What is the ruling on the introductions that take place in every circle or gathering?

The questioner : One of the brothers asks, saying: Is the introduction that takes place at the beginning of every circle among some people part of the Sunnah?

The Shaykh : Allah the Exalted said: This practice that has become the custom of some of the later generations is one of the innovations in religion; it has no basis in the Shari'ah whatsoever. It is merely an imitation of the West, and it is a practice suitable for them, not for us, because there is a difference between the two social lives: the life of the Muslims and the life of the disbelievers. The Muslims have many gatherings, occurring five times a day in the houses of Allah, the mosques. Then the circle of this gathering expands in the congregational mosques, which are the mosques where the sermon is prescribed. When I say "where the sermon is prescribed," I mean and point out that it is not part of the Sunnah to hold the Friday prayer in every mosque where the five daily prayers are performed. Rather, the individuals of these mosques gather in the congregational mosque that can accommodate the largest possible number of Muslims. Then the circle of this gathering expands twice a year, on 'Id al-Adha and 'Id al-Fitr. Then it expands to an extent that has no end, and nothing comes after it, when the Muslims from all the lands of the world meet on a single plain at 'Arafah for the greatest gathering. All these gatherings prescribed in the religion of Islam are for profound wisdoms that those disbelievers do not know, because they have been deprived of the blessing of Islam. Therefore, they are always and forever inventing gatherings, agreements, and definitions, because they feel the deficiency they live and experience always and forever. Some Muslims come, who first do not care about the danger of innovation in religion, and this is due to their ignorance of the greatness of this religion and its sufficiency for Muslims regarding all these innovations that some Muslims receive from these people who are ignorant of the Shari'ah. They think that by doing so, they are doing a good deed. If they had known these legislations and gathered them in their minds and imagined the greatness of their benefits in their communities, that would have made them sufficient, and they would not need any of what one of them might like from what those jurists innovate in legislation. So, there is absolutely no trace of such introductions in Islam. Yes, there is a specific, very small, and practical introduction. As for the introduction that takes place, which we mentioned earlier is not prescribed in many cases, if it is possible, the artificiality in it is very apparent. And in other times, like this blessed gathering now, the introduction is almost impossible. There is a specific introduction, as I said earlier, which is that if a Muslim loves a Muslim man, it is recommended for him to inform him that he loves him for the sake of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. And in return, it is recommended for the one who is loved for the sake of Allah to address his beloved by saying: "May Allah love you for the sake of which you loved me." There are known narrations in the books of the Sunnah that I do not recall now regarding their authenticity, but they state that it is obligatory for each of these two who love each other for the sake of Allah to introduce themselves by their names, as that helps one of them to care about the affairs of the other. This type of introduction is what is established in the Sunnah. As for introducing themselves in a circle with "I am the poor one to Allah" or similar phrases, or "So-and-so, son of So-and-so," and then it becomes necessary for each of these seated people to have the memory of Ibn 'Abbas to catch these names as a magnet catches iron. From this, it becomes clear that this matter, in addition to what we mentioned earlier, has no basis in the religion. In it, there is clear and evident artificiality. Yes.

The questioner : Comment...The Shaykh : Regarding this question, may Allah reward you!

The Shaykh: Go ahead.

The questioner : ... Perhaps there are mixed groups of people brought together in one session like this, and as I said, some of them might want to ask about some of their colleagues, so he asked him or introduced himself.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : And I see no harm in that if we take the generality of the verses: to the end of the verse.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : If there were a special session just for introductions, as the disbelievers do, holding seminars or specific parties just for introductions and nothing else, perhaps what you mentioned would apply to it.

The Shaykh : And perhaps also?

The questioner : Yes, indeed, it is certain, if Allah wills.

The Shaykh : Okay - laughsThe Shaykh : (may Allah have mercy on him).

The questioner : As for a session like this, perhaps I have a relative here among these people, but merely introducing myself, that relative might have been the one who should have asked about me or spoken to me about my family or such things.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : As for if you loved him, how can there be love from one session without any prior conversation or without behaviors I practiced in front of him so that he would love me, for example, or feel comfortable with me?

The Shaykh : I think you have demolished what you built in your last word. No harm, there is no problem, and may Allah reward you with good. This is because you have opened up an important research topic for me. We opened this blessed gathering, if Allah wills, with the sermon of need that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to present before every speech and word. In it is: "Every newly invented matter is an innovation, every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire." Among what relates to this general principle is the detailing of what I considered appropriate to enter into, so that we make room for directing other questions and answering them. However, a word is necessary, even if brief, based on the beneficial speech I heard, if Allah wills. So I say first: if there is a general text, as you pointed out, in the Qur'an: And this text indicates that the intended meaning of "knowing one another" therein is: What is your name? What is your father's name? What is your profession? And so on? Where do you live? And so forth. In that case, we say, as you said, we agree with your statement that such knowing one another is permissible. But we condition it with a fundamental condition in every detail that can fall under a general text. That condition is non-commitment, non-commitment for fear that it becomes a continuous, established practice. We firmly believe that the Noble Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), whether they were applied practically or not, are divided into two categories. The first category is what is from the texts of the Book and the Sunnah that one should draw near to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) with, and worship Him with, in a form that falls under one of the known rulings, from recommended to obligatory. There is no doubt that such things were applied in the first, brightest era, when Allah (Mighty and Majestic) revealed His saying (Blessed and Exalted is He): to the end of the verse. The righteous predecessors understood from this that it is not possible to add to what was the case in the era of Prophethood and Messengership regarding this first category. For that reason, it was reported from Imam Malik, the Imam of the City of Migration, that word which, as it was said in old times, deserves to be written in gold ink for its importance and extreme wisdom. He said (may Allah have mercy on him): "Whoever innovates in Islam an innovation that he considers good has claimed that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) betrayed the message. Read the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He): What was not a religion at that time will not be a religion today. And the end of this Ummah will not be set right except by what set right its beginning." This is the first category. I cannot, and no one else can, whether they are higher than us in knowledge and understanding or lower, no one who understands this legal reality I mentioned just now can imagine that the predecessors missed a single detail of these acts of worship that are covered by this noble verse and other known legal texts. As for the second category, it is what we consider subject to circumstances and conditions. The Muslim finds there a general text that helps him to act upon it, so we say it is permissible. The example you mentioned is of this type. But the truth is that this example, for which you cited the verse as evidence, the verse actually needs study of what the scholars of exegesis said regarding the saying of Allah (the Exalted): That is: Is the example you illustrated part of this knowing one another? As for me personally, I say the jurist does not need such evidence if the Qur'anic text, after being understood in light of the scholars of exegesis and what they said about it, does not require us to resort to such a text or cite it as evidence. Because the general principles in the Shari'ah, from which the well-known rule among scholars called "unrestricted public benefit" was derived, allow us a wide scope to facilitate such a detail with the previously mentioned condition that it not be taken as a continuous practice. This is my answer to what you said.

The questioner: May Allah bless you.

The Shaykh : And may Allah bless you.

The questioner : If I went to visit one of the brothers and found two or three or more brothers there, and I asked that we get to know one another, am I considered an innovator?

The Shaykh : I heard the answer.