(Series of Answers by the Eminent Scholar Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah, Ameer of Hizb ut-Tahrir, to Questions from Visitors to his Facebook Page "Fiqhi")
Answer to Question To Mohammad AL-khatib
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh,
Warm greetings. I have a question and hope for a definitive answer: Is saying "(As-salatu khayrun minan-nawm) - Prayer is better than sleep" in the Fajr Adhan a Bid'ah (innovation)?
Answer:
Wa Alaikum Assalam Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh,
Your question is about Tathweeb, which is: (The Mu’adhin adding the phrase "Prayer is better than sleep" twice after the two Hay'alas [Hayya 'ala-s-salah and Hayya 'ala-l-falah] in the Fajr Adhan). This is not a Bid'ah; rather, it is a Sunnah supported by several Hadiths from the Messenger ﷺ:
1- Abu Dawood narrated in his Sunan from Muhammad bin Abdul Malik bin Abi Mahdhura, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, teach me the Sunnah of the Adhan?" He said: So he wiped the front of my head and said:
تَقُولُ: اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، تَرْفَعُ بِهَا صَوْتَكَ، ثُمَّ تَقُولُ: أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، تَخْفِضُ بِهَا صَوْتَكَ، ثُمَّ تَرْفَعُ صَوْتَكَ بِالشَّهَادَةِ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ، حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ، حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ، حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ، فَإِنْ كَانَ صَلَاةُ الصُّبْحِ قُلْتَ: الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ، الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ
"You should say: Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, raising your voice with it. Then you say: Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah, lowering your voice with it. Then you raise your voice with the Shahada: Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah. Hayya 'ala-s-salah, Hayya 'ala-s-salah, Hayya 'ala-l-falah, Hayya 'ala-l-falah. If it is the Morning Prayer, you say: As-salatu khayrun minan-nawm, As-salatu khayrun minan-nawm. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illallah." (Abu Dawood)
Al-Albani said this Hadith is Sahih. Ibn Khuzaymah also narrated something similar in his Sahih, but through Ibn Jurayj who said: Uthman bin Al-Sa'ib informed me, from the mother of Abdul Malik bin Abi Mahdhura, from Abi Mahdhura, and Al-Daraqutni also narrated something similar.
2- In another narration by Abu Dawood through Ibn Jurayj, the text is: Al-Hasan bin Ali narrated to us, Abu Asim and Abdur-Razzaq narrated to us from Ibn Jurayj, who said: Uthman bin Al-Sa’ib informed me, my father and the mother of Abdul Malik bin Abi Mahdhura informed me from Abi Mahdhura from the Prophet ﷺ a similar report, and in it:
الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنْ النَّوْمِ الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنْ النَّوْمِ فِي الْأُولَى مِنْ الصُّبْحِ...
"Prayer is better than sleep, prayer is better than sleep in the first [call] of the morning..." (Abu Dawood)
Meaning, it is not in the Iqama, which is sometimes referred to as the "second Adhan." This is as mentioned in the Sahih Hadith narrated by Al-Bukhari: Abdullah bin Yazid narrated to us, Kahmas bin Al-Hasan narrated to us from Abdullah bin Buraydah from Abdullah bin Mughaffal, who said: The Prophet ﷺ said:
بَيْنَ كُلِّ أَذَانَيْنِ صَلَاةٌ بَيْنَ كُلِّ أَذَانَيْنِ صَلَاةٌ ثُمَّ قَالَ فِي الثَّالِثَةِ لِمَنْ شَاءَ
"Between every two calls (Adhans) there is a prayer, between every two calls there is a prayer, then he said on the third time: for whoever wishes." (Bukhari)
3- Al-Nasa’i narrated in his Sunan: Ibrahim bin Al-Hasan informed us, Hajjaj narrated to us from Ibn Jurayj from Uthman bin Al-Sa’ib who said: My father and the mother of Abdul Malik bin Abi Mahdhura informed me from Abi Mahdhura who said: When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ left Hunayn... he made me sit before him and wiped my forelock and blessed me three times, then said: "Go and perform the Adhan at the Sacred House." I said: "How, O Messenger of Allah?" So he taught me as you perform the Adhan now:
(الله أكبر الله أكبر الله أكبر الله أكبر أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله أشهد أن محمدا رسول الله أشهد أن محمدا رسول الله أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله أشهد أن محمدا رسول الله أشهد أن محمدا رسول الله حي على الصلاة حي على الصلاة حي على الفلاح حي على الفلاح الصلاة خير من النوم الصلاة خير من النوم في الأولى من الصبح...)
"Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah. Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah. Hayya 'ala-s-salah, Hayya 'ala-s-salah, Hayya 'ala-l-falah, Hayya 'ala-l-falah. As-salatu khayrun minan-nawm, As-salatu khayrun minan-nawm in the first [call] of the morning..." (Al-Nasa'i)
Al-Albani said: Sahih. As we mentioned earlier, "the first" refers to the Adhan and not the Iqama (the second call).
4- Al-Bayhaqi narrated in Al-Sunan Al-Kubra from the Hadith of Ibn Ajlan from Nafi’ from Ibn Umar who said:
كَانَ الأَذَانُ الأَوَّلُ بَعْدَ حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلاةِ حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلاحِ (الصَّلاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ) مَرَّتَيْنِ
"In the first Adhan after 'Hayya 'ala-s-salah, Hayya 'ala-l-falah,' there was 'As-salatu khayrun minan-nawm' twice." (Al-Bayhaqi)
Ibn Hajar said: Its chain is Hasan. Al-Ya’muri said: This is a Sahih chain.
As we said before, the meaning of "the first Adhan" is the Adhan of Fajr and not the second call, which is the Iqama. Thus, "Prayer is better than sleep" is not said in the Iqama.
5- Ibn Khuzaymah and Al-Daraqutni narrated from Anas that he said: "It is from the Sunnah when the Mu’adhin says in the Fajr: 'Hayya 'ala-l-falah,' he says: 'As-salatu khayrun minan-nawm'." Ibn Sayyid al-Nas al-Ya’muri said: It is a Sahih chain.
6- Ibn Hibban narrated in his Sahih: Al-Fadl bin Al-Hubab al-Jumahi informed us, Musaddad bin Musarhad narrated to us, Al-Harith bin Ubayd narrated to us from Muhammad bin Abdul Malik bin Abi Mahdhura from his father from his grandfather who said: I said: "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, teach me the Sunnah of the Adhan." He said: So he wiped the front of my head and said:
تقول: الله أكبر، الله أكبر، الله أكبر، الله أكبر
"You should say: Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar," raising his voice with it, then you say:
أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله، أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله، أشهد أن محمدا رسول الله، أشهد أن محمدا رسول الله، واخفض بها صوتك، ثم ترفع صوتك بالشهادة، أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله، أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله، أشهد أن محمدا رسول الله، مرتين، وحي على الصلاة، حي على الصلاة، حي على الفلاح، حي على الفلاح، فإن كانت صلاة الصبح قلت: الصلاة خير من النوم، الصلاة خير من النوم، الله أكبر، الله أكبر، لا إله إلا الله
"Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah, and lower your voice with it. Then raise your voice with the Shahada: Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah, twice. And Hayya 'ala-s-salah, Hayya 'ala-s-salah, Hayya 'ala-l-falah, Hayya 'ala-l-falah. If it is the Morning Prayer, you say: As-salatu khayrun minan-nawm, As-salatu khayrun minan-nawm. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illallah." (Ibn Hibban)
Thus, it is clear that Tathweeb in the Fajr prayer is a confirmed Sunnah. While there may be some discussion regarding certain narrations, there are other narrations authenticated by renowned scholars and adopted by many jurists. This means Tathweeb existed during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and continues to this day. It is not a Bid'ah, but rather a confirmed Sunnah for which authentic evidence has been provided, as explained above.
I hope this answer is sufficient and comprehensive.
Your brother, Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah
23 Jumada al-Akhirah 1440 AH Corresponding to 28/02/2019 CE
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