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**AALee** · 03-23-2012, 02:10 AM

Salaam,

Here is an example; a tasbih (a string with beads, dividing beads, and counters) is a bid'ah. It was not used by Rasulullah alaihi wa salim, and there are hadith that tell us he used to count azkaar on his fingers. Some ulama have said that tasbih should not be used (Shaikhul Hadith Muhammad Zakariyya mentions this in Fadaail Amaal) because of this. Many ulama and salaf (including our Imam Hasan Basri) have used tasbih and have praised their use. Tasbih is a means to an end; its only value in deen is that it facilitates ease of zikr, but IF it is thought to be NEEDED to make zikr, then it would become an evil innovation. It has no deeni value in and of itself, the only value it has is that it is a means to a deeni end, ie remembrance of Allah. But if the intention was changed and people started to think (as some people do) that a tasbih is a must, and they will make tasbih, say Allah's Name, tahmid, etc, when they have a tasbih, but if they don't they won't, this is a problem. So a tasbih is a bid'ah, that can be merely permissable, to praiseworthy, to deviation depending on the person's understanding.

Also you could take the pas anfas and habs dam methods of zikr ( which is wide spread among Deobandis and others); the Prophet salallahu alaihi wa salim did not mention these types or methods of breathing control, holding the breathe, holding the breathe under water while making zikr, etc, but what we have been ordered to do is to remember Allah at all times. Now these methods which facilitate zikr are not from the Prophet salallahu alaihi wa salim, BUT they have a value because they meet a deeni end. They could however become evil innovations if people started to think that these methods are ibadah, or that one must do these methods in order to remember Allah all the time.

Same with mawlid; did the Prophet salallahu alaihi wa salim say to celebrate it? Not that I am aware of. Did the Sahabah celebrate it? Not that I am aware of. But I have also never heard of the Sahabah doing pas anfas, habs dam, or using tasbih (although with all of these things there are indications in the sunnah). Can mawlid become an evil innovation? Yes, if one thinks that the only way to gain the love of Rasulullah salallahu alaihi wa salim is by celebrating the mawlid, or if people think it is a birthday party for one day, or that it is ibadah. All the things that would make the others things I mentioned evil innovations would make the mawlid an evil innovation. The mawlid is a method found useful by ulama to increase love for the Prophet salallahu alaihi wa salim, it is not nessecary, but it is useful and many people have come closer to deen because of it. If we are going to totally reject the mawlid, we should also reject the use of tasbih, pas anfas, habs dam, and the many many other things that the Prophet salallahu alaihi wa salim and his ashaab did not do or institute.

Brother Naqshbandi, all your queries and concerns can be addressed if you raise it with a knowledgable Mufti. In the meanwhile I hope I can shed a little light on just one of the reasons why the ruling on Mawlid was so clear according to our Akabir, who only implemented the same principles as were implemented by the classical fuqaha. The following is an application of just one of those principles which lead clearly to the reprehensibility of the Mawlid.

A mubah or mustahab action that acquires an undue emphasis to such a degree that a significant number of awaam treat it with more importance than the regular Sunnah and Wajib Ibadah, becomes bid'ah. In this respect there is no comparison between the Mawlid and the other actions you mentioned.

There are many actions which were labelled as bid'ah virtually unanimously by the fuqaha, long before those actions had the opportunity to acquire the same level of emphasis the Mawlid has acquired today. Only due to the undue emphasis and other attachments placed by the awaam on the Mawlid, the Deobandi Akabir pronounced it as bid'ah, as stated clearly here by Shaykh Rashid Ahmed Gangohi (rahmatullahi alayhi):

"The actual extolling of Wilaadat (birth of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace)) is praiseworthy. It will become Makrooh if conditions are attached to it...It is Mustahab to extol the Wilaadat of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant peace), however due to the attachment of various conditions this gathering is now prohibited.’ [Fatawa Rashidiyyah]

The level of emphasis placed on the Mawlid, if anything, has increased since then.

The evidences the fuqaha used for proscribing such actions based on this reason are very clear:

It is narrated in Muslim that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

“Do not single out the night (preceding) Friday from among the nights for prayer; and do not single out Friday from among the days for fasting, but only when anyone among you is accustomed to a fast which coincide with this day (Friday).”

Imam Nawawi explains this principle:

“The ‘ulama use this hadith to prove the dislike of the bid’ah prayer called Salat al-Raghaib. May Allah destroy the fabricator and creator of this prayer. This is because it is a reprehensible innovation from the type of innovations that is divergent and ignorant.” (Sharh Sahih Muslim).

Shaykh Ibrahim al-Halabi also uses the same principle to pronounce the Salatul Raghaib as a reprehensible bid'ah:

"...and among them is that the general masses believe it to be Sunnah.” (Ghunyah al-Mutamalli)

For the same reasons, Salat Nisf Shabaan, a simple nafl congregration on the 15th night of Sha'baan, was labelled as a reprehensible bid’ah by countless fuqaha.

Shaykh al-Halabi said regarding the Prostration of Gratitude after prayer:

“It is disliked because the ignorant believe it is Sunnah or obligatory, and every permissible act leading to this is disliked.” (Sharh al-Munyah)

‘Allamah Ibn ‘Abidin al-Shami (may Allah have mercy on him) similarly declared this act to be makruh stating the reason that the masses may begin to consider it a Sunnah.

Fatawa Hindiyyah (‘Alamgiri ) re-iterated the same reason for its reprehensibility that the ignorant people will begin considering it sunnah and wajib. Any mubah action which comes to this becomes makruh.

Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Mas`ood (radhiallahu anhu) stated that it is necessary upon every person that he not allocate a part of his Salaat to shaitaan, by always turning to his right side after Fardh Salaat (i.e. deeming this to be necessary). He says that he saw Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) sometimes turn to his left side. [Bukhaari / Muslim]

Teebi, the commentator of Mishkaat Shareef has stated that it is proven from this Hadith that the person who persists and is dogmatic on a Mustahab act, such that he deems it necessary and apportioned a share of his ibaadat to shaitaan (i.e. he has lost the blessings of his ibaadat).

So what then can be said of that person who persists and rigidly practices an innovation with more vigour than Sunnah or Wajib acts?

The author of Majma` has stated that it is proven from this Hadith that a mandoob act also becomes Makrooh when there is a fear that it is elevated in rank. This is the reason why the fuqahaa have stated that it is Makrooh to stipulate fixed Surahs for Salaats, regardless of whether this is done believing it to be part of the Shariah or rigidly in practice.

These fuqaha did not state that if the Haram elements were removed then congregrations such as Salat Nisf Shabaan, would be fine, despite the fact that such a congregrations were obviously good opportunities for people to gather, gain Naseehah, and participate in good deeds.

Similarly, the recitation of Sur’ah An’am in the Taraweeh was pronounced as bid'ah. The first reason that Imam Nawawi gave for branding it as "the most reprehensible bid'ah" was that the people would regard it as Sunnah. Note that he did not say that the action should be continued, whilst educating the people with the correct beliefs. Avoiding the perpetration of Haram by the awaam, takes precedence over any benefit.

Regardless of the benefits of any innovation, removal of a non-Wajib action that is the cause for undue emphasis by a significant proportion of the awaam, takes precedence. This principle was applied so thoroughly by the major fuqaha that even actions proven to be the regular habit of our Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) were forbidden at times. An example of this is Imam Abu Hanifah labelling as Makruh the reading of two Sur’ahs emphasised by the Sunnah of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) in Fajr.

There are signicant differences between the spiritual treatments in the Khanqahs, and the Mawlid functions today. The spiritual remedies are mostly confined to privacy of the Khanqahs, and individual homes, and taken as spirtual medication, not ibadah. The ulama have stated that these actions can become bid'ah if they are not, conducted with precaution, with restricted access, since they could lead to the awaam committing bid'ah by considering such actions to be Sunnah Ibadah. The reality of Bid'ah is that it is such an act which is done thinking it is part of the Deen. Actions done as treatment for some spiritual ailment, are not bid'ah.

In many parts of the world, the Mawlid is regarded to be part of the Deen, by a significant proportion of the people. To all intents and purposes, these awaam grant more attention to the Mawlid than the regular Sunnah, Wajib, and Fard Ibadah acts.

Another non-negligible proportion of Mawlid participants regard it as a sign of sunnism, to the extent of the manifestation of Ahadith and statements such as:

Hadhrat Abdullaah ibn Mas'ud (radhiyallahu anhu) said,

"how will it be when the trials overcome you, in which the young grow old and the old grow senile. And the people take the bid'ah as the sunnah, and when it changes they say: the sunnah has changed...[ad-Darimee]

Hadrat Huzaifa (radhiyallahu anhu) said that Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi Wasallam) said:

"I take oath by Allah that in the future, ‘bid`ah’ will spread to the extent that it will root itself so much that if a man shuns a ‘bid`ah’, and people will say that he has discarded a Sunnah.”

Can you name me any other innovation (good or bad), in these worst of times close to the hour, which appear to fit the bill today more than the Mawlid?

In a number of Mawlid functions, more severe Haram attachments are present such as free-mixing, music, and worse. You only need to check Youtube to catch a glimpse of the amount of Haram actions legitimised through Mawlid functions, and the fact that this abomination in the name of the blessed Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is not just restricted to one part of the world.

A corrupted innovation also becomes forbidden for the knowledgable people, if it can become a means through which the awaam find justification. Similarly, the legitimisation of a bid'ah act in one part of the will most likely justify its practice in another part of the world. In today's global village, the whole world is practically part of the same neighbourhood.

Since nowadays fatawa is accessible to all parts of the world, they need to be issued taking into consideration the ramifications of it globally. In any case, the fitnah associated with the Mawlid, especially the emphasis beyond Sunnah, appears to be present in many parts of the world.

If you live in the UK, perhaps we can get together and do a survey of the awaam who participate in the Mawlid, in order to confirm some of the above and gain a snapshot of how many give the Mawlid more emphasis than it deserves, thus causing it to be bid'ah.

03-23-2012, 02:10 AM	#37
AALee Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 455 Senior Member	Salaam, Here is an example; a tasbih (a string with beads, dividing beads, and counters) is a bid'ah. It was not used by Rasulullah alaihi wa salim, and there are hadith that tell us he used to count azkaar on his fingers. Some ulama have said that tasbih should not be used (Shaikhul Hadith Muhammad Zakariyya mentions this in Fadaail Amaal) because of this. Many ulama and salaf (including our Imam Hasan Basri) have used tasbih and have praised their use. Tasbih is a means to an end; its only value in deen is that it facilitates ease of zikr, but IF it is thought to be NEEDED to make zikr, then it would become an evil innovation. It has no deeni value in and of itself, the only value it has is that it is a means to a deeni end, ie remembrance of Allah. But if the intention was changed and people started to think (as some people do) that a tasbih is a must, and they will make tasbih, say Allah's Name, tahmid, etc, when they have a tasbih, but if they don't they won't, this is a problem. So a tasbih is a bid'ah, that can be merely permissable, to praiseworthy, to deviation depending on the person's understanding. Also you could take the pas anfas and habs dam methods of zikr ( which is wide spread among Deobandis and others); the Prophet salallahu alaihi wa salim did not mention these types or methods of breathing control, holding the breathe, holding the breathe under water while making zikr, etc, but what we have been ordered to do is to remember Allah at all times. Now these methods which facilitate zikr are not from the Prophet salallahu alaihi wa salim, BUT they have a value because they meet a deeni end. They could however become evil innovations if people started to think that these methods are ibadah, or that one must do these methods in order to remember Allah all the time. Same with mawlid; did the Prophet salallahu alaihi wa salim say to celebrate it? Not that I am aware of. Did the Sahabah celebrate it? Not that I am aware of. But I have also never heard of the Sahabah doing pas anfas, habs dam, or using tasbih (although with all of these things there are indications in the sunnah). Can mawlid become an evil innovation? Yes, if one thinks that the only way to gain the love of Rasulullah salallahu alaihi wa salim is by celebrating the mawlid, or if people think it is a birthday party for one day, or that it is ibadah. All the things that would make the others things I mentioned evil innovations would make the mawlid an evil innovation. The mawlid is a method found useful by ulama to increase love for the Prophet salallahu alaihi wa salim, it is not nessecary, but it is useful and many people have come closer to deen because of it. If we are going to totally reject the mawlid, we should also reject the use of tasbih, pas anfas, habs dam, and the many many other things that the Prophet salallahu alaihi wa salim and his ashaab did not do or institute. Brother Naqshbandi, all your queries and concerns can be addressed if you raise it with a knowledgable Mufti. In the meanwhile I hope I can shed a little light on just one of the reasons why the ruling on Mawlid was so clear according to our Akabir, who only implemented the same principles as were implemented by the classical fuqaha. The following is an application of just one of those principles which lead clearly to the reprehensibility of the Mawlid. A mubah or mustahab action that acquires an undue emphasis to such a degree that a significant number of awaam treat it with more importance than the regular Sunnah and Wajib Ibadah, becomes bid'ah. In this respect there is no comparison between the Mawlid and the other actions you mentioned. There are many actions which were labelled as bid'ah virtually unanimously by the fuqaha, long before those actions had the opportunity to acquire the same level of emphasis the Mawlid has acquired today. Only due to the undue emphasis and other attachments placed by the awaam on the Mawlid, the Deobandi Akabir pronounced it as bid'ah, as stated clearly here by Shaykh Rashid Ahmed Gangohi (rahmatullahi alayhi): "The actual extolling of Wilaadat (birth of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace)) is praiseworthy. It will become Makrooh if conditions are attached to it...It is Mustahab to extol the Wilaadat of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant peace), however due to the attachment of various conditions this gathering is now prohibited.’ [Fatawa Rashidiyyah] The level of emphasis placed on the Mawlid, if anything, has increased since then. The evidences the fuqaha used for proscribing such actions based on this reason are very clear: It is narrated in Muslim that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Do not single out the night (preceding) Friday from among the nights for prayer; and do not single out Friday from among the days for fasting, but only when anyone among you is accustomed to a fast which coincide with this day (Friday).” Imam Nawawi explains this principle: “The ‘ulama use this hadith to prove the dislike of the bid’ah prayer called Salat al-Raghaib. May Allah destroy the fabricator and creator of this prayer. This is because it is a reprehensible innovation from the type of innovations that is divergent and ignorant.” (Sharh Sahih Muslim). Shaykh Ibrahim al-Halabi also uses the same principle to pronounce the Salatul Raghaib as a reprehensible bid'ah: "...and among them is that the general masses believe it to be Sunnah.” (Ghunyah al-Mutamalli) For the same reasons, Salat Nisf Shabaan, a simple nafl congregration on the 15th night of Sha'baan, was labelled as a reprehensible bid’ah by countless fuqaha. Shaykh al-Halabi said regarding the Prostration of Gratitude after prayer: “It is disliked because the ignorant believe it is Sunnah or obligatory, and every permissible act leading to this is disliked.” (Sharh al-Munyah) ‘Allamah Ibn ‘Abidin al-Shami (may Allah have mercy on him) similarly declared this act to be makruh stating the reason that the masses may begin to consider it a Sunnah. Fatawa Hindiyyah (‘Alamgiri ) re-iterated the same reason for its reprehensibility that the ignorant people will begin considering it sunnah and wajib. Any mubah action which comes to this becomes makruh. Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Mas`ood (radhiallahu anhu) stated that it is necessary upon every person that he not allocate a part of his Salaat to shaitaan, by always turning to his right side after Fardh Salaat (i.e. deeming this to be necessary). He says that he saw Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) sometimes turn to his left side. [Bukhaari / Muslim] Teebi, the commentator of Mishkaat Shareef has stated that it is proven from this Hadith that the person who persists and is dogmatic on a Mustahab act, such that he deems it necessary and apportioned a share of his ibaadat to shaitaan (i.e. he has lost the blessings of his ibaadat). So what then can be said of that person who persists and rigidly practices an innovation with more vigour than Sunnah or Wajib acts? The author of Majma` has stated that it is proven from this Hadith that a mandoob act also becomes Makrooh when there is a fear that it is elevated in rank. This is the reason why the fuqahaa have stated that it is Makrooh to stipulate fixed Surahs for Salaats, regardless of whether this is done believing it to be part of the Shariah or rigidly in practice. These fuqaha did not state that if the Haram elements were removed then congregrations such as Salat Nisf Shabaan, would be fine, despite the fact that such a congregrations were obviously good opportunities for people to gather, gain Naseehah, and participate in good deeds. Similarly, the recitation of Sur’ah An’am in the Taraweeh was pronounced as bid'ah. The first reason that Imam Nawawi gave for branding it as "the most reprehensible bid'ah" was that the people would regard it as Sunnah. Note that he did not say that the action should be continued, whilst educating the people with the correct beliefs. Avoiding the perpetration of Haram by the awaam, takes precedence over any benefit. Regardless of the benefits of any innovation, removal of a non-Wajib action that is the cause for undue emphasis by a significant proportion of the awaam, takes precedence. This principle was applied so thoroughly by the major fuqaha that even actions proven to be the regular habit of our Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) were forbidden at times. An example of this is Imam Abu Hanifah labelling as Makruh the reading of two Sur’ahs emphasised by the Sunnah of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) in Fajr. There are signicant differences between the spiritual treatments in the Khanqahs, and the Mawlid functions today. The spiritual remedies are mostly confined to privacy of the Khanqahs, and individual homes, and taken as spirtual medication, not ibadah. The ulama have stated that these actions can become bid'ah if they are not, conducted with precaution, with restricted access, since they could lead to the awaam committing bid'ah by considering such actions to be Sunnah Ibadah. The reality of Bid'ah is that it is such an act which is done thinking it is part of the Deen. Actions done as treatment for some spiritual ailment, are not bid'ah. In many parts of the world, the Mawlid is regarded to be part of the Deen, by a significant proportion of the people. To all intents and purposes, these awaam grant more attention to the Mawlid than the regular Sunnah, Wajib, and Fard Ibadah acts. Another non-negligible proportion of Mawlid participants regard it as a sign of sunnism, to the extent of the manifestation of Ahadith and statements such as: Hadhrat Abdullaah ibn Mas'ud (radhiyallahu anhu) said, "how will it be when the trials overcome you, in which the young grow old and the old grow senile. And the people take the bid'ah as the sunnah, and when it changes they say: the sunnah has changed...[ad-Darimee] Hadrat Huzaifa (radhiyallahu anhu) said that Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi Wasallam) said: "I take oath by Allah that in the future, ‘bid`ah’ will spread to the extent that it will root itself so much that if a man shuns a ‘bid`ah’, and people will say that he has discarded a Sunnah.” Can you name me any other innovation (good or bad), in these worst of times close to the hour, which appear to fit the bill today more than the Mawlid? In a number of Mawlid functions, more severe Haram attachments are present such as free-mixing, music, and worse. You only need to check Youtube to catch a glimpse of the amount of Haram actions legitimised through Mawlid functions, and the fact that this abomination in the name of the blessed Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is not just restricted to one part of the world. A corrupted innovation also becomes forbidden for the knowledgable people, if it can become a means through which the awaam find justification. Similarly, the legitimisation of a bid'ah act in one part of the will most likely justify its practice in another part of the world. In today's global village, the whole world is practically part of the same neighbourhood. Since nowadays fatawa is accessible to all parts of the world, they need to be issued taking into consideration the ramifications of it globally. In any case, the fitnah associated with the Mawlid, especially the emphasis beyond Sunnah, appears to be present in many parts of the world. If you live in the UK, perhaps we can get together and do a survey of the awaam who participate in the Mawlid, in order to confirm some of the above and gain a snapshot of how many give the Mawlid more emphasis than it deserves, thus causing it to be bid'ah.
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