Among the voluntary prayers
- His statement on its legitimacy: “On the authority of Abū Umāmah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Allah has not granted any servant leave to do anything better than the two rakʿahs he performs…’.” It was narrated by Aḥmad and al-Tirmidhī, and al-Suyūṭī pronounced it authentic.
I say: Al-Suyūṭī’s authentication appears only in al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr through his symbolic notation. In the introduction I have already explained that these symbols are unreliable and clarified the reason—refer to it there.
This ḥadith in fact supports what I have maintained, for its chain is weak: it is transmitted by Bakr ibn Khunays, who is weak, from Layth ibn Abī Sulaym, who is likewise weak. Al-Tirmidhī, its transmitter, said:
“This is a singular (gharīb) ḥadith; we know it only through this route, and Bakr ibn Khunays was criticised by Ibn al-Mubārak, who eventually abandoned him.”
I have discussed the report in detail in Silsilat al-Aḥādīth al-Ḍaʿīfah, no. 1957.
- His words: “Mālik said in the Muwaṭṭaʾ: It has reached me that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Keep to the straight path—you will never encompass everything—and know that the best of your deeds is the prayer; no one preserves his ablution except a believer.’”
I say: The compiler did not act well by attributing it to Mālik merely as a balāgh (report with no chain), for that suggests the ḥadith is weak and devoid of isnād, whereas it is actually authentic. It comes with a connected chain from Thawbān (may Allah be pleased with him); Aḥmad recorded it through three routes. Had he ascribed it to Aḥmad, he would have been correct.