The Concept of Bid'ah
Today some people openly criticise many of the actions of the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah as Bid'ah. Whenever a gathering is organised on the joyous occasion of the Prophets birth - a fatwa of Bid'ah is immediately issued. Even before the eesaal-e-Sawaab of the deceased has been arranged a fatwa of Bid'ah arrives. Wherever Durood is recited before or after the Adhan through respect and love and for the attainment of blessings, the fatwa of bid'ah is ever present.
It is within this environment that it is deemed appropriate to present the true context and concept of Bid'ah.
In doing so, three strands will be established.
1) The claim that the Shar'i Bid'ah refers to every new act is incorrect
2) Every thing in essence is permissible.
3) The true concept of Bid'ah.
First Strand - Everv new practice is not Bid'ah
Although in diction Bid'ah can refer to every new act, the Bid'ah that is condemned by Shari'ah as astray is something else.
Extremists claim that bid'ah is that practice which was not found in the blessed time of the Prophet, the Khulafa-ur-Rashidoon or the Sahaba.
Before accepting this definition we must ask how many bottles of Coca Cola our Prophet drunk! How many did the Sahaba drink ? Or 7 Up, Fanta, tea etc. Such a definition would label countless practices as Bid'ah because none of them were found during the blessed time of the Prophet or the Sahaba.
On hearing this the extremists immediately alter their stance and claim that such aforementioned items are not Bid'ah, but only those new practices which people undertake for reward.
This statement prompts further questions:
1) Was this definition of Bid'ah presented with the intention of reward? If so, is such a definition of Bid'ah found in the time of the Prophet or the Sahaba ? If so, what is the source? If not, then this definition of Bid'ah is itself Bid'ah!
2) The Deen is not restricted only to Prayer & Fasting (i.e rituals) but extends to all aspects of life - even food and drink. For example, Islam has determined some foods as haram and the rest as permissible, it has recommended eating & drinking with the right hand, to eat whilst sitting and drinking in 3 sips etc.
3) If introducing new items into the Deen is Bid'ah, reflect upon the following concepts:
The Greatest source of the Deen is the Qur'an. Its punctuation was neither determined by the Prophet nor the Sahaba, rather it was Hajjaj ibnn Yusuf who inserted punctuation into the holy scripture.
Neither the Prophet nor the Sahaaba lkraam constructed minarets over mosques.
The current religious school system, specify syllabi, class system, annual examinations were not found in the time of the Prophet nor the Sahaaba.
4) If every new act is Bid'ah, the Prophet would never have stated
"Whoever initiates a good practice in Islam and then acted upon it, he will be entitled to reward similar to that of those who followed it, and the reward of the latter will not be affected in any way. And whoever initiates a bad practice in Islam and then acted upon it, he will be entitled to loss similar to that of those who followed it, and the loss of the latter will not be affected in any way" (Muslim).
5) If every new act is Bid'ah, the great Muhadditheen would never have explained the following 5 types of Bid'ah:
Wajib, Haram, Mandoob, Mubah, Makruh.
6) A Wahabi scholar, Allama Waheed-uz-Zaman, writes:
" As for Literal Bid'ah, it is divided into mubah, makruh, good and evil" (Hadiya-tul-Mahdi)
If every new act was an evil Bid'ah, is it possible to even contemplate a good bid'ah?
7) In quoting Hafiz ibn Kathir, Allama Waheed-uz-Zaman writes, "Bid'ah is of two types. One is Bid'ah of astray which is also referred to as evil. The second is Bid'ah Hidaaya which is also known as good. The bid'ah which is contrary to the commandments of Allah & His Prophet is the Bid'ah of misguidance and evil and the bid'ah which is in accordance with the commandments of Allah & His Prophet but has no previous precedence, for example new ways of being generous or new forms of good deeds (like establishing orphanages or houses for widows, poor, disabled or library, or schools of manufacturing, business, agriculture, medicine or religious science) is Bid'ah Hasanah and there is an expectation of reward for it based upon the hadith
"Whoever initiates a good practice in Islam and then acted upon it..."
This was the use made of the word Bid'ah by Hazrat Umar when referring to Taraweeh: It was a good act and in accordance with the teachings of Allah & His Prophet. It was only called Bid'ah because the Prophet had not organised for Taraweeh to be read in such a way. Nor had this happened in the time of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq. It was Hazrat Umar who gathered all the people behind a single Qaari and recommended that taraweeh be read every night and labelled it Bid'ah. However, in reality it was Sunnah because the Prophet had stated "Upon you is my Sunnah & the hannah of the right guided Caliphs after me" and "Follow after me Abu Bakr, Umar and every bid'ah is misguidance". This here is referring to Bid'ah Sayyiah which is contrary to the principles of Shari'ah and is misguided. Here ends the quote of ibn Katheer (Lughatul Hadith).
8. Imam Shafi'i states: "Innovations are of 2 types 1) That innovation which is contrary to the Book, Sunnah, Athaar and ljma', this is termed as the "misquided Bid'ah" 2) That innovation which is good and which is not opposed by any scholar. There is absoluly no censure in this type of innovation.
(Tahzeeb al-Asmaa'i wal lughaat of Imam Nawawi, v2 p 23).
Second Strand - Everthing in essence is Mubah (Permissible)
The practices which the Shari'ah has recommended are either Fard, Wajib, Sunnah or Mustahab.
The practices which Shari'ah has prohibited or about which it has expressed dislike are Haraam, Makruh Tahreemi, Makruh Tanzeehi or Isaa'ah.
The practice/item about which Shari'ah has remained silent - which it has neither recommended nor prohibited - is undoubtedly permissible or Mubah.
In support of this claim, study the following proofs:
1) "Oh you who believe! Ask not about things which, a made plain to you, may cause you trouble. If you ask about them while he Qur'an is being revealed, they will be made plain to you. Allah has forgiven that, and Allah is oft forgiving, Most forbearing" (Al Mai'dah: 101).
This verse explicitly informs mankind that nothing can be rendered compulsory or forbidden without a revelation.
The Deobandi Shaykh-ul-Islam Allamah Shabbir Ahmad Uthmani writes, "The first 2 rukuh are aimed at preventing transgressions and retardness in the Commandments of the Deen. i.e. those items which are impure and forbidden, either absolutely or in specific siuations and times, should be completely refrained from. This verse warns that those items about which the legislator has remained silent should not become the subject of useless questioning and debating. Just as His compulsion and prohibition are means of guidance and enlightenment , His silence too is a source of mercy and comfort. The item which Allah, through His perfect wisdom and justice, has labelled either halal or haram is halal and haram and conversely there is flexibility and scope about which he has remained silent. (It provided) Mujtahids with a subject for ijtihad and people were free to uptake or leave it. If these things were allowed to become the subject of debate & questioning whilst the Qur'an was still being revealed and the door of explanation was still open, certain rulings may have been revealed which would have extinguished such freedoms & possibilities of ijtihad. It would have been a very sorry state of affairs if people were unable to uphold what they had themselves asked for.
He further states
"This either means that those things which Allah had not issued a specific command, the human has discretion in them. Allah will not hold account on these things. Consequently, some Scholars of the principles (of Fiqh) have derived the principle that everything, in the first instance, is permissible. Alternatively it means that Allah has forgiven the previous superfluos questioning but has warned the people to be careful in the future."
Maududi writes
"Some people would ask the Prophet needless and superfluos questions which were nether relevant to the Deen nor Duniya. For example a person once asked the Prophet in a large gathering 'Who is my real father'. In a similar way some would ask needless questions regarding the commandments of Shari'ah and would want, through their constant questioning, specification for those rulings which the legislator had wished to remain genera! (unspecified). For example, the Qur'an briefly commanded that the Hajj was obligatory, on hearing this a man asked the Prophet whiter it was obligatory every year. The Prophet did not reply. He again asked and the Prophet again remained silent. On his third time of asking the Prophet stated "Woe unto you, if I was to say yes, Hajj would become obligatory every year. And it would be you people who would be unable to fulfil it and you would begin to disobey." It is these types of Superflous and unnecessary questions which this verse has forbidden.
The Prophet himself has forbidden serial questioning and enquiring into everything, simply for the sake of it. It is stated in a hadith, "The greatest criminal of the Muslims is that person who asked about something which was not haram, but became haram as a result of his questioning".
In a second hadith he said
"Allah has made things compulsory upon you, do not waste them. Some things he has made haram, do not stumble towards them. He has established some limits so do not transgress them; and on some matters he has chosen to remain silent and did not overlook them, so do not enquire about them".
