General Dought & clear, - * Ruling on celebrating‘Aashooraa’ or taking it as a day of mourning

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What is the ruling on what people do on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, such as wearing kohl, taking a bath (ghusl), using henna, shaking hands with one another, cooking grains (huboob), showing their happiness and so on…? Has any saheeh hadeeth to that effect been narrated from the Prophet peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or not? If there is no saheeh hadeeth to that effect, does doing these things constitute bid’ah, or not? What about the things that the other people do, such as mourning, grieving, going without anything to drink, eulogizing, wailing, rending their garments, etc.? Is there any basis for that or not?
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Praise be to Allah
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked this question and he replied as follows:
‘Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. Nothing to that effect has been reported in any saheeh hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from his Companions. None of the imaams of the Muslims encouraged or recommended such things, neither the four imaams, nor any others. No reliable scholars have narrated anything like this, neither from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), nor from the Sahaabah, nor from the Taabi’een; neither in any saheeh report or in a da’eef (weak) report; neither in the books ofSaheeh, nor inal-Sunan, nor in theMusnads. No hadeeth of this nature was known during the best centuries, but some of the later narrators reported ahaadeeth like the one which says “Whoever puts kohl in his eyes on the day of ‘Aashooraa’ will not suffer from eye disease in that year, and whoever takes a bath (does ghusl) on the day of ‘Aashooraa’ will not get sick in that year, etc.” They also narrated reports concerning the supposed virtues of praying on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, and other reports saying that on the day of ‘Aashooraa’ Adam repented, the Ark settled on Mount Joodi, Yoosuf returned to Ya’qoob, Ibraaheem was saved from the fire, the ram was provided for sacrifice instead of Ismaa’eel, and so on. They also reported a fabricated hadeeth that is falsely attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which says, “Whoever is generous to his family on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, Allaah will be generous to him for the rest of the year.”
(Then Ibn Taymiyah discussed the two misguided groups who were in Koofah, Iraq, both of whom took ‘Aashooraa’ as a festival because of their bid’ah). The Raafidi group made an outward show of allegiance to the Ahl al-Bayt although inwardly they were either heretics and disbelievers or ignorant and bound by whims and desires. The Naasibi group hated ‘Ali and his companions, because of the troubles and killings that had occurred. It is reported inSaheeh Muslimthat the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “In (the tribe of) Thaqeef there will be a liar and an oppressor [???].” The liar was al-Mukhtaar ibn Abi ‘Ubayd al-Thaqafi, who made an outward show of allegiance to and support of the Ahl al-Bayt, and killed ‘Ubayd-Allaah ibn Ziyaad, the governor of Iraq, who had equipped the party that killed al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with them both); then he (al-Mukhtaar) made it clear that he was a liar, by claiming to be a prophet and that Jibreel (peace be upon him) brought revelation to him. People told Ibn ‘Umar and Ibn ‘Abbaas about this, and said to one of them, “al-Mukhtaar ibn Abi ‘Ubayd is claiming to receive revelation [annahu yanzilu ‘alayhi].” He said, “He is telling the truth, for Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):‘Shall I inform you (O people) upon whom the shayaateen (devils) descend [tanazzalu]? They descend upon every lying, sinful person.’ [al-Shu’ara’ 26:221].” [Translator’s note: the words translated as “receive revelation” and “descend” both come from the same root in Arabic]. They said to the other: “Al-Mukhtaar is claiming that he receives inspiration.” He said, “he is telling the truth.‘… And certainly, the Shayaateen (devils) do inspire their friends (from mankind) to dispute with you…’ [al-An’aam 6:121 – interpretation of the meaning].” As for the oppressor , this was al-Hajjaaj ibn Yoosuf al-Thaqafi, who was opposed to ‘Ali and his companions. Al-Hajjaaj was a Naasibi and al-Mukhtaar was a Raafidi, and this Raafidi was a greater liar and more guilty of fabrication and heresy, because he claimed to be a prophet…
There was much trouble and fighting between these two groups in Kufa. When al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with them both) was killed on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, he was killed by the sinful, wrongdoing group. Allaah honoured al-Husayn with martyrdom, as He honoured other members of his family, and raised his status, as He honoured Hamzah, Ja’far, his father ‘Ali and others. Al-Husayn and his brother al-Hasan are the leaders of the youth of Paradise. High status can only be attained through suffering, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him said, when he was asked which people suffer the most. He said, “The Prophets, then righteous people, then the next best and the next best. A man will suffer according to his level of faith. If his faith is solid, he will suffer more, but if his faith is shaky, he will suffer less. The believer will keep on suffering until he walks on the earth with no sin.” (reported by al-Tirmidhi and others). Al-Hasan and al-Husayn achieved what they achieved and reached the high status they reached by the help and decree of Allaah. They did not suffer as much as their forefathers had, for they were born and raised during the glory days of Islam, and the Muslims respected and honoured them. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died when they were still young, and Allaah blessed them by testing them in such a manner that they would be able to catch up with the rest of their family members, as those who were of a higher status than them were also tested. ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib was better than them, and he was killed as a shaheed (martyr). The killing of al-Husayn was one of the things that caused fitnah (tribulation) among the people, as was the killing of ‘Uthmaan, which was one of the greatest causes of fitnah, because of which the ummah is still split today. Thus the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are three things, whoever is saved from them is truly saved: my death, the killing of a patient khaleefah, and the Dajjaal (‘antichrist’).”
Then Shaykh al-Islam (may Allaah have mercy on him) mentioned a little about the biography of al-Hasan and his just character, then he said:
“Then he died, and Allaah was pleased with him and honoured him. Some groups wrote to al-Husayn and promised to support and help him if he went ahead and declared himself khaleefah, but they were not sincere. When al-Husayn sent his cousin [son of his paternal uncle] to them, they broke their word and gave help to the one they had promised to defend him against, and fought with him against [al-Husayn’s cousin]. Those who were wise and who loved al-Husayn, such as Ibn ‘Abbaas and Ibn ‘Umar and others, advised him not to go to them, and not to accept any promises from them. They thought that his going to them served no useful interest and that the consequences would not be good. Things turned out just as they said, and this is how Allaah decreed it would happen. When al-Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him) went out and saw that things were not as he had expected, he asked them to let him go back, or to let him join the army that was defending the borders of Islam, or join his cousin Yazeed, but they would not let him do any of these things unless he gave himself up to them as a prisoner. So he fought with them, and they killed him and some of those who were with him, and he was wrongfully slain so he died as a shaheed whose martyrdom brought him honour from Allaah, and so he was reunited with the good and pure members of his family. His murder brought shame on those who had wrongfully killed him, and caused much mischief among the people. An ignorant, wrongful group – who were either heretics and hypocrites, or misguided and misled – made a show of allegiance to him and the members of his household, so they took the day of ‘Aashooraa’ as a day of mourning and wailing, in which they openly displayed the rituals of jaahiliyyah such as slapping their cheeks and rending their garments, grieving in the manner of the jaahiliyyah. But what Allaah has commanded us to do when disaster strikes – when the disaster is fresh – is to bear it with patience and fortitude, and to seek reward, and to remember that all things come from Allaah and we must return to Him, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):“… but give glad tidings to al-saabiroon (the patient ones), who, when afflicted with calamity, say: ‘Truly, to Allaah we belong and turly, to Him we shall return.’ They are those on whom are al-salawaat (the blessings) (i.e., who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones.” [al-Baqarah 2:155-157].
