PART-2 BIDA`H INNOVATION OF ISLAM
DEFINITION OF BIDAH-INNOVATION
“According to sharee’ah, the definition is ‘Worshipping Allaah in ways that Allaah has not prescribed.’ Or ‘Worshipping Allaah in ways that are not those of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his rightly guided successors (al-khulafaa’ al-raashidoon).’
CHARACTERISTICS OF BIDAH
So to make it clear, a Bidah is something which :
1. is An act of worship / a ritual / a religious deed which is not proven from the Quran or Authentic Sunnah
2. Is considered to be a good deed which is a part of Islam
3. Is considered to be source of reward (Ajr o sawab)
4. Apparently there appears to be no harm in doing it as it is a good deed.
5. Is turned into a ritual or general celebration and is considered to be an integral part of Islam.
6. Is sometimes based on weak or fabricated Hadiths which cannot be used as evidence.
The Jews said to ‘Umar, “You (i.e. Muslims) recite a Verse, and had it been revealed to us, we would have taken the day of its revelation as a day of celebration.(Al Maidah:3) ” ‘Umar said, “I know very well when and where it was revealed, and where Allah’s Apostle was when it was revealed. (It was revealed on) the day of Arafat (Hajj Day), and by Allah, I was at Arafat”(Bukhari) However as well all know, neither did our Prophet nor his companions took this day of the revelation of this verse as a celebration! If we take it as a celebration, it will be innovation!
Reading quran is considered a good deed but reading Quran in sajdah is forbidden . So if anyone says. No no reading Quran is a good deed so i can read it anywhere any time in any mannar i want. But this will be innovation .
Hijra of prophet(s.a.w) was a great event. The people of Madina rejoiced and welcomed him warmly and even sang talal badru alayne. So on each anniversary of Hijrah we should do the same! But no never did our Prophet nor his companions ever celebrated the anniversary of Hijrah in their life. If we do so, thinking it will be a good deed – it will be an innovation which will lead to fire.
So similarly there are many practices prevalent in the Muslim world, which are Innovations- Biddats. Some of them are mentioned below.( This list is not exhaustive)
Eid Milad un Nabi-Birthday of Prophet Muhammad
Shab e Mairaj -The Night of Ascension and acts of worship associated to this day
Shab e Baraat and acts of worship associated to this day
Quran Khwani at death
Reading Kalimah on beads at death
Reading Surah Yasin a number of times after at the funeral
Teeja/Soyem -3rd day of death
Barsi-Death Anniversary
Chaleeswan – 40th day of death
Reading Naats at the body of the dead
Writing Kalima on the shroud
Reading innovated Durood and Duas
Making the Bride go under the Quran
Reciting Durood before the Adhan
Making congregational dua after every 5 times salah.
Speaking out the neah (intention) of salah by saying e.g. , “I make intention of four rakat fard, for zuhr, for Allah, My face is facing the Qiblah, Allahu Akbar”
Reading the innovated dua of the neah (intention) at seher time for fasting.
If someone still prefers to indulge in these biddats saying there is no harm in it, then that means that a new Islam has been created as the original Islam was not good enough! And creating new forms of worships and celebrations means that when the wahi was being revealed Allah did not know that there was reward in this ‘innovated good deed’ (Naaozobillah) or Allah forgot to tell his Prophet about it (Naaozobillah) or that Rasool Allah did not understand the commandment (Naaozobillah) or forgot to tell the ummah about this good deed(Naaozobillah) or special day and it also means that the Sahaba -companions did not fully understand the religion (Naaozobillah) and neither did they fully implement it that is why we find no such actions from them.!! Obviously this is not true, therefore all innovated matters of religion must be abandoned.
Narrated Ibn Abbas: When the Prophet arrived at Medina, the Jews were observing the fast on ‘Ashura’ (10th of Muharram) and they said, “This is the day when Moses became victorious over Pharaoh,” On that, the Prophet said to his companions, “You (Muslims) have more right to Celebrate Moses’ victory than they have, so observe the fast on this day.” (Bukhari)
From this hadith it is very clear that Prophet Muhammad sallalahu alayhe wasallam did not leave out ANYTHING in our religion. If some days were special he informed us about it and even suggested the form of worship in it.. like the 10th of Muharram – the day of Ashoora.
Also there is no such thing as Bidah e Hasana (Good Innovation) as Rasool Allah has clearly labelled every innovation as deviation! “Indeed every new thing is an innovation and every innovation is deviation and every deviation leads to fire” ( Sahih Jama Assabir)
Above statement says EVERY BIDDAH (including so called good and bad). Is there any such thing as good hell and a bad hell? A good fire or a bad fire?
