60
Muslim & Ibn Maajah. The hadeeth
contains an indication that he did not
use to commence it with the words of
some people: "I intend to pray _etc."
which is in fact agreed to be an innovation.
But they differ as to whether it is a
good or bad innovation, to which we say:
"Indeed all innovations in worship are
misguided, from the generality of his
statement (`alaihis salaatu was salaam),
`_and all innovations are misleading,
and every misleading thing is in the
Fire'." But this is not the place
for a detailed discussion of this.
61
Tabaraani with a saheeh isnaad.
62
Abu Daawood, Tirmidhi and Haakim who
declared it saheeh and Dhahabi agreed.
It is given in Irwaa' (no. 301).
Literally, "the takbeer makes it haraam",
i.e. the actions which Allaah has made
haraam during it, "and the tasleem makes
it halaal" i.e. what is allowed outside
prayer. Just as the hadeeth proves that
the door to prayer is shut, no worshipper
being able to open it except with purification,
it similarly proves that the prayer cannot
be entered except with takbeer, and that
it cannot be exited except with tasleem.
This is the view of the majority of scholars.
63
Ahmad & Haakim, who declared it saheeh
and Dhahabi agreed.
64
Muslim & Nasaa'i.
65
Ahmad & Baihaqi with a saheeh isnaad.
66
Bukhaari & Nasaa'i.
67
ibid.
68
Bukhaari & Abu Daawood.
69
Abu Daawood, Ibn Khuzaimah (1/62/2, 64/1),
Tammaam & Haakim who declared it
saheeh and Dhahabi agreed.
70
Bukhaari & Nasaa'i.
71
Bukhaari & Abu Daawood.
72
Muslim & Abu Daawood. It is also
given in Irwaa' (352).
73
Ibn Hibbaan & Diyaa', with a saheeh
isnaad.
74
Ahmad & Abu Daawood, with a saheeh
isnaad.
75
Abu Daawood, Nasaa'i & Ibn Khuzaimah
(1/54/2) with a saheeh isnaad, and Ibn
Hibbaan declared it saheeh (485).
76
Maalik, Bukhaari & Abu `Awaanah.
77
Nasaa'i and Daaraqutni with a saheeh
isnaad. In this hadeeth there is evidence
that grasping is from the sunnah, and
in the previous hadeeth that so is placing,
so both are sunnah. As for the combination
of holding and placing, which some of
the later Hanafis hold to be good, then
that is an innovation; its form as they
state is to place the right hand on the
left, holding the wrist with the little
finger and the thumb, and laying flat
the remaining three fingers, as described
in Ibn `Aabideen's Footnotes on Durr
al-Mukhtaar (1/454); so do not be
confused by what they say.
78
Abu Daawood, Ibn Khuzaimah in his saheeh
(1/54/2), Ahmad & Abu Shaikh in Taareekh
Isbahaan (p. 125); Tirmidhi declared
one of its isnaads hasan, and its meaning
is found in Al-Muwatta' and
Saheeh Al-Bukhaari if considered
carefully. I have fully quoted the isnaads
of this hadeeth in my book Ahkaam
al-Janaa'iz (p. 118)
NOTE:
To place them on the chest is what is
proved in the Sunnah, and all that is
contrary to it is either da`eef or totally
baseless. In fact, Imaam Ishaaq ibn Raahawaih
acted on this sunnah, as Marwazi said
in Masaa'il (p. 222): "Ishaaq
used to pray witr with us _he would raise
his hands in qunoot, and make the qunoot
before bowing, and place his hands on
his breast or just under his breast."
Similar is the saying of Qaadi `Iyaad
al-Maaliki in Mustahabbaat as-Salaah
in his book al-I`laam (p.15,
3rd edition, Rabat): "the right arm is
to be placed on the back of the left,
on the upper part of the chest." Close
to this is what `Abdullaah ibn Ahmad
ibn Hanbal related in his Masaa'il
(p. 62): "I saw that when praying, my
father placed his hands, one on the other,
above the navel." See Appendix 4.
79
Bukhaari & Muslim. It is given in
Irwaa' (374) as well as the
following one.
80
Abu Daawood, Nasaa'i and others.