Welcome to Islam, - Islam stands the test of history

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Muslims claims that Islam is the eternal religion. Any claim of this kind invites people to judge its validity on historical grounds. If latter day history testifies to its claim, it stands endorsed, otherwise it must be rejected. Marxism in the 20thcentury CE is a clear-cut example of historical rejection. According to his concept of historical determinism, Karl Marx held that modern industrial Capitalism bore within it the seeds of its own destruction. He further observed that according to its own inherent laws, its antithesis would emerge which would destroy it whereupon a new synthesis would come into being. But, quite contrary to his prediction, industrial Capitalism has not only survived, but is making great progress. Historical events have thus buried Marxist theory. Then there is the case of Adolph Hitler who made grandiose claims that Germans were the “master race” and were destined to rule over all ofEurope. The rout of Hitler and his Nazi party at the end of World War II put paid to all such theorizing.
By : Wahiduddin Khan
But the case of Islam is quite different. Even after a period of more than 1400 years, Islam has suffered no erosion of its validity. The well known British historian, Edward Gibbon, describes the rise and expansion of Islam as: “one of the most memorable revolutions which has impressed a new and lasting character on the nations of the globe.”
An Indian historian, M.N. Roy, has observed: “Muhammad must be recognized as by far the greatest of all prophets, before or after him.” He goes on to say that “the expansion of Islam is the most miraculous of all miracles.” )The Historical Role of Islam, pp. 4-5(
The American writer, Michael Hart, in his book, “The 100” has made a selection of the 100 most influential persons in history, who have achieved the most outstanding success in this world. Right at the top of this list is the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, )may Allaah exalt his mention( of whom the author writes:“He was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both religious and secular levels.”
The great success that Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had predicted for his mission at the very outset came true. This success came in spite of the stiff opposition which Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, faced right from the beginning, both from within his own family and from the outside world. This was in 610 CE, the year when he first started receiving divine revelations. At this stage he felt totally helpless. But then, in this adverse situation, he received a revelation from Allaah, which says )what means(:“They want to extinguish Allaah’s light with their mouths. But Allaah will perfect His light, even though the unbelievers may detest it. It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth, so that he may exalt it over all religions, much as the pagans may dislike it.”]Quran 61:8-9[
At the very beginning of his prophetic career, the Quran declared that Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would certainly succeed in his mission. All his opponents, however powerful they might be, would ultimately be defeated. )This is pointed out at several places in the Quran in different wording(. In history we find numerous personalities who began their work with towering claims, but none of them achieved the success they envisioned. Throughout human history, Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is the only exception to this rule, in that his predictions were fulfilled to the fullest extent.
Through the efforts of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and his companions, a unique event took place: starting from scratch, they succeeded in extending their influence to the entire populated world of that age. During this brief period, they not only conqueredArabiabut also succeeded in crushing the two great empires of their time – the Roman and the Sasanid empires. This exceptional phase in history has been almost universally acknowledged by historians.
The Quran was revealed prior to the modern age of knowledge, yet 1400 years ago at the time of its revelation, the Quran declared that the proof of its divine origin lay in its being in complete accordance with historical facts and its consistency with contemporary discoveries and those that might be made in future times. Advances may be made in human knowledge, but they will never contradict Quranic statements. To a remarkable degree, latter day history has testified to this. While many statements contained in all the ancient books have been at loggerheads with the latest scientific discoveries, the Quran is unique in steering clear of all such contradiction.
As the Quran says )which means(:“Do they not ponder on the Quran? Had it been from other than God, they would surely have found therein much discrepancy.”]Quran 4:82[. )The word “discrepancy” here means inconsistency, that is, a Quranic statement not agreeing with eternal knowledge(.
Much has been written on this aspect of the Quran in modern times. The French scientist, Maurice Bucaille, has shown in detail in his book, The Bible, The Quran and Modern Science, how the statements contained in the Quran are astonishingly in exact accordance with the discoveries of modern science. This shows that the Quran perfectly comes up to the scientific standards.
