What is the Sunnah for the traveling imam who prays shortened and says, "Complete your prayer," after the taslim?
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The questioner : The discussion in the house, right when you arrived, was about the issue of lowering the voice in the taslim for the traveling imam who prays with the residents.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Then you moved on to the words of Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), stating that this falls under the category of unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah), which only occurs in two cases: the absence of a specific cause, and that the reason not be the negligence of people. So if we wanted to apply, for example, the same issue, meaning that lowering the voice in the taslim or raising the voice in the taslim might cause confusion for the worshippers, and the cause of that is the ignorance of the worshippers.
The Shaykh : The ignorance of the worshippers regarding what?
The questioner : Regarding this Sunnah.
The Shaykh : Regarding the Sunnah.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : What is the Sunnah for this situation?
The questioner : The Sunnah for this situation is that if the imam prays with people while he is traveling, he says the taslim and they complete the prayer behind him.
The Shaykh : I did not say he does not say the taslim. May Allah reward you. It is as if you have forgotten.
The questioner : No, I did not forget. I know what you are saying, but this...
The Shaykh : But you did not convey what I am saying, and that is why I am responding to you with what you are saying. I am not saying that the imam does not say the taslim.
The questioner : I do not know.
The Shaykh : Then why do you say that the Sunnah is for the imam to say the taslim? I am saying the imam says the taslim.
The questioner : It is the people's ignorance of this Sunnah that leads them into this.
The Shaykh : Can you recite what I said? What is my position regarding the imam who is traveling? When he exits the prayer, what is my position?
The questioner : Remember that he lowers his voice... in the taslim.
The Shaykh : So my question returns: What is the Sunnah? You are saying in the answer that the imam says the taslim. Is the issue whether he says the taslim or not? He says the taslim. If you want to say he says it aloud...
The questioner : He says the taslim as it was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
The Shaykh : We are not entering into the evidence now. I want you to recite what I believe, and do not say that the Sunnah is for the imam to say the taslim, because I am also saying...
The questioner : Okay, I am telling you, you mentioned two pieces of evidence.
The Shaykh : My brother, let us leave what you mentioned. Let me say that now you are misquoting me. Correct your quotation of me. What do I say?
The questioner : You say he says the taslim quietly or with a low voice.
The Shaykh : Okay, so now I am asking you: What is the Sunnah in this for the traveling imam who prays shortened? He says the taslim and says, "Complete your prayer." What is the Sunnah?
The questioner : What we learned from you is that the Sunnah in this position is to lower the voice.
The Shaykh : No, and what does the issue have to do with unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah)?
The questioner : Ah?
The Shaykh : What does the issue have to do with unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah) if the Sunnah is like this? The issue has moved away from unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah), right? Or not?
The questioner : Okay, so why did you bring up your statement about unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah) in this topic?
The Shaykh : Because I say that the public interest (maslahah) requires the issue to be like this. And when I asked you what the Sunnah is, it is because this is what is in the minds of many people. And this is what I wanted you to hear the answer to, so that I could in turn hear the answer from you. We do not have a hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) or 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, as we mentioned the report, when he prayed with people while he was traveling and they were residents, raised his voice in the takbir. We do not have this.
The questioner : Only the taslim.
The Shaykh : We do not have this Sunnah regarding the taslim. But I am saying, if we had a text that the Messenger (peace be upon him) used to raise his voice in the taslim in this situation, which is being a traveling imam, then we would say that here it is not permissible to go against the Sunnah, because they are ignorant. But since we do not have a text, we are free in our matter. We do not raise our voices, because we are not going against the Sunnah, and at the same time, the public interest (maslahah) requires that.
The questioner : Okay, do the general hadiths not fall under this?
The Shaykh : Okay, and that is the problem we are dealing with.
The questioner : Okay, why did we bring up the issue of unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah) here?
The Shaykh : We did not bring up unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah) in the presence of a text regarding raising the voice, no, because there is silence on the issue, so I say the public interest (maslahah) of these people who are ignorant that the imam must say "Peace and mercy of Allah be upon you" in every situation. So if we raise our voices as is the general custom, as you mentioned just now, they might say the taslim with us. So the public interest (maslahah) requires that he be quiet, and the first thing they hear is the imam's word "Complete your prayer," for we are a traveling people. Meaning, the narrator, when he conveyed the story of 'Umar, did not convey to us... I mentioned this, I think if you remember.
The questioner : Yes, I mentioned it.
The Shaykh : It was not conveyed that 'Umar raised his voice in raising the voice, is that not what we said? And therefore...
The questioner : I said so, but does the non-conveyance here imply non-existence?
The Shaykh : No, it does not imply.
The questioner : Is that not the argument?
The Shaykh : No, it does not imply. I am answering you: What do you want to build upon my answer? Go ahead, Ibn... It does not imply, but at the same time, it does not necessitate.
The questioner : It is not the same issue, but we only understand the method of argumentation.
The Shaykh : Yes, we brought examples. May Allah reward you. Regarding unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah), when is it permissible to act upon it?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Then you moved on to the words of Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), stating that this falls under the category of unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah), which only occurs in two cases: the absence of a specific cause, and that the reason not be the negligence of people. So if we wanted to apply, for example, the same issue, meaning that lowering the voice in the taslim or raising the voice in the taslim might cause confusion for the worshippers, and the cause of that is the ignorance of the worshippers.
The Shaykh : The ignorance of the worshippers regarding what?
The questioner : Regarding this Sunnah.
The Shaykh : Regarding the Sunnah.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : What is the Sunnah for this situation?
The questioner : The Sunnah for this situation is that if the imam prays with people while he is traveling, he says the taslim and they complete the prayer behind him.
The Shaykh : I did not say he does not say the taslim. May Allah reward you. It is as if you have forgotten.
The questioner : No, I did not forget. I know what you are saying, but this...
The Shaykh : But you did not convey what I am saying, and that is why I am responding to you with what you are saying. I am not saying that the imam does not say the taslim.
The questioner : I do not know.
The Shaykh : Then why do you say that the Sunnah is for the imam to say the taslim? I am saying the imam says the taslim.
The questioner : It is the people's ignorance of this Sunnah that leads them into this.
The Shaykh : Can you recite what I said? What is my position regarding the imam who is traveling? When he exits the prayer, what is my position?
The questioner : Remember that he lowers his voice... in the taslim.
The Shaykh : So my question returns: What is the Sunnah? You are saying in the answer that the imam says the taslim. Is the issue whether he says the taslim or not? He says the taslim. If you want to say he says it aloud...
The questioner : He says the taslim as it was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
The Shaykh : We are not entering into the evidence now. I want you to recite what I believe, and do not say that the Sunnah is for the imam to say the taslim, because I am also saying...
The questioner : Okay, I am telling you, you mentioned two pieces of evidence.
The Shaykh : My brother, let us leave what you mentioned. Let me say that now you are misquoting me. Correct your quotation of me. What do I say?
The questioner : You say he says the taslim quietly or with a low voice.
The Shaykh : Okay, so now I am asking you: What is the Sunnah in this for the traveling imam who prays shortened? He says the taslim and says, "Complete your prayer." What is the Sunnah?
The questioner : What we learned from you is that the Sunnah in this position is to lower the voice.
The Shaykh : No, and what does the issue have to do with unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah)?
The questioner : Ah?
The Shaykh : What does the issue have to do with unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah) if the Sunnah is like this? The issue has moved away from unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah), right? Or not?
The questioner : Okay, so why did you bring up your statement about unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah) in this topic?
The Shaykh : Because I say that the public interest (maslahah) requires the issue to be like this. And when I asked you what the Sunnah is, it is because this is what is in the minds of many people. And this is what I wanted you to hear the answer to, so that I could in turn hear the answer from you. We do not have a hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) or 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, as we mentioned the report, when he prayed with people while he was traveling and they were residents, raised his voice in the takbir. We do not have this.
The questioner : Only the taslim.
The Shaykh : We do not have this Sunnah regarding the taslim. But I am saying, if we had a text that the Messenger (peace be upon him) used to raise his voice in the taslim in this situation, which is being a traveling imam, then we would say that here it is not permissible to go against the Sunnah, because they are ignorant. But since we do not have a text, we are free in our matter. We do not raise our voices, because we are not going against the Sunnah, and at the same time, the public interest (maslahah) requires that.
The questioner : Okay, do the general hadiths not fall under this?
The Shaykh : Okay, and that is the problem we are dealing with.
The questioner : Okay, why did we bring up the issue of unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah) here?
The Shaykh : We did not bring up unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah) in the presence of a text regarding raising the voice, no, because there is silence on the issue, so I say the public interest (maslahah) of these people who are ignorant that the imam must say "Peace and mercy of Allah be upon you" in every situation. So if we raise our voices as is the general custom, as you mentioned just now, they might say the taslim with us. So the public interest (maslahah) requires that he be quiet, and the first thing they hear is the imam's word "Complete your prayer," for we are a traveling people. Meaning, the narrator, when he conveyed the story of 'Umar, did not convey to us... I mentioned this, I think if you remember.
The questioner : Yes, I mentioned it.
The Shaykh : It was not conveyed that 'Umar raised his voice in raising the voice, is that not what we said? And therefore...
The questioner : I said so, but does the non-conveyance here imply non-existence?
The Shaykh : No, it does not imply.
The questioner : Is that not the argument?
The Shaykh : No, it does not imply. I am answering you: What do you want to build upon my answer? Go ahead, Ibn... It does not imply, but at the same time, it does not necessitate.
The questioner : It is not the same issue, but we only understand the method of argumentation.
The Shaykh : Yes, we brought examples. May Allah reward you. Regarding unrestricted public interest (maslahah mursalah), when is it permissible to act upon it?