Did Ibn Masud prohibit group Dhikr

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah Most Merciful Most Kind

Short Answer

Yes, there is a narration in which Sayidina Ibn Masud prohibited group Dhikr. However, this narration is weak. So, scholars are not obligated to accept it. It can also be argued that it contradicts stronger narrations, which would weaken it further.

Explanation

أَخْبَرَنَا الْحَكَمُ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، أَنبَأَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ يَحْيَى، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبِي، يُحَدِّثُ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: كُنَّا نَجْلِسُ عَلَى بَابِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَبْلَ صَلَاةِ الْغَدَاةِ، فَإِذَا خَرَجَ، مَشَيْنَا مَعَهُ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ، فَجَاءَنَا أَبُو مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيُّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ: أَخَرَجَ إِلَيْكُمْ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ قُلْنَا: لَا، بَعْدُ. فَجَلَسَ مَعَنَا حَتَّى خَرَجَ، فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ، قُمْنَا إِلَيْهِ جَمِيعًا، فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو مُوسَى: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، إِنِّي رَأَيْتُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ آنِفًا أَمْرًا أَنْكَرْتُهُ وَلَمْ أَرَ – وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ – إِلَّا خَيْرًا. قَالَ: فَمَا هُوَ؟ فَقَالَ: إِنْ عِشْتَ فَسَتَرَاهُ. قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ قَوْمًا حِلَقًا جُلُوسًا يَنْتَظِرُونَ الصَّلَاةَ فِي كُلِّ حَلْقَةٍ رَجُلٌ، وَفِي أَيْدِيهِمْ حصًا، فَيَقُولُ: كَبِّرُوا مِائَةً، فَيُكَبِّرُونَ مِائَةً، فَيَقُولُ: هَلِّلُوا مِائَةً، فَيُهَلِّلُونَ مِائَةً، وَيَقُولُ: سَبِّحُوا مِائَةً، فَيُسَبِّحُونَ مِائَةً، قَالَ: فَمَاذَا قُلْتَ لَهُمْ؟ قَالَ: مَا قُلْتُ لَهُمْ شَيْئًا انْتِظَارَ رَأْيِكَ أَوِ انْتظارَ أَمْرِكَ.

قَالَ: «أَفَلَا أَمَرْتَهُمْ أَنْ يَعُدُّوا سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ، وَضَمِنْتَ لَهُمْ أَنْ لَا يَضِيعَ مِنْ حَسَنَاتِهِمْ»، ثُمَّ مَضَى وَمَضَيْنَا مَعَهُ حَتَّى أَتَى حَلْقَةً مِنْ تِلْكَ الْحِلَقِ، فَوَقَفَ عَلَيْهِمْ، فَقَالَ: «مَا هَذَا الَّذِي أَرَاكُمْ تَصْنَعُونَ؟» قَالُوا: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ حصًا نَعُدُّ بِهِ التَّكْبِيرَ وَالتَّهْلِيلَ وَالتَّسْبِيحَ. قَالَ: «فَعُدُّوا سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ، فَأَنَا ضَامِنٌ أَنْ لَا يَضِيعَ مِنْ حَسَنَاتِكُمْ شَيْءٌ وَيْحَكُمْ يَا أُمَّةَ مُحَمَّدٍ، مَا أَسْرَعَ هَلَكَتَكُمْ هَؤُلَاءِ صَحَابَةُ نَبِيِّكُمْ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُتَوَافِرُونَ، وَهَذِهِ ثِيَابُهُ لَمْ تَبْلَ، وَآنِيَتُهُ لَمْ تُكْسَرْ، وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، إِنَّكُمْ لَعَلَى مِلَّةٍ هِيَ أَهْدَى مِنْ مِلَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أوْ مُفْتَتِحُو بَابِ ضَلَالَةٍ». قَالُوا: وَاللَّهِ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، مَا أَرَدْنَا إِلَّا الْخَيْرَ. قَالَ: «وَكَمْ مِنْ مُرِيدٍ لِلْخَيْرِ لَنْ يُصِيبَهُ، إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَدَّثَنَا أَنَّ قَوْمًا يَقْرَءُونَ الْقُرْآنَ لَا يُجَاوِزُ تَرَاقِيَهُمْ “، وَايْمُ اللَّهِ مَا أَدْرِي لَعَلَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ مِنْكُمْ، ثُمَّ تَوَلَّى عَنْهُمْ. فَقَالَ عَمْرُو بْنُ سَلَمَةَ: رَأَيْنَا عَامَّةَ أُولَئِكَ الْحِلَقِ يُطَاعِنُونَا يَوْمَ النَّهْرَوَانِ مَعَ الْخَوَارِجِ

Al-Hakam bin al-Mubarak informed us (saying), Amr bin Yahya informed us, he said: I heard my father narrating from his father, who said: We used to sit at the door of Abdullah ibn Masud (May Allah be pleased with him), before dawn prayer. When he came out, we would walk with him to the Masjid. Abu Musa al-Ash’ari came to us and he said: Has Abu Abdur Rahman exited? We said: Not yet. So he sat with us until he exited. When he exited we all went to him. Then Abu Musa said to him: O Abu Abdur Rahman, I recently saw something in the Masjid that I detested but, praise be to Allah, I saw nothing but good. He said: What was it? So he replied: If you live, you will see it.

