The Prophetic Method of Janazah Prayer
Hadith of Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them
Talha bin Abdullah bin Awf, a Tabi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, narrates:
صليت خلف ابن عباس – رضي الله عنهما ـ على جنازة، فقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب، قال : [ليعلموا أنها سنة ]
I led a Janazah prayer behind Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them. He recited Surah Al-Fatiha. (When asked why he did so,) he said: So that people know this is the Sunnah (the way of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him).
In this hadith, it is clearly stated that the Companion of the Prophet, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, considered reciting Surah Al-Fatiha in Janazah prayer as the Prophetic Sunnah.
The Jurists and the Hadith of Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him
Now let us observe the jurisprudential opinions of the esteemed jurists regarding this hadith, whether they deduce the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer from this hadith or not.
① Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him (256 AH), classifies this hadith as follows:
باب قرائة فاتحة الكتاب على الجنازة .
The mention of the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer.
② Imam Tirmidhi, may Allah have mercy on him (279 AH), before mentioning this hadith, states:
باب ما جاء فى القرائة على الجنازة بفاتحة الكتاب
The narration of reports concerning the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer.
③ Imam Abu Dawood, may Allah have mercy on him (275 AH), while classifying the hadith of Ibn Abbas, says:
باب ما يقرأ على الجنازة.
The mention of what is recited in the funeral prayer.
④ Imam Ibn Mundhir, may Allah have mercy on him (319 AH), before mentioning this hadith, titles the chapter as:
ذكر قرائة فاتحة الكتاب فى الصلاة على الجنازة بعد التكبيرة الأولى.
The mention of reciting Surah Al-Fatiha after the first Takbir in the funeral prayer.
✿ Then after mentioning this hadith, he states:
يقرأ بعد التكبيرة الأولى بفاتحة الكتاب، وإن قرأ بفاتحة الكتاب وسورة قصيرة؛ فحسن .
(Surah Al-Fatiha) will be recited after the first Takbir in the funeral prayer. If someone also recites a short surah along with Al-Fatiha, it is good.
⑤ Imam Darqutni, may Allah have mercy on him (385 AH), titles some hadiths, including this hadith, as follows:
باب : التسليم فى الجنازة واحد، والتكبير أربعا وخمسا، وقرائة الفاتحة
The mention that in the funeral prayer, the salam is one, the takbirs are four or five, and also the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha.
⑥ Imam Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him (458 AH), has titled a chapter on this hadith as:
باب القرائة فى صـلاة الجنازة
The mention of recitation in the funeral prayer.
✿ Imam Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him, states at one place:
راءة الفاتحة فريضة فى صلاة الجنازة .
The recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer is obligatory.
⑦ Hafiz Ibn Hazm, may Allah have mercy on him (456 AH), writes:
فإذا كبر الأولى قرأ أم القرآن، ولا بد.
(Whoever leads the funeral prayer) when saying the first Takbir, should recite Surah Al-Fatiha; this is obligatory.
⑧ Hafiz Abdul Haq Ashbili, may Allah have mercy on him (581 AH), classifies as follows:
باب الصفوف على الجنازة والتكبير وقراءة أم القرآن .
The mention of forming rows, saying Takbir, and reciting Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer.
⑨ Hafiz Ibn al-Jawzi, may Allah have mercy on him (597 AH), while classifying, writes:
تجب قرائة الفاتحة فى صلاة الجنازة .
The recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer is obligatory.
⑩ Hafiz Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him (676 AH), classifies this hadith as:
باب قرائة الفاتحة .
The mention of the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer.
⑪ Allama San’ani, may Allah have mercy on him (1182 AH), states:
الحديث دليل على وجوب قرائة الفاتحة فى صلاة الجنازة
This hadith is evidence for the obligation of reciting Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer.
Review of Objections to the Jurists’ Reasoning
It has been established from the hadith of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer is the Prophetic method and obligatory. This has also been observed by readers from the words of the esteemed jurists, but several objections have been raised by the Hanafis against this reasoning.
A fair analysis of these objections is presented here:
① This Hadith Does Not Prove Obligation!
Allama Ibn Tarkmani Hanafi (750 AH) writes:
ثم إن الحديث لا يدل على الوجوب .
Then this hadith does not indicate obligation at all.
Analysis
● Perhaps Allama Ibn Tarkmani Hanafi misunderstood the word سنة to mean that obligation is not proven from this hadith, whereas here the Sunnah does not mean the technical term Sunnah which is contrasted with obligation, but rather the Prophetic method is meant. The Prophetic method sometimes holds the status of obligation for the Ummah and sometimes it is voluntary. This is not our own assertion; rather, if the hadith literature is studied, the matter becomes quite clear.
◈ Our Master Abdullah bin Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) and the word Sunnah
For example, Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says about prayer:
فإن الله شرع لنبيكم – صلى الله عليه وسلم – سنن الهدى، وإنهن من سنن الهدى، ولو أنكم صليتم فى بيوتكم كما يصلي هذا المتخلف فى بيته؛ لتركتم سنة نبيكم، ولو تركتم سنة نبيكم؛ لضللتم .
Indeed, Allah Almighty has prescribed guidance (methods) for His Prophet. Prayers are also among these methods. If you pray in your homes like the one who stays behind prays in his home, then you will abandon the way of your Prophet, and if you abandon the way of your Prophet, you will go astray.
Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) in this statement has called the obligatory prayers Sunnah, and also stated that abandoning the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) leads to misguidance. It is understood that the word Sunnah is sometimes used for something whose practice is obligatory and necessary, and abandoning it leads a person astray. Although in this hadith the word Sunnah is used for reciting Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer, it is in the sense of obligation, because the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself said:
لا صلاة لمن لم يقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب .
“Whoever does not recite Surah Al-Fatiha, his prayer is invalid.”
◈ Imam Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, and the word Sunnah
● Rejecting those people who, by differentiating between Sunnah and Fard, want to object to the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer, Imam Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
فإذا وجدنا لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم سنة؛ اتبعناها، أرأيت لو قال قائل : أزيد فى التكبير على ما قلتم، لأنها ليست بفرض، أو لا أكبر وأدعو للميت؛ هل كانت لنا عليه حجة إلا أن نقول : قد خالفت السنة وكذلك الحجة على من قال : لا يقرأ، إلا أن يكون رجل لم تبلغه السنة فيها .
When we find any Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, we follow it. If someone says (to you), what will be your opinion? I will add some extra Takbirs according to your statement, because they are not Fard, or I will not perform Takbir and Dua at all (because these things are also Sunnah). Do we have any evidence against this person? Yes! We will say that you have opposed the Sunnah. This very (opposition to Sunnah) evidence will be given to the person who says that there should be no recitation in the funeral prayer (because the Hadith uses the word Sunnah for it, not Fard). If a person is unaware of the Sunnah in this matter, that is a different issue.
That is, if Surah Al-Fatiha is left out because the Hadith uses the word Sunnah for it, then other things which are considered Sunnah should also be excluded from the funeral prayer. Can our Hanafi brothers do this?
● Under Chapter Three, we will present the Hadith of Abu Imamah, may Allah be pleased with him. In this Hadith, the Companion of the Prophet, Abu Imamah, may Allah be pleased with him, explicitly states that Takbir al-Tahrimah, Surah Al-Fatiha, Durood, Dua, and Salam in the funeral prayer are all Sunnah. Will our Hanafi brothers deny the obligation of Takbir al-Tahrimah, Durood, Dua, and Salam in the funeral prayer based on this Hadith? If not, then why only this assumption regarding the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha?
② The meaning of Sunnah is not the Prophetic Sunnah!
Allama Ibn Tarkmani Hanafi (750 AH) further writes:
ولم يصرح أنها سنةه عليه السلام، فيحتمل أن ذلك رأيه، أو غيره من الصحابة، وهم مختلفون، فتعارضت آراؤهم
He (Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both) did not explicitly state that this is the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, therefore it is possible that this is his own opinion or that of another companion. There is disagreement among the Companions regarding this, and their opinions differ.
Analysis
● According to the scholars of Hadith, it is an established principle that when a Companion uses the word Sunnah تجزيه, it refers to the method of the Noble Prophet ﷺ.
◈ Jurists and Hadith scholars and the word Sunnah
✿ Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, mentions only Marfoo’ hadith under the chapter, thus like other scholars of the Ummah, Imam Bukhari also considers this hadith as Marfoo’ Hukmi.
✿ Imam Hakim, may Allah have mercy on him (405 AH), after mentioning this hadith says:
وقد أجمعوا على أن قول الصحابي : سنة، حديث مسند .
The consensus of the scholars is that when a Sahabi says “Sunnah,” it refers to a Marfoo’ hadith.
✿ Imam Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him (458 AH), says:
إني لا أعلم خلافا بين أهل النقل أن الصحابي إذا قال : من السنة كذا وكذا أنه يريد به سنة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، ويكون ذلك مسندا
To my knowledge, there is no difference of opinion among the Muhaddithin that when a Sahabi [ من السنة كذا وكذا] says, it means the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and it will also be a Marfoo’ hadith.“
✿ Hafiz Ibn Abdul Barr, may Allah have mercy on him (463 AH), says:
لا يختلفون فى ذلك .
There is no difference of opinion among the scholars that when a Sahabi says “Sunnah,” it means a Marfoo’ hadith.
● Imam Ibn Turkamani Hanafi himself writes elsewhere:
وأكثر علماء الحديث على أن الصحابي إذا قال : أمرنا بكذا، أو نهينا عن كذا ، أو من السنة كذا؛ فهو من قبيل المرفوع، وهو الصحيح عندهم
Most Muhaddithin say that when a Sahabi أمرنا بكذا نهينا عن كذا يا من السنة كذا it is a type of Marfoo’ (Prophetic hadith). According to the Muhaddithin, this is the correct understanding.
