Innovation part 3

 All Bid'ah are haram or not?

I remember reading somewhere that there are different types of Bid'ah. Some of them are permissible or encouraged, and some others are haram.

However all form of Bid'ah is haram with view point among Ahlusunnah Wa al - Jannah. The crux of the answer depends on how Bid'ah is defined.

But this definition is inspired from the Qur'an, the sunnah, and the practices and sayings of the early generations. Two primary guiding lights here are the Hadith of the prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) :

Narrated by Aisha: Allah's Apostle said,"If somebody innovates something which is not in harmony with the principles our religion, that thing is rejected" ( by Bukhari) .And the Hadith about the khutbah haajah , a part of which says: "The worst of things are those that are newly invented; every newly invented thing is an innovation and every innovation is going astray and every astray is in the fire"  ( by Tirmidhi) 

Based on this and much more , Imam ash-Shatibi defined Bid'ah as : "An invented way in the religion, which is meant to assimilate with the Shari'a ( legitimate) way and intended to be followed to arrive at the objectives that the legitimate way would achieve"

Based on this definition of Bid'ah , the scholars say that every Bid'ah is forbidden in Islam.

Imam malik used to say "Whosoever introduces into Islam an innovation, which he deems is good , then he has claimed that Muhammad ( صلي الله عليه وسلم ) has betrayed ( the trust of conveying) the message .Read the saying of Allah, " This day I have completed your religion for you, and I have perfected my favour upon you, and I am pleased with Islam as a religion for you" ( maidah:3) So whatever was not ( part of) the religion on this day. And the last part of this ummah ( nation) will not be rectified , except by that which rectified its first part" 

A necessary corollary is that there is no such thing as good Bid'ah. If there is a candidate for such a thing , it is either not good , or not a Bid'ah at all. 

Ibn Rajab said in compendium of knowledge and wisdom: "And what is meant by al Bid'ah ( innovation) is what was invented in the religion of which there is no basis from the Shari'a to support it" 

Abdullah ibn umar said: "Every Bid'ah is a misguidance even if people see it as something good" ( ibn Battah, al Ibanah).

Lastly we should always ignore and move away from Bid'ah whether it is small or big all is way to Hell.

Written By: Student of knowledge As'salato.