Nasai

541. Commentary:

➊ This hadith establishes the virtue of the call to prayer (adhan) and the first row. Clearly, a person can only stand in the first row if he comes to the mosque early, and this in itself is a virtuous act. Furthermore, by standing close to the imam, he will have the opportunity to listen to the recitation well, and his attention, humility, and submissiveness in prayer will be greater.

➋ This hadith also establishes the virtue of the ‘Isha and Fajr prayers, because they involve more hardship, as these are times of sleep.

➌ Drawing lots (qur‘ah) is permissible in lawful matters.

Hadith Commentary:
After the salam, it is Sunnah for the imam to turn from the posture of tashahhud and sit facing the congregation.
He should sit in such a way that he faces slightly more towards those on his right side, while those on his left are also well within his view.
It is not correct to sit in such a manner that one’s back is turned towards those on the left side.
Moreover, this practice should not be constant; rather, at times, the imam should also turn towards the left side.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
From this hadith, it is understood that multiple mu’adhdhins (callers to prayer) can be appointed in a mosque; however, for the time of prayer, only one mu’adhdhin will give the adhan (call to prayer), because drawing lots (qur‘ah) is only possible when there are multiple mu’adhdhins. Some individuals have interpreted the word "istiham" mentioned in the hadith to mean archery, but according to Imam al-Bukhari, its meaning is drawing lots (qur‘ah). He has also presented the incident related to Sa‘d radi Allahu anhu regarding drawing lots in support of this meaning. In addition, the explicit words of qur‘ah in Sahih Muslim also support this meaning. (Fath al-Bari: 2/128)

(2)
No legal (shar‘i) ruling can be established through drawing lots (qur‘ah); rather, it is used at times of dispute among those who have equal rights, that is, qur‘ah is drawn to resolve difficulties, end disputes, remove suspicions, and bring about mutual harmony. In this regard, Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah has established several chapter headings in his Sahih, for example:
• "Is drawing lots permissible in division?" (Kitab al-Shirkah: 6)
• "Drawing lots in problematic matters" (Kitab al-Shahadat: 30)
• "Drawing lots among women" (Kitab al-Nikah: 98)
At this point, Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah’s objective is to mention the virtue of the adhan and to establish that for prayer in a mosque, only one adhan should be given, because if multiple adhans were permissible, then there would be no need for drawing lots.

«باب الاستهام فى الأذان»

Chapter: The Explanation of Drawing Lots (Qur‘ah) for the Call to Prayer (Adhan).

Benefit:

The word “istiham” is derived from “sahm,” which means “arrow.” When there were multiple claimants to something, they would write each person’s name on an arrow and put them in a bag, then draw one arrow out; whoever’s name came out would be given that thing. Later, this word came to be used for “qur‘ah” (drawing lots) in general, regardless of the method used. For example, Allah the Exalted said regarding Yunus alayhis salam: «فَسَاهَمَ فَكَانَ مِنَ الْمُرْحَضِينَ» [الصافات: 141] “Then he participated in drawing lots and was among the losers.”

«وَ يُذْكَرُ أَنَّ أَقْوَامًا اخْتَلَفُوا فِي الْأَذَانِ فَأَقْرَعَ بينهم سعد» And it is mentioned that some people disputed over giving the adhan, so Sa‘d (ibn Abi Waqqas) radi Allahu anhu drew lots among them.

Benefit:

In [تاريخ طبري 566/3], Tabari narrated with his chain from Abu Wa’il Shaqiq ibn Salamah, who said: We conquered Qadisiyyah at the beginning of the day, and when we returned, the mu’adhdhin had been killed. When the time for adhan came, several men disputed over it, so (the commander of the army) Sa‘d radi Allahu anhu drew lots among them, and the one whose name came out gave the adhan. [فتح الباري] “Qadisiyyah” is the name of a famous place in Iraq, attributed to a man named Qadis. In the year 15 AH, during the caliphate of ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu, the famous battle between the Muslims and the Persians took place there, which broke the back of the fire-worshippers and ended the Persian Empire. The commander of this battle was Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas radi Allahu anhu.

Benefits:

➊ What is in the adhan and the first row:

In a narration of Abu Shaykh, the words of Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu are mentioned in «مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَالْبَرَكَةِ», i.e., what goodness and blessing there is in the adhan and the first row. [فتح الباري] This goodness and blessing has been left ambiguous for emphasis, i.e., it has not been specified how much it is. The meaning is that it is so great that it is difficult to express and difficult for people to comprehend; if they were to know it... etc.

➋ From this hadith, it is understood that one of the ways to end disputes is drawing lots (qur‘ah). When there are multiple claimants to something and none has proof, or all have proof but it can only be given to one, then a decision is made by drawing lots, and the Shari‘ah has recognized this as valid. Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established several chapters for this, for example:

«هَلْ يُقْرَعُ فِي الْقِسْمَةِ؟» [كتاب الشركة، باب: 6], «الْقُرْعَةُ فِي الْمُشْكِلَاتِ» [كتاب الشهادات، باب: 30], and «القَرْعَةَ بَيْنَ النِّسَاءِ» [كتاب النكاح، باب: 98], and the Imam has brought several ahadith in them. Despite this, some people declare drawing lots to be gambling and reject it. May Allah grant them the ability to accept the truth.

Hadith Commentary:
From these ahadith, the Imam has derived the permissibility of drawing lots (qur‘ah) and has explained that there are many situations that arise in which the best method for decision-making is indeed drawing lots.
Therefore, there is no doubt regarding its permissibility.
Some people do not consider drawing lots to be permissible; this is a deficiency in their reasoning.
From this hadith, the great virtue of calling the adhan (call to prayer) and standing in the first row is also established, as well as the virtue of performing the prayer early at its initial time, just as is the practice of the Ahl al-Hadith congregation, whose custom is to perform Fajr, Dhuhr, ‘Asr, and Maghrib at their earliest times.
Especially, delaying ‘Asr and Fajr is not beloved to Allah.
The practice of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was to perform ‘Asr at its earliest time, when the shadow becomes equal to the object, and to perform Fajr at its earliest time in darkness (ghalas).
This is the practice that continues to this day in the two sacred sanctuaries (Haramayn Sharifayn).
(And with Allah is success)

Hadith Commentary:
In life, there are countless situations in which drawing lots (qur‘ah) becomes necessary in order to make a decision, because without it, no better decision can be made.
In such circumstances, drawing lots is permissible.
In the Shari‘ah, drawing lots has been declared permissible on several occasions, for example:
To determine rights when all are jointly involved in them, or to establish ownership, drawing lots can be done.
In any case, its permissibility according to the Shari‘ah cannot be denied, and the stance of those who deny it is not based on reality.

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
(1)
ISTAHIMU ‘ALAYHI:
(For attaining this reward)
Draw lots,
meaning, everyone should strive to perform this act, and since all arrive at the same time, they are equally deserving,
and due to the lack of space for everyone, there arises a need to draw lots for preference.

(2)
AL-TAHJEER:
To come at the time of intense midday heat, or to act quickly and come early for every prayer.

(3)
ISTABAQU ILAYHI:
To try to outdo one another and strive to get ahead.

(4)
AL-‘ATAMAH:
The early part of the night’s darkness, or to delay and be late;
here, it refers to the ‘Isha prayer.

(5)
HABWAN:
Habwan (n)
Habwan means to walk on hands and knees or to crawl on the buttocks.

Benefits and Issues:
In this hadith, special importance is given to the ‘Isha and Fajr prayers, and their immense reward, goodness, and blessings are mentioned,
because for these prayers, one must leave sleep and comfort, which is quite difficult and demanding, and for this reason, these two prayers were hard for the hypocrites.

672. Commentary: It is implicitly understood that if matters ever reach the point of drawing lots, then in order to resolve the dispute, drawing lots (qur‘ah) may also be employed.

Benefits and Issues:
(1) Competing with one another in good deeds is a commendable act.

(2) When all are equal in entitlement, then deciding by drawing lots is permissible.