The worshippers in his mosque do innovations and wrong actions – how should he advise them?
Question

                I am a student in a country of kuffar where Muslims are weak minority. There is a masjid without an imam near where I live. The worshippers there feel very happy when I lead the congregation; especially that I am an Arab and Arabic speaker.  

After every obligatory prayer they start mentioning Allah in a group then they communally make du’a. This is an innovation not taken from the prophet’s Sunnah. I fear they dislike me and become upset if I try to stop them doing this, what shall I do in this case? Shall I stay with them hoping I will benefit them? I feel they miss the right Sunnah, and I feel that I may be able to benefit them so that Allah may soften their hearts and make them accept the right approach of following the prophet’s Sunnah .
Praise be to Allah.
    Firstly: 

    You have done well to ask before doing something that may 
    have a negative impact on those worshippers, and may also backfire on you, 
    in your prayer in particular and in your life in general. 

    Among the most important attributes of the one who calls 
    people to Allaah are: knowledge and wisdom, with which the daa’iyah can 
    achieve that which many others fail to achieve who lack the blessing of 
    knowledge or wisdom and the skill to deal properly with those who differ in 
    some way. 

    Wisdom does not mean being lenient or forsaking any aspect of 
    the truth, rather it means adopting the appropriate approach so that one may 
    succeed in leading people from ignorance and innovation to knowledge and the 
    Sunnah.  

    The wise daa’iyah knows that these worshippers refer for 
    their fatwas to imams and scholars whose religious commitment and knowledge 
    they trust, so how can he want them to turn away from them and turn directly 
    to him without paving the way? 

    The one who wants to call people to Islam should know that 
    surprising people with the Sunnah of which they are unaware and denouncing 
    them for what they are doing may cause them to hate the Sunnah and those who 
    follow it, and this is what creates barriers between the daa’iyahs and some 
    of the people when they try to teach them and explain the Sunnah to them. 
    This does not mean that he should stop trying to advise them, rather it 
    means that he should adopt a gradual approach in calling them. 

    Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have 
    mercy on him) said, explaining the words of ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, “Talk to 
    the people about what they appreciate and accept; do you want them to reject 
    Allaah and His Messenger?’ (narrated by al-Bukhaari) as follows: 

    The words in the report of ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with 
    him), “Talk to the people” means when preaching and otherwise. “What they 
    appreciate and accept” means, what they may understand, so that they will 
    not be confused. Hence it was narrated that Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be 
    pleased with him) said: “You will never tell a people anything that they do 
    not understand but it will be a cause of confusion for some of them.” 
    Narrated by al-Bukhaari.  

    Hence it is wise when calling people to Islam not to 
    overwhelm the people with things that they cannot understand, rather one 
    should call them gradually, so that they may gradually comprehend what you 
    are telling them.  

    The phrase “do you want them to reject Allaah and His 
    Messenger?” means: If you tell the people things that they do not 
    appreciate, do you want them to reject Allaah and His Messenger? Because if 
    you say “Allaah said such and such and His Messenger said such and such,” 
    they will say, This is a lie, if it is beyond their comprehension, and in 
    that case they will not be disbelieving Allaah and His Messenger, rather 
    they will be disbelieving you and the words you attribute to Allaah and His 
    Messenger, thus they will be ultimately disbelieving Allaah and His 
    Messenger, not directly but via the one who told them that.  

     If it is said: Should we forego speaking of that which 
    people do not understand even though they are in need of that? My answer is: 
    We should not forego that, but we should tell them in a way that is 
    acceptable to them, by telling them gradually, until they accept this idea 
    and feel at ease with it, and we should not ignore that which they cannot 
    understand and say that this is something objectionable so we should not 
    speak of it. 

    For example: Following the Sunnah which the people are not 
    used to and find objectionable. We should follow it, but after we tell them 
    of it, until their hearts accept it and feel at ease with it. 

    It may be understood from this report the importance of 
    wisdom in calling people to Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, and 
    that the daa’iyah must have insight into the mentality of the people he is 
    calling, and use a different approach for each individual. 

    Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh al-‘Uthaymeen 
    (10/774, 775). 

    So you have to follow the path of wisdom in calling these 
    people to give up communal dhikr and the other innovations that they do, and 
    to follow the Sunnahs that they are ignoring. We think that you should do 
    the following: 

    1 – Continue to lead them in prayer as an imam, and seek to 
    draw closer to their hearts by leading the prayers, and do not leave it for 
    someone else to take charge of their prayer and ‘aqeedah. 

    2 – Do not join them in their dhikr and other innovations, 
    but remember that it is essential for you to remain in the place where you 
    prayed so that you may recite the prescribed dhikrs by yourself. 

    3 – Give them daily lessons that take up only a little time, 
    as this may be a way of stopping their innovations as well as calling them 
    and teaching them. 

    4 – Focus on the importance of the Sunnah and of following 
    proper evidence, and mentioning the examples of the Sahaabah, Taabi’een and 
    prominent imams, especially those whom you see that they love and respect. 

    5 – Do not object to their innovations directly, and do not 
    criticize the contemporary imams and scholars whose opinions they follow. 

    6 – Pay attention to the leaders and knowledgeable ones among 
    them who have an influence on them, and try harder with them than with 
    others. 

    7 – Give them gifts occasionally, such as books, tapes and 
    pamphlets, whilst also honouring them by offering food and drink as much as 
    you can. 

    8 – Join them on permissible occasions, and try to draw close 
    to them by having a good attitude towards them. 

    This does not apply to you alone, rather it applies to every 
    daa’iyah who wants to succeed in a community where there is a great deal of 
    innovation and where the people do not respect or follow the Sunnah a great 
    deal.  

    Do not forget to seek the help of Allaah in your du’aa’, and 
    be sincere in doing it, seeking thereby the countenance of Allaah. You 
    should focus on the idea that these people are sick and need the remedy that 
    you possess, but they do not realize that they are sick, so how can you 
    deliver the remedy to them in a wise manner? 

    And Allaah knows best.