Is it permissible to make collective supplication after the completion of the obligatory prayer?

The questioner : Is it permissible to make supplication after the obligatory prayer in a social or collective manner? Some people cite a hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the Fajr prayer, then turned to the side, raised his hands, and made supplication.

The Shaykh : Repeat the question.

The questioner : Is it permissible to make supplication after the obligatory prayer in a social or collective manner? Some people cite a hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the Fajr prayer, then turned to the side, raised his hands, and made supplication.

The Shaykh : We do not know of any basis for a hadith like this in the books of the Sunnah that we have examined. It is well known that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not bind or restrict the followers to what he did after the prayer in terms of dhikr or supplication. That is one point. Another point is that there are no hadiths indicating that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to make this long, extensive supplication that some mosque imams perform. Rather, there are some very, very brief supplications, such as his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . This set of words, which is among the supplications for sleep, is also established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say it after the obligatory prayer. And like his saying (peace be upon him) in the set of words known to all worshippers: . It is these brief, concise supplications that are established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). As for the long supplication, it has no existence in the Sunnah. This is from one aspect. From another aspect, it is not reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) that he used to raise his hands in such a brief, concise supplication. Therefore, the Sunnah must be followed exactly, step by step; because the Messenger (peace be upon him) is the role model. So, whatever supplication is prescribed, we supplicate; whatever supplication the Messenger (peace be upon him) raised his hands in, we raise our hands; and whatever supplication the Messenger (peace be upon him) made without raising his hands, we do not raise our hands. This is the requirement of the saying of our Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He): . For example, you supplicate in the sitting between the two prostrations: , but you do not raise your hands. Why?
In following the Sunnah of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), for we received this supplication from him, but we did not receive from him the raising of hands for this supplication. And so, apply this analogy to the supplication in the tashahhud. None of us should sit and raise his hands when beginning to praise his Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He): , then come to the explicit supplication for blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), then come to seeking refuge with Allah from four things, and then, as he (peace be upon him) said: . We do not raise our hands in all of this supplication. Why? Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do so. This is different from the qunut in times of calamity, for it is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his hands in the qunut for calamity. So here, although we are in prayer, we also raise our hands, following the Messenger (peace be upon him). From this detail in this specific issue and similar ones, a very important jurisprudential rule emerged. Whoever knows it and understands it will adhere to the Sunnah and turn away from innovation. That rule states that the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is divided into two parts: a Sunnah of action and a Sunnah of omission. Beware that anyone says "Sunnah turkiyyah" (Sunnah of leaving); rather, it is Sunnah tarkiyyah (Sunnah of omission), the opposite of action. So the Sunnah is two: a Sunnah of action and a Sunnah of omission. This means that whatever acts of worship and obedience the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed, it is Sunnah for us to do all of that. And whatever acts of worship and obedience the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) left, the Sunnah for us is to leave that, following our Prophet (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him). A Sunnah of action and a Sunnah of omission.
For example, we call the adhan for the five prayers, but we do not call the adhan for the two 'Id prayers, nor for the prayer for rain, nor for the eclipse prayer. Even if the matter were referred to reason—human, limited reason—it would say that people’s need for the adhan for a prayer like the prayer for rain, or the eclipse prayer, is greater than for the adhan of the five prayers. Because the five prayers are regular, systematic matters, five prayers every day. Therefore, a Muslim may feel the approach of the time for Zuhr or the approach of the time for 'Asr, and prepare for it. But when he is surprised that the Imam of the Muslims or his deputy wants to pray the prayer for rain, or the eclipse prayer, or the lunar eclipse, people in this state are in need of an announcement, and the best announcement is the adhan. Nevertheless, the adhan was not prescribed for Muslims except for the five prayers. And yet, you find some Muslims today have innovated an adhan. I wish that had been for the living, but rather it is for the occasion of the dead. When they bury them and lower the deceased into the grave, you find one of these living, or rather dead, people calling the adhan. For whom is he calling the adhan? Thus, his evil deed was made attractive to him. So this adhan is an innovation that the Messenger (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) did not do. As long as he left it, the Sunnah is to leave it.