Bid ‘ah in Islamic Tradition: A Conceptual Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58575/ki.v5i1.76Keywords:
Bid’ah, Islamic Tradition, Ijtihad, ModernityAbstract
Bida’h (innovation) is one of the main areas of inquiry in Islamic Jurisprudence. Founded in the Prophetic Hadith, a large number of scholarly discourses has been historically undertaken on the concept, types and implications of Bida’h in Islamic jurisprudence. However, the present study is a critical-comparative analysis of the concept of Bid‘ah (innovation) in Islamic tradition. Through a rigorous examination of Qur’an, Hadith and classical scholarly interpretations, the research explores the theoretical foundations and juristic discussion on Bid‘ah. The study highlights the historical, theological and practical dimensions of Bida’h. This study also incorporates perspectives of the Sufi scholars and the Muhaddithun on Bida’h. Furthermore, the research highlights the dynamic interaction between tradition and modernity, illustrating how social evolution and the corresponding scholarly discourse has shaped contemporary understandings of Bid‘ah. By evaluating the role of context and legal reasoning (Ijtihad) in determining the legitimacy of new practices, the findings underscore the complexity of religious adaptation within Islamic thought. This study contributes to ongoing academic discussions on the preservation of religious authenticity amid evolving socio-cultural contexts.
Downloads
References
Graded Sahih; Mishkat al-Masabih, Chapter: Reliance on the book and Sunnah; Book 1, Hadith No. 134, retreived from: https://sunnah.com/mishkat:141.
Al-Quran, 2:117.
Ibn Manzur, Mohammad ibn Mukarram, Lisan al-Arab, Adab al-Hawzah, Qum, Iran, Vol.1, 1984.
Rehmani, Khalid Saifullah, Murwajah Bidaat, Sabeel al-Falah, Bihar, 1997, p.12.
Ibn Kathir, Imad-du-din Abul Fida, Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim, Dar Tayyibah, 1999, vol. 3, p. 24
Tazkirual Quran, http://quran.com
Maududi, Sayyid Abul A'la. Tafhīm al-Qur'ān. Vol. 2, Idara Tarjuman-ul-Qur'an, 1984
Al-Quran, 3:105.
Al-Qurtubi, Abu Abdullah Mohammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abu Bakr, Al Jamiah al-Ahkam al Quran, Urdu Translation by Peer Mohammad Karam Shah al-Azhari, Ziyal ul-Quran Publications, Karachi, Vol.2, 2012, p.700.
Al-Quran, 3:106.
Al-Qurtubi, Op.Cite, p.701.
Ibid.
Al-Quran, 4:115.
Ibn Kathir, Imad-ud-Din Abul Fida, Tafseer ibn Kathir, Urdu Translation, Mohammad Junaghadi, Maktaba Quddusiyyah, Lahore, Vol.1, 2006, p.674.
Al-Quran, 57:27.
Ibn Kathir, Imad-ud-din Abul Fida, Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim, Dar Tayyibah, Vol. 8, 1999, pp. 246-247.
Al-Qurtubi, al-Jami' li-Ahkam al-Qur'an, Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya, Vol. 17, 1964, p. 100.
Al-Quran, 42:21.
Al-Razi, Fakhr al-Din. Mafatih al-Ghayb (al-Tafsir al-Kabir). Dar al-Fikr, Vol. 27, 1981, p. 159.
Sahih Bukhari, Book of Peacemaking, Hadith No.2697; Sahih Muslim, Book on Friday Prayer, Chapter on the Obligation of the Friday Prayer, Hadith No. 86
Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim, vol. 6, p. 154
Abu Dawud, Sunan, Book on the Sunnah, Chapter on Adhering to the Sunnah, Hadith 4607; al-Tirmidhi, Sunan, Book on Knowledge, Chapter on Following the Sunnah and Avoiding Innovations, Hadith 2676 ; Sahih Muslim, Book of Prayer-Friday, Hadtih No. 867- Tirmidhi classified it as hasan sahih
Ibn Taymiyyah, Iqtida' al-Sirat al-Mustaqim, vol. 1, p. 276
al-Shatibi, al-I'tisam, vol. 1, p. 49
Sahih Bukhari, Virtues of Madinah, Book 29, Hadith No. 4.
Safdar, Sarfaraz Khan, Rah-e-Sunnah, Makki Madani Publishers, Lahore, 2009, p.69.
Bukhari, Sahih, Book on Reconciliation, Chapter on If Two Parties of Muslims Fight..., Hadith 2697; Muslim, Sahih, Book on Judgments, Chapter on Stoning the Married Fornicator, Hadith 1718
Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1017.
