✿ The Objection Raised
Some people argue:
“The fact that the Prophet ﷺ did not perform a certain act does not mean it is haram. Unless there is a clear prohibition, the act remains permissible. Therefore, new practices (innovations) cannot be rejected merely on the basis that the Prophet ﷺ did not do them.”
✿ Response: The Prophet’s ﷺ Abandonment is Itself a Sunnah
➊ Declaration of the Completion of Religion
Allah ﷻ clearly said:
﴿ٱلۡیَوۡمَ أَكۡمَلۡتُ لَكُمۡ دِینَكُمۡ وَأَتۡمَمۡتُ عَلَیۡكُمۡ نِعۡمَتِی﴾
(al-Ma’idah: 3)
Translation:
“Today I have perfected your religion for you and completed My favor upon you.”
📌 Since the religion was completed, there is no room left for inventing new acts of worship afterwards.
➋ Abandonment is Also a Sunnah
Acts of worship are of two types:
- Sunnah Fi‘liyyah (Actions of the Prophet ﷺ) – what he did.
- Sunnah Tarkiyyah (Abandonments of the Prophet ﷺ) – what he deliberately refrained from doing.
For example:
- The Prophet ﷺ did not give the adhan for Eid prayer, even though adhan is a form of dhikr.
- He did not give the adhan for Janazah either.
📌 This means that giving adhan in these contexts is an innovation.
Imam Ibn Rajab (رحمه الله) said:
«فأما ما اتفق السلف على تركه فلا يجوز العمل به؛ لأنهم ما تركوه إلا على علم أنه لا يعمل به.»
(Jami‘ al-‘Ulum wal-Hikam, p. 233)
Translation:
“As for those things that the Salaf agreed to abandon, it is not permissible to practice them—because they only abandoned them with knowledge that such things were not to be practiced.”
➌ The Clear Principle of the Prophet ﷺ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلاً لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُنَا فَهُوَ رَدٌّ»
(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1718)
Translation:
“Whoever performs an act not upon our command, it is rejected.”
📌 This proves that only those acts done according to the Prophet’s ﷺ way are part of the religion.
➍ Practical Examples
- Collective du‘a after every prayer – The Prophet ﷺ never did this, even though du‘a is virtuous. His abandonment shows that this particular form is an innovation.
- Adhan for Eid or Janazah – Never done by the Prophet ﷺ, hence including it in religion is innovation.
➎ Scholarly Clarification
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) wrote:
«ومن هاهنا يعلم أن القول باستحباب ذلك خلاف السنة؛ فإن تركه سنة كما أن فعله سنة.»
(I‘lam al-Muwaqqi‘in, 2/281)
Translation:
“From this it is known that declaring something recommended while the Prophet ﷺ abandoned it is against the Sunnah; for his abandonment is itself Sunnah, just as his actions are Sunnah.”
✿ Conclusion
✔ The Prophet’s ﷺ abandonment (tark) is also Sunnah.
✔ Any worship that he deliberately refrained from is not part of the religion.
✔ Religion is complete; introducing new acts amounts to legislating in religion.
✔ The Sahabah and Salaf strictly prohibited innovations on this basis.
📌 Therefore, the claim that “the Prophet’s abandonment is not proof of prohibition” is false. In reality, his abandonment itself proves that such an act is not a valid part of worship.
