Is it true that you issued a ruling that one who enters a study circle does not greet its people in order to avoid causing disturbance?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Your Eminence, it was reported that you issued a ruling that one who enters a circle where a Shaykh is delivering a lesson should not greet them but rather sit down, out of fear of causing them disturbance. Is this correct?
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed. The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) mentioned that if one enters a group sitting in a gathering of dhikr, he should not greet them so as not to cause them disturbance. However, if it is customary that he does not cause disturbance, and the students have the habit of greeting every time they enter, then there is no harm. Unless the number of entrants is large; in that case, there is no doubt that if the Shaykh remains occupied responding to the greetings while they enter one by one, and if we assume there are fifty people, half the lesson would be spent saying, "And upon you the peace, and upon you the peace." If one says, "Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings," he will say, "And upon you peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings." If one says, "May Allah give you a good morning," he will say, "May Allah give you a good morning," and then the lesson proceeds in the form of responses. In any case, every situation has its appropriate response. If the gathering is an ordinary one, like our gathering here, for example, and there is no occupation, then there is no harm. But if there is occupation, where every time a man enters and greets, we respond to his greeting, there is no doubt that it is not appropriate. Yes.
The questioner : Your Eminence, the Shaykh
The Shaykh : I said "like our gathering here," but that was a slip of the tongue. Our gathering here is a gathering of knowledge, not a coffee and tea gathering.
Your Eminence, it was reported that you issued a ruling that one who enters a circle where a Shaykh is delivering a lesson should not greet them but rather sit down, out of fear of causing them disturbance. Is this correct?
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed. The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) mentioned that if one enters a group sitting in a gathering of dhikr, he should not greet them so as not to cause them disturbance. However, if it is customary that he does not cause disturbance, and the students have the habit of greeting every time they enter, then there is no harm. Unless the number of entrants is large; in that case, there is no doubt that if the Shaykh remains occupied responding to the greetings while they enter one by one, and if we assume there are fifty people, half the lesson would be spent saying, "And upon you the peace, and upon you the peace." If one says, "Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings," he will say, "And upon you peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings." If one says, "May Allah give you a good morning," he will say, "May Allah give you a good morning," and then the lesson proceeds in the form of responses. In any case, every situation has its appropriate response. If the gathering is an ordinary one, like our gathering here, for example, and there is no occupation, then there is no harm. But if there is occupation, where every time a man enters and greets, we respond to his greeting, there is no doubt that it is not appropriate. Yes.
The questioner : Your Eminence, the Shaykh
The Shaykh : I said "like our gathering here," but that was a slip of the tongue. Our gathering here is a gathering of knowledge, not a coffee and tea gathering.