Is it permissible to mention the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) collectively on specific days?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, we begin this session with a message received from listener E.M. from the Arab Republic of Egypt. He says: “O honorable Shaykh, is it permissible to mention the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) collectively on specific days? I ask for your guidance. May Allah reward you.”
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, his companions, and those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. The answer to this question is based on what we will mention now, if Allah wills, on this topic. We say that the acts of worship by which a person draws near to his Lord are built upon two foundations. The first foundation is sincerity to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), meaning that a person intends by his worship of Allah to draw near to Allah the Exalted and to reach the abode of His honor. He does not intend thereby wealth, status, leadership, or any other matters of this world. Rather, he intends nothing but drawing near to Allah and reaching the abode of His honor. The evidence for this is from the Book and the Sunnah. Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said:[Az-Zumar 39:2] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Bayyinah 98:5] And Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said: [Al-Kahf 18:110] And there are many verses on this.
As for the Sunnah, it contains hadiths, among which is the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: “I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) say:Sunan Abi Dawud 2201Sahih (Al-Albani).”
If sincerity is absent from the act of worship, such that it is accompanied by showing off (riya'), which is when a person performs a good deed for Allah but displays it to people so that they praise him for it, then the act of worship becomes invalid and rejected. This is because the person has associated partners with Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in it by showing it off to people. And although it is invalid and rejected, he is sinful for it and an associate of partners with Allah, except that this shirk is minor shirk, which does not take one out of the religion. And although this shirk is minor, Allah the Exalted does not forgive it, due to the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted:[An-Nisa 4:48].
Some scholars said that minor shirk is subject to Allah’s will, but the apparent view is the first one, that it is not forgiven. However, its perpetrator will not remain in the Fire eternally because it is minor shirk.
Therefore, sincerity to Allah the Exalted is necessary in every act of worship. Whoever associates others with Allah in it is sinful for it, and his act of worship is invalid.
The second condition, or the second foundation upon which acts of worship are built, is following the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). The evidence for this foundation is the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He):[Al-An'am 6:153], the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He): [Ali 'Imran 3:31], and the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He): [Al-A'raf 7:158]. It is not possible to achieve following and conforming to the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) unless the act of worship, or the deed, conforms to the Shari'ah in six matters. The first is the cause, meaning that the cause of this act of worship must be established by the Shari'ah.
The second is the type, meaning that the type of this act of worship must be established by the Shari'ah.
The third is the amount, meaning that a person must perform the act of worship in the amount prescribed by the Shari'ah.
The fourth is the manner, meaning that a person must perform the act of worship in the manner prescribed by the Shari'ah.
The fifth is the time, meaning that a person must perform the act of worship in the time prescribed for it by the Shari'ah.
The sixth is the place, meaning that a person must perform the act of worship in the place prescribed for it by the Lawgiver.
If one of these six matters is lacking, following is not achieved, and this becomes an innovation (bid'ah).
As for the first, which is the cause, it is necessary that the cause upon which this act of worship is based be established by the Shari'ah. If it is not established by the Shari'ah, then what is built upon what is not established by the Shari'ah is not prescribed. Among this is what people innovate on the twenty-seventh night of the month of Rajab, where they hold a celebration, claiming that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was ascended to the heavens on this night, the twenty-seventh night. This has no basis in history, nor does it have a basis in the Shari'ah. What appears from history is that the Night Journey and Ascension (al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj) took place in Rabi' al-Awwal.
As for the Shari'ah, it also has no basis. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), his Rightly Guided Caliphs, and all the Companions did not report that they used to celebrate on the night when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was ascended. It is known that the Shari'ah does not come except through them. The Prophet (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) said:Sunan al-Bayhaqi 17:1232. So whoever innovates a celebration on the twenty-seventh night of the month of Rajab for this occasion has built it upon a cause that is not established by the Shari'ah, nor is it established historically, as we mentioned.
The second matter is that the act of worship must conform to the Shari'ah in type. If a person performs an act of worship of a type other than that prescribed by the Shari'ah, his act of worship is rejected and not accepted from him. An example of this is if a person offers a sacrifice with horses, by slaughtering a horse on the Day of 'Id al-Adha to draw near to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), just as he draws near by slaughtering a cow. This act of worship is not accepted from him and does not count as a sacrifice, because it is of a type other than that prescribed by the Shari'ah. Sacrifices are only from livestock, namely camels, cattle, and sheep.
