Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamu alaykum,

Regarding the Adhan:

The adhan according the Imam Malik contain only one La illaha ilillahi at the end while the other madhabs have two.  It is considered mustahab to say it twice.  In the iqamah Maliki have a various from the other madhabs and saying twice is considered mustahab.  Along these line, is the statements of Ali waliulllah and Muhammad wa Aliyan khayrul bashar added to the adhan.  It is mustahab but not considered fardh.  This is that same reasons behind all the fiqh madhabs who add repetition or additional lines to the adhan.  Note the added line for the fajr prayer that Shiah don't consider valid because it is added via hadith.  The line of itrat of the Prophet is applied to the Imams, not just all descendants of the Prophet and Ali.  Answer me why among all muslim there are seven different versions of the Adhan? Regarding salat and combining: It is allowed to combine salat for the sake of time and obstacles.  The Prophet combined prayers even when there wasn't an occasion of trouble or such.  On the plain of Muzadhifah it is mandatary to combine zohr/asr and maghrib/isha.  There is nothing that says you can not prolong the time between the two prayers.  According to the majority of sunni/shia scholars the time of Asr is directly after Zhuhr until before sunset; the time for Isha is directly after Maghrib until before the end time to pray witr.

The Friday khutbah was used by the Prophet or the Imam...the Imam az'Zamam is in ghaybat.

Was salam

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our brother for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Adhan-Namaaz-Khutbah

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and who-ever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

I am not aware of the seven different versions of the adhan amongst the muslims as stated by you, and thus am unable to answer your question. I know of two versions, one by the Shias and one by the Sunnis. Would appreciate if you could clarify the balance five adhans for me.

Please note that even if what you say be true about the Maliki school of thought, it is a matter of repeating the lines taught and practised since the time of the Messenger of Allah (saws). Nothing was added to the adhan or subtracted from it since the Messenger of Allah (saws) himself taught the muslims the call to prayer. The Shia school of thought have added the lines about 340 years after the death of the Prophet (saws) when the Fatimid rule was established in Cairo, and this is a clear innovation or ‘bida’ in Islam.

It has been reported by Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (r.a.) that the Prophet (saws) said: “If anyone introduces an innovation (in religion), he will be responsible for it. If anyone introduces an innovation or gives shelter to a man who introduces an innovation (in religion), he is cursed by Allah, by His angels, and by all the people.”

It has been reported by Jabir ibn Abdullah (r.a.) in another authentic narration that the Prophet of Allah (saws) said in a sermon: “The best speech is that which is embodied in the Book of Allah, the Al Quran; and the best guidance is the guidance given by me, Mohamed (saws). The most evil affairs are the innovations, and every innovation is an error.”

Please also note that the Fajr adhan is identical to the one as used during the lifetime of our Messenger (saws) and these lines: “As salaato khairun minan naum” (The prayer is better than sleep) was added by the Prophet (saws) himself in his lifetime, and this system of calling to the fajr prayer continued after his death and until today. But it is indeed a pity and shame, that most muslims today do not go for fajr prayers in congregation in the mosques, and prefer sleep over the prayers!

Ref: Combining prayers

Whatever we do in Islam, we must first see how did the Messenger of Allah (saws) perform the act. For almost all his life in Medina, the Prophet (saws) led the five congregational prayers at five separate times in the mosque. Thousands and thousands of believers saw the Prophet leading and praying the five fard prayers at their stated separate times and did the same. Only during travel and times of rain did the Prophet (saws) join the prayers. To join the prayers on a regular basis is not following the tradition of the Messenger of Allah, but rather an order from somebody else, whoever he might be. And any change in the tradition followed by the Messenger of Allah is known as an innovation or bida.

Your statement that we are to combine the zohr/asr and magrib/isha in the plains of Muzdalifa is partly incorrect. Only the prayers of magrib and isha are combined in the plains of Muzdalifa and Isha is prayed ‘qasr’ (shortened to 2 rakahs) as we are outside the boundaries of Makkah. This is the Sunnah of Prophet Mohamed (saws) and thus all muslims today follow this Sunnah and pray Magrib and Isha combined and shortened in Muzdalifa. Not because some Imam, or Dai or Bhaisaheb told us to do so, but because the Messenger of Allah (saws) himself did it. If the combining of magrib/isha prayers in Muzdalifa is the basis for the Shias combining all their prayers, then could you please tell me why do they pray 4 rakahs for Isha prayers and not 2 rakahs as they pray in Muzdalifa?

Ref: Imam in Ghaybat

Brother, you say that since the Imam is in Ghaybat, that is why the Juma’a Khutba is not perfomed. The Khutba is a remembrance of Allah ordered by Allah to the muslims in the Holy Quran. The Imam and his Ghaybat are both creations of man and no evidence is available for either in the Holy Quran! There is just no end to the stories one can create if he starts deviating from the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet (saws).

Has anybody asked why is the Imam in Ghaybat? Has anybody asked where is the imam, on earth or in the heavens? Has anybody asked is it the same imam Tayyeb who apparently went into ‘ghaybat’ when he was four years old, or is it his children? Has anybody asked where does the Imam reside today? Has anybody asked how does the Dai and the Imam communicate and correspond today? And has anybody asked the most important question of all…. Where is the evidence for this imam and his ghaybat in the Holy Quran????

Brother, these are all fancy stories and false promises that these unscrupulous leaders make in the name and garb of Islam, to hold on their power and chair. There is no basis for them in the Holy Quran. The central theme of the Holy Quran is one: Worship Allah Alone and do not associate any partner with Him.

In the guise of Islam and the ghaybat of the Imam, these unscrupulous leaders make you bow down to them in sajdah. They make you bow down in sajdah to their ancestors in their graves. They humble you in front of them and their families. They become the owners of your wealth, lives and wills. They create rites and rasms of worship which have no basis from the Holy Quran or traditions of the Prophet (saws). And above all, they take away the guidance of the Glorious Quran from your lives and instill the values of all the other books written by them. They take for their constitution a book called Da’im ul Islam by Qadi Noaman written 350 years after the death of the Prophet (saws) and conceal the aayahs of the Holy Quran from the public. They guide you to their invocation and worship rather than the invocation and worship of Allah Alone. They remind you constantly of the many ‘ehsaanat’ of the Syedna (I would like you to name me one!), rather than remember the countless blessings and mercy of Allah. They remind you to please the Syedna at all cost, rather than trying to please the Lord of the Worlds! They guide you to become slaves of the Syedna (Abd-Syedna), rather than becoming slaves of Allah (Abd-Allah). All these are done in the guise of the Imam in Ghaybat and the fancy self-invented stories which have absolutely no evidence and basis in the Holy Quran.

May Allah guide us all to read and understand the Holy Quran so that we can come out of the invocation of man, and come to the invocation and worship of the Creator of the Universe. May Allah guide us to read and understand the Holy Quran so that we can differentiate between the lies of these unsrupulous leaders and follow the truth and guidance of the Glorious Quran and the traditions of our beloved Prophet (saws). May Allah guide us to read and understand the Holy Quran so that we can come out of the darkness of ignorance and come to light and noor of guidance. Ameen.

May Allah guide you and us all to the Siraat al-Mustaqeem

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan