Reading from the author's text with commentary and collation of manuscripts
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The reader: "And some of the authors thought that this is a matter in which there is disagreement, and he equated it with the first category, but that is not good, for here it is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to seek out the spot, so how can this intention not be recommended? Yes: persisting in a spot in the mosque where one does not pray except in it is forbidden, as the Sunnah has stated, and persisting is not the same as seeking out without persisting. It is necessary to distinguish between following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and emulating him in what he did, and between innovating a religious innovation that he did not establish, just because it is associated with him".
The Shaykh : And from that, if someone were to say: It is recommended to pray the congregation prayer in the night prayer, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did that?
We say: He did not do it as a recommended practice, but he did it sometimes, so it is not denied absolutely, nor is it affirmed absolutely. And this is the true following: that a person seeks out the steps of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and stands where he stood and walks where he walked.
The reader: "And the scholars have disputed whether, if one performs an act from the permissible things for a reason, and we perform it to imitate him while that reason is absent, it is recommended or not. Some of them recommend it, and some do not. And on this basis is the action of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray in those spots on his path, because they were his residence, and he did not seek to pray in them for a meaning in the spot.
The parallel of this is: that the traveler prays in his residence, and this is a recommended practice. As for intending to pray in those spots where he prayed coincidentally, this has not been reported from any of the Companions other than Ibn 'Umar. Rather, Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali, and the rest of the foremost pioneers among the emigrants and the helpers, used to go from Madinah to Makkah as pilgrims, visitors, and travelers, and it has not been reported from any of them that he sought to pray in the prayer places of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And it is known that if this had been recommended in their view, they would have been more eager to do it, for they were more knowledgeable of his Sunnah and more obedient to it than others. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 4607Sahih (Al-Albani). And seeking this is not from the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, but it is from what was innovated. And the statement of a Companion, if his counterpart contradicts it, is not a proof, so how if he is alone with it against the majority of the Companions? Also"
The Shaykh : And also, with the waw, do you have it?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Because if he did it, he said it, do you have his action? It is extra in your copy, his saying and his action, do you have it and his action? No, we only have his saying, shall we leave it as a copy?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, I don't have it, do you have it in the manuscript, Samih? Is it there or not? Shall we leave it as a second copy. Yes, okay.
The reader: "And also, seeking".
The Shaykh : Seeking
The reader: "And also, seeking to pray in them is a means to adopting them as mosques and imitating"
The Shaykh : Imitating, with a kasrah
The reader: "To adopting them as mosques and imitating the People of the Book, in which we are forbidden to imitate them, and that is a means to associating partners with Allah. And the Lawgiver has cut off this matter by forbidding prayer at the rising of the sun and at its setting, and by forbidding adopting graves as mosques. So if he has forbidden the prescribed prayer in this place and this time, to block the means, how is it recommended to intend prayer and supplication in a place where they happened to stand, or pray, without them having intended to pray and supplicate in it? And if this were permissible, it would be recommended to intend Mount Hira and pray in it, and intend Mount Thawr and pray in it, and intend the places where it is said that the prophets stood, such as the two stations on the path of Mount Qasiyun in Damascus, which are said to be the station of Ibrahim".
The Shaykh : That they are.
The reader: "Which are said to be the stations of Ibrahim and 'Isa, and the station"
The Shaykh : And the station.
The reader: "And the station which is said to be the cave of the blood of Qabil, and the like of that, from the spots in the Hijaz, the Levant, and elsewhere".
The Shaykh : And from that, if someone were to say: It is recommended to pray the congregation prayer in the night prayer, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did that?
We say: He did not do it as a recommended practice, but he did it sometimes, so it is not denied absolutely, nor is it affirmed absolutely. And this is the true following: that a person seeks out the steps of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and stands where he stood and walks where he walked.
The reader: "And the scholars have disputed whether, if one performs an act from the permissible things for a reason, and we perform it to imitate him while that reason is absent, it is recommended or not. Some of them recommend it, and some do not. And on this basis is the action of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray in those spots on his path, because they were his residence, and he did not seek to pray in them for a meaning in the spot.
The parallel of this is: that the traveler prays in his residence, and this is a recommended practice. As for intending to pray in those spots where he prayed coincidentally, this has not been reported from any of the Companions other than Ibn 'Umar. Rather, Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali, and the rest of the foremost pioneers among the emigrants and the helpers, used to go from Madinah to Makkah as pilgrims, visitors, and travelers, and it has not been reported from any of them that he sought to pray in the prayer places of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And it is known that if this had been recommended in their view, they would have been more eager to do it, for they were more knowledgeable of his Sunnah and more obedient to it than others. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
You must then follow my sunnah and that of the rightly-guided caliphs. Hold to it and stick fast to it. Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error.
عليكم بسنتي وسنة الخلفاء الراشدين المهديين من بعدي، تمسكوا بها، وعضوا عليها بالنواجذ، وإياكم ومحدثات الأمور فإن كل محدثة بدعة، وكل بدعة ضلالةThe Shaykh : And also, with the waw, do you have it?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Because if he did it, he said it, do you have his action? It is extra in your copy, his saying and his action, do you have it and his action? No, we only have his saying, shall we leave it as a copy?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, I don't have it, do you have it in the manuscript, Samih? Is it there or not? Shall we leave it as a second copy. Yes, okay.
The reader: "And also, seeking".
The Shaykh : Seeking
The reader: "And also, seeking to pray in them is a means to adopting them as mosques and imitating"
The Shaykh : Imitating, with a kasrah
The reader: "To adopting them as mosques and imitating the People of the Book, in which we are forbidden to imitate them, and that is a means to associating partners with Allah. And the Lawgiver has cut off this matter by forbidding prayer at the rising of the sun and at its setting, and by forbidding adopting graves as mosques. So if he has forbidden the prescribed prayer in this place and this time, to block the means, how is it recommended to intend prayer and supplication in a place where they happened to stand, or pray, without them having intended to pray and supplicate in it? And if this were permissible, it would be recommended to intend Mount Hira and pray in it, and intend Mount Thawr and pray in it, and intend the places where it is said that the prophets stood, such as the two stations on the path of Mount Qasiyun in Damascus, which are said to be the station of Ibrahim".
The Shaykh : That they are.
The reader: "Which are said to be the stations of Ibrahim and 'Isa, and the station"
The Shaykh : And the station.
The reader: "And the station which is said to be the cave of the blood of Qabil, and the like of that, from the spots in the Hijaz, the Levant, and elsewhere".