The Shaykh gave an example of benefits that are not permissible to act upon, such as the adhan for other than the five daily prayers, which has no basis in the texts.
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The Shaykh : I do not know if he is giving this example or if I am giving it for clarification and explanation. The adhan is a very clear example... The other point we were discussing is the adhan for other than the five daily prayers. I am not saying, for example, for the Eid prayer; rather, for other than the five daily prayers, which includes the Eid prayer, the prayer for rain, the funeral prayer, and so on. Is there a benefit in it, or is there no benefit? There is no doubt that if we were to abandon following what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did and judge with our minds, which we non-Salafis are accustomed to relying on in many matters, the answer would be: "What is in it, my brother? There is nothing in it." And I say with them: "What is in it if we call the adhan for the Eid prayer?" There is no doubt that if you were to abandon following the Sunnah, even hypothetically, your answer would be: "By Allah, there is nothing in it." The remembrance of Allah and proclaiming that there is no god but Allah—there is nothing in it. The adhan that some people do in some countries, often in Aleppo and perhaps rarely here, when they lower the deceased into the grave, they stand over the grave and their mu'adhdhin calls the adhan. What is in it? There is nothing in it. It is a remembrance of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
Now, we also say that if we leave out this adhan at the grave, or for the festival prayer, or for the prayer for rain, we also say, "What is the problem if we leave it out?" That is, in response to"What is the problem?"theirs,"What is the problem?"ours. You say, "What is the problem with what we do?" We say to them, "What is the problem if we do not do it?"
And they certainly will not be able to answer, and we will have the victory and superiority over them by argument in the future. But initially, if they say "What is in it if we do it," we ask them: "What is in it if we do not do it?"
We follow the Sunnah, so we do not do this thing. And what do you follow? You follow your desires and your customs! Now, let us say: Is there a specific benefit in something like the prayer for rain, where the people are gathered in the mosque and it appears to the imam that he should pray for rain? Instead of making an ordinary announcement, the mu'adhdhin calls the adhan in the mosque and says "The prayer is gathered" in addition to the adhan. The Sunnah is to say "The prayer is gathered," but we also return to their saying in this occasion and others: "What is in it, my brother? An increase in good is good. The Sunnah is 'The prayer is gathered,' or 'The prayer is gathered,' but an increase in good is good, so we call the adhan." Is there an announcement in this adhan or not? It cannot be denied. Now, is the reason for this announcement in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) present or not? It was present. Now, since the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do this, it is not from the Sunnah for us to do this, because the reason for it was present in the era of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). This example is very clear and shows them the precision that Ibn Taymiyyah explained in his great book "Iqtida' al-Sirat al-Mustaqim Mukhalafat Ashab al-Jahim".
Now, we also say that if we leave out this adhan at the grave, or for the festival prayer, or for the prayer for rain, we also say, "What is the problem if we leave it out?" That is, in response to"What is the problem?"theirs,"What is the problem?"ours. You say, "What is the problem with what we do?" We say to them, "What is the problem if we do not do it?"
And they certainly will not be able to answer, and we will have the victory and superiority over them by argument in the future. But initially, if they say "What is in it if we do it," we ask them: "What is in it if we do not do it?"
We follow the Sunnah, so we do not do this thing. And what do you follow? You follow your desires and your customs! Now, let us say: Is there a specific benefit in something like the prayer for rain, where the people are gathered in the mosque and it appears to the imam that he should pray for rain? Instead of making an ordinary announcement, the mu'adhdhin calls the adhan in the mosque and says "The prayer is gathered" in addition to the adhan. The Sunnah is to say "The prayer is gathered," but we also return to their saying in this occasion and others: "What is in it, my brother? An increase in good is good. The Sunnah is 'The prayer is gathered,' or 'The prayer is gathered,' but an increase in good is good, so we call the adhan." Is there an announcement in this adhan or not? It cannot be denied. Now, is the reason for this announcement in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) present or not? It was present. Now, since the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do this, it is not from the Sunnah for us to do this, because the reason for it was present in the era of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). This example is very clear and shows them the precision that Ibn Taymiyyah explained in his great book "Iqtida' al-Sirat al-Mustaqim Mukhalafat Ashab al-Jahim".