Who are the Ahlul Bid’ah?

IslamiEducation Team

Written by: Mufti Iqbal Saeedi ( Educator of Hadis, Jamia Anwar ul Uloom ) Multan
Translator: Saif ul Islam

Due to the excessive propaganda against Ahlus Sunnah regarding the issue of Bid’ah (innovation), those who do not have enough religious education and understanding began to suppose that Ahlus Sunnah are Ahlul Bid’ah.

This is a famous saying among politically polluted propagandists “utter the lie time and again until it is accepted as a truth”. Same idea was adopted when deviants started calling themselves as Ahlus Sunnah and labeling (actual) Ahlus Sunnah as Ahlul Bid’ah, although the reality is exactly opposite. Usually they express many things but when they are inquired to describe Bid’ah then they are not at all able to define it such a complete and precise manner which is verified by the Prophet (Peace and blessing be upon him of Allah). Now if they can not prove that definition from the Prophet then according to their own standard their self-forged definition is also considered Bid’ah (being a new thing ), because one of the definition they often put forward is:
”Bid’ah is any such thing which Prophet has not performed”.

Nevertheless, the above mentioned definition for Bid’ah is itself a Bid’ah because defining Bid’ah with those words is also an action while Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) never defined Bid’ah with those words, or did Prophet (Peace be upon him) do so? If He (Peace be upon him) did, then any approved quotation from any Sahih Hadith is a must requirement to verify this claim, and that they had never been able to present.

In fact the actual definition of Bid’ah which is evident by the words of Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) is:
“Every Muhdath (new thing) is Bid’ah“ (Mishkhat, Page 30)

Now the question rises that, what is Muhdath? Indeed The Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) himself explained this:
“Whoever adds (invents) anything in our order (Islamic Law) which was not in the Law then this new thing is rejected” (Bukhari, Muslim, Vol 2, page 77)

This definition clearly depicts that Bid’ah actually means to alter the Islamic Law or Shari’ah i.e when the ruling has already given as Shari’ah for any worldy or relgious matter but now to force or believe in a different ruling than given by Shari’ah or anyone opposing this ruling from their own will or to consider this wrong ruling as the rightful decision or to agree with it, is Muhdath (new thing) and every Muhdath is Bid’ah.

In this regard there exists no difference between worldly or religious matter (like to deceive some people say that worldly affairs are not Bid’ah but only religious affairs like celeberating Mawlid etc are Bid’ah) despite the fact that Allah ‘Azzawajallah already gave ruling about every matter of world or religion and the Shari’ah Rulings (Classification) about various religious or worldly actions are:

Fard (Compulsory)
Wajib (Essential)
Sunnatul Mu-akkida (and Sunnat Ghair Mu’akkida and Mustahab)
Aula (Preferred)
Haram (Forbidden)
Makro’ah Tahreemi (near to Haram)
Asa’at (Makrooh Tanzeehi and Khilaf e Aula)
Mubah (permissible)

Any of the above Shari’ah order is sufficient enough for all the things in universe, their usage or rejection; and all the beliefs, their approval or disapproval; and all religious matters, their allowance or disallowance; and for all such matters any Shari’ah Ruling is already present which be evident and proved by four Shari’ah sources, in their general or special terms. This statement is proven by Qur’an, Hadith and various great books of Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqah).

There is a Hadith which states:
Hazrat Salman Farsi (May Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Non-Muslims asked him “Does your Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) guide you about everything, even tells you how to answer call of nature?” He replied “Yes” (Muslim, V1, Page 130)

i.e. Hazrat Salman Farsi replied “He teaches us everything including how to answer call of nature.”

Thus it is proven that all the matters of this universe are included in that statement by companion of Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), it doesn’t matter whether they were already apparent in that time or not; and even if these matters have appeared now or some time before, the Shari’ah Rulings (classification) about all matters (new or old) is already present in anycase whatsoever.

If a matter is Fard then anyone declaring it Haram or Makrooh will is indeed a Bid’ah according to the definition of Muhdath and If, for example, that matter is Haram then anyone declaring it Fard or Wajib will be a Bid’ah himself.
Similarly, if something is Mubah then anyone doing it will not be Bid’ah, but anyone considering this Mubah act as Fard will be a Bid’ati, doesn’t matter if he himself actually perform it or not. Similarly anyone who declares this Mubah act as Haram then that person calling a Mubah thing haram will be a Bida’ti.

Those usual activities of Ahlus Sunnat Wal Jama’ah which are labeled as Bid’ah (by hypocrites), some of them are proven from Sunnah itself yet those (hypocrites) have no knowledge at all. Some of them are Mustahab and Some are Mubah, the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah do not alter the Shari’ah Rulings (Classification) about such activities and clearly state that this matter is Mubah or Mustahand not Fard or Wajib; that is why the decree of those who oppose such activities as Bid’atis is not valid.

Talking about general public so public action is not a proof for any group of sect, when scholars are explaining something in a different way and if the public is having a different procedure than what explained by scholars then it is the mistake from the public not from the whole school of thought, on the contrary if someone is declaring a Mubah or Mustahab action as Haram or Makrooh Tahreemi then definitely he is making a Muhdath (new thing) in Islam and would be classified as a Bid’ati.

The above explanation clearly explains that Ahlul Bid’ah are indeed such scholars who declare such actions that were permissible or Mustahab or Taarikul Aula or even in Makrooh Tanzeehi in their real essence, as Haram or Makrooh Tahrimi. We are not talking about the that public of other sects who are against us, rather we are talking about the (hypocrite) scholars who always declare such matters as Haram or Makrooh Tahrimi, thus it is proved that they are real Bid’ati.

The tragedy of this era is that those Bid’atis are, with their shameless mouths, declaring us – the Ahlus Sunnah– as ‘Bid’atis‘ and they create confusions by using the statements of one or two companions that probably they declared everything which Prophet did not do is a Bid’ah. On the contrary to such claims, Syedina Abu Bakr Siddiq, Syedina Umar and Syedina Zaid bin Thabit (May Allah be well pleased with them) and all the companions in their time collectively denied that idea that everything which Prophet (peace be upon him) did not peform himself must not be practiced doesn’t matter be it good or bad.

When Syedina Umar (may Allah be well pleased with him) requested Syedina Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be well pleased with him) that the Huffaaz companions (those who memorized Qur’an) are being martyred which is why Qur’an should be organized in written form. Syedina Abu Bakr Siddiq answered ”how can I do something which Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) did not do?” Syedina Umar Farooq (may Allah be well pleased with him) kept on insisting until Syedina Abubakr Siddiq (may Allah be well pleased with him) approved it. Then they called Syedina Zaid bin Thabit (RadiAllahu ‘anh) and he was told to organize Qur’an in the written form, he also said precisely as Syedina Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be well pleased with him) that how could I do something which Prophet (‘AlaihisSalam) did not do, afterwards he also understood and he agreed for this duty. (Bukhari, V2, Page 745)

Anyhow , all three of them rejected the idea that everything which Prophet (‘Alaihis Salam) did not perform should not be done, now if there is a statement of any companion then it is their personal opinion and is contrary to the unanimous decision of the first two rightly guided caliphs and other Companions and would not be accepted as a valid point.

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