Is this expression permissible?

The questioner : The word "coincidence" or "chance."

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : This happened by chance.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings. The word "coincidence," in itself, has no problem. It is a word of truth, so the one who speaks it is judged by his intention. If he intends by "coincidence" that there is no divine decree, then it is disbelief. And if he intends by the word of truth that there is no divine decree, likewise the word "destiny"—which is mentioned in the Qur'an—if he intends that there is no divine decree, then it is disbelief. But if he intends that all of this is by the command and decree of Allah, then there is nothing wrong with it.

The questioner : Regarding the obligation of the Friday bath, and I answered regarding the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) But as for the word , we know from the language that the word "yes" or "excellent" implies praise. How would the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) praise something that is not permissible to do?

The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you. Who told you that it is not permissible to do?

The questioner : In the ablution.

The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. Also, explain to me that it is the ablution, you, because you are most wrong in what you say, because you are assuming one of two things: either you understand it this way from the one you heard the previous answer from, or you are attributing this to some people, that they say the ablution is wrong, and no one says this. You heard this from me.

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : So where do you say this from?

The questioner : I learned from your statement that it is obligatory, this indicates that since the bath is obligatory...

The Shaykh : I am asking you now, how many obligations are in the ablution?

The questioner : Several obligations.

The Shaykh : If he performed several obligations and left one obligation, meaning he made a mistake?

The questioner : Of course, he made a mistake.

The Shaykh : He made a mistake in the obligations, I mean the primary ones.

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : This is like you, did you understand me?

The questioner : I did not understand well.

The Shaykh : The ablution has obligations, and it is obligatory to perform them all. So he performed them all, except one of them. Did he make a mistake in performing them all? Or did he make a mistake in leaving one of them?

The questioner : In leaving it.

The Shaykh : This is like you. So the one who performed the ablution on Friday, did he make a mistake?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : So what is your problem? He performed the obligatory act.

The questioner : He performed the obligatory act.

The Shaykh : He performed an obligatory act.

The questioner : And not performing another obligatory act.

The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. The example is right in front of you.

The questioner : He said .

The Shaykh : So you did not understand the example.

The questioner : I understood it. I understood the example you brought, but .

The Shaykh : I am telling you that you did not understand it. This one who came with all the obligations, is his ablution valid?

The questioner : Correct.

The Shaykh : This one who did not come with the single obligation, or the last one, is his ablution valid?

The questioner : No

The Shaykh : So you did not understand. We mean by obligations, other than the pillars. Perhaps you understood now?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Okay, is the bath a pillar? Is the Friday bath a pillar?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : So his ablution is valid, and his prayer is valid, like the one who left an obligation from the obligations of the ablution.

The questioner : Is it possible to praise a person for a prayer when he did not come with all its pillars and obligations?

The Shaykh : Why did you leave my example and resort to your distorted example regarding what we are discussing for some reason? This matter, perhaps you are not aware of it. Therefore, I advise you to stay with our example, because do not rush. Let your concern be that you understand, and the one whose concern is understanding does not speak much. Did you see? I gave you an example. Why did you turn away from it to your example? So you may have made a mistake, and indeed you made a mistake, and you are not in this context. Why did you leave the previous example, and you thought you understood me, after I explained to you that the obligatory is not the pillar.

The questioner : Because I think that this is in my opinion.

The Shaykh : What...?

The questioner : I mean, this example that I brought, its implication is this...

The Shaykh : Did I bring it or you?

The questioner : The one you brought. I think that this example you brought, its implication is this in my opinion.

The Shaykh : You are wrong. After I explained to you that we mean by obligations, other than the pillars, you ask me what do you say about a man who prayed and did not come with the pillars and obligations.

The questioner : I mean, is he praised for this action, the intended one?

The Shaykh : May Allah guide you.

The questioner : Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said...

The Shaykh : May Allah guide you.

The questioner : Amen.

The Shaykh : Why don't you follow me.

The questioner : I agree with you.

The Shaykh : My brother, what is wrong with you? Stay with your example. Is it clear to you that your example is wrong?

The questioner : The second example?

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : No

The Shaykh : It is not clear to you. What do you want to say? You want to build castles on the edge of a collapsing cliff? You must understand that your example is wrong or correct, and I explained to you that in our example we mean obligations, not pillars. And here you come with a second example and say, what do you think of one who left the pillars and obligations in the prayer? This is wrong, my brother. May Allah guide you, especially after I explained to you that the one who says the Friday bath is obligatory, does he say it is a pillar of the pillars of prayer, or a condition of the conditions of prayer? And I said no. And now I ask you a second question: does he say that the ablution on Friday is a condition of the conditions of the validity of the prayer, or not?

The questioner : Of course.

The Shaykh : So how, after all this, do you say, what do you think of one who prays the prayer and leaves its conditions, pillars, and obligations?

The questioner : I did not intend this. I intended to mean...

The Shaykh : How do you say? I am telling you, I am not telling you what do you intend?

The questioner : Of course, this is different.

