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FIQH AL-IMAM
(c) The personal practice of Ibn 'Umar 4, although appearing oth-
erwise from the above hadith, was to perform three rak ats of witr
together; as is indicated in the following narration of Imam Malik:
Ibn 'Umar & would state that the Maghrib prayer is the witr of the day
(Muwatta Imam Malik 77).
If the Maghrib prayer (which everyone agrees is three continuous
rak'ats) has been stated as being the witr of the day, then it follows
that the witr prayer itself should be performed as three continuous
rak'ats as well.
In light of the above, it is very difficult to establish that witr could
be performed as just one rak'a. Hafiz Ibn Hajar relates in his Fath
al-Bari that Ibn al-Salah said:
We cannot infer from the narrations of winy, despite their being so many,
that the Messenger 48 only performed a single mak'a for witr (Fath al-
Bari 2:15).
Hence, any narration which states that the witr prayer was anything
but three rak ats cannot be taken literally. Instead, it has to be ana-
lyzed and suitably interpreted so as to draw out its true meaning
and harmonize it with the other narrations that mention the witr as
being three rak'ats.
A FINAL QUESTION
After reading the hadiths of this chapter, one might ask why these
narrations differ from one another in describing the witr prayer? The
answer to this is very simple. There are two types of narrators. Firstly,
there are those who refer to the whole combination of night prayer
[tahajjud] and witr as being witr, and do not mention any distinc-
tion between the two. They state only the total number of rak ats the
Messenger # performed at night, since it was common knowledge
anyway that the final three rak ats of the tahajjud prayer would be set
aside for witr. Hence, they include the whole night-vigil [tahajjud]
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The Rak'ats of Witr
prayer when mentioning the witr prayer. Examples of this can be
found above in the section titled "Some Confusing Narrations."
As opposed to this, the second type of narrators do not refer to all
of the rak'ats as being witr, but rather describe the tahajjud and witr
prayers separately in terms of the number of rak ats performed for each.
Hence, they do not leave any room for speculation. The majority of
the second type of narrations state very clearly that the witr consists
of three rak ats. Examples of this can be found above in the section
titled "The Hadiths on This Issue." Imam Tirmidhi, quoting the words
of Ishaq ibn Ibrahim Rahway [or Rahuya], concludes:
The narrations that state that the Messenger # performed thirteen rak ats
witr actually mean (as Ishaq says) that he performed thirteen rak'ats
including the three rak ats of with, and [it follows from this] that the whole
night prayer was referred to as witr (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1:105).
Imam Abu Muhammad al-Manbaji, a Hanafi jurist and hadith
scholar, writes:
One way of reconciling between the [conflicting] narrations is to say that
[initially] the Messenger # used to perform one rak'a as witr and even
instructed others in this; but his final position was to perform [the witr
as] three rak ats (al-Lubab fi I-jam'i bayn al-sunnati wa I-kitab 1:173).
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the witr should be performed as a three rak'a prayer,
since that is how, according to the majority of narrations, the
Messenger of Allah # performed his witr prayer. These three rak ats
should be performed together without separating the third rak'a
from the first two. Performing one rak'a witr has been classified as
being an incomplete prayer by the Messenger . Evidence of this is
the fact that there is no other example of a prayer consisting of just
one rak'a in Islamic jurisprudence. Hence, the wits prayer should be
performed continuously just like the Maghrib prayer and not on its
own as a single rak'a.

FIQH AL-IMAM
Furthermore, it has been made clear that the practice of the
Messenger # was to perform witr at night after the tahajjud prayer.
He would perform the tahajjud prayer in sets of two rak ats until the
time of Fajr drew close, at which time he would add an extra rak'a
to the final set, thus converting both the last two rak'ats set and
the additional rak'a into witr. Surely, this explanation is what the
Messenger # intended when he said,
Then, when one anticipates the break of dawn, he should perform one
more rak'a, which will convert what he has performed into witr for him
(Sahib al-Bukhari 1:135, Sahib Muslim 1:257).
And Allah knows best.
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9
Prayer After 'Asr
UPON STUDYING the books of hadith, a person will eventually come
across some narrations in which the Messenger of Allah 8 prohibits
a person from performing salat after the 'Asr prayer. In some narra-
tions, however, the Messenger is himself is stated to have performed
two rak'ats at that very time. This indicates a conflict between the
two types of narrations.
