Tell people what they can understand

 

Tell people what they can understand

 

We learn from this that those people who pay their respects from far off are also in the presence of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  As far as that Hadith is concerned in which the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said that if Salaam is said at My grave, I hear it and angels convey the Salaam of those who are far, then after going through all the aforementioned proofs, answering this is easy.  In this Hadith, the listening of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is not negated.  He merely described a method through which even those from afar will achieve their objective.

 

It was the custom of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) that as much as possible, He would keep His talk at a level which people could understand.  The majesty of angels was already firmly established in the minds of the listeners.  Thus for the sake of those present, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said that the Durood of those who are far is conveyed by an angel.

 

This kind of regard for the intellectual level of the listeners is evident in other Hadith as well.  Thus it is mentioned in Zurqani Sharh Mawahib:

 

Translation: The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  Describe those things to people which they can understand.  Do you desire that (belief in) Allah and His Prophet be rejected?

 

This means that one should say those things which are easily understood by the listeners.  Another Hadith explains this:

 

Translation: The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  I have been ordered to speak to people as per their intellects.

 

For this reason, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) didn’t describe all the wonders of the Ascension (Me’raj) to each and every person.  He described to every person what he (or she) could bear. 

 

[Excerpted from Anwaare Ahmadi]