Thus we find that the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, hastened to denounce the designation of particular forms or times for remembrances and supplications, or other such practices that were neither prescribed by the sacred law nor established in the Sunnah. One example is Abdullah ibn Masūd’s denunciation—may Allah be pleased with him—of those people who had gathered in circles in the mosque, holding pebbles with which they glorified Allah, declared His oneness, and proclaimed His greatness in a newly invented manner and innovative form unknown during the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He promptly denounced them, sternly forbade their practice, and explained its danger and the harmful consequences it would have for them.

Imam al-Dārimī, may Allah have mercy on him, related with a good chain of transmission from Amr ibn Salama al-Hamdānī, who said: “We used to sit at the door of Abdullah ibn Masūd before the dawn prayer. When he came out, we would walk with him to the mosque. Abū Mūsā al-Asharī came to us and asked, ‘Has Abū Abd al-Rahmān come out to you yet?’ We replied, ‘No.’ So he sat with us until Abdullah came out. When he emerged, we all rose to meet him. Abū Mūsā said to him, ‘Abū Abd al-Rahmān, I have just seen something in the mosque that I disapproved of, although—praise be to Allah—I saw nothing but good.’ He asked, ‘What was it?’ Abū Mūsā replied, ‘If you live, you will see it. I saw people sitting in circles in the mosque, waiting for the prayer. In each circle there was a man, and they had pebbles in their hands. He would say, “Proclaim Allah’s greatness one hundred times,” and they would do so one hundred times. Then he would say, “Declare Allah’s oneness one hundred times,” and they would do so one hundred times. Then he would say, “Glorify Allah one hundred times,” and they would do so one hundred times.’ Abdullah asked, ‘What did you say to them?’ He replied, ‘I said nothing to them, as I was waiting for your opinion.’ Abdullah said, ‘Why did you not instruct them to count their sins and guarantee them that none of their good deeds would be lost?’ He then proceeded, and we went with him until he reached one of those circles. Standing before them, he asked, ‘What is this that I see you doing?’ They replied, ‘Abū Abd al-Rahmān, these are pebbles with which we count our proclamations of Allah’s greatness and oneness and our glorifications of Him.’ He said, ‘Then count