Introduction
Ibn Masud (RA) was one of the strictest companions of the Prophet (SAW) against bidah, even though all of them opposed it.
Among the reports from Ibn Masud opposing bidah is a famous report of him reprimanding some people for congregational zikr in the masjid.
The general essence of these reports is as follows:
A group of people used to sit in a circle and one of them would instruct the rest to say Allahu Akbar X amount of times and Subhanallah Y amount of times, and some weaker reports mention they used to count these azkar out with stones.
When Ibn Masud (RA) heard of this, he came to them and reprimanded them severely because this practice was not from the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) or his companions.
Because this report directly contradicts many Sufi practices, people have written articles to argue the report is inauthentic, often relying on statements from scholars like Suyuti that did not fully research the chains of this hadith.
Some of these articles arguing against the report can be found here: Suffah Foundation, Seekers Guidance, and Islam Answers.
Invariably, these articles make three arguments:
- “The report has a weak chain.” They say this after only analyzing one famous version of the story. In this article, we will discuss several strong chains for the report that none of them came across.
- “There is strong evidence in favor of group zikr from more authentic hadith which should lead us to reject the report.” Here, they try to coopt hadith generally talking about those who mention Allah and praise him in gatherings to refer to group zikr as was deemed bidah by Ibn Masud (RA). We will analyze some of the hadith they use for this and show how the usage is misleading.
- “Ibn Masud was only criticizing them for using pebbles to count their azkar, not the concept of group zikr.” Firstly, analyzing the strong versions of this hadith will dispel any notion that pebbles were the focus. The strong versions do not mention pebbles. Secondly, in the beliefs of those who argue against this report, using pebbles should be completely allowed as bidah hasanah, so the report is still a problem for them even if we granted this meaning.
This article will respond to the first two arguments, since the third argument is spurious and depends on the second one anyway.
A major problem, as mentioned, is that no one has gathered the reliable and strong versions of this report. Even articles defending this report do not mention them.
So, in responding to the first argument, I have gathered some of the most reliable versions of this report with commentary on their authenticity. The conclusion is that it is difficult to deny this story happened in the life of Ibn Masud and that he would disapprove strongly of group zikr.
Then, we will analyze the reports claimed to support group zikr and whether they truly support the concept.
1. Report of Ibn Masud
1.1 Report of Qais ibn Hazim
Abd al-Razzaq > Ibn Uyainah > Bayan > Qais ibn Abi Hazim:
ذُكِرَ لابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَاصٌّ يَجْلِسُ بِاللَّيْلِ ، وَيَقُولُ لِلنَّاسِ : قُولُوا : كَذَا ، قُولُوا : كَذَا ، فَقَالَ ” إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُوهُ فَأَخْبِرُونِي ، فَأَخْبَرُوهُ ” ، قَالَ : فَجَاءَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ مُتَقَّنِعًا ، فَقَالَ : ” مَنْ عَرَفَنِي ، فَقَدْ عَرَفَنِي ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفْنِي ، فَأَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ ، تَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّكُمْ لأَهْدَى مِنْ مُحَمَّدٍ وَأَصْحَابِهِ ، أَوْ إِنَّكُمْ لَمُتَعَلِّقُونَ بِذَنَبِ ضَلالَةٍ “
Someone mentioned to Ibn Masud that there was a qaas (inspirational speaker) who used to sit at night and tell people, “Say this, and say this” (i.e. azkār). Ibn Masud said, “When you see him, tell me.” So, they told him. Ibn Masud came to them covered up. He said, “Whoever recognizes me recognizes me. Whoever does not recognize me, I am Abdullah ibn Masud. Do you think you are more guided than the companions of Muhammad (SAW)? You are taking part in misguidance and sin.”
This is a strong report, and there is no mention of pebbles.
This hadith is recorded in the Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq and Mujam al-Kabir of Tabarani, both from Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dubari from Abd al-Razzaq.
Ishaq ibn Ibrahim was a reliable narrator although he was criticized for making some mistakes in Abd al-Razzaq’s hadith. However, scholars generally relied on the Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq as transmitted by him.
The narrators of this chain (Abd al-Razzaq, Sufyan ibn Uyainah, Bayan, and Qais) were all reliable and were quoted in both Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.
All links of the chain (Abd al-Razzaq from Sufyan, Sufyan from Bayan, Bayan from Qais, and Qais from Ibn Masud RA) are links used by Bukhari in his Sahih.
As a result, this hadith is strong evidence from Ibn Masud (RA).
1.2 Report of Aswad ibn Hilal
Abu Ghassan Malik > Isra’il ibn Yunus > Ash’ath ibn Abi Ash’ath > Aswad ibn Hilal:
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ، قَالَ: ذَكَرُوا لَهُ رَجُلًا يَقُصُّ، فَجَاءَ فِي الْقَوْمِ فَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ: «سُبْحَانَ اللهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا»، فَلَمَّا سَمِعَ ذَلِكَ قَامَ، فَقَالَ: «أَلَا تَسْمَعُوا؟» فَلَمَّا نَظَرُوا إِلَيْهِ قَالَ: «إِنَّكُمْ لَأَهْدَى مِنْ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ، وَأَصْحَابِهِ، إِنَّكُمْ لَمُتَمَسِّكُونَ بِطَرَفِ ضَلَالَةٍ»
People mentioned to Ibn Masud (RA) that a man used to speak for inspiration (yaqussu). So, Ibn Masud went to the gathering and listened to him. The man said, “[Say] Subhanallah this many times.”
When Ibn Masud heard this, he got up and said, “Won’t you listen to me?”
When they looked at him, Ibn Masud said, “You are more guided than Muhammad ﷺ and his companions? You are taking a path of misguidance.”
This is a strong report, and there is no mention of pebbles.
Tabarani narrated this hadith from Ali ibn Abd al-Aziz from Abu Ghassan.
All the narrators (Abu Ghassan Malik, Isra’il ibn Yunus, Ash’ath ibn Abi Ash’ath, and Aswad ibn Hilal) were narrators of the Sahihayn.
Additionally, there is no doubt Aswad ibn Hilal met Ibn Masud since he was Kufan and mukhadhram (alive in the time of the Prophet SAW even though he did not meet him). However, no narration of him from Ibn Masud is in the Sahihayn, probably because he did not narrate many prophetic hadith from Ibn Masud in the first place.
1.3 Report of Ata ibn al-Saaib
Ata ibn al-Saaib > Abu al-Bakhtari:
أَخْبَرَ رَجُلٌ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ مَسْعُودٍ، ﵀ أَنَّ قَوْمًا، يَجْلِسُونَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ وَفِيهِمْ رَجُلٌ يَقُولُ: كَبِّرُوا لِلَّهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا وسَبِّحُوا لِلَّهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا وَاحْمَدُوا لِلَّهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ: فَيَقُولُونَ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، فَإِذَا رَأَيْتَهُمْ فَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ فَأْتِنِي فَأَخْبِرْنِي بِمَجْلِسِهِمْ، فَأَتَاهُمْ وَعَلَيْهِ بُرْنُسٌ فَجَلَسَ فَلَمَّا سَمِعَ مَا يَقُولُونَ قَامَ وَكَانَ رَجُلًا حَدِيدًا ⦗٢٩٠⦘ فَقَالَ: أَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ وَالَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ غَيْرُهُ لَقَدْ جِئْتُمْ بِبِدْعَةٍ ظَلْمَاءَ، أَوَلَقَدْ فَضُلْتُمْ أَصْحَابَ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ عِلْمًا؟ فَقَالَ مِعْضَدٌ: وَاللَّهِ مَا جِئْنَا بِبِدْعَةٍ ظَلْمَاءَ وَلَا فَضُلْنَا أَصْحَابَ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ عِلْمًا، فَقَالَ عَمْرُو بْنُ عُتْبَةَ: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ نَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ قَالَ: «عَلَيْكُمْ بِالطَّرِيقِ فَالْزَمُوهُ فَوَاللَّهِ لَئِنْ فَعَلْتُمْ لَقَدْ سَبَقْتُمْ سَبْقًا بَعِيدًا وَإِنْ أَخَذْتُمْ يَمِينًا وَشِمَالًا لَتَضِلُّوا ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا»
A man told Abdullah ibn Masud (RA) that some people sit in the masjid after Maghrib, and there is a man among them that says, “Do takbir this or that many times” and “Do tasbeeh this or that many times” and “Do tahmeed this or that many times.”
