Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

and

sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

(Islamic law), ( , ) refers to innovation in religious matters. Linguistically, as an Arabic word, the term can be defined more broadly, as "innovation, novelty, heretical doctrine,

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...

". It is the subject of many

hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

commonly used in Muslim texts. The term is also found in the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

, in Surah Al-Hadid as ابتدعوها. Different hadith narrating what

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

and

early Muslims From 613 to 619 Common Era, CE, the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad gathered in his hometown of Mecca a small following of those who embraced his message of Islam and thus became Muslims. The first person who professed ...

say about bidah — one of them being: "Avoid novelties for every novelty is an innovation and every innovation is an error"A hadith collected by

Abu Dawud al-Sijistani Abū Dāwūd (Dā’ūd) Sulaymān ibn al-Ash‘ath ibn Isḥāq al-Azdī al-Sijistānī (), commonly known as Abū Dāwūd al-Sijistānī, was a scholar of prophetic hadith who compiled the third of the six "canonical" hadith collections recogn ...

attributed to

. — are often cited as evidence of Islam's opposition to innovation in religion. The term has been said (by Mehram Kamrava) to have acquired over time "a highly negative, even dreaded

connotation A connotation is a commonly understood cultural or emotional association that any given word or phrase carries, in addition to its explicit or literal meaning, which is its denotation. A connotation is frequently described as either positive or ...

" in the Islamic world, where attacks on bidah have resonated with the masses of Muslims. There are a number of disagreements within the Muslim community over interpretations of the concept. Among them are the legitimacy of the celebration of Muhammad's birthday (

mawlid The Mawlid () is an annual festival commemorating the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad on the traditional date of 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar. A day central to the traditions of some Sunnis, Mawlid is al ...

) — which is widely practiced in some parts of the

Muslim world The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is ...

, while being emphatically condemned as bidah by many influential

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

clerics; whether generally accepted definitions of bidah change over time; whether there can be both good and bad bidah or only bad; if there is such a thing as good bidah, (along with lawful, recommended and the obligatory kinds), how can we reconcile this with Muhammad’s statement that “every innovation is misguidance”. In classical

Arabic literature Arabic literature ( / ALA-LC: ''al-Adab al-‘Arabī'') is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is ''Adab (Islam), Adab'', which comes from a meaning of etiquett ...

() outside of religion, bidah has been used as a form of praise for outstanding compositions of

prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...

and

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

History

The genre of bidah literature began to develop in (roughly) the 9th century CE (the third century of

). ''Kitab Al-I'tisam'' by Al-Shatibi is thought to be one of the first books on the subject extant. The literature writing continued in the

Islamic world The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is ...

until the 14th century CE (roughly 8th century AH), when it underwent a lull before re-emerging in the 20th century CE (roughly the 14th century AH).Kamrava, 2011, 2 According to Malise Ruthven, after the 10th century CE "new attempts at

ijtihad ''Ijtihad'' ( ; ' , ) is an Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning by an expert in Islamic law, or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question. It is contrasted with '' taqlid'' ( ...

" (creative reasoning in legal decisions) "came to be condemned as bidah", because the doctrine that the "gates of Ijtihad" were closed began to be accepted. Ijtihad began to be replaced with

taqlid ''Taqlid'' (, " imitation") is an Islamic term denoting the conformity of one person to the teaching of another. The person who performs ''taqlid'' is termed ''muqallid''. The definite meaning of the term varies depending on context and age. Cla ...

("imitation", i.e. following legal precedents). By the time of the Islamic Middle Ages, according to Muhammad F. Sayeed, "allegation of 'bidah' became a formidable weapon against progress". The consensus against ijtihad and in favor of taqlid lasted until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when Ijtihad was resurrected.Karmrava, 2011, 6 In the 15th and 16th centuries C.E., according to Mehram Kamrava, Islam's "conservative default" and opposition to innovation and the institutions they depended on, started to became a serious handicap.

Economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

instruments — "impersonal contracts, financial exchange mechanisms, corporations and record keeping" — that fostered and protected capital and

entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entrepreneu ...

and led to the flourishing of rival Europe, were not to be found in Islamic world.Karmrava, 2011, 8

Punishment

Bernard Lewis Bernard Lewis, (31 May 1916 – 19 May 2018) was a British-American historian specialized in Oriental studies. He was also known as a public intellectual and political commentator. Lewis was the Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus of Near ...

writes that accusations of

apostasy Apostasy (; ) is the formal religious disaffiliation, disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that is contrary to one's previous re ...

because of bidah were common in early and

classical Islam The concept of classical Islam or a classical period in the history of Islam is largely a construct of non-Islamic scholarship, formed by analogy with the classical period of the Greco-Roman world. The term implies a positive judgement defining a " ...

, but practitioners of bidah were usually subject not to execution (the traditional punishment for

apostasy in Islam Apostasy in Islam ( or ) is commonly defined as the abandonment of Islam by a Muslim, in thought, word, or through deed. It includes not only explicit renunciations of the Islamic faith by Religious conversion, converting to another religion ...

), but to something like quarantine or admonition. Only when their innovation "was extreme, persistent, and aggressive" were they "ruthlessly extirpated".

Definitions and categorizations

Religious and non-religious types

A distinction is sometimes made between the "linguistic" definition of bidah in the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

language, whose scope includes new concepts, activities, gadgets, etc. that can involve either worldly or religious matters; and the "

shariah Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...

" definition of Bid'ah, which includes (and forbids) anything introduced to Islam that was not done in the time of Muhammad or the

Rashidun The Rashidun () are the first four caliphs () who led the Muslim community following the death of Muhammad: Abu Bakr (), Umar (), Uthman (), and Ali (). The reign of these caliphs, called the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661), is considered i ...

. A number of contemporary Muslim sources (Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam, Darul Iftaa Leicester, UK, Islam Online, Word of Prophet blog) distinguish between religious (the shariah definition above) and non-religious innovation, either declaring non-religious innovation outside of bidah, or bidah but of a permissible kind. * "... new practices that are not considered to be part of Deen, rather they concern our worldly affairs, such as modern technology, cars, planes, etc… can not be considered as Bid’a, ... (Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam, Darul Iftaa Leicester, UK). * "not all new things are innovations that are prohibited in Islam. ... rather Islam does ask Muslims to be innovative and creative in the social, economical, cultural, and political fields so as to serve their societies and humanity in general. Innovation in religion is what Muslims must be cautious of lest they invent what is un-Islamic. (Islam Online) *" nnovationthat deals with worldly matters (not religious matters) is permissible. For example new technology and new machines that may help in day-to-day work." (Word of Prophet.)

In religious matters

Definitions of bidah

*"A newly invented" belief or action "in the religion, in imitation of the Shariah (prescribed Law), by which nearness to Allah is sought, utnot being supported by any authentic proof – neither in its foundations, nor in the manner in which it is performed" (

Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn Mūsā al-Shāṭibī (538 – 590 A.H./1320 – 1388 C.E.) was an Andalusí Sunni Islamic scholar. He was regarded in his time as among the leading jurist and legal theoretician in the Maliki school of law. He was ...

, 1320 – 1388 C.E.). *Any practice or a belief which is "possibly contrary to Islam" because it was not present in Islam when the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

was revealed and

Sunnah is the body of traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time supposedly saw, followed, and passed on to the next generations. Diff ...

established by

. Muslims disagree over whether any and all bidah is rejected, or whether there is ''bidah hasanah'' (good innovation) that does not contradict "the spirit of Islam" (the "majority" view) (Cyril Glasse). *"Any modification of accepted religious belief or practice" (Mehram Kamrava).Kamrava, 2011, 3 * "Any innovation that has no roots in the traditional practice (Sunnah) of the Muslim community" (Britannica). * "Heterodox" Islamic doctrines, (primary meaning of bidah in early Islamic history)(Jamaluddin ibn al-Manzur al-Masri). * Any newly invented matter that is without precedent and is in opposition to the

and

(meaning of bidah in Islamic law, when used without qualification) (Jamaluddin ibn al-Manzur al-Masri). * "Any invented way aimed at worshipping or drawing closer to Allah" that is **not referred to specifically in

Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

, and **for which there is no evidence (''daleel'') in the Quran or Sunnah, and **which was not known at the time of Muhammad and his Companions. ( Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid). * Religious innovations in Islam which may be divided into two kinds, (Mohammed F. Sayeed,

Muzammil H. Siddiqi Muzammil H. Siddiqi (born: 1943) is an Indian-American Muslim writer who has been on the faculty of Chapman University. Academically, Siddiqi is an adjunct professor of Islamic Studies at Chapman University in Orange, California. He is also ...

, President of the Fiqh Council of North America), **lawful/good (''bidah hasanah'') also praiseworthy (maḥmūdah), which have "some basis (''asl'') in the Shari`ah (Islamic law) to make it acceptable"; **unlawful innovations (''bidah sayyiah'') also blameworthy (madhmūmah), which do not have a basis in the Shari`ah.

Good and bad bid'ah

According to

Al-Shafi'i Al-Shafi'i (; ;767–820 CE) was a Muslim scholar, jurist, muhaddith, traditionist, theologian, ascetic, and eponym of the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence. He is known to be the first to write a book upon the principles ...

(founder of the

Shafi'i school The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionis ...

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

), lawful/good (''bidah hasanah''), are in harmony with the Qur’an, Sunnah, traceable tradition (Athar) and the consensus (Ijma`) of Muslims, and unlawful innovations (''bidah sayyiah'') are not. Others ( Al-`Izz ibn `Abdus-Salam) have divided Bid'ah into the five "decisions" of fiqh ('' al-aḥkām al-khamsa'') of obligatory, recommended, allowed, condemned, forbidden. Examples of the five decisions on bid'ah are: One type of innovation that does not fall into the category of forbidden bidah despite involving religion, are acts for which at the time of Muhammad and the

Salaf Salaf (, "ancestors" or "predecessors"), also often referred to with the honorific expression of al-salaf al-ṣāliḥ (, "the pious predecessors"), are often taken to be the first three generations of Muslims. This comprises companions of the ...

there was no apparent need and so did not exist, but that now ''are'' needed to implement some religious objective. Examples being: "building religious institutions, recording the research of Islamic schools of legal thought, writing books on beneficial subjects, establishing sciences in order to understand the Qur’an and Sunnah, using of modern weapons for Jihad, etc…".

Bid'ah as only bad

A more strict view of bidah was taken by

Malik ibn Anas Malik ibn Anas (; –795) also known as Imam Malik was an Arab Islamic scholar and traditionalist who is the eponym of the Maliki school, one of the four schools of Islamic jurisprudence in Sunni Islam.Schacht, J., "Mālik b. Anas", in: ''E ...

who stated: Since God's Messenger cannot be in error on religious matters, innovation cannot be good. The strict Ḥanbalī school of

fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...

and the Wahhābi movement reject bidah "completely, arguing that the duty of a Muslim was to follow the example set by the Prophet (Sunnah) and not try to improve on it", according to Britannica. (This is sometimes called the "technical" definition of bid'ah). In comparing bidah to the Christian concept of heresy,

says, "the gravamen of a charge of nnovationagainst a doctrine was not, primarily, that it was false but that it was new -- a breach of custom and tradition, respect for which is reinforced by the belief in the finality and perfection of the Muslim revelation." Bidah differed from heresy in that heresy was a theological offense but bidah more a break with social mores. Other judgements by scholars on bidah include: * Bidah is always bad but if a new thing has origins in the Qur'an and Sunnah it is to be called ''Bid'ah Logaviyya'' (verbal innovation), (

Ibn Taymiyyah Ibn Taymiyya (; 22 January 1263 – 26 September 1328)Ibn Taymiyya, Taqi al-Din Ahmad, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195125580.001.0001/acref-9780195125580-e-959 was a Sunni Muslim ulama, ...

