Reading the hadith of 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit: (There is no prayer for one who does not recite the opening of the Book) with the Shaykh's commentary on it.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Now, regarding the hadith, O Shaykh, in the book of al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him), in the chapter *Recitation Behind the Imam*, he mentioned a hadith where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the Companions: .
The Shaykh : Who was with us? Were you not with us?
The questioner : At the beginning, I was not with you.
The Shaykh : We have already discussed this hadith, so you will hear the recorded answer, if Allah wills, so that we do not repeat the previous discussion to those present.
The questioner : Now, regarding the action of 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) when he was late for the prayer and heard the mu'adhdhin, then one of the Companions came next to him and heard him reciting along with the imam's recitation of al-Fatihah, and this hadith is in *Sunan Abu Dawud*.
The Shaykh : Now, what is in it?
The questioner :" 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit was late for the Fajr prayer, so Abu Nu'aym the mu'adhdhin established the prayer. Abu Nu'aym led the people in prayer, and 'Ubadah came, and I was with him until we lined up behind Abu Nu'aym. Abu Nu'aym was reciting aloud, so 'Ubadah began reciting the Mother of the Book. When he finished, I said to 'Ubadah, "I heard you reciting the Mother of the Book while Abu Nu'aym was reciting aloud." He said, "Yes, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in some of the prayers in which he recites aloud. So the recitation became confused for him. When he finished, he turned his face toward us and said:Sunan Abi Dawud 824Da'if (Al-Albani) ".
And al-Hafiz al-Bayhaqi also mentioned it in his book.
The Shaykh : Before this, before you finish, it feels to me that we must repeat our previous discussion. Are you reading from a book or a treatise? And you say that this hadith is in *Sunan Abu Dawud*. Who is narrating it from 'Ubadah?
The questioner : Makhul from Nafi' ibn Mahmud ibn al-Rabi' al-Ansari.
The Shaykh : Now, we have discussed this. If you wish, listen to the recording. We said that Makhul is a tadlis narrator, and sometimes he narrates directly from 'Ubadah and sometimes from this Mahmud. And Mahmud is unknown. Therefore, the hadith is defective, sometimes due to the use of 'an (from) and sometimes due to the unknown narrator. So the hadith is not established if it were to be used as proof.
Then, the hadith reminds me of what I read earlier that there is some confusion in it. Now, you read and made us hear that it was "confused" for him. What does that mean?
The questioner : It means the recitation became mixed up for him.
The Shaykh : Why? Why?
The questioner : Because he heard someone reciting along with his recitation, so the recitation became confused and heavy for him.
The Shaykh : Why? Because he recited with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). No, please be patient with me for a moment. We observe from experience that the regulation of people's recitation behind the imam is not such that they recite silently, as came in an athar from Abu Hurayrah in *Sahih Muslim*, is that not so? So some people may recite aloud, and confusion occurs. This is something that can be said. Here, if the hadith were authentic, the meaning, as we said before you arrived, is that it indicates the permissibility of reciting al-Fatihah behind the imam. This is like a preamble to lifting this permissibility due to the disturbance that may result from reciting behind the imam. Now I ask: when did this person who raised his voice in recitation behind the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) do so? Was it when the Messenger was reciting al-Fatihah, or was it when he was reciting what is after al-Fatihah? What do you think?
The questioner : During his recitation of al-Fatihah.
The Shaykh : So al-Fatihah was confused for the Messenger?
The questioner : That is the apparent meaning.
The Shaykh : But this is the farthest from the truth, because reciting al-Fatihah is the easiest thing for the general Muslims. It is very unlikely that reciting al-Fatihah would confuse the matter for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Suppose the matter was so, then when does the follower recite al-Fatihah behind the imam? When the imam recites, is that not so?
The questioner : He recites with his recitation but does not recite aloud.
The Shaykh : This is not a point of disagreement. We are now saying: when does the follower behind the imam recite al-Fatihah in the prayer with loud recitation? Is it not when the imam recites al-Fatihah?
