Zād al-Maʿād - Ibn al-Qayyim - (1/241)

Zād al-MaʿādIbn al-Qayyim

all his prayers after that day were shorter (1). The wording does not indicate this. Had this been what was meant, it would not have escaped his rightly guided caliphs, leaving them to adhere to what had been abrogated and abandon what superseded it.

As for his saying (peace and blessings be upon him), “Whoever among you leads the people in prayer should keep it brief” (2), and Anas’s statement, “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) kept his prayers shorter than anyone else, while performing them fully” (3), brevity is relative: it is measured against what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did and consistently practised, not against the preferences of those praying behind him. He would not command them to do something and then act contrary to it. He knew that among those praying behind him were the elderly, the weak, and those with pressing needs. Thus, his own practice exemplified the brevity he commanded. His prayers could have been many times longer than they were (4), so they were brief in comparison with longer prayers. The practice he consistently maintained is the standard by which every disputed matter is to be judged.

This is supported by what al-Nasā’ī (5) and others narrated from Ibn ‘Umar, who said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would instruct us to keep the prayer brief, yet lead us in prayer reciting al-Sāffāt (Those Ranged in Rows).” Thus, reciting al-Sāffāt (Those Ranged in Rows) falls within the brevity he commanded. And Allah knows best.

(1) See a similar discussion in Kitāb al-Salāh (pp. 300–301) and Tahdhīb al-Sunan (1/232). (2) Reported with this wording by al-Humaydī in his Musnad (453), from Abū Mas‘ūd al-Badrī. Al-Bukhārī (90) reports it with similar wording. Al-Bukhārī (703) and Muslim (467) also report a similar narration from Abū Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him. (3) Reported by Muslim (469), and with similar wording by al-Bukhārī (708). (4) ق, م, مب, ن read: “dhālika (that).” (5) In al-Mujtabā (826) and al-Kubrā (902, 11368). Its sources have already been cited (p. 235).

صلاته كلَّها بعد ذلك اليوم كانت تخفيفًا (١). هذا ما لا يدل عليه اللفظ، ولو كان هو المراد لم يخفَ على خلفائه الراشدين، فيتمسَّكون بالمنسوخ ويدَعُون الناسخ. وأما قوله ﷺ: «أيُّكم أمَّ الناسَ فَلْيخفِّفْ» (٢)، وقول أنس: «كان رسول الله ﷺ أخفَّ الناس صلاةً في تمامٍ» (٣)، فالتخفيف أمر نِسْبيٌّ يرجع إلى ما فعله النبي ﷺ وواظب عليه، لا إلى شهوة المأمومين، فإنه ﷺ لم يكن يأمرهم بأمرٍ ثم يخالفه. وقد عَلِم أن من ورائه الكبير والضعيف وذا الحاجة، فالذي فعله هو التخفيف الذي أمر به. فإنه كان يمكن أن تكون صلاته أطول من تلك (٤) بأضعاف مضاعفة، فهي خفيفة بالنسبة إلى أطول منها. وهديه الذي كان يواظب عليه هو الحاكم في كلِّ ما تنازع فيه المتنازعون. ويدل عليه ما رواه النسائي (٥) وغيره عن ابن عمر قال: «كان رسول الله ﷺ يأمرنا بالتخفيف، ويؤمُّنا بـ (الصَّافَّات)». فالقراءة بـ (الصَّافَّات) من التخفيف الذي كان يأمر به. والله أعلم.

(١) وانظر نحو هذا الكلام في «كتاب الصلاة» (ص ٣٠٠ - ٣٠١) و «تهذيب السنن» (١/ ٢٣٢). (٢) أخرجه بهذا اللفظ الحميدي في «مسنده» (٤٥٣) من حديث أبي مسعود البدري، وهو في البخاري (٩٠) بنحوه. وبنحوه أخرجه أيضًا البخاري (٧٠٣) ومسلم (٤٦٧) من حديث أبي هريرة ﵁. (٣) أخرجه مسلم (٤٦٩)، وبنحوه أخرجه البخاري (٧٠٨). (٤) ق، م، مب، ن: «ذلك». (٥) في «المجتبى» (٨٢٦) و «الكبرى» (٩٠٢، ١١٣٦٨) وقد سبق تخريجه (ص ٢٣٥).