Question for the malikis

[Abu Usama]

Salam,

can a maliki pray with his hands below his navel just because he wants to, or does he have to pray with his hands on his sides?
And if not, then can he pray with his hands below the navel in order to avoid fitnah in the masjid?

And one more, inshallah, can you recite behind the imam in silent salah?

Wasalam

[Shaykhs-Pir Sahib]

Salam,

can a maliki pray with his hands below his navel just because he wants to, or does he have to pray with his hands on his sides?
And if not, then can he pray with his hands below the navel in order to avoid fitnah in the masjid?

And one more, inshallah, can you recite behind the imam in silent salah?

Wasalam

as salamu alaykum

the source of 'sadl' or praying with the hands by the side in the maliki madhhab is the amal of madina - the actions of the people of madinah, shown by the statement of Imam Malik in the Mudawwana in which he states that it (praying with the hands grasped - qabd) is not known in the obligatory prayer, but is permissible in the optional i.e. all other prayers.

There are other evidences for it in the hadith literature... which can be read here:

http://www.lamppostproductions.org/articles.shtml

under the section of 'fiqh'.

as for your questions - it really depends on who you have studied with. Sadl is definitely the mashhur opinion in places like Mauritania where scholars of mighty calibre pray like this: Shaykh Murabit al-Hajj, Shaykh Salek, Shaykh Abdurrahman etc etc etc...

as for it being the mu'tamid opinion - well there is ikhtilaf on that within the madhhab. Most now maintain that either method - qabd or sadl is permissible in the wajib (fard) prayers. A few say that it is not the sunna way. Others say it is the sunna and definitely one of the ways the prophet (s) prayed and thus MUST be preserved.

Although Shaykh Hamza was taught maliki fiqh by the Mauritanians largely, he has said that it is often wise to pray qabd in western masjids for fear of fitna or even standing out. However, there are others who have returned from Mauritania and refuse to give in to their fear and pray sadl strictly.

So yes, one can pray with his hands grasped in the maliki school - however, i believe that it must be done above, not below the navel - as the shafi'i's do, not the hanafi's....but i will check that insha'Allah.

As for reciting behind the Imam - yes it is done by the follower in the silent prayers - but at such a level of noise that only the follower can hear i.e. very quiet whispering...

and Allah knows best

forgive me if i have erred and please correct me if i have

[faqir]

The Maliki Argument for not Folding the Arms in Salat

By Abdullah bin Hamid Ali

Questions are being asked about what appears to be a novel practice in the North American Continent of people praying with their hands at their sides instead of folding them over their chests as has been reported in sound traditions about the Prophet – may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
It is common knowledge to Muslims everywhere that this was a practice of the virtuous Imam and erudite Malik ibn Anas. What has also become commonplace is to hear a rather unsupportable explanation of why he did it. That is, that Imam Malik only prayed with his arms at his sides because he was tortured and therefore unable to fold his arms on his chest.
This claim, after being unsupported by fact, history, or logic, is clearly contravened by the explicit statement of the Imam himself. We challenge such a claim to be verified by and in any of the traditionally relied upon books of Islamic history. One will find oneself hard-pressed to find any evidence substantiating this argument.
Then, logically speaking, it would seem to be quite unreasonable to surmise that Imam Malik didn’t have the strength to place one of his hands over the other on his chest while praying, but have enough strength to support his own body weight when pushing himself up from the position of prostration to the standing position.

What this paper will prove is that Malik – may Allah have mercy on him – only prayed that way, because it is what he saw there to be stronger evidence for, in addition to it being supported by sound traditions related about the Prophet – may Allah bless him and grant him peace. It will also be shown that Malik was not alone in this regard, and that many of the well-known scholars from the Tabi’in also prayed that way. Then, we will bring out in the end that such a prayer is legally valid in all of the schools of Sunni law, and that ones prayer is not invalidated if one were to do so.

What people must understand about evidence is that it is not restricted to Qur’an and Sunnah, nor has it ever been restricted to them. Consensus (Al-Ijma’) is also proof. Legal Analogy (Al-Qiyas) is another proof. There are also things like the Pre-Qur’anic sacred legislation that hasn’t been abrogated (Shar’ man qublana), and the statements and actions of the Sahabah (qawl and ‘amal al-Sahabah). There are also others that we chose not to mention, since this is not the place for such a discussion.
Were we to limit evidence to merely the Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet – may Allah bless and grant him peace – a great many things that we deem to be forbidden or permissible today would not be able to be supported or justified.
The reason for writing this paper is so that the author and others will no longer have to go into great detail repeatedly in explaining and justifying this issue. The aim of this explanation is not to appease or convince those opposed to this practice. Rather, it is to console and put at ease those who do it. This way, if one desires to know the facts, it would be as simple as taking recourse to the current paper, and those like it wherever they exist. We ask Allah to benefit all by it. Amin.



I. The Position of Malik (may Allah me pleased with him)
Ibn Al-Qasim says in Al-Mudawwanah : (“…Malik said about placing the right hand over the left during Salat. He said: (“I don’t know (of) that in the obligatory (prayer).” And he used to dislike it. “However, in voluntary prayers (nawafil), when the standing is extended, there is no harm in that (for one to) aid himself by it.”…).

