Explanation of the author's statement: "…either by ijtihad or by the certain report of a trustworthy person…"
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : He said, "either by ijtihad or by the certain report of a trustworthy person". Here the author mentioned the means by which a preponderant opinion is obtained. The first means is ijtihad, but on the condition that the one performing ijtihad possesses the tools for ijtihad, meaning he must be a scholar. If he is not a scholar, his ijtihad is not acted upon because he is not one of those qualified for ijtihad. If a person prayed the midday prayer and said, "I will pray the afternoon prayer when the time between midday and sunset has passed," but the time between midday and sunset had not yet passed, and he prayed anyway, is this person's prayer based on valid ijtihad? No. Therefore, one must have knowledge of ijtihad.
Similarly, in the night prayer, if he performed ijtihad and prayed the night prayer while the redness was still present, without seeing the strong, bright light disappear, we say his prayer is not valid. Why? Because he prayed before the time, and because he is not qualified for ijtihad since he does not know when the time for the sunset prayer ends and the time for the night prayer begins.
This is the second ijtihad, or the certain report of a trustworthy person. This means is from someone else; that is, a man informs you that the time has entered, but he informs you with certainty by saying, "I saw the sun set," or "I saw the dawn break." If he informs you based on ijtihad or a preponderant opinion, you do not act on his statement. Pay attention, because the author says, "the certain report of a trustworthy person". Certain, not one who performed ijtihad or one who built on his preponderant opinion. Rather, he must be certain. If someone asks, "Is it not permissible for a person to build on his own ijtihad and his own preponderant opinion?" We say, yes. But here he built on someone else, and the branch is weaker than the root. Because if he performs ijtihad for himself, he is the root. If he builds on the report of another, he is a branch, and the branch is weaker than the root. For this reason, one does not build on something based on ijtihad or based on a preponderant opinion. If someone tells you, "Pray the sunset prayer," and you ask him, "Has the sun set?" and he says, "By Allah, I think it has set," do you act on his statement? You do not act on it, according to the author's statement.
Now, if you yourself have a preponderant opinion that the sun has set, you act on that. And the author's statement, "trustworthy", refers to whom? The trustworthy one is the one whose statement is trusted because he is accountable, and because he can, yes, and because he is truthful, meaning he can be truthful, meaning he is an adult, sane, and honest, and is not known for lying or for haste and rushing. However, this statement by the author that one must be certain is subject to consideration. The correct view is that if someone you trust informs you, it is permissible for you to pray based on his report, whether his report is based on certainty or a preponderant opinion. Because, as long as you do not know and are not able to perform ijtihad, and we said you do not act on the report of this person who is performing ijtihad, this involves hardship. And the Muslims have continued to act on the call to prayer of the mu'adhdhins. Many mu'adhdhins at that time would sometimes call to prayer based on a preponderant opinion because there were many clouds and they did not have clocks to determine the time precisely, so their call to prayer was based on a preponderant opinion. And the Muslims have continued to act on the call to prayer of the mu'adhdhins.
Therefore, we say that a person knows the entry of the time either by his own ijtihad, because he is qualified for ijtihad due to his knowledge of the times, their beginning and end, or by the report of someone whose statement he trusts, whether he reports based on opinion or certainty. Yes, that is correct.
And the author's statement, "or the report of a trustworthy person", includes the case where the one informing is a woman. If a woman informs you of the entry of the time, you act on her statement, because this is a religious report and not a testimony, so her statement is acted upon.
Similarly, in the night prayer, if he performed ijtihad and prayed the night prayer while the redness was still present, without seeing the strong, bright light disappear, we say his prayer is not valid. Why? Because he prayed before the time, and because he is not qualified for ijtihad since he does not know when the time for the sunset prayer ends and the time for the night prayer begins.
This is the second ijtihad, or the certain report of a trustworthy person. This means is from someone else; that is, a man informs you that the time has entered, but he informs you with certainty by saying, "I saw the sun set," or "I saw the dawn break." If he informs you based on ijtihad or a preponderant opinion, you do not act on his statement. Pay attention, because the author says, "the certain report of a trustworthy person". Certain, not one who performed ijtihad or one who built on his preponderant opinion. Rather, he must be certain. If someone asks, "Is it not permissible for a person to build on his own ijtihad and his own preponderant opinion?" We say, yes. But here he built on someone else, and the branch is weaker than the root. Because if he performs ijtihad for himself, he is the root. If he builds on the report of another, he is a branch, and the branch is weaker than the root. For this reason, one does not build on something based on ijtihad or based on a preponderant opinion. If someone tells you, "Pray the sunset prayer," and you ask him, "Has the sun set?" and he says, "By Allah, I think it has set," do you act on his statement? You do not act on it, according to the author's statement.
Now, if you yourself have a preponderant opinion that the sun has set, you act on that. And the author's statement, "trustworthy", refers to whom? The trustworthy one is the one whose statement is trusted because he is accountable, and because he can, yes, and because he is truthful, meaning he can be truthful, meaning he is an adult, sane, and honest, and is not known for lying or for haste and rushing. However, this statement by the author that one must be certain is subject to consideration. The correct view is that if someone you trust informs you, it is permissible for you to pray based on his report, whether his report is based on certainty or a preponderant opinion. Because, as long as you do not know and are not able to perform ijtihad, and we said you do not act on the report of this person who is performing ijtihad, this involves hardship. And the Muslims have continued to act on the call to prayer of the mu'adhdhins. Many mu'adhdhins at that time would sometimes call to prayer based on a preponderant opinion because there were many clouds and they did not have clocks to determine the time precisely, so their call to prayer was based on a preponderant opinion. And the Muslims have continued to act on the call to prayer of the mu'adhdhins.
Therefore, we say that a person knows the entry of the time either by his own ijtihad, because he is qualified for ijtihad due to his knowledge of the times, their beginning and end, or by the report of someone whose statement he trusts, whether he reports based on opinion or certainty. Yes, that is correct.
And the author's statement, "or the report of a trustworthy person", includes the case where the one informing is a woman. If a woman informs you of the entry of the time, you act on her statement, because this is a religious report and not a testimony, so her statement is acted upon.