Regarding the Yemeni Corner, many people, especially on days of heavy crowds, are unable to touch it, so they say the takbir when they pass by it. What is the ruling on this takbir and pointing?
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The questioner : Regarding the Yemeni Corner, many people, especially on days of heavy crowds, are unable to touch it, so they say the takbir when they pass by it. What is the ruling on this takbir?
The Shaykh : I do not know of any basis for this takbir.
The questioner : And they also point to it?
The Shaykh : I do not know of any basis for the pointing either, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If no basis is known for either the pointing or the takbir, then it is better that a person not say the takbir and not point.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for the Black Stone, the takbir and pointing are established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
The questioner : The questioner says...
The Shaykh : Since we are in the tawaf, among the religious innovations (bid'ah) are also the things found in these booklets that assign a specific supplication to each lap. This is not reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and it is not befitting for a Muslim to adhere to it or act upon it, because everything that is not reported from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in matters of worship to Allah is an innovation.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is a religious innovation (bid'ah) that is to be avoided, just as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If a person were to adopt a general supplication from what is established in the Sunnah, not specific to each lap, we would say there is nothing wrong with it, provided he does not believe it is prescribed (mashru') in the tawaf. If a person were to supplicate for himself with what he desires and remember Allah the Exalted with the prescribed (mashru') remembrances that come to his mind, that would be better. Thus, there are three ways: sometimes a person remembers his Lord with what is easy for him and supplicates to Him with what he loves, and this is the best of the categories.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Sometimes a person remembers Allah the Exalted with what is reported and supplicates to Him with what is reported, not restricted to a specific lap, and this is permissible if the person does not believe it is a recommended practice (sunnah) in the tawaf.
The third category is that a person supplicates to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, in each lap with a supplication specific to that lap. This is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and it is not befitting for a person to adopt it as a religion to draw near to Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This path actually leads to harm from a practical standpoint, in addition to the matters of belief and legitimacy, which is that many of those who recite this supplication do not understand its meaning and do not know it. For this reason, we sometimes hear them using the phrase in a way that becomes a curse upon themselves rather than a supplication for themselves.
The questioner : We seek refuge in Allah.
The Shaykh : Because they do not understand.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And they do not know, and sometimes they are not Arabs, so they do not know the Arabic letters and they break them and change their meaning. For this reason, if the scholars of the Muslims were to guide the Muslims to the correct path and say that this tawaf does not require supplicating with this... which is not from the Sunnah, but rather you should supplicate to Allah the Exalted with what you love, and every person has a specific desire and a specific request that he asks of his Lord, that would be better, more beautiful, and safer than this confusion caused by raising voices.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to his Companions while they were praying and raising their voices, and he said (peace and blessings be upon him):As-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Nasa'i 14:26 or he said: The hadith was narrated by Malik in al-Muwatta, and it is authentic (sahih), as Ibn 'Abd al-Barr said.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Therefore, if we avoid this path that many pilgrims follow today, we will be safe from the confusion, and the tawaf will be calm and humble, and every person will supplicate to his Lord with what he desires. I ask Allah the Exalted to bring this about for the Muslim community.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the end of this session, in which we presented the messages of the honorable 'Abd al-Salam Safar from Jeddah, Muzayyid Mishqar al-Ruwaqi from Riyadh, and Zaban Dhuhwi al-Ma'athib from Tabuk, and the pilgrim, as it were, Q.J. from an Islamic country.
We presented these questions and inquiries to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, professor at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University and imam and khatib of the Grand Mosque in Unayzah.
Thank you to Shaykh Muhammad, and thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The Shaykh : I do not know of any basis for this takbir.
The questioner : And they also point to it?
The Shaykh : I do not know of any basis for the pointing either, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If no basis is known for either the pointing or the takbir, then it is better that a person not say the takbir and not point.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for the Black Stone, the takbir and pointing are established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
The questioner : The questioner says...
The Shaykh : Since we are in the tawaf, among the religious innovations (bid'ah) are also the things found in these booklets that assign a specific supplication to each lap. This is not reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and it is not befitting for a Muslim to adhere to it or act upon it, because everything that is not reported from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in matters of worship to Allah is an innovation.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is a religious innovation (bid'ah) that is to be avoided, just as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Every innovation is misguidance.
كل بدعة ضلالةThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Sometimes a person remembers Allah the Exalted with what is reported and supplicates to Him with what is reported, not restricted to a specific lap, and this is permissible if the person does not believe it is a recommended practice (sunnah) in the tawaf.
The third category is that a person supplicates to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, in each lap with a supplication specific to that lap. This is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and it is not befitting for a person to adopt it as a religion to draw near to Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This path actually leads to harm from a practical standpoint, in addition to the matters of belief and legitimacy, which is that many of those who recite this supplication do not understand its meaning and do not know it. For this reason, we sometimes hear them using the phrase in a way that becomes a curse upon themselves rather than a supplication for themselves.
The questioner : We seek refuge in Allah.
The Shaykh : Because they do not understand.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And they do not know, and sometimes they are not Arabs, so they do not know the Arabic letters and they break them and change their meaning. For this reason, if the scholars of the Muslims were to guide the Muslims to the correct path and say that this tawaf does not require supplicating with this... which is not from the Sunnah, but rather you should supplicate to Allah the Exalted with what you love, and every person has a specific desire and a specific request that he asks of his Lord, that would be better, more beautiful, and safer than this confusion caused by raising voices.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to his Companions while they were praying and raising their voices, and he said (peace and blessings be upon him):
Each of you is conversing with his Lord, so let not some of you raise his voice over others in recitation
كلكم يناجي ربه فلا يجهر بعضكم على بعض في القراءةin the Qur'an
في القرأنThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Therefore, if we avoid this path that many pilgrims follow today, we will be safe from the confusion, and the tawaf will be calm and humble, and every person will supplicate to his Lord with what he desires. I ask Allah the Exalted to bring this about for the Muslim community.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the end of this session, in which we presented the messages of the honorable 'Abd al-Salam Safar from Jeddah, Muzayyid Mishqar al-Ruwaqi from Riyadh, and Zaban Dhuhwi al-Ma'athib from Tabuk, and the pilgrim, as it were, Q.J. from an Islamic country.
We presented these questions and inquiries to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, professor at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University and imam and khatib of the Grand Mosque in Unayzah.
Thank you to Shaykh Muhammad, and thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.