TAWHĪD CORPORATION

THE
INVESTIGATION
OF THE ISSUE OF
APPLAUSE
FROM THE ARCHIVES: 1420 AH

BY: SHAYKH
NASR AL-FAHD
 ‫التحقيق في مسالة التصفيق‬
THE INVESTIGATION OF
THE ISSUE OF APPLAUSE
 The Investigation of the Issue of Applause

Written by: Nasser bin Hamad Al-Fahd 1420 AH

‫بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم‬

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, Praise be to Allah, and prayers

and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, companions, and those who are

loyal to him and after that:

I saw in Okaz newspaper No. 11012 dated 5/24/1417 the text: His Eminence Shaykh

was asked about the objection of some teachers to the applause in classrooms by

students to encourage their colleagues on the pretext that this is not what Muslims do,

and is not permissible, his eminence said: Whoever sees this matter is not permissible,

he should have the evidence first of all until we know the legal ruling. There is nothing

wrong with it, and that there is an interest in encouraging students and alerting them, so

that they are not denounced, and what the infidels do is that they make squawking and

clapping at the house instead of prayer and supplication, and they do not do it when

something is astonishing or impossible until it is said that a Muslim person claps when

he is surprised or applauded by something.

It would have been similar to the infidels, but Allah Almighty says, their prayer at the

house was nothing but squawking and clapping, so small squawking, and clapping

is clapping, so they make that an act of worship (End and Shaykh corrects it on

8/14/1418).

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This saying is not correct. Instead, the correct view is that clapping in this way is

prohibited in any way, and the evidence for its prohibition is in several ways:

The First Aspect

That Allah Almighty says blasphemous to the infidels (and their prayer at the house

was nothing but clapping and shouting, and it was. It was proven on the authority of

Ibn Abbas, Ibn Umar, Atiyah, Mujahid, Al-Dahhak, Al-Hasan, and Qatadah that they

said: “Mocking, whistling and clapping” Hassan bin Thabet, may Allah be pleased with

him, said, “The polytheists are disgraced with this act: If the angels rise, your prayer will

scatter by shouting and shouting.” If it is proven that the clapping was done by the

polytheists in their worship at the house, then it is not permissible to do it even if it was

in a way other than worship, such as applauding and encouraging faces:

It has been proven that the Shariah decided the matter of imitating the polytheists,

especially in the case of their worship, even if it was in a way that the polytheists did not

do. It is proven here that the polytheists used to take clapping as a form of worship, and

it is forbidden to imitate them. Imitating them is not necessary for the prohibition of

clapping to mean what the polytheists intended by it.

Shaykh Al-Islam, may Allah have mercy on him, said (Al-Iqtida) 0/091 after he

mentioned many pieces of evidence indicating the prohibition of imitating the polytheists

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in their worship, even with different intentions: -(And there was a warning in it that

everything that the polytheists do of worship and the like, which is blasphemy or

disobedience with intention, the believers are forbidden from its apparent meaning,

even if they did not intend by it the intent of the polytheists, to block the pretext and

settle the matter).

Ibn al-Jawzi, may Allah Almighty have mercy on him, said in (Taibees Iblees) 316/1 and

clapping is an evil that delights and departs from moderation and disregards the like of

the wise, and its doer imitates the polytheists in the way they used to do at The House.

From the clap, which is what Allah Almighty rebuked them with, He said, “And their

prayer at the house was nothing but squawking and clapping.”

Ibn al-Jawzi second case: that in the matter of imitating the infidels, you will hardly find a

Muslim who intends in what he has done of imitating the infidels the same intention, and

there is no stipulation in the law for this matter, if we stipulate that it is forbidden to

imitate the infidels in their appearances except with the intent, we canceled many of the

texts of the Sunnah that forbid that, and the conclusion is invalid, so its premise is also

invalid, and Shaykh Al-Islam, may Allah have mercy on him, also said (Al-Iqtida 491/1)

in mentioning some types of imitating:

What was originally taken from them (i.e., from the infidels) either in the manner they

do, or with a type of change in time, place, action, and so on, this is what most

commonly afflicts the ordinary people) - then, he mentioned his ruling and prohibition.

The third aspect: that the prohibition in this matter and the like is on a level, so imitating

them in clapping in worship is more severe and more significant than imitating them in

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clapping without this intent, even if all of them are forbidden, and this is apparent to

those who consider the pieces of evidence of the Sharia and the evidence that prohibit

imitating the infidels - and some of them will come, Allah Almighty willing.

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said (Ighaat al-Lahfan 1/244): The

meaning is that the clappers and whistles in fireflies or flutes and the like among them

are similar to these - meaning the idolaters of Quraish - and if it is just the apparent

resemblance, they have a share of slander according to their similarity to them, even if

they do not imitate the polytheists in all their shouting and clapping. And Allah, Glory be

to Him, did not legislate the applause for men when they need it in prayer if something

disobeyed them; instead, they were ordered to turn away from it so that they would not

imitate women.

The fourth aspect: that applause is not only about the infidels in their worship, Rather,

but it also is one of their customs and habits as well, and Muslims did not attain this

characteristic except from them, and its details will come, Allah willing, in the following

The Second Aspect

For if they applaud something or like it or want to encourage it, they clap and whistle,

and nothing has been transmitted to Muslims in these times in this manner except from

the Polytheists.

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Many hadiths have been reported in forbidding imitating them, the most famous of

which was narrated by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawood, and others on the authority of Ibn

Omar, may Allah be pleased with him. On the authority of them, the Messenger of Allah,

may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “He who imitates a people is one of

them.”

The Shaykh of Islam said in al-Iqtidah (83/1): This hadith is the least of its cases and

requires that it is forbidden to imitate them, even if its apparent meaning requires the

disbelief of imitating them, as in the Almighty’s saying: He turns to them from among

you, for he is one of them.

He also said about the hadith in (Al-Iqtida 181/1): (This makes it absolutely forbidden to

imitate them) And the speech on the prohibition of imitating them, and its evidence from

the Qur’an and the Sunnah and the work of the Companions and the predecessors

have been fulfilled by the Shaykh of Islam, may Allah be pleased with him in his book

(Iqtida the Straight Path to Dissent from the Companions of Hell), so one should review.

What is meant here is that applause comes from the guidance of the infidels in their

worship. As previously mentioned in the first aspect, and it is from their guidance in their

customs as in this case, so in any of these two ways it is forbidden to do it because of

the general prohibition of imitating the infidels.

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The Shaykh of Islam said (And this hadith is the least of its cases, which requires that it

is forbidden to imitate them, even if its apparent meaning requires the disbelief of those

who imitate them, as in the Almighty’s saying: “And whoever among you takes care

of them is one of them.”)

The Third Aspect

It was mentioned that clapping and whistling are the actions of the people of Lut: Ibn

Asakir narrated with his chain of transmission in his history 321/50 on the authority of

Abu Umamah Al-Bahili said, “the People of Lut had ten traits by which they were well

known by, and he mentioned them, and the muck,” and his chain of transmission was

also narrated (321/50) on the authority of Ali, he said (six of the manners of the people

of Lut in this nation and he mentioned whistling), and he narrated with his chain of

transmission (322/50) on the authority of Qatada.

On the authority of Al-Hasan, with a chain of transmission traceable back to the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) “Ten qualities that the people of Lut did with

which they were destroyed, and my nation will increase them - and he mentioned them,

whistling and clapping.” These texts indicate the prohibition of this habit, whether it is

true or not: if it is true, then it is clear that it is not permissible to imitate them, especially

since I have mentioned some of their reprehensible characteristics with which they were

destroyed.

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And if it was weak, then it indicates that the predecessors used to deny such attributes

and speak of their denial among themselves while they acknowledge their slander and

do not dispute it. The strange thing is that applause is always associated with whistling,

for those who reported it is as the custom of the people of Lut. They mention whistling

along with applause as previously mentioned in the people of Lut here, and in the

previous verse, “And their prayer at the house was nothing but clapping and

shouting,” meaning applause and whistling, which is the custom of the infidels now.

They mix their applause with whistling, and I moved to the Muslims among them in this

form, so you often do not hear applause except with the whistling, and Allah helps.

The Fourth Aspect

Clapping is a matter for women, and men have been forbidden to imitate women. In the

two Sahihs from the hadith of Sahl bin Saad, may Allah be pleased with him, that the

Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, went to Bani Amr ibn

Awf to reconcile between them. Hence, the prayer came, and Abu Bakr prayed with the

people, so the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came at

the same time they were in prayer. The people applauded and applauded until Abu Bakr

turned and saw the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. And at the end

of it, the Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “Why do I see you

clapping too much? If someone swears at him in his prayer, let him swim, for if he

glorifies, I turn to him, but the applause is for women.” In this hadith, there is evidence

for the prohibition of clapping in several ways:

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The First Position: the applause of the infidels in their worship (it was previously

mentioned in the first aspect) and the hadiths that forbid imitating the infidels indicate

that it is not permitted to imitate them in their actions.

