Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear brother,

In your forums you always try to back your statements with proofs from The Holy Quran and occassionally from the Hadiths of the Prophet (SAW) but when you described the prayers for us you did so without citing any proofs from the Hadiths. I am sure you can find the evidences for this prayer in the numerous hadiths that are available but what I want to know is how can you be so sure that the prayers collected from the hadiths that you read are closer to the truth from prayers as written by such astounding figures as Imam Jaffar-Al-Saddiq, who wrote down the prayers as they were performed by the Prophet (SAW). If you are of those who discredit Imam Jaffar-Al-Saddiq, than you must at least consider him as much as an intellectual as The Sunni Imams as Imam Abu Hanifah or Imam Malik who lived around the same period. Being the teacher of Imam Abu Hanifah and the great-great-great-great-grandson of the Prophet (SAW), would you not then consider him to have a greater understanding and knowledge of how the Prophet (SAW) performed his prayers? Why would you take the Hadiths influenced by Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Malik over the Haidiths influenced by Imam Jaffar-Al-Saddiq?

Truely,

Your fellow brother in Islam

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Role of Imam Jafar us Sadiq

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and who-ever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Statement: In your forums you always try to back your statements with proofs from The Holy Quran and occassionally from the Hadiths of the Prophet (SAW) but when you described the prayers for us you did so without citing any proofs from the Hadiths. I am sure you can find the evidences for this prayer in the numerous hadiths that are available.

We always try and quote and give reference to the specific aayahs of the Holy Quran. If you want the specific reference to any of the hadiths that we have quoted, please send us the quotation and we will, Insha Allah, immediately provide the reference.

Ref: Imam Jaafar us-Saadiq.

All the scholars of all the schools of thoughts in Islam are unanimous in their respect for Imam Jaafar us Saadiq, and consider him to be amongst the best Islamic scholars who ever came to this earth. No muslim, who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day, would reject or deny any of the teachings of the noble Imam Jaafar us Saadiq.

The issue in today’s time is not whether a believer believes in Imam Jaafar us Saadiq or not, but whether it can be accurately determined whether this noble Imam said these words or not. Many unscrupulous scholars of some sects of Islam, over time, have written many things themselves and attributed these words to the noble Imam. Similarly, many unscrupulous scholars have had the audacity to even write things themselves for their own material and political gains, and have attributed the same to the Prophet of Allah, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah (saws). Thus the issue is not whether a muslim believes in the words of Rasool Allah (saws) and Imam Jaafar us Saadiq or not, but whether they are able to determine whether the Prophet (saws) actually said or did these reported deeds or not.

One way to determine the authenticity of the noble words of Imam Jaafar us Saadiq is to have adequate knowledge of the Holy Quran and the established Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws). It is absolutely inconceivable that Imam Jaafar us Saadiq would have said or done anything against the principles of the Holy Quran or Sunnah. Thus if anything that contrasts, or is against the guidance of the Holy Quran and the established Sunnah, then for sure it can be determined that these cannot be the words of the Imam, but are a fabrication of someone else who has attributed these words to the noble Imam.

Your Question: Being the teacher of Imam Abu Hanifah and the great-great-great-great-grandson of the Prophet (SAW), would you not then consider him to have a greater understanding and knowledge of how the Prophet (SAW) performed his prayers?

Any believer, who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day, would have absolutely no doubt that Imam Jaafar us Saadiq had a better understanding and knowledge of Islam than his student Abu Hanifa.

Both are respected to be amongst the best scholars in Islam.

Your Question: Why would you take the Hadiths influenced by Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Malik over the Haidiths influenced by Imam Jaffar-Al-Saddiq?

Brother, you have obviously accused us of doing something that we have not done. When and why would we take the Hadiths of one Imam over the Hadiths of another? We request you to go to any and all of our articles and show us where have we taken the hadiths of Abu Hanifa or Malik (Allah forbid) over the hadiths of Imam Jaafar us Saadiq?

May Allah bless the noble Imam Jaafar us Saadiq and elevate his position to the highest station in Paradise, and reward him and the other imams and scholars whose noble works are an invaluable source of knowledge to the believers who came after them.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan