Reading from the author's text with commentary and collation of manuscripts: "And the criterion in this matter, and Allah knows best, is to say
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The reader: "And the criterion in this matter, and Allah knows best, is to say that people do not introduce anything except because they see it as a benefit, for if they believed it to be a harm, they would not introduce it, since neither reason nor religion calls for it. So, when people see something as a benefit, they look at the cause that necessitates it. If the cause that necessitates it"
The Shaykh : necessitates
The reader: "So, when people see something as a benefit, they look at the cause that necessitates it. If the cause that necessitates it is a matter that arose after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) without any negligence on our part, then it is permissible to introduce what is needed. Likewise, if the reason for doing it existed during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) left it off due to a counter-indication that ceased with his death. As for what has not"
The Shaykh : has not
The reader: "As for what has not had a cause necessitating it, or if the cause necessitating it is some of the sins of the servants, then it is not permissible to introduce it. So, any matter where the reason for doing it existed during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and if it were a benefit, he did not do it, we know that it is not a benefit. As for what arose after his death without disobedience to the Creator, it may be a benefit. Then, here the jurists have two paths. The first is that it is done as long as it has not been prohibited, and this is the view of those who affirm unrestricted public interest. The second is that it is not done if it has not been commanded, and this is the view of those who do not affirm rulings based on unrestricted public interest. These are of two types: some do not affirm a ruling unless it falls within the wording of the Lawgiver's speech, or his action, or his approval, and they are the deniers of analogical reasoning. And some affirm it by the wording of the Lawgiver or its meaning, and they are the proponents of analogical reasoning. As for what" in my copy it says "in the letter ta. As for if it was"
The Shaykh : Yes, as for if it was, and the meaning is the same
The reader: As for what
The Shaykh : If
The reader: If it was
The Shaykh : If
The reader: "As for if the reason for doing it existed, and if it were a benefit, yet he did not legislate it, then establishing it is a change in the religion of Allah. And those who entered into this are those attributed to changing the religion, from kings, scholars, and servants, or those who erred among them through independent legal reasoning, as narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and more than one of the Companions: An example of this category is the adhan in the two festivals, for when some of the"
The Shaykh : This is one of the most dangerous things, the error of a scholar, for if a scholar errs, he leads others to error with his error. The error of a scholar leads a scholar to error. The argument of the hypocrite with the Qur'an: the hypocrite argues with the Qur'an, bringing forth the ambiguous verses and leaving the clear ones. But because he did not have faith, he strikes the Qur'an with parts of itself. And this is dangerous, especially if he has been given eloquence and rhetoric, and attends the gatherings of the common people, and starts saying this and that. So this is also of great danger. As for misleading imams, we might say this is general: everyone who is followed, if he errs, is one of the most dangerous things for Islam. Yes.
The reciter: "For example, the adhan in the two festivals. When some of the princes introduced this, the Muslims rejected it because it is a religious innovation. If the fact that it is an innovation were not evidence of its being disliked, one might say that this is a remembrance of Allah and a call for creation to worship Allah, and thus it would fall under the general texts, such as His saying, the Exalted:[Al-Ahzab 33:41] and His saying, the Exalted: [Fussilat 41:33] Or it could be analogized to the adhan on Friday, for the evidence for the goodness of the adhan in the two festivals is stronger than the evidence for the goodness of most innovations. Rather, it is said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) left it, despite the presence of what is believed to necessitate it and the removal of the obstacle, and this is a Sunnah, just as his doing something is a Sunnah. So when he ordered the adhan on Friday and prayed the two festivals without an adhan or an iqamah, leaving the adhan in them is a Sunnah. No one has the right to add to that, and adding to it is like adding to the number of prayers, the number of rak'ahs, fasting the month, or performing Hajj. If a man wanted to pray the midday prayer with five rak'ahs and said, 'This is an increase in righteous deeds,' he would not be allowed to do so. Likewise, if he wanted to establish another place to be visited for supplicating to Allah and remembering Him, he would not be allowed to do so. Nor is he allowed to say, 'This is a good innovation.' Rather, it is said to him: every innovation is misguidance. We know that this is misguidance before we know a specific prohibition against it or know what harm is in it. This is an example of what occurred when the necessitating factor was present and the obstacle was removed, if it were good. For every benefit that the innovator presents for this, or every piece of evidence he cites, was already established in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and yet the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do it. So this leaving it is a specific Sunnah that takes precedence over every general text and every analogy."
