It is said that on the seventh day after the death of a person, the deceased's family sends for religious men, and these men come and perform the prayer in congregation and recite
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The questioner : It is said that on the seventh day after the death of a person, the deceased's family sends for religious men, and these men come and perform the prayer in congregation and recite the Qur'an, and they remember Allah with phrases such as "La ilaha illa Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah, I seek forgiveness from Allah." They say this one hundred times or more, then they send blessings upon the Prophet by saying.
The questioner : O Allah, send blessings and peace upon him.
The Shaykh : "O Allah, send blessings upon our master Muhammad and upon his family and his companions, and peace. O Allah, send blessings upon our master Muhammad, the truthful Prophet, by the number of what You have created, O our Lord, and You are the Creator, and upon his family and his companions, and peace." They say this several times. In all these remembrances, some of them hear each other, and those sitting with them participate in it. Then they supplicate to Allah for pardon, forgiveness, and the acceptance of the reward of this work for the deceased. What is the ruling on the work of these people, and will they be rewarded for their work, especially since they seek thereby the reward from Allah and do not take any material compensation? Also, they have made this custom a means to encourage people to obey Allah, follow His command, and avoid His prohibitions. Most people do not understand much about Islam, and a large portion of the praying people do not understand how to perform the prayer in the required manner, nor do they attend the prayer in the mosques. No. They say they do not find anyone to guide them. Also, the religious men explain to people in this work of theirs that it does not save their deceased from the Fire, nor does it enter him into Paradise, unless he himself performed in his life what Allah made obligatory upon him?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah. This is one of the denounced religious innovations that was not established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); rather, it did not come from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) nor from his Companions. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) warned against religious innovations with the utmost warning, and he saidSunan Abi Dawud 4607Sahih (Al-Albani) And any act of worship by which a person seeks nearness to his Lord, and which has no basis in the Shari'ah, he will not be rewarded for it, even if he intended good, and even if he intended thereby to seek nearness to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). For seeking nearness to Allah the Exalted is not possible except through His Shari'ah, and His Shari'ah is what His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought.
The questioner : O Allah, send blessings and peace upon him.
The Shaykh : And I am giving you an example: if you wanted to reach one of the cities and you took a path other than its path, you would be lost from it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Likewise, if you wanted to reach Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and you took a path other than His path, and His path is His Shari'ah which His messengers brought, then you will not reach Him. For this reason, the scholars said that a condition for the acceptance of worship is that it be based on two things: sincerity to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and this may be present in these innovators; and the second is following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and this is missing in these innovators.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Therefore, this work of theirs does not bring them closer to Allah (Mighty and Majestic); rather, it increases their distance from Allah.
The questioner : There is no power and no strength except with Allah.
The Shaykh : As for the fact that this is a means for people to know how to pray, how to supplicate to Allah, and how to worship Allah, we say that this innovated means is in itself denounced.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And it is not possible for denounced matters to be a means of reform ever, even if they reform a little, for they corrupt a lot. Rather, the means of reform are what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) brought of teaching the Shari'ah by the way of written and spoken word, and by the way of action, as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach his Ummah in this manner.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Sometimes he would pray with them, so he would ascend the pulpit and stand, bow, and raise his head while on the pulpit, then he would descend and prostrate, and he would saySahih Muslim 544a .
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And likewise, his Companions after him used to teach the Ummah by the way of word and action, as 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) used to order a vessel of water, then he would perform ablution in front of the people and say "I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performing ablution like this ablution of mine". In any case, the way to teach people is the way that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) brought. As for innovating acts of worship that the Shari'ah did not bring and saying that we want thereby to teach people the Shari'ah, in reality we have taught them religious innovation and not the Shari'ah.
The questioner : There is no power and no strength except with Allah.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The questioner : His final question.
The questioner : O Allah, send blessings and peace upon him.
The Shaykh : "O Allah, send blessings upon our master Muhammad and upon his family and his companions, and peace. O Allah, send blessings upon our master Muhammad, the truthful Prophet, by the number of what You have created, O our Lord, and You are the Creator, and upon his family and his companions, and peace." They say this several times. In all these remembrances, some of them hear each other, and those sitting with them participate in it. Then they supplicate to Allah for pardon, forgiveness, and the acceptance of the reward of this work for the deceased. What is the ruling on the work of these people, and will they be rewarded for their work, especially since they seek thereby the reward from Allah and do not take any material compensation? Also, they have made this custom a means to encourage people to obey Allah, follow His command, and avoid His prohibitions. Most people do not understand much about Islam, and a large portion of the praying people do not understand how to perform the prayer in the required manner, nor do they attend the prayer in the mosques. No. They say they do not find anyone to guide them. Also, the religious men explain to people in this work of theirs that it does not save their deceased from the Fire, nor does it enter him into Paradise, unless he himself performed in his life what Allah made obligatory upon him?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah. This is one of the denounced religious innovations that was not established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); rather, it did not come from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) nor from his Companions. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) warned against religious innovations with the utmost warning, and he said
Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error
وإياكم ومحدثات الأمور فإن كل محدثة بدعة وكل بدعة ضلالة وكل ضلالة في النارThe questioner : O Allah, send blessings and peace upon him.
The Shaykh : And I am giving you an example: if you wanted to reach one of the cities and you took a path other than its path, you would be lost from it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Likewise, if you wanted to reach Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and you took a path other than His path, and His path is His Shari'ah which His messengers brought, then you will not reach Him. For this reason, the scholars said that a condition for the acceptance of worship is that it be based on two things: sincerity to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and this may be present in these innovators; and the second is following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and this is missing in these innovators.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Therefore, this work of theirs does not bring them closer to Allah (Mighty and Majestic); rather, it increases their distance from Allah.
The questioner : There is no power and no strength except with Allah.
The Shaykh : As for the fact that this is a means for people to know how to pray, how to supplicate to Allah, and how to worship Allah, we say that this innovated means is in itself denounced.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And it is not possible for denounced matters to be a means of reform ever, even if they reform a little, for they corrupt a lot. Rather, the means of reform are what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) brought of teaching the Shari'ah by the way of written and spoken word, and by the way of action, as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach his Ummah in this manner.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Sometimes he would pray with them, so he would ascend the pulpit and stand, bow, and raise his head while on the pulpit, then he would descend and prostrate, and he would say
I have done it so that you should follow me and learn (my mode of) prayer.
إنما فعلت هذا لتأتموا بي ولتعلّموا صلاتيThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And likewise, his Companions after him used to teach the Ummah by the way of word and action, as 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) used to order a vessel of water, then he would perform ablution in front of the people and say "I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performing ablution like this ablution of mine". In any case, the way to teach people is the way that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) brought. As for innovating acts of worship that the Shari'ah did not bring and saying that we want thereby to teach people the Shari'ah, in reality we have taught them religious innovation and not the Shari'ah.
The questioner : There is no power and no strength except with Allah.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The questioner : His final question.