Bid'ah???

• It is a sign of Imaan (Faith) that a person fights against Bid`ah and that which corrupts the Deen.

• Do not be baffled by the large number of people doing innovations in the Deen.

It is narrated on the authority `Abdullaah Ibn Mas`ood that the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

۞ 1) ❝There was never a Prophet sent before me by Allaah to his people but he had, among his people, (his) disciples and companions, who followed his ways and obeyed his command.

۞ 2) Then there came after them their successors who said whatever they did not practice, and practiced whatever they were not commanded to do.

۞ 3) He who strove against them with his hand was a believer: he who strove against them with his tongue was a believer, and he who strove against them with his heart was a believer and beyond that there is no faith even to the extent of a mustard seed.❞

[Saheeh Muslim (81, 82)]

Shaikh Ibn al-`Uthaymeen رحنه الله commented:

Some of the benefits from this Hadeeth are as follows:

۞ 1) Every Prophet which was sent to his people, before the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم, had from his people who were his disciples and companions, who would follow the Sunnah of that Prophet and implement his command.

۞ 2) And every time the era of Prophethood (the Prophet and his disciples) passed away, Bid`ah (religious innovations) emerged, and sins increased, as the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: ❝Then there came after them their successors who said whatever they did not practice, and practiced whatever they were not commanded to do.❞

۞ 3) It is a sign of faith that a person strives against these Bid`aat and corruption with his hands or his tongue or his heart.

۞ 4) And from this Hadeeth we also learn that Imaan increases and decreases, till it reaches the size of a mustard seed. A mustard seed is really small and it is used as an example to describe the smallness of a thing.

[Sharh Saheeh Muslim (1/164-165)]