All Innovations In The Deen Strictly Forbidden

The forbiddance  of innovations  can clearly  be found  in the following aayah  where  Allah  has ordered  the Muslims  to follow and accept as  Deen only that which has been revealed to the Prophet  (Peace be upon him)   in the Qur’an  and the Sunnah and where  all forms of worship needed  and approved  of have been sanctioned   and any other procedure  or norm has been outlawed.  "Follow that which has been revealed to you from", your Lord and do not follow as awliyaa other than Him," (Surah AI-A'raaf, 7:3) This aayah is categorical in forbidding taking into consideration anyone who originates new matters in the field of worshipping Allah because the right and the privilege to inform how to worship Allah belongs to no one but Himself.  Someone who comes along and institutes a new matter in the Deen assumes for himself the prerogative that belongs solely to Allah and claims by his behaviour as if Allah includes that act in His revelation. The innovators thus attribute lies to Allah and instead of facilitating the Deen for the people on the contrary turn them away from Allah.

Aa'isha reported that the Messenger (Peace be upon him) said: "Whoever Introduces Into this affair of ours something that we have not commanded   it is to be rejected" (Saheeh - narrated by al-Buhkari and Muslim). Rejected by whom, one may ask. Quite obviously rejected by Allah. His Messenger (Peace be upon him) and the Muslim when he becomes aware that it cannot be backed up by the Qur’an or the Sunnah.

It is very strange and the price we are paying for it is very high in terms of confusion  contention  and obscuring of the clear way  that    one   become    knowledgeable  of the correct practice  but still  insist   on  carrying    on  in  the  unjustified way - stop  and  ask them, since  when  did  they  think  they could  play  pretender-prophets for the people?  The innovators not only squander away their own time and resources in their futile sinful innovation but drag others into doing, the same and richly deserve our censure and contempt.  If we had  faith  in the  Almighty  and trusted what we have been  asked  to  do, we could  have never tolerated the presence  of innovations  in the  society,  There  is no way that   an  innovation   will   suddenly  become sanctified  and admissible   to Allah. The Messenger (Peace be upon him) said: “Whoever does an action that We have not commanded, it will be rejected.” (Sahih-natrated by lmam Muslim)  Imam Nawawi, as mentioned by ash-Shaukanee in Nayl-uI-Awtaar,   exhorts   that this Hadeeth be memorised and used in counteracting the evils (munkarat)   and making them baatil (obsolete).

Jabir reported that the Messenger (Peace be upon him) said: "with: The best Hadeeth (speech) is the, Book of Allah and the best guidance, and example is that of Muhammad. And the worst of all things are the newly invented things, for every Innovation is error and misguidance.” (Saheeh - narrated  by Muslim), and  in another  narration, “every newly invented matter is Bid’ah and every bid’ah is dalaalah (going astray) and every dalaalah is in the fire,” (Sahih - narrated by at-Timidhi). 

So the proof that there is no such thing as a good bid'ah, the popularity known bid'ah Hasanah.  Bid'ah in itself is an error  which  leads  to the  Fire  and  is defined by the Messenger  (Peace be upon him)  to be the worst  thing  that one can do,  how  can  that  be good  in  any  form  or  place?  Unless these vile innovators   want  to seduce  the  people by making the  ridiculous  distinction   between  a good  way  and  a bad way of entering  Hell,  as if there  were any such  matter  as a good error  in the practice  of the Deen in reality.

The  Companions   and  the  great  scholars  of the  past  from among    our    pious    predecessors     never    come    near    to innovation     with    knowledge     and    have  unequivocally advised  against   taking   this  destructive   loathsome   route. Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamaan said:  "Every act of worship that the Companions of Messenger (Peace be upon him) did not do, do not do them." (Saheeh - narrated by Aboo Daawood)  Ibn Mas'ood said:  "Make 'ittibaa (imitate and follow)   and do not do bid'ah for what you have been commanded is enough for you."  (Saheeh - narrated   by ad-Daarimee)  This was the attitude of the Companions   but now look at the Muslims of today.  Naturally   we  have   less  knowledge   than   the  first generations  and  none of us can  ever compete  with any one of them  in piety and devotional  works.  In this situation  is it not reasonable  to say that  if they chose  to be so careful  in sticking  to  what  they  had  been  taught  by  the  Messenger (Peace be upon him) we  should  be  even  more  so?  After all  if with  their knowledge  they did not feel secure  in innovating, by virtue of  what  special   knowledge   do  the  Muslims   of  today  so freely pander  to  novelties  in  the  Deen?  If the faith of the early generation could not permit innovations isn't that the sort of faith we need to cultivate?  But there will always be the   few   who   would    think    they   are   wiser    than    the Companions   and   they are the   meanest   of the dregs of mankind.

Ibn al-Jawzee  quotes  in his book Talbees  Iblees the Imam al-Awzaa'ee   who  said,  "Patiently  restrict yourself  to the Sunnah  and  do not go  beyond  the positions  held by the Sahaabah  (the Companions); hold their position and avoid what they avoided.  Take the path of the Salaf us-Saaliheen (the Companions and the pious predecessors in the way of the Companions), for verily what was sufficient for them is sufficient for you."   Let  no  one   step   into  the   shoes  of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as it were  and  change  the  Deen  that was established  through him by Allah.  The innovators dismantle  the  Deen   piece  by  piece until the hearts  and minds  of the people  are  left corrupted  and  polluted  so they are   no   longer  able   to   recognise   the  Truth   apart   from falsehood. They are like a cancer which slowly eats up the body from within.

We  know  this  from  the  statement   of the  famous  taabi'ee (successor)  Hassan  Ibn  Atiyyah  who  said  that  "No people introduced an innovation  into their religion except that an equivalent Sunnah  is taken away from  them." (reported  by ad-Daarimee   with  Saheeh  isnaad)  the innovators  and those who  encourage   them  by  participating in their foul deeds are  guilty of  attempting   to  annihilate    the Deen because they arc the demolishers  of the religion.  They are the demolishers  because  they seek  to  pervert  the  Deen  by making  it  a  way  of  misguidance.  Ibn Umar said, "Every innovation is misguidance even if the people regard it to be something good." (Reported by ad-Daarimee with Saheeh   isnaad)   You   have   to  be  sick  to  say  Islam   is self-destructive,    rather   Islam   does  not  permit  anything which  is  not  conducive   to  it.  How can we respect these people who steep themselves in innovatory practices in the name of Islam and loudly profess to be the standard-bearers of the Faith?   Would you seek to  destroy Islam with  your  own tongue  and  hands  if you  were  a Muslim  and   feared Allah and the Day of  Judgement? Would you not fight against   them who seek to distort the clear evidence and hamper the practices of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the virtuous Companions? All Innovations no matter what technical terms are applied to them are forbidden in Islam and must  be uprooted  Inshah’ Allah.

Imam Malik said:  “Whatever was not Deen at the time of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) cannot be considered to be a part of the Deen today." All that  has   preceded   In this  section totally refutes   the  idea  of  bid'ah   Hasanah and  may  the  Muslims not seek excuses on behalf of Shaitan in favour  of shirk (associating  anything  with  Allah),   ameen.