Explanation and Illustration of the Rule

The Shaykh : If one memorizes this rule, which is: "Whoever knows is a proof against whoever does not know," he is relieved of many problems. We enrich what we are in by first applying it or providing some other models and examples of this rule. On the other hand, since the one who negated in this hadith is Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), we bring another negation from her, where she said (may Allah be pleased with her): "Whoever tells you that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) urinated while standing, do not believe him." She says it this way: "Whoever tells you that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) urinated while standing, do not believe him." Meanwhile, al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated in their "Sahih" collections from the hadith of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to a people's latrine—that is, a people's garbage dump—and urinated while standing." So what do we do? Do we lie to Hudhayfah in obedience to the command of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), "Whoever tells you that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) urinated while standing, do not believe him"? Do we lie to Hudhayfah, who is truthful just as she is? No, we do not lie to her, nor do we lie to him. Rather, we say: Each of them narrated what he knew. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) did not know that thing which Hudhayfah knew, and this is natural. Because Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was among those who stayed in the homes, and the word of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) was directed to her before any woman in the world: . So she did not go out whenever the Messenger (peace be upon him) left his house, because she was a woman and her duty was to remain in her home. As for Hudhayfah, he is a man, so he witnessed the departure of the Messenger (peace be upon him) and his going out and coming in outside his home more than his wife Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). And conversely, she knew of the internal, domestic, and marital matters more than all the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all). Therefore, it did not happen that she saw the Messenger (peace be upon him) urinating while standing. Why? Because he was in his house, so he did not need to urinate while standing. But he might go out of the house, to a garden, to a wilderness, or to a desert, where he would need to urinate. The situation might be such that it was easier for him to urinate while standing. So the men saw him, but the women did not see him. Therefore, the scholars said: The action is based on the hadith of Hudhayfah because it is affirmative, not on the hadith of Aisha because it is negative, and the affirmative is given precedence over the negative. This is how the rule is applied by reconciling some hadiths that appear to differ. So her statement: "I never saw the Messenger of Allah laughing" does not negate that the Messenger (peace be upon him) laughed sometimes, and some of the Companions of the Messenger (peace be upon him) saw that from him. Rather, he used to smile (peace and blessings be upon him); that is, in most of his times.