Can a Good Deed Become Bid‘ah? | Sheikh Dr. Ibrahim ibn Khaleel Bani Salamah #AMAU

The man said, "So-and-so said such-and-such," meaning contrary to what he heard from Ibn Sirin on the authority of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him. He replied, "I am telling you about the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and you say, 'So-and-so said such-and-such'? By God, I will never speak to you again!" Look at the state of the sectarians! Look at the state of the innovators! Look at the state of the various groups! Each speaks according to his own opinion and sings according to his own desires. We seek refuge in God from misguidance and from the evil of innovation. It prevents one from reaching the Prophet's Basin, peace and blessings be upon him, and it prevents one from his intercession, as it was narrated from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: " I am at the Basin, waiting for those of you who will come to me. Some people will be taken away from me," meaning they will be prevented. "I will say, 'O Lord, my nation! Who are they from my nation?' It will be said, 'Did you not know what they did after you?' I will say, 'Away with them! Away with them! Away with them!'" There is no innovation that survives [snoring sounds] except that it kills a Sunnah or a Sunnah corresponding to it is killed. Indeed, the scholars did not bequeath a dirham or a dinar, but rather they bequeathed knowledge. Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and may God's prayers and peace be upon the leader of the Messengers, the master of all creation, the master of the children of Adam, upon him and his family. And peace and blessings of God be upon him and his companions. Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you, O noble and virtuous ones. We meet with you in this blessed gathering, in this scholarly lecture, which I pray God Almighty will place on the scales of our good deeds, for that is not difficult for our Lord, the Exalted and Majestic. Following the Prophet is salvation and deliverance from innovation. Gentlemen, our discussion in this blessed lecture revolves around two main axes, each with its own sub- axes: following and innovation. Following includes the obligation of following, the conditions of following, the manifestations of following, and the means that aid in following the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. As for the second axis, innovation, it includes the following sub-axes: the reality of innovation, its effect on dividing the nation, examples of the Companions, may God be pleased with them all, rejecting innovation and warning against it, the negative effects of innovation, the causes of innovation, doubts and their answers. O noble ones, Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may God have mercy on him, says... Come, and you know, may God guide you, that the Sunnah which must be followed, and whose followers are praised and whose deviators are condemned, is the Sunnah of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, in matters of belief, worship, and all other religious matters. This is known only through knowledge of the authentic hadiths of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, concerning his sayings and actions, and what he left of his words and deeds, and then what the predecessors and those who followed them in righteousness were upon. O masters, in these words, Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah summarizes for us the meaning of innovation and its scope, which we will come to and explain, God willing. God Almighty said: “O you who have believed, obey God and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to God and the Messenger, if you should believe in God and the Last Day.” And the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “ Every nation will enter Paradise except those who refuse.” It was said: “And who would refuse, O Messenger of God?” He said: “Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me has refused.” I have presented this noble verse and this authentic hadith to show you, O virtuous ones, that the true meaning of following is not Except by following the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and before that, by following what is in the Book of Allah, the Exalted, the Majestic. Innovation only occurs by the opposite of that. Our Lord, the Exalted, says: “If you dispute over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger.” We refer to Allah in His Book and to His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, after his death, in his Sunnah. If this is realized within us, then we are followers, by the permission of Allah, the Exalted, the Majestic. And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “All of my nation will enter Paradise except those who refuse.” It was said: “And who would refuse, O Messenger of Allah? Who is this who refuses to enter Paradise?” He said: “Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me has refused.” (Agreed upon). My dear brothers, two conditions are required for the validity of following: First, that the act of worship be legitimate, meaning that evidence for its permissibility must be provided. The principle regarding acts of worship is to refrain from performing them until evidence for their permissibility is provided. This is the first condition: that the act of worship be legitimate, as I have previously explained and clarified, since the principle regarding acts of worship is to refrain from performing them. Therefore, any act of worship for which there is no evidence of its legitimacy is not legitimate. This is the fundamental principle, my brothers, and this is unlike permissible acts. The fundamental principle regarding permissible acts is that they are allowed, meaning transactions and people's affairs are permissible unless evidence comes to indicate their prohibition. Worship differs from transactions and what people do in their lives, as Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says: " Or do they have partners who have ordained for them a religion for which Allah has not given permission?" (Quran 42:21). Therefore, Allah, the Exalted, must permit legislation for people. If Allah has not permitted something, you, the one who is guided, have no right to worship Him in that manner. The second condition is that the manner of worship must be prescribed. We have discussed the fundamental principle of worship being prescribed, and the second condition is also that its manner must be prescribed. For example, if you pray the afternoon prayer (Asr), it is not enough to say that Allah, the Exalted, prescribed a prayer for us called Asr. Rather, you must ask how the Asr prayer was prescribed, in what form. The manner of worship must also be prescribed, and this is known by proving that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, performed it, or that one of his rightly guided successors performed it. It is not enough for the act of worship to be prescribed in its essence. But it must also be prescribed in its manner, for not everything that is permissible in one place is permissible in all places. Rather, in all matters, one follows what the Sharia has prescribed in its proper places. What is meant by this now is that the Fajr prayer is prescribed in its place, and so are the Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha prayers. If someone were to move a prayer from its place and time to another place, it would become an innovation, even if it was originally prescribed. As I said, worship must be established from the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, in its manner. If someone were to pray Dhuhr five times or Asr three times, his prayer would be invalid, and it is an innovation. These two conditions, gentlemen, are the conditions for the validity of worship: worship must be prescribed in its origin, and worship must be prescribed in its manner. But we have a third condition, which is that worship must be purely for God, the Blessed and Exalted. Worship must be purely for God. Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, narrates to us from his Lord, the Majestic and Exalted, that He said: “Whoever performs an act in which he associates others with Me, I will abandon him and his association.” I have abandoned him and what he associated with God, so I do not accept him, nor do I accept his worship, nor do I accept his obedience, because the condition of sincerity to God, Blessed and Exalted is He, must be met. This is what our Lord has stated in His words: “So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone.” Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us move on to another topic related to following the Prophet. The manifestations of following the Prophet: First, venerating the religious texts. One of the most prominent manifestations and signs of following the Prophet is venerating the established religious texts in the Book of God or in the Sunnah of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. This is done by appreciating them, honoring them, giving them precedence, not abandoning them, believing that guidance is found in them and not elsewhere, learning them, understanding them, pondering them, acting upon them, referring to them for judgment, and not contradicting them. This was the practice of the imams and masters of following the Prophet from among the Companions, the Successors, and those who came after them. Abdullah ibn Mughaffal saw a man from among his companions throwing pebbles. Throwing pebbles means placing a pebble between your fingers and then throwing it. Abdullah ibn Mughaffal said to this man, “ Do not throw pebbles, for the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, used to do so.” He forbade throwing pebbles and disliked it. Then he saw him throwing pebbles and said to him, “Didn’t I tell you that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade it? Yet I see you throwing pebbles! By Allah, I will never speak to you again!” Narrated by Imam Muslim. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) declared the area between its two lava fields sacred.” He meant Medina. He said, “ If you found gazelles living there, how would you know?” Narrated by Imam Bukhari. Imam Ibn Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated a hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to a man, and the man said, “ So-and-so said such-and-such,” meaning something different from what he heard from Ibn Sirin about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He said, “I narrate to you from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and you say, ‘So-and-so said such-and-such’? By Allah, I will never speak to you again!” Narrated by Ad- Darimi, and its chain of narration is good. This is the first manifestation of following the Sunnah: venerating the religious texts. As for the second manifestation: fearing deviation and being led astray. O Allah, we ask You for well-being. We ask You to let us die while You are pleased with us. We ask You to receive us while You are pleased with us. We ask You for a good end, for You are the Guardian of that. And the one capable of it is the fear of deviation and being led astray. Among the most prominent signs and manifestations of following the truth is the servant's fear of his own deviation and sins, and his apprehension of being led astray and not remaining steadfast upon the truth brought by Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. This was clearly evident among the Companions and the Successors, may God be pleased with them. Ibn Mas'ud, may God be pleased with him, said: "The believer sees himself as if he were sitting under a mountain, fearing that it might fall upon him, while the wicked person sees his sins as a fly that landed on his nose, and he simply brushed it away." This was narrated by Al- Bukhari. O noble ones, this is the state of the believer who fears his sins, who fears being harmed because of his sins. We ask God Almighty to lighten our burden of sins and to forgive us in this world and the Hereafter, and that is not difficult for Him. Imam Al-Bukhari said: Ibrahim Al-Taymi said, "I never compare my words to my actions without fearing that I might be a liar." We ask God for well-being. We ask God for well-being. Meaning, he says, "I speak, I preach to people, but when I look at my actions, I see shortcomings, so I fear that I might be a liar." This is not absolute, O noble ones, it is not absolute. The truth is, God forbid, that he would deny God or His Messenger. Rather, the point is that this person magnified his sins, even if they were minor. I tell you, a believer does not see any sin as minor because you are disobeying your Creator, because you are disobeying God, may His glory be exalted. Ibn Abi Mulaykah said, "I met 30 of the Prophet's companions, may God bless him and grant him peace, and all of them feared hypocrisy for themselves. None of them said that they possessed the faith of Gabriel and Michael." This was narrated by Imam Bukhari. And again, gentlemen, I emphasize that we mention these texts not as a matter of truth or reality, but rather as a way of illustrating the unwavering faith that resided in their hearts, a faith as firm as mountains, which made them fear even the smallest and most insignificant sins. Indeed, the best of this nation after its Prophet, Abu Bakr al- Siddiq, may God be pleased with him, said, "I will not leave anything that the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, used to do without doing it. And I fear that if I were to leave anything of his commands, I would go astray." Glory be to God! He did not leave anything that the Prophet did, commanded, or guided others to do without doing it, yet he said, "I fear that I would go astray if I left the simplest of sins." The commands of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Ibn Batta commented on the words of Abu Bakr, may God be pleased with him, saying, “This, my brothers, is the greatest of the truthful ones, fearing for himself the possibility of going astray if he were to disobey any of the commands of his Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. So what about those in our time, whose people mock their Prophet and his commands, boast of disobeying him, and ridicule his Sunnah? We ask God for protection from error and salvation from evil deeds.” Narrated by Imam Bukhari. As for the third aspect of good following, it is to emulate the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and follow him outwardly and inwardly, so that the servant experiences following the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, and is content with receiving and learning from him and acting upon what he brought, in accordance with the words of God Almighty: “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of God an excellent example for anyone whose hope is in God and the Last Day.” As for the fourth aspect of good following, it is for the servant to submit to the Sharia and to refer to it for judgment, so that he judges by what the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, brought in the Book and the Sunnah, and refers to them for judgment. God Almighty said: “But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge between them concerning that over which they dispute.” Then they will not find in themselves any discomfort from what you have decided and will submit in full submission. I stand with you with this noble, great, and sublime verse: “But no, by your Lord, they will not believe until something is achieved.” It is until they make you judge between them in what they dispute. Is this enough? No, rather two others must be added to it until they make you judge between them in what they dispute. Then they will not find in themselves any discomfort from what you have decided and will submit in full submission. So these are three: they refer to the Book and the Sunnah and accept their judgment. But in order for faith to be complete, your acceptance of the judgment of God and the judgment of His Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, must be without any effect on your soul. The Sharia comes and judges you with a loss, so you accept this loss with a merciful heart. Then the third comes to you and you submit in full submission. What does it mean to submit in full submission? The phrase " submit completely" in Arabic is "yusallim tasliman." But by your Lord, they will not believe until they judge between them concerning what they dispute, and then find no discomfort in themselves. "Yusallim tasliman" is an absolute object, used for emphasis. So, if you submit to God Almighty and accept His judgment, and there is no discomfort in your heart from it, then that is faith. If anything of that is lacking, then faith is lacking. And the deficiency may increase in your actions, deeds, and words until faith vanishes, leaving only a trace of it. The servant's submission and judgment to the Sharia, and his eagerness for all his affairs to be subject to it, is the prominent characteristic and distinguishing mark between the Muslim who is keen to follow the truth and the one who follows his desires without guidance from God, thus going astray and leading others astray. Whether that desire is based on reason, taste, self-interest, an imam, a party, or a system, whoever follows his desires is astray and leads others astray, whether that misguidance is under the guise of reason, taste, self-interest, or following an imam, a party, or a system. All of that... Falsehood. Among the signs and manifestations of following is contentment with the rulings and laws of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace. One of the manifestations of following the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, is contentment with his rulings and laws. It was narrated on the authority of Al-Abbas, may God be pleased with him, that he heard the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, say: “He has tasted the sweetness of faith, the faith of one who is content with God as his Lord, with Islam as his religion, and with Muhammad as his Messenger.” So, if a Muslim is content with Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, as his Prophet and Messenger, he will not turn to anything other than his guidance, nor will he rely on anything other than his Sunnah in his conduct. He will rejoice in the favor of his Lord upon him and His mercy for him in this, as He has made him one of the followers of the best of messengers and his successful party. God Almighty says: “O mankind, there has come to you an admonition from your Lord and a healing for what is in the breasts and a guidance and mercy for the believers. Say, ‘In the bounty of God and in His mercy—in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate.’” These are the most important manifestations, dear brothers and sisters, that indicate good following. Now, it is incumbent upon us, my dear brothers and sisters, to review the means that help us follow the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. We must review these means so that they may help us follow our Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. The first means is piety towards God Almighty and fear of Him, for whoever fears God Almighty, He grants him a criterion by which to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and between light and darkness. God Almighty says: “O you who have believed, if you fear God, He will grant you a criterion.” And He, the Exalted, says: “O you who have believed, fear God and believe in His Messenger; He will give you a double portion of His mercy and make for you a light by which you will walk and forgive you. And God is Forgiving and Merciful.” Yes, piety, dear brothers and sisters, is the path by which we distinguish between truth and falsehood, and we use it, after distinguishing between truth and falsehood, to follow the truth and avoid the path of falsehood. May God Almighty grant us success and bestow upon us piety, for then we will be among the successful, by the permission of God, the Most High. Yes, piety towards God, the Blessed and Exalted, grants the servant a criterion by which to distinguish between truth and falsehood. So when he distinguishes between truth and falsehood, piety towards God, the Blessed and Exalted, helps him to adhere to the truth. Thus, we see, dear brothers and sisters, that piety towards God, the Majestic and Exalted, is one of the greatest aids to adherence. Following the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, is the second means. The second means is sincerity to God Almighty and detachment in seeking the truth. The search for truth and its pursuit does not stop at merely being eager to know and understand it; rather, it necessitates a psychological aspect: detachment and a commitment to the purity of intention and practice. This, O noble ones, is the practice of truth and the escape from ignorance, whims, and injustice. This can only be achieved through sincerity to God Almighty. This matter is related to the purification of souls, cleansing them from desires and impurities, and refining them. For the more a servant strives to purify and refine himself, the more he will accept and embrace the truth. The third means is seeking refuge and supplication to God Almighty, demonstrating one's dependence on Him and need for Him. The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, often did this. His supplication when beginning the night prayer was: "O God, Lord of Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You judge