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Bid‘ah (Arabic: بدعة) is any type of innovation in Islam. It linguistically means "innovation, novelty, heretical doctrine, heresy"[1]. In contrast to the English term "innovation", in Arabic, the word bid'ah generally carries a negative connotation. For instance, the idol-worshiping Arabs condemned the teachings of Muhammad as an innovation and in defense of himself, he was ordered to declare, "I am no novelty (bid') among messengers." (Qur'an 46:9) It however can also have positive implications. In the Qur'an, God is referred to as the Originator (2:117), the word بديع (Badi') being from the same trilateral root the term bid'ah is derived from. It was also used classical in Arabic literature (adab) as a form of praise for outstanding compositions of prose and poetry.[2]. In explaining the differing connotations the word can have, Umar Faruq Abd-Allah has explained,
[B]id‘a could take on various shades of meaning. When used without qualifying adjectives, it tended to be condemnatory, as, for example, in the statement, “bid‘a must be avoided.” Nevertheless, bid‘a was not always something bad. In certain contexts, especially when qualified by adjectives, bid‘a could cover a wide range of meanings from what was praiseworthy to what was completely wrong, as, for example, in the caliph ‘Umar’s statement below, “what an excellent bid‘a is this!”—Umar Faruq Abd-Allah, Innovation and Creativity in Islam, 2
Though innovations in worldly matters, such as science, medicine and technology are generally acceptable and encouraged, bid‘ah within the religion is considered a sin. The Islamic prophet, Muhammad, stated as such:
'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger as saying: He who innovates things in our affairs for which there is no valid (reason) (commits sin) and these are to be rejected.—Aisha, Translation of Sahih Muslim, Book 18: The Book Pertaining to Judicial Decisions (Kitab Al-Aqdiyya)[3]
Allah's Apostle said, "If somebody innovates something which is not in harmony with the principles of our religion, that thing is rejected."—Aisha, Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Book 49: Peacemaking[4]
Similar statements are found in other verses of the Qur'an and other Hadith as well.
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In early Islamic history, bid'ah referred primarily heterodox doctrines (as evidenced below). However, in Islamic law, when used without qualification, bid'ah denotes anything newly invented matter that is without precedent and is in opposition to the Qur'an and Sunna.[5].
Scholars generally have divided bid'ah into two types: innovations in worldly matters and innovations in religious matters.[6] Some have additionally divided bid'ah into lawful and unlawful innovations, the details of which are discussed below.[7]
Introducing and acting upon a bid‘ah in religious matters is a sin and considered one of the enormities in Islam that is obligatory to immediately desist and repent from.[8]
Some Sunni Muslim scholars have divided bid‘ah in worldly matters into two types .
Religious innovation means inventing a new way of worshipping God that was not originally included in the message that Islamic tradition claims was revealed to Muhammad and opposes established forms. There is much criticism of bid‘ah in the Qur'an and Sunnah, according to Sunni Islam, with Muhammad, his companions, and predecessors all warning against innovation and its people - particularly the four Sunni Imams, Abū Ḥanīfa, Malik ibn Anas, Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi`i, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal.
Muhammad said:
He who innovates or gives protection to an innovator, there is a curse of Allah and that of His angels and that of the whole humanity upon him.—Muhammad, Translation of Sahih Muslim, Book 9: The Book of Divorce (Kitab Al-Talaq)[10]
So whoever innovates in it an heresy (something new in religion) or commits a crime in it or gives shelter to such an innovator, will incur the curse of Allah, the angels and all the people,...—Muhammad, Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Book 80: Laws of Inheritance (Al-Faraa'id)[11]
`Abd Allah ibn `Umar said: "Every innovation is misguidance, even if the people see it as something good.[12]"
Ibn 'Abbaas also said: "Indeed the most detestable of things to Allaah are the innovations."[13]
Sufyan Al-Thawri mentions: "Innovation is more beloved to Iblees than sin, since a sin may be repented from but innovation is not repented from[14]" and "Whoever listens to an innovator has left the protection of Allaah and is entrusted with the innovation[15]".
Al-Fudayl bin 'Iyaad mentions: "I met the best of people, all of them people of the Sunnah and they used to forbid from accompanying the people of innovation[16]".
Hasan al-Basri mentions: "Do not sit with the people of innovation and desires, nor argue with them, nor listen to them".[17]
Ibraaheem ibn Maysarah mentions: "Whoever honours an innovator has aided in the destruction of Islaam."[18]
Al-Hasan ibn 'Ali al-Barbahari mentions: "The innovators are like scorpions. They bury their heads and bodies in the sand and leave their tails out. When they get the chance they sting; the same with the innovators who conceal themselves amongst the people, when they are able, they do what they desire."[19]
Abu Haatim said: "A sign of the people of innovation is their battling against the people of Narrations."[20]
Abu 'Uthmaan as-Saaboonee said: "The signs of the people of innovation are clear and obvious. The most apparent of their signs is their severe enmity for those who carry the reports of the Prophet."[21]
Muhammad ibn al Uthaymeen, a prominent modern-day scholar, wrote: "And there is no such thing in Islaam as bid’ah hasanah (good innovation)."[22]
When a religious innovation is implemented, it is generally felt that the innovator is assuming that the Sunnah is not good enough, that he must resort to something "better." Even though this statement would be an admission of disbelief [23] - there are some innovations that contain shirk and there are some which allow someone to remain a Muslim, while his action is rejected (regardless of any sincerity it might have had).[24]
The criterion that qualifies a particular action as a bid`ah in the religion is a debate amongst Sunni scholars. There are some who argue for a definition that entails anything not specifically performed or confirmed by the Prophet. This is essentially the stance taken by Muhamamd ibn al-Uthaymeen as quoted above. Arguing for this position, Muhammad ibn Salih al-Munajjid, a famous Saudi Arabia scholar declares:
[H]ow can there be any such thing as bid’ah hasanah (“good innovation”) when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every bid’ah is a going astray and every going astray is in Hell-fire”. So, if anyone says that there is such a thing as bid’ah hasanah, he can only be insisting on going against the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).... It (referring to a spontaneous form of dhikr in the prayer by a Companion recorded in the hadith literature) was not even considered to have been a correct action until after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had approved it, and not before. But how on earth could this innovator obtain the approval of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) after he has passed away?"—Muhammad ibn Salih al-Munajjid, Islam-QA: "There is no such thing as bid'ah hasana in Islam"[25]
Others, however opine that an action which has a precedent in the Qur'an or Sunna and does not contradict any established rulings cannot be deemed a bid'ah by the mere fact it did not exist in specific form during the Prophet's time, even if it is religious in nature. In explanation of a famous statement attributed to Umar ibn al-Khattab, Imam al-Shafi`i, stated:
Newly-invented matters are of two types: The first of them is what opposes [something from] the Book, or [something from] the Sunnah, or a narration [from the Companions], or [a matter of] consensus, this is the misguided innovation. And the second is what has been introduced of goodness [that does not oppose any of these] and there is not a single scholar who opposes it. This is newly-introduced yet not blameworthy and Umar (radiallaahu anhu) had said about the qiyam (al-layl) in the month of Ramadan, "What an excellent innovation this is," meaning, that it is newly-introduced and was not previously done.—Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi`i, al-Bayhaqi, Manaqib al-Shafi`i
The latter is the expressed position of three of the four accepted schools of Sunni jurisprudence, with some of the most widely recognized authorities declaring as much. The Hanbalis, however understand bid'ah to be either legal (and thus impermissible) or linguistic - the latter being something which has a precedent in the law. Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, for instance, states in commentary of the hadith, "Beware of newly introduced matters, for every innovation is a straying,"
It is a warning to the community against following innovated new matters. He emphasised that with his words, “every innovation is a straying.” What is meant by innovation are those things which are newly introduced having no source in the Sharee’ah to prove them. As for whatever has a source in the Sharee’ah thereby proving it, then it is not an innovation in the Sharee’ah, even though it might linguistically be an innovation.—Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Jami` al-Ulum wa al-Hikam
Despite the general understanding of standing scholarly disagreements (ikhtilaf), the notion of lawful innovation is a polarizing issue in the Islamic world. A practical example of this is the debate over the permissibility of the mawlid or commemoration of the Prophet's birthday. All scholars agree that such celebrations did not exist in the early period of Islamic history, and yet mawalid commemorations are a common element in Muslim societies around the world. Even so, Sunnis scholars are divided between emphatic unconditional condemnation[26] and conditional acceptance[27] of the celebration with the former insisting it is a bid'ah and thus automatically unlawful, while the latter argues it nonetheless is contextually permissible.
According to Shia Islam the definition of bid'ah is anything that is introduced to Islam as either being fard, mustahabb, makruh or haram that contradicts the Qur'an or hadith. Any new good practice introduced that does not contradict the Qur'an or hadith is permissible. However, it is not permissible to say that a new good practice (that does not contradict the Qur'an or hadith) is obligatory, highly recommended or "sunnah" proper. Hence, the Shi`a stance mirrors the body of Sunni scholars who proffer the idea of "bid'ah hasana". As a general rule in Shi'a jurisprudence, anything is permissible except whatever is prohibited through divine revelation (i.e. the Qur'an or hadith).[28]