The third is that the act of worship must conform to the Shari'ah in amount. If it does not conform to the Shari'ah in amount, by being less or more, it is not accepted. For this reason, if a person prays the Zuhr prayer with five rak'ahs, it is not accepted from him because he exceeded the amount prescribed by the Shari'ah. And if he prays it with three rak'ahs, it is not accepted from him either because he fell short of the amount prescribed by the Shari'ah.
The fourth is that it must conform to the Shari'ah in manner, by performing it in the manner prescribed by the Shari'ah. If a person prays four rak'ahs but performs prostration before bowing, the prayer is not accepted from him because he performed it in a manner not prescribed by the Shari'ah, so it is rejected from him due to the lack of following in his case.
The fifth is that it must conform to the Shari'ah in time. If it does not conform to the Shari'ah in time, it is not accepted. If a person fasts in the month of Rajab instead of the month of Ramadan, that is not accepted from him and does not suffice for Ramadan. This is because fasting is specifically designated for Ramadan, unlike the other months. So if a person performs it in another time, he has not performed this act of worship at the time prescribed by the Shari'ah. Likewise, if a person prays Zuhr before the sun passes its zenith, it is not accepted from him because he performed it at a time other than that prescribed by the Lawgiver for it.
The sixth is that it must conform to the Shari'ah in place. If a person performs i'tikaf (spiritual retreat) in his home during the last ten days of Ramadan instead of performing it in the mosques, this i'tikaf is not valid for him because it is in a place other than that prescribed by the Lawgiver for i'tikaf.
It should be known that contradicting the Shari'ah in these six matters, or in one of them, necessitates two things, or two things follow from it. The first is sin, if it is done intentionally. The second is invalidity. If a person is ignorant, the sin is dropped from him, but the act of worship remains invalid. If it is of the type that must be made up if it becomes invalid, it is obligatory for him to make it up. If it is of the type that is not made up, it is dropped from him.
Based on this, we say in answer to this question.
The questioner : Is mentioning the Prophet...
The Shaykh : Yes, mentioning the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) at times other than those in which mentioning him was prescribed is not prescribed. If a person wants to say “I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” which is said in the adhan and also outside the adhan, and he says it in the Duha time based on the fact that he wants to perform the adhan, we say that this is not accepted from him, because the adhan has a specific time, which is when the time for prayer enters and he wants to pray. And mentioning the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is undoubtedly one of the most noble acts of worship, and sending prayers upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is among the best deeds. Whoever sends prayers upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) once, Allah sends prayers upon him ten times. So increasing in sending prayers upon him without a specific number, without a specific time, and without a specific place is better than for a person to assign a specific time, a specific number, and a specific description to this prayer. Because anything a person innovates on his own, even if its origin is prescribed, becomes an innovation. It becomes an innovation in its manner, or its time, or its place, as we detailed earlier.
When a person is content with the Sunnah and does not seek anything else, it suffices for him and he attains much good through it. Even if a person sometimes considers the Sunnah to be light and says, "I want to do more than that," the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disapproved of those who considered his Sunnah and guidance to be light and wanted to add to it. When a group of people gathered, some of them said to others, after asking about the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) private deeds—meaning those not apparent to people—as if they considered this deed to be light. They said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has been forgiven for his past and future sins, meaning we have not been granted that." So one of them said, "I will fast and not break my fast," the second said, "I will stand in prayer and not sleep," and the third said, "I will not marry women." When this reached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he disapproved of them and said:Sahih Muslim 1401.
Following the Sunnah is better, even if a person thinks his deed is little. What conforms to the Sunnah, even if it is less, is better than what does not conform to the Sunnah, even if it is more. For this reason, if a person wants to lengthen the two rak'ahs of Fajr, meaning the Sunnah of Fajr, and says, "I like to increase my recitation of the Qur'an, I like to increase my glorification of Allah, and I like to increase my supplication, so I like to lengthen the two rak'ahs of Fajr," we tell him that this is not correct and his methodology is not correct. Because the Sunnah in the Sunnah of Fajr is to make it light, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to make it light, until Aisha said: "Until I would say, 'Has he recited the Mother of the Book?'" So if we had two men, one who prayed the Sunnah of Fajr in a light manner but maintained tranquility.
And the second who prayed it in a longer manner, we would say that the first is more correct and better than the second because of conforming to the Sunnah. Then it also clarifies that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) sent two men on a need, and they did not find water, so they performed tayammum and prayed. Then they found water at the time, so one of them performed wudu' and repeated the prayer, and the other did not repeat the prayer. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the one who did not repeat the prayer: And he said to the other: So he approved of the first and did not approve of the second, but he gave him a reward twice because he did what he believed to be worship, interpreting it and thinking that this is what is obligatory upon him, so he was rewarded for this ijtihad, even though the Sunnah is contrary to it. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you, Shaykh Muhammad. Also, this questioner mentioned the collective form of dhikr, O honorable Shaykh?
The Shaykh : The form?
The questioner : In a collective form, in a collective form.
The Shaykh : Yes, likewise, the gathering of people for dhikr collectively, by saying with one voice "Allahu Akbar" or "Alhamdulillah" or "La ilaha illa Allah" or "O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad" or the like, we do not know a basis for this in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Rather, the Companions used to remember Allah the Exalted and praise Him, each for himself. Here they were in the Farewell Pilgrimage with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), some of them were hurrying and some were glorifying Allah, and no one followed another in that. They did not gather for the talbiyah, rather each person would respond with the talbiyah by himself. This is what is prescribed.
As for what has come in the Sunnah regarding gathering for supplication and dhikr, the Sunnah is followed in that, such as gathering for the du'a' of qunut in witr in the prayer of tarawih and the like. The Sunnah is followed in that.
The questioner : May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, his companions, and those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. The answer to this question is based on what we will mention now, if Allah wills, on this topic. We say that the acts of worship by which a person draws near to his Lord are built upon two foundations. The first foundation is sincerity to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), meaning that a person intends by his worship of Allah to draw near to Allah the Exalted and to reach the abode of His honor. He does not intend thereby wealth, status, leadership, or any other matters of this world. Rather, he intends nothing but drawing near to Allah and reaching the abode of His honor. The evidence for this is from the Book and the Sunnah. Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said:
So worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion.
فاعبد الله مخلصا له الدينAnd they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth
وما أمروا إلا ليعبدوا الله مخلصين له الدين حنفاءSo whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone."
فمن كان يرجو لقاء ربه فليعمل عملا صالحا ولا يشرك بعبادة ربه أحداAs for the Sunnah, it contains hadiths, among which is the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: “I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) say:
Actions are to be judged only by intentions and a man will have only what he intended. When one’s emigration is to Allaah and His Apostle, his emigration is to Allaah and His Apostle but his emigration is to a worldly end at which he aims or to a woman whom he marries , his emigration is to that for which he emigrated.
إنما الأعمال بالنيات وإنما لكل امرئ ما نوى فمن كانت هجرته إلى الله ورسوله فهجرته إلى الله ورسوله ومن كانت هجرته لدنيا يصيبها أو امرأة يتزوجها فهجرته إلى ما هاجر إليهIf sincerity is absent from the act of worship, such that it is accompanied by showing off (riya'), which is when a person performs a good deed for Allah but displays it to people so that they praise him for it, then the act of worship becomes invalid and rejected. This is because the person has associated partners with Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in it by showing it off to people. And although it is invalid and rejected, he is sinful for it and an associate of partners with Allah, except that this shirk is minor shirk, which does not take one out of the religion. And although this shirk is minor, Allah the Exalted does not forgive it, due to the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills
إن الله لا يغفر أن يشرك به ويغفر ما دون ذلك لمن يشاءSome scholars said that minor shirk is subject to Allah’s will, but the apparent view is the first one, that it is not forgiven. However, its perpetrator will not remain in the Fire eternally because it is minor shirk.
Therefore, sincerity to Allah the Exalted is necessary in every act of worship. Whoever associates others with Allah in it is sinful for it, and his act of worship is invalid.