between Your servants concerning that in which they differ. Guide me to the truth concerning that in which they differ, by Your permission. Indeed, You guide whom You will." He who wills to the straight path. Reflect, O noble ones, reflect upon this supplication, reflect upon this entreaty, reflect upon this refuge from the best of God's creation, peace and blessings be upon him, from one whose Lord has forgiven him his past and future sins. And yet, look at this magnificent supplication, filled with utter longing and need for God, the Exalted. O God, Lord of Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth. Look, look, my brother, at this wondrous supplication. Then what did he say? “Guide me to the truth concerning that wherein they differ, by Your permission. Indeed, You guide whom You will to the straight path.” Narrated by Imam Muslim. As for the fourth means, it is learning the rulings of Islamic law. Yes, knowledge of the rulings of Islamic law is one of the greatest means that helps you to listen well, because the ignorant person does not follow well; he stumbles blindly. But the learned student of knowledge, the scholar of Islamic law, distinguishes between truth and falsehood, and knows where to place his foot. And that, gentlemen, is because Islam is a religion built upon revelation, and revelation is not understood except through learning. Therefore, there is no other way to act upon the rulings of Islam and follow the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. And it is only through learning what has been revealed about it in the Qur’an and Sunnah, because it is impossible for a person to do something he does not know and has not learned. Therefore, Imam Al-Bukhari said in his Sahih, “ Chapter: Knowledge before speech and action.” Look at this great insight from this unique Imam: “Chapter: Knowledge before speech and action, knowledge before action, knowledge before speech.” So you cannot say a true statement or do a correct action except through knowledge. Then Imam Al-Bukhari completed the translation of God Almighty’s statement: “So know that there is no god but God.” He began with knowledge. This is what Imam Al-Bukhari mentioned. Dear friends, we now move with you to the second topic of our lecture, which is innovations. The reality of innovations: Imam Al-Shatibi defined innovation for us by saying: “An invented way in religion that resembles the legitimate way.” He means the follower of this invented way. What does he mean? The behavior referred to here is that of someone following the legitimate path. To put it simply, this invented method is comparable to, or rather, opposes, the legitimate path. The one who follows it intends what the follower of the legitimate path intends. What does the follower of the legitimate path want? To worship God Almighty, to worship God, Glory be to Him, in a way that pleases Him. Now, if the innovator follows an invented method that God, Blessed and Exalted is He, has not prescribed, how can his behavior lead to God, Blessed and Exalted is He? It cannot, dear brothers. This, in short, is what is meant by innovation. Innovation is of two types, considering its connection to the legal evidence and its relation to action. First, there is true innovation. What is true innovation? It is that which has no legal evidence, neither from the Quran, nor from the Sunnah, nor from consensus, nor from any valid reasoning according to scholars, neither in general nor in detail. What is meant by innovation? True innovation means that the entire matter, in general and in detail, has no basis and is invalid from the outset. [Voices] [He who snores] would invent for us acts of worship that have no basis, or introduce a sixth prayer, or a new month of fasting, or a new form of zakat, for which there is no evidence in the Quran or Sunnah. This is a true innovation because, in its entirety, in its origin and details, it is an innovation for which there is no evidence from either the Quran or the Sunnah. As for an additional innovation, it is one that has connections. It is permissible in its essence, but when it is added to an act of worship in a particular manner, time, or place, it becomes an innovation. Pay attention, dear brothers and sisters, so that I may clarify our meaning now. An additional innovation is permissible in its essence, but it may be performed in a manner contrary to the prescribed method, or at a time other than the prescribed time, or in a place other than the prescribed place. An example of this is sending blessings upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) before the call to prayer. This is a true innovation because, in its essence, it has no basis. That is, there is no evidence from the Quran, the Sunnah, analogy, or consensus that commands us to send blessings upon the Messenger of Allah at the beginning of the call to prayer. The call to prayer (Adhan) begins with "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest). As for sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), this is a Sunnah (recommended practice) because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "When you hear the muezzin, repeat what he says, then send blessings upon me." Therefore, sending blessings upon the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) is after the Adhan. However, reciting blessings upon him (peace and blessings be upon him) aloud after the Adhan is an additional innovation (bid'ah). We have already stated that sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) after the Adhan is prescribed, but it becomes an innovation because we perform it in a manner not prescribed by God Almighty. God Almighty, through the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and through what he taught his companions regarding the Adhan, has never established that any of the companions, upon finishing the Adhan, would begin reciting blessings upon the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) aloud. This is not found. Therefore, we affirm, dear brothers and sisters, that sending blessings upon the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) is an additional innovation because it contradicts the manner prescribed by Islamic law. Another example is Surah Al-Kahf. Reciting Surah Al-Kahf is recommended, and there is a hadith stating, "Whoever recites Surah Al-Kahf on the day of..." The phrase "Friday" (or "Friday") is a common expression. Pay attention to the hadith: "Whoever recites Surah Al-Kahf on Friday will have light shining for him between the two Fridays." There is disagreement regarding the authenticity of this phrase. Some say it is authentic, and therefore it is recommended to recite Surah Al-Kahf on Friday. Others say it is an unusual expression, and this is what I believe in. Therefore, reciting Surah Al-Kahf every week, especially on Friday, is a Sunnah (recommended practice). However, reciting it aloud in mosques is an additional innovation (bid'ah). Why? Because we are performing it in a manner different from the prescribed way. Thus, my brothers, I hope that the categories of innovation, their examples, and their types have become clear to you. With this, God willing, you will benefit. Moving