Sitting briefly before getting up is Mustahab

[Linkdeutscher]

Narrated Malik bin Huwairith Al-Laithi:

I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) praying and in the odd rak`at, he used to sit for a moment before getting up.

http://sunnah.com/bukhari/10/217

Getting up straight without sitting is contrary to the sunnah.

[Serinity]

I will sit for now..

And HEY LINK :D What are you at?

[AabiruSabeel]

https://islamqa.info/en/21985

Praise be to Allaah.

The scholars are agreed that for the worshipper to sit briefly after rising from the second sujood (prostration) of the first or third rak’ah and before standing up to do the following rak’ah is not one of the obligatory parts of prayer, not is it Sunnah mu’akkadah (a confirmed Sunnah). But after that they differed as to whether it is simply Sunnah or it is not one of the obligatory parts of prayer at all, or whether it should be done by those who need to do it because of old age, sickness or being heavy.


Al-Shafaa’i and a group of hadeeth scholars said: it is Sunnah and it is one of the two opinions narrated from Ahmad, because of the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari and the authors of al-Sunan from Maalik ibn al-Huwayrith, who said that he saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) praying Wirt, and he did not stand up until he had first sat up straight. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari in al-Adhaan, 818).


But the majority of scholars, including Abu Haneefah and Maalik, and Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) according to the second opinion narrated from him, did not think that, because the other ahaadeeth do not mention this sitting. It may be that the sitting which was mentioned in the hadeeth of Maalik ibn al-Huwayrith happened at the end of the Prophet’s life when he had put on weight, or for some other reason.


A third group of scholars reconciled the ahaadeeth by suggesting that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sat [at this point during the prayer] when he needed to do so.


I say that it is prescribed to do this when there is a need to do so, but not at other times. It appears that this is mustahabb, and the fact that it is not mentioned in the other ahaadeeth does not indicate that it is not mustahabb, rather it indicates that it is not obligatory.


The view that it is mustahabb is supported by two things:
1 – The basic principle concerning the Prophet’s actions is that he did them in order to prescribe them and so that his example may be followed.
2 – This sitting is proven in the hadeeth of Abu Humayd al-Saa’idi which was narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dawood with a jayyid isnaad, in which he [Abu Humayd] described the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the presence of ten of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), and they confirmed that.

Al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah in Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/268

[Linkdeutscher]

https://islamqa.info/en/21985

Praise be to Allaah.

The scholars are agreed that for the worshipper to sit briefly after rising from the second sujood (prostration) of the first or third rak’ah and before standing up to do the following rak’ah is not one of the obligatory parts of prayer, not is it Sunnah mu’akkadah (a confirmed Sunnah). But after that they differed as to whether it is simply Sunnah or it is not one of the obligatory parts of prayer at all, or whether it should be done by those who need to do it because of old age, sickness or being heavy.


Al-Shafaa’i and a group of hadeeth scholars said: it is Sunnah and it is one of the two opinions narrated from Ahmad, because of the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari and the authors of al-Sunan from Maalik ibn al-Huwayrith, who said that he saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) praying Wirt, and he did not stand up until he had first sat up straight. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari in al-Adhaan, 818).


But the majority of scholars, including Abu Haneefah and Maalik, and Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) according to the second opinion narrated from him, did not think that, because the other ahaadeeth do not mention this sitting. It may be that the sitting which was mentioned in the hadeeth of Maalik ibn al-Huwayrith happened at the end of the Prophet’s life when he had put on weight, or for some other reason.


A third group of scholars reconciled the ahaadeeth by suggesting that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sat [at this point during the prayer] when he needed to do so.


I say that it is prescribed to do this when there is a need to do so, but not at other times. It appears that this is mustahabb, and the fact that it is not mentioned in the other ahaadeeth does not indicate that it is not mustahabb, rather it indicates that it is not obligatory.


The view that it is mustahabb is supported by two things:
1 – The basic principle concerning the Prophet’s actions is that he did them in order to prescribe them and so that his example may be followed.
2 – This sitting is proven in the hadeeth of Abu Humayd al-Saa’idi which was narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dawood with a jayyid isnaad, in which he [Abu Humayd] described the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the presence of ten of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), and they confirmed that.

Al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah in Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/268

The claims of those who oppose this are easily refuted because the Prophet :saw: himself explicitly commanded this in another hadith.

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[AabiruSabeel]

The claims of those who oppose this are easily refuted because the Prophet :saw: himself explicitly commanded this in another hadith.

There is a difference between Hadith and Sunnah. Not everything mentioned in any Hadith becomes a Sunnah. Deriving rulings from Qur'an and Hadith, and giving proper level of priority to each action requires study of Fiqh.

A Faqeeh knows and understands it better how and when an action becomes Fardh, Wajib, Sunnah, Mustahab, Mubah, Makrooh or Haram. Each category has its own rulings.


For example, if you leave a Fardh action in a prayer, the prayer will be invalid and it will have to be repeated.
If a wajib action is left out by mistake, then performing Sajdah Sahw at the end will suffice. You won't have to repeat the whole prayer.
If a Sunnah action is left out, then there is no need to perform Sadjah Sahw either, but the person will be sinful if he keeps leaving Sunnah actions on purpose.
If a mustahab action is left out, then there is no harm and no sin on the person. But he will be rewarded if he carries out the mustahab actions.
The mubah actions are simply "allowed" actions, which carry no reward nor sin on being left out.
The makrooh ones are the disliked ones. Performing them intentionally and repeatedly can make a person sinful.
The Haram ones are the prohibited ones which should not be done in any case.


A person cannot simply read a Hadith in isolation (from the Qur'an, all other Ahadith, actions of the Sahabah etc) and decide which category an action falls in.
It is the job of the Fuqaha to do that, and they have already defined everything for us. May Allah :swt: reward them for their painstaking work on behalf of the whole Ummah.

[Linkdeutscher]

There is a difference between Hadith and Sunnah. Not everything mentioned in any Hadith becomes a Sunnah. Deriving rulings from Qur'an and Hadith, and giving proper level of priority to each action requires study of Fiqh.

A Faqeeh knows and understands it better how and when an action becomes Fardh, Wajib, Sunnah, Mustahab, Mubah, Makrooh or Haram. Each category has its own rulings.


For example, if you leave a Fardh action in a prayer, the prayer will be invalid and it will have to be repeated.
If a wajib action is left out by mistake, then performing Sajdah Sahw at the end will suffice. You won't have to repeat the whole prayer.
If a Sunnah action is left out, then there is no need to perform Sadjah Sahw either, but the person will be sinful if he keeps leaving Sunnah actions on purpose.
If a mustahab action is left out, then there is no harm and no sin on the person. But he will be rewarded if he carries out the mustahab actions.
The mubah actions are simply "allowed" actions, which carry no reward nor sin on being left out.
The makrooh ones are the disliked ones. Performing them intentionally and repeatedly can make a person sinful.
The Haram ones are the prohibited ones which should not be done in any case.


A person cannot simply read a Hadith in isolation (from the Qur'an, all other Ahadith, actions of the Sahabah etc) and decide which category an action falls in.
It is the job of the Fuqaha to do that, and they have already defined everything for us. May Allah :swt: reward them for their painstaking work on behalf of the whole Ummah.

And it is not the job of people to assume that just because someone is sharing a sunnah he came to that conclusion on his own.

I learned this from FUQAHA, who also refuted those who deny this beautiful sunnah.

And the fuqaha differ on this issue. Then we refer it back to Allah and his messenger :saw:.

And the messenger of Allah :saw: COMMANDED us to do this.

Only the mut'assib deny this, and well only Allah can open their hearts.

[AabiruSabeel]

Can you please quote the sayings of the Fuqaha who said it is a Sunnah?

And also the Hadith where it is commanded to do so?


This is what the Fuqaha say about it: أقوال العلماء في جلسة الاستراحة في الصلاة

الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله وعلى آله وصحبه أما بعد:

فقد أخرج البخاري وغيره عن مالك بن الحويرث أنه رأى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يصلي ، فإذا كان في وتر من صلاته لم ينهض حتى يستوي قاعداً.
فهذا الحديث يدل على استحباب جلسة الاستراحة ، وتسمى جلسة الأوتار ، لأنها تكون بعد الأوتار في الصلاة.
وقد ذهب إلى استحبابها الشافعي في المشهور عنه وهو كذلك رواية لأحمد نقلها الخلال عنه ، واختارها طائفة من أهل الحديث ، وذهب المالكية والحنفية إلى عدم استحبابها ،
(brief translation: Imam Shaf'ee and Imam Ahmad said it is Mustahab, along with some of the Ahlul Hadeeth, and Imam Malik and Imam Abu Hanifah said it is not Mustahab)
وهو المعتمد عند الحنابلة ففي كشاف القناع للبهوتي رحمه الله : ( ولا تستحب جلسة الاستراحة وهي جلسة يسيرة صفتها كالجلوس بين السجدتين ) بعد السجدة الثانية من كل ركعة بعدها قيام والاستراحة طلب الراحة كأنه حصل له إعياء فيجلس ليزول عنه والقول بعدم استحبابها مطلقا : هو المذهب المنصور عند الأصحاب.
واستدل هؤلاء بالأحاديث الأخرى التي لم تذكر فيها هذه الجلسة مثل حديث أبي حميد الساعدي ، المشتمل على صفة صلاة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم.
ورأوا أن ما ذكره مالك بن الحويرث من جلوسه صلى الله عليه وسلم ربما كان لعارض من مرض وكبر سن.
والراجح -إن شاء الله تعالى- أن هذه الجلسة مستحبة لأن الأصل في أفعال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم -في الصلاة- أن تكون للتشريع ، لقوله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي."
ومما يؤيد القول باستحبابها أن راويها مالك بن الحويرث هو راوي الحديث:" صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي" ،رواه البخاري. فحكايته لصفة صلاة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم معتبرة ، فكأنه يفسر بها هذا الأمر الذي رواه.
وما استدل به القائلون بعدم استحبابها من كونها لم تذكر في الأحاديث الأخرى ، غير كاف للرد على القائلين باستحبابها ، لأن الكثير من سنن الصلاة المتفق عليها لم تذكر في كل الأحاديث التي تحكي صفة صلاته صلى الله عليه وسلم. وغاية ما يدل عليه ذلك نفي الوجوب ، لا نفي الاستحباب ، كما هو ظاهر.
وعلى كل فمن تركها ناسياً أوجاهلاً بحكمها فلا يترتب على ذلك شيء إطلاقاً ، بل إن من تركها عامداً لا يلزمه شيء ، إلا أنه لا ينبغي تركها بالكلية ، لما علمت من ثبوتها عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم.
والله أعلم.

I could not find anyone who has given it the status of Sunnah, or anything greater than Mustahab. Remember, emphasizing on a mubah or mustahab action to such an extent that leaving it is reprimanded or considered deficient, makes that action Bid'ah.

[Linkdeutscher]

Can you please quote the sayings of the Fuqaha who said it is a Sunnah?

And also the Hadith where it is commanded to do so?


This is what the Fuqaha say about it: أقوال العلماء في جلسة الاستراحة في الصلاة

الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله وعلى آله وصحبه أما بعد:

فقد أخرج البخاري وغيره عن مالك بن الحويرث أنه رأى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يصلي ، فإذا كان في وتر من صلاته لم ينهض حتى يستوي قاعداً.
فهذا الحديث يدل على استحباب جلسة الاستراحة ، وتسمى جلسة الأوتار ، لأنها تكون بعد الأوتار في الصلاة.
وقد ذهب إلى استحبابها الشافعي في المشهور عنه وهو كذلك رواية لأحمد نقلها الخلال عنه ، واختارها طائفة من أهل الحديث ، وذهب المالكية والحنفية إلى عدم استحبابها ،
(brief translation: Imam Shaf'ee and Imam Ahmad said it is Mustahab, along with some of the Ahlul Hadeeth, and Imam Malik and Imam Abu Hanifah said it is not Mustahab)
وهو المعتمد عند الحنابلة ففي كشاف القناع للبهوتي رحمه الله : ( ولا تستحب جلسة الاستراحة وهي جلسة يسيرة صفتها كالجلوس بين السجدتين ) بعد السجدة الثانية من كل ركعة بعدها قيام والاستراحة طلب الراحة كأنه حصل له إعياء فيجلس ليزول عنه والقول بعدم استحبابها مطلقا : هو المذهب المنصور عند الأصحاب.
واستدل هؤلاء بالأحاديث الأخرى التي لم تذكر فيها هذه الجلسة مثل حديث أبي حميد الساعدي ، المشتمل على صفة صلاة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم.
ورأوا أن ما ذكره مالك بن الحويرث من جلوسه صلى الله عليه وسلم ربما كان لعارض من مرض وكبر سن.
والراجح -إن شاء الله تعالى- أن هذه الجلسة مستحبة لأن الأصل في أفعال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم -في الصلاة- أن تكون للتشريع ، لقوله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي."
ومما يؤيد القول باستحبابها أن راويها مالك بن الحويرث هو راوي الحديث:" صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي" ،رواه البخاري. فحكايته لصفة صلاة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم معتبرة ، فكأنه يفسر بها هذا الأمر الذي رواه.
وما استدل به القائلون بعدم استحبابها من كونها لم تذكر في الأحاديث الأخرى ، غير كاف للرد على القائلين باستحبابها ، لأن الكثير من سنن الصلاة المتفق عليها لم تذكر في كل الأحاديث التي تحكي صفة صلاته صلى الله عليه وسلم. وغاية ما يدل عليه ذلك نفي الوجوب ، لا نفي الاستحباب ، كما هو ظاهر.
وعلى كل فمن تركها ناسياً أوجاهلاً بحكمها فلا يترتب على ذلك شيء إطلاقاً ، بل إن من تركها عامداً لا يلزمه شيء ، إلا أنه لا ينبغي تركها بالكلية ، لما علمت من ثبوتها عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم.
والله أعلم.

I could not find anyone who has given it the status of Sunnah, or anything greater than Mustahab. Remember, emphasizing on a mubah or mustahab action to such an extent that leaving it is reprimanded or considered deficient, makes that action Bid'ah.

The command of the Prophet :saw: is a bid'ah?

Here you go

A man entered the mosque while Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was sitting in one side of the mosque. The man prayed, came, and greeted the Prophet. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to him, "Wa 'Alaikas Salam (returned his greeting). Go back and pray as you have not prayed (properly)." The man returned, repeated his prayer, came back and greeted the Prophet. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Wa alaika-s-Salam (returned his greeting). Go back and pray again as you have not prayed (properly)." (continued above) The man said at the second or third time, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Kindly teach me how to pray". The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When you stand for prayer, perform ablution properly and then face the Qibla and say Takbir (Allahu-Akbar), and then recite what you know from the Qur'an, and then bow with calmness till you feel at ease then rise from bowing, till you stand straight, and then prostrate calmly (and remain in prostration) till you feel at ease, and then raise (your head) and sit with calmness till you feel at ease and then prostrate with calmness (and remain in prostration) till you feel at ease, and then raise (your head) and sit with calmness till you feel at ease in the sitting position, and do likewise in whole of your prayer." And Abu Usama added, "Till you stand straight."

And here we have the Prophet :saws: saying 'you have not prayed'.

Subhanallah.

[AabiruSabeel]

Brother, do you understand Arabic? Please see this thread: http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vb/showthread.php?t=58620
If not, then it is very difficult to translate and explain everything in English here.


In brief, for the sake of all other members:

The Hadith quoted above is narrated several times as follows:

Narrated Abu Huraira :ra:: A man entered the mosque and started praying while Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was sitting somewhere in the mosque. Then (after finishing the prayer) the man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and greeted him. The Prophet (ﷺ) said to him, "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed. The man went back, and having prayed, he came and greeted the Prophet. The Prophet (ﷺ) after returning his greetings said, "Go back and pray, for you did not pray." On the third time the man said, "(O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)!) teach me (how to pray)." The Prophet said, "When you get up for the prayer, perform the ablution properly and then face the Qibla and say Takbir (Allahu Akbar), and then recite of what you know of the Qur'an, and then bow, and remain in this state till you feel at rest in bowing, and then raise your head and stand straight; and then prostrate till you feel at rest in prostration, and then sit up till you feel at rest while sitting; and then prostrate again till you feel at rest in prostration; and then get up and stand straight, and do all this in all your prayers." [Bukhari]


Narrated Abu Huraira :ra:: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) entered the mosque and a person followed him. The man prayed and went to the Prophet and greeted him. The Prophet (ﷺ) returned the greeting and said to him, "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed." The man went back prayed in the same way as before, returned and greeted the Prophet who said, "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed." This happened thrice. The man said, "By Him Who sent you with the Truth, I cannot offer the prayer in a better way than this. Please, teach me how to pray." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When you stand for Prayer say Takbir and then recite from the Holy Qur'an (of what you know by heart) and then bow till you feel at ease. Then raise your head and stand up straight, then prostrate till you feel at ease during your prostration, then sit with calmness till you feel at ease (do not hurry) and do the same in all your prayers. [Bukhari]

(No mention of second prostration in this Hadith above)



Narrated Abu Huraira :ra:: Once the Prophet (ﷺ) entered the mosque, a man came in, offered the prayer and greeted the Prophet. The Prophet returned his greeting and said to him, "Go back and pray again for you have not prayed." The man offered the prayer again, came back and greeted the Prophet. He said to him thrice, "Go back and pray again for you have not prayed." The man said, "By Him Who has sent you with the truth! I do not know a better way of praying. Kindly teach Me how to pray." He said, "When you stand for the prayer, say Takbir and then recite from the Qur'an what you know and then bow with calmness till you feel at ease, then rise from bowing till you stand straight. Afterwards prostrate calmly till you feel at ease and then raise (your head) and sit with Calmness till you feel at ease and then prostrate with calmness till you feel at ease in prostration and do the same in the whole of your prayer." [Bukhari]

(No mention of Jalsa istiraha)



It was narrated from 'Ali- who is bin Yahya- from his father that:
A paternal uncle of his who was present at Badr told him, that a man entered the masjid and prayed, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was watching, but we did not realize. When he had finished, he came and greeted the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with salam. He said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed." So he went back and prayed, then he came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed." (This happened) two or three times. Then the man said to him: "By the One who has honored you , O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I have tried my best; teach me." He said: "When you get up to pray, perform wudu and do it well, then turn to face the Qiblah and say the takbir. Then recite the Quran, then bow until you are at ease in bowing. Then stand up until you are standing straight, then prostrate until you are at ease prostrating, then sit up until you are at ease sitting, then prostrate until you are at ease prostrating, then get up, and continue doing that until you have finished your prayer." [Nasa'i]

It was narrated that Rifa'ah bin Rafi'- who had been present at Badr- said:
"We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when a man entered the Masjid and prayed. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) watched him without him realizing, then he finished, came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and greeted him with salam. He returned the salam and said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.'" He (the narrator) said: "I do not know if it was the second or third time,- "(the man) said: 'By the One Who revealed the Book to you, I have tried my best. Teach me and show me.' He said: 'When you want to pray, perform wudu' and do it well, then stand up and face the qiblah. Then say the takbir, then recite, then bow until you are at ease in bowing. Then stand up until you are standing up straight. Then prostrate until you are at ease in prostration, then raise your head until you are at ease in sitting, then prostrate until you are at ease in prostration. If you do that then you will have done your prayer properly, and whatever you failed to do properly is going to detract from your prayer." [Nasa'i]

