The Ruling on Getting to Know One Another in Scholarly Gatherings
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The questioner : Shaykh, it has become common among many students of knowledge that when they sit in a scholarly gathering, they begin by getting to know one another. Did this come from the Salaf, or did it not come from the Salaf?
The Shaykh : Yes, this practice of getting to know one another that some people have invented today, where if they sit in a gathering and the number of people is large, they say: “We will proceed with getting to know one another, because getting to know one another is part of the Sunnah.” So one person says, “So-and-so, son of so-and-so, his work is such and such,” and so on. Yes, and the second person says, “Your brother so-and-so.” This has no basis in the Sunnah, nor any basis in the practice of the righteous Salaf. Rather, this is among the newly invented matters.Sunan an-Nasa'i 1578Sahih (Darussalam). What is established in the Sunnah is a small part of this matter, which may be close to it or far from it. That is, when you form a brotherhood with a brother in Allah, it is good for you to tell him that you love him for the sake of Allah, and in turn he says to you: . This is what is established. It came in some weak narrations that he names himself, introducing himself by name. There is no harm in this, even if the hadith is not established for me, because this is part of completing the realization of getting to know one another, comfort, and love which is for Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Because this necessitates maintaining contact, affection, and visiting, as you know, that whoever visits his brother in Allah, he is immersed in mercy. The hadiths regarding this visit are numerous and well-known, praise be to Allah.
Do you have something to add?
Yes.
Another questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Does this hadith indicate what we have denied? It is not in... absolutely not. First: Who asked among the people? Did he ask, “What is your name, so-and-so, and so-and-so?” These are questions that require one to haveThe questioner : a memory like that of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), where nothing he hears escapes his memory. There is nothing of this in the hadith, and this is very natural. This is first. Second, was the Messenger (peace be upon him) in every gathering where his Companions assembled, knowing some of them by their features, but not knowing them by their bodies, their names, or their fathers' names? Nothing of this was the case, absolutely not.
The Shaykh : And on this occasion, I want to remind you that if something occurred in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), with his presence or if he did it, all of that only indicates the permissibility of what occurred. It does not indicate that it is a Sunnah that Muslims should make a habit of and adhere to. Because if that were the case, the first one to adhere to it would have been the one who explained its legitimacy to us, which is the Messenger of Allah. Then, consequently, the most eager people to follow the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would have adhered to it, namely the Companions, then the Tabi'un, then those who follow them. If such getting to know one another did not take place, that is sufficient to indicateThe student : to the scholars that the hadith I mentioned does not include the legitimacy of this which we say is among the newly invented matters.
Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, this practice of getting to know one another that some people have invented today, where if they sit in a gathering and the number of people is large, they say: “We will proceed with getting to know one another, because getting to know one another is part of the Sunnah.” So one person says, “So-and-so, son of so-and-so, his work is such and such,” and so on. Yes, and the second person says, “Your brother so-and-so.” This has no basis in the Sunnah, nor any basis in the practice of the righteous Salaf. Rather, this is among the newly invented matters.
every newly-invented thing is an innovation and every innovation is going astray, and every going astray is in the Fire
وكل محدثة بدعة ، وكل بدعة ضلالة ، وكل ضلالة في النارMay Allah love you, for you loved me for His sake
أحبَّك الله الذي أحببتني لهDo you have something to add?
Yes.
Another questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Does this hadith indicate what we have denied? It is not in... absolutely not. First: Who asked among the people? Did he ask, “What is your name, so-and-so, and so-and-so?” These are questions that require one to haveThe questioner : a memory like that of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), where nothing he hears escapes his memory. There is nothing of this in the hadith, and this is very natural. This is first. Second, was the Messenger (peace be upon him) in every gathering where his Companions assembled, knowing some of them by their features, but not knowing them by their bodies, their names, or their fathers' names? Nothing of this was the case, absolutely not.
The Shaykh : And on this occasion, I want to remind you that if something occurred in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), with his presence or if he did it, all of that only indicates the permissibility of what occurred. It does not indicate that it is a Sunnah that Muslims should make a habit of and adhere to. Because if that were the case, the first one to adhere to it would have been the one who explained its legitimacy to us, which is the Messenger of Allah. Then, consequently, the most eager people to follow the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would have adhered to it, namely the Companions, then the Tabi'un, then those who follow them. If such getting to know one another did not take place, that is sufficient to indicateThe student : to the scholars that the hadith I mentioned does not include the legitimacy of this which we say is among the newly invented matters.
Yes.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.