on to another topic: the impact of this innovation on the division of the Ummah (Muslim community). One of the greatest things that has divided the Muslim Ummah and weakened its body is innovation in the religion of God. If the door were opened for everyone to speak about religion according to their own opinion and to introduce into the Shari'ah whatever they deem good, the paths of misguidance would have diverged within the Muslim community, and this is already the case. We ask God Safety and well-being are our goals. Therefore, we are forbidden from following other paths and commanded to follow the straight path, as the Almighty says: “And this is My straight path, so follow it; and do not follow other paths, for they will separate you from His path. This is what He has instructed you that you may become righteous.” Beware of following other paths, for there are many. Rather, you must follow one straight path, which is the guidance of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, as understood by his Companions, the Successors, and the Followers of the Successors. Imam al-Ajurri titled the first chapter of his book, “The Book of Sharia,” with: “Mention of the Command to Adhere to the Community and the Prohibition of Division, Rather, Following and Abandoning Innovation.” He, may God have mercy on him, believes that adherence to the community constitutes following, while division occurs through innovation in the religion of God. Indeed, O noble ones, innovations divide and fragment the nation. If every person were to hold an opinion and create a division—this one a division, and that one a division—this is the reality we live in. Look at the conditions of the partisan groups, look at the conditions of the innovating groups, look at the conditions of the sects—each one speaks his own opinion and sings his own tune. We seek refuge in God from misguidance. God Almighty says, "It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when God and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys God and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, warned against innovations in religion. He, peace and blessings be upon him, said, " Beware of newly invented matters, for every newly invented matter is an innovation." Narrated by Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad, and authenticated by our Sheikh Al-Albani. He, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "There will be trials and tribulations here and there. Whoever seeks to divide this nation while it is united, strike him with the sword, whoever he may be." Narrated by Imam Muslim. "Trials and tribulations" refers to trials and tribulations. This hadith is very clear, gentlemen, that trials, tribulations, and newly invented matters divide the nation. That is why the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says that there will be trials and tribulations, meaning newly invented matters. These newly invented matters will divide the nation. And look, gentlemen, at this hadith in which the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, explained that abandoning his Sunnah... Following innovations causes division within the Muslim community. Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (may God be pleased with him) said: “People used to ask the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) about good, but I used to ask him about evil, fearing that it would overtake me. I said, ‘O Messenger of God, we were in ignorance and evil, then God brought us this good. Is there any evil after this good?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Is there any good after that evil?’ He said, ‘ Yes, but it will be tainted.’ I said, ‘What is its taint?’ He said, ‘ People who seek guidance, meaning they seek to be guided, but they guide others without my guidance. You will recognize some of their actions and reject others.’ I said, ‘Is there any evil after that good?’ He said, ‘Yes, there will be callers at the gates of Hell. Whoever answers their call, they will throw him into it.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of God, describe them to us.’ He said, ‘They are from our own people and speak our language.’ I said, ‘What do you command me to do if I live to see that time?’ He said, ‘Adhere to the community of Muslims and their leader.’ I said, ‘What if there is no community or leader?’ He said, ‘Then withdraw from all those sects, even if you have to cling to the root of a tree until death overtakes you while you are in that state.’” (Agreed upon). Look, gentlemen, look, my dear brothers, at the end of this hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) tells us that the people of innovation are They are from our own people, they speak with our tongues. Then Hudhayfah, may God be pleased with him, guided us to safety from these people. How can safety be achieved? By adhering to the community of Muslims, by adhering to the leader of the Muslims, and by not going against his command and order, even if he commands you to do something that harms you, unless he commands you to disobey God, for there is no obedience to a creature in disobedience to the Creator, Glory be to Him, the Most High. And if the nation has no community or leader, what should you do? You must isolate yourself until your death overtakes you while you are far from all these sects, for in that is your salvation. And here is the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, commanding us to abandon trials and innovations and to adhere to obedience, even with injustice and oppression from the ruler, for the purpose of quelling the trials, uniting the community, preserving the word, protecting the nation, and looking after its higher interests. On the authority of Al-Arbad ibn Sariyah, may God be pleased with him, and the long hadith: He said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, gave us an eloquent sermon that made our eyes shed tears and our hearts tremble. A man said: This is a farewell sermon, so what do you guide us to, O Messenger of God? He said, “I enjoin you to fear God. Look, I enjoin you to fear God and to listen and obey, even if an Abyssinian slave rules over you with injustice and oppression. If an Abyssinian slave rules over you, then you must obey him. For whoever among you lives long enough will see much disagreement. And beware of newly invented matters, for they are misguidance. Whoever among you lives to see that time should adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided Caliphs. Cling to it firmly.” Narrated by Imam Abu Dawud and others, and authenticated by our Sheikh Al-Albani. And God Almighty said, “And do not be like those who became divided and differed after clear proofs had come to them. And those will have a great punishment.” Glory be to God! And do not be like those who became divided and differed after clear proofs had come to them. They became divided and differed because they differed from the clear proofs and followed their desires. So the way to salvation from division is to follow the clear proofs, and the way to innovation and misguidance is to follow desires and what these divisions dictate. We ask God for safety and well-being. Qatadah said, meaning the people of innovation, as mentioned in the noble verse. And when discussing innovation, we must not forget the hadith of Aisha, may God be pleased with her, who said: The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “ Whoever introduces into this matter of ours something that is not part of it, it is rejected.” This is the wording of al-Bukhari. In a narration by Muslim, it is: “Whoever performs an action that is not part of our command, it is rejected.” Ahmad, may God have mercy on him, said: The foundations of Islam are based on three hadiths: the hadith of Umar, “Actions are but by intentions”; the hadith of Aisha, may God be pleased with her, “ Whoever introduces into this matter of ours something that is not part of it, it is rejected”; and the hadith of Nu’man ibn Bashir, “The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear.” This is because the entire religion returns to performing what is commanded, refraining from what is forbidden, and abstaining from what is doubtful. This is what the hadith of Nu’man indicates: “The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear, and between them are doubtful matters.” This following is not achieved except with sincerity of intention for God Almighty. This is what the hadith of Umar indicates. And this is not achieved except by conforming to the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and abandoning innovation. This is what the hadith of Aisha indicates. And caution is advised regarding what is doubtful, as in the hadith of Nu’man. Dear brothers, let us now move on to some examples of… The Companions' rejection of innovation and their warnings against it: Umar ibn al- Khattab, may God be pleased with him, said, "The truest word is the word of God, the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, and the worst of matters are those that are newly invented." Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam said, "The Sunnah, the Sunnah, for the Sunnah is the foundation of the religion." These two narrations were related by Imam al-Marwazi in his book, "As- Sunnah." Ibn Abbas said, "Adhere to righteousness and following the Sunnah, and beware of innovations." Ibn Mas'ud strongly condemned those who introduced innovations into the religion, whether in word or deed. For example, he came upon a group of people sitting in circles in the mosque, waiting for prayer. [Sounds of snoring] In each circle was a man, and in their hands were pebbles. He would say, "Say 'Allahu Akbar' 100 times," and they would say it. He would say, "Say 'La ilaha illallah' 100 times," and they would say it. He would say, "Say 'Subhanallah' 100 times," and they would say it. Ibn Mas'ud, may God be pleased with him, came upon them with a group of his Companions and stood at one of those circles and said, "What is this that I see you doing?" They replied, "Pebbles with which we count the takbir, the tahlil, and the tasbih." Why did Ibn Mas'ud, may God be pleased with him, condemn them? He condemned them because they had invented something. This is an invented method of remembrance. Remembrance itself is legitimate, but the method and manner of it are invented. Listen to what he said: "Count your sins, for I guarantee that none of your good deeds will be lost." Woe to you, O nation of Muhammad! How quickly you have perished! These are the companions of your Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, still present, and these are his clothes and utensils, unworn and unbroken. By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, you are either on a path more guided than the path of Muhammad, or you have opened a door to misguidance. They said, "By God, O Abu Abd al- Rahman, we only intended good." He said, "And how many intend good but do not attain it? The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, told us that there will be people who recite the Quran, but it will not pass beyond their throats. By God, I do not know, perhaps most of them are from among you." Then he turned away. Amr ibn Salamah, the narrator of the hadith, said, "We saw most of those groups fighting against us at the Battle of Nahrawan with the Kharijites." Narrated by al- Darimi, and its chain of narration was authenticated by our Sheikh al-Albani. Look at this innovation and what this innovation has led to. In its essence, they intended good, but when they deviated from the path of the Prophet... They followed a method other than that of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), which led them from a minor innovation to a major one, from a small innovation to a large one, from the innovation of merely using pebbles in glorification to the innovation of going out. We seek refuge in Allah from misguidance. They became Kharijites, those people about whom the Prophet said, "If I had encountered them, I would have killed them." There is a narration that he ( Ibn Mas'ul) kept pelting them with pebbles until he drove them out of the mosque, saying, "You have introduced an innovation unjustly, or you have surpassed the Companions of Muhammad in knowledge." Yes, my masters and beloved ones, with this we move to another aspect related to innovation: the negative effects of innovation. Among the ill effects of innovation is that no deed of a person is accepted with it, whether it be prayer, fasting, charity, or any other good deed. It has been authenticated on the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) regarding the Qadariyyah, and he said, "By this, Abdullah ibn Umar swore, 'If one of them had gold equal to Mount Uhud...'" So spend what God accepts until he believes in predestination. Then he cited the long hadith of Gabriel narrated by Muslim, and the Kharijites came, in which the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, " They will pass through religion as an arrow passes through its target," after saying, "You will consider your prayers insignificant compared to theirs, and your fasting insignificant compared to theirs." Glory be to God! They were among the most obedient of people, fasting during the day and praying at night, yet the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "They will pass through religion as an arrow passes through its target. If I had encountered them, I would have killed them as the people of 'Ad were killed." Yes, my brothers, among the ill effects of innovation is that it prevents you from having your obedience accepted, and among the ill effects of innovation is that it prevents you from reaching the Prophet's Basin, peace and blessings be upon him, and prevents you from his intercession, as it was narrated from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, " I am at the Basin, waiting for those of you who will come to me." Then some people are taken away from me, meaning they are prevented. So I say, "O Lord, my nation! Who are my nation?" It is said, "Did you not know what they did after you?" And in another narration, "You do not know what was innovated after you." So I say, "Away, away, away!" This is enough for you, O innovator, that you are prevented from reaching the Basin of the Messenger of God. And you are prevented from his intercession, and your deeds are not accepted because of the evil of innovation, O brothers. The innovator bears the sin of whoever acts upon his innovation until the Day of Resurrection, as Allah Almighty says: “That they may bear their own burdens in full on the Day of Resurrection, and some of the burdens of those whom they misled without knowledge.” And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever establishes a bad practice and it is followed after him will bear its burden and the burden of whoever follows it.” Among the evil effects of innovation is that innovation is misguidance from the truth and leads to Hell. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “ Beware of introducing new matters, for every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance leads to Hell.” So, if your innovation leads you to Hell, your Lord will not have mercy on you. As for the fifth, innovation is a departure from following the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Allah Almighty says: “Say, [O Muhammad], ‘If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.’” So, without following, a person loses the love and forgiveness of Allah. And among the evils of innovation is that it includes a slander against Islam, because the perfect does not need addition, and this innovator adds to it. So, in reality, he follows this religion, the religion of God Almighty, believing it to be incomplete or deficient, needing his additions and innovations. One of the evils of these innovations is that they imply an attack on the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, because either he was ignorant of them or he concealed them, and both are attacks on the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him. This innovation that the innovator added, if he believed it to be true and part of the religion, then why didn't the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, convey it? Either the Prophet was ignorant of it and the innovator knew of it, or the Prophet knew of it and completed it. All of this is an attack on the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him. Innovation is also a cause of the division of the nation, as we mentioned before: each group rejoices in what they have. Another evil of innovation is that its spread weakens the nation and weakens adherence to the Sunnah. No innovation thrives without killing a Sunnah or killing a corresponding Sunnah in its place. We ask God for safety from all evil and harm, dear brothers. As for the causes of innovation, Our Sheikh Al-Albani, may God Almighty have mercy on him, attributed the causes of innovation to several matters: weak hadiths that are not permissible to use as evidence or to attribute to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and such things are not permissible to rely upon. Secondly, fabricated hadiths or had no basis, the matter of which was hidden from some jurists, so they based rulings on them that are at the heart of innovations and newly introduced matters. I said, and these two reasons, the weak servant said, these two reasons go back to ignorance of the Prophetic Sunnah in general and ignorance of the science of hadith terminology in particular. Many of those who fall into innovations do not differentiate between what is valid to use as evidence from hadiths and what is not valid. They do not know the authentic hadith from the weak and the fabricated, and they take the hadith from any source, even from books of fabricated hadiths, like that preacher who was giving the Friday sermon and said in his sermon, “ The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said in the fabricated hadith such and such,” and this poor man does not know what a fabricated hadith is . Third, there are interpretations and opinions issued by some jurists, especially the later ones, who did not support them with any legitimate evidence, but rather presented them as established matters until they became traditions to be followed. Fourthly, there are customs and superstitions that have no basis in Islamic law and are not supported by reason, even if some ignorant people practice them and adopt them as their law. They are not without supporters in some of these practices, including those who claim knowledge and dress like them. In addition, Sheikh Al-Albani stated that one of the causes of innovation is also the application of reason to the religious texts of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) concerning acts of worship, even though reason has no place in this area, i.e., the area of ​​worship. We conclude, dear readers, by mentioning some misconceptions and their answers. The first misconception is that some people say there is a good innovation, and they cite the statement of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) when he gathered the people for the Taraweeh prayers in Ramadan behind one imam in the mosque and went out and saw them praying like this. He said, "What a good innovation this is!" In another narration, he said, "If this is an innovation, then what a good innovation it is!" The response to this misconception is twofold. First, what Umar meant by this is innovation in its linguistic sense, not its legal sense, since the act itself in Islamic law is related to it. For example, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged and promoted the Taraweeh prayers in Ramadan, and he himself prayed He had companions with him in Ramadan, except for one night, then he refrained from that, explaining that he feared that it would be prescribed for them and they would be unable to perform it. So, dear brothers, I return to explain this response to you. Innovation in the linguistic sense means new. So, what did Omar say? This is a blessing of innovation, meaning this new innovation in the linguistic sense. Well, is it new from a Sharia perspective? The answer is no, it is not new from a Sharia perspective because the night prayer of Ramadan is known to have been instituted by the Prophet, who led his companions in prayer for several days. So, from a linguistic perspective, it is an innovation because it was abandoned during the time of the Prophet, then Umar, may God be pleased with him, revived it. But from a Sharia perspective, it has an origin, as we mentioned, so it is not new. Based on that, we see that he intended the linguistic meaning. Secondly, he, may God bless him and grant him peace, commanded us to follow the Sunnah of his rightly guided successors. Praying at night in this manner has become part of their tradition. For the people gathered around him during the time of Omar, Othman and Ali, may God Almighty be pleased with them all . The second objection is their claim that we are drawing closer to God by doing this. We respond that these innovations do not bring us closer to God Almighty. We have already mentioned, brothers, that innovations prevent the acceptance of deeds, so how can one draw closer to God Almighty through them? If these innovations were truly acts of worship that bring one closer to God, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have performed them and commanded us to do them. He is the one who said, "There is nothing that brings one closer to Paradise and distances one from Hell except that it has been explained to you." This was narrated by Imam al-Tabarani and authenticated by our Sheikh al-Albani. Since the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) did not explain them to us, this indicates that they are not acts of worship. Furthermore, the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who sought to increase their good deeds did so to draw closer to God. Yet, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said concerning them, " Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me." O brothers, consider the three men, one of whom said, "I will pray all night and never sleep," another, "I will fast continuously," and the third, "I will not marry." When the Prophet learned of their statements, he said, "Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me." Their actions were not acts of worship that brought them closer to God, the Exalted. As for the third point of contention, some people cite the hadith, "Whoever introduces a good practice in Islam will have its reward and the reward of whoever acts upon it after him, without diminishing their rewards in any way," to justify their innovations. We refute this. The intended meaning of " Sunnah" in the hadith is the initiation of acting upon a Sunnah, not its creation. For whoever introduces into Islam something that is not part of it, it is rejected, as stated in the hadith of Aisha, and it is not considered good. Rather, the one who establishes it is the first to act upon it, whether he initiates it or revives it after it has been abandoned. My dear brothers, I would like to further clarify the Sharia Sunnah. The good Sharia Sunnah has three aspects: First, initiating a legitimate act. A group of people came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appearing poor and needy. He ordered them to give charity, but no one responded. Anger was seen on his face. Then one of them stood up, carrying a burden his hand could barely bear, and placed it before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). People multiplied and came until two piles of clothes and food were collected. The Prophet was pleased and said this hadith. Second, the good Sunnah is reviving a Sunnah after it has been abandoned. Whoever revives my Sunnah when my nation is corrupted will have its reward and the reward of whoever acts upon it. Third, the means and tools that are permissible in their essence aid in acts of obedience, such as loudspeakers, photography, and broadcasting via satellite and the internet to reach you and your homes. These are legitimate means, indeed they are among the good Sunnahs. The fourth doubt is the statement of some of them that doing that does not harm, provided that the intention is good. We have responded to this and said that among the conditions for the acceptance of the deed is that the deed be sincere and that the deed be righteous. We mentioned to you, gentlemen, at the beginning of this talk that among the conditions for following is first that the deed be legitimate, that its method be legitimate, that it be sincere for the sake of God. So you, O beginner, say, “My intention is righteous.” We say, assuming your intention is righteous, although it is a matter that only God knows, but let us assume that your intention is good and that your intention is righteous, but what is left? It remains that the action must be legitimate in its origin and legitimate in its method, and this is not present in innovation. Also, we say, dear brothers, that the end does not justify the means, for the principle is that the means take the same ruling as the ends. There is no clearer proof of this than the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, responding to the group who intended good but deviated from the Prophetic and legitimate method by saying, "Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me." You might say to me, "My intention is good, so there is no problem." We say that the conditions must be met for the action to be accepted. As for the fifth misconception, some say that following is limited to action and not to abstention. They say that following is in action; if we do what God Almighty has commanded us to do, then we have followed. But the evidence that commands us to follow does not indicate abstaining from what is not prescribed by Islamic law. I hope my words are clear. We have action and we have abstention [snoring sounds]. And the Sharia is not complete for you, O son of Adam, unless you do what God Almighty has commanded and abstain from what He has not prescribed in matters of worship and creed. I hope this is clear. What are these people saying? They say no, if we adhere to the actions, we are not obligated to adhere to the abstentions. We pray to God five times as He commanded us, but there is no objection to adding another prayer. We have brought something new. The response to these people is twofold: your statement that following is limited to actions requires adhering to what the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, did. Well, did the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, do these innovations? The answer is no. Since you are committed to following the actions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then you are obligated to adhere to what he did and what he refrained from. I hope this is clear. As for the second response, the principle states that refraining from an action when the reason for it exists and there is no impediment indicates that refraining is a Sunnah. Why didn't he draw closer to God Almighty through this act, even though the reason was present—namely, the desire for good, the desire for good deeds, and the desire to ascend the ranks of Paradise—and the impediment was absent? There is no impediment to performing these actions that you consider acts of worship. This implies that what the Prophet refrained from, despite the reason for it existing and the absence of anything preventing it, is a Sunnah that Muslims should emulate in refraining from it. It is not permissible for them to perform it. For example, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, refrained from reciting the Quran aloud in public before the call to prayer. The reason for this was to encourage people to arrive early for Friday prayer, and the impediment was absent. There was nothing preventing the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, from this action, as there were many memorizers of the Quran in his time, and they were the best and most proficient reciters of the Quran. Therefore, we must emulate them in this refraining and not perform what he did. He who disagrees with him is an innovator, O noble brothers, O virtuous ones. As for these hadiths and those principles, and before that the verses of the Book and the Sunnah, we have, by the permission of God Almighty, addressed this topic and tried to cover it from all angles as best we could. Here I conclude, asking my Lord, the Exalted, to make us and you among those who listen to the word and follow the best of it. Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of God Almighty. I entrust you to the Lord of Might and Majesty, in whose care nothing is ever lost.