Mujam al-Bida

Mu'jam al-Bida' (Dictionary of Innovations) is an encyclopedic reference work compiled by Raid bin Abi Ulfah (Raid bin Sabri bin Abi Ulfah), cataloging religious innovations and unwarranted practices identified across Islamic scholarly literature Mujam al-Bida+1. Its full descriptive subtitle indicates that it contains everything the compiler encountered that has been characterized as an innovation (bidʿah) Mujam al-Bida.

Background and Purpose

The author was inspired to compile the work after inquiring with his teacher Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani about his unpublished manuscript Qamus al-Bida' (Dictionary of Innovations), which al-Albani explained had been lost during his travels Mujam al-Bida. Following this, Ibn Abi Ulfah spent more than seven years searching through classical works and source texts to gather documented innovations, aiming to warn Muslims against them and distinguish between religious practice and newly invented matters Mujam al-Bida.

Structure and Methodology

The entries in the book are organized alphabetically according to base root letters, stripped of affixes, with cross-references provided for items that fall under multiple headings Mujam al-Bida+1. Under each entry, the author cites the reported innovation either verbatim or by meaning, followed by direct citations to classical and contemporary sources including volume and page numbers Mujam al-Bida.

The work incorporates several specific organizational features and principles:

• Theoretical foundations: Rather than writing an extensive introductory treatise on the nature of innovation, the author gathered theoretical definitions and rulings under the letter Ba' in the section on al-Bid'ah, relying heavily on Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi's al-I'tisam Mujam al-Bida.
• Criteria for innovation: The compilation is framed around eight foundational principles derived from al-Albani's Ahkam al-Jana'iz (Rulings of Funerals), covering acts that contradict the Sunnah, prohibited acts used as worship, unjustified restrictions placed on unrestricted worship (such as time, location, form, or number), and practices rooted in weak or fabricated hadiths Mujam al-Bida.
• Inclusion of misdeeds: The work includes various sins and customs that scholars designated as innovations, following al-Shatibi's classification of innovations into differing degrees of severity, from minor and major sins to clear disbelief Mujam al-Bida+1.
• Warning against books: Under the letter Kaf (ك), the author included entries for books that contain or promote innovations, cautioning readers while noting that such works may still contain useful material Mujam al-Bida.

Publication

Mu'jam al-Bida' was published in a single volume by Dar al-Asimah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with its first edition appearing in 1417 AH / 1996 CE Mujam al-Bida+1.