Dought & clear, - Should he send blessings on the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be uponhim) when he is repeating the adhaan?

The mu'azzin called for prayer. When he said: "ash-hadu anna Muhammad
rasool Allah", I repeated what he said and sent blessings on the
prophet, peace be upon him. Some brother told me that what I added is
bid'a (innovation), is this correct? What is the evidence?
I sent blessings on the prophet, peace be upon him, because I heard a
hadeeth that means "stingy he is who does not send blessings on me
whenever I am mentioned before him" what is the ruling sheikh? Please
provide me with an answer, is what I said bid'a?.
Praise be to Allaah.
What is required in the case of dhikrs and du'aa's that are prescribed
for specific situations is to adhere to what is narrated in the
Qur'aan and Sunnah, without adding or subtracting anything.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inFath
al-Baari(11/112):
The wording of dhikrs is tawqeefi (i.e., acts of worship which must be
done as prescribed in the texts with no room for ijtihaad), and they
have special characteristics that cannot be subject to analogy. So one
must adhere to the wording as it was narrated. End quote.
The evidence for this principle is the fact that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught al-Bara' ibn 'Aazib (may
Allaah be pleased with him) to adhere to the wording without changing
it. That was when he taught him the du'aa' to say when he wanted to
sleep. He said to him:
"When you go to your bed, do wudoo' as for prayer, then lie down on
your right side and say:
Allaahumma aslamtu wajhi ilayka wa fawwadtu amri ilayka wa alja'tu
zahri ilayka raghbatan wa rahbatan ilayka, la malja'a wa laa manjaa
minka illa ilayka. Allaahumma aamantu bi kitaabika alladhi anzalta wa
nabiyyika alladhi arsalta(O Allaah I submit my face to You, and I
entrust my affairs to You, and I rely totally on You in hope and in
fear of You. Verily there is no refuge nor safe haven from You except
with You. O Allaah, I believe in Your Book which You have revealed and
in Your Prophet whom You have sent).
Then if you die during the night, you will have died following the
fitrah (sound nature of man). Make these the last words that you
speak."
He said: I repeated it back to the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), and when I reached the words. "Allaahumma aamantu
bi kitaabika allaahi anzalta(O Allaah, I believe in Your Book which
You have revealed)," I said: "Wa rasoolika(And Your Messenger)." He
said: "No.Wa nabiyyika alladhi arsalta(and Your Prophet whom You
sent)."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 224; Muslim, 2710.
The practice of the salaf with regard to matters of Sunnah and bid'ah
was always to err on the side of caution and to adhere to the narrated
Sunnah for fear of falling into bid'ah.
Ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
"Moderation in applying Sunnah is better than striving hard in
following bid'ah." End quote. Narrated by al-Tabaraani inal-Mu'jam
al-Kabeer(10/208).
Hence some of the Sahaabah denounced the one who added to that which
is prescribed. It was narrated from Naafi' that a man sneezed beside
Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them) and said "Al-hamdu Lillaah
wa'l-salaam 'ala Rasool-Allaah(Praise be to Allaah and peace be upon
the Messenger of Allaah)."
Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "And I say, 'Al-hamdu
Lillaah wa'l-salaam 'ala Rasool-Allaah (Praise be to Allaah and peace
be upon the Messenger of Allaah)' - but this is not what the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us. He
taught us to say: 'Al-hamdu Lillaahi 'ala kulli haal(Praise be to
Allaah in all situations).'"
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2738) and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani
inSaheeh al-Tirmidhi.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to teach
them dhikrs with certain wordings, and he was keen for them to
memorize them as Allaah had revealed them to him, just as he taught
them soorahs from the Qur'aan, so that they might attain their
blessing and virtue before Allaah.
Ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught me the
tashahhud, holding my hand between his, just as he taught me soorahs
from the Qur'aan. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (6265).
That also includes what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) taught us about responding to the muezzin. Several ahaadeeth
have been narrated concerning that, all of which indicate that it is
obligatory to limit ourselves to repeating the words of the
muezzin,Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan
rasool Allaah(I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah and I
bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah), without adding
or subtracting anything.
It was narrated from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with
him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "When you hear the call to prayer, say what the
muezzin says."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (611) and Muslim (383).
