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Amr Basyouni on الترجيح بالكثرة https://www.facebook.com/share/1BTUWZdNo4/

الشيخ الشريف حاتم العوني رجل نبيل. قابلته مرتين في حياتي: هذه المرة حين شرفنا في مصر، ومن سنتين حين شرفني بالدعوة إلى زيارته في مكة المكرمة. وفي المرتين كان هذا انطباعي عنه: رجل نبيل. ولا يطول الوقت بالمرء إن هو جالسه ليدرك بوضوح أثر شرف النسب في وجه هذا الرجل وأخلاقه وتواضعه غير المتكلف، فهو تربية أشراف حقا. هذا رجل جمع الله له شرف النسب إلى زكاء النفس وذكاء العقل وسعة الاطلاع. فرضي الله عنه وزاده من فضله وحفظه ونفعنا بحبه وحب آل البيت عليهم السلام، وكفاه الله شر غلمان السوء والمتعالمين وشر كل ذي شر. ومعلوم بالتجربة والعادة التي لا تتخلف: أنه متى اشتدت حملتهم على شخص منتسب إلى العلم والدين فاعلم أنه على خير عظيم وتمسك بالسنة وبأس شديد على أهل البدعة وإيجاع لهم. http://t.me/Rwaq_manhaji

Concluding, the time of Isha comprises of the following prayers: i. Pre-Isha, post-adhan Units: Unspecified, as per the hadith; not touched upon in the Hanafi canon; first mention is in the 4th century, at least 200 years after Imam Abu Hanifah. Four units then go and become the normative position of the school, but scholars stumble over providing the exact rationale for it for the very reason that it is an interpolated position that is detached from the canon. ii. Fard Units: 4 (for a non-traveller); a point of consensus. iii. Non-Tahajjud sunnah in the mosque Units: 4; acknowledged in Hanafi canon. iv. Non-Tahajjud sunnah at home Units: 4; authentic hadith backing this, though not explicitly touched upon in the Hanafi canon. Total of non-Tahajjud sunnah units = 8, of which two are sunnah mu’akkadah; the rest are sunnah ghayr mu’akkadah of a less prominent form, but they should not be construed as a generic nafl. v. Tahajjud Units: Unspecified - could be 8, 10, 12, 20 (Ramadan Tarawih format), 24, 36, etc. vi. Witr Units: 3; this should be attempted as the final prayer of the night, as close to Fajr as possible; no post-Witr prayer should be intended at the time of performing Witr unless: a) Witr is observed early due to attending congregational in Ramadan, or b) one is performing Witr before sleeping, due to caution (the practice of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq) vii. Post-Witr Units: Unspecified. There is no limitation of this prayer at 2 units. However, this prayer should be generally avoided if one has a chance to perform Witr right before Fajr. Also, if one is observing Witr in the middle or beginning of the night and does not intend to wake up at the end, he should perform all non-Witr prayer first, before Witr. If either of the two aforementioned situations arises, he should still maintain an interruptive gap between Witr and any further prayer. Prayer after Witr also falls under the umbrella of Tahajjud. وبالله التوفيق

(6 cont.) In response to the hadith that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم observed two units sitting after Witr, scholars have given a variety of answers. The answer of some scholars was to reject this hadith outright, as it conflicts with the famous hadith of making Witr the final prayer of the night. Bayhaqi indicated that the two units was a previous practice when the Prophet used to perform Witr earlier on in the night; it later became abrogated when he started to perform Witr at the end of the night. Some other scholars said that the two units were specific to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Although these three answers are not generally accepted, they do at the very least suggest how weighty the evidence in favour of ensuring Witr as the final prayer of the night is. Nawawi's answer to the hadith is that the Prophet did this to explain permissibility – i.e., that Witr will not have to be repeated – adding that he only did this on a few occasions. Kashmiri's answer was similar, except that he added that the Prophet performed this sitting to ensure the semblance of "Qiyam" (standing) was no longer observed after Witr. Ibn Hajar recorded another answer: that this was the Prophet actually observing the Sunnah of Fajr, and that although he would sit during recitation, he would stand up before going into Ruku'. Ibn Hajar recorded a few other answers in كشف الستر, but he was not firmly set on any of them and did not offer a preference. Interestingly, in al-Sunan, Daraqutni recorded from his teacher Ibn Abi Dawud that this sunnah (i.e., hadith) was first reported by the Basrans alone, which eventually culminated in the Syrians carrying it further down. In other words, this hadith was unheard of outside of Basrah in the initial stages, which further suggests that this, as a practice, was most probably not in the consideration of the Imams of the Hanafi School – or any Kufan scholar for that matter. Even those who did observe it, however justified, did so on the basis that this was a continuation of the Tahajjud, not that these two units (or however many more) are in the orbit of Isha. In fact, even though it is observed during the time of Isha, there is a discussion on whether Witr is in the orbit of Isha like the rawatib are. Based on the evidence, there is a very strong case that Witr is actually, by its very nature and essence, a part of Tahajjud - and the most emphasised part of it, even according to the overwhelming majority that argue it is sunnah and not wajib. (cont.)

6. The two "nafl" after Witr Even though the term "nafl" invokes generic prayer, but as a matter of canon, the position of the Hanafi Imams is against this. Muhammad said in al-Asl: قلت: أرأيت الوتر متى وقته؟ قال: من حين يصلي العشاء إلى طلوع الفجر. قلت: فأي ذلك أفضل عندك؟ قال: أفضل ذلك عندي أن يوتر في آخر الليل قبل طلوع الفجر. This is also supported by the hadith "Make Witr your final prayer by night", which is reported by Bukhari and others. The implication of both is that both the Sunnah Nabawiyyah and the Canonical Hanafi School is that Witr is the final prayer of the night, especially for those who are awake at that time. In other words, performing prayer after Witr is not the recommendation. Still, if someone performs Witr earlier and wants to observe further prayer afterwards, then that is permitted according to the overwhelming majority of scholars across all schools (a minority view states that reading nafl after Witr breaks the Witr and it must be repeated as the final prayer of the night - a discussion known as مسألة نقض الوتر). Imam Ahmad stated that further prayer is something he does not prohibit others from doing so long as a person observes it while sitting, though he personally did not engage in such prayer; in one narration, he said that there should be a disconnecting gap between Witr and performing further prayers, like sleeping, eating, lying down, or drinking. Malikis like Ibn 'l-Hajib stated that he should wait before observing nafl again, and that he should not have had the intention of reading further nafl at the time of performing the Witr; if he does have that intention, he should perform those first before Witr. Ibn 'l-Hajj said it is better not to perform nafl after Witr, unless one goes to sleep then wakes up. But even if somebody wants to perform Witr early in the night, they should try to perform all prayers – including Tahajjud – before the Witr. One should not set out to observe optional prayer after Witr unless the circumstances dictate it, like when Witr is performed congregationally in Ramadan in Witr during an earlier part of the night, or one observes Witr early before sleeping lest he does not wake up for Tahajjud, but he still strives to wake up for Tahajjud anyway; this was the practice of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. Therefore, though not unlawful, the practice of some who habitually observe two units immediately after Witr – whether sitting or standing – is not a recommended one. For honesty, it should be mentioned that this practice is a sunnah in one narration of the Hanbali School – Ibn Muflih said in al-Furu': وَلَا يُكْرَهُ بَعْدَ الْوِتْرِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ جَالِسًا "م" وَقِيلَ سُنَّةٌ "خ"). Amidi of the Hanbalis (not the Shafi'i one) went a step further and said this is a ratibah (i.e., sunnah mu'akkadah) – a position nobody else held. Similar to him were Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn 'l-Qayyim, who said that the two units after Witr is a sunnah tantamount to the two units after Maghrib. Ibn Hajar in his Kashf 'l-Sitr said this is a highly odd position. (cont.)

5a. The two "nafl" sandwiched between the two sunnah and the Witr This is actually sunnah ghayr mu'akkadah, even though it is not widely acknowledged as such. The hadith is in Sahih 'l-Bukhari and other places, in the story of Ibn Abbas staying over at his aunt's house, Maymunah, where the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم observed four units upon returning home from Isha – the first two of which are obviously the sunnah mu'akkadah – before retiring for a rest. Out of respect to this prophetic practice, this prayer should not be referred to as a generic nafl. Scholars state that four units can be observed – either in a 2+2 format, or as a complete 4 with a single salam. 5b. There is also a mawquf narration from Ibn Umar recorded by all three Imams of the schools (in Musnad Abi Hanifah; al-Athar by Abu Yusuf; and al-Athar and al-Asl by Muhammad) that he mentioned that four units after Isha is equal to Laylat 'l-Qadr. This makes four units after Isha canonical to the Hanafi School. It should be highlighted that some versions of those narrations state – unlike the aforementioned one in Bukhari – that it should be observed before leaving the mosque, and that it – as per a marfu' version of the same narration – should be observed consecutively as a whole four-unit prayer with the recitation of al-Sajdah in the first unit, al-Dukhan in the second, and al-Mulk in the third. The fourth unit is left unspecified. The narration by the Imams of the school is supported by corroborating traditions that can be found in Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, with reports from Ibn Amr, A'ishah, and Ibn Mas'ud. Personally, I am inclined two treating these two sets of four units as separate sunnah prayers: four in the mosque, and four at home before sleeping. So, in total, that would be eight units of sunnah in the post-Isha, pre-Tahajjud period. Of these eight, two are sunnah mu'akkadah, as per the famous hadith of Abdullah ibn Shaqiq from A’ishah. (cont.)

