The Shaykh’s mention of the Shaykh al-Islam’s words in the aforementioned book regarding the criterion for religious innovation and his commentary on them

The Shaykh : The Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) says in the aforementioned book: “When something occurs after the death of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), it is examined; if what occurred has a connection to the religion or has no connection to the religion, it is among the permissible matters that a Muslim may act upon with one condition: that it not contradict a text from the Book or the Sunnah. This is because the Shaykh al-Islam, like the majority of the renowned scholars, holds to the well-known principle: ‘The original ruling for things is permissibility.’ Therefore, every innovation that has no connection to the religion—meaning to worship—meaning the Muslim does not do it intending to increase his nearness to Allah, is among the permissible matters unless it contradicts a text from the Book or the Sunnah. However, if what occurred after the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) has a connection to the religion, it is examined: if the reason for acting upon this innovation existed in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and he did not act upon it and did not encourage the people to do it, then acting upon this occurring matter is an innovation of misguidance. If the reason for legislating this that occurred by his (peace be upon him) action or speech existed, and he did not legislate it by his action or speech, then adopting this occurring matter is the innovation of misguidance, and it is that to which the hadiths prohibiting innovation in the religion are directed.”
An example of this is: the adhan for the festival prayer, and saying “the prayer is assembled” regarding other than the festival prayer, such as the prayer for rain and the like. The adhan for the two festivals, by the consensus of the scholars of the Muslims, did not exist in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). So if it were suggested to a scholar that he announce the time of the festival with the adhan, this is its ruling in Islam, even though the adhan is a remembrance of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and a symbol of the symbols of Islam?
The Shaykh al-Islam says: The adhan for the festival prayer is an innovation of misguidance, because every innovation is misguidance, because this adhan is a remembrance and has a connection to the festival prayer, which is among the greatest acts of worship; so innovating this adhan is an innovation of misguidance that is not permissible for a Muslim to draw near to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with. The reason? He said: Because the Messenger (peace be upon him) used to pray the two festivals, and the reason for announcing to the people with this adhan existed in the time of the Messenger (peace be upon him), because the people needed the announcement; so as long as we know that the Messenger (peace be upon him), despite the existence of the reason for adopting this adhan, did not adopt it and did not order it, then innovating it and adopting it is an innovation of misguidance.
However, if the reason for adopting this that occurred did not exist in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: At that time we look; if the reason that occurred after the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) necessitated the creation of a new matter that was not in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), this reason is examined: is it a matter whose cause is from the Muslims themselves, meaning their negligence in applying the law of their Lord, which necessitated for them that they innovate something new because it realizes a legal benefit for them? Ibn Taymiyyah says: If the reason for adopting this innovation is the negligence of the Muslims, then it is also not permissible to adopt this innovation, because the cause of its occurrence is the negligence of the Muslims. An example is: what the Muslims have been afflicted with today in establishing systems and laws for collecting wealth and increasing the wealth of the Bayt al-Mal of the Muslims; this, in terms of objective, is a beautiful and lawful objective, because it is intended to fill the Bayt al-Mal of the Muslims so that the Muslim ruler can carry out what Allah has obligated upon him of reforms in the Muslim lands. But adopting this new legislation or new law, if it arises, as is the case in most Islamic countries today with varying degrees, the cause is only that they did not apply the system of Islam, the system of zakah and inheritances, by applying which this Islamic system the objective that these who established these new legislations aimed at is realized. So the Shaykh al-Islam says: If the reason for the new legislation is the negligence of the Muslims in applying the law of the Lord of the Worlds, even if this legislation realizes a benefit for the Muslims, it is not permissible to adopt this that occurred, because the motive for it is their negligence. However, if this that occurred has no connection to the negligence of the Muslims in performing their duty and the law of their Lord, then at that time, as long as this occurrence realizes an Islamic benefit, there is no harm in adopting it, as long as it realizes a lawful purpose.
And the example now of this third type is before you; it is this loudspeaker that is used in lessons and sermons and in the adhan as well; we do not doubt, no person ever doubts, that it is an occurring matter that was not in the time of the Messenger (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him); so do we say: it is an innovation and we apply to it the well-known text: and we avoid then using this means because it occurred after the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), or not? Rather we say: this is a means, yes it occurred, but it helps to realize a legal purpose, which is conveying to the people and making the people hear, without us being negligent?
I give you an example of negligence close to this example, contrary to it; some of the imams of the mosques, if he raised his voice in the mosque in the middle of the courtyard so that every person in the mosque would hear, he does not raise his voice; why? Because he relies on the announcer, the mu'adhdhin, who is behind him. The announcement of the mu'adhdhin behind this imam is an innovation; knowing that Abu Bakr al-Siddiq used to announce behind the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in his illness of death (peace and blessings be upon him), but that announcement was for a need, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not neglect it, because he was sick, whereas before that we do not know of an announcement behind the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), because he was the one who made the people hear. So Abu Bakr al-Siddiq announced behind him because the Messenger was unable to convey to the people and make the people hear his voice. Likewise, it is not permissible to use the loudspeaker when there is no need for a loudspeaker; so the mu'adhdhin does not use a loudspeaker in a small village whose inhabitants, for example, are ten houses or so, because they hear the natural voice. But if there is a large gathering, especially in the seasons of Hajj and the like, then using this device at that time is an obligatory matter, because what the obligatory matter cannot be accomplished except by is obligatory, and it is not among the innovations of matters; because this that occurred, we do not want to draw near to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with it in itself, but we want to realize a goal that we cannot realize by the natural matters that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) enabled us with since He created mankind. So using this loudspeaker is among the innovations, but it is not covered by ; why? You must know first: because it is not intended with it to draw near, to increase nearness to Allah. Second: because this cause that occurred is not because of our negligence, as we gave an example of the imam’s negligence in conveying his voice to the followers, he relies on the voice announcer or the loudspeaker.
These are sensitive and precise examples that protect the Muslim from leaning to the right or the left. They prevent him from denying a means that has no relation to increasing closeness to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in the first place, and whose occurrence is not due to our negligence in doing what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has prescribed for us. However, in many cases, in using this loudspeaker and in achieving the Shari'ah purpose, which is frequent transmission, we often lose out on prescribed matters. In this case, it is not permissible to adopt this means. This is what has happened today, spreading and overflowing all the mosques, except what Allah wills.
It is agreed upon in my knowledge among the scholars that the adhan inside the mosque is also an unlegislated religious innovation. This is because the adhan in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was not performed until the day of Jumu'ah, and then only on the roof of the mosque and above the door of the mosque from above. This is because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) distinguished between the purpose of the adhan and the purpose of the iqamah. The purpose of the adhan is to convey the message to the people who are outside the mosque, and the purpose of the iqamah is to convey the message to those who are inside the mosque so that they stand up for prayer and line up with their Muslim brothers. So when we perform the adhan inside the mosque, we reversed the Sunnah and, at the same time, reversed the purpose of the adhan. The purpose of the adhan is to convey the message to those who are outside the mosque.
Someone might say: This purpose is now achieved by the loudspeaker, and this is the reason why Muslims followed one another in using the loudspeaker and abandoning the Islamic practice, which is the adhan on the roof of the mosque, or something similar to it from a modest minaret. This is because they thought that the only purpose of the adhan is transmission, and this transmission is achieved by the loudspeaker in a much wider way?
But we say: The adhan is an act of worship and a great Islamic practice. Therefore, the mu'adhdhin must appear on the roof of the mosque with his person. First: he must appear with his person, and second: he must perform the recommended practices related to the adhan, such as turning his head...