In the chapter on Salat al-Tasbih, a narration is also reported from ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA). This hadith has been transmitted only in the following three sources of hadith and reports:
1. For the first time, in the fifth century Hijri, Abu Bakr al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (d. 463 AH) transmitted this hadith through two different chains in his book Dhikr Salat al-Tasbih, nos. 1 and 2.
2. Nearly four hundred years after Khatib Baghdadi, in the ninth century Hijri, Ibn Nasir al-Din (d. 842 AH) also transmitted two different chains of the hadith of ‘Ali on pages 51 and 52 of his book Al-Tarjih li-Hadith Salat al-Tasbih. One of these chains he quoted with reference to Imam al-Daraqutni’s book on Salat al-Tasbih, and the other with reference to al-Wahidi’s book Al-Da‘awat.
3. Apart from Ibn Nasir al-Din, in the same ninth century Hijri, Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani (d. 852 AH) also transmitted, on pages 33 and 34 of his book Amali al-Adhkar fi Fadl Salat al-Tasbih, the same first two chains of the hadith of ‘Ali that Ibn Nasir al-Din had mentioned, and then on page 36 he mentioned a third chain as well.
Apart from these three sources, all the remaining primary sources of hadith and reports are completely devoid of any mention of the hadith of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib in the chapter on Salat al-Tasbih.
THE TEXTS OF THE NARRATIONS AND THEIR INCONSISTENCIES
Below, we first examine the texts of the hadith of ‘Ali, through which their contents, the inconsistencies found within them, and their mutual contradictions also become clear:
1. In Dhikr Salat al-Tasbih of Khatib Baghdadi, no. 1, this narration is reported from Sayyiduna ‘Ali (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “Whoever performs four rak‘ahs on Friday in such a way that he recites Surah al-Fatihah ten times in each rak‘ah …”. After stating this much, Khatib Baghdadi writes that then ‘Ali (RA) narrated from the Prophet (PBUH) the complete hadith of Salat al-Tasbih. Thereafter, Khatib Baghdadi states that the mention of performing Salat al-Tasbih specifically on Friday is not found in the narration of any Companion other than this narration of Sayyiduna ‘Ali. That is, in this text there is singularity (tafarrud) and objectionability (nakarah). It is also noteworthy here that the wording about reciting Surah al-Fatihah ten times in each rak‘ah occurs exclusively in this chain alone. From this perspective as well, this text is entirely singular and objectionable.
2. In Dhikr Salat al-Tasbih of Khatib Baghdadi, no. 2, it is narrated from ‘Ali (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) met him and kissed him between his two eyes. Then the Prophet (PBUH) and ‘Ali (RA) sat down, and he said to him: “O ‘Ali, shall I not give you a gift and a present?” ‘Ali (RA) said: “Why not, O Messenger of Allah?” Thereafter, in this narration, with a slight difference in wording, Salat al-Tasbih is mentioned in the same manner as, according to the narration of Abu Rafi‘ (RA), this prayer was taught by the Prophet (PBUH) to Sayyiduna al-‘Abbas (RA). Then, according to the text under discussion, ‘Ali (RA) was also instructed to perform this prayer daily, or weekly, or monthly, or yearly, or once in a lifetime, in the same manner as, according to the narration of Sayyidah Umm Salamah (رضی ہللا عنہا), the Prophet (PBUH) instructed Sayyiduna al-‘Abbas to do so. At the end of the hadith of ‘Ali, the same words regarding the virtue of this prayer are also reported as in the hadith of al-‘Abbas: ‘فإذا فعلت ذلك، غفر الله ذنبك: كبيره وصغيره، خطأه وعمده، قديمه وحديثه’ — “So when you perform this prayer, Allah will forgive all your sins: major and minor, committed by mistake or deliberately, old and new.”
3. According to one chain on page 52 of Ibn Nasir al-Din’s Al-Tarjih li-Hadith Salat al-Tasbih and the narration on page 33 of Ibn Hajar’s Amali al-Adhkar fi Fadl Salat al-Tasbih, while teaching the method of this prayer to ‘Ali (RA), the Prophet (PBUH) instructed him to recite the tasbihat fifteen times in the standing position before the recitation, not after the recitation. Whereas, according to another chain on the same page 52 of Ibn Nasir al-Din’s book, the entire incident mentioned above was not narrated by Sayyiduna ‘Ali with reference to himself, but rather with reference to his brother Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib (RA): that when the Prophet (PBUH) met Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib, he kissed him in this manner and gave him this prayer as a gift and mentioned this extraordinary virtue of it to him. Thus, from this it also becomes clear that there is explicit inconsistency in the different texts of the hadith of ‘Ali regarding whether the incident of the Prophet (PBUH) teaching Salat al-Tasbih occurred with Sayyiduna ‘Ali himself or with Ja‘far (RA).
