Explanation of the Book of Prayer and Its Times-02b
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The reader: Ali ibn Abdullah narrated to us, saying: Sufyan narrated to us, saying: Abu Hazim narrated to us, saying: They asked Sahl ibn Sa'd, "From what material was the minbar made?" He said: Abu Abdullah said: Ali ibn Abdullah said: "Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) asked me about this hadith", he said: "I only intended that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was higher than the people, so there is no harm in the imam being higher than the people based on this hadith. He said: I said: Sufyan ibn Uyaynah used to ask about this frequently, so did you not hear it from him? He said: No".
The Shaykh : The point of this is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed on the wood, but because the steps of the minbar were narrow, he could not prostrate on it. So he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would stand, bow, and raise his head while on the minbar, then go back and prostrate on the ground. And he said to them:Sahih Muslim 544a, and a great sign occurred for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding this incident of the minbar, which is: Sunan Ibn Majah 1415Sahih (Darussalam) in the Prophet's Mosque , meaning the camels, due to the loss of the station of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) there , and in this is evidence that the Companions were looking at the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) during his prayer and his movements, due to his saying: Sahih Muslim 544a And this is the apparent meaning. So is it said that other imams are like him? Or is it said that he is not like the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is followed and all his actions are legislation, unlike others? We say that if looking at the imam is a condition for following him... if following the imam depends on looking at him, then let him look at him, such as if a man is deaf and cannot hear the takbir, and he cannot follow the imam except by looking, then let him look. Otherwise, it is better not to look at him.
Some of our contemporary scholars argued from this that the takbirs—the takbirs of transition—are all the same, and some are not distinguished from others. He said: "Because if he had distinguished between the takbirs, the people would have known that without him ascending the minbar". It was said to him: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ascending the minbar so that they would follow him is one thing, and so that they would learn his prayer is another. He said: "Yes, and if following him had no effect, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would not have mentioned it". And what I hold in this issue is that the imam does not distinguish between the takbirs, and that this is the sunnah, because if he had distinguished, it would have been transmitted. The most I have seen from the words of the scholars is that they said: "It is recommended to lengthen the takbir when descending from standing to prostration, or when rising from prostration to standing, due to the length of the interval between them".
And with this, there is something in the soul regarding this. And what we see is that the takbirs are the same. Some people say: This does not comfort us, it does not comfort the ma'mumin. It is said to them: It does not comfort them the first time, because it has become customary for most imams to distinguish between the takbirs. So this ma'mum is a follower. When the takbir changes for him, he knows whether he is sitting or standing. But if the takbirs do not differ for him, it is harder on his soul, meaning what is on his soul now, lest he stand in the place of sitting, or sit in the place of standing, and the people would blame him. And when people get used to it, it becomes easy for him. And I, in the beginning of my imamate in this mosque, did what people do: when sitting, there is a specific takbir. Then some of the brothers who came from Medina visited me and said to me: "Why do you do this thing? Do you have a report for it?" I said: "No, but I followed others". He said: "There is no report for it, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family)". So I did it the first time, and they said to me: "Glory be to Allah, Glory be to Allah!". Why? They were accustomed to the takbir of sitting being different from the takbir of standing. But praise be to Allah, after that they knew and they no longer thought that I had erred. Good.
I am the most knowledgeable person among the people about this. It was made from a tree of the forest. So-and-so, the freed slave of So-and-so, made it for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood on it when it was made and placed, and he faced the qiblah, said the takbir, and the people stood behind him. He recited and bowed, and the people bowed behind him. Then he raised his head, then went back, and prostrated on the ground. Then he returned to the minbar, then bowed, then raised his head, then went back until he prostrated on the ground. This is how it was.
ما بقي بالناس أعلم مني هو من أثل الغابة، عمله فلان مولى فلانة لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، وقام عليه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حين عمل ووضع، فاستقبل القبلة كبر وقام الناس خلفه، فقرأ وركع وركع الناس خلفه، ثم رفع رأسه ثم رجع القهقرى، فسجد على الأرض، ثم عاد إلى المنبر ثم ركع ثم رفع رأسه ثم رجع القهقرى حتى سجد بالأرض، فهذا شأنهThe Shaykh : The point of this is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed on the wood, but because the steps of the minbar were narrow, he could not prostrate on it. So he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would stand, bow, and raise his head while on the minbar, then go back and prostrate on the ground. And he said to them:
I have done it so that you should follow me and learn (my mode of) prayer.
إنما فعلت هذا لتأتموا بي ولتعلموا صلاتيthe Prophet (ﷺ) used to deliver the sermon leaning on a tree trunk
أنه كان يخطب إلى جذع نخلةAnd when he preached from the minbar the first Friday, this trunk began to moan like the moaning of a pregnant camel.
ولما خطب على المنبر أول جمعة، صار لهذا الجذع حنين كحنين العشارUntil the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) came down and quieted it, quieting it as a woman quiets her child, so it became quiet.
حتى نزل الرسول عليه الصلاة والسلام وسكته، سكته كما تسكت المرأة طفلها فسكتI have done it so that you should follow me and learn (my mode of) prayer.
إنما فعلت هذا لتأتموا بي ولتعلموا صلاتيSome of our contemporary scholars argued from this that the takbirs—the takbirs of transition—are all the same, and some are not distinguished from others. He said: "Because if he had distinguished between the takbirs, the people would have known that without him ascending the minbar". It was said to him: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ascending the minbar so that they would follow him is one thing, and so that they would learn his prayer is another. He said: "Yes, and if following him had no effect, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would not have mentioned it". And what I hold in this issue is that the imam does not distinguish between the takbirs, and that this is the sunnah, because if he had distinguished, it would have been transmitted. The most I have seen from the words of the scholars is that they said: "It is recommended to lengthen the takbir when descending from standing to prostration, or when rising from prostration to standing, due to the length of the interval between them".
And with this, there is something in the soul regarding this. And what we see is that the takbirs are the same. Some people say: This does not comfort us, it does not comfort the ma'mumin. It is said to them: It does not comfort them the first time, because it has become customary for most imams to distinguish between the takbirs. So this ma'mum is a follower. When the takbir changes for him, he knows whether he is sitting or standing. But if the takbirs do not differ for him, it is harder on his soul, meaning what is on his soul now, lest he stand in the place of sitting, or sit in the place of standing, and the people would blame him. And when people get used to it, it becomes easy for him. And I, in the beginning of my imamate in this mosque, did what people do: when sitting, there is a specific takbir. Then some of the brothers who came from Medina visited me and said to me: "Why do you do this thing? Do you have a report for it?" I said: "No, but I followed others". He said: "There is no report for it, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family)". So I did it the first time, and they said to me: "Glory be to Allah, Glory be to Allah!". Why? They were accustomed to the takbir of sitting being different from the takbir of standing. But praise be to Allah, after that they knew and they no longer thought that I had erred. Good.