10 Things You May Not Know About Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
Family & Life Team
23 October, 2020
The Prophet Muhammad’s birthday is not just a good occasion to remember him and tell our kids about his story. It is also an opportunity to search more about the details of his life.
We need to do so in order to strengthen our love for him, to be more grateful to Allah for sending him to us, and to better imitate him in our daily lives.
Prophet Muhammad
How Did Prophet Muhammad Look?
Here are 10 quick pieces of information about the Prophet Muhammad that many Muslims may not know:
1 – The Prophet Muhammad’s favorite color was green.
2 – The Prophet’s favorite food was honey.
3 – His favorite drink was sweet and chilled.
4 – His sweat was a perfume. No exaggeration or compliment, it was.
5 – His saliva was a remedy. Really!
6 – His voice was loud enough that during his last sermon it reach 124,000 pilgrims without any amplification.
7 – He never once interrupted anyone while they were speaking.
8 – He was the most beautiful among all the prophets.
Sami Yusuf
Sami Yusuf Sings for the Prophet - Al-Mu'allim
9 – He slept on his right side, with his right hand tucked under his cheek.
10 – He used miswak every night.
Source: Maulana Muhammad Zakariya Kandhelwi, ed. and trans. of Tirmidhi, al-Shama’il al-muhammadiyya, 2nd ed. (1994)
These 9 Lovely Hadiths Show Prophet’s Care for Children
Amatullah Abdullah
23 October, 2020
Children are a great blessing from Allah. With their tender hearts, children can be molded into righteous people only with a positive and tender approach. Islam considers children to be an amanah (trust) given to the family. Therefore, it is fard (obligatory) for the family to raise a child in a righteous manner.
5 Hadiths About Girl Children
5 Hadiths About Caring for Daughters
One should not favor one child over another. In Islam, both male and female children should be treated equally and should be loved and cherished. The children have certain rights over their parents; it is the family’s obligation to shelter, feed, clothe, educate, support, nurture, and love them.
Financial support is not everything
In today’s world many parents are so immersed in worldly life that they forget to pay attention to their children. Many parents think that providing financial support for their child is enough.
The fact is, financial support alone doesn’t fulfill a parent’s duty towards their child. One can only win a child’s heart through love and a gentle attitude. It is the child’s right to be loved and cherished.
I remember that, as a child, I yearned for the attention of my family. But being in a joint family—my family and my uncle’s family lived together and a few other cousins stayed with us as their parents were working abroad—did not give me the opportunity to experience the kind of attention I expected.
Cherish Your Wife the Prophet's Way (10+ Hadiths)
Cherish Your Wife the Prophet's Way (10+ Hadiths)
My parents felt that they should not express their love for their children in front of others, as people might think they were favoring us.
As a child (and even now), I heard people saying “We need not to express our love to prove that it is there, it is enough to have a loving heart.”
But the fact is that only when one expresses love to a child will the child feel more confident and stronger. Children have the capacity to easily distinguish when there is a difference in the attitude of the adults. Whether an adult shows or does not show love will have a significant impact on a child.
Hence, we adults have to be conscious with our behavior in the child’s presence and be constantly aware of the emotions we project to our children.
Learn kindness from the Prophet
Nowadays, we see people have become hardhearted so that their attitude towards children is unpleasant. There are some who show much partiality toward one gender, and there are some who don’t treat others’ children with the same kindness or affection which they show to their own children.
It is common to see even people who claim that they act on the Quran and Sunnah showing less interest in playing with their children or giving them the due attention or expression of love.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the model for the whole of humankind. His attitude towards children was always compassionate and merciful.
Being fond of children, Prophet Muhammad showed great interest in playing with them. His involvement in children’s games shows us the great importance in playing with our children.
He would have fun with the children who had come back from Abyssinia and tried to speak in Abyssinian with them. It was his practice to give lifts on his camel to children when he returned from journeys.
Prophet Muhammad never held back his love for the children and always expressed his fondness to them. In one hadith Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
I went along with Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) at a time during the day but he did not talk to me and I did not talk to him until he reached the market of Banu Qainuqa`.
He came back to the tent of Fatimah and said,
“Is the little chap (meaning Al-Hasan) there?”
We were under the impression that his mother had detained him in order to bathe and dress him and garland him with sweet garland.
Not much time had passed that he (Al-Hasan) came running until both of them embraced each other, thereupon Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “O Allah, I love him; love him and love one who loves him.” (Muslim)
Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), the servant of the Prophet, had another recollection:
I never saw anyone who was more compassionate towards children than Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). His son Ibrahim was in the care of a wet nurse in the hills around Madinah. He would go there, and we would go with him, and he would enter the house, pick up his son and kiss him, then come back. (Muslim)
Mercy for all kids
The Prophet’s love for children was not restricted to his children and grandchildren. The scope of his mercy and affection embraced all children, and he showed the same interest and gentleness to his Companion’s children.
The following hadith narrated by Usamah ibn Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) shows this humane aspect of the Prophet’s personality:
Allah’s Messenger used to put me on (one of) his thighs and put Al-Hasan ibn `Ali on his other thigh, and then embrace us and say, “O Allah! Please be merciful to them, as I am merciful to them.” (Al-Bukhari)
Express your love
Some people who were not able to understand the power of expressing love to children wondered why the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) played with children and took such an interest in them. Narrated Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him),
Allah’s Messenger kissed Al-Hasan ibn `Ali while Al-Aqra` ibn Habis At-Tamimi was sitting with him . Al-Aqra` said, “I have ten children and have never kissed one of them.” The Prophet cast a look at him and said, “Whoever is not merciful to others will not be treated mercifully.” (Al-Bukhari)
The Prophet was always concerned about everyone’s thought and feeling. The following hadith narrated by Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) proves his thoughtful character:
The Prophet said, “(It happens that) I start the prayer intending to prolong it, but on hearing the cries of a child, I shorten the prayer because I know that the cries of the child will incite its mother’s passions.” (Al-Bukhari)
The Prophet was always patient and considerate with children and took great pain not to hurt their tender feelings. Narrated Abu Qatadah:
“The Messenger of Allah came towards us while carrying Umamah the daughter of Abi Al-`As (Prophet’s granddaughter) over his shoulder. He prayed, and when he wanted to bow, he put her down. When he stood up he lifted her up.” (Al-Bukhari)
In a another hadith, narrated Umm Khalid:
I went to Allah’s Messenger with my father and I was wearing a yellow shirt. Allah’s Messenger said, “Sanah, Sanah!” (`Abdullah, the narrator, said that sanah meant “good” in the Ethiopian language).
Read Also: 5 Hadiths About Caring for Daughters
I then started playing with the seal of prophethood (between the Prophet’s shoulders). My father rebuked me harshly for that.
Allah’s Messenger said, “Leave her.” The Prophet, then, invoked Allah to grant her a long life thrice. (Al-Bukhari)
In another narration we see the Prophet’s tolerance towards children. Narrated `A’ishah:
The Prophet took a child in his lap … and then the child urinated on him, so he asked for water and poured it over the place of the urine. (Al-Bukhari)
Finally, the following hadith emphasizes that Muslims should be conscious to treat their sons and daughters justly:
“Fear Allah and treat your children [small or grown] fairly (with equal justice).” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
From all the above hadith we see Prophet Muhammad’s attitude toward children. It is an example for the whole human race that shows how to treat them and cherish them at all times.
Did Prophet Muhammad Really Oppress Women?!
23 October, 2020
QDid Muhammad advocate the oppression and subjugation of women?
ANSWER
Ibrahim Malabari
23 October, 2020
Short Answer:
Of course not. He specifically spoke about the equal status of men and women, worked to improve the lives of those women in his life, and taught men to treat women with respect.
Salam Dear Sister,
Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.
Did Prophet Muhammad Really Oppress Women?!
It is a misconception that the Prophet Muhammad advocated the oppression of women as it has been perceived to be shown in his actions and the principles that he taught his followers.
Some ask: how can one dismiss the oppression of women as wrongful acts perpetrated by some misguided Muslims, when it was endorsed by the very Prophet of Islam?
Furthermore, some argue, since the Prophet Muhammad prescribed laws for women from the perspective of a man and the patriarchal, tribal society in which he lived, this would naturally lead to diminishing the status of women.
Therefore, the argument goes, Islamic attitudes and laws should be viewed as outdated and in need of revision.
But is it really the case that the Prophet’s teachings and practices endorse an oppressive way of life for women?
Moreover, were his teachings based on his personal knowledge, experience, or the conditions of the society in which he lived?
