He was asked about the religious innovations associated with Thursday and similar occasions.

He replied:

Praise be to Allah, and may blessings and peace be upon Muhammad and his Companions. To proceed:

Satan has made certain practices seem appealing to many who profess Islam—practices they observe toward the end of the Christians’ fast, on that contemptible Thursday: giving gifts, holding festivities, spending money, clothing children, and other things that make it resemble a Muslim festival.

As for this Thursday at the end of the Christians’ fast, all the practices people introduce on it are reprehensible. These include women going out, burning incense at graves, laying clothes on rooftops, writing on sheets of paper and sticking them to doors, and making it an occasion for buying and selling intoxicating drinks. They also include reciting incantations over incense in any form, whether at that time or another, or deliberately seeking to buy incense over which incantations have been recited. Reciting incantations over incense and using it as a religious offering belong to the religion of the Christians and the Sabians. Incense is merely a fragrance whose smoke is used for perfuming, just as other fragrances are used. The same applies to singling out this day for cooking foods and other practices, such as dyeing eggs.