What is the ruling on one who performs a sunnah and is rebuked by one of the righteous for it being strange to people?

The questioner : Some righteous youth may revive some abandoned sunnahs, such as the sunnah of applying kohl, for example, and the like.

The Shaykh : The sunnah of what?

The questioner : Applying kohl.

The Shaykh : Applying kohl.

The questioner : So some of the righteous stand up to him and say, with good intentions, "My brother, this is strange to people, and do not make people averse to it." He cites the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): He says that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) here was considering the people; so if you revive this sunnah, it may be strange to people, and they may reject this sunnah and disbelieve in the sunnah. So how do you respond to his citing this evidence that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was considering the people?

The Shaykh : I do not think this matter is sound; rather, it is an undesirable expansion because it leads to the death of sunnahs due to not reviving them out of fear that a presumed harm will result from it. We say that regarding this argument and many other things related to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), it is not befitting for us to compare ourselves to him (peace and blessings be upon him). For example, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say, as legislation for the people from the Lord of the Worlds: In contrast to this, it was reported from him (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri that a man would come to him (peace and blessings be upon him) and ask him while he was strong, and he would give to him. When the man left him, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would say to his companions: Some of them would say to him, "Then why did you give to him, O Messenger of Allah?" His answer (peace and blessings be upon him) would be: The station of prophethood is above all stations of people and the righteous. So if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) refrains from something out of fear that it will be attributed to him (peace and blessings be upon him), or does something that, if he had not done it, might be criticized in a way that should not be said, that is a ruling specific to him (peace and blessings be upon him). As for the general people, it is the opposite of that; we must encourage Muslims in general, and the students of knowledge among them in particular, and the scholars in a more specific way, to not care about people and to revive what people have abandoned of the sunnahs of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). However, in this case, to alleviate the prohibition that may result for some people who are surprised by the revival of a sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), it is explained to people, to the extent of the explainer's ability, that this matter is a sunnah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged or ordered, and we are doing it to revive it and to gain the reward known for one who revives a sunnah, and which of these is more authentic.

The questioner : Does this explanation come before doing it, or after doing this abandoned sunnah?

The Shaykh : There is no objection to it being associated with it; no, that is associated with the sunnah. And this, of course, differs from person to person, in the sense that the general Muslims are not burdened with such an explanation because they are not able to do it, and it is sufficient for them to revive this sunnah. But I do not imagine that an individual from the general Muslims would independently revive a sunnah unless someone from the scholars or from the students of knowledge had preceded him to it. So to remove that prohibition, the scholar who revived the sunnah or the student of knowledge who revived this sunnah does it, and at that time the prohibition is removed by such scholars or students of knowledge. As for the general Muslims, it is sufficient for them to perform the sunnah. This is what I see in this issue.