Sharh Hadith Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk
- Author died
- 795 AH
- Editions
- Dār ‘Ālam al-Fawā’id
Sharh Hadith Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk (Explanation of the Hadith "Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk") is a monographic hadith treatise by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (736–795 AH / 1335–1393 CE), dedicated to the linguistic, juridical, and spiritual commentary on a comprehensive daily supplication .
Subject and Core Text
The treatise provides an exposition of a tradition narrated from the Companion Zayd ibn Thabit and recorded by Ahmad ibn Hanbal and al-Hakim al-Nisaburi, wherein the Prophet ﷺ taught him a daily morning prayer to recite and instruct his household to maintain regularly :
قل حين تصبح: لبيك اللهم لبيك وسعديك، والخير في يديك ومنك وبك وإليك، اللهم ما قلت من قول أو نذرت من نذر أو حلفت من حلف فمشيئتك بين يديه، ما شئت كان وما لم تشأ لم يكن، ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بك، إنك على كل شيء قدير... ("Say when you enter the morning: 'Here I am at Your service, O Allah, here I am and at Your aid; all goodness is in Your hands, from You, by You, and to You. O Allah, whatever word I utter, whatever vow I make, or whatever oath I swear, Your will precedes it: whatever You will occurs, and whatever You do not will does not occur; there is no power and no strength except through You, indeed You are over all things competent...'") .
The supplication continues with invocations asking for contentment after the decree (al-rida ba'd al-qada'), comfort in life after death, the pleasure of looking upon the Face of God (ladhdhat al-nazar ila wajhik), longing to meet Him, protection from oppression and destructive sins, an affirmation of the testimony of faith (tawhid) and the Resurrection, and seeking divine forgiveness and repentance .
Method and Contents
The work belongs to Ibn Rajab's series of individual hadith commentaries, written in the explanatory style also seen in his larger collection Jami' al-'Ulum wa-al-Hikam (The Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom) .
In the commentary, Ibn Rajab addresses:
- Linguistic and Devotional Meanings: He explains the root of the phrase labbayk, noting that it signifies repeated and continuous response to God's call and abiding obedience, deriving from labba bi-al-makan (to stay and remain in a place) . He links this phrasing to the opening supplication (du'a al-istiftah) recited in prayer, as recorded in Sahih Muslim on the authority of Ali ibn Abi Talib and narrated also from Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman .
- The Source of Goodness and Divine Sovereignty: Discussing the clauses wa-al-khayru fi yadayk and minka wa-bika wa-ilayk, he expounds on how all benefit originates from God, endures solely through His preservation, and ultimately returns to Him, citing statements of early ascetics such as Amir ibn Abd Qays .
- Juridical and Creedal Questions on Oaths and God's Will: Ibn Rajab analyzes the grammatical vocalization and theological interpretation of the phrase fa-mashī'atuka bayna yadayh, engaging with the commentary of Abu Sulayman al-Khattabi from his Kitab al-Du'a . He examines the legal issue of exception in oaths (al-istithna'), discussing a related report from Abu al-Darda' in the Sunan of Abu Dawud al-Sijistani, positions reported from Meccan scholars such as 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah, Mujahid ibn Jabr, 'Amr ibn Dinar, and Ibn Jurayj, and critiques authored on this topic by Isma'il ibn Ishaq al-Qadi and Abu Musa al-Madini .
Manuscripts and Publication
Manuscript copies of the treatise are preserved in several libraries, including:
- The King Saud University Central Library in Riyadh (MS 1817/1 and MS 56/527) .
- The Süleymaniye Library (Fatih collection, MS 5318 / 5318/2) in Istanbul .
- The General Awqaf Library in Baghdad (MS 4767/23) .
The work was edited by al-Walid Al Faryan and published in Mecca by Dar 'Alam al-Fawa'id in 1417 AH (1996 CE), and it is also published within Majmu' Rasa'il Ibn Rajab (Collected Treatises of Ibn Rajab) .
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