Wa alaykum as-Salam wa rahmatullah:

Mohamed N A S wrote:

No, but to insure success simply have the name of our Holy Prophet upon him blessings and peace, inscribed without further addition. Meaning:

ALLAH swt [e.g. to the top right of the Mihrab]

MUHAMMAD saws [e.g. to the top left of the Mihrab]

This is the standard Ottoman model that is widespread in Egypt, Syria, and other places while the South Asian subcontinent and Southeast Asia including Thailand may have:

YA ALLAH YA MUHAMMAD

Typically when a subcontinent mosque slightly Najdificates itself, it will replace the above with something like:

YA HAYY YA QAYYUM

thus pretending Taqwa while in fact squarely violating the Qur'anic verse
{ and We have raised your mention }, a raising which is precisely the reason for placing the name of the Holy Prophet high, as it is inscribed on the Divine Throne and the tree-leaves of Paradise and its gates in the authentic hadiths.

The origin of this Sunni adab, of course, is the Shahadat al-Islam, without which one remains outside of the fold of Islam, namely:

[LA ILAHA ILLA] ALLAH MUHAMMADun [RASULULLAH]

Yes, in addition to what I have already mentioned or rather first and foremost, it is found in the Prophet's Mosque in Madina as I describe it below exactly as those names are inscribed, after seeing them with my own eyes and writing them down one by one in my notebook during my visitation:

When I first visited Madina al-Munawwara in 1999 I formed the intention to visit our liege-lord Muh.ammad, upon him blessings and peace, then I headed for the Bāb al-Salām gate of the Prophet's original mosque to perform the visitation.

We began wading through many shoulders and elbows, surrounded by tearful calls to the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace and supplications taken from the Prophet's Sunna and the devoted Saints of Islam. Slowly, we passed along the qibla wall of the old mosque as expanded by the Rightly-Guided Caliph and Commander of the Believers 'Uthmān ibn 'Affān, God be well-pleased with him. There, one could read the names of the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, from Imām al-Jazūlī's (d. 870) Dalā'il al-Khayrāt, highlighted in beautiful Arabic calligraphy and preserved since the time of the Ottoman Commander of the Believers, Sultan 'Abd al-H.amīd Khān. I recited those names filled with blessings as I began my salām to our Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, rehearsing in a low voice: al-salāmu 'alaykum yā Rasūlallāh, al-salāmu 'alaykum:

