- "Every
matter by which nearness to Allaah is sought but
the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) has
forbidden."
I say: such as
fasting continuously, or specifying the day of
Jumu'ah for fasting or praying the night and the
likes of these. This is because in and of
themselves they are matters which draw one close
to Allaah from the point of view that the basis
of them is worship but they do not draw one
close to Allaah due to their being done in this
forbidden way.
As-Suyutee said
in 'al-Amr bi al-Ittibaa' (pg. 152) while
mentioning bid'ah,
"… And
this occurs in some of them due to their desire
to perform a great deal of worship and actions
of obedience, so their desire leads them to do
this at times and in places that the Sharee'ah
has forbidden them from doing so.
From these are
those that are forbidden and those that are
disliked. Ignorance and the adornment of
Shaytaan puts these people in a dilemma by them
saying: These are actions of obedience, it is
established that they were done at other times
so we shall do them continuously, for Allaah
will never punish us for actions of obedience
irregardless of when we perform them!"
Then our Shaykh
said,
- "Every
matter for which it is not possible to be
legislated except by a text and there is no text
for it then this is a bid'ah with the exception
of that which is reported from a Companion from
whom that action was repeatedly done with no one
objecting."
I say: Abu
Sulaymaan ad-Daaraane said,
"It is not
upon the one receives inspiration (ilhaam) that
something is from the good actions to enact it
until he hears it from a text. So when he hears
it from a text he should enact it and praise
Allaah for making what is in his heart conform
to the text."
['al-Baa'ith'
(pg. 108) of Abu Shaamah.]
And there was
nothing said that was more beautiful than the
saying of al-Imaam Ibraaheem an-Nakha'ee,
"If the
Companions had wiped over their finger nails
then I would not have washed them due to the
great virtue of following them"
['al-Ibaanah'
(no.254) of ibn Battah. A similar narration was
reported by ad-Daarimee in his 'Sunan' (1/72)]
Ibn Abee ad-Dunya
reports in 'Kitaab al-Iyaal' (no.56) that Ataa
said,
"I asked
Aa'ishah about aqueeqah saying, 'what is your
opinion of the one who sacrifices a slaughter
camel?' She replied, "the Sunnah is better
and more excellent."
I say: And what
is their that is better to be followed!!
Taqee as-Subkee
was asked in his 'Fataawaa' (2/549) about a
newly invented matter that was performed by some
of his contemporaries to which he replied,
"All
praise is due to Allaah. This is a bid'ah
without any doubt and none should have any doubt
concerning this. It is sufficient to state that
it was not known in the time of the Prophet
(SAW) and neither in the time of the Sahaabah,
and it is not known from any of scholars of the
Salaf."
These are
golden words that cement what has preceded that
the Sharee'ah is sufficient and complete and
that the right of legislation belongs to Allaah.
It is not permissible to overstep its limits or
to invent new things in it.
From the
examples of this is what al-Haakim says in his 'Mustadrak'
(1/370) adding a comment to the hadeeth that is
reported concerning the prohibition of writing
in graves [the basis of which is in 'Saheeh
Muslim' (no. 970)],
"This
hadeeth is not to be acted upon! For indeed the
Imaams of the Muslims from the east to the west
have words written on their graves, this being
an action that the khalaf took from the Salaf!"
Adh-Dhahabee
followed this statement up by correcting it and
saying,
"What you
say is of no consequence! We do not know of a
single companion who did this rather it is
something that was introduced by some of the
taabi'een and those who came after them because
the prohibition did not reach them."
A detailed
discussion concerning this follows later.
Then our Shaykh
said,
- "Those
things that are taken as worship but are
actually from the habits of the
disbelievers."
I say: as-Suyutee
says in 'al-Amr bi al-Ittibaa' (pg. 141),
"And from
the bid'ahs and evil actions is resembling the
disbelievers and joining in with and agreeing to
their Eids and accursed festivities as is done
by many of the ignorant Muslims…"
Shaykh al-Islaam
ibn Taymiyyah says in 'Iqtidaa as-Siraat al-Mustaqeem'
(pg. 214),
"The
generality of these actions that are taken from
the Christians and others that are not reported
(in our Religion) - then Satan has adorned them
and made them seem attractive to those that
claim Islaam and he has made their hearts accept
them and have a good opinion of them. So these
(Muslims) have added to some and taken away from
others, they have put some forward and delayed
others just as they used to change some aspects
of the True Religion. But due to these days and
their likes having been specified while the
Sharee'ah has not done so, and that making them
special in the Religion is false and invalid
rather the basis of their being special comes
from the religion of the disbelievers, then this
specification is actually resembling them.
And it is not
possible that some ignoramus think that by
changing these aspects that they have derived
from the disbelievers they have succeeded in
opposing them as occurred in the case of fasting
on the Day of Ashura. This is because the basis
of this fast was legislated for us and they used
to perform it but the form of our fast differs
from theirs. As for that which is in no way part
of our Religion, rather it is from their
innovated, abrogated religion then it is not for
us to resemble it - neither in its basis nor its
description."
I say: One of
the clearest examples of this that has been
invented in the past by many ignorant Muslims is
the yearly celebration of the Mawlid of the
Messenger (SAW). In this they are resembling the
Jews and Christians who do the likes of these
celebrations in their Eids and festive seasons!!
I have refuted
the doubts that these people raise in my
introduction to the book, 'al-Mawrid fee Amal
al-Mawlid' by Taaj al-Faakihaanee and all praise
is due to Allaah.
Then our Shaykh
says:
- "What
some of the scholars, especially the later ones,
have textually stated to be recommended while
there is no evidence for this."
I say:
Unfortunately the examples of this are abundant.
From them is
what an-Nawawee, may Allaah have mercy upon him,
quotes from Abu al-Hasan al-Qazwaynee in 'al-Adhkaar'
(pg. 276) that he said,
"It is
recommended for the one on a journey recite 'li
Eelaafi Quraysh' because it would safeguard
him from every evil"!
And an-Nawawee
endorsed this!!
Our Shaykh, al-Allaamah
al-Albaanee followed this up in 'Silsilah ad-Da'eefah'
(1/374) by saying,
"This is
legislating something in the Religion for which
there is no evidence apart from mere claim, so
from where does he get that this would secure
him from every evil?! Indeed these sort of
opinions for which nothing occurs in the Book or
the Sunnah would have been from the means of
changing this Religion via ways that are not
known had Allaah not Promised to safeguard
it."
As-Sakhaawee
said in 'Ibtihaaj bi Adhkaar al-Musaafir wa al-Haaj'
(pg. 17),
"I have
not come across a hadeeth concerning this."
Then our Shaykh
says:
- "Every
action of worship whose manner of performance
has only come via a weak or fabricated hadeeth."
I say: He also
said in 'Hajjah an-Nabee' (pg. 102) while
numbering the difference aspects of bid'ah,
"It is not
permissible to depend upon weak ahaadeeth or to
attribute them to the Prophet (SAW) and in our
opinion it is not permissible to act upon such
ahaadeeth. This is the opinion of a group of the
scholars such as ibn Taymiyyah and others…
As for the
ahaadeeth that are fabricated or have no basis
then this fact about them was not known by some
of the legal jurists and hence they based legal
rulings upon them! These are from the core of
bid'ah and newly invented matters."
An example of
this is the 'Salaah ar-Raghaa'ib' which is
prayed on the first Friday of Rajab. As-Suyutee
says in 'al-Amr bi al-Ittibaa' (pg. 166),
"Know, may
Allaah have mercy upon you, that exalting this
day and night as invented in Islaam after the 4th
century, and the hadeeth concerning it is
fabricated by agreement of the scholars. The
contents of this hadeeth concern the excellence
of fasting on that day and praying during that
night and they have called it 'Salaah
ar-Raghaa'ib'!
As for what the
researching scholars are upon - then it is to
forbid the singling out of this day for fasting
and to forbid praying during the night with this
invented prayer and from everything that would
contain exaltation of this day such as feasts
and displaying adornments etc. with the purpose
that this day become of the same level as others
(normal) days."
[Refer to: 'Iqtidaa
as-Siraat al-Mustaqeem' (pg.283), 'al-Fataawaa
al-Kubraa' (1/177), 'al-Baa'ith' (pg. 39), 'Tabyeen
al-Ajab' (pg.47), 'al-Madhkal' (1/293), 'Masaajilah
Ilmiyyah' of ibn Salaah and al-Izz bin Abd
as-Salaam. Refer also to 'al-Mawdoo'aat' (2/124)
and 'al-Laa'ee al-Masnoo'ah' (2/57).]