◈ The Word Sunnah and the Double Standard of the Hanafi Scholars
● When it comes to matters favorable to Hanafi brothers, they consider the Sunnah of the Sahabi as a Marfu‘ Hadith, as is found in almost all Hanafi fiqh books, attributing this narration to Sayyidina Ali (may Allah be pleased with him):
من السنة فى الصلاة وضع الأكف على الأكف تحت السرة
The Sunnah is that in prayer one palm is placed over the other below the navel.
However, the consensus of the Muhaddithin is that this is a “weak” (Da‘if) narration, as Hafiz Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) (676 AH) writes:
اتفقوا على تضعيفه، لأنه من رواية عبد الرحمن بن إسحاق الواسطي، منكر الحديث، مجمع على ضعفه .
The scholars of Hadith have agreed on classifying this narration as weak because it was narrated by Abdul Rahman bin Ishaq Al-Wasiti, who is a denier of Hadith, and the Imams have consensus on its weakness.
Despite this, the Hanafis transmit it as a Marfu‘ Hadith, but the authentic Hadith of Sahih Bukhari and Muslim, whose authenticity is agreed upon by the Ummah, contains the word Sunnah in the same context, yet they classify it as the personal opinion of the Sahabi. Why this double standard?
◈ Testimony from the Hanafi School
● When Allama Ibn Tarkmani Hanafi objected to taking the word Sunnah to mean the Sunnah of the Prophet, Maulana Zafar Ahmad Thanvi (1394 AH) wrote in response:
إن قول الصحابي : أمرنا بكذا، أو [نهينا عن كذا]، أو من السنة كذا، وما أشبهه كله مرفوع على الصحيح الذى قاله الجمهور، كما فى التدريب.
Any statement by a Sahabi أمرنا بكذا نهينا عن كذا يا من السنة كذا and similar words are all Marfoo‘ (Prophetic Hadith). This is the correct belief, as the majority have stated, as mentioned in “Tadreeb al-Rawi.”
See! This objection was dismissed from the very house of Allama Ibn Tarkmani Hanafi himself.
③ Is the Funeral Prayer Called Sunnah, Not the Fatiha?
Allama Ibn Tarkmani Hanafi makes another objection, writing:
حكى الماوردي عن بعض أصحابهم : إن فى قول ابن عباس هذا احتمالا؛ هل أراد أن يخبرهم بهذا القول أن القرائة سنة أو نفس الصلاة سنة
Al-Mawardi narrated from some of their companions: In the statement of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), there is a possibility that by this statement he meant the recitation as Sunnah or that the funeral prayer itself was called Sunnah.
Analysis
● If only Allama Ibn Tarkmani Hanafi had glanced at the books of Hadith before quoting this objection!
◈ Decision on the Words of the Hadith
We quote the exact words of this hadith with an authentic chain from three reliable books of hadith and leave the judgment to the honorable readers whether in this hadith Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) referred to the Sunnah of the funeral prayer or the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer?
✿ Imam Ibn Jarood (may Allah have mercy on him) (307 AH) mentioned these words of this hadith:
صليت خلف ابن عباس على جنازة، فقرأ فيها بفاتحة الكتاب، فأخذت بيده، فقلت : تقرأ بها؟ قال : إنها سنة وحق.
I led the funeral prayer behind Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them). He recited Surah Al-Fatiha. I held his arm and asked: Do you recite Surah Al-Fatiha (in the funeral prayer)? He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Indeed, this is the Prophetic Sunnah and the truth.
✿ Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) (354 AH) recorded this narration in his book with these words:
شهدت ابن عباس صلى على جنازة، فقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب، فلما انصرف قلت له : أتقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب؟ قال : نعم، يا ابن أخي، سنة وحقا.
I attended a funeral with Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them). He recited Surah Al-Fatiha. When he finished, I asked: Do you recite Surah Al-Fatiha? He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Yes, my messenger! This is Sunnah and the truth.
✿ Imam Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him) (405 AH) mentioned these words:
صليت خلف ابن عباس على جنازة، فسمعته يقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب ، فلما انصرف أخذت بيده، فسألته، فقلت : أتقرأ؟ قال : نعم، إنه حق وسنة
I prayed a funeral prayer behind Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them). I heard him reciting Surah Al-Fatiha. When he finished, I held his arm and asked in a questioning tone: Do you recite (in the funeral prayer)? He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Yes! Surely this is the truth and the Sunnah.
Now, Hanafi and Deobandi brothers should calmly consider whether these objections raised by Hanafi scholars against a completely authentic hadith of Sahih Bukhari are merely the result of unfamiliarity with hadith?
◈ Decision of the Hadith Scholars and Jurists
● Since the great Muhaddithin and jurists of the religion had a deep insight into the collection of Hadith, they have unanimously understood the recitation mentioned in this Hadith to mean the Sunnah. We have already mentioned many statements and classifications of the Imams and jurists in this regard. Here are a few more references:
✿ Imam Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him (204 AH), before mentioning the Hadith of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, says:
يقرأ فى الأولى بأم القرآن … وقال بعض الناس : لا يقرأ فى الصلاة على الجنازة، إنا صلينا على الجنازة وعلمنا كيف سنة الصلاة فيها لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم .
(After the first Takbir in the funeral prayer) Surah Al-Fatiha will be recited. Some people say that Surah Al-Fatiha is not recited in the funeral prayer. We have been performing the funeral prayer and we know what the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is in this prayer.
✿ Imam Tirmidhi, may Allah have mercy on him (279 AH), explains the meaning of the Hadith of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, as follows:
والصحيح عن ابن عباس قوله : من السنة القرائة على الجنازة بفاتحة الكتاب .
The correct statement is the saying of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both: The recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer is the Prophetic Sunnah.
✿ Shah Waliullah Dehlawi, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
ومن السنة قرائة فاتحة الكتاب .
The recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer is Sunnah.
✿ Hafiz Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him (676 AH), explaining the meaning of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, calling it Sunnah, says:
يعني : لتعلموا أن القرائة مأمور بها .
Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, meant: so that you know that the recitation has been commanded (by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him).
✿ Hafiz Ibn Milqan, may Allah have mercy on him (804 AH), also said exactly the same.
It is clear that according to the great jurists, Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, referred to the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha as Sunnah in this Hadith.
◈ This house caught fire from the lamp of the house
● The objection mentioned by Allama Ibn Tarkmani Hanafi Sahib is not only incorrect according to the Hadith of the Prophet, the great Muhaddithin, and the jurists of the religion, but Maulana Zafar Ahmad Thanvi Deobandi Sahib (1394 AH) has also refuted it. He writes:
إن إنكار طلحة بن عبيد الله على ابن عباس إنما يتأتى فى قرائة الفاتحة دون نفس الصلاة، فإن كون الصلاة على الميت سنة، بل فريضة، لا يجهله مثله .
Talha bin Ubaidullah’s inquiry from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) was only about the recitation, not about the entire prayer. The proof of this is that the funeral prayer, which is a Sunnah and even obligatory, could not have been unknown in its legal status to a person like Talha bin Ubaidullah.
Even now, if any Hanafi brother considers Allama Ibn Tarkmani Hanafi’s objections as a scholarly effort and refrains from acting upon the authentic Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) on their basis, it would be outright injustice.
◈ A joke: Anwar Khurshid Sahib’s double policy
Like some Hanafi scholars, Syedna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما‘s use of the word Sunnah was also examined by Janab Anwar Khurshid Deobandi, who wrote:
As for declaring the recitation in the funeral prayer by Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas رضي الله عنهما as Sunnah, this does not mean the technical Sunnah, i.e., the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.
Then he further writes:
In the treasure of Hadith, there are many places where the Companions used the word Sunnah, but there it means the linguistic Sunnah, not the technical Sunnah.
Our demand is that he should present not many but just a few places with authentic chains where the Companions used the word Sunnah meaning the linguistic Sunnah!
After this preamble, now let us turn just three pages. When the discussion came to the evidence for reciting the funeral prayer in a low voice, Janab Anwar Khurshid Sahib writes:
Hazrat Abu Imamah رضي الله عنه declared reciting the funeral prayer in a low voice as Sunnah, as is clear from Hadith number ➊.
Consider that to declare the funeral prayer recited in a low voice as the Prophetic Sunnah, the very word Sunnah spoken by the Companion of the Prophet, Syedna Abu Imamah رضي الله عنه, was taken as evidence by Janab Anwar Sahib. After writing just three pages here, perhaps he himself forgot these words:
In the treasure of Hadith, there are many places where the Companions used the word Sunnah, but there it means the linguistic Sunnah, not the technical Sunnah.
If the word Sunnah used by Syedna Abu Imamah رضي الله عنه here means the Prophetic Sunnah, then this Hadith also mentions the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha. Why do Anwar Sahib and other Deobandi and Hanafi scholars avoid accepting it as the Prophetic Sunnah? And if the word Sunnah used by Syedna Abu Imamah رضي الله عنه means the linguistic Sunnah, then how does this prove that reciting the funeral prayer in a low voice is from the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم? Moreover, if in this Hadith the word Sunnah is taken to make it necessary to keep the voice low in the funeral prayer, then why is the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha not made necessary through the word Sunnah in the same Hadith?
؎ When it reached your tresses, it was called beauty
That same darkness which was in my black letter!
④ The accusation of “Kashmiri” on Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما!
Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri Deobandi Sahib (1353 AH) says:
وهذا من دأب ابن عباس أنه يطلق على بعض مختاراته لفظ السنة، كما فعله فى الإفعاء مع أن ابن عمر صرح بنقضه، وقال : إن الإفعاء ليس بسنة
It is the habit of Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما that he would call some of his preferred opinions Sunnah, as he did in the matter of Iqaa (i.e., he called Iqaa Sunnah), whereas Ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما explicitly rejected this by saying: Iqaa is not Sunnah.
Analysis
؎ Is the garden the street of the beloved? Go and take a walk there!
Fireworks burst here, new and fresh!
We have narrated the consensus of the noble Muhaddithin that when a Sahabi says the word Sunnah, he means a Marfoo’ narration, i.e., a Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم. Then Maulana Zafar Ahmad Thanvi Deobandi Sahib (1394 AH) also strongly rejected this statement, but against the opinion of all the noble Muhaddithin and Hanafi researchers, Allama Kashmiri Sahib said that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما would call his own opinion Sunnah.
◈ Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri and the Honor of the Companions
The example of Iq’aa (placing the foot on the ground while sitting) given by Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri Deobandi Sahib involves severe disrespect towards Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما, because according to Kashmiri Sahib, Iq’aa was Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما‘s own opinion and he called it Sunnah according to “his habit,” whereas this incident is detailed in Sahih Muslim. Readers should observe the entire hadith.
The statement of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما‘s esteemed student Akramah Tabi’i رحمه الله is:
قلنا لابن عباس فى الإفعاء على القدمين، فقال :هي السنة فقلنا له : إنا لنراه جفاء بالرجل، فقال ابن عباس : بل هي سنة نبيك صلى الله عليه وسلم
We asked Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما about placing the foot on the ground (Iq’aa), and he said: This is Sunnah. We then said: We consider placing the foot on the ground to be a hardship on a person. Upon this, Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما said: No, rather this is the Sunnah of your Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.
If this Iq’aa was Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما‘s own opinion, then calling it the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would be a lie upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, and no person who commits this can remain a Sahabi, let alone a true Muslim, as the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم has repeatedly said:
من كذب على فليتبوأ مقعده من النار
“Whoever lies upon me, let him take his seat in Hell.”
Is this the respect for the Sahabah and honoring the Sunnah that is required? Allah is witness that initially we made an excuse on behalf of Allama Kashmiri Sahib that he might not have intentionally committed this disparagement, but what can be done when during study a clear statement from Allama Kashmiri Sahib’s book “Al-‘Irf al-Shadhi” came before us. After presenting the words of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما, in which he explicitly stated that Iq’aa is the Sunnah of the Prophet, he rejected them by writing that he does not accept Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما‘s statement because:
إن ابن عباس ربما يقول باجتهاده ورأيه ويغيره بالسنة
Indeed, Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما sometimes spoke from his own ijtihad and opinion and called it Sunnah.
Here, all the air went out of the balloon of our excuse that Allama Kashmiri Sahib does not (God forbid!) believe Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما‘s words about the Prophetic Sunnah to be true, but according to him, Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما (God forbid!) used to present his personal opinion to people as Sunnah.
Here, with great pain, we urge our Deobandi brothers to think deeply about why this happened? Is it not that what people call bias forced Kashmiri Sahib to do this? Is it not because their scholars, after learning hadith, instead of accepting it, resort to various false interpretations? For this reason, many such statements come from them which not only disparage the Sahabah but also amount to opposing the Prophetic Sunnah. We will continue to point out such matters from time to time but only with the intention that our Deobandi brothers act with some justice for the sake of Allah!
◈ Forbidden and Permissible Sexual Intercourse
As for the matter that Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) said that Iq’aa is not Sunnah, the reason is that there are two types of Iq’aa: one type of Iq’aa is that which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prohibited by likening it to the sitting posture of a dog and Satan.
This is the very Iq’aa whose Sunnah status was denied by Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them). On the contrary, the Iq’aa which Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) declared as Sunnah is the sitting on the heels between the two prostrations.
If the statements of the scholars on this matter were to be quoted, the discussion would become lengthy. We will suffice with presenting only one statement. Hafiz Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) makes a comprehensive comment on this matter:
والصواب الذى لا معدل عنه أن الإفعاء نوعان، أحدهما أن يلصق أليتيه بالأرض وينصب ساقيه ويضع يديه على الأرض كإفعاء الكلب، هكذا فسره أبو عبيدة معمر بن المتنى وصاحبه أبو عبيد القاسم بن سلام وآخرون من أهل اللغة، وهذا النوع هو والنوع المكروه الذى ورد فيه النهي الثاني أن يجعل أليتيه على عقبيه بين السجدتين، وهذا هو مراد بن عباس بقوله : سنة نبيكم صلى الله عليه وسلم…… وحمل حديث ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما عليه جماعات من المحققين ؛ منهم البيهقي والقاضي عياض والآخرون رحمهم الله تعالى، قال القاضي : وقد روي عن جماعة من الصحابة والسلف أنهم كانوا يفعلونه
The undeniable truth is that there are two types of Iq’aa; one is that a person places his buttocks on the ground like a dog, raising his legs and placing both hands on the ground. Abu Ubaidah Muammar bin Mas’udi, his student Abu Ubaid al-Qasim bin Salam, and other linguists have given this interpretation. This type of Iq’aa is disliked and prohibited. The second type is that a person sits on his heels between the two prostrations. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) referred to this second type of Iq’aa as the Prophetic Sunnah. Many researchers have interpreted the hadith of Ibn Abbas in this sense. Among these researchers are Imam Bayhaqi, Qadi Iyad, and other scholars. Qadi Iyad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It is narrated from many companions and righteous predecessors that they used to do this.
