Ahbash and the “Tarawih” Prayer

The Ahbash jama’a in Ethiopia don't pray "Tarawih" with the mass in the holy month of Ramadan. At that time they go to their Markaz and attend the lectures of their Lebanese preachers. When you ask them “Why don't you pray Tarawih with us?”, they will answer "Tarawih is supplementary. But seeking knowledge is obligatory. So it is better to seek knowledge than to pray Tarawih". This statement may have some truth. However, as they can undertake the educational sessions in other times of the day, their going against the long Sunni tradition of "Tarawih" prayer is invalid.

You see! The Habashis practice "Shia" type strategy of "Taqiyya" (emulation) to run away from “Tarawih”. I say this because their reason is not to flee from "Tarawih" itself. They bring the "Knowledge is better than Tarawhi" reason just to run away from certain “du'a” we make in congregation .

In most parts of Ethiopia, while we pray Tarawih in the month of Ramadan, we take short brakes and invoke Allah. For example, Hararis invoke Allah by saying "La'illah Illallah Astaghfirullah Nas'aluka Ridaaka wa na'uzubika minal Naar". The last phrase of this du'a is "Kufr" according to the ideology of Ahbash (It is translated as “O Allah! We ask Your love, and it is by You we keep ourselves from the hell-fire”. So to escape from this “du'a”, they bring their weak reason of attending lectures in Markaz.

In general, the Ahbash teaches that asking Allah to forgive all Muslims of their sin is "Kufr". For example, if you are "Habashi", you can't say "Allahuma Ajirna minal naar"(O Allah! save us from hell fire). You can say rather "Allahumma Ajirni minal naar" (O Allah! save me from the hell fire). They say any one who said "Allahumma Ajirna minal naar" will become a disbeliever. Astaghfirullah!! This was the first point that made me to neglect Ahbash. (I was shocked when I heard this heretical belief).

In my birth town, called “Gelemso” which is located in West Harerghe, there is a big "Hadra" built by the great Sufi Sheikh Umar Aliyye Al-Galamsiyyi (The Ahbash founder sheikh Abdullah Al-Harari attended some Islamic courses under this great sheikh). The shrine built over the tomb of this sheikh is the biggest one in Ethiopia next to that of Sheikh Hussen in Bale. Despite the bad practices associated with this shrine and some disorders happening recently, Sheikh Umar was a great scholar and his Hadra is still one of the most important Islamic learning places in Ethiopia.

In this Hadra, there is a daily congregational prayer session called "Awrad". The prayer is lead by the imam of the grand mosque of our town. The "Awrad" includes prayers like "Istighfar", "Tasbih", "Tahlil", "Salawat", "Azkar", "Du'a" etc... The most colorful prayer of all is the one which says "Allahumma Ajirna Minal Naar" (“O Allah save us from the hell fire”). On the other hand, during Ramadan, the most popular prayer is "Nas'aluka Ridaaka Wa Na'uzubika Minal Naar". Whenever you assess the Sufi centers all over Ethiopia, you will see similar tradition.

So if Ahbash claims a Sufi tradition, and if their Sheikh was educated under great Sufi sheikhs like Seikh Umar Al-Galamsiyyi, why do they teach that "Saying "Allahumma Ajirna Minar Naar will make you Kafir"? From where did they get this non-Islamic thought? The Holy Qur'an says
"And there are men who say: Our Lord! Give us Good in this world And Good in the Hereafter, And save us from the torment of the Fire" (Al-Baqarah: 201) 

And Allah tells us the people who pray to Him through this "du'a" will get their need.

So Ya Habashi/Habashiyya/Ahbash! If you are true Muslims, return to the true belief. Stop teaching heresy.