Innovation in religion (Heresy)
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْ حَرِيزٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع- عَنِ الْحَلَالِ وَ الْحَرَامِ فَقَالَ حَلَالُ مُحَمَّدٍ حَلَالٌ أَبَداً إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَ حَرَامُهُ حَرَامٌ أَبَداً إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ لَا يَكُونُ غَيْرُهُ وَ لَا يَجِيءُ غَيْرُهُ وَ قَالَ قَالَ عَلِيٌّ ع مَا أَحَدٌ ابْتَدَعَ بِدْعَةً إِلَّا تَرَكَ بِهَا سُنَّةً
Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa ibn ‘Ubayd from Yunus from Hariz from Zurara who has said the following:
‘Once I asked Imam Abu ‘Abd Allah-asws, recipient of divine supreme covenant, about lawful and unlawful matters and he said, ‘Whatever the Holy Prophet-saww, recipient of divine supreme covenant, has made lawful will remain lawful forever until the Day of Judgement and whatever he has made unlawful will remain unlawful forever until the Day of Judgement. There will be no one other than him and there will come no one other than him.’ He said that Imam Ali-asws has said, ‘No one has established any ‘بِدْعَةً’ innovation (heresy) without abandoning (killing) an established noble Sunnah (tradition of Rasool Allah-saww).’[1]
Bidʿah sayyiʾah (حسنة بدعة or سيئة بدعة) – There is no Justifiable or good in Bidah i.e., Bad is good or haram is likeable – but Heresy is Forbidden
A large number of Muslims have embraced some Bid’ah in the name of ‘good’ but there is no such evidence from the Ahadith the Salat Tarawiya which most Muslims offer during the Month of Ramazan.
عنه، عن يعقوب بن يزيد، عن العمي، باسناده قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله: أبي الله لصاحب البدعة بالتوبة، قيل: يا رسول الله كيف ذاك؟ – قال: إنه قد أشرب قلبه حبها.
From him, from Yaqoub Bin Yazeed, from the general Muslims, by his chain, said,
Rasool-Allah-saww said: ‘Allah-azwj Refuses (to Accept) the repentance of the innovator’. It was said, ‘O Rasool-Allah-saww! Why is that?’ He-saww said: ‘His heart has drunk (from) its love’.[2]
وَ بِهَذَا الْإِسْنَادِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جُمْهُورٍ رَفَعَهُ قَالَ مَنْ أَتَى ذَا بِدْعَةٍ فَعَظَّمَهُ فَإِنَّمَا يَسْعَى فِي هَدْمِ الْإِسْلَامِ
And by this chain, from Muhammad Bin Jamhour, raising it,
He-asws said: ‘If one comes across an innovation, so appreciates him (sides with him), so rather he has assisted in the demolition of Al-Islam’.[3]
وَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ: صَوْمُ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ فَرِيضَةٌ وَ الْقِيَامُ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ فِي لَيْلَتِهِ بِدْعَةٌ وَ مَا صَلَّاهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص فِي لَيَالِيهِ بِجَمَاعَةٍ وَ لَوْ كَانَ خَيْراً مَا تَرَكَهُ
And from Abu Abdullah-asws having said: ‘Fasting month of Ramazan is an obligation, and the standing in congregation during its nights (for Salat) is an innovation, and Rasool-Allah-saww had not prayed it (Tarawih) during its nights with a congregation, and had it been good, he-saww would not have neglected it!
وَ قَدْ صَلَّى فِي بَعْضِ لَيَالِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ وَحْدَهُ فَقَامَ قَوْمٌ خَلْفَهُ فَلَمَّا أَحَسَّ بِهِمْ دَخَلَ بَيْتَهُ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ ثَلَاثَ لَيَالٍ فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ بَعْدَ ثَلَاثٍ صَعِدَ الْمِنْبَرَ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَ أَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ
‘And Rasool-Allah-saww had prayed some nights of a month of Ramazan alone, so a group stood behind him-saww (to pray). When he-saww sensed them, he-saww entered his-saww house, doing that for three nights. When it was morning after three, he-saww ascended the pulpit. He-saww Praise Allah-azwj and Lauded upon Him-azwj.
ثُمَّ قَالَ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ لَا تُصَلُّوا النَّافِلَةَ لَيْلًا فِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ وَ لَا فِي غَيْرِهِ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ فَإِنَّهَا بِدْعَةٌ وَ لَا تُصَلُّوا ضُحًى فَإِنَّهَا بِدْعَةٌ وَ كُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَ كُلُّ ضَلَالَةٍ سَبِيلُهَا إِلَى النَّارِ
Then he-saww said: ‘O you people! Neither pray optional Salat of a night during a month of Ramazan nor in other (months) in congregation, for it is an innovation, neither pray it during the morning (Tarawih) for it is an innovation, and every innovation is a straying, and every straying, its way is to the Hellfire!’
ثُمَّ نَزَلَ وَ هُوَ يَقُولُ قَلِيلٌ فِي سُنَّةٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ كَثِيرٍ فِي بِدْعَةٍ
Then he-saww descended and he-saww (was) saying: ‘Little in a Sunnah is better than more in innovation!’
وَ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ نَافِلَةً فِي جَمَاعَةٍ فِي لَيَالِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ لَمْ تَكُنْ فِي عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَ لَا فِي أَيَّامِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَ لَا فِي صَدْرٍ مِنْ أَيَّامِ عُمَرَ حَتَّى أَحْدَثَ ذَلِكَ عُمَرُ فَاتَّبَعَهُ النَّاسُ
And the optional Salat in congregation during nights of a month of Ramazan did not happen in the era of Rasool-Allah-saww nor during days of Abu Bakr, nor in most of the days of Umar until Umar innovated that, so the people followed’.[4]
NB: See for example, https://hubeali.com/tarawih-is-from-the-innovations/
[1] A-Kafi, Vol. 1, H 175, Ch. 19, h19
[2] Al Mahaasin – V 1 Bk 5 H 69
[3] Al Kafi V 1 – The Book Of Intellect and Ignorance CH 19 H 3
[4] Bihar Al-Anwaar V 94 – The Book of Fasts – Ch 70 H 23