- “The best Word is the Book of Allaah (Qur’an) and the best Guidance is the Guidance of Muhammad (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) and the worst affairs are innovations (bidah) and each innovation leads to perdition. [Bukhari]
- “… all novelties in Deen-e-Islaam are innovations, and each innovation is a deviation, and each deviation leads to the Hellfire.” [Abu Dawood & Tirmidhi]
All bida’h leads to perdition and to hell. So, how can people say that there is something that can be called a ‘good bida’h’ when in fact this contradicts the saying of the Nabi (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) that ‘all bidah lead to perdition and hell ?’ How is it possible that a devoted follower The Prophet of Allaah (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) who is meant to love and follow the teachings of Nabi (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) to the tee, contradicts his teachings?
The Prophet of Allaah (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) said: ‘anything new that a person introduces in the Shariah is rejected.’ [Bukhari]
So, how can someone say that bida’h is acceptable and permissible and can be practised? How can he also claim that he loves Nabi (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) when he has introduced many new things in Islaam without confirming that they are ‘sunnah’ or ‘bida’h?
When we open the door of bidah we allow our fancies, desires and opinions to dictate us to introduce new things the Deen and therefore, in doing so, we are changing the religion of Islaam. Every innovator believes that whatever he introduces in Deen is good. So, if every religious leader were to introduce so many things of their own desires into the religion of Islaam, the Deen would be unrecognisable. So a thousand of years have gone by from the time Islaam has been completed and so many billions of people have come into this world and gone away. If all of them were to bring changes into the Deen-e-Islaam, then the Deen would have been completely deformed and unrecognisable.
Bidah is a flagrant accusation against the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) that he has betrayed Allaah’s Message and did not transmit it correctly. This accusation is much more serious than committing sins.
All the good deeds of an innovator are rejected
Huzaifah (Radhi Allaahu Anhu) narrated that Nabi (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) has said: “he who commits bidah, his swalaats, roza, zakaat, hajj, umrah, jihad, sadaqat and fidya are all rejected by Allaah – and he falls outside Islaam just like a strand of hair removed from flour.” [Ibn Majah]
Every innovation leads to perdition
Whoever introduces anything new (bidah) in the Deen and practises it, then that thing that he practices becomes a means to deviate him from following Islaam. The Devil likes it much more when a person does bidah in Deen than when he actually commits sins. The bidati (innovator) only thinks that he is walking on the right path. In fact, he does not realise that he is in the wrong because he takes bidah for sunnah, and believes that those who practises sunnah are in the wrong. Precisely for this reason, he will never be willing to repent from all his bidah because he believes he is doing the right thing. As a result, he loses his opportunity to repent.
‘Dhwalalah’ or ‘Dhwal’ means deluding away or deviating or stranding far away from the truth. A look in the Qur’an will show us that Allaah Ta’alah uses the word Dhwalalah or Dhwal. These words have not been used by Allaah for someone who commits sin but they have been used for people who have deluded away from the path of truth and those same people who have created divisions in the Deen.
An example: In Surah Fathehah’s last word, the very word ‘Dhwaleen’ does not apply to those who commit sins but to those who have deviated from the right path. Here in this surah, Allaah uses the word ‘dhwaleen’ to give us an example of the Christians who have deluded far away from the path of the truth.
Furthermore, in the hadith narration it is said: “Koullou bidatin dhwalalah” meaning that every bidah leads to deviation (perdition). It has not been said that every bidah is a sin or mistake but that every bidah leads one far away from the path of the truth. The hadith goes on: “wa Koullou dhwalalatin fin-naar” which means that each deviation leads to hell.
Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbaal (Rahimahul laah) said: ‘Any Muslim (ahl-e-sunnah wal jamaah) who commits sins is not as worse a pious person who commits bidah.’
Bida’h is more serious than committing sins
1) Nabi (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) said: “Allaah will not accept the repentance of those who practise bida’h.” [Tabrani]
2) Imam Ghazali has said: “bidah is more serious than committing sins.’
3) Sufiyan as-Sawri has said: “Satan likes bida’h more than sins because it is possible that a person will repent from sins but very unlikely that he will repent from bida’h (since he takes bida’h as Sunnah and not as a sin).
