Duas during Wudu

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah Most Merciful Most Kind

Short Answer

No, the Duas during Wudu, mentioned in some Hanafi books, are not from the Prophet ﷺ. Although some have claimed that they are Prophetic Duas, leading Hadith scholars clarified that this claim is baseless.

Explanation

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: كَفَى بِالْمَرْءِ كَذِبًا أَنْ يُحَدِّثَ بِكُلِّ مَا سَمِعَ

(Sayidina) Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: It is enough of a lie for a person to narrate everything that he hears. (Sahih Muslim, Chapter 3, Prohibition of Narrating Everything One Hears).

People who lack knowledge assume that the Hadith narrations found in Hanafi Fiqh works are all authentic. This is certainly not the case. Hanafi Imams have not made this claim. Rather they have acknowledged the opposite. Therefore, the mere appearance of the Duas during Wudu in Hanafi works does not mean they are soundly attributed to our beloved Prophet ﷺ.

The blessed Hadith above warns against spreading narrations without verifying them. Therefore, it is not acceptable to find a narration in Fiqh books and forward it without verification.

Those who are familiar with Hanafi works will know that great Hanafi scholars went through famous books, verifying each Hadith individually. This is a clear demonstration of leading Hanafi Imams refusing to assume all Hadith narrations in their books are sound.

The narration

وَرَوَاهُ ابْنُ حِبَّانَ فِي الضُّعَفَاءِ، مِنْ حَدِيثِ أَنَسٍ نَحْوَ هَذَا، وَفِيهِ (عَبَّادُ) بْنُ صُهَيْبٍ، وَهُوَ مَتْرُوكٌ، وَرَوَى الْمُسْتَغْفِرِيُّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ الْبَرَاءِ بْنِ عَازِبٍ، وَلَيْسَ بِطُولِهِ، وَإِسْنَادُهُ وَاهٍ. (التلخيص الحبير في تخريج أحاديث الرافعي الكبير)

It was narrated by Ibn Hibban in al-Dua’fa, from the Hadith of Anas similar to this. It has Abbad bin Suhayb in it. He is abandoned (Matrook). And al-Mustaghfiri narrated it from the Hadith of al-Baraa bin Azib. It is not as long as that, and its chain of transmission is extremely weak. (Imam Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani 852H, al-Talkhees al-Habeer).

The narration mentioning specific Duas during Wudu was narrated by Imam Ibn Hibban in his Tarikh work. Imam Ibn Hajr mentioned this and identified the problem with the chain. He also mentioned a separate narration which is also extremely weak. Thus, the Hadith in question is not merely weak. Rather it is very weak. Such a Hadith cannot be used.

Imam Ibn Hibban

عباد بن صُهَيْب من أهل الْبَصْرَة يروي عَن هِشَام عَن عُرْوَة وَالْأَعْمَش روى عَنهُ الْعِرَاقِيُّونَ كَانَ قدريا دَاعيا إِلَى الْقدر وَمَعَ ذَلِك يروي الْمَنَاكِير عَن الْمَشَاهِير الَّتِي إِذا سَمعهَا المبتدىء فِي هَذِه الصِّنَاعَة شهد لَهَا بِالْوَضْعِ. (المجروحين من المحدثين والضعفاء والمتروكين)

Abbad bin Suhayb, from the people of Basra. He narrated from Hisham, from Urwa, and al-Amash. The Iraqis narrated from him. He was a Qadari who called to his sect. Furthermore he narrated rejected narrations from famous scholars. Such that if a beginner in this field were to hear them, he would bear witness that they are fabrications. (Imam Ibn Hibban 354H, al-Majruheen).

As we see from the Nass (text) above, Imam Ibn Hibban made it abundantly clear that the narrator of the Hadith of Duas during Wudu is rejected. Furthermore, he explained that anyone with even minimal knowledge of Hadith science would identify this easily.

Different opinions?

Some people say there is a difference of opinion regarding the authenticity of the narrations linking the Duas during Wudu to the Prophet ﷺ, so we must respect the difference. Such people seem to lack understanding of Hadith science.

Firstly, the onus is upon those who claim a prophetic Hadith to prove it. But this has not been done. They have not presented a sound Sanad (chain). So, until they do this, simply claiming that there are other narrations substantiating the Hadith is insufficient.

Secondly, we must present the soundest opinion regarding religious issues. And in the Nass (text) below, Imam al-Sayuti makes it clear that the sound opinion is that of Imams Ibn Hajr and al-Nawawi. Namely, the Hadith is not attributable to the blessed Prophet ﷺ.

وأولى ما اعتمد عليه في ذلك قول النووي وابن حجر فقد كانا إمامي الحفاظ في عصرهما، والمرجع في الحديث إليهما، وليس في المعترضين المذكورين أحد في درجة الحفظ، والحديث الذي رواه ابن حبان في تاريخه عن أنس من قسم الواهي الشديد الضعف الذي لا يعمل به في فضائل الأعمال. (تحفة الأبرار بنكت الأذكار للنووي)

The best position in this matter is that of al-Nawawi and Ibn Hajar. They were the Imams of Hifdh (preservation) in their eras. And the authority in Hadith is with them. And none of the aforementioned objectors are at the degree of Hifdh (preservation). The Hadith narrated by Ibn Hibban in his Tarikh from Anas is from the flimsy and extremely weak. Such narrations are not used regarding the virtues of deeds. (Imam Jalal al-Deen al-Sayuti 911H, Tuhfatu al-Abrar).

