In accordance with the evidences of the Book and the Sunnah, just as following the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is obligatory in matters related to creed,
in the same way, in subsidiary issues in which ijtihad is permissible, once clear evidence has become apparent, following the Sunnah is also obligatory.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
فإنه من يعش منكم فسيري اختلافا كثيرا فعليكم بسنتي و سنة الخلفاء المهديين الراشدين
That whoever among you lives long will see many differences; in that case, hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly-guided Caliphs.
The early scholars of this Ummah gave similar advice, among them the four Imams: Abu Hanifah, Malik, al-Shafi’i and Imam Ahmad.
Their advice is that one should adopt the position established by evidence, and that when a sahih hadith from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has come, their opinions should be abandoned if they oppose it.
The saying of Imam Malik is well known:
كل يؤخذ من قوله ويرد عليه إلا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
Everyone’s words may be accepted and may be rejected, except those of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (whose statement must be followed).
Note: This is a saying without a chain. This saying has not been found with a connected chain. See also
Imam al-Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
“The scholars are agreed that it is not permissible for anyone in whose presence the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is clear to leave the Sunnah because of someone’s statement.”
Before quoting this statement, Ibn al-Qayyim wrote:
“Whoever presents the statements of the scholars to the texts, compares them, and opposes whatever contradicts a text, does not commit disrespect toward them or belittle their status; rather, he becomes a follower of them, because all of them ordered this. So their true follower is the one who acts upon this advice of theirs, not the one who violates it.”
It is also reported from some scholars who occupied themselves with the jurisprudence of the four schools of law that, when the statements of the Imams conflicted with sound evidences, they relied upon the evidences. Thus Asbagh ibn al-Faraj said:
“Wiping over the khuffayn while resident (not traveling) is, in our view, more strongly established from the Prophet ﷺ and the senior Companions, and it is so firmly established that we cannot follow the statement of Imam Malik against it.”
And al-Hafiz, may Allah have mercy on him, says in Fath al-Bari (1/276):
“When a dog puts its mouth into a vessel, the Maliki jurists do not consider it necessary to rub it with dust.” Al-Qarafi (a Maliki) said: “The hadiths on this matter have reached the level of authenticity, so it is surprising that they did not adopt a view in accordance with them.”
Ibn al-‘Arabi al-Maliki said:
“The Maliki jurists say that the funeral prayer in absentia was specific to Muhammad ﷺ. We say that what Muhammad ﷺ practised, his ummah should also practise, because the original position is non-specificity. They say that the earth was contracted for the Prophet ﷺ and the bier was presented before him. We say that our Lord is capable of this, and it was also befitting for our Prophet ﷺ; but say only what has reached you through transmission, do not fabricate from yourselves, and narrate only established hadiths and reports. Leave aside weak reports, because its outcome will be irreparable loss.”
Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, concluding the discussion on determining والصلٰوة الوسطي, writes:
“A hadith has been established beyond doubt that it refers to the Asr prayer, so there is no alternative but to accept it.” Then he quotes the statement of Imam al-Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him: “Whatever statement of mine is such that a sahih chain from the Prophet ﷺ narrates something contrary to it, then the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ takes precedence; in that case do not follow me (blindly).” He also said: “When a hadith is established and my opinion is contrary to it, (know that) I have retracted that opinion of mine, and my statement is what is proven from the Prophet’s hadith.”
After quoting this, Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, writes:
“This indicates his perfect integrity. The very same thing was said by all of his brothers, that is, the noble Imams. May Allah’s mercy and pleasure be upon them. Ameen. On this basis, al-Qadi al-Mawardi clearly wrote that al-Shafi’i’s position is that the middle prayer is the Asr prayer, although in his later view he explicitly stated that it refers to the Fajr prayer, and a group of Shafi’i-school muhaddithun also agreed with him in this approach. And to Allah belongs all praise and grace.”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar, in Fath al-Bari (2/222), says:
“Ibn Khuzaymah wrote regarding raising the hands upon rising from two rak’ahs that it is a Sunnah, although al-Shafi’i did not mention it; so its chain is sahih. And al-Shafi’i has already said: act according to the Sunnah and leave aside my statement.”
In Fath al-Bari (3/470), it is mentioned that al-Bayhaqi, in Ma’rifat (al-Sunan wa al-Athar 3/54, hadith 1934, and its chain is sahih), narrated through al-Rabi’ (the special student of al-Shafi’i) that Imam al-Shafi’i said:
A hadith has been narrated regarding women going out to the Eid prayer ground. If it is established, then it is my statement. His reference was to the hadith of Umm Atiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her). Therefore, it is obligatory upon the Shafi’is to adopt it.
