Benefits of the Hadith: (… I prayed with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) one night, and he began with al-Baqarah. I thought he would bow at the hundredth verse, but he continued. I thought he would pray with it in one rak'ah…)
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Several benefits are derived from this hadith. One is the permissibility of praying the night prayer in congregation, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved of Hudhayfah’s prayer with him. If it had been disapproved, he would not have approved of it. Another is the recommendation of lengthening the recitation in the night prayer. Hamid?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes. Another benefit is that one should ask for protection when passing a verse of seeking protection, seek protection when passing a verse of seeking protection, and glorify Allah when passing a verse of glorification. But is this prescribed in the obligatory prayer as it is prescribed in the voluntary prayer? The answer is that we have a broad principle: what is established in the voluntary is established in the obligatory unless there is evidence to the contrary. However, if someone says that the evidence indicates that it is not prescribed in the obligatory prayer, because those who described the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) prayer in the obligatory did not say that he used to glorify Allah, even though they followed him completely, to the point that they could see his beard moving with the recitation, and here they did not report that he used to glorify Allah at the verse of glorification, or ask for protection at the verse of seeking protection, or seek protection at the verse of seeking protection, should we make this evidence that it is not prescribed in the obligatory? Yes? Perhaps we can make it evidence, because if the Messenger had done it, the Companions would have reported it. It is not said that the absence of reporting is not a report of absence, and that what is established in the voluntary is established in the obligatory, because we say that the absence of reporting in a situation that necessitates reporting is evidence of absence. Therefore, the well-known principle “the absence of reporting is not a report of absence” applies only when there is no need for reporting and yet it is not reported; this indicates that it is absent. Now, if it is not prescribed, is it permissible? It appears that it is permissible, and there is disagreement among scholars on this issue. Some say it is disliked in the obligatory and recommended in the voluntary. Some say it is permissible in the obligatory and prescribed in the voluntary. And some say it is prescribed in both, meaning there are three opinions: it is prescribed in the voluntary and in the obligatory. But what appears to me is that it is prescribed in the voluntary, especially in the night prayer, and permissible in the obligatory.
Also, it may be derived from this hadith that when one passes a verse that requires a response, he should respond to it, such as some of the interrogatives.[Az-Zumar 39:36] You say “Yes” [At-Tin 95:8] Yes You say “Yes.” The Sunnah has come regarding such matters, because this is an interrogative from Allah (Mighty and Majestic), so it must be answered. It was even said that it was mentioned that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) recited Surat al-Rahman to his Companions, and when he finished it, he said , and they used to respond with [Ar-Rahman 55:13] “We do not deny any of the favors of our Lord.” There is a concern regarding this hadith; there is a concern about its authenticity, but in any case, it indicates that this interrogative from the Lord must have a response. Yes.
Among the benefits of this hadith, we mentioned that there is no harm in praying in congregation for the night prayer, but what? Sometimes, not always, except for the standing in Ramadan, for the Sunnah is that people pray the standing in Ramadan in congregation from the beginning of the month to the end.
Among the benefits is that it is permissible for a person to reverse the order of the surahs, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began with al-Nisa before al-Imran, and this is evidence of the permissibility of deviating from the order in the mushaf. The reason for this is that the order of the surahs is partly based on divine instruction and partly on the ijtihad of the Companions. Here there are three matters, or rather four: the order of the surahs, the order of the verses, the order of the words, and the order of the letters. The order of the surahs is partly ijtihad and partly divine instruction. For example, Subhan and al-Ghashiyah are based on divine instruction, because it appears that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited them one after the other, and that is the Sunnah. Al-Jumu'ah and al-Munafiqun are based on divine instruction. Al-Baqarah and al-Imran are based on divine instruction, because as we said a moment ago, in the last presentation, he placed al-Baqarah then al-Imran. And whatever is not based on divine instruction is the ijtihad of the Companions. For this reason, the mushafs of the Companions differed in the order of the surahs.
The verses?
The student: Based on divine instruction.
