Refuting the Argument Based on 'Umar's Statement: "What a Fine Innovation"

Question:
This is how we respond to those who claim that 'Umar said, "What a fine jinn," or "What a fine innovation." They cite this statement to prove the existence of a good religious innovation (bid'ah).

Answer:
We respond to them with two points. First, 'Umar said this regarding the prayer of tarawih. The prayer of tarawih is a recommended practice (sunnah), not an innovation, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed it with his Companions for several nights. He then left it off at the end, fearing it would become obligatory upon them. So 'Umar did not commit an innovation; rather, he performed a recommended practice and revived a recommended practice.
The second response is that the word "innovation" in 'Umar's statement, "What a fine innovation," does not refer to the technical legal sense of bid'ah. Rather, he meant the linguistic sense of bid'ah: something the people had forgotten, and then he gathered them behind a single imam. This was something new for them, so it was a linguistic innovation, not a legal one. As for the legal sense, it is a legal innovation because the prayer of tarawih is the recommended practice of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes.