Is it obligatory that the hadiths concerning rulings, especially prayer, be established through a path of near-mass transmission, or that they be of the type that is generally required to be narrated and widespread?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : May Allah reward you. Regarding the supplication in the first tashahhud, you cited the hadith in the chain and graded it authentic, but some scholars say: such actions are specific!
The Shaykh : What does he say?
The questioner : He says that such actions, especially in prayer, must be something strong, meaning near-mass transmitted. So how is it sufficient to rely on the transmission of an action from the general Muslims from the Companions?
The Shaykh : If he says how? I say: How can this statement be made? It must be near-mass transmitted?!
The questioner : They do not say it is obligatory, they say if this were the case, meaning!
The Shaykh : No, I did not say it is obligatory. How can this statement be made? Which scholar said that any Shari'ah ruling must be transmitted through a path of mass transmission or near-mass transmission?!
The questioner : No one said this except the innovators. They claimed this.
The Shaykh : Okay, so why is this statement mixed into Shari'ah rulings? Why is a single authentic hadith not sufficient?
The questioner : Yes, meaning they say if this were known and the Companions had explicitly stated it, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have mentioned it, and the Companions were eager to transmit the actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), especially in prayer.
The Shaykh : I say that in this manner, we would depart from all... we would depart from the Sunnah in the name of the Sunnah. Do you think every Sunnah we bring in prayer is established by mass transmission?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : So what distinguishes this from that? First: Is there not a difference between what was hidden and secret and what was apparent?!
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, now your question is of the type that is hidden and not apparent. Okay, what is your opinion on placing the hands after ruku'? Is it apparent or hidden?
The questioner : It may be closer to hidden.
The Shaykh : Leave me alone with this nitpicking.
The questioner : Apparent, apparent.
The Shaykh : Apparent, what is in it!
The questioner : After rising?
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : After rising, it is apparent based on the generality of the hadiths that it is on the chest.
The Shaykh : Not that. Apparent means observed with the eye, or not?
The questioner : Observed with the eye.
The Shaykh : Okay, but if one reads after the tashahhud and saw the Messenger, for example, or supplicated, that is something hidden.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, so which of the two examples should be mass transmitted if mass transmission is a condition for establishing a Shari'ah ruling?
The questioner : The hidden one.
The Shaykh : No, the apparent one, may Allah reward you.
The questioner : Now, the hidden one that only one person transmits may be known to a single person and then known to others.
The Shaykh : No, meaning the jurists say in many matters that are claimed to be Sunnah: If the Messenger (peace be upon him) had done that, the motives for transmitting it would have been strong. Why? Because it is something apparent, not something hidden. They asked him: Why did they ask him? Because it was hidden, but they did not ask him when they heard the recitation of al-Fatihah. Is al-Fatihah recited or not? So I say that the rule you transmitted, and you bear the responsibility of transmitting it.
The questioner : I do not bear it, meaning!
The Shaykh : The responsibility of transmitting it! I am not saying you invented it or adopted it, you bear the responsibility of transmitting it.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : It does not enter my mind that a learned jurist would say this, otherwise he would have demolished a large portion of what is worshipped with Allah.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So it is sufficient that the hadith is established from the Messenger (peace be upon him), even through a path of the grade of hasan, which is below sahih, and we draw near to Allah with that, yes?
The questioner : I mean the detail you mentioned, meaning that it is hidden and not apparent.
The Shaykh : That is it.
The questioner : No one said this except the innovators and the Mu'tazilah.
The Shaykh : And they are innovators, so this opinion is never paid attention to.
The questioner : Even, O Shaykh, those who reject this hadith because it is a single report, where do we go? We go to the opinion of whom, meaning?
The Shaykh : May Allah guide them.
The questioner : Going to any opinion of the innovators, does it not leave or establish anything?
The Shaykh : I say: A mass-transmitted hadith according to those who condition this requirement, I cannot imagine the existence of a mass-transmitted hadith with them, it does not exist with them, so it means they denied everything.
The Shaykh : What does he say?
The questioner : He says that such actions, especially in prayer, must be something strong, meaning near-mass transmitted. So how is it sufficient to rely on the transmission of an action from the general Muslims from the Companions?
The Shaykh : If he says how? I say: How can this statement be made? It must be near-mass transmitted?!
The questioner : They do not say it is obligatory, they say if this were the case, meaning!
The Shaykh : No, I did not say it is obligatory. How can this statement be made? Which scholar said that any Shari'ah ruling must be transmitted through a path of mass transmission or near-mass transmission?!
The questioner : No one said this except the innovators. They claimed this.
The Shaykh : Okay, so why is this statement mixed into Shari'ah rulings? Why is a single authentic hadith not sufficient?
The questioner : Yes, meaning they say if this were known and the Companions had explicitly stated it, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have mentioned it, and the Companions were eager to transmit the actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), especially in prayer.
The Shaykh : I say that in this manner, we would depart from all... we would depart from the Sunnah in the name of the Sunnah. Do you think every Sunnah we bring in prayer is established by mass transmission?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : So what distinguishes this from that? First: Is there not a difference between what was hidden and secret and what was apparent?!
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, now your question is of the type that is hidden and not apparent. Okay, what is your opinion on placing the hands after ruku'? Is it apparent or hidden?
The questioner : It may be closer to hidden.
The Shaykh : Leave me alone with this nitpicking.
The questioner : Apparent, apparent.
The Shaykh : Apparent, what is in it!
The questioner : After rising?
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : After rising, it is apparent based on the generality of the hadiths that it is on the chest.
The Shaykh : Not that. Apparent means observed with the eye, or not?
The questioner : Observed with the eye.
The Shaykh : Okay, but if one reads after the tashahhud and saw the Messenger, for example, or supplicated, that is something hidden.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, so which of the two examples should be mass transmitted if mass transmission is a condition for establishing a Shari'ah ruling?
The questioner : The hidden one.
The Shaykh : No, the apparent one, may Allah reward you.
The questioner : Now, the hidden one that only one person transmits may be known to a single person and then known to others.
The Shaykh : No, meaning the jurists say in many matters that are claimed to be Sunnah: If the Messenger (peace be upon him) had done that, the motives for transmitting it would have been strong. Why? Because it is something apparent, not something hidden. They asked him:
O Messenger of Allah, what do you say regarding your silence between the takbir and the iqamah?
يا رسول الله أرأيت سكوتك بين التكبير والإقامة ماذا تقول ؟The questioner : I do not bear it, meaning!
The Shaykh : The responsibility of transmitting it! I am not saying you invented it or adopted it, you bear the responsibility of transmitting it.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : It does not enter my mind that a learned jurist would say this, otherwise he would have demolished a large portion of what is worshipped with Allah.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So it is sufficient that the hadith is established from the Messenger (peace be upon him), even through a path of the grade of hasan, which is below sahih, and we draw near to Allah with that, yes?
The questioner : I mean the detail you mentioned, meaning that it is hidden and not apparent.
The Shaykh : That is it.
The questioner : No one said this except the innovators and the Mu'tazilah.
The Shaykh : And they are innovators, so this opinion is never paid attention to.
The questioner : Even, O Shaykh, those who reject this hadith because it is a single report, where do we go? We go to the opinion of whom, meaning?
The Shaykh : May Allah guide them.
The questioner : Going to any opinion of the innovators, does it not leave or establish anything?
The Shaykh : I say: A mass-transmitted hadith according to those who condition this requirement, I cannot imagine the existence of a mass-transmitted hadith with them, it does not exist with them, so it means they denied everything.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.