The Excellence of the Knowledge of the Salaf

The Shaykh : By Allah, the Companions and the Successors who followed them in excellence did not surpass us by performing many acts of worship that we strive to do on our own initiative and legislate without permission from Allah and His Messenger. Rather, they surpassed us by their perfect etiquette with Allah and His Messenger, and by not transgressing the limits of the Shari'ah of Allah, and by not legislating in the religion of Allah what is not part of it. They were the greatest of people and the most reverent of people toward the Shari'ah of Allah; it was not possible for them to worship Allah except with what He had prescribed. For this reason, we have not heard in the past that they would single out the twenty-seventh night for an 'Umrah, or the last ten nights for an 'Umrah. Nor have we heard that they would repeat 'Umrah in Ramadan at all. Indeed, the most eager of people for worship, the most God-fearing of people, and the most fearful of Allah, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), was in the last ten nights of Ramadan in this safe land, and yet he never went out to perform an 'Umrah. The Conquest of Makkah was on the twentieth of Ramadan, and he remained in Makkah for ten days, yet he did not go out to al-Tan'īm or to any other place in the non-sacred area to perform an 'Umrah. Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) leave this 'Umrah out of disdain for good? Answer: Absolutely not. Did he leave this 'Umrah out of ignorance that it was prescribed? Absolutely not. But rather, he (peace and blessings be upon him) worshipped Allah by the command of Allah. When he returned from the Battle of Tabuk in the month of Dhul-Qa'dah and stopped at al-Jiranah to distribute the war spoils, he entered Makkah at night from al-Jiranah without announcing this 'Umrah. He entered at night, performed 'Umrah, and went out to al-Jiranah, because he had come to Makkah from the non-sacred area, so he performed the 'Umrah. As for going out from Makkah to perform an 'Umrah, this is not from his way, nor from the way of his Companions.