Compiled by Abul Layth ibn ‘Ataa’
Dear Honest Seeker,
This letter is for anyone who cares to research the issue of dancing or swaying, before attacking those Muslims who do so. It is easy for one to attack what one does not understand. Indeed, it is even easier for those who have no fear of Allah 
ta’alaa. I ask anyone who reads this article to keep an open-mind and look at the proofs carefully. Many pseudo-salafis claim that the “Sufis” act upon desires and not proof. Yet, as Shaykh Nuh H.M. Keller (May Allah continue to illuminate his heart) stated, “The sufi lives by the principle; amal-bil-’ilm (acting with knowledge).”
Amongst the scholars of law (fuqahaa’) the issue of spiritual dancing is an issue of ikhtilaaf (disagreement). Generally, amongst the Muslim Community, only Sufis dance (raqs) or sway when remembering Allah ’s name. The noble Shaadhili tariqa performs this swaying in a group form of dhikr known as the Hadhrah. This act, as you will soon see, does not contradict the Shari’ah, and hence is not a misguided deviation as many pseudo-salafis claim1 .
A major proof for those who say that dancing (ar-raqs) is permitted is based on what is reported from Imām ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (Radhiya Allahu ‘Anhu) that states,
حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا أسود يعنى بن عامر أنبأنا إسرائيل عن أبي إسحاق عن هانئ بن هانئ عن على رضي الله عنه قال : أتيت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وجعفر وزيد قال فقال لزيد أنت مولاي فحجل قال وقال لجعفر أنت أشبهت خلقي وخلقي قال فحجل وراء زيد قال وقال لي أنت منى وأنا منك قال فحجلت وراء جعفر
- ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib said, “I visited the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) with Ja’far [ibn Abī Tālib] and Zayd [ibn Harithah]. The Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) said to Zayd, “You are my freedman (mawlā’i), whereupon Zayd began to Hajila (hop on one leg- a type of dancing) around the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam). The Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) then said to Ja’far: “You resemble me in my physical form and character” (Khalqī wa Khuluqī), whereupon Ja’far began to do the same behind Zayd. The Nabi
(Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) then said to me, “You are a part of me and I am a part of you” (anta minnī wa anā mink) whereupon I began to do the same behind Ja’far.”This is reported by Imām Ahmad in his Musnad (1:537 #857). Ash-Shākir declared it authentic in his review of the Musnad. Al-Bazzār in his Musnad with a sound chain according to Imām Al-Haythamī in his Majma’ Az-Zawā’id (5:157). Also reported by Imām Al-Bayhaqī in his Sunan Al-Kubrā (8:6 #15548, 20816) as well as Ibn Abī Shaybah in his Musannaf. Ibn Sa’ad reported this in Mursal form in his Tabaqāt, 4:22.
The criticism of this chain is Haani’ ibn Haani’. Imaam An-Nasaa’i said about him, “There is nothing wrong with him.” Ibn Hibbaan mentioned him in his Ath-Thiqaat (the trustworthy narrators). Imaam Al-’Ijli decalred him, “Thiqah (trustworthy)”. There are however criticisms as mentioned by Ibn Hajr in his Tahthib at-Tahthib:
A) Al Harmalah reports from Ash-Shaafi’i, “Haani’ ibn Haani’ is not known and the people of knowledge do not establish his hadith due to his jahaalah (un-knowness) in hadith.
B) Ibn Al-Madeeni stated, “Majhul (unknown).”
Ibn Hajr concludes in his Taqrib, “Mastoor”.
Imaam Al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan Al-Kubraa reports this narration with minor variation while including the crux of the above hadith. Although Imaam Al-Bayhaqi includes a second individual who heard this from ‘Ali Ibn Abi Taalib. He mentions the following in the chain:
قَالَ أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ وَحَدَّثَنِى هَانِئُ بْنُ هَانِئٍ وَهُبَيْرَةُ بْنُ يَرِيمَ عَنْ عَلِىِّ بْنِ أَبِى طَالِبٍ
Abu Is-Haaq said and Haani ibn Haani, as well as Hubayrah ibn Yareem, narrated to me from ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib…
Hubayrah ibn Yareem was a Taabi’i, just as Haani ibn Haani, and a student of Sayyidunaa ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (radhiya Allahu ‘Anhu). Al-Athram reports from Imaam Ahmad the following regarding him, “There is no problem with his narrations…”. Ibn Hibbaan mentions him in his Ath-Thiqaat. Imaam An-Nasaa’i has contradictory statements reported from him. For example he states, “Not strong in hadith” and in Jarh wa Ta’dil he states, “We hope that there was nothing wrong with his [reports].” Ibn Ma’in stated he was Majhul (unknown) while Ibn Khurrash said he was “Dha’if (weak)”.
With both Haani’ ibn Haani’ and Hubayrah ibn Yareem reporting this from ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib the chain becomes strong. As we stated above, Imaam Shaakir in his edition of the Musnad stated it was Sahih. Shaykh Nuh H.M. Keller declared it “Hasan”2 .
There is yet another Mursal chain report in the Tabaqaat of Ibn Sa’ad that supports this conclusion.
قال أخبرنا الفضل بن دكين قال حدثنا حفص بن غياث عن جعفر بن محمد عن أبيه قال: إن ابنة حمزة لتطوف بين الرجال إذ أخذ علي بيدها فألقاها إلى فاطمة في هودجها قال فاختصم فيها علي وجعفر وزيد بن حارثة حتى ارتفعت أصواتهم فأيقظوا النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من نومه قال: هلموا أقض بينكم فيها وفي غيرها فقال علي: ابنة عمي وأنا أخرجتها ، وأنا أحق بها. وقال جعفر: ابنة عمي وخالتها عندي. وقال زيد: ابنة أخي. فقال في كل واحد قولا رضيه ، فقضى بها لجعفر ، وقال: الخالة والدة. فقام جعفر فحجل حول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم دار عليه فقال النبي عليه السلام: ما هذا.؟ قال: شيء رأيت الحبشة يصنعونه بملوكهم
This chain is through Ja’far ibn Muhammad from his father Muhammad. It includes the ending, “The Nabi asked, ‘what is this?’ To which Ja’far (radhiya allahu ‘anhu) stated, ‘I saw the Abyssinians doing this for their Kings.’ This is a Mursal narration as stated by Shaykh Gibril Haddad and other than him. Imaam Diyaa’ Al-Maqdisi includes the previous narration in his Ahadith Mukhtaara (the chosen narrations) deeming it authentic.
Another proof for dancing is the hadith of the Abyssinians dancing in front of Sayyidnaa Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam),
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الصَّمَدِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ عَنْ ثَابِتٍ عَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ كَانَتْ الْحَبَشَةُ يَزْفِنُونَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَيَرْقُصُونَ وَيَقُولُونَ مُحَمَّدٌ عَبْدٌ صَالِحٌ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا يَقُولُونَ قَالُوا يَقُولُونَ مُحَمَّدٌ عَبْدٌ صَالِحٌ
Anas ibn Maalik (radhiya Allahu ‘anhu) said that the Abyssinians danced in front of Rasulullah (sallalllahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) while saying “Muhammad is a Righteous Slave” (in ethiopian) upon which Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam asked, “What are they saying?” And they responded in Arabic, “Muhummadun ‘Abdun Saalihun”.
This hadith is Saheeh, established in the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad, and all of the men are from the conditional reporters of Sahih Al Bukhaari except for Hammaad ibn Salamah who is one of the men used by Imaam Muslim in his Saheeh!
This incident is also reported from ‘Aa’ishah (radhiya Allahu ‘Anhaa), as is found in the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad as well:
قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ يَعْنِي ابْنَ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ وَضَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ذَقْنِي عَلَى مَنْكِبَيْهِ لِأَنْظُرَ إِلَى زَفْنِ الْحَبَشَةِ حَتَّى كُنْتُ الَّتِي مَلِلْتُ فَانْصَرَفْتُ عَنْهُم
“‘Aa’ishah stated that Rasulullah put her cheek on his shoulder while looking at the Abyssinians dance…”3
These narrations are used by Imaam Al-Ghazzaali in his Ihyaa’ ‘Ulum Ad-Deen to declare dancing Mubaah (permitted).
لأدب الرابع: أن لا يقوم ولا يرفع صوته بالبكاء وهو يقدر على ضبط نفسه ولكن إن رقص أو تباكى فهو مباح فيجوز تحريكه.
ولو كان ذلك حراماً لما نظرت عائشة رضي الله عنها إلى الحبشة مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وهم يزفنون هذا لفظ عائشة رضي الله عنها في بعض الروايات.
وقد روي عن جماعة من الصحابة رضي الله عنهم أنهم حجلوا لما ورد عليهم سرور أوجب ذلك وذلك في قصة ابنة حمزة لما اختصم فيها على بن أبي طالب وأخوه جعفر وزيد بن حارثة رضي الله عنهم فتشاحوا في تربيتها فقال صلى الله عليه وسلم لعلي ” أنت مني وأنا منك ” فحجل علي وقال لجعفر ” أشبهت خلقي وخلقي ” فحجل وراء حجل علي وقال لزيد ” أنت أخوناً ومولانا ” فحجل زيد وراء حجل جعفر ثم قال عليه السلام ” هي لجعفر لأن خالتها تحته والخالة والدة ” وفي رواية أنه قال لعائشة رضي الله عنها ” أتحبين أن تنظري إلى زفن الحبشة ” والزفن والحجل هو الرقص
So note that the Abyssinians were doing this act while praising Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) which is a type of ‘eebaadah to Allah . This is from the clearest proofs that this is permitted as long as done out of worship to Allah ta’alaa.
Ibn Hajr Al-Haytami stated in his Fatawaa Hadithiyya,
“It is permissible to stand and dance during gatherings of dhikr (remembrance of Allah ) and Samaa’ (audition) according to a number of great scholars including Shaykh-ul-Islaam Al-’Izz ibn Abdus-Salaam.”
Shaykh Nuh H.M. Keller (May Allah bless him always) quotes Imaam An-Nawawi (Rahimahullah) as saying,
“Dancing is not unlawful, unless it is languid, like the movements of the effeminate. And it is permissible to speak and to sing poetry, unless it satirizes someone, is obscene, or alludes to a particular woman”
((Minhaj al-talibin wa ‘umdat al-muttaqin. Cairo 1338/1920. Reprint. Cairo: Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi, n.d., 152 ))
In the same article Shaykh Nuh (May Allah always send his Mercy upon him) quoted Imaam As-Suyuti thus (Note: I have added the arabic from the text for the seeker to see for themself):
وكيف ينكر الذكر قائما والقيام ذاكرا وقد قال الله تعالى (الذين يذكرون الله قياما وقعودا وعلى جنوبهم) وقالت عائشة رضي الله عنها كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يذكر الله على كل أحيانه، وإن انضم إلى هذا القيام رقص أو نحوه فلا إنكار عليهم فذلك من لذات الشهود أو المواجيد وقد ورد في الحديث رقص جعفر بن أبي طالب بين يدي النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لما قال له أشبهت خلقي وخلقي وذلك من لذة هذا الخطاب ولم ينكر ذلك عليه النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فكان هذا أصلا في رقص الصوفية لما يدركونه من لذات المواجيد وقد صح القيام والرقص في مجالس الذكر والسماع عن جماعة من كبار الأئمة منهم شيخ الإسلام عز الدين بن عبد السلام.
Translated by Shaykh Nuh as:
How can one condemn making dhikr while standing, or standing while making dhikr, when Allah Most High says, “. . . those who invoke Allah standing, sitting, and upon their sides” (Koran 3:191). And ‘A’isha (Allah be well pleased with her) said, “The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to invoke Allah at all of his times” [Sahih Muslim, 1.282: 373]. And if dancing is added to this standing, it may not be condemned, as it is of the joy of spiritual vision and ecstasy, and the hadith exists [in many sources, such as Musnad al-Imam Ahmad, 1.108, with a sound (hasan) chain of transmission] that Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib danced in front of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) when the Prophet told him, “You resemble me in looks and in character,” dancing from the happiness he felt from being thus addressed, and the Prophet did not condemn him for doing so, this being a basis for the legal acceptability of the Sufis dancing from the joys of the ecstasies they experience.
(al-Hawi li al-fatawi. 2 vols. Cairo 1352/1933–34. Reprint. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya, 1403/1983, 2.234).
The Shaykh (May Allah grant him firdaws al-’alaa) seems to have not translated the last line, which is,
“And it is [stated to be] correct to stand and dance (or sway – the word is raqs) in the sittings of thikr and samaa’ by a group of Kibaar Al-A’immah (Major Imaams), from them Shaykhul Islaam Al-’Izz ibn Abdus Salaam.”
So after all of this, we can see that the major Imaams of this Ummah have allowed dancing (swaying etc) when doing dhikr. We ask Allah to open our hearts and allow His Nur to enter. Aameen!
- please read the article on Bida’ah so as to clarify the principle ‘bida’ah is that which contradicts the shari’ah’ http://seekingilm.com/archives/41 [↩]
- I heard this with my own ears at the Virginia Suhba 2007 [↩]
- Musnad Imaam Ahmad beneath the chapter of reports from Sayyidah ‘Aa’ishah [↩]
Jazkallah Khair Sidi, as always a highly informative article, may Allah
bless you and your family in this life and in the hereafter.
Amen.
Jamee’an insha’Allah
! I truly pray to Allah 
that this article benefits someone in doubt about this matter.
Barak Allahu Feekum Sidi Hussain, and may Allah
give you firdaws al-’alaa!
