What is the ruling on designating Thursday for gathering and getting to know one another in the mosque?

The questioner : In Sudan, young men come to us from different areas, and we have a mosque that serves as a general center. All the young men are Salafi da'is. They either come to this mosque or come every Thursday to circles where we sit with the young men and students in a circle, and we discuss da'wah, advise one another, and act upon it, and we get to know one another. So what is the ruling?

The Shaykh : The question you asked is regarding designating this gathering and meeting for Thursday, or is it about something else? I did not understand.

The questioner : Getting to know one another on Thursday. As part of this getting to know one another, we discuss and advise one another in the da'wah of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He.

The Shaykh : What is the form of getting to know one another that you mean?

The questioner : A circle, for example, with Uthman Muhammad Uthman as a teacher or something like that.

The Shaykh : This has no basis in the Sunnah. The getting to know one another established in the Sunnah is when a man loves another man with a special love, not just because he is a Muslim, and not just because he is a Muslim brother, but because he has a distinction over the other Muslims, in terms of worship, righteousness, mindfulness of Allah, and the like. In this case, it is recommended (mustahabb) for the one who loves to say to the one he loves, "I love you for the sake of Allah," and for each of them to introduce himself to his brother. As for this general getting to know one another, it is foreign to Islam and has no basis in the Sunnah at all. This happens in many countries when they gather; one of them says, "It is from the Sunnah to get to know one another. What is your name? So-and-so, my job is such-and-such, my country is such-and-such," and the second and third and so on. Then the outcome is that the one who came in from here goes out from here. Affection and love are established through interaction, not just through this naming, which is like the foam of soap or like butter. We see this as not being from the prescribed getting to know one another at all. But when there is interaction, affection, and companionship, that is what enables every person to have love and affection for his companion.

The questioner : Our Shaykh, by Allah, we all love you for the sake of Allah.

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with all good, and may Allah do you good, and may He make our love for Allah a pure love, conditioned by advising one another in the religion of Allah. Because many people say to another, "I love you for the sake of Allah," and then leave him to his own devices. If he sees that he has deviated, whether by mistake or intentionally, he says, "No problem, be patient with him, turn away from him," and so on. This is not among the conditions of brotherhood in Allah. Among the conditions of brotherhood in Allah is advising one another in the religion of Allah. So if you see that I have deviated or made a mistake, it is obligatory for you to advise me and guide me. Likewise, if I see you doing so, I will do with you what you do with me.

The questioner : Did I see something from you?

The Shaykh: Go ahead.

The questioner : The prayer when rising from the bowing. As you mentioned in your book on the description of prayer, you stated that the rising is to the ears or the shoulders, and Allah knows best. It seems to me that I did not see you doing that?

The Shaykh : What did I see me doing?

The questioner : Like this.

The Shaykh : Is it like this or like this?

The questioner : In the case of the shoulders, where do you place them? Is it not like this?

The Shaykh : Like this, like this, here are the shoulders. As for being level with the ears, like this, does the rising happen like this or like this?

The questioner : Okay, may Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And you, yes.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : This comes out and is called the disease of epilepsy.