People who quote Umar (r) and say that Taraveeh is a good innovation; they are greatly mistaken because the Taraveeh was performed by Rasool Allah (s) for two days in his last Ramadan. However he abandoned it because he was afraid that it may become obligatory. Taraveeh is a nafil (voluntary ) prayer and it is mansoon. It was not innovated by Umar (r) rather he only revived a forgotten Sunnah.
Narrated ‘Aisha, the mother of the faithful believers: One night Allah’s Apostle offered the prayer in the Mosque and the people followed him. The next night he also offered the prayer and too many people gathered. On the third and the fourth nights more people gathered, but Allah’s Apostle did not come out to them. In the morning he said, “I saw what you were doing and nothing but the fear that it (i.e. the prayer) might be made obligatory on you, stopped me from coming to you.” And that happened in the month of Ramadan. (Bukhari)
So taking any other day to be important and special like shab e mairaj , shab e baraat etc or making up new forms of worship Duas and acts and rituals about which Rasool Allah did not inform us or did himself is clearly innovation –bidah which leads to fire.
BIDAH ANNIHIALATES TRUE SUNNAH
A famous taabiee (the generation after the companions) Hasan bin Atiyyah said : “No people introduced an innovation into religion except that an equivalent sunnah is taken away from them” [Ad-Daarimee with saheh isnaad]
This is so true! People have given so much importance to certain innovated practices that the true sunnah has been pushed behind and forgotten.
People celebrate the innovated Shab-e-Baraat with great fervour and pray all night long but sadly the greatest night of all Shab e Qadr which can fall in any odd nights of Ramadan and which also includes chand raat is spent in traffic jams and malls for last minute shopping for Eid. People also neglect the true sunnah of Shabaan by focusing only on the 15th of Shabaan whereas the Prophet used to fast the most in the first fifteen days of Shabaan and forbade his Ummah from fasting from 15th onwards. And
BIDDAH IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN SINS
Sufyan ath-Thawree said: “Innovation is more pleasing to iblees than sin, since a person makes repentance from but does not repent from innovations!”
This is because he regards the innovation as being something good for which he receives reward from Allah and therefore will not repent from it, whereas he who commits a sin knows that it is wrong and Inshallah will repent from it.
So taking any other day to be important and special like shab e mairaj , shab e baraat etc or making up new forms of worship Duas and acts and rituals about which Rasool Allah did not inform us or did himself is clearly innovation –bidah which leads to fire.
WARNINGS OF ALLAH
We should be aware of Allah’s warning that, “
O you who have believed, do not go beyond Allah and His Messenger but fear Allah . Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing.(Quran 49:1)
So is it other than the religion of Allah they desire??(Quran 3:83)
And whoever desires other than Islam as religion – never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.(Quran 3:85)
It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error. (Quran 33:36)
WARNINGS OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD sallalahu Alayhe Wasallam AGAINST INNOVATIONS
“I urge you to adhere to my way (Sunnah) and the way of the rightly-guided successors (al-khulafa’ al-raashidoon) who come after me. Hold fast to it and bite onto it with your eyeteeth [i.e., cling firmly to it], and beware of newly-invented matters.”
“Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it will have it rejected.” (Bukhaari, Muslim)
“Indeed every new thing is an innovation and every innovation is deviation and every deviation leads to fire” ( Sahih Jama Assabir)
“Allah Tala does not accept the repentance of an innovator until he quits doing the innovated things.” (Sahih At Targhib wa Tarhib)
“I will be at my pond from before and some of you will be brought in front of me and then they will be removed from in front of me. So I will ask Oh My Lord, these are my people! But I will be told; you don’t know about the new things they innovated after you” (Bukhari)
“The person who innovated something new in our religion which is not a part of our religion ,will be shunned and rejected .” (Bukhari)
CELEBRATING NON-MUSLIM FESTIVALS
Celebrating Non-Muslim Festivals is also not allowed in Islam as it comes under following the Kuffar as Prophet Muhammad s has said:
Narrated By Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri : The Prophet said, “You will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit ( i.e., inch by inch) so much so that even if they entered a hole of a mastigure(a kind of lizard), you would follow them.” We said, “O Allah’s Apostle! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians ?” He said, “Whom else?” (Bukhari: Vol 009, Book 092, Hadith 422.)
Narrated By Abu Huraira : The Prophet said, “The Hour will not be established till my followers copy the deeds of the previous nations and follow them very closely, span by span, and cubit by cubit ( i.e., inch by inch).” It was said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Do you mean by those (nations) the Persians and the Romans?” The Prophet said, “Who can it be other than they?”
Some of them are:
Birthdays
Anniversaries
Mother’s day, father’s day
Valentine’s Day
Engagement
Mehendi
Christmas
Easter
Halloween
Dewali
Basant ETC.,
DEFINITION OF BIDAH-INNOVATION
“According to sharee’ah, the definition is ‘Worshipping Allaah in ways that Allaah has not prescribed.’ Or ‘Worshipping Allaah in ways that are not those of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his rightly guided successors (al-khulafaa’ al-raashidoon).’
CHARACTERISTICS OF BIDAH
So to make it clear, a Bidah is something which :
1. is An act of worship / a ritual / a religious deed which is not proven from the Quran or Authentic Sunnah
2. Is considered to be a good deed which is a part of Islam
3. Is considered to be source of reward (Ajr o sawab)
4. Apparently there appears to be no harm in doing it as it is a good deed.
5. Is turned into a ritual or general celebration and is considered to be an integral part of Islam.
6. Is sometimes based on weak or fabricated Hadiths which cannot be used as evidence.
The Jews said to ‘Umar, “You (i.e. Muslims) recite a Verse, and had it been revealed to us, we would have taken the day of its revelation as a day of celebration.(Al Maidah:3) ” ‘Umar said, “I know very well when and where it was revealed, and where Allah’s Apostle was when it was revealed. (It was revealed on) the day of Arafat (Hajj Day), and by Allah, I was at Arafat”(Bukhari) However as well all know, neither did our Prophet nor his companions took this day of the revelation of this verse as a celebration! If we take it as a celebration, it will be innovation!
Reading quran is considered a good deed but reading Quran in sajdah is forbidden . So if anyone says. No no reading Quran is a good deed so i can read it anywhere any time in any mannar i want. But this will be innovation .
Hijra of prophet(s.a.w) was a great event. The people of Madina rejoiced and welcomed him warmly and even sang talal badru alayne. So on each anniversary of Hijrah we should do the same! But no never did our Prophet nor his companions ever celebrated the anniversary of Hijrah in their life. If we do so, thinking it will be a good deed – it will be an innovation which will lead to fire.
So similarly there are many practices prevalent in the Muslim world, which are Innovations- Biddats. Some of them are mentioned below.( This list is not exhaustive)
Eid Milad un Nabi-Birthday of Prophet Muhammad
Shab e Mairaj -The Night of Ascension and acts of worship associated to this day
Shab e Baraat and acts of worship associated to this day
Quran Khwani at death
Reading Kalimah on beads at death
Reading Surah Yasin a number of times after at the funeral
Teeja/Soyem -3rd day of death
Barsi-Death Anniversary
Chaleeswan – 40th day of death
Reading Naats at the body of the dead
Writing Kalima on the shroud
Reading innovated Durood and Duas
Making the Bride go under the Quran
Reciting Durood before the Adhan
Making congregational dua after every 5 times salah.
Speaking out the neah (intention) of salah by saying e.g. , “I make intention of four rakat fard, for zuhr, for Allah, My face is facing the Qiblah, Allahu Akbar”
Reading the innovated dua of the neah (intention) at seher time for fasting.
If someone still prefers to indulge in these biddats saying there is no harm in it, then that means that a new Islam has been created as the original Islam was not good enough! And creating new forms of worships and celebrations means that when the wahi was being revealed Allah did not know that there was reward in this ‘innovated good deed’ (Naaozobillah) or Allah forgot to tell his Prophet about it (Naaozobillah) or that Rasool Allah did not understand the commandment (Naaozobillah) or forgot to tell the ummah about this good deed(Naaozobillah) or special day and it also means that the Sahaba -companions did not fully understand the religion (Naaozobillah) and neither did they fully implement it that is why we find no such actions from them.!! Obviously this is not true, therefore all innovated matters of religion must be abandoned.
Narrated Ibn Abbas: When the Prophet arrived at Medina, the Jews were observing the fast on ‘Ashura’ (10th of Muharram) and they said, “This is the day when Moses became victorious over Pharaoh,” On that, the Prophet said to his companions, “You (Muslims) have more right to Celebrate Moses’ victory than they have, so observe the fast on this day.” (Bukhari)
From this hadith it is very clear that Prophet Muhammad sallalahu alayhe wasallam did not leave out ANYTHING in our religion. If some days were special he informed us about it and even suggested the form of worship in it.. like the 10th of Muharram – the day of Ashoora.
Also there is no such thing as Bidah e Hasana (Good Innovation) as Rasool Allah has clearly labelled every innovation as deviation! “Indeed every new thing is an innovation and every innovation is deviation and every deviation leads to fire” ( Sahih Jama Assabir)
Above statement says EVERY BIDDAH (including so called good and bad). Is there any such thing as good hell and a bad hell? A good fire or a bad fire?
