to which they had grown accustomed, even if it conflicted with the Prophetic Sunnah. But this objection did not come from the jurists. This is demonstrated by the fact that the most eminent jurist under whom Ibrāhīm al-Nakha‘ī studied was ‘Alqamah, who died before the uprising of Ibn al-Ash‘ath during which Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn ‘Abdullāh prayed. ‘Alqamah died in 61—or 62—AH, early in Yazīd’s rule, whereas Ibn al-Ash‘ath’s uprising occurred during the rule of ‘Abd al-Malik. Likewise, Masrūq is said to have died before 70 AH. Similar statements were made about both of them, as were made about Masrūq and others like him.

It is therefore clear that the leading jurists among the students of ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd were not those who objected to this practice. Yet some people, upon hearing this unqualified statement, take it to refer to Ibrāhīm al-Nakha‘ī. You have already learned that, according to the well-known account, ‘Alqamah thought that Ibrāhīm and others like him objected to it. They had witnessed it, and they had acquired knowledge from ‘Abdullāh and others like him. It has thus become clear that this was not the case.