4. Hafiz Ibn Hajar, on page 36 of Amali al-Adhkar fi Fadl Salat al-Tasbih, while mentioning another chain narrated from ‘Ali (RA) with reference to Abu Nu‘aym’s book Qurban al-Muttaqin, states that its text clearly contradicts all the other narrations in the chapter on Salat al-Tasbih. This is because it contains an instruction to perform this prayer on Friday at the time of Duha, even if it is performed only once in a lifetime. Moreover, it emphasizes reciting Surah al-Fatihah followed by Surah al-Kafirun, Surah al-Ikhlas, Surah al-Falaq, Surah al-Nas, and Ayat al-Kursi ten times each in the standing position of every rak‘ah, and it instructs the recitation of ‘سُبْحَانَ اللهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ، وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ’ forty times in the tashahhud, as a result of which protection from the evils of the earth and the heavens is guaranteed. Hafiz Ibn Hajar says that after narrating this report, Abu Nu‘aym stated that false words are found in its text and that the signs of its being fabricated are completely evident. In short, this text describes a method of Salat al-Tasbih that is entirely different from all the other narrations in this chapter; therefore, this text is objectionable (munkar), and Abu Nu‘aym himself, after narrating it, clarified that the evidence of its fabrication is entirely apparent.
RESEARCH ON THE CHAINS OF TRANSMISSION (ISNAD ANALYSIS)
A critical study of the chains of transmission of all the above-mentioned routes of the hadith of ‘Ali is as follows:
A. In the chain of narration of Dhikr Salat al-Tasbih by Khatib Baghdadi, no. 1, the following four defects are found:
1. In this chain there is a narrator named Abu Hanifah, Muhammad ibn Hanifah al-Wasiti, whose reliability is not established from the Imams of al-Rijal. Rather, Imam al-Daraqutni has explicitly stated about him: ‘laysa bil-qawi’ — “This narrator is not strong.”
2. In the same chain there is a narrator, al-Hasan ibn Jablah al-Shirazi, about whom the Imams of al-Rijal and the hadith scholars are completely unaware as to who he was. The biographical sources of al-Rijal are entirely silent regarding his identification; therefore, he is an entirely unknown (majhul) narrator. AlHaythami (d. 807 AH) has also stated that he does not know who this narrator is.
3. In it, there is also a narrator Ayyub ibn Sulayman al-Raqqi, who is likewise unknown. The references of the science of al-Rijal provide no guidance in this regard either. He too is an unidentified narrator.
4. In this chain there is a narrator named ‘Abd al-A‘la ibn Amir al-Tha‘labi al-Kufi, whom Imam Ahmad, Abu Zur‘ah, Ibn Saad, and al-Fasawi have declared da‘if (weak), whereas according to Imam al-Qattan and Ibn Mahdi, he is a matruk (abandoned) narrator.
B. In Dhikr Salat al-Tasbih by Khatib Baghdadi, no. 2, and the route mentioned on page 52 of Al-Tarjih li- Hadith Salat al-Tasbih by Ibn Nasir al-Din, which is cited with reference to al-Wahidi’s book Al-Da‘awat: a common defect in the chains of both these routes is that they contain a narrator named Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ash‘ath, who was a wadda‘ (fabricator). He not only fabricated hadiths, but Imam Ibn ‘Adi has also stated about him that due to his extreme inclination toward Shi‘ism, he fabricated an entire collection of hadiths comprising nearly one thousand narrations, which he used to narrate to people. The baseless and objectionable narrations of that book had chains that went through ‘Ali (RA) back to the Prophet (PBUH). When Imam al-Daraqutni was asked about this person, he said: ‘Ayah min ayat Allah, wada‘a dhaka al-kitab — ya‘ni al-‘Alawiyyat’ — “He was one of the signs of Allah; he himself fabricated that book, meaning the narrations attributed to ‘Ali.” This is a route with a mawdu‘ (fabricated) chain, which Hafiz Ibn Hajar has also mentioned on page 34 of Amali al-Adhkar fi Fadl Salat al-Tasbih.
C. The route narrated from ‘Ali (RA) that Ibn Nasir al-Din has cited on page 52 of Al-Tarjih li-Hadith Salat al- Tasbih contains the following defects in its chain:
1. In it there is a narrator named Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Nastas, about whom Imam al-Bukhari said: ‘fihi nazar’. The scholars know that in Imam al-Bukhari’s terminology, these words are considered a severe form of criticism against any narrator. Likewise, it has also been transmitted that Imam al-Bukhari declared this narrator ‘munkar al-hadith’. Imam al-‘Uqayli and Ibn al-Jarud also called him ‘munkar al- hadith’. Imam Ibn ‘Adi, Imam al-Nasa’i, and Imam al-Daraqutni declared him da‘if.
2. In this chain there is a narrator Umar ibn Abdullah al-Madani, whom Imam Yahya ibn Ma‘in, Imam al- Nasa’i, and Hafiz Ibn Hajar have declared da‘if. Ibn Hajar has also stated that he narrates excessively in a mursal manner, and in fact, in this route as well, his narration from ‘Ali (RA) is mursal and munqati‘ (disconnected). Imam Ibn Ma‘in said that he did not hear any narration from any Companion. Ibn Hibban said that this narrator is not reliable as proof. Imam Malik declared him matruk.
D. This same mursal narration, directly attributed to ‘Ali (RA) by this weak narrator, is the one that Hafiz Ibn Hajar has also mentioned on page 33 of Amali al-Adhkar fi Fadl Salat al-Tasbih, and alongside it Ibn Hajar himself has explicitly stated that its chain contains da‘f (weakness) and inqita‘ (disconnection). It is self-evident that this weakness in the chain is due to the narrator ‘Umar ibn Abdullah being considered da‘if by the scholars of hadith, and the disconnection is due to his directly narrating from ‘Ali, despite the fact that he did not hear any narration face to face from any Companion, as Imam Yahya ibn Ma‘in has explicitly stated.
THE STATUS OF THE NARRATION AND ITS RULING
From the above research and study, it is established that the attribution of a verbal hadith to ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA) in the chapter on Salat al-Tasbih is not proven from the Prophet (PBUH) at all. According to the principles of transmission, the chains of some of its routes are extremely weak and baseless due to multiple defects, while some have been proven to be fabricated. Apart from the chain, the hadith of ‘Ali is also unreliable due to the mutual contradictions and inconsistencies found in its texts. Some of its routes are also munkar from the perspective of the text, because they clearly contradict the other narrations in the chapter on Salat al-Tasbih.
The details of the mutual differences and contradictions found in the texts of the hadith of ‘Ali are as follows: from some texts it appears that ‘Ali (RA) heard a statement of the Prophet (PBUH) regarding Salat al-Tasbih, and then some people transmitted that verbal hadith from him. In some narrations, however, it is reported from ‘Ali himself that this prayer was specifically taught to him by the Prophet (PBUH) as a gift and favor, while in some texts ‘Ali (RA) himself states that this prayer was actually given as a gift and favor by the Prophet (PBUH) to his brother Ja‘far (RA). Moreover, in one text of the hadith of ‘Ali it is mentioned that the recitation of tasbih and takbir in the standing position is to be done after reciting the surah, whereas in another narration it is stated that this recitation is to be done even before the recitation of Surah al-Fatihah.
Thus it becomes clear that the hadith of ‘Ali cannot be considered reliable for establishing Salat al-Tasbih, neither in terms of its text nor in terms of its chain, nor can it be used as evidence. In the light of the principles of transmission and critical analysis, it holds no authoritative status.
8. HADITH OF ABD ALLAH IBN AMR IBN AL-AS (RA)
A hadith related to Salat al-Tasbih is also reported from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As (RA). A few of its routes have been transmitted only in the following four sources of hadith and reports:
1. Nuskhat Abi Mus-hir, Abu Mus-hir ‘Abd al-A‘la ibn Mus-hir al-Ghassani al-Dimashqi (d. 218 AH), no. 36.
2. Shu‘ab al-Iman, Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Husayn al-Khurasani al-Bayhaqi (d. 458 AH), no. 604.
3. Dhikr Salat al-Tasbih, Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn ‘Ali al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (d. 463 AH), nos. 19, 20, 21, 23.
4. Amali al-Adhkar fi Fadl Salat al-Tasbih, Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani (d. 852 AH), no. 11.
Apart from these four sources from the 3rd, 5th, and 9th centuries AH, all other primary sources of hadith and reports are completely silent regarding the hadith of Abdullah ibn ‘Amr in the chapter on Salat al-Tasbih.
TEXTS OF THE NARRATIONS AND THEIR INCONSISTENCIES
Below, we first examine the texts of the narrations of Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, through which their contents, the inconsistencies found in them, and their mutual contradictions also become clear.
A. In Nuskhat Abi Mus-hir, no. 36, it is narrated from Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As (RA) that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Shall I not give you a gift and a present?” At the beginning, this text does not clarify which Companion the Prophet (PBUH) was addressing. He then said that it is a prayer of four rakahs; whoever observes it, all of his sins—new and old, minor and major, committed by mistake or deliberately—will be forgiven. In this route, it is mentioned that during the standing position of this prayer, before the recitation of Surah al-Fatihah, fifteen times, and after the recitation of the surah, ten times, tasbih, tahmid, tahlil, and takbir are to be recited. This, evidently, differs from and conflicts with the method transmitted in all other narrations in the chapter on Salat al-Tasbih. Then in this text, at all the remaining positions of the prayer, the same supplications are to be repeated ten times each, but there is no mention of observing this supplication in the sitting position (qa‘dah), whereas it is known that in all other narrations, emphasis is also placed on reciting this remembrance ten times in the sitting positions of this prayer. Thus, it becomes clear that this text is also deficient in this latter respect.
After that, an interesting point is that at the end of this narration, after the Prophet (PBUH) explained the method of this prayer, Abdullah ibn ‘Amr says that al-‘Abbas (RA) said: “Who can perform such a (lengthy) prayer?” From this question, it appears that in this incident, the Prophet (PBUH) was actually addressing his uncle, al- ‘Abbas, and it was to him that he was giving this prayer as a gift. Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (RA) heard this conversation of the Prophet (PBUH) and narrated it; otherwise, he himself was not the direct addressee of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in the matter of being taught this prayer. In response to the above question of al-‘Abbas, the Prophet (PBUH) said that this prayer may be performed once a week, or once a month, or once a year, and if the worshipper wishes, he may also recite Surah al-Ikhlas in it.
B. According to Dhikr Salat al-Tasbih by Khatib Baghdadi, no. 21, and Shu‘ab al-Iman by al-Bayhaqi, no. 604, the Prophet (PBUH) actually addressed Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (RA) himself and gave him this four-rak‘ah prayer as a gift. In both of these narrations, the method of this prayer and its virtue are stated in the same words as mentioned above in Nuskhat Abi Mus-hir, no. 36. In these narrations as well, there is no mention of the recitation of remembrance and tasbih in the sitting position. According to these texts, since al-‘Abbas (RA) was also present at the time when the Prophet (PBUH) gave this prayer as a gift to Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (RA), he heard the Prophet’s statement and commented that who could have the resolve to perform such a (lengthy) prayer. It is said that upon hearing this, the Prophet (PBUH) said that this prayer may be performed once a week, or once a month, or once a year, and if one wishes, one may also recite Surah al-Ikhlas in it. In short, from the wording of the previous narration, the Prophet’s primary addressee appeared to be al-Abbas, whereas according to this narration, he was conversing with Abdullah ibn Amr (RA).
C. In the narration from Abdullah ibn ‘Amr recorded in Dhikr Salat al-Tasbih by Khatib Baghdadi, no. 19, there is a general mention of the Prophet (PBUH) exhorting and encouraging the performance of a four-rakah prayer. In this text, there is no mention of the Prophet (PBUH) addressing any specific Companion, nor are there any words indicating that this prayer was given to someone as a gift or present. Moreover, contrary to the text of the previous narration, in this one there is only an instruction to recite tasbihat fifteen times after the recitation during the standing position. In this route, there is no instruction mentioned for any remembrance or tasbih before the recitation. Furthermore, as before, this text also contains the deficiency that there is no mention of the tasbihat being recited in the sitting position. In this narration, the words describing the virtue of this prayer are also somewhat different, and they are: ‘yughfar lahu ma qaddama wa ma akhkhara, wa ma asarra wa ma a‘lana’ — “The one who performs it will be forgiven for his earlier and later sins, and those committed secretly and openly.”
