Fatwa ID: 08749
Answered by: Maulana Yusuf Badshah
Question:
I know that according to late Hanafi scholars, if someone has conversations regarding to worldly issues or eat, drink, sell or buy something between fard and Sunnah muakkadah some thawab for the above-mentioned sunnah muakkadah diminishes. But I live far from our Masjid and I am often given me a lift by my brothers and I can’t avoid conversations on the way or sometimes I want to go to shops or I have to go shopping. I like to offer Sunnah prayers at home but I don’t want to lose the part of the thawab.
Are fatwas about diminishing the main opinion of the Madhab? Can you give information from the strongest and authoritative books about it? I would like to know opinions of early scholars as well.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
To be more precise, it is not that the reward for one’s Salah diminishes, but rather the reward mentioned in the narrations for the one who waits patiently for the Fardh Salah to commence is not obtained by those who instead engage in other worldly matters.
Sunan Abi Dawud 471:
حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، عَنْ ثَابِتٍ، عَنْ أَبِي رَافِعٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ لاَ يَزَالُ الْعَبْدُ فِي صَلاَةٍ مَا كَانَ فِي مُصَلاَّهُ يَنْتَظِرُ الصَّلاَةَ تَقُولُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ اللَّهُمَّ ارْحَمْهُ حَتَّى يَنْصَرِفَ أَوْ يُحْدِثَ ” . فَقِيلَ مَا يُحْدِثُ قَالَ يَفْسُو أَوْ يَضْرِطُ .
Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) as saying: “The servant (of Allah) is considered to be in prayer as long as he remains at the place of prayer waiting for prayer. The angels say: “O Allah, forgive him, O Allah, take mercy on him” until he turns away, or does Hadath. He was asked: What is meant by Hadath? He replied: “He breaks wind gently or loudly”.
Sunan Abi Dawud 558:
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو تَوْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا الْهَيْثَمُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ الْحَارِثِ، عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ مُتَطَهِّرًا إِلَى صَلاَةٍ مَكْتُوبَةٍ فَأَجْرُهُ كَأَجْرِ الْحَاجِّ الْمُحْرِمِ وَمَنْ خَرَجَ إِلَى تَسْبِيحِ الضُّحَى لاَ يُنْصِبُهُ إِلاَّ إِيَّاهُ فَأَجْرُهُ كَأَجْرِ الْمُعْتَمِرِ وَصَلاَةٌ عَلَى أَثَرِ صَلاَةٍ لاَ لَغْوَ بَيْنَهُمَا كِتَابٌ فِي عِلِّيِّينَ ”
Narrated Abu Umamah: The Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever leaves his house after performing ablution to perform a Fardh Salah (in congregation), his reward will be like the reward of the one who goes for Hajj in Ihram. He who goes out to perform the Duha prayer, and takes the trouble for this purpose, his reward will be like the reward of one who performs Umrah. And a prayer followed by a prayer with no worldly talk between them will be recorded in the Illiyyun”.
Sunan An-Nasa’I 1381:
أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، وَهَارُونُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ بَكَّارِ بْنِ بِلاَلٍ، – وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ – قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُسْهِرٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ الْحَارِثِ، عَنْ أَبِي الأَشْعَثِ الصَّنْعَانِيِّ، عَنْ أَوْسِ بْنِ أَوْسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ مَنْ غَسَّلَ وَاغْتَسَلَ وَغَدَا وَابْتَكَرَ وَدَنَا مِنَ الإِمَامِ وَلَمْ يَلْغُ كَانَ لَهُ بِكُلِّ خُطْوَةٍ عَمَلُ سَنَةٍ صِيَامُهَا وَقِيَامُهَا ”
Narrated from Aws Ibn Aws: The Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever washes and performs Ghusl, comes early to the Masjid, sits near the Imam, and does not engage in idle talk, he will have for every step he takes (the reward of) a year’s worth of good deeds, fasting and Qiyam.”
Sahih Muslim 432c:
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ حَبِيبٍ الْحَارِثِيُّ، وَصَالِحُ بْنُ حَاتِمِ بْنِ وَرْدَانَ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ زُرَيْعٍ، حَدَّثَنِي خَالِدٌ الْحَذَّاءُ، عَنْ أَبِي مَعْشَرٍ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ لِيَلِنِي مِنْكُمْ أُولُو الأَحْلاَمِ وَالنُّهَى ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ – ثَلاَثًا – وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَهَيْشَاتِ الأَسْوَاقِ ”
Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Let those nearest to me in Salah be those who are mature and understanding, then those who come after them in these respects”. He repeated this three times and then added, “Beware of indulging in the loose talks of the markets (when you are in the mosque)”.
No Hanafi scholar has objected to these narrations or their implications . This applies to all Salah, not just those preceded by a Sunnah Mu’akkadah (i.e. Fajr and Zuhar). Perhaps the opinions you are referring to pertain to those Sunnah Mu’akkadah which come after the Fara’idh Salah, the answer to which has been provided to you in detail previously .
As for those who seek to circumvent the consensus of modern Hanafi scholars by seeking out obscure opinions from the works of early Hanafi scholars, know that it is through the thorough and qualified study of the opinions of early Hanafi scholars and their sources that the opinions of modern scholars are derived.
References:
[1] Bahrur Raa’iq, vol. 2, pg. 39, Darul Kitabul Islamiyyah:
وَصَرَّحَ فِي الظَّهِيرِيَّةِ بِكَرَاهَةِ الْحَدِيثِ أَيْ كَلَامِ النَّاسِ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ لَكِنْ قَيَّدَهُ بِأَنْ يَجْلِسَ لِأَجْلِهِ وَفِي فَتْحِ الْقَدِيرِ الْكَلَامُ الْمُبَاحُ فِيهِ مَكْرُوهٌ يَأْكُلُ الْحَسَنَاتِ وَيَنْبَغِي تَقْيِيدُهُ بِمَا فِي الظَّهِيرِيَّةِ أَمَّا إنْ جَلَسَ لِلْعِبَادَةِ ثُمَّ بَعْدَهَا تَكَلَّمَ فَلَا
[2] Raddul Muhtar, vol. 1, pg. 530, Darul Fikr:
(قَوْلُهُ إلَّا بِقَدْرِ اللَّهُمَّ إلَخْ) لِمَا رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ وَالتِّرْمِذِيُّ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ «كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – لَا يَقْعُدُ إلَّا بِمِقْدَارِ مَا يَقُولُ: اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلَامُ وَمِنْك السَّلَامُ تَبَارَكْت يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ
Only Allah s.w.t knows best.
Written by Maulana Yusuf Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
