Ibn Majah

Benefits and Issues:
➊ The purpose of this statement of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was to gently prohibit this action. That is, after the iqamah, the obligatory (fard) prayer is performed. You have combined the obligatory prayers with the sunnah prayers, as if you have made four obligatory (fard) units.

➋ When the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade performing sunnah prayers after the iqamah and before the congregation stands for prayer, then performing sunnah prayers after the congregation has already stood is even more strongly prohibited.

Hadith Commentary:
The very words in which Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established the chapter here are themselves found in this hadith, which Imam Muslim and the authors of the Sunan have also narrated. In the narration of Muslim bin Khalid, there is an additional detail: that even the Sunnah of Fajr should not be performed. Hazrat Maulana Waheeduz-Zaman Sahib, the Muhaddith of Hyderabad, rahimahullah, states: Our Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal and the Ahl al-Hadith hold the same opinion, that when the takbir for the obligatory prayer has begun, then no other prayer should be performed—neither the Sunnah of Fajr nor any other Sunnah or obligatory prayer. One should simply join the obligatory prayer for which the takbir is being called.

And in the narration of Bayhaqi, where it is mentioned "except the two rak‘ahs of Fajr," the Hanafis have taken this as evidence that it is necessary to perform the Sunnah of Fajr even when the congregation is taking place. This is not correct. In its chain of transmission, Hajjaj bin Nasir is abandoned, and ‘Abbad bin Kathir is rejected.

The Ahl al-Hadith also hold that if someone has already started the Sunnah of Fajr and the takbir for the obligatory prayer is called, he should break the Sunnah and join the obligatory prayer.

Allamah Shawkani rahimahullah, in his commentary on this hadith of Bukhari in Nayl al-Awtar, has mentioned several opinions. He has described the position of Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah in these words:

أنه أن خشي فوت الرکعتین معا و أنه لایدرك الإمام قبل رفعه من الرکوع في الثانیة دخل معه و إلا فلیرکعهما یعني رکعتی الفجر خارج المسجد ثم یدخل مع الإمام۔

If there is a fear that both rak‘ahs of the obligatory prayer will be missed, then the Sunnah of Fajr should not be performed, but rather one should join the Imam. And if there is a possibility that one can still join the Imam in the ruku‘ of the second rak‘ah, then he should perform the two rak‘ahs of Sunnah of Fajr and then join the obligatory prayer.

In this regard, the evidence of the Imam rahimahullah is what is narrated in Bayhaqi from Hazrat Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu, whose words are:

إذا أقیمت الصلوٰة فلا صلوٰة إلا المکتوبة إلا رکعتي الصبح۔

That is, after the iqamah has been called, no prayer is permissible except the obligatory one, except for the two rak‘ahs of Fajr.

Imam Bayhaqi, after narrating this hadith, himself says:

هذہ الزیادة لا أصل لها وفي إسنادها حجاج بن نصیر وعباد بن کثیر وهما ضعیفان۔

That is, this addition of "except the two rak‘ahs of Fajr" is absolutely baseless. There is no proof for it, and in its chain are Hajjaj bin Nasir and ‘Abbad bin Kathir, and both are weak.

Therefore, this addition is absolutely unreliable.

On the contrary, Imam Bayhaqi himself has narrated the authentic narration of Hazrat Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu in these words:

عن أبي هریرة قال رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم إذا أقیمت الصلوٰة فلا صلوٰة إلا المکتوبة قیل یارسول اللہ ولا رکعتي الفجر قال ولا رکعتي الفجر في إسنادہ مسلم بن خالد الزنجی وهو متکلم فیه وقد وثقه ابن حبان واحتج به في صحیحه

That is, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: When the iqamah for the obligatory prayer is called, then no other prayer is permissible. It was asked: What about the Sunnah of Fajr? He replied: That too is not permissible. In the chain of this hadith is Muslim bin Khalid al-Zanji, about whom there is some discussion, but Imam Ibn Hibban has declared him reliable and used him as evidence in his Sahih.

Allamah Shawkani rahimahullah, in this discussion, has quoted the ninth and final opinion in these words:

إنه إذا سمع الإقامة لم یحل له الدخول في رکعتي الفجرولا في غیرها من النوافل سواءکان في المسجد أو خارجه فإن فعل فقد عصی و هو قول أهل الظاهر و نقله ابن حزم عن الشافعي وجمهور السلف۔

(Nayl al-Awtar)

That is, after hearing the iqamah, it is not permissible for a worshipper to enter into the Sunnah of Fajr or any other voluntary prayer, whether he is inside the mosque or outside. If he does so, he has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger. This is the fatwa of the Ahl al-Zahir, and Allamah Ibn Hazm has narrated this position from Imam Shafi‘i rahimahullah and the majority of the Salaf.

A Historic Blessed Letter:

Who among the scholars is not familiar with the illustrious name of Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib, the late of Saharanpur? By writing the marginal notes (hawashi) on Sahih Bukhari, he has done a great favor to the scholars. However, on this issue, his pen too has deviated from the path of moderation. That is, he has cited the same narration of Bayhaqi as evidence and attributed it to Allamah Maulana Muhammad Ishaq Sahib Dehlawi rahimahullah. Justice required that the verdict of the very scholar who narrated this report, i.e., Allamah Bayhaqi himself, should also have been mentioned, but this was not done. As a result, the esteemed teacher of teachers, Shaykh al-Kull fi al-Kull, Hazrat Maulana and our teacher Sayyid Muhammad Nazeer Husain Sahib Muhaddith Dehlawi rahimahullah, wrote a letter to him. Since this letter is a scholarly document from which many matters will become clear to the enlightened youth, its full text is presented below. It is hoped that the esteemed readers and scholars will benefit from its study:

From the weak and humble Sayyid Muhammad Nazeer Husain to Mawlawi Ahmad Ali, may Allah keep him strong. Peace and the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you. After that, following the hadith of the best of creation, upon him be the best of salutations and peace, "The religion is sincere advice," and seeking to emulate the best of speech, "It is enough of a sin for a man to narrate everything he hears," I present to your noble service that what has occurred from the honored one in the marginal notes on Sahih Bukhari under the hadith "When the iqamah is called, there is no prayer except the obligatory one," that I heard my teacher Maulana Muhammad Ishaq rahimahullah say: It is narrated in the report of Bayhaqi, "When the iqamah is called, there is no prayer except the two rak‘ahs of Fajr." Most students of knowledge, and even some of the elders of our time who rely on your statement, have, out of their own sense of honor, begun to perform the Sunnah and do not care about missing the congregation. This addition, the final exception "except the two rak‘ahs of Fajr," has no basis; rather, it is rejected and dismissed by the verifying scholars, especially by the trustworthy Bayhaqi himself. The affliction of fabrication upon this authentic hadith is only due to ‘Abbad bin Kathir and Hajjaj bin Nasir, who attached this final exception. I suspect, O honored one, that you have not heard the complete statement of my teacher, the great scholar, the ocean of knowledge, renowned across the horizons, Maulana Muhammad Ishaq rahimahullah, from Bayhaqi in its entirety and perfection. For Bayhaqi said, "It has no basis," or perhaps there was some leniency from the late Maulana due to his weak health in narrating it. Otherwise, among the trustworthy hadith scholars, there is no dispute about the invalidity of "except the two rak‘ahs of Fajr," as is written to you and presented before you. Shaykh Salamullah said in al-Muhalla, commentary on al-Muwatta: Muslim bin Khalid added from ‘Amr bin Dinar in the statement of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, "When the iqamah is called, there is no prayer except the obligatory one." It was asked, "O Messenger of Allah, not even the two rak‘ahs of Fajr?" He said, "Not even the two rak‘ahs of Fajr." Ibn ‘Adi narrated it with a good chain. As for the addition of "the two rak‘ahs of Fajr" in the hadith, Bayhaqi said, "This addition has no basis." Al-Turpushti said: Ahmad added with the wording, "There is no prayer except the one for which the iqamah is called," which is more specific. Ibn ‘Adi added with a good chain: It was asked, "O Messenger of Allah, not even the two rak‘ahs of Fajr?" He said, "Not even the two rak‘ahs of Fajr." Shawkani said: The hadith "When the iqamah is called, there is no prayer except the obligatory one except the two rak‘ahs of Fajr," Bayhaqi said, "This addition has no basis." Shaykh Nur al-Din in his book on fabricated hadiths said: The hadith "When the iqamah is called, there is no prayer except the obligatory one except the two rak‘ahs of Fajr" was narrated by Bayhaqi from Abu Hurairah, and he said, "This addition has no basis." And so it is in other books of fabricated hadiths. Therefore, in this situation, for the protection of the religion, it is incumbent upon you either to establish the authenticity of the final sentence from the books of the trustworthy verifying scholars, or to retract and inform your students that this addition is rejected and not to be acted upon, nor should its Sunnah status be believed. I await a correct response, for it will alert the heedless and awaken the ignorant. Peace and respect.

