If I bring you what proves that one of the Salaf did not move his finger during the tashahhud, is that not sufficient to negate the moving of the finger?
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The questioner : If you bring me someone who weakened this narration, but you bring me one of the Salaf who did not move it, that is sufficient.
The Shaykh : No, that is not the case, that is not the case.
The student : The result is the same.
The Shaykh : Because, would you invalidate a hadith whose chain is at least described as authentic just because the people of the Salaf did not act upon it? You will say no, you will say no, and when that is the case, you are at ease and you put others at ease.
The student : Shaykh, I did not actually invalidate it.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : I did not actually invalidate it, I did not actually invalidate the addition.
The Shaykh : I did not say that one of the Salaf did not do it, did not move it.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Well, many of the Salaf did not perform recommended practices that are known to us, so what harm does that do us? Many of the Salaf contradicted explicit texts, and the answer to this is what Ibn Taymiyyah explained in his treatise Raf' al-Malam.
The student : Al-Malam.
The Shaykh : Al-Malam, what Allah willed, the words of the scholars of knowledge. So what harm does it do us that an individual or individuals from our righteous Salaf did not act upon an authentic and explicit hadith, especially—and I say especially—when some of the Salaf did act upon it? Indeed, Imam al-Shafi'i says a word in his valuable treatise: "It is not a condition for acting upon an authentic hadith, if it is authentic from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), that we know that someone acted upon it." This is not a condition. And I think there is no disagreement between us, if Allah wills, on this, is that so? Well, in that case, if you bring me an explicit and authentic text that a Companion or a Tabi'i did not move his finger, that has no relation to the hadith that established the moving of the finger, and the chain is at least still authentic and free from anomaly and contradiction in light of the research conducted at that time, the fact that this man did not act upon what came in this hadith does not invalidate the hadith, because it is not a condition for authenticating a hadith that we know that some of the Salaf acted upon it, if the hadith is authentic and explicit in its indication. Please.
The Shaykh : No, that is not the case, that is not the case.
The student : The result is the same.
The Shaykh : Because, would you invalidate a hadith whose chain is at least described as authentic just because the people of the Salaf did not act upon it? You will say no, you will say no, and when that is the case, you are at ease and you put others at ease.
The student : Shaykh, I did not actually invalidate it.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : I did not actually invalidate it, I did not actually invalidate the addition.
The Shaykh : I did not say that one of the Salaf did not do it, did not move it.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Well, many of the Salaf did not perform recommended practices that are known to us, so what harm does that do us? Many of the Salaf contradicted explicit texts, and the answer to this is what Ibn Taymiyyah explained in his treatise Raf' al-Malam.
The student : Al-Malam.
The Shaykh : Al-Malam, what Allah willed, the words of the scholars of knowledge. So what harm does it do us that an individual or individuals from our righteous Salaf did not act upon an authentic and explicit hadith, especially—and I say especially—when some of the Salaf did act upon it? Indeed, Imam al-Shafi'i says a word in his valuable treatise: "It is not a condition for acting upon an authentic hadith, if it is authentic from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), that we know that someone acted upon it." This is not a condition. And I think there is no disagreement between us, if Allah wills, on this, is that so? Well, in that case, if you bring me an explicit and authentic text that a Companion or a Tabi'i did not move his finger, that has no relation to the hadith that established the moving of the finger, and the chain is at least still authentic and free from anomaly and contradiction in light of the research conducted at that time, the fact that this man did not act upon what came in this hadith does not invalidate the hadith, because it is not a condition for authenticating a hadith that we know that some of the Salaf acted upon it, if the hadith is authentic and explicit in its indication. Please.
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