Prayer Behind One Who Denies the Sunnah and Commits Some Innovations
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Fatwa No. ( 3261 ):
Q: We live in a city where the people do not seek refuge in Allah, do not say the Basmalah, do not recite the opening supplication, and do not pause in the places where the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pause. Many of them shave their beards, especially the Friday preachers, in addition to other innovations hostile to Islam. They also engage in other things such as fortune-telling and issuing false fatwas for the sake of pleasing people. We have informed them of what is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the issue of prayer, but they refused strongly and said: "We are content with what we found our fathers upon." These imams do not heed obedience to Allah in raising their children, except for those whom Allah has mercy upon, and they are few. Some of them have daughters who go out unveiled and exposed, without caring that their actions are contrary to Islam. As for the preachers, they are content with the evil they do on Friday day, such as narrating hadith before the sermon and reciting the Qur'an in congregation before the preacher enters the mosque, and they call the adhan three times on Friday. This is a common phenomenon in our country, and all of them have been warned by the
Sunni brothers who have held fast and continue to hold fast to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). These are some of the few points we mentioned regarding the innovations we found that are contrary to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came with. Q: Is it permissible for a Muslim to pray behind these innovating imams? Is it permissible to pray behind one who denies the Sunnah ? Some of these people recite al-Fatihah—that is, the supplication—in congregation after every prayer with a loud voice. They also recite the hizb in congregation after the Fajr prayer and after the Maghrib prayer, always and regularly. They recite the Qur'an at weddings, celebrations, and feasts for money, and they recite the Qur'an at graves and funerals for money, and they accompany the funeral procession with dhikr. We ask you to clarify this to us with a clear and sufficient explanation so that we may be certain of our religion?
A: First: The truth is with those who seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan at the beginning of recitation, whether the recitation is in prayer or not; due to the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted:
So when you recite the Qur'an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].
فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِthe pause between the end of the recitation and the bowing. Whoever says this is correct and rewarded with two rewards, and whoever differs from this is excused and rewarded with one reward if he was a mujtahid seeking the truth and made a mistake. It is permissible for each group to pray behind the other, and the matter is broad in this regard, and quarreling or disputing over it is not permissible. Second: Shaving the beard is haram; due to the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to let it grow and to trim the mustache, and because it is contrary to the fitrah. Third: The fortune-teller: is one who claims to know the unseen or to know what is in the heart. Most of this is done by those who look at the stars to know events, or those who use those who eavesdrop on the jinn Shayatans. Like these are those who draw in the sand and look into the cup or the palm, and those who open the book claiming that they know the unseen by it. They are disbelievers because they claim to have partnered Allah in one of His specific attributes, which is knowledge of the unseen, and because they deny the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Say, "None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah
قُلْ لاَ يَعْلَمُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ الْغَيْبَ إِلا اللَّهُ(26) [He is] Knower of the unseen, and He does not disclose His [knowledge of the] unseen to anyone (27) Except whom He has approved of messengers, and indeed, He sends before each messenger and behind him observers
عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ فَلا يُظْهِرُ عَلَى غَيْبِهِ أَحَدًا (26) إِلا مَنِ ارْتَضَى مِنْ رَسُولٍ فَإِنَّهُ يَسْلُكُ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ رَصَدًاAnd with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him.
وَعِنْدَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ لاَ يَعْلَمُهَا إِلا هُوَAnd whoever comes to him and believes in what he says of fortune-telling is also a disbeliever; due to what was narrated by Abu Dawud from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
or who goes to a fortuneteller and believes what he says, he has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad.
من أتى كاهنًا فصدقه بما يقول فقد كفر بما أنزل على محمدWhoever goes to a diviner or a fortune-teller and believes what he says has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad
من أتى عرافًا أو كاهنًا فصدقه بما يقول فقد كفر بما أنزل على محمدEach of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock
كلكم راع ومسؤول عن رعيتهthe imams of the mosques and the rest of the scholars, for they are the role models of the people, and their negligence in themselves and in the affairs of their families emboldens others to be negligent in religion and to transgress its limits and manners. So, if one is negligent in guiding his family and disciplining them until his wife, daughters, and sisters, for example, go out unveiled and exposed, the ruling on praying behind him is like the ruling on praying behind open sinners, like the one who shaves his beard, and the correct of the scholars' words is that the prayer is valid. Fifth: Reciting the verse
Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّupon the truth and help you to support the Sunnah and suppress innovation, for He, the Exalted, is the One who answers supplication. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.