Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Volume 1, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, Page 418❖ Investigation of the Narration Regarding Qunūt in Witr Prayer
(A question and answer based on the narration found in "Juzʾ Rafʿ al-Yadayn" by Imām al-Bukhārī)
❖ Question:
The narration found in Juzʾ Rafʿ al-Yadayn by Imām al-Bukhārī, which mentions the recitation of Qunūt before rukūʿ in Witr prayer — is it authentic?
(A question posed by a seeker)
❖ Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā baʿd!
✦ Narration Details:
The aforementioned narration appears in Juzʾ Rafʿ al-Yadayn by Imām al-Bukhārī (pages: 173, 174; page 99) and is transmitted through the chain:
Layth from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Aswad from his father from ʿAbdullāh (i.e., Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه).
The narration states:
"ثم يرفع يديه قبل الركعة"
Then (ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه) would raise his hands and recite Qunūt before the rukūʿ.
✦ Status of the Chain (Isnād):
The chain of this narration is weak, due to the presence of the narrator Layth ibn Abī Sulaym, about whom the following deficiencies are recorded:
◈ Weakness (Ḍaʿf)
◈ Tadlīs (concealment or ambiguity in narration)
◈ Ikhṭilāṭ (memory impairment in later life)
✦ Criticism and Appraisal of Layth ibn Abī Sulaym:
Beneficial resources for studying the criticisms against Layth ibn Abī Sulaym include:
◈ Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb
◈ Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb
◈ al-Ightibāṭ fī Maʿrifah man Rawā bil-Ikhṭilāṭ
Respected scholar Mawlānā Abū Muḥammad Badīʿ al-Dīn al-Rāshidī رحمه الله has pointed towards the study of these books.
✦ Some Scholars' Authentication and Possible Misconception:
Some scholars, such as Muḥammad Yūsuf Binnūrī Deobandi and Nīmwi (in Āthār al-Sunan, page 169, ḥadīth 635), have declared this narration authentic.
Most likely, these scholars mistakenly considered Layth ibn Abī Sulaym to be Layth ibn Saʿd.
✦ Absence of Proof of Meeting Between Layth ibn Abī Sulaym and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Aswad:
- ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Aswad ibn Yazīd passed away in 98 or 99 AH
(See: Tahdhīb al-Kamāl, Volume 1, Page 108) - Layth ibn Saʿd was born in 93 AH
Thus, it is not proven anywhere that a four- or five-year-old child (i.e., Layth ibn Saʿd) traveled to Kūfah and met ʿAbd al-Raḥmān.
✦ Testimony of the Ḥadīth Scholars:
The ḥadīth scholars have affirmed the following:
◈ Layth ibn Abī Sulaym is mentioned among the students of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān.
◈ He is also listed among the teachers of Zāʾidah ibn Qudāmah.
(Refer to: Tahdhīb al-Kamāl, Volume 11, Page 107; Volume 6, Page 207)
(Reference: January 2000)
❖ Conclusion:
The chain of this narration is weak, and it is incorrect to consider it authentic, as its foundation lies upon Layth ibn Abī Sulaym, who is a weak, mudallis, and mukhṭaliṭ narrator.
هٰذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
