Q: We live in a village in Upper
Egypt
where there is a Masjid (mosque). We pronounce the Adhan (call to Prayer) in the prescribed manner, which begins with Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest) and ends with La ilaha illa Allah (there is no god but Allah). However, people were not satisfied with this form of Adhan. They said that we should invoke peace and blessings upon the Prophet after the Adhan. We agreed to this and we started to invoke peace and blessings upon the Prophet aloud after the Adhan, adding the words "O, Allah! Send Your peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions." However, they were not satisfied with this either and said that
invoking peace and blessings upon the Prophet after the Adhan
is obligatory. We asked whether this form did not appeal to them, and they said it did not. The words they prefer are "Peace be upon you, Messenger of Allah! Peace be upon you, Allah's beloved! Peace be upon you, the light of Allah's Throne! Peace be upon you, he who guided us to the victory of Allah! Peace be upon you, he who supported the religion of Allah! Peace be upon you, through whom we will receive the mercy of Allah! Peace be upon you, the first human created by Allah and the last Messenger sent by Allah! Peace be upon you, Prophet of Allah, and all your family and Companions. Peace be upon you, and praise be to Allah." The person who suggested this is a man who lives near the Masjid, who claims that the Imam (leader of the congregational Salah), Sheikh
Mahmud Hamdan Muhammad Bakhit
approved and said it is favorable, because it used to be said in the era of the Salaf (righteous predecessors) and the Sahabah. We asked them whether they insisted on this form, and they confirmed this because it was approved by the Imam of the Masjid. We asked them whether (Part No. 6; Page No. 104) they would abide by the ruling of Sheikh
`Abdul-`Aziz ibn Baz
and they agreed. So, we sent to Your Honor this question. Waiting for your reply as soon as possible to convince the Imam of the Masjid. Also, is it permissible for us to offer Salah with them?
A:
Adhan is a form of 'Ibadah (worship) ordained by Allah for mankind. 'Ibadah is Tawqifiyyah (bound by a religious text and not amenable to personal opinion); it should not be done unless it is reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him). It was never reported that any of the Mu'adhins (callers to Prayer) used to do this in the era of the Prophet (peace be upon him) or the Rightly-Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them). If a person does so, they have committed a Bid`ah (innovation in religion), as the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated,
Anyone who introduces anything into this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it will have it rejected.
In another narration,
Anyone who does an action which is not in accordance with this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected.
May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.
Invoking peace and b...
