Al Albani Unveiled

8/13/2019 Al Albani Unveiled

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An Exposition of His Errors

And

Other Important Issues

Compiled by:

Sayf ad-Din Ahmad ibn Muhammad


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Al-Albani Unveiled

An Exposition of His Errors

and other important issues

Compiled by Sayf ad-Din Ahmed ibn Muhammad

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

PREACE

All praise be to Allahu ta'ala. Peace and blessings be on His final Messenger, SayyidinaMuhammad. Auspicious salutations be on his pure Ahl al-Bayt (people of the Prophet's House

and on all his !ust and de"oted #ompanions (may Allah be pleased $ith them all% and last but

not least praise be upon the glorious pious predecessors (Salaf as-Salihin and their successors$ho are the Ahl-as-Sunnah $a'l &ama'ah (People of the Sunnah and #ommunity of the four

eisting schools of Sacred a$ ()i*h.

+ you $ho belie"e hat you are about to read is of dire importance to the belie"er $ho acceptsthe authority of the oble Hadith, second only to the Holy /ur'an al-0arim. 1 here present to theopen minded belie"er an eposition of the mista2es and contradictions of probably the foremost

Hadith Shay2h of the 'Salafiyya' sect, by the name of Shay2h Muhammad asiruddeen al-

Albani. 1 $as as2ed by some brothers on the status and ran2 of al-Albani, and fearing thedeclaration of Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him3

4He $ho is as2ed something he 2no$s and conceals it $ill ha"e a bridle of fire put on him on

the 5ay of 6esurrection4 (Sunan Abu 5a$ood, 7879:;,


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contradicted himself in others - see the *uotes from Shay2h Sa**af later. Shay2h Sa**af

presently teaches a circle of students in Amman and has published o"er forty fi"e boo2s and

treatises on Hadith, tenets of faith (A*eeda, )i*h and heresiology.

So as to enlighten the reader $ho is una$are of al-Albani's status, the follo$ing is a short

biography as gi"en in the inside bac2 co"er of the


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Iolume G contains 9:G Ahadith of the same description as the abo"e, or similar contradictions in

indi"idual ri!al (biography of a Hadith narrator of the Sanad (the chain of transmission of a

specific Hadith of the Hadiths in *uestion. 1n some instances (e.g. Iol.G, pp. 97-9D, Shay2hSa**af sho$s ho$ a Hadith narrator is 'trust$orthy' $hen al-Albani $ants to use a Hadith to

pro"e something, but becomes 'untrust$orthy' $hen in a Hadith used by the person al-Albani is

arguing against% an etremely embarrassing mista2e for anyone of any scholarly integrity. =heseboo2s by Shay2h Sa**af ha"e already done much to pull the rug from under 'Salafiyyism' in

&ordan and e"en in 'Saudi' Arabia, $here the first "olume alone has seen no less than S1J

reprints in a single year alone =hese boo2s are etremely hot property that any 'Salafi' (or anti-Salafi $ho reads Arabic $ill $ant to buy. 1 as2 you, ho$ many times does an inept student of

Hadith li2e al-Albani ha"e to contradict himself before he ceases to be of authorityK #an you

find e"en ten such contradictions in the $or2s of the traditional memori@ers of Hadith (Huffa@,

those $ho had memori@ed at least ;;,;;; Ahadith $ith their sanad'sK =he great scholars li2eAbu Hanifah, Mali2, Shafi'i, 1bn Hanbal, Bu2hari, Muslim, Abu 5a$ood, =irmidhi, 1bn Ma!a,

al-asai, 5ara*utni, Ha2im, As*alani and so on . . . . Allah's mercy be upon them. =he

discerning belie"er should 2no$ that al-Albani has not in his memory any$here near a ;;,;;;

Ahadith in his memory, in fact as far as $e 2no$ there is no one $ho is a Hafi@ of Hadith today1f there is, $e say please come for$ard and pro"e it, and only Allah 2no$s best

5uring the course of eamining "arious Hadiths, Shay2h Sa**af compared them to the $ritten

opinion of al-Albani.


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and e"en more eplicitly from 1mam al-5arimi (6ahimahullah $ho reported Fiyad 1bn Hudair

(6ahimahullah saying3

4>mar (Allah be pleased $ith him said to me3 5o you 2no$ $hat can destroy 1slamK4 1 said34o.4 He said3 41t is destroyed by the mista2es of scholars, the argument of the hypocrites about

the boo2 (of Allah, and the opinions of the misguided leaders.4 (see Mish2atul Masabih, 8G9C,=rans. A.H. Siddi*ui.

e too2 the liberty to fore$arn and guide the many sincere belie"ers $ho are turning to theirfaith from blundering into miscomprehension and $rong by translating selecti"ely from Shay2h

Sa**af's boo2s.

1n order to safe 2eep today's youth from falling into heresy, Shay2h Sa**af has embar2ed upon a

*uest to epose such a person $ho considers himself to be among the great scholars of Hadithli2e, 1mam's al-Bu2hari and Muslim (6ahimahumullah, to the etent that one of his deluded

follo$ers considered him to be in the ran2 of the Amir al-Mu'minin fil Hadith, Shay2h al-1slam

al-Hafi@ Ahmad 1bn Ha!ar al-As*alani (the Shafi'i 1mam $ho authored the most famouscommentary of Sahih al-Bu2hari and many other boo2s, d. L:G8DDC #.


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Al-Albani >n"eiled

Al-Albani's ea2ening of Someof 1mam Bu2hari's and Muslim's Ahadith.

Al-Albani has said in "Sharh al-Aqeedah at-Tahaweeah, pg. 27-28" (8th edition, Maktab al-

Islami) by Shaykh Ibn Abi al-Izz al-ana!i (ahimah#llah), that any adith $oming !%om theSahih $olle$tions o! al-kha%i and M#slim is Sahih, not be$a#se they 'e%e na%%ated bykha%i and M#slim, b#t be$a#se the Ahadith a%e in !a$t $o%%e$t. t he $lea%ly $ont%adi$ts

himsel!, sin$e he has 'eakened Ahadith !%om kha%i and M#slim himsel! o' let #s

$onside% this in!o%mation in the light o! elabo%ation *-

SELECTED TRANSLATIONS FROM VOLUME 1

No. 1: (*Pg. 10 No.1)

Hadit* +he %ophet (ea$e and blessings be #pon him) said* "Allah says I 'ill be an

opponent to pe%sons on the day o! %es#%%e$tion* (a) ne 'ho makes a $o/enant in myame b#t he p%o/es t%ea$he%o#s, (b) ne 'ho sells a !%ee pe%son (as a sla/e) and eats the

p%i$e ($) And one 'ho employs a labo%e% and gets the !#ll 'o%k done by him, b#t doesn0t payhim his 'ages." 1kha%i no 23-A%abi$ /e%sion, o% see the 4nglish /e%sion 536 pg 2.

A!"A!#a$i %aidthat this adith 'as 9A44: in "Daeef al-Jami wa Ziyadatuh, 35

o.36;3".


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Hadit* "@o# 'ill %ise 'ith shining !o%eheads and shining hands and !eet on the 9ay o!?#dgement by $ompleting #dh# p%ope%ly. . . . . . . ." 1M#slim o.23.

No. ,: (*Pg. 11 No.,)

Hadit* "@o# 'ill %ise 'ith shining !o%eheads and shining hands and !eet on the 9ay o!

?#dgement by $ompleting #dh# p%ope%ly. . . . . . . ." 1M#slim o.23.

No. -: (*Pg. 11 No.-)

Hadit* "+he g%eatest t%#st in the sight o! Allah on the 9ay o! ?#dgement is the man 'hodoesn0t di/#lge the se$%ets bet'een him and his 'i!e." 1M#slim no0s 23 and 37

A!"A!#a$i !ai%it is 9A44: in "9aee! al-?ami 'a Biyadat#h, 25=2 o.=8." Altho#gh ithas been na%%ated by M#slim, Ahmad and Ab# 9a'ood !%om Abi Sayyed (Allah be pleased

'ith him)

No. : (*Pg. 11 No.)

Hadit* "I! anyone 4A9S the last ten /e%ses o! Surah al-Kahfhe 'ill be sa/ed !%om the

mis$hie! o! the 9a>>al." 1M#slim o.86=.

A!"A!#a$i %aidthat this adith 'as 9A44: in "9aee! al-?ami 'a Biyadat#h, ;52 o.;772."

N/- +he 'o%d #sed by M#slim is M4MIB49 and not 4A9 as al-Albani $laimedC 'hat ana'!#l mistake +his adith has been na%%ated by M#slim, Ahmad and isai !%om Abi 9a%da

(Allah be pleased 'ith him) (Also %e$o%ded by Imam a'a'i in "iyadh #s-Saliheen,

2562" o! the 4nglish ed0n).

No. : (*Pg. 11 No.)

Hadit* "+he %ophet (ea$e and blessings be #pon him) had a ho%se $alled al-


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book 0ilya0.

e s#ggest yo# look in the book "ilya , 357"

No 1 : (*Pg. &' No.,)

A!"A!#a$i %aidin his "Sahihah, 58 o.;, 3th edition"* "@ahya ibn Malik has been

igno%ed by the main s$hola%s o! adith, !o% he 'as not mentioned in the books o! +ahdhib,+aF%eeb o% +adhhib."

Shaykh SaFFa!* "+hat is 'hat yo# say It is not like that, !o% s#%ely he is mentioned in+ahdhib al-+ahdhib o! a!iz ibn a>a% al-AsFalani (25= 9a% al-:ik% edition) by the ni$kname

Ab# Ayoob al-Ma%aagi

So be'a%e

FURTHER E;AMPLES OF AL"AL/ANI6S CONTRADICTIONS

No 1, : (* Pg. )

A!"A!#a$i a%


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na%%ato% "

N/-(al-Albani has made many o! the adith 'hi$h !o%bid Gold to 'omen to be Sahih, in !a$t

othe% s$hola%s ha/e de$la%ed these adith to be daee! and ab%ogated by othe% Sahih adith'hi$h allo' the 'ea%ing o! gold by 'omen. ne o! the 'ell kno'n Shaykh0s o! the

"Sala!iyya" - @#s#! al-Ja%da'i said in his book* 0Islami$ a'akening bet'een %e>e$tion andeDt%emism, pg. 8;* "In o#% o'n times, Shaykh asi% al-9in al-Albani has $ome o#t 'ith anopinion, di!!e%ent !%om the $onsens#s on pe%mitting 'omen to ado%n themsel/es 'ith gold,

'hi$h has been a$$epted by all madhahib !o% the last !o#%teen $ent#%ies. e not onlybelie/es that the isnad o! these Ahadith is a#thenti$, b#t that they ha/e not been %e/oked.

So, he belie/es, the Ahadith p%ohibit gold %ings and ea%%ings."

So 'ho is the one 'ho /iolates the i>ma o! the Hmmah 'ith his eDt%eme opinionsE)

No 1 : (* Pg. ' No.1)

Hadit* Mahmood ibn


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saying* "+he na%%ato%s in the sanad a%e all kha%i0s (i.e.C #sed by Imam al-kha%i) men,eD$ept !o% al-M#ha%%a% 'ho is one o! the men o! isai and Ibn Ma>ah only. e 'as not

t%#sted a$$ept by Ibn ibban, and that0s 'hy al-a!iz Ibn a>a% did not t%#st him, Instead heonly said 0a$$epted0"

So be'a%e o! this !%a#d

No &1 : (* Pg. ' No.,)

Hadit* Abdallah ibn Am% (Allah be pleased 'ith him)* "+he :%iday p%aye% is in$#mbent on'hoe/e% hea%d the $all" (Ab# 9a'ood). Al-Albani stated that this adith 'as ASA in "I%'a

al-Ghalil 5;8", he then $ont%adi$ts himsel! by saying it is 9A44: in "Mishkat#l Masabih533 no 7;"

No && : (* Pg. ' No.-)Hadit* Anas ibn Malik (Allah be pleased 'ith him) said that the %ophet (ea$e and

blessings be #pon him) #sed to say * "9o not be ha%d on yo#%sel!, othe%'ise Allah 'ill beha%d on yo#. hen a people 'e%e ha%d on themsel/es, then Allah 'as ha%d on them." (Ab#

9a'ood)

A!"A!#a$i %tat+dthat this adith 'as 9A44: in his $he$king o! "Mishkat, 53", b#t he then

$ont%adi$ts himsel! by saying that this adith is ASA in "Ghayat#l Ma%am, pg. 3"

No &': (* Pg. 0 No.)