This development of human knowledge in favor of Quranic contents is no mere accident. It is another historical proof that the Quran is a Book revealed by the Creator of the Universe, Whose Knowledge is not bound by the limitations of space and time. Hence we find in the Quran a unique prediction to this effect )what means(:“We will soon show them Our signs in the Universe and in their own souls, untill they clearly see that it is the truth.”]Quran 41:53[
After completing his comparative study of the Quran and modern science, Maurice Bucaille comes to this conclusion :
“In view of the level of knowledge in Muhammad’s day, it is inconceivable that many of the statements in the Quran which are connected with science could have been the work of a man. It is moreover, perfectly legitimate, not only to regard the Quran as the expression of a Revelation, but also to award it a very special place, on account of the guarantee of authenticity it provides and the presence in it of scientific satements which, when studied today, appear as a challenge to explanation in human terms.” )p. 252(
To sum up, there is no other scripture that, having challenged all of mankind to disprove its authenticity as the Quran did, finally gained total rational support for its supernatural origin and veracity, even from its most bitter opponents. And there is no other historic figure whose future success was as uncertain as that of the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, who was finally crowned with such supreme success.

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Welcome to Islam, - How Islam tackled the problem of slavery

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A few Western writers claim that Islam is based on slavery. Considering their bleak history of genocide and slave populations, one marvels at their audacity! They support their claim by referring to pre-Islamic Arabs who carried on the slave trade. In fact, they were among the few opportunists taking advantage of a system that had started long before Islam came on the scene -- a system that Islam was geared to eradicate.
Today, it is common knowledge that slavery was the system of labor used by the major civilizations of the world for thousands of years before the advent of Islam. The Pyramids of Egypt, theGreat Wall of China, the Cities of the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans and Persians were all built by slave labor. However, Islam did not build an empire by the enslavement of one man by another; rather, Islam was built on the principle of equality of all men and universal brotherhood.
The leaders of Islam knew that an immediate declaration of abolition could not end slavery, but would only create confusion and severe dislocation in that epoch. Instead, Islam instituted a program where slaves could be assimilated into free society. Thus, slavery was gradually phased out from the Islamic society.
It was made obligatory that all slaves be educated. Muslims were enjoined to feed and clothe slaves in the same manner as themselves. It was decreed that if a slave wanted to purchase his or her freedom, he or she should be helped with money and the means to maintain an independent life. Harsh treatment of a slave was declared sufficient ground for his or her emancipation.
Moreover, the atonement of certain sins was declared the freeing of slaves, and freeing a slave was declared to be a virtue of the highest order equal in value perhaps to prayer and fasting.
The Noble Quran commands )what means( :"Marry those among you who are single or the virtuous ones among your slaves, male or female. If they are in poverty, Allaah will give them means out of His grace: for Allaah encompasses all and He knows all things … And if any of your slaves ask for a deed in writing )to enable them to earn their freedom for a certain sum( give them such a deed if you know any good in them. Yea give them something yourselves out of the means which Allaah has given to you. But force not your maids into prostitution when they desire chastity in order that you may make a gain in the goods of this life. But if anyone compels them yet after such compulsion is Allaah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful )to them(."]Quran 24:32-33[
In the legal sense of the word, the law of slavery is now obsolete. During the time it carried meaning, Islam made the slave's lot as easy as possible. Abdullah Yousuf Ali's commentary on the following verses runs as follows: “A slave, male or female could ask for conditional freedom by a written deed fixing the amount required for emancipation, and allowing the slave meanwhile to earn money by lawful means and perhaps marry and bring up a family. Such a deed was not to be refused if the request was genuine and the slave had character. Not only that, but the master is directed to help with money out of his own resources in order to enable the slave to earn his or her own liberty.
"Where slavery was legal, what is now called the 'white slave traffic', was carried on by wicked people like 'Abdullaah bin Ubayy, the hypocrite leader at Al-Madeenah. This is absolutely condemned. While modern nations have abolished slavery, ‘white slave traffic’ is still a big problem. It is absolutely condemned in Islam. No more despicable trade can be imagined. The poor unfortunate girls that are victims of such a nefarious trade will yet find mercy from Allaah, whose bounties extend to the lowest of His creatures.
"Under the unique program of assimilation, slaves in the Islamic era were able to acquire all the rights of free citizens, and attained the highest levels of social, political and economic achievement. The Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, )may Allaah exalt his mention( actually warned his followers to:"Listen and obey even if a black slave becomes your leader, so long as he should enforce amongst you the Law of Creator."
Thus we read about Bilaal Al Habashi, may Allaah be pleased with him, a former slave fromEthiopia, who became the closest aide of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and one of Islam's most prominent personalities. Bilaal, may Allaah be pleased with him, also possessed a marvelous, melodious voice and was chosen to call the believers to Prayer in the lifetime of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
Then there was Zayd bin Haarithah, may Allaah be pleased with him, the slave whom the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam adopted, showering upon him a father’s love and affection, so that he grew up to become one of Islam's greatest generals.
In Islamic history, we find entire dynasties of people who were once slaves, but then attained power and achieved victories for the entire Muslim nation.
We read about Kaafoor, a slave from theSudanwho rose to be ruler ofEgyptandSyria, whose name has since become proverbial for wise leadership in Islam.
We read about Malik Ambar, another African slave, who became a brilliant ruler and was one of the Nawaabs )Muslim princes( ofIndia.
Islam opened the doors of social, political and economic equality to slaves – as a result, erstwhile slaves rose to be Sultans, and slave-women became favorites of the ruler and mothers of heirs to the throne. At times, a slave himself became a master and held freeborn men of wealth and power in dread of him.
From these few examples we can see that neither one's ancestry, nor the color of one's skin, nor the place of one's birth, were allowed to stand in the way of anyone achieving any position or making any contribution in the Muslim world. Therefore, to say that Islam practiced slavery would be to totally misunderstand )or misrepresent( the dynamics of history and the nature and record of Islam.
Some people conveniently forget that there is a profound difference between the ‘slavery’ that existed in the Islamic societies and the picture of slavery that is handed down to us from the Imperial colonies. It was a far cry from the abominations that were practiced in the Imperial colonies, when men from India and Africa were lured or abducted, to be put to work in West Indian sugarcane fields; where the slightest dissent would result in torture by being spread-eagled nude on anthills, or stuffed with gunpowder in both ends and blown away for fun!
Or do we care to think of the indentured labor that still exists in the “great democracies” of the world, where generations of men till earth in chains? The Islamic injunctions for the slaves of yore are humane in comparison to the indignities of economic slavery today – unlike the modern-day slaves, at least they could hope for freedom.
Going deeper into the matter, a contemporary Muslim scholar, Abu Al-A'laa Mawdoodi, may Allaah have mercy upon him, explains that: "Islam stands for liberation from all sorts of slavery such as may inhibit the progress of humanity, or may not allow it to follow the path of virtue and goodness. It means man's freedom from dictators who enslave him by force or fear, make him do what is wrong and deprive him of his dignity, honor, property and life. Islam liberates man from such tyranny by telling him that all authority vests in the Creator and the Creator alone. He alone is the Real Sovereign ... Thus Islam brings to man to freedom from fear and oppression inflicted on him by men like himself ...
"Islam also means the desire for freedom, including the desire for life, as it is this very weakness of man which is exploited by tyrants and dictators, intentionally and otherwise, in enslaving their fellowmen. But for it, no man would silently accept subservience to men like himself, or sit idle to watch tyranny on the rampage and dare not challenge it. It is a great blessing of Islam that it taught man to fight tyranny and oppression bravely rather than cringe before them in abject servitude."
Therefore, although Islam stands for Peace, it does not accept peace on humiliating or debasing grounds. Peace in Islam is based on dignity, freedom, brotherhood and lasting security, not upon humiliation and helpless surrender to tyranny, exploitation and oppression.

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Ahle sunnathwal Jamath, - Travel to Resting Place

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When ever Muslims are fortunate enough to travel to Makkah and Madina, i.e. for Hajj or Umrah after visiting the Ka’bah, they would then go towards Madina to visit our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] blessed resting place.
Some people argue that when they do go, they should not intend to see our Prophet’s [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] grave, because it is not permissible. They argue, that the people should only intend for Salaah (Prayer) in Masjid-e-Nabawi (Green Dome Mosque) and when they get there they can visit our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] grave as well.
The Ahl-Sunnah believe that it is permissible to make the Intention to travel to visit our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] grave.
We shall, with the help of Allah, provide proof that it is Permissible to travel to our Prophet’s [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] grave with Intention to see his grave.
Allah Subha nahu wataala says in the Holy Qur’an:
When they were unjust to themselves, they come unto thee and ask Allah’s forgiveness’ and the messenger asked forgivingness for them they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning most merciful. [Surah Al-Nisa verse 64]
From this we can say that it permissible to visit our Prophet’s [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] grave. Some people say that this Ayat was only applicable when our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] was alive but not now.
The answer to this doubt is that he (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) is still alive in his grave, to go to see his grave is same as going to see him alive.
Proof from Hadith
Imam Muslim writes when Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) went to Mir’aaj, he saw Prophet Musa [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] was standing in his grave performing Salaah.
(Muslim, Chapter on Fadil Mousa)
Qadi Shawkani writes:
“Some of the highest scholars say that our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] is alive in his grave” So then it would make it the same as travelling to see our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] when he was alive.
