Questions On the Third Testimony

Preface

The main purpose of the article is to explain the importance of the Third Testimony in the Adhaan and the Namaaz.

Those Hadeeth that establish the Third Testimony to be the main crux of the matter of religion and emphasise its importance are simply too many to mention here. For the sake of the brevity of this article, I will take it for granted that we all regard this as an established fact.

This testimony was established when the heavens and the earth were established, and it permeates every nook and cranny of the Universe. Basically there is no place that is devoid of it.

The very first thing that the Pen was told to write on the Tablet was this testimony, whereas the Heavens did not calm down after their creation until such time as the Third Testimony was inscribed on them.

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The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said: "By the One who sent me as a giver of good news, Neither the Chair and the Throne was set up nor were the heavens and the earth established but Allah (s.w.t.) Wrote on it - 'There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, Ali is the Commander of the faithful'".

All the Prophets from the first to the last have borne this testimony. This was inscribed on the seal of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) in between his shoulder blades. and was revealed in the previous Divine Scriptures of the Torah and the Evangel and the Book of the Holy Prophet Ibrahim (a.s.). The list goes on and on and on. Let us just take a look at a couple of examples.

AL YAQEEN - SYED IBN TAWOOS 589 - 664 AH

The Holy Imam Ja'far Al Sadiq (a.s) said: 'A man came to the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) in the Mosque of kufa and said, 'O Commander of the Faithful! Surely there is in the Quran a Verse which has corrupted the religious.' He (a.s) said: 'And which one is that?'

The Statement of Allah (s.w.t.) 'And ask those of Our Messengers whom We sent before you: Did We ever appoint gods to be worshipped besides the Beneficent Allah? (43:45).' And where were the Prophets during the time of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) that he (s.a.w.) would have asked them?' The Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) said to them: 'Take a seat! God Willing I shall inform you of this.

Surely Allah (s.w.t.) has Said in His Book 'Glory be to Him Who made His servant to go on a night from the Sacred Mosque to the remote mosque of which We have blessed the precincts, so that We may show to him some of Our signs' -

One of the signs of Allah (s.w.t.) that he (s.a.w.) saw was that Jibraeel stopped at the Bayt Al Ma'moor and the ablution was performed at the Mosque of Al Aqsa and Jibraeel stood and recited the Adhaan said to him (s.a.w.), 'Go forward and Pray and the angels behind you of a number known only to Allah (s.w.t.).

In the first line were Adam (a.s.) and Nooh (a.s.) and Ibrahim (a.s.) and Hud (a.s.) and Musa (a.s.) and Isa (a.s.) and every Prophet that Allah the Holy the High had sent since the creation of the Heavens and the earth and then sent Muhammad (s.a.w.). The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) moved forward and led them in Prayer with dignity and without bashfulness.

Allah (s.w.t.) revealed in the twinkling of an eye 'And ask those of Our Messengers whom We sent before you: Did We ever appoint gods to be worshipped besides the Beneficent Allah? (43:45)'. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) turned towards them and addressed them altogether: 'How did you bear the testimonies?'

They replied, 'We bore that surely there is no Deity except Allah (s.w.t.) Who is One without Partner and you are the Messenger of Allah and that the Commander of the Faithful Ali is your Trustee, and you are the Messenger of Allah and the Master of all Prophets and Ali is the Master of all the Trustees, and these testimonies were taken as a covenant from us.' The man said, 'You have revived my heart and rescued me O Commander of the Faithful!'

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In Amaali of Sheykh Toosi it has been narrated that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said to the Holy Imam Ali (a.s.): 'Take this ring of mine and get inscribed on it 'Muhammad Bin Abdullah'.

The Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) took it and gave it to the engraver and said to him, 'Inscribe on it 'Muhammad Bin Abdullah'.' The engraver mistakenly inscribed on it 'Muhammad the Messenger of Allah' on it. The Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) went to him and asked him what he has done. He said that he had engraved it as such.

The Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) said that: 'Indeed it is true but I will take it to the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) and see what he (s.a.w.) has to say about this and so he (a.s.) did and said: 'O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.)! The engraver has made this error and has engraved this as such.' The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) took and look and the engraved ring and said: 'I am Muhammad Bin Abdullah and I am Muhammad the Messenger of Allah.' He (s.a.w.) decided to keep it.

The next morning when he (s.a.w.) looked at the ring he saw inscribed on it 'Ali is the Trustee of Allah' and was surprised. The Archangel Jibraeel descended and told him (s.a.w.) that Allah (s.w.t.) has Said: 'O Muhammad! You have written on it what you desired and We have written on it what We have Desired.'

As you can see from this that the Third Testimony is the Desire of Allah (s.w.t.), our Creator.

There is simply too much evidence to provide for the importance of the Third Testimony. The objective of this article is mainly to discuss it in the context of the Adhaan and the Namaaz.

Whatever the evidence, one thing is for certain, that the Third Testimony is the axis around which the whole wheel of our religion rotates. This is the key to salvation. Without this there is nothing left worthy of mention.

Bashir Alidina