Some prayer issues with the lbadis
1.
Why do lbadis apply the guidance expression or 'Tawjeeh' before they utter
'Takbeerat al-Ihram' to start the prayer?
They depend on the hadeeth
narrated by the books of the Sunnah, such as "Sunan Abi Dawood, Ibnu
Majah, Tirmidhi, Al-Hakem and others from Al-Sayyida Aisha, Mother of the
Believers, may Allah be pleased with her, that when the Prophet (PBUH) stood
for prayer, he used to say: "Subhanaka Al-lahumma wa bihamdika,
Tabaraka'smuka wa ta'ala jadduka wa la ilaha ghayruka." Abu Ghanim
Al-Khurassani narrated that this was also the expression applied by Abi Bakr,
Omar and lbn Masoud before they uttered Takbirat Al-lhram and 'Atta'audh'.
2.
Why do lbadis not raise their hands at Takbirat Al-lhram'?
They do not raise their
hands as they rely on many hadeeth that forbid hand-raising, which were
narrated by hadeeth imams like
Al-Rabee and by those imams
approved by Sunnis like Muslim, Al-Nissai and Abi Dawood.
3.
Which hadeeth indicates the prohibition of raising the hands in Prayer?
The hadeeth came in several
versions, such as Al-Imam Al-Rabee's version: narrated Abu Ubaida from
Jabir bin Zeid from lbn Abbas from the Prophet (PBUH): "Some people will come
after me and raise their hands in prayers like horse tails."
Narrated Abu Bakr ibn Abi
Shaybah and Abu Kuraib, and this was Imam Muslim's version: "Narrated Abu Mu'awiya
from Al-A'mash from Al-Musayyab bin Rafe' from Tamim bin Turfa from Jabir bin
Samra, said: "The messenger of Allah appeared before us and said,
"How does it come, you are raising your hands like horse tails? Be settled
down in your prayers," he said, then he appeared before us and he saw we
were dispersed. He said, "How does it come, you are dispersed?" And
then he added, "Don't you line up like angels that line up before their
Lord?" And we said, "O Messenger of Allah, how do angels line up
before their Lord?" He said, "They complete the first rows and come
close to each other." Narrated Abu Said Al-Ashajj, narrated Wakee' and
narrated lshaq bin lbraheem, told us lssa bin Yunus, and all of them said Al-A'mash
narrated with this reference."
4.
What do dissentients say about these hadeeth that forbid hand- raising in
prayer?
They objected that the hand
lifting is prohibited at the end of the prayer (Assalam). But 'Assalam' was not
mentioned in this hadeeth at all. It was mentioned in another one. So it is
impossible for the two hadeeth to be the same, and there was no restriction as
the hadeeth absolutely forbids the lifting of hands in prayer, including the
lifting at 'Assalam'.
5.
On which hadeeth is the prayer based on for the lbadis and others?
It is the hadeeth famous
for the name of "the abuser in his prayer", which was narrated by
Al-Bukhari and Muslim from Abi Huraira and others that the messenger of Allah
(PBUH) entered the mosque then a man came in and prayed and greeted the prophet
(PBUH). He replied and said: "Go and pray as you haven't prayed yet."
He went back and prayed as he did at the first time. Then, he came and greeted
the prophet (PBUH). He said: “Go back and pray as you haven't prayed yet.
(Three times)" The man said: "In the name of the Lord who sent you with
the right, teach me." He said: "When you stand for prayer, say Allahu
Akbar then recite what you can from the Quran then kneel until you are really
kneeling then rise until you are really standing up then kneel down until you
are really kneeling on your knees then rise and keep seated, and repeat the
same for the whole prayer." This hadeeth is the main source on which the
accuracy of the prayer is based. Therefore, some scholars said: "What is
stated in this hadeeth is an obligation and what is not mentioned is not."
As it is evident, the
hand-raising was not mentioned in this hadeeth. The placing of the right hand
on the left was not mentioned either. And if they had been an obligation, the
prophet (PBUH) would have made them clear to the man.
6.
What is understood from other hadeeth that described the Prayer of the Prophet
(PBUH) without mentioning the hand-raising at Takbirat Al-lhram?
As it is understood from
those hadeeth, the hand-raising is not an essential deed of the prayer. And
those who do not raise their hands at Takbirat Al-Ihram are not contradictory
to the Sunnah or denying it, as it has sometimes been said. But it is feared
that those who raise their hands might be violating the Sunnah because the
hand-raising is prohibited according to the evidence that we have mentioned.
7.
What is the judgment upon those hadeeth narrated in books of Sunnah, which reported
hand-raising in the prayer?
If narrated that the
Prophet (PBUH) raised his hands in prayer, and also narrated that he prohibited
hand-raising, then it is worthwhile to follow the prohibition as prohibition
comes first and is confirmed against commandment, and this is one of the well-known
jurisprudence rules as the Prophet (PBUH) said: "lf I tell you to do
something, do it as far as you can and if l tell you not to do something, just
give up."
Besides the many hadeeth
about hand-raising, scholars admitted that hand-raising is not a requirement
for the prayer or an obligation, and they may leave it as it is not considered
one of its requirements or one of the confirmed deeds. Many scholars mention
hand-raising among desirable deeds, or it is better for a man to leave a desirable
thing than to do a prohibited one.
8.
What can we deduce from these versions and the scholars' feedback on them?
We conclude that the lbadi
prayer method is considered correct unanimously by all Muslim scholars of all
doctrines since lbadis perform their prayers exactly as reported from the
Prophet (PBUH) and approved by Muslim scholars of all doctrines as complete
with all requirements and without any deficiency.
9.
What do lbadis say about the issue of placing the right hand over the left one
in prayer and about the hadeeth that are attributed to the Messenger (PBUH)?
From the earliest era,
lbadis do not hold in their hands in prayer as they have proved that the
hadeeth on hand-holding were not explicit enough to be considered as one of the
requirements for the prayer. And also those who adopt hand-holding themselves have
different views when and how it should be performed.
Some of them said that it is
applied in voluntary prayers or "nawafil", and some said it is applied
in both compulsory and voluntary prayers, and some said it is applied neither
in compulsory prayers nor in voluntary ones.
And regarding the hands
position, some of them said the right hand is placed on the left one over the
chest. And some of them said they are placed over the navel. And some of them
said they are placed below the navel.
As far as the hand-raising
is concerned, it is said to be applied only once, and it is said to be applied
in four positions , and it is said to be in more than that, etc...
Also, there is not a single
hadeeth free from criticism among all the hadeeth they mentioned as some
trusted non-lbadl scholars report.
10.
What is the indicator of their large differences in the hand-raising and
hand-holding issues and the divergence in their versions?
This indicates that the
hand-raising and hand-holding in prayer are not to be considered as prayer
requirements and an inherited characteristic of the Prophet's prayer (PBUH),
and if it had been the case, there would not have been all this controversy and
confusion, because the prayer was one of the most activities performed by the Prophet
(PBUH) before his companions five times a day for many years. So it is inconceivable
that the companions did not learn the prayer requirements accurately!
11.
Are free-hand keeping and non-hand-holding limited to the lbadis only?
Free-hand keeping is not
restricted on the lbadis as this exists with the Maalikis, one of the four
sunni doctrines, as well. Although Imam Malik narrated hadeeth on hand-holding
in his book "Al-Muwatta", he himself did not perform it and most of
his followers did not do so, either. The earliest Maaliki scholars disagreed on
hand-holding, and what is certain is that they did not perform it as they
admitted that it is reviled in compulsory prayers, but the Imam performed it in
the voluntary "qiyam" prayers.
And so the majority of the
people of Egypt, Sudan, African countries, Andalusia and other Islamic
countries did not perform hand-holding in the past. However, this has become a
practice in modern times because of the media and politics, and the Maalikis
have written more than one book in the criticism of hand-holding in prayer.
12.
Are free-hand keeping and non-hand-holding in prayer reported from the Companions
and followers?
Yes, it was narrated from
the Companion Abdullah bin Zubair that he kept his hands free in prayer as
narrated by lbn Abi Shaybah. It was also narrated from many great followers
including Saeed bin Musayyib, Saeed bin Jubair, Mujahid, Al-Hasan Al-Basri,
Al-Nakha'i and lbn Sirin, and was also narrated by lbn al-Mundhir, suggesting
that hand-holding was not known among them as they lived with the Companions
(May AIlah be pleased with them).
13.