The Shaykh : Based on divine instruction, based on divine instruction without a doubt. For this reason, you sometimes find some verses that seem to a person as if they are not in their place… His saying, Blessed and Exalted is He,[Al-Baqarah 2:238-239] .
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes?[Al-Baqarah 2:239] Good.
These are in verses that speak about the waiting period of a woman when she is divorced or her husband dies. What is the connection? We say that the order of the verses is what? Based on divine instruction, we have no hand in it. The order of the words?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Also based on divine instruction. If I said[Al-Fatihah 1:2] Good. The order of the letters?
The student: Even more so.
The Shaykh : Even more so, without a doubt. If I said “Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds” instead of “Lord,” this is a great denial, and it cannot be approved. So we have four orders here. The first one, brother?
The student: The order of the surahs.
The Shaykh : Yes, and is it based on divine instruction or ijtihad?
The student: Based on divine instruction.
The Shaykh : May Allah bless you. The second?
The student: The verses.
The Shaykh : The verses.
The student: The order is based on divine instruction.
The Shaykh : Their order is based on divine instruction. And the third, Samih?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : The words, also based on divine instruction. And the fourth, Abd al-Rahman? The letters.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Based on divine instruction, perfect. But if someone says: The hadith of Hudhayfah indicates the permissibility of advancing and delaying, we say it is true that it indicates the permissibility of advancing and delaying, but since the latter is advancing al-Imran over al-Nisa, this… Then it is said, if a person deviates from the order and begins with the end of the Qur'an before the beginning, we say if it is for a benefit, there is no harm, such as teaching children, and this is, to my knowledge, agreed upon by scholars that children are taught from the end of the Qur'an because it is easier and has shorter surahs, so they taught the children from the end of the Qur'an. And there is no doubt in its permissibility. But if it is for other than a benefit or need, there is no doubt that it is better to be in order, because this is what the majority of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) agreed upon, and what the majority of them agreed upon is closer to the truth. As for being certain of dislike, there is something in this, because dislike requires evidence. Good. Then, is it disliked to deviate from the order in one rak'ah, or even in two rak'ahs? This depends on the disagreement: is the recitation of the prayer one recitation, or is there a separate recitation for each rak'ah? There is disagreement… disagreement. So whoever says that the recitation of the prayer is a separate recitation for each rak'ah says that there is no harm in reciting from the end of the Qur'an in the first rak'ah and from the beginning in the second, and he says that he seeks protection in each rak'ah because each rak'ah is a separate recitation. And whoever says it is one recitation says that leaving the order in two rak'ahs is like leaving the order in one rak'ah.
Among the benefits of this hadith is that the glorification in bowing is with greatness, “Subhan Rabbi al-Azim” (Glory be to my Lord, the Great), and the glorification in prostration is with elevation, “Subhan Rabbi al-A'la” (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High). The wisdom behind this is that bowing is magnification; bending indicates magnification, but it is not a lowering of the person, in the sense that the person has not placed the upper part of his body at the lower part of his body, so the glorification of magnification is more appropriate here. But in prostration, the person places the highest part of him at the lowest part of him at the place of the feet, so here it is appropriate to what? It is appropriate to praise Allah with elevation, so it is said “Subhan Rabbi al-A'la” (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High), and this is clear. And look at the traveler: when he ascends a high place, he says “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is the Greatest), and when he descends, he says “Subhan Allah” (Glory be to Allah), because elevation may lead the soul to arrogance, loftiness, and superiority, so he reminds himself and says “Allah is the Greatest.” And as for descending, it is humility and modesty, so it is appropriate to purify Allah (Mighty and Majestic) from this lowliness and say “Subhan Allah” (Glory be to Allah).
Among the benefits of this hadith is that one repeats “Subhan Rabbi al-Azim” (Glory be to my Lord, the Great) in bowing. Good, what if he repeats it a thousand times?
The student: It does not harm.
The Shaykh : It does not harm, rather this is the Sunnah. In prostration, one also repeats “Subhan Rabbi al-A'la” (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High). But one should make bowing for the magnification of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and in prostration, one should increase in supplication, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded.
