The Ruling on Praying Behind an Innovator
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Question:
The questioner says: I heard something. He says: I love you for the sake of Allah. What is the ruling on praying behind an innovator, such as one who innovates in calling upon the graves or calling upon the dead?
Answer:
As for love in the Self, it is an act of drawing near and obedience. It is obligatory for Muslims to love one another for the sake of Allah. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Muwatta Malik 51:14 He mentioned two men who loved each other for the sake of Allah; they met, and then they parted. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah says on the Day of Resurrection: "Where are those who loved each other for My Majesty?" So that their shadow may pass over a shadow?
As for the innovator, the distinction is this: if his innovation is one that entails disbelief, one does not pray behind him, such as one who worships the dead or calls upon the dead for aid, or the ignorant one who denies the attributes and names of Allah, or the Mu'tazilah, or the Rafidah; one does not pray behind them. However, if his innovation does not take him out of Islam, then one prays behind him, even if there is a pressing need, such as if he is the preacher or the imam of a congregational mosque or the like, such as one who says, "I intend to pray," verbalizing the intention, or the like of innovations that do not entail disbelief. But it is obligatory for those in charge to choose for the position of imam one who has no innovation whatsoever, and to choose for the position of imam people known for their uprightness and good condition, not in terms of innovations or sins. It is obligatory to choose for the position of imam one who is known for his uprightness in obeying Allah and his caution regarding innovations.
The questioner says: I heard something. He says: I love you for the sake of Allah. What is the ruling on praying behind an innovator, such as one who innovates in calling upon the graves or calling upon the dead?
Answer:
As for love in the Self, it is an act of drawing near and obedience. It is obligatory for Muslims to love one another for the sake of Allah. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
He said: Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says: "My love is obligatory for those who love each other for My sake, sit together for My sake, visit each other for My sake, and exchange gifts for My sake."
قال يقول الله جل وعلا وجبت محبتي للمتحابين في والمتجالسين في والمتزاورين في والمتبادلين فيThere are seven whom Allah will shade in His shade on the day on which there is no shade except His shade
سبعة يظلهم الله في ظله يوم لا ظل إلا ظلهin their shade, and there is no shade except
في ظلهم ولا ظل إلاAs for the innovator, the distinction is this: if his innovation is one that entails disbelief, one does not pray behind him, such as one who worships the dead or calls upon the dead for aid, or the ignorant one who denies the attributes and names of Allah, or the Mu'tazilah, or the Rafidah; one does not pray behind them. However, if his innovation does not take him out of Islam, then one prays behind him, even if there is a pressing need, such as if he is the preacher or the imam of a congregational mosque or the like, such as one who says, "I intend to pray," verbalizing the intention, or the like of innovations that do not entail disbelief. But it is obligatory for those in charge to choose for the position of imam one who has no innovation whatsoever, and to choose for the position of imam people known for their uprightness and good condition, not in terms of innovations or sins. It is obligatory to choose for the position of imam one who is known for his uprightness in obeying Allah and his caution regarding innovations.
Source
التوحيد فضله وأنواعه وحكمه — islamhouse.com (55:53)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.