Explanation of the Hadith: (Whoever introduces a good practice in Islam...) and how we distinguish between the good and the bad.

The Shaykh : It is perhaps fitting that we give another example, for it is related to much of what is being raised today and discussed, and they cite the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): , to the end of the hadith. The majority of scholars today, and several centuries before today, interpret this hadith in a way that contradicts the reason for its revelation. They say the meaning of the hadith is: , meaning: whoever innovates a good innovation in Islam. Consequently, they are forced to restrict the generality of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) in the previously mentioned hadith: . They do the same with the hadith that is clearer in its indication of the general condemnation of every innovation, which is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . When they fell into interpreting the previous hadith with , they were forced to reconcile that hadith with this understanding of the hadith. I do not say "between that hadith and this hadith," because in reality there is no conflict or contradiction between them. Rather, the conflict and contradiction arose between that general hadith, which is free from doubt , and the specific understanding of , meaning: whoever innovates a good innovation in Islam. So they said that his saying: , is a general statement that has been specified. In that case, the meaning of the hadith would be... So what is the meaning of the hadith that they interpreted with "innovation"? In truth, we can understand the hadith in a way that does not conflict with the generality mentioned , first from the text itself, and then we seek support for this understanding from the reason for its revelation. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he said in the hadith: , described it in the first part of the hadith with , and in the second part, which I have omitted mentioning due to its fame, with his saying: . So this hadith indicates to us that in Islam there is a good practice and in Islam there is a bad practice. Here comes the question: What is the way to know the good practice and the bad practice? Is it reason and pure opinion, or is it the Shari'ah? I do not think anyone would say it is reason and opinion, otherwise he would attach himself—and I do not say "we attach him"—to the Mu'tazilah, who hold to the rational beautification and disapproval. These Mu'tazilah are those who, since they raised their banner and spread their trial by saying that reason is the judge, have held that what reason beautifies is good and what reason disapproves of is bad.
As for the response of the people of the Sunnah and the community, in truth, it is the opposite of that: the good is what the Shari'ah has beautified, and the bad is what the Shari'ah has disapproved of. So when he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , meaning by the Shari'ah, and , meaning by the Shari'ah, the Shari'ah is the judge in knowing that this practice is good and this practice is bad. If that is the case, then there is no room left for saying that the meaning of the hadith is a good innovation. We would say: this is an innovation, but it is good. What makes you know that it is good? If you bring the Shari'ah evidence, then it is on the head and eyes, and the beautification is not from you but from the Shari'ah. Likewise, if you bring the Shari'ah evidence for the badness of that innovation, the Shari'ah is the one that judged it to be bad, not opinion.
So this hadith, from the very words "good" and "bad," we take that it is not permissible to interpret the hadith with a good innovation and a bad innovation whose reference is opinion and reason. Then this correct understanding of this correct text is supported by returning to the reason for the hadith's revelation, and here is the point. The hadith came in Sahih Muslim and the Musnad of Imam Ahmad and other books of the Sunnah, from the hadith of Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: , meaning his features (peace and blessings be upon him) changed with sadness and regret for their poverty, which was indicated by the apparent state of their affairs. So he preached to the Companions and mentioned the saying of Allah the Exalted: . Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . "Tasadqa" is a past tense verb, but this is from the eloquence of the Arabic language, meaning: let him give charity. He used the past tense verb in place of the imperative verb to indicate that it should happen and become a past event . After he (peace and blessings be upon him) finished his sermon, a man stood up to return, and he had carried with the end of his garment whatever charity he was able to get, of food or dirhams or dinars, and he placed it before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When the other Companions saw what their companion had done, each of them stood up to return with whatever charity he was able to get. Jarir said: So there gathered before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from charity the like of mountains. He said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw that, his face brightened as if it were a polished piece of gold. They said in explaining this simile, "as if it were a polished piece of gold," meaning like silver plated with gold. At first, when he (peace and blessings be upon him) saw them, he said: "His face became dark with regret and sadness." But when his Companions responded to his admonition—in the name of Allah—when they responded to him (peace and blessings be upon him), his face brightened as if it were a polished piece of gold, and he said: . Now we say: It is not correct in any way to interpret the hadith with the first interpretation , because we would say: Where is the innovation that occurred in this incident, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said in its context: ? We do not see anything of this kind at all. Rather, we find that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) preached to them, ordering them to give charity, reminding them of a verse in the Noble Qur'an that had been revealed to him previously, which is , and he confirmed that with some of his hadith . So there is nothing but charity, and charity is worship, sometimes it is obligatory and sometimes it is voluntary. So it is not permissible for us to say the meaning of the hadith , because no innovation occurred here. But if we return to the word "sanna" (introduced) in the Arabic language, we touch upon something new in this incident, but it is not the innovation. The new thing is the standing up of this man first of all and his going to his home to return with whatever charity he was able to get, so his other Companions did like his action, so he introduced for them a good practice. But he did not introduce an innovation; he introduced for them charity, and charity had been commanded before, as mentioned earlier. I may have lengthened a little or a lot, but I see that this explanation is necessary for every student of knowledge to understand the Shari'ah texts in a correct way, so that he does not strike some of them with others. His saying (peace and blessings be upon him), which some scholars took at its apparent meaning and permitted taking a wage for the Qur'an absolutely, is not correctly understood with this absoluteness. Rather, it should be linked with the reason, which is ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation), so that taking the wage mentioned in the hadith is not for merely reciting the Qur'an or teaching it, but for ruqyah with the Noble Qur'an. And finally, I confirm this, and perhaps I will suffice with what I will mention, that a man taught his companion the Qur'an in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so he gifted him a bow. But they returned to the hadith of Abu Sa'id: Why did Abu Sa'id stop from benefiting from the wage he took from the tribe's leader? And this second man, when the bow was gifted to him, stopped until he asked the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Why did this one and that one stop? Because they were truly jurists and they understood like the previous verse . So Abu Sa'id recited the Qur'an, even if it was accompanied by ruqyah, and this other one taught his companion the Qur'an, so they feared that it might be contrary to sincerity in the worship of Allah the Mighty and Majestic. So from that, Abu Sa'id was scrupulous about benefiting from the wage he took in exchange for the ruqyah, until he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "What you have heard." As for this second man who taught his companion the Qur'an, when he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned to him that he had taught him, so he gifted him a bow, he said: . So teaching the Qur'an, with this hadith and the other hadith , is not permissible absolutely. I suffice here with what has preceded of the explanation that for the Qur'an, as teaching and recitation, it is not permissible to take a wage for it, like all acts of worship. But here is a note that must be mentioned, even if briefly. The wage, as you know, is a right in exchange for work that a person performs. This type of taking, called linguistically and legally a wage, is what is forbidden by the Shari'ah.