TERM 3 - TAwheed - CLASS 9
SOME EXAMPLES OF THE CONTEMPORARY INNOVATIONS & RESPONSE TO THEM
Some examples of the contemporary innovations
The Celebration of the Prophet ﷺ birthday.
Seeking blessings from places, and relics of dead people or the like.
Bid'ah in terms of worship and means of nearness to Allah.
Contemporary Bid'ah are numerous due to the distant time span which separates the Muslims today from the Prophetic era, the scarcity of knowledge, and the large number of promoters of Bid'ah and violations. Resembling the infidels' customs and rituals is another reason, as foretold by the Prophet ﷺ, "You certainly shall follow the tracks of those before you." (At Tirmidhi)
1. The Celebration of the birthday of the Prophet ﷺ
It is a celebration which resembles the Christians' celebration of Christ's birth (Christmas). Ignorant Muslims and deviant scholars celebrate in the month of Rabi al Awwal, the Messengers' birthday. Some hold this function in mosques, and some at homes while others in designated places that are prepared for this purpose. Large numbers attend such celebration, copying the Christians in their Bid'ah of celebrating Christmas. Besides the fact, it is an innovation resembling the Christians, such celebration also include some polytheistic practices and objectionable things such as reciting litanies that include excessive praising of the Messenger of Allah. They also include supplicating the Prophet ﷺ to the exclusion of Allah, and seeking help and relief from him. The Prophet ﷺ forbade revering him excessively saying:
"Do not adulate me as the Christians adulated the son of Maryam, I am only a human, therefore, call me the slave of Allah and His Messenger." (Bukhari and Muslim)
Those who celebrate the birthday of the Prophet ﷺ probably believe that the Prophet ﷺ attends their functions. Among the objectionable things that take place in such celebrations is reciting litanies in congregations accompanied by drum beating, and the rest of the innovated Sufi litanies. Such celebrations allow mixing of men with women, which is a cause of Fitnah and leads to committing fornication. Even if such functions are free from these objectionable things, and were restricted to gatherings, eating and expressing joy as they claim, it is still a Bid'ah which is innovated, and according to the Hadith: Every innovated practice is Bid'ah, and every Bid'ah is a means of deviation.
It can also be conducive to objectionable things, which take place in other functions.
We said that this celebration is Bid'ah because it has no base in the Book nor the Sunnah, nor in the practice of the Pious Predecessors and the favored generations. Such celebrations evolved, subsequent to the fourth century of Hijrah. It was innovated and devised by the Shi'ite Fatimid.
Imam Abu Hafs Taj ad-Din al-Fakihani (May Allah grant him His mercy) said: "To proceed, it has been repeatedly asked by blessed group of people inquiring about the legitimacy of the functions that some people hold in the month of Rabi al Awwal which they call al-Mawlid (Milad), whether it has a base in the deen. They request a clear answer to their query in general and clarification in particular. I said, while asking Allah to grant me success: "I have no knowledge of a base for such functions, neither in the Book nor in the Sunnah, nor any of the Scholars who adhere to the traditions of the predecessors, who are the examples for the Ummah to follow in matters of deen, was reported to have celebrated it. Rather, it is a Bid'ah, innovated by the forgers, and a desire through which greedy people became rich." (Risalat al-Mawrid fi amal al Mawlid)
Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah grant him His mercy, said: "Similar to this is what some people do, they celebrate the birthday of the Prophet ﷺ either to resemble the Christians' celebration of the birthday of Jesus, whom Allah saved from evil, or out of their love and adulation to the Prophet ﷺ. Although people are at variance with regard to the actual date of the Prophet's birthday. Such functions were not held by the Pious Predecessors. Were such functions to be a good thing, the Pious Predecessors, may Allah be pleased with them, would have been more deserving than us in holding it. They loved and revered the Prophet ﷺ more than we love and revere him, and they were keener than ourselves in seeking goodness. His true love and reverence can be materialized in following and obeying him, and adhering to his commands, and reviving his Sunnah internally and externally. It can also be materialized by propagating the message with which he was sent, and struggling by heart, hand and tongue for that purpose. This is the way of the Pious Predecessors and the Muhajireen and Ansar, and those who followed them with piety."
[Iqtida As-Sirat 2/165. This quotation has been abridged by the author]
Books and epistles in the past and present were written to denounce and refute this Bid'ah, besides it being a Bid'ah and resembling the Christians, it is also conducive to holding other birthday celebrations, such as the birthday of the awliya,' Shaikh' and leaders', and would open many gates of evil.
