What is bid'ah (religious innovation), does it have categories, and how do I know that an act is an innovation?

The questioner : The questioner, in his final question, asks: What is bid'ah (religious innovation), does it have categories, and how do I know that an act is an innovation? May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : Linguistically, bid'ah (religious innovation) is anything a person does that no one has done before. This is the linguistic definition, whether it pertains to customs, transactions, or acts of worship. However, the blameworthy legal bid'ah (religious innovation) is innovation in acts of worship, where a person worships Allah the Exalted with what He has not prescribed. This applies whether the worship relates to creed, the speech of the tongue, or the actions of the limbs.
Therefore, legally, bid'ah (religious innovation) is worshipping Allah with what He has not prescribed. This is the legal definition. Based on this, we say: if something is done not as an act of worship, but as a custom, and there is no prohibition against it, then the original ruling is permissibility. As for what a person intends as worship and nearness to Allah, it is not permissible unless it is established that it is prescribed. This is the rule regarding bid'ah (religious innovation).
As for the division of bid'ah (religious innovation) into categories by some scholars (may Allah have mercy on them), this division does not apply to legal bid'ah (religious innovation), because legal bid'ah (religious innovation) has no division whatsoever; it is a single category defined by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), who said: Everyone who knows the Arabic language and its styles knows that this sentence is a general, comprehensive statement from which nothing is excluded. The one who said this is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and this is one of the principles of the Shari'ah. However, if someone thinks that something is a bid'ah (religious innovation) and that it is good, he is mistaken in one of two ways. Either it is not a bid'ah (religious innovation) and he thinks it is, such as if he said, "Classifying the Sunnah and organizing it into chapters is a bid'ah (religious innovation), but it is a good bid'ah (religious innovation)," or "Building schools is a bid'ah (religious innovation), but it is a good bid'ah (religious innovation)," or something similar. We would say: You are mistaken in calling that a bid'ah (religious innovation), because the one doing it does not draw near to Allah the Exalted by the act itself, but draws near to Allah by it being a means to achieving a prescribed matter. For example, classifying books is a means to bringing the Sunnah and knowledge closer. The ultimate goal is the Sunnah and bringing it closer to people, and this classification is a means to bringing it closer to people. Therefore, it is not a legal bid'ah (religious innovation). If you asked the author, "Do you classify this book by chapters and sections as an act of worship to Allah, such that you see one who disagrees with you as having opposed the Shari'ah, or do you draw near to Allah the Exalted by it being a means to a legal objective, which is bringing the Sunnah closer to the Ummah?" He would say, "I intend the second, not the first."
Based on this, we say that classifying books is not a legal bid'ah (religious innovation). Similarly, building schools for students is not something that existed in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but it is a means to a purpose intended by the Shari'ah, which is bearing the expenses of the student so that he can devote himself to knowledge. It is not an act of worship in itself, but a means. That is why you find people differing in how they build schools; some build them in one way and others in another, and neither side considers the other an innovator for doing so in a manner different from the other school, because everyone believes that this is a means and not an end in itself. Thus, it is not a bid'ah (religious innovation), but a means to a prescribed act.
If someone said, "I want to innovate on the night they claim is the night the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was born, by innovating prayers upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and praising him, and celebrating this night, because praising the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and praying upon him is undoubtedly an act of worship, so I do this to revive his memory. Reviving the memory of the Messenger in hearts is good, so this would be a good bid'ah (religious innovation)," we would say: This is a bid'ah (religious innovation), because it is itself a means of nearness. Praying upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is undoubtedly a means of nearness, praising him is a means of nearness, and reviving his memory in hearts is a means of nearness. But specifying it for this particular time is a bid'ah (religious innovation), because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do it, nor did he establish it for his Ummah, neither by his speech, nor his approval, nor his action. Nor did the Rightly Guided Caliphs do it. The bid'ah (religious innovation) of celebrating the Mawlid did not occur until the fourth century, after three hundred years had passed since the Hijrah. Therefore, if this man says to us, "This is a good bid'ah (religious innovation)," we would say: You are correct in saying it is a bid'ah (religious innovation), but it is not good, because it is an act of worship not in accordance with what Allah and His Messenger prescribed.
By this, we know that whoever says that some bid'ah (religious innovation) is good is mistaken in one of two ways. Either it is not a bid'ah (religious innovation) and it is good, as we exemplified with classifying books and building schools and the like. It is good, but it is not a bid'ah (religious innovation), because a person does not worship Allah the Exalted with that thing.
Or it is a bid'ah (religious innovation), but it is not good, such as celebrating the Mawlid of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). There is no doubt that praying upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioning him with good praise, without exaggeration, is undoubtedly a means of nearness to Allah the Exalted, whether it is done on that night or on any other night. Specifying it for that night is a bid'ah (religious innovation) and is not good, because it was not prescribed in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor in the time of his Rightly Guided Caliphs, nor the Companions, nor the Tabi'un (the generation after the Companions), even though the Shari'ah was completed with the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). That is, change, renewal, and deletion in it ceased with the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), except for what falls under the legal principles. That is something the Shari'ah brought before the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
Therefore, there is no division of bid'ah (religious innovation). Every bid'ah (religious innovation) in the religion is misguidance, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) informed us. It is known to us all that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is the most knowledgeable of people about the Shari'ah of Allah, and that he (peace and blessings be upon him) is the most sincere of creation to the servants of Allah, and that he (peace and blessings be upon him) is the most eloquent of creation in his explanation and eloquence. If his speech is issued from complete knowledge, complete sincerity, and complete eloquence, how can we say that some bid'ah (religious innovation) is good, when he said:
It should be known that the speech of Allah and the speech of His Messenger contains the attributes that necessitate acceptance without hesitation. The first is knowledge, the second is truthfulness, the third is will, and the fourth is eloquence. These are the determinants of reports and the causes of their truth. The speech of Allah and the speech of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is undoubtedly from knowledge. The speech of Allah and the speech of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is undoubtedly from the will for good, as Allah the Exalted said: The speech of Allah and the speech of His Messenger is at the peak of truthfulness: The speech of Allah and His Messenger is the most eloquent and most expressive speech. The most eloquent and expressive speech is the speech of Allah, and the most eloquent and expressive speech of creation is the speech of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge.