The Difference Between Doctrinal and Practical Religious Innovation

Question:
One of the listening brothers asks Your Eminence and says: What is doctrinal bid'ah (religious innovation)? And what is practical bid'ah?

Answer:
Anything that contradicts the Shari'ah is bid'ah. If it is in belief, it is called bid'ah, such as supplicating to the dead, seeking aid from the dead, seeking aid from the jinn, or from the angels. One thinks it is religion, believing it is religion, considering it permissible. This is shirki bid'ah, major kufr (disbelief), and it is called bid'ah because its practitioner thinks it is religion. Likewise, building on graves and making mosques on them is bid'ah, but it is less than kufr; it is a means to kufr. If one builds a mosque on a grave thinking it is religion, or builds a dome on a grave thinking this is permissible, this is a reprehensible bid'ah and one of the means of shirk (associating partners with Allah), due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): .
As for supplicating to the dead, seeking aid from the dead, and making vows to them, this is shirki bid'ah, and its practitioner is a disbeliever with major kufr, even if he claims to be ignorant. Because this is a matter known from the religion by necessity, known among Muslims. So he is a disbeliever by that, and he must repent to Allah from it. He should be asked to repent, and if he does not, he is killed by the one in authority, the lawful ruler.
And there are many bid'ahs, such as the bid'ah of the Mawlid, celebrating the Mawlid of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or the Mawlid of others. And such as the bid'ah of the night of Isra and Mi'raj, the twenty-seventh of Rajab, celebrating it. This is also a practical, reprehensible bid'ah that is not permissible, but it is not major shirk unless there is shirk in it. If there is in the Mawlid, or in the celebration of the night of Isra and Mi'raj, supplication to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and seeking aid from him, it becomes major shirk. But if it is merely a celebration involving eating and drinking, coffee, and tea, with no supplication and no seeking aid from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then this is a reprehensible bid'ah, prohibited by the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): meaning: so it is rejected. And his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): And his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): .
And bid'ah is the newly invented thing in the religion, which people invent to draw near to Allah, but Allah and His Messenger have not legislated it. It is not legislated by Allah, nor by His Messenger, and it is called bid'ah. Such as celebrating the Mawlid of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or celebrating the Mawlid of al-Siddiq, or 'Umar, or 'Uthman, or 'Ali, or al-Husayn, or others, or celebrating the Mawlid of Abu Hanifah, or al-Shafi'i, or Malik, or Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, or al-Sitt Nafisa, or al-Sitt Zaynab, or the like. All of these are reprehensible bid'ahs that are not permissible, and are among the means of shirk. We seek refuge in Allah.
Some people associate partners with Allah in the Mawlid. In the Mawlid of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), they supplicate to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and seek aid from him. This is major shirk. And some of them, in the Mawlid of 'Ali, seek aid from 'Ali, seek aid from him, make vows to him, and supplicate to him besides Allah. This is major shirk. And so it is in the other Mawlid celebrations; they supplicate to the person of the Mawlid and seek aid from him. This is major shirk—we seek refuge in Allah. Our Lord says, Exalted is He: [al-Jinn:18]. And He says, Exalted is He: besides Allah: [Fatir:13]. The qatmīr is the husk on the date pit. They have no power to give you what you ask: [Fatir:14], meaning: the dead and idols and the like: [Fatir:14]. They have no power to give you what you asked: [Fatir:14]. He called it shirk, He called their supplication and seeking aid from them major shirk: [Fatir:14]. And shirk, when mentioned without qualification, is the major kind. And He said, Exalted is He, at the end of Surah al-Mu'minun: [al-Mu'minun:117]. So He called those who supplicate to other than Allah, the dead, trees, and stones, disbelievers. He said: [al-Mu'minun:117].
And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ruled that those who supplicate to graves and the dead and seek aid from them are disbelievers. He fought them. He fought the people of Ta'if who supplicated to al-Lat and worshipped al-Lat, which is a grave or a stone they worshipped, because they would wrap it in a cloth with flour. And he fought the worshippers of trees, the worshippers of al-'Uzzah, and the worshippers of stones, the worshippers of al-Manat, until they would abandon that, until they would testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and until they would abandon shirk and disavow it.
And so it is with the rest of the bid'ahs. If there is in them supplication to other than Allah, seeking aid from other than Allah, or slaughtering for other than Allah, they become major shirk. And if it is merely an act that Allah has not legislated, it is a bid'ah less than shirk, reprehensible. And of this is praying at graves, where one prays beside them saying: perhaps it is better, going to the side of the grave, praying in the cemetery saying: perhaps it is better. This is a bid'ah, one of the means of shirk. And so it is sitting at graves for supplication, thinking that supplication is better at graves. Supplicating at graves is bid'ah.
Likewise, the saying of some: "I intend to pray for Allah four rak'ahs, or three rak'ahs." This is the bid'ah of vocalizing the intention. When one stands for prayer, he intends in his heart, and that is sufficient. He intends in his heart that he stood for Zuhr, for 'Asr, for Maghrib, for 'Isha, and so on for all the voluntary prayers. He intends in his heart and that is sufficient. But if he says after standing: "I intend to pray for Allah four rak'ahs," meaning for Zuhr or 'Asr, or "three rak'ahs," meaning for Maghrib, or "two rak'ahs," meaning for Fajr or Jumu'ah, this is bid'ah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do it, nor did the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) . But you stand in humility, intending the prayer with your heart, and praise be to Allah, that is sufficient. So there is no need to say: "I intend to pray such and such," or "I intend to perform tawaf," or "I intend to perform sa'y." Rather, you come with the intention of tawaf and begin with the Black Stone, intending tawaf. And in sa'y likewise, you begin with al-Safa, intending sa'y, and that is sufficient. Yes.

The presenter : May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.