Warning Against Religious Innovations and Explaining Their Danger

The Shaykh : And another example related to our close reality today: unfortunately, the Muslims have divided into new divisions and split into modern ideas, with each claiming that he wants to establish the law of Islam in a towering, elevated manner. Yet, when they are called to Allah and His Messenger, every party among the parties says, “This is our view!” So where is the realization of following the Messenger (peace be upon him)? When it is said to them, “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said in an authentic hadith, which is known to everyone: And in a clarified, explanatory narration: ” — they all know this hadith. So when you call them to follow the Salaf, who are the standard in the meaning of the saved sect among the perishing sects, in the saying of the Messenger (peace be upon him) when he was asked, “Who is this saved sect?” he said: So when the Muslim is called to realize the following of the Messenger... with sincerity in following the Messenger (peace be upon him), he would say to them: “Follow and do not innovate, for you have been sufficed. It is incumbent upon you to adhere to the ancient matter.” That is, it is incumbent upon you to adhere to what the Messenger (peace be upon him) was upon, without addition or subtraction. And it has come in an authentic story, containing a lesson and clarification, and something for this translation: “Follow and do not innovate, for you have been sufficed. It is incumbent upon you to adhere to the ancient matter.” Imam al-Darimi narrated in his Sunan with an authentic chain from him: “That Abu Musa al-Ash'ari came to his house one morning and found the people waiting for him to go out with them to the mosque. He said to them, ‘Has Abu 'Abd al-Rahman come out?’ — and that is the kunya of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud — They said, ‘No.’ So he sat and waited until Ibn Mas'ud came out. He said: ‘O Abu 'Abd al-Rahman, I saw something in the mosque just now that I disapproved of, and yet, praise be to Allah, I saw nothing but good.’ He said: ‘What did you see?’ He said: ‘If you live, you will see it. I saw people in circles, and in the middle of each circle is a man saying to those around him: ‘Glorify thus, magnify thus, praise thus, magnify thus.’ And in front of each of them are pebbles with which they count the glorification, magnification, and praise. Ibn Mas'ud said: ‘Did you not disapprove of them?’ He said: ‘No, I was waiting for your command or your opinion.’ So Ibn Mas'ud returned to his house and went out veiled, so that only his eyes were visible. Then he proceeded to the mosque and stood by the people of the circle until he saw what Abu Musa had mentioned to him. Then he removed the veil from his face and said: ‘I am 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, a Companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). Woe to you! What is this that you are doing?’ They said: ‘By Allah, O Abu 'Abd al-Rahman, pebbles — meaning in colloquial terms, there is nothing wrong, it is a simple task — pebbles with which we count the glorification, magnification, and praise.’ He said: ‘Count your sins, and I guarantee you that nothing of your good deeds will be lost. Count your sins, and I guarantee it. Woe to you! How quickly you will perish! These are the garments of the Messenger (peace be upon him) and they have not been worn out, and these are his vessels and they have not been broken. By Myself in Whose Hand is your soul, are you more guided than the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), or are you clinging to a rope of misguidance?’ They said: ‘By Allah, O Abu 'Abd al-Rahman — they were excusing themselves for what they did — we did not intend anything but good.’ He said: ‘How many are there who intend good but do not attain it? Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us:

They would pass clean through their religion just as the arrow passes through the prey.