In this chapter, we will discuss and attempt to resolve this apparent
contradiction in order to answer the pertinent question: "What is the
meaning of the Messenger & prohibiting any form of prayer after
'Asr if he himself performed them on occasion?" This chapter will also
discuss whether or not it would be permissible for any one other than
the Messenger # to perform salat at that time. The following will
work to clarify the religious [shar i] ruling regarding these rak'ats after
'Asr, and also bring to light whether the above prohibition is indeed
general or rather bound by particular circumstances.
THE VARIOUS OPINIONS
Imam Abu Hanifa is of the opinion that it is not permissible for a
musalli to perform the tahiyyat al-masjid [two rak ats upon entering
the masjid] or any other supererogatory [nafl] prayer after he has
performed the 'Asr prayer. However, according to the Imam, making
up missed [qada'] prayers is permissible, Another group's view is that
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FIQH AL-IMAM
it is impermissible to perform supererogatory prayer [nawafil] after
'Asr, but permissible to make up missed prayers or other nonobliga-
tory prayers which are performed for a particular reason, such as the
funeral prayer, tahiyyat al-masjid, or tahiyyat al-umdu' [two rak'ats
after ablution],
The above difference of opinion informs us that the time after
the 'Asr prayer is one in which each group agrees that some form of
prayer or another is undesirable. The reason for this is that there are
many hadiths which prohibit prayer after 'Asr; and it is due to these
prohibitive hadiths that the Hanafis have disallowed all forms of
nonobligatory salat to be performed in this time. However, there are
other hadiths that speak of the Messenger # performing two rak'ats
after 'Asr. These hadiths seem to be in conflict with those that pro-
hibit it; therefore, we will first analyze these hadiths to gain a deeper
understanding of this apparent conflict.
ANALYZING THE SEEMINGLY CONTRADICTORY HADITHS
The conflicting narrations are of two kinds-those that portray the
Messenger & performing two rak'ats after 'Asr only once (imply-
ing that he never did so again); and those which indicate that the
Messenger # performed these two rak'ats on a regular basis. Both
types of narrations are addressed in this section.
1. 'A'isha + narrates:
The Messenger of Allah &t (once] missed the two mak ars before the Ast
prayer; so after finishing 'Asr, he made them up, then never performed
them again [at that time] (Mu'jam al-Tabarani, Majma' al-zawa'id
2:223).
2. A similar narration of Umm Salama 4 has been transmitted by
Imam Ahmad in his Musnad (Ma'arif al-sunan 2:135, Musnad Ahmad
229:2 U).
3. Ibn 'Abbas & relates:
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Prayer After Asr
The Messenger of Allah is performed two rak'ars after 'Asr, as some items
[of charity] had arrived (to be distributed) and had occupied him from
performing the two rak ats [sunna] after Zuhr. So he made them up after
'Asr, then he did not do so again (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1:45).
From the above three narrations, we learn that the two rak ats after
the 'Asr prayer were performed only once by Allah's Messenger .
All three narrations state clearly that the Messenger 4% was making
up the two rak ats of sunna prayer which he had missed after Zuhr.
These hadiths also indicate that the prayer after 'Asr was in no way
a special prayer that the Messenger of Allah @ regularly performed
at that time. This, however, is contradicted by the following hadiths,
which mention that the Messenger # performed two rak'ats after
'Asr quite regularly.
4. A'isha & narrates:
The Messenger Es would never visit me during the day after the 'Asr prayer,
except that he would perform two rak ats (Sahih al-Bukhari 1:83).
5. It is related from Abu Salama that
he asked Wisha > regarding the two rak ats the Messenger &s would per-
form after 'Asr. She told him that he would perform them before ['Asr],
until he happened to once miss them or forgot to perform them due to
being occupied with something; so he performed them after 'Asr. He then
continued to perform them, [because] whenever he would perform any
[new] prayer [once], he would continue to perform it regularly thereafter
(Sahih Muslim 1:277).
6. 'A'isha 4 narrates that
the Messenger & never neglected the two rak'ats after "Asr while he was
in her company (Sahib Muslim 1:277).
These hadiths demonstrate that the Messenger of Allah $$ per-
formed the two rak'ats on a regular basis. They state that whenever
he would perform any new prayer (once), he would take it upon
himselfto continue them regularly. In this case, it was the two rak ats
of Zuhr he was making up and not a new prayer; but since he was
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FIQH AL-IMAM
performing them out of their usual time, he thereafter continued to
perform them regularly after 'Asr. In either case, these hadiths seem
to be in conflict with the former set of hadiths, which state that he
performed the two rak a prayer after 'Asr only once. The following
has been mentioned concerning this apparent conflict.
Hafiz ibn Hajar reports that the second set of three hadiths (4,5,
and 6) are of a higher degree of authenticity than the first three. This
means that, according to Ibn Hajar, the hadiths which state chat
the Messenger # performed the two rak ats regularly have a higher
degree of authenticity than those which mention that he performed
them only once.
To expound on this point, it is quite true that the narration of Ibn
'Abbas (hadith 3) has only been designated as sound [hasan] by Imam
Tirmidhi, whereas all the hadiths mentioned after it are either from
Sahih al-Bukhari or Muslim and are rigorously authenticated [sahih].
Thus, Ibn 'Abbas's narration cannot stand in comparison. Secondly,
hadith 1, which is transmitted from 'A'isha A, is said to have in its
transmission the narrator Qattat, who has been called "a flagrant
liar" [kadhdhab]. Hence, it is too weak to stand up against the other
rigorously authenticated [sahib] narrations of A'isha do.
The hadith of Umm Salama (no. 2), however, is not defective and,
as such, cannot be overlooked. The narration states that the Messenger
performed two rak'ats after 'Asr only once, and it negates him
performing them at any other time. This means that we have a single
rigorously authenticated [sahih] hadith conflicting with three others
of the same authenticity. We have 'A'isha's A narrations, transmitted
by Imam Bukhari and Muslim, which are affirmative [muthbid] in
establishing that these two rak ats were regularly performed by the
Messenger #; and we also have the rigorously authenticated hadith
of Umm Salama & that states to the contrary, Hence, we are still left.
with two conflicting texts, both of which are authentic: one a nega-
tive [manfi] text (i.e. in support of the prohibition) and the other an
affirmative [muthbit] one (i.e. not in support of the prohibition).
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Prayer After 'Asr
Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani attempts to correlate the two types of
narrations by putting into effect a rule from the principles of hadith
[usul al-hadith], which states that an affirmative [muthbit] text shall
take precedence over a negative [manfi] one (i.e. an affirmative nar-
ration holds more strength than a negative one). He concludes that
since 'A'isha's & narrations are the affirmative ones, they will take
precedence over Umm Salama's + negative narration. He further
states that 'A'isha's affirming that the Messenger 5 regularly performed
two rak ats after 'Asr was according to her personal knowledge of his
actions, and Umm Salama's & negation of it was according to her
own observation of the Messenger's # salat.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar's explanation could have been conclusive, as it
appears to have resolved the conflict between the two types of nar-
rations; however, the great jurist and hadith scholar, Allama Taqi
'Uthmani, states in his Darse Tirmidhi (1:427) that a hadith in Sahih
Muslim contradicts the basis of Hafiz Ibn Hajar's explanation-that
both A'isha + and Umm Salama A were narrating from their own
personal observations. The hadith in Sahih Muslim reveals that 'A'isha's
knowledge regarding the Messenger's # performance of this prayer
was in actuality acquired from Umm Salama .
7. The following hadith explains this in further detail:
Kurayb narrates that he was sent by 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas,"Abd al-Rahman
ibn Azhar, and Miswar ibn Makhrama & to 'A'isha &, the wife of the
Messenger of Allah , They instructed him to convey their salams [greet-
ing of peace] to her and enquire from her about the [performance of ] two
rak'ats after 'Asr. They told him to say that they had been informed of her
performing the prayer, whereas it had reached them that the Messenger
4 had prohibited it. Ibn 'Abbas & said, "Umar de and myself would
deter people from performing them."
Kurayb says, "I visited her and conveyed their message. She told me to
ask Umm Salama. I came out and informed them of what she had told
me; so they sent me to Umm Salama with the same questions, Umm
Salama & said, 'I heard the Messenger of Allah # prohibit them, and
then I saw him perform them [himself]. The [first] time he performed
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FIQH AL-IMAM
them, he had completed 'Asr then entered the house to find some Ansari
women from the Banu Haram tribe with me. So, as he began to perform
the prayer, I sent a young girl and instructed her to stand by his side
and say, 'O Messenger of Allah, Umm Salama says that she has heard
you prohibit the performance of these two rak ats, and now she sees you
performing them.' She also told her that if he gestures with his hand
then move back. The girl went to him and he gestured with his hand so
she moved back. When he completed the prayer he said, 'O daughter
of Ibn Umayya [Umm Salama], you asked me regarding the two rak ats
after 'Ast. A group of people from the "Abd al-Qays tribe had come to
me ... and occupied me from performing the two rak ats after Zuhr, so
these were the [two rak'ats)"" (Sahil Muslim 1:277).
This hadith without doubt implies that Umm Salama & was the source
of 'A'isha's & knowledge regarding the Messenger # performing the
two rak ats after 'Asr. This is because the Messenger # performed
them while he was in Umm Salama's company, and 'A'isha was aware
of that. The following narration clarifies this even further:
8. It is narrated from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Sufyan that
Mu'awiya & sent a person to 'A'isha #, asking her about the two rak ats
after Asr. She replied that the Messenger as had not performed them
in her company, but Umm Salama had told her that he had performed
them while with her. Therefore, Muawiya 4 sent someone to [enquire
from] Umm Salama. She said, "He [once] performed them by me, and
as I had never seen him perform them before, I enquired from him, 'O
Messenger of Allah, what were the two rak'ats I saw you perform after
'Asr? You have never performed them before.' He replied, "They are the
two rak'ats I [usually] perform after Zuhr, but some camels, collected as
charity [sadaqa), had been brought to me [for distribution], so I forgot
to perform them until I had completed Asr [i.e. after which time I com-
pleted them], When I did remember, I did not think it was appropriate
to make them up in the masjid with people looking, so I performed them
while with you" (Sharh Ma'ani 'L-athar 1:302),
This hadith, in conjunction with the previous one, clearly establishes
that the Messenger of Allah $ did not initially perform the prayer in
'A'isha's & company, but in the company of Umm Salama A.
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Prayer After Asr
'Allama 'Uthmani writes that even after extensive research, he could
still not find a conclusive explanation to dispel the apparent conflict
between these narrations. Nonetheless, he states that after giving
some more thought to the issue, it appeared that the incident of the
Messenger $ performing the two rak ats after 'Asr initially took place
in the company of Umm Salama . This is confirmed by 'A'isha
in the two narrations (hadith 7 and 8) mentioned above.
Thereafter, since the Messenger's " habit was of continuing any
practice he had begun, he began to perform two rak ats after the 'Asr
prayer in 'A'isha's & company on a daily basis, but Umm Salama
remained unaware of this. This is probably why she insisted that
he never performed them again after that one instance, and 'A'isha
claimed that he always performed them in her company. 'Allama
'Uthmani concludes that this appears to be the best possible expla-
nation to reconcile the hadiths and dispel the contradiction (Darse
Tirmidhi 1:428).
Up to this point, the discussion has been regarding the differences
found in the hadiths regarding how many times the Messenger of
Allah # performed the two rak ats after 'Asr. We now come to another
important question: What is the ruling for the Umma concerning
these two rak'ats after 'Ast. The scholars hold different views in this
regard.
One group claims it is sunna to perform the two rak ats after 'Asr,
even though the Messenger & had forbidden all nonobligatory prayers
at that time. They cite the narrations of 'A'isha A, which have been
mentioned above, as evidence to support their claim. This group
asserts that since the Messenger # performed them, it is permissible
for others to do so as well. However, the Hanafi scholars and many
others, state that these two rak'ats cannot be considered a general
sunna on the basis of these hadiths alone. In fact, it is prohibitively
disliked [makruh tahrimi] to perform any nonobligatory prayer at that
time. There are numerous other narrations and reasons that clearly
prohibit prayer after 'Asr.
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FIQH AL-IMAM
AN EXCLUSIVE PRACTICE OF ALLAH'S MESSENGER 35
The main reason the Messenger " performed the two rak ats after 'Asr,
as the hadiths stare, was to make up for the two missed sunna rak'ats
of Zuhr (see hadith 7). The reason for this is that it was an exclusive
practice of the Messenger a to make up any missed sunna prayers.
This, however, is not the case for the rest of the Umma.
Hence, the Messenger of Allah % performed the two missed rak ats
of Zuhr sunna after 'Asr, and thereafter continued to perform two
extra rak'ats every day after 'Asr; which was due to his exclusive habit
to continue any new prayer even if he had performed it just once. The
following narrations explicitly provide the same explanation.
9. 'A'isha , after narrating the incident in which the Messenger
performed the two rak ats after 'Asr, states:
Whenever he would perform a [new] prayer once, he would continue it
[thereafter on a regular basis] (Sabih Muslim 1:277).
This hadith illustrates the exclusive habit of the Messenger #8. The
following hadiths will make the matter even more clear.
to. 'A'isha & narrates:
The Messenger # would perform prayer after 'Asr but would prohibit
[others from] it; and he would fast continuously [ynwasilu, i.e. without
eating in between for long periods] but would prohibit [others from] it
(Sunan Abi Dawud 1:182).
This hadith clearly indicates that just as the Messenger # would
observe continuous fasts himself and prohibit the Companions from
doing so, he would also prohibit others from performing the two
rak ats after 'Asr but would observe them himself. This narration has
been related by Imam Abu Dawud who does not make any comments
after mentioning it; which means that the narration is a strong one.
It is well-known among hadith scholars that whenever Imam Abu
Dawud is silent after a hadith (i.e. does not comment on its grade),
it means that the hadith is strong.
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Prayer After 'Asy
11. Umm Salama 4, after observing the Messenger of Allah # per-
forming the two rak ats, enquired from him:
( Messenger of Allah, can we make them up [as well] if they are missed?
He said no (Sharh Ma'ani 'L-athar 1:306).
'Allama Haythami states that this hadith has been related by Imam
Ahmad in his Musnad and Ibn Hibban in his Sahih. He further states
that the narrators in Imam Ahmad's chain are mentioned within the
chains of Sabih al-Bukhari (Majma' al-zawa'id 2:223).
From the above hadith, we learn that Umm Salama & was pro-
hibited from making up the sunna prayers after 'Asr if she happened
to miss them. This indicates that making them up was an exclusive
practice of Allah's Messenger . It is related by 'Allama 'Ayni that
al-Khattabi said: "This prayer [the two rak ats after "Asr] is also from
among the unique practices [khasd'is] of the Messenger ." Ibn al-
Uqayli has stated the same.
All of the above reports lead to the same conclusion that the per-
formance of the two rak'ats after 'Asr was indeed an exclusive practice
of the Messenger # and, as such, was not legislated as being sunna.
This is confirmed by the fact that many narrations actually prohibit
any form of supererogatory prayer at that time,
THE HADITHS PROHIBITING PRAYER AFTER ASR
1. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri 4 narrates that the Messenger #8 said,
There is no [supererogatory] prayer following Fajr until the sun rises, nor
after 'Asr until the sun sets (Sabih al-Bukhari 1:82-83).
2. 'Amr ibn 'Abasa narrates that the Messenger 46 said,
Perform the Fajr prayer; thereafter, abstain from any prayer while the sun
is rising until it has fully risen. And perform the 'Asr prayer; thereafter
abstain from any prayer until the sun sets (Sahib Muslim U).
3. Ibn 'Abbas & narrates that the Messenger # prohibited prayer
after 'Asr (Sunan al-Nasa'i 96).
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FIQH AL-IMAM
4. It is narrated about 'Ali ibn Abi Talib de that
he performed two rak ats after 'Asr on the way to Makka. "Umar
called for him and expressed his anger saying, "By Allah, you are aware
that the Messenger # has prohibited us from performing them." (Sharh
Ma'ani 'L-athar 1:303)
5. "Ali narrates that
the Messenger #s would perform two rak ats after every prayer except
after Fajr and 'Ast (Sharh Ma'ani 'I-athar 1;303).
