Reconciling the hadiths on placing the hands before the knees and the reverse
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Honorable Shaykh! How is the reconciliation made between the hadith of Wa'il ibn Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him) and the hadith of Abu Hurayrah,The hadith of Wa'il ibn Hujr: that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to place his knees before his hands in prostration, and the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (When one of you prostrates, let him not lower himself like a beast of burden, but let him place his hands before his knees) , even though al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar preferred the hadith of Abu Hurayrah in *Bulugh al-Maram*, which is a mawquf report, and al-Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim discussed it from ten angles? What is your opinion on this?
My statement on that: That there is no contradiction between them, and that their meanings are in agreement. The hadith of Wa'il ibn Hujr, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to place his knees before his hands, is in complete agreement with the hadith of Abu Hurayrah;Because the hadith of Abu Hurayrah says: (When one of you prostrates, let him not lower himself like a beast of burden) , and a beast of burden, when it lowers itself, places its hands first, as is known by one who has seen it. So it is in complete agreement with the hadith of Wa'il ibn Hujrah; because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah the one who prays from placing his hands before his knees; because if he does that, he becomes like a beast of burden,And some people assumed and said: since the knees of a beast of burden are behind its hands, and truly, the knees of a beast of burden are behind its hands,But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say: so let him not lower himself in the manner in which a beast of burden lowers itself,Rather He said: so let him not lower himself like a beast of burden. So the prohibition is, in reality, a prohibition of the posture and the manner. And everyone who has seen a beast of burden when it lowers itself finds that it places its hands first. And by that, the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) is in agreement with the hadith of Wa'il ibn Hujr,And the consideration remains regarding his statement at the end of the hadith: (and let him place his hands on his knees) , so this is undoubtedly a mistake by the narrator and a reversal upon him, since it does not agree with the beginning of the hadith. The beginning of the hadith is the foundation and the basis, and its end is a branch dependent on it. And if it is a branch, it must be in agreement with the root.And in that case, it does not agree with the root if its wording is: Let him place his knees before his hands.
My statement on that: That there is no contradiction between them, and that their meanings are in agreement. The hadith of Wa'il ibn Hujr, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to place his knees before his hands, is in complete agreement with the hadith of Abu Hurayrah;Because the hadith of Abu Hurayrah says: (When one of you prostrates, let him not lower himself like a beast of burden) , and a beast of burden, when it lowers itself, places its hands first, as is known by one who has seen it. So it is in complete agreement with the hadith of Wa'il ibn Hujrah; because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah the one who prays from placing his hands before his knees; because if he does that, he becomes like a beast of burden,And some people assumed and said: since the knees of a beast of burden are behind its hands, and truly, the knees of a beast of burden are behind its hands,But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say: so let him not lower himself in the manner in which a beast of burden lowers itself,Rather He said: so let him not lower himself like a beast of burden. So the prohibition is, in reality, a prohibition of the posture and the manner. And everyone who has seen a beast of burden when it lowers itself finds that it places its hands first. And by that, the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) is in agreement with the hadith of Wa'il ibn Hujr,And the consideration remains regarding his statement at the end of the hadith: (and let him place his hands on his knees) , so this is undoubtedly a mistake by the narrator and a reversal upon him, since it does not agree with the beginning of the hadith. The beginning of the hadith is the foundation and the basis, and its end is a branch dependent on it. And if it is a branch, it must be in agreement with the root.And in that case, it does not agree with the root if its wording is: Let him place his knees before his hands.