WHAT DOES BID'AH MEAN?
(( The best guidance is the guidance..of Muhammad, The worst affairs are the Innovated ones (bid’ahs)…Every bid’ah is heresy…And every heresy is going astray…...And every astray act is in the Hellfire.”)) (Muslim)
n
ONCE, ON A VERY HOT DAY in Madinah, three men came together
to one of the houses of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam. "They
spoke to his wife" said Anas ibn Malik, the young Muslim boy who spent ten
years in the service of the Messenger of Allah. The men came with the intention
of finding out what kind of lbadah, or worship, did the Prophet, sallallahu
alayhe wa sallam have. When they learned about it, they thought that it was
little and not sufficient for them. They said, "Who are we compared to the
Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam? No one can attain a stronger eman than
his, and in addition to that, Allah Has forgiven all of his sins."
Therefore, they thought, "common folks like us have to do more
lbadah." And so, one of them said, "I will do tahajjud, offer salah
throughout the night, forever." The other said, "I will fast every
day of the year and will not miss a day of fasting for the rest of my
life." The third said, "I will abstain from women and will never
marry."
Sounds like good ways
of doing more worship and getting nearer to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala? Not
exactly. When the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, was told of what the)
said, he did not approve of it. He, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, sent for them,
and when they came to him, he sked "Are you the people who said such and
such? (repeating what they promised they will do to increase their worship of
Allah)." He then told them, "I swear by Allah that I am the one who
fears and pleases Allah most among you, yet I fast and break my fast, I make
salah at night and sleep, and marry women. This is my sunnah." And
continued, to make a strong emphasis of this point, by saying, "And
whosoever turns away from my sunnah does not belong to me.
This incident, narrated
by Anas ibn Malik, and reported in Sahih al-Bukhari, was the first event in
which Some Muslims wanted, in good
intention, to worship Allah, in a way that was not in accordance with the
Sunnah and the way of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam. Regardless of
how good the intention is, inventing ways for worship using mere opinions or
one's desires, is haram and is a deviation which can lead the 'innovator' away
from the right path of Islam.
This incident, however,
was not to be the last. Each time the Muslim communities or individuals lost
their strong ties to eman and authentic Islamic knowledge, new bid'ahs were
formed and old ones revived. Some of these innovations, unfortunately, are
still practiced today. And so the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam who was
aware that such bid'ahs will appear in his Urnmah-strongly warned against them.
In the Qur'an and the Sunnah, there is a clear evidence that bid'ahs are means
of misguidance that can indeed lead
Someone to Hellfire. In
the famous and authentic hadeeth of Khutbatul Hajah, the starter speech, which
is usually said by Muslims at the beginning of each speech, the Prophet,
sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, said, "To proceed: the truest speech is the
Book of Allah. The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The worst affairs
are the innovated ones. Every innovation is a bid'ah. And every bid'ah is going
astray. And every astray act is in the Hellfire." (Muslim) A very strong
admonition indeed. Muslims repeat this reminder for as long as there is life on
this earth. That is how grave the matter of bid'ah is.
COMDITIOMS FOR DEEDS TO BE
ACCEPTED
It is
important at the outset of this discussion that the subject of al-Amal
as-Saleh, the good deed, be mentioned because only this kind of deed is
accepted by Allah. Allah says, "So whoever hopes for meeting his Lord, let
him work righteousness and associates none as a partner in the worship of his
Lord." Also, He says, "He Who created Death and Life, that He may try
which of you is best in deed." [67:2] Imam alFudayl ibn Eyadh said,
"Best in deed means, the most sincere and most correct. If the deed is
sincere but not correct, it will not be accepted. If it is correct but not
sincere, it will not be accepted. The sincere deed is the one offered to Allah
alone and the correct deed is the one performed according to the Sunnah."
Sincerity and correctness then are the two conditions necessary for our deed to
be accepted:
Sincerity of Intention
Sincerity in intention means that the deed is to be done for the sake of
Allah only. Allah says, "Verily it is we who have revealed the Book to you
in truth: so worship Allah, by offering religious deeds sincerely to Him.
Surely, religion is for Allah." [39:2-3] ibn Katheer said, "This
means Allah does not accept any deed save that which is sincerely devoted to
Him alone." Allah also says, "And they were commanded not, but to
worship Allah, and worship none save Him Alone, and to perform salah, and give
zakah; and that is the right religion." [89:5]
The
Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, said, "Deeds are but by intention.
And every man shall have but that which he intended." (Bukhari and Muslim)
Following of the Sunnah
This condition applies equally to the deeds of the hearts, known as
beliefs, and to the deeds of the organs, known as the acts of worship.
