The Difference Between Shirk, Bid'ah, and Exaggeration in Religion

Question:
One of the brothers asks: What is the difference between shirk (associating partners with Allah), bid'ah (religious innovations), and ghuluw (exaggeration) in religion?

Answer:
Shirk, bid'ah (religious innovations), and exaggeration in religion. Shirk is also a bid'ah; the polytheists invented it, thinking it was a means of drawing near to Allah. The polytheists of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance and the polytheists of today consider it obedience; they consider it a means of drawing near and a bid'ah. They seek to draw near to Him through it to please Him, thinking it will benefit them, whereas it harms them. It is the greatest of sins; shirk is the greatest of sins. It is supplicating to other than Allah, or seeking intercession from the dead, or from things, stones, or stars. One calls upon them, seeks their aid, seeks their help, asks them for healing, the return of the lost, or victory over enemies. Whether it is the people of the deceased, or a tree, or a stone, or an idol, or a star, or the sun, or the moon, or something else, this is shirk with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So the one who calls upon other than Allah, as the text says, "You do not see Allah granting well-being," even if he thinks it is a means of drawing near, even if he thinks it is religion, and that it benefits him with Allah, he is ignorant. The polytheists or others thought it was a means of drawing near to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and they said, "These are intercessors with Allah," those who draw near to Allah in a rough manner. So they thought the greatest of sins was a means of drawing near to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) because of shirk. And bid'ah: inventing acts of worship that Allah has not legislated. These are bid'ah; inventing verbal, practical, or creedal acts of worship that one thinks are a means of drawing near but are not part of the religion. These are bid'ah. People invent things in words, deeds, or beliefs that they consider obedience, thinking they are obedience and worship, whereas they are not obedience nor worship, but rather what is wrong. For example, building on graves, turning them into mosques. Some people think this is obedience. If I display it and do not display my grandfather, with carpets and the like, it is a reprehensible bid'ah and one of the causes of shirk. Likewise, building domes on graves and plastering them; all of this is among the bid'ah. Likewise, celebrating the Mawlid; they think it is a means of drawing near, but it is among the bid'ah that lead to shirk, to exaggeration, and to many wrong things. Exaggeration means adding to the religion; this is exaggeration, meaning adding to the obedience of Allah is called exaggeration. So, for example, if one adds to the wudu' (ablution) what is sufficient for him, not a mudd (a quarter of a sa') or a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) in the wudu', but pours a lot of water, and washes the face five times, six times, and more than that, and wipes his hand, this is exaggeration in religion. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Beware of exaggeration in religion, for indeed those who exaggerated in religion have perished." He said, "The extremists have perished, the extremists have perished, the extremists have perished." He said, "Do not praise me as the Christians praised the Messiah; I am only a servant. Say: Allah's servant and His Messenger." Al-Bukhari narrated it. So praise is exaggeration in speech. And if one says about him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he knows the unseen, or that he is called upon besides Allah, this is exaggeration, this is praise that is not permissible. Or if it is said about him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he is not a human, that he is a species in the hereafter other than humans, not from the children of Adam, this is a lie and a false attribution. Allah named him a human (peace and blessings be upon him). Were not all the messengers from among humans? All of them were from the children of Adam. Likewise, adding to the prayers. He adds to the prayers, for example, he tells you a fifth prayer, then a sixth; the five are not sufficient, this is a sixth prayer, obligatory, calling people to it. This is misguidance. Or he adds to the adhan (call to prayer), or to the iqamah (second call), or says two prostrations are not sufficient, when every rak'ah (unit of prayer) has two prostrations. A rak'ah in which he prayed three prostrations, or a bowing in the air, this is from injustice, adding to what Allah has legislated in the religion. Likewise, he says Ramadan is not sufficient, one must add another month, calling people to another month and fasting it. Ramadan is not sufficient, one must fast Rajab or Rabi' or Safar or the like with it. All of this is from injustice.