(No mention of Jalsa istiraha)

Ali bin Yahya bin Khallad bin Raf' bin Malik Al-Ansari said:
"My father narrated to me that a paternal uncle of his, who had been at Badr, said: 'I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in the masjid when a man came in and prayed two rak'ahs, then he came and greeted the Prophet (ﷺ) with salam. The Prophet (ﷺ) had been watching him as he prayed, so he returned his salam, then he said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed." So he went back and prayed, then he came back and greeted the Prophet (ﷺ) with salam. He returned the salam, then he said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed." The third or fourth time this happened, then the man said: "By the One Who revealed the Book to you, I have done my best and have tried hard; show me and teach me." He said: 'When you want to pray, perform wudu and do it well, then turn to face the Qiblah and say the takbir. Then recite the Quran, then bow until you are at ease in bowing. Then stand up until you are standing straight, then prostrate until you are at ease prostrating, then sit up until you are at ease sitting, then prostrate until you are at ease prostrating, then get up. If you complete the prayer in this manner you wil hve done it properly, and whatever you do less than this is lacking from you prayer.'" [Nasa'i]








As we can see, most of the Ahadeeth either say get up and stand straight or do not mention anything after the second Sajdah.


The link which I have pasted above explains both the Ahadeeth mentioned by brother Linkdeutscher. After a long explanation, it says about the Hadith quoted in OP as a summary,

أنّ خالد الحذاء أخطأ في نسبة الجلسة إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم . و خالفه مَن هو أحفظ منه و أثبت ، فنسبها إلى عمرو بن سلِمة ، و ميّزها عن صفة الصلاة التي صلاها مالك بن الحويرث رضي الله عنه . بل و استغربها و نبّه على أنّ الناس لا يفعلونها . و يعني بالناس مَن أدرك مِن التابعين.

و أنّ عبد الحميد بن جعفر أخطأ في ذكر الجلسة قبل القيام ، و نفاها عيسى بن عبد الله و غيره . و لم يتعرض لذلك جُل مَن روى حديث أبي حميد.

The narrator Khalid :rh: has erred in associating the Jalsah Istirahah to the Prophet :saws:, and other narrators who were stronger in memory and more trustworthy than him have opposed him and they associate this jalsa to 'Amr bin Salamah :rh: and explain it as the prayer performed by the Sahabi Malik in Huwayrith :ra: (due to his old age). And they also say that the Tabi'een who were present there found this action by 'Amr :rh: as strange and they did not perform this jalsa.

Also that 'AbdulHameed bin Ja'far :rh: has erred in mentioning this Jalsa before qiyam and 'Isa bin 'Abdullah :rh: and others have denied it.

And regarding the Hadith quoted in Post#8, it is said:

قال البخاري نفسه مشيرا إلى خطإ ابن نُمير : " و قال أبو أسامة في الأخير " حتى تستوي قائما " .

Imam Bukhari himself has pointed out the mistake of the narrator 'Abdullah ibn Numair :rh: by saying at the end "Abu Usamah said: till you stand up straight".

There are things which only a Hadith and Fiqh scholar can understand. A layman is not supposed to pick up a Hadith and use it to derive rulings out of it. I recommend you to read link in its entirety for better clarification. And if you don't understand Arabic, please learn Arabic first before learning Hadith.

[AabiruSabeel]

Shaikh Muhammad bin Salih Al-'Uthaymeen :rh: also explains about Jalsa Istiraha saying that it should only be done if a person feels it difficult to stand up straight due to old age or weakness.

فإنه قال عليه السلام: "إني قد بدنت فلا تسبقوني بالركوع ولا بالسجود".أ.هـ.
وهذا القول هو الذي أميل إليه أخيراً وذلك لأن مالك بن الحويرث قدم على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وهو يتجهز في غزوة تبوك والنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في ذلك الوقت قد كبر وبدأ به الضعف، وفي صحيح مسلم ص506 تحقيق محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: "لما بدن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وثقل كان أكثر صلاته جالساً"

He says that Malik bin Huwayrith :ra: came to the Messenger of Allah :saws: at the time of the battle of Tabouk and signs of old age and weakness had started to appear on the beloved Prophet :saws: at that time, and as mentioned in the Hadith of 'Aisha :raha:, the Messenger of Allah :saws: had started praying most of the prayers while being seated.

[Linkdeutscher]

There are things which only a Hadith and Fiqh scholar can understand. A layman is not supposed to pick up a Hadith and use it to derive rulings out of it. I recommend you to read link in its entirety for better clarification. And if you don't understand Arabic, please learn Arabic first before learning Hadith.

Well then I have to check further with scholars regarding this hadith, and for the second time, it is not for people to assume I just 'picked up a hadith' randomly by opening Bukhari, I saw it used by scholars so that's why I am even aware of it, and you seem knowledgeable so I find this attitude of yours to automatically assume such to be very poor.

Anyway the point still stand, even if take the hadith out of equation. Malik bin Huwayrith saw the Prophet :saws: doing it and he commanded him to pray as he'd seen him pray, he didn't make any exception for the jalsa, and when Malik RA taught prayers to others he also demonstrated this.

The false taweel that Rasoolallh :saws: or Malik RA did it due to old age is completely false. First Rasoolallah :saws: commanded him to pray as he'd seen him pray - and Malik :RA: understood the hadith better than anyone else for he heard himself and based on that hadith he taught others how to pray with jalsa, if that was purely done to due old age etc then he wouldn't have taught it to others in a general manner.

Second, this taweel of old age would make sense IF it was proven that Rasoolallah :saws: actually ever prayed without performing jalsa istirahat. And no such authentic proof exists. To say he did it due to old age is automatically assuming he normally prayed without it, and the burden of proof is on those who say he did it due to old age to show Rasoolallah :saws: getting up directly.

