Is the Prophet ﷺ Not Forbidding an Act a Proof of Its Permissibility?Source: Fatawa al-Din al-Khalis, Vol. 1, Page 26
❖ Question:
Is the absence of any mention of a matter from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ a proof of its prohibition or non-legitimacy? Is this a valid Shar‘i principle? If yes, what is the evidence for it?
❖ Answer:
All praise is due to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
May Allah have mercy on you and us!
Within the noble Sharī‘ah exists a great principle and a highly esteemed rule that forms the basis for refuting all innovations. Innovators devise various innovations, and when someone objects, saying that it is a bid‘ah (innovation), they respond by claiming, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not explicitly forbid it.”
This reasoning is invalid, because if something—despite the presence of strong causes (كَثْرَةُ الدَّوَاعِي)—was not mentioned in the religion, this itself is evidence of its non-legitimacy. This principle is especially applicable in acts of worship, because all forms of worship are taūqīfī (i.e., only those acts are permissible which are proven from the Prophet ﷺ).
Whereas, in worldly matters, the default ruling is permissibility (ibāhah), and clear Shar‘i evidence is required to prove something as prohibited.
❖ This Principle Is Established Through:
✔ The Qur’an
✔ The Sunnah
✔ The Consensus of the Companions
✔ The Understanding of the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥīn
❖ Evidence from the Qur’an:
Allah the Exalted says:
﴿وَما ءاتىٰكُمُ الرَّسولُ فَخُذوهُ وَما نَهىٰكُم عَنهُ فَانتَهوا﴾
(Surah al-Hashr: 7)
Translation:
"Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you from, abstain from it."
This verse clearly indicates that only that which is established from the Prophet ﷺ is to be accepted in the religion, and that which he did not do cannot be introduced into the religion.
❖ Evidence from the Sunnah:
① Hadith on Rejecting Innovations:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"من عمل عملاً ليس عليه أمرنا فهو رد"
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1718, Bukhārī: 2697, Nasā’ī: 1578, Musnad Aḥmad: 256, Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn: 169)
Translation:
"Whoever does an action not in accordance with our matter (religion), it is rejected."
This ḥadīth invalidates all newly invented acts of worship that lack prophetic basis.
② Practice of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه):
He narrated:
"لم أر النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم يستلم من البيت إلا الركنين اليمانيين"
(Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ: 227, Bukhārī: 1610, Muslim: 1267)
Translation:
"I did not see the Prophet ﷺ touch any part of the Kaʿbah except the two Yemeni corners."
This proves that only those acts in worship are legislated which the Prophet ﷺ performed.
③ Narration of Jābir (رضي الله عنه):
The Makkan emigrant reports that Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh (رضي الله عنه) was asked:
“What about raising both hands upon seeing the Kaʿbah?”
He replied:
"We performed Ḥajj with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, but we did not do that."
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 1876, Tirmidhī: 857, Mishkāt: 227)
④ Statement of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (رضي الله عنه):
When ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) proposed compiling the Qur’an, Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه) said:
"كيف أفعل شيئًا لم يفعله رسول الله؟"
(Bukhārī: 4986, Mishkāt: 193)
Translation:
"How can I do something which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not do?"
This is clear evidence that anything not established from the Prophet ﷺ cannot be considered part of the religion—unless there is a pressing Shar‘i need, such as the compilation of the Qur’an.
❖ Sayings of the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥīn:
① Imām Mālik (رحمه الله):
"When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ departed from this world, the religion was complete. Therefore, we must follow his legacy and not rely on personal opinion."
(Al-Iʿtiṣām by al-Shāṭibī: 1/77)
② Poetic Wisdom of Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله):
"فالهجرة الأخرى الى المبعوث بالحق المبين وواضح البرهان"
"فيدور مع قول الرسول وفعله نفياً وإثباتاً بلا روغان"
Translation:
"The second migration is toward the one sent with clear truth and evident proof—(i.e., the Prophet ﷺ)—and we must revolve around his statements and actions, in affirmation and negation, without deviation."
(Dhūnayyat Ibn al-Qayyim, p. 20)
❖ Examples of Innovations Rejected Due to Lack of Prophetic Action:
◈ Congregational duʿā after Ṣalāh
◈ Distributing charity and performing rituals at gravesites
◈ Collective duʿā after funeral prayers
◈ Loud remembrance while leading a funeral procession
◈ Raising voices in dhikr at specific places
◈ Announcements in mosques at suḥūr time
◈ Performing unproven prayers like Qaḍā ʿUmrī or Ṣalāh al-Ghā’ib
◈ Celebratory gatherings in the name of Mawlid al-Nabī ﷺ and rituals of ʿUrs
❖ Conclusion:
✔ The absence of narration is evidence of absence of ruling, especially in acts of worship, because religion is taūqīfī (restricted to revelation).
✔ Anything not proven from the Prophet ﷺ cannot be added to the religion.
✔ Those who argue “The Prophet ﷺ did not forbid it” are relying on a false and invalid argument.
✔ The way of the Companions and the pious predecessors was to reject whatever was not done by the Prophet ﷺ.
وَالله أعلم بالصواب