Gender Equality in Islam
Are Islamic attitudes toward women related to personal, social, and historical conditions? As stated in the Quran:
It is God who created you from a single person, and made its mate of like nature, in order that you might dwell with each other in mutual love. (Quran 7:189)
This important verse expresses equality in the essence of both men and women.
It is a principle that is grounded in an overarching view of humankind in Islam: that men and women are at the most fundamental level equal in the pursuit of ultimate happiness.
While Islamic law takes for granted certain biological and social differences between men and women, this overarching view of gender equality is never sacrificed.
At the same time, the rules and regulations that apply to women that seem discriminatory from a modern perspective were not based on the Prophet’s personal opinion or historical contingencies.
Rather, Muslims believe that the Prophet was the conveyer of divine speech which carries far-reaching wisdom.
Grasping aspects of God’s wisdom requires learning, spiritual insight, and experience. Thus, for a Muslim, it is not to be refuted simply because they run contrary to some modern sentiments.
It should be added that although there are biological and social differences between the genders, the Prophet’s ethics connect man and woman in a very significant way. In their pursuit of good works, the two are meant to be agents of good and help one another in doing what is ultimately virtuous.
Prophet Muhammad Worked to Improve the Lives of Women
The Quran not only endows women with the lofty ideals of attaining virtue and knowledge but also inextricably links the function of men with that of women. Thus one gender is not privileged over another.
In describing the relationship of a husband to his wife, the Quran says:
You are a garment to her and she is a garment to you. (Quran 2:187)
Both are to be mutually supportive in the pursuit of good.
The Prophet not only treated women fairly and equally, but also raised her status in a society that treated women as a curse and as inferior.
This was a society that buried alive newly born girls to protect a skewed view of honor.
Two critical instances demonstrate the care and rank he assigned to women.
First, just before his death, when one would be concerned with the most significant of matters, the Prophet strongly advised his companions to treat women gently and compassionately.
Another occasion was his farewell speech at Mount Nur, on his only Pilgrimage which was reportedly attended by one hundred and twenty thousand people.
He purposely used that unique and rare occasion to instruct his companions to treat women fairly and compassionately, lest people go back to their old and unjust practices.
Hundreds of examples can be cited from his own life that show how he treated women compassionately and with utmost dignity and respect.
He taught them that “women are exactly like men.”
This is an explicit statement from the Prophet proclaiming the equality of women and men in status and rank.
He Personally Worked Helping the Women In His Life
Whenever his daughter Fatima would come to see him, he would stand to greet her, kiss her, and seat her in his place.
Whenever he visited her, she would do the same: stand up to greet him, kiss him, and seat him in her place.
Women who many would consider unimportant were able to take his attention and go around the streets of Medina to fulfill some of their needs.
In the Prophet, they would always find a helping hand- such was his humbleness, tenderness, and mercy towards women.
Hundreds of examples can be cited from his own life that show how he treated women compassionately and with the utmost dignity and respect.
He showed respect and dignity not only towards Muslim women and women of his community, but also to non-Muslim women and outsiders alike.
Women from various backgrounds, races, and ages found in him refuge and mercy.
The Spirituality of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
Aisha Stacey
22 October, 2020
This short series of three articles will examine the spirituality of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) – Our Spiritual Guide
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) - Our Spiritual Guide
The first article will concentrate predominantly on Prophet Muhammad’s life before prophethood: his childhood and his young adulthood.
During this time, his spirituality was honed and polished by God beginning in his very early life.
Spirituality in Islam
It is useful to have a clear understanding of what the word ‘spirituality’ means. Dictionary.com defines spirituality as the state or quality of being dedicated to God, religion, or spiritual things or values, especially when contrasted with material or temporal things or values.
In Islam we add to this definition by linking spirituality to the purpose of life. A Muslim’s purpose in life is to worship God; thus spirituality is the way in which our actions and thoughts connect us to God.
A Difficult Childhood
Prophet Muhammad’s early life was, at least to our modern way of viewing things, very unsettled. Even if he had been surrounded by love and tenderness, his reality may very well have felt difficult and overwhelming.
Prophet Muhammad was born an orphan. Islam defines an orphan as one without a living father and Prophet Muhammad’s father died before he was born, perhaps only a matter of days before he was born.
As was the custom at the time, Prophet Muhammad’s mother sent her infant son to be raised in the countryside. Not long after his reunification with his mother, she died leaving Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the care of his grandfather, who unfortunately, died around the time Muhammad was eight years old.
