A Review of the Debate between Batalavi and Chakrhalavi — Page 2
2 A REVIEW OF THE DEBATE BETWEEN BATĀLAVI AND CHAKRHĀLAVI considered sufficient what evidence from the Quran alone can be furnished to support that the obligatory morning prayer consists of two rak'āt,¹ maghrib [prayer] comprises three and the remain- ing three [prayers] compose of four rak'āt each. Although inherently flawed, this rebuttal was still overpow- ering and this is why 'Abdullah Şahib was unable to provide any satisfying reply and only responded with absurdities which are not even worth mentioning. However, the objection raised by Maulavi Muhammad Hussain Batālvī consequently forced 'Abdullah Şahib to invent a new form of salāt² which was com- pletely incongruous with anything practiced by all the sects of Islam. He removed the attahiyyāt, durūd⁴ and other customary prayers of the Holy Prophetsaw from the salāt and only Quranic verses were incorporated in their stead. He further proposed numerous other innovations in the salāt which need not be men- tioned here, and perhaps he even sought to ordain changes in the practices of the hajj and zakat. Is it true that the hadith are really as worthless and futile as Maulavī 'Abdullah Şahib suggests. God forbid, not at all. The fact of the matter is that of the two parties, both have verged on opposite extremes. Firstly, Maulavi Muhammad Hussain is correct in enunciating the argument that authentic hadith which can be traced back to the Holy Prophet saw cannot 1. A single complete cycle of a prayer. [Publisher] 2. The second pillar of Islam, salāt refers to the obligatory Prayers required of Muslims five times a day. [Publisher] 3. A prayer recited in the sitting position of the salāt. [Publisher] 4. To invoke blessings upon the Holy Prophetsaw. [Publisher]