What is the stronger position regarding the scholars' disagreement on the issue of a person praying alone behind the row, given the existence of the hadith "There is no prayer for one who prays alone behind the row," and what are the causes of this disagreement?
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The questioner : Your Eminence, some rulings in which the jurists have disagreed have explicit texts from the Book and the Sunnah, such as the prayer of a person alone behind the row. So, is it said regarding this text or this evidence: that it is weak and that there is no argument in it and no ruling is based upon it? Or is it said: that it is an authentic hadith and there is no independent legal reasoning against an explicit text? Which of these has occurred in this issue?
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
The disagreement among scholars is abundant in this issue and others, and its causes are also multiple. The cause of the disagreement may be that the scholar did not receive the hadith, and there is nothing strange about a scholar not receiving a hadith, because we mention a story in which a hadith was hidden from the greatest caliph, indeed from the second caliph of this Ummah and from the Companions with him. The hadith was hidden from them when the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), headed toward Sham. Along the way, it was said to him: the plague has struck in Sham, and the plague is a deadly epidemic. So he stopped and consulted all the Companions, the Muhajireen and the Ansar, and their opinions differed. Some said: Proceed and rely upon Allah; what has befallen you was not to miss you, and what has missed you was not to befall you, and you are going to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, so continue.
And some said: Do not destroy the Muslims; do not lead them into the plague to kill them, and with you are the elite of the Muhajireen and the Ansar. If they are killed by the plague, this is a great calamity, so return. They disagreed, but their opinion settled on returning. Then Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, the trustee of this Ummah, who held a high position with the Commander of the Faithful 'Umar, came to him. Indeed, when 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was stabbed, he said: "If Abu 'Ubaydah were alive, I would have appointed him as my successor over the Muslims". Abu 'Ubaydah came to 'Umar and said: "O Commander of the Faithful, how will you turn the people back? How will you return? Will you do this as a flight from the divine decree? We flee from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah". Then he gave him an example, saying: "If there were a valley with two branches": the valley means the watercourse.
"It has two branches, one fertile and the other barren, and you have camels. Would you not move them from the barren one to the fertile one and not go to the barren one? He said: I would not move them from the barren one to the fertile one. He said: By the decree of Allah? He said: By the decree of Allah. He said: So it is with us".
And during that, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) came. He had been absent for a need of his, and he heard the news, so he came to the Commander of the Faithful and said: "O Commander of the Faithful, I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say regarding the plague:". Look, the independent legal reasoning agreed with the explicit text. So I tell you, O my brothers: the explicit text may be hidden from a scholar, not reaching him, so he says something contrary to it, and he has done well in stopping at what he heard. Or the explicit text may reach him, but its authenticity to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is not clarified to him, so he says: this is a weak hadith and it is not acted upon.
Thirdly: it may reach him and he believes in its authenticity, but he does not understand it as the other person does, meaning: he errs in understanding, he interprets and errs in the interpretation. These are three.
And it may reach him and it is authentic with him and he understands it correctly, but he thinks that there is a counter-text, meaning: another text that opposes it, and the opposing text is stronger in his view than this one. These are four.
And fifthly: it may be established with him and have no opponent, but he thinks it is abrogated, so he takes what he thinks is the abrogating text. For example: This is established with two authentic hadiths from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the hadith of al-Bara' and the hadith of Jabir ibn Samurah. But in it is the hadith of Jabir: , so many scholars thought that eating camel meat does not break the ablution because Jabir says: Sunan an-Nasa'i 185 So he thought that this hadith abrogates the first hadith, because he said: , and the truth is that it is not abrogating because the context of the two texts is different. That one is regarding camel meat, raw or cooked, and this one is regarding what fire has touched in cooked food. In the early Islam, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform ablution, indeed he ordered ablution from what fire has touched, then he left that.
So one who thinks that the hadith is abrogated errs. The important thing is that the causes of disagreement are many, and the example mentioned by the brother questioner is prayer: the prayer of a person alone behind the row has multiple opinions among the scholars:
The first opinion: that his prayer is valid, whether the row in front of him is completed or not, but he left the preferred thing. This is the madhhab of Malik, al-Shafi'i, and Abu Hanifah, and a narration from Imam Ahmad. Look, most of the scholars are on this, that the prayer of one alone behind the row is valid, whether the first row before him is completed or not, meaning it is considered three and a half madhhabs of Imam Ahmad. Imam Ahmad has two statements in this: one that it is valid even without an excuse, and they interpreted his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Bulugh al-Maram 2:327 as negating perfection. They said: "No prayer" means no complete prayer; the meaning is not that the prayer is not valid.
And some scholars said: the prayer of one alone behind the row is not valid, whether the row before him is completed or not, due to the generality of his saying:Bulugh al-Maram 2:327, and . These are two opposing opinions.
The third opinion is a middle one, saying: if the row before him is completed, his prayer is valid, and if it is not completed, his prayer is not valid. And this opinion is the most correct of the opinions because the evidences converge in this opinion.
So the meaning of "There is no prayer for one who prays alone behind the row" is with the ability to stand in the row. But if he is not able, Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. Where would he go?
Would he leave the prayer with the congregation, saying: I will not pray, I will go alone, or what?
Some said: Go ahead and stand with the imam. This is not a solution, this is not a solution. If you go ahead with the imam, this necessitates passing over the backs of people by splitting the rows, and this harms the worshippers:.
Then if he goes ahead and stands with the imam, this results in a contradiction of the Sunnah. What is the Sunnah?
The Sunnah is that the imam stands alone in his place so that people do not follow two imams. If someone were with the imam, which one is the imam?
If we see this gathered picture, we say: which one is the imam?
Therefore we say: the Sunnah for the imam is to stand alone in his place so that it is clear that he is the imam who is followed, and this was the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Then if he goes ahead and prays with the imam, and another person comes, where does he go?
Say: go ahead with the imam, so they become three. Another comes and finds the row complete, we say: go ahead, so they become four. Ten come with the imam, but they are not all ten together. All ten together would be a row, and this is not possible.
But if he stands alone and prays alone, then another comes and stands with him and they form a row, then this middle opinion, which says: if you find the row complete, stand alone and there is no blame, this is the correct one, and it is the one in which the evidences converge, and it is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) and the choice of our Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'di, and it is the one in which the evidences converge.
So the important thing now is that the scholars and imams cannot contradict the explicit text with their knowledge that it is from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) except by interpretation, or by the concealment of the evidence, or by a stronger opinion in another, or by the opinion of abrogation. These are the excuses of the scholars in contradicting what appears from the texts. And I advise the brother questioner and the listeners also to read: *Raf' al-Malam 'an al-A'immah al-A'lam* (Lifting the Blame from the Distinguished Imams), by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), or our small treatise that we composed on this topic, which is: *Asbab Ikhtilaf al-'Ulama wa Mawqifuna Minhu* (The Causes of Scholars' Disagreement and Our Position Toward It). In that is sufficiency.
And in it are also examples that increase your knowledge, with examples of where some scholars contradicted the apparent text and the excuses of the scholars in that.
The questioner : What is the name of your book?
The Shaykh : Yes: *Asbab al-Ikhtilaf wa Mawqifuna Minhu* (The Causes of Disagreement and Our Position Toward It).
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
The disagreement among scholars is abundant in this issue and others, and its causes are also multiple. The cause of the disagreement may be that the scholar did not receive the hadith, and there is nothing strange about a scholar not receiving a hadith, because we mention a story in which a hadith was hidden from the greatest caliph, indeed from the second caliph of this Ummah and from the Companions with him. The hadith was hidden from them when the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), headed toward Sham. Along the way, it was said to him: the plague has struck in Sham, and the plague is a deadly epidemic. So he stopped and consulted all the Companions, the Muhajireen and the Ansar, and their opinions differed. Some said: Proceed and rely upon Allah; what has befallen you was not to miss you, and what has missed you was not to befall you, and you are going to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, so continue.
And some said: Do not destroy the Muslims; do not lead them into the plague to kill them, and with you are the elite of the Muhajireen and the Ansar. If they are killed by the plague, this is a great calamity, so return. They disagreed, but their opinion settled on returning. Then Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, the trustee of this Ummah, who held a high position with the Commander of the Faithful 'Umar, came to him. Indeed, when 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was stabbed, he said: "If Abu 'Ubaydah were alive, I would have appointed him as my successor over the Muslims". Abu 'Ubaydah came to 'Umar and said: "O Commander of the Faithful, how will you turn the people back? How will you return? Will you do this as a flight from the divine decree? We flee from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah". Then he gave him an example, saying: "If there were a valley with two branches": the valley means the watercourse.
"It has two branches, one fertile and the other barren, and you have camels. Would you not move them from the barren one to the fertile one and not go to the barren one? He said: I would not move them from the barren one to the fertile one. He said: By the decree of Allah? He said: By the decree of Allah. He said: So it is with us".
And during that, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) came. He had been absent for a need of his, and he heard the news, so he came to the Commander of the Faithful and said: "O Commander of the Faithful, I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say regarding the plague:
When you hear of it in a land, do not advance toward it, and if it breaks out in a land and you are in it, do not leave it to flee from it.
إذا سمعتم به في أرض فلا تقدموا عليها، وإذا وقع في أرض وأنتم فيها فلا تخرجوا منها فرارا منهThirdly: it may reach him and he believes in its authenticity, but he does not understand it as the other person does, meaning: he errs in understanding, he interprets and errs in the interpretation. These are three.
And it may reach him and it is authentic with him and he understands it correctly, but he thinks that there is a counter-text, meaning: another text that opposes it, and the opposing text is stronger in his view than this one. These are four.
And fifthly: it may be established with him and have no opponent, but he thinks it is abrogated, so he takes what he thinks is the abrogating text. For example:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us to perform ablution from the meat of camels.
أَمَر النبي عليه الصلاة والسلام بأن نتوضأ من لحوم الإبلThe last of the two practices of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was to leave off performing wudu for what has been touched by fire.
كان آخر الأمرين من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ترك الوضوء مما مست النارThat last of the two matters from the Messenger ofAllah (ﷺ) was leaving off ablution from that which had been touched by fire.
كان آخر الأمرين ترك الوضوء مما مست النارThe last of the two matters.
آخر الأمرينSo one who thinks that the hadith is abrogated errs. The important thing is that the causes of disagreement are many, and the example mentioned by the brother questioner is prayer: the prayer of a person alone behind the row has multiple opinions among the scholars:
The first opinion: that his prayer is valid, whether the row in front of him is completed or not, but he left the preferred thing. This is the madhhab of Malik, al-Shafi'i, and Abu Hanifah, and a narration from Imam Ahmad. Look, most of the scholars are on this, that the prayer of one alone behind the row is valid, whether the first row before him is completed or not, meaning it is considered three and a half madhhabs of Imam Ahmad. Imam Ahmad has two statements in this: one that it is valid even without an excuse, and they interpreted his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
The prayer of a person who prays alone behind the row is not accepted.
لا صلاة لمنفرد خلف الصفAnd some scholars said: the prayer of one alone behind the row is not valid, whether the row before him is completed or not, due to the generality of his saying:
The prayer of a person who prays alone behind the row is not accepted.
لا صلاة لمنفرد خلف الصفBecause the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) saw a man praying behind the rows and ordered him to repeat the prayer.
لأن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم رأى رجلا يصلي خلف الصف فأمره أن يعيد الصلاةThe third opinion is a middle one, saying: if the row before him is completed, his prayer is valid, and if it is not completed, his prayer is not valid. And this opinion is the most correct of the opinions because the evidences converge in this opinion.
So the meaning of "There is no prayer for one who prays alone behind the row" is with the ability to stand in the row. But if he is not able, Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. Where would he go?
Would he leave the prayer with the congregation, saying: I will not pray, I will go alone, or what?
Some said: Go ahead and stand with the imam. This is not a solution, this is not a solution. If you go ahead with the imam, this necessitates passing over the backs of people by splitting the rows, and this harms the worshippers:
Just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man stepping over necks on Friday and said: Sit down, for you have caused harm.
كما رأى النبي عليه الصلاة والسلام رجلا يتخطى الرقاب يوم الجمعة فقال: اجلس فقد آذيتThen if he goes ahead and stands with the imam, this results in a contradiction of the Sunnah. What is the Sunnah?
The Sunnah is that the imam stands alone in his place so that people do not follow two imams. If someone were with the imam, which one is the imam?
If we see this gathered picture, we say: which one is the imam?
Therefore we say: the Sunnah for the imam is to stand alone in his place so that it is clear that he is the imam who is followed, and this was the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Then if he goes ahead and prays with the imam, and another person comes, where does he go?
Say: go ahead with the imam, so they become three. Another comes and finds the row complete, we say: go ahead, so they become four. Ten come with the imam, but they are not all ten together. All ten together would be a row, and this is not possible.
But if he stands alone and prays alone, then another comes and stands with him and they form a row, then this middle opinion, which says: if you find the row complete, stand alone and there is no blame, this is the correct one, and it is the one in which the evidences converge, and it is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) and the choice of our Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'di, and it is the one in which the evidences converge.
So the important thing now is that the scholars and imams cannot contradict the explicit text with their knowledge that it is from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) except by interpretation, or by the concealment of the evidence, or by a stronger opinion in another, or by the opinion of abrogation. These are the excuses of the scholars in contradicting what appears from the texts. And I advise the brother questioner and the listeners also to read: *Raf' al-Malam 'an al-A'immah al-A'lam* (Lifting the Blame from the Distinguished Imams), by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), or our small treatise that we composed on this topic, which is: *Asbab Ikhtilaf al-'Ulama wa Mawqifuna Minhu* (The Causes of Scholars' Disagreement and Our Position Toward It). In that is sufficiency.
And in it are also examples that increase your knowledge, with examples of where some scholars contradicted the apparent text and the excuses of the scholars in that.
The questioner : What is the name of your book?
The Shaykh : Yes: *Asbab al-Ikhtilaf wa Mawqifuna Minhu* (The Causes of Disagreement and Our Position Toward It).