سنن ابي داود
Abu Dawud
أبواب تفريع استفتاح الصلاةPrayer (Tafarah Abwab Estaftah Assalah)
باب رَدِّ السَّلاَمِ فِي الصَّلاَةِChapter: Returning The Salam During The Prayer.
Hadith 928
اُردوEn
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ ، عَنْ أَبِي مَالِكٍ الْأَشْجَعِيِّ ، عَنْ أَبِي حَازِمٍ ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، قَالَ : " لَا غِرَارَ فِي صَلَاةٍ وَلَا تَسْلِيمٍ " . قَالَ أَحْمَدُ : يَعْنِي فِيمَا أَرَى أَنْ لَا تُسَلِّمَ وَلَا يُسَلَّمَ عَلَيْكَ ، وَيُغَرِّرُ الرَّجُلُ بِصَلَاتِهِ فَيَنْصَرِفُ وَهُوَ فِيهَا شَاكٌّ .
Abu Hurairah reported the Prophet ﷺ as saying: There is no loss in prayer nor in salutation. Ahmad (b. Hanbal) said: This means, I think, that you do not salute nor you are saluted by others. The loss of a man in his prayer is that a man remains doubtful about it when he finishes it.
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Al-Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
Objection:
SA Imam Hakim has declared this hadith to be authentic according to the conditions of Imam Muslim, and Hafiz Dhahabi has agreed with him. EA Hadith Referencing
[سنن ابي داود : 928، مسند الامام احمد : 461/2، السنن الكبري للبيهقي 261/2، المستدرك للحاكم : 264/1]
Jurisprudential Explanation of the Hadith
↰ This hadith is “weak” due to the “tadlis” (concealment of the source) of Sufyan Thawri rahimahullah, and explicit mention of hearing (sama‘) has not been found.
Even if it is accepted as “authentic” and interpreted to mean that there is deficiency and no salam (greeting of peace) in prayer, then its meaning would be that there is no salam by utterance. The reply to salam by gesture, however, is established from authentic ahadith, and from the reports of the Companions (radi Allahu anhum) and the Followers (tabi‘in).
SA Imam Hakim has declared this hadith to be authentic according to the conditions of Imam Muslim, and Hafiz Dhahabi has agreed with him. EA Hadith Referencing
[سنن ابي داود : 928، مسند الامام احمد : 461/2، السنن الكبري للبيهقي 261/2، المستدرك للحاكم : 264/1]
Jurisprudential Explanation of the Hadith
↰ This hadith is “weak” due to the “tadlis” (concealment of the source) of Sufyan Thawri rahimahullah, and explicit mention of hearing (sama‘) has not been found.
Even if it is accepted as “authentic” and interpreted to mean that there is deficiency and no salam (greeting of peace) in prayer, then its meaning would be that there is no salam by utterance. The reply to salam by gesture, however, is established from authentic ahadith, and from the reports of the Companions (radi Allahu anhum) and the Followers (tabi‘in).
Source: Monthly Magazine al-Sunnah Jhelum, Issue No. 16, Page: 18
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
929. Commentary:
➊ The literal meaning of «غرار» is to diminish or reduce. Deficiency in prayer (salah) can occur in two ways. One is that a person does not perform its bowing (ruku) and prostration (sujud) properly, or performs the pillars hastily. This renders the prayer deficient, in fact, it is not even considered performed. The second case is that of doubt, for example, if one is unsure whether three or four units (rak‘ah) have been performed, and assumes that whatever has been performed is sufficient, or simply counts them as four. This state is also a deficiency in prayer. It is necessary that a servant completes the prayer with certainty and confidence; that is, if unsure between three or four, he should count them as three. Deficiency in the greeting of peace (salam) occurs when the one being greeted does not reply with the complete words. If he does not say more, then he should at least reply with the full words. There should be no reduction in them. For example, if the one greeting says "as-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh," then it is not appropriate to suffice with only "wa ‘alaykum as-salam" in reply. Imam Ibn Kathir states: «اذاسلم عليكم المسلم فردوا عليه افضل مماسلم اور دوا عليه بمثل ماسلم فالزيادة مندو بة والمماثلة مفروضة» meaning, "When a Muslim greets you with salam, then reply to his salam with words better than his, or at least with words equal to his greeting. Giving a better reply is recommended (mustahabb), and replying with words equal to the greeting is necessary and obligatory (fard)." [تفسير ابن كثير ج۔ 1تفسير سوره نساء۔ آيت 86] «والله اعلم»
➋ The inference from this hadith that one should not greet a person performing prayer, and that he should also not reply, is not correct. Because from the most authentic ahadith, it is clearly established that greeting a person in prayer and replying by gesture is proven. For example, the aforementioned hadith [927]. Therefore, in this hadith, what is meant by not replying to salam is, firstly, not replying with words from the mouth. Secondly, the narrations about replying are stronger and explicit. On this basis, they will be given preference. And replying to salam in prayer by gesture is correct.
➊ The literal meaning of «غرار» is to diminish or reduce. Deficiency in prayer (salah) can occur in two ways. One is that a person does not perform its bowing (ruku) and prostration (sujud) properly, or performs the pillars hastily. This renders the prayer deficient, in fact, it is not even considered performed. The second case is that of doubt, for example, if one is unsure whether three or four units (rak‘ah) have been performed, and assumes that whatever has been performed is sufficient, or simply counts them as four. This state is also a deficiency in prayer. It is necessary that a servant completes the prayer with certainty and confidence; that is, if unsure between three or four, he should count them as three. Deficiency in the greeting of peace (salam) occurs when the one being greeted does not reply with the complete words. If he does not say more, then he should at least reply with the full words. There should be no reduction in them. For example, if the one greeting says "as-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh," then it is not appropriate to suffice with only "wa ‘alaykum as-salam" in reply. Imam Ibn Kathir states: «اذاسلم عليكم المسلم فردوا عليه افضل مماسلم اور دوا عليه بمثل ماسلم فالزيادة مندو بة والمماثلة مفروضة» meaning, "When a Muslim greets you with salam, then reply to his salam with words better than his, or at least with words equal to his greeting. Giving a better reply is recommended (mustahabb), and replying with words equal to the greeting is necessary and obligatory (fard)." [تفسير ابن كثير ج۔ 1تفسير سوره نساء۔ آيت 86] «والله اعلم»
➋ The inference from this hadith that one should not greet a person performing prayer, and that he should also not reply, is not correct. Because from the most authentic ahadith, it is clearly established that greeting a person in prayer and replying by gesture is proven. For example, the aforementioned hadith [927]. Therefore, in this hadith, what is meant by not replying to salam is, firstly, not replying with words from the mouth. Secondly, the narrations about replying are stronger and explicit. On this basis, they will be given preference. And replying to salam in prayer by gesture is correct.
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 929