2. Seeking blessings from places, and relics of dead or living people, or the like.
Among the innovated practices too is seeking blessings from creatures which is one of the paganistic rituals, and a trap set by religious mercenaries in order to extort money from simple minded people. Whereas Tabarruk means seeking the Barakah which is the abundance of good things and its continuity. Requesting the good things and augmenting it is in the hand of the One Who possesses it and Who is capable of augmenting it alone. i.e. Allah, Who is far removed from every imperfection.
It is He Who sends down Barakah and makes it to remain. As for the creature, he is incapable of granting Barakah, let alone bringing it into existence, or making it to remain.
Seeking Barakah from places, relics, or dead or alive persons is not permissible because it is either Shirk, if one believes that thing grants Barakah, or a means which is conducive to Shirk if he believes that visiting such a place or person, or touching it, or rubbing his body against it is a cause for attaining it from Allah.
As for seeking Barakah by the hair of the Prophet ﷺ, his saliva or whatever is taken from his person by his Companions, that was an exclusive privilege of the Prophet ﷺ in his lifetime, while he was among them, as was mentioned in Chapter one, Section3. And this is proven by the fact that the Companions never sought Barakah from his room or grave after his death, nor did they make a point in going to places in which he performed Salat or sat seeking blessing from them.
Similarly, the graves of pious people, they did not seek Barakah from them such as; Abu Bakr, Umar, and the other prominent Companions, neither during their life nor after their death. They never went to cave Hira' to perform prayer in it and supplicate, nor did they go to mount Toor where Allah spoke to Musa, to perform prayer or supplicate. Neither did they go to any other similar places or mountains that are alleged to contain the graves of Prophets, or other people. Neither did they go to places in which buildings were erected over the remains of a Prophet ﷺ.
Furthermore, the Companions never went to the places were the Prophet ﷺ used to pray in Madinah on a regular basis to touch or kiss, nor did they go to places in Makkah where he used to perform his prayer. If the places or spots where he used to tread with his honorable feet, and in which he performed prayer, he did not legalize for his Ummah to rub themselves against them, nor kiss them, then by right the places in which other people prayed or slept in should be avoided, for kissing any of such places or rubbing against them is known to scholars, by necessity, that such practices do not belong to the Shari'ah of Muhammad. [Itidaa As-Siraat 2/195]
3. Bid'ah in terms of worship and means of nearness to Allah
The Bid'ah that have been innovated in the field of worship in this time are many. Worship basically are restricted to the Book and Sunnah, no acts of worship should be legislated except by a proof from those two sources. Any act of worship which is not sanctioned by a textual proof is Bid'ah.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "He who performs an act of worship which is not substantiated by our deen, it shall be rejected." (Muslim)
Innovated acts of worship practiced today are many; of such are:
Pronouncing the intention of Salat verbally, by saying: "I intend to perform such and such prayer for the sake of Allah." This is a Bid'ah because it does not belong to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ and because Allah, the Exalted, says:
"Say, 'Will you acquaint Allah with your faith, while Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and Allah knows everything?" (49:16)
Intention belongs to the heart or mind, because it is an internal action not to be expressed with the tongue.
Recitation of Dhikr in congregation after concluding the Salat is also Bid'ah. It is legitimate only to recite the Dhikr individually. Another Bid'ah is the request to recite al Fatihah in certain occasions, and upon concluding supplications for dead people. Likewise, holding mourning functions by preparing food for mourners, hiring reciters to recite the Qur'an, alleging that all these things belong to the ritual of mourning which will benefit the dead. While in fact, all of these Bid'ah have no base in Islam. Rather, they are difficulties that people impose upon themselves, and which Allah does not sanction.
Celebrating certain religious occasions such as; Isra' and Mi'raj, and the emigration of the Prophet ﷺ to Madinah all of which are not sanctioned by the Shari'ah.
Of such Bid'ah too, what some people do in the month of Rajab, such as performing Rajabi' Umrah which is associated with certain acts of worship, such as observing a particular Salat or fasting in it, when in fact such month has no priority over the other months for performing Umrah, or observing fast, performing special prayer making offering in it, or any other thing.
All of the Sufi litanies are innovated Bid'ah because they differ with the legitimate Dhikr in terms of wording and liming or format. Dedicating the night of the middle of Sha'ban for prayer while observing fasting on that day is Bid'ah because it has never been authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ did anything of that sort in that particular day or night.
Erecting chambers over graves and designating them as mosques, and visiting them seeking Barakah, and seeking means of nearness to Allah through dead people or any other polytheistic practices. Also frequenting such places by women, although the Prophet ﷺ cursed the women who visit graves frequently, as well as those who light candles and lanterns in mosques containing graves.
