The ruling on the claim that there is a permissible innovation in the religion

Question:
Is there a permissible innovation in the religion? And what is the meaning of 'Umar's statement: "What a good innovation this is"?

Answer:
There is no permissible innovation in the religion, nor a disliked innovation; rather, they are all misguidance. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Every innovation is misguidance." This is the word of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). So there is no innovation in the religion, neither permissible nor recommended; rather, all innovations in the religion are misguidance.
As for what some people call innovations in schools and in building minarets, these are not innovations. These are matters necessitated by need; they are acts of drawing near to Allah. The minaret is so that the voice of the adhan is known and heard by the people, and the schools are for teaching the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and the hostels are for the poor people. So these are not among the innovations, but rather they are among the good deeds, the benefits, and the acts of drawing near to Allah.
As for the statement of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) : "What a good innovation this is," the intended meaning is from the linguistic perspective. When he gathered them behind a single imam in the tarawih prayer, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had done that several times for several nights, then left it off, fearing that it would become obligatory upon them—(peace and blessings be upon him)—when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away and Abu Bakr passed away, and 'Umar was appointed as caliph, he saw that he should gather them behind a single imam, because they were praying in scattered groups in the mosque: this one praying for four, this one praying for three, and this one praying for himself. So he saw that he should gather them, and he gathered them, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had gathered them and prayed with them; because the obligation was now secure and the revelation had ceased. For this reason, he gathered them and said: "What a good innovation this is," meaning from the linguistic perspective, because an innovation in language is what has no prior example. So this prayer, which he gathered them for and they continued with, is an innovation from the linguistic perspective, not from the religious perspective, because the Messenger had done it and called to it (peace and blessings be upon him), and he prayed with them for several nights, so it was not an innovation, but rather it was an act of drawing near to Allah and obedience.