The school of the Muhaddithin is a moderate school, respecting the rights of everyone. It gives each one their due status. It avoids excess and negligence, as well as exaggeration and belittlement. Following the religion of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah regarding the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, is necessary; prudence and caution lie in this as well. What the people of truth say about someone is based on knowledge and justice, while the people of innovation and misguidance follow the path of ignorance and oppression. Loving and revering the Ahl al-Bayt and respecting their rights is faith, and at the same time, avoiding exaggeration and belittlement is also necessary. Some people, while exaggerating in the status of the Ahl al-Bayt, do not use correct words.
Writing or saying “Alayhis Salam” or “Alayhis Salatu was Salam” after the name of Sayyidina Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, or saying “Mawla Ali” or writing or reading “Karam Allahu Wajhah,” and similarly avoiding writing or reading the word “Imam” and “Alayhis Salam” with Hasan and Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them, should be avoided because these are innovations of the Rafidah and their slogans. Some narrators in hadith books have included these words, but they are not originally present. The Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah used the same words for all the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.
The phrase “Alayhis Salam” has been written with the name of Sayyidina Ali, may Allah be pleased with him,
. The words “Karam Allahu Wajhah” for Sayyidina Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, have been mentioned
.
The phrase “Alayha Salam” has been mentioned with the name of Sayyida Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her,
.
With the name of Sayyidina Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, “Alayhis Salam” has been mentioned
, while for Sayyidina Husayn, may Allah be pleased with him, it has been mentioned
.
Similarly, for Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib, may Allah be pleased with him,
, “Alayha Salam” has been mentioned.
These words were not written by the Muhaddithin but were added by copyists on their own; scholars have rejected them. Their use as slogans is not correct.
Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him
, writes:
قلت: وقد غلب هذا فى عبارة كثير من النساخ للكتب، أن يفرد على رضي الله عنه، بأن يقال: عليه السلام، من دون سائر الصحابة، أو: كرم الله وجهه، وهذا وإن كان معناه صحيحا، لكن ينبغي أن يساوى بين الصحابة فى ذلك، فإن هذا من باب التعظيم والتكريم، فالشيخان وأمير المؤمنين عثمان بن عفان رضي الله عنهم أجمعين أولى بذلك منه، رضي الله عنهم أجمعين.
“I say, in many books, the scribes have predominantly adopted the practice of attaching ‘Alayhis Salam’ only to Sayyidina Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, and not to the other Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. Similarly, they write ‘Karam Allahu Wajhah’ with Sayyidina Ali. Although the meaning is correct, it is appropriate that all the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, be treated equally in this matter because this is a matter of respect and honor, and the two Shaykhs, may Allah be pleased with them, and Sayyidina Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, have more right to this honor than Sayyidina Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, may Allah be pleased with them all.”
Qadi Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him
, states:
الصلاة على غير الأنبياء يعني استقلالا لم تكن من الأمر المعروف وإنما أحدثت فى دولة بني هاشم.
“Using the phrase ”الصلاة“ permanently for anyone other than the Prophet was not known in the best of generations; it became prevalent during the Abbasid rule of Banu Hashim.”
Allama Ghazali, may Allah have mercy on him
, says:
الصلاة على غير رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مكروه إذ فيه موافقة الروافض ولأن العصر الأول خصصوا الصلاة والسلام به كما خصصوا عز وجل بالله وكما لا يحسن أن يقال: محمد عز وجل وإن كان عزيزا جليلا لا يحسن أن يقال: أبو بكر صلوات الله عليه وإن كان الصلاة هو الدعاء.
“Using the phrase ”الصلاة “ for anyone other than the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, is disliked because it aligns with the Rafidah. Also, in the early period, ‘Alayhis Salatu was Salam’ was specific to the Prophet, peace be upon him, just as ‘Azza wa Jalla’ is specific to Allah Almighty. For example, saying Muhammad Azza wa Jalla is incorrect, even though he is dear and exalted, similarly saying Abu Bakr Salawat Allah Alayh is also incorrect, although it means a prayer.”
Allama Ibn al-Attar, may Allah have mercy on him
, states:
الصحيح الذى عليه الأكثرون منهم: أنه مكروه كراهة تنزيه، قالوا: لأنه شعار أهل البدع، وقد نهينا عن شعارهم، لكن المعتمد فى دليل المنع أن الصلاة فى لسان السلف صارت مخصوصة بالنبي وغيره من الأنبياء صلوات الله وسلامه عليهم أجمعين استقلالا، كما أن قولنا: عز وجل، مخصوص بالله سبحانه وتعالى، فكما لا يقال: محمد عز وجل، وإن كان عزيزا جليلا، لا يقال: أبو بكر أو على صلى الله عليه، وإن كان معناه صحيحا.
“What most scholars have said is correct: using the phrase ”الصلاة “ for anyone other than a Prophet is a disliked form of reverence. Scholars have explained that this is the slogan of the people of innovation, and we are forbidden from adopting their slogans. But the strongest reason for prohibition is that the pious predecessors considered ”صلاة “ exclusively for the Prophets, peace and blessings be upon them all. Just as we consider ‘Azza wa Jalla’ specific to Allah Almighty, similarly, we cannot say Muhammad Azza wa Jalla, even though he is dear and exalted. Likewise, we cannot say ‘Sallallahu Alayhi’ with the names of Abu Bakr and Ali, may Allah be pleased with them, although the meaning is correct.”
Allama Ibn Abidin al-Shami, may Allah have mercy on him
, writes:
إنما أحدثه الرافضة فى بعض الأئمة والتشبه بأهل البدع منهي عنه فتجب مخالفتهم.
“This innovation was invented by the Rafidah for some of their Imams, and resembling the people of innovation is forbidden, so opposing them is obligatory.”
The Motto of the Muhaddithin
Hafiz Khateeb Baghdadi, may Allah have mercy on him
, says:
الصلاة والرضوان والرحمة من الله بمعنى واحد إلا أنها وإن كانت كذلك فإنا نستحب أن يقال للصحابي رضى الله عنه وللنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم تشريفا له وتعظيما.
“The meanings of ‘Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam’, ‘Radi Allahu Anhu’, and ‘Rahimahullah’ are the same, but despite this, we Muhaddithin prefer to say ‘Radi Allahu Anhu’ for the Sahabah and, considering the honor and reverence of the Noble Prophet ﷺ, we prefer to say ‘Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam’ for him ﷺ.”
