What is the ruling on gathering for dhikr?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, O our Shaykh: I heard you, O Shaykh, on the program Nur 'ala al-Darb, and the question was: What is the ruling on a group of people who gather in the mosque for dhikr? You were kind enough to answer, and before giving the answer, you said that there is a distinction in the matter. It would be wonderful if you could mention this distinction so that we may benefit.
The Shaykh : There is a distinction regarding gathering for dhikr: If they gather to read and study, whether it be in tafsir, hadith, fiqh, or otherwise, then there is nothing wrong with it. This is the custom of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and the custom of the Ummah to this day.
And if they also gather for the Qur'an such that some of them recite the Qur'an to others for the purpose of memorization, then there is nothing wrong with this either, whether each person reads alone, or one person reads and the group follows him, but for the sake of teaching, not for worship. However, if it is for the sake of worship, meaning that they gather and raise their voices together in dhikr, or in the Qur'an together, as an act of worship rather than for learning, then this is a religious innovation (bid'ah).
The Shaykh : There is a distinction regarding gathering for dhikr: If they gather to read and study, whether it be in tafsir, hadith, fiqh, or otherwise, then there is nothing wrong with it. This is the custom of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and the custom of the Ummah to this day.
And if they also gather for the Qur'an such that some of them recite the Qur'an to others for the purpose of memorization, then there is nothing wrong with this either, whether each person reads alone, or one person reads and the group follows him, but for the sake of teaching, not for worship. However, if it is for the sake of worship, meaning that they gather and raise their voices together in dhikr, or in the Qur'an together, as an act of worship rather than for learning, then this is a religious innovation (bid'ah).