al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat fi al-Hajj

al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat fi al-Hajj (Innovations and Violations in Hajj) is a specialized treatise authored by a collective of scholars under the auspices of the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Da‘wah, and Guidance, dedicated to identifying, classifying, and warning against religious innovations (bida') and ritual errors occurring during the pilgrimage to Mecca al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat ….

Background and Purpose

The work was prepared in connection with institutional efforts in Islamic guidance during the pilgrimage season, aiming to caution pilgrims against newly invented practices that distort the rites of Hajj or compromise its legal validity al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat …. The preamble emphasizes that religious innovation undermines the foundations of the faith, conflicts with the Prophet’s legislative authority, and divides the Muslim community, citing the prophetic directive: من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو رد ("Whoever introduces into this affair of ours that which is not part of it, it is rejected") al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat …+1.

Structure and Contents

The book is organized into four primary chapters followed by a conclusion summarizing its research outcomes al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat …+1:

• Chapter One (المبحث الأول): Defines bid‘ah linguistically and juristically—adopting the definition given by Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi as an invented religious path mimicking the Sharia intended to achieve excessive devotion—and outlines its classifications, including theological (i‘tiqadiyyah) versus practical (‘amaliyyah), essential (haqiqiyyah) versus relative (idafiyyah), and innovations that constitute disbelief (mukaffirah) versus those constituting sinfulness (mufassiqah) al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat …+1.
• Chapter Two (المبحث الثاني): Examines the spiritual, theological, and social dangers of introducing innovations into religious worship al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat ….
• Chapter Three (المبحث الثالث): Details textual evidences from the Quran and the Sunnah establishing the strict prohibition of religious innovation al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat ….
• Chapter Four (المبحث الرابع): Provides an enumeration of specific innovations and errors observed among pilgrims across every stage of the pilgrimage rites al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat …+1.

The inventory in the fourth chapter groups violations according to their chronological and ritual sequence:

• Practices prior to ihram: Such as abstaining from travel at the end of lunar months, neglecting to clean houses upon the pilgrim's departure, traveling without provisions under a mistaken pretext of reliance on God (tawakkul), holding festive send-offs with drums or musical accompaniment, and undertaking journeys solely to visit tombs al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat ….
• Proxy pilgrimage (al-inabah): Performing Hajj on behalf of others purely for monetary gain, hiring proxies before fulfilling one's personal obligation, and falsely believing that proxy pilgrimage is restricted to close kin al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat ….
• Ihram and the miqat: Assuming ihram before the designated boundary (miqat) as an act of worship, vocalizing the intention (niyyah), chanting the talbiyah in unison, observing complete silence during rites, and believing that ihram garments cannot be changed until desacralization al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat ….
• Rites at Mina, 'Arafah, and Muzdalifah: Abandoning the overnight stay at Mina, lighting candles and fires on Mount 'Arafah, leaving 'Arafah before sunset, believing in the obligation or special virtue of climbing Mount Ilal (Mount Rahmah) or praying facing it rather than the Qiblah, and rushing through rites without verifying geographical boundaries al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat …+1.
• Stoning the pillars (ramy al-jamarat): Believing that pebbles must be gathered exclusively from Muzdalifah, washing the stones prior to throwing, stoning from afar without ensuring the pebbles fall into the basin, and replacing the prescribed takbir with specific formulaic supplications al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat ….
• Miscellaneous practices and historical monuments: Fabricating supplications for specific circumambulations, tying rags to pulpits or shrines, inscribing names on the walls of the Kaaba, and seeking blessings from non-legislated sites around Mecca and Medina al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat ….

Method and Sources

In documenting these practices, the authors draw on classical manuals on religious deviations and pilgrimage rites, including Ibn al-Jawzi's Talbis Iblis, Abu Shama al-Maqdisi's al-Ba‘ith ‘ala Inkar al-Bida‘ wa al-Hawadith, Ibn Taymiyyah's Mansak and Iqtida al-Sirat al-Mustaqim, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya's Zad al-Ma‘ad, and Ibn al-Hajj al-Abdari's al-Madkhal, alongside contemporary works by scholars such as Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani and Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat …+2.

The book distinguishes between three main categories of pilgrim errors: general acts of disobedience not inherent to Hajj rites (such as ostentation, mixing, and prohibited conduct); omissions or exaggerations in performing prescribed Sunnah and obligatory elements; and mistakes arising from common misconceptions where individuals do not intend to invent a devotional act and readily desist once informed al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat …+1. The conclusion also notes that several historical innovations cited in older classical literature—such as the Mahmal procession, domes erected over historical sites (including the dome over Mount 'Arafah), and shrines over graves in the Ma'lah cemetery—have since ceased to exist al-Bida wa al-Mukhalafat …+1.