3. Does everyone who goes against the Sunnahfall into bid‘ah (innovation)? Notes on the meaning of following

3.
I have read many fatwa's about innovation and my question is. If the
prophet (peace be upon him) practiced something. Do we have to
practise EXACTLY as he did it? If wedont do it EXACTLY then is it
innovation? Because i'veread a lot of the fatwa's and in a lot of it
many of the practices are considered BIDAH. For example the Prophet
(Peace be Upon him) did emphasize on the virtue ofDua in congrenation.
Now if its practised after fardh salaah why is it an innovation? Is
the sunnah of the prophet subject to exactly the way he did, the time
he did etc etc. If we do it at a different time is it innovation? say
for example if its sunnah to read Surah Kahf on friday. Now if I read
surah kahf every monday and tuesday, will it be considered a bidah? Im
still making Ibadah. Why is it subject to TIME?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
No doubt it is obligatory for the Muslim to be a follower of his
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in what he
prescribed and it is not permissible for him to go against that or to
introduce any innovation into the religion, because of the evidence
that indicates that it is obligatory to follow and itis forbidden to
introduce innovation. But it should be noted that differing from the
way of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and
falling into bid'ah may mean one of two things:
(i)
introducing an act of worship for which there is no basis in Islam,
such as touching graves and seeking help from their occupants. The
scholars call this real innovation (al-bid'ah al-haqeeqah). This is
that which was not prescribed at all.
(ii)
the act of worship may be originally prescribed in Islam, and what is
contrary to the Sunnah may have to do with defining a certain time or
place for it, or a certain number of times it is to berepeated, or the
manner inwhich it is to be done or the reason for which it is to be
done. This is called innovation by addition (al-bid'ah al-idaafiyyah);
it is not bid'ah unless it is done regularly and repeatedly. If it is
done only once or twice without adhering to that, then it is not
bid'ah, such as if people pray qiyaam in congregation (jamaa'ah)on
some occasion, withoutthinking that there is any particular virtue in
doing so.
Hence ash-Shaatibi (may Allah have mercy on him) said, discussing the
"innovation by addition": The word bid'ah refers to an invented way of
doing something in Islam that is similar to what is prescribed, of
which the intention is to go to extremes in worshipping Allah, may He
be glorified.
That includes regularly adhering to certain manners and forms of
worship, such as reciting dhikr together in unison, taking the
birthday of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) as
an Eid (festival), and so on.
It also includes adhering to specific acts of worship at specific
times that were not defined as such in sharee'ah, such as always
fasting on the fifteenth of Sha'baan (an-nusf min Sha'baan) and
spending that night in prayer (qiyaam).
End quote from al-I'tisaam, 1/37-39
Adhering to a thing meansdoing it regularly and repeatedly.
Secondly:
Du'aa' (supplication) is prescribed during the prayer and following
it, according to the correct scholarly opinion. What is not allowed is
reciting du'aa' in unison. The evidence for it being prescribed to
offer du'aa' after the prayer is as follows:
1.
It was narrated that 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with
him) said: When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
said the salaam at the end of the prayer, he would say: "Allaahumma
ighfir li ma qaddamtu wa ma akhkhartu wa ma asrartu wa ma a'lantu wa
ma astraftu wa ma anta a'lamu bihi minni. Anta al-muqaddim wa anta
al-mu'akhkhir laa ilaaha illa anta (O Allaah! Forgive me what I have
done in the past, and what I will do in the future, and what I have
concealed, and what I have done openly, and what I have exceeded in,
whatever You know about me more than I. You are the One Who brings
forward, and You are the One Who puts back, there is no god except
You)."
Narrated by Abu Dawood (1509); classed as saheeh by an-Nawawi in
al-Majmoo'. This does not contradict the report that says that the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said this du'aa'
before the salaam. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) used to recite this du'aa' in bothplaces. See: al-Majmoo', 3/467
:->

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