The Shaykh’s explanation of the weakness of the claim of abrogation in the hadith prohibiting fasting on Saturday

The Shaykh: He follows this statement by saying that it is an abrogated hadith, and this is what you mentioned just now as a quotation. Well, what abrogated it? One of the principles of the scholars of hadith is that if two hadiths appear to contradict each other, it is obligatory to reconcile them in one of the ways of reconciliation. This is the statement of the Imam of the hadith scholars of his era to this day, without any challenger, and I mean by this Ahmad ibn Hajar al-Asqalani. He mentioned this in his commentary on *Nukhbat al-Fikr*, in the commentary on *Nukhba*, saying: "If there are two acceptable hadiths—meaning from the category of the acceptable, i.e., the authentic and the good—and they differ, it is obligatory to reconcile them in one of the ways of reconciliation." He points to these ways, because the book is a treatise, as is known. However, al-Hafiz al-Iraqi, who was the teacher of Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, enumerated the ways to more than a hundred ways, a hundred ways, in his book on the commentary on the introduction of Ibn al-Salah. So, if it is not possible to reconcile the two differing hadiths in any of these hundred or more ways, Ibn Hajar said: "In that case, it is referred to seeking the abrogating from the abrogated." And here is a pause, to say that this is the abrogating and this is the abrogated; it is necessary to know the earlier date from the later one.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh: And none of this is in our subject here at all. Although there is another perspective: if there is a statement that contradicts a statement, and it is not possible to reconcile them, or if there is an action that contradicts, for example, and it is not possible to reconcile them, it is referred to seeking the abrogating and the abrogated. If it is not possible because the earlier from the later is not known, it is not permissible scientifically to say that this is the abrogating and this is the abrogated. So, this is the second stage. The third stage, he said: "It is referred to preferring one over the other." So, the first is reconciliation, the second is seeking the abrogating from the abrogated, and the third is preferring one of the differing ones over the other. For example: one of the texts is authentic and the other is good; the good is left and the authentic is taken. One is authentic but the other is authentic and well-known; the authentic is left and the well-known is taken. One is well-known but the other is mass-transmitted; that one is left and the mass-transmitted is taken, and so on. He said: "If it is not possible, then knowledge is left to its Knower." We say, Allah knows best. Therefore, there is great difficulty for the scholars in saying about a hadith that differs from another hadith: that it is abrogated, because it is necessary to seek the date that determines the earlier from the later. And this, as I said, is if a statement contradicts a statement, or an action contradicts an action. For example: we have in the authentic Sunnah that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) , and there are hadiths that he did not stand. So, it was said to Ali when it was seen that he did not stand, he said: "It was the action of the Messenger of Allah, so I stood, then I left it afterwards." Then he left it; this is a text because the leaving is later than the earlier. There is, for example, a verbal hadith where the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , and I think you understand with me the meaning of "water from water"?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh: Is that so?!

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh: Or is it not so?!

The questioner: The Ummah accepted it.

The Shaykh: Ah, this is an explanation of the hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) knocked on the door of one of the Companions—I have forgotten his name now—and it might be Abu Rafi'. He delayed in responding to him, then he came out quickly. It appears that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sensed from him that he was with his wife, and that he had gotten up to respond to the one knocking, so he got up from her. Then he said to him (peace and blessings be upon him): , meaning if the water does not come out, even if you had intercourse, you do not have to perform the full ritual bath. This hadith is contrary to what all the scholars are upon now.

The questioner : Yes, indeed.

The Shaykh: But there is a hadith from the Lady Aisha. First, she said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Then there is a hadith similar to the hadith of Ali mentioned just now, from the hadith of Ubayy ibn Ka'b, who said: "The ruling was that water is from water in the early days of Islam." In the early days of Islam, with such texts, it can be said that this is the abrogating and that is the abrogated. But a mere contradiction between a statement and an action, where it is said that the action abrogated the statement, has no parallel in Islam.