These
two parts of deeds are the gravitational forces of lbadah and the center of
eman, which is defined as the beliefs of the heart, the utterances of the
tongue, and the performance of the acts of worship. All deeds of the heart,
like loving for the sake of Allah, and all acts of worship, like salah,
fasting, and Hajj, must be conducted in full submission and according to the
Sunnah. Among the plentiful evidences from the Qur'an and Sunnah supporting
this condition are the following:
Allah says, "Say,
if you do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins;
for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [3:31] Therefore, the one sign
which indicates that someone truly loves the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa
sallam, is the following of his example, his Sunnah. In another verse, Allah
tells that all paths other than the sunnah (His straight Path) will lead one
astray, "Verily, this is My Straight Path, follow it, and follow not
(other) paths for they will separate you away from His Path. This, He has
ordained for you that you may be righteous." [6:135]
The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, said, "Make salah in the same fashion you have seen me make it." (Bukhari). The same order of course applies to all other types of worships and deeds. He also said, "I leave in your hands two things, and you will never go astray as long as you hold fast to both of them: the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of his Messenger." (Authentic, Muwatta and al-Hakim) and "Whoever introduces a new matter into our religion, which is not originally part of it, will have it reject." (Muslim) The essence of this condition is: If a deed is not a sunnah, then most likely it is a bid'ah. It is important for every Muslim, therefore, to understand these two conditions for
they are the very
foundation of our religion.
WHAT DOES BID'AH MEAN?
In Arabic, the name bid'ah means, "the unprecedented made up thing." Allah says about Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, "I am not a bid'ah (new thing) among the Messengers." [46:9] The tafseer of this verse is, "I am not the first Messenger but there were other Messengers before me."
Linguistically, the word bid'ah is used to name and describe something
new. One that has no previous example, both the good and the evil, but mostly
evil.
DEFINING BID'AH
Ash-Shatibi said, "bid'ah is a made-up way,
a way introduced into the religion that
emulates the authorized (authentic) way, and
is followed and observed in order to
worship Allah more." (al-latisam, 1/37)
lbn
Rajab said, "Bid'ah is a newly invented
matter which has no evidence to prove
its origin in the Shan 'ah. If
it has an origin in the Shari'ah, then
it is not considered bid'ah even if it
is called as such from the linguistic
point of view." (Jami al-Uloom, 265)
As-Soyouti
said, "Bid'ah is an act that contradicts
the Shari 'ah, adds to the Shariah, or
omits from it." (al-Amru
bili-ltibaa, 88)
These definitions
outline the main characteristics of what bid'ah is in Islam, which are
summarized as follows:
§
Bid'ah
is about introducing something new into the religion. This excludes the matters
which are not intended as religious acts or rites of worship, but are rather
intended for worldly use like new tools and devices to facilitate living. For
examole. introducing a new tvne ofsalah. thikr. sivarn- so on and so forth is considered bid'ah. But the invention and use of microphones in making the aathan (call for salah) is not.
§ Bid'ah is the matter which has no origin in the Shari'ah.Therefore, matters that have origin in Shari'ah are not considered bid'ah. Contemporary examples are inventing or acquiring fighter planes, tanks, missiles, or other modern arms to defend Islam and Muslims. This is not considered bid'ah even if the weapon was not known at the time of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam. The origin for introducing and using such means of defense is included in the
verse
of the 'Preparation,' "And make ready against them all you can of
power." [8:60]
§
All
types of bid'ah are bad and forbidden. There is no such
thing
as a good bid'ah because all types of bid'ah are in opposition of Shari'ah. Some
people try to take advantage of a report from Umar ibnul Khattab in which he
mentioned "good bid'ah," as an evidence that their bid'ah is also
good.
But the rule is very
simple: if it has no evidence in the Qur'an, Sunnah, ljmaa or Qiyaas, it is a
bid'ah and it is haram.
§
Bid'ah
includes all additions into, and omissions from, the religion. Omission here
does not pertain to those who are intentionally neglectful; these are sinners.
Nor does it pertain to those who do not perform certain acts because they are
optional.
Thus, it is very
important to understand that bid'ah is an invented matter, something not
sustained by Qur'an, Sunnah, ljmaa, nor understood from supporting evidences
and concluded by reliable scholars. Bid'ah, therefore, can easily be recognized.
It lacks evidence. Obvious examples are: prohibiting oneself or others from the
halal meat and clothes which Allah made lawful. Allah says, "0 you who
believe! Do not prohibit the good things that Allah made lawful to you."
