BID’AH KHATAMS – THE MOTIVE IS RIYA
NASEEHAT OF A MOLVI FROM UK
Assalaamu’alaykum
A new fad is taking shape in the UK, i.e. congregational Qur’an Khatams in some Masajid.
(A) Where is gathering for khatam in the Masjid established in Seerah?
(B) Those establishing this practice are conveniently silent as to what is in fact established in Seerah when Muslims experienced difficulty?
(C) A good action only gains acceptance if it is in accordance with Qur’an and Sunnah.
(D) These events are a public display of concern tainted with riya. There is no need to advertise concern in this manner. To preserve Ikhlaas, the Masjid should be kept open 24 hours like Masjid-e-Nabawwi was and people should be encouraged via verses of the Qur’an and Ahadith to come and perform individual worship, much like Sahabah did in gratitude at the time of Conquest of Makkah.
(E) If congregational khatam is established as a routine practice, and it is not substantiated in Shari’ah, this addition is counted as innovation.
(F) Our haal is that if someone, for whatever reason, does not attend such a khatam, which is not obligatory, we’ll start to think ill of him, which is a sin.
(G) Those practices that are congregational have already been established in Shari’ah.
(H) Du’a is generally individual petitioning Allah in solitude. Nobody needs to see your crocodile tears in public after Qur’an Khatam.
(I) Such Khatams disturb anyone that wants to perform individual worship in the Masjid at that time.
(J) Molvis may intend this not to be a regular practice, but the public won’t. They lack the necessary discernment to do Istinja according to the Sunnah. How will they know that such an act should not be established as part of Deen?
(K) Even a Mustahab that the public considers to be Wajib will be considered displacement of Shari’ah. So then what’s to be said about an act that’s not Mustahab.
The perceived benefits and logic behind such an act are irrelevant. Our puny intellect does not supersede that which is established in Shari’ah.
(End of the Naseehat)
The originators of Bid’ah are generally simple-minded or misguided Molvis/Sheikhs. There is no goodness in innovated practices. These innovators imply that the Sunnah does not provide any directive for occasions of calamity, etc., hence there is a need to augment the Deen by innovating practices with deeni colours.
The Qur’aan Majeed was revealed to Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and its first audience and believers were the Sahaabah. There were occasions of fear and calamity for the Sahaabah and the Taabi-een as well. But they did not deem it necessary to resort to congregational Qur’aan practices as are the deviates of today innovating. The Sahaabah had great abhorrence for the slightest diversion from the Sunnah, hence they were exceedingly cautious regarding any new practice.
These khatam practices of our day are mere riya stunts bereft of ikhlaas (sincerity). These practices are not Sunnah. There is no basis in the Sunnah for these innovations. In fact, according to the Hanafi Math-hab, even Qunoot-e-Naazilah is not Masnoon although Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) had performed it once in his lifetime.
People of sincerity should resort to making dua silently and privately. There is no need to flaunt ibaadat. Riya destroys the ibaadat.
9 Rabiuth Thaani 1445 – 25 October 2023