Discussion on the topic of placing the hands on the chest in prayer, mentioning that some narrators are unique in this addition.

The questioner : The book "Ghuniyat al-Alami" contains three issues in its third section, and this question relates to the hadith regarding placing the hands on the chest in prayer. It criticizes the statement of Imam Ibn al-Qayyim in "Zad al-Ma'ad" and other books, where he said: "No one said 'on his chest' except Mu'amal ibn Isma'il," and clarified its meaning. He stated that the intent is that al-Thawri's narration from 'Asim ibn Kulayb means he is unique in this addition among al-Thawri's other companions, whereas this addition...

The Shaykh : Who is the one who is unique?

The questioner : The hadith of 'Asim ibn Kulayb from Sufyan al-Thawri.

The Shaykh : No, the opposite; Sufyan from 'Asim. Well, who is the one who is unique?

The questioner : So, regarding Sufyan al-Thawri's hadith, Sufyan al-Thawri in the hadith of Wa'il ibn Hujr is unique in this addition that he mentioned among the other narrators of this hadith, which is reported through other routes, such as the hadith of Hulbah al-Tai in "Musnad al-Imam Ahmad." So, he directed this statement to apply to a specific chain of narration, not that it is absolutely established that it was not on the chest in any of the authentic hadiths. Do you consider the hadith of Hulbah al-Tai to be good or authentic, if you were to authenticate it?

The Shaykh : It is good. Al-Tirmidhi grades his hadith as good when it comes through this route. But the expression that Sufyan al-Thawri is the one who is unique in the addition of placing on the chest from 'Asim ibn Kulayb from his father from Wa'il; I do not know, are you new to this phrase? Is the phrase present here with you?

The questioner : No, I don't have it... it is there.

The Shaykh : It is not there. The one who is unique is not Sufyan al-Thawri, but the one who narrated from him. And if my memory does not fail me, the one who is unique in it is Mu'amal ibn Isma'il.

The questioner : Mu'amal ibn Isma'il.

The Shaykh : Yes, that is correct.

The questioner : Mu'amal is unique in this addition among his companions. Yes, this is the stated text. I got confused.

The Shaykh : So, Mu'amal is on the pattern of *muhammal* and not *mu'amil*. Mu'amal ibn Isma'il is the one who was unique from Sufyan al-Thawri in explicitly stating the placement on the chest. But in my opinion, the difference between this Mu'amal and the others who participated in narrating the hadith from Sufyan al-Thawri is a verbal difference, not a semantic one; such that we would be forced in the latter case to say that the addition of "chest" in the hadith is denounced; because Mu'amal ibn Isma'il has poor memory. That is not the case; because a verbal difference does not have an effect.

The questioner : This means there is a type of clarification in it.

The Shaykh : That is it, yes.
So, if we were to dispense with it absolutely and imagine the loss of Mu'amal's narration from Sufyan, we would lose nothing.

The questioner : We would lose nothing.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And beware of that.