The Permissibility of Takbir in Congregation and Its Impermissibility
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Fatwa No. ( 20618 )
Q: I was in a small city in the United States of America , where more than one hundred and fifty Muslim men and women gathered
to perform the prayer of 'Id al-Fitr, and a battle nearly broke out among the worshippers because ofthe disagreement over the permissibility of takbir in congregation and its impermissibility, and had it not been for the grace of Allah, the Muslims would have become a laughingstock in their festival for the mockers among the secularists and non-Muslims. So, the one who says it is not permissible says that the Salaf did not do it, and the original ruling is that supplications and dhikr are individual acts, and no explicit text has come regarding takbir in congregation, neither marfu' nor mawquf. And the one who says the takbir in congregation is prescribed, and not merely permissible, relies on the same texts that the first party relies on for the permissibility of takbir, but with a different interpretation, which is as follows: 1- The statement that the original ruling for supplications is that they are individual acts does not necessitate the impermissibility of supplicating in congregation, for the saying of "Ameen" behind the one who supplicates is a form of congregational supplication that is consistent with the nature of supplication. 2- The text of the two hadiths reported regarding takbir indicates that a person says takbir and the people say takbir with his takbir, meaning: with him or behind him. So the first narration says: (Ibn 'Umar and Abu HurayrahIbn 'Umar and Abu Hurayrah(may Allah be pleased with them both) used to go out to the market in the ten days saying takbir, and the people would say takbir with their takbir) (al-Bukhari) Book of (The Two Festivals), Chapter on (The Virtue of Good Deeds in the Days of Tashriq) and Chapter on (Takbir on the Days of Mina). The other narration states: ('Umar(may Allah be pleased with him) would say takbir in his tent at Mina, and the people
The mosque, and the people of the markets would say takbir until Mina would tremble with takbir, and the women used to say takbir behind 'Aban ibn 'Uthman and 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz during the nights of Tashriq. al-'Asqalani (Vol. 2, p. 535), and this group says that it is clear from the two narrations that the takbir is congregational for the following reasons: that this formulation was used to mean doing something in congregation in the hadith: ( al-Bukhari ) in the Book of (The Adhan, if there is a wall or a barrier between the imam and the people) and in the other narration: ( al-Bukhari ) in the Book of (The Adhan), Chapter on (Night Prayer).
A: First: Supplication and dhikr are among the greatest acts of worship, and acts of worship are based on text and following, not on innovation and invention. The original ruling for supplication and dhikr is that each person performs it alone and with a low voice, as indicated by the verses of the Qur'an and the authentic texts of the Sunnah. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Isra 17:110] , 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: (This was revealed regarding supplication)
It is agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim. And He the Exalted said:[Al-A'raf 7:55] , some of the exegetes said: meaning: those who transgress by raising their voices in supplication. And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said: [Al-A'raf 7:205] , and in the two Sahihs from Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) he said: , and if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disapproved of those who raised their voices with takbir while they were in the open space
then disapproving of those who do that in the mosques and making their voices match with harmonization and melody is even more so. And it was reported from a group of the Salaf, from the Companions and those after them, disapproval of those who gather and supplicate with one voice or remember Allah with tahlil or takbir or tasbih with one voice. So from Abu 'Uthman al-Nahdi he said: The governor of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to him: There are people here who gather and supplicate for the Muslims and the Amir. So 'Umar wrote to him: Bring them with you. So he brought them, and 'Umar said to the gatekeeper: Prepare a whip. When they entered upon 'Umar , he struck their leader with the whip. And 'Umar ibn Yahya said: I heard my father narrate from his father, he said: We used to sit at the door of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud before the dawn prayer, and when he came out we would walk with him to the mosque. Then Abu Musa al-Ash'ari came to us and said: Has Abu 'Abd al-Rahman come out to you yet? We said: No. So he sat with us until he came out. When he came out, we all stood up to him, and Abu Musa said to him: O Abu 'Abd al-Rahman : I saw in
the mosque just now something I disapproved of, and I have not seen, praise be to Allah, but good. He said: What is it? He said: If you live, you will see it. He said: I saw in the mosque groups of people sitting waiting for the prayer, in each group a man, and in their hands pebbles, he says: Say takbir a hundred times, so they say takbir a hundred times, he says: Say tahlil a hundred times, so they say tahlil a hundred times, and he says: Say tasbih a hundred times, so they say tasbih a hundred times. He said: What did you say to them? He said: I did not say anything to them, waiting for your opinion or your order... until Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said when he stood over them: Woe to you, O nation of Muhammad, how quickly you are destroyed! These are the Companions of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) still present, and his garments have not worn out, and his vessels have not been broken. By Him in whose hand is my soul, you are either upon a religion that is more guided than the religion of Muhammad, or you are opening a door of misguidance? They said: By Allah, O Abu 'Abd al-Rahman , we did not intend but good. He said: And how many are there who intend good but do not attain it. So this is Abu Musa al-Ash'ari and Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with them both), who disapproved of those people of that manner and congregational form of dhikr, even though dhikr is recommended and encouraged,
but not in the innovated and invented ways. Its manner and form must be according to the way received from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his righteous Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). And from Mujahid he said: I prayed the dawn prayer with Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib , and when the imam finished, the people rushed to the preacher. So Sa'id said: How quickly they are to this gathering! Mujahid said: I said: They are interpreting what Allah the Exalted mentioned. He said: What did He say? I said:[Al-An'am 6:52] He said: Is there something in this? That is only in the prayer from which we just left, that is only in the prayer. And from Mujahid also he said: 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi 'Umar prayed in the mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and when he prayed, he leaned against the chamber of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the people fell upon him. He said: O people, to me! It was said: May Allah have mercy on you, they only came wanting this verse: [Al-Kahf 18:28] , he said: And this was intended by this, it is only in
the prayer, and it is clear from these athar and others that the righteous Salaf used to disapprove of gathering for supplication or dhikr and making that a regular practice, how much more so if raising voices and melody is added to that? The result is that what is prescribed in supplication and dhikr is that each person performs it alone without raising his voice except to the extent that he hears himself or his neighbor, except for what the Shari'ah has excluded, such as the supplication of the imam in the prayer and the saying of "Ameen" to it, whether after al-Fatihah or in the qunut and the like. Second: And as for the athar narrated from some of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them); such as the athar of 'Umar that he used to say takbir in his tent at Mina and the people of the mosque would hear him and say takbir, and the people of the markets would say takbir until Mina would tremble with takbir, and that Ibn 'Umar and Abu Hurayrah used to go out to the market in the ten days saying takbir and the people would say takbir with their takbir - the answer to that is: that the hearing of the people of the mosque of 'Umar does not indicate that he used to raise his voice with takbir in a disapproved manner, but rather he (may Allah be pleased with him) had a loud voice, and his tent was next to the mosque, so when he
He raised his voice in takbir while in it, and the people of the mosque heard it, so they became alert from their heedlessness and each of them said takbir individually. And similarly, Ibn 'Umar and Abu Hurayrah did so, and it was not mentioned of them (may Allah be pleased with them) that they exaggerated in raising their voices with the takbir, and far be it from them to contradict the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 2992 Also, 'Umar and his son and Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with them) each of them said takbir individually, and likewise everyone who heard them, for each one says takbir individually, and there was no gathering among them on a single voice with melodic intonation and embellishment, and Allah knows best. Thirdly: It is obligatory for all Muslims in every time and place to offer sincere advice among themselves, and to discuss issues in the light of the Book and the Sunnah, and to be free from desire and partisanship for other than the truth, and that they love for their brothers the good that they love for themselves, and that they strive for unity and affection, and distance themselves from division and discord, and that everyone strives to follow the Sunnah and proceed upon the methodology of the Salaf of the Ummah, for in that lies good and protection, and disagreement in these issues is not a cause for severing ties and enmity, but rather the obligatory thing is mutual advice, clarifying the Sunnah, and not differing in performing the prayers in congregation because of these issues. We ask the Generous Allah for us and our brothers
