It may be objected to the rule that requires the practice of the righteous predecessors to have been carried out on the details of a general hadith that were not covered by specification, for the validity of acting upon it

The questioner : This question is related to what you mentioned; it is that it may be objected to the rule that requires the practice of the righteous predecessors to have been carried out on the details of a general hadith that were not covered by specification, for the validity of acting upon it. The principle of usul al-fiqh states: "The absence of transmission does not indicate the transmission of absence." How is this objection answered, and may Allah reward you with good?

The Shaykh : We hinted at the answer in the previous response, but it is necessary to provide further clarification for this question now.
We say: The phrase the questioner referred to is from the statements of the scholars; it is the one that says: "Not knowing a thing does not necessitate knowing its non-existence." This is a correct statement, but it is relevant to details that may be hidden from the general public; that is, they are not matters for which the motivations for transmission are available, like the previous example. There are many, and very many, examples of this. Therefore, we say: It is necessary to distinguish between something that is apparent and public, and something that is not apparent and public. It is possible that the Messenger (peace be upon him) or some of his noble Companions did that, but no one became aware of it because it was not a public matter. As we usually illustrate with some examples, such as the prayer of the two festivals, for instance, the adhan is not prescribed for it, but rather what is prescribed for it is: "The prayer is about to begin." However, the other prayers that are recommended or obligatory, according to the disagreement among jurists on that, are generally considered by the majority of scholars to be among the sunnahs in which gathering people is part of the sunnah, but they do not have an adhan. So if someone, taking the generality, says: , he says: My brother, what prevents us from calling the adhan for a prayer from these prayers in which we know that no text regarding the adhan has come, but rather, as the innovators say in all their innovations: Is there a prohibition in this innovation? We do not have a prohibition, as they say, for example, regarding the sending of blessings upon the Messenger after the adhan. They say: It is a good innovation. When we deny it to them, they say: Is there a prohibition against it?

The questioner : Do you mean raising the voice, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : Yes?

The questioner : Do you mean raising the voice of it after the adhan.

The Shaykh : No, I mean something broader than raising the voice. Raising the voice is clear to all people. Perhaps you heard me earlier when some questioners asked me about this issue, so I distinguished between the mu'adhdhin saying: "O Allah, Lord of this perfect call," and sending blessings upon the Messenger (peace be upon him). Because the first matter has a general text: and so on. As for sending blessings upon the Messenger, there is only the specific text directed to the listeners. Therefore, some authors in the present era from the supporters of the Sunnah focus on denying the raising of the voice, and this is an insufficient denial. Because the mu'adhdhin adding the sending of blessings upon the Messenger (peace be upon him) to the adhan, even if quietly, is also not transmitted, and there is no general text that includes it between him and his Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He). Therefore, we say that these innovators in all their innovations never fail to find a general text under which they include their innovation. Therefore, the precision of Imam al-Shatibi (may Allah have mercy on him) in his great book "Al-I'tisam" is such that I advise students of knowledge to focus on studying and understanding it well, because it is filled with knowledge, filled with knowledge. He distinguishes, after generalizing the statement of the Messenger (peace be upon him) as is clear: He divides innovation into two categories: true innovation and additional innovation. It is understood from his words that additional innovation is what the community has been afflicted with more and more than they have been afflicted with true innovation. He means by true innovation the innovation that has no basis at all in the Book or in the Sunnah, and it is generally a creedal innovation. As for additional innovation, in his view, looking at one aspect of the evidence, it appears to be prescribed, and looking at other aspects, it appears to be not prescribed. Therefore, it is correct to call it an innovation of misguidance.
And he brings examples that are very good and clarifying for the issue. He says, for example: Seeking forgiveness after the prayer. Seeking forgiveness after the prayer is a sunnah; because it came in "Sahih Muslim" from the hadith of Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to seek forgiveness from Allah three times when he finished the prayer. He says: But raising the voice in seeking forgiveness and with one voice, this was added to this sunnah; so by this consideration, it was attached to innovation and is not part of the sunnah. Similarly, for example, he says: The social gathering that is held after the prayers, especially after the afternoon and dawn prayers; where the imam, when he faces those praying behind him, teaches them the glorification, praise, and magnification of Allah, then he supplicates and raises his hands, then they say "Ameen" to his supplication. He says: This has a basis in the Sunnah; because glorification of Allah is commanded, and supplication in an absolute sense also came in some hadiths. But this gathering in this manner occurred after the Messenger (peace be upon him); so this gathering is an innovation, but it has a basis in the Shari'ah in that these recitations and remembrances are mentioned in it. He calls that an additional innovation. So I say: If this rule is not observed, which is: "That every Shari'ah text from the Book or Sunnah contains many parts, and some of these parts were not carried out by the Muslims, so it is an innovation"; if this is not observed, then may Allah bless the innovators in their innovations; because they, as we said earlier, never fail to find a general text that supports their innovation. Therefore, we should arm ourselves with understanding of this rule against our opponents and those who disagree with us from the innovators, so that we establish the argument against them and their argument does not stand against us. This is a reminder, and the reminder benefits the believers, if Allah wills.
Summary of the answer: Distinguishing between apparent matters for which the motivations for transmission are available, and matters that are not so.
Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And to you.