(A‘lam Ahl al-‘Asr bi Ahkam Rak‘atay al-Fajr, p. 36)

Translation:

This letter is from the weak and humble Sayyid Muhammad Nazeer Husain to Mawlawi Ahmad Ali, may Allah keep him strong. After the prescribed greeting, following the hadith of the best of creation, "The religion is sincere advice," and the statement of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, "It is enough of a sin for a man to narrate everything he hears without complete verification," I am writing to your noble self that you have cited, in the marginal notes on the hadith "When the iqamah is called..." in Sahih Bukhari, the statement of our teacher Maulana Muhammad Ishaq Sahib from Bayhaqi, from which the permissibility of performing the Sunnah of Fajr during the congregation of the obligatory prayer is derived. Relying on your statement, many students and even some elders of the present age have begun to perform the Sunnah of Fajr while the congregation for the obligatory prayer is ongoing. So, it should be clear that the addition "except the two rak‘ahs of Fajr" in the narration attributed to Bayhaqi is, according to the verifying scholars, especially Allamah Bayhaqi himself, completely rejected and dismissed. This addition to the authentic narration from Abu Hurairah is a fabrication of ‘Abbad bin Kathir and Hajjaj bin Nasir. And, O respected scholar, I suspect that you have not fully heard the statement of our teacher, Allamah Fahamah Maulana Muhammad Ishaq Sahib rahimahullah, as quoted from Bayhaqi. For Bayhaqi himself says that this statement is absolutely baseless. Or perhaps there was some leniency in its transmission due to the late Maulana's weak health. Otherwise, regarding the invalidity of the words "except the two rak‘ahs of Fajr," there is no dispute among the trustworthy hadith scholars. As Shaykh Salamullah has said in al-Muhalla, commentary on al-Muwatta, that Muslim bin Khalid narrated from ‘Amr bin Dinar: When the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, "When the iqamah is called, there is no prayer except the obligatory one," he was asked about the two Sunnah rak‘ahs of Fajr. He replied, "Not even the two rak‘ahs of Fajr," meaning that when the takbir for the obligatory prayer has been called, then no prayer, not even the two Sunnah rak‘ahs, is permissible. Ibn ‘Adi narrated this with a good chain. And regarding the addition "except the two rak‘ahs of Fajr," Imam Bayhaqi says that this addition has no basis. Turpushti said that Ahmad added, "There is no prayer except the one for which the iqamah is called," meaning that at that time, only the prayer for which the iqamah is called should be performed. And Ibn ‘Adi, with a good chain, added that it was asked of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, "Is this also the case for the Sunnah of Fajr?" He replied, "Yes, even at the time of congregation, their performance is not permissible." Imam Shawkani, under the hadith "When the iqamah is called..." quotes Imam Bayhaqi regarding the addition "except the two rak‘ahs of Fajr" that this addition is completely fabricated and baseless. Shaykh Nur al-Din has also counted these words among the fabricated hadiths, and this is also explicitly stated in other books of fabricated hadiths. In these circumstances, for the protection of the religion, it is incumbent upon you either to establish its authenticity from the books of the trustworthy verifying scholars, or to retract and inform your students that this addition is not to be acted upon and is rejected, and that the belief in their Sunnah status should not be held. I hope for a correct response, which will alert the heedless and inform many of the ignorant. Peace and respect.