T.ayyib: Pure One.
Muqtafī: Follower of the Prophets.
Jāmi': Unifier.
Qayyim: Precious One.
Kāmil: Perfect One.
Iklīl: Diadem.
ʿAbd Allāh: True Servant of God.
H.abīb Allāh: Beloved of God.
S.afī Allāh: Purest Friend of God.
Najī Allāh: Confidant of God.
Kalīm Allāh: Conversant With God.
Rasūl al-Thaqalayn: Messenger to Jinn and Men.
Mudhakkir: Reminder.
Nās.ir: Helper to Victory.
Ma'lūm: Illustrious One.
Shahīr: Famous One.
Bashīr: Bearer of God's Promise.
Mashhūd: Fully Witnessed One.
Mubashshir: Bringer of Glad Tidings.
Nūr: Light.
Mis.bāh.: Lamp.
Hudan: Guidance.
Mahdī: Guided One.
Munīr: Giver of Light.
Dāʿin: Summoner.
H.aqq: Truth Itself.
Walī: Guardian.
ʿAfūw: Forgiving One.
H.afīy: Most Hospitable and Kind.
Matīn: Steadfast One.
Qawīy: Strong One.
Ma'mūn: Trustworthy One.
Karīm: Generous One.
Mukarram: Honoured One.
Makīn: Firmly Established One.
Mubīn: Clear One.
Mu'ammil: Rouser of Hope.
Dhā Quwwatin wa-S.awl: Mighty and Powerful One.
Dhā H.urma: Sacrosanct, Venerated One.
Dhā Makāna: Possessor of Eminent Station.
Dhā Fad.l: Most Excellent One.
Dhā 'Izz: Majestic One.
Mut.āʿ: Obeyed One.
Madhmaz: He of Blessed Memory.
Mut.īʿ: Obedient One to God.
S.idq: Truthfulness Itself.
Bushrā wa-Rah.matan lil-Mu'minīn:
Good News and Mercy to the Believers.
Minnat Allāh: Lavish Bounty from God.
Niʿmat Allāh: Abundant Favour from God.
Hidāyat Allāh: Guidance from God.
ʿUrwatun Wuthqā: Firm Rope to God.
S.irāt. Allāh: Path to God.
S.irāt. Mustaqīm: Straight Path.
Sayf Allāh: Sword of God.
Dhikr Allāh: Remembrance of God.
H.izb Allāh: Party of God.
Mus.t.afā: Most Elect One.
Najmun Thāqib: Piercing Star.
Mujtabā: Most Chosen One.
Muntaqā: Most Selected One.
Ummī: Most God-Dependent One.
Abā al-Qāsim: Father of al-Qāsim.
Abā al-T.āhir: Father of al-T.āhir.
S.ālih.: Saintly One.
Shafīʿ: Intercessor.
Mushaffaʿ: One Granted Intercession.
Mus.lih.: Redresser.
Muhaymin: Prevailing One.
S.ādiq: Truthful One.
S.adūq: Upright One.
Mas.dūq: Trusted One.
Wajīh: Distinguished One in the Divine Presence.
Khalīl al-Rah.mān: Intimate Friend of the All-Beneficent.
Barr: Pious One.
Mubirr: Fulfiller of Engagements.
Shafīq: Solicitous One.
Muqīm al-Sunna: Establisher of the Sunna.
Muqaddas: Sanctified One.
Rūh. al-Qudus: Spirit of Holiness.
Rūh. al-Qist.: Spirit of Justice.
Muktafin: One Granted Sufficiency.
Bāligh: Dutiful One Who Has Reached His Goal.
Muballigh: Conveyer of God's Message in Full.
Wās.il: He Who Has Reached His Goal and Connects Us.
Maws.ūl: Connected One.
Sābiq: First and Foremost.
Sā'iq: Leader and Conductor.
Hād: Guide.
Muqaddam: Holder of Precedence.
Muhdin: Gift.
Fād.il: Most Excellent One.
Mufad.d.āl: Preferred One.
Fātih.: Opener.
ʿAzīz: Sovereign.
Miftāh.: Key.
Miftāh. al-Rah.ma: Key of Mercy.
Miftāh. al-Janna: Key of Paradise.
Dalīl al-Khayrāt: Guide to All Good Things.
'Alam al-Yaqīn: Emblem of Certainty.
S.āh.ib al-Muʿjizāt: Holder of the Stunning Miracles.
S.afūh. ʿan al-Zallāt: Neglecter of Lapses.
S.āh.ib al-Maqām: Holder of the Exalted Station.
S.āh.ib al-Qadam: Possessor of The Foothold.
ʿAlam al-Imān: Emblem of Belief.
S.āh.ib al-Kawthar: Owner of the River Kawthar.
Wakīl: Dependable Trustee.
Kafīl: Guarantor.
Makhs.ūs. bil-ʿIzz: Singled Out with Special Might.
Makhs.ūs. bil-Sharaf: Singled Out with Special Honor.
Makhs.ūs. bil-Majd: Singled Out with Special Glory.
S.āh.ib al-Sayf: Owner of the Sword.
S.āh.ib al-Qadīb: Owner of the Staff.
S.āh.ib al-Tāj: Owner of the Crown.
S.āh.ib al-Mighfar: Owner of the Helmet.
S.āh.ib al-Khātam: Owner of the Seal.
S.āh.ib al-ʿAlāma: Owner of the Sign.
S.āh.ib al-Bayān: Ultimate Spokesman.
S.āh.ib al-Burāq: Rider of the Lightning-Mount.
S.āh.ib al-Liwā': Standard-Bearer.
Fas.īh. al-Lisān: Most Eloquent Speaker.
Mut.ahhar al-Janān: Purified of Heart.
Khat.īb al-Umam: Orator to the Nations.
'Alam al-Hudā: Emblem of Guidance.
'Ayn al-Ghurr: Radiance Itself.
'Ayn al-Na'īm: Bliss Itself.
Sa'dullah: Felicity Bestowed by God.
Sa'd al-Khalq: Felicity Bestowed upon Creation.
S.āh.ib al-Khas.ā'is.: Owner of the Exclusive Attributes.
Rafī' al-Rutab: Holder of the Highest Ranks. ʿIzz al-ʿArab: Might and Glory of the Arabs.

These are the 130 names of the Holy Prophet upon him blessings and peace, calligraphied by the Ottomans on the qibla wall beginning at Bāb al-Salām and ending at Bāb Gibrīl. Many more names have been documented, among them:

Ghawth: Helper. Ghayyāth: Prompt, Frequent Helper. Hadiyyat Allāh: God's Gift. Kāshif al-Kurab: Remover of Adversities. Madʿūw: Called upon. Muh.yin: Reviver. Mujāb: Whose Request is Granted. Mujīb: Responsive to Requests. Mukarram: Highly Honored. Munajjī: Savior. Muntaqā: Carefully Selected. Muqīl al-'Atharāt: Dismisser of Private Faults. Mus.ah.h.ih. al-H.asanāt: Ratifier of Good Deeds. Nas.īh.: One Who Excels at Sincere Advice. S.āh.ib al-Darajat al-Rafī'a: Possessor of the Highest Degree. S.āh.ib al-Fad.īla: Possessor of Greatest Pre-Eminence. S.āh.ib al-Faraj: Bringer of Deliverance. S.āh.ib al-Izār: Wearer of the Loin-wrap. S.āh.ib al-Ridā': Wearer of the Cloak. S.ah.īh. al-Islām: Completer of Islam. Sayyid: Master. Sayyid al-Kawnayn: Master of Humanity and Jinn. Shāfī: Healer. Wah.īd: Unique One. Was.ūl: Achiever of Attainment.....

