Questioned about the voluntary prayer between the two calls to prayer on Friday.

The Shaykh : Yes?

The questioner : In the past week, Shaykh, on Friday during the lesson, while discussing the pre-Friday sunnah, they brought up a statement from Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, and then the last of his words was that this is a matter of recommendation, meaning that whoever wants to do it, it is a recommended sunnah.

The Shaykh : What Allah willed, may Allah guide him, we ask Allah to guide him, but the truth is that Ibn Taymiyyah has a statement on this, and he argues with his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) — look, we have returned to the same previous problem, and from Shaykh al-Islam, and from Shaykh al-Islam — he cites the generality of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):

The questioner : From my shaykhs, from the scholars who say to take the generality of the hadith, the generality?

The Shaykh : All scholars say taking the generality, there is no problem with that, but we take a specific point only.

The questioner : What was the practice of the Salaf?

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : Who says it is permissible to take it even if it was not practiced?

The Shaykh : We do not have an explicit statement that it is permissible to act on the general text even if the Salaf did not do it, except those who say in favor of innovations; as for a specific text as you ask, there is none.

The questioner : What Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned, meaning this statement he mentioned is correct?

The Shaykh : Yes, that is correct.

The questioner : I read the treatise of Ibn Taymiyyah

The Shaykh : That treatise

The questioner : The Great Treatise of Ibn Taymiyyah did not say this statement.

The Shaykh : He did not say this statement, what did he say?

The questioner : What he said is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to sit on the pulpit.

The Shaykh : No problem, we agree with him on that.

The questioner : As for the one who would stand and pray the sunnah, if his intention is a voluntary prayer, then it is a voluntary prayer, meaning it is not a regular sunnah, so it is according to his intention.

The Shaykh : No problem, a voluntary prayer between the two calls?

The questioner : If this man stood and prayed it considering it a voluntary prayer and not the Friday sunnah?

The Shaykh : Fine, but did he stand to pray or was he praying? Here we differ, or do you know that we every Friday enter the mosque and pray, what Allah willed; do we enter the mosque and pray, for example, two rak'ahs as the greeting of the mosque and sit, when the first call to prayer we stand and pray, this is what Ibn Taymiyyah says, acting on this hadith, so you did not see this?

The questioner : I saw it differently, he says that the sunnah is the established fact that the Companions would pray whatever amount they wished.

The Shaykh : We did not differ, you are not answering us on the points where we agree with you.

The questioner : As for what he said, regarding the Shafi'is, he brought the evidence for this issue, but he did not prefer this statement.

The Shaykh : No, he says it is permissible to pray voluntary prayers between the two calls, acting on the generality of this hadith, there is no problem with that, and if you have a desire, I will show you the text, yes.

The questioner : Professor, we have in the urban development in the Quwaysimah area a prayer place, there is no mosque, the mosque is three kilometers away from us, and we pray there in congregation, so will we be written the reward of the mosque prayer? There is a call to prayer...

The Shaykh : No, this is congregational prayer, it will be written for you, but the mosque congregation has a special virtue.

The questioner : Is there sin in leaving the mosque prayer?

The Shaykh : If they do not hear the call to prayer, the natural call to prayer, not with a loudspeaker, and they do not respond to it, then they are sinful without doubt.

The questioner : Instead of demanding a mosque, they demand a park.

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : They must demand a mosque just as they demanded a park, just as they demanded a park and playgrounds and a school, they must demand a mosque.

The Shaykh : Do you mean here?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : I have no news, this is necessary.

The questioner : Is there evidence for the one who denies in the specific issue of generality? If someone asks, do you have evidence that this did not happen, can we say there is no evidence for the one who denies?

The Shaykh : Who said this did not happen?

The questioner : They tell us, who says, you destroy all the practice of the Salaf in the religion, it is permissible to do what the Salaf did, placing the right hand over the left after bowing... so we tell him, we deny that the Salaf did this; the rule, is there evidence for the one who denies, we say there is no evidence for the one who denies; does this apply to this principle?

The Shaykh : Of course, because I mentioned earlier a statement that if they had done it, the motivations for transmitting it would have been present, this is from one side, this is for us; for the opponent, we tell him, why do you do it? You do it because the Salaf did it? So you have to prove it; the case is completely reversed, meaning any innovation that occurs, we cannot bring evidence that it was not in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); but the general study of the conditions that were in place at that time is what gives us, as if it were a text that they did not do it, but we do not have a text.
And now let us say a word of agreement, there are many innovations agreed upon by all the different parties; but there is an agreement in naming something an innovation, there is a difference in whether this innovation is good or bad, now the word of agreement is that this is an innovation, but the difference is whether it is good or bad? Where did all these scholars who agreed, between those who approve and those who disapprove, where is their evidence that this thing is an innovation? Is there a text? We do not have a text, but as we told you, the motivations for transmitting these matters would be present if they were occurring, this is a matter agreed upon by all scholars; and therefore, for example, the Mawlid, celebrating the birth of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), no one, no matter how deep in ignorance, can tell you that the Salaf did it, no, it is agreed that it is an innovation; but we say every innovation is misguidance, but they say: No, and they understand the hadith as we always say, an incorrect understanding contrary to what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was upon.