How do Sunnis understand the Hadith: "The Abyssinians were dancing before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and saying, 'Muhammad is a righteous servant'"? And does it provide a basis for movement with remembrance (dhikr)?

The hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad and Ibn Hibban from Anas, which states that the Abyssinians were dancing and saying, "Muhammad is a righteous servant," does not serve as valid evidence for the permissibility of dancing and swaying during remembrance (dhikr), for the following reasons:

1. Context of the Event: The Abyssinians were playing in the mosque to celebrate the Prophet's arrival in Medina, not in a state of dhikr or devotion. This is supported by the Prophet's saying: "So that the Jews may know that there is leniency in our religion."

2. Meaning of "Dancing": The meaning of "yizfinun" (dancing) refers to their playing with their spears, not dancing in the conventional sense understood by Sufis, as explained by scholars like Imam An-Nawawi.

3. Categorization of Hadiths: The Imams of Hadith did not categorize these narrations in a way that suggests dancing during dhikr. Rather, they categorized them under topics related to playing on Eid and the leniency in religion.

Scholars have explicitly stated that movement and swaying during dhikr are innovated practices (bid'ah), and that dancing during dhikr is one of the misleading innovations of the Sufis, having no basis in religion, and it must be denounced.