Introduction
“Razavi Group” writes the amulet of Imam al-Jawad (a.s.) on deerskin, and during activity, it has faced many questions about this writing policy. In this article, we want to give scientific and documented answers to those questions briefly and in simple language.
Our effort is to examine and research all the angles related to this issue and provide an answer based on traditions, historical facts and hadith principles.
Doubts and questions about the amulet of Imam al-Jawad (a.s.):
- Why should the amulet of Imam al-Jawad (a.s.) be written on deerskin?
- In the narration and hadith, the word “raq” (in Arabic: رَقّ) is used for the skin. What is the meaning of “raq” in Arabic language?
- Does the word “Dhab’i” (in Arabic: ظَبي) only means deer or does it include other animals as well?
- In the time of Imam al-Jawad (a.s.), since there was no paper, they wrote on deerskin, but in our time, when high-quality paper is found in abundance, using deerskin is no longer relevant.
- Imam al-Jawad (a.s.) ordered to bring the deerskin of “Tihamah” (in Arabic: تِهامَة). Therefore, using the deerskins from other regions is against the instructions so it is not right.
- Is it not effective if the amulet is written on paper?
- Writing amulets on deerskin causes the destruction of the deer species, so it is not environmentally right.
Why deer skin?
To answer this question, it is necessary to examine the hadith of Imam al-Jawad (a.s.).
The late Sayyid ibn Tawoos in Muhaj al-Da’wat has narrated the story of the amulet of Imam al-Jawad (a.s.), and the late Majlisi II has narrated it from him in Bihar al-Anwar. The part which is related to deerskin is as follows:
Yasir says: In the morning, Imam al-Jawad (a.s.) called me. When I arrived at his service, he asked for raq al-dhab’i (in Arabic: رقّ الظبي) from the land of Tihamah.
Result:
According to the narration, it is clear that the reason for using deerskin by Razavi Group is the order of Imam al-Jawad (a.s.).
Meaning of “Raq” (in Arabic: رَقّ):
First, we must define the meaning of the word “Raq” from authentic books of the Arabic language.
The famous lexicographer Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Maqari al-Fyyumi writes in his book Misbah al-Munir:
الرق بالفتح الجلد يکتب فيه
“Raq” is the skin on which writing is done.(Fayoumi, Ahmad Ibn Muhammad, Misbah Al-Munir, Volume 1, p. 235. Dar Al-Hijrah, 1425.)
The author of the oldest Arabic dictionary, Khalil ibn Ahmad Farahidi, writes about this in his book Kitab al-‘Ayn:
الرق الصحيفه البيضا لقوله تعالی: « في رق منشور ». (الطور ۳)
“Raq” in the Arabic word means the white paper, as it is said in the Qur’an.(Farahidi, Khalil ibn Ahmad, Kitab al-‘Ayn, Volume 1, p. 703)
Ibn Faris says:
الرق الذي يکتب فيه
Raq is something on which writing is done.(Zakaria Ibn Faris, Mu’jam Maqayis al-lughah, p. 391).
Result:
The meaning of the word “Raq” is: something prepared for writing. But in some books, the meaning of “Raq” is considered to be a skin prepared for writing.
Meaning of “Dhab’i” (in Arabic: ظَبي)
Nowadays, in Arabic, deer is called: Ghazal (in Arabic: غزال), and wild goat is called Dhab’I (in Arabic: ظَبي). But we have to look up for the meaning of this word in Imam al-Jawad’s time. Old dictionaries mention the old uses of this word.
Although in some Arabic dictionaries such as Maqayis al-lughah and Kitab al-Ayn, it is only said: “The famous animal” due to the clarity of the meaning.
But Fayyumi has explained the difference between Ghazal and Dhab’i in detail in Misbah al-Munir.
He says:
“There are different opinion among people about these two words and their meaning, but since Abi Hatam is ahead of all lexicographers in terms of recording and knowledge, his words are more comprehensive, so we trust Abi Hatam’s words more.”
He says:
“When a deer or wild goat is born, it is called “طلا“, after a while, the male is called “غزال” and the female is called “غزالة“, and when it becomes strong and moves, it’s called “شاذن“.” Then, when it is one month old it’s called “شصر“, and when it reaches 6 or 7 months, it is called “جدایة“. When it reaches a young age, the male is called “ظبي” and the female is called “ظبية“.(Misbah al-Munir, vol. 2, p. 447.)
According to Fayyumi’s words, it became clear that there is no difference between “غزال” and “ظبي” in terms of the genus of animal, and the difference is based on the age, and the two words includes wild goat and deer, and also according to the statement of the lexicographers, all kinds of goats are also called “ظبي” and “ظبية”, as in Misbah Al-Munir is quoting from Abi Hatam:
«قال ابو حاتم الظبية الانثی و هي الماعز و العنز والذکر الظبي»
Abi Hatam says “ظبية” is female and “ظبي” is male.
Of course, among Arabs, the deer is mostly called Dhab’i, and because of this, the city Abu Dhabi was named after many deer.
