Feqh Differences between Shia & Sunni

BREAKING THE FAST

The Sunni opinion: Maghrib is when the sun gets hidden and prayers can start
The Shia opinion: The east redness should disappear completely for actual ghuroob.
There is a hadith by Umar in which Prophet told us, that if the night comes from there and the day goes
from there and the sun disappears, then we can break our fasts. When he said that the night comes
from there, he was pointing towards the east and when he said that the day goes from there, he was
pointing towards the west.
Reference: Sahih Bukhari: Vol 2, page 240/241:
It means that to make sure that maghrib has started , it should have 3 signs:
1. The redness should disappear from the east
2. The sun going to the west
3. The sun disappearing
Only the sun disappearing is not enough according to the above hadith, because it will differ from
country to country or different landscapes (the sun could be behind the mountain etc). Thats why
Prophet told the 3 signs.
Ibn Hajar Asqalani, in Fath al Bari, vol 4, page 171: Prophet pointed to the east and said you must see a
darkness in the east otherwise it may not be a real ghuroob maybe because of a mountain.
Al Nawawi in Majmoa, vol 6 page 303: Prophet mentioned the 3 issues because if the sun is simply
hidden from the eyes, it is not enough along with the same reasoning.
In Musnad Ahmed vol. 5 page 15: From Prophet with authentic chain: dont pray when the sun
disappears. Al Haithami authenticated in Al Majma al Zawaid vol 2 page 225-226.
Sahih Bukhari vol1 page 145, and vol 4, page 91-92: Prophet says, if the eyebrow of the sun disappear,
delay your prayers until it is maghrib.
Muwatta Malik, vol 1, page 289: Umar ibn Khattab and Uthman used the pray maghrib once the night is
dark. Al Nawawi in Al Majmoa vol. 6 page 361-362: he said this hadith is authentic and Imam Malik,
Shafie and al Bayhaqi narrated with authentic chains that Umar and Uthman used to pray maghrib when
the night is dark and then used to do iftar after the prayers during mahe Ramadhan. He said al Mawardi
narrated that AbuBakr and Umar used to delay iftar.
Surah Baqarah: 187: continue the fasting till the night
Also, other verse: Allah made the night dark (10:27)
1

SALAT
General Rule: We believe that the prayers offered by shias is much closer to the Prophets prayer than
what is offered by the sunnis.
Sahih Bukhari vol. 1 page 133, hadith no.: 498-499
Anas ibn Malik went to Damishq once and started to cry. People asked him the reason for his crying. He
said that the salat that they are praying is much different from the Prophets. He said you wasted your
prayers, lost the prayers, innovated in your prayers and created things in your prayers.
It means that the prayer of Sunnis is different from the Prophet since people of Damishq pray like the
sunnis (Ummawi)
Also, we have established earlier the need to follow the two weighty things and the only people who
narrated prayers are the shia. So the only guaranteed prayer is the shia salat which is much closer to the
Prophets salat (eg: turba, takbir at the end of the salat, the way to put ones hand at the side, not to
pray tarawih)

HANDS
There are only 2 ahadith with sunnis with respect to the hands.

1. From Sahl ibn Saad

2. From Wael ibn Hajar
The 1st hadith is disconnected because Sahl ibn Saad (not the Prophet) says that we were ordered to put
the right hand over the left hand. Who ordered Sahl? Was it Prophet or bani Ummaya? Ibn Hajar
Asqalani in Fath al Bari vol. 2, page 224: this hadith in not connected.
This hadith is also mentioned in Muwatta Malik hadith no. 340 and Sahih Bukhari hadith no. 698.
In Atraf al Muwatta (explanation of Muwatta Malik), the author of this book says that the hadith is not
accepted because there is a doubt regarding it.
Quotation from Malik: I never heard that we are allowed to do this in the obligatory prayer.
The 2nd hadith from Wael ibn Hajar: He is a Yemeni guy who visited Prophet only once. He says that he
saw Prophet praying, it was a cold day and Prophet covered himself with a jacket and saw him putting
his right hand over the left.
Why dont we rely on this hadith?
It is because of the following reasons:
Point 1: The narrator from Wael is his son Alqama. Alqama, according to Yahya ibn Mueen is not
connected because when Wael died, Alqama was very young and he was unable to take the hadith from
him.
Reference: Tahdhib al tahdhib by ibn Hajar Asqalani vol. 7 page 247
Alqama himself says that he was very young and I was unable to understand my fathers prayers.
Reference: Tahdhib al tahdhib, vol. 6 page 1.
Thus we cant rely on his narrations.
Point 2: Prophet was wearing a cloak, thus it is not possible that he saw him putting his right hand over
the left
Point 3: Maybe Prophet was warming his hands on the cold day.