the Muslims guidance and success, and that He grant us the path of His straight way and steadfastness upon it, and that He keep us away from the path of those upon whom is the anger and those who went astray, for He is the All-Hearing, the Near, the Responsive. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Q: I was in a small city in the United States of America , where more than one hundred and fifty Muslim men and women gathered
to perform the prayer of 'Id al-Fitr, and a battle nearly broke out among the worshippers because ofthe disagreement over the permissibility of takbir in congregation and its impermissibility, and had it not been for the grace of Allah, the Muslims would have become a laughingstock in their festival for the mockers among the secularists and non-Muslims. So, the one who says it is not permissible says that the Salaf did not do it, and the original ruling is that supplications and dhikr are individual acts, and no explicit text has come regarding takbir in congregation, neither marfu' nor mawquf. And the one who says the takbir in congregation is prescribed, and not merely permissible, relies on the same texts that the first party relies on for the permissibility of takbir, but with a different interpretation, which is as follows: 1- The statement that the original ruling for supplications is that they are individual acts does not necessitate the impermissibility of supplicating in congregation, for the saying of "Ameen" behind the one who supplicates is a form of congregational supplication that is consistent with the nature of supplication. 2- The text of the two hadiths reported regarding takbir indicates that a person says takbir and the people say takbir with his takbir, meaning: with him or behind him. So the first narration says: (Ibn 'Umar and Abu HurayrahIbn 'Umar and Abu Hurayrah(may Allah be pleased with them both) used to go out to the market in the ten days saying takbir, and the people would say takbir with their takbir) (al-Bukhari) Book of (The Two Festivals), Chapter on (The Virtue of Good Deeds in the Days of Tashriq) and Chapter on (Takbir on the Days of Mina). The other narration states: ('Umar(may Allah be pleased with him) would say takbir in his tent at Mina, and the people
The mosque, and the people of the markets would say takbir until Mina would tremble with takbir, and the women used to say takbir behind 'Aban ibn 'Uthman and 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz during the nights of Tashriq. al-'Asqalani (Vol. 2, p. 535), and this group says that it is clear from the two narrations that the takbir is congregational for the following reasons: that this formulation was used to mean doing something in congregation in the hadith:
The Prophet used to pray at night... so a group of people stood up and prayed with his prayer.
كان النبي يصلي من الليل.. فقام أناس يصلون بصلاتهSo he prayed in it for nights, and a group of his Companions prayed with his prayer.
فصلى فيها ليالي فصلى بصلاته ناس من أصحابهA: First: Supplication and dhikr are among the greatest acts of worship, and acts of worship are based on text and following, not on innovation and invention. The original ruling for supplication and dhikr is that each person performs it alone and with a low voice, as indicated by the verses of the Qur'an and the authentic texts of the Sunnah. Allah the Exalted said:
And do not recite [too] loudly in your prayer or [too] quietly but seek between that an [intermediate] way.
وَلاَ تَجْهَرْ بِصَلاتِكَ وَلاَ تُخَافِتْ بِهَا وَابْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ سَبِيلاIt is agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim. And He the Exalted said:
Call upon your Lord in humility and privately; indeed, He does not like transgressors.
ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً إِنَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَAnd remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear without being apparent in speech - in the mornings and the evenings. And do not be among the heedless.
وَاذْكُرْ رَبَّكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ تَضَرُّعًا وَخِيفَةً وَدُونَ الْجَهْرِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالآصَالِ وَلاَ تَكُنْ مِنَ الْغَافِلِينَWe were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on a military expedition, and we used to not ascend a high place or descend a valley without raising our voices in takbir. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came near to us and said: "O people, restrain yourselves, for you are not calling upon one who is deaf or absent, but you are calling upon One who is All-Hearing, All-Seeing."