WELL WELL VERY INTERESTING
Brother abul layth do you sincerely think abdullah ibn masood, abdullah ibn Umar would be fond of this? As you know their stance against bidah. Please answer sincerely
Firstly, The narrations of Abdullah ibn Mas’ood the psuedo-salafis use are dha’if and have inqitaa’ within them. Shaykh Mahmud Sa’id Mamduh, the Muhaddith and Faqih has responded to these reports on a number of occasions throughout his works.
Secondly, it rigourously authentic that the Nabi
Saaws aloud our Imaam, The Khaleef Raashid, to dance out of joy, as explained above. The statement of Ibn Mas’ud and Ibn ‘Umar (radhiya Allahu ‘Anhumaa) have no weight upon the statement of the Imaam, the Murshid, ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (radhiya Allahu ‘Anhum). He is superior in fiqh, status, and of the four khuluafaa’.
Thirdly, The Nabi
allowed Aa’ishah to watch the ahbaash dance in the masjid while reciting a lovely phrase: Muhammadun ‘Abdun Saalihun…
Fourthly, it seems to me that you did not even read the article. If one accepts the principles of hadith, one must accept the authenticty and the direct meaning drawn from these ahadeeth.
Fifthly, major A’immah, as mentioned by Imaam As-Suyuti and other than him, have allowed this act. Their Ijtihaad is based upon solid authentic proof that does not contradict the principles of the shari’ah, hence it is obligatory to accept their stance as valid.
Sixthly, my advice to you and to myself is to submit humbly to the Sunnah of our beloved Sayyiduna Muhammad, as he is our guide upon the path of this difficult world. His allowance and support of a matter trumps all others’ support or disdain.
May Allah
set our hearts upon His noble Tareeq. Aameen!
as salaamu alaykum,
Im understanding that some Ulama have derived a ruling in favor of hadra according to those ahaadith. However, ulama like ibn qudamah al maqdisi strongly opposed that in his fatwa and other ulama. So my question is where do we draw the line as what is bidah of evil and bidah that is good?
as salaamu alaykum,
also why did you choose the shadhili tariqa out of all the other turuq.
As for comment #6;
It is true some ‘Ulamaa’ forbade samaa’, including some Shaadhilis (I do believe Sidi Ahmad Zarruq was one of them). That is of no concern to me for two reasons:
A) The official stance of many of the Turuq is permissibility, including the Shaadhili Tariqah, of which Shaykh-ul-Islaam Al-’Izz ibn Abdus Salaam was apart of. Thus, if one wishes to follow tasawwuf, he is to follow its official stances, as well as his Shuyukh.
B) The scholars agree that the Mujtahideen can be followed. As they use to say, “My opinion is correct, but it may be my opponents opinion is correct as well”. So if someone else wishes to follow the opinion of, say those Mujtahideen who did not allow it, they are free to do so. The problem, however, is when that group attacks the other group.
You may ask, why then do we attack the pseudo-salafis if they follow an opinion that is valid? The answer is that they began this attack. We do not attack the Mujtahideen of the past who held such opinions, rather we attack the khalafis for their making this an issue of baraa’ and even labeling those who do it Ahlul-Bida’ah.
Furthermore, when reading these fatawaa that forbid “dancing”, one needs to take into consideration that these ‘Ulamaa’ may not have been forbidding Samaa’, but rather the effeminate styles of dancing. For example, Imaam Al-’Izz ibn Abdus Salaam writes,
“Dancing is an innovation which is not countenanced by one deficient in his mind. It is unfitting for other women. As for the audience of poetry (samaa’) which stirs one towards states of purity (ahwaal saniyya) which remind one of the hereafter; there is nothing wrong with it, nay, it is recommend (undub ilayh) for lukewarm and dry hearts, however, the one who harbours wrong desires in his heart is not allowed to attend the samaa’, for it stirs up whatever desire is already within the heart, both the detestable and the desirable.”
[Taken from Ibn Abdus-Salaam's Fatawaa Misriyyah pg 158]
Adh-Dhahabi in his Siyar, Ibn As-Subki in at-Tabaqaat, ibn ‘Imaad in Shadharat and others report that Al-’Izz frenquently went to the Shaadhili Hadrah.
The line of bida’ah is drawn by the ‘Ulamaa’. If one believes something is a bida’ah by their ijtihaad, then that is permitted for them. It is not, however, allowed for them to attack the other Mujtahideen who held its validity.
As for Ibn Qudaamah’s stance upon samaa’, then this needs more research than what the claimant Hanbalis of our age claim.
I will not answer your 7th comment.
Jazaakum Allahu Khairan
-Abul Layth
Interesting how the Deobandiyah are now not apart of your ‘team’. Perhaps they crush the bidah that your upon. Its a sad day for you secluding yourself amongst the ignorant. Enjoy for a while surely we will all get what we deserve.
The Deobandi Ulema have always recognised the validity of the hadra, maybe your a little misinformed on this subject.
umm actually many ulama of ad deoband are against it. Perhaps your misinformed.
the deobandi ulema are against it because there tariqa does not allow it but they do see the validity in it.
If you had ever bothered to read Imdad al-Fatwa by Moulana Ashraf al-Thanwi you would have your veridct by the akbar themselves.
I never knew becoming a Salafi would also make one blind to differences of opinion.
If you don’t believe me feel free to email Muft Desai or Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam or just read Imdad al-Fatwa.
Here is his fatwa on sunniforum.com
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=120164&postcount=1
May Allah
guide those who wish to misguide the Masses.
Interesting comments folks, keep them coming
I always wonder why people even type if they do not read the article. If Mustafa had read the article he would have seen at the very end my linking to the fatwaa of Shaykh Ashraf Thanwi, a deobandi.
As for the concept of “team”, then I want you to know that I am not part of any team except the team of those who ascribe themselves to the Sunnah of our beloved illiterate slave of Allah
, Muhammad (saaws). I also profess my love for the deobandis. Stop your childeshness and fear your creator in what you say! That goes for me as well!
-Abul Layth
Sidi Ibn ‘Ajibah, on his blog, has a nice article pertaining to this issue written by Sayyidunaa Ibn ‘Ajibah himself:
http://alkashif.wordpress.com/2006/08/30/the-hadrah-sidi-ibn-ajibah/
as-salamu ‘alaikum,
Shaykh Gibril reminded us:
“The rule of the Ulema is that *a madhhab is grasped from the one who possesses it* (yu’khadhu al-madhhab min sahibihi).”
The following is an excerpt from the upcoming translation of Haqa’iq ‘an al-Tasawwuf by the late Wali of Allah
, al-Sayyid Shaykh `Abdal Qādir `Īsā [may Allah 
sanctify his secret] – a master of the Shadhili Darqawi Order.
http://www.marifah.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=85&Itemid=78
Jazaakum Allahu Khairan
Fantastic article. Well translated by our Sidi Suraqah, ghafar allahu lahu wa lana ameen!
AS salaam alaikom
Dancing out of joy is a not an impermissible act due the… whereas dancing while doing zikr is
1) against the sunnah and adab of the prophet saaws and his sahabas and the hadeeth regarding the ahbaash’s dancing infront of the rasoul saaws doesnt in no way permit dancing in zikr
2) where is zikr mentioned in any of these ahaadeeth? they talk about expressing joy in that form is permissible thats it.
3) this is tomfoolery in and of and act of the deen -
4) and where does ashraf ali thanvi permit raqs????
5) Imaam ghazaali permits dancing out of joy as understood from the hadeeth…not dancing in zikr
6) we were advised by prophet saaws himself that to follow the first three generations and then hold in regards to deen… so any act or belief that goes against the teachings of these 3 generations …is to be dropped like celebration of milaad, raqs in zikr, and
wa al haqqu baa2in kema annaahaaru baa2inun aan al leyl …
the haqq is as clear as the sky on a cloudless day … what you have shown is baatil and is not in accordance to the فطرة الإسلام
fi amaanillah
Wa’alaykum Salaam Wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuh…
Brother, in my view you are mistaken. I shall respond to your concerns:
1) You said, “against the sunnah and adab of the prophet saaws and his sahabas and the hadeeth regarding the ahbaash’s dancing infront of the rasoul saaws doesnt in no way permit dancing in zikr”
My Response:
A) In order for something to be “against” something, there must be explicit proof forbidding it. Bring your clear proof for the forbiddance of dancing while doing ‘eebaadah!
B) The prophet Allowed dancing in HIS (saaws)’s presence on multiple occassions! This is called Sunnah Taqreeriyyah – his acceptance and approval is support of such an act. The ahbaash were doing dhikr. They were saying, مُحَمَّدٌ عَبْدٌ صَالِحٌ
How is that NOT dhikr? Testifying to our beloved (saaws)’s status is one of the highest adhkaar and is mentioned in books of adhkaar as well. Doing so is also ‘eebaadah – so from this we see that one may dance while doing ‘eebaadah. Furthermore, stating Muhammadun ‘abdun Saalih is ‘eebaadah itself! So dancing while doing eebaadah is permitted in the law and permitted by our beloved (saaws)!
Regarding your statement,
“this is tomfoolery in and of and act of the deen”
Is your opinion superior to our beloved’s (saaws)? Apparently you think it is. Apparently you think that dancing while doing ‘eebaadah is tom foolery, whereas our beloved has allowed it. Would the Prophet (saaws) refrain from commanding the good and forbidding the evil? Your rejection of our beloved Mustafaa’s Sunnah shows your own spiritual bankruptcy and we ask Allah
to save us from such Aameen!
Regarding your 6th comment about strictly taking from the first generations, then we say that your understanding is flawed! The first three generations did all sorts of good bida’aat based upon the clear principle of Islaam, “Everything is allowed save that which CONTRADICTS the shari’ah!”
Please read the following treatise to understand the Salaf’s understanding of “bida’ah”:
http://seekingilm.com/archives/41
In the above article we have shown that the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah state that there is a such thing as a good bida’ah. Furthermore you will see that they only forbade WHAT CONTRADICTED the Shari’ah.
The Mujtahid Maaliki, Qaadhi Ibn Al-Arabi stated,
“Only the bida’ah that contradicts the Sunnah is blameworthy.” [‘Aridhat Al-Ahwādhī]
We challenge you to bring a single statement of our beloved (saaws) that states dancing, while doing dhikr, or any type of ‘eebaadah is CONTRADICTORY to the shari’ah.
In fact, we have shown in this article that our beloved (saaws) enjoyed the dancing, as well as allowed the noblest of Sahaabah – from ahlul bayt – to dance in his presence!
Lastly, Imaam As-Suyuti as well as Shaykhul-Islaam ‘Izz ibn Abdus Salaam as well as Shaykhul-Islaam Abu Zakariyya An-Nawawi the Mujtahid Shafi’i Imaam have all refuted you regarding this subject, and they (rahimahumullah) are outstanding Mujtahideen of the Shafi’i school. Thus your opinion means nothing in comparison to theirs. I sincerly advise myself, as well as others, that we know our place in the world of fiqh and remain with the mujtahideen of the Ummah.
wa Sallallahu ‘alaa sayyidunaa Muhammad wa ‘alaa aalihi wa Sahibi wa Sallam
Ibn Abbaas (d. 68H) said: “Indeed the most detestable of things to Allaah are the innovations.” Reported by al-Bayhaqee in as-Sunan al-Kubraa (4/316)
Ibn Umar (d. 84H) said: “Every innovation is misguidance, even if the people see it as something good.” Reported by Abu Shaamah (no. 39)
Once some Jewish scholars said to Sayyidna Umar bin Khattab, Radi-Allahu unhu, “The Qur’an contains a verse that if it had been revealed to us, we would have designated a day to celebrate its revelation.” Upon enquiry they mentioned the verse: “This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” [Al-Maida 5:3] “Yes, I know, the time and place when it was revealed,” he replied.
Allaahu akbar! Look at our Umar ibn Khattab Radiallahu anhu.
Ibn Abbaas (ra) said: “It is almost as if stones from the sky will fall upon you, I say to you the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said this and you say Abu Bakr and Umar said that
So i say ‘It is almost as if stones from the sky will fall upon you, Ya Abul Layth, I say to you the Messenger of Allah
salalahu alayhi wa salam said this and you say Nuh keller and Sidi Gibril haddad said that’
Allah
save the ummah from corruption.Ameen!
Bismillah…
A) And what of Shirk? Allah
ta’alaa may forgive the mubtadi’ but will not forgive the Mushrik.
B) If this narration is authentic, in reality it does not contradict our stance in the least. He is clearly talking of bida’ah sayyi’ah and not Bida’ah hasanah.
We agree with this statement as well. Every MISGUIDED innovation is misguidance even if the people think it is good! This narration does not mean that bida’ah hasanah is rejected!
Yes Islam is perfect and complete. Its divine laws have been legislated and it is necessary to abide by its principles! Why don’t you choose to do so? One of the perfect foundations of the complete and perfect law of Islaam is that there is a such thing as Bida’ah Hasanah! This has already been addressed on this site. Please read again:
http://seekingilm.com/archives/41
Oh but you know more than Imaam Ash-Shaafi’i don’t you?
Do you say that Abu Bakr and Umar contradicted our beloved Messenger (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam)? Are you saying their judgments were from other than the pure Sunnah? Are you saying their ijtihaad contradicted Islaam? Furthermore do you disagree with our beloved Nabi
(‘alayhis salaam)’s instruction;
“Cling to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Khulafaa’ ar-raashideen” (tirmithi and others)?
You take these texts and manipulate their meanings and their intent with your disgusting manhaj of rejection of the way of the salaf! Stop your non-sense and accept the tradition imparted by our beloved (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam)!
(alayhis salaam) , as you sad pseudo-salafis do. I would rather quote those of traditional scholarship, instead of the self-taught ignoramous pseudo-salafi. The fact is you can not refute the proofs we have presented so you must, in your desperation, manipulate the meanings of the text to befit your sad hawaa!
