he writes: “We have been forbidden to imitate them in all their ways; this is the reason for the prohibition—not what has been claimed, namely that it is a deed of Satan, that Iblis was expelled from Paradise in that posture, or that it is an act of the arrogant. All such explanations are conjectural, whereas the explicit report—i.e., the Companion’s statement—is authoritative, for he is best acquainted with the cause of the hadith, and his wording may well be marfu‘. Moreover, whatever is found in the Sahih has priority over other reports, because these matters have been transmitted as traceable hadith.” End of his words. Al-Shawkani comments: “The hadith indicates that ikhtisar is forbidden. The Zahiri school holds this view, while al-Awza‘i, al-Shafi‘i, the Kufan jurists and others consider it merely disliked. The apparent purport supports the Zahiri position, for there is no contextual indicator that would shift the prohibition from its primary, literal meaning, which is outright forbiddance—and that is what is correct.” End quote. Ibn Hazm (4/18), characteristically strict in matters of prohibition, went even further, saying: “Whoever intentionally prays with his hand on his hip, his prayer is invalid.”