Hadit o5 Sa22ida Ai%a(Allah be pleased 'ith he%)* "hoe/e% tells yo# that the %ophet(ea$e be #pon him) #sed to #%inate 'hile standing, do not belie/e him. e ne/e% #%inated

#nless he 'as sitting." (Ahmad, isai and +i%midhi)

A!"A!#a$i %aidthat this sanad 'as 9A44: in "Mishkat 57." e then $ont%adi$ts himsel!

by saying it is SAI in "Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah 53; o.26"

So take a glan$e dea% %eade%

No & : (* Pg. 0 No.)

Hadit:"+he%e a%e th%ee 'hi$h the angels 'ill ne/e% app%oa$h* +he $o%pse o! a disbelie/e%,

a man 'ho 'ea%s ladies pe%!#me, and one 'ho has had seD #ntil he pe%!o%ms abl#tion" (Ab#

9a'ood).

A!"A!#a$i o


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A!"A!#a$i a% >+a3+$+d itin "Mishkat, 532 o.;", and then $ont%adi$ts himsel! bysaying it is SAI in "I%'a al-Ghalil, 53"

No &- : (* Pg. ' No.1&)

Hadit* "


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So be'a%e o! this mess

No & : (* Pg. 1 No.&)

Hadit o5 Ha


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Hadit o5 Sa22ida Ma2oo$a (Allah be pleased 'ith he%)* "+he%e is nobody 'ho hastaken a loan and it is in the kno'ledge o! Allah. . . ." (isai, 75; and othe%s).

A!"A!#a$i %aidin "9aee! al-isai, pg =6"* "Sahih, eD$ept !o% the pa%t al-9#nya." +hen he$ont%adi$ts himsel! in "Sahih al-?ami 'a Biyadat#h, ;5;", by saying that the 'hole adith

is SAI, in$l#ding the al-9#nya pa%t. So 'hat an amazing $ont%adi$tion

No ', : (* Pg. 1 No.)

Hadit o5 /e'elle%y o!the people o! hell" (Meaning the I%on %ing), 1isai, 8572 and othe%s. . ..

A!"A!#a$i a% %aidthat it 'as SAI in "Sahih al-?ami 'a Biyadat#h, ;5; o.;;36", b#tthen $ont%adi$ts himsel! by saying it is 9A44: in "9aee! al-isai, pg. 26"

No '- : (* Pg. 1 No.)Hadit o5 A# H+a3+$+d Maa6ain "I%'a al-Ghalil, 5232",

by saying, "+his is a 'eak sanad be$a#se Ahmad has said* 0+he%e is nothing '%ong 'ith

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Ma>a0a0, and 9a%aF#tni has 'eakened him. . ."

A!"A!#a$i t+$ ad+ a o$t+a3+$+d iin "Sahihah, 57",

'he%e he said* "e in himsel! is t%#sted b#t he #sed to be a /e%y bad !o%ge%, 'hi$h makeshim #ndependable. . . ." A!"A!#a$i t+$ o$t+a3+$+d iin "I%'a, 75", by saying*

"+hey ha/e said nothing good abo#t al-azi." H+ t+$ o$t


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t%#sted him." t then he $ont%adi$ts himsel! by his #s#al habit &e$a#se he only t%ans!e%s!%om books and nothing else, and he $opies 'itho#t kno'ledgeC this is p%o/en in "Sahihah,

53;6", 'he%e he said abo#t Ashaath* "+%#st'o%thy". So 'hat an amazement

No - : (* Pg. 1-& No.)

I/RAHIM I/N HAANI*- +he hono#%able +he geni#s +he $opie% as made Ib%ahim ibnaani t%#st'o%thy in one pla$e and has then made him #nkno'n in anothe%. Al-Albani said in0Sahihah, 5320* "Ib%ahim ibn aani is t%#st'o%thy", b#t then he $ont%adi$ts himsel! in

"9aee!ah, 2522;", by saying that he is #nkno'n and his Ahadith a%e %e!#sed

No : (* Pg. 1-' No.10)AL"I@LAA I/N A/DULLAH AL"UFI*- Al-Albani has $o%%e$ted a sanad by saying it is good

in "I%'a, 857", 'ith the 'o%ds* "And its sanad is good, the na%%ato%s a%e t%#st'o%thy, eD$ept!o% Ibn Abd#llah al-#!i 'ho is t%#th!#l." e then $ont%adi$ts himsel! by 'eakening the sanad

o! a adith 'he%e al-I>laa is !o#nd and has made him the %eason !o% de$la%ing it 9A44: (see09aee!ah, 3570)C 'he%e he said* "I>laa ibn Abd#llah has a 'eakness." Al-Albani then F#oted

Ibn al-?a'zi0s (ahimah#llah) 'o%ds by saying* "Al-I>laa did not kno' 'hat he 'as saying

."

No : (* Pg. -"-)

A/DULLAH I/N SALIH : AATI/ AL"LA8TH*- Al-Albani has $%iti$ised Al-a!iz al-

aythami, Al-a!iz al-S#y#ti, Imam M#na'i and the M#haddith Ab#0l-:adl al-Ghima%i (Allah0sme%$y be #pon them) in his book "Silsilah al-9aee!ah, 3562", 'hen $he$king a adith

$ontaining the na%%ato% Abd#llah ibn Salih. e says on page 66* "o' $o#ld Ibn Salih be all%ight and his adith be good, e/en tho#gh he has got many mistakes and is o! little

a'a%eness, 'hi$h also made some !%a#d#lent adiths ente% his books, and he na%%ates them

'itho#t kno'ing abo#t them" e has not mentioned that Abd#llah ibn Salih is one o! Imamal-kha%i0s men (i.e. #sed by al-kha%i), be$a#se it does not s#it his mode, and he does

not state that Ibn Ma0een and some o! the leading $%iti$s o! adith ha/e t%#sted him. Al-Albani has $ont%adi$ted himsel! in othe% pla$es in his books by making adiths $ontaining

Abd#llah ibn Salih to be good, and he%e they a%e *-

A!"A!#a$i %aidin "Silsilah al-Sahihah, 522=" * "And so the sanad is good, be$a#se ashidibn Sa0ad is t%#st'o%thy by ag%eement, and 'ho is less than him in the men o! Sahih, and

the%e is also Abd#llah ibn Salih 'ho has said things that a%e #nha%m!#l 'ith Allah0s help"Al-Albani also said in "Sahihah, 2536" abo#t a sanad 'hi$h $ontained Ibn Salih* "a good

sanad in $ontin#ity." And again in "Sahihah, 3537"* "e0s a p%oo! 'ith $ontin#ity."

N/- (asan al-SaFFa! then $ontin#ed 'ith some impo%tant ad/i$e, this has been le!t

#nt%anslated !o% b%e/ity b#t one may %e!e% to the A%abi$ !o% !#%the% elabo%ation).

&y the g%a$e o! Allah, this is eno#gh !%om the books o! Shaykh SaFFa! to $on/in$e any

seeke% o! the t%#th, let alone the $ommon !olk 'ho ha/e little kno'ledge o! the s$ien$e o!

adith. I! anyone is inte%ested !o% h#nd%eds o! othe% simila% F#otes !%om Shaykh SaFFa!,then I s#ggest yo# '%ite to the !ollo'ing add%ess to obtain his book Tanaqadat al-Albani al-Wadihat (+he Klea% Kont%adi$tions o! al-Albani).

THE IMAM AL-NAWAWI HOUSE

PO BOX 925393

AMMAN

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JORDAN

1+he $ost !o% /ol#me is L3.66 HS pl#s shipping and the $ost !o% /ol#me 2 is L7.66 pl#s

shipping.

Allah kno's best.

HERE ENDS THE 7UOTATIONS FROM AL"SA77AF

Ti% a% #++$ %t %+!+t+d o$t al-S#nnahC one by the title* "9aee! Ahadith o! Ab# 9a'#d0s S#nan (a$$o%ding toShaikh al-Albaanee, o0s a$$o%ding to the 4nglish +%anslation o! %o!esso% Ahmad asan,

p#blished in 35== K.4.)", and the othe% by the title* "9aee! Ahadith o! an-a'a'i0siyaad-#s-Saaliheen (a$$o%ding to the $he$king o! aasi% #d-9een Al-Albani, o0s a$$o%ding

to the 4nglish +%anslation o! S. M. Madni Abbasi)".

I !o#nd some se%io#s $ont%adi$tions 'hen I $%oss-%e!e%en$ed the abo/e named p#bli$ationsCb#t I $ontent mysel! by F#oting >#st t'o o! the $ont%adi$tions, so that a %o#nd !ig#%e o! !i!ty

e%%o%s is a$hie/ed &esides these e%%o%s the%e a%e othe%s 'hi$h 'ill be displayed in the!ollo'ing pages, !%om the one 'ho $laims to be gi/ing #s the most 0a#thenti$0 S#nnah

th%o#gh his 0$lassi!i$ations o! Ahadith0 +he main aim in $a%%ying o#t the latte% eDe%$ise is !o%

the bene!it o! those belie/e%s 'ho do not and $an not %ead the A%abi$ 'o%ks o! al-Albani !o%one, and se$ondly to gi/e the oppo%t#nity to any do#bting "+homas"C 'ho may o% may not

be one o! al-Albani0s s#ppo%te%s at the time o! %eading this sho%t eDposition, to a$t#ally goalong and $he$k the %e!e%en$es I ha/e F#oted !%om (mainly in 4nglish). &y doing this,

Insha0Allah, all do#bts abo#t the a#thenti$ity o! this eDposition 'ill be alle/iated and the

hea%ts o! those 'ho do#bt may be$ome $ontent Allah kno's best.

No :"Hadit* Aisha (Allah be pleased 'ith he%) %epo%ted the Apostle o! Allah (ea$e and blessings

be #pon him) as saying* "Allah and is Angels bless those 'ho a%e on the %ight !lanks o! the%o's (in p%aye%)." 1See S#nan Ab# 9a'ood, 57 pg. 7;, 4nglish ed0n and iyadh-#s-

Saliheen, 256=3 pg. ;38.

+$ I +3+d t+ at+$tiit2o! the abo/e adith by #sing the list "9aee! Ahadith o!

Ab# 9a'#d0s S#nan", it 'as not $o#nted amongst the daee! ones, 'hi$h means to the #se%

o! this list that the abo/e adith is SAI (o% at least ASA) a$$o%ding to the $he$king o!al-Albani

t, 'hen I !o#nd the same adith in iyadh-#s-Saliheen, it 'as de$la%ed to be 9A44: by

al-Albani. +he a$t#al 'o%ds #sed by the a#tho% o! "9aee! Ahaadith o! an-a'a'i0s iyadh-#s-Saliheen", 'as*- "Al-Albaanee b%ings a long note. . . . . . +he 'o%ding (0#pon those on the

%ight %o's0) is Shaadh o% M#nka% - the $o%%e$t na%%ation being * (0#pon those 'ho >oin the%o's0) - see Mishkaat, o.6=, 09aee! Abi 9a#d0, o.;. . ."

N/- al-Imam a'a'i (Allah0s me%$y be #pon him) said that the abo/e adith has been $ited

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on the te%ms o! Imam M#slim by Imam Ab# 9a'ood (see the abo/e %e!e%en$e in 0iyadh0).

