The Concept of Bidah Part 2

There are two catogaries of Bidah; Good Bidah (Bidah-e-Hasana) and Bad Bidah (Bidah-e-Saiyyia).

Bidah-e-Hasana (praiseworthy innovation) is that action which does not contradict with the Holy Quran and the Sunnah and was brought into practice after the time of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) for example, to construct religious institutions, to print the Holy Quran in the press, etc.

Bidah-e-Hasana is not only permissable (Ja'iz) but at times it can be appreciable (Mustahab) and even essential (Waajib).

Bidah-e-Saiyyia (offensive innovation) is that action which was not in practice in the Blessed age of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) and which contradicts with the Holy Quran and the Sunnah, for example to say the Khutba of Eid or Jum'a in a language other than Arabic, etc. Bidah-e-Saiyyia can be Makruh Tanzhi (close to Halal, ie religiously lawful or permitted), Makruh Tahrimi (close to Haraam, ie strictly abominable) or even Haraam.

We will now see that no worship in Islam is void of Bidah-e-Hasana.

Imaan: Every Muslim child is taught Imaan-e-Mufassal and Imaan-e-Mujmal whereas no such categories or names for Imaan were in practice, in the age of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W), the Sahaba Iqraam (R.A), the Tabe'een (R.A) or the Tab'e Tabe'een (R.A).

Kalimah: Every Muslim memorises six Kalimahs. These six Kalimahs, their enumeration and their sequence that, this is the first Kalimah, this the second, etc. are all Bidahs which were not there in the commencing period of Islam.

Salaah: It is Bidah-e-Hasana to intend for praying Salaah by proclaiming the intention loudly or to pray the 20 Rakaah Taraweeh prayer in congregation during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Bidah in worldly affairs: Nowadays we see all around us, such new inventions that could not be found in the first three centuries of Islam and we have become accustomed to them, that life would be very difficult without them.

Everyone is compelled to use these things such as trams, cars, aeroplanes, electricity, and hundreds of other things, without which we cannot imagine how life would be. But all these things are Bidahs and cannot be traced back to the blessed age of Rasoolullah (S.A.W) or the Sahaba Iqraam (R.A).

From the above, it can be concluded that, if a new thing has been started, and it is initiated against the Quran and Sunnah, it will be called bad innovation. However if it doesn’t go against the Quran or Sunnah, then it can be declared as a good innovation, and is permissible.