The Shaykh’s address on the obligation of drawing close together in gatherings and not distancing or separating from them.

The Shaykh: Many of the Prophetic hadiths lead me to rule that sitting far apart from one another contradicts the hadiths that encourage Muslims to draw close together, even in their bodies; for that is a practical proof or a practical means of drawing close in the hearts. It was narrated in the chain of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) in a hadith from Thu‘alah al-Khushani, who said: “When we traveled with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), we would separate in the valleys and ravines. One day we traveled and separated as we had done before; so he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Abu Thu‘alah said: “So after that, when we traveled and descended into a valley, we would gather together until, if we had sat on a carpet, it would have been enough for us.” This was regarding their descent during their travels; so how much more so is the situation of those who are separated in their circles of knowledge and study? There is no doubt that gathering in the circle of knowledge is more preferable and more preferable than that gathering of a traveling group.
And what supports this is what came in "Sahih Muslim" that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the mosque one day and saw his Companions in circles, separated, so he said to them: meaning: separated. I understood from this hadith and that one and others that the drawing close and distancing of the bodies has an effect on the hearts, drawing them close and distancing them as well.
Perhaps you all remember that among the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was that when the prayer was established, he would not enter it until he ordered the rows to be straightened. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say ... : , so this hadith indicated to us a matter that must be attended to; namely, that the discrepancy in the outward appearance in straightening the row, this physical, bodily discrepancy, is a legal cause for the discrepancy of the hearts, and the reverse is the reverse; for the purpose of the hadith is the encouragement to straighten the rows so that the hearts may draw close, and the reverse is the reverse entirely. Straighten your rows, or else—if you do not do so—Allah will cause discord between your hearts and strike some of you against others. So we can derive from all these hadiths and others as well an Islamic, Prophetic educational principle; which is that the rectification of the outward appearance affects the rectification of the inward, and that the matter is not as some of the youth imagine, who were deceived by some of the foreign Western culture, then neglected applying much or little of the legal rulings; until they left a pillar of the pillars of Islam; namely, the prayer. So when they are reminded, they do not remember, but =
-- The questioner: Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh: And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessings --
= but they philosophized and said -- and upon you be peace -- and they said: “The point is not the prayer, but what is in the hearts.” So they were ignorant of this legal reality; which is that the rectification of the hearts is by the rectification of the bodies, just as the rectification of the bodies is by the rectification of the hearts. Therefore, it came in the hadith of al-Nu‘man ibn Bashir, established in "the two Sahihs," that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
So just as the corruption of the body from the material aspect indicates that the heart of this body is not sound; so too, the corruption of the body from the legal aspect and its failure to perform the religious obligations indicates that this heart is sick and not sound. So whoever wants to rectify his heart, let him apply the legal rulings; for his application of these legal rulings is the rectification of this heart, or it is the rectification of this heart; .
So from these hadiths we take this principle; that the outward appearance, whether in the individual or the group, in terms of rectification and corruption, indicates the rectification and corruption of the hearts. And therefore, upon the Muslims is to observe this principle with true observation, and to be concerned with applying the legal rulings in practice; for this application is what the Wise Lawgiver made a legal cause for the rectification of the hearts. And the matter is as it was said: “The outward is the title of the inward.” So if the outward is upon the Shari'ah, this is a proof of the rectification of the inward, and the reverse is the reverse.
From this, I see that sitting in the circles of lessons far apart from one another contradicts Islamic etiquette. Draw close with your bodies, and you will draw close—Allah willing—in your hearts. So on this basis, we hope to hear what you have of questions.