Second: He justified this prohibition by saying (Clapping is only for women), and this is a

general reason that is not specific to prayer, and the indication is by his saying (Only),

and it is one of the tools of enumeration. Men to women).

Third: Applause did not come in Sharia, as far as I know - except in two places, and in

both, the Sharia denied them. The men’s applause here in their prayers. The reasoning

of the Messenger, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, indicated that it is a

matter of women to be forbidden for men. And it did not come in one place to approve

it, which suggests the original prohibition.

The Shaykh of Islam Ibn Taymiyyah r. 565 / 11 said: As for the men of his era, none

used to hit a tambourine or clap a palm. Instead, it was proven from him in the Sahih

that he said, “Applause for women and glorification of men” and “Cursed is men who are

the imitators of women and women who imitate men.” And since singing, beating the

tambourine, and pausing are from the work of women, the Salaf used to call the men

who did that effeminate, and they called the men who sang effeminate, and this is

well-known in their words.

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Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said (The Relief) 1/244: And Allah, Glory

be to Him, He did not legislate the applause for men when they need it in prayer, if

something befalls them; instead, they were ordered to turn away from it to glorification

lest they imitate women.

Ibn Hajar said in (Al-Fath) 77/3: and men were prevented from applauding because it

was the affair of women).

Al-Izz bin Abd al-Salam said in Qaidat al-Ahkam:186/2: and some scholars have

forbidden clapping because of his saying, peace be upon him (Only clapping is for

women) and The Messenger, peace be upon him, cursed women who imitate men and

men who imitate women.

Ibn al-Jawzi said in (Taibees Iblees) 316/1: (And in it - meaning clapping - it is also an

imitation of women, and the wise person resents being disrespectful to the actions of

infidels and women) End.

Ibn Hajar al-Haytami said in “Kaf al-Ra’a’” p. 298: And the phrase Al-Halimi hates

clapping for men, because it is something that is unique to women, and they were

prevented from imitating them, just as they were prevented from wearing saffron for that

reason(imitating women).

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And Al-Shawkani said in (Al-Nil) 3/182: (His saying: “You clap more often.” Its apparent

meaning is that the denial only happened because of its abundance, not because it is

absolute. Still, his saying, “Applause is only for women,” indicates that men are

absolutely forbidden from it. End

If it is asked: Is it permissible for women to clap without men?

The answer is: It is not permissible in places other than those permitted by Sharia (such

as warning in prayer) due to the generality of other pieces of evidence that are

prohibited for clapping.

The Fifth Aspect

It is contrary to the guidance of the Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon

him and his companions, for it was never transmitted from them that if they approved

something, they physically applauded it. Instead, they either expressed their approval of

the thing by saying so or by saying takbeer and remembrance of Allah and the evidence

for that Many of them:

What is in the Two Sahihs from the hadith of Abu Ishaq al-Subai’i on the authority of

Amr bin Maymoon on the authority of Abdullah bin Masoud, he said to us, the

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Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to us: “Do you not

accept that you are a quarter of the people of Paradise?” Then we grew up; then he

said: “Do you not accept that You will be one-third of the people of Paradise.” So we

grew up, then he said, “I hope that you will be half the people of Paradise.”

And in the Sahih and others on the authority of Asma bint Abi Bakr in the story of

Abdullah bin Zubair’s mother, and he was the first to be born in Islam in Medina, the

presenter of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The

Jews say, We have enchanted them, so he will not be born in Medina. A male child was

born and, in some narrations (The companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah

bless him and grant him peace, grew up when Abdullah was born until the city shook).

And in the well-known story of Omar’s Islam in Al-Siyar, Omar said when he knocked on

the door of Dar Al-Arqam: They did not know of my Islam, and none of them dared to

open it for me until the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon

him, said to them: “Open for him. So two men took hold of my breast until I came close

to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the

Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to them, “Send

him.” So they sent me, so I sat in front of him, and he took hold of my shirt, then He

said, “I embrace Islam, O Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah guide him.” I said, “I testify that

there is no Allah but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah.” He said, “The

Muslims said a big takbeer that I heard on the roads of Makkah.”

