The Ruling on Preaching Without the Words of Allah and His Messenger
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Your Eminence! If one finds a caller to Islam who frequently uses rhetorical speech in his lectures or sermons that is devoid of the Book and the Sunnah, is there a fault to be held against him, provided that the substance of his speech is derived from the Book and the Sunnah, such as saying: “How will you be if you are called to account, and how will you be if you enter beneath the earth?”And his statement: “And fear Allah,” and so on, but the mere mention of verses from the Qur’an or texts from the Book and the Sunnah is almost entirely absent. Is there a fault to be held against him?
There is no doubt that if a man delivers a moving sermon, even if it is from his own rhetorical composition, but it does not go beyond what has come in the Book and the Sunnah, then it is beneficial and there is no fault to be held against him for it. However, linking it to the Qur’an and the Sunnah is better and more excellent.For two benefits: The first benefit: that people know that his speech is based on evidence from the Book and the Sunnah.
And the second benefit: That a person links people to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
And I will give you an example: For example, there are words in the books of preachers that move people, causing them to weep and their hearts to become humble, as found in al-Tabsirah by Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) and other works. If the Qur’an were recited to them on this same subject, they would not be moved by it as they are by the words of this writer. This is because the Qur’an is not mentioned in the preaching of these preachers. Therefore, we see that it is better for a person to combine the two good things: he brings forth moving words from his own speech, and he also brings forth what the Book and the Sunnah contain in their speech.
The questioner: O Shaykh! Would this not be contrary to His saying: [Q:45] ?The Shaykh: No.
As long as he has conveyed its meaning, he is not far from it, but it is better for him to convey both the meaning and the wording.
There is no doubt that if a man delivers a moving sermon, even if it is from his own rhetorical composition, but it does not go beyond what has come in the Book and the Sunnah, then it is beneficial and there is no fault to be held against him for it. However, linking it to the Qur’an and the Sunnah is better and more excellent.For two benefits: The first benefit: that people know that his speech is based on evidence from the Book and the Sunnah.
And the second benefit: That a person links people to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
And I will give you an example: For example, there are words in the books of preachers that move people, causing them to weep and their hearts to become humble, as found in al-Tabsirah by Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) and other works. If the Qur’an were recited to them on this same subject, they would not be moved by it as they are by the words of this writer. This is because the Qur’an is not mentioned in the preaching of these preachers. Therefore, we see that it is better for a person to combine the two good things: he brings forth moving words from his own speech, and he also brings forth what the Book and the Sunnah contain in their speech.
The questioner: O Shaykh! Would this not be contrary to His saying:
But remind by the Qur'an whoever fears My threat.
فَذَكِّرْ بِالْقُرْآنِ مَنْ يَخَافُ وَعِيدِAs long as he has conveyed its meaning, he is not far from it, but it is better for him to convey both the meaning and the wording.