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Standing and chanting blessings to a scholar 

Answered as per Shafi'i Fiqh by Qibla.com

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I am writing this letter from Kerala, one of the states of India where many Muslims of Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama`ah live. I went to listen to a sermon (khutba) by one of the notable Shafi’i scholars who also represented India in an international Islamic conference in Cairo. So, when the scholar stood at the podium, all the people stood up and started chanting, “Allahu Akbar, O Prophet, peace be upon you, O Messenger, peace be upon you. What I am wondering is, “Is this permissible in Islam?”

Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

It is plain that if these people had intended the scholar as the Prophet and a Messenger, then this is disbelief (kufr), but I am almost convinced that this was not their intention. This is because this is the same form [s. of prayer] that is sung in mawlids and people’s gatherings where they send blessings on the Prophet, Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.

So since this was a great scholar, as the questioner indicated, and that scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, as is mentioned in a rigorously authenticated hadith, these people may have rushed to honor the scholar by letting him hear this prayer, without intending to describe him with prophethood or messengerhood. If this was the case, then their action would not be described as disbelief or anything haram, but I still think that it is best to refrain from this action and Allah knows best.

Amjad Rasheed

[Translated by Sr. Shazia Ahmad]

Editor’s Note: In such cases, we highly recommend asking reliable local scholars about what exactly is being done, and why.

السؤال : أكتب هذه الرسالة من كيرالا ، إحدى ولايات الهند ، هنا يقطن الكثير من المسلمين من أهل السنة والجماعة . ذهبتُ لأستمع لخطبة لأحد علماء المذهب الشافعي الجديرين ، والذي كان قد مثّل الهند في المؤتمر العالمي للمسلمين في القاهرة ، فعندما وقف العالم على المنصة قام الناس جميعاً ، وجعلوا ينادون بصوت عالٍ : الله أكبر … يا نبيّ ، سلام عليك … يا رسول ، سلام عليك … تسائلي هو ، هل هذا العمل مباحٌ في الإسلام ؟ الجواب : لا يخفى أن ما قام به هؤلاء الناس إن قصدوا به وصفَ ذلك العالم بأنه نبي ورسول فهو كفر ، وهذا مما أكاد أجزم أنه غيرُ مراد لهم ، وإنما هذه الصيغةُ يؤتى بها في الموالد واجتماع الناس في مجالس الصلاة على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فلأجل أن هذا عالم كبير كما أشار السائل ، ولأن العلماءَ ورثةُ الأنبياء كما في الحديث الصحيح اندفع هؤلاء إلى تكريم ذلك العالم بإسماعه هذه القصيدةَ من غير قصدِ وصفِهِ بالنبوة والرسالة ، فإن كان الأمرُ كذلك لم يوصف فعلُهم هذا بأنه كفرٌ أو محرم ، لكن الأولى عندي عدمُ فعلِ ذلك ، والله أعلم .

This answer was indexed from Qibla.com, which used to have a repository of Islamic Q&A answered by various scholars. The website is no longer in existence. It has now been transformed into a learning portal with paid Islamic course offering under the brand of Kiflayn.

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