What is Bid’at?

Any new innovation in Islam is Bid’at if it is against the teachings of Quran and the Sunnah of Rasulallah (SalallahoAlaiheWasalam), specially if this new innovation demolishes the Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad (SalallahoAlaiheWasalam).

In a Hadith from Miskhat Shareef in which the Prophet (salallahoalaihewasalam) said “Whosoever introduces a new belief in our religion which contradicts with it is rejected.”  He also said “Beware of innovations, for every innovation (Kullu Bid’at) is misguidance.”  But there is another hadith from the same book which is in favor of good innovations, thus a Hadith in Miskhat under Babul-I’lm says: “He who sets a good precedent in Islam, there is reward for him for this (act of goodness) and a reward for him also who acts according to it subsequently, without any deduction from their rewards and he who sets in Islam an evil precedent there is upon him the burden of that, and the burden of him also who acts upon it subsequently, without any deduction from their burdens.” From this Hadith we see that to introduce a nice way in Islam which is in accordance with the Holy Quran and Sunnah will induce rewards and to do vice versa will provoke punishment.

If we assume that every new innovation is Bid’at then the following acts also come under new innovations which were not existed at the time of Prophet (salallahoalaihewasalam) but Sahabaa Kiraam performed it after Rasulallah was departed.

  • Compilation of Quran
  • Adding first call to prayer on friday
  • Taraveeh prayer with jamaat
  • Compilation of books of hadiths

and so on …   

From the above references it is proved that Bid’ats  are only those acts in Islam which are new and against Islamic spirit. Therefore to call Milad-un-Nabi gathering or Shab-e-Baraat, Shab-e-Meraj, Quran Khawani etc. Bid’at or Shirk is very unfortunate. If some body does not like these gatherings, he should not prevent other muslims to celebrate it. In all those gatherings the following acts are performed:

  • Recitation of Holy Quran
  • Hamd and Naat
  • Speech on Seerat of prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him)
  • Dua
  • Darood and Salaam
  • Distribution of food

None of the above action is against Quran and Sunnah therefore those gatherings cannot be considered as Bid’at as labeled by some people.

SOME GOOD BID’ATS IN OUR DAILY RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES (BID’AT-E-HASANA)

We will now see that no worship in Islam is void of Bid’at-e-Hasana.

IMAAN: Every Muslim child is taught Imaan-e-Mujmal and Imaan-e-Mufassal whereas no such categories or names for Imaan were in practice in the age of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) or the three blessed generations after him.(*)

(*) By the three blessed generations we mean the ages of the Sahaba, the Tabe’een and the Tab’e Tabe’een.

KALIMAH: Every Muslim memorizes six Kalimahs. These six Kalimahs, their enumeration and their sequence that, this is the first Kalimah, this the second, etc. are all Bid’ats which were not there in the commencing period of Islam.

QURAN: To divide the Holy Quran into thirty Paras (sections) and to divide the Paras into Rukus, to put the I’raab (expressions such as Zabbar, Zer, Pesh) in the Holy Quran and to have the Holy Book printed by offset in the press are Bid’ats which could not be traced in the commencing era of Islam.

HADITH: To collect the Hadith in book form and state the chain or narrators and to characterise the Hadiths by saying this is Sahih, this is Hassan or Da’if, Mu’addaal or Mudallas, etc. and to establish the commands with the help of Hadith such as Makruh, Mustahab, etc. are all appreciable Bid’ats which were not in practice in the blessed age of Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam).

PRINCIPLES OF HADITH (USUL-E-HADITH): This whole branch of knowledge along with its rules is itself Bid’at Hasana.

FIQH: Now a days all the matters in our daily life depend upon this knowledge because it contains the rules and commands for everything which may come across our lives, but this field of knowledge also is Bid’at Hasana.

USUL FIQH AND I’LM-E-KALAAM: These two branches of knowledge too, along with their principles and injunctions are all Bid’at Hasana.

SALAAT: It is Bid’at-e-Hasana to intend for praying Salaat by proclaiming the intention loudly or to pray the 20 Rakaah Tarawih prayer in congregation during the Holy Month of Ramadaan.

FASTING: At the time of breaking fast (Iftaar) to say the Du’a: “O Allah, for Thee have I Fasted and in Thee I believe and upon Thee I trust and with the food given by Thee I open my fast” and to intend for fasting by saying this Du’a audibly at the time of SEHRI: “O Allah, I intend to fast for Thy sake tomorrow” are all Bid’at Hasana.

ZAKAAT: To give Zakaat with the currency which is currently used such as coins and paper notes is Bid’at because these were not in vogue in the commencing centuries of Islam.

HAJJ: To perform Hajj by travelling in aeroplanes, ships, cars, lorries, buses and to go to the field of Arafaat by car or bus are all Bid’ats because such conveyances had not been invented in that age.

When Bid’at has been introduced in such things as Imaan and Kalimah then how will we succeed in abstaining from it. So we will have to agree that all Bid’ats are not Haraam and only those Bid’ats are Haraam which contradict the Kitaab and Sunnah.  

BID’AT IN WORDLY AFFAIRS:

Now a days we see around us such new inventions that could not be found in the first three centuries of Islam and we got so much accustomed to them that life would be very difficult without them. Everyone is compelled to use these things such as trains, cars, aeroplanes, watches, electricity, and hundreds of other things, without which we cannot imagine how life would be. But all these things are Bid’ats and cannot be traced back to the blessed age of Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) or the Sahaba.

SOME MODERN DAY BID’ATS WHICH ARE NOW BECOME THE PART OF OUR RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES. FOR EXAMPLE:

  • Use of Loud Speakers and Microphone for conducting Daily and Friday prayers and delivering speeches.
  • Organizing Fund Raising dinners in Hotels for building Mosques, Madrassa etc. 
  • Organizing Islamic Quiz Competitions between children as well as adults.

            and so on…

 SOME MODERN DAY BAD BID’ATS (BID’AT-E-SAI’YYA) WHICH ARE AGAINST ISLAM AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED BUT HAS BEEN PRACTICED BY  IGNORANT  MUSLIMS 

  • Offering prayers with head’s uncovered i.e not wearing cap while offering prayers.
  • Offering only fard part of the Namaz.
  • Make no Dua after Namaz.
  • Announce the beginning of Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha in advance without sighting the Moon.
  • Eating Haram burgers etc by invoking Bismillah on it so that it becomes halal.

Each of the above action is a new bad innovation in Islam i.e. Bid’at-e-Sai’yya, because by adopting these actions one is not only introducing new innovation in Islam but also at the same time he is abolishing the Sunnah of our Prophet (salallahoalaihewasalam)  which in fact is direct violation of the commands of Allah Ta’ala.

May Allah Show us right path and give us courage to accept the truth.