Innovation

"من احدث فى امرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو رد"

"Whoever introduces something in this system of ours, which does not form part of it, then it is something that must be rejected." (Saheeh Bukhari)

The system that Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) mentioned refers to Deen. Therefore, according to this Hadith, everything that a person introduces in Deen that is not part of it must be rejected.

If someone does something / an act that is not part of Deen, with the impression that it is part of Deen, then it is called Bid'ah. And according to the Hadith, this kind of Bid'ah is a deviation that leads to hell.

An act that is part of Deen 

An act that is part of Deen is an act that is based on Qur'an-e-Kareem or the Sunnah of Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam). Similarly, an act which is based on the practice of the Khulafa-e-Raashideen (Radiyallahu Anhum) or the practice of the Salafs, is also part of Deen. Similarly, a practice that is approved by the research and Ijtihaad of a Mujtahid, is also considered part of Deen. Thus, a practice that is foreign to the Deen (a Bid'ah) is a practice that is not approved by any of these sources.

According to Allaamah Ash-Shatwibi, Hazrat ‘Umar Bin Abdul Aziz (Rahmatullahi alayh) had said something that Imam Malik (Rahmatullahi alayh) had appreciated a lot:

"سن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وولاة الامر من بعده سننا الاخذ بها تصديق لكتاب الله واستكمال لطاعة الله وقوة على دين الله ليس لاحد تغييرها ولا تبديلها ولا النظر فى شئ خالفها من عمل بها مهتد ومن انتصر بها منصور ومن خالفها اتبع غير سبيل المومنين وولاه الله ما ولى واصلاه جهنم وساءت مصيرا"

"Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) as well as the leaders who came after him instituted principles. The adoption of these principles is a confirmation of the book of Allah, a complement for the obedience of Allah and it is a strength in Deen. No one has the right to make any change or any modification to it, nor does anyone have the right to take into consideration something that is contrary to it. Whoever practiced this, he is on the right path. Whoever sought help through this, he attains success. Whoever opposes this, he has followed another path besides that of the Believers. Allah Ta’ala will assign him to his principles and will admit him into Jahanamam. And that is very bad as a refuge."

[English version of " Faire nouveauté" – Al Jamiat – Vol.4 No.9]