Imam al-Nawawi

The great Hadith scholar, Imam al-Nawawi, seemed to be particularly concerned with the narration of Duas during Wudu being connected to the beloved Prophet ﷺ. He mentioned in numerous works that these supplications are baseless. Meaning, they cannot be attributed to the blessed Prophet ﷺ.

وأما الدعاء على أعضاء الوضوء، فلم يجئ فيه شيء عن النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم، وقد قال الفقهاء: يُستحبّ فيه دعوات جاءتْ عن السلف. (الأذكار للنووي)

As for supplication for the parts of ablution, nothing has reached us from the Prophet ﷺ. The jurists said: It is desirable to make the supplications narrated from the Salaf (predecessors). (Imam Yahya bin Sharaf al-Nawawi 676H, al-Adhkaar).

هَذَا الدُّعَاءُ، لَا أَصْلَ لَهُ، وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْهُ الشَّافِعِيُّ، وَالْجُمْهُورُ. وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ. (روضة الطالبين وعمدة المفتين)

This supplication has no basis. Al-Shafi’i and the majority did not mention it. And Allah knows best. (Imam Yahya bin Sharaf al-Nawawi 676H, Rowdatu al-Talibeen). 

وحذفت دعاء الأعضاء إذ لا أصل له. (منهاج الطالبين وعمدة المفتين في الفقه)

I deleted the Dua of the limbs, since it has no basis. (Imam Yahya bin Sharaf al-Nawawi 676H, Minhaaj al-Talibeen).

 

No reliable narration

A common response to being informed that a narration is fabricated or baseless, is for untrained people to claim there is another narration. Although it is important to consider all relevant narrations of a particular Hadith, the onus is upon the one claiming an alternative sound narration to prove it.

To simply announce that there is another narration is contrary to the methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah. Rather such claimants must reference the Hadith correctly and prove authenticity.

As for the Hadith mentioning Duas during Wudu, leading Imams of Hadith have explained that there is no sound narration for it. Be it the narration in Ibn Hibban or a narration elsewhere, it is not sound.

وقد رويت فيها أذكار تقال في أثنائها ولم تصح ولا شئ في الباب يعول عليه. (عارضة الأحوذي)

Supplications were narrated in it, which are said during it. However, they were not authentic. And nothing regarding this matter was reliably narrated. (Imam Abu Bakr bin al-Arabi 543H, Aridahtu al-Ahwizah).

هَذَا حَدِيثٌ لا يَصِحُّ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَقَدْ اتهم أبو حاتم ابن حَبَّانَ بِهِ عَبَّادَ بْنَ صُهَيْبٍ واتهم به الدارقطني أَحْمَدَ بْنَ هَاشِمٍ فَأَمَّا عَبَّادٌ فَقَالَ ابْنُ الْمَدِينِيِّ ذَهَبَ حَدِيثُهُ وقال البخاري والنسائي مَتْرُوكٌ وَقَالَ ابْنُ حَبَّانَ: يَرْوِي الْمَنَاكِيرَ الَّتِي يُشْهَدُ لَهَا بِالْوَضْعِ وَأَمَّا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ هَاشِمٍ فَيَكْفِيهِ اتهام الدارقطني. (العلل المتناهية في الأحاديث الواهية)

This Hadith is not authentic to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Abu Hatim Ibn Hibban accused Abbad bin Suhayb of (fabricating) it. Whilst al-Darqutni accused Ahmad bin Hashim of (fabricating) it. As for Abbad, Ibn al-Madini said his narration is nothing. Al-Bukhari and al-Nasai said he is abandoned (Matrook). Ibn Hibban said: He narrated rejected narrations from famous scholars, that are attested to be fabricated. As for Ahmad Ibn Hashim, sufficient for him is the assertion of al-Darqutni. (Imam Abu al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi 597H, al-Ilal al-Mutanahiyah).

In the Nass (text) below, Imam Ibn Salah was very succinct in asserting that there is no authentic Hadith to support the duas during Wudu. Upon reading this, some people will immediately make the argument that the Hadith is weak. This is clearly not the case.

Numerous Hadith scholars have clarified that the narrations are either fabrications, baseless or very weak. None of which can be used. If even one of the narrations was merely weak and not very weak, then it would have been permitted to use it for some aspects of Deen.

أما الأدعية على الأعضاء فلا يصح فيها حديث. (شَرحُ مشكِل الوَسِيطِ)

As for the supplications upon the limbs, there is no sound Hadith for them. (Imam Abu Amr Ibn Salah 643H, Sharh Mushkil al-Wasit).

Conclusion

The Duas during Wudu mentioned in some Hanafi works cannot be attributed to our beloved Prophet ﷺ. Rather they are more correctly attributed to some of the early Muslims. This is clear from the discussion and evidence above and summarised by Imam al-Sayuti in the following Nass.

وما احسن صنع الإمام الرافعي حيث قال: (ورد بها الأثر عن السلف الصالحين) فعزاه إلى السلف كما صنع النووي في الأذكار ولم يعزوه إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم. (تحفة الأبرار بنكت الأذكار للنووي)

How great was the position of Imam al-Rafi’i. He said: They were narrated from the righteous predecessors. So, he attributed it to the predecessors, as al-Nawawi did in al-Adhkaar. He did not attribute it to the Prophet ﷺ. (Imam Jalal al-Deen al-Sayuti 911H, Tuhfatu al-Abrar).

Anyone who looks at the Duas during Wudu which were mentioned in some Hanafi works can see that they are impactful supplications. They focus on the afterlife. Therefore, there is no harm in making such supplications as long as one does not consider them to be from our blessed Prophet ﷺ.

And Allah Most High Knows Best.

–Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (14.10.24)