Such a lot of upheaval for a small boy; however his next home was more permanent. He was given in to the care of his uncle Abu Talib who became a staunch supporter of Muhammad both before and after prophethood.
5 Reasons Why the Life of the Prophet Muhammad Was Spiritual
5 Reasons Why the Life of the Prophet Muhammad Was Spiritual
Some scholars suggest that Muhammad became the most loved amongst Abu Talib’s eight children. As a young child Prophet Muhammad experienced, what we nowadays call abandonment, the caregivers that he must have loved were ripped away from him, time after time, due to adult circumstances he had no way of understanding. These issues contributed to the development of his kind and generous personality.
God Prepared Him
However, this is not always the case, often children who suffer from even one traumatic life event have trouble adjusting to adulthood. They often feel isolated, with low self-worth and develop unhealthy coping issues.
For Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) this was not the case. God did not abandon him; however, He did use his life circumstances to mold him into a man prepared for Prophethood, one with a finely tuned sense of morality and fairness.
Have We not opened your breast for you, And removed your burden, that weighed down your back, And have We not raised your fame high?… (Quran 94: 1-4)
Scholars suggest that Prophet Muhammad’s social conscience developed as a result of his unusual circumstances. The way in which his caregivers treated him, particularly his grandfather and then his uncle Abu Talib became the basis of his teachings about caring for those less fortunate.
God was directing his life course, and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) chose to reflect on his surroundings and circumstances in a way that connected him to God.
… Did He not find you an orphan and give you refuge? And found you unaware, (of the Quran and Prophethood) and guided you? And He found you poor and made you rich (self-sufficient and content). Therefore, do not oppress the orphan, or repulse the beggar… (Quran 93:5-10)
A Door to Spirituality
Any Link Between Spirituality
Any Link Between Spirituality and Mental Well-being?
All the Prophets of God spent some part of their lives working as shepherds. (Al Bukhari)
This is not a coincidence. The long hours alone, without human company, meant long hours of contemplation and reflection. Pondering the meaning of your life, and the world around you, allows for a deeper connection to God. It is a door to spirituality.
When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was an adolescent, he travelled to Syria with his uncle Abu Talib. This journey is well known.
The monk Bahirah, who came out to meet their caravan having recognized the young boy as a prophet of God, said that this child would be a mercy to all of humankind. He also vehemently suggested that Muhammad not travel on to Syria. Advice that Abu Talib weighed and followed.
Was the boy Muhammad confused? We have no way of knowing. However, we can surmise that his emotions at the time ran the gambit from bewilderment to anger. Prophet Muhammad, like every human being ever born, became the product of his life circumstances and his reaction to them.
Did Muhammad cry out to God in his confusion? We can try to imagine, just as Muhammad must have tried to understand why this was happening to him.
Throughout this tumultuous time, a time that we understand to be fraught with hormonal swings and great surges of brain development, God was ever watchful. Even though we all develop in roughly the same way, there are differences often based on life circumstances and events.
God’s guidance kept Prophet Muhammad away from some of the repulsive and sinful practices that overcome young men before they have matured enough to make good decisions.
A Message of Spirituality
Seerah Of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) - Early Childhood
Seerah Of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) - Early Childhood
Prophet Muhammad’s solitude and introspection led him to make accurate and well thought out choices. He shunned superstitious practices, but welcomed constructive and useful connections. He stayed away from drinking wine, eating meat slaughtered on stone altars or attending wild idolatrous festivals.
Without understanding why or how, Muhammad (peace be upon him) was living Islam before the revelation of the Quran; he inherently practiced the pure monotheism of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him).
Reflection and Meditation
Reflection and meditation on the meanings of life and the world around him led Prophet Muhammad to a well-respected and relatively easy life. He gained strength and fortitude from his natural inclination to weigh the ethics of situations and circumstances; and he went on to become a trader.
This profession taught him many skills that he would need to have in the future. It also led him to marriage.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) married a successful businesswoman. He spent his young adulthood helping to running her business and building a family. He was valued and admired, with loyal friends and compatriots.
However, as he approached his fortieth year he began to yearn for something else, something deeper that added meaning to his life. He began to spend time alone in the caves surrounding Makkah, meditating and pondering.
Without knowing it, Muhammad (peace be upon him) was approaching prophethood. His spirituality, his connection to God was about to reach fruition.
