Definition of Bid`ah

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد

#1

In the matters of `Ibaadah (or matters of the Deen), anything which was present/available during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ and he did not do it nor did his companions, then doing that which they did not do will be considered as Bid`ah.

Or in other words it can be defined as:

#2

Every belief or saying or action, which was invented after the demise of the Prophet ﷺ with the intention of worshiping Allaah and getting closer to Him, and there is no evidence from the Kitaab or the Sunnah, nor from the actions of the Salaf to support it.

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Evidence #A:

The Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alaihi wa sallam) said:  

“He who does something contrary to our way will have it rejected.”

[Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim]

In another narration:

“If any one introduces into this affair of ours anything which does not belong to it, it is rejected.”

[Saheeh Muslim]

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Evidence #B:

In another Hadeeth, Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alaihi wa sallam) said:

“I counsel you to fear Allaah and to give absolute obedience even if a slave becomes your leader. Verily he among you who lives [long] will see great controversy, so you must keep to my Sunnah and to the Sunnah of the rightly-guided Khalifahs - cling to them stubbornly. Beware of newly invented matters, for every invented matter is an innovation and every innovation is a misguidance, [and every misguidance is in Hell-fire].”

[Sunan Abu Dawood (4607), Sunan al-Tirmidhee (2676), Sunan Ibn Maajah (42) and graded as “Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee. The words within the brackets are from Sunan al-Nasaa’ee (1578)]

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Evidence #C:

Imaam Maalik said:

“He who innovates an innovation in Islaam regarding it as something good, has claimed that Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم has betrayed his trust to deliver the message as Allaah says:

{This day have I perfected for you your religion}. [Surah al-Maaidah (5): 3]

And whatsoever was not part of the religion then, is not part of the religion today.”

[al-I'tisaam of al-Shaatibee (2/535)]

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Evidence #D:

Imaam Ibn `Abdul-Barr (d. 463H.) رحمه الله said:

“Whatever has been reported from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم by the way of reliable narrators and what has come from the Companions, and it is authentic, then it is authoritative knowledge which will be acted upon. As for what has been invented after them, and it has no basis in what has been reported from them (i.e. the Prophet and his Companions), then it is Bid`ah and misguidance.”

[Jaami` Bayaan al-`Ilm wa Fadhlih (3/181)]

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Evidence #E:

The solution for all our problems are going back to the Kitaab and the Sunnah as Imaam Maalik رحمه الله said:

“Nothing will rectify the last part of this Ummah except that which rectified its first part (i.e. the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم).”

[Related by al-Qaadhee `Iyaadh in ash-Shifaa’ (2/676), Majmoo` al-Fataawa (1/241) and (1/353)]