Ibn Masud (RA) asked, “And they do it?”
He said, “Yes.”
Ibn Masud (RA) said, “When you see them do this, come and tell me.”
So, Ibn Masud came to them wearing a cloak and sat among them. When he heard what they were saying, he stood up–and he was a firm man–and said, “I am Abdullah ibn Masud. By Allah, the one who has no god other than Him, you have wrongfully come up with an innovation! Have you become more knowledgeable than the companions of Muhammad ﷺ.”
A man said, “By Allah, we have not wrongfully come up with an innovation, and we did not become more knowledgeable than the companions of Muhammad ﷺ.”
Another man said, “O Ibn Masud, we seek forgiveness from Allah.”
Ibn Masud (RA) said, “I advise you to stick to the path. If you do that (and follow the companions), they have gone far ahead. If you go right or left, you will go far astray.”
This is a strong report, and there is no mention of pebbles.
Muhammad ibn Fadhl and Jafar ibn Sulaiman narrated from Ata with Abu al-Bakhtari in the chain. Hammad ibn Salamah replaced Abu al-Bakhtari with Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami, and this was possibly his mistake. Ma’mar did not mention either in the chain; he most likely summarized the chain.
As such, the narrators in the hadith to be concerned about are: Ata ibn al-Saa’ib, Abu al-Bakhtari, and Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami.
Ata ibn al-Saa’ib was criticized for losing his memory later in his life. This narration is relatively safe from that in terms of its content, because Hammad was an early student of Ata.
Tahawi mentioned explicitly that Hammad ibn Salamah was one of the people who learned from Ata before his memory weakened. (Sharh Mushkil al-Athar)
As for the chain, it is conflicted among the students, and Hammad had his own version that contradicted the other narrators. So, it is unclear whether to prefer Abu al-Bakhtari or al-Sulami.
Both Abu al-Bakhtari and al-Sulami were reliable narrators and narrators of the Sahihayn. However, their narrations from Ibn Masud were not included in the Sahihayn.
As for al-Sulami, although Shu’bah claimed he did not hear from Ibn Masud, the vast majority of scholars believed he learned Quran and other things from Ibn Masud.
As for Abu al-Bakhtari (d. 82 AH), he was an early Kufan authority, but it is quite unlikely he learned from Ibn Masud (d. 32) directly considering the dates. However, his narration would still provide strong early evidence despite being mursal.
1.4 Report of Amr ibn Salamah
Yahya ibn Amr (ok) > his father Amr ibn Yahya (hasan) > his father Amr ibn Salamah said:
كُنَّا نَجْلِسُ عَلَى بَابِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ رضي الله عنه، قَبْلَ صَلَاةِ الْغَدَاةِ، فَإِذَا خَرَجَ، مَشَيْنَا مَعَهُ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ، فَجَاءَنَا أَبُو مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيُّ رضي الله عنه 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. ⦗٢٨٧⦘ 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 ﷺ مُتَوَافِرُونَ، وَهَذِهِ ثِيَابُهُ لَمْ تَبْلَ، وَآنِيَتُهُ لَمْ تُكْسَرْ، وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، إِنَّكُمْ لَعَلَى مِلَّةٍ هِيَ أَهْدَى مِنْ مِلَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ أوْ مُفْتَتِحُو بَابِ ضَلَالَةٍ». قَالُوا: وَاللَّهِ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، مَا أَرَدْنَا إِلَّا الْخَيْرَ. قَالَ: «وَكَمْ مِنْ مُرِيدٍ لِلْخَيْرِ لَنْ يُصِيبَهُ، إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ 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
We used to sit at the door of Abdullah ibn Masud, before the dawn prayer. When he came out, we would walk with him to the mosque.
Then Abu Musa al-Ashari came to us and said, “Has Abu Abd al-Rahman come out to you yet?” We replied, “Not yet.” So he sat with us until he came out. When he emerged, we all stood up and went to him.