The questioner : Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar mentioned it without any condition.
The Shaykh : No, my brother, may Allah reward you. Now, stay with me. Do not drag us into one place and move us to another. Now, we are understanding each other regarding this hadith.
What does it indicate? That the reciter who disturbed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited after the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) finished reciting al-Fatihah, or during his recitation of al-Fatihah?
The questioner : After.
The Shaykh : He says during al-Fatihah, is that not so? I consider that unlikely.
In any case, whether you say this or the other, what we see is that the follower's recitation of al-Fatihah behind the imam implies that the legislated loud recitation of al-Fatihah by the imam has no meaning. This is something the wise Lawgiver would be above, because He legislated loud recitation so that the ma'mum would hear it. Where are these listeners when they are occupied with reciting al-Fatihah to themselves? There is no such ruling in the Shari'ah.
And if it is said, as we see, that this person recited after the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) finished reciting al-Fatihah, because we find it very difficult to imagine, if the hadith were authentic, that the Messenger did not recite al-Fatihah well because some of the followers behind him raised their voices reciting it while the Messenger was reciting al-Fatihah. We consider that unlikely. The closest is that he disturbed his recitation after al-Fatihah. In any case, whether it was that or the other, we say: this hadith is defective due to the use of 'an or the unknown narrator, as we mentioned earlier. Then, it does not contain the obligation of reciting al-Fatihah behind the imam, because the prohibition of something in general, followed by the command of it or part of it in particular, does not mean the obligation of that commanded thing, but rather its permissibility. Like His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): So the command here regarding hunting does not indicate obligation, and the command here regarding reciting al-Fatihah does not indicate obligation because it came after the prohibition: Sunan ad-Daraqutni 3:296.
And this is, in any case, a repetition of what has passed, for the sake of you who arrived late.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And to you.
Do you recite behind your imam? They said: We do this. He said: Do not do so except with the Mother of the Book.
تقرأون خلف إمامكم قالوا: إنا لهذ هذا، فقال: لا تفعلوا إلا بأم القرآنThe Shaykh : Who was with us? Were you not with us?
The questioner : At the beginning, I was not with you.
The Shaykh : We have already discussed this hadith, so you will hear the recorded answer, if Allah wills, so that we do not repeat the previous discussion to those present.
The questioner : Now, regarding the action of 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) when he was late for the prayer and heard the mu'adhdhin, then one of the Companions came next to him and heard him reciting along with the imam's recitation of al-Fatihah, and this hadith is in *Sunan Abu Dawud*.
The Shaykh : Now, what is in it?
The questioner :" 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit was late for the Fajr prayer, so Abu Nu'aym the mu'adhdhin established the prayer. Abu Nu'aym led the people in prayer, and 'Ubadah came, and I was with him until we lined up behind Abu Nu'aym. Abu Nu'aym was reciting aloud, so 'Ubadah began reciting the Mother of the Book. When he finished, I said to 'Ubadah, "I heard you reciting the Mother of the Book while Abu Nu'aym was reciting aloud." He said, "Yes, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in some of the prayers in which he recites aloud. So the recitation became confused for him. When he finished, he turned his face toward us and said:
Do you recite when I recite the Qur’an loudly? Some of us said: we do so; this is why I said to myself: What is that which confused me (in the recitation of ) the Qur’an. Do not recite anything from the Qur’an when I recite it loudly except the Umm al-Qur’an.
هل تقرءون إذا جهرت بالقراءة ؟ فقال بعضنا إنا نصنع ذلك، قال: فلا وأنا أقول ما لى ينازعنى القرآن فلا تقرءوا بشىء من القرآن إذا جهرت إلا بأم القرآنAnd al-Hafiz al-Bayhaqi also mentioned it in his book.
The Shaykh : Before this, before you finish, it feels to me that we must repeat our previous discussion. Are you reading from a book or a treatise? And you say that this hadith is in *Sunan Abu Dawud*. Who is narrating it from 'Ubadah?