It is reported inal-Saheehthat the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “he is not one of us who strikes his cheeks, rends his garments and prays with the prayer of Jaahiliyyah.” And he said: “I have nothing to do with those who strike [their cheeks], shave [their heads] and rend [their garments].” And he said: “If the woman who wails does not repent before she dies, she will be raised up on the Day of Resurrection wearing trousers made of tar and a shirt of scabs.” Inal-Musnad, it is reported from Faatimah bint al-Husayn, from her father al-Husayn, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no man who suffers a calamity, and when he remembers it, even if it is old, he says ‘Innaa Lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji’oon(Truly, to Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return),’ but Allaah will give a reward equal to the reward He gave him on the day he suffered the calamity.” This is how Allaah honours the Believers. If the disaster suffered by al-Husayn, and other disasters, are mentioned after all this time, we should say “Innaa Lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji’oon(Truly, to Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return),” as Allaah and His Messenger commanded, so as to be given the reward like that earned on the day of the disaster itself. If Allaah commanded us to be patient and steadfast and to seek reward at the time of the disaster, then how about after the passing of time? The Shaytaan made this attractive to those who are misled, so they took the day of ‘Aashooraa’ as an occasion of mourning, when they grieve and wail, recite poems of grief and tell stories filled with lies. Whatever truth there may be in these stories serves no purpose other than the renewal of their grief and sectarian feeling, and the stirring up of hatred and hostility among the Muslims, which they do by cursing those who came before them, and telling many lies, and causing much trouble in the world. The various sects of Islam have never known any group tell more lies or cause more trouble or help the kuffaar against the Muslims more than this misguided and evil group. They are even worse than the Khawaarij who went beyond the pale of Islam. They are the ones of whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “They will kill the people of Islam and will leave alone the people who worship idols.” This group cooperated with the Jews, Christians and mushrikeen against the members of the Prophet’s household and his believing ummah, and also helped the mushrik Turks and Tatars to do what they did in Baghdaad and elsewhere to the descendents of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), i.e., the ‘Abbaasid rulers and others, and the believers; the Turks and Tatars killed them, enslaved their women and destroyed their homes. The evil and harm that they do to the Muslims cannot be enumerated by any man, no matter how eloquent he is. Some others – either Naasibis who oppose and have enmity towards al-Husayn and his family or ignorant people who try to fight evil with evil, corruption with corruption, lies with lies and bid’ah with bid’ah – opposed them by fabricating reports in favour of making the day of ‘Aashooraa’ a day of celebration, by wearing kohl and henna, spending money on one's children, cooking special dishes and other things that are done on Eids and special occasions. These people took the day of ‘Aashooraa’ as a festival like Eid, whereas the others took it as a day of mourning. Both are wrong, and both go against the Sunnah, even though the other group (the Rafidis) are worse in intention and more ignorant and more plainly wrong… But Allaah commands us to be just and to treat others well. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Those of you who live after my death will see many disputes. I urge you to adhere to my Sunnah and the sunnah of my rightly-guided successors (al-khulafa’ al-raashidoon) who come after me. Hold onto it as if biting it with your eyeteeth. Beware of newly-innovated matters, for every innovation is a going astray.” Neither the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) nor his rightly-guided successors (the khulafa’ al-raashidoon) did any of these things on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, they neither made it a day of mourning nor a day of celebration.
But “when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah, he saw the Jews fasting on the day of ‘Aashooraa’. He said, ‘What is this?’ They said, ‘This is the day when Allaah saved Moosa from drowning, so we fast on this day.’ He said, ‘We have more right to Moosa than you,’ so he fasted on that day and commanded [the Muslims] to fast on that day.”
Quraysh also used to venerate this day during the Jaahiliyyah. The day on which people were ordered to fast was just one day. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah it was Rabee’ al-Awwal, and the following year he fasted ‘Aashooraa’ and commanded the people to fast. Then in that year fasting in Ramadaan was made obligatory and fasting on ‘Aashooraa’ was abrogated. The scholars disputed as to whether fasting on that day (‘Aashooraa’) was waajib (obligatory) or mustahabb (encouraged). Of the two best known opinions, the more correct view is that it was waajib, then after that whoever fasted it did it because it was mustahabb. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not tell ordinary Muslims to fast on ‘Aashooraa’, but he used to say, “This is the day of ‘Aashooraa’; I am fasting on this day and whoever wishes to fast on this day may fast.” And he said: “Fasting on ‘Aashooraa’ expiates for the sins of one year and fasting on the day of ‘Arafaah expiates for the sins of two years.” When, towards the end of his life, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) heard that the Jews took the day of ‘Aashooraa’ as a festival, he said, “If I live until next year, I will certainly fast on the ninth” – to be different from the Jews, and not to resemble them in taking the day as a festival.
