Sayyidina Muhammad

The Shadowless Prophet

We are living in a world of uncertainty and misconceptions. Some people are posing
questions that attack the very roots of our beliefs about Allah Almighty and the
Prophet , attempting to create doubt in the minds of the unsuspecting Muslims. Today
misguided intellectuals tried to heap insults on the luminous personality of the Prophet
by questioning the extent of his knowledge whereas the commentators of the Holy
Qur'an maintain that in terms of knowledge, the Messenger of Allah is the sun and all
the other prophets are planets orbitting about him. The majority of scholars of Islam
maintain that the Prophet's knowledge constitutes of what was, what is and what will be.
Others deny that Allah created him as light and a source of light.

Now another group has sprung up, seeking recognition by using scientific knowledge as
the basis for Iman (faith). Anything contrary to their understanding of science is
discarded from their principles of faith. In this world there are two types of blind folk--
those who are born without sight; and those who have vision, but refuse to see the light.
It is to educate this group that the Prophet had said: "Where science ends, my Religion
begins".

Miracles of Earlier Prophets

The Holy Qur'an speaks of many miracles which are beyond the imagination of those
who are tied to the cudgels of science, as they cannot be explained through scientific
exposition. Some examples of these are:-

1. According to science, the quality of fire is to burn. Yet, when Sayyidina Ibrahim (as)
was hurled into it at the command of Nimrud, not a single hair of this great Prophet of
Allah was destroyed.

2. Scientific data explains that iron can only melt under great heat, yet this same iron
melted in the hands of Sayyidina Dawud (as).

3. Leprosy, blindness, etc. according to science are virtually incurable illnesses, yet a mere
touch of the blessed hand of Sayyidina `Isa (as) cured the victims of these. Even more
incredible is the restoration of the eyesight of Sayyidina Ya`qub (as) by touching the shirt
of Sayyidina Yusuf (as).

Can these people who are influenced by the new innovators in religion, the
Wahabi/Salafi movement, deny the veracity of these miracles? If these are possible, then
why is it difficult to accept the miracle that the Prophet did not possess a shadow? Do
they have any conclusive proof from a single hadith to prove the contrary ?
On the contrary, there is authenticated proof from the ahadith of the Prophet and
from the writings of great and authentic scholars of Islam which show beyond a shadow
of a doubt that the Messenger of Allah did not possess a shadow.

From Hadith

 Hadith 1: Sayyidina Hakeem Tirmidhi in his book Nawaadirul-Usool narrates

from Sayyidina Zakwaan , a close Companion of the Prophet , the
following Hadith: "The shadow of the Prophet could not be seen in the
brightness of the sun, nor in moonlight".

 Hadith 2: Allamah Ibn al-Jawzi in his Kitabul-Wafa narrates a hadith from

Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Abbas the cousin of the Prophet in which he
said: "The Messenger of Allah had no shadow, not while standing in the
sun, but the brilliance of his light (nur) surpassed the rays of the sun; nor
while sitting before a burning light, but his luminous light excelled the
lustre of the light".

 Hadith 3: Imam Nasafi in his Tafseer Madaarik narrates from Sayyidina

Uthman ibn Affan , the son-in-law of the Prophet that he said to the
Prophet : "Allah Almighty does not let your shadow fall on the ground,
so that no foot of man can fall on it".

 Hadith 4: Imam Jalaludeen Suyuti in his Khasaa'is al-Kubra narrates from Ibn
Saba : "This is also a unique feature of the Prophet that his shadow
did not touch the ground, because he was light (nur), and when he used to
walk in the sunshine his shadow could not be seen."

From Scholars

Having read the words of those who had lived with the Prophet and had closely
watched his every action, we shall now turn to some great scholars of Islam, whose
writings are considered most authentic in Islamic affairs. Pay heed to these to dispel any
doubts that you may have regarding the subject. All these great scholars firmly believed
that the Prophet did not possess a shadow.

Qadi Iyad:

1. Imam Qadi Iyad in his Ash-Shifa states:"The Prophet did not possess a shadow in
the brightness of the sun or in the moonlight, because he was light (nur)".

Imam Ahmad Qastalani

2. Imam Ahmad Qastalani states in Al-Mawahibul-laduniyya: "That the Prophet did not
possess a shadow in the brightness of the sun or moonlight is proven from the ahadith of
Tirmidhi of Ibn Zakwaan and Ibn Saba ."

Shaykh Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlvi

3. Shaykh Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlvi states in Madaarij an-nubuwwah: "The

Prophet's shadow did not appear in sunshine nor in moonlight".

Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi

4. Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi in his Mathnawi states: "Let alone the Prophet , even if an
ordinary servant of the Prophet reaches the stage of inner mortality (baqa), then like
the Prophet , his shadow too disappears".

Peace be upon the Prophet, His Family and Companions