Salam all…Please read all of the post before responding to it. Thank you. and MOST importantly Try to understand it.
The religion of Islam, the religion of Muslims, is based on only one teaching. In other words there is only one ‘true’ Islam. There is no such thing as different versions of Islam or different types or classes of this Deen. The true path is only one way which lies under the shade of the Qur’ân, the Sunnah and the understanding of the Companions.
As was illustrated by our beloved Prophet (Saw) and was narrated by Ibn Mas’ud that one day the Prophet (saw) drew a straight line on the ground and He said, “This is the path of Allah.” Then he drew some lines to the left and right to it and said, “These are the erred paths and on each of these paths, there is Shaytaan calling to it.” Then he recited the following verse from the Qur’ân (which means):
“Verily, this is my straight path so follow it and do not follow the other paths that will take you away from the true path.”
In fact, if we look in the Qur’ân, when Allah (swt) describes the truth, it is always described as singular. For example, the word ‘al-noor’ which is singular is used for the truth, as opposed to ‘zulumath’ which is plural. It is a prime example from the Qur’ân the clearly shows us that the right way is one way only. Any deviation from the true path is not an acceptable ‘branch’ of Islam but as the scholars call it, is a “Bid’ah” .
Unfortunately, due to several reasons, the concept of “Bid’ah” is not as clear to everyone as it should be. A reason for that is a lot of people are confused about ‘good’ “Bid’ah” or “Bid’ah”-e-hasana.
Secondly, there are many things which we do now that were not done at the time of Prophet (saw). With the outset of such widespread “Bid’ah”, people are confused, and rightly so, as to what is actually SUNNAH and what in religion is not sunnah- i.e. “Bid’ah”
These misconceptions call for the need to establish the fundamental step which is to know “Bid’ah” , the concepts of “Bid’ah” according to Ahl-Sunnah Wal Jamaah and the aspects of “Bid’ah” .
Bid’ah, its Meaning: (heresy, innovation)
“Any invented act or path in the religion that is made to compete or resemble the Shari’a and that is followed for the same purpose as Shari’a is supposed to be followed.”
From this definition and from the statements of Prophet (saw) about “Bid’ah” or innovation, we can come up with some general ideas or concepts about “Bid’ah” that explains this definition.
Aspects of Bid’ah:
Some of the aspects or concepts of “Bid’ah” are as follow:
- Every Bid’ah is Dalalah.
Linguistically “Bid’ah” is something which is new or something which was not done before, i.e., it has no precedent. From the point of view of Shari’a, every “Bid’ah” is Dalalah and there is no such thing as ‘good’ “Bid’ah” . Prophet (saw) said in an ahaadith, “Kullo dalalatin fin naar (every dalalah is in hellfire).”
Dalalah means to be astray or to be away form the truth. If we look in the Qur’ân, we will see how Allah (swt) used the word ‘dalalah’ or ‘dal’. It is not used for the one who commits a sin or makes a mistake with respect to the deen but it is used for those people who have gone astray form the straight path or who have divided the religion. For instance in Surah Fatiha (first chapter), the word ‘Daaleen’ is not used for mere sinners but it is used for people who have gone astray form the true path, the Christians.
So when Prophet (saw) described “Bid’ah”, he used the harsher form of deviation, i.e. dalalah, as he said, " Kullo bid’atin dalalah (every “Bid’ah” is dalalah)." He didn’t just say that every “Bid’ah” is a sin or is wrong but in fact it is something much greater than that. It is a misguidance, something that takes us AWAY from the right path.
- Bid’ah is performed as a way of pleasing and getting closer to Allah (swt).
In other words, when someone follows a “Bid’ah” , he claims that by doing this he will be closer to Allah (swt). This is much different from committing a sin. As Ahmad Ibn Hanbal once said, "The greatest sinner (faasiq) from the Ahl-Sunnah Wal Jamaah is better than the most pious person from Ahl-“Bid’ah”.
The sinner, at least, knows that whatever he is doing is wrong and doesn’t claim that it’s halaal and should be done to please Allah (swt) and so on. However, the one who commits “Bid’ah” not only goes against Qur’ân and Sunnah but also claims that what he does is pleasing to Allah (swt) and a way of getting closer to Him. And this is one of the greatest lies one can commit to say that some act is pleasing to Allah and has no proof from Allah (swt) about his claim.
So part of the concept of “Bid’ah” is that one who commits it claims that it is approved by the religion and Shari’a and it is beloved to Allah (swt). This is also one of the dividing points between what is “Bid’ah” and what is not.
- Bid’ah can be both in inventing new actions or in shunning an action.
Meaning, when someone originates a new practice saying that it is approved by Shari’a without a proof is “Bid’ah”. In the same way, when someone avoids something claiming that by avoiding such and such practice he is pleasing Allah and has no proof for it form Qur’ân or Sunnah is also “Bid’ah”.
For example, during Prophet (saw)'s time three people came to the Prophet offering their types of '“Bid’as”. One claimed that he will pray the whole night, every night for the rest of his life. One claimed that he will fast every day in the future and the third one said that he will never marry. The Prophet was swift in his disapproval of these “good” “Bid’as” (at the outset, one would think how could anything be wrong with worshipping Allah all the time). The Prophet told these people that he was the best among all mankind and that he prayed some part of the night and slept another part, that he fasted some days while did not in others and that he was married. While the first two wanted to increase their worship beyond what Shari’a requires, the third person intended to avoid marriage or shun or elude something which is totally legal in Shari’a and approved by Allah (swt). Like the Christian monks and priests and the ‘Muslim’ Sufis claim that by not marrying they are pleasing Allah (swt) is “Bid’ah” and against Islam. Or if a vegetarian claims that by not harming a living soul he is pleasing Allah is also “Bid’ah” because Allah has allowed it and made it halaal for us to eat the meat of animals (of course, only the animals He has made halaal).
- Anything in Shari’a can have a bid’ah created or related to it.
Shari’a comprises Aqeedah, beliefs, acts of worship and business or public dealings (mu’amlaat). So, “Bid’ah” is not just in matters of Aqeedah or acts of worship but it could also be in business or public dealings. For example, if a person claims that 4 witnesses are required for business deal rather than the 2 that are instituted by Islam then he or she is exceeding the limits of Shari’a and falling into “Bid’ah”.
- Bi’dah has no source and or evidence in Qur’ân, Sunnah of Prophet (Saw) and in the actions or Ijma (agreement) of Sahâbahs.
One famous example that is quoted by the Ahl-Bid’ah in their desire to make some forms of “Bid’ah” halaal, is the example of Umar (ra) and the tarawih prayers. They claim that since Umar (ra) started daily tarawih prayers in Ramadhaan while the Prophet (saw) only performed 3 nights, and Umar (ra) said that he started a good “Bid’ah” , we can accept the concept of “Bid’ah”. However, this is a failure to distinguish the linguistic meaning of “Bid’ah” from its Shari’a meaning. For instance Allah refers in the Qur’ân to his Sunnah. Obviously when one refers to SUNNAH, it is a reference to the Prophet’s Sunnah and its Shari’a aspects. Similarly when Umar (ra) referred to the regular tarawih prayers, he was only referring to the linguistic meaning. The proof for this claim is clear. Tarawih prayers were not some new practice in religion. The Prophet (saw) instituted the tarawih prayers. The only reason that he stopped after 3 nights was clarified in his own saying that he did not wish that the tarawih prayers be made obligatory upon the Muslims. However, at the Prophet’s death, the message of Islam had been perfected and tarawih prayers would always be recommended and not mandatory. Thus, Umar (ra) only started the practice of regularly performing a Sunnah not STARTING a Sunnah.
To conclude this section of the article, it must be understood that “Bid’ah” is not only a new invention in the religion claimed to be pleasing to Allah (swt), but the one who creates and the one who follows “Bid’ah” actually assert that there is some shortcoming in the deen. In reality, they are stating that there is some way to get closer to Allah (swt) and to please Him that is not found in the Qur’ân or the Sunnah of Prophet (saw). That they have found a way to believe or act and to worship Allah that is pleasing to Him and which is BETTER than the way of Prophet (saw). That this perfect Deen of Islam is missing something in it and that is why they are adding something to it or this Deen had too much in it and that is why they are taking something’s away. This, in essence, is “Bid’ah” - the concept of a not-so-wholesome Deen.
It is an (Naudhobillah) insult to Allah (swt) to say that He could not reveal or teach Prophet (saw) the best way and so they had to find the best way on their own. It is also a denial to what Allah (swt) Himself said in the Qur’ân:
“Today, I have completed and perfected your religion for you and chose Islam for you as your Deen” (5:3)
It is also a denial to what Prophet (saw) said:
“There is nothing that shall take you closer to Allah (swt) than what He has told you to do and nothing will take you away than what He has prohibited.”
Hence, we must hate “Bid’ah”. This is the bottom-line. This hatred is one of the aspects of our love for Allah and the Prophet (saw) and love for a Deen that we know is perfect and will always remain so.
GOOD LUCK!!!
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Jaawan
till next timeKeep_It_Simple_Stupid
Wise Man says:>What I say won’t really change anything, but what you say doesn’t really matter!