Imam al-Nawawi, in Sharh Muslim (4/49), after mentioning the scholars’ disagreement regarding whether eating camel meat nullifies wudu, wrote:
“Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ishaq ibn Rahwayh said: there are two hadiths on this, one from Sayyidina Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) and the other from Sayyidina Bara’ (may Allah be pleased with him). This position is stronger, although the majority are against it.”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar, in explaining the hadith أمرت أن أقاتل الناس narrated by Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), mentioned the debate between Sayyidina Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyidina Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding those who withheld zakat, and wrote: “In this story there is evidence that a Sunnah may remain hidden even from the senior Companions, while an ordinary person among them is aware of it. Therefore, when a Sunnah exists, one should not cast a glance at opinions, even if the opinions appear good; when they oppose the Sunnah, one should not look at them. And one should not say: how did this Sunnah remain hidden from so-and-so?”
And in Fath al-Bari (3/544) he says:
Marking the hadi (sacrificial animal) is the view of the majority, from the predecessors and later scholars. Tahawi, in Ikhtilaf al-‘Ulama’, reported from Imam Abu Hanifa its being disliked (makruh), whereas the other imams hold that it is recommended (mustahabb) in following the Sunnah, to the extent that his students, specifically Muhammad and Abu Yusuf, also consider it commendable.
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All innovations are misguidance; there is no good innovation.
All innovations are entirely misguidance and error. The evidence for this is the general statement of the Messenger ﷺ in the hadiths narrated by Sayyidina Jabir and Sayyidina ‘Irbad (may Allah be pleased with them both): ‘‘كل بدعۃ ضلالۃ’’ Every innovation is misguidance.
And the generality of the Prophet’s ﷺ saying: كل بدعة ضلالة makes clear that whoever says or thinks that there is a good innovation in Islam, his statement and assumption are false.
Furthermore, the position of Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) is in the report narrated from him that:
كل بدعة ضلالة وإن رآها الناس حسنة
Every innovation is misguidance, even if people consider it good.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ’s saying:
من سن فى الإسلام سنة حسنة فله أجرها و أجر من عمل بها بعده من غير أن ينقص من أجورهم شيئ ومن سن فى الإسلام سنة سيئة كان عليه وزرها ووزر من عمل بها من بعده من غيرأن ينقص من أوزارهم شيئ
Whoever establishes a good practice in Islam will have its reward, and the reward of everyone who acts upon it after him, without any reduction in their rewards; and whoever establishes a bad practice in Islam will bear its burden, and the burden of everyone who acts upon it after him, without any reduction in their burdens.
To argue from this that there is a good innovation in Islam is by no means permissible, because what is meant by it is hastening toward established good deeds (not introducing an innovation), as the cause is stated before the Prophet’s saying in Sahih Muslim. Its summary is that some people from the tribe of Mudar came to Madinah, showing signs of poverty and destitution. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ encouraged giving charity, and a man from the Ansar came carrying a bag whose weight his hand could barely bear (after which people brought charity one after another). Upon this, the Prophet ﷺ said: من سن فى الإسلام سنه حسنة (the reference is mentioned above). Similarly, in a region where a established Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ has not been known, reviving it there is also included in its meaning. But to take the meaning that newly invented matters should be included in the religion is by no means permissible, because the saying of the Prophet ﷺ has already been mentioned:
من أحدث فى أمرنا هذا ماليس منه فهورد
Whoever introduces a new matter into this religion of ours that is not part of it, it is rejected.
Because the Sharia is complete; it does not need innovations or newly invented matters. Inventing innovations is in reality equivalent to accusing the Sharia of being incomplete and deficient, and the statement of Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) has passed nearby: كل بدعة ضلالة وإن رآها الناس حسنة Every innovation is misguidance even if people consider it good.
And the saying of Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) too: whoever introduced an innovation in it and considered it good has thought that Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ committed treachery in conveying the message of Allah, because Allah Most High says:
اَلْيَوْمَ اَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِيْنَكُمْ “Today I have perfected your religion for you.” So that which was not religion on that day cannot be religion today.
As for Sayyidina Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with him) gathering of people behind one imam for Tarawih prayer, it is an example of reviving a practice that is established as Sunnah and bringing the Sunnah to life, because the Prophet ﷺ himself led people in the night prayer of Ramadan on some nights. And he abandoned performing it on a regular basis out of fear that this qiyam would become obligatory upon the Ummah, as Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated it.
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away, the fear of the prayer becoming obligatory ended because the revelation had ceased. So Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered the people for Taraweeh prayer, and regarding Taraweeh Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: نعم البدعة هذه “This is a good beginning.”
Here the word “bid’ah” is not in its legal (shar’i) sense but in its linguistic (lughawi) sense.
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The difference between the linguistic “bid’ah” (a beginning) and the legal “bid’ah” (a new invention)
Linguistic meanings are generally broader than legal meanings, and most legal meanings are a part of the linguistic meaning. The words taqwa, siyam (fasting), hajj, umrah and bid’ah are examples of this. Thus the linguistic meaning of taqwa is that a person places between himself and something he fears a protection that keeps him safe from the harm of that thing, just as houses are built or tents are pitched to protect from the heat and cold of the sun, and shoes are used on the ground to protect from the harm of bad things. But in the legal sense, taqwa of Allah means that a Muslim places between himself and the wrath of Allah something that protects him from the wrath of Allah, and this is done by carrying out His commands and abstaining from what He has forbidden.
Siyam (fasting) linguistically means abstaining. In the legal sense it means a specific kind of abstaining: refraining from all the causes of eating, drinking and breaking the fast from the break of dawn until sunset. Hajj linguistically means any intention or resolve, while in the legal sense it means intending to go to Makkah Mukarramah for the performance of specific rites. Umrah linguistically means any visit, while in the legal sense it is a visit to the Ka’bah, consisting of its tawaf, the sa’y between Safa and Marwah, and halq or taqsir. Similarly, linguistically, bid’ah is anything newly created without a prior example, while in the legal sense it is an action or belief for which there is no basis in the religion, and it is the opposite of sunnah.
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Maslahah mursalah is not among the innovations
Maslahah mursalah is a benefit about which no legal evidence indicates either its acceptance or its rejection, while it fulfils a legal objective, such as the compilation of the Qur’an, the writing of books, and recording those who receive stipends from the Bayt al-Mal during the caliphates of Abu Bakr and Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them both). No text in the Shariah has come regarding the affirmation or prohibition of these matters. As for the compilation of the Qur’an, it is a means of preserving it, and through it no part of it was lost. And through it the saying of Allah Almighty was fulfilled:
اِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَاالذِّكْرَ وَاِنَّا لَهٗ لَحٰفِظُوْنَ’
“Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder and indeed, We will be its guardian.”
When Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) put this proposal before Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), he was hesitant and said: How can I do something that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not do? Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah, it is good. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) says that Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) kept insisting on this matter repeatedly, until Allah opened my heart to it and I agreed with Umar’s opinion.
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had compiled the Qur’an into sheets, while Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) compiled it into one codex (mushaf). The preparation of registers and records took place during the time of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). When conquests increased and abundant wealth came into the Bayt al-Mal in the form of spoils of war and fay’, there was a need to keep records of the names of the soldiers and of the other people who received stipends from the Bayt al-Mal. This system had not come into existence before the time of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). This action is a means of ensuring the certain delivery of the rights of the deserving people, and a way of blocking the fear that any of them might be deprived. Therefore it cannot be said that some innovations can be included under maslahah mursalah and declared good, because maslahah mursalah fulfils an objective that the Shariah has established, whereas, on the contrary, innovations accuse the Shariah of being deficient, as has already passed in the statement of Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him).
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Good intention must be accompanied by conformity to the Sunnah
Those who regard bid’ah as a minor matter may say that the person who commits an innovation in order to draw closer to Allah has a good intention, so from that angle his action should also be considered good. The answer is that, along with a good purpose, it is also necessary that the action conform to the Sunnah, and this is one of the two conditions for the acceptance of good deeds that have already been mentioned. These two conditions are sincerity for Allah and obedience to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
And the hadith has already passed which shows that newly invented innovations are returned to those who perform such actions (they cannot attain acceptance before Allah). In the hadith agreed upon (Muttafaq alayh), the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من أحدث فى أمرنا هذا ماليس منه فهورد
“Whoever introduces into our affair something that is not part of it, it is rejected.”
The words of Sahih Muslim are:
من عمل عملا ليس عليه أمرنا فهورد
“Whoever does an action that is not in accordance with our way, that action is rejected.”
