The Hadith of Ibn Umar (RA) from the Book
In Akhbar al-Fuqaha wa al-Muhaddithin it is mentioned:
“Narrated to me by Uthman ibn Muhammad, who said: Ubaydullah ibn Yahya narrated to me, from Uthman ibn Sawadah ibn ‘Abbad, from Hafs ibn Maysarah, from Zayd ibn Aslam, from Abdullah ibn Umar, who said:
‘We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in Makkah, and we used to raise our hands at the beginning of the prayer and during the prayer at the time of bowing (ruku’). However, when the Prophet ﷺ migrated to Madinah, he abandoned raising the hands during the prayer at the time of bowing, and remained upon raising them at the beginning of the prayer only.'”
[Akhbar al-Fuqaha wa al-Muhaddithin, p. 614, Hadith no. 378]
Response and Detailed Analysis:
❖ This narration is fabricated (مَوْضُوْع) and invalid for several reasons:
➊ Unreliable Source
At the end of Akhbar al-Fuqaha wa al-Muhaddithin, it is noted that the book was completed in Sha’ban 483 AH, whereas the author passed away in 361 AH.
➔ Thus, it is unknown who actually compiled and completed the book over 120 years after the author’s death, and it is definitively not the original work of Muhammad ibn Harith al-Qayrawani.
➋ Unknown Narrator
The author Uthman ibn Muhammad is of unknown reliability (مجهول الحال). Neither his birth nor death dates are recorded.
➌ Explicit Statement of Weakness
At the beginning of the narration itself, it is stated:
“He used to narrate a hadith regarding raising the hands with a sanad (chain), which is among the rare (غَرِيب) narrations, and I deem it from the anomalous (شَاذّ) narrations.”
[Abu Ya’la: 453/8; Al-Mu’jam al-Shuyukh of Al-Ismaili: 692/2, 693; Sunan Daraqutni: 295/1]
➔ Shadh (شاذ) narrations are considered weak in the science of Hadith.
Even basic students of Islamic knowledge are aware that a Shadh narration is a type of weak narration.
➍ Contradiction to Authentic Reports
This narration claims that the Prophet ﷺ abandoned Raf’ al-Yadayn after migrating to Madinah.
➔ However, authentic and well-established hadiths confirm that the Prophet ﷺ continued to perform Raf’ al-Yadayn until his final prayers before his demise in 11 AH.
Thus, this narration is proven fabricated (مَوْضُوْع) and unreliable.
➎ Contradiction to Established Sunnah
This narration is also contrary to the sound ahadith from Abdullah ibn Umar (RA) himself, where he is authentically reported to perform Raf’ al-Yadayn consistently in his prayers.
Conclusion:
The narration from Akhbar al-Fuqaha wa al-Muhaddithin regarding Ibn Umar (RA) abandoning Raf’ al-Yadayn is baseless, weak, and fabricated. It cannot stand against the mass-transmitted authentic reports that firmly establish the continuous practice of Raf’ al-Yadayn by the Prophet ﷺ and his companions.
والله أعلم