This is absolutely true because it is established that Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) himself performed Iq’aa.
It is clearly understood from this that the Iq’aa which Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) denied as Sunnah was not the one that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) declared as Prophetic Sunnah, but rather the Iq’aa like the sitting posture of a dog, which is unanimously prohibited. Perhaps some of our Deobandi brothers may not be satisfied with the research presented by Hafiz Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) and other scholars. To them, it is stated that exactly the same point was made by Allama Zailai Hanafi (762 AH) while authenticating the hadiths in the reliable Hanafi fiqh book Hidayah
, and this was also quoted by a very learned and reliable Hanafi scholar Allama Badr al-Din Ayni Hanafi (855 AH) in his commentary on Sunan Abi Dawood
.
Here, we also present the statement of Allama Naimwi Hanafi Sahib. He too divided Iq’aa into two types: one is sitting on the heels, and the other is sitting like a dog.
After this division, he writes:
القول الفيصل أن الإفعاء بالمعنى الثاني لا خلاف فى كراهته، وبالمعنى الأول فرخصة عند العذر .
The decisive point is that the second type of Iq’aa (sitting like a dog) is unanimously disliked, while the first type (sitting on the heels) is permitted in case of necessity.
See how clearly the Muhaddithin, Allama Ayni Hanafi, and Allama Naimwi Hanafi Sahib have expressed this reality, yet Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri Sahib accused Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) of falsely attributing his opinion as Sunnah merely to deny the Sunnah status of Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer.
In this way, the most sacred personalities among the companions are subjected to the gravest suspicion. Is this not a step towards denying the hadith? If the earliest narrators of hadith, i.e., the companions (may Allah protect us!), were in such a state that they tried to pass their opinions and thoughts as Sunnah, then what trust can be placed in the later narrators? When such thoughts arise in people’s hearts about the companions and other narrators of hadith, what status will they give to hadith? We pray to Allah Almighty to protect us from prejudice and partisanship!
⑤ Why is recitation other than Surah Al-Fatiha not obligatory?
Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri Deobandi Sahib, raising another objection, writes:
على أن فى النسائي ص (۲۸) “He recited Al-Fatiha and a Surah aloud, and in Ibn Al-Jarood’s Al-Muntaqa it is mentioned that he also combined a Surah. Therefore, the Shafi’is should say that it is obligatory to recite aloud and combine a Surah as well since they accept part of it.”
Along with this, there is also a narration in Sunan An-Nasa’i that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) recited another Surah along with Surah Al-Fatiha and recited it aloud. In Ibn Jarood’s (may Allah have mercy on him) book Al-Muntaqa, it is also stated that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) combined another Surah with Surah Al-Fatiha. When the Shafi’is have taken a stance based on some parts of this Hadith, they should also adopt the stance of reciting the funeral prayer aloud and combining another Surah with Surah Al-Fatiha.
Analysis
These words cannot cast doubt on the obligation of Surah Al-Fatiha, because:
◈ These words are not authentic!
● Imam Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him, considers these words as a cause and states:
وذكر السورة فيه غير محفوظ .
The mention of the Surah after Al-Fatiha in the Hadith of Ibn Abbas is not authentic.
◈ The Requirement of the Hadiths of the Prophet and the Practices of the Companions
● Even if these words are accepted, the recitation of any other Surah besides Surah Al-Fatiha cannot be considered obligatory, because the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ only stated that without Surah Al-Fatiha, the prayer is not valid; he did not make any other Surah a condition for prayer. For this reason, we do not consider the recitation of any Surah other than Al-Fatiha to be obligatory. A man asked the righteous companion Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه, a disciple of the Prophet ﷺ, that if he recites only Surah Al-Fatiha in prayer and does not recite any other Surah, what would be the ruling? He replied:
إن زدت عليها فهو خير، وإن انتهيت إليها أجزأت عنك
“If you recite more than this (Surah Al-Fatiha), it is better, and if you suffice with this alone, your obligation will be fulfilled.”
In one narration, the words of Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه are:
ومن قرأ بأم الكتاب فقد أجزات عنه، ومن زاد فهو أفضل.
“Whoever recites Surah Al-Fatiha, it will be sufficient for him, and whoever recites more than that, it will be better.”
Also, the hadith of Abu Imamah bin Sahl رضي الله عنه, which will be mentioned a few lines later with reference to Imam Tahawi Hanafi رحمه الله, in which the companion of the Prophet Abu Imamah bin Sahl رضي الله عنه described the Sunnah method of funeral prayer, mentions only the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha. If the recitation of any other Surah was necessary, he would have certainly mentioned it as well.
