The Concept of Sunnah and Bida'h according to Qur'an and Hadith

All Praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and may the benedictions of Allah and His blessings be upon the last and final Prophet, our master Muhammad.

In order for us to understand what bida'h is we need to first define the concept of Sunnah, as they are two opposing terms and "things are made clear by their opposites". There are many definitions of Sunnah given by the scholars of usul and the fuqaha.

The definition that concerns us here is that the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) is his way of acting, ordering, accepting, and rejecting, and the way of his Rightly Guided Caliphs in acting, ordering, accepting and rejecting. So practices that are newly begun must be examined in the light of the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) and his way and path in acceptance and rejection.

There are many incidents showing that the Sahabah initiated new acts, forms of dhikr, du'a and so on that had never previously been done or ordered (examples of such will be mentioned later on). However they did because of their inference and conviction that such acts were of the good that Islam and the Prophet of Islam came with and in general terms urged the like of be done, in accordance with the word of Allah Most High,"And do the good, that haply you may succeed"[1]

And the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him),"He who inaugurates a good Sunnah in Islam earns the reward of it and of all who perform it after him without diminishing their own rewards in the slightest"

Though the original context of the hadith was giving charity, the interpretive principle established by the scholarly consensus of specialists in fundamentals of Sacred Law is that the point of primary texts lies in the generality of their lexical significance, not the specificity of their historical context, without this implying that anyone may make provisions in the Sacred Law, for Islam is defined by priciples and criteria.[2]

-As for bida'h its linguistic meaning is " to originate a work without imitating nor emulating a previous model. When used with regards to Allah then it is to originate a thing without the aid of any tool, material time or space" as stated by Imam Raghib al-Isfahani in his mufradaat al Qur'an.

Hafiz ibn Hajr mentions in Fath al Baari under the commentary of the hadith "Wa sharr al umoor muhdathaatuhaa…"[3]

"Bida'h linguistically: everything introduced without a previous example"

He mentions the same under the commentary of "ni'mat al-bida'h hadhihi"

- Technically, Imam Nawawi says in his tahdhib al-asmaa' WA al-lughaat that bida'h is "Introducing something that did not exist in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him)."

Fayumi says, "it is increasing or decreasing in the religion, however some of it may not be reprehensible, which are called commendable innovations (bida'h hasanah), this is that, which for its like a foundation is found in the sharia'h, or it entails general benefit by which corruption is repelled".

Narrations regarding bida'h:

1- The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said,"… Beware of matters newly begun, for every innovation is misguidance" [4]

Hafiz ibn 'Arabi says in his commentary of Jami' Tirmidhi:

"You should know (may Allah teach and increase you) that newly invented things are of two types:

a) That which has no foundation except the desires and acting according to ones will, this is clearly invalid, i.e. this is what is meant by innovations of misguidance.

b) The second is that which is taken by comparing like for like, and this is the sunnah of the Caliphs and the virtuous imams, i.e. it's meaning is not innovation of misguidance.

He also states: "New inventions and innovations are not objectionable/ reprehensible by wording nor meaning, for Allah Most High says, "Never comes to them of a renewed (muhdath) message from their Lord, but they listen to it in jest"[5] and the saying of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) "ni'mat al-bida'h". Rather that which is reprehensible from the innovations are those which oppose the sunnah, and from the new inventions that which invites to misguidance.

2- The saying of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him),"Every innovation is misguidance"[6]

Hafiz ibn Rajb says in his commentary of this hadith, "What is intended by innovation is that which is introduced that has no basis in the sharia'h indicating to it, as for that which has a basis in sharia'h then it is not an innovation legally even if it be an innovation linguistically"

Hafiz ibn Hajr says, what is meant by "all innovations are misguidance" is that which is innovated without having any evidence from the sharia'h by way of specificity and not generality.

Mulla 'Ali Qari says in his commentary Mirqat al-Mafatih"it is said in Azhaar what is meant, is all reprehensible bida'h are misguidance because of the Prophet's (peace and blessing be upon him) saying, "He who inaugurates a good sunnah in Islam earns the reward of it and of all who perform it".

And Abu Bakr and Umar compiled the Quran, Zayd wrote it in book form, and was recompiled during the reign of 'Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them all).

So therefore, this hadith does not mean that all innovations are misguidance, rather it is a general statement by which specificity is intended (al-a'aam urida bihi al-khusus). This is further supported by Imam Nawawi's statement, "This is a generality that is specified, what is meant by it is that which are newly invented things that has no confirmation of its correctness in the sharia'h".