إن أقواما يمرقون من الدين كما يمرق السهم من الرمية

Sahih Muslim 1068a

— said the witness of the story and its narrator — ‘We certainly saw those people, the people of the circles. I saw them fighting us on the day of al-Nahrawan — meaning they became Khawarij against the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib — so he fought them until he uprooted their roots.’” Except for a few of them. This story happened to 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, the one who commanded by his saying: Meaning that the Messenger (peace be upon him) has come to you with a complete, perfect Shari'ah. So what is the meaning of innovating acts of worship after him, except to correct him and to attribute to the Messenger (may Allah's prayers and blessings be upon him) that he did not fulfill the trust and did not convey the message? Or else, whoever believes that this Shari'ah is complete and perfect, how does that reconcile with his belief that he innovates bid'ahs, matters, and acts of worship that were not in the time of the Messenger (may Allah's prayers and blessings be upon him)? These are contradictory, conflicting matters: for a person to believe that the Shari'ah is complete and then bring additions to attach to it. These additions are certainly not part of it. Therefore, the Companions of the Messenger (peace be upon him) would disapprove most strongly of innovation in the religion, because they are certain and decisive that this innovation in the religion contradicts the saying of the Lord of the Worlds: So the addition to this Islam contradicts this noble verse, in which Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has favored us by completing the religion. And among the wonders of matters and the denial of the importance of this favor from the Lord of the Worlds is that believers in His Shari'ah overlook this, while those who disbelieve in the Islamic Shari'ah are aware of it and know the value of the completeness of this Shari'ah and the favor and importance of Allah's (Mighty and Majestic) favoring His servants with this noble verse. That is because a man from the Jews came to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab during his caliphate and said: “O Commander of the Faithful, there is a verse in the Book of Allah — meaning in the Qur'an — if it had been revealed to us, the Jews, we would have taken that day as a festival.” 'Umar said: “What is it?” He said: “The saying of the Exalted: ” 'Umar said: “It was revealed on a day of a festival. It was revealed on a Friday and on 'Arafah.” The point is that this Jew knew the importance of this noble verse because Allah favors His servants in it by completing the religion for the Muslims. So this is a great favor that you must take the day of its revelation as a festival. So 'Umar answered: “We have done so, because it was revealed on a Friday, which is the weekly festival for Muslims, and in addition to that, the Messenger of Allah was at 'Arafah during the Farewell Pilgrimage. So this day is the weekly festival on which this noble verse was revealed. Where are the Muslims today who appreciate this verse and the favor in it from the Lord of the Worlds upon the Muslims, and who stand at the completeness of Islam and do not add to it from these additions that have disfigured the beauty of Islam and lost its true image from the eyes and insights of people? And therefore, they began to turn away from it, because it is not this Islam in its complete, true form that our Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He) revealed upon His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And the Messenger (peace be upon him) affirmed the meaning of this noble verse when he said: For these meanings that the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) understood, they prohibited most strongly innovation in the religion, because innovation contradicts the perfection of the religion, and because innovation contradicts the fact that the Legislator is the Lord of the Worlds, and because innovation contradicts the fact that the one to be followed is Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) only, and nothing else. As is said in those narrations that came from the great Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), the saying of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman: “Every act of worship that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not worship with, do not worship with it.” And from that, and it is clearer in disapproving of addition in the religion, is the saying of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them both): “Every bid'ah is misguidance, even if people see it as good.” So where are we today from these Salafi sayings? We have strayed far and departed from this path to another path. While the Companions of the Messenger prohibit addition in the religion, we, on the other hand, boldly declare that there is no harm in addition in the religion, because there is a good bid'ah. They say, and Ibn 'Umar explicitly says: First, he narrates the saying of the Messenger, “Every bid'ah is misguidance,” which is a famous, well-known hadith, and he explains this phrase from the hadith of the Messenger by adding clarification and saying: “Even if people see it as good. Every bid'ah is misguidance, even if people see it as good.” Why? Because istihsan, as Imam al-Shafi'i said: “Whoever does istihsan has legislated.” Because istihsan is not permissible for a person who does not know the unseen, and the Shari'ah is unseen. And if it were not so, there would have been no need for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to send the messengers and reveal the books, if every person, by his intellect, knew this truth. The Companions of the Messenger (may Allah's prayers and blessings be upon him) knew this, so they ordered those who came after them to be sincere to the Messenger (may Allah's prayers and blessings be upon him) in following him and not to add to what he brought (may Allah's prayers and blessings be upon him). This is a word that is capable of expansion and addition, and the effect is greater, but I fear that boredom will creep into you, so I will suffice with this amount, waiting for questions after we establish the 'Isha' prayer, and with this we suffice for this time...