[Nayl-lul-Avtar chap Al-Hajj by Qadi Shawkani]
Our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace]’s companions used to travel to his grave.
Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyyah writes:
Abdullah Ibn Umar, radiallahu unho, when he would return from travelling, he would visit the grave of Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace].
[Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyyah in Al-Tuwassul and Iqtidah Seratul Mustaqeem Chapter Zirah Qabar un Nabi Muatta Imam Muhammad chapter on Hajj]
Hafidhh Ibn Kathir writes:
Ka’ab (Ta’bee) said to Aysha radiallaho unha that 70,000 angels visit the grave of our Prophet (Sallallahu’ alaihi wa sallam’s) in the morning and the same in the evening who recite Durood (Blessing) on our Prophet (Sallallahu’ alaihi wa sallam.)
Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Surah Al-Ahzab under verse 56
Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyyah’s statement which he stated in his book called Ar-rad-ul-akh-Nai that it is not permitted to travel to visit the grave of our Prophet Sallal lahoalihi wasallam is derived from Hadith about travelling: You can travel to the three Mosques, i.e. Haramain in Makkah, Masjid Nabwi in Madina, Masjid Aqsa in Jerusalem , the real meaning of this hadith would be that no one can say to pray in this or that Mosque is more rewarded. The understanding of Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyah is wrong about visiting our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] grave.
Imam Abu Hanifahh Rahmatulah writes that when a person attends the grave of our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] the person should face the grave and make du’a.
[Musnad, Imam Abu Haneefa chap Hajj]
Qadi Shawkani writes that:
After our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] passed away Bilal radi Allah ho moved to Syria (Sham), one night in his dream our Prophet Sallal laho alhi wasallam said Oh Bilal what kind of friendship is this that you do not come to see me. When Bilal radi allaho unho woke up in the morning, he made his way towards our Prophet (Sallallahu’ alaihi wa sallam.) At that time his intention was to go to our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] grave, quite a lot of the (Sahabas) Companion were alive at that time but none of them said that this is Haram, this event is (Sanad Jayyead) true. From this we learn that to have intention to visit our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] grave is permissible.[Nail lau tahri chptr Hajj By Qadi Showkanee. Hafidhh Ibn Athir also writes this event as well.]
Allamah Ibn Jawzi writes that:
Our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] said: To come and see me while I am alive, is called Hijrat, and it is the same as to come to see me after I have passed away.[Talbis-Iblis page 200]
Muslims have been travelling to visit our Prophet’s [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] grave from the beginning and will do so till the end.
When Muslims reach our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] grave they read their sallams and make Du'a through (Waseela) our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] - and they also make Du'a that help us on the day of Judgement, and this is all permissible.
Hafidhh Ibn Qayyim writes:
‘Whenever you are present at our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] grave, cry as much as you can when you are making your Du’as. Because on the day of Judgement your tears will be weighed in the scales, to visit our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] grave is the best thing you can do to receive a very high reward than any other.
[Qaseedah-Nu-numia page 180 by Hafidhh Ibn Qayyim]
Shaykh Alawi Maliki writes:
That some people have wrongly interpreted what Imam Malik Rahamatullah has stated: He said that: ‘I do not like people saying that I have visited the Ka’ba, or that I have visited our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] grave. The answer to this is that Imam Malik Rahmatullah did not say: do not visit our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] grave, he did not like the word Ziarah as Ibn Rusan Maliky wrote on this that the word visit (Ziyarah) is used when addressing ordinary deceased, so this is not suitable for our Prophet (Sallallahu’ alaihi wa sallam.)
[Shifa-Al-Favar page 130 by Shaykh Alawiy al Maliki Makki]
Hafidhh Asqalani says that:
The Scholars have said, “How can Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyyah say that it is Haraam to visit our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] grave”. In this instance the Scholars have really rebuked Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyyah. And on this saying of Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyyah it created a lot of disagreement between the Ummah. As all the Scholars agree unanimously that it is permitted to travel to visit our Prophet (Sallallhu’ alaihi wa sallams) grave. The evidence Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyyah gave was of Imam Maliks saying that he did not like people saying that they have visited our Prophet (Sallallhu’ alaihi wa sallams) grave. As the Maliki Scholars have cleared this by saying that Imam Malik did not like the word Visit (Ziyarah) being used, he was not against the actual visiting of the grave. Imam Malik knew about visiting our Prophet (Sallallhu’alaihi wa sallams) grave is the best sort of worship you can do to become closer to Allah Ta’ala. And he also knew that the whole of the Ummah is together on this issue.