6. 'A'isha % narrates that
the Messenger ## would never perform any prayer without following it
up with two rak ats, except Fajr and 'Asr, in which case he would perform
two rak ats before them (Sharh Ma'ani 'I-athar 1:303 U).
7. Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan > delivered a sermon saying:
O people! You perform such a prayer which we have never seen the
Messenger i perform, despite having remained in his company. He has
prohibited the two rak'ats after 'Asr (Sharh Ma'ani 'L-athar 1:304).
8. Sa'ib ibn Yazid 4% narrates that
he saw 'Umar + beating Munkadir for performing prayer after 'Asr (Sharh
Ma'ani 'I-athar 1:304).
9. 'Abdullah 4% narrates:
'Umar disliked the performance of prayer after "Asr, and I dislike what
'Umar dislikes (Sharh Ma'ani 'I-athar 1:304).
10. Jabala ibn Suhaym narrates:
1 heard Ibn 'Umar & relate that he would observe [his father] "Umar
to beat a person if he found him performing prayer after Ast, until the
person would terminate his prayer (Sharh Ma'ani 'Lathar 1:304).
11. Tawus narrates that
he asked 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas & regarding the two rak ats after 'Asr. He
forbade him and recited: "It is not fitting for a believer, male or female,
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Prayer After Asr
when a matter has been decided upon by Allah and His Messenger, to
have any option about their decision" (al-Qur'an 33:36). [(Sharh Ma'ani
1-athar 1:304)]
CONCLUSION
The outcome of this discussion can be summed up as follows. There
is some conflict in the narrations which mention the Messenger
performing prayer after 'Asr. Some rigorously authenticated hadiths
indicate that he did so only once, and other rigorously authenticated
hadiths reveal that he performed them quite regularly. To remove the
conflict between the narrations and explain the reality of the situa-
tion, the Hanafis have established that this was a unique practice of
the Messenger 4%.
"The Messenger # had only performed them initially to make up
for the two sunnd rak ats of Zuhr, which he had missed due to being
with some guests. He thereafter began to regularly perform two
rak'ats after 'Asr, as it was his unique habit to continue any form of
prayer he would initiate. Numerous hadiths have been presented to
substantiate this explanation.
Moreover, also highlighted above are a large number of narrations
that explicitly prohibit the performance of prayer after 'Asr. In light
of this weighty evidence, Hanafis scholars have concluded that the
strongest and most correct view regarding supererogatory prayers after
'Asr, is that it is prohibited. As for those hadiths which are brought
forth to prove the general permissibility of prayer after "Asr, they
cannot be accepted here as proof of permissibility since they only
illustrate an action exclusive to Allah's Messenger .
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10
Prayer During the Friday Sermon
THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH # has instructed that whenever a person
enters the masjid, he should perform two rak ats of prayer before
sitting down. This prayer is called tahiyyat al-masjid [greeting of the
masjid], and it is a sunna prayer.
However, these two rak'ats are not to be performed at times in
which prayers are undesirable [makrub]. Islamic law has designated
the following times as undesirable: (1) after the Fajr prayer until sun-
rise; (2) after the 'Asr prayer until sunset; (3) from the beginning of
sunrise until the sun is a spear's length above the horizon [i.e. when a
distance equal to the sun's diameter appears between the sun and the
horizon]; (4) from the time the sun is at its highest point in the sky
until it moves on [istiwa']; and (s) from when the sun turns yellow
before sunset until after it has set.
Hence, it is recommended to perform the tahiyyat al-masjid upon
entering the masjid at any time other than these disliked times. There is
however one other exception to this general rule. Since the Messenger
of Allah forbade any form of prayer or conversation during the
Friday sermon [khutba], it is not allowed that a person perform the
tahiyyat al-masjid upon entering the masjid while the sermon is in
progress. This is the opinion of the Hanafis and many others.
Some scholars state that a person entering the masjid at such a
time should still perform a set of two rak'ats prior to sitting down
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FIQH AL-IMAM
and listening to the imams sermon. They go as far as designating it
a desirable act even at that time.
The following is a discussion regarding this very issue. It seeks to
determine the exact procedure a person should follow when he enters
the masjid during the Friday sermon. The evidence used by the Hanafi
school to establish the impermissibility of performing salat while
the sermon is in progress will be presented first; after which we will
analyze the few seemingly contradictory narrations that are used to
prove the permissibility of prayer in this time.