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And in the Sahih on the authority of Abu Huraira in a chain of transmission traceable to

the Prophet (while he was shepherding his sheep except for the wolf, so he took a

sheep from it, so he asked for it until he rescued it, so the wolf turned to him and said to

him: Who has it on the seventh day that it does not have a shepherd other than me?

The people said: Glory be to Allah. He said I believe in him and Abu Bakr and Umar.

In Muslim, on the authority of Jaber bin Samra, he said, “I heard the Messenger of

Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, “This religion is still dear to twelve

Caliphs.” He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his companions, is the

takbeer and glorification if they want to explain their approval and wonder, and applause

is not their guidance, and the Almighty said: And the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided

Caliphs, the Mahdis after me, with molar teeth

In Muslim, on the authority of Jaber bin Samra, he said, “I heard the Messenger of

Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, “This religion is still dear to twelve

caliphs.” And other texts and they are very many, and all of them indicate that the

guidance of the Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him and his

companions, is that the takbeer and glorification are how to show they want to express

their approval and wonder, and applause is not part of their guidance. And he, may

Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “You must adhere to my Sunnah and the

Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after me, mowing it with your molar teeth. The

custom of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, and his

companions and their guidance is the best of creation. So how can he change

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what is lesser to what is better, and leave the guidance of the best of creation to the

guidance of the polytheists, the infidels, and the people of Lut?

The Sixth Aspect

Applause is a ridiculous and reprehensible habit that indicates the foolishness of the

doer and his bad mind, and this habit is denied by sound instincts even if the legal

evidence is not known. And it did not happen in an era, but the scholars of that era

denied it. It was narrated that it was one of the customs of the people of Lot, which they

were decimated. It was the custom of the infidels of Makkah in their prayer, and Allah

Almighty has rebuked them for it as previously. And when the Companions, may Allah

be pleased with them, did it in prayer, the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant

him peace, denied it.

It spread among the Sufi innovators. Most scholars slandered them, such as Ibn

al-Jawzi in his recitation, Ibn al-Salih in his fatwas, al-Izz ibn Abd al-Salam in his

grammar, Shaykh al-Islam in many places, and Ibn al-Qayyim in al-Ighaat, and others.

As mentioned by the Shaykh of Islam, it was a habit of effeminate men, quoted from the

Salaf, as was previously mentioned.

It is the custom of the contemporary infidels when they like or approve of something,

and the scholars have denied it, and their fatwas have spread forbidding it in this era.

And you will not find anyone who has a foot in the faith who has fallen into this affliction.

Instead, you will hardly find a scholar who has not denied this habit throughout the

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ages. As I have previously seen examples of it, and all this is evidence of what has

settled in them that it is a forbidden habit that is not permissible, and in Allah, we seek

help.

If the foregoing is established, the evidence that the Shaykh requested becomes clear

in his saying: (Indeed, whoever sees this matter is not permissible, he has evidence

above all else) Several aspects of the applause were preceded by the context.

(As for those who think that there is nothing wrong with that and that there is an interest

in encouraging students and alerting them, they should not be denounced)

We have made it clear to you that it is an objection that was denied by Sharia in the

Qur’an and Sunnah, and the scholars continued to deny and prohibit it throughout the

ages.

Encouraging the student’s interest should not be in opposition to the guidance of the

Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and it should not agree with the

guidance of the infidels in their customs and worship as previously mentioned. Allah, the

Most High, said: “You were the best nation ever brought forth for people, enjoining

what is right and forbidding what is wrong.”

And according to the hadith of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him in a

marfoo’ Muslim: “Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand.”

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We have previously explained that it is not necessary for imitation of them to include the

same intention they intended from that action, in addition to the fact that applause, even

if it is an act of worship for the past, is a habit of contemporaries among them, and this

is a well-known matter, and this issue has been detailed in the first three aspects, so

review it without this being commanded.

And I ask Allah Almighty to show us the truth as truth and grant us to follow it, and to

show us falsehood as false, and grant us to avoid it, and to make us among those who

listen to the sayings and follow the best of it.

And may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and all his family

and companions.

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All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of creation. May
the salah​and s
​alam​[of Allah] be upon our prophet
Muhammad, his family, and his companions a
​jma‘in.

Any good is from Allah, and any mistakes in this

translation is from the publisher - not from
Shaykh Nasr al-Fahd.
May Allah hasten his release

SAFAR 1443