It is well known that acts of worship are not established except by a textual proof from the Book or the Sunnah
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Al-Halabi : The questioner asks.
The Shaykh: Yes.
Al-Halabi : He says: It is well known that acts of worship in Islam are not established except by a text from the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, it is not permissible to innovate a dhikr or a practical act of worship except with evidence from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. So what is the ruling on what some people or some mu'adhdhins do at the Friday prayer after the first adhan, when the mu'adhdhin recites Surat al-Ikhlas two or three times to alert the people, as he says, to the prayer and its iqamah, or to the khutbah? What is the ruling on this action?
The Shaykh : There is no doubt or hesitation in the fact that such a matter is as the Messenger (peace be upon him) indicated in some hadiths regarding newly invented matters. There is no doubt that in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), on Friday and in all five prayers on the other days of the week, there was nothing but the adhan and the iqamah. There was nothing that preceded the adhan or followed the adhan, nor was there anything that preceded the iqamah or followed the iqamah from the mu'adhdhin or the one who gives the iqamah. Since the matter is thus, we must keep in mind what our Prophet (may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him) used to preach to the Companions every Friday. He would begin the Friday khutbah by saying:Sunan Ibn Majah 1892, and he would say in the Friday khutbah: . In a hadith or a narration by al-Nasa'i, it was added: Sunan an-Nasa'i 1578Sahih (Darussalam).
If it is truly so—and it is truly so—that the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), then it is not permissible for a Muslim who truly believes in Allah and His Messenger to precede him in what has come to us of the Shari'ah from his Lord by adding or subtracting. The matter is as the common people in some lands say: "The one who adds is the brother of the one who subtracts." So the one who prays Fajr three or four rak'ahs, for example, is like the one who prays Maghrib four or two rak'ahs; there is no difference between the two matters, because both are contrary to what the Messenger (may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him) brought. It is not said here, as many of the heedless and ignorant say: "My brother, this is in the obligatory prayer," meaning they immediately agree that it is not permissible to pray Fajr three or four rak'ahs, and they immediately agree that it is not permissible for us to pray Maghrib four or two rak'ahs. Their answer, they claim, is: "This is an obligatory prayer." We say: "Fine, praise be to Allah that we agreed on the obligatory prayer. Now let us come down to what is not obligatory, to the Sunnah. Is it permissible for you to pray the Sunnah of Fajr three or four rak'ahs?" Here the poor man is stumped, because he is among the heedless. And when he wakes up after that, after a long time of arguing, we say to him: May Allah reward you with good, when he realizes...
The Shaykh: Yes.
Al-Halabi : He says: It is well known that acts of worship in Islam are not established except by a text from the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, it is not permissible to innovate a dhikr or a practical act of worship except with evidence from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. So what is the ruling on what some people or some mu'adhdhins do at the Friday prayer after the first adhan, when the mu'adhdhin recites Surat al-Ikhlas two or three times to alert the people, as he says, to the prayer and its iqamah, or to the khutbah? What is the ruling on this action?
The Shaykh : There is no doubt or hesitation in the fact that such a matter is as the Messenger (peace be upon him) indicated in some hadiths regarding newly invented matters. There is no doubt that in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), on Friday and in all five prayers on the other days of the week, there was nothing but the adhan and the iqamah. There was nothing that preceded the adhan or followed the adhan, nor was there anything that preceded the iqamah or followed the iqamah from the mu'adhdhin or the one who gives the iqamah. Since the matter is thus, we must keep in mind what our Prophet (may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him) used to preach to the Companions every Friday. He would begin the Friday khutbah by saying:
Al-hamdu lillahi nahmadhu wa nasta`inuhu wa nastaghfiruhu, wa na`udhu billahi min shururi anfusina wa min sayi'ati a`malina, man yahdihillahu fala mudilla lahu, wa man yudlil fala hadiya lahu. Wa ashadu an la ilaha illallahu wahduhu la sharika lahu, wa anna Muhammadan `abduhu wa rasuluhu.
إن الحمد لله ، نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره ، ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيِّئات أعمالنا ، مَن يهده الله فلا مضلَّ له ، ومَن يضلِلْ فلا هادي له ، وأشهد أن لا إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ، وأشهد أن محمَّدًا عبده ورسولهAs for what follows, the best of speech is the speech of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and the worst of matters are their innovations, and every innovation is a bid'ah, and every bid'ah is misguidance.
أما بعد ؛ فإن خير الكلام كلام الله ، وخير الهدي هدي محمَّد - صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم - ، وشر الأمور محدثاتها ، وكل محدثة بدعة ، وكل بدعة ضلالةand every going astray is in the Fire
وكل ضلالة في النارIf it is truly so—and it is truly so—that the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), then it is not permissible for a Muslim who truly believes in Allah and His Messenger to precede him in what has come to us of the Shari'ah from his Lord by adding or subtracting. The matter is as the common people in some lands say: "The one who adds is the brother of the one who subtracts." So the one who prays Fajr three or four rak'ahs, for example, is like the one who prays Maghrib four or two rak'ahs; there is no difference between the two matters, because both are contrary to what the Messenger (may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him) brought. It is not said here, as many of the heedless and ignorant say: "My brother, this is in the obligatory prayer," meaning they immediately agree that it is not permissible to pray Fajr three or four rak'ahs, and they immediately agree that it is not permissible for us to pray Maghrib four or two rak'ahs. Their answer, they claim, is: "This is an obligatory prayer." We say: "Fine, praise be to Allah that we agreed on the obligatory prayer. Now let us come down to what is not obligatory, to the Sunnah. Is it permissible for you to pray the Sunnah of Fajr three or four rak'ahs?" Here the poor man is stumped, because he is among the heedless. And when he wakes up after that, after a long time of arguing, we say to him: May Allah reward you with good, when he realizes...
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www.al-albany.com
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