Examples of statements of generality open to specification:

-Allah says,"Verily ye (unbelievers), and the (false) gods that ye worship besides Allah, are (but) fuel for hell! To it will ye come!"[7]

There is no doubt however that 'Isa and his mother (peace be upon them) and the angels who have become an object of worship other than Allah are not intended by this verse. So it is clear that this is a general statement by which specificity is intended.

-Also His Most High's saying,"That man can have nothing except that which he strives for"[8]

Whilst it is known that there are many evidences indicating that the living, by way of the funeral prayer, can benefit a deceased Muslim giving in charity supplication of the believers etc. more then twenty ways have been mentioned in the tafasir.[9]

Also the saying of the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him),"The fire will not touch the one who prays before the rising of the sun and after its setting"[10]

This is also a general statement, however it is not to be understood in its generality, for the one who prays these two and abandons the rest does not fall under the generality of the hadith. This is therefore another example of a general comment by which specificity is intended.

There are many other examples of this principle, but the above examples will suffice to clarify the point.

According to this understanding hadith no.2 is therefore specified by the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him),3- "He who innovates something in this matter of ours that is not of it will have it rejected"[11]

Ibn Rajb says, "The wording of this hadith indicates that every action that is not according to the legislator is rejected, so what is understood is that every matter in accordance to the legislator is not rejected".

Hafiz ibn Hajr says, "this hadith is considered to be a foundation of Islam and from its principles, its meaning is: whoever innovates in the religion that which no principle of the religion attests to it then no attention is given to it."

Categories of bida'h

Imam Bayhaqi in his Manaqibquotes Imam Shafi'e as saying, "Newly invented things are of two types:

- Invented things which opposes the Qur'an, Sunnah or ijmaa', these are reprehensible innovations.

- And invented things for the good that do not oppose anything of that (i.e. Qur'an, Sunnah and Ijmaa'), then it is an invention that is not reprehensible.

In another place he states, "Bida'h is of two types: praiseworthy innovations and reprehensible innovations. That which is in conformity with the sunnah is praiseworthy and that which opposes it is reprehensible.

Such that he negates the usage of the word bida'h from that which has a basis in the shariah. He says, "Everything that has a basis in the shariah is not a bida'h, even if the salaf may have not acted upon it, as their not acting upon it may be due to a reason faced by them at their time, or because of something better than it or possibly they may have not known about it"

The fact that the salaf may have not acted upon something does not necessitate its impermissibility. I will be discussing this in further detail below.

Imam an-Nawawi in his tahdhib al asmaa WA al-lughaat says under the wording bida'h, "it is divided into two, good and praiseworthy and disliked"

Al-'Izz ibn 'Abd as-Salaam states at the end of his Kitaab al-Qawaa'id, "Innovations are either,

- Obligatory e.g. the learning of grammar in order to understand the words of Allah and His messenger, the codification of usool al-fiqh, statements in jarh WA ta'deel (disparaging or praising of narrators).

- Forbidden (that which opposes the sunnah, does not have any shar'i basis, nor any maslahah), e.g. the school of the jabariyyah, qadariyyah, murji'ah, and the mujassimah, and to refute these groups is wajib, as the protection of the shariah from these innovations is a communal obligation (fard kifayah).

- Recommended, like --- introducing madaaris, and all beneficence that did not emanate from early Islam, and like tarawih (night vigil) i.e. in congregation, and discussing the intricacies of the Sufiyyah.

- Disliked, e.g. decorating the mosques and adorning the copies of the Qur'an…

- Permissible, like shaking hands after the dawn and evening prayers (according to the shafi'ites, it is dislike according to the hanifites), and facilitation in foods, drinks, living…etc.

Mullah 'Ali goes on to mention in his commentary that Imam Nawawi states at the end of his discussion of bida'h, Umar's (may Allah be pleased with) statement, "ni'mat il bida'h". Mullah 'Ali Qari then says, "it has been narrated from ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), 'That which the Muslims see as good is good in the sight of Allah' and in a marfoo' narration, 'My ummah will never unite upon misguidance'.

The various forms and meanings of abandoning and leaving an action:

As mentioned above, not all actions left by the salaf or even the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) necessitates the impermissibility of that act. Below I shall mention the various meanings that can be derived from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) not acting upon something.

