There are many types of innovations (bid’ah). These can be related to beliefs, sayings, or actions. Among the innovations in actions, some are related to places and some are related to times.
Examples of innovations in beliefs include those of the Kharijites, Rafidah, Mu’tazilah, etc. Most of these people rely on the knowledge of Kalam (theology) and some false and fabricated traditions. Ibn Abdul Barr, may Allah have mercy on him, writes in Jami’ Bayan al-‘Ilm wa Fadlah (2/95):
“All the jurists and hadith scholars of all regions unanimously agree that those who rely on the knowledge of Kalam are innovators and misguided people, and according to all these scholars, innovators cannot be counted among the ranks of scholars. This is because the title of scholar is only for those who are connected with the knowledge of hadith and reports, and who are engaged in deriving jurisprudence, and their ranks are based on specialization and expertise in this.”
Verbal innovations involve speaking and intending. For example, some people say: I intend to pray so many prayers, I intend to fast today, and so on.
Only the rituals of Hajj and Umrah are exempt from this. The one performing Umrah says “Labbaik Umrah,” similarly, the one performing Hajj for individuals says لبيك حجا O Allah! I respond to Your call with the intention of Hajj, and the one performing both Umrah and Hajj says “Labbaik Umrah wa Hajj” because there is evidence of this in the Sunnah.
Similarly, invoking someone by their status or personality in supplication is not found in the established Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Some verbal innovations are even considered disbelief (kufr). For example, calling out to those buried in graves, seeking help from them, asking them to relieve difficulties and fulfill needs, and requesting from them things that can only be asked from Allah. This is because Allah Almighty says:
﴿وَاَنَّ الْمَسٰجِدَ لِلهِ فَلَا تَدْعُوْا مَعَ اللهِ اَحَدًا﴾ [Al-Jinn:18]
And that the mosques are for Allah, so do not call upon anyone along with Allah.
He also said:
﴿اَمَّنْ يُّجِيْبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ اِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوْٓ ءَ وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَآءَ الْاَرْضِ ط ءَاِلٰه‘’مَّعَ اللهِ ط قَلِيْلاً مَّا تَذَكَّرُوْنَ﴾ [An-Naml:62]
Who indeed accepts the plea of the helpless when he calls upon Him, and who relieves his distress, and who makes you successors in the earth? So is there any deity with Allah? Certainly not! But most of them do not understand.
As for declaring the one who commits it a disbeliever, this can only be done after clear proof has been established against him. This is also the position of a large group among the scholars. In the introduction to Tat-hir al-I’tiqad wa Sharh al-Sudur, I have mentioned seven of them. Among them, foremost is Imam Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, and at the end is Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, may Allah have mercy on him.
Practical innovations are both spatial and temporal. Spatial innovations, meaning those related to places, include, among others, touching graves for blessings and kissing them. Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, in Majmu’ Sharh al-Muhadhdhab (8/206), states regarding kissing and touching the wall built around the Noble Prophet’s ﷺ grave: “The common people should not be deceived by the large number of people involved in acts contrary to the Shariah; therefore, actions should only be based on authentic hadiths and (in their light) the fatwas of scholars. The innovations created by the common people and their ignorance hold no weight.”
It is established in the Sahihayn from the narration of Sayyida Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من أحدث فى أمرنا هذا ماليس منه فهورد [Sahih Bukhari: 2697, Sahih Muslim: 1718]
Whoever introduces into our matter (religion) something that is not part of it, it will be rejected.
And it is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لا تجعلو اقبري عيدا، وصلو على فان صلاتكم تبلغني حيثما كنتم [Sunan Abi Dawood: 2042 and its chain is Hasan]
“Do not turn my grave into a place of celebration (fair) and send blessings upon me, for your blessings reach me wherever you are (this hadith has been narrated by Abu Dawood with an authentic chain).”
