Question:
Can I combine different madhhabs in one act of worship? For example, in prayer.
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
To answer the above question, we cite some things to be taken into consideration before practising an act of worship or taking the opinion of different madhhabs in one act of worship:
- If it is on the purpose of tatabbu’ al-rukhas (تتبـع الرخص), then it should be avoided. Tatabbu’ al-rukhas meant here is taking the easiest way/opinion in a particular Fiqh issue, especially without the process of tarjih which is syar’ie and just to follow one’s deisres. Al-Imam Ibn Abd al-Bar and al-Imam Ibn Hazm stated that this is prohibited by ijma’. Those who hold the same opinion are al-Imam al-Ghazali, al-Imam al-Nawawi, al-Imam Ibn al-Qayyim and al-Imam al-Syatibi.
- If there is a sahih hadith with a true understanding upon the hadith, then it is permissible. This is as often stated to be from the words of Imam al-Syafi’e:
إذَا صَحَّ الْحَدِيثُ فَهُوَ مَذْهَبِي
“If a hadith is sahih, then it is my madhhab” [1]
- In our opinion, holding on to a particular madhhab and studying it is prioritized to be practiced for the consistency and avoiding the khilaf that could lead to various perceptions as long as it is in accordance with the Quran and sunnah.
Wallahua’lam.
[1] Refer: al-Majmu’. Dar al-Fikr (15/461), Tuhfah al-Muhtaj (1/54( & Mughni al-Muhtaj. Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah (1/110)