What is the refutation of the specious argument for the permissibility of congregational remembrance (dhikr) aloud after prayers or in dhikr circles, based on hadiths such as: "I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me to himself, I remember him to Myself; and if he remembers Me in a gathering, I mention him in a gathering better than his," and "Indeed, Allah has angels who roam the roads seeking the people of dhikr...", and the saying of Ibn Abbas: "Raising the voice with dhikr when people finished the prescribed prayer was during the time of the Prophet, may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him"?

The problem arises from confusing communal chanting (dhikr) with gathering for dhikr and vocalizing it. Communal chanting in a unified voice in a habitual manner after every prayer is an innovation (bid'ah). However, each worshipper vocalizing the takbir and dhikr after prayers is a Sunnah. Sheikh Ibn Baz was asked about communal dhikr after prayer, and he replied that the Sunnah is to vocalize dhikr after prayers, but for it to be communal, where everyone imitates the recitation of others, has no basis and is an innovation. Sheikh Ibn Uthaymin stated that performing dhikr communally is an innovation because the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his companions did not do so; rather, each person performed dhikr individually. Sheikh Muhammad al-Khamis clarified that the Ahadith indicate the desirability of gathering for the remembrance of Allah, not communal chanting, and there is a significant difference between the two. Sheikh Ibn Uthaymin explained that the general Ahadith about studying the Quran and remembering Allah are to be understood in the context of what was commonly practiced during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions. Communal dhikr or communal recitation of the Quran was not customary among them. During Hajj, some companions would say the takbir, others the tahlil, and others the talbiyah, with each person remembering Allah individually. As for the verse: "And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and fear without loudness in words in the mornings and in the afternoons" (Al-A'raf: 205), it pertains specifically to individual dhikr and is particular to what the Sunnah indicates regarding vocalizing it after the obligatory prayer.