Taken from: "Ahkam wa Masail in the Light of the Qur’an and Hadith", Volume 02
Is the Hadith mentioned in Sunan Abu Dawud, where the Prophet ﷺ instructed a man to perform wudu again because he was praying with his lower garment hanging down, authentic or weak? Also, please clarify the reference from Musnad Ahmad, where this Hadith is said to be weak.
✦ This Hadith is narrated by Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه, and reported in Sunan Abu Dawud. It mentions that the Prophet ﷺ saw a man praying while his izār (lower garment) was hanging down. The Prophet ﷺ then instructed him to repeat his ablution, and later explained:
"Allah does not accept the prayer of a man who performs it with his izār hanging below [his ankles]."
① Imam Nawawi, in his book Riyadh al-Salihin, stated that this Hadith is sahih (authentic), and its chain of narration is sahih according to the conditions of Sahih Muslim.
② In Majma' al-Zawa'id, Hafiz Haythami also authenticated the Hadith, affirming that its narrators are from the rijāl al-sahih (the reliable narrators found in the authentic books of Hadith).
③ The narrator "Abu Ja‘far" mentioned in the chain has been subject to some scrutiny by scholars due to insufficient biographical details. However, Imam Tirmidhi classified him as hasan (acceptable), and in Tanqih al-Ruwāt, he is described as a maqbūl (acceptable) narrator.
④ Regarding the reference to Musnad Ahmad, some scholars considered this Hadith weak due to the limited biographical information about Abu Ja‘far. Despite this, later scholars like Imam Nawawi and Hafiz Haythami declared the Hadith sahih.
① This Hadith, despite some scholarly differences, has ultimately been deemed authentic by major scholars.
② Its chain of narration is regarded as reliable by those who applied stricter standards of authentication.
③ Therefore, this Hadith is considered acceptable for practice and evidence in Islamic rulings.
Wallāhu Aʿlam.
❀ Question:
Is the Hadith mentioned in Sunan Abu Dawud, where the Prophet ﷺ instructed a man to perform wudu again because he was praying with his lower garment hanging down, authentic or weak? Also, please clarify the reference from Musnad Ahmad, where this Hadith is said to be weak.
❀ Answer:
✦ This Hadith is narrated by Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه, and reported in Sunan Abu Dawud. It mentions that the Prophet ﷺ saw a man praying while his izār (lower garment) was hanging down. The Prophet ﷺ then instructed him to repeat his ablution, and later explained:
"Allah does not accept the prayer of a man who performs it with his izār hanging below [his ankles]."
✿ Scholarly Views on the Authenticity of This Hadith:
① Imam Nawawi, in his book Riyadh al-Salihin, stated that this Hadith is sahih (authentic), and its chain of narration is sahih according to the conditions of Sahih Muslim.
② In Majma' al-Zawa'id, Hafiz Haythami also authenticated the Hadith, affirming that its narrators are from the rijāl al-sahih (the reliable narrators found in the authentic books of Hadith).
③ The narrator "Abu Ja‘far" mentioned in the chain has been subject to some scrutiny by scholars due to insufficient biographical details. However, Imam Tirmidhi classified him as hasan (acceptable), and in Tanqih al-Ruwāt, he is described as a maqbūl (acceptable) narrator.
④ Regarding the reference to Musnad Ahmad, some scholars considered this Hadith weak due to the limited biographical information about Abu Ja‘far. Despite this, later scholars like Imam Nawawi and Hafiz Haythami declared the Hadith sahih.
✔ Summary:
① This Hadith, despite some scholarly differences, has ultimately been deemed authentic by major scholars.
② Its chain of narration is regarded as reliable by those who applied stricter standards of authentication.
③ Therefore, this Hadith is considered acceptable for practice and evidence in Islamic rulings.
Wallāhu Aʿlam.
