Sunan ad-Dārimī Ḥadīth [204] – Introducing New Ways in Worship

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 اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُتَوَافِرُونَ، وَهَذِهِ ثِيَابُهُ لَمْ تَبْلَ، وَآنِيَتُهُ لَمْ تُكْسَرْ، وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، إِنَّكُمْ لَعَلَى مِلَّةٍ هِيَ أَهْدَى مِنْ مِلَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ 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 اللَّهُ 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

Book: The Introduction
Chapter [23]: Chapter on the hatred of taking opinion (without knowledge, evidences, etc.)

Ḥadīth [204]: ‘Amr bin Yaḥyā said: “I heard my father narrating from his father who said: ‘We were at the door of ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas’ūd before the early morning prayer. When we came out we walked with him to the masjid. Abū Mūsā al-Ash’arī came up to us and said: ‘Has not Abū ‘Abdur-Raḥmān come out to you yet?’ We said: ‘No.’ He sat down with us until (Abū ‘Abdur-Raḥmān) came out. When he came out, we all stood up to greet him, and Abū Mūsā said to him: ‘O Abū ‘Abdur-Raḥmān, earlier I saw in the masjid something that I have never seen before, but it seems good, alḥamdulillāh.’ He said: ‘And what was it?’ He said: ‘If you live, you will see it. I saw people in the masjid sitting in circles waiting for the prayer. In every circle there was a man, and they had pebbles in their hands. He would say: ‘Say Allāhu Akbar one hundred times,’ and they would say Allāhu Akbar one hundred times. Then he would say: ‘Say Lā ilāha illallāh one hundred times,’ then he would say: ‘Say Subḥānallāh one hundred times,’ and they would say Subḥānallāh one hundred times.’ He asked: ‘What did you say to them?’ He said: ‘I did not say anything to them; I was waiting to see what your opinion would be and what you would tell me to do.’ He said: ‘Why did you not tell them to count their bad deeds and guarantee them that nothing of their good deeds would be wasted?’ Then he left, and we went with him, until he reached one of those circles. He stood over them and said: ‘What is this I see you doing?’ They said: ‘O Abū ‘Abdur-Raḥmān, these are pebbles we are using to count our takbīr, tahlīl and tasbīḥ.’ He said: ‘Count your bad deeds, and I guarantee that nothing of your good deeds will be wasted. Woe to you, O Ummah of Muḥammad, how quickly you are getting destroyed! The companions of your Prophet are still alive, his garment is not yet worn out and his vessels are not yet broken. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, either you are following a way that is more guided than that of Muḥammad or you have opened a door of misguidance!’ They said: ‘By Allāh, O Abū ‘Abdur-Raḥmān, we only wanted to do good.’ He said: ‘How many of those who wanted to do good failed to achieve it! The Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) told us that people recite Qurān and it does not go any further than their throats. By Allāh, I do not know, maybe most of them are people like you.’ Then he turned away from them. ‘Amr bin Salamah said: ‘I saw most of the men of those circles fighting alongside the khawārij on the day of Nahrawān.’’”

Reference: Sunan ad-Dārimī (204 (1/48-49))