Clapping is for the women
Noble Sheikh, may Allah give you success. The questioner says:
I work as a doctor and when I attend medical lectures, the attending men stand up to clap for the lecturer. When I said to them, Clapping is only for women, they said, That ruling is only for the Salat. Is this statement true?
Al-Allamah Saleh al-Fawzan:
No, it is not true. Men shouldnt clap, neither in the Salat, nor other than it.Clapping is for women, and not for the men, neither in the Salat, nor other than it. This is one angle.
The second angle is that there is imitation of the kuffar in this. This is one of the customs of the kuffar. We didnt know of it, nor did the Muslims ever know men to clap, except after there came to us customs from the kuffar and after blindfollowing them in their parties and assemblies. Clapping is also from the affairs of Jahiliyyah.
Their Salat at the House was nothing but whistling and clapping of hands. (8:35).
Whistling, singing, clapping, and applause are from the actions of the kuffar. And today, subhan-Allah, they still clap and whistle. They take your guard down in the gatherings and clap and whistle like acts of Jahiliyyah. Naam.
They performed worship by whistling and clapping their hands.
- the explanation -
From the aspects of the Days of Ignorance that the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) opposed them in was their performance of worship to Allaah by means of whistling and clapping. Allaah says:- the explanation -
This means: The worship that the polytheists performed to Allaah at the sacred Kabah was nothing more than whistling and clapping.
The word mukaa means whistling, while tasdeeyah means clapping with the hands and palms.
They would do this while at the House of Allaah and call it prayer, seeking nearness to Allaah through it. This is one of the things the devils among mankind and the jinn beautified to them, in order to deceive them.Worship is not to be done except according to what Allaah has legislated so it is dependent upon revelation.
A person must not introduce something from his own self or take it from someone else when it is not according to what Allaah has legislated, thus worshipping Allaah by it even though it has no source in the religion.
Here, we can derive the prohibition of these two matters, which are: whistling and clapping. They are forbidden even though one may not intend to be performing worship by them, since there can be found imitation of the polytheists in it.
As for clapping, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) only allowed it specifically for women at the time of a necessity, such as to notify the Imaam if he has omitted or added something to the prayer. This was due to the fitnah that could occur from their voice if there are men present. And it is not permissible for a man to imitate the disbelievers or to imitate a women by clapping.وَمَا كَانَ صَلاَتُهُمْ عِندَ الْبَيْتِ إِلاَّ مُكَاء وَتَصْدِيَةً فَذُوقُواْ الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ
Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: Saying Subhaanallaaah is for men and clapping is for women. [Transmitted by Al-Bukhaaree (no. 1203) and Muslim (no. 422/106)]
And in the hadeeth of Sahl bin Saad, he reported that the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: Why is it that I see you clapping so much. Whoever is doubtful about something is the prayer, let him SubhanAllaah for if one says it, it will attract attention. Clapping is only for women. Transmitted by Al-Bukhaaree (no. 684) and Muslim (no. 421)]
From the book Masaail-ul-Jaahiliyyah (Aspects of the Days of Ignorance) explained by Shaykh Saalih bin Fawzaan al-Fawzaan.
