Is the over-abundant praise of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in both the poems Al-Burdah and Nahj Al-Burdah a kind of Bid‘ah (religious innovation)? Or could this be understood as figures of speech?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

The poet who wrote Qasidah Al-Burdah dedicated it to praising the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. However, he went to extremes and detestable forms of exaggeration which the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had forbidden.

The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is reported to have forbidden anyone from praising him excessively like the Christians did with ’Eesaa (Jesus) the son of Maryam (Mary), may Allaah exalt their mention. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, ordered the Muslims to describe him as the servant and messenger of Allaah. [Al-Bukhari]

The following lines are examples of the violations of sound creed contained in Al-Burdah:

• "Most generous of mankind, I have no one to take refuge in except you when widespread calamity occurs."

• "O Messenger of Allaah, your exalted status will not diminish, because of me (intercession on my behalf), when The Most Bountiful (Allaah The Almighty) will manifest (Himself) by the name of the Punisher."

• "For verily I have a security from him due to my name, (being) Muhammad, while he is the most faithful of mankind in fulfilling his promise."

• "If at my resurrection he should not take me by my hand, out of kindness, then remonstrate, O the slipping of my foot!"

Commenting on this, it must be stressed that asking for favors and protection is an act of worship which must be dedicated only to Allaah The Almighty.

Some people argue that the poet was referring to the intercession of the Prophet on the day of Judgment. Despite this, the poet has still committed a mistake by saying this, for although intercession is a fact in which the Sunnis believe, it will only happen after the permission of Allaah The Almighty has been granted and after He is satisfied with the intercessor.

Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):

• {Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission?}[Quran 2:255]

• {And they cannot intercede except on behalf of one whom He approves.}[Quran 21:28] This is the kind of intercession affirmed in the Quran.

However, there is another kind of intercession that is not affirmed in the Quran. We can find examples of these in the verses which read (what means):

• {So there will not benefit them the intercession of [any] intercessors.}[Quran 74: 48]

• {So now we have no intercessors.}[Quran 26:100]

• {For the wrongdoers there will be no devoted friend and no intercessor [who is] obeyed.}[Quran 40:100]

This is the kind of intercession the disbelievers wish for. This is a type of worldly intercession, for which neither the permission of the person in authority nor his satisfaction with the intercessor are required. Anyone who recognizes the difference between the two kinds of intercession will dedicate his request for intercession to Allaah The Almighty through the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Intercession is an established right of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. However, Allaah The Almighty did not permit anyone to ask for it from the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in the worldly life. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, also did not permit it. Therefore, anyone who violates this rule has caused his request to be denied by addressing it to someone other than Allaah The Almighty.

Moreover, the poet claims that he has a guarantee of salvation from the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, just because his name is similar to his, namely, Muhammad. However, a guarantee of security cannot be obtained except through following and obeying the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam; not just through being named after him.

He also shows dependence on a created person -- the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam -- instead of depending on the Creator, Allaah The Almighty. Such conduct contradicts the notion of maintaining trust in Allaah The Almighty which is one of the most superior degrees of servitude to Him. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, told his nearest relatives that he would not be able to avail them anything before Allaah The Almighty. This is mentioned in authentic Hadeeths (narrations). Abu Hurayrah narrated that when the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was inspired with the verse that reads (what means): {And warn, [O Muhammad], your closest kindred.}[Quran 26:214], he gathered the Quraysh and the members of his tribe including Banu ‘Abd Manaaf, Al-‘Abbaas ibn ‘Abd Al-Muttalib, his parental aunt, Safiyyah, and his daughter, Faatimah and told them that he would not be able to avail them in front of Allaah The Almighty. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

The right attitude to be adopted by a Muslim is to ask and supplicate none but Allaah The Almighty, and not to ask for intercession in the worldly life. Rather, he should supplicate Allaah The Almighty to qualify him to receive it in the Hereafter, and to supplicate Him to permit the intercessor to intercede.

Another example of reprehensible praise is the poet’s saying:

"For verily amongst your bounties is this world, and the Hereafter, and part of your knowledge is knowledge of the Preserved Tablet, and the Pen."

It is known that man can only grant what he possesses. These lines suggest that the worldly life and the Hereafter are not owned by Allaah The Almighty, and that they were not originated by Him, which is contrary to the verse that reads (what means): {Rather, to Allaah belongs the Hereafter and the first [life].}[Quran 53:25], and the verse that reads (what means): {And indeed, to Us belongs the Hereafter and the first [life].}[Quran 92:13]

Neither this life nor the Hereafter belongs to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as maintained by some ignorant people, who base their opinion on a fabricated Hadeeth.

Claiming that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, has knowledge of the contents of the Preserved Tablet and the Pen is a kind of exaggeration and ignorance that is contrary to the clear texts indicating that knowledge of the unseen is exclusive to Allaah The Almighty, Who Says (what means): {And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him.}[Quran 6:59] Allaah The Almighty also Says (what means): {And if I knew the unseen, I [Muhammad] could have acquired much wealth, and no harm would have touched me. I am not except a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe."}[Quran 7:188]

Therefore, this description is to be attributed solely to Allaah The Almighty, Who originated the world and the Hereafter out of His Bounty, and a part of His Knowledge is that of the Preserved Tablet and the Pen.

The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, knew nothing of the unseen except what Allaah The Almighty informed him about. There is neither a Quranic nor a Prophetic text indicating that Allaah The Almighty made the knowledge of the Preserved Tablet or the Pen accessible to him. Rather, there is evidence in the Quran about how the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was unaware of many things that were around him, and not far from him. One is the verse that reads (what means): {And [also] from the people of Madeenah. They have become accustomed to hypocrisy. You, [O Muhammad], do not know them, [but] We know them.}[Quran 9:101]

There are also countless examples from the Seerah (biography) to this effect, including the details of the Battle of Uhud; the incident of poisoning when the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, consumed some poisoned mutton that was also eaten by one of his Companions that led to his Companion’s death; the incident of the slander and his resolve to invade Banu Al-Mustaliq and the revelation of the verse that reads (what means): {O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance… }[Quran 49:6]

There is a lot of other evidence about the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, being unaware of the contents of the Preserved Tablet or the unseen except things which he knew from Allaah The Almighty.

Consequently, the poet also exaggerated when he said, "O you, the revealer of the Preserved Tablet. Rather, you are the one who touches the Pen."

This is an overstatement, a lie, a falsehood and an ignorant claim.

Therefore, there must be caution against exaggerated praise, and we must observe the limits of moderation. May Allaah The Almighty help us all to do so.

And Allaah Knows best.