Debate: Placing of hands during Salaah.

Answering to the question by Deobandi: Tum log hath chaati p kyun bandhte ho?




Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu,

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Islam, I would like to put forth the pointers of the debate which took place between two brothers in Islam, one believing that during salaah the hands are to be kept upon the chest and the other saying that it is not correct.

Here is the summary of the discussion:

The group in whatsapp (Mobile App used to chat, send images, videos) called Islamic, had around 4 brothers having the view that it is not from the sahih sunnah to keep the hands in salaah upon the chest.They  were not giving the sahih hadeeth, but were asking for proofs from the sunnah for keeping the hands upon the chest. In any debate or an argument, it is a very simple phenomenon to support the claims made by any individual from the appropriate sources. It is very sad to see our own brothers sending hatred messages and believing in winning the debate.

But in the deen of Al- Islam we have to understand a very important message from the Book of Allah which says:

O you who have believed, let not a group of people ridicule another, perhaps they may be better than them; nor let group women riducule another women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by offensive nicknames. How bad is it, to insult one's brother after having Faith [i.e. to call your Muslim brother (a faithful believer) as: "O sinner", or "O wicked", etc.]. And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed Zalimun (wrong-doers, etc.). [Surah Hujurat: Verse 11].

It was 4 brothers speaking and arguing, making fun of the brother who had the view of keeping the hands upon the chest. After this, a guy  from no where entered into the discussion, he made the group realise that this is not ethical that 4 brothers ask questions at the same time and also counter question him simultaneously. Later  a brother fromGroup A member. who was among the 4 brothers group decided to speak and others were quiet.

DISCUSSION:

For the clarity of understanding lets name the groups

A-     Against the view keeping hands upon the chest.

B-     For the view of keeping hands upon the chest.

Group A wanted to know the sahih hadeeth which says that we should pray keeping the hands upon the chest during the salaah. The hadeeth given by the other group  Group B was from

Group B:Sunan Abu dawood: Book of Salaah  Hadeeth No. 758.

Narrated Tawus: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) used to place his right hand on his left hand, then he folded them strictly on his chest in prayer.  

This is a mursal narration. Mursal meaning there are missing links in it. But there are other Sahih Hadeeth’s, like in Sahih ibn Khuzaima that the prophet kept his hands on the chest. With those sahih Hadeeth’s Shaikh Naseeruddin Albani has classified it to be sahih.

Group A: They didn’t want to listen any more about the above mentioned hadeeth and were very adamant with their decision that they cannot accept what Shaikh Naseeruddin Albani has said. And began to criticise Group B for having a wrong Aqeedah, being astray and accused ofdoing Taqleed. This is not the way of the learned people to ridicule someone when you find a different view than yourself. This is the disastrous mentality which has born among the muslims today, which is ta’assub, meaning WE ARE RIGHT, NO MATTER WHAT. When someone gets into the state of Ta’assub then he closes his eyes & believes him to be on right path, even after guiding him to the right path, he will not turn towards the right path.Is this humility?. 

I would like to narrate an incident here during the time of Imam shafi’ee (RA). Yunus as sadafi said  that I have not seen a inteligent man like Imam Ash shafi’ee, I was having an argument with him on one day and we left. Later Imam met me and hold my hands and said to me : Can we not still remain brothers though we havea difference of opinion on any one issue?.

Group A neither wanted to say any hadeeth,nor were they accepting any explanation. Since it was a one guy debating with 4 guys situation and it was getting very late, a guy from Group B decided to call this conversation off being 5 hours with them explaining them things. He requested Group A that tell us the hadeeth we will believe it if its true.

Group A 

IBN ABISHAIBA NE RIWAYAT KIYA WAKI SE UNHONE
MUSA BIN UMAIR SE UNHO NE
ALQAMA SE UNHO NE
WAIL IBN HUJR R.A SE K MAINE HUZUR S.A.W KO DEKHA K AAP NE NAMAZ ME RIGHT HAND KO LT HAND PE RAKH KAR NAF K NICHE BANDHA.

PEHLA QALMI NUSKHA IMAM QASIM MATLOBGA KA HAI.
DUSRA NUSKHA SK MOHAMMAD AKRAM NASAR PURI KA HAI
QALAMI NUSKHATISRA NUSKHA MUFTI A.QADIR KA HAI MAKKA MUAZZAMA ME
AHL HADIS SHAMSUL HAQ AZIM ABADI K PASS BHI EK QALAMI NUSKHA THA US ME BHI YEH HADIS HAI
QALMI NUSKHA MATLAB ORIGNAL HATH KA LIKHA HUA

Translation: Ibn Abi shaiba has said it to Waki,

Waki said it to Musa bin Umair,

Musa bin Umair has said it to Alqama,

Alqama said it to wail ibn hujr that He saw Prophet (pbuh) offering salaah with his right hand upon the left hand and kept it below the navel.

First nuskha from Imam Qasim Matlobga

Second nuskha from Shaikh Mohammad Akram Nasar Puri

Qalaami nuskha, third nuskha from Mufti A.Qadir

In Makkah Muazzama Ahl Hadis Shamsul Haq Azim Abadi also had a qalaami nuskha which had the same hadeeth.

Qalaami nushkha means hand written.

REFUTATION BY GROUP B:

The hadith of Ibn abi shaiba is present in some of the nuskha and some it is not.

From among the ones which have the nuskha are the following:

The technical question that is most appropriate to be asked is thus:

A)Is it correct from the technical language of the Muhaddithin to accept a narration with nuskha’s in which all of the nuskha’s we don’t have the same information? Bear in mind that these 3 manuscripts were found in 3 different Islamic territories:
Ibn Qutlubugha lived in Cairo, Egypt
Abdal Qadir lived in Makka
Al-Nasrpuri lived in Sind (Pakistan)

The words which are taken as evidence are indeed fabrication and the addition of Muqallideen, because the other versions of Musannif Ibn Abi Shaibah (published from Arab world) do not contain such words (below the navel).

The first addition was done in the version published in Egypt in brackets.

But later on the same version was copied by the two publishers of Multan and they removed the bracket. Hence in original and old scriptures one would not find the words of (Naaf k nechay hath). The text does not include these words.

B)Furthermore, after the death of Prophet(pbuh), hadith of ibn abi shaiba was not being read until 10 th hijri. Although the hadeeth were read by them before.

C)Also, Ibn Abi Shayba showed enmity to Imam Abu Hanifa - Allah be well-pleased with him -- as he named one of the longest chapters of his Musannaf "Book of the Refutation of Abu Hanifa" in which he proceeded to list about one hundred and twenty five "Prophetic hadiths which Abu Hanifa contradicted." 

This charge, together with Ibn Abi Shayba's refutation, are refuted in the books of Imam Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari among others. It remains that the Musannaf is perhaps the most precious mine of information on the juridical positions of the Companions and Successors.

D) Maulana Justice Taqi Usmani, who is a great ulema of the hanafi fiqh, has said that this hadeeth is not sahih.

REFUTATION & CLARIFICATION:

Tawoos was a tabi’ee. And generally when a tabi’ee narrates from the prophet (pbuh) it is mursal as there are some missing links (there is no name of any sahaba{RA}) in the hadeeth. Only this hadeeth cant be a proof without any other narration supporting this narration.

As the Group A calls themselves as Hanafi. They should not have any problem in believing this hadith to be true.

a)Allaamah Ainee in his Umdatul Qaari (5/278 mursal hadeeth can be sahih.

b)Khalil Ahmed Saharanpuri, deobandi aalim  obviously a hanafi, writes in his book (bazlul majhood) the same hadeeth of Tawoos form the book of Abu dawood.

c)Further Muhammad Hashim Tahtawee Hanafee in his treatise, Kashfud-Deen p. 17, states that, "The mursal narration is acceptable to us Ahnaaf as a proof."

 d)Allaamah ibn Humaam Hanafee in Fathul-Qadeer, the explantion of Hidaayah (1/239) states the same. 

e)Zafar Ahmed Uthmaani said: "And Mursal is Hujjat according to us." [A'laa us-Sunan: Vol 1 Pg 82]

f)Abdul hayy lucknowi who is hanafi scholar again in his book tareekh  mumajjaj says that the hadeeth from sahih ibn khuzaymah,  wail(RA) hadeeth in which the hands during salaah need to be on chest is sahih.And further he says that Imam Shafi’ee (RA) also had the same opinion.

NOW THE GOLDEN QUESTION WHICH GROUP A ASKED GROUP B HOW CAN A MURSAL HADEETH BY CLASSIFIED SAHIH BY MEANS OF OTHER HADEETH’S IN LIGHT OF USOOL E HADEETH BY OTHER SCHOOL OF THOUGHTS

Allamah Mahmood as-Subki, while eplaining this hadeeth, writes: 

"According to some Imams, the Mursal hadeeth is Hujjah without any condition. Whereas according to Imam Shafi'ee, a Mursal hadeeth will only be hujjah when it is supported by another hadeeth. Certainly, there are narrations present which strengthen this narration. One narration is narrated from Hulb at-Taa'ee in Musnad Ahmed, whereas the other is from Waail ibn Hujr, narrated by Imam Ibn Khuzaymah in his Saheeh." [Al-Minhal al-Azab al-Mawrood: Vol 5 Pg 166]

Imaam Abdur Rahmaan Mubaarakpooree said: "And the Hadeeth of Tawoos is Mursal, because Tawoos is a Tabi'ee and its Isnaad is Hasan. And the Mursal hadeeth is considered a proof with Abu Haneefah, Maalik, and Ahmed in general. And according to Shaafi'ee it is a proof when supported by something that occurs via another route that builds upon the first route be it Musnad or Mursal. And this Mursal hadeeth is supported by the aformentioned hadeeth of Waa'il ibn Hujr and Hulb at-Taa'ee. So deriving evidence from these to place the hands on the chest in prayer is correct...." [Tuhfatul Ahwadhee 2/81]

CONCLUSION:

Group B have given sufficient evidences from  to prove the hadeeth quoted by Abu Dawood. Now, its upto Group A to change the way they offer salaah.

Group B did not provide these evidences in the whatsapp chat, and  they lack the ethics of a formal debate.
If you believe in something, then you must support your beliefs with sahih hadeeeth. and when you are arguing with someone after you have heard their evidences, obviously you have to produce your eveidences if you are confident about your evidences.
Unfortunately  Group A was talking and arguing for no reason for atleast  4 hours or more than that asking for evidences from Group B, even after quoting from the Hadeeth of Abu Dawood  and explaining them.
Now its upto Group A to clarify with evidences why do they think that keeping hands upon the chest is not correct.
Thank you.