The General Text and the Practice of the Salaf.

The questioner : We always say, or generally, that the issue of generality and the practice of the Salaf is such that when it comes to matters of worship, one looks to the practice of the Salaf and does not go beyond it. And unless it was part of their practice... we stop, so that we do not enter into... But sometimes, it is obligatory to act on some general texts without looking to the practice of the Salaf.

The Shaykh : I am answering you regarding this general text... unless there is evidence against acting on it. If you understand this statement, the difficulty is removed.

The questioner : This statement is understood, but there are aspects of it that are not clear to me due to a lack of investigation. I mean, unless there is established evidence against acting on it. For example, if the motivations and eagerness to transmit this matter were present.

The Shaykh : So, you are correct in some respects. I wanted to tell you that there may be a general text that includes a specific detail. If the Salaf had acted on this detail, it would have become widespread and famous, and... consequently, it would have entered the domain of transmission, but that is not the case... It is a general text, but it is not of that type, meaning that acting on it is not of a nature that would be public and well-known. Is this clear up to this point?

The questioner : Is this clear up to here?

The Shaykh : So, by that, you can infer. Now, we have brought this rule to refute some specific details that some people discuss while being unaware of this rule. For example, Is this not an absolute text? Some of its parts were explained in some specific hadiths. For example, they were traveling, and if a tree or a stone separated them, and they met behind it, one of them would greet his brother with the greeting. This is a part of the general text. Understood? And before lunch, we were discussing with some of our brothers regarding an innovation, and we argued that it is an innovation using this rule: that one of them enters and shakes hands with the attendees, five, ten, fewer or more, praise be to Allah... So when he enters, "Peace be upon you" is the obligatory act, and this is the Sunnah. But he does not sit and shake hands with every person sitting there, and every one of them does not give the greeting individually. It is clear that if this had been done in the early period, it would have been transmitted to us. About two hours ago, we were discussing this hadith.
The Shaykh: With this rule, we also refute a Sunnah that some distinguished scholars claim, which is placing the hand on the chest after raising the head from bowing, which is referred to as the second standing. They argue for this using general texts. But these general texts are not from the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), whom we are certain places every word in its proper place. Nor is it so regarding the narrators, whether they are from the Companions or others. They may bring a general text without realizing that this general text may convey to the listeners a meaning greater than what... the speaker of this general text intended. For example, there is a hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) "when he stood in prayer, he placed his right hand over his left." This is not from his words (peace be upon him), but this is the words of one of the narrators, Wail ibn Hujr, from your Yemeni land. But what did he intend by this statement? Did he intend what he saw, or did he intend more than what he did not see? There is no doubt that he did not intend more than what he did not see. For us to understand this hadith, we must know what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do. We say our answer to this is from two aspects. The first aspect is that those who transmitted the placement of the hands of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) only transmitted it in the first standing, not in the second standing. And this Companion who says "The Messenger of Allah used to..." conveys by his words more than what was transmitted to us of his action (peace and blessings be upon him). Here, the same previous question applies. Just as we argued for the innovation of "Peace be upon you" on every handshake, so we argued for the innovation of this second placement. No one transmitted it, neither from the Companions nor from the Successors, absolutely, until some who claim to be like us in the science of hadith came. The hadith is general, and one must act on the generality until something comes to specify it. It is said, indeed... and it is authentic, but not in its absolute sense. Otherwise, by its absoluteness, we would open a door of innovation that we would not be able to close unless we join the innovators. As for these people, their way is to argue with general texts, as we all know that. But if we take a matter that is not of a nature to... because if it were done, it would be done this way in Hajj or in congregation. If it occurred, the motivations to transmit it would be present. Here, we say we act on the general text. If the obstacle you pointed out earlier is found, we say this generality is not... And surely, a person will find many specific details, some of which resemble the two previous examples, and some of which I cannot recall now, that do not fall under matters that are public and would be transmitted if done. I believe the rule is now clear, but it needs an example.

The questioner : Now, in this issue, if the greeting, "Peace be upon you," "Peace be upon you" to every person sitting, if it were done, it would be transmitted, because this is something for which the motivations and eagerness to transmit it are present. But similarly, it is said in a hadith: So here, whenever they meet, they shake hands. Is the handshake something that is not of a nature for which the motivations and eagerness to transmit it are present?

The Shaykh : Before answering, keep your question in mind. What can be understood from the hadith: .

The questioner : It is understood from it the generality of meeting, meaning any meeting where a handshake follows the greeting.

The Shaykh : You have returned to what you refuted.

The questioner : This generality.

The Shaykh : I know, but I find the image for myself. The image that you apply based on this generality.

The questioner : Based on exaggeration in this meeting, for example... My question is about this, but this meeting means if Muslims meet in the street, on the road, like this, they shake hands. But for example, any meeting, meaning the generality of this includes any meeting.

The Shaykh : For example, we say any meeting. One goes out and says "Peace be upon you." When he returns, he says "Peace be upon you." But it is not permissible to shake hands in this situation.

The questioner : Okay, our Shaykh, the criterion now for knowing...

The Shaykh : The thing for which the motivations and eagerness to transmit it are present, and it was not transmitted.

The questioner : The thing for which the eagerness and motivations to transmit it are present, and the thing for which the eagerness and motivations to transmit it are not present. The criterion for this and that.

The Shaykh : The criterion, theoretically, I explained it to you, but in reality, the issue requires, I mean, an example.