Understanding Salat — Page 208
Understanding S al A t 208 the world and exalt the renown and honour of the Holy Prophet sas , we seek blessing through the attribute of ‘the Praiseworthy’ ( ٌ حَمِيد ). The ‘people of Muhammad sas ’ ( ٍ آل ِ مُحَمَّد ) and the attribute of ‘the Glorious’ ( ٌ مَجِيد ) are connected. The meaning of the word majd ( مَجْدٌ ), when used about people, is, ‘glory, honour, dignity, or nobility, transmitted by one’s ancestors’, ‘ مَجْد and شَرَف are [transmitted] by one’s ancestors; but حَسَب …and كَرَم may belong to a man without ancestors who possessed these qualities’ ( Lane’s Lexicon , Root: مجد , Entry: ٌ مَجْد ). Our hon- our and nobility ( ٌ مَجْد ) are transmitted to us by our spiritual father, the Holy Prophet sas. The words ā li Muhammad indicate to this because our identity in this prayer is as the ‘people of Muhammad. ’ We don’t have any identity separate from our being his sas children. In Dur ū d , when we pray that Allah Almighty exalt the renown and honour of the people of Muhammad, we are only speaking of that honour that was transmitted to us by our spiritual father. Any other honour we have that is separate from him sas is not lasting and is not worth being exalted. The words ‘people of Muhammad’ ( ِ ٍ آل مُحَمَّد ) remind us that our honour is majd ( ٌ مَجْد ): it is transmit- ted to us by our spiritual father sas. Mention of the attribute of ‘the Glorious’ ( ٌ مَجِيد ) reminds us that it is Allah Almighty who is the true source of all honour and dignity. The attrib- ute of Al-Maj ī d means, ‘The Glorious, or Great, or Great in dignity, who gives liberally, or bountifully: or the Bountiful and beneficent’ ( Lane’s Lexicon , Root: مجد , Entry: ٌ مَجِيد ). As