The second condition, or the second foundation upon which acts of worship are built, is following the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). The evidence for this foundation is the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He):
And, [moreover], this is My path, which is straight, so follow it; and do not follow [other] ways, for you will be separated from His way
وَأَنَّ هذا صِراطي مُستَقيمًا فَاتَّبِعوهُ وَلا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُم عَن سَبيلِهِSay, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins
قُل إِن كُنتُم تُحِبّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعوني يُحبِبكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغفِر لَكُم ذُنوبَكُمSo believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered prophet, who believes in Allah and His words, and follow him that you may be guided.
فَآمِنوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسولِهِ النَّبِيِّ الأُمِّيِّ الَّذي يُؤمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَكَلِماتِهِ وَاتَّبِعوهُ لَعَلَّكُم تَهتَدونَThe second is the type, meaning that the type of this act of worship must be established by the Shari'ah.
The third is the amount, meaning that a person must perform the act of worship in the amount prescribed by the Shari'ah.
The fourth is the manner, meaning that a person must perform the act of worship in the manner prescribed by the Shari'ah.
The fifth is the time, meaning that a person must perform the act of worship in the time prescribed for it by the Shari'ah.
The sixth is the place, meaning that a person must perform the act of worship in the place prescribed for it by the Lawgiver.
If one of these six matters is lacking, following is not achieved, and this becomes an innovation (bid'ah).
As for the first, which is the cause, it is necessary that the cause upon which this act of worship is based be established by the Shari'ah. If it is not established by the Shari'ah, then what is built upon what is not established by the Shari'ah is not prescribed. Among this is what people innovate on the twenty-seventh night of the month of Rajab, where they hold a celebration, claiming that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was ascended to the heavens on this night, the twenty-seventh night. This has no basis in history, nor does it have a basis in the Shari'ah. What appears from history is that the Night Journey and Ascension (al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj) took place in Rabi' al-Awwal.
As for the Shari'ah, it also has no basis. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), his Rightly Guided Caliphs, and all the Companions did not report that they used to celebrate on the night when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was ascended. It is known that the Shari'ah does not come except through them. The Prophet (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) said:
Indeed, whoever lives among you will see much disagreement, so hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs after me
إنه من يعش منكم فسيرى اختلافا كثيرا فعليكم بسنتي وسنّة الخلفاء الراشدين المهديين من بعديThe second matter is that the act of worship must conform to the Shari'ah in type. If a person performs an act of worship of a type other than that prescribed by the Shari'ah, his act of worship is rejected and not accepted from him. An example of this is if a person offers a sacrifice with horses, by slaughtering a horse on the Day of 'Id al-Adha to draw near to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), just as he draws near by slaughtering a cow. This act of worship is not accepted from him and does not count as a sacrifice, because it is of a type other than that prescribed by the Shari'ah. Sacrifices are only from livestock, namely camels, cattle, and sheep.
The third is that the act of worship must conform to the Shari'ah in amount. If it does not conform to the Shari'ah in amount, by being less or more, it is not accepted. For this reason, if a person prays the Zuhr prayer with five rak'ahs, it is not accepted from him because he exceeded the amount prescribed by the Shari'ah. And if he prays it with three rak'ahs, it is not accepted from him either because he fell short of the amount prescribed by the Shari'ah.
The fourth is that it must conform to the Shari'ah in manner, by performing it in the manner prescribed by the Shari'ah. If a person prays four rak'ahs but performs prostration before bowing, the prayer is not accepted from him because he performed it in a manner not prescribed by the Shari'ah, so it is rejected from him due to the lack of following in his case.
The fifth is that it must conform to the Shari'ah in time. If it does not conform to the Shari'ah in time, it is not accepted. If a person fasts in the month of Rajab instead of the month of Ramadan, that is not accepted from him and does not suffice for Ramadan. This is because fasting is specifically designated for Ramadan, unlike the other months. So if a person performs it in another time, he has not performed this act of worship at the time prescribed by the Shari'ah. Likewise, if a person prays Zuhr before the sun passes its zenith, it is not accepted from him because he performed it at a time other than that prescribed by the Lawgiver for it.
The sixth is that it must conform to the Shari'ah in place. If a person performs i'tikaf (spiritual retreat) in his home during the last ten days of Ramadan instead of performing it in the mosques, this i'tikaf is not valid for him because it is in a place other than that prescribed by the Lawgiver for i'tikaf.
It should be known that contradicting the Shari'ah in these six matters, or in one of them, necessitates two things, or two things follow from it. The first is sin, if it is done intentionally. The second is invalidity. If a person is ignorant, the sin is dropped from him, but the act of worship remains invalid. If it is of the type that must be made up if it becomes invalid, it is obligatory for him to make it up. If it is of the type that is not made up, it is dropped from him.
Based on this, we say in answer to this question.
The questioner : Is mentioning the Prophet...
The Shaykh : Yes, mentioning the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) at times other than those in which mentioning him was prescribed is not prescribed. If a person wants to say “I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” which is said in the adhan and also outside the adhan, and he says it in the Duha time based on the fact that he wants to perform the adhan, we say that this is not accepted from him, because the adhan has a specific time, which is when the time for prayer enters and he wants to pray. And mentioning the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is undoubtedly one of the most noble acts of worship, and sending prayers upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is among the best deeds. Whoever sends prayers upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) once, Allah sends prayers upon him ten times. So increasing in sending prayers upon him without a specific number, without a specific time, and without a specific place is better than for a person to assign a specific time, a specific number, and a specific description to this prayer. Because anything a person innovates on his own, even if its origin is prescribed, becomes an innovation. It becomes an innovation in its manner, or its time, or its place, as we detailed earlier.
When a person is content with the Sunnah and does not seek anything else, it suffices for him and he attains much good through it. Even if a person sometimes considers the Sunnah to be light and says, "I want to do more than that," the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disapproved of those who considered his Sunnah and guidance to be light and wanted to add to it. When a group of people gathered, some of them said to others, after asking about the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) private deeds—meaning those not apparent to people—as if they considered this deed to be light. They said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has been forgiven for his past and future sins, meaning we have not been granted that." So one of them said, "I will fast and not break my fast," the second said, "I will stand in prayer and not sleep," and the third said, "I will not marry women." When this reached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he disapproved of them and said:
And he who turns away from my Sunnah, he has no relation with Me
من رغب عن سنّتي فليس منيFollowing the Sunnah is better, even if a person thinks his deed is little. What conforms to the Sunnah, even if it is less, is better than what does not conform to the Sunnah, even if it is more. For this reason, if a person wants to lengthen the two rak'ahs of Fajr, meaning the Sunnah of Fajr, and says, "I like to increase my recitation of the Qur'an, I like to increase my glorification of Allah, and I like to increase my supplication, so I like to lengthen the two rak'ahs of Fajr," we tell him that this is not correct and his methodology is not correct. Because the Sunnah in the Sunnah of Fajr is to make it light, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to make it light, until Aisha said: "Until I would say, 'Has he recited the Mother of the Book?'" So if we had two men, one who prayed the Sunnah of Fajr in a light manner but maintained tranquility.
And the second who prayed it in a longer manner, we would say that the first is more correct and better than the second because of conforming to the Sunnah. Then it also clarifies that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) sent two men on a need, and they did not find water, so they performed tayammum and prayed. Then they found water at the time, so one of them performed wudu' and repeated the prayer, and the other did not repeat the prayer. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the one who did not repeat the prayer:
You have hit upon the Sunnah
أصبت السنّةYou have two rewards
لك الأجر مرتينThe questioner : May Allah bless you, Shaykh Muhammad. Also, this questioner mentioned the collective form of dhikr, O honorable Shaykh?
The Shaykh : The form?
The questioner : In a collective form, in a collective form.
The Shaykh : Yes, likewise, the gathering of people for dhikr collectively, by saying with one voice "Allahu Akbar" or "Alhamdulillah" or "La ilaha illa Allah" or "O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad" or the like, we do not know a basis for this in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Rather, the Companions used to remember Allah the Exalted and praise Him, each for himself. Here they were in the Farewell Pilgrimage with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), some of them were hurrying and some were glorifying Allah, and no one followed another in that. They did not gather for the talbiyah, rather each person would respond with the talbiyah by himself. This is what is prescribed.
As for what has come in the Sunnah regarding gathering for supplication and dhikr, the Sunnah is followed in that, such as gathering for the du'a' of qunut in witr in the prayer of tarawih and the like. The Sunnah is followed in that.
The questioner : May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh.