By Mufti Zameelur Rahman
Imam al-Sarakhsi states:
وأصل هذه المسألة إذا قرأ في صلاته بالفارسية جاز عند أبي حنيفة رحمه الله ويكره وعندهما لا يجوز إذا كان يحسن العربية، وإذا كان لا يحسنها يجوز وعند الشافعي رضي الله عنه لا تجوز القراءة بالفارسية بحال ولكنه إن كان لا يحسن العربية وهو أمي يصلي بغير قراءة، وكذلك الخلاف فيما إذا تشهد بالفارسية أو خطب الإمام يوم الجمعة بالفارسية
“If a person recites the Qur’an in salah in Farsi (translation) it is valid according to Abu Hanifah (Allah have mercy on him) but makruh (tahrimi), while according to Sahibayn it is not valid if one is capable of reciting in Arabic and, if incapable, it is valid…The same disagreement applies to the situation that one recites the tashahhud in Farsi (translation) or the imam delivers the khutbah on Friday in Farsi.” (al-Mabsut, 1:37)
Imam al-Sarakhsi is here referring to Imam Abu Hanifah’s earlier position that reciting the Qur’an in salah in translation is valid but makruh tahrimi. His final position – which is the stronger view of the Hanafi madhhab – is the same as Sahibayn: reciting the Qur’an in translation is not valid.
Al-Sarakhsi states that the same disagreement that exists for reciting the Qur’an in salah based on Imam Abu Hanifah’s earlier position applies to the tashahhud and Friday khutbah. Namely, that according to Imam Abu Hanifah to recite them in non-Arabic is valid but makruh tahrimi, and according to Sahibayn it is invalid if capable of reciting them in Arabic.
‘Allamah al-Haskafi states in al-Durr al-Mukhtar:
وصح شروعه أيضا مع كراهة تحريم بتسبيح وتهليل وتحميد وسائر كلم التعظيم الخالصة له تعالى ولو مشتركة كرحيم وكريم فى الأصح…كما صح لو شرع بغير عربية أي لسان كان وخصه البردعي بالفارسية….وشرطا عجزه، وعلى هذا الخلاف الخطبة وجميع أذكار الصلاة
“It is also valid for one to commence (the salah) with tasbih (subhanAllah) or tahlil (la ilaha illAllah) but it is makruh tahrimi…just as it is valid to commence (the salah) in non-Arabic…Sahibayn add the condition (for it being valid) that one is incapable (of reciting it in Arabic). The same disagreement applies to the khutbah and all the litanies of salah.” (Radd al-Muhtar, 3:267–71)
Since the “same disagreement” applies to the khutbah and other litanies of salah, it follows that Imam Abu Hanifah deems a non-Arabic khutbah to be valid but makruh tahrimi and Sahibayn deem it invalid for someone capable of reciting it in Arabic.
Shaykh Abu ‘l-Su‘ud al-Azhari al-Hanafi states after mentioning the issue of commencing the salah in non-Arabic:
وعلى هذا الخلاف الخطبة والقنوت والتشهد والتعوذ وتسبيحات الركوع والسجود والصلاة على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من غير كراهة فى الأصح على ما ذكره [رضي الدين] السرخسى رضي الله عنه فلفظ التكبير إنما هو أولى فقط، ورجح غيره إثباتها [أي: الكراهة] وهو الأولى
“The same disagreement applies to the khutbah, qunut, tashahhud, ta‘awwudh, tasbihs of ruku‘ and sujud and salawat on the Prophet ﷺ. It is without any reprehensibility in the soundest position based on what (Radi al-Din) al-Sarakhsi stated, so the word ‘Allahu akbar’ is only preferred (according to him). However, other (verifiers) have deemed the stronger position to be that of affirming it (being makruh tahrimi), which is the preferred (position).” (Fathullah al-Mu‘in, 1:182)
Shaykh Abu ‘l-Su‘ud here includes the khutbah and the litanies of salah in the same category as takbirat al-tahrimah, clarifying that the stronger position is that, while valid in non-Arabic, it will still be makruh tahrimi.
Mawlana ‘Abd al-Hayy al-Laknawi states:
إذا خطب فى الجمعة بالفارسية أو تشهد فى الصلاة بالفارسية جاز ذلك عنده لكن مع كراهة، صرح فى النهاية وغيرها، وعندهما لا يجوز للقادر على العربية
“If the khutbah of Jumu‘ah is recited in Farsi or the tashahhud in salah is recited in Farsi, it is valid according to Imam Abu Hanifah but makruh (tahrimi), as stated in al-Nihayah and other texts. According to Sahibayn, it is not valid for someone capable of Arabic.” (‘Umdat al-Ri‘ayah, 2:81)
The ‘illah (legal basis) for why starting the salah with something other than takbir is makruh tahrimi is that it entails “ترك السنة المتوارثة”, i.e. abandoning the passed-down habitual practice in something that is ritually restrictive. (al-Ghayah Sharh al-Hidayah, 3:30; al-Binayah Sharh al-Hidayah, 2:173) Ibn Nujaym calls it a “habitual persistence not associated with practical leaving”. (al-Bahr al-Ra’iq, 1:534)
Given that the khutbah is described in the same category, the very same ‘illah applies to why reciting the khutbah in non-Arabic is makruh tahrimi: it goes against the established practice of the Prophet ﷺ, his companions and the successive early generations after them – without interruption, alteration or exception – even though non-Arabic-speaking communities existed even then.
For this reason, Mawlana ‘Abd al-Hayy al-Laknawi extends the ruling of it being makruh (tahrimi) to delivering part of the khutbah in Arabic and the remainder in another language, given this too opposes the passed-down habitual practice of the early generations. (Akam al-Nafa’is bi Ada’ al-Adhkar bi Lisan Faris, pp.140–153)
