The Meaning of Bid'ah (Religious Innovation) and Its Application in the Chapters of Worship
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Q: When is an act described as bid'ah (religious innovation) in the pure Shari'ah? And is the term bid'ah applied only in the chapters of worship, or does it include both worship and transactions?
A: Bid'ah (religious innovation) in the pure Shari'ah is any act of worship that people have invented for which there is no basis in the Book, nor in the Sunnah, nor in the practice of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 1718a, which is agreed upon as authentic. And his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 1718b, which was narrated by Muslim in his Sahih. And his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of al-'Arba' ibn Sariyah (may Allah be pleased with him) : Sunan Abi Dawud 4607Sahih (Al-Albani), which was narrated by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah with an authentic chain. There are many hadiths in this meaning.
In the Arabic language, bid'ah is applied to any newly invented matter that has no precedent. However, the ruling of prohibition does not apply to it if it is not a bid'ah in the religion. As for transactions, whatever of them conforms to the Shari'ah is a valid Shari'ah contract, and whatever contradicts it is a defective contract, and it is not called bid'ah in the Shari'ah because it is not an act of worship.
A: Bid'ah (religious innovation) in the pure Shari'ah is any act of worship that people have invented for which there is no basis in the Book, nor in the Sunnah, nor in the practice of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who innovates things in our affairs for which there is no valid (reason) (commits sin) and these are to be rejected.
من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو ردHe who did any act for which there is no sanction from our behalf, that is to be rejected.
من عمل عملا ليس عليه أمرنا فهو ردYou must then follow my sunnah and that of the rightly-guided caliphs. Hold to it and stick fast to it. Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error.
فعليكم بسنتي وسنة الخلفاء الراشدين المهديين من بعدي، تمسكوا بها وعضوا عليها بالنواجذ، وإياكم ومحدثات الأمور! فإن كل محدثة بدعة، وكل بدعة ضلالةIn the Arabic language, bid'ah is applied to any newly invented matter that has no precedent. However, the ruling of prohibition does not apply to it if it is not a bid'ah in the religion. As for transactions, whatever of them conforms to the Shari'ah is a valid Shari'ah contract, and whatever contradicts it is a defective contract, and it is not called bid'ah in the Shari'ah because it is not an act of worship.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.