Sayings of the Salaf On Bidah (Innovation)

Abdullah Ibn Umar said: ‘every innovation is misguidance, even if the people regard it as good’

Abdullah ibn Masood said: ‘follow the sunnah of Muhammad and do not innovate, for what you have been commanded is enough for you.’ (Ad-darimee)

Hudayfah bin al-yaman said: ‘every act of worship the companions did not do, do not do it’ (abu Dawood)

Imam Abu Haneefah said: ‘stick to the narrations and the way of the salaf, and beware of the newly invented matters for all of it is innovation’ (Sawnul Muntaq of as-suyutee)

Imam Malik said: ‘he who innovates an innovation in Islam and regards it as good, has claimed that Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) has betrayed his trust to deliver the message as Allah says: ‘this day have I perfected for you your religion’. And whatever was not part of the religion then, is not part of the religion today’ (al-itisam)

Imam Ahmed said: ‘the fundamental principles of the sunnah with us are: avoiding innovations and every innovation is misguidance’ (usool us-sunnah of Imam Ahmed)

Importance of Tawheed – Abu Khadeeja

Pillars of Tawheed

Tahweed means to make something one (singular and unique). And this can not be accomplished except by a Negation and Affirmation, both together. So mankind can not fulfill the concept of tawheed unless they testify that non has the right to be worshipped except Allah.  By this we negate the worship of anything other than Allah, and affirm worship for him alone.

This can be more clearly understood from the testification of faith (shahada), ‘la ilaha ilaa Allah’ 

‘la ilaha’ means there’s nothing that has the right to be worshipped. This is a Negation for whatever else is worshipped alongside Allah.

‘illa Allah’ means except Allah. This is an Affirmation that he alone is the one that deserves to be worshipped.

and likewise from the ayat of Quran:

“And remember when Ibrahim said to his father and his people: ‘I am totally free from everything that you worship, except for the one who crated me” (zukhruf:26-27)

“I am totally free of everything that you worship”, Negation.

“Except for the one who created me” , Affirmation.

 “O people of the scripture, come to a word that is just between us and you, that we will single out Allah with all worship and not worship anything besides him, and will disassociate ourselves from everything that is worshipped besides him” (3:64)

“that we single out Allah with all worship”, Affirmation.

“and will not worship anything besides him”, Negation.

So in order to to fulfill tawheed, we must Negate the worship of everything and anything other than Allah, and Affirm that he alone is the one that deserves to be worshipped.

[Source: A Gift for the Intellects in Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles of Islam, by Skaykhul-Islam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahab, Explained by Skaykh Ubaid Al-Jabiree. Publisher: Salafi Publications]

Why We Should Follow the Salaf

The salaf are those that have proceeded us. Salaf-us-saalih means the ‘righteous predecessors’.

So the intended meaning is what the messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) was upon, his companions and those that followed them upon righteousness.

The prophet said: “the best of my nation is my generation, then those that follow them, then those that follow them. “ (Bukhari).

So following the way of the salaf is to transverse upon the path of the companions and imitate them in the way that they used to follow the messenger (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and apply the narrations.

And the proof for following the Companions is the statement of Allah:

“The first and foremost to embrace islam from the migrants from Makkah and those who helped them from the residents of Madeenah, and those that follow them in goodness, Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with him.” (at-tawbah:100)

This verse refers to the companions of the prophet, (1) those that migrated from Makkah to Madeenah, and (2) those who resided in Madeenah, and then it mentions (3) those that follow them in goodness. So Allah is pleased with these three groups of people. It’s not possible for us to be from those that migrated from Makkah to Madeenah, nor from those that resided in Madeenah, so we must ensure that we are from, ‘those that follow them in goodnes’, in order to gain the pleasure of Allah.

and he (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said:

‘this ummah will divide into seventy-three sects, all of them in the hellfire except for one.’ They asked, which one is this O Messeneger of Allah? He replied, ‘those upon that which I and my companions are upon today’ (at-timidhee)

And the reason for this is they are the most Knowledgable of what the Messeneger came with and how it should be acted upon. So it is a must that we transverse upon this path, the path of the salaf, in order to gain the pleasure of Allah and be saved from the Hellfire.

Pillars of Ibadah (Worship)

As worship was the sole reason for our creation. It is important for us to make sure that all our are acts of worship are performed in a correct manner. In order for an act of worship to be complete it must contain three vital elements:

1) Fear – which repels a person from those things that anger Allah.

2) Hope – which causes a person to anticipate the mercy of Allah.

3) Love – causes the hearts to be content with the commands and prohibitions of Allah.

So these three are the pillars of Ibadah (worship). Understanding how to combine these three qualities into the worship (ibaadah) of Allah is one of the most essential things that every Muslim must grasp, not least because every sect which has drifted from the Straight Path has strayed in the aspect of worship.

This can be seen through contemplation of Surat Al-Fatihah.

First ayah: “All Praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds” (1:1)

We praise him for his favours he bestows upon us, his kindness and good treatment. So this necessitates that we have Love for Allah.

Second Ayah: “The Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy” (1:2)

Allah is the Most merciful, the Bestower of Mercy. So we hope that Allah has mercy upon us.

Third ayah: “Master of the Day of Judgement ” (1:3)

This contains intimidation and fear from the day of ressurection, and the verdict we may face due to our evil actions.

So if someone observes only one of them he is astray. Whoever worships Allah with love only, resembles the soofiyah, who say ‘we don’t worship Allah fearing the fire, or hoping in his mercy we only worship him because we love him. ‘ This is a clear error as the messengers and angels (the best of creation), fear Allah and place hope in him.

“Verily, they used to hasten to do good deeds, and they used to call on us with hope and fear, and used to humble theselves before us” (21:90)

“those whom they call upon (besides Allah) desire (for themselves) means of access to their lord, as to which of them should be the nearest. And they hope in his mercy and fear his punishment” (17:57)

Whoever worships Allah upon Hope only, resembles the murj’ah, those who depend on hope only, not fearing their sins and disobedience.

Whoever worships Allah upon fear only resembles the khawarij, those who adhere to the texts of threat only, and abandon the texts of the promise, forgiveness and mercy.

After these three verses, the next ayah is:

“You alone we worship, and your aid do we seek” (1:4)

‘You alone do we worship’, so we worship Allah with these three, love, Hope and fear. Because al-Ibadah is not actualised without these three. So these are the pillars of worship, love, Hope, and fear. And directing these to other than Allah is shirk.

[Source: Some of the Benefits of Surat Al-Fatihah, by Skaykhul-Islam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahaab. Explained by Skaykh Saalih Ibn Fawzan al Fawzan. Publisher: Troid]

Yes to the Sunnah No to the Bidah! – Abu Abdis Salaam Siddiq al Juyaanee

Conditions Of Ibadah (worship)

We have been created for one purpose, and one purpose only, and that is to worship Allah alone. So we need to be sure it is correct.

For worship to be correct, it has to fulfill two conditions:

1) It has to be sincerely for the sake of Allah

Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said:

“the reward of actions depends upon the intentions, and every person will have the reward for that which he has intended. Thus, he who’s migration was for Allah and his messenger, his migration was for Allah and his messenger, and he whose migration was for some worldy benefit or take the hand of a woman in marriage, his migration was for that which he migrated” (Bukhari, Muslim)

So every action has an intention, so you will only get the reward according to what your intention was. So if you did it for other than the sake of Allah it will be rejected. So it has to be in agreement with ‘la ilaha ilaAllah’ (there’s non worthy of worship except Allah)

2) It has to be in accordance with the Sunnah of Allahs Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wassalam) said:

“whoever innovates into this affair of ours that which is not from it shall have it rejected. ” (Bukhari and Muslim).

in another narration of Muslim:

” whoever does an action that is not from this affair of ours will have it rejected.”

It shouldn’t oppose, add or remove anything from the manner in which the prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) performed it. If it isn’t in accordance with the sunnah of the prophet(sallallahu alayhi wasallam) it will be rejected, even if the individual had a good intention. Due to the testification, ‘Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’, which entails that one worships Allah only with what the prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)  prescribed.

Listen to:

http://www.tawheedfirst.com/the-two-conditions-of-worship-abu-hafsah-kashiff-khan/

Actualisation of ‘Muhammad is the Messanger of Allah’

The proof for the testification of ‘Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’ is the saying of Allah, the Most High:

“there has indeed come to you Allah’s Messenger, from amongst yourselves and known to you. It grieves him that you should suffer. He is eager and anxious for the guidance of those of you who are astray, and that they should repent and return to the truth, and he is full of compassion and mercy for the believers.” (At-taw bah:128)

Concisely the testification means that a person recognises and attests to the final universal message of Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). This testification ‘Muhammad is the messenger of Allah’ requires a person:

1) To obey him in whatever he commands.

2) To believe and testify to everything that he informs. Concerning the past, present, future, worship or worldy transactions. Because a person may obey him but not testify to the truth of what he informs.

3) To avoid whatever he forbade and prohibited

4) That you worship Allah only with that what he prescribed.

With these four things the testification ‘Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, ‘ is actualised and his way alone is followed.

[Source: A Gift for the Intellects in Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles of Islam, by Skaykhul-Islam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahab, Explained by Skaykh Ubaid Al-Jabiree. Publisher: Salafi Publications]

Definition of Worship

As worship was the reason for which we were created it is important to understand what it is.

“And I did not create the jinn and men except that they should worship me (alone).” (51:56)

‘Worship (ibaadah) is a comprehensive term that brings together everything that Allah  loves and is pleased with, from the sayings and actions, both inward and outward’

This is the definiton given by Ibn Taymiyyah.

We know what Allah loves and is pleased with through the revelation, whereby Allah:

a) praises the action

b) praises the doer of the action

c) orders the action

Likewise for those things that are prohibited:

d) Allah dispraises the action (which shows he loves and is pleased with it’s avoidance)

e) Allah dispraises the doer of an action (showing he loves and is pleased with those who avoid doing the action)

f) Allah forbids the action (which means he loves and is pleased with its avoidance)

So when we see the above in the revealed texts we know it falls under worship, it is whatever Allah loves and is pleased with.

[Source: http://www.tawhidfirst.com/monotheism/articles/phcgo-the-definition-pillars-and-conditions-of-worship.cfm]

Definition of Bidah

Linguistically bid’ah (innovation) means ‘a newly invented matter’.

The Sharee’ah definition of bid’ah is: “A newly invented way (beliefs or action) in the religion, in imitation of the Sharee’ah (prescribed Law), by which nearness to Allaah is sought, (but) not being supported by any authentic proof – neither in its foundations, nor in the manner in which it is performed.”

[Source: http://www.thenoblequran.com/sps/sp.cfm?secID=BDH&loadpage=displaysection.cfm ]