Bida'a - What is it by Mirza Yawar Baig

1. Bida’a and its evil
Why it is Haraam and the importance
of avoiding it

2. Bida’a – What is it?
1. ‘Bida’a’ (Arabic: Bada’a :‘to start or begin or new’) is
translated in English as ‘Innovation’; is defined as any
practice that is introduced into the Deen (Ibaadah)
which was not practiced by Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬
2. “Ibaadah” is defined as any activity that is done with
the expectation of reward from Allah .
2
Only what Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬ did or allowed is permitted

3. Form & Content
1. Every action of worship that the Shari’ah has
generalized but the people have put some restrictions
to it like specific place, time, description or number
2. Or any action that the Shari’ah has restricted in its
form (the Raka'at of the Salah) which people may try
to generalize; would all be called Bida'a.
3
Changing either form or content is Haraam

4. Great danger
َ‫ين‬ِّ‫ر‬َ‫س‬ْ‫َخ‬ْ‫ْل‬ِّ‫ِب‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬ُ‫ئ‬ِّ‫ب‬َ‫ن‬ُ‫ن‬ ْ‫ل‬َ‫ه‬ ْ‫ل‬ُ‫ق‬ً‫ال‬َ‫م‬ْ‫َع‬‫أ‬
ِّ‫اة‬َ‫ي‬َْ‫اْل‬ ِّ‫ِف‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬ُ‫ي‬ْ‫ع‬َ‫س‬ َّ‫ل‬َ‫ض‬ َ‫ين‬ِّ‫ذ‬َّ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫أ‬ َ‫ن‬‫و‬ُ‫ب‬َ‫س‬َْ‫َي‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬َ‫و‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ي‬ْ‫ُّن‬‫الد‬ْ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬َّ‫ن‬
‫ا‬ً‫ع‬ْ‫ن‬ُ‫ص‬ َ‫ن‬‫و‬ُ‫ن‬ِّ‫س‬ُْ‫َي‬
4
Al Kahf 18: 103. Say (O Muhammad ): "Shall We tell you the greatest
losers in respect of (their) deeds? 104. "Those whose efforts have been wasted
in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds!

5. Shaytaan loves Bida’at
1. Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬ said, ‘The most beloved deed for the
Shaytaan is the Bida'a.’ This is because when a man
commits a sin, he knows it is a sin and there is hope that
he will repent.
2. But when someone does something imagining it to be a
good deed, why would he want to repent for it? He
considers it to be a good deed and so does it with great
dedication, all the while committing a heinous sin.
5

6. Shaikh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen
1. “According to Shari’ah, Bida’a is ‘Worshipping
Allah in ways that Allah has not prescribed.’
2. If you wish you may say, ‘Worshipping Allah in
ways that are not those of Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬ or his
rightly guided successors (al-Khulafaa’ al-Raashidoon).’
6

7. The first definition
‫ال‬ َ‫ن‬ِّ‫م‬ ‫م‬َُ‫َل‬ ‫ا‬‫و‬ُ‫ع‬َ‫ر‬َ‫ش‬ ‫اء‬َ‫ك‬َ‫ر‬ُ‫ش‬ ْ‫م‬َُ‫َل‬ ْ‫َم‬‫أ‬ِّ‫ه‬ِّ‫ب‬ ‫ن‬َ‫ذ‬َْ‫َي‬ َْ‫َل‬ ‫ا‬َ‫م‬ ِّ‫ين‬ِّ‫د‬َُّ‫اَّلل‬
َ‫ب‬ َ‫ي‬ِّ‫ض‬ُ‫ق‬َ‫ل‬ ِّ‫ل‬ْ‫ص‬َ‫ف‬ْ‫ل‬‫ا‬ ُ‫ة‬َ‫م‬ِّ‫ل‬َ‫ك‬ َ‫ل‬ْ‫و‬َ‫ل‬َ‫و‬َ‫ي‬ِّ‫م‬ِّ‫ال‬َّ‫ظ‬‫ال‬ َّ‫ن‬ِّ‫إ‬َ‫و‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬َ‫ن‬ْ‫ي‬ْ‫م‬َُ‫َل‬
ٌ‫يم‬ِّ‫َل‬‫أ‬ ٌ‫اب‬َ‫ذ‬َ‫ع‬
7
Ash-Shooraa 42:21 “Or have they partners with Allah (false gods)
who have instituted for them a religion which Allah has not ordained?”

8. The second definition
1. Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬ said: “I urge you to adhere to my
way (Sunnah) and the way of the rightly-guided
successors (al-Khulafa’ al-Raashidoon) who
come after me. Hold fast to it and bite onto it
with your eyeteeth [i.e., cling firmly to it], and
beware of newly-invented matters.”
8

9. Final definition
1. Anyone who worships Allah in a manner that
Allah has not prescribed or that is not in
accordance with the way of Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬ is an
innovator
2. Whether that innovated worship has to do with the
names and attributes of Allah or with His laws.
9Rasoolullah is the only one authorized to make Laws

10. What is not Bida’a
1. Ordinary matters of habit and custom, are not called
Bida'a (innovation) in Islam, even though they may be
described as such in linguistic terms.
2. They are not innovations in the religious sense, and
these are not the things that Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬ was
warning us against.
10
All Bida’at are Haraam and lead to the Fire

11. All Bida’at are Haraam
1. And there is no such thing in Islam as
Bida'a hasana (good innovation).”
(Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Uthaymeen, vol. 2, p. 291)
In summary: it is not upon the slave to specify rather this is
restricted only for the Legislator – Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬
11

12. Islam is complete
1. He said: ‘There is no Messenger after me and no
Ummah after you.’ After Him there is no Messenger
and after Him there is no Wahi (Revelation).
2. No change is possible in Islam or in its Shari’ah by
anyone until the Last Day. Nothing that Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬
legislated can be changed no matter who does it
12
Refers to all orders of Allah and rulings of Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬

13. Allah declared
َ‫أ‬َ‫و‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬َ‫ين‬ِّ‫د‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬َ‫ل‬ ُ‫ت‬ْ‫ل‬َ‫م‬ْ‫ك‬َ‫أ‬ َ‫م‬ْ‫و‬َ‫ي‬ْ‫ل‬‫ا‬ِّ‫ت‬َ‫م‬ْ‫ع‬ِّ‫ن‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ ُ‫ت‬ْ‫م‬َْ‫ْت‬
‫ا‬ً‫ين‬ِّ‫د‬ َ‫م‬َ‫ال‬ْ‫س‬ِّ‫اإل‬ ُ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬َ‫ل‬ ُ‫يت‬ِّ‫ض‬َ‫ر‬َ‫و‬
13
Al Ma’aida:3 This day have I perfected your religion for you
completed my favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your
religion.

14. Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬ declared
1. O! People, no prophet or messenger will come after me and no new faith
will be born. Reason well, therefore, O! People, and understand my words,
which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Qur'an and my
example, the Sunnah and if you follow these you will never go astray.
2. All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to
others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than
those who listen to me directly.
3. Be my witness O! Allah that I have conveyed your message to your people."
14His Khutba of Hajj

15. Denying both
1. A person who is committing a Bida'a by introducing into
the Deen of Islam something new, which Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬
didn’t permit and which Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬ and His
Companions did not do; is in effect saying through
his/her action, that this Ayah of the Qur’an and the
words of the Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬ are not true.
15
Bida’a is both Shirk and Kufr and worse than both

16. Test for any action
1. Did Rasoolullah and His Sahaba do it?
2. If they did (verify this), then we also do it.
3. If they did not do it, we don’t do it, no matter who else
did that action and no matter how attractive, logical or
beautiful that action may seem to us.
16
Only Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬ and his Sahaba are the standard

17. Some examples of Bida’at
1. Death memorials: 3rd day, 40th day, Year etc.
2. Loud Dhikr on specific days in ceremonial ways
3. Qawwali (singing with music) devotional songs
4. Celebrating the birthday of Rasoolullah‫ﷺ‬ or any
‘saint’ seeking the pleasure of Allah‫ﷻ‬ by it.
17
A ‘saint’ is someone ‘sanctified’ by the Church. It is a
concept in Catholic theology.

18. ‫النا‬ ‫ِف‬ ‫ضاللة‬ ‫كل‬‫و‬ ،‫ضاللة‬ ‫بدعة‬ ‫كل‬‫و‬‫ر‬
‫إن‬ ،‫له‬ ‫هادي‬ ‫فال‬ ‫يضلل‬ ‫ومن‬ ،‫له‬ ‫مضل‬ ‫فال‬ ‫هللا‬ ‫يهد‬ ‫من‬
،‫حممد‬ ‫هدي‬ ‫اَلدي‬ ‫أحسن‬‫و‬ ،‫هللا‬ ‫كتاب‬‫اْلديث‬ ‫أصدق‬
‫ضاللة‬ ‫بدعة‬ ‫كل‬‫و‬ ‫بدعة‬ ‫حمدثة‬ ‫كل‬‫و‬ ،‫حمداثهتا‬ ‫اْلمور‬ ‫وشر‬،
‫النار‬ ‫ِف‬ ‫ضاللة‬ ‫كل‬‫و‬
18All Bida’a is in the Hellfire

19. And all innovation is in the Fire
 Whoever Allah‫ﷻ‬ guides nobody can lead astray
and whoever Allah‫ﷻ‬ leaves nobody can guide.
The best speech is the Book of Allah‫.ﷻ‬ The best
guidance is the guidance of Muhammad‫.ﷺ‬ And
the evil of matters is innovation. All innovation is
heresy and all heresy is in the Fire.
19
May Allah‫ﷻ‬ save us from all Bida’at