Biddah


Biddah means any act of worship that was not done by Prophet peace be upon him nor prescibed by Allah. It is very evil and unislamic.

Islam is comptele deen, it is final religion which is only accepted by Allah in day of judgment. We see that nowsday, many sunmah have been abandoned or unknown to many people, especially in places where there are no islamic education like villages.

Allah says in Quran

Al-Ma'idah 5:3

ٱلْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِى وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلْإِسْلَٰمَ دِينًاۚ

This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.

Therefore it is enough that we already have acts of worship that Allah and His messenger have legislated.


Prophet peace be upon him said


عَنْ أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أُمِّ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا، قَالَتْ: قَالَ: رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم مَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَذَا مَا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ [رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ] ، [وَمُسْلِمٌ] . وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ لِمُسْلِمٍ :مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلًا لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُنَا فَهُوَ رَدٌّ" ."



On the authority of the mother of the faithful, Aisha (ra), who said:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who innovates something in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam) that is not of it will have it rejected (by Allah)."
[Bukhari ; Muslim]
In another version in
Muslim it reads: "He who does an act which we have not commanded, will have it rejected (by Allah)."

Sahih

40 Hadith Nawawi 5
English translation : Hadith 5
Nawawi Hadith


Thus it becomes clear that biddah will not be accepted by Allah. Even if one performs it 1000 times, still not accepted by Allah.


To perform one sunnah even shortening the lower garment or to use misawk is better than thousand of biddah.


Actually there are also other warnings about innovating.

Hadith

حَدَّثَنَا مُسْلِمُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا وُهَيْبٌ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏

‏ لَيَرِدَنَّ عَلَىَّ نَاسٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِي الْحَوْضَ، حَتَّى عَرَفْتُهُمُ اخْتُلِجُوا دُونِي، فَأَقُولُ أَصْحَابِي‏.‏ فَيَقُولُ لاَ تَدْرِي مَا أَحْدَثُوا بَعْدَكَ ‏
‏‏‏
Narrated Anas:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Some of my companions will come to me at my Lake Fount, and after I recognize them, they will then be taken away from me, whereupon I will say, 'My companions!' Then it will be said, 'You do not know what they innovated (new things) in the religion after you."



Sahih al-Bukhari 6582
In-book : Book 81, Hadith 170
USC-MSA web (English) : Vol. 8, Book 76, Hadith 584 (deprecated)
Sahih Bukhari


There is no such as good or bad innovation. All biddah are evil even if they look innocent.

Some people have tried using some evidences to justify biddah, they take the hadith and word of Hazrat Omar.


Hadith

حَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ مُوسَى، بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ وَأَبِي الضُّحَى عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ هِلاَلٍ الْعَبْسِيِّ، عَنْ جَرِيرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ، اللَّهِ قَالَ جَاءَ نَاسٌ مِنَ الأَعْرَابِ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَيْهِمُ الصُّوفُ فَرَأَى سُوءَ حَالِهِمْ قَدْ أَصَابَتْهُمْ حَاجَةٌ فَحَثَّ النَّاسَ عَلَى الصَّدَقَةِ فَأَبْطَئُوا عَنْهُ حَتَّى رُئِيَ ذَلِكَ فِي وَجْهِهِ - قَالَ - ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَجُلاً مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ جَاءَ بِصُرَّةٍ مِنْ وَرِقٍ ثُمَّ جَاءَ آخَرُ ثُمَّ تَتَابَعُوا حَتَّى عُرِفَ السُّرُورُ فِي وَجْهِهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏

‏ مَنْ سَنَّ فِي الإِسْلاَمِ سُنَّةً حَسَنَةً فَعُمِلَ بِهَا بَعْدَهُ كُتِبَ لَهُ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا وَلاَ يَنْقُصُ مِنْ أُجُورِهِمْ شَىْءٌ وَمَنْ سَنَّ فِي الإِسْلاَمِ سُنَّةً سَيِّئَةً فَعُمِلَ بِهَا بَعْدَهُ كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِ مِثْلُ وِزْرِ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا وَلاَ يَنْقُصُ مِنْ أَوْزَارِهِمْ شَىْءٌ ‏"


