Karram Allah Wajhah

Priority: c, Quality: c
From wikishia
A work of calligraphy in which the phrase "Karam Allah wajhah" is used after the name of Imam Ali (a).

Karram Allāh wajhah (Arabic: كَرَّمَ اللهُ وَجْهَه, literally: May God honor his face) is an honorific phrase used by Sunni Muslims after Imam Ali's (a) name, whereas they use "radi Allah 'anhu" (may God be pleased with him) for other companions of the Prophet (s). Shi'as use the phrase "'alayh al-salam" (peace be upon him) for Imam Ali (a), instead of "karram Allah wajhah."

Sunni scholars exclusively use the sentence "karram Allah wajhah" for Imam Ali (a) because he never prostrated for an idol. However, 'Abd al-'Aziz bin Baz, the Wahhabi mufti, believes that such an exclusive use was a Shiite heresy.

Hafiz Rajab Bursi believes that the exclusive use of "karram Allah wajhah" for Imam Ali (a) by Sunnis is a reason for his superiority over the other three caliphs. Some Shiite researchers cite the reason why this phrase was exclusive to Imam Ali (a) as well as Quranic verses such as "My pledge does not extend to the unjust" and "yet some of them are those who wrong themselves" to argue that the first three caliphs were not competent for the position of imamate, since on these verses those who commit sins have wronged themselves and are unjust, and so God's pledge, i.e. imamate, does not extend to them.

The Notion

"Karram Allah wajhah" (literally: "may God honor his face"[1] if it is read as a prayer, or "God has honored his face" if it is read as a past declarative sentence)[2] is an honorific phrase used by many Sunni Muslims after mentioning Imam Ali (a).[3] Ibn Hajar Haytami and Mu'min Shablanji, two Sunni scholars, have interpreted the phrase as saying that "God has protected him from worshiping anything but God."[4] In some Sunni works, the phrase "karram Allah wajhah fi-l-janna" (may God honor his face in the heaven/God has honored his face in the heaven) is also used for Imam Ali (a).[5]

Ahmad b. Hanbal, one of the four major Sunni jurists, has cited the Hadith of Flag according to which when the Prophet (s) handed over the flag to Imam Ali (a) in the Battle of Khaybar, he described the Imam as "wa-lladhi karram wajh Muhammad" (and who has honored Muhammad's (s) face).[6]

Exclusiveness to Imam Ali (a)

The interior of the dome of Mosque of Muhamamd Ali Pasha in Cairo, in which the phrase "radi Allah ta'ala 'anhu" (May God the Exalted be pleased with him) is used for the three caliphs and "karram Allah ta'ala wajhah" (may God the Exalted honor his face) is used for Imam Ali (a).

According to Ibn Kathir and Ibn Hajar Haytami, two Sunni scholars, the honorific phrase "karram Allah wajhah" is exclusively used for Imam Ali (a) by many Sunni scholars. For caliphs other than Imam Ali (a) and for other companions of the Prophet (s), they often use the phrase "radi Allah 'anhu" (may God be pleased with him), but they use "karram Allah wajhah" only for Imam Ali (a), and not for the early three caliphs or other Sahaba.[7] Ahmad b. Muhammad Khafaji and Muhammad b. Ahmad Safarini, two Hanafi scholar, has also said that the phrase was common among Sunni Muslims.[8] In books written in the twentieth century, too, the phrase "karram Allah wajhah" is also exclusively used for Imam Ali (a).[9]

The Reason for the Exclusive Use

Sunni scholars have given the following reasons for the exclusive use of "karram Allah wajhah" for Imam Ali (a):

  • Having never prostrated for idols: Ibn Hajar Haytami and Mu'min Shiblanji have said that the reason why the phrase "karram Allah wajhah" is exclusively used for Imam Ali (a) was that he never prostrated for an idol.[10] Ibn Hajar said that Abu Bakr also never prostrated for idols, although in 'Ali’s (a) case this is agreed by all and is not a matter of disagreement.[11] Moreover, in response to those who say that there were other Sahaba such as 'Abd Allah b. 'Abbas and 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar who never prostrated for idols, Haytami says that they were born after the destruction of polytheism. So, they are not like those who were born in the period of idolatry but never worshiped idols.[12]
  • Ali's (a) Respect for the Prophet (s) before his birth: According to Jalal al-Din Dawani, a Muslim theologian and philosopher, when Fatima bt. Asad was pregnant with Imam Ali (a), whenever she saw Muhammad (s) she involuntarily stood up as respect for him. The reason was that the baby in her womb moved in such a way that forced her to stand up. Dawani says that this story was the reason why Sunni scholars exclusively used "karram Allah wajhah" for Imam Ali (a).[13]