People who quote Umar (r) and say that Taraveeh is a good innovation; they are greatly mistaken because the Taraveeh was performed by Rasool Allah (s) for two days in his last Ramadan. However he abandoned it because he was afraid that it may become obligatory. Taraveeh is a nafil (voluntary ) prayer and it is mansoon. It was not innovated by Umar (r) rather he only revived a forgotten Sunnah.
Narrated ‘Aisha, the mother of the faithful believers: One night Allah’s Apostle offered the prayer in the Mosque and the people followed him. The next night he also offered the prayer and too many people gathered. On the third and the fourth nights more people gathered, but Allah’s Apostle did not come out to them. In the morning he said, “I saw what you were doing and nothing but the fear that it (i.e. the prayer) might be made obligatory on you, stopped me from coming to you.” And that happened in the month of Ramadan. (Bukhari)
So taking any other day to be important and special like shab e mairaj , shab e baraat etc or making up new forms of worship Duas and acts and rituals about which Rasool Allah did not inform us or did himself is clearly innovation –bidah which leads to fire.
BIDAH ANNIHIALATES TRUE SUNNAH
A famous taabiee (the generation after the companions) Hasan bin Atiyyah said : “No people introduced an innovation into religion except that an equivalent sunnah is taken away from them” [Ad-Daarimee with saheh isnaad]
This is so true! People have given so much importance to certain innovated practices that the true sunnah has been pushed behind and forgotten.
People celebrate the innovated Shab-e-Baraat with great fervour and pray all night long but sadly the greatest night of all Shab e Qadr which can fall in any odd nights of Ramadan and which also includes chand raat is spent in traffic jams and malls for last minute shopping for Eid. People also neglect the true sunnah of Shabaan by focusing only on the 15th of Shabaan whereas the Prophet used to fast the most in the first fifteen days of Shabaan and forbade his Ummah from fasting from 15th onwards. And
BIDDAH IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN SINS
Sufyan ath-Thawree said: “Innovation is more pleasing to iblees than sin, since a person makes repentance from but does not repent from innovations!”
This is because he regards the innovation as being something good for which he receives reward from Allah and therefore will not repent from it, whereas he who commits a sin knows that it is wrong and Inshallah will repent from it.
So taking any other day to be important and special like shab e mairaj , shab e baraat etc or making up new forms of worship Duas and acts and rituals about which Rasool Allah did not inform us or did himself is clearly innovation –bidah which leads to fire.
WARNINGS OF ALLAH
We should be aware of Allah’s warning that, “
O you who have believed, do not go beyond Allah and His Messenger but fear Allah . Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing.(Quran 49:1)
So is it other than the religion of Allah they desire??(Quran 3:83)
And whoever desires other than Islam as religion – never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.(Quran 3:85)
It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error. (Quran 33:36)
WARNINGS OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD sallalahu Alayhe Wasallam AGAINST INNOVATIONS
“I urge you to adhere to my way (Sunnah) and the way of the rightly-guided successors (al-khulafa’ al-raashidoon) who come after me. Hold fast to it and bite onto it with your eyeteeth [i.e., cling firmly to it], and beware of newly-invented matters.”
“Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it will have it rejected.” (Bukhaari, Muslim)
“Indeed every new thing is an innovation and every innovation is deviation and every deviation leads to fire” ( Sahih Jama Assabir)
“Allah Tala does not accept the repentance of an innovator until he quits doing the innovated things.” (Sahih At Targhib wa Tarhib)
“I will be at my pond from before and some of you will be brought in front of me and then they will be removed from in front of me. So I will ask Oh My Lord, these are my people! But I will be told; you don’t know about the new things they innovated after you” (Bukhari)
“The person who innovated something new in our religion which is not a part of our religion ,will be shunned and rejected .” (Bukhari)
CELEBRATING NON-MUSLIM FESTIVALS
Celebrating Non-Muslim Festivals is also not allowed in Islam as it comes under following the Kuffar as Prophet Muhammad s has said:
Narrated By Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri : The Prophet said, “You will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit ( i.e., inch by inch) so much so that even if they entered a hole of a mastigure(a kind of lizard), you would follow them.” We said, “O Allah’s Apostle! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians ?” He said, “Whom else?” (Bukhari: Vol 009, Book 092, Hadith 422.)
Narrated By Abu Huraira : The Prophet said, “The Hour will not be established till my followers copy the deeds of the previous nations and follow them very closely, span by span, and cubit by cubit ( i.e., inch by inch).” It was said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Do you mean by those (nations) the Persians and the Romans?” The Prophet said, “Who can it be other than they?”
Some of them are:
Birthdays
Anniversaries
Mother’s day, father’s day
Valentine’s Day
Engagement
Mehendi
Christmas
Easter
Halloween
Dewali
Basant ETC.,
