Innovation and Innovators

Is Uthman’s Athan an Innovation?

Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan clarifies that calling Uthman’s introduction of the Friday athan an innovation is itself an innovation. Uthman, a rightly guided caliph, enacted it to alert people for Jumu’ah, and it became a Sunnah, not a bid’ah.

September 7, 2016

Questioner:

What is the correctness of the statement: The [introduction of] the ʼathān of ʿUthmān is an innovation and misguidance?

Shaykh Ṣāliḥ ibn Fawzān al-Fawzān

This [statement itself] is an innovation. The one who says this speech [has said] an innovation. The Prophet said “Upon you is my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided Caliphs.” Is ʿUthmān not from the rightly guided Caliphs? Ey?? Is ʿUthmān not from the rightly guided Caliphs? Is he not the third Caliph?

Fine, so what he commanded is [considered] Sunnah. The first ʼathān is Sunnah just like the first ʼathān before fajr. This is a Sunnah in order to awaken the people.

ʿUthmān commanded the ʼathān when he saw that the people were busy with their farms and trades, in order that they are alerted for the Friday prayer and so that they can prepare for it. So it became a Sunnah. However this person [who spoke with the statement] does not know the difference between the Sunnah and innovation. Everything he doesn’t know [he sees it to be] an innovation.