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A series of objects are venerated inIslam because of associations with theIslamic prophetProphet Muhammad.
Islam has had a long history ofrelic veneration, especially of veneration of relics attributed to Muhammad.[1] There exists historical evidence that some of the earliest Muslims practiced the veneration of relics, and the practice remained popular in many parts of theSunniIslamic world until the 18th century, when the reform movements ofSalafism andWahhabism began to staunchly condemn such practices, linking them with the Islamic sin ofshirk (idolatry). As a result of the influence of these perspectives, some contemporary Muslims have rejected the traditional practice of relic veneration altogether.[1] Some of the most prominent relics include those housed inIstanbul'sTopkapı Palace,[2][3][4] in a section known asHirkai Serif Odasi (Chamber of the Holy Mantle), and those atHazratbal, in the Vale of Kashmir including what is claimed to be a hair of Muhammad.
The 17th-century French explorerJean-Baptiste Tavernier wrote about his discussions with two treasurers ofConstantinople, who described the standard, mantle and the seal.[5] Two centuries later, Charles White wrote about the mantle, the standard, the beard, tooth, and footprint of Muhammad, the last of which he saw personally.[6]
Thebattle standard of Muhammad, known inTurkish asSancak-ı Şerif ("Holy Standard"), is claimed to have served as the curtain over the entrance of his wifeAisha's tent. According to another tradition, the standard had been part of the turban ofBuraydah ibn al-Khasib, an enemy who was ordered to attack Muhammad, but instead bowed to him, unwound his turban and affixed it to hisspear, dedicating it and himself to Muhammad's service.[7]
Selim I (r. 1512–1520) acquired it after theOttoman conquest of Egypt, and had it taken to theGrand Mosque of Damascus where it was to be carried during the annualHajj pilgrimage toMecca.Murad III (r. 1574–1595) had it sent to Hungary as a way to motivate his army. In 1595,Mehmed III (r. 1595–1603) had it brought toTopkapı Palace, where it was sewn into another standard, alleged to beUmar's[7] and together they were encased in arosewood box, inlaid with gems includingtortoiseshell andmother of pearl. The keys to the box were traditionally held by theKizlar Agha.[7] It became associated with theOttoman Empire, and was exhibited whenever the Sultan or Grand Vizier appeared before the field army, such as at the 1826Auspicious Incident and at the outset of Turkey's entrance intoWorld War I.[7] Tavernier reported that the Lance[clarification needed] was kept outside the Sultan's bedroom in the 17th century,[5] by 1845 White said he saw it resting against a wall near the standard[6] and by 1920 its whereabouts were unknown.[7]
The Holy Mantle,Hırka-i Şerif, orBurda is an item of clothing that was given as a gift by Muhammad toKa'b ibn Zuhayr, whose children sold it toMuawiyah I, the founder of theUmayyad dynasty. After the fall of the Umayyads, the Mantle went to Baghdad under theAbbasids, to Cairo under theMamluks, and finally moved bySelim I toTopkapi Palace in 1595.[7]
ThePoem of the Mantle was composed byImam al-Busiri in praise of Muhammad and the mantle.
Tavernier described it as a white coat made of goat's hair with large sleeves,[5] or a cream fabric with black wool lines.
