How do we reconcile the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “Every newly invented matter is an innovation,” with his saying: “Whoever introduces a good practice in Islam will have the reward of it”?

The questioner : Shaykh, there is a hadith: , and a hadith: ; meaning, how is there a contradiction between the two hadiths, or what is meant by a good practice?

The Shaykh : There is no contradiction between the two hadiths, and praise be to Allah. In the second hadith: , and the second part of the hadith: . Now, the first question that comes to mind is: What is the way to know a good or bad practice? The answer is the Shari'ah. Is that not so? So, the Shari'ah indicates the good practice, and the Shari'ah indicates the bad practice. Where is the contradiction between this hadith and the hadith: ?

The questioner : Meaning, is the good practice in worldly matters or in religious matters?

The Shaykh : No, this is a second question. You cannot evade your first question unless it becomes clear to you that, by Allah, there is no issue between this hadith and this hadith. Why? Because we clarified for you, and you answered, that the good practice is known through the Shari'ah and the bad practice is known through the Shari'ah. Where is the contradiction between what is known to be good by the Shari'ah and what is known to be bad by the Shari'ah?

The questioner : We want an example, Shaykh. An example.

The Shaykh : The example is, as they say, we explain it in a general, non-detailed way. Those who say this hadith contradicts that one understand the good practice according to their own opinion. Why did I ask you from where we know the good practice? From the Shari'ah. Meaning, what the Lawgiver has deemed good is good, and what the Lawgiver has deemed bad is bad. So, the matter returns to the Shari'ah. How did a contradiction arise between and the Prophet saying in the second hadith: ? The contradiction comes from our poor understanding of the second hadith, which is that it is for us to deem some innovations good, and thus the contradiction occurs. But if we understand the second hadith correctly: , meaning: a good practice by the evidence of the Shari'ah, there is no contradiction. Now, I will give you an example so you can understand. Is the Tarawih prayer an innovation or a practice?

The questioner : A recommended practice (sunnah)?

The Shaykh : 'Umar said: “This is a good innovation.” And those who have not yet understood what a practice is and what an innovation is argue with this, saying that this Tarawih, our master 'Umar said: “This is a good innovation.” It is a practice, not an innovation. Why? Because the Prophet performed it. Meaning: the scriptural evidence established that it is prescribed. Even if it was left for a period of time during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), do you know... he prayed it in congregation, and then they left it during the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq; they did not pray Tarawih in congregation at all. For part of 'Umar's caliphate, they did not pray in congregation, and then 'Umar prayed it in congregation.
The Shaykh: So, this is reviving a practice, not starting an innovation. The evidence is that the Prophet prayed it for three nights. As for the hadith of his saying (peace be upon him): , which is that the one who prays 'Isha with the congregation and then stands for night prayer with the imam after the 'Isha prayer in Ramadan, it is written for him as if he stood the whole night. So, this saying of the Prophet alone, even if we assume it alongside the Prophet's action of praying Tarawih in congregation, this saying alone opens for us the way to establish the congregational prayer. A clearer example than this, but this may require a reminder and knowledge of early Islamic history. Do you know the Battle of Khaybar? There is no one among you who has not heard of it. Khaybar belonged to the Jews, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) fought them until they submitted to his judgment (peace be upon him) and made a treaty with him to work the land of Khaybar, which belonged to the Prophet because he conquered it by force. But the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not have Companions who were farmers and could devote themselves to serving Khaybar, which is fertile agricultural land. So, it was part of the Shari'ah policy that he left the Jews in their land, which had become Muslim land, to farm it. Half of the produce was for them and half for the Prophet. This was among the conditions; the first condition was that half of the produce is for you and half is for us. It happened that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would send, whenever the time for harvesting the fruit came, an assessor, and that was 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him). He would say to them: “This is for you and this is for us.” He was an expert. They would say: “You do not judge with justice.” He would return and say to them: “What we said is for you is for us, and what we said is for us is for you. What do you think?” They would see the character and say: “For this the heavens and the earth were established,” meaning this is justice, and they would submit to his judgment. The second condition that the Prophet (peace be upon him) set was: , meaning we leave you in your land, which has become what? Ours, because you did not submit to the judgment of Allah and His Messenger. The judgment of Allah and His Messenger was that they either submit or pay the jizyah. They were not pleased with this nor with that, so he fought them, and Allah granted him victory over them. The land and what was in it became the property of the Prophet (peace be upon him). So, they agreed with him on two conditions: The first condition was that you sit like slaves and serve this land; half of the produce is for you and half is for us, and he would send this expert, skilled assessor as we mentioned.
The Shaykh: The second condition: We will keep you in it as long as we wish. Meaning, we leave you in this land as long as we want. One day we will say to you: “Your back is your door, so leave.” They said: “We are pleased.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) died, and the caliphate of Abu Bakr came, and they were still there. Then the caliphate of 'Umar came, and later 'Umar decided to expel them. He issued a notice to them: “What can you carry on your mounts, on your camels, take it. Anything else is not yours. Go.” Where did they go? Hauran, a land in Syria. They settled in that land. Now, what is the point? 'Umar expelled the Jews from Khaybar; it was not the Prophet who expelled them. Is this an innovation? No, not in that sense. “Innovation” in the linguistic sense means something that occurred after it did not exist. So, is this innovation good or bad?

The questioner : It was stipulated from the beginning within the conditions.

The Shaykh : This is it. So, our master 'Umar had evidence: , so he executed what the Prophet (peace be upon him) legislated in the second condition. So, we do not say he innovated, but rather we say he established a good practice. What is the evidence that it is a good practice? The condition that the Prophet preceded him with his saying. Do you understand how?

The questioner : May Allah reward you.

The Shaykh : So, before you hear the example, and there are many examples, keep in mind the summary of the meaning of the hadith: good... the ignorant ones, or good by the evidence of the Shari'ah?

The questioner : By the evidence of the Shari'ah.

The Shaykh : By the evidence of the Shari'ah. We are done with the Shari'ah. If the Shari'ah deems something good, it is upon our heads. If it deems something bad, we reject it and remove it, like this. Meanwhile, his saying (peace be upon him): means that every innovation introduced after the Prophet (peace be upon him) intended to increase closeness to Allah, meaning there is no evidence for its legitimacy.
The Shaykh: Now, for example, if a questioner asked: Did the Prophet (peace be upon him), when he heard the adhan, say: “O Allah, Lord of this perfect call”? We say: We do not know, we have no evidence. Do we have evidence that the Prophet responded to the mu'adhdhin when the mu'adhdhin said “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar”? Yes. If we send blessings upon the Prophet after the adhan and say: “O Allah, Lord of this perfect call,” is this an innovation and a good innovation? And what is in it, my brother? No, we do not say it is an innovation. The Prophet did not do it, as far as we know, because no text came to us. But does his saying (peace be upon him): suffice for the legitimacy of this thing?
The Shaykh: So, our sending blessings upon the Prophet and our supplication for him with the wasilah is not an innovation, even if it is not established that the Prophet did it. Why? Because he legislated it for us by his saying (peace be upon him). And so, whoever establishes a good practice in Islam, if the evidence stands that this is a good practice that brings us closer to Allah, and if the evidence stands that it is a bad practice, we distance ourselves from it and obey Allah in distancing ourselves from it. From the evidence of the bad practice: . Is that clear?

The questioner : Is that clear?

The Shaykh : Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. I bear witness that there is no god but You.