There are matters that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not establish, or that he established but did not emphasize; is it permissible for us to act upon them?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : There are some matters that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not establish, or that he established but did not emphasize; is it permissible for us to act upon them?
The Shaykh : As for what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not establish, it is a religious innovation (bid'ah). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) warned against innovations and said (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan an-Nasa'i 1578Sahih (Darussalam).
As for what he established but did not emphasize, if it is established that it is from his Sunnah (recommended practice), then it is part of his Sunnah and holds the rank befitting it.
If it is emphasized, it becomes an emphasized Sunnah; if it is less than that, it becomes a non-emphasized Sunnah.
An example of a non-emphasized Sunnah is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Bulugh al-Maram 2:264, expressing his dislike of people making it a Sunnah, meaning making it an emphasized, regular Sunnah.
In summary, what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not establish is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and it is not permissible for anyone to worship Allah with it. What he established but did not emphasize is a Sunnah in the rank that the Lawgiver assigned to it. What he established and emphasized may be obligatory (wajib) or an emphasized Sunnah, depending on what the Shari'ah texts require.
The Shaykh : As for what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not establish, it is a religious innovation (bid'ah). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) warned against innovations and said (peace and blessings be upon him):
every innovation is going astray, and every going astray is in the Fire
كل بدعة ضلالة وكل ضلالة في النارAs for what he established but did not emphasize, if it is established that it is from his Sunnah (recommended practice), then it is part of his Sunnah and holds the rank befitting it.
If it is emphasized, it becomes an emphasized Sunnah; if it is less than that, it becomes a non-emphasized Sunnah.
An example of a non-emphasized Sunnah is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
Pray before Maghrib, pray before Maghrib" then he said at the third time, "Whoever wishes (to)"
صلوا قبل المغرب صلوا قبل المغرب وقال في الثالثة لمن شاءIn summary, what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not establish is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and it is not permissible for anyone to worship Allah with it. What he established but did not emphasize is a Sunnah in the rank that the Lawgiver assigned to it. What he established and emphasized may be obligatory (wajib) or an emphasized Sunnah, depending on what the Shari'ah texts require.