Abu Musa said to him, “O Abu Abd al-Rahman, I have just seen something in the mosque which I disapproved of, though—Alhamdulillah—I saw nothing but good.”
He said, “What is it?”
He replied, “If you wait, you will see it. I saw in the mosque people sitting in circles waiting for the prayer. In each circle there was a man, and in their hands were pebbles. He would say, ‘Say Allahu Akbar one hundred times,’ and they would say it one hundred times. Then he would say, ‘Say La ilaha illa Allah one hundred times,’ and they would say it one hundred times. Then he would say, ‘Say Subhan Allah one hundred times,’ and they would say it one hundred times.”
He said, “What did you say to them?”
He replied, “I did not say anything to them, waiting for your view or your command.”
He said, “Why did you not tell them to count their sins and guarantee to them that none of their good deeds would be lost?”
Then he went on, and we went with him, until he came to one of those circles. He stood over them and said, “What is this that I see you doing?”
They said, “O Abu Abd al-Rahman, these are pebbles with which we count the takbir, the tahlil, and the tasbih.”
He said, “Then count your sins, for I guarantee that none of your good deeds will be lost. Woe to you, O nation of Muhammad! How quickly you are heading to destruction! These are the companions of your Prophet still numerous among you; his clothes have not yet worn out, and his vessels have not yet been broken. By the One in whose hand is my soul, either you are upon a religion more guided than the religion of Muhammad, or you are opening a door to misguidance.”
They said, “By Allah, O Abu Abd al-Rahman, we intended nothing but good.”
He replied, “How many people intend good yet never attain it. The Messenger of Allah told us that there would be people who recite the Quran but it does not go beyond their throats. By Allah, I do not know—perhaps most of them are from among you.”
Then he turned away from them.
Amr ibn Salamah said: We later saw most of those circles fighting against us on the Day of Nahrawan alongside the Khawarij.
This report can be found in Musnad al-Darimi. This is the famous report that most people criticize in terms of chain.
Yahya ibn Amr and Amr ibn Yahya were both honest and hasan in hadith, but each of them was weakened by some scholars.
As a result, this report is not as strong or early as the other ones. In fact, some embellishment is obvious, like Abu Musa al-Ashari being added to the story. But, it is useful corroboration.
This is the only version we have analyzed that mentions pebbles. People without logic try to claim the weakest version of the hadith (whose weakness they themselves point out) should be used to limit the stronger versions!
1.5 Other Reports
There are other more disconnected or weaker reports of this incident. One narrated by Sayyar Abu al-Hakam, and one by Abd al-Wahid ibn Sabirah. However, there is not much benefit quoting them in detail.
The prevalance of those reports, however, does indicate that several scholars knew and agreed with the disapproval of this type of bidah, even bidah that seems on its surface to be good actions.
1.6 Conclusion from Reports
We have seen three strong reports from Ibn Masud in this article along with an acceptable corroboration. It is clear this story circulated very early among the scholars of hadith in Kufa and elsewhere.
It is very difficult to deny that the gist of this story happened considering the collection of reports, and the gist of this story they all agree about is that Ibn Masud reprimanded some people for group zikr, and the concern was not about counting zikr with pebbles.
Even if, for the sake of argument, the concern was about counting with pebbles, there is no way to understand these reports except that Ibn Masud would not agree with what people today try to call bidah hasanah.
2. Arguments for Group Zikr
2.1 What is ‘Group Zikr’?
Group zikr can refer to two things:
- Repetition of specific phrases that mention Allah in a group, like Allahu Akbar and Subhanallah
- Natural conversation that mentions Allah, like talking about the blessings Allah has given you and discussing the Quran
When a hadith talks about a group doing zikr, pay attention to whether it means they are doing the first type of zikr or the second type.
We are discussing the permissibility of the first type, not the second type. The second type is obviously allowed according to everyone.
2.2 Main Arguments
There are two arguments in favor of group zikr:
- It is specifically allowed in some hadith.
- It is only a combination of good things, thus must be allowed even if not explicitly from the Sunnah.
In response to the first, we will analyze some of the hadith used in this topic.
