2. Argument Through Individual Righteous Deeds

Another way to argue through all the good things which are done on the mawlid such as mentioning the Prophet (), sending ṣalāt and salām upon him, reading his biography, reciting the Qurʾān and feeding others. Each of these matters are made an independent proof to justify the mawlid. No doubt, these individual actions are all legislated and are praiseworthy in their own right. However, performing them in a manner which is not specified in the Sunnah is an innovation and the Companions condemned those who departed from the legislated kayfiyyah (way, method, mode) in acts of worship. Imām al-Dārimī reports in his Sunan the incident of Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī () who upon seeing a group of people sat in the mosque in circles 92 Fatḥ al-Bārī (Maktabah Salafiyyah, 9/145). bidah.com  page 71 performing collective dhikr went to the house of ʿAbdullāh bin Masʿūd () to inform him.

When ʿAbdullah came out of his house, Abū Mūsā told him what he saw and they both went to the mosque. The men explained that they had pebbles and were counting tasbīh, tahlīl and takbīr upon them. ʿAbdullāh bin Masʿūd said, to them, "You better count your sins! I guarantee that nothing of your good deeds will go to waste [if done correctly]. Woe to you O ummah of Muḥammad, how quickly you go to destruction! These are the Companions of your Prophet () who are abundant, these are his garments which are intact, these are his vessels still unbroken.

By Him in whose Hand is my soul, either you are upon a religion better in guidance than the religion of Muḥammad or you are opening the door of misguidance." They said, "By Allāh O Abū ʿAbd alRaḥmān, we intended nothing but good." He said, "How many people intend good but never reach it."93 In this amazing narration which has so many benefits, good intentions were not enough to justify the innovated way (wasīlah) they used in performing dhikr because in its details and form, it was innovated and had no basis in the sharīʿah, even if the original act, dhikr, is from the loftiest of acts of worship. Sayyid bin alMuṣayyib saw a man praying more than two rakʿahs after the time for Fajr prayer had entered through the breaking of dawn and prohibited from that. The man said, "O Abū Muḥammad, Allāh will punish me for prayer?" He said, "No, but he will punish you for opposition to the Sunnah."94 And Imām al-Shāṭibī has some excellent words in this regard. He said under a chapter heading of Taḥrīf al-Adillah ʿan Mawāḍiʿihā (Distortion of Evidence From their Proper Places), "When an evidence is related contextually and it is taken away from that context to another affair to give the impression that the two contexts are one and the same, then this is one of the subtle forms of distorting words from their proper places 93 Al-Dārimī in al-Sunan (1/68-69), Abū Nuʿaym in al-Ḥilyah and others. 94 Reported by al-Bayḥaqī in Sunan al-Kubrā (2/466), al-Khaṭīb in al-Faqīh walMutafaqqih (p. 147), al-Dārimī in al-Sunan (1/116). bidah.com  page 72 and refuge is with Allāh. And it is overwhelming in one's opinion that a person who affirms Islām and censures the distortion of words from their proper places does not recourse to this practice brazenly except due to some confusion that befalls him or due to ignorance that hinders him from the truth alongside some desire that blinds him from taking the evidence in the proper way and as a result he becomes an innovator.

And the explanation of that is: When the sharʿiyy evidence requires something [from the servant] in a broad sense from whatever is connected to the acts of worship for example and then the worshipper (mukallaf) brings it in a broad sense95 - such as Allāh's remembrance (dhikr), or the recommended nawāfil deeds96 and what resembles them from those affairs in which vastness is known from their legislator [the Prophet] then the evidence supports him from two angles: From the angle of the meaning [of the text] and from the angle of the practice of the Righteous Salaf in this matter. However, if the worshipper performs that act with a specific kayfiyyah (form) or a specific time or specific place or in connection with a specific act of worship and then adheres to that whereby it gives the impression that this form (kayfiyyah), time or place are desired by the legislation but without there being any evidence to indicate as such, then the evidence [in question] is devoid of that meaning for which it is being used as evidence. So when the legislation indicates the recommendation of remembrance (dhikr) for example and then a people adhere to its performance collectively in a group with a single voice or in a specified known time exclusively to other times, then there is nothing in [that text through which] the legislation has presented the recommendation [of remembrance] which indicates this specification which is being adhered to. Rather, within that text is what 95 Meaning that the worshipper performs these actions devoid of any specifications or restrictions or attachments. They are commanded generally and openly and they are performed generally and openly.

