What is Bid’ah and WHY is it so DANGEROUS? by Asma bint Shameem

  

 

The Sharee'ah definition of bid'ah:

"A newly invented way (beliefs or action) in the religion, in imitation of the Sharee'ah, by which nearness to Allaah is sought, while not being supported by any authentic proof - neither in its foundations, nor in the manner in which it is performed."

 

In simple language, bid’ah is any newly invented matter in the DEEN, an act that a person does, with the intention of coming close to Allaah or seeking reward for it, but it is not supported by any authentic basis or proof from the Qur'aan or Sunnah. 

We as Muslims should follow only the way of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam and the way he practiced the deen. 

He sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam WAS and IS our best example to follow. 

He UNDERSTOOD the deen the BEST and PRACTICED it the BEST. 

And the Prophet sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam gave people like me and you, specific INSTRUCTIONS to FOLLOW HIM and the way of his Sahaabah and he WARNED us of innovations and bid’ah. 

🍃The Prophet sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said: 

"Whoever from you lives after me will see much differences; then upon you is my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly-guided Khalifas after me: bite on it (i.e. my Sunnah) with your molars (meaning cling to it and don't let it go) 

And beware and stay away from innovated matters, for EVERY innovation is MISGUIDANCE." 

(Abu Dawud, Saheeh by Albaani)

 

🍃 And he said:  

"I have left you with two matters; you will not go astray as long as you adhere to them: Allaah's Book and the Sunnah of his Messenger Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam." 

(al-Haakim, hasan by al-Albaani)

So Bid’ah is introducing something NEW In Islaam, something that has NO BASIS in the Sharee’ah or practice of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam or his Sahaabah. 

🔺 Bid’ah is ONLY in the matter of DEEN

Another important thing to keep in mind is that bid’ah is ONLY in the matters of DEEN. 

And NOT in the matters of dunya. 

That’s why using cars, and airplanes and electricity and computers and emails and loudspeakers are all OKAY to use because all that is part of the DUNYA, and NOT the DEEN. 

📌 Proof:

At the time of the battle of Khandaq, the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam liked and ACCEPTED the suggestion by Salmaan al-Faarisi radhi Allaahu anhu of digging a trench. 

That was a NEW thing. But because it was related to the DUNYA, the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam had no Issues accepting that. 

Bid’ah ONLY involves those deeds that are person does in order to earn REWARDS with Allaah, to come to Him, to please Him. 

ANYTHING that is NOT PROVEN from the authentic practice or teachings of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam or has NO BASIS in our Deen comes under bid’ah.

🔺But our intention is good! So why should it be wrong?

In order for any act to be acceptable, only good intention is jut enough. 

It also has to have PROOF from the Sharee’ah for it to be valid. 

🍃 Amr ibn Yahya narrated his father told him:

"We used to sit at Abdullah Ibn Masood’s house before Fajr prayer. If he exited we would follow him to the masjid. 

Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari then came to us and asked us, 

‘Did Abu Abur-Rahman (Abdullah Ibn Masood) come out yet?’ 

We said, ‘No’, so he sat with us till he emerged. 

We all stood up when he exited. 

He (Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari) said, ‘O Abu Adur-Rahman, I just saw something which I did not recognize, and I did not see, all thanks to Allah, but good.’ 

He (Ibn Masood) said, ‘What is it?’ 

He (Abu Musa) said, ‘If you live you will see it. I saw in the masjid people sitting in circles waiting for the prayer. In each circle there is a leader, and they have stones in their hands. 

He (the leader) would say, ‘Say Takbir (Allahu Akbar) 100 times’, so they say Takbir 100 times. 

He (the leader) would then say, ‘Say Tahil (La Ilaha Illa Allah) 100 times’, so they say Tahil 100 times. 

He (the leader) would then say, ‘Say Tasbeeh (Subhana Allah) 100 times’, so they say Tasbeeh 100 times. 

Ibn Masood said, ‘Did you not order them to count their evil deeds, and guarantee them that none of their good deeds will be lost?’ 

Then he and us left till we reached one of the circles. 

Then he (Ibn Masood) stood next to the circle and said, ‘What are you doing?’ 

They said, ‘O Abu Abdur-Rahamn, (these are) stones that we count our Takbeer, Tahleel, tasbeeh, and Tah’meed (Alhumdu’lillah).’ 

Ibn Masood said, ‘Count your EVIL DEEDS, for I guarantee that none of your good deeds will be lost. 

What is the matter with you, O nation of Muhammad?!

How soon you come to your destruction! 

The companions (of Muhammad) are still many, these are his clothes still not worn out and his cookware did not break yet. 

By whom my soul is in His Hands, you are either following a religion better than Muhammad’s or followers of a way of evil.’ 

They said, ‘By Allaah, O Abu Abdur-Rahman, we sought only what is good.’ 

Ibn Masood radhi Allaahu anhu 

said, ‘Many people seek good, but they do not reach it. 

The Messenger told us some people who read the Qur’aan will not have the Qur’aan leave their throats (to their hearts). 

By Allaah I do not know if most of you are from them.’ 

Then he left them. 

Amr Ibn Salamah said, ‘We saw most of those people fighting against us, in the battle of Nahrawan with the Khawaarij.’" (Tirmidhi- authenticated by al-Albaani)

🔺Bid'ah is a SEVERE sin and a reason that may incur the WRATH of Allaah, may Allaah protect us.

🍃The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

“Whoever innovates or accommodates an innovator then upon him is the curse of Allah, His Angels and the whole of mankind.” 

(al-Bukhaari 12/41 and Muslim 9/140)

🍃 Sufyan ath-Thawree said: 

“Innovation is MORE PLEASING to IBLEES THAN SIN, since a person makes repentance from sin but does not repent from innovations!”

This is because the person regards bidah as something good and thinks he will receive reward from Allaah and therefore does not repent from it, whereas he who commits a sin knows that it is wrong and if Allaah guides him, will eventually repent from it.

It is such a great sin, it can lead one to Hell. May Allaah protect us. 

🍃Allaah says:

"And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows OTHER than the WAY of the believers (meaning the Sahaabah)– We will turn him where he wants to turn and ROAST him in HELL, and evil it is as a destination" (Surah an-Nisaa':115)

🍃Abdullaah Ibn 'Umar radhi Allaahu anhu said, 

"EVERY innovation is MISGUIDANCE, EVEN  if the people see it as something GOOD."

🍃Imam Ash-Shafi'i said:

"Whosoever considers an innovation to be good has CORRECTED the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam." 

(Bulugh al-Maram)

🍃And Ibrahim al-Masayrah said, 

"He who honors an innovator has ASSISTED in the DEMOLITION of ISLAAM." 

(Sharh Usul I'tiqad)

🍃Al-Fudhayl  said: 

“Beware of the one who sits with innovators; he who sits with innovators will not be granted wisdom. 

I wish there was a FORTRESS of STEEL between ME and the INNOVATORS.”

🔺 The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam will DISOWN the people of bid’ah. 

🍃 The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

“I will be ahead of you in reaching my fountain, and there will be people who will be prevented from reaching it, therefore, I will say: 

'Yaa Rabbi! These are my followers!' 

It will be said: 

'You do not know what they innovated and altered after you (i.e., after your death)!

Therefore, I will say: “AWAY FROM ME! AWAY FROM ME!”

(al-Bukhaari and Muslim)

Astaghfirullaah imagine the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam PUSHING AWAY and DISOWNING those who invent acts of worship that are NOT PROVEN from the authentic practice or teachings of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam and 

are involved in bid’ah!

What a WRETCHED, WRETCHED situation!

May Allaah protect us. 

🍃 Hudhayfah radhi Allaahu anhu said:

"The people used to ask the Messenger of Allaah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam about the good, and I used to ask him about the evil out of fear that it would reach me." 

So I asked the Messenger of Allaah: 

"O Messenger of Allaah, we were living in ignorance and evil, then Allaah brought this good to us. 

So will there be any evil after this good?" 

He replied: "Yes."

I then asked: "Will there be any good after this evil?" 

He replied: "Yes, but it will be tainted." 

So I asked: "What will be its taint?" 

He replied: "A people who guide others to other than my way, you will approve of some of their actions and disapprove of others." 

I further enquired: "Then is there any evil after this good?" 

He said: "Yes! Callers at the gates of Hell - whoever responds to their call, they will be thrown into the fire." 

I then said: "O Messenger of Allah! Describe them to us." 

He said: "They will be from our people and speak our language." 

I asked: "So what do you order me to do if that reaches me?" 

He said: "Stick to the Jama'ah (the united body) of the Muslims and their Imaam (ruler)." 

I further asked: "What if they have neither Jama'ah or an Imaam?" 

He said: "Then keep away from all those sects, even if you have to bite upon the roots of a tree, until death reaches you whilst you are in that state."

(Al-Bukhaari and Muslim)

🍃 Imaam Ibnul Qayyim said:

“If the (bright) sun of the Sunnah rises in the heart of a servant, the mist (or fogginess) of every Bid’ah is cut from his heart and the darkness of every (act, practice or belief of) misguidance ceases to exist.” [Madaarij As-Saalikeen (1/379)]

🔺Is there something that’s a ‘good’ bid’ah❓

There’s NO such thing as a ‘good bid’ah’. 

Yes there’s a hadeeth from Saheeh Muslim that is often (mis)used by the people who follow bid’ah. 

The hadeeth they quote is the following:

“'Whoever starts a good thing in Islaam, and others do likewise after him, there will be written for him a reward like that of those who followed him, without it detracting in the least from their reward.” (Muslim)

The hadeeth is definitely authentic BUT it has to be understood correctly. 

There’s a background to the hadeeth. 

🍃 Jareer ibn Abdullaah radhi Allaahu anhu said: 

"Some people from the Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam, wearing woollen garments. 

He saw that they were in bad shape and in desperate need, so he urged the people to give them charity. 

The people were very slow to respond, and it could be seen in his face (that he was upset). 

Then a man of the Ansaar brought a package of silver, then another came, and another and another, and his face was filled with joy. 

