Explaining the Ranks of Religious Innovations
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Q159: The questioner asks: Do religious innovations have ranks and degrees? And how does a Muslim preserve the Sunnah?
A159: There is no doubt that religious innovations differ and vary, and some are more severe
than others. The most severe of religious innovations is shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah (Mighty and Majestic), such as calling upon other than Allah and seeking aid from other than Allah; this is the most severe type of religious innovation. Among religious innovations are building over graves, caring for the sites of the righteous, visiting them, and seeking blessing from them; this is among the most severe religious innovations because it is either shirk (associating partners with Allah) or a means to shirk (associating partners with Allah). Likewise, religious innovations occur in acts of worship, such as inventing a form of worship for which there is no evidence from the Book and the Sunnah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1718b And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Mishkat al-Masabih 165Sahīh (Zubair `Aliza'i) A religious innovation in acts of worship may be a fundamental innovation, by inventing a form of worship that has no basis, or it may be an additional innovation, where the basis of the worship is prescribed, but one specifies it for a time or a number for which there is no evidence of specification.
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A159: There is no doubt that religious innovations differ and vary, and some are more severe
than others. The most severe of religious innovations is shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah (Mighty and Majestic), such as calling upon other than Allah and seeking aid from other than Allah; this is the most severe type of religious innovation. Among religious innovations are building over graves, caring for the sites of the righteous, visiting them, and seeking blessing from them; this is among the most severe religious innovations because it is either shirk (associating partners with Allah) or a means to shirk (associating partners with Allah). Likewise, religious innovations occur in acts of worship, such as inventing a form of worship for which there is no evidence from the Book and the Sunnah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
He who did any act for which there is no sanction from our behalf, that is to be rejected.
من عمل عملاً ليس عليه أمرنا فهو ردYou must therefore follow my sunna and that of the rightly guided Caliphs. Hold to it and stick fast to it. 1 Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is error.
عليكم بسنتي، وسنة الخلفاء الراشدين المهديين، تمسكوا بها وعضوا عليها بالنواجذ، وإيَّاكم ومحدثات الأمور، فإن كل محدثة بدعة، وكل بدعة ضلالة.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.