Completing the discussion on the follower’s recitation in the loud prayers, and speaking on the saying of Allah the Exalted: ((When the Qur'an is recited, then listen to it and pay attention)).

The questioner : In any case: First, the verse: is general, without doubt. The verse is general and its meaning is general, and we believe that the authentic hadiths—and as you have mentioned, which is your path—do not contradict the verse.

The Shaykh : Of course.

The questioner : We have many parallels in verses that indicate generality which the Sunnah has specified.

The Shaykh : Without a doubt.

The questioner : And regarding the statement of some scholars that the Sunnah abrogates even the generality of the verses, according to the methodology of the people of hadith that we wish to know. However, if it is according to the methodology of the jurists, especially the Hanafi jurists, they have much to say on this, and they do not specify with a report from a single narrator, and so on.

The Shaykh : You did not point this out, and that is because this is the position of the Hanafis.

The questioner : And so we say: The verse is general, and his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): , and the other narrations, among which is the hadith of al-Ikhtilaj, which has many corroborating narrations as we recall. Al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned it in *Juz' al-Qira'ah* and authenticated it.

The Shaykh : I ask you to look into the obligation now, not...

The questioner : The issue is about the obligation, because this is not a negation of the genus linguistically.

The Shaykh : You mentioned al-Ikhtilaj.

The questioner : We understand from the generality: the negation of the genus of prayer, the negation of the genus of prayer.

The Shaykh : This is accepted in principle, meaning that specifying the Qur'an with the Sunnah is an accepted matter, and it is the methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the people of hadith, and we are with them. But what do you say if two general texts conflict, one being a verse in the Qur'an and the other a hadith from the Messenger (peace be upon him)? Do we specify the verse with the hadith, or do we specify the hadith with the Qur'an? This is one point.
And the other: If two general texts conflict, one being specified and the other not specified, which one takes precedence over the other? Does the absolute general that is not specified take precedence over the specified general, or does the specified general take precedence over the absolute general?

The questioner : The specified general is undoubtedly weaker than the one that has not been specified and remains in its generality and absoluteness. But this verse here, in any case, if we proceed with the argumentation, we see in it the argumentation of the later jurists. We sense from your statement this argumentation.

The Shaykh : No, no, and no blame on you. You have now deviated from your usual way. I asked you what you say. Let us leave aside the early and later jurists. I said, may Allah reward you, and repeat what you said: If two general texts conflict, one being an absolute general and the other a specified general, which of the two generals takes precedence over the other?

The questioner : The absolute one takes precedence.

The Shaykh : You answered correctly.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Good, so let us stick to this point.

The questioner : So let us apply the verse and the hadiths to it.

The Shaykh : Yes?

The questioner : We apply the generality and specificity of the verse and the hadith to this.

The Shaykh : No problem.

The questioner : Very well.

The Shaykh : So now, which of the two generals here is an absolute general that has not been specified, and which is a specified general? Is it the verse or the hadith?

The questioner : It appears to me that the hadith is specified, rather, it is only a specifier.

The Shaykh : You specified it just now.

The questioner : No, this is like general speech, like a general rule.

The Shaykh : No, no.

The questioner : But the hadith here is a specifier, not a specified text.

The Shaykh : Allow me. Just now, regarding the one who comes while the imam is bowing, did you not say that this is an exception to ?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : So a specification has entered this general text, and you remember well, I told you: Why do we not attach other specifications? But you refused me because we had not reached this point yet. Now you are specifying the general verse, which has not had any specification entered into it, with the general hadith, which has had specification entered into it. And the rule, you agree with me on it: that the absolute general is stronger than the specified general. So then we must reverse it and say: We specify the hadith with the verse, not the other way around. Meaning: If we say that the hadith is a specification for the verse, then the meaning of the verse is as I mentioned in the lecture regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted: and so on. Regarding the exception established in the Sunnah, we said: Carrion is forbidden to you, except the carrion of fish, and blood, except the liver and spleen. Similarly, here, according to your opinion, we say: When the Qur'an is recited, then listen to it, except for al-Fatihah in the loud prayer. Is this not so, in the context of applying the general alongside the specific?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : If we reverse the matter for the reason we mentioned just now, which is that the generality of the verse is not specified, even in one detail, and the hadith is specified in one detail, we now say: is specified by the saying of Allah the Exalted, and the result is: except for the one who hears the recitation of the imam, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted: . This is stronger in terms of applying the jurisprudential and scientific evidence, and it is closer to addressing the problems we mentioned just now that arise, and I do not think there is an answer to them except that we come and specify further with another specification, and the answer also involves reversing the specification. We say he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: and the rest of the hadith, and we do not repeat it. Good, the imam recites al-Fatihah and I recite al-Fatihah. I cannot believe if the imam says the amen, what do we do with this hadith?
We say: If the imam says the amen, then say the amen, except when you are reciting al-Fatihah.

The questioner : What we understood from our study with our shaykhs in India (may Allah have mercy on them), most of whom have passed away, was that as soon as one of them reached the row and the imam said the amen, even if he had not recited, he would say the amen. And they would order us and explain to us the hadith as meaning that even if and the imam said the amen, he would pause for that moment and say the amen with the imam, combining all the hadiths in this manner, and the hadiths explain each other in this way.

The Shaykh : These are called by the Shams in our place: Baykha.

The questioner : No, no, it is not Baykha.

The Shaykh : How is it not, Professor?