As far as later information is concerned, Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib rahimahullah did not reply to this letter nor did he correct this mistake. Rather, to this day, this misstatement remains in all printed editions of Bukhari with the marginal notes of the late Maulana. Thus, the summary of the matter is that it is not permissible to leave the obligatory prayer of Fajr and remain engaged in the Sunnah while the congregation is ongoing.

As for when these Sunnah rak‘ahs should be performed, Hazrat Imam Tirmidhi rahimahullah has established a chapter in his Sunan as follows:

"Chapter: What has been narrated regarding one who misses the two rak‘ahs before Fajr, that he should perform them after the Fajr prayer." In this, Imam Tirmidhi has presented the following hadith as evidence:

From Muhammad bin Ibrahim from his grandfather Qays, who said: The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam came out, the prayer was established, and I performed the Fajr prayer with him. Then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam turned away and found me praying. He said, "Wait, O Qays! Are you performing two prayers together?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah, I had not performed the two rak‘ahs of Fajr." He said, "Then there is no harm."

Imam Tirmidhi says:

وقدقال قوم من اہل مکۃ بہذاالحدیث لم یروا باسا ان یصلی الرجل الرکعتین بعد المکتوبۃ قبل ان تطلع الشمس۔

That is, a group among the people of Makkah, based on this hadith, have given the fatwa that there is no harm if a person performs the two rak‘ahs after the obligatory prayer before the sun rises.

The great hadith scholar Maulana Abdul Rahman Mubarakpuri rahimahullah says:

اعلم ان قولہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم فلا اذن معناہ فلاباس علیک ان تصلیہما حینئذ کماذکرتہ ویدل علیہ روایۃ ابی داؤد فسکت رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ( الی ان )

So know that the statement of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam "then there is no harm" means that there is no problem if you perform them at that time, as I have mentioned. This is supported by the narration of Abu Dawud, in which the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam remained silent (until...). If you understand all this, the invalidity of the statement of the author of ‘Urf al-Shadhi regarding the meaning of "then there is no harm" will become clear to you, as he interpreted it as a prohibition, i.e., that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam forbade him from performing the Sunnah even with this excuse. This meaning is completely incorrect.

Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah says:

قال ابن عبدالبر وغیرہ الحجۃ عندالتنازع السنۃ فمن ادلی بہا فقد افلح وترک التنفل عنداقامۃ الصلوٰۃ وتدارکھا بعد قضاءالفرض اقرب الی اتباع السنۃ ویتایدذلک من حیث المعنی بان قولہ فی الاقامۃ حی علی الصلوٰۃ معناہ ہلموا الی الصلوٰہ ای التی یقام لہا فاسعد الناس بامتثال ہذاالامر من لم یتشاغل عنہ بغیرہ واللہ اعلم۔

That is, Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr and others say that in times of dispute, the decisive factor is the Sunnah of the Messenger. Whoever adheres to it has succeeded. Abandoning voluntary prayers at the time of iqamah and making them up after the obligatory prayer is closer to following the Sunnah. This is also supported by the meaning of the words in the iqamah "Hayya ‘ala al-salah," which means "Come to the prayer," i.e., the one for which the iqamah is being called. Thus, the most fortunate are those who immediately act upon this command and do not occupy themselves with anything else.

