The Shaykh’s remarks on the principle that the default ruling in acts of worship is prohibition, while in customs it is permissibility.
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The Shaykh : He rejected the second view, holding the first to be the stronger position and the second the weaker.
The questioner : That is, the phrase "there is no harm," yes, does that make it the weaker position?
The Shaykh : Yes, but it requires a bit of precision.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Then, practically speaking, no one is seen acting on this view.
The questioner : He did not know the truth of it; he had not heard of it.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : And as for matters of worship, glory be to Allah, I do not know; I mean, if independent legal reasoning is applied to them, what is the difference between them and other matters, such as transactions? I mean, the ones where we say what is better!
The Shaykh : On the contrary, transactions are open to having their meaning reasoned out, and reason has a place in them; acts of worship are not so.
The questioner : That is it, that is it.
The Shaykh : And how well Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The default ruling in acts of worship is prohibition unless there is an explicit text, and in customs it is permissibility unless there is an explicit text."
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This is the fundamental difference.
The questioner : And this principle is truly a golden rule.
The Shaykh: Allah is the Greatest!!
The questioner : It is very great.
The Shaykh : It means it establishes the entirety of Islam in a single word.
The questioner : That is, the phrase "there is no harm," yes, does that make it the weaker position?
The Shaykh : Yes, but it requires a bit of precision.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Then, practically speaking, no one is seen acting on this view.
The questioner : He did not know the truth of it; he had not heard of it.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : And as for matters of worship, glory be to Allah, I do not know; I mean, if independent legal reasoning is applied to them, what is the difference between them and other matters, such as transactions? I mean, the ones where we say what is better!
The Shaykh : On the contrary, transactions are open to having their meaning reasoned out, and reason has a place in them; acts of worship are not so.
The questioner : That is it, that is it.
The Shaykh : And how well Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The default ruling in acts of worship is prohibition unless there is an explicit text, and in customs it is permissibility unless there is an explicit text."
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This is the fundamental difference.
The questioner : And this principle is truly a golden rule.
The Shaykh: Allah is the Greatest!!
The questioner : It is very great.
The Shaykh : It means it establishes the entirety of Islam in a single word.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.