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[Continued...]

The sayings from the second and third generation scholars

Hasan al-Basree said, "Do not sit with the people of innovation.  Do not debate with them or listen to them." [ad-Daarimee 1/121]

Abul 'Aaliyah said, "Learn Islam. Then when you have learned Islam, do not turn away from it to the right or to the left, but be upon the Straight Path and be upon the Sunnah of your Prophet and that which his Companions were upon... and beware of these innovations because they cause enmity and hatred amongst you, but stick to the original state of affairs that was there before they divided." [al-Hilya of Abu Nuaym 2/218]

Sufyaan ath-Thawri said, "Innovations are more beloved to shaytaan than sin, since a sin may be repented from but an innovation is not repented from." [Sharh Usool I'tiqaad of al-Laalikaaee (d. 414h) no.238, the great 4th century Imaam who wrote on the belief of Ahl usSunnah.]  This is because the innovator believes he is doing something good and therefore sees no need to repent.  He also said, "...so cling to the original state of affairs," [al-Hilya 6/376] meaning the way of the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam and his companions.

Imaam al-Awzaa'ee said, "Patiently restrict yourselves to the Sunnah, and pause where the people paused, say what they said, and avoid what they avoided.  Take to the path of the Salaf (predecessors), for indeed, what was sufficient for them is sufficient for you." [ash-Sharee'ah p58]

Ibraaheem al-Masayrah said, "He who honours an innovator has assisted in the demolition of Islaam." [Sharh Usool I'tiqaad 1/139]

The sayings of the Four Imaams

Imaam Abu Hanifah said, "Stick to the narrations and the way of the Salaf, and beware of newly-invented matters for all of it is innovation." [Sawnul Mantaq of as-Suyuti p32]

Imaam Malik said, "He who innovates an innovation in Islaam regarding it as something good, has claimed that Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has betrayed his trust to deliver the message as Allaah Says (what means), "This day I have perfected for you your religion."  And whatsoever was not part of the religion then, is not part of the religion today." [al-I'tisaam]  He also said, "How evil are the people of innovation, we do not give them salaam." [al-Ibaanah of Ibn Battah (died 387h) no. 441]

Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee said, "Whosoever considers an innovation to be good has corrected the Prophet." [Bulghul Maraam of Ibn Hajar (available in English) p190 footnote 2]  And all that has been related from him that contradicts this statement, regarding innovation as being of two types is either weak or baseless as al-Haafidh adh-Dhahabee and others from the scholars of hadith state.

Imaam Ahmad said, "The fundmental principles of the Sunnah with us are: ... avoiding innovation and every innovation is misguidance." [Usool usSunnah (available in English) p.1]

Imaam al-Bukhari said, "I have met more than a thousand scholars...(then he named the more prominent in each of the lands he visited) and I found that they all agreed on the following points: ...they all used to prohibit bid'ah - that which the Prophet and his Companions were not upon, because of the saying of Allaah, '...and hold fast to the rope of Allaah and do not separate.' " [From his article on belief, quoted in Sharh Usool I'tiqaad 1/170.  Amongst the scholars he met were Ahmad bin Hanbal, Abu Ubaid al-Qaasim, ibn Ma'een, ibn Aasim, ibn Abi Shaybah, and Abu Saalih the scribe of Layth bin Sa'ad]

What we have narrated to you here is a small number of narrations from amongst literally hundreds from the early scholars of Islaam with regard to the sin of innovation.  It is unfortunate that the later generations of Muslims have lost contact with our Salaf, for it is through them that we gain the true understanding of the religion, and they were prolific in speaking out against and writing about innovation - even today we have whole volumes of works from them dealing with this topic alone.  If only we would turn our attention to the legacy of our Salaf!

The arguments of the innovators

This is a time when everyone is satisfied with his opinion, hence the multitude of innovations commonly witnessed today, despite the plethora of proofs presented above.  Know that every example which the ignorant ones bring, from the actions of the Companions, to support their belief in 'good innovations', is misunderstood and manifests their lack of knowledge and concern for the Sunnah.  All of the following examples either have a clear basis in the Sharee'ah, or occurred due to necessity, or from the ijtihaad of the Companion in question - none of them being an innovation.  Insh'Allaah we shall mention a few of the more common excuses:

1. When Umar, raddi Allaahu anhu, was the Khalifah, he collected the Muslims to pray in congregation for tarawih prayers, and said, "What a good bid'ah this is." [Bukhari]  From this, they derive their belief of a good innovation.  Firstly, it becomes necessary to explain the context of what happened.  When the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam first emigrated to Madeenah, the Muslims prayed tarawih individually, and then for three nights they prayed in congregation behind the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam.  After this, he stopped them doing so saying, "I feared that it would become obligatory upon you."  So after this the Muslims would pray individually or in small congregations throughout the rule of Abu Bakr, and the beginning of 'Umar's rule.  Then 'Umar came to the masjid and saw the Muslims praying in small groups behind different Imaams, so he collected them together in one congregation behind one Imaam and made the aforementioned statement [Bukhari].  So how can this action of 'Umar be understood to be a new act of worship when the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam did it during his lifetime?  Secondly, the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam gave the reason why he stopped the congregational prayer, because revelation was still descending, and he feared that praying in congregation might become obligatory upon his nation and hence make the religion hard upon them.

After the death of Rasulallaah sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, revelation ceased so this concern was no longer necessary.  Hence Umar raddi Allaahu anhu reinstated the tarawih prayer in congregation during his rule because he knew that his action could not be made obligatory upon the Ummah.  Thirdly, all the companions agreed upon this action of 'Umar, thus there was a consensus (ijma) on it. And the scholars of Usool (fundamental principles) have stated that ijma cannot occur except when there is a clear text for it in the Sharee'ah.

So what is the correct understanding of 'Umar's words, "a good bid'ah"?  The word bid'ah here is to be understood in its linguistic sense, "something new," because tarawih in one congregation was not present during the rule of Abu Bakr and the beginning of 'Umar's rule, hence in that sense it was something new.  The Sharee'ah sense (defined earlier) cannot be understood here because it does not fulfi  the conditions of being a new act of worship.  Abu Yusuf said, "I asked Abu Hanifah about the tarawih and what 'Umar did and he said, 'The tarawih is a stressed Sunnah, and 'Umar did not do that from his own opinion, nor was there in his action any innovation, and he did not enjoin it except that there was a foundation for it with him and authorisation from the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.'" [Sharh Mukhtaar as quoted from him in al- Ibdaa of Shaykh Ali Mahfooz p80]

2. The collection of the Qur'aan into one book after the death of Rasulallaah sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam and the statement of Abu Bakr, "How can we do that which was not done by the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam." [Bukhari]  The proof, according to them, being that the companions collected the Qur'aan in a book form after the time of the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam without him enjoining it - hence it being an innovation which the companions agreed upon as being good.

Upon closer examination this is actually an evidence against these people, not for them.  When 'Umar came to Abu Bakr and said that the Qur'aan had to be collected as a book, he did not argue on the basis of bid'ah hasanah, rather he argued on the basis of necessity - because many of the people who h d memorised the Qur'aan by heart were being martyred, and therefore the Qur'aan was in danger of being lost and hence it had to be collected in book form.  When Abu Bakr replied, he did not say, "Oh yes I agree with you, this is a bid'ah hasanah," rather he argued that the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam did not do this, so how could they?  It was only after the necessity was made clear to him that he agreed.

So, in conclusion, the collection of the Qur'aan as a book was something the companions agreed upon due to necessity, not considering it to a good bid'ah.

3. The hadith, "Whoever starts in Islaam a good practice (sunnah), he gets the reward of it and the reward of all those that act on it.  And whosoever starts in Islaam an evil practice (sunnah), he gets the evil of it and the evil of all those that act on it." [Muslim]  The evidence that they derive from this hadith is that people can invent new practices in Islaam which are either good or bad.  Of course, if they were to take the hadith in its full context then it is not possible to derive this meaning.

The context of the hadith states that a group of poor people came to the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam so he asked those around him to give charity, but no one came forward - so much so that signs of anger could be discerned on the face of Rasulallaah sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, so one of the companions stepped forward and gave charity, so the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam said the above hadith.

Firstly, the word 'sunnah' which is used in this hadith cannot be understood to mean the Sunnah of Rasulallaah sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, because that would imply that there is something bad in the Sunnah; rather it is to be understood in its linguistic meaning of 'practice'.

Secondly, this action the companion did was not something new in Islaam, since giving charity was already legislated from the very first days of Islaam; rather he was simply implementing it, so the statement of the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam "a good sunnah" was said at a time when the people were reluctant to give charity, so one man started to give the charity and others followed him in it.  Thus, he revived a Sunnah at a time when the people were reluctant to practice it, and this is the meaning of "a good sunnah."  Hence, in the early works of 'aqeedah, this hadith was included under the chapter headings, "The reward of the one who renews the Sunnah." [For example Sharh Usool I'tiqaad 1/50]

The meaning of "a bad sunnah" is similar.  It is renewing or starting something that the Sharee'ah has already declared to be bad, and the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam gave the example of the two sons of Aadam alayhis salaam wa 'alaa Nabiyina, one killing the other.  So upon the murderer was the sin of the killing and the sin of all those that killed after him, without their sins being reduced.

Thirdly, the hadith uses the terms 'good' and 'bad', and the Sharee'ah has already defined in its totality all that is good and all that is bad.  This is what is pointed to in the statement of Imaam ashShaafi'ee in his refutation of Istihsaan (declaring something to be good) when he said, "Whoever declares something to be good, he has declared it part of Sharee'ah." [ar-Risaala]

These are just a few of many of the feeble examples that these misguided people bring to support their belief, and it should now be clear that none of them hold any weight, so let us learn from this the great importance of studying the Qur'aan and Sunnah in its context, with the explanation of the Companions - after that, we leave them floundering in the abyss of misguidance that they have dug for themselves, whilst asking Allaah to guide them!

So once this basic subject becomes clear, a subject which no one can deny, then know that all these innovations in the deen such as kissing the thumbs when the name of Muhammad sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam is mentioned, doing dhikr in congregation with one voice, doing dhikr with excessive bodily movements such as swinging the head from left to right or dancing in circles, invoking salaam upon the Prophet sallaallaahu alayhi wa sallam before the adhaan is called, seeking intercession and blessings at the graves of dead 'saints', raising graves and building memorials over them, the 'Eed of the Prophet's birthday and hundreds of others; all of them are a clear denial of the above ayaat, ahaadeeth and narrations of the Salaf, for none of them were practised by the Companions.

We leave you with this hadith: "...so he who follows my Sunnah has been guided, and he who follows the innovation has been destroyed." [Ahmad]

And the Saying of Allaah the Most Wise (which means), "And whosoever contends with the Messenger after guidance has been plainly conveyed to him, and follows a way other than the way of the believers (the Companions), We shall leave him in the path he has chosen and land him in Hell - what an evil destination!" [4:115] 

And Allaah Knows Best.