THE QUR'AN ON THIS ISSUE
Allah % says,
"So when the Qur'an is recited, listen to it and remain silent, that you
may receive mercy" (al-Qur'an 7:204).
As we discussed earlier in chapter 3, "Reciting Behind the Imam," this
verse was revealed concerning salat (and, according to some opinions,
concerning the sermon too). Now, since the sermon has been likened
to prayer and since the verses of the Qur'an are recited in it, the com-
mand of this verse shall apply to the sermon as well; which means
that a person would have to observe silence during the sermon and
listen attentively to what is being said. This also means that the person
should not occupy himself in prayer during the sermon.
It is related from 'Umar 4% that the two sermons on Friday are equal
to two rak ats of prayer. This is probably why the rak ats of Friday
prayer are only two, whereas the rak ats of Zuhr are four. He states:
The sermon is equivalent to two rak ats; therefore, whoever misses the
sermon should perform four rak ats (of Zuhr] instead (Musannaf Ibn Abi
Shayba 2:128, Musannaf "Abd al-Razzaq).
It should be remembered that this was his personal view, and the
ruling of the majority of scholars is that a person should still join the
two rak'ats Friday congregation with the imam even if he happened
to miss the sermon.
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Prayer During the Sermon
Since the sermon is similar to the prayer, it could be concluded
from this that one should also remain silent and listen carefully while
the sermon is in progress, just as one would while in prayer. The
wisdom behind disallowing all forms of prayer, remembrance [dhikr],
supplication [du'a'], and even enjoining the right and forbidding the
wrong [amr bi'I-marufand nahy 'an al-munkar]- which is permissible
on all other occasions-is due to the fact that if a person engages in
tahiyyat al-masjid or any other activity while the sermon is in progress,
he will not be able to listen attentively to the imam's sermon.
THE HADITHS ON THIS ISSUE
1. Abu Hurayra narrates that the Messenger of Allah is said:
Whoever says, "Remain silent," while the imam is delivering the sermon,
he has nullified [his reward] (Sunan al-Tirmidbi 1:114).
2. Abu Hurayra + narrates from the Messenger of Allah %:
When you say, "Remain silent," to your companion on Friday while the
imam is delivering the sermon, you have nullified [your reward] (Sahih
Muslim 1:281, Sharh Ma'ani 'I-athar).
Since merely reminding another person to keep quiet during the
Friday sermon has been prohibited by these hadiths, it follows that
tahiyyat al-masjid, which is a supererogatory [nafl) action, must also
be disallowed while the Friday sermon is being delivered. The fol-
lowing hadith further clarifies this deduction:
3. 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar % narrates that
he heard the Messenger of Allah @ say, "When one of you enters the
masjid to find the imam on the pulpit [delivering the sermon], then no
prayer or conversation [is permitted] until the imam finishes" (Majma'
al-zawa'id 2:184).
This hadith in itself may have been classified by some as being defec-
tive due to the narrator in its chain, Ayyub ibn al-Nahik. There is
mixed criticism about him. Some scholars of hadith have called him
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FIQH AL-IMAM
trustworthy, while others have called him weak. However, despite this,
there are many other aspects which bolster its acceptability. Ibn Abi
Shayba has related some other narrations of Ibn 'Umar & (the nar-
rator of this hadith) which would indicate that Ibn 'Umar's personal
opinion and practice was in conformance with his narration. This
adds strength to his narration.
One of the principles of hadith [usul al-hadith] is that any narration
supported by the constant practice of the Companions and Followers
will acquire enough strength to be used as evidence. This means that
the message of the above hadith, despite the criticism leveled at its
chain, can be accepted. The fact that there are many other rigorously
authenticated [sahih] hadiths that relay the same message as the above
hadith makes it even more legitimate to use as proof.
We will see in the following paragraphs that this opinion was not
an isolated one but was rather the opinion of numerous Companions
and Followers.
