Warning Against Exaggeration Regarding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)

Question:
A letter reached the program from the Syrian Arab Republic, sent by a brother of ours from there named Muhammad Jassim ibn Hamad al-Salih. Our brother has nine questions and hopes, at the beginning of his letter, that we would present them all in a single episode, may we be able to do so, my brother! Even though this is contrary to the program's methodology.
He asks first, addressing the Shaykh, and says: There is a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) which says: and several other hadiths of this nature: "Do not exalt me, do not praise me." But the question is: There are many people who establish lodges, they engage in dhikr and praise, they dance and beat the hand drums, some of them faint, they strike themselves with whips and throw themselves into the fire, and they eat glass, saying: "These are deeds that bring us closer to Allah and His Messenger." But do these deeds have any connection to the religion? Knowing that there are people in India, China, and Japan, who are not Muslims, who perform these deeds. Please inform us about this matter, may Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
As for the hadith, it is authentic; al-Bukhari narrated it in his Sahih. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: and its meaning is: Do not exaggerate in my praise, do not praise me with what is not true, such as saying: He knows the unseen, or that he is worshipped besides Allah, or that he saves his relatives from the Fire even if they disbelieve, or the like of that, .
And among the exaggeration is what the author of the Burdah did, where he said:
O most noble of creation, to whom shall I take refuge
other than You when the general calamity befalls
If you are not in my enemy's camp taking my hand
out of favor, otherwise say: O slip of the foot
For from Your generosity is the world and its counterpart
And from Your knowledge is the knowledge of the Tablet and the Pen
This is among the ugliest forms of exaggeration; because it is major shirk, for it makes the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) the savior on the Day of Resurrection, and that there is no refuge for people except him (peace and blessings be upon him), and that he knows the unseen, and knows what is in the Preserved Tablet and the Pen, and that the world and the Hereafter are from his generosity. All of this is misguidance and disbelief, may Allah protect us from it. Likewise, whoever says regarding his right (peace and blessings be upon him) that he is called upon and sought for aid, and that one draws near to him with sacrifices and vows, this is exaggeration and excessive praise that is not permissible. Rather, this is major shirk. The right of Allah is not given to other than Him. The right of Allah is worship, and it is not given to the Prophet, nor to other than the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
And as for these deeds that the Sufis do, such as dancing and singing, and some of them stabbing themselves with spears and swords, and the like of their vile deeds, these are religious innovations introduced by the Sufis with no basis. Rather, they are from what is wrong. It is obligatory to leave them, to forbid them from them, to warn them against them, and not to sit with them, and not to take them as companions; because they have fabricated against Allah in this and lied about Him in their claim that this is religion and that it is a means of nearness. So beating the hand drums and singing, and using the striking of swords or daggers or knives or poetry that contradicts the Shari'ah, are not nearness to Allah nor obedience to Allah. Rather, this is wrong and it is not permissible for a Muslim to engage in it, except the hand drum at weddings for women specifically, from the perspective of joy, which women strike, or the maidservants on festivals; because they are young, so they have joy, as came in the hadith of A'ishah regarding the story of the two maidservants who struck the hand drum in the house of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on the day of the festival. This is permissible and is an exception. But if the people or the men engage in it with music and singing, this is wrong, and all the deeds of the Sufis are wrong, which is what the questioner mentioned.
So it is obligatory to be cautious of that; therefore, because of their obedience to Satan, and because Satan has gained control over them, they fall into these games and faint over them, and Satan beautifies for them that this is from nearness and obedience, and this is from the obedience of Satan and the worship of Satan. We ask Allah for safety, we ask Allah for guidance for us and for them.

The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good.