Causes and Motivations of Innovation (Bid’ah)

Causes and Motivations of Bid’ah

There are several motivations and causes of Bid’ah and misguidance. Below are brief explanations of them:

First Cause: Ignorance and lack of knowledge of religious rulings:

As time passed and people moved away from the traces of the Prophethood, knowledge decreased and ignorance became widespread, as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ informed in this hadith:

“The person who lives among you will see many differences.”

Al-Muhaddith Al-Bani has declared it “Sahih.”

And in his statement:

“Allah Almighty will not remove knowledge by taking it away from people, rather He will remove the scholars, and knowledge will end. Until when no scholar remains alive, people will appoint ignorant ones as leaders, and these people will issue fatwas without knowledge when asked about matters, thus they will themselves be misguided and will misguide others as well.”

So only knowledge and scholars can give a decisive response to innovation, and when there is a lack of knowledge and scholars, opportunities arise for innovations to flourish and for innovators to become active.

Second Reason: Following Desires:

Whoever turns away from the Book and Sunnah will follow his desires. As Allah Almighty says:

﴿فَإِن لَّمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا لَكَ فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يَتَّبِعُونَ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ ۚ وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنِ اتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ بِغَيْرِ هُدًى مِّنَ اللَّهِ﴾

“If they do not obey you, then know that they are only following their desires, and who is more astray than one who follows his desire without guidance from Allah?”

❀ And He said:

﴿أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَجَعَلَ عَلَىٰ بَصَرِهِ غِشَاوَةً فَمَن يَهْدِيهِ مِن بَعْدِ اللَّهِ﴾

“Have you seen the one who has taken his own desire as his god, and Allah has sent him astray despite knowledge, and has sealed his ears and heart, and put a veil over his eyes? So who can guide him after Allah?”

﴿عن أبى برزة الأسلميؓ قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ: إن مما أخشى عليكم بعدي بطونكم و فروجكم و مضلات الأهواء .﴾

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Burzah Aslami رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Indeed, after me, I fear for you the following of desires, adultery, and misleading passions.”

Remember that most innovations are the product of desires.

Third reason: Showing bias towards the opinions of specific people:

Supporting someone’s opinion is a great obstacle between a person and following evidence and recognizing the truth. Allah Almighty says:

﴿وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اتَّبِعُوا مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ قَالُوا بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَا أَلْفَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ آبَاءَنَا﴾

“And when it is said to them, ‘Follow what Allah has revealed,’ they say, ‘Rather, we will follow that which we found our fathers doing.'”

And nowadays, this is the condition of the bigots, whether they are some followers of the Sufi religion or the Qaburi people; when they are told to follow the Book and Sunnah and abandon what contradicts both, these people use their religion, sheikhs, and ancestors as evidence and present them as proof.

Fourth reason: Resembling the disbelievers:

Imitating the disbelievers is among the things that lead most to innovations. In the hadith of Abu Waqid al-Laithi, it is narrated that he said, we went out with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ towards Hasnayn, and at that time we had just recently become Muslims. There was a berry tree for the polytheists where these people used to stay and hang their weapons, which was called Dhat Anwat. So, as we passed by this berry tree, we said:

O Messenger of Allah! Make for us a Dhat Anwat just like theirs. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in surprise اللہ اکبر, and further said: These are the customs, by the Dhat by which my soul is in His hand! You have said just as the Children of Israel said to Moses, and further said:

﴿اجْعَل لَّنَا إِلَٰهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ ۚ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ﴾

“Make for us a god like they have gods.”

You ﷺ said, “Indeed, there is great ignorance among you people.”

Ibn Hibban has declared it “Sahih.”

And this is indeed happening today because many Muslims have adopted the ways of disbelievers in committing shirk and innovations, such as celebrating birthdays, establishing commemorative pictures and statues, holding mourning gatherings, innovations in funerals, and building on graves, etc.

Fifth Reason: Blind Imitation of Ancestors:

Among the causes of innovation is the imitation of ancestors.

❀ Allah Almighty says:

﴿وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اتَّبِعُوا مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ قَالُوا بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَا أَلْفَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ آبَاءَنَا أَوَلَوْ كَانَ آبَاؤُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ شَيْئًا وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ﴾

“And when it is said to them, ‘Follow what Allah has revealed,’ they say, ‘Rather, we will follow that upon which we found our forefathers.’ Even though their forefathers understood nothing, nor were they guided?”

In this noble verse, Allah Almighty forbids following ancestors without proof and evidence, which is in fact following Satan. This verse strongly rejects the idea of accepting someone else’s words when the clear Quran and authentic Sunnah are present, and making those words an argument against the Quran and Sunnah, claiming that our Imams, our guides, our elders, and our jurists understood better, and surely they must have been aware of these hadiths, but they must have rejected those hadiths due to some stronger evidence.

And the greatest injustice of all is that these gentlemen extracted jurisprudential principles from the denial of these hadith incidents and wrote in their books that whenever a hadith contradicts these principles, it should be rejected, because it will either be weak, or less preferred, or abrogated. The worst consequence of this great crime against the Quran and Sunnah was that many weak and absurd types of hadiths became prevalent in the individual and collective life of the Ummah, and the authentic hadiths narrated by Bukhari and Muslim, which there is no justification for the Ummah not to act upon, have been neglected for hundreds of years, crying out loudly that act upon us, we are the authentic hadiths of the Messenger of Allah, but the followers do not consider them worthy of attention.

The existence of all misguided sects in Islam, the prevalence of polytheism and innovation, the worship of graves, shrines, and dargahs, and all the diseases of beliefs have entered through this back door: abandoning the Quran and Sunnah and giving preference to the words of their elders, spiritual guides, sheikhs, and self-made deities, following them, and saying that whatever these people have been doing, they must have had some evidence for it, so we will do what our elders have done, and we will not accept these hadiths because we do not have more understanding than our elders.

When the polytheists who were involved in various acts of shirk were told to abandon the imitation of their forefathers, who had fabricated lies about Allah, and to follow what Allah and His Messenger commanded, they immediately responded that they would continue to imitate their forefathers. Allah answered this by asking whether the imitation of forefathers would be sufficient for them, even if those forefathers did not know or recognize the truth.

﴿وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا إِلَىٰ مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ وَإِلَى الرَّسُولِ قَالُوا حَسْبُنَا مَا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ آبَاءَنَا أَوَلَوْ كَانَ آبَاؤُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ﴾

“And when it is said to them, ‘Come to what Allah has revealed and to the Messenger,’ they say, ‘Sufficient for us is that upon which we found our forefathers.’ Even though their forefathers knew nothing, nor were they guided?”

Further condemning the heinous act of the polytheists, Allah Almighty said that they have no evidence for worshipping angels and idols; they only say that they found their forefathers following this religion, so they too will remain steadfast on this religion:

﴿ أَمْ آتَيْنَاهُمْ كِتَابًا مِّن قَبْلِهِ فَهُم بِهِ مُسْتَمْسِكُونَ ‎﴿٢١﴾‏ بَلْ قَالُوا إِنَّا وَجَدْنَا آبَاءَنَا عَلَىٰ أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِم مُّهْتَدُونَ ‎﴿٢٢﴾ ﴾

“Did We give them a scripture before this, by which they are guided? Rather, they say, ‘We found our forefathers following a way, and indeed we are guided by their footsteps.’ And thus We sent to no city a warner before you but its affluent said, ‘We found our forefathers following a way, and indeed we are guided by their footsteps.'”

The sixth reason: Imitating the disbelievers:

The Children of Israel, after being freed from the slavery of Pharaoh and crossing the sea with Prophet Musa (Moses) peace be upon him, proceeded towards the southern region of the Sinai Peninsula. On the way, they passed by a people who worshipped idols. Seeing them, the Children of Israel demanded from Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) that we also want such an idol before which we can bow.

﴿وَجَاوَزْنَا بِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ الْبَحْرَ فَأَتَوْا عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ يَعْكُفُونَ عَلَىٰ أَصْنَامٍ لَّهُمْ قَالُوا يَا مُوسَى اجْعَل لَّنَا إِلَٰهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ﴾

“And We caused the Children of Israel to cross the sea, and they came upon a people who were worshipping idols. They said, ‘O Musa, make for us a god like they have gods.’ Musa said, ‘Indeed, you are a people who are ignorant.'”

The commentator Al-Baghawi (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote that the Children of Israel had no doubt about the Oneness of Allah, but their intention was that, like those idolaters, there should be something for them as well, by venerating which they could attain nearness to Allah. Due to their extreme ignorance, they thought that this would not harm their religion and faith…. End (Tafsir Al-Baghawi)

Imam Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Ibn Jarir, and others have narrated from Abu Waqid Al-Laithi that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ set out for the Battle of Hunayn, he passed by a tree on which the polytheists used to hang their weapons, and it was called “Dhat Anwat.” Some of the companions said, “O Messenger of Allah! Make a ‘Dhat Anwat’ like this for us as well.” Then you ﷺ said:

سبحان اللہ ! This is exactly the same as the people of Moses who said, “Make for us a god like their gods.” By the One in Whose hand is my soul! You will surely follow the ways of the previous nations.

This is why Sayyiduna Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) had the tree at the place of Hudaybiyyah cut down, under which the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) took the pledge from the companions, known as Bay’at al-Ridwan. Imam Abu Bakr Tartoushi Maliki writes that if you see any tree that people visit and revere, consider it a cause of healing, drive nails into it, and hang pieces of cloth on it, then cut it down, because it is the “Tree of the Anvat.”

❀ The Noble Prophet (SAW) said:

﴿لتتبعن سنن من كان قبلكم شبرا شبرا وذراعا بذراع ، حتى لو دخلوا جحر ضب تبعتموهم ، قلنا: يا رسول الله اليهود والنصارى ، قال: فمن .﴾

You will surely follow the people before you, step by step and hand span by hand span, until if they enter a lizard’s hole, you will also follow them. (The Companions said) We asked, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, do you mean the Jews and Christians by the people before us? You said:

Then who else are they?

﴿عن عبد الله بن عمرؓ قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ ليأتين على أمتي كما أتى على بني إسرائيل حذو النعل بالنعل حتى إن كان منهم من أتى أمه علانية لكان فى أمتي من يصنع ذلك ، وإن بني إسرائيل تفرقت على ثنتين وسبعين ملة ، وتفترق أمتي على ثلث وسبعين ملة ، كلهم فى النار إلا ملة واحدة ، قالوا: من هي يا رسول الله؟ قال: ما أنا عليه واصحابي﴾

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amrؓ that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

Indeed, a time will come upon my Ummah like that which came upon Bani Israel. Just as a shoe fits a shoe. Until if someone among Bani Israel committed open adultery with his mother, some unfortunate people of my Ummah will also do the same. And Bani Israel were divided into better sects, and my Ummah will be divided into seventy-three sects, all except one will enter Hell. The Companions asked:

O Messenger of Allah, which is that (saved) group? He said, the one that follows my way and the way of my companions.

❀ Sheikh al-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says:

“And these are the very things that some people fabricate and celebrate, or imitate the Christians in the celebration of the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him), or celebrate the Eid of the Prophet ﷺ out of love and reverence for him, even though there is disagreement among people about his birth date because the pious predecessors did not mention it. If doing so were purely good or customary, then the righteous predecessors would have been more deserving of it than us, because they loved and revered the Noble Prophet ﷺ more than we do, and they were more eager for good. The love and reverence for the Noble Prophet ﷺ lies in following him, obeying him, adhering to his commands, reviving his Sunnah both outwardly and inwardly, spreading his call, and striving in his cause with heart, hand, and tongue, because this is the way of the Muhajireen and Ansar, the early predecessors, and those who followed them in goodness.”

Seventh Reason for Excessiveness:

Allah Almighty has forbidden Christians from exaggerating in religion, because in every era this vice has been found more in them compared to others. They invented monasticism and seclusion from women in religion, and gave Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) the status of Allah, and even made their scholars and monks their gods, as Allah Almighty has said:

﴿يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لَا تَغْلُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ وَلَا تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْحَقَّ إِنَّمَا الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَكَلِمَتُهُ أَلْقَاهَا إِلَىٰ مَرْيَمَ وَرُوحٌ مِّنْهُ فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ ۖ وَلَا تَقُولُوا ثَلَاثَةٌ انتَهُوا خَيْرًا لَّكُمْ إِنَّمَا اللَّهُ إِلَٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ سُبْحَانَهُ أَن يَكُونَ لَهُ وَلَدٌ ۘ لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلًا﴾

“O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor say anything about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah and His word which He conveyed to Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and do not say ‘Three.’ Cease, it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs.”

❀ In Surah At-Tawbah it is stated:

﴿وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ عُزَيْرٌ ابْنُ اللَّهِ وَقَالَتِ النَّصَارَى الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ اللَّهِ ذَٰلِكَ قَوْلُهُم بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ يُضَاهِئُونَ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن قَبْلُ قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَنَّىٰ يُؤْفَكُونَ ‎﴿٣٠﴾‏ اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَالْمَسِيحَ ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا إِلَٰهًا وَاحِدًا لَّا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ سُبْحَانَهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ﴾

“And the Jews say, ‘Uzair is the son of Allah,’ and the Christians say, ‘The Messiah is the son of Allah.’ That is their utterance from their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before them. May Allah destroy them; how they are deluded away from the truth. They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah, and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary, while they were commanded to worship only one God, there is no deity except Him. He is free from what they associate with Him.”

Imam Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Ibn Jarir, and others have narrated from ‘Adi bin Hatim (RA) that he came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with a silver cross hanging around his neck (he had accepted Christianity during the time of ignorance). Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited the verse:

﴿اِتَّخَذُوْۤا اَحْبَارَهُمْ وَ رُهْبَانَهُمْ اَرْبَابًا مِّنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ﴾

So I said, “Did the Christians worship their scholars?” He ﷺ replied:

Yes, they made what is halal haram and what is haram halal, so people obeyed them and followed them; this is their worship.

Muhaddith Albani has classified it as “Hasan.”

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (RA) narrates that he heard Umar (RA) say from the pulpit that he heard the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ say:

﴿لا تُطْرُونِي كَمَا أَطْرَتِ النَّصَارَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ ، فَإِنَّمَا أَنَا عبده فقولوا : عَبدُ اللَّهِ وَرَسُوْلِهِ﴾

“Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians did with Jesus (peace be upon him). I am only Allah’s servant and His Messenger.”

“Beware of exaggeration in religion, for those before you were destroyed because of exaggeration in religion.”

Allama Ibn Qayyim (RA) counted exaggeration among the major sins and said:

“To exaggerate regarding a created being to the extent of exceeding their true status, and sometimes this exaggeration leads from a major sin to shirk (associating partners with Allah).”

Maulana Hali beautifully said:

Do not be deceived like others
Do not make anyone the son of God
Do not elevate my status beyond my limits
Do not diminish me by exaggerating
Everyone there is human just like Sarfagandah
I too am one of His servants in the same way
Do not make my tomb your idol
Do not bow your head at my grave

Eighth Reason: False Arguments and Following Similarities:

False arguments and following similarities are also among the causes and triggers of innovations. Thus, Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlvi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:

﴿يطلبون الدنيا وقد اعتادوا تقليد السلف، وأعرضوا عن نصوص الكتاب والسنة، وتمسكوا بتعمق عالم وتشدده واستحسانه ، فاعرضوا كلام الشارع المعصوم ، وتمسكوا بأحاديث موضوعة، وتأويلات فاسدة، كانت سبب هلاكهم﴾

“If you want to see the example of the Jews, then look at the corrupt scholars of our time, who are obsessed with worldly desires and the imitation of their predecessors. These people turn away from the texts (proofs) of the Book and Sunnah and firmly hold onto the interpretations, distortions, and preferences of some (favored) scholar. They have abandoned the speech of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, who is infallible, and embraced fabricated narrations and corrupt interpretations. For this reason, these people have perished.”

Those whose hearts contain disbelief and hypocrisy seek ambiguous verses so that they may cast doubts upon people, argue with them using corrupt interpretations to support their false beliefs and ideologies, and promote innovations in Islam. Such people are certainly of weak intellect who search for ambiguous verses to find any proof to support their false ideas and spread evil and discord among Muslims.

﴿فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاءَ تَأْوِيلِهِ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ رَبِّنَا وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ﴾

“So those in whose hearts is deviation pursue that which is ambiguous, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]. But no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allah. And those firm in knowledge say, ‘We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord.’ And no one will be reminded except those of understanding.”

Ninth Reason: Religious Prejudice:

Prejudice is a very bad thing; because of it, the Ummah was divided into various groups and sects, and on its basis, friendship or enmity began. Whereas Allah, Glorified and Exalted, says:

﴿وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا﴾

“And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided.”

Prejudice has led to such division and enmity that some followers of a religion have declared marriage with a girl of an opposing religion or even her image as invalid, while others have considered marriage with a girl of an opposing religion permissible, treating her like a Jewish or Christian woman. Similarly, praying behind an imam of an opposing religion has also been declared invalid.

Accordingly, Ibn Humam Hanafi states:

❀ Abu Al-Yasar has said:

That it is not permissible for a Hanafi person to pray behind a Shafi’i! The reason is that Makhool Nakha’i wrote in his book “Yashfa'” that raising the hands while going into and coming out of Ruku invalidates the prayer because this act is considered excessive.

Sheikh Muhammad Hayat Sindhi Hanafi said:

“Our contemporaries have invented the innovation of strict adherence to a particular sect, declaring it impermissible for anyone to move from one sect to another. This is ignorance, innovation, and oppression. We have seen such people who abandon authentic abrogated hadiths and cling to sects that have no authentic chain.”

إِنَّا ِلِلَّٰهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ .

It is due to this religious fanaticism that people divided the Masjid al-Haram into four or five prayer areas, as mentioned on previous pages.

This mullah will give the infidels the wealth of Islam
Making them infidels is all he knows to do to Muslims
Fanaticism has come to this clear-eyed one
And clouded it with thorns and thistles of hatred

Tenth Reason: Association with Innovators:

At the beginning of Islam, when the polytheists of Mecca saw the Companions reciting the Quran, they would mock and fabricate stories. Considering these circumstances, Allah Almighty revealed this noble verse and forbade the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the Companions from staying in gatherings where the disbelievers were mocking the Quran, instructing them to leave until those people started talking about something else:

﴿وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ الَّذِينَ يَخُوضُونَ فِي آيَاتِنَا فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَخُوضُوا فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ وَإِمَّا يُنسِيَنَّكَ الشَّيْطَانُ فَلَا تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ الذِّكْرَىٰ مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ﴾

“And when you see those who engage in [offensive] discourse concerning Our verses, then turn away from them until they enter into another conversation. And if Satan should cause you to forget, then do not remain after the reminder with the wrongdoing people.”

And when the Prophet ﷺ migrated and arrived in Madinah, the disbelievers and hypocrites there also behaved similarly, mocking the Quran and the Prophet ﷺ. Therefore, Allah Almighty commanded to avoid such gatherings, as mentioned in Surah An-Nisa:

﴿وَقَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ أَنْ إِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ يُكْفَرُ بِهَا وَيُسْتَهْزَأُ بِهَا فَلَا تَقْعُدُوا مَعَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَخُوضُوا فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا مِّثْلُهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَامِعُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ فِي جَهَنَّمَ جَمِيعًا﴾

“Allah has revealed in the Quran for you that when you hear the denial of Allah’s verses and mockery of them, do not sit with them until they engage in some other conversation; otherwise, you will be like them.”

The commentators have written that this command is general, and it is the duty of every member of the Muslim Ummah that wherever Islam, the Quran, Sunnah, etc., are being mocked or invitations to innovations and superstitions are being made, they should boycott that gathering; otherwise, the same ruling will apply to them as mentioned at the end of Surah An-Nisa that (إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا مِثْلُهُمْ) you will also become like them.

Hazrat Muhammad bin Sirin (RA) considered sitting with the people of innovation rejected in the light of this noble verse and said that this verse was revealed about them.

And the Noble Prophet ﷺ said:

﴿إنما مثل الجليس الصالح والجليس السوء كحامل المسك ونافح الكير ، فحامل المسك إما أن يحذيك وإما أن تبتاع منه ، وإما أن تجد منه ريحا طيبة ، ونافخ الكير إما أن يحرق ثيابك وإما أن تجد ريحا خبيثة﴾

“A good companion and a bad companion are like the musk seller and the one who blows the fire of the furnace. The musk seller will either give you musk as a gift, or you will buy it from him, or at least you will get a pleasant fragrance from him. And the one who blows the furnace will either burn your clothes or at least you will get a bad smell from him.”

❀ Imam Fudail bin Iyad (RA) said:

“Indeed, the angels of Allah keep searching for circles of remembrance, so see with whom you sit and associate. Do not be with an innovator, for Allah does not look at them, and a sign of hypocrisy is that a person’s sitting and association is with an innovator.”

Eleventh Reason: Sufism:

These matters are delicate, do them only if it pleases you,
For I did not find this way of the Khanqah pleasing.

Sufism is the root of innovation (bid’ah). The Imams have warned greatly against it because through it a person unknowingly goes astray. Imam Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) says:

﴿لو أن رجلا تصوف أول النهار لا يأتى الظهر حتى يصير أحمق﴾

“If someone adopts a Sufi way of life from the beginning of the day, he will become a fool by the afternoon.”

﴿ما لزم أحد الصوفين أربعين يوما فعاد عقله .﴾

“Whoever continuously associates with a Sufi for forty days will never regain his intellect.”

❀ And Imam Ahl al-Sunnah Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) says:

﴿حدروا من الحارث أشد التحذير ، الحارث أصل البلبلة يعني فى حوادث كلام جهم ، ذاك جالسه فلان وفلان وأخرجهم إلى ر أى جهم ما زال مأوى أصحاب الكلام، حارث بمنزلة الأسد المرابط أنظر أى يوم يتب على الناس﴾

Stay away from Harith the Sufi as much as possible, for he is the root of calamity,

He is a victim of the incidents of the speech of Jahm ibn Safwan; do you not see that so-and-so and so-and-so persons are his companions, who have bound them to the opinion of Jahm ibn Safwan, which to this day is the refuge and shelter of the theologians. The example of Harith is like a lion lying in ambush; see on which day he attacks.

These groups are also of Sufism; association and gatherings with them lead towards innovation (bid’ah).

① Naqshbandi Order
② Suhrawardi Order
③ Qadiri Order
④ Chishti Order

Naqshbandi Order:

This order, also called the “Khawajagan Order,” is the oldest in terms of antiquity. It was founded in Turkestan. Among the elders of this order, Muhammad Ata Lisusi (died 570 AH) and Abdul Khaliq Majeed Wani made great efforts to promote it, but the honor of popularizing it went to Bahauddin Naqshband (died 785 AH). After him, this order became famous by the name “Naqshbandi.” Although the Naqshbandi order is the oldest, it arrived in India after other orders. Hazrat Baqi Billah (died 1014 AH) brought this order to India, and his closest disciple and successor Hazrat Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi, known as Mujaddid Alf Thani (died 1035 AH), developed this order in India. After him, this order became famous as the “Mujaddidi Order.”

Suhrawardi Order:

This order is attributed to Sheikh Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi, who promoted and spread this order with great effort and dedication. In his book “Awarif al-Ma’arif,” he established the “Khanqahi system,” and gradually all the orders adopted this system as their guiding principle. Among his successors, Qazi Hamid al-Din Nagauri and Baha al-Din Zakariya Multani gained great fame. Zakariya Multani established famous Suhrawardi order khanqahs in Multan, Uch, and other places.

In the early period of Muslim rule in India, only the Chishti and Suhrawardi orders existed. The Suhrawardi order’s khanqahs were limited to Multan and Sindh. The Chishtis had established their system from Pakpattan to Lucknow and from Delhi to Dewagir.

Qadriya Order:

This order is attributed to Sheikh Muhyiddin Abdul Qadir Jilani, it was established in Baghdad and gradually its branches spread throughout all Islamic countries. In India, this order was established in the ninth century Hijri by Shah Nematullah Qadri. Syed Muhammad Ghaus Gilani, Makhdoom Sheikh Abdul Qadir Thani, Syed Musa, and Sheikh Abdul Haq Dehlvi promoted this order during the Mughal era.

Chishti Order:

The foundation of this order was laid by Sheikh Abu Ishaq Shami (died: 316 AH), but the work of authorizing and spreading it was carried out by Hazrat Moinuddin Hasan Sanjari (died 611 AH). In India, the Chishti order was established first. Sheikh Moinuddin Chishti’s dear disciple and successor Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki made great efforts to popularize the Chishti order, and after him, his successor Fariduddin Masood Ganj Shakar organized this order, and their successor Nizamuddin Auliya brought it to the pinnacle of excellence.

At that time, Badruddin Samarqandi came to India with the Sufism order “Silsila Firdawsia.” He was the successor of Saifuddin Bakharzari, but this order remained limited only to the province of “Bihar.” The work of promoting this order was carried out by Sharafuddin Yahya Muniri.

In the tenth century Hijri, Shah Abdullah Shattari established the “Silsila Shattariya.” Syed Muhammad Ghaus Gwaliori and Wajihuddin Alvi Gujarati developed this order in India. After the reign of Emperor Jahangir, the influence of this order gradually diminished significantly in India.

Another order of Sufism is known as the “Saber Order.” This order is attributed to Ali Ahmad Saber, who was a successor of Fariduddin Masood Ganj Shakar. The reasons for the rise of this order were that the glorious period of the Chishti order, which had begun with Moinuddin Chishti, ended after the death of his disciple and successor Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlavi, and the central system of the Chishti order was dissolved. On the other hand, after the death of Firoz Shah (1388), the central authority of the Delhi Sultanate ended. Autonomous governments emerged in the provinces, and Delhi lost its distinctive status. Then, by the order of Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq, the entire population of Delhi was transferred to the city of “Devagiri” in the province of Arkan, causing the scattered dispersal of all the spiritual leaders of this order, and the entire system of the Chishti order became disorganized and disrupted.

Saber’s order flourished during this very period. At that time, the center of this order was Amroha. Contemporary accounts and histories are completely devoid of details about Ali Ahmad Saber. He was unable to do anything for the development of the order during his lifetime, but after him, the elders of his order made great efforts to promote it.

Sabir, in this order, Alauddin Ahmad Sabir Kiliri holds great importance, his khalifa and sajjada nashin was Shamsuddin Turk. After him, Jamaluddin Panipati sat on the throne of the caliphate. He had forty (40) khalifas among whom Abdul Haq had the honor of advancing the Sabiriya order. He had established his khanqah in Radoli, district Barabanki. At that time, the central system of the Chishti order had ended, and the entire area of Delhi and its surroundings was almost devoid of the elders of the Chishti order. After the death of Sheikh Abdul Haq in 837 AH, his son Sheikh Arif became the sajjada nashin, and after him, his son Muhammad Radolvi sat on the sajjada sheikhship. After him, this order came into the hands of his close disciple and khalifa Abdul Quddus Gangohi. He is the first elder of the Sabiriya order whose conditions are found in detail in contemporary memoirs and histories. The fame he achieved was not attained by any elder of this order before him. Organizing and spreading the system of the Sabiriya order was the work of Abdul Quddus Gangohi.

Abdul Quddus Gangohi’s successor was Jalaluddin Thanisari, and among his successors, Abu Saeed Gangohi showed considerable activity in the propagation of this order. The most famous successor of Abu Saeed Gangohi was Mohibullah Ilahabadi. After him, this order was developed by his successor Syed Shah Muhammad Yaan’s disciple Shah Azaduddin (died 1172 AH). After him, the seat of succession passed in order to Shah Abdul Hadi (died 1190 AH) and Shah Abdul Bari (died 1226 AH). Shah Abdul Bari’s successor was Haji Syed Abdul Rahim Fatimi, who joined Syed Ahmad Shaheed Barelvi’s Jihad movement and later attained martyrdom at Balakot. His successor was Mian Ji Noor Muhammad Jhanjhani (died 1259 AH), whose disciple was Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki, who is considered the Sheikh al-Shuyukh of the Deobandi school of thought. Because among Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki’s successors are Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi and Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi, who are regarded as the leaders and imams of the Deobandi school of thought, thus, through the Sabri order, theologically the Deobandi school of thought is fully connected with this Sufism, which, in terms of its origins and branches, is the root of shirk and innovation.

Twelfth Reason: Greed and Avarice:

Greed and avarice also lead a person towards innovation (bid’ah), as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

﴿بادروا بالأعمال فتنا كقطع الليل المظلم يصبح جل مؤمنا ويمسى كافرا ، أو يمسي مؤمنا ويصبح كافرا ، يبيع دينه بعرض من الدنيا﴾

“Before these trials occur, hasten to perform good deeds which will be like fragments of the night of Dejour, for a person will be a believer in the morning and a disbeliever in the evening, or a believer in the evening and a disbeliever in the morning; he will sell his religion for worldly goods.”

❀ At another place, the Prophet ﷺ said:

﴿ما ذنبان جائعان أرسلا فى غنم بأفسد من حرص المرء على المال والشرف لدينه﴾

Sheikh Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) declared it “Sahih.”

“Two hungry wolves sent into a flock of goats are not as harmful as a greedy person for wealth and honor who harms the religion.”

Thirteenth Reason: Veneration of Elders:

Ignorant and extremist Jews declared Sayyiduna Uzair (علیہ السلام) as the son of Allah, whose era was approximately five and a half centuries before Jesus (علیہ السلام). It is said that he gathered the scattered ones at night and compiled all the Israeli books written in Hebrew into a great book of law for the Children of Israel. Impressed by this, the Jews began to call him the metaphorical son of Allah, which was against the majesty of the Oneness of Allah.

Among the misguided Christians, some called Jesus (علیہ السلام) the son of Allah, some equated him exactly with Allah, and some declared him one of three deities.

﴿وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ عُزَيْرٌ ابْنُ اللَّهِ وَقَالَتِ النَّصَارَى الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ اللَّهِ ذَٰلِكَ قَوْلُهُم بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ يُضَاهِئُونَ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن قَبْلُ قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَنَّىٰ يُؤْفَكُونَ﴾

“And the Jews say, ‘Uzair is the son of Allah,’ and the Christians say, ‘The Messiah is the son of Allah.’ That is their statement from their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before. May Allah destroy them; how they are deluded away from the truth.”

The people of Noah began worshipping the righteous ones. The leaders of the nation incited the common people towards polytheism, saying that the gods whom our ancestors and your ancestors have worshipped should never be abandoned, and you must firmly adhere to their worship. Do not forget your gods Wadd, Suwa’, Yaghuth, Ya’uq, and Nasr under any circumstances.

Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that:

Wadd, Suwa’, Yaghuth, Ya’uq, and Nasr were the names of righteous people among the people of Noah. When those people passed away, Satan instilled in the hearts of their nation the idea to make statues bearing their names at the places where they used to sit and plant them there. So they did that, and when those people died and knowledge was removed from among them, the worship of those statues began.

Fourteenth Reason: Rationalism:

Rationalism misleads a person. Thus, Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:

نهاية اقدامِ العقول عقالُ وأكثر سعى العالمين ضلال وأرواحنا في وحشة في جسومنا وحاصل دنيانا أذى ووبال ولم نستفد من بحثنا طول عمرنا سوى أن جمعنا فيه قيل وقالوا

“The destination of the horses of intellect is helplessness, and the excessive efforts of scholars are a cause of misguidance. Our souls are terrified within our bodies, and the outcome of our world is pain and calamity. Our lifelong debates have brought us no benefit except that we have accumulated disputes and quarrels.”

These are the verses of Ibn Khateeb, known as Fakhr al-Din Razi. Shatibi has narrated them with his chain of transmission in

, and they are also narrated with another chain in Al-Maqrizi’s book

and in Lisan al-Din Ibn Khateeb’s book

.

Fifteenth Cause: The Trial of Doubt and Suspicion:

The polytheists of Mecca had given their false deities, whom they and their forefathers before them had named by deriving names from Allah’s names, no attribute that qualifies them to be deities. They had merely assigned such names to them on their own, which had no connection with reality, and for which Allah Almighty had not revealed any proof. They were only following their own conjectures and desires, even though clear evidence had come to them from their Lord that these idols were not worthy of worship. Worship is exclusively for that Allah, Glorified is His Majesty, who is the Creator of everything and the Owner of the heavens, the earth, and all that is between them.

The polytheists of Mecca turned away from the guidance that came to them from their Lord through the Prophet ﷺ, and they clung to their own desires, giving place in their hearts to the false notion that their idols would intercede for them:

﴿إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءٌ سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُم مَّا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَانٍ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَمَا تَهْوَى الْأَنفُسُ وَلَقَدْ جَاءَهُم مِّن رَّبِّهِمُ الْهُدَىٰ﴾

“These idols are nothing but names which you and your forefathers have invented; Allah has sent down no authority for them. They follow nothing but conjecture and what their own souls desire, even though guidance has already come to them from their Lord.”

Sixteenth Cause: Concealing the Truth:

Concealing the truth is also a major cause among the reasons for innovation. When the truth is kept hidden, the veil is lifted from innovations. Those whose habit is to conceal the truth are the ones who propagate falsehood. Allah Almighty has severely condemned those who hide the guidance and direction sent by the Prophets and Messengers from the people.

﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَا أَنزَلْنَا مِنَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالْهُدَىٰ مِن بَعْدِ مَا بَيَّنَّاهُ لِلنَّاسِ فِي الْكِتَابِ أُولَٰئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّاعِنُونَ﴾

“Indeed, those who conceal what We have sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We have made it clear for the people in the Book, Allah will curse them and curse those who curse.”

Although this noble verse was revealed concerning the Jewish and Christian scholars who concealed the signs of the truthfulness of the Prophet ﷺ, its ruling is general. Every person who conceals the truth revealed by Allah Almighty will inevitably be included in this severe warning.

A few verses later, the warning for those who conceal the truth is mentioned again so that the members of the Muslim Ummah may protect themselves from such a reprehensible trait. It is stated:

﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَيَشْتَرُونَ بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا ۙ أُولَٰئِكَ مَا يَأْكُلُونَ فِي بُطُونِهِمْ إِلَّا النَّارَ وَلَا يُكَلِّمُهُمُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلَا يُزَكِّيهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ﴾

“Those who conceal what Allah has sent down of the Book and exchange it for a small price – they fill their bellies with Hellfire. And Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them. And they will have a painful punishment.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ said:

﴿من سئل عن علم يعلمه فكتمه الجم يوم القيامة بلجام من النار .﴾

Allama Albani رحمه الله declared this hadith as “Sahih.”

“Whoever is asked about knowledge that he knows and conceals it, on the Day of Resurrection he will be bridled with a bridle of fire.”

Seventy Causes: Distortion:

Distortion is also among the causes of innovation and is a greatly blameworthy act. Allah Almighty has mentioned a severe warning for the scholars of the Jews who used to distort:

﴿فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ الْكِتَابَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَٰذَا مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ لِيَشْتَرُوا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا فَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم مِّمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم مِّمَّا يَكْسِبُونَ﴾

“So woe (destruction) is for those who write the Book with their own hands, then say, ‘This is from Allah,’ to exchange it for a small price. So woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn thereby.”