What is the ruling on feasts or celebrations where many Muslims gather one week after the burial of the deceased, and also after forty days, to make supplication?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on feasts or celebrations where many Muslims gather one week after the burial of the deceased, and also after forty days, to make supplication to Allah for happiness, with evidence from the Book and the Sunnah indicating its invalidity or permissibility, if you would be so kind?
The Shaykh : The ruling on this matter is that it is an invented practice that was not part of the practice of the righteous predecessors. There is no doubt that supplication is an act of worship, so inventing a supplication in a specific form and at a specific time without permission from the Lawgiver is an innovation in worship that is not in the religion of Allah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This generality is surrounded by every "no" and has no specific exception ever. The claim of those who say that the hadith implies a deleted phrase, namely that every bad innovation is misguidance, is false. The wording and meaning of the hadith refute it, because the wording is originally complete and does not need implication or deletion. As for the meaning, if it were said that "every bad innovation is misguidance," the word "innovation" would have no benefit at all, because what is bad is misguidance whether it is an innovation or not, even if that bad thing is from the matters explicitly mentioned in the texts, such as riba (usury or interest) and zina (unlawful sexual intercourse) and the like.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : We say: It is bad, even though it is not an innovation, because its ruling was mentioned in the Shari'ah and clarified. The important point is that those who implied or said that there is an implication in the hadith, their statement is refuted by the requirement of the wording and the meaning. Accordingly, the supplication mentioned by the brother questioner, which is gathered for in the week or in the forty days, is of this type; it is a bid'ah (religious innovation) and misguidance.
The evidence for this from the Noble Qur'an is the saying of the Exalted:[Ash-Shuraa 42:21] This indicates that no one can permit or legislate in the religion what Allah has not permitted, and whoever legislates in the religion what Allah has not permitted has made himself a partner with Allah, and has made his followers partners with Allah in worship and in the legislation of the work of Allah's servants.
As for the Sunnah, it is what we referred to in the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to preach this on Friday to clarify to people that this matter is serious because of its transgression against Allah and His Messenger, its lack of proper conduct with Allah and His Messenger, and its diminishing of the Shari'ah by completing it with what he claimed to be good. If it were good, it would have been prescribed. This also includes diminishing the Shari'ah. It also implies that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is either deficient or negligent, because if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not know the ruling of this matter that this man legislated, he is deficient, and may he be far from that.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And if he knew it but did not convey it to his Ummah (the Muslim community), he is also negligent, and may he be far from that. The important point is that all innovations in reality include disparaging the religion, transgressing against Allah and His Messenger, and getting ahead of Allah and His Messenger. They are also either claimed by their innovators to have evidence or not. If they do not claim evidence, they are false from their origin because there is no evidence for them. If they claim evidence for them from the Book or the Sunnah, we say to them: This evidence you claimed is either necessitating what you said of permissibility or not necessitating it. If it is not necessitating what I said of permissibility, then there is no evidence in it for you. If it is necessitating it, it follows that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was ignorant of its implication, or aware of it and negligent in not acting upon it and not calling to it. In that case, it follows that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is either deficient in his knowledge or negligent in his calling and action.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : In any case, there is no good in innovations, and by this the eloquence of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is known in his comprehensive general saying:.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The Shaykh : The ruling on this matter is that it is an invented practice that was not part of the practice of the righteous predecessors. There is no doubt that supplication is an act of worship, so inventing a supplication in a specific form and at a specific time without permission from the Lawgiver is an innovation in worship that is not in the religion of Allah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Every innovation is misguidance.
كل بدعة ضلالةThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : We say: It is bad, even though it is not an innovation, because its ruling was mentioned in the Shari'ah and clarified. The important point is that those who implied or said that there is an implication in the hadith, their statement is refuted by the requirement of the wording and the meaning. Accordingly, the supplication mentioned by the brother questioner, which is gathered for in the week or in the forty days, is of this type; it is a bid'ah (religious innovation) and misguidance.
The evidence for this from the Noble Qur'an is the saying of the Exalted:
Or have they other deities who have ordained for them a religion to which Allah has not consented? But if not for the decisive word, it would have been concluded between them
أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ شَرَعُوا لَهُمْ مِنَ الدِّينِ مَا لَمْ يَأْذَنْ بِهِ اللَّهُ وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةُ الْفَصْلِ لَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْAs for the Sunnah, it is what we referred to in the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him):
Every innovation is misguidance.
كل بدعة ضلالةThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And if he knew it but did not convey it to his Ummah (the Muslim community), he is also negligent, and may he be far from that. The important point is that all innovations in reality include disparaging the religion, transgressing against Allah and His Messenger, and getting ahead of Allah and His Messenger. They are also either claimed by their innovators to have evidence or not. If they do not claim evidence, they are false from their origin because there is no evidence for them. If they claim evidence for them from the Book or the Sunnah, we say to them: This evidence you claimed is either necessitating what you said of permissibility or not necessitating it. If it is not necessitating what I said of permissibility, then there is no evidence in it for you. If it is necessitating it, it follows that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was ignorant of its implication, or aware of it and negligent in not acting upon it and not calling to it. In that case, it follows that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is either deficient in his knowledge or negligent in his calling and action.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : In any case, there is no good in innovations, and by this the eloquence of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is known in his comprehensive general saying:
Every innovation is misguidance.
كل بدعة ضلالةThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.