Then our Shaykh
said:
- "Going
to excesses in worship."
I say: Allaah
censured the disbelievers for their extremism in
their religion by saying, "O People of
the Book! Do not go to extremes in your religion
and do not say about Allaah except the
truth." (4/171)
The Messenger
of Allaah (SAW) warned from this by saying,
"I warn
you of extremism in the Religion for indeed
those that came before you were destroyed due to
their extremism in the religion."
[Reported by
an-Nasaa'ee (5/268), ibn Maajah (no. 3029),
Ahmad (1/215, 347) with a saheeh sanad.]
Shaykh al-Islaam
ibn Taymiyyah says in 'Iqtidaa Siraat al-Mustaqeem'
(1/72),
"Furthermore
going to excesses with regards to the Prophets
and righteous has occurred amongst some groups
of the worshippers and sufis to the extent that
many of these intermingled this with the belief
of incarnation and ittihaad that ended being
more vile than the saying of the Christians or
sometimes similar to it or sometimes stopping
short of it."
All of this
falls under the meaning of going to excesses in
worship.
The meaning of
excess (gulu) is to transgress the proper
bounds. From the examples of this excess is what
some people say in praise of the Prophet (SAW):
Indeed the
delight and harm of the world is yours to bestow
From your
knowledge is the knowledge of the Preserved
Tablet and Pen
Can there be
any excess more extreme then this?!
Imaam ash-Shaatibee
said in 'al-Muwaafaqaat' (2/242),
"In the
time frames set by the legislator for the
employment of the actions of worship, the
obligatory and recommendations, to certain known
times for apparent or not so apparent reasons
lies enough to cause certainty that the reason
behind the legislation is to keep the actions
ongoing and constant.
It is said
concerning the saying of Allaah, "they
did not observe it in the way they should have
done"[57:27] that indeed the lack of
their observing it lay in their abandoning it
after starting it and continuing in it (for a
short time.)
At this
juncture we can derive a ruling for what the
Sufis have committed themselves to with regards
to performing certain rituals and statements of
dhikr (wird) at certain set times…."
I say: at this
point is would be good to mention the book
published by al-Luknawee Abu al-Hasanaat, 'Iqaamah
al-Hujjah alaa anna al-Ikthaar min at-Ta'bbud
Laysa bi Bid'ah.' He declares to be good what
has been reported from some of the scholars and
Imaams with regards to exerting oneself to the
utmost in worship such as staying up the whole
night for prayer, or reciting the whole Qur'aan
in one rak'ah, or performing 1000 rak'ahs!
The vast
majority of these narrations are reported by
isnaads that cannot be depended upon! So are
these quotes from the actions legislated by the
Sharee'ah or from the newly invented
innovations?!
I say: there is
no doubt in the eyes of one who understands the
meaning of Sunnah and the correct meaning of
Bid'ah, and whose heart has adorned for him the
continuous following of the Sunnah and made ugly
the following of bid'ah that these ways and
mannerisms and setting of limits are all in
opposition to the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW),
in fact falling into that which has been
forbidden from - going to excesses in the
religion and despicable innovation.
Imaam
adh-Dhahabee says in his amazing book 'Siyar al-A'laam
an-Nubalaa' (3/84-86) after mentioning the
saying of the Prophet (SAW) to Abdullaah bin
Umru, "…then
recite the Qur'aan in seven days and do not go
beyond this."
[Reported by
Muslim]
"It is
authentically reported from the Messenger of
Allaah (SAW) that this was reduced to 3 nights
and he forbade that the Qur'aan be recited in
less than this.
[Reported by
Abu Dawood (no. 1394), at-Tirmidhee (no. 2950),
ibn Maajah (no. 1347), al-Baghawee (4/498) from
Abdullaah bin Umru that the Prophet (SAW) said, "the
person who recites the Qur'aan in less than
three (nights) has not understood it."]
This was in
regards to the amount of Qur'aan that had
thusfar been revealed, and then after this
saying of the Prophet (SAW) the remainder of the
Qur'aan was revealed. The least level of the
meaning of prohibition is that it is
reprehensible to recite the whole Qur'aan in
less than three nights. There is no
understanding or contemplation on the part of
one who recites it in less than three nights. If
it was read and recited in a week and this was
done constantly then this would be an excellent
action and the religion would be easy.
By Allaah
reciting one seventh of the Qur'aan during
tahajjud, alongwith preserving the prescribed
supererogatory prayers, and the prayer of Duhaa
and the prayer of entering the Mosque, alongwith
preserving the remembrances which are
authentically reported, the supplications upon
sleeping and waking and at the ends of the
prescribed prayers and opening the fast,
alongwith learning beneficial knowledge and
busying oneself with it sincerely for the sake
of Allaah, alongwith enjoining the good and
forbidding the evil, guiding the ignorant and
teaching him, reprimanding the sinner and
similar things, alongwith performing the
obligatory actions and staying away from the
major sins, being frequent in supplication and
seeking forgiveness and giving charity, joining
the ties of kinship, humility, and sincerity in
all of what has been mentioned - indeed of all
this is a great activity. This is the station of
the People of the Right and the God-fearing
Awliyaah of Allaah, for all of what has been
mentioned is desired.
Therefore when
the servant busies himself with trying to finish
the whole Qur'aan in one night, the he has
opposed the Upright Religion and becomes unable
to do much of what we have mentioned and he has
not contemplated what he has recited.
Here is the
master, the servant, the Companion who used to
say when he grew old, "woe to me if only I
had accepted the leeway given by the Messenger
of Allaah (SAW)"
[As is reported
by Bukhaaree]
This because it
was said to him by the Prophet (SAW) concerning
the optional fast, he kept on reducing (the time
between fasts) to the point that he said, "fast
one day and break fast one day, this is the fast
of my brother Dawood (AS)."
[The same
hadeeth as above]
And he (SAW)
ordered that part of the night should be slept
in by saying, "but
I pray the night and I sleep, I fast and I break
the fast, I marry women and I eat meat,
therefore the one who turns away from my Sunnah
is not of me."
[Reported by
Bukhaaree and Muslim].
May Allaah
inspire us and you to follow in the best of ways
and make us to keep away from desires and
opposing (the Sunnah)."
Then our Shaykh
said:
- "Every
action of worship that the Sharee'ah has
generalised but the people have put some
restrictions to it such as a specific place,
time, description or number."
I say: Imaam
Abu Shaamah said in 'al-Baa'ith' (pg. 165),
"It is not
permissible to specify an action of worship to a
time that has not been specified by the
Sharee'ah, rather all the actions of
righteousness are applicable to all times, there
is no specific time that is better than another
with the exception of what the Sharee'ah has
declared to be so such as fasting the day of
Arafah and Aashurah, praying in the depth of the
night and performing Umrah in Ramadaan.
And from the
places are those that the Sharee'ah has declared
to be better to perform actions of worship in
such as the 10 days of Dhu al-Hajjah, Laylatul
Qadr which is better than a thousand months…
In summary: it
is not upon the servant to specify rather this
is for the Legislator (SAW), and this was the
description of the worship of the Messenger of
Allaah (SAW)"
[Refer to 'Iqtidaa'
(pg. 308-309)]
And the
scholars, the dead and the living, have
established the principle that "what the
Legislator (SAW) has generalised is to be acted
upon in its general way and it is not
permissible to restrict it or limit it."
['al-Ikhtiyaaraat
al-Ilmiyyah li Shaykh al-Islaam ibn Taymiyyah'
(pg. 73) of al-Ba'lee]
I say: ibn al-Qayyim
said in 'Igaatha al-Lufhaan' (pg. 371),
"…And
from these is that the Sunnah has declared to be
reprehensible is the singling out of Rajab and
Jumu'ah for fasting so that this may not be
taken as a means of innovating in the religion
by way of specifying a time that the Sharee'ah
has not specified for worship."
Our Shaykh said
in 'Hajjah an-Nabee (SAW) (pg. 103),
- "Habits
and superstitions that have no proof in the
Sharee'ah, and neither does the intellect
testify to them even if some ignoramuses may
enact them making them to be part of their
legislated law and even if there be some people
present who aid them in this having a claim to
knowledge."
