Bid’ah Hasanah: Claims and Their Proofs
Texts, Approvals, and Limits
Bid’ah Hasanah is often claimed when a new wording or arrangement appears beneficial. The rule in worship is restricted to revealed forms. What the Prophet ﷺ explicitly approved during his lifetime counts as Sunnah by approval, not post-prophetic innovation.
| Bid’ah Hasanah — Critical Overview |
| Name and meaning |
Bid’ah Ḥasanah (بدعة حسنة) is said to mean “good innovation.” The word bid’ah means “to invent without precedent.” |
| Islamic ruling |
In Islam, there is no good innovation in worship. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Every innovation is misguidance.” (Muslim 867) |
| When it started |
It was not known in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, his Companions, or the early Muslims. It appeared later, around the 2nd century AH. |
| Where it spread |
Reported in parts of North Africa, the Levant, Anatolia, the Balkans, the Indian subcontinent, Indonesia, Malaysia, and East Africa. |
| Practices called Bid’ah Hasanah |
- Group dhikr with fixed counts.
- Celebrating Mawlid and other dates with lights, sweets, or standing.
- Post-prayer chants and collective rituals.
|
Similarities in other religions
(Muslims likely copied from) |
- Christianity: Muslims were likely influenced by church innovations such as saint days, feast days, and liturgical chants that had no basis in the Bible.
- Hinduism: Muslims likely borrowed from festival add-ons like decorations, chanting, and communal sweets linked to holy days, which were not part of the original texts.
Both examples show how later communities introduced “good innovations” in worship that were never part of the original revelation. |
Prophetic Guidance
The Prophet ﷺ repeatedly warned in sermons that newly introduced religious matters are blameworthy: “The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, and the worst of affairs are the newly introduced matters. Every innovation is misguided.” Clear, general wording sets the default rule for acts of worship.A companion once said, on rising from rukūʿ, “Rabbana wa laka al-ḥamd, ḥamdan kathīran ṭayyiban mubārakan fīh.” The Prophet ﷺ asked who said it, then informed that many angels raced to record it. This is Sunnah by approval during revelation, not a license to create new devotional formulas after the Prophet’s death.
Scholarly Consensus
Classical scholars define bid’ah as a devised path in religion intended as worship that lacks proof. They agree that innovations in worship are rejected, while worldly means and tools are outside this ruling. What the Prophet ﷺ did, said, or approved is the Sunnah. After the end of Revelation, no one can introduce new worship and claim prophetic approval.
The Wisdom Behind the Ruling
- Preservation: The religion is complete. Adding forms of worship undermines preservation.
- Authority: Worship is fixed by revelation. We take what the Messenger gives and leave what he forbids.
- Certainty: Prophetic approval during revelation establishes validity. After his death, certainty ends, so invention stops.
- Unity: Sticking to the Sunnah protects the community from fragmenting into competing rituals.
Common Misconceptions
1) “The companion’s praise proves good innovations are allowed.”
That phrase was approved by the Prophet ﷺ during revelation. It became Sunnah by approval, not post-prophetic innovation.
2) “Umar called something a ‘good bid’ah,’ so good innovations exist.”
He used the term linguistically about re-gathering people for night prayer in Ramadan, a practice established by the Prophet ﷺ. It was a revival and organization, not a new act of worship.
3) “If an act seems beneficial, intention is enough.”
Benefit and sincerity do not legalize worship without proof. The rule in worship is adherence to text.
4) “New tools are bid’ah.”
The ruling concerns innovations in worship, not neutral means like microphones or apps.
Contemporary Reflections
Hold to authenticated adhkār and established forms. Avoid choreographed formulas with no textual basis. This keeps worship sincere, simple, and united.
Conclusion
Bid’ah Hasanah in worship is a misunderstanding. What the Prophet ﷺ approved is Sunnah. After the revelation ended, inventing new devotional forms is misguided. The straight path is worship on prophetic terms.
References
Primary Sources
Qur’an
- Al-Ma’idah 5:3: Completion and perfection of the religion.
- Al-Hashr 59:7: Take what the Messenger gives, leave what he forbids.
- Ash-Shūrā 42:21: No legislating in religion without Allah’s permission.
Hadith
- Sahih Muslim 867a: “The worst of affairs are the newly introduced; every innovation is misguidance.”
- Sunan an-Nasā’ī 1578: “…every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.”
- Sunan Abī Dāwūd 4607: “Adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs… avoid novelties.”
- Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī 2676: Cling to the Sunnah and avoid innovations.
- Sahih al-Bukhārī 799: “Ḥamdan kathīran ṭayyiban mubārakan fīh” approved, angels raced to record it.
- Sahih al-Bukhārī 2010: Umar on night prayer in Ramadan, “What an excellent bid’ah,” linguistic usage.
Secondary Sources
- Al-Shāṭibī, al-Iʿtiṣām, 1/43: Sharʿi definition of bid’ah and its categories.
- Ibn Rajab, Jāmiʿ al-ʿUlūm wa al-Ḥikam, commentary on “avoid novelties” and limits of innovation.
- Ibn Ḥajar, Fatḥ al-Bārī, on the rukūʿ phrase and prophetic approval establishing Sunnah.
- Ibn Taymiyyah, Iqtiḍā’ aṣ-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm, on following the Sunnah and blocking innovated rites.
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