On what basis is the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) regarding the negation of the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) praying toward a sutrah to be understood?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : In the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas, the precision in the matter is this: if a hadith negates something, from the perspective of Arabic style, the negated thing may not be everything, but rather a specific type. For example, in known expressions, or in the Prophetic hadith, his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Mishkat al-Masabih 35Hasan (Zubair `Aliza'i). Here, the negated thing is not absolute faith, but a specific type of faith, namely complete faith. Is this clear?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Good. In the famous old Arabic usages, "There is no young man but 'Ali, and no sword but al-Dhu al-Fiqar." Are there no young men but 'Ali? There are many young men; but a young man in his strength and vitality, etc., there are no such young men. So the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas can be understood as referring to a known sutrah, for example, what is established in the Sunnah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray toward the peg, he used to pray toward the saddle, he used to pray toward the camel, he used to pray toward the tree. There was absolutely nothing of these things in the desert. So the narrator said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not pray toward anything other than a sutrah, meaning from the known sutrahs of these types. It is possible that there was a stone, a natural stone, meaning I mean one that came from the earth or the sand, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned toward it. And this is what we actually do in many of our trips and outings to our deserts; we do not make the effort at that time to take a special sutrah. So the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas can be understood as negating a special sutrah. Why do the scholars go to the path of what we shall call the path of interpretations and suppositions, so that we do not invalidate the hadiths that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) directed to the community in a general manner? Perhaps this has clarified the answer to you, if Allah wills.
The questioner : The evidence.
The Shaykh : Are these proofs sufficient? What is the proof that a person eats pork if he is overcome by extreme hunger? The proof is the Qur'an. Is this Qur'anic text rational in meaning or devotional?
The telephone rang.
The Shaykh : Yes. And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, how are you? Welcome. And upon you and them be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. In the context of deepening knowledge of the religion, when Allah the Exalted mentioned the forbidden things in the Qur'an, then He said [Al-An'am 6:119]. This explicit exception which permits eating the forbidden is a rule. Is this exception rational in meaning or devotional, not rational in meaning? This matter that I am currently addressing, students of knowledge must be aware of it so that they are truly, or are truly jurists. So I do not know, and I am being held accountable, did you understand what I mean by this question?
The questioner : Regarding the rule you mentioned... in the prohibited things.
The Shaykh : No, no, I am saying the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-An'am 6:119]. This is a legal ruling, there is no doubt in it. Is this legal ruling rational in meaning or devotional? Have you heard of this philosophy in the past of your time?
The questioner : I heard you, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Good, but perhaps once or twice. Among the scholars, there is a very important rule that legal rulings are divided into two categories: a devotional category, and a category rational in meaning. By the first category, they mean that we do not know why Allah obligated us with that ruling, whatever ruling it is, and examples will come. As for the second category, the ruling rational in meaning, the answer comes: we know why our Lord decreed this ruling for us. Let us give an example for each of the two categories... bring some water, bring... The example of the devotional: Our Lord the Exalted obligated us with five prayers. - It is strange, it is cold, it is cold, where are you? I told you repeatedly, learn to mix, put the cup here and bring a cup of plain water so we can improve the mix, not every mix is acceptable, yes.
The students laugh.
The Shaykh : The point is that our Lord obligated us with five prayers every day and night. Why five and not six or four? What do they say about this answer to this question? It is a devotional command, not rational in meaning. In the same five prayers, you see types: four-unit, three-unit, two-unit, loud, silent, half-loud, half-silent. Why? We do not know, it is devotional, not rational in meaning. We come to -In the name of Allah...- the hadiths of sales, specifically the chapter of prohibitions. He prohibited gharar, he prohibited najash, he prohibited buying al-lamas and al-nabdh and the like. Are these devotional or rational in meaning? These are rational in meaning. Why? Because they cause disputes and conflicts among Muslims. If this rule is clear to you, devotional not rational in meaning, and rational in meaning; now we return to the Qur'anic exception[Al-An'am 6:119]. Since the forbidden things mentioned in the context of the verse, including pork, are forbidden, why did Allah permit it to the Muslim? Is it rational in meaning or unknown in meaning? The answer is rational in meaning, to preserve his life. Good; is this clear and does it not need explanation?
The questioner : Is that clear?
The Shaykh : If you know this, you will know at that time the proof for what Imam al-Shatibi mentioned. Now the enemies have attacked a part of the lands of Islam, and there is nothing in the state's treasury to help it equip the Muslim army to repel the harm of this disbeliever invader. Do we surrender and they kill us and they take our women captive and they enslave our children, and so on, just because we do not have a specific text for taking wealth other than the wealth of zakah? Here is the greatness of Islam. Has the matter become clear to you, if Allah wills? Good; but there is something I mention on the occasion of speaking about taxes. It is not only that there is nothing in the state's treasury, but there is another condition. It is not permissible to impose taxes, even if the state's treasury is poor or empty, unless the state is implementing the rulings of zakah and collecting the wealth obligated in Islam. If it does this duty and then the total amount of wealth through the lawful means by text does not suffice, then at that time it is referred to the imposition that the question was about. Clear.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Good. It is finished.
