Conditions for Acting on Generality

The questioner : Regarding the rule of generality, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : There is no generality here, may Allah reward you.

The questioner : No, I do not mean this.

The Shaykh : Ah, very well, please proceed.

The questioner : The statement of generality now, regarding prostration of recitation, some say that regarding the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) .

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : So they said that in prostration of recitation, one should also say takbir when going down and when standing up, citing this hadith as evidence. We want clarification regarding the rule of generality so that we may benefit, and also regarding the pointing.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : Pointing with the finger between the two prostrations in the sitting of rest.

The Shaykh : Yes, let your question be separate from the second or third, otherwise you will force us to memorize your questions and then answer them all at once, and that is not an easy matter. Rather, ask the question, then take the answer, then follow it with the second question, and so on.

The questioner : If you please, our Shaykh, sit on the chair, our Shaykh. Give me the chair, for the sake of Allah, if you please, the chair...

The Shaykh : O Allah, O the Generous. The considered generality requires two conditions. The first condition: that it be issued from the Infallible who encompasses His speech and means what He says, and that is none other than the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The second condition: that every part of that generality has been acted upon by the practice of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Otherwise, if we imagine a part of that generality upon which the practice of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not proceed, then that matter upon which the practice of the Messenger did not proceed is excluded from the generality, and it is not permissible to cite the generality as evidence for its legitimacy. I believe this contains some ambiguity, except for one who is well-established in knowledge, and particularly in the principles of jurisprudence. Therefore, it is necessary to give an example or more, if necessary, to clarify what I just said: that a part of the generality issued from the Messenger (peace be upon him) upon which the practice of the Messenger did not proceed, it is not permissible to cite this generality as evidence for the legitimacy of that part upon which the practice of the Messenger did not proceed. The example: we do not go far, the previous discussion, which is the repetition of the congregation, and I will attach a later example for further clarification. The previous example, some people may cite as evidence for its legitimacy, and perhaps you have recalled the previous example, which is the repetition of the congregation in the mosque with a regular imam and a regular mu'adhdhin. Some may cite as evidence the generality of his saying (peace be upon him): . And so on. This text is general and it is issued from the mouth of the Messenger (may Allah pray upon him and grant him peace). Is this citation correct? The answer is no. Why? Because, as some of the scholars of the Salaf say regarding every newly invented matter among the matters upon which the masses of people today and before today claim it is an increase in good, and that an increase in good is good, they claim. The scholars of the Salaf say in refuting such claims: "If it were good, they would have preceded us to it." If this which we are now addressing, which is the second and third congregation and what follows, if it were good, our righteous predecessors would have preceded us to it for two reasons. The first reason: that they are more knowledgeable about the implications and meanings of the hadiths. The second reason: that they are more eager than us to draw near to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). So if this was not from the practice of the Salaf, their practice is evidence for us of the error of our citation of this general text. This example is clear.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : This example addresses a real matter, as we said, the repetition of the second and third congregation. Now I move to an example I invented because it has not occurred, and I hope it does not occur, because it is of the same family for which we gave an example with the repetition of the congregation. I said, and I continue to say, I have said repeatedly and I continue to say repeatedly: if a group of the mosque enter wanting to pray the sunnah of the time, such as Zuhr and 'Asr, for example, the preceding sunnah. And what happens, and this is the sunnah upon which the Salaf were, each one goes to a side and prays the sunnah alone. So if it occurs to one of them, he says, "O people, why are you separating in this prayer? Come, let us pray in congregation." He (peace be upon him) said: . This is an authentic hadith. And he (peace be upon him) said, the previous hadith: . Is he correct in this claim he made to the people to gather in congregation for the prayer of sunnahs? There is no doubt and no ambiguity that one who has been given a particle of knowledge says, "No, this is not permissible, and this is an innovation in Islam for which Allah has not sent down any authority." So what do you do with these hadiths? The answer is: these are general hadiths that do not include this particularity, like that. Why? Because the practice of the righteous Salaf did not proceed upon them. Is that clear?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : If we know these two conditions, and I return to remind you of them. The first condition: the general text that is considered is that which is issued from the mouth of the Messenger (peace be upon him), and not from anyone else. The second condition: that every particularity of this generality has been acted upon in the time of the Messenger (peace be upon him) and in the time of the righteous Salaf. If a part of the parts of this generality is lacking in the practice of the Salaf, that part exits from that generality.