An Overview of Asif Deobandi's Book on the Abandonment of Raising the Hands

This excerpt is taken from the book of the contemporary hadith scholar Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai رحمه الله Nur al-Aynayn fi Ithbat Raf' al-Yadayn 'inda al-Ruku' wa Ba'dahu fi al-Salah.

The Complete Defeat of Asif Deobandi and the Deoband School​

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الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلوة والسلام على رسوله الأمين و رضي الله عن أصحابه و أزواجه و آله أجمعين و رحمة الله على من تبعهم باحسان إلى يوم الدين ، أما بعد :
The claim of the Ahl al-Sunnah, that is, the Ahl al-Hadith, is that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ began the prayer, he would raise his hands, and when he said the Takbir for bowing, he would raise his hands, and when he lifted his head from bowing سمع الله لمن حمده he would raise his hands.
And this is the practice of all Ahl al-Hadith. And all praise is due to Allah.
For evidence of this claim, see Sahih al-Bukhari

Reference: (باب رفع اليدين إذا كبر و إذا ركع و إذا رفع ح736)

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The Commander of the Faithful in Hadith and the Imam of the world in the jurisprudence of Hadith, Imam Bukhari رحمه الله (d. 256 AH), wrote his famous book "Juz' Raf' al-Yadayn" to prove and defend the raising of the hands.
Note: This claim applies to every prayer (for example, one rak'ah of Witr, two rak'ahs of Fajr, three rak'ahs of Maghrib, four rak'ahs of Dhuhr, Asr, and Isha, and nine rak'ahs of Salat al-Lail, etc.).
Besides the three mentioned places, wherever raising the hands is established (for example, after standing up from the two rak'ahs in a four rak'ah prayer), one should also act upon it, and where raising the hands is not established or there is a clear and authentic denial, one should not raise the hands there.
After this introduction, I would like to present that Asif Ahmad Deobandi Hayati has published a book titled "Sunnat Rasul al-Thaqalayn ﷺ Tarak Raf' al-Yadayn with a Collection of 327 Authentic Hadiths and Narrations," which has been appreciated by a Deobandi "Mufti" Muhammad Hasan (?).
Benefit: It is written in the esteemed book Fatawa al-Alamgiri, which is recognized by the Deobandis, that أجمع الفقهاء على أن المفتي يجب أن يكون من أهل الاجتهاد it is necessary for a Mufti to be among the qualified jurists.

Reference: (الفتاوی الہندیہ 3/308)

This means that to be a Mufti, it is essential to be a Mujtahid, and Amin Okardwi Deobandi has clearly stated: After the best generations, the door of ijtihad has also been closed; now only imitation remains.

Reference: (See the preface of Al-Kalam al-Mufid, p. S, and Tajalliyat Safdar 412/3)

It is also written in Tajalliyat Safdar that the path of ijtihad has become so closed that if anyone were to arise today claiming ijtihad, their claim would be struck down.

Reference: (44/5)

It has been established that no Deobandi is a Mufti, because no Deobandi is a Mujtahid; therefore, the Deobandis should never use the title of Mufti for themselves.
Asif's favorite Abdul Ghafar Deobandi has written: Mr. Zubair Ali Zai has not even fully written the claim and practice of being a so-called Ahl al-Hadith. Because the non-muqallids raise their hands at four places in a four rak'ah prayer, which amounts to ten times. And Ali Zai has mentioned three places here, and it is strange childish behavior or a sign of being oblivious not to mention the raising of hands at the fourth place ”اذا قام من الركعتين“ in his claim and practice.

Reference: (Asif's book, p. 16)

I would like to point out that not every prayer consists of four rak'ahs; rather, the Fajr prayer consists of two rak'ahs, the Maghrib prayer consists of three rak'ahs, and the Witr prayer can also consist of one rak'ah. Therefore, what kind of behavior is it to insist on four rak'ahs in blind imitation of Okardwi, and what is the evidence for this?
Do the Asifi people among the Deobandis perform four rak'ahs in the obligatory morning prayer? If not, then there is no weight to this objection.
Our claim and practice fit every prayer. And all praise is due to Allah.
Asif has published in his book under the umbrella of his favorite Abdul Ghafar Deobandi the title "The First Hadith: The Proof of Raising the Hands in the First Position of Prostration," citing Sharh Mushkil al-Athar by Al-Tahawi

Reference: (ج 2 ص 20 رقم الحدیث 24)

, and also referenced Al-Tartib by Al-Iraqi and quoted its authenticity from Ibn al-Qattan (Al-Fasi al-Maghribi).

