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﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

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Please clarify the idea that bid'ah (religious innovation) is legislation, and that this contradicts the right of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and His uniqueness in judgment?

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The Shaykh : It is requested to clarify the idea that bid'ah (religious innovation) is legislation, and that this contradicts the right of Allah and His uniqueness in legislation and judgment. There are many questions, three or four, regarding this; namely: is bid'ah (religious innovation) good or bad?
And we say what we have already answered several times in the previous lesson or the one before that, I no longer remember. We spoke in a manner that included some expansion, stating that innovating in religion contradicts the fact that sovereignty belongs to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) alone. And that this innovator, when he innovates in religion, rules by his own opinion only. He does not say: "Allah said, the Messenger of Allah said, the Companions said," as is the methodology. Preserve for him the methodology... The innovator does not say: "Allah said, the Messenger of Allah said, the Companions said." He says to you: "What is the matter, my brother? Fine, what is the matter with this, my brother, where is it...?" It is not in the Book, nor in the Sunnah, nor in the sayings of the Imams, but rather... in the sayings of the majority who want to impose their sayings upon the Book and the Sunnah. So, when the reference for bid'ah (religious innovation) is to personal desires and it is not based on the Book and the Sunnah, it contradicts the fact that sovereignty belongs to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Therefore, those who understood, even in general, the meaning of sovereignty belonging to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and that it is... for Him, and that no human being is permitted to share in it with Him; they must observe that legislation, whether it is... a good bid'ah (religious innovation) or taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) where he knows that this taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) contradicts the Book and the Sunnah; look at what we say. He knows that this taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) contradicts the Book or the Sunnah. This contradicts his belief that sovereignty belongs to Allah alone. He has innovated for others, and Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says regarding the right of...:
They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ
[At-Tawbah 9:31]
. So we criticize taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence), and we do not fight anyone in that, ever. But we know of the taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) where it becomes clear to its owner that it contradicts the Book and the Sunnah; this taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) is not permissible. I am a person who studied Hanafi fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), for example, or Shafi'i fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and his mind is empty regarding any issue of the madhhab (school of jurisprudence) that it contradicts the Book and the Sunnah. So, we do not object to him in that he held onto this issue which is an error, but we object to him in that he should open his mind and force his heart to know these issues; are they from what came in the Qur'an, or came in the Sunnah, or came from the practice of the righteous Salaf (the earliest generations) group, or is it the opinion of one of the Imams? If it is the opinion... then we follow it. One of them does not live for twenty or thirty years without it mattering. A Hanafi who does not raise his hands in prayer. Very simple examples. Why, my brother...? Fine, did you not hear in twenty hadiths, twenty authentic hadiths from the Messenger in "Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim" that the Messenger used to raise his hands...? So we have preferred the madhhab (school of jurisprudence) over the Sunnah!! This is what... But if his mind is empty and void... of the Book and the Sunnah, then we do not object to them from this aspect. We object to them from another aspect; that if you have the opportunity to gain knowledge of the Sunnah, to study the Sunnah as you study fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), or more, and you do not do it while you are able to!! Of course, the shaykhs (scholars) are able, the common people are not able; so why do they not study fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) "Fiqh al-Sunnah"?
We have heard much from some of the shaykhs (scholars) present today in the modern age, and when they say: "We are not able to understand the hadith." Fine, who understands this hadith? Therefore, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) — I am saying — Allah has absolved these shaykhs (scholars) who say that they are not able to understand the hadith. No, for individuals who may be strangers to... nobles or descendants or the like, Bedouins who return to understand the hadith... these truly, if they do not like this affliction, they do not open the field for people like them to speak about the Prophetic hadith!! ... But they object because they do not understand; so... the group about which the Messenger, and he is truthful, said:
A group of people from my Umma will always remain triumphant on the right path لا تزال طائفة من أمتي ظاهرين على الحقِّ
Sahih Muslim 1920
? ... This group? And the scholars, from Ibn Hajar, from Imam Ahmad, from Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, all agree that this group are the people of hadith. So, if our shaykhs (scholars) say "we do not understand the hadith," they are pronouncing the death sentence on this group! They judge, first of all, against themselves, then they judge against others. As for their judgment against others, they have no right to that. As for their judgment against themselves... the meaning of the hadith? Its meaning... the victorious group, meaning: the one possessing the argument and strength, as... So bid'ah (religious innovation) contradicts the tawhid (the oneness of Allah) of Allah in His legislation, and that He rules by making a bid'ah (religious innovation) rule by his mind and his desire.
And the other questions... we have spoken about them repeatedly.
Source www.al-albany.com

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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