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Bid’ah and Sunnah and It's Effects on The Ummah

By

Shaykh Abdas-Salaam al-Burjis Aal Abdul-Kareem

[May Allaah have Mercy on him]

All Praise is due for Allaah and I bear witness that there is no God worthy of worship except Allaah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger, May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him, his family and his companions.

This is an extremely important issue which the scholars have given extreme importance and should be held in high significance to every Muslim and that they should know these issues and learn about them, in order to act upon the Sunnah and to stay away and be warned from all forms of Bid’ah.

It is especially important because the Legislator, who is Allaah, has Legislated what He wants, thus the completion and the explanation of the Shariah was only done via the Sunnah, he صلى الله عليه وسلم  died explaining all that is wanted from us and warned us from all forms of bid’ah.

He صلى الله عليه وسلم   would repeatedly stress the importance to his Companions رضوان الله عليهم until they fully understood this issue clearly. Therefore the only will that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم   left behind for this Ummah was for us to learn the Sunnah, giving it the due importance and to learn it, thus throughout the ages we have found scholars acting upon this order as it is more important for this Ummah than food and drink and other basic necessities.

So what is Sunnah? Sunnah is acting upon the statements, acts and approvals of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم however the scholars have explained that the term Sunnah generally covers the whole of the Shariah thus it encompasses the whole of the religion and was especially included in the field of Aqeedah because following the Sunnah in our Aqeedah is imperative, thus the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “Whoever turns away from My Sunnah is not from me”.

Therefore the Sunnah is from the most important primary sources of Islamic learning and legislation so Allaah has commanded us to follow Islam in its entirety, consequently following the Sunnah to its utmost [cf 2:208]

Therefore, following the Sunnah is from the praiseworthy characteristics and mannerisms of a Muslim, the Muslim who loves to hold on to and fears in deviating from it because of its connecting to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and imitating him, loving him, honouring him to the best of ones capability, realising that one cant be a believer without these traits.

The Sunnah has set for us a benchmark and an excellent example for us to follow as Allah says [cf 32: 21] thus the one who obeys is successful and the one who turns away loses a great deal of good!

It is important for us to realise that all our deeds in Islam is built on two important factors, one needs to have both of these in order to have his/her deeds accepted, to gain the Jannah and to be saved from the fire, this principle has been accepted by all the scholars and the whole Ummah as a whole, from the most wisest of principles and they are: 1) to have exclusive sincerity for Allah and 2) to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet. Thus doing deeds for the sake of Allaah is as important as making sure whether the act you are doing has been legislated in our Shariah via the Sunnah or not, if it isn’t then the deed is rejected if it is from the Sunnah then we must act upon it.

Why else would Allaah reveal the Quran? Of course the only reason is for us to worship Him by following it and this is why the Sunnah is important because the Sunnah explains the Quraan, thus the path of obedience is only obtained by following the Sunnah. Had the Sunnah not been a principle for our acts to be accepted then there would be no need of having the Sunnah! So about this Allaah says:

“Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord (the Qur'ân and Prophet Muhammad's Sunnah), and follow not any Auliyâ' (protectors and helpers, etc. who order you to associate partners in worship with Allâh), besides Him (Allâh).”

[Araaf 7:3]

We have been strictly prohibited from following other than what Allaah has sent down, so we are enjoined to obey Allaah and His Messenger via the Quran and Sunnah.

The Muslims are those who would refer their issues of differences to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم however after his death we are unable to do this, so our way of referring to him is via the Sunnah under the understanding of the Companions رضوان الله عليهم, thus the status of the Sunnah holds high esteem in the heart of the Muslim because it is through the Sunnah one knows that they are worshipping Allaah in a manner that was performed by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

He صلى الله عليه وسلم  in this regard, “Whoever innovates something new into this religion and we have not set a precedence for it, then the act of innovation will be rejected” therefore the person who wants to do good deeds needs to make sure that his deeds are in accordance despite being sincere or going through great difficulty, the precedence has been set and we must abide by this, therefore the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم  said about this, “whoever leaves my Sunnah, then he is not from me”. This is why he صلى الله عليه وسلم was sent and why all the Prophets were sent, to be an example for their people.

An example of this is when the followers of Esa صلى الله عليه وسلم introduced an innovation, even though they were sincere, Allaah heavily criticised them for this as well did Eesa صلى الله عليه وسلم

“But the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them, but (they sought it) only to please Allâh therewith, but that they did not observe it with the right observance”

[Hadeed 57:27]

The followers of Eesa became monks and they introduced new ways to worship Allaah however this became the cause for their downfall as they were criticised by Allaah for this and they were unable to continue practising the deeds they introduced as it became to heavy for them to follow.

And this is true for the people of innovation, because they often introduce new ways to worship Allah however they are unable to support it. Not only this, when they introduce these new acts of worship they replace the acts of Sunnah. So the punishment has been made for them in the hereafter, about which Allaah says,

“Some faces, that Day, will be humiliated (in the Hell-fire, i.e. the faces of all disbelievers, Jews and Christians, etc Labouring (hard in the worldly life by worshipping others besides Allâh), weary (in the Hereafter with humility and disgrace They will enter in the hot blazing Fire”

[Ghaashiyah 88:2-4]

These ayaat above illustrate the reward of the person who innovates, Allah criticises them for doing deeds that have no precedence and on the Last Day they have no reward. So they think that these innovated deeds is taking them to Jannah however Allah refutes this false notion by stating that these innovations lead to the fire.

Therefore, the Prophet was sent to be followed and to strive to be like him and whoever doesn’t realise this loses out on a great good and will be misguided.

The Prophet was ever so keen for us to be guided and to meet up with him at the Pool that he has been promised and to reach the Jannah, and he didn’t pass until he told us about the deeds that could help us reach there.

“Hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly-guided Khaleefahs after me, adhere to it and hold fast to them with your molar teeth, and I warn you against newly invented matters, for every newly invented matter is a Bid’ah”

So the Prophet combined the order to stick to the Sunnah and to be warned from innovation, desires and opinions of people as apposed to knowledge. So the Salaf would always remind people that by doing a Bid’ah people leave the alternative Sunnah as it was particular explained by Ibn ‘Abbas. So whoever follows other than this way, the way of the Prophet and the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and the scholars who came after who understood this Sunnah from the Salaf, then this person has turned away from the admonition of the Prophet. So the Muslim should always seek to follow the Sunnah under the understanding of the Salaf and not attach himself to one scholar following him without any proof. This hadeeth shows that the Prophet knew and foretold us that there will be differences in this Ummah, and that each generation will be worse than the previous one, but he gave us a solution, to follow the Sunnah.

So whoever has a view which is supported by the Sunnah under the way the Salah understood it, then this person is correct and whoever holds views that don’t conform to this, then this person has gone against this understanding and his view is rejected.

The Ummah should not be ignorant of these points above, we should realise the importance of the conduct and example set by the Prophet and follow it done to detail. Unfortunately the Ummah today have looked in other directions to take as an example, which has caused differenes and disunity to arise in the Ummah today, as of which is deficient and nothing compared to the example left behind by the Prophet. This is true, especially if someone leaves some who is infallible to follow someone who is fallible.

Because of the above, Bid’ah has occurred and spread throughout the lands. Had the Ummah realised the rights of the Prophet over them and gave them its due, accompanied with unconditional love which is exclusive to him, and not for it to be directed to anyone else.

These differences and turning away from the example set by the Prophet and the rightly guided caliphs that came after him inevitably lead to differences to the point that some accuse others of not being Muslims anymore or labelling others with titles of misguidance or even to the extent of blood being spilt.

All the trials that have been affecting this Ummah stem from this very problem, people have left the Prophet as their example, if we regain the importance of following the Sunnah, the differences this Ummah face will diminish. Desires and Bid’ah have had a huge negative impact on this Ummah, such as the emergence of the Khwaarij and others like them from Ahl al-Bid’ah, such negativity of these groups has even led to people being fought and killed. These shortcomings in the Ummah have become apparent which has led for us to be disunited and weak as a nation, Ibn Taymiyyah said about this, “Following the Sunnah creates unity and Bid’ah creates disunity” this was taken from the meaning of the statement of Ibn Mas’ood.

Therefore, following the Sunnah of the Prophet leads to unity, peace, mercy, support and straightening of our lines and the opposite is true as leaving it leads to weakness.

Therefore it is compulsory upon the Muslims to give the affair of following the Sunnah its utmost importance; they need to support one another to revive it so that the role of this Ummah can be revitalised, this includes the roles of men, women, children, the scholars and the Ummah as a whole.  The scholars would be able to explain the matters of the Shariah and its mannerisms, explaining the rulings and ration behind the Shariah because the ration, if we know it, helps one to explain and practice the truth with the permission of Allaah.

The Sunnah is important, but if we don’t know the Sunnah it will be overtaken with shortcoming, so then how will we practice our religion? It is important for us to remove these shortcomings because we need to gain the Love and Pleasure of Allaah and by this we will reach Jannah and be protected from the Fire, so whoever realises this then he will be acting according to the truth, being careful to make sure what he is doing is correct and the truth. This person is always asking, ‘Is this action correct?’ and ‘Will this act of mine be accepted or rejected?’

An example of this cautious attitude can be found in our daily lives, if someone wanted to do something connected to the Dunya like build a building, for example, they will research and find out the best types of materials, the best engineers and the best way to construct this building by making sure everything they do is correct. If this is case in regards to building a house, should we not show more importance to the affairs connected to our hereafter and the acts that will stay with this and count for us when we are questioned?