No ,0 :"

Hadit* Ab# Hmamah (Allah be pleased 'ith him) says that the oly %ophet (ea$e be#pon him) said* "A pe%son 'ho did not take pa%t in >ihad o% !ailed to eF#ip a !ighte%, o% did

not look 'ell a!te% the !amily o! a !ighte%, 'o#ld be se/e%ely p#nished by Allah be!o%e the dayo! >#dgement." ( Ab# 9a'ood, 2523=7, pg. = and iyadh-#s-Saliheen, 2538, pg. 3)

+$ I +3+d t+ at+$tiit2o! the abo/e adith by #sing the list 09aee! Ahadith o!Ab# 9a'#d0s S#nan0, it 'as not listed as being 9A44:, hen$e it has been de$la%ed to be

SAI (o% at least ASA) in al-Albani0s $he$king o! Ab# 9a'ood t 'hen I !o#nd theabo/e adith in iyadh-#s-Saliheen, al-Albani de$la%ed it to be 9A44:. +he a$t#al 'o%ds

#sed by the a#tho% o! 09a0ee! Ahaadith o! An-a'a'i0s iyaad-#s-Saaliheen0 'as* "Its isnad$ontains al-aleed ibn M#slim-a-m#dallis - and he has #sed 'an'anahhe%e(0!%om. . .0). See

0at-+a0leeF-#%-agheeb0, 25266."

N/- Imam an-a'a'i said that the abo/e adith has been %elated 'ith a Sahih isnad,

besides that, a$$o%ding to Shaykh Sh#0ayb al-A%naoot0s $he$king o! the abo/e adith in hisedition o! iyadh-#s-Saliheen, the abo/e adith is not daee! (this in!o%mation has been

de%i/ed !%om anothe% p#bli$ation o! 0?ami0at Ihyaa Minhaa> al- S#nnah, by the title "


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Al-Albani Unveiled

!mportant !ssues of i"h #$urispruden%e&

Movin' the in'er in (ashahhud

ith reference to al-Albani's recently translated boo2 4=he Prophet's Prayer described from the

beginning to the end as though you see it (ifah alah-al-Nabee4, al-Albani claimed (pg. 993

4)urther, the Hadith that he $ould not mo"e his finger does not ha"e an authentic 1snad, as 1

ha"e eplained in 5aeef Abi 5aa$ood (:.4

But $hen 1 loo2ed this Hadith up in the


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the latter Hadith are, #and he "ould not mo$e it.' According to al-Albani this addition is irregular

and re!ected (shadhand mun%ar.4

And 1 Say3 4al-Albani's follo$ers ha"e not said that it isshadhand mun%arin their 5aeefAhadith of Abu 5a$ud's Sunan 4

Again referring to )i*h-us-Sunnah ("ol. , pg. :L, Sabi* says3 4According to the Shafiyyah,

one points $ith the finger only once, $hen saying 'ecept Allah' in the statement bearing $itness.

=he Hanafiyyah raise the finger in the denial part of the Statement (there is no ?od and put itbac2 do$n during the confirmation part (ecept Allah. =he Mali2iyyah (see belo$ for the

Mali2i "ie$ mo"e the finger to the left and to the right until they finish the prayer. =he

Hanbaliyyah point $ith the finger e"ery time they mention Allah, as a reflection to the onenessof Allah, and they do not mo"e it.4

Another t$o Hadith on this issue ha"e been related by 1mam Muslim (6ahimahullah in his

Sahih3 41bn >mar (Allah be pleased $ith him reported that $hen the Messenger of Allah (Peace

be upon him sat for the tashahhud he placed his left hand on his left 2nee, and his right hand onhis right 2nee, and he raised his right finger, $hich is net to the thumb, ma2ing supplication in

this $ay, and he stretched his left hand on his left 2nee. Another "ersion on the authority of 1bn

>mar (Allah be pleased $ith him says3 hen the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him sat

for the tashahhud, he placed his left hand on his left 2nee and placed his right hand on his right2nee, and he formed a ring li2e (Arabic number :7 and pointed $ith his finger of attestation.

(Also Ali ibn Abd al-6ahman al-Mu'a$i reported3 Abdullah ibn >mar (Allah be pleased $ith

him sa$ me playing $ith pebbles during prayer. After finishing the prayer he forbade me (to doit and said3 5o as the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him used to do. 1 said3 Ho$ did

Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him doK He said that he (the Messenger of Allah sat at

tashahhud, placed his right palm on the right thigh and closed all his fingers and pointed $ith the

help of the finger net to the thumb, and placed his palm on his right thigh.4 (Sahih Muslim,8G;7-D,


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al-Sali23 follo$ing the Sunnah from a Hadith related by Abu 5a$ud. 1t is offensi"e to mo"e it

here, though some hold that it is recommended, the e"idence for $hich is also from the Sunnah,

in a Hadith related by Bayha*i, $ho states both Hadiths are rigorously authenticated (Sahih.Precedence is gi"en to the former Hadith (i.e of 1bn A@-Fubair, $hich negates mo"ing the

finger, o"er the latter Hadith, $hich affirms it, because scholars hold that $hat is sought in

prayer is lac2 of motion, and mo"ing it diminishes one's humility. (1 say3 al-Albani's commenton the Hadith of 1bn al-Fubair3 '


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(87; firmly designated it to be Hasan, and Bu2hari (87; designated it $ith certainty $hile

gi"ing it an abridged, ta'lee* form.4

1s this not a clear contradiction from $ithin the same boo2K And this is not all my dear reader...

Al-Albani claimed that it $as found in Bu2hari (87;, but $hen 1 eamined the Sahih al-Bu2hari (Iol. , #hapter. 9, no. ;, pg. 7C9,


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Allah's mercy be upon them, the hands should be folded belo$ the na"el. =his tradition is

follo$ed by them (1 say3 it is not !ust this tradition $hich lends support to placing the hands

belo$ the na"el, but others as $ell. According to al-Shafi'i, the hands should be placed belo$the chest (1 say3 this is also the opinion of 1mam Muslim, according to the chapter heading used

by him3 '=he placing of the right hand o"er the left hand after the first ta2bir in prayer belo$ the

chest and abo"e the na"el and then placing them opposite the shoulders in prostration' -see SahihMuslim, "ol. , pg. GG;, lama as $ell as the common fol2 ha"e been placingtheir hands belo$ the na"el, by Allah's decree and $ill. =$o statements ha"e been attributed to

Ahmad ibn Hanbal (see al-Albani's ifah alah an-Nabee, footnote on pg. :. According to the

third "ie$ ascribed to him he does not gi"e any preference to any of these t$o "ie$s. +ne has

the choice of placing the hands. Mali2 is also reported to ha"e held t$o different "ie$s.According to the second, he held that one should lea"e the hands in their natural position $ithout

folding them. +ne should not fold them placing one on the other.4

B- =he most authoritati"e position of 1mam Mali2 (6ahimahullah has been recorded in al-

Muda""ana al-&ubra, by /adi Sahnoon (d. GD; AH. =his boo2 contains the most authenticpositions of al-1mam Mali2 and his illustrious disciples, namely 1mam ibn al-/asim and 1mam

ibn ahb. /adi Sahnoon recorded the declarations of 1mam Mali2 directly from 1mam ibn al-/asim, hence there is no real doubt in my mind that $hate"er has been recorded in this boo2 is

the Madhhab of al-1mam Mali2, and usually the amal (practise of the people of Madinah in his

day. 1n al-Muda""ana("ol. , pg. :-9, 1mam Mali2 has been recorded to ha"e said, 4Puttingthe right hand on the left insalah, 1 ha"e no 2no$ledge of it in the compulsory (fard prayer, it is

thus disli2ed (ma%rooh. But in the supererogatory (nafl prayer there is no harm (in folding the

hands, it is left to the indi"idual to decide.4 =his statement from 1mam Mali2 is a strong proofagainst those $ho claim that 1mam Mali2 only prayed $ith his hands at his sides, after he

recei"ed a se"ere beating (see The '$olution of (iqh, pg. ;, by A.A. Bilal Philips

Al-Albani has only 'chec2ed' si Hadith $hich allo$ the placing of the hands belo$ the na"el

(see his 'Sifah', pg. ;G, App. D. But there are more than 9 other Hadith ($hich allo$ theplacing of the hands belo$ the na"el $hich he has not bothered to mention8chec2% may be he

has not come across them +ne of such Hadith is "ery similar to $hat al-Albani mentioned in

4Sifah Salah an-abee,4 pg. 3 4e, the company of Prophets, ha"e been commanded to hastenthe brea2ing of the fast, to delay the meal before the fast, and to place our right arms on our left

arms during prayer from 1bn Hibban and 5iyaa', $ith a Sahih 1snad according to al-AlbaniE. =he

"ersion 1 ha"e is related by Sayyidina Ali (Allah be pleased $ith him3 4=hree things are from

the habits of Prophethood3 =o hasten the brea2ing of the fast, to delay the Sehri (pre-fast meal aslate as possible, and to place one's right hand on top of the left hand belo$ the na"el (transmitted

by Hafi@ 1bn Shaheen.4

=o finish, As-Sayyid Sabi* *uoted 1mam =irmidhi (6ahimahullah as saying in(iqh-us-unnah

("ol. , pg 7G3 40no$ledgeable #ompanions (Allah be pleased $ith them all, their follo$ersand those that came after them belie"ed that one should put his right hand o"er the left during

prayer, $hile some say abo"e the na"el and others say belo$ the na"el.4

22


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Raful-+adain , (he Raisin' of Hands in Prayer

Another point 1 $ish to raise concerns the long disputed issue of raising the hands in prayer

(salah. 1t is a $ell 2no$n fact that al-Albani and the generality of people amongst the 'Salafiyya'ha"e made a mountain out of a molehill, and ha"e bre$ed a storm in a tea cup $ith regards to

this issue, such that many of them are bold enough to accuse those $ho do not raise their hands

in Salah (i.e. after the initial raising called =a2bir-=ahrimah of not follo$ing the Sunnah, as $ellas going to the disgusting length of openly detesting and despising those $ho do not raise their

hands after the first =a2bir

1 must also admit that among those $ho do not raise their hands in the subse*uent stages of

Salah, usually the ignorant people ha"e accused those $ho raise the hands in the other stages ofSalah to be 'ahabbi's' =his is due to ignorance and pride of both sides, $hich usually stems

from the lac2 of 2no$ledge of the opinion of our great Mu!tahid 1mam's, and the Ahadith based

e"idences used by the research scholars in their respecti"e defence of either raising or not raisingthe hands in the other stages of Salah. +ur brothers and sisters $ho accuse those of raising the

hands in the other stages of prayer should as2 themsel"es3 4ere the great 1mam's li2e al-Shafi'i

and Ahmad ibn Hanbal (Allah's mercy be upon them ahhabi'sK4 1 pose this *uestion because itis $ell 2no$n that both of the latter named 1mam's used to practise 6aful-adayn after the initial

=a2bir, besides many other #ompanions and successors (=abi'een, may Allah be pleased $ith

them all

1t is a $ell 2no$n fact from the Muta$ateer Ahadith (a report of a large number of narrators$hose agreement upon a lie is inconcei"able a"ailable to us, that the Holy Prophet (Peace and

blessings be upon him used to raise his hands $hen pronouncing the initial =a2bir in Salah.

Sayyid Sabi* stated in his )i*h-us-Sunnah ("ol. , pg GC3 4Says 1bn al-Mundhir, 'All scholars

agree that the Prophet (Peace be upon him raised his hands at the beginning of his prayer.'#ommenting upon this report, 1bn Ha!ar (al-As*alani says, '=he Prophet's raising his hands at

the beginning of his prayer has been narrated by fifty companions, including the ten $ho $eregi"en the tidings of Paradise.' Al-Bayha*i related that al-Ha2im said, '1 do not 2no$ of anySunnah other than this one $hich is accepted by the four rightly guided 0halifahs, the ten

companions $ho $ere gi"en the tidings of Paradise, and other #ompanions scattered across

many lands.4 (B-1n my o$n eperience, the only people 1 ha"e met $ho do not raise theirhands in any stage of the Salah ha"e been the remnants of a 0hari!ite sect called the 1baadiyah,

nor do they fold their hands in Salah.

o$, the difference in opinion stems on the *uestion of $hether the raising of the hands is

necessary in the other stages of Salah, li2e $hen going into 6u2oo, standing up from 6u2oo, inbet$een the prostrations (sa!dah and $hen standing up for the third ra2ah in Salah...

Al-Albani said in 4Sifah Salah an-abee, pg. DG, fn. D43 4=he raising of the hands is reported as

Muta$ateer from him (Peace be upon him, as is the raising of the hands on straightening up

after 6u2oo. 1t is the Madhhab of the three 1mams Mali2, Shafi'i and Ahmad, and of the ma!orityof scholars of Hadith and )i*h. 1mam Mali2 practised it right up to his death, as reported by 1bn

Asa2ir (:8L8G. Some of the Hanafi's chose to do it, among them 1sam ibn usuf Abu Asamah

al-Bal2hi (died. G; A.H., a student of 1mam Abu usuf, as has been eplained in theintroduction.4

23


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1 $ish to say to the bias of al-Albani, 4ou ha"e *uoted a portion of the truth correctly, but ha"e

also blundered in one of your opinions4 1t is absolutely true that the great Mu!tahid 1mams li2e

al-Shafi'i and Ahmad ibn Hanbal (Allah's mercy be upon them recommended the raising of thehands in the other subse*uent stages of Salah, but it is a mista2e to say that the great 1mam of

Madinah, Mali2 ibn Anas (6ahimahullah 4practised it right up to his death4 as al-Albani claims,

by *uoting from 1mam 1bn Asa2ir (a Shafi'i scholar of Hadith, and a staunch defender of 1mamAbu'l Hasan al-Ashari, he $rote a $or2 entitled '=he


26/72

(Peace and blessings be upon him, as $ell as directly from the great #ompanions (May Allah be

pleased $ith them all.

=he fact of the matter is, that in their "ie$ the practise of performing 6aful-adayn in the otherstages of prayer ha"e been abrogated, and hence unnecessary in performance. #ontrary to this,

1mam's li2e al-Shafi'i, 1bn Hanbal.... belie"e it to be desirable to perform 6aful-adayn, and intheir "ie$ the practise has not been abrogated. #onse*uently, many of the $ell 2no$n and $ise

research scholars ha"e said that one's Salah is correct and acceptable by the practise of eithermode So please do not fall into the abyss of ignorance, by accusing and abusing each other of

performing Salah incorrectly, since it $as not generally the $ay of our foremost Mu!tahid's of

the pious generations (see the discussion bet$een 1mam al-A@am Abu Hanifah and 1mam al-A$@ai later

Al-Albani has said that some of the Hanafi's li2e Shay2h 1sam ibn usuf al-Bal2hi

(6ahimahullah chose to perform 6aful-adayn because he did not 2no$ the e"idence of his

1mams $ho held the "ie$ that 6aful-adayn $as unnecessary after the initial =a2bir (See 4Sifah

Salah an-abee, pg "ii,4 and also 4=he


27/72

bring for$ard eamples in $hich the disciples of the four main 1mams contradicted the 1!tihad of

their Master's on certain points. =hese people should al$ays remember that if a disciple

contradicts the opinion of his master, then this is the result of the natural prerogati"e besto$edupon him, $hen he attained the high and honourable grade of 1!tihad. =here is a $ell 2no$n

story related from the great 1mam Abu Hanifah (d. :; AH% 6ahimahullah, $ho said3 41 follo$

the boo2 of Allah, and if 1 find no solution there, 1 follo$ the Sunnah of =he Prophet (peace beupon him. 1f 1 find no solution in either the /ur'an or the Sunnah, 1 follo$ $hiche"er of the

pronouncements of the Sahabah 1 prefer, and lea"e $hiche"er 1 $ish. 1f there is a pronouncement

on a particular matter by any of the Sahabah, 1 $ould not adopt any other made by any otherscholar. But, if 1 found a solution only in the opinions of 1brahim (al-a2hai, al-Shabi, 1bn Sirin,

Hasan al-Basri, Ata (ibn Abi 6abah or Sa'eed ibn al-Musayyib (they $ere all Mu!tahid's, 1

$ould ma2e 1!tihad !ust as they did.4 ("ide3 4>sul al-)i*h al-1slami,4 pg. 9D, by =aha &abir al-

Al$ani, $ho reported this account from =ari2h Baghdad, "ol. i, pg. 79L, al-1nti*a of 1bnAbdal Barr, pg. DG, and Mashayi2h Bal2h al-Hanafiyah, pg. C;.

=his report eemplifies the prerogati"e of a Mu!tahid, as $ell as $hy Shay2h 1sam ibn usuf

may ha"e held different opinions from his Masters. 1 must stress, the abo"e discussion onlyrefers to those $ho can perform 1!tihad, and not to those $ho are unable to fulfil the conditions

recogni@ed by the scholars of >sool for carrying out the duties of a Mu!tahid. =hose $ho are not

Mu!tahid's are bound to the opinions of *ualified Mu!tahid's, and this is =a*leed.

Al-Albani said in 'Sifah Salah an-abee', (pg. ;:-93 4About raising the hands on going into6u2u and rising from it, many Ahadith ha"e been narrated from the Prophet (Peace be upon

him3 they are actually muta$ateer in the eyes of the scholars% in fact, raising the hands $ith

e"ery ta2bir is pro"en on his authority in many Ahadith% $hereas not raising the hands is not

authentically related from him ecept once "ia Abdallah ibn Masood (Allah be pleased $ithhim, but this is not suitable for putting into practise, for it is naaf (negatory. 1t is firmly

established, in the eyes of the Hanafi's and others, that the muthbit (affirmatory ta2esprecedence o"er the naaf (negatory% this is e"en $hen the affirmatory is on its o$n, let alone thecase $hen it is a multitude of narrations, as in this issue +n the basis of this principle, and in the

absence of anything contrary, this renders it binding on them to adopt the raising of the hands,

and not to stic2 @ealously to the Madhhab after the establishment of proof. Ho$e"er, it is a pitythat only a handful of the earlier or later ones ha"e adopted it, so much so that not raising the

hands has become a land mar2 for them4

=he abo"e *uote sho$s the limited and superficial 2no$ledge of al-Albani, in the e"idences

used by the Hanafi scholars for not performing 6aful-adayn 1t is true that the Ahadithconfirming 6aful-adayn are Muta$ateer, but $hat the reader should also 2no$, is that not

performing it has also come do$n to us in a Muta$ateer $ay 1n fact there are more than :;

Ahadith pro"ing the con"erse of $hat the 4great scholar,4 al-Albani holds, as $ell as those $hobolster his claims

Al-Albani claims that not raising the hands has come to us authentically only, 4once through

Abdallah ibn Masood, but this is not suitable for putting into practise.4 =o $hich 1 reply, $hy

should it not be possible to put into practise the Hadith related by the great #ompanion 1bn

26


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Masood (Allah be pleased $ith himK 5id he (Allah forbid lie or fabricate from the Prophet

(Peace be upon himK

Please do not forget that there are many other authentic Ahadith to bac2 up the opinion of theHanafi's (and Mali2i's Al-Albani only eplains this Hadith of 1bn Masood a$ay by bringing in

the !urisprudential principle of, 4the affirmati"e ta2es precedence o"er the negatory4, but hisargument is fallacious in this case, since 1 ha"e already said that the Hanafi's belie"e that the

performance of 6aful-adayn has been abrogated by many other Ahadith, hence the abo"eprinciple is inapplicable in this case He claims the Hadith from 1bn Masood (Allah be pleased

$ith him has been only related authentically once. 1 say this is incorrect, and only due to his

ignorance of all the a"ailable routes (Asanid coming from 1bn Masood. As far as 1 2no$ he hasnot listed the Hadith of 1bn Masood to be 5aeef, in his chec2ing of 1mam Abu 5a$ood's Sunan,

since his follo$ers ha"e not recorded it in their, 45aeef Ahadith of Abu 5a$ud's Sunan4.

=he Hadith in *uestion is from Al*amah (6ahimahullah, $ho said3 4Abdallah ibn Masood

(Allah be pleased $ith him said 3'Should 1 pray in the $ay the Apostle of Allah (Peace be upon

him had performed itK' He said3 'He prayed, raising his hands only once.'4 Abu 5a$ood, 8D,pg. C7,


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has related it in his unreliable Musnad $ith a different $ording to !ustify their "ie$ that raising

the hands $ith ta2beer in"alidates the Prayer =hat $ording is false, as 1 ha"e eplained in ad-

5a'eefah (9;DD.4 =his by Allah, is a gra"e contradiction from $ithin the same boo2, andtantamount to his admission that besides the Hanafi's, the 1baadiyyah sect do not also raise their

hands 1n fact $e ha"e on record some scholars $ho initially used to perform 6aful-adayn, but

later on in their li"es they stopped performing it altogether, ecept for the initial =a2beer% $henthey had ta2en into account all the arguments and e"idence. =$o of such great scholars are as

follo$s3-

(A 1mam Abu &a'far al-=aha$i (d. 7G AH% 6ahimahullah3

He $as a Mu!tahid in specific issues (Mu!tahid fi al-Masa'il and also the famous author of the$or2 'Al-A*eeda al-=aha$iyya' (=he Muslim Belief According to al-=aha$i, $hich has been

translated into


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*uoted is as follo$s, 4ahya related to me from Mali2 from 1bn Shihab from Salim ibn Abdullah

from Abdullah ibn >mar (Allah be pleased $ith them that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah

bless him and grant him peace, used to raise his hands to the le"el of his shoulders $hen hebegan the prayer and $hen he raised his head from ru2u he raised them in the same $ay, saying,

'Allah hears $hoe"er praises him, our ord and praise belongs to ou.' He did not raise them in

su!ud (prostration.4 Also, 4ahya related to me from Mali2 from afi that Abdullah ibn >marused to raise his hands to the le"el of his shoulders $hen he began the prayer and $hen he raised

from the ru2u he $ould raise them less than that.4 (see Mu$atta section 7.D, no. and G, pg.

G, trans. by A. Abdarahman and . &ohnson. =he abo"e Hadith has also been related by 1mam'sBu2hari and Muslim in their respecti"e collections, besides many other boo2s of Hadith $ith

slight "ariations in $ording and description.

=he abo"e Hadith has been one of the main proofs used to pro"e the performance of 6aful-

adayn by some great scholars. But, the Hanafi and Mali2i schools put for$ard some of thefollo$ing arguments to eplain their contention.