And among the evidences that following the Sunnah is necessary alongside a good intention is the story of the companion who slaughtered his sacrificial animal before the Eid prayer, and the Prophet ﷺ said: شاتك شاة لحم Your slaughtered goat is like a goat slaughtered for meat (it will not count as a sacrifice).
Explaining this hadith, Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote in Fath al-Bari (10/17):
“Shaykh Abu Muhammad ibn Abi Hamzah said that this proves that an act, even if done with a good intention, is not valid unless it is in accordance with the way prescribed by the Shari’ah.”
This same point is also established by the incident recorded in Sunan al-Darimi (210) with a sound chain:
Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) came to some people sitting in a circle in the mosque who had pebbles in their hands. One of them would say, “Say Allahu Akbar one hundred times,” and they would say Allahu Akbar one hundred times, counting on the pebbles. Then he would say, “Say La ilaha illallah one hundred times,” and they would say it one hundred times. “Say Subhanallah one hundred times,” and they would do so. Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) stood over them and said: “What is this I see? What are you doing?” They said: “Abu Abdur Rahman, we are counting the takbir, tasbih and tahlil on pebbles.” He said: “Then count your sins (i.e., repent from these deeds), and I guarantee that none of your good deeds will be lost. Woe to you, O Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ! How quickly you have rushed toward destruction! These are the companions of your Prophet ﷺ in large numbers, these are his garments which have not yet worn out, and his utensils have not yet broken. By Him in whose hand is my soul, either you are on a path that has more guidance than the Millah of Muhammad, or you are opening the door of misguidance.” They said: “Abu Abdur Rahman, our intention is only good.” Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “How many are there who intend good but cannot attain it.” See
Its chain is hasan.
The Dangers of Innovations and the Explanation that They Are Worse Than Sins
The matter of innovations is grave and their issue is extraordinary. Their harmful effects are very far-reaching; they are more dangerous than ordinary sins and acts of disobedience, because the one who commits an ordinary sin knows and acknowledges that he is involved in something forbidden, and at some point he leaves it and repents. Whereas the one addicted to innovation thinks that he is upon the truth, so he remains steadfast upon it until death, while he is a follower of his own desires and a wanderer who has strayed from the straight path. Allah the Exalted says:
اَفَمَنْ زُيِّنَ لَهٗ سُوْ ءُ عَمَلِهٖ فَرَ اٰهُ حَسَناً ط فَاِنَّ الله يُضِلُّ مَنْ يَّشَآ ءُ وَيَهْدِيْ مَنْ يَّشَاءُ
“Is one whose evil deed has been made attractive to him so that he sees it as good (how then can he come to the right path)? Indeed, Allah leads astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills.”
And He said:
اَفَمَنْ كَانَ عَليٰ بَيِّنَةٍ مِّنْ رَّبِّهٖ كَمَنْ زُيِّنَ لَهٗ سُوْ ءُ عَمَلِهٖ وَاتَّبَعُوْا اَهْوَآ ءَ هُمْ
Can one who is upon clear guidance from his Lord be like those whose evil deeds have been made attractive to them, and who have followed their desires?
And He said:
وَلَا تَتَّبِعِ الْهَوٰي فَيُضِلَّكَ عَنْ سَبِيْلِ اللهِ
“And do not follow desire, for it will lead you astray from the way of Allah.”
And He said:
وَمَنْ اَضَلُّ مِمَّنِ اتَّبَعَ هَوٰهُ بِغَيْرِ هُدًي مِّنَ اللهِ
“And who is more astray than one who follows his desire without guidance from Allah?”
And it is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إن الله حجب التوبة عن كل صاحب بدعة حتي يدع بدعته
“Allah has veiled repentance from every person of innovation until he abandons his innovation.”
Mundhiri mentioned this hadith in al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib (86), under the section on warnings against abandoning the Sunnah, committing innovations, and following desires. He said that it was narrated by al-Tabarani and its chain is hasan. See also
This hadith is da’if due to the tadlis of Humayd al-Tawil.
Many hadiths have come in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that encourage following the Sunnahs, urge avoiding innovations, and make clear their danger. Some of them are the following.
➊ The saying of the Prophet ﷺ:
من احدث فى أمرنا هذا ماليس منه فهورد
“Whoever introduces into our affair something that is not part of it, it is rejected.”
A narration in Sahih Muslim also came with these words:
من عمل عملا ليس عليه أمرنا فهورد
“Whoever does an action that is not in accordance with our way, it is rejected.”
And this second narration in Sahih Muslim, in meaning, is more general than the first, because it includes both the originator of an innovation and the one who acts upon it.
