Continuation of the discussion on the issue: claiming affiliation with the righteous Salaf, sectarian fanaticism, and its bad effects.
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Continuation of the discussion on the issue: claiming affiliation with the righteous Salaf, sectarian fanaticism, and its bad effects.
The Shaykh : So I return to that Shi'ite prince who became a Sunni and was offered the choice to adopt one of the two madhhabs. He said to them: "Fine, but I want to know what this madhhab says and what that one says." He suggested that two senior scholars from the two madhhabs be brought—one Hanafi and one Shafi'i—so that each would perform the prayer according to his own madhhab, and then he would observe which of the two prayers was acceptable to him and affiliate himself with that madhhab. The author of the printed treatise states that they brought a learned scholar from among the Hanafi scholars. He was told to pray before the prince according to the Hanafi method so that the prince could observe it after the Shafi'i prayer and choose one of the two madhhabs. The book mentions this, and here is the point: this Hanafi imam prepared for prayer and put on a dog's skin that had been ritually slaughtered. This is a reference to a Hanafi opinion which holds that a dog is undoubtedly impure and not to be eaten, but if the dog is slaughtered and the name of Allah is invoked over it, it becomes pure. So a ritually slaughtered dog was brought, and its skin, along with all the flies on it—meaning the skin would collapse in an hour—was put on. The sight was truly terrible. According to the Hanafi madhhab, since this is considered pure, the prayer is valid. Then, when he began the prayer, instead of saying "Allahu Akbar" in clear Arabic, he said it in a foreign language, such as Turkish. I think some of you know Turkish. I think it is "Yoo yoo yoo," meaning "Allahu Akbar," or in Albanian, "Zoti me, zoti me," meaning "Allahu Akbar." Then he recited a verse; he did not recite Surat al-Fatihah at all. Then he bowed, and before he had settled, he raised his head. He did not say a single tasbih. Before he had straightened up standing, he was already prostrating. Before his forehead had touched the ground, he raised his head. Before he had settled in sitting, he prayed the second time, and so on. He completed the prayer, tapping it out like a crow. When he sat for the tashahhud, he did not recite anything, but he sat... for the tashahhud. And instead of saying the Islamic closing salam specific to prayer, and without any excuse, he passed gas. Instead of saying "As-salamu alaykum," he passed gas, and the prayer ended.
The student : ... .
The Shaykh : Ah, this is the Hanafis. O Shafi'i, how do you pray? And he saw him perform the prayer. Which fool would prefer the first prayer over the second? So that Shi'ite prince became a Shafi'i. In this presentation, in this story, fanaticism is revealed in its clearest form. Because the Hanafi madhhab, unfortunately, while it has these branches, does not practically say to a person: "Take a ritually slaughtered dog's skin and wear it instead of something pure, clean, and beautiful," and so on. And while it does say that if a person sits in prayer for the duration of the tashahhud and that sound escapes him, his prayer is valid, because the obligatory exit from prayer in their view is a pillar—exiting the prayer by his own will and action—and this is an action after exiting, which is not obligatory in their view; it is an accident, not a pillar. It is true that he says "As-salamu alaykum," but practically, he does not direct his followers to this. So fanaticism is clearly evident in this story. And this is what... a researcher finds in Islamic history... For example, the famous judge whose name is known to hadith scholars in some centuries, the fifth or sixth, who was in Damascus, said: "If I had any authority, I would take the jizyah from the Shafi'is." This is madhhab fanaticism. As for partisan fanaticism today, where one affiliates with a person or a group that affiliates with a person, speak of it and there is no harm; I do not need to say anything... because it is a reality you see as I see it.
The Shaykh : So I return to that Shi'ite prince who became a Sunni and was offered the choice to adopt one of the two madhhabs. He said to them: "Fine, but I want to know what this madhhab says and what that one says." He suggested that two senior scholars from the two madhhabs be brought—one Hanafi and one Shafi'i—so that each would perform the prayer according to his own madhhab, and then he would observe which of the two prayers was acceptable to him and affiliate himself with that madhhab. The author of the printed treatise states that they brought a learned scholar from among the Hanafi scholars. He was told to pray before the prince according to the Hanafi method so that the prince could observe it after the Shafi'i prayer and choose one of the two madhhabs. The book mentions this, and here is the point: this Hanafi imam prepared for prayer and put on a dog's skin that had been ritually slaughtered. This is a reference to a Hanafi opinion which holds that a dog is undoubtedly impure and not to be eaten, but if the dog is slaughtered and the name of Allah is invoked over it, it becomes pure. So a ritually slaughtered dog was brought, and its skin, along with all the flies on it—meaning the skin would collapse in an hour—was put on. The sight was truly terrible. According to the Hanafi madhhab, since this is considered pure, the prayer is valid. Then, when he began the prayer, instead of saying "Allahu Akbar" in clear Arabic, he said it in a foreign language, such as Turkish. I think some of you know Turkish. I think it is "Yoo yoo yoo," meaning "Allahu Akbar," or in Albanian, "Zoti me, zoti me," meaning "Allahu Akbar." Then he recited a verse; he did not recite Surat al-Fatihah at all. Then he bowed, and before he had settled, he raised his head. He did not say a single tasbih. Before he had straightened up standing, he was already prostrating. Before his forehead had touched the ground, he raised his head. Before he had settled in sitting, he prayed the second time, and so on. He completed the prayer, tapping it out like a crow. When he sat for the tashahhud, he did not recite anything, but he sat... for the tashahhud. And instead of saying the Islamic closing salam specific to prayer, and without any excuse, he passed gas. Instead of saying "As-salamu alaykum," he passed gas, and the prayer ended.
The student : ... .
The Shaykh : Ah, this is the Hanafis. O Shafi'i, how do you pray? And he saw him perform the prayer. Which fool would prefer the first prayer over the second? So that Shi'ite prince became a Shafi'i. In this presentation, in this story, fanaticism is revealed in its clearest form. Because the Hanafi madhhab, unfortunately, while it has these branches, does not practically say to a person: "Take a ritually slaughtered dog's skin and wear it instead of something pure, clean, and beautiful," and so on. And while it does say that if a person sits in prayer for the duration of the tashahhud and that sound escapes him, his prayer is valid, because the obligatory exit from prayer in their view is a pillar—exiting the prayer by his own will and action—and this is an action after exiting, which is not obligatory in their view; it is an accident, not a pillar. It is true that he says "As-salamu alaykum," but practically, he does not direct his followers to this. So fanaticism is clearly evident in this story. And this is what... a researcher finds in Islamic history... For example, the famous judge whose name is known to hadith scholars in some centuries, the fifth or sixth, who was in Damascus, said: "If I had any authority, I would take the jizyah from the Shafi'is." This is madhhab fanaticism. As for partisan fanaticism today, where one affiliates with a person or a group that affiliates with a person, speak of it and there is no harm; I do not need to say anything... because it is a reality you see as I see it.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.