Reference: (ص 17)

The narration presented by Asif's favorite is weak.
➊ Al-Tahawi, a Hanafi, wrote: و كان هذا الحديث من رواية نافع شاذا لما رواه عبيد الله and this hadith was weak according to the narration of Nafi, which was narrated by Ubaidullah.

Reference: (Sharh Mushkil al-Athar ج 15 ص 47 ح 5831، تحفۃ الاخیار ج 2 ص 20 ح 24)

Asif has concealed this criticism.
When a narration is proven to be weak unanimously by the scholars of Hadith or according to the principles of Hadith, it is rejected.

Reference: (For example, see Taysir Mustalah al-Hadith, p. 119)

In the Deobandi-favored book "Uloom al-Hadith," Muhammad Ubaidullah al-Asadi wrote:
"A weak narration is rejected, and a preserved one is accepted."

Reference: (ص190)

This book has been reviewed and praised by Habib al-Rahman Azami Deobandi, and Abdul Rashid Numani Deobandi has also supported it.
Muhammad Yusuf Ladhiyani Deobandi wrote a Deobandi principle:
In light of these reasons, the established Sunnah is that which was practiced by the senior Companions and Tabi'in. And any narration that contradicts their practice will either be deemed abrogated or will require interpretation. Such narrations that contradict the practice of the Salaf were considered weak in the early period. And just as the weak narrations of later scholars are not a proof, similarly, such weak narrations were not a proof in the eyes of the earlier scholars.

Reference: (Ikhtilaf Ummat and Sirat al-Mustaqim, Part Two, p. 32, second version p. 43)

Amin Okardwi Deobandi wrote about one hadith:
For the authenticity of a hadith, it is not sufficient for the narrators to be trustworthy; rather, it must also be free from weakness and defects. The basic reasons for the weakness of this hadith are:
● This narration is weak because it contradicts the mutawatir hadiths.
● It is defective because it contradicts the apparent meaning of the Quran. Such a hadith is not actionable.

Reference: (Tajalliyat Safdar ج 2 ص 175)

Okardwi further wrote:
The Hanafi school, which is based on the apparent narration that is practiced everywhere, has narrated a weak narration against it, which is similar to how Christians, Jews, and Rafidis attempt to create doubts in the hearts of the people of Islam by presenting weak readings to prove alterations in the Quran.

Reference: (Tajalliyat Safdar ج 5 ص 191)

In this regard, it is evident that "according to Amin Okardwi," Asif Lahori Deobandi has presented a weak narration to create doubts in the hearts of the people of Islam, similar to the Christians, Jews, and Rafidis, and has made adopting weak narrations his mission.

Reference: (See Tajalliyat Safdar ج 5 ص 122)

Amin Okardwi wrote about a narration that contradicted his preference:
That narration was weak and rejected due to its contradiction with the trustworthy narrators.

Reference: (Tajalliyat Safdar ج 2 ص 381)

Sarfaraz Khan Safdar Deobandi Gakhruwi has stated about a phrase contrary to his preference:
When this phrase is not found in the common and published copies, what credibility can be given to weak and unpublished copies?

Reference: (Khazain al-Sunan ص 347 حصہ دوم ص 97)

The strange method of the Deobandi sect that emerged during the British era (after 1857) is that they present weak, fabricated, and rejected narrations against the agreed-upon hadiths of Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, and when it is their turn, they begin to defend the weak narrations. والله من ورائهم محيط
➋ Hafiz al-Iraqi wrote after this narration: و ذكر الطحاوي أن هذه الرواية شاذة وصححها ابن القطان

Reference: (Tartib al-Tahrib fi Sharh al-Taqrib 262/2)

Asif has concealed this criticism as well.
➌ Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani wrote: و هذه رواية شاذة and this narration is weak.

Reference: (Fath al-Bari 223/2 under ح 739)

Ibn al-Qattan al-Fasi of the seventh century (d. 628 AH) explicitly did not write this narration as authentic, but wrote ”قد صح فيهما الرفع من حديث ابن عباس و ابن عمر ومالك بن الحويرث“.

Reference: (Bayan al-Wahm wal-Ihama ج 5 ص 612)

In this phrase, Ibn al-Qattan made three errors:
⟐ In the narration attributed to Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما, Abu Suhail Nadr bin Kathir al-Azdi, the narrator, is weak.

