A Noble Principle for Distinguishing Between Religious Innovation and Unrestricted Public Interest, from the Words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him).

The Shaykh : On this occasion, I see fit to mention to you a principle I derived from the words of Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) in his book *Iqtida' al-Sirat al-Mustaqim Mukhalafat Ahl al-Jahim*. He mentions there very important words regarding the distinction between religious innovation and unrestricted public interest. He says: "Every newly invented matter that occurs after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) must fall under one of the following: either the reason for inventing it and adopting it existed during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or that reason did not exist during his time. If the reason existed during his time (peace be upon him) and he did not do it, then what we mentioned earlier, such as the call to prayer for other than the five daily prayers, is an innovation in the religion, and those important hadiths apply to it: and the like. However, if this newly invented reason did not exist during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but only appeared afterwards, we look at it: if this reason that arose after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was caused by the Muslims' negligence in implementing the rulings of the religion, then despite the existence of this reason for adopting the new matter, it is not permissible to adopt it, because the reason for adopting it arose due to the Muslims' negligence in applying the rulings of the religion. An example of this is these many taxes. If the reason for adopting the new matter was that the existence of this reason was due to the Muslims' negligence in applying the rulings of the religion, then at that time, it is not permissible to consider this reason a justification for adopting the innovation it necessitated. A clear and distinct example of this is the taxes in which the Muslim people or the Muslim nation have sunk, when some states adopted them and made them like financial matters imposed in the original Islamic Shari'ah. The reason for legislating these taxes is the suspension of some of the Shari'ah rulings, namely zakah and the like, which are sources of revenue for the state treasury. When they turned away from applying the Shari'ah in this aspect as well, it resulted in the ruin of the treasury, so the reason for imposing taxes appeared to make up for what resulted from neglecting the obligation of zakah and other sources of revenue. Therefore, it is not permissible to adopt these taxes, because the reason for imposing them resulted from our neglect, as Muslims, of the rulings of zakah and the rulings of lawful financial resources." This is a clear example of what Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned.
As for the third type of reason, if the reason for its existence is not the result of the Muslims' negligence regarding some of the rulings of the religion, then at that time, it is permissible to adopt what this reason necessitates in terms of inventing something. Here comes the discussion of "unrestricted public interest," and Imam al-Shatibi excelled in speaking about this in his book *Al-I'tisam*. He distinguishes between unrestricted public interest and the innovation of misguidance, which some may consider good. He distinguishes by saying: Public interest is not a matter of increasing acts of worship in the religion, unlike the innovation they call "good innovation"; it is a parallel to the worship that came in the Shari'ah, by which the servant increases his nearness to Allah. He wants to increase worship through the path of good innovation. As for unrestricted public interest, it is not like that; rather, it realizes a benefit for the Muslims that has no relation to increasing... in the religion. For example, a person who travels by car takes this benefit that exists today by traveling by plane to perform the obligatory Hajj. He does not intend, when he boards the plane, to draw near to Allah by this boarding, but he takes it as a means to perform what Allah has obligated upon him, which is Hajj to His House. This is a very simplified example of unrestricted public interest.
But this may turn into another form, becoming an innovation in the religion. If a wealthy man, strong in build, is able to travel by plane, able to travel by car to the Sacred House of Allah, but he says, "I want to perform Hajj to the Sacred House of Allah on foot," why? He says, "This is better." At that time, the matter turns from adopting the means that occurred, which realizes an obligatory Shari'ah benefit, into an innovation in the religion, when he says that Hajj to the Sacred House of Allah on foot is better than Hajj by another means of riding, whether on a camel, a car, or a plane. He has introduced a ruling in Islam; so it is a bad innovation. As for one who is unable to ride any of these vehicles we mentioned, and is able to perform Hajj to the Sacred House of Allah on foot, then it is obligatory upon him, because he falls under the generality of the saying of the Exalted: . As for a person for whom a means of riding is made easy, and he prefers to perform Hajj on foot, claiming that this Hajj is better, we say: No, the Master of Mankind (peace and blessings be upon him) was the strongest of men, and he was able to perform Hajj from Madinah to the Sacred House of Allah on foot, as were all his noble Companions, but they did not do any of that. Rather, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Hajj on his camel, as is well known. Who is the one who can claim that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not have that intense desire to draw near to Allah by what He legislated, and left Hajj on foot while he was able to do it? And in the claim of this innovator, Hajj on foot is better. Here, this issue becomes an innovation, because the intention of worship is associated with a matter that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) did not legis through the tongue of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or through his explanation which includes the action as well. Unlike if we board the plane today; the plane is undoubtedly a new invention, but it falls under unrestricted public interests, because it facilitates for people Hajj to the Sacred House of Allah.
I wanted to present this detail to you, because it helps you greatly in distinguishing between newly invented matters and unrestricted public interests that are permissible to adopt.
Please proceed.