[AabiruSabeel]

The proof of standing up straight is the following Hadith in Sahih Bukhari:

Narrated Abu Huraira :ra:: A man entered the mosque and started praying while Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was sitting somewhere in the mosque. Then (after finishing the prayer) the man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and greeted him. The Prophet (ﷺ) said to him, "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed. The man went back, and having prayed, he came and greeted the Prophet. The Prophet (ﷺ) after returning his greetings said, "Go back and pray, for you did not pray." On the third time the man said, "(O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)!) teach me (how to pray)." The Prophet said, "When you get up for the prayer, perform the ablution properly and then face the Qibla and say Takbir (Allahu Akbar), and then recite of what you know of the Qur'an, and then bow, and remain in this state till you feel at rest in bowing, and then raise your head and stand straight; and then prostrate till you feel at rest in prostration, and then sit up till you feel at rest while sitting; and then prostrate again till you feel at rest in prostration; and then get up and stand straight, and do all this in all your prayers." [Bukhari]

Also the reason mentioned by Shaikh ibn 'Uthaymeen :rh: quoted above that says Malik :ra: came to the Prophet :saws: at the time to battle of Tabouk, along with the Hadith of 'Aisha :raha:, which proves it was due to old age. I am not very knowledgeable regarding this, just quoting what other scholars have said. These things can only be verified by scholars who have studied the biography of the Sahabah to exactly find out the context and timing of the Hadith, and reasoning behind it.

Anyway, since Jalsa Istirahah is mentioned in two Ahadith, some scholars accept it as a mustahab act while others say it is simply "mubah" allowed. Some of them say it is only mustahab if a person is unable to directly stand up straight. We don't have any objection regarding any of these positions. All of them are acceptable and good :ia: based on ijtihad of those scholars.

But if we say it is a Sunnah, then we will be elevating the status of something that is not exactly a Sunnah categorically. Like I said earlier, there is a difference between Hadith and Sunnah. Ahadeeth narrate almost all the actions of Rasoolullah :saws: but not every action is a Sunnah. If you say otherwise, then marrying more than 4 will also become a Sunnah, standing while urinating will also become a Sunnah and many other such actions which were for specific reason and some of them specific for himself :saws:.

[Linkdeutscher]

The proof of standing up straight is the following Hadith in Sahih Bukhari:

Narrated Abu Huraira :ra:: A man entered the mosque and started praying while Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was sitting somewhere in the mosque. Then (after finishing the prayer) the man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and greeted him. The Prophet (ﷺ) said to him, "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed. The man went back, and having prayed, he came and greeted the Prophet. The Prophet (ﷺ) after returning his greetings said, "Go back and pray, for you did not pray." On the third time the man said, "(O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)!) teach me (how to pray)." The Prophet said, "When you get up for the prayer, perform the ablution properly and then face the Qibla and say Takbir (Allahu Akbar), and then recite of what you know of the Qur'an, and then bow, and remain in this state till you feel at rest in bowing, and then raise your head and stand straight; and then prostrate till you feel at rest in prostration, and then sit up till you feel at rest while sitting; and then prostrate again till you feel at rest in prostration; and then get up and stand straight, and do all this in all your prayers." [Bukhari]

Also the reason mentioned by Shaikh ibn 'Uthaymeen :rh: quoted above that says Malik :ra: came to the Prophet :saws: at the time to battle of Tabouk, along with the Hadith of 'Aisha :raha:, which proves it was due to old age. I am not very knowledgeable regarding this, just quoting what other scholars have said. These things can only be verified by scholars who have studied the biography of the Sahabah to exactly find out the context and timing of the Hadith, and reasoning behind it.

Anyway, since Jalsa Istirahah is mentioned in two Ahadith, some scholars accept it as a mustahab act while others say it is simply "mubah" allowed. Some of them say it is only mustahab if a person is unable to directly stand up straight. We don't have any objection regarding any of these positions. All of them are acceptable and good :ia: based on ijtihad of those scholars.

But if we say it is a Sunnah, then we will be elevating the status of something that is not exactly a Sunnah categorically. Like I said earlier, there is a difference between Hadith and Sunnah. Ahadeeth narrate almost all the actions of Rasoolullah :saws: but not every action is a Sunnah. If you say otherwise, then marrying more than 4 will also become a Sunnah, standing while urinating will also become a Sunnah and many other such actions which were for specific reason and some of them specific for himself :saws:.

The hadeeth doesn't mention Jalsa istirahat - that doesn't mean it negates it.

Imam Shafi'ee was of the view it is sunnah according to your own shared link, so did he elevate it to something it isn't? I find it rather strange you just edited the title of my thread like that.

Abu Sulayman Malik ibn al-Huwayrith said, "We came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, being young men of a similar age. We spent twenty nights with him. He thought that we desired our own people and he asked us about those of our family we had left behind, and we told him. He was merciful and kind, and said, 'Go back to your family. Instruct and command them. Pray as you have seen me praying. When it is time for the prayer, then let one of you give the adhan and let the oldest of you lead the payer.;:

You are just quoting Ibn Uthaymeen's view on this issue, however he is not correct here.

Rasoolallah :saws: ordered Malik bin Huwayrith RA to pray as he'd seen him pray - without excluding the jalsa istirahah.

And how did Malik understand it? You are saying that even he did it due to old age, an incredible interpretation to say the least. Then this begs the question, why did he demonstrate the prayer of Rasoolallah :saws: as such?

If the Prophet :saws: was doing it out of old age and that was the only reason, then Malik RA would the best one to know this, and he would specifically exclude this naturally. But no, he himself practiced this and even taught it to others - regardless of their age/difficulty, i.e in a general manner.

Abu Qilaba said, "Malik bin Huwairith came to us and led us in the prayer in this mosque of ours and said, 'I lead you in prayer but I do not want to offer the prayer but just to show you how Allah's Apostle performed his prayers." I asked Abu Qilaba, "How was the prayer of Malik bin Huwairith?" He replied, "Like the prayer of this Sheikh of ours-- i.e. `Amr bin Salima." That Sheikh used to pronounce the Takbir perfectly and when he raised his head from the second prostration he would sit for a while and then support himself on the ground and get up.
(Bukhari)

"Malik bin Al-Huwairith used to come to us and say: "Shall I not tell you about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?" He was praying at a time other than the time of prayer, and when he raised his head from the second prostration in the first rak'ah, he settled in a seated position, then he stood up, and he supported himself on the ground (while doing so)."
(Nisai - Saheeh)



This begs the question, if Rasoolallah :saws: was doing it due to difficulty, why was Malik RA going around teaching others something which was not to be done? What compelled him to do this?

Again, just for the sake of it,

Narrated Malik bin Huwairith Al-Laithi:

I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) praying and in the odd rak`at, he used to sit for a moment before getting up.
(Bukhari)

Malik RA heard the words pray as you've seen me pray directly from Rasoolallah :saws: - he understood them the best. And when describing the prayer of the Prophet :saws:, he mentioned jalsa istirah.



