The Meaning of the Hadith: Whoever Introduces a Good Practice in Islam

Meaning of the Hadith: Whoever introduces a good practice in Islam

Question: How authentic is this hadith: , and what is its meaning? Is there room for people to introduce other practices besides those contained in the Noble Qur'an and the Prophetic Sunnah? And is what is introduced of that considered a religious innovation?

Answer: The meaning of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): ,Its meaning is: is that one performed an act of obedience from among the prescribed acts of obedience, and people followed his example in that,
so he has introduced a good practice. It does not mean that he is inventing a new form of worship, or a new act that Allah and His Messenger have not prescribed,As he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ،And in a narration:, and there are many hadiths condemning religious innovations and warning against them,So the meaning is not: that he invented something new, but its meaning is that he performed a trait from among the traits of goodness, and people followed his example in doing good, so his action became a good practice.

Question: Does this mean that this practice is commanded, but people neglected it, or left it, or were unaware of it?

Answer: Yes, and what indicates this is the reason for this hadith. That is, people who were in need came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and their need and poverty were apparent on them. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed the people and encouraged them to give charity and incited them to it. Then a man came with a bundle of money that his hand was unable to carry, and then the people rushed forward, each bringing what Allah made easy for him, until the charities reached piles at the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) place. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was pleased by that,And he said this great word:, so this man rushed to give charity and paved the way for the Muslims around him, so they followed his example and rushed forward.

Question: Is this the rest of the hadith, or is it by way of analogy?

Answer: This is from the rest of the hadith, in contrast to in opposition to: , by doing evil and becoming a bad example for people in leaving obligatory duties, committing forbidden acts, introducing religious innovations, and so on.