In some Islamic countries, after the imam finishes the Friday prayer, one of the callers to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) stands up and reminds the people.

The questioner : In some Islamic countries, after the imam finishes the Friday prayer, one of the callers to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) stands up and reminds the people of the days of Allah. Does this conflict with the verse: ? Also, this issue occurs in the tarawih prayer when the imam finishes every four rak'ahs; he stands up and reminds the people of the days of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Is this permissible?

The Shaykh : The first issue differs from the second, and the second from the first. There is no conflict or contradiction between a man standing up after the Friday prayer to remind, preach, and perhaps teach, and the saying of Allah the Exalted: . This is because, although the verse is explicit in its command, this command is not for obligation by the consensus of the scholars. It is a command of permissibility and the lifting of a previous prohibition in the same verse in the same surah, where Allah the Exalted said: . So when Allah (Mighty and Majestic) wanted to restore the previous ruling before commanding them to say: , He said: regarding buying and selling and the like. This verse is among the evidence of the scholars of usul al-fiqh (the principles of jurisprudence) that a command does not necessarily imply obligation always, even though they differed on the principle: Is the default ruling of a command obligation? This is the stronger position according to the majority of scholars of usul al-fiqh: that the default ruling of a command is neither obligation nor recommendation, but rather that is to be sought from other evidence outside the command itself. And as you see—or as you feel with me—this is a weaker position; because it requires research and individual analysis for every command that those addressed by all these commands cannot manage. Therefore, the saying of the majority that the default ruling of a command is obligation is correct one hundred percent. First, because the style of speech in the Arabic language requires this. Second, because making a command ambiguous, implying neither obligation nor recommendation except in light of evidence that every listener must directly seek, means nullifying the legislative commands and nullifying the implementation of what the Muslims were ordered to do.
This reminds me of a story—and it seems the time has ended, so let us make it the last thing in this session; because it has, first, a benefit, and it has a joke and wit. One of our Salafi brothers in Damascus came to me once while I was in the Zahiriyyah Library. He complained to me about his boss in the office where he works, and that he had disagreed with his boss on this usuli (principles of jurisprudence) issue: Is a command for obligation or not for obligation? His boss adopts the second position: that it is not for obligation. And our brother adopts that it is for obligation, as we explain in all our gatherings. Our brother is not in the position of his boss in terms of Islamic culture and knowledge of principles and branches. So, due to this disparity, the boss overpowers the subordinate first, and second, he is the boss. So I told him, because I could not like this Salafi brother instruct him with the evidence in one session, especially since he comes to me while I am bent over research and verification in the Zahiriyyah Library, and the library is not a place for preaching and teaching, and so on. So I gave him words by which he could stump his companion and his boss. I told him: “As long as it is so, whenever your boss orders you to do something, you do not obey him. He will say to you—for example: ‘Give me that book, give me a pen, give me paper, give me such and such’—in the Syrian expression, I told him: ‘Tannish.’ ‘Tannish’ means act as if you did not hear, until the one giving the order gets annoyed. Then he will say to you: ‘My brother, what is wrong with you? Why do you not listen? Why do you not execute the order?’ You say to him: ‘Professor, you taught us from you that a command does not imply obligation, so I am not responsible.’ And he did so, and he got rid of him.”
The truth is that this is nullifying; if it is said that a command does not imply obligation, then when can the one ordered, if the master says to the servant: “Go get water,” remain in his place and not respond to his order? Why? Because the command does not imply obligation. Until what? There must be a sign, and where does the sign come from for such an ordered person or that one? The command implies obligation. So when the verse came, it means the lifting of the previous command: , “Leave the buying,” now the command to seek livelihood came; so it lifted that prohibition. So the command for something after it was prohibited only implies permissibility and does not imply obligation. Since that is the case, the preacher who preaches to the people on Friday after the prayer is not contrary to this hadith; because the hadith does not obligate immediate departure as it obligates departure from the prayer with the taslim; . How different is this from that! This is regarding the preacher on Friday.
As for the preacher after four rak'ahs of tarawih, the matter differs completely in my view. And although there is no command here that implies permissibility—as is the case in the previous verse—I see that the prayer of standing (qiyam) is a special situation whose purpose is not knowledge and teaching, but rather the purification of souls by turning to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) through prayer, standing, bowing, prostration, and the remembrance of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) after the prayer. So this atmosphere is not permissible to be occupied with anything else, even if that other thing is worship, or even if it is better than worship, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So seeking knowledge and proceeding in it is better than the voluntary prayer. But the lesser thing may be better than the greater thing in some times; for example, you know his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying or his (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibition of reciting the Qur'an in ruku' and sujud; we say: in ruku' and sujud, and other known supplications. Is that better than the Qur'an? The answer is: No. But we say: Yes, here in this place this recitation is better than the Qur'an. Not as a principle, but as a branch related to this place. When we sit for the tashahhud in the prayer, we do not recite al-Fatihah, but we recite “The praises are for Allah.” Are the praises for Allah better than the Qur'an, al-Fatihah, the opening of the Book? The answer is: No. But if we recite al-Fatihah in the tashahhud, we disobey, and if we recite the tashahhud, we follow. So the wisdom is to place every thing in its place. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) legislated or established from his Lord the prayer of standing in Ramadan, did he remind? Did he teach? The answer is: No. It was pure worship. And therefore the matter differs in my view regarding reminding during tarawih; so this is not prescribed; except in one case, if an occasion comes, such as if the imam sees a man who does not know how to perform the prayer of standing, he teaches him. But to make reminding a regular part of the recitations in the prayer of standing in Ramadan, this is religious innovation; and , and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
Perhaps you have learned—if Allah wills—among what you have learned contentment, so no question after this, then depart as guided ones.
The attendees: May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And to you.