بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
As salaamu Alaykum,
Brothers and sisters please be cautious of the doubt thrown by Jamaa’atut Tabligh in order to legitimize their innovation. They say, “Why do you criticize us for innovation while you know the combining of the Quran into one book is an innovation (it wasn’t done during the time of the Prophet -sallahu alayhi wa salaam-) and Umar gathering the people in order to pray tarawih behind one imam is an innovation. These are good innovations.”
They misrepresent the statement of our Messenger -sallahu alayhi wa salaam- to substantiate their claim where he said:
“Whoever establishes a good practice in Islam, there is a reward for him and a reward (for him) of whoever acts in accordance with it after him, without there being a diminishing in their reward. But whoever establishes an evil practice in Islam, there is for him sin and the sin (for him) of whoever acts in accordance with it after him, without there being a diminishing in their sin.”
In order to understand the intent of the Prophet -sallahu alayhi wa salaam- one must understand the circumstance that caused him to make the statement. As Jarir ibn Abdullah (the narrator of the hadith) stated, “While we were with Allah’s Messenger at the start of the day a group of people who were barefooted and destitute, wearing stripped woolen clothes or cloaks, with their swords hung around their necks, enter upon him. The majority of them were from Mudar, in fact all were from Mudar. The face of Allah’s Messenger -sallahu alayhi wa salaam- changed as a result of what he saw from them of poverty. So he entered (his home) and eventually exited. He ordered Bilal (to call the adhan), and he called it and the iqamah. So he prayed and afterwards addressed the people. He said:
يأيها الناس اتقوا ربكم الذي خلقكم من نفسٍ واحد
“O mankind! Fear your lord who created you from one soul..”
until he -sallahu alayhi wa salaam- reached the last portion of the verse
إن الله كان عليكم رقيباً
“Indeed Allah is ever observant of you.”
And he -sallahu alayhi wa salaam- cited the verse in Al Hashr
و اتقوا الله و لتنظر نفس ما قدمت لغدٍ و اتقوا الله
“And fear Allah and let every soul look to what it puts forth for the morrow and fear Allah.”
A man gives from his dinars, dirhams, clothing, a saa of wheat, and a saa of dates (until he said) even if it’s half a date. As a result a man from the ansar came with a bundle that he could barely lift (in order to give its contents away as charity), on the contrary he couldn’t lift it. The people followed continuously until I saw two piles of food and clothing, then I saw the face of Allah’s Messenger -sallahu alayhi wa salaam- glistening as if it was gold and he -sallahu alayhi wa salaam- said:
“Whoever establishes a good practice in Islam, there is a reward for him and a reward (for him) of whoever acts in accordance with it after him, without there being a diminishing in their reward. But whoever establishes an evil practice in Islam, there is for him sin and the sin (for him) of whoever acts in accordance with it after him, without there being a diminishing in their sin.”
That was the circumstance that caused the Prophet -sallahu alayhi wa salaam- to make this statement, and the scholars elucidate the intent of his speech. Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih Al Uthaymin said, “If someone says what is the correlation between these two decisive, clear, and general statements “Every novelty is an (accursed) innovation” and his -sallahu alayhi wa salaam- statement, “Whoever establishes a good practice in Islam, there is a reward for him and a reward (for him) of whoever acts in accordance with it after him…”
The answer is from two perspectives:
The first perspective: The meaning of his speech, “Whoever establishes a good practice in Islam” whoever initiates an action in accordance with the Sunnah. The indication of this is the fact that the Prophet -sallahu alayhi wa salaam- mentioned it after urging (the people) to give charity to those who arrived in Medina. So each companion came with that which was easy for him, and a man from the ansar came with a bundle too heavy for his hands (to carry) and he placed it at the lap of the Prophet -sallahu alayhi wa salaam-. As a result he -sallahu alayhi wa salaam- said, “Whoever establishes a good practice in Islam, there is a reward for him and a reward (for him) of whoever acts in accordance with it after him…” meaning whoever initiates a firmly established sunnah (that which is found in the text), and it is not that he comes with a new practice…”
Shaykh Uthaymin states concerning the second perspective, “Whoever arrives at the enacting of that which was legislated previously (but never actualized) like the companions combining the separated manuscripts (of the Quran) into one book. There’s no doubt that this is a good practice…” [شرح الأربعين النووية]
As the Quran was always legislated to be one book as is seen all throughout it being referred to as “the Book.” So beware of the utterly flimsy doubt of the tablighis and Sufis in this regard.
Written by Najeeb Al Anjelesi