). * Introducing and acting upon a bid'ah in religious matters is a sin and considered one of the enormities in Islam that is obligatory to immediately desist and repent from (Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Dhahabi). One scholar explains the basis of this view on "Islam's self-image of timeless perfection",Kuran, "Scale of Entrepreneurship in the Middle Eastern History", p.20 where since its social order is "already flawless, ... innovation cannot yield benefits and may well do harm".Karmrava, 2011, 5

Debate between schools of thought

Part of the debate amongst Sunni scholars over what qualifies a particular action as a bid'ah in the religion is associated with schools within Islam. Scholars affiliated to the

Salafi The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a fundamentalist revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" is a self-designation, claiming a retu ...

sects argue for an exclusive, literal definition that entails anything not specifically performed or confirmed by Muhammad. Practitioners of

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

, in contrast, argue for an inclusive, holistic definition.

Umar Faruq Abd-Allah Umar Faruq Abd-Allah (born Wymann-Landgraf; born 1948) is an American Schools of Islamic theology, Islamic theologian, author, spiritual guide, and educator. Biography Umar Faruq Abd-Allah was born in 1948 in Columbus, Nebraska, Columbus, Ne ...

writes: A contemporary example of what some Muslims believe is overly harsh interpretation of bid'ah is given by

Murad Wilfried Hofmann Murad Wilfried Hofmann (1931 – 13 January 2020) was a German diplomat and author. He wrote several books on Islam, including ''Journey to Makkah'' () and ''Islam: The Alternative'' (). Many of his books and essays focused on Islam's place ...

who was accused of bidah at Salah prayers in Riyadh Saudi Arabia after he shook hands with other Muslims in the mosque, and said to them "''Taqabbala Allahu'' (May Allah accept your prayer)".

Hadith of early Muslims

Against bidah

A large number hadith narrate

Companions of Muhammad Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

or offspring of companions ('' taba'een'') condemning religious innovation in some way.

Ali ibn Abi Talib Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until Assassination of Ali, his assassination in 661, as well as the first imamate in Shia doctrine, Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muha ...

, of the ''

'' (rightly guided

Caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

s), said; "He who innovates or gives protection to an innovator, there is a curse of

Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...

and that of His

angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

s and that of the whole humanity upon him." Abdullah ibn Umar said: "Every innovation is misguidance, even if the people see it as something good."

Abd Allah ibn Abbas ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās (; c. 619 – 687 CE), also known as Ibn ʿAbbās, was one of the cousins of the prophet Muhammad. He is considered to be the greatest mufassir of the Qur'an. He was the son of Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, an uncle of ...

(619–687 CE), a companion of Muhammad and early Islamic scholar also said: "Indeed the most detestable of things to Allah are the innovations."

Sufyan al-Thawri Abū ʿAbd Allāh Sufyān ibn Saʿīd ibn Masrūq ibn Ḥamza al-Thawrī al-Muḍarī al-Kūfī (; 716–778 CE / 97–161 AH), commonly known as Sufyān al-Thawrī (), was a Sunni Muslim scholar, jurist, ascetic, traditionist, and eponymous ...

, a '' tabi'i''

Islamic scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

, Hafiz and

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...

, mentions: "Innovation is more beloved to Iblees than sin, since a sin may be repented for but innovation is not repented for." He also said, "Whoever listens to an innovator has left the protection of Allāh and is entrusted with the innovation." A person once sent salaam to Abdullah ibn Umar who replied: "I do not accept his salaam, as this person has innovated by becoming

Qadariyah Qadariyyah (), also Qadarites or Kadarites, from (), meaning "power", was originally a derogatory term designating early Islamic theologians who rejected the concept of predestination in Islam, ''qadr'', and asserted that humans possess absolut ...

(A sect which does not believe in destiny.")

Al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyad Al-Fuḍayl ibn ʻIyāḍ (died 803 / AH 187, , full name ', was also known as ''Abu Ali'' and as ''al-Talaqani'') was a great Islamic Sunni Scholar. It is not uncommon to find his story confused with that of Fuḍayl Ibn Yahya, a contemporary ...

