The Shaykh’s mention of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) guidance in his sermons.
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The Shaykh : And he called for water, and may Allah Blessed and Exalted is He give them drink. As for his custom in the sermon, it was that he would not turn to the right or the left, nor would he address the people or speak to them; rather, he would admonish them and remind them. It was reported in the hadith of Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah al-Ansari that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he delivered a sermon to the people, would raise his voice and his anger would intensify, as if he were a warner of an army, saying, “You have been defeated in the morning and in the evening.” This was the way, or this was the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in his sermons.
The reality, which is regrettable, is that the sermon has its own men. Not everyone who is good at speaking, even in knowledge, is good at delivering a sermon. These are qualities and characteristics that Allah Blessed and Exalted is He grants to whom He wills among His servants. Therefore, the preacher must possess the traits upon which Allah created him, in addition to knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah, such that he shakes the emotions and moves the hearts, and perhaps he is able to bring tears to the eyes due to his impact, just as the Messenger (peace be upon him) did, as you have heard. When most of our preachers felt this deficiency, they turned the sermon into something resembling a lesson. If it were a lesson, that would be one thing, but it is rather something resembling a gathering for dhikr (remembrance of Allah). It was mentioned in the question here, and we know this with regret, that while he is preaching, he tells them, “Pray upon the Prophet.” My brother, this is not a gathering for praying upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Even if a gathering were established for praying upon the Prophet, this is also one of the things that occurred after the Prophet. Establishing a special gathering called the “Gathering for Praying upon the Prophet” is something that occurred after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The reason for this is also that instead of these people gathering to be this number or more, instead of gathering for half an hour to learn a verse from the Book of Allah or a hadith from the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah or a jurisprudential issue from the legal matters, they do not have the spirit that requires struggle. They sit and gather to engage in dhikr. They engage in dhikr with what? With the gathering for praying upon the Messenger (peace be upon him).
Praying upon the Messenger (peace be upon him) is something every person can do, and the secret dhikr is, according to all scholars, better than the loud, public dhikr. They reverse the issues. Knowledge cannot be wrong, and people need scholars. Instead of gathering to learn knowledge, they gather for dhikr and for praying upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And this dhikr and this prayer are things that every person can devote time to when he finds the appropriate time for it.
So instead of gathering for fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), about which the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) saidSahih Muslim 1037a, you find that most of those who gather for dhikr have no fiqh. And the evidence is that their dhikr contradicts fiqh. Gathering in dhikr with one voice is contrary to fiqh, especially if something of swaying is added to the dhikr, and something of what is called dancing. This also contradicts fiqh. Also, the function of the preacher is not to tell the people, “Remember Allah, pray upon the Prophet, add a prayer.” All of this is a waste of time because he has no merchandise to present to the people. This, unfortunately, is a matter that draws attention and indicates the state that the particular among Muslims have reached today, let alone the general public.
In summary, it is not from the Sunnah for the preacher on Friday to turn to the right and the left. Ibn Abi Shama explicitly stated in his book “Al-Ba'ith 'ala Inkar al-Bid' wa al-Hawadith” that it is an innovation, an innovation of the preacher on Friday, to turn to the right and the left. So what if one sees these gestures and movements to the right and the left, and this loud voice from the attendees who respond to the preacher, most of whom, unfortunately, do not know?
In conclusion, this first issue, which appears in the question, is obviously contrary to the Muhammadan Sunnah.
The Shaykh : As for what follows, the best of speech is the speech of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). And the worst of matters are their innovations, and every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.
The reality, which is regrettable, is that the sermon has its own men. Not everyone who is good at speaking, even in knowledge, is good at delivering a sermon. These are qualities and characteristics that Allah Blessed and Exalted is He grants to whom He wills among His servants. Therefore, the preacher must possess the traits upon which Allah created him, in addition to knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah, such that he shakes the emotions and moves the hearts, and perhaps he is able to bring tears to the eyes due to his impact, just as the Messenger (peace be upon him) did, as you have heard. When most of our preachers felt this deficiency, they turned the sermon into something resembling a lesson. If it were a lesson, that would be one thing, but it is rather something resembling a gathering for dhikr (remembrance of Allah). It was mentioned in the question here, and we know this with regret, that while he is preaching, he tells them, “Pray upon the Prophet.” My brother, this is not a gathering for praying upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Even if a gathering were established for praying upon the Prophet, this is also one of the things that occurred after the Prophet. Establishing a special gathering called the “Gathering for Praying upon the Prophet” is something that occurred after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The reason for this is also that instead of these people gathering to be this number or more, instead of gathering for half an hour to learn a verse from the Book of Allah or a hadith from the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah or a jurisprudential issue from the legal matters, they do not have the spirit that requires struggle. They sit and gather to engage in dhikr. They engage in dhikr with what? With the gathering for praying upon the Messenger (peace be upon him).
Praying upon the Messenger (peace be upon him) is something every person can do, and the secret dhikr is, according to all scholars, better than the loud, public dhikr. They reverse the issues. Knowledge cannot be wrong, and people need scholars. Instead of gathering to learn knowledge, they gather for dhikr and for praying upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And this dhikr and this prayer are things that every person can devote time to when he finds the appropriate time for it.
So instead of gathering for fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), about which the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) said
He upon whom Allah intends to bestow goodness, He confers upon him an insight in religion
من يرد الله به خيرا يفقه في الدينIn summary, it is not from the Sunnah for the preacher on Friday to turn to the right and the left. Ibn Abi Shama explicitly stated in his book “Al-Ba'ith 'ala Inkar al-Bid' wa al-Hawadith” that it is an innovation, an innovation of the preacher on Friday, to turn to the right and the left. So what if one sees these gestures and movements to the right and the left, and this loud voice from the attendees who respond to the preacher, most of whom, unfortunately, do not know?
In conclusion, this first issue, which appears in the question, is obviously contrary to the Muhammadan Sunnah.
The Shaykh : As for what follows, the best of speech is the speech of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). And the worst of matters are their innovations, and every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.