This last turn the thread has taken though woefully off topic is yet a most important one for Muslims so happy to purse it : ) Apologies to Louis : S
I personally am most unfit to call anything an innovation or forbidden but saw a distinction made in the posts above which I thought useful to highlight for clarification - that between the intention of wearing Oud during prayer, how the wearer uses it and it's actual effect.
@Rai Munir
I've seen some mention that they use agarwood oil and smoke in more esoteric manner in helping to center and concentrate when engaged in such things as yoga and meditation. From the perspective as a Muslim, if agarwood oil and smoke are used in that same manner to center and concentrate on rememberance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala or performing Salat, that would be bid'ah and therefore haram. It could also possibly draw attention away from Allah and Salat, which should be avoided.
I agree, hence the usage.
I disagree, allow me to elaborate based on my understanding of bid'ah (innovation away from that which is in Qur'an, Hadith, and Sunnah). Hadith tells us that the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, adored and wore fragrance, that is Sunnah and permissible during performance of Salat. If denotes situational condition, if someone concentrates and occupies the heart on fragrance in hopes of it helping to center focus during prayer, as some do to center focus during yoga/meditation, that is innovation away from Qur'an, Hadith, and the practice of Rasoulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam; bid'ah.
Itr/Oud could possibly avert someone's attention away from prayer during its performance. Ibn ‘Abbas, radi allahu anhu, said, "You will not be rewarded on your prayer except for what you had been attentive to". Diversion of attention away from prayer as being haram is not correct by definition. However, the practice of allowing the attention to wander during prayer is something that one should seek to avoid. Corrected.
It seems Pearl that here the innovation you were referring to was the
intention itself of using Oud to concentrate on the remembrance and/or the
practice of concentrating on the Oud scent at the outset of prayer to build focus hoping thereby that after the Takbiratul Ihram the focus would then turn towards the remembrance. You were not referring to the
effect itself which is that the attention is diverted towards Oud during the prayer which I think no one would disagree should be avoided and mostly likely does happen. After all what could a person be thinking of during prayer if right after saying salaam the hand goes up to the nose to get a whiff. If for some Oud or any other aromatic usually draws alot of their attention towards it during prayer then probably best to avoid it.
Setting the
effect aside and thinking about the
intention and the
practice, can those be called an
innovation as in the legal term? Best left for a jurist to respond to.
The intention itself of using something as a means of drawing closer to Allah subhanau wa ta'la is a complex topic. This drawing closer not directly referring to growing in rank but that of remembering him more and there by drawing closer. All actions being judged by their intentions, the intention of using Oud can change the action from a praiseworthy/rewarding one to being objectionable and blameworthy. May Allah swt protect us from that.
To emulate the path of the chosen one (as in fumigating with it) alaihis salaam
To ponder and reflect on the beauty and variety that God has placed on this planet and through it 'see' his beauty and perfection through the heart's discernment.
These and other intentions can make using Oud praiseworthy of course, otherwise it can just become a veil like any other part of creation that distracts from the creator in or outside of prayer.
Wearing perfume for prayer would not have been practiced by the Prophet alaihi asalam if it did not benefit the one praying and those witnessing and what benefit is there whilst one is distracted. So the intention itself of wearing Oud/perfume to benefit while praying we would agree would not be wrong. Now the intention of wearing perfume to concentrate during prayer (if it truly helps) would that be wrong? Why would one intend to concentrate during prayer if not intending to benefit from prayer and intending to draw closer to Allah azza wa jal?
Talking about the
practice of focusing on Oud in and of itself just prior to prayer which seemed to me what you were referring to, I would agree does seem incorrect. At that point one would ideally be emptying the heart/mind of all such cares and attachments and be entering in a state of presence, awe, gratitude, fear, shyness etc.