What is the authenticity of the hadith regarding the prayer of tasbih?
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Question:
Another message reached the program from Abha, sent by one of the sisters from there, saying: Your sister, the questioner (M.A.), asked some questions in a previous episode, and in this episode she asks and says: I read in the book *Tanzih al-Shari'ah al-Murfa'ah*: "The prayer of tasbih" consists of four rak'ahs, and in each rak'ah one recites al-Fatihah and a short surah, then one says tasbih seventy-five times in the standing position of the first rak'ah, and in the bowing and prostration, and in the second rak'ah likewise, and in the four rak'ahs there are three hundred tasbih. Is this hadith authentic? And what is your opinion regarding what the author of that book has presented?
Answer:
The prayer of tasbih is well-known among the scholars, and the scholars have disagreed regarding its authenticity. Some of the scholars acted upon it and deemed it authentic; because of the great reward mentioned by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the forgiveness of sins. And some of the scholars weakened the narration and did not deem it authentic, stating that it is an anomalous narration and an anomalous hadith that contradicts the authentic hadiths. This second opinion is the most correct: that the hadith of the prayer of tasbih is anomalous and not authentic, and that the relied-upon position is the statement of those who said that it is not authentic, and that it is fabricated with no basis in truth, and that its chains of narration are all defective, and its text is anomalous and denounced, contradicting the established legal evidence from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
His prayer at night and during the day is preserved (peace and blessings be upon him), and it was narrated by the trustworthy and the most reliable scholars in the two Sahihs and others, and it is not preserved from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he prayed this prayer; so it is obligatory upon the people of faith to return what contradicts the known evidence to the known evidence. The known, established evidence indicates the description of his prayer (peace and blessings be upon him) and that it does not contain these mentioned tasbihs. Rather, this narration is unique in having them. So the correct view is that it is anomalous in text and weak in chains of narration; so it is not permissible to rely upon it, nor to act upon it, even if some of the early scholars and some of the later scholars deemed it authentic. But the reliance in this matter is that every text that contradicts the authentic hadiths—even if its chain is sound—is considered anomalous. How much more so if the chain is defective?
The Imams have said in the terminology of hadith: that differing hadiths are first referred to reconciliation—if reconciliation is possible. If reconciliation is possible, they are reconciled and all are accepted. If reconciliation is not possible and its conditions are not met; then it is referred to abrogation, if abrogation is known, if the abrogating text is known, if the later of the two is known; the later becomes the abrogator of the earlier when reconciliation is impossible. If the later of the two is not known, and the conditions of abrogation are not met, nor the conditions of reconciliation; then it moves to a third matter, which is preference (tarjih).
This prayer does not contain anything indicating dating, or that it is later than others, and it does not contain anything indicating that it was a sunnah practiced by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) previously and subsequently, and it does not contain anything necessitating reconciliation between it and others; so the third matter is established: that it is not authentic, and that it is anomalous, contradicting the authentic hadiths established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and contradicting his known sunnah from him (peace and blessings be upon him) in his night and day during his lifetime (peace and blessings be upon him). It is not preserved from him that he performed it even once (peace and blessings be upon him), and it is not known from him (peace and blessings be upon him) anything indicating that it is a followed sunnah in authentic hadiths; so it is known thereby that it is anomalous, and that it is fabricated, and that it has no basis in the authentic hadiths established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Another message reached the program from Abha, sent by one of the sisters from there, saying: Your sister, the questioner (M.A.), asked some questions in a previous episode, and in this episode she asks and says: I read in the book *Tanzih al-Shari'ah al-Murfa'ah*: "The prayer of tasbih" consists of four rak'ahs, and in each rak'ah one recites al-Fatihah and a short surah, then one says tasbih seventy-five times in the standing position of the first rak'ah, and in the bowing and prostration, and in the second rak'ah likewise, and in the four rak'ahs there are three hundred tasbih. Is this hadith authentic? And what is your opinion regarding what the author of that book has presented?
Answer:
The prayer of tasbih is well-known among the scholars, and the scholars have disagreed regarding its authenticity. Some of the scholars acted upon it and deemed it authentic; because of the great reward mentioned by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the forgiveness of sins. And some of the scholars weakened the narration and did not deem it authentic, stating that it is an anomalous narration and an anomalous hadith that contradicts the authentic hadiths. This second opinion is the most correct: that the hadith of the prayer of tasbih is anomalous and not authentic, and that the relied-upon position is the statement of those who said that it is not authentic, and that it is fabricated with no basis in truth, and that its chains of narration are all defective, and its text is anomalous and denounced, contradicting the established legal evidence from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
His prayer at night and during the day is preserved (peace and blessings be upon him), and it was narrated by the trustworthy and the most reliable scholars in the two Sahihs and others, and it is not preserved from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he prayed this prayer; so it is obligatory upon the people of faith to return what contradicts the known evidence to the known evidence. The known, established evidence indicates the description of his prayer (peace and blessings be upon him) and that it does not contain these mentioned tasbihs. Rather, this narration is unique in having them. So the correct view is that it is anomalous in text and weak in chains of narration; so it is not permissible to rely upon it, nor to act upon it, even if some of the early scholars and some of the later scholars deemed it authentic. But the reliance in this matter is that every text that contradicts the authentic hadiths—even if its chain is sound—is considered anomalous. How much more so if the chain is defective?
The Imams have said in the terminology of hadith: that differing hadiths are first referred to reconciliation—if reconciliation is possible. If reconciliation is possible, they are reconciled and all are accepted. If reconciliation is not possible and its conditions are not met; then it is referred to abrogation, if abrogation is known, if the abrogating text is known, if the later of the two is known; the later becomes the abrogator of the earlier when reconciliation is impossible. If the later of the two is not known, and the conditions of abrogation are not met, nor the conditions of reconciliation; then it moves to a third matter, which is preference (tarjih).
This prayer does not contain anything indicating dating, or that it is later than others, and it does not contain anything indicating that it was a sunnah practiced by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) previously and subsequently, and it does not contain anything necessitating reconciliation between it and others; so the third matter is established: that it is not authentic, and that it is anomalous, contradicting the authentic hadiths established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and contradicting his known sunnah from him (peace and blessings be upon him) in his night and day during his lifetime (peace and blessings be upon him). It is not preserved from him that he performed it even once (peace and blessings be upon him), and it is not known from him (peace and blessings be upon him) anything indicating that it is a followed sunnah in authentic hadiths; so it is known thereby that it is anomalous, and that it is fabricated, and that it has no basis in the authentic hadiths established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.