Dancing Sufis: An Innovation?

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following is adapted from “Dancing Sufis” by Ustadz Andrew Saunders. 

Regarding the Sufis that dance and chant Allah’s (s.w.t) Names, and recite blessings upon the Prophet (s.a.w.), their practices have been indeed passed down from the time of the Salaf.  One may argue, “But the Prophet (s.a.w.) never did it, and the main swabahah never did,” and of course we reply is that neither the Prophet (s.a.w.), nor the swahabah forbade it. 

As recorded in the Musnad Ahmad, Imam Ahmad (r.a.) related from Anas (r.a.), with a chain of transmission, all of whose narrators are those of Swahih al-Bukhari except Imam Hammad ibn Salamah (r.a.), who is one of the narrators of Swahih Muslim, that the Ethiopians danced in front of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.), dancing and saying in their language, “Muhammad is a righteous servant.” 

The Prophet (s.a.w.) asked, “What are they saying?” 

And they replied, “‘Muhammad is a righteous servant.’” 

The Prophet (s.a.w.) never forbade dancing, not their praise of him.  Those who teach that such practices are bid’a and not found within the first three generations are simply the liars of this religion, and the enemies of the people of truth. 

It does not matter if the Prophet (s.a.w.) or the four Khulafah ar-Rashidin engaged in it or not.  The fact of the matter is, that it was done in front of them, and was never condemned.  So those who condemn are actually saying they know better than the Prophet (s.a.w.), and are in fact introducing an innovation into the religion by voicing their condemnation as it was not done in the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) time.