The Time of the Emergence of Innovations and How to Eradicate Them

Question:
Your Eminence, when did religious innovations begin? Is there any hope for their eradication?

Answer:
From the very first era; they are ancient in existence, from the first century. We ask Allah for safety. Yes.

The presenter: The hope for their eradication, Your Eminence, how is that to be achieved? By what means?

The Shaykh: There is no path for them except calling to Allah, teaching people what is good, and the strength of those in authority in forbidding them and imposing discretionary punishments on those who commit them. When the authority is strong, and the deterrent of the authority is present in a country, and the scholars clarify the reality of the innovations, they generally end in that country and disappear. If they remain in other countries or in another state, then according to the strength of the authority, the strength of the deterrent, and the clarification by the people of knowledge, the innovations decrease. And when the people of knowledge decrease, or the deterrent of the authority decreases, superstitions and innovations increase in the countries and regions. And the more ignorance increases and the more the superstitious people increase in the country, and the deterrent of the authority decreases, and the scholars decrease, the more innovations increase and spread.
So when the scholars who have insight in the religion are present, and the deterrent of the authority in forbidding innovations is present, the innovations decrease until they disappear from the country. Yes.

The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He benefit us with your knowledge.