and began digging a trench from some distance away in order to reach the noble body. Allah, Exalted is He, then caused the sultan—or one of the governors of that time—to see a dream in which the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Save me from the two fair-haired men.” It appears—and Allah knows best—that their likeness was disclosed to this man in the dream. So he came to Medina in alarm, held a great banquet, and invited all the people of Medina two or three times. Yet he did not see the two men who had been described to him. He asked, “Where are the people of Medina?” They replied, “They have all come, except for two men in the mosque. Ever since they arrived, they have remained in devotional retreat there.” So he summoned them, and they proved to be the two men about whom he had been alerted in the dream. Glory be to Allah! This was protection of the noble body from tampering.
He then discovered what they had done and ordered that they be killed. He also ordered a trench to be dug down to the rock all around the noble grave and filled with lead and copper, so that no one could reach the body of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. This was part of Allah’s protection. If Allah has protected the bodies of the prophets from being consumed by the earth, which has power over every body, then He, Glorified is He, also protects the noble body from the devils among humankind.
The important point is this: is invoking peace upon the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, prescribed or not? It is prescribed in this world and in the Hereafter. During his lifetime, this is plainly evident. After his death, however, what does this safety entail? It entails the protection of his body from being tampered with.
His statement, “upon His Prophet and Messenger,” is an instance of coordinating attributes that are either synonymous or distinct. He began with the attribute of prophethood: the Prophet was made a prophet through the opening verses of the sura al-ʿAlaq, which begin, “Read,” and was sent as a messenger through the opening verses of sura al-Muddaththir. This is why the author, may Allah have mercy on him, coordinated messengerhood with the attribute of prophethood.
Who, then, is a prophet? The word may be pronounced nabīʾ or nabiyy. Nabīʾ, with a hamza, derives from nabaʾ, meaning “news.” Does it have an active sense or a passive sense? It bears both: it has an active sense because he conveys news from Allah, Exalted is He, and a passive sense because he is informed. As for the eased pronunciation, nabiyy with a yāʾ, it either derives from nabaʾ, with the hamza softened for ease of pronunciation, or from the word for prophethood, which denotes something elevated, because of the elevated rank Allah granted the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, through revelation.
If someone were to ask, “Could it not derive from both?” The answer is yes, for we have a principle that the seeker of knowledge should know: “Every expression that can equally bear two meanings—that is, it indicates both equally, with no contradiction between them—must be understood in both senses. For one word to carry multiple meanings is common in the Arabic language.”
His statement, “and His Messenger,” means: the one whom He sent to whom? To the two weighty classes: humankind and the jinn. Thus, the Prophet—may Allah’s prayers be upon him—