KHABAR [M-RFU:"] VR 'ATHAR [MAUQU:F] A CRITIQUE OF LECTURE 118:=
THE BENDING OF HANDS AND THE TRADITION LIKE THAT OF M-S:-F 'IBN 'ABI SHBAH #3950
Engineer "Ali Mirza in his some lectures say Lecture number 118 has presented some 'Ath:a:r [Mauqufa:t] in suppport of the claim that it is allowed to offer S:ala:h with out bending the hands. Accually such traditions he uses to defend some Rava:fid: sects. Actually they do not use books of Sunnism since they have a coolection of books like Four Principles [ A Collection of Four Books] which the consider even more higher in rank then their Nahj 'Al Bala:ghah compiled by Rad:i and Murt-d:a: [two brothers who collected traditions from Non Sunni Sources]. But these traditions are actually used by Malikiah sect of Sunnism since they do not bend hand. It is very strange to observe that Zubair "Ali Zai's former Students have no sympathy for H:anafites who bend and fold their hands below the navel [and some times on the navel] and not on chest. Yet he has so sympathy with some Rafid:ite sects that he is using some 'Ath:a:r to defend them. If Engineer "Ali: Mirza: did have some sympathy with Sunni subsects he must have use such 'Ath:a:r for Malikiah Sect. Since a large number of them excercise this practice. But their position is weak. Since more powerful traditions do support bending of hands while worshipping prayers [S:ala:h]. Whether below he Navel [or on the Navel ] or On the chest is a minor dispute the bending of hands is proved in any case and the minor dispute is just on the position of the bending of hands. Now Engineer "Ali: Mirza: tries to defend those who do not believe in a single tradition of M-s:-f 'Ibn 'Abi Sh-bah. This is just like to defend a Sunni Position from 'Us:u:l 'Al Ca:fi: ['Al Ka:fi:] , one of the most fallacious trick used by the engineer. How ever the only exception is a Counter Objection ['Al 'I"tira:d: 'Al 'Ilza:mi] which is certainly not the case.
What is the actual response to such traditions: 1] When a large number of S:h:i:h Traditions do exist then such traditions do become Sha:dh: . So these traditions like M-S:-F 'IBN 'ABI SH-BAH #3950 ETC. are no thing but Sha:dh: . 2] Engineer "Ali Mirza: of Jhelum did make a deliberate fallacy in this regard. Saiyiduna: 'Ibn Zubair RD: did say that he learned From Saiyiduna:'Abu: Bakr RD: but his sentence is applied to the Act of Rafa" Yadain and not for not bending of hands. It is cerainly not implied that not bending of Hands while praying S:ala:h was also ultimately tought by Saiyiduna: 'Abu: Bakr RD:. This is just an argumentation of Engineer of Jhelum. REQUIREMENT : IT IS REQUIRED THAT AN EXPLICIT TRADITION MUST BE TRESENTED BY ENGINEER "ALI: MIRZA: STATING EXPLICITLY IN ITS TEXT THAT NOT BENDING OF HANDS WAS EXPLICITLY TOUGHT BY SAIYIDUNA: 'ABU BAKR RD: . Any thing less then it cannot be accepted as a Valid Argumentation. Now we come to another problem. Not bending of hands was an error of 'Ijtiha:d or 'Ibn Zubair did not consider it necessary to bend. But in presence of several traditions which do prove bending of hands it is necessary to interpret act of Saiyiduna: 'Ibn Zubair RD: . Our interpretation is that if this tradition and some other like it ,are not considered as Sha:dh: then this only means that he took benifit of Unnecessicity. Where every thing stops. The question why he took the benifit of Unnecessity is beyond the principles of argumentations, since they are not conveyed to us. Bending of hands is neither Fard: nor Vajib. His error of 'ijtiha:d was that he did not consider it even as a 'Assunnah 'Al m-v-kk-dah. But he did not denied it. Even today if some one do not bend hand he remains to be a Sunni unless and aother wise he declared bending of hand as a Bid"ah [Heresy] as all the sects of Rava:fid: do . 3]Such tradition MUST NOT be used to defend those who do not believe in Sunni Traditions like some Non Sunni sects say sects of Ra:fid:iah and can only be used for Sunni sects like Malikiah. 4] Such traditions must be studied as according to those traditions which prove that Holy Prophet did bend his hands. 5] If a Heretic sect use an act of a S:ha:bi to support its view, it cannot be used in principle. 6] The traditions which Support the bending and folding of hands implies that they are not
'Ath:ar but they are either 'Akhba:r or H:ukman 'Akhba:r. On the contrary such traditions which are presented by "Ali: Mirza: are certainly 'Ath:ar , not even Kabar Bil Ghair and 'Athar Bidh: Dh:a:t. If a 'Ath:ar goes near to a Khabar it may be term a Khabar bil Ghair. The technique Engineered by Engineer "Ali: Mirza: is an influance of some Non Sunni Sects who say that their way of offering prayers is taught to their Ima:ms from father to son and ultimately from Saiyiduna: "Ali:. This conjecture cannot be valid against the Correct Tradition from from Holy Prophet. Unfortunately Engineer "Ali: Mirza: has borrowed this pattern of invalid argumentation and attempted to apply on Saiyiduna: 'Abdullah Bin Zubair etc. and Saiyiduna: 'Abu Bakr RD:
6] The conspiracy and scheme behind all this is that Engineer "Ali Mirza wants to purport that Saiyiduna: 'Abu Bakr RD: neither did fold his hands nor bend his hands, neither on his chest nor below the navel and also not on the navel while offering S:la:h. This unfold and unearth the confederacy of "Ali Mirza: of Jhelum and Ghair 'Ahlissunnah sects like subsects of Rava:fid: ENGINEER "ALI MIRZA: AND HIS ACCUSATION ON BANU 'UMAIAH. Engineer "Ali: Mirza: always tries to attack Noble Family of Banu 'Umaiah. He is even unhappy with Siyiduna: "Uth:ma:n RD: since he was a supporter of this family, Engineer ascribes acts of Fisq and F-ju:r to Saiyiduna: Mu"a:viah RD: since he was also a member of this family. At this point he says that Banu 'Umaiah RD: forced people to bend hands while praying. If this report is proved by authentic chain of narrators then this is an act of Following the Traditions. Since the folding and bending of hands is proved by several traditions, Banu Umaiah considered it necessary to prevent the spreading of a heresy [Bid"ah]. SINCE those whod did not fold or bend their hand actually rejected those traditions and it would have been a rare case that a person who did not bend or fold or both his hand only took the benifit of Un-necessity. So it is included in 'AMAT BIL MA"RU:F VA NAHI "ANIL M-NK-R. It must be noted that not All Banu Umaians can be accused of not loving "Abdullah Bin Zubair RD: , but only those who fought with him. It is just like the case that if some one prevents others from leaving the Rafa" in prayers. Just because he thinks it it is incorrect. We do not support Banu 'Umaiah on each and every act which they did do but we do not go to the extreme , which is crossed by th Engineer "Ali: Mirza.