These 2 ahadith make us aware of an important fact. Where the legislator has been brief and not provided an explanation to a command or those commandments where specific quantities have not been specified, this brevity and lack of explanation is not due to an oversight by the legislator - where he intended to explain but did not - rather, in fact, the legislator did not wish to restrict the commandment with one explanation but wished to widen the scope for people in the commandment. (Tafheem-ul-Qur'an v1 p 507-8)
2. "Those who believe and do righteous good deeds, there is no sin on them for what they ate (in the past), if they fear Allah and believe and do righteous deeds, and again fear Allah and believe, and once again fear Allah and do good deeds with Ihsan. And Allah loves the good doers. (Al Maidah : 93)
This verse also clearly teaches us that until Shari'ah decrees an item to be haram it is permissible. It is for this reason that the verse tells us that those people who ate foods before they had become haram- e.g. alcohol etc there is absolutely no sin. This proves that everything, is in the first instance, Mubah.
3. "Say, I find not in that which has been revealed to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be a dead animal or blood poured forth; or the flesh of swine; for that surely is impure meat which is slaughtered for others than Allah. But whosoever is forced by necessity without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits, certainly your Lord is Oft forgiving, Most Merciful." (Al An'am : l45).
Sayyadina Abdullah ibn Abbas states that the people of Jahiliyah used to eat certain foods and discard others as being wretched. Allah sent his Prophet to them and revealed His book upon them and distinguished the Halal as Halal and the Haram as Haram. Thus whatever it termed as Halal was Halal and whatever it deemed Haram was Haram and about which it remained silent is forgiven and he recited the verse "Say, I find not..." (Abu Dawud. Chapter "What has not been mentioned as haram" - v2 pl83).
A Deobandi Scholar Khalil Ahmad Sahaaranpuri writes, "Sayyadina ibn Abbas recited this verse to let it be known that only revelation can render items haram" (Sharh Abu Dawud v5 p370).
Shah Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlvi writes:
"The reason Hazrat Abdullah ibn Abbas recited this verse I was to let it be known that something can only become haram by way of revelation and it was not permitted to make anything haram through ones own desires - and sometimes revelation is apparent and other times discrete." (Asha'tul Lum'aat v3 p479).
A Wahhabi scholar, Shams-ul-Haq Azeemabadi writes, "This means that whatever is in the Qur'an and whatever has been revealed to me carry a clear warning that the prohibition of something can only be ascertained from revelation and not from desires and hadith is proof of the fact that in essence, all things are is permissible. (Aon-ul Mabood v3 p 417).
A Wahhabi scholar, Ahmad Hassan Dehlvi writes about this hadith, "All the narrators of this hadith are Thiqa and both ibn Mardwiya and Hakim - who has termed it Sahih have mentioned it. Hazrat Abu Darda has narrated a similar hadith on this subject that the Prophet stated, "Whatever Allah has denoted as halal in His book is halal, (and) what He has denoted as haram is haram and about which He has remained silent, it is forgiven, so accept this from Allah for Allah is not One Who forgets anything. the Prophet then recited the verse "your Lord is not one who forgets" (Maryam v 64) Bazzaar has narrated this hadith and claimed its narration to be Sahih. This hadith has also been narrated by Haakim who classed it as Sahih. All the hadith in this subject are proof that in essence all items are halal until they are prohibited (Tanqeeh-ur-Rawaah Sharh Mishkaat v3 p 201).
4. "Who has forbidden the adornment with clothes given by Allah, which He has produced for His slaves, and the pure foods " (Al A'raaf : 32).
This verse reveals that no person today has the right to declare a pure item haram. Prohibition is only proven from revelation. In explaining this verse, Maududi writes
"This means that Allah has created all the adornments in the world for people and it is for this reason that Allah does not intend for them to be haram for the people. Consequently, if any religion, social system or society was to view such things as haram and contemptible or due to waning spirituality they become discarded then this is itself proof that this (ruling) is not from Allah and this is one of the greatest proofs amongst those proofs which the Qur'an has used to discredit false ideologies. Understanding this is necessary in understanding the reasoning of the Qur'an." (Tafheem-ul-Qur'an v.2 p. 23).
5. "Say, bring forward your witnesses, who can testify that Allah has forbidden this" (Al An'aam : 150).
This verse clearly indicates that everything is in essence permissible. Only those things are haram which Allah or, with His bestowed authority, the Prophet decree as haram. If everything had in essence been haram Allah would never had asked the unbelievers to bring further proof of items being haram.
6. "He it is Who has created for you all that is on earth" (Al Baqarah : 29).
This verse also reveals that everything, is in essence, permissible. Apart from the things which Shari'ah declares as haram they have all been created for our benefit.
