سنن ابن ماجه
Ibn Majah
كتاب الطهارة وسننهاThe Book of Purification and its Sunnah
بَابُ : مَا جَاءَ فِي التَّسْمِيَةِ فِي الْوُضُوءِChapter: Concerning saying "Bismilllah" when performing ablution
Hadith 398
اُردوEn
حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْخَلَّالُ ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ ، أَنْبَأَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ عِيَاضٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو ثِفَالٍ ، عَنْ رَبَاحِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ جَدَّتَهُ بِنْتَ سَعِيدِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ ، تَذْكُرُ أَنَّهَا سَمِعَتْ أَبَاهَا سَعِيدَ بْنَ زَيْدٍ ، يَقُولُ ، قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " لَا صَلَاةَ لِمَنْ لَا وُضُوءَ لَهُ ، وَلَا وُضُوءَ لِمَنْ لَمْ يَذْكُرِ اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ " .
´It was narrated that Abu Sa'eed bin Zaid said:` "The Messenger of Allah said: 'There is no prayer for one who does not have ablution, and there is no ablution for one who does not mention the Name of Allah (before it).'"
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Dr. Abdur Rahman Freywai
English Commentary:
1:
This hadith indicates that reciting ((Bismillah)) is an essential part (rukn) or a condition (shart) for ablution (wudu); without it, the ablution is not valid.
Because ((la wudu’a)) negates the validity and existence of ablution, not merely its perfection.
Some people have interpreted it as negating perfection, and have said that ablution is still valid without reciting ((Bismillah)), but it will not be complete.
However, this opinion is not correct, because taking ((la)) in its real meaning—negation of validity—is the reality, and taking it in the sense of “negation of perfection” is figurative (majaz), and here there is no necessity to resort to the figurative meaning.
There are no hadiths established in the sense of “negation of perfection.”
According to Imam Ahmad, the preferred opinion is that reciting ((Bismillah)) is obligatory (wajib).
1:
This hadith indicates that reciting ((Bismillah)) is an essential part (rukn) or a condition (shart) for ablution (wudu); without it, the ablution is not valid.
Because ((la wudu’a)) negates the validity and existence of ablution, not merely its perfection.
Some people have interpreted it as negating perfection, and have said that ablution is still valid without reciting ((Bismillah)), but it will not be complete.
However, this opinion is not correct, because taking ((la)) in its real meaning—negation of validity—is the reality, and taking it in the sense of “negation of perfection” is figurative (majaz), and here there is no necessity to resort to the figurative meaning.
There are no hadiths established in the sense of “negation of perfection.”
According to Imam Ahmad, the preferred opinion is that reciting ((Bismillah)) is obligatory (wajib).
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi – Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar al-Da‘wah, New Delhi Edition, Page: 25
Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai
The Issue of the Renowned Hasan li-Ghayrihi (Hasan Due to External Evidence) from Weak upon Weak Chains According to the Noble Hadith Scholars
The eminent hadith scholars (muhaddithin) have declared many such ahadith to be weak and unestablished, even though they have numerous chains of transmission, and some scholars, based on the principle of “weak plus weak,” have considered them to be hasan li-ghayrihi. In fact, among these are some narrations which, according to our research, are hasan li-dhatihi (intrinsically sound).
In this article, ten such narrations are presented upon which the senior hadith scholars have made criticism, which is evidence that they did not consider the renowned hasan li-ghayrihi derived from “weak plus weak” to be authoritative:
— Number 1 —
Hadith:
«لا وضوء لمن لم یذکر اسم اللہ علیہ»
Translation: Whoever does not recite “Bismillah” before ablution (wudu), his ablution is not valid.
A few chains of this hadith are as follows:
1: From Sa‘id ibn Zayd radi Allahu anhu. (Tirmidhi: 25, Ibn Majah: 398)
2: From Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu (Abu Dawud: 101, Ibn Majah: 399, Ahmad 2/418, Hadith 9408)
3: From Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri radi Allahu anhu (Ibn Majah: 397, Darimi: 697, Ahmad 3/41)
For further narrations in this chain, see Abu Ishaq al-Huwayni’s treatise “Kashf al-Makhbu’ bi-Thubut Hadith al-Tasmiyah ‘inda al-Wudu’,” and in this treatise, the aforementioned Huwayni has also made an unsuccessful attempt to defend the renowned hasan li-ghayrihi narration derived from “weak plus weak.”!!
Imam Abu Zur‘ah al-Dimashqi said:
I asked Abu ‘Abdullah Ahmad ibn Hanbal (rahimahum Allah) about the meaning of «لا وضوء لمن لم یذکر اسم اللہ علیہ».
He replied: The ahadith regarding this are not strong, and Allah the Exalted has said: “O you who believe! When you stand for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows.” Thus, Allah did not make the tasmiyah (saying ‘Bismillah’) obligatory, and this is the Qur’an, and there is no established sunnah (hadith) regarding it.
