What is the meaning and authenticity of the hadith: “If I had become more than I have become, I would have made them more beautiful and done them better”?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), which some scholars authenticated: Sunan Abi Dawud 1257Sahih (Al-Albani) ; meaning the two rak'ahs of Fajr. What is the meaning and authenticity of this hadith?
The Shaykh : My memory does not help me in answering this question.
The questioner : You authenticated the hadith.
The Shaykh : Do you have anything additional in the hadith that is appropriate so that I might remember?
The questioner : In the matter of ... you authenticated this hadith:Sunan Abi Dawud 1257Sahih (Al-Albani) .
The Shaykh : In the sunnah of the two rak'ahs of Fajr?
The questioner : Yes, yes ... .
The Shaykh : ... .
The student : ... .
The Shaykh : Repeat it to me, the hadith about the sunnah of Fajr?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, and you authenticated it, you say?!
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : In?
The questioner : I do not remember.
The Shaykh : You don't remember! Well, what is the question?
The questioner : What is the meaning of this hadith? I have an interpretation of the meaning of the hadith.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The questionerSunan Abi Dawud 1257Sahih (Al-Albani) Perhaps it is when he misses the Fajr prayer and prays it ... as came in the hadith about sleeping through the Fajr prayer, because every day the Prophet (peace be upon him) becomes (awakens), so it is not once in a lifetime or once a year like the hadith of 'Ashura. So Allah knows best regarding the hadith: if I had become more than I have become, if I had missed the Fajr prayer and slept through it, I would have done the two rak'ahs of Fajr better and more beautifully.
The Shaykh : Yes, what is the meaning of "doing well" and "making beautiful" here?
The questioner : The mention of the hadith came in the context of Aisha saying: "He hardly recites al-Fatihah ... " .
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : And the mention of this hadith came.
The Shaykh : I truly do not have at hand now the meaning; I mean, I have not verified it or studied it or read it from the words of the scholars. But what appears to me is that the meaning is far from what you mentioned. I understand, and I do not forget that I pray, and that the vein is cunning (meaning I am a non-Arab). I understand "if I had become" to mean if I had hastened in waking up, I would have done it better and more beautifully, meaning I would have lengthened the recitation. That is what I understand. In any case, we derive from you.
If the dawn became brighter than it is now, I would pray them (the two rak'ahs of the sunnah prayer), offer them well and in a more beautiful manner.
لو أصبحت أكثر ممَّا أصبحت لأجملتهما وأحسنتهماThe Shaykh : My memory does not help me in answering this question.
The questioner : You authenticated the hadith.
The Shaykh : Do you have anything additional in the hadith that is appropriate so that I might remember?
The questioner : In the matter of ... you authenticated this hadith:
If the dawn became brighter than it is now, I would pray them (the two rak'ahs of the sunnah prayer), offer them well and in a more beautiful manner.
لو أصبحت أكثر ممَّا أصبحت لأجملتهما وأحسنتهماThe Shaykh : In the sunnah of the two rak'ahs of Fajr?
The questioner : Yes, yes ... .
The Shaykh : ... .
The student : ... .
The Shaykh : Repeat it to me, the hadith about the sunnah of Fajr?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, and you authenticated it, you say?!
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : In?
The questioner : I do not remember.
The Shaykh : You don't remember! Well, what is the question?
The questioner : What is the meaning of this hadith? I have an interpretation of the meaning of the hadith.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The questioner
If the dawn became brighter than it is now
لو أصبحت أكثر مما أصبحتIf I had become ...
لو أصبحت ...The Shaykh : Yes, what is the meaning of "doing well" and "making beautiful" here?
The questioner : The mention of the hadith came in the context of Aisha saying: "He hardly recites al-Fatihah ... " .
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : And the mention of this hadith came.
The Shaykh : I truly do not have at hand now the meaning; I mean, I have not verified it or studied it or read it from the words of the scholars. But what appears to me is that the meaning is far from what you mentioned. I understand, and I do not forget that I pray, and that the vein is cunning (meaning I am a non-Arab). I understand "if I had become" to mean if I had hastened in waking up, I would have done it better and more beautifully, meaning I would have lengthened the recitation. That is what I understand. In any case, we derive from you.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.