D. In the text of Dhikr Salat al-Tasbih by Khatib Baghdadi, no. 20, it is stated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) taught this prayer as a gift directly to Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As. In this narration, there is no mention of the presence of al-‘Abbas or of any dialogue between him and the Prophet (PBUH). The complete method of the prayer in this narration is mentioned in the same way as has already been described in most of the earlier narrations. At the end, forgiveness of all sins—new and old, minor and major—is foretold as the reward of this prayer.
E. In Dhikr Salat al-Tasbih by Khatib Baghdadi, no. 23, and Amali al-Adhkar fi Fadl Salat al-Tasbih by Ibn Hajar, no. 11, it is narrated from Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (RA) that the Prophet (PBUH) actually addressed Ja‘far (RA) and taught him this prayer as a gift, and he said to him that you may perform this prayer during the day or the night, or perform it every Friday, or once a month, or once a year. After that, this narration describes the same method of this prayer that has been mentioned earlier in most of the narrations. According to Dhikr Salat al- Tasbih by Khatib Baghdadi, no. 23, at the end the Prophet (PBUH) said to Ja‘far (RA): ‘yaghfir Allah laka dhunubaka ma asrarta wa ma a‘lan-ta’ — “As a result of this prayer, Allah will forgive your sins, those committed secretly and those committed openly.”
Investigation of the Chains of Transmission (Isnad Analysis)
A. In the chains of Nuskhat Abi Mus-hir (No. 36), Dhikr Salat al-Tasbih by al-Khaṭib al-Baghdadi (No. 21), and Shuʿab al-Iman by al-Bayhaqi (No. 604), the following two major defects are found:
In these chains there is a narrator named Abu Junab Yahya ibn Abi Hayyah al-Kalbi al-Kufi, whom most scholars of narrator criticism (rijal) have declared “weak” (daʿif) and “a mudallis”. Some hadith scholars have called him “munkar al-hadith”, and others “matruk al-hadith.”
In all three chains, Abu Junab Yahya narrates this report using the particle “ʿan”, without explicitly stating that he heard it from his shaykh Abu al-Jawzaʾ. From this perspective as well, the narration is unreliable, because it is a known principle among hadith scholars that when a mudallis narrator does not explicitly state hearing from his shaykh, his muʿanʿan narration is unacceptable.
In all three routes there is also a narrator named Muhammad ibn Humayd al-Tamimi al-Razi, whom some scholars of rijal have declared “weak,” some “very weak,” some “munkar al-hadith,” some “matruk al-hadith,” and many hadith scholars have labeled him a “liar (kadhdhab).”
B. In the chain of Amali al-Adhkar fi Fadl Salat al-Tasbih by Ibn Hajar al-ʿAsqalani (No. 11), several defects are found:
In this chain, Hafiẓ Ibn Hajar narrates this report from a narrator named Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Shahrazuri, who is regarded by the scholars of hadith and rijal as “unknown (majhul).” The biographical references are completely silent about him. According to the principles of hadith science, the narration of an unknown narrator is considered disconnected (munqaṭiʿ) and weak.
In the same chain, there is a narrator named Ibn al-Muqayyar Ali ibn Abi Abdullah al-Azji, who belongs to the twenty-sixth generation of hadith narrators and was born in 545 AH. In this chain, he narrates from Ibn al-Ghariq Muhammad ibn Ali al-Qurashi, who belongs to the nineteenth generation of narrators and died in 465 AH. This clearly shows that the chain here is also disconnected, because Ibn al-Muqayyar’s narration from Ibn al-Ghariq is impossible, as Ibn al-Ghariq died eighty years before Ibn al-Muqayyar was born.
In addition, in this chain the narrator Mahmud ibn Khalid al-Sulami does not name the person from whom he narrates this report; rather, he leaves it ambiguous and says “ʿan al-thiqah” (“from a trustworthy narrator”). He does not clarify who that trustworthy narrator was. According to the principles of hadith, mentioning an ambiguous narrator with one’s own declaration of reliability is unacceptable, even if it comes from a great hafiẓ or muhaddith. Therefore, due to this ambiguous narrator, the disconnection in the chain at this point is also very clear.
