The Meaning of 'Umar's Statement: "This is a Good Innovation"

Question:
And this person says, may Allah forgive you, what did 'Umar intend by his statement, "This is a good innovation"?

Answer:
He means a linguistic innovation, because bid'ah (religious innovation) is of two types: linguistic bid'ah, which is something that has no prior precedent, meaning its creator brought it into existence without a prior example. You say, "This is a novel thing," when you see something that has not been seen before, you say, "This is novel." The Companions used to pray in Ramadan in scattered groups, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed with them for nights in Ramadan, then he stopped praying with them and explained the reason, saying so you are unable to do so, or he stopped for this reason. He did not stop because the prayer of Ramadan and the prayer of tarawih are not prescribed; rather, he stopped out of fear that it would become obligatory upon them, out of mercy for them. Therefore, the Companions continued to pray it in congregations during the life of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and after his death, they prayed it in scattered groups. 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) saw during his caliphate that leaving them scattered was not fitting, and they were performing one single act, so he gathered them under one imam, Ubayy ibn Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him), just as they used to pray behind the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), because the concern that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had guarded against was removed by his death (peace and blessings be upon him), so there is no obstacle to praying it in congregation after the Messenger. So he revived this sunnah (recommended practice), he revived this sunnah after it had been left, so he did not innovate; rather, he revived a sunnah, which is the prayer of tarawih in congregation, just as it was behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So it is not a bid'ah as some ignorant people understand it; it is not a bid'ah, it is the sunnah of the Messenger, but from the linguistic perspective, yes, it is a novel thing that people had not become accustomed to after the death of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).