Then there is the following that require some detail: 4. The four "sunnah" before Isha This is not from the Imams. As a view, this was introduced into the school at least 200 years after Imam Abu Hanifah, based on unverified and highly contestable hadith according to critical Ahl 'l-Hadith standards. As it was not strong evidence, some Hanafis justified this practice by way of analogy on Zuhr. This too is problematic as an act of Sunnah cannot be established through analogy, as should be obvious. Some other Hanafis said this prayer is nafl only, not sunnah, though a nafl prayer by nature is detached, generic, and unassigned to any fard prayer as opposed to a sunnah. Some argued it is sunnah based on Imam Abu Hanifah's position that the preferred form of non-obligatory prayer is four units, as opposed to two. However, this was his view across all generic optional prayer, whether by day and night, not specific to the period before Isha. And of course, the majority position is that two units – especially by night – is the preferred model of optional prayer. Either way, there is no specificity to Isha in this argument. Whatever the case, the legitimacy of praying before Isha as an optional salah – whether, two, four, six etc. – is known and established, as per the hadith of Bukhari: "There is a prayer between every pair of adhans (i.e., adhan and iqamah)." Based on this prophetic hadith, it would be sunnah (ghayr mu'akkadah) to observe prayer between the adhan and iqamah of Isha, without numerical specification. Scholars have argued what the default number of units in "prayer" means, but that is a superfluous discussion for the purposes of this topic. It should be noted that, in the discussion on supererogatory prayers, Muhammad did not make mention of this in al-Asl; he did for other prayers such as the one after Isha and the one before Asr. As a specific prayer with a fixed number of units at four before Isha, such a prayer is virtually unrecognised by the non-Hanafi schools. In fact, it is so removed from the canon of the Hanafi School that it is not even tackled or refuted by the other schools. (cont.)

Q. Is it the position of the Hanafi School that Isha consists of 17 rak’ahs? A. Not exactly. The position of the early Imams of the school can be constructed as follows: 1. The four fard - there is no dispute over this. 2. The two sunnah after Isha - there is no dispute over this. 3. The three Witr after the sunnah - there is no dispute in the school over the number of units here, though there is a dispute over whether it is wajib (Abu Hanifah) or sunnah (Abu Yusuf and Muhammad). (cont.)

English summary translation of the first half of Usus Aqliyya: https://www.qalamresearch.com/bythepen/the-rational-framework-of-hadith-criticism

Important bidah alert from Sh Fahd https://x.com/fahd_ibn_ala/status/1883320157302341650

Episode 1: Hanifah’s Choice “Congratulations to my daughter Hanifah on finishing middle school. Obviously I cannot hug her like all the other dads because I love Abu Hanifah - no pun intended - and Umm Hanifah way too much.” Hanifah ran up to her father and hugged him anyway, not wanting to feel left out. She took him by surprise, in thanks of putting her through this elite Muslim private school, and started kissing him all over his cheeks, head and shoulders. One accidentally landed on the side of his lip as he tried to move back away from Hanifah. All the Taqlid Shakhsi molvis and Rasmul Ifta muftis looked on in unspeakable horror. It seemed the warmth of the summer afternoon had been sapped by the Fiqhi equivalent of Munkar and Nakir walking in. Little did they know this was a well laid plan by Umm Hanifah, who had bribed her daughter the night prior. The Hisbah Police investigation and the subsequent Shariah Council courtroom drama that ensued left everyone in utter shock, revealing gruesome details, backstabbing, and scheming like never before. But was behind Umm Hanifah’s actions? Who was the beneficiary? And whose custody will Hanifah choose? Coming soon, on… The Hurmat-e Musaaharat Diaries A Hanafi Fiqh Anthology. Based On True Events

Some of the more recent responses by various nobodies - not the main interlocutors but those wanting to make a name for themselves perhaps - to the Ikhtilat series by ZC and MZ are so pathetic that they don’t even deserve the oxygen of acknowledgment, let alone publicity. Don’t think your ‘refutations’ are so strong that they are bulletproof. To the contrary, they are so bad they don’t even deserve to be touched with a barge pole.

“What is the point of having a sophisticated knowledge of law if you can’t dignify the rights of others?” — Dr Abdullah Sahin

Very nice advice by Sh Hatim on those visiting the book fair (or any book fair). I'll add a few more points that I found useful for myself 1) go to the book fair prepared. Search through catalogues, discuss with scholars and have a list of books you want to buy. This will save you from wasting the first day or two wandering around helplessly. 2) many of the books that are advertised, you don't have the opportunity to open them and skim through. So, one is unsure whether to purchase them or not. Use the time at the book fair to scroll through the books, look at the content page and the introduction (of the muhaqqiq if you know the book already, or of the author's introduction if you have not seen the book before). You can then make an informed decision whether the book is worth buying. 3) time should also be allocated for wandering in stalls and flicking through random works. Many interesting books pop up that have not been advertised. I found many interesting books like this. 4) have an idea of how you will get the book to your hotel and then back home before hand. Last minute plans can prove to be very stressful. There's much more, but hopefully Sh Hatim's advise and the small points mentioned here would be of some benefit.