[Fathul Bari chapter Al-Masajid by Hafidhh Asqalani]
Qadi Shawkani says:
That there are a lot of different Fatwa’as on visiting our Prophet’s grave (Sallallhu’ alaihi wa sallam.) It is permitted by the majority of them, In the eyes of Maliki, and some of the others it is Wajib to visit, to Hanafis it is very close to being Wajib to visit our Prophet (Sallallhu’ alaihi wa sallams) grave. And Hafidhh Ibn Taymiah says it is not permitted to travel to visit the grave intentionally. Some of the Hambaly Scholars have rebuked Hafidhh Ibn Taymiah on this.
[Nayl-ul-Awtar chapter Hajj By Qadi Showqani]
From all this we can say it is permitted to travel with the intention to visit our Prophet (Sallallhu’ alaihi wa sallams) grave. Only Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyyah and some people are against it, so we cannot follow Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyyah’s saying, but to follow the great noble people of the Ummah.
I make Du’a that may Allah Subha Nahu Wata'ala take all the Muslim’s to Makkah and Madina, and on the day of Judgement may they get help from our Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] (To do their Intercession) Amin.

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Ahle sunnathwal Jamath, - Rafayadain Part 2

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...continued Part 1 .... Surprise
It is strange that Qadi Shawkani wrote in his book, that Usama bin Muhammad was a liar, but despite this took his narration as evidence in his other book.
The other surprising thing is that Qadi shawkaani always discusses the narrators of the Hadith, but with this Hadith, he does not mention or discuss anything about them. It seems as if he is totally unaware of them.
We are also surprised concerning those people who present this Hadith as evidence of their practice of radf’-ul-yadain. They are proud and say that they are following the sunnah of rasoolullah [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace].
Performing Salaah without Raf’ul-yadain – Proof from Hadith
Imam Muslim writes:
Once we were performing Salaah and the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] came to us and asked us: “Why are you doing raf’ul-yadain as a stubborn horse waving its tail?” He also told us: “Perform your Salaah with peace.”
(Muslim, chapter Sukoon fisSalaah)
The above Hadith proves that one must not perform Raf’ul yadain in the middle of one’s salaah.
Imam Muslim writes in another narration after the above one that:
Jaabir bin Samrah reported:
At the end of the salaah, we used to wave our hands left and right when saying Salaam, the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] told us not to wave our hands but only to say the Salaam.
The above narrations prove that the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] stopped raf’ul-yadain as well as waving the hands during the Prayer.
Imam Humaidi, who was the teacher of Imam Bukhari and Muslim writes:
Abdullah bin Umar said:
The Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] only perform raf’ul-yadain at the beginning of Salaah, not before or after doing ruku’.
(Musnad Humaidi, Volume 1 pg. 177, Printed Maktabah Salafiyyah, Madeenat-ul-munawwarah)
Imam Ibn Abee Shaibah and Imam Abdur-Rakaq writes:
Ali (Radiall hu anhu) reported:
The Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] performed raf’ul-yadain at the beginning of Salaah.
Abdullah bin Mas’ood and Brabin Azib reported:
We saw the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] only performing Raf’ul yadain at the beginning of the Salaah.
Aswad, Imam Shabi, Ibrahim Nakhee and Ali and Ibn Mas’ood’s student (Radialla hu anhu) only performed raf’ul-yadain at the beginning of Salaah.
(Musnad Ibn Abi Shaibah and Musnad Abdur-Razaq, chapter on raf’ul-yadain)
Imam Ibn-ul-Qasim writes:
Imam Malik said that Imam Zuhri told him that he heard from Salim, who said that his Father (Abdullah bin Umar) reported, that the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] only performed raf’ul yadain at the beginning of the Salaah and not in any other part of it.
This narration also proves that Imam Zuhri narrated a hadith stating that the practice of raf’ul yadain was only performed at the beginning of the Salaah.
Imam Malik also said that he has no knowledge of doing raf’ul-yadain in any other part of the Salaah apart from the beginning.
(Al madoonah-chapter on raf’ul-yadain)
Imam Malik also said:
To do raf’ul yadain is weak except at the beginning.
[Al Madoona chap Raf ul yadain]
How can Imam Malik say that he had no knowledge of someone who practices raf’ul-yadain, even when he himself heard a Hadith supporting it from Imam Zuhri?
