What is the ruling on collective dhikr, and is there in the hadith "A group of people sat remembering Allah" evidence for that?

Question : And a message reached us by fax, Honorable Shaykh, from the questioner Maher from Sudan. He says: What is the ruling on collective dhikr? Al-Nawawi titled a chapter in *Riyad al-Salihin* "The Chapter on the Virtue of the Circle of Dhikr and the Encouragement to Adhere to It and the Prohibition of Abandoning It Without an Excuse," and he cited a number of hadiths from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), among them:

Answer : "No group sits remembering Allah except that the angels surround them." This is a hadith. We must know that the texts found in the Book and the Sunnah must be understood according to the methodology of the righteous Salaf. So the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) does not mean that this is to be done collectively, because if that were the intended meaning, the Companions would have been the first to act upon it. Likewise, when they gathered for the remembrance of Allah the Exalted and Majestic, the meaning is not that they gather to remember Allah collectively, because if that were the intended meaning, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) would have been the first to act upon it. It was not the way of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to gather to remember Allah with one voice, with one of them leading them.
Therefore, we say that collective dhikr is a bid'ah (religious innovation) not in its essence, but in its description. The remembrance of Allah the Exalted is not a bid'ah, because the remembrance of Allah the Exalted is prescribed at all times. But its being in this manner is the bid'ah. The practice of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) explains the Quranic and Prophetic texts. We must return to the methodology of the righteous Salaf, and we can never understand from the texts anything other than what the righteous Salaf understood. Applying the texts to something the righteous Salaf did not understand is a bid'ah, and manipulating the texts according to desire. Also, among the circles of dhikr are the circles of knowledge.
that a scholar sits with his students to teach them and remind them. That is undoubtedly a form of dhikr (remembrance of Allah), as Allah Blessed and Exalted is He said meaning the people of knowledge and He the Exalted said May Allah reward you with good.