There were some of the Sahaabah and scholars who did not fast on this day and did not regard it as mustahabb, but thought it makrooh to single out this day for fasting. This was reported from a group of the Koofiyeen (scholars of Kufa). Some other scholars said that it was mustahabb to fast on this day. The correct view is that it is mustahabb for the one who fasts on ‘Aashooraa’ to fast on the ninth day [of Muharram] too, because this was the ultimate command of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as he said: “If I live until next year, I will certainly fast on the ninth as well as the tenth.” This was reported with a variety of isnaads. This is what is prescribed in the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
As for the other things, such as cooking special dishes with or without grains, or wearing new clothes, or spending money on one’s family, or buying the year’s supplies on that day, or doing special acts of worship such as special prayers or deliberately slaughtering an animal on that day, or saving some of the meat of the sacrifice to cook with grains, or wearing kohl and henna, or taking a bath (ghusl), or shaking hands with one another, or visiting one another, or visiting the mosques and mashhads (shrines) and so on… all of this is reprehensible bid’ah and is wrong. None of it has anything to do with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or the way of the Khulafa’ al-Raashidoon. It was not approved of by any of the imaams of the Muslims, not Maalik, not al-Thawri, not al-Layth ibn Sa’d, not Abu Haneefah, not al-Oozaa’i, not al-Shaafa'i, not Ahmad ibn Hanbal, not Ishaaq ibn Raahwayh, not any of the imaams and scholars of the Muslims.
The religion of Islam is based on two principles: that we should worship nothing besides Allaah Alone, and that we should worship Him in the manner that He has prescribed, not by means of bid’ah or reprehensible innovations. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“… So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord.” [al-Kahf 18:110].
Righteous deeds are those which are loved by Allaah and His Messenger, those which are prescribed in Islam and in the Sunnah. Thus ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) used to say in his du’aa’: “O Allaah, make all of my deeds righteous and make them purely for Your sake, and do not let there be any share for anyone or anything else in them.”
(The above is summarized from the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah – may Allaah have mercy on him.Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, part 5). And Allaah is the Guide to the Straight Path.
-Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

PUBLISHERM.NajimudeeN. MD,IRI

General Dought & clear, - * Offering condolences to the Raafidis for the killing of al-Husayn

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I read some tweets by some Sunni people on Twitter offering condolences to the Raafidis for the killing of al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), or telling them “Ma’jooreen (may you be rewarded for your loss).” What is the ruling on doing that?
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Praise be to Allah
Firstly:
Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah are closer to al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) and the family of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) than anyone else, for they are the ones who show love and respect for the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) by showing love and respect for his family, wives, companions and offspring, as Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, enjoined, without any exaggeration or negligence. The Raafidis do not have any advantage that gives them a special connection to al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) or the Ahl al-Bayt (members of the Prophet’s family), such that they should be offered these condolences. In fact, in this regard their exaggeration, innovations and misguidance dictate that we should disavow them and denounce them.
For more details on the Raafidi sect, please see question no. 101272.
Secondly:
What the Raafidis do of venerating the day of ‘Ashoora’, holding gatherings of mourning, expressing grief and weeping in memory of the death of al-Husayn, with all the kinds of Jaahili wailing that they do, is a reprehensible innovation that was not done by the early generations, namely the Sahaabah, Taabi‘een and leading imams (may Allah have mercy on them).
It was not the practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to commemorate the anniversary of the slaying of any of the Prophets or martyrs, including Hamzah the leader of the martyrs (sayyid ash-shuhada’ – may Allah be pleased with him).
And it was not the practice of the early generations to c ommemorate the anniversary of the death of anyone, either the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or anyone of lesser standing than him.
So whoever does that has fallen into innovation and is going against the Sunnah and the practice of the righteous early generations.
For more information, please see question no. 4033.
The Raafidis went even further in their misguidance and introduced on this day abhorrent innovations and grave evil practices for which there is no basis in the religion of Islam, such as striking the chest, rending the garments, wailing, slapping the cheeks, striking the shoulders with chains, cutting the head with swords and shedding blood.
For more information, please see question no. 101268
Based on the above, it is not permissible for a Muslim to offer condolences to the Raafidis for the slaying of al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), because of what that involves of innovation and going against the Sunnah, and what it involves of supporting and approving of their falsehood. Similarly it is not permissible to say to themMa’jooreen(may you be rewarded for your loss) because they will not be rewarded for their innovation; rather they are sinning and deserve to be punished.
And Allah knows best.

PUBLISHERM.NajimudeeN. MD,IRI

Da'eef (weak) hadeeths, Dought & clear, - * Are All Deeds of Innovators Rejected?

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I read the question on your website about praying behind a person who commits innovations (bid’ah) in which you said that it is permissible to pray behind that innovator whose innovation doesn’t involve shirk. But I went through this hadeeth in Ibn Majah and Darmi which states that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “ Allah doesn’t accept the fast and prayers and sadaqah (charity) and other voluntary deeds of an innovator and he gets out of Islam like the hair taken out from the flour.” If the hadeeth is sahih (authentic), then how can we pray behind an innovator even if he doesn’t do shirk? In the above hadeeth it is mentioned in general i.e. innovator. In my locality there are only those mosques that commit innovations and the mosque of rightly-guided people is quite far from my house. In this case what should I do? Please guide me by giving proofs from the Quran and Sunnah (prophetic teachings). May Allah bless you for the great work you are doing.
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Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
The ruling on praying behind an innovator has been stated previously in the answer to questions no. 20885and 26152. There is no need to repeat it here.
Secondly:
With regard to the hadeeth (narration) mentioned in the question and other marfoo’ hadeeths (reports attributed to the prophet) about the good deeds of the innovator not being accepted, they are da’eef or munkar ahadeeth (i.e., weak) and are not saheeh (authentic). A detailed discussion follows.
1.
The first hadeeth: It was narrated from Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah will not accept any fasting, prayer, charity, Hajj, ‘Umrah (major and minorpilgrimage), jihad (physical struggle against oppression), or any other obligatory or nafil (voluntary) action from a person who follows innovation (bid’ah). He comes out of Islam like a hair pulled out of dough.”
Narrated by Ibn Majah in al-Sunan (no. 49). He said: Dawood ibn Sulayman al-‘Askari narrated to us, Muhammad ibn ‘Ali Abu Hashim ibn Abi Khaddash narrated to us, Muhammad ibn Muhsin narrated to us, from Ibraheem ibn Abi ‘Ablah, from ‘Abd-Allah ibn al-Daylami, from Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him).
Al-Shaykh al-Albani said in al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah (no. 1493):
It is mawdoo’ (fabricated); the fault lies with Ibn Muhsin who is a liar as Ibn Ma’een and Abu Hatim said. Al-Hafiz said in al-Taqreeb: They regarded him as a liar but al-Boosayri was more lenient concerning him in al-Zawaid (1/10). This is a da’eef (weak) hadeeth; its isnad (chain of transmission) includes Muhammad ibn Muhsin, and they are agreed that he is da’eef. The reason for this lenient view is that the narrator is unanimously regarded as da’eef but not as a liar. In that case, mentioning the consensus concerning a narrator without mentioning the reason does not give a proper idea about the narrator.
2.
The second hadeeth: It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah refuses to accept the good deeds of one who follows innovation until he gives up that innovation.”
Narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim in al-Jarh wa’l-Ta’deel (9/439); Ibn Majah in al-Sunan (no. 50), Abu’l-Fadl al-Muqri’ in Ahadeeth fi Dhamm al-Kalam wa Ahlihi (3/111), Ibn Abi ‘Asim in al-Sunnah (no. 32), al-Khateeb in Tareekh Baghdad (13/185), via Ibn al-Jawzi in al-‘Ilal al-Mutanahiyah (1/144). All of them narrated via Bishr ibn Mansoor al-Khayyat from Abu Zayd from Abu’l-Mugheerah from ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him).
Ibn Abi Hatim said, after narrating it: Abu Zu’rah was asked about them – meaning Abu Zayd and Abu’l-Mugheerah – and he said: I do not know them, and I do not know Bishr ibn Mansoor from whom al-Ashajj narrated it. End quote.
Ibn al-Jawzi said in al-‘Ilal al-Mutanahiyah (1/145):
This is not a saheeh hadeeth (authentic report) from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); its isnad includes majhool (unknown) narrators. End quote.
Al-Shaykh al-Albani said in al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah (1/1492):
It is munkar (denounced). This is a da’eef (weak) isnad, full of majhool (unknown) narrators. Abu Zur’ah said: I do not know Abu Zayd or his Shaykh, or Bishr. Al-Dhahabi said concerning the first of them: He is unknown. And he said concerning the other two: I do not know who they are. And al-Boosayri agreed with him in al-Zawaid (1/11). End quote.
Thirdly:
But some people may be confused by what is mentioned in the hadeeth of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said concerning one who introduces innovation in Madeenah: “Allah will not accept any obligatory or nafil act of worship from him.” Narrated by al-Bukhari (7300) and Muslim (1370).
Something similar was narrated from a number of the Tabi’een, such as al-Hasan al-Basri, from whom it was narrated that he said: “Allah does not accept from the one who follows innovation any fast, prayer, Hajj or ‘Umrah, until he gives it up.” End quote.