1- His (peace and blessings be upon him) abandoning an act may be out of convention:

An example of this is found in the hadith narrated by Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him), that he entered the house of Maymunah with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and a cooked lizard was brought. So the messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stretched his hands out for it, it was said to him "it is a lizard O Messenger of Allah", he then removed his hands. I (Khalid) said, "Is it haraam O messenger of Allah?" he replied "No, but it is not found in the land of my people and I find it repugnant"

Khalid said, "I pondered/drew it near and ate it and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was looking"[12]

This hadith indicates to two things:

1- That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) leaving something, even after having approached it does not indicate that it is impermissible.

2- His (peace and blessings be upon him) deeming something to be squalid does not indicate to its impermissibility also.

2- He (peace and blessings be upon him) may leave something out of fear that it may become obligatory e.g. salaat al-tarawih

3- He (peace and blessings be upon him) may have left something simply due to it not crossing his mind e.g. building a minbar for himself.

4- Leaving many actions that fall under the generality of the verses of the Qur'an or hadith. As Allah's saying,"And do the good, that haply you may succeed"[13]

As under this statement all good is encompassed.

There are many other possibilities as to why the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) may have left an action.

Therefore just by him merely leaving an act does not necessitate its prohibition, unless there is textual evidence to prove that the abandoned act is prohibited. Rather it can be inferred that things that have been abandoned are in fact permitted so long as there is nothing indicating to its impermissibility. This will then fall under the famous maxim, "all things are permissible unless proven otherwise".

Principles of usool in relation to actions that have not been done by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):

1- There are three things in Shariah that indicate to the impermissibility of an action or object:

a) Nahi Prohibition (imperative) e.g. Allah's saying, "And do not come near adultery"[14]

b) Lafz an-Nahi (wording of prohibition) e.g. "Forbidden to you are: dead meat, blood…."[15]

c) Dispraise of an action and warning of punishment e.g. "Who ever cheats us is not from us"[16]

Abandoning an act is not from those things that necessitate prohibition.

2- Allah says,"And take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he prohibits you from"[17]

He did not mention and that which he leaves refrain from.

3- The prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,"That which I have commanded you to do, do as much as you possibly can, and that which have prohibited you from, refrain from it"[18]

4- The scholars of usul have defined Sunnah to be, "the sayings, actions and tacit approvals of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)"

They did not mention and his leaving an action, as it is not a considered an evidence.

5- As mentioned previously leaving an act can have multiple meanings and possibilities, and the principle of the scholars of usul is "that which has many probabilities, derivation (taking evidence) from it is dropped"

6- Abandonment of an act is status quo, as it is the non-existence of action, and not acting is the original state and action is incidental. So this original state of having no action does not prove anything legally or linguistically. Therefore not acting does not entail impermissibility.

If this is the case with the actions not performed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then the actions of the salaf will also follow suite, as Imam Shafi'e states, "Everything that has a basis in the shariah is not a bida'h, even if the salaf may have not acted upon it".

From this investigative point of departure, one may observe that many of the Sahabah performed various acts through their own personal reasoning (jjtihad), and the sunnah way was to both accept those that were acts of worship and good deeds conformable with what the shariah had established and not in conflict with it, and to reject those which were otherwise. This was his sunnah way, and upon which his Caliphs proceeded, and from which the 'Ulama have established the rule that any new matter must be judged according to the principles and primary texts of shariah, whatever the shariah attests to, is acknowledged as good. And whatever is attested to by the shariah as being a contravention is rejected as blameworthy innovation.

The first is what is commonly referred to as bida'h hasanah (a good innovation), holding in view that is lexically termed ass an innovation, but legally speaking it is not really an innovation but rather an inferable sunnah as long as the primary texts of the Shariah attest to it as being acceptable[19]. And the second is commonly referred to as bida'h sayyi'ah(blameworthy innovation).

The prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentions something similar to this in his saying,

"He who inaugurates a good sunnah in Islam earns the reward of it and of all who perform it after him without diminishing their own rewards in the slightest, and whoever inaugurates a evil sunnah in Islam he carries the burden of its sin and the sin of all who perform it after him, without diminishing their sins in the slightest"[20]

Imam Nawawi states, "In it (the above narration) is an encouragement to initiate good deeds and inaugurating good trends, and a reproach from corruption and ignominious acts"

This narration is also specifies the generality of the Prophet's saying,"Every innovation is misguidance"[21]

As what is intended is, all new matters that are void and reprehensible.

New matters introduced at the time of the Prophet and his method of acceptance and rejection:

We now turn to the primary textual evidence previously alluded to concerning the acts of the Companions and how the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) responded to them:

1) On the authority of Abu Hurayra (may Allah be plesed with him), that at the dawn prayer the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Bilal, "Bilal, tell me which of your acts in Islam you are most hopeful about, for I have heard the footfall of your sandals in paradise" and he replied, "I have done nothing I am more hopeful about than the fact that I do not perform ablution at any time of the night or day without praying with that ablution whatever has been destined for me to pray."[22]

Ibn Hajr 'Asqalani says in Fath al-Bari that "the hadith shows that it is permissible to use personal reasoning (ijtihad) in choosing times for acts of worship, for Bilal reached the conclusions he mentioned by his own inference, and the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) confirmed him therein"

Similar to this is the hadith in Bukhari about Khubayb who asked to pray two rak'ahs before being executed by the idolaters in Mecca. He was the first to establish the Sunnah of two rak'ah for those who are steadfast in going to their death. These hadiths are explicit evidence that Bilal and Khubayb used their own ijtihad in choosing the times of the acts of worship, without any previous command or precedent from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) other than the general command to perform the prayer.

2) Bukhari and Muslim relate that Rifa'a ibn Rafi said, "When we were praying behind the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) 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 therein." When he rose to leave, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) asked "who said it", and when the man replied that it was he, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, "I saw thirty-odd angels each striving to be the one to write it."

Ibn Hajar says in Fath al-Bari that the hadith indicates the permissibility of initiating new expressions of dhikr in the prayer other than the ones related through hadith texts, as long as they do not contradict those conveyed by the hadith [since the above words were a mere enhancement and addendum to the known, sunna dhikr].

3) Bukhari relates from Aisha (Allah be well pleased with her) that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) dispatched a man at the head of a military expedition who recited the Qur'an for his companions at prayer, finishing each recital with al-Ikhlas (Qur'an 112). When they returned, they mentioned this to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), who told them, "Ask him why he does this", and when they asked him, the man replied, "because it describes the All-merciful, and I love to recite it." The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to them, "Tell him Allah loves him."

In spite of this, we do not know of any scholar who holds that doing the above is recommended, for the acts the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to do regularly are superior, though his confirming the like of this illustrates his sunnah regarding his acceptance of various forms of obedience and acts of worship, and shows he did not consider the like of this to be a reprehensible innovation (bida), as do the bigots who vie with each other to be the first to brand acts as innovation and misguidance. Further, it will be noticed that all the preceding hadiths are about the prayer, which is the most important of bodily acts of worship, and of which the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,"Pray as you have seen me pray",

despite which, he accepted the above examples of personal reasoning because they did not depart from the form defined by the Lawgiver, for every limit must be observed, while there is latitude in everything besides, as long as it is within the general category of being called for by Sacred Law. This is the sunnah of the Prophet and his way (Allah bless him and give him peace) and is as clear as can be. Islamic scholars infer from it that every act for which there is evidence in Sacred Law that it is called for and which does not oppose an unequivocal primary text or entail harmful consequences is not included in the category of reprehensible innovation (bida), but rather is of the sunnah, even if there should exist something whose performance is superior to it.

4) Bukhari relates from Abu Said al-Khudri that a band of the Companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) departed on one of their journeys, alighting at the encampment of some desert Arabs whom they asked to be their hosts, but who refused to have them as guests. The leader of the encampment was stung by a scorpion, and his followers tried everything to cure him, and when all had failed, one said, "If you would approach the group camped near you, one of them might have something". So they came to them and said, "O band of men, our leader has been stung and we've tried everything. Do any of you have something for it?" and one of them replied, "Yes, by Allah, I recite healing words (ruqya) over people, but by Allah, we asked you to be our hosts and you refused, so I will not recite anything unless you give us a fee". They then agreed upon a herd of sheep, so the man went and began spitting and reciting the Fatiha over the victim until he got up and walked as if he were a camel released from its hobble, nothing the matter with him. They paid the agreed upon fee, which some of the Companions wanted to divide up, but the man who had done the reciting told them, "Do not do so until we reach the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and tell him what has happened, to see what he may order us to do". They came to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and told him what had occurred, and he said, "How did you know it was of the words which heal? You were right. Divide up the herd and give me a share."

The hadith is explicit that the Companion had no previous knowledge that reciting the Fatiha to heal (ruqya) was countenanced by Sacred Law, but rather did so because of his own personal reasoning (ijtihad), and since it did not contravene anything that had been legislated, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) confirmed him therein because it was of his sunnah and way to accept and confirm what contained good and did not entail harm, even if it did not proceed from the acts of the Prophet himself (Allah bless him and give him peace) as a definitive precedent.

5) Bukhari relates from Abu Said al-Khudri that one man heard another reciting al-Ikhlas (Qur'an 112) over and over again, so when morning came he went to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and sarcastically mentioned it to him. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, "By Him in whose hand is my soul, it equals one-third of the Qur'an." Daraqutni recorded another version of this hadith in which the man said, "I have a neighbour who prays at night and does not recite anything but al-Ikhlas."

The hadith shows that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) confirmed the persons restricting himself to this surah while praying at night, despite its not being what the Prophet himself did (Allah bless him and give him peace), for though the Prophets practice of reciting from the whole Qur'an was superior, the mans act was within the general parameters of the sunnahand there was nothing blameworthy about it in any case.

6) Ahmad and Ibn Hibban both relate from Abdullah ibn Burayda that his father said, I entered the mosque with the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), where a man was at prayer, supplicating: "O Allah, I ask You by the fact that I testify You are Allah, there is no god but You, the One, the Ultimate, who did not beget and was not begotten, and to whom none is equal", and the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, "By Him in whose hand is my soul, he has asked Allah by His greatest name, which if He is asked by it He gives, and if supplicated He answers".

It is plain that this supplication came spontaneously from the Companion, and since it conformed to what the Sacred Law calls for, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) confirmed it with the highest degree of approbation and acceptance, while it is not known that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) had ever taught it to him (Adilla Ahl al-Sunna WA'al-Jamaa, 119-33). [23]

7) Imam Muslim relates from Abu Sa'id Khudri who reported that Mu'awiya went to a circle in the mosque and said: What makes you sit here? They said: We are sitting here in order to re- member Allah. He said: I adjure you by Allah (to tell me whether you are sitting here for this very purpose)? They said: By Allah, we are sitting here for this very purpose. Thereupon, he said: I have not demanded you to take an oath, because of any allegation against you and none of my rank in the eye of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) is the narrator of so few ahadith as I am. The fact is that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) went out to the circle of his Companions and said: What makes you sit? They said: We are sitting here in order to remember Allah and to praise Him for He guided us to the path of Islam and He conferred favours upon us. Thereupon he adjured by Allah and asked if that only was the purpose of their sitting there. They said: By Allah, we are not sitting here but for this very purpose, whereupon he (the Messenger) said: I am not asking you to take an oath because of any allegation against you but for the fact that Gabriel came to me and he informed me that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, was talking to the angels about your magnificence.

8) Imam Muslim relates from Anas who reported: I saw when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) got his hair cut by the barber, his Companions came round him and they eagerly wanted that no hair should fall but in the hand of a person.

9) Imam Muslim relates from Anas b. Malik who reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) came to the house of Umm Sulaim and slept in her bed while she was away from her house. On the other day too he slept in her bed. She came and it was said to her: It is Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) who is having siesta in your house, lying in your bed. She came and found him sweating and his sweat falling on the leather cloth spread on her bed. She opened her scent-bag and began to fill the bottles with it. Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) was startled and woke up and said: Umm Sulaim, what are you doing? She said: Allah's Messenger, we seek blessings for our children through it. Thereupon he said: You have done something right.

10) Imam Bukhari and Muslim relate from Abu Juhaifa who reported on the authority of his father: I saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) (in Mecca at al-Abtah) in a red leather tent. And I saw Bilal take the ablution water (left by Allah's Messenger), and I saw the people racing, with one another to get that ablution water. If anyone got some of it, he rubbed himself with it, and anyone who did not get any got some of the moisture from his companion's hand.

11) Imam Muslim relates from Anas b. Malik who reported that when Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had completed his dawn prayer, the servants of Medina came to him with utensils containing water, and no utensil was brought in which he did not dip his hand; and sometime they came in the cold dawn (and he did not feel reluctant in acceding to their request even in the cold weather) and dipped his hand in them.

12) Abu Dawud and Imam Ahmad relate from 'Amrb. 'Aas that he was sent out on the expedition of salaasil, he says, "I had a wet dream in an exteremly cold night, I feared if I was to bathe I will die so I done tayammum and then led my companions in the dawn prayer. When we arrived to the Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him) they mentioned to him what had occurred. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "O 'Amr led your companions in prayer in a state of major defilement", so I replied "I remembered Allah's saying,'And do not kill yourselves, for verily Allah hath been to you most Merciful'[24]

Therefore I done tayammum and prayed". The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) laughed/smiled and said nothing.[25]

13) Imam Bukhari relates from 'Aisha: Once I saw Allah's Apostle at the door of my house while some Ethiopians were playing in the mosque (displaying their skill with spears). Allah's Apostle was screening me with his Rida' so as to enable me to see their display. ('Urwa said that 'Aisha said, "I saw the Prophet and the Ethiopians were playing with their spears.")

Anas narrates that, while some Ethiopians were playing in the presence of the Prophet, 'Umar came in, picked up a stone and hit them with it. On that the Prophet said, "O 'Umar! Allow them (to play)." Ma'mar (the sub-narrator) added that they were playing in the Mosque.

14) Imam Muslim relates from Umar who said, a man came whilst the people were in prayer, the man said upon arriving to the row, "Allahu akbar kabira WA al-hamdu lillahi kathira WA subhan Allahi bukrata WA asila". When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) completed his prayer he said, "Who said these words?" A man replied "Me O Messenger of Allah, by Allah I did not intend by it anything except good" the Prophet replied, "I saw the doors of the heavens open for it".

Ibn Umar said "I have never stopped reading this since I heard it".

There are numerous other examples of the way in which the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) dealt with new issues, the above points are sufficient to elucidate the point.

However one may point out that all the above incidents took place during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and therefore cannot be used to substantiate the claim. Hence we need to analyse how the Sahabah themselves dealt with such issues after the demise of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

New matters introduced in period of the Sahabah after the demise of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):

Innovations objected by the Sahabah:

1) Deliverance of the Eid sermon before the prayer, as was done by Marwan ibn Hakam, Abu Sa'eed al- Khudri opposed by saying, "I swear by Allah you have made a change (from the way of the Prophet)". The whole incident is mentioned in Bukhari and others.

2) It is mentioned by Imam Abu Dawud (Muslim and others), on the authority of Hussain ibn 'Abd al-Rahman, who relates that 'Umarah ibn Ruaibah (may Allah be pleased with him) witnessed Bisr ibn Marwan supplicating (by rasing his hands) in Jumu'ah, upon which he remarked, "May Allah disfigure your hands, indeed I saw the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) upon the pulpit and he did not increase upon this, meaning to point with his index finger"[26]

Innovations consented by the Sahabah

1) Imam Bazzar narrates with his chain of transmission, "We came out with the leader of the believers 'Ali ibn Abi Talib on the day of eid, a group from his companions asked him regarding praying before and after the eid prayer, and he did not respond. Then came another group asking and he did not respond, so when came to the point of praying he led the people, done seven takbirs and then addressed the people, he then descended and mounted his ride. So they said, "O leader of the faithful, these people are praying!" He replied, "What is that you want me to do? You asked me regarding the Sunnah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not prayer before nor after it, so whosoever wills may do or leave it. Do you want me to prevent a people from praying that I be like the one who prevents a slave when he prays".

2) Abdurahman ibn Abdulqari report: "One night during Ramadan I went with 'Umar to the mosque and the people were praying in different groups. Some were praying by themselves and others were praying in small groups. 'Umar said: 'I think it would be better if I gathered them under one imam .' Then he did so and appointed Ubayy ibn Ka'b as the leader of the prayer. Then I went out with him on another night and all the people were praying behind one imam and 'Umar said: 'What a good innovation (bid'ah) this is,' but, it is better to sleep and delay it until the latter portion of the night." [27]

Ibn Athir staetes in an-Nihayah when mentioning bida'h hasanah, "of its type is the saying of Umar, 'What a good innovation (bid'ah) this is,' as it was from the actions of good, and it falls under the confines of commendation, he called it a bida'h and praised it, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not make it a sunnah. Rather he prayed it for a few days and then left it and did not continue it, nor did he gather the people for it neither did it exist at the time of Abu Bakr. Rather it was Umar who gathered the people for it and appointed them to it. For this reason he called it a bida'h, whilst in reality it is a Sunnah due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) "Upon you is my Sunnah, and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs" and his saying, "follow the two to come after me, Abu Bakr and Umar". From this junction it is possible to interpret the hadith, "all innovations are misguidance" as to that which opposes the principle of shariah and does not conform to the Sunnah.

