A Glimpse into the Life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) – Examples of Glad Tidings of the Acceptance of Prayers
One glorious aspect of the prayers of the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s (sa) was that on receiving information from God, he used to inform about their acceptance beforehand.
Once, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) went to Hazrat Anas bin Malik’s (ra) house and rested there for a while. He dozed off and when he woke up, he was smiling. Umm-e-Haram (ra), the maternal aunt of Hazrat Anas (ra) asked the Holy Prophet (sa) the reason for his smile. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) replied that he had been shown a vision of some Islamic armies sailing on the sea, who were sitting on the planks and were travelling like kings. An idea came to Umm-e-Haram (ra) and she said: ‘O Prophet (sa) of God, pray that I may be included in that lucky group of people.’ The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) in view of the sentiments of this sincere and diligent serving lady, prayed to Allah that she may be included in the sea voyage of this Muslim army. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) dozed off again and on waking up described another vision. On this Umm-e-Haram (ra) requested the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) to pray that she may be included in that group. The Holy Prophet (sa) replied that you have already been included in the first group (about which the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) had prayed a few moments earlier). This prayer was fulfilled in an extraordinary and amazing manner. God granted Umm-e-Haram (ra) a long life and she stayed alive till the time of Hazrat Mu‘awiyah’s (ra) sea voyage, when an army was sent to Cyprus. Umm-e-Haram (ra) accompanied her husband Ubadah bin Samit (ra) on this mission. On her return, she died on the seashore in Syria.
One such incident of advance tidings of acceptance of prayers after receiving information from God, relates to Hazrat Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas (ra). He was one of the early Muslim converts and had migrated from Makkah. On the occasion of the last pilgrimage, he fell ill. It was feared that if he died in Makkah, he might lose the blessing of migration. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) went to find out how he was, and Hazrat Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas (ra) expressed his apprehension before the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) and requested special prayers so that he should not meet his death in Makkah, a place from where he had migrated. His condition was so critical that he had even made his last will regarding the inheritance of his property.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) prayed, ‘O Allah, make the migration of my Companions perpetual.’ He then gave the glad tidings to Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) that the prayer had been accepted and said, ‘O Sa‘d, God will grant you a long life, many people would benefit from you, and some would suffer loss from you.’
Accordingly, God granted Sa‘d (ra) an amazing recovery. He was amongst the ten companions whom the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) gave the glad tidings of paradise while they were alive. He passed away in the year 55 AH, at the age of seventy. The foundation of the victory over the mighty kingdom of Iran was laid down by his hand.
Once, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) went to attend the call of nature. Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas (ra) who was a young child at that time, filled the spouted jug of water for him. When the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) returned, he enquired as to who had fetched the water. He was told it was Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas (ra). The Holy Prophet Muhammad’s (sa) heart was filled with thankfulness; he held Hazrat Abbas (ra) to himself with love and prayed, ‘O Allah, endow this child with the understanding of the faith, O Allah grant him the knowledge and deep insight of the Book.’
This prayer was accepted, and Hazrat Abbas (ra) rose to the status of a renowned jurist and an eminent scholar. He was named حِبْرُ الأُمَّةِ meaning great scholar of the ummah.
Muhammad (sa) – The Perfect Man (Qadian, India: Nazarat Isha’at, 2015), 173-176.