It was narrated from 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with
him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "If the muezzin says, 'Allaahu akbar, Allaahu
akbar(Allaah is most great, Allaah is most great),' and one of you
says, 'Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar(Allaah is most great, Allaah is
most great)'; then he says, 'Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah(I bear
witness that there is no god except Allaah),' and you say, 'Ashhadu an
laa ilaaha ill-Allaah(I bear witness that there is no god except
Allaah)'; then he says, 'Ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasool-Allaah(I bear
witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah),' and you say,
'Ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasool-Allaah(I bear witness that Muhammad is
the Messenger of Allaah)'; then he says, 'Hayya 'ala'l-salaah(Come to
prayer),' and you say, 'La hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah(There is
no power and no strength except with Allaah)'; then he says, 'Hayya
'ala'l-falaah(Come to prosperity),' and you say, 'Laa hawla wa laa
quwwata illa Billaah(There is no power and no strength except with
Allaah)'; then he says, 'Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar(Allaah is most
great, Allaah is most great),' and you say, 'Allaahu akbar, Allaahu
akbar(Allaah is most great, Allaah is most great)'; then he says, 'Laa
ilaaha ill-Allaah(There is no god but Allaah),' and one of you says,
'Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah(There is no god but Allaah),' from the heart,
he will enter Paradise."
Narrated by Muslim (385).
Think about it: how the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) explained in detail when he taught us how to respond to the
muezzin, which shows you how necessary it is to adhere to what he has
taught us, without adding or subtracting anything, otherwise what is
the point of all this explaining and teaching?
The Sahaabah understood the aim of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), and they used to adhere to what he taught them,
and they did not suggest or add any extra phrases.
Al-Bayhaqi narrated inal-Sunan al-Kubra(1/409) with a saheeh isnaad
from 'Eesa ibn Talhah that he said: We entered upon Mu'awiyah and the
caller gave the call for prayer. He said:Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar,
and Mu'aawiyah said;Allaah akbar, Allaahu akbar. He said:Ashhadu an
laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, and Mu'aawiyah said:Wa ana ashhadu an laa
ilaaha ill-Allaah(And I also bear witness that there is no god but
Allaah), he said:Ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasool Allaah, and Mu'aawiyah
said,Wa ana ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasool Allaah(and I also bear
witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah). Yahya said: A
companion of ours narrated that when he (the muezzin) saidHayya 'ala
al-salaah, he said:Laa hawla was laa quwwata illa Billaah(there is no
power and no strength except with Allaah), then he said: This is what
we heard your Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say.
Thus it is clear that you should not add the salawaat (blessings) on
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when repeating
after the muezzin, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) did not teach us to do that, and neither did his
Companions, and it is not known that any of them added anything when
he repeated after the muezzin.
Every Muslim believes that sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is one of the noblest acts of
worship and obedience, but the dhikrs have situations for which they
are prescribed, and we should not transgress those limits or add to
them. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated inJala'
al-Afhaam(327-445) all the situations in which it is prescribed to
send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), including: the tashahhud, at the end of Qunoot, during the
funeral prayer, and in the khutbah when saying du'aa'. During the
adhaan is not among them, rather after the muezzin finishes, one
should send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inJala' al-Afhaam(1/424):
Sending blessings upon the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), although it is one of the best and most beloved
of deeds to Allaah, every dhikr has its own place and time, where no
other can take its place. They said: hence it is not prescribed to
send blessings upon him when bowing or prostrating or standing up
straight after bowing. End quote.
Yes, there are ahaadeeth which strongly encourage sending blessings
upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), for
example:
It was narrated from Husayn ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib that the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The miser
is the one in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send
blessings upon me." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3546) and classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani inIrwa' al-Ghaleel(1/35).
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "May his nose be rubbed in
the dust, the one in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not
send blessings upon me." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3545) and classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Tirmidhi.
But the scholars explained the meanings of these ahaadeeth.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inFath
al-Baari(11/168-169):
Those who said that it is obligatory to send blessings upon him every
time he is mentioned based their view on the ahaadeeth quoted, because
the prayer for their noses to be rubbed in the dust and describing
them as misers imply a warning, and the warning for omitting something
indicates that it is obligatory.
