The Interpretation of the Temporal Hour in the Prophetic Hadiths
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The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh: And upon you peace.
The questioner : May Allah greet you, our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Welcome.
The questioner : Regarding the hadiths in which the word "hour" is mentioned, such as the hadith of Ubayy when he came to the sermon and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering the khutbah. The Companion who came and sat next to Ubayy heard the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) reciting Surat al-Baqarah, so he asked, "When will you finish?" Ubayy’s face became stern, and he did not respond to him. Then he said, "I remained silent for an hour, then I asked him after an hour. He became stern and I remained silent for an hour." All of this happened while the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering the sermon. We know that the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was for the khutbah to be short. In the hadith, the word "hour" appears three times: he asks, then remains silent for an hour; he asks, then remains silent for an hour; he asks, then remains silent for an hour. In other hadiths, it is mentioned to seek the hour of response in the afternoon, in the last hour of the afternoon, or so. We would like to ask: is it the temporal hour that we know, or is it a specific duration less than or more than an hour?
The Shaykh : The answer is in the hadith of the hour of Friday. If you had recalled it or referred to it, it would have sufficed for you and spared you the question.
The questioner : The hadith says that the day of Friday is twelve hours?
The Shaykh : Yes, but in the hadiths, it is stated that it is the day of Friday, with the following addition, and he gestured with his hand to indicate a reduction. Go back to the hadiths narrated on this topic; you will find this addition. This addition is the answer to your question regarding the hadith of Ubayy ibn Ka'b. In brief, the "hour" does not refer to the conventional hour mentioned in the hadith of the hour of the day of Friday, where it is stated that the day of Friday is twelve hours and the hour of response is in the last of them. The "hour" in such a hadith is not intended to mean the same as the mention of the hour in many other texts, such as the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Ahqaf 46:35] Do you remember this verse?
The questioner : Yes, yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, so the intended meaning when this term is used is a time without a specific determination of that time. It is then interpreted within the limits of the context and preceding text. And if it is known to you that and there is no doubt that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was the master of jurists, and he would lengthen the recitation on Friday and shorten the sermon, then there is no doubt that when you keep this meaning in mind, you must interpret the "hour" to mean a moment or moments. In that case, the difficulty is resolved. Is that clear?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: And upon you peace.
The questioner : May Allah greet you, our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Welcome.
The questioner : Regarding the hadiths in which the word "hour" is mentioned, such as the hadith of Ubayy when he came to the sermon and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering the khutbah. The Companion who came and sat next to Ubayy heard the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) reciting Surat al-Baqarah, so he asked, "When will you finish?" Ubayy’s face became stern, and he did not respond to him. Then he said, "I remained silent for an hour, then I asked him after an hour. He became stern and I remained silent for an hour." All of this happened while the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering the sermon. We know that the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was for the khutbah to be short. In the hadith, the word "hour" appears three times: he asks, then remains silent for an hour; he asks, then remains silent for an hour; he asks, then remains silent for an hour. In other hadiths, it is mentioned to seek the hour of response in the afternoon, in the last hour of the afternoon, or so. We would like to ask: is it the temporal hour that we know, or is it a specific duration less than or more than an hour?
The Shaykh : The answer is in the hadith of the hour of Friday. If you had recalled it or referred to it, it would have sufficed for you and spared you the question.
The questioner : The hadith says that the day of Friday is twelve hours?
The Shaykh : Yes, but in the hadiths, it is stated that it is the day of Friday, with the following addition, and he gestured with his hand to indicate a reduction. Go back to the hadiths narrated on this topic; you will find this addition. This addition is the answer to your question regarding the hadith of Ubayy ibn Ka'b. In brief, the "hour" does not refer to the conventional hour mentioned in the hadith of the hour of the day of Friday, where it is stated that the day of Friday is twelve hours and the hour of response is in the last of them. The "hour" in such a hadith is not intended to mean the same as the mention of the hour in many other texts, such as the saying of Allah the Exalted:
an hour of a day
ساعة من نهارThe questioner : Yes, yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, so the intended meaning when this term is used is a time without a specific determination of that time. It is then interpreted within the limits of the context and preceding text. And if it is known to you that
The understanding of a man is the shortening of his sermon
من فقه الرجل قصر خطبتهThe questioner: Yes.
Source
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