The Islamic definition of Bid’ah

The Islamic definition of Bid’ah: 
Imaam Ash-Shaafi’i, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: 
“A Bid’ah is anything that has no basis in the Qur’aan, 
Sunnah or sayings of any of the companions.”

x  Ibn Al -Jawzi, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: “A 
Bid’ah is any form of worship that did not exist (at the 
time of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and 
his companions) then later it was innovated.”
x  Ibn Rajab, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: “A 
Bid’ah is any form of worship which has no basis in the 
Sharee’ah which would warrant its legislation.”
x  Ash -Shaatibi,may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: 
“(A Bid’ah) is any matter which closely resembles the 
Sharee’ah and is intended to be a way of worshipping 
Allaah."
General rules to recognise Bid’ah:
x  Any act of worship is based on a fabricated Hadeethis a 
Bid'ah, like the prayer in the month of  Rajabwhich is 
called the prayer of Raghaa’ib.
x  Any act of worship which the Prophet  sallallaahu 
‘alayhi wa sallam did not perform, although there were 
no preventing factors is a  Bid’ah, like uttering the 

intention before beginning the prayer, calling Adhaanfor 
any prayer other than the five obligatory ones or praying 
after finishing Sa’ybetween mount Safaaand Marwah.
Any habitual act performed with the intention of 
pleasing Allaah which Islaam did not consider as an act 
or worship is a  Bid'ah, such as for example: wearing 
coarse woollen clothes, continuous silence, refraining 
from eating bread or meat, not drinking cold water or 
standing in the sun. 
Performing prohibitions acts with the intention of 
pleasing Allaah is a Bid'ah, such as singing songs about 
Him.
Moreover, all acts of worship must be performed in 
exactly the same manner as the Prophet  sallallaahu 
‘alayhi wa sallam did them. This cannot be achieved 
unless the following six conditions are fulfilled:


1. The act of worship must coincide with the 
Sharee’ahin the reason for which it is done, or else 
it would be rejected. Therefore, ce lebrating  Al 
Mawlid is a  Bid’ah because it is performed as a 
rewardable act, despite the fact that it has not been 
legislated.


2. The act of worship must coincide with the 
Sharee’ahin its category. Therefore, it is not 
acceptable if a person were to slaughte r a horse 
instead of a camel or goat as a sacrifice after Hajj. 


3. The act of worship must coincide with the 
Sharee’ahits quantity. Therefore, if somebody 
were to add two  Rak’ahto the  Dhuhrprayer, 
making a total of six Rak'ahinstead of four, this 
would b e unacceptable as it would not be 
coinciding with the Sharee’ahin its quantity.


4. The act of worship must coincide with the 
Sharee’ahin the manner in which it is performed. 
Therefore, if someone were to begin their wudoo'
by washing their feet instead of their hands, then 
this act would be unacceptable.


5. The act of worship must coincide with the 
Sharee’ahin the timing of its performance. 
Therefore, praying the Dhuhr prayer after sunset is 
unacceptable.


6. The act of worship must coincide with the 
Sharee’ahin  the place it which it is performed. 
Therefore, one cannot perform stand on a mountain 
other than ‘Arafahduring Hajj.
The dangers of Bid’ah and their evil effects:
x  Bid’ahis a pre-cursor to disbelief.
x  Making unfounded statements on behalf of Allaah.
x  Correcting the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam or 
claiming that he had deficiencies.
x  Dividing the Muslim nation.
x  Abandoning the Sunnah.
x  Igniting disputes among the Muslims.
x  Accusing the Prophet of not completely conveying the 
message of Islaam.
x  Competingwith the Prophets in their prophethood.
x  Altering the religion.