We have presented before you six verses of the Qur'an and a number of ahadith and their explanations. It should now be as clear as daylight that haram are only those items which Allah and His beloved Prophet have decreed as such. The words of no Scholar. or writer can render anything as haram. In this vain, look at the following two ahadith:
7. The famous Ghair Muqallid Allamah Waheed-uz-Zaman quotes the hadith:
"Everthing is permissible for you until the arrival of anything which prohibits it (i.e: until the Qur'an or hadith prohibit it)". This hadih is a major principle of Islam. All items of food, clothing, social customs and rituals are permissible until a narration proves them to be prohibited. (Lugaat-ul-Hadith).
8. A narration of Salman Farsi is quoted in lbn Majah in which the Prophet was asked, by some of the companions, about the permissibility and prohibition of certain items. He stated, "Halal is that which Allah has made Halal in His book, Haram is that which Allah has made Haram in His book and about which he has remained silent is all forgiven." (ibn Majah p 249).
Today, those who label certain actions (Milad, Eesaal-e-Sawaab gatherings, Durood before and after Azaan etc) of the Ahl-e-Sunnah as Haram and impermissible should contemplate, Has Allah or His Prophet classed any of these actions as haram? If so, could they please show us that verse or hadith. In such a case, we will, by Allah, stop these acts. But if they are unable to find even one verse or hadith which labels the aforementioned acts as haram then they should refrain from such slander for Allah has not granted these people the authority's declare anything as haram.
Third Strand - The reality of Bid'ah
Just as Shirk is a crime, so too is Bid'ah a major transgression. Just as a mushrik's action are null and void, similarly none of a Bidati's actions are accepted by Allah.
In the light of the above facts it is important for every Muslim to refrain from Shirk and Bid'ah because salvation, in all situations, is dependant upon one's connection with the Qur'an and Sunnah.
Just as it is necessary to refrain from Shirk and Bid'ah it is important to refrain from accessing any Muslim of Shirk and Bid'ah for this is not a small matter. One will undoubtedly have to justify his or her accusations on the day of Judgement.
It has previously been established that Shari'ah has not condemned every new act as erroneous. One must also note that the Islamic life span is not just a few centuries but people need to act upon it until Qiyaamah.
One must also recognise that over these centuries there will be hundreds and thousands of new inventions which will serve to propagate; strengthen and glorify Islam. In response to the demands of the time new methods will be sought and found. If all these were to be labelled as Bid'ah Islam would soon become very confined and outdated.
Let us present before you a very easy method of recognising a Bid'ah, the Prophet said,
"When a nation invents a Bid'ah, a similar Sunnah is extinguished" (Mishkat).
Thus a bid'ah is that practice which changes a Sunnah. If an act does not affect a Sunnah then it is not Bid'ah.
To dispel any looming clouds of suspicion let me present a number of examples.
1. Sunnah means way. The Prophet has shown us the way to pray, e.g. there are 3 obligatory rakahs in Maghrib. If someone was to begin reading 2 or 4 rakahs at Maghrib, he will have changed the Prophets way of reading 3 rakahs. This will be labelled as Bid'ah.
2. A person begins to pray Maghrib not with Takbeer and Qiyaam but starts his prayer from Sajdah, then rukuh and then Qiyaam. This practice has also changed the way of the Prophet. This this too will be labelled as bid'ah.
3. A person prays 3 obligatory rakahs in Maghrib and begins with the Qiyaam and then performs the ruku and sajdah. However, instead of reciting the thana, Surah Fatiha and other verses in the Qiyaam he recites Subhana Rabbiyal a'laa 5 times and performs the Qira't in the ruku and reads the Tashahhud in the Sajdah and whilst sitting reads Subhaana rabbiyal Azeem 11 times. Obviously, this would be a change of the Prophets way and would constitute a Bid'ah.
4. The Prophet has taught us the Adhan. He has taught us the words and the ordering. If a person was to reorder the words of the Adhan and recite Hayya Alas salaam in place of Allah u Akbar at the start. This would be a Bidha because the way of the Prophet has been changed.
If someone was to include more words in to the Adhan, the Sunnah of the Prophet would necessarily have changed and this would constitute a bid'ah. An example of this is if someone reads Ash-hadu anna Aliyan Waliullah after Ashadu Anna Muhammadar Rasullalah.
Ibn Baabawiya, the author of one of the four Shia "Sahah Arba'a" writes, "May Allahs curse be upon the Mufawwazah (coders) who have invented a hadith and have increased the Adhan by reciting twice the words Muhammad & his family are the greatest of creation". In some narrations the words "I testify that Ali is Amrer-ul-mu'mineen" are present. There is no doubt that Ali is Waliullah and he is most definitely Amber ul mu'mineen and that Muhammad and his family are the greatest creation but these words are not in the original Adhan".
