Ya Muhammad

Ya Muhammad, Ya Ali, Ya Hussain, Ya Fatimah and such are expressions used by Muslims, mainly by Shi'a and Sunnis (Sunnis mostly use Ya Muhammad ). Salafi Sunnis deem it shirk (idolatrous) to do so.

Definition

The phrase means "O <insert name>" (Arabic: "Ya <insert name>").

It can also be the short form of "O <insert name>, help" (Arabic: "Ya <insert name> adrikni").

Use

Request for strength

Ya is used as a prayer, invoking the name of a saint, a prophet, or a sahabi in order to make the prayer more likely to be accepted by God. For example, some people use Ya Ali to get help in strength, but what they really mean is to get their prayer of strength through Ali, and then the prayer will reach God as a request.

Remembrance of Muharram

During the Remembrance of Muharram, spontaneous cries of "Ya Hussain" are very common. On those occasions, the cry is an expression of sympathy rather than a request for help.

Pilgrimage

Muslims visiting the grave of the prophet Mohammad also use the term ya: Assalatu assalamo aleika ya rasool Allah (be greeted O the messenger of God). Ya is also used at other shrines throughout the Islamic world.

Pakistan

On the National Day, Pakistani Forces repeat the following slogan:

(Call) Naraye-Haidery

(Response) Ya Ali

In popular culture

A popular Hindi/Urdu song in the Indian subcontinent is Ya Ali (یاعلي, या अली), sung by Assamese singer Zubeen Garg. The song, basically a fast techno-fusion romantic track, is a plead to Ali for a lover. The song’s words are written by Sayeed Qadri . The song is from the soundtrack of the Bollywood film, Gangster.

Arguments For and Against

For Those who support using ya derive their support from the article of faith LA ILAHA ILLALAHO MUHAMMAD AL-RASOOL ALLAH (there is no god but Allah, and Mohammad is His messenger). As the article of faith Shahada can never be changed, they claim that the Prophet is still alive because Mohammad is the messenger of God, not was. There are also some arguments from the Qur'an, such as one sunnah that states "Do not consider those who die on the path for Islam to be dead."

Those who practice this are mainly Shi'as and Sunni groups ( Ahle sunnah wal jamah). Islam states that the pious, the martyred and the prophets of God are alive in their graves. They have not, as the Wahhabis state, 'turned to dust'. Asking another human being for help does not constitute shirk, if you consider the helper as a dependent. That is that the helper is dependent on God. If the helper is considered independent from God then this is shirk.

Against This practise is regarded as wrong by some Muslims, arguing that no one needs an intermediary to speak to Allah.

There are some sects and groups who consider this to be an innovation and idolatry, because only God alone can help and no one else. They derive their support from the Qur'an where it states "...Do not recall any god beside me...Ask me directly if you are in need." There are also narrations through hadiths which mention "When the prophet Mohammad died, Umar didn't want to believe that he was dead. He didn't let anyone bury him, nor did he allow anyone to cry; he said that the prophet was still alive. Abu Bakr calmed him down and told him that the prophet had died but not his religion. It is here to stay." Another hadith says "Now the religion is complete, the only thing you need is the Koran and my sunnah". This confirms that there is no need to go through the prophet or any other saint to reach God. It is only permitted to reach him directly by asking him.

The groups that are typically against this are: Wahabis, Al-Muwahideen, Salafis, Deobandis, Jamaah Islami.

See also

• Islam
• Tawassul

External links

• Answering-Ansar: Ya Ali Madad! (Tawassul)
• Ya Ali Hindi/Urdu song