Reference: (See Taqreeb al-Tahdhib: 7147 and Kutub al-Rijal)

⟐ The narration of Al-Tahawi is, according to Al-Tahawi, weak, and it is a well-known principle of Hadith that weak narrations are considered weak; therefore, how can this narration be authentic?!
⟐ In the narration attributed to Malik bin al-Huwairith رضي الله عنه, Qatadah is a mudallis, and the narration is from 'an. It is a well-known principle of Hadith that the narration of a mudallis in non-Sahihain is weak. (For example, see Sarfaraz Khan Safdar Deobandi's Dafain al-Sufun, Introduction Khazain al-Sunan

Reference: ص1

)
Note: Ibn al-Qattan has presented Qatadah's narration as being from his student Shu'bah, whereas Muhammad Yusuf Banuri Deobandi has clearly stated: وقع فى نسخة النسائى المطبوعة بالهند شعبة عن قتادة بدل سعيد عن قتادة وهو تصحيف صرح عليه شيخنا أيضا فى نيل الفرقدين
In the printed copies of Nasai in India (and Pakistan), "Saeed 'an Qatadah" has been mistakenly printed as "Shu'bah 'an Qatadah," and this error is a misprint; our teacher (Anwar Shah Kashmiri Deobandi) has also clarified this in Neel al-Furqadain.

Reference: (Ma'arif al-Sunan li al-Banuri ج 2 ص 456)

Asif has referenced the copy of Al-Tahawi, in the margin of which it is also written that رجاله ثقات لكن هذه الرواية شاذة كما سيذكر الطحاوي
its narrators are trustworthy, but this narration is weak, as Al-Tahawi will soon explain.

Reference: (Tuhfat al-Akhiyar ج 2 ص 20 under ح 24)

As a public announcement and information, it is stated that during prostration, raising the hands while prostrating and lifting the head from prostration is not established from the Prophet ﷺ.

Reference: (For evidence, see my book Noor al-Ainain, pp. 189-194)

In contrast to the weak and non-explicit narrations regarding raising the hands in prostration, it is written in Sahih al-Bukhari: وكان لا يفعل ذلك فى السجود and he did not do this (raising the hands) in prostration.

Reference: (ح735)

ولا يفعل ذلك حين يسجد و لا حين يرفع رأسه من السجود and he did not do this (raising the hands) when prostrating and when lifting his head from prostration.

Reference: (ح738)[/ref)
Asif Deobandi's favorite has written under the title "The Criticism of Non-Muqallids on the Narrators of Bukhari and Muslim" the following names:
Sufyan al-Thawri, Qatadah, Sa'id bin Abi 'Ubaidah, Yazid bin Abi Ziyad, Hamid al-Tawil, Abu al-Zubair al-Makki, Ibrahim, Abu Bakr bin Ayyash, Isma'il bin Abi Khalid, Hukm bin 'Utaybah, and Hafs bin Ghayath.

Reference: (Asif's book, pp. 23-25)

Among the mentioned narrators, Abu Bakr bin Ayyash, according to my second research, was trustworthy and of good narration, and Yazid bin Abi Ziyad, who is the narrator of the corroborations and evidences in Sahih Muslim, is considered weak by the majority of scholars of Hadith.

Reference: (See Noor al-Ainain, pp. 168-145, 170-146)

The remaining narrators being trustworthy and honest does not negate their being mudallis, and now the second aspect is presented:
➊ Sarfaraz Khan Safdar Deobandi has written about the fundamental narrator of the two Sahihs, Imam Abu Qalabah al-Shami رحمه الله, that he was a mudallis.

Reference: (Ahsan al-Kalam ج 2 ص 114، دوسرا نسخہ ج 2 ص 127)

Regarding Sufyan al-Thawri, it is written in Taqreeb ربما دلس.

Reference: (Khazain al-Sunan ج 2 ص 77)

Amin Okardwi Deobandi has labeled Sufyan al-Thawri as a mudallis.

Reference: (Tajalliyat Safdar ج 5 ص 470 فقره: 87)

➋ . ➌ Amin Okardwi wrote about one narration:
Firstly, this chain is very weak because in the chain, Sa'id bin Abi 'Ubaidah is mixed up, and Qatadah is mudallis. There is neither a clear narration nor corroboration.

Reference: (Juz' Raf' al-Yadayn, Translation and Commentary by Okardwi, p. 289, Hadith 29 to 31)

➍ Sarfaraz Safdar's teacher Abdul Qadir Deobandi Hazravi wrote:
"And Al-Zuhri رحمه الله was a mudallis."