Another hadeeth, this time 10 Sahaba confirming jalsa istirahah.

Muhammad bin Amr bin Ata' narrated from Abu Humaid As-Saidi, :
he (Muhammad) said: "I heard him saying - while he was among ten of the Companions of the Prophet, one of whom was Abu Qatadah bin Ribi - 'I am the most knowledgeable among you of the Salat of the Allah's Messenger.' They said: 'You did not precede us in his companionship, nor were you in his company more than us.' He said: 'Even still." They said: 'Go ahead.' So he said: 'When Allah's Messenger stood for Salat he would stand with his back straight and raise his hands until they were at the level of his shoulder. Then he would say: (Allahu Akbar) "Allah is Most Great" and bow. Then he would straighten (his back) so that he would not lower his head, nor raise it, and he placed his hands on his knees. Then he said: (Sami Allahu liman hamidah) "Allah listens to those who praise Him." And he raised his hands and stood up straight until all of his bones completely returned to their places. Then he went down to the ground prostrating, then he said: (Allahu Akbar) "Allah is Most Great." Then he held his upper arms away from his midsection, and opened his toes on his feet (facing the Qiblah), then he bend his left foot and sat on it then straightened up until all of his bones completely returned to their placed, then he went down to prostrate. Then he said: (Allahu Akbar) "Allah is Most Great," then he bent his foot and sat and straightened up until all of his bones completely returned to their places. Then he got up. Then in the second Rak'ah he did the same as that, such that when he stood from the two prostrations, he sad the Takbir and raised his hands until they were at the level of his shoulders as he did when he opened the Salat. Then he did like that until it was the Rak'ah in which his Salat was to end, when he moved his left foot over and sat on his side (in the Mutawarrik postion). Then he said the Taslim.'"

(Tirmithi - Saheeh)

They (The Sahaba) said: ‘You have spoken the truth; this is how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to perform the prayer.’”

(Ibn Majah - Saheeh)

[ZeeshanParvez]

Can you please quote the sayings of the Fuqaha who said it is a Sunnah?

And also the Hadith where it is commanded to do so?


This is what the Fuqaha say about it: أقوال العلماء في جلسة الاستراحة في الصلاة

الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله وعلى آله وصحبه أما بعد:

فقد أخرج البخاري وغيره عن مالك بن الحويرث أنه رأى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يصلي ، فإذا كان في وتر من صلاته لم ينهض حتى يستوي قاعداً.
فهذا الحديث يدل على استحباب جلسة الاستراحة ، وتسمى جلسة الأوتار ، لأنها تكون بعد الأوتار في الصلاة.
وقد ذهب إلى استحبابها الشافعي في المشهور عنه وهو كذلك رواية لأحمد نقلها الخلال عنه ، واختارها طائفة من أهل الحديث ، وذهب المالكية والحنفية إلى عدم استحبابها ،
(brief translation: Imam Shaf'ee and Imam Ahmad said it is Mustahab, along with some of the Ahlul Hadeeth, and Imam Malik and Imam Abu Hanifah said it is not Mustahab)
وهو المعتمد عند الحنابلة ففي كشاف القناع للبهوتي رحمه الله : ( ولا تستحب جلسة الاستراحة وهي جلسة يسيرة صفتها كالجلوس بين السجدتين ) بعد السجدة الثانية من كل ركعة بعدها قيام والاستراحة طلب الراحة كأنه حصل له إعياء فيجلس ليزول عنه والقول بعدم استحبابها مطلقا : هو المذهب المنصور عند الأصحاب.
واستدل هؤلاء بالأحاديث الأخرى التي لم تذكر فيها هذه الجلسة مثل حديث أبي حميد الساعدي ، المشتمل على صفة صلاة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم.
ورأوا أن ما ذكره مالك بن الحويرث من جلوسه صلى الله عليه وسلم ربما كان لعارض من مرض وكبر سن.
والراجح -إن شاء الله تعالى- أن هذه الجلسة مستحبة لأن الأصل في أفعال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم -في الصلاة- أن تكون للتشريع ، لقوله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي."
ومما يؤيد القول باستحبابها أن راويها مالك بن الحويرث هو راوي الحديث:" صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي" ،رواه البخاري. فحكايته لصفة صلاة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم معتبرة ، فكأنه يفسر بها هذا الأمر الذي رواه.
وما استدل به القائلون بعدم استحبابها من كونها لم تذكر في الأحاديث الأخرى ، غير كاف للرد على القائلين باستحبابها ، لأن الكثير من سنن الصلاة المتفق عليها لم تذكر في كل الأحاديث التي تحكي صفة صلاته صلى الله عليه وسلم. وغاية ما يدل عليه ذلك نفي الوجوب ، لا نفي الاستحباب ، كما هو ظاهر.
وعلى كل فمن تركها ناسياً أوجاهلاً بحكمها فلا يترتب على ذلك شيء إطلاقاً ، بل إن من تركها عامداً لا يلزمه شيء ، إلا أنه لا ينبغي تركها بالكلية ، لما علمت من ثبوتها عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم.
والله أعلم.

I could not find anyone who has given it the status of Sunnah, or anything greater than Mustahab. Remember, emphasizing on a mubah or mustahab action to such an extent that leaving it is reprimanded or considered deficient, makes that action Bid'ah.

Hope the following clears up this matter.

جمهور العلماء على أن المندوب والسنة والمستحب والتطوع كلها شيء واحد وهو : (ما أمر به الشرع لا على وجه الحتم )، وفرق بينها بعض الشافعية كما قال السيوطي في ألفيته في الأصول


لايوجد فرق بين السنة والمندوب عند الأصوليين , فالمندوب ماخير بين فعله وتركه مع ترجيح فعله , ويسمي الأصوليون المندوب كذلك مستحبا ورغيبة ونافلة وتطوعا


السنة في اللغة العربية التي جاء بها الشرع الكريم هي المنهج والسبيل الذي سار عليه الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم، ثم هي تنقسم إلى ما هو فرض وإلى ما هو سنة في الاصطلاح الفقهي.
واصطلاح الفقه كما تعلمون يعني بالسنة، ما يثاب فاعله ولا يعاقب تاركه، وهي ليست بالفرض، وقد تنقسم إلى سنة مؤكدة وإلى سنة مستحبة، هذا هو الفرق بين السنة الشرعية وبين السنة الاصطلاحية الفقهية، أي أن السنة في لغة الشرع تشمل كل الأحكام الشرعية، فهي الطريق التي سار عليها نبينا صلوات الله وسلامه عليه، وتقسيم ذلك إنما يُفهم من نصوص الكتاب والسنة.
أما السنة الفقهية فهي محصورة مما ليس بفريضة



جواب :

الحمد لله
جلسة الاستراحة من سنن الصلاة للإمام والمأموم والمنفرد، ومتابعة الإمام واجبة وسبقه حرام، فالواجب على المأموم إذا جلس إمامه جلسة الاستراحة أن يجلسها حتى لا يسبق إمامه .

