By the way, just because a hadith is weak does not mean the Prophet SAW did not say it. In fact, he might have said it so we should withhold judgment, although we can’t make a legal rule from it and it is not ranked as Sahih.

Salaam ‘alaikum,

Are you sure? It’s attributed to Sayyidi Abu Hurayrah, radhiAllahu anhu in the Sunan of Imam al-Tirmidhi who graded it sahih.

Wa Alaikum Assalam Warahmatullah

Yes brother ilyas, i am sure. Abu Hurayrah radiallahu anhu narrated this hadith, and it is found in Sunan Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah among others, but it is not authentic and has a very weak chain of narration. Although Imam Tirmidhi rahimahullah included this hadith in his Sunan but he commented on it and said that there is a weak narrator in its chain. So i’m not sure who told you that Imam Tirmidhi rahimahullah has graded it as sahih, but you might want to let them know that he did not and he actually commented on its weakness.

I don’t know of any scholar of hadith who has graded this hadith as authentic, however there are many scholars of hadith who have commented on its weakness and said that it is not authentic.

I hope this answers your question bro.

Are you sure? It’s attributed to Sayyidi Abu Hurayrah, radhiAllahu anhu in the Sunan of Imam al-Tirmidhi who graded it sahih.

Shaykh Yaser, I was wondering about two issues, so if you could please explain them that would be highly appreciated:

1- To my understanding, the first and second opinions seem to be the same, i.e. the default is one must pray salatul Jumu’ah. I tried doing some compendious research and noticed that even Hanafi madh-hab gives a concession to people in the outskirts and suburbs of not attending Jumu’ah. Please explain because I fail to understand the fundamental difference between the two opinions.

2- I also noticed an usul-ul-fiqh issue that I wanted to clarify: For those who support the first/second opinions argue that Hadith is a very strong proof, but of a lower degree than the Holy Quran; therefore, it is not going to overtake the explicit command in the Qur’an regarding attending Salat-ul-Jumu’ah .
I was taught that an authentic hadith has the same level as a proof, but obviously differs in holiness. Therefore, if you could explain this disparity in understanding the status of hadith vs Qur’an with regards to using , I’d be grateful.

Wassalam

Did not the Prophet, SAW, tell us that wisdom is the property of the believer, he should claim it wherever he finds it?

Assalam Alaikum brother Justin

This hadith about wisdom being the item of the believer, where ever he finds it he takes it, it is not an authentic hadith and it has a very weak chain of narration.

It seems many issues in Islam come down to following multiple scholarly opinions because so many issues are gray, i.e. texts can be interpreted differently. That fundamental truth about Sharia and Fiqh cannot be reconciled with what many takfirist militant ideological preachers preach about a perfect black-and-white Sharia-law/ideology inherently opposed to “western” Secular-law/ideology. These are mental constructs; the reality is not so simple. Extremist Sharia rhetoric of the Anjem Choudary variety was born out of the efforts of some Muslims to resist Western imperialism, but one can be critical of Western ideology and law and resist imperialism without rejecting the “West” wholesale. Did not the Prophet, SAW, tell us that wisdom is the property of the believer, he should claim it wherever he finds it? Is there not wisdom in the Far East and the Far West?

Actually, the position of the Hanafi maddhab is not the first position, but the second, same as the Shafi’iyyah. This article shows clearly that one should not determine the rulings of the legal guilds (maddhaahib) by referring to texts that are written by scholars not belonging to that maddhab. In this case, Ibn Rushd made a mistake in his Bidayat al Mujtahid.

After narrating the hadith of Uthman in his transmission of the Muwatta, where Uthman allowed the travelers from the outskirts of the city to leave without praying Jumu’ah, Imam Muhammad ibn al Hasan ash Shaybani adds:

وبهذا كله نأخذ، وانما رخص عثمان في الجمعة لأهل العالية لأنهم ليسو من أهل المصر وهو قول ابي حنيفة رحمه الله

We adhere to all of this (i.e. it is permissible to not pray Jumu’ah if one lives far from the city) . Uthman was making a concession to the dwellers of Aliyah for they were not residents of the city. That is the verdict of Abu Hanifah, may Allah have mercy on him.

Imam Tahtawi adds that that is the position of the Hanafi maddhab as well in Hashiyah At Tahtawi Sharh Maraqi Al Falah.

Wallahu A’lam