This hadith is also evidence that following the Messenger ﷺ is obligatory, which is one of the two conditions for an action to be accepted. An act done to draw near to Allah is not accepted by Allah unless two conditions are met. The first is complete sincerity to Allah alone, free of any taint. This is what the testimony that there is no true deity except Allah requires. The second is complete adherence to the Messenger ﷺ. This is what the testimony that Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah requires.
In Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah’s (may Allah have mercy on him) Majmu’ al-Fatawa (18/250), it is recorded that Fudayl ibn Iyad (may Allah have mercy on him), while explaining the word “best” in the saying of Allah, the Most High:
لِيَبْلُوَ كُمْ اَيُّكُمْ اَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً
“that He may test you as to which of you is best in deed” [Al-Mulk: 2], said: “It means the most sincere and the most correct.”
This is because if a deed is sincere but not correct, it is not accepted. Likewise, if it is correct but not sincere, it is not accepted either. A deed is accepted only when it is both sincere and correct. Sincere means done for Allah, and correct means in accordance with the Sunnah.
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him), while explaining the saying of Allah, the Most High:
فَمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُوْ الِقَآءَ رَبِّهٖ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلاً صَالِحاً وَّلَايُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهٖ اَحَدًا
“So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous work and not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord” [Al-Kahf: 110], said:
فليعمل عملا صالحا (“let him do righteous work”) means that he does a deed that is in accordance with the way prescribed by Allah. And ولا يشرك بعبادة ربه احدا (“and not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord”) means that when performing his deed, he seeks only the pleasure of Allah alone. These are the two pillars of a deed that is accepted in the presence of Allah, the Most High. It must be sincere for Allah and correct according to the Shariah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. [Tafsir Ibn Kathir, edited by Abd al-Razzaq al-Mahdi, 4/452]
➋ Irbad ibn Sariyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ delivered a sermon to us so eloquent that our eyes overflowed with tears and our hearts trembled. A man said: “O Messenger of Allah, it seems to be a farewell address! So what do you advise us?” He ﷺ said: “I advise you to fear Allah, and to hold fast to listening and obeying, even if the one who gives orders is an Abyssinian slave. For whoever among you lives long will see much disagreement. So you must adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of my rightly guided caliphs, hold on to it and grip it with your molars. Beware of newly invented matters, for every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance.” (Abu Dawud: 4607; these wording are also from his narration. Tirmidhi: 6276, and Ibn Majah: 43-44. Tirmidhi called it “hasan sahih”.)
So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed us of disagreement arising in the near period after his blessed time, and he also guided us to the path for avoiding it and staying safe from its harms. This path consists of following his Sunnah and the method of the rightly guided caliphs, and avoiding innovations and newly invented matters. The Messenger ﷺ urged adherence to the Sunnah and encouraged it, saying: فعليكم بسنتي و سنة الخلفاء المهديين الراشيدين “Hold to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of my rightly guided caliphs.”
He also warned against innovations and newly invented matters, saying:
وإياكم ومحدثات الأمور فإن كل محدثة بدعة وكل بدعة ضلالة
➌ Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated in his Sahih (867) from Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ delivered the Friday sermon, he would say:
أما بعد فإن خير الحديث كتاب الله وخير الهدي هدي محمد و شرالأمور محدثاتها وكل بدعة ضلالة
امابعد: The best speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ. The worst matters are newly invented ones, and every innovation is misguidance.
➍ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
فمن رغب عن سنتي فليس مني
“Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me.” [Bukhari 5063, Muslim 1401]
➎ He ﷺ also said:
“O people, I am leaving among you something that, if you hold firmly to it, you will never go astray: the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger.”
He also said:
“I am leaving among you two things; you will never go astray as long as you hold to them: the Book of Allah and my Sunnah.” [Hakim 1/93, no. 318; see also “Al-Hadith”, 14, p. 40]
In the lengthy hadith of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) about the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet ﷺ also said: “I am leaving among you something that, as long as you hold firmly to it, you will never go astray. It is the Book of Allah. And you will be asked about me, so what will you say?” They all said: “We testify that you conveyed the message, fulfilled the trust, and gave sincere advice.” He raised his index finger toward the sky and then lowered it toward the people, and said: “O Allah, be witness, O Allah, be witness,” saying it three times. [Sahih Muslim: 1218]
➏ Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated in his Sahih (7280) from Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “All of my Ummah will enter Paradise except the one who refuses.” They asked: “O Messenger of Allah, who would refuse to enter Paradise?” He said: “Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me has refused.”
➐ Imam al-Bukhari (7288) and Imam Muslim (1337) have narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), and these are the wording of Imam Muslim’s narration. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Avoid what I forbid you from, and carry out what I command you to do to the best of your ability. The people before you were destroyed only because they asked their prophets too many questions and disagreed with them greatly.”
➑ And the Prophet ﷺ said: “None of you will be a believer until his desires are subordinate to what I have brought.”
(1) Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) declared it sahih in al-Arba’in on the narration of Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him), and Hafiz (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Fath al-Bari (13/289):
Al-Bayhaqi in “al-Madkhal” and Ibn Abd al-Barr in his work “Bayan al-Ilm” have mentioned the censure of speaking on a matter purely by opinion from a group of Tabi’un such as Hasan, Ibn Sirin, Shurayh, al-Sha’bi and al-Nakha’i (may Allah have mercy on them), with sound chains, and the hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) comprehends and includes all these matters: “None of you will be a believer until his desires are subordinate to what I have brought.”
(1) Hasan ibn Sufyan and others narrated it. The narrators of its chain are trustworthy (thiqah), and al-Nawawi declared it sahih at the end of al-Arba’in.
➒ Imam al-Bukhari (1597) and Imam Muslim (1270) narrated that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Black Stone, kissed it and said:
“I know that you are a stone; you can neither harm nor benefit. Had I not seen the Prophet ﷺ kissing you, I would not have kissed you.”
➓ Imam Muslim (2644) narrates from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward like the rewards of those who follow him, and this will not diminish anything from their rewards; and whoever calls to misguidance will have a sin like the sins of those who follow him, and this will not diminish anything from their sins.
Just as the texts in the Book and the Sunnah contain encouragement and emphasis on following the Sunnah and admonition to avoid innovations, so too there are many reports from the righteous predecessors of the Ummah, namely the Companions and Tabi’un who followed the example of the Book and Sunnah, and the righteous of the later generations, in which following the Sunnah is enjoined, the innovations are warned against, and avoiding them is emphasised.
Among them are these:
➊ Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
اتبعوا ولا تبتدعو فقد كفيتم
“Follow, do not innovate; you have already been sufficed, i.e., you have no need for personal opinion.”
➋ Uthman ibn Hadir (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
“I went to Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and asked him for advice. He said: Yes, hold firmly to piety of Allah, be steadfast, follow, and keep away from innovation.”
➌ The saying of Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him):
“Whoever wishes to meet Allah tomorrow as a Muslim should observe these prayers regularly (in congregation) wherever the adhan is called, for Allah the Exalted has prescribed for your Prophet ﷺ the ways of guidance, and these prayers are among the ways of guidance. If you began to pray in your homes as those who stay behind from the congregation do, you would abandon the Sunnah of your Prophet ﷺ, and if you abandoned the Sunnah of your Prophet ﷺ, you would go astray.”
➍ The saying of Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both):
“Every innovation is misguidance, even if people consider it good.”
➎ Sayyiduna Mu’adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“Keep away from newly invented matters, for indeed every newly invented matter is undoubtedly misguidance.”
➏ A man wrote a letter to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) asking about divine decree (taqdir), and he replied in writing:
اما بعد: .
“I advise you to have taqwa of Allah, to be moderate in His affair, and to follow the Sunnah of His Prophet ﷺ; and to avoid what the people of innovation invented after the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ had been established and affirmed, for they had no need of it. So adhere to the Sunnah, for it will protect you, by the grace and kindness of Allah.”
➐ Sahl ibn Abdullah said:
“Whoever introduces something new into knowledge will be asked about it on the Day of Judgement; if it was in accordance with the Sunnah he will be saved, otherwise not.”
➑ Shaykh al-Islam Abu Uthman Nisaburi said:
“Whoever makes the Sunnah the ruler over himself in speech and action, wisdom will flow from his tongue. And whoever makes his desires the ruler over his speech and action, innovation will flow from his tongue.”
➒ Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Whoever introduces an innovation into Islam and considers it good, he has thereby claimed that Muhammad ﷺ betrayed the message of Allah, because Allah the Exalted says: اَلْيَوْمَ اَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِيْنَكُمْ “This day I have perfected your religion for you.” So whatever was not religion at that time cannot be religion today.”
➓ Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
“The principles of Ahl al-Sunnah with us are: strict adherence to and following of the way of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, avoidance of innovations, and the belief that every innovation is misguidance.”
