What is the distinction between the ruling on letting the beard hang down, which is not an innovation, and the ruling on letting the hands hang down in prayer after rising from bowing, which is an innovation?

The Shaykh : So what is your comparison regarding the beard?

The questioner : I was pleased with the statement of one of your students, after I had initially disapproved of his words, but then, while listening, I returned to some of the students of knowledge!

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : That the Shaykh, even if he did not say that letting the beard hang down is an innovation, and especially since there are many hadiths regarding letting the beard hang down and growing it, if the Shaykh were to soften it like the first issue, if he were to soften it and say, for example: recommended or possible, for example, he does not say: innovation!!

The Shaykh : Yes, it is up to us, not up to others. We mentioned earlier: knowledge obligates us to say what should be said, not what is up to us!

The questioner : And especially, O Shaykh, the brothers say that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged, indeed commanded, growing the beard, and it is not reported from him (peace and blessings be upon him) or his approval of a Companion!

The Shaykh : You are going to make me think ill of you, ha!!

The questioner : We are not trying to mess things up so that they are fixed for us, O Shaykh, may Allah bless you.

The Shaykh : No problem.

The questioner : He is conveying, he is conveying!!

The Shaykh : A conveyor?

The questioner : Yes, a conveyor.

The Shaykh : A conveyor, yes, that is right.

The questioner : From me, I said: some of our brothers, O my brother, may Allah be pleased with you.

Another questioner : He is a conveyor, but I am trying to make it straight with him!!

The Shaykh : And you are among these "some" naturally?

The questioner : I was pleased during the discussion that the Shaykh, if he were to soften the word "innovation," for example, he does not say "innovation," for example!!

Another questioner : Our Shaykh, it is like the first one, the same thing!!

The Shaykh : I am not telling him: he will make me change my opinion!!

The questioner : Yes, yes.

The Shaykh : It is there, because the answer to this discussion was in the past!

The questioner: Correct.

The Shaykh : The answer was in the past. Take it as a rule, O brothers, listen, take it as a rule: By Allah, as they used to say before—and I rarely swear by Allah except to confirm what I say—"this rule is written in gold," as they used to say, and you will not find it written except scattered here and there, and we have taken it as a summary to present to you: "Every general text that includes parts, a part of this general text that has not been acted upon, then acting upon this part is an innovation, and it is the source of all innovators"!

The questioner : Never mind, O Shaykh, by Allah, repeat it!

The Shaykh : And the previous example, and the previous example is enough for you. "Every general text, which by its nature as a general text includes parts, a part of those parts that the Salaf did not act upon, then acting upon this part is an innovation." Its examples are two: one was the focus of the discussion, the other was an approximation of the first: placing the hands in the second standing is within general texts, but it was not acted upon. The second example: the imam's supplication and raising his hands after every prayer is within general texts, but we say: this is an innovation, because the application of this general text was not reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

The questioner : (peace and blessings be upon him).

The Shaykh : So you remember that the scholars say regarding any innovation that spread among people: O my brother, if it were good, they would have preceded us to it. Is this statement correct or not?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : This statement is at the peak of clarity and obviousness. So if this supplication we are discussing after prayer were good, the Messenger of Allah, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, the Tabi'un, those who followed them, and the imams would have done it. There is no mention of it among them at all. So take this rule and you will be at ease. Now we have commands that I repeated and made you hear: , . Was this general text acted upon or not?

The questioner : It was!

The Shaykh : Yes. Now you are rushing in your answer, imitating those who speak without knowledge, even if they are people of knowledge. And this point is where I will stop now, because you may find it strange. Do you think that a scholar, every scholar, cannot sometimes speak without knowledge?

The questioner : It is possible, of course.

The Shaykh : What do you mean, of course?

The questioner : He might speak.

The Shaykh : It is possible. So there is no strangeness if I say: he spoke in this issue without knowledge. No doubt, you are not saying it from yourself but you heard it from someone else. I am telling you: you say that this general text was acted upon, where is the evidence? We said regarding holding the hands in the second standing, it is like holding the hands in the first standing. It was established in the first, so we did it. If it were established in the second as well, we would do it. But when it was not established and not reported, we said: No, we return to the original, which is letting them hang down.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Now, where is it reported that the Messenger and the Companions used to grow their beards, and they did not take from them at all, where?

The questioner : And they did not take from them, so, it is reported that they used to grow their beards.

The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. You returned to the same claim. We are saying: the hadith of the Messenger.

The questioner : (peace and blessings be upon him).

The Shaykh : A general text, so we said: this general text was applied no matter how long the beard is? You said: Yes. How do you know? How do you know? Do you have evidence?

The questioner : It is a derivation, for example. The evidence is the derivation that I do not think the Companions would hear the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and then disobey it!

The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar!! O my brother, you returned to arguing with the general text. We want something else!

The questioner : I do not have, I do not have that they let them hang down to what!

The Shaykh : Okay, why did you bring me this hour, yes?

The questioner : It is an exoneration from me for them, that they necessarily grew them, but as for a text you read, there is none!

Another questioner : Say: I made a mistake and be done with it.

The questioner : I made a mistake, yes.

The Shaykh : Yes?

The questioner : Exoneration or accusation?

The Shaykh: By Allah!

The questioner : According to my opinion, it is an exoneration.

The Shaykh : Okay, what do you think if the opposite was reported?

The questioner : From the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?

The Shaykh : No, from the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Would you like it or not?

The questioner : I would like it, of course.

Another questioner : It is beautiful, and he is saying, so what about tomorrow!

The Shaykh : But I am afraid that you will not like it.

The questioner : You will see it in a little while.

The Shaykh: Hehehe.

The questioner : By Allah, it will roast you!

The Shaykh : Hahaha. We have authentic texts from some of the Companions, and many of the Tabi'un, that they used to take from their beards, and especially Ibn Umar and Abu Hurayrah used to take what exceeded a handful, and Ibrahim al-Nakha'i says: "They used to take from their beards." And there is not a single athar that they did not take from them. This is one of the wonders of the illusions of some of the later scholars, one of their wonders, because they make their understanding of the text a reality, as if the people of innovation said: Yes, they used to invoke the imams after the salam of prayer. Why? Because they understand this understanding from the verbal texts, so they imagine that their understanding was a practical application, and that is not the case. Otherwise, every innovation in the world that you see today and we complain about its abundance would be said to have existed. Why? There are general evidences. This is one of the worst types of fiqh found in some people.