3) Imam Bukhari relates that al-Saa'ib ibn Yazeed said: At the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), Abu Bakr and 'Umar, the first call on Friday used to be when the imaam was sitting on the minbar. But at the time of 'Uthmaan (may Allaah be pleased with him), when the number of people increased, he added the third call. According to one report, 'Uthmaan gave orders for the first call. According to another report, the second adhaan was enjoined by 'Uthmaan. There is no contradiction here, because it is called the third call in the sense that it was something added; the first in the sense that it comes before the adhaan and iqaamah; and the second in the sense that this is an adhaan given in addition to the real adhaan, which was given in al-Zawraa'. Abu 'Abd-Allaah - i.e., al-Bukhaari - said that al-Zawraa' was a place in the market of Madeenah

4) Some Sahabah like Abdullah b. Umar will increase in their talbiyah as mentioned in Bukhari and Muslim

5) In Tabarani on the authority of Abu Madina ad-Darimi that two men from the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon them) when meeting will not separate until one of them will recite upon the other the Surah "By time, verily mankind is in loss…" (Surah Asr)

6) The famous incident of the compilation of the Qur'an at the time of Abu Bakr, encouraged by Umar compiled by Zayd ibn Thabit as related by Bukhari, Tirmizi, Nasai, and Ibn Majah

7) The compilation of 'Uthman when ikhtilaf in recitation had become an issue, he compiled the Qur'an in a Mushaf,accommodating all styles of recitation and ordered all other copies be burnt.

This action even though it did not exist during the era of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), it is considered to be 'Uthman's greatest contribution to Islam and the most beneficial to the Muslims.

8) The extension of Masjid an-Nabawi, by 'Umar and those who succeeded him.

9) 'Aisha relates, "The Maqam (of Ibrahim) at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr was attached to the house (Ka'bah), the 'Umar came and separated it.

Hafiz ibn Hajr states in Fath al-Bari, "and the Sahabah did not oppose Umar's action, nor did anyone who came after them, so it developed into a consensus. It was as if 'Umar thought if it were to remain it will be problematic for those doing tawaf, or for those praying, hence he placed it in a place were these difficulties will be removed.

10) Imam Shafi'e states, "the first person do pay wages to the callers of prayer was Imam 'Uthman b. 'Affan.

There many other incidents wherein new things had been introduced, like increasing the dua in replying to one who sneezes as found in Muwatta that ibn Umar will say "Yarhamuna Allah WA iyyakum WA yaghfirlana WA lakum" whilst the known sunnah is to say "Yarhamuka Allah". Once again the above examples are sufficient to show how the Sahabah understood the hadith of bid'ah.[28]

Virtues of emulating the Sahabah the criterion to follow when their actions are in contradition with clear texts

We must bear in mind that the Sahabah have an exalted position and are also a source of the shariah (e.g. their fatawa), after the two primary texts. Their legal status is discussed at length in the books of usul. However what is of relevance here is the position they hold legally according to the Quran and Hadith.

Allah states the in the Quran: "The first and the foremost among the Emigrants and the Helpers and those who followed them n good deeds, God is pleased with, as they are with Him.' He has prepared for them gardens under which rivers, to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success." [al-Tawbah: 100]

As for the ahadith,

- "Follow my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs" (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi and others)

- "From my successors follow Abu Bakr and 'Umar" (Tirmidhi, Ahmad)

- 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) has asserted that , Allah looked into the hearts of all mankind and chose Muhammad, thus He entrusted him with his message. Then he looked into the hearts of the rest of mankind and chose Companions for him and made them the aides of His deen and the ministers of His Prophets (peace and blessing be upon him). Thus, whatever the Muslims consider good is good in the sight of Allah, and whatever they consider as bad is bad by Allah. (Bazzar, Tabrani and Ahmad[29])

The criterions to be followed when new actions contradict clear texts

Imam Abdul Hayy Lucknawi has set out clear guidelines to follow when faced by actions of the Sahbah conflicting with the actions in the time of the Prophet, stating:

"If a bid'ah is established by the Sahabah, which did not exist in the era of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him), then which position shall be of preference to adopt, that which has been established by the Sahabah or that which existed in the ea of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?

Any action the Sahabah have established will fall under one of the following:

1) A text exists from the Quran or Sunnah, which is in accordance with it, and indicates to it being commendable.

2) There is a Quranic text or Sunnah, which opposes it.

3) There is no text relevant to the aforementioned (two condiitions)

If the Sahabi's action coincides with the first condition then to adopt his action will be commendable immaterial of the fact that it never existed in the era of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Due to the fact that it coincides with the principles of shariah.

If his action concurs with the second condition, then an attempt shall be made to bring both into conformity, trying to ensure that the action of the Sahabi remains in the realms of the shariah. If conformity is impossible then the action of the Sahabi shall be rejected due to the existence of a text contravening it, and it shall be presumed that the Sahabi had no knowledge of the text, otherwise he would not have acted contrary to it.

