Draft:Hadith Dhikr 'Ali 'Ibada
 The hadith "Dhikr 'Ali 'Ibada", work by Master Farhad Shirkhani | |
| Issued by | Prophet (s) |
|---|---|
| Narrators | 'A'isha and others |
| Shi'a sources | al-Ikhtisas, Manaqib Al Abi Talib, Kashf al-yaqin |
| Sunni sources | Manaqib Ibn al-Maghazili, al-Fath al-kabir, Sharh al-Jami' al-saghir |
Dhikr ʿAlī ʿibāda (Remembering ʿAlī is worship) is a hadith attributed to the Prophet of Islam (s) stating that the act of remembering Imam 'Ali (a) constitutes worship. This narration is counted as a virtue for him and has been recorded in both Shia and Sunni sources.
Some Shia scholars posit that the concept of worship in this hadith does not refer merely to the verbal repetition of Imam 'Ali's (a) name, but rather to reflection upon his status. The remembrance of Imam 'Ali (a) and the other Infallibles (a) is presented as a prerequisite for adopting them as role models in behavior and conduct.
Status and Chain of Transmission
The hadith "Dhikr 'Ali 'Ibada" is narrated from the Prophet of Islam (s)[1] and is regarded as a virtue of Imam 'Ali (a).[2] This tradition is reported in numerous Shia[3] and Sunni[4] sources. In the book al-Ikhtisas, this phrase is found within a prophetic tradition in which the remembrance of God, the Prophet (s), Imam 'Ali (a), and other Imams (a) is classified as worship.[5] It is also cited in Manaqib Al Abi Talib by Ibn Shahrashub (d. 588/1192)[6] and Kashf al-yaqin[7] authored by 'Allama al-Hilli (d. 726/1325).
In Sunni sources, such as Manaqib Ibn al-Maghazili (d. 483/1090-91),[8] al-Fath al-kabir by al-Suyuti (d. 911/1505),[9] and the commentary on Jami' al-saghir by al-San'ani (d. 1182/1768),[10] the hadith is narrated on the authority of 'A'isha.[11]
Some Sunni scholars have deemed Hasan b. Sabir al-Kasa'i, one of the narrators, to be weak.[12] The book al-Ibada li-hukm al-wad' 'ala hadith dhikr 'Ali 'ibada, by Sayyid Hasan Husayni Al Mujaddad Shirazi, analyzes the chains of transmission of this narration within Sunni sources and argues for its authenticity.[13]
The Meaning of Worship and Remembrance in the Hadith
According to Sayyid Muhammad Muhsin Husayni Tehrani (d. 1440/2018-19), a Shia scholar, the intent of "Dhikr 'Ali 'Ibada" extends beyond the mere verbal repetition of the name "'Ali"; rather, it refers to reflection upon the status of Imam 'Ali (a), the Imamate, and the potential for practically adhering to the Alawi Sira. In his view, worship encompasses any act that facilitates nearness to God.[14] Husayn Ansarian similarly posits that remembering Imam 'Ali (a) instills the remembrance of God in the human heart and is, therefore, considered worship. He maintains that remembering the Infallibles (a) provides a foundation for the practical emulation of their lives.[15] Some Sunni scholars have interpreted the term "remembrance" in this hadith as the citation of the merits and virtues of Imam 'Ali (a), the narration of his sayings, the recounting of his exhortations, or the transmission of hadiths from him.[16]
Notes
- ↑ Muqaddas Ardabīlī, Ḥadīqat al-Shīʿa, 1383 Sh, vol. 2, p. 777.
- ↑ Ṣanʿānī, al-Tanwīr sharḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-ṣaghīr, 1432 AH, vol. 6, p. 178.
- ↑ For example, see: Shaykh al-Mufīd, al-Ikhtiṣāṣ, 1413 AH, p. 224; Ibn Shahrāshūb, Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, 1379 AH, vol. 3, p. 202; ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī, Kashf al-yaqīn, 1411 AH, p. 449.
- ↑ Munāwī, Fayḍ al-qadīr, 1356 AH, vol. 3, p. 565; Ibn al-Maghāzilī, Manāqib Amīr al-Muʾminīn, 1424 AH, p. 268; Suyūṭī, al-Fatḥ al-kabīr, 1423 AH, vol. 2, p. 115, hadith 6460; Ṣanʿānī, al-Tanwīr sharḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-ṣaghīr, 1432 AH, vol. 6, p. 178.
- ↑ Shaykh al-Mufīd, al-Ikhtiṣāṣ, 1413 AH, p. 224.
- ↑ Ibn Shahrāshūb, Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, 1379 AH, vol. 3, p. 202.
- ↑ ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī, Kashf al-yaqīn, 1411 AH, p. 449.
- ↑ Ibn al-Maghāzilī, Manāqib Amīr al-Muʾminīn, 1424 AH, p. 268.
- ↑ Suyūṭī, al-Fatḥ al-kabīr, 1423 AH, vol. 2, p. 115, hadith 6460.
- ↑ Ṣanʿānī, al-Tanwīr sharḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-ṣaghīr, 1432 AH, vol. 6, p. 178.
- ↑ Munāwī, Fayḍ al-qadīr, 1356 AH, vol. 3, p. 565; Ibn al-Maghāzilī, Manāqib Amīr al-Muʾminīn, 1424 AH, p. 268; Suyūṭī, al-Fatḥ al-kabīr, 1423 AH, vol. 2, p. 115, hadith 6460; Ṣanʿānī, al-Tanwīr sharḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-ṣaghīr, 1432 AH, vol. 6, p. 178.
- ↑ See: Munāwī, Fayḍ al-qadīr, 1356 AH, vol. 3, p. 565; Ṣanʿānī, al-Tanwīr sharḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-ṣaghīr, 1432 AH, vol. 6, p. 178.
- ↑ ["al-Ibada li-hukm al-wad'", Lib.eshia.ir].
- ↑ ["The purpose of attending gatherings of remembrance", Maktabevahy.org].
- ↑ ["Analysis of the hadith 'Dhikr 'Ali 'Ibada'", Mehrnews.com].
- ↑ See: Munāwī, Fayḍ al-qadīr, 1356 AH, vol. 3, p. 565; Ṣanʿānī, al-Tanwīr sharḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-ṣaghīr, 1432 AH, vol. 6, p. 178.
References
- ["al-Ibāda li-ḥukm al-waḍʿ"], Madrasa-yi Faqāhat Library.
- ["Analysis of the hadith 'Dhikr ʿAlī ʿibāda'"], Mehr News Agency, published: Shahrivar 16, 1396 Sh.
- ["The purpose of attending gatherings of remembrance"], Maktab-i Waḥy, published: Dhu l-Hijja 18, 1432 AH.
- ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī, Ḥasan b. Yūsuf. Kashf al-yaqīn fī faḍāʾil Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a). Edited by Ḥusayn Dargāhī. Tehran: Ministry of Guidance, first edition, 1411 AH.
- Ibn Shahrāshūb. Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib ʿalayhim al-salām. Qom: Allameh Publications, first edition, 1379 AH.
- Ibn al-Maghāzilī, ʿAlī b. Muḥammad. Manāqib Amīr al-Muʾminīn ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib (r). Edited by Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Turkī b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Wādiʿī. Sana'a: Dār al-Āthār, first edition, 1424 AH.
- Munāwī, ʿAbd al-Raʾūf. Fayḍ al-qadīr sharḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-ṣaghīr. Egypt: al-Maktabat al-Tijāriyat al-Kubrā, first edition, 1356 AH.
- Muqaddas Ardabīlī. Ḥadīqat al-Shīʿa. Edited by Ṣādiq Ḥasanzāda. Qom: Ansarian Publications, third edition, 1383 Sh.
- Ṣanʿānī, Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl. al-Tanwīr sharḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-ṣaghīr. Edited by Muḥammad Isḥāq. Riyadh: Maktabat Dār al-Salām, first edition, 1432 AH.
- Shaykh al-Mufīd. al-Ikhtiṣāṣ. Edited by ʿAlī Akbar Ghaffārī and Maḥmūd Muḥarramī. Qom: al-Muʾtamar al-ʿĀlamī li-Alfīyyat al-Shaykh al-Mufīd, first edition, 1413 AH.
- Suyūṭī, Jalāl al-Dīn. al-Fatḥ al-kabīr fī ḍamm al-zīyāda ilā l-Jāmiʿ al-ṣaghīr. Edited by Yūsuf al-Nabhānī. Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, first edition, 1423 AH.
