❀ A Critical Review of the Two Types of Narrations in “Ṣalāh al-Muslimīn” ❀
Based on: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1, Kitāb aṣ-Ṣalāh, Page 404
❖ Question:
Many people are following the book “Ṣalāh al-Muslimīn” by Masʿūd Aḥmad. Is it reliable? Are its rulings authentic and valid for practice?
(Asked by: ʿAbd al-Sattār Soomro, Karachi)
✿ Research-Based Response:
Alḥamdulillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā baʿd!
The book “Ṣalāh al-Muslimīn” authored by Masʿūd Aḥmad—a known Kharijite and Takfīrī figure—contains two distinct categories of narrations:
✦ ① Authentic and Ḥasan (Sound) Narrations
These narrations are reliably quoted by the author from trusted Ahl al-Ḥadīth scholars, such as:
◈ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī
◈ ʿAllāmah al-Shawkānī
◈ Shaykh al-Albānī, and others.
✔ No issue arises regarding these ḥadīths—they are valid and sound, al-ḥamdu lillāh.
✦ ② Weak and Rejected Narrations
A major concern arises with fabricated and unreliable narrations that Masʿūd Aḥmad wrongly labels as “Ṣaḥīḥ”.
Example:
In Ṣalāh al-Muslimīn, Fifth Edition, pages 305–307, a duʿāʾ al-qunūt is cited and claimed to be authentic, sourced from:
Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq, Vol. 3, Page 116
❖ The actual sanad (chain), as per Ḥadīth 4982 of
“ʿan Maʿmar, ʿan ʿAmr, ʿan al-Ḥasan…”
The narrator ʿAmr here refers to ʿAmr ibn ʿUbayd, as evidenced by:
◈ Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq (Ḥadīth 19985)
◈ Tahdhīb al-Kamāl (Vol. 14, p. 276)
✿ The Reality of ʿAmr ibn ʿUbayd al-Muʿtazilī
He is a severely weak and discredited narrator:
✔ Declared a liar (kadhdhāb) by major hadith scholars like:
◈ Yūnus ibn ʿUbayd
◈ Ḥumayd al-Ṭawīl
◈ ʿAwf al-Aʿrābī
◈ Ibn ʿAwn
◈ Ayyūb as-Sakhtiyānī
✔ Ḥumayd al-Ṭawīl said:
“He lies upon al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī.”
✔ Abū Ḥātim al-Fallās and others declared him abandoned (matrūk).
For detailed references:
◈ Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl (Vol. 3, pp. 273–280)
◈ Tahdhīb at-Tahdhīb (Vol. 8, pp. 69–73)
✦ Conclusion on the Second Type of Narration
To label such a sanad as “ṣaḥīḥ” is an egregious scholarly error and can only stem from someone like Masʿūd Aḥmad, who:
◈ Has no formal grounding in Qur’ān and Ḥadīth sciences
◈ Fails to understand religious texts through the methodology of the Salaf aṣ-Ṣāliḥīn
⚠ Important Caution:
Therefore, this book should not be followed blindly or practiced upon without critical verification. Many of its rulings are based on weak or fabricated sources.
✅ Recommended Alternative:
For sound and balanced guidance on this topic, the following verified book is highly beneficial:
“Mukhtaṣar Ṣaḥīḥ Ṣalāh an-Nabawī”
(Publisher: Maktabah al-Ḥadīth Hazro & Maktabah Islāmiyyah)
Publication Note:
Shahādat, March 2000
✨ Final Summary:
✔ Ṣalāh al-Muslimīn includes both sound and flawed narrations.
✔ It contains serious methodological and textual issues, especially mislabeling weak narrations as authentic.
✔ The author lacks recognized scholarly credibility in Ḥadīth sciences.
✔ Use authentic, peer-reviewed resources for correct Islamic practice.
ھٰذا ما عندي، واللہ أعلم بالصواب
