´It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said:` “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to ‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib: ‘O ‘Abbas, O my uncle, shall I not give you a gift, shall I not give you something, shall I not tell you of something which, if you do it, will expiate for ten types of sins? If you do them, Allah will forgive you your sins, the first and the last of them, the old and the new, the unintentional and the deliberate, the minor and the major, the secret and the open, ten types of sin. Pray four Rak’ah, and recite in each Rak’ah the Opening of the Book (Al-Fatihah) and a Surah. When you have finished reciting in the first Rak’ah, while you are standing, say: Subhan-Allah wal- hamdu Lillah wa la ilaha illallah wa Allahu Akbar (Glory if to Allah, praise is to Allah, none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Allah is the Most Great) fifteen times. Then bow and say it ten times while you are bowing. Then raise your head from Ruku’ and say it ten times. Then go into prostration and say it ten times while you are prostrating. Then raise your head from prostration and say it ten times. Then prostrate and say it ten times. Then raise your head from prostration and say it ten times. That will be seventy-five times in each Rak’ah. Do that in all four Rak’ah. If you can pray it once each day then do so. If you cannot, then once each week; if you cannot, then once each month. If you cannot, then once in your lifetime.’”
Explanation & Benefits
Al-Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
Hadith Authentication: [سنن ابي داود: 1297، سنن ابن ماجه: 1387، صحيح ابن خزيمة: 1216، المعجم الكبير للطبراني: 11622، المستدرك للحاكم: 1/318، وسنده، حسنٌ]
Abu Hamid Ahmad bin Muhammad bin al-Hasan al-Sharqi al-Hafiz says: I heard Imam Muslim rahimahullah saying:
«لا يروي فى هذا الحديث إسناد أحسن من هذا .»
“No chain of narration better than this has been reported for this hadith.”
(al-Irshad fi Ma‘rifat ‘Ulama’ al-Hadith by al-Khalili: 1/326, and its chain is authentic)
Ibn Shahin rahimahullah (297–385 AH) says: I heard Imam Abu Dawud say:
«أصحّ حديثا فى التسبيح حديث العبّاس .»
“The most authentic hadith regarding Salat al-Tasbih is the hadith of our master al-‘Abbas.” (al-Thiqat by Ibn Shahin: 1356)
Hafiz Mundhiri rahimahullah (581–656 AH) writes:
«صحّح حديث عكرمة عن ابن عبّاس هذا جماعة، منهم: الحافظ أبوبكر الآجري، وشيخنا أبو محمّد عبد الرحيم المصريّ، وشيخنا الحافظ أبو الحسن المقدسيّ .»
“A group of eminent scholars have declared this hadith authentic, among them Hafiz Abu Bakr al-Ajari, our shaykh Abu Muhammad ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Misri, and our shaykh Hafiz Abu al-Hasan al-Maqdisi.” (al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib by al-Mundhiri: 1/468)
Hafiz ‘Allai rahimahullah (694–761 AH) writes:
«حديث حسن صحيح، رواه أبوداو، د وابن ماجه بسند جيّد إلى ابن عبّاس .»
“This hadith is hasan sahih (good and authentic); it has been narrated by Imam Abu Dawud and Imam Ibn Majah from Ibn ‘Abbas with a strong chain.” (al-Naqd al-Sahih: p. 30)
Hafiz Ibn al-Mulaqqin rahimahullah (723–804 AH) says:
«وهذا الإسناد جيّد .»
“This chain is strong.” (al-Badr al-Munir by Ibn al-Mulaqqin: 4/235)
Hafiz Suyuti rahimahullah (d. 911 AH) says:
«وهذا إسناد حسنٌ .»
“This chain is hasan (good).” (al-La’ali al-Masnu‘ah fi al-Ahadith al-Mawdu‘ah: 2/35)
Regarding this hadith, the statements of Hafiz Nawawi (631–676 AH) and Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah (773–852 AH) are contradictory. The denial of the authenticity of this hadith by some scholars is meaningless. The scholars have authored more than a dozen works on the establishment and virtue of this prayer. Please observe the testimonies of the hadith scholars regarding the narrators of this hadith:
1. ‘Abd al-Rahman bin Bishr bin al-Hakam al-Naysaburi: He is trustworthy (thiqah).
(Taqrib al-Tahdhib by Ibn Hajar: 3810)
2. Musa bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-‘Adani: According to the majority of hadith scholars, “he is hasan al-hadith (his hadith is good).” Regarding him, Imam Yahya bin Ma‘in rahimahullah says:
«لا أرٰي به بأسا .» “I do not see any problem in him.”
(al-‘Ilal wa Ma‘rifat al-Rijal by Ahmad bin Hanbal: 3919, al-Jarh wa al-Ta‘dil by Ibn Abi Hatim: 8/151)
Imam Ibn Hibban rahimahullah (al-Thiqat: 9/159) and Imam Ibn Shahin rahimahullah (al-Thiqat: 1356) have mentioned him among the trustworthy.
When Imam ‘Abd al-Razzaq bin Hammam al-San‘ani rahimahullah (126–211 AH) was asked about him:
«فأحسن الثناء عليه .»
“He praised him.”
