The Shaykh’s explanation of the obligation to gather and draw close in assemblies and not to spread out and disperse from them

The Shaykh : ... . That is, you are asking about the hadith: . Here is a question I will pose to you, along with its answer, if Allah wills, after I deliver a brief word on one of the etiquettes of assemblies that people today have neglected, especially the common people. Among these etiquettes is gathering, clustering, and drawing close in the assembly, and not spreading out in it. This is among the wisdoms of the Shari'ah in many of its apparent rulings, and it is explicitly stated in some authentic hadiths. For example, in Sahih Muslim, there is the hadith of Jabir ibn Samurah—as I recall—that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the mosque one day and saw them scattered in circles, so he said to them: , meaning: scattered. And more important than this is what Imam Ahmad narrates in his Musnad with a strong chain from Abu Thalhah al-Khushni (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "When we traveled with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and we stopped, we would disperse in the valleys and gorges. So we traveled one day and stopped as we used to, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: . He said: "So after that, when we stopped in a place, we would gather until, if we sat on a carpet, it would have been enough for us." So, , what is your opinion about us sitting here on a flat, smooth surface? This dispersal is not from the Sunnah of Islam. Therefore, the more the circle draws together, the more it is encompassed by the mercy and favor of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Many people are unaware that there is a very strong connection between a person’s outward appearance and his inner self. This strong connection is indicated by many of the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Perhaps you know the phrase mentioned in many books: "The outward appearance is the label of the inner self." This is what the poet referred to long ago when he said:
And whatever character a man has, Even if he thinks it is hidden from people, it will be known.
So there must be a connection between the outward and the inward. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) paid the utmost attention to correcting the outward appearances of the Muslims, in addition to their inner selves. He (peace be upon him) came with the correction of hearts and inner selves, and likewise with the correction of bodies and outward appearances. So the matter is not only, as many people say, "What matters is what is in the inner self." Yes, what matters is what is in the inner self, but that does not imply neglecting the outward appearance. . This is an apparent expression; an error from that Companion’s tongue became apparent. But this outward expression is certainly contrary to his inner self, because his inner self was filled with faith in Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). However, when he erred in the wording, the Messenger (peace be upon him) did not remain silent about it; rather, he corrected his expression and said to him: . The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) knew for certain that this man did not intend what his wording indicated. His wording indicated that he had made the Messenger a partner with Allah in His will (Blessed and Exalted is He). But this Companion knew that the will of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is before everything and above everything, because he reads in the Noble Qur'an: . And no one thinks that that Companion is ignorant of this reality. But his tongue erred. However, the Messenger (peace be upon him) corrected him and guided him to what to say. He said to him: . And in another narration: . There are many hadiths in this regard, and I am not now in the position of explaining them, because this is a word about gathering in the assembly and not dispersing in it. But before I conclude, I feel compelled to mention just one more hadith, because of the wonder in the attention of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) to correcting people’s expressions and outward appearances. That is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): , . What is the meaning of: ? In language, it equals: . linguistically means: . But the word: al-khabithah, al-khabithah, so the Messenger (peace be upon him) did not want the Muslim to utter it when he finds something of this impurity in himself with the word: , but rather he turned him away from it to the word: . And this word, naturally, and you are Arabs, you do not know it, but the master of Arabs and non-Arab taught you and said: . This is regarding the Muslim’s etiquette with himself, because he is a Muslim. So what about etiquette with Allah and with His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)?! It is even more necessary that the Muslim be polite with Allah, then with His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), so that he does not utter an expression that may touch the status of prophethood or the status of messengership. Just now, andThe questioner : This should be noted. A questioner asked me, between me and him, perhaps he said: Is it prescribed or is it permissible for the listener of the adhan to say...