Al-Nawawi, Yahya ibn Sharaf. Sharh Sahih Muslim. Edited by Khalil Ma'mun Shiha, Dar al-Ma'rifa, Vol. 7, 1997, p. 104
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Abd al-Rahman ibn Ahmad. Jami' al-Ulum wa al-Hikam fi Sharh Khamsina Hadithan min Jawami' al-Kalim. Edited by Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut, Mu'assasat al-Risala, 2001.p. 268.
Usmani, op.cit, p.56.
Ibid.
Shatibi, Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Musa, op.cit, p.25.
Asqalani, Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Hajr, Fath-ul-Bari Sharah Sahih al- Bukhari, Dar al-Rayyan, Cairo, Vol.4, 1986, p.219.
Usmani, Momin Khan, Bidat aur Bidati, Dar al-Kitab, Ghazni Trust, Lahore, 2010, p.27.
Ibn Taymiyyah, Taqi ad Din Abul-Abbas Ahmad ibn Abdul Haleem, Iqtidha al-Sirat al-Mustaqim, Darussalam, Riyadh, 1991, p.22.
Dehlavi, Mohammad Kifayat-ul-Ullah, Taleem -ul-Islam, Maktaba Bushra, Karachi, Vol.4, 2011, p.195.
Usmani, op.cite, p.28.
Al-Quran, 2:117.
Rehmani, Khalid Saifullah, op.cit, p.14.
Shatibi, op cit, p.25.
Ibid.
Shatibi, Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Musa, Kitab al-I’tisam, English Translation, Mohammad Mehdi al-Sharif, Dar al-Kotab al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, 2012, p.24.
Rehmani, Khalid Saifullah, op.cit, p.13.
Usmani, op.cit, p.20.
Adynata and Rahman, Syahrul, The Conceptology of Bid’ah: Imam Ahmad’s Perspective and Its Application in the Contemporary Era, Ishlah: Jurnal Ilmu Ushuluddin, Vol.4{2}, 2022, p.222.
Rehmani, Khalid Saifullah, op.cit, p.20.
Ibid.
Shatibi, op cit, p.28.
Rehmani, Khalid Saifullah, op.cit, p.21.
Ṣalāt al-Raghāʾib is a specific Nafl (supererogatory) prayer that is claimed to be performed on the night of the first Friday night of Rajab (i.e., Thursday night). It is sometimes performed with a specific number of rakʿāt and particular intentions, along with promises of vast rewards for those who perform it.
Rehmani, Khalid Saifullah, op.cit, p.15.
Ibid.
Usmani, op.cit, p.21.
Rehmani, Khalid Saifullah, op.cit, p.16.
Muslim ibn Hajjaj, Sahih Muslim, Book of Fasting, HN.1164.
Al-Bukhari, Mohammad bin Ismail, Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Fasting, HN.1914.
Rehmani, Khalid Saifullah, op.cit, p.18.
Shatibi, op cit, p.26.
Ibid.
Toyyub, Mohammad, Bidat: Tarufi Mabahith Aur Fuqaha ka Nuqti Nazr, Huroof-o-Sukhan, Vol.7 {4}, 2023, p.21.
Al-Jawzi, Abul Faraj, Talbis Iblis, Dar as-Sunnah Publishers, Birmingham, English Translation by Abu Ameena Bilal Philips, 1987, p.45.
Usmani, op.cit, p.34.
Ibid.
Usmani, op.cit, p.62.
Al-Jawzi, Abul Faraj, Talbis Iblis, op.cit, p.47.
Rehmani, Khalid Saifullah, op.cit, p.23.
Shatibi, op.cit, p.32.S
Usmani, op.cit, p.90.
Al-Jawzi, Abul Faraj, Talbis Iblis, op.cit, p.50.
Schimmel, Annemarie. Mystical Dimensions of Islam. University of North Carolina Press, 1975, p.56.
Al-Ghazālī, Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad. The Revival of the Religious Sciences (Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn). Translated by Nabih Amin Faris, vol. 2, book 9, Islamic Book Trust, 2007.
Rehmani, Khalid Saifullah, op.cit, p.26.
Ibid.
Usmani, op.cit, p.95.
Ibid.
Usmani, op.cit, p.103.
Fatawa-e-Alamgiri is a classical compendium of Hanafi jurisprudence compiled in the 17th century under the patronage of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir. It was prepared by a committee of prominent scholars led by Shaykh Nizamuddin and serves as a systematic codification of Hanafi legal rulings. Recognized for its juristic precision and reliance on authoritative sources, the work played a foundational role in shaping Islamic legal practice in the Indian subcontinent and continues to be referenced in contemporary Hanafi scholarship.
Rehmani, Khalid Saifullah, op.cit, p.28.
Usmani, op.cit, p.105.
Usmani, Mohammad Shafi, Sunnat wa Bidat, Maktaba Khalil, Urdu Bazar, Lahore, 2011, p.16.
Rehmani, Khalid Saifullah, op.cit, p.30.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