=he 1mam Abu 5a$ood (6ahimahullah reported a Hadith "ery similar to the one abo"e, he saidthat 1mam afi said on the authority of 1bn >mar (Allah be pleased $ith him that $hen he

began his prayer, he uttered the =a2beer (Allah is most great and raised his hands% and $hen hebo$ed (he raised his hands% and $hen he said3 4Allah listens to him $ho praises Him,4 (he

raised his hands% and $hen he stood up at the end of t$o ra2'ahs, he raised his hands. He (1bn

>mar traced that bac2 to the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him. Abu 5a$ood then said34hat is correct is that the tradition reported by 1bn >mar does not go bac2 to the Prophet (may

peace be upon him.4 Abu 5a$ood then said3 4=he narrator Ba*iyyah (found in the 1snad

reported the first part of this tradition from >baid Allah and traced it bac2 to the Prophet (may

peace be upon him% and the narrator al-=ha*afi reported it from >baid Allah as a statement of1bn >mar himself (not from the Prophet. 1n this "ersion he said3 'hen he stood at the end of

t$o ra2'ahs he raised them up to his breasts. And this is the correct "ersion.4 Abu 5a$ood thensaid3 4=his tradition has been transmitted as a statement of 1bn >mar (and not of the Prophet byal-ayth ibn Sa'ad, Mali2,Ayyub, and 1bn &urai!% and this has been narrated as a statement of the

Prophet (Peace be upon him by Hammad ibn Salamah alone on the authority of Ayyub. Ayyub

and Mali2 did not mention his raising of hands $hen he stood after t$o prostrations, but al-aythmentioned it in his "ersion. 1bn &urai! said in his "ersion3 1 as2ed afi, 45id 1bn >mar raise (his

hands higher for the first timeK' He said, 'o.' 1 said, 'Point out to me. He then pointed to the

breasts or lo$er than that.'4 (see Sunan Abu 5a$ood, 8D;, pg. C,


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(6ahimahullah related in his 4Sahih4 ("ol. G, pg. C; from Sufyan ibn >yayna, $ho related from

1bn Shihab al-Fuhri, $ho related from Salim ibn Abdullah, $ho related from his father Abdullah

ibn >mar, $ho said3 41 sa$ the Prophet (Peace be upon him raise both his hands up to theshoulders $hen starting Salah, but he did not raise his hands $hen going into ru2oo, or $hen

rising from it% not e"en bet$een the prostrations (su!ud.4

(B =he 1mam of Hadith and teacher of 1mam al-Bu2hari, Abdullah 1bn Fubair al-Humaidi

(6ahimahullah related in his 4Musnad4 (G89D, pg. G from Sufyan ibn >yayna, $ho relatedfrom 1bn Shihab al- Fuhri, $ho related from Salim ibn Abdullah, and he from his father 1bn

>mar3 41 sa$ the Prophet (Peace be upon him raise both his hands at the beginning of Salah up

to his shoulders, but $hen going into 6u2oo and $hen raising his head from ru2oo he did notraise his hands, not e"en bet$een the prostrations.4

(# =he Hanafi scholar of Hadith, 1mam usuf al-Faylai (d. 9G AH% 6ahimahullah *uoted in

his boo2 4asb ar-6ayah4 ("ol. , pg. D;D, a narration from Abdallah ibn al-0harra@, $ho

related from 1mam Mali2, $ho related from 1bn Shihab al-Fuhri, and he from Salim ibn

Abdallah, $ho related from 1bn >mar, $ho said3 4=he Prophet (Peace be upon him raised hishands $hen beginning Salah, and he ne"er repeated again.4

(5 =he t$o $ell 2no$n scholars of Hadith, 1mam =aha$i and 1mam 1bn Abi Shaybah (Allah's

mercy be upon them, related that 1mam Mu!ahid (the disciple of 1bn Abbas% Allah be pleased$ith them said3 41 prayed many times behind 1bn >mar, but he raised his hands only once at the

beginning.4 (see &a'al Ha**, pg. ::, by Mufti Ahmad . 0han =hese four narrations gi"e

strong e"idence in fa"our of the Hanafi and Mali2i "ie$s that 6aful-adayn has been abrogated.So no$ as2 yoursel"es, 4#an the opinions of al-Albani be relied upon, if he does not base his

opinions from the boo2s of the Hanafi and Mali2i Schools, plus the proofs used by them for not

performing 6aful-adaynK4

o$, 1 lea"e it to you to decipher for yourself, $hy certain 1mams decided to perform 6aful-adayn and others not to% but before 1 finish on this issue let me relate to you a famous incident

that too2 place bet$een the 1mam's Abu Hanifah and al-A$@ai (Allah's mercy be upon them of

Syria, $hen they met in Ma22ah. =he purpose of the follo$ing debate is to sho$ that e"enthough the t$o great 1mams had different narrations to pro"e their particular opinions, they did

not abuse or despise each other in the derogatory $ay that some of us ha"e become accustomed

to 1nsha'Allah, $e should respect each others opinions, if it has a sound basis from the sourcesof the Shari'ah.

1mam al-A$@ai said, 4hy do you not raise your hands !ust before ru2oo and afterK4 1mam Abu

Hanifah replied, 4=here is no recorded $ord or action of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon

him, to authenticate this (any longer.4 4Ho$ so4, replied al-A$@ai, 4hen al-Fuhri hasreported this to me on the authority of Salim and that of his father (ibn >mar $ho said that the

Prophet (Peace be upon him used to raise his hands at the beginning of the Salah and before and

after ru2ooK4 Abu Hanifah also reported, 4Hammad related to me through 1brahim, throughAl*amah, through al-As$ad, and through ibn Masood, that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be

upon him, only raised his hands at the beginning of the Salah and did not repeat this action

again.4 Al-A$@ai then suggested that his authorities $ere more reliable than those of Abu

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Hanifah, $ho countered, 4Hammad $as more 2no$ledgeable than al-Fuhri, and 1brahim $as

more 2no$ledgeable than Salim. And if 1bn >mar is to be credited as a #ompanion of the

Prophet, then al-As$ad has many merits. And the merits of Abdullah ibn Masood spea2 forthemsel"es.4 At this, al- A$@ai remained silent. (Iide3 '=he


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=he actual Hadith that pro"es our point is found in a long narration reported from >baidullah

ibn Abdullah ibn >tba (6ahimahullah from Aisha (Allah be pleased $ith her% the most

important part of the Hadith is as follo$s3 4Abu Ba2r (Allah be pleased $ith him $as leadingthe people in prayer. hen Abu Ba2r (Allah be pleased $ith him sa$ him (the Prophet, peace

be upon him, he began to $ithdra$, but the Apostle of Allah (Peace be upon him told him not

to $ithdra$. He told his t$o (companions to seat him do$n beside him (Abu Ba2r. =hey seatedhim by the side of Abu Ba2r. Abu Ba2r (Allah be pleased $ith him said the prayer standing

$hile follo$ing the prayer of the Apostle (Peace be upon him and the people said prayer

(standing $hile follo$ing the prayer of Abu Ba2r. =he Apostle (Peace be upon him $asseated.4 (for full Hadith see Muslim, 8L7G, pg. GGL-GGC and Bu2hari, 89::, pg. 7-7G

B - 1mam Bu2hari (6ahimahullah said, 4=he 1mam is appointed to be follo$ed. =he Prophet

(Peace be upon him in his fatal illness led the people in prayer $hile he $as sitting (and the

people $ere standing....4 (see Bu2hari "ol. , chapter :, pg. 7;,


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standards. But as usual $hen there seems to be 'contradictory' Ahadith, al-Albani fails to tell his

readers that many other scholars of Hadith and e"en the Mu!tahid 1mams li2e Abu Hanifah and

al-Shafi'i (Allah's mercy be upon them are indifference to his "ie$ of placing the hands on theground before the 2nees

1n fact Sayyid Sabi* said in )i*h-us-Sunnah ("ol. , pg. :3 4Most scholars prefer that oneplace his 2nees on the floor before his hands. 1bn al-Mundhir related this from >mar (ibn al-

0hatab, an-a2hai, Muslim ibn asar, Sufyan al-=hauri, Ahmad (ibn Hanbal, according to oneof t$o "ie$s reported from him, 1sha* (ibn 6ah$aih and other !urists including 1bn al-Mundhir

himself. Abu at-=ayyeb said that most !urists agree $ith this. 1bn al /ayyim (al-&a$@iyya, the

disciple of 1bn =aymiyyah said3 'hen the Prophet, upon $hom be peace, prayed, he $ouldplace his 2nees (on the floor before his hands, then his hands, his forehead and nose. =his is

$hat is authentic and has been related by Shurai2 from Asim ibn 0aleeb on the authority of his

father from a'il ibn Ha!r (Allah be pleased $ith him $ho said3 1 sa$ the Messenger of Allah,upon $hom be peace, $hile prostrating, place his 2nees (on the floor before his hands. >pon

getting up, he $ould raise his hands before his 2nees. 1 ne"er sa$ him do other$ise.'4 (see Abu

5a$ood, 8L7-L7L, pg. G:.

Sayyid Sabi* then ga"e the opinion of Mali2, al-A$@ai, 1bn Ha@m and Ahmad (according to hisother opinion $hose opinions coincide $ith al-Albani's.

=he Hadith from a'il ibn Ha!r and Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased $ith them can also be

found in the


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1n a handout by al-Albani's follo$ers in


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prin%iples of hadith< the affirmative ta/es pre%eden%e over the ne'ative 1naaf3("ide3Al-

&a"a%ib ud-!urari harh ahih al-)u%hari, "ol. C, pg ::-:9. 1 say, does this not mean that

people $ho perform L ra%#ahsof tara"eeh, should pray G; ra%#ahsinsteadK Since according tothe principles of hhadith (as affirmed by al-Albani, (he affirmative ta/es pre%eden%e overthe ne'ative in %ertain %ases=

A great fact that should also be noted by the reader is that the 1mam's of hadith ha"e placed the

hadith from Aisha (Allah be pleased $ith her under the section of tahajjudprayers, $hichindicates their belief that the hadith applies to tahajjudonly. =he 1mam al-Muhaddithin al-

Bu2hari (6ahimahullah has placed the hadith from Aisha under at least t$o sections of his

ahih, first under the section of 'G3 =he tahajjudPrayer at ight' (see ahih al-)u%hari, "ol. G,chapter :, no. GDL,


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Allah (Peace be upon him, she said, 4He obser"ed 7 6a2a'ahs (in the night prayer. He

obser"ed L ra2a'ahs and $ould then obser"e (three ra%#ahsof "itrand then obser"e t$o ra2a'ahs

sitting (nafl prayer, and $hen he $anted to bo$ he stood up and then bo$ed do$n, and then heobser"ed t$o ra2a'ahs in bet$een the A@an and 1*ama of the da$n prayer (i.e. fa!r.4 (See Sahih

Muslim 89;7, pg. 7: and also al-Albani's Sifah Salah an-abee, appendi , pg. ;. So

does this not mean that the 'Salafiyya' should perform 7 6a2a'ats of tara"eehin 6amadanK

o$, the statement 'the best $ay is ra2'aats' is only the opinion of a small group of the ulama,in fact there are more than :; opinions to say that the best $ay is G; ra%#ahsaccording to the

Prophet (Peace be upon him and his #ompanions (Allah be pleased $ith them all practise

hat is more interesting to note is that the four great Mu!tahids, Abu Hanifah, Mali2, Shafi'i andAhmad ibn Hanbal (Allah's mercy be upon them are in agreement that the tara"eehconsists of

t$enty ra%#ahs. =he statement that 1mam Mali2 appro"ed of eight ra%#ahsneeds to be pro"ed,

most li2ely this ascription $as made to him because he *uoted the hadith $hich is used to pro"eeight ra%#ahsof tara"eehin his al-Mu$atta (see Mu$atta, 9.G, no. D, pg. DL by a small group of

scholars. Although 1mam Mali2 (6ahimahullah *uoted this hadith in his boo2, it has no bearing

on $hat his actual opinion and practise $as, on the contrary 1mam Mali2 belie"es in thirty-sira%#ahsof tara"eeh(i.e. G; ra%#ahsand 9 ra%#ahsof etra nafl prayers, see later for the official

"erdict of the Mali2i Madhhab Also the hadith $hich seems to pro"e ra%#ahsof tara"eeh

(including three ra%#ahsof "itr in 1mam Mali2's Mu$atta has been eplained a$ay by many

other con"incing arguments.

6ecently 1 came across a boo2let by the title, 41s tara"eehG; 6a2aatsK4 (Published by Madrasah

Arabia 1slamia, A@aad"ille, South Africa, author un2no$n. 1n this boo2let the hadith *uoted

from the Mu$atta of 1mam Mali2 (6ahimahullah, about ra%#ahsof tara"eeh(including three

"itr $as *uite elo*uently analysed.

=he actual hadith in *uestion $as related by ahya ibn ahya al-aythi, $ho related from histeacher 1mam Mali2, $ho related from Muhammad ibn usuf, $ho said that as-Saaib ibn a@id

said, 4>mar ibn 0hattab (Allah be pleased $ith him ordered >bayy ibn 0a'b and =amim ad-5ari (Allah be pleased $ith them to $atch the night in prayer $ith the people for ele"en

ra%#ahs. =he reciter of the /ur'an $ould recite the Mi'in (a group of medium si@ed surah's until

$e $ould be leaning on our staffs from ha"ing stood so long in prayer. And $e $ould not lea"e

until the approach of da$n.4 (see abo"e reference in al-Mu$atta.

1t $as stated in the aforementioned boo2let (chapter , pg. G;, after *uoting the abo"e narration,

41f $e analyse the chain (1snad of this hadith, $e notice that Muhammad ibn usuf narrates

from Saaib ibn a@id. Muhammad (ibn usuf has : students and the narration of each student

differs from the net (i.e. the tet of the hadith is different from each student. =he fi"e studentsare3

( 1mam Mali2

(G ahya ibn /attan(7 Abdul A@i@ ibn Muhammad

(D 1bn 1sha* and

(: Abdur 6a@@a*

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=heir narrations are as follo$s 3

( 1mam Mali2 says that >mar ordered >bayy ibn 0a'b and =amim 5ari to perform ra2aats.

(hat practise occurred thereafter is not mentioned, nor is 6amadaan mentioned.

(G ahya ibn /attan says that >mar made the people gather $ith >bayy ibn 0a'b and =amim5ari and both of them began performing ra2aats. (Hadrat >mar's command is not mentioned,

nor is any mention of 6amadaan made.

(7 Abdul A@i@ (ibn Muhammad says that $e used to perform ra2aats in the era of >mar.

(either is the command mentioned, nor is >bayy ibn 0a'b or 6amadaan mentioned.

(D 1bn 1sha* says that $e used to perform 7 ra2aats in 6amadaan during the era of >mar.

(either is the command of >mar mentioned. 1nstead of ra2aats, 7 are mentioned.

(: Abdur 6a@@a* says that >mar ga"e the command of G ra2aats. (1n this narration G ra2aats

are mentioned instead of .

Besides the narration of 1mam Mali2 (6ahimahullah, ra2aats can not be established from theother narrations. 5ue to this difference, the narrator 1bn 1sha* ga"e preference to 7 $hile 1bn

Abdal Barr al-Mali2i preferred G (from the narration of Abdur 6a@@a*. =herefore this narration

is Mudtarib (A hadith that is transmitted in different manners, so that the contents of eachtransmission differ, and it is not possible to gi"e preference to any particular transmission $ith

regards to the number (of ra%#ahs and hence unacceptable.

=he abo"e $as an analysis of Muhammad ibn usuf's narration "ia Saaib ibn a@id. o$ let us

eamine the narration of a@id ibn 0haseefah "ia Saaib (ibn a@id, $hich is mentioned in the

Sunan al- 0ubra of al-Bayha*i ("ol. G, pg. DC93 Abu Fi'b narrates from a@id ibn 0haseefah,$ho reports from Saaib ibn a@id that the people used to perform G; ra2aats in the month of

6amadaan during the era of >mar.

1mam a$a$i, 1ra*i and Suyuti (all three $ere great scholars of hadith amongst others ha"eaccepted the authenticity of this hadith (see =uhfatul A2hyaar, pg. CG and 1rshaadus Saari, pg.

D, (by 1mam al-/astallaniE.

Muhammad ibn &afar (another narrator in the chain has *uoted the statement from a@id (ibn

0haseefah as Abu Fi'b (had. =his narration is mentioned in Marifatus Sunan of al-Bayha*i.Allamah Sub2i and Mullah Ali al-/ari ha"e stated in Sharh Minhaa! and Sharh Mu$atta

respecti"ely that the chain of narrators of this hadith are correct. (=uhfatul Ah$a@ee, "ol.G, pg:.

)rom the abo"e narration $e can clearly see that both the students of a@id (ibn 0haseefah,

unanimously narrate the fact that during >mar's (Allah be pleased $ith him era G; ra2aats $as

the standard practise. +n the contrary, the : students of Muhammad ibn usuf *uote Saaib (ibn

a@id differently.

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1n such a situation the correct approach $ould be to rely on the narration of a@id ibn 0haseefah.

Ho$e"er the Ahl al-hadith (another name for the 4Salafiyya4 ha"e un!ustly discarded this

narration and adopted the doubtful one of Muhammad ibn usuf, $hich has differing "ersions.=his goes against the principles of hadith.4 Here ends the *uote .

Another hadith that is used by the protagonists of eight ra%#ahsof tara"eehhas been related by&abir ibn Abdullah (Allah be pleased $ith him3 4=he Prophet (Peace be upon him led the

people in prayer during 6amadan $ith L ra%#ahsand the "itr. e gathered in the Mos*ue thefollo$ing night hoping that he $ould come again. e remained $aiting till the net morning

(until he came out. =he Prophet (Peace be upon him said, '1 feared that the "itrmay become

incumbent on you.'4 (related by 1bn asr al-Mar$a@i in /iyamul-ayl, pg. C;, al-=abarani and1bn Hibban - see belo$ for the actual hadith

=he abo"e hadith has been analysed by Shay2h Abdur 6ahim in his 4)ata$a4 ("ol. , pg. GL-C

$ith the conclusion that the hadith is 5aeef. =he Shay2h said3 4=he strange thing about this

hadith is that its chain of authorities (1snad is not trust$orthy. Please eamine the statements of

the 1mams of this science concerning the narrators of this chain. 1n this chain one narrator is 1bnHameed 6a@i, about $hom the opinions of the great and august critics of hadith are as under3

( 'He is $ea2.' - Hafi@ al-5hahabi (see his Mi@anul 1'tidal, "ol.7, pp. DC-:;

(G 'He narrates many diso$ned (mun2ar hadiths.' - a'*ub ibn Shaybah

(7 'He is ob!ectionable.' - 1mam Bu2hari

(D 'He is a liar.' - Abu Fur'ah

(: '1 testify that he is a liar.' - 1sha* 0ausa!

(9 'He narrates hadiths about e"erything% 1 ha"e not seen a man bolder than him "is-a-"is ?od.' -Sauleh &a@rah

( 'By ?od He is a liar.' - 1bn 0harash

(L 'He is not reliable.' - 1mam isai

o$, about the second narrator, a'*ub ibn Abdullah Ash'ari al-/ummi3-

( 'He is not strong.' - 5ara*utni (see Mi@anul 1'tidal, "ol. 7, pg. 7GD.About the third narrator, 1sa ibn &ariyah3-

( 'He has had diso$ned (mun2ar hadiths.' - 1bn Ma'een

(G 'His hadiths are disa"o$ed.' - isai

(7 'His hadiths are re!ected (matru2 .' - isai

(D 'His hadiths are disa"o$ed.' - Abu 5a$ood - synopsis

(: 'He is counted among the $ea2.' - (see Mi@anul-1'tidal, "ol. G, pg. 7, by Hafi@ al-5hahabi.4

Here ends the *uote.

Hafi@ 1bn Ha!ar al-As*alani (6ahimahullah has reported a similar narration to the abo"e hadithin his Bulugh al-Maram min Adillat al-Ah2am (no. 7C9, pg. :C, on the authority of Hafi@ 1bn

Hibban (6ahimahullah3 4arrated &abir ibn Abdullah (Allah be pleaed $ith him3 Allah's

Apostle (Peace be upon him prayed during the night in 6amadan% the people $aited for him onthe net day, but he did not come out% and he said, '1 feared that the "itrmight be en!oined on

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you.'4 ote the abo"e narration does not e"en state ho$ many ra%#ahs$ere performed by the

Prophet (Peace be upon him =he abo"e t$o hadiths can not be used as !ustifiable proof in

fa"our of L ra%#ahsof tara"eehon their o$n.

Al-1mam Mali2 (6ahimahullah has in fact *uoted a hadith $hich pro"es the performance of G;

ra%#ahsof tara"eehin 6amadan% and that is as follo$s3-

ahya related to me from Mali2 that a@id ibn 6uman said,4=he people used to $atch the night

in prayer during 6amadaan for G7 ra%#ahs(i.e G; ra%#ahsof tara"eeh, follo$ed by 7 ra%#ahsof"itr in the time of >mar ibn al-0hattab.4 ("ide3 al-Mu$atta, 9.G, o. :, pg. DL, mar

ordered >bayy ibn 0a'b to lead the people $ith ra2aats.4 1 say, this is half of the truth, since it

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is clearly stated in al-Mu$atta 34>mar ibn 0hattab ordered >bayy ibn 0a'b A5 =amim ad-5ari

....(see Mu$atta, 9.G, no. D, pg. DL

Al-Albani has said that if anyone performs more than ra%#ahsof tara"eeh, then he or she isbasically committing a Bid'ah (a "ery bad inno"ation e see2 refuge in Allah from such a

disgusting statement Since this tantamountally means that the foremost 1mams of the sa"ed sect(al-)ir*at an-a!iyyah of Ahl-al-Sunnah $a'l &ama'ah ha"e been committing a gross inno"ation

(Allah forbid. Al-Albani seems to be implying that the "enerable #ompanions (may Allah bepleased $ith them and increase their ran2, the four great Mu!tahid 1mams (Allah's mercy be

upon them, as $ell as the foremost scholars of hadith and )i*h of the last D;; years ha"e

'inno"ated' the practise of G; ra%#ahsof tara"eeh, if considered in the light of penetrati"eelaboration, implicitly and co"ertly hat alternati"e conclusion can one deri"e, if the 4Albani

Madhhab4 says, 4As regards any addition (to ra%#ahs - then this is disappro"ed of and

declared as a bid'ah by 'Shay2h' al-AlbaniK4

1 as2 you, are the so called 4Salafiyya4 in the true path of the original and true Salaf-as-Salihin

(the pious predecessors of the first three generations of 1slam, $hen they ha"e declared thepractise of G; ra%#ahsto be a bid'ah, e"en though the Salaf ha"e been reported to ha"e practised

G; ra%#ahsK

=he actual hadith $hich states that the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon himperformed G; ra%#ahsof tara"eehhas been reported by 1bn Abbas (Allah be pleased $ith him.

He said, 4Ierily, the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him in the month of 6amadaan, used to

perform G; ra%#ahsand the "itrprayer (after$ards $ithout congregation.4 (6eported in al-Sunan al-Bayha*i, "ol.G, pg. DC9, Musannaf 1bn Abi Shaybah, 0abiri of 1mam al-=abarani, 1bn

Aadi in his Musnad, and by 1mam Bagha$i in his Ma!mua-as-Sahabah

Although some scholars ha"e declared this hadith to be 5aeef on its o$n, it does not mean that itshould be $hole heartedly re!ected% since 5aeef does not mean Maudu (fabricated. Please referto the net section on 5aeef hadiths, and $hen they are acceptable to scholars for further

elaboration. =he hadith related from 1bn Abbas (Allah be pleased $ith him is supported by

many other narrations coming from great #ompanions li2e >thman, Ali, 1bn Masood...(Allah bepleased $ith them all, as $ell as their successors (=abi'in. Besides, some of the scholars of

hadith ha"e e"en declared some $ea2 Ahadith to be Sahih, if it has a firm basis. 1t $as stated in

the boo2 4#riticism of hadith among Muslims $ith reference to Sunan 1bn Ma!a,4 (pg. 7, byone of the leading 4Salafi4 Shay2hs in Britain, Suhaib Hasan3 4Shafi'i also recognises a $ea2

hadith as authentic (sahih if it is found to be accepted by the $hole >mmah (see al-Sa2ha$i3

)ath al-Mugith. But he does not accept Mali2's "ie$ of restricting the practise to the people of

Madinah. According to the later scholars of the Hanafi school li2e 1bn al-Humam, a hadith $illbe declared Sahih, if it is supported by the practise of the >mmah (see Abdal 6ashid u'mani3

Ma tamusu ilaihe al-Ha!a, pg. L. Among traditionalists, =irmidhi often remar2s, after *uoting a

less authentic hadith3 '1t is being practised by the people of learning (Ahl al-1lm.' Suyutideduces3 '1t indicates that the hadith is supported by the sayings of the people of learning. More

than one scholar has said that a hadith is declared Sahih if supported by the sayings of the people

of learning, e"en if it lac2s a proper 1snad (see Suyuti3 al-=a'a*ubat, folio G;.4

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As stated abo"e, the great research scholar (Muha**i* Hafi@ 0amal ibn al-Humam (d.

L98D:% 6ahimahullah had actually said3 4+ne of the factors from $hich the authenticity of a

hadith is 2no$n is that the learned (>lama may conform to it, $hich is a proof of its beingsound ("ide3 )ath al-/adir, "ol. 7, pg. 7DC.

=here are many *uotes from scholars $hich pro"e a near uni"ersal !uridical acceptance of G;ra%#ahsof tara"eeh, but 1 content myself by *uoting a select fe$ from some of the foremost

scholars of the Ahl-as-Sunnah, as $ell as the 1mam of the 4Salafiyya4 ($hen it suits their $himsand desires, Ahmad ibn =aymiyya.

( Shay2h al-1slam Ahmad ibn Ha!ar al-As*alani (d. L:G8DDC% 6.A.

=he Hafi@ of hadith, 1bn Ha!ar al-As*alani has reproduced from 1mam 6afi'i (Allah's mercy be

on him3

4)or t$o nights the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him led t$enty ra%#ahsof prayer each night%

on the third night the people gathered but the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him did not comeout. =hen the net morning, he told the people, '1t so occurred to me that it $ould be made

obligatory for you, and you $ould not be able to discharge this obligation.'4

After reproducing this tradition, Hafi@ 1bn Ha!ar said3

4All the traditionalists (Muhaddithin are unanimous about the soundness of this report.4 (see

=al2his al-habir fi ta2hri! ahadith al-6afi'i al-0abir, "ol. , pg. C, by Hafi@ ibn Ha!ar.(G 1mam al-A@am Abu Hanifah (d. :; AH% 6ahimahullah

1t $as stated in )ayd ul-Bari Sharh Sahih al-Bu2hari (by Shay2h An$ar Shah 0ashmiri3

41mam Abu usuf (6ahimahullah as2ed 1mam Abu Hanifah (6ahimahullah, '5id Hadrat >mar

(Allah be pleased $ith him ha"e any compact from the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him forG; ra%#ahsof tara"eehK' =he 1mam replied, 'Hadrat >mar $as not one to in"ent on his o$n%

certainly he had some proof $ith him for this'4 (also found in Mara*i ul-)alah, pg. L, by 1mam

al-Shurunbulali and Bahr ur 6a'i*, "ol.G, pg. 99, by 1mam ibn u!aim al-Misri.

(7 1mam al-=irmidhi (d. GC8LCG% 6ahimahullah

1mam =irmidhi said3

4>mar, Ali as $ell as other #ompanions (Allah be pleased $ith them all and Sufyan al-=hauri,

1bn al-Mubara2 and 1mam al-Shafi'i (Allah's mercy be upon them, all belie"ed in G; ra%#ahsoftara"eeh, and 1mam Shafi'i has stated that he had seen the people of Ma22ah saying G; ra%#ahs

(see Sunan al-=irmidhi, "ol., pg. CC.

(D 1mam Mali2 ibn Anas (d. C AH% 6ahimahullah

1t $as $ritten in the most authentic boo2 on Mali2i )i*h, al-Muda$$anah ("ol., pg. C7-CD,by /adi Sahnoon (6ahimahullah3

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41bn al-/asim said, '=he ra%#ahs(of tara"eeh $ith "itrare 7C.' 1mam Mali2 said, '=his is $hat

the people ha"e agreed upon from amongst the predecessors, and the people ha"e not stopped

doing it.'4 ()or an eplanation of $hy it $as 79 ra%#ahssee the *uote belo$ from AllamahAn$ar Shah 0ashmiri.

(: Hafi@ 1bn Humam (d. L98D:% 6ahimahullah

Allamah 1bn Humam asserts that it has been established from genuine authority that the#ompanions and their Successors (tabi'in used to say t$enty ra%#ahsof tara"eehduring the

auspicious time of >mar (Allah be pleased $ith him% this authority of a@id ibn 6uman has

been reported from Sa'ib ibn a@id that, 'during >mar's auspicious time $e used to say t$enty

ra%#ahs.' =he genuineness of this authority has been "erified by 1mam a$a$i in the synopsis

(see )ath al-/adir, "ol., pg. D; and asb-ur-6ayah, "ol., pg. GCD, by Hafi@ al-Faylai. Hafi@

1bn Humam also said in )ath al-/adir ("ol., pg. D;3

4At last unanimity $as formed on G; ra%#ahsof prayer and this alone is in succession.4 =his laststatement has also been said in similar $ords by 1bn =aymiyya in his Minha! us-Sunnah ("ol.G,

pg. GGD.

(9 1mam Ata ibn Abi 6abah (6ahimahullah

=he august successor (=abi'in and Mufti of Ma22ah in his time said3

41 ha"e seen the #ompanions, and other people in Ma22ah saying G7 ra%#ahs, including the "itr.4

=his report is Hasan (good. (see Musannaf 1bn Abi Shaybah, pg. D;9, )ath al-Bari, "ol.D, pg.

GC, of Hafi@ 1bn Ha!ar al-As*alani, /iyam ul-ayl, pg. C, by 1mam 1bn asr al-Mar$a@i.

( 1mam Mu$affa* al-5in 1bn /udama al-Ma*disi (d. 9G;8GG7% 6.A

=he 1mam of the Hanbali's in his time, 1bn /udama al-Ma*disi, said in his boo2 al-Mughni

("ol., pg L;73

4=here has been the #ompanion's consensus (1!ma-as-Sahaba on G; ra%#ahsof tara"eeh.4

(L Allamah An$ar Shah 0ashmiri (d. 7:G AH% 6ahimahullah

1t $as stated in his published lecture, =irmidhi al-ma'ruf ba-Arfa'sh-Sha@@i ("ol. pg. 7GC 3

4ot e"en one of the the four 1mams belie"es in less than G; ra%#ahsof tara"eeh% the practise

and belief of the ma!ority of the #ompanions $as also this. 1mam Mali2 (Allah's mercy be upon

him belie"es in more than G; ra%#ahs% he is positi"e that they are 79. According to 1mam Mali2'spractise only G; ra%#ahsof tara"eeh$ill be said in congregation, but the general practise and

method of the citi@ens of Madinah $as that during the brief rest inter"al (after e"ery D ra%#ahs,

$hen the 1mam sat do$n after D ra%#ahs, they used to perform D more ra%#ahs. =he men $ho saidthe tara"eehin the sacred mos*ue at Ma22ah, used to circumambulate (=a$af the 0a'ba during

this brief recess. =he people of Madinah, naturally, could not circumambulate the 0a'ba and

hence, instead, they used to perform 9 ra%#ahsmore (in total during these brief recesses.4

(C 1mam al-Ayni (d. L::8D:% 6ahimahullah

42


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(G Shay2h Fayni 5ahlan (6ahimahullah said in his boo2 )utuhat al-1slamiyya ("ol. G, pg.

G9L3 4=he sign of the 0ha$ari! (the first de"iant sect that appeared in the time of the

#ompanions concerning the sha"ing of the head, $as not found in the 0ha$ari! of the past,but only in the a!di's of our time4

(7 Shay2h al-1slam Hussain Ahmad al-Madani (6ahimahullah said in his boo2 ash-Shihabas-sa*ib (pg. DG3 41bn Abdal ahhab arose in the beginning of the thirteenth 1slamic century

in the a!d. His thin2ing $as false, and his beliefs $ere corruptional% on these grounds heopened the $ay for 2illing the Ahl as-Sunnah.4

(D A more contemporary "ie$ on the ahhabite sect has been epressed by Abdal-Ha2im

Murad in the !ournal 1slamica (pg. C3 41bn Abdal ahhab, ho$e"er, $ent far beyond this (i.e%of 1bn =aymiyya. 6aised in the $astelands of a!d in #entral Arabia, he had little access to

mainstream Muslim scholarship (1 say3 =his may be disputed by his supporters. 1n fact, $hen

his da'$ah appeared and became notorious, the scholars and muftis of the day applied to it the

famous hadith of a!d3 1bn >mar (Allah be pleased $ith him reported the Prophet (Peace

be upon him as saying3 4+h ?od, bless us in our Syria% + ?od, bless us in our emen.4=hose present said3 4And in our a!d, + Messenger of ?od4 But he said, 4+ ?od, bless us in

our Syria% + ?od, bless us in our emen.4 =hose present said, 4And in our a!d, + Messengerof ?od4 1bn >mar said that he thought that he said on the third occasion3 4


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1slam% but Allah 2no$s best 1t is a $ell 2no$n fact that he denied the consensus of the

#ompanions (1!ma as-Sahaba, as $ell as re!ecting the "alidity of the )at$a of a #ompanion

+ne may refer to An$ar Ahmad /adri's boo2 1slamic &urisprudence in the Modern orld (pg.DG for a lenghthier discussion.

Many scholars ha"e noticed the etreme tendencies $ithin the 4Salafiyya4 sect around the$orld, for its lac2 of respect for the scholars of the four Madhhabs, its A*eedah and some

untenable !uristic positions it has produced o"er a short period of 1slam's history. =hescholars ha"e not been afraid of declaring the neo- 4Salafi's4 to be neo-0hari!ites in their

beha"iour and attitude to other Muslims. ote, the scholars are not saying that the

neo-4Salafi's4 are 0hari!ites, but rather they seem to ha"e certain traits $hich $ere only foundamongst the 0hari!ites of the past. +ne of the most stri2ing things 1 ha"e noticed amongst

these 'neo-0hari!ites', is their direction of /ur'anic "erses that $ere re"ealed specifically for

the unbelie"ers, as referring to the belie"ers $ho do not seem to ha"e their $ay of thin2ing=his $as a $ell 2no$n practise of the 0hari!ites of old% as $e shall see belo$.