The Grand Seignor having taken it out of the Coffer, kisses it with much respect, and puts it into the hands of the Capi-Aga, who is come into the Room by his Order, after they had taken the Impressions of the Seal. The Officer sends to the Overseer of the Treasury, for a large golden Cauldron, which is brought in thither by some of the Senior-Pages. It is so capacious, according to the description which they gave me of it, as to contain the sixth part of a Tun, and the out-side of it is gamish'd, in some places, with Emeralds, and Turquezes. This Vessel is fill'd with water within six fingers breadth of the brink, and the Capi-Aga, having put Mahomet's Garment into it, and left it to soak a little while, takes it out again, and wrings it hard, to get out the water it has imbib'd, which falls into the Cauldron, taking great care that there falls not any of it to the ground. That done, with the said water he fills a great number of Venice-Chrystl Bottles, containing about half a pint, and when he has stopp'd them, he Seals them with the Grand Seignor's Seal. They afterwards set the Garment a drying, till the twentieth day of the Ratnazan, and then his Highness comes to see them put [it] up again in the Coffer.[5]
The Sacred seal, orMühr-ü Şerif in Turkish, was reported by Tavernier, who said it was kept in a smallebony box in a niche cut in the wall by the foot of adivan in the relic room at Topkapi.[5]
The seal itself is encased in crystal, approximately 3"x4", with a border ofivory.[5] It has been used as recently as the 17th century to stamp documents.[5]
The seal is a rectangular piece of redagate, about 1 cm in length, inscribed withالله / محمد رسول (i.e.,Allah "God") in the first line, andMuḥammad rasūl "Muhammad, messenger" in the second). According to Muslim historiographical tradition, Muhammad's original seal was inherited byAbu Bakr,Umar, andUthman, but lost by Uthman in a well inMedina. Uthman is said to have made a replica of the seal, and this seal was supposedly found in thecapture of Baghdad (1534) and brought to Istanbul.[8]
Known inOttoman Turkish as theSakal-ı Şerif, the beard was said to have been removed from Muhammad's face by his favorite barber in the presence ofAbu Bakr,Ali and several others. Individual hairs were later taken away, but the beard itself is kept in a glass case.[9]
Muhammad lost four teeth at theBattle of Uhud, after being struck with abattle axe. Two of the teeth were supposedly lost, one was preserved at Topkapi, and another was held byMehmed II.[7]
Qadam-e-Rasul (Arabic: قدم الرسول;lit. 'Footprint of the Messenger') is a type of veneration ofMuhammad. It comes from the belief started early inIslam that when Muhammad stepped on a rock his footprint left an imprint. This belief was never accepted by orthodox branches of Islam;[citation needed] however, the idea was disseminated widely and led to the creation of many shrines around such imprints.[10]
The Blessed Sandals,Nalain Shareef inUrdu,[14] have traditionally been used to gain the blessings of Muhammad.[15]
An almost 1500-year-old bowl supposedly used by Muhammad which after his death was kept by his daughterFatimah and her husbandAli, the fourthCaliph and Muhammad's cousin. After their death, the bowl was kept by their childrenHasan andHussein. The bowl was passed from generation to generation by descendants of Muhammad until it finally reached Britain. On 21 September 2011 the bowl was delivered toChechnya and now is kept in "Heart of Chechnya" Mosque named after Ahmad Haji Kadyrov inGrozny.[16]
Regarding the bowl,Ibn Kathir, the Islamic scholar and commentator on theQur'an, writes in his bookWives of the Prophet Muhammad:[17]
It had been related byAbu Hurairah that on one occasion, when Khadijah was still alive,Jibril came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, Khadijah is just coming with a bowl of soup (or food or drink) for you. When she comes to you, give her greetings of peace from her Lord and from me, and give her the good news of a palace of jewels in the Garden, where there will be neither any noise nor any tiredness."
TheDargah Sharif of Hazratbal inSrinagar contains strands of what is believed by manyKashmiri Muslims to be Muhammad's hair. The relic namedMoi-e-Muqqadas was first brought to Kashmir by Syed Abdullah Madani, a purported descendant of Muhammad who leftMedina (in present-day Saudi Arabia) and settled in theSouth Indian city ofBijapur in 1635, at a time when the IslamicMughal Empire was rapidly expanding across India.[18]
A number ofhadith refer to blessings resulting from physical contact with Muhammad's person, or bodily fluids. According to Al-Uthaymin, a representative scholar of Salafi Islam, Muhammad is the only person who people can seek blessings from, whether through his body, what touches his body or bodily fluids.[19]
three years in constantinople.