(Tarikh Abi Zur‘ah al-Dimashqi: 8281)
Imam Ibn Hani said:
I asked him (Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal rahimahullah): What if a person forgets to say “Bismillah” at the time of ablution?
He replied:
«یجزۂ ذلک، حدیث النبي ﷺ لیس إسنادہ بقوي»
His ablution is valid; the chain of the hadith attributed to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) regarding “Bismillah” is not strong.
(Masa’il Ibn Hani: 17)
Imam Ishaq ibn Mansur al-Kawsaj asked Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal rahimahum Allah:
If someone performs ablution and does not recite “Bismillah,” then?
He replied:
«لا أعلم فیہ حدیثًا لہ إسنادہ جیّد»
I do not know of any hadith regarding this whose chain is good.
(Masa’il Ahmad wa Ishaq riwayatan Ishaq ibn Mansur al-Kawsaj 1/68, entry: 2)
It is thus established that Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal rahimahullah did not consider the renowned hasan li-ghayrihi narration derived from “weak plus weak” to be authoritative.
Note: According to our research, the hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah (397) and others is hasan li-dhatihi, therefore reciting “Bismillah” before ablution is necessary, and whoever, after the establishment of the proof, does not recite “Bismillah,” his ablution is not valid.
……… Original Article ………
For the original article, see “Tahqiqi wa ‘Ilmi Maqalat” by Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai rahimahullah (Volume 5, pages 173 to 185).
The eminent hadith scholars (muhaddithin) have declared many such ahadith to be weak and unestablished, even though they have numerous chains of transmission, and some scholars, based on the principle of “weak plus weak,” have considered them to be hasan li-ghayrihi. In fact, among these are some narrations which, according to our research, are hasan li-dhatihi (intrinsically sound).
In this article, ten such narrations are presented upon which the senior hadith scholars have made criticism, which is evidence that they did not consider the renowned hasan li-ghayrihi derived from “weak plus weak” to be authoritative:
— Number 1 —
Hadith:
«لا وضوء لمن لم یذکر اسم اللہ علیہ»
Translation: Whoever does not recite “Bismillah” before ablution (wudu), his ablution is not valid.
A few chains of this hadith are as follows:
1: From Sa‘id ibn Zayd radi Allahu anhu. (Tirmidhi: 25, Ibn Majah: 398)
2: From Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu (Abu Dawud: 101, Ibn Majah: 399, Ahmad 2/418, Hadith 9408)
3: From Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri radi Allahu anhu (Ibn Majah: 397, Darimi: 697, Ahmad 3/41)
For further narrations in this chain, see Abu Ishaq al-Huwayni’s treatise “Kashf al-Makhbu’ bi-Thubut Hadith al-Tasmiyah ‘inda al-Wudu’,” and in this treatise, the aforementioned Huwayni has also made an unsuccessful attempt to defend the renowned hasan li-ghayrihi narration derived from “weak plus weak.”!!
Imam Abu Zur‘ah al-Dimashqi said:
I asked Abu ‘Abdullah Ahmad ibn Hanbal (rahimahum Allah) about the meaning of «لا وضوء لمن لم یذکر اسم اللہ علیہ».
He replied: The ahadith regarding this are not strong, and Allah the Exalted has said: “O you who believe! When you stand for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows.” Thus, Allah did not make the tasmiyah (saying ‘Bismillah’) obligatory, and this is the Qur’an, and there is no established sunnah (hadith) regarding it.
(Tarikh Abi Zur‘ah al-Dimashqi: 8281)
Imam Ibn Hani said:
I asked him (Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal rahimahullah): What if a person forgets to say “Bismillah” at the time of ablution?
He replied:
«یجزۂ ذلک، حدیث النبي ﷺ لیس إسنادہ بقوي»
His ablution is valid; the chain of the hadith attributed to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) regarding “Bismillah” is not strong.
(Masa’il Ibn Hani: 17)
Imam Ishaq ibn Mansur al-Kawsaj asked Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal rahimahum Allah:
If someone performs ablution and does not recite “Bismillah,” then?
He replied:
«لا أعلم فیہ حدیثًا لہ إسنادہ جیّد»
I do not know of any hadith regarding this whose chain is good.
(Masa’il Ahmad wa Ishaq riwayatan Ishaq ibn Mansur al-Kawsaj 1/68, entry: 2)
It is thus established that Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal rahimahullah did not consider the renowned hasan li-ghayrihi narration derived from “weak plus weak” to be authoritative.
Note: According to our research, the hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah (397) and others is hasan li-dhatihi, therefore reciting “Bismillah” before ablution is necessary, and whoever, after the establishment of the proof, does not recite “Bismillah,” his ablution is not valid.
……… Original Article ………
For the original article, see “Tahqiqi wa ‘Ilmi Maqalat” by Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai rahimahullah (Volume 5, pages 173 to 185).
Source: Research and Scholarly Articles by Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai, Page: 73