وبالله التوفيق وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وآله وصحبه وسلم .
اللجنة الدائمة للبحوث العلمية والإفتاء



فهو قول ساقط، ولا أعلم به قائلاً من أهل العلم، وإنما الخلاف في استحبابها أو عدمه، والصواب أنها مستحبة وليست واجبة.

وذهب بعض أهل العلم، إلى أنها إنما تستحب عند الحاجة؛ كالمرض، وكبر السن، وقالوا إن الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم إنما فعلها في آخر حياته لما بدّن وثقل.

وهذا القول ليس بجيد لعدم الدليل عليه، والصواب أنها من سنن الصلاة، لا من واجباتها، ولهذا اختلف الناقلون لصلاته عليه الصلاة والسلام فمنهم من ذكرها، ومنهم من لم يذكرها، والسبب في ذلك والله أعلم أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لم يواظب عليها، ولهذا خفيت على بعض النقلة، واستحبها بعض الصحابة رضي الله عنهم وبعضهم لم يستحبها - لما ذكرنا - والله أعلم.

المصدر :
مجموع فتاوى ومقالات متنوعة المجلد الثالث والعشرون.


Hopefully, the above will help out both of you!


Reference(s):

الجهود المتاحة في جمع كلام العلماء في حكم جلسة الاستراحة

هل هناك فرق بين {السنة}و{المستحب}و{المندوب}

[ZeeshanParvez]

And this should help the English speaking audience

https://islamqa.info/en/149492

There is no difference of opinion among the

scholars concerning the fact that some

Sunnah actions are more confirmed and

bring greater reward than others. Thus it

may seem that this difference of opinion is

the matter of a difference in names only;

with regard to the meaning, there is no

difference of opinion concerning it.

[ZeeshanParvez]

Just a couple of more things. Ibn Baaz when answering the question of if this sitting is a Sunnah or Mustahab said:

فهي مستحبة وسنة

It is Mustahab and a Sunnah.

Second, the real difference is between a Sunnah which is mu'akkadah and a Sunnah which is Mustahab. Both are Sunnah but one is more stressed than the other because the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) was more persistent in acting on it.

And it should be noted that the IslamQA translation of confirmed is misleading. It gives the impression that a confirmed Sunnah means that which has been confirmed from the nusuus which is not the case. Both the Sunnah which is mu'akkadah and which is mustahab have been confirmed from the legislative texts but the former is stressed while the later is not as stressed. Stressed, as opposed to confirmed, is how IslamQA should have translated it as that is what they want to get across.


الشيخ ماهر بن ظافر القحطاني makes some excellent points in his book شرح السنة للإمام البربهاري


فليست السنة في اطلاقها عند السلف مقصورة على ما ذكره بعض أهل الاصطلاح من أن السنة تقابل الواجب أو أنها فعل المستحبات

Sunnah in the terminology of the Salaf was not limited to that which the scholars of legislative definitions have coined namely that Sunnah is that which opposes that which is Waajib or it is the doing of Mustahab acts.

ويدلك على ذلك أحاديث كثيرة تدل على أن إطلاق السلف بالسنة ليس هي مقابل الواجب أو هي بمعني المستحب مثل

And there are several Hadith which are evidence to the Salaf did not only use the word in opposition to that which is Waajib or for the meaning of Mustahab like


ما روى البخاري في صحيحه عن (عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: وَكَانَتْ السُّنَّةُ أَنَّ الْمُتَبَايِعَيْنِ بِالْخِيَارِ حَتَّى يَتَفَرَّقَا)

That which al-Bukhaari has narrated in his Sahiih on the authority of Abd Allaah bin Umar (may Allaah be pleased with both of them) who said: And it was Sunnah that the buyer and seller have the right to cancel the trade until they separate.


وهذا واجب يعني يجب على المتبايعين إذا تفرقا البيع فينعقد البيع إذا تفرقا فعبر عن الواجب بالسنة

And this is a Waajib, meaning it is Waajib upon the they buyer and seller that when they seperate the trade is said to have come into effect but in the narration the word Sunnah was used for the Waajib.

فهذا يدلك على أن السنة عند السلف أوسع مما أحدثه متأخري الفقهاء من اصطلاح أنها بمعني المستحب أو أنها منحصرة في المستحب

And this is evidence of the fact that the word Sunnah, in the sight of the Salaf, had greater scope than what the later Jurists limited to it, namely acts which were Mustahab



وأما المستحب فكما روى مسلم في صحيحه عن (أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ طَاوُسًا يَقُولُ قُلْنَا لِابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي الْإِقْعَاءِ عَلَى الْقَدَمَيْنِ فَقَالَ هِيَ السُّنَّةُ) مع أن هذا فعل مستحب

And as for the Mustahab as it has been narrated by Muslim in his Sahiih on the authority of Abu Zubair that he heard Taa'us saying: We asked Ibn Abbaas about sitting on the heels and he said it is a Sunnah, despite the fact that this act is Mustahab


وكذلك المباح يقولون عنه السنة إذا أباحه النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وكان من طريقته القولية أو الفعلية مثلاً إباحته مثل ما روى الترمذي

Similarly is the case with that which is Mubaah, they would label it a Sunnah when the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said it was permissible and it was from his saying or doing and an example is his declaring permissible that which has been narrated in al-Tirmidhi


عن (مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ كَعْبٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: أَتَيْتُ أَنَسَ بْنِ مَالِكٍ فِي رَمَضَانَ وَهُوَ يُرِيدُ سَفَرًا وَقَدْ رُحِلَتْ لَهُ رَاحِلَتُهُ وَلَبِسَ ثِيَابَ السَّفَرِ فَدَعَا بِطَعَامٍ فَأَكَلَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: سُنَّةٌ قَالَ: سُنَّةٌ)

on the authority of Muhammad bin Ka'b that he said: I came to 'Anas bin Maalik in Ramadaan and he intended to travel. So a mount was prepared for him and he wore the traveling clothes and he called for food and ate. Thereupon I said to him: A Sunnah? He said: A Sunnah.