(died 803 CE) is reputed to have said: "I met the best of people, all of them people of the Sunnah, and they used to forbid from accompanying the people of innovation." Early scholar

Hasan al-Basri Abi Sa'id al-Hasan ibn Yasar al-Basri, often referred to as al-Hasan al-Basri, was an ancient Muslim preacher, ascetic, theologian, exegete, scholar, and judge. Born in Medina in 642,Mourad, Suleiman A., “al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī”, in: ''Encyc ...

(642-728 CE) mentions: "Do not sit with the people of innovation and desires, nor argue with them, nor listen to them". Ibraaheem ibn Maysarah mentions: "Whoever honours an innovator has aided in the destruction of Islam."

Al-Hasan ibn 'Ali al-Barbahari Hassan or Hasan ( ) is an Arabic masculine given name in the Muslim world. As a surname, Hassan may be Arabic, Irish, Scottish, or Jewish (Sephardic Jews, Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews, Mizrahic) (see Hassan (surname), Hassan as a surname). Ety ...

(867-941 CE) mentions: "The innovators are like

scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...

s. They bury their heads and bodies in the sand and leave their tails out. When they get the chance they sting; the same with the innovators who conceal themselves amongst the people, when they are able, they do what they desire." Abu Haatim said: "A sign of the people of innovation is their battling against the people of Narrations." Abu Uthman al-Sabuni (983-1057 CE) said: "The signs of the people of innovation are clear and obvious. The most apparent of their signs is their severe enmity for those who carry the reports of the Prophet."

Ahmad Sirhindi Ahmad Sirhindi (1564 – 1624/1625) was an Indian Islamic scholar, Hanafi jurist, and member of the Naqshbandī Sufi order who lived during the era of Mughal Empire. Ahmad Sirhindi opposed heterodox movements within the Mughal court such as D ...

(1564 – 1624/1625 CE) has explained about Bid'ah in his letter, that according to his view, Bid'ah are the opposite of

Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

traditions of Muhammad.

Assuming good and bad bidah

Companions and at least one early scholar (

) have also made statements referring to good bidah or which assume a difference between good and bad bidah:

Jabir ibn Abd Allah Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr ibn Ḥarām al-Anṣārī (, died 697 CE/78 AH), Abu Muhammad and Abu Abd al-Rahman also wrote his nickname was a prominent companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and narrator of Hadith. Imami sources say ...

narrated: "The Messenger of Allah ... said: 'Whoever starts a good thing and is followed by others, will have his own reward and a reward equal to that of those who follow him, without it detracting from their reward in any way. Whoever starts a bad thing and is followed by others, will bear the burden of his own sin and a burden equal to that of those who follow him, without it detracting from their burden in any way.'" (al-Tirmidhi, no. 2675, sahih hasan hadith)

said that Muhammad said that those who introduced a good precedent in Islam which others followed (by people) would be rewarded as would those who followed it, and someone who introduced a bad precedent which others followed would be punished, as would the followers.

Anas ibn Malik Anas ibn Mālik ibn Naḍr al-Khazrajī al-Anṣārī (; 612 712) was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Finding the Truth in Judging the Companions, 1. 84-5; EI2, 1. 482 A. J. Wensinck J. Robson He was nicknamed Khadim al-Nabi for ...

said "I heard the Prophet say: 'My nation will not unite on misguidance, so if you see them differing, follow the great majority.'" (Note: The grade of the Hadith is da'eef i.e. weak)

Abu Hurairah Abū Hurayra ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ṣakhr al-Dawsī al-Zahrānī (; –679), commonly known as Abū Hurayra (; ), was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and considered the most prolific hadith narrator. Born in al-Jabur, Arabia to ...

said that Muhammad said, "Whoever prayed at night the whole month of Ramadan out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven." After Muhammad's death the people continued observing that (i.e. Nawafil offered individually, not in congregation), and it remained as it was during the Caliphate of

Abu Bakr Abd Allah ibn Abi Quhafa (23 August 634), better known by his ''Kunya (Arabic), kunya'' Abu Bakr, was a senior Sahaba, companion, the closest friend, and father-in-law of Muhammad. He served as the first caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, ruli ...

and in the early days of

Umar ibn Al-Khattab Umar ibn al-Khattab (; ), also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () and is regarded as a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muh ...

