Adhaan - An introduction

Adhaan - An introduction

 

 It is narrated on the authority of Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin Zaid Ansari (May Allah be well pleased with him), he says that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was concerned about calling people for Salaat so much so that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) decided to appoint some people who would climb mounds and hillocks and would gesture to the people to come for Salaat.  Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin Zaid Ansari (May Allah be well pleased with him) says:  I saw a dream as if a person clothed in 2 pieces of green cloth is standing in the niche of the mosque and saying the words of the Adhaan.

 

After some time, that person again stood up and repeated the words of Adhaan with the addition of Qad Qaamatis Salaat Qad Qaamatis Salaat, as is said in the Iqaamah.

 

Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin Zaid (May Allah be well pleased with him) says:  I related my dream to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and He said:  Go!  Teach these words to Bilal (May Allah be well pleased with him).  I did so.

 

As this was something new, people came running on hearing this.  At last, Hadhrat Bilal (May Allah be well pleased with him) finished the Adhaan.  Hadhrat ‘Umar bin Khattab (May Allah be well pleased with him) also came and said:  If ‘Abdullah bin Zaid (May Allah be well pleased with him) had not already related this dream, I would have informed the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) that I also saw a dream that was exactly similar to what ‘Abdullah bin Zaid (May Allah be well pleased with him) saw.  This has been related by Abul Shaykh, Ibn Majah, Abu Dawood and Imam Ahmed.  Tirmidhi and Ibn Khuzaimah have declared this Hadith to be rigorously authenticated (Sahih)

 

There is another Hadith in this regard:

 

Translation: It is narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Abdullah bin ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with them), he says that when the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was given a tour of the skies, at that time the words of Adhaan were revealed to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) had come with the words of the Adhaan from Meraj itself and Jibreel (May peace be upon him) had conveyed this to Him.  (This has been narrated by Imam Tabarani in Mo’jam Ausat Tabarani)

 

Our scholars have said that the heavenly journey mentioned in the aforementioned Hadith is not the generally known heavenly journey.  This heavenly journey in which the words of the Adhaan were conveyed to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was not physical but spiritual as the physical heavenly journey of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) happened only once, however, the spiritual journey happened many times or this was the dream of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) which has the same legal status as the heavenly journey.

 

The dreams of the Prophets (May peace be upon them) are also divine revelations and this dream was also a spiritual journey in which the words of the Adhaan were conveyed to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  The Companions were first taught the Adhaan in dreams and then the command of it was revealed to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) in His dream.  The intent was that the Companions should be gladdened by the coincidence and that this should be related from them, otherwise the command of Adhaan is a Shariah rule which cannot be established through anyone else’s dream except that of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

[Excerpted from Fazaail-e-Namaaz]