He said: I saw people in the Masjid sitting in circles waiting for prayer. They had pebbles in their hands. In every circle there was a man who would tell them to exalt Allah one hundred times and they would do so. Then he would say: Declare there is no God but Allah one hundred times, and they would do so. Then he would say: Glorify Allah one hundred times and they would do so. He (Ibn Masud) said: What did you say to them? He (Abu Musa) replied: I did not say anything to them. I was waiting for your opinion or order. He (Ibn Masud) said: Did you not order them to count their sins and guarantee for them that their good deeds would not be wasted?

Then he went, and we went along with him, until he reached one of these circles and stood over them. He said: What is this I see you doing? They said: O Abu Abdur Rahman, pebbles by which we count exaltation, declaration of oneness, and glorification. He said: Count your sins. For I guarantee that none of your good deeds will be wasted. Woe to you, nation of Muhammad ﷺ, how swift is your destruction. Here are the companions of your Prophet ﷺ, abundant. These are his ﷺ clothes yet to fade. His ﷺ utensils yet to break. By the One in whose hand is my soul, (apparently) you are upon a religion better guided than the religion of Muhammad ﷺ. Or have you opened the door of misguidance? They said: By Allah, O Abu Abdur Rahman, we intended nothing but good. He replied: How many intend good but do not achieve it. Indeed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed us that a people would recite the Quran and it would not go beyond their throats. By Allah, I do not know, perhaps most of them are from you. Then he turned away from them. Amr ibn Salamah said: We saw most of the people from these circles attacking us on the day of Nahrawan with the Khawarij. (Sunan al-Darimi, 210).

The narration above seems to show that the great Sahabi Sayidina Ibn Masud prohibited group Dhikr. However, it can be contested that he was opposing the fact that they were counting the Dhikr they were engaged in and not the gathering itself. His words certainly do indicate that. Since, he rebuked them for counting and not for sitting together for Dhikr.

Authenticity

In any case, there is not much of a need to discuss the nature of the prohibition, since the authenticity of the narration is questionable. In the Sanad (chain of narration) we find Amr bin Yahya. He narrates from his father, who narrates from his own father. Amr has been deemed weak by Imam Yahya bin Ma’een, as mentioned by Imams al-Dhahabi and Ibn Hajr.

عَمْرو بن يحيى بن عَمْرو بن سلمة. قال يحيى بن معين: ليس حديثه بشيء، قد رأيته. (لسان الميزان)

Amr bin Yahya bin Amr bin Salamah. Yahya bin Ma’in said: His Hadith is nothing. Indeed I have seen him. (Imam Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani 852H, Lisan al-Mizan).

عمرو بن يحيى بن عمرو بن سلمة: رآه ابن معين، وقال: ليس حديثه بشيء. (ديوان الضعفاء)

Amr bin Yahya bin Amr bin Salamah. Yahya bin Ma’in saw him. He said: His Hadith is nothing. (Imam Abu Adbdillah al-Dhahabi 748H, Diwan al-Duafaa).

Is it Munkar?

As well as the concern regarding the chain itself. There is an argument that this narration contradicts a Hadith from Sahih Muslim. In that narration the blessed Prophet ﷺ praised group Dhikr. This would further weaken the narration. Since it contradicts a Sahih Hadith.

However, this is only applicable if you believe that Sayidina Ibn Masud prohibited group Dhikr. Whereas, if the narration is understood to oppose the counting of Dhikr, then it does not oppose the Hadith in Sahih Muslim. The issue of contradiction can be subjective.

Conclusion

It is difficult to accept that Sayidina Abdullah Ibn Masud prohibited group Dhikr. Since, we have clear evidence permitting it (see related answer below). However, it is possible for a Sahaabi to make a mistake so that discussion could be had.

Prior to any discussion about the position of Ibn Masud (May Allah Most High be pleased with him), the authenticity of the narration must be checked. Upon scrutiny we find that attributing the above narration to Sayidina Ibn Masud is weak.

Scholars are not obliged to accept weak narrations. Therefore, they do not need to explain the position Sayidina Ibn Masud took in this narration. Rather they can contest that they do not believe he said these words.

It is important for Muslims to consider the authenticity of a narration or attribution before delving into commentary. Unfortunately, we find many people exhausting themselves in commentary whilst giving no consideration to authenticity. This is due to the prevalent and widespread ignorance regarding Hadith authenticity in our time.

And Allah Most High Knows Best.

–Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (11.09.2024)

See also:

Is the hadith about group dhikr gatherings Sahih?

Is it permitted to attend dhikr gatherings majlis dhikr

See also video: