Is there a good religious innovation and a bad religious innovation?

The questioner : What is the good religious innovation and the bad religious innovation? Some people speak of a good religious innovation and a bad religious innovation.

The Shaykh : There is no good religious innovation. How can there be a good religious innovation when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

The questioner : They cite the words of 'Umar as evidence.

The Shaykh : Stay with me. Do you find any speech more eloquent than the speech of the Messenger? No. And do you find anyone more knowledgeable about the Shari'ah than the Messenger? No. And do you find anyone more sincere than the Messenger? No. So he said: As for the statement of 'Umar: "This is a good religious innovation", this was when they established the prayer of standing in Ramadan behind a single imam. The intended meaning is that it is a religious innovation after it had been abandoned, because it is a religious innovation that was renewed after being left off. You know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed with his Companions in Ramadan for three nights, then he stayed away and said: So the fear remained, but in the time of Abu Bakr, the period was short; his caliphate was two years, two months, and a few days. The people remained as they had been in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): a man would pray alone, or with two or three men. This was also the case in the early part of 'Umar's caliphate. Then he (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered Tamim al-Dari and Ubayy ibn Ka'b to lead the people in eleven rak'ahs behind a single imam. One day he came out while they were praying and said: "This is a good religious innovation". So it is a religious innovation in the sense that it was what? It was abandoned and then renewed. It is a renewed religious innovation. Yes, that is right.