al-Haqq al-Ablaj fi Dahd Shubuhat Mafhum al-Bida lil-Urfaj
- Author died
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- Editions
- Dar al-Imam Muslim lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzi'
al-Haqq al-Ablaj fi Dahd Shubuhat Mafhum al-Bida lil-Urfaj ("The Manifest Truth in Refuting the Doubts of al-Urfaj's Concept of Innovation") is a theological treatise written by the Saudi scholar Abd al-Aziz al-Rayyis in 1437 AH (2016 CE) to defend Salafi principles regarding religious innovation (bid'ah) and to refute the book Mafhum al-Bida wa-Atharuhu fi Idtirab al-Fatawa al-Mu'asirah by Abd al-Ilah ibn Husayn al-Urfaj.
Background and Purpose
Al-Rayyis completed the work on 7 Rajab 1437 AH. He wrote it in response to al-Urfaj's book, using its second edition published by Dar al-Fath lil-Dirasat wa-al-Nashr, which included an appended critique of the treatise Kullu Bida Dalalah ("Every Innovation is Misguidance"); al-Rayyis's rebuttal covers both the main text and its appendix.
Al-Rayyis criticized al-Urfaj as someone not formally specialized in Islamic legal disciplines who attempted to rationalize innovations such as celebrating the Prophet's birthday (Mawlid). He contended that al-Urfaj disputed the foundational rule that acts of worship are strictly bound by textual precedent (tawqif), improperly conflated differences over legal application (tahqiq al-manat) with flaws in the definition of innovation itself, and created arbitrary divisions between scholars who "narrowed" versus "expanded" the scope of innovation. Al-Rayyis stated that his objective was to consolidate the Salafi principles of declaring acts innovative (tabdi') and protect Sunni creed from distortion.
Structure and Method
The book is organized into two primary parts:
Part One: Sunni Axioms Regarding Innovation
This part presents twelve introductory principles that al-Rayyis considers axioms established among Sunni scholars:
- The condemnation of innovations in the Shar' and by the righteous predecessors (al-Salaf).
- An invented practice is not termed an innovation in religious law unless it is practiced as an act of worship.
- Worship is confined to obligatory or recommended actions, or the prohibited or disliked abandonment of actions.
- Permissible matters cannot inherently be turned into acts of worship.
- All innovations are unlawful.
- Every innovation is misguidance, and there is no "good innovation" (bid'ah hasanah) in the religion.
- The default rule in acts of worship is suspension and prohibition (al-tawaqquf wa-al-man') without evidence.
- Acts of worship left unperformed by the Prophet and his companions despite the presence of motive and absence of impediment constitute an established Sunnah of omission (sunnah tarkiyyah), making their performance a blameworthy innovation.
- Innovation occurs in means (wasa'il) just as it occurs in ends (ghayat).
- Juridical analogy (qiyas) is invalid in devotional acts whose legal rationale is not rationally discernible.
- Generally legislated acts of worship cannot be restricted by time, place, manner, or cause without explicit textual evidence.
- Applying general or unconditional texts without relying on the understanding and practice of the Salaf in qualifying them constitutes innovation.
Part Two: Refutation of Doubts
The second part addresses around forty specific arguments and doubts raised in al-Urfaj's work. Rather than following the sequential page order of the original book, al-Rayyis divides this part into an overarching refutation (radd mujmal), a structured hypothetical debate (munazarah taqribiyyah) illustrating contradictions in al-Urfaj's premise, and a detailed thematic refutation (radd mufassal).
Reception
The book carries an endorsing foreword by Salih ibn Fawzan al-Fawzan, member of the Council of Senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia, dated 21 Shawwal 1437 AH, who praised the work for clarifying the legal criteria of innovation and grounding its arguments in textual evidence. In contrast, al-Rayyis highlighted the prominent scholars who had written forewords endorsing al-Urfaj's book—including Muhammad al-Hasan al-Dido, Muhammad Abd al-Ghaffar al-Sharif, Ali ibn al-Sayyid Abd al-Rahman Al Hashim al-Hasani, Umar ibn Hamid al-Jilani, and Ujayl ibn Jasim al-Nashmi—citing their endorsements as evidence of the widespread nature of the opposing view.
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