al-Arba῾ūn al-Ḥanafiyyah by Shaykh Muḥammad Wā’il al-Ḥanbalī (translated by Shoayb Ahmed)
Our Master and Prophet Muhammad informed us that the scent of Jannah can be obtained from a distance of forty years, so in this regard I decided to collect 40 Ḥadīth, imitating the example of the illustrious scholars. Every one of these will ease the path to Jannah.
So what follows are 40 Hadith that describe some of the actions of Ṣalāt according to the Ḥanafi madhhab without too much detail on the strength of the Hadith but rather sufficing with mentioning the famous books or the ruling by one of the renowned Ḥuffāẓ.
I have not quoted any narrations from the books of the illustrious scholar, Imām Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Shaybānī because I did not want to give the impression that the famous books of Ḥadīth are void of narrations that support our madhhab.
I chose to name this compilation:
Al-Arba῾īn al-Ḥanīfiyah
I transmit every narration here aurally or through ijāzah asking Allah that this is sincerely for His pleasure and that it is beneficial for all Muslims. Allah is enough for us and the best upon Whom we can rely on.
Compiled by Muḥammad Wā’il ibn Muḥammad Usāmah ibn Yūsuf ibn Muḥammad ῾Alī ibn Muḥammad ibn Muṣṭafā ibn Salmān ibn Sulaymān ibn Muḥammad Muzhir al-Ḥanbalī al-Ḥanafī al-Dimashqi before Fajr on Friday, 6 Rabi al-Akhir 1432 at my home in al-‘Uqaybah in Damascus, Syria.
(Translated by Shoayb Ahmed, Pretoria, South Africa: Ramadan 1437 = June 2016)
Ḥadīth: 1
It is reported from Mālik ibn al-Ḥuwayrith that when the Messenger of Allah made takbīr, he raised his hands until they were in line with his ears.
Narrated by Muslim and al-Nisāī
Ḥadīth: 2
It is reported from Wā’il ibn Ḥujr who said: ‘I am going to most certainly observe the Ṣalāt of the Messenger of Allah to see how he prays? So the Messenger of Allah stood up and faced the Qiblah and then he uttered the takbīr, he then raised his hands until they were in line with his ears, thereafter he placed his right hand over his left hand and the wrist
Narrated by Aḥmad, Abū Dāwūd and al-Nisāī. Ibn Ḥajr said the Ḥadīth was declared as Ṣaḥīḥ by Ibn Khuzaymah and others.
Ḥadīth: 3
It is reported by Wā’il ibn Ḥujr who said: ‘I saw the Prophet place his right hand over his left hand in Ṣalāt below the navel.’
Narrated by Ibn Abī Shaybah. Al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Qutlūbughā said: This chain of transmission (isnād) is good.
Ḥadīth: 4
It is reported by Āishah who said: ‘When the Messenger of Allah commenced his Ṣalāt, he said:
سبحانك اللهم و بحمدك و تبارك اسمك و تعالى جدك و لا اله غيرك
“Subḥānaka Allahumma wa bi ḥamdika wa tabāraka ismuka wa ta῾ālā jadduka wa lā ilaha ghayruka.”
Narrated by Abū Dāwūd. Al-‘Irāqī said: ‘Its men (narrators) are reliable. His student, Ibn Ḥajr said: ‘the least that can be said about this narration is that it is ḥasan (good/favourable).
Ḥadīth: 5
It is reported by Anas ibn Mālik that the Prophet, Abū Bakr and ‘Umar would all commence the Ṣalāt withلمين الحمد لله رب العا (alḥamdu lillahi rabbi al-ālimīn).
Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim
The narration in Muslim has an extra that states: ‘They never mentioned بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم at the beginning and neither at the end of the recitation.’
Ḥadīth: 6
It is reported by Ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Mughaffal who said: ‘When ‘Abd Allah ibn Mughaffal heard any one of us recite بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم he used to say: “I performed Ṣalāt behind the Messenger of Allah, behind Abū Bakr and behind ‘Umar and I never heard them recite
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Narrated by al-Nisāī and al-Tirmidhī
Ḥadīth: 7
It is reported by Jābir ibn ‘Abd Allah that the prophet said: ‘Whoever has an Imām, then the imām’s recitation will suffice as recitation for him.’