The questioner : It is finished.
He who is not trustworthy has no faith, and he who does not keep his covenant has no religion.
لا إيمان لمن لا أمانة له ولا دين لمن لا عهد لهThe questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Good. In the famous old Arabic usages, "There is no young man but 'Ali, and no sword but al-Dhu al-Fiqar." Are there no young men but 'Ali? There are many young men; but a young man in his strength and vitality, etc., there are no such young men. So the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas can be understood as referring to a known sutrah, for example, what is established in the Sunnah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray toward the peg, he used to pray toward the saddle, he used to pray toward the camel, he used to pray toward the tree. There was absolutely nothing of these things in the desert. So the narrator said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not pray toward anything other than a sutrah, meaning from the known sutrahs of these types. It is possible that there was a stone, a natural stone, meaning I mean one that came from the earth or the sand, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned toward it. And this is what we actually do in many of our trips and outings to our deserts; we do not make the effort at that time to take a special sutrah. So the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas can be understood as negating a special sutrah. Why do the scholars go to the path of what we shall call the path of interpretations and suppositions, so that we do not invalidate the hadiths that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) directed to the community in a general manner? Perhaps this has clarified the answer to you, if Allah wills.
The questioner : The evidence.
The Shaykh : Are these proofs sufficient? What is the proof that a person eats pork if he is overcome by extreme hunger? The proof is the Qur'an. Is this Qur'anic text rational in meaning or devotional?
The telephone rang.
The Shaykh : Yes. And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, how are you? Welcome. And upon you and them be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. In the context of deepening knowledge of the religion, when Allah the Exalted mentioned the forbidden things in the Qur'an,
It is forbidden for you to eat carrion and blood
حرمت عليكم الميتة والدمexcepting that to which you are compelled
إلا ما اضطررتم إليه ..The questioner : Regarding the rule you mentioned... in the prohibited things.
The Shaykh : No, no, I am saying the saying of Allah the Exalted:
excepting that to which you are compelled
إلا ما اضطررتم إليه ...The questioner : I heard you, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Good, but perhaps once or twice. Among the scholars, there is a very important rule that legal rulings are divided into two categories: a devotional category, and a category rational in meaning. By the first category, they mean that we do not know why Allah obligated us with that ruling, whatever ruling it is, and examples will come. As for the second category, the ruling rational in meaning, the answer comes: we know why our Lord decreed this ruling for us. Let us give an example for each of the two categories... bring some water, bring... The example of the devotional: Our Lord the Exalted obligated us with five prayers. - It is strange, it is cold, it is cold, where are you? I told you repeatedly, learn to mix, put the cup here and bring a cup of plain water so we can improve the mix, not every mix is acceptable, yes.
The students laugh.
The Shaykh : The point is that our Lord obligated us with five prayers every day and night. Why five and not six or four? What do they say about this answer to this question? It is a devotional command, not rational in meaning. In the same five prayers, you see types: four-unit, three-unit, two-unit, loud, silent, half-loud, half-silent. Why? We do not know, it is devotional, not rational in meaning. We come to -In the name of Allah...- the hadiths of sales, specifically the chapter of prohibitions. He prohibited gharar, he prohibited najash, he prohibited buying al-lamas and al-nabdh and the like. Are these devotional or rational in meaning? These are rational in meaning. Why? Because they cause disputes and conflicts among Muslims. If this rule is clear to you, devotional not rational in meaning, and rational in meaning; now we return to the Qur'anic exception
excepting that to which you are compelled
إلا ما اضطررتم إليه ...The questioner : Is that clear?
The Shaykh : If you know this, you will know at that time the proof for what Imam al-Shatibi mentioned. Now the enemies have attacked a part of the lands of Islam, and there is nothing in the state's treasury to help it equip the Muslim army to repel the harm of this disbeliever invader. Do we surrender and they kill us and they take our women captive and they enslave our children, and so on, just because we do not have a specific text for taking wealth other than the wealth of zakah? Here is the greatness of Islam. Has the matter become clear to you, if Allah wills? Good; but there is something I mention on the occasion of speaking about taxes. It is not only that there is nothing in the state's treasury, but there is another condition. It is not permissible to impose taxes, even if the state's treasury is poor or empty, unless the state is implementing the rulings of zakah and collecting the wealth obligated in Islam. If it does this duty and then the total amount of wealth through the lawful means by text does not suffice, then at that time it is referred to the imposition that the question was about. Clear.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Good. It is finished.
The questioner : It is finished.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.