Principle Number ①
It should be noted that the command of a religious matter must come from Allah; no work can be carried out considering it religious until Allah permits it. When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ came to Medina, he saw the companions, may Allah be pleased with them, grafting date palms. He forbade them from doing so. The companions stopped in obedience to his command, but the fruit yield was very low. They complained to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ about this, and he said:
إنما أنا بشر، إذا أمرتكم بشيء من دينكم فخذوا به، وإذا أمرتكم بشيء من رأيي، فإنما أنا بشر.
“Indeed, I am a human being. When I give you a religious command, adhere to it strictly, and when I give you a command based on my own opinion (in worldly matters), I am only a human.”
❀ He also said:
أنتم أعلم بأمر دنياكم.
“You know better about worldly matters.”
❀ Furthermore, he said:
فإني إنما ظننت ظنا، فلا تؤاخذوني بالظن، ولكن إذا حدثتكم الله شيئا، فخذوا به، فإني لن أكذب على الله عز وجل.
“This was my conjecture; do not hold me accountable for it. But when I convey something from Allah, hold firmly to it, for I never lie about Allah.”
From these blessed hadiths, the principle is established that worldly matters can be carried out unless prohibited, but for religious matters, the command of Allah is necessary. Without a Shariah proof, performing that act is forbidden.
Principle No. ②
❀ Allah, the Lord of Glory, says:
وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الْآخِرَةَ وَسَعَى لَهَا سَعْيَهَا وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُهُمْ مَّشْكُورًا
“Every believer who acts according to the Shariah for the Hereafter, his effort will be valued.”
In this noble verse, ﴿سَعْيَهَا ﴾ means a specific action; the addition of the verbal noun indicates specification. Only that effort will prove fruitful and only that action will be accepted which is established by the Quran and Sunnah. What is not established will be considered an innovation (Bid’ah).
Principle No. ③
❀ Sayyiduna Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) kissed the Black Stone and said:
“I know that you are a stone; you neither cause harm nor benefit:
لولا أني رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قبلك ما قبلتك .
If I had not seen the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) kissing you, I would not have kissed you.”
From the statement of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), it is understood that in some matters, the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) refraining from doing something becomes a legal ruling. This applies perfectly to innovations (Bid’ah).
Principle No. ④
❀ Abu Wa’il Shaqiq bin Salmah, may Allah have mercy on him, narrates:
جلست إلى شيبة فى هذا المسجد، قال : جلس إلى عمر فى مجلسك هذا، فقال : لقد هممت أن لا أدع فيها صفراء ولا بيضاء إلا قسمتها بين المسلمين، قلت : ما أنت بفاعل، قال : لم؟، قلت : لم يفعله صاحباك ، قال : هما المرء ان يقتدى بهما .
I was sitting with Shaibah bin Uthman bin Abi Talhah Qurashi (the key-bearer of the Kaaba) in Masjid al-Haram. He said that once Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, was present at the same place (Masjid al-Haram) and said that he intended to distribute the gold and silver in the Kaaba among the Muslims. I said that you cannot do that. He asked why? I said that your two companions (the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him) did not do this. Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: These two personalities are leaders and guides.”
It is established that “If there is a motive for an action, and there is no Shariah prohibition regarding it, nor any obstacle in performing it, yet the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, refrained from it, then refraining from it is Sunnah, and acting upon it is a reprehensible innovation.”
There is no origin of the celebration of Eid Milad-un-Nabi, peace be upon him, in the Quran and Sunnah.
❀ Allama Ibn Abi al-Izz Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him
, states:
إن الإتباع كما يكون فى الفعل يكون فى الترك، فالفعل سنة والترك سنة .
“Following is as the prophetic action is, and refraining is also as the prophetic action is. Therefore, the action of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is Sunnah, and his refraining is also Sunnah.”
Eid Milad is an Innovation:
Its beginning was in
, and the Shi’as first celebrated this festival in Egypt.
❀ Regarding a similar matter, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) beautifully said:
إنه لو أحدثه المسلمون لقد كان يكون قبيحا، فكيف إذا كان مما لم يشرعه نبي قط؟ بل أحدثه الكافرون، فالموافقة فيه ظاهرة القبح ، فهذا أصل .
“The reality is that even if Muslims had invented it, it would still be wrong; any act that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not sanction is wrong, and this act was indeed invented by the disbelievers, and its reprehensibility becomes even clearer by following the disbelievers.”
❀ He also states:
معلوم أنه لو كان هذا مشروعا مستحبا يثيب الله عليه؛ لكان النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم أعلم الناس بذلك، ولكان يعلم أصحابه ذلك، وكان أصحابه أعلم بذلك وأرغب فيه ممن بعدهم، فلما لم يكونوا يلتفتون إلى شيء من ذلك علم أنه من البدع المحدثة التى لم يكونوا يعدونها عبادة وقربة وطاعة، فمن جعلها عبادة وقربة وطاعة، فقد اتبع غير سبيلهم، وشرع من الدين ما لم يأذن به الله.
“It is known that if it were legitimate and recommended, for which Allah grants reward, then the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would have been more aware of it and would have informed his companions as well. The companions knew it better than later generations and were inclined towards it. Therefore, when the noble companions did not even pay attention to such a thing, it became clear that it is among the innovations which the companions did not consider as worship, goodness, or obedience. Hence, whoever considers these matters as worship, goodness, and obedience has abandoned the path of the companions and has made this act a religion which Allah has not permitted.”
❀ Furthermore, he says:
أما ما تركه من جنس العبادات مع أنه لو كان مشروعا لفعله أو أذن فيه ولفعله الخلفاء بعده والصحابة، فيجب القطع بأن فعله بدعة وضلالة ويمتنع القياس فى مثله.
“Any act of worship abandoned by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is not legitimate; if it were part of the Shariah, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would have performed it or permitted or commanded it. The rightly guided caliphs and other companions would have practiced it. In such matters, analogy is not permissible; rather, it is categorically described as an innovation and misguidance.”
Regarding some innovations, Allama Al-Suyuti (may Allah have mercy on him)
states:
هذه بدعة لا يشك فيها أحد ولا يرتاب فى ذلك، ويكفي أنها لم تعرف فى زمن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم ولا فى زمن أصحابه ولا عن أحد من علماء السلف
“Undoubtedly, this is an innovation. It is sufficient for it to be considered an innovation that there was no mention of it during the Prophetic era or the era of the companions, nor is it established from any of the scholars of the Salaf.”
❀ Allama Al-Shatibi (may Allah have mercy on him)
says:
لأن ترك العمل به من النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فى جميع عمره، وترك السلف الصالح له على توالي أزمنتهم قد تقدم أنه نض فى الترك، وإجماع من كل من ترك؛ لأن عمل الإجماع كنبه .
“This is an innovation because the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not practice it throughout his life. The righteous predecessors never practiced it at any time. It is established that such a case holds the status of a text, and whoever did not practice it, there will be consensus from them on abandoning it. Acting upon consensus is equivalent to acting upon a text.”
❀ Allama Ghulam Rasool Saeedi Barelvi Sahib writes:
“In this regard, the correct principle is that if there is a specific act of worship whose performance is encouraged and there is no prohibition against it, yet the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) deliberately abandoned that act, then performing that act is certainly an impermissible innovation.”
During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the cause and motivation for Eid Milad existed, and that cause is the reverence of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the Milad gathering. There was no prohibition in performing it, yet he and the companions deliberately abandoned it. Therefore, holding it now is certainly an “impermissible innovation.”
Innovations in Practices: An Illustrative Review:
(1) Evidence on the Illegitimacy of the Eidain Adhan:
Before the two Eids, there was a precedent for the call to prayer (Adhan), but the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Companions deliberately abandoned it, even though the Adhan is the mention of Allah, the emblem of Islam, and a complete invitation, which can apparently be established under general Shariah evidences. It is not against any Shariah ruling, nor has the Shariah prohibited it. The Adhan for the two Eids could have been analogized to the Adhan of Friday prayer. Despite this, it is a blameworthy innovation (bid’ah) and a sin. The reason is one: its precedent existed, there was no obstacle, yet the Prophet (peace be upon him) deliberately abandoned it; therefore, it is an innovation.
❀ Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him)
says:
هذا مثال لما حدث، مع قيام المقتضى له، وزوال المانع لو كان خيرا، فإن كل ما يبديه المحدث لهذا من المصلحة، أو يستدل به من الأدلة، قد كان ثابتا على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، ومع هذا لم يفعله رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فهذا الترك سنة خاصة، مقدمة على كل عموم وكل قياس .
“This is an example of innovation, even though it would have been a good act. Its necessity was present in the best of generations (khayr al-qurun), and there was no obstacle. All the arguments and evidences that the innovators present were also present during the Prophetic era. Yet, despite all this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not act upon it. Therefore, abandoning it became Sunnah, and this evidence takes precedence over all general evidences and analogies.”
(b) The impermissibility of istinja after passing wind:
❀ The fatwa of five hundred Hanafi jurists is:
بدعة وهو الاستنجاء من الريح .
“Istinja after passing wind is an innovation.”
If someone issues a fatwa permitting istinja after passing wind on the basis of permissibility, what would be the response from these five hundred Hanafi scholars? These gentlemen consider inaction to be an innovation.
(c) Collective recitation of Surah Al-Kafirun is disliked:
❀ It is written in Fatawa Alamgiri:
قراءة الكافرون إلى الآخر مع الجمع مكروهة؛ لأنها بدعة لم تنقل عن الصحابة، ولا عن التابعين.
“Collective recitation of Surah Al-Kafirun is disliked because it is an innovation not transmitted from the Companions nor the Followers.”
On the basis of inaction, it has been called disliked, impermissible, and an innovation.
(d) Salat al-Raghaib is an innovation:
❀ Allama Ibrahim Halabi Hanafi
states:
إن الصحابة والتابعين ومن بعدهم من الأئمة المجتهدين لم ينقل عنهم .
“Salat al-Raghaib is an innovation; it is not transmitted from the Companions, Followers, or later Mujtahid Imams.”
The reason for Salat al-Raghaib, performed in Rajab, being an innovation is its lack of transmission from the Companions, Followers, and Mujtahid Imams.
(e) The Khutbah of the solar eclipse:
❀ Allama Marghinani Hanafi
states:
ليس فى الكسوف خطبة لأنه لم ينقل .
“There is no sermon in the eclipse prayer, because it is not transmitted from the Prophet ﷺ.”
❀ Allama Ibn Muddood Mosuli Hanafi
states:
لا يخطب لأنها لم تنقل .
“Do not give a sermon in the eclipse prayer, because it is not transmitted.”
The absence of transmission and absence of practice are being used as evidence for non-legitimacy.
Warning:
The sermon of the eclipse prayer is Sunnah; authentic hadiths indicate this.
Sprinkling rose water on the grave:
❀ Allama Ibn al-Hajj, may Allah have mercy on him
, says:
ينبغي أن يتجنب ما أحدثه بعضهم من أنهم يأتون بماء الورد فيجعلونه على الميت فى قبره، وذلك لم يرد عن السلف رضي الله عنهم، وإذا لم يرد فهو بدعة، ثم العجب منهم كيف يأتون بماء الورد ويخرجون القطن من فمه وأنفه وتخرج المواد إذ ذاك وتشم منه الروائح الكريهة، ويتنجس المحل بإحدائهم النجاسة فى القبر بربهم ماء الورد، وقد تقدم هذا، وليس من السنة أن يبخر القبر ولا أن يفرش فيه ريحان، لأنه خروج عن فعل السلف ويكفيه من الطيب ما قد عمل له وهو فى البيت فنحن متبعون لا مبتدعون فحيث وقف سلفنا وقفنا .
Some innovators sprinkle rose water on the deceased in the grave, which must be avoided, because this practice is not found among the Salaf, and any act not transmitted from the Salaf is an innovation. What is even more astonishing is that these people remove a piece of bread from the mouth and nose of the deceased, from which a foul-smelling substance begins to come out, and then they remove the impurity with rose water. This issue has been discussed earlier. Similarly, burning incense (bukhoor) or spreading fragrant herbs (naaz boo) in the grave is not the Prophetic way, because it contradicts the Salaf; rather, one should be content with the fragrance applied in the house for the deceased. We are followers, not innovators. We will stop where the Salaf stopped.”
Eid al-Ghadir:
❀ Allama Ibn Daqiq al-Eid, may Allah have mercy on him
, says:
قد منعنا إحداث ما هو شعار فى الدين، ومثاله : ما أحدثته الروافض من عيد ثالث، سموه عيد الغدير، وكذلك الاجتماع وإقامة شعاره فى وقت مخصوص على شيء مخصوص، لم يثبت شرعا، وقريب من ذلك أن تكون العبادة من جهة الشرع مرتبة على وجه محصوص، فيريد بعض الناس أن يحدث فيها أمرا آخر لم يرد به الشرع، زاعما أنه يدرجه تحت عموم، فهذا لا يستقيم، لأن الغالب على العبادات التعبد، ومأخذها التوقيف .
“We prohibit innovations in the symbols of religion, such as the Rafidah who have invented a third Eid called ‘Eid al-Ghadir.’ Establishing a gathering at a specific time and manner as a symbol is an innovation. Similarly, introducing an additional element into a prescribed act of worship in a particular form and method, under the pretext that it is proven by general evidence, is completely incorrect because acts of worship are devotional and their proofs are definitive.”
It should be clear that innovations are either not included in general evidence or are exempted from it; therefore, it is not correct to argue for the proof of an innovation using general and absolute evidence.
Regarding the proofs presented for the legitimacy of Eid Milad and other innovations, were the Companions, the great Tabi‘in, the Imams of the religion, and the pious predecessors unaware of these? If these proofs established the permissibility or recommendation of the popular Eid Milad, these people would certainly have observed it, and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, despite the presence of enabling and non-preventing factors, refrained from it. Therefore, abandoning it is Sunnah, and establishing it is a reprehensible and blameworthy innovation.
Principle No. ⑤
❀ One reason for the impermissibility of innovation is stated by Abdullah bin Masood (may Allah be pleased with him):
لا يجعل أحدكم للشيطان شيئا من صلاته يرى أن حقا عليه أن لا ينصرف إلا عن يمينه لقد رأيت النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم كثيرا ينصرف عن يساره .
“Do not make a part of your prayer for Satan by turning towards the followers on the right side (after the salam) as a compulsory act upon yourself; I have seen the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) turn several times to the left side.”
From this hadith, it is established that insisting on a permissible and recommended act, treating it as obligatory, makes it a satanic act.
❀ Allama Tayyibi (may Allah have mercy on him)
says:
فيه أن من أصر على أمر مندوب وجعله عزما ولم يعمل بالرحصة فقد أصاب منه الشيطان من الإضلال فكيف بمن أصر على بدعة ومنكر
“This hadith indicates that whoever persists in a recommended act, considering it a firm determination, and then abandons the obligatory act, Satan has misled him. Then what will be the fate of one who constantly engages in innovation and reprehensible acts?”
Principle No. ⑥
❀ Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him
, says:
أما أهل السنة والجماعة فيقولون فى كل فعل وقول لم يثبت عن الصحابة : هو بدعة؛ لأنه لو كان خيرا لسبقونا إليه، لأنهم لم يتركوا خصلة من خصال الخير إلا وقد بادروا إليها .
“The creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah is that any statement or action not established from the Companions is an innovation (bid’ah). If it were a good deed, they would have done it before us, for they did not leave any good deed undone; rather, they hastened to do it.”
If the prevalent celebration of Eid Milad or other innovations had any basis, the Companions would have initiated it, because they were the foremost in understanding the meanings, implications, and demands of the Qur’an and Hadith and shaping their lives accordingly.
