How to recognize Bida’t (innovations) Part 1.

[ummtaalib]

How to recognize Bida’t (innovations) Part 1.

 

Hereunder this servant of Allah states a few guidelines to recognise Bid’at: -

1.) Not to add: – e.g. Adhaan after burial or salami before Adhaan etc.

 

2.) Not to subtract: – e.g. 8 instead of 20 rakaats of taraweeh etc.

 

3.) Not to misplace: – e.g. to read the tasbeeh of ruku in sajdah etc.

 

4.) Not to call: – e.g. that which we term as ‘taaddi’, any ‘Mandoob’ act is good in itself but to call towards it will render it a Bid’at e.g. Quraan Tilaawat, congregational Zikr etc.

 

5.) Not to specify or put conditions: – e.g. when Shariat has left something open ended we have no right to place conditions, clauses, specifications or restrictions on it, e.g. One can visit the graveyard at any time, now to state that one has to do so on this or that day or night is Bid’at.
Zikr is laudable, now to state that it has to be in unison is Bid’at.
To make ‘isale sawaab’ for the deceased is rewardable but to specify date, time, place is Bid’at.

 

6.) Not to compel others: – which we term as ‘iltezaam’, for one to decide and recite daily 1 juz of Quraan is excellent but one cannot make this ‘mubah’ action compulsory on someone else, no sooner one does this it turns to Bid’at.

 

7.) Not to overrate an activity e.g. to take ‘ba’it’ to a Shaikh is Sunnat Ghair Muakkidah i.e. Mustahab and good, preferable, but to state that it is Fardh, Waajib or Sunnat is over-stepping the jurisprudic perimeters thus Bid’at.

 

8.) One must know that the ‘tafaroodat’(exceptions) of the scholars or Ahle Tasawwuf should not be classified as main stream of Islaam and one should not adhere to these otherwise a very strange form of Shariat will emerge. Thus certain practices of the Ahle Tasawwuf should be put into this category to award confusion amongst the masses.

 

9.) At a particular time a pious personality did an action. Now people grip upon this as proof of justification, whereas it is the standard basic accepted rule in Shariat that the speech, action, statement, Ilhaam, inspiration or dream of a pious person is not proof in Shariat. Thus the laws of Shari, valid, jurisprudence must be given preference over the actions of pious personalities.

 

10.) Some pious personalities, during the latter part of their lives, performed some actions due to a ‘haal’ ecstatic condition. This will not be regarded as Shariat, and should be regarded as an exception to the rule.

 

11.) The idea and concept that the Masjid becomes a ‘Khanqah’ as and when one feels like is a completely fallacious theory having no legs to stand on.

 

12.) Bid’at changes from place to place, not Sunnat actions.

 

13.) Deen is not customs, rituals and civilisations norms.

 

14.) Deen is complete, if we add then we are indirectly stating that Nabi (SAW) did not deliver completely.

 

15.) To specify when the Shariat has not done so e.g. it has been established to adorn a Turban in Shariat – Now to insist it has to be brown, green, black, white or chocolate in color is an innovation. (To be continued)

alislam