Wahhabi Prohibition of its Exclusive Use for Imam Ali (a)

According to Mahdi Farmanian, a researcher of Islamic denominations, Wahhabis have prohibited the use of "karram Allah wajhah" after the name of Imam Ali (a).[14] According to Qasimuf, a scholar of Wahhabism, Ibn Taymiyya has refused to use "karram Allah wajhah" for Imam Ali (a) in many of his books.[15]

'Abd al-'Aziz bin Baz, a Wahhabi mufti, believes that the exclusive use of "karram Allah wajhah" for Imam Ali (a) was a Shiite conspiracy and heresy.[16] Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid, a student of 'Abd al-'Aziz bin Baz, also believes that the phrase was first used by Shi'as who were then followed by ignorant scribes.[17] They have not adduced evidence for their claims.[18]

According to Adib Darrasufi, a Shiite scholar of the thirteenth century, Shi'as often use the following honorific phrases for Imam Ali (a): "'alayh al-salam" (peace be upon him), "salam Allah 'alayh" (God’s peace be upon him) or "salawat Allah 'alayh" (God’s greetings be upon him).[19] Muhammad Asif Muhsini, an Afghan Shiite scholar, believes that the phrase "karram Allah wajhah" is only used by Sunni scholars for Imam Ali (a).

Reasons for the Superiority of Imam Ali (a)

Hafiz Rajab Bursi believes that the exclusive use of "karram Allah wajhah" for Imam Ali (a) by Sunnis is a reason for his superiority over the other three caliphs.[20] Muhammad Thaqafi Tihrani believes that the exclusive use of the phrase for Imam Ali (a) was because, from among the early caliphs, only 'Ali (a) did not worship idols. From this, he infers that of these caliphs only Imam Ali (a) was qualified for the position of imamate, since one who has worshiped idols is not competent for this position.[21]

Sayyid Muhammad Jawad Husayni Jalali, a Shiite researcher, cites the reason why this phrase was exclusive to Imam Ali (a) as well as Quranic verses such as "My pledge does not extend to the unjust"[22] and "yet some of them are those who wrong themselves"[23] to argue that the first three caliphs were not competent for the position of imamate, since on these verses those who commit sins have wronged themselves and are unjust, and so God's pledge, i.e. imamate, does not extend to them.[24]

See also

Notes

  1. Bustānī, Farhang-i abjadī, p. 726.; See: Zabīdī, Tāj al-ʿarūs, vol. 17, p. 607.
  2. Zawāwī, Shamāʾil al-Rasūl (s), vol. 1, p. 429.
  3. See: Mālik b. Anas, al Muwaṭṭāʾ, p. 283; Shaybānī, al-Ḥujjat ʿalā ʾahl al-Madīna, vol. 1, p. 28; ʿAskarī, Taṣḥīfāt al-muḥaddīthīn, vol. 2, p. 126 and 518; Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, Al-fatāwā l-ḥadīthiyya, p. 18; Ālūsī, al-ajwaba l-Irāqīyya ʿalā l-asʾila l-Lāhūrīyya, vol. 1, p. 62; Ḥalabī, al-Sīra al-ḥalabiyya, vol. 2, p. 427; Khalaf, Madkhal ilā al-tafsīr wa ʿulūm al-Qurʾān, p. 93.
  4. Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, Al-fatāwā l-ḥadīthiyya, vol. 1, p. 41; Shablanjī, Nūr al-abṣār, p. 156.
  5. See: Ṭabarānī, al-Muʿjam al-ṣaghīr, vol. 1, p. 228 and 260; Ibn Qayyim, Aʿlām al-muwaqqiʿīn, vol. 3, p. 256 and vol. 4, p. 475; Ibn Nūr al-Dīn, Taysīr al-bayān vol. 3, p. 133.
  6. Ibn Ḥanbal, Musnad al-Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal, vol. 17, p. 197.
  7. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm, vol. 3, p. 524; Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, al-fatāwā l-ḥadīthiyya, vol. 1, p. 41.
  8. Khafājī, Ḥāshiyat al-Shahāb, vol. 6, p. 479; Safārīnī, Ghidhāʾ al-albāb, vol. 1, p. 33.
  9. See: Hararī, Tafsīr ḥadāʾiq al-rūḥ wa al-rayḥān, vol. 11, p. 131 and 214.
  10. Shablanjī, Nūr al-abṣār, p. 156.
  11. Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, Al-fatāwā l-ḥadīthiyya, vol. 1, p. 41.
  12. Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, Al-fatāwā l-ḥadīthiyya, vol. 1, p. 41.
  13. Dawānī, Nūr al-hidāya, p. 53.
  14. Farmāniyān, al-wahhābiya al-mutaṭarrifa, vol. 4, p. 378.
  15. Qāsīm-Uf, Ibn Taymīyya, Imām-i salafī-ha, p. 199; See: Ibn Taymīyya, Bughyat al-mrtād, p. 231.
  16. Ibn Bāz, Masāʾil al-Imām Ibn Bāz, p. 33.
  17. Munajjid, Mawqiʿ al-Islām suʾāl wa jawāb, vol. 9, p. 101.
  18. See: Ibn Bāz, Masāʾil al-Imām Ibn Bāz, p. 33; Munajjid, Mawqiʿ al-Islām suʾāl wa jawāb, vol. 9, p. 101.
  19. Nizām Aʿraj, Sharh al-nazzām, p. 25.
  20. Ḥāfiz Būrsī, Mashāriq anwār al-yaqīn, p. 323.
  21. Thaqafī, ''Tafsīr-i rawān-i jāwīd, vol. 1, p. 169.
  22. Qur'an 2: 124
  23. Qur'an 35: 32
  24. Naṣīr al-Dīn Ṭūsī, Tajrīd al-iʿtiqād, p. 239 and 241.