I would rather quote Shaykh Nuh and Gibril Haddaad than to fabricate false meanings and apply them to the Messenger of Allah
We tell you, authentically, the Sahaabah danced in the presence of a merciful messenger and you scream BIDA’AH! You can not even disprove the authenticity of these ahadeeth yet you scream a verdict without even having touched upon one science of Islaam! Who is the one rejecting the Sunnah? It is you, Oh sad soul! It is you who follow the bida’ah of refusing good bida’ah. It is you who follow the bida’ah of denying the status of the Khulafaa’ Ar-Raashideen, the taabi’een and their followers! It is you who follow the khalaf and refuse the tradition of Islaam and of the early Muslims.
So May Allah
make our hearts steadfast upon his perfect deen! May He ta’alaa remove the pseudo-salafi corruption! Aameen!
Actually about the abysinians they were doing what is known today as you would call martial arts or a military type demonstration. It had nothing to do with your idiotic dancing in the masjid saying Allah
Allah 
Allah 
while doing the Crip Walk. Rather it was a military type demonstration. So therefore my stance is still the same while you have twisted the text to suit your pseudo nuh kellery manhaj. Oh Woe to Abul layth who has taking his hawwa as his GOD.
Brother Mustafa, what is the proof that it was a military type demonstration or martial arts?
Bismillah
Alhamdulillah was-salaatu was-salaam mu ala khayri khalqillah wa ala aalihi wa sahbihi wa man istanna bis-sunnatihi wa man waalah
As salaam alaikom wa raHmatullahi wa barakaatuh
First of all, Allah
SWT says, “. . . those who invoke Allah 
standing, sitting, and upon their sides” (Koran 3:191). Where does He SWT say dancing??
Second, Rasoulullah SAAWS said- “pray as you see me praying” ; “take from me your rites (for pilgrimage) ; we take from rasoulullah the acts of worship; Thikr is an act of worship so we must do it as the rasoulullah saaws did and allowed. Are you saying that rasoulullah didn’t give us a completed way of life; included a completed and approved way of praising him and doing dhikr !! ? are you saying that the sahabas didn’t follow this Sunnah of the prophet SAAWS ??
Third, Allah
swt never mentions dancing while doing zikr, rasoulillah saaws didnt do it himself nor did he command to it, even the sahabas didnt do it, the salaf-us-saalih didnt do it nor did they approve of it. They were very strict not to stray from the tradition of the prophet saaws transmitted to them by the sahaba kiraam and the greater taabi3ins! Let’s tread their path and not look for loopholes (there aren’t any) in the shariah /deen and make a mockery of yourself. Your bid3a is that you have made this as ibaadah , when the dancing of the ahbaash was on an eid day… they were playing they were entertaining the prophet saaws. Like singing the tala3a al-baadru alaayna nasheed, Would anyone in his right mind say – - ibaadah? Sure it was sung… but is it ibaadah ?? They were not doing an ibaadah … for it was ibaadah, u’d have heard the prophet saaws dancing when doing zikr or the sahabas …which is far from their high character and nobility.
fourthly, the issue here that is more weighty is that you call this as ibaadah… nor just bidaa hasanah, but ibaadah.. ya3ni you are innovating a form of ibadah foreign to the sahabas or the tabi3een or their tabi3ees !! sunnah taqreeriyya of this doesn’t make it ibaadah either… because they were not making any ibadah… its merely a tradition! Its not a specific ibaadah nor even in the general sense of ibaadah, because dancing isnt ibaadah. Plus, there is no command to dance in islaam. Unless one dances with his wife to please her …thats another issue. otherwise, we’d be like the gospel singing christians.
so it is only a form of `ibaadah in the sense that the wife is commanded to obey the husband and earn his pleasure. so the song itself is not the `ibaadah but the act of making the wife happy for the sake of allaah is the `ibaadah the same way buying flowers for the wife is `ibaadah of allaah if done for His sake
lastly, because the prophet, `alayhis-Salaatu was-salaam, is not here anymore and dancing for him is not accepted because then it would be shirk and would imply the dancer believes in al-haadhir wan-naadhir.
I could say more but I shall stop here. InshaAllah.
May Allah
guide you to the correct understanding akhi fillah
Wa Allah
-ho aHkam a3lam
Ibn Ata’Allah
Al-Hanafi
Mustafa do u not have any shame accusing your Muslim brother of something which he is innocent of? Do you even know the penalty for false accusation in the Shariat legal system? You should fear Allah
and hold your tongue.
Shaykh Musa Fuber (May Allah
Protect Him) states about the Hadra;
“The books indicate that the Scholars of the Hanbali madhhab, and as was the case in other schools as well, did not have a consensus concerning the hadra.
One Scholar who was a proponent of the hadra was none other than Al-Safarini, the later Hanbali who authored one of the greatest book on athari aqidah as well as Ghidha Al-Lubab Sharh Alfiyat Al-Adab. Sheikh `Abd al-Qadir `Isa frequently cites Ghida Al-Lubab in his book Haqa`iq `An Al-Tasawwuf. In addition to being a top notch Scholar of Hanbali fiqh and aqidah he was also a studen of the great Hanafi sufi sheikh Sheikh `Abd Al-Ghani Al-Nablusi.
Such a delicate and controversial subject warrants a detail study, if only to show each side that there is enough evidence to require mutual respect.”
as-salaamu `alaykum
Mustafa: Oh Woe to Abul layth who has taking his hawwa as his GOD.
(let it be known that i have only exposed this comment to criticism because mustafa himself has posted it here for all to see and has felt no reserve in himself for saying such words – as is apparent – so then let there be no blame upon me for exposing my brother’s sin, inshaa’llaah. i merely wish to comment on this statement and very serious claim, and also to be fair i wish to comment on the statements of others here too, inshaa’llaah!)
this is uncalled for and unnecessary! mustafa, would you listen to me if i always shouted at you and accused you of such things, even if i was correct and you knew there is the possibility of me being correct but disagreed with me until it has been proven beyond all reasonable doubt???
this, in my view, is utter childishness and is an extremely serious claim! however, at the same time we must always be on guard against evil and against the evil forms of bid`ah that people introduce into the diin such as the act of the shi`ah to make the following additonal statements in the adhaan: “ash-hadu an `ali waliyun allaah wa ash-hadu an `ali Hujjatullaah”
and such as milaad, etc.
also, mustafa, have you not considered to yourself that this statement is an indirect claim to being party to knowledge of the unseen, ie. what is in the heart of brother abul layth?
and it is clear that allaah is the ONLY all-knowing and all-seeing!
now before you irresponsibly and unkowledgeably make the verdict upon me that i am here guilty of `irjaa’, let it be known that `irjaa’ is completely forbidden in issues of iimaan and you should learn to understand what `irjaa’ actually is, inshaa’llaah. (i make this point because many people today consider themselves as “scholars” because they have read a few leaflets and have lots of leaflet books at home and some 600 page books that don’t even touch upon subjects properly but present things in a very watered down sense just to point towards a certain subject and create thirst for more knowledge on the matter (and these days just to make money too).
and one such highly misunderstood subject is “what is `irjaa’ and when is somebody actually guilty of `irjaa’, such as those who contradict allaah’s statement “whoso rules by other than what allaah has revealed, they are kaafiruun” by saying it is “kufr duna kufr” this aayah is talking about !!! and i hope for allaah’s mercy and forgiveness for my wrongs – sins, errors and mistakes – , aamiiin)
by the way, abul layth, do i get an award for the longest post so far from a passer by? lol!
i think i should get a stickybacked paper gold star for being a good boy. hahaha!
only kidding, of course…….
i’ll settle with a million english pounds, lol…
just joking again, obviously!
(is this musa guy just trying to make his post longer now by being silly and fluffy and making additional comments that are just way off topic like most of what he has said already? hmmm… interesting! dwell on what has been said and why, inshaa’llaah! because there actually IS a point to all of this, including the sillyness!)
oh, and just to make my point from the beginning clearer…
i do NOT believe the statement i quoted from you to be true, mustafa, even though i highly disagree with abul layth about this issue!
i think you should apologise to him and repent to allaah (two rak’aat Salaat ut-tawbah) for your unreserved statement and harshness towards a muslim brother and then ask abul layth to forgive you for that!
now just to be fair, i will criticize abul layth for his harshness when speaking to brothers too. and i do this openly here only because he has publicly displayed his harshness here himself.
and i expect anybody who cares about me as a muslim brother to also point my faults out to me in the most appropriate way if they think i have been unjust here or unreasonable in any way or if you think i have made a dreadful error in any of what i have said above!
and let’s not be harsh amoungst each other!
abul layth: Is your opinion superior to our beloved’s (saaws)? Apparently you think it is.
this is not a good way of talking to or about your brother, and this type of insinuation in the question posed is not good either!
if you expect me to ask others to be reasonable with you then please also expect me to ask you to be reasonable towards others, inshaa’llaah!
i am not raising these issues except out of love for my muslim brothers and sisters for the sake of allaah alone! so please recognise this fact and don’t attack me in any way for doing so!
i hope we can all, including myself, benefit from at least some of what i have said and act upon it!
one question: who is your walaa’ with and who is your baraa`a against?
i will leave it for today with this question for you to all consider and reflect deeply upon after what i have made clearly known from my heart with regards to how we should treat one another as long as it is clear that we are muslims!
Bismillah…
The only thing worthy, in my view, of responding to from Mustafaa is his claim that the Ahbaash were not dancing, rather doing martial arts! I honestly wonder where he got such a conclusion at!
If we look to the narrations the word used for “dancing” is: يَزْفِنُونَ
If one reads the excerpt from the Ihyaa of Imaam Al-Ghazzaali that I posted, but did not translate, one sees that the master of the language and law Hujjatul Islaam, Imaam Al-Ghazzaali states,
والزفن والحجل هو الرقص
And Az-Zafn and Al-Hajl is Ar-Raqs. So He has defined both of these acts as Raqs. Everyone who knows even a little arabic can conclude that Ar-Raqs is DANCING. Look to any dictionary of the language to see for yourself.
If it did not mean such, the Mujtahideen of this Ummah would not have said it meant such, and used these narrations as proof for the permissibility of these acts.
Yes Musaa, your post was rather long, may Allah
bless you with hedaayah Aameen!
Wa Sallallahu ‘alaa sayyidunaa Muhammad wa ‘alaa Aalihi wa Sahbihi wa sallam.
long but hopefully beneficial in some way, inshaa’llaah!
i would hope that we can treat each other with more respect and consideration!
i have witnessed “MUSLIMS” in my local masjid al-fitaan actually punching each other senseless and/or abusing each other in foul manners (that you’d expect to only see and/or hear a filthy kaafir or a dirty drunk kaafir do) inside the actual prayer hall, in the courtyard, etc.
the last time it happened was yesterday! and when i stood and reminded the brothers to “hold fast to the rope of allaah all together” some people attacked me verbally and even the imaam (who i even asked permission to speak to the people, out of respect for his position there of course) then started to say to me in a harsh voice “what exactly are you calling for?” when i mentioned 3 examples and then got to the example of how the kuffaar are attacking and even killing muslims around the world and yet the muslims are mostly fighting each other.
we are in a ridiculous situation at the moment and the filthbag kuffaar are actually laughing at us along with ash-shayTaan and his jinn and human allies!
may allaah give the entire muslim ummah of today and the future hidaayah, aamiiin!
oh yes, and the imaam then tried to put the blame onto me and get the people to become angry with me by saying “okay, if you want to be the imaam then you be the imaam. i am leaving and there will be no qur’aan circle now because of you!”
i only spoke for 3 or 4 minutes and was about to stop when he said this and just walked out of the masjid!
i wanted to just speak the truth for the sake of allaah and see an end to the fighting in the masjid!
it makes me SICK to see or hear muslims fighting each other!
when will we behave kindly and justly towards each other and respect each other and at least try to understand each other, within reason of course!?
this all started when i arrived at the masjid for fajr and prayed taHiyaat ul-masjid. while i was praying there was a fight in the prayer hall where a young and very largely built brother beat an old man accross the face!
the whole masjid broke out into a rage of fitnah with people taking various sides. some seemed to be taking their own side in an argument that resulted from this and then before you know it there is suddenly about 5 groups shouting at each other all versus each other!
shayTaan must have been dancing and rejoicing in the masjid that morning, that’s for sure, wallaahu `aalim!
(the last statement is not a joke by the way, and neither is it meant to be funny)
… laa Hawla wa laa quwwata illaa billaah!!!
Yes brother, fitnah even lingered amongst the best of mankind, the Sahaabah. It is a reality we must all deal with. The test for mankind is how one deals with it.
For some strange reason the brother Hanafi-Tableeghi’s comments are going into the moderation que, so I did not even know that he had posted. Pardon my late response brother.
Insha’Allah
I shall respond point by point:
Wa’alaykum As-Salaam Wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuh
It is strange to me dear brother that you claim to be a Hanafi yet resort to such literalism! The noble Ahnaaf are a madh-hab of qiyaas and intellectual sophistication, yet you have resorted to the Thaahiri / Literalist approach to the texts, thus abandoning the principles your forefathers have set forth for you.
A) The issue of dancing is inferred by the words, “who invoke Allah
standing…”. Dancing is a type of standing.
ta’alaa mentioned these positions does not mean that other positions are haraam. For example, what if I were flying? Could I make dhikr? What if I were turning onto my side, as that is not yet ON THE SIDE, am I forbidden from making dhikr? What of driving? What of lying on my back? What of standing sideways? what of climbing a tree?
