Status of the practice of the Sahaabah-e-Kiraam (Radiyallahu Anhum)

What Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) has declared is termed as Hadith Qawli. What Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) has practiced is termed as Hadith Fei'li. What he neither practiced nor declared, but it took place in front of him yet he did not disapprove of it, is also considered as Hadith. This type of Hadith is termed as Hadith Taqreeri.

Similarly, what the Sahaabah-e-Kiraam (Radiyallahu Anhum) have practiced after Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam), has the status of Hadith itself. On the contrary, this type of Hadith is stronger than others because it is the applied form of the Hadith of Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam), which was adopted by a whole generation of Sahaabah-e-Kiraam (Radiyallahu Anhum) and the Taabi'in. Besides, Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) has commanded to follow the principles of the Khulafa-e-Raashideen (Radiyallahu Anhum) just like he has commanded to follow his own Sounnah.

Therefore, the thesis that people put forward not to accept three Talaaq as three or 20 Rak'aat of Taraweeh, with the excuse that it is not mentioned in the Hadith, is a false excuse because what the Sahaabah-e-Kiraam (Radiyallahu Anhum) had decided and had practiced, has the status of the Hadith of Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) in regards to application.

However, if the practice of the Sahaabah-e-Kiraam (Radiyallahu Anhum) seems to be in conflict with what Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) has said and has practiced, then in actual fact, it is a contradiction between two Hadith: a verbal Hadith and an applied Hadith. This is not a contradiction between Hadith and the practice of the Sahaabah (Radiyallahu Anhum). In such a situation, according to the principle, preference should be given to the Hadith that is in the applied form. It is due to this that the ‘Ulama said that three Talaaq given at once, are considered as three and Salat-ut-Taraweeh consists of 20 Rak'aat. And it is not right to say that this is not based on Hadith. This is a capital mistake that many are committing to induce the public into deviation

[English version of "Statu de la pratique banne Sahaba-e-Kiraam ‎(Radiyallahou anhoum‎)‎" – Al Jamiat – Vol.3 No.3]