In Prophet Muhammad’s fortieth year, in the cave known as Hira, life as he knew it was about to change, in ways that he had not contemplated.
Prophet Muhammad was searching, as we all do at some time or other, for meaning and internal peace. He did indeed find what he was searching for; but he was shocked to discover that he was now responsible for delivering a message of spirituality to all of humankind.
How Important Is the Status of Prophet Muhammad?
21 October, 2020
QAssalamu Alaykum. The question I wanted to ask is pertaining to the importance of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). I have heard that Adam saw Muhammad's name written on Allah's throne, and Allah said that the world was being created for him. I have also heard, in contrast, that Muhammad was just a messenger, and that we should not try to raise him to more than that.
ANSWER
Dr. Nabil Haroun
21 October, 2020
Short Answer:
A covenant and pledge were taken from previous messengers, especially Musa and `Isa (and hence from their true followers) that they should believe in, follow and support Muhammad in his sealing message.
Faithful Muslims should, and wholeheartedly do, love and regard Prophet Muhammad with high esteem.
The story you referred to in your question—that Adam saw Muhammad’s name written on Allah’s throne—has been unequivocally disproved as forged or weak by scholars of Hadith, such as Ibn Taymiyah, Adh-Dhahabi, Al-`Asqalani, and Al-Albani.
………….
Salam Dear Babar,
Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.
Prophets of Islam
It was the blessing of Allah and His mercy to human beings, above all other creatures on this earth, to endow them with intellect and to enlighten them with His divine guidance through a long string of prophets and messengers, starting with Adam. The Quran says what means:
{Then Adam received (some) Words from his Lord; so He relented towards him; surely He, Ever He, is The Superbly Relenting, The Ever-Merciful.} (Al-Baqarah 2:37)
Prophets and messengers were all normal human beings according to the Quran, which says what means:
{And in no way did We send before you any of the Emissaries, except that surely they indeed ate food and walked in the markets.} (Al-Furqan 25:20)
{…in no way did We send before you except men to whom We revealed [the Message].} (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:7–8)
{And whomever of them should say, “Surely I am a god apart from Him,” then that one We recompense with Hell; thus We recompense the unjust.} (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:29)
{Say [O Muhammad], “Surely I am only a mortal the like of you: it is revealed to me that surely your God is only One God. So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, then let him do righteous deed(s) and not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord.} (Al-Kahf 18:110)
The Excellent Traits and Merits of Prophets
Yet, the chosen prophets were endowed with such moral, spiritual, and intellectual merits to be trustworthy of delivering Allah’s guidance:
{Allah elects of the Angels Messengers and of mankind; (Messengers); surely Allah is Ever-Hearing, Ever-Beholding.} (Al-Hajj 22:75)
{Those are they whom Allah has favored among the Prophets of the offspring of Adam, and of the ones We carried with Nuh, and of the offspring of Ibrahim and Israel [Jacob] and of the ones We guided and selected. When the Ayat [Verses or signs] of the All-Merciful were recited to them, they collapsed constantly prostrating and weeping.} (Maryam 19:58)
Further, they vary in their esteem and quality:
{Those are the Messengers; We have graced some of them over some others; of them [there are some] to whom Allah spoke, and some He raised in degrees.} (Al-Baqarah 2:253)
The Eminent Group of Prophets
Among them are a more eminent group described as ulu-l-`azm *{those endowed with resolve.}*
{So [endure] patiently, as the Messengers endowed with resolve [endured] patiently.} (Al-Ahqaf 46:35)
These are Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), `Isa (Jesus) and, on top of them, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon them all), whose message came to be the final word and the Seal of all Divine Messages:
{And We have sent down to you the Book with the Truth, sincerely verifying whatever of the Book that was before it, and Supremely Hegemonic over it. So judge between them according to what Allah has sent down, and do not ever follow their prejudices away from the Truth that has come to you. } (Al-Ma’idah 5:48)
{He is [The One] Who has sent His Messengers with the guidance and the religion of the Truth, that He [would] make it topmost above all religion; and Allah suffices as the Ever-Present Witness.} (Al-Fath 48:28)
{Indeed you have already had a fair example, in the Messenger of Allah, for whoever hopes for Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.} (Al-Hajj 22:21)
{And surely you [O Muhammad] are indeed of a magnificent character.} (Al-Qalam 68:4)
{It may be that your Lord will make you rise again to a praised station.} (Al-Israa’ 17:79)
How Important Is the Status of Prophet Muhammad?