And among the benefits of this hadith is the exaltation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), "Glory be to my Lord, the Most High." What is the first thing that comes to mind for one with a sound natural disposition when saying "Glory be to my Lord, the Most High"? Yes, the exaltation of His Essence. There is no doubt among the general public or the specialists that the first thing that comes to their hearts when they say "Glory be to my Lord, the Most High" is the exaltation of the Essence, and that Allah the Exalted is above everything. It is astonishing that this intuitive understanding... is denied by those whom Allah has turned their hearts upside down. They say that Allah is in every place, may Allah protect us from that. In the markets, in the mosques, in the houses, in the wastelands, in filthy places, may Allah protect us from that. And the opposite of that is the one who says that Allah is not in a place, that Allah is not in a place, that He is not inside the world nor outside the world, not connected to the world nor separated from it, not distinct from it, and not neutral. This is the closest thing to...
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : ...non-existence. Some scholars said, if we were asked to describe non-existence, we would not find a description more fitting than this description. Where is it? In any case, the exaltation of the Essence is a natural matter upon which creation is created. And the story that occurred between Abu Ishaq al-Isfara'ini and who was the other one? Abu al-Ma'ali al-Juwayni, yes.
The student: al-Hamadhani.
The Shaykh : And al-Hamadhani, Abu al-'Ala' al-Hamadhani. A short debate occurred between these two, and it was that Abu al-Ma'ali al-Juwayni, may Allah have mercy on him, used to deny the rising above the Throne because it is one of the voluntary actions, and voluntary actions, according to these Asha'irah, cannot be attributed to Allah. They claim that events do not subsist except in an event, so any action that is voluntary, Allah cannot do it, neither descending to the lowest heaven, nor rising above the Throne, nor coming on the Day of Resurrection to judge between the servants. So al-Hamadhani said to him, he said to him "O teacher, leave us the matter of the Throne and the mention of the Throne. What do you say about this natural disposition? No one has ever said 'O Allah' without finding in his heart a necessity to seek the exaltation". Is this correct?
The student: Yes, it is correct.
The Shaykh : Every person who says "O Allah," where does his heart go? Upward. It is a necessity to seek the exaltation. So he kept slapping his head and saying, "al-Hamadhani has confused me, he has confused me." He could not answer this because this is a natural matter, upon which the human being is created. So much so that we debated a group of people from a certain country on the day of 'Id al-Adha, and we were in Mina. We spoke to them about the exaltation of the Essence and told them that this is a natural matter. They were speaking in a language other than Arabic, which we did not know; they were babbling. When we established the exaltation of the Essence, they were very agitated. Some of them stood up, and we said to them, "Yesterday you were in the open desert and you were calling upon Allah. When you say 'O Lord,' do you put your hand down, or to the right, or to the left? Where... where do you raise it?" They said, "We raise it upward." Good, this is evidence. Are you not calling upon Allah? They said, "The sky is the direction of supplication, just as we face the Ka'bah, which is the direction of prayer, so for supplication we face upward." Good, the one being called upon: if the one being called upon is not above, then there is no benefit in raising the hand. In any case, the point is that if Allah blinds a person's insight, and may Allah protect us from that, he contradicts the natural disposition known to everyone. Even the old women now, if you ask them, "Where is Allah?"
The student: "In the heavens."
The Shaykh : In the sky. The slave girl, a slave girl, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked her, he saidSunan Abi Dawud 3282Sahih (Al-Albani). But also, when we say "Glory be to my Lord, the Most High" in prostration, we should also remember the second meaning of exaltation, which is the exaltation of the Attribute. We should say that Allah is the Highest in everything: the Highest in knowledge, the Highest in power, the Highest in hearing, the Highest in sight, the Highest in everything, so that we combine the two meanings. That is, it is not merely feeling that Allah is in the sky; add to that the feeling that Allah is above everything in His attributes (Mighty and Majestic). Yes.
The questioner : Shaykh?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes. Another benefit is that one should ask for protection when passing a verse of seeking protection, seek protection when passing a verse of seeking protection, and glorify Allah when passing a verse of glorification. But is this prescribed in the obligatory prayer as it is prescribed in the voluntary prayer? The answer is that we have a broad principle: what is established in the voluntary is established in the obligatory unless there is evidence to the contrary. However, if someone says that the evidence indicates that it is not prescribed in the obligatory prayer, because those who described the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) prayer in the obligatory did not say that he used to glorify Allah, even though they followed him completely, to the point that they could see his beard moving with the recitation, and here they did not report that he used to glorify Allah at the verse of glorification, or ask for protection at the verse of seeking protection, or seek protection at the verse of seeking protection, should we make this evidence that it is not prescribed in the obligatory? Yes? Perhaps we can make it evidence, because if the Messenger had done it, the Companions would have reported it. It is not said that the absence of reporting is not a report of absence, and that what is established in the voluntary is established in the obligatory, because we say that the absence of reporting in a situation that necessitates reporting is evidence of absence. Therefore, the well-known principle “the absence of reporting is not a report of absence” applies only when there is no need for reporting and yet it is not reported; this indicates that it is absent. Now, if it is not prescribed, is it permissible? It appears that it is permissible, and there is disagreement among scholars on this issue. Some say it is disliked in the obligatory and recommended in the voluntary. Some say it is permissible in the obligatory and prescribed in the voluntary. And some say it is prescribed in both, meaning there are three opinions: it is prescribed in the voluntary and in the obligatory. But what appears to me is that it is prescribed in the voluntary, especially in the night prayer, and permissible in the obligatory.
Also, it may be derived from this hadith that when one passes a verse that requires a response, he should respond to it, such as some of the interrogatives.
Is not Allah sufficient for His Servant
أَلَيسَ اللَّهُ بِكافٍ عَبدَهُIs not Allah the most just of judges?
أَلَيسَ اللَّهُ بِأَحكَمِ الحاكِمينَIs not He able to give life to the dead?
أَلَيسَ ذلِكَ بِقادِرٍ عَلى أَن يُحيِيَ المَوتىThe jinn are better than you in response.
إن الجن خير منكم رداSo which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?
فَبِأَيِّ آلاءِ رَبِّكُما تُكَذِّبانِAmong the benefits of this hadith, we mentioned that there is no harm in praying in congregation for the night prayer, but what? Sometimes, not always, except for the standing in Ramadan, for the Sunnah is that people pray the standing in Ramadan in congregation from the beginning of the month to the end.
Among the benefits is that it is permissible for a person to reverse the order of the surahs, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began with al-Nisa before al-Imran, and this is evidence of the permissibility of deviating from the order in the mushaf. The reason for this is that the order of the surahs is partly based on divine instruction and partly on the ijtihad of the Companions. Here there are three matters, or rather four: the order of the surahs, the order of the verses, the order of the words, and the order of the letters. The order of the surahs is partly ijtihad and partly divine instruction. For example, Subhan and al-Ghashiyah are based on divine instruction, because it appears that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited them one after the other, and that is the Sunnah. Al-Jumu'ah and al-Munafiqun are based on divine instruction. Al-Baqarah and al-Imran are based on divine instruction, because as we said a moment ago, in the last presentation, he placed al-Baqarah then al-Imran. And whatever is not based on divine instruction is the ijtihad of the Companions. For this reason, the mushafs of the Companions differed in the order of the surahs.
The verses?
The student: Based on divine instruction.
The Shaykh : Based on divine instruction, based on divine instruction without a doubt. For this reason, you sometimes find some verses that seem to a person as if they are not in their place… His saying, Blessed and Exalted is He,
(238) Maintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle prayer and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient. (239) And if you fear [an enemy, then pray] on foot or riding. But when you are secure, then remember Allah
حافِظوا عَلَى الصَّلَواتِ وَالصَّلاةِ الوُسطى وَقوموا لِلَّهِ قانِتينَ * فَإِن خِفتُم فَرِجالًا أَو رُكبانًا فَإِذا أَمِنتُم فَاذكُرُوا اللَّهَThe student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes?
as He has taught you that which you did not [previously] know.
كَما عَلَّمَكُم ما لَم تَكونوا تَعلَمونَThese are in verses that speak about the waiting period of a woman when she is divorced or her husband dies. What is the connection? We say that the order of the verses is what? Based on divine instruction, we have no hand in it. The order of the words?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Also based on divine instruction. If I said
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds -
الحمد لله رب العالمينThe student: Even more so.
The Shaykh : Even more so, without a doubt. If I said “Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds” instead of “Lord,” this is a great denial, and it cannot be approved. So we have four orders here. The first one, brother?
The student: The order of the surahs.
The Shaykh : Yes, and is it based on divine instruction or ijtihad?
The student: Based on divine instruction.
The Shaykh : May Allah bless you. The second?
The student: The verses.
The Shaykh : The verses.
The student: The order is based on divine instruction.
The Shaykh : Their order is based on divine instruction. And the third, Samih?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : The words, also based on divine instruction. And the fourth, Abd al-Rahman? The letters.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Based on divine instruction, perfect. But if someone says: The hadith of Hudhayfah indicates the permissibility of advancing and delaying, we say it is true that it indicates the permissibility of advancing and delaying, but since the latter is advancing al-Imran over al-Nisa, this… Then it is said, if a person deviates from the order and begins with the end of the Qur'an before the beginning, we say if it is for a benefit, there is no harm, such as teaching children, and this is, to my knowledge, agreed upon by scholars that children are taught from the end of the Qur'an because it is easier and has shorter surahs, so they taught the children from the end of the Qur'an. And there is no doubt in its permissibility. But if it is for other than a benefit or need, there is no doubt that it is better to be in order, because this is what the majority of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) agreed upon, and what the majority of them agreed upon is closer to the truth. As for being certain of dislike, there is something in this, because dislike requires evidence. Good. Then, is it disliked to deviate from the order in one rak'ah, or even in two rak'ahs? This depends on the disagreement: is the recitation of the prayer one recitation, or is there a separate recitation for each rak'ah? There is disagreement… disagreement. So whoever says that the recitation of the prayer is a separate recitation for each rak'ah says that there is no harm in reciting from the end of the Qur'an in the first rak'ah and from the beginning in the second, and he says that he seeks protection in each rak'ah because each rak'ah is a separate recitation. And whoever says it is one recitation says that leaving the order in two rak'ahs is like leaving the order in one rak'ah.
Among the benefits of this hadith is that the glorification in bowing is with greatness, “Subhan Rabbi al-Azim” (Glory be to my Lord, the Great), and the glorification in prostration is with elevation, “Subhan Rabbi al-A'la” (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High). The wisdom behind this is that bowing is magnification; bending indicates magnification, but it is not a lowering of the person, in the sense that the person has not placed the upper part of his body at the lower part of his body, so the glorification of magnification is more appropriate here. But in prostration, the person places the highest part of him at the lowest part of him at the place of the feet, so here it is appropriate to what? It is appropriate to praise Allah with elevation, so it is said “Subhan Rabbi al-A'la” (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High), and this is clear. And look at the traveler: when he ascends a high place, he says “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is the Greatest), and when he descends, he says “Subhan Allah” (Glory be to Allah), because elevation may lead the soul to arrogance, loftiness, and superiority, so he reminds himself and says “Allah is the Greatest.” And as for descending, it is humility and modesty, so it is appropriate to purify Allah (Mighty and Majestic) from this lowliness and say “Subhan Allah” (Glory be to Allah).
Among the benefits of this hadith is that one repeats “Subhan Rabbi al-Azim” (Glory be to my Lord, the Great) in bowing. Good, what if he repeats it a thousand times?
The student: It does not harm.
