Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sayyia

Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sayyia (Religious Innovations and Their Evil Consequences) is an Islamic legal and theological treatise by Abd al-Karim Murad, an associate professor at the College of Sharia at the Islamic University of Madinah Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…. The work examines the definition of religious innovation (bid'ah), argues that every innovation in religious matters is misguidance, outlines the spiritual dangers incurred by innovators, and distinguishes innovation from valid juristic principles such as unrestricted public interest (al-masalih al-mursalah) and juristic preference (al-istihsan) Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa….

Purpose and Sources

The author presents the treatise as a concise synthesis drawn primarily from classical authorities such as Ibn Taymiyya and Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…. Its declared objective is to clarify the legal understanding of bid'ah, warn against its widespread prevalence, and dispel misconceptions that conflate religious innovations with recognized legal methods of derivation, establishing that there is no praiseworthy innovation in religious matters Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa….

Definition and Scope of Bid'ah

The treatise traces the linguistic root of bid'ah to invention without prior precedent, citing Quranic usages such as بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ ("Originator of the heavens and the earth") and قُلْ مَا كُنْتُ بِدْعًا مِنَ الرُّسُلِ ("Say, 'I am not an innovation among the messengers'") Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…. Legally, the author defines bid'ah as an invented path in religion that resembles the Shar'i way, intended through following it to worship Allah Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa….

Based on this definition, the author notes that purely worldly inventions and customary practices (adat) are excluded from the legal designation of innovation Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…+1. In contrast, religious innovation occurs through instituting specific forms, bounds, times, or collective rituals not legislated in Sharia Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…. Examples cited in the text include:

• Performing vocal remembrance of God (dhikr) collectively in unison and habitually raising hands collectively in supplication after the five daily prayers Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa….
• Celebrating the Prophet's birthday (Mawlid), which the author notes was introduced after the sixth century AH Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa….
• Singling out the middle of Sha'ban for fasting and night prayers, including the "Alfiyya" prayer, which relies on a fabricated hadith Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…+1.
• The "Ragha'ib" prayer performed on the first Thursday night of Rajab, which was introduced after the fourth century AH Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa….

The work also covers "omissive innovations" (al-bida' al-tarkiyya), wherein an individual intentionally abandons a legally sanctioned act as a matter of religious devotion, whereas abandoning an obligation out of mere laziness constitutes disobedience rather than bid'ah Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa….

Refutation of Classifying Innovations as Good

The author argues that the prophetic dispraise of innovation—epitomized in the narration كل بدعة ضلالة ("Every innovation is misguidance")—is comprehensive and absolute, with no textual exceptions Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…+1. He critiques the fivefold division of bid'ah advanced by Izz al-Din ibn Abd al-Salam and Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi, as well as twofold divisions (into good and bad) cited by scholars such as Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi and Mulla Ali al-Qari Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…+1. Murad contends that classifying an act supported by Sharia proofs as a bid'ah combines contradictory concepts, because a legal innovation is by definition something lacking Shar'i evidence Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa….

Addressing the statement of Umar ibn al-Khattab regarding the Tarawih prayer ( نعمت البدعة هذه , "What an excellent innovation this is"), the author explains that communal Tarawih has an established prophetic foundation, meaning Umar used the term bid'ah solely in its linguistic sense to describe reviving a practice in an organized congregation Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…+1. He cites Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali to confirm that early scholars who spoke of "good innovations" meant purely linguistic innovations with roots in Sharia, not legal ones Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…+1.

Consequences of Religious Innovations

The treatise dedicates a substantial discussion to the negative consequences and spiritual hazards of bid'ah Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…:

• Non-acceptance of deeds: Actions tainted by innovation are rejected, supported by the hadith من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو رد ("Whoever introduces into this matter of ours what is not part of it, it is rejected") Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…+1.
• Barred from the Prophet's Basin: Innovators are turned away from the Prophet's Basin (al-Hawd) and excluded from his intercession on the Day of Judgment Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…+1.
• Carrying the sins of followers: The innovator incurs the sin of inventing the act alongside the cumulative sins of everyone who practices it after him until the Day of Resurrection Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…+1.
• Obstruction of repentance: Repentance is veiled from the innovator due to his habitual persistence in viewing wrongful innovations as acts of piety Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…+1.
• Dissociation and bad end: Innovators face the disavowal of the Prophet ﷺ and the believers, along with a heightened risk of suffering a terrible final end (su' al-khatimah) Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…+1.

Distinction from Masalih Mursala and Istihsan

To resolve ambiguities used to defend innovations, the work distinguishes bid'ah from two principles of Islamic jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh) Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…:

• Al-Masalih al-Mursalah: Unrestricted public interests apply only to rational, non-devotional matters (mu'amalat and adat) with intelligible purposes, functioning as means to preserve necessities or alleviate hardship Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…+2. In contrast, acts of worship (ibadat) are non-rationalized in their specific forms and must strictly follow textual revelation without human addition Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…+2.
• Al-Istihsan: In Hanafi and Maliki jurisprudence, juristic preference refers to departing from general analogy to a stronger proof, custom, or necessity, rather than following subjective whim Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa…+1. Murad notes that defining istihsan as arbitrary preference based solely on human reasoning is what Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i invalidated with his maxim, "Whoever practices istihsan has legislated" Al-Bida wa Atharuha al-Sa….