And an example of an innovation that arose out of a need caused by the negligence of people is delivering the khutbah before the prayer in the two festivals. For it is "
The Shaykh : It is now clear that we say: every thing whose cause existed in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) without an obstacle, and which he did not do, is an innovation if done, and leaving it is the Sunnah. But if an obstacle existed or an obstacle was feared, there is no harm. Just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) left the congregational prayer in the standing of Ramadan out of fear that it would become obligatory, it is not said that standing in congregation now is an innovation. We say: because the Messenger, may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, left this out of fear that it would be made obligatory upon us. Yes.
The Shaykh : necessitates
The reader: "So, when people see something as a benefit, they look at the cause that necessitates it. If the cause that necessitates it is a matter that arose after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) without any negligence on our part, then it is permissible to introduce what is needed. Likewise, if the reason for doing it existed during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) left it off due to a counter-indication that ceased with his death. As for what has not"
The Shaykh : has not
The reader: "As for what has not had a cause necessitating it, or if the cause necessitating it is some of the sins of the servants, then it is not permissible to introduce it. So, any matter where the reason for doing it existed during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and if it were a benefit, he did not do it, we know that it is not a benefit. As for what arose after his death without disobedience to the Creator, it may be a benefit. Then, here the jurists have two paths. The first is that it is done as long as it has not been prohibited, and this is the view of those who affirm unrestricted public interest. The second is that it is not done if it has not been commanded, and this is the view of those who do not affirm rulings based on unrestricted public interest. These are of two types: some do not affirm a ruling unless it falls within the wording of the Lawgiver's speech, or his action, or his approval, and they are the deniers of analogical reasoning. And some affirm it by the wording of the Lawgiver or its meaning, and they are the proponents of analogical reasoning. As for what" in my copy it says "in the letter ta. As for if it was"
The Shaykh : Yes, as for if it was, and the meaning is the same
The reader: As for what
The Shaykh : If
The reader: If it was
The Shaykh : If
The reader: "As for if the reason for doing it existed, and if it were a benefit, yet he did not legislate it, then establishing it is a change in the religion of Allah. And those who entered into this are those attributed to changing the religion, from kings, scholars, and servants, or those who erred among them through independent legal reasoning, as narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and more than one of the Companions:
The greatest thing I fear for you is the slip of a scholar, the argument of a hypocrite with the Qur'an, and misleading imams.
إن أخوف ما أخاف عليكم زلة عالم وجدال منافق بالقرآن وأئمة مضلونThe Shaykh : This is one of the most dangerous things, the error of a scholar, for if a scholar errs, he leads others to error with his error. The error of a scholar leads a scholar to error. The argument of the hypocrite with the Qur'an: the hypocrite argues with the Qur'an, bringing forth the ambiguous verses and leaving the clear ones. But because he did not have faith, he strikes the Qur'an with parts of itself. And this is dangerous, especially if he has been given eloquence and rhetoric, and attends the gatherings of the common people, and starts saying this and that. So this is also of great danger. As for misleading imams, we might say this is general: everyone who is followed, if he errs, is one of the most dangerous things for Islam. Yes.
The reciter: "For example, the adhan in the two festivals. When some of the princes introduced this, the Muslims rejected it because it is a religious innovation. If the fact that it is an innovation were not evidence of its being disliked, one might say that this is a remembrance of Allah and a call for creation to worship Allah, and thus it would fall under the general texts, such as His saying, the Exalted:
remember Allah with much remembrance
اذكروا الله ذكرا كثيراAnd who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah
ومن أحسن قولا ممن دعا إلى اللهAnd an example of an innovation that arose out of a need caused by the negligence of people is delivering the khutbah before the prayer in the two festivals. For it is "
The Shaykh : It is now clear that we say: every thing whose cause existed in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) without an obstacle, and which he did not do, is an innovation if done, and leaving it is the Sunnah. But if an obstacle existed or an obstacle was feared, there is no harm. Just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) left the congregational prayer in the standing of Ramadan out of fear that it would become obligatory, it is not said that standing in congregation now is an innovation. We say: because the Messenger, may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, left this out of fear that it would be made obligatory upon us. Yes.