In a world filled with new ideas and modern practices, there is a growing misunderstanding among many Muslims regarding the concept of innovation in religion (bid’ah). Some argue that there are good innovations in the religion that can bring benefit to the Ummah.
But is that really the case? Can we label anything newly introduced as "good" in religion?
The Prophet ﷺ and the scholars of Islam have given us crystal-clear warnings about the dangers of bid’ah. Now, let us discuss what is included under this warning.
A Fundamental Principle of Bid’ah
- Remember this statement:
لَيْسَ فِي الشَّرْعِ بِدْعَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ بَلْ كُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ
"There is no such thing in our Shari’ah as a good bid’ah, rather every single bid’ah is misguidance." (Qawaaid Al-Bid’ah, Min Usool Ul-Fiqh ‘Ala Manhajil Ahlul Hadith)
This statement, passed down through the ages, sets the record straight. There is no room for negotiation or compromise. Every innovation, no matter how "good" it appears to people, is a path that diverts from the straight path of the Qur’an and Sunnah.
A Powerful Warning From the Prophet ﷺ
- Jabir bin 'Abdullah رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said during a sermon:
عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ فِي خُطْبَتِهِ... وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلاَلَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلاَلَةٍ فِي النَّارِ…
"Every newly-invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire." (Sunan an-Nasa’i 1578)
Imagine hearing these words from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
He was not merely informing us, but warning us about the consequences of bid’ah. Every single innovation, no matter how small or seemingly innocent, leads straight to the Fire!
Consensus of the Salaf: No Room for "Good Innovations"
The warnings didn’t stop with the Prophet ﷺ. Our righteous predecessors—the Salaf—unanimously agreed that every innovation is dangerous.
- Abdullah ibn 'Umar رضي الله عنهما, a companion of the Prophet ﷺ, said:
كل بدعة ضلالة وإن رآها الناس حسنة
"Every single bid’ah is misguidance, even if people think it is good." (Ibn Battah in Al-Ibanah: Hadith 205)
So even if the entire world gathers and calls something good, if it is an innovation in the religion, it is nothing but misguidance. No matter how appealing it may seem, bid’ah can never be labelled as good, and Allah ﷻ will never accept it.
The Misleading Argument of "Good Innovations"
Some people and groups today argue that there can be a "good bid’ah."
- They present hadiths such as:
عَنْ جَرِيرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ، اللَّهِ قَالَ جَاءَ نَاسٌ مِنَ الأَعْرَابِ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَيْهِمُ الصُّوفُ فَرَأَى سُوءَ حَالِهِمْ قَدْ أَصَابَتْهُمْ حَاجَةٌ فَحَثَّ النَّاسَ عَلَى الصَّدَقَةِ فَأَبْطَئُوا عَنْهُ حَتَّى رُئِيَ ذَلِكَ فِي وَجْهِهِ
Jarir b. Abdullah رضي الله عنه reported that some desert Arabs clad in woollen clothes came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). He saw them in sad plight as they had been hard pressed by need. He (ﷺ) exhorted people to give charity, but they showed some reluctance until (signs) of anger could be seen on his face.
ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَجُلاً مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ جَاءَ بِصُرَّةٍ مِنْ وَرِقٍ ثُمَّ جَاءَ آخَرُ ثُمَّ تَتَابَعُوا حَتَّى عُرِفَ السُّرُورُ فِي وَجْهِهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم
Then a person from the Ansar came with a purse containing silver. Then came another person and then other persons followed them in succession until signs of happiness could be seen on his (sacred) face. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:
مَنْ سَنَّ فِي الإِسْلاَمِ سُنَّةً حَسَنَةً فَعُمِلَ بِهَا بَعْدَهُ كُتِبَ لَهُ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا وَلاَ يَنْقُصُ مِنْ أُجُورِهِمْ شَىْءٌ وَمَنْ سَنَّ فِي الإِسْلاَمِ سُنَّةً سَيِّئَةً فَعُمِلَ بِهَا بَعْدَهُ كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِ مِثْلُ وِزْرِ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا وَلاَ يَنْقُصُ مِنْ أَوْزَارِهِمْ شَىْءٌ
He who introduces a good sunnah in Islam which was followed after him (by people) he would be assured of reward like one who followed it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who introduces a bad sunnah in Islam which had been followed subsequently (by others), he would be required to bear the burden like that of one who followed this (evil practice) without their's being diminished in any respect. (Sahih Muslim 1017e)
Now, the people of innovation misuse this hadith and mislead others by claiming that since there is mention of a person introducing a "good sunnah" into the religion, this "good sunnah" can be considered a "good innovation" because, in their view, it implies that an act of worship was added to the religion.
But here’s the backbreaker: this hadith has nothing to do with introducing acts of worship.
The Prophet ﷺ said these words in the context of giving charity. It was about encouraging acts of charity, which are already established in the Qur'an and Sunnah. Charity is not a bid’ah; it is a command from Allah ﷻ. The Sahabi رضي الله عنه who gave charity at that moment wasn’t inventing something new; he was reviving a forgotten practice.
This hadith cannot be twisted to justify innovations in religion. Charity has been encouraged and praised in the Qur’an and Sunnah. It can’t be compared to introducing new rituals, practices, or beliefs in Islam that were never part of the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ.
Addressing the Case of Taraweeh
Some bring up the incident of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه re-establishing the Taraweeh prayer in congregation as evidence of a “good bid’ah.”
- Let’s go over the hadith together:
عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَبْدٍ الْقَارِيِّ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ خَرَجْتُ مَعَ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ لَيْلَةً فِي رَمَضَانَ، إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ، فَإِذَا النَّاسُ أَوْزَاعٌ مُتَفَرِّقُونَ يُصَلِّي الرَّجُلُ لِنَفْسِهِ، وَيُصَلِّي الرَّجُلُ فَيُصَلِّي بِصَلاَتِهِ الرَّهْطُ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ إِنِّي أَرَى لَوْ جَمَعْتُ هَؤُلاَءِ عَلَى قَارِئٍ وَاحِدٍ لَكَانَ أَمْثَل
'Abdur Rahman bin 'Abdul Qari رضي الله عنه said,
"I went out in the company of 'Umar bin Al-Khattab رضي الله عنه one night in Ramadan to the mosque and found the people praying in different groups. A man praying alone or a man praying with a little group behind him. So, 'Umar said, 'In my opinion I would better collect these (people) under the leadership of one Qari (Reciter) (i.e. let them pray in congregation!)'.
ثُمَّ عَزَمَ فَجَمَعَهُمْ عَلَى أُبَىِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ، ثُمَّ خَرَجْتُ مَعَهُ لَيْلَةً أُخْرَى، وَالنَّاسُ يُصَلُّونَ بِصَلاَةِ قَارِئِهِمْ
So, he made up his mind to congregate them behind Ubai bin Ka'b رضي الله عنه. Then on another night I went again in his company and the people were praying behind their reciter.
قَالَ عُمَرُ نِعْمَ الْبِدْعَةُ هَذِهِ، وَالَّتِي يَنَامُونَ عَنْهَا أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الَّتِي يَقُومُونَ. يُرِيدُ آخِرَ اللَّيْلِ، وَكَانَ النَّاسُ يَقُومُونَ أَوَّلَهُ
On that, 'Umar رضي الله عنه remarked, 'What an excellent Bid'a (i.e. innovation) this is; but the prayer which they do not perform, but sleep at its time is better than the one they are offering.' He meant the prayer in the last part of the night. (In those days) people used to pray in the early part of the night." (Sahih Al Bukhari 2010)
But here’s the reality: ‘Umar ibn Khattab رضي الله عنه was not introducing something new! Taraweeh in congregation was already practised by the Prophet ﷺ, but he discontinued it out of fear that it might become obligatory on the Ummah. Once that fear was gone, 'Umar simply revived the Sunnah of praying Taraweeh in congregation. The use of the word "bid’ah" here was purely linguistic, not Shari’ah-based. This is not a new practice; it’s the revival of a Sunnah that had already existed.
- Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله drives the point home:
"هذه تسمية لغوية ، لا تسمية شرعية ، وذلك أن البدعة في اللغة تعم كل ما فعل ابتداء من غير مثال سابق. وأما البدعة الشرعية: فما لم يدل عليه دليل شرعي"
"This is a linguistic naming, not a Shari’i naming. In the language, bid’ah refers to anything without precedent, but in Shari’ah, bid’ah refers only to what lacks a Shar’i daleel (legal proof)." (Iqtidaa As-Siraat Al-Mustaqeem, Page 276)
This statement should be sufficient as a response to anyone attempting to justify the concept of "good bid’ah." In the Shari’ah, a bid’ah is anything that lacks a clear basis from the Qur’an and Sunnah. So, what matters in Islam is not whether an action has precedent in human behaviour, but whether it has evidence from the Shari’ah.
The Hadith of Consensus
- One final claim people make is based on the statement:
ما رآه المسلمون حسنا فهو عند الله حسن
"Whatever the Muslims see as good is good in the sight of Allah." (Musnad Imam Ahmad 3600)
Now here’s the truth: this statement is not a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ but rather a statement of a Sahabi رضي الله عنه. Furthermore, it refers to consensus (ijma’)—the agreement of the scholars of Islam, not the general public. So, the opinion of a majority of people in a town who think something is good does not make it valid. Only the ijma’ of the scholars can be used as proof.
Conclusion: Beware of Every Bid’ah
Every bid’ah, without exception, is a gateway to misguidance and destruction. The Prophet ﷺ, the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم, and the righteous people who followed them in good have warned us in the clearest terms. There is no such thing as a “bid’ah hasanah” and no amount of sugarcoating can change the reality. The consequences of following innovations are severe—we must know this.
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