◈ Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما‘s Own Explicit Statement
● We have already mentioned that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas رضي الله عنهما was asked only about the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha, to which he declared it Sunnah and the truth. We repeat those words here:
فلما انصرف قلت له : أتقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب؟ قال : نعم، يا ابن أخي، سنة وحق
When you finished, I asked: Do you recite Surah Al-Fatiha? He رضي الله عنهما said: Yes, my nephew! It is Sunnah and the truth.
Since the question and answer in the hadith were only about Surah Al-Fatiha, how can the ruling of reciting other Surahs be derived from the Surah Al-Fatiha alone? Therefore, even if these words are established, they do not constitute an objection to the obligation of Surah Al-Fatiha.
◈ Funeral Prayer Can Be Both Silent and Audible
As for the question that when Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) recited the funeral prayer aloud, then why do we not consider raising the voice in the funeral prayer obligatory, while we consider Surah Al-Fatiha obligatory, the answer is also found in the Prophetic hadith. The hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Imamah bin Sahl (may Allah be pleased with him), which we will mention in detail in Chapter Three, in one narration states:
إن السنة فى الصلاة على الجنازة أن يكبر الإمام، ثم يقرا بفاتحة الكتاب سرا فى نفسه
The Sunnah method in the funeral prayer is that the Imam says Takbeer, then recites Surah Al-Fatiha silently.
From this hadith, it is understood that just as reciting Surah Al-Fatiha aloud in the funeral prayer is established by Sunnah, similarly reciting it in a low voice is also established by Sunnah. Moreover, in the hadith where Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) is mentioned reciting Surah Al-Fatiha aloud, these words of his are also present:
إنما جهرت لتعلموا أنها سنة
I recited Surah Al-Fatiha aloud so that you may know that this is the Prophetic Sunnah.
From this discussion, it is established that reciting Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer is necessary. Besides this, reciting any other Surah is recommended based on general evidence but not obligatory. Also, in the funeral prayer, reciting aloud or quietly, both are permissible.
⑥ The Sunnah of an Unfamiliar Method is an Ugly Distortion
Mr. Ameen Safdar Okaraavi Sahib, commenting on the mentioned hadith, writes:
All funerals are conducted without reciting Al-Fatiha, and if someone mistakenly recites it, the senior scholars have expressed disapproval of it. Once, Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) recited Surah Al-Fatiha and another Surah during a funeral prayer. Since this was an unusual practice among the best of generations, he was immediately asked while holding his arm, “What is this?” He replied إنها سنة and freed himself, saying that this was an unfamiliar method of performing the funeral prayer which the general companions and followers did not recognize. Therefore, he described the word Sunnah in an indefinite form. After that, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) never recited Al-Fatiha again. Rather, when he taught Hazrat Abu Hamza the method of funeral prayer, he said: تصلي على الجنازة تسبح وتكبر ولا تركع ولا تسجد.
meaning that the funeral prayer includes tasbih and takbeer, not bowing or prostration. He did not mention recitation at all.
Analysis
Although in this short passage, Mr. Okaraavi has brazenly written many baseless things, the most dangerous thing is declaring the word Sunnat of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) as an “unfamiliar method” while committing semantic distortion.
We analyze all these matters in detail:
⑦ Khair al-Qurun and Surah Al-Fatiha in Funeral Prayer
According to Mr. Okaraavi, in Khair al-Qurun all funerals were performed without reciting Al-Fatiha. In the following pages, readers will observe that the method of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and the Imams of the religion was that they recited Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer. Khair al-Qurun is the name of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and the Imams of the religion themselves.
Analysis
We respectfully ask the Deobandi brothers: those Imams of the religion who have declared the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer as a Prophetic Sunnah, were they not truthful in their claim?
◈ Testimony of Hanafi Scholars
Allama Badruddin Ayni Hanafi, quoting Imam Tahawi رحمه الله, writes:
لعل قرائة من قرأ الفاتحة من الصحابة؛ كان على وجه الدعاء ، لا على وجه التلاوة .
The Companions of the Prophet رضی اللہ عنہم who recited Surah Al-Fatiha (in the funeral prayer), perhaps they recited it as a supplication, not as a recitation.
Many other Hanafi scholars have also written this in their books. Whether the Companions رضی اللہ عنہم recited Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer as a supplication or as a recitation will be discussed in its proper place in Chapter Six, but from this clarification by the Hanafi scholars, it is certainly established that the Companions رضی اللہ عنہم did recite Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer. Therefore, Okarvi Sahib’s statement that in the early generations all funeral prayers were performed without Al-Fatiha is tantamount to calling the Hanafi scholars ignorant.
⑧ Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضی اللہ عنہما recited Al-Fatiha by mistake!
We have already quoted this passage from Okardavi Sahib in which he said:
If someone mistakenly recited it, the great scholars expressed their disapproval of it. Thus, once Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) ……
Analysis:
This gives the impression that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, mistakenly recited Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer, and also that Talha ibn Ubaidullah, may Allah have mercy on him, who asked the question, was a greater scholar compared to Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them. But in reality, both statements are outright falsehoods. Firstly, neither the early generations of scholars nor the later Imams of the religion ever said or understood that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, did this by mistake. This idea was first conceived by Okaraavi Sahib.
