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Bidah

The right perception of Bidah (innovation)

Beware of matters newly begun, for every matter newly begun is innovation, every

innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in hell

Understanding Bidah

The Arabic root from which bidah derives is connected in meaning to a

distinct yet similar radical, Ba, Dal, Ain,. Badaa means to produce

something new, begin a thing, find out a new thing; create a thing. Badi is

also derived from the root word Badaa. Badi is a attribute of ALLAH

(SWT) The Originator (Badi) (2:117; 6:101) Use of Badi with reference toALLAH (SWT) denotes the uniqueness of ALLAH (SWT) creative act and

implies that the universe came into existence without a previously existing

prototype

The pre-Islamic conception of bida in contrast to later Islamic usage, tended

always to be negative and served as a critique of the social implication of

non-customary practice. The concept of bidah, in contrast to later Islamic

usage, tended always to be negative. The allegation that something was a

bida meant that it violated the tribal code. A bida was an action or an idea

that lacked precedent in established custom. It constituted a sort of tribal

heresy, a hateful innovation caused by deviating from the ways of the

patriarchs of the past.

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In classical Islamic Law and theology, bida could take on various shades of

meaning. When used without qualifying adjectives, it tended to be

condemnatory, as for example, in the statement, bida must be avoided.

Nevertheless, bida was not always something bad. In certain contexts,

especially when qualified by adjectives, bida could cover a wide range ofmeanings from what was praiseworthy to what was completely wrong, as for

example, in the caliph Umar statement , what an excellent bida is this!

Bidah and Sunnah

In pre-islamic concept of bida was linked with its opposite,sunna(established tradition). Islam incorporated the bida-sunna paradigm

but redefined its content. With the advent of Islam, the term sunna came to

be closely connected with the normative teaching and conduct of the Prophet

Muhammad. Each instance of bida conjured up the image of a long-

established sunnah that it threatened.

Pre-Islamic and Islamic usage, sunna was almost invariably something good,

but like bida, could sometimes take on very different connatations. A

famous Hadith (saying of the Prophet relates: No human soul shall be killed

wrongfully but that Adams first son shall carry a share of the guilt, for he

was the first human being to institute the sunna of murder. Another hadith

uses sunna in both a postive and a negative light: Whoever establishhes a

good sunnah [sunnah hasana] in the [the religion of] Islam that is followed in

practice afterward, will have recorded to his merit a reward equal to the

reward of anyone who practices it, witout any of the rewards being at all

diminished. Whoever establishes an evil sunnah [sunnah sayyia] in [the

religion of] Islam that is followed in practice afterword, will have recordedagainst him a burden equal to the burden of anyone who practices it without

any of their burdens being at all lessened.

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Imam Muhammd perception of Sunnah

Sahih International: Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered

prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the

Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is

wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the

evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon

them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him and

followed the light which was sent down with him - it is those who will be

the successful.

"Wa at tabi'uu an nuur" and follow the light..." So what is the Sunnah of

Prophet (pbuh) Muhammad? The light.

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So if we follow the Sunnah, then we're following in obedience. And

obedience is intelligence, Therefor, obedience is also the light.

So they follow the Prophet (pbuh) and the light that came down with him

right? And these are two different ones the Light is the Guidance of G'd andthe Prophet (pbuh) is His Uswatan hasana. So the excellence of the Prophet

(pbuh) is what we follow. They say, Sunnah I don't like the term Sunnah,

we use it too much we should just say follow the Prophet (pbuh), that's

enough.

In the Qur'an Allah doesn't say follow The Prophets (pbuh) Sunnah, it says

follow him. But now because of the Shiite there is a need for one side to say

this is how to perceive the Prophet. So they start using the term Sunnah to

say this is how we perceive him. And in this way they establish what is

Sunnah. Talk about Imam Shafi

In the time of the Prophet (pbuh) what established what was the Prophet

(pbuh) was his role as a Messenger of G'd and his character. That was what

established what was the Prophet (pbuh). The Light, the Qur'an, how he

delivered it and his own character established what was the Prophet (pbuh).

If you read back there before the passing of the Prophet (pbuh), who liveshe's not dead, when we read of them back there nobody uses the term

Sunnah (in the limited way the term is used today).

We heard the Prophet (pbuh) say, or saw the Prophet (pbuh) do it this way,

then later those people use the term Sunnah. So here the Muslim

community on this earth is plagued by a division that was started way back

there.

Bidah Hasanah

Umar(RAA) decision to institute superogatory group prayers(tarawih)

during the nights of Ramadan, which he introduced within a decade of the

Prophets death. According to Sunni sources, the Prophet once led his

Companions in similar prayers for a few nights of Ramadan shortly before

his death but discontinued the practice, expressing concern that if he

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continued leading the vigils, Allah(SWT) would give them obligatory status

through revelation, and the additional obligation would impose an excessive

burden upon the Muslim community. During his caliphate, Umar observed

the people praying either individually or in small groups in the Prophets

mosque during the nights of Ramadan. He took the decision to make them asingle group behind one prayer leader, instituting the Ramadan vigil as a

group prayer. Entering the mosque on a following night, he saw the

congregation praying together and declared: What an excellent bida is this!

Bidah in Legal traditions

One of the most basic Islamic conceptions is the distinction between non-

ritualistic and mundane(muamalat) and other that are ritualistic and other

worldly in nature (ibadat). The first category refers to matters like war andpeace, buying and selling, marriage and divorce. Such non-ritualistic

concerns of human societies, although falling under the rubric of divine

revelation and subject to the prescriptions of religious law, were believed to

serve tangible social goals and benefits.

Matters of ritual such as Aqeedah(belief) Five pillars, are regarded to be an

exclusively divine privilege related to other worldly realities like the secrets

of salvation and the unseen. They served the purpose of purifying the soul,

bringing people closer to ALLAH, and winning his eternal pleasure. For the

majority of scholars, ritualistics matters were the primary focus of bida; for

many others, belief and ritual were its sole domain. Ibn Abd al Barr was

among those who held that bida was strictly ritualistic: As for making

innovations in the practical workings of this world, no constriction and no

fault pertains to one who does so. Technological progress, crafts, building

projects, urban development, and the like.

Bida with Ijtihad

Ijtihad derives from the same root as jihad. Their common radical, JHD

denotes expending the fullest effort to archieve a difficult but worthy goal.

The concept of jihad is essentially an active ethical priniciple for improving

the world through personal and group effort. Ijtihad shares jihads ethical

force but pertains to the realm of ideas and critical thought. Fazlur Rahman

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speaks of ijtihad as an intellectual and moral jihad or, more concretely, as

the effort to understand the meaning of relevant text or precedent in the past,

containing a rule, and alter that rule by extending or restricting or otherwise

modifying it in such a manner that a new situation can be subsumed under it

by a new solution