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ANSWER TO SECOND OBJECTION

Even this objection is baseless. We defined Bid'at at quoting from the books Mirqaat and Ashi'atul Lam'aat that it is that innovation which came after the blessed age of the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) and not in the age of the Sahaba or the Tabe'een.

Secondly, in the book Mishkat, Babul Qiyam Shahr-Ramadaan, it is written that Hazrat Umar (radi Allahu anhu) ordered for the congregation in Tarawih prayers during his Caliphate and on seeing the congregation remarked, "This is a very nice Bid'at." Hazrat Umar (radi Allahu anhu) called his own action a nice Bid'at.

Thirdly, to pray the Tarawih prayers individually is Sunnat and to form a regular congregation in these prayers is Bid'at-e-Hasana as we have quoted in the preceding pages from the book Mirqaat under the chapter of Bid'at.

Fourthly, the second volume of Bukhari Shareef (Kitabul Faza'il-ul-Quran; Bab Jam'ul Quran) says that when Hazrat Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu) ordered Hazrat Zaid bin Thabit (radi Allahu anhu) to collect the verses of the Holy Quran and compile them in a" book form, he replied, "How will you do such a thing which the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) did not do?" Hazrat Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu) said, "By Allah this is a good project." Hazrat Zaid's (radi Allahu anhu) conversation shows that he thought the compilation of the Holy Quran was a Bid'at but Hazrat Abu Bakr's (radi Allahu anhu) reply was that though to compile the Holy Quran is a Bid'at, but it is a nice Bid'at shows that the innovations of the Sahaba are Bid'at Hasana.

(i) In the objection, this Hadith is quoted, "It is necessary upon you to cling to my Sunnat and the Sunnat of the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs." The acts and the statements of the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs have been mentioned as Sunnat in this Hadith. But "Sunnat" here means "tariqa (mode, manner)", likewise the Hadith which says, "Whosoever sets a good Sunnah in Islam will be rewarded for it ..." shows that "Sunnah" means "a mode." Even the Holy Quran says:

Sunnatil laahil lati qadkhalat fi ibadihi

"This is Allah's method which hath ever taken course for His bondsmen." (XL: 85) and

Sunnata man qad arsalna qablaqa mir Rusulina walatajidu lisunatina tahweela

"(Such was Qur) method in the case of those whom We sent before thee (to mankind), and thou will not find for Our method aught of power to change." (XVII: 77)

The Sunnat of Allah Ta'ala here means the method of Allah Ta'ala likewise the Sunnat of Ambiya means the method and mode of the Ambiya.

Under the same Hadith, "It is necessary upon you to cling to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Khulafa-e-Rashideen." The book Ashi'atul Lam'aat says: "The Sunnah of the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs is actually the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam), but because it was not common in the Holy Prophet's (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) time and came to be known in the time of the Khulafa-e-Rashideen, it is called the Sunnat of the Khulafa-e-Rashideen."

So, the Sunnat of the Khulafa-e-Rashideen is that which is actually the Sunnat of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) but was not widespread in his blessed time and the Khulafa-e-Rashideen were the ones to circulate it and make it known so it is was called the Sunnat of the Khulafa-e-Rashideen.

Fifthly, the Muhaditheen and the Fuqaha have said that the works of the Khulafa-e-Rashideen are appended to the Sunnat, i.e. they are not Sunnat but are contiguous to the Sunnat. Had the deeds of the Khulafa-e-Rashideen been Sunnat, the Scholars would not have mentioned the word "contiguous to Sunnat."

In the beginning of the book Noor-ul-Anwar, it is written that: "The actions and statements of the Sahaba in matters related to reason are based upon analogy and in matters not related to reason that are based on Sunnat." So we see that every act of the Sahaba is not a Sunnat but some acts have been deducted through analogy also.

But it is seemliness and a show of respect to refer to those which have been innovated in the time of the Sahaba a Sunnat of the Sahaba and not Bid'at of the Sahaba because the word Bid'at is mostly used to mean Bid'at Sai'yya (vile innovation).

The book Ashi'atul Lam'aat says regarding this: "Every command and deed of the Khulafa-e-Rashideen even that based on analogy (Qiyas) and Ijtihaad is in accordance with the Sunnat of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) and the word Bid'at should not be used for them."

(ii) The Hadith, "The best of my Ummah is my generation then those next to them, then those next to them ..." shows that in these three generations more good deeds will be committed and the people will be more righteous that the generation to follow. It doesn't mean that any innovation invented in this age will become a Sunnat! Secondly, there is no mention of Sunnat in this Hadith.

If it is as you say then the misguided sects such as the Jabriyya and the Qadriyya were innovated in this period and even the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (radi Allahu anhu) and the oppressions of Hejaz occurred in this period, then would you say (Allah forbid!) that all these acts are Sunnat?

(iii) & (iv) The Hadith, "My Ummah will be divided into seventy-three sects ..." and the Hadith, "My Sahaba are like stars, whomsoever you follow you will be guided," shows that by following the respected Sahaba one is rightly guided and to disagree with them leads one astray. And this is what every Muslim believes. But even these Hadith do not prove that every deed of the respected Sahaba is a Sunnat of the Shari'at. It could be Bid'at Hasana. And those Bid'at Hasana innovated by the blessed Sahaba should be followed by every Muslim. A Hadith in the book Mishkat Babul I'tisaam says, "Adhere to the Sawaad-e-Azam (great majority). Whoever isolates from it, isolates himself to Hell," and also "that thing which the Muslims see as good is considered good by Allah Ta'ala also," and also "whoever drifts a span away from the majority will have lifted the rope of Islam from his neck." Allah Ta'ala says in the Holy Quran:

"And followeth other than the Believer's way, we appoint for him that unto which he himself hath turned and expose him unto Hell - a hapless journey's end." (IV: 115)

From these Ayats and Hadiths we see that it is the duty of every Muslim to stick to the path followed by the majority of the Muslim mass (Sawaad-e-Azam) and whoever drifts away from it will have drifted himself towards Hell.

But it is not necessary that every new thing innovated by the Muslims is a Sunnat. It will be a Bid'at - Bid'at Hasana (sound innovation).

Just as the innovations of the Sahaba are called Sunnat-e-Sahaba, likewise the innovations of the Salaf-e-Saliheen should be called Sunnat of the Salaf (approved mode of the Salaf).

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