Malik’s statement, “I don’t know of that in the obligatory prayer”, seems to point to a clear reality to anyone who is acquainted with his method of deducing legal rulings. That reality is that, his statement indicates that he doesn’t know of any conclusive evidence that would be strong enough to consider placing the right hand over the left on the chest a sunnah act of the obligatory prayer. The statement also indicates that the main reason why he disliked it was that people folded their hands on their chests as a means of holding themselves up in prayer. That wouldn’t be necessary, since it is disliked for Imams to make the standings too lengthy during obligatory prayers. As for the voluntary prayers, he didn’t dislike it then, due to the fact that much of what is not permissible in obligatory prayers is permissible in voluntary prayers. Now, where does the argument of the claimant stand in light of this conclusive evidence?

II. Evidence from Hadith
As for the hadiths that indicate it, let us first start with the hadith of Abu Hamid Al-Sa’idi, because of its complete soundness and clear unequivocal indication of the Prophet praying with his hands by his sides. Ibn Hajar says in Fath al-Bari: “Al-Bukhari, Abu Dawud, Al-Tirmidhi, Ahmad, and Ibn Khuzaimah reported it. “
And what follows is the version of Abu Dawud due to the addition that contains clear indication of the dropping of the hands by the sides (irsal/sadl).
Its wording is: “Ahmad related to us – Abu ‘Asim Al-Dahak ibn Makhlad related to us (transfer); Musaddad related to us – Yahya related to us.”
And the verson of Ahmad reads: Abd Al-Hamid informed us – meaning Ibn Ja’far – (he said) Muhammad ibn ‘Amr ibn ‘Ata informed me. He said, “I heard Abu Hamid Al-Sa’idi say while in the company of ten of the companions of the Messenger of Allah – may Allah bless and grant him peace: “I am the most knowledgeable of you of the prayer of the Messenger of Allah – may Allah bless him and grant him peace.” They said, “How (so)? For by Allah, you were neither the one who spent the most time with him, nor the oldest of us to him in companionship.” He said, “True indeed.” They said, “Show (us).” He said, “Whenever the Messenger of Allah – may Allah bless and grant him peace – would stand up to pray he would raise his hands until they were parallel with his shoulders, then say ‘Allahu Akbar’ until each bone became settled in its place straightly. Then, he would recite…”

And the natural place of the hands/arms of a person is at his/her sides, just as it could not be said that a person’s arms are straight if they are folded on his/her chest.

Shaikh Muhktar Al-Dawdi says, “And if the Prophet – may Allah bless and grant him peace – used to pray while placing the right over the left hand the ten companions would have rebuked him (i.e. Abu Hamid) for omitting it when he said: “…until each bone became settled in its place…” since peoples’ egos are disposed to a severe eagerness to point out the mistake of one’s challenger when competing. And amongst the ten companions was Sahl ibn Sa’d – may Allah be pleased with him – who said (in another hadith): “The people were ordered to place the right hand on the left forearm during Salat.” So, it becomes clear that the order in the hadith of Sahl – may Allah be pleased with him – came from one other than the Prophet – may Allah bless and grant him peace…and Sahl’s acknowledgement – may Allah be pleased with him – of the description of the prayer which grasping the hands (al-qabd) has been omitted from is proof that the order in the aforementioned hadith is not from the Prophet – may Allah bless and grant him peace.”
As for the hadiths that mention the Prophet praying with his hands folded on his chest or under his navel, they refer to the voluntary prayers. Nawawi says: “…And about Malik is also (the report mentioning) the favorableness of placing (the hands on the chest) in the voluntary (prayers), and the (favorableness) of leaving (them by the sides) during the obligatory (prayers). And this is what his followers from Basrah gave more weight to…”

Muhammad Al-Khadr Al-Shinqiti said, “And of the hadiths indicating the leaving (of the hands at the sides) is every hadith in which the prayer of the Prophet – may Allah bless and grant him peace – is described, and where he covered in it (i.e. the hadith) the mentioning of the recommended (mustahabbat) acts of prayer without mentioning the grasping (of the hands). Because leaving (the hands hanging) is the origin as is obvious. And grasping (the hands) is an added description. So, when it is not mentioned, the condition remains upon the origin, which is dropping the hands (al-irsal). And because silence about the description (of something) at the time for giving clarification is indicative of restriction...”

So, with to regard to hadith evidence, there is more that can be mentioned, although what has already passed should be sufficient enough evidence to establish that the Prophet did in fact pray while leaving his arms at his sides.

III. Evidence from the Traditions of the Sahabah and Tabi’un

In the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah, the following can be found.
1. Abu Bakr declared: Hushaym declared to us – on the authority of Yunus – about Al-Hasan (Al-Basari) and Ibrahim (Al-Nakha’i) that they used to release their hands (at their sides) during prayer.

2. ‘Affan declared to us: Yazid ibn Ibrahim declared to us. He said: “I heard ‘Amr ibn Dinar say: “(Abdullah) Ibn Al-Zubayr, whenever he prayed, he used to release his hands (at his sides).”

3. Ibn ‘Aliyyah declared to us: On the authority of Ibn ‘Awn about Ibn Sirin that he was asked about the man who holds his right hand with his left. He said: “That was merely done because of the Romans’ (influence).”



4. ‘Umar ibn Harun declared to us: On the authority of ‘Abd Allah ibn Yazid. He said: “I never saw Ibn Al-Musayyib grasping his right hand in the prayer. He used to release them (at his sides).”

5. Yayha Ibn Sa’id declared to us: On the authority of ‘Abd Allah ibn Al-‘Izar. He said: “I used to accompany Sa’id ibn Jubayr. So, he saw a man praying while placing one of his hands on the other. This one on this one and this one on this one. So, he went, separated them, and then returned (to me).”


And Imam Al-Nawawi said in his Majmu’: “Layth ibn Sa’d said: “He releases them (i.e. the hands). Then, if that was too long for him (i.e. standing), he should place the right over the left.” And Awza’I said: “(One has) a choice between placing and releasing (the hands).”
Al-Khadr said, “I say (that) the statement of Al-Layth is unequivocal regarding grasping (the hands) in that it is not in his view from the Sunnah. However, it falls under the category of resting. And this is exactly the reason why Malik expressly considered it to be disliked, since it is a form of supporting (oneself). And Ibn Abi Shaybah reported Ibn Sirin as saying when he was asked about the man who holds by his right hand his left hand: “That was merely because of the Romans.””
Then Abu Dawud relates that Muhammad ibn Jahadah said about the matter of releasing the arms at ones sides: “Then, I mentioned that to Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan, and he said: “It is the prayer of Allah’s messenger – may Allah bless and grant him peace. Whoever does it does it. And whoever abandons it abandons it.”
Al-Khadr says, “And the ‘ulama have said that Ibn Al-Zubayr took the description of prayer from Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq. Al-Khatib reports in Tarikh al-Baghdad that Ahmad ibn Hanbal – may Allah be pleased with him – said: “’Abd Al-Razzaq related to me. He said: “Verily, the people of Makkah say: “Ibn Jurayj took the description of prayer from ‘Ata. And ‘Ata took it from Ibn Al-Zubayr. And Ibn Al-Zubayr took it from Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq. And Abu Bakr took it from the Prophet – may Allah bless and grant him peace.” And this indicates that Abu Bakr used to release (his hands) in his prayer, because, Ibn Al-Zubayr took the description of prayer from him.
And Ibn ‘Abbas testified that the Salat of Ibn Al-Zubayr is the Salat of the Prophet – may Allah bless and grant him peace – in what Abu Dawud relates about Maymun Al-Makki that he saw ‘Abdullah ibn Al-Zubayr while leading them in prayer. He said afterwards, “Then, I went to Ibn ‘Abbas and said: “Verily, I have seen Ibn Al-Zubayr pray a prayer that I have never seen anyone pray.” Then I described to him this gesture, and he said: “If you’d like to look at the prayer of the Messenger of Allah – may Allah bless and grant him peace – then emulate the prayer of ‘Abdullah ibn Al-Zubayr.”
Al-Khadr says, “And what is confirmed by scholars is that Ibn Al-Zubayr used to release (his hands) in his Salat. So, it is known by the testimony of Ibn ‘Abbas that his prayer is the prayer of the Prophet – may Allah bless and grant him peace, and that he used to release (his hands) in Salat…”

And in the Musannaf of Abdur-Razzaq Al-San’ani he says, “I saw Ibn Jurayj praying while releasing his hands. And Al-Awza’I said: “Whoso pleases does it. And whoso pleases leaves it.” And it is the statement of ‘Ata.”

IV. The Position of the Majority of Scholars
Most scholars hold the view that the normative, if not permanent, practice of the Prophet – may Allah have peace upon him – was folding his arms while praying. This is the position taken by the other three schools, and is the opinion considered by many Malikis to be the position having more evidence in support of it.
However, the basis for this position is that it has been related about 18 Sahabah and 2 of the Tabi’un that the Prophet prayed with his hands folded. Nevertheless, there exists contention regarding the chain of transmission of each one of these narrations. For this reason, it is said about them that “it has been related about them”, which is a clear indication of weakness and indecisiveness. Hadith scholars know it as “the wording indicative of sickness” (sigat al-tamrid).
As for the one or two sound narrations, which are found in the collections of Al-Bukhari and Muslim, they are not clear in their indications of the Prophet praying with his hands folded. For that reason, it is not possible to unequivocally conclude that he – may Allah grant him peace – prayed with his hands folded. Rather, it is equally plausible, if not more reasonable, to conclude the opposite.

Al-Dawdi says, “As for ascribing grasping the hands (al-qabd) to the majority, if the intended (ascription) is (an ascription to) the majority of the Sahabah, then this ascription is not true by any means. Because, it (i.e. folding the hands) has not been found to be soundly established about the Prophet – may Allah grant him peace, nor one of his Rightly-Guided Successors. So, how could attributing it to the majority of the Sahabah and Tabi’un be true?
As for what Al-Tirmidhi relates from Samak ibn Harb from Qabisah ibn Hulb from his father who said: “The Messenger of Allah used to lead us, and take his left with his right.” and declared it to be Hasan, then said, “And Action is in accordance with this from the companions of the Prophet – may Allah grant him peace, the successors (tabi’in), and those after them”; There is no doubt that he (i.e. Tirmidhi) depended upon the hadith of Hulb in attributing this action, since there is a distance (in time) between him, and between the Sahabah and Tabi’un. Also because, he didn’t mention any support for that other than the hadith of Hulb. And if it (i.e. the hadith) had been Sahih, it would resolve the dispute.
However, it is from the narration of Samak and Qabisah. And it has already preceded that Samak is weak…and Qabisah is unknown (majhul). Then only Samak narrates on his authority.
And Tirmidhi’s choosing this chain from the different chains going back to the Prophet in this chapter is a proof that all chains of transmission fall in the center of ignominy.
In addition to that, it has already preceded about the Imams of the Tabi’in ( Sa’id ibn Al-Musayyab, Sa’id ibn Jubayr, and Mujahid) what points to the contrary of what Al-Tirmidhi attributed to the Sahabah and Tabi’in, while knowing that these know better the doings of the Sahabah in the matter than Al-Tirmidhi and all from his generation.
And if what is intended by “the majority” is the majority of those lesser than the Successors of the Successors (Tabi’I al-tabi’in), the ascription to them is true. The statement of Al-Nawawi in Sharh Muslim (4/114) indicates it: “The proof of the majority regarding the favorableness of placing the right on the left is the aforementioned hadith of Wail, and the hadith of Abi Hazim on the authority of Sahl.”
So, this gives the feeling that the Sahabah and Tabi’un are on the outside of this majority, because they don’t advance the aforementioned hadith of Sahl as evidence, because the one giving the order is unknown.
And if he had not been unknown, the Imams of the Salaf would not have differed regarding its ruling, also because the hadith of Wail is weakened (ma’lul) due to a break in its chain, and the weakness of one of its narrators. So, the Salaf don’t advance it as evidence…”

V. The Statements of other Scholars
Ibn Rushd says, “Scholars have differed regarding placing the hands, one of them on the other during Salat. Malik considered that makruh (disliked) during the obligatory prayer, and permitted it during the voluntary prayers.
And some people considered this action to be from the Sunan of Salat. They are the majority.
The reason for their difference is that some established traditions (of the companions and successors) have come. The description of the Prophet’s prayer – may Allah grant him peace – has been related in them. And nowhere in them was it related that he placed his right over his left.
It also has been confirmed that the people were commanded to do that (i.e. fold their hands).
The former has also been mentioned as part of the description of his prayer – may Allah bless and grant him peace – in the hadith of Abu Hamid.
And some people saw that the traditions that have been confirmed necessitated an addition upon the traditions which this (latter) addition was not related in them, and that the addition must be followed.
Others saw that the more worthy obligation was to follow the traditions that don’t contain the addition, because they are more numerous, and since this doesn’t suit the actions of prayer. Rather, they fall under the category of seeking support. Therefore, Malik permitted it in voluntary prayers, and did not permit it in the obligatory…”

Ibn ‘Abdul-Barr says, “…And placing the right of them over the left or releasing them (at the sides), all of that is a Sunnah in Salat…”

VI. Summary and Conclusion
We know the validity of praying with our hands at our sides from the following:

1. It was the position held by our Imam Malik, and most of the companions and Malikis historically.

2. A number of hadiths of the Prophet indicate that he prayed that way.

3. It was the opinion taken by the Tabi’in, the most knowledgeable of them being Sa’id ibn Al-Musayyab.

4. It was the position of ‘Abdullah ibn Al-Zubayr who learned from Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq who learned from the Prophet himself, just as it hasn’t been confirmed that any of the other Sahabah prayed while folding their hands.

5. None of the Imams of the other madhhabs hold it to be an obligation to pray while folding ones hands. They only consider it to be a Sunnah. As for Malik, it is permitted without dislike during voluntary prayers when the standing is long. As for the obligatory prayers, he disliked it, although dislike does not mean that something is decisively prohibited according the scholars.

6. Some Imams hold both folding the hands as well as leaving them at ones sides to be Sunnahs that have been both related about the Prophet – may Allah grant him peace.







In the end, I’d like to say that it would be much more beneficial for those seeking to sow discord through this matter to address some of our more pressing issues like the divorce rate in the Muslim community. Or things like, trying to help solve the problems of Muslims suffering from substance abuse and alcohol problems. Instead of policing peoples’ prayer when they’re not doing anything wrong, they should go looking for things, which are truly haram and try to find the proper Islamic solutions for them.

Was Salaam

[Shaykhs-Pir Sahib]

the link i gave is the article posted above. Jazak'Allah for posting it.

there is another great article on this topic and includes a fatwa from a 18th/19th (CE) century Azhari scholar Shaykh 'Illyish...

http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/misc/yadain.htm

[Abu Usama]

Salam,

jazakallah khayr for the replies.

It's amazing how much ilm of the maliki madhab is online. I just wanted to make sure that these are accurate in representing the maliki madhab?

the risala (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ABewley/Page17.html) which just looks like it tells you everything a maliki muqallid needs to know, and

the usul of the maliki madhab (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ABewley/usul.html) which subhanallah, from its contents looks absoloutely brilliant.

[ridhwan]

JazakAllah Khair ..

I was about to make a query regarding Sadl just before I came across this post ..

Some ignorants said that it has no basis ..

[Shaykhs-Pir Sahib]

as salamu alaykum

regarding sadl, its a FACT that it is permissible in all three madhhabs - Shafi'i, Hanafi and Hanbali. In fact, Imam Shafi'i says so explicitly in his "Kitab al-Umm". I remember a while back a student of 'ilm returning from Tarim where he saw Habib 'Umar pray sadl in a couple of rakats - and the Haba'ib are strict Shafi'is!

maliki fiqh can also be found at

www.guidinghelper.com (ibn ashir's 'murshid al-mu'in)

..i am not sure as to the accuracy of translation from arabic of the material by Aisha Bewley, as many people have pointed several errors in some of her works.

those who have been to Rihla's or Zaytuna may be blessed to have copies of Shaykh Hamza Yusuf's translations of matn al-akhdari and ibn ashir - the two other famous texts (other than the risala) - which are also planned for release at some time in the future.... insha'Allah. I believe Shaykh Hamza is a perfectionist and wants the translation to be as close to the original as possible, as well as funding being an issue, and the fact that there are loads of other texts and CDs on the way from him.

May Allah increase him and provide the means to spread the ilm

[Shaykhs-Pir Sahib]

as salamu alaykum

for those who are interested, the main texts used for maliki fiqh are:

1. matn al-akhdari

this is a 'basic' text on ibadat - wudu, ghusl and the prayer... however, it has an excellent section on tasawwuf at the beginning and people have written massive commentaries on that alone. Aisha Bewley's translation is available, and is the only one available to the public (Shaykh Hamza's copy which is not for distribution is probaby the best one).

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ABewley/9.html

2. matn ibn 'ashir

ibn 'ashir's 'al-murshid al-mu'in' roughly translated as the 'guiding helper' or the 'helping guide' as Shaykh Hamza has translated it. Again, his translation is probably the best, but not for distribution unforuntately - not yet published.

this essentially iman (Ashari aqida), islam (maliki fiqh) and ihsan (tasawwuf of imam junayd) all in prose in the original arabic. Sidi Abu Qanit has translated it as 'the guiding helper' and can be viewed or downloaded at:

http://guidinghelper.com/

or can be ordered in book format at:

http://www.doubletee.info/

3. al-risala of ibn abi zayd (who was known as 'little malik')

a comprehensive text on maliki fiqh, and a good commentary at Aisha Bewley's webpage:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ABewley/Page17.html

...its best to study all of these with a shaykh. after the above, most students of knowledge study the mukhtasar of al-khalil, which is volumes - contains all the positions in the madhhab with the dalils. And of course after that, some study the Mudawwana which is the text by Sahnun, who asks questions to ibn al-qasim, one of the students of Imam Malik, who scholars say was on par with Imam Shafi'i.

Aisha Bewley has also translated Shaykh Uthman Dan Fodio's work on maliki fiqh and tasawwuf ('handbook on islam') which can be ordered at:

http://www.angelfire.com/ab2/bookwork/

Sidi Abdurraheem from Liverpool has studied in Mauritania for a long period of time, and can teach most of the above texts - may Allah increase him..

[Shaykhs-Pir Sahib]

as salamu alaykum

another maliki fiqh link:

http://www.lamppostproductions.org/

[tilmeedh]

:salam:

What kinda baffled me was when I read in Qadhi 'Iyad Al-Maliki's book "The Foundations of Islam According to Ahlul-Madinah" p.30, under the Fadilas of salat:

4. Placing the right hand on the back of the left hand over the breast, and some say over the navel, in the standing (qiyam) provided he does not intend by that to prop himself up.

[Omar HH]

Salam,

jazakallah khayr for the replies.

It's amazing how much ilm of the maliki madhab is online. I just wanted to make sure that these are accurate in representing the maliki madhab?

the risala (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ABewley/Page17.html) which just looks like it tells you everything a maliki muqallid needs to know, and

the usul of the maliki madhab (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ABewley/usul.html) which subhanallah, from its contents looks absoloutely brilliant.

They are all accurate and wonderful.

Here are all the Maliki fiqh manuals online:

The Guiding Helper
The Guiding Helper with Explanatory Notes
The Guiding Helper Notes of Sources for Main Text
Al-Murshid al-Mu`in by Ibn `Ashir literal translation by Shaykh Abuqanit
The Foundations of Islam by Qadi Iyad
Al-Mukhtasar al-Akhdari
www.guidinghelper.com/qna
www.lamppostproductions.com

The Notes of Sources has many big chunks translated out of Maliki books too.

We al-Hamdulilah are full of resources and don't need anymore I don't think for our Fard `Ayn. The Hanafi madhab also has many sources - but it seems like they are mostly Fatwa-services which Ma Sha Allah shows you the need. I think that you have a few books for basic Hanafi fiqh right? Bashet Zewar or something? Or am I completely wrong.

The Malikis seemed to spring out of no where because I rememeber a few years ago not being able to find any Maliki resources. Now we have more than enough al-Hamdulilah. And this is the barakah of Allah ta`ala and now people everywhere are being spread the true traditional fiqh of Islam. We have the Hanafi and Maliki madhabs as a huge outlet. The Shafii madhab also has Shaykh Nuh's book and Sunnipath.

The murshid of Ibn `Ashir has so much barakah. Maybe because it's such a small book but it teaches `Aqeedah, Fiqh, and Tassawuf all in the matter pages in Arabic and then you are done learning your Fard `Ayn forever.

Wa Jazakallahu ta`ala Khayrun,

Omar.

[Abu Hurayrah]

Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim

Are you sure Shaykh Nuh's book or anything is online? Where?

Ma salam

[IlyasLahoz]

Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim

Are you sure Shaykh Nuh's book or anything is online? Where?

Ma salam

:salam:
I think he meant that it is available as a reasource (though not online)

[Omar HH]

Even though Shaykh Nuh's book IS online though! I have rnadomly seen it.

As for this whole issue it is talked about AT LENGTH in Shaykh Abu Qanit al-Sharif al-Hassani's master treatise the Notes of Sources of Main Text of the Guiding Helper.

I will paste in a second insha Allah.

[Omar HH]

Tilmeedh this is easily answered as the view of putting your hands to the sides is the popular opinion in the Maliki school. Other scholars may have had other opinions in the Maliki school which differ from the popular opinion.

As for those who want an intensive treatise on this whole thing, next post insha Allah.

[Omar HH]

:bism: :hamd: :saw: `ala Sayyid as-Sadat Abul Qasim Muhammad

Not all Maliki scholars agree on every part of the Maliki school (as with other madhabs of fiqh). This is actually the biggest argument against those who say we are only following one man (Imam Malik) when in fact we are following a section of scholars following Imam Malik and some opinions of Imam Malik were disagreed with by certain scholars.

Anyways - first and foremost - Imam Malik (Radi Allahu `Anhu) is one of the best scholars of Islam. Sayyidina Ja`far as-Sadiq (Radi Allahu `Anhu) great grandson of Sayyidina al-Nabi Muhammad (Sal Allahu `Alayhi wa Sallim) chose Imam Malik (Radi Allahu `Anhu) specifically as his successor on his death bed. Also - in the hadith the Prophet (Sal Allahu `Alayhi wa Sallim) says the time is soon when people will seek knowledge and they will find none more knowledgable than the scholar of Madina. This is why they say whoever says "Malik did not understand, Malik is not up to date with our times, Malik's opinion is not knowledagble" etc. - know that he is from Ahlul Bid`ah (The People of Innovation) as was stated in the Ramadan lessons by Zaytuna. Imam Shafii (Radi Allahu `Anhu) believed Imam Malik (Radi Allahu `Anhu) the most knowledgable person at that time (look up his dream when Imam Malik Radi Allahu `Anhu died).

Anyways let us carry on with the subject at hand.

The popular opinion in the Maliki school states that your hands should be at your sides. The proofs for this opinion are the following:

Proof(s) from Secondary Text(s):
It is mandub for every person praying according to the popular opinion in the Maliki school to leave his hands to
dangle freely at his sides from the time he says the opening takbir; … and it is disliked to cross them [across one's
front] in wajib prayers.
[KH: volume 1: page 286: line(s) I18-19: {explanation of Sheikh Khalil's statement, "and dangling the
hands"}]
Imam Malik said about placing the right hand over the left [in the standing postures of prayer], "I have no
knowledge of [the authenticity of] such an act in the wajib prayers359." Ibn Qasim said, "Rather, Imam Malik used
to dislike [crossing the hands]; but, in the mandub prayers when the standing posture was long [due to the
recitation], [he considered] there to be no harm if it helped one [gain strength for the standing posture].
[MK: volume 1: page 76: line(s) 1-2: {formal prayer, leaning in prayer and placing one hand on the
other}]
Proof(s) from Primary Text(s):
Ibn `Umar said, “When the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) stood for prayer, he raised his two
hands to shoulder height and then uttered the takbir…"
[{Muslim, formal prayer, recommended nature of raising the hands to the shoulders with the takbir,
hadith #587}]
Ibn Mas`ud said, "Shall I not demonstrate to you the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and
give him peace)?" So, he prayed and did not raise his hands360 except at the first time [with the opening takbir]. …
This hadith is well-authenticated and many scholars have given legal positions according to it including some

Companions of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace), the second generation, and it is also the
view of Sufyan al-Thawri and the people of Kufah361.
[{Tirmidhi, formal prayer, concerning the narrations that the Prophet did not raise his hands except at
the beginning of the prayer, hadith #238}]
The Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) used to forbid people from placing their hands on their
waist with their elbows sticking out to the sides in the formal prayer.362.
[DR: volume 1: page 838: hadith 1755: {Muslim, masjids and places of prayer, the disliked nature of
putting one's hands on the waist with elbows sticking to the sides, volume 1, page 387; Bukhari;
Nisa'i, book of start prayer, prohibition against putting one's hand on the waist with elbows sticking out,
volume 2, page 127; Tirmidhi, formal prayer, prohibition of placing one's hands on the waist with
elbows out to the side, volume 1, page 297}]
Abu Qatadah ibn Rib`iyy said, " I am the most knowledgeable of you concerning the formal prayer of the
Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace)." The other Companions replied, "[How can this
be?] when you were not present before us nor have you followed him more than us?" He insisted, "But, yes [I am
more knowledgeable.]363. They then replied, "O.k., tell us." He then said, "When the Prophet stood for prayer he
stood straight and then brought his hands to his shoulders. Then, … he bowed with his back straight and he did not
point his head down or up and he placed his palms on[/near] his knees. Then he said, "Sami`allahu li man
hamidah". Then, he stood back up [after bowing] until every bone returned to its natural place364. Then, he fell
prostrate saying Allahu Akbar. During the prostration, he kept his forearms and stomach from his thighs and kept
his toes a little apart [propped up facing the qiblah]. Then, [he got up from prostration] and folded his left leg and
sat on it. He sat straight… Then he fell prostrate again saying Allahu Akbar… Then, he got up and did in the
second unit as he did in the first unit365. …

[{Ahmad, hadith #22493}]
Abu Humayd said, " I am the most knowledgeable of you concerning the formal prayer of the Messenger of Allah
(May Allah bless him and give him peace)." The other Companions replied, "[How can this be?] when you were
not present before us nor have you followed him more than us?" He insisted, "But, yes [I am more
knowledgeable.]. They then replied, "O.k., tell us." He then said, "When the Messenger of Allah stood for prayer,
he brought his hands to his shoulders. Then, he would utter the takbir until every bone returned to its natural
place366 while standing straight. Then, he recited Qur'an. Then, he bowed…
[{Ahmad, hadith #627}]

359 Now Imam Malik was narrating the knowledge of the people of Madinah as they preserved it from the end of the Prophet's life until
his time (only about eighty to one hundred years). This statement of Imam Malik shows that the normal way of praying for those living
in the Prophet's city (May Allah bless him and give him peace) shortly after his death was in fact to leave the hands dangling to the
sides as the Prophet had without a doubt himself taught (this is because if leaving the hands to the side were an errant view, it could not
have possibly become the predominant way of praying with so many learned scholars of Islam in the city remaining quiescent about it).
As for the other later and more distant scholars that have given contradictory views, we would say that they either (1) preserved the
earlier actions of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) and were not aware of his later actions, (2) became confused
with the statement of `A'ishah which states that she hated the way the people of Madinah prayed with their hands to the side as it
resembled the prayer of the Jews, or (3) made a wrong interpolation when they were deriving their schools of Jurisprudence from
distant and isolated reports of how the Prophet actually prayed.
[As a side note, the last point mentioned (#3 above) goes to further promote the Maliki school as the most accurate school of
Jurisprudence as Imam Malik had to make fewer interpolations in deriving legal rulings. This is because he could see with his own
eyes the complete system left by the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) still intact and functioning in Madinah where
he acquired sacred knowledge. Thus, the knowledge he narrated was not mostly deduced from isolated often contradictory verbal
statements. Whereas the other later and more distant scholars were faced with the hard task of trying to learn what the system left by
the Prophet was actually like by listening to isolated verbal utterances and then trying to join between these verbal utterances to come
up with a coherent system of Jurisprudence, which is more error-prone.]
360 As an extrapolation, this can be shown to prove that the better position for the hands is for them to dangle freely to the sides [in
wajib prayers]. As crossing them on one's abdomen or chest is a higher position than leaving them dangling. Thus, folding them
across ones abdomen/chest (e.g., after getting up from the second prostration of the first unit) is an act of raising them which we are
told here is only done at the start of the prayer.

361 As for Imam Malik, there are two narrations from him. The popular narration is what we have listed in the Guiding Helper texts
that the hands are not lifted to shoulder height except for the opening takbir.
362 When a person does kha"r (placing hands on the waist with elbows out to the side) one is bending one's arms. Thus, the Maliki
scholars could say here that the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) was encouraging those praying not to bend their
arms while in the standing postures of prayer. As crossing the arms across the front entails bending them, the better position for the
arms is the be left in their natural state of hanging straight at one's sides.
[As for the prohibition in the hadith, most scholars of Jurisprudence say that it is just a recommendation against the act and that putting
ones hands on the waist with elbows sticking out or crossing them across the front will not ruin the prayer.]
363 Abu Qatadah was trying to remind them that the later actions of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) have more
authority than his earlier actions. Even though, he was not a long-standing Companion such as the others, he still observed the Prophet
very well during the end part of his life while perhaps they had not paid attention to slight differences that occurred.
[One proof that the Prophet's later actions/statements abrogate his earlier ones is his hadith, "I used to prohibit you from visiting
graves, but now [you may] visit them as they make one lose desire for the world and remind one of the next life." [{Ibn Majah, what
has come about funeral services, what has come about visiting grave, hadith #1560}] ]
364 Now here we see that the words every bone returned to its place signifies that the hands be left to dangle to the sides as this is the
posture (according to the view of the majority of the scholars) that the person who has gotten up from bowing and is about to prostrate
should take. In other words, we know that most scholars agree that the Prophet left his hands dangling to the sides after getting up
from bowing. Most Maliki scholars say this is the preferred position in all standing postures as it is the natural state
365 In this hadith and all of the other hadiths that describe the formal wajib prayers of the Prophet completely, no mention is made of
folding the hands. Rather, we are told that the limbs are in their natural state (which for the standing posture is to have one's hands
dangling freely to the sides). Thus, the Maliki scholars say that the hadith which have been narrated about the Prophet folding his
hands all concern mandub prayers and not wajib prayers. This is one of the reasons why Imam Malik gave the view of leaving the
hands hung in wajib prayers while he himself was aware of isolated hadith which spoke about the Prophet folding his hands during
prayer (which he probably considered either to be a ruling for mandub prayers and/or a ruling exclusively for the prophets (as the hadith states, "From the speech of prophet-hood is … placing the two hands one on the other in prayer…." [Muwatta', calling to
prayer, placing one hand on the other, hadith #339]
366 Now here we see that the words every bone returned to its place is used for the standing posture of the formal prayer when the
Qur'an is recited.)

[Salim]

This is not meant as a criticism at all and I hope that no one takes it that way, but I just wanted to share a rough paraphrase of something Shaykh Hamza Yusuf said in one of his recordings. It has always stuck with me although I forget the exact words.

He said something to the effect that we need to stop asking, "where are your hands in prayer" and start asking ourselves where our hearts are in prayer. The first is easy. Just go and pick up a book of fiqh of any of the four madhabs and you have your answer. The second is so much harder and is a constant concern for us all.

[lumumba_s]

As'salamu 'alaykum,

Additionally, it is such a minor issue in the school that Ibn Abi Zayd doesn't even mention either position in his Risala. The Ummah needs to stop obsession over minor details and return to our previous sophistication.

[Omar HH]

Salim is a genius. I totally agree.

I was just putting up the evidences of it, as you say putting up the fiqh books ;)

But yeah I fully agree what matters is where your heart is in prayer.

[Salim]

First of all, I appreciate the compliment but the last thing I am is a genius. Especially when I am just repeating what others said. I have to go beat down my nefs for a while now I think.

It's not that the fiqh is not important, because it is. It is just that we spend an inordinate amoount of time thinking about and arguing about it compared to working on our selves. Having those fiqh works made available is very beneficial for both those who don't know and those who may know but are made troubled by the arguments of others. But they are those types of things that you just learn and move on. Anyhow, I need to move on.

[Salim]

Oh and for hanafis there are a number of books available and many more coming very soon. Faraz Rabbani's "Absolute Essentials of Islam" is an amazing starting book. Talim ul Haq is good, Heavenly Ornaments (Basishti Zewar) is good. There is a translation of the Mukhtasar al-Quduri available online and a new one with commentary coming in print soon. Shaykh Husain Abdul Sattar is translating and commenting on parts of (and eventually all insha'allah) Imam Shurunbulali's Maraqi al-Sa’adaat. A translation adn commentary on the first part of the Hidaya of Imam Marghinani is also coming in the next year or so. Parts of Nur al Idah have been translated as well although I don't know if anyone is working on a complete translation.

As well teachers of hanafi fiqh tend to be much more plentiful than other madhabs for the most part. May Allah increase and make difuse the blessed teaching of the followers of the Imam al-Azam in all the lands.

[tilmeedh]

:salam:
Thanks Omar HH.
I noticed the bit about Aisha (r), who showed her distaste for takattuf. Surely, she was from the fuqahaa' of Madinah, so how do we make sense of this hadith?

And yes, of course there's more important things in salat (and life in general) than where we place our hands in salat. :) But I ask as a curious jahil.

ws

[Kareem]

whats takattuf?

[lumumba_s]

As well teachers of hanafi fiqh tend to be much more plentiful than other madhabs for the most part. May Allah increase and make difuse the blessed teaching of the followers of the Imam al-Azam in all the lands.
As'salamu 'alaykum,

That is true. Publications of books is not necessarily something to be rejoiced over. What we should be rejoicing over are Institutes and people like Zaytuna, Ni'ma, Lightstudy, Deen Intensive, Abdullah 'Ali, Husein 'Abdul Sattar, Muhammad ibn Adam, Muhammad Ya'qubi, Habib Muhsin, and the likes of them who are teaching, not just writing. I learned more in three days of (mostly :)) passive reception from a teacher than I had learned from reading the Risala for three years on my own.

[Mossy]

whats takattuf?

It's the term by which shia's generally refer to what sunnis refer to as qabd (ze folding of ze arms in prayer).

[tilmeedh]

Oh wow, didn't know it was only used by shias..
I thought it was the word for the action itself, without any sectarian attachments. :)

Doesn't it mean the same thing as qabd?

ws

[Mossy]

Yeah, it's just that sunni and shia scholars use different terms for it. Probably because qabd renders salah invalid in the 12er shia school at least, so there are some subtleties in meaning.

[Oscar-Mike]

:salam:
Thanks Omar HH.
I noticed the bit about Aisha (r), who showed her distaste for takattuf. Surely, she was from the fuqahaa' of Madinah, so how do we make sense of this hadith?

And yes, of course there's more important things in salat (and life in general) than where we place our hands in salat. :) But I ask as a curious jahil.

ws

I think she was not showing distaste for takattuf, but for Jews who put their hands on their hips during prayer. As far as I know takattuf means holding of the forearm or elbow in prayer, qabd means holding the wrist. There is no consensus among Shia scholars that folding one's arms invalidates salat, some have taken this position because there is no text that explicitly mentions it either way. It is possible that both sadl and takattuf/qabd are from the Prophet given that the he was weak toward the end of his life, and thus, could have been seen by some people in prayer doing this, but the normal state would have been sadl. It would account for the divergences in the position of the hands if it is seen as merely an action used to prop oneself up and not as the standard practice. Perhaps it was even done in congregational prayer and copied, similar to the congregation sitting down when the Prophet was too weak, yet mistaken as the ideal sunnah. Or maybe it became the sunnah if it was practiced for long enough. However, it does not account for the Ibadhis and Shia sects, who unlike the Malikis do not explicitly recognize any form of non-sadl being an option.

[celt islam]

Asalaamualaykum.

Here is a good document writen by maliki scholar Yasin Dutton about the placement of the arms etc in salaah according to the school of ahul medina [ Maliki fiqh ].

Amal v Hadith in Islamic law as in the case of sadl al yadayn by Yasin Dutton
click here to download the book : http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=batch_download&batch_id=Q01Fa0ZUaytOMUJjR0E9PQ