The Ruling on Reciting the Innovated Daily Dhikr in Sufi Books and Others

Your Eminence! We received a letter from Taif. Its sender, (A. M.), writes: To the honorable Shaykh Abdul Aziz ibn Baz, after greetings and respect: We ask your eminence to guide us to the truth, if Allah wills. Your sister asks about a book called: (Ratib al-Haddad), which is required to be read every night. The book begins with a verse from the Qur'an: [Al-Ahzab: 41], followed by Surat al-Fatihah, then Qur'anic verses, and much tasbih, takbir, tahlil, and tawhid. At the end of the book is a supplication that says: "The Fatihah is for my master Muhammad ibn Ali, his origins and branches, and his descendants, the Al-Ba'lawi, both young and old. May Allah protect us with their protection and illuminate us with their guidance, and may we see them in this world and the Hereafter."
The second Fatihah says: "The Fatihah is for our master, our role model, and our support, my master Abdullah, the owner of the Ratib. May Allah sanctify his soul in Paradise." The book also contains tasbih, tahlil, takbir, and supplication at the end, and concludes with the prayer upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The question is: Is it permissible to read this book or not? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good for us?
The Shaykh: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance.
As for what follows: This question is about (Ratib al-Haddad), which began with the noble verse: [Al-Ahzab: 41], and mentioned after that al-Fatihah and verses, then mentioned at the end the Fatihah for his master Muhammad ibn Ali ... to the end, and the Fatihah for the owner of the Ratib: Abdullah al-Haddad. I have not looked into this book. These Ratibs that many people are proficient in are generally not free from innovations and superstitions that have no basis. This Ratib, as it appears from what you mentioned, O questioner! is not free from innovations and superstitions. Therefore, it should not be adopted as a daily dhikr. Rather, the believer should adopt for his daily dhikr what has come from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in authentic hadiths. The people of the Sunnah, and praise be to Allah, have clarified what came from him (peace and blessings be upon him) of verses and things to say in the morning and evening. The believer should look into these and memorize what is easy from the book *Riyad al-Salihin*, and from the book *Al-Adhkar* by al-Nawawi, and *Al-Wabil al-Sayb* by Ibn al-Qayyim, and other books written on the dhikr of the morning and evening. In them is sufficiency regarding what people have innovated. Using al-Fatihah for so-and-so or so-and-so is an innovation with no basis. One should beware of these books written on the dhikr of the morning and evening, except for those whose author pays attention to the hadiths of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and mentions what he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do and say in the morning and evening. This is the reliable source. The reliable source is what is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of supplications and dhikr in the morning and evening, as mentioned by the scholars in their books written on this matter, such as *Riyad al-Salihin*, *Al-Adhkar* by al-Nawawi, and the book *Al-Wabil al-Sayb* by Ibn al-Qayyim, and likewise what is mentioned in the two Sahihs of al-Bukhari and Muslim, and in the Sunan and others. What is established and authentic is selected from this, and that is sufficient. And Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) has a book called: (Al-Kalim al-Tayyib) in which he mentioned a collection of this as well. The believer, male and female, should seek what is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in this chapter from the books of hadith. As for the daily dhikr mentioned by the Sufis, such as al-Haddad and other than al-Haddad, it should not be relied upon, nor should one depend on it; because it is generally not free from fabricated hadiths or weak hadiths that are not relied upon, or innovations they bring from themselves and compose from themselves, which have no origin. And Allah is the One to be sought for help.