's Caliphate. During

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

upon seeing people praying in different groups, Umar ordered Ubayy ibn Ka'b to lead the people in congregational prayer. On this Umar said: 'What an excellent Bida (i.e. innovation in religion at that time from an earlier time) this is; but the prayer which they do not perform, but sleep at its time is better than the one they are offering.'

Salman al-Farsi Salman Farsi (; ) was a Persian religious scholar and one of the companions of Muhammad. As a practicing Zoroastrian, he dedicated much of his early life to studying to become a magus, after which he began travelling extensively throughout Weste ...

said that when Muhammad was asked, by some of the companions, about the permissibility and prohibition of certain items, he said "Halal is that which Allah has made Halal in His book, Haram is that which Allah has made Haram in His book and about which he has remained silent is all forgiven." Abu Hurairah said that at the time of the

Fajr prayer The fajr prayer, alternatively transliterated as fadjr prayer, and also known as the subh prayer, is a salah (ritual prayer) offered in the early morning. Consisting of two rak'a ("bows"), it is performed between the break of dawn and sunrise. ...

Muhammad asked Bilal ibn al-Harith, "Tell me of the best deed you did after embracing Islam, for I heard your footsteps in front of me in Paradise." Bilal replied, "I did not do anything worth mentioning except that whenever I performed ablution during the day or night, I prayed after that ablution as much as was written for me." Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani says in ''

Fath al-Bari () is a commentary on , the first of the Six Books of Sunni Islam, authored by Egyptian Islamic scholar Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (initiated by ibn Rajab). Considered his magnum opus, it is a widely celebrated hadith commentary. Ibn Rajab commen ...

'' that "the hadith shows it is permissible to use personal reasoning (

) in choosing times for acts of worship, for Bilal reached the conclusion he mentioned by his own inference and the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) confirmed him therein." Similar to this, Khubayb ibn Adiy asked to pray two rak’as before being executed by idolators in Mecca, and was hence the first to establish the ''sunna'' of two rak'as for those who are steadfast in going to their death. Rifaa ibn Rafi narrated: When we were praying behind the Prophet and he raised his head from bowing and said, "Allah hears whoever praises Him," a man behind him said, "Our Lord, Yours is the praise, abundantly, wholesomely, and blessedly."When he rose to leave, the Prophet asked who said it, and when the man replied that it was he, the Prophet said, "I saw thirty-odd angel each striving to be the one to write it." Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani comments in ''Fath al-Bari'' that the hadith "indicates the permissibility of initiation new expression of ''dhikr'' in the prayer other than the ones related through hadith texts (even though this is still reported in the hadiths), as long as they do not contradict those conveyed by the hadith. It is clear that this is since the above were a mere enhancement and addendum to the know, ''sunna dhikr''." Imam Shafi'i (767–820 CE) gave the following advice, "An innovation which contradicts the Qurʼan, Sunnah, an Athar or

Ijma Ijma (, ) is an Arabic term referring to the consensus or agreement of the Islamic community on a point of Islamic law. Sunni Muslims regard it as one of the secondary sources of Sharia law, after the Qur'an, and the Sunnah. Exactly what group s ...

is a heretical bid'a: if however something new is introduced which is not evil in itself and does not contradict the above mentioned authorities of religious life, then it is a praiseworthy, unobjectional bid'a." This can infer worldly bid'a or technology.

In Shi'a Islam

According to

Shi'a Islam Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

the definition of bidah is anything that is introduced to Islam as either being

fard ' () or ' () or fardh in Islam is a religious duty commanded by God in Islam, God. The word is also used in Turkish language, Turkish, Persian language, Persian, Pashto, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali language, Bangla (''spelled farz or faraz''), and Mal ...

