The Criterion for Deriving Obligation from the Sunnah

The questioner : It is obligatory for the one praying to make the takbir of transition, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was consistent in doing so. Yet he (peace and blessings be upon him) was also consistent in raising his hands, raising them when making the takbir of ihram, when bowing, and when rising from bowing. So do we also say that it is obligatory?

The Shaykh : If Ahmad said it is obligatory, then say it is obligatory.

The questioner : In his saying (peace and blessings be upon him), “You have seen the truth, so pray as you have seen me pray,” and in his saying, “Take from me my Sunnah, for I sometimes forget,” we sometimes use these two hadiths to derive obligation, and sometimes we do not. What is the criterion for this matter?

The Shaykh : There is no fixed criterion. In the matter of prayer and the matter of Hajj, there is no criterion; you cannot know a criterion. But a person takes from other hadiths what may strengthen the obligation or strengthen the recommendation. Likewise, from the consensus of the scholars: the scholars may agree that this is not obligatory, so the consensus is followed. Yes.