Those who did not regard it as obligatory responded in several ways,
such as noting that it is an opinion which is not known from any of
the Sahaabah or Taabi'een, so it is a fabricated view, and if that
were understood in general terms, it would be obligatory for the
muezzin when he gives the adhaan, and the one who hears him, and the
reader when he comes across a mention of him in the Qur'aan, and it
would be required of the person who enters Islam, when he recites the
Shahaadatayn, but that would entail a lot of hardship and difficulty
which is contrary to Islam. And praising Allaah whenever He is
mentioned would be more deserving of being obligatory, but they did
not say that. Al-Qadoori and other Hanafis stated that the view that
it is obligatory to send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) every time he is mentioned is
contrary to the scholarly consensus that was present before this view
was formed, because it is not narrated from any of the Sahaabah that
they addressed the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
by saying "O Messenger of Allaah, may Allaah send blessings upon you,"
and because if that were the case, the listener would never be free to
do any other acts of worship.
They responded to what may be understood from the ahaadeeth by noting
that they are only confirming the importance of sending blessings upon
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
emphasizing it, and it is addressed to the one who habitually does not
send blessings on him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) at
all. End quote.
So all of the ahaadeeth that were narrated concerning this topic refer
to the places prescribed in sharee'ah, or gatherings in which the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is mentioned in
general terms; they do not mean that blessings should be sent on the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he is
mentioned in the Shahaadatayn.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inJala'
al-Afhaam(1/393-394), when quoting the points in which he refuted the
view of those who said it is obligatory to send blessings upon the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) every time his
name is mentioned:
1 - It is well known, beyond a doubt, that the righteous salaf who are
our example did not mention the salawaat every time the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was mentioned. This happened
innumerable times when they addressed him. They used to say: "O
Messenger of Allaah," and they limited it to that. One of them may
have said "May Allaah send blessings upon you", and this is very clear
in many ahaadeeth. If sending blessings upon him had been obligatory
when he was mentioned, he would have rebuked them for not doing it.
2 - If it were obligatory to send blessings upon him every time he is
mentioned, this would have been one of the most obvious obligations
and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have
explained it to his ummah in such a way that they would have no excuse
and proof would be established.
3 - This view is not known from any of the Sahaabah, Taabi'een or
those who came after them.
4 - If it were obligatory to send blessings upon him every time he is
mentioned, then it would be obligatory for the muezzin to say:Ashhadu
anna Muhammadan Rasool-Allaah sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa salaam(I bear
witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him)). But this is not prescribed for him in the
adhaan, let alone made obligatory.
5 - It is obligatory for the one who hears the call and responds to it
to send blessings upon him. The listener is enjoined to say what the
muezzin says, which indicates that it is permissible to limit it to
what he says:Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah,Ashhadu anna Muhammadan
rasool-Allaah(I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah, I
bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah).. This is what
the muezzin says. End quote.
Hence in the books of fiqh there is mention of times and places when
it is makrooh to send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him).
InTuhfat al-Muhtaaj, which is a Shaafa'i book, it says (2/65):
If the worshipper recites or hears a verse in which the name of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is mentioned, it
is not mustahabb to send blessings upon him, as the author said in a
fatwa (i.e., al-Nawawi). End quote.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar al-Haytami said inal-Fataawa al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubra(1/131):
There are other ahaadeeth which are similar to the ahaadeeth quoted
above, but we have not seen in them any mention of sending blessings
on him before the adhaan, or when the muezzin saysMuhammad Rasool
Allaahafterwards. We have not seen in the words of our imams any
mention of that either. In that case neither of these two things is
Sunnah in the place mentioned. The one who does one of them, believing
that it is Sunnah in that particular place, should be told not to do
that and prevented from doing it, because it is inserting an idea
without evidence, and the one who do that should be rebuked and told
not to do that. End quote.
InFataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz(10/334) it says:
Similarly, what some people do of adding blessings upon the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the adhaan when the
muezzin saysLaa ilaaha ill-Allaah, by adding "al-salaah 'ala
al-Nabi(blessings upon the Prophet)," raising their voice with the
adhaan or in the microphone, is not permissible and is also an
innovation (bid'ah). End quote.
But if the listener does that occasionally, not because he thinks it
is obligatory or that it is one of the dhikrs to be recited at that
time or that it is part of repeating the adhaan as prescribed, then we
hope that there is nothing wrong with it, and that does not reach the
point of being bid'ah, in sha Allaah.
And Allaah knows best.