كنا مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في غزاة فجعلنا لا نصعد شرفًا ولا نهبط في واد إلا رفعنا أصواتنا بالتكبير، قال: فدنا منا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال: أيها الناس اربعوا على أنفسكم فإنكم لا تدعون أصم ولا غائبًا إنما تدعون سميعًا بصيرًاthen disapproving of those who do that in the mosques and making their voices match with harmonization and melody is even more so. And it was reported from a group of the Salaf, from the Companions and those after them, disapproval of those who gather and supplicate with one voice or remember Allah with tahlil or takbir or tasbih with one voice. So from Abu 'Uthman al-Nahdi he said: The governor of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to him: There are people here who gather and supplicate for the Muslims and the Amir. So 'Umar wrote to him: Bring them with you. So he brought them, and 'Umar said to the gatekeeper: Prepare a whip. When they entered upon 'Umar , he struck their leader with the whip. And 'Umar ibn Yahya said: I heard my father narrate from his father, he said: We used to sit at the door of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud before the dawn prayer, and when he came out we would walk with him to the mosque. Then Abu Musa al-Ash'ari came to us and said: Has Abu 'Abd al-Rahman come out to you yet? We said: No. So he sat with us until he came out. When he came out, we all stood up to him, and Abu Musa said to him: O Abu 'Abd al-Rahman : I saw in
the mosque just now something I disapproved of, and I have not seen, praise be to Allah, but good. He said: What is it? He said: If you live, you will see it. He said: I saw in the mosque groups of people sitting waiting for the prayer, in each group a man, and in their hands pebbles, he says: Say takbir a hundred times, so they say takbir a hundred times, he says: Say tahlil a hundred times, so they say tahlil a hundred times, and he says: Say tasbih a hundred times, so they say tasbih a hundred times. He said: What did you say to them? He said: I did not say anything to them, waiting for your opinion or your order... until Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said when he stood over them: Woe to you, O nation of Muhammad, how quickly you are destroyed! These are the Companions of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) still present, and his garments have not worn out, and his vessels have not been broken. By Him in whose hand is my soul, you are either upon a religion that is more guided than the religion of Muhammad, or you are opening a door of misguidance? They said: By Allah, O Abu 'Abd al-Rahman , we did not intend but good. He said: And how many are there who intend good but do not attain it. So this is Abu Musa al-Ash'ari and Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with them both), who disapproved of those people of that manner and congregational form of dhikr, even though dhikr is recommended and encouraged,
but not in the innovated and invented ways. Its manner and form must be according to the way received from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his righteous Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). And from Mujahid he said: I prayed the dawn prayer with Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib , and when the imam finished, the people rushed to the preacher. So Sa'id said: How quickly they are to this gathering! Mujahid said: I said: They are interpreting what Allah the Exalted mentioned. He said: What did He say? I said:
And do not send away those who call upon their Lord morning and afternoon
وَلاَ تَطْرُدِ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّAnd keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening
وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّthe prayer, and it is clear from these athar and others that the righteous Salaf used to disapprove of gathering for supplication or dhikr and making that a regular practice, how much more so if raising voices and melody is added to that? The result is that what is prescribed in supplication and dhikr is that each person performs it alone without raising his voice except to the extent that he hears himself or his neighbor, except for what the Shari'ah has excluded, such as the supplication of the imam in the prayer and the saying of "Ameen" to it, whether after al-Fatihah or in the qunut and the like. Second: And as for the athar narrated from some of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them); such as the athar of 'Umar that he used to say takbir in his tent at Mina and the people of the mosque would hear him and say takbir, and the people of the markets would say takbir until Mina would tremble with takbir, and that Ibn 'Umar and Abu Hurayrah used to go out to the market in the ten days saying takbir and the people would say takbir with their takbir - the answer to that is: that the hearing of the people of the mosque of 'Umar does not indicate that he used to raise his voice with takbir in a disapproved manner, but rather he (may Allah be pleased with him) had a loud voice, and his tent was next to the mosque, so when he
He raised his voice in takbir while in it, and the people of the mosque heard it, so they became alert from their heedlessness and each of them said takbir individually. And similarly, Ibn 'Umar and Abu Hurayrah did so, and it was not mentioned of them (may Allah be pleased with them) that they exaggerated in raising their voices with the takbir, and far be it from them to contradict the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Be merciful to yourselves (i.e. don't raise your voice), for you are not calling a deaf or an absent one
اربعوا على أنفسكم فإنكم لا تدعون أصم ولا غائبًاthe Muslims guidance and success, and that He grant us the path of His straight way and steadfastness upon it, and that He keep us away from the path of those upon whom is the anger and those who went astray, for He is the All-Hearing, the Near, the Responsive. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.