The questioner : Makhul from Nafi' ibn Mahmud ibn al-Rabi' al-Ansari.
The Shaykh : Now, we have discussed this. If you wish, listen to the recording. We said that Makhul is a tadlis narrator, and sometimes he narrates directly from 'Ubadah and sometimes from this Mahmud. And Mahmud is unknown. Therefore, the hadith is defective, sometimes due to the use of 'an (from) and sometimes due to the unknown narrator. So the hadith is not established if it were to be used as proof.
Then, the hadith reminds me of what I read earlier that there is some confusion in it. Now, you read and made us hear that it was "confused" for him. What does that mean?
The questioner : It means the recitation became mixed up for him.
The Shaykh : Why? Why?
The questioner : Because he heard someone reciting along with his recitation, so the recitation became confused and heavy for him.
The Shaykh : Why? Because he recited with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). No, please be patient with me for a moment. We observe from experience that the regulation of people's recitation behind the imam is not such that they recite silently, as came in an athar from Abu Hurayrah in *Sahih Muslim*, is that not so? So some people may recite aloud, and confusion occurs. This is something that can be said. Here, if the hadith were authentic, the meaning, as we said before you arrived, is that it indicates the permissibility of reciting al-Fatihah behind the imam. This is like a preamble to lifting this permissibility due to the disturbance that may result from reciting behind the imam. Now I ask: when did this person who raised his voice in recitation behind the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) do so? Was it when the Messenger was reciting al-Fatihah, or was it when he was reciting what is after al-Fatihah? What do you think?
The questioner : During his recitation of al-Fatihah.
The Shaykh : So al-Fatihah was confused for the Messenger?
The questioner : That is the apparent meaning.
The Shaykh : But this is the farthest from the truth, because reciting al-Fatihah is the easiest thing for the general Muslims. It is very unlikely that reciting al-Fatihah would confuse the matter for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Suppose the matter was so, then when does the follower recite al-Fatihah behind the imam? When the imam recites, is that not so?
The questioner : He recites with his recitation but does not recite aloud.
The Shaykh : This is not a point of disagreement. We are now saying: when does the follower behind the imam recite al-Fatihah in the prayer with loud recitation? Is it not when the imam recites al-Fatihah?
The questioner : Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar mentioned it without any condition.
The Shaykh : No, my brother, may Allah reward you. Now, stay with me. Do not drag us into one place and move us to another. Now, we are understanding each other regarding this hadith.
What does it indicate? That the reciter who disturbed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited after the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) finished reciting al-Fatihah, or during his recitation of al-Fatihah?
The questioner : After.
The Shaykh : He says during al-Fatihah, is that not so? I consider that unlikely.
In any case, whether you say this or the other, what we see is that the follower's recitation of al-Fatihah behind the imam implies that the legislated loud recitation of al-Fatihah by the imam has no meaning. This is something the wise Lawgiver would be above, because He legislated loud recitation so that the ma'mum would hear it. Where are these listeners when they are occupied with reciting al-Fatihah to themselves? There is no such ruling in the Shari'ah.
And if it is said, as we see, that this person recited after the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) finished reciting al-Fatihah, because we find it very difficult to imagine, if the hadith were authentic, that the Messenger did not recite al-Fatihah well because some of the followers behind him raised their voices reciting it while the Messenger was reciting al-Fatihah. We consider that unlikely. The closest is that he disturbed his recitation after al-Fatihah. In any case, whether it was that or the other, we say: this hadith is defective due to the use of 'an or the unknown narrator, as we mentioned earlier. Then, it does not contain the obligation of reciting al-Fatihah behind the imam, because the prohibition of something in general, followed by the command of it or part of it in particular, does not mean the obligation of that commanded thing, but rather its permissibility. Like His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He):
And when you are out of the state of ihram, then hunt
فإذا حللتم فاصطادواDo not do anything except with the opening of the Book
فلا تفعلوا إلا بفاتحة الكتابAnd this is, in any case, a repetition of what has passed, for the sake of you who arrived late.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And to you.