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Fatwa CenterView of Ibn 'Abbaas on second prostration in Soorah Al-Hajj
Question
Assalaamu alaykum. The opinion of Ibn Abbaas is that there is no second prostration in Surah Al-Hajj. Could u give the above reference?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn ʻAbbaas 
that the second prostration in Soorah Al-Hajj is prescribed as cited by Ibn Al-Munthir, Al-Haakim, Al-Bayhaqi, and Ibn Hajar 
.
It has also been narrated on the authority of Ibn ʻAbbaas that there is no second prostration in Soorah Al-Hajj. Ibn Al-Munthir 
reported on the authority of Ibn ʻAbbaas that he said, "There are two prostrations in Al-Hajj; the first is obligatory and the second is instructive (i.e. not obligatory since the verse contains a command to make both rukooʻ (bowing) and sujood (prostrating), which implies the prayer in general according to the Quranic usage, and not prostration in particular)." [Al-Awsat]
Ibn Al-Munthir also said:
"Two different views have been narrated on the authority of Ibn ʻAbbaas in this regard. It has been reported that he said, 'The Hajj chapter was favored with two prostrations.' And it has also been reported that he said, 'In Soorah Al-Hajj, the first is obligatory and the second is instructive.' He (Ibn 'Abbaas) did not perform the prostration when reciting the second. It has been reported on his authority as well that he said, 'In Al-Hajj, there is one prostration...'" (Ibn Al-Munthir then cited the reports with their chains of narration and then added, "I adopt the first opinion.")
Al-Bayhaqi cited the two opinions on the authority of Ibn ʻAbbaas and declared the report suggesting that he did not perform the second prostration to be weak because the chain of narration of the relevant report contained ʻAbd Al-Aʻla Ath-Tha'labi, who was declared as a weak reporter. He put forward a possible interpretation of the report that does not negate that the second prostration is prescribed. He wrote:
"Ash-Shaafiʻi wrote in Al-Mathhab Al-Qadeem (his early opinion), 'Some of our Companions narrated on the authority of ʻAasim and Abu Al-ʻAaliyah that Ibn ʻAbbaas used to perform two recitation prostrations when reading Al-Hajj chapter. However, this narration should not be rejected on the basis of the report narrated on the authority of ʻAbd Al-Aʻla Ath-Thaʻlabi and Saʻeed ibn Jubayr that says that Ibn ʻAbbaas said, 'There are two prostrations of recitation in Al-Hajj chapter; the first prostration is obligatory and the second is instructive.' This is because ʻAbd Al-Aʻla was declared a weak reporter by Hadeeth scholars. It may be instructive (i.e. intended as a reference to the prayer in general and not prostration in particular). It is possible also that the second prostration in Soorah Al-Hajj is instructive but that prostration is made when it is recited, just like that at the end of Soorah An-Najm and Soorah Al-ʻAlaq. This applies if the second report (narrated on the authority of ʻAbd Al-Aʻla Ath-Thaʻlabi) is proven correct to give more benefit.'" [Maʻrifat As-Sunan wa Al-Athaar 3/244]
Ibn Hajar wrote:
"It has been narrated on the authority of ʻUqbah ibn ʻAamir that he said, 'O Messenger of Allaah! Has not Soorah Al-Hajj been favored over the rest of the Quran with two prostrations?' He said, 'Yes, and whoever does not intend to prostrate when reading them, he should not read them, i.e. the two verses that contain them.' [Ahmad, Abu Daawood, At-Tirmithi, Ad-Daaraqutni, Al-Bayhaqi, and Al-Haakim] This wording was cited by At-Tirmithi. Its chain of narration contains Ibn Laheeʻah, who was classified by scholars as a weak reporter. Al-Haakim highlighted that Ibn Laheeʻah was the only reporter narrating that report, and this is asserted by the fact that the version was narrated on the authority of ʻUmar, Ibn ʻUmar, Ibn Masʻood, Ibn ʻAbbaas, Abu Ad-Dardaa', Abu Moosa, and ʻAmmaar 
with authentic chains narration. He, then, cited it as a mawqoof report (stopped at the level of the Companion) and not attributed to the Prophet ..." [At-Talkhees]
For more benefit, please refer to fataawa 141011and 131947.
Allaah knows best.
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