Dangers of Innovation

 The Dangers of innovation in Islam ( Bid'ah)

Allah ordered Muslims not to divide themselves into sects. Innovations and divisions in matters of religion and worship within Islam are considered to be contamination, error, and deviation.

Earlier heinous deviations from monotheism, such as worshipping creation, resulted in condemnation by Allah.

However , innovations in other matters, such as science and technology to improve life, are greatly encouraged.

Allah the most compassionate, has told us through His last prophet Muhammad ( sallah Allahu alaihi wasalam) when Muhammad was nearing the end of his life , that He had completed the religion of Islam.

Muslims must recognize that any change in matters of worship is strictly forbidden. No change introduced by humankind, who is under the influence of shatan , could ever add anything positive and would only contribute to the degradation of the completed and perfected religion established by Allah .

All innovations in matters of religion lead to straying, and all all straying leads to hellfire .

People must not allow any deviation ( addition or deletion) , even as small as one degree, in matters of worship . if any changes are allowed, those deviations will be compounded by future generations, and the result will be another man made religion, not the Islam as it was perfected by Allah.

The changing of Allah's laws is forbidden in Islam.Allah condemns religious leaders who alter divine principles . one who attempts to make changes places him or herself on the same level with Allah, committing polytheism.

Bid'ah is taken from the word Al - Bad a' meaning to create something without precedence .

One needs to distinguish between the two kinds of bid'ah   . The first type is innovation in matters of the world in technology, medicine, computers, etc. This is allowed because it involves matters of life.

The second kind of bid'ah is innovation in matters of religion, and this is the bid'ah which this article is focusing on.

Aisha ( may Allah be pleased with her) reported Muhammad ( sallah Allahu Alaihi wasalam) said: 

" whoever innovates into this affair of ours something that we have not commanded it is to be rejected" ( by Bukhari and Muslim) 

Jabir ( may Allah be pleased with him) narrated Muhammad ( sallah Allahu alaihi wasalam) said:

" to proceed: " The best speech is the book of Allah and the best guidance and example is that of Muhammad, and the worse of all things are the newly invented things ( in the religion), for every innovation is a error and a misguidance" ( Muslim) ".......Every innovation is a going astray is in the fire" ( by Tirmidhi) 

This shows us there are no acceptable innovations in Islam.

People often point to the statement of Umar when talking about the tarawih prayer in Ramadan ," what a good bid'ah this is" we can see Umar ( may bless him) simply revived the praying of tarawih and it was not something which he did which was not done by Muhammad. We can not do something in Islam which was not done by prophet Muhammad and the sahaba ( companions) 

Allah says : 

" this day I have perfected your religion for you, completed my favour upon you....." ( surah 5:3) 

Our religion is already perfect ;so doing some deed which is not found in the Quran and sunnah , one seems to think they have come up with a better version of islam than Allah revealed did. May Allah keep us away from doing such deeds . for Allah tells us about doing something other than the way Muhammad did:

" And let those who oppose the messenger's way beware , lest some conflict befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them"(24:62).

Allah has warned us by telling us what happened to the people of the book.

" Say , O people of the book exceed not the bounds in your religion, trespassing beyond the truth . 

Nor follow the vain desires of people who went astray ....."(5:77-78).

We can also see another consequence of falling into bidah by the following Hadith, Muhammad ( sallah Allahu alaihi wasalam said) 

" verily I shall proceed you to the fountain ( al kawthar) . whosoever will pass by me shall drink ( from it) and never get thirsty . people whom I know and who will know me will certainly come to me for drink but there will be a barrier between them and me. Then I will say , " verily they are of me. It will be said , you certainly do not know what bidah ( innovation) they made after you. Then I shall say " Be off those who made bid'ah after me"( bukhari and Muslim) 

Abdullah ibn masood narrated 

" the messenger of Allah drew a line for us and then said this is Allah's straight path. Then he drew lines to its right and left, then he said: these are paths , upon every one of them there is a devil calling towards it"( by Ahmad) 

Then he Muhammad recited from the Qur'an what means: 

" Verily this is my straight path, so follow it and follow not ( other) paths, they will separate you away from His path . this He has ordained for you that you may become pious"(6:153)

We have been warned that our Muslim ummah would be split as prophet said:

"Those evils that befell the children of israel shall befall my ummah. So much that if there was one amongst them that openly committed formication with his mother there would be one among my ummah who would do that too. And the children of Israel split into seventy two sects and my ummah shall split into seventy three sects all of them in the fire except one group. The shaba asked which one is that O messenger? He said " it is the one to which I and my companions belong" ( by Tirmidhi).

Part 2 is coming soon. Insha Allah.

Written by: Student of knowledge As'salato.