The Messenger of Allaah 

Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam 

said: 

'Whoever starts a good thing in Islaam, and others do likewise after him, there will be written for him a reward like that of those who followed him, without it detracting in the least from their reward. 

Whoever starts a bad thing in Islaam, and others do likewise after him, there will be written for him a burden of sin like that of those who followed him, without it detracting in the least from their burden.'" (Muslim)

As we can see from the hadeeth, the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam was praising the Sahaabi who started giving charity and others saw him and got ENCOURAGED to do the same. 

That's because giving charity is an ALREADY ESTABLISHED deed in Islaam. 

The Sahaabi did NOT INTRODUCE anything NEW in the religion. 

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam was happy that the Sahaabi REVIVED the Sunnah of the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam of giving charity, when other people were RELUCTANT to do it. 

Bid’ah is to practice an act of worship that is not done according to the authentic practice or teachings of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam. 

And we’re supposed to FOLLOW the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam. 

If there was nothing wrong with bid’ah and the practice of the Prophet was not important and anyone can worship Allaah however they wanted, then what was the use of sending the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam as a Messenger?

Why would Allaah even BOTHER to send him Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam?

Isn’t the Qur’aan the “rules” and “commands” sent by Allaah and isn’t the Sunnah the “practical application” of those rules?

Anything that’s NOT in accordance with the teachings and practice of the 

Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam is bid’ah. 

Anything that OPPOSES the Sunnah is bid’ah. 

🍃That’s why the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

“KULLU bid'atin Dalala wa kullu dalalatin fin-naar.”

“EVERY innovation is a misguidance and every misguidance leads to the Hellfire.” (saheeh Muslim)

The word “Kullu” means EACH and EVERY newly invented thing in the religion is wrong. 

That means there can NOT be a bid’ah that’s “good”. 

There can NEVER be a bid’ah that’s “good”. 

🍃The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

"Whoever invents in this affair of ours (Islaam) what is not from it, then it is REJECTED."(al-Bukhaari, Muslim)

🍃 And in another narration,

"Whoever performs an action not in accordance with our affair, then it is REJECTED." 

( Muslim)

🔺What about compiling the Qur’aan in a ‘book’ form as an ‘example’ of bid’ah?

Compiling the Qur'aan in the form of a book is NOT bidah. 

That's because the Quraan was ALREADY written down at the time of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam on leaves, bones, leather, and whatever they could find, because they did not have paper back then. 

In fact, he sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam had special SCRIBES who would write down the Quraan for him  when he sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam dictated it to them. 

 

🍃Zayd ibn Thaabit said: 

"When Abu Bakr delegated me to collect the Mus-haf – I sought the Qur’aan and I gathered it from pieces, i.e., leaves, patches of leather, shoulder-blades of sheep and camels, leaves of palm trees, and the hearts of men." 

🍃Also it is proven from saheeh ahaadeeth that the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) forbade traveling with the Qur’aan to the land of the enemy. 

This shows that the Qur’aan was written down and gathered together at that time and the people used to take it with them when they travelled. 

But it was not complete. 

Alhamdulillaah the Sahaabah completely gathered all the various parts of the Qur’aan together so that the Qur’aan is PRESERVED wholly and not lost. 

So the writing down of the Qur’aan and putting it together was NOT something NEW in the Deen. 

It was ALREADY ESTABLISHED. 

So it’s NOT bid’ah. 

🔺 What about Taraaweeh ❓

Some might give the example of Umar radhi Allaahu anhu when he gathered the people together to pray Taraaweeh behind one Imaam. 

And he said “What a good innovation (bid’ah) this is.”

Here Omar radhi Allaahu anhu is using the word ‘bid’ah’ In the LINGUISTIC sense and NOT in the sense of introducing something NEW in the religion 

How can anyone say that?

They can say so with CONFIDENCE because the Taraaweeh prayer was a ALREADY CONFIRMED SUNNAH of the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam and the established practice of his Sahaabah. 

It was NOT something NEW in the Deen. 

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam HIMSELF prayed it and led the  Sahaabah. 

📌 Proof:

Aa’ishah Radhi Allaahu anhaa said that the Messenger of Allaah (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) prayed one night in the masjid, and the people followed him in prayer. 

Then he prayed the next night, and many people came. 

Then they gathered on the third or fourth night, and the Messenger of Allaah (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) did not come out to them. 

The next morning he sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam said: 

“I saw what you did, and nothing kept me from coming out to you except the fact that I feared that it would be made obligatory for you.” And that was in Ramadhaan." 

(al-Bukhaari and Muslim)

This PROVES that praying Taraweeh in congregation was ALREADY an established Sunnah of the Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam), but he (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) refrained from reading it continuously because he feared that it might become fardh on me and you. 

When the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa Sallam passed away, Umar Radhi Allaahu anhu REVIVED this Sunnah, because the Sharee’ah was now established and complete. 

And there was no fear of Taraaweeh becoming obligatory on us. 

Therefore Omar radhi Allaahu anhu’s statement and action can NOT be used to establish NEW INNOVATED things in the Deen. 

May Allaah protect us from ALL bid’ah and enable us to distinguish between it and the REAL Sunnah of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam Ameen