Asslamo Allaikum Brother,
You are not offending anyone at all by asking questions so feel free to ask what you wish, Insha’Allah and if we know we will answer it otherwise we will excuse ourselves as per the way of the Salaf.
The issue of a ruling in the Madhab contradicting a Saheeh Hadeeth and whether the ruling should be abandoned or not requires some discussion and I would like to put say a few things from my experience over the past few years.
I will try to use specific examples where necessary to make a point.
Firstly this is made into a very simplistic argument when it isn’t. The position is coming from a false premise that the “ruling” from the Madhab is:
Taking the case of Hanafi Madhab there are many rulings and Ulamah have graded them “Dhahir Riwayah” , “Mufta Bihi”, “Shadh” and so on. So first and foremost:
Example: Mas'ah on the Neck
An example is “Masah on the Neck” in the Hanafi Madhab. Those who refute the matter calling it Bid’ah state that it is “Sunnah in the Madhab” when it is Mustahab (preferred) based upon disagreement regarding the Authenticity of the evidence. The evidence isn’t free from criticism to make it “Sunnah” but at the same time (collectively) it can’t be discarded.
A number of Hanafi (& Non-Hanafi) Ulamah have classed the evidence upon which this action is based as “Hasan-La-Ghairihi (Good through a separate chain)” and EVEN then the status of the action is Mustahab (preferred) so if a Hanafi does it (backed by evidence) he/she is rewarded but if it is skipped it is NOT censored! It is blatantly wrong to start an argument and issue youtube video after video condemning an action without first clearly stating its status and categorisation.
All of the above conversation simply tells us that Hanafi (& Non-Hanafi) Scholars of Hadeeth have “evidence” and they didn’t pull a rabbit out of the hat to begin with!
Now lets move to the refutation of this action...
To the best of my knowledge there isn’t a single Hadeeth which expressly contradicts this action and what we have is Fataawa of various Scholars so one hand we have:
So why is a Hanafi hated for doing acting on Hadeeth? When there is nothing opposite to contradict it?
Example: Shirk in Tashahuud
Shaykh Al-Albani (RA) & Bilal Phillips have declared uttering Reciting the statement: "As-Salâmu 'Alaika [you] Ayyuha An-Nabi" in the Tashahhud” in Salah as Shirk based upon the research of Shaykh Ibn Hajr Asqalani (RA) & Tajud-deen Subki (RA) and based on narrations from the Sahaba (RA) which are disagreed upon!
Hanafees recite “Attahiyaat” based upon clear and unambiguous and Authentic narrations (see point 47)
I believe that Shaykh Uthaymeen (RA) has also refuted Shaykh Al-Albani (RA) on the matter.
Where is he justice in this? Again, the Hanafees are acting on evidence and not pulling a rabbit out of the hat and they have been accused of committing “Shirk”?
Example: Tying the hands directly upon the Chest:
The narrations about placing the hands directly upon the chest are weak, problematic and contradictory not considered as a valid position in any School and Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (RA) states in Allamah Ibn Taymiyyah’s his commentary on Imam Ibn al-Qudama’s Hanbali fiqh matn entitled ‘Al-Umdah before discussing the evidence:
“And he places them both below his navel, or below his chest without either of them being disliked.
The first position is clearly the ones which Hanafi Madhab adopts.
His student Shaykh Ibn Qayyim (RA) calls placing hands directly on the chest Makrooh!
ويكره أن يجعلهما على الصدر ، وذلك لما روي عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه نهى عن التكفير وهو وضع اليد على الصدر
None of the four Madhabs call for placing hands directly upon the Chest but Hanafees & Hanbalees (a position and see above) both agree on placing it below the Navel but Hanafees are called to task for pulling a rabbit out of the hat and contradicting Authentic narrations!
Example: Going down in prostration and placing hands before Knees:
Shaykh Al-Albani (RA) writes in his famous Salah book that the Sunnah is to place the “hands before the knees” and counts that as the MOST AUTHENTIC POSITION!