A $ell 2no$n scholar of the 4Salafiyya4, 5r. usuf al-/arda$i ($ho has himself beenattac2ed by other members of the 4Salafiyya4, especially for holding some untenable

positions in his boo2 al-Halal $al Haram fil 1slam said in his boo2 1slamic a$a2eningbet$een 6e!ection and mar (Allah be pleased

$ith him thin2 of al-Haruriyyah (i.e% al-0ha$ari! $ho $ere also called al-Haruriyyah afterthe place -Hara$ra- $here they gathered and $ere found by Ali ibn Abu =alib and the#ompanions of the Prophet may Allah be pleased $ith them allE $ho supported himK afi'

ans$ered3 He thin2s they are the most e"il of people. =hey applied the "erses $hich pertain to

the 2uffar on the belie"ers.' (B- 1mam al-Bu2hari has recorded 1bn >mar as saying in hisSahih "ol.C, pg.:;%


47/72

a$are of that because nobody has dra$n their attention to such a possibility. =hese de"out

young people ha"e ignored the facts that if they $ant to study al Shari'ah, they must see2 the

help of reliable Muslim scholars. =hey cannot "enture into this etensi"e and entangleddiscipline $ithout the guidance of reliable Muslim scholars $ho can interpret and eplain

obscurities, define terms, and point out the relationships bet$een the parts and the $hole and

also e*uate similarities. =hose $ho "enture into it alone $ill meet $ith the samecatastrophic results $hich could certainly befall the uns2illed s$immer $ho "entures into

dangerous $aters. Proper 2no$ledge of al Shari'ah cannot be perfected $ithout practice and

close contact $ith the eperts, especially in those areas $here opinions di"erge, e"idencesseem to contradict each other, and certain matters seem to be under suspicion. =his is $hy our

"enerable 'ulama' ha"e $arned us not to see2 to study and understand al /ur'an al 0arim

through a person $ho has only memori@ed it $ithout any 2no$ledge of its contents, nor to see2

2no$ledge through a person $ho has ac*uired his o$n 42no$ledge4 from reading ne$spapersand !ournals only, $ithout being properly instructed by reputable and *ualified scholars.4

=his topic began $ith a brief discussion on =a*leed and 1 $ould li2e to finish $ith the

follo$ing t$o *uestions for you to ponder o"er. (A ould it not be classified as being =a*leedif one $ere to accept the classifications of Hadiths, eegesis of the /ur'an etc% by a reno$ned

1slamic scholar, if one $as not to go bac2 to the original sources $hich are used to

authenticate the Hadith and so onK ()or eample, if a scholar claimed that a Hadith found in

the Sunan of 1mam Abu 5a$ood $as Sahih and you accepted it as being Sahih - since you trusthim, then are you not practising =a*leed% if you, yourself do not go bac2 to the original sources

used to classify the Hadith in *uestion, since sometimes a Hadith classified to be Sahih by one

scholar can be classified as being 5a'eef by another. (B 1s it not true that those $ho arecalling for the abandonment of =a*leed, are calling for the =a*leed of their o$n boo2s and

speeches% hence creating their o$n little 'Madhhabs'KMany of us $ho are practising Muslims or

other$ise, are familiar $ith the epithet 'ahhabi'. =he founder of this sect $as Muhammad

ibn Abdal ahhab (d. G;9 AH, from the a!d area of 'Saudi' Arabia. He is also 2no$n asShay2h an-a!di by his opponents and his follo$ers ha"e been labelled as either 'a!di's' or

'ahhabi's' by the Ahl al-Sunnah. He claimed to be a Hanbali in )i*h. 1t is $ell 2no$n that

he fully digested the a*eedah and ideas of 1bn =aymiyya. =he scholars of his time $arnedthe Muslims to be on their guard from accepting his 'reformatory' ideas% and this $or2 is still

eistent among the scholars of the Ahl al-Sunnah e"en today. =he neo- 'Salafi's' of today

respect 1bn Abdal ahhab *uite highly by besto$ing upon him such great titles li2e'Shay2h al-1slam'. 1 do not $ant to say much about his mo"ement and acti"ities, but a fe$

*uotes from three $ell 2no$n scholars should suffice for no$.

( =he foremost Hanafi scholar of his time, 1mam Muhammad Amin ibn Abidin (d.

G:G8L79 6ahimahullah said in his celebrated $or2 Hashiyya radd al-Mu2htar ("ol. 7, pg.7;C3 41n our time 1bn Abdal ahhab (a!di appeared, and attac2ed the t$o noble

sanctuaries (Ma22ah and Madinah. He claimed to be a Hanbali, but his thin2ing $as such that

only he alone $as a Muslim, and e"eryone else $as a polytheist >nder this guise, he said that2illing the Ahl as-Sunnah $as permissible, until Allah destroyed them (ahhabi's in the year

G77 AH by $ay of the Muslim army.4

46


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G9L3 4=he sign of the 0ha$ari! (the first de"iant sect that appeared in the time of the

#ompanions concerning the sha"ing of the head, $as not found in the 0ha$ari! of the past,but only in the a!di's of our time4


in the a!d. His thin2ing $as false, and his beliefs $ere corruptional% on these grounds heopened the $ay for 2illing the Ahl as-Sunnah.4


Murad in the !ournal 1slamica (pg. C3 41bn Abdal ahhab, ho$e"er, $ent far beyond this (i.e%of 1bn =aymiyya. 6aised in the $astelands of a!d in #entral Arabia, he had little access to

mainstream Muslim scholarship (1 say3 =his may be disputed by his supporters. 1n fact, $hen

his da'$ah appeared and became notorious, the scholars and muftis of the day applied to it the



our Syria% + ?od, bless us in our emen.4 =hose present said, 4And in our a!d, + Messengerof ?od4 1bn >mar said that he thought that he said on the third occasion3 4


49/72

1slam% but Allah 2no$s best 1t is a $ell 2no$n fact that he denied the consensus of the

#ompanions (1!ma as-Sahaba, as $ell as re!ecting the "alidity of the )at$a of a #ompanion

+ne may refer to An$ar Ahmad /adri's boo2 1slamic &urisprudence in the Modern orld (pg.DG for a lenghthier discussion.


untenable !uristic positions it has produced o"er a short period of 1slam's history. =hescholars ha"e not been afraid of declaring the neo- 4Salafi's4 to be neo-0hari!ites in their

beha"iour and attitude to other Muslims. ote, the scholars are not saying that the

neo-4Salafi's4 are 0hari!ites, but rather they seem to ha"e certain traits $hich $ere only foundamongst the 0hari!ites of the past. +ne of the most stri2ing things 1 ha"e noticed amongst

these 'neo-0hari!ites', is their direction of /ur'anic "erses that $ere re"ealed specifically for

the unbelie"ers, as referring to the belie"ers $ho do not seem to ha"e their $ay of thin2ing=his $as a $ell 2no$n practise of the 0hari!ites of old% as $e shall see belo$.

Al-Albani Unveiled

Some 8bservations about the Salafi@6ahhabi se%t

Many of us .ho are pra%tisin' Muslimsor other$ise, are familiar $ith the epithet 'ahhabi'.=he founder of this sect $as Muhammad ibn Abdal ahhab (d. G;9 AH, from the a!d area

of 'Saudi' Arabia. He is also 2no$n as Shay2h an-a!di by his opponents and his follo$ers

ha"e been labelled as either 'a!di's' or 'ahhabi's' by the Ahl al-Sunnah. He claimed to be a

Hanbali in )i*h. 1t is $ell 2no$n that he fully digested the a*eedah and ideas of 1bn

48


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=aymiyya. =he scholars of his time $arned the Muslims to be on their guard from accepting

his 'reformatory' ideas% and this $or2 is still eistent among the scholars of the Ahl al-

Sunnah e"en today. =he neo- 'Salafi's' of today respect 1bn Abdal ahhab *uite highlyby besto$ing upon him such great titles li2e 'Shay2h al-1slam'. 1 do not $ant to say much

about his mo"ement and acti"ities, but a fe$ *uotes from three $ell 2no$n scholars should

suffice for no$.

( =he foremost Hanafi scholar of his time, 1mam Muhammad Amin ibn Abidin (d.G:G8L79 6ahimahullah said in his celebrated $or2 Hashiyya radd al-Mu2htar ("ol. 7, pg.

7;C3 41n our time 1bn Abdal ahhab (a!di appeared, and attac2ed the t$o noble

sanctuaries (Ma22ah and Madinah. He claimed to be a Hanbali, but his thin2ing $as such thatonly he alone $as a Muslim, and e"eryone else $as a polytheist >nder this guise, he said that

2illing the Ahl as-Sunnah $as permissible, until Allah destroyed them (ahhabi's in the year

G77 AH by $ay of the Muslim army.4


G9L3 4=he sign of the 0ha$ari! (the first de"iant sect that appeared in the time of the#ompanions concerning the sha"ing of the head, $as not found in the 0ha$ari! of the past,

but only in the a!di's of our time4


in the a!d. His thin2ing $as false, and his beliefs $ere corruptional% on these grounds he

opened the $ay for 2illing the Ahl as-Sunnah.4


Murad in the !ournal 1slamica (pg. C3 41bn Abdal ahhab, ho$e"er, $ent far beyond this (i.e%

of 1bn =aymiyya. 6aised in the $astelands of a!d in #entral Arabia, he had little access tomainstream Muslim scholarship (1 say3 =his may be disputed by his supporters. 1n fact, $henhis da'$ah appeared and became notorious, the scholars and muftis of the day applied to it the



our Syria% + ?od, bless us in our emen.4 =hose present said, 4And in our a!d, + Messenger

of ?od4 1bn >mar said that he thought that he said on the third occasion3 4


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=he neo-0hari!ite nature of ahhabism ma2es it intolerant of all other forms of 1slamic

epression. Ho$e"er, because it has no coherent fi*h of its o$n - it re!ects the orthodo

madhhabs - and has only the most basic and primiti"ely anthropomorphic 'a*idah, it has a fluid,amoebali2e tendency to produce di"isions and subdi"isions among those $ho profess it.

o longer are the 1slamic groups essentially united by a consistent madhhab and the Ash'ari

'a*idah (see later. 1nstead, they are all trying to deri"e the Shari'ah and the 'a*idah from the/ur'an and the Sunnah by themsel"es. =he result is the appaling state of di"ision and conflict

$hich disfigures the modern salafi condition.4

Another person $ho is a reference for today's neo-4Salafi's4, is Muhammad ibn Ali al-

Sha$2ani (d. G:;8L7D. He $as a leading scholar of the Faydi (Shi'ah sect found mainlyin the emen. He claimed to ha"e departed from his old Shi'ite $ays and !oined the Ahl al-

Sunnah. He $as attac2ed by the scholars of his day for saying =a*leed $as completely

haram, as $ell as other important issues. Some scholars had accused him of still holding onto his de"iant Faydiyyah-Mu'ta@ilite (rationalistic thin2ing that $as propounded by one of the

first de"iant sects of 1slam thin2ing, $hile pretending to be $ithin the fold of orthodo Sunni

1slam% but Allah 2no$s best 1t is a $ell 2no$n fact that he denied the consensus of the#ompanions (1!ma as-Sahaba, as $ell as re!ecting the "alidity of the )at$a of a #ompanion

+ne may refer to An$ar Ahmad /adri's boo2 1slamic &urisprudence in the Modern orld (pg.

DG for a lenghthier discussion.


untenable !uristic positions it has produced o"er a short period of 1slam's history. =he

scholars ha"e not been afraid of declaring the neo- 4Salafi's4 to be neo-0hari!ites in their

beha"iour and attitude to other Muslims. ote, the scholars are not saying that theneo-4Salafi's4 are 0hari!ites, but rather they seem to ha"e certain traits $hich $ere only found

amongst the 0hari!ites of the past. +ne of the most stri2ing things 1 ha"e noticed amongstthese 'neo-0hari!ites', is their direction of /ur'anic "erses that $ere re"ealed specifically forthe unbelie"ers, as referring to the belie"ers $ho do not seem to ha"e their $ay of thin2ing

=his $as a $ell 2no$n practise of the 0hari!ites of old% as $e shall see belo$.

A $ell 2no$n scholar of the 4Salafiyya4, 5r. usuf al-/arda$i ($ho has himself been

attac2ed by other members of the 4Salafiyya4, especially for holding some untenablepositions in his boo2 al-Halal $al Haram fil 1slam said in his boo2 1slamic a$a2ening

bet$een 6e!ection and mar (Allah be pleased

$ith him thin2 of al-Haruriyyah (i.e% al-0ha$ari! $ho $ere also called al-Haruriyyah afterthe place -Hara$ra- $here they gathered and $ere found by Ali ibn Abu =alib and the

#ompanions of the Prophet may Allah be pleased $ith them allE $ho supported himK afi'

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ans$ered3 He thin2s they are the most e"il of people. =hey applied the "erses $hich pertain to

the 2uffar on the belie"ers.' (B- 1mam al-Bu2hari has recorded 1bn >mar as saying in his

Sahih "ol.

Al Albani Unveiled

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Transcript of Al Albani Unveiled