If a da'iyah's speech is rhetorical and devoid of the Book and the Sunnah, is there any blame on him? And if it includes them?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : May Allah reward you, esteemed Shaykh, and raise your status in this world and the Hereafter.
The Shaykh : And you, and whoever is listening.
The questioner : If one finds a da'iyah who frequently uses rhetorical speech in his lectures or sermons that is devoid of the Book and the Sunnah, but includes them, such as saying: "How would you be if you were reckoned?" or "How would you be if you entered the graves?" or "Fear Allah," or other such speech, but the recitation of verses and hadiths is almost absent from his admonition, is this considered a fault against him?
The Shaykh : Undoubtedly, if a person delivers a moving sermon, even if it is from his own rhetorical composition, but it does not go beyond what came in the Book and the Sunnah, then it is beneficial, and there is no fault to be blamed for. However, linking it to the Qur'an and the Sunnah is better and more excellent, for two reasons:
The first benefit is that people know that his speech is based on evidence from the Book and the Sunnah.
The second benefit is that it connects people to the Book and the Sunnah of his Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). I give you an example: there are words in the books of preachers that move people and make them weep, and their hearts fear, as found in *al-Tabsirah* by Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) and others.
And if the Qur'an is recited to him on this same meaning, he is not moved by it as he is moved by the words of this writer. This is because the Qur'an is not mentioned in the admonition of these preachers. Therefore, we see that it is better for a person to combine the two good things: to bring the moving speech from his own words, and to bring what the Book and the Sunnah contain from his speech. Yes.
The questioner : O Shaykh, would this not be contrary to His saying, the Exalted:[Qaf 50:45]?
The Shaykh : No, as long as he conveys its meaning, he is not far from it. But it is better for him to convey both the meaning and the wording. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, esteemed Shaykh, and raise your status in this world and the Hereafter.
The Shaykh : And you, and whoever is listening.
The questioner : If one finds a da'iyah who frequently uses rhetorical speech in his lectures or sermons that is devoid of the Book and the Sunnah, but includes them, such as saying: "How would you be if you were reckoned?" or "How would you be if you entered the graves?" or "Fear Allah," or other such speech, but the recitation of verses and hadiths is almost absent from his admonition, is this considered a fault against him?
The Shaykh : Undoubtedly, if a person delivers a moving sermon, even if it is from his own rhetorical composition, but it does not go beyond what came in the Book and the Sunnah, then it is beneficial, and there is no fault to be blamed for. However, linking it to the Qur'an and the Sunnah is better and more excellent, for two reasons:
The first benefit is that people know that his speech is based on evidence from the Book and the Sunnah.
The second benefit is that it connects people to the Book and the Sunnah of his Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). I give you an example: there are words in the books of preachers that move people and make them weep, and their hearts fear, as found in *al-Tabsirah* by Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) and others.
And if the Qur'an is recited to him on this same meaning, he is not moved by it as he is moved by the words of this writer. This is because the Qur'an is not mentioned in the admonition of these preachers. Therefore, we see that it is better for a person to combine the two good things: to bring the moving speech from his own words, and to bring what the Book and the Sunnah contain from his speech. Yes.
The questioner : O Shaykh, would this not be contrary to His saying, the Exalted:
But remind by the Qur'an whoever fears My threat.
فذكّر بالقرآن من يخاف وعيدThe Shaykh : No, as long as he conveys its meaning, he is not far from it. But it is better for him to convey both the meaning and the wording. Yes.