4) Bidah is a flagrant accusation on the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) that he has betrayed Allaah’s Message and did not transmit it correctly.
5) This accusation is much more serious than committing sins.
6) The main objective of Satan is to make people commit ‘shirk’, and ‘kufr’ and when he does not succeed in doing this he tries to push them to bring about new things and practices (bidah) in the Deen. Satan finds it easier to push people to practise bidah because people take bidah for ‘ibaadah’ (worship) and thus feel that they are doing something good.
7) When a person commits sin he wrongs himself – but committing bida’h is worse because it demolishes the Deen itself.
8) Bida’h is the doorway to ‘kufr’ and ‘shirk’. In the holy Qur’an Allaah says: “What! Have they partners (In godhead), who have established for them Religion without the permission of Allaah?” [surah 42 As-Shura, verse 21]Bidah brings divisions (sects) in the Ummah
“Indeed, those who have divided their religion and become sects – you, [O Muhammad], are not [associated] with them in anything. Their affair is only [left] to Allaah; then He will inform them about what they used to do.” [Surah 6 Al-An’am, verse 159]
Abu Huraira (Radhi Allaahu Anhu) narrated that Nabi (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) has said that the above verse 159 from Surah Al-An’am refers to those people who brings and practises bidah in the Deen and follow their own fancies in that regard.When a person practises bidah, the evil of that bidah comes out and reaches other people around him and affects them to do the same and this affects the Ummah.
Bidah destroys Sunnah
When people introduce new things (commit bidah) in Deen they put a lot of stress on these innovations and take them as Sunnah and as part of the Deen. Consequently, at a certain point in time they stop practising the Sunnah and instead start practising their bidah (innovations) currently as Sunnah.
Ibn Abass (Radhi Allaahu Anhu) has said: “Every time bidah is introduced it kills Sunnah until the Sunnah dies and this goes on until the practice of bidah becomes alive.”
Hassan ibn Attiya (one of the tabi’ine) has said: “Whenever people accept bidah, Allaah Ta’alah removes Sunnah from them and does not give it back to them until the Day of Judgment.”Bidah leads to shirk
Bidah (innovations) leads to ‘shirk’ because the innovator assumes the role of legislator, that is, the one who prescribes the law. In fact, Allaah, The Creator is The Legislator, that is He is the One, who creates and He is the One who makes the law that humans have to follow.
So, a bidati (an innovator) associates himself with Allaah when he adds, removes or changes the laws of Islaam which Allaah has already established. On the other hand, the Devil adorns such changed laws and makes them look attractive and desirable. When this happens, there is no chance that the innovator will be willing to repent because he will never take what he is doing as wrong or as a sin or as an innovation. Contrarily, he takes it as Sunnah. We must know that the source of Sunnah is from the prophet Muhammad (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) and not from people.
Bida’h leads to kufr
Imam Malik (Rahimahul laah) has said: ‘whoever introduces something new in the Deen and believes that his innovation is right and must be practised, then he has falsely accused the holy prophet Muhammad (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) of not having done his job properly in transmitting the Message of Allaah to us.’ And this is because in the holy Qur’an it is mentioned:
“This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favour upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.” [Surah 5 Maida, verse 3]
So, it is clear that what was not in the religion of Islam in the time of the Prophet Muhammad (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) will never be part of Islam now after he has gone.
So, any person who innovates in the Deen of Islam is in other words showing that Islam is not a complete and perfect religion.
As a result:
1) He is committing a very serious sinful act.
2) He is going against the Quranic verse mentioned above (he goes against the Word of Allaah).
Allaah Ta’alah has chosen and perfected Islam for us and in doing so He has completed His favour upon us. So, when a bidati (innovator) adds, removes or changes anything in the Deen, he is basically not accepting that Allaah has completed His favour upon us in perfecting and choosing this Deen for us. Therefore, this is an act of ‘kufr’ because the bidati (innovator) is rejecting the Qur’an. So, bidah leads to kufr.
The ‘kufr’ committed by the Jews and the Christians is the result of the many innovations they have brought in their religions. For this reason, they have distanced themselves from the Message of Nabi Musa (Alaihis salaam) and Nabi Issa (Alaihis salaam).