Why do lbadis not say "Amen" after reading "AI-Fatiha" in
Prayer?
Because it is an extra word
and is not part of Al-Fatiha" at the consensus of all Muslim scholars. It
is part of the people's speech, and speaking in prayer is forbidden, as proven
from the Prophet (PBUH), and because the hadeeth quoted by those who claim the legitimacy
of 'Amen" after 'Al-Fatiha" are not firm and doubts hover around them,
as they are weak, uncertain or fabricated. And if something of this kind is
true, it should be referred to the pre-editing era of the hadeeth on the
prayer. Ibn Al-Arabi said there is not an accurate hadeeth on "Amen".
And those who say it consider it desirable but not obligatory. That's why the
lbadis do not say it and come to absolute certainty, following the hadeeth
narrated by Ahmad, Al-Shafei, Al-Nissai, A|- Tabarani, Abu Dawood and others.
Narrated lbn Mas'ood that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Allah creates whatever
he wants with His commandment, and He ordered that you should not speak in the
Prayer."
14.
Why do lbadis not read anything from the Quran after "Al-Fatiha" in
the compulsory prayers of Al-Zuhr" and "Al-Asr"?
Because they rely on
several evidence such as that narrated by hadeeth holders themselves like Abi
Dawood in his "Al-Sunan", from Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them)
that they came to him and said: "Did the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) read in
"Al-Zuhr" and "Al-Asr" prayers? He said: "No." They
said: "Perhaps he read silently?" He said: "This is worse than
the first one!" He was an instructed man and he conveyed what he was told.
And Al-Nissai narrated the same.
This is a clear and
assertive version but those versions that mention the reading after
"Al-Fatiha" in the compulsory prayers of "Al-Zuhr" and
"Al-Asr" lack certainty and they depend on intuition but not
certainty. So the lbadis do not rely on them.
15.
Why do lbadis not raise their fingers in "Al-Tashahhud" during
"Al-Tahiyat" and not move them like in other doctrines?
Being a deed in prayer
contradicts with the required worship, and this action was not confirmed from
the Prophet (PBUH). And those who apply it differ in how and when it should be
done. Al-Albani talked about these practices in his book "Tamam Al-Minna"
and said: "These definitions and modes do not have any support in the
"Sunnah".
16.
Why do lbadis say one "Taslima" upon completion of the Prayer?
lbadis depend on the
hadeeth narrated by Hadeeth books, such as Al-Tirmidhi, lbn Majah, Ahmad lbn
Hanbal, Al-Tabaraani and Al-Baihaqi, from Aisha Mother of the Believers, Anas
bin Malik, Salamah ibn Al-Akwa' and Sahl bin Sa'd (May Allah be pleased with
them) that the Prophet (PBUH) performed one "Taslima", and the Immigrants
or "Al-Muhajireen" performed one Taslima.
Note that the lbadis allow
two "Taslimas". Arguments among others are whether there is one
"Taslima" or there are two or three! But Imam Al-Nawawi reported the scholars‘
consensus which indicates that there should be only one "Taslima".
17.
Does politics play a role in the conduct of Jurisprudence and in obliging people
to adopt a certain doctrine?
Yes, politics has a big
role in the conduct of the doctrines. The successive states that ruled the
Muslim countries adopted certain doctrines and applied laws accordingly. For example,
the doctrine of Abu Hanifa was widespread in the Orient because the Abbasid
state sponsored and enabled it while the doctrine of Maalik was widespread in the
Maghreb because the successive states there also adopted it, and the Fatimids
deployed the Ismaili doctrine during their rule of Egypt and other areas, and
they banned the doctrine of Abu Hanifa as it was the doctrine of the Abbasid
state. The Umayyads in Andalusia worked to spread the Maliki doctrine, and the
Ayyubids installed the Shafi'i doctrine. Although the doctrines of Malik and Abu
Hanifa were the most widespread in the past, Wahhabism has spread in many Islamic
countries in the last few years due to the materialistic and media powers of some
countries and institutions.
Reference:
Q & A about Ibadism and Prayer; by Hamad bin
Suleiman Al-Miwali, translated by Ahsan Ibrahim Oudjana
Assalamu alaykum. This is a beautiful post sister, one of the best on contemplation I have seen! Is meditation and contemplation emphasized in the Ibadhi sect?
ReplyDelete