And the only specifications made with respect to them are those which the Shariʿah itself has made for these actions. 96 Such as prayer, fasting, charity and so on. bidah.com  page 73 indicates its opposite97 because adhering to affairs which the legislation did not make binding is such that it causes people to understand that they are legislated, especially when this comes from one who is followed by others and when they are done in the large gatherings of people such as in the mosques. When these actions are given such prominence in this way and are done in the mosques like the other symbols [of worship] [whose practice] the Messenger of Allāh () legislated in the mosques and what resembles them, such as the adhān, the two ʿĪd prayers, and the rain and eclipse prayers - without doubt, it will be [wrongly] understood that these are affairs from the Sunnah, if they are not understood to be actual obligations. Thus, it ought to be the case that the [broad] evidence used [to justify the specific implementation] does not indicate them at all, and thus from this angle such actions become introduced innovations. What will indicate this to you is the the persistence of the Righteous Salaf in abandoning these things or in not practicing them whilst they were more deserving of them had they [indeed] been legislated upon the requirements of the principles of [the legislation]. This is because remembrance (dhikr) has been commended in the legislation in very many places until there is not an act of worship whose frequent repetition has been requested more than the frequent repetition of remembrance, such as His saying, the Exalted, 'O you who believe!

Remember Allāh with much remembrance.' (33:41) and His saying, 'And seek from the bounty of Allāh and remember Allah often that you may succeed.' (62:10) and His saying, 'O you who have believed, when you encounter a company [from the enemy forces], stand firm and remember Allah much that you may be successful.' (8:65) - and this is unlike all of the other acts of worship. Also similar to this is supplication (duʿā), for it is remembrance of Allāh and alongside that, they [the Salaf] did not adhere to any specific forms (kayfiyyāt), nor did they restrict it to specific times whereby it would give the perception of specifying 97 Meaning, the text mentioned the act broadly, unrestrictedly and the text remains upon this indication and thus clashes with the innovated specifications which have been devised and adhered to merely based upon people's opinions. bidah.com  page 74 worship in those times - except with what the evidence itself specified, such as [remembrance] in the morning and evening and they did not perform such actions aloud (openly) except what the legislation textually stated should be done aloud such as the remembrance during the two ʿĪds and what resembles them.98 And as for what is besides that, they used to persevere in doing it in a low voice and keeping it concealed. For this reason he [()] said to them when they raised their voices, 'Be merciful to yourselves, indeed you are not calling one who is deaf or absent,'99 and what is similar to this. So they did not proclaim openly [with their voices] in gatherings. Therefore, everyone who opposed this foundation has opposed the non-restriction (iṭlāq) of the evidence firstly, because he has restricted it through opinion (raʾī) and he has opposed those who were more knowledgeable of the Sharīʿah and they are the Righteous Salaf, may Allāh be pleased with them.

Rather, even the Prophet () would abandon an action whilst loving to perform it out of the fear that the people would act upon it and thereby be made obligatory upon them.100"101 This is an amazing piece from Imām al-Shāṭibī and it clarifies many things about what constitutes innovation with respect to those acts of worship which have been commanded and left open. They become innovations when they are specified through opinion (raʾī) and not on the basis of the Sharīʿah itself. Thus, these acts of worship such as providing food, giving charity, reciting the Qurʾān - all of which are commendable acts in themselves - they turn into innovations because of the innovated specifications which are attached to them. 98 Meaning the remembrance done during the days of ʿĪd and likewise the talbiyah which is done openly during the Ḥajj. 99 Reported by al-Bukhārī (no. 2992). 100 Referring to the story of the Tarawīḥ prayer, which the Prophed performed for three nights but then abandoned it. 101 Refer to al-Iʿtiṣām (Maktabah al-Tawḥīd 2/59 onwards). bidah.com  page 75