4. It is related from Salman al-Farsi & that the Messenger % said:
A person who performs the ritual bath [ghus[] on Friday, arrains as much
purity as he can, applies oil or some scent found in the house; then
departs for the masjid and does not force two people apart [to sit between
them]; and performs as much prayer as Allah has willed for him, and
then maintains silence while the imam speaks, will have all his sins from
the present Friday to the next forgiven (Sahih al-Bukhari 1:122, Sharh
Ma'ani I-athar 1:369).
5. A similar narration of Abu Hurayra 4 in Sahib Muslim has the
following variation:
[ ... ] and performs what has been ordained for him, then observes silence
until the imam finishes his sermon ... (Sahih Muslim 1:283).
6. Another narration of Abu Hurayra and Abu Sa'id al-Khudri y
contains the following variation:
[ ... ] and performs what Allah 2% has ordained for him, then observes
silence when the imam appears ... (Sunan Abi Dawud so UJ).
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Prayer During the Sermon
7. Nubaysha al-Hudhali narrates from the Messenger of Allah A:
When a Muslim performs ghusl [ritual bath] on Friday, approaches the
masjid without inconveniencing anybody; and if he finds that the imam
has not yet appeared, he engrosses himself in prayer for as long as possible;
and if he finds the imam present, he sits silently and listens attentively
until the imam completes the Friday prayer ... (Musnad Ahmad).
Imam Haythami states regarding the above hadith that "Imam Ahmad
has narrated this hadith and its narrators are those of Sahih al-Bukhari
except for the shaykh [teacher] of Ahmad, who is trustworthy" (Majma'
al-zawa'id 2:171).
None of the above hadiths mention that it is virtuous or even
permissible to perform prayer once the imam has appeared for the
sermon. The reason why this has been prohibited was previously
stated; it is due to the musalli's inability to attentively listen to the
imam's sermon and to the verses of the Qur'an he is reciting.
THE COMPANIONS AND FOLLOWERS ON THIS ISSUE
r. It is related from Abdullah ibn Abbas and Ibn 'Umar & chat
they disliked any prayer or conversation on Friday once the imam had
appeared [to deliver the sermon] (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayba 2:124).
2. It is narrated from Ibn 'Umar $ that
he would remain in prayer on Friday, and when the imam would appear
he would stop praying (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayba 2:124).
3. 'Uqba ibn 'Amir has been reported as saying that
prayer while the imam is on the pulpit [minbar] is a disobedience [ma siya]
(Sharh Ma'ani 'Lathar 1:370).
4. It is narrated from Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri that
a person [who enters the masjid on Friday while the imam is delivering
the sermon] should sit down and not engage himself in any prayer (Shark
Ma'ani 'I-athar 1:369).
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FIQH AL-IMAM
5. It is narrated from Khalid al-Hadhdha' that
Abu Qilaba arrived while the imam was delivering the sermon. He sat
down and did not perform any prayer (Sharh Ma'ani 'I-athar 1:369).
6. Abu Malik al-Qurazi narrates that
the "sitting" of the imam on the pulpit [minbar] signals an end to all
prayer, and his "sermon" [signals an end] to all talking (Sharh Ma'ani
"I-athar 1:370).
7. Ibrahim al-Nakh'ay says,
'Alqama was asked, "Do you speak while the imam is delivering che
sermon or after he has arrived [to deliver it]?" He said no (Sharh Ma'ani
"7-athar 1:370).
8. It is related from Mujahid that
he disliked to pray while the imam was delivering the sermon (Sharh
Ma'ani 'I-athar 1:370).
Another important point is that the angels have also been reported
to wrap up their registers as soon as the sermon begins. The follow-
ing hadiths reveal that as the imam begins his sermon, the angels put
away their records in order to listen to the sermon.
9. There is a narration of Abu Hurayra 0% in Sahih al-Bukhari, as well
as in other collections, regarding the angels recording the names and
times of the worshippers arriving for the sermon on Friday. Towards
the end of this hadith, the Messenger of Allah s says,
Thereafter, when the imam appears, the angels wrap up their records and
begin to listen to the admonition [dhikr] (Sahih Muslim 1:283, Sahih al-
Bukhari 1:127, Sunan al-Nasai 205).
10. A narration from Abu Umama states:
When the imam appears, the records [of the angels] are put away (Majma
al-zawa'id 2:177).
II. A narration from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri de states:
170