What is the ruling on men clapping in seminars and competitions?

The questioner : Your Eminence the Shaykh! I love you for the sake of Allah. My question has two parts. The first is: What is the ruling on men clapping in seminars and competitions?

The Shaykh : Yes, may Allah love the one who loves me for His sake. I ask Allah to make me and you among those who love for the sake of Allah and hate for the sake of Allah. Clapping falls into three categories. The first category is when it is adopted as an act of worship. The polytheists do this at the House. This is forbidden, without doubt. Allah the Exalted said: [This is] a purification and a confirmation. The second category is when it is adopted as play. Like those who clap and nod their heads for play and amusement. This is prohibited, either by a prohibition of forbiddance or a prohibition of dislike.
The third category is when it is for encouragement. That is, it is customary that when a person claps, the one being encouraged becomes more active in what he is doing. In that case, there is no harm, because the default for matters other than acts of worship is what? It is permissibility and lawfulness. So if it is customary that such clapping encourages, I see no harm in it. How great is the joy of a student when he answers correctly in his class and they clap for him! I mean the elementary school students, and you, if Allah wills, do not care about this. How great is his joy! Perhaps he flies from sin with joy. Should we prevent such encouragement? Such encouragement without evidence?
As for the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that clapping is for women and glorification is for men, that is in prayer. Because he said: If something happens to you in your prayer, let the men glorify Allah and let the women clap. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) distinguished between men and women in this because it is not befitting for a woman’s voice to be apparent in this act of worship, so that no one is distracted in his prayer by it. Have you seen if she says Subhan Allah, Subhan Allah, Subhan Allah, and her voice is soft and sweet, and a young man of full strength listens to it, perhaps fitnah (trial) may occur. But if she claps, the sound of clapping is one sound. As for the men, they glorify Allah. And on this occasion, why did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) choose for the men to glorify Allah rather than say Allahu Akbar? Brother. No, that is not enough. Saying Allahu Akbar is a remembrance from the remembrances of prayer. Do you not say in the tashahhud: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah? Also, well, this is close. If Subhan Allah means that we purify Allah from having a lapse in memory, as this man forgot his faith?
This is among the wisdoms and secrets of the Shari'ah. Look at the traveler when he ascends a high place, what does he say? He says: Allahu Akbar. If he is on a high place, he glorifies Allah and says: Allahu Akbar. And when he descends, he says: Subhan Allah. Why? Because when he ascends, he may have in his heart a love for height or arrogance in himself, so he lightens his burden and lowers himself and says: Allahu Akbar. When he descends, the descent is a lowering, so he says: Subhan Allah, meaning purifying Him from being lowly, Mighty and Majestic.
And similar to this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he saw something he liked from the matters of this world, what did he say? What did the group say? He said: Labbaik (At your service). For life is the life of the Hereafter. This is a great education, because when a person sees something that appeals to him from this world, his soul may incline toward it and he may neglect the remembrance of Allah. How is this disease treated?
With the word Labbaik. Then he prepares his soul and says: For life is the life of the Hereafter. As for the life of this world, by Allah, a person does not guarantee its continuation, not even for an hour. Is that not so? How many people went out riding the most luxurious car in the world and did not get out of it except dead? What is this enjoyment? How many people slept on the best of beds in the most luxurious palaces, but did not wake up except dead? Is that not so? So is this life a life? It is incomplete life. In truth, life is the life of the Hereafter. O Allah, make our life in this world good and in the Hereafter good, O Lord of the worlds.