In summary, to continue performing the Sunnah while the congregation for the obligatory Fajr prayer is ongoing and to leave the congregation is not appropriate in any way, neither rationally nor textually. Still, guidance is in the hands of Allah alone.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
The purpose of Imam Bukhari rahimahullah with this chapter heading is to highlight the importance of congregational prayer, namely that when the obligatory congregational prayer is being held, no other prayer is to be performed. The heading he has chosen is, in fact, the wording of a hadith which Imam Muslim has narrated in his Sahih.
(Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Salat, Hadith: 1644(716))
In addition, other authors of the Sunan have also narrated it.
Since there was a slight difference of opinion regarding whether this hadith is marfu‘ (attributed to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) or mawquf (attributed to a Companion), to which Imam Muslim has alluded
(Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Salat, Hadith: 1648(710)),
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah did not mention this hadith in the main text but, as per his usual practice, selected it for the chapter heading.
The content of this hadith is authentic, so he supported it with other ahadith.

(2)
From the heading, it is understood that once the takbir (opening Allahu Akbar of the congregational prayer) has been pronounced, every kind of prayer is prohibited, whether it be Sunnah, nafl (supererogatory), regular Sunnah (rawatib), or non-regular. However, in terms of wording, all types of obligatory prayers are excluded from this.
Some scholars have allowed, with certain conditions, the performance of the two Sunnah rak‘ahs of Fajr after the takbir of Fajr has been pronounced. Thus, in the margin of the commonly used Darsi Bukhari, a hadith is cited from al-Bayhaqi stating that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
“When the takbir for prayer is pronounced, there is no prayer except the obligatory one, except that the two Sunnah rak‘ahs of Fajr may be performed.”
(Hashiyah Bukhari: 1/91, India print)
Undoubtedly, this hadith is found in al-Bayhaqi
(2/483),
but Imam al-Bayhaqi himself, after narrating this report, has written that the mentioned addition is absolutely baseless and unfounded, and in its chain of transmission, both Hajjaj ibn Nasr and ‘Abbad ibn Kathir are weak narrators.
On the contrary, Imam al-Bayhaqi has narrated from Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu the following:
The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
“When the takbir for Fajr prayer is pronounced, there is no other prayer.”
It was asked:
“O Messenger of Allah! Is it not permissible even to perform the two Sunnah rak‘ahs of Fajr in such a situation?” He replied:
“No, after the takbir, even the two Sunnah rak‘ahs of Fajr are not permissible.”
(Al-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Bayhaqi: 2/483)
Although in its chain of transmission there is a narrator named Muslim ibn Khalid who has been spoken about, Imam Ibn Hibban has declared him trustworthy and considered his narrations as proof in his Sahih.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah writes:
Ibn ‘Adi has narrated this report with a good chain.
(Fath al-Bari: 2/194)
‘Umar radi Allahu anhu used to beat the person who engaged in any other prayer after the takbir had been pronounced, and Ibn ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu used to throw pebbles at such a person.
(Al-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Bayhaqi: 2/483)
From these narrations, it is clear that performing the Sunnah rak‘ahs of Fajr after the takbir has been pronounced and not joining the obligatory prayer is not correct.

