Expression Said When Leg Becomes Numb
Question

                It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar in al-Adab al-Mufrad that if his foot became numb, he would mention the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Is this action something that is prescribed in Islam?
Praise be to Allah.
    The isnad (chain of narrators) of this 
    report hinges on Abu Ishaq as-Sabee‘i, and it was narrated from him by five 
    of his companions, namely Sufyan ath-Thawri, Zuhayr ibn Mu‘awiyah, Shu‘bah, 
    Israil ibn Yoonus and Abu Bakr ibn ‘Ayyash. But they differed concerning the 
    narration of the report from Abu Ishaq, and there are several versions 

    1. 

    It was narrated from Sufyan ath-Thawri and 
    Zuhayr ibn Mu‘awiyah, from Abu Ishaq, from ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sa‘d who said: 
    Ibn ‘Umar’s leg became numb and a man said to him: Mention the dearest of 
    people to you. He said: Muhammad.

    Narrated by al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad; 
    ad-Daaraqutni in al-‘Ilal,  from Sufyan ath-Thawri with the wording 
    mentioned above, but in the version narrated by ad-Daraqutni it says “O 
    Muhammad.” 

    It was narrated by ‘Ali ibn al-Ja‘d in al-Musnad; 
    Ibraaheem al-Harbi in Ghareeb al-Hadeeth; Ibn Sa‘d in at-Tabaqat; Ibn 
    ‘Asakir in Tareekh Dimashq, from Zuhayr, with the wording: I came to Ibn 
    ‘Umar and his leg had become numb, so I said: What is the matter with your 
    leg? He said: Its nerves are contracting. I said: Call upon the dearest of 
    people to you. He said: O Muhammad, and he was able to stretch it out. 

    This isnad cannot be proven to be sound 
    because of ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sa‘d al-Qurashi al-‘Adawi al-Kufi, the freed 
    slave of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). In al-‘Ilal by 
    ad-Daraqutni, it says that he was the freed slave of Ibn al-Khattab. His 
    biography is in al-Jarh wa’t-Ta‘deel and Tahdheeb al-Kamal. We did not find 
    anyone who evaluated the narrator; rather it was said to Yahya ibn Ma‘een 
    (may Allah have mercy on him): Who is ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Sa‘d? He said: I 
    do not know. 

    Tareekh Ibn Ma‘een -- Riwayat ad-Doori. 

    With regard to the view of al-Hafiz Ibn 
    Hajar in at-Tahdheeb, I say: An-Nasai said: (He is) thiqah (trustworthy). 

    Dr. Sa‘d al-Humayd (may Allah preserve 
    him) commented on him by saying: 

    I think that this (that he is thiqah or 
    trustworthy) is probably what an-Nasai said about the previous narrator, 
    namely ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sa‘d al-Madani al-A‘raj. There is a similarity 
    between them (in name), hence al-Mazzi said in Tahdheeb al-Kamal that an-Nasai 
    stated that al-Madani al-A‘raj was trustworthy, but he did not mention his 
    saying that al-Kufi, the freed slave of Ibn ‘Umar, was such.

    End quote. 


    http://www.alukah.net/Fatawa_Counsels/3004/14542

    Note: ad-Daraqutni stated in al-‘Ilal that 
    Zuhayr ibn Mu‘awiyah narrated it from Abu Ishaq, from ‘Abd al-Jabbar ibn 
    Sa‘eed, from Ibn ‘Umar, but I have not found the origin of this report.

    2.

    It was narrated by Shu‘bah, from Abu Ishaq, 
    from someone who heard Ibn ‘Umar say: My leg became numb, and it was said: 
    Mention the most beloved of people. He said: O Muhammad. 

    Narrated by Ibrahim al-Harbi in Ghareeb 
    al-Hadeeth. 

    There is some weakness in its isnad 
    because of the unknown character of the narrator from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah 
    be pleased with him). 

    3.

    It was narrated by Israel, from Abu Ishaq, 
    from al-Haytham ibn Hanash, who said: We were with ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may 
    Allah be pleased with him) and his leg became numb. A man said to him: 
    Mention the dearest of people to you. He said: O Muhammad. Then he stood up 
    and it was as if he was released from a hobble. 

    This was narrated by Ibn as-Sunni in ‘Aml 
    al-Yawm wa’l-Layla. 

    This isnad is also da‘eef (weak) because 
    of al-Haytham ibn Hanash, whose biography appears in at-Tareekh al-Kabeerand 
    al-Jarh wa’t-Ta‘deel. None of the scholars said he was trustworthy; no one 
    said he was good or bad. His state is unknown and al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi 
    gave his name in al-Kifayah as an example of those who are unknown. 

    Moreover in the isnad going back to Israel 
    there is a narrator whose name is Muhammad ibn Mus‘ab al-Qarqasani, who was 
    classed as da‘eef by Ibn Ma‘een and an-Nasa’i. Ibn Hibban said: His memory 
    became poor; he used to mix up isnads and attribute mursal (hadeeth 
    in which the narrator between thesuccessorand 
    the Prophet is omitted from a givenisnad)reports to the Prophet 
    (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). It is not permissible to quote 
    his reports as evidence, although others regarded him as trustworthy. 

    Note: ad-Daraqutni stated in al-‘Ilalthat 
    Israel narrated it from Abu Ishaq, from Ibn ‘Umar, in a mursal report, but I 
    could not find this report. 

    4.

    It was narrated by Abu Bakr ibn ‘Ayyash: 
    Abu Ishaq al-Sabee‘i told us, from Abu Shu‘bah who said: I was walking with 
    Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and his leg became numb. He sat 
    down and a man said to him: Mention the dearest of people to you. He said: O 
    Muhammad, then he got up and walked. 

    Also narrated by Ibn as-Sunni in ‘Aml al-Yawm 
    wa’l-Laylah. 

    This is also a da‘eef isnaad, as it is not 
    known who this Abu Shu‘bah is, and there are some reservations about Abu 
    Bakr ibn ‘Ayyash. 

    To sum up, these isnads (chains) are not 
    free of three issues: 

    i.

    Each of them includes an unknown narrator 
    at the level of those from whom Abu Ishaq as-Sabee‘i narrated it. They are: 
    ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sa‘d, al-Haytham ibn Hanash and Abu Shu‘bah. And there is 
    a fourth narrator whose name is not known. 

    ii.

    Moreover it is not proven in the books 
    that Abu Ishaq as-Sabee‘i heard from each of these four. It is known that 
    Abu Ishaq was well-known for tadlees (ambiguity or giving the wrong 
    impression), to such an extent that al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar mentioned him in the 
    third level of mudalliseen (those who were known for tadlees), in his book 
    Ta‘reef Ahl al-Taqdees bi Maratib al-Mawsoofoona bi’t-Tadlees. So there is 
    the fear that he used it in some of these reports too. He narrated the 
    hadeeth saying ‘an (from) in the isnad, and did not state clearly that he 
    heard it. Although the basic principle is that the hadeeth of Abu Ishaq in 
    which it says ‘an in the isnad is acceptable, using it here in conjunction 
    with these unknown shaykhs gives rise to suspicion and doubt. 

    iii.

    The fact that those who narrated from Abu 
    Ishaq as-Sabee‘i differed may cause us to doubt its soundness because of 
    this lack of harmony, especially since Abu Ishaq’s memory changed and he 
    started to forget towards the end of his life. Even though it is possible to 
    regard the report of Sufyan ath-Thawri as more likely to be correct, because 
    he had the best memory of those who narrated from Abu Ishaq, this thinking 
    is nevertheless speculative and may not be correct. Dr. Sa‘d al-Humayd (may 
    Allah preserve him) says: The most sound of these isnads is the report of 
    Sufyan ath-Thawri. End quote. 

    Shaykh Abu Ishaq al-Huwayni (may Allah 
    preserve him) says: The report of ath-Thawri is the most reliable. End quote 
    from al-Fatawa al-Hadeethiyyah. 

    Shaykh Salih Al ash-Shaykh says: Sufyan is 
    one of the best in terms of memory and his narrating the report of Abu Ishaq 
    with this wording proves that this is the correct version and that others 
    are wrong and are to be rejected. End quote from Hadhihi Mafaaheemuna. 

    The report of Ibn ‘Umar cannot be 
    strengthened by what Ibn as-Sunni narrated in ‘Aml al-Yawm wa’l-Laylah, 
    where he said: Ja‘far ibn ‘Eesa Abu Ahmad told us, Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn 
    Rawh told us, Salam ibn Sulayman told us, Ghiyath ibn Ibrahim told us, from 
    ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Uthman ibn Khuthaym, from Mujahid, that Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah 
    be pleased with him) said: A man’s leg became numb in the presence of Ibn 
    ‘Abbas, and Ibn ‘Abbas said: Mention the dearest of people to you. He said: 
    Muhammad, blessings and peace of Allah be upon him. And the numbness went 
    away. 

    That is because this is a very weak report 
    because of Ghiyath ibn Ibrahim, of whom Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: People 
    rejected his hadeeth. Al-Bukhari said: They rejected him. See: Mizan al-I‘tidal. 
    Its isnad also includes other weak narrators. 

    The report was classed as da‘eef (weak) by 
    Shaykh al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) in Da‘eef al-Adab al-Mufrad; 
    and by Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd (may Allah have mercy on him) when he said: 
    There is no sound report about dhikr (remembrance of Allah) or du‘a 
    (supplication) when one’s leg goes numb; no marfoo‘ hadeeth (narration 
    attributed to Prophet) has been narrated concerning that.

    End quote from Tasheeh ad-Du‘a. 362 

    Secondly: 

    The fact that the dearest of people to Ibn 
    ‘Umar, namely our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
    him), was mentioned – even if we assume the report is sound – does not mean 
    that it was done by way of calling upon him for help. Rather it was merely 
    mentioning him. There is a huge difference between the two matters. 

    Merely mentioning him is what was meant by 
    some of the scholars who regarded this report as sound in their books, such 
    as Imam an-Nawawi in al-Adhkar, Ibn Taymiyah in al-Kalim at-Tayyib and 
    others. This way of treating numbness was used by the Arabs in the past; 
    they thought that mentioning the beloved could make the blood flow in the 
    veins and help get rid of the numbness. There are dozens of examples of this 
    in Arabic poetry, which indicates that this was a kind of remedy used by the 
    Arabs. For more information please refer to the book Buloogh al-Arab fi 
    Ma‘rifat Ahwal al-‘Arab by al-Aloosi.

    As for calling upon him for help, that 
    would mean that Ibn ‘Umar was asking for immediate healing of the numbness 
    in his leg from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and 
    not from Allah, may He be exalted. It is not permissible to seek healing 
    from anyone except Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, for He is the One 
    in Whose hand is the power to cause harm or bring benefit; He is the Lord 
    Who controls the entire universe. He, may He be glorified and exalted, has 
    commanded us to ask of Him and not of any of His creation with regard to 
    that which only Allah is able to do. Allah says (interpretation of the 
    meaning):

    “And the mosques are for Allah (Alone), so 
    invoke not anyone along with Allah.

    (It has been revealed to me that) When the 
    slave of Allah (Muhammad ) stood up invoking (his Lord Allah) in prayer to 
    Him they (the jinns) just made round him a dense crowd as if sticking one 
    over the other (in order to listen to the Prophet’s recitation).

    Say (O Muhammad ): I invoke only my Lord 
    (Allah Alone), and I associate none as partners along with Him.

    Say: It is not in my power to cause you 
    harm, or to bring you to the Right Path” [72:18-21]. 

    Shaykh Abu Bateen (may Allah have mercy on 
    him) said: 

    If this report is saheeh (authentic), 
    perhaps Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has caused mentioning the 
    Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in this situation to have 
    a special effect. And Allah knows best. He did not say, “O Muhammad, take 
    away my numbness”, or, “I complain to you about the numbness in my leg” – as 
    some people (incorrectly) think that this report constitutes evidence that 
    it is permissible to call upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be 
    upon him) and to seek help from him and ask him to fulfil their deeds and 
    relieve distress.

    End quote from Rasail wa Fatawa Aba Bateen. 

    Whoever wants to use this report as 
    evidence that it is permissible to seek help from the Prophet (blessings and 
    peace of Allah be upon him) has gone too far and is claiming something for 
    which there is no proof in the report; he has ignored all the rules and 
    guidelines on understanding reports and reaching conclusions. Think about 
    what the man said; he said “Mention” and did not say “Seek help from” or 
    “Call upon”, except in the report of Zuhayr ibn Mu‘awiyah from Abu Ishaq, 
    where it says “Call upon the dearest of people to you.” But there can be no 
    doubt that the report of Sufyan ath-Thawri is more appropriate and more 
    authentic, because he had a better memory and narrated more soundly from Abu 
    Ishaq as-Sabee‘i. Moreover, Zuhayr ibn Mu‘awiyah heard from Abu Ishaq after 
    his memory changed because of old age, and there is the fear that this 
    report is one of those that come under that category. 

    Thirdly: 

    Even if we assume that it is true that Ibn 
    ‘Umar said “O Muhammad” – although these words are not to be found in the 
    report of Sufyan ath-Thawri – that does not necessarily mean that he was 
    seeking help from him. It may be understood as meaning that he was calling 
    to mind the person of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) 
    so as to send blessings upon him. In that case what it means is: O Muhammad, 
    may Allah send blessings upon you. This is how it was understood by Ibn 
    Hajar al-Haytami in ad-Durr al-Mandood. 

    Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah 
    have mercy on him) said: 

    The words “O Muhammad, O Prophet of Allah” 
    and similar calls are meant to bring to mind the person called, so that one 
    might address the person brought to mind. This is like when the worshipper 
    says in the prayer: “As-salaam ‘alayka ayyuha’n-Nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allahi wa 
    barakaatuhu (Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His 
    Blessings).” People do that a great deal; a man may address the person he is 
    thinking of even though there is no one in front of him to hear what he 
    says.

    End quote from Iqtida’ as-Sirat al-Mustaqeem 
    li Mukhalafat Ashab al-Jaheem. 

    Fourthly: 

    The words “Mention the dearest of people 
    to you” would not necessarily elicit the same response from everyone whose 
    leg becomes numb. One person may mention the name of his wife, another may 
    mention the name of his father and a third may mention the name of his 
    friend. Moreover, the person mentioned may not be one of the righteous or 
    one of the pious worshippers; rather he may be an evildoer who does not 
    adhere to the rulings of Islam. So how can it be said that calling upon him 
    for help or even mentioning his name may be a direct cause of the numbness 
    going away? 

    To sum up: there is no saheeh report 
    concerning this matter. 

    And Allah knows best.