He (peace be upon him) truthfully described himself:
“From among the sons of Adam, Allah chose Quraysh; from among Quraysh, He chose Kinanah; from among Kinanah He chose Bani Hashim; and from Bani Hashim He chose me” (Muslim).
He also said:
“I will be the chief of all the people on the Day of Resurrection. Do you know the reason for it? … And then Allah will guide me to such praises and glorification to Him as He has never guided anybody else before me. Then it will be said, ‘O Muhammad raise your head. Ask, and it will be granted. Intercede and it (your intercession) will be accepted.’” (Al-Bukhari).
A covenant and pledge were taken from previous messengers, especially Musa and `Isa (and hence from their true followers) that they should believe in, follow and support Muhammad in his sealing message:
{And as Allah took compact with the Prophets [that], “Indeed, whatever I bring you of Book and Wisdom, thereafter a Messenger comes to you sincerely verifying what is with you, indeed you shall definitely believe in him, and indeed you shall definitely vindicate him.” He said, “Do you ratify [that]? And do you take My obligation on those [conditions]?” They said, “We have ratified [that].” He said, “Then, bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.”} (Al-Baqarah 2:81–82)
In this respect the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“By Allah, if my brother Musa were alive, and witnessed my Prophethood, he would have no choice but to follow me” (Ad-Darimi).
Muslims Respect All Prophets
Yet, Muslims have to believe and pay due respect to all prophets and messengers:
{The Messenger has believed in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and the believers [believe]. Everyone [of them] has believed in Allah, and his Angels and His Books, and His Messengers. We make no distinction between any of His Messengers. And they have said, “We have heard, and we have obeyed. Grant [us] Your All-Supreme forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the Destiny.} (Al-Baqarah 2:285)
{And the ones who have believed in Allah and His Messengers and have made no distinction between any of them, those He will eventually bring them their rewards, and Allah has been Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Merciful.} (An-Nisaa’ 4:152)
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Do not give me superiority over the other prophets” (Al-Bukhari).
Faithful Muslims should, and wholeheartedly do, love and regard him with high esteem:
{The ones who closely follow the Messenger, the Prophet, the Illiterate one, whom they find written down in their presence in the Tawrah (Torah) and the Injil (Gospel) … So the ones who believe in him, and rally to him (in assistance) and vindicate him, and closely follow the light that has been sent down with him, those are they [who] are the prosperous.} (Al-A`raf 7:157)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“None of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father, his children and all mankind” (Al-Bukhari).
No Exaggeration in Praise
Yet, he severely warned Muslims of exaggeration in praising or respecting him:
“Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians praised the son of Maryam, for I am only a servant. So, call me the Servant of Allah and His Messenger” (Al-Bukhari).
Exaggerating the character or status of prophets and messengers has repeatedly led to all sorts of deviations from truth, which inflicted all messages prior to Islam.
Deviations took several forms, from deifying human beings, to associating them with God, as sons or as parts of a trinity or a holy family, to taking statues, pictures or different sorts of icons, crosses, etc. as idols to glorify, supplicate, or take a blessing from.
A touch of this tendency to exaggerate the blessed character of the Prophet and his noble family infiltrated the minds and hearts of some Muslim individuals and groups, either as a remnant of their previous polytheistic beliefs, as a result of ignorance and influence of imitation of non-Muslims, or intentionally by those hypocrites who pretended to be Muslims with the aim of distorting Islam from within.
To this effect, they invented ahadith (sayings) referred to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that were propagated by deviant sects, as well as by some of the ignorant masses.
However, Muslim scholars early on scrutinized the validity of the texts as well as the integrity of hadith narrators. Further, they laid strict rules to be applied before accepting any hadith narration.
Disproved Story
In this context, the story you referred to in your question—that Adam saw Muhammad’s name written on Allah’s throne—has been unequivocally disproved as forged or weak by scholars of Hadith, such as Ibn Taymiyah, Adh-Dhahabi, Al-`Asqalani, and Al-Albani.
The story was narrated through `Abdur-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam, who was considered untrustworthy by scholars including Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abu Zar`ah, Ibn Hibban, An-Nasa’i, Ad-Daraqatni, and others.