Bidah start with small innovations that seem like the truth and people often get trapped in these small innovative practices. However, small bidah is practised and gradually leads to bigger bidah (innovations) until people are so immersed in them that they find themselves completely away from Islaam.
Bida’h destroys a person’s Akhirat (Hereafter) And Drives him away from the Shifarish of Nabi (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam)
Abu Huraira (Radhi Allaahu Anhu) narrated that Nabi (sal lal laa hu alaihi wa sal lam) said: “I will be by the lake of Hauz-é-Kausar and distributing water from it to the Muslims who will come towards me. Those who will drink of this water will never be thirsty again. There will be other people coming to my lake and I will recognise as my people; and they too, will recognise me. But the angels will drive them away from my lake Hauz- é-Kausar just as a camel is chased away. I will say: ‘O my Rabb, these people were my followers and they are my people (Ummat).”
But I will be told: ‘You do not know all the innovations that they brought in the Deen after you left the world.” And therefore, I will say: ‘get them away from me, get them away from me.”
That is these people will have parts of their body shinning to show that they were Muslims, because such parts of their body used to touch the ground when they were praying (reading their swalaats) on earth. So, Nabi (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) will recognise them and will ask them to: ‘come, come.’
But the angels will tell Nabi (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) that these very people brought many innovations in the Deen after he was gone from the earth. It is then that Nabi (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) will say to them: ‘get away from me, get away from me.’Conclusion:
So, those who brings bidah (innovations) in Deen, they actually destroy their life in the hereafter (akhirat) and they will not get the (intercession) ‘Shifarish’ of Nabi (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam).
Just like termites slowly devour wood, so does bidah gradually ruins a person.
He who commits bidah will not be forgiven
One day the Prophet Muhammad (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) said: “O Aisha for each sin there is repentance but there is no repentance for innovators who follow their fancies and desires. I have nothing with them and they have nothing to do with me.”
Bida’h has been condemned by the Sahabas, Tabi-ine and Ulamah haq
1) Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (Radhi Allaahu anhu) has said: “I will never abandon any sunnah (practice), which I know that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) used to do. I am afraid of deluding away if I give up a sunnah.”
2) Abdullah Ibn Umar (Radhi Allaahu anhu) has said: “Each innovation (bidah), even if people believe it is good, is a loss that leads to perdition. [Baihaiqi]
3) Abdullah Ibn Masud (Radhi Allaahu anhu) has said: “Beware of innovations that people have introduced in the Deen because these innovations do not just suddenly make a person’s heart abandon his Deen. What happens is that the Devil gradually introduces innovations into that person until one day his imaan is expelled from his heart. And then it happens that that person abandons his religious duties and the obligations (such as swalaats, roza, zakaat, halaal and haraam etc.) that Allaah has made incumbent upon him and starts talking talks about his Rabb, The Most High, The Majestic. So, those who find themselves in the company of such innovators must not sit with them.”
4) Hasan al-Basri has said: “Whether or not an innovator reads his swalaats, keeps his fast (roza), he is always away from Allaah.”
5) Hasan al-Basri has said: “Do not sit in the company of innovators (bidati), do not debate with them and do not listen to them.”Conclusion
The dangers and grave consequences of bidah
1) The prayers of a bidati are not accepted
2) He who sits in the company of a bidati (innovator) Allaah’s protection shuns away from him.
3) He who honours or supports a bidati, he too is giving a hand to demolish Islaam.
4) A bidati will be chased away from Hauz-e-Kausar.
5) He will not obtain the Shifarish (intercession) of Nabi (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) on the Day of Judgment.
6) He will meet with Allaah when Allaah will be unhappy and angry with him.
7) He will die with disgrace
8) His face will be black on the Judgment Day.
9) He will be thrown into the terrible Fire of Hell.
10) Bidah leads to shirk
11) Bidah leads to kufr
12) Whoever practises bidah accuses the Holy Prophet (sal lal laahu alaihi wa sal lam) that He betrayed Allaah’s Message and that he did not transmit the Message as it should have been. That is a very grave sin indeed.
13) Bidah kills Sunnah
14) He who practises bidah will not get the opportunity to repent because Satan makes him believe that what he is practising is good.