[5:87] Or making prohibited things lawful like adultery, alcohol consumption,
usury, etc.
BID'AH IS MORE EVIL THAN SINNING
The Prophet, sallallahu
alayhe wa sallam, the companions, and the renowned scholars have denounced and
spoken strongly against bid'ah because of its evil. It is actually more evil
than sinning. Allah's Messenger said, "Allah has with-
held the repentance
from every person of bid'ah." (Authentic, Tabarani) Imam al-Ghazali said,
"Bid'ah is more evil than sinning." Sufiyan ath-Thawri said,
"Bid'ah is more beloved to Satan than sinning because it is possible to
repent
from sin but not from
bid'ah." This is true because:
means that the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, did not convey the
whole Message he was trusted to convey to all mankind. Imam Malik said,
"Whosoever introduces a bid'ah into this Urnmah that was not embraced by
its predecessors is in fact claiming that Allah's Messenger betrayed the
Message. This is because Allah says, "This day I have completed
your religion for you, fulfilled My favor upon you, and chosen for you Islam as
your religion." Therefore what was not (part of the) religion then; it is
not (part of the) religion today." This accusation by itself is worse than
sinning. Bid'ah is a total
opposition to the Shari'ah. In reality, the person of bid'ah sees himself as a
rectifier amending or improving the Shari'ah. He feels what the Shari'ah is
providingin that aspect for which he is inventing the bid'ahis insufficient for
him, and so he rectifies that by the bid'ah thinking that the bid'ah will make
him worship Allah better. But Satan's primary goal is to make man commit Kufr
and
Shirk, and when he cannot, he tries to make man invent a bid'ah. This is
usually easier for Satan because bid'ah makes a person feel that he is
worshipping Allah not sinning. Also, the effect of sinning, for the most part,
is limited to the sinning person, while bid'ah damages the religion itself.
Furthermore, bid'ah is the gate to Kufr and Shirk, Imam lbn Hanbal said,
"Allah says, "What! Have they partners with Allah, who have
instituted for them a religion which Allah has not allowed." [42:21]
Therefore, anyone who recommends an act of worship that is not instituted by
Allah or makes it an obligation through saying or action, is in reality
instituting a religion that is not allowed by Allah. And if any one follows him
in that, he too is taking partner with Allah."
There
are two reasons behind the bid'ah emergence:
1. Allah's Preordainment
Allah decided it this way and He is All-Wise. Allah says, "And if
your Lord had so willed. He could have made mankind one nation, but they will
not cease to disagree. Except those on whom your Lord has bestowed His Mercy, and
for that He created them. And the word of your Lord shall be fulfilled, 1 will
fill Hell with Jinns and men all together':' [11:117-118] Allah is very well
able to make all
people believers.
Still, for some reasons ofhikmah, wisdom, He chose that people be different in
their religions, opinions, and convictions. Disagreements, dissents,
differences, and fights common to mankind applies to Muslims also!
Disagreements are not all wrong though. They can be one of two types:
A)
Disagreement
over issues that are subject to ljtihad -scholarly deduction and conclusion.
This type is acceptable. Muslims indulging in such disputes are not condemned
and are not subject to Allah's punishment.
B)
Disagreement
that falls under the saying of Allah, "Verily, those who divide their
religion and break up into sects, you (0 Muhammad) have no part in them in the
least." [6:159]
This condemned type of disagreement applies to the people who invent
bid'ah and follow their desires. The fundamental principles of their beliefs
and worship are different from the sunnah and the way it was understood and
practiced by the Companions of the Prophet.
2. Human
Choices
A) Following One's Own Desire.
Allah says, "They follow but a guess (Thann) and that which, they themselves
desire, whereas there has come to them the guidance from their Lord."
[53:23] Scholars are in agreement that "The origin of deviation is the
following of guess and desire." This is why the people of bid'ah are
called the people of desires. Umar ibnul-Khattab said, "Be aware of the
people of 'mere opinions' for they are the enemies of the sunnah. They were
unable to memorize the ahadeeth, therefore, they switched to opinions
misleading themselves and others." Those who follow their desires first decide
what they like, then they search for evidences in the Qur'an and in the Arabic
language to support these desires. This is exactly the opposite of the
people-of-sunnah who follow the evidence wherever it may land them. They are
the servants of the evidence not vice versa. On the other hand, when the
people-of-
desire find the evidences to be in disagreement with what they believe,
they will tamper with it and change it to make it fit the desires they seek.
