In adhan {call to prayer}, why do you say, âAshhadu anna âaliyyan waliyyullahâ {âI bear witness that âAli is Wali of Allahâ} and give testimony to the wilayah {guardianship} of âAli (âa)?
Reply: In order to reply to this question, let us consider the following points:
1. In their books on jurisprudence, all the Shiâah jurists {fuqaha} stress that to say: âI bear witness to the wilayah of âAli (âa)â is not part of adhan or iqamah, and no one has the right to say that it is part of any of the two.
2. From the viewpoint of the Qurâan, âAli (âa) is one of the awliyaâ, and the following verse explicitly points to his wilayah over the Muslims:
ï´¿ Ø¥ÙÙÙÙ’Ù…ÙØ§ ÙÙÙÙÙÙÙ’ÙÙم٠اÙÙÙ’ÙÙ ÙÙØ±ÙسÙÙÙÙÙÙ ÙÙØ§ÙÙْذÙÙÙ٠آمÙÙÙÙØ§Ù’ اÙÙْذÙÙÙÙ ÙÙÙÙÙÙ…ÙÙÙÙ Ø§ÙØµÙÙ’ÙØ§Ùة٠ÙÙÙÙØ¤Ù’تÙÙÙÙ Ø§ÙØ²ÙÙ’ÙÙØ§Ø©Ù ÙÙÙÙمْ Ø±ÙØ§ÙÙØ¹ÙÙÙÙ ï´¾
âYour guardian is only Allah, His Apostle, and the faithful who maintain the prayer and give the zakat while bowing down.â[55]
The Sunni Sahihs and Musnads include narrations that highlight the fact that the noble verse was revealed to praise âAli (âa) who, while doing rukuâ {bowing down in prayer}, gave his ring to a poor person.[56] When this verse which refers to âAli (âa) was revealed, Hassan ibn Thabit versified this event in the following poem:
Ø±Ø§ÙØ¹ Ø£ÙÙ’ØªÙ Ø¥ÙØ°Ù’ أعْطÙÙْت٠اÙÙ’Ø°Ù ÙØ£ÙْتÙ
راÙÙØ¹ Ø®ÙÙØ±Ù ÙØ§ اÙÙÙÙÙ…Ù ÙÙÙÙÙØ³Ù ÙÙØ¯ÙتْÙÙ
ÙÙÙØ§ÙÙØ©Ù Ø®ÙÙØ±Ù اÙÙÙ ÙÙÙÙÙ ÙÙØ£ÙْزÙÙÙ
Ø§ÙØ´ÙْراÙÙØ¹ Ù…ÙØÙ’ÙÙمات٠Ù٠٠بÙÙÙØ§
You are the one who donated, while doing rukuâ. May the souls of the folk be sacrificed to you, O the best of those who bow down!
Thus, God has sent down the best wilayah to you, and explained it through the decrees of the Shariâah.
3. The Holy Prophet (S) said:
.باÙÙÙ’ÙØ§Øª Ø§ÙØ£Ø¹Ù…ا٠إÙÙْما
âVerily, actions are (judged) by intention.â
Since the wilayah of âAli (âa) is one of the principles stipulated in the Qurâan, and the said phrase is not regarded as part of the adhan (or iqamah), what is wrong about uttering it alongside the testimony to the apostleship of the Prophet (S)?
Here, it is necessary to mention that if due to adding a sentence to adhan, the Shiâah must be castigated, how could the following two cases be justified?
1. Authentic historical references confirm that the following phrase:
اÙْعÙÙ…ÙÙÙ Ø®ÙÙØ±Ù عÙÙÙÙ° ØÙÙ’
Hayya âala khayr al-âamal
âCome to the best of deedsâ
was part of adhan,[57] but during the caliphate of the second caliph, this phrase was omitted under the pretext that when people hear the words âthe best of deedsâ they will think that praying is better than jihad and cease taking part in jihad. And things remained as such.[58]
2. The sentence,
اÙÙÙ’ÙÙ…Ù Ù…ÙÙÙ Ø®ÙÙÙ’Ø±Ù Ø£ÙØµÙ’ÙÙØ©
As–salatu khayrun mina ân-nawm
âPrayer is better than sleepingâ
was not part of the adhan during the time of the Holy Prophet (S) but has been included therein later on,[59] and as such, in the book, Al-Umm, Imam ash-Shafiâi says:
â.ÙØ°Ùر٠ÙÙ… Ù…ÙØÙ’Ø°ÙØ±Ø© أبا ÙØ£ÙÙÙ’ اÙÙÙÙ’ÙÙ… Ù…Ù Ø®ÙØ±Ù Ø§ÙØµÙÙ’ÙÙØ© Ø§ÙØ§Ø°Ø§Ù ÙÙ Ø£ÙØ±Ùâ
It is not pleasing for me that we say in the adhan: âas–salatu khayrun mina ân-nawmâ because Abu Mahdhurah (one of the narrators and muhaddithun) has not included it (in his compilation of hadiths).[60]
— taken from the book “The Shi’ah Rebuts” by Sayyid Rida’ Husayni Nasab. Written under the supervision of Ayatullah Ja’far Subhani
Notes:
[55] Surah al-Maâidah 5:55.
[56] The references concerning the circumstances related to the revelation of this verse on the said case is more than what have been enumerated here. Anyway, below are some of these ample references:
a. Tafsir at–Tabari, vol. 6, p. 186;
b. Ahkam al-Qurâan (Tafsir Jasas), vol. 2, p. 542;
c. Tafsir al-Baydawi, vol. 1, p. 345;
d. Ad-Durr al-Manthur, vol. 2, p. 293.
[57] Kanz al-âUmmal, âkitab as-salah,â vol. 4, p. 266, an at–tabrani, âkana Bilal yuâdhdhin biâs-subh fayaqul: hayya âala khayr al-âamalâ; Sunan Bayhaqi, vol. 1, pp. 424-425; Malik, Al-Muwattaâ, vol. 1, p. 93.
[58] Kanz al-âIrfan, vol. 2, p. 158; Sirat al-Mustaqim wa Jawahir al-Akhbar wa al-Athar, vol. 2, p. 192; Qawshachi, Sharh at-Tajrid, mabhath imamah, p. 484, âsaâad al-minbar wa qal: ayyuha â n-nas thalath kann âala âahd rasul Allah ana anhi âanhum wa aharramahunna wa hiya mutâah an-nisaâi wa mutâah al-hajj wa hayya âala khayr al-âamalâ.
[59] Kanz al-âUmmal, âkitab as-salah,â vol. 4, p. 270.
[60] Quoted in Dalaâil as–Sidq, vol. 3, âal-qism ath-thani,â p. 97.
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