḥ, tahlīl, and taqdīs, and do not be heedless, lest you forget the affirmation of Allah’s oneness (tawḥīd). Count them on the fingertips, for they will be questioned and made to speak.’ Counting tasbīḥ with pebbles, date pits, and a knotted string has also been reported from a group of the Companions and those after them. Some scholars held that counting on the fingertips is better than the subḥah, based on the ḥadīth of Ibn ʿUmar. Others distinguished, saying: if the one reciting is safe from miscounting, counting on the fingertips is better; otherwise the subḥah is better.” [al-Fatāwā al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubrā, Vol.1/p.152]. And Allah Almighty knows best.

See More