In reply we say: that allegation is pure falsehood. The scholars of this reformist call affirm every noble attribute that has been reliably established for the Prophet ﷺ; indeed, they hold that he is the Master of the children of Adam and the most excellent of all creation, without exception. Yet they also forbid exaggeration concerning him, acting on his own words, “Do not extol me as the Christians extolled the son of Mary,” and they bar every innovation. One such innovation is to say “our master” in contexts where that wording has no textual basis—such as during the adhan, the iqamah, or the tashahhud in prayer. The same applies to raising one’s voice before the adhan with the phrase, “O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master, the Messenger of Allah,” or chanting it in unison after the obligatory prayers, as certain innovators do. This, I believe, is what the critic observed in their gatherings and mistakenly assumed to be sanctioned. It is precisely this practice that the scholars of the daʿwah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reject, and that other researchers committed to the Sunnah and averse to innovation reject wherever it appears—for it is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance, and it constitutes excess in praising him ﷺ, and excess is forbidden. As for saying “our master, the Messenger of Allah” outside the contexts of innovation, our scholars do not censure it; on the contrary, they affirm it and say, “He is indeed our master and our leader, ﷺ.”
Ninth point: He claims, “In the course of their preaching they speak harshly, so that most people turn away from them in extreme aversion.”
Our answer is that this too is no more than an unfounded accusation. The books and letters of our scholars—praise be to Allah—contain no harshness except where the Sharia itself prescribes firmness, and they contain nothing that repels. Rather, they call to Allah with insight, wisdom, and good admonition. Their works on this subject are printed, circulated, and widespread, and everyone who has interacted with them speaks well of them. Fair-minded writers have recorded many facts about their past and present history from