Al-Adillat al-T`inah F Adhn al-Mul`anah [1306AH]

By Imm Ahmad Rid Bareilwi Alayhir Rehmah

[Translated by Muhammad Husain Qadri]

Question: What is the verdict of the learned scholars of Islm that the Shiites have
chosen to add the words Khalfatu Raslillhi bil faslin [The Caliph of the Prophet
without any disruption] in Adhn in relation to Sayyidun Al RadiAllhu
Anhu. Thus, is it Tabarra1 that the Ahlus Sunnah listens to these additional words
and also is it there a rewards in tying to prevent this? [Moulv Shib, head of
Anjuman-e- Muhibb-e-Islm, 21st Zul Qadah, 1306 AH]
Answer: Al-Hamdu lillhi Rabbil lamn Was Saltu Was Salmu Al Saiiyidil
Mursaln Muhammadin wa Khulafihil Arbaatir Rshidn wa lihi Wa Sahbihi Wa
Ahli Sunnatihi Ajma`n
No doubt these exasperated and infuriating words are purely used for Tabarra. To
listen to these words is no doubt Tabarra [May Allah Protect is]. Tabarra means to
repudiate and to reject with hatred and these words explicitly indicate this. These
words clearly negate the Khilfah of the first three blessed Khulaf of the Beloved of
Allah
. Negation here does not mean that they did not lead the Muslims, [as this
was clear by their implementation of the laws, carrying out the Islamic system,
securing the Islamic states from the enemies etc. All this is apparent in the history of
Islam, even the Jews and the Christians do not reject this]. However their enmity
against these beloved companions is only because, in their false belief, Sayyidun Ali
KarramAllhu Tal Wajhahul Karm was the only one worthy to become the caliph
after the Prophet

. Now because the three great companions became the caliphs

after the Prophet , then they claim that the right of Sayyidun Ali RadiAllhu
Anhu was seized from him, MadhAllh. And because of the belief of Taqiyya, they
regard the Lion of Allah a coward, ignorer of the truth and a partisan of falsehood,
[May seek the Protection of Allah]. [18:5]
Therefore the words Bil Faslin means the negation of worthiness. By uttering such
words, they encapsulate all the anger, oppression, refusal of truth and all false cursed
beliefs which they believe in and speak out. The La of negation is an open
repudiation, Tabarra. If someone says (in the Shiite after Abdur Razzq Humm,
who died in 211 AH) then has he not called all those Shiites infidels [Kfir] who were
came in between these two? No, no! indeed the explicit meaning of his words are as
1

Tabarra refers to the practice of the Shiites of abusing the Beloved companions [Sahbah].

such and we will also reject these words. This is because in our school of thought, it is
not permissible call them Kfir or curse. Now do justice. If someone says such words
in the streets where the Shiites live, will they then not feel angered? Will they not feel
disgraced and humiliated by these words? Despite the fact that it is not from the Usl
of their faith to praise all those Shiites who came in between and nor are there any
verses of the Qurn, or the Ahdth, or the statements of the Great Imams to prove
their righteousness. Then what to you think will happen if someone calls out these
filth words in the Adhn in the streets? Whereas to honour and respect the first three
caliphs is part of our Usl and we have numerous verses of the Qurn, Ahdth of the
Prophet
and saying of the Great Imams in praise and honour of the these three
great caliphs. Will it then not break our hearts and anger us? Anyways this is selfexplanatory which needs no more explanation. What I want to make clear is those
additional-words are also against their doctrines.
The additional words attached to the Adhn are refuted by the Shiites for the
following reasons.
1. In the light of their Ahdth and Fiqh, the words of Adhn are defined and
fixed. These addition is not part of the defined Adhn.
2. In their view, it is an offence to add extra words to the approved Adhn too
and this act is an innovation.
3. Their leaders have also cited that the innovators of these words were a cursed
nation, who are also regarded as apostates in the eyes of the Imms
I will give reference to the aforementioned points from the reliable books of the
Shiites and will present them with the original texts with clear translations.

