A Closer Look at the Third Form of Tawarruk

Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd (may Allāh have mercy on him) said in “There Is Nothing New in the Rulings of Prayer” (p. 49): The newly proposed practical application of the ḥadīth of ʿAbdullāh ibn Az-Zubayr: The newly proposed practical application of the ḥadīth of ʿAbdullāh ibn Az-Zubayr (may Allāh be pleased with them both), who said: “When the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ sat in prayer, he would place his left foot BAYNA his thigh and his shin, and he would lay his right foot flat …” The ḥadīth was narrated by Muslim (5/79). Some contemporaries have understood that the practical application of this Sunnah is to expose the toes of the left foot between the thigh and the shin, placing the top of the foot toward the shin and the sole toward the thigh. … This ḥadīth was also narrated by Abū Dāwūd with his chain from ʿAbdil-Wāḥid ibn Ziyād, who said: ʿUthmān ibn Ḥakīm informed us, who said: ʿĀmir ibn ʿAbdillāh ibn Az-Zubayr informed us from his father, who said: “When the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ sat in prayer, he would place his left foot TAHTA (under) his right thigh and shin, and he would lay his right foot flat.” (Ḥadīth no. 973) Its chain of narration is the same as that of Muslim! Since the point of origin of the ḥadīth in both narrations is the same, the word “between” BAYNIYYAH in Muslim’s narration carries the meaning of “under” (TAHTIYYAH) as stated explicitly in the wording of Abū Dāwūd. With a single source of narration, it is not possible for the description to be multiple or varied. Thus, the placement of the left foot under the right thigh and shin cannot reasonably be interpreted according to this newly proposed practical application. Consequently, the wording “BAYNA” in Muslim’s narration must be understood in light of the explicit wording found in Abū Dāwūd’s narration. When Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allāh have mercy on him) mentioned the three forms reported from the Prophet ﷺ regarding Tawarruk in the final tashahhud, he stated: – In the first form: that the Prophet ﷺ would extend both feet out from one side. – In the second form: that he ﷺ would extend his left foot and keep the right foot upright. – In the third form: that he ﷺ would place his left foot BAYNA his thigh and shin and lay his right foot flat. After detailing each of these, he said: “This (i.e., the third form) is the description chosen by Abūl-Qāsim Al-Khiraqī in his Mukhtaṣar. This differs from the first two descriptions in that the left foot is not extended out from the right side, and the right foot is not kept upright. Perhaps he ﷺ would do this at times and that at other times, and this is more apparent. It is also possible that this is due to variation among the narrators …” End quote. The difference between the second and third forms of tawarruk lies in the position of the right foot: whether it is kept upright or laid flat. As for the left foot, in both cases it is extended toward the right side, and in the third form its precise placement is clarified as being “BAYNA the right thigh and shin.” For this, Ibn Al-Qayyim cited only the ḥadīth of Ibn Az-Zubayr mentioned earlier, using its wording as found in Muslim, and he did not cite its wording in Abū Dāwūd, which explicitly states that it is “under his thigh and shin.” This is because the point of difference between the second and third forms of tawarruk concerns the right foot—whether it is upright or laid flat. Some contemporary individuals who ascribe themselves to ḥadīth scholarship understood, based solely on Muslim’s narration and Ibn Al-Qayyim’s restriction to its wording, this interpretation that supports the newly proposed practical application. This is a novel application, and I know of no one who held this view previously. The wording of Abū Dāwūd—given the unity of the source of narration—is decisive in rejecting this new understanding. And Allāh knows best.