Without any doubt, if someone truly believes in Allaah and is worried and anxious about meeting Him on the Last Day, then he will take this matter serious and pay attention to by asking the scholars because the majority of the Ummah being unlearned about the matters of the religion, “So ask those who know the Scripture, if you don’t know. The will give you clear signs and Books” [16:43-33] so by asking the scholars they will present to you the correct argument which is closest to the Sunnah by providing you with evidences.

So if you want to learn about a particular issue, firstly I encourage you to be sincere to Allaah and to seek knowledge to gain praise from the people. By being sincere to Please Allah and wanting to do the right thing, the person will inevitably want to act in the right manner and this would be executed by following the Sunnah.

We need to remember that the acts and deeds we do need to be done in the manner the way the Prophet did it as he is the perfect example and it is not for us to mimic and follow others blindly. Therefore before acting, we need to have proof because if the Prophet didn’t do it then we don’t act by it and those deeds opposite to this are false and will be rejected even though a lot of people are mimicking these acts. 

Therefore having the evidence and the precedence set in the Sunnah is more important than the act of worship itself, because if there is no evidence we don’t act but if there is evidence then we know we are following the infallible example of the Sunnah which is free from mistakes.

Likewise the Companions found themselves in a similar situation so what did they do? Narrations and stories describe how they would exhort the people to remember Allaah, benefit the people, and guide them to the truth and ways to cleanse their hearts. This was all done within the confines of the Shariah and the Companions would appose anything that went against it.

For instance Muaawiyyah once saw a man carrying out punishment on a person and he asked him, “Who gave you permission to do this?” and then said, “Know, this is a permission given by Allaah” or something similar. He said this because the man was taking the law into his own hands, which is against the Sunnah as the Prophet said, “The punishment is only carried out by the leader or someone who the leader has given permission to or a hypocrite” meaning that punishment is via the order of the ruler.

So the companions would look at how they would practice it at the time of the Prophet and if the acts they saw went against the Sunnah they would change it and advise the people.

There are many more examples of the Companions showing objection to acts that went against the Sunnah, however it is sufficient to say that the Shariah are from the orders of Allaah, it is the religion of Allaah, so it is incumbent on us to act in accordance with what the Prophet came with, without being negligent or adding to the Shariah.

The people who are sincere recognise this and they realise that the Shariah is supported with evidence, even though some people have tried to add and take away from it. So I ask the question, ‘Is it possible for the Shairah to have shortcoming or is it perfect?’

Allaah says, “This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you” [5:3] so the answer is clear, Islaam is perfect so there is no need to add to it or take away from it. Looking at the Sunnah we can ask, ‘Is the Sunnah applicable throughout the ages, despite of time and place?’

The answer is yes, the Sunnah is applicable and compatible throughout the ages, it is relevant for the old and young and it comes with principles for us to build on if there are no direct commands for the Sunnah in regards to the changes time brings. Unfortunately in this day and age, we see the enemies of Islam, from those within the Ummah and outside, try to argue that the Shariah needs to be reformed and that Shariah is not compatible throughout the ages and at times are apologetic about the Shariah. This is from the most evil of viewpoints.

Salman al-Farsi was once approached by a Jew and he asked him, “You Messenger has told you about everything, even the etiquette of going to the toilet!” Salmaan replied, “Yes….” So this shows that Salmaan was proud of this matter and he replied to this man who was trying to belittle the Shariah, leaving him stunned and defeated.

So the Shariah explains to us the rulings we need to know, for men and women, on how to eat, the etiquette of dress, how to sit, how to purify yourself and all the extensive rulings found in the Shariah. How can a anyone turn away from something so profound? The way this Shariah organises the life of people, in a clear and rational manner, makes us having a great need for it.

Therefore this religion is profound and clear, for both men and jinn, and will remain until the Last Day. So how can the person who innovates challenge this or even be compared to something so perfect, depending only on their deficient intellect and philosophies?

There is no way that the religion of Islam can be derived from such sources, it is not universal to time and place and it is not possible for the seal of all the previous Shariah’s to be subject to this. Rather, this Shariah is universal and is beneficial for the worldly affairs of people as well their hereafter.

The Prophet said as was narrated in Saheeh, “There was not a Prophet that came except that he explained to his nation what was beneficial for them and what was harmful for them.”

It was also reported on the authority of Aboo Dardaa’ that he said, “The Prophet didn’t leave us except that he taught us about it, we were even told things about the bird in the sky.”

Therefore this religion is complete and has been perfected by Allah, it is universal and we have no need to increase in it or take away from it. We need to act in accordance with it, following the text and the intent behind the orders and prohibitions that the Shariah have outlined.

May Allaah send Peace and Blessings upon his Messenger, his family and Companions