Both reports are in Sahih Muslim. Thus, if we take the wording, “When he sits in prayer,” we say that it is general and encompasses all sittings. The wording found in some narrations, “When he sits for the tashahhud,” does not indicate restriction, for we have a principle mentioned by the scholars of legal theory—one that al-Shawkani would frequently cite in Nayl al-Awtar, as would al-Shanqiti in Adwa’ al-Bayan: when one particular instance of a general category is mentioned with a ruling that accords with the general ruling, this does not indicate restriction. Restriction occurs only when one particular instance of a general category is mentioned with a ruling that differs from the general ruling.

An example of the first type: if I were to tell you, “Honor the students,” this is general and includes every student; then I say, “Honor so-and-so,” and he is among the students. Does this mean that I should not honor anyone else? The answer is no. Rather, it indicates that he has received particular attention, for which reason I singled him out for mention.

An example of the second type: “Honor the students,” then I say, “Do not honor so-and-so,” though he is among the students. This is a restriction, because in the first case I mentioned so-and-so with a ruling that accords with the general ruling, since he falls under its general scope; whereas here I mentioned him with a ruling that differs from the general ruling. Hence, they say in defining restriction: assigning some members of a general category a ruling that differs from the general ruling; or excluding some members of a general category from the ruling. Thus, it must differ from the general ruling. If it accords with it, then the majority of the scholars of legal theory—as related by the author of Adwa’ al-Bayan—hold that it does not establish restriction. This is evident, as in the example we have mentioned.

Accordingly, some wordings of the hadith of Ibn Umar that restrict the folding of the hand to the tashahhud (1) do not entail restricting the general import indicated by other wordings of the hadith. As for the jurists,