Shaykh Ibn Baz (RA) in Salah book (part 11/page 50) says the exact opposite and says, “As for going down on knees before hands when prostrating, it is the better practice based on the Hadith of Wa'il Ibn Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him) in this regard as well as other Hadith to the same effect.” Which is the same position as the Hanafees using the same daleel!
Where is he justice in this? Again, the Hanafees are acting on evidence and not pulling a rabbit out of the hat and they have been accused of praying Salah based on “inauthentic evidence”
Following Authentic Narration or following an opinion?
Majority of my sincere and beloved brothers & Sisters whom I encounter neither have the knowledge (of Arabic) nor the tools to actually research a ruling in the Madhab and to reject it with a Saheeh Hadeeth, they are merely following another Shaykh (or googling around) and this is a MAJOR PROBLEM because in my mind this is highly dangerous situation for a laymen.
To emphasise this point, I quote Shaykh Ayman Khalid who is a Scholar and Moderator on a Salafi foum, before reading keep two things in mind:
Sorry i dont understand this. If everyone operates within a madhab in simple terms which was the madhab of the prophet saw and the comanions ra?.
This statement is wrongly structured! Four Madhabs follow Quran and Sunnah and you do not ask what is the Madhab of the Legislator!!
I think when people say i have no madhab they mean they follow all 4 and pick the strongest argument from them not that they do not follow any at all because this is where even ahle hadith and salafi scholars get their info from.
There is nothing called I follow the four Madhabs or I follow the strongest opinion. This is surely inapplicable on laypeople because even scholars follow a particular Madhab and in certain topics that they can do Ijtiahd over it, they may take a view that exist in another Madhab other than the one they follow in general.
In simple terms, do not busy yourself about such fruitless topics.
I was talking to a friend who was adamant that we should not deviate from a madhab,
You should not deny on that person. What he does is the best at this era.
it depends on what he means, if he means that a lay person is only to stick to one madhhab, then I don't agree with you on this, because it will cause a lot of hardship on many Muslims, especially non Muslim countries.
What you say is true only in theory but in reality such case never exist. If we hypothetically assuming that one can shift out his Madhab then obviously you will face two issues;
Firstly, shifting out will be due to self-desire as his Madhab does not say what suits him and this is prohibitted.
Secondly, shifting out will be based on statement said by unknown person whose religion and knowledge are unknown to people of knowledge. Keep this in mind while thinking of large laymuslims from madhabs other than Hanbali Madhab who take anyone with a beard and robe who happen to be the imam of a masjid or a musallah as their shaykh or worse as mufti. That said, the only way to control laypeople from following odd views or following their desires can be maintained by following one Madhab and we only encourage them to adopt a view outside their Madhab only when such view is safer. That said, it should be known to all that there is no hardship existing by following one Madhab; never were and never will be.
It is much less hardship if one makes taqlid of any available trustworthy scholars, regardless of which madhhab those shaikhs are upon.
True in theory. But "trustworthy" is vague term today and it is often used to refer to anyone with beard and lead the Salah or maybe studied for couple of years. You should think of such topics on a larger scale because majority of laypeople do not abide by the context of the scholarship that we live and they are unawre of elements that define scholarship in Islam.
In another quote Shaykh (HA) clearly tells laymen of our times to stick to a Madhab!
Taqleed of a Shaykh or Taqleed of Salaf?
In our times a laymen has two choices:
When I read Muwatta Imam Muhammad (RA) at the end of each chapter it clearly states that “This is the opinion of Imam Abu Haneefa (RA)” so in this case I have categorically SECURED myself that I am following the opinion of Salaf and there CAN BE NO CHASTISEMENT on me from Qur’aan & Sunnah.
When a laymen has followed a position from the Salaf he/she has secured his/her Akhira so my request for everyone here would be to secure their Aakhira and not run after a mirage.
Allah (SWT) knows best.
Lets continue this discussion further and if a Scholar is treating you like a child then the cure is to consider another Scholar and not to abandon following the Salaf.
Jazakullah Khairun
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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