In the same chain there is a narrator ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Thabit ibn Thawban al-ʿAnsi, whom many leading scholars of hadith, including Imam Yahya ibn Maʿin and Imam al-Nasaʾi, have declared “weak,” while Imam Ahmad explicitly stated that his hadiths are “munkar.”
C. In the chain of Dhikr Salat al-Tasbih by al-Khaṭib al-Baghdadi (No. 19), there is a narrator named Ghiyath ibn al-Musayyab al-Rasibi, who is unknown. Therefore, this chain is also disconnected and rejected.
D. In the chain of Dhikr Salat al-Tasbih by al-Khaṭib al-Baghdadi (No. 20), the following two major flaws are present:
It contains a narrator named ʿAbd al-ʿAziz ibn Aban al-Qurashi, whom many hadith scholars have declared a “liar” and “fabricator (waddaʿ).” For this reason, they consider him completely abandoned (matruk).
In this chain there is also Aban ibn Abi ʿAyyash al-Basri, who is regarded by the scholars of rijal as “matruk al- hadith,” and his narrations carry no weight.
E. In the chain of Dhikr Salat al-Tasbih by al-Khaṭib al-Baghdadi (No. 23), the following defects are found:
It contains Abu Bakr Abdullah ibn Sulayman ibn al-Ashʿath, the son of Imam Abu Dawud. Imam Abu Dawud himself said about him that “my son is a liar.” The same view was expressed by Hafiẓ Ibrahim al-Asbahani. The shaykh of Imam Ibn Adi, Yahya ibn Muhammad ibn Saʿid, said that the statement of his father Abu Dawud is sufficient for us: “my son is a liar,” therefore no hadith should be taken from him.
This chain also contains Abd al-Rahman ibn Thabit ibn Thawban al-Ansi, whom many leading scholars, including Imam Yahya ibn Main and Imam al-Nasaʾi, declared weak, while Imam Ahmad described his hadiths as munkar.
In addition, in this chain the latter-mentioned narrator does not name the person from whom he narrates this report; rather, he leaves it ambiguous and says “haddathani al-thiqah” (“a trustworthy narrator narrated to me”). According to the rules of the science of narration, leaving a narrator ambiguous while declaring him trustworthy on one’s own authority is absolutely unacceptable, even if done by a great imam of hadith. Due to this ambiguous narrator, the disconnection of the chain at this point is also very clear.
THE STATUS OF THE NARRATION AND ITS RULING
From the above investigation and study, it is established that the verbal hadith attributed to Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As (RA) regarding Salat al-Tasbih is not proven from the Prophet (PBUH) at all. In light of the principles of narration, the chains of some routes of this hadith are extremely weak and baseless due to multiple defects, while some are outright fabrications. In addition to the chain-related issues, the hadith of Ibn Amr is also completely unreliable due to the differences and inconsistencies found in its texts. Some of its routes are munkar even textually, because they clearly contradict other narrations in the chapter of Salat al-Tasbih.
Likewise, clear contradictions and inconsistencies have been observed among the texts of this hadith. Some texts indicate that Abdullah ibn Amr (RA) heard a general statement of the Prophet (PBUH) regarding Salat al-Tasbih and then narrated it. Some narrations state that the Prophet (PBUH) specifically taught this prayer to Ibn Amr as a gift. Some texts suggest that the Prophet’s addressee in this incident was al-Abbas (RA), while according to one route, Ibn Amr himself explicitly stated that the Prophet (PBUH) taught this prayer to Jafar (RA)—meaning that the actual addressee in this incident was Jafar (RA).
Some routes of this hadith also contain the anomaly that they prescribe reciting tasbih and takbir 15 times before the recitation of al-Fatihah in the standing position and 10 times after the recitation of the surah. This clearly contradicts the method reported in all other narrations of Salat al-Tasbih. Meanwhile, some routes mention only 15 repetitions of tasbih after the recitation in the standing position, with no mention of any remembrance before the recitation.
Thus, it becomes clear that the hadith of Abd Allah ibn Amr cannot be given any consideration for establishing Salat al-Tasbih—neither from the perspective of its chain nor from that of its text. In the light of the principles of narration and understanding (riwayah and dirayah), this hadith holds no authoritative value.
[To be continued]