Warning against innovations

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are two groups of my Ummah who will not enter Paradise (because of their false beliefs): the Qadariyyah (who deny Allah's decree and consider man the creator of his own actions) and the Murji'ah (who hold that sin does no harm while there is faith and that deeds have no part in faith)."
I (Ibn Hajar) say: There is a break (inqita') in the chain of this hadith (that is, the continuity between the narrators is not maintained).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Layla (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are two groups of my Ummah who will not come to the Pond (of Kawthar on the Day of Resurrection): the Qadariyyah (who deny the divine decree) and the Murji'ah (who deny the importance of deeds in relation to faith)."
In the chain of this hadith, the memory of Muhammad bin Abi Layla has been criticised, and the hadith scholars have criticised its chain because of the tadlis of Baqiyyah bin al-Walid; however, supporting reports for it exist through other routes.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates from his father Sayyiduna Umar al-Faruq (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "On the Day of Resurrection a caller (announcer) will call out: 'Let those who dispute against Allah Almighty stand up!' And they are the Qadariyyah (that is, those who deny the divine decree)."
Abu Ya'la also recorded a narration of the same meaning through his chain, by way of Sulayman bin Abdullah al-Marwazi, from Baqiyyah bin al-Walid.

It is narrated from al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) that when the delegation of the people of Basrah came to Sayyiduna Umar al-Faruq (may Allah be pleased with him), among whom was al-Ahnaf bin Qays (may Allah have mercy on him), he (may Allah be pleased with him) dismissed the other members of the delegation but kept him with himself. Then he (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him: "Do you know why I have kept you back? In fact, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) warned us about every hypocrite who is knowledgeable of tongue (extremely eloquent and smooth-spoken), and I feared that you might be one of them; however, I hope from Allah that you are not one of them. Now finish your affairs and go to your family."
Hammad said: Maymun al-Kurdi narrated something similar from Abu Uthman al-Nahdi, from Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).
I (Ibn Hajar) say: The hadith of Abu Uthman was narrated by Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him).

It is narrated from Abd al-Rahman bin Yazid (may Allah have mercy on him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Adopting moderation and balance in following the Sunnah is far better than tireless toil and exertion in acts of innovation (bid'ah)."
Allamah al-Albani declared it sahih (authentic) in al-Silsilah al-Sahihah (hadith: 2005); moreover, these blessed words are also narrated with an authentic chain from the eminent Companion Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: "No year comes upon the people but that they give rise in it to some new innovation and kill off an (established) Sunnah, until innovations come alive and prevail in society and the Sunnahs die and are abandoned."
Al-Tabarani narrated it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir (10650), and its chain is jayyid (good).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he came and stopped by some people, some of whom were telling stories to others. He (may Allah be pleased with him) said (warning them about this practice): "By Allah! Either you have openly gained superiority over the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), or you have invented an innovation founded entirely on wrongdoing. Follow (the Sunnah) and do not innovate; by Allah! If you follow (in the footsteps of the Companions), you will certainly get far ahead, and if you devise new ways, you will have committed a great wrong", or he said: "you will have strayed far into misguidance."
This doubt (whether he said the word 'wrong' or 'misguidance') is from the narrator Ibn Abi Umar.

It is narrated from an elder of the people of Syria that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave us an effective exhortation, and a man said: "O Messenger of Allah! It is as if this is the farewell exhortation of someone departing; so what do you enjoin upon us?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I enjoin upon you the fear of Allah Almighty, and that you hold fast to my Sunnah and the way of the rightly guided caliphs who guide others to the straight path; bite onto it firmly with your molar teeth. And if even an Abyssinian slave is appointed as your leader, listen to him and obey him. And indeed every innovation is misguidance."
Abu Ya'la also narrated this hadith through the chain of al-Hasan bin Hammad, Abu Usamah and Awf.

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Buraydah (may Allah have mercy on him) that Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered the people on the arrival of a delegation and said to Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him): "Look for the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and admit them first of all, then those who come after them (in rank)." So they entered and lined up in rows before him. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) looked around and saw a stout, bulky man wearing a pair of striped Yemeni cloaks. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) beckoned to him, and he came close to him. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said three times: "Say something", and the man likewise replied three times: "Yes, please speak." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said with displeasure: "Uff! Stand up (that is, move away from here)." The man stood up. Then he looked and saw Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him), a man of light build, short and seasoned. He beckoned to him and he came close. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Say something", and he too replied: "Yes, please speak." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) again said: "Say something", and he said: "O Commander of the Believers! Ask a question and begin the talk so that we may converse with you (that is, you set the direction of the conversation)." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Uff! You too stand up; even a shepherd of sheep could not benefit you (one who would not begin the talk for you)." Then he looked and saw a man of fair complexion and light build (al-Rabi' bin Ziyad). He beckoned to him and he came to him. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Say something", and he immediately sprang to his feet, praised and extolled Allah Almighty, and admonished him by the commands of Allah.
Then he said: "Indeed you have been made responsible for the affairs of this Ummah, so fear Allah Almighty concerning the Ummah and subjects over whose affairs you have been made guardian, and especially in the matter of your own self, for you will be called to account (on the Day of Resurrection) and questioned about the subjects placed in your care. You are a trustee, and it is incumbent upon you to discharge this trust of yours; only then will you be given your reward according to your deeds." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Since I became caliph, no one except you has spoken to me so truthfully and frankly. Who are you?" He said: "I am al-Rabi' bin Ziyad." He asked: "The brother of al-Muhajir bin Ziyad?" He said: "Yes." Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) prepared an army and appointed Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) as its commander, then said (to him): "Keep an eye on al-Rabi' bin Ziyad. If he proves truthful in what he said, he has excellent help to offer in running the affairs of government, so appoint him (to some post); then after every ten days supervise his work and keep writing to me about his performance and conduct, until I feel as though I myself had appointed him." Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) charged us and said: 'What I fear most for you is a hypocrite skilled of tongue (that is, one sharp of tongue but harbouring hypocrisy in his heart).'"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Sayyiduna Umar al-Faruq (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Soon there will certainly appear people who will deny (the appearance of) the Dajjal, deny the rising of the sun from its place of setting, deny the punishment of the grave, and also deny (the salvation of) people who will be taken out of the Fire of Hell after being scorched and turned to charcoal in it."
The chain of this report contains the narrator Ali bin Zayd bin Jud'an, who is da'if (weak); however, the prophecies mentioned in it are also reported in other authentic hadiths and reports.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I do not fear for you after me a believer firm in certainty, nor an open disbeliever. As for the believer of certainty, his faith will restrain him (from harming you); and as for the open disbeliever, his very disbelief (will be a barrier for you against his evil). But what I fear for you after me is a person whose tongue is learned but whose heart is ignorant: he says things that you recognise (as truth) but does things that you reject (that is, they are against the Shari'ah)."
Sa'id bin al-Musayyib said that in a study circle in Madinah a man asked: Which of you will narrate to me a hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: I will; I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "I do not fear for my Ummah a believer nor a disbeliever. As for the believer, his faith holds him back (from evil), and as for the disbeliever, his disbelief (by disgracing him) stops him. Rather, I fear a man who is between the two (a hypocrite): he reads the Qur'an until, when the Qur'an flows smoothly on his tongue, he begins to give it false interpretations contrary to its true meaning. He says things that you know (to be true) but does things that you know to be objectionable; so he went astray himself and led others astray."
I (Ibn Hajar) say: I think that Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Madani mentioned in the first narration is the same Ishaq bin Abdullah mentioned in the second narration, and Baqiyyah bin al-Walid certainly committed tadlis (concealing his name) by mentioning his kunyah because of Ishaq's weakness.

It is narrated from Umayyah bin Yazid al-Shami (may Allah have mercy on him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever invents some new (trial or heinous) thing in Islam, upon him is the lasting curse of Allah Almighty, the angels and all people; neither any repentance nor any ransom (or voluntary or obligatory act) will be accepted from him." It was asked: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! What is that new thing (hadath)? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Killing a soul unjustly (not in retaliation for a soul), or mutilating someone (cutting off limbs) without legal retaliation, or inventing a new innovation in opposition to the Sunnah." The narrator explained that by al-'adl (the word occurring in the hadith) is meant ransom, and by al-sarf is meant repentance.
Its chain is hasan (good), but this report is mursal or mu'dal.

It is narrated from Imam Tawus (may Allah have mercy on him) that Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him) came to him to sit in his gathering, and Imam Tawus said to him: "If you sit here, I will get up from here." The people said: "O Abu Muhammad! He is a faqih (one with deep understanding of the religion)." He replied: "Iblis was a greater faqih than him, for he said (acknowledging Allah's will and decree): 'My Lord, because You have put me in error' [Surah al-Hijr: 39]."
I (Ibn Hajar, the author) say: By this saying Imam Tawus was alluding to the view of the divine decree (that is, the belief of those who deny the decree) that was attributed to Qatadah.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Of the things worshipped beneath the shade of the sky, there is nothing more hateful and displeasing to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, than a desire of the self that is blindly followed."
The chain of this report contains abandoned (matruk) and lying narrators such as al-Hasan bin Dinar and al-Khasib bin Jahdar; for this reason the hadith scholars have declared it severely weak or fabricated.