Sharing a principle with well wishers who innocently share “Jumu’ah Mubarak”
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
A Principle to Share With Well Wishes Who Innocently Share Unauthentic Supplications or Congratulate With “Jumu’ah Mubarak”
Acts of Worship Must Fulfil Two Conditions
Al-Allamah Abdul Muhsin Al-Abbad, may Allah preserve him, said:
Al-Allamah Abdul Muhsin Al-Abbad, may Allah preserve him, said: “The initial ruling regarding acts of worship is that neither are they permissible nor legislated, except when there is proof to show that they are legislated by Allah and His Messenger; otherwise they are included in the statement of Allah: [أَمۡ لَهُمۡ شُرَڪَـٰٓؤُاْ شَرَعُواْ لَهُم مِّنَ ٱلدِّينِ مَا لَمۡ يَأۡذَنۢ بِهِ ٱللَّهُۚ – Or have they partners with Allah (false gods), who have instituted for them a religion which Allah has not allowed?!]”
Two conditions must be fulfilled for an act of worship to be accepted; the first of the two conditions is that the act of worship must be done sincerely for Allah, and secondly the act of worship must be in agreement with the Sunnah of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. The act of worship has to be done sincerely for the sake of Allah (alone) and no one is to be associated as a partner with Allah in worship. The act of worship must be done in conformity with what the Messenger conveyed (the Qur’an and the Sunnah). This is what the Shahadah (لا إله إلا الله محمدا رسول الله) necessitates. (لا إله إلا الله) necessitates that acts of worship must be carried out sincerely for the sake of Allah alone; and (محمدا رسول الله) necessitates that acts of worship must be carried out in conformity with what was revealed to the noble Messenger. Therefore, Allah is not to be worshipped with bidah, newly invented matters in Religion, and evil acts, for which Allah [The Most High] has sent down no authority; rather acts of worship must conform with the Sunnah of the noble Messenger. If any of these two conditions or both of them are not fulfilled, the act of worship will be rejected by Allah [The Mighty and Majestic] says: [وَقَدِمۡنَآ إِلَىٰ مَا عَمِلُواْ مِنۡ عَمَلٍ۬ فَجَعَلۡنَـٰهُ هَبَآءً۬ مَّنثُورً – And We shall turn to whatever deeds they disbelievers, polytheists] did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust] [Soorah Al-Furqaan. Ayah 23]
The noble Messenger said: [مَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَذَا مَا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ رَدٌ- He who innovates something in this matter of ours [i.e., Islam] that is not of it will have it rejected [by Allah].”[Sahih Al-Bukhari. Number 2697] [Sahih Muslim. Number 1718]
And in another wording of this hadeeth in Saheeh Muslim the Prophet said: [مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلًا لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُنَا فَهُوَ رَد – He who does an act (of worship) which we have not commanded (i.e. not commanded by the Prophet), will have it rejected].
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ يَعِشْ مِنْكُمْ فَسَيَرَى اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا، فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِسُنَّتِي وَسُنَّةِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ الْمَهْدِيينَ، عَضُّوا عَلَيْهَا بِالنَّوَاجِذِ، وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَمُحْدَثَاتِ الْأُمُورِ؛ فَإِنَّ كُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ
Verily he lives long among you will see a lot of differing, so you must keep to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Khulafa Ar-Rashidun [the rightly guided caliphs]. Adhere to it with your molar teeth (i.e. adhere to it firmly). And beware of newly invented matters [in the religion], for every newly invented matter [in the religion] is a bidah [innovation in the religion], and every bidah is misguidance. [Abu Dawood. Number 4607] [Tirmidhee. Number 2676] [1]
The Danger of Bidah (Innovating beliefs and acts of worship) in Islam
Al-Allamah Rabee Bin Hadi Al-Mad’khali, may Allāh preserve him, said:
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him, said: [وشر الأمور محدثاتها – The worst of all affairs are the newly invented matters in the religion]. The Prophet said this when there was no Mubtadi (innovator in the religion) present. He warned against it because Allah informed him that many from this Ummah will be misguided, split (into deviant sects) and follow the (misguided) paths of those who came before them (the misguided Jews and Christians). Allah informed the Prophet and he conveyed these realities to the Ummah. Thus due to the Prophet’s enmity against innovation in religious matters, his hatred for it and due to fearing for his Ummah regarding it, he warned them against it in every or most of his khutbahs. He described it as the worst of all affairs (in the religion) وشر الأمور محدثاتها -The worst of all affairs are the newly invented matters (in the religion). [2]
Supplication is a great act of devotion to Allah and a lofty act of worship (performed) by a Muslim within the confines of the noble Messenger’s guidance and adherence to his Sunnah. This is because the best and perfect guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him. Indeed, the Prophet used to say – on every Jumu’ah- whilst addressing the people, “To proceed; indeed the most truthful speech is the Book of Allah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad . The worst of all affairs are the newly invented matters (in the religion), for every newly invented matter (in the religion) is Bidah, every Bidah is misguidance and every (act of misguidance will lead to the) fire”. Therefore, it is obligated to a Muslim that he is very careful of the newly invented matters in the religion, and that he adheres to the guidance of the leader of the Prophets and Messengers (Muhammad – peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him).
