Q 1: A question from Sudan: Imam Al-Nawawy (may Allah be merciful with him) in his commentary on the subject of Bid`ah (innovation in religion) classified it into five categories: First: Wajib (obligatory) innovation, such as the proofs devised by Mutakallims' (searches for answers to creedal issues using logic) to refute atheistic arguments. Second: Mandub (commendable) innovation, such as composing books. Third: Mubah (permissible) innovation, such as enjoying certain varieties of food. Fourth: Haram (forbidden) innovation.Fifth: Makruh (reprehensible) innovation. These last two categories are clear. How is this classification to be understood in light of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) statement, Every Bid`ah leads to misguidance ? Please, clarify the meaning of Shaykh Al-Nawawy's words. May Allah bless you!
A 1: This classification that you quoted from Al-Nawawy's classification of Bid`ah into five categories has been approved of by a group of scholars, who said that Bid`ah can be classified as; Wajib, Mandub, Mubah, Haram, and Makruh. Other scholars are of the view that all forms of Bid`ah are misguidance. They do not approve of any classification of Bid`ah and quote the Prophet's statement in this regard: Every Bid`ah leads to misguidance. This is what the authentic Hadiths of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) convey andwhat Muslim narratedon the authority of Jabir Ibn `Abdullah Al-Ansary (may Allah be pleased with them) who said, "The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the Friday sermon, And then, the best of speech is embodied in the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance given by Muhammad. And the most evil of matters are their innovations and every Bid`ah is a misguidance. This meaning has been reiterated in several Hadiths related from `Aishah, Al-`Irbad ibn Sariyah, and others.
This is the sound opinion, which disregard such classifications of Bid`ah set by Al-Nawawy and other scholars. Thus, all kinds of Bid`ah are forms of misguidance. Moreover, Bid`ah is confined to matters of faith, not to worldly permissible things. For example, types of food that were unknown at the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) are not regarded as Bid`ah according to Shari`ah (Islamic law) even if it is linguistically included in the meaning of Bid`ah. Linguistically speaking, Bid`ah signifies an unprecedented thing. Allah (may he be Glorified) describes Himself, The Originator of the heavens and the earth. i.e. He created heaven and earth without any previous example. The term 'Bid`ah' applies to any invented matter in Islam that has no basis in the Qur'an and Sunnah. This is the correct view accepted and affirmed by a group of scholars, who refuted the arguments of the advocates of the above classification.