B) Lack of Knowledge of
the Shari'ah:
Some people know very little about the Qur'an and the Sunnah, the
foundations of all Islamic Knowledge. Chances are high that they end up in
bid'ah. Our Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, has informed us about the
disappearance
of knowledge and what
would happen to people after that. He said, "Allah does not remove
knowledge by taking it away from people, knowledge disappears when true
scholars die. When no real scholar is left among people, they take ignorant
people as leading scholars to ask them questions. They will answer them without
knowledge and thus mislead themselves and others." (Bukhari) These
people's lack of Knowledge causes them to follow the unclear texts of Qur'an
and Sunnah and abandon the obvious and evident texts. Umar ibnul-Khattab said,
"Soon will come people who will use the unclear-texts ofQur'an to argue
with you. If they do so, challenge them with sunnah for the people-of-sunnah
are much more knowledgeable about Allah's Book."
C) Imitation of
Traditions
One of the root-causes ofbid'ah is the imitation of different
traditions:
§
Imitation
of the tradition of the forefathers and the Shaikhs Many people are captivated
by the traditions of their forefathers and their Shaikhs and they will not be willing
to break away from them regardless if they are right or wrong. Allah says,
"We found our fathers following a certain tradition and we guide ourselves
in their footsteps" [43:23] This type of ill-fated imitation leads people
to follow the false opinions of other people like them and forsake the Qur'an
and the Sunnah.
§
Imitation
of Schools of Thought or Sects. This condemned imitation has led people to many
bid'ah. Most of the deviated sects establish their own invented principles and
judge people accordingly. Those who follow and abide by their principles are
believers, and those who do not are the infidels or the sinners. Many Sufis,
students of Fiqh, and others who follow a certain sect or religious figurehead-
other than the Prophet- in their knowledge and religious convictions do not
accept any opinion save that produced by their own sect.
§
Following
the Customs and Popular Practices. This type of imitation is one of the worst
types. Once the bid'ah becomes a custom and a common practice among people, it
will not be susceptible to criticism, changes or opposition. It will be
difficult to break away from this bid'ah because most people are doing it, and
very few are criticizing it. Ibn Masoud said, "What will you do if you are
overwhelmed by a long lasting bid'ah tribulation, the old becomes frail, the
young becomes old and people believe it to be sunnah? And when it is changed
they say, the sunnah is changed!" They asked, "When will this happen
0 Abu Abdur-Rahman?" He said, 'When your readers of Qur'an become
plentiful and your scholars of Fiqh few. Your rulers become plentiful and your
honest ones few. And when the worldly gain is acquired through Hereafter's
deeds'." (Authentic, Darimi and Hakim)
WHAT MAKES BID’AH SPREAD
& FLOURISH
There are many factors that can help spread a bid'ah, and through out our history we have seen the people of bid'ah use all extreme necessary to eliminate obstacles from their way. Not all of these methods are outlined here because they are too many to list. Instead, only three categories of ways are mentioned to give some examples. Special emphasis, however, should be added to the relationship of the people of bid'ah with governments. Government have used them against the rest of the Muslims, and they have used the governments to promote their bid'ah. Similar trends are prevailing today.
1. Government adoption of bid'ah or their silence about
it is a major reason that allows the spread of bid'ah. History teaches us that
many bid'ah spread and flourished because rulers championed it. A famous and
good example is the bid'ah of Mu'atazilah sect. They were successful in
influencing many of Abbasid Khaleefas to propagate and force their bid'ah on
people. Imam AI-Lalakaie said,
"The convictions
of people of bid'ah were never able to emerge save by oppressor ruler's support
who is willing to go to any extreme to make his bid'ah prevail and to turn
Muslims away from their religion. He forces his bid'ah on people with his
sword, whip, bribe, or whatever it takes to divert them away from
Allah's
Path -or through the support of a stubborn vicious sinner
"human-satan" who covertly tricks people into his bid'ah."
2. The
oratorical eloquence of the person of bid'ah plays a substantial role in
propagating his bid'ah. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, said,
"Some eloquence works like magic." (Muslim) It was never a
coincidence that in every generation of the Mu'tazilah there existed a very
eloquent advocate of their bid'ah, like Wassail ibn Attaa, Az-Zamakhshari, etc.
3.
Cooperation among the people of bid'ah always played a role in the spreading of
the bid'ah. It even became common to hear people saying in their
proverbs, "Such and such respected such and such as the Shiite and the Mu'tazilah do with each other." The history of deviated Qaramitah, Ismailiah among others, is the strongest evidence and a great lesson to the people-of-sunnah.
Taken from Al-Jumuah
Magazine
Scanned by brother
Bin Ali Jazahu Allahu khair for al-sunnah.com
Page