وهو جواز أن يأكل الرجل ويشرب في نهار رمضان إذا عزم على السفر عزماً متأكداً على السفر ولبس ثياب السفر وقد رحلت راحلته فيجوز في إحدى القولين أنه يفطر ثم يخرج وليس هذا بمعنى مستحب ولا واجب إنه مباح فدلك ذلك على أنهم يطلقون السنة على إطلاق أوسع مما يطلقه الفقهاء من اصطلاحهم من أن السنة هي المستحب


And this is in respect to it being permissible to eat and drink during the day of Ramadaan by a man when he has firmly decided to travel and has put on the clothes for traveling and a mount has been prepared for him then it is permissible for him, in one of the two opinions, to break his fast and then leave and this is not Mustahab or Waajib but Mubaah [permissible] and this shows that they [the Salaf] used the word Sunnah for it and without restriction and it had more scope than what the Jurists restricted the use of the word to, namely that the Sunnah is that which is Mustahab.

[Linkdeutscher]

Just a couple of more things. Ibn Baaz when answering the question of if this sitting is a Sunnah or Mustahab said:

فهي مستحبة وسنة

It is Mustahab and a Sunnah.

Second, the real difference is between a Sunnah which is mu'akkadah and a Sunnah which is Mustahab. Both are Sunnah but one is more stressed than the other because the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) was more persistent in acting on it.

And it should be noted that the IslamQA translation of confirmed is misleading. It gives the impression that a confirmed Sunnah means that which has been confirmed from the nusuus which is not the case. Both the Sunnah which is mu'akkadah and which is mustahab have been confirmed from the legislative texts but the former is stressed while the later is not as stressed. Stressed, as opposed to confirmed, is how IslamQA should have translated it as that is what they want to get across.


الشيخ ماهر بن ظافر القحطاني makes some excellent points in his book شرح السنة للإمام البربهاري


فليست السنة في اطلاقها عند السلف مقصورة على ما ذكره بعض أهل الاصطلاح من أن السنة تقابل الواجب أو أنها فعل المستحبات

Sunnah in the terminology of the Salaf was not limited to that which the scholars of legislative definitions have coined namely that Sunnah is that which opposes that which is Waajib or it is the doing of Mustahab acts.

ويدلك على ذلك أحاديث كثيرة تدل على أن إطلاق السلف بالسنة ليس هي مقابل الواجب أو هي بمعني المستحب مثل

And there are several Hadith which are evidence to the Salaf did not only use the word in opposition to that which is Waajib or for the meaning of Mustahab like


ما روى البخاري في صحيحه عن (عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: وَكَانَتْ السُّنَّةُ أَنَّ الْمُتَبَايِعَيْنِ بِالْخِيَارِ حَتَّى يَتَفَرَّقَا)

That which al-Bukhaari has narrated in his Sahiih on the authority of Abd Allaah bin Umar (may Allaah be pleased with both of them) who said: And it was Sunnah that the buyer and seller have the right to cancel the trade until they separate.


وهذا واجب يعني يجب على المتبايعين إذا تفرقا البيع فينعقد البيع إذا تفرقا فعبر عن الواجب بالسنة

And this is a Waajib, meaning it is Waajib upon the they buyer and seller that when they seperate the trade is said to have come into effect but in the narration the word Sunnah was used for the Waajib.

فهذا يدلك على أن السنة عند السلف أوسع مما أحدثه متأخري الفقهاء من اصطلاح أنها بمعني المستحب أو أنها منحصرة في المستحب

And this is evidence of the fact that the word Sunnah, in the sight of the Salaf, had greater scope than what the later Jurists limited to it, namely acts which were Mustahab



وأما المستحب فكما روى مسلم في صحيحه عن (أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ طَاوُسًا يَقُولُ قُلْنَا لِابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي الْإِقْعَاءِ عَلَى الْقَدَمَيْنِ فَقَالَ هِيَ السُّنَّةُ) مع أن هذا فعل مستحب

And as for the Mustahab as it has been narrated by Muslim in his Sahiih on the authority of Abu Zubair that he heard Taa'us saying: We asked Ibn Abbaas about sitting on the heels and he said it is a Sunnah, despite the fact that this act is Mustahab


وكذلك المباح يقولون عنه السنة إذا أباحه النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وكان من طريقته القولية أو الفعلية مثلاً إباحته مثل ما روى الترمذي

Similarly is the case with that which is Mubaah, they would label it a Sunnah when the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said it was permissible and it was from his saying or doing and an example is his declaring permissible that which has been narrated in al-Tirmidhi


عن (مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ كَعْبٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: أَتَيْتُ أَنَسَ بْنِ مَالِكٍ فِي رَمَضَانَ وَهُوَ يُرِيدُ سَفَرًا وَقَدْ رُحِلَتْ لَهُ رَاحِلَتُهُ وَلَبِسَ ثِيَابَ السَّفَرِ فَدَعَا بِطَعَامٍ فَأَكَلَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: سُنَّةٌ قَالَ: سُنَّةٌ)

on the authority of Muhammad bin Ka'b that he said: I came to 'Anas bin Maalik in Ramadaan and he intended to travel. So a mount was prepared for him and he wore the traveling clothes and he called for food and ate. Thereupon I said to him: A Sunnah? He said: A Sunnah.

وهو جواز أن يأكل الرجل ويشرب في نهار رمضان إذا عزم على السفر عزماً متأكداً على السفر ولبس ثياب السفر وقد رحلت راحلته فيجوز في إحدى القولين أنه يفطر ثم يخرج وليس هذا بمعنى مستحب ولا واجب إنه مباح فدلك ذلك على أنهم يطلقون السنة على إطلاق أوسع مما يطلقه الفقهاء من اصطلاحهم من أن السنة هي المستحب


And this is in respect to it being permissible to eat and drink during the day of Ramadaan by a man when he has firmly decided to travel and has put on the clothes for traveling and a mount has been prepared for him then it is permissible for him, in one of the two opinions, to break his fast and then leave and this is not Mustahab or Waajib but Mubaah [permissible] and this shows that they [the Salaf] used the word Sunnah for it and without restriction and it had more scope than what the Jurists restricted the use of the word to, namely that the Sunnah is that which is Mustahab.

Yes this is what confused me, I created the thread with the title sunnah and he changed it to mustahab, whereas the word sunnah is quite vast and can have many meanings, I wasn't talking about the legal ruling of jalsa istirahah, I just meant sunnah in a general sense, i.e the way of Rasoolallah :saws: when praying.

In fact some of the scholars I know say the legal ruling is wajib, because the Prophet :saws: commanded it!