The Shaykh : How do you say, my brother? May Allah guide you? How do you ask me? How do you tell me, what do you think of one who prays the prayer and does not come with its pillars and obligations? How do you say this, and say this as an example?
The adhan is being called.

The questioner : I did not intend this example. I intended to ask: is a person praised for performing a specific prayer and coming with all its obligations and pillars, except for one obligation? Is he praised for that? This is the intended meaning.

The Shaykh : May Allah guide you... It is recorded here, my brother. A hundred times I say: I do not discuss your intention with you, I discuss your wording with you. You tell me, what do you think of a prayer where one prays without its pillars and obligations? Did you mention the word "pillar" or not? I am asking you. Perhaps you missed your question, but I am defining it for you now. Did you mention the pillar or not?

The questioner : I mentioned it.

The Shaykh : Okay, why do you mention the pillar...

The questioner : The difference is that he came...

The Shaykh : I bear witness that there is no god but Allah...

Another questioner : Our Shaykh, do we understand that he sins by leaving the bath?

The Shaykh : Yes, he sins, and his prayer is valid.
...like this, and he is a normal human being as Allah created him. He turns like this and like this until he sees the chest of the person behind the imam. If he does not see it, it means he is late, so he moves forward without doing this or that as he is, and in this manner the row is straightened. Move forward, my brother... Move forward, move forward, O servant of Allah, and the one to your right and left, yes, just that.

The questioner : It seems like in... a lie or a lie in the hadith. I did not understand its meaning in the hadith. If you remember the wording of the hadith?

The Shaykh : Who says to the second one?

The questioner : After the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked about him, after he participated in the battle and died, he was martyred. It seems like in... he said to him... in the context of the hadith, do not bring it to my mind now. There is a lie or a lie with me in... You confused me, I did not know it...

The Shaykh : There is no problem. Bring the hadith...

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : No, here in...
Yes, first and foremost, I wish to verify a hadith from the authentic hadiths of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), in this gathering that you have facilitated for us. That hadith is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . And at the same time, after offering this obligatory thanks, first to you and then to our brothers, I hope for you in this place, which we know you have recently acquired and in which you are currently working to green it, make it grow, and plant in it, that Allah makes easy for you what you originally intended, and that this work of yours be something that benefits you in this world and the Hereafter. The benefit is either limited or unlimited in any way; it is great and very great. Some of it applies to any land that has fruit, grain, or crops from which creatures benefit in their various forms, whether speaking or silent, whether human or animal. For it came in the authentic hadiths in al-Bukhari and others: , or as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said. The truth is, this is not what I intended with this speech; rather, this is a kind of introduction. What I hope for you is that this land of yours becomes a green paradise with tall trees and abundant fruit, such that this place of yours becomes a haven for those seeking to gather for knowledge, and for correct knowledge derived from the Book and the Sunnah. In doing so, you should remember a man who had a very good impact, particularly in Cairo, among the great, well-known shaykhs of this time, with a great difference between you and him now, and a difference that varies negatively and positively. When he began seeking knowledge, he was forty years old, and you, praise be to Allah, are not now beginning to seek knowledge. Hence comes the difference between you and him. But there is another matter, another difference, of a type I hope will be realized in you in a better way than the way it was realized in him. For that man today has followers who are counted in the millions, and he was a caller to the Sunnah. However, I must clarify that the Sunnah he called to was according to his concept and the knowledge he gained from al-Azhar. Perhaps everyone knows that al-Azhar does not provide mature, correct knowledge. Therefore, we see that those who had a firm foundation in correct knowledge did not gain it from al-Azhar, as they call it "the Noble al-Azhar." This man entered al-Azhar at the age of forty, knowing absolutely nothing of reading or writing. What moved him to do so—and here is the similarity I hope will be realized between you and him on one side—was that he had a garden in Cairo and used to invite scholars from al-Azhar to a picnic and a change of scenery in his garden. The man was kind and generous, so he honored them. He felt the need to listen to the hadiths that were discussed among them, so he benefited from their knowledge through the way he invited them to his garden and honored them. From the repetition of this practice, the love of knowledge was placed in his heart. So he entered al-Azhar at the age of forty, not knowing, as they say in our place in Damascus, the "alif" from the "mirsaliyyah"... the "mirsaliyyah" is the long stick we have, and some people in northern Syria do not distinguish between the "khamisa" and the "tamsa." He was completely uneducated. Then he excelled in his studies until he obtained the "worldly certificate" that they call there. It appears he was sincere, and Allah knows best. So he began calling people to what he knew of the Sunnah, and he came to have followers, and very many followers. I was destined to go to Cairo more than once, and I prayed in their mosque. Their mosque is perhaps the only mosque, I say perhaps the only one, that was built without a mihrab and without that long minbar that actually cuts through the row or rows, in accordance with the Sunnah. They also care about maintaining their dress, especially regarding the beard. You hardly see a shaven head among them, unlike our group, the supporters of the Sunnah, unfortunately. Most of them are shaven, yes. And they are the supporters of the Sunnah. The name of the association is the Muhammadian Association of Supporters of the Sunnah. Glory be to Allah, how a person takes a lesson from both groups, and one should take the best from each of the two parties.