✦ Two Major Imams’ Criticism on the Weak Narration Attributed to ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar About Abandoning Rafʿ al-Yadayn
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Volume 1, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, Page 349
❖ The Question
A narration attributed to ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنه is cited in al-Zuhri, Vol. 1, p. 110, and elsewhere, implying he abandoned Rafʿ al-Yadayn.
Sarfraz Khān Ṣafdar wrote in Khazāʾin al-Sunan, Vol. 1, p. 101:
“Imām al-Bayhaqī and others who declared this narration baseless or fabricated have done so due to their error and prejudice.”
Question: Has any reliable Imām of ḥadīth ever authenticated this narration?
❖ Scholarly Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Baʿd:
✦ Position of the Scholars of Ḥadīth
To my knowledge, no reputable scholar of ḥadīth has ever declared this narration as Ṣaḥīḥ (authentic) or Ḥasan (good).
Rather, multiple leading Imāms — including but not limited to Imām al-Bayhaqī — have strongly criticized this narration using the terms:
◈ “Wahm” (delusion/error)
◈ “Lā aṣl lahu” (has no basis)
◈ “Bāṭil” (false/fabricated)
✦ Statements from Two Renowned Imāms
➊ Imām Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn رحمه الله
He stated:
“This narration is a wahm (error) from Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh, and has no basis whatsoever.”
(Juzʾ Rafʿ al-Yadayn, p. 56)
📝 Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh is the central narrator in this claim, and this error is attributed directly to him by one of the earliest and most rigorous critics of narrators.
➋ Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal رحمه الله
He declared:
“Huwa bāṭil” — This narration is false.
(Masāʾil Aḥmad, transmitted by Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Hāfī al-Naysābūrī, Vol. –, p. 50)
📌 Imām Aḥmad, being one of the four great Imāms, categorically rejected this narration.
❖ Contrast Between Experts and Biased Individuals
The opinions of experts in the sciences of ḥadīth and ʿilal (hidden defects) hold authentic weight in the evaluation of narrations.
In contrast, the opinions of those who:
◈ Belong to an opposing school of thought, and
◈ Are known for inconsistencies, false attributions, and deceptive claims
— are not credible in matters of ḥadīth authentication.
📌 Example Reference:
Weekly al-Iʿtiṣām, Lahore — 27 June 1997
✅ Conclusion
The narration attributed to ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنه stating that he abandoned Rafʿ al-Yadayn is:
❌ Not authentic according to any verified scholar
❌ Declared false and groundless by both Imām Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn and Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal
Using this narration as a legitimate argument is baseless and in contradiction with established ḥadīth methodology.
ھٰذَا مَا عِندِي، وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَاب
