Question Summary:
Status of hadith on Salat al-Hājah

Question Detail:

 
 I would please like to know if the following Hadith clasification is correct for salatul hajah; I think collected by ibn majah and tirmidih, and your conclusion.
The hadeeth narrated concerning Salaat al-Haajah says:
“From ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Awfa al-Aslami, who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out to us and said: ‘Whoever has need of something from Allaah or any one of His creation, let him do wudoo’ and pray two rak’ahs, then let him say, “There is no god but Allaah, the Forbearing, the Most Generous. Glory be to Allaah, Lord of the mighty Throne. Praise be to Allaah the Lord of the Worlds. O Allaah, I ask You for Your mercy and forgiveness and I ask You for all good things and for safety from all sins. I ask You not to leave any sin without forgiving it, or any distress without relieving it, or any need which it pleases You to fulfil without fulfilling it for me.” Then let him ask Allaah for whatever matter of this world or the Hereafter that he wishes, for it will be fulfilled.”
(Narrated by Ibn Maajah, Iqaamat al-Salaah wa’l-Sunnah, 1374) 
Al-Tirmdihi said: this is a ghareeb [strange] hadeeth, and concerning its isnaad it was said: Faa’id ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan is weak in hadeeth.  
Al-Albaani said: rather it is da’eef jiddan (very weak). Al-Haakim said: mawdoo’ (fabricated) ahaadeeth were narrated from Abu Awfa. 
Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, vol. 1, p. 417 
The author of al-Sunan wa’l-Mubtada’aat said, after mentioning what al-Tirmidhi said concerning Faa’id ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan: Ahmad said he is matrook (left, i.e., his hadeeth is not to be accepted), and Ibn al-‘Arabi described him as da’eef (weak). 
And he said: You know what is said concerning this hadeeth. It is better and more perfect and safer for you to  make du’aa’ to Allaah in the depths of the night and between the adhaan and iqaamah and at the end of every prayer before the tasleem; and on Fridays, for then there are times when du’aa’ is answered; and when breaking one’s fast.
 

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
 
Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh
Salāt al-Hājah (“Salāh of Need”) refers to performing two or more rak‘ats of optional salāh with the purpose of fulfilling one’s needs, whether followed by a du‘ā’ or not. This basic notion of Salāt al-Hājah is established in the sources of Sharī‘ah.
Allāh Ta‘ālā says in the Qur’ān:
استعينوا بالصبر والصلوة
“Take help from patience and salāh.” (Qur’ān, 2:45)
It is reported from Hudayhfah (radiyAllāhu ‘anhu):
كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا حزبه أمر صلى
“When a concern would overcome the Prophet (Allāh bless him and grant him peace), he would offer salāh.” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd)[1]
Also, Rasūlullāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said about the earlier prophets (‘alayhimussalām):
وكانوا يفزعون إذا فزعوا إلى الصلاة
“When they were concerned, they would take recourse to salāh”[2]
It is reported from Rasūlullāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) that he said:
من توضأ فأسبغ الوضوء ثم صلى ركعتين يتمهما، أعطاه الله ما سأل معجلا أو مؤخرا
“Whoever performs wudū’, perfecting the wudū’, and then he offers two rak‘ats of salāh, making them complete, Allāh will give him what he asks, immediately or with delay.” (Musnad Ahmad)[3]
Hence, if one were to offer two rak‘ats of optional salāh with the intention of fulfilling his needs, this is permissible and recommended based on the aforementioned verse and hadīths. He may follow these two rak‘ats with a du‘ā’, asking Allāh to fulfil his need/s.
However, there is a particular du‘ā’ that has become famous in the description of Salāt al-Hājah. After completing the two rak‘ats of salāh, one hadīth states that the person who wishes to have his needs fulfilled should make the following du‘ā’:
لا إله إلا الله الحليم الكريم، سبحان الله رب العرش العظيم، الحمد لله رب العالمين، أسئلك موجبات رحمتك وعزائم مغفرتك والغنيمة من كل بر والسلامة من كل إثم، لا تدع لي ذنبا إلا غفرته ولا هما إلا فرجته ولا حاجة هي لك رضا إلا قضيتها يا أرحم الراحمين
This particular procedure of Salāt al-Hājah is narrated only through an extremely weak chain[4] found in Jāmi‘ al-Tirmidhī[5], Sunan Ibn Mājah[6] and Mustadrak al-Hākim[7]. This narration comes only from the narrator, Fā’id ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmān al-Kūfī, from the Sahābī, ‘Abdullāh ibn Abī Awfā (radiyAllāhu ‘anhu). Abū Hātim al-Rāzī (195 – 277 H) said about Fā’id ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmān: “His hadīths from Ibn Abī Awfā are falsities, you find almost no basis for them…If a man was to swear an oath that all his hadīths are lies, he would not have broken his oath.”[8] Al-Hākim said: “He narrates fabricated hadīths from Ibn Abī Awfā.”[9] Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalānī said: “Rejected, they charged him [with lying].”[10] Ibn al-Jawzī included this narration in his book on fabricated hadīths.[11] Hence, this specific procedure may not be practised.
The particular du‘ā’ in question has been narrated in another hadīth (without mention of the two rak‘ats) from Anas (radiyAllāhu ‘anhu) by al-Tabrānī[12], but this too is extremely weak (da‘īf jiddan) because of the narrator ‘Abbād ibn ‘Abd al-Samad.[13]
Hence, while one may offer salāh with the intention of attaining assistance from Allāh to fulfil his need/s, this should not be done with the belief that any particular procedure or description is proven from the Sharī‘ah. Instead, it should be left open and flexible.
And Allah Ta‘ālā Knows Best
Zameelur Rahman
Student Darul Iftaa
UK
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net