(),

mustahabb ''Mustahabb'' () is an Islamic term referring to an action or thing that is recommended and favoured. ''Mustahabb'' actions are those whose ruling ('' ahkam'') in Islamic law falls between '' mubah'' (neutral; neither encouraged nor discouraged ...

(),

mubah ''Mubāḥ'' (Arabic: مباح) is an Arabic word roughly meaning "permitted", which has technical uses in Islamic law. "Mubah" is an Islamic jurisprudential term that refers to an action for which a person has no specific obligation. Consequent ...

(),

makruh In Islamic terminology, something which is makruh or makrooh (, transliteration, transliterated: ''makrooh'' or ''makrūh'') is "disliked", literally "detestable" or "abominable". This is one of the Ahkam, five categories (''al-ahkam al-khamsa'') ...

() or

haram ''Haram'' (; ) is an Arabic term meaning 'taboo'. This may refer to either something sacred to which access is not allowed to the people who are not in a state of purity or who are not initiated into the sacred knowledge; or, in direct cont ...

() that contradicts the Quran or hadith. Any new good practice introduced that does not contradict the Quran or hadith is permissible. However, it is not permissible to say that a new good practice (that does not contradict the Quran or

) is obligatory, highly recommended or "

sunnah is the body of traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time supposedly saw, followed, and passed on to the next generations. Diff ...

" proper. Hence, the Shia stance mirrors the body of

scholars who proffer the idea of "bidah hasana" (). As a general rule in Shia jurisprudence, anything is permissible except whatever is prohibited through divine revelation (i.e. the Quran or hadith).

Debates

Despite the general understanding of standing scholarly disagreements (), the notion of lawful innovation is a polarizing issue in the Islamic world. A practical example of this is the debate over the permissibility of the

() of the prophet Muhammad. All scholars agree that such celebrations did not exist in the early period of Islamic history, and yet ''mawlid'' commemorations are a common element in Muslim societies around the world. Even so, Sunni scholars are divided between emphatic unconditional condemnation and conditional acceptance of the celebration with the former insisting it is a bidah and thus automatically unlawful, while the latter argues it nonetheless is contextually permissible.

Change over time

British historian Sadakat Kadri has noted the change over time in what is considered bidah. Hadith were not written down until the 9th century, at least in part because "traditionists such as

Ibn Hanbal Ahmad ibn Hanbal (; (164-241 AH; 780 – 855 CE) was an Arab Muslim scholar, jurist, theologian, traditionist, ascetic and eponym of the Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence—one of the four major orthodox legal schools of Sunni Islam. Th ...

considered human literature to be an unholy innovation." Kadri, ''Heaven on Earth'', 2012: p.187 This interpretation changed even for very conservative jurists such as

who wrote dozens of books. Ibn Taymiyyah however considered mathematics, a bidah, a false form of knowledge that "does not bring perfection to the human soul, nor save man from castigation of God, nor lead him to a happy life", and forbade its use in determining the beginning of lunar months. Very conservative

Wahhabis Wahhabism is an exonym for a Salafi revivalist movement within Sunni Islam named after the 18th-century Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It was initially established in the central Arabian region of Najd and later spread to other ...

allow the broadcast of television but Indian Deobandi forbid their followers from watching it, but make use of the more recent invention the internet to issue fatwas. Kadri, ''Heaven on Earth'', 2012: p.190 When the beverage known as coffee was introduced to the market of Cairo sometime between 1580 and 1625 CE, it was considered by the

ulama In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

to be a bid'ah so offensive to Islam that the pious were urged to attack and demolish establishments serving it. Yet in the 20th century, even so orthodox and conservative Muslims as Saudi Wahhabis thought nothing of serving coffee.Karmrava, 2011, 5 Traditionally who died of plague and who did not was explained as simply the will of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

based on al-Bukhari's al-Sahih hadith, Kadri, ''Heaven on Earth'', 2012: p.185 but studying the progress of the

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

(

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of Plague (disease), plague caused by the Bacteria, bacterium ''Yersinia pestis''. One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and ...

