Reading from the author's text with commentary and collation of manuscripts: "Know that among deeds there are some that contain good
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The reader: "Know that among deeds there are some that contain good because they include types of what is prescribed, and they also contain evil from religious innovation and other things. Thus, that deed is good in relation to the types of what is prescribed it contains, and evil in relation to the complete turning away from the religion it contains, like the state of the hypocrites and the open sinners. And most of the Ummah has been afflicted with this in the later times. So you must here adopt two etiquettes
The first is that your eagerness to adhere to the Sunnah be inward and outward, in your own case and especially in those who obey you. And enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong
The second is that you call people to the Sunnah as much as possible. If you see someone doing this and not leaving it except for something worse than it, do not call to leaving a wrong by doing something more wrong than it, or by leaving an obligatory or recommended act whose leaving is more harmful than doing that disliked act. But if there is good in the religious innovation, then compensate for it"
The Shaykh : If there is a type of good in the religious innovation
The reader: Correction, O Shaykh
The Shaykh : Ah?
The reader: Correction.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, indeed. But if there is a type of good in the religious innovation
The reader: "But if there is a type of good in the religious innovation, then compensate for it"
The Shaykh : Compensate
The reader: Compensate
The Shaykh : Yes
The reader: "Compensate for it with good from what is prescribed as much as possible, for souls do not leave anything except for something else, and it is not befitting for anyone to leave good except for its like or for something better than it. For just as the doers of these religious innovations are blameworthy, having committed a disliked act, so too are those who leave the Sunnahs blameworthy. For among them is what is obligatory absolutely, and what is obligatory conditionally. Just as the voluntary prayer is not obligatory, but whoever wants to pray it must perform its pillars. And just as it is obligatory upon whoever commits sins"
The Shaykh : This is clear. If someone said, for example, "I want to pray voluntarily," and then stood up to pray and said he does not bow, he does not want to bow, we would say, why? He said, because the basis of this is a Sunnah. So if the basis of the thing is a Sunnah, then its parts are a Sunnah. So we do not allow him to do this, because this is treating the signs of Allah with mockery. Rather, we say, when you start the voluntary prayer, it must be in the prescribed manner. Yes, indeed.
The reader: "And just as it is obligatory upon whoever commits sins to perform expiations, make up missed acts, repent, and do good deeds that erase sins. And what is obligatory upon whoever is an imam, or a judge, or a mufti, or a ruler, in terms of rights. And what is obligatory upon seekers of knowledge, or voluntary acts of worship, in terms of rights. And among them is what is disliked to persist in leaving, with severe dislike"
The Shaykh : Everything the author (may Allah have mercy on him) said is true. It is obligatory upon whoever commits sins and some of the disobedient acts what is not obligatory upon whoever is safe from them. And it is obligatory upon whoever is an imam or a judge what is not obligatory upon others. Whoever is an imam or a judge or a mufti or a follower of a scholar, it is obligatory upon him what is not obligatory upon others. You yourself pray as you wish, but if you are an imam, then you are praying for the people, so follow the Sunnah in what you do in your prayer. Yes.
The first is that your eagerness to adhere to the Sunnah be inward and outward, in your own case and especially in those who obey you. And enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong
The second is that you call people to the Sunnah as much as possible. If you see someone doing this and not leaving it except for something worse than it, do not call to leaving a wrong by doing something more wrong than it, or by leaving an obligatory or recommended act whose leaving is more harmful than doing that disliked act. But if there is good in the religious innovation, then compensate for it"
The Shaykh : If there is a type of good in the religious innovation
The reader: Correction, O Shaykh
The Shaykh : Ah?
The reader: Correction.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, indeed. But if there is a type of good in the religious innovation
The reader: "But if there is a type of good in the religious innovation, then compensate for it"
The Shaykh : Compensate
The reader: Compensate
The Shaykh : Yes
The reader: "Compensate for it with good from what is prescribed as much as possible, for souls do not leave anything except for something else, and it is not befitting for anyone to leave good except for its like or for something better than it. For just as the doers of these religious innovations are blameworthy, having committed a disliked act, so too are those who leave the Sunnahs blameworthy. For among them is what is obligatory absolutely, and what is obligatory conditionally. Just as the voluntary prayer is not obligatory, but whoever wants to pray it must perform its pillars. And just as it is obligatory upon whoever commits sins"
The Shaykh : This is clear. If someone said, for example, "I want to pray voluntarily," and then stood up to pray and said he does not bow, he does not want to bow, we would say, why? He said, because the basis of this is a Sunnah. So if the basis of the thing is a Sunnah, then its parts are a Sunnah. So we do not allow him to do this, because this is treating the signs of Allah with mockery. Rather, we say, when you start the voluntary prayer, it must be in the prescribed manner. Yes, indeed.
The reader: "And just as it is obligatory upon whoever commits sins to perform expiations, make up missed acts, repent, and do good deeds that erase sins. And what is obligatory upon whoever is an imam, or a judge, or a mufti, or a ruler, in terms of rights. And what is obligatory upon seekers of knowledge, or voluntary acts of worship, in terms of rights. And among them is what is disliked to persist in leaving, with severe dislike"
The Shaykh : Everything the author (may Allah have mercy on him) said is true. It is obligatory upon whoever commits sins and some of the disobedient acts what is not obligatory upon whoever is safe from them. And it is obligatory upon whoever is an imam or a judge what is not obligatory upon others. Whoever is an imam or a judge or a mufti or a follower of a scholar, it is obligatory upon him what is not obligatory upon others. You yourself pray as you wish, but if you are an imam, then you are praying for the people, so follow the Sunnah in what you do in your prayer. Yes.