Narrated by Aḥmad
Ibn Abī ‘Umar al-Maqdisī al-Ḥanbalī (d. 682 A.H) said: ‘This is an unbroken authentic chain of transmission and its narrators are all reliable.’
Ḥadīth: 8
It is reported by Nāfi῾ that if ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar was asked: “Should anyone read behind the Imām? He said: ‘When one of you performs Ṣalāt behind the Imām then the Imām’s recitation is sufficient for him, and if he performs Ṣalāt alone then he must read.”
He said: ‘’Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar never used to read behind the imām.’
Narrated by Mālik
Ḥadīth: 9
It is reported by ‘Aṭā ibn Yasār that he asked Zayd ibn Thābit about recitation with the imām and he said: ‘There is no recitation with the imam in anything.’
Narrated by Muslim and al-Nisāī
Ḥadīth: 10
It is reported by ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Miqsam that he asked ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar, Zayd ibn Thābit and Jābir ibn ‘Abd Allah and they all said: ‘Don’t recite behind the imām in any of the Ṣalāt.’
Narrated by al-Ṭaḥāwī
Al-Ḥāfiẓ al-‘Aynī said: ‘Its chain of transmission is Ṣaḥīḥ according to the criteria of Muslim.’
Ḥadīth: 11
It is reported by Samurah ibn Jundub that the Messenger of Allah would observe two moments of silence when he entered Ṣalāt and when he completed the recitation. ‘Imrān ibn Ḥuṣayn rejected this and so they wrote to Ubay ibn Ka’b and he wrote back to them confirming that what Samurah said was true.
Narrated by Aḥmad and Abū Dāwūd
Al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajr said: ‘A good Ḥadīth
Ḥadīth: 12
It is reported by ‘Alqamah who said; ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas῾ūd said: “Shall I not demonstrate before you the Ṣalāt of the Messenger of Allah? So he performed Ṣalāt and he did not raise his hands except at the beginning.”
Reported by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī
Ḥadīth: 13
It is reported by Āṣim ibn Kulayb from his father that ‘Alī used to raise his hands for the first takbīr of the Ṣalāt and then never repeated it.
Narrated by Ibn Abī Shaybah and al-Ṭaḥāwī
Ḥadīth: 14
It is reported by al-Aswad who said: ‘I performed Ṣalāt with ‘Umar and he did not raise his hands in any part of the Ṣalāt except at the commencement of the Ṣalāt.
‘Abd al-Malik (ibn Sa῾īd ibn Ḥayyān ibn Abjar) said: ‘I saw al-Sha’bī, Ibrāhīm and Abū Isḥāq (῾Amr ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Sabī῾ī) not raise their hands except when they commenced the Ṣalāt.’
Narrated by Ibn Abī Shaybah and al-Ṭaḥāwī who said: ‘It is an authentic Ḥadīth
Ḥadīth: 15
It is reported by Wā’il ibn Ḥujr who said: ‘I saw the Messenger of Allah when he prostrated (sajdah), he placed his knees down before his hands and when he stood up (from sajdah), he raised his hands before his knees.’
Narrated by Abū Dāwūd, al-Nisāī and al-Tirmidhī
Ḥadīth: 16
It is reported by Anas ibn Mālik who said: ‘I saw the Messenger of Allah make takbīr, so his thumbs were in line with his ears, then he bowed (rukū’) until every limb was stationary, then he prostrated with the takbīr in a manner where his knees preceded his hands.’
Narrated by al-Ḥākim who stated that the chain of transmission was authentic and met the requirements of al-Bukhārī and Muslim. He was not aware of any defect in the Ḥadīth and the two (al-Bukhārī & Muslim) did not record it in their books.
Ḥadīth: 17
It is reported by Wā’il ibn Ḥujr that he saw the Messenger of Allah raise his hands when he commenced Ṣalāt. This Ḥadīth contains a part that says: ‘When he prostrated, he did so between his palms.’
Narrated by Aḥmad and Muslim
Ḥadīth: 18
It is reported by Abī Isḥāq who said: “I said to al-Barā ibn ῾Āzib: ‘Where did the Prophet place his face when he prostrated?’ He replied: ‘Between his palms.’
Narrated by al-Tirmidhī
Ḥadīth: 19
It is reported by Wā’il ibn Ḥujr that when the Prophet bowed (rukū’) he kept his fingers apart and when he prostrated, he kept them close together.