However, if the Sahabi's action or saying coincides with the third condition, for example there is no Quranic or Prophetic text which opposes or is in conformity with his action then to adopt the standpoint of the Sahabi would be meritorious, as has been established by many ahadith. The existence of a Quranic or Prophetic text shall not be a prerequisite for emulating his action. This principle should be thoroughly understood as many subsidiary rulings stem from it.

Furthermore, if the Sahabah held a consensus upon a bid'ah, then to adopt the consensus of the Sahabah is unquestionably desirable…"

"With regards to the matters introduced in the time of the Tabi'in and Tab' Tabi'in, the decisive criteria is the same as mentioned for the Sahabah, with the addition that if an objection was raised then it shall be considered as a reprehensible bid'ah otherwise not.

The innovations, which were introduced after the golden generations, shall be determined in the light of the founding principles of the shariah. If any similar action is found in the first three golden generations, or if it is in harmony with one of the founding principles of shariah, then it shall not be categorised as a reprehensible bid'ah. Because a reprehensible bid'ah is a mode of expression for that which did not exist in the first three golden generations and that which is not in conformity with the founding principles of shariah. If it is referred to as a bid'ah, then it shall have to be considered as a commendable bid'ah. Conversely, if there is no basis for it in accordance to the founding principles of the shariah then it shall be considered a reprehensible bid'ah, even though it was perpetrated by those who are regarded as people of virtue and knowledge…"[30]

In conclusion all innovations are not necessarily misguidance, so long as they conform to the principles of Shariah and are not in direct contradiction with the primary texts. Therefore, we must take great caution not hasten and be abrupt in classifying everything newly invented as a reprehensible innovation. We should be extremely cautious lest we be like those whom Allah has mention in Surah Nahl:"But say not - for any false thing that your tongues may put forth - 'This is lawful, and this is forbidden', so as to ascribe false things to Allah. For those who ascribe false things to Allah will never prosper"

Finally I pray that Allah gives us all the true and correct understanding of the spirit of the Shariah. And enables us to hold steadfast to the Quran and the Sunnah of our beloved Messenger Muhammad, may the benedictions of Allah and peace be upon him, his family and Sahabah and upon all those who follow their path.

[1]Surah al-Hajj v.77

[2] Adapted from "Reliance of the traveller", w29.2, Shaikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller

[3] Narrated by Muslim, Nasai, ibn Majah, Darimi, Ahmad, ibn Khuzayma, Baihaqi, ibn Hibban and others.

[4] Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, who said: hasan sahih, ibn majah, Darami, Hakim (confirmed by Dhahabi), Baihaqi and many others.

[5] Surah al-Anbiya v.2

[6] Part of a hadith in Muslim, Narrated by [6] Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, who said: hasan sahih…

[7] Surah al-Anbiya v.98

[8] Surah an-Najm v.39

[9] See Hashiyah as Sawi 'ala tafsir al-jalalayn

[10] Narrated by Muslim, ibn Hibban, Abu Dawud, Nasai, Ahmad and others.

[11] Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Majah, Abu Dawud, and others, in one version in Muslim, "He who does an act in which our matter is not (in agreement) will have it rejected"

[12] Narrated by Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Malik and others

[13] Surah al-Hajj v.77

[14] Surah al-Israa v.32

[15] Surah al-Ma'idah v.3

[16] Muslim, Tirmizi, Ibn Majah, Bayhaqi and others

[17] Surah al-Hashr v.7

[18] Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad

[19] Adapted from Reliance of the Traveller, w29.2, Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller

[20] Narrated by Muslim, Nasai, Ahmad and Ibn Majah

[21] Part of a hadith in Muslim, Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, who said: hasan sahih…

[22] Narrated by Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, Nasai, Ibn Khuzayma

[23] 1-6 taken from Reliance of the Traveller, w29.3, Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller

[24] Surah an-Nisaa v.29

[25] Also authenticated by Hakim and Imam Dhahabi confirmed it, also narrated by Bukhati in a suspended narration, ibn Hajr in Fath said this suspension has been connected in Abu Dawud.

[26] Refer to Imam Abdul Hayy Lucknawi's famous work, Iqamat-al-Hujjah for further details.

[27] Bukhari, Ibn Khuzaymah, Baihaqi and others

[28] Majority of what has been mentioned in this article has been translated, adapted and reorganised from the work al-Mawsu'ah al-Yusufiyyah with additions and omissions.

[29] The version in the Musnad is authenticated by Shaikh Ahmad Shakir

[30] Bid'ah and the Salaf's Worship, Imam Abdul Hayy Lucknawi, translated by Shaikh Zahir Mahmood

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