Result:
According to famous lexicographers, “Dhab’i” (in Arabic: ظَبي) refers to goats that include domestic goats, wild goats, and deer. Since the word “ظبي” is mostly used to refer to wild goat and deer, if the deerskin and skin of wild goat is used for writing amulet, it is closer to caution.
Existence of paper during the time of Imam al-Jawad (a.s.) and the custom of using it
In response to the issue: “In the time of Imam al-Jawad (a.s.), since there was no paper, writing was done on deerskin, but in our time, since paper is found in abundance, deerskin is irrelevant; It should be said:
First;
During the time of The Messenger of God (s.a.w.), paper was used for writing, let alone the time of Imam al-Jawad (a.s.).
As Dr. Mahmoud Ramiyar writes about the popular use of paper during the time of The Prophet:
Arabs knew paper since ancient times, at that time, paper was made in India and was sent to Damascus and Rome by commercial caravans, and Arabia was the intermediary between the north and south trade, and Mecca was the stopping place of commercial caravans.
And the people of Mecca themselves were pioneers of that trade. It is said that Abu Sufyan had two thousand camels in his commercial caravan, such a trade inevitably requires accounting and paper, besides being a decorative item, was also needed for local consumption.
Also, Jewish books were on paper and Arabs were familiar with them.
Apart from these, at the time of the death of the Messenger of God (s.a.w.), there were a number of Mushafs (in Arabic: مُصحَف) in the right hands of the Companions, and a Mushaf is a collection of paper written on it.
And the story of eating a number of verses by a goat, which was narrated by Ayesha, states that paper was known and in hand and common
And in the time of the Prophet’s passing away, the Messenger of God said, bring me ink and paper.
All these clues indicate that paper was popular in that era.
(Ramiyar, Dr. Mahmoud, History of the Qur’an, pp. 276-279. Amir Kabir Publications, 1380)
Also, one of the researchers writes about this:
Paper was one of the common writing tools among different ethnic groups and nations in the era of revelation. At that time, paper was made in India, and Hijaz was the center of trade, and they were familiar with this product that went to Syria, Yemen, and Rome, and they used it themselves. Therefore, since the beginning of the revelation, access to paper was available, although in terms of its import and perhaps the high price, it was not so abundant that they could provide it whenever and in whatever size they wanted.
(Writing Quran in the Age of Revelation, Hadi Qabil)
Result:
So it turned out that during the time of the Messenger of God and revelation, paper was used for writing.
Secondly;
About the popularity of using paper during the time of Imam al-Jawad (a.s.), it should be said:
According to historians, the first paper factory in the Islamic world was built during the time of Harun al-Rashid in Baghdad.
(The development of paper and papermaking in the Islamic era, Ahmad Dastvan. p. 22)
Ibn Nadim writes in Al-Fehrest:
During the time of Amin Abbasi, because of that the books that were written on skin were disappeared, the people of Baghdad only wrote on paper.
(Al-Fahrest, Ibn al-Nadim, p. 1 p. 36)
Result:
Therefore, before the time of Imam al-Jawad (a.s.), a paper factory was established in Baghdad, and naturally, the use of paper for writing was common during his time.
And finally:
During the time of Imam al-Jawad (a.s.), not only paper could be found, but also using of it was common.
Also, when Imam (a.s.) has explicitly stated that the writing of the amulet is on the skin of a deer, it should be followed, and in order to avoid it and replace it with something else, there is a need for evidence which we don’t have.
Considering that according to our belief, imams are infallible and wise and do not do things without reason and in vain, writing amulets on deer skin has a wisdom that Imam (a.s.) knows and we are not aware of.
Therefore, in order to prepare the hirz as effective as possible, it is necessary to observe all the cases and perform all the steps, in the way that Imam (a.s.) did.
The literal meaning and location of “Tihamah”
If someone raises a problem that: Imam al-Jawad (a.s) ordered deerskin to be brought from the land of “Tihamah”, so using deerskin from other regions is against the instruction and is not correct, what is the answer?
Before answering this question, the word “Tihamah” should be studied in terms of its lexical and geographical meaning.
The literal meaning of “Tihamah”
Ibn Manzur says in Lisan al-Arab:
Tihamah is derived from the term “تهم“, which means the intensity of heat and stillness of air and wind, and the land that is lower than other places is also called Tihamah.
(Ibn Manzoor, Lisan al-Arab, vol. 12, p. 72)
Asma’ei, a famous lexicographer, says:
التَّهمةُ الأَرض المُتَصَوِّبة إِلى الْبَحْرِ كأَنا مَصْدَرٌ مِنْ تِهامة
Tahmah is a land that extends to the sea. And its source is Tihamah.
(Ibn Manzoor, Lisan al-Arab, vol. 12, p. 74)
The geographical meaning of “Tihamah”
It is Mecca or the lower land and the lower valley.
The land that was called Tihamah at that time had all the characteristics of the literal meaning: it was connected to the sea, its air was extremely hot and still, and it was lower than other cities in Arabia.
Geographically, Tihamah is a coastal plain along the Red Sea, on the Arabian side. Yemen is on one side and Syria is on the other side.
Result:
Regarding to why Imam al-Jawad (a.s.) ordered to bring Tihamah deer skin to write amulets, various possibilities can be proposed:
- First, because of favorable living conditions, the number of deer was more in the land of Tihamah than in other places, and the deer of Tihamah had become famous. For this reason, Imam (a.s.) ordered the preparation of deer skin. That is, because of abundance.
- The second possibility is that “raq”, i.e. skin prepared for writing, was prepared in this land.
- The third possibility is that there was some wisdom in using the deerskin.
What is certain is that Imam al-Jawad (a.s.) used the word Tihamah, and we cannot give up on it just because there are some possibilities, just as we cannot easily give up writing on the deerskin. Therefore, we must admit that what is original and according to the narration is the use of Tihamah deerskin. But because of that its preparation has a lot of difficulty and is not usually done, or it is out of reach, we can use the skin of another deer due to emergency.
Is it effective if we have an imam al-jawad amulet which is written on paper?
To examine this issue, we propose two topics:
The effectiveness of amulets:
It should be known that in general, the effect of an amulet and supplication is in the hands of God, and one cannot deny any effect or claim that a charm or prayer is 100% effective.
But considering the fact that the amulet of Imam al-jawad (a.s.) is one of the most famous amulets passed down from the innocents (peace be upon them) and its results and effects have been mentioned both in the narrations and by users who experienced themselves, we hope that with God’s grace and our effort to prepare this hirz based on the instructions, users will benefit completely.
Doesn’t a written hirz on paper have effects?
In general, when someone seeks God’s help by using prayers or amulets, hoping for an effect, it is possible that he will be blessed by God’s mercy and grace.
But if we want to do our duty completely and in its best way and to follow the instructions of Imam al-jawad (a.s.) for preparing the amulet, it is clear we should prepare the amulet based on the tradition.
Therefore, “Razavi Group” does its best to obey all the orders of Imam al-jawad (a.s.) in accordance with providing a complete amulet hoping that the companions will benefit from all properties and blessings of the amulet.
Doubts about the contradiction of using deerskin with animal rights and the environmental issues
Someone may say: writing amulets on the skin of a deer causes the extinction of this species, so it is not environmentally right. To answer this issue e should study several aspects:
Investigating the possibility of deer hunting or slaughtering in Islam
According to the statement of the Qur’anic verse, God Almighty (s.w.t.) has made everything especially animals subservient to man and created for his use.
As he says:
وَالْأَنْعَامَ خَلَقَهَا ۗ لَكُمْ فِيهَا دِفْءٌ وَمَنَافِعُ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ (نحل- ۵)
He created the cattle, in which there is warmth for you and [other] uses, and some of them you eat.
(Nahl-5)
أُحِلَّتْ لَكُمْ بَهِيمَةُ الْأَنْعَامِ إِلَّا مَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ (مائده- ۱)
O you who have faith! Keep your agreements. You are permitted animals of grazing livestock, except what is [now] announced to you, disallowing game while you are in pilgrim sanctity. Indeed, Allah decrees whatever He desires.
(Maida-1)
These two verses are used to state that humans can slaughter or hunt halal animals for their use.
Islam has given many rights to animals, which have been explained in detail in fiqh and Islamic jurisprudence books.
In general, from the point of view of Islam, the rights of animals, including the right to life, the right to use natural resources, etc., are reserved, but since animals are created for the use of humans, God Almighty has allowed humans to take their lives in order to use them. Of course, for this case, many points have been taken into consideration, such as the conditions of slaughtering.
It should also be noted that Imam al-Jawad (a.s.) used deer skin to write amulets and ordered the preparation of deer skin. Since infallibles are fully aware of the rights of animals so we can do the same and understand that there is no problem because if this work had a problem or caused a violation of a right, surely imam (a.s.) did not do this and forbade it.
There are other conditions that should be taken into consideration, for example, if the animal is on someone else’s property or hunting and slaughtering is prohibited according to the law, we will not be allowed to hunt or slaughter it.
Result:
According to Shari’ah and according to the permission of Islam, if an animal is not owned and there is no legal prohibition, there is no problem in hunting it and it does not conflict with the rights of animals.
For example, if deer hunting is allowed in some seasons or in some areas according to the laws, or if we have a license to breed deer and it is not against the law, we can hunt or slaughter it for rational uses.
Environmental study of deer hunting
Illegal hunting of animals has a destructive effect on their habitat. However, in our country, the Department of Environment, which is in charge of scientific investigation and decision-making and legislation regarding animal species, has established rules that by respecting them, the cycle of nature will not go out of balance. Therefore, by respecting these laws, deer hunting will not have a negative impact on the environment.
The approach of “Razavi Group” in preparation of deerskin
Razavi Group always tries to provide the best quality original skins. And due to the fact that the skin supplier must be available all the time, therefore, we try to identify cases such as hotels and restaurants in Iraq that only use deer meat for cooking and serving, or to identify deer breeding centers, or trusted people to Provide needed skin without having a negative impact on the environment.
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