How do we reconcile these two hadiths?

The questioner : We are employed with the Waqf (Endowments) department. Specifically regarding the Fajr prayer, we usually delay the iqamah by forty or forty-five minutes. There are those who object, saying that is too much. The point of disagreement here is between two hadiths. The first hadith is: I do not know if it is authentic or not; Allah knows best. The second is the hadith of Aisha regarding the women; they used to go out wearing...

The Shaykh : ...wrapped in their cloaks...

The questioner : Yes, how do we reconcile these?

The Shaykh : From the darkness.

Another questioner : The reconciliation, if Allah wills.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

Another questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : In my opinion, there is no contradiction between the two hadiths if they are viewed through the lens of some of the scientific principles of fiqh and usul. Among these—and this is very important regarding this issue and many others—is that every text issued by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has a general indication. It is not permissible for us to interpret it according to its general indication unless we observe the interpretation of this indication by the practical Sunnah. This is because, in principle, we consider that there is no contradiction or conflict between his words (peace be upon him) and his actions. Therefore, it is one of the scientific principles, as summarized by al-Hafiz Ahmad ibn Hajar al-Asqalani in his unique and rare treatise on the terminology of hadith, titled "Sharh al-Nukhba," in a section or chapter on "The Differing Hadiths." He said: "If two contradictory hadiths from the category of acceptable ones come, it is obligatory to reconcile them by one of the many ways of reconciliation. If that is not possible, the abrogating one is considered from the abrogated. If that is not possible, it is referred to to tarjih (i.e., strength). If one of them is hasan as we said for the one who enters, and the other is sahih, we leave the hasan and take the sahih. If one of them is a sahih individual report, and the other is a sahih mufid or famous report, the individual one is left and the famous one is taken. And if it is a sahih mufid or famous report, and its counterpart is mutawatir, the mutawatir is taken and that one is left. He said: If they are equal in strength, we say: Allah knows best, and the matter is left to its expert." And we do not say: "They contradicted each other and both fell," which is a phrase some people say.
The point is that he says first of all: "It is obligatory to reconcile the two authentic hadiths." Now we are facing two authentic hadiths.
And upon you be peace and Allah's mercy and blessings.

The questioner : Shaykh, is the evidence acted upon as much as possible?

The Shaykh : That is the meaning of reconciliation. That is the meaning of reconciliation.
And peace be upon you.
When Ibn Hajar said in the first level: "If two contradictory hadiths from the category of acceptable ones come, they are reconciled by one of the ways of reconciliation," he did not mention how many ways of reconciliation there are. His shaykh, al-Hafiz al-Iraqi, in his marginal notes or commentary on the book "Ulum al-Hadith" by Ibn al-Salah, mentioned that the ways of reconciling hadiths exceed one hundred ways. One hundred ways. If a scholar is unable to reconcile by one of these ways, he descends to the level of considering the abrogating from the abrogated, and so on.
Now, here in your question, to remove the apparent contradiction that occurs to some minds between the hadith of Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the women of the Muslims used to, in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), depart from the Fajr prayer wrapped in their cloaks, not being known from the darkness; this is a hadith in "Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim."
The second hadith, which is thought to contradict the first hadith: The Hanafis use this hadith as evidence that delaying the Fajr prayer until the light of dawn is better. But this contradicts the Sunnah by which the Messenger (peace be upon him) proceeded throughout his blessed life. If it were better, the Messenger would have acted according to the better. But on the contrary, he used to pray the Fajr in the darkness, as the hadith of Aisha informed us, and as the hadith of Abu Barzah al-Aslami in "the two Sahihs" also indicates, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray the Fajr in the darkness.
So it is obligatory now to reconcile the two hadiths. The hadith: can bear two meanings. We should take the meaning that does not conflict with the first hadith, because this is the way of combining them and not striking one hadith with the other. What are the two meanings? going out, entering. Those who take this hadith while leaving the hadith of Aisha and the hadith of Abu Barzah interpret the hadith: "Asfiru" means enter the Fajr in the light of dawn. Those who want to reconcile the two hadiths say: "Asfiru" means going out, not entering. That is, hasten to enter the Fajr prayer in the darkness, and then if you want the excellence, delay, delay; for it is greater in reward. And by this, a man from the great scholars of the Hanafis reconciled them; although we rarely find this from the Hanafi scholars who mostly—regrettably—mostly adhere to the madhhab. Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi, who is Hanafi in madhhab, but he is infused with hadith and steeped in hadith, so he was influenced by hadith. When he researched this topic, he said: There is no contradiction between the two hadiths; because the meaning of the hadith: means: going out, not entering. And by that, the contradiction between the two hadiths is removed.

The questioner : The prayer, you mean?

The Shaykh : Yes?

The questioner : The direction to perform the prayer?

The Shaykh : Yes, from the prayer; meaning the intention is to lengthen the recitation so that you go out.
And I like, on this occasion, a story narrated by Imam al-Bayhaqi in his "Sunan al-Kubra" with a valid chain; that he prayed with the Companions, of course he prayed as imam, and it seems he lengthened the recitation and lengthened it very much. If that had happened today in this era, the mosque would have been filled with those objecting. But when he came out of the prayer, they said to him: You have lengthened the prayer, O Commander of the Faithful, until the sun was about to rise. His answer was very wonderful; he said: If it rises, it will not find us heedless. If it rises, it will not find us heedless; we are in the worship of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Then in this hadith there is a hint, a very soft hint, to his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): So he prayed the first rak'ah in the first time, and lengthened it as much as Allah willed, then he lengthened the recitation also in the second rak'ah until some of them feared that the sun would rise. When that was said to him, he said: If it rises, it will not find us heedless. Meaning: he caught a rak'ah of the prayer, and a long rak'ah, not how it was, and a second rak'ah likewise; so they are obedient to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), so there is no harm. This is the reconciliation between the two hadiths.

Another questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And in you, if Allah wills.

The questioner : Some interpret the darkness (ghulas) to mean before the appearance of the true dawn. Some say: it means in the night.

Another questioner : The darkness, the darkness.

The questioner : The darkness.

Another questioner : The darkness is ghulas.

The Shaykh : ... before the appearance of the true dawn, he no longer says that. The ghulas intended is the darkness, but the darkness is the darkness of the beginning of the night, the middle of the night, and the end of the night. What is all this called? Ghulas. And the hadiths interpret each other. So the Fajr prayer is not valid except when the true dawn appears; that is: the bright light.

The questioner : Meaning he intended the hadith of Aisha, he did not intend... before the dawn.

The Shaykh : How? She does not say: We used to pray behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
No; that is not reasonable.