I have heard of a prayer called the Prayer of Tasbih, and that our Master (peace and blessings be upon him) recommended it to his uncle al-Abbas, instructing him to perform it as much as he could, even if only once in a lifetime
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The questioner : I have heard of a prayer called the Prayer of Tasbih, and that our Master (peace and blessings be upon him) recommended it to his uncle al-Abbas, instructing him to perform it as much as he could, even if only once in a lifetime. I ask for your guidance, may Allah guide you.
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
This prayer, known as the Prayer of Tasbih, was narrated by Abu Dawud and others. The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed regarding its prescription, and this difference is based on their disagreement over the authenticity of the hadith concerning it. They differed on this hadith: some deemed it authentic, some deemed it good, some deemed it weak, and some stated that it is fabricated and attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Among those who held this view were Ibn al-Jawzi and Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), who said: “Its hadith is a lie, and no imam among the imams recommended it.”
The view that is stronger in my opinion is that it is weak and not prescribed, and a person should not perform it. This is for the following reasons:
The first reason is that the default ruling for acts of worship is prohibition and restriction until valid evidence establishes their prescription. There is no valid evidence for this prayer that is free from contradiction, to which the soul can be reassured, and by which a person can answer when asked about this deed on the Day of Resurrection.
Second: Its hadith contains much disturbance and widespread disagreement, which leads to unease in the soul regarding it and doubt about its authenticity.
Third: It contains anomalies and deviates from the manner of prayer reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). An anomalous report that deviates from known characteristics cannot be accepted unless there is strong evidence proving its existence, thereby establishing its deviation from the known rule and the customary attribute in this act of worship, namely the prayer by which a person draws near to his Lord, which is among the best voluntary acts of the body.
Fourth: We say that if this prayer were authentic, or if the hadith were authentic, it would have spread among the Ummah, because it contains a great virtue that the soul is inclined toward, as it contains a great virtue that encourages a person to perform it in hope of that virtue. It is known by custom that if something contains a great virtue and is outside the common and known, it would spread and become manifest to people in a great way, rather than being like what happened with this prayer. Instead, its transmission would be clear and apparent due to the abundance of motivations and eagerness to transmit it. Therefore, the safest course for a person is not to perform this prayer and not to worship Allah with it. What is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding voluntary prayers is sufficient and dispenses with this deed about which people differed and disagreed on its authenticity from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
This prayer, known as the Prayer of Tasbih, was narrated by Abu Dawud and others. The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed regarding its prescription, and this difference is based on their disagreement over the authenticity of the hadith concerning it. They differed on this hadith: some deemed it authentic, some deemed it good, some deemed it weak, and some stated that it is fabricated and attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Among those who held this view were Ibn al-Jawzi and Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), who said: “Its hadith is a lie, and no imam among the imams recommended it.”
The view that is stronger in my opinion is that it is weak and not prescribed, and a person should not perform it. This is for the following reasons:
The first reason is that the default ruling for acts of worship is prohibition and restriction until valid evidence establishes their prescription. There is no valid evidence for this prayer that is free from contradiction, to which the soul can be reassured, and by which a person can answer when asked about this deed on the Day of Resurrection.
Second: Its hadith contains much disturbance and widespread disagreement, which leads to unease in the soul regarding it and doubt about its authenticity.
Third: It contains anomalies and deviates from the manner of prayer reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). An anomalous report that deviates from known characteristics cannot be accepted unless there is strong evidence proving its existence, thereby establishing its deviation from the known rule and the customary attribute in this act of worship, namely the prayer by which a person draws near to his Lord, which is among the best voluntary acts of the body.
Fourth: We say that if this prayer were authentic, or if the hadith were authentic, it would have spread among the Ummah, because it contains a great virtue that the soul is inclined toward, as it contains a great virtue that encourages a person to perform it in hope of that virtue. It is known by custom that if something contains a great virtue and is outside the common and known, it would spread and become manifest to people in a great way, rather than being like what happened with this prayer. Instead, its transmission would be clear and apparent due to the abundance of motivations and eagerness to transmit it. Therefore, the safest course for a person is not to perform this prayer and not to worship Allah with it. What is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding voluntary prayers is sufficient and dispenses with this deed about which people differed and disagreed on its authenticity from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).