Our heartfelt appeal to the Deobandi brothers is that they set aside their bias for a moment and consider whether Okaraavi Sahib’s effort is to accept the hadith or to reject it?
Secondly, Talha ibn Ubaidullah, may Allah have mercy on him, was a mid-level Tabi‘i. To count him among the senior scholars in comparison to the Companion of the Prophet, Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, is either due to ignorance or extreme injustice!
◈ A Grammatical Joke by Okaraavi Sahib!
According to Okaraavi Sahib, Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) did not mean the Prophetic tradition by the word Sunnah, but rather an obscure method unknown to the common Companions and Followers. His argument for this is that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) used the word Sunnah in an indefinite form. This is completely incorrect. First of all, no hadith scholar in the world has ever taken the word Sunnah to mean such an obscure method that the common Companions and Followers did not recognize.
◈ Hadith Books versus Okaraavi Logic
The second point is that if Okaraavi Sahib himself had checked this hadith in the books of hadith or consulted a scholar, he would never have written this, because in Sunan al-Kubra by Bayhaqi and Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, in the same hadith, the word “sunnah” is used in the definite form instead of the indefinite form, as follows:
إنها من السنة
Then in the third chapter, we will present the authentic hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Imamah bin Sahl (may Allah be pleased with him).
In this hadith, Sayyiduna Abu Imamah (may Allah be pleased with him) stated:
السنة فى الصلاة على الجنازة أن يكتر، ثم يقرأ بأم القرآن
The prescribed method in the funeral prayer is that a person says Takbeer, then recites Surah Al-Fatiha.
In this hadith, Sayyiduna Abu Imamah (may Allah be pleased with him) also used the word “sunnah” in the definite form. What do the Deobandi brothers think about this?
It is also narrated with an absolutely authentic chain from Tayz Talhah bin Abdullah (may Allah have mercy on him) as follows:
شهدت ابن عباس صلى على جنازة، فقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب، فلما انصرف؛ قلت له : أتقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب؟ قال : نعم، يا ابن أخي ، سنة وحق
I attended a funeral with Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them). He recited Surah Al-Fatiha. When he finished, I asked: Do you recite Surah Al-Fatiha? He (may Allah be pleased with both of them) said: Yes, my nephew! This is the Sunnah and the truth.
In this hadith, Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) not only called the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer a Sunnah but also declared it the truth. Did not the general companions and followers recognize the method that was the truth? Even if, hypothetically, the truth was not recognized by the general companions and followers, then according to the command of Allah: ﴿أَفَمَن يَهْدِي إِلَى الْحَقِّ أَحَقُّ أَن يُتَّبَعَ﴾
, it is necessary to follow the truth.
Now, the fair-minded Deobandi brothers themselves should judge whether Okaraavi Sahib is justified in interpreting Sunnah as “an unknown method” or not…? Moreover, this also clearly shows Okaraavi Sahib’s lack of knowledge of hadith.
⑨ Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما and Omitting Al-Fatiha
Janab Okaraavi Sahib also claimed that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما never recited Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer after this incident. In support of his argument, he cited a narration from Fath al-Bari, but Ibn Hajar رحمه الله did not mention the complete chain of this narration; he only wrote that Umar bin Shabah mentioned it in his book “Kitab Makkah” with the chain from حماد عن أبى حمزة عن ابن عباس.
Analysis:
We could not find the book of Umar bin Shabba, however, Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri Deobandi Sahib has mentioned the name of this book أخبار المدينه ومكة in “Al-‘Urf al-Shadhi”. Umar bin Shabba’s book “Akhbar al-Madina” has been published by “Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya Beirut”, but despite extensive searching, we could not find this narration in it either.
Then who is this Hammad who is narrating from Abu Hamza? Among the students of Abu Hamza (Anas bin Sirin), there are two narrators named Hammad; one is Hammad bin Zaid, may Allah have mercy on him, and the other is Hammad bin Salama, may Allah have mercy on him. It is not established that Umar bin Shabba met either of these two mentioned in this chain. Then how did the chain of this disconnected narration become authentic?
Even if this narration is established, it does not at all prove that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, omitted Surah Al-Fatiha in the funeral prayer. In this narration, Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, only affirmed tasbih and takbir and negated ruku and sujood.
It is an established principle that the absence of mention is not taken as the absence of existence, meaning if something is not mentioned somewhere, it is not proof that it does not exist there. Then in this narration, there is no mention of standing, sending blessings, supplication, and salam in the funeral prayer either. Will the Deobandi brothers also empty the funeral prayer of these things and issue a fatwa that the funeral prayer is performed just by saying سبحان الله and الحمد لله near the deceased?
From this discussion, it is clear that all the objections made by Okaraavi Sahib are baseless and have no standing in the scholarly world.
Moreover, Okaraavi Sahib’s approach towards Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, is extremely careless. Causing disrespect to the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, for the superiority of one’s own sect in jurisprudential matters is a loss in the Hereafter.
