16
The Obligation of Tranquility in Prostration
The Messenger of Allah—Allah bless him and grant him peace—would command the worshipper to perfect his rukūʿ (bowing) and sujūd (prostration). For anyone who failed to do so he struck a parable: a starving man who eats one or two dates that do not satisfy his hunger. About such a person he said, “He is among the worst of people in theft.”
He further ruled that the prayer of anyone who does not straighten his back in bowing and prostration is invalid, as detailed earlier under the section on rukūʿ. Likewise, he instructed the man who prayed poorly to be calm and composed in his prostration, as mentioned at the beginning of this chapter.
“…as though these narrators were more reliable than the report of al-Layth.” Judge Ahmad Shakir commented: “Why?! These men transmitted the hadith from Sumay through al-Nu‘man as a mursal (unconnected) report, whereas al-Layth ibn Sa‘d transmitted it from Sumay through Abu Salih from Abu Hurayrah as a connected (mawsul) report. Thus we have two independent routes, each corroborating and reinforcing the other. Moreover, al-Layth ibn Sa‘d is a trustworthy, meticulous memorizer and an authoritative scholar; we have no hesitation in accepting his additional material and whatever he transmits on his own. Accordingly the hadith is sahih.” End of quote.
I say: These words would indeed be sound and weighty if the debate over connection or disconnection were between al-Layth and Sufyan and the others—as al-Tirmidhi’s phrasing implies and as the learned judge assumed. In reality, however, the discrepancy is between Muhammad ibn ‘Ajlan and Sufyan, for al-Layth only narrated the report from Sumay via Ibn ‘Ajlan, as has been shown. Since that is the case, and Muhammad ibn ‘Ajlan is not strong when contradicted, the correct verdict is that the hadith is mursal, exactly as Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah transmitted it.
Al-Bayhaqi also recorded the hadith (2/117) and then observed: “Sufyan al-Thawri likewise narrated it from Sumay through al-Nu‘man,” after which he added: “Al-Bukhari said: ‘The version that is mursal is the sounder one.’ ”
Consequently the hadith is defective; it should be deleted from the main text and mentioned only in the commentary as a cautionary note.
I therefore retained it here precisely as the Shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—intended.
وجوبُ الطُّمأنينة في السُّجود
وكان ﷺ يأمر بإتمام الركوع والسجود، ويضرب لمن لا يفعل ذلك مَثَلَ
الجائع؛ يأكل التمرة والتمرتين لا تغنيان عنه شيئاً. وكان يقول فيه:
" إنه من أسوأ الناس سرقةً ".
وكان يحكم ببطلان صلاة من لا يقيم صلبه في الركوع والسجود - كما
سبق تفصيله في (الركوع) -، ﴿وأمر (المسيء صلاته) بالاطمئنان في
السجود - كما تقدم في أول الباب﴾ -.
" وكأن هؤلاء أصح من رواية الليث ". وعلق عليه القاضي أحمد شاكر بقوله:
" لماذا؟! هؤلاء رَوَوُا الحديث عن سُمي عن النعمان مرسلاً، والليث بن سعد رواه
عن سُمي عن أبي صالح عن أبي هريرة موصولاً؛ فهما طريقان مختلفان يؤيد أحدهما
الآخر ويعضُده. والليث بن سعد: ثقة حافظ حجة، لا نتردد في قبول زيادته وما انفرد
به؛ فالحديث صحيح ". انتهى.
وأقول: هذا كلام صحيح متين؛ لو أن الاختلاف في وصله وإرساله كان بين الليث
وبين سفيان وغيره - كما هو ظاهر كلام الترمذي، وعليه مشى القاضي المذكور -، ولكن
الواقع أن الاختلاف هو بين محمد بن عجلان وبين سفيان؛ فإن الليث إنما رواه عن سُمي
بواسطة ابن عجلان - كما رأيت -، وإذ الأمر كذلك؛ فمحمد بن عجلان ليس بالقوي
إذا خولف؛ فالصواب في الحديث أنه مرسل؛ كما رواه سفيان بن عيينة.
وقد أخرجه البيهقي (٢/١١٧) ، ثم قال:
" وكذلك رواه سفيان الثوري عن سُمَي عن النعمان ". ثم قال:
" قال البخاري: وهذا أصح بإرساله ".
فالحديث - إذن - معلول، فيُحذف من الكتاب، ويُذكر في التعليق على سبيل التنبيه ".
قلت: فلذا؛ أثبتناه كما أراد الشيخ ﵀.