The
above hadith is their proof in saying that Taraweeh is only 8 raka’ah. We ask:
Which salah does the above hadith refer to. Does it refer to Taraweeh or is it
related to Tahajjud? If they say it refers to Taraweeh they have no proof for
that whereas its reference to Tahjjud is a very evident matter in the eyes of
those who are most familiar with hadith.
The commentator of Sahih Bukhari, Sheik Shamsud Deen Kirmani, affirms, “In the hadith the Tahajjud prayer is meant. Abu Salmah’s question and Hadhrat Aisha’s answer concerned the Tahajjud.” He adds further, “ if the Tahajjud prayer is not meant, then this tradition will be at variance with the tradition that states that he Holy prophet (saw) lead twenty rakahs each for two nights, and in the case of such clash the traditions of 20 raka’ahs which is affirmative (muthbit) shall have precendence over the negartive (naafi).” (Fataawaa Rahimiyya vol.i p.275)
Hazrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (ra) writes in fatwa:
“ Tahajjud salaah and Taraweeh salah are both different, they have different orders and different explanation. In the early days of islam Tahajjud was fardh on all Muslims. After a period of one year this farziyyat was abolished and it remained nafl during Ramadan as well as the other months.” Almighty Allah says, “O you wrapped in garments stand (to pray) all night expect a little.” (Muzzammil:1-2)
Abu Dawood relates from Aisha (RA), “The first verses of surah Muzammil were revealed and the Sahabah performed prolonged Tahajjud until there feet were swollen. The last verses were kept above the sky for twelve months then they were revealed and Tahajjud became nafl.”
The hadith above proves that Tahajjud was already being performed before Hijrah (because surah Muzzamil is a Makki surah, among the very first surahs revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (S) and that all the Sahabah performed it during Ramadan as well as the other months. Taraweeh did not exist at that time.
Then, after Hijrah, when the fasting of Ramadan became compulsory came the order of Taraweeh. The Holy Prophet (S) preached thus, “Allah has said its fasting to be fardh and its Qiyam to be nafl.” (Bayhaqi)
This is when Taraweeh came into existence. It would be very wrong to assume that Tahajjud is meant here by Qiyam because Tahajjud already existed. So there is no need to mention it again. If Tahajjud was intended here than the phrase would be, “Tahajjud still remains nafl as it was before.”
Furthermore in Ibn Majah’s narration it is said, “Allah has made its fasting compulsory and on you and I have prescribed its Qiyam for you.” This proves that the Prophet Muhammad (S) himself prescribed Taraweeh (by order of Allah). Whereas Tahajjud had already been made nafl by Allah’s order in the final verses of surah Muzzammil.
The conclusion is that Tahajjud and Taraweeh are both different. Tahajjud was ordered directly by Allah (swt) in the Holy Quran. Whereas Taraweeh came into existence by order of the Prophet Muhammad (S).
The commentator of Sahih Bukhari, Sheik Shamsud Deen Kirmani, affirms, “In the hadith the Tahajjud prayer is meant. Abu Salmah’s question and Hadhrat Aisha’s answer concerned the Tahajjud.” He adds further, “ if the Tahajjud prayer is not meant, then this tradition will be at variance with the tradition that states that he Holy prophet (saw) lead twenty rakahs each for two nights, and in the case of such clash the traditions of 20 raka’ahs which is affirmative (muthbit) shall have precendence over the negartive (naafi).” (Fataawaa Rahimiyya vol.i p.275)
Hazrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (ra) writes in fatwa:
“ Tahajjud salaah and Taraweeh salah are both different, they have different orders and different explanation. In the early days of islam Tahajjud was fardh on all Muslims. After a period of one year this farziyyat was abolished and it remained nafl during Ramadan as well as the other months.” Almighty Allah says, “O you wrapped in garments stand (to pray) all night expect a little.” (Muzzammil:1-2)
Abu Dawood relates from Aisha (RA), “The first verses of surah Muzammil were revealed and the Sahabah performed prolonged Tahajjud until there feet were swollen. The last verses were kept above the sky for twelve months then they were revealed and Tahajjud became nafl.”
