What does the phrase in the daily prayer of Rajab mean: 'There is no difference between You and them except that they are Your servants'?
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1 Answer
Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.
The phrase you mentioned is narrated by Sheikh Al-Tusi (may his soul rest in peace):
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, pray every day of Rajab:
O Allah, I ask You by the meanings of all that Your appointed leaders call upon You with, those who are entrusted with Your secrets, who rejoice in Your command, who describe Your power, who proclaim Your greatness, I ask You by what has been spoken through them of Your will, for You have made them the mines of Your words, the pillars of Your oneness, and Your signs and ranks that are never to be neglected in every place, known by those who recognize You; there is no difference between You and them except that they are Your servants and Your creation...
We have previously mentioned in response to a question about the Dua of Al-Jawshan that some researchers believe that the focus should not be on the chains of narration but rather on the contents.
If the content does not contradict the Holy Quran, the fundamentals of religion, or the definitive Sunnah of the noble Imams, then there is no harm in reciting it with hope, and it falls under the principle of leniency as we have indicated.
The criterion for the permissibility of reciting it is the validity of its contents, not its chains of narration, as often the chains are validated by their contents.
Especially since the phrase is found in an old source, which some researchers consider a point of strength that outweighs the weakness of its chain.
It is worth noting the objections raised by the religious authority, Sayyid Al-Khoei (may his soul rest in peace), where he raised two objections: the first pertains to the chain, and the second to the content.
In the book (Dictionary of the Men of Hadith), volume eight, page 83, it states:
4350 - Khayr ibn Abdullah:
He narrated a letter from Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Uthman ibn Sa'id, and Ibn Ayash narrated from him. The Sheikh mentioned it in the book of the acts of the month of Rajab.
I say: He is unknown, and Ibn Ayash is weak. It has been previously mentioned under the title Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ubaydullah, and the content of the letter that begins: 'O Allah, I ask You by the meanings of all that Your appointed leaders call upon You with' is strange to the minds of the jurists and is not acceptable as having been issued by the infallible (peace be upon him).
Several scholars have attempted to clarify the strangeness by explaining the terms of the prayer, and Sayyid (may his soul rest in peace) was asked in the book 'Path of Salvation' about the meaning of the mentioned phrase.
The questioner asked: What does the phrase in the daily prayer of Rajab mean: 'There is no difference between You and them except that they are Your servants'?
He answered (may his soul rest in peace) as follows:
Perhaps it indicates that they, having reached a level of perfection to the extent that they can influence the universe by Your permission, are subdued to You; for they are Your servants, and they have no power without Your will and decree upon them as You wish. And God knows best. (Path of Salvation 3/318)
Additionally, Sayyid Hussein Al-Borujerdi (may his soul rest in peace) provided a thoughtful response regarding this matter:
They are like a heated iron in relation to God's action and will; it produces what fire produces in terms of light and burning. There is no difference between them and it except that the iron is then the place of the fire's action and the manifestation of its attributes, just as they (peace be upon them) are the places of God's will, manifesting His command and acting by His will. They also have other ranks considering their legislative and prophetic roles in their eating, drinking, marriage, and conveying the laws and rulings to all people, among other things that they are undoubtedly commanded to do in fulfilling the position of prophethood and leadership and the role of conveying.
(Interpretation of the Straight Path 5/394)
In conclusion, it is possible to overcome the objection regarding the chain by focusing on the content, and understanding the phrases of the hadith and their strangeness can be addressed by what has been mentioned, and God knows best.
For those who wish to delve deeper, they may refer to what is mentioned in the answers to the issues by Sheikh Ali Al-Mohsin, from which we have benefited in this response.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and peace be upon our master Muhammad and his pure family.