The guidance of the Messenger in matters related to supplications is a perfect guidance and there’s no deficiency in them. The Prophet did not leave any good and benefit related to supplications; rather he (clarified and explained) the affair perfectly and fulfilled its obligation, just as he did in all aspects of the religion. He did not die until Allah revealed: [ٱلۡيَوۡمَ أَكۡمَلۡتُ لَكُمۡ دِينَكُمۡ وَأَتۡمَمۡتُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ نِعۡمَتِى وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلۡإِسۡلَـٰمَ دِينً۬اۚ – This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion]. [Al-Ma’idah. 3]
Whoever contemplates the guidance of the Prophet in matters related to supplications will find that they are perfect guidance- sufficient and perfect, and there is no deficiency in it. He clarified and made known – to the Ummah- supplications that are to be performed at specific times, specific places and in specific circumstances. He made very clear the distinction between those supplications that can be performed – in general – without any restriction to a specific time, place or situation, and those that are restricted to specific times, places and situations.
The established and authentic supplications of the Prophet deals with all the circumstances of the people – in times of happiness, sorrow, physical wellbeing, illness, bliss, calamity, when one is traveling or not traveling, and other than that. He guided his Ummah – in this affair- to all good and to that which they should say in all circumstances. He did not abandon any supplication that would get a person close to Allah – that which will lead a person to happiness in this life and the next; rather, he clarified and made it known to his Ummah – completely and perfectly. How can this not be the case when it is the fact that he said, “Allah did not send a Prophet except that it was obligated to him to guide his followers to what he knew was good for them and warn them against what he knew was bad for them”.
Indeed, it is amazing that some of the common people abandon the authentic supplications that are gathered in many of the books – the well-known authentic books – and then accept the supplications that are newly invented, innovated (in the religion) and initiated by some of the Mutakallifeen (i.e. those figureheads who pretend and fabricate things) and written by some of the Mutakharriseen (i.e. those figureheads who lie, engage in falsehood through which they seek to obliterate the truth and speak about Allah without knowledge). They do not rely on the Qur’an and the Sunnah, and do not give consideration to the guidance of the best person in this Ummah (Muhammad). Thus, they preoccupy the people with this, turn them away from the Sunan (authentic practices of the Prophet) and plunge them into Bidah. Regarding this affair, some of the pious predecessors said, “A people do not innovate a newly invented matter in their religion, except that Allah removes something similar to it from their Sunnah, and then it does not return to them until the day of judgment”.
How can it be permissible for a Muslim who knows the virtue of the Messenger, his status and sincere advice to the Ummah, but then he abandons the Messenger’s guidance and his great and blessed supplications, and then accepts the supplications and the books of these Mutakharriseen and Mutakallifeen. Allāh, The Most High, says:
[ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً ۚ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ – Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors]. [Al-A’raf 55]
Regarding the statement of Allah: [إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ – He likes not the aggressors], Imam Al-Qurtubi, may Allāh have mercy upon him, – in his Tafsir – mentioned a number of different types of aggression in this subject matter, and one of them is when one supplicates through that which is not found in the Qur’an and the Sunnah – words that are deficient and are in the form of rhymes, and found in pamphlets, which neither have any origin (in the Qur’an and authentic Sunnah) nor based (on the Qur’an and Sunnah). Then he (i.e. the initiator or innovator of these supplications) adopts them as his slogan and abandons that which the Messenger used as supplications.
The most dangerous this affair can be is that some of these supplications are mixed with wordings that are tantamount to disbelief and polytheism. Indeed, what is obligated to every Muslim is that he is extremely careful of the likes of these supplications that have been invented by some of the misguided Shaikhs and the leaders of misguidance, thus they hinder people – by way of them – from the guidance of the Prophet and turn them away from his Sunnah. So, they go astray and deviate many people, and deviate from the right path. Indeed, the smart Muslim should pose a question in this affair regarding that which led these people to innovate these supplications and fabricated these acts which they devote themselves to permanently, despite the fact that they contain misguidance and falsehood. One will not find an answer, except that what these people want is to eat the wealth of the people unlawfully, increase their followers and devotees. Mu’aadh Bin Jabal, may Allāh be pleased with him, said: “In the times after you, there would be trials in which wealth would be abundant and the Qur’an would be easy so much so that every believer, hypocrite, man, woman, young, grown up, slave and free man will learn it. Then a man might say, ‘What happened to the people that they do not follow me while I read the Quran? They are not going to follow me until I innovate for them other than it’. So, beware of that which is innovated (in religion), for whatever is innovated is misguidance’’’. [Abu Dawud. 4611]
Therefore, it is obligated to a Muslim to be extremely cautious of these people, adhere to the Sunnah and follow the path of its followers, for in that there is safety and success. [3]
Jumu’ah Mubarak On a Friday
Al-Allamah Salih Al-Fawzan, may Allāh preserve him, was asked: What is the ruling on the statement of a Muslim to another Muslim “Jumu’ah Mubarak through text messages or in forums every Friday?
The Shaikh responded: This practice has no basis (in the Qur’an and the Sunnah) and is considered an innovation in the religion. It is not permissible to offer congratulations on Friday, as there is no evidence supporting this practice, nor is it part of the actions of the Salaf (i.e. pious predecessors -the Sahabah and their well known followers). It is an innovation in religion, and those who engage in such practices are currently utilising mobile phones and the internet to promote innovations – in religion -in this manner.
[1] An Excerpt from أثر العبادات في حياة المسلم pages 3-31
[1] Adh-Dhari’ah ilaa Bayan Maqasid Kitab ash-Shariah 1/219
[2] An Excerpt from Fiqh Al-Ad’iyah Wal Adkaar. 3/363-366