Mujaddid Alf-e-Thaani's Stance Against Bid'ah Hasanah

[warea]

The Imam must have defined it somewhere. Otherwise the above will not be clear enough. Two different meanings of bidah can be read into what was quoted. Bidah with the meaning that something which has no basis in the shariah and the other meaning being bidah as something which is simply new.

If you go by the latter meaning, then it would be as what you say. But if you go by the first meaning, then things like mawlid etc won't fall under it, because they have a basis in the shariah and only its form is new which is no different to preaching, which has a basis despite there being innovated forms of preaching. By this meaning then what it would mean is that he is opposed to any bidah which has no basis in the shariah and that he does not consider any bidah w/o a basis in the shariah could be classified as good or bad. Meaning he considers a bidah w/o basis as always bad.

So to know what the Imam meant precisely, we would have to know how that Imam defined bidah.

Jazakallah khairan

[Mujib]

Wa `alaykum as-Salam

I have a question which has been sitting in the back of my mind for quite some time now and that is do the Hanafis (from classical texts) believe in the concept of bid`ah hasanah? Furthermore, do the Deobandi Hanafis believe in the concept of bid`ah hasanah? From what I've read, the Shafi`is and Malikis accept this categorization of bid`ah but as for the Hanafis, I haven't really grasped a clear picture.

Innovation: What is Bid'a?

[Mujib]

As-Salamu `alaykum

Another letter of profound insight by the Mujaddid of this millenium:

The former Islamic savants, having seen maybe some beauty in the bid'ats, gave some of them the name of hasana [beautiful]. But this faqir [Imaam-Rabbini means himself] do not follow them in this respect; I do not regard any of the bid'ats as beautiful. I see all of them as dark and cloudy.

This seems to contradict what you are claiming about legal vs. linguistic bid`a and the categorization of bid`a.

It is not fit for us to give our own interpretations of what the scholars have said (the categorization of bid`a) nor is it fit for us to pass judgment on their scholarship (by attributing to them mistakes). What has been offered by way of quotes in this thread makes the issue no clearer nor do the quotes appear to say anything new. They only return the discussion/debate to how "legal" and "linguistic" are defined and distinguished, and to what one deems as essentially being part of the sunna and thus not, in reality, a bid`a.

[Mujib]

Can someone provide the source for the following hadith cited in the Maktubat posted here:

"He who says 'great' about those who commit bid'ats has helped the demolition of islam".

[SeekerOfGuidance]

As-Salamu `alaykum



This seems to contradict what you are claiming about legal vs. linguistic bid`a and the categorization of bid`a.

It is not fit for us to give our own interpretations of what the scholars have said (the categorization of bid`a) nor is it fit for us to pass judgment on their scholarship (by attributing to them mistakes). What has been offered by way of quotes in this thread makes the issue no clearer nor do the quotes appear to say anything new. They only return the discussion/debate to how "legal" and "linguistic" are defined and distinguished, and to what one deems as essentially being part of the sunna and thus not, in reality, a bid`a.

the Mujaddid's letters are very clear and easy to understand. He clearly follows the vast majority of the early fuqaha who saw no good in any bid'ah in religion, even though he mentions the fact that certain scholars classed some bid'ah as good.

[SeekerOfGuidance]

This letter by the Mujaddid, written in response to a letter from Shaikh Hasan-i Barki, encourages to recover the forgotten sunnats and to abstain from bidats.

I begin to write this letter with the Basmala. May hamd (grateful praise) be to Allahu ta'ala. I send my salams to and prayers for the good people chosen by Allahu ta'ala. I was very much pleased to read the letter from my brother Shaikh Hasan. Valuable pieces of knowledge and marifats were written in it. When I understood them, I became quite pleased. Thanks be to Allahu ta'ala, all the knowledge and kashfs which you wrote are correct. They are all agreeable with the Qur'an and hadiths. So are the right beliefs of the savants of Ahl as-sunnat. May Allahu ta'ala keep you on the right way. May He bless you with attaining high grades! You write that you have been striving to do away with the bidats that are so widespread. At such a time as this, when the darknesses of bidats are so prevalent, it is a very great blessing to bring about the annihilation of one bidat and to recover one of the forgotten sunnats. Our Prophet "sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam' states in a sahih hadith: "He who recovers one of my forgotten sunnats will receive as many thawabs as a hundred martyrs will receive!" The greatness of this deed must be inferred from this hadith. But, when doing this, there is an important subtlety to be observed. That is, while trying to recover one sunnat, we should not cause any fitna; one goodness should not give birth to a variety of problems or evils, for we are in the latest time. We are in a century when Muslims are weak and forlorn.

Do your best to educate and to bring up so as to be well-mannered and well-learned the late Mawlana Ahmad's "rahmatullahi ta'ala 'alaih' children. Teach them spiritual and bodily adabs! Be an example for everybody you know and meet and even all your brothers- in-Islam there by obeying the Shariat and holding fast to the sunnat! Tell everybody about the harms of committing bidat, of disbelief! May Allahu ta'ala bless you with the lot of doing good deeds! May He give success to those who strive for the spreading of the Islamic din and for teaching it to the youngsters! May He protect us and our children against going astray by being deceived by the enemies of the din and virtue, by those who strive to demolish the Islamic din and steal the iman and morals of the pure youth, and by those who try to deceive the youngsters through lies and slanders! Amin.

My son! When fitna is widespread and fasads are abundant, it is time to repent and make istighfar. You must keep aloof and not participate in fitna. Fitna is growing and spreading each day. Our beloved Prophet "sallallahu alaihi wa sallam' said: "As the Doomsday approaches, fitna will increase. It will resemble the increase in darkness as night begins. Many who leave their homes in the morning as Muslim, will return home as kafirs in the evening. While they are Muslim in the evening, they will lose their belief during the night at places of amusement. During such times, to stay at home is better than being involved in fitna. Those who stay aloof are better than those who attack and lead in front. On that day, break your arrows! Leave your weapons and swords! Address everybody with a smiling face and sweet words! Do not leave your house!"”

(Vol 3:105)

[SeekerOfGuidance]

The Mujaddid said:

“You have asked how it is that I forbid dhikr with loud voice and not condemn many other things which had not existed at the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) such as the shirt open in front (libas farji) and pyjamas. Please note that the acts of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) were of two kinds: those that were performed as ibadah, an act of worship, and those that were done as urf and adah, habits and customs. The acts which were done as ibadah, we consider deviations from them to be evil innovations, and condemn them strongly, for they are innovations in religion (din) and must be rejected. But the acts which were done as part of habit and custom, we do not regard deviations from them as innovation, and do not proscribe them. For they do not belong to religion (din); their existence or disappearance depends upon the custom of society rather than religion” (Vol 1:231)

[SeekerOfGuidance]

Can someone provide the source for the following hadith cited in the Maktubat posted here:

Hadhrat Ebrahim Bin Maisara (rahmatullahi alaih) reports that Rasulullaah said:

“Whoever grants respect and honour to a Bid`ati, indeed he has aided in the destruction of Islaam.”
[Mishkaat, page 31, vol. 1]

[SeekerOfGuidance]

The Mujaddid said:

"It is a ni'mat of the greatest value that a sincere man is perpetually engaged in reviving some Sunnah of Nabi-e-Kareem (Allah bless him and grant peace) and eliminating a bid'at from evil and reprehensible acts of bid'at. Sunnah and bid'at are two diametric opposites. The existence of the one brings about the destruction of the other. Thus, reviving Sunnah causes this elimination of bid'at and vice versa. Therefore, bid'ah, be it hasanah or sayyiah, necessitates the displacement of Sunnah" (Maktoob 255, Daftar 11)

[SeekerOfGuidance]

Volume 3, Letter 193:

Hadhrat Mujaddid Alf Thaani (rahmatullah alayh) on the fact that the Ahl al-bid'ah use Qur'an and Sunnah to justify their bid'ahs:

“Because every bid`atee (innovator) and deviate substantiates his concocted belief from the Kitaab and Sunnah, in accordance to his concocted desire.”