Author: Shoaib Ahmad Ghaznavi
Bid’ah and Its Precise Meaning (Part One)
Summary:
Bid’ah (Innovation) refers to changes in belief or practice in the religious domain without reference to the accepted sources for deriving rulings, such as the Qur’an and Sunnah. This is also referred to as “legislation in religion.” No scholar of religion has ever doubted the severe prohibition of innovation, with some regarding it as one of the essentials of faith. However, since the nature of innovation and its rulings and criteria have not been properly clarified, throughout Islamic history, both extremes—exaggeration and negligence—have been adopted in the fight against it. This has led to the excommunication and condemnation of many innocent Muslims, with some even being killed. Thus, the prohibition of innovation, which was established to preserve the integrity of faith from deviations, has turned into a path for the infiltration and conspiracies of the enemies of Islam.
Introduction:
According to Islamic teachings, one of the levels of monotheism is the unity in legislation and lawmaking, meaning that the legislation of laws is exclusive to God, and no one has the right to legislate for individuals or communities without His permission. Furthermore, no one is allowed to alter divine laws. The alteration of divine law is considered innovation, and no religious scholar has ever doubted the severe prohibition of innovation or of attributing things to religion that are not part of it.
Essentially, innovating in religion is akin to associating partners with Allah (SWT) in His legislative sovereignty, making it a grave sin that threatens the integrity and authenticity of the divine religion. Due to the danger it poses to religion and Shari’ah, specific chapters in Islamic texts are dedicated to it. Our jurists have also discussed innovation in their legal works. The main reason for its prohibition is the numerous and even mutawattir (widely transmitted) narrations from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). One such narration is: «…وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَمُحْدَثَاتِ الْأُمُورِ، فَإِنَّ كُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ، وَإِنَّ كُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ» Translation: “Stay away from newly invented matters. Every matter that does not have a precedent in religion is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance leads to the Fire.”[1]
Although all scholars of Islam regard the essence of innovation as forbidden, there is disagreement about its concept, limits, and boundaries. This disagreement has led to both exaggeration and negligence throughout Islamic history in the struggle against innovation, resulting in the excommunication, condemnation, and sometimes killing of many innocent Muslims. Consequently, the prohibition of innovation, which was initially instituted to preserve the integrity of religion from deviations, became a means for the infiltration and conspiracies of Islam’s enemies. As a result, countless innovations were introduced into religion under the pretext of reviving faith and combating innovation.
With this introduction, it can be concluded that in order to purify God’s religion from innovations and reveal the true face of deviant and misleading movements, it is essential to research the precise meaning of innovation, its criteria, and regulations, as the primary purpose of the prohibition of innovation is to preserve faith.
Bid’ah and Its Exact Meaning:
“Give glad tidings to those of My servants who listen to speech and follow the best of it.” [2]
After the Holy Qur’an, the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) are the most important source and criterion for interpreting the Qur’an and deriving rulings. Based on numerous verses, such as: “Whoever obeys the Messenger has certainly obeyed Allah” [3] and “Take what the Messenger gives you, and refrain from what he forbids you” [4], it is obligatory for Muslims to recognize and follow the hadiths. However, due to the passage of time and the influence of various factors, as well as the technical nature of understanding the meanings and concepts of hadiths, these narrations require scrutiny and examination. This task is naturally the responsibility of the scholars of hadith and fiqh. Therefore, upon reading or hearing a hadith that does not align with our understanding or whose meaning is unclear, we cannot issue a judgment about it. Instead, we must refer to hadith scholars to determine which hadiths are authentic, good, weak, fabricated, mutawatir (widely transmitted), famous, singular, abrogated, or ambiguous, and to understand the corresponding legal rulings in cases of disagreement.
Unfortunately, some of our religious brothers, who intend to serve the religion, mistakenly believe that merely knowing the Arabic language and some general information about religious sciences is sufficient to interpret the Qur’an, critique hadiths, or derive or reject legal rulings. As a result, they present opinions and statements that can lead to confusion and division within the Muslim Ummah.
Continues…
[1] – Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Volume 28, p. 373, Musnad al-Shamiyyin, Hadith of Al-Arbaadh ibn Saariyah… Hadith number: 17144, Dar al-Risalah al-‘Alamiyyah.
[2] – Surah Az-Zumar, verse 20.
[3] – Surah An-Nisa, verse 80.
[4] – Surah Al-Hashr, verse 7.