The answer to this is, as mentioned earlier, that Imam Malik knew the Hadith of raf’ul-yadain but he never saw anyone in Makkah or Madinah who practiced it. The reason for this is that the practice of raf’ul-yadain was abrogated.
Imam Tirmidhi writes:
Abdullah bin mas’ood said that he would perform the Salaah the way that the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] did. When he performed the Salaah, he only did raf’ul yadain at the beginning of the Salaah.
Many companions of the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace], their students (Tabe’een), Sufyan, the Scholars of Koofah and many other Scholars followed this Hadith.
(Tirmidhi, baab-raf’ul-yadain)
Even other scholars wrote this Hadith in their books for example, Imam Aboo Da’ood, Ibn Abi shaibah, Imam Abdur-Razaq, Imam abu ya’ala and many others.
Imam Tirmidhi wrote in his narration:
The companions of the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace], Tabi’een and scholars of Kufa were performing salaah without Raf’ul yadain.
Who were the Scholars of Kufah?
Imam Ibn Sa’ad, Hafidh ibn ul-Qayyam, Hafidhh ibn Taymiyyah write:
Umar (Radiall hu anhu) gave an order to build the city of Kufa, when the city was built, people from various Islamic areas came to live in the city. Many companions of the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] moved to Kufa and started to live there. Umar (Radiall hu anhu) sent Abdullah bin Mas’ood and Ammar bin Yasar to teach the people in Kufa.
After 16 or 17 years, when Ali (Radiall hu anhu) became the Khalifah, he transferred the capital from Madinah to Kufa. A large number of companions moved to Kufa. They taught people about Islam. Kufa this became the center point for Islamic Scholars.
(Tabaqat, Ibn Sa’ad, minhaajussunnah a’laamul-mu’wakkieen, chapter on Kufa)
Kufa was the central point of Islamic Knowledge, which is why so many Scholars of Hadith travelled to it repeatedly to gain knowledge.
Hafidh Asqalani writes:
Imam Bukhari travelled to various cities to gain knowledge of Hadith. He went to the city of Jazeerah twice, Basrah four times, and stayed in Hijaz (Makkah and Madinah) for six years. Imam Bukhari said himself that he could not account for how many times he went to Kufa and Baghdad to learn knowledge of Hadith.
(Muqaddamah FathulBaari, biography of Imam Bukhari)
Imam Tirmidhi’s narrations prove that no one practiced raf’ul yadain in the city of Kufah which became the center point of Islamic knowledge and thought. Imam Malik’s narration proves that no one was practicing raf’ul-yadain in Makkah or Madinah, as this practice had been abrogated.
The debate between Imam Auzaaee and Imam Abu Haneefah
These two Imams debated the matter of raf’ul-yadain once and it is described by Sufyaan bin Uyayna.
Once Imam Abu Hanifah and Imam Auzaaee met in a market in Makkah.
Imam Auzaaee asked Imam Abu Hanifah why he did not practice raf’ul-yadain during the Salaah.
Abu Hanifahh: There is no authentic Hadith about practicing raf’ul-yadain.
Auzaaee: Why isn’t there an authentic Hadith? Here is one, Imam Zuhri told me, who was told by Salim, who was told by Ibn Umar (Radiall hu anhu) that the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] practiced raf’ul-yadain before and after the ruku’.
Abu Hanifah: Hamad told me, who was told by Ibrahim, who was told by Ikrama, who was told by Aswad who was told by Abdullah binMas’ood (Radiall hu anhu) that the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] only practiced raf’ul-yadain at the beginning of performing his Salaah and not afterwards.
Auzaaee:The narration that I have presented to you has a shorter chain and your Hadith has a longer chain, for this reason, my Hadith is more Reliable than your’s.
Abu Hanifahh: It does not matter if the chain of the Hadith is long or short, the Priority of the Hadith depends on the narrators of the Hadith and How much knowledge of Hadith they had. The narrators of the Hadith, which I have presented, possess more expertise in the knowledge of Hadith. For example, Hamad is more knowledgeable than Imam Zuhri. Ibraaheem is more knowledgeable than Salim. Ikrama is a great scholar and Ibn Mas’ood is unique.
Imam Auzaaee then became silent.
(Musnad Imam Abu Hanifah, Chapter on Raf’ul-yadain)
This debate shows that Imam Auzaaee had no other evidence. If he had then, he would have presented it to defend his case in support of Raf’ul-yadain. Imam Abu Haneefah replied so beautifully that Imam Auzaaee was forced to become silent.

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