Criteria for Distinguishing Sunnah and Bid’ah (Part 8)
Hadith
1. Hazrat Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated from the Holy Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: «مَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَذَا مَا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ.» Translation: “Whoever creates something in this matter [our religion] that is not part of it, that thing is rejected.”
2. Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said in his speech: «أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى‌اللَّهُ‌عَلَيْهِ‌وَسَلَّمَ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ.» Translation: “But then! The best speech is the speech of the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. And the worst thing is innovation in religion, and innovation in religion is misguidance.”
3. Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated from the Holy Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: «مَنْ سَنَّ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ سُنَّةً حَسَنَةً … مَنْ أَنْ يَنْقُصَ مِنْ أَوْزَارِهِمْ شَيْءٌ.» Translation: “The one who establishes a good Sunnah and method in Islam will receive the reward of that tradition and of all who follow it, and nothing will be reduced from their reward. And whoever establishes a bad tradition and method in Islam will incur the punishment of that bad method and of those who follow it, without any reduction.”
Companions
1. Hazrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: «إیاکم وأصحاب الرأی فإنهم أعداء السنن، أعیتهم الأحادیث أن یحفظوها فقالوا بالرأي فضلوا وأضلوا.» Translation: “Beware of the companions of the vote; they are the enemies of the Sunnah. They were tired of memorizing the Sunnah and Prophetic hadiths, so they turned to voting. They went astray and misled others as well.”
2. Ibn Sa’ad, with his own chain of narration, quoted Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, as saying: «أیها الناس إنما أنا متبع ولست بمبتدع فإن أحسنت فأعینوني وإن زغت فقوموني.» Translation: “O people, I am a follower, not an innovator. If I have done good, help me; and if I have gone astray, correct me.”
3. Ibn Massoud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: «اتبعوا ولا تبتدعوا فقد کفیتم، کل بدعة ضلالة.» Translation: “Follow and don’t innovate; you have truly become redundant. And every heresy and innovation are misguidance.”
Tabi’in
1. Umar bin Abdul Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote the following letter to someone: «اما بعد، أوصیك بتقوی الله والاقتصاد في أمره واتباع سنة نبیه وترك ما أحدث المحدثون بعد ما جرت به سنته.» Translation: “I advise you to fear Allah and choose moderation in following Allah’s commandments, follow the Sunnah and method of your Prophet, and stay away from the innovations that came after the Sunnah.”
2. Hasan Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, said: «لا یصح القول إلا بعمل ولا یصح قول وعمل إلا بنیة ولا یصح قول وعمل ونیة إلا بالسنة.» “No word without action, no word and action without intention, and no word, action, and intention without conforming to the Sunnah are valid.”
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