Reference: (Tadqiq al-Kalam ج 2 ص 131)

Amin Okardwi said: Ibn Shahab is mudallis and narrating from 'an.

Reference: (Futuhat Safdar ج 2 ص 256)

Amin Okardwi wrote about one narration: And this is also not authentic because it contains Al-Zuhri's 'an narration.

Reference: (Juz' al-Qira'ah li al-Bukhari, Translation and Commentary by Amin Okardwi, p. 21 under ح1)

➎ Yazid bin Abi Ziyad, who is not a narrator of the principles of Sahih Muslim but a narrator of corroborations and evidences, has been described by Muhammad Ilyas Faisal Deobandi:
● Zailai states that in its chain is Yazid bin Abi Ziyad, and he is weak.
● Hafiz Ibn Hajar states in Taqreeb that he is weak; his condition changed in old age, and he was a Shia.

Reference: (Salat al-Payghambar ﷺ, p. 85)

This book is favored by the Deobandis and Ilyas Ghaman.

Reference: (See the Research Review of the Ahl al-Hadith Sect in Pakistan, p. 395)

➏ Regarding Hamid al-Tawil, Amin Okardwi said: Only Hamid al-Tawil raises him, who is mudallis and narrating from 'an.

Reference: (Tajalliyat Safdar ج 2 ص 279)

➐ About one narration of Abu al-Zubair al-Makki, Amin Okardwi wrote:
This hadith is weak in terms of its chain because Abu Zubair is mudallis and narrating from 'an.

Reference: (Juz' Raf' al-Yadayn, Translation and Commentary by Amin Okardwi, p. 318 under ح56)

➑ Ibrahim bin Yazid al-Nakha'i has also been declared mudallis by Hakim and Suyuti, among others.

Reference: (See Ma'rifah Uloom al-Hadith, p. 108, Names of Those Known for Tadlees by Suyuti: 1)

Abdul Qadir Deobandi Hazravi has written about Hafiz Ibn Hajar's view on the second generation mudallis Imam Sufyan bin 'Uyaynah رحمه الله: This narrator, Sufyan bin 'Uyaynah, is also mudallis.

Reference: (Tadqiq al-Kalam ج 2 ص 131)

➒ The announcement of retraction regarding Abu Bakr bin Ayyash رحمه الله has been published.

Reference: (See Noor al-Ainain, pp. 168-169)

Note:
Despite Imam Abu Bakr bin Ayyash being trustworthy and of good narration, his specific narration regarding the abandonment of raising the hands is false and based on misconception, as established by the investigations of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal and Imam Ibn Ma'in, etc., and specific and explicit evidence takes precedence over general and non-explicit evidence.
➓ About Imam Isma'il bin Abi Khalid, Sarfaraz Khan Deobandi wrote: "And he was also a mudallis."

Reference: (Ahsan al-Kalam ج 2 ص 135, second edition)

It should be noted that this phrase has been quietly removed from later editions without any announcement of retraction or repentance.

Reference: (For example, see the June 2006 edition, ج 2 ص 148)

⓫ . ⓬ Both Hukm bin 'Utaybah and Hafs bin Ghayath have been mentioned by Suyuti among the mudallis.

Reference: (Names of Those Known for Tadlees: 14,15)

Note:
Suyuti holds a significant position among the Deobandis, and indeed, the term "Imam Suyuti" is written in the caravan of falsehood.

Reference: (Volume 5, Issue 3, p. 22, July to September 2011, Volume 5, Issue 4, p. 33, October to December 2011)

Despite the previous references from the scholars of Hadith and the followers of imitation, Asif's claim that:
The criticism of the narrators of Bukhari and Muslim by "non-muqallids" holds no meaning, and the objection of tadlis is not a criticism of the person and integrity of the narrator but rather a criticism of his 'an narration, provided that this narration is not in the two Sahihs and there is no specific evidence against it.
Asif and the Deobandis should abandon their double standards and lift the dust from under their beds.
Abdul Ghafar Deobandi, Asif Lahori Deobandi's favorite, has written without any authentic chain that more than 1500 Companions acted upon the abandonment of raising the hands after the opening.

Reference: (p. 25)

The response to this is that Asif's statement is completely false, and in contrast to this, the announcement of Imam Bukhari رحمه الله is as follows:
It is not established from any Companion that they did not raise their hands.

Reference: (Juz' Raf' al-Yadayn: 76,40, Al-Jumu'ah by Nawawi 3/405)