Let’s Beware of Innovation

Innovation in religion or bid’ah is any action that is contrary to the Islamic Shari’ah. The Qur’an and the traditions of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ have warned the believers against creating anything new in Islam. Followers of many religions celebrate the birth anniversary of their leaders in the various ways. Toing their lines, or more properly owing to appalling ignorance about or lack of knowledge of Islamic Shari’ah, the believers too try to celebrate the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. This is, opine Islamic scholars, nothing short of bid’ah.
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri relates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “You will most certainly follow the ways of those who came before you, inch by inch and step by step so much so that if they had entered into the hole of the lizard, you would follow them in this also. We said: Allah’s Messenger, do you mean Jews and Christians (by your words) “those before you”? He said: “Who else?” [Muslim]
In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has termed innovation as ‘the worst of things’ and cautioned the believers that its ultimate end is ‘the Fire’. Jabir bin ‘Abdullah relates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The worst of things are those that are newly invented; every newly-invented thing is an innovation and every innovation is going astray, and every going astray is in the Fire.” [Nasa’i]
In yet another hadith, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has set the principle that anything innovated can be acceptable only when it conforms with the principles of Islamic Shari’ah, otherwise it needs to be rejected. Aisha relates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “If somebody innovates something which is not in harmony with the principles of our religion, that thing is rejected.” [Bukhari]
This prohibition of innovation in religion is justified because Allah the Almighty has said in the Qur’an that He has perfected the religion for human beings to follow. The Quran (5:3) says: “This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favour upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion. But whoever is forced by severe hunger with no inclination to sin – then indeed, God is Forgiving and Merciful.”
And in the Qur’an (10:32), Allah the Almighty says: “For that is God, your Lord, the Truth. And what can be beyond truth except error? So how are you averted?”
This ayah confirms that what is beyond the Islamic Shari’ah is manifest error. For, the Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ together is a comprehensive way of life perfected by the Lord Creator. So, there is no need to create anything new in Shari’ah. Even if there is some pressing need to reach a conclusion in some given case, there are Ulema and Jurisprudents who can decide in the light of the Shari’ah and their decision must conform to the very intent of the Islamic Shari’ah.