We
will now list a few things which were not during the blessed
age of Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) but were innovated
afterwards and made part and parcel of religion.
(i) Construction of Madressas
(ii) Dividing the Quran into thirty parts
(iii) Marking the expressions on the Holy Quran, viz. fatha,
Kasra, Dhamma (Zabbar, Zer, Pesh)
(iv) Printing the Holy Book and other religious books in the
press.
(v) The compilation of I'lm-e-Hadith and Fiqh
(vi) To put down the Holy verses of the Quran in paper form,
etc.
All
the above mentioned things are Bid'ats which were not in the
blessed age of Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) but
are considered religious. Those who say that Maulid and Fatiha
are Bid'ats because those religious affairs which were innovated
after the blessed age of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi
wasallam) should have a look at the above list and show us which
of these two things are not included in the religion and which
was there in the blessed age?
The
Hadith: "Whosoever invents a new thing in our religion is
rejected" which you have presented in your objection means
that whoever innovates a new belief or whoever innovates a new
action which is in contradiction with the Kitaab and Sunnah
will be rejected.
In
the last part of the objection, you say that all Bid'ats are
Haraam and there is nothing like Bidat'-e-Hasana. Such a statement
contradicts with the Hadith which says that: "Whoever sets
a good precedent in Islam will be rewarded and whoever sets
a bad precedent in Islam will be punished."
We have also quoted from the books Shami and Mirqaat
that Bid'at is of five categories, viz. Ja'iz, Wajib, Mustahab,
Makruh and haraam. According to your statement, we will have
to omit many things which are known to be part and parcel of
religion but were innovated after the blessed age of Rasulullah
(sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) such as the Masaa'ils of Fiqh,
the four Madhabs, viz. Hanafi, Shafi, Maliki, Hanbali; the Tariqas,
viz. Nashbandiyya, Qaderiyya, Chistiyya, Shuhruwardiyya, Alwiyya,
etc.; the denominations of the Sufiyya-Ikraam; the categorisation
of the six Kalimahs, Imaan-e-Mujmal, Imaan-e-Mufassal; the division
of the Holy Quran into 30 parts; the compilation of the knowledge
of Hadith and the categorisation of Hadiths, i.e. Sahih, Da'if,
Hassan, Mu'addal, etc.; the construction of madressa and arrangement
of their syllabuses; and to set a course for achieving the degree
of Aalim and Qari and to present certificates on the completion
of the course to the respective students, etc. will all be Haraam
according to your statement that all Bid'ats are Haraam and
there is nothing like Bid'at-e-Hasana.
In fact, there is no act of Shari'at or Tariqat which is void
of Bid'at. Then how much will you try to avoid such a Haraam
(as you say) when it is surrounding you whole religious activity.
So you will have to take back your word and agree that all Bid'ats
are not Haraam but only those which contradict with the Kitaab
and Sunnah.
3.1.2 SECOND OBJECTION
(i) Those things which are innovated in the time of the Sahaba,
the Tabe'een and Tabe Tabe'een are not Bid'ats but they are
Sunnats. A Hadith in the book Mishkat (Babul I'tisaam)
says, "It is necessary upon you to cling on to my Sunnat
and the Sunnat of the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs." In this
Hadith the actions of the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs have been
mentioned as Sunnat and we have been commanded to follow them,
so their actions cannot be called a Bid'at but they are Sunnat.
(ii) The book Mishkat (Babul Faz'ailus Sahaba) has the Hadith
which says, "The best of my Ummah is my generation, then
those next to them, then those next to them, then there would
come a people whose evidence will precede their oaths and their
oaths will precede their evidence." (i.e. they will not
be trustworthy). From this we see that the best three generations
are those of the Sahaba, then the Tabe'een and then the Tabe
Tabe'een. So whatever was innovated in these three generations
is Sunnat and whatever was innovated after them is Bid'at.
(iii)
"My Ummah will be divided into seventy-three groups, all of
them will be in Hell, except one." The respected Sahaba
enquired of the group which will be in Paradise, the reply came,
"That upon which I and my Sahaba are." From this we see
that to follow the respected Sahaba will lead to salvation and
that is why their innovations are not Bid'ats but Sunnats.
(iv)
The book Mishkaat (Babul Fazailus Sahaba) has the Hadith
which says, "My Sahaba are like stars whomsoever you follow
you will be rightly guided." Even from this we see that
to follow the respected Sahaba will lead one to the right guidance,
thus the actions innovated in their age will not be called Bid'ats
but Sunnats because a Bid'at is deluding and misleading and
the respected Sahaba are the most rightly guided and have been
protected from delusion.
