What is the validity of the prayer-goers saying, "May Allah establish it and make it lasting," when the iqamah is called? Is it a religious innovation, and what is the ruling on one who does it relying on a weak hadith, and the weak hadith is acted upon in matters of virtues?
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The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you peace and the mercy of Allah
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh. A person stood up in one of the mosques, and he was a young man.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : A young man stood up in one of the mosques, striving, and spoke about some religious innovations in the prayer.
And he said that among the religious innovations is saying "May Allah establish it and make it lasting" when the mu'adhdhin calls the iqamah. So when he finished, another person stood up and refuted him in the same mosque, saying that this is not a religious innovation because it was reported in a weak hadith, and the weak hadith is taken into account in the chapter of virtues.
The Shaykh : In what?
The questioner : In the chapter of virtues.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : According to the statement of this man.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : And he relies on a fatwa.
The Shaykh : Ah?
The questioner : He relied on the fatwa of this person or on the words of one of the shaykhs.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed. The statement of the one who says, when the mu'adhdhin says "The prayer has begun," "May Allah establish it and make it lasting," is based on a weak hadith, as the last brother said. So the hadith in this matter is weak.
But some jurists acted upon it and said that he should say what the mu'adhdhin says, except when he says "The prayer has begun," in which case he says "May Allah establish it and make it lasting."
And as long as there is scholarly disagreement among the scholars of the Sunnah in this matter, it is not befitting for us to say to the one who said it that he is an innovator. As for the last man's statement that it is in the virtues of deeds, the virtues of deeds do not establish rulings. The virtues of deeds do not establish rulings, I mean. So weak hadiths do not establish rulings.
And whoever says that weak hadiths are cited as evidence in the virtues, his intention is: if a weak hadith is reported regarding the virtue of a deed, the deed is established by the Sunnah, but there is a virtue in it, and this virtue came in another weak hadith. He says, "We take this weak hadith because if the established matter is commanded, this weak hadith containing the virtue supports this command and increases the person's enthusiasm."
Then, if the hadith is authentic, that is what the person wants. And if it is not authentic, it only increases his strength in obedience. And if the hadith is a prohibition and a warning against this action is reported in a weak hadith, this warning, if it is authentic, the person is safe from this punishment. And if it is not authentic, it only increases his distance from sin, which is a desirable matter.
So the conclusion is that a weak hadith cannot establish any of the rulings. Even "The prayer has begun" is not established by a weak hadith. So whoever does not find the hadith authentic does not say it. And whoever sees that the hadith is good and is evidence, he says it.
Therefore, the scholars say that it is not permissible to cite a weak hadith as evidence except with three conditions:
The first: that the weakness is not severe. The second: that there is an established basis for this deed which has the virtue or the warning. The third: that one does not believe that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said it.
And citing the weak hadith is not absolute, but the weak hadith is cited in the chapter of encouragement and in the chapter of warning, on the condition that there is an established basis for the thing being encouraged or the thing being warned against. Yes, and I think you have heard the adhan now, which is the limit for this session. And until another session, if Allah wills.
And the discussion in it, if Allah wills, will be about Hajj and what is related to it, due to the nearness of the Hajj season. We ask Allah the Exalted to keep us and you firm with the firm word in this worldly life and in the Hereafter.
The Shaykh : And upon you peace and the mercy of Allah
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh. A person stood up in one of the mosques, and he was a young man.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : A young man stood up in one of the mosques, striving, and spoke about some religious innovations in the prayer.
And he said that among the religious innovations is saying "May Allah establish it and make it lasting" when the mu'adhdhin calls the iqamah. So when he finished, another person stood up and refuted him in the same mosque, saying that this is not a religious innovation because it was reported in a weak hadith, and the weak hadith is taken into account in the chapter of virtues.
The Shaykh : In what?
The questioner : In the chapter of virtues.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : According to the statement of this man.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : And he relies on a fatwa.
The Shaykh : Ah?
The questioner : He relied on the fatwa of this person or on the words of one of the shaykhs.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed. The statement of the one who says, when the mu'adhdhin says "The prayer has begun," "May Allah establish it and make it lasting," is based on a weak hadith, as the last brother said. So the hadith in this matter is weak.
But some jurists acted upon it and said that he should say what the mu'adhdhin says, except when he says "The prayer has begun," in which case he says "May Allah establish it and make it lasting."
And as long as there is scholarly disagreement among the scholars of the Sunnah in this matter, it is not befitting for us to say to the one who said it that he is an innovator. As for the last man's statement that it is in the virtues of deeds, the virtues of deeds do not establish rulings. The virtues of deeds do not establish rulings, I mean. So weak hadiths do not establish rulings.
And whoever says that weak hadiths are cited as evidence in the virtues, his intention is: if a weak hadith is reported regarding the virtue of a deed, the deed is established by the Sunnah, but there is a virtue in it, and this virtue came in another weak hadith. He says, "We take this weak hadith because if the established matter is commanded, this weak hadith containing the virtue supports this command and increases the person's enthusiasm."
Then, if the hadith is authentic, that is what the person wants. And if it is not authentic, it only increases his strength in obedience. And if the hadith is a prohibition and a warning against this action is reported in a weak hadith, this warning, if it is authentic, the person is safe from this punishment. And if it is not authentic, it only increases his distance from sin, which is a desirable matter.
So the conclusion is that a weak hadith cannot establish any of the rulings. Even "The prayer has begun" is not established by a weak hadith. So whoever does not find the hadith authentic does not say it. And whoever sees that the hadith is good and is evidence, he says it.
Therefore, the scholars say that it is not permissible to cite a weak hadith as evidence except with three conditions:
The first: that the weakness is not severe. The second: that there is an established basis for this deed which has the virtue or the warning. The third: that one does not believe that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said it.
And citing the weak hadith is not absolute, but the weak hadith is cited in the chapter of encouragement and in the chapter of warning, on the condition that there is an established basis for the thing being encouraged or the thing being warned against. Yes, and I think you have heard the adhan now, which is the limit for this session. And until another session, if Allah wills.
And the discussion in it, if Allah wills, will be about Hajj and what is related to it, due to the nearness of the Hajj season. We ask Allah the Exalted to keep us and you firm with the firm word in this worldly life and in the Hereafter.