References

  • Ālūsī, Maḥmūd b. ʿAbd Allāh al-. Al-Ajwabat al-Iraqiyya ʿala al-asʾila al-ahūriyya. Baghdad: Maṭbaʿat al-Ḥamīdiyya, 1301 AH.
  • Askari, Abu Ahmad. Tashifat al-muhaddithin. Edited by Mahmud ahmad Mira. Cairo: Maṭbaʿat al-ʿArabiya al-Haditha, 1402 AH.
  • Bin Bazz, 'Abd al-'Aziz b. 'Abdullah. Masa'il al-Imam Ibn Baz. Edited by Abi Muhammad Abdullah b. Mani'. Riyadh: Dar al-Tadmira, 1428 AH.
  • Bustānī, Fuʾad Afrām. Farhang-i abjadī. Tehran: Islami, 1375 SH.
  • Dawānī, Muhammad b. Asʿad. Nūr al-hidaya fi ithbat al-imama. Edited by Wahid Tawassuli and others. Qom: Majmaʿ Dhakhāʾir Islāmī, 1392 Sh.
  • Farmāniyān, Mahdī and group of authors. A-wahhābiya al-mutaṭarrifa; mawsu'at naqdiya. Qom:Dar al-A'lam li-Madrisat Ahl al-Bayt (a), 1435 AH.
  • Hasun, 'Ala' al-. Al-Tahawwul al-madhhabi, bahth tahlili hawl rahlat al-mustabsirin ila madhhab ahl al-Bayt. Iran: Qalam al-Sharq, 1384 Sh.
  • Ḥalabī, 'Ali b. Ibrahīm. Al-Sīra al-ḥalabiyya: Insan al-'uyun fi sirat al-Amin al-Ma'mun. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1427 AH.
  • Hafiz Bursi, Rajab b. Muhammad. Mashariq anwar al-yaqin fi asrar Amir al-Mu'minin (a). Qom: Dhawi al-Qurba, 1427 AH.
  • Haytamī, Aḥmad b. Muhammad. Al-Fatawa al-hadithiya. [n.p]: Dar al-Fikr, [n.d].
  • Hirari, Muhammad al-Amin b. 'Abdullah al-. Tafsir hada'iq al-ruh wa al-rayhan fi rawabi 'ulum al-Qur'an. Beirut: Dar Tawq al-Nanajt, 1421 AH.
  • Ibn Taymīyya, Aḥmad b. ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm. Bāghyāt al-murtad ʿalā al-mutafalsifa wa al-qarāmiṭa wa al-bāṭiniyya. Edited by Mūsā al-Darwīsh. Medina: Maktabat al-ʿUlūm wa al-Ḥikam, 1415 AH.
  • Ibn Taymīyya, Aḥmad b. ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm. Al-Furqān bayn awliyāʾ al-raḥmān wa awliyāʾ al-shaytān. Edited by ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Arnaʾūt. Damascus: Maktabat Dār al-Bayān, 1405 AH.
  • Ibn Taymīyya, Aḥmad b. ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm. Jāmiʿ al-masāʾil li Ibn Taymiyya; al-Majmūʿat al-awlā. Edited by Muḥammad ʿAzīz Shams, Ashraf Bakr b. Abd Allāh Abūzayd. Mecca: Dār ʿAlim al-Fawāʾid li-Nashr wa al-Tawzīʿ, 1422 AH.
  • Ibn Jabrin, 'Abdullah b. 'Abd al-Rahman. Fatāwā fi al-tawhid. (i'dad wa taqdim) by Hamd b. Ibrahim al-Hariqi. [n.p]: Dar al-Watan li-Nashr, 1418 AH.
  • Ibn Ḥanbal, Aḥmad b. Muḥammad. Musnad al-Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal. Edited by Shuʿayb al-Arnaʾūt and others. [n.p]: Al-Risāla, 1421 AH.
  • Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, 'Abd al-Rahman b. Ahmad. Sharh hadith labbayk Allahumma labbayk. Edited by Walid Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Al Faryan. Mecca: Dar 'Alim al-Fawa'id, 1417 AH.
  • Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr. A'lam al-muqi'in 'an rabb al-'alamin. Taqdim wa Taliq wa Takhrij al-Ahadith: Ibn Hasan Al Salmanand Ahmad Abdullah Ahmad. Arabia: Dar Ibn al-Jawzi li-Nashr wa al-Tawzī', 1423 AH.
  • Ibn Kathīr al-Dimashqī, Ismāʿīl b. ʿUmar. Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr. Edited by ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Marʿashlī. Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifa li-ṭibaʿat wa al-Nashr, 1412 AH.
  • Khafaji, Ahmad b. Muhammad. Hashiyat al-shahab al-musammat 'nayat al-qadi wa kifayat al-radi 'ala tafsir al-baydawi. Edited by Mahdi 'Abd al-Razzaq. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyya, Manshurat Muhammad 'Ali Baydun, 1417 AH.
  • Khalaf, 'Abd al-Jawad. Madkhal 'ila al-tafsir wa 'ulum al-Qur'an. Cairo: Dar al-Bayan al-'Arabi, [n.d].
  • Mālik b. Anas. Al Muwaṭṭāʾ. Edited by ʿAbd al-Wahhāb 'Abd al-Latīf. 2nd edition. [n.p]. Maktabat al-'Ilmiyya, [n.d].
  • Muhsini, Muhammad Asif. Zahra (s) gol-i hamisha bahar-i nubuwwat. Edited by Hay'at-i al-Ghadir wa Hawza 'Ilmiyya-yi Khatam al-Nabiyyin. Kabul: Hay'at-i al-Ghadir, 1392 Sh.
  • Munajjid, Muhammad Salih al-. Maqi' al-Islam su'al wa jawab.
  • Murtaḍā al-Zabīdī, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad. Tāj al-ʿarūs min jawāhir al-qāmūs. Edited by ʿAlī Sīrī. Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, 1414 AH.
  • Naṣīr al-Dīn Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad. Tajrīd al-iʿtiqād. Edited by Muḥammad Jawād Jalālī Ḥusaynī. Tehran: Maktab al-Aʿlām al-Islāmī, 1407 AH.
  • Nishaburi, Nizam A'raj. Sharh al-nizam 'ala al-shafiya. Edited by Muhammad Zaki Ja'fari. Qom: Dar al-Hujja li-Thiqafa, [n.d].
  • Qasim-Uf, Ilyas. Ibn Taymiyya, Imam-i salafiha. Qom: Majma' Jahani-yi Ahl al-Bayt (a), 1391 Sh.
  • Safarini al-Hanbali, Muhammad b. Ahmad al-. Ghidha' al-albab fi sharh manzumat al-adab. Egypt: Mu'assisa Qurtaba, 1414 AH.
  • Shablanjī, Muʾmin b. Ḥasan. Nūr al-abṣār fī manāqib Āl Bayt al-Nabī al-mukhtār. Qom: al-Sharīf al-Raḍī, 1415 AH.
  • Shaybānī, Muhammad b. al-Hasan. Al-Hujja 'ala ahl al-Madina. Edited by Mahdi Hasan al-Kilani al-Qadiri. Beirut: 'Alam al-Kutub, 1403 AH.
  • Tabarani, Abu l-Qasim. Al-Rawd al-dani. (al-Mu'jam al-saghir) Beirut, Amman: Al-Maktab al-Islami, Dar Ammar, 1405 AH.
  • Thaqafi Tihrani, Muhammad. Rawan-i jawid dar tafsir-i Qur'an-i Majid. Tehran: Burhan, 1398 AH.
  • Waradani, Salih. Farib. Qom: Bunyad-i Ma'arif-i Islami, 1389 Sh.
  • Zawāwī, Aḥmad b. ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ. Shamāʾil al-Rasūl (s). Alexandria: Dār al-Qamma, [n.d].