Narrated by Ibn Ḥibbān and al-Ṭabarānī.
Ḥadīth: 20
It is reported by ῾Abd Allah ibn ῾Umar who said: “It is a Sunnah of Ṣalāt that the right foot is kept upright with the toes facing the qiblah, while sitting on the left.”
Narrated by al-Nisāī
Ḥadīth: 21
In the Ḥadīth of Abū Ḥumayd al-Sā῾idī when he mentioned the Ṣalāt of the Messenger of Allah in a gathering of Ṣaḥābah and he said: ‘Then he made takbīr and then he sat. Then he made takbīr and stood up without tawarruk.’
(tawarruk refers to a sitting posture)
Narrated by Abū Dāwūd and Ibn Ḥibbān
Ibn Ḥajr said the chain is authentic.
Ḥadīth: 22
It is reported by ῾Abd Allah ibn ῾Umar who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah forbade a man from relying on his hands when he stood up in Ṣalāt.’
Narrated by Abū Dāwūd, Ibn Khuzaymah and al-Ḥākim
Ḥadīth: 23
It is reported by ῾Abd Allah ibn Sakhbarah Abī Ma῾mar who said: ‘I heard Ibn Mas῾ūd say: “The Messenger of Allah taught me tashahhud in the manner he used to teach me a sūrah from the Quran. He did this while my palm was in his palm.
التحيات لله و الصلوات و الطيبات السلام عليك أيها النبي و رحمة الله و بركاته السلام علينا و على عباد الله الصالحين أشهد أن لا اله الا الله ة أشهد أن محمدا عبده و رسوله
Narrated by al-Bukhārī, Muslim and al-Tirmidhī.
Al-Tirmidhī said it is the most authentic Ḥadīth reported from the Messenger of Allah with regard to tashahhud and most of the scholars practice upon it from the Companions of the Prophet and the tāb῾īn. It is the view of Sufyān al-Thawrī, Ibn al-Mubārak, Aḥmad and Isḥāq.
Ḥadīth: 24
It is reported by ῾Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr who mentioned that the Prophet used to point with his finger when he supplicated and he didn’t move it.
Narrated by Abū Dāwūd and al-Nisāī.
Imām al-Nawawī said: ‘It is narrated by Abū Dāwūd with an authentic chain of transmission.
Al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn al-Mulaaqin said: ‘This Ḥadīth is authentic (ṣaḥīḥ)
Ḥadīth: 25
It is reported by ῾Abd Allah ibn Mas῾ūd who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah taught me tashahhud in the middle and at the end of Ṣalāt.
And in this narration: ‘If it was in the middle of the Ṣalāt he stood up once he completed the recitation of the tashahhud.’
Narrated by Aḥmad and Ibn Khuzaymah.
Al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Haythamī said: ‘Its narrators are reliable.’
Ḥadīth: 26
It is reported by ῾Āishah that the Messenger of Allah never recited more than the tashahhud in the two units of Ṣalāt.
Reported by Abū Ya῾lā and authenticated by al-Haythamī
Ḥadīth: 27
It is reported by ῾Abd Allah ibn Mas῾ūd that the Prophet would in the first two units of Ṣalāt be as if he were on burning stones. We said: ‘He did this until he stood up?’ He replied: ‘Until he stood up.’
Reported by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī who said: ‘This is the practice of the people of knowledge. They preferred not to sit for a long time in the first two units. They didn’t read more than the tashahhud. They said that if a person read more than tashahhud then he needs to perform sajdah sahwu. This is what was reported from al-Sha῾bī.
Ḥadīth: 28
It is reported by Tamīm ibn Salamah who said that when Abū Bakr sat at the end of two units it was as if he was on burning stones.’
Narrated by Ibn Abī Shaybah.
Ibn Ḥajr said: ‘its chain is authentic
Ḥadīth: 29
It is reported by al-Qāsim ibn Mukhaymirah who said: ‘Alqamah took my hand and informed me that ῾Abd Allah ibn Mas῾ūd took hold of his hand, and the Messenger of Allah took his hand and then taught him tashahhud in Ṣalāt and then said after the two statements of testimony: “So when you complete this or he may have said: “When you have done this, then you have completed your Ṣalāt. If you wish to stand up, then stand and if you wish to sit then sit.”
Narrated by Aḥmad and Abū Dāwūd
Al-Haythamī said that the narrators of the narration of Aḥmad are reliable.
Ḥadīth: 30
It is reported by ῾Abd Allah ibn Mas῾ūd that the Prophet used to offer the greeting (salām) to his right and his left until the whiteness of his cheek could be seen: السلام عليكم و رحمة الله
Narrated by Abū Dāwūd, al-Nisāī and al-Tirmidhī.
Al-Tirmidhī said that the Ḥadīth of Ibn Mas῾ūd is Ḥasan, Ṣaḥīḥ and it is the practice of most of the scholars from the Companions of the Prophet and after them.
Ḥadīth: 31
It is reported by Abū Hurayrah who said: ‘Omitting the salām is Sunnah.’
῾Alī ibn Ḥujr said: ῾Abd Allah ibn al-Mubārak said: it means that it should not be prolonged.
Reported by al-Tirmidhī who said that the Ḥadīth is Ḥasan Ṣaḥīḥ and it’s preferred by the scholars.
Ḥadīth: 32
It is reported by ῾Abd Allah ibn Abī Mūsā who said: ‘Ibn Mas῾ūd came to us while the Imām was performing Ṣalāt, so he made two units of Ṣalāt next to a pillar and he had not performed the two units of Fajr.’
Narrated by al-Ṭabarānī and al-Ṭaḥāwī.
Al-Haythamī said: ‘its narrators are reliable.’
Al-Ḥāfiẓ Al-῾Aynī said: ‘al-Ṭaḥāwī narrated it with three authentic chains.’
Ḥadīth: 33
It is reported by Abū ῾Uthmān al-Anṣārī who said: ‘Abd Allah ibn ῾Abbās came while the imām was performing the Fajr prayer and he had not performed the two units. So ῾Abd Allah ibn ῾Abbās made the two units behind the imam and then he entered the Ṣalāt with them.’
Narrated by al-Ṭaḥāwī
Ḥadīth: 34
It is reported by Mālik ibn Mighwal who said: ‘I heard Nāfi῾ say: ‘I woke Ibn ῾Umar for the Fajr Ṣalāt and the iqāmah had already been called out. So he stood up and performed two units.
Narrated by al-Ṭaḥāwī
Ḥadīth: 35
It is reported by Abī ῾Ubayd Allah from Abī al-Dardā that he would entered the masjid while the people were in the rows for the Fajr Ṣalāt. So he would perform two units on one side of the masjid and then he joined the people in Ṣalāt.’
Narrated by al-Ṭaḥāwī
Ḥadīth: 36
It is reported by ῾Imrān ibn al-Ḥuṣayn that the Prophet led them in Ṣalāt and erred, so he made two sajdah’s, then he read tashahhud and then he made salām.’
Narrated by Abū Dāwūd and a-Tirmidhī who said: Ḥadīth Ḥasan Gharīb Ṣaḥīḥ.
Al-Ḥākim said: Ṣaḥīḥ according to the requirements of al-Bukhārī and Muslim.
Ḥadīth: 37
It is reported by ῾Abd Allah ibn Mas῾ūd from the Messenger of Allah who said: “If you are in Ṣalāt and you doubt whether it is the third or fourth unit, and you are more inclined to believe that it is the fourth, read the tashahhud and then make two sajdah’s while seated before making salām, then read the tashahhud again and then make salām.’
Narrated by Aḥmad and Abū Dāwūd
Ḥadīth: 38
It is reported by Ubay ibn Ka῾b that the Messenger of Allah made three units for Witr and he recited the qunūt before rukū’.
Narrated by al-Nasāī and Ibn Mājah
Ḥadīth: 39
It is reported by ῾Alqamah that Ibn Mas῾ūd and the Companions of the Prophet used to recite the qunūt in Witr before rukū’.’
Narrated by Ibn Abī Shaybah and Ibn Ḥajr regarded the chain of transmission as good.
Narrated by al-Ṭabarānī from the practice of Ibn Mas῾ūd and it was declared as authentic by Ibn Ḥajr.
Ḥadīth: 40
It is reported by ῾Āishah who said: ‘when the Prophet made salām he only sat to the extent that he would say: اللهم أنت السلام و منك السلام تبارك ذا الجلال و الاكرام
The narration of Ibn Numayr has the following: يا ذا الجلال و الاكرام
Narrated by Muslim