(He has succeeded if he is truthful); can it be used as evidence that the commands in the Sunnah are to be understood as recommended rather than obligatory, such as the greeting of the mosque, for example?

The questioner : Many jurists and muftis, I mean, they use the hadith: to go beyond, far beyond, many of the hadiths that are authentic regarding the legal and Prophetic commands that do not obligate implementation; I mean, because the default for commands is obligation, so they use the hadith: to argue for the recommendation, or the recommendation of that act?
And there is no doubt that many—also—many of the scholars, I mean, those who refute this matter by saying that he deviated with , and the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that the commands have ended, and also that the religion has been completed with other commands, so it is obligatory for whoever knows them, I mean, to implement them, and they are by the ruling of obligation, not by the ruling of recommendation as they held; so what does that mean?

The Shaykh: What is his example?

The questioner : I mean, for example, O Shaykh, the Sunnah is the greeting of the mosque, they say, I mean, the greeting of the mosque when I enter is recommended; because although it came in the form of a command, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to this questioner who came with the known obligatory prayers: , and he did not add to that, and so it is in many other matters, without doubt...?

The Shaykh : I do not believe that a scholar says what you quoted just now, I do not believe that a scholar says that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) taught that questioner everything that Allah made obligatory upon him in that session, and in that case, the argumentation with this hadith is one of the weakest arguments. But if we assume the opposite, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught him what is individually obligatory in the life of the Muslim, then we say, regarding this specific example, which is the greeting of the mosque, that the greeting of the mosque is only obligatory upon the one who enters the mosque first, and not upon the one who enters the prayer hall or other places of prayer first. And secondly: the greeting is only obligatory not just for the one who enters the mosque, but for the one who sits in it. So if he enters and does not sit, he has no greeting. If he enters and leaves, he has no greeting, regardless of the fact that the command here is for obligation. And this needs research, perhaps I will address it, because in my opinion it is very important; regardless of whether this command is for obligation or recommendation, this command was ordered for the one who enters the mosque and wants to sit. But if he does not want to sit, this command does not apply to him; because the hadith has two narrations:
The first narration: .
The other narration: .
So if he does not want to sit for some reason, these workers and those who go back and forth to the workplace to the mosque for some reason and not to sit in it; these people are not the target of the command mentioned in the hadith.
This is confirmed by the hadith of Abu Qatadah al-Ansari when he entered the mosque and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting with some of his Companions around him, so he sat, and he said to him: . He said: No. He said: , then he (peace be upon him) said the hadith mentioned just now. And the story of Abu Qatadah is different from the story of Sulayk al-Ghatafani, and the story of Sulayk that we will mention confirms that the command mentioned in the hadith of the greeting prayer in the mosque confirms that it is for obligation and not for recommendation; because the hadith of Sulayk, as in "Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim," is that he entered on a Friday and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was delivering the sermon, so he sat. He (peace be upon him) said to him: . He said: No. He said: , then he turned to the general assembly of those sitting in the mosque and said: , .
This hadith confirms that the greeting of the mosque is obligatory, not just a recommended command. The point of argumentation in this hadith is to remember another hadith; namely his saying (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him): , and every jurist in the Shari'ah knows that the saying of the one who speaks on Friday while the imam is delivering the sermon: "Be silent"; is only enjoining good. And also, it is known that enjoining good is obligatory. So if we know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) dropped this obligation, which is enjoining good; because the imam is delivering the sermon, and on the contrary; he did not drop the obligation of the greeting while the imam is delivering the sermon; this was from the strong and very strong indications that the greeting is not dropped, and it is not permissible to leave it under the claim that it is recommended; no, this is one thing.
And another thing, and this is also an important matter: that the greeting is prescribed in the disliked times; because the absolute voluntary prayer, and the imam on Friday delivering the sermon, is prohibited from it; so it, or this time, should be included with the five times, two of which branched off from the three times. But the jurists have proceeded to make the times five in number because they are related to the times of prayer, but the truth is that it should be included with these times in terms of the impermissibility of the absolute voluntary prayer in them, and in terms of the permissibility, indeed the obligation, of the greeting prayer in them, it should be included while the imam is delivering the sermon on Friday; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered, as you heard just now, Sulayk al-Ghatafani to pray two rak'ahs while the imam is delivering the sermon, while he prohibited saying to your companion: "Be silent"; so this confirms two things: the first command: that the greeting of the mosque is obligatory and not just recommended, and then it is prayed in the disliked times, like much of what falls under the Shafi'is' expression of "voluntary prayers with causes"; so this is from the voluntary prayers with causes; namely the greeting of the mosque.
And now we proceed to the prayer, if Allah wills.
Abu Layla : ... regarding the specificity of Friday for the absolute voluntary prayer; I mean, the specificity of Friday in not being disliked?

The Shaykh : Our research is not only on the day of Friday!
Abu Layla: Yes ... .

The Shaykh : In the time of dislike; because this time is after the adhan.

Another questioner : O Shaykh, it was reported.

The Shaykh : After the time of dislike has passed.

The questioner : It is established in "Sahih Muslim".

The Shaykh : Yes? Let's go.