The hadith above proves that Tahajjud was already being performed before Hijrah (because surah Muzzamil is a Makki surah, among the very first surahs revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (S) and that all the Sahabah performed it during Ramadan as well as the other months. Taraweeh did not exist at that time.
Then, after Hijrah, when the fasting of Ramadan became compulsory came the order of Taraweeh. The Holy Prophet (S) preached thus, “Allah has said its fasting to be fardh and its Qiyam to be nafl.” (Bayhaqi)
This is when Taraweeh came into existence. It would be very wrong to assume that Tahajjud is meant here by Qiyam because Tahajjud already existed. So there is no need to mention it again. If Tahajjud was intended here than the phrase would be, “Tahajjud still remains nafl as it was before.”
Furthermore in Ibn Majah’s narration it is said, “Allah has made its fasting compulsory and on you and I have prescribed its Qiyam for you.” This proves that the Prophet Muhammad (S) himself prescribed Taraweeh (by order of Allah). Whereas Tahajjud had already been made nafl by Allah’s order in the final verses of surah Muzzammil.
The conclusion is that Tahajjud and Taraweeh are both different. Tahajjud was ordered directly by Allah (swt) in the Holy Quran. Whereas Taraweeh came into existence by order of the Prophet Muhammad (S).
The
only proof to suggest that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
performed 20 rak'ahs has been reported on the authority of Abdullah
ibn Abbas (RA):
"Verily, the Holy
Prophet (S) in the month of Ramadan, used to perform 20 rak'ahs and
the witr (afterwards) without congregation." (This narration has been collected by
Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra (2/496), Ibn Abi Shaiba in al-Musannaf (2/394),
Ibn Adi in al-Kamil (1/2), Tabarani in al-Kabeer(3/148), Ibn Manda in al-Muntakhab
min al-fawaid (2/268), Baghawi in Majmu
as-Sahaba, Musnad Abd ibn Humaid and others)
This
narration has been shown to have a weak (da'eef) isnad by
the verifying scholars like al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (See Ibn
Hajar's Talkhis ul-habir fi takhreej ahadith al-Rafi'i al-kabir (1/119)
and Al-Matalib al-'Aliyya (1/146, no. 534) or Zaylai's Nasb
ur-Rayah (2/153)), Hafiz al-Zayla'i and others, due to the presence of the
narrator: Abu Shaiba (He passed away in the year 235 AH. His Musannaf has been printed in some 15
volumes) Ibrahim ibn Uthman. He was the grandfather of the Imam of
Hadith: Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaiba, as well as being a Qadi; but as for his status
as a reporter of Hadith, he has been declared to be discarded (matrook)
by Hafiz Ibn Hajar in Taqreeb ul-Tahdhhib (1/39, no. 241) and al-Bayhaqi has
declared him to be weak in al-Sunan al-Kubra (2/496).
An interesting
study prepared and published on this issue by a Shaykh who is said to have
memorized the six most authentic collections of Hadith, is available to verify
this assertion.
Let
us now see what a number of Imams of sacred law have said about the aforementioned
narration from Ibn Abbas (RA).
- Imam Ahmad
al-Tahtawi (He was a
leading Egyptian Hanafi scholar who has written a number of well known and
regularly used commentaries to classical Hanafi fiqh texts. He passed away
in the year 1231/1816 CE. Rahimahullah) has
said in Sharh Durr al-Mukhtar (1/466):
"On the authority of Ibn Abbas' statement, 20 rak'ahs
of Taraweeh has been estblished from the Holy Prophet's (peace be upon him)
practice."
- Shaykh Abdal
Haqq al-Dehlawi (d. 1052 AH
in India) has been
quoted by the author of Fatawa Rahimiyya (Mufti Abdur
Rahim Lajpuri, 1/280, Maktaba Rahimiyyah, Rander, India) as
follows: "Shaykh Abdul Haqq Muhaddith of Delhi writes in his book, Fath-e-Sirr-ul-Mannan:
'The obvious thing is that, according to the holy Companions,
the Holy Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying 20 rak'ahs had been
established, as is mentioned in Ibn Abbas' tradition, and for this reason Umar
(radiallahu anhu) adopted 20 rak'ahs . . .'
'According to our belief, the taraweeh consists
of 20 rak'ahs, for Bayhaqi has reported with sound authority that
the holy Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to perform 20 rak'ahs
during Umar's time; moreover, this practice continued during Uthman and Ali's
(may Allah be pleased with them) periods also.'"
- Shaykh Abdur
Rahim continued to say in his Fatawa:
"The fact is that Hadrat Ibn Abbas and Hadrat Umar are
both Companions; there is no 'weak' narrator between them, wherefore Ibn Abbas'
tradition may be called weak and the Companion's action may be considered to be
based on a weak tradition. Their action was based on a sound basis; how can
those who follow them be called 'the deluded'? In short, according to the
Companion's reckoning, the afore said hadith is not at all weak, though, due to
the inclusion later of a weak narrator. Ibrahim ibn Uthman may be according to
the latter-day authorities called weak 'by way of narration', but
'intelligibly' it must be authentic because the well-guided Caliphs and other
Companion's conformity to and continuance of 20 rak'ahs is the
proof of its being reliable.
Allamah Bahrul-Ulum (He died in 1235/1820 CE,
rahimahullah. Shaykh Abdur Rahim has quoted this statement from his book Rasa'il ul-Arkan,
p. 138) says:
'The Companions continued conformity to 20 rak'ahs
is the context and sign of the soundness of this tradition.'"
In
support of what we have mentioned, let us quote to you what a leader of
Salafiyyism has mentioned in his book: Criticism of Hadith among
Muslims with reference to Sunan Ibn Majah (P. 131, Hasan, Suhaib, Al-Qur'an
society, 2nd edn; 1407/1986) :
"Shafi'i
also recognizes a weak Hadith as authentic (sahih) if it is found to be
accepted by the whole ummah (see al-Sakhawi: Fath al-Mugith). But
he does not accept Malik's view of restricting the practise to the people of
Madinah. According to the later scholars of the Hanafi school like Ibn
al-Humam, a Hadith will be declared Sahih, if it is supported by the practise
of the Ummah (see Abdal Rashid Nu'mani: Ma tamusu ilaihe al-Haja,
p. 18). Among traditionalists, Tirmidhi often remarks, after quoting a less
authentic Hadith:
'It is being practised by
the people of learning (Ahl-ul-Ilm).' Suyuti deduces: 'It indicates that
the Hadith is supported by the sayings of the people of learning. More than one
scholar has said that a Hadith is declared Sahih if supported by the sayings of
the people of learning, even if it lacks a proper Isnad (see Suyuti: al-Ta'aqubat,
folio 20).'"
In
closing this section, consider what Imam Abu Hanifah (rahimahullah) said to his
student Imam Abu Yusuf (rahiamhullah). Shaykh Anwar Shah Kashmiri stated in Fayd
ul-Bari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari:
"Imam Abu Yusuf
(rahimahullah) asked Imam Abu Hanifah (rahimahullah), 'Did Hadrat Umar
(radiallahu anhu) have any compact from the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) for 20 rak'ahs of Taraweeh?' The Imam
replied, 'Hadrat Umar (radiallahu anhu) was not one to invent on his own;
certainly he had some proof for this!'" (This report is also found in Imam
al-Shurunbulali's Maraqi
ul-Falah, p. 81, and Imam Ibn Nujaim
al-Misri's Bahr
ur-Ra'iq, 2/66)
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