In conclusion, we say that innovations pave the way to Kufr. They constitute an access to the deen, which neither Allah nor His Messenger, legitimized. The Bid'ah is worse than a major sin, for Shaitan rejoices with the Bid'ah more than he rejoices over a major sin, because a sinner commits a sin while knowing it is a sin, and he repents and relinquishes it. While a man of Bid'ah performs his Bid'ah believing it to be a part of his deen through which he seeks an access to Allah. Thus, he does not repent from it, nor relinquish it. The Bid'ah on the other hand, substitute for the Sunnah, and makes those who practice it resent practicing the Sunnah and ahl as Sunnah. While the Bid'ah itself keeps the one who practices it distant from Allah, and subjects him to His wrath and punishment, and causes deviation and corruption of hearts.
Response to the innovators
Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah continue to refute the claims of the innovators, denounce their innovations, and prevent them from practicing their innovations. The following are some examples
1. Umm ad-Darda' said: "One day Abu Darda' came in angry. I asked him, 'What was the problem?' he said: I recognized nothing of people's practices which belong to Muhammad except that they pray together."
[Bukhari. Abud-Darda' meant that people amidst who he was, practiced many innovations that he objected]
2. Umar b. Yahya said: "I heard my father reporting that his father said: "While we were sitting by the door of Abdullah bin Mas'ood before Fajr prayer, waiting for him to come out, in order to walk him into the Masjid. Then Abu Musa al Ash'ari' came in and asked: 'Has Abu Abdurrahman come out yet? (meaning Abdullah bin Mas'ood). We said no. Then he sat with us. When Abdullah came out, we stood up ready to accompany him to the Masjid. Abu Musa said: 'O Abu Abdurrahman! I have seen something in the Masjid which did not seem normal to me, although I saw only good things, praise be to Allah. Ibn Mas'ood asked: 'What was it'?' Abu Musa said: "If you live long enough you shall see." He said I saw in the Masjid people sitting in circles, waiting for prayer, in every circle there was a man and a heap of pebbles, and that man was instructing the group saying, 'Say, Allahu Akbar 100 times,' and they would say it, (counting by pebbles) 'Say La ilaha ill Allah 100 times,' and they would say it. 'Say Subhan'Allah 100 times,' and they would say it. Abdullah bin Mas'ood asked Abu Musa, 'What did you say to them?' Abu Musa said: "I said nothing, waiting for your instructions." Abdullah said: "Why did you not tell them to count their sins, and I would guarantee that none of their good deeds will be wronged." Then he went to the Masjid, and we followed him until he reached one of those circles, and stood by it and said: "What are you doing`' Count your sins and I guarantee that none of your good deeds will be lost. Woe to you, the Unzmah of Muhammad! How fast is your destruction? The Companions of the Prophet ﷺ are still around, and his clothes are not warn out yet (meaning the Prophet's) and his utensils are not broken yet. By the One in Whose hand is my life, you are either following a religion better than the deen of Muhammad, or charging into a gate of deviation."
They said: "By Allah, O Abu Abdur Rahmaan, we only intended to do good. He said: "How many who intend to do good, but never accomplish it." The Messenger of Allah told us that there are some people who read the Qur'an but it never passes beyond their throats. By Allah the majority of you belong to those people." Then he left them. Amr bin Salamah commented: "We saw the majority of those people fighting against us with the Khawarij in the battle of Nahrawan." (Ad-Darimi)
3. A man came to Imam Malik bin Anas, may Allah grant him His mercy, and asked: "Where am I supposed to put on the lhram?" Imam Malik said: "In the Meeqat, which is designated by the Messenger of Allah, in which he put on his Ihram." The man further asked: "What if I put on my Ihram before reaching the Meeqat?" Imam Malik said: "I do not approve of this." The man asked: "Why don't you like it?" Imam Malik said: "I dislike that you undergo a Fitnah (the temptation of Shaitan)" The man said: "What Fitnah will there be in gaining more goodness?" He said: "Allah, the Exalted, says:
"So let those of you who disobey His command beware lest a trial afflict them or receive a grievous punishment." (24:63)
Then Imam Malik further said: "What Fitnah is greater than thinking that you have been distinguished with a merit with which the Prophet ﷺ was not distinguished!" (Abu Shama, al-Ba'ith ala Inkar al-Bid'ah wal Hawadith pp. 14)
The foregoing are only some examples of the response of Ahlus-Sunnah to the people of Bid'ah.
The scholars are still denouncing the practices of the people of Bid'ah in every age due to the mercy of Allah.
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