The student of knowledge: If clapping is considered by people to be one of the major errors, should people be forbidden from doing it?

The questioner : May Allah reward you. The student of knowledge, or for example a person... may Allah keep you well. If the people see that clapping is considered one of the major errors.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : Do you mean... that... or should he mention it?

The Shaykh : I see that if there is no evidence from the Shari'ah to forbid something, you should not forbid it from anyone. But you yourself should not do it, and there is no blame on you as long as you do not have the authority to prevent Allah's servants from it or to forbid them from it. You have no right to do so. As for you, do not do it. Therefore, in the hadith of al-Bara' ibn 'Azib, when one of the narrators said to him regarding what he said: and he mentioned the four defects, he said to him: This is a useful rule: if there is no explicit text regarding something, do not prevent people from it. But if you dislike it, leave it.