Fudail bin Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him, said, which means: Follow the path of guidance and remain steadfast upon it. Even if those who follow it are few in number, it will not harm you. Avoid the path of misguidance and do not be deceived by the large number of those who are destroyed. “And if anyone thinks that touching them with hands, etc., brings more blessing, then this is his mistake and ignorance because blessing is in acting according to the Shariah. Where is virtue and blessing in opposing the truth?” [Majmoo’ 8/275]
Among the innovations related to times and occasions is the celebration called Milad, such as the celebration of the birth of the Prophet ﷺ. This is one of the inventions of the fourth century Hijri. Nothing regarding this was reported from the Holy Prophet ﷺ, your Caliphs, or your Companions, nor is there any narration from the Tabi‘in or the followers of the Tabi‘in. The first three centuries passed before this innovation was created. The books compiled during this period are devoid of any mention of celebrating Milad. This innovation was created in the fourth Hijri century. The founder was Ubaydi, who was the ruler of Egypt.
Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn Ali al-Maqrizi writes in his book Al-Mawa’iz bi Dhikr al-Khutat wal-Athar (1/490):
“Among the Fatimids, fairs and celebrations continued throughout the year. He has mentioned them, and they are very numerous. Among these were the birth celebrations of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the birth of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), the birth of Sayyida Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her), the birth of Sayyiduna Hasan and Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with both), and also the birth of the Caliph of the time.”
Ibn Kathir, while narrating the events of 567 AH in his book Al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya, writes: “In the same year, with the death of their last king العاضد, their rule came to an end. During his reign, innovations and evils prevailed. There was an abundance of rebels and a scarcity of scholars and worshippers.”
Shortly before this, Ibn Kathir also wrote that Salah ad-Din Ayyubi, may Allah have mercy on him, ordered the words “Hayya ‘ala khayr al-‘amal” to be included in the call to prayer throughout Egypt. On this subject, Sheikh Ismail bin Muhammad Ansari, may Allah have mercy on him, authored the excellent work “Al-Qawl al-Fasl fi Hukm al-Ihtifal bi-Mawlid Khatam al-Rusul.”
And it is beyond doubt that the love of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, in the heart of a Muslim should be greater than the love for his parents, children, and all of creation. Because the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
لا يؤمن أحدكم حتي أكون أحب إليه من ولده ووالده والناس أجمعين [Sahih Muslim: 44]
“None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child, and all of mankind.”
And the love for you, O Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), means following your way, not adopting new innovations or innovations in religion.
As Allah Almighty has said:
﴿قُلْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّوْنَ اللهَ فَاتَّبِعُوْنِيْ يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوْبَكُمْ وَاللهُ غَفُوْر رَّحِيْم ﴾ [Al Imran: 31]
(O Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) Say to the people, “If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”
According to some personalities, the innovation of judging people:
One of the very bad innovations that occurred in this era is the innovation among some people of Ahl al-Sunnah of judging people based on personalities. Whether this judgment is made due to friendship and partiality towards the individuals being judged or due to exaggeration about the personality being used as a standard, the result is that if the answer given is according to the examiner’s desire, then their praises flow freely and they become eloquent in commendation and praise.
And if the opposite happens, then the person placed on the scale is declared an innovator. They are labeled unreliable and avoided, and people are advised to stay away from them as well.
In the following lines, we are quoting excerpts from the fatwas of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, in which first judging people by the scale of personalities is declared an innovation, and at the end, exaggerating about some personalities and taking them as a standard is also explained to be an innovation.
Sheikh al-Islam, may Allah have mercy on him, in Majmoo’ Fatawa (3/413) while discussing Yazid bin Muawiyah says: “The correct approach regarding this matter is the one adopted by the Imams, that neither special love should be held for him nor should he be subjected to cursing and abuse. Along with this, even if he was a sinner and oppressor, Allah Almighty is forgiving of sinners and oppressors, especially when he has also performed great righteous deeds.
Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, narrated in his Sahih from Sayyida Umm Haram (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
أول جيش من أمتي يغزون مدينة قيصر مغفورلهم [Bukhari: 2924]
“The first army from my Ummah to attack Constantinople will be forgiven by Allah Almighty.”
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, writes:
“And the army that first attacked Constantinople was led by Yazid bin Muawiya, and Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) was also included in this army. Therefore, it is necessary to exercise moderation in this matter so that mentioning Yazid bin Muawiya in this way does not test the Muslims, because doing so is among the innovations introduced against the method of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah.”
Warning: According to the famous Salafi scholar Sheikh Zubair Ali Zai (may Allah have mercy on him), it is not proven with authentic evidence that Yazid was included in the army that first attacked Constantinople.
He further states: “Similarly, creating discord in the Ummah and judging members of the Ummah by standards not prescribed by Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) is among the innovations.” [Fatawa: 3/415]
He also said: “No one has the right to take any particular personality (other than the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) as a standard and begin inviting to his way, making friendship and enmity based on that. Nor should anyone make the words of Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him, and the consensus of the Ummah the criterion, and base friendship and enmity on anything else. This is not the way of Ahl al-Sunnah; rather, it is the method of the original innovators who take some personality or speech as a standard and make it a cause of division among the Ummah. They love or hate based on that same matter or that same attribution.” [Fatawa: 20/164]
And (Fatawa 28/15.16) states: “If a teacher or mentor orders to cut ties with a certain person or to insult them or to look down upon them or to distance oneself from them, then it should be seen whether that person has committed any sin which is considered a sin in Shariah. If so, they should be punished according to their crime and no more. And if, according to Shariah, they have not committed any sin, then they cannot be punished merely on the wish of the teacher or anyone else.”
The job of teachers is not to spoil relationships among people or to create hatred and enmity among them, but to make them brothers cooperating in good deeds, because Allah Almighty has said:
﴿وَتَعَاوَنُوْ عَلَي الْبِرَّ وَالتَّقْوٰي صوَلَا تَعَاوَنُوْا عَلَي الْاِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ﴾ [Al-Ma’idah: 2]
And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression.
If in this era it were customary to judge people in such a way as to determine who is from Ahl al-Sunnah and who is from others, then the personality most deserving of this distinction would be Sheikh al-Islam, Mufti ‘Alim, Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah of our time, our Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz (may Allah have mercy on him, died 27 Muharram 1420 AH). May Allah Almighty forgive him and grant him great reward, for both the special and the general public bear witness to his vast knowledge, widespread benefit, truthfulness, compassion, gentleness, and zeal for guiding people and their steadfastness. This is the opinion we hold about him. And no one can be purified before Allah.
His call to Allah (inviting people to goodness, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong) had a unique style. It was characterized by gentleness and kindness, which was the hallmark of his every advice and response to others. Instead of confrontation with the Ahl al-Sunnah, there was guidance for them. Rather than hostility, there was concern for their progress, following which they could reach heights of success and remain protected from faults and defects. This was a method that eliminated discord and created unity, mended the broken without breaking the connected, in which there was only construction, not destruction, and which aimed to make things easy for people according to the teachings of the Prophet, not to cause difficulties. How much the scholars and students need to adopt this great and straight path (for the welfare of Muslims and to relieve them from hardships).
In this situation, those who follow with devotion and those who are followed, as well as those who have developed the habit of judging people in this manner, should be saved from this method that has caused division among the Ahl al-Sunnah and created enmities among them. The remedy is that the devoted followers should stop testing people in this way, rather they should also eliminate the effects and consequences of this method from the past, replace hatred and enmity with affection, and become brothers cooperating in righteousness and piety. Those who claim to be followed should also declare their disassociation and disapproval of their devotees’ method. In this way, the followers will be saved from this calamity, and those who use devotion as an excuse for such actions will be absolved from the evil of it and the bad effects resulting from it.
In the present era, alongside the fitnah of Ahl al-Sunnah criticizing each other and labeling one another as innovators, there is another innovation that has emerged in this time, which is that a small group among Ahl al-Sunnah has fallen into this fitnah. They criticize their fellow Ahl al-Sunnah brothers and call them innovators, resulting in severing ties and closing the door to benefiting from one another. Often, such criticism and labeling as innovation happens merely because a certain action is mistakenly considered an innovation when it is not. One example of this is that the esteemed Shaykhs Abdul Aziz bin Baz and Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on them, issued a fatwa on a matter considering it appropriate. When this small group did not like that fatwa, they began to criticize it. But the matter did not stop there; the scope of criticism was extended to those who cooperated with these two Shaykhs in lectures and lessons, and it was said that these people had deviated from the Salafi methodology, even though these two esteemed Shaykhs used to teach this group via telephone as well.
Similarly, it is also the case that attendance at the lessons of a particular person is prohibited by saying that he criticizes such and such personality or such and such group. The leader of this campaign is one of my students (1) who graduated from Jamia Islamia in the Faculty of Sharia in 1395-1396 AH. Among the 119 successful students, he was ranked 104th. He has no connection with knowledge, nor to my knowledge does he have any lessons whose cassettes are prepared, nor does he have any minor or major writings. His entire existence is devoted to fault-finding, declaring innovations, and advising to stay away from Ahl al-Sunnah, while the reality is that in knowledge and practice he does not even reach the ankles of those he criticizes, because people have benefited from their lectures, lessons, and writings for a long time. When any sane person listens to his cassette, which consists of a telephonic conversation between Madinah Munawwarah and Algeria, they are left astonished, in which he has backbitten a large number of Ahl al-Sunnah. The questioner has wasted his wealth unjustly. The number of personalities about whom questions were asked exceeds thirty, including ministers and other individuals, both small and large. Among them, there are some about whom one does not feel regret, some people avoided him, and some who managed to avoid him in this cassette did not escape in other cassettes.
(1) This refers to Sheikh Faleh bin Nafi Al-Harbi Al-Madani. (And Allah knows best) Sheikh Rabi’ Al-Madkhali has also written a refutation against Sheikh Faleh. [Also see the hadith: pp. 11, 40, 41]
Information about him has been provided on the internet site. It is obligatory upon this person to refrain from consuming the flesh of scholars and students of knowledge, while it is the duty of the youth and students not to pay attention to such criticism and disparagement which has no benefit but is entirely harmful. Rather, they should engage in acquiring beneficial knowledge that is useful for them and brings goodness for them in this world and the Hereafter.
Ibn Asakir, may Allah have mercy on him, states in his book “Tabyeen Kadhib Al-Muftari” (p. 29): “My brothers, may Allah grant us and you success to do deeds that please Him, and may He make us all benefit from His fear and grant us piety as it is due to Him. Know well that the flesh of scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, is poisonous, and exposing their faults is a divine Sunnah.”
And in our treatise رفقا أهل السنة بأهل السنة, we have mentioned many verses, hadiths, and narrations regarding the Ahl al-Sunnah and especially about being cautious with language concerning this knowledge. Despite this, my treatise was not liked by those who dislike criticism, and it was declared unpublishable, and its study and publication were prohibited. There is no doubt that if someone reads this treatise and then observes this aggressive attitude towards it, they will certainly reach the conclusion that there is a vast distance between the two, and the matter corresponds to the poet’s couplet:
قد تنكر العين ضوء الشمس من رمد و ينكر الفم طعم الماء من سقمبسا
Sometimes, due to turmoil, even the sunlight hurts the eyes, and sometimes, due to illness, water tastes bitter to the mouth.
As far as our student’s statement about our magazine رفقا أهل السنة بالسنة is concerned, for example, saying that “Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz and Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen have a different methodology from other Ahl al-Sunnah” is undoubtedly incorrect because this implies that the author of the magazine does not write many responses, and even if he does, he only writes responses to opponents. If this were true, it would be against the methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah and in fact a criticism of the two Sheikhs, and even a disparagement of other scholars about whom such things are said.”
The answer to this can be given for several reasons.
First: This booklet does not at all imply that Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, did not write many responses. Why not? Numerous articles and letters written by him in refutation of others are available, and it is written in the booklet (p. 51) that it is appropriate for the article written in refutation to be characterized by gentleness and softness, and it should reflect a desire for the safety of the one who is in error. The refutation should also be regarding an error that is absolutely clear. In this regard, one should study the responses of Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, and to learn the most appropriate method, one should benefit from him.
Second: In the series of responses, I did not at all refer to the methodology of Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, because in refuting someone, I have not seen even a small pamphlet of his. I also inquired from a student who was always with the Sheikh, and he also informed me that he is not aware of any such article or pamphlet by the Sheikh, and this is not a cause for objection or criticism because they are engaged in the exposition, compilation, and publication of knowledge.