The response to the second is the above report of Ibn Masud: Even when something appears to be a combination of good things, it can fall into the category of problematic innovation because its combination has no basis in the Sunnah. That is the inevitable conclusion from Ibn Masud’s report except if you posit the later scholars understood the concept of bidah and Sunnah better than Ibn Masud (RA).
2.3 Hadith for Group Zikr
First: Ibn Abbas (RA) said, “People used to raise their voices with zikr after the congregational Salah in the time of the Prophet (SAW).” (Sahih Bukhari)
This only proves loud zikr, not group zikr. Everyone agrees that doing zikr in unison after Salah is not Sunnah, but doing zikr after Salah individually is Sunnah.
Second: The Prophet (SAW): Allah has some angels that travel around looking for the people of zikr. When they find a group remembering Allah, they say to each other, “Come here” [and gather around them] […] [When they go to Allah], Allah asks them, even though he knows more than them, “What were my servants saying?” They say, “They were speaking, glorifying you, magnifying you, praising you, and honoring you.” […] (Sahih Bukhari)
Another narration: The angels return to the sky and Allah asks them, “Where have you come from?” They say, “We came from some of your servants on earth that were glorifying you, magnifying you, saying you were one, praising you, and asking you.” (Sahih Muslim)
This narration only means that you remember Allah and praise him in gatherings. For example, you talk about something good that happened to you and say Alhamdulillah or you talk about nature and say Subhanallah. There is no evidence for congregational zikr in this hadith.
Third: The Prophet (SAW) said, “I am with [my servant] when he remembers me. If he remembers me in himself, I remember him in myself. If he remembers me in a gathering, I mention him in a better gathering.” (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
A similar hadith: Abu Hurairah (RA) and Abu Saeed (RA) narrated from the Prophet (SAW), “No group of people mention Allah except that angels surround them, mercy envelops them, tranquility will descend on them, and Allah will mention them to those with him.” (Sahih Muslim)
This hadith only means talking about Allah in conversation, not repeating azkar in congregation. The evidence for that is in the hadith itself, since the hadith says Allah mentions those people in His gathering of angels like the people mention Allah in their gathering. Clearly, Allah will not be repeatedly saying those people’s names but will rather mention them in conversation.
The previous hadith mentions one possible conversation that Allah has with the angels regarding those people.
Fourth: Muawiyah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) came out and saw a circle of companions. He asked them, “What made you sit here?” They said, “We sat down remembering Allah and praising him for guiding us to Islam and blessing us with it.” The Prophet (SAW) asked, “By Allah, is this why you were sitting here?” They said, “By Allah, this is why we were sitting here.” He (SAW) said, “I was not doubting you, but I asked because Jibril came to me and told me that Allah was bragging to the angels about you.” (Sahih Muslim)
Muslim only included it as support. Tirmidhi graded this hadith Hasan Ghareeb.
This narration only means the Sahabah were discussing the blessing of Islam, not that they were repeating azkar in congregation.
As a result of that, Allah mentioned them in his gathering in conversation, not by repeating their names.
Fifth: Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated from the Prophet (SAW), “No group gathers in one of the houses of Allah reciting the Quran and studying it except that tranquility descends on them, mercy envelops them, angels surround them, and Allah remembers them in His gathering.” (Sahih Muslim)
This narration clarifies all the narrations before it. The remembrance done in a group in all these ahadith is conversational: They recite the Quran and study it.
If a group wants to be remembered by Allah in His gathering, that is what they must do.
Conclusion
We have seen in this article that Ibn Masud (RA) considered congregational zikr to be blameworthy bidah. We have also seen that all the evidence that people use to support congregational zikr and how it does not mean congregational zikr.
Allah says about the disbelievers ⟪Say, [O Muhammad], “Shall we inform you of the greatest losers in terms of deeds? They are those whose effort is lost in worldly life, while they think that they are doing good work.”⟫ (18:104) This equally applies to those who waste their effort in bidah instead of worshiping Allah as the Prophet (SAW) taught us.
If people want to gather in groups and mention Allah, they should read the Quran and discuss its meaning. That is the way of the Prophet (SAW) and the Sahabah.
