Discussion of religious innovation and clarification that there is no good innovation in Islam.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : With the same meaning.
The Shaykh : ... With the same meaning, but let me ask you, what is the meaning?
The questioner : You want to ask me, is it an innovation or not? I say it is the same meaning. Whoever initiates a good sunnah, that person is an innovator, meaning with the same meaning.
The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah, you are correct...
Another questioner: ...
The Shaykh : I am just asking you, what do you understand... does "sanna" mean "innovated"? Say yes, say no.
The questioner : Ah, I understand, ah.
The Shaykh : What... let your companion be when he asks you this. This is a method of research to save your time and the time of others. From "sanna," do you understand it to mean "innovated"? Good. From here came your previous question, but I did not like to build an answer until I was sure of the correctness of my understanding of you. If you understand "sanna" to mean "innovated," I tell you... why do you interpret this Prophetic hadith with this incorrect interpretation? I am now mentioning to you the occasion on which the hadith was said. Of course, the speaker is the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), because the research is in the hadith, and prepare yourself... this hour so you are not surprised... understand me well, prepare yourself to answer a simple question, but one that does not have... the previous method.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly, the answer is like this. What is the question? The story I am going to tell you is not from me, it is from Sahih Muslim. I am asking you a question: where is the innovation in this story? You are telling me it is here, or you are telling me, by Allah, I did not see any innovation in it. Understood? Good.
Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih from Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajli (may Allah be pleased with him): "We were sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when a Bedouin man came to him... wearing swords, most of them from Muzir, indeed all of them from Muzir. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw them, his face changed color, then he delivered a sermon. 'Tam'arra' means his facial features changed out of sadness and grief; they were poor. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: يا أيها الذين ءامنوا أنفقوا من ما رزقناكم قبل أن يأتي أحدكم الموت فيقول رب لولا أخرتني إلى أجل قريب فأصدق وأكن من الصالحين O you who believe, spend from what We have provided you before death comes to any of you, and he says, "My Lord, why did You not delay me until a near term, so I would give charity and be among the righteous?" Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: this verse, of course, is well known. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So a man from those present stood up and went to his house to return, carrying in the end of his garment whatever charity he could manage. He placed it before the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). When the other Companions saw what their companion had done, each of them stood up and went to his house to return with whatever charity he could manage. So there gathered before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) piles like small mountains of charity. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) saw that, his face brightened as if it were a polished disc, and he said: Where is the innovation?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : If your understanding is wrong, your understanding that "sanna" means "innovated" is wrong. So it is impossible, and I say, and naturally, a person cannot deny his origin. I am Al-Albani, I am speaking the Arabic language, and this is a favor from Allah upon me, but I am Al-Albani. This Al-Albani is shy to say, on an occasion like this occasion, you and everyone who hears the hadith testify that there is no innovation in it. So I say, whoever innovated a good innovation in Islam, how is this, and there was no innovation from "sanna" meaning "innovated"?
The Shaykh : ... With the same meaning, but let me ask you, what is the meaning?
The questioner : You want to ask me, is it an innovation or not? I say it is the same meaning. Whoever initiates a good sunnah, that person is an innovator, meaning with the same meaning.
The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah, you are correct...
Another questioner: ...
The Shaykh : I am just asking you, what do you understand... does "sanna" mean "innovated"? Say yes, say no.
The questioner : Ah, I understand, ah.
The Shaykh : What... let your companion be when he asks you this. This is a method of research to save your time and the time of others. From "sanna," do you understand it to mean "innovated"? Good. From here came your previous question, but I did not like to build an answer until I was sure of the correctness of my understanding of you. If you understand "sanna" to mean "innovated," I tell you... why do you interpret this Prophetic hadith with this incorrect interpretation? I am now mentioning to you the occasion on which the hadith was said. Of course, the speaker is the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), because the research is in the hadith, and prepare yourself... this hour so you are not surprised... understand me well, prepare yourself to answer a simple question, but one that does not have... the previous method.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly, the answer is like this. What is the question? The story I am going to tell you is not from me, it is from Sahih Muslim. I am asking you a question: where is the innovation in this story? You are telling me it is here, or you are telling me, by Allah, I did not see any innovation in it. Understood? Good.
Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih from Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajli (may Allah be pleased with him): "We were sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when a Bedouin man came to him... wearing swords, most of them from Muzir, indeed all of them from Muzir. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw them, his face changed color, then he delivered a sermon. 'Tam'arra' means his facial features changed out of sadness and grief; they were poor. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: يا أيها الذين ءامنوا أنفقوا من ما رزقناكم قبل أن يأتي أحدكم الموت فيقول رب لولا أخرتني إلى أجل قريب فأصدق وأكن من الصالحين O you who believe, spend from what We have provided you before death comes to any of you, and he says, "My Lord, why did You not delay me until a near term, so I would give charity and be among the righteous?" Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: this verse, of course, is well known. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
A man gave charity with his dirham, his dinar, his sa’ of barley, or his sa’ of wheat.
تصدق رجل بدرهمه بديناره بصاع بره بصاع شعيرهWhoever establishes a good practice (sunnah) in Islam will have the reward of it and the reward of those who act upon it until the Day of Resurrection, without anything being deducted from their rewards. And whoever establishes a bad practice (sunnah) in Islam will bear the sin of it and the sin of those who act upon it until the Day of Resurrection, without anything being deducted from their sins.
من سن في الإسلام سنة حسنة فله أجرها وأجر من عمل بها إلى يوم القيامة دون أن ينقص من أجورهم شيء ومن سن في الإسلام سنة سيئة فعليه وزرها ووزر من عمل بها إلى يوم القيامة دون أن ينقص من أوزارهم شيءThe questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : If your understanding is wrong, your understanding that "sanna" means "innovated" is wrong. So it is impossible, and I say, and naturally, a person cannot deny his origin. I am Al-Albani, I am speaking the Arabic language, and this is a favor from Allah upon me, but I am Al-Albani. This Al-Albani is shy to say, on an occasion like this occasion, you and everyone who hears the hadith testify that there is no innovation in it. So I say, whoever innovated a good innovation in Islam, how is this, and there was no innovation from "sanna" meaning "innovated"?