Nevertheless, using this ḥadīth as evidence for forbidding the innovated miḥrābs (prayer niches) in mosques—as al-Suyūṭī understood it, according to the explicit wording that al-Manāwī transmits from him and that his previously quoted statement also implies—is far from clear, even though al-Bayhaqī had already taken that position when he cited the ḥadīth under the heading “Chapter on How to Construct Mosques.” Al-Manāwī, commenting on al-Suyūṭī’s remark, says:

“I say: His conclusion rests on his understanding of the ḥadīth’s wording, namely that the term miḥrāb refers solely to what is presently customary in the mosque. That is not the case, for the renowned scholar Ibn al-Athīr explicitly stated that what is meant by miḥrābs in the ḥadīth is the ‘front seats of gatherings.’ He said: ‘Among them is the ḥadīth of Anas: “He used to dislike miḥrābs,” meaning he did not like to sit at the head of gatherings, elevated above the people.’”

I reply: Ibn al-Athīr does not say what al-Manāwī attributes to him. His exact words in al-Nihāya are:

“Al-miḥrāb: the elevated, prominent spot; it is also the head of an assembly. From this the mosque’s miḥrāb is so named, for it is its foremost and most distinguished place. Among the examples is the ḥadīth of Anas …” and so forth—the same passage al-Manāwī himself quoted. You can see that he makes no mention whatsoever of the ḥadīth we are presently discussing, so how can al-Manāwī claim that “he explicitly stated that the miḥrābs intended in the ḥadīth are the front seats of gatherings”? What Ibn al-Athīr actually stated is that this is the meaning of miḥrābs in the ḥadīth of Anas that he himself cited—and it is plain that the mere occurrence of this term