(al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn by al-Hakim: 1/319, and its chain is authentic)
As for Imam ‘Ali bin al-Madini rahimahullah declaring him “weak” (Tadhhib al-Tahdhib by Ibn Hajar: 10/318), this has not been established. Even if it were established, it would be disregarded in the face of the majority’s authentication. The statement of al-Hafiz al-Sulaymani calling him “munkar al-hadith” (narrator of rejected hadith) is also rejected.
Firstly, it is against the majority.
Secondly, Hafiz Sulaymani is known for making such harsh statements about trustworthy narrators. Regarding Hafiz Sulaymani himself, Hafiz Dhahabi rahimahullah writes:
«رأيت للسليمانيّ كتابا، فيه حطّ على كبار، فلا يسمع منه ما شذّ فيه .»
“I have seen a book by Hafiz Sulaymani in which he criticized many great scholars. His statements in which he has opposed the generality of scholars will not be accepted.”
(Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’ by al-Dhahabi: 17/203)
The scholars have authenticated other narrations of Musa bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz. This is a confirmation of his reliability.
3. al-Hakam bin Aban al-‘Adani: The major hadith scholars have authenticated this narrator, except for Imam Ibn ‘Adi rahimahullah. The statement attributed to Imam ‘Abdullah bin al-Mubarak rahimahullah «إرم به» (“Throw it away”) is not established, because the teacher of Imam ‘Aqili rahimahullah, ‘Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Sa‘dawiyyah, has not been authenticated. Even if, hypothetically, it were established, it would be rejected in the face of the majority’s authentication.
4. ‘Ikrimah, the freed slave of Ibn ‘Abbas: According to the majority, ‘Ikrimah is “thiqah” (trustworthy).
Hafiz Bayhaqi rahimahullah (384–458 AH) writes:
«وعكرمة عند أكثر الأئمّة من الثقات الأثبات .»
“‘Ikrimah is among the trustworthy and reliable narrators according to most of the imams.”
(al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi: 8/234)
‘Allamah ‘Ayni al-Hanafi rahimahullah (762–855 AH) writes:
«والجمهور وثّقوه، واحتجّوا به .»
“The majority have authenticated him and have relied upon his narrations.”
(‘Umdat al-Qari by al-‘Ayni: 1/8)
Summary of the Discussion: The chain of narration for the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas regarding Salat al-Tasbih is, without doubt, hasan (good). Insha’Allah!
Important Note: Regarding Salat al-Tasbih, there is also a hadith in Sunan Abi Dawud (1299) from an Ansari companion, whose chain is absolutely “sahih” (authentic). Therefore, there remains no doubt regarding the establishment of Salat al-Tasbih.
Source: Monthly Magazine al-Sunnah Jhelum, Page: 72
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
1297. Commentary:
There is some discussion regarding the chains of transmission (isnad) of the ahadith about Salat al-Tasbih, but overall, it is established as authentic. This is as researched by Allamah al-Albani rahimahullah. The inclusion of this hadith among fabricated reports (mawdu‘at) by Allamah Ibn al-Jawzi rahimahullah is absolutely incorrect. The aforementioned first hadith, apart from being in Juz’ al-Qira’ah Khalf al-Imam of al-Bukhari, is also narrated in Sunan Ibn Majah, Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, and al-Mustadrak of al-Hakim. Imam al-Bayhaqi and others have declared it authentic. It is narrated from Abu Bakr, the son of Imam Abu Dawud, that he heard from his father that this hadith is the most authentic regarding Salat al-Tasbih. Ibn Mandah, Ajurri, Khatib, Abu Sa‘d al-Sam‘ani, Abu Musa al-Madini, Abu al-Hasan ibn Mufaddal, Mundhiri, Ibn al-Salah, and Nawawi have graded this hadith as hasan (good). Imam Ibn al-Mubarak was among those who accepted and practiced it. [عون المعبود]
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 1297
Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai
Salat al-Tasbih
See: [سنن ابي داود 1/ 191، ح 1297]
The chain of narration (isnad) of this hadith is hasan (good). Abu Bakr al-Ajari, Abu al-Hasan al-Maqdisi, and Abu Dawud, among others, have declared it to be sahih (authentic). See: [الترغيب والترهيب 1/ 468]
Imam Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak al-Marwazi rahimahullah was also an adherent of Salat al-Tasbih. See: [سنن الترمذي: 481 وسنده صحيح، المستدرك 1/ 320ح 1197]
... For details, see ...
Tahqiqi wa Ilmi Maqalat, Volume 3, page 77, article: "Issues of Prayer."
Likewise, Monthly al-Hadith, Issue 62, page 38.
«وليس فى صلوة التسبيح حديث يثبت عني» For the statements of the hadith scholars (muhaddithin) and criticism, see: Tahqiqi wa Ilmi Maqalat, Volume 5, page 181, article:
"The Issue of the Renowned Hasan li-Ghayrihi According to the Noble Hadith Scholars and Weak Narrations?" Point number 10.
Likewise, Monthly al-Hadith, Issue 87, page 44.
In Fatawa Ilmiyyah, also known as Tawdhih al-Ahkam, on page 426, there is a detailed question-and-answer article under the titles "Research on Salat al-Tasbih and Its Issues" and "Some Necessary Issues Related to Salat al-Tasbih." From page 426 to page 431, i.e., a six-page detailed article. Be sure to read it.
Source: Research and Scholarly Articles by Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai, Page: 77