Third: The methodology of Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, is completely different from that of our criticism-loving students and similar individuals because the characteristic of the Sheikh’s methodology is that it is marked by gentleness and softness, and it contains complete goodwill towards the person whom it aims to advise and intends to bring back to the path of safety. Whereas our criticism-loving students and similar individuals have made violence, hatred, and alienation their habit. Among the people about whom this critic has spoken in his cassettes, many were remembered by Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, in very good words; he used to pray for them and encourage them to continue the work of invitation and education among people. He used to urge people to benefit from them and acquire knowledge.
In short, we did not say regarding Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, that he did not refute others, and as far as Ibn Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, is concerned, I did not even mention his name in this context.
Therefore, what this critic has written has no relation to the content of the booklet, which is clear evidence that he is fond of shooting blindly without thinking. If this is his state in writing, then what will it be in speech? And this critic said: “I have studied the booklet and I am aware of the position of Ahl al-Sunnah on this matter. You must have read the responses written by some scholars and sheikhs. I did not think that the responses would now be stopped. There are some people who will keep writing, as a poet once said.”
The close brother of the spear bearer from your paternal uncle’s children is walking holding his spear. Tell him that opposite you, your cousins also have many spears. He has written “عارض” in the same way, whereas the correct form is “عارضاً“.
So the answer to this is that the Ahl al-Sunnah he referred to are precisely those whose style and methodology are completely different from Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, which I pointed out just a little while ago. His intention is only to incite those who know him against the magazine, and then to provoke those against it whom he does not know. Whereas the reality is that I did not draw a spear; rather, I showed goodwill, which this disparager and people like him did not like. Because advice holds the same status for the advised person as medicine does for a patient, and some patients take medicine even if it is bitter because they hope for benefit from its use. But among those who are advised, some are such that their desires keep them away from advice; not only do they not accept advice, but they also urge others to stay away from it.
May Allah grant everyone the ability to be guided and protect them from the deceit and trickery of Satan.
There are three individuals involved in the mission of our critical student. Two of them are in Mecca and Medina; both were my students at Jamia Islamia Medina. The first of these graduated in 1384-1385 AH, while the second graduated in 1391-1392 AH. The third person is from a distant southern region of our homeland. The second and third have declared the distributor of this booklet as an innovator (Bid’ati) and have issued a general and wholesale fatwa of innovation against him. I do not know whether they are aware that this booklet has been distributed by scholars and students who cannot be called innovators.
I hope that those who have issued this fatwa will inform me of the observations on the basis of which they have issued a general ruling of innovation.
This is a sermon by Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, Imam and preacher of Masjid al-Haram, which he delivered from the pulpit of Masjid al-Haram. In it, he advised the Ahl al-Sunnah to refrain from criticizing each other in such a manner. We also encourage studying it as it is very important and beneficial on this subject.
I pray to Allah Almighty to grant everyone the ability to seek His pleasure. To grant understanding in religion and steadfastness on the truth, and to protect from futile matters so that one may perform deeds worthy of attention and care. Indeed, He alone is deserving of that and has the power.
May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and companions.
(1) By these two are meant Sheikh Rabee’ al-Madkhali and Sheikh Ubaid al-Jabri (and Allah knows best). For Sheikh Ubaid al-Jabri, see Al-Hadith: 15, p.7.
(2) By them is meant Sheikh Ahmad bin Yahya bin Muhammad al-Najmi. He resides in Jizan, Saudi Arabia, and is the author of several books.
Warning: Sheikh Rabi’ al-Madkhali, Sheikh Faleh al-Harbi, Sheikh Ahmad al-Najmi, and Sheikh Ubaid al-Jabiri have made great contributions. They have written or commissioned excellent refutations against deviant sects. The Al-Hadith Institute acknowledges the services of these scholars and other Salafi scholars and remains neutral in the mutual disagreements among the scholars of truth. However, in our view, it is not correct to criticize these scholars due to their personal opposition to some other Salafi scholars. And Allah knows best.
