. Y""" (cont.)

When he asked about him, he was told that the man had made an oath to stand, not to sit, not to seek shade and to fast. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then ordered him to sit and seek shade and told him to complete his fast. (Recorded by al-Bukhari.) The actions he made for himself of standing and not seeking shade are not acts of worship that Allah has sanctioned. There was no sign that such deeds could get one closer to Allah. Hence, they are rejected acts and the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered him to stop performing them. Such is true for any other "act of worship" that has not been established in the Quran and sunnah. Such acts do not take one closer to Allah, as was stated above. The scholars have derived the basic principles that help determine whether or not a particular "act of worship" is one that is sanctioned by the shareeah or not. Ibn Uthaimeen states that the act must be in accord with the Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi shareeah with respect to its cause, type, amount, manner, time and place. Each one of these conditions deserves to be discussed separately:' The act must be in accord with the shareeah with respect to its reason: If someone performs a supposed act of worship due to a reason for which there is no sanction in the shareeah, that act is rejected. For example, gathering for the birthday of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is something that the Prophet (peace be upon him) never did, his companions never did and there is nothing in the shareeah to sanction it. Therefore, gathering as "an act of worship" on that occasion is not an act that is pleasing to Allah. Allah knows how He is to be worshipped and He has not sanctioned that act whatsoever. The same is true for having a gathering on the twentieth ofRajab in celebration of the Prophet's ascension into heaven. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not celebrate it and he never even suggested that any of his followers do so. Hence, gathering for such a cause is not acceptable. The act must be in accord with the shareeah with respect to the type of act being performed: For example, if someone wanted to make a sacrifice for Eid, if he were to sacrifice a horse, such a sacrifice would be rejected because there is no sanction for sacrificing a horse under any circumstances. The act must be in accord with the shareeah with respect to its amount: For example, if someone performed six rakats for the Dhuhr (Noon) Prayer, this would not be an acceptable act of worship for it contradicts what the shareeah has laid down as the proper amount for that act of worship. Suppose someone says Allaahu akbar thirty-seven timesinstead of the different amounts stated in different hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him)- after each obligatory prayer. If this person is doing that act claiming that it is an act of worship that one should perform at that time, he would be mistaken. That is not the correct number of times to say it. However, if a person says it that many times on his own, recognizing that such is not the sunnah or a recognized act of worship but it is just to increase his number of voluntary acts, then there is no harm in it. The act must be in accord with the shareeah with respect to its manner or modality: If a person performs the right type of act, with the right amount and the right cause, yet if he does not perform it in the correct manner, it would be rejected. Ibn Uthaimeen gives the example of a person who makes ablution by intentionally washing his feet, then wiping his head, then washing his hands and then washing his face. Obviously, his ablution would not be acceptable because he did not perform it in the manner that the shareeah prescribes. The act must be in accord with the shareeah with respect to its timing: If a person fasts the month of Ramadhaan during Shabaan or specifically during December, then that act is rejected. It is not sanctioned by Allah 1 Cf., Muhammad ibn Uthaimeen, al-Tauheed wa Mana al-Shahaadatain wa Hukm al­ Mutaabiah (Riyadh: Dar al-Muslim, 1413 A.H.), pp. 25-31. Hadith #5: "Whoever Introduces ... " because it is not done at its proper time. Similarly, if people perform the Friday Prayer on Friday evening or on Sunday, that act is also a rejected act. The same is the case with a person who delays his prayer after its stated time. He is not praying properly according to the shareeah and, unless he had a valid excuse for his behavior, his prayer would not be considered acceptable.