Jarir b. Abdullah reported that some desert Arabs clad in woollen clothes came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). He saw them in sad plight as they had been hard pressed by need. He (the Holy Prophet) exhorted people to give charity, but they showed some reluctance until (signs) of anger could be seen on his face. Then a person from the Ansar came with a purse containing silver. Then came another person and then other persons followed them in succession until signs of happiness could be seen on his (sacred) face. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:

He who introduced some good practice in Islam which was followed after him (by people) he would be assured of reward like one who followed it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who introduced some evil practice in Islam which had been followed subsequently (by others), he would be required to bear the burden like that of one who followed this (evil practice) without their's being diminished in any respect.

Sahih Muslim 1017 e
In-book : Book 47, Hadith 26
USC-MSA web (English) : Book 34, Hadith 6466 (deprecated)
Sahih Muslim

Hadith

وَعَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَبْدٍ الْقَارِيِّ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ خَرَجْتُ مَعَ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ لَيْلَةً فِي رَمَضَانَ، إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ، فَإِذَا النَّاسُ أَوْزَاعٌ مُتَفَرِّقُونَ يُصَلِّي الرَّجُلُ لِنَفْسِهِ، وَيُصَلِّي الرَّجُلُ فَيُصَلِّي بِصَلاَتِهِ الرَّهْطُ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ إِنِّي أَرَى لَوْ جَمَعْتُ هَؤُلاَءِ عَلَى قَارِئٍ وَاحِدٍ لَكَانَ أَمْثَلَ‏.‏ ثُمَّ عَزَمَ فَجَمَعَهُمْ عَلَى أُبَىِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ، ثُمَّ خَرَجْتُ مَعَهُ لَيْلَةً أُخْرَى، وَالنَّاسُ يُصَلُّونَ بِصَلاَةِ قَارِئِهِمْ، قَالَ عُمَرُ نِعْمَ الْبِدْعَةُ هَذِهِ، وَالَّتِي يَنَامُونَ عَنْهَا أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الَّتِي يَقُومُونَ‏.‏ يُرِيدُ آخِرَ اللَّيْلِ، وَكَانَ النَّاسُ يَقُومُونَ أَوَّلَهُ‏.‏

Abdur Rahman bin 'Abdul Qari said,

"I went out in the company of 'Umar bin Al-Khattab one night in Ramadan to the mosque and found the people praying in different groups. A man praying alone or a man praying with a little group behind him. So, 'Umar said, 'In my opinion I would better collect these (people) under the leadership of one Qari (Reciter) (i.e. let them pray in congregation!)'. So, he made up his mind to congregate them behind Ubai bin Ka'b. Then on another night I went again in his company and the people were praying behind their reciter. On that, 'Umar remarked, 'What an excellent Bid'a (i.e. innovation in religion) this is; but the prayer which they do not perform, but sleep at its time is better than the one they are offering.' He meant the prayer in the last part of the night. (In those days) people used to pray in the early part of the night."

Sahih al-Bukhari 2010
In-book : Book 31, Hadith 3
USC-MSA web (English) : Vol. 3, Book 32, Hadith 227 (deprecated)
Sahih Bukhari

In reality, these were meant to be taken in linguistically sense. These ahadith meant that the prescibed practices that was abandoned long time and unknown to people of its generation, such as paying sadaqa charity, gets revived and followed by other people. Tarweeh was performed by Prophet peace be upon him but he feared that it could become obligatory so he abandoned it out of mercy to his ummah. This then was revived by Hazrat Umar, so he said "what a good biddah" in linguistical sense only, becsuse it was not performed for long time.

May Allah guide us to what is good.