The pious Qād.ī of Beirut and Qudus and lover of the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, Shaykh Yūsuf ibn Ismāʿīl al-Nabhānī, God have mercy on him, provided the most comprehensive documentation of the Prophetic names to date in his works such as Ah.san al-Wasā'il fī Naz.mi Asmā'i al-Nabiyyi al-Kāmil ("The Best Means in Versifying the Names of the Perfect Prophet"), in three hundred verses, in print. The Qād.ī wrote a brief history of the compilations of the Prophetic Names in his introduction to his commentary on al-Jazūlī's Dalā'il al-Khayrāt titled al-Dalālāt al-Wād.ih.āt in which he mentioned various recensions to date:

Al-Qād.ī 'Iyād.'s superlative masterpiece al-Shifā; Ibn Dih.ya's commentary on the names of the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace; Al-Fākihānī's al-Fajr al-Munīr; Abū 'Imrān al-Zanātī's compendium of 201 names; Al-Jazūlī's devotional masterpiece Dalā'il al-Khayrāt in which he relied on al-Zanātī; Al-Suyūt.ī's al-H.adā'iq fī Asmā'i Khayr al-Khalā'iq which contains over 300 names; Al-Suyūt.ī's al-Riyād. al-Anīqa fī Asmā'i Khayr al-Khalīqa which lists sources for the H.adā'iq; Al-Suyūt.ī's al-Bahjat al-Saniyya which contains 500 names; Al-Sakhāwī's al-Qawl al-Badī' fil-S.alāt 'alāl-H.abīb al-Shafī' which contains 450 names; Al-Qast.allānī's al-Mawāhib al-Lāduniyya in which he relied on al-Sakhāwī; Al-Zarqānī's Sharh. al-Mawāhib which contains over 800 names; Al-Nabhānī's Ah.san al-Wasā'il in verse and al-Asmā fīmā li-Rasūlillāhi min al-Asmā in prose with 830 names; A trilingual Arabic-English-Urdu recension was recently published by the late Shaykh Anīs Ludhianvī rah.imahullāh in the United Kingdom.

On the contrary I am extremely happy for this email as it reminds us of one of the fundamental obligations of our Islamic Creed without which one remains [our is in Allah] a Jew or a Christian who love Musa and ʿIsa but not Muhammad, upon them blessings and peace, is this acceptable? By Allah, No, not one bit. Each name and attribute of the Prophet and each mention of him is a reminder at the very least to invoke blessings on him, which is a Qur'anic command.

If one finds the love of Rasulullah burning bright in their heart and soul and reflected perfectly in their practice and constant Salawat then there is no problem and no need of reminder on the wall or anywhere else; however, for the majority of us this is simply not the case.

Therefore, the remembrance of the Prophet upon him blessings and peace, becomes incumbent upon them and this is the responsibility of the authorities. Those authorities never had a problem nor were ever remiss with this duty through the ages of our history. I believe it would be entirely in the spirit of Mawlana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui to show firmness on this and insist on placing high the honor of Rasulullah and throwing back any insinuation that this is questionable Sunna or Tawhid, back to the faces of any such would-be censors.

We read before our teacher Shaykh Muhammad Adnan al-Majd al-Hasani in Damascus with his chain to the andalusian Hafiz, Imam Abu al-ʿAbbas Ahmad ibn Maʿadd al-Uqlishi (d. 550) in his book _Anwaar al-Aathaar al-Mukhtassa bi-Fadl al-Salat ʿala al-Nabi al-Mukhtar Salla Allahu ʿalayhi wa-Alihi wa-Sahbihi wa-Sallam_ (ed. Husayn Muhammad ʿAli Shukri, Madina, 1996 p. 44-45):

ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAbd al-Hakam said: "I saw al-Shafiʿi, Allah have mercy on him, in my sleep [after his death] and I said: 'What did Allah do with you?'

"He replied, 'He has granted me mercy and forgiven me, and He has adorned me and brought me into Paradise the way a bride is adorned and brought, and it was strewn over me [precious ornaments and gifts] the way a bride is strewn over!'

"I said, 'How did you reach such a state?'

"He replied, 'Let someone tell you how much invocation of blessings on Muhammad, upon him blessings and peace, there is in [my book] _al-Risala_.

"I said, 'How so?'

"He replied, '[The expression:] Wa-salli Allahumma ʿala Muhammadin ʿadada ma dhakarahu al-dhakiruna wa-ʿadada ma ghafala ʿanhu al-ghafilun.' [and bestow blessings, O Allah, on Muhammad, to the number of the remembrances of those that remember and to the number of the heedlessness of those that are heedless.]

"In the morning I looked into the _Risala_ and found it there as I had seen in my dream."

O Allah! Do not make us end up among the heedless nor trade our love and remembrance of the Prophet for a worldly robe and mortal office, even if everyone applauds us and approves of us here in dunya; but, rather, grant us acceptance among Your Friends and Angels under the Banner of Your Prophet here and hereafter, Amin!


gibril