TARAWIH
Sahih Bukhari, hadith no. 689: Prophet made a room for himself with palm during Ramadhan and he was
praying in this room by himself. And some people wanted to pray in jama , later Prophet told them to
pray individually in their own houses (take actual from English bukhari)
Sahih Bukhari, hadith no. 1871: Umar gathering people..bidah, nice bidah.
Prophet did not distinguish between good or bad bidah. Prophet said : All innovations are misguidance.
Musannaf ibne Abi Shaibah vol 2, page 166, hadith no. 7714-7719: All 6 ahadith speak about tarawih
being haram, bidah. They are tabeyeen.
1. Abdullah ibn Umar did not pray tarawih during Ramadhan. Also Salem and Qasim did not pray
2. The person asked Abdullah ibn Umar : Should we pray behind an imam during Ramadhan. Ibne
Umar said : Do you want to listen like a donkey? Go pray by yourself.
3. Ibrahim: said that if I sit during Ramadhan and repeat only 1 or two surah, it is better than
praying behind somebody. Also said, that he used to lead the obligatory prayers in the mosque
but did not accept to lead the tarawih prayers
4. Alqima and al Aswad: didnt pray tarawih with people during ramadhan
5. Someone asked Hassan al Basri, that when people gather during Ramadhan in mosque, should I
pray with them or individually? He said that praying by yourself is better than someone leading
you.
Ummdatul Qari vol 11, page 271. Iben Umar and Qasem and Salem: did not pray tarawih with people.

TURBAH
Sahih Bukhari, vol 1 page 86: Earth was made a place of worship(masjid = sujood) and Allah did not give
this to anybody else other than me.
It is common sense that people perform sujud on the ground and not ceiling. Thus prophet said that the
earth is the natural earth, dirt or mud etc.
Sahih Bukahri, vol 1, page 100: Maimoona (wife of Prophet) said that Prophet used to pray on khumra.
Anas ibn Malik said in Fath al Bari for Ibn Hajar vol 1. Page 294 that Prophet came to his house and
prayed using khumra. Ayesha said the same thing.
In Majma al Zawaid by al Haithami vol 2, page 56-57: A whole chapter about Prophet praying on
khumra. Al-Haythami narrated a lot of ahadtih from Ayesha, Umm Saleem, Umm Salamah, Anas, Jabir
Ansari and Ibne Umar who say that Prophet used to pray on khumra. They say kana Rasulullah which
means that Prophet used to do it continuously.
Ibn Taymiyyah in Majmoa al Fatawa vol 24, page 216: said that praying on carpet is bidah and Prophet
used to pray on natural ground and khumra. Also companions used to do the same. Ibn Taymiyyah said
in more than one source. Someone asked him a question and he gave an answer and said that Prophet
did not pray on carpet and companions did not pray on carpet.
Fath al Bari vol. 1 page 410: Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (the 5th khulafa for sunnis), he used to bring khumra,
put some sand on it and then pray on it. In the same source, Orwa ibn Al Zubair from al tabeyeen said
that it is not good to pray on anything than natural ground.
What is khumra?
In Fedh al Qadeer by al Manawi vol 5 page 283: khumra means a small carpet that is made from palm
tree and the size of this carpet is the size of the forehead. According to him it is made of haseer or
khoos.

Sunnis objection for using the earth of Karbala.

Answer: We believe that anything which touches a blessed person/object becomes blessed as well like
shirt of Hazrat Yusuf (a.s)
Fath al Bari vol 13 page 259 by Ibn Hajar: said that there is no dispute that the turba of Medina is better
than that of Mecca.
Also, in Sharh Sahih Muslim by al Nawawi vol 9 page 163: They (scholars) agreed that the graveyard of
Prophet is the most blessed place in the whole world. Also said that Medina is better than Mecca and
said people like Imam Malik, Umar ibn Khattab, some companions and the majority of the scholars of
Medina have this opinion. Also said that there are some scholars who said that Mecca is better than
Medina but they said except the grave of the Prophet.
Can the earth cure?
Sahih Bukhari vol 7 page 24: Ayesha said that Prophet used to tell sick people that the sand of our
ground is mixed with the saliva of some of us, it will cure your disease.
Sahih Muslim vol 7 page 17: same thing
Al Nawawi Sharh Sahih Muslim vol. 14 page 184 said: that Prophet is talking about the earth of Medina
only and some scholars say that he was talking about the sand of Prophet only (wherever he walks)
In Fath al Bari vol 10, page 176: while explaining ahadith, said Al Qurtubi said that it means that this type
of turba will cure any disease and said this is one example in which names of Allah and place of Prophet
can be used as a cure.
Siar alam al Nubala for Adh-dhahabi, : said Abdullah ibn Ahmad Hanbal said that he used to see his
father taking the hair of Prophet and kissing it and putting on his eyes and putting it in water and
drinking it.
Then Adh dhahabi said that people who want to accuse Ahmed Hanbal of shirk, while his son proved to
us that he asks his father once whether we are allowed to touch the minbar and room of Prophet, then
Ahmed Hanbal said there is no problem in this. Then adh-dhahabi said may Allah save us from the
opinion Khawarij (so according to adh-dhahabi, the ones who object to touching, kissing the minbar and
room of the Prophet etc are in fact just like the Khawarij)