B) Furthermore, the fact that Allah
In fact our mother ‘Aa’ishah stated that the Nabi
(‘alayhis Salaam) would make dhikr at ALL times. Furthermore, some Hanafi ‘Ulamaa’ allowed this act. See the following link for clarification:
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=5111&CATE=239
Such questions, in my view, are conjecture. Firstly, may Allah
forgive you, there were companions who invented Du’aa in Salaah itself, and the Prophet Muhammad 
(sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) allowed them to do such. An example:
(‘alayhis Salaam) said, “Who said this? The man said, “I!” The Nabi 
(alayhis salaam) said, “I saw thirty angels competing to write it down!” This is hadith number 799 in the Saheeh of Al-Bukhaari.
Imam Al-Bukhaari reports the incident by Rifa’ah ibn Raafi’ Az-Zuraqi who said that a man said in the ‘itidaal of Salaah, “Rabbana wa lakal Hamd, Hamadan, Katheeran, Tayyiban, Mubaraakan feeh!”
Upon hearing this the Nabi
Al-Haafith ibn Hajr Al-‘Asqalaani states in his fat-h,
“From this narration the permissibility of innovating (jawaaz ihdaath) a du’aa in the Salaah, other than what is received from the Prophet (‘alayhis salaam) can be inferred, as long as it does not contradict what is received from the Prophet (‘alayhis salaam).”
It is clear that the Nabi
(‘alayhis salaam) allowed the companions to innovate new adhkaar etc. For many more examples please read: http://seekingilm.com/archives/41
There is another authentic example of this type of innovation reported by Ibn Umar by At-Tirmithi and An-Nasaa’ee that a man opened his takbeer of the Salaah with the words, “Allahu Akbaru Kabeeran, wal hamdulillahi katheeran, wa subhaanallahi bukratan wa aseelaa!”
The Nabi
(alayhis salaam) said to this, “I saw the gates of heaven open because of those words!”
Again, our Nabi
(‘alayhis salaam) is encouraging the Sahaabah to innovate du’aa in the Salaah here. What is meant by “pray as you have seen me praying”, is the movements within the Salaah.
All of what we have shown is that it is permitted to innovate acts of worship in Islaam as long as it does not contradict the Sunnah. This is an established principle of the law, and one the pseudo-salafis and those like them have abandoned.
(‘alayhis Salaam) allowed it.
Your question is irrelevant brother because it is authentically reported that the Sahaabah DID dance in the presence of the beloved Prophet (alayhis salaam). So the question you have asked is irrelevant to the issue. Yes the Sahaabah did it! Yes the Nabi
The Sahaabah did dance in his presence. They did do eebaadah by praising our beloved rasool (‘alayhis salaam), which is hasan. Furthermore, just because they did not do something – if we agree with your non-sense that they did not do it – does not mean it is haraam to do it. In fact silence in the shari’ah is permission for the act for EVERYTHING IS PERMITTED except that which has a clear text for its forbiddance.
Shaykhul-Islaam As-Suyuti states,
“The default status of things is indifference until the proof indicates prohibition” (al-aslu fil-ashya’i al-ibahatu hatta yadulla al-dalilu `ala al-tahrimi)” [al-Suyuti, Ashbah (Cairo 1998 ed. 1:166).]
This was also mentioned by the Hanafi Ibn ‘Aabideen quoting Sharh Usul al-Pazdawi in his Hashiya (Ad-Duur 1386H ed. 4:161)
Praising the prophet (saaws) is worship to Allah
, as veneration and respect to him, as well as affirmation of his prophethood and righteousness is necessary for eemaan of any believer! One receives reward for such! Tell me a SINGLE SCHOLAR who says that praising the Nabi 
(alayhis salaam) is not worship of Allah 
and worthy of Ajr from Allah 
?
Lastly, I say to you and those like you: WHO ARE YOU? Imaam An-Nawawi permitted dancing, Al-‘Izz ibn Abdus-Salaam, Al-Ghazzaali, Imaam As-Suyuti, and hundreds of other fuqahaa’ and mujtahideen! You are no mujtahid and you have no right to damn the Muslims or Mujtahideen for their use of these ahadeeth to show its permissibility!
I do not care if you decide not to do it, but your ridiculous attack on those who do just shows how egocentric and ignorant you people are! You have no respect for the scholars, nor respect for ikhtilaaf.
What non-sense is this? They were not dancing FOR the Rasool (‘alayhis salaam)! Bring proof for such! Rather they were dancing for the Muslims who were watching. The point is it shows that the act is permitted, and to deny such is upon your own kneck, not ours. We approve of what our Nabi
(‘alayhis salaam) approved, and your words mean nothing to us!
All of us, Aameen! My sincere advice for anyone else who posts is to read the article carefully. I am tired of having to respond to things that have already been answered multiple times.
And peace, blessings, and mercy be upon our beloved Sayyid Muhammad, his progeny, his companions, and those that follow them.
I came across Imaam Sulaymaan ‘Ali Al-Jamal’s Ash-Shaafi’i(rahmatullah ‘alayh) حاشية الجمل على فتح الوهاب بشرح منهج الطلاب
(Haashiyat Al-Jamal ‘alaa Fathul Wahhaab bi-sharh minhaj At-Tulaab) wherein he discusses Raqs (dancing). He states:
فَلَيْسَ بِحَرَامٍ وَلَا مَكْرُوهٍ بَلْ مُبَاحٌ لِخَبَرِ الصَّحِيحَيْنِ { أَنَّهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَقَفَ لِعَائِشَةَ يَسْتُرُهَا حَتَّى تَنْظُرَ إلَى الْحَبَشَةِ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ . وَيَزْفِنُونَ } وَالزَّفْنُ الرَّقْصُ ؛ وَلِأَنَّهُ مُجَرَّدُ حَرَكَاتٍ عَلَى اسْتِقَامَةٍ أَوْ اعْوِجَاجٍ
[And Raqs - dancing] is not haraam (forbidden) and is not makrooh (disliked), rather it is Mubaah (permissible) due to the report in the two Saheehs that the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) allowed ‘Aa’ishah to watch the Abyssinias entertain and dance (yazfinoon) and Az-Zafn is raqs (dancing)…”
Another point I want to make is that the Hanbali scholars generally consider dancing Makrooh, and not haraam.
For example this was mentioned in Kashshaaf Al-Qinaa’:
( وَيُكْرَهُ الرَّقْصُ وَمَجَالِسُ الشِّعْرِ وَكُلُّ مَا يُسَمَّى لَعِبًا ) ذَكَرَهُ فِي الْوَسِيلَةِ لِحَدِيثِ عُقْبَةَ الْآتِي ( إلَّا مَا كَانَ مُعِينًا عَلَى قِتَالِ الْعَدُوِّ ) لِمَا تَقَدَّمَ
And it is disliked to dance and attend the gatherings of poetry and everything that is considered la’ib (entertainment)…
Ibn Muflih in his Al-Furu’ mentions the fact that it is makroof as well, and clearly states that it is not haraam.
Al-Mardaawi quotes the waseelah as well saying all la’ib is makrooh.
وَذَكَرَ فِي الْوَسِيلَةِ : يُكْرَهُ الرَّقْصُ وَاللَّعِبُ كُلُّهُ ، وَمَجَالِسُ الشَّعْرِ
Take note that they are discussing entertainment, and not that of the hadhrah or the way of the Sufis, which is to draw nearer to their Lord. Again, the point is to show that he majority deemed dancing Makrooh and not haraam. That means that one does not receive sin for doing such. As mentioned by Sidi Musa Furber Al-Hanbali, Imaam As-Safaarini Al-Hanbali deemed it permitted.
رسائل القاري – (ج 1 / ص 141)
وأما الرقص مع أنه نوع من النقص فذهبت طائفة الى الكراهة وذهبت طائفة الى الاباحة منهم الرافعي والغزالي والنووي وذهبت طائفة الى التفرقة بين ارباب الأحوال فيجوز لهم ويكره لغيرهم وهذا القول هو المرضي عند جمهورهم وعليه أكثر الصوفية
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Masha Allah
.
This appears to be one of those articles that never ceases in benefit.
I have two questions. One for Faqir and the other for Abul Layth.
Ya Sidi Faqir, what you previously posted appears to permit dancing for certain individuals and not for others. Am I correct in this conclusion? This is what I gathered from the text:
“As for dancing, taking into consideration that it (that it could be construed as) a type of shortcoming; Some held the opinion that it is disliked while others held the opinion that it is sanctioned, amongst them Ar Rāfi‘ī and Al Ghazālī, and yet others held the opinion that its conditions are differentiated between (different) peoples. Therefore, it is permissible for some people and it is disliked for others, and this conclusion is held to be satisfactory according to the majority of the Sufis.”
My second question is for Abul Layth. Ya Aba Layth, I noticed that you did not translate the word sama’ in your original post. Upon attempting to investigate the meaning of this word, I came to understand your decision. None of the dictionaries give an accurate defintion of this word, not even Lane’s Lexicon. I had no recourse but to resort to Lisan Al Arab and this is what I found:
والسماع: ما سمعت به فشاع وتُكُلِّمَ به. وكل ما التذته الأذن من صوتٍ حسنٍ سماع. والسماع: الغناء
And this is what I gathered:
As-Samā‘: What you hear and eventually circulates and becomes talked about; and everything the ear finds pleasing amongst beautiful voices is samā‘; and samā‘ is singing.
Does this defintion fall in line with the usage of this word amongst Ahle Zikr?
Shukran
Ibn Ahmad
To our beloved and missed Sidi Ibn Ahmad,
The reason I left “Samaa’”, as you noticed, untranslated is because it denotes more than just singing. I did, however, translate it a few times as “audition”. It is vague as to whether or not musical instruments are used in “Samaa’”. The Shaadhilis only use the daff; is this a musical instrument? Some pseudo-salafis say no it isn’t because the Nabi
allowed it.
To the Sufis, the term is not used in a unanimous fashion. Some sufis may use it to denote certain actions specific to their tariqah, others may use it strictly for listening to music etc. So due to the ambiguous meaning, I decided that the usage of samaa’ is subjective, and elaboration is thus needed by the intended speaker.
I hope that was not dodging the question, though it may have been.
Also, in your translation to the above quote by Sidi Faqir, I urge to pay close attention to the words:
وذهبت طائفة الى التفرقة بين ارباب الأحوال
Think of this statement in the mind of a Sufi.
Jazaakum Allahu Khairan
-Abul Layth
Shukran for the reply Sidi Abul Layth,
I didn’t realize the author was speaking in a Sufic context. I thought he was speaking from a purely fiqh standpoint. He does talk about the Arbaab Al-Ahwaal, which I believe in Sufic circles means possessors of mystical experiences. I’m not certain about that. Please do correct me if I am wrong.
The Statement was:
وأما الرقص مع أنه نوع من النقص فذهبت طائفة الى الكراهة وذهبت طائفة الى الاباحة منهم الرافعي والغزالي والنووي وذهبت طائفة الى التفرقة بين ارباب الأحوال فيجوز لهم ويكره لغيرهم وهذا القول هو المرضي عند جمهورهم وعليه أكثر الصوفية
Understood with the Sufic prism which you called for, I understand it to be:
As for dancing, taking into consideration (that it could be construed as) a type of shortcoming/deficiency; Some held the opinion that it is disliked while others held the opinion that it is sanctioned. Amongst them are Ar-Rāfi‘ī, Al-Ghazālī, & An-Nawawi. Furthermore, others held the opinion that (the distinguishing criterion between the two former opinions) is the People of Tasawwuf (themselves), (meaning that dancing) is permissible for them is is disliked for those outside their fold.
It would appear as if Ahle Tasawwuf have a certain Fiqh issues that pertain strictly to them. Of course, I wouldn’t know. I’m not a Sufi. Just a fence sitter. :)
-Ibn Ahmad
The “spiritual states” of the Sufis bring about a sense of security that shows that they will not utilize the hadhra / Samaa’ for perverted reasons. It is for this reason that Al-Ghawth Abu Madyan forbade non-mureeds from attending the hadras. I have quoted this in the thread “The Shuroot of Tasawwuf”:
http://seekingilm.com/archives/144
“…that it is for ITS people…”
Indeed, one intoxicated by the dunya and its contingencies, cannot safely perform the hadra/samaa’. Whereas one trained, having the leadership of a qualified Shaykh, has the security to know that samaa’ will be utilized in a proper-Shari’i based method, not to please whim.
I hope that assists you sidi.
-Abul Layth
Assalaam-o-Alaikum,
al-Qalanasi that Imam Ahmad said about the Sufis: ‘I don’t know people better than them.’ Someone said to him: ‘They listen to music and they reach states of ecstasy.’ He said: ‘Do you prevent them from enjoying an hour with Allah 
?’”
Sidi Abul Layth, can you comment on this quote and its relation to here and if you know of the original Arabic?
“Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Saffarini al- Hanbali (d. 1188) relates in his Ghidha’ al-albab li-sharh manzumat al-adab from Ibrahim ibn `Abd Allah
al-Saffarini, Ghidha’ al-albab li-sharh manzumat al-adab (Cairo: Matba`at al- Najah, 1324/1906) 1:120.
And the wahabis have said that the below quote from Imam Nawawi refers to exercises etc and not to do with dhikr:
“Dancing is not unlawful, unless it is languid, like the movements of the effeminate. And it is permissible to speak and to sing poetry, unless it satirizes someone, is obscene, or alludes to a particular woman””
Is that a correct interpretation?
It seems like ta’wil to me;)
sidi Ibn Ahmad
i reached the same conclusion you did when reading that….
lol @ “it seems like ta’wil to me”
“LoveProphet” – their claim that it is restricted to “physical exercise” (lol) has no proof at all. In fact, the A’immah did not interpret it in such a fashion. An example was given above with Al-Qaari established the true meaning in the above quote within the rasaa’il.