) in the 14th century, scholar

Ibn al-Khatib Lisan ad-Din Ibn al-Khatib (; 16 November 1313 – 1374) was an Arab Andalusi polymath, poet, writer, historian, philosopher, physician and politician from Emirate of Granada. Being one of the most notable poets from Granada, his poems decorate ...

noted those who died had the plague transmitted to them from "garments, vessels, ear-rings; ... persons ... by infection of a healthy sea-port by an arrival from an infected land" whereas isolated individuals were immune. In the

Muqaddimah The ''Muqaddimah'' ( "Introduction"), also known as the ''Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun'' () or ''Ibn Khaldun's Introduction (writing), Prolegomena'' (), is a book written by the historian Ibn Khaldun in 1377 which presents a view of Universal histo ...

, Ibn Khaldun defends the science of medicine from suggestions that it is an innovation going against the Sunna. "The medicine mentioned in religious tradition ... is in no way part of the divine revelation." It was simply part of "Arab custom and happened to be mentioned in connection with the circumstances of the Prophet, like other things that were customary in his generation." But was "not mentioned in order to imply that tis stipulated by the religious law." A number of contemporary Muslim sources assure readers that Bidah is confined to religion and has nothing to do with technology, However, at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, European inventions -- "steamships, factories, and the telegraph"—were denounced in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

as innovations leading to wicked deeds.quoting an "unattributed text" from the time of reform minded Sultan

Mahmud II Mahmud II (, ; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. Often described as the "Peter the Great of Turkey", Mahmud instituted extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms ...

(r. 1809-1839 C.E.) Mehram Kamrava argues that more than doctrinal purity was involved in these attacks on innovation, as the religious beliefs of the ulama (class of religious scholars) were intertwined with their "financial and institutional" special interests—specifically their monopoly control over law and education, which would be undone by major technological advances.Karmrava, 2011, 4 In his ''Book of Knowledge''

Al-Ghazali Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111), archaically Latinized as Algazelus, was a Shafi'i Sunni Muslim scholar and polymath. He is known as one of the most prominent and influential jurisconsults, legal theoreticians, muftis, philosophers, the ...

observed that many phenomena once thought bidah had come to be though legally unobjectionable.

ong the accepted practices of our time are decorating and furnishing the mosques, and expending great sums of money on their ornate construction and fine rugs which were then considered innovations. These were introduced by the pilgrims, since the early Muslims seldom placed anything on the ground during prayer. Similarly disputation and debate are among the most honoured disciples of the day and are numbered among the best meritorious works (qarubat): nevertheless they were among the taboos at the time of the Companions. The same is true of the chanting (talhiri) of the Quran and the call for prayer, going to excess in matters of cleanliness and being over fastidious in matters of ceremonial purity, ruling clothes unclean on petty and far-fetched grounds, and, at the same time, being lax in ruling foods lawful and unlawful as well as many other like things.

He quoted

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (), or pronounced Huthaifah or Huzaifah (died in 656), was one of the Sahabah (companion) of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Early years in Medina. At Medina, Hudhayfah became a trusted and great companion of Muhammad, part ...

approvingly: "Strange as it may seem, accepted practices of today are the taboos of a day gone by. ... And the taboos of today are the accepted practices of a day yet to come."Al-Ghazali,
Book of Knowledge
', p. 206

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Sunni view

The Perfection of the Sharia and an Exposition of the Reprehensible Innovations That Have Crept Into Islam

Innovation in Light of the Perfection of the Shari'ah

Shaykh Uthaymeen on innovations

Expounding Bidah

Innovation and Creativity in Islam by Dr. Umar Fard Abd-Allah

Shia view

Introduction to Bidah
from the Shia website Answering Ansar
Detailed Explanation of the Shia view on Bidah
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bid'ah Arabic words and phrases in Sharia Heresy Innovation