Narrated by al-Ajurri in al-Sharee’ah (64); Abu Shamah in al-Ba’ith ‘ala Inkar al-Bida’ wa’l-Hawadith (p. 16); and elsewhere. A similar report was narrated from al-Awza’i, as it says in al-Bida’ wa’l-Nahi ‘anha by Ibn Waddah (27). It was narrated that al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad said: “No good deed is taken up to Allah for the one who follows innovation.” Narrated by al-Lalkai in Sharh Usool I’tiqad Ahl al-Sunnah (1/139).
Al-Shatibi remarked in his commentary on such reports. He said in al-I’tisam (1/108-112):
Either it means that his good deeds are not accepted from him at all, regardless of whether they are in accordance with the Sunnah (prophetic teachings) or not, or it means that the deeds in which he follows innovation in particular will not be accepted from him, to the exclusion of those in which he does not follow innovation.
With regard to the first scenario, it may be understood in three ways:
1 – it may be understood according to the apparent meaning, i.e., that for every innovator, no matter what his innovation is, none of his good deeds will be accepted when he follows that innovation, whether any particular deed comes under the heading of that bid’ah or not. This is very harsh on those who introduce innovations into Islam.
2 – it may be understood as referring to a type of bid’ah that may form the basis for all other deeds, such as if he holds the view that ahad reports are to be rejected, as most deeds prescribed in Islam are based on ahad reports.
3 – The third way of understanding it is that bid’ah in some acts of worship or other deeds may lead the one who follows that particular bid’ah to form some understanding that makes his belief in sharee’ah (Islamic teachings in general) very weak, which invalidates all his good deeds.
With regard to the second interpretation, it means that specifically their deeds in which they follow innovation are not accepted, and that is possible. This is indicated by the hadeeth: “Every action that is not in accordance with this matter of ours will be rejected.” End quote.
But the correct view concerning this issue is what was mentioned by Dr. Ibraheem al-Ruhayli in his book Mawqif Ahl al-Sunnah min Ahl al-Ahwa wa’l-Bida’ (1/292-293), where he says:
What is indicated by the apparent meaning of the texts and the words of the Salaf (pious predecessors) is that for the one who follows innovation, Allah will not accept his deeds, and it may be interpreted in the following ways:
1 – The words may be taken at face value, and that what is meant is that all the deeds of the innovator are rejected, those in which he follows innovation and those in which he does not follow innovation. This applies to the innovator who is a kafir (disbeliever), and no one else.
2 – What is meant is that only the innovated actions are rejected, whether they are pure innovation or they were prescribed in Islam but some innovations were introduced into them and spoiled them.
3 – The innovations may cause the reward for the deed to be erased by way of punishment, until it is as if it is not accepted.
4 – The texts may be understood as a rebuke for innovation and as a deterrent.
The reason why we need to find a proper understanding for these texts and the words of the salaf here is that the apparent meaning of the texts seems to contradict the basic principles of sharee’ah, which indicate that the Muslim’s deeds are accepted if they fulfil the conditions of sincerity towards Allah and following the Sunnah, regardless of any innovations, sins, etc., that the person may be doing in other deeds, because they have no effect on the acceptability of this particular good deed. End quote.
With regard to the third interpretation here, it should be understood as referring only to any bid’ah that a shar’i (religious) text indicates that this particular bid’ah erases the good deeds of the one who commits it, and not every single bid’ah falls into this category.
The scholars commented on this hadeeth and explained what is meant by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “Allah will not accept any obligatory or nafil act of worship from him.”
Al-Qadi said: And it was said that what is meant is that his obligatory and nafil acts of worship will not be accepted in the sense of Allah being pleased with them, even though they may be acceptable in the sense that he will be rewarded for them. And it was said that acceptance here refers to being acceptable as expiation for sin.
Sharh al-Nawawi ‘ala Muslim (9/141).
To sum up: It is permissible to pray behind one who follows innovation so long as his bid’ah is not one that constitutes blatant kufr (disbelief). Allah will call people to account on the basis of their deeds.
“So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant) shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant) shall see it.”
[al-Zalzalah 99:7-8]
And Allah knows best.

PUBLISHERM.NajimudeeN. MD,IRI