(3)
A Historical Document:
It seems appropriate at this point to quote the letter written by Ustadh al-Asatidhah Sayyid Muhammad Nadhir Husayn Muhaddith Dehlawi rahimahullah to the commentator of Sahih Bukhari, Mawlana Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
From the humble and weak Sayyid Muhammad Nadhir Husayn to Mawlana Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri.
Peace and mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you! The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that religion is sincere advice, so in following the command of the Prophet, your well-wishing is sought. It is mentioned in the hadith that it is sufficient for a man to be considered sinful that he relates everything he hears (without verification).
In view of this Prophetic hadith, I inform you that you have, in the margin of Sahih Bukhari, regarding the hadith “When the takbir for prayer is pronounced, there is no prayer except the obligatory one,” cited the statement of your respected teacher Mawlana Muhammad Ishaq from al-Bayhaqi, from which the permissibility of performing the Sunnah of Fajr even when the congregation for Fajr is standing is derived.
Considering your statement as significant, many students, and even some senior scholars, act upon it such that while the congregation for Fajr is standing on one side, they continue to perform the Sunnah rak‘ahs of Fajr on the other, and they do not care if the Fajr prayer is missed. However, the additional exceptional phrase at the end of the cited narration, which is your evidence, is baseless, and reliable researchers have declared it unacceptable, especially Imam al-Bayhaqi himself has refuted it.
According to him, the addition at the end of the authentic hadith is fabricated by ‘Abbad ibn Kathir and Hajjaj ibn Nasr.
Honorable scholar! I suspect that you did not fully hear the statement of Imam al-Bayhaqi as narrated by your respected teacher, because Imam al-Bayhaqi himself says that this addition is absolutely baseless, or perhaps Mawlana Muhammad Ishaq, due to weakness, made an error in transmission. The reality is that reliable researchers have declared this addition to be false, as Shaykh Salam Allah writes in his Sharh of Muwatta’:
“Muslim ibn Khalid narrated from ‘Amr ibn Dinar that when the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned this hadith, it was asked: Is it not permissible to perform the Sunnah of Fajr? He replied:
‘No, when the takbir for the obligatory prayer is pronounced, no prayer is permissible, not even the two Sunnah rak‘ahs of Fajr.’ This narration has been reported by Ibn ‘Adi with a good chain.
In one narration, there is an exception for performing the two Sunnah rak‘ahs of Fajr.
Imam al-Bayhaqi has stated regarding this that this addition is baseless.
Shaykh Nur al-Din has also declared this addition to be fabricated, and this is also clarified in other books of fabricated narrations.
“In such circumstances, for the protection of the religion, it is necessary for you to either prove the authenticity of this addition from the books of reliable researchers, or else retract your position and inform your students that this addition is rejected and not to be acted upon, and that believing it to be Sunnah is a false belief.
I hope that you will certainly inform me with a correct response so that it may serve as a warning for the heedless and an awakening for the ignorant.
And peace, with respect.”

(4)
To the best of our knowledge, Mawlana Sayyid Muhammad Nadhir Husayn Muhaddith Dehlawi wrote this letter to Mawlana Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri in 1293 and he received it.

868. Commentary: This narration is explicit that if the iqamah has begun, even the Sunnah prayers of Fajr cannot be started. The implication of the aforementioned ahadith is also the same. However, the Hanafi scholars hold the view that the Sunnah prayers of Fajr can be performed, even if the iqamah has been called and the congregation is ongoing, provided that one is able to join the tashahhud (final sitting) of the obligatory prayer. Whereas the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is rebuking the act of starting Sunnah prayers during the iqamah. The Hanafis make far-fetched interpretations of these ahadith, for example: these narrations prohibit performing a separate prayer inside the mosque, not outside the mosque; or they prohibit praying within the row (saff) because it would break the row. But it is worth considering: does reading the above ahadith give rise to such an understanding? If these restrictions are derived from any other hadith, then kindly provide their reference. The reality is that this explanation is self-invented. No hadith indicates this, nor has any narration come that contradicts the above narration on the basis of which such an interpretation could be made. It has also been said that this ruling is specific to the Sunnah prayers of Fajr, because if they are not performed beforehand, they will be missed even as make-up (qada), since after the obligatory prayer, voluntary (nafl) prayers are not permissible, and after sunrise, the time for prayer ends altogether. However, this narration itself is about the Sunnah prayers of Fajr. As for making up (qada), it can be done after the obligatory prayer, as is narrated in Sunan Abu Dawud and Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi regarding a companion performing the Sunnah prayers after the Fajr prayer and the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) allowing him to do so. See: [سنن أبي داؤد ، التطوع ، حدیث : 1267 ، وجامع الترمذي الصلاة ، حدیث : 422]