The beauty of praising the Messenger ﷺ lies in humility. Think of Sayyiduna Ḥassān ibn Thābit رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ — when he recited poetry in praise of the Prophet ﷺ, he did so with deep reverence, fully aware he stood in the court of the best of creation ﷺ.
Yet today, many naat reciters have become puppets to the crowd — repeating the same lines, filled with theatrics, movements, and acting. Astaghfirullāh, where is the humility? If we were truly standing before the Prophet ﷺ, would we present ourselves in this way?
As one of our respected Sunni ʿUlamā (may Allah bless him) said: nowadays it has become “ear candy.” We spend more time listening to naats than learning the dīn, or studying the blessed life of the Messenger ﷺ.
And it is for reasons like this that the Salafis object to the way mehfils are carried out today.