Exaggeration in Declaring Innovation

Question:
The questioner says: We learned from your words, Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, how exaggeration in declaring someone a disbeliever occurs, but how does exaggeration in declaring someone an innovator occur, and are the two the same? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
Exaggeration in declaring someone an innovator, yes, it occurs, and it is the excess in labeling someone as such. Yes, the one who rules that the innovator is an innovator because he is an innovator, this is not exaggeration. The one who rules that the person who holds an innovation is an innovator, this is not exaggeration. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) ruled on it and said, "Every newly invented matter is an innovation, every innovation is misguidance." He said , he said . In one narration, "Whoever introduces into our matter something that does not belong to it, it is rejected." So bid'ah (religious innovation) is what is introduced into the religion that does not belong to it; this is bid'ah. And the innovator is ruled upon as an innovator. As for the one who has not committed an innovation, it is not permissible to rule that he is an innovator. Not every sinner is an innovator. There are many sins that are not counted among innovations. In fact, sin is lighter, lighter than innovation. Some of the Salaf (the earliest generations) said, "Innovation is more beloved to Satan than sin," because the innovator rarely repents; because he sees that he is on the truth, unlike the sinner, who knows that he is wrong and is ashamed. So the sinner almost always repents to Allah the Exalted.