Abi al-Ja‘d, who was a trustworthy Successor. The second is from al-Hasan—that is, al-Hasan al-Basri—and is mursal. The third is attributed to the Prophet and meets the criteria of the two Shaykhs; thus, it is a strong supporting witness for the preceding narration of Ibrahim ibn Tahman. It also refutes what Shaykh Ahmad Shakir said in his commentary on al-Musnad (15/13):
“The hadith is like the report of Salim ibn Abi al-Ja‘d. Apparently, it resembles it in meaning rather than wording, for I have never found it in this wording anywhere except in this place, in this abbreviated form.”
I say: We have in fact found it in this detailed wording through the narration of Ibrahim ibn Tahman, as you have seen. This shows that when Ibn Sirin said, “similarly,” he meant similarity in wording, not merely in meaning—especially since this is the technical sense intended by the expression “similarly.” Had he meant similarity only in meaning, he would have said, “in a similar manner,” as is their customary usage and as they have explicitly stated in hadith terminology. Allah is the Grantor of success.
The hadith also indicates the weakness of the report cited by the Hanafis with the wording:
“Whoever makes an intelligible gesture during his prayer must repeat his prayer.”
For this authentic hadith explicitly permits signaling permission by uttering Subhan Allah. How, then, could signaling with the hand or head be impermissible? This is especially so since numerous hadiths have been reported permitting it, some of which I have traced in Sahih Abi Dawud, nos. (858, 859, 860, 870).
I explained the hidden defect in the aforementioned hadith concerning an intelligible gesture in al-Ahadith al-Da‘ifah (1104), and then in Da‘if Abi Dawud, no. (169).
- “There is no blame upon you”—that is, for lying to one’s wife in order to put her at ease.
Al-Humaydi narrated it in his Musnad (no. 329): Sufyan narrated to us; he said: Safwan ibn Sulaym narrated to me from ‘Ata’ ibn Yasar, who said:
“A man came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, is there any blame upon me if I lie