References to point 1.
Shari al-islm by Shaykh Al writes, Adhn according to the agreed upon verdict
has eighteen words; Takbr is read four times, then Shahda of Tawhd and Rislah,
then Hayy alas Salh, Hayy alal falh, Hayy al Khayril amal, then the
Takbr then Tahll [L Ilha IllAllh]. All these are read twice. 2
Khadd Hayy, who is known as Shahd II, writes in its commentary,
Having eighteen words in the Adhn is the religion of all the Shiites and no
one has gone against it. This is proven from that Hadth which has been narrated on
the authority of Ibn Bbawiyya and al-Shaykh from Abu Bakr al-Hadram, and also
narrated by Kalb al-Asad from Ab Abdillh Alaihis Salm. Ab Abdillh cited
for them the Adhn by the words, Allhu Akbar (four times), Ash-hadu Al-L Ilha
IllAllh twice, Ash-hadu anna Muhammada-r RaslAllh twice, Hayy alas Salh,
Hayy alas Salh, Hayy alal falh, Hayy alal falh, Hayy al Khayril amal,
Hayy al Khayril amal, Allhu Akbar, Allhu Akbar, L Ilha IllAllh, L Ilha
IllAllh. The Iqmah was the same.
Also on the authority of Isml Jaf who narrates that he heard Imm Ab
Jafar Alaihis Salm say, The total number of words in Adhn and Iqmah is thirty2

Shari al-islm, al-muqaddama as-sbiqa fil adhn wal iqmah, (Matbaat al-db, Najaf), vol. 1,
p. 75.

five. He then counted them using his hands, eighteen for the Adhn and 17 for the
Iqmah.
The statement of the author Adhn according to the agreed upon verdict has
eighteen words is an indication towards the Hadth which has been narrated by the
author himself. He narrates through the chain of Husayn bin Sa`d, who narrates from
Nasr Bin Suwayd who narrates from Abdullh bin Sinn who says, I asked Ab
Abdillh Alaihis Salm as regards to the Adhn. He replied saying, it is [saying]
Allhu Akbar twice, Ash-hadu Al-L Ilha IllAllh, Ash-hadu Al-L Ilha IllAllh,
Ash-hadu anna Muhammada-r RaslAllh, Ash-hadu anna Muhammada-r
RaslAllh, Hayy alas Salh, Hayy alas Salh, Hayy alal falh, Hayy alal
falh, Hayy al Khayril amal, Hayy al Khayril amal, Allhu Akbar, Allhu
Akbar, L Ilha IllAllh, L Ilha IllAllh.[In Hadth the total number of words are
sixteen as the initial Takbr is only twice]. Zarra and Fudayl has narrated from Ab
Abdillah Alaiyhis Salm.
The Shaykh3 has also mentioned from some Imms the Takbr being four
times at the end. This narration is unacceptable due to the Ahdith we already
mentioned.
The Shiite Shahd Ab Abdillh Bin Makk writes in al-Lamatl Dimishqiyya, In the
first Adhn recite Allhu Akbar four times, then the Shahdatayn (The two statements
of testimony). Then the three Hayy then Allhu Akbar and then L Ilha IllAllh;
each sentence twice. This is all eighteen words and this is the total number as pointed
out by the Sharih. It is therefore impermissible to accept anything extra like Ashhadu anna Aliyyan Waliyullh.4

References to point 2.
It is in the same Madrik, Adhn is a Sunnah prescribed to us by the legislator
like all the other worships. Thus to add any words in the Adhn is to innovate ones
own Sharih and this is Harm, like adding anna Muhammadan Wa lihi Khayrul
Bariyyah. Though this is from the rulings of Imn but they are not the words of the
Adhn.5
It is in the same book, Adhn is a type of worship, taught to us by the legislator .
Therefore, we will only restrict ourselves to what has been narrated from him and
from the narrations of the Ahll Bayt. These narrations do not have these (extra)
words so this is to innovate a new forbidden Sharih.6

Madrikl Ahkm Sharh Shari al-Islm

Al-Lamatl Dimishqiyya
5
Madrikl Ahkm Sharh Shari al-Islm
6
Ibid.
4

References to point 3.
Shaykh Saduq ibn 'Ali ibn Babawaih al-Qummi, a leading Shiite scholar and one of
their most outstanding traditionalist writes in Man l yahduruhu al-Faqh in the
chapter of al-Adhn Wal Iqmah lil muadhdhinn,Ab Bakr Hadram and
Kalb Asad narrates from Abu Abdillh Alaihis Salm that he informed them
about the Adhn by reciting Allhu Akbar four times, Ash-hadu Al-L Ilha
IllAllh twice, Ash-hadu anna Muhammada-r RaslAllh, twice, Hayy alas
Salh twice, Hayy alal falh, twice, Hayy al Khayril amal twice, Allhu
Akbartwice and L Ilha IllAllh, L Ilha IllAllh once.
The author of this book writes that this is the authentic Adhn; nothing can be
added nor subtracted to these [aforementioned] words of the Adhn. The Mufawwida
sect, may Allahs curse be uponthem, invented some Ahdith and added the words,
Muhammad Wa lu Muhammadin Khayrul bariyyah twice to the original Adhn.
And from some of their narration they added Ash-hadu anna Aliyyan Waliyullh
twice after Ash-hadu anna Muhammada-r RaslAllh. Some of them added Ashhadu anna Aliyyan Amrul Muminna Haqqan twice in its place.
No doubt Ali RadiAllhu is the Wali of Allah and no doubt Muhammad
and his family are the best from all the nations. However, these are not the words of
the Adhn. I have mentioned this so that people recognise that the Tadwdi sect made
this addition and deceive others by claiming to be from us [Imamiyya].7
Observe carefully how Shaykh Sadq has proven that the number of words of the
Adhn are eighteen and then criticised the Mufawwidah [Tafwdi] sect by his words,
May Allahs curse be upon them, who added words to the Adhn.

An Important Point.
Like we have by the Grace of Allah proved our points from the books of their leaders,
similarly it would be worthy to prove that these words are used as Tabarra from the
books of their seniors like we mentioned it in the introduction of this book.
Just to mention one of their Imams, it is written in Kitb al-Mukhtalif, al-Mufkhara
[boasting and bragging] is part of insult and abuse. This is because when one boasts
about his merits and virtues, he does so to prove the deficiency of those merits in his
opponent. Similarly he boasts about not possessing vices which he indirectly proves
them for his opponent.8
This has been copied by some of the commentators of al-Rawdatl Bahiyyah Sharh
al-Lamatl Dimishqiyyah in the chapter of Hajj, under the definition of al-Sabb
[abuse] on page 161.
Now ask them whether being the caliph or successor of the Prophet
a virtue or
not? They will indeed say it is a great virtue. So now ask them that whther or not their
statement, Khalfatullh is to prove the Khilfa of Moul Ali RadiAllhu Anhu
and the statement, Bil Faslin is to negate the caliphate of the first three Khulaf
RadiAllahu Anhum Ajma`n? They will have to agree. When this is case and your
scholar has bore witness that abuse is such, then you have no place to stand on except
7

Man L Yahduruhul Faqh, Bb al-Adhn Wal Iqmah, (Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyya, Tehran, Iran),
vol. 1, pp. 188-189.
8
Kitb al-Mukhtalif

to accept that these words are used to abuse our great leader, the beloved companions
of the Prophet of Allah

. May Allah Protect us all.

If these words were happen to be part of their religious Adhn then we would belive
that they have used is a religious-tradition. But it has been proven that they are not
part of their Adhn, nor is there any proofs from the Ahdith or the statements of the
Imams, nor do their scholars accept this (but actually said that the additional words
were introduced by the sect which has been deemed infidels by both Sunni and the
Shiites), then we have to believe that these words are used to break the hearts of the
Muslims and not used for a religious tradition. Even if the words were part of their
religious Adhn then still no group would call such statements by which it insults the
leaders of the other group. Are the Shiites now the rulers of India? or does it have a
Shiite government or have the Shiites created some sort of hidden powers by which
there are not penalised after committing such crimes? To Allah do we turn to and seek
His help. There in no power nor might except from Allah.Wa SallAllhu Ala
Sayyidin Wa Mowlan Muhammadin wa lihi Wa Sahbihi Ajma`n. Wal Hamdu
Lillhi Rabbil lamn.