If adding "I testify that Ali is Waliullah" to the Adhan is incorrect then how is it possible to say "I testify Ali is Ameer-ul-mu'mineen, Imam-ul-muttaqeen, Defeater of the Mushrikeen, Waliullah and Wasi Rasullullah and the direct deputy of the Prophet? Especially as the last phrase is incorrect. If we accept this are we rejecting the Caliphates of Sayyadina Abu Bakr Siddiq, Umar Farooq and Uthman (radiyallahu Anhum) (ma'aaz Allah).
Question: If it is Bid'ah to include anything extra in the Adhan, how is it permissible to recite the durood before or after the Adhan?
Answer: The Adhan begins with Allah-u-Akbar and finishes with La ilaaha illallah. We categorically and unequivocally state that if Durood Shareef or Du'a is recited whilst considering it a part of the Adhan, then this is Bid'ah. We openly state that durood and Du'a are separate from Adhan, they are 2 different things. However, if Durood or Du'a are read with the Adhan for barakah then this is in line with the teachings of the Prophet.
The Prophet said "Read Durood upon me after the Adhan for whoever reads Durood upon me once Allah will send 10 blessings upon him." (Abu Dawud, Muslim, Nasa'i).
Nasa'i Shareef contains a whole chapter entitled "Reciting Durood upon the Prophet after the Adhan.
The practice of the Muazzin of the Prophet, Sayyadina Bilal, was that Bilal, after Adhan, would stand at the doorstep of the Prophet and say "Peace be upon you O Prophet , The Prayer (is ready) Oh Prophet" (Tanweer-ul-Mawaalik, Sharh Muwatta Imam Malik vol 1 p93).
It is stated in Abu Dawud Shareef:
Hazrat Urwa bin Zubair reported that a companion of the Prophet said "My house was taller than the other houses around the mosque and Bilal used to give Adhan of Fajr from the top of it. He would arrive at the time of Suhoor and await Fajr and when he would spot it he would stretch (and yawn) and say "Oh Allah, I praise you and ask for help over the Quraish that they establish your religion (become muslims). The Companion stated that she does not know of a day when Bilal did not say these words. (Abu Dawud).
This reveals that reading durood or making a du'a before or after Adhan is not a bid'ah.
Question: If adding "I testify Ali is waliullah" to the Adhan is Bid'ah then similarly the adding of "The prayer is better than sleep" in Fajr Adhan should also be a bid'ah because this was not taught by the Prophet.
Answer: This is a slander upon the Ahl-e-Sunnah. The Prophet himself taught these words. It is stated in Nasa'I: "Abu Mahzoora states that he was the muazzin of the Prophet and he used to recite in the Adhan of Fajr, "Come to success, Prayer is better than sleep, prayer is better than sleep, Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest, there is no deity but Allah"
All this allows us to conclude that Bid'ah is that act which extinguishes a Sunnah, ie. its enactment changes or refutes a method taught by the Prophet. If not, then it is not a Shar'i bid'ah.
Now with a clear conscience, contemplate: Does celebrating the birth of the Prophet change any taught method of the Prophet?
If a is acceptable to meet and talk after a Janaazah prayer why is it a Bid'ah to make a Du'a for the deceased after Janaazah prayer - which established teaching of the Prophet does this violate?
Which Sunnah of the Prophet is extinguished by organising a gathering for the Eesaal-e-Sawaab of the deceased. If none, can these slanders of Bid'ah be stopped?
Question: Hazrat Abdullah ibn Masood was displeased with people performing Dhikr in a specific way in the Mosque. This shows that any new act is Bid'ah
Answer: This hadith is Daeef (weak). Sunan Daarimi states its narration as Amr bin Yahya is Matrook-ul-hadith (Mizaan-ul-Itidaal).
Question: Hazrat Mujahid states that he was with Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar when a man performed Tasweeb (addition to Adhan) in either Zuhr or Asr. Hazrat lbn Umar said "Let us leave from here because this is Bid'ah" (Abu Dawud).
Answer: Tasweeb is "Prayer is better than sleep" (Nasa'i).
The Prophet only instructed this in Fajr Adhan and not for Zuhr or Asr. This person was introducing an addition to Zuhr and Asr and this was evidently a changing of the Prophets instructions and was definitely a Bid'ah.
