A famous argument used by innovators to justify innovation is taken from the statement of Sayyiduna Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه: “نعمت البدعة هذه”. According to them, this phrase is evidence for the division of innovation into (good and bad). But in reality, this argument is very weak academically and has no basis in the light of the Quran, Sunnah, and the understanding of the Salaf. In this article, we will present this argument and respond to it from three different perspectives.
Argument of the Innovators
The innovators say:
قول عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه: «نِعْمَتِ البِدْعَةُ هَذِهِ»
فهذا يدل على تقسيم البدعة إلى حسنة ممدوحة، وسيئة مردودة!
📌 Translation: Sayyiduna Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه said: “This is a good innovation” (Sahih Bukhari). From this, it is understood that innovation is of two types: one is good and desirable innovation, and the other is bad and rejected innovation.
Detailed Explanation of this Doubt
➊ No one’s statement can be proof against the Prophetic command ﷺ
Even if, for the sake of argument, the statement of Sayyiduna Umar رضي الله عنه is accepted as proof for the permissibility of innovation (which it is not), still the command of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ will take precedence:
«كُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ»
📌 Translation: “Every innovation is misguidance.”
It is a fundamental principle that the statement of any Sahabi or Imam is not proof against the statement of the Prophet ﷺ. That is why Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما said:
“يوشك أن تنزل عليكم حجارة من السماء، أقول: قال رسول الله، وتقولون: قال أبو بكر وعمر”
📌 Translation: “It is close that stones may rain down on you from the sky; I say the Prophet ﷺ said, and you say Abu Bakr and Umar said!”
➋ Taraweeh is not an unlawful innovation but a Sunnah
Sayyiduna Umar رضي الله عنه said these words when he gathered people behind one Imam for Taraweeh in Ramadan. Although Taraweeh is not an innovation, rather it is a Sunnah:
The Prophet ﷺ led Taraweeh in congregation in the early nights of Ramadan.
He said:
«من قام مع الإمام حتى ينصرف كُتب له قيام ليلة»
📌 Translation: “Whoever prays Taraweeh with the Imam until the Imam finishes the Salam, then for him the reward of standing the entire night is recorded.”
On this basis, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him,
and other Imams considered praying Taraweeh in congregation to be superior.
It is also narrated that Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Abdul Qari said:
“خرجت مع عمر بن الخطاب ليلة في رمضان فإذا الناس أوزاعاً متفرقون… فجمعهم على أبي بن كعب…”
📌 Translation: “I went out with Sayyiduna Umar on a night in Ramadan and the people were scattered in different groups. Umar said: If I gather them all behind one reciter, it will be better. Then he gathered them behind Ubayy bin Ka’b.”
At the same occasion, Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “نعمت البدعة هذه”۔
Therefore, this innovation is not a Shariah innovation, but rather a revival of the Prophetic Sunnah.
➌ Difference between Linguistic Innovation and Shariah Innovation
The word “Bid’ah” in Shariah always refers to something blameworthy, but linguistically every new thing is called Bid’ah, whether good or bad.
This distinction was clarified by the Imams and Muhaddithin:
-
Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him:
“البدعة على قسمين: شرعية… ولغوية؛ كقول عمر: نعمت البدعة هذه.”
Reference: (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 1/271)
📌 “Bid’ah is of two types: Shariah and linguistic. The statement of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, is to be understood as linguistic Bid’ah.”
-
Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali, may Allah have mercy on him:
“وأما ما وقع في كلام السلف من استحسان بعض البدع فإنما ذلك في البدع اللغوية لا الشرعية.”
Reference: (Jami’ al-‘Ulum wal-Hikam, 2/128)
📌 “The mention of approval of certain innovations in the speech of the Salaf is only regarding linguistic innovation, not religious innovation.”
-
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him:
“وأما قول عمر: نعمت البدعة هذه… فلا تصلح معارضة الحديث بقول الصاحب.”
Reference: (Majmu’ al-Fatawa, 22/234)
📌 “The statement of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, ‘an innovation is a blessing’ cannot be taken as proof against a hadith.”
Some examples of the difference between the linguistic and technical meanings of a word
Studying the Quran and Hadith shows that the linguistic meanings of some words differ from their technical meanings. Understanding this difference is very important to reach the correct meaning of a verse or hadith. Consider a few examples:
➊ Hadith:
In Arabic, the linguistic meaning of hadith is “speech” or “talk” — that is, any conversation, whether good or bad. But when this word is used in the terminology of Shariah, it means
the statement, action, or tacit approval of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (that is, an act that occurred in front of the Prophet ﷺ and he did not disapprove of it but remained silent).
So, in the lexical sense, every statement is called a “Hadith,” but in the technical sense, “Hadith” is specifically reserved for the sayings or actions attributed to the Prophet ﷺ.
➋ Innovation (Bid’ah):
Similarly, the lexical meaning of Bid’ah is a new thing — whether it is good or bad.
In this lexical sense, the Quran states:
{بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ}
“He (Allah) is the Originator of the heavens and the earth.”
(Meaning, He created them for the first time without any precedent.)
Therefore, in the lexical sense, every new thing — such as an airplane, train, speaker, or mobile phone — can be called “Bid’ah” because it did not exist before.
But when the word Bid’ah is used in the technical religious sense, it refers to an act
“that has been newly invented in the religion, which has no basis in the Book and Sunnah, and was not practiced during the era of the best generations (i.e., the time of the Prophet ﷺ, the Companions, and the Followers).”
This is the very era about which the Prophet ﷺ said:
((خَیْرُ النَّاسِ قَرْنِی، ثُمَّ الَّذِیْنَ یَلُونَہُمْ، ثُمَّ الَّذِیْنَ یَلُونَہُمْ))
“The best of times is my time, then the next, then the next.”
In those eras, people were also saddened by the passing of their loved ones, prayed for them, and the Quran was present, but neither did they hold collective Quran recitation gatherings, nor did they build permanent graves, nor did they construct shrines over them. All these are later developments, which are termed “Bid’ah” in technical terms — meaning those acts that were invented in the name of religion but have no basis in the original Book and Sunnah.
Therefore, linguistically, “Bid’ah” is a general term for every new thing, but in technical terminology, it refers to a new religious practice that was not present during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, the Companions (RA), and the Followers (Tabi’in). This is the blameworthy and rejected Bid’ah, as the Prophet ﷺ said:
((كُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ))
“Every Bid’ah is misguidance.”
Summary
The argument of the innovators that the statement of Sayyiduna Umar (RA) proves the existence of a good Bid’ah is actually a misconception.
- First: The Prophet’s ﷺ statement “Every innovation is misguidance” applies to all.
- Second: Taraweeh is not an innovation, rather it is a Sunnah, and Sayyiduna Umar رضي الله عنه only called its collective organization an “innovation.”
- Third: Sayyiduna Umar رضي الله عنه used the word “innovation” here in its linguistic sense, not in the Shariah sense.
Therefore, dividing innovation into good and bad is against the texts of the Shariah. The religion is complete and every new innovation is rejected:
﴿ٱلۡیَوۡمَ أَكۡمَلۡتُ لَكُمۡ دِینَكُمۡ﴾
📌 Translation: “This day I have perfected for you your religion.”
