What is the ruling on mentioning the phrase "our master Muhammad" in the prayer, given that a hadith prohibiting this has been reported?
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The Shaykh : Finally: There is a question here which I will answer briefly, and then I will conclude this gathering. The questioner asks: What is the ruling on mentioning the phrase "our master Muhammad" in the prayer, considering what is heard of a hadith from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in which he forbade them from making him their master over anyone?
The questioner is referring to the hadith: ... This expression has no basis, neither linguistically nor in the hadith of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). That is to say, there is no explicit prohibition against making the Messenger (peace be upon him) one's master; that is, against saying of him: "Our master, the Messenger of Allah." There is no explicit hadith prohibiting this. Rather, there are hadiths in which the Messenger (peace be upon him) described himself as the master of mankind and the master of people on the Day of Resurrection, and you have all heard some of them. But does the fact that the Messenger (peace be upon him) is truly the master of people justify us adding to the prayer what Allah has not prescribed?
The answer is: No. I do not wish to lengthen the discussion on this, as I have mentioned it repeatedly, but I will clarify the matter for those who may not have heard the previous discussion and are hearing it now. If a person praying said in the tashahhud: "The greetings are for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)," is this not an exaltation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic)? Without a doubt, it is. But is it permissible for him to do so? The answer is: No. Does this answer mean that the one answering does not exalt the Lord of the Worlds? Far from it! Rather, this is part of the complete exaltation of the Lord of the Worlds: to adhere to His Shari'ah and not add to it, even by a single letter from ourselves. "The greetings are for Allah" is a prescription that Allah revealed to His Messenger, who taught it to his Companions, and he paid special attention to teaching it to them. For example, Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) taught me the tashahhud in prayer, and my hand was between his hands." "And my hand was between his hands" means that the Messenger was holding Ibn Mas'ud's hand, teaching him the wording of the tashahhud in prayer closely and intimately. Therefore, the Companions of Ibn Mas'ud said that he, in turn, taught them the tashahhud and would hold one of us accountable for a single letter. If one added a single letter to the tashahhud, he would hold him accountable and disapprove of it. So, when we say "The greetings are for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)," we have not come with something unknown in terms of meaning, but we have certainly come with something unknown in terms of following the Sunnah. We did not follow the Messenger (peace be upon him) in his teaching of this tashahhud to his Companions without this addition. And it is self-evident to every Muslim who has been given a particle of intellect and knowledge that this addition, although it does not contradict the majesty and greatness of Allah, is not permissible, because the Messenger (peace be upon him) did not teach it to his Companions. Therefore, it is even more impermissible for the one praying to add the word "our master," which is an exaltation of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), because the exaltation of Allah is more obligatory for us than the exaltation of the Messenger. And yet, we know from the previous example that it is not permissible for us to exalt Allah with what has not been prescribed. Therefore, it is even more impermissible for us to exalt the Messenger of Allah with what Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) has not prescribed.
The questioner is referring to the hadith:
Do not make me your master in the prayer
لا تسوِّدوني في الصلاةDo not make me your master
لا تسوِّدونيThe answer is: No. I do not wish to lengthen the discussion on this, as I have mentioned it repeatedly, but I will clarify the matter for those who may not have heard the previous discussion and are hearing it now. If a person praying said in the tashahhud: "The greetings are for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)," is this not an exaltation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic)? Without a doubt, it is. But is it permissible for him to do so? The answer is: No. Does this answer mean that the one answering does not exalt the Lord of the Worlds? Far from it! Rather, this is part of the complete exaltation of the Lord of the Worlds: to adhere to His Shari'ah and not add to it, even by a single letter from ourselves. "The greetings are for Allah" is a prescription that Allah revealed to His Messenger, who taught it to his Companions, and he paid special attention to teaching it to them. For example, Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) taught me the tashahhud in prayer, and my hand was between his hands." "And my hand was between his hands" means that the Messenger was holding Ibn Mas'ud's hand, teaching him the wording of the tashahhud in prayer closely and intimately. Therefore, the Companions of Ibn Mas'ud said that he, in turn, taught them the tashahhud and would hold one of us accountable for a single letter. If one added a single letter to the tashahhud, he would hold him accountable and disapprove of it. So, when we say "The greetings are for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)," we have not come with something unknown in terms of meaning, but we have certainly come with something unknown in terms of following the Sunnah. We did not follow the Messenger (peace be upon him) in his teaching of this tashahhud to his Companions without this addition. And it is self-evident to every Muslim who has been given a particle of intellect and knowledge that this addition, although it does not contradict the majesty and greatness of Allah, is not permissible, because the Messenger (peace be upon him) did not teach it to his Companions. Therefore, it is even more impermissible for the one praying to add the word "our master," which is an exaltation of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), because the exaltation of Allah is more obligatory for us than the exaltation of the Messenger. And yet, we know from the previous example that it is not permissible for us to exalt Allah with what has not been prescribed. Therefore, it is even more impermissible for us to exalt the Messenger of Allah with what Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) has not prescribed.
Source
www.al-albany.com
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