The Shaykh : It does not harm, rather this is the Sunnah. In prostration, one also repeats “Subhan Rabbi al-A'la” (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High). But one should make bowing for the magnification of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and in prostration, one should increase in supplication, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded.
And among the benefits of this hadith is the exaltation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), "Glory be to my Lord, the Most High." What is the first thing that comes to mind for one with a sound natural disposition when saying "Glory be to my Lord, the Most High"? Yes, the exaltation of His Essence. There is no doubt among the general public or the specialists that the first thing that comes to their hearts when they say "Glory be to my Lord, the Most High" is the exaltation of the Essence, and that Allah the Exalted is above everything. It is astonishing that this intuitive understanding... is denied by those whom Allah has turned their hearts upside down. They say that Allah is in every place, may Allah protect us from that. In the markets, in the mosques, in the houses, in the wastelands, in filthy places, may Allah protect us from that. And the opposite of that is the one who says that Allah is not in a place, that Allah is not in a place, that He is not inside the world nor outside the world, not connected to the world nor separated from it, not distinct from it, and not neutral. This is the closest thing to...
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : ...non-existence. Some scholars said, if we were asked to describe non-existence, we would not find a description more fitting than this description. Where is it? In any case, the exaltation of the Essence is a natural matter upon which creation is created. And the story that occurred between Abu Ishaq al-Isfara'ini and who was the other one? Abu al-Ma'ali al-Juwayni, yes.
The student: al-Hamadhani.
The Shaykh : And al-Hamadhani, Abu al-'Ala' al-Hamadhani. A short debate occurred between these two, and it was that Abu al-Ma'ali al-Juwayni, may Allah have mercy on him, used to deny the rising above the Throne because it is one of the voluntary actions, and voluntary actions, according to these Asha'irah, cannot be attributed to Allah. They claim that events do not subsist except in an event, so any action that is voluntary, Allah cannot do it, neither descending to the lowest heaven, nor rising above the Throne, nor coming on the Day of Resurrection to judge between the servants. So al-Hamadhani said to him, he said to him "O teacher, leave us the matter of the Throne and the mention of the Throne. What do you say about this natural disposition? No one has ever said 'O Allah' without finding in his heart a necessity to seek the exaltation". Is this correct?
The student: Yes, it is correct.
The Shaykh : Every person who says "O Allah," where does his heart go? Upward. It is a necessity to seek the exaltation. So he kept slapping his head and saying, "al-Hamadhani has confused me, he has confused me." He could not answer this because this is a natural matter, upon which the human being is created. So much so that we debated a group of people from a certain country on the day of 'Id al-Adha, and we were in Mina. We spoke to them about the exaltation of the Essence and told them that this is a natural matter. They were speaking in a language other than Arabic, which we did not know; they were babbling. When we established the exaltation of the Essence, they were very agitated. Some of them stood up, and we said to them, "Yesterday you were in the open desert and you were calling upon Allah. When you say 'O Lord,' do you put your hand down, or to the right, or to the left? Where... where do you raise it?" They said, "We raise it upward." Good, this is evidence. Are you not calling upon Allah? They said, "The sky is the direction of supplication, just as we face the Ka'bah, which is the direction of prayer, so for supplication we face upward." Good, the one being called upon: if the one being called upon is not above, then there is no benefit in raising the hand. In any case, the point is that if Allah blinds a person's insight, and may Allah protect us from that, he contradicts the natural disposition known to everyone. Even the old women now, if you ask them, "Where is Allah?"
The student: "In the heavens."
The Shaykh : In the sky. The slave girl, a slave girl, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked her, he said
Narrated Mu'awiyah b. al-Hakam al-Sulami: I said: Messenger of Allah, I have a slave girl whom I slapped. This grieved the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). I said to him: Should I not emancipate her? He said: Bring her to me. He said: Then I brought her. He asked: Where is Allah ? She replied: In the heaven. He said: Who am I ? She replied: You are the Messenger of Allah. He said: Emancipate her, she is a believer.
أين الله؟ قالت في السماء، قال أعتقها فإنها مؤمنةThe questioner : Shaykh?