Benefits of the Hadith (The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) were, during his lifetime, waiting for...)

The Shaykh : This hadith provides evidence for an important benefit:
It is that what the Companions did during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is a proof, whether we know that he became aware of it or not. If we know that he became aware of it, it is clear that it is a proof. The reason for its clarity is the approval of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of it.
And if we do not know that he became aware of it, then Allah, of whom nothing is hidden in the earth or in the heaven, has become aware of it. And the silence of Allah regarding it is evidence that He was pleased with it, because if someone did something in secret and Allah the Exalted was not pleased with it, He would make it known, as He the Exalted said: . This indicates that what was done during the lifetime of the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) or said during his time is a proof, whether we know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) became aware of it or not. This is an important benefit.
An example of this is this hadith. If someone were to say: What informs us that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not become aware of it?
We say: If we assume, hypothetically, that he did not become aware of it, then Allah has become aware of it.
And among this is that the stronger position is the permissibility of a person obligated to pray following a person performing a voluntary prayer. That is, a person prays a voluntary prayer and behind him is someone praying an obligatory prayer. The evidence is the action of Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him), for he used to pray the 'Isha' prayer with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then return to his people and pray that prayer with them.
So if someone were to say: Do we know that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) became aware of that? We say: On the assumption that he did not become aware of it, then Allah Mighty and Majestic has become aware of it and approved it. Moreover, it is unlikely that the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) did not become aware of it, given what happened regarding the man’s lagging behind in the prayer with Mu'adh due to his lengthening of it, and the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) admonition of Mu'adh. The important point is that this rule is very useful. We have seen many scholars (may Allah have mercy on them), when debating such matters, say: And who informed us that the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) became aware of it?!
We say: Praise be to Allah, if we do not know that the Messenger became aware of it, then Allah has become aware of it. For this reason, if someone conceals something that Allah does not approve of, Allah the Exalted makes it known.
Among the benefits of this hadith is that the action of the Companions is a proof, and this is during the lifetime of the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him), with no doubt in it, due to the approval of Allah and His Messenger. But after him, is the action of the Companions a proof?
The answer is: If they reach consensus on it, then it is a proof. And there is no doubt that their consensus is something that can be ascertained. The intended consensus that is considered valid is the consensus of the people of knowledge, the people of independent legal reasoning, and these can be enumerated during the time of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). If they have reached consensus on a statement or an action, the matter is clear that it is a proof. And if one of them is unique in it, but it spread and became widespread, such as if one of them says a statement during a sermon to the people or something similar to that, then it is referred to as being like consensus, and it becomes a proof. Among this is that the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), narrated to the people on the pulpit and mentioned the tashahhud to them, saying: as narrated by Imam Malik in *al-Muwatta* with a sound chain free from any defect. He said this in the gathering of the Companions, and he was teaching the Muslim community this tashahhud which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught his community. By this, we prioritize this report from 'Umar over the statement of Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him): It is said: This is an independent legal reasoning by Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), but it is in opposition to the explicit text. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught his community to say this, and he did not distinguish between his life and his death, nor between those present with him in the mosque and those absent. And how many are the worshippers who pray with other than the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Then, do the worshippers themselves, when they say: Peace be upon you, O Prophet, say it as if they are saying it when they pass by him, such that they expect to receive a response from him?
The answer is: No, and for this reason they say it secretly, and the Messenger does not know about it. The matter is clear in such cases.
So, if they reach consensus on a statement, it is a proof. If one person is unique in it and it becomes famous and is not denied, it is a proof.
And if one person says it and it is not known that it spread, then if he is among those whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explicitly mentioned to follow, his statement is a proof. A proof by the Sunnah, not because they are Companions, such as Abu Bakr and 'Umar. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged following them specifically, and he said: And he (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) said: And if this is in a specific case, we say: We analogize the remaining cases to it, and that these two men, the Rightly Guided Caliphs, are closer to the truth than others without a doubt.
And if he is not among those who were explicitly mentioned, then if he is among the jurists of the Companions known for their scrupulousness and breadth of knowledge, their statement is a proof. And if he is from the general Companions, I have seen Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) hold that the statement of a Companion takes precedence over analogical reasoning and that it is a proof. But there is some hesitation in this, because some Companions, like a man who came as a delegate to the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) and received from him what he received of jurisprudence in religion, then returned to his people. If he says a statement other than what he took from the Messenger, there is some hesitation in it being a proof for the community that obligates them to adopt it.
So if someone were to say: Why did the author bring this hadith?
We say: He brought it as an indication that light sleep does not invalidate the ablution. So let us speak about sleep:
Al-Shawkani mentioned in *Nail al-Awtar* eight opinions of the scholars regarding it, because the scholars disagreed on it based on the difference in the hadiths. And the difference in the hadiths, praise be to Allah, is a difference in wording, as it is possible to reconcile them. So, does sleep invalidate the ablution?
There is disagreement in the answer, with eight opinions:
Some said: It does not invalidate it absolutely. Some said: It invalidates it absolutely. And some distinguished in this matter, and this last opinion is the correct one:
The correct view is to distinguish regarding sleep, because sleep itself is not a state of ritual impurity such that we would say it invalidates both its little and its much, like urine and feces. Rather, sleep is a place where a state of ritual impurity is likely to occur, due to the hadith: So it is a place where a state of ritual impurity is likely to occur.
And if it is a place where a state of ritual impurity is likely to occur, we look: If it is deep sleep, meaning that if a person were to pass a state of ritual impurity, he would not be aware of himself, then the sleep here invalidates the ablution due to the possibility that he passed a state of ritual impurity and did not feel it. And whether he was lying down, sitting, bowing, or standing, in any case we say: If he were to pass a state of ritual impurity, he would not be aware of himself, then his sleep invalidates the ablution. But if he were to pass a state of ritual impurity, he would be aware of himself, then his sleep does not invalidate the ablution, even if a dream or vision appeared to him, or if he was lying down, leaning, prostrating, or bowing. As long as he says: If I were to pass a state of ritual impurity, I would be aware, then sleep does not invalidate the ablution. Even if he remained for an hour or two, dozing off, and he knows that if he were to pass a state of ritual impurity, he would be aware, then his ablution is not invalidated. Why?
Because the original state is the continuation of the ablution, so we do not invalidate it with doubt.
So if someone were to say: And if he is sleeping and does not feel himself if he passes a state of ritual impurity, did he pass a state of ritual impurity? Do we know for certain that he passed a state of ritual impurity?
No, so how do we invalidate the ablution with it, while we say that the original state is the continuation of the ablution, so it is not invalidated except with certainty?
We say: Because this sleep is a place where a state of ritual impurity is likely to occur, and the regulation of the issue is based on it. The regulation of the operative cause is not possible, and where the regulation of the operative cause is not possible, the manifestation of the cause and its absence are equal. This is the aspect of the issue.
And also, we have the evidence of the hadith of Safwan ibn 'Assal mentioned previously, which says: So this is a hadith, and we act upon it.
So, if someone were to say: If reason is lost without sleep, such as if a person faints, does his ablution become invalidated by both the little and the much?
Answer: Yes, because in a state of unconsciousness, a person loses sensation, and it is not possible for him to say, "If I had passed wind, I would have felt it." Therefore, unconsciousness invalidates the ablution in all cases. For this reason, if a man is unconscious for a full day and then regains consciousness, he is not required to make up the prayer. However, if he sleeps for a full day, he is required to make up the prayer, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . As for unconsciousness, making up the prayer is not obligatory because the unconscious person cannot become aware, even if he is alerted or woken up; he cannot become aware. He is in the position of a person of unsound mind who cannot sense anyone. Yes.
Shall we continue?
Fine, there is only one left; we will not give five minutes to one person.
Fine, and among the benefits of this hadith is that the ablution is not obligatory except for the prayer, based on his saying: . However, the evidence here is weak, because the matter is a specific case concerning them while they were waiting for the 'Isha' prayer. But there are hadiths indicating that the ablution is not obligatory except for the prayer, in the wording of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) cited them in his defense of the position he held that the tawaf (circumambulation) of the House does not require the ablution. He mentioned evidence that, when a person examines it, it becomes clear to him that this is the truth, and that the tawaf of the House does not require the ablution. Consequently, if a person breaks his state of purity during the tawaf, let him continue. If he reaches the Sacred Mosque in heavy crowds and has not performed the ablution, we say: perform the tawaf, and we do not oblige him to go with that hardship to perform the ablution. However, if the matter is easy, there is no doubt that the ablution is better as a precaution and in following the majority of scholars, and that when he finishes his tawaf, he will pray two rak'ahs, and the prayer requires the ablution by consensus.