How do we respond to those who abandon many of the Sunnahs, such as praying facing a sutrah and wearing the garment at the mid-calf?

The questioner: His EminenceThe Shaykh- May Allah bless you and benefit everyone with your knowledge - he says: How do we respond to those who abandon many of the Sunnahs, such as praying facing a sutrah and wearing the garment at the mid-calf, and whose argument for this is that the interest of da'wah requires it, and that they do not want to drive people away or break up the rows? May Allah reward you with good?

The Shaykh: A question like this is among the most astonishing things I have heard on this journey of mine to you; because it is of the nature of:
And I was cured by that which was the disease
Indeed, these people, or some of these people, see that treating the reality of the Muslims and not breaking up the rows and not dividing their word is only achieved by opposing the Sunnah of their Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as if they had not heard the previous hadith of the group, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) concluded it by saying: , so glory to Allah! The one who holds fast to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), even in his uniform and his clothes, is the one who breaks up the row, and the one who condemns that and opposes the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the proof that unites the word and does not break up the row. They have turned the Shari'ah of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) upside down and claimed that reform is only achieved by opposing the Sunnah. And I mentioned earlier, in a portion of what I mentioned: . These people call people to abandon the Sunnah, which is higher than being a recommended act or a Sunnah or an obligation. So everything that the Messenger (peace be upon him) did of guidance or way is his Sunnah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the more a believer holds fast to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the more he loves him (peace and blessings be upon him), compared to those who are lenient with his Sunnah. Rather, they add to their leniency by casting a veil of deception over it, calling the abandonment of the Sunnah reform, and holding fast to it corruption and division of the word!!
Where are they from his saying (Blessed and Exalted is He): ?! So the proof of sincere love for Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is only following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So whoever falls short in following him (peace and blessings be upon him) has fallen short in his love for him (Blessed and Exalted is He). And the consequence of that may be that he enters the Fire with those who enter it; either eternally, if he makes permissible by his intention what Allah legislated through the tongue of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or for ages that correspond to his belief in ... regarding the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And this is a slippery slope ... by which Satan leads some people in the last times to turn them away from the path of Allah by opposing the way of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And you have heard earlier what is the straight path and what are the ways that take people out of this straight path. So I see that among these newly invented ways today is this call, which is the one that divides the word; and it is the urging to abandon some of the Sunnahs.
As for praying facing a sutrah; this is from the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the guidance of his Companions after him; because many of the worshippers today stand in the mosque praying not facing a sutrah. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , and in another hadith: ; therefore, the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when the mu'adhdhin called the Maghrib adhan, they would stand to pray the two rak'ahs before the obligatory Maghrib prayer, praying behind the pillars. Anas ibn Malik said - this is a hadith in al-Bukhari - "When the mu'adhdhin called for the Maghrib prayer, the people would rush to the pillars - meaning: the columns in the mosque - and pray facing them." This is the sutrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded to pray facing with a confirmed command. And some legal rulings were built upon that; among them is that sometimes, if one does not cover oneself with something like the back of a saddle; meaning: what is raised to the height of a span or two spans, that some one who passes by may invalidate his prayer, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
So the worshippers, when they enter the mosque, should have in their minds praying facing a sutrah, so they do not pray in the middle of the mosque, but rather they advance to the qiblah wall or to a pillar or a column or to a table or any standing thing in front of them; so they pray facing it in obedience to the specific command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that I mentioned earlier: , and in obedience to the general command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who used to say: . The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he prayed in his mosque, the distance between his place of prostration and the wall was the passage of a sheep, by the amount that a sheep passes through; meaning: the distance between his place of prostration (peace be upon him) on the ground and the sutrah or the wall in front of him was only the amount of a span or two spans, like this: . This is his command (peace be upon him) to all people; so you must revive this Sunnah that the majority of worshippers have killed, so that its reward is written for you, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
Yes.