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{{short description|Relics of the Islamic prophet Muhammad}}
{{See also|Sacred Relics (Topkapı Palace)}}
{{Muhammad|related}}The '''Relics of Muhammad''' are a series of objects venerated by the Islamic [[Islam|Islamic Faith]] that are associated with [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]]. [[File:Turkey.Konya043.jpg|thumb|right|260px|{{center|Box with a part of Muhammad's beard. <br /> [[Mevlana Museum|Maulâna Rumi mausoleum]], [[Konya]], Turkey}}]] Islam has had a long history of [[relics|relic]] veneration, especially of veneration of relics attributed to the [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|prophet]] [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]].<ref name="ReferenceA">Goldziher, I. and Boer, Tj. de, “At̲h̲ar”, in: ''Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition'', Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs.</ref> There exists historical evidence that some of the earliest Muslims practiced the veneration of relics, and the practice remained popular in many parts of the [[Sunni]] [[Islamic]] world until the eighteenth-century, when the reform movements of [[Salafism]] and [[Wahhabism]] began to staunchly condemn such practices, linking them with the Islamic sin of [[Shirk (Islam)|''shirk'']] ([[idolatry]]). As a result of the influence of these perspectives, some contemporary Muslims have rejected the traditional practice of relic veneration altogether.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Some of the most prominent relics include to be those housed in [[Istanbul]]'s [[Topkapı Palace]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ee.bilkent.edu.tr/~history/topkapi.html|title=Topkapi Web Page|website=www.ee.bilkent.edu.tr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.silkroadproject.org/smithsonian/istanbul/treasure.html|title=The 2002 Smithsonian Folklife Festival: Connecting Culture, Creating Trust}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://haqaonline.lightuponlight.com/pg/index.php?cat=7|title=Islamic Picture Gallery - Home > Islamic Relics}}</ref> in a section known as ''Hirkai Serif Odasi'' (Chamber of the Holy Mantle), and those at [[Hazratbal_Shrine|Hazratbal]], in the Vale of Kashmir including what is claimed to be a hair of the [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|prophet]] [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]].

The 17th-century French explorer [[Jean-Baptiste Tavernier]] wrote about his discussions with two treasurers of [[Constantinople]], who described the standard, mantle and the seal.<ref name="jbt">[[Jean-Baptiste Tavernier|Tavernier, Jean-Baptiste]]. "Nouvelle Relation de l'Intérieur du Sérail du Grand Seigneur", 1675</ref> 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.<ref name="white">{{cite book|last=White|first=Charles|title=Three Years in Constantinople; or, Domestic Manners of the Turks in 1844|year=1845|publisher=Henry Colburn|url=https://archive.org/details/threeyearsincon07whitgoog|quote=three years in constantinople.}}</ref>

==Standard==
The [[battle standard]] of Muhammad, known in [[Turkish language|Turkish]] as ''Sancak-ı Şerif'' ("Holy Standard"), is claimed to have served as the curtain over the entrance of his wife [[Aisha]]'s tent. According to another tradition, the standard had been part of the turban of [[Buraydah ibn al-Khasib]], an enemy who was ordered to attack Muhammad, but instead bowed to him, unwound his turban and affixed it to his [[spear]], dedicating it and himself to Muhammad's service.<ref name="harem">Penzer, Norman Mosley. "[https://archive.org/details/haremaccountofin00penquoft The Harem]", Chapter XI</ref>

[[Selim I]] ({{reign|1512|1520}}) acquired it after the [[Ottoman conquest of Egypt]], and had it taken to the [[Umayyad Mosque|Grand Mosque of Damascus]] where it was to be carried during the annual [[Hajj]] pilgrimage to [[Mecca]]. [[Murad III]] ({{reign|1574|1595}}) had it sent to Hungary as an way to motivate his army. In 1595, [[Mehmed III]] ({{reign|1595|1603}}) had it brought to [[Topkapı Palace]], where it was sewn into another standard, alleged to be [[Umar]]'s<ref name="harem" /> and together they were encased in a [[rosewood]] box, inlaid with gems including [[tortoiseshell material|tortoiseshell]] and [[mother of pearl]]. The keys to the box were traditionally held by the [[Kizlar Agha]].<ref name="harem" /> It became associated with the [[Ottoman Empire]], and was exhibited whenever the Sultan or Grand Vizier appeared before the field army, such as at the 1826 [[Auspicious Incident]] and at the outset of Turkey's entrance into [[World War I]].<ref name="harem" /> Tavernier reported that the Lance{{clarify|reason=This hasn't been mentioned yet. What is it?|date=January 2022}} was kept outside the Sultan's bedroom in the 17th century,<ref name="jbt" /> by 1845 White said he saw it resting against a wall near the standard<ref name="white" /> and by 1920 its whereabouts were unknown.<ref name="harem" />

==Holy Mantle==
[[File:4025 Istanbul - Topkapi - Sbirciando da finestra sala reliquie - Foto G. Dall'Orto 27-5-2006.jpg|thumb|Inside the Chamber of the [[Sacred Relics (Topkapı Palace)|Blessed Mantle]]]]

The Holy Mantle, ''Hırka-i Şerif'', or ''Burda'' is an item of clothing that was given as a gift by Muhammad to [[Ka'b ibn Zuhayr]], whose children sold it to [[Muawiyah I]], the founder of the [[Umayyad]] dynasty. After the fall of the Umayyads, the Mantle went to Baghdad under the [[Abbasid]]s, to Cairo under the [[Mamluk]]s, and finally moved by [[Selim I]] to [[Topkapi Palace]] in 1595.<ref name="harem" />

The [[Qaṣīda al-Burda|''Poem of the Mantle'']] was composed by [[Imam al-Busiri]] in praise of Muhammad and the mantle.

Tavernier described it as a white coat made of goat's hair with large sleeves,<ref name="jbt" /> or a cream fabric with black wool lines.

<blockquote>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.<ref name="jbt" /></blockquote>

==Sacred Seal==
{{main|Seal of Muhammad}}

The Sacred seal, or ''Mühr-ü Şerif'' in Turkish, was reported by Tavernier, who said it was kept in a small [[ebony]] box in a niche cut in the wall by the foot of a [[divan]] in the relic room at Topkapi.<ref name="jbt" />

The seal itself is encased in crystal, approximately 3"x4", with a border of [[ivory]].<ref name="jbt" /> It has been used as recently as the 17th century to stamp documents.<ref name="jbt" />

The seal is a rectangular piece of red [[agate]], about 1 cm in length, inscribed with {{lang|ar|الله / محمد رسول}} (i.e., ''Allah'' "God" in the first line, and ''Muḥammad rasūl'' "Muhammad, [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|messenger]]" in the second). According to Muslim historiographical tradition, Muhammad's original seal was inherited by [[Abu Bakr]], [[Umar]], and [[Uthman]], but lost by Uthman in a well in [[Medina]]. Uthman is said to have made a replica of the seal, and this seal was supposedly found in the [[capture of Baghdad (1534)]] and brought to Istanbul.<ref>Rachel Milstein, "Futuh-i Haramayn: sixteenth-century illustrations of the Hajj route" in: David J Wasserstein and Ami Ayalon (eds.), ''Mamluks and Ottomans: Studies in Honour of Michael Winter '', Routledge, 2013, [https://books.google.com/books?id=6tIgyrjr7dMC&pg=PT191 p. 191] (on the point of the tradition being controversial referencing 15th-century scholar [[Ali ibn Ahmad al-Samhudi|al-Samhudi]]). [[William Muir]] in ''[https://archive.org/stream/caliphateitsris00muirgoog#page/n7/mode/2up The Caliphate: Its Rise, Decline and Fall]'' (1892) gives an account of the legend on Uthman's loss of the seal, the fruitless search for it, the calamity of the omen, and Uthman's eventual consent "to supply the lost signet by another of like fashion".</ref>

==Beard of Muhammad==
Known in the [[Ottoman language]] as the ''Sakal-ı Şerif'', the beard was said to have been removed from Muhammad's face by his favorite barber in the presence of [[Abu Bakr]], [[Ali]] and several others. Individual hairs were later taken away, but the beard itself is kept in a glass case.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bozkurt |first=Nebı |title=SAKAL-ı ŞERİF - An article published in 36th Volume of Turkish Encyclopedia of Islam |date=2009 |publisher=[[İslâm Ansiklopedisi|TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi]] |location=Istanbul |pages=2–3 |volume=36 |url=https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/sakal-i-serif |access-date=4 January 2022 |language=tr}}</ref>

==Tooth of Muhammad==
Muhammad lost four teeth at the [[Battle of Uhud]], after being struck with a [[battle axe]]. Two of the teeth were supposedly lost, one was preserved at Topkapi, and another was held by [[Mehmed II]].<ref name="harem" />

==Blessed Sandals==
The Blessed Sandals, ''Nalain Shareef'' in [[Urdu language|Urdu]],<ref>{{cite web|title=In Arabic, the Holy Prophet's sandal is known as Na'al. The Na'layn are the blessed sandals worn by Blessed Messenger, Muhammad |url=http://nalayn.com/the-nalayn|year=2013}}</ref> have traditionally been used to gain the blessings of Muhammad.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nalain shareef|url=http://www.sufiport.co.uk/?cat=14|date=April 21, 2013}}</ref>

==Muhammad's Bowl==
A 1400-year-old bowl supposedly used by Muhammad which after his death was kept by his daughter [[Fatimah]] and her husband [[Ali]], the fourth [[Caliph]] and Muhammad's cousin. After their death, the bowl was kept by their children [[Hasan ibn Ali|Hasan]] and [[Husayn ibn Ali|Hussein]]. 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 to [[Chechnya]] and now is kept in "[[Heart of Chechnya]]" Mosque named after Ahmad Haji Kadyrov in [[Grozny]].<ref>[http://www.islamdag.info/news/1413 Prophet Muhammad's relics arrived in Chechnya] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406021737/http://www.islamdag.info/news/1413 |date=April 6, 2012 }}</ref>

Regarding the bowl, [[Ibn Kathir]], the Islamic scholar and commentator on the [[Qur'an]], writes in his book ''Wives of the Prophet Muhammad'':<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.islamawareness.net/Muhammed/ibn_kathir_wives.html|title=Ibn Kathir: Wives of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)|website=www.islamawareness.net}}</ref>

{{quote|It had been related by [[Abu Hurairah]] that on one occasion, when Khadijah was still alive, [[Gabriel#Islam|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."}}

<gallery widths="200px" heights="155px">
Image:Muhammad letter muqawqis.jpg|[[Muhammad's letters to the Heads-of-State|Muhammad's letter]] to the [[Muqawqis]] of Egypt, [[Topkapı Palace]] Museum, Istanbul
Image:DSC04741 Istanbul - Impronta del piede di Maometto ad Eyüp - Foto G. Dall'Orto 30-5-2006.jpg|[[Qadam Rasul|Muhammad's footprint]] on exhibit in the tomb at [[Eyüp Sultan Mosque]] complex, Istanbul.
</gallery>

==Hazratbal==
The [[Hazratbal_Shrine|Dargah Sharif]] of Hazratbal in [[Srinagar]] contains strands of what is believed by many [[Kashmiri Muslims]] to be Muhammad's hair. The relic named ''Moi-e-Muqqadas'' was first brought to Kashmir by Syed Abdullah Madani, a purported descendant of Muhammad who left [[Medina]] (in present-day Saudi Arabia) and settled in the [[South India]]n city of [[Bijapur]] in 1635, at a time when the Islamic [[Mughal Empire]] was rapidly expanding across India.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hazratbal |url=http://www.jktourism.jk.gov.in/List/ListDetails.aspx?52734E46697354352F5A43466636687234686936586433494E5A66586B376F4C356E5931746C47445051593D |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818120147/http://jktourism.jk.gov.in/List/ListDetails.aspx?52734E46697354352F5A43466636687234686936586433494E5A66586B376F4C356E5931746C47445051593D |archive-date=18 August 2021 |access-date=10 October 2021 |website=Department of Tourism Govt of Jammu & Kashmir}}</ref>

==Hadithic references to physical blessings from Muhammad==
A number of [[hadith]] refer to blessings resulting from physical contact with Muhammad's person, or bodily fluids. Generally in Islam, Muhammad is the only person who people can seek blessings from, whether through his body, what touches his body or bodily fluids.<ref>{{cite book|author=محمد بن صالح العثيمين|title=مجموع فتاوى ورسائل الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين -ج 17 - الفقه 7 الجنائز|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8wasB4l80xkC&pg=PT65|year=2003|publisher=دار الثريا للنشر والتوزيع|pages=66–67}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Ashtiname of Muhammad]]
* ''[[Bayt al-Mawlid]]'', the [[Makkah Al Mukarramah Library|house]] where Muhammad is believed to have been born
* [[Cloak of Muhammad]]
* [[Possessions of Muhammad]]
* [[Seal of Muhammad]]
* [[Muhammad's letters to the heads of state|Letters of Muhammad]]
* [[Relics associated with Buddha]]
* [[Relics associated with Jesus]]
* [[Hazratbal_Shrine|Hazratbal]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Patrizi, Luca, "Relics of the Prophet", in ''Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Prophet of God'' (two vols.), Edited by C. Fitzpatrick and A. Walker, Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO, 2014. {{ISBN|1610691776}}

==External links==
{{commons|Muhammed}}
* [http://www.islamdag.info/news/1413 Prophet Muhammad's relics arrived in Chechnya